《Monarch of Evernight》 Realm Classifications Warning: There may be some spoilers lurking in the information listed below. Browse at your own risk. Certain Terms below have never appeared in the novel before; these terms are tentative and subject to change when they do appear. Human Daybreak Origin PowerDark Races Darkness Origin PowerRankMilitary RankOfficeFeudal RankRank 0-Ordinary Footsoldier-Rank 1 FighterSecond LieutenantUnit Leader Low-ranking WarriorRank 2 FighterFirst LieutenantPlatoon LeaderRank 3 FighterCaptainCompany CommanderRank 4 Fighter Major Battalion Commander High-ranking WarriorRank 5 FighterRank 6 Fighter Lieutenant Colonel Regiment CommanderRank 7 FighterEsquireRank 8 Fighter Colonel ?KnightRank 9 FighterBaronRank 10 ChampionBrigadier General Division CommanderThird-rank ViscountRank 11 Champion Major GeneralSecond-Rank ViscountRank 12 ChampionFirst-Rank ViscountRank 13 ChampionThird-Rank CountRank 14 Champion Lieutenant General Regular Army Corps Commander or Elite Corps Deputy CommanderMighty CountRank 15 ChampionVirtuous CountRank 16 ChampionThird-Rank MarquisRank 17 ChampionGeneralDeputy Commander-in-Chief or Elite Corps CommanderMighty MarquisRank 18 Lesser Divine Champion General or Marshal Commander-in-Chief or Army CommanderHonored MarquisRank 19 Lesser Divine ChampionVice DukeRank 20 Intermediate Divine ChampionDukeSuperior Divine ChampionGrand Duke No corresponding rank in humans -Dark PrinceCrown PrinceHeavenly Monarch-Oversees Certain ContinentsGreat Dark MonarchSupreme-Grand Ancestor/ Martial AncestorSupreme Sovereign of the Sacred MountainNext Chapte MEN - Prologue Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you Chapter 1: Crimson Colored Nigh Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 1: Crimson Colored Night The Evernight Continent was usually shrouded in twilight. This was especially true during the dark season when the upper continents orbit blocked out the sunlight, resulting in only a few hours of daytime. Tonight, the star, Gemini-, had shifted to a low orbit. It was a night where the seldomly seen moon was visible. An enormous, round moon filled nearly half the sky, seemingly ready to crash down at any moment. Even ordinary people without powers could clearly see the enormous basins and imposing mountain ranges on the moons surface. Yet the people who had not fallen asleep were anxious. The moon was actually scarlet, and the moonlight, which cascaded down onto the ground like chiffon, spread across the uneven and rugged land like a living animal. Stretches of dark silhouettes were saturated a rich red, causing them to resemble numerous colossal scars and wounds. Above, the cold sheen of metal even occasionally flickered. The howling of wolves and roaring of unknown beasts occasionally traveled over from afar, echoing back and forth filling the area with an air of savagery. In the legends of the Evernight Continent, the Crimson Moon was considered an ill omen. Furthermore, it was a very rare occurrence, but whenever it appeared, suffering and chaos would soon follow. Whenever the moon became thoroughly saturated with the color of blood, the great monarchs of the Dark World would open the doors to calamity, unleashing violence and disaster onto the land below. These legends were not without basis. Under the blood colored moonlight, all living creatures would indeed involuntarily become even more violent, bloodthirsty, and prone to fighting. Under the scarlet curtain of the night, a small black dot suddenly appeared in the horizon. It slowly moved horizontally across the sky, growing in size with each passing moment as it flew ever so closer. Surprisingly, it was actually a floating airship which was thousands of meters long! The airship looked extremely worn out. Its enormous aerostatic balloon was riddled with patches, its metal components were completely stained with rust, and many of its interconnecting joints stuck out, causing any observers to wonder whether or not it would suddenly snap. As though confirming their worries, the airship suddenly jolted a few times; numerous components even crumbled and fell, of which included a large metal component reaching over ten meters in size. It plunged toward the ground, causing an explosive rumble on impact. The airship began to struggle with difficulty in midair as all of the copper tubings lined up along the outside of the ship began to vibrate. Large puffs of steam also soon started spraying out from within the ships rear mechanical cabin. The sound of rusty parts creaking could be heard as the eight groups of propellers situated on top of the ships hull began to madly spin. Only then did the ships body somehow manage to stabilize. Several tens of thick cables hung disheveled from the bottom of the airship, carrying a huge cargo bay which was just as rusted and stained as the ship itself. Through the loosely shut cabin door, one could see that the cargo bay was filled to the brim with garbage. Like an enormous, drowsy beast, the old, corroded airship arduously moved though the last length of its course before finally arriving at its destination. On the ground several hundred meters below shockingly lay an extremely vast airship cemetery! At that moment, tens of thousands of people flocked out from their respective hiding places; they had long since discarded their fear of the scarlet moon. Instead, they began waving their hands at the floating airship as they shouted words of celebration! Even though they lived on this land which had been almost forgotten by the Empire and were the insects of the lowest rung in the entire world, they still struggled and tried to survive through each day. This land was the burial ground of those once splendid colossi. Moreover, as the scrapped airships discarded by the upper layer continents generally carried large amounts of trash with them, as time passed, this burial ground had turned into a junkyard which contained all kinds of things. The survival of these people who resided within this airship burial ground was completely reliant on the garbage tossed down from the upper continents. If no airships transported garbage for a long period of time, a large number of the people here would starve to death. To them, the upper continents trash was their entire livelihood. As for tomorrow to them, tomorrow was too luxurious of a phrase. In this place, no one would bother thinking about tomorrow. The airship which had finally reached its preset coordinates painfully moaned as, one by one, the propellers came to a stop. At this time, the ships enormous body fiercely jolted and then began to bounce up and down midair, losing several dozen meters in elevation. Afterwards, the ships outer shell near the left-frontal side split apart, releasing a small-sized airship. The small airship looked to be much cleaner on the surface. It flew around the junkyard once and then turned around and ascended, slowly flying toward the distant horizon. Meanwhile, now that the airship had lost its propulsion, it started to vibrate non-stop. All of a sudden, it tilted askew and slowly fell to the ground below! Falling ever faster, it finally crashed into the ground and broke into pieces amidst the explosive rumble. A sea of garbage, waste material, and metal component scattered in all directions, calling down a rain of trash from the airship cemeterys skies. The carnival had begun! Shouting and shrieking, the dwellers charged toward the wreckage. Some even ran on all fours like wild beasts. From time to time, enormous metal parts would rain down from above. Many who just happened to be where the parts landed were unable to dodge in time, ending up thoroughly crushed into lumps of meat by the several ton components. However, their companions beside them ignored the dangers and still charged forth as though their lives depended on it, scrambling to start searching for garbage just a moment sooner. There were men, women, and even the elderly and children, but age and sex had no meaning in this place; each group differed according to body size and strength. That was the only standard by which territory was allocated in the cemetery. Of those who were rushing to the airships remains the strongest and most robust of men were at the forefront. Behind them, it was the weaker men and strong women, then the weaker women, and the very back consisted of the young and elderly. Just like that, with the fallen airship as the center, the people composed various concentric circles. Between each layer there lay a formless yet uncrossable boundary. On the outermost edge of the various concentric circles was the area where small children moved about. Hundreds of children unceasingly rummaged through the trash in this area, searching for almost non-existent foodstuffs. Within them, there was a thin and small boy who was also searching with great effort. He was approximately seven or eight years old, and his little face was so blackened that his original appearance couldnt be made out. The clothes on his body shouldve originally been an adults shirt, and it was just like a robe wrapped up on him. Moreover, the shirt was already tattered beyond recognition, now simply a few larger rags wrapped around his body in strips. He exerted all his strength digging apart the ice cold trash with his hands covered in cuts. Some cuts were even turning into ulcers. However, it was as though he could not feel pain as he pushed apart the large, indistinguishable pile of trash in front of him with all his might. It has already been three days since he had last eaten. If he could not find anything to eat today, then he definitely wouldnt last until the next time an airship arrives. But no matter how hard the little boy tried, he found nothing. This region had already been rummaged through countless times by others, and only then was it left aside for these children who were younger than ten. These children were the weakest beings in this garbage field. When the strong ended unable to find food, their hungry gazes would fall on the elderly and children. This was the abandoned land, the airship cemetery. The people here only wished to live on and were already no different from wild beasts. Even strong beasts lived with more dignity than them! The thirst for survival pushed the boy on. He unceasingly searched, and many of his previous wounds tore up once again due to using excessive strength as his blood leaked out; however, he was completely unaware. Another wave of garbage fell from the skies. Within this wave, a relatively large trash bag fell beside the boy. The bags outer layer broke, and a wax paper bag rolled out amidst various useless garbage, firmly grasping all of the boys gaze in an instant. That wax paper bag actually had grease seeping from it! He suddenly pounced over with the agility of a feral cat, tightly grasping the bag within his hands. He didnt open it at all to confirm the contents inside and instead hid it at once within his clothes. At the same time, he looked around with extreme caution, then cautiously and prudently crawled toward the outer edges of the junkyard. Competition, robbery, and even murder also existed amongst these children! The degree of cruelty was by no means inferior compared to the world of adults. The little boy was very petite and was classified as relatively weaker amongst those within this area of the junkyard. If others discovered that he found edible things and wished to keep it to himself by the strong, bigger kids, then being viciously beaten up was the most favorable outcome. Quite fortunately, the boy evaded being detected by all the older children and successfully escaped from this area. He seemed to possess an inherent keen sense and was always one step ahead in avoiding those older kids who were even more terrifying than vicious beasts. After leaving the airship remains far behind, the boy madly ran without rest until reaching the backside of another mountain of trash and made his way into a empty iron barrel. This place was his little nest, his shelter against the elements and hardships. In his mind, this small space, just over one square meter was the utopia of life. He carefully took out the wax paper bag and held his breath. With an facial expression full of faith, as if a praying pilgrim, he slowly opened it. It was actually a piece of bread inside the bag! A piece of bread that had only been bitten into once! The boy knew at first glance that this thing was called bread. He had never seen a piece of food so intact, yet he completely couldnt recall where and when he learned about such a thing like bread. Actually, that was just an ordinary bread roll. Even the lowest peasants on the upper continent might toss it away after one bite, just like this piece on the young boys hands. Yet in this junkyard, it could be worth a few lives. Moving a little closer to it, he could smell the faint scent belonging to cereal grains. The little boy felt that all the wounds and pain on his body had disappeared without a trace. He very carefully held up this piece of bread, finding it difficult to believe that he could actually find such a treasure. Was this a dream? A drop of blood seeped out from the wound on his hand and rolled off onto the bread. The boy involuntarily cried out and hastily wiped his hands on his body with force, drying up all of the blood and sweat. When he turned around and looked at this piece of bread while weeping, he felt so horrible as though the sacred object in his heart had been defiled. All of a sudden, the boys stomach started growling at this moment. It expressed his desire with acute pains as though it was cramping up. So, he pulled off the chunk of bread that was stained with blood, rallied up all of his determination, and was just about to put it in his mouth. But his hands froze midair. Just outside of the iron barrel, at some point in time, a little girl had appeared. She appeared to be only four or five, and streaks of ash and dirt covered her little face, entirely drowning out her original skin color. However, those clear and distinct features hinted at the immature form of a girl who would absolutely be gorgeous in the future. Her pair of twinkling large eyes were exceptionally beautiful and flowing with spirit as they fixedly stared at the bread within the boys hands, unable to turn away at all. The young boy sat up with a jolt while his left hand securely grasped an iron rod that seemed to have been freshly sharpened. This was the most instinctual response of the people who lived within the junkyard; when ones food was seen by another, it was often a fight to the death. The little girl did not run away, however. Both of her eyes were stilled glued onto the bread, completely unmoving. The young boy slowly put down the iron rod in his hand. Hesitating, he made up his mind after a great deal of time. He slowly tore the bread into two halves and passed one to the little girl. The boys movements were very slow, and his hand was also shaking while sweat was pouring down his head. His stomach and all the wounds on his body voiced their dissent with the most intense pangs of pain imaginable. However, the bread still ended up in the little girls hands in the end. The little girl seemed to not dare believe her own eyes. She grasped the bread tightly at once and heavily rubbed her eyes. Only then did she confirm that she wasnt dreaming. She immediately stuffed the bread into her mouth with all her might. The half that was even a size bigger than her fist actually vanished into that tiny mouth in just a few bites, perhaps no more than three seconds! The little girl finished eating the bread and licked the crumbs on her hands clean. Only then did she lift her eyes and focus her gaze on the young boys face for the first time. After looking at him attentively for a moment, she then ran away almost seeming like she took flight. At this moment, the little boy didnt know what he was feeling within his heart.. Even more so, he had no idea why he did such a thing and could only wearily sit back down. Perhaps it was due to those pure and clear eyes that touched a certain emotion deep down within the depths of his heart? But, what is this strange so-called emotion thing? The little boy leaned on the barrels walls, carefully ripped off a fingernail sized piece of bread and put it into his mouth. He did not swallow it right away but instead kept it in his mouth, feeling the sweet taste of grains with the tip of his tongue. Just at this time, the soft and immature voice of a girl suddenly came from outside of his little nest, He has tasty food on him! You promised to give half to me! The boys heart instantly sunk to the depths of despair. He saw several older children standing outside. Chapter 2: Standing in Silence Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 2: Standing in Silence Unsurprisingly, the young boy was dragged out of his little shelter. The remaining half of the bread was not spared, either, and was put in the hands of the strongest of the older kids. All of the older kids were over ten years old, with the leader being already twelve. The leader deeply breathed in the aroma of the bread. Without hesitation, he ripped off a large chunk and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it all at once The other kids swallowed in their envy. A mouthful of bread could not calm the older kid, instead making his eyes bloodshot from fury. You actually dared to hide food?! What about the other half? Where did you hide it? Not going to talk? Beat him up! The young boy was sent to the ground from one kick. Encircling him, a crowd of older kids beat on him with their full strength. The little boy was rolling back and forth as he was beaten into a tattered cloth sack. Panic emerged on the little girls face as she stealthly shifted two steps back. She knew that if the boy said that he gave the other half of the bread to her, she would most likely be beaten to death right there. It was as though the boys lips were welded shut. He did not speak a word or utter a single moan, but instead bore the beatings silently. Finally, the older kids got tired of beating him and the beating came to a halt. They searched the boys little den, finding nothing as well. Looks like he ate the other half! an older kid said with both envy and hatred. Cut open his belly! Maybe it can still be found! a tanned, skinny kid shouted viciously. The leader brutally kicked the little boy, yelling loudly, Where did the other half go?! If you ate it, then you can go to hell! The little girls face went ghastly pale in an instant. Yet, contrary to her expectations, the boy did not speak and instead struggled to stand. The boys mouth moved as if to say something, but no one was able to hear him. The older kids involuntarily edged closer, wanting to hear what he was saying. Suddenly, the boys left fist flew upward, viciously smashing into an older kids face! The older kid screamed miserably, staggering backwards while covering his blood-covered face. The boy had secretly grabbed a piece of metal while he was rolling on the ground and getting beaten. It had opened a violent gash on the older kids face, its sharp edge sticking out from between the boys fingers. Beat him! Beat him to death! the injured kid screamed madly, covering his face. The boy faced them head-on, fighting with everything he had, yet he was quickly knocked down once more. Clenching his teeth tightly, he rolled into a ball to protect his vitals. He never begged for mercy, nor did he utter a groan. The older kids eventually got tired of beating him, and their fists slowed. The older wounded kid still wanted vengeance, however, and yanked the boy up from the ground in a single motion. Just as the older kid was about to speak, the boy suddenly leapt up with energy that seemed to come out of nowhere, headbutting the older kids already injured face! The older kids nose broke instantly. He shrieked, again covering his face. The other kids looked at the boy and actually felt a sense of dread welling up from the bottom of their hearts. They had to admit that even they wouldnt be able to withstand such injuries. They didnt know what kind of strength supported the boy standing before them! This time, no order was necessary. They swarmed the boy and knocked him down, viciously beating him again. When they grew tired, the boy unexpectedly moved a little, unsteadily rising to his feet once more. This was an extremely unyielding child. Even if he were going to die, he would do so standing. L-lets kill him! another kid suggested, his voice even trembling somewhat. If the boy wasnt killed, he felt that hed never be able to sleep easy. No one followed his suggestion, but they still struck the boy down. The older kids, however were much easier on him this time around. They were instinctively afraid and were also becoming exhausted. Their harvest for today was puny, which meant that their stamina was also limited. If not for their desire to vent the irritation caused by the Crimson Moon, perhaps they wouldve left right after snatching the bread. As the older kids stopped one by one, their bodies extremely sore from the act of beating the boy, a tiny figure suddenly appeared by their side. It was the little girl. She made her way through the crowd, struggling to carry a rock that was quite large from her perspective. All of the older kids looked at her in surprise. Her small, beautiful face brimmed with insanity and determination as she struggled to lift the stone high above her head. Then, she smashed it down at the boys head! With a bang, the boy finally stopped moving. A pool of blood spread out from beneath his head. Gasps came from all around the girl. The older kids instinctively shuffled back a few steps, moving away from the little girl they could knock over with a single kick. The little girl ran to the stone that had rolled to the side and strained to lift it up. The stone was already stained with blood, which smeared all over the little girls face and body. When her tiny figure staggered over to the boy, even the leader of the older kids felt a chill in his heart. Then a breeze suddenly drifted through the junkyard, sweeping up paper scraps and dust. The already cold night strangely became icy as everyone who was still searching through the junkyard for food abruptly shuddered. They were unaware that an invisible force field had already covered the entire junkyard. After the chill had passed, a vast majority of the oblivious junkyard denizens immediately went back to searching through the piles of garbage. A few people had felt as if something jumped a few times in their body but it was such weak sensation that it just seemed like an illusion. The sensation went away quickly, so they did not think much of it and continued searching for food in order to survive the day. In the meantime, a few just stood there and stared at their hands in astonishment. At some point, their hands had begun to emit a faint light that was exceptionally eye-catching under the curtain of night. Furthermore, it wasnt just their handstheir entire bodies had begun to shine as a mysterious new power emerged from within them. From a birds eye view, the shining people in the vast airship graveyard resembled a galaxy that had descended. The little girls body also glowed, and her strength increased significantly. The emergence of the light did not change the girls actions however, and she quickly walked to the boys side, smashing the stone at his head again! All of the older children were waiting for the moment the boy would be mutilated. Some were anxious, glancing to the side because they subconsciously did not want to witness such an act. Right at that moment, light suddenly blossomed from the boys body. A pillar of red light had emerged as well, surging up to over a dozen meters in height. In the night sky, it was a sight that was extremely hard to miss! Several rings of light emerged around the pillar and moved along a mysterious route. The heavy stone smashed into the radiant light, bouncing away as if obstructed by a formless power. Such an anomaly shocked all of the older children who jumped in confusion. A boat that was over a dozen meters long floated through the night sky, sliding across the lower half of the enormous crimson full moon.. The boat was built in an old-fashioned style. There was a mast, a cabin, a deckeverything was there. The entire body of the boat was painted blue-gray, and a bronze sculpture of a glaring buddhist warrior was sculpted at the ships bow. The warriors face was full of might, and it held a staff with both hands. A pair of wings were mounted on both sides of the flying ship, which also had propellers installed. The speed of the propellers varied. Some were slow and some were fast, working to adjust the ships orientation. The ship didnt have an air sac, and no other propulsion systems could be seen. It was unclear just how it was able to stay afloat. The airships body was smooth and elegant. At a glance, it didnt seem to be very extravagant, but whether it was the joining of the mast to the deck or the engravings on the railing and sides of the boat, everything was done with extremely fine and precise workmanship. It was a modest kind of extravagance. At this moment, inside the airship, a silver haired man stood beside the window, overlooking the airship junkyard below. He didnt look too old, and actually seemed to be in his prime. His gaze was deep and clear, and his chin was an unswerving yet graceful curvature. He wore a black uniform with an upturned collar, which was the standard style of the Empires military uniform. However, it did not have any insignia of military rank. Only two rows of silver buttons embossed with a flaming longsword showed his exceptional status. The silver haired man simply stood there and his capability was naturally displayed; sharp and keen like an unsheathed sword. There was also man in his fifties nearby sitting in the room. He was square-headed and had large ears, a kind, good-natured face, and a midsection that was already growing wider. He was staring intently at the go board before him as the last white piece of warm, high-grade jade could not land onto the board no matter what. The situation on the board was already near the endgame phase. Whites pieces, in the shape of a large oriental dragon, were painfully struggling to survive. After a long period of thought, the man finally let out a long sigh and threw the piece onto the board in defeat. Brother Xitang. Its been seven years, yet your skill in go is still as amazing as before! The plump, middle-aged man stood up and walked up to the window to stand side by side with the silver haired man and look downward. Through the ships window, one could see that every part of this enormous airship junkyard, which covered nearly a hundred square kilometers, glimmered with faint lights that resembled stars. The large middle-aged man, however, wasnt very impressed with the sight. Brother Xitang, you really ought to change this habit of yours. While the Art of Heavens Mystery is certainly outstanding in the way it awakens and guides an individuals potential in origin power, theres no need to use it on the entire junkyard, right? Unless you already have more origin power than what you know what to do with? If thats the case, why dont you give me a direct bestowal, let me also get a pot of your gravy! With a faint smile, Lin Xitang said, Brother Tuohai, you are still as straightforward as always. Look at all the people below. All of them possess the potential to cultivate origin power, you know. Yet Gu Tuohai did not agree. So what? People with potential are a dime a dozen. You specifically came to this damned place to find me, then took a huge detour instead of directly returning to the capital. It cant be that you just want me to witness your mastery of the Art of Heavens Mystery, can it? Lin Xitang chuckled, and pointed toward the outside through the window. Im not that bored. Look there. If we consider the ratio of people who possess the potential to cultivate, the people of this airship junkyard are already no less than the civilian class of the Empire. You also know that, when the Empire moved to the upper continent, all of those that moved with it were the houses that possessed the potential to cultivate. Yet, after eight hundred years passed, the ratio of the Empires civilians who possess the potential to cultivate are even lower than that of the people in this junkyard. It seems as though the people of the Empire have lived their days in luxury for too long. That may not be the case! Gu Tuohai shook his head. Having potential is one thing, and the degree to which an individual may cultivate is another. The houses that followed the Empire to the upper continent all had special gifts and talent in a certain aspect. Once they are able to awaken their cultivation potential, they would be able to advance to rank three or four at the very least. Meanwhile, the people below lack innate talent and are also twisted at heart. Cultivating to the first rank would already be their limit. Yet it is more likely to awaken ones potential in the depths of despair, making more with potential appear, Lin Xitang said leisurely. That is an undeniable truth. Gu Tuohai snorted loudly. This is that natural selection thing of yours again! Its been so many years now, yet you still have yet to see it proven! Im right, so what need is there to prove it? Look at the starry lights below. Those are the lights of our Empires bright heritage and the future hope of humankind. In the past, the ancestor of my house, the house of Lin, also set out from a place like this. After cutting down countless dark races in these hundred years, accumulating merit, and earning achievements, they went from the lowest level of the abandoned land to being considered nobility. Of this generation, I, Lin Xitang, have been entrusted with a heavy burden by his Majesty. Naturally, I should strive to complete my task to the best of my ability until the day I die! As long as its beneficial to the Empire, I will act without exception! I dont mind a tiny bit of criticism. Gu Tuohai stomped his feet and huffed with rage. Thats a tiny bit of criticism? I knew I couldnt get through to a stubborn guy like you! Haaah. I, Gu Tuohai, must have momentarily gone crazy when I promised you ten more years of service to the Empire. In any case, Im only going this time in order to handle some matters that I ought to take care of. Dont count on me shouldering some great duty. Also, there better not be a shortage of good alcohol or beautiful women! Seeing Lin Xitang merely smile and remain quiet, Gu Tuohai couldnt help but become slightly irritated. Pointing outside the window, he raised his voice slightly, You see starlight, but I see people in a horrendous state of livelihood! If it werent for the Empire abandoning the Evernight Continent in the past, how would this place have become the abandoned land? Just look! How can anyone with actual aptitude even show up in this unfortunate place? If there is, then Id rather believe that Ive seen a f*cking ghost! Suddenly, right in the direction of his pointing finger, a thin pillar of red light appeared! Even though the light was weak, it was extremely dazzling within the numerous starlike glimmers. Even the splendor of the blood moon that covered both the sky and earth could not obscure it. Gu Tuohai was instantly dumbfounded as he mumbled, C-could it be that I really saw a ghost? Chapter 3: The Big Shot’s Decision Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 3: The Big Shots Decision The wondrous abilities of Lin Xitangs Art of Heavens Mystery were unfathomably boundless. It could awaken an individuals cultivation potential as one of its effects. Truly outstanding natural talent would often produce unusual phenomenons under its effects. These unusual phenomena were split into five grades. For example, the faint glows from the junkyard were merely of the lowest grade, representing that they only had the potential to develop their origin strength. On the other hand, a first grade talent would emit pillars of light of various colors. On top of that, strange phantasms would orbit the pillars like planets around the sun, hinting at a person that would be revered by all. Furthermore, the phantasms that appeared also represented the future path of the individuals natural talent. A second grade talent would only have pillars of light and no phantasms, a third grade talent would have a single blazing light that resembled a roaring flame, and a fourth grade talent would have just a bright light without any such phenomena. There were rumors that, above the first grade, super grade talent existed. Those that possessed it would truly be great geniuses of overflowing talent, and the phenomena that would occur could be vivid representations of rolling hills and roaring rivers, or possibly lifelike images of mythical beasts and birds. Under the cover of darkness, the pillar of light was red and belonged to the lowest rating of first grade talent. In spite of this, among the Empires countless cultivators, a first grade talent was one in a hundred thousand. The appearance of a first grade talent was well worth the Empires careful nurturing so that it would become a future pillar of support for the military. This red pillar of light was like a slap to the face that made Gu Tuohais face tingle. Lets go and take a look! Without waiting for the airship to change course, Lin Xitang stepped out of the cabin and leaped from the airship, falling from an altitude several hundred meters high. Ten-odd fully armored bodyguards rushed to follow suit, leaping from the airship in pursuit of Lin Xitang. In comparison, Gu Tuohai slapped the window blinds in frustration, but ultimately followed them down. The sight of the sudden change on the little boy had clearly startled the older children, but the little girl had only been disoriented for a moment. After discovering that her strength had significantly increased, she bounded toward an even larger rock and strained to drag it over. The boy was in a daze. With a groan, he turned over. Suddenly there was a pair of thick suede military boots beside him. The boots themselves didnt actually touch the ground, instead floating a few centimeters in the air above it. An invisible forcefield quietly spread, pushing all the dust, dirt, and rubbish into the distance. The startled girl stopped in her tracks, staring at the silver haired man that had appeared without warning. Opening her large, innocent eyes, wearing an equally harmless, childlike expression, she quickly threw away the rock that she had in her hands. Although she hadnt noticed, light was shining from her body through her clothes. The sweat which had originally soaked her palms had completely evaporated. Yet the silver haired man didnt even so much as glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Lin Xitang frowned as he looked at the scars and injuries all over the boy. The boy was clearly more injured than he had first assessed as some of the injuries seemed to reach his vitals. With a wave of his hand, a fog of light appeared in the air. A rain of green droplets fell from it and onto the boy, soaking into his body. These green raindrops contained an immense power, and the boys injuries healed at a clearly visible rate. He groaned, slowly opening his eyes as he regained consciousness. The first thing that the little boy saw and registered was the silver haired mans stern, determined face. The boy didnt understand what was happening, but he instinctively refused to grovel lying on the floor, and once again struggled to stand. Looking around him, he saw the older children and immediately remembered what had happened, his expression changing in an instant. Lin Xitang followed the boys gaze, looking at the older children surrounding them and the remains of a paper bag on the ground. He instantly understood why the boy was injured to such a degree. This was, after all, a thing that happened in junkyards so often that it couldnt be any more common. Lin Xitang refocused himself, then crouched down, extending his hand to the boy as he said gently, Come, give me your hand. Whats your name? But the little boy recoiled a little, and with great difficulty, he mustered his courage. Qian Qianye, he said softly. His small hands reached out, but stopped halfway. He didnt dare to reach any further. His tiny hands were horribly dirty, all covered in grime. Although his wounds had been nourished by the rain of light and werent bleeding anymore, the crusted bloodstains were still there. In any case, he didnt dare to put his hands on the large spotless hands of the silver haired man. Yet at this moment, in the eyes of little Qianye, the big hands that were held out in front of him were the only source of warmth in the world. Lin Xitang smiled and encouraged him, Its fine, give me your hand. Gu Tuohai flew down at this point. Upon seeing that Qianye had been injured, the usual kind expression he gave others was somewhat angry. He couldnt help but give a deep snort, coldly looking over the surrounding kids. The crowd of slowly-gathering children had terrified expressions on their faces, but the ten-odd bodyguards had already locked down every single path through this area. They didnt dare to try fleeing. Lin Xitang leaned over a little, extending his hand and waiting patiently. Under Lin Xitangs bright gaze, Qianye finally found his courage and placed his hands into the warm, dry, and strong hands of Lin Xitang. Lin Xitang lightly grasped the hands that were half the size of his own, closing his eyes and quietly feeling them. Gu Tuohai looked at Qianye, his brow suddenly furrowing as if he had thought of something. Lin Xitang sighed and opened his eyes. He gave Qianye a once over, reached out his hand to pull away the scraps of cloth on the little boy, and his eyes were instantly captivated. There was an enormous scar on Qianyes bare chest, one that ran from half an inch below his heart all the way to his belly button. Just looking at this ugly, protruding scar, Lin Xitang knew that it had originally been a terrifying injury that tore Qianyes insides open! But Qianye was still so young. How in the world had he survived? Momentarily startled, Lin Xitang regained his composure, saying, Brother Tuohai, youre far more skilled in medicine than I am. Help me examine him. Gu Tuohai silently walked up to Qianye, not caring about the dirt at all, and he stretched out his hands to carefully examine Qianye. Qianye felt that everywhere Gu Tuohais hands went was like having red-hot needles stabbed into his body, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to not make a sound. Gu Tuohais eyes flashed with momentary shock, and he praised Qianye, saying, So tender of age, and yet so daring. Interesting! He stood up and spoke to Lin Xitang. This child would originally be considered a top-tier talent, but hes been so heavily injured that its ruined his physique. Aside from that, I also suspect that his body might have even contained a piece of crystallized origin power. Lin Xitang immediately thought of a forbidden phraseorigin power theft! He narrowed his eyes a little, and pretended to not understand. So what youre saying is No, its just a suspicion. Even you know that sort of thing is a major taboo. His injuries have already been healed for a decent number of years, so he must have been younger than the age of three when he was injured. Yet, as you can now see, his foundation has been heavily damaged. Even if his cultivation potential is greater than that of anyone here, he isnt a first grade talent anymore, Gu Tuohai said gravely. Qianyes old injury was extremely serious, yet he was still able to release a red light pillar. This signified that his original talent was so great that it might have even been a super grade, but with his current state, it would be a stretch to even list him as a fourth grade. A fourth grade talent would only be slightly stronger than an ordinary person. For Lin Xitang and Gu Tuohai, who were high-ranking officers in the Empires military, it was practically worthless. On top of that, Qianyes giant scar was a hidden danger, and whether hed survive the tough training was something they couldnt be sure of. Gu Tuohai sighed, feeling great sympathy for the boy. Lin Xitang looked at little Qianye, who stared back at him. Perhaps the warmth in Lin Xitangs palm hadnt completely dissipated, but the little boys eyes held a glimmer of hope that not even he had noticed. Lin Xitangs heart trembled slightly, and he gently said, Meeting here should be considered a kind of fate. Tell you whatIll take you away from here, and youll decide for yourself where to go next. He took out a few smooth jade tablets, and with a quick rub of his hand, he engraved words onto them. He held them with the engraved side facing downward, then handed them to Qianye to choose from. Qianye hesitated a little, then reached for the jade tablet in the middle. There were two words on it, but he didnt recognize them. Gu Tuohai looked and then sighed, shaking his head. Yellow Spring, Lin Xitang softly read the words to Qianye before taking the jade tablet back. He patted the boys head lightly and asked, Whats your surname? I dont have a surname. My name is Qianye. Lin Xitang nodded as he spoke gently. Alright. If you make it out of that place alive, then you may use Lin, my surname! Qianye didnt understand what Lin Xitang was saying and could only continue to listen in ignorance. Lin Xitang didnt need him to understand at the moment. He turned to instruct his subordinates. Take him back to Green Bird, wash him, clean his wounds, change his clothes, and feed him. Having finished with instructing them, Lin Xitang and Gu Tuohai slowly began to rise and accelerated away, flying toward the airship stationed in the sky. The older children had waited on the sidelines for a very long time, watching everything. Although they didnt completely understand what the adults were saying, the talk of being washed, fed, and clothed they heard these unbelievably irresistible phrases loud and clear. Seeing the guards about to take Qianye away, the head of all the older kids charged over, shrieking, Take me! Take me along! I also want to bathe and eat! He tried to hug the thighs of the guards and reached out to Qianye, attempting to pull him out of their embrace. The injured leader pulled roughly at Qianyes legs, crying out, That should be my position! Who do you think you are? Everyone, get over here and beat this mongrel to death! He actually dared to headbutt me just now! All of the food up there should be mine! The leader was even more vicious than he had previously been, intentionally clawing at Qianyes injuries. Surviving in the junkyard only had one rule: if you killed someone, you would get everything they had. Resembling mountains, the well-built guards didnt even move and let the leader of the older kids continue raising a ruckus. Seeing that, the little girl quietly began to move over. Only when the leader tried to pull at Qianye so hard that his face was starting to contort with pain did the guard captain coldly say, Thats enough. Even Mr. Tuohai would have nothing to say about this. The moment the guard captain spoke, viciousness flashed across the blank face of the guard that was carrying Qianye. With a single kick, he brutally punted the older child dozens of meters into the air. This one foot contained a dark, brutal power, and as the leader of the older kids flew into the air, he suddenly exploded into a bloody mist! The other guard merely smiled as he stepped forward, stretching out his leg. He slammed his foot down onto the ground, saying, A pile of puny rats actually dare to disturb the business of Marshal Lin! The ground rippled outward from where hed slammed his foot down, rapidly spreading. The group of children were thrown into the air by the force of the wave, violently spurting blood. Their bones cracked loudly as they distorted into unrecognizable shapes. The wave also rushed right past the captain and the other guards, but they didnt move so much an inch. All of them seemed to have weathered it without being affected. Yet, miraculously, the little girl also wasnt hit by the wave. When the captain had spoken, the rest of the older children had been dazed, and some had even listened to the leader and stupidly charged Qianye, the girl had turned a run for her life without looking back. It was in this way that she barely managed to escape the wave, miraculously surviving. Seeing that the little girl had actually managed to escape, the guards face grew red for a moment. With a loud snort, he lifted his foot to slam it down again! He had only been using three tenths of his power. However, the captain suddenly reached out and grabbed the guards shoulder with his hand, preventing him from slamming his foot down. The captain seemed to be listening to something in his ear, and then he nodded, not moving an inch as he stared at Qianye with his large eyes. He then brought out his service pistol and put little Qianyes hands on the trigger. The captain steadied the gun as he aimed it directly at the little girls chest. He said to Qianye, Shes already tried to kill you multiple times. Come, pull the trigger. Use some force and then. Bang! Shes dead! With the entirety of his small hands, Qianye held the trigger tightly. He stared at the silhouette of the little girl stumbling and fleeing for her life knowing that, as long as he pulled the trigger, she would definitely sprout blood. He was completely calm as his shiny black eyes watched her, but he shook his head in the end and let go of the trigger. On the airship, Gu Tuohai was all smiles as he said, Just as I expected, haha! Lin old man, it is so rare for you to lose! Come, come, if youre daring enough to bet, youre daring enough to admit defeat, so hand over that Aqua Tobacco of yours! Its mine now! Lin Xitang still wore a faint smile on his face. Since the very start, the depths of his eyes were as calm as still water. They were so clear and brilliant that they seemed to reflect all the sights of the world, yet contained nothing. The guards took Qianye back to the airship. It turned, rose, and vanished into the skyline, merging with the light of the blood moon. As for this particular junkyard and the little girl that was still fleeing for her life They were forgotten just like that, the same way this continent had been abandoned. Chapter 4: Welcome to Hell Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 4: Welcome to Hell Time flew, and soon enough, a month had already passed. Outside a perfectly ordinary valley, a bassy roar suddenly sounded out as a large, heavy military truck spewed thick clouds of black smoke, thundering past. The roads outside the valley itself were unpaved, and in every direction, natural trenches littered the endless plains. But to the giant, man-sized tires of the truck, they werent even a hindrance. The truck rushed toward the valley entrance and then all of a sudden hit the brakes. Its giant, beast-like body shook violently and swerved to the side, etching a crescent-shaped scar before finally coming to a rest. In the vehicles engine compartment, a cacophony of noises could be heard, and while the large exhaust pipes stopped belching black smoke, the valves spurted out a large cloud of steam. As the driver-side door opened, a thirty or so year old man stared, and then, with a single jump, he leaped off the two meter high drivers seat, placing the boy that had been in his arms on the ground. The little boy had clear and pretty eyes, and his soft, black hair was plastered to his forehead, wet with sweat. His face was pale, and he wore an expression that looked like he was holding back the contents of his stomach, evidently having been battered by the manic driving. He shook, bracing himself, and wrapped his black cloak around him tighter, blocking the whistling, frigid winds. At the entrance to the valley stood a man with only one eye. In that piercing, frigid wind, he bared his chest with his hands tucked neatly behind his back, legs shoulder-width apart. This was one of the things the army drilled in first, and it made this man look particularly imposing. He alone blocked the entirety of the road toward the valley. The middle-aged soldier carried Qianye, only stopping a few meters before the one-eyed man. He then stopped, saying, Long Hai, you havent changed. Long Hai grinned, revealing a mouth full of silver and gold teeth. Shi Yan, youre three minutes late. We met with a team from one of the dark races along the way, and for the sake of exterminating them, we were delayed a little, replied Shi Yan. Long Hai laughed coldly. A single dark team can make you late? It looks like your strength hasnt improved at all over all these years! Have you been the dog of the Lin House for too long that youve even thrown away your capability? These words didnt anger Shi Yan in the slightest, and he only blandly said, Marshal Lin is one of the cornerstones of our Empire. For me to be his personal assistant already satisfies me plenty. Things like this, theres no way youd understand. Long Hai snorted and didnt argue further with Shi Yan. He turned his eyes to Qianye, saying, So this is the kid that the higher-ups have been talking about? Why, he looks just like a little girl! Is he even going to be useful? Shi Yan laughed. Since hes going to be under your tutelage, if you dont like him, who can stop you from sorting him out? Long Hai gave another huff. You should know that here, regardless of their identity or background, all are treated equally. On that point, Im naturally aware. Then stop wasting time, let him come over! Shi Yan squatted down in front of Qianye, and his stony face squeezed out a whisper of a smile while patting Qianyes head. Go on, follow Instructor Long. Remember, number one, no matter what they ask of you, do it immediately! Number two, is that I hope that after a few years I will be able to watch you come out alive. Although Qianye was a little taken aback, he heard the gravity in the mans words and nodded his head gravely. Shi Yan smiled. On the journey in, he had already greatly warmed up to this little fellow. Qianye was a quiet child most of the time, but he possessed an incredible grit to the point of stubborness; once he promised something, he would definitely achieve it. Seeing this, a hint of surprise emerged on Long Hais face. For the twenty years Ive known you, Ive never seen you smile so many times! When he stood back up, Shi Yans face had resumed its stony, unfeeling look, and he said, How could I ever smile when I look at you? Immediately following those words, some of the veins above Long Hais temples popped out momentarily. A short while later, the heavy transport truck roared away, and Qianye followed Long Hai, walking toward the valley. The mountain roads were rocky and winding, and after nearly two hours, it still felt like there wasnt an end in sight. Qianye looked to either side and suddenly spotted a row of words written in large, bloody letters: WELCOME TO HELL! Qianye couldnt read all of the words, but his eyes were seemingly drawn to it, unable to look away. He kept walking, turning his head all the way until he couldnt see that line anymore. Although he could no longer see it, deeply impressed in his young heart was the image of every stroke and letter dripping with blood! Time passed, and the sky gradually darkened. The valley was like the mouth of a giant beast that awaited Qianye. It was only later in the wee hours of the night that Qianye realized that he had landed himself in a place that was worse than hell, the Yellow Springs Training Camp. The hands of the clock moved toward midnight. Normally, at this time of night, many would be entering dreamland, but for the children of the Yellow Springs Training Camp, this was merely their first day in hell. In a bitter, cold great hall, Qianye and a hundred or so children of similar age to him were herded together, carefully listening to Long Hais lecture. Long Hai paced himself back and forth in front of these children, occasionally stopping; his terrifying gaze would then sweep across them. In here, you only need to remember three things. One, is absolute obedience. Two, is absolute obedience, and three, is still absolute obedience! Here, orders will only be given once, and so will your chances to obey! Now, everyone line up with your backs against the wall, and you are not to move nor speak before new orders have been given! The crowd of children messily pushed past one another, and all of them lined up against the wall, not waiting for the next order. Long Hai clasped his hands behind him, strode out of the great hall, and then, with a loud slam, locked the steel door. The first ten minutes, everyone in the great hall was quiet. But after another ten minutes, some of the more active children couldnt hold it in any longer. A little boy next to Qianye looked at him and whispered to him, Im Liu Kai, and my family runs a business in Jianzhang Province. Ive heard that this place is very terrifying, so lets be friends! My father says that banding together makes it easier to survive than alone. But at that moment, all Qianye was thinking of was Shi Yans parting message: He must obey Long Hai. And Long Hai had just said that they werent to move, nor talk. Seeing that Qianye had no response, Liu Kai next to him refused to give up, Oi! Nobodys looking at us! At least tell me your name? Upon seeing Qianye standing there like a statue, not even twitching his fingers, Liu Kai muttered something or another under his breath helplessly. Half an hour went by, and a few of the children began to whisper to one another while others were swaying left and right, stretching out their aching legs. One corner of the great hall suddenly became noisy. Some of the children had begun to argue for some reason, which then rapidly devolved into fighting one another, noisily arguing without rest. The disturbance had already become so huge, and yet, no instructors had come out to stop them. Hence, the children became even more relaxed. Having fought one round, several of the fighting children separated and returned back to their original positions. At this point, more of the children began to chat and move, and the great hall gradually became noisy. As the clock struck one, the steel door suddenly opened with Long Hai walking in. Behind him was a team of vicious and ferocious-looking men, every one of which was holding a whip. The temperature in the hall immediately plummeted, and the faces of all those children who had previously been having fun and were cheerful turned pale, even starting to shiver. Long Hais eye swept across all of them as he nodded. Good! Very good! Some of you were fighting, some were talking. I was originally worried that I hadnt left a deep enough impression on all of you, but now that I see it, my worries were extraneous! Long Hais face suddenly darkened, and he pointed to the children who had been fighting. Catch them, and show the rest what happens when they disobey orders! This sounded a little odd, and many of the children were at a loss, but some of the smarter children immediately understood what was going on and were almost paralyzed on the floor by the even greater terror that was now welling up within them. The six children who were fighting were thrown to the center of the hall like little chicks, lined up in a row. Long Hai promptly revealed a ferocious smile. Here, disobeying orders will only result in one thing death! One of the men behind him leveled a strange rifle-like object and aimed it directly at one of the children. The guns barrel was so large that it could fit a childs fist inside it! The gun suddenly shot out a wide beam of red light, and the sound reverberated throughout the great hall, almost deafening everyone! As the red light flashed, that boys upper body had entirely vanished; only his legs still remained on the ground! Fresh blood spurted everywhere in excess of ten meters, even splattering onto the opposite wall. The man revealed a bloodthirsty and cruel smile, and moving the barrel, he aimed it at the next child. That child whose face was initially unruly was now full of panic as he shouted out, No! I dont want to die, my uncle is one of the Empires generals! He The gun exploded once more, and cut the remainder of his sentence short. Empire General? Hehe, even if it were the Empire Marshals son, as long as he entered here, the consequence of not obeying orders would be the same! the man said coldly exclaimed. The guns continued fire, and after six shots had gone by, the center of the great hall had already been painted red in blood and eviscerated flesh. At this point, Long Hai said, Now, all of you who opened your mouths just now, step out now, remove your clothes, and then go prone! Your luck is good today, just three lashes is considered the whole of your punishment. However, if anyone wants to continue to lie to me, then you will end up like those six little bastards! The children looked at one another, and many of them trembled as they walked to the center of the great hall, stripped, and then honestly proned down. The ones who had been left standing at the wall were not more than twenty. Is there really nobody else? Long Hai asked again. Two of the children originally standing by the wall walked out, shaking. Long Hai nodded. The two of you, five lashes each! The two childrens face went pale, but it was too late for regret. Long Hai suddenly stretched out his hands and pointed at four children who were standing by the wall, his voice frigid, You four actually dare to lie to me, then go to hell. The four crying children were tossed into the center of the great hall, and then four ear-shattering gunshots resounded once again. Just like this, in the first night that they spent at the Yellow Springs Training Camp, Qianye already clearly understood what the consequence of violating orders would be. In that same night, this new batch of students had already been shaved off by a tenth. At three in the morning, Qianye and the other children were together, driven into a large room. In it were rows of bunk beds, and each child quietly picked a bed to lie on, upon which they immediately slept. Nobody said a single word, and nobody cried. Qianye habitually laid down like he always did, but he sprung up from the sudden shooting pain coming from his back. In the darkness, the cries of the childrens pain could constantly be heard, but evidently, everyone was trying to keep as quiet as possible. Qianye flipped about and carefully climbed onto the bed, trying to prevent himself from touching the tender wound on his back. Qianye had also been whipped once. And the fifteen, just like him, who had strictly followed the orders, were given a special treatment: They were only whipped once each. Chapter 5: Evernight and Daybreak Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 5: Evernight and Daybreak At that moment, Qianye was immensely exhausted in both body and mind, and in the blink of an eye he fell into a deep slumber. But after only three hours, Qianye was awoken by the piercing sound of the alarm. He instantly remembered Long Hais orders. He immediately scrambled out of his bed, leaped over to grab his clothes and put them on as fast as he possibly could. Naturally, it was unavoidable that the whip wound on his back would be touched, causing him to inhale sharply through his teeth, steeling himself against the pain. The children had to wake up and assemble in less than five minutes. The last three to arrive would receive three extra lashes. Numbly, Qianye stood in the ranks, and began running along the mountain trail, numbly following orders. After he finished running for five kilometers and finally returned to the start, he really became numb. Thanks to his day-to-day struggle in the junkyard, Qianye performed exceptionally well in this running drill. He was the tenth to make it back. Next was an hour of strength training. Anyone who was unable to complete the training would be lashed. Unfortunately, the petite and thin Qianye took a lashing. This was only the beginning. Of all the upcoming training, the leather whip would leave the deepest impression in the childrens minds. After the strength training did breakfast time finally arrive. Breakfast was the best feature of the entire training camp. Not only did it have a great variety of food, the amount was also unlimited. It was all you could eat without any restrictions, except for time. Breakfast was thirty minutes. It was almost extravagantly long, so no one ever exceeded the time limit. The experiences of the past day had already taught these children that exceeding the set time limit would be turned into lashes. The Yellow Springs Training Camp hosted a number of children from esteemed and powerful families, but the majority were commoner children selected from various regions. There were also a few who were orphans with similar experiences as Qianye. Seeing such a palatial first meal, most of those who were used to year-long struggles lost control and ate as though their life was on the line, fearing that there wouldnt be another chance. However, Qianye ate cautiously to the point of being slightly more full than usual and stopped there. In the junkyard, he had watched on many occasions as someone found a large bag of food, and then died from eating too much. Breakfast time was over. When the bell rang, the children rushed toward the gate like the tide. At this moment, an accident occurred. A little girl suddenly fell to the ground, then rolled and rumbled in pain, screaming and shrieking endlessly. A short while later, she stopped moving. She had overeaten, to the point of losing her life. This breakfast, and this little girl, taught moderation to the children who survived. After breakfast was training again. The entire day was various kinds of training, and all of them were related to strength and endurance. Every single time he reached the halfway point for a training drill, Qianye would feel that he could not continue on. However, the stubborness and willpower he had since childhood supported him, forcing his tiny body to follow the motions one by one in an unfeeling state, completing the training task. His days in the junkyard had taught him that even in times of utmost despair, as long as he forged on with tightly clenched teeth, tomorrow would always come. When he finally laid back down onto his bed, Qianye didnt even know how he had survived the whole day. This time he didnt hurt himself and slept on his stomach, while his tender back showed traces of the three lashes he received. Qianye immediately passed out nearly at the moment he got onto his bed. He dreamt that night; his dreams were filled with the whistle of the whip lashing through the air. At six in the morning, the shrieking alarm woke Qianye from his dreams. He leaped down from the bed with a single movement, then dressed himself entirely by instinct and dashed out of the barracks. Throughout the entire course of events, his eyes had never even fully opened. Exiting the barracks, the bright sunshine stung Qianyes eyes and caused him to squint. He suddenly recalled that right now ought to be the dark season. Why would there be sunlight at six in the morning? Only in the next moment did Qianye realize that he was already no longer in the junkyard, and had come to the middle layer continent where the Empire stoodQin. The sunlight here was rarely blocked by the other upper continents, so naturally there would be sunlight at six oclock. Qianye was dumbstruck, but hesitated for less than the blink of an eye before rushing to his position and standing straight as a spear. Once again, a new day had begun. The leather whip in the instructors hands remained Qianyes most profound memory of that day. Again, he was lashed once for failing to complete the required number of drills in the specified time. The experiences of the other children differed little from Qianyes. Only the strongest few did not get punished, while the weakest suffered five lashes and fell to the ground in the end, unable to get up with his own strength. He was dragged out of the training grounds right away. Qianye never saw that child ever again. During the night of the third day, the instructors brought a huge barrel of a black colored balm-like substance and forced the children to smear it on their lash wounds. The balm was even more painful than the lashes themselves upon application. However, after half a night of unbearable pain, the lash wounds on Qianyes body were almost completely healed. Just like this, days flew by. Every single night Qianye would dream, and all of the dreams would be related to being thrashed by the whip. Only a month later, did Qianye finally see the first day without whipping. And during that night, Qianye suddenly counted the companions who begun training in the same term as him. He realized with shock that there were only around sixty or seventy people left around him. Of the originally over a hundred children, thirty had already disappeared within a month. What was next was still endless strength and endurance training, as well as unceasing thrashing of the whip. After the first bloody day, Long Hai no longer immediately executed any children for infinitesimal matters. Only actions that directly violated prohibitions would be met with execution. But even so, after an entire three months since Qianye entered the training camp, only sixty were left of his companions; nearly half were gone. The vanished children were mostly eliminated by the cruel training. However, Qianyes body had strengthened a great deal after three months. Compared to when he first entered, he was an entirely different person. The first day after three months, Qianye and his companions were brought to a multistory building, and were given a special class. The one who taught the class was a tall and beautiful woman, approximately twenty seven or twenty eight years old. The uniform struggled to contain her plump bosom. Striding briskly onto the podium, she wrote the large words Essence of the World on the blackboard. Reading it out loud first, she then said, I know that most of you here dont recognize these words, but thats okay. You have a month of time to study; I will issue teaching materials to you in a moment, and properly teach you how to read in excess of your training. Examination will take place in one month. Now, let me tell you about the essence of the world we live in. The essence of the world was origin power. According to the beautiful teacher, Zhang Jing, the root and source that supported the entire world was precisely origin power. Origin power was not uniform. It was divided into two different characteristics; origin power that inclined toward the light was referred to as Daybreak origin power, while the dark-leaning was Darkness origin power. All living things adhered to a side of origin energy to survive, and thereby were naturally categorized into the two factions of Daybreak and Evernight. Even different races of the same faction would differ in their degree of inclination toward either side of Daybreak and Evernight. Humans were situated at the side of Daybreak, while the various dark races that enslaved the humans belonged to the side of Evernight. Their power, and even their lives all existed by adhering to Darkness origin power. The dark races used to be incomparably powerful and were composed of many branches. Among them, vampires, werewolves, demonkin and arachne were all mighty races whose names spread far and wide. But humans were a strange race. Even though the vast majority were inclined toward the side of Daybreak, there were also many who affiliated with Evernight, so much so that there were those who devoted their entire lives for Evernight even after awakening Daybreak origin power. This was unimaginable to the dark races who could only be considered adult after passing through the baptism of Darkness origin power, but it was not a rare occurrence for humans. It was said that between Evernight and Daybreak, there still existed origin power in its most pure and unadulterated form. However, rarely could anyone sense the origin power of the root, let alone cultivate it. In this world, there werent any races corresponding to the root origin power either. Origin power and cultivation Listening to here, Qianye couldnt help but clench his right hand into a fist, as though wanting to catch the last remaining hint of warmth. In that restless night of the Crimson Moon, that large and powerful hand was like a faint wisp of light within in the darkness. Zhang Jing slapped the podium desk, and the smooth metal surface split apart from the middle. Amidst the faint sound of machinery turning, an odd object made of countless metal wires, rods and cogs of various shapes and sizes rose up, and unfolded one by one in suspension. This 3D model was the world map. The entire world was dynamic. Cogs turning, metal wires pulling, the components representing continent and celestial bodies were slowly moving along their orbits. Strange and unfamiliar terms popped out one after another from Zhang Jings mouth. There were a total of twenty-seven continents that humans had already explored in this world. They were not unmoving in the void; instead, they slowly moved without any pause according to a profound track. Above these continents, there existed two suns, while several enormous celestial bodies were around them. It was said that these celestial bodies were the moons that could be seen at nighttime. According to the difference in orbits, the moon that one saw every night might not always be the same. Including Qianye, most of the children were unable to make heads or tails out of what they heard, and could only try to learn them the dumb way, memorizing every word she spoke. At the same time, they stared fixedly at that model with its many wires, the model so complex that they became dizzy just from looking at it, hoping that they could memorize enough of it in the shortest amount of time possible. Only the few children who had come from great and powerful families seemed to have been aware of this knowledge already, and thus appeared unperturbed amidst the turmoil. The suns rays will be blocked by the upper continents, so the lower down the continents, the less sunlight they receive. Yet again, every single continents origin powers attribute is different; some are of the Daybreak side, while some are of the Evernight side. Continents with a clearly defined origin power attribute are the natural habitats of the various races. There are also some continents with indistinct attributes of origin power, and these continents are the focal points of conflict between the two factions. Zhang Jings voice was very pleasant to the ears, and her explanation was also simple and easy to understand. If not for that, most children wouldnt have understood anything at all. She pointed at the group of continents at the lowest of layers, Such as this one, which has the longest night time of all continents. Although there are also four distinct seasons on this continent, most simply divide the year according to the interval during which it receives direct sunlight, resulting in the light season and dark season. In a year, three months are the light season, and the rest are the dark season. Thus, the battle for survival on this continent is exceptionally nasty. However, it is the land from which all of humanity originated. The Empire also rose from there, even though it is not important at all to the current Empires domain. This continent, we call it the Evernight Continent, or as an alias, the abandoned land. Qianyes entire body suddenly shook. There seemed to be some tepid thing that wanted to flow from his eyes. This Evernight Continent was the place he had lived in for as long as he could remember. Actually, there seemed to be someone who had lived together with him, but he had already forgotten when that person had left and never appeared ever again. Unwittingly, class had already reached its end. Zhang Jing retracted the model back into the podium, and then spoke, We will meet one month later. The topic of the next lesson is the War of Daybreak. This is the war during which mankind truly made their stand. It was a war of destiny, and also the war that founded the Empire. Chapter 6: Daybreak of the Empire Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 6: Daybreak of the Empire Zhang Jing was gone. Qianye had new early learning material in his hands when he left the classroom. He needed to memorize one thousand words every day for the next month to be able to pass Zhang Jings examination. The price of failure was ten entire lashes! It was only now that Qianye understood that whips were the only hobby shared by every instructor in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. However, their subsequent training sessions did not slow down simply because the kids needed to learn how to recognize words. The duration and amount of training did not change in the least. Upon returning to the barracks at midnight, Qianye was so tired that he felt like his bones would fall apart. He fell asleep the moment he climbed onto the bed. Only when he was woken up by the shrill bell the following morning did he remember that he had not memorized even a single word! Obviously, there were plenty of kids who were like Qianye. Therefore, the night after they finished the next days training, most of the kids forced themselves to stay awake and did everything they could to memorize the incomprehensible words. After forcing himself to memorize his fiftieth word, he eventually could no longer stand it and collapsed on the bed. Then, he fell asleep. Time passed just like that, and in the blink of an eye, a months time was swiftly gone. Zhang Jings second class finally arrived, and the exam was set before the class started. During the long hour and a half, Qianye wrote down a total of one thousand and five hundred words. This was his total after a month of effort. Qianyes total was ranked fifth out of all the kids. The first four kids were children of aristocratic families and had learned to read and understand words since they were small. Without a doubt, Qianye sat in first place out of all of the illiterate kids. After him were three other children of aristocratic families who had been studying since they were young. A total of eleven people failed Zhang Jings examination. It is now time for you to pay the price for underestimating my class! Gently saying this, the beautiful woman actually raised a whip of her own accord and cracked it right at the kids who had failed to pass the exam. The strength she used was even slightly stronger than Long Hais! Ten lashes was an incredibly severe punishment. Two kids were actually whipped to death right before Qianyes eyes! It was then that Qianye knew this beautiful teacher was even more ruthless and terrifying than Long Hai! This exam made Qianye and all the other children realize that reading and understanding words were just as important as training ones physique. Zhang Jing called in two stalwart men and had them drag the two motionless children out of the room. Then, without a change in expression, she wrote down four big wordsThe War of Daybreak. Zhang Jing became unusually grave and solemn as she wrote these four words. Even her voice became tinged with seriousness. It has already been twelve hundred years since the War of Daybreak The War of Daybreak happened at the lowest point of the Evernight Continent. It was also the very first place that the human race dwelled and reproduced, growing stronger with each passing day. During the War of Daybreak, the human race used every power in their possessionit was the final struggle of Daybreak origin power, burning black stones, steam gushing with power, rumbling firearms, and enormous rough machinery against Darkness origin power! During this great, decisive battle of fate that continued on and off for more than a hundred years, the human race that had awakened their origin power paid a terrible price and was left with only one tenth of their original population. However, they ultimately defeated the dark races and forever freed themselves from a fate of slavery, subservience, and being treated as livestock. They drove the dark races out of the Evernight Domain and built Qin, the very first empire with the human race as masters. In the history of mankind, this decisive, fateful battle was known as the War of Daybreak. This was because, at the end of this war, the humans who had been living in Evernight finally saw daybreak for the first time. The very first origin power that the humans awakened was established under Daybreak, and with this war as the dividing line, the two great factions of Evernight and Daybreak were officially formed. The War of Daybreak was not the end, but the beginning. In the past twelve hundred years, the human race gradually attacked and occupied four new continents, the lowest layer of the world to the middle layer of the world. They also began to look up at the upper continents. While the great Qin Empire officially brought a majority of the distinguished families with them, migrating to the new continent, more human nations also started to form one by one. The War of Daybreak occurred on the Evernight Continent, but since its natural environment was too poor and its resources were extremely scarce, it ultimately became a huge, trash-filled world that was once again overtaken by the relentless dark race. Qianye suddenly shivered at this point. For as long as he could remember, he had never left the junkyard. However, he would hear the strong adults boasting about the various features of the dark races every so often. It wasnt a legend after all. It was true, bloody darkness. Yet Zhang Jings tone and expression made him feel even colder when she spoke of them. It was a kind of calmness that lacked any compassion. Indeed, during the last twelve hundred years, the dark races and the human race never stopped warring with each other. Battles happened on every continent and every region where their borders converged. Thousands of years had passed. Hatred and bloodshed was everywhere in abundance. The Evernight Domain was not unique among these battlefields. In fact, it was one of the most overlooked battlefields of all. When the class finished, Qianye felt that his heart was heavy with something inexplicable that had not been there before. The rest of the kids had the same general feeling as him. They were still young and did not yet understand the weight of history. When they left the classroom, the kids immediately ran toward the training grounds like theyd grown wings. They would suffer another three lashes if they were late again. Life returned to its normal pattern once more. Before anyone realized it, half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Qianyes physique had grown tremendously. He grew a full ten centimeters in just half a year. Other than the strict, yet scientific training, the training camps meals were also an important factor. The food that the kids ate was very nutritious. Some of the food had even been taken directly from the dark races. Furthermore, a small amount of special medicine was put into their soup everyday. It could quickly activate the potential of their bodies. Qianye felt that the days were repeating, as if things would never change. The only thing that changed was the number of companions around him. When Qianye and the other kids did not add up to fifty, they were met with a new group of companions. The age of the new arrivals varied, and they totaled up to fifty or so people. The only thing they shared in common with Qianye was their constitution, which was more or less the same. Another half a year passed, and once again only fifty of Qianyes companions remained. They were then met with yet another new batch of companions. It was at this time that Qianye learned that he and the hundred people around him were considered a company. Every time they lost half their number, they would be reinforced with newcomers to make a total of one hundred strong. The concept behind this reinforcement was that their strengths were similar. Once Qianye had spent a full year in the training camp, every child was suddenly summoned to the drill grounds, awaiting their orders in an organized formation. As he waited, even if such trivial actions might earn him a number of lashes, Qianye had the strong urge to look at his surroundings. Swiftly and stealthily, he glanced to his left and right, then turned his head just as quickly while the instructor was looking away before assuming the normal upright position once more. It was a simple, trivial action, but it was enough to make his heart beat wildly. This was because Qianye suddenly realized that, out of everyone present, the faces he recognized did not even reach a total of thirty! More than half of the first one hundred children had forever left this world. It was only then that Qianye finally understood the true meaning behind the words in front of the valley entranceWELCOME TO HELL. Long Hai appeared in front of the children and swept a cold glance over them. His lone eye seemed to have become even fiercer, but every kid courageously met his gaze without fear. These kids had already developed courageousor, rather, numbhearts after a full year of hellish training. Long Hai was very satisfied as he said, Very good! After the trash was swept away, the ones that remain finally look adequate. However After a very long pause, Long Hai let out a meaningful smile. The good news is that you have all passed the first test, and will be cultivated seriously. You will no longer be punished for trivial matters. Nothing has changed about you disobeying orders, of course. The bad news is that you will realize that the true training has only just begun! Long Hai walked back and forth in front of the group, his rumbling voice blasting the childrens ears non-stop. In the next few years, you will begin your true cultivation! The cultivation of origin power! You will learn the most direct and effective way to kill a person. You will have the chance to kill any kind of the dark races with your own hands. Of course, there is a very high chance that you might be killed by them as well, so pray hard, my little comrades! Lastly, I can tell you now that out of all the people standing here, no more than a quarter of lucky birds will be able to leave this place alive. The last sentence was considerably dire, but Qianye did not let it affect his heart. He had learned not to worry about things out of his control. No matter how slim his chance was, Qianye would do everything in his power to fight for it as long as it existed. Without this tenacity and concentration, the younger him who had been grievously injured at the junkyard wouldve long ago become soil. Long Hai waved his big hand, and several large men walked over and passed new learning materials into the hands of every kid. The large words, Combatant Formula, were written on the cover of this textbook. The writing was strong, every stroke sharp like a blade! Qianye actually felt a hint of pain in his eyes when he stared at them. This was a cultivation formula! This was the key that divided the common and the powerful. As he held this Combatant Formula, Qianyes young heart suddenly felt that his fate would be changed by this small, thin book! The kids were led into the classroom. The person who walked onto the stage and was responsible for teaching the Combatant Formula was none other than Zhang Jing. Extraordinary strength was hidden under her beautiful outward appearance. In fact, Qianye had already noticed some time ago that Long Hai would never walk too closely to Zhang Jing. This distance was about five meters, and now he understood that the distance meant fear. Zhang Jing pushed her glasses upward. The swell of her chest intensely rose and fell because of this small movement. This is the Combatant Formula. This is the cultivation formula exclusively prepared for cannon fodder! Qianye was very surprised to hear her evaluation. Although living in this training camp for the past year was even more brutal than the junkyard, it could more or less be considered a normal society. Qianye had picked up some common sense during extremely limited interactions with various students and naturally saw that the training camp had invested a significant sum of resources on them. The elimination rate of Yellow Springs was extremely high. It was rumored that only one out of a hundred people could walk out of this place alive. This meant that the resources spent on the ninety nine people that were eliminated were, in fact, wasted. Would they seriously give them a cultivation formula meant for cannon fodder after spending so much to raise them? Plenty of people shared the same thoughts as Qianye. Zhang Jing did not miss the changes in expression of any of the children. She immediately laughed coldly. Do not think that cannon fodder is a derogatory term! In reality, countless people would not qualify to become cannon fodder even if they wanted to! It is only after you survive this place and walk out of here in one piece that you can be considered adequate cannon fodder! You will need to cultivate a complete origin power tide in three months and ignite an origin power node in a year! If you fail Zhang Jing suddenly licked her lips and said gently, You will have to be punished Chapter 7: The Cannon Fodder Special Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 7: The Cannon Fodder Special When Zhang Jing wasnt smiling, she looked as dignified as a noble lady from history books. With an animated expression, however, she had an indescribable sense of charm and seductiveness. At this moment, her voice and movements were incredibly appealing, causing some of the older children to begin breathing heavily, yet the large thugs responsible for odd jobs wore fearful expressions instead. Even Long Hais expression had become strange. Qianye recalled the two companions she had beaten to death because they failed her examination. He also felt a chill from the bottom of his heart. Zhang Jing then explained the theory behind and cultivation of origin power, as well as how to begin learning the Combatant Formula. There were nine great origin nodes in the human body. Three of these nodes were located inside the lower abdomen, chest, and forehead, while the remaining six nodes were located in both arms, legs, and knees. Origin nodes were the most important part of storing and deriving origin power. Since all of human history consisted of war, the current, most commonly used power ranking was incredibly militarized. After a person ignited their first origin node, they would officially join the ranks of Fighters and become a rank one Fighter. Every new ignition after that counted as advancing one rank. After igniting all nine nodes, the Fighter would have the opportunity to assail their first great bottleneck, and successfully accessing all the nodes would result in the formation of an origin vortex. This was a breakthrough to a whole new level! A person at this level would have the power to face a member of the dark races head on, and be considered a true elite. They would be called a Champion, a pillar of strength, as soon as they stepped onto the battlefield. Since the Combatant Formula was the basic cultivation art of the imperial army, its style matched its name in that it was extremely harsh and powerful. Its greatest aspect was the accelerated rate in which it could be cultivated. As long as the first node had been successfully ignited, the origin power inside ones body would rush forth like a tidal wave, overlapping one wave after another like a continuous tide to crash against the origin node again and again. Compared to the secret arts of other noble families, the Combatant Formula allowed a person to quickly progress through the early stages of cultivation. The cultivator might even be able to break through the limitations of their original potential. However, its flaw was also very obvious. The power of the origin tide was so strong that it would damage the cultivators body. The more an individual cultivated the Combatant Formula, the worse the damage would become. As a result, no one had ever stepped into the Champion rank with just the Combatant Formula. If they wished to progress further, they needed to switch to another cultivation art during the later stages of their cultivation. This was exactly why the Combatant Formula was known as the art exclusively meant for cannon fodder. Yet it was just as Zhang Jing said earlier. Regardless of status, anyone who cultivated the Combatant Formula had their own unavoidable reason for doing so. Most of these people would not live past rank nine anyway, so what was the point in worrying about it? If there truly were someone who had the talent to break through to rank nine and become a Champion, this person would naturally have infinite opportunities. They would be invited to join a persons force no matter where they went. Such people did not need to worry about the resources required to rise through the ranks in the later stages of cultivation. Now that Qianye thought about it, he and his group had trained their bodies in all sorts of ways during their first year in the training camp. Only a strong, healthy body could endure the vicious, powerful Combatant Formula. From this day onward, two additional hours of cultivation were added to Qianyes daily timetableone in the evening and one at night. However, the amount of physique training and mastery of knowledge or skill had not decreased in the slightest. After hearing about the new arrangements, the faces of the children who had survived the past year of bloody training lost all composure, appearing depressed. In the evening, this group of students was led to a small valley not far from the camp. Steaming hot springs were at the center of the valley. Dozens of metallic pipes were embedded into one end of the hot springs, while the other end connected with the other pipes in a serpentine manner. These huge, metallic pipes, which were more than a meter wide in diameter, sprawled across the entire valley like a spiders web. Ten meter tall machines of unknown function stood between these pipes. These machines did not have protective exteriors, and even the smallest cog exposed to the outside was more than a meter in size. They were held together by dense clusters of transmission belts and metallic chains. Rows of metallic longhouses were constructed around these machines. The outer walls of these longhouses were a glistening yellow. They looked like they wore a copper skin, showing no trace of any rust. The kids were split into several groups, with ten people entering a metallic longhouse at a time. The interior of each longhouse was separated into several isolated rooms. These rooms were their cultivation rooms. The cultivation rooms were considerably small and narrow, and their walls were surprisingly thick. The inside of the rooms were filled with copper rust. The floor of each room consisted of copper barbed wire, through the gaps of which one could see a bottomless, pitch black hole. Following orders, Qianye entered a small room. The room was empty, devoid of furniture. Only a small leather-wrapped cabinet was in the corner beside the door. Qianye removed his shirt and long pants before stuffing them into the cabinet. After some recollection, he then crossed his legs and sat upright, just as the instructor had demonstrated earlier. Almost immediately after he sat down, the door to the room was opened from the outside. A dark-skinned, bare-chested slave walked in and opened a copper door in the wall. He set a log of dark, heavy-looking wood on fire and tossed it into the opening. From beginning to end, the black slave said nothing. Furthermore, he completely shut the door to the room when he left. After the harsh ring of a bell, the cultivation room shook slightly. Rumbles of machinery resounded faintly from outside. A while later, a large amount of boiling steam gushed through the four walls and the ceiling, swiftly spreading throughout the room. A wisp of smoke suddenly seeped in from the copper door in the wall, which was about half a person tall. The long, drawn out smoke could be seen clearly within the room filled with steam. As it gradually dispersed, merging with the steam, the room was filled with a strange fragrance. It was somewhat suffocating to sit inside of such a small room where the humidity had skyrocketed. Qianye instinctively inhaled deeply, and he suddenly felt energetic. He could actually feel something fervently stirring in the surrounding air. It was similar to the blue raindrop that had splashed on him on the night of the Crimson Moon, yet it was different. It was origin power resonance! Qianye was overjoyed as he hurriedly calmed his mind and thought about the Combatant Formulas mind incantation. As expected, it was as if something had awakened from its slumber within his body. The origin power in the air grew even more lively, and it gradually began to enter his body as if attracted by an invisible force. Two hours quickly passed, and the clear ring of a bell suddenly resounded throughout the valley, waking all of the children from their meditation. Qianye slowly opened his eyes and felt unfathomable regret inside of his heart. He had managed to condense a substantial amount of origin power in this evening alone. It might be considered incredibly small, barely discernable, but it was enough to make Qianye go wild with joy. According to the depictions in the Combatant Formula, being able to condense origin power into an actual shape on the first day meant that the cultivators talents were extraordinary. It meant that they could hope to cultivate to the level of high ranking Fighters, or rank seven and above. The incense inside of the copper door had finished burning. There was no longer any fragrance spilling from it. Although the room was still filled with steam, Qianyes awareness of the origin power gradually grew dull and hazy. The class was over. The rumbling of machinery suddenly resounded within the room. The walls began to shake, and a terrifying vacuum came from the barbed wire floor. The steam that filled the room was gone in an instant. Then, amidst the creaking of gears and hinges, the bulky copper door of the cultivation room slowly lifted. Unconcerned about the fact that his undershirt was still wet, Qianye put on his clothes as fast as he could before exiting the cultivation room, running toward the specified area and properly standing in formation. Long Hai appeared once more, wearing a cruel, calculating smile as he said slowly, I believe that all of you have just experienced the benefits of Vermillion Countenance Blood during that lesson. I think you should all know that a piece this small He gesticulated the size of an index finger and grinned, his gold and silver teeth gleaming coldly. is worth more than a dozen human lives! Qianye knew that the log had not been an ordinary object from the start, but he hadnt thought it would be that valuable. That being said, the value of more than a dozen human lives depended on the quality of said lives. A dozen or so kids like Qianye, who had grown up in the junkyard, might not be worth even a single silver coin. Before he met Lin Xitang, Qianye had seen a total of two copper coins. One of them had even been missing a corner. He had never seen a silver coin before in his life. Long Hai paused for a moment before suddenly raising his voice, roaring, From now on, you will no longer enjoy such luxuries! From this week onward, every drill subject will be marked according to their performance, and there will be a test the week afterward! Those who rank in the lower half will not be given any Vermillion Countenance Blood, while the upper half will get double the Vermillion Countenance Blood. I would congratulate you if you could make it into the top ten, because you would be rewarded with a third portion of Vermillion Countenance Blood! The faces of the kids changed. They looked at their companions warily. Several gazes swept across Qianye and quickly landed on other people. Qianye was unremarkable, and his rank during the previous training sessions had always been low. The first week passed very quickly, and at the end of the week, Qianye was in the seventy fifth place. This meant that he would miss out on an entire week of Vermillion Countenance Blood. The night that the results were announced, Qianye could not sleep. He began contemplating all of his drill subjects. The Combatant Formula did not need to be ranked at the moment, and Qianye was always able to rank among the best during the knowledge classes taught by Zhang Jing. The majority of the subjects, however, were still physical. Qianye was slightly behind in every single one of them. Qianye lay on his back and quietly stared at the ceiling above his head. He gently touched the giant scar on his chest. The malnutrition he had suffered due to many years of life in the junkyard had almost been completely fixed by the meals of the training camp, but this scar was the reason why his constitution was far weaker than that of a normal kids. Qianye could currently understand some of the things that Gu Tuohai had said before. This scar left with him with hidden hardship. Every time he performed strenuous training, his scar would pain him, lowering his endurance and strength. It was only because Qianye had a will that was far more tenacious than most, and because he put in a lot more effort and sweat, that he was barely able to keep up with training. Now, however, the new rule was obviously going to wash out half of their group. There was a massive difference between cultivating with Vermillion Countenance Blood and without Vermillion Countenance Blood. If the difference continued to accumulate like this, then the distance between the first and second halves of the group would only grow further and further apart. Qianye had thought about a lot of things by the time he finally fell asleep. Surrender was the only thing that hadnt crossed his mind. As long as he endured, he would see tomorrow. The small light that shone through the darkness would not always remain out of reach. Qianye would overcome his disadvantage bit by bit. He would fight with his life to obtain every point in every subject! That week, Qianye trained with everything he had, and his ranking rose as a result. However, it was only by one place. Another week passed and Qianye managed to overtake the hurdle of 70th place, rising to 69th place. However, during the third week, Qianye overdid it and fell sick. His ranking immediately slipped to 93rd. Starting from the fourth week, perhaps because the goddess of fate had seen Qianyes struggle and hard work, the knowledge-based classes suddenly increased in quantity. Chapter 8: Red Spider Lily Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 8: Red Spider Lily From that week onward, a tall, wiry, man that seemed gloomy yet ordinary replaced Zhang Jing on the stage. Big men brought a few heavy, rectangular-shaped metallic boxes into the room. After they were opened, the kids discovered that there were actually several hundred types of firearms within! You can call me Shadow, the man said coldly. That single line was the end of his introduction. Immediately afterward, Shadow walked to a weapon box and took out two handguns, the models of which looked nearly the same. He raised them, showing them to the kids. Up close, there were some differences between the two handguns. One of the guns had a barrel that was polished, as bright and smooth as a mirror, whereas the other gun had a barrel that was covered in all sorts of patterns. This is a model from the famous Eagle series, the signature weapon of the Empires Imperial Frontier Army. It is renowned for its impressive firepower. While the man spoke, he pointed directly at a wall of the classroom and pulled the trigger of the gun that was as smooth as a mirror. A loud bang caused a ringing sound to buzz in everyones ears, and a deep hole the size of a bowl appeared on the sturdy wall. The damaged frame and foundation were now visible. Qianye was immediately shocked by its power! If it could do this much damage to a wall, then it would probably be able to open a huge hole in the human body with a single shot. If it struck hands or feet, that one shot would completely destroy them. Is this powerful? Of course not! Shadows cold voice rang out. The other handgun glowed, the patterns on it suddenly lighting up. There was the sound of a slamming hammer and a massive object piercing through the air as the muzzle of the gun discharged a green light at the wall. A sudden crash resounded! A tremendous blast of air mixed with countless shrapnel struck the kids, preventing them from lifting their heads. When Qianye lowered his arms that had been protecting his head, he was shocked to discover a huge hole in the limestone and metal frame of the thick wall! The outside scenery was visible through the hole! Qianye hadnt realized that this ball of green light would be so powerful! The man waved the still glowing handgun, saying, This is a firearm powered with origin power. Its power is unrivaled by common firearms. Just this low grade origin gun has enough firepower to equal a cannon. It was exactly because we had these origin firearms that we were able to beat back those abominable dark race bastards during the War of Daybreak, laying the foundation of the Empire as it exists today! Shadow then gave a detailed explanation of the theory behind origin firearms. Origin firearms and traditional firearms might be similar in appearance, but the theories behind them were completely different. The mechanism used to load gunpowder and bullets was replaced with an energy compression device. The user needed to inject their own origin power and condense it into origin bullets before being able to fire. While the ammunition capacity of the energy device and firearm materials differed, the firepower of origin firearms obviously differed by a significant amount as well. Some origin firearms were even imbued with powerful special abilities, and only those types of guns were qualified to be counted in the ranks of legendary guns. There were also guns that stood out among the legendary guns. There were ten Grand Magnums in the world, and every one of them wielded unparalleled power. Any of the ten Grand Magnums had the ability to turn an entire continent upside down! For hundreds of thousands of years, there had been countless open and secret conflicts over the ten Grand Magnums, and only god knew how many supreme individuals of peerless talent had died for them. Even then, people continued to relentlessly struggle for them, like an unruly crowd on a wild goose chase. Three out of the ten Grand Magnums were currently in the human races possession, five had fallen into the possession of the dark races, and two were unaccounted for. From this distribution of the ten Grand Magnums, one could see that the power of the world of elites had been split into three factions: Daybreak, Evernight, and Neutral. From the beginning of the training camp to the present, this was possibly the most that the class of children had paid attention. Even the children of distinguished families were completely fascinated by the lecture. Shadow reached out with his hand to open a teaching board, and revealed a stereogram of an ancient, but beautiful handgun. It was an old, flintlock-style handgun. Its hammer stood vertically behind the barrel of the gun, it was silver white in color, and it was shaped like a ceremonial scepter. The barrel and handle of the gun were covered in gold and were engraved with complex patterns of beautiful flowers. An eye-catching, sanguine flower was on the body of the gun, and its petals spread in every direction like tendrils. Shadow subconsciously straightened his body and wore an extremely solemn expression on his face. In fact, obvious fanaticism leaked from his face as he enunciated, This is one of the ten Grand Magnums currently in possession of the human race. Red Spider Lily, also known as the Other Shore Flower, is also the first Grand Magnum that the Empire ever owned. Qianye quietly repeated the name, Red Spider Lily, several times in his heart. He felt that there was an indescribable sense of mystery and beauty to this name, so he etched it deeply inside of his heart. A child worked up the courage and asked, D-does it also have a special ability? Great question! At this moment, Shadow was completely excited. With a face full of fanaticism he said, According to the oral legends of the human race, the Red Spider Lily grows on the shore of the Nether River in the Void Abyss. Every time a life vanishes from the world, a small flower blooms on that rivers shore. The Red Spider Lily is capable of igniting the worlds origin power and lighting the star path to the Nether River. That is the ultimate skill known as the Forgotten River! From that week onward, there were three more classes related to origin firearms in Qianyes schedule. Respectively, they were energy fluid mechanics, gun dismantling and maintenance, and marksmanship. Qianyes results sat solidly in the top five of these three classes. This boosted his ranking considerably, enabling him to enter the top fifty in one go. When the results were announced on the weekend, he was in 49th place. 49th place and 51st place were only two numbers apart, yet the difference between them was like the difference between heaven and hell. Qianye already knew that every rank after 50th fell under the disqualification zone. Those who were disqualified from the training camp would only be met with one fatedeath. Monday quickly arrived, and Qianye was incredibly excited when he stepped into the cultivation room. As expected, the black slave placed two portions of Vermillion Countenance Blood inside of the incense burner! With senses that had grown ten times sharper, Qianye once again experienced the resonation of origin power as if it were a symphony. Using he circulated the Combatant Formula, the origin power inside Qianyes body began to surge, and each shocking tide seemed larger than the next! Without the Vermillion Countenance Blood, his origin power would have already subsided due to the lack of subsequent strength. Qianyes senses and the process of deriving origin power were extremely slow without the assistance of this special incense. He would have only been able to accumulate them bit by bit, guiding them to fuel the next tide only after accumulating enough force. However, with two portions of Vermillion Countenance Blood, the rate at which Qianye absorbed origin power was greatly increased. Origin power poured into his body endlessly, causing the origin tides to become taller and taller. Once the origin tide finally reached its peak, Qianye heard an uproar of tidal echoes. Then, following the current, the origin power just faded. His first origin tide was finally complete! Before the first wave of origin tide faded completely, it ran into a new wave of emerging origin power, then began a new origin tide. This second tide was even taller and stronger than the first. Just when it was a hairs breadth from reaching its peak, it ultimately receded due to the lack of origin power. Dong! A long, drawn out bell jolted Qianye awake. The time for this session of cultivation had run out. The most difficult part of the Combatant Formula was the formation of the first origin tide. After that, the formation of the second and third tides would be much faster. When the origin tide surged, it also created a powerful vacuum that pulled even more origin power from the surroundings. If it werent for the assistance of the two portions of Vermillion Countenance Blood, Qianye would have needed at least another two weeks to form his first origin tide. If that were the case, there was no telling if he would have been able to cultivate nine origin tides within the three month limit that Zhang Jing had set for them. In the next few weeks, Qianyes cultivation went incredibly well. With only one month of Zhang Jings three month time limit remaining, Qianye was already capable of summoning five origin tides. The cultivation rate of the Combatant Formula got progressively faster. Qianye estimated that he would need only another half a month to completely form his first nine origin tides. Most of the time, everyone was busy doing their own thing inside of the training camp, but rumors and news leak every so often. Just as they entered the third month of cultivating the Combatant Formula, a kid beside Qianye had cultivated nine origin tides! It was said that the most talented fellow in this group of kids, out of all of the Yellow Springs Training Camp, had already begun attempting to ignite his first origin node! That boy, who was called Xu Lang, was said to have been born in an influential family of the Empireand he even had first grade talent! When he heard this news, Qianyes small heart could not help but feel bitter. For as long as he could remember, the wound on his chest had been there. Furthermore, life in the training camp constantly reminded him of his scars existence. If it werent for his scar, he would have also had first grade talent. Every time Combatant Formula was activated, and origin power surged and raged violently, the energy would become unusually sluggish upon reaching his scarred region. Therefore, Qianye had to accumulate even more origin power before being able to summon a complete origin tide. Qianye did not know who had left him this scar. He hadnt even been three years old when he was injured! This was fate. Qianye had no choice but to accept it. Training still continued, and during the third month there was yet another new knowledge-based class. This time, it was the theory of machines. This was an all-inclusive course. Not only did it have mathematics and physics, it also included many other kinds of knowledge. Only then would they be able to understand the workings of the gigantic machines that people relied on to change the world. The first generation of machines were powered by steam engines that relied on black stones as fuel. After being minimized successfully, the first generation of steam machines continued to operate in every corner of the continent. It had a lot of strong points, such as stability, great power, and so on. Its strongest point, however, was its low cost. It was cheap to manufacture and cheap to repair. In a place where black stones were everywhere, and steel reserves were plentiful, steam machines would still be the most preferred choice in most situations even if another hundred thousand years passed. This new knowledge class quickly boosted Qianyes ranking. He even made it into top twenty, with the hope of gunning for top ten. In March, the exam arrived. Qianye had cultivated his origin tide two weeks ago, so there was obviously no doubt about his success. Three students in the same group as Qianye failed to meet the requirements. They were whipped by Zhang Jing as a result, suffering grievous injuries before someone was called to drag them away. No one had died for three months. It had been so long that the kids had nearly forgotten that this was the Yellow Springs Training Camp the training camp famed throughout all of the reserves of the imperial army for its overwhelmingly cruel process of natural selection! When April arrived, there was yet another new coursecombat. From this moment onward, their easy life of cultivation had ended. Most of the time, the combat classes started with the instructors teachings, then ended with the students practicing against one another. All of the first week, most people went to bed with bloody noses and swollen faces. Qianyes injuries, however, were exceptionally severe. When the students practiced, they would attack with all of their might, lacking any thought of holding back. Out of all the students in the top rankings, Qianye had the weakest physique. He naturally received special attention for it. If they were able to beat Qianye enough that he would be unable to climb out of his bed, they would naturally have one less person to compete against for the Vermillion Countenance Blood. This was the Yellow Springs Training Camp, not a compassionate noble academy. When the rankings were announced during the weekend, Qianyes ranking had fallen all the way down to 48th, just barely managing to stay in the top fifty. After the children looked through the rankings, it was time to go to sleep. Qianye had barely entered the barracks before the door behind him suddenly closed. A few dark shadows then rushed over and gripped him tightly. A hand locked tightly around his neck, preventing him from breathing or speaking. This was the combat technique they had just started learning. It was now used on Qianye in the blink of an eye. __________ alyschu: Ceremonial scepter (ruyi) Chapter 9: Night Raid Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 9: Night Raid The people surrounding Qianye were a few older children. They had joined this class from another company, and they often walked around together. The tall child with a full hair of curls approached Qianye and examined him with the eye of a predator examining its prey. This child was called Chen Lei. His character was both bold and brutal. The results of his physical subjects were ranked among the top ten, but his knowledge subjects were always a sore spot. As a result, his overall ranking had been overtaken by Qianye not long ago. Chen Lei walked forward until their noses were almost touching. He lowered his voice and said ruthlessly, Listen! From now on, you will do poorly in your knowledge subjects! The Vermillion Countenance Blood is completely wasted on a useless piece of garbage like you. If you dare to disobey, then I will have my people beat you to death in every combat class. Furthermore, we will give you another round of beating every day before you sleep. Todays will be the first! Before he had finished speaking, Chen Lei had already punched into Qianyes stomach! This punch was extremely brutal, and he had used almost all the strength in his body! Qianyes stomach immediately bunched up, and the terrible urge to vomit filled his chest. His throat, however, was completely blocked. He couldnt vomit at all. Qianyes choked face instantly turned a deep purple! Chen Lei took out some tape and slapped it onto Qianyes mouth. Then he said, Alright, now he cant scream! Beat him hard! Qianye was instantly pummeled to the ground as the group of seven or eight began kicking him from every direction. There was a class called Biological Structure that was paired with the combat class, and the first thing that had been explained was the structure of the human body. The children who had learned about this were incredibly ruthless, and every one of their attacks were aimed at spots that could damage Qianyes internal organs. However, they avoided places that could be seen clearly, such as the head and face. If Qianye allowed this to continue, he would suffer permanent damage to his body and be unable to endure the high intensity training. He would become a corpse in less than a few days. Chen Lei and the others werent just thinking of giving Qianye a lessonthey were planning to just murder this junkyard eyesore! The other kids inside the barracks watched coldly. No one stood up to stop them, and no one reported it to the guards or instructors outside the room. There were several kids who were even stronger than Chen Lei. Gloom and wariness currently filled their eyes when they looked at him. In the training camp, private brawls were forbidden outside of the combat field. However, most people were well aware of why Chen Lei had chosen Qianye as his target. Qianye was an orphan that had been born on the Empires poorest planet of trash. From the moment they began their knowledge classes, the information of the students started to spread, intentionally or otherwise. Anyone who paid attention would know the background and identity of another. Chen Lei had finally established a dangerous precedent. Every kid began to reevaluate their relationships and status. Qianye felt as if he had returned to the junkyard and was being beaten by a bunch of older children once more. Since he was unwilling to bow his head, he had been frequently beaten in the past. He protected his vitals as best he could and waited for his chance. Intense pain continuously exploded in his body, but the more pain that Qianye felt, the calmer he became. Calm down! Calm down! Only show your anger when necessary. When the time comes, express all of it in an even calmer fashion! the instructors roars resonated in Qianyes mind. It was at this moment that Qianye felt the punishment on his body lessen quite a bit. The kids thought that it was about time to stop since they were afraid that the injuries they caused might be too obvious. You will have every opportunity to kill each other in the future, but that time is not now! I will kill anyone who dares to fight and kill among themselves! These were Long Hais original words. Only god knew how manytimes they had been repeated throughout their stay in the camp. Chen Lei also thought that it was enough, and with a wave of his hand, he said, Alright! How dare a bastard who was born in a junkyard try to compete with us Yet, before he could finish, Qianye suddenly sprang up from the ground and rammed into an older kids chest. His right hand instantly gripped the kids genitals! All of the kids froze. The kid whose genitals had been caught didnt dare to move a muscle. Qianye used his left hand to tear the plaster from his mouth. His movements were slow, and anyone could see that even standing was a difficult task for him. With the plaster torn, everyone was waiting for Qianyes next move. Ruthlessness appeared on Chen Leis face once more, and he began to signal to his companions with his eyes that, the second Qianye called the guards over, they would point at him unanimously and accuse him of starting the fight! Without any solid evidence, both parties would be punished according to the training camps rules. Qianye continued to look calmly at Chen Lei. His eyes were clear, and there was neither anger, nor hatred, nor anything at all. He simply stared at Chen Lei icily without any expression on his face. Im not going to cry out, Qianye said, almost inaudible. Chen Lei felt a chill from the bottom of his heart. This was the first time that he had felt true fear. Qianyes right hand began to slowly tighten into a fist! The youthful face of the older kid whose genitals were caught suddenly turned deathly pale. His mouth was opened so wide that it could fit a goose egg! There was only the sound of breathing coming from his lips, but anyone could see that it would turn into a blood curdling scream in the next moment! Every child in the room instantly came to a realization! The person who cried out first would be punished the worst because they would have clearly broken the rule of silence after lights out! In this training camp, crying for help required a payment of blood! The older kid knew the consequences of crying out first, which was why he held it in as best he could, but Qianyes hand continued to tighten around his genitals without mercy. It was as if he was simply gripping a lump of cloth in his hand. The older child suddenly understood that Qianye really would crush his balls! This junkyard bastard, who had grown up to look as pretty as a girl, was actually a complete lunatic down to his bones! AHHHH!!! The bloodcurdling scream resounded throughout the entire training camp. Intense pain and fear made the older kid break instantly, screaming at the top of his lungs. He no longer had any energy to resist or attack Qianyeevery bit of his senses were flooded by an imaginable sense of pain. The bloodcurdling scream abruptly stopped, and the older kid fainted from the pain. Only then did Qianye release his grip and allow him to fall to the ground. The door to the barracks was kicked open with a bang. The guard who charged in frowned at the scene before his face immediately became sinister. He removed the whip at his waist and began to look at the boys and girls inside the room maliciously. Long Hai, who was only wearing a pair of leather pants, walked in three minutes later and glanced at the scene. When he saw the blood pouring from Qianyes nose and mouth, but the boy was still stubbornly on his feet, he frowned instinctively and lashed a flying whip in his direction. With a crack, Qianye was immediately struck to the ground. This whip blew away all the resistance left within Qianyes body. He lay on the ground, utterly paralyzed and unable summon any strength. The whip was extremely painful, but the origin power imbued in the whip had also cleared the congested blood within Qianyes body and made him feel much better. A stalwart man walked to the older kid who had fainted, crouched down, and examined his body for a moment. Then he removed his pants to have a look before shrugging. Theyre crushed. Long Hai looked slightly surprised, then nodded. Drag him away later then. Then Long Hai began to gently slap the whip against his palm, asking, Now, who will tell me what happened just now? Chen Leis head was half bowed, but his gaze coldly swept across the other kids from the corner of his eyes. Brutality shone in his eyes, and the threat behind them did not need to be said. Suddenly, there was a loud slapping noise as Long Hais long whip struck Chen Leis back like a venomous dragon, sending him to the ground. This time, his whip was far harsher than when it had struck Qianye, instantly shredding Chen Leis clothes and splitting his flesh. The pain was unspeakable. Luckily, he hadnt lost his senses, gritting his teeth until he nearly passed out. He did not dare to utter a sound. How dare you play such petty tricks in front of me? Are you trying to die? Long Hai smiled cruelly, but he did not whip him a second time. Not all of the kids were afraid of Chen Lei. Two kids who were stronger than him immediately explained what had just happened inside the room. Other than Chen Lei, the face of every older kid who had beaten Qianye was deathly pale. Long Hai kicked the older kid who had been severely injured by Qianye and coldly said, So thats what happened! You mean to say that, not only did this unlucky bastard fail to bully his victim, he was even thrashed within an inch of his life? What absolute garbage! We dont need garbage in our training camp. Drag him away! Later on, the punishment that the kids underwent adhered to in Long Hais style of cruelty. Aside from Chen Lei, every older kid who ganged up on and beat Qianye was strung up on the field and whipped a total of ten times. These ten lashes were enough to bring them within an inch of losing their lives, but tomorrows training would not diminish in the slightest. This also meant that there was no way they could rank above fifty in the next one or two weeks. Furthermore, they had to think of a way to overcome their injuries so that they wouldnt be crippled by the others during combat classes. It was probable that a huge majority of those who ganged up on Qianye would soon be disqualified. Chen Lei stood in a daze within the barracks while bloodcurdling screams continuously rang throughout the camp. He could not believe that Long Hai actually had not punished him more than that one lash that ached all the way to his bones. It was only when Long Hai led the guards away that he finally confirmed that the matter was over. Qianye slowly got up from the ground, still a little shaky on his feet. The remaining force of Long Hais whip was still affecting his body, causing him to feel weak, but his internal organs had also recovered slightly thanks to it. Chen Lei suddenly walked in front of Qianye and yanked him by the collar, saying ruthlessly, This isnt over! Qianye looked at him calmly and replied, This is not over. Either you kill me now or, from now onward, you keep one eye open when you sleep. Who knows? Maybe one day youll become just like that unlucky bastard. Qianyes tone and expression were extremely natural. He looked as if he were just making conversation on a normal day. However, after the terrifying silence ran its course, every kid in the room truly felt a sense of ruthlessness and peril. When they thought about the older kids recent downfall, all the boys subconsciously clamped their legs together. Chen Leis expression changed rapidly. He had no intention of having his balls busted on some unknown day while he was dreaming. Even if Qianye were beaten to death later on, it would be too late. Should he just kill him right now and be done with it? This was an extremely difficult decision to make, and in the end, Chen Lei could not make up his mind about whether or not he should take Qianye down with him. The burning lash mark across his back seemed to grow even more painful. The matter seemed to be over, and no one else dared to provoke Qianye. They all had the feeling that they would be faced with an endless nightmare if they could not take out Qianye immediately. With that, a month peacefully passed, and Qianye managed to stabilize his ranking in the top fifty. This was also thanks to the older kids under Chen Lei falling to the bottom of the rankings. With the assistance of the Vermillion Countenance Blood, Qianyes cultivation speed began to rapidly increase. The force of his origin tide grew stronger and stronger, and it was already beginning to resemble the shape of a stormy wave. Qianye could already feel the existence of his origin node in his lower abdomen. Chapter 10: Waiting is Unnecessary Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 10: Waiting is Unnecessary Qianye felt an extraordinary space in his abdominal area. Origin power faintly surged inside of it, as if it were a fledgling butterfly trying to break out of its cocoon. Only by breaking through the invisible barrier wrapped around that space could he ignite this node and allow the origin power inside and outside his body to merge together. Each cultivation art had a different process of breaking through said barrier. Most of them were on the gentle side, slowly grinding the barrier down thinner and thinner. The barrier would eventually be broken, and the origin power would naturally merge. Some arts were more violent and forceful, attracting the inner and outer tides into repeatedly crashing into the barrier. The Combatant Formula was one such example. It was an art that would make the origin tides become wild and potent, and the force it created was comparable to first-class cultivation arts. However, it would also damage the bodys internal organs in the process of breaking the barrier. Qianye was able to quickly activate his first complete origin tide. Today his objective was to attempt an assault on his node barrier. He carefully directed the surging origin power to rush toward the node in his lower abdomen. Waves of origin power slowly adjusted their angle and crashed into the node barrier. The node barrier resembled a tall dam that firmly kept the origin tides away. Qianye slowly grew absorbed in the task, and even the strange fragrance of the Vermillion Countenance Blood had vanished from his senses. He felt as if he had become one with the origin tides, surging tall and powerfully crashing against the barrier before falling apart and transforming into a myriad of origin power droplets. It was as if he were actually the tides themselves. The next wave, however, would only be taller, and its force would be even stronger than before. Each impact and each recoil of the origin power caused Qianyes body to shake slightly. During the process in which the origin tides in Qianyes body crashed against the node barrier, the origin power that resonated in the outside world constantly replenished Qianyes origin power. In this way, Qianyes origin power gradually increased. It was unknown how many times this tedious cycle repeated, and when a cycle of origin tides finished, before the surging origin power could completely subside, a new wave suddenly appeared! Qianye was both shocked and overjoyed. He hurried to concentrate and guide this wave to crash against the node barrier. When the tide crashed into the barrier, Qianyes ears buzzed and became filled with the sounds of roaring water. His body involuntarily shuddered at the impact, and he was nearly thrown from where he sat. This was the first wave of the second cycle of the origin tides. It was imbued with the surplus force of the first cycle of origin tides, and its impact was already proportionate to the fourth or fifth wave of the first cycle. This was the first sign of success. As Qianye accumulated more origin power, the second, third, and fourth cycles of origin tides would naturally form as well. As more origin tides formed, the more powerful the tides became, and the more impact they would have against the node barrier. It was said that the time to activate the abdominal node would be after the third cycle of origin tides formation. When the bell rang, Qianye tidied himself as he usually did and swiftly left the cultivation room. This time, he had achieved a breakthrough in his assignment, and there were a dozen or so other children who had cultivated alongside him also looking happy with their own successes. But Qianye didnt feel very happy. His progress could be considered quick, but he could only be ranked among the top one third in this class. Almost half a year had passed, and it was said that, in some other classes, someone had already ignited their first origin node. As usual, the children fell into formation in the valleys empty ground. For some reason, Chen Lei stood beside Qianye. When everyone ran to the training field under the instructors command, Chen Lei approached Qianye and lowered his voice. Ive started cultivating my third cycle of origin tides. Once I ignite my origin node, you better watch out! Qianye kept looking forward as if he hadnt heard anything. The combat and Biological Structure classes came next. Qianyes opponent during the combat class was an average kid. Neither side had a relationship or grudge with the other, so the result of the combat was ordinary. Then came Biological Structure. This time, however, the instructor was a thin, bald, and wrinkled old man that looked unfamiliar. He had a pair of murky gray eyes, and when they swept across Qianye, he felt as if his entire being was being seen through. Qianye immediately shivered. The old mans eyes had already swept past Qianye at first. Then his eyes twitched, and he turned back to look at Qianye once more. There was a laboratory workbench in front of every student, and a rectangular thing covered in white cloth sat on top of it. The old man cleared his throat, and his voice was as coarse and raspy as a crows cry. Hello, kids! From today onward, I will make you into true monsters! I believe that none of you will be willing to remember my name, but after the next half year, this name will accompany you for a very, very long time. My name is Sheeeeeeeeeeeen Tu! Shen Tu then explained how his class worked. It was very simple. They needed to complete their task within the allotted period of time, and no one was allowed to vomit. Alright! I would like you to now pull away the white cloth in front of you and this up! Shen Tu raised an object that resembled a thin hook. Qianye took a step forward and lifted the white cloth on top of the laboratory workbench. He was immediately caught by surprise! Beneath the white cloth was an icy cold corpse! However, the corpse had a familiar face. Qianye remembered that this was a kid who had entered the training camp with him! The corpse before him was clearly well preserved. Even though almost a year had passed, it had no rot and was still in perfect condition. At the corner of the laboratory workbench was a tray filled with dozens of oddly shaped tools. Like the tool that Shen Tu was holding, one of them was a hook. There was also a corpse on stage. Shen Tu plunged the hook into the corpses chest and pulled it upward. Then he used a sharp, small knife to cut through the thin layer of the corpses skin. Seeing this familiar face, Qianye was deeply conflicted and just couldnt find it within himself to act. Just like Qianye, a large majority of the children appeared to be both terrified and at a loss. A small minority of the children, however, began to do as Shen Tu said. Some of them even wore cruel, sinister smiles on their faces. Suddenly, a guard began to loudly count down from ten. Shock went through the children. It was the human countdown that they knew extremely well! They knew that anyone who failed to act by the end of the countdown would be punished, and there was no telling if Shen Tus punishment would be even more brutal than Zhang Jings! Everyone, including Qianye, hurriedly grabbed the tool and began dissecting the body as Shen Tu taught them. Qianye had just finished the set procedure when he heard a cry come from next to him. A girl had cried out and begun to desperately vomit on the ground. Shen Tu stopped what he was doing and quietly stared at the little girl who was vomiting violently. Every kid in the classroom was watching her as well, and silence reigned for a time. When the little girl was finished vomiting and crying, Shen Tu said with an unfathomable tenderness, Take her away and clean her up. Two merciless guards lifted the little girl like a chick, and no matter how much she cried or struggled, they took her away. The class continued, and the children continued to study Shen Tus knowledge in silence. The only sound that resounded in the classroom was the old mans raspy voice. A week later, Shen Tu appeared in front of the children once more. It was still a class on dissection. The old man planned to finish his human physiology lecture in vital areas and weak points in three classes. When Qianye lifted the white cloth in front of him, he suddenly took a step back. The corpse on his bench was none other than the little girls! Qianye immediately understood what Shen Tu had meant one week ago when he said clean her up. It was at this moment that he felt Shen Tus eyes firmly lock onto him. Qianye did not raise his head. His hands did not shake even once as he lifted a plier and a thin blade to begin the set procedures. Qianye did not remember how he went through this class. In fact, he did not even remember how he went through the day. It was suddenly night already, and he was laying on his bed. Light snores were already beginning to reverberate in the barracks. Most of the kids had entered dreamland, but Qianye just couldnt fall asleep no matter how he tried. The Yellow Springs Training Camp really was hell. Qianye did not know how much longer he would be able to endure this, but he knew that, even if he did, something inside him was eventually going to change. It had been quite some time since Qianye had thought about the vague shadow in the beginning of his memories. He had originally thought that he wouldve forgotten it by this point, but it suddenly resurfaced in his mind. He realized that some beliefs would eventually be lost no matter how hard one tried. Shi Yans stiff face was the second thing to appear, and it was trying very hard to smile. It was as if someone was saying, come out alive, in his ears. Qianye fell into a trance, unsure if the voice belonged to Shi Yan or that person. Qianye closed his eyes, and when he opened them once more, he was completely awake. Someone was waiting for him. Someone had given him a promise. Now he fully understood the meaning behind the surname Lin. Everything could only be realized after he walked out of this hell. In this hell, chances only came once. He would lose them if he did not take them. He could not wait here. Qianye suddenly jumped down from his bed and silently landed on the ground. He then used the stealth technique he had learned from the combat class to make his way to Chen Leis bed. He did not seem to have alerted anyone along the way. Chen Lei was not sleeping well, and his face was covered in anxiety. It was unknown what he was dreaming of. Qianyes slowly, but resolutely, stretched a hand toward his throat. It was at this moment that the child on the bed beside Chen Lei suddenly turned around, opened his eyes, and saw Qianyes movement. Qianye turned around to look him in the eye, and the child immediately trembled. The child hurriedly turned back and continued to sleep, pretending to have seen nothing. All hesitation was gone from Qianyes left hand as it fell around Chen Leis throat quick as lightning, wrapping around it as he punched his other hand with full force right into Chen Leis ribs! A dull thud resounded in the barracks, and most of the children were immediately woken up from their sleep. Some of them even jumped from their beds instinctively. The pounding noises resounded repeatedly. Chen Leis eyes were bulging out of his sockets, and his face was already flushed a dark purple. His tongue stuck entirely out of his mouth. He furiously scratched and clawed at Qianyes hands. Some missed, but those that landed struck with tremendous force. However, Qianyes hand was completely immobile as if it were made from iron. It was as if he couldnt feel any pain. Meanwhile, his right hand repeatedly smashed into Chen Leis stomach and ribs in a steady rhythm. This scene resembled the one in which Chen Lei instructed his companions to beat Qianye up. Their performances, however, were completely different from each other. Chen Lei was clearly out of his wits, and his counter attacks were in complete disorder. It could only be seen as a panicked struggle at best. The few strongest children in the class inwardly shook their heads after they saw Chen Leis performance. They no longer paid attention to him. However, they looked at Qianye with caution and fear. Qianye had been continuously beating Chen Lei from the start, but his breathing, and even his expression, had basically never changed. It was as if he were currently doing something that was utterly inconsequential, and every dull thud was like a blow to the heart of every child. Chen Lei finally stopped moving, his body spasming out of pure reflex. Qianye stopped beating him and returned to his bed. He nonchalantly pulled the blanket over his head and returned to sleep. A while later, Chen Lei suddenly jumped off of his bed and stumbled toward the window, shrieking, Instructor! Instructor! Someone is trying to kill me, save me! Chapter 11: This Is a Friend? Chapter 11: This Is a Friend? [Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight] With a bang, the door to the room was kicked open yet again as Long Hai entered with furrowed brows. He asked coldly, Whos screaming? Chen Lei laboriously ran toward Long Hai like a terrified little beast. Disgust momentarily appeared in Long Hais face as he whipped Chen Lei viciously. Trash! he scolded before using his feet to turn Chen Leis body, which had fallen to the ground. Chen Leis clothes had already been ripped, but his face was uninjured. Only the purplish black choke marks were abnormal. Long Hai wasnt interested at all. He simply asked loudly, Who did it? Qianye stood up from his bed and calmly said, Me. Long Hai narrowed his eyes, sizing Qianye before speaking. Good, kid, you have guts! Men! Bring him out for ten lashes and hang him up until tomorrow! Qianye did not resist. He did not even show a hint of fear as he followed the guards out. After a short while, the familiar sound of a whip striking flesh could be heard from the window. With every lash, the dark memories of the children surfaced, causing them to have uncomfortable expressions. However, nothing accompanied the sounds of whipping coming from outside. There wasnt a scream nor a muffled cry. Not a sound could be heard. It was as if the guards were whipping a block of wood. Even after Long Hai left, Chen Lei was still on the ground, incapable of standing. Long Hais whip was not at all light, and adding Chen Leis previous injuries, it would be impossible for him to recover in a month. The gazes of the surrounding children were full of mockery and disdain. Everyone now knew that the weak, skinny Qianye was the truly vicious one. Chen Lei had wanted to assert himself, but he made a grave mistake in choosing the wrong victim. Go to sleep! the strongest child in the class said wisely. At the dawn of the next day, Qianye, who had been hung for the entire night, was taken down. He was so weak that he couldnt even stand properly, but even so, he struggled to complete the morning run. After most of the children completed three rounds, he was still on his first. Yet he managed to complete his morning training by sacrificing his breakfast period. When night came, Qianye had only managed to finish half of his daily training, and it was certain that his rank would fall. The entire class, however, seemed to have collectively forgotten that fact. Not a single child mentioned it. That was because every child that received ten lashes would all stay in bed for the following few days. Every move they made would agitate their wounds, causing intense pain. None had acted like Qianye had. As it was late, and every child was currently in their own bed. Chen Lei, however, was kneeling in front of Qianye, hugging Qianyes thigh as he cried for mercy. Glancing at Chen Lei, Qianye pushed him away before slowly climbing into his own bed to sleep. Every other child but Chen Lei was asleep. He sat on the ground, clenching and unclenching his fists, his face full of uncertainty. Qianye had endured a whipping while Chen Lei had suffered internal wounds. Killing Qianye now would be easy, but he feared the punishment that would follow. Yet there was another fear deep in his heart, one he wasnt willing to admitthe fear of losing to the current Qianye. As expected, Qianyes rank dropped by half that week. What was unexpected, however, was that as he was walking to his cultivating room one day, the child who was ranked number one in the class approached him and gave him a portion of Vermillion Countenance Blood. I have four portions of this, but I dont need that much, he had said. As rank one, this child had received a lot of benefits. Qianye looked at him with surprise. After thinking for a while, he unabashedly took it before extendinghis hand out as he spoke. My name is Qianye. The boy smiled. Im Song Zining. Their hands touched as they got acquainted with the other once more, even though they had long ago known each others names. That week, Song Zining gave Qianye a portion of Vermillion Countenance Blood every day until Qianye made it back to the upper half of the rankings, regaining his right to receive Vermillion Countenance Blood. Other than that, Song Zining and Qianye did not interact much. They did not even speak more than a few sentences to each other. Upon reaching the tenth month, Qianye finally completed his third cycle of origin tides and used his full power to attack the node barrier. Song Zining had already ignited his origin node two months ago. Qianye noticed that the third cycle of origin tides had a strength that was an entire magnitude stronger than the first cycle. There was intense pain with every crash of the tides. In accordance with this development, the pain would rival that of getting whipped once he reached the tenth cycle. At that point, whether or not the children would be able to endure it was a mystery. It was no wonder that so few cultivated higher levels of the Combatant Formula. Not only was it harmful to ones body, the pain that it invoked was not something just anyone could withstand. However, to Qianye, there was another annoyance. Whenever the origin tides spread to his chest, his old wound would ache. In the eleventh month, Qianye broke through the barrier! The moment that the barrier was broken, his origin power entered his node like a flood. The node itself seemed to have powers of attraction, increasing the speed of the origin power that entered. It absorbed as if it were swallowing it. After it reached the utmost limit, a light that resembled candlelight dancing in the wind appeared in the depths of the node. This was the sign of an ignited node. The current Qianye had become a rank one Fighter. He was no longer a typical commoner. Once the instructors confirmed that Qianyes node was indeed ignited, he received another benefit in his assigned resources. It was a dark brown pill that was said to be useful for recovering from internal injuries, medicine that would help in the cultivation of the Combatant Formula. In the next month, Qianye slowed down his cultivation speed as instructed. Instead, he controlled the movements of his origin tides to clean, nourish, and temper his first node, easing the synthesis of the two types of origin power in his body. However, his origin power continued to steadily increase, and Qianyes body was growing proportionate to that. Despite not having reached the age of ten, he was already capable of lifting fifty kilograms with one hand. After Qianye, other children also ignited their nodes. By Zhang Jings one year deadline, there was a total sixty children who had lit their nodes, leaving only three who hadnt. After the examination, Qianye never saw them again. Just like that, a second year in the Yellow Springs Training Camp had quietly passed. In the third year, the size of Qianyes class increased by one hundred children once more. In the third year, Qianye became ten years old. From this year onward, he began to attack the second origin node in his chest. This node was very important among the nine origin nodes, the other important one being the node in the forehead. Within many cultivation arts, this was called the Aura Sea, and it directly determined how far one would be able to cultivate their origin power in the future. After nourishing the first node, Qianye calmly began to tackle the second. The surging origin power slowly became a tide as it rushed toward the node in his chest. However, the moment it approached his wound, an intense pain washed over him! This kind of pain had exceeded the limit of what humans could endure! Qianye fell to the ground with a cry, experiencing a seizure while blood spurted from his mouth. He fainted. Hearing his shout, the guards immediately entered his cultivating room. After being shocked by the state he was in, they carried him away. Some time later, Qianye lay naked in the classroom for Biological Structure. He was on the metal workbench on stage. There was no clinic of any sort in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Only Zhang Jing and Long Hai were present. Shadow was left outside the room to prevent others from entering. Before the stage, Shen Tu moved very calmly, like how he did in his classes, using all kinds of equipment to open three small holes in Qianyes scar. The old man stopped moving after a while, then started to slowly pack up his equipment. He did not look at the unconscious Qianye, instead turning to Zhang Jing and Long Hai. Having been his instructor for so long, you two must have noticed Long Hai wore a strange expression. Zhang Jing revealed a charming smile and spoke absentmindedly, Isnt it origin power theft? Long Hais face became ugly while the sides of Shen Tus mouth twitched. Even the smile on Zhang Jings face was unnatural. At this moment, the door to the class opened as a person walked in with large strides. Behind that person was Shadow. Thats correct. It is indeed origin power theft. The few people in the room turned around in surprise, only to be shocked even more when they saw who had entered. Director Sun! A somewhat short, middle-aged man with a kind face had walked in. His face was square and looked very ordinary, a face that could easily be forgotten. This was Director Sun Ni of the Yellow Springs Training Camp. He wore an old, faded military uniform without a single badge indicating his rank. Sun Ni walked to Qianye and reached out to touch his scar, light appearing in his hands. After a while, he sighed. As expected! This child... what a pity. Zhang Jing noticed something. This is the child Marshal Lin sent. Is there a problem? What do all of you think? Director Sun replied with a question. Since Long Hai was the one that brought him here, he spoke first. Although he was sent by Marshal Lin, the man did not leave any special instructions. He did not even ask us to preserve his life. I heard that he is an orphan Marshal Lin picked up on a whim. If there are any discrepancies regarding his past Shen Tus hoarse voice went a tone deeper, carrying a dark feel. The only ones capable of doing this kind of thing are those petty families, but why would they leave a survivor? Its rather strange. Sun Ni laughed mysteriously before speaking slowly, I know this. In fact, others also know this. Or, to state it more clearly, those who need to know already know about it.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 12: The Cost of the Pas Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 12: The Cost of the Past Hearing Sun Nis words, Zhang Jing immediately relaxed. Shrugging, she said, Thats a game of the higher ups. It shouldnt concern us, should it? Shadow did not speak. He simply nodded. Sun Nis gaze came to rest on Qianyes body. It concerns us, but only a little bit. We dont need to concern ourselves with why this child survived. At this moment, we just have to worry about what to do with him. Give him the typical training in accordance with regulations. If he wants to survive, he can only rely on himself. Even if he does survive, it wont concern our Yellow Springs. After a moment of silence, Sun Ni continued, No matter what, we will treat the origin power theft as nothing. Regardless of who did it, it doesnt concern our Yellow Springs. If that person wants to cause us trouble, we have nothing to fear! There is no need to worry about this matter. This is the chiefs wish. At that moment, Zhang Jings absentminded expression turned into one of shock. Everyone else was shocked as well. She asked, The chief is back? Sun Ni did not reply, but slightly nodded his head. The instructors that were present revealed excited expressions. Even Long Hai smiled childishly. Director Sun walked around Qianye and said, Well, giving him a bit of care right now is fine. He probably would not survive this otherwise. The timing is quite unfortunate him dying now would make the Yellow Springs Training Camp seem afraid of those families! Mn, Ive already inspected his body. The Combatant Formulas method of assailing the Aura Sea node needs some tweaking. Zhang Jing, when this kid wakes up, explain it to him like this! Alright. Sun Ni nodded, then turned to leave. The instructors glanced at each other, and Shen Tu started treating Qianye. At this moment, a hint of pity appeared in Zhang Jings eyes as she gazed at Qianye. This was actually an extremely talented child whose talent resulted in him being targeted by the taboo act of origin power theft! It was a pity that it was too late. Even the most talented of individuals would become mediocre after having their origin power stolen and would only amount to a normal cultivator. When Qianye woke up, he immediately noticed that the scenery he saw was familiar. He was on the metal stage of the classroom for Biological Structure. His heart immediately thumped. If it werent for the fact that his body was still numb, he would have accidentally fallen from the stage because of this. He immediately felt a hot sensation in his chest, and throbs of pain would wash over him occasionally. Youre awake? Come down on your own! Turning around, he saw Zhang Jing currently had her back toward him. Her upper body lay across one of the laboratory workbenches as she constantly wrote something. The curve of her back extremely attractive. After wiggling his fingers, Qianye barely managed to sit up and then get off of the stage. The moment his feet landed on the ground, however, his body went limp as he collapsed to the ground. The sound of surprise escaped from Zhang Jings lipsin sudden realization. I forgot that you still have anesthesia in your body. After walking over, Zhang Jing helped Qianye up and placed him onto a chair before passing him a piece of paper. She said, Memorize this right now and ask me about anything youre unsure of. You can only read this herebringing it outside is not allowed. Zhang Jings unexpected kindness did not make Qianye comfortable. On the contrary, he felt uneasy. She was definitely not as gentle as she currently seemed to be. She was a vicious woman that even Long Hai avoided. An formula was described on the paper. In just a moment, Qianye understood what it was. This was an edited version of the Combatant Formula that talked about the assailing the Aura Sea node. From today onward, use this cultivation method until youve ignited your Aura Sea node. However, there may be some pain in the process. If there are other uncomfortable repercussions, you find me in my living quarters. I will instruct the guards to grant you entry. Zhang Jing left the room after speaking, leaving Qianye by himself to memorize the formula. Qianye finished memorizing it half an hour later. He then followed Zhang Jings instructions to rip the formula into shreds before placing it on the table and leaving. Zhang Jings living quarters were not far from the camp. As he passed through the forest, Qianye noticed Song Zining resting against a tree and looking up at the sky. Following his eyes, Qianye looked up as well, but it was just the normal blue sky above them. Clouds were speckled across it, but nothing else present, not even a bird. What are you looking at? Qianye asked curiously. The great way and the future, was Song Zinings surprising answer. Qianye knew what the word, future, meant, but he did not know what Song Zining meant by great way. Are you okay? Song Zining nonchalantly asked before Qianye could reply. After some hesitation, Qianye replied, An instructor said that theres something wrong with my original cultivation method and helped me edit it. Song Zining suddenly became rather nervous as he asked, Which instructor? Zhang Jing. Then its fine! Song Zinings expression relaxed. Dont worry, everyone has different dispositions, and using a specific cultivation method might not suit some people. A method would naturally be tweaked if there were any problems with it. Zhang Jing is not simple, but if shes the one teaching you about cultivation, it will be nothing but beneficial. However Seeing that Song Zining wanted to say something, but for some reason couldnt, Qianye hurriedly asked, However what? Song Zining did not reply. He just looked Qianye up and down with interest before saying, Nothing. Youll find out eventually. Hehe! He laughed rather strangely before leaving, ignoring Qianye. Watching Song Zinings departing figure, Qianye was full of suspicion. Song Zining wouldnt have come all the way here just to look at whatever great way and future in the sky. Perhaps he was worried about something and came here to wait for Qianye? Despite being able to secure the top position for a few months, the children behind Song Zining were hot on his tail. Cultivation periods were extremely precious here. Without hard work, one would easily be left behind. In the hearts of the children, the things that were most important to them were time and the Vermillion Countenance Blood. Because of this, Qianye engraved the image of Song Zinings back deep into his heart. Some things were better left unsaid. When the time came, one would naturally understand. This was the first time in these past few months that they spoken so much with each other. Qianye had never before heard of many things that Song Zining talked about. It seemed that this childs identity was not as simple as his introduction. Checking the time, Qianye noticed that there were only ten minutes left before the next lesson. Therefore, he quickened his pace and rushed to the small valley ahead. Once the fragrance of the Vermillion Countenance Blood surrounded him, Qianye entered a state of meditation and started cultivating. This time, he slowly led the origin tides according to the new formula, slowly inching toward the Aura Sea node in his chest. However, the moment that the origin tides entered the scarred area, it was as if they had entered a road made from mudevery movement was difficult and arduous. The movement of the origin power in the area of his wound was like having a iron brush rub his scar raw. The intense pain almost caused Qianye to faint once more. The newly edited Combatant Formula definitely reduced the pain that Qianye felt, allowing him to stay conscious. Animosity and determination permeated Qianyes bones as he gritted his teeth and endured the pain without making a sound. He quickly noticed that not only was there intense pain coming from his injury, the movement speed of the origin power had also slowed, decreasing the strength of his origin power. He could only try to accumulate a denser amount origin power to match his usual attacking strength. However, heavier movement meant even more pain. Qianye could only bear it as he tried to ignore the senses of his body. The pain was something that normal humans wouldnt be able to endure, and after only half an hour passed, Qianye could no longer hold on. He depleted all his strength. This cultivation session did reap some rewards, however. His origin power did increase, just at an incredibly slow speed. Darkness appeared in Qianyes heart as he rubbed the scar on his chest. He did not know who left such a scar on him, but it had been affecting his fate and his life up to this point, dragging him through the mud and into the abyss! The children had a short amount of free time at night. This was the time to learn something or train. This was the little bit of freedom that the children were given, which they could use to control the development of their future. Qianye chose to go to Zhang Jing. The guards who had received her instructions did not stop him. Zhang Jing lived by herself in her courtyard. The buildings here were different from the ones in the camp, where the only materials were green stone and gold. The entire courtyard had a retro imperial style. The main building was a corniced two story building with an elegant theme. Just by looking around, one could tell that Zhang Jing was different from the other instructors. Long Hai and the others lived in an apartment building with an exterior that resembled a steel box. Just as Qianye raised his hand to gently knock the copper lion ring on the door, Zhang Jings voice could be heard. Just enter. The door isnt locked. Walking through the courtyard and into the house, Qianye carefully avoided anything and everything. Zhang Jing was not in the living room. Instead, she was in the bedroom where the sounds of rushing water could be heard. She was taking a bath. Qianye did not feel annoyed at all, and he simply stood there. He had already learned patience and obedience in these past few years. Before he was given an order, staying still was the best choice. After a while, Zhang Jing walked out from the room with only a bathrobe covering her. Glancing at Qianye, she sank into her sofa. Her bathrobe seemed to be rather small. It was also shorttoo short to cover her extremely long, snow white legs. Her ample chest, which was restrained by the robe, threatened to spill out at any moment. In Qianyes eyes, those long legs seemed very attractive. Their every movement was like a light flashing in front of his eyes. Children who grew up during wars and in the countryside matured very quickly. Before the empire had been created, humankind continuously produced soldiers for war, constantly lowering the age of marriage. For the survival of mankind, the human body adapted to mature faster and faster, and now even fourteen to fifteen year olds could create a family. Ten year old Qianye was not considered that young. Furthermore, these children had cultivated the Combatant Formula, which was oriented toward explosive growth, since they were young, and it played a role in changing their bodies. The Biological Structure class had also given them a very detailed explanation regarding the human body. Zhang Jing, however, did not seem to realize that Qianye was no longer an innocent child, and carelessly stretched her back. This made her legs straighten, almost revealing something that shouldnt be seen. As if his heart had been smashed by a hammer, Qianye saw stars in his vision and his mind felt a little dizzy. It was as if the entire world had become different but did the world change, or did he? Little Qianye, what are you here for? Zhang Jing asked lazily. Qianye did not dare to look at her too much and quickly asked about the problems he came across while cultivating. He couldnt tell if the pain he felt during cultivation was normal or abnormal. Becoming somewhat serious, she gestured to Qianye with her hands. Come closer. Chapter 13: Coming of Age Ceremony Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 13: Coming of Age Ceremony Walking to the sofa, Qianye came close enough for Zhang Jing to reach him. Reaching both of her hands out, she continuously massaged Qianyes body as threads of origin power entered, testing the reactions of every part of his body. This sensation was indescribable. It was a mixture of pain and numbness, an uncomfortable feeling that was worse than being whipped. Qianye could only shift his attention. Standing as straight as a pen, not moving at all. Instead, his gaze roamed about, looking at everything, and it somehow swept over Zhang Jings chest, causing him to flinch involuntarily. Zhang Jings chest stretched her bathrobe to the limit. From Qianyes perspective, her movements made dots of red flit past his line of sight. This was a sight that Qianye had never seen before. He did not really understand what was in front of him, but he still couldnt control the sensations that her snow white chest aroused. After a while, Zhang Jing said, Alright, Ive checked your status. It seems that your node is much more injured than I thought it would be, but its not completely hopeless. Dont rush when you cultivate. Start by getting used to the acceptable range of pain. You will need at least fifty percent more origin power to ignite this node than other people. Zhang Jing only let him leave after a detailed explanation of the important points. When he returned to his room, Qianye could not fall asleep. Zhang Jings bountiful, snow white chest kept swaying in front of his eyes. From this night onward, Qianye was aware of the differences between men and women. Not just the differences he learned from Biological Structure class either. They werent just statistics or images. However, the next days pain of cultivating immediately erased the fascinating thoughts of Qianyes virgin mind. Qianye desperately withstood the barrages of intense pain, and because of that, there were times where he almost fainted. The suffering he felt was beyond that which a human could withstand. If a normal human were to experience it, they would probably die of pain, but Qianye, as a rank one Fighter, endured it. After suffering, Qianye no longer dared to charge in. Carefully controlling his origin tides, he attacked places that were within his limit. This cultivation session was particularly torturous, and when the chime sounded, Qianye could not believe that he had endured only two hours of cultivating. This session gave him a depressing discovery. He could feel that he would need two hundred percent more origin power to ignite this node, not just fifty! Even though this could accumulate more origin power, the cultivation speed of two origin nodes would always exceeded that of one. His cultivation speed was immediately reduced, dropping from the top of the class to ranking in the lower middle. There were no shortcuts to cultivation, however, and after learning of this, Qianye accepted his reality and calmed his mind. He was no longer in a hurry. He would only require more time to reach rank two. There were countless humans who couldnt even reach it. According to the standards of the Yellow Springs Training Camp, the lowest requirement to graduate was the second rank, so he had the chance to escape this hell. Therefore, Qianye continued training both his body and mind as usual. Perhaps because he rid himself of thoughts about success or failure, or perhaps it was because of his concentration, Qianyes training results became better. After what seemed to be an eternity of painful suffering, Qianyes origin power was much stronger and tyrannical compared to normal peoples. In that very manner, he barely managed to keep up with pace of the combat classes. After half a year, Qianyes group completed their foundation in unarmed combat; next would be weapon training. They learned about various bladed weapons of all sizes and shapes. From this day onward, the children began to sustain numerous injuries on their person. The remaining children were all rank one Fighters who not only possessed powerful bodies but also attacks that contained origin power, which greatly added to their power. A random stab from one of them was no joke. Thanks to their strength, many of them suffered in battles, but because of that, they also learned to create defenses with origin power. Only at this point did Qianye get to show off his extraordinary might. Against the children who wanted to start trouble with him, Qianye would exchange blows with them equally. The stabs and punches he received seemed to be nothing to him. As if his sensation of pain had disappeared, his counterattacks were ruthlessly precise. However, the injuries of those who received his blade were not just large. One of the big children that had exchanged a dozen stabs with Qianye eventually fell, accompanied by his painful screaming, but Qianye simply stood before him steadily, blood drenching his body. The hand that held his weapon did not even tremble. The pain from this fight was incomparable to the pain he suffered everyday during cultivation; it was nothing at all. And after that, no one dared to look for trouble with Qianye anymore in combat class. This was mainly due to the fact that Qianyes opponent was a bigger kid ranked fifth in terms of combat power. In both strength and skill, he scored better than Qianye, but in a real battle, he lost. Furthermore, in the Yellow Springs Training Camp, the children here learned to prioritize results above all else. When Qianye was eleven, the children finally completed the human biology course, and in return, old man Shen Tu brought them a strange body, a corpse belonging to a large spider, a whole meter in size! Only after a long time did Qianye know that this was not a normal spider, but a powerful branch of the dark races, the man-faced arachne. The creature before them was just the lowest class arachne that hadnt formed its human appearance or appendages yet; therefore, it was called a cave spider. From that day onward, the children came into contact with all kinds of dark races. After a year, other than the most mysterious and strongest demonkin, they had witnessed every known dark race on the dissection table, including the human-like vampire and werewolves. At that point, the children had all matured into young men and women. But despite that, they still lived together in the same quarters; they even changed and washed in the same place. Of course, the differences in the two sexes could clearly be seen, and some of the early maturing boys would bother the girls. However, they did not do anything else as that was prohibited in the camp. Qianye started thinking more and more about the things he had seen in Zhang Jings room. When he turned twelve, the Yellow Springs Training Camp held a special event, the coming of age ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, the girls and boys were gathered in a large hall to eat a meal full of aphrodisiacs. In the next moment, Qianye could feel his consciousness become blurry as his body became hot. His breathing seemed to carry fire with it as strange thoughts appeared in his mind. He quickly noticed that he couldnt even think properly and started yielding to his instincts. And at that moment, numerous naked men and women came into the hall and went to the children. In the blink of an eye, the entire hall became a world of carnal desire. Zhang Jing and Long Hai simply looked on expressionlessly as they patrolled, occasionally punishing someone. They were completely apathetic to the world of flesh before them. However, some of the weaker instructors and many of the senior guards participated in this banquet. Today, these young girls were their tenure benefits. Though, the instructors and guards did control themselves and did not dare to overindulge. They could use this special day for enjoyment, but they werent allowed to break the girls. The moment someone lost control, the long whips in Zhang Jing and Long Hais hands would make sure that theyd immediately regret it. And from this day onward, the prohibition of bodily contact between the two sexes was lifted. For the weaker females, this was the start of hell. The purpose of the Yellow Springs Training Camp was to eliminate any weakness in the people who walked out from it. Their bodies could be the weakness for females, but it could also be their weapon. A few girls silently disappeared and did not participate in this banquet. Thanks to the influence of their family, they evaded this ceremony. The coming of age ceremony lasted the entire night. Qianye and the others only fell asleep after exerting themselves before waking up at noon of the next day. Only then did the effects of the aphrodisiacs in Qianyes body disappear. What happened yesterday was like a dream, and while he couldnt clearly remember the details, he knew what happened. After the coming of age ceremony, Qianyes life went back to usual. He continued training, learning and practicing combat techniques as usual. He even used the theory of machines he learned in machinery class to apply maintenance and make creations from all sorts of basic machinery parts. The biggest changes in class happened to the females; many of them sought male companions. Only the powerful and the girls who avoided the ceremony managed to maintain their solitary life. Song Zining, who was forever in first place, managed to monopolize two beautiful girls with no one daring to say otherwise, even the two girls themselves. Life in the the Yellow Springs Training Camp was like that. One needed to win before they could say anything. Qianye remained by himself. It was as if he was trapped in his own little world, unaffected by the events that occurred outside. Because of the hellish pain of his cultivation, he was permanently trapped in suffering. Qianye tempered an incomparably strong will for himself, but this also caused him to be disinterested in everything that happened outside of cultivation. To him, quickly lighting his Aura Sea node and the day he broke away from this hell was the most important thing. He could only obtain the things he wanted after getting out of this isolated mountain valley. Today, Qianye had just returned to his room to see Song Zining leaning against the door as he watched the sky, yet again looking at his great way and future. Nodding his head at him, Qianye was just about to enter the room before Song Zining suddenly called out, Qianye, wait a moment. What is it? He didnt know what was going on. Song Zining laughed. Something good. Itll let you grow up faster. Glancing at a group of students passing by, he suddenly pointed at a rather beautiful girl and spoke, Uh. Yes, you! Fang Minghui, come here! The girl did not know what was going on and ran over without any objections, arriving before Song Zining and Qianye. Glancing up and down, Song Zining straightforwardly spoke, Tonight, sleep with Qianye, and continue to do so from today onward! Chapter 14: To Fight or Not to Figh Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 14: To Fight or Not to Fight Fang Minghui was instantly shocked. Before she could speak, a boy ran over and quickly said, No! Shes mine! Song Zinings face darkened as he said coldly, The hell are you? You dare fight me for women? That boys face instantly turned pale as he stammered, B-but you already have two women. Two isnt enough, Song Zining coldly replied. This statement left the boy speechless. Looking at Qianye indignantly, he slowly retreated. That boy was in a group with a few of his friends. When he had run over, the others chose to stand still and watch. One of the taller youths walked over and said with a deep voice, Song Zining, youre going overboard. The few of us have always respected and indulged you. However, you cannot monopolize all the goods for yourself. Even more, I wont let you bully my brother! Qianye recognized this fellow as Wu Jin. He ranked behind Song Zining; however, the difference between their scores wasnt much. Song Zining ignored the hidden threat in Wu Jins words and laughed coldly, I just bullied your brother, so what? Killing intent radiated from Wu Jin as he narrowed his eyes and slowly said, There isnt much of a difference between us, and now that I think about it, its been a while since I fought you seriously! Thats because youre too afraid to fight me, not that I was avoiding a match with you. Song Zining laughed coldly as he straightened his body, his knife-sharp killing intent soaring through the air! Exercising his joints, Song Zining laughed coldly. Wu Jin, you shouldnt be so dumb as to believe in the stupid rankings? How about this? Well go to the combat hall for a fight right now, and this time, I wont show any mercy. After this match, you can f*ck off with your shitty second place! Facing Song Zinings challenge, Wu Jins facial expression became uncertain. With a snort, he turned and left. While facing Wu Jings back, Song Zining leisurely said, Wu Jin, if you want to join forces with other people, do it quicker. I will ignite my second node in two more months! Rank two Fighter! Wu Jins body trembled as he turned to look at Song Zining with an expression of disbelief before leaving in a hurry, his previous aura completely gone. The surrounding children were similarly shocked as their respect for him grew. Fang Minghui immediately changed her view of Song Zining and obediently walked to his side, speaking lightly, Ill do whatever Brother Song wants me to, accompanying anyone is fine. Pointing at Fang Minghui, Song Zining spoke to Qianye, Qianye, shes something you deserve. In this place, if you dont claim things that are rightfully yours, people will start to doubt and test you. Showing off a bit of your strength would reduce the amount of hassle you have to deal with. Qianye originally wanted to decline but he was stopped by Song Zinings resolute gaze. He then had no choice but to let Fang Minghui follow him. After returning to his bed, Qianye thought back to the incident earlier. What Song Zining wanted to tell Qianye was that strength was everything. Without strength, against someone like Song Zining, one could only retreat and relent or be beaten to death. Even the second ranked Wu Jin was humiliated and had to retreat when he faced against Song Zining. As for Fang Minghui, such a low ranking girl would follow any man without much care. Qianye felt like he had understood what Song Zining was trying to convey. Fang Minghui stealthily climbed up onto Qianyes bed, but the Combatant Formula had tormented Qianye for an entire day, so he was completely disinterested in her. He only stroked her soft waist without doing anything else before quickly falling asleep. For the following period of time, Fang Minghui followed Qianye around, and despite never touching her, Qianye did not have her leave. Among his batch of students, Qianye was ranked in front, staying around tenth place. This was thanks to his extraordinary performance in every lesson, especially in some of the knowledge based classes like firearms and machinery, his performance being close to perfection. As for physical classes, he suffered slightly, but in classes where they had to do actual combat, he managed to stay around twentieth place thanks to his extraordinary viciousness. Song Zining was right. With Qianyes combined rank, he indeed had the right to set his sights on a female companion. However, he never looked for one. Therefore, this was seen by others as a sign of guilt due to his lack of strength. Life in the training camp was never boring. One day, during machinery class, Qianye had used simple equipment to create a highly precise cartridge after ten failures. He was extremely satisfied with his own work. A single cartridge was very easy to make, but creating a high precision cartridge without meticulous equipment was difficult. One needed certain level of strength and control to accomplish such a feat. This was a core maintenance skill in battle. With this ability, Qianye could repair broken firearms and other equipment in battle. Its significance was self-evident. As Qianye was admiring his own work, a young girls voice suddenly appeared next to him, How amazing! Turning his head, Qianye saw a young girl next to him currently looking at the cartridge in his hands. Her appearance could only be described as ordinary, but she had quite a good figure and was already over 1.7 meters tall. This girl named Mimi was one of the few girls in class who did not need to rely on someone else. Her ranking was even higher than Qianyes at a stable rank six. I was just lucky. Qianye casually tossed the cartridge aside. Picking it up, Mimi carefully inspected it before speaking to Qianye, Im rather interested in you. With you in a team, the team would not have to worry about broken firearms in battle or insufficient bullets. Im not that much better in maintenance than you. He remembered that Mimis scores regarding firearms were not too low from his. There can never be too much of such abilities! I can tell youre not interested in that Fang Minghui, so why not become partners with me? Mimi straightforwardly invited him. Qianye furrowed his brows. Partners? In that aspect? No, in battle. Mimi suddenly moved closer to Qianye as she whispered, You seem to be disinterested in women, and I am conveniently disinterested in men. Our battle styles compliment each other, and our partnership will be very compatible. In the future, we can join battles as a team! Qianye was rather moved at this suggestion, and nodded as he said, Let me think about it. In the next few months, Qianye and Mimi grew closer together, the time they spent with each other gradually increasing. On the other hand, Fang Minghui was rudely chased away by Mimi. Song Zining did not have any opinion on this. Rather, he only wanted Qianye to have a female partner. Whoever it was was not important. And Mimi was obviously stronger than Fang Minghui. In this period of time, Mimi and Qianye battled regularly against each other in combat class. Mimis fighting style was like an experts, her defense smooth and steady while her attacks were unpredictable. Her combat capabilities were stronger than Qianyes. Song Zining had privately mentioned that Mimi seemed to have had already set her foundation for fighting before entering the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Qianye naturally did not use a berserkers style of fighting against her, so as a result, he lost more matches. But battling with Mimi in this way for so long allowed his combat skills to rapidly increase. Just like that, toward the middle of the year, the children welcomed their first survival exam that was truly significant. The students of all ten classes were thrown into a vast, primitive mountainous region along with hundreds of various dark race warriors. The students needed to think of a way to survive in this vast and complicated mountain area for ten days, and within that time, their enemies not only included the various dark races but also the other students, which they had to be on guard against. It was because in this exam, killing students and any dark race warrior yielded the same amount of points. The exam itself was extremely simple. One would instantly pass by killing one dark race warrior or student, and furthermore, the top ten killers would receive additional bonus rewards. If one didnt have the ability to kill, they would have to hide well. When there were only six hundred students left or when ten days had passed, the exam would end. Each student was allocated a single normal dagger, the only weapon they were allowed in this exam. When dusk came, a whistle as sharp as an owls cry was heard, signaling the start of the examination. Qianye entered the forest quickly and hid himself, only coming out when night fell to carefully move forward. Hiding himself in the dark, Qianye moved very patiently while he observed his surroundings. His actions were extremely slow and he did not create a single sound. The knowledge he obtained from his field survival class were being put to good use. Qianye meticulously moved in a stealthy manner, occasionally changing his movements according to the terrain. After passing a large tree, Qianye suddenly stopped in its shadow. About ten meters away, two students suddenly appeared and started fighting intensely the moment they met. In just a few minutes, the result was determined. In the blink of an eye, one of the youths collapsed and died after receiving consecutive stabs! Despite winning, the youth still did not seem as though he had completely vented his anger. Only after stabbing the corpse on the ground several more times did he pull off the special whistle from the waist of the corpse. He proceeded to curse loudly after inspecting the marks on it. The surviving youth had a few blade wounds on his body as well. After taking care of his wounds in a simple manner and stopping the bleeding, he took out his whistle and prepared to blow it. This whistle was specially made such that upon blowing it with origin power, the sound it produced would be able travel several kilometers. After hearing the sound, the instructors patrolling the examination grounds would rush over instantly and verify the results of the battle. Then, they would take the one who passed the exam out of the examination grounds. The whistle was already placed in his mouth, but he no longer had any energy to blow it. At his throat, the tip of a dagger suddenly appeared. The youth turned around in shock, but was no longer able to speak. He could only point at Mimi who appeared from deep within the forest as he slowly fell. Walking over to the youths corpse, Mimi pulled out her dagger and searched the two corpses, taking their daggers and whistles. These whistles were all specially made and labelled with the identification number of the participating students. When the exam ended, their rankings would be determined by the number of whistles each person held. For those that lost their whistles, even if they survived, they would be ranked at the bottom. Inserting the daggers in the leather sheaths at her waist, Mimi suddenly sensed something, looked up and stared in Qianyes direction, bellowing, Whos there! Come out! Chapter 15: First Time Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 15: First Time Qianye hadnt expected Mimis senses to be so sharp. Due to the agitation he felt after just watching her kill someone that abruptly, he slightly moved the hand he had on a brush. This created a faint sound, unexpectedly causing him to be noticed. Its me, Qianye. He walked out from his hiding spot. Qianye felt rather lucky to be able to meet Mimi so early in the examination. Meeting a teammate he could trust in a place where enemies were in every direction was extremely beneficial. Seeing that it was Qianye, Mimis face relaxed. So its you! You scared me. How about it? Want to team up? This was what Qianye wanted. He nodded. Alright! Take this. Mimi threw a whistle at Qianye. Accepting it, Qianye said, Youre pretty lucky. Lets go back now! Mimi immediately shook her head. No, we cant. Theres two of us now. We can use this advantage to kill others and split the rewards. We have the chance to enter the top ten. Qianye hesitated, but he eventually agreed. Even as a two-man team, there were still risks. In fact, it wasnt much better than the risk of moving alone. The other students couldve also form teams. Furthermore, true warriors of the dark races were all very strong. They werent forces that immature girls and boys could easily fight. According to the descriptions of the dark races that the instructors provided, even Qianye and Mimi working together might not be able to win against a strong dark race warrior. Looking Mimi up and down, Qianye noticed three whistles hanging from her waist! Not counting her own whistle, this meant that she had actually managed to kill three people within the short amount of time that had passed since the exam started! One of the whistles on her waist swayed with her movements, revealing the number behind it. Qianyes mind trembled. He felt like he had seen this number somewhere before. Mimi suddenly flashed a hand sign to Qianye as he thought, signalling for them to move forward with him in the lead. Crouching down, Qianye slowly moved through the forest. Mimi followed behind him, occasionally glancing behind them, as if she was singlemindedly covering their rear. After walking a few steps forward, lighting suddenly struck through the fog in his mind! He remembered where he had seen this number! That whistle belonged to a powerful youth in their class whose ranking was close to Qianyes. That youth was also close to Mimi, and it was rumored that they even had an intimate relationship. He had also originally hated Qianye at one time because of Mimi. However, since Qianye had Song Zinings open protection along with his own vicious reputation which made him hard to mess with, he didnt dare to voice his anger toward Qianyes relationship with Mimi. In any case, Qianye wasnt interested in Mimis affairs because they didnt actually have a romantic relationship nor planned to have it develop in that way. Yet that youths whistle was currently at Mimis waist! At that instant, Qianye came to a vague understanding, and a chill struck his heart! Without further thinking, Qianye immediately leaped forward with all his might! Behind him, a sound of surprise came from Mimi, followed by an attack flying toward his waist. No matter how fast Qianye was, his waist still went cold, which was then followed by fiery pain! Rolling forward, Qianye hid behind a large tree before standing. He had to dodge Mimis multiple attacks while escaping, but even so, two wounds appeared on his body. After looking down at the wound on his body, he looked back to Mimi and asked coldly, Why? To pass and for the rewards. Gently pulling at her messy hair, Mimi laughed coldly. Why would I willingly get close to a few of you if not to destroy all of your wariness? F*ck, I even had to sleep with a few of those idiots! Thankfully youre not like a man at all, and didnt ask for that from me. However, youre more wary than I expected. Yet youre still injured, huh? In that case, youre doomed! I thought that teaming up would be more beneficial, Qianye said, brows furrowed. Mimi laughed coldly. Beneficial? No matter profitable it is, would splitting the rewards with another person help me enter the top ten? It might make sense if you were Song Zining, but the current you? What are you supposed to be? Without Song Zining, you wouldnt even be standing here like this. Qianye weighed the dagger in his hand as his gaze went ablaze. He spoke, I understand now. Come at me if you want to kill me! Then Im not going to be polite! Like a panther, Mimi pounced and instantly engaged in battle with Qianye. The two of them had fought many times in combat class so Mimi originally felt that she was extremely familiar with Qianyes fighting style. However, in the moment that they exchanged their first blows, she suddenly felt that Qianyes style changed immensely, no longer the smooth counterattacks from before. Instead, it was bold and decisive, filled with extremely sharp attacks! Qianye abandoned defending his body and aimed for a clash where both sides would be injured. Mimi instantly landed three stabs on his body, but Qianye had similarly struck her twice! The both of them were injured in their arms. When they exchanged blows once more, both of them used the Combatant Formulas fierce origin power, but Mimi involuntarily trembled from the pain in the injury on her arm. In that moment, Qianye shouted as the origin power in his body surged, causing an incomparably mighty force to appear from the dagger! Mimis entire body trembled, and her hands went soft. It was an immediate tiebreaker! Qianyes dagger flew, instantly opening a large wound in her shoulder and revealing her tragically white bones. Y-you! Mimi held her wound, both furious and shocked. Qianye also had wounds on his arms that were even deeper than Mimis. However, whether it was his strength or attacks, they were completely unaffected. It was as if his injuries did not exist. Mimi started to doubt that Qianye could feel pain! Contrary to her doubts, Qianye knew what pain was. However, compared to the constant torment of the Combatant Formula when he was cultivating, these bodily wounds were nothing. With her shoulder damaged, Mimi could no longer raise her left arm. She watched as Qianye walked closer step by step. The originally delicate face that she had originally belittled was completely cold and calm. Mimi began to cry and shrieked, No, dont kill me! I dont want to die! Let me go! As if in extreme shock, she cried as she suddenly turned to leave. Her appearance was extremely wretched as she ran with her back completely exposed. It seemed as though she had already broken down before the frightening face of death. Clenching and unclenching his five fingers, Qianye tightly gripped his dagger and circulated his origin power, throwing it with all of his strength! The dagger released the dim misty red radiance of origin power. Amid the sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the air like a shooting star, the handle of the dagger stopped right before the back of Mimis heart! Mimi stopped abruptly and looked back in shock. She hadnt believed that Qianye would kill her, even when she was at deaths doorstep. Although Mimi had seemed to have been in a panic, she had actually been slowly charging her origin power to the limit. At that point, she would have been able to make an explosive escape. She had believed that, with this secret explosive short distance movement skill, no one in the Yellow Springs Training Camp would be able to catch up to her. Yet, at the last moment, Qianyes dagger came. At that moment, a soft sigh appeared deep within Qianyes heart. The sigh was then quickly sealed with ice in its deepest corner. This was his first time killing something with his own hands. Gathering the whistles, he quickly entered the forest. His surroundings were already filled with sounds of movement. Someone had obviously heard the sounds of battle and were coming to take advantage of the situation. The night in the dark forest was long, and Qianye encountered two powerful opponents. After two painful fights, he painstakingly used his berserker method to kill them. This helped him collect nine whistles from them in total, so it was obvious how powerful they were. After killing Mimi and the other two, one after another, Qianye suffered many injuries that he could no longer endure. This forced him to find a spot to hide in among the trees and wait for the next opponent. Although his injuries were severe and his origin power was close to running out, after some thinking, he chose to not use the whistles to leave. The nature of the origin power that Qianye painstakingly cultivated was much more tyrannical than others so he had the energy for one last strike; and this final blow could rival a rank two Fighter! As long as he wasnt seen by his opponent, he would have the ability to end them with one blow. Since he had already endured to this point, Qianye wanted to hold on until the endnot only to increase his score, but to improve himself for the harsher environment of a battlefield. If he failed to see this exam to its end, he would easily die in the future. Qianyes heart slowly calmed down as he stopped moving, trying to save every last bit of his energy. Yet, a while after he hid himself, three sharp whistles echoed throughout the mountain area. This signaled the end of the examination! Qianye was shocked. It was over? Not even a night had passed, and it actually ended? This meant that, in a single night, almost half of the thousand students had died. Looking at the whistles hanging on his waist, which numbered over a dozen, his originally dark feelings changed into numbness. Grabbing one of the whistles, he blew it forcefully, and an instructor immediately appeared before him. Following the instructor, Qianye slowly left the examination grounds. Qianye knew that he had left something on these grounds. In this kind of a world, and in this kind of an environment, things that one expected to last forever would always be slowly changed. On the morning of the second day, the results were announced. Unexpectedly, Qianye saw his name in tenth place! One needed to keep in mind that the participation count was over a thousand! Other than Song Zining, who was ranked seventh, no one else in his class had entered the top ten. Tenth place also meant that Qianye was entitled to obtain the special rewards, and the prizes of the training camp were known to be generous enough to cause envy. Qianye, who was normally calm, could not help but feel anticipation for the prizes the moment he saw his rank. It was unknown when Song Zining had appeared beside Qianye, but he suddenly patted him on the shoulder and laughed. Not bad! Therell probably be a break tonight. Why dont we celebrate together? Qianye was at a loss. How? With women and drinks, of course! Ill introduce two annoying fellows to you as well. Song Zining spoke in an old-fashioned manner, as if he had experienced the money-wasting establishments on the upper continent of the Empire. Qianye could not help but roll his eyes. Song Zining had clearly entered the Yellow Springs Training Camp in the same year that Qianye did. It was just that they hadnt been together during the first few years. The year that they arrived, Qianye was seven and Song Zining was eight. Could he have been so gifted that he was able to enter those places at the age of eight? As expected, they were given their first break in several years that night. Song Zining and Qianye, along with two other youths that rushed over from another class, brought food from the dining hall and alcohol from god knows where to a mountain slope with good scenery. It was there that they lit a campfire and had a picnic. The two other children also had formidable backgrounds, and were similarly ranked in the top ten. Though there were only four of them, they were accompanied by seven or eight girls. The alcohol was surprisingly decent, all of which were considerably aged spirits. Just a small sip sent Qianye into a coughing fit. His face was instantly dyed red as his body swayed. Seeing how weak he was, Song Zining and the two other youths laughed loudly, taking advantage of the situation and convincing him to drink more. Qianye felt that every mouthful was like a clump of fire in his stomach. His consciousness blurred and strange thoughts appeared in his mind. His courage also seemed to suddenly swell up. It was so big that he himself found it hard to believe how large it had become. He would later recall promising a lot of impressive things when he was drinking. It must be known that Qianye was originally an extremely daring child. At this moment, however, it was like he did not have a single fear. For example, he seemed to have promised that whoever who fell unconscious first would have to wear a skirt and dance in front of everyone. Chapter 16: Long Enough to Become Desperate Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 16: Long Enough to Become Desperate Yet where would the skirt come from? Qianye tried his best to solve this problem. He shook his head forcefully, then noticed the girls around them and understood where the skirt would come from. This was how being drunk felt? It felt pretty good! The more he thought, the more he became excited. Song Zining and the two other youths seemed to be speaking about something. They would occasionally turn to ask Qianye a few questions. However, Qianyes consciousness was floating and he could never hear them clearly. Even if he did hear them, he wouldnt have been able to comprehend what they were saying. In spite of that, Qianye still could understand the gist of it. These three incessantly buzzing houseflies were asking him to drink, and drink, and drink! They also said that, since Qianye was drunk, he had to accept his loss, change, and dance. Then he wouldnt have to drink anymore. Song Zining gave Qianye an evil smile as he pulled a girl closer and started to undo her skirt. The girl laughed happily without shying away. She even shook her hips to allow the skirt to fall faster. Except Qianye did not think that he was drunk. I can still drink! Here, cheers! He raised his wine cup as he spoke boldly, pouring its contents down his throat before taking another cup. Since he challenged them, Song Zining and the other two did not want to look weak and also started drinking. Dazed, Qianye looked into the night sky and felt as though the moon had moved very quickly. It had just been in the sky to his left, yet it had rushed over to the right side? The night seemed to be quiet, as it should be. In this quiet night, Qianye couldnt help but yawn. He currently felt like sleeping. He lay down as he had that thought, and his head landed on a lump of softness, making him feel extremely comfortable. In the next moment, sweat poured off of him as he shot back up! This night was not supposed to be quiet! A while ago, there had been a group of people drinking and making noise! Why was it suddenly so silent?! Qianye looked around and was stunned to see a pile of people in which Song Zining, young men, and young women were sleeping soundly. After a long period of confusion, Qianye understood. They were all drunk. At this drinking party, Qianye had beaten three powerful opponents by himself. After releasing all of his sweat, he was now completely sober. Yet being sober this early wasnt a good thing. Upon seeing this messy scene, Qianye felt a headache coming on. He didnt know what to do next. Dragging these ten or so dead pigs back would not be easy. At that moment, a gentle voice came from behind him, This place seems rather lively! Hearing this voice, Qianyes natural instincts caused him to jump up immediately. Standing as straight as a pen, he greeted loudly, Good evening, Instructor! Zhang Jing walked out from the forest, looked at the countless empty bottles of alcohol littered on the ground, then looked at Qianye. She smiled faintly. Did you do this? This isno Qianye did not know how to answer, but at this moment, he felt as though the atmosphere was rather strange. Zhang Jings gaze was particularly bright, and the air seemed to carry the scent of danger. Zhang Jing sized Qianye up multiple times, then sighed as the bright light in her eyes faded. Waving her hand, she said in a somewhat lonely tone, Go back first. Dont worry about things here. Go and report to Instructor Shadow tomorrow morning. He will give you a weeks worth of private lessons as a reward for your results in this exam. Qianye was both shocked and elated. Not only was Shadow a firearm specialist, he was also an expert sniper. Being privately taught for a week was invaluable. Returning to his room, the spirits that filled his belly took effect and he quickly fell asleep. When morning came, Qianye was awakened by a commotion in the field. Not knowing what was going on, he went over to investigate before shockingly finding out that Song Zining and the two other youths were tied to the pillars, three lashes decorating each of their completely naked bodies. The three of them were all fearsome figures who had ranked in the top ten for the midyear exam, They were also rumored to be from powerful families. Not only were they punished together, they were hung like naked pigs for people to watch! For the children from poorer backgrounds, this was not small news. The bare buttocks of these three powerful individuals was not a sight they would normally have a chance to see! The reason why Song Zining and the others looked so miserable was another piece of news that shocked everyone. It was said that Song Zining had a three on one drinking competition with someone and still lost completely. This also happened to be seen by Zhang Jing in passing. This demoness of an instructor felt that these three made her lose face, so not only did she whip them thrice, she wanted them to be publicly humiliated for an entire day. This event was only a small incident in the training camp, but since then, Song Zining no longer agreed to drink with Qianye. He would always stay a good distance away from him if alcohol was ever mentioned. This was a matter of regret for Qianye. He truly enjoyed the tipsy sensations he experienced that night, but without Song Zining, the penniless Qianye could not afford to drink even the cheapest kind of alcohol. In the blink of an eye, three months passed. Song Zining managed to ignite his second origin node and directly went to take the graduation exam. After successfully passing the exam, as was expected, he left the Yellow Springs Training Camp. At that point, Qianye was still struggling with his origin tides in the cultivation room. He only learned about it after class, and at the same time, he received a wooden box from Zhang Jing that contained four neat pieces of Vermillion Countenance Blood. Xu Lang had already graduated a year before that. Qianye was still painstakingly assailing the barrier of his Aura Sea node. He was now capable of withstanding the impact of twelve origin power tides, but amongst the children of the training camp, his speed was in the lower middle tier. After rounds of elimination, the remaining children were outstanding in talent and temperament. Most of the children were capable of stimulating more than fifteen origin tides, but as the number of tides increased, the pain proportionately increased as well. Therefore, the number of children who could truly withstand the impact of fifteen cycles of origin tides did not even reach ten. The more origin tides there were, the stronger the impacts would be, allowing more of the origin power in the surroundings to be absorbed. The corresponding harm and pain to the body, however, would also increase exponentially. The Combatant Formula relied on the cultivators willpower and physical strength. Neither could be lacking. In the imperial army, the extent to which one was able to withstand origin tide cycles was used for rankings. Seven or eight normally signified cowards, ten and above were acceptable, and fifteen and above were something to boast about. If one passed twenty, they would be able to act as they pleased in the army. When Song Zining graduated, it was said that he was able to withstand seventeen origin tides. A few people in the class were currently able to withstand fifteen origin tides. They were also extremely close to igniting their second origin node. In the top ten ranking for combined results, Qianye was the weakest in origin tide endurance. However, no one knew how painful the origin tides were for Qianye. The pain his twelfth origin tide brought him was comparable to the nineteenth cycle for normal cultivators! After half a year, nine children graduated. Qianye cultivated extremely slowly. He had barely managed to endure his fifteenth origin tide up to now, but he was still far from igniting his second node. New students were added to the classes, and more than half the children were younger than Qianye. Qianye had been the youngest when he first entered the training camp, and now he was one of the older ones. The additional students were all capable of withstanding the fifteenth origin tide. They started from the same place as Qianye, but the speed of their improvement left him in the dust. This was because Qianye needed three times more origin power than normal to achieve the same goal. As he got to further stages, his cultivating speed became slower. Qianye noticed that, not only did he have to withstand even more excruciating pain because of his old injury, his Aura Sea nodes barrier was much sturdier than that of a regular cultivator. With three times the origin power, if the impact of the fifteenth origin tide occurred in another persons body, one attack would be enough to nearly topple the node barrier. Yet in Qianyes body, the turbulent origin tides seemed to be striking a mountain. The barrier did not even move! In this situation, even Zhang Jing did not know what to do. The only thing she could do was have Qianye slowly accumulate his origin power and let nature take its course, allowing the node to ignite naturally. Just like that, when Qianye could finally endure the impact of the seventeenth origin tide, his node barrier finally showed signs of loosening. At that point, Qianye was already fifteen years old, becoming one of the oldest in his class. This was the highest ranked class. The students that entered were all rank one Fighters that were able to withstand the impact of the fifteenth origin tide. They usually took only a few months to ignite their node, and a bit more time to stabilize it, before taking part in the graduation exam. The graduation exam of the Yellow Springs Training Camp only had one taskhunt a Crystal Lizard in the great valley of the rear mountains. As long as these lizards, which were over ten meters long, were mature, they would have the strength of a rank two Fighter. Despite the fact that every surviving student of the Yellow Springs Training Camp was a one-in-a-hundred kind of talent and had survived the cruelest training, killing a Crystal Lizard with a single dagger was still incredibly difficult. It was said that the death rate of students would always rise to fifteen percent whenever they conducted a graduation exam. It was said that every person who qualified for the graduation exams was strong enough to be a company commander in the imperial army. This fact showed how shocking a death rate of fifteen percent was. However, even though Qianye had the battle capabilities, he currently couldnt ignite his second node and therefore did not qualify to participate in the graduation exam. Rules were rules in the Yellow Springs Training Camp, and they wouldnt change for anyone or anything. In this period of time, Qianye did benefit. He had earned full marks in every lesson other than the ones regarding origin power cultivation. Yet origin power was the core of everything. Without origin power, scores were nothing. In the blink of an eye, Qianye would soon be sixteen. On the night before his birthday, Qianye did not go to sleep. Instead, he left the barracks alone and went to a quiet place to sit under the moonlight. Already sixteen, Qianye thought silently. Then he remembered the life changing encounter in the junkyard. Qianye didnt actually know his real birthday. Even his age was something that Gu Tuohai had used a secret art to estimate. Therefore, Lin Xitang had used the day that he collected Qianye from the junkyard as Qianyes birthday. Even now, Qianye still deeply remembered the warmth of that big, firm hand. His world originally had only darkness and cold. It was that very hand that brought the first ray of light into his life. At that moment, Qianye was like a young bird that had just escaped from its shell. He secretly saw Lin Xitang as his father, but he had never told anyone that. Sitting silently, Qianye gathered his thoughts and started cultivating. On this special night, he was willing to do anything to try and withstand the eighteenth origin tide. If he succeeded, he would soon ignite his node, but if he failed, it would be impossible for Qianye to recover from the devastation of the recoil. He might even die from his body exploding right then and there. Qianye had been stuck at his second origin node for too longso long that he had become desperate. Chapter 17: Graduation Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 17: Graduation The imperial army had an unwritten rule. Those who became a rank two Fighter before the age of eighteen could join the special forces, but only those who became a rank two Fighter before seventeen would be accepted by the absolute best of the special units, not to mention that this was just the minimum threshold. There were many more criteria to be met before they would be chosen by the most elite imperial forces. Qianye was already sixteen. Igniting his nodes, stabilizing his powers, and preparing for the graduation exam all needed time. If he became a rank two Fighter only when he was about to turn seventeen, then it would probably be incredibly difficult for Qianye to obtain eligibility for the special corps. The graduates of the Yellow Springs Training Camp would almost always serve with the imperial army for several years before planning their own futures. From the moment he entered the training camp, Qianye had already made up his mind to not only walk out of this place alive, but also enter at least a first class special forces group if not the best. Qianye felt that this was the only way he would not humiliate the surname that was soon to be hisLin. Qianye did not lack talent, but his chronic wound had nearly destroyed everything he had! In this world of war and turmoil, no one cared for the process and instead focused solely on the results. Qianye was already sixteen, yet he still had not managed to break through to rank two. This was his result, and tonight, he would change it! Under the moonlight, Qianyes origin power began to flow and rippled into waves which struggled towards his scars, attacking the node barriers. Tide after tide of origin power formed continuously, and waves after waves of inhuman pain rushed over him just the same. But Qianye had already cleared his mind as he waited quietly for the results. The seventeenth tide of origin power surged by, and the eighteenth tide of origin power had finally arrived! Qianyes face was deathly pale, and rivulets of sweat ran down his body like raindrops. His body shuddered non-stop under the extreme pain and powerfully rebounding origin power. Each and every wave of origin power caused Qianye to feel as if he had died and reborn! The first to ninth wave took only the blink of an eye, and when the ninth wave slammed into the node barrierwith a crisp, cracking sound, the originally indestructible barrier finally fractured under the incredibly powerful impacts of origin power. The barriers days were numbered! The waves gradually subsided as his origin power returned to tranquility. When Qianye finally relaxed, his vision instantly turned black as he fainted. When Qianye woke up again, two days had passed. He opened his eyes and saw the familiar surroundings of the classroom. He was laying on an ice-cold metal platform. Apparently Shen Tu had saved his life once more. Insane! Absolutely insane! This old man who had never given life credit actually scolded Qianye. Shen Tus medical skills were truly impressive. Qianye had forcefully endured eighteen tides of origin power, causing damage all throughout his internal organs. But he still managed to treat his injuries without leaving behind any latent damage whatsoever. No matter how badly Shen Tu scolded him, the only thing Qianye felt for him right now was gratitude. With eighteen tides of origin power as his foundation, Qianye finally managed to ignite his node a month later and became a rank two Fighter. After becoming a rank two Fighter, most people would awaken an ability related to origin power. Some lucky fellows would even be able to choose between several abilities. Qianye, whose talents were amazing in the first place was given such a choice. He could choose Heavy Caliber, Origin Leap or Double Shot as his ability. Qianye didnt waste time thinking, and chose Heavy Caliber straight away. Heavy Caliber was a very common ability, and was applied specifically on origin firearms. When activated, he would be able to dish out a much more powerful shot than usual. The increase in power was around fifty percent. After Qianye ignited his second origin node, he discovered that the origin power it generated was unusually monstrous and incredibly difficult to control. In this situation, Heavy Caliberan ability that emphasized only powerwas most suited for him. After yet another two months of meticulous preparation, Qianye applied for the training camps graduation exam. He walked towards the great valley, equipped with the most basic combat dagger and a strange rifle. This was an origin rifle. It might be of the simplest and most basic model, but it was still an origin rifle! The training camp would issue every student a single dagger for the graduation exam. They were not allowed to bring any other equipment with them. However, equipment handmade by the students themselves was an exception. Qianyes perfect scores during the knowledge classes had finally proved their worth. He had actually managed to hand-make an origin rifle from the most basic materials, even if it was the simplest and most basic origin rifle which could compress and hold only one origin bullet. And so, Qianye became the first student to carry an origin rifle to the graduation exam in thirty years. Crystal Lizards were tough enemies, but that was only for students wielding a simple dagger. Hundreds of meters away, Qianye filled the origin rifle with energy, aimed, activated Heavy Caliber and fired. A blazing red light shot out of the muzzle and blew off a small portion of the Crystal Lizards head! It really was this easy. There was no rule that said that they could not use an origin firearm as long as they were able to build it. Moreover, Qianyes shot was incredibly powerful. With the enhancement from Heavy Caliber, it was already equivalent to a strike from a rank three Fighter. On the third month after his sixteenth birthday, Qianye graduated from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. The news of Qianyes graduation spread quickly. A few days later, Shi Yan drove a heavy truck to the valley entrance. In a flash, Qianye had spent a total of nine years in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Qianye was already 1.85 meters tall and not much shorter compared to people who were overly stalwart like Shi Yan. He was not as muscular and defined as Shi Yan, but he definitely did not give off an impression of weakness either. His figure was slender and his proportions were balanced. Every line on his body was filled with tension. Shi Yan looked just like usual. It was just that his eyebrows and corners had added a few wrinkles, causing people to abruptly realize the mercilessness of time. When he saw Qianye, Shi Yans wooden face abruptly added a few colors. He lifted his hand as if to pat his head out of habit, before switching to a heavy punch at Qianyes chest. He praised, Good boy! You finally came out alive! Come, let me have a good look at you! Qianyes facial features were clean and pure. He was still incredibly handsome, but the fact that he took a blow from Shi Yan and did not shake even a little caused him to feel even happier. He forced the blunt lines on his stone-carved face into a smile. Shi Yan greeted Qianye once and jumped straight into the trucks driver seat. This soldier who rarely smiled more than a couple of times per year had a soft spot for this kind of rough heavy-styled truck. Immediately after Qianye got in, Shi Yan started driving. In the drivers seat, Shi Yan said, Marshal Lin was extremely happy to hear that youve graduated. He asked me to come receive you immediately. Unfortunately, he was assigned to the Western Frontier recently and cannot leave his post. Im afraid you wont be able to see him in a short while. Did something happen at the Western Frontier? Qianye asked. Two provinces rebelled, demanding independence. Its nothing big, just slightly troublesome to deal with. Those rebels are incredibly cunning. They often hide inside the homes of civilians to conceal their identities. Rebels? This was the first time Qianye heard this term. Shi Yan said disgustedly, Theyre just a bunch of ignorant idiots! The Empire has been using everything it has against the dark races, and not only do they refuse to contribute to the frontlines, they even cause non-stop trouble behind our backs. They want to overturn the Empires rule? Heh, since it was founded, the Empire has been standing for twelve hundred years. Now it spans over three hundred provinces and four continents. How could it possibly be overturned by these fools? Qianye listened to him quietly. If two provinces alone were enough to drag Lin Xitang down to the Western Frontier, then naturally the rebels werent as helpless as Shi Yan had described. Shi Yan drove quietly for a while before speaking again in a slightly heavier tone. The rebels are a handful. Like I said earlier, they often hide next to ordinary people. Since the people of those provinces are so ignorant, there are plenty of people who are willing to protect them at the cost of their friends and families. Marshal Lin cannot lay a hand on them at the moment, and so those fools think that their scheme has succeeded. Hmph! What a bunch of fools. In truth, they know nothing at all! The reason Marshal Lin has not used scorched earth tactics to sweep them out is because he isnt willing to harm the civilians. Thats why the war has been delayed. At this point, Shi Yan came to a long pause before he let out a heavy sigh. Such days will not last much longer. If there is still no progress in the future, then Marshal Lin will soon be switched out and replaced by a general from another faction. It doesnt matter who that general may be, but when that happens those two provinces will definitely bleed rivers of blood! Qianye suddenly felt heavy. If even someone like Shi Yan would describe it so terribly, then exactly how many people were going to die? Qianye had murdered before in the Yellow Spring Training Camp. He had walked past the line where he would treat life as something of value. But in comparison to these famous imperial generals, well, there was no comparison to be made at all. Even if he became a top class killer in the future, even if he totaled up all the people and beings of the dark races he killed in his entire life, it might not match up to these generals single, weightless command. The heavy truck drove swiftly. Qianye! Shi Yan suddenly said. Hmm? Tomorrow is the day the imperial army begins its recruitment. I will take you there to participate in the assessment. Perform well. Two each of all five elite imperial corps will be present there as examiners. If you perform well, then there may be a chance for you to join them! Ill do my best! Suddenly, Shi Yan sighed and said, I hope you can join the elite corps and become a famous imperial general in the future! Marshal Lin has too many enemies within the army. When he heard this, Qianyes heart abruptly sank. Shi Yan took out an item from his chest and passed it to Qianye. He said, This is Marshal Lins gift to you. When Qianye accepted it and took a look, he discovered that it was a special letter folded in the shape of a square. There were dark patterns on the surface of the paper, and when the letter was unfolded the three words Lin Qianye was written powerfully inside it. However, the corners of the paper was a little torn, the creases appeared to have some years behind them, and the ink was a little faint. Marshal Lin wrote this nine years ago. Shi Yan seemed to know what Qianye was thinking about. Nine years ago? Qianye said in disbelief. Wasnt that when he first entered the Yellow Springs Training Camp? When Marshal Lin asked me to send you to the Yellow Springs, he had said that you would definitely return alive. Shi Yan smiled and answered. The heavy truck continued to zoom on the road before arriving at an airship base by midnight. Coincidentally, there was a transport airship that had just entered the port, so Shi Yan drove them and the car together into the airship. After the airship had done a simple resupply, it began turning back during the latter half of the night. Their destination, was Xiangyang. This was the largest military industrial city on the Qin Continent, and ranked at number three out of every city within the borders of the Empire. Chapter 18: First Match Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 18: First Match The airship began to noticeably descend in altitude. It would soon arrive at its destination. A ray of morning sunlight traveled through the window and shined onto Qianyes face. He had actually woken up a long time ago. Nimbly jumping out of the pilots cabin, he walked to the ships window and looked out. In his eyes were the sloped ground and the city of steel that submerged the horizon, seeming as though it would flip upside down at any time. A tall tower, positioned in the heart of the city, was the most eye-catching feature of the view. The entire structure was colored a dazzling silvery-white, as though it were the summit of a tall mountain. A cloud of white colored steam spewed from the towers peak. The foundation of the tall tower was incomparably massive, covering three or four city blocks. That was the first time Qianye saw the heart of all human cities, the Perpetual Dynamo Tower. The cheapest black stones, the most inexpensive steel, but what they constructed was the miracle-like Perpetual Dynamo Tower that operated non-stop around the clock, supplying energy for the entire city to run on. The freight ship flew slowly across the citys south-west side, as the number of vessels in the airspace ahead slowly increased. Their styles varied greatly, and there was actually several lightweight boat styled ships, with exquisite and complicated relief sculpture on their bows. As expected, there were too many airships applying for port entry, and they were forced to wait in line. The freight ship started hovering in the sky. From the pilots foul language and grumbles, Qianye learned that other than public transportation vessels and freight ships, many private airships had come today. Each and every family insignia on the many ships was a symbol of monstrous authority and wealth. Xiangyang was one of the usual recruitment grounds for the Empires Ministry of Military Affairs. Every year, thousands upon thousands of youths would flood in from all directions. The attendance this year was unusually great, and there was no lack of upper class youths either. This was because two colossi had appeared on the list of recruiters: Broken Winged Angel and Red Scorpion. The great Qin Empire emphasized military merits. Even for young kinsman of grand households and influential clans, gaining achievements in the military was still a shortcut to success. To be able to enter the special corps was almost equal to having ones fame skyrocket. Broken Winged Angel and Red Scorpion had always ranked within the top five among the hundreds of special units in the Empire. It was precisely their recruitment which spurred many grand households and clans into action, unsparingly sending their most outstanding youths here from distant lands to participate in the evaluations. Because the airship Qianye rode on belonged to the military, it obtained a port entrance that was relatively far ahead. Only after he descended, did he feel the grand occasion of the recruitment day. The airship base ought to be only one of the many traffic nodes, yet it was unexpectedly filled with streams of people of various colors in the early morning. Most were youths around twenty or so years old, each and every one of them brimming with confidence, vitality and hope. Outside the base, various types of ground transportation were already lined up like a long dragon. Shi Yan started up the heavy truck, and whizzed out of the military thoroughfare. Even among the numerous vehicles, it stood out, larger than the rest. Xiangyang was the third highest ranking military industrial city in the entire Empire. Not only was half of the city under military control, military dedicated thoroughfares were set up in both the ground roads and airways. Qianye stared out the window on the entire ride there, his eyes bedazzled. The route they traveled was through the Military Affairs Zone. Compared to the Yellow Springs Training Camp that cared only about practicality and not aesthetics, the buildings on both sides of the roads had more of a decorative feeling, yet still retained an air of dignity. The recruitment camp was at the end of the road. The registration line was so long that it had already gone past the arched gate, and one could see it from a long ways away. Within the clamorous crowd, Shi Yan spoke to the registrar officer in a loud voice, I request to directly enter the reexamination area! He flashed his ID, took Qianye straight into the camp, handled the registration process for him, and then passed an engraved bronze identification plate to Qianye. The words Lin Qianye were stamped onto the plate by machines. Looking at the character Lin on the plate, Qianye had an indescribable feeling in his heart. For the first time since birth, he felt that he had a place he belonged. Not only was the character Lin engraved on the plate, it was also engraved in his heart. Next, Qianye was brought to the inner camp by a military personnel. The inner camp was the examination area, where even Shi Yan could not enter. Only after walking into the inner camp, did Qianye discover that it was much bigger than it appeared from the outside. Several thousand youths who had already passed the first selection of basic constitution were arranged into various barracks. Tomorrow was when the official test would begin. Today, they would rest in order to perform at their best. Many youths came by car or even public transportation vessels. These public transportation tools were all driven by the power of black stones and steam; noise and unsteadiness were their shared characteristics. Such a journey like this was extremely hard on their stamina, and naturally would affect their performance on the exam. Regarding examinations of the military, the Empire had always been very fair and almost never gave special treatment to children of aristocratic families. This was also the foundation that the Empire was built on. Otherwise, if a useless young master took troops to the field, that would be a disaster. The dark races killed regardless of ones identity and status. There were a total of three subjects in the recruitment exam. They were origin power, combat skills, and firearm handling. After the examinees finished dinner, they were chased back to the dorms to sleep. Qianye was already accustomed to following orders, so he went on his bed fell into a deep slumber soon after the lights went out. However, some of the other examinees in the dorm were excited while others were nervous, none of them being able to sleep at all. Two youths who came from the same faraway city simply began chatting quietly. Unaware of how much time had passed, Qianye who was already soundly asleep suddenly felt his heart jump and instantly opened his eyes. There were no movements on the surface of his body, but all his muscles were already taut, with him ready to burst out and kill at any time. His eyelids also only opened a crack, discreetly observing his surroundings. Right at this moment, Qianye was shocked to discover that at some point, a middle-aged mans face had appeared at the rooms small window and was looking expressionlessly at the sleeping youths. But other than Qianye, no one actually took notice of this middle-aged man! One of the examinees had clearly looked past the window, but it was as though he saw nothing at all. That middle-aged man suddenly looked toward Qianye for a bit, then turned around and left. Only until he vanished did Qianye finally recover from the shock. But this time, he couldnt fall back asleep no matter what. Moments later, a nondescript middle-aged man left the dorm building and walked into another. After he went through all the dorms, most of the names on the thick list of names in his hands had an X marked on the side, while only a minority had numbers marked varying from one to nine. However, an asterisk was marked beside Qianyes name. In that thick stack of lists, only fourteen names had an asterisk marked on the side. Qianye did not know that he had unwittingly passed the first trial. In the morning of the second day, an ear-piercing alarm woke the examinees from their dreams. Qianye rushed out of the barracks along with the stream of people, and stood in formation on the drilling grounds. Here, the examinees were split into three groups, and respectively underwent different exams. Qianyes group would participate first in the shooting exam of origin firearms. The origin guns given to examinees were all specially made for the exam; their power was greatly lowered, and their origin power consumption was also lessened, so that even a rank one Fighter could shoot six or seven shots consecutively. This was the only way that they could complete all the exam subjects. If standard origin firearms were used, the most basic rank one firearms would make it difficult for even Qianyes rich origin power to finish all the shooting subjects. After inspecting the origin gun, Qianye and the nine other examinees stood before the shooting line together. Ten fixed targets rose up from a hundred meters away, all of them in the figure of man-faced arachnes. While familiarizing themselves with the weapon and awaiting the order to shoot, a young man to Qianyes left looked at him, suddenly grabbed his own trousers crotch, whistled and said, Kid, ever played with a gun before? Together with the passes he was making with his eyes, this was an extremely vulgar double entendre. Qianye looked at him, and said with indifference, Never played, but Ive crushed a few to bursting before. Want to try? That young man instantly belly laughed in an exaggerated manner, Oh man, I am so scared! Kid, do you know who I am, to dare speak to me like this? No matter who you are, not a single point will be added to your score, yeah? Qianye answered with a question, unperturbed. That young man instantly flushed red and spoke angrily, Pretty arrogant, kid! But dont make irresponsible remarks, the Empires aristocrat families arent that shameless yet, to the point of meddling in this kind of examination! Since your daddy here thinks youre an eyesore, of course I will beat you with perfection and skill! Beat me? You have no chance. Qianye was still indifferent to the point that it could drive one crazy from anger. That young mans expression instantly sunk, How about a bet then? Qianye lifted his brows, Bet on what? Im not interested if its too trivial! The young man ripped the necklace around his neck off, and dangled it in front of Qianye. The necklace was silver, with a thumb sized square plate at the end. An eagles head was engraved on it. The young man said, Well bet this on the results of this exam! If I lose, this things yours! Qianye reached out his hand, curiously twirled that small plate in his hands and asked, How do you use this thing? Seeing his manner of expression, he had clearly considered the necklace to be something already in his pocket. That young man was right away ticked off quite a bit, as he sneered, You really think that youre going to win? Qianye earnestly nodded, Naturally, Then he added on, How do you use this thing? The young man was so pissed that the gums of his teeth itched, and spoke in anger, This is my keepsake! With this thing, you can make one request to my family. As long as its within my authority, you can ask for anything you want! At this time, other examinees also noticed their dispute and looked over one by one. They all noticed the eagle head on the square plate, and instantly their faces changed color. Clearly, they had recognized that insignia. Its actually someone from the Wei family! Hearing the murmurs of the surrounding people, the young man instantly pulled himself together, perking up his chin flippantly like a little rooster. But Qianye didnt react like he expected, and only let out an oh. Instead, now there was suspicion in his gaze as he sized up the young man. The hidden meaning was too explicit: Just looking at that birdbrained manner of yours, how big can that so-called authority be? That young man was once again maddened as he shouted loudly, Bet or not? Qianye finally nodded, Ill bet. The young man also said no more. Instead, he picked up his origin gun and silently waited for the exam to begin. The examination began. After a whistle, all ten of the examinees raised up their origin gun and began to aim earnestly. The accuracy of the majority of these origin guns wasnt that great. Hitting a target over one hundred meters away was easy, but hitting the bullseye would be hard. The bullseye region was one hundred points, but it was only the size of a fingernail. If the shot landed outside of the bullseye it would at most receive eighty points. The various kinds of targets were all scored like this. Not long after, the sound of gunfire echoed. A stream of thin red light hit the target as the metal target swayed. A small hole was opened near the mid-top of the target that was one person tall in height. This shot was quite powerful, but its accuracy wasnt that great and could only be counted as barely on the target. Twenty points! an examiner reported the score with a loud voice, while another examiner recorded the score. The sound of gunshots rang in order. All eight people had hit the target, but even the highest was merely 50 points. In the blink of the eye, the only ones who hadnt shot was only Qianye and that young man. The young man had aimed for a long time, while Qianye had kept on staring at him from the side. Under Qianyes gaze, the young man couldnt help but feel somewhat restless. The moment he pulled the trigger, he instantly cursed loudly in his heart! Chapter 19: Secret Art: Thousand Mountains Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 19: Secret Art: Thousand Mountains The young mans shot also went through the target, leaving a hole about the size of an egg. The shot was a little far from the bullseye, somewhat worse than his usual performance, but the training gun he normally used had a sight equipped. Seventy points! the examiner reported the score on the target as usual. The young man was a little disappointed, but still felt some pride soon after. After all, this was the best score so far. Its your turn! he said viciously while staring at Qianye. Qianye smiled faintly. He raised the origin gun, charged it, and aimed at the same time, effortlessly firing the shot. The red origin bullet shot toward the target, yet the point of impact was obviously kind of off. It looked like it would be worth around fifty points at most. The young mans expression became full of joy, but smile on his face froze immediately afterward. With a boom, the red origin bullet exploded on the target, actually shattering more than half of it! The bullseye naturally wasnt spared. One hundred points! Hearing the voice of the examiner report the score, the young man was instantly awestruck. He couldnt help but ask, That works too? Of course that worked. Moving targets were up next. Qianye still shot casually, and even through the origin bullet was somewhat off the mark, it still shattered the entire target. Qianye still ended up with a full points for that round. In the following exams for close range and long range shooting, as well as action shooting and speed shooting, Qianye shattered the targets with every single shot. He naturally received full points each time. The young man had long ago become unable to smile. He already discovered that Qianyes ability to get a full score definitely wasnt a fluke. Everything else aside, even if he used the same amount of strength as when he sucked on his mothers breasts, he was only able create a slightly larger hole than other people with the crappy gun provided for the exam. In the meantime, Qianye was able to blow up the targets with the exact same gun. The difference between them was a matter of origin power! After the exam was over, the young man candidly placed the necklace into Qianyes hands. I am Wei Potian! My Wei family is somewhat famous in the Far East Province. If you later have time to go there, you can make a request to my Wei family. Qianye gagged a little when he heard this courageous, domineering name. If he hadnt forgotten everything he learned back in the literacy class with Zhang Jing, then the young mans identification plate clearly had Wei Qiyang written on it. The young man saw Qianyes expression and immediately patted his chest in a bold manner, loudly saying, Potian is a name I gave myself. How is it? Not bad, right? Have you been dazzled by my overbearing style? In the future, I, Wei Potian, will become a man capable of shattering the heavens with one punch! Qianye accepted the necklace. His impression toward Wei Potian changed slightly. Even though his behavior was little brutish and nothing like an aristocratic heir, at least he was a man who kept his word. His name was also kind of dumb, but other than that, there werent too many shortcomings. On the way to the next examination ground, Qianye finally asked Wei Potian a question he had been holding back for a while, Why did you cause trouble for me now? Did you do that because of my status? Wei Potian immediately scoffed at that statement. Status? Commoner? Hah! I aint one of those dumbasses who thinks they were born noble. After all, commoners who can set foot in this place are all talented people. The only reason why I caused trouble for you was your face! Qianye touched his face, and as if coming to some sort of realization, said, My face? Oh, I understand now. I look similar to an enemy of yours, right? Wei Potian immediately shook his head. Of course not! I just hate pretty boys! Looking at that face of yours gives me the urge to smash a fist onto it! How can you be even prettier than my woman! Hearing this, Qianye felt his hands itch. He also felt the urge to smash his fist onto somethinglike the nose of a certain man who wanted to shatter the heavens. Wei Potian suddenly smirked and said in a low voice, Why dont we have another bet? Itll be on the results of the next examination. How about it? The stakes are the same as beforeif you lose, youll return the necklace to me! Qianye looked at him and said, You seem to only have one necklace. Wei Potian raised his wrist. I still have this! There was a chain bracelet on his wrist. Its material was exactly the same as the necklaces, and an engraved plate also hung from it. Qianyes brow furrowed slightly. Why do I feel like this thing isnt actually that useful. Just look at the birdbr-er, I mean, just look at you. Do you really have any authority in your family? Qianye almost said birdbrain, but having let that much of it slip, Wei Potian obviously knew what he was originally going to say. Due to Qianyes blatant skepticism, Wei Potians expression had long since turned ashen.. He angrily said, During the next round of the exam, I will take back the necklace no matter what, so you dont need to worry about what kind of authority I have! The next exam was for melee combat. The rules of combat were very simple. They were one on one duels. One could challenge anyone they wanted, but were unable to refuse challenges from others. No matter how many times one lost, the exam would be considered over as long as a total of five matches were won. The exam rankings would then be decided by win rate. The enormous drill ground was divided into over a hundred arenas. Inside every arena was a captain who served as judge. Wei Potian stood in front of Qianye the moment he walked into the arena, cracking his knuckles and laughing with malicious intentions. Hey, Lin! Its not too late for you to surrender now so you dont get miserably beaten later! Wei Potian had returned to his conceited way of speaking. A faint smile emerged on Qianyes face. But its too late for you to surrender. Wei Potians expression instantly darkened as he sneered, Then I can only beat you to the point that your head will be swollen like a pigs! You better not cry and accuse me of bullying you with my familys status when that happens! Wei Potian spread his feet. His arms moved slowly, as if he were carrying a large ball. The aura around him suddenly changed, origin power surging as it became incomparably heavy and grim. It was as though a mountain range had risen before Qianye! Let me show you what a secret combat art truly is! Wei Clan Secret Art: Thousand Mountains! From Wei Potians voice, all the way down to his aura, everything about him had completely changed. The air surrounding him was boundless, heavy, and calm, as if he had suddenly become another person. Qianye immediately felt an invisible pressure assault his face. Surprisingly enough, things like secret combat arts really existed! When he was in the Yellow Springs Training Camp, Long Hai mentioned that some grand aristocratic households and sects had secret combat arts that used origin power as their foundation. They were usually profound, hard to fathom, and mighty. However, the Yellow Springs Training Camp had never taught any melee combat arts with formal systems. Long Hai only taught and explained the basic principles of melee combat, the vitals of a live body, and the most efficient method of reducing the injuries that one sustained while increasing the enemys. This was the first time that Qianye had faced an actual melee combat art! He was kind of nervous, but was even more excited! It was an excitement that thirsted for fierce battles! Wei Potian gestured toward Qianye with a beckoning finger. Come! Your daddy will let you strike first! If I strike, you wouldnt get the chance! The Yellow Springs Training Camp had taught Qianye many things, but it hadnt taught him courtesy and etiquette. Without hesitation, before Wei Potians speech even finished, he suddenly took a step forward and threw a ferocious roundhouse kick at Wei Potian! This kick was as fast as lightning, and a faint crackling sound actually echoed through the air! The moment that Qianye raised his leg, Wei Potian made a sound in surprise, the color of his face immediately changing! His reaction speed was also top-notch, and he instantly changed his hand form and lowered his waist, bringing his arms downward to block Qianyes roundhouse kick! With a muffled bang, Qianyes roundhouse kick actually forced Wei Potian several meters away! The air was still echoing with crackling sounds as though beans were being stir-fried. That was the result of the clash between their origin power. Qianye let out a hum of approval. His opponent was quick to react, and their defense was also very impeccable and refined. However, the power that Qianye felt after the clash was extremely lowfar from what he had expected. This kick was originally just him feeling Wei Potian out and merely used eighty percent of his strength, yet it had actually knocked Wei Potian away! One needed to understand that more than half of the students at the Yellow Springs Training Camp could take this roundhouse kick with no trouble at all. Seeing that Wei Potians surprise didnt seem fake, Qianye moved without thinking. His right leg flew up like lighting, and another roundhouse kick whipped toward Wei Potian. This time, Qianye used his full strength! Hearing the faint crackling sound caused by origin power, Wei Potians expression changed greatly as he let out a yelp. A dim layer of yellow earthy light appeared around his entire body. His arms protecting his body, he smashed his body into Qianyes roundhouse kick, attacking to defend. At that moment, he had no other choice. If he didnt try to fight it with an offensive momentum, he would definitely be kicked away once more, directly forcing him out of the arena. Another muffled bang resembling dense thunder rang out. Wei Potian actually didnt move backward! This wasnt a good thing, however, because he had no way to back off and dispel Qianyes extremely heavy roundhouse kick. Barely suppressing a mouthful of blood churning in his chest, Wie Potian felt shocked and unlucky. The power of this roundhouse kick was already at the level of a rank three Fighters! If Qianye had reached rank three before reaching seventeen years old, what was the point of taking the exam here? He should have been directly recruited by the few top-rated corps. Just as Wei Potian completed that single complaint in his mind, Qianye had already pounced over. Punches, kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes rained down on him like a storm. Every single attack struck at the various vital points, and was extremely heavy! Wei Potian was like a small raft in a storm. Barely enduring seven or eight strikes, his defense was completely demolished by Qianye. The defensive posture of his arms was broken and his torso was fully exposed. With one hand, Qianye pushed Wei Potians arms aside, and lightly struck his abdomen. This strike was certainly light by Qianyes standards since he had already held back half his power. However, Wei Potians abdomen was unexpectedly soft, and Qianyes entire fist pushed into it. If Qianye had really used his full power, this punch mightve obliterated all of Wei Potians internal organs. Qianye was also extremely surprised. The Aura Sea, where the origin power vortex gathered, was in the abdomen. Qianye knew that the strength of his origin power was far denser and heavier than that of ordinary peoples and held back as a result. He never expected that one punch would be enough. If his punch struck the students of the training camp, it would only affect them slightly at most. Qianye had actually prepared seven to eight kinds of follow-up attacks that could beat Wei Potian to the ground without crippling him, yet they currently seemed unnecessary. Wei Potian, an expert who possessed Wei Clans secret combat art, Thousand Mountains, seemed to have already been done in by a single punch. Qianye suddenly retreated several meters, distancing himself from Wei Potian. Wei Potians face was pale and ashen as his trembling finger pointed at Qianye. With an expression of disbelief, he struggled to say, That works too? Then he knelt to the ground and vomited. ___________ (OverTheRanbow: Potian = lit. shatter the heavens) Chapter 20: Sweeping Through Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 20: Sweeping Through Qianye naturally won that round. The captain acting as the judge declared Qianyes victory, his gaze toward Qianye containing slight admiration. Wei Potian had nearly collapsed after he finished vomiting and was carried down by his companions. Not long after, Qianye encountered a new opponent who was a second rank Fighter. The moment he dashed up, Qianye unleashed a flurry of attacks like a storm, beating his opponent and giving him no chance to retaliate. This one seemed even weaker than Wei Potian, and Qianye kicked him out of the ring before even a minute had passed. After that, opponents came up one after another, then went down one after another. Qianye acquired five consecutive victories in the blink of an eye. From the reactions and whispers of the spectating examinees, he could tell that many who came to participate in the exam were considered combat experts. Another that had fought Qianye surprisingly knew a secret combat art as well. However, the moment that this guy went up, Qianye immediately traded three punches with him and thoroughly beat his opponents unstoppable momentum into a turtle defense. In just a minute, this combat expert was knocked out. If the kid hadnt shouted the name of the secret combat art immediately after getting on stage, Qianye wouldnt have thought he also had a secret combat art. Yet from start to finish, Qianye wasnt able to witness how the secret fist art called Flowing Fire Metal Melting Myriad Break looked. After a few rounds, Qianye discovered that these so-called experts were unexpectedly weak to the point of being unable to withstand a single blow. In comparison, Wei Potian could be considered the strongest out of all of them, as Qianye actually had to use some strength to put him down. However, since Wei Potian had been the first in line, Qianye ended up holding back most of his power afterward. Ultimately, no lives were lost. After fighting for five rounds, Qianye felt that he had just warmed up, his desire to fight burning in his chest. He looked at his surroundings awaiting the appearance of the next opponent. However, in response to his waiting, what came was not an opponent, but an angry roar from the judge. Youve already passed! Dont take up space, go stay on the sidelines! Only then did Qianye realize that he had already won five times in a row. This exam felt like childs play to Qianye. Compared to combat training where every strike was solid and possibly fatal, the difference was like heaven and earth. Qianye left the arena. All of the examinees who had seen him fight held intense fear in their eyes. Qianyes strikes seemed ordinary at first, just fast, fierce, and accurate. The combat techniques he occasionally used were only crude moves that any close-quarters combat beginner would know. Qianye was especially talented at taking advantage of mistakes.With even the slightest of openings, he could turn that into a huge advantage and seize victory. However, including the examiners, the expressions of the few experts in the crowd changed. They clearly understood that the combat techniques Qianye used were for killing on the battlefield! These kinds of combat techniques had no tricks or finesse. They only sought to take the opponents life in the simplest and most direct manner. This kind of combat technique was so straightforward, simple, and barbaric that it was toughest to deal with. Who was this person? Where did he come from? Some examiners already had a few answers in mind. One of them was the Yellow Springs Training Camp. There were also several other mysterious places that were not inferior to it. Qianye didnt know this yet, but he had already received a new nickname among the examinees. They called him Maniac. Qianye, a youth that looked delicate to the point of being somewhat frail, would actually fight like a maniac upon stepping into the arena. Qianye was the quickest to finish the combat exam. He needed to wait for the entire batch of examinees to finish before participating in the last exam with them as a group. Qianye walked to the rest area beside the arena and sat down in a random place, slowly sipping from a cup of water. Not long afterward, examinees came to the rest area one by one. They all felt intense fear when they saw Qianye. All of them kept their distance from him despite not having planned it beforehand. After a few more minutes, Wei Potian walked over and sat down beside Qianye. You managed to pass? Qianye looked at him and asked, slightly curious. Wei Potian stared at him with his eyes wide and angrily said, What do you mean by managed to?! Do you not see who I, Wei Potian, am?! Think about the might of my Wei clans secret art, Thousand Mountains. How could it possibly be unable to deal with such a trivial occasion? Thousand Mountains is namely One could tell that these lines had been spoken many times before as a boast, pouring out in an instant, but Wei Potian suddenly stopped speaking. His mouth was agape, his tongue was tied, and his expression froze in an unsightly manner. In the arena, Wei Potian was recently beaten to the point of being unable to retaliate. He had even vomited on the scene. The more that he boasted about the might of Thousand Mountains, the more face he would lose. As his complexion went pale, Wei Potian suddenly remembered the necklace and bracelet that he lost to Qianye. Just one look at this face said that his authority among his family was probably quite high. Staring at Qianye, Wei Potian didnt really know what to say, yet he couldnt swallow that stuffiness in his chest either. He immediately grunted, You arent that amazing! I-if The rest of the sentence was supposed to be, If we fought again, then so-and-so will happen. However, only after half of the sentence came out of his mouth did Wei Potian realize that, no matter how many times they fought, the result would probably be the same. As long as a person couldnt suppress Qianye in terms of origin power, his combat style simply couldnt be countered. After choking back his words for so long, almost to the point of puking out a mouthful of blood, Wei Potian finally spat out, God dammit! As for who he was cursing only he knew. Wei Potian went silent, but that didnt mean that Qianye had to stay silent. Qianye turned his head and said, Hey, Brother Wei. Wei Potian instantly felt goosebumps as his entire body bolted upright, as straight as a pen. Shifting some distance sideways, he moved away from Qianye. Predictably, Qianye asked, Are you going to bet on the third round? I think that the belt you have on you is quite interesting. In that instant, Wei Potian almost felt like he wanted to die. His mouth opened, but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldnt roar out that heroic and grandiose Im in! Fortunately, all of the combat exams for this group were complete. An examiner hurriedly came and ordered all the examinees to gather and head to the cultivation camp in order to carry out the last phase of the exam. The last examination tested the richness of ones origin power and whether or not one possessed special abilities. The content of this exam was very simple. Examinees would cultivate inside the cultivation room for two hours and trigger their special ability as much as possible. All aspects of the performance within the cultivation period would be observed and recorded to give a comprehensive evaluation. Qianye entered the cultivation room, took his seat, then remembered that there was a special rule in this exam. Those who had already cultivated the Combatant Formula did not need to test for special abilities and only needed to show how many cycles of origin tides they could endure. The standard for the Empires regional corps enlistment was seven cycles, the standard for regular corps was ten cycles, normal special forces needed fifteen, and elite special forces required seventeen. As for the top-notch elite corps, the minimum standard for enlistment was twenty cycles! However, these were only the basic prerequisites to join the few great special corps. Even if one could endure twenty cycles of origin tides, that didnt mean they could immediately join these distinguished divisions. The scores of the two other subjects would also be considered, and sometimes one would even have to pass extra tests. No one knew that, compared to ordinary people, twenty cycles of origin tides was a completely different struggle for Qianye. But Qianye didnt have any more time. He was already nearly seventeenthis was his only chance at joining these top-notch special corps. Calming his mind and completely relaxing his body, he finally began to gather his origin power. The origin power in Qianyes body slowly began to rush forth like waves. Converging into a tide, they flooded toward his right hands origin power node. Wave after wave of origin power formed without stopping. Nine waves were considered a complete cycle of origin tides. When the first round of origin tides ebbed, the cultivation rooms origin power resonated and turned the cogwheel. In a dial outside of the cultivation room, the number changed from a zero to a one accordingly. Origin tides constantly rippled as Qianyes body shook harder and harder. His complexion was ghastly pale as cold sweat continuously flooded from all over his body. Yet his face was still calm to the point that it was hard to believe. The number outside of the cultivation room constantly jumped upward, from seventeen, to eighteen, then nineteen. The most crucial moment finally arrived! The twentieth cycle of origin tides was a flood that erupted into the skies, sweeping everything away! The enormous backlash made Qianyes entirely body flush red as thin strings of blood seeped from his nostrils, eyes, and ears without stopping. On just the seventh wave, Qianye was already unable to endure as even his internal organs were beginning to leak blood. He had never tried twenty entire cycles of origin tides before. Continuing this pattern, the origin power backlash would completely shatter his heart by the ninth wave! AH!!! When that happened, the person who passed the test would be dead. What was the point of that? Yet to give up after coming this far In an instant, Qianye had a sudden epiphany and immediately guided the origin tide along a different route that would pass through the scarred area in his chest. Compared to other regions, this was still a swamp for origin power. When the violent origin tide passed through it, the impact was immediately subdued somewhat. However, the result of this was pain that was infinitely more intense than ever before. Qianyes vision went black, and he almost passed out! Violently gritting his teeth, Qin Lie prepared to pass out and continued to gather the ninth wave! A desperate roar came from the cultivation room. The counter outside shook a few times, then finally flipped from a black nineteen to reveal a scarlet twenty! An examiner frowned slightly as he pushed open the gate to Qianyes cultivation room, asking, Are you okay? Still conscious? Leaning against the wall, Qianye no longer had the strength to stand. All of the clothes on his body were drenched, and his chest area was stained with blood It was a horrible sight. Seeing this, the examiners brow furrowed even deeper. Just as he was about to mark the notebook in his hands, Qianye suddenly raised his head, and with a feeble voice, he said, Im fine. The examiner looked at Qianye suspiciously. How could such a state be considered fine? However, this wasnt something he should care about. As long as the examinee was still conscious after completely cultivating the Combatant Formula, the score would be valid and they would pass the exam. The examiner recorded the number twenty, then turned around and immediately left. Qianye stayed there for another ten whole minutes before barely walking out of the cultivation room. The examinees who had finished participating in all the exams were brought back to the barracks. Injured examinees received free medical treatment. The Empires military also boasted great success in the medical field. As long as injuries were not too serious, everything could be healed. The damage done to Qianyes internal organs were actually very serious, so he ended up soaking in a special bodily rejuvenation liquid, recovering nearly all of his wounds. A special meeting was held in a conference room within the main building of the barracks as Qianye soundly slept in the rejuvenation liquid. Chapter 21: The Definition of Genius Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 21: The Definition of Genius Everything about the conference room was simplistic in style, like a typical, brand new military camp. Even the walls were made out of raw, uncovered limestone and bare metal frames. The only decoration was a hand-drawn map of the Empires territory that took up an entire wall, seemingly in an art style from at least one thousand years ago. Back then, the False Valley Star was still in the planet belt at the highest layer of the world, but over seven hundred years ago, it derailed from orbit and fell, bringing hell to the two upper layer continents. In spite of that, the remains that floated through the void became the most abundant source of precious ore for mankind. The conference rooms windows and doors were wide open, but that didnt do much. The entire room was filled with smoke. Most of the ten-odd soldiers that sat around a long conference table were puffing out smoke while arguing from time to time. Most of them were very young, yet their military ranks were all very higheven the lowest were lieutenant colonels or colonels at the very least. Even a brigadier general sat in the main seat of the conference table! However, this young brigadier generals features were handsome and gentle, and didnt look older than thirty from any angle. Over one hundred profiles of examinees were laid out on the conference table. They were currently being passed around by the officers, different marks on the cover of each one. Sometimes two officers would even fight over a profile until their faces turned red. These officers were representatives of the various special forces responsible for this round of enlistment, and these examinee profiles were all specifically chosen according to the established standards. Examinees whose profiles were not here had already been disqualified from joining the special forces. Although the conference room seemed chaotic, there was actually an imperceptible order. Two people at the end of the long conference table viewed all of the profiles first before they were passed down to others that followed. The young brigadier general sat at one end of the table, whilea soldier with a sturdy build and sharp, square features, appearing to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, was at the other end. At this very moment, there was a profile placed at both ends of the table. Each of them was stamped with a special insignia. One insignia was a headless angel with broken wings, while the other was a vivid, life-like red scorpion. The young brigadier general held another profile. It was Qianyes. After looking at it for a bit, he tossed it onto the table apathetically and said with disdain, Almost seventeen and only able to endure twenty origin tides with his life on the line. We of Broken Winged Angel have no interest in the kind of junk that barely passed! Upon hearing this, the other officers immediately looked at Qianyes profile, their eyes lighting up. That was twenty cycles of origin tides! It needed to be understood that people who Broken Winged Angel had no interest in could be considered trump cards in other special forces. Right when this profile fell onto the table, large hands already reached over impatiently. The fight to determine where Qianye would belong was about to begin. However, at this moment, a modest, yet exceptionally dense origin power enveloped Qianyes profile. The middle-aged soldier who sat at the other end of the table grabbed at thin air, and Qianyes profile immediately slid across the long table on its own, arriving right in front of him. The middle-aged soldiers large hands slapped onto Qianyes profile with a bang. We of Red Scorpion will be taking this person! Numerous sighs echoed within the conference room. Yet that young brigadier general just sneered, Its so surprising that the renowned Red Scorpion would actually want such garbage nowadays! No wonder Red Scorpion could only rank 3rd in three consecutive military competitions. That middle-aged soldier did not get angry, and instead spoke in an indifferent tone, Red Scorpion wants warriors who can slay enemies for the empire, not experts who just make up empty statistics. Standing up in a flash, the brigadier general angrily asked, What are you trying to say?! The middle-aged soldier calmly said, The Empires military achievement rankings have already explained what Im trying to say. In the military rankings of the Empire, Red Scorpion had firmly thrust Broken Winged Angel, who placed 2nd place in three consecutive competitions, below them. The dazzling military achievements were obviously earned with piles upon piles of bones belonging to Red Scorpion soldiers. The brigadier general was extremely furious, his complexion going pale. He then let out a heavy snort and picked up that profile that had already been stamped with an insignia. Firmly displaying it, he sternly said, Look here! Wei Qiyang, born of an aristocratic family of long tradition and secret combat arts profound and refined. This is what a genuinely strong expert of the future is! What part isnt better than the garbage in your hands! The middle-aged soldier chuckled. Then why have I heard that he seems to have lost to the garbage in the arena? The brigadier general snorted disdainfully. Thats just because Wei Qiyang doesnt have combat experience. The potential of that garbage of yours has already been fully unearthed by the Yellow Springs Training Camp. What potential improvement is there? Hmph. Hes just a little bastard that was picked up from a junkyard. Even if your Red Scorpion wants to curry favor with Lin Xitang, theres no need to pay such a price! The expression of the middle-aged soldier became somber as he coldly said, You better show some respect for Marshal Lin! We dont fear him! The brigadier general was not the slightest bit polite as he knocked on the conference table. How about having them fight after a year? Lets see if that garbage can beat the person chosen by us, Broken Winged Angel! The middle-aged soldier responded without hesitation, Fine by me! What are the stakes? The brigadier general leaned forward as he revealed a fake, exaggerated smile.How about a grade six origin gun? Upon hearing the words Grade six origin gun, all of the officers immediately gasped! A grade six origin gun was the type of weapon that only the vice corp commanders of regular special corps were allowed to possess! The middle-aged soldier took a deep breath as he slowly nodded. Alright, Im in! I await your gun! The brigadier general guffawed as he strutted out of the conference room, his voice echoing from outside. This entire round of examinations is filled with utter garbage! It was already noon of the second day by the time Qianye awoke. A female military nurse who was beautiful, but had an expression as stiff as a rock in a tundra walked into the recovery room, threw Qianyes clothes over by the handful, and dumped a torrent of words onto Qianyes head like a waterfall. Put your clothes on as fast as possible and disappear in three minutes! Many people are still waiting in line outside! Why havent you started putting on your pants yet? How long do you plan on dangling that thing in front of me? You think its big? If it doesnt disappear from my sight within thirty seconds, I will cut it off, soak it in formalin, and put it on my desk as a decoration! Although Qianye had already seen a lot in the Yellow Springs Training Camp, he was still completely defeated by this demon on earth. Putting on his clothes faster than he ever had in his life, he escaped in a hurry. When Qianye fled from the hospital, he suddenly had a bizarre thought. Why hadnt he asked that beautiful demon for her contact information? The moment that Qianye thought that, he startled himself. He wasnt certain whether or not he had stayed in the training camp too long. Having left so suddenly, even his mental processes were currently somewhat off. Just when Qianye walked out from the inner barracks, he saw Shi Yan, who had been waiting for him all along. Seeing Qianye, the man who was normally as silent as a rock grinned as he laughed, then slapped Qianyes shoulder. Nicely done, kid! Qianye instantly felt confused. Shi Yan slapped himself in the head. Ah! Look how forgetful Ive become! You got accepted by Red Scorpion! Red Scorpion? Qianye didnt immediately realize what that meant. He carefully recalled the names of the special corps that were recruiting this time around. There didnt seem to be any lower or mid ranked corps named Red Scorpion, and there also werent any upper ranked corps with that name. Suddenly, Qianyes heart throbbed intensely, moving to the extent that he kind of stuttered, Y-youre talking about that Red Scorpion? Exactly! That Red Scorpion. The Red Scorpion Corps that has always ranked in the Empires top five! Qianye held his breath. An immense amount of joy had entirely overwhelmed him! He never expected that he would be able to join either of the two top-notch elite corps, Broken Winged Angel or Red Scorpion. His performance in the origin power test couldnt be considered all that great, after all. Twenty cycles of origin tide was just the minimum prerequisite. You will need to check in at Red Scorpions headquarters three days from now. The time frames a little tight, but that should be enough for one night of preparation. Lets go, Ill take you out to drink! Shi Yan was excited to the point that he seemed like a different person than normal, immediately dragging Qianye out of the camp. Just as the two were taking a few steps out of the exit, Wei Potian came out of nowhere and blocked Qianyes way. Qianye sized Wei Potian up from head to toe with a somewhat strange expression and suddenly asked, Do you like getting beaten up? Wei Potian was trying to look cool by crossing his arms over his chest, and his expression immediately became astonishing when he heard what Qianye said. He even felt the urge to puke blood. Qianyes expression, however, was entirely serious, and he did not seem like he was ridiculing or teasing Wei Potian. Even though they have only met very briefly, Wei Potian had roughly figured out Qianyes temperament. Qianye clearly had actual suspicions about that, and was especially blunt about them. That was what really drove Wei Potian mad! Lin Qianye! Ive been chosen by Broken Winged Angel. At this examination, Im the only one who joined Broken Winged Angel! Wei Potian boasted. Qianye smiled. And? Do you want to go another round? From my perspective, you just like to get beaten up. The color of Wei Potians face was green at times and red at others as he spoke angrily, If you have what it takes, lets change the way in which we compete! Come, come, come true men are also heroes of liquor. Tonight, lets compete over how much we can drink. How about it? Do you dare? What else do you have to lose? Qianye wasnt impressed. His voice one octave higher than it usually was, Wei Potian shouted, If I lose, Ill immediately undo my belt! Once these words were spoken, the entire area around them suddenly went quiet! The movement of the bustling crowd seemed to become a beat slower as everyone focused all kinds of odd looks onto Wei Potian. A few men with brawny bodies and masculine faces became interested in Wei Potian, their gazes full of lust A few young men with fair skin even threw sultry glances at Wei Potian. Qianye was momentarily speechless. Thanks to Wei Potian, he had also become the center of attention. The corner of Shi Yans mouth twitched slightly. The number of times that his expression had changed today was probably greater than it had in the past year. His gaze fell onto the insignia on Wei Potians belt buckle, and he instantly recognized it as the insignia of the direct line of Far East Wei clan. He also discovered that Qianye had something on his neck that he didnt have beforea necklace with an eagles head inscribed on the plate. Connecting this with the bet that Wei Potian had proposed, Shi Yan vaguely understood the sequence of events. The Wei clan was a large aristocratic family with a long history and tradition. They came from the far east, having intermarried with the Jadestone Wang clan for generations. Their forces and influence permeated two provinces. The Wei family was neither close to nor distant from Lin Xitang. There werent many friendly ties, nor were there any grievances. Concerning this kind of rich and powerful family, even if one were unable to become allies with them, they should at the very least avoid becoming their enemy. Lets get out of here first! Shi Yan promptly dragged Qianye away, rapidly leaving the scene that had such a strange atmosphere. Once night fell, Shi Yan took Qianye to a bar in the city. Not long after they sat down, Wei Potian suddenly appeared without being invited. He brutishly sat facing Qianye, slapping the table forcefully and shouting, Lin Qianye! Did you think that I wouldnt be able to find you if you hid here? My Wei family has quite a few people in the city of Xiangyang. Just what exactly are you trying to do? Chapter 22: Trip through the Skies Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 22: Trip through the Skies Seeing who can drink more, of course! Wei Potian clapped his hands with a very confident air about him. Busy footsteps came from the stairs as a dozen beautiful girls approached in a single file, every one of them embracing a bottle of strong liquor. Just by looking at that exquisite packaging, one could tell that they were all high-grade stuff. Wei Potian took two bottles and just broke both of them at the neck. Passing one to Qianye, he said, Down half a bottle first! How about it? Do you dare? Qianye took the bottle, his expression looking extremely complicated. He silently poured half a bottle into his glass, then began to slowly purse his lips. However, in front of Wei Potian was a wide bowl. Throwing back his head, the bowl of liquor already went down to his stomach. Half a bottle would be gone if he drank another bowl. Qianye had merely taken a few sips up to this point, which was at most the amount of a shot glass. Oh well, Ill drink this bottle first. You can go slowly, theres no need to hurry. I can wait! Wei Potian said in a grand manner. Throwing back his head a second time and then a third, the first bottle of liquor was gone just like that. Qianye had finally finished two cups by then. However, this face was already flushed, and even his vision became somewhat blurry. If he drank a little more, he would definitely slide underneath the table. Wei Potian finally felt ecstatic! Although he couldnt beat this kid in the arena, drinking him under the table was the same thing, wasnt it? Wei Potian did not feel as if he were consoling himself as he thought this. Qianye drank slowly, even supporting himself with both elbows against the table. Holding the glass, he had begun to teeter on the verge of collapse. Yet he remained on the edge until he had drunk the entire bottle glass by glass. Youve got guts! Wei Potian exclaimed in praise, then wickedly looked at the strong liquor being warmed by the embrace of the beautiful girls. After a short time, another empty bottle appeared before Wei Potian while Qianye was still drinking slowly, wobbling like usual. At this moment, Wei Potians eyes were already getting kind of blank, and his speech had also begun to slowly become incoherent. However, Wei Potian immediately smashed open another two bottles of aged liquor when he saw that Qianye had finished drinking. He took the lead, throwing back his head repeatedly and downing a bottle without pause. In the meantime, Qianye was the same as always, seeming like he would fall away from the table at any second. Many meddlesome people were currently in the bar, standing around them in a circle to spectate. As they watched Qianye, their initial gazes that had been full of mockery became strange. The liquor they were drinking was tequila that had been distilled in the extremely cold province of Plain West. Its strength could be ranked amongst the top three of the Empires famous alcoholic drinks. It would usually be mixed into cocktails, and even if someone were to drink them plainly, it wouldnt be in such enormous quantities. Men who could stomach two large bottles and still remain upright were definitely a rare sight. Sitting at the table an hour later, Qianye blankly looked at the empty liquor bottles that were scattered across it, then looked at Wei Potian and Shi Yan who were unconscious on top of it. Qianye couldnt recall when they had fallen. This was especially the case for Shi Yan. How did he get knocked out? This drinking competition had nothing to do with him! Qianye rubbed his forehead and slowly began to recall what had happened. Although Qianye didnt know when, Wei Potian, whose head was already muddled from drinking, suddenly taunted Shi Yan. In reality, Shi Yan also had a fiery temper and naturally wouldnt be polite to Wei Potian, joining the fray without hesitation. The one on one match suddenly became a war between three kingdoms, and then Wei Potian and Shi Yan were both defeated by Qianye. Qianye was currently on the verge of collapse. However, it was only the edge, so no one knew just how close he was to actual collapse. After recalling the sequence of events, Qianye helplessly forced a smile. What was he going to do with these dead, pig-like men? In the end, Qianye had no choice but to grab one with either hand as he teetered toward the hotel. He actually managed to miraculously return to his room without messing up. Qianye booked another room and tossed the two men onto the bed, ruthlessly flipping them off before finally wobbling to his own room. Falling onto his bed, he fell soundly asleep. Qianye hadnt slept for long when he sat straight up on his bed, looking blankly at the surroundings. His head hurt quite a bitthe feeling of being hungover hadnt entirely passed yet. The time had just passed five oclock, yet the sky wasnt even starting to brighten. However, at the training camp, this was already the time to get up and start the days training. The repetitious lifestyle had already formed an instinctual reaction in Qianyes body. Qianye got up and showered, but he suddenly didnt know what he should do. He would occasionally feel this way ever since he graduated from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. The schedule that was originally filled to the limit and the pressure to survive that had existed at every moment had suddenly vanished. Large stretches of free time were now his to do as he pleased, yet it just felt unfamiliar to Qianye. He silently practiced some combat techniques for a while, as the ray of dawn shone into his room. Shi Yan finally appeared at noon. When this soldier who didnt know how to smile saw Qianye, his face became a rarely seen red. As for Wei Potian, he had secretly disappeared long ago. What face did he have to come meet Qianye? However, he did keep his promise and left his belt, adding on a note that indicated his unwillingness to give up. There were only four large words on the noteWell battle again someday! Oh, there was also a huge exclamation mark! Qianye didnt really take this note to heart as he balled it up and tossed it into a trashcan. Whenever Qianye remembered why Wei Potian provoked him the first time, he would feel the urge to beat him up some more. However, after Shi Yan explained the Wei familys background, Qianye thought about it. He then packed the necklace, the bracelet, and the belt, and had someone send them to where Wei Potian lived. There was also a note inside with eight large words on itThree debts to pay before we battle again. After lunch, Shi Yan sent Qianye back into the inner barracks and handed him over to the middle-aged soldier. The middle-aged soldier sized up Qianye up from head to toe, then smiled and extended his hand. Welcome to Red Scorpion, rookie! Qianye reached out and shook hands with him. This hand was wide and firm. It was warm, yet had the stability of the earth. It felt very similar to Lin Xitangs hand. Qianye didnt understand what the term rookie meant, but he could feel a sense of affection from the words of this middle-aged soldier. The middle-aged soldier looked at Shi Yan and said, Brother Shi, it feels like its been ten years since we last met. Its only been nine years and eleven months. The middle-aged soldier of Red Scorpion didnt mince words with Shi Yan and said, Why arent you at Marshal Lins side guarding him? As a matter of fact, Im here for this little fellow. I couldnt help but run the errand myself. If it were someone else, I wouldnt feel good about it. Are his circumstances special? The middle-aged soldier raised his brows. A little bit. Youll understand once you see this. Qianye, let Colonel Wei see your wound. Qianye undid the clothing near his chest as he was told, momentarily revealing his enormous scar. The corner of middle-aged Colonels eyes twitched, a layer of murderous intent already emerging on his face. He grunted heavily. Now do you understand why I had to come personally? However, this child isexceptional. You wont be disappointed. The time to part ways arrived in a flash. These two, who graduated from the same military academy in the same year, were busy with military affairs and had only met three times after graduating nearly twenty years ago. After parting ways this time, both of them knew that there was no telling when theyd meet again. The next time they met, perhaps they would see remnants of the deceased covered by the Empires flag. This was the fate of soldiers. Yet they did not hug, nor did they shake hands. Instead, they saluted each other, then immediately turned around and left. This was the epitome of the military. It was not the slightest bit sloppy or slow . Even a camaraderie as vast as the ocean and as deep as the abyss would only be placed at the bottom of their hearts. After Shi Yan left, the middle-aged soldier said to Qianye, My name is Wei Lishi. Colonel Wei! Although it wasnt perfect enough, Qianye gave him a military salute. Wei Lishi took Qianye onto an airship and flew in the direction of Red Scorpions headquarters. This time around, Wei Lishi had also chosen two others aside from Qianye. One was male while the other was female, and they were more or less the same age as Qianyes. This airship was very different from the aerostatic airships that Qianye had seen before. Instead of an enormous egg-shaped steam balloon floating above it, a large stretch of film resembling the wing of a bat was supported by a metal frame. All of the joints on the outer shell of the airships components were painted a striking red, and there were no other features. The mechanical cabin was in the rear section like usual, but there were twelve groups of cross-shaped propellers. Large puffs of steam flooding from numerous dense pipelines were the only things that remained the same between the two types of airships. The interior of the cabin was very spacious, and the floor was covered in shock and sound canceling tapestry. The back of the seats were facing the sides of the ship, and would probably fit around twenty people according to a visual estimate. In the middle of the cabin was a row of shelves used to store weapons and backpacks, while the leftover space was enough for unhindered movement or even close combat. Using such a battleship that could carry two squads to ferry four people, Red Scorpion was definitely impressive and wealthy. Wei Lishi properly sat in a seat and fastened the seat belt while Qianye and the others also followed his example. At this moment, the door leading to the front cabin opened as a large bald head stuck out and said in a rough voice, Sit tight, younguns! Were in a rush! Deafening as always, a powerful rumbling soon began to reverberate through the cabins walls. The cabin also started to shake violently, then suddenly soared into the air as if it had been grabbed by a large hand. Qianye and the others were pressed tightly into their chairs, the feeling of sharp ascension almost made their hearts jump out of their throats. The discomfort was indescribable. After the ascension finally passed with great ordeal, Qianye looked through the cabin windows and shockingly discovered that clumps of white clouds were floating by! In such a short time, they were already piercing through the clouds! Qianyes experience in riding airships was limited to the light-boat styled Green Bird and military freighters. Not much needed to be said of Green Bird. As its name suggested, Green Birds gliding and descending capabilities were as natural as moving clouds and flowing water. Even though a freighter was noisy and rough, it needed a long buffering period to both gain and lose altitude. The speed of this Red Scorpion airship practically overturned the principle of steam propulsion. Qianye recalled that there was another energy source above black stone steam called black crystal. However, Yellow Springs didnt teach anything about it because it was currently the highest ranked power sourcethe Empires strategic resource. Qianye had not even recovered from the stunning sight in front of him before the airship suddenly began to shake violently. Qianye saw the propellers outside the window begin to abruptly accelerate, and he soon couldnt see the blades at all. Then, as if it were being violently kicked by someone, the entire airship flew into the distance with a bang. For the first time, Qianye got a taste of being on a lone boat in a storm. The bald captains voice echoed from the copper pipes without stopping. Sit tight! Were going to accelerate! This cross-wind is breathtaking! How is it? Does rolling around feel good? Aha! Thats a thundercloud up ahead, lets go straight through it! Yall can see the lightning up close! What kind of bald eagle is that? Damn, thats really huge! Lets try running into it! Chapter 23: Rookie Mission Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 23: Rookie Mission Qianye felt his stomach was violently turning, and the other two youths clearly werent much better off either. Just like that, the three finally couldnt handle it anymore, and half an hour after takeoff they vomited all over the place. Around evening, the airship passed by the Great Yellowstone Gorge and landed at near the Red Scorpion headquarters that was located near the northern side of the Qin Continent. However, the three little rookies werent fortunate enough to immediately see the mysterious Red Scorpion headquarters. They received their first rookie mission before even exiting the ship: Cleaning. They were to clean the entirety of the transportation cabin, as well as the inside, outside, above, and below the airship. The goal was to make everything spotless. Only after beginning to work did Qianye find out that cleaning was by no means any easier than melee combat. Forget about the vomit in the cabin, the hardest things to handle were the many-years old grease staining the motor cabin and the airships inner and outer walls. Even though the three rookies were given detergent exclusively meant for cleaning old grease, a large bucket of water was needed for every little spot. Just like that, the three carried water back and forth and cleaned. After a night, only the smaller half of the tiny, twenty meter long airship had been cleaned. The various zones of the airship were strictly divided into three days of workload. Until the mission was completed, there would be no food nor sleep. As a result, upon arriving at Red Scorpion, the three little rookies spent the first three days hungry, exhausted and sleepy. After struggling to clean the airship, they couldnt even smell the heavy scent of grease on their bodies. All three fell asleep the moment that they returned to their dorm room, not caring about taking a bath or eating. In these three days, Qianye displayed unwavering patience and meticulousness, refusing to overlook any little corner. Time and time again, he would wipe clean even a tiny speck of grease, and his cleaning and maintenance of the airships motor and transmission was also flawless. This was because of the firearm maintenance he had learned in the past. Using the approach of meticulous weapon care to maintain that enormous fellow, even the bald captain that was known for being picky was praising his results non-stop. Meanwhile, the performance of the other two rookies was acceptable for half of the first day, but the negligence was obvious after that. When they saw that Qianye was so unswervingly serious, they left the dirtiest places that were the most difficult to clean for Qianye, intentional or otherwise. Even though it looked as though the three did about the same amount of cleaning, Qianye had actually done more than those two added together. Qianye did not mind these small losses. In the Yellows Springs Training Camp, he had learned to carry out the instructors orders to the letter. To the letter didnt just refer to the literal meaning, it even included the intent behind the instructors orders. In the dictionary of the Yellow Springs Training Camp, there were no such expressions like taking the easy way out. When the other two rookies saw that Qianye was like that, they were happy to take advantage of the situation and pushed even more work onto Qianye. They were both prodigies in their respective families, blessed by the heavens. Furthermore, they had passed the one in ten thousand examination and joined Red Scorpion. Their prospects could be considered boundless. Young people like them could bear the pain of wounds and bloodshed, but when had they done such dirty and tiring work? When the three rookies were sleeping soundly, five people were holding a meeting in a small conference room at Red Scorpion headquarters. Surprisingly, the bald captain was one of them. The bald captain swiftly wrote scores on three forms and passed them to the others. After the soldiers looked at them and passed them around, the form arrived in Wei Lishis hands. He glanced at it and said to the bald captain, Although I figured this would be the case, isnt the disparity in scores a little too great? I scored them centimeter by centimeter, you know! Scorpion Tail is like my own child! Not even a speck of change would escape my eyes. Those two younguns are a hundred years too early to play these little tricks on me! The other youngun, Qianye, isnt bad. Hes very smart and a steadfast worker. I like him! Seeing that the bald captain was so insistent, Wei Lishi nodded and signed his name on the form. He then told the other three soldiers, Well, thats the result of the test. You lot decide amongst yourselves! Qianye, One of them spoke first. Another one immediately protested, No! You guys chose first last year. Its our turn this year! The third one spoke in a casual tone. Thats not how it goes, is it? Your squadron already used up this years priority privilege last year. Could it be that you plan to use up next years too? Only after arguing for a long time did they eventually finish divvying up the three rookies. In the end, the soldier with the big mustache had to promise a great deal of personal compensation before he could successfully acquire Qianye The total amount of points in the initial test was one hundred. Qianye alone received sixty five points, while the other two only got thirty five points altogether. There were many uses for points in Red Scorpion. These points were used for promotions in military rank, allocating resources, or even choosing missions. The initial test gave a large amount of points in total. After this, it would be very rare to encounter these kinds of high-point missions as a rookie. Of course, Qianye and the others didnt know this yet. Those two little fellows thought that they were smart and didnt leave any traces, but it was as the bald captain saidthese petty tricks didnt fool anyone. In front of those big-shots, acting clever was the same as destroying ones future prospects. On the second day, Qianye was woken up first thing in the morning by the sound of someone roughly pounding on the door. Wake up already, rookie! How long you plan to keep on sleeping?! Qianye jumped off the bed in a flash and rushed to open the door. An army officer with a big mustache on his face was standing at the door. He had a muscular physique, and was extremely tallat least two meters and thirty or so centimeters in height! Qianyes slender frame seemed as petite as a doll when standing before him. The mustached man inhaled deeply through his nose as he said with a frown, Go wash up, get rid of that stench of engine oil on you! You have He looked at the watch, and said, You have a whole five minutes! Wash yourself clean from head to toe! Ill be waiting here! All of the officers words were roared. Who are you? Qianye carefully asked. I am surnamed Nan. Everyone calls me Nan Batian! Qianye felt dj vu upon hearing another mighty, domineering name, but it was instantly drowned out by the deafening roars that followed. You dont need to know my original name! From now on, you will be a member of my Tiger Scorpion Battalion. Go shower, rookie! Now! Yes, sir! Qianye immediately gave a military salute, then he rushed into the bathroom as though he were flying. Qianye only used three minutes to wash himself clean, then rushed out and changed into a new uniform. This uniform took pure-black, the base color of the great Qin Empires military, for its own use. However, the collars and lapels were decorated with red strings, and there was a scorpion design on the upper part of the sleeves The body of the scorpion was entirely black and red, while the stinger was an alarming scarlet. It was the red scorpion that could be seen in every continent, a tiny thing only as big as a persons palm, yet it was one of the most venomous creatures on land. An ordinary adult stung by the red scorpion would die by poison in only a dozen seconds. Seeing that Qianye came out, Nan Batian turned and left without pause. The length of his steps were more than one and a half that of normal people, and Qianye had to jog for two steps to catch up. There are many things to do today! Come with me to get your equipment first, then Ill take you to a room of your own. Tiger Scorpion Battalion has its own barracks, so theres no need for you to live in this damned place anymore. After that Ill take you to several important places in the camp. That way, youll know where you can go to repair your gun, get good stuff cheap, or even take some private missions if they dont interfere with combat missions. However, private missions will have to wait until youre no longer a rookie. Dont even think about it now! Qianye was already used to the way Nan Batian talked by now, and one by one he memorized the essential pieces of information by heart. Soon enough, Nan Batian took Qianye out of the temporary barracks, and they walked into the encampment of Red Scorpions official headquarters. Stepping through an enormous, thirty meter tall, one and a half meter thick metal gate, Qianye felt as though his heart was being heavily smashed by a hammer. He was so amazed by the scenery before him that he couldnt speak. Even though he had already seen a birds-eye view of the military-industrial city of Xiangyang, he was still astonished by this enormous war machine. One kilometer away, the building that served as Red Scorpions headquarters was six hundred meters tall and stood straight up like the mast of a ship. The red paint on the outer walls was already full of rust, revealing the metallic base color underneath. However, this did not affect the magnificent, intimidating air of this enormous building in the slightest, and instead gave it a solemn, historical feel. Several bat-wing styled airships were ascending from the headquarters, swiftly flying off in different directions. Meanwhile, a monstrous airship with an aerostatic balloon over several hundred meters long on top of it slowly emerged on the horizon! Many airships were ascending from and descending to a colossal airship base on its right hand side. There were smaller flying boats, mid to large sized airships, and even two warships that were over a hundred meters long. Parked on the other side of the base were seven old-fashioned airships that could only fly using aerostatic balloons. Parked in rows beside the base were various kinds of caterpillar tanks. They could be counted into the hundreds! The number of heavy-duty trucks there were similarly abundant. Qianye had seen the pictures and models of these basic military armaments in class, but only after seeing the real thing did he experience the impact of that unparalleled view. The left side was functional buildings of various sizes, Qianye even saw a factory that could hold an giant-sized airship among them. Hundred meter tall factories, the roofs of which were arched, were currently opened to the side, revealing the mast of a mid-sized airship and the top half of the ships body. Workers were crawling on top of it like ants. Steel shavings flowed down from the enormous metal surface, gleaming with red flames. Intense work was clearly being done. A distance further down, stretches of energy facilities were connected to each other. They were a group of buildings in the shape of the Perpetual Dynamo Tower. More than ten gigantic chimneys that were attached to each other in a row resembled the Tree of Kunlun that connected heaven and earth. The black smoke that was being continuously produced gathered into a massive cloud of smoke that covered half the sky. Even looking from afar, one could imagine how tempestuous the energy coming along from the pipelines was to be able to keep the enormous Red Scorpion headquarters going. Taking Qianye along, Nan Batian walked toward the parking lot and jumped on a small jeep that had its door open, and driving toward an arms depot to the left. Without a vehicle, doing things in such a massive base definitely wouldnt be very easy. In the lobby of the arms depot, Nan Batian roared, This is a rookie of our Tiger Scorpion Battalion! Give me a set of standard equipment and sniper gear! After a short moment, a huge backpack and a black briefcase were thrown directly out of a window. No one spoke or showed their faces in the process. Nan Batian caught the two things, each with one hand, and roared, Thanks! He then turned to Qianye and said, Lets go. Onward to Tiger Scorpions barracks! Tiger Scorpions barracks was at the north-eastern side of headquarters, and beside it was Blood Scorpions barracks. Just by looking at the appearance of either barracks, Qianye already felt that Tiger Scorpions situation didnt seem very good. Aside from being half the size of Red Scorpions barracks, all of the vehicles parked outside of Tiger Scorpions barracks were kind of old and completely incomparable to the brand new vehicles of Blood Scorpion. In addition, Tiger Scorpions barracks seemed desolate and not as busy as Blood Scorpions. Nan Batian scratched his head and said in a somewhat awkward manner, Um, let me put it this way. I do admit that Im not as good at leading as those Blood Scorpion guys. They often move as a whole battalion to make big business deals. As time went on, Tiger Scorpions funding became somewhat tight. Mn, yeah, thats how it is. Chapter 24: Preparing for Battle Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 24: Preparing for Battle At this point, Qianye came to understand Red Scorpions methods. Every soldier had individual points, and each battalion had their own points. Missions could be completed for points, and those points were used to trade for all sorts of equipment and materials. Red Scorpion Corps headquarters was mainly responsible for preparing the most basic materials. To gather anything else, each battalion had to think of their own methods. Despite being in Red Scorpion Corps together, the differences between each battalion could be enormous, just like they were between Tiger Scorpion and Blood Scorpion. This wasnt just a competition between quality of soldiers, even the abilities of commanders were compared. Red Scorpions methods were very popular in the Empire, and many forces, especially special forces, liked to use this method of management. Nan Batian brought Qianye into the Tiger Scorpion encampment, led him to his room, and said, This is where you will be staying. We dont have a lot of people here, so its very spacious. If you need anything, go find Old Bai, the logistics manager. Have a good nights rest, for tomorrow is the start of your life as an army rookie! Rookie. Qianye chanted that word inwardly. He now knew what it meant. Rookies were special existences in Red Scorpion Corps. Although every corps would have new rookie soldiers, Red Scorpion was different. In Red Scorpion, young, newly recruited soldiers were considered rookies for their first two years. Only after two years would they be promoted to a Young Scorpion. Only then did they truly become a member of Red Scorpion and earn the right to independently take missions. After Young Scorpion came Black Scorpion, Red Scorpion, then Scorpion King. Rookies did not have status in Red Scorpion since they were just rookies. Older soldiers treated rookies as people to lecture and scold, but the position of rookie was also unique. There was an unwritten rule in the Red Scorpion Corps that, if there was life threatening danger on the battleground, rookies would be the first leave, followed by the older soldiers, and the officers would be the last to leave. In any situation, the lives of the rookies were the first priority. Fresh blood had been used to establish this rule. In the history of Red Scorpion Corps, there was an instance in which, out of a hundred man troop that was killed, two rookies managed to escape. From the second day, just as Nan Batian said, Qianye experienced how different army life was for a rookie. In the next few months, Qianye only had a small amount of missions. The rest of his time was spent training. His first priority was to continue cultivating the Combatant Formula. Other than that, he needed to pass ten different classes, including learning how to drive almost all of the ground and air vehicles of the Empire. Aside from that, there was also special equipment training. Qianye learned many secret things about the Empire, ranging from politics and economics, to things that had been cut from history. Take the Yellow Springs Training Camp as an example. The Yellow Springs Training Camps supporter from the shadows was the Empires Ministry of Military Affairs. It and three other training campsSilent Flower, Swordrain Springs, and Great Way Rangewere the secret, secure training grounds of the Empire. However, compared to the three other training camps, the Yellow Springs Training Camp was far superior than the other three in both scale and success. Even in the eyes of the Empire, against those deep, family-based organizations, it steadily remained in the top three. The Yellow Springs Training Camp was an extremely special existence. Its approach was completely different from the normal military academies in that it put maximum effort into nurturing top tier killers who could survive under extreme conditions. From the very beginning, many higher ups of the Empire believed that the method of awakening origin power could only show its true potential in life or death situations, successfully allowing one to become stronger. During the era when the dark races ruled the world, the number of races that were subjugated and enslaved were in the hundreds. The human race was able to break free because they constantly walked the line between life and death, allowing their power to constantly awaken as they led generations on the path of strength and prosperity. They believed that the lower levels of the Empire, especially the common folk, currently lived too peacefully and would lose their drive to improve as a result, decreasing the population and weakening the strength of their abilities. Even the Great Qin Empire would eventually fall to ruin because of that. To remain glorious, explore, and expand, humanity had to survive in a crisis and improve in times of life or death! This was the opinion of upper levels of the Empire, and it was especially popular at higher levels of the army. The Yellow Springs Training Camp was like a gathering of these type of people. The training camp kept every student in the shadow of death, making them struggle to survive, and allowing their potential to shine in the process. Despite the high death and elimination rates in the Yellow Springs Training Camp and the objections from superiors, the students it nurtured were undeniably top tier talents. Their true strength was far beyond numbers on paper. A single graduate from the Yellow Springs Training Camp could effortlessly take three to five soldiers from the Empires army. Additionally, under complicated and extreme environments, the strength of the graduates of the Yellow Springs Training Camp could become even more terrifying. It was said that, in a certain combat exam, three Yellow Springs Training Camp graduates banded together to completely wipe out a mountain fortified by an imperial army!! After that incident, the funds that the Yellow Springs Training Camp received increased five times over, and their yearly recruitment numbers of a thousand shot up to twenty thousand. Furthermore, every twenty to thirty years, a shocking talent would appear in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Such a person could change an entire influential force! As long as such a person appeared, the Yellow Springs Training Camp was able to ignore all criticism, and four such people have appeared in the past hundred years! As a result, not only did the Yellow Springs Training Camp to exist, it also stayed strong. In the Empire, their faction was called the Ironblood Eagle Faction. In the beginning, most recruits of the Yellow Springs Training Camp were common folk and orphans picked out from anywhere. However, after one success, many influential families started sending the children of their branches here. Compared to the common folk and orphans, the children of powerful families had foundational supplements that increased their rates of success, and once they graduated, they received a status that far surpassed the one they were born into. Inspired by the successful graduates, many children from the branches of families started volunteering to enter the Yellow Springs Training Camp. In the past three hundred years, the fame of the Yellow Springs Training Camp increased without end, getting even members of powerful families who had high positions to send children of their direct line there, to become a pillar of the family after intense training. The Yellow Springs Training Camp made the appropriate adjustments to give those children a certain amount of care. This was mainly done to preserve their lives and have the girls to avoid attending the coming-of-age ceremony. On a battlefield against the dark races, status didnt matter. With the conditions and natural resources from their families, many children awaken their origin power to form the front lines of the army. Authority and responsibility were always equal. After tacking on that they experienced life in the Yellow Springs Training Camp on their resume, the lives of these children were destined to go up. Regardless of whether they were seeking future prospects in the Empire or returning home, it would be smooth sailing. Qianye did not expect that the Yellow Springs Training Camp he had spent a full nine years in had such a complicated and deep background. He also did not expect the scale of its background to be so large. Only the hundred people from his class were by his side when he was there. Other than a few big exams where students were required to kill each other, he had rarely met students from another class. Even the hundred students that were with him would diminish, replenish, then diminish again. The number of familiar faces in Qianyes memories was no more than fifteen. That night, Qianye lay on his bed as his fingers fiddled with his last portion of Vermillion Countenance Blood. He knew that this precious medicine was most effective during the foundation stage of origin power. Once a person ignited their origin node, the effectiveness would slowly decline. This was one of the few possessions he took from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. After that, Qianye started to learn the system behind the Empire. Only after coming here did he understand that even the rookies of the Red Scorpion Corps possessed great authority. In the Empire, where hierarchy was extremely complicated, the authority of Red Scorpion soldiers was higher than that of lesser nobles of the Empire. Just like that, the first few months in Red Scorpion were spent learning and training. Qianye scheduled a fifteen minute break every day and only spent four hours on sleeping. However, even as he slept, he spent half of that time soaking in bodily rejuvenation liquid to recover and strengthen his body. The medicine was one of the resources that the army provided to its elite corps soldiers. The era of Vermillion Countenance Blood was over. Only then did Qianye realize the true scale of Red Scorpion. Including a thousand or so rookies, there were ten thousand official members in the Red Scorpion Corps. The annual rookie elimination rate was around twenty percent. Elimination here obviously did not mean death, but reassignment to another corps. Yet even soldiers that were eliminated from Red Scorpion would become top level members of another corps. And behind these ten thousand Red Scorpion soldiers were twenty thousand logistical and support staff! This was why the Red Scorpion headquarters felt just like a small city to Qianye. After a few months, Qianye finally started to earn some authority and slowly lost the inexperience of a rookie. During this period of learning, Qianyes meticulousness, concentration, and patience received recognition. Some officials even saw all of it as borderline madness. Qianye could spend a few days focusing on a single thing without being distracted at all. In return, Qianye received full marks on almost every subject. The only thing that hindered him was the cultivation speed of his origin power. On the rookie rankings, Qianye constantly remained around tenth place. After the semester was over for the rookies, Nan Batian appeared in front of Qianye once again. This person that resembled a giant started taking personal responsibility for Qianyes combat ability and physical training, successfully branding him Tiger Scorpions symbol. Qianyes body became sturdier. If his delicate, beautiful face was excluded, he was definitely a strong, powerful soldier. It was in this way that Qianye, on his fourth month as a member of Red Scorpion, welcomed the first mission that he would remember for a long time. Chapter 25: Blood Thrall Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 25: Blood Thrall The mission was located on another lower continent, and its details were very simple. There was a small city controlled by vampires. Next to it was a secret research center that belonged to the Empire. After two unsuccessful attempts to conquer the city, the mission was assigned to Red Scorpion. Red Scorpion mobilized a full company totaling one hundred Black Scorpion soldiers led by three Red Scorpions. This included Qianye and fifty other rookies. Over ten thousand local soldiers cooperating with Red Scorpion were gathered in the countryside of the small city. This was the first real battle for the rookies, who had been excited from the very beginning. Qianye traveled in an interplanetary ranked airship that could travel between the continents for five full days, reaching the target area. Qianye followed the group and jumped from the floating airship to enter their heavy duty trucks, heading toward the location of their mission. The mission was unbelievably simple: separate into three groups, directly attack the city, and kill anyone who resisted. Then nothing. That was it. The entire fleet of trucks moved quickly, their wheels violently flattening the ground as they advanced like a group of frenzied galloping horses. Qianye sat in the truck hugging his origin power gun. As the truck drove along, it bounced up and down by at least a meter, causing his body to sway slightly. The current him was so used to riding black stone steam-powered vehicles that he could drive them for small trips. Unlike the other rookies, Qianye did not check his gun over and over again. Instead, he started going over his memories about vampires. The vampire race was one of the main dark races, but were nicknamed bloodsuckers by the human race. Real vampires were extremely similar to humans in outward appearance. All were abnormally beautiful or handsome, with appearances enticing to humans. They had long lifespans and great power. In theory, upon reaching the rank of duke, vampires could live for more than a thousand years. They could even choose to slumber for a considerable time, slowing the rate at which their life force decreased. It was said that, hidden in the deeper parts of vampire territory, there were terrifying existences that had slept for over ten thousand years! Vampires were unusually dangerous. Along with their formidable intelligence, they possessed mighty power and abnormal speed. Origin guns were created to compensate for the lack of origin power in humans, but the method of creating them was later stolen by the dark races. This allowed them to invent luxurious, beautiful guns that were sold to wealthier human gunners for exorbitant prices. Lastly, vampires had a unique method of inheritance. They could either procreate with the opposite gender or go through a process called Embrace , in which they would inject their origin blood essence into the bodies of humans, turning them into a vampire. At the same time, human blood was a delicacy to vampires. Therefore, vampires and humans understood each other the most. In the beginning, when the dark races occupied the entire world, vampires were mainly the ones who reared humans. Large amounts of humans were bred to provide blood for vampires. In their eyes, humans were equivalent to pigs or sheep. In both the Yellow Springs Training Camp and Red Scorpion, Qianye had killed vampires. However, those had not been true vampire warriors, and there had only been a few of them as well. They had been bound by origin power and were only allowed to move around in the examination grounds. This time was different. This time, they were in a true battle with the vampires. As the heavy trucks moved, the veterans in the vehicles gave every rookie three specially made origin bullets of pure silver. These origin bullets were physical bullets that could be inserted in the barrel of an origin gun. Empty bullets could be industrially manufactured or made by hand, but only soldiers that were rank three and above could inject them with origin power to finish the production of a physical origin bullet. These three silver bullets were especially effective against vampires. Since these rookies were only rank two Fighters, they were only given three of these bullets. Even if they were given a hundred of them, each rookie would still only be able to shoot an origin gun three times. Each of the rookies loaded the rifles in their hands with the silver bullets and waited for the battle to begin. The heavy duty trucks charged directly at the small city that was two hundred meters away! Coming to a rumbling halt, the trucks arranged themselves in a serpentine formation, creating a barricade and a bunker. Traditional gunpowder firearms shot at the trucks from the city walls, but the metal bullets were not enough to penetrate the meter thick steel plates. The Black Scorpion veterans started to retaliate, and origin bullets started flying toward the city and exploding along the city walls. In the blink of an eye, the gunfire from the walls was suppressed and the rookies immediately jumped from the truck, quickly following the veterans and making their way toward the city. The battle was much simpler than expected. The Red Scorpion squad leader would charge in front, and with just a glimpse of a vampire warrior, a silver bullet would follow. The bullets of the Red Scorpion squad leader were not wasted, only targeting higher ranked vampires warriors while leaving the normal vampires to the others. The Black Scorpion soldiers would then go through another round of picking, killing off most of the vampires, and only leaving a few for the rookies to try. Qianye raised his hand and his origin rifle jolted. He had always earned full marks in his target practical exams, and this was no exception. The silver origin bullet shot out and pierced a hole in a vampires forehead. White smoke immediately emerged from the wound as the surrounding flesh and blood turned black as though it were burned. This vampire went stiff and stopped moving as two bloody flowers bloomed on his body. Two rookies could not control themselves and shot the already dead vampire. This obviously yielded no points for them. Qianyes shooting speed was fast and steady. He immediately changed his position and shot again, shooting the head of a vampire that had just popped up on a roof. Then, in the next few seconds, Qianye shot his gun again, causing another vampire to fall while screaming. Among the rookies, Qianyes performance was the most eye-catching, killing off three vampire warriors with three bullets. His performance even rivaled that of the Black Scorpion veterans! Having entered a real battle, Qianye deeply noticed how different it was from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. The nine years of cruel training that kept him on the line between life and death had allowed his combat reaction to become an instinctive part of his body. Under any circumstances, Qianye would always react correctly and use the optimal timing to retaliate. The goal of the Yellow Springs Training Camp was to create the best killers, so its battle style aimed for one shot kills. As long as Qianye had a chance to retaliate, the enemy was almost bound for certain death. Therefore, on the battlefield, Qianye started showing his skills. His performance in battle significantly exceeded his statistics on paper. Not only could he suppress many of the rookies, he even performed better than many of the Black Scorpion veterans! This was the true brilliance of a Yellow Springs Training Camp graduate! The vampire warriors in the city amounted to a hundred. It was a small scale infiltration. The local army originally numbered in the tens of thousands, but after two attacks, casualties rose to almost ten thousand without any success. However, after the intervention of the Red Scorpion Corps, the tide was turned and the line of battle was pushed back. This allowed them to recapture important areas of the city and kill most of the vampires without letting a single one escape. This battle helped Qianye understand why there were only ten thousand soldiers in Red Scorpion Corps while other places required up to two hundred thousand support soldiers. A company of Red Scorpions rivaled the strength of over ten thousand soldiers of the Empires official army, and when compared with the local forces, the difference was even more significant. The Empire was always pragmatic, even to the point of cruelty. Strength was the deciding factor behind a corps support. This was another kind of fairness where strength was crucial. Numbers werent even considered. After reconquering the small city, a sight that surprised Qianye appeared. A thousand or so people emerged from a few large buildings and insanely charged toward the Empires soldiers and the Red Scorpion soldiers. All of the people they could see had dull gazes, pure white teeth, and dark purple lips. These people had completely lost their minds, becoming wild beasts that could only perceive fresh blood and meat! The Red Scorpion soldiers seemed to have expected this and started to put away their origin guns, swapping them for gunpowder firearms. In that moment, all kinds of machine guns, automatic rifles, and even cannons started firing, creating a storm of metal aimed at the madmen! Many of the people that were charging wore almost completely intact uniforms of the Empires local forces. They were shockingly the soldiers that had lost and were captured inside the city during the assault a few days ago! Many of the local soldiers that followed Red Scorpion Corps into the city stopped in shock, but the Red Scorpion soldiers continued the cold massacre! No, stop! Thats my brother! a young local soldier started yelling as he charged toward a Red Scorpion squad leader, his arms spread wide to stop him from shooting. The leader simply turned his body, however, causing the soldier to fall as he reloaded his gun and shot the soldier charging at him like a mad beast. You killed my brother! IIll kill you! the young soldier shouted angrily as he pointed his gun toward that Red Scorpion squad leader. A cold light flashed in the leaders eyes as he immediately pulled out his handgun, blowing half of the soldiers head off! The Red Scorpion squad leader examined the surrounding local soldiers, coldly asking, Are any more of you planning on revolting? All of the local soldiers immediately denied, fear evident on their faces. Then hurry up and attack! These guys are no longer human, theyre blood thralls! the Red Scorpion squad leader shouted as he raised the machine gun in his hands, aiming its metal barrel at them. Under the threat of the Red Scorpion squad leaders gun, the local soldiers finally raised their weapons while trembling and started attacking. The number of local soldiers was ten times larger than that of Red Scorpions, and once they started shooting, it became an impressive sight. In a blink of the eye, the group of rabid people who only knew to attack were shot down. Only then did the Red Scorpion squad leader nod in satisfaction as he raised his right fist, shouting, Attention! Begin moving independently and kill everyone in this city! I repeat, kill everyone! Kill the young, the old, and the women! This order stunned Qianye. In his heart, killing men and soldiers was right and proper, but why would they need to harm the elderly, the young, and the women? However, in both Red Scorpion and the Yellow Springs Training Camp, obedience was the first rule. Carrying his origin rifle on his back, Qianye picked up a spare automatic rifle and headed to the alleys to search. Just as he turned a corner, a boy suddenly ran out from a door in the corner in front of him. Chapter 26: Cleanly Purged Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 26: Cleanly Purged He looked to be only around eleven or twelve years old, wearing well-made, luxurious clothes and seemed to be a child from a rather well-off family. Noticing Qianye with the turn of his head, the boy was stunned. The moment the boy had come into his sights, Qianye had already aimed his gun at his head. Despite the fact that gunpowder firearms were lacking in comparison to origin firearms, it could still heavily injure a vampire at such close range if it was shot three consecutive times. However, Qianye suddenly felt that the trigger was extremely heavy and couldnt press it for some time. This should be a normal human Qianye couldnt help but think. Against a child whose arms were thinner than an inch of steel, was a kill on sight necessary? Even though it was an order. The boy suddenly lifted his arms toward Qianye, as if seeking protection. His left cheek was rather dirty and stained with hints of blood. On this messy battlefield, such a sight was extremely common. Qianyes fingers relaxed as the barrel of his gun lowered slightly, away from the boys forehead. And at that moment, the boy suddenly pounced toward Qianye, his speed completely surpassing human limits! Opening his mouth, he revealed his abnormally drooling teeth as his vision locked onto Qianyes artery. His eyes instantly became bloodshot, and even revealed a red light which made him look incomparably ferocious. The barrel of Qianyes gun rose immediately, aiming yet again at the center of the boys brows. In an instant, everything around him seemed to have slowed down as Qianyes finger slowly pressed into the trigger. However, a large leg appeared from the side, kicking the boy away, sending him flying into a wall dozens of meters away! With a dull sound, the boys body stuck to the wall. All the bones in his body had been thoroughly broken, causing his body to crumble which left a trail of blood on the wall. Rookie! Whats wrong with you? the Red Scorpion squad leader appeared from the side of the alleway, glaring at Qianye as he shouted. No, nothing, I justwanted to see what it could do, Qianye said rather guiltily. Thats a blood thrall! They only have the instincts of wild beasts. Theres nothing special about their abilities, theres nothing to see. Kiddo, contain your curiosity, these things are much more dangerous than you imagine them to be! If youre bitten and their saliva flows into your bloodstream, you better kill yourself, or Ill personally lodge a bullet in your brain! The sternness in the Red Scorpion squad leaders voice showed that he was not joking at all. Qianye agreed with him and continued to search. During his journey, he killed over ten blood thralls and a bloodsucker that had hidden itself. These blood thralls were all newly created, with the basic appearance of humans with clean clothes. However, every blood thrall was like a wild beast; they would attack when they saw Qianye, their thirst for flesh and blood overcoming their logic. Among the blood thralls were the elderly, women, and even three or four-year-old blood thralls. But no matter what they were originally, they were all wild beasts without reason. As Qianye killed, he silently kept count, as if doing this would distract him from wondering if these blood thralls still had some humanity left in them. Blood thralls were the byproduct of having their blood sucked by a vampire or simply the result of a bite. It was different from Embrace. As there was no exchange of blood with the vampires, blood thralls would not become a new vampire. The mind of a blood thrall would be eroded by the venom of the bloodsucker, changing them into half of a vampire and half of a beast. After that, they would inherit the thirst for flesh and blood, and the mentality of fearing and obeying true vampires. Even now, humans were still helpless against vampire venom. Once bitten by a bloodsucker, a humans brain would be completely ruined by the venom, causing them to lose their minds and turning them into a blood thrall. This change was irreversible. Even the vampires themselves couldnt reverse it. The worst thing was the blood thralls also had the same poison, and furthermore, it was even stronger than the one true vampires had. Once a blood thrall bites someone, they would become a blood thrall as well. Therefore, in only a few days, the number of blood thralls in this small city was innumerable. Within the various dark races, blood thralls were the lowest of lifeforms. They werent even counted as cannon fodder. Due to their short lifespans, they were treated as inferior food sources and were occasionally used as food for raising enormous warbeasts. Whether it was in Daybreak or Evernight, the fate of blood thralls were incomparably tragic. They couldnt be changed and were beyond help. The treatment of blood thralls in the Great Qin Empire, as well as the other human countries, was surprisingly united: Any blood thrall or poisoned human were to be executed. Therefore, in the dark races, even though vampires were not the strongest or the most in number, they were seen as the biggest threat to humanity. The reason was simple. This was the relationship between predator and prey; they were natural enemies The battle in the city gradually reached its end as all of the bloodsuckers and blood thralls were cleanly purged. Corpses filled the city as blood flowed slowly on the streets. With every step of Qianyes military boots, a splashing sound could be heard. Everyone in the city listen up, come out and gather at the central plaza! You have ten minutes. I repeat, you have ten minutes. Those who cant get here on time will be treated as blood thralls and killed immediately when we find you! The noise created by the speaker on the truck reverberated throughout the small city. In a few minutes, a few people walked out from their houses, trembling as they gathered at the central plaza. Qianye walked along the road as well, but he was suddenly stopped by a Black Scorpion veteran. Rookie, come with me, its time for class! Class? Qianye felt suspicious as he turned and followed the veteran to the central plaza. There were already hundreds of people gathered at the central plaza. They appeared uneasy, but from their expressions, it was obvious that they still retained their sanity. Among them were a few soldiers who carefully hid their injuries. But if even Qianye could tell that they were injured, it was impossible for the veterans of the Red Scorpion Corps to be fooled. The soldiers and rookies of the Red Scorpion Corps all gathered in the plaza area, surrounding the entire space. The veteran that had led Qianye turned and spoke, There will be people trying to escape later, just blow off their heads! Got it? Understood! At this moment, a Red Scorpion Corps leader spoke to the instructor responsible for conducting the local army, Instruct your men to search the city, leave no stone unturned! You have twenty minutes! That instructor was shocked by the twenty minute time limit, but he immediately jumped into action and loudly called for his team, instructing them to promptly start searching the city as fast as they possibly could. In a few moments, random gunshots rang in the city accompanied by the occasional scream. Some people had hid in their homes, but upon being found, they were immediately killed. The twenty minute time period seemed exceptionally long. Gradually, the entire city became silent, absent of gunshots or screams. At that moment, a Red Scorpion squad leader lifted his right hand and pointed toward the plaza before dragging his thumb across his neck. Qianye heart thumped; this was an order to kill! Qianye raised his gun without any expression, but he did not press the trigger. Not only Qianye, many of the rookies faces also changed into an ugly expression, while the Black Scorpion soldiers surveyed the people around with cold eyes. They were still normal humans! Qianye and many other rookies all thought so. Captain! They dont look like blood thralls! a rookie finally shouted. The Red Scorpion squad leader replied coldly, There are a few blood thralls in there while the rest are unconfirmed. They might be infected and they might not be infected. The standard procedure would be to throw all of them into the black mines and have them mine until they die! We dont have that much time and there arent any new special black mines recently. Killing them is the best option. Understand, rookie? The rookie shook his head forcefully as he pointed at the normal humans, shouting, They dont have a single injury on them! How could they be blood thralls! The Red Scorpion squad leader replied, Not only can the venom infect through blood, as long as there has been contact, there is a chance of infection. Even though its just a small chance, we still cant take the risk. Without regulations, given enough time, a single blood thrall is enough to take over an entire city! I wont and cant take responsibility for this, much less you! Alright, the consequences of doubting me in public are ten days of confinement, and temporary suspension of membership qualifications until youve killed a hundred blood thralls! That rookies face instantly paled. This punishment was equivalent to expulsion from the Red Scorpion Corps. Even if he were to join again, it would be hard for anyone to value him. The positions in the Red Scorpions were fixed and precious. Once his position was available, there would be countless families aiming for this position. The Red Scorpion squad leaders gaze swept across the present rookies and sternly bellowed, Rookies! This is war! A war that has been going on for several thousand of years! There is only kill or be killed between us and the dark race mongrels. Any sort of compromise would be equal to betrayal! Therefore, throw away those laughable feelings of sympathy and follow your orders. Kill every enemy you see. This is the rule of the imperial army! Now, rookies, raise your guns and shoot! Every single rookies gun was spurting fire, and Qianye also instinctively squeezed his trigger. His muscles were tense, thanks to the recoil of his gunpowder automated rifle causing his hand to move as bullets spewed from the guns mouth, ripping apart the people in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the magazine of eighty bullets was emptied. Replacing the magazine, Qianye continued shooting. After each rookie had emptied two magazines, there was no one left standing in the plaza. Once the gunshots had stopped for a while, the division commander of the local army sprinted over. Looking at the sight in the plaza, the muscles on his face twitched as beads of sweat rolled down. Moving over to the Red Scorpion squad leader, he softly asked the next line of action. Theres still people hiding in the city, your underlings seem to have closed one eye toward them. The words of the Red Scorpion squad leader instantly caused the division commander to break out in cold sweat as he hurriedly spoke, Give me another twenty minutes, no! Ten minutes! I will dig out every last one here! I guarantee it! The Red Scorpion squad leader glanced at the fresh blood flowing on the floor before shaking his head, No need. The entire city has already been infected and is not fit for human habitation anymore. Therefore, Ill destroy it. Des destroy? The division commander was stunned. It wasnt a big city. Despite that it was still a sizable fortune, and it was going to be destroyed just like that? The Red Scorpion squad leader nodded and spoke slowly, Thats right, destroy! This is the consequence of associating with vampires. The division commander continued to sweat as he nodded nonstop, Yes, I understand! Destroy, destroy immediately! With a roar of the engine, the personal carrier slowly left the battlefield. Qianye turned back to look and saw fire everywhere with explosions ringing in his ears. The small city was already a sea of fire, and a little later, it would become ruins and history. Such an act of destroying cities was not rare in the Empire. Someone patted Qianye on the back. When he turned around, he saw the veteran sitting beside him. Chapter 27: The Empire’s Twin Paragons Chapter 27: The Empires Twin Paragons Ive seen such things many times before. The first time I attended class, I performed even worse than you. Back then, I even vomited, and was mocked because of that for a long time, spoke the veteran. Qianye could feel the veterans good will and that he truly cared, as he smiled somewhat feebly. The veteran pointed at the massive flame, and spoke in a heavy tone, No one is to blame for this. Everyone died only because of the vampires. Did you know that I personally had to shoot my older brother through the heart? All because he was bitten by a bloodsucker! I vowed that from that day on, I would never retire before killing off all the wretched black-blood bastards in this world! Even if I am to die of old age, I will die of old age on the battlefield! The inside of the personnel carrier was silent. All the rookies were overwhelmed by the story, while it also evoked the old memories of many veterans. Every single one of them had a story to tell regarding blood thralls. The burning city slowly vanished beyond the horizon, and yet, the raging flames remained inside Qianyes heart. After returning to the base, Qianye received a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. The bad news was that Lin Xitang had just passed the Qin Continent two days ago, making a detour to the imperial capital to report his duties. When his vice officer was making contact with the Red Scorpions headquarters, Qianye was already on the battlefield. The good news was that Qianye received his first family letter, if a letter from Wei Potian could even be counted as one. The envelope was made of dowling paper, while the stencils were actually pressed, thin strings of dark gold. Looking at it carefully, one could tell that it was the design of a headless, winged angel. Nan Batian snorted out of his nose when he saw it. Those bunch of cunts, their things are just utterly superficial. From the envelope, Qianye poured a silver-made, empty bullet, his expression instantly becoming somewhat ambiguous. He only found out that this thing was personally made by Wei Potian after opening the letter inside. To be more precise, the shell itself was manufactured; the array inside it, used to compress origin power, however, was the first work Wei Potian had successfully engraved, and he immediately used it to show off. These days, Wei Potian didnt fritter away his time either, working at Broken Winged Angel. He had broken through to become a rank three Fighter. Furthermore, due to possessing secret family arts, he very quickly grasped the ability of origin engraving, and could make physical origin bullets with his own hands now. In the letter, Wei Potian did not forget to send out challenges, but he was also vexed about how to repay his debt, three times no less! Qianye scruffed the letter and envelope into a ball and tossed it into the trashcan. He threw the shell high up into the air, silver light streaking across the sky, and with a parabolic trajectory, it landed back in his hand. There was still half a year until the militarys great competition. Over the next few months, Qianye continuously applied for missions, rushing about on various battlefields at almost all times. He rose up like a comet, and his style on the battlefield was renowned for being extremely cool-headed and merciless as he slaughtered his enemies. The dark races forces who were felled by Qianye quickly increased, and his accomplishments in battle also soared until he finally reached the top, overwhelming countless brilliant prodigies in the Red Scorpion rookies, as well as the various youths of aristocratic families! Qianye seemed to be a born warrior, while also an assassin. He performed amazingly in group coordinated battles, but would become even more dangerous when going at it alone. He could find things to exploit in almost any environment, constantly giving him the edge in battle. After Qianye single-handedly killed a vampire warrior equivalent to a fourth rank Fighter, the part of his battle instinct that inclined toward being an assassin seemed to have awakened. From then on, wherever Qianye appeared, the dark race warriors casualty rate would soar. Regarding this change in Qianyes behavior, Nan Batian felt both joy and worry. He had no choice but to order Qianye to go on less missions. It was because Qianye wasnt seventeen yet; he still had broader future prospects. At this stage, Nan Batian believed that Qianye needed more time to cultivate origin power and that was the correct path to becoming the strongest. With regard to the orders of Tiger Scorpions battalion commander, naturally, Qianye obeyed without question. Just like that, within this circle of newbies and rookies, Qianyes name began to spread. It was said that he had already drew the attention of a few vice corps commanders. In the eyes of many, Qianye was like a newly born star that was slowly rising and, in the future, would definitely blossom with splendid light throughout the Empires military world. His name had already been put on observation lists of some grand aristocratic families. Some families had even discussed about whether or not they should put him in their scope of solicitation. A magnificent path was currently being laid out before Qianye! The only regret Qianye had in his heart was that he wasnt able to meet with Lin Xitang even now. During the numerous missions, Qianye slowly familiarized himself with the military that used to only exist in the form of information to him; only then did he slowly and seriously realize the weight behind that spoken name Marshal Lin. Lin Xitangs family background was not very outstanding. The Lin House had been in the army for generations, but most were mid to low ranking officers. Even his fathers generation was merely a hereditary viscount. Under the Empires feudal nobility system of Duke-Marquis-Count-Viscount-Baron, they merely brushed the outer circle of societys upper echelons. The help that such a family gave to Lin Xitang was no more than a starting foundation. After taking off, he had been on his own. In nearly thirty years of army life, Lin Xitang had fought several hundreds of battles of various scales and had only rarely met defeat. Even when faced against the strongest dark races, his losses were so flawless that even the Ministry of Military Affairs could not find any way to nitpick. However, not only did Lin Xitang possess talent in the field of military affairs, he was even more talented in handling regional government and political affairs. At the same time, because he cultivated the Art of Heavens Mystery, he also unearthed countless talents for the Empire. All in all, Lin Xitang could even be considered as an all-around talent. Just like that, by amassing merit and achievements, he was promoted to Marshal after just reaching the age of forty, becoming the youngest of the Empires ten marshals. Joining names with Zhang Boqian, who was of the same age, they became known as the Empires Twin Paragons! Zhang Boqian, however, was another type of person. He and Lin Xitang were of two extremes in almost every aspect. Zhang Boqian was born from a true grand household. His forefather accompanied the Founding Emperor in erecting the country, and had been bestowed the title of Duke of Green Sun. Now, the Zhang House sat steady in the top position of the Empires four grand households. The Green Sun Zhang House had four branches, and the patriarch of each family was a hereditary duke. The entire clan was accomplished in both scholar and martial fields, and their grandeur was second to none but the imperial family. Zhang Boqian was a once in a blue moon prodigy in terms of military campaigns. Even Lin Xitang had no way to match him in this aspect. At the same time, Zhang Boqian himself was also one of the numerable powerful experts of the empire, his martial arts unparalleled in the world. This mans style was bloodthirsty and ruthless, not matching with his name at all. Even the dark races trembled at the amount of blood he had stained his hands with. However, Zhang Boqian was a complete wreck at politics and governmental affairs. He hated trouble the most, and his way to solve trouble was to kill. He often spoke this line, If all the troublesome people were killed, wouldnt there no longer be any trouble? Even though Qianye found out about Lin Xitangs celebrated figure, the most distinct impression in Qianyes heart was still that large, warm, and firm hand. However, Lin Xitang had been pinned down at the Western Frontier from start to finish. It was said that the rebel armys actions were quite hefty this time, and to peoples surprise, it was difficult to make any progress even after he went to personally take command. Moreover, rumor had it that several generals of the Empires Ministry of Military Affairs had begun to stir, wanting to replace Lin Xitang themselves. Lin Xitang had already been called back to the imperial capital twice to debrief his duties. Both times the situation was turned around, but no one knew how the next time would play out. The most recent news that Qianye had heard was that Northwest General Zhao Weihuang had already begun mobilizing his Fire Beacon Corps which shook the Western Continent with its fame. Qianye was faintly worried for Lin Xitang, but he was also curious as to just how those rebels were likely to actually be able to go against the Empire for several hundred years. Only after he joined Red Scorpion did he thoroughly realize just what kind of monstrous existence the Empire was! With Red Scorpions might, to ones surprise, even forcing itself into the top three of the rankings was somewhat troublesome. Following this thought, it could be seen just how monumental the entire Empires military might was! Perhaps the god of destiny had always been looking at Qianye; right after he became curious, a small mission fell upon Qianye. It was indeed a small mission. Red Scorpion only mobilized five black scorpion-ranked veterans plus the rookie Qianye, not even enlisting the militia. Because it was not an intercontinental mission, the one responsible for this domestic flight was once again that bald captain. Before the airships departure, the bald captain and the tentative squad leader responsible for conducting the operation verified the missions details. The bald captains chubby face instantly darkened as he spoke coldly, Those old farts always do shit like this! Rebels? Who are they trying to fool? The tentative squad leader shrugged. What can we do? Since the other sides background was substantial to the point of mobilizing us, theres no longer any margins of change regarding this matter. Its an errand regardless, lets just go and return as fast as possible! The bald captain suddenly raised his head and glanced toward Qianye, grumbling, A rookie will grow up one day, its not a bad idea to let him participate! He needs to clearly see for himself the truth behind whats bright and tidy. Qianye became somewhat befuddled by their conversation, and he couldnt help but feel even more curious about the missions contents. This was probably not a simple mission. The airship took off to the skies, and same as always, they flew with the style of a wild horse off the leash. However, it was only natural that Qianye wouldnt vomit as he did before. Like the other veterans, he peacefully sat on a chair and rested his mind. Later on, he even let out the faint noise of being soundly asleep. To preserve and rest ones spirit as much as possible before battle was common sense that every single Red Scorpion soldier knew. This flight lasted three days, and when they finally arrived at the mission site, it was night time. This place was a border province of the Qin Continent, an extremely desolate location. However, this province contained several large aristocratic familys territories, and not even half of the land was directly subordinate to the Empire. The political situation of the province was incomparably complex. There was a small town in the mountainous zone. Because it was located right beside a gem mine, most of the townsfolk were miners. The mission this time was near this small town; it was said that a rebel army had assaulted this place and caused extremely severe casualties. The rebel army was extremely shrewd. They hid deep inside the mountains where there were hardly any traces of human activity, even kidnapping the fiancee of a local viscount. This lord was helpless against the rebel army, and only then did they present themselves to the Empire, which mobilized a small Red Scorpion squad to resolve the matter. The airship flew to the airspace above the town and slowly descended, then came to a halt at around thirty meters off the ground. The veterans opened the cabin door and straightforwardly leaped down, falling several dozen meters, and landed steadily. Meanwhile, Qianye held onto a cable and plummeted down. At around ten meters from the ground, he pulled the cable rope with force, stopped the downward momentum, and then landed after letting go. Over a thousand private soldiers were already garrisoned inside the town. A military officer galloped over on a horse while whipping it and couldnt help but become baffled for a bit when he saw the landed Red Scorpion soldiers. Thats everyone? The squad leader frowned as he spoke coldly, No matter how great the number, trash will always remain trash! The officer was very young, seemingly not much older than twenty, his face full of arrogance. The Red Scorpion squad leaders words immediately made the officer fly into a rage, shouting, Who are you calling trash? Do you know who I am? A mere soldier actually fucking dares to hoot around here! As he spoke, the officer actually swung the horse whip straight at the squad leaders head! Qianye unholstered his gunpowder-based automatic rifle without uttering a sound, unlocking the safety. He didnt pay the officer any heed, and focused his attention on the nobles private military. Including the baldy, only seven people came from Red Scorpion. If they clashed with the local private military of over a thousand strong, killing them all would prove to be quite troublesome. OverTheRanbow: Zhang Boqians name has the meaning of humbleness Chapter 28 - Death Quota [Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight] The Red Scorpion squad leader caught the horse whip in one motion. With a light tug, that young officer was already dragged down from the horse, heavily smashing into the ground. The few close guards of the young officer were shocked as they pulled out their guns in a fuss, and from what it looked like, they were actually about to shoot. Bang bang bang! The sounds of gunfire echoed, the tempo of each shot clear and distinct. Such clean and efficient burst fire naturally couldnt have come from the hands of these private military men who hadnt ignited even a single origin node. Before Qianye even acted, a veteran had already pulled the trigger. One shot for each person. He shot all of the five reckless guards dead. You lot wish to rebel? The squad leader coolly swept his gaze through the private army who were gathering from all directions. Those private soldiers looked at each other in dismay, yet their hands didnt stop loading their guns. There was actually some hint of a desire to attack in their eyes, making Qianye very much puzzled by it. Someone who could use origin power could be considered as creatures of an entirely different world compared to the people who hadnt ignited their origin nodes. This wasnt a difference that a higher quantity of people could make up, just like how a hundred lambs wouldnt be able to kill a lion. The difference between these private military men and Red Scorpion soldiers was even greater than the difference between lambs and lions; where did they get the courage and confidence to challenge the Red Scorpion Corps? Could it be that this mission was actually a trap? Qianye seemed to have realized something as he immediately pulled out the origin rifle from his back and begun to charge it with origin power, instantly forming an origin bullet within the gun barrel. Against strong experts behind the scenes, only an origin gun would have any threat. The young man on the ground almost fainted from getting the air smashed out of his lungs. Recuperating with difficulty, he let out a blood-curdling scream the moment he raised his head. He stared with his eyes wide open as the Red Scorpion squad leader expressionlessly lowered the guns muzzle at him, pulling the trigger. Gunshots roared as all four limbs of the young man were shot, blacking out on the spot. Only now did a middle-aged man run out of the crowd as he wiped his forehead full of sweat with a terrified expression on his face. Repeatedly brown-nosing and bowing, he said, Im the mayor in charge of this small town, also the former butler of my respected lord. Milord had instructed me to come here to greet your lordships, and also to report some information to your lordships. The squad leader sized him up from head to toe and then said, Speak! The middle-aged man smiled flatteringly as he took out a portrait from his pocket. Passing it over, he said, This woman is milords fiancee, she was kidnapped by the rebels. We ask your lordships to please bring her back, by any means, not harming her as much as possible. Milord said that other than the already paid military expenditure, he has also prepared a generous number of gifts as thanks! The squad leader took the portrait and looked at it. It was an incredibly distinct portrait sketch of an extremely beautiful girl. Her two eyes naturally carried a faint charm, awfully captivating and mesmerizing. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen, yet the clothes she wore were ordinary, similar of the local commoners style. The squad leader passed the portrait around for everyone to see, then put it away in his own pocket. He then spoke to that middle-aged man, I got it. Do you have any last words? The middle-aged man was greatly appalled as he cried out involuntarily, Wh-what last words! My lordship, might you be jesting? The squad leader spoke coolly, I never jest! I dont know who this young man is, and dont know what grievances there are between you people either, for you to want to borrow the hands of our Red Scorpion Corps to eliminate him. I have not the slightest interest in the politics between you nobles, but since you people wish to exploit the Red Scorpion, then you have to pay the corresponding price! Getting rid of you is merely a warning to that master of yours. The blade called Red Scorpion is too sharp, its not something he can afford to play with! Overstepping his bounds, he should be careful that he doesnt get his own head sliced off! The squad leader pulled out his pistol right after his words fell and, without any pause, aimed at the middle-aged mans forehead and pulled the trigger! A bloody hole instantly appeared between that middle-aged mans eyebrows. With a shocked face, he slowly fell down. Qianye knitted his brows as he asked a veteran beside him in a low voice, Is this okay? The veteran spoke, not giving a damn, Its fine! Weve got a death quota for every operation! Death quota? It was actually the first time Qianye had heard of this phrase. Which is to say when we mobilize, we can accidentally harm some locals. To be precise, nobles, the veteran explained. Qianye took in a deep breath, not knowing how to react for a moment. At this time, the private militarys imposing manner had completely vanished. Some even began to slowly retreat. Soon after, a few officers who were originally hidden in the crowd began to shout out orders, maintaining the ranks. The squad leader sneered at them, Red Scorpion will do this mission alone, theres no need for your cooperation. I dont want to get shot in the back when the time comes. The officers in the crowd remained silent. Whoever dared to open their mouth would be courting death. The Red Scorpion squad very quickly disappeared into the vast mountainous forest. The tracks that the rebels left behind were abnormally obvious, so even rookies like Qianye wouldnt lose them. Just like that, the Red Scorpion squad directly pounced upon the rebels base, trapping all of the rebels inside the camp. The rebels camp was established on top of a mountain peak, with three sides surrounded by cliffs and only one side had a path for entrance and exit. This place was extremely well hidden. Short shrubs and wild grass as high as ones chest covered the natural path. If not for someone who had gone through recently and didnt understand how to erase their tracks, it wouldve indeed been very hard to find. However, the shortcomings of this kind of topology were also very obvious, which was that no one could escape once the path was blocked by Red Scorpion. There were about over a hundred people in the camp, and all of them rushed out after hearing the noise. However, when they saw the Red Scorpion soldiers who slowly pressed closer, their faces were instantly full of despair. So this is the rebel army? When seeing these people, Qianye couldnt help feeling skeptical. Out of these hundred-odd people, half were the elderly, frail, women, and children. Their clothes tattered, every one of them was thin to the point that their bones were visible. Most of the weapons they carried were primitive gunpowder firearms, even to the extent of using cast-iron blades and swords. Before seeing them, Qianye had always thought that iron was only used to cast everyday utility tools. He thought that the metal used to forge weapons should at least be made of copper alloy. Qianye noticed three warriors who had ignited their origin nodes, but all of them only had ignited one node. One couldnt even find a single origin gun in the entire encampment. Could such a rank of troops really be the rebels? Those rebel armies that could tenaciously hinder Lin Xitang in the Western Frontier to the extent of being unable to resolve the situation? To say that this was a camp of refugees would be more fitting. Nonetheless, the squad leader seemed to have already anticipated that this was the case. Stepping forward, he took the portrait out of his pocket and waved, Where is this woman? It would be best if you came out on your own! Its me! What are you going to do? A young woman squeezed herself out of the crowd as she stared at the squad leader in anger. The squad leader took out his notes and read the mission instructions, Mn, your father was the owner of the mine here, and it is said that he secretly supported a rank of rebel troops financially. Also, according to the lord here, you are his fiancee? The girl was furious as she shouted, Hes talking bull! Theres nothing between him and me. Only that I was accidentally seen by him, and he forced me to follow him! I wasnt willing, so he caused the death of my father and my real fiance, and then said that our family were rebels! Since my great-grandfathers times, our family has served in the Empires military, and our kinsmen sacrificed themselves on the battlefield in every generation. Could it be that we displayed absolute loyalty and dedication to the Empire only just to end up like this? The squad leader was expressionless, as he spoke in an indifferent manner, Perhaps the truth is really as you speak, and perhaps not. However, since we are already here, you should already know that the nature and outcome of this matter cannot be changed. Dont tell me that a mere viscount can already single-handedly blind the truth in the Empire? the girl shouted with grief and indignation. The squad leader was still calm, the words he spoke were incomparably grim, At least on this sole issue, yes. Despair emerged on the girls face. She slowly calmed down, and asked, Then what would you like to do now, kill us all? For the first time, the squad leader fell into deep thought. His gaze swept through the people in the camp; the elderly, women, and children were clearly the servants and residents under the girls family. He thought for a bit, then said, According to the missions requirements, you should come back with me, but I personally do not suggest you do so. Of course, if you are able to endure and persevere, and feel that there might be a chance to gain vengeance and reversing the outcome, you can also try that. The girl naturally knew what would happen to her if she went back with the squad leader. Hence, she spoke without hesitation, I wont let that pig touch a finger of mine even if I die! The squad leader nodded as he tossed over a finger-sized bottle. Very well, then end your own life. Drink this, you will die without feeling any pain. He also pointed at the two others who had ignited their origin nodes, You must die too. As for the others here, Ill regard it as I saw nothing. After a moment, three corpses were set before Qianye. Carry them, lets go. Missions complete! the squad leader spoke. Qianye threw one of the corpses on his shoulder and followed the squad in silence, returning along the path they came. The mission this time was completed with exceptional ease, so much so that there wasnt even a real battle. However, the mood in the crew was very solemn, including the squad leader. No veterans were talking either. After returning to the town and passing the three corpses to the local private military, Red Scorpions airship took off into the air, returning to headquarters. On the airship, Qianye looked to the skies outside through the ships window. It was unknown what he was thinking. The bald captain also seemed to have lost his vigor. Scorpion Tail was flying with incredible stability as though it was an entirely different airship. At this time, the squad leader who was sitting on the side suddenly spoke, Rookie, did you see? This is the reality. That was all we could do. You will understand in the future that politics arent the domain for the likes of us. As soldiers, we are nothing more than a blade in the Empires hands. Wherever we are told to pierce, there we will stab. As for whether its right or wrong, that is not something we should care about. Qianye let out a long breath of air, but his mood was still downcast. The so-called politics really wasnt a domain that could be solved with weapons and force. Even in this insignificant corner of the Empires border, Qianye was able to experience the muddiness of politics. That man far away at the Western Frontier who was quelling the entire game board by himself, just how much heavier was his burden? After returning to the Red Scorpion, Qianye immediately applied for missions. Only in face-to-face confrontations against the dark races was Qianye able to find the worth of his own existence. Compared to something like politics, battling and slaughtering the dark races were much simpler. However, the application this time was delayed by an entire week before he received a response. Qianye was transferred to participate in an important mission. This was an important mission labeled first class inside Red Scorpion. In one of the cities of the Empires Western Frontier, a secret base of dark races was discovered. Because of that, the Red Scorpions deployment was a rare luxury; Colonel Wei Lishi personally lead the troops, mobilizing the entire thirty Red Scorpions and two hundred Black Scorpions, while Qianye was the only rookie in the ranks. This arrangement wasnt unusual by any means. As the number one within the rookies, Qianyes military accomplishments could already prevail against many Black Scorpion ranked veterans. The mission site was right next to the two provinces that Lin Xitang was overseeing. Qianye had already heard the rumors that some rebels were colluding in secret with dark races. This mission could perhaps indirectly provide assistance to Lin Xitang.Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 29: Trap Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 29: Trap Over two hundred soldiers separately rode two large interplanetary airships as they headed for the mission site. It had been a while since Qianye felt the minor excitement of heading to battle. One could already tell its level of difficulty by just looking at the supplies distributed for the mission. It was said that there would be more than one Champion ranked expert in that base! Regarding just physical origin bullets, they had already issued ten per person. Moreover, they werent made of ordinary silver; they were made of mithril specially treated with Daybreak origin power. Whether it be daggers or bayonets, they were all switched to special weapons that were plated with a layer of mithril. These were all genuine, high-grade goods! At the same time, all of the warriors in the expedition changed into the specially made Red Scorpion battle armor. The insides of these sets of armor were inscribed with special origin arrays, and would form an origin power barrier when activated with origin power. Over a short period of time, the barrier would massively decrease the effectiveness of incoming dark origin power. Usually, this kind of armor was only distributed to officers who at least possessed the rank of Red Scorpion, but every mobilized warrior received one this time around, even Qianye. The airship would fly for five days straight before finally arriving at the Western Frontier. After the airship took off, Wei Lishis voice immediately echoed out in the personnel cabins via copper pipes, The mission this time was personally signed and issued by Marshal Lin Xitang. The fact that the dark race base was precisely a stronghold supporting the rebels has already been confirmed. Our mission is to destroy the base at all costs, without letting even a single warrior of the dark races escape! All of the warriors involuntarily held their breaths! To them, Lin Xitang was too powerful of a name; his life itself was already a lengthy legend! Yet to Red Scorpion, his existence had even more of a special significance. It was because of a large, decisive battle between the Empire and the dark races ten years ago. Red Scorpion was one of the main corps on the battlefront. However, they were met with an unprecedented and utter defeat. The Empires reinforcements were held up in the void by a rarely seen astronomical phenomenon, the Chaotic Streams of Light, which appeared only once every hundred years. Yet the North Prefecture Corps led by Lin Xitang circumvented the starpath of death, and miraculously appeared at the battlefields strategic site, unwaveringly withstanding the assault of the dark races main army which allowed the Empires main army of over one hundred thousand strong to swiftly escape without issue. If not for the miraculous appearance of Lin Xitang on that campaign, the name Red Scorpion Corps might have already been erased from the Empires army list. Unexpectedly, the mission this time was actually personally signed for by the very same Lin Xitang. It was an unparalleled honor to every single Red Scorpion warrior who could participate in the mission! Wei Lishis voice turned downcast, I believe that you too understand how difficult the mission is this time. Including me, everyone should be prepared to die in battle. Red Scorpion fears nothing. For the Empire! For Marshal Lin! None of the warriors acted overly impassioned and merely repeated in deep voices while wearing solemn expressions, Red Scorpion fears nothing. For the Empire! For Marshal Lin! The two interplanetary airships flew several tens of thousands of kilometers across the vast mountains and lands, and finally arrived at the Empires Western Frontier. When they appeared outside the target city, it was already late into the night. Nighttime was when the dark races were most active, and normally, humans would avoid fighting against them, but in this mission, the timing of the surprise assault was chosen to happen during the deepest time of the night, when the power of the dark races was at its strongest. Precisely because no one would expect the Empire to launch a surprise attack with this kind of timing, the element of surprise could be achieved. This was the reason why Red Scorpion was chosen. It was because among the five great elite corps of the empire, Red Scorpion was most adept at nocturnal battles. The airship flew to the airspace above the city, and one after another, the Red Scorpion warriors directly leapt off, landing inside the city. They autonomously split into a dozen squads, scouting and moving forward separately. The night was deep as a round full moon hung upon the curtains of the sky, pouring its dismal, pale gray moonlight onto the ground below. The city was silent without light nor people, as though it was a dead city without a soul in sight. Qianye walked down the street, looking at the surroundings with great caution. Yet, the restlessness in his heart only grew increasingly stronger. According to the Empires information network, everything was operating normally inside this city, since it even maintained ordinary dealings with the surrounding cities. However, when personally here, inside the city, even a true rookie could tell that there was definitely something abnormal about this place. No human-dwelling city would be so deathly still. Moreover, this city was too clean, as though someone were cleaning it every single day. There was no trash nor dust on the streets. It was clean to the point that it simply seemed that there was no one living here. On the empty street, the sound of Qianyes footsteps echoed incessantly, and to his surprise, the echoes werent dying down in the least. Qianye slightly knitted his brows as he slowed his steps. As a result, the sound of footsteps disappeared. However, the other veterans on the same squad didnt mind the sound at all, their pace still steady and solid. By now, all of the warriors knew that the dark races must have already noticed them, and that wanting to attack by surprise was already meaningless, but an entire thirty Red Scorpion ranked soldiers were mobilized this time. Moreover, they were led by Colonel Wei Lishi. That was already enough to fight without reserve, even if they were to confront the dark races directly. Qianye became more nervous as time progressed. He lightly pulled the bolt of the gun, pressing a mithril bullet into the chamber. This mithril bullet could send a dark race warrior below rank four straight into heaven with one shot. Qianye no longer intended to hold back. He planned on giving the dark races a lightning-fast strike the moment he saw them! The streets were still deathly silent. Unwittingly, mist had begun to form, and the entire city was shrouded by a hazy fog in the blink of an eye. Through the dense fog, it seemed as though all of the buildings had become alive, twisting their bodies and maliciously staring at the few hundred Scorpions invading their territory. As Qianye passed by an intersection, he suddenly felt as if something was moving in the alleyway. Immediately retreating two steps, he looked once again toward the alleyway. This glance caused Qianyes eyes to instantly open wide! It was not known when the dense and crowded black shadows had appeared in the alley, because those shadows were currently walking toward them without a sound! Dark races! Qianye shouted loudly while pulling the trigger at the same time without hesitation. A large chunk of origin power inside his body instantly vanished, while the mithril bullet shot into the alley carrying a blinding white light! In an instant, the entire alleyway was lit up by a radiance of silver. This kind of silver light was very damaging to the dark races, especially the dark races with strong night vision. If they accidentally looked straight at the silver light, it might even instantly burn their eyes out! The silver light poured down, and a wave of blood-curdling screeches immediately sounded out in the alley. Countless dark races crouched down, covering their faces in pain. The frontmost shadow was directly blasted away by the mithril bullet as its body abruptly ignited with light-silver origin power flames! This type of silver flame was extremely tenacious, and would violently burn the moment it touched any darkness origin power. In the blink of an eye, the silver flames had already spread to over a dozen black silhouettes, enveloping all of them in a scorching infernal. The accomplishment of this shot was unbelievably bountiful, but Qianyes hair was almost standing straight up on his scalp. There were too many, far too many of the dark races! The dense crowd squeezed inside the entire alleyway were all warriors of the dark races. Moreover, there were still countless silhouettes at the end of the alley. It was simply impossible to tell just how many enemies there were! Qianye yelled loudly, quickly retreating and gaining distance while, at the same time, he pressed another mithril bullet into the chamber. As expected, several strokes of shadows suddenly flew out from the alley and pounced at Qianye like lightning! These were the true dark race warriors; those that were squeezing along in the dense crowd were merely cannon fodder used for impediment and exhausting ammunition. Qianye incessantly retreated at a quick pace, then suddenly came to a halt, raising his gun and firing it at the same time. Silver light sprayed out from the muzzle as a dark race warrior who was pouncing over in midair instantly was blasted away, flying backward as he screeched miserably from being burned, having already been enveloped by the silver flames before even landing. There was already no time left for Qianye to press the third bullet into the chamber, but there were still two dark race warriors throwing themselves at him! At this time, two consecutive rumbles echoed out from behind Qianye. Silver light flew right past Qianyes body, sending the two dark race warriors flying away. Qianye turned his head around, and saw two veterans signaling with their hands, telling him to go hide in the back with such intensity that it seemed as though their lives depended on it. No matter how prodigal Qianye was, he was still a rookie. The power of a rank two fighter was an incorrigible disadvantage, and could not compared to these Black Scorpion veterans who were rank five or six in the slightest. Only after retreating behind the veterans was Qianye finally able to take a breather. He looked around, and found that everywhere he looked was filled with soaring flames as well as silver tracks of origin bullets streaking across the air. Battle erupted in an instant, and the entire city became a battlefield. The Red Scorpion Corps that had originally believed they brought in superior military strength were instantly submerged by countless dark warriors, being broken up into several dozen positions. Crisis was imminent. Qianye gasped for air with everything he had. Consecutively shooting two rounds of mithril bullet had used up a major portion of his origin power, so right now, he was like a fish that was thrown offshore, his entire lungs feeling as though they were on fire. How could this be! Somethings off here! a voice in Qianyes heart screamed with all his might, but his brain seemed to have stagnated for the moment, rendering him unable to think any deeper about just what it was that seemed off. The battle turned white-hot in the blink of an eye.The light of origin power and fire illuminated the city as though it was daytime. In the city, several dozen indomitable auras soared to the skies like enormous pillars of smoke. Those were genuine, strong beings who possessed powerful darkness origin power. Meanwhile, the Red Scorpion ranked warriors also released their power, clashing head to head with those mighty opponents. In a block faraway, rumbles suddenly echoed out incessantly as buildings collapsed one after another. In an instant, the entire block was leveled! From that direction, Wei Lishis deafening shout sounded out. Light surged on the colonels body as he suddenly soared over a hundred meters high, straight up into the night sky. Four sinisterly shaped silhouettes followed right behind him and pounced up. The two sides began to fiercely battle in midair! Qianye saw enemies everywhere, as far as the eye could reach. From the alleyways to the buildings and from the houses to the roofs, innumerable people whose faces wore the expression of madness rushed out without stop. The complexion of those peoples faces were purple, and aura of darkness encircling their bodies as they threw themselves at the warriors of the Red Scorpion Corps without any regard for their lives. Those were the cannon fodder of dark races, humans who were encroached and assimilated by darkness origin power! True dark race warriors would often hide among the cannon fodder, grasping at opportunities to swiftly strike. The guns of every single Red Scorpion warrior were erupting with flames, splashing out a screen of metal bullets as fast as possible. The cannon fodder was struck down layer by layer, but more cannon fodder would simply flood out from all directions. Their numbers were endless! In a flash, Qianye had already emptied all of his magazines. In this kind of environment, his origin gun had also lost its use. Qianye immediately tossed away his automatic rifle, put the origin gun on his back, and then pulled out the mithril plated dagger and spike bayonet. In the surroundings, many veterans had already begun fighting with the dark races in close combat. A Red Scorpion squad leader shouted loudly, Its a trap! All units retreat, retreat immediately! All Red Scorpion ranked soldiers stay behind and cover the retreat! Chapter 30: Contamination Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 30: Contamination However, everyone was surrounded right now, and there was simply no way out at this moment. Qianye only felt that there were enemies everywhere. It seemed like if he swung out blindly, he would be able to chop down some cannon fodder. After continuously piercing down over a dozen, he was finally caught off guard and was pressed down to the ground by a black shadow who suddenly swooped over. That black shadow bit into Qianyes neck right away, and the sharp pain almost tore apart Qianyes consciousness! A sudden gunshot echoed beside Qianyes ears, while the head of the vampire warrior who pressed Qianyes down exploded into a mist of blood. Right after, a large hand pulled Qianyes up. Are you alright, rookie? This was a Red Scorpion ranked squad leader. I Im fine! Qianye didnt know what he should say. The wound on his neck was still fiercely burning with pain. However, the vampire warriors blood and brain matter covered half of his body, which also concealed the wound on the side of his neck. In the far skies, two airships that floated in the air were also being constantly attacked by several dozens of fluttering black dots as they plummeted toward the ground crumbling and covered in flames. Qianyes heart sunk, but that Red Scorpion dragged Qianye and rushed with big strides toward the exterior of the city without any delay. Perhaps because the strong experts were all concentrated at the inner circle, the obstruction they faced in the outer encirclement was way too light in comparison. They broke through layers upon layers of resistance, only stopping after they had reached the outer perimeter of the city. The Red Scorpion pointed in the direction where the airship crashed down, speaking in a loud voice, There are still escape vessels there! As long as you can get yourself into the escape vessel, youll be able to escape, got it!? Rookie? Understood, sir! Qianye replied with the loudest voice he could muster. The Red Scorpion squad leader patted Qianyes shoulder in satisfaction, Excellent! Now go rookie, Ill cover you! But The Red Scorpion squad leader interrupted Qianyes words straight away, Escape from this place! This is an order! Live on! This is also an order! Find the culprit behind the scenes, and avenge us! Go rookie, now! Qianyes mind was totally blank as the habit of unconditionally following orders caused him to involuntarily bolt toward the airship crash site. The Red Scorpion squad leader turned around and walked toward the city. From the far end of the avenue before him, countless dark race warriors flooded out from several intersections, converging into a terrifying black tide and dived at him! Before the rolling tide of blackness, the Red Scorpion squad leaders figure appeared insignificantly small. However, his steps were strong and powerful, and stamping a deep footprint on the stone ground with every step, he dashed toward the tidal wave of dark races! The black tide submerged the Red Scorpion squad leader in an instant. Suddenly, it stopped, and actually slowly moved back right afterward! The black tide formed by countless dark warriors were actually being slowly pushed back by the Red Scorpion squad leader alone! A ray of light suddenly shot out from within the black tidal wave, and soon after, more and more rays of light shot out. Those silver pillars of light rocketed toward the skies, and the dark races who were illuminated by the pillars were all screaming in extreme pain. The bodies of some had even begun to melt! Then, an explosion that shook both heaven and earth took place! Several hundred dark race warriors were blasted up into the skies, and the street intersection immediately became devoid of anything, while the silhouette of the Red Scorpion squad leader had forever disappeared. By now, Qianye had already found the escape vessel on the crashed airship and pulled open the cabin door. Those terrifying experts who could strike down airships had already turned back into the cities, engaging in battle. No one noticed that a tiny little rookie had slipped through the net. Before squeezing into the escape vessel, Qianye turned his head around and took a look, just in time to witness that world-shaking explosion! Such a blinding light was as though a star was burning and falling down, to the extent that it scorched Qianyes eyes with pain. That custom made missile was incredibly powerful and was supposed to be used for annihilating the dark races base. Every Red Scorpion squad leader carried one, but no one had expected that they would be utilized this way in the end. This explosion was as though a starting signal; violent explosions began to light up the city without end. Streets and blocks were being destroyed in large tracts; no dark race warriors nearby had any chance of survival. However, the sound of each explosion meant the eternal disappearance of another Red Scorpion ranked soldier. In the entire Red Scorpion Corps, there were only over a hundred Red Scorpions in total. Of those, a whole third of them had already been lost in just this one campaign. Qianye forcefully shut the cabin door, forcing himself not to look at the scenery in the city. Smashing the control panel with his fist, he activated the escape vessel. The escape vessel that was merely five meters in length acutely shook and broke away from the mothership, quickly ascending into the skies before zooming away at full speed! Qianye finally let out a breath of relief, then immediately felt that his entire body was extremely parched and hot, his head also dizzy and faint. Finally, unable to brace himself, he passed out. The inside of the metal cabin was silent, only the faint clicking sound of the machinery running echoed as the cabin flew toward the preset drop off coordinates. Not knowing how long had passed, Qianye finally regained consciousness. He slowly opened his eye, yet he didnt have any conceptual understanding of the scenery in his view. Only after another long period of time did Qianye finally process what he was seeing. He was looking at the night sky. Countless stars were hanging from the curtain of night. An oblique, waning moon suspended in the far horizon, as the desolate moonlight illuminated the earth. Qianye barely moved his head after looking from side to side; he sat up struggling. He now realized that he was currently on a small hill. There were no traces of human or dark race activity. This place was just a primitive mountainous zone. Qianye slowly began to recall the great battle the other day, but he had no memory of the time after starting up the escape vessel and leaving the battlefield. As to whatever happened between then and now, he couldnt remember anything at all. Qianye suddenly felt his body was painfully hot, and his throat was unusually parched as though he hadnt drunk a single drop of water in days. However, it also felt as though ordinary water wouldnt be able to satiate this unfathomable thirst. Qianye looked around him, then suddenly saw the corpse of an elk on the ground not far away. However, the elks body was exceptionally dry, as though all of its blood were sucked dry by a vampire. Bloodsucker! As if an arc of electricity had flashed through Qianyes mind, he immediately raised his hand and felt his neck! Only now did he remember that in the final moments of that battle did a vampire warrior pounce onto him and bit his neck! Qianyes fingers suddenly touched upon two circle shaped wounds. They were very deep, and the surrounding areas were as hot as fire, yet there was no sense of being touched at all when stroked. Even though it wasnt directly seen, Qianye instantly sketched out the wounds shape in his mind! That was a wound left by vampiric fangs! He did not dare to believe this verdict. Hands trembling, he pulled out the army knife on his waist and used the smooth silver-plated surface as a mirror. This time, Qianye saw two deep holes from the mirror. Qianye had seen these kind of wounds too many times in the past. Every single human who had been bitten by vampires would have a similar injury. Qianye suddenly felt weak as all of the strength drained out of his body. He seemed to have heard the crisp sound of something cracking; the world had entirely shattered at this moment of time. He was bitten by a vampire, and his body had been contaminated by the blood of darkness. Not long after, he would become a blood thrall, a blood thrall who only possessed instincts, who forever thirsts for fresh blood and flesh! Qianye could no longer remember how many blood thralls had died under his hands, but he had never thought that he would become a blood thrall one day. Qianye once again confirmed the condition of the wound. This time, even the last wisp of him hoping for a miracle had vanished. He stood up, staggeringly walked up to the elk corpse, and inspected it. This elk died from its blood being sucked dry, but from its wound, it ought to have been bitten by human teeth as there was no trace of vampiric fangs. It was now confirmed. The person who killed this elk was Qianye himself, and then he sucked the elks blood dry under an irrational state. Qianye must have only regained consciousness because of the elks blood replenishment. Qianye let out a sigh, and slowly set the army knife beside his own neck. This was a ceremony of Red Scorpion warriors. Every single Red Scorpion warrior had prepared themselves; once they were bitten by vampires, they would end their life before losing their reason. They wouldnt allow themselves to become the lowly blood thralls controlled by vampires even if they were to die. The silver knife touched the skin of the wound, and a searing pain suddenly erupted. Moreover, the place where it met flesh gave off a wisp of green smoke with a sizzling sound, charring a small part of his skin as well. From this reaction, Qianye understood that the dark blood had already flowed through his entire body, and there was no longer any possibility of turning back into an ordinary human. Qianye closed his eyes and was about to exert force. In just one stroke, his neck would be cut open, ending the fate which was destined to be a tragedy. But before pressing the blade down, a question suddenly flashed in Qianyes mind: Why was he still rational? After being bitten by vampires, some ordinary people would lose their rationality in as short as a dozen or so minutes while others would take up to a day or two, becoming a blood thrall who only possessed bestial instincts. Other than fresh blood and flesh, as well as higher vampires orders, nothing else would enter the blood thralls mind. This process was completely irreversible. Since Qianye had hunted down an elk on instinct under the condition of having lost his reason, then he shouldnt have recovered his rationality by any means. This question was like a ray of sunlight that shone down amid the extreme darkness, bringing a wisp of hope to Qianye who was in the depths of despair. Qianye slowly lowered his army knife. He would never give up easily. As long as the moment of true despair hadnt arrived, he would strive for a chance to live. Qianye didnt understand why he could still keep his consciousness, but as long as he had not lost his reasoning entirely, he would strive his hardest to live for another day. Of course, if he were on the verge of becoming a blood thrall, Qianye would unhesitatingly end his life. Qianye searched the surroundings and saw that the escape vessel had crashed over a kilometer away. He walked to the escape vessel, and found the backup origin gun, a bag of clothing, rations, and water, as well as a flare gun. He held up the flare gun, its muzzle facing toward the skies. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly froze! The flare shot would explode high in the air and discharge a unique origin power fluctuation, which could activate the alarm device of nearby ministry of military branches, thus letting the military grasp the approximate direction of the personnel requesting help to rescue them. But the problem was that when the Empires soldiers arrive, how should Qianye explain his identity? A rookie of Red Scorpion Corps? No, he was no longer a warrior of the Empire. His current identity was a blood thrall! A blood thrall who would be swiftly burned to death at the first moment of discovery! Even if Qianye had accumulated a lot of military achievements and had his sanity, the best treatment he would get would be him being thrown into a black stone mine pit without daylight for the remainder of his years. He would work there for the remainder of his life and trade the ores he dug up for pitifully small portions of food until the day he died and turned into a pile of bones. The blazing flames of that nameless small city back then had caused Qianye to understand; the Empire had no such thing as pity or mercy toward blood thralls at all. Once his identity as a blood thrall was discovered, only a dead end would be waiting for him, no matter what. About reporting to the superiors that this mission was simply a trap, it was completely impossible. How could the big shots of the Empires ministry of military possibly believe a blood thralls words? Also, even if Qianye were still a normal human, how could the culprit behind the scenes who mobilized Red Scorpion using Lin Xitangs personal order and set a trap which wiped out one-third of Red Scorpion Corps backbone, possibly be shaken by a mere rookie? Just like what the Red Scorpion squad leader had said before, regarding certain specific matters, some people and some forces could indeed single-handedly conceal the truth from all! Chapter 31: Falling into Darkness Volume 1 C Between Daybreak and Evernight, Chapter 31: Falling into Darkness But if thats the case, didnt that mean that all those veterans, those Red Scorpion squad leaders who detonated the bombs they carried, and Colonel Wei Lishi who brought him into the Red Scorpion, all died in vain? No! They absolutely cant be allowed to vanish without a trace like this! Qianye tightly gritted his teeth. If he wished to take vengeance for these Red Scorpions, there were only two options available. One was to rise to the upper echelons of the Empire, attain more power than the culprit behind the scenes, then reveal the truth and claim justice for the Red Scorpion soldiers who fell in battle. But Qianye had now become a blood thrall already; he didnt even know if he could make it through the day, and it was not at all possible for him to return to human society. However, there was still another way! Which was to try to survive and think of ways to gain powerful martial might. When he become strong enough, then he would be able to put the names of those culprits on a headhunting list! Qianye hid the important equipment well and walked away from the mountainous region wearing a civilians jacket, carrying only a dagger. He wanted to find human settlements, ask about the situation around here, and see if he could gather any intel on the outside world. The pre-set return flight coordinates of the escape vessel should have been Red Scorpion headquarters, but it might have been affected when the mothership was damaged and broke the star map. Right now the location of the current landing site was unknown. There was no way to tell the precise location just by looking at the surrounding primitive landscape that had not yet been developed. However, a day later, Qianye once again returned to this place. Several gunshot wounds that werent there before had appeared on his body, and one of them was a large stretch of charred residue on his arm. That was the vestige from being scorched by a silver bullet, and even now it was still ceaselessly oozing with yellow colored pus. Stupor and despondency were written all over Qianyes face. When he went to the city to gather information, he ended up smelling the never-experienced-before sweet scent of fresh blood the moment he saw crowds of people. The thirst for blood deep within his body flared up then and there, and Qianye, who was completely unprepared, immediately gave off a dense blood aura. This place was on the border of the Empire, and dark races often roamed about around here. As a result, the city defense troops were also extremely vigilant. A patrolling squad immediately recognized the vampiric aura on Qianye. In an instant, almost everyone in Qianyes line of sight became his enemies. By the time Qianye escaped from the crowd, he was already riddled with wounds. Even though he got away and returned to the mountains by using nighttime as cover, Qianye knew that he couldnt remain in this place. This was indeed the Qin Continent, the land where Red Scorpion headquarters and Yellow Springs Training Camp were situated. However, this was definitely not good news to the current Qianye. A vast majority of the Qin Continent was under the Empires control, only a small portion of the area was still in the hands of dark races. As long as Qianyes identity as a blood thrall was exposed, people wouldnt give him any chance to explain or defend himself at all. Thinking back, Qianye was also like that when he was still at Red Scorpion. The first reaction after seeing a blood thrall would be to immediately shoot it dead. Just like how the Red Scorpion squad leader taught him, no one could bear the consequences of treating it lightly. These grievances accumulated between the two races over a thousand years of war. Now, only differences in standpoints were left, and it was no longer the question of right or wrong. Qianye slowly slid down with his back against a tree, sitting down. His brain was completely blank. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain from the side of his ribs, as though it was licked by the tongue of a blazing fire. Qianye jumped up, and a small object fell out of his inner clothing, tumbling down to the ground. A glint of silver light flickered. It was an empty bullet shell made of silver. He had forgotten long ago when he had tossed it into his pocket, carrying it till now. Only after it touched Qianyes skin through the damaged part of the clothing was he reminded of its existence. The craftsmanship of this little piece of work was actually very crude. The factory polished outer shell could still pass, but the origin array inside had many deficiencies and could only reach fifty percent energy compression efficacy. But it was precisely a mere silver bullet like this that gave Qianye searing pain when making contact with his body, reminding him of his current plight in such a fashion. Qianyes army boots suddenly stomped onto it, as he twisted his heels with force, deeply screwing it into the ground. Then he kicked up soil from the surroundings, flattening this small hole. Soon after, it had became indiscernible. Qianye stood in silence for a while, taking one last look at the scenery of the mountains and land. Picking up his backpack, wrapping himself in a cloak, and pulling down the hood, he quietly left this mountainous region. At this moment in time, a province in the Empires middle layer continent had just bade farewell to several days of rainy weather. The afternoons cloudy sky opened up a small crevice, as the light of the sun poured down. The waves on the rivers surface gleamed in the sunlight while the wind chimes hanging from a waterside balcony jingled with sound. The chimes resembled a one-legged mystical bird that stood straight like a crane; it was the clan insignia of the Highland Song family, which stood in the last place of the Empires four Grand Households. All the buildings in this area were built with wood and stone. The faint glimmer reflected by the high terraces, pavilions, upturned eaves, and glazed glass flowed as though it was blending into one with the jade colored water surface. Everything was filled with the nostalgic presence of bygone eras, entirely different from the architectural style of Empires major city buildings which consisted of limestone and metal. The classical style was prevalent in the upper echelons of the Empire, while the enormous resources they possessed were also sufficient enough to keep these delicate, fine, and seemingly frail facilities in operation. On the waterside, attached to the balcony was a spacious study room. There werent too many furnishings, and a desk was placed below the wide window. There, Song Zining sat upright; in front of him was a stack of documents that had already been processed. Only an unimportant postal newspaper of the Empire remained. It was simply impossible to tell from Song Zinings calm and gentle expression that the visitor he was waiting for was already late by five minutes. In his daily schedule, the time allotted for every assignment and business were timed in blocks of fifteen minutes, keeping the habit developed in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Song Zining glanced at the newspaper before him and finally flipped it open in slight boredom. He normally would never waste time reading something like this that almost everyone had a piece in hand. A name jumped into his view, Lin Qianye. Song Zining paused for a few seconds, then flipped back to the front page as the paper produced a light whooshing sound. There was a newsletter hidden in the inconspicuous corner; Red Scorpion Corps suffered defeat in a mission, losing one-third of their Red Scorpion ranked soldiers. While the inner page was the list of casualties, Lin Qianyes name was also shockingly on the list. At that moment, knocking sounds came from the door to the room, as the house servant outside announced the guests name in a small voice. Song Zining quietly folded the newspaper, putting it on top of the pile of finished documents. He then stood up, revealing a smile that was impossible to nitpick at in terms of etiquette at the visiting madame. Meanwhile, in Broken Winged Angels headquarters, Wei Potian was currently sleeping soundly on the dorm bed, his posture like a spread out octopus. The past seven days of special concentrated drilling had tormented him a great deal. But all that toil had value; he successfully rose above others in this round of new recruits and obtained the privilege to fight for the Broken Winged Angel in the great military competition. As to the second letter he had mailed out before his confined training, it was silently waiting inside the return mail box at Red Scorpion headquarters. This letter that no longer had a recipient would be sent out together with the next batch of official documents, traverse through three continents and return to the senders hands. A day later, in a remote corner of the Qin Continent, a team of the Empires soldiers discovered the crashed vessel and also discovered the place where Qianye had woken up. The leading officer possessed keen eyes, as unswerving tenacity was written all over his weather-beaten face. He surveyed the scene closely, and only spoke after an hour had passed, He is still sane. This isnt a blood thrall, but a newly born vampire. Though his tracks are lost now. A newborn vampire isnt really that big of a deal, right? said another officer.. True that. Lets report this matter to our superiors, our mission ends here. This airship belongs to the Military. I certainly dont want to stick my nose into the Militarys business. The other officers also expressed their approval one after another. The Empires Ministry of Military Affairs was an incomparably massive beast of war. The number of factions under it were like the number of trees in a forest, the relationships between them tangled and messy. The regional guards and regular army were two entire different systems. Many regular army corps often liked to draft the regional guards as cannon fodder when going to battle. Thus, even though the relations between the two parties wasnt to the point of being unable to co-exist, it wasnt much better than that, either. A crashed escape vessel and an escaped newborn vampire; this couldnt even be considered as a tiny little bubble in the vast ocean called the Empire. No one was willing to bother spending effort on this matter. Thus, in an obscure, tacit coordination, this trivial matter vanished in the Empires enormous bureaucratic body just like that. Several days later, a lonely figure appeared in a zone bordering the Empire and the dark races. He looked ahead and saw a small town emerging from the far horizon. Beside the town, there actually parked an old but considerably large airship. This figure was Qianye. He was able to determine at first glance that this airship was an interplanetary airship that could traverse between continents. Looks like this place was it. This town wasnt annotated on the map, and there was no data about it anywhere in the Empires official records, either. However, it indeed existed. This was a gray zone, the boundary between the Evernight and Daybreak. Within this small town, dark races and humans could coexist together, and the prerequisite was to have enough money and strength to protect themselves. Qianye walked toward the small town in large strides, and a fatty with a massive body blocked him at the towns gate. Little guy, what are you here for? Qianye glanced at the fatty. Even this gatekeeper fatty had the power of a third rank! Qianyes heart quivered as he changed his evaluation of this place, then said, Im looking for Grayfeather. Grayfeather? Thats our boss you know! What do you need from him? The fatty acted slightly more proper. I need a ticket. Where to? The Evernight Continent. Aha! The fatty let out a weird yelp. People who want to go there are all madmen, you know! You couldnt have done something horribly major, right? Alright, you dont need to answer my question, I was just curious. Boss Grayfeather had said before, we should be polite to anyone who wants to go to the Evernight Continent. Though, there really are people willing to buy such an expensive ticket, just to smuggle themselves into that hellish place? The fatty shifted his enormous body as he chattered on, walking toward the towns interior. Qianye followed behind him, entering the town silently. Half a day later, the enormous and ancient airship took off strenuously, and took an entire day before finally managing to exit the continent and enter the void. Qianye sat beside the window, looking at the Empires continent that was slowly becoming distant through the muddled glass. Few days later, a new continent appeared through the ships window. That was the Evernight Continent, the place where Qianye grew up. Evernight; in this abandoned land, all who lived here were creatures entirely forgotten by fate. Qianye chose it to be his homestead. He would continue his battle against destiny here; perhaps he will suppress the dark bloods erosion, or perhaps he would be devoured by the dark blood in the end. No matter the conclusion, the Evernight Continent would be the stage where the curtain fell. The Evernight Continent was indeed a hellish place, but only this place could accommodate a blood thrall who retained his sanity. The world beneath the airship was still a stretch of dull gray without any light from the skies. It was just like Qianyes current frame of mind. He already could no longer choose Daybreak, but neither did he want to succumb to Evernight. He could only live and crawl amid the grayness between Evernight and Daybreak, awaiting the verdict of fate. End of Volume One. Chapter 32: Small Town’s Lighthouse [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Although it had been twelve hundred years since the end of the War of Daybreak, grudges were ever increasing, every minute, every second, everywhere. During the past twelve hundred years, the dark races and humans had never stopped fighting, and bloody conflict was always raging on in every inch of contested land. Although the Evernight Domain was already an abandoned land of the Empire, as the dark races returned, this continent instead became full of battlefields everywhere. Moreover, the situation was incredibly complex. Humans and the dark races were engaged in a struggle to the death. In addition to that, there were still internal conflicts that arose within the ranks of both sides. Furthermore, perhaps because the orbit of this abandoned land was too far from the sun, even terrifying extraterritorial monstrosities would occasionally appear. It was as if the only meaning of lifes existence here was struggle and war. The fire of battle engulfed everything, and on the gray colored of the Evernight Continent, the least valuable was life itself. At this moment, on a desolate plain, a squad of around seven to eight was lined up in a row, walking quickly. Their clothes were incredibly messy and disorganized, entirely made of scrap cloth and leather haphazardly sewn together. Some of them even inlaid several rust-stained plates of metal over their vitals, considering it as armor. All of them were carrying huge rucksacks. These were the most commonly seen people on the Evernight Continent: scavengers. They use their lives as the gambling stake, braving the desolate plains and the depths of the ruins, in search of things that might just worth a little something. Their rucksacks held everything they possessed. In front of this small party, a faint silhouette of a small town had emerged, and they all subconsciously stepped up their pace . The most striking structure of the town was a single tall lighthouse. It was a structure that almost made entirely of welded metal plates, with several bulky pipes running up its external walls. From afar it was easy to see the fire burning on the top of the lighthouse. Hence this place was named Lighthouse Town. At this moment, the lighthouse suddenly released an enormous amount of steam, as enormous cogs exposed by the damaged areas of the shell begun to strenuously turn, slowly winding up the bell striker, then slamming it onto the old-fashioned bronze bell, reverberating out a prolonged and rich sound of the bell. DONG! DONG! DONG! The sound of the bell traveled far, and those scavengers stepped up their pace even more. One of the burly men looked up to the sky and said, Its only three o''clock and the sky is about to turn totally dark already, this is just too damn much! Yet, the old man walking at the very front of the group replied somewhat nonchalantly, Arent dark seasons all like this? The burly man once again looked to the sky. Several huge shadows blocked out the sunlight, making the surroundings as dark as nightfall when it was only three o clock. He spat out with force, and said with half envy half jealousy, If only I could live up there for a few days, even dying ten years earlier would be fine with me! Stop dreaming, ol Bucktooth Six! Thats a place only big shots can go, dont count on it during this lifetime of yours. Just collect garbage as you should here!" said another scavenger. Before Old Bucktooth Sixs temper erupted, another valve also opened from the other side of the faraway lighthouse, spurting forth a tremendous amount of steam. In an instant, the entirety of the lighthouses mid section and above was completely enveloped by the white fog. The flame on top became murky, and a sharp and drawn out steam whistle suddenly sounded, pricking at peoples hearts and making it throb. Theyre closing the gates this early?! Whats that baldy playing at? The scavengers panicked right away. Speeding up their pace even further, they dashed their way toward the town. Fortunately, they were fast enough and rushed through the gates in time. The exhaust vents at either sides of the city gate towers were currently belching black smoke, the huge gears and winches began to turn with creaking noises. With that, the thick foundry-iron gate lowered slowly, and accompanied by an earth-shaking noise, it smashed into the steel slot, firmly sealing off the small town. The scavengers were all heavily winded from running, and one of them stood on the street, heaving great gasps of air as he held his knees with both hands. Immediately after, he raised his head and yelled at the gate tower, Why are you closing the gates so early? We were nearly trapped outside! From the tower, a greasy, shining bald head with ferocious features popped out. He pointed toward the sky, and bellowed with no hint of courtesy, Ive long since told you guys that the outside has been incredibly unsafe recently! Look at the color of the moon up there! If you guys want to throw your lives away for the sake of a few copper, then dying serves you right! In the sky was an enormous round moon, and the moons edges were already a shade of dark red like blood. Given a couple more days, it would turn into a blood colored full moon. In the nights of the Crimson Moon, all of the living beings in the wasteland would become restless and incredibly aggressive. Legend has it that everytime the moon turned blood red there would be a disaster happening somewhere, and only after enough blood has been spilled would the gods of disaster leave in satisfaction. The scavengers were cursing, but these mad dogs of the wasteland as a matter of fact really didnt dare to do anything to the baldy in the tower. He was the towns only guard, and furthermore, as a rank one Fighter, beating a team of mad dogs like them was as easy as lifting a hand. Thus, the scavengers could only grumble as they slowly walk toward the the small towns interior. There was a bar in the town, which was also the only bar in the town, and there was even a few guestrooms behind it. It was where the scavengers were headed to, and it was also the only little piece of heaven that could bring them happiness and women. For the sake of conserving energy, the town practically didnt have any lighting. Thus, under the night sky, the misty dim glow of the bars signboard was even more eye-catching, even though only the single syllable Li was lit on it. That signboard was originally a piece of the bearings taken apart from the bottom of the cabin, and the bar owner, by some unknown means, inscribed the words onto it and even rubbed on some powder of Luminous Stones. Though, after weathering and rain, it would always gradually fade. The townsfolk all knew that the bars name was called Red Spider Lily, but nobody knew the meaning behind these three words combined together as a phrase. Plus, among these several thousand people, there werent even five that were educated enough to recognize all the words on the sign. In the bar, the lantern lights were dim, the tables and chairs were very worn out, and the entirety of the walls were covered with various graffiti. To ones surprise, there was a strange sense of aesthetic charm to it. The bar counter was made of riveted steel plates, but it gave an impression of being fashionably rustic. All of the bars materials could be found in the wasteland. In reality, the abandoned lands most worthless items were scrap steel and metals; they were everywhere in the wastelands rubbish heaps, and the airship cemeteries were just mountains of metal. The smell of cheap alcohol, tobacco, and the stink of sweat permeated the bar. Several dolled-up women even emanated the stinging smell of perfume, making anyone who smelled it all thoroughly nauseous. Behind the countertop was a young man of a thin, tall build, whose skin tone was somewhat sickly pale. The young man wore an old, worn out jacket and long pants, and his long black hair was tied into a ponytail behind him. His face was beautiful, extremely beautiful. Moreover, it gave off an excessive sense of youthfulness, and at first glance, it was that kind of bashful but endearing look of a next-door-neighbor boy. He stood behind the countertop, quietly watching the ten-odd guests who were clearly venting their stress and desires. Just going by appearances, nobody would have thought that this young man would be this bars owner. He was barely, no, he clearly wasnt even eighteen. At this point, the bars half-height doors were pushed open, and that troop of scavengers who had just entered the city flooded in. The moment they entered, the bar immediately quieted down a few notches, and many people were watching these scavengers warily. In the wasteland, scavengers didnt have a good reputation; they went by many names: vultures, decomposers, mad dogs, etc... The scavengers were always treading the line between life and death and had practically no sense of shame or trustworthiness to speak of, being capable of doing anything. Many scavengers had their own little cliques and secret communication methods. If any outsider rashly got close to this bunch, they might bitten to the point where not even their bones would remain. Although this little town called Lighthouse Town was mostly reliant on the large numbers of scavengers for wealth, but the towns original inhabitants didnt welcome the scavengers, and would never truly accept them. Where there were scavengers, trouble would follow. In the wasteland, the word, trouble, would often mean that a bunch of people would lose their lives; otherwise, why would they call it trouble? This particular troop of scavengers werent first-time customers of the Red Spider Lily. They found a place to sit and then started to loudly call out their preferred beverages. The young man behind the counter turned and retrieved several bottles of liquor, after which he began to mix a cocktail with a well-practiced hand. The stainless steel cocktail shaker danced under his slender fingers as if it had its own soul. Right at this moment, a scavenger with a big knife scar on his face walked over,leaning heavily on the counter, and with a strong nasal voice, he hollered, I heard that this bar has some red something lily thats got a good kick! Gimme a big glass of that! The young man didnt even twitch, and just said, One imperial silver. Hoh?! The scavenger called out exaggeratedly, Did my ears fail me? One imperial silver!! Am I drinking virgins blood? Alright, since Im here, I gotta try it and see if your drink is as good as you say it is! Kid, your daddy here dont have any silver, but Ill use this to settle the cost if youre willing to take it! And with a bam, the scavenger pulled out a flintlock pistol and slapped it down onto the countertop. The gun was loaded with gunpowder and a bullet, ready to fire at any time. The handle was wrapped heavily in metal, in addition to being stained black in a few places with dried blood, along with other stains that couldnt be identified. This heavy flintlock evidently wasnt just for firing a bullet; its handle was also a weapon, and one couldnt say if the club end or the barrel end had been used more. The bar suddenly quieted down, and everyones eyes were on the scavenger and the young man. The young man had already finished mixing the cocktail, and carefully pouring the drinks, he put his hands on the countertop, looked at the flintlock, and mildly said, Since youre dining here, Ill count it as half a silver. You sure you want to use that as your collateral? The corners of the scavengers eyes twitched, and he slowly leaned forward toward the young man, until the two almost were nose-to-nose. He said, So whatll happen if I dont pay? The young man didnt move an inch and said in that same old peaceful voice, Then Ill blast open your head. The scavenger looked the young dead in the eyes. In those deep black eyes, there wasnt even the slightest sign of wavering, just like two bottomless lakes. The scavenger looked down at the young mans hands. They were a pair of hands so clean that it was odd, completely without calluses, and unbelievably smooth skin. Completely devoid of any signs of having done cultivation or hard labor. The young mans hands were on top of the counter. It was an awkward position that was far from everything. Even if the young man had hidden a weapon under the counter, it didnt look like he would reach it in time. The young mans rough shirt was only buttoned with two buttons, revealing a giant ugly scar across his chest, which was completely out of sync with the rest of his appearance. The scavengers eyes twitched continuously. For some reason, the chill in his heart kept getting stronger by the moment, and sweat suddenly rolled down his body. This was the danger instinct of a mad dog who had survived in the wasteland.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 34: Expeditionary Forces [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] A squad of black clad soldiers walked in, coming from the same direction as the towns outskirts. They numbered only a dozen or so, but every last one of them reeked of the thick stench of blood. Their armbands were emblazoned with the image of a firearm crossed with a bloodstained bayonet. It was the insignia of the imperial expeditionary army! The little towns main gate was entirely destroyed. Outside, broken pipes futily spewed steam into the air. The few buildings around the gate were also blasted apart by the explosions shockwave. Meanwhile, the bald sheriff softly moaned, half his body buried under the debris. It was exactly because the town gate stood in the way of the imperial expeditionary army that they decided to blow it away altogether. There were also dozens of people following unsteadily behind the soldiers of the expeditionary army. They were a mass of bruises, with their hands tied with iron wires and chained together into a single line. The rusty iron dug deep into their flesh even as they bled. The moment they showed any sign of slowing, they would be immediately whipped by the expeditionary soldiers beside them. In the darkness, the Red Spider Lilys glowing signboard and broken windows were extraordinarily striking in the dim light. Due to that, this squad of imperial soldiers switched directions and approached the bar. Two tall soldiers entered the bar first and surveyed their surroundings. Their gazes were as sharp as eagles, and no one in the entire bar dared match eyes with them. With the firepower of their automatic rifles they held, it wouldnt even take them more than a minute to turn everyone inside the bar into corpses. One soldier pointed at Qianye and said coldly, Prepare food for twenty men. Quickly! You dirty pigs, clean the tables and get your asses outside! Now! yelled the other soldier as he pointed his rifle at the scavengers. With placating smiles, the scavengers wiped the tables clean with lightning speed before escaping the bar. Another group of people consciously moved away from the best tables inside the bar and hid in a corner. The imperial forces didnt tell them to leave, so none of them dared to step outside. A tall officer slowly walked into the bar. When he passed through the doorframe, he even lowered his head. He had a pair of thick, straight eyebrows, and his eyes were like the Evernight Domains most savage and devious nighthawks while his predatory gaze swept across every man and woman inside the bar. Then, he chose a table at the center and sat down. Sounds of scolding and beating came from outside. Then, dozens of people were driven in by the expeditionary forces and forced to pack themselves into a corner. The officer glanced at the people inside the bar before announcing in a deep and raspy voice, Look at them! These are the people who were tainted by the blood of darkness. The only fate that awaits them is that of the lightless black mines! They will mine until their deaths, until the black blood awakens and turns them into monsters who thirst only for fresh meat and blood before they are executed by the guards. Open your eyes and look well! All who fall to Evernight shall face this exact fate! Fear appeared in everyones eyes. These captured people all shared a common title: blood thrall. Anyone who was bitten by a bloodsucker would be corrupted by the blood of darkness and transformed into a beast without sanity. They would thirst for blood and flesh when it was time to eat, and they would madly attack any targets under a superiors order until they perished in combat. Most blood thralls were executed if found anywhere under the Empires rule. A small number of people who hadnt yet transformed would be sent to the black mines to work until their deaths. Pure blooded vampires were very rarely seen, but blood thralls were also highly dangerous lifeforms. There was an extremely high chance that anyone who got bitten or scratched by a blood thrallor even got just a little too close to themwould be tainted by the blood of darkness. The original guests and women of the bar pressed into each other and shivered together, doing their very best to stay as far away as possible from those blood thralls. It was at this moment a middle-aged man suddenly charged out of the captured group of blood thralls, falling to his knees and crying loudly, I am not a blood thrall. I am not tainted by the blood of darkness! A slightly twisted, grim smile appeared on the officers face. He said, I know. The middle-aged man froze and lifted his head in shock, unable to believe his ears. But what greeted him was a actually pitch black muzzle! There was a loud bang. Every bottle and glass in the bar vibrated. The middle-aged man continued to kneel, but his head had already been completely blown away. Blood and brain matter sprayed all over the floor. The officer blew the blue smoke off his muzzle and said to the headless corpse, I know that youre not a blood thrall, but harboring blood thralls is just the same. A soldier took a step forward and asked, Lieutenant Colonel Liu, should we deal with both his sons as well? The officer swept a glance at the group of blood thralls. The two pale-faced young men standing there were the middle-aged mans sons. They shrank backward, trying to hide behind another persons back. The officer called Liu pointed at them and said, Come on you two. Take this corpse outside and toss it to the dogs, then come back and wash the floor! I hate the stench of blood. Trembling in fear, the two young men obediently lifted their fathers corpse and carried it outside. Everyone knew that if they resisted, the imperial expeditionary army had hundreds of ways to make them wish they were dead. Just as the officer surnamed Liu and the imperial soldiers eyes were attracted to this side, someone among the blood thralls suddenly made a bid to escape. He charged toward the bars back door, screaming, I dont want to go to the black mines! The officer let out yet another grim smile before unholstering an odd-shaped rifle from his back and aiming at the back of the running blood thrall. His movements might appear slow, but was it was in fact pretty quick. When the blue patterns on the rifle lit up, the blood thrall had just managed to run halfway down the hall. It was at this moment Qianye walked out from the back door while carrying a food tray. In this instant, Qianye, the blood thrall, and the officers muzzle joined to form a straight line! The officer saw Qianye, but he still pulled the trigger as the corner of his lips pulled a bit! Out of the rifles muzzle shot not a bullet, but a ball of red light! Suddenly, a gaping hole was blasted through the center of the blood thralls body. Amid the foaming blood and scattered bits of flesh, the red lights unspent energy continued to travel forward and pierced through two more walls before it finally exhausted itself and disappeared. The red light was unusually powerful and was easily a match for a large caliber cannon! Qianyes body was not blasted to pieces. He wasnt even hurt. Right now, his body was weirdly arched forty five degrees sideways, and both his legs were stuck to the ground as if nailed down. He simply avoided the officers firing trajectory. Tak. With a soft splash, a drop of blood fell from the sky onto Qianyes face, blooming into a small flower of blood. It was unusually striking on the background of his pale white skin. Qianyes breathing suddenly grew heavier, and a glint of dark red flashed deep behind his pupils. However, the abnormality lasted only an instant, and as if pulled by invisible strings, Qianyes body stood up straight once more. Not a drop of alcohol even spilled on the tray. Thump. It was only then that the blood thralls body crashed onto the ground. A hand stretching forward with everything it had fell with a plop mere centimeters away from Qianyes feet. The pupils of the officer surnamed Liu shrunk, and he suddenly smiled, saying, I didnt think I would meet a true expert with awakened origin energy in such a tiny place! This is certainly a surprise! Qianye said in a low tone, Just scraping about. The officers eyes were as sharp as blades. He stared closely at Qianye and asked, Youre not eighteen yet, are you? A little over seventeen, Qianye answered. The officer circled Qianye a few times and said, You ignited an origin node at just the age of seventeen. Your talent is pretty impressive! You have origin energy, and at such a young age. You should have a bright future ahead of you, and yet youve hid yourself at such a small place. Things aint as simple as they seem, are they? QIanye kept quiet and did not answer. The officer took out a metallic nameplate imprinted with the expeditionary armys logo and tossed it into Qianyes tray. My name is Liu Jiang, he said. I dont care who you are or what youve done. If youre willing, you can take this nameplate and seek out Lieutenant Colonel Chu Xiong at the expeditionary armys fortress. Hes been lacking some manpower there lately. As long as youve joined the imperial expeditionary army, no matter what you did in the past, even if its something like killing a noble in the upper continents, it is nothing. Do you understand? Qianye bowed slightly and said, Thank you! For many people, this was a recruitment opportunity that they could only dream of, but Qianye barely reacted to it. Liu Jiang could see that Qianye wasnt too interested in joining the expeditionary army. He was not of the mind to force the issue either, so he returned to his seat and sat down. Qianye put a large glass of spirit and a plate of bacon and potatoes in front of him. The officer lifted the glass, sniffed, and his eyes lit up. Good liquor! I seriously didnt think I would run into such an amazing drink in this small place. If Chu Xiong knew about your culinary skills he would accept you for sure. However, he then put down his glass and said, Alright, now give me a glass of water. I never drink on a mission. And so, Qianye withdrew the glass of spirit and gave Liu Jiang a glass of water instead. These were the Empires expeditionary forces stationed on the Evernight Continent. On one hand, they were cruel and tyrannical, fierce and overbearing, slaughtering people like flies. On the other, the several million strong expeditionary forces were the central pillar that stood against the dark races. It was because of their existence that human collectives such as Lighthouse Town were not attacked by huge swarms of dark races. Qianye put out all the trays of food, and the imperial soldiers chowed down without saying a single word. The entire bar suddenly turned quiet. Everyone felt that the atmosphere was oppressive and unbearable, but no one dared to move, much less leave the place. The imperial soldiers were just halfway through their meals when the bars entrance suddenly opened without a sound. Two men clad in black windbreakers walked in. There was not a speck of dust to be seen on their bodies, and they were so clean and tidy that they appeared incredibly jarring with the wilderness around them. Even more bizarre was that no one noticed their arrival when they appeared. The moment they entered the bar, the duo swept their gazes everywhere. Every time they saw something their eyebrows would wrinkle just a little tighter. It was as if there was nothing in the place that could satisfy them, including the imperial forces inside. When Liu Jiang saw the symbol on the corner of the windbreakers, his expression changed as he stood up immediately. But just as he was about to say something, one of the black clad man said coldly, Did I tell you to stand up? Liu Jiang turned furious, but the instant their eyes met, he let out a dull snort and fell back into his seat as if dealt a heavy blow. His face immediately turned pale white, evident that he had suffered quite the injury. The man snorted and said with contempt, Bunch of trash. No wonder you could only stand guard at this godforsaken place. If the Empire really had to rely on you to deal with the dark races, we wouldve been destroyed a long time ago. Liu Jiangs mouth twitched as he wiped away the blood seeping out of his mouth and raised a hand to stop his soldiers from moving. With a raspy voice, he asked, Why have you come to this forsaken land, sir? The other person said coldly, You are not qualified to know! Another word and Ill have you all slaughtered! The blue vein on Liu Jiangs neck throbbed non-stop, and his hand edged a little closer to the origin rifle behind his back. But still he stopped himself wisely. When they saw this, the two men wrapped in black windbreakers grew even more disdainful. It was at this moment when an old voice rang from outside the door, Miss, this place is unclean. Not only are there blood thralls inside, there are also some dregs of the expeditionary forces. Maybe it''s better if you don''t go in?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 35: Other Shore Flower [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The expeditionary forces, huh its okay. Im just going in to take a look. A clean and clear voice followed right after. It was incredibly soft and melodious, much like the sound of a crystalline wind chime after being shaken by a soft breeze during a summer afternoon. If you insist, then give this old servant some time to clean out all the expeditionary forces and blood thralls inside this place before you come in. No! Im just taking a look, theres no need to kill so many people! ...Alright. The bars door disintegrated soundlessly, and the temperature inside the room dropped by dozens of degrees. Everyone, including the soldiers of the expeditionary forces, now found themselves losing the ability to move. Their eyes were the only thing that could move about. A girl walked into the bar. Her figure was slightly thin and petite, and her slim, black cloak accentuated her small face and stunning looks to appear as if there were a soft glow around it. Her skin was like porcelain of the highest quality. She had big round eyes that were both elegant and pure. It was a pair of eyes that did not seem to belong in this chaotic, bloody, and filthy world at all. When she walked into the bar, it was as if all of Red Spider Lily had suddenly turned into a human paradise that was no longer cold nor filthy. All of the changes were brought forth by the mysterious young girl as she seemed to have the incredible power to cleanse ones soul. She appeared immeasurably powerful, yet she also seemed to be incomparably feeble. It was as if a breeze on the wasteland were enough to topple her over, shattering her to pieces. The instant they saw her, the crowd actually felt an indescribable sense of heartache. It was as if this pure and delicate girl could perish at any moment. Her gaze slowly swept across every person and every corner of the bar, not leaving out even the slightest detail. When she gazed upon Qianye, her eyes brightened slightly and exuded a hint of pleasant surprise. However, it quickly faded in the next moment, after which she let out a soft sigh. She said softly, I thought that a place called Red Spider Lily would be more or less different from others Sigh! Maybe I thought too much. Let us leave, Uncle Wang. Heeding the young girls call, an old man with silvery white hair quietly appeared beside her. In truth, he had been standing beside the young girl all this time. It was just that everyone had subconsciously overlooked his existence. The old man glanced at Qianye and said to the girl, This is but a normal bar, it shelters evil and hides filth just like every other. He may have stumbled upon this term by coincidence, but knew nothing at all about its true meaning. The young girl pulled at her cloak and sighed softly. Perhaps! Still, it is a small, pleasant surprise to see such a term in this abandoned land. Uncle Wang let out a smile. It is rare of you to show joy, my young miss. Why dont we share with him a bit of your joy then. A lucky boy he is, hoho. Indeed, he is a lucky fellow! the young girl said softly. The young girl left the bar, whereas the old man took out a small, black velvet sack and put it down on the bar. He said Qianye with a meaningful tone, Since you have made the young miss happy, you deserve a reward no matter what you shoulder. This is yours. It was only after the old man had left that the people inside the bar regained their ability to do anything. However, they continued to stay still, even forgetting to move or speak. Their experience of immobility and muteness earlier was like a nightmare, and that young girl was the only brightness within it. Qianyes face was pale as his hand pressed onto the black velvet sack the old man had left behind. After a very long time, he finally opened it and took a glance. It was an entire sack of imperial gold coins! These dozens of imperial gold coins signified such tremendous wealth that it would drive anyone in the wasteland insane. In this lawless land, three silver coins were enough to buy a persons life, and five silver coins could make nearly any woman lift their skirts willingly. But an imperial gold coin... that could be exchanged for a total sum of one hundred silver coins. The imperial gold coin itself could not be spent, because there was nothing in this land that was worth even a single such coin. The gold coin did not dazzle Qianye, however. Instead, his gaze was tightly locked onto the crystalline box, half buried within the sack of gold coins. The crystalline box was only three fingers wide, and its surface was etched with a rose-like flower of exquisite craftsmanship. Through the cover of the box, he could see that there were three silver bullets inside of it. The heads of these three bullets were all made of transparent crystal. Silvery white liquid flowed inside it, and the same rose-like flower as before was etched on the silvery casting of the shell. These non-standard silver bullets were obviously origin bullets privately created by one of the great imperial families. Their damaging effects on the dark races were extraordinary, and they were especially lethal against vampires. But Qianyes expression had turned as pale as paper when he saw the three bullets. Cold sweat abruptly poured out of his pores and drenched his entire clothing. Many people inside the bar were curious about the contents of the black velvet sack, poking their heads out to get a good look. Looks of avarice appeared on many peoples faces, but none of them actually dared to get their heads any closer to get a good look. Curiosity and greed might make a lot of people fearless and mad, but in the face of absolute strength, humans would properly hide these emotions behind their masks. Meanwhile, the imperial soldiers put down the food that theyd only eaten half of and quietly fell into formation, escorting the blood thralls away from the bar. An imperial soldier walked in along the bar and said coldly, Boy, your luck is great, but what did that old He was about to say What did that old man give you just now, show it to us?, but he was only halfway through before Liu Jiang interrupted him. The lieutenant colonel had actually laid an imperial gold coin on the bar! He said solemnly, This is for the meal. Your luck truly is pretty impressive to be able to win a personages favor. But if you change your mind, you can always come to the expeditionary armys fortress. Remember my name, I am Liu Jiang. You can seek out either Chu Xiong or me. Deep in thought, Qianye slowly answered, Thank you. I will consider it. Liu Jiang nodded and gave him an Im leaving! greeting before escorting the expeditionary forces away from the bar. At the town gate, the bald sheriff had already crawled out of the ruins. His entire face was smeared in blood, but he did not wipe it away. Instead, he simply sat on top of a huge rock and gazed at the sky, murmuring to himself, I knew that it wasnt peaceful as of late, I knew it By then, It was already night, and the huge, round moon hanging in the sky was as red as blood! Qianye closed the bar early and exempted everyone from their tabs of that night. The people were frightened, and they also wished to return to their homes sooner than they did normally to rest and get over their shock. Among the people, the central topic of discussion was still the amount of money inside the small sack. Moreover, many people were also discussing what exactly Red Spider Lily truly meant. However, not many people in this town were even literate, so no matter how vivid their imaginations were, it was a fruitless effort. Within the bar, Qianye looked at the flower inside the crystalline bullet box and did not move for a very long time. The flower wasnt actually a rose, but rather a legendary flower called the Red Spider Lily. In legends, it was said that the Red Spider Lily, also known as the Other Shore Flower, only grew in the depths of Nether River, guiding souls to the other side of the shore. Night gradually deepened, and the town slowly quieted down as the people began to enter their dreamlands one after another. The bald sheriff himself had also returned to his home and drank himself silly with half a catty of lousy strong spirits. Then he fell asleep, snoring loudly. The towns huge gate was still in shambles. It would take more than a few days to repair it. In fact, the only thing the town walls could defend against now were normal beasts and blood thralls. But they would not have to worry about this tonight. The expeditionary forces had obviously made a massive sweep around the area, and hopefully, things would be peaceful for at least half a month or so. In the eyes of the more powerful scavengers, pioneers, and adventurers, an intact Lighthouse Town was no different from a Lighthouse Town without any defenses at all, not to mention that the expeditionary forces and the regular soldiers could easily eradicate this place from the face of the continent. However, those were not things the bald sheriff needed to think about. The sheriff could always look at the bright side when it came to things that exceeded his capabilities. Even if he couldnt do so, he still didnt have the ability to change it. Qianye had also fallen asleep. Through the haze of dreams, he suddenly found himself located at a quiet and dead neighborhood. There were no lights and no people. His lonely footsteps were the only thing that resonated across the empty streets. There was a huge blood moon in the sky that had taken up a small portion of the night sky. He instinctively felt that a huge crisis was approaching him, but he could not find any weapon on his body nor in his surroundings. In his haste, he rushed to the roadside and attempted to pull an iron pipe stuck in the ground, but just as he gripped the pipe, countless blood thralls suddenly leaped out of the surrounding darkness and pounced toward him while howling! Qianye felt that his body was all of sudden impossibly heavy, and every movement he made was several times slower than normal. He was not in time to defend himself at all before a blood thrall pushed him to the ground and bit his neck. Its sharp teeth sank deep into his aorta! Qianye abruptly sat up from the ground! He panted for a long time before finally recognizing that he was inside his own room. What happened just now was but a nightmare. But the nightmare was too realistic and clear. The feeling of the bloodsucking fangs sinking into his neck felt just like the real thing. It was realistic to the point that even though Qianye knew that it was just a dream, he could not hold himself back from touching his neck. The skin in that area was smooth. Only by pressing ones finger onto it would one realize that there were two faint bumps in the area. It was the wound left behind by the vampire. Qianyes chest heaved rapidly, and sweat covered his entire body. He did not lay on a bed, and instead had himself wrapped up in a blanket and curled up in a corner. This was a habit he had developed on the Evernight Continent to avoid being ambushed by enemies while he was asleep. Moreover, he could even surprise his ambushers from this position and kill them before they could react. Qianye stood up and felt a wave of weakness and dizziness, nearly stumbling back onto the ground. He pulled himself together and arrived at the cabinet beside the wall. He then picked up the black velvet sack again and took the crystalline bullet box from inside it. After a moment of hesitation, he finally opened the box. Under the weak light, the bulletheads of all three silver bullets emanated an extremely beautiful, faint glow. The moment the crystalline box was open, a rich wave of origin power immediately rushed to his face. Qianye whispered quietly to himself, As expected, they are all origin bullets. He reached out to touch the silver origin bullets. His fingertip had only just touched one of the bullets before a small part of his finger immediately burned off, letting out a soft sizzling sound. Inside the bullethead, the origin power that was condensed into a liquid also began vibrating intensely as if it could explode at any moment. Qianye immediately withdrew his hand, and the silver origin bullets reaction slowly receded since he no longer touched it. He knew that these three bullets were no ordinary silver origin bullets. They were Mithril Bullets of Exorcism, tailor-made against vampires, and judging from the resonation and intensity of the origin power, the creator of these three bullets was definitely no ordinary elite. As Qianye looked at his hands, his left hand glowed with faint divine light, whereas his right was entangled with thick blood energy. The girls eyes had the terrifying power of seeing through all falsehoods, and the Uncle Wang beside her was an even more terrifying elite. The origin power he held was well controlled, and he was one of the most powerful experts Qianye had ever seen. The fact that the man left the box of specially crafted Mithril Bullets of Exorcism within the sack of imperial gold coins obviously meant that he had already seen through Qianyes secret. It was just that he did not expose him for what he was because his bar was called Red Spider Lily. However, just what else could be so special about the Red Spider Lily other than the fact that it was the most famous gun in the empire? What other secrets did it hold that the old man who had planned to cleanse everyone in the bar earlier would let go of Qianye, a person who was potentially tainted by the black blood just like that?Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 36: Peaceful Life [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye had another doubt in his mind. He could not feel the slightest bit of origin power from the girls body, so either she did not cultivate any origin power at all, or she was powerful to the extent where Qianye was incapable of detecting any origin power from her whatsoever. The latter was obviously impossible. Even an elite at Uncle Wangs level could hardly conceal their own origin power, so it just wasnt possible that such a young girl would have an even greater power than him. But it was also very strange to assume that she was the former. The true aristocratic families of the Empire would never lack resources, and if any child among their families had even a speck of talent, they would be completely unearthed and nurtured for their own purposes. It was rumored that some aristocratic families even had secret arts that could almost be considered to defy against the natural order itself. So even if she had no origin talent at all, as long as her family was willing to invest huge sums of resources, then they could create an extraordinary talent out of nowhere just the same. Obviously, it was impossible that this girl wouldnt have any talent at all. So the fact that she appeared to have no origin power at all became very strange. There must be something that he wasnt seeing just yet. Moreover, Qianye also sensed the hint of a familiar scent on the girl. Suddenly, Qianye laughed derisively at himself. What did this girls predicament have anything to do with him? Even if the girl did run into some kind of problem, if it was something that could not even be solved by the huge family behind her, then how could a lowly blood thrall like him, who struggled to live between rubbish and ferocious beasts, possibly help her? Any sack of that kind of tip tossed out casually by a servant of the girls would be enough for him to live for several lifetimes in this wasteland, not to mention that his lingering intimidation was sufficient to frighten the lawless expeditionary army from robbing him. On the contrary, they were even showing him good will. But this was all meaningless. Perhaps not far away in the future the dark blood in him would break out completely, and he would turn into a corpse in this landfill and become dinner to scavengers and wild dogs. Qianye covered up the crystalline box again, cutting off the origin aura of the Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. If he continued to expose these three extremely precious Mithril Bullets of Exorcism in the open, then the origin power inside them would leak out continuously over the next few days before dissipating entirely. These three bullets would then become normal mithril bullets. This was why all physical bullets infused with origin power needed to be stored in special containers. This crystalline box was a top grade container on its own, capable of isolating nearly all origin power. It could preserve origin power bullets for up to an entire year! This box alone was worth a few hundred imperial gold coins. The origin bullet boxes distributed by the Red Scorpion Corps could only preserve origin power bullets for a month. Moreover, the power of the origin bullets would diminish continuously during the one month period. The instillation process of origin power into the bullets was done by at least a rank three cultivator. As usual, these bullets required the use of an origin power gun. However, since the bullets were difficult to preserve, and its instillation process would greatly drag down ones cultivation speed, the Red Scorpions soldiers would only begin instilling origin power into their bullets before battle. There was almost no market at all for these type of bullets. Qianye put the Mithril Bullets of Exorcism back into the black, velvet sack and returned it to the shelf. Due to the dark blood inside his body, he instinctively wanted to move away from the three mithril bullets. Right now, the weakness brought by the nightmare was slowly fading, and his senses had regained their acuteness once more. He immediately heard some strange noises through the walls next to his room. It was the voice of a man and woman, f*cking each other while moaning as the bed creaked. The adjacent room was the Red Spider Lilys guest room, so the second Qianye heard the noises, he knew that the big bed soldered with angle iron was in danger of collapsing from the intense shaking at any moment. The woman was crying at the top of her lungs. The man should be that big one-eyed man. It seemed like he was trying to squeeze out the full worth of his coin. Meanwhile, there were also some faint noises from the other side of the room. It was the sound of a person tossing and turning in her bed mixed with some suggestive moaning in between. Ming''er was inside that room. She was the sole occupant, and she seemed to be doing a certain something. Qianye simply pretended that he heard nothing, looking left and right to search for something to keep his hands busy. But only a moment had passed before a series of banging noises came from Ming''ers room. She was smashing her fists furiously against the wall of Qianyes bedroom. Getting no response from Qianye after smashing for a while, she eventually grew quiet, perhaps out of exhaustion. Although the night was still deep, Qianye couldnt sleep. He composed himself and sat still on top of his bed, his mind gradually sinking into his own body as he began cultivating the Combatant Formula. Right now, under Qianyes guidance, the origin power inside his body was pounding against the origin node in his right hand like a tidal wave. The origin power inside his body had distinct edges, and every impact would bring Qianye pain that was much like being torn apart. After suffering twenty full cycles of origin tides, Qianye finally withdrew his origin power and guided it back to the two nodes around his chest and abdominal area. Once he was done, Qianye promptly collapsed onto his bed, and it took him a long time before he finally regained a bit of his energy. Qianye struggled down the bed, feeling pain as if every inch of his flesh and nerves were on fire. He looked at the alarm clock. He had cultivated for three hours, and it was already three in the morning. However, there was still the continuous sound of pounding coming from next door. It seemed that the one-eyed brutish man had made up his mind to recoup his losses, and Qianye wondered which woman was unlucky enough to be caught by him. After he finished cultivating the Combatant Formula, the intercourse next door could no longer affect Qianye in any way. He took off his sweat-drenched clothes and wiped his body with a towel drenched in cold water. Qianye had grown yet another few centimeters. He appeared lean when he was wearing a coat, but when his clothes were taken off, one would discover that his entire body was balanced, muscular, and full of power. His lines were as thick and tough as steel threads without any trace of flab whatsoever. The scar on his chest was now nearly half a meter long, looking like a giant centipede occupying the center of his body. Every time he ignited the Aura Sea node, Qianye would discover that the origin power cultivated from this particular node was unusually violent and difficult to control. If Qianyes origin power could be described as a sharp war blade, then in comparison to the origin power of the other soldiers, theirs were not even unsheathed yet. This special origin power gave Qianyes combat technique extraordinary strength and killing power. But in comparison, the pain and damage it caused to his body were also a lot more severe than other peoples. Although the Combatant Formula could be cultivated all the way up to rank nine, at this rate, Qianye would probably implode and perish by the time he cultivated it to rank six. Qianye touched his left arm. There was also a scar here that was square-shaped and about the size of a palm. This was a scar Qianye had branded himself with since there used to be a tattoo in this same location. The tattoo was a scarlet scorpion with a needle-like tail. It was also the insignia of the Red Scorpion Corps. The Empire had tens of millions of soldiers, and even at its max, the Red Scorpion Corps did not exceed ten thousand people. Although Qianye had entered the Red Scorpion Corps by the lowest standard and in the eyes of an outsider he was nothing more than a lucky kid, in truth, the injury on his chest caused the origin power Qianye cultivated to be a lot more violent than the normal Combatant Formula. The pain and impact he suffered at the fourteenth cycle of the origin tide was already the equivalent of some other soldiers twentieth cycle. Among the Red Scorpion and several other elite corps, there was a title called Soldier King that was granted only to those who could endure thirty cycles of origin tides. Currently, it was a rarity for even one new Soldier King to appear per year in the entire Empire. Traditionally, the Red Scorpions commander and deputy commander position could only be held by a Soldier King. Once, Qianye thought that if he had the chance to become a Soldier King if his origin power wasnt so violent. Unfortunately, ifs were only ifs, and they could never become a reality. The Empires rankings were strict and harsh, and although it might be cruel, it was also the fairest. The army only looked at results and not the process. Thirty cycles was the law, and the law demanded not a cycle less. Whether a persons origin power was as violent as fire or as gentle as water, they must endure thirty cycles of origin tides to truly be considered a Soldier King. Qianye abruptly let out a deep sigh amid the darkness. It was all in the past. The Red Scorpion Corps was now forever history, just like the tattoo that he had burned away with a branding iron. All of the honor, the martial power, the status, and the comrades related to the scorpion had been buried inside his heart. What remained was only a scar. Ever since that fateful night, Qianye knew that he could never live a normal persons life any longer. Perhaps the one concern he had left was Lin Xitangs fate, but the lower continent and the middle-and-upper continents were two completely different worlds. He could hear no news from the higher continents at all. Sometimes Qianye could only comfort himself by thinking that if something big truly happened to a great person like Lin Xitang, then the news should make its way even to such a small and secluded place like this town. Therefore no news also equaled the greatest news. When Qianye first arrived on the Evernight Continent, he had drifted aimlessly until he finally arrived at Lighthouse Town. For whatever reason, he found the town pleasing and decided to settle down in this place. Moreover, he used the last few silver coins in his pockets to open this bar that was known as the Red Spider Lily. The locals of this town were both cunning and guileless. They quickly accepted Qianyes existence, because the drinks here were pretty great. As long as Qianyes alcohol remained the same, then no one would care about his identity. Even if Qianye were a bona fide bloodsucker, they would turn a blind eye to him. Qianye walked in front of the wall. There was a steel plate embedded in the wall that was so polished that it was shining. This was his mirror. The person in the mirror seemed a little distant even to him. For the past year, Qianyes skin turned whiter and whiter, and his eyes and facial outline had also become more gentle and delicate. Although his strength had constantly been increasing, the muscles that were so big that they were somewhat ridiculous before his transformation were now withdrawn like origin alloy threads, thin but extremely durable. It was at this moment when knocking noises suddenly came from outside his wall. Then, he heard the bald sheriff shouting through many layers of obstacles with his uniquely powerful windpipe, saying, Qianye, come out and help me fix the town gate! And you too, Cyclops! I know youre in there! I hope you havent squeezed yourself too much tonight that you cant even move these steel pipes! Cyclops voice came reluctantly from next door, I aint finished yet! If you dont come out then Ill blast yer balls right off! The bald sheriffs threats were as direct and efficient as usual. Qianye swiftly put on his clothes and walked to the living hall. He glanced at the main entrance of his bar where a door should be. It was completely bare without even a door hinge to be seen. Still, installing a steel door would be much easier than fixing the motor driven town gate. Cyclops also walked out of the corridor behind Qianye while grumbling. His upper body was bare, and there were dozens of claw marks at the front and back of his body. Some of them were so deep that blood could be seen! When Qianye saw the blood droplets on Cyclops body, his larynx suddenly turned a little in his throat. The intense thirst that abruptly came out of nowhere nearly caused a moan to escape his lips. Whats wrong, Qianye? Cyclops asked him a little strangely. Qianye managed a strained smile and said, Nothing, just envying you. Cyclops chuckled and rubbed his head a little in embarassment, saying, If youre willing, that bitch Ming''er wouldnt take a penny from you at all! I really dont get why you keep turning her down. I dont have anything to offer her, Qianye answered as if he didnt hear him at all. You should give it a try. She really wouldnt take a penny from you! The bald sheriff cut them both off, Alright, cut the bullshit and come help me out already! I have no intention for us to live in a town with no gates when the dark season starts. Once the gate is fixed, you two lucky fellows dont have to pay any taxes for the month. The sheriffs surname was Zhang. He had a shiny shaved head, and his belly was so huge that he could keep a calf inside. Other than the fact that he was a person who handled matters fairly, he mainly relied on his rank one Fighter strength and massively powerful shotgun to hold his position as the sheriff of Lighthouse Town. Cyclops and Qianye followed the sheriff to the warehouse. A moment later, the duo lifted a bundle of steel pipes and walked together to the town gate. By now the sheriff had already cleaned out the ruin, and after greeting them once, the trio arrived at the blown up gate. chinachu Notice: I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I''m there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home. I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I''ll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 37: The Path of Darkness [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The sheriff alone was in charge of one side, while Qianye and Cyclops were in charge of the other. The three of them, with a mighty shout as they simultaneously exerted themselves, was able to lift up the gate weighing an entire ton, pushing it towards the gate tower. Although Cyclops had never activated his origin nodes, he also had been cultivating all along and wasnt far from activating the first origin node. Furthermore, his innate skill was Strength Enhancement. Qianye, on the other hand, steadily displayed the power of a rank one fighter, not going any higher or lesser. A seventeen-year old rank one fighter would at most attract peoples envy for a bit, but a seventeen-year old rank two fighter would be completely different. How could someone with the qualifications to join the Empires special forces come here to open a small bar in such a barren place? At eight in the morning, the three of them were already exhausted, but only a small part of the repairs to the citys gates were done. In order to assemble the generator that had an entire half its structure fallen apart, they would need to order parts from large cities. The new parts would take at least a week to arrive. Despite bald sheriffs deep worries, there was no choice for him but to continue living a life steeped in anxiety for another week. At this time, the upper continents had long since been lit with the light of day. However, in the dark season of the Evernight Continent, several orbits of the upper continents just happened to converge above the Evernight Continent, blocking out the sun. In a single day, only from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon would there be daylight on the Evernight Continent. The rest of the time, it was night. The round, crimson-colored moon still hung there in the night sky. According to the legends of the Evernight Continent, as long as the crimson moon appeared, so would a disaster. When the blood colored moon was in the sky, the power of all of the dark races would increase, and the primal beasts in the wilds would also become more violent and ferocious. Looking at the blood moon in the sky, Qianye suddenly felt blood energy stirring all over his body, his senses becoming incredibly sharp. What grew most of all was his sense of smell, which suddenly became hundreds of thousands of times more sensitive. He could almost smell the scent of all of the people in town. That scorching hot smell of fresh blood was almost driving him insane! Qianye parted from the sheriff and swiftly returned to the bar, closing the door tightly, after which he collapsed head-first on the floor, howling out like a wild beast, rolling everywhere across the floor. The thirst for fresh blood was an torture almost impossible to bear, and this feeling of pain and emptiness was even worse than that of the Euphoria drug withdrawal acting up. If it werent for the fact that Qianye had already trained up the willpower matching that of a Red Scorpion Soldier King when cultivating the Combatant Formula, he would already have succumbed to his thirst for blood long ago, becoming a true blood thrall. As Qianye lay there on the cold floor, he bit on a towel with his mouth in order to not let himself scream out loud. He held onto some steel railing that was welded to the wall with one hand, and used the other to repeatedly slam down upon the floor! Dong! Dong! Dong! The muffled thumps propagated out from the bar, and the entirety of the Red Spider Lily shook were slightly trembling with the sound. At this time, there were no guests in the bar, and the sound echoed across the empty halls. A few scavengers happened to pass by, but hearing this strange, dull thudding, all of their expressions changed, and they all changed their walking routes, staying far away from the Red Spider Lily, as if this bar imprisoned a demonkin within. A whole hour passed before Qianye finally managed to crawl back up. Staggering to the cabinet, he took out a blood bag from within, and carefully squeezed a few drops of fresh blood into his mouth. He then instantly sealed back the bag, and returned it to its resting place with enormous willpower. After the few drops of blood entered his mouth, Qianye immediately broke into a sweat as though collapsing from exhaustion, continuously gasping for air while leaning onto the wall.. Nowadays, only by drink a few drops of fresh blood could he restrain the instinctual bloodthirst in his body. At first, Qianye could simply power his way through his bloodthirst without relying on anything, but starting from three months ago, he would need to taste a single drop of fresh blood to control his thirst. Now, Qianye needed close to a spoonful of fresh blood to deceive his body, and let the thirst abate. The blood of animals was already gradually losing effect, while fresh human blood became ever more enticing. Continuing off of this trend, Qianye estimated that he could at best persevere for another year. Although the resistance he had been putting up all these days could already be considered a miracle, his future was still as dark as ever, without a single ray of light. Qianyes gaze fell upon the cabinet again, this time not on the blood bag, but rather the military knife that the blood bag sat on top of. It was the Red Scorpions standard multi-purpose army knife, and its silver-plating had already been utterly worn out. Qianye had left it there previsely for the time when he could no longer restrain his instinctive thirst for blood, so he could use it to end his own life. Beside the blood bag, there was still that bag of black silk. Qianye laughed self-deprecatingly as at least he had an additional option for suicide now. The Mithril Bullet of Exorcism would have a sure-kill effect even against a vampire noble, much less a half-blood thrall like him. As long as Qianye swallowed a single Mithril Bullet of Exorcism, all of his internal organs would be burnt into charcoal, while his outward appearance would look to be unscathed. At least I can die in a more beautiful manner, Qianye thought. This was another change to his body after being contaminated by the blood of darkness; he had come to intrinsically like beautiful things. But just like how he hadnt immediately committed suicide at the start, Qianye would never give up so long as the very last moment hasnt come. He walked to the generator room behind the bar, and fed a few shovelfuls of black stones to that metal beast half the size of the bar itself. This way the steam boiler would be able to combust for an entire day, not only providing the necessary power for the entire bar, but also maintaining the temperature of the wine cellar. The alcohols that Qianye was making needed to ferment for ten days at a temperature of sixty degrees celsius to achieve its greatest effect. Although the town did have a public black-rock steam tower, there was no way it would support such luxurious usage. Thus, the Red Spider Lily, along with a limited few households in the town had their own independent power facilities. Ten oclock in the morning as the sky had just begun to brighten, the doors of the bar were pushed open, and a man covered in tattoos walked in. Seeing Qianye, he walked over and enthusiastically patted Qianyes shoulder, Brother, youve got a gamble again! Sir Zhao sent me to find you. This time its a bit further away, so you need depart a little earlier. As per usual, Ill watch the shop for you, so you go on over now! Qianye nodded and took down a bottle of strong liquor from the shelf, stuffing it into the muscled mans arms. As per usual, this is yours. The man laughed as his mouth formed a wide grin, and he gave Qianye a heavy fistbump to the chest. Soon after, Qianye arrived at a forest of large factory buildings in the towns north-eastern corner. This place was once an machinery component manufacturer of quite the scale after the War of Daybreak, and it was said that they also made military-use products. However, as the Empires upper class citizens moved to the upper continents which had better living conditions, the factories here were thereupon abandoned. Now, the factory houses had become the place where Sir Zhao and his underlings occupied. Sir Zhao was very young, not even thirty years old. He was incredibly handsome, and had the cleanliness and elegance that none of the indigenous wastelanders had. Rumors had it that he was the illegitimate son of one of the Empires great families, and that he had treked to the Evernight Continent for a certain reason. All of the residents refers to him as Sir Zhao, while his real name was unknown to everyone. In the Empire, Zhao was a very special surname. The Zhao family was a thousand-year-old, influential aristocratic family. The Zhao ancestor had participated in the War of Daybreak, and was one of the seven great nation-founding Marshals. Up until this day, the power of the Zhao family had only risen; along with the Zhang, the Bai, and the Song families, they were ranked as the Empires four Grand Households. Their rank under no one but the Zhang house. This was exactly why rumors couldnt be trusted. Even if this Sir Zhao had the slightest relations with any of the Zhao familys branches, it would be impossible for him to be reduced to the extent of coming to a destitute little town in the Evernight Continent to make a living by collecting protection fees. Though, Sir Zhao did indeed have some real strength. As a rank one Fighter, it was more than enough to rule over those ten-odd hooligans. However, his ambitions didnt seem to be restricted to the zone of Lighthouse Town, and recently, he had frequent correspondences with the factions from the surrounding small towns. Where there was contact, there would be conflict, and gambling on fights was very popular among the various factions as a way to resolve conflicts; it was even considered one of the milder methods. After all, if the various powers actually openly fought one another, heavy casualties would be unavoidable. The loser would of course be doomed to perish, but if the victor paid too much of a price, they would also eventually be devoured by other powers. Seeing Qianye arrive, Sir Zhao was immediately all smiles, hugging Qianye by the shoulder as he spoke affectionately, Youve finally arrived! Brother, the stakes are huge this time, you absolutely cant lose! If we win, Ill pay for Miner to properly accompany you for three nights. If you feel that she alone is not enough, then you may pick any of the women around me other than my dear Yun! Still Virtual Combat? Qianye questioned. Of course! Youre the champion of the arena, you know! Alright, lets drop the talk of women. As the compensation this time, I still want those few kinds of medicine. No problem! However, the next merchant caravan will only arrive in Blackflow City after ten days from now. I estimate that itll be half a month before you get them. If you win this time, Ill buy you double! One bottle is enough. Sir Zhao patted Qianyes shoulder and laughed. Matters that I, Sir Zhao, have promised will never be withdrawn. Double! Thats that! The fight this time is very important to me, so winning it is all you need to do. At this moment, the low, heavy roar of engines resonated as two heavy-duty off-road trucks stopped outside the factory floor. Sir Zhao pulled Qianye along and boarded one of the vehicles along with two others who had sinister faces and were shrouded with murderous intent, as the other twenty hired thugs boarded the other vehicle. These were two steam-powered old-style trucks. Since they were very durable, hardy, and easy to maintain, they were more popular than origin power-based vehicles in the Evernight Continent. Their only shortcoming was that they were slow, and that the noise and odor they exuded simply werent tolerable at all to those of the upper class. The two trucks traveled at the tortoise pace of thirty kilometers per hour for an entire four hours. To ones surprise, no malfunctions happened during it, which could be considered a small miracle. By now, the silhouette of a large city had already come into sight. It wasnt a small place like Lighthouse Town with a mere few thousand inhabitants; rather, it was the City of Blackflow with a population of well over a hundred thousand people. Looking from afar, Blackflow Citys ten-meter tall walls were far more magnificent than those of the Lighthouse Town. The exposed limestone revealed the twisted looking metal frame. Every few hundred meters was a mounted cannon, as well as two ballistae. When dealing with the dark races and some ferocious beasts of large body sizes, these old-fashioned ballistae had more way power than the cannons. Hence, they were very well-received on the Evernight Continent. The mechanical devices powered by steam and driven by gears and chains also allowed the ballista reset its position with greater ease, greatly improving its practicality. Blackflow City also had a few smokestacks that reached a full hundred meters, continuously spewing out clouds of black smoke. Those was the citys core power facility, the Perpetual Dynamo Towers. Naturally, the most eye-catching of them all was of course the eternally-lit lighthouse. This wasnt like Lighthouse Towns mere toy that stood at twenty meters tall; this was a colossus which reached a height of one hundred and fifty meters. Other than acting as the most obvious landmark within the enormous span of space around it, it was also needed to prevent the airships traveling to Blackflow City from mistakenly traveling into the energy sector, and colliding with the smokestacks. Compared to Lighthouse Village, Blackflow City was practically a giant beast armed to the teeth. The two trucks heavily heaved as they drove Blackflow City. Sir Zhao was indeed a little famous in the surrounding area, to not even have to pay the citys entrance fees. chinachu Notice: I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I''m there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home. I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I''ll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 38: Virtual Comba t [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Once the truck entered the city, it made a beeline towards the eastern district where a large abandoned factory was located. It was the ideal place for conducting any kind of shady business and was also where the Blackflow Citys underground arena was located. This was also where most of the disputes among the ten or so towns and villages surrounding Blackflow City was settled by force. The one pulling the strings behind this underground arena was rumored to be one of the big shots in the imperial expeditionary army. Within the sphere of the Evernight Continents imperial forces, the expeditionary forces were peerless, massive ancient creatures and the real emperor of these lands, which was why no one dared to act recklessly here in the underground battleground. The abandoned factories in Blackflow City were each over ten meters in height and took up several square kilometers. Five blocks of large factories were lined up neatly, broad and imposing. These enormous creatures that were built using steel alloy and concrete had weathered the flames of war countless times, yet still stood steadfast. Purely looking at the scale of these factories, the Empires former golden days of industrialization could be seen. However, after humanitys research in origin power and the development of the technique to refine black crystals from the black stones, this combination of black stones and steam that represented the first generation of power generation gradually stopped advancing and never had another scientific breakthrough. The second generation of energy technology that imitates the energy of origin power via the release of black crystal energy was termed Origin-based Kinetics. However, this kind of technology was limited in many environments, especially so in the lower continents far away from the sun and its planetary belt. As the currently highest grade of propulsive power in the Empire, it was as a matter of course included in the ranks of strategic resources and was extremely strictly regulated. Of course, the true hindrance for utilizing black crystal technology was still the cost. Installing the equipment to generate origin power was too expensive; the amount it took to obtain a set of engine tanks was enough to buy an entire Lighthouse Town. Even though Evernight as a whole was not worth much whether it was in terms of land or human lives, a small town was still nothing to sneeze at. Also, these were essentially contraband items, and once they left the upper continent, the price would increase a few times over. Qianye wrapped his windbreaker tightly around himself and followed Sir Zhao and his party into the underground arena. He was responsible for the virtual fight, where it was a test of combat skill, and not meant to be bloody. If it were the usual fight, it would have been enough with just a virtual battle. However, this was a show with huge bets placed, and there was a need to add a couple more bloody scenes to the fight. Dressed formally, Sir Zhao walked to the left side of the arena as he pleased, and sat in the middle of a sofa placed there. He lit a cigar, and with his eyes half-closed, regarded the opponent on the opposite side. Opposite him sat a middle-aged man. His densely tattooed arms were exposed, wearing an expression of dark ruthlessness. The lapels of his robe were left open, revealing a chest full of scars. The arena was estimated to have a few hundred seats, and it was almost full. There were still a couple of box seats above, with the clearest view of the battlegrounds below. The box seats were installed with one-way glass where the people inside could see the outside, but not the other way around. These box seats were reserved for the dignitaries, and it was said that the owner of the underground arena would occasionally drop by to watch the battles. However, only the high-level battles would draw in a big shot like him in. A fight like this between villages on the other hand would not. Once it was time, a bell rang in the battleground below, and three judges silently entered the stage. They were expressionless, emanating a murderous aura that would not dissipate, and they were all rank two Fighters! These judges were also in charge of maintaining order. The central figure carried a special gun at his waist, and the origin power patterned on the gun could be seen clearly. With the origin power gun in his hand, the judges would have a guarantee on their authority. Qianye cast a sweeping glance at the three judges before lowering his gaze, standing behind Sir Zhao silently. Based on Qianyes evaluation, those three judges had the ability to cleanly finish off the people from both sides. On the premise that Qianye did not make a move, of course. At this time, a judge announced loudly, The battle begins. Sir Zhao exhaled a ring of smoke before revealing a wicked smile, saying, Tiger Yan, since you dared to make such a huge bet, how about seeing some blood first? Tiger Yan suddenly laughed, raucous and deafening, before he slammed one hand into his thigh. Some blood? Thats great! I love to see blood! Dont be peeing in your pants later, Zhao! For those who dare to challenge me, Tiger Yan, daddy here will hack off your limbs and throw you into a shithole, and have you screaming for a few days before you croak! Sir Zhao exhaled smoke again, leisurely saying, Many want me dead, its just a pity that Im still well and alive, yet those guys have vanished off the face of the earth. Oh, who knows, it may not be long before you too vanish mysteriously. Whos to say? Tiger Yan continued to sneer maliciously, the scars on his chest trembling and twisting as he said, Fine! Id like to see if you can make me disappear! Which of you is going down first to chop off this Zhao kids claws? The two burly men behind Tiger Yan slowly got up and walked down to the arena. Their steps were steady, their faces were expressionless, and their hands were covered in calluses. One look and it was evident that they were mass murderers, savages with hearts of stone. Seeing the two, Qianyes heart sank a little. These two individuals obviously had the aura and bloodlust of soldiers, and it was likely that they were the elite veterans of the imperial expeditionary forces. Qianyes gaze immediately locked onto the person behind Tiger Yan before lowering it. He was an ordinary looking man of about thirty years of age, with shaved, bristly hair. Other than his gaze that was sharper than a knife, he did not appear to have any other unique points. However, Qianye noticed that he was only sitting on half of the stool, his waist upright, legs slightly apart with hands on his knees, and as steady as a rock, a posture obviously belonging to a skilled person in the army. He seemed to have sensed Qianyes gaze and lifted his eyes to glance at Qianye, but he did not notice anything. Under the torment of the blood of darkness, Qianye underwent a considerably huge change from his temperament to his appearance. He currently appeared like a delicate man, without a trace of bloodlust and cold ruthlessness belonging to an elite member of the Red Scorpion Corps. Sir Zhao looked at the two burly men in the arena below, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly. His hand hovered in the air before he signaled to the arena and said, Dice them! Two combatants who traveled in the same truck as Qianye stood up, entered the arena, picked an opponent, and began facing off. When the bell rang three times, all four pulled out their weapons at the same time and lunged at their opponent! The bloody battle permitted the use of daggers, gloves, and any other short knife weaponry. On Sir Zhaos side, one used a sawtooth dagger while the other wielded a set of double daggers. The two people on Tiger Yans side both used military style triangular bayonets. All four were rank one Fighters who far surpassed an average person whether it was in terms of power or speed, and the instant they engaged in battle, blood would start splattering in all directions! The combatant with the double daggers wielded them as swiftly as the wind, and inflicted over ten wounds on his opponent in the blink of an eye. However, the burly man protected his vitals and charged forward, ruthlessly plunging the bayonet into his opponents heart. The tip of the bayonet emerged from his back! A killing strike! This was clearly the military style. Qianyes heart skipped a beat, then calmed down. It was fortunate that the other opponent of Sir Zhaos subordinate was not particularly skilled. He seized the moment when his opponent daringly lunged, throwing his dagger and cleanly severing off the mans arm. Then, with movements as swift as the wind, he twisted and broke the opponents four limbs before snapping the burly mans neck and winning the round. This man was actually an expert at unarmed combat, yet he did not show his skill. Conversely, he wielded a dagger on the stage, misleading his opponent who actually lunged at him to fight in close quarter combat which cost him dearly. It could be seen that this subordinate of Sir Zhao was extremely ruthless and cunning. The corner of both Tiger Yan and Sir Zhaos eyes twitched. Skilled fighters were not easy to find, and to attract one was costly. With both sides currently suffering a loss, it was naturally a pain beyond description. Tiger Yan snorted and said, Surnamed Zhao, count yourself lucky! Now its one on one, so the winner will be decided by virtual combat! Sir Zhao appeared a lot more relaxed as he smiled and said, You obviously know I have a skilled one here, yet you still have the guts to use virtual combat to decide the outcome? I think youve grown old and muddled, so just hand over your territory! Tiger Yan glanced at Qianye and sneered maliciously, You taking me for a kid? Youre not the only one with someone skilled virtual combat! Instructor Liu, teach that whelp a lesson! The ordinary looking man stood and walked to one end of the arena. His steps were steady, his movements minimal and refined, and the distance of each step was aligned with his shoulders, yet another typical trait of the Empires military style. Could it really be the armys combat instructor? I wonder which corps of the expeditionary army hes from, Qianye thought silently. He removed his long coat, walked to the other end of the arena. and stood on a round stage. Two workers activated the power switch, and instantaneously, an enormous power shortage dimmed the whole arenas lights before gradually returning to normal. A fluorescent jade green screen slowly rose from the stage below Qianyes feet, enclosing him. Once the fluorescent screen lifted, a fighter composed of green rays of light also appeared in the middle of the battleground at the same time. Since the man was also standing on a stage opposite him, the arena similarly had another virtual fighter. This virtual combat system was a product built by the Empire using origin power generation technology. It was able to fully capture the movements of the participants on stage and synchronize them with the virtual fighters. The entire physical statistics of both combatants were identical to their virtual fighters. The earliest design of the virtual combat system was originally intended to research lethal battle techniques. Should these kinds of skills be put to use during real battles, it would kill or at least maim upon contact, which conversely prevented any effective research. Also, with a completely identical virtual fighter in terms of physical statistics and the ability to create an entirely fair environment for both parties, it served as a platform to train and polish battle skills. The virtual combat system had existed for five hundred years and has since trained countless highly skilled experts for the empire. To this day, it has been spread across the land, to every corner under the human rule, where even Blackflow City had a set, though a basic version. It was said that the highest quality virtual combat system could even have simulations beyond military battles. Due to the extensive use of the virtual combat system, the dark races managed to snatch the blueprints despite paying a high price for it four hundred years ago and began to build a virtual combat system that suited them. Once again, both races stood at the same starting line. Qianye clenched his fists, and the virtual fighter on stage also clenched his fists at the same time. Both virtual fighters approached closer, striking a punch at each other. Qianye felt the reverberation of the origin powers force field feedback, and his heart lurched slightly. Opposite him, the man similarly sported a solemn face as he regarded Qianye. The exchange of blows was a routine verification of the virtual combat system. Qianye gestured to the judge with his hand, indicating that his system was functioning normally and that they could start. The two virtual fighters began to slowly circle each other as if it were a real battle. During his time in the Red Scorpion Corps, Qianye familiarized himself with the virtual combat system until it was ingrained in his bones. If his opponent were truly an instructor of the expeditionary forces, even if he were a retired basic military instructor, he would not lack experience with the virtual combat system. The two circled each other probingly, and suddenly, both lunged at each other viciously at the same time! Instructor Lius movements were minimal and direct, his strikes bold and large. Whether it was a punch or a kick, they were infused with the intent to cause damage, solely relying on speed and strength to obtain victory without any petty tricks. This was also the military combat style, appearing simplistic, but realizing its extreme difficulty in handling during battle. This Instructor Lius style was as steady as a mountain, and he had a wealth of experience in battle, with few openings between his transitions in advancing and retreating. Even if there were any minute openings, it was compensated by the virtual combat systems feedback lag, making it hard to take advantage of. Most of the audience present knew a little about battle techniques, and they could immediately see something interesting brewing, leading to loud cheers. In the box seats, someone started to seriously take note of this battle. chinachu Notice: I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I''m there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home. I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I''ll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 39: Real Military Poise [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] In this chaotic time and place, almost all of those who held seats of power had slaughtered their way out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood relying on their own abilities. On this abandoned continent, there was no room of survival whatsoever for those incompetent wealthy hedonistic youths. Once Instructor Liu moved, the dignitaries that were watching the fight were instantly hooked. This was a killing technique from the battlefield! Compared to him, those two bloody fights earlier were just mere street brawls, all brawn with no brains. In comparison, the techniques of the assassins were highly deadly, but were lacking in confrontational ability. They were completely unable to demonstrate them on the stage. But Qianye was of a different style. He was extremely agile, constantly changing positions around Instructor Liu so quickly that it made others dizzy. But out of ten of his moves, about seven or eight of them were feints. Added to the fact that Qianyes silhouette possessed such beauty, they couldnt help but wonder which family his particular brand of martial arts had come from. It was so mesmerizing that not to mention those powers, but even the audience couldnt help but think of it as being an extremely flowery display of martial arts. Instructor Lius fighting style should, by right, have been the most adept at curbing Qianyes insubstantial fighting style, but what the audience couldnt have predicted was that the two of them were extremely evenly matched in strength. The battle turned into a stalemate. Although it was a virtual combat system, his strength was the complete strength of a rank one Fighter. As Instructor Liu fought, his forehead gradually wet with sweat. Qianye could be said to have a hundred flaws, but every single time Instructor Liu tried to catch one of these, he would inexplicably fail. Once or twice could be written off as coincidence, but this many times, if he still hadnt realized that something was wrong, then he wouldnt have been fit to be called instructor. Instructor Lius face darkened, Qianye was evidently an expert that was worth his full effort to deal with. Suddenly blowing a long whistle, his face became incomparably calm, and his breathing slowed, as if he was preparing for a long, drawn-out fight. Instructor Lius solemnity made the audience clamor with excitement as he seriously assessed Qianye. In a box seat, a certain big shot quietly said, Theres more to Qianye than it seems. A youth that was sitting in another box seat heard it and turned to laugh. Are you afraid that Liu Zifan would lose? Hes the current combat instructor on active duty, you know? An identity doesnt mean anything. The youth playfully pondered, looking at Qianye, and then said, I favor Liu Zifan, to the contrary. Want to make a bet with us? That big shot whose face was obscured entirely in the shadow mulled it over, and then nodded. Alright. The youth gave a smirk. A small bet is boring. How about this, lets make the stakes one hundred imperial gold coins? Just as you said, a small bet is boring. Other than one hundred imperial gold coins, I want that Blackfang youve got, how about that? Killing intent flashed through the youths eyes, and then slowly faded. He said blandly, If youre willing to bet your Igniter as well, then Im fine. Thats that, then. The two box seats quieted down, the two sides no longer talking as they concentrated on observing the battle. The battle had already gone on for fifteen minutes but neither side looked like they were winning. Both parties foreheads were sweating, but their movements were just as they were earlier, and it looked like they could continue fighting like this for an hour or two without an issue. After activating the first origin node, the condition of one''s body would see a massive increase and their physical strength would far outstrip commoners''. In one prolonged battle, a rank one Fighter could often consecutively slaughter several dozen common soldiers and still have enough energy left to continue battling. Liu Zifan still had that clean and practiced military style, while Qianye was still as flashy as ever, just that he had started to reduce the number of silly leaping actions. The audiences cheering had subsided, but nobody had lost their patience. This was practically an exhibition match in fighting technique and many people were secretly trying to figure out and learn the fighting techniques of the two, with some success. Even the little tricks that Qianye was using would have great value in a real fight. But Tiger Yan was somewhat unsettled. He suddenly turned around, saying something to his subordinate, and that subordinate immediately left, returning a short while later with a woman in hand. The woman was young and pretty, and she possessed a certain wildness of character. Even in Blackflow City she was considered one of the greatest beauties. Her face was pale after being forcibly pulled into the area and then to Tiger Yans side. Tiger Yan suddenly raised his voice, calling out, Kid! Youre called Qianye, right? Take a good look at this woman! She seems related to you! Qianye turned to look, and was struck dumb for an instant. Miner was right beside Tiger Yan. She didnt usually leave Lighthouse Town, so how was she here? But in this moment of distraction, Qianyes movements slowed a tiny bit, and Liu Zifan instantly grasped the opportunity, sweeping his leg across Qianyes thighs. Qianye staggered and Liu Zifan instantly grasped at the chance to unleash a flurry of vicious attacks. Qianye took a series of punches, and the two of them separated. A few slightly red regions began to show on Qianyes virtual body, and that was a sign of damage. If the damage reached the point where it was fully red, then it would be rendered unusable. If it was the brain, the chest, or the lower half of the body that was red, then it would be judged to be an instant loss. Sir Zhaos face became extremely ugly. Standing up abruptly, he called out, Tiger Yan, are you this shameless? You want to play dirty? Tiger Yan laughed, spreading his hands. But I didnt force that kid to lose! Qianye, did you hear that? Fight brutally, fight to the death! Fight! Haha! As he laughed, Tiger Yan stood up, and pulling out a short blade, he stuck it into Miners collar, and forcefully pulled down! With a ripping noise, Miners blouse had been completely torn open. Tiger Yan pulled off her blouse with a tug, letting her entire upper body be exposed. Miner hugged herself, covering as much as she could, but she was slapped instead. Who let you cover up? Youre just a whore. Since youve already taken the cash, why are you still pretending to be some f*cking innocent? Put your hands down! Tiger Yan yelled in anger. Miners face was pale and half of her face rapidly swelled, blood flowing out of the corner of her mouth. Shaking, she put down her hands, letting the entire audience look at her body willfully. From the arena came the sound of several dull exchanges of blows, and Qianyes virtual warrior body had two areas that were on the verge of being completely red. The edge of Qianyes actual bodys mouth had also swollen, and begun to bleed. The feedback of the force field was, after all, the force of a true rank one Fighter. Seeing this, Tiger Yan gave a maniacal smile, poking the knife into Miners beltline, hoarsely calling out, You guys want to see something exciting? This whore aint cheap, shes a silver a night! That price was expensive even for Blackflow City. Miner had an extraordinary figure, and commanded an equally extraordinary price. Already, many members of the audience was catcalling and hooting, and wolf-whistling as well. Sir Zhaos face went livid. After giving Miner a death glare, he turned to Tiger Yan. Good, very good! Ill concede your ruthlessness. After this, youd better watch out! Tiger Yan gave Sir Zhao the middle finger, laughing maniacally. After losing this round, what right would you even have to contest me? If I dont exterminate you, itll already be magnanimous! In the box seat, that youth gave a faint smile. Tiger Yans really shameless! So, if you feel that its really unfair, then Ill get someone to take the girl away, and have them re-fight this, how about that? The man coolly replied, Its alright. If a single woman could sway his heart, then he wouldnt be worth me placing such a heavy bet on. Is that so? Then well continue watching. The youth quietly sat back down. In the arena, Qianye easily dodged Instructor Lius pounce, and as the two side swapped positions, he suddenly looked at Tiger Yan. So, I heard you placed a really big bet. Qianyes voice was incredibly calm, piercing through the raucous crowd to enter Tiger Yans ear, causing him to feel a mysterious chill in his heart. Tiger Yan immediate jumped up, and he yelled. So what!? Daddy here can afford to lose it! The corner of Qianyes mouth twitched upwards into something that could be said to be a smile. Is that so? Then lose! In the arena, Qianye suddenly retreated, and then shifting from extremely quick movements, he instantly stilled! Liu Zifans heart suddenly gave off an intense warning sign, the feeling of being stared at by a hungry wolf! Under the influence of his opponents killing intent, he couldnt hold back his own intent any further, and with a wild roar, he pounced ferociously toward Qianye! Qianye gave off an equally low growl, and drawing power from his core, he, for the first time, didnt dodge, instead meeting his opponent head on! The two of them collided without a shred of flowery tricks and their attacks smashed toward each other like a storm! With the sound of a boom, the whole audience stood up, and even the youth in the box seat was shocked into silence, involuntarily standing up and rushing forward to the windowsill to watch the battle. At this very moment, Qianye and Liu Zifan were tightly glued together, and both sides attacks were exactly the same, with exactly the same style. Punches, knee strikes, elbow smashes, every single one of them was executed with lethal force, seeking the others life! What Qianye was using was exactly the same as Liu Zifans military martial art, but every strike he threw was faster, and in a few strikes, he destroyed Liu Zifans posture, smashing into his range, and his left elbow smashed three times into Liu Zifans chest like lightning! Thud, thud, thud! The sound of the three strikes was almost completely blended into a single long boom. Qianyes first strike had already caused Liu Zifans chest to become completely red, the second caused his torso to become completely red, and the third elbow strike completely blew apart Liu Zifans virtual fighter! The youth in the box seat clapped both his hands on the windowsill, involuntarily crying out, What an impressive military combat art! This kids an expert! Even he had lost his cool. The audience, comparatively, was even more shocked, now completely silent. But after this instant of silence, they burst into a roar that echoed across the whole arena, exclaiming out one after another! In the circular control platform, Liu Zifans face flushed with red, and he suddenly spurted out a large mouthful of blood! Although he had the ability of a rank two Fighter, the force of the feedback was still equal to the full strength of a rank one Fighter. He took three hits in a row to the chest. Even if he were physically stronger, he still could not take such an attack. Therefore, he was grievously injured on the spot. Qianye remained calm. Even his gaze was steady without a single ripple, except when he looked at the fresh blood on the arena, which would cause an imperceptible bloody light to flash in the depths of his eyes. At this point, he let down both of his arms, both legs still slightly apart, maintaining the exact same military posture as Liu Zifan. Turning to face Tiger Yan, he mildly said, Did you enjoy losing? Tiger Yan was momentarily stunned, completely unable to respond. This times failure to him was simply too costly. Merely to invite Liu Zifan to the arena, the amount hed paid and the contacts hed mobilized were almost as costly as the bet itself. Tiger Yan had lost a whole five years worth of income! After this loss, he was already unable to maintain his position in his old haunt in Dongxin Town. Without an exit strategy, Sir Zhaos men would soon come knocking on his door. Even if Sir Zhao didnt, there would naturally be other ambitious powers who were looking to make a move. In those two box seats that were side by side, the man who was constantly in the shadows laughed. It seems that my eyes arent bad! chinachu Notice: I know I stated that I was going to China with mommychu to visit grannychu and was hoping to return sometime June or so, but mommychu struck again, pushing our flight to June 1st. My trip to China is also now extended from June to the middle of July. Due to this trip, the planned double daily month releases for MEN will now be even more delayed. They WILL still come out after my trip though! Any regular chapters for every one of our series will still be coming out when I''m there (MEN 7, ATG 7, SR *TBD by Patreon*). I will try my best to get them out according to schedule, but if any chapters are missed due to chinachu problems, all of them will be made up when I get home. I know some people do not read the chapter posts in their haste to read the chapter so I''ll be leaving this message at the bottom of each chapter as a reminder!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 40: The Lamplight under the Cover of Nigh t [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The young man gritted his teeth, Dont fret! Its not like I cant bear to lose something miniscule like this! Blackfang will be delivered to you tomorrow, and Ill even throw in five specially-made origin bullets! Thanks a lot, then. The man left the box seat right after saying this, silently exiting the place. The young man stood in front of the window and looked at Qianye, his gaze growing colder by the second. Liu Zifan had also walked down the stage. Wiping off the bloodstains on his mouth, he walked right up to Qianye, not bothering to disguise the naked killing intent in his eyes as he spoke coldly, What impressive military combat techniques. I never thought that youd actually be a true expert. Someone like you, selling his life for a mere hooligan is indeed surprising. However, kid, todays event isnt over yet. How about a round of real bloody fight? Qianyes eyebrows crooked up a little. Sore about losing? Liu Zifans anger surged and he called out in a low voice. Virtual battles are but childs play! Completely different from that of a life-and-death battle! Why, you scared? Or are you saying youre a pretty boy that cant stand the sight of blood? Faced with such naked provocation, he didnt expect that Qianye would suddenly smile, saying, Indeed, I cant stand the sight of blood. Having spoken, Qianye walked to Sir Zhaos side, his eyes slightly drooping downwards, ignoring Liu Zifan. While Sir Zhao gestured towards Min''er, Come here. Min''er bit her lip as she spoke in a low voice, I You are from Lighthouse Town so youre one of mine. Come! Sir Zhao mildly said. Just as Min''er was about to leave, a knife suddenly appeared at her neck, and the hand that held it was one of Tiger Yans hired thugs. Sir Zhao glared at that thug and coldly said, I will count to three. If you dont put that blade down, then dont think about leaving here alive! That thugs face turned ashen and white, and finally set down the knife with trembling hands after shivering for a while. Tiger Yans days of power were evidently over, and what awaited him if he continued following Tiger Yan would only be a dead end. Sir Zhao smiled. Not bad, youre rather smart, and obedient too. I like smart and obedient people. Come here, from now on, you are part of my gang! That thug immediately ran over, repeatedly bowing, Thank you, Sir Zhao! Min''er hesitated for a moment, then walked over as well. Sir Zhao threw her a piece of clothing. I like to be thorough in everything I do. Even if they make a mistake, as long as theyre one of my people and are willing to return, then theyll still be one of mine. I, Zhao, will never abandon any of my brothers! Come, lets go home! But Liu Zifan walked over, blocking Qianyes way with his arm while speaking in a overcast voice, Want to leave? Dont dream about it! Speak your origins clearly! No ones allowed to play me like this! Sir Zhao wrinkled his brows. Instructor Liu Sir Zhao was still in the middle of his sentence, but Liu Zifan interrupted him with nary a bit of respect, F*ck off! This is a matter of the expeditionary army, who do you think you are, trying to butt in? Sir Zhaos face paled and turned green. He, at the very most, was only the gang leader of a small town, and in Blackflow City, he could merely be considered a second-rate. How could he contend with the colossus of expeditionary army? Liu Zifan, despite being a military instructor with no real power, was still someone he couldnt afford to offend. This wasnt saying anything about how much face Liu Zifan personally had, but rather it involved the dignity of the expeditionary army. Every officer of the expeditionary army acted without any qualms out here. If it were not for the fact that Qianyes skill in the military martial arts were so excellent, so much so that the possibility of him having learnt it stealthily by chance without permission was absolutely nil, which evidently showed that he was related to the Empires military, Liu Zifan even had the thought to directly shoot him dead. Qianye looked at Liu Zifan, then smiled, saying, You really intend to push this matter? Liu Zifans face sunk, and he coldly replied, What do you mean? What I mean is, if this matter really blows up to the point that we go to the commander of the expeditionary army, of course nothing good will await us. However, do you really think that youll end up any better than I would? Liu Zifans eyes narrowed, and he laughed coldly. I dont understand what you are saying! Then Ill make myself clearer! Youve already lost in a virtual battle, but instead youre being such a sore loser in front of so many people, even daring to say that a virtual battle is just a childs game! Even if the dignity of the expeditionary army hasnt been completely tarnished by you, would all of the big shots in the army who gained their fame via virtual combat let you off? The Empires military has always placed great emphasis on its dignity, so if word of this kind of matter make their way to the senior officials ears, how will you be dealt with? From what I see, youll most likely be directly thrown into the barracks of cannon fodders! Liu Zifan expression fluctuated in an exaggerated manner, and, with a hmph, spoke slowly, You indeed understand the expeditionary army very well. Im even more curious about you now. Qianye replied without much feelings in his tone, It seems that youre far too free, no wonder your combat techniques are so subpar. Curiosity kills the cat, you know. After he finished speaking, Qianye no longer minded Liu Zifan, and pushing Sir Zhao from the back, they walked out together. Qianye, will it be alright? Sir Zhaos voice was full of concern. Ill be fine. They had just walked out of the underground arena, when suddenly a youth walked over from the side, mildly asking, Your names Qianye? Whats your surname? I have no surname, answered Qianye. His body intuitively tensed up when the the youth approached within ten meters of him. This was a reaction against formidable opponents. This youths strength was unexpectedly great, and was definitely not just a simple rank two Fighter. The youth smiled. I am Qi Yue. Youre pretty good. Even I was fooled and lost a big sum because of that, and I am not amused by it. In Blackflow City, if I, Qi Yue, am not in a good mood, then someones day is about to be very unfortunate. However, you are different! You can become my follower, then Ill be in a good mood. Qianye frowned a little, Ill consider it. Sure, but dont take too long. I dont have much of a patience. Qi Yue didnt keep nagging either, and turned to leave right away. Sir Zhaos face went dark, and then he sighed. Im sorry, I got you involved. You should seriously consider his suggestion, I heard this Sir Qi, although hes hard to get along with, hes rather good to his own subordinates. If you follow him, you might even get an origin firearm. Leave that for the future, lets go back for now. Id rather not trek over a hundred kilometers on foot, said Qianye. Sir Zhao patted Qianyes shoulder, and boarded the vehicle first. Right after, the two vehicles started on their return journey roaring with noise. When Qianye returned to the Red Spider Lily, it was already nine in the evening. Once he got back to the bar, he immediately rushed into the bedroom, pouring out a pill from the medicine bottle and immediately swallowed it. Then, his face began to flush with a strange shade of captivating redness. That was a type of nerve relaxant, which could help ease the various kinds of suffering caused by addictions to drugs. Qianye used it to ease the pain caused by the resurgence of the blood of darkness, as it also had some effect on that. However, this medicine could only relieve the symptoms and not the cause. The symptoms when the blood of darkness flared up still grew increasingly severe. Furthermore, such medicine was very hard to obtain; in order to obtain some, Sir Zhao even had to rely on his connections. Once the feeling of thirst subsided, Qianye shook the medicine bottle, and the loose rattling sound inside indicated that there were only a few pills left. This implied that before Sir Zhao could get the new batch of medicine in, he would have to entirely rely on himself to resist against the blood of darkness for an entire week. Qianye let out a long breath, sat down cross-legged, then began to cultivate the Combatant Formula again. The pain of origin tides during cultivation could also let him temporarily forget the thirst for blood. The wasteland at night was not at all peaceful, and the blood-colored full moon still hung high in the sky, painting the whole wasteland in a rich, dark red. This time around, the Crimson Moon had lasted an especially long time, but the people were already numb to it. Whether the gate of darkness opens or not, before the wilted thumb of death pressed onto ones neck, life had to go on as usual. In the wasteland, several wandering wolves of the night seemed to have felt something, their ears shot up as they growled uneasily. Suddenly, they all turned about and swiftly fled far away. Under the curtain of night, a black silhouette flitted across the wastelands like the wind. It was a slim and graceful figure, and behind her, were ten-odd black shadows in hot pursuit. As they sped through, they split apart in a fan formation to flank her, clearly intent on surrounding her. One party was chasing and the other was running. Under the light of the blood moon, if there was someone of Champion rank strength around, they would be able to see that there were threads of dark red ripples linking the two parties. The silhouette at the front suddenly stopped and then turned around to pounce! The eerie moonlight illuminated an incredibly beautiful woman, her pale, white face giving her an air of mystery. Her pupils suddenly turned as clear as a red ruby, and each reflected one of her pursuers silhouettes! Those two pursuers suddenly froze where they were, completely unable to move! The young woman swept past them like a flash of lightning, and with a wave of her hands, she cut apart their throats with ease. Blood immediately began to spray out for several meters like a fountain! She looked at another two of her pursuers. As their silhouettes were fully captured within her eyes, the two of them were, just as before, fully immobilized, fixed where they were. With that, their throats were slashed open. Shit! Its the night of the Blood Moon now, shes too strong! We arent her match right now! Retreat first, not like she can escape anyway. The pursuers slowed down, and one of them who seemed to be their leader called out, Nighteye! Youve already been struck by our Blood Shackles, its impossible for you to get away! Give up and come back with us, then you might at least have the chance to defend yourself in front of the elders! The woman named Nighteye coldly laughed, Want me to just give up? Dream on! Even if I did want to explain myself in front of the Elders, that would be after I kill you, and those behind you! That leader didnt get angry. With the Blood Shackles, both your and our powers have all been suppressed below rank five. Were already in the area of influence of the humans, so if you continue on, you should already know the consequences! By tomorrow, Lord Wilde will have made it here, then you wont have a chance either. Nighteye scoffed, coldly saying, Thatll have to wait until Wilde is here. That leader seemed to have made up his mind before he spoke in a low voice, Lady Nighteye, those who are pursuing you are not limited to us, there are also other sacred blood races. Nighteyes gaze frosted, and her killing intent surged as she said frigidly, You guys actually allied with those dirty feral wolves? The leader did not deny it and sighed, before he spoke You should know what the consequences will be once youve been discovered by them. Those werewolves are not under our control. How about you just come back with us? Nighteye coldly laughed. I will never compromise with anyone who would work together with werewolf. If you still wont leave, then I wont hold back anymore! The lead gritted his teeth, and with a wave of his hand, he signalled to them. Lets go! The ten-odd pursuers that were fortunate enough to still be alive slowly retreated backwards, with their faces toward Nighteye, and melted away into the darkness. Nighteye stood there for a while, before finally turning to leave. She began to run at full speed, and just like a black bolt of lightning, she flitted across the land, far into the distance. Within nights vast darkness, a glimmer of light of a lighthouse suddenly emerged.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 41: An Uninvited Gues t [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Although it was several dozens of kilometers away, the light was still reflected in Nighteyes eyes. She hesitated for a moment before turning to sprint toward the direction of the light. After ten-odd minutes, Nighteye was already outside of Lighthouse Town. The gate of the little town still hadnt been repaired yet, but even if it had been, that mere five-meter wall was but air in front of her. With a mere light leap upward, she had already silently landed on top of the ten-meter gate tower. The bald sheriff was sitting just a several meters away, hugging his wine jug and rifle while napping. He reeked of alcohol, evidently having had too much to drink, and was completely unaware of Nighteye. Then again, even if he hadnt touched a single drop, and had been on high alert, there was still no way for him to have discovered Nighteyes existence. Nighteye swept her gaze across the little town, streams of light passing through her eyes. In her vision, the blood and vital energy of every single person in town showed themselves. To her, the fresh blood of these people was all precious tonics that could accelerate the healing of her wounds. However, the town didnt contain anyone with high quality blood, greatly disappointing her. However, Nighteye relaxed her furrowed brows right away. High quality blood also meant an equally powerful expert with great vitality, and in her current state, she was no match for those true experts. Nighteye suddenly spotted Qianyes bar. Only a syllable Li on the signboard was emitting a faint light, even fainter than it had been in its earlier days, but the darkness was no impediment to Nighteye at all. Red Spider Lily? Theres actually someone in such desolate region that knows of the Red Spider Lily? Nighteye was a little taken aback. With a single leap, she flew through the air for several dozen meters like a swallow before beginning to fall. After another leap, she was already at the bars door. The door was unlatched. When Qianye returned, his blood of darkness had flared up, and while hurriedly searching for the medication, he had forgotten to lock the door. Nighteye was equally curious about the bar. Gently pushing open the door, she walked into the bars lounge, her eyes sweeping across the surroundings. Under those two unfathomably deep pupils, there were no secrets to speak of. She could even see that underneath the flooring tiles in the center of the lounge, there was rectangular shaped cavity with a long briefcase hidden inside. She wasnt particularly interested in the contents of the box. In a hellish deserted the place, there couldnt possibly be any sort of precious or unusual treasures. Rather, she held no small amount of interest in the owner of the bar; not just anyone would know of the Red Spider Lily, or of the special meaning it held. To write out these words without even a single misspelling was a little too impossible to be the product of pure luck. Nighteye walked toward the back of the bar. But before shed even made a few steps, her vision suddenly darkened, and a wave of irresistible dizziness suddenly struck her! What a powerful Blood Shackle! Damn Nighteye had no time to respond, and swayed as she passed out, falling onto the floor. Qianye was in the middle of cultivation in the bedroom. Once again, he withstood the twentieth wave of origin tides, and just as he was contemplating whether or not he should try for the twenty-first wave, he suddenly heard a dull thud from the lounge outside, as if some heavy object had dropped onto the ground. A thief? Qianye was mildly puzzled. All of the thieves in the town were Sir Zhaos subordinates, and who among them would be so stupid as to actually steal from him? A foreign wanderer was even more impossible as they would only go to the residential areas, not to a special place like a bar or inn. After all, on the Evernight Continent, a special place equalled a dangerous place. Qianye stood up quietly, reaching out to grab a military knife as he slowly headed outside. His movements were gentle but steady, his footsteps completely silent, his breathing slowed to an extreme degree, and even his heart rate decelerated, all to lower the chance of him being detected. When he walked into the hall, the door that had been recently repaired not too long ago was left ajar with just a crack, and other than that there were no other anomalies, except that there was a woman on the floor. Qianye didnt rush to approach her, but rather made a small patrol around the doors and windows. After making sure that there wasnt anyone waiting outside in ambush, he flitted across the entrance like a ghost. He didnt close the door, but during this action, he had already laid a thin, silk wire across two protruding nails by the door, and had hung up a small grenade at the same time. If anyone else chose to rush in, they would have to break this silk thread, and get a taste of hundreds of little metal pellets blasting out. Having installed his warning and defense trap, Qianye finally walked another circle around the woman. He then approached from her inferior side, and gently nudged her calves. She didnt react at all. Qianye then lightly poked her calves with his knife, and her body reacted instinctively, jerking away with a low moan, after which she immediately became motionless again. Only then did Qianye slightly slowly lower his guard. Her reactions were very normal, and evidently, shed truly passed out and was not merely playing dead. Of course, he wasnt discounting the possibility that she was one of those true experts that would be able to fool even an experienced hunter like Qianye. However, he had seen the dark races play dead on many occasions, and he knew that their intellect and power were basically positively correlated. Generally, those that could pull off such a high-level acting technique wouldnt need to play any tricks with Qianye, and could just directly pounce over and pinch him dead. The Red Scorpions were one of the trump cards of the Empires troops, but that didnt mean that they were omnipotent. Many of the dark races physical abilities were even stronger than those of Black Scorpion level warriors, much less an immature rookie at the bottom of the Red Scorpion like Qianye. In a one-on-one duel, a humans naturally weaker body would be at a large disadvantage. After Qianye finished probing, did he finally begin to carefully size up this woman. She had relatively short, black hair, and even as she lay curled up on the ground, he could tell that she was tall, had long legs, and that her figure was well-proportioned with not a hint of excess fat anywhere. Although this kind of body didnt seem very strong, the explosive power was incredibly scary. In concert with flexibility, coordination and high speed, such a soldier would be the most difficult type to deal with on the battlefield. The corps commander as well as the vice corps commander of the Red Scorpions all had such bodily figures, and Qianye himself was also leaning toward this route. She was clothed in the jet-black field military uniform, in the style of the ordinary field army of Empire. On her feet were a pair of knee-high military boots. There was very little observable weapons on her; she wasnt carrying any guns, and there only a short knife and a small leather purse on her waist. Qianye carefully pulled out the knife at her waist, and then rapidly stepped back several meters. Upon seeing that she didnt react at all, did he finally began to inspect the weapon. This was an very ordinary multipurpose knife with a sawtooth on its back. However, it was made of a very special material; seemingly made from the bones from a certain creature, its entire body was without a single scrap of metal in it. The short blade was very heavy, more than ten kilograms, almost giving it the weight of a small war axe. Qianye tested its edge, and it was incredibly sharp, no less sharper than the Red Scorpions issued knife. Furthermore, since it was a blade of bone, it could avoid being detected by many security systems. Though this short knife was so heavy that it would undoubtedly affect how agile it could be, in combat when short weapons meet, it perhaps could have a benefit of cause the opponent to misjudge. Qianye thrusted the knife into the floor, yet a blood-colored light faintly flashed on the knife, as the entire knife immediately sank into the floor right up to the handle! Qianye was instantly shocked! The floor of the bar was made of solid limestone, and beneath that wasnt the usual grille that the rest of the citizens used. That was to say, it wasnt hollow, and it was flush against the solid foundation. He hadnt used much force at all, and yet, the short knife had buried itself up to the handle. Could it be that this was actually an origin power weapon? However, no matter how Qianye used his origin power to probe it and incite it afterward, the blade gave no response at all. Qianye took the purse she had on her waist, and opened it for a look. In it, there were seven edged thorns, clearly weapons made for throwing. The thorns were made of that same unknown, bone-like material, the three edges of the thorn slightly rifled at an angle. If they were thrown at high speed, they should rotate by themselves, giving the weapon a high level of precision. From the thorns, Qianye could smell a slight hint of bitter almonds, whereupon he felt a chill crawling up his back, and his actions became ever more gentle and careful. That smell very possibly meant several terrifying venoms, and if he accidentally cut himself, he knew that he probably wouldnt last a few minutes. The Combatant Formula didnt provide any ability to heal nor resist against poisons. There was a small divider inside the pouch, stuck together with several neatly-cut, blood-colored crystals that looked like they had fresh blood flowing inside of them as they emanated a faint smell of blood. Qianye took the crystal out for a round of closer inspection, but couldnt tell what was inside. Even after searching through his own memories, he couldnt find a single mention of it, but it seemed that just by looking at the flowing red inside of the crystal, the blood of darkness within Qianyes body actually began roiling. Qianye was slightly startled, and hurriedly put back the crystal, sealing the bag back. This purse too seemed like it was made of an unordinary material. Once it was closed, the smell of blood was completely confined, without a single bit leaking out. Qianye crouched next to her, and with his fingers, he gently patted her entire body down once, making sure that she didnt have any hidden weapons. He then finally let out a sigh of relief, and flipped her over. Once he saw her face, Qianye suddenly felt his own heart tensing up, as though it had skipped a beat. Her face was so wonderfully perfect that it seemed extraneous to use any language to describe it. Once it appeared, Qianyes eyes and mind were wholly occupied by it, as if this perfect face was the only thing that existed in all of being. The dark races had no shortage of stunning people. Even the mysterious and powerful demonkin had many staggering beauties, not to mention the vampires. Regardless of gender, the majority of the powerful among of the dark races were stunning existences that could sway cities. There were human scholars that had tried to explain this phenomenon; they believed that within the same world, the aesthetic sense of powerful intelligent races would always lean toward the same. As to the cause of that, it would be the worlds essential nature of origin power. However, setting aside whether or not the theory held merit, the reality caused by this phenomenon was that both humans and the dark races had the tendencies of capturing the other side as slaves. Especially those who were beautiful in appearance and those who held great strength; they could be sold for astronomically large sums, as they could greatly satisfy ones lust of conquest. Qianye tried to remain calm, but when he looked at her once more, his mind suddenly trembled. She hadnt even opened her eyes, but Qianye already felt like he had already seen her unfathomably profound and infinitely deep pupils; it was as though that his entire body, mind, andsoul were about to be sucked within by those pair of black pupils, forever sinking and fallen within the darkness! Qianye was shocked, and subconsciously dodged backwards, his back heavily colliding with the wall. Only then, did he finally breath heavily in large gasps of air like someone who had almost drowned. After that, he was covered by cold sweat all over. Just now, he had almost failed to distinguish whether or not it was an illusion or reality. Even while she was unconscious, she could already draw in Qianyes consciousness, almost causing him to treat illusion as reality, so what would happen if she awoke? Qianye forced himself to calm down, and carefully recalled the sensation he had just felt, suddenly realizing that there was also the primal instinct of attraction within. Her features were as perfect as Qianye could dream of. Actually, no, they even exceeded his dreams, therefore making him feel such a strong impact. However, what was a beauty that even exceeded his wildest dreams? Did such a thing exist? Qianye realized that it might have been another possibility, and that was Mind Captivation!Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 42: Eyes of the Nigh t [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Whether it be the Yellow Springs Training Camp that Qianye attended as a child growing into a young man, or Red Scorpion, both had a standard class of training to resist captivation. Such training was exceptionally cruel, as it trained from both mental and physical aspects. The coming of age ceremony in the Yellow Springs Training Camp was a beginning, but not the end, and its objective was to raise killing machines with no weaknesses at heart. Yet, prodigies who have greater potential than others would have even more rigorous demands placed upon them by the instructors, and the intensity of the training would increase as well. After too much of these kind of experiences, many of them would turn into freaks. Qianye had always thirsted for great power as fast as possible, so in the Red Scorpions, he had always applied for the highest limit of all kinds of trainings that he could endure. This class was no different. Due to that, although he couldnt be considered a freak, in the later sessions he had often approached the brink of crumbling. It was still Nan Batian that had directly used his authority to cancel the rest of Qianyes classes. But Qianye never once regretted the enormous price that he paid in his training, especially since mind captivation was a killing technique of many dark races. Anyone whose willpower wasnt strong enough would end up dead when going against those dark race experts with strong mind powers. And what he looked up to was the world of the strong with people at Lin Xitang''s level. Qianye was absolutely unwilling to stop halfway through. In one of the final tests in the Red Scorpions, Qianye could already resist the psychic control and seduction of those with Champion-level mind control and captivation for a short time. No matter how he looked at her, this girl couldnt be at the Champion level, which is to say that she shouldnt have been able to captivate Qianye at all. Shouldnt have, emphasis on should. In this world, there were too many things that shouldnt have happened but still did. Looking at it purely results-wise, Qianye had indeed been captivated just now, and to a fairly deep degree at that. Deep level captivation like this would often leave behind some difficult-to-perceive hidden concerns. Just what exactly is going on? Qianyes mood was very much in a mess at the moment; this strange woman was making him unusually irritated and uneasy, yet she was clearly still merely unconscious. It was to the point that Qianye didnt even dare to look at her, terrified that he could be captivated by her. Thats right, it was captivation, how else would he be able to explain it? Qianyes frustration towards this was different from the frustration he held against when his thirst for blood flared up. It was like the entire world was revolving wildly around him, and he wished very anxiously to have something to grab onto. Remain calm! When Qianye was undergoing captivation resistance training, the first thing that the Red Scorpion instructors taught Qianye was to remain steadfast. No matter what he saw or felt, he had to remain calm. If he couldnt keep himself steady with his own strength, then he should try to brace himself with something else. Qianye began to consider what he had on hand. Against this kind of terrifying woman, it wouldn''t bode well if no preparation was made. A smoke? Or maybe alcohol? Both didnt seem good enough, the power was too weak. Even those special products with stimulants added wouldnt be enough. This woman, while in a state of unconsciousness, could already influence Qianye like so and and cause him to instinctively feel extreme danger within the chaos. Perhaps it was such alertness against danger that stopped Qianye from entirely sinking into confusion. The more he didnt understand, it meant the greater the danger she was. Qianye steeled himself, and suddenly took out a syringe hidden pocket from behind the bar top, stabbing it into his arm and pushing down the plunger fully. He then silently waited the three minutes for the medicine to take its complete effect. This was a standard issue tranquilizer of the Red Scorpion, its effect was simple and unrefined. It would cause someone who took it to thoroughly calm down in a short amount of time, turning them into an iron-hearted butcher. This kind of tranquilizer also could effectively resist mind impact as well as a series of influences and attacks from mind power. It could also be used to treat the psychological problems that would arise from excessive killing. Unfortunately, this was the last of his stockpile. As the sedative took effect, it was as though an barrier had been added onto Qianyes mind, and he no longer dreaded external influences. He walked up to the girl once again, and quietly looked at her face. This time around it was indeed a lot better than the last; although her tightly-shut eyes still had that deadly attraction, it no longer had that feeling of nearly falling into an abyss. But what Qianye didnt expect was, even under the calmest circumstances, he still felt that her features were of his ideal. He somehow felt that he had seen her somewhere, yet couldnt remember where at all. Unless it was really only in his dreams? However, Qianye could finally resist the effects of those eyes and spend more time looking at her face with an examining gaze. She had short, somewhat messy hair, and together with her well-defined, absolutely stunning features, she carried a natural ice-coldness and pride. Moreover, under that layer of frost was deadly captivation. Her face was a sickly white, and her skin was as exquisite as the most delicate jade. But as he looked, Qianye suddenly found that there was a very abnormal red flush along her neck. So he reached out and touched it, and instantly felt an astonishingly high temperature, almost scalding his hand. But as he placed his hands upon it for a while longer, he felt a coldness from his fingertips as if he was touching an ice block. Qianye was shocked. That sickly pale skin as well as that greatly fluctuating body temperature were exactly the initial symptoms of a blood thrall! He sniffed, and indeed, there was an extremely faint smell of fresh blood. He immediately examined her entire body again and saw that there were two small rips on the sleeve of the field army uniform, along with a little bloodstain. Qianye tore her field army uniform and the bodysuit beneath, revealing her entire arm. As expected, there were two deep and round holes on the upper arm area. Those were the tooth marks left after being bitten by vampiric fangs! Seeing these tooth marks, Qianye suddenly felt heartstrings tugging, and felt a powerlessness as though he was suffocating. Such young lady, was already a blood thrall? How much longer could she persevere? Seven days? Three days? Or maybe... one day? After frequently coming into contact with the dark races, Qianye already knew that being bitten actually wasnt a sure sign of contamination. Normal people would be in danger even just from touching a blood thrall. It was because they had no origin power, hence they were especially susceptible to being invaded by dark energy. For the strong, some wounds with blood arent very much fatal. But being stabbed deep into the blood vessels by vampiric fangs was an exception; unless one could receive the Embrace of higher ranked vampires and formally become a vampire, they wouldnt be able to shake off the inevitable destiny of becoming a blood thrall. People like Qianye who could resist the invasion of the blood of darkness up until now could be said as very few. Perhaps those rumored aristocratic familys secret arts really had effects, and maybe there were others who could endure, but the Empires policy about blood thralls had always been the same; terminate on sight, with nary a hint of compassion. Ever since that year where a prince of the Empire who had been infected with the blood of darkness was executed, this policy had never had a single exception nor compromise. If it had been half a year earlier, Qianye would have killed her without any hesitation or delay, no matter how he was captivated by her supernatural power. In the Empires eyes, death was a form of release to a blood thrall. Even if he didnt have a merciless heart, Qianye still wouldnt have wanted to watch her turn into a mindless blood thirsty monster. But now, without him noticing, Qianyes feelings had long since changed. He himself was a very good example that, testifying that as long as one persisted, a miracle really could happen. Qianye gave it some thought, and then cut open his own wrist and placed the cut next to her mouth. As expected, she reacted towards that pulsing fresh blood, and after sniffing it, she instinctively drank all of the blood that flowed beside her mouth. After being bitten by a vampire, the thirst for fresh blood was almost irresistible. At the same time, fresh blood was also a vampires miracle drug. No matter how deep the wound, as long as vampires had enough fresh blood, they would recover. She kept drinking the fresh blood, and her pallid face rapidly gained a healthier shade. When the blood near Qianyes wound dried, her breathing clearly quickened, and her face looked immeasurably pained, instinctively lifting her head and searching for blood. Qianye once again cut open his wrist and let the fresh blood seep out. Qianye even had an immature conjecture; perhaps his suppression of the blood of darkness was due to his blood having some sort of antibody or something. Feeding her more of his blood might just be able to delay the activation of the blood of darkness within her body. As the wound dried for the second time, Qianye had already begun to feel his entire body turning cold. His face was more so ghastly pale while his vision was starting to blur, a clear sign of too much blood loss. The good thing was that she finally wasnt suffering any longer, as her expression looked far more relaxed. When some color returned to that girls face, she suddenly released an even more irresistibly lethal force of attraction, and even after Qianye had taken the tranquilizer, he could still feel his heart jump at every little move she made. Finally, the girl slowly opened her eyes, and sat up. She didnt panic and didnt overreact either, just calmly turning her head to survey the surroundings as if she had just woken up in her own home. The girls large eyes were filled with innocence and vacantness, but Qianye knew that her act was definitely a facade. Youre awake? She didnt reply but lowered her head to look down at her exposed arm, and then she reached out her hand to her lips and rubbed her lips gently, tasting the fresh blood on the tip of her tongue. Finally, she looked at Qianye she asked, Its you who saved me? Her voice was gentle and a little overcast, and paired with those somewhat unfocused gaze, it had another unique feel to it. I guess, but thats not important. Your current state is very troublesome Qianye squirmed a little over his words, unsure of how he should break it to her. The fact that she was going to be a blood thrall was too cruel, and she was evidently quite young, maybe the same age as Qianye, or even a little younger. Could she handle such a cruel blow? Troublesome? You mean Ive become a blood thrall? She was far calmer than Qianye imagined her to be, and was also very knowledgeable. Yes. Her eyes finally gained an expression as she looked at Qianye seriously. Then shouldnt you kill me right now, and not save me? Qianye smiled bitterly. A blood thrall is not entirely without hope, perhaps you still have enough time. My advice is, you can head west. There lies the territory of the dark races, as well as some vampire activity. If you are lucky enough before you lose your wits, you might meet an upper-class vampire and receive the Embrace, then you may live on as a vampire. The girls expression turned somewhat baffled, as she asked with interest, Arent you human? Youd actually suggest that I go become a vampire? Doesnt that increase another enemy of humanity? Since Ive met you in this state, of course I had to save you. As for the future If, Im saying if, we ever have the chance to meet on the battlefield, I will personally kill you! Qianyes voice was calm. She looked at Qianyes wrist, intentionally or otherwise, Youre really a strange guy! Saving me just for the sake of killing me in the future? And youd even let our your blood for me to drink youre pretty knowledgeable about blood thralls. Qianye took out a bandage, and while he bound his wounds, he spoke, Everyone knows about blood thralls well, especially in this god forsaken place! Here, almost everyone had experienced relatives or friends who turned into a blood thrall. She went silent for a moment, and then stood up, holding out her hand to Qianye. I understand now. My name is Nighteye. As she stood up, an imposing aura flared.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 43: The Final Hun t [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye reached out toward her hand and shook it, and felt that her hand was still as cold as ice like before, Your name is rather strange, but also a good sounding one. I am Qianye, and as for my surname Ive forgotten. Forgetting even your surname, heh. Nighteye laughed, but didnt pursue the matter. This could be called a formal introduction between the two. Nighteye looked around, and her sight especially paused for an instant on the stringed hand-grenade trap at the door. As you can see, someone is pursuing me. If you can, give me something to eat, better if you have drugs, stimulants or anything are fine. Other than that, I need my weapons. Coincidentally, I happen to have all of that. Qianye felt a little strange. Nighteyes attitude was very natural and graceful, but it seemed like she knew everything he had on hand. This feeling of being seen through made him very unnerved. A while later, Nighteye was seated with Qianye in the bars kitchen, earnestly devouring the tableful of food. In the infertile Evernight Continent, high-calorie food was incredibly precious. The few basins of beef on the table were two months worth of Qianyes of food stock. Although that mysterious girl and old man had left him a few dozen imperial gold coins, in this lawless abandoned land, these things werent so easy to spend. Even if nobody dared to snatch it from him for the moment, he couldnt use it to purchase things directly, and could only find underground markets to exchange them. Because silver was effective against vampires, it was also one of the strategic resources of the Empire. Hence, the so-called silver coins was really only a name with very little silver inside of it, as they were primarily made of a metal called nickel. When the Empire was first setting up its currency system back then, it did use cast-silver, which also had the usage to see if people were infected by the blood of darkness. But as time passed, the amount of silver used in the silver coins decreased. As for now, Qianye only needed to use a little bit of technique to shorten contact with the silver pieces to an extreme, and hence not be affected by it. If he could, he would rather only have taken several hundred silver pieces instead, which would have saved him a lot of trouble. Other than food, there were also two large cups of strong liquor on the table. Qianye then took out the little hip flask, and carefully poured its contents into the liquor glass. This time, it wasnt just one droplet, but rather, he poured nearly half of the flask into each cup. Nighteyes eyes flashed, and she picked up the cup, sniffing it. The Empire Elite Corps special combat stimulant? Oh, its not pure stimulant, but all of the key ingredients are in it. I heard that this stuff can make a persons strength increase greatly for a short period of time, turning them into a killing machine. You made this? How did you know its formulation? Qianye was secretly shocked at Nighteyes depth of knowledge, but of course, he couldnt tell her about his experiences in the past, so he only spoke vaguely, Someone in my line of work always has their means. Getting such a formula isnt particularly difficult, just a mere few silver pieces. However, collecting the medicinal ingredients is the hard part. Just by chance, several of the key ingredients could be found nearby, so I made some. Although it isnt as strong as the original, it lasts longer, as its effects can keep up for several hours. Besides, it also has the ability to suppress the thirst caused by the blood of darkness. Nighteyes eyes lit up, and she grabbed the steel hip flask. Good stuff! Can you give me the rest of it? Qianye, without a single change in expression, took back his flask from her hands, saying, I need it too, plus I only have this much left in reserve. Ah, right, who exactly is hunting you down? Nighteye cut the beef as she nonchalantly spoke. I am a certain organizations hunter, specialized in hunting down dark races and then collecting the bounty from the Empire. Right now, Im being pursued by a group of vampires. At first, Qianye merely crooked an eyebrow. In this abandoned land, the status of a bounty hunter was slightly higher than scavengers, but not by much either. After hearing the final line, though, he couldnt hold it in, Vampires? Qianyes voice suddenly had an almost imperceptible tremble in it. Theyre not blood thralls, theyre true vampire warriors. And among them, theres even one who has aristocratic rank! Qianye suddenly went quiet. He finished the food on the plate in front of him, stood up again to serve up all of the remaining meat in the large pot onto the plate, and then continued to busy himself with the food. Nighteye looked at him. Im about to continue my escape and battle, so I need a lot of energy. Why are you eating so hurriedly? This far exceeds your usual food intake, doesnt it? Qianye mildly said, Im going to fight along with you later. I will send you to the dark race-controlled border region to the west. Nighteyes face gained an undisguised shade of shock. Youre going to fight with me? Dont joke, those whore pursuing me are real vampires, you know. With such weak combat strength, are you going just to send yourself to the grave? Lets see... youre not even a rank three Fighter, arent you? Qianyes heart jumped. Under her eyes, it seemed that any kind of secret was impossible to keep. But he persevered. I have my ways of dealing with vampires. Nighteye furrowed her brows. But if I am with you, I will be bogged down! I have no interest in moving with a weakling! Youd best stay here, if I make it out, Ill definitely send you your remuneration! Qianye didnt like Nighteyes tone at all; it was the kind of scorn and belittling of the weak by the strong, so obvious and deep to the bone. Even though Nighteye was doing it out of goodwill, this kind of attitude made him exceptionally uncomfortable. Moreover, Qianye had other plans, so he directly ignored Nighteyes attitude and opinion of refusal. Well advance according to the path, staying at a distance from one another. Well move independently, and wont interfere with each other. Qianye creased his eyebrows as well. Nighteye spoke out. If you do that, arent you just becoming my bait? Qianye laughed as he spoke. Even if I am a bait, those bloodsuckers need to make sure they can swallow the it down! Nighteye took a deep look at Qianye, and then the vacant look in her eyes disappeared, finally revealing the haughtiness and iciness hidden behind her gaze, It seems youre very confident in yourself. But in my eyes, this kind of confidence is no different from foolishness! In the eyes of an upper class vampire, merely a rank two Fighter is but an ant that they could squish with the slightest bit of effort. If you truly wish to come along, then so be it. I can only tell you, that the current you following me will merely guarantee your death. People have foretold my death since long ago, but not only have I lived, but Ive lived very well. Qianyes voice also grew increasingly cold. Nighteye creased her eyebrows. If youre trying to earn back your dignity and face in front of me, and trying to woo me in this way, then you honestly dont have to. Because the weak have no dignity to speak of at all, and I will never be moved by the weak. Dont die a dogs death. This is my final advice Im giving you, seeing as you saved me. Qianye knocked on the table, I do not have an ounce of interest toward you, I merely want to destroy those damnable bloodsuckers! Then do whatever you want. Just like this, their conversation ended rather unpleasantly, and the two of them finished off the table full of food in silence. Qianye then laid out a paper map on the table and sketched out a westward route. This was a meandering path with twists and turns, and the journey took them past two valleys, past a mountain peak, a vast stretch of forest, and then past an abandoned industrial area as well as the skeleton of an interstellar battleships wreckage. This is the route to the west. Why so complicated? Nighteye couldnt help but ask. The complexity of the route will help us to end those bloodsucking bastards who are following you, said Qianye, and he dotted one of the mountains on the map. Our final destination is here. There should be a secret vampire gathering ground here, and there were sightings of a high-level vampire here. From their insignia and their methods, they should be the ones who people call the Neos Among the vampires, their way of actions are relatively moderate, and perhaps youll have a chance to receive the Embrace, and become one of theirs. The look that Nighteye gave Qianye finally had a hint of excitement. You even know about the Neos, it seems that you dont have a simple past, either! You cant have always been the little keeper of this bar, can you? These informations are no secret, many in the Empire know about it. But there arent many who are able to find the vampires secret gathering spot without being discovered. A rank two Fighter that can do so is more so one of its kind. Thats not important. What is important, is that you perhaps will be able to receive The Embrace, and continue to live on. If you become one of the Neos, then the chances are that well have less opportunities to meet on the battlefield. As he finished, Qianye tapped the map sharply and said, Remember the route. Im going to burn the map in a moment. He looked at the time. We leave in twenty minutes! Suddenly, it was as if Qianye had returned to the time when he was in the Red Scorpion, unwaveringly cutting the enemies down. While Nighteye looked at the map Qianye had brought out, as well as his choice of route, and even him pointing out the vampires secret gathering ground, she finally began to feel curious about Qianye. Could it be that this little fellow who was so weak that it was pitiful, actually be able to do something? Time passed quickly, and when the 3 A.M. bell rung, the bars back door was discreetly opened. Nighteye left alone, quickly vanishing into the night. Nighteye would leave ten minutes before Qianye. And as to who would be whose bait, it would depend on what happens then. Nighteye gradually revealed her arrogant character, completely unwilling to move with Qianye. Meanwhile, Qianye too had many secrets that he didnt want her to see either, hence they had this weird, one in front and one in the back kind of lone hunter movement pattern. In the wilderness, this was one of the classic tactics of the Red Scorpions. Two experts with a tacit cooperation could do in a dozen of dark race warriors of similar strength over the course of several days of mobile warfare. Qianye waited until Nighteye had left and dug open the floorboard in the center of the hall, revealing a stone slab with a ring handle on it. Pulling open the stone board, he took out an approximately one meter long dark red briefcase from within. Placing the briefcase on the floor, Qianye carefully input the pin code, and after hearing the light click, he finally relaxed his expression and opened the box. Within the case were shockingly the main parts of an origin rifle and its various accessories! The rifles body was bulky and rather clumsy. On it, many origin power circuitry were inscribed and masked with a special black paint. This special black paint could mask the light that shone from these circuitry when they were active, yet not affecting the origin power circuit beneath it from absorbing free-moving origin power from the environment. Just this coating alone was worth more than the cost of an entire traditional high-accuracy sniper rifle. Qianye retrieved the gun and with abnormally well-practiced hands, he soon assembled a field rifle that was almost half as tall as his body. This gun was entirely coated black, and various accessories needed were all there. Its craftsmanship was extremely exquisite. Just sitting there quietly, it faintly exuded a murderous aura. Qianye had always wanted to take revenge for his Red Scorpion teammates for that fateful night, but now that the blood of darkness was becoming hard to control, he knew that he was running out of time. A year was too optimistic; he at most had a few more months. So now, Qianye only hoped that before he fell to the darkness forever, he could take a few more bloodsuckers down with him.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 44: One Hit Kill [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye balanced the assembled rifle and quickly got a good feel for it. It was not an average origin gun, but rather, it was constructed by the Red Scorpion Corps, a custom-made Red Scorpion gun. It was standard equipment for Red Scorpion soldiers. The model came from the Empires Firebird Group, its speciality being high precision and power. Its origin power conversion rate was almost fifty percent, making it belong to high-grade standard origin guns. However, the Scorpion Needle Custom that the Red Scorpion Corps had constructed had gone through redesign and adjustment in major areas, which increased its accuracy and power at the cost of decreasing its speed. This suited Red Scorpions style: Only move when its a one hit kill. Qianye lightly held the guns grip, feeling as if he were meeting an old friend again. Even when he was in need of money the most during his escape, he didnt sell a single piece of the gun. After settling down in Lighthouse Village, Qianye buried it deep down below the lobby of the bar. It had been a long time since he last saw it. Now, it was time to use this Scorpion Needle again. As a former Red Scorpion, Qianyes target wasnt average vampires, but the titled, high-ranking vampire. Qianye carried his Scorpion Needle on his back, and took out his Kohler Pistol to attach a silencer. Then, he left the bar and followed the path he and Nighteye had decided on beforehand. Soon after, a few vampire soldiers completely covered in black robes appeared outside Lighthouse Village. One of them sniffed the air, and said in a hoarse voice, Nighteye already left this place. She is heading west. Quickly, inform Sir Wilde. We will give chase. A vampire soldier standing to his side said, To the west? I remember there was a meeting place for a new gang there. She doesnt want to go to the new gangs territory, does she? If this is the case, then this is another thing the Council can use to attack us. We dont have to worry about that kind of stuff. There will naturally be grand figures who will worry in our place! What we need to do is capture Nighteye and bring her back. If we lose her, however, that will be our responsibility. The vampire soldiers began to move westward at a rapid pace. They separated into a huge fan-shaped formation, creating a large net without any holes, and headed in the direction Nighteye ran. Their running speed was extremely fast, even faster than werewolves in the wilderness. In addition, they were able to maintain this running speed for an entire day and night without rest. This was a vampire soldier. Their race had extremely high talent and were naturally powerful, thus being natural enemies to humans. At the top of a large tree in the distance, Qianye was holding his tactical scope and looked out over the wasteland under the shroud of night. The scope had a strange, pale-red field of view. Inside the lens, one could see the rapidly moving outlines of raging flames. This was a multi-purpose tactical scope that Red Scorpions were equipped with. It had a mechanism that specifically targeted vampires and werewolves. When this mechanism was equipped, it could detect vampires unique blood power, making them appear in Qianyes field of view as the red outlines he had seen before. Qianye quietly counted the number of enemies, One, two nine in total! Alright, they really committed a lot of resources to this. The woman who calls herself Nighteye doesnt seem to be as simple as she claimed! Hunter? Hmph! He glanced at the wilderness again, and cautiously changed his scope to werewolf vision, but couldnt find any other suspicious signs. Amongst the nine vampire soldiers, he did not see any signs of the titled vampire, which meant that these soldiers were only the vanguard. The main force still remained behind them. Their means of chasing Nighteye was reflected similarly. They did not impatiently chase after her, but separated and slowly began surrounding her position while remaining within tracking range. This was exactly what Qianye wanted. He had already prepared to fight these scattered, dark-blooded creatures. Qianye put away his tactical scope and jumped down the large tree, disappearing into the boundless night. Under the night sky, a vampire soldier cautiously walked into a valley. The valley wasnt big, but its terrain was complex. Spread throughout the valley were bramble bushes and not a small number of caves. Many scavengers made this area their temporary dwelling. When scavengers camped out, they would habitually create small traps in their surroundings, but when they leave, they often do not clear out their traps. After many years, this valley had become filled with danger at every step, being very difficult to pass through. Scavengers had an understanding of each other, so they could to see through signs of traps others had laid down. This standard vampire soldier, on the other hand, did not have such an ability. Soon after he entered the valley, he had already been soaked by foul-smelling water and acid, and was injured on his calf by another trap. He was extremely furious. A small injury like this did not actually hinder a vampires strong body, but the acid and foul-smelling water made him feel extremely disgusted. Every vampire was born with an obsession over cleanliness! However, he had to thoroughly search this valley, because this was the best place for someone to hide. If Nighteye was hiding there and he did not find her, then he could only look forward to the severest of punishments. That was why the vampire soldier continued searching despite his complaints. The vampire thought that if he could find a scavenger, that would be great. He definitely wouldnt suck the dirty blood from someone who had been wandering through garbage, but he would spend time torturing these cunning humans! While walking, the vampire soldier suddenly came into contact with a thin, black string. Before he had time to move his foot back, the string broke! The vampire soldier wrinkled his brows, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. He waited for the trap to spring. As long as he noticed them, traps made by scavengers would definitely not overcome him. However, the moment he opened his eyes to survey the landscape, a silvery flame sprang up a few meters away. In that moment, it released a piercing light! Seeing such strong light in pitch black darkness of the night, the vampire soldier who naturally had strong night vision screamed and covered his eyes! He was very experienced in battle, and after receiving this sudden attack, he didnt even think before he immediately rolled to the side to leave his original spot. However, when he stood up and prepared to open his eyes to look around, his back chilled. A sharp blade pierced through his back, stabbing deeply into his heart! When the sharp blade entered his body, the vampire soldier suddenly felt a burning pain inside his chest. He even smelled incineration within his own breath. In that moment, a thought flashed inside his mind, There is silver on the knife! He struggled, but it was futile. He could not even moan lightly, because a powerful hand was gripping his throat. The vampire soldier finally understood that he had met a strong opponent. Maybe it was that most hateful vampire hunter. Only those with deep understanding of vampires would be able to accurately tear through his heart in one strike and prevent the opposition from even calling for help by clutching his throat. Many humans without experience would cover the vampires mouth, then fall to a bite. Even if they killed the vampire in the end, they would still become a blood thrall. This vampire soldier struggled for a few moments, then collapsed onto the floor, to never move again. Like a ghost, Qianye appeared from behind him, quietly pulling out his military knife. He then stabbed the body a few more times. He flipped the vampire soldier over and pried open his mouth. There were two complete vampire fangs, a symbol of official members. Any mature vampire would have the strength of at least a rank two Fighter. Qianye used his knife to pry out the two fangs and threw them in his backpack. Many institutions in the Empire bought these fangs for a high price as a reward for killing vampires. One official vampire soldiers fangs were worth one imperial gold. Qianye searched the vampire again and put everything of value inside his bag. He didnt touch anything else. Weapons used by vampires usually had blood scents that were designed to be tracked, and without suitable methods and tools, destroying the tracking system was very difficult. If one was greedy and took a weapon, then that would essentially be giving all of the vampires comrades a clear target. After using a few minutes to get rid of his tracks, Qianye scurried through the valley in a loop and took out his remaining tin foil bags. These bags were able to create strong flashes of light, making them weapons that could be used to defend against vampires and their extraordinary night vision. After fulfilling his tasks, Qianye left the valley. In just half an hour, he had already run twenty kilometers and found a hidden cave to conceal himself. Qianye put on his military gloves and carefully took a bag of liquid silver from his backpack. He forcefully resisted the eruption of his blood and dipped his saber into the liquid for a few moments. He then let it dry and returned it to its sheath, and just like this, he finished preparing for his next battle. After this, Qianye closed his eyes and began resting. He was soaked in cold sweat after completing just a few of these simple tasks. In the distance, Nighteye stopped sneaking around. Her left pupil became blood-colored. In her field of view, she saw a chain composed of seventeen pale links of blood energy, connecting her body to something in the distance. These were Blood Shackles, a secret art possessed only by pure bloods. With multiple vampires cooperating, the Blood Shackles could connect to their target, but it would suppress both sides power level. The more Blood Shackles there were, the more effective the suppression was. However, both sides experienced this power of suppression, and everyone was heavily restrained. The side that owned the Blood Shackles could use them to suppress a genuine expert by sacrificing a lot of cannon fodder. In addition, after being locked down by Blood Shackles, there was no real way to escape them. The Blood Shackles would inform both parties of their enemys location at all times, so unless one killed all the shackled enemies, one would never be able to escape. At this moment, Nighteye felt her entire body lighten up a little. A blood chain broke and faded, indicating that an enemy soldier had been killed. Nighteye looked in the direction of the chains path. He actually killed one? Is this good luck? To her, Qianye was truly too weak. It was equivalent to a vampire soldier that had just risen from the newborn rank. Humans were truly so weak. However, humans were extremely cunning and too good at reproducing. It had been told that during the War of Daybreak, an uncountable number of dark race heroes had suffered at the hands of humanitys Human Wave Tactics. The vampires on the other side of the Blood Shackles were definitely not low rank soldiers. Within the imperial army, rank six Fighters were already Lieutenant Colonels, capable of leading close to a thousand Fighters, but although each of these vampires originally had power equivalent to a rank five or rank six human Fighter, they were suppressed to mere rank two Fighters after being locked by the Blood Shackles. From Nighteyes point of view, these advanced soldiers died to a mere rank two Fighter. They likely died with everlasting regret. However, she stopped thinking about this. To her, the fate of those soldiers was not worth spending more time thinking about. Nighteye continued to sprint forward under the night sky, quickly covering long distances.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 45: Place of the Decisive Battle [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Inside another valley, Qianye laid hidden inside the underbrush, looking through the gaps of theblades of grass at the advancing vampire warrior that was searching not far away. The vampire warrior snapped a thin thread with his foot, activated the mechanism as the tin foil bag suddenly exploded. Immediately, a bright silver flame began to burn. This vampire soldier had slightly faster reaction time than the previous. Right when the light flashed, he had already turned around and closed his eyes so that they were not harmed too badly. Moreover, he had quickly backed away before opening his eyes and starting to search for any enemies in hiding. Yet, Qianye did not give him an opportunity to recover. The moment the vampire soldier began backing away, Qianye had jumped up and threw a tin foil bag. When the vampire soldier opened his eyes, he saw the tin foil bag a few meters in front of him and Qianye pulling a thin string with his hands. Another flash of light illuminated in front of the vampire soldiers face! The vampire soldier ultimately suffered. He screamed with pain, and instinctively covered his eyes. Qianye pulled out his Kohler pistol, clutching it tightly with his two hands. He emptied the seven bullets within his magazine at once despite the massive recoil, which he recovered his aim in time for every following bullet. Every bullet landed on either one of the vampire soldiers hands or his face, but not one was able to penetrate the hands that were still covering his eyes. Two bullets were embedded in his chin bone, but were not able to penetrate through bone either. Qianye felt his heart chill. What a tough body! At this distance, guns that used gunpowder had no way of penetrating the body of an high rank vampire soldier. That also implied only Black Scorpion veterans were able to fight one! If Qianye met an advanced vampire soldier in a direct confrontation, he definitely would not have any chance at victory. However, from the strength of his darkness origin power and his reaction time in battle, Qianye could tell that this vampire truly had the strength of a rank two Fighter. Could it be that he had some sort of special innate aptitude? Qianyes thoughts shifted quickly, his hands pulling the trigger for the last time without any hesitation. The vampire soldier had been forced back by the barrage of bullets, which caused him to continuously scream even louder. The bullets were all coated in silver. Once they entered his body, they immediately began corroding his flesh. However, Qianye knew that his bullets were only cheap, silver-coated bullets. Silver-coated bullets could only exacerbate the injuries and would not reach the point of lethality, but real silver bullets were controlled by the army, so he had no way of getting them. Qianye dove forward and passed the vampire soldiers front in a flash. Like a ghost, he then circled around to the soldiers back and stabbed him with a knife smeared with liquid silver. The knife cut through the heart in one jab before Qianye speedily retreated. The vampire soldier let out a mournful cry, struggled for a moment, and then fell over at last. Qianye finally released his breath as deep-seated fatigue overwhelmed him. This battle took only a short while, but it exhausted almost half of his origin power. He had used every strategy and trick he knew, consecutively setting traps for his opponents before finally deciding the result of this battle. However, the cries of this vampire soldier had already spread far and wide. The other vampires were definitely alerted and increased their vigilance. To ambush one again so soon would be much more difficult. Qianye continued searching the body and found a gold badge inside the vampire soldiers pocket. On it was a symbol of a crescent moon and a scepter, but Qianye had never seen this symbol before. It might perhaps be some ancient familys insignia. Qianye pocketed the badge and then similarly took some of the crystal currency generally usable in dark races that the vampire had brought along with him. Lastly, Qianye pried out the vampires fangs. This time, he examined them carefully. This pair of fangs was slightly longer than those of low rank vampire soldiers that he had fought before. It also had a finer texture and a higher transparency. The openings for sucking blood and injecting venom were also slightly wider. The accumulation of these minor differences confirmed that the vampire wasnt an ordinary, but an high ranked vampire soldier. However, as to why a high ranked vampire soldier had experienced a sudden drop in power, a drop from rank six to rank two, must have other reasons. Perhaps, it have had to do with their pursuit of Nighteye. Qianye pondered for a moment, then decided not to erase his traces and only adjusted a couple of things and before quietly leaving. Having lost two high ranked soldiers, the titled vampire definitely wouldnt easily let the killer escape. Thus, these traces could give clues to that vampire big shot and throw him off in analyzing Qianyes battle strength. Within the traces also remained some of Qianyes scent, which any keen vampire could use to easily track him. This was Qianyes goal. His true target was the boss of those vampires! Far away, Nighteye was slightly surprised. Another piece of her Blood Shackles had snapped. She now felt that maybe she should raise her opinion of the little guy known as Qianye. Even though his strength was pretty damn weak, he was obviously extremely cunning. Just the ability to consecutively kill two elite vampire soldiers gave him the qualifications to be placed on par with experienced vampire hunters. About half an hour after Qianye left, a handsome young man was standing inside the valley. He frowned as he looked at the vampire soldiers body. Behind him stood four other vampire soldiers who were all slightly trembling at this moment. This man was dressed in a tuxedo. His slim body, coattail, bowtie, and linen blouse, not a single detail wasnt perfect. He looked as if he was about to attend a banquet. Under the light of the blood moon, his boots seemed especially dazzling. He turned around to face a middle-aged vampire soldier, coldly smiling as he said, So these are the elite soldiers you trained? They werent able to chase down Nighteye, and two were killed by a weak human instead! From what I see, our houses dignity has utterly been lost by you lot! The vampire soldier spoke in a low voice, Sir Wilde, their strength had been suppressed by the Blood Shackles. Wilde pointed toward the bodys wound on the backside, where the heart should have been, and sneered, Even if they were suppressed, their strengths wouldve still been rank two! You see this wound? That human also merely had the strength of a rank two. Dont tell me the elite soldiers you trained for a few decades couldnt even defeat a human of the same rank! Are you guys trying to say that the kid who opened a small bar in that little town is actually a soldier from the Broken Wings Angel or something? Or perhaps from one of the other elite corps? Such as the Swords of Radiance, the Red Scorpion, or the Arms of War? Under this barrage of remarks, the few vampire soldiers were unable to respond at all. Wilde coldly laughed for a while, then finally said, This guy must die! However, I dont have any confidence in relying on you. I will finish him myself! The captain of the soldiers was shocked, and hurriedly dissuaded him, Sir! You still need to deal with Nighteye! Wilde arrogantly said, Thats not a problem, theres no way for her to escape. Even if she and that guy were waiting for me together, do you actually think that a rank two human can affect the battle situation between me and her? Wilde scanned the four vampire soldiers and wanted to say something, but suddenly looked westward. He gradually revealed a twisted smile as he said, Ah, look what information the wonderful scent of sacred blood had brought us! It is truly unbelievable. That noble and proud lady Nighteye is actually coming in this direction. Does she want to join hands with that brat? Join hands with a rank two human? Wilde especially emphasized phrase rank two. The vampire captain summoned up the courage to say, Sir, please be careful! Be careful? Wildes smile gradually became ferocious. Even if I dont catch Nighteye, theres no way for her to escape. There are still some unlikable, big dogs that will arrive soon. This area is their paradise! Werewolves? Then Lady Nighteye Wilde coldly interrupted the captain, My orders were to bring Nighteye back, but they didnt specify whether she had to be dead or alive! Wilde didnt plan on acting alongside the four soldiers. He believed that these guys who were suppressed down two rank two would only hold him back. Despite being a chain on the Blood Shackles, he still had the strength of a rank five soldier, and was well-matched against Nighteye. During his battle with Nighteye, there was no place for a rank two insect to interfere. However, he had no problem with killing this insect before he fought Nighteye. This would make him joyful whereas Nighteye, not so much. Just thinking of that little insect laying in a pool of blood and moaning already gave Wilde uncontrollable pleasure. However, Wilde very quickly found this chase to be unpleasant, very unpleasant. Wilde followed the scent and chased after it until he stopped in front of an enormous warship skeleton, his expression becoming extremely ugly. The enormous skeleton of warship was over one hundred meters in height and one thousand meters in length. It was a Colossus-model main force warship of humans after the War of Daybreak. Now that it had fallen here, it was entirely like the ruins of a small city. This tiny insect was obviously very cunning, or he would have never chosen this place to hide himself. Seeing the filthy environment and smelling the pungent scent of metal and other materials that had lingered through all these years without fully dissipating, Wilde rubbed his tormented nose and made a bitter smile as he made his way inside a propulsion pipeline. This Colossus-model warship truly deserved its name. A person could even stoop and walk through its propulsion pipelines. Wilde bent over and walked through the enormous propulsion tube for a long time before finally coming out on the other side. What he then discovered, was that it was only a piece of fabric from a shirt that lead him here. However, this scent was much fresher than before, so that little punk couldnt have left more than twenty minutes ago. Wilde immediately chased this trail. He was so fast that one would almost be unable to see him. He looked like a mirage traversing the wasteland. A moment later, Wilde suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression becoming even grimmer. He was able to feel that Qianye was hiding just in front of him. It seemed that this was the place where the little rascal had chosen as grounds of their final battle. Although, in Wildes eyes, the correct phrasing would be a chosen burial ground. Nighteye also arrived at the other side of the battle ground. She and Wilde were both able to feel each others presence, but at this moment, her expression was not much better than his. Qianyes choice of location for the final battle, was largest ruin and junkyard near Lighthouse Town. The smell was immensely putrid. Besides the various types of garbage, there were also a few abandoned factories, while gigantic airships skeletons scattered all over the place. This area used to be the graveyard for airships before the Empire withdrew from the region, and a few hundred years, it had gradually accumulated into a mountain range made of garbage of various compositions. To high vampires who had mysophobia from birth, while also having an extremely sharp sense of smell, this place was worse than hell. Wildes expression was extremely ugly, but there was no way he could give up on killing Qianye. Two high ranked vampire soldiers had already died in his hands, so as their leader, Wilde had the responsibility to expunge this embarrassment. Insect, you better hide well! Youd better not let me find you! Wilde murmured, finally stepping into the junkyard. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 46: Werewolves’ First Appearance [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] At this moment, Qianye was hiding behind an abandoned airship. Only half of the main cabin remained and the perimeter of the tear had incomparably sharp, metal edges. All different kinds of trash were hung upon the edges, flowing with the wind like fluttering banners. They blocked the line of sight. At this moment, Qianye was looking through a hole that had once been a window. He had very carefully hidden his entire body behind the metal wall. Even his eyes couldnt be seen directly. From outside of the hole, only the black lenses of binoculars could be seen. Within his field of view, Wildes body emitted a dark red, but the color was faint, suggesting that the amount of dark origin power that was leaking was actually very little. This was a sign of a true high-ranking vampire. Vampires who were true experts were able to withdraw their bloody aura and origin power. They could never be accurately analyzed by a mere Tactical Scope. It seemed like this was the titled vampire Nighteye was talking about. Qianye closely observed Wildes movements, not missing even the smallest of details. According to Qianyes experience, high ranking vampires and vampire soldiers were two different organisms. Any titled vampire, even the lowest ranking calvary, will be at least rank seven and was definitely not someone Qianye was able to contend with. Even though the enemy had been lured into the garbage dump because he underestimated him, Qianye knew that he only had one chance. He had to kill him in one strike! Qianye only had a chance because the enemy would never think that a rank two human would have strong killing weapons such as the Scorpion Needle and the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. Qianye saw Wilde blindly searching and even turning his back facing him multiple times, but he still never fired. High-ranking vampires all had extremely fast reaction time, and Wilde had just entered the garbage dump, so he was still on high alert. It was not the best time to strike yet. Back in the Yellow Springs Training Camp, Qianye had already learned of patience and for someone with no future like him, killing the high-ranking vampire who was in front of him at that moment was the most meaningful thing in his life. Inside the garbage dump, Wilde already considered his augmented sense of smell a burden. Tracks had been cut off there, so he could only rely on his attraction to blood and life force, his experience, and his eyes to search for his opponent. However, within such an enormous garbage dump, there was all kinds of junk lying around everywhere he looked. How could it be easy to find someone hiding intentionally using such a primitive method? While Wilde was wandering around, he suddenly stopped and looked toward the top of a broken warship. On the tilted gangway raised high in the air appeared a slim figure. Nighteye? You would actually also come in a place like this! Wilde seemed very surprised. He knew that Nighteyes identity was special. Someone like her would definitely not enter such a filthy place. He never would have thought that not only did she enter, she even had the intention to fight him here. Why cant I come? Nighteye coldly said. Wilde suddenly took off his well-ironed uniform, and dropped it on the ground. He then smiled and said, Since even you are not disgusted by this dump, theres no reason for me to be either! However, is this little insect of a human that important to you? After he finished speaking, Wilde pulled out a flexible sword that vibrated as it straightened. His entire person then rose into the air and charged toward Nighteye. Nighteye pulled out her dagger and dropped down ten meters, but in the middle of the air, she suddenly changed direction by kicking the airship and charged in Wildes direction! The two people turned into shadows and fought with movements as fast as lightning. Every single second, each person struck out numerous times, but barely a sound of weapons clashing rang out. Qianye observed the battle of these two and looked at Nighteye with his binoculars. Within the vampire scanner, Nighteye virtually did not have any red light about her and barely looked any different from how she did normally. Qianye wrinkled his brows. Usually, this would have confirmed her identity as a human, but he still had an inexplicable feeling that something was off. Qianye had fought against vampires in dozens of battles and knew their combat styles by heart. Vampires fought by utilizing their power, speed, and battle techniques. Their inhuman speed and power that didnt seem to belong to their body type were the essential differences between their and humans combat styles. Based solely on the scene of battle, it seemed to be clear that two high-ranking vampires were fighting, but Nighteyes body emitted no signs of dark origin power. After identifying Nighteye as a human, yet seeing her vampire-like combat style, Qianye had a weird feeling that he couldnt explain. Qianye quietly retreated into the airships engine room. The room was mostly intact, so hopefully, some of its shielding capabilities remained. He took out his Scorpion Needle and used his crystal cartridge box to fill the magazine. He put a single Mithril Bullet of Exorcism inside the gun chamber. He waited a few seconds, but everything was normal. The Mithril Bullet of Exorcism did not fluctuate due to the effects of his blood of darkness. The Scorpion Needles production was of the highest quality. It was entirely airtight, and free of any leakage. Qianye had an imperceptible smile on his face. He could still use exorcism weapons without any problems. That really was good news. Then he clutched the grip of the gun and slowly infused it with his origin power. The guns body lit up with a myriad of dark red lines where origin power passed through as Qianyes consciousness followed along. At this moment, his origin power stimulated each component of the origin array as it followed the path inside the Scorpion Needle. It created a film of special energy that wrapped around the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. This was an ability Qianye acquired when he became a rank two Fighter: Heavy Caliber. Heavy Caliber was the most common ability used by snipers, but it was still highly useful. The films energy would increase the damage of the bullet when it was fired and burst open. When combined with the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism, he was definitely able to heavily injure any vampire below the rank of Viscount. It was an instant kill if it hit a vital point! This was the present Qianye had prepared for Wilde! Qianye carefully inspected his entire body to confirm that there was nothing that could hinder him before quietly moving through the airship to leave through the other exit. He immediately removed a layer of garbage and slowly peeked his head over. In front of him, Wilde and Nighteye were fighting to the death. This was a very suitable spot. The moment Qianye entered the garbage dump, he had noticed its advantageous position. The most important benefit was the thick layer of rotting organic material which was basically a natural barrier against vampires. Even a Count would never be able to detect his presence within the garbage mound. As for the stench and filth, Qianye did not care at all. Since the beginning of his memories, he had been inside a garbage dump. If it werent for such a huge garbage dump and the upper continents regularly dumping their garbage, he would have never found enough food to survive. Within the protection of the garbage, the barrel of his Scorpion Needle slightly peered out. Right when the very tip was exposed, it stopped moving and froze. It then slowly pointed downward, toward an empty field, after which Qianye began patiently waiting. Wilde and Nighteye suddenly separated, each staring at the other. The two were injured at the same time. Wilde was injured on his thigh, with a spike bayonet embedded far enough into the flesh that it reached the bone. Nighteye also received an injury on her left shoulder. There was a large wound, deep enough to reveal her bones. Wilde suddenly laughed, his expression very exaggerated. You cant escape now! With the scent of your blood on you, you will be captured by soldiers of the Dark Nightmare Tribe no matter where you run to! Nighteye coldly said, You actually colluded with those disgusting dogs! You have thrown away the glory of our race! What do you know? Once I pull your father out of his position, Ill see how long youll be able to keep everyone beneath you! Nighteye wanted to say something, but then her expression drastically changed. Bursts of howling rang out from outside the garbage dump, and then a few black werewolf fighters appeared on top of an abandoned airship. Qianye was one hundred meters away and couldnt hear what Nighteye and Wilde were talking about. However, once he saw the high ranking vampire give what seemed like instructions to the black werewolves, his face couldnt help but change! Werewolves! This was another main race within the dark races. Their strength was barely weaker than that of vampires. However, the two races had been enemies for numerous generations throughout history. Sometimes their hatred for each other was even stronger than their hatred of humans. Thus, seeing a vampire and a group of werewolves virtually cooperating with each other made for a very abnormal scene. This further confirmed that Nighteyes identity wasnt simple. It was important enough that werewolves and vampires would cooperate to take her down. A few black werewolves with giant bodies appeared. They were all official fighters recognized within their race, and were also rank two Fighters. One of the werewolves was larger than the others. The distance between his head and tail was four meters, he was almost two meters tall, and he didnt look much different from a lion. This was an elite soldier within the werewolf race that approximately had the strength of a rank five human Fighter. At this time, more than ten vampire soldiers finally appeared from outside the garbage dump and reached them. Even though these soldiers were only rank two, victory belonged to the side with the numerical advantage. They had filled in all the empty areas that the werewolves could not cover, completely sealing off any route of escape for Nighteye. The situation instantly became incomparably dangerous. In the face of this kind of strength, the only prospect was death. No matter how fast Nighteye was, it would still be very difficult for her to escape this encirclement. Aside from that, she was injured. Dripping blood served as tracks for werewolves. In the wilderness, werewolves were the best hunters, even tougher than vampires. Qianye had never expected this to happen. From the way it seemed, all of the nearby high-ranking dark races had appeared. It was important to note that this place was still within the imperial expeditionary armys control! When so many high-ranking dark race warriors appeared, the imperial expeditionary army would definitely react fiercely. It was likely that the army would completely cleanse the area. Wherever the expeditionary army had passed through, the area could be described, without exaggeration, as completely devoid of life. This was true even for humans. Within cities where dark races had appeared, the expeditionary army would always begin a large-scale search for blood thralls. Amongst the captured blood thralls, true ones who were truly infected sometimes did not even amount to half. The rest were people that had a possibility of being infected or people that had hidden blood thralls away. Some people were even captured under the name of a blood thrall solely because an officer of the expeditionary army didnt like them. Once the main force of the expeditionary army was mobilized, half of Lighthouse Town would definitely be destroyed. However, Lighthouse Towns future was not something Qianye could care about. With his blood of darkness erupting ever more frequently, controlling it became more and more difficult. Qianye had already made preparations. The moment he could no longer resist his bloodthirst and was on the verge of beginning indiscriminate killing to drink blood, that would be the last moment of his life. This was another reason for why Qianye wanted to come with Nighteye when he heard there would be a high-ranking vampire. In his eyes, there could be nothing of more worth than him trading his life, which could already end at any moment, to kill a high-ranking vampire. Sacrificing a rank two Fighter to kill a high-ranking vampire of at least seven was something any commander would do without hesitation. Qianye lightly moved his gun barrel, and patiently locked his eyes down onto Wilde. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 47: Death by Explosion [Volume 2 C Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye felt that this vampire noble was somewhat strange. Although he only displayed power around the rank four or five, his combat skills and reactions were far greater than that of a high-ranking vampire soldier. Thinking back to the two vampire warriors he had personally slain earlier, Qianye faintly felt that this high-ranked vampire might have the same circumstances, and could not understand the reason as to why his strength was suppressed. The enemy should be a Blood Esquire or maybe even a rank eight Knight. However, Qianye continued to wait for when Wilde would relax. Seeing that the situation had been decided, Wilde was finally relieved and smiled, saying, Miss Nighteye, the end result is now certain, and even if you want to run, it is impossible for you to! If you are willing to submit and then advise your father to cease resisting, the viscount would be very happy. He might even be willing to grant you a pretty good position. Perhaps becoming the wife of a viscount would be suitable for you? However Wildes face suddenly sank and he said coldly, However, if you do not cooperate, then sending your corpse back to your father is just as suitable. Furthermore, at that time, I cannot guarantee what you will look like. As you know, our black-furred friends utterly hate vampires, and they are capable of anything. Even if you become a corpse, there is no escape from the treatment awaiting you! I think our friends dont mind if you are dead or alive. You can also try waiting for reinforcements, for example, that rank two brat Nighteyes fingertips trembled slightly, obviously due to her extreme anger. She looked away, her face filled with a look of contempt, not even willing to say one more word to Wilde. Her gaze swept the surroundings, looking for any chance to escape. However, the black werewolf fighters and vampire warriors had blocked all paths of escape. Under the suppression of the Blood Shackles, she had no chance of running past those ferocious, four-legged bastards. Wilde looked at Nighteye with satisfaction, and his gaze began to brazenly wander up and down her whole body. Even by vampire standards, Nighteye possessed a city-toppling charm. Moreover, she possessed a natural charm ability; it was no wonder that even a cold, bloodthirsty, and exuberantly ambitious important figure such as the viscount would be moved by her to the point of disregarding the future risk of revenge and instead sought to personally obtain her. It would be best if she resisted until the end. That way, perhaps I may have the chance to try tasting her Wilde stroked his jaw while lost in thought. At that moment, the sharp howl of a wolf woke Wilde from his daydream! He immediately felt his scalp fry, and his survival instincts continuously screamed of life-threatening danger, making him extremely frantic. Wilde instinctively turned his head to look in the direction the dangerous attack came from, his body already beginning to make evasive maneuvers. From the corner of his eyes, a dazzling, silver flash ceaselessly grew larger. It was a silver flash! The thing vampires hated the most was silver, and a silver flash within the darkness often implied the worst thing possible. The instant Wilde saw the silver, he instinctively rushed forward, not even having the time to think about where this attack came from. In that moment, Wilde felt as if a sledgehammer had ruthlessly slammed into his leg, making his whole body fly away while he immediately lost all feeling in his right leg. Qianye, who was buried within layers of garbage, looked through his tactical scope and watched as the silver flash exploded into a bundle of flames and Wildes right leg soared away from his body. That body part emitted a hissing sound and quickly diffused into black smoke. Wilde himself tumbled through the air after having been knocked into the sky by the impact. It wasnt that the shot was off target, it was just that Wildes reaction time was just too fast. He somehow optimally dodged in an impossible time frame and avoided fatally injuring his vitals. Just based on this degree of battle skill, he had to be at least a Knight. Additionally, the power of the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism was far beyond Qianyes imagination. If this gun with the addition of the power of Heavy Caliber had hit Wildes body, it would have immediately taken his life. Qianye did not look back in regret. He quickly pressed the second Mithril Bullet of Exorcism into the gun, during which his eyes never left the tactical scope. Right when he finished reloading, his sights were already set on Wildes landing location. These extreme ammo loading, aiming, and shooting skills were tempered during all of Qianye''s endlessly ruthless training. The moment when Wilde fell to the ground, the second Mithril Bullet of Exorcism whistled out and turned into a silver light, smashing into his chest. Wilde had no strength left to dodge the bullet, and he pitifully screamed and shouted as a large hole immediately opened in his chest. Wilde emitted dying screams, his mournful voice piercing the night sky as it spread far and wide. Qianye observed for an entire minute, and only after determining that not even being soaked in the legendary Vampire Progenitor Blood Pool could save Wildes life did he move the muzzle away and point it in the direction of a werewolf. During the process of observing and moving the gun, he put the third Mithril Bullet of Exorcism into the bullet chamber and then began to madly hasten the origin tide, regardless of the severe pain sweeping through his chest area as he injected the last of his origin power into the Scorpion Needle. Because the Combatant Formula overwhelmed other arts, it became the main practiced art of the lower end of the Empires army. Other than being able to rapidly increase ones strength in the initial stages, it was also faster than the other arts at charging an origin gun. Under these kinds of situations, saving even one second could determine life or death. Although this unforeseen event was sudden and unexpected, after firing two consecutive shots, Qianye had also exposed his own location. Vampire warriors quickly rushed toward his hiding spot, momentarily making a hole within the encirclement around Nighteye. Nighteye didnt immediately seize the chance to escape, instead clenching her teeth and moving behind one of the vampire warriors like a specter, ruthlessly stabbing a dagger into his heart. At the same time, two spiked bayonets flew out from her hands, shooting into the body of a werewolf who had come to benefit from others disputes. The extremely potent toxin on the spiked bayonets immediately reacted. The giant werewolf rushed out for ten more meters, uttered a sad final wail, and then fell to the ground. The werewolf leader let out a long howl in extreme anger. Reacting to this, all the werewolves turned toward Nighteye, while the chief itself charged toward Qianye. In its mind, Qianye was a much bigger threat than Nighteye. The power of the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism made every member of the dark races tremble with fear! Qianye watched the rapidly approaching werewolf leader, yet did not fire. When werewolves ran in their wolf forms, their instinctive reactions were even faster than those of vampires, making it completely possible for them to change directions and dodge in the moment it would take him to pull the trigger. Not only that, but the restorative capabilities of the werewolves bodies werent any worse than the vampires. If his shot did not hit their vitals, they would be able to restore themselves after a period of time. Come on then! Damn bastard! A life for a life, theres still more to earn! Qianye contemplated this in his heart as his eyes that stared in the werewolf leaders direction were cold and steady. Having eliminated Wilde, Qianye had already found his meaning in life. Right now, he found that if he was able to claim the head of one more rank five werewolf, then his entire life wouldve been worth it! This was how a soldier calculated! The werewolf leader had already arrived within ten meters of Qianye. He then jumped up, changed into human form in mid air, and dove at Qianye! Now is the time! The moment Qianye had been waiting for was the werewolfs leaping strike! His upper body suddenly leaned back, and he lifted the muzzle while pulling the trigger! With this opportunity, the angle was precise, as if it had been rehearsed in advance. The Mithril Bullet of Exorcism drew a beautiful and dazzling streak of silver in the night sky, instantly burying its way into the werewolf leaders chest! Immediately, a large piece of silver light flew out from the werewolf leaders back, leaving a terrifying wound about the size of a large bowl! The silver light was like a fountain sprinkling into the air, with little droplets refracting light and bizarre colors. The werewolf leader still fell onto the designated position, fiercely swinging down with its claw. The Scorpion Needle flew out from Qianyes hand, but the heavy blow exploded on his chest without obstruction! But this blow did not cut open that frail human like the werewolf had anticipated. It only made him fly far away! The werewolf leader let out the indignant roar of an injured beast and once again jumped toward Qianye to chase him, but it only ran for a few meters before uttering a whine and collapsing to the ground. When the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism passed through its body, it had already burned all its internal organs. No matter how tenacious its vitality was, it was unable to resist the true strength and the destructive power that came from a true expert of the human race. Qianye fell down dozens of meters away and lost consciousness after spitting some blood out of his mouth. On the other battlefield, Nighteyes situation wasnt all that good either. She had finally slain all of the vampire warriors, removing the Blood Shackles from her body, but her body currently sustained dozens of wounds. Her left calf was twisted in an unnatural way, and her leg bones were all broken from being bitten by a werewolf. However, there were four werewolves still around her! Nighteye gritted her teeth, and the intense pain covered her forehead with cold sweat. Her bayonets had all been used up, and the only weapon she had left was the dagger made of special material. She looked in the direction of Qianye and finally grimaced, turning toward the outside and fleeing. Qianye was only a rank two Fighter, so getting hit by the werewolf leader only meant that he was doomed for certain death. .This group of werewolves was unexpectedly strong, and even though Nighteye had removed the Blood Shackles, restoring her strength still required time. Nighteye had originally wanted to take Qianyes corpse away, because if she left him here, he would become dinner for of the hateful werewolves. However, at this moment, she could no longer look after him. The four werewolves chased after Nighteye unhurriedly as they were not that worried that she would stall for time. With those kinds of heavy injuries, she would completely run out of stamina before she could recover a couple of levels of her strength. That was the hunting instinct of the werewolves. Nighteye had just exited the garbage dump when, suddenly, an indistinct shadow pounced out from the side, ruthlessly throwing her to the ground. A shadow wolf! They were the cruelest and most cunning assassins among werewolves. It had long since arrived but had been lying in wait all the way up until now. Nighteyes face flashed with despair and then suddenly became fierce. Her pupils surged with a sanguine hue, and an invisible attack shot out from the depths of her eyes ruthlessly smashing into the shadow wolfs brain! The shadow wolf let out a wail, and it froze for a moment. Nighteye took advantage of this chance and used the dagger to pierce into the shadow wolfs lower abdomen! The shadow wolf roared, and its claw knocked away Nighteyes dagger. It then bit her arm, and with a loud crack, it broke both her arms. After waiting for Nighteye to lose the ability to resist, and waiting for her to fall into a coma, he gradually changed forms, transforming into a young man that was teeming with a wild aura. He glanced at the wound on his abdomen, seemed to be extremely furious, and hatefully kicked at Nighteye with his leg. Enough! If she dies, her value may not be as great. An old man with over ten werewolves following behind him stepped out from the darkness. The shadow wolf pointed at Nighteye angrily. But there is no way this cold-blooded woman would yield! Not only that, she also murdered so many of our fellow werewolves! Those are the things Viscount Duke has to consider, it has nothing to do with us. We need to deliver a living Nighteye to him, and she must not be missing any important parts or else it wont count as completing the transaction, the old man said slowly. The shadow wolfs chest rose and fell and as he glared at Nighteye. He spat a mouthful of saliva toward her. However, what was strange was that after the mouthful of saliva flew halfway, it hung suspended in the air and slowly began to revolve.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 48: Primo [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Seeing this strange scene, all of the werewolves went on full alert and watched the surroundings. The fur of all the ones who stayed in wolf-form under this tremendously alarming feeling rose! At this moment, the wind suddenly was no more. The night also seemed to be especially quiet, and the darkness seemed to have weight, fiercely pressing down on the werewolves. Right when it seemed that the whole world went silent, the sound of footsteps broke out. Every step seemed to crush the hearts and souls of all life. Two people walked out from the cover of the dark night. One was a tall and thin old man. He had a head full of snow white hair, his face was especially square and long, and the corners of his eyes drooped down. It was a face that strongly resembled that of the Apennine Colossus, capable of impressioning others with a single glance. None of his white hairs were stained, and the end of the locks on both sides of his cheeks curled into luxurious rolls. At the same time, the other one was a petite young lady. She had an exceptionally pleasant, small face. Beside her pale white skin, her blood-red lips were particularly dazzling. The young lady had her hair tied up into a long ponytail, and the collar of her black cloak stood straight up, revealing a blood-red pattern along the edge, tender and beautiful, but also strange. The white-haired old man softly said, I really didnt expect that so many of these wild dogs would gather in this kind of small place, no wonder we could smell the stench from so far away. Moreover, some extremely interesting things are happening here, it seems that we have some primitive clans internal conflict? the young lady said. The white-haired old man raised his head, took a deep breath, and said, Oh, guess what I scented? Its the smell of the highest quality of mithril. Its dangerous, but ah, it brings the beauty of death. Not only that, but the one who refined seems to actually be a real opponent deserving of respect. Haha, there is actually so much going on in a small place like this, its so unexpected! Could it be that this is the call of fate? The young ladys eyes swept over the werewolves while she wore a face full of disgust and said, If it werent for the smell on these wild dogs being too strong, I would also be able to smell the scent of mithril. Hearing the young ladys ruthless insult, the werewolves let out an angry growl one after another, but an imminent feeling of danger stopped them from advancing. The old werewolf man gripped a wooden staff, stepped forward two steps, and shouted in a low voice, Where are you from? This is the territory of the Dark Nightmare Tribe! The white-haired old man said with a smile, Dark Nightmare, what is that? As for where we came from, this is not something you need to know. For an old wolf that is about to die, you shouldnt have such strong curiosity. Curiosity, thats something that should only belong to the young and the upper races. The young ladys gaze fell upon Nighteyes body, and she exclaimed in surprise, What is that? What beautiful blood! The white-haired old man stared blankly, and slowly walked toward Nighteye. With every step forward, the werewolves would whimper and retreat back a few steps. The fear induced by the great difference in rank caused them to have no intention of resisting. The white-haired old man arrived at Nighteyes side, reached his hand out, dipped it into her blood, and put it into his mouth to taste it. His facial expression began to fluctuate uncontrollably. He suddenly backed up a few steps, and an exaggerated smile lit up his face as he forcefully waved his hands to express his joy. Th-this is the taste of the progenitors blood! She has actually awakened the progenitor bloodline, she she is a primo! The duke will be interested in her, the young lady said. The white-haired old man pondered deeply, Thats right! However, the scent of her blood is somewhat familiar. Let me think, whose territory is close to here being too old really is no good, always forgetting things Ah! I just recalled, the closest to here is Count Klaus. This little girls blood has Klaus scent, she probably is his pure blood descendant! Klaus? The young ladys eyes held doubt. The white-haired old man spread his arms open. An old fellow, said to have an ancient heritage. However, he was obsessed with searching for the secret to the Black Monarchs treasure, and he cant even control that small piece of territory he has. Ive heard that the a few of his subordinate viscounts are seeking to overthrow him. It seems this was the reason for the internal conflict. Sounds like hes a useless bastard. I have no interest in Klaus, but the smell of these wild dogs is about to kill me. Then clean it up, you should be the one to do it, said the old man with a smile. Why is it always me! The young lady complained, but did not refuse. Her pupils suddenly turned an extreme red, like two shining rubies. Her lips opened and closed non-stop as if she were chanting something, but no sound came out. What she emitted was high frequency sounds that the human ear could not hear. She was just singing a tune, but in the ears of the werewolves, it was no different from the summons of a death god! All the werewolves promptly piteously cried out in pain, and one after another fell to the ground, rolling around as if their lives depended on it! The werewolves with relatively low strength did not even last more than ten seconds before their heads burst. Soon after, the heads of the higher-ranking werewolves also started exploding, one by one. It was extremely bizarre and scary! Looking at this bloody scene, the young lady still continued to sing as an apparently excited yet cruel smile appeared on her doll-like face. At this moment, she was like the messenger of death, and all who heard her voice were fated to be condemned to the country of eternal silence! The Shadow Wolf persisted for thirty seconds and then finally fell as well. He held his head in his hands and rolled around. It hurt so much that he actually wanted to smash his head into the bulkhead of an airship. Deep, sunken pits were indented into the bulkheads welded by steel, yet his head was actually fine. However, the young lady suddenly raised her pitch, and the Shadow Wolf finally let out a long, pitiful howl. With a bang, his head exploded into a haze of blood. Only the werewolf elder continued to persist. He completely relied on his cane to support his body, and pointed to the young lady in horror and grief. You...You are Nana Bingo! The young lady showed a sweet smile, reached out, and snapped her finger. The werewolf elders head exploded in response. The white-haired old man took out a snow-white handkerchief, covered his nose, and said, Dont you feel that this will only make the scent of those wild dogs increase and spread through air? Doing this will make you move faster. The young lady lifted her delicate, small hands and also covered her nose. The white-haired old man inspected Nighteyes injuries, frowned, and said, She is badly hurt, I need some fresh blood to ease her condition, this way we can promptly rush back. The nearest place seems to be a human village, but its still quite some distance away. No, theres not enough time. Fortunately, there is a person right here, I already noticed his scent. Saying that, the white-haired old man stood up, and only took two steps before disappearing in the depths of the garbage dump. The next moment, he once again stepped out of the darkness, carrying Qianye in his hand. This is really a valiant and cunning human. He actually hasnt died yet. Otherwise, the blood would not be fresh, the white-haired old man said while smiling. He pulled a heavy metal plate out from Qianyes chest. The metal plate was already completely warped, and on it were multiple deep claw marks, shallowly passing through to the other side. Before Qianye faced the werewolf leader , he had padded his clothes with this three centimeter thick origin alloy plate. Otherwise, he would have been cut open long ago. However, the impact of the werewolf leaders attack still broke all of the ribs in Qianyes chest, so he would die not long after. The old man threw Qianye next to Nighteye, tore open his upper garments, and then reached his hand out and pierced Qianyes neck. Fresh blood immediately rushed out. Nighteye suddenly had a reaction, as all vampires have an instinctive reaction toward fresh blood. She turned and stood up, and her eyes finally opened, but her pupils were vacant of the color of blood. Two vampire fangs gradually stretched out of her mouth. She instantly pounced to Qianyes side, using her fangs to bite his neck while sucking his blood in with big gulps. Not only did the hot blood quench her hunger and thirst, it even rapidly alleviated the pain in her entire body. Seeing Nighteyes perfect posture while drinking blood, the white-haired old man couldnt help but praise, As expected of the primo who awakened the progenitor bloodline! Aside from her pupils having enhanced abilities, she can even perfectly mask her vampiric characteristics. This ability can only be possessed by descendants from the thirteen ancestral clans of that year. Exactly which ancestor could she have inherited it from? I have to carefully think about this Nana watched from the side, her chest constantly moving up and down and her breathing becoming more and more rapid. She didnt even hear what the old man said. She suddenly grabbed Qianyes right hand, and bit the artery of his wrist! The praise and sighs from the white-haired old man abruptly stopped, and he looked at Nana, stunned. Nana fiercely sucked a couple big gulps of blood before suddenly screeching. She forcefully threw down Qianyes hand, backed up a couple steps, and looked at Qianye with a complicated expression. Whats wrong? the old man asked gravely. He rarely saw Nana act like this. Nana looked a little at a loss and said, His blood is sweet, but that is about it. I dont know why, but the instant I smelled the scent of his blood, I became unable to suppress my urges. I want to give him the Embrace! What? The white-haired old man was genuinely shocked this time. After he confirmed that Nana was serious, he sighed and shook his head. Its already too late. His blood has already been consecrated by this child. She is a primo, and although her rank is really low at this moment, whether it be you or me, we will be unable to suppress her blood energy. Other than her, nobody can turn this human into a vampire again. However, although she can wake up right now, she wont be able to complete the Embrace in her condition right now. Nana still looked somewhat at a loss, continuing to lick the remaining blood off her lips. The white-haired old man picked Nighteye up and said, Its time to go. Any further delay and it will be too late for her to soak in the blood pool. Nana left with the old man, occasionally looking back and taking a glimpse of the completely unmoving Qianye. Although she wasnt willing, she still departed in the end. Becoming a blood thrall was a road with no return. Humans were helpless in the face of this crisis, and vampires similarly were not able to do anything about it. The night finally quieted, as if nothing had ever happened. However, if an insider were to have seen the white-haired old man and the young girl appear, it would definitely cause an enormous commotion. With the strength of Marquis Julio and Nana, even compared to the upper continents vampires, they could be said to be slaughter gods. After an unknown period of time had passed, Qianye felt within a haze that someone was dragging him away, and he could vaguely hear voices. This guys finally dead. Yes, hurry and throw it into the Blazing Canyon. I for one do not wish to stay there longer than needed. Me neither.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 49 : Abnormal Changes [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The name of this place, Blazing Canyon, seemed very familiar. Qianye searched his memories for a quite a while before finally remembering where he had heard of this name. Blazing Canyon wasnt very far from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Many Crystal Lizards inhabited the canyon, and these six-legged crawlers could grow up to five meters in length and were genuine monsters. The crystals on their body were one of the key ingredients for making origin guns. The graduation requirement for the Yellow Springs Training Camp had been to hunt a Crystal Lizard and collect its crystal. To normal students who were only given a dagger, killing a huge rank two lizard was easier said than done. The graduation exam was also one of the Yellow Springs Training Camps hurdles with huge death rate. On the other hand, Crystal Lizards were carnivorous, so Blazing Canyon was the training camps best place to dispose of all different kinds of bodies. Once he remembered Blazing Canyon, Qianye suddenly stiffened and instantly shouted as loud as he could, No! I havent died yet, Im still alive! Let me down! He suddenly sat up and found that it had actually been a dream. Even after this many years, he would wake up from a nightmare every night. Sometimes he wouldnt even be able to tell if it was reality or just his imagination. Qianye scanned his surroundings, realizing that it was still deep in the night and that he was still at the garbage dump. A bone-thin wild dog was biting his feet, straining to drag him away. Qianye grabbed a random piece of scrap metal and forcefully threw it. The scrap landed right on the wild dogs nose, causing it to whine and escape with its tail between its legs. Qianye moved a little, feeling only pain throughout his body. His chest was especially sensitive to movement; every time he moved even the slightest bit, he felt pain in his chest like it was splitting apart. He first inspected injuries throughout his body and discovered that his left shoulder was broken. More than half of his ribs were broken, and his body had a lot of various injuries. Unexpectedly, his injuries were much lighter than he had thought. The broken bones had automatically grafted together and had miraculously begun growing back. His open wounds no longer bled, and many small cuts had already closed. Within his body, Qianye felt a vigorous life force flowing rapidly. Other than his bones not having completely healed, his body was already in a condition healthy beyond belief. In addition, his thirst for blood that had sprung up halfway through the previous battle had virtually disappeared already. Qianye suddenly felt two deep wounds on his neck, his expression instantly stiffening. How did he get bit by a vampire again? However, he immediately calmed down once more. What was the difference between getting bit once or getting bit twice? He had been tainted for a long time. However, a smell from his fingertip made Qianyes heart drop again. It had a light, pleasant fragrance and seemed very familiar. It was Nighteyes fragrance! From this, all of his questions were answered. Nighteye was not only a vampire, but a vampire of extraordinarily high rank. Nighteyes special ability was actually able to hide all of the unique traits of a vampire. She looked no different from humans and even had normal body temperature. Whether Qianye directly searched her body or observed her battle techniques, he had never been able to identify her as an actual vampire from her responses. This ability really brought unusual thoughts to ones head. He had actually cooperated with a high-ranking vampire to kill a vampire noble and an elite werewolf? Qianyes thoughts were unusually complex at this moment. He didnt know whether he should be happy or regretful. Nighteye was the first partner he had cooperated with since arriving at the Evernight Continent. When Nighteye had returned to the garbage dump in the last battle, Qianyes heart had thumped vigorously and he had even been extremely emotional. Before Qianye was struck away, he had seen Nighteye in a highly dangerous situation, being surrounded by werewolves and vampires. Even though he had confirmed that Nighteye was a vampire, Qianye could not bring himself to hate her. There was no other reason for that but her action of resolutely returning to help him fight enemies that were too strong for them to beat. Since she was able to suck his blood, she should have survived, right? Qianye thought. Icy-cold wind blew past, bringing a constant rotten smell. Qianye shook his head, clearing his mind of these messy thoughts. He suddenly felt that his wrist had something unusual on it. He lifted it up to see and there were actually two teeth marks! Qianye wrinkled his brows as he reached over and wiped it with his other hand. A sweet aroma wafted from his fingertips. However, no matter how sweet-smelling it was, it couldnt change the fact that another vampire had left this mark from sucking his blood. It was actually, Blood Banquet? This phrase popped into Qianyes head. Blood Banquet was a particular ritual performed by vampires. In reality, true vampires would never randomly choose to bite people. During battle, they had a larger thirst for blood because they wanted to recover their strength and injuries, just like how humans used various military stimulants to boost their combat ability. Normal vampires viewed ingesting blood as a sacred thing, as their way of communicating with their ancestors. It was their private time to inherit more blood power. Blood Banquet was equivalent to humans social interactions in salons. It represented intimacy between the participants, amicability in their relationship, and trust between them. As for the main dish in a Blood Banquet, the human must fulfill the vampires desire for delicious food. The humans blood must taste exquisite, and the human must also be strong or have a special identity. Qianye suddenly raised his head, looking at the blood-red moon, and smiled as he spoke to himself, I actually have the qualifications to be the main dish in a Blood Banquet! Being the main dish wasnt too weird. The weird thing was that he had actually lived through it. He silently stood for a moment, before beginning to carefully survey his surroundings. Qianye had trained this skill for many years, which had allowed him to avoid many hidden attacks on the battlefield and survive in dangerous situations. Not far from him lay many werewolves bodies. Amongst them was one with extremely long limbs. That unique characteristic actually belonged to a Shadow Wolf! These werewolves had an obvious difference in strength compared to those Qianye had initially seen. Nevertheless, they all died there, and not even one skull remained intact. The blood-stained dirt, the broken bones, and the melted matter of brains revealed the cause of their death. Another point of suspicion was that a few werewolves were already in a shriveled state, evidently devoid of any blood. This was definitely not a common sight. Everyone knew that vampires never drank the blood of werewolves, although not because of the taste, but because of their beliefs. In addition, the remaining smell of blood actually gave Qianye a familiar feeling. He walked to the werewolves bodies, knelt down, and carefully observed them. The werewolves arteries had been bitten open, but what remained werent the holes left by vampire fangs, but rather the marks of a humans bite. Qianye immediately realized that he had sucked the werewolves blood dry himself. No wonder he did not feel any bloodthirst even though it had been so long. His bloodthirst had already been activated while he was unconscious. This was the first time Qianye had ever drank so much blood since the accident. Even though the matter hadnt been an issue this time, Qianye thought he would probably no longer be able to suppress his blood of darkness soon. Maybe the next time his bloodthirst took control would he his last. At this thought, Qianye unconsciously reached for his Red Scorpion Army knife, but felt nothing but air. It was only at this moment that he remembered that all of his gear should have fallen down when he was struck in the air by the elite werewolf. Qianye planned to look for his army knife. When preparing for the moment of ending his own life, he still wished to use his army knife from Red Scorpion. At this moment, his eyes fell on the cane in the tight grip of a werewolfs body. On the tip of the cane was an Eternal Sundial. Qianye automatically converted the time given on the dials calendar and became startled. Three days? He had only been unconscious for three days, no wonder the blood moon had yet to fade. Qianye suddenly realized that after waking up, his body felt like it had some abnormalities. He first reached over and dialed the Eternal Sundial, confirming that it had not been broken. After this, he used a simple inner vision technique to view the condition of his body. As suspected, everything was abnormal. With the passage of only three days, the blood moon had not yet ended, but Qianye did not have the unbearable, scorching feeling that came with each reaction of his blood of darkness. If the reason that his bones had started reconnecting, his organs were already half healed, and his external injuries had virtually finished healing was that he had sucked enough blood, then that all showed that the blood had increased his rate of recovery to an extremely abnormal level. Qianye thought for a moment that he had basically become a blood thrall, but his conscious stayed clear and his thinking remained normal. Qianye immediately found a hidden area and sat cross-legged to propel his origin power. He ran the complete Army Healing Chant to inspect his body internally. The force of origin power in his body had already met with the boundary of rank three. A clear outline of the origin node in his right hand appeared. Its barrier could be broken through at any time. Once the barrier of this level was broken through, the origin node on the right hand would ignite and one would truly reach the level of a rank three Fighter. However, at that moment, along with the movement of the origin power within his body actually flowed condensed strands of dark red power. This was blood energy generated from blood of darkness. Originally, the blood of darkness in Qianyes body was not controlled at all as it randomly flowed within his meridians, breaking down and assimilating the surrounding flesh and blood. Wherever it flowed past, it would bring bursts of burning pain, and once the heat accumulated to a certain point, it would burn severely enough to cause ones consciousness to gradually slip away and be replaced with an incomparable thirst for fresh flesh and blood. Qianye had fought such conditions off for almost a year, and could not be more clear on the destructive force of these strands of power. However, at that moment, that cluster of blood energy that bordered on pitch-black still circulated, but without any feeling of discomfort. If he wasnt observing himself internally, Qianye almost would have felt that it was power from his own body. Two additional unique colors actually appeared on the almost pitch-black blood energy. One was a faint purple within the deep red color, and the other actually was a strand of pale gold. Qianyes consciousness moved slightly, stopping his Combatant Formula. The force of his origin power gradually slowed and the blood of darkness actually became similarly peaceful. Qianye couldnt help but feel that it was unbelievable. He tried to control and propel the blood energy. A moment later, his entire body trembled as the blood energy wildly entered his heart, and then slowly flowed out. In the end, it even condensed into two mysterious runes, and some information instantly flowed into Qianyes mind. Vampiric body type. Eye ability: Night Vision. The two runes actually belonged to two vampiric powers. Vampires bodies automatically moved their blood energy to continuously fortify themselves, increasing their rate of recovery. In addition, after having fed on a large amount of blood, the bodys rate of recovery would once again increase. This was yet another advantage that belonged only to vampires. Eye Ability: Night Vision was a power that many vampires were born with. The ability to see during the night was more effective than human night vision devices. Qianye was baffled as he observed the changes within his body, but no matter how he used his inner vision technique, he couldnt find anything else. Within his blood flowed two completely separate streaks of balanced power, the white streak belonged to Daybreak origin power, and the dark red mix of three colors was blood energy, a type of Darkness origin power. The two streaks of origin power with opposing attributes co-habited the blood in peace, as if it were completely natural. However, Qianye at least knew one thing. If the blood of darkness no longer created that corrosive heat, then he would no longer have any thirst for blood and flesh. Maybe it also meant that he would be able to keep his consciousness and sanity forever? The two additional powers also made Qianye full of hope. Fate finally revealed a hint of a pleasant smile to Qianye! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 50: A Startling Transformation Chapter 50:A Startling Transformation [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye circled around the garbage dump and discovered that his Scorpion Needles were thoroughly damaged, essentially turning into a pile of scrap parts. He separated these parts and carefully buried them in different corners of the garbage dump. The Scorpion Needles were weapons manufactured by the Red Scorpions and were one of a kind. Not even a single part could be casually exposed, or it would attract an endless stream of trouble. Then it was dealing with the werewolves corpses, especially those that had marks of a human bite on their bodies. However, Qianye was a little puzzled. The werewolf clan highly valued community spirit, and would never allow a clansmans corpse to be exposed to the wilderness in such a way so easily. Yet with so many werewolves dead in this area and no sign of any new werewolves coming to claim the bodies, it was clear that this area had some complications. Qianye finally found two spike bayonets used by Nighteye and then washed a dagger used by a vampire warrior. These were all the weapons he had to protect himself with now. The small parts he had originally brought along, and even the Red Scorpion army knife were lost somewhere. It was deep into the night, and the wind blowing across the wilderness was still icy cold. It could be that there was finally a possibility of the proverbial sharp longsword that was suspended above his head disappearing. As Qianye lifted his head to gaze at the blood-red moon occupying nearly half of the sky, he did not feel even a tinge of bloodthirst. He even felt that the dark red color seemed a little faded, that perhaps the scarlet nights would be over after a couple of days. Dawn finally arrived. However, though it temporarily removed the danger posed by the blood of darkness, Qianye still needed to remain on guard and avoid the imperial army, the grand households, and the aristocratic families. They had numerous strong people, and heaven knew who would discover that half of his blood was the blood of darkness flowing in his body. Qianye had to return to Lighthouse Town first. A quick count revealed that he had not shown his face for about five days, but in a chaotic place like the Evernight Continent, a persons disappearance would not cause any commotion. After running for a few hours, Lighthouse Town appeared in within Qianyes vision. The small town seemed unchanged, but Qianye felt it was a little too quiet. Dawn was approaching, and although the horizon was still pitch black, the sky overhead had begun to brighten, glowing softly. At this time, the scavengers should have been awake and getting the equipment for their journeys ready. Qianye did not directly approach the large, unrepaired door that was equivalent to a wide open space, but detoured to the side, slowly approaching the city walls. From Qianyes position, he could see the bald sheriff sitting on the city gates tower, his cap over his face, as if taking a nap. This was a demonstration of how the sheriff had to stand watch the whole night until the city gates were repaired. Although the sheriff constantly appeared drowsy and sleepy, Qianye knew that it was a facade. If he got too close at night, then even with his ability to move stealthily, he would still rouse the sheriffs attention. Qianye chose a place that was relatively far from the sheriff and lightly jumped, landing noiselessly on the city walls. Qianye felt the obvious strengthening in his jumping ability with this leap, as he would have directly leaped over the less than five meter wall if he had not controlled it well. He was just about to enter the town, when he suddenly sensed that the sheriffs sleeping position seemed unnatural. This should be a very uncomfortable position to be in for a long period of time. Qianye bent low, practically pasting himself onto the city wall as he inched closer. From a distance, he could smell the thick scent of blood. His night vision ability allowed him to clearly see the coagulated blood stains on the sheriffs chest, along with the already dried blood that had turned black, seamlessly blending into his black uniform. The sheriff was dead, and sitting on the city wall was merely a corpse. Qianyes heart pumped wildly for a moment before he crouched lower, hiding in the shadows. Although the sheriff was just an official of the lowest rank, he was still a representative of the law in the Empire. His presence signified that this land still completely belonged to the Empire. Even if a foreigner came along who was stronger than the sheriff, he would still not casually kill the latter. Killing the sheriff was equivalent to challenging the dignity of the Empire, and the imperial expeditionary forces were stationed not far from this place. Qianye glanced towards the town and inhaled deeply, immediately discovering that his awareness and perception of human blood had sharpened. The good news was the smell of human flesh and blood did indeed not arouse any symptoms of thirst or hunger in him. However, Qianye did not have the time to celebrate, as he sensed that the total blood vitality within the town had been reduced to less than half! Qianye jumped down from the city walls and first circled around a few familiar households belonging to commoners, confirming that the people sleeping inside were the original owners, before he slinked to his Red Spider Lily bar that was not too far off. The bar was in a mess; the door that was installed a few days ago was now tilted to one side, not a single window was left intact, and all furniture inside was left in a pile of shattered pieces, with some even sporting ghastly bloodstains. However, from the direction of the bedroom, rhythmic breathing could be heard that was so loud that it even travelled through the corridor and resounded in the hall. Qianye did not head straight over, but detoured and entered via the backdoor, then silently walked into the living quarters. There was no movement from the two guest rooms flanking the sides, meaning that the sound came from his own bedroom. A young man hugging a hunting gun was leaning against the sofa, deep asleep. This fellow was obviously the appointed sentry to stay behind and wait for Qianye to appear. However, since Qianye had not returned after multiple days, this fellow who stayed behind dropped his vigilance and started to become lazy. But then again, nothing much was to be expected from local ruffians like these. Qianye used his dagger to lightly pat the mans face. The young man was instantly awakened, and as he was obviously grouchy from being jerked awake from his deep sleep, he started spouting a string of curses before he truly saw who was before him. Qianye smashed a fist into the young mans stomach, causing him to immediately arch like a shrimp, lodging the remaining curses in his throat. Qianye then forced his face into the sofa, immovably, and viciously kneed his ribs a few times in succession, only finally stopping when he heard a couple of bones breaking. Once Qianye let go, the young man wanted to howl, but the chilliness of the dagger at his throat had him swallowing back any screams. What happened here? Who sent you here? If your answer doesnt satisfy me, Ill cut off your fingers one by one, Qianye said icily. When the young man clearly saw it was Qianye, he immediately capitulated and hastened to reply, Im working for Tiger Yan. The expeditionary forces sent two squads to Lighthouse Town the other day to hunt for blood thralls. We followed them here Continue. Qianye applied more pressure on the dagger, and drew a thin line of blood on his neck. The young man, having seemingly sensed killing intent beneath Qianyes calm eyes, immediately shuddered and quickly said, Sir Qi of Blackflow City is unhappy with you and Sir Zhao. He lost a lot of money because of both of you, and also a high grade origin gun, so he thought of a way and had the expeditionary forces mobilize two squads under the guise of hunting for blood thralls, but in reality, it was to to kill you and Sir Zhao off. Qianyes heart tightened. He clearly understood what hunting for blood thralls meant to the people of Lighthouse Town. Then, how about those people who have disappeared? Most of them have been killed, and some taken away by the expeditionary forces. How about Tiger Yan? Where is he? Qianye questioned. The young man trembled and said, Hes with Sir Zhao. Qianye nodded and slowly withdrew his dagger, saying, Since you were honest, Ill give you a chance and spare your life. Leave this place immediately, and scram as far as you can! Y-yes! Thank you! The young man nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice. Qianye turned to leave, and just as he crossed the door, he suddenly flicked a spike bayonet from his hand. The spike shot through the air like lightning, and impaled the ruffians throat in the blink of an eye! The young ruffian stared at Qianye, stunned. The hunting gun in his hand had been aimed at Qianyes back, but it was a pity he no longer had the strength to pull the trigger. Qianye walked back and retrieved the hunting gun from the ruffian to examine it. It was a long flintlock gun, but it could use locally produced bullets. As it was crudely made, its precision and power could not be guaranteed beyond ten meters, but it was still considered a rather powerful weapon for killing at close range, at least better than a dagger. Qianye rummaged through the ruffians clothes and found ten bullets before tossing the corpse on the floor. He then took one last look at his bar. The bar was a mess, where each tile of the limestone flooring had been pried away, and every valuable item had been pillaged. The Red Spider Lily which had accompanied him in the darkest stages of his life had gone up in smoke, just like that. When leaving the bar, Qianye was not furious, but conversely felt calm, even a little excited. Based on the training in the Red Scorpion Corps, this was the best condition to be in before battle. Qianye made a beeline for Sir Zhaos abandoned factory headquarters. It was said that over the last couple of days after Tiger Yan took over control of Lighthouse Town, Sir Zhao had been staying in there. Daylight still had not broken over the horizon, and the blocks of tall factories ahead casted particularly sinister silhouettes, not unlike a creature which could devour humans at anytime. Among them, only one block of factories had been renovated by Sir Zhao, making it habitable. The rest were in ruins. The exterior of this block of factories bore obvious battle scars, with empty shells scattered everywhere. Qianye picked up one of the shells to examine, and his heart sank slightly. This shell belonged to an assault rifle made by the imperial expeditionary forces, and although it was an antique, a retired rifle from ten years ago, it was still more powerful than any ordinarily manufactured weapon. Since the other party managed to obtain and utilize a number of weapons manufactured by the military, it was more or less a hopeless case for Sir Zhao. The factory doors were ajar, but Qianye did not enter through them. Instead, he backed up a couple of steps, then ran and leaped, using the momentum to scale over the outer wall. In the blink of an eye, he was at the top of the factory. Tiger Yan did not station any men here, allowing Qianye to smoothly pass through the top floors exit and enter the inner section of the factory. The inner section of the factory had three levels constructed against the wall, while the rest remained as the original hall. Inside, there was a huge generator inside, but it had long become scrap metal. Qianye remembered that the top floor was Sir Zhaos original living quarters and the middle floor housed the bodyguards and his organizations elders, while the lowest floor was for his group of followers. Qianye descended from the top level, and naturally found himself at the third floor. He silently walked to Sir Zhaos bedroom, and immediately smelled the thick scent of blood which had gone stale. Qianye hesitated for a moment, then lightly pushed the door open and peered in. Sir Zhao was on the floor, his body full of wounds, and a section of his lower leg was missing. In his final moments, he had struggled towards the cupboard on the wall, leaving a horrifying trail of bloodstains on the floor. There was a bullet hole blown into the middle of his forehead between his brows, yet his expression showed a slight smile of satisfaction. Qianye was neither grieving nor delighted as he entered the room and crouched next to Prince Zhao. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 51: Brothers [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye slowly grasped the hand Sir Zhao had extended. Two fingers had been lopped off, and yet, he did not loosen his vice-like grip on something in his palm. From the gap of his missing fingers, it could be seen that it was a standard, approved medicine bottle, its label clearly indicating its contents as an ordinary drug for mental relaxation. To anyone knowledgeable who saw it, this medicine bottle would not have been worth more than a couple of silver coins to them. This could have been the reason the killer gave up on the bottle. However, Qianye knew what the medicine was used for. This was the medicine Sir Zhao had bought on behalf of Qianye. It was used to soothe the symptoms whenever his blood of darkness acted up. The dispatching of goods had been delayed on the suppliers end, and it was never delivered to Qianye. However, it never occurred to Qianye that even at deaths door, even with his legs hacked off, Sir Zhao had never once forgotten about the bottle of medicine. It was almost as if Qianye saw Sir Zhao standing up, handing over the bottle as he proudly stated, What I, Zhao, have promised, will be delivered upon! The medicine was in his hands, but Qianye no longer needed it. Qianye had fought for Sir Zhao for some time. Each time he participated in a wagered battle, all he reaped was a silver coin, while a bottle of medicine could be earned through three battles. Since a virtual battle was a display of technical skill, the remuneration was higher than a bloody battle. In this abandoned land, people who did not fear death were everywhere, but few of those actually knew how to do battle. This was the reality of the abandoned land. People constantly used their bodies as betting chips, but the reward for putting their lives on the line was not even worth a piece of bread thrown away by the upper continents Grand Households. In the Evernight Continent that had no law or order to speak of, someone who kept his promises like Sir Zhao was unique. On the surface, Qianye was hired on an ad-hoc basis, but in reality, Sir Zhao privately saw him as a brother. This was the reason Qianye had always been willing to work with him, and even had protected him behind the scenes a couple of times. With Sir Zhao around, other powers in the region would not dare enter Lighthouse Town, and the people in the town could at least live a life with a small degree of order. Sir Zhao, the officer, and Qianye represented the black, white, and gray areas of the order maintained in Lighthouse Town respectively. Within the area subjected under Blackflow Citys jurisdiction, Lighthouse Town was just a tiny land of happiness, which was why the number of people living there was increasing. Even the rag-and-bone men would hurry over to spend the night there if the distance allowed it. However, all their efforts had been futile in the face of an enormous organization like the expeditionary army, as everything had been crushed with just a twitch of their pinky finger. Qianye inhaled deeply as he felt the presence of blood energy slowly bubbling up in his chest! He was powerless against the expeditionary forces, but he could etch a deep and eternal lesson into those accomplices and their lackeys! Qianye said softly, Sir Zhao, give it to me, I have received my reward. In a seemingly miraculous manner, Sir Zhaos tightened fist unexpectedly loosened. Qianye pocketed the medicine bottle, and glanced carefully around the room. It had also been completely pillaged, with both flaps of the weapon cabinet gone, and its contents empty. This was within Qianyes expectations, and he did not care for these ordinary firearms. He left Sir Zhaos room, and silently moved along the corridor. While passing by one of the rooms, Qianye stopped briefly and retrieved the hunting gun from his back. Voices travelled from the room, and one of them belonged to Tiger Yan. This time, it''s all thanks to Sir Qis assistance that Im able to sit in this position. Whatever requests Sir Qi has from today onwards, I, Tiger Yan, will brave through fire and water to ensure its fulfilled! Another rather wretchedly effeminate voice uttered, This guy named Zhao and the other fellow called Qianye or something have no sense of appreciation, to have refused face when given! Are they taking our sires words as something casually thrown around? Hmph! What Sir Zhao, hes just a local ruffian ringleader, yet he still dares to title himself as a sire. Tiger Yan, who similarly was a local ruffian, joined in on the laughter, though there was a note of embarrassment in it. That condescending voice continued, You people, to rely on and serve our sire as an underling is a fortune that many would never receive even if they cultivated their whole lives! So long as its our sire, even a casually tossed bone would be enough to sustain you for several years! However, should you have any ideas that you arent supposed to have, hehe, excuse the unpleasantries, but the outcome of this Zhao today will be your tomorrow! Tiger Yan hurriedly replied, I wont, I wont! I will definitely serve the sir with all my heart! Lord Wang, its getting late, why not take a rest? If theres any woman you fancy in the village, I will have someone bring her over to you! Lord Wang sighed and said, In this place, only Miner has some standard. Its just a pity She bit our sire. Sir ordered that she must suffer for her sin for a full seven days before she is allowed to die, and today is already the fifth night. Shes no longer in any humanly state, so lets just get a replacement. The other person hesitated for a while before replying, Alright. At this time, Qianyes icy voice floated in from outside the room, Theres no need for a replacement. Whos that? Who is outside? The room burst into a state of pandemonium. Qianyes substantial enhancement of obtaining a vampires physique was currently manifested in the form of his sharpened perception. Purely by listening to the chaotic footsteps, he could decipher the situation in the room in his mind as if he were looking at it with his eyes. A bodyguard lunged towards the door, which was almost brainlessly courageous. Qianye pressed the hunting gun against the door and opened fire! A large hole was blasted through the flimsy wooden door, and at point-blank range, the bodyguard was blown back by the enormous force, his chest and abdomen a haze of blood and flesh. Qianye kicked the door down, and without looking, he fired into the room once more. Half of the room was pelted with compacted iron pellets in a matter of mere seconds, and the room was filled with cries of anguish. A huge, burly man leaped out from behind Lord Wang. He was over two meters in height and it seemed like even his skull was filled with muscle. With a height a little over 2.2 meters, Qianye appeared like a child before him. There were over ten bloody spots on the burly mans face and body, injuries caused by the iron pellets. However, it was obvious that the locally manufactured double-barrelled hunting gun was not effective against him. The burly man bellowed, strode over, and slugged a fist that was almost bigger than Qianyes head, aiming for his face. Qianye did not even attempt to dodge, but similarly threw out a punch and ruthlessly met the burly mans fist! As the sound of bones cracking echoed, the burly mans fist obviously contorted, and even his arm was twisted to the side. For such a simple, yet brutal exchange of fists, Qianye was actually dominating and crushing his opponent! Qianye kicked out, his seemingly frail body carrying an explosive strength which sent the burly man flying. The burly man crashed through two walls, making them reverberate as he slumped to the ground, never to get up again. Qianye dusted his hands and smiled mildly. Tiger Yan, we meet again. As for this gentleman, you name is Wang? Lord Wang, as Tiger Yan had addressed, was a half bald, middle-aged man with a large, cumbersome beer belly. However, it would be a mistake if one were to look down on him purely because of his appearance. Even a fellow like him wielded the power of a rank one Fighter. Qianye! Youre still not dead? Tiger Yan exclaimed, subconsciously pressing closer to the wall. Mr. Wang, on the other hand, was calm. He had raised a table to deal withthe barrage of iron pellets and appeared none the worse for wear. He asked leisurely, You are Qianye? Your reputation precedes you. Our Sir Qi is interested in you. I thought you had escaped or were dead, which was why I cleaned up this place a little and got rid of some eyesores. Since youre back, I shall make the decision to give you another chance. Why dont you come back with me to work for our sire? Youre very young and talented, and its only under Sir Qi that you can shine. Otherwise, youll be just like the rest of that scum in the wilderness, doing anything just for a scrap in order to get by. Upon your death, youll be dinner for the wild dogs! Is that the kind of life you seek? Mr. Wang manipulated his effeminate voice to speak softly and mildly, lending him a persuasive edge. I dont like some of the people working under you, though. For example, these guys here. Qianye pointed at Tiger Yan. At Qianyes reply, Mr. Wang unexpectedly sighed in relief. If you are willing to work for us, then he is naturally useless. You may deal with him as you please and all his governing territories will be yours, hows that? This matter will be decided by me! No! No! Lord Wang, this will not do! Tiger Yan jumped in shock, having not expected this outcome at all. Following that, Tiger Yan appeared to be in a state of extreme fright and he suddenly produced a handgun, ruthlessly aiming the gun at Qianye and pulling the trigger as he laughed cruelly. Go and die, brat! The resulting shot and smoke obfuscated everything, and once Tiger Yan had emptied the cartridge, he saw that Qianye was still standing in his original position, not a single hair out of place. The corner of Mr. Wangs eye twitched incessantly. He had seen it clearly from the side. Each time Tiger Yan pulled the trigger, Qianyes body twisted strangely, coincidentally avoiding the trajectory of the bullet. He had only seen this kind of technique from highly skilled soldiers in the army, and this was an important reason why firearms were no match against origin power users. The cartridge was empty, yet Tiger Yan desperately pressed away at the trigger. The repeated clicking of the empty gun resounded, like a clock ticking down to his death. The continuous, enormous disturbances in the room had finally caught the attention of people stationed a distance away, and hurried footsteps echoed from the bottom floor, drawing nearer to the room. Qianye extended a leg and kicked at a gun that originally belonged to a bodyguard, which then landed into his grasp. He then shot several times into the wall partitioning the room and corridor. The room partitions were made from planks and iron sheets, but were fragile when faced with a gun. As if they had eyes, the bullets pierced through the thin walls into the bodies of the people outside. Those who were hit let out anguished cries and flipped over from the railing, landing heavily on the ground. For ordinary people, falling from a height of three stories would result in some fractures and broken bones, and in the unfortunate case where they snapped one of their neck bones, it would be instant death. Qianye had opened fire five times and shot five people, leaving only one bullet in his gun. Without even looking back, he slung the gun over his left shoulder and the bullet was fired accurately into Mr. Wangs left shoulder. This caused the latter to howl in pain and loosen his grip, dropping an especially heavy handgun onto the ground. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 52: One of Them [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Using the chaos that had erupted a moment ago, Mr. Wang lifted his gun faster than he ever had before, but before he could even point the gun at Qianye, Qianye had already shot down the five people outside and had lodged a bullet in his arm. This definitely shouldnt have happened! Not mentioning his speed in shooting a gun, with Mr. Wangs power as rank one Fighter, weapons that used gunpowder should never have been able to seal his movements. However, Qianye had shot directly into a crucial area between his joints, making it so that he couldnt lift up his arm in the slightest. Mr. Wang became surprised and afraid. Clutching his arm, he said weakly, You definitely cant be a normal person! You who are you? The speed and accuracy of Qianyes gunmanship was the best that Mr. Wang had ever witnessed. In addition, the moment Qianye had entered after breaking through the door, he hadnt made any unnecessary movements, even when he spoke. This was the most authentic military style, definitely not something an ordinary troop could train in. Even though the reports claimed that Qianye was only a rank one Fighter, Mr. Wang realized at that moment that something must be wrong. With the speed, strength, terrifying accuracy, and judgment that Qianye had displayed, even most rank three Fighters would lose to him in a real battle. Why would an expert like this hide in such a rural area in Lighthouse Town and open a small, run-down bar? Qianye looked as if he hadnt seen Tiger Yan and Mr. Wang trying to break through the wall to escape. He picked up a clip and refilled it with bullets when the muzzle suddenly let out sparks. He had fired two bullets at Tiger Yans knees. Tiger Yan had already reached the stairs, but let out a blood-curdling scream as he fell to the ground. After this, Qianye leaned over the railing and shot four times, this time to strike Mr. Wang who had directly jumped one story down over the railing and was now running as fast as he could. Mr. Wang also let out a loud scream after both of his arms and legs had been struck. He fell backward. Qianye looked at the roughly constructed gun in his hand and shook his head with some helplessness. Every one of the four bullets he had shot was not able to break Mr. Wang''s bones. At most, they would leave mere flesh wounds. As a rank one Fighter, Mr. Wang definitely had a chance to resist. Once the first origin node was ignited, each of a cultivators physical attributes would experience drastic growth, all of them increasing by about half. Afterwards, physical attributes continued to increase with each rise in rank. When facing high-rank soldiers like that, firearms that used gunpowder would become increasingly lacking in power, and then eventually leave the stage altogether. Qianye easily jumped down from the third story and picked up another clip. He unhurriedly replaced his current clip then walked in front of Mr. Wang. I forgot to tell you just now, but I really dislike you. Qianye lifted his pistol and aimed it at Mr. Wangs forehead. A flash of cunning light passed through Mr. Wangs eyes, but his face held a terrified expression. Right then, however, Qianye suddenly smiled, slightly shifting the muzzle. Mr. Wangs expression changed drastically, this time filled with genuine terror. With a broken voice he screamed, No! Dont kill me! We can discuss, we can discuss anything! Mr. Wang called out while holding up his arm to protect his head, forgetting any attempt to cover himself up. With the physical strength of a rank one Fighter, his bones definitely couldnt be penetrated by Qianyes gun, so he still had a chance to fake his death. However, after Qianye moved the muzzle, the gun was actually pointed at his eyes! Not mentioning rank one, even the eyes of a rank seven Fighter would not be able to take a bullet. Thus, Mr. Wang immediately knew that his tricks definitely didnt deceive Qianye. Qianye spoke without emotion, Too bad, I just heard something I should not have. Bang! Gunfire sounded, and this one shot struck Mr. Wang in the crotch. This area similarly couldnt take a bullet. Mr. Wang shrieked, both of his hands holding his lower half. Seeing that no matter how he dodged, the muzzle of Qianyes gun steadfastly pointed towards his eyes, Mr. Wang cried out in fear, You cant kill me! I am Qi Yues uncle. If you kill me, the Qi family will definitely not let you off! No matter how strong you are, you will never escape the grasp of the imperial expeditionary army! The Qi family, huh Qianye seemed to ponder. He suddenly flashed his gun as gunfire sounded. He shot down a few people that had been hiding behind a wall and some that had snuck over. In the gun still remained one final bullet. Qianye once again lifted his gun and pointed it at Mr. Wang, speaking emotionlessly, I will have my vengeance on Qi Yue as well. You will just go first. Relax, he will follow you. This time, Mr. Wang was truly startled, Y-you want to kill our prince? Youre crazy, definitely crazy! Do you know who he is? You think hes only the Qi familys sire? He Bang! A gunshot sounded as a bloody rose blossomed from his eye socket. Everything he wanted to say would never reach the light of day. His expression slackened as he fell down slowly. Qianye turned and looked at Tiger Yan who had half his body stuck on the third floor. Tiger Yan was already scared dumb. He had shrunk into a corner and his sweat poured down like rain. Half of the reason was because he was afraid, and the other half was because of the extreme pain he was forced to endure. He did not have the kind of strength Mr. Wang had, so his bones were much weaker. Qianyes two bullets had already shattered his knees. He looked despairingly at Qianye, knowing that the opposing party would never let him go. At that moment, he did not know just how remorseful he was. If he could turn back time, then even if he were threatened to be beaten to death, he would never try to seize Lighthouse Town again because that way, he wouldnt have ever provoked this slaughter god. Tiger Yan asked himself this question because he was at deaths door and because he had never seen someone as terrifying as Qianye. Qianyes strength might not have been the strongest that he had ever seen, but his calm and peaceful demeanor while killing sparked a chill in peoples hearts. Tiger Yan had heard that only a few of the most mysterious elite armies within the Empire could produce a monster that only lived to kill. At this moment, Tiger Yan didnt know that his guess was actually quite close to the truth. Amongst the Empires special forces that numbered over one hundred, Red Scorpion had always remained number three. Seeing Tiger Yan in such a condition, Qianye lost interest in torturing him any further. Where is Miner? She is locked on the first floor. Its the room furthest to the back, Tiger Yan replied honestly. Qianye nodded his head, then walked over and slid his dagger through Tiger Yans neck, ending his life. Qianye went back to the room he was in before, picked up the pistol Mr. Wang dropped, and inspected it. This was the first model of origin guns in the Light of Daybreak series, an artifact designed before the War of Daybreak. Its efficiency of origin power conversion was only 10%. Its length was over half a meter. In terms of size, it was better to call the pistol a portable version of an assault rifle. Pistols from the Light of Daybreak series were only still used and circulated because they were cheap enough, had simple structure, and were easy to maintain. The Red Scorpion Custom was worth tens of thousands of these Light of Daybreak guns. No matter how old the Light of Daybreak series became or how low its efficiency was, it still was an origin gun. At close range, its power was comparable to high caliber rifles. A Fighter with an origin gun and a Fighter without were on completely different levels when it came to combat power. This Light of Daybreak gun was maintained well, obviously highly valued by Mr. Wang. This satisfied Qianye, so he held it in his left hand as his right picked up a double-barreled shotgun. Then he walked out the room. When he stepped outside the door, he was met with a rain of bullets. Qianye somersaulted in the air as the barrage passed by, then immediately crossed over the railing, dropping to the ground. Two gunmen hiding behind a large, broken machine in the northwest section of the hall were dumbfounded at watching this happen. This guy directly jumped from the third floor down to the ground and actually didnt suffer any injury. After landing steadily, he didnt even hesitate before he lifted his gun and aimed it at them! The two gunmen hurriedly shrinked back and took pieces of scrap metal to protect themselves. Their reactions were definitely appropriate and speedy, but Qianye had already pulled the trigger of his Light of Daybreak gun! An origin power bullet that released orange light shot out from the gun. This bullet had a heavy tip that increased its power and split open a two centimeter thick steel plate. It tore through half of both gunmens bodies as scrap metal and pieces of flesh and blood filled the sky, flying through the air before scattering on the floor. Qianye had foreseen this conclusion. If an origin gun didnt even have this kind of power, why would people rely on it to fight back against the dark races? They would just use swords to fight each other instead. In addition, the attribute of Qianyes origin power was particularly explosive, so the origin power bullets that had been shot were a lot stronger than average ones. As Qianyes origin power continuously poured into the Light of Daybreak gun, a new origin power bullet slowly formed within the guns barrel. With Qianyes skill in controlling origin power, he was able to fire the Light of Daybreak gun three successive times. Mr. Wang, on the other hand, could only fire one bullet as he was only a rank one Fighter. Qianye waited until the new bullet was formed, then headed towards the room at the end of the hall. The lackeys Tiger Yan had brought there werent much. After Qianye killed more than ten of them, the remaining ones saw the situation had turned sour and eventually scattered and escaped. The last room did not have a lock. When Qianye opened the door and entered, he was met with the thick scent of blood and a rancid smell. On the wall was a woman who was chained up. Her entire body was full of cuts of different sizes and completely covered in filth. The cuts had long since formed pus and actually had maggots crawling in and out. The womans head was hung down, but that vaguely lingering youthful body was probably Miner. However, after looking at her wounds, Qianye already knew that she could no longer be saved. Hearing the sound, Miner struggled to lift her head. Two lines of blood flowed from her tightly shut eyes. Only then did Qianye find out that both of her eyes had been dug out. Qianyes hands suddenly began trembling. If he had seen this earlier, he definitely would not have let Tiger Yan and Mr. Wang die so easily! In Red Scorpion Army, he had learned no less than fifty cruel torture methods. Even dark races could not resist that kind of pain. As though she had sensed something, Miner asked while listening attentively, Who is it? ...Its me, Qianye. Miner exposed a joyous smile and said, You came! Then the people outside Tiger Yan and Mr. Wang have all died. Next will be Qi Yue. He will never escape. Qianye spoke calmly, as if making small talk on a random afternoon while discussing business and drinking tea. Miner smiled and said, You know, after they killed Sir Zhao, Qi Yue asked me to sleep with him. I agreed and really gave my all. Then, when he let his guard down, I bit down hard. It was so enjoyable! When I swung my head, he gave a loud shout, even louder than he did during sex! She laughed heartily, then lowered her voice and let out a sigh before speaking again, Too bad, all of you origin power cultivators are all monsters. He was too sturdy. I couldnt even bite through him. I used all of my strength, but still couldnt completely break it off. Instead, a few of my teeth were pulled out. I really lost out on this one. Qianye quietly listened, then sighed before speaking. You didnt have to try so hard for Sir Zhao. You should live well. As for vengeance, I alone am enough. Miner lightly sighed. This is different! I know, Im not a very respectable girl, but Sir Zhao called me one of them Her face suddenly blossomed with sunlight and said, Since Im one of them, then I have to keep up appearances for them, right? Of course! Qianye, can you do me a favor? I want to wash my face and rinse my body. I want to die clean. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 53: Fighter King [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] She was calm, even when mentioning her looming death. Qianye could never have imagined that this unruly young woman who sometimes even sold her body to get by would have such a strong side to her. Qianye yanked her chains free and laid her down before finding a pail of water to pour over her, washing away the filth, pus, and blood. Lastly, he acquired a rag from the adjoining cell, and cleaned and bandaged her. He then carried her in his arms. Miner sighed softly, saying, Qianye, I have a question I always wanted to ask you. Ask away. Why have you never touched me? Even though I didnt want your money? Because Im afraid Id lose control and drink your blood, turning you into a blood thrall. Youre a vampire?! Not Fully. I dont get it, but it was just because of such a reason! As long as you dont hate me, I feel relieved. Is this considered a secret between the two of us Miner was elated, but her voice grew increasingly weak. Yes, this is only known to the two of us, Qianye said. However, Miner could no longer hear his reply. Shortly after, Qianye arranged Sir Zhao and Miners bodies on a pile of black stones in an empty, abandoned plot of land behind the factory. He ignited the black stones and watched as the flames gradually engulfed their bodies. As for Sir Zhaos men, their bodies were nowhere to be found. In the incandescence of the firelight, Qianye turned to leave, vanishing into the wilderness under a completely brightened sky. From this moment on, he no longer had any friends in Lighthouse Town. One day later, Qianye arrived at the outskirts of Blackflow City. He did not enter the city hastily, but stayed in the airship graveyard outside the city. Blackflow City could not be compared to Lighthouse Town as there were imperial expeditionary forces stationed here for the long term. Besides that, Qi Yue himself was a rank two Fighter surrounded by rank four bodyguards. It would be no easy task to assassinate such a man. Qianye had to wait patiently until his opponent let down his guard and exposed his weaknesses. He believed that once Qi Yue received news of Tiger Yan and Mr. Wangs death, the latter would be nervous for a while, but would relax after a couple of days. Qianye did not leave many wounds, and Qi Yue would therefore conclude he was just a rank one Fighter. No matter how strong a rank one Fighter was, there were still limitations. The airship graveyard served as a relatively good hideout. The ancient remains of the airships no longer had any value, and only scavengers would come to try their luck. Qianye positioned himself to be hidden from view, then started quietly cultivating the Combatant Formula. The activation of his third origin node was imminent. Once he became a rank three Fighter, his power would increase exponentially. So long as he did not come across the rank six instructor of the imperial expeditionary army in Blackflow City, his experiences from the Yellow Springs Training Camp and the Red Scorpion Corps made sure that he would at least be able to make an escape from any opponent, even if he could not defeat them. The cycle of origin tides formed by the Combatant Formula began to surge against the barrier of the node, but Qianye realized that the pain caused when it passed through his chest region was much less intense than it had been before. This was clearly the effect of the vampire physique. Ever since he obtained this physique, the blood energy within him had constantly been changing Qianyes body, strengthening his body qualitatively and allowing him to withstand the waves of the origin tide for a longer period of time. At this point, the pain caused by the origin tide had been lessened to just slightly above an ordinary persons threshold, and Qianye easily leapt to the twentieth cycle, with the origin tide continuously surging higher, reaching heights he had never before been able to attain. Twenty one, twenty two With every cycle, the power of the following origin tide intensified. Qianyes origin power was richer and more condensed than normal, and he produced an origin tide that surged more forcefully compared to a normal humans. After twenty cycles of multiplication, the force of the origin tide was equivalent to a tempest brewing in the sea! The barrier of the third origin node blinked continuously, and it suddenly trembled as if it were on the verge of collapse. However, the accumulation of origin tides was not a good thing.If it had been any other person, the recoil of the origin tide would have splattered their organs by now, but Qianyes vampiric, strengthened physique could withstand it. At the twenty sixth cycle of origin tide, Qianyes internal organs began to show signs of minute injuries. However, with the self-healing ability of the vampiric physique, Qianye felt he could endure another cycle of surging tides. The twenty seventh cycle! The barrier of the origin node started to show signs of cracking! At this time, Qianyes internal organs had begun bleeding, but he endured the agony and carefully adjusted his condition. I should be able to endure another wave. He silently monitored his vital internal organs, and directed the Combatant Formula to continue another cycle. Qianyes inner origin power was like a tide, with wave after wave surging forth, flowing along the meridian of his right arm towards the origin node in his palm. When the origin power crashed into the barrier, the backlashing wave delivered a shocking impact to his meridians and internal organs. It then joined with the origin power gushing from the Aura Sea meridian in his torso, once again rushing towards the barrier! With every cycle of ebb and flow, Qianye would suffer numerous internal injuries of a small magnitude. At the halfway point of the twenty eighth cycle, Qianye suddenly jolted when he discovered there was a thin cut on his heart! The heart was the most important organ for the human race in the cultivation of origin energy, and it was vital to protect the heart during the channeling of the Combatant Formula. Once the organ received damage, it meant the training was too intense and should be stopped immediately for rest. Qianye mentally sighed and was just about to give up, when suddenly, the blood energy in his body bubbled forth. The tri-colored dark blood that had remained dormant until Qianye nearly forgot about its existence was now converging upon his heart and rapidly forming a thin blood barrier! At this time, a new origin tide had just crashed, but the recoil to his heart was completely blocked off by the blood barrier. The blood barrier warped for a moment but quickly reassumed its original position, looking strangely tensile. Qianye was initially shocked, but this shock soon faded to be replaced with joy. With this, he could now withstand many more origin energy tides, and he could channel the Combatant Formula to much greater heights! He calmed down and testingly directed the blood energy. The process was as smooth as molding his own origin power, and soon, layers of barriers ensconced his heart and other vital organs. However, Qianyes current blood energy was still weak, so the layers protecting the organs other than his heart were noticeably thinner. The twenty ninth cycle of origin tides occurred smoothly. The origin power laid dormant for a moment before it slowly started to surge, churning a fresh wave. Qianyes heart turned cold the instant he realized that the thirtieth cycle of origin tides was essentially different from the previous tides. When the first wave started to churn, Qianye knew that something was wrong! It was merely the first wave, yet its surge was already much stronger than the ninth wave of the previous tide! He now knew why it was not easy to attain the title of Fighter King, which could endure thirty origin tides. However, Qianye was no longer thinking that much. The origin power in his body resembled waves, crashing into the barrier repeatedly. He was like a small boat in the face of a raging storm, desperately struggling for survival. At the third wave, all blood barriers protecting his internal organs started to show signs of tearing. At the sixth wave, other than the blood barrier surrounding his heart, all others had been torn apart. At the seventh wave, even the blood barrier protecting his heart started to tremble violently! At the eighth wave, the blood barrier finally shattered, and Qianye completely lost all protection. He was exposed, at the mercy of the origin tide! Immediately, Qianye''s ruthless disposition came into effect. He forcefully gnashed his teeth as he madly punched his fist down on his chest! It was a secret method to stimulate ones potential, and could help the user temporarily raise their physical strength by a large margin. However, the consequences of this method were very severe, seeing as it could even shorten the users lifespan. However, Qianye didnt give it much thought in order to complete the thirtieth cycle of origin tides. He was ruthless to others, and even more so to himself. He wouldnt have been able to live up to now if it werent for this mentality. With his power temporarily stimulated, Qianye somehow managed to withstand the impact of the last wave. Blood sprayed out from his mouth, but his heart was brimming with joy. He had finally strided past the great barrier of the thirtieth tide, and stepped into the level of a Fighter King! He was now powerful enough to be ranked among the strongest people in the Empires army which constituted of tens of millions of officers and soldiers! Qianyes current strength was still insignificant, but his future potential was unlimited now that he had reached the level of a Fighter King. It would be very hard to find anyone who could cultivate their origin power at the same pace as him. The barrier around the node of his right hand had been smashed into pieces by the impact of the last wave, allowing the origin power to gush into it bit by bit and slowly fill it up. Now, Qianye only needed to constantly provide the origin node with warmth and nourishment and let it strengthen until it completely filled up to its capacity. After this, he could try tackling the fourth node. With the node of his right hand activated, he finally obtained the ability to pour origin power into physical origin bullets. He had already prepared exactly what was required to do this, a crystal-tipped, empty origin bullet made from alloy. Within the bullet, there was a bit of silver, something that was mainly used to deal with dark races besides vampires. Naturally, this kind of origin bullet was quite valuable, but it paled in comparison to the might and manufacturing costs of the Bullet of Exorcism. Although this was true, the bullet was still quite valuable. Qianye had only barely managed to retain it despite keeping it buried outside Lighthouse Town, hoping that no one would find it and take it away. He spent the night resting his body, and then gradually recovered his origin power over the course of a whole day before starting to fill the empty origin bullet. Like a bottomless hole, the bullet continuously absorbed Qianyes origin power until half his bodys reserves were exhausted. Soon, a glimmer flashed across the tip of the bullet, indicating that it had been completely filled. After being filled up with origin power, an indistinct fog appeared inside the initially transparent bullet tip. The origin power formed by the Combatant Formula should be faint yellow in color, but inside the origin bullet was a dark red string of blood, moving back and forth as though it had a life of its own. The string of blood was actually a fragment of the blood energy inside Qianyes body. However, for some inexplicable reason, a little bit of his blood energy had flowed into the origin bullet as he was filling it up with origin power. Qianye felt slight hesitation when looking at the unusual occurrence. He had no idea what kind of extraordinary result he would get from mixing blood energy into the contents of the bullet, but that would need to wait until the time of its use. However, given the bullets base statistics, Qianye was sure of one thing. The bullets might was definitely not diminished by a large margin. The might of a physical bullet filled with origin power was even greater than that of a bullet of concentrated origin power. To understand the force of a physical bullet such as this, it would be best to compare it to Heavy Caliber. It boasted superiority over normal origin bullets as it was one and a half times more powerful and only consumed half of the origin power to fire. This meant that the more physical bullets one possessed, the more augmented origin bullets one would have in their arsenal, and the greater ones strength would be during battle. This origin bullet was none other than the killing move Qianye had prepared to deal with Qi Yue. By the time Qianye had completely finished filling the origin bullet, the sun had risen high in the sky. He lay down on the ground to rest, awaiting the arrival of night once again. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 54: Dark Transaction [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Just as the clock struck three, the sky started to darken. As the remaining sunlight was blocked by an upper continent, Qianye woke up and ate before checking the condition of his body. He was surprised yet again, the injured organs were mostly healed. It seemed that a vampires regenerative power was very strong. Because of this, the Combatant Formula Qianye practiced lost its biggest obstacle, allowing him to improve upon himself greatly. A Fighter Kings thirty cycles was evidently not even his limit! Qianye checked the Light of Daybreak one last time before coming out of hiding and running toward Blackflow City. As of this moment, the gates of Blackflow City were still open. It was in accordance to the habits of the upper continents, only upon midnight would the city doors close, while they opened strictly at six in the morning. Blackflow City was not afraid of the ambushes laid by the dark races. It was a land of humans, with a dozen surrounding satellite guard villages and thousands of expeditionary soldiers stationed in the city. The distance between the city and the army was only a few hundred kilometers, so Blackflow City simply mimicked the Empires habits and did not think much of the dark races. At this moment, Qianye already had a thick beard and a head full of yellowish hair, resembling a young scavenger. After paying fifty copper coins, he smoothly entered the city. Like a true scavenger, Qianye found the cheapest hotel he could find to stay in and started monitoring Qi Yue''s movements. The Qi family was a prominent family within Blackflow City, the main figure being Qi Yue''s father, a lieutenant quartermaster of the military school of the expeditionary army, which was a position equivalent to a lieutenant colonel. At the same time, Qi Yue''s uncle was the financial minister of Blackflow City. With such a background, the Qi family was ranked in the top five of Blackflow City, rivaling a second-rate family in the upper continents Empire. Of course, the Qi family in Blackflow City was only a distant, small segment of the main clan. Qianyes information regarding the Qi family was very complete. Qi Yue was a rank two Fighter cultivating the techniques imparted by his family, which enhanced his mental and physical defenses, but were lacking in offense. Qi Yues hobby was collecting origin guns. He had collected a few exquisite pieces, but with his ability as a rank two Fighter, he couldn''t display the true power of most of them. Mr. Wang, who had died by Qianye''s hands was indeed the uncle of Qi Yue, and also the director of the Qi family''s business. After Mr. Wangs death, Qi Yue became much more prudent, bringing at least two guards with him everywhere. However, Qianye noticed that there was only ever a rank three guard at his side and never a rank-four. After three days of observation, Qianye could not find any opportunity to attack. However, Qianye was very patient. For a mission, Qianye had once laid on the ground for a full week without moving. This bit of waiting was nothing to him. At midnight of the fourth day, Qianye suddenly noticed a cargo truck leaving the Qi family mansion, heading towards the city gates. This was an ordinary truck used to transport food, but Qianye smelled something different as it drove past. The cargo was accompanied by the pungent smell of fresh blood. There was someone inside! And this scent of blood that Qianye had specifically remembered proved that Qi Yue was there. Qianye stayed motionless as he waited for the truck to move away before coming out of hiding, using the darkness of the night to conceal himself as he tracked the truck. The truck reached the originally closed gates, but after the passengers spoke with the guards, the steam engines operating the gates rumbled once again, causing the thick, steel city gate to open. The truck exited the city, disappearing into the night. Qianye watched as the truck left. He did not leave through the city gates, but instead chose to climb over an unmanned portion of the city wall, chasing after the truck. In the wasteland, Qianyes vision was unobstructed, so he didnt need to worry about losing sight of the truck. The truck drove about a hundred kilometers before stopping before an obsolete power station. Qi Yue jumped out from the cargo truck along with two other men, as if waiting for something. One of them seemed to be a guard, while the other was an elder who appeared to be only a rank one. In a place like the wastelands, such strength was barely enough for self-preservation. Qianye hid a kilometer away and silently observed. Despite it being night time, Qianye could still clearly see, his ability even stronger than a pair of good night vision goggles. The newborn night vision ability was much stronger than he expected it to be. As of today, Qianye would not need binoculars anymore within five hundred meters. Only after about an hour did three shadows appear in the darkness of the night, moving towards them like ghosts. Qi Yue signaled with his hands and the elder next to him walked to the truck, lifting a case from the truck before walking behind Qi Yue. Qi Yue''s guard unhesitantly rose his origin gun, aiming at the three men heading their way. Qianye suddenly felt a faint ripple of blood energy coming from the three of them. They were vampires! Qianye was shocked, he hadnt expected that Qi Yue''s purpose in sneakily exiting from the city was to meet with vampires! Qi Yue was the young master of the Qi family, and it was rumored that Mr. Wang had another secret identity. His appearance here was nothing simple. Qianye didn''t hesitate anymore. He immediately started to stealthily sneak towards them at a slow pace, hoping to catch their conversation. He was surprisingly successful. Under the cover of the terrain and the night, he moved fifty meters closer before stopping. He was an expert in stealth to begin with, and now that he had the physique of a vampire and possessed their trait of having cold blood, his body heat could be reduced even lower, annulling the temperature sensory ability of the vampires. On the other hand, he could also control his bodys blood energy by using his origin power to shroud it, preventing it from spilling into the atmosphere, and annulling the humans equipment for detecting vampires as well. The three vampires showed no fear despite being at gunpoint. The leader of the group spoke with a croaky, old voice, Don''t tell me that you think this shitty gun can threaten us? Don''t forget, if we were to compare origin weapon mastery, us sacred bloods would be much better. Qi Yue laughed, It''s just another added precaution. Even if this gun is no good, it''s loaded with a mithril bullet inside. I paid a great price to obtain it, and as long as it isn''t an emergency, I couldnt bear to use it. The three vampires members trembled, now even taking a step back. The leader of the three was enraged. You actually prepared a mithril bullet! Are you insulting me? Confronted by three powerful vampires, Qi Yue was not flustered in the slightest, speaking steadily, No! It''s the opposite, I treat this transaction very sincerely. This bullet is the proof of my sincerity. I hope this transaction can pass smoothly, and I hope even more that our future transactions can similarly pass smoothly. If my actions have offended you, I believe the benefits of our transactions are more than enough as repayment. The attitudes of the three vampires eased after they heard this. The leader signaled with his hands for the companion behind him to take out a suitcase and to stand beside him. This suitcase was the stereotypical style of vampires, black in color with polished, matte lines and bronze decorated corners. Its workmanship was intricate, just the materials and workmanship were rare. To contain something with such a case, its value would not be small. With a signal of his hands, the elderly person behind Qi Yue walked forward with a practical and simple box in his embrace. His two arms carried the case straight, and every step he took was full of caution as if he was afraid of shaking it even slightly. This case has a special precautionary feature. Once it is activated, it must be kept steady, and after three hours, it will automatically unlock. Within this period of time, if it moves by five degrees, it would bang! Qi Yue''s hands gestured an explosion. The leader glanced at Qi Yue and coldly spoke, You''re indeed very careful. Qi Yue smiled. I don''t have a choice. Against a powerful rank-four vampire, there''s no such thing as being overly cautious. Like I said, my goal is to successfully complete this transaction. That old vampire snorted, but he could do nothing. As long as he took this special case, he would not be able to escape the mithril bullet. And to prevent any accidents within the next three hours, he would need to leave immediately, as anything could happen on the wastelands. Qi Yue''s plans completely crushed the vampires thoughts of stealing. Despite this being the first to a series of transactions, in most vampires eyes, humans were still the slaves and food they had since a thousand years ago. Whether they complied with the agreements or not, it solely depended on their mood. Before arriving, this old vampire had indeed prepared to kill and then steal the goods. As for trading, he could simply just find another person. Humans were great in number and there were others than the Qi family in Blackflow City. The old vampire took the skin case and carefully checked it over before passing it to his companion. With a heavy snort, he turned and left. Only after the three vampires left did Qi Yue sigh, and suddenly perspired an entire bodys worth of sweat. The stress from confronting a rank four vampire warrior was abnormally great, and he knew from experience that if one traded with a dark race warrior, one needed to be prepared for death. Behind every gold coin traded was great value and risk. However, after taking the suitcase into his hands, Qi Yue revealed a hearty gaze. After carefully opening and glancing into the case, he closed it with satisfaction. Let''s go, we''ll try and get back by dawn. The three of them entered the truck and headed back. As the three vampires moved through the night like ghosts, the elderly leader suddenly stopped! The vampire behind him, holding onto the briefcase, could barely stop in time and almost stumbled into his back. This caused quite a commotion, scaring both of them. Be careful! There''s an enemy, you two protect the case! the old vampire hurriedly instructed. And at this moment, something circular was suddenly hurled towards them from the darkness.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 55: Chase [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] A red glow flickered in the old vampires eyes, which activated his night vision. He immediately recognized that the projectile coming their way was a grenade commonly used in the army. This kind of crude weapon relied on metal shards and explosions to kill, just barely enough against a rank one Fighter, but of limited efficiency against a real rank two vampire. However, this grenade was a huge annoyance to them. The ripples of its explosion could possibly trigger the switch inside the suitcase, ruining their transaction. In such an emergency, the old vampire bellowed and took a step forward, protecting his two underlings behind him. He was already a high rank four vampire warrior, so the shards of this grenade could at most cause some superficial wounds. A pity for this shirt, it''s made by a master! the old vampire thought as the grenade exploded. However, the grenade didn''t explode as he thought it would. The iron sheet covering the tip suddenly came off, shooting off a small ball of tin paper, revealing a silver glare in the old vampires eyes! The surprisingly bright light blinded the three vampires momentarily, and as the grenade flew, Qianye jumped out of hiding and kneeled on the ground, holding the Light of Daybreak steadily while aiming at the old vampire. As the silver light appeared, Qianye closed his eyes and aimed with his memory, shooting his infused origin bullet! Between them was a distance no more than thirty meters, so this shot was unavoidable. With a pained cry, a bundle of faint yellow light exploded on the old mans chest. Not only did this ruin his clothing, it also opened a bloody, fist-sized hole in his chest. His entire body was sent flying by the collision, causing him to hit the two underlings behind. The two vampire youths did not react slowly. With the old member to block the bright light, it was weakened considerably, only stopping them momentarily. One charged forward to support the elder as the other turned and ran with the case in his arms. However, to keep the case steady when running, he was forced to keep his speed down. Qianye rushed forward with the aura of a charging horse, closing the distance to ten meters as he rushed forward, aiming a spike bayonet at the old vampire. The vampire youth was the descendant of the elder, and in this time of emergency, he immediately moved in front of the elder. Before he could raise his right arm to block, the spike bayonet had already plunged into his chest, and with almost no obstruction, it appeared from his back and stabbed into the elder''s right shoulder. That vampire youth had a face full of shock. He hadn''t expected the power of the bayonet to be so great that it was actually capable of stabbing through his body! Qianye did not stop at all. He charged through the last ten meters between them, aiming to eliminate the strongest enemy before the vampire elder regained his sight and mobility. That young vampire cried out as he pounced towards Qianye, grabbing onto the hand swinging towards him as he started to wrestle with him. Most bodies of vampire youths didnt seem to be very fit, but they actually contained abnormal and enormous strength. A human rank three Fighter may not even win against a rank two vampire in a fight. Qianye suddenly bellowed as his strength busted forth from his entire body, easily suppressing the resistance of the young vampire as he stabbed the dagger in his right hand into the young vampires shoulder. The silver-coated dagger immediately started burning the young vampire''s blood and flesh, releasing large amounts of smoke. The young vampire immediately cried out in pain as his right hand lost strength, releasing Qianye''s right hand. Qianye did not let go of this opportunity and immediately raised the huge Light of Daybreak, harshly slamming the gun barrel into the young vampires face. To Qianyes satisfaction, the face was always weak, no matter the race. Just this blow fractured his nose and one of his cheekbones. Qianye then threw the partially unconscious vampire to the side. When Qianye charged in front of the vampire elder, he shockingly noticed that his strongest opponent had already lost his ability to fight, and laid on the ground, dying. In only a little while, the injury on his chest had increased from fist to bowl-sized. One could also see it corroding with the naked eye, releasing dark blood nonstop. Seeing this sight, Qianye couldn''t help but be shocked. This was the result from that one shot? Distance had played a role as well. If he had used the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism, it would have undoubtedly killed the vampire elder in one shot. Even if it were a mithril bullet two ranks weaker than its target, it would suffice to create an injury that would be difficult to heal in a short time. However, this was an origin bullet Qianye had infused personally. It did not contain any exorcism effects and should only have one third of the threat a mithril bullet would posses, and even though Qianye''s origin power was especially mighty, it should only amount to half. Furthermore, the higher rank a vampire was, the lower the threat of the bullet. Facing the fearsome regenerative abilities of vampires, any injury that failed to kill was merely a superficial wound, and even silver poisoning would not pose a continuous threat to a vampire. If it werent for this, it would be a great hazard, even to a rank four vampire warrior. This was why Qianye would rather fight them head-on and supplement an extra stab. However, looking at the vampire elder''s wounds, it was obvious that his condition was worse than what a mithril bullet would cause; just one shot had forced him to the brink of death. Qianye remembered the mysterious blood energy that he had mixed in as he was infusing his bullet. Was this because of that? Qianye was only shocked for a short moment before he moved on from these two dying vampires. He charged into the night, chasing after the escaping vampire. Qianye did not immediately get into close quarters, but after gauging the distance, he raised his Light of Daybreak yet again, kneeling as he aimed and shot, all within one breath. Light of Daybreak was already filled to the brim with origin power, condensing a new origin bullet. With a pull of the trigger, a bright light was ejected from the guns barrel, hitting that young vampires heart from behind! The vampire cried out but actually did not collapse, running a few steps forward. At that moment, Qianye''s voice suddenly appeared next to his ear, You can rest. A silver-coated dagger pierced deeply into his heart, allowing for the briefcase to steadily drop into Qianye''s hands. Qianye simply checked the case once and noticed the complexity of the lock. This wasn''t something he could unlock. It seemed that he could only wait. However, he still had other unfinished business. It was Sir Qi, of course. He turned and sprinted towards Blackflow City, stopping only momentarily to find a hidden spot to hide the briefcase. The truck was stuck at a place seventy kilometers away from Blackflow City. Qi Yue stood with the old man at the side of the road, while the guard lay under the car, changing between a few tools in his hands as if examining something. After a while, his head popped out. Young master, this is a problem in the transmission line! There''s a crack there, and all the steam has escaped, it''s no wonder it doesn''t move. Qi Yue furrowed his brows. Was it sabotaged by someone? Thats unlikely, it seems like it was scratched by a rock on the road. Fuck! Those damned quartermasters! Couldn''t they have been less selfish! After cursing, Qi Yue seemed to feel better as he asked again, How long does it take to repair? This is a small problem. Twenty minutes is enough, at most thirty. Hearing this, Qi Yue decided on waiting for the truck to be repaired. This place was still quite far from Blackflow City. Walking would take two hours as well as a lot of energy, while waiting for the truck to be fixed and then driving back would also take two hours. However, Qi Yue was still rather depressed. This mission was very important and the truck had been picked out carefully.. This model was supposed to be very good in tough wildlands, so he didn''t expect there to be a problem in just one trip. Despite this, his overall mood was still not bad. He had completed an extremely important transaction that would not only increase his family position when he got back, but would also please that influential fellow. That man was the top superior of his father. After establishing this relationship and completing training at the expeditionary army, he could surpass his father in the future. If he were lucky, he could possibly even climb a few levels and move to the upper continents. Thinking about the future possibilities, Qi Yue did not feel upset anymore. The guard had started repairing the truck after having moved some tools. As Qianye moved closer under the cover of night, he saw exactly what he expected, the best result he could have. The bottom of the trucks transmission line was ruined by him. Such a little trick was nothing thanks to his background as a Red Scorpion; it was natural and seemed unlikely to be man made. What Qianye worried the most about was Qi Yue leaving the truck and walking back to the city, which would make him more troublesome to chase down and kill. Luckily, Qi Yue was a lazy man just as described, and he had indeed chosen to wait for the the truck to be repaired. Light of Daybreak was already recharged with origin power. This was the last origin bullet Qianye could fire tonight. Holding his breath, he patiently approached Qi Yue. A hundred meters, ninety meters all the way to thirty meters, Qianye still went unnoticed. Young master! The truck has been repaired! the guard shouted as he climbed from underneath the truck. Qianye immediately threw the grenade in his hands towards when he saw Qi Yue and the elder turned to the guard He then aimed his Light of Daybreak at the guard and pulled the trigger. Seeing a black item flying their way, Qi Yue and the elders faces changed as he shouted Grenade! before the both of them leaped to the sides. As they retreated, both stared at where the grenade landed. The body of a Fighter would always be stronger than a mortal''s, so this old method of using grenades was useful against normal people only. As such, if Qi Yue were to retreat five meters, he would at most suffer from superficial wounds without affecting his combat abilities. The grenade landed and then rebounded up, shooting a ball of tin foil before becoming a bright light. Without any chance of retaliation, the vision of both Qi Yue and the old man turned white as everything disappeared. The special flash grenade was useful against vampires, but at night, it could also be used against humans. This unexpected ploy was hard to counter. Qianye shot his last origin bullet straight into the guard''s face, blowing up the guards face as he swung his Light of Daybreak. The ten kilogram, old-style gun changed into a weapon in the air. It directly collided with the head of the blinded old man, causing blood to spill from his face, as he fell to the ground. After that, Qianye moved in front of Qi Yue as though he were a ghost. Only at this moment could Qi Yue forcefully open his eyes. They were red, swollen, and tearing up. Qianye''s fist heavily landed onto his abdomen, causing his body to curl up as he vomited, spilling undigested food mixed with sour water onto the ground Qianye landed yet another fist on Qi Yue''s back. It was as though raging horses stampeded on him, smashing him to the ground. Qianye kicked Qi Yue in his face, using his full strength to send him flying along with his spilling blood and a dozen of teeth that also shot out. With the enormous strength that seemed unfitting for Qianye''s body shape, only three attacks had completely destroyed Qi Yue''s ability to retaliate, causing this rank two Fighter to collapse on the ground, groaning. Qianye slowly walked toward Qi Yue, squatted down, and patted his face. Sir Qi, we meet again.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 56: Breaking Part of a Promise [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qi Yue hadnt completely lost consciousness yet, and he painstakingly opened his swollen eyes, speaking blurrily after a while, It''s you! It''s me, Qianye. You must have a deep impression of me, or else you wouldn''t have created such a commotion, utilizing the expeditionary army to attempt to kill me at Lighthouse Town. A venomous expression appeared in his face as he spoke viciously, I should''ve just killed you at the underground arena! Qianye laughed, It is indeed a pity, but you don''t have a chance anymore now. Only now did Qi Yue seem more clear headed. He stared at Qianye and suddenly revealed an extremely terrified expression as he stuttered, Youyoure actually a rank three Fighter! You have good eyes, but it''s too late now. Qi Yue''s expression was extremely complicated with hate, regret, and envy. Qianye reached rank three at a very young age, making him a rare talent even in the expeditionary army. Qi Yue was twenty three himself, but he would need another year of cultivation and large amounts of medicinal items to reach rank three. I should''ve guessed that you were not rank one when you used combat skills from the army. Qi Yue sighed deeply. A person such as Qianye would be extremely useful as an underling. If Qianye would replace the troops of Sir Zhao, he wouldn''t reject money and better conditions. Qi Yue''s status was ten times better than Sir Zhaos, and he could offer much better conditions. With only some patience and skill, how could Qianye reject him? In the Evernight Continent, strength was everything. However, was not too late yet. Qi Yue fought to sit up and asked, Are you here because of Sir Zhao? And Min''er. Miner that prostitute? mentioning Miner, Qi Yue couldn''t help but grit his teeth. Yes. Have you forgotten that she was willing to sleep with Tiger Yan for a bit of money and almost made you lose your fight! Qianye spoke calmly, I haven''t, but that is a thing of the past, and now, like Sir Zhao, she is also my friend. Friend? Haha! Qi Yue laughed loudly, causing blood to flow out of his mouth which made him look exceptionally terrifying. He ridiculed, I didn''t expect to hear such an ancient word! In this era, in this place, is there really such a thing as a friend? Qianye thought of another group of people, Colonel Wei Lishi, the leader of the Red Scorpions, and those Black Scorpion veterans. In that bloody night, the leader of the Red Scorpions pushed the entire dark wave back in exchange for Qianye''s chance to escape. That was a miracle with the price of a life. Qianye sighed softly. There isn''t such a word in your dictionary, but that doesn''t mean it doesn''t exist. At least I have friends, and Sir Zhao and Miner are like that. Qi Yue stopped laughing madly and spoke in a serious tone, Alright, I respect your decision. If possible, I hope that you can think of me as a friend in the future. Follow me, how about that? I have another identity, and its incomparable to the current Qi family. I am very certain of your ability, so as long as you follow me, you will be able to get anything you want! The way I, Qi Yue, treat my underlings, is known in Blackflow City, you can ask around. Qianye stared at Qi Yue''s face and suddenly laughed. Tempting indeed, if it was someone else, they would have most likely been swayed. However, I wasnt intending on finding a backer when I was talking to you. Qi Yue suddenly shuddered. This was his first time closely inspecting Qianye''s face. The crude camouflage was still present, but his exquisite features were still visible. This smile had the familiarity of a neighborhood boy, yet Qi Yues instincts could sense danger. He suddenly felt as though he couldn''t see through Qianye. Qianye was incredibly young, yet his fighting ability and decision-making were contradictory to that. He was trained and vicious, killing with one blow, and he gave himself and his opponent no chance of any hesitation. Not knowing why, Qi Yue suddenly remembered the common, yet extremely fatal red scorpion. Qianye pointed toward the briefcase brought by the vampires and spoke, Open it, and I will give you a pleasant death. If not, I''ll send you back alive. I have some great things on hand, and I have a bit to spare. Go backalive? This seemed to be the better choice, yet Qi Yue''s body started trembling uncontrollably. Sure enough, he heard the answer he expected right from Qianye''s mouth. Of course, you''ll still die, roughly in about seven days. In these seven days, you will experience all kinds of suffering, your perception of pain will become exceptionally sensitive, so that even taking off a shirt will give you intense agony. However, the wounds on your body can be treated. The last sentence was the most hurtful part. Qi Yue knew what method Qianye was talking about. It was a poison extracted from the body of a vampire, said to be only in the hands of the mysterious officers of the Empires elite army. It destroyed the brain and the nerves, causing damage that could last forever, yet wasn''t irreversible. To recover, one needed large amounts of precious medicinal items and a high ranking Champion to unblock the meridians of the entire body to exert the medicinal effects. This kind of expenditure was a burden even to the prestigious families of the upper continent, and with the strength and relations of Blackflow Citys Qi Family, it would be impossible even if they went bankrupt. Qianye stared at Qi Yue''s expression and spoke indifferently, It seems that I won''t have to explain. Sending Qi Yue back would give him both hope and immense pain, as he could only await his death. This was the true torture. The Empire regularly used such methods against military betrayals, and the higher ups of rebel organizations. Qi Yue trembled as he pointed at Qianye. You! You came from that kind of place!? Qianye smiled. You finally guessed it, very smart. A pity that it''s too late. Only now did Qi Yue truly feel regret. Those from the elite armies were all monsters in the shape of men; they could not be measured with the ranking system and were nightmares to irk. Y-you cannot kill me! My real father is Sir Wu Zhengnan, he is an active duty senior of the Empire''s expeditionary army! If you kill me, he will definitely avenge me! Qianye continued smiling. Ive heard this sentence countless times, can''t you say something different? I can give you money! I can give you women! Provided that I have it, I can give you anything as long as you let me go! How about that? Don''t kill me Qi Yue became more and more incoherent. In the face of death, he collapsed mentally and started bawling. He suddenly crawled to the briefcase and quickly unlocked it, and with a kacha sound, it snapped open. Look, I opened it! Don''t kill me, I beg Qi Yue suddenly stopped speaking, and his vision became blurry as he stared at Qianye, the life force in his body sapping away. The spike bayonet in Qianye''s hands had pierced through his throat, and the remaining poison on the blade numbed Qi Yue''s nerves, forcing him immobile as he felt the blood drain out of him. Very well. I said already that as long as you open the briefcase, I''ll let you die pleasantly. However, Qianye suddenly gathered his strength and viciously smashed his fist against Qi Yue''s face, instantly smashing his face inwards. Qi Yue fell to the ground facing the sky as his limbs jerked in the face of death. Sorry, I broke part of my promise. Qianye spoke slightly apologetic towards Qi Yue''s body. Taking out a ring and a brooch from his pocket, Qianye placed it on Sir Qis chest. These were the belongings of both Miner and Sir Zhao, a small ritual. Qianye hoped that they would be able to see this on the other end of the nether river, to see the true killers end. As for the soldiers present that day, they were simply following orders, a tool of murder for the higher-ups. Qianye did not plan on taking care of them. Qianye opened the briefcase, and his pupils immediately dilated! Inside was a black gun with an additional auxiliary barrel at the side at half a meter long. It was similar to the Light of Daybreak in appearance, but the method of creation was different like night and day. This gun was luxurious and smooth, and it even had a golden rose designed on the body. This was the type of origin gun typically used by the vampires! After the method of creation for origin guns was leaked to the dark race, the intelligent ones amongst them soon created versions which harnessed dark origin power. However, the origin guns had gray areas, just like Evernight and Daybreak did. The dark races'' origin guns were not completely unusable for humans, but it was just that their strength was reduced, and special abilities would be locked. It was strange. Despite the bad blood between the vampires and the humans, the vampires origin guns were the most compatible with humans amongst the many creations of the various dark races, and with just a few adjustments, the loss of efficiency could be reduced. Furthermore, with their lavish workmanship, these guns were popular amongst the upper society of the Empire. Many wealthy people used products of vampires, forcing even the creations of the human race to fall behind. On top of that, in this briefcase was a rare, high-quality origin gun. Simply the dazzling tactical accessory made it apparent. Qianye picked up this gun and gently inserted a bit of origin power, and as a result, the origin force speedily gathered together within the gun, creating an origin bullet in a blink of an eye! Qianye was pleasantly surprised. This was a rapid fire gun, which style was originally not suited for Qianye who pursued pure strength. However, triggering the origin power within the gun was unexpectedly easy, without any of the rough sensations he had when he used Evernight origin guns. Qianye immediately thought that his three-colored blood energy could be the reason for this. After testing for a bit, Qianye obtained the statistics of this gun. Its darkness origin power conversion rate was forty percent. With Qianye''s rank three origin power and blood energy, he could fire five shots, with each shot containing a force four times stronger than a shot from the Light of Daybreak. If this gun were to be in another persons hand, the threat would be two ranks lower than normal. However, Qianye had the power of the blood of darkness and could bring out its true potential, although it was not to the extent that it would overpower the Scorpion Needle Custom. On the gun was engraved: Flowing Gold Rose. This was probably the name of the gun. Not only was the writing flowery, there was also golden powder decorating it. This was indeed the style of the vampires. The value of the intricate origin guns of vampires did not lay only in their strength. If he were to fight with weapons, Qianye would rather use the Scorpion Needle Custom, even though it couldnt use blood energy. Still, this origin gun was two times stronger than the standard. No member of the upper class would attend an evening party with a rifle at their back and vampire origin guns were a nice decoration to their status. However, despite Qianye''s fancy for beautiful things, he only played for a bit before placing Flowing Gold Rose back into its case. He still had many things to do, and first of all, he needed to clean up the battlefield before continuing his plan.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 57: Happening [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye jumped onto the truck, carefully searched inside and outside, confirmed that he eliminated all traces of himself, and then collected one origin gun from the guards and Qi Yue. The gun Qi Yue had on him was pistol-type origin gun. The model name was Hornet, the quality was good, and since it could achieve a conversion rate of 30 percent, it could already be considered a rank two firearm. The guard division merely had second-hand assault rifles retired from the expeditionary armies; however, they were still products of the last century, and although they were old-fashioned, they could still barely be considered rank one. The Empire and the dark races used the same standards to class origin firearms. If it has at least a 20% conversion rate, it was a rank one firearm, and then every increase of 10% would increase the rank by one. If the Red Scorpions Scorpion Needle Custom was considered rank four, the Flowing Gold Rose Standard that Qianye obtained should be considered rank three. As for the first antique Light of Daybreak model, it wasnt popular in this day and age and couldnt even be considered rank one. Qianye searched and picked up the mithril bullet from the guards body too. This little fellow was a deadly weapon against the dark races. He opened the sealed box and gave it a look. The thick aura of mithril emanating from the bullets continued to cause him some discomfort as usual. That being said, the battle against the vampires just now showed Qianye a new possibility. If he could control the power of blood inside his body and inject it into an origin bullet, he might not need to rely purely on silver to fight vampires. Judging from the effects the rank four vampire elder had suffered, he could practically one shot a vampire warrior of the same rank if he were to use Heavy Caliber and his blood energy. He should be able to heavily injure a vampire warrior one or two ranks higher than him if he hit a vital spot too. Qianye still didnt understand what was going on with his body, but was the most pragmatic of soldiers. He would use all available methods to attack his enemy and cared only about the results, not the means. Other than these pieces of equipment, Qianye had also found a dozen or so imperial gold coins. These coins were a sizable amount of wealth considering Qi Yues status and identity. Qianye pulled off the guards tactical backpack and threw out anything that he didnt need. The only thing he kept inside the backpack was a precision tool used to maintain firearms. Then, he tossed the vampires Flowing Gold Rose and all tactical accessories into the backpack. He took apart the guards assault rifle and packed it into the bag too. He carried only an intact Light of Daybreak and Hornet with him. With that he began to turn back. Soon, Qianye found the case he had hidden earlier. He sat beside the case and cultivated for a while. Some time later he heard a crisp ringing sound from the leather suitcases timer lock. His alarm set for three hours had gone off. Qianye pressed the leather suitcases switch softly, and the case opened automatically to reveal some goods wrapped in many layers of flannel. A small origin level was attached on top of the object. One end of the blue wire was connected to a timer, whereas the red wire stretched all the way to the cases cover. The suitcase was actually filled to the brim with plastic explosives. The number of explosives inside the suitcase was enough to blast the goods and the case holder to smithereens. Qianye carefully took apart the level, timer, and automatic detonator. Then, he pulled away the flannel to reveal the goods inside and immediately inhaled sharply. Anger gradually surfaced on his face. The suitcase contained four neatly placed black crystalline objects. Every one of these black crystalline objects was as big as a palm and about a centimeter thick. Black crystals! Qianye had no idea that Qi Yue had used black crystals to trade for origin guns with the vampires until now! The black crystals inside the case was a standard cut labeled at middle grade purity. Not only that. It wasnt your average propellant but a manufacturing grade black crystal! Qianye knew that one of a black crystals important functions was to create the compressed energy chamber of an origin firearm. If these black crystals were to be used in the creation of a grade three origin firearm, it could produce two of them. It would also take two black crystals to create a grade four origin firearm. It would appear that the power behind Qi Yue had a steady source of black crystals. That was why they thought of conducting long term business with the vampires. If that complete set of Flowing Gold Rose from earlier were to be auctioned at the middle or upper continents, its functionality and artistic value were worth 20 standard black crystals. They would earn four times the profit. It was no wonder they were willing to risk so much to trade with the vampires. If this trade were set up properly, then the gold coins would come pouring in. However, what angered Qianye was the fact that these black crystals could be turned into eight Flowing Gold Roses if they were to fall into the vampires hands! If they didnt care for quality, then they could create ten normal grade three origin guns in total! Excluding other expenses, he could say that the vampires had made more than 300% profit from this deal too. Vampires had always been humankinds greatest enemy out of all the dark races. This was because humans are literally one of their main dishes to this day. On the continents deep into Evernight Continent where the dark races reigned supreme, there were countless humans who were penned up like livestock to supply the vampires with blood. The grudge that had lasted for tens of milleniums could no longer be defused by any means. Only the death of either party could settle this grudge once and for all. However, the Qi Family was actually selling tactical resources like these to the vampires in secret despite their history. There was no other way to describe this but as supplying the enemy! Imperial laws stated that sharing ties with the dark races was a grave crime. If such crimes were to be brought to light, even the lightest punishment would result in a life sentence. It wouldnt come as a shock at all if the Qi Family were to be annihilated for what they were doing right now. However, Qianyes short service in the Red Scorpions told him that things werent as simple as they seemed. Evernight Continent was far away from the empires territory, and on this land the imperial expeditionary forces reigned supreme. The Qi Family was supported by none other than the imperial expeditionary forces themselves, and if Qi Yue wasnt lying, he was in fact the son of an active division commander. Regardless of whether there was an even bigger mastermind behind the trade Qianye had just foiled, these two higher ties alone meant that Qianye should worry more about the hunt that was most definitely coming his way before he could even consider bringing the Qi Family to justice. Moreover, the hunt would likely come in the form of a proper arrest under the expeditionary forces name. Qianye thought for a little before he decided to alter his original plans. He put away the crystals and carried the suitcase back to the place where he fought against the vampires. Luckily for him, there were no signs of any outsiders passing through the scene at all. He swiftly checked the perimeter before aligning the three vampire corpses in one row. He reset the timer detonator on the suitcase and placed it on the corpses. Then, he turned around and left the scene. A few minutes later, Qianye heard a loud boom from behind him. The flames of the explosion surged at least several dozen meters into the sky. This proved that the explosives were powerful enough to blast the vampires corpses into smithereens. It would be difficult for anyone to discover the true cause of deaths. Qianye checked his direction and decided against returning to Blackflow City. Instead, he walked northward. He could reach Boulderstone Region, the domain of the 3rd Division expeditionary forces from there. Unlikely the relatively calm Blackflow City, Boulderstone Region was the frontline that stood against the dark races. There were countless forces, mercenaries, hunters, and all kinds of big and small organizations in that place. The state of affairs of Boulderstone Region was far more complex than in Blackflow City, and the expeditionary forces hold over that place was far weaker than in Blackflow City. Qianye began plotting his future once more when he reached Boulderstone Region. Less than two hundred kilometers away from Blackflow City, Brigadier General Wu Zhengnan woke up at 5 a.m. sharp in Cloud Sail City. He walked into his office when the huge chiming clock struck 6. He had never altered this habit for the past thirty years or so he spent in the army. As usual, the sky was pitch black. It would be another five hours before sunlight would spill from the edges of the middle and upper continents. However, the drill grounds were as bright as daylight thanks to the illumination of several hundred burning gas lamps. Numerous troops had already come out to perform their morning exercises. Shouts rose and fell in succession as the drilling grounds became filled with a ferocious atmosphere. Brigadier General Wu Zhengnan wasnt tall, but his figure was as solid as iron. His thick eyebrows looked like a pair of unsheathed blades, and although his eyes were of different sizes, it didnt affect the sharp gleam that spilled out of his narrow eyelids in the slightest. He stood at the window and watched the soldiers training spiritedly on the drilling grounds. He nodded in satisfaction before he returned to his office and picked up the latest imperial relay news, reading it. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Wu Zhengnans face darkened as he looked a little displeased at the interruption. He yelled in a low tone, Come in! The time between 6 to 7 a.m. was the time he spent leafing through the latest information and pondering about the empires political situation. Disturbances were strictly forbidden unless it was an important matter. The door opened softly as a rather attractive female aide walked into the room and said, General, Director Qi said he needs you for something. Qi Sicheng was the 7th Divisions logistics director. His work was passable, and his greed was ignorable. He had never caused any problems for Wu Zhengnan. Even more important was the fact that he had an extremely attractive wife. It had been more than twenty years, but she had never failed to please Wu Zhengnan. She had never passed his mind, and the woman had even birthed him a son in secret during this time. Qi Sicheng himself pretended that he knew nothing about this. Wu Zhengnans voice softened a little as he said, Let him in. Qi Sicheng was approaching his sixties, but he looked like he was at his early forties. Moreover, he was tall, handsome, and exuded the charm of a mature middle aged man. However, Qi Sicheng acted like a lamb who saw a tiger when he stood before the average-sized Wu Zhengnan. Not only did he stoop and smile apologetically often, he always gave off a cowering appearance before Wu Zhengnan. However, it was exactly this attitude that Wu Zhengnan liked about him. On the surface though, he still wore a genial smile on his face and said, Old Qi, come over and have a seat. Its not like there are any outsiders in this room right now. However, Qi Sicheng stood as straight as a plank and said seriously, General, were in an army right now. There are clear ranks within the army, and we absolutely mustnt disturb this order! Wu Zhengnan sighed and said, Old Qi, you are as old-fashioned as ever. How many times have I told you to relax a little when theres no one around! Sigh, alright, something mustve happened since youve came to me at this time. Tell me! Qi Sicheng lowered his voice and said, The trade last night went awry. Qi Yue and his subordinates all died outside the city. What! Wu Zhengnan rose to his feet in an instant with an ashen face. Whats going on? Didnt we set up everything properly? Did those vampires go back on their word? Its not the work of those cold blooded monsters. My men found the remains of three dead vampires nearby, and theyve also found the pieces of that suitcase. However, the goods we traded are all gone. Wu Zhengnans anger swiftly subsided. He calmed himself down and said, So you mean that someone had set their eyes on this trade of ours? Qi Sicheng said slowly, That possibility is slim. This is our very first trade, and it is just an attempt to get a feel of things and set up a deal. The things that were traded arent that valuable, and weve kept a tight lid over this matter. The goods passed through several hands only, and none of them knew about the whole trade. Ive interrogated them all one by one and found no problems with them. Therefore, I believe the biggest possibility is that someone happened to pass by our meet up point and tried to rob the goods. Wu Zhengnans face was dark. He asked coldly, Did you find any clues?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 58: Ultra Escape [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] No. The scene is extremely clean, and no clues were left behind. The culprit must be a pro. Wu Zhengnan paced around the room as his killing intent leaked and caused the temperature inside the office to drop rapidly. He suddenly stood still in front of the window and looked at the soldiers who were still training at the drilling grounds and said coldly, Just because your men couldnt find anything doesnt mean that there are no clues to be found. You can ignore this matter. I will ask Dark Blade to take over! Qi Sichengs facial muscles twitched. Dark Blade was anything but a happy term. Wu Zhengnan thought for a moment and added, Go check if Qi Yue had recently done some things and offended someone. The trade may have been found out by accident because someone set their sights on him. Yes sir! Qi Sicheng was secretly impressed. Wu Zhengnan might be tough and forthright on the outside, but he was in fact a competitive and ruthless person. The reason he was able to maintain his position for so many years was because his work was watertight. When Qi Sicheng left, Wu Zhengnan pressed a button beneath the corner of the office table. Moments later, a monstrous-looking person walked into the room. This man was almost two meters tall, but he was unusually and had extraordinarily long limbs. His skin was pale white, and his eyebrows and hair were a faded yellow so faint that it was nearly indiscernible. Moreover, this person had a bizarre pair of vertical, amber-colored pupils. It looked like the eyes of some sort of reptile. The man asked immediately after he passed through the door, Who are we killing this time, general? Qi Yue is dead. Find his killer and bring them back to me alive if possible. If its inconvenient then a dead body is fine too. My only request is that they must die a painful death! Do whatever you want besides that one requirement. You dont have to worry about their status either! Wu Zhengnan said fiercely. Surprisingly, he was able to be forthright with his emotions in front of this person. The strange man was startled for a moment before he said, So the young master is dead! Alright, how many men can you afford me? Wu Zhengnan waved a hand and said, You may mobilize the Dark Blades however you like! The strange man stretched out his long, scarlet tongue and actually licked his own nose with it. Then he smiled sinisterly and said, Dont worry. Theres no way this person is escaping Yu Renyans grasp no matter who he is. Go! I await your good news. Yu Renyan retreated from Wu Zhengnans office. When he passed by the female aide, he suddenly twisted his upper body at a bizarre angle and nearly pressed himself to the womans face. Then, he licked the womans neck strongly with his long tongue! Caught off guard, the female aide instantly lost all color on her face. However, she immediately recovered and stood as straight as she possibly could. However, she dared not cry out or even show signs that she wanted to avoid him. Yu Renyan let out a tapering laugh, casting her a sideway glance before striding away from the place. Half a day later, Yu Renyan brought a dozen or so people to where Qi Yue was murdered for a careful investigation. Qi Sichengs subordinates had already searched through this place multiple times already, and their investigation yielded no additional results. Then, they headed towards the vampires remains. Yu Renyan suddenly crouched and picked up a body part from the ground. He played around with the body part and inspected it closely before he picked up a broken strand of hair from the body part. Suddenly, he stretched out his tongue and swallowed the strand just like that. After tasting it carefully for a very long time, he said, This is the murderers hair. I have memorized his scent. Yu Renyan revealed a cruel smile. There was nothing more he loved to hunt than living prey. The traces that murderer had left behind were surprisingly few. It was obvious that he was a pro. However, it was exactly because he was a pro that it was fun to kill him. He tossed the body part high up into the air as his mouth suddenly became unusually huge. He actually swallowed it in a single gulp. Then, he picked up another body part while looking like he wanted more. He actually looked like he enjoyed the taste of these body parts a lot. However, Yu Renyan didnt simply consume the new body part. Instead, he carefully tasted it, even as his facial expression grew odder and odder. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and vomited everything he just swallowed. The vomiting became uncontrollable the moment he started. In the end, Yu Renyan even lay on the ground and vomited until he almost fainted! The Dark Blades garbed completely in black robes might have gotten used to Yu Renyans strange actions a long time ago, but they had never seen him like this before. They looked at each other in dismay. Yu Renyan looked like he had eaten something bad, but the fact was no one had ever seen Yu Renyan suffering from a stomach ache before. He literally thrived on rotten meat like a real vulture. However, no one dared to ask Yu Renyan a thing before he spoke up first. Yu Renyan continued to vomit until even his gastric juices and bile were completely gone before he finally collapsed on the ground and panted heavily. While panting, he suddenly began to laugh neurotically and muttered to himself, Interesting! How interesting! This poison specifically targets the black blood, but I dont even have a clue what it is! Not bad. This is what makes for an interesting hunt! Follow me, you all! He suddenly bounced up to the air and flipped before he landed on all fours. Then, he moved swiftly like a large insect with his face almost pressing on the ground. He sniffed the ground non-stop with his nose and ran all the way to the north. The Dark Blade warriors knew that Yu Renyan had already found a scent to follow. They silently followed behind him. These people were elites who were seldomly seen even among the expeditionary forces, and Yu Renyan was their leader. Yu Renyan had the chance to enter a top ten special corps in the past, but he ultimately chose the expeditionary forces because the Evernight Continent was the only place he could completely let loose and do whatever he pleased. Far, far away, Qianye still had no idea that a group of cruel, vicious, and cunning wolves was tailing behind him. He had been moving at a uniform speed of forty kilometers an hour, and he had ran non-stop for nearly ten hours. This was an escape method that employed ultra running over long periods of time to swiftly depart a scene and shake off any potential pursuers. There were no tricks to this method. It was a battle where both parties compete to see who had the better counter tracking abilities, stamina, and willpower. In the past, Qianye only needed to run four hours non-stop to achieve his objective of moving into another region. The Red Scorpions lowest acceptable standard for ultra running was to run one hundred and twenty kilometers within three hours. Now that Qianyes origin power had ascended to rank three, and his constitution was that of a vampires, his endurance had soared by leaps and bounds. That was why Qianye decided that he might as well push his endurance to its limits. Ten hours later, he officially stepped into Boulderstone Regions territory. Qianye stopped to rest for an hour at the border before continuing forward. High up in the air, a bald eagle flew by and trained its sharp gaze onto the lone figure running on the wasteland. The figure ran continuously and never changed his speed. The eagle hesitated, but it ultimately decided that mans actions were overly bizarre, and that he gave it the strangest shivers for some reason. Therefore, it let out a long cry before changing direction and flying off. It gave up on this obvious prey. A day later, Yu Renyan also appeared at Boulderstone Regions border. By now his face looked even paler than before. His face and body were completely covered in dust, and his hair was about as disheveled as it could be. It was obvious that he was greatly exhausted from the pursuit, and because he accidentally ate the vampire body part that was tainted by Qianyes blood energy, he would vomit or shit from time to time. This caused him to lose much of his strength. Yu Renyan had also discovered that his opponent had actually employed ultra running to get away from his pursuers during the chase. He couldnt help but feel worried. He was a true master in field tracking, and he knew that he was more than half a day behind his opponent to begin with. If his opponent successfully put too much distance between the two of them, then he might lose track of them completely. This was an absolutely unacceptable defeat. Yu Renyan had no choice but to employ the stupidest but most effective method of them all, a full speed pursuit. However, things hadnt gone well for him from the start; his opponent had ran and ran as if his stamina had no limit! At the fifth hour, Yu Renyan finally couldnt keep it up any longer. He had to rest for a consecutive three hours before he could continue pursuing his opponent. When he reached the border of the Boulderstone Region, only three Dark Blade warriors were still with him. The rest of them had all fallen behind. Yu Renyan finally discovered his opponents resting spot. He wasnt sure whether to be happy or worried of his discovery. He was happy because the miniscule traces he found meant that he hadnt strayed off the right path and that his opponent was ultimately human. He was also worried because this fellow had displayed endurance far beyond that of a common human being. Even the monsters of those elite corps could only do so much. In the end, Yu Renyan decided not to continue the pursuit any further and rested at the place where Qianye had set up camp. He discovered that the more than half a day distance between him and his opponent had already been extended to a full day. This also meant that there was no way he could catch up to his opponents speed. Moreover, his opponent was obviously a pro and left very few traces behind to track. After a days time, his scent had became so thin that it wouldnt take long before the final trace of it would be lost entirely. Moreover, the moment his opponent entered any one of the four great cities of Boulderstone Region, he would immediately disappear like a drop of water inside the sea. Rather than pointlessly wasting his stamina, Yu Renyan decided that he might as well recover his strength and plan for the future. This didnt mean that Yu Renyan was going to give up, however. On the contrary, the difficulty his opponent had presented made him so excited that he felt like was spending every second on high. In fact, he nearly moaned a couple of times as a result. Yu Renyan decided to hunt down his enemy until the end! There seriously werent many opponents that deserved a tracking and assassination expert like him on this rundown continent. When Qianye walked past the gates of a small town, he looked just like a young mercenary. He enjoyed a fulfilling meal at the most overcrowded restaurant in town and took a swig at the most jam packed bar he could find. After squeezing a girls round buttocks in passing, he slipped into the toilets and left quietly through the bars side door a moment later. When he walked out of the town once more, he had transformed into a middle-aged uncle with a short mustache. Qianye was certain that anyone who could have still been pursuing him would have lost his tracks after his twirl in that small town. He continued to run without pausing even a single time, and three days and three nights later, he finally arrived at Darkblood City at the border of Boulderstone Region. The city was huge. It had four great Perpetual Dynamo Towers at the four corners of the city. Its foundation was covered in steam machines that were as big as hills. Overall, it had an extremely lousy design as gigantic hanging pipelines and cables were built all over the peoples heads. They stretched like spider webs across every corner of the city and provided heat and energy to its defense facilities. The citys absolutely chaotic power system design looked impossible to sabotage unless someone were to flatten the entire city. Perhaps this was the original intention of the designer? Darkblood City was situated at the first line where humans and the dark races clashed against each other. It was the most important supply base for the expeditionary forces, hunters, and pioneers. This citys order was just as chaotic as its hanging pipelines. Even the expeditionary forces held the highest level of authority here only in name. All sorts of crimes were being carried out in this city, and many people would die in the process but no one paid attention to them at all. This place was an adventurers paradise, and a fugitives heaven. However, it was hell for the weak. Almost a thousand years ago, the human race and the vampires had fought a great battle here. Both sides had sent a couple million soldiers, and it ultimately ended with 11 million dead humans in exchange for the lives of 6 million vampire warriors, pushing the eight-month war in favor of the humans. It was only after the battle was over that the humans finally built a fortress city at this place. The blood on both sides seeped into the ground and dyed several thousand kilometers of soil in red. The color didnt fade even after hundreds of years. That was why this city was named Darkblood City. This was also the place Qianye had chosen to stay in. This was the first time Qianye had arrived at Darkblood City. He couldnt help but be stunned to the core when he stared at the grandiose city walls that were thirty meters tall and gigantic city buildings that were a dozen or so stories high! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 59: Prosperous and Thriving [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The ability to build such a stronghold was prime evidence of the Empires prosperity. No wonder humans ultimately escaped their slavery after killing descendants of the dark races and fighting their way to freedom throughout the Evernight Continent. The Empire was established over a thousand years ago. It was born in the glory of innumerable powerful soldiers, like a rainbow illuminating a road to the stars. They tore through the endless darkness that bound human history and carved out new space for humans to live. The twenty-third emperor of the Empire once said full of pride: If our world does not have sunlight, then we will construct a sun! He was the only human expert to have reached the deepest parts of the dark races upper continent, though he ultimately disappeared into history along with the derailment of the False Valley Star. Even though the Empire was currently in control of four continents and had become more defensive, no longer invading, there were still plenty of talented individuals. The two pillars of the Empire, Lin Xitang and Zhang Boqian, controlled the overall situation in the imperial court. One did so from the inside, while the other did it from the outside. One controlled politics while the other controlled the military. Within the military, eight Marshals guarded the Empire in all directions. There were four Heavenly Kings who were the strongest in the human race, but they did not interfere with daily matters. They were existences like the Ocean Stabilizing Needle (1), standing in opposition to the lords of the dark races. Every one of their names was legendary and worthy of looking up to! Currently, it was already past midnight. A great number of people was walking through the gate of the large, old city. A cool breeze blew through the air, its breath was unlike the desolation of the wasteland as it brought along a vigorous and proud spirit. Something was pounding inside Qianyes chest. It wasnt a thirst for blood and flesh, but rather the boiling of blood that had been suppressed for a long time. Occupying his entire vision was the legendary Gate of Eternity! Unless humans were having their final battle against the dark races, the gates of the city would never close. No matter who, as long as they were able to take out a silver coin to pay toll, they could enter the city whenever they wanted. Even if a guard knew that the person was a member of the dark races under their disguise, they would still let them in as long as they paid toll. This arrogant tradition originated in the year 700 from the mayor of Darkblood City, Peng Huaiyuan. That brigadier of the Empire was born from the wilderness and lived for the army. He had experienced an innumerable amount of both large and small battles. At the time, Darkblood City had been invaded by an alliance between demonkin and werewolves. All of the generals chose to close the gates and guard the city, but Peng Huaiyuan instead pounded the table and yelled: Today, I will open all four gates and see just who dares to fight! Peng Huaiyuan did as he had promised and opened the gates. He personally led three hundred deathsworn to charge into enemy soldiers and killed the chief commander of the alliance. He then cut down the enemys flag in one go! Twenty thousand dark race soldiers were defeated and retreated quickly. After this battle, Peng Huaiyuan had suffered heavy injuries and was not treated, so he died seven days later in the mayors mansion. When the emperor of that era heard about what had happened, he personally wrote: Who dares to block enemies on horses with only a knife, only my General Peng!(2) From then on, Peng Huaiyuan was well-known throughout the Empire. No one in the military was unaware of General Peng, so Qianye naturally was familiar with him as well. Peng Huaiyuan wasnt actually extremely strong and couldnt be considered top level within the military. He was barely even a first-rate existence. However, in this battle, his courage to fight despite the massive numbers of the enemy forces earned him the respect of every soldier. Darkblood City rarely closed its gates, but the dark races were still unable to do anything to it. In history, the city had only fallen three times, but had been quickly recovered by the Empire each time. During each counterattack, it wasnt just the imperial expeditionary army taking action. Hunters, lonewolves, adventurers, and even rebel forces that had never been fully destroyed in the last hundreds of years were uncontrolled, but they still supported the effort to retake the city. After Qianye had heard about the Gate of Eternity in history lessons with the Red Scorpions, he always wanted to see it when he had the chance. It was said that every stone that made up the tower was engraved with many names. These were brave spirits that had been sacrificed within the last thousand years for the creation, prosperity, and existence of this city. However, the shadow of death was gradually dissipating. In the battle against Tiger Yan and Qi Yue, Qianye virtually did not feel any bloodthirst. After the battle at the garbage dump, the sliver of light and hope he was shown had gradually gotten bigger. Thus, the persistence of youth, and the courage of a soldier that he had previously suppressed in his heart began slowly lifting their heads again until they were ignited by the deal between Qi Yue and vampires. Thus, Qianye gave up his previous goal of finding a small town and living a quiet life. He had once lost everything, even the source of his pride, the surname Lin. He was also burdened with the Red Scorpion captains last order that was almost impossible. Now, he saw the opportunity to start anew so how could he not go all out! Within this legendary, yet real city full of chaos and evil, the most valuable things anyone could ask for were freedom and opportunity. There was no order, but also no power. In this place, power reigned supreme, but was also another form of justice. In Darkblood City, anyone could make quite a name for oneself as long as they had talent, diligence, and a little bit of luck. Maybe Qianye still wasnt very clear on how to uncover the faraway upper continents plot, but he knew that his first step must be to return, to return to the people that once left him filled with dread. Qianye prepared simply and turned himself into an average scavenger. He then blended into the crowd and entered Darkblood City. When paying a silver coin as gate toll, he had originally been afraid that taking out a silver coin as a scavenger would bring about a lot of attention, but instead, he found the guards were too lazy to even glance at him. Their faces wore an already knew you were disguised expression. At this time, behind Qianye approached a crowd of beggars. Each person casually paid their silver and flocked into the city. This being his first time at the city, Qianye was stunned. In Lighthouse Town, beggars were beggars. They barely even had a few copper coins. They were completely unlike these beggars, whose pockets even glittered when they pulled out some money. From the look of this, people who left the city to run errands would have all different types of disguises. No wonder the guards didnt react at all to these weird occurrences. Qianye entered Darkblood City and gathered some information before staying in a small hotel in the slums of the Southern Bank District. This location was very convenient. Its surroundings had everything. A bar, a mercenary guild, and two comparatively large gangs were scattered in this district. Walking two streets over towards the center of the city would be the famous Black Copper Street, a street full of weaponry. Qianye researched maps of the city inside his room then decided to first dispose of the contraband he had. Hornet was Qi Yues personal gun, so it was best to get rid of it. Light of Daybreak and that rank one origin gun were too weak, so Qianye didnt really value them. Flowing Gold Rose, however, was definitely good stuff, but its extravagant adornments made it more suitable to be sold for money. If he accidentally scratched the patterns on the gun in the middle of battle, its price would immediately drop to a third of what it was. That would be wasting meaninglessly. As for the black crystals, he couldnt sell those since those things had many problems. Usually, items in underground trades with vampires would not leave any traces, but there were only a few forces in the entire Empire that could smoothly circulate these manufactured black crystals. Qianye couldnt tell, but that didnt mean the traders couldnt. He only feared alerting the people behind the scenes. Before leaving, Qianye decided to change his appearance again. In a city with every kind of person and a large population, constantly changing details in ones appearance was a very practical trick. One did not need to modify a lot. Slightly altering brow shape, eye shape, adding facial hair or changing hairstyles would make someone feel as if major changes had happened. Qianye took out a small bag of disguise supplies, stood in front of a mirror, then began concentrating on changing his appearance. The first thing he needed to do was alter his eyebrows and eyes. He felt his eyebrows werent dense enough, so he carefully made a few marks. The style of his entire face instantly changed. Now that his eyebrows were adorned, like two longswords, his entire face became more heroic, changing him into a valiant beauty. Qianye wasnt satisfied with the last noun, so he washed his eyebrows and made new marks. These new marks were much softer and his entire person became strangely charming, and very beautiful. After Qianye tried a few more times, his face turned black. He had discovered something terrible. If he had a complete makeover, then there wouldnt be too many problems, but if he wanted to just change a few details to influence other peoples judgement, he would end up with many strange results. In other words, the effect was similar to that of a womans makeup, to become more beautiful, and it was to the point that his gender was no longer clear. This was an effect that many women chased in their dreams, but Qianye was frustrated by it instead. He punched the mirror and furiously spoke, Son of a bitch! Why would it change like this! He almost wanted to return and take the disguising course again. Qianyes look truly did change drastically. It was even very different from when he had initially entered Lighthouse Town. He originally had a delicate look and had taken up the masculine style of the Tiger Scorpion. He was considered a handsome youth. However, after being contaminated by the blood of darkness, his body had become stronger and stronger, but instead looked thinner and frailer. When Qianye just entered Lighthouse Village, he had been harassed frequently because of his appearance. Later, he had harshly taught a few blind guys a lesson to finally end the trouble. However, he had never thought that one day, his appearance would become so beautiful after just a few adjustments! Now, even if he stood in front of his former comrades in Red Scorpion, there would probably be very few that could recognize Qianye. Whatever, this isnt bad. There wont be anyone that could recognize me right? Goddamn, if worst comes to worst, Ill just dress as a woman! Qianye consoled himself as he took out wigs and other disguise equipment, deciding that he wouldnt be lazy and completely change his look. At this time, Yu Renyan and a few Dark Blade warriors also appeared at the gates of Darkblood City. Since he no longer needed to track odors and traces, this specialist would naturally treat himself well. He took his gun and gold, and hitchhiked. This time, the distance between him and Qianye had been shortened to only two hours. Yu Renyan wore a hooded cloak often seen on lone adventurers, only revealing his two eyes. He looked at the stream of people in the street, and suddenly laughed coldly. He harshly muttered to himself, No matter how your appearance changes, I will be able find you. When I find people, I never look at their face! Yu Renyan waved his hand. The Dark Blade warriors who had disguised themselves as average adventurers and hunters scattered around the city and concealed themselves to wait for further orders. In contrast, Yu Renyan calmly walked towards the middle of the city and looked for a place to stay. The prey this time was extraordinarily cunning. Yu Renyan had already prepared for a long stay. Such an amusing game definitely could not be passed up. Between predators and prey, what decided victory or defeat wasnt power, but patience. Yu Renyan selected Darkblood City purely from intuition. Even though there were no longer any tracks for him to follow, he had identified the other party had been heading in the direction of this city. The car he had hitchhiked on had been on its way to ship goods to this city, so he felt that fate was truly guiding him in this direction. Qianye walked out of the small hotel, completely unaware that his pursuers were so close. At the moment, he had on a standard adventurers garb, a beard on his face, and a ponytail with the tips of the hair dyed brown. On his shoulders was an old broken backpack. He calmly stepped into Black Copper Street and glanced at each shop. _________ (1)The Ocean Stabilizing Needle is the original form of the cudgel used by Sun Wukong (Monkey King). It was in the possession of the Dragon King of the East Sea until Sun Wukong came and took it. This might help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruyi_Jingu_Bang. (2) A famous quote Chairman Mao said in honor of a general named Peng Dehuai. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 60: Encountering an Exper t [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] After reaching an indistinctive, small shop, Qianye stopped walking and lifted his head to read the signboard, A1 Firearms. When Qianye was with the Red Scorpions, he had heard of a chain weapon store in the Empire called A1 Firearms, which was famous for manufacturing high-grade origin guns. However, based on the furnishing and display, this A1 Firearms was obviously unrelated to the chain store in the Empire. Maybe the shopkeeper had heard of this name and copied it onto his signboard. Qianye walked in. The store wasnt large. All different types of firearms were hanging from the walls on both sides, completely filling them. Their appearances were dazzling, each one glittering. They all looked valiant. However, Qianye was experienced. After glancing at them just once, he could see that most of them were roughly constructed and could only serve to assist the user. Some of them might not have been able to even create an origin bullet.In this aspect, even Light of Daybreak was many times better than them. However, Qianye did not lose hope. This was the standard that small shops had in Darkblood City. If one wanted better guns, then one would have to go to an imperially licensed weapons store or buy one from an auction. Only, the licensed weapons stores all had backing of the expeditionary army, so Qianye did not want to go there without a good reason. As for auctions, even if a chaotic city such as this auctioned good items, one without sufficient strength may not even have the ability to stay alive after buying such item. Inside the display case were two actual origin guns. Too bad they still couldnt even compare to Light of Daybreak. In other words, they couldnt even be counted as grade one guns. Behind the display case sat a half-bald, skinny old man with far-sighted glasses on. He was focused on wiping gun parts and wore an expression of indifference. Qianye walked in front of the display case and knocked on it. The old man didnt even raise his head and said, The stuff is already in front of you, look at it yourself! Take out the real goods and let me see them. Dont try to use this trash to trick me. Qianye said with a slightly lazy tone. The old man finally glanced at Qianye over his glasses, and in a moment, a flashing light appeared in his previously turbid eyes. Qianye was momentarily stunned, but when he concentrated on the old man, he discovered that the initial turbidity was an illusion. The old man finally spoke, his voice calm, What type do you want, sniper rifles, pistols, assault rifles, or something else? Qianye finally felt somewhat pleasantly surprised. He had long heard that Darkblood City had many hidden experts, and that many inconspicuous, small stores might have high-quality black market wares, but he never expected that the first small store he entered would have such a rich supply. This luck was too good wasnt it? Qianye couldnt resist before asking, What grade? If he were able to gather a set of grade ones, that would be pretty good. This was Qianyes expectation. He never would have thought that the old man would roll his eyes, glare at him and say with slight disdain, Of course theyre grade twos. If you want something better, I do have them, but youd have to wait for little. Grade two! Qianye was no longer just somewhat pleasantly surprised. In reality, with his power as a rank three fighter, rank two and rank three firearms were all very fitting, but using a rank four Scorpion Needle was very taxing. If his origin power hadnt been especially dense and vigorous, then he really would have been unable to keep up. Great! Take out the stuff and let me see them! Take out an assault rifle and a sawed-off shotgun first. A pistol is fine as well, but its power needs to be strong. Firing speed and range arent very important. Qianye stated his requirements. The old man didnt move, and only pushed down his glasses. He looked towards Qianye and inspected him, then said, Simple, direct, explosive, has a military style. Not simple huh, boy! Qianyes heart chilled a little. Even though his appearance had changed, certain things that were embedded in his bones would never change. As soon as one saw him take action, whether it be a long or short distance battle, coming up with this conclusion wouldnt be weird. However, this old man could judge accurately based just on his selection of weapons. This meant that his understanding of origin power and origin guns had already reached the level of a master. An equipment master in the Red Scorpion Corps only had a similar level. Qianye was filled with respect. The old man let out a light smile while saying, Go close the door. Qianye obeyed and closed the door, his hope rising quickly. The old man slowly stood up and walked to the back. A moment later, he returned with a canvas bag that had begun to lose its color from overwashing, and placed it on the display case. Judging from the size of the bag, it should be a rifle-type origin gun. Qianye opened the canvas bag and took out an origin gun that already had its butt removed. With one look, he identified it as an assault type rifle. This model was standard equipment for the imperial expeditionary army, a rank two origin gun. Because it was a standard rifle, it had the general characteristics of a military gun: stable, powerful, easy to maintain, and not easy to damage. Relatively speaking, Qianye still preferred various types of military guns. The assault rifle seemed to have been maintained pretty well. It was sixty percent new, very satisfactory for Qianye. Although the gun couldnt be counted as a hugely lucky grab, it was still a very good choice. Many people used weapons from the imperial expeditionary army within Darkblood City. Many quartermasters within the army would report half-new guns as trash and then take them out to secretly sell them. This had already become commonplace. Ill take it! Do you have a pistol or a shotgun? Qianye asked. Do you have money? The old man responded with a question. Qianye was stunned for a moment, then asked, How much does this assault rifle cost? One hundred imperial gold coins. The old man gave the price emotionlessly. Quite frankly, Qianye was genuinely surprised by this price. Inside the army, a completely new, second rank origin gun would never sell for over 100 gold. An assault rifle was very average within the grade twos and usually sold for around 90 gold. Something like this sixty percent new rifle would sell for a maximum of 50 gold. Qianye hadnt foreseen that the old man would directly price it at a new guns pricing. Seeing Qianyes expression, the old man did not ridicule him, but spoke lightly, Brat, youve never come to Black Copper Street have you? If you want this kind of stuff, you obviously cant get it from a random source. If you want, you can ask the other shops, doesnt matter. Qianye thought carefully. What the old man said did make sense. While on a mission, he once came in contact with a store that sold guns on the black market, and the prices were completely different from prices in army. It was just that if prices were this high, then Qianyes original plan completely fell through. He clenched his teeth and asked, Do you accept guns? A moment later, the transaction was made. Qianye sold Hornet, a rank one rifle, and Light of Daybreak, and then added on another 10 gold to finally exchange for this assault rifle. To balance out the trade, the old man gave him three blank origin bullets that could be filled with origin power. Qianye packed up the items. The rucksack holding the assault rifle was very satisfactory. It was half new, but most importantly, it was constructed of a semi-hard material. Thus, it didnt reveal the shape of what was inside, taking into account what adventurers might need. The closed shop door was opened again. Qianye saw a youth who still had blemishes on his forehead standing outside analyzing the shops signboard. He was very young, about as old as Qianye. He was dressed like a hunter and actually had the strength of a rank one Fighter. Seeing Qianye walk out, the youth walked through the door. Qianye only walked out a few steps then suddenly heard the faint sound of the old mans voice, Simple, direct, explosive, has a military style. Not bad huh, boy! Not knowing why, Qianye suddenly felt his heart drop. He quickly returned to the hotel and opened the rucksack. He took out the assault rifle, completely took it apart and inspected it closely. When he opened the inside, Qianye almost scolded out loud. Many of the smaller parts within the origin gun had been eroded quite heavily. Only the exterior pieces looked polished and well-maintained, so the entire thing seemed much newer. This rifle wasnt sixty percent new at all, but was only forty percent new! There were even a few smaller components that had to be replaced due to their serious damages. The only thing that slightly soothed Qianye was that all parts related to the origin power array were somewhat well maintained at around fifty percent new. In addition, the core parts had indications of having been adjusted and optimized. Overall, the power should be stronger than it originally was. After testing, Qianye found that the origin power conversion rate was around 33%, which wasnt bad at all. However, regardless of what anyone said, this rifle definitely wasnt worth 100 gold. Even by black market prices, selling it for 60 gold was already very high. That old man wasnt a firearms master, but an acting master. From the very beginning, he had built an image of an expert who couldnt be seen through and had used a phrase about military style to finish him. Qianye coincidentally came from the army, so after being stunned, he was inclined to trust the old mans seemingly deep comments. If it werent for his good hearing, overhearing what the old man said to the youth, he never would have known that military style was used to flatter people. Hunters, adventurers and mercenaries probably liked to hear military style used to praise them the more rookie they were. Qianye was unlucky and was coincidentally tricked. Darkblood City truly did have many hidden experts. No one really knew how many experts there were, but obviously, there were a lot more con artists. When Qianye looked back, there really had been a moment where he suspected that this shop had some hidden relationship with the A1 Firearms chain from the Empires upper continents. When he thought of that moment, he could only laugh bitterly. As for going back to A1 Firearms to rescind this transaction, Qianye didnt even think about it. Even though the old mans store was small, every con artist rooted in Black Copper Street wasnt simple. As a loner from the outside, Qianye couldnt fight these local bullies and could only sigh in defeat. Qianye inspected the loose parts that filled the table and shook his head with hopelessness. These cheating methods that gave the gun its new look were actually very well researched. Even if Qianye had opened the barrel at the place and looked it over, he would have only seen the relatively new parts in the interior. He would only discover the problem after taking out each of the parts and inspecting them. These methods could already be considered high-leveled. Making these efforts to create new guns would probably be almost just as lucrative. Thus, Qianye became calm but also found his situation extremely humorous, thinking that being tricked like this wasnt too unjust. These days, nothing was easy. People still had to put in a lot of effort. Qianye slowly reconstructed the assault rifle, and then left to find a parts shop that sold tools and base material. After returning to his room, he began adjusting the assault rifle again and began treating its surface to age. An hour later, the assault rifle that had originally had a polished look became rusty junk, belonging to the kind that should have long been thrown into a garbage dump. Qianye took out the small parts that had problems, lined up his repair tools, and used two whole hours to fix the repairable parts. He had to go out and buy replacements for two irreparable parts. When Qianye finished this entire process, it was already past dinnertime. However, after this assault rifle was fixed, its overall level recovered. It was now at least fifty percent new and could be used for a while. Looking at the assault rifle, Qianye was quite satisfied. He then took out the blank origin bullets to examine them. There was sudden knocking on the door. A hotel maids voice sounded outside the door, Handsome boy, do you need service? Qianye immediately opened the door and said, Yes! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 61: Abnormality of the Black Blood [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The maid was about thirty years old and maintained some of the beauty of her youth. Her figure was full and well-developed. When she heard Qianyes simple and direct words, she immediately put on the smile she thought was most charming and began pushing her way into her room. Her ample breasts were almost touching Qianyes arms as she said sweetly, Handsome, I can give you a fifty percent discount this time. Youll only need to pay fifty copper coins! Qianye froze and hastily stopped the maid who was just as stalwart as he was, No, what I meant is to get me something to eat! I want a portion enough for three men! I havent eaten for an entire day! Finished, Qianye passed over a silver coin and said, The remaining change is yours. The maids smile froze as she looked at the silver coin, and then at Qianye. Her expression turned a little grudgeful, I will bring your meal immediately, but what about after the meal? With this silver coin, you can do anything! Sorry, I just need the food, that is all! Qianye had a feeling that he was no match for the sturdy, seductive and grudgeful maid. The maid grabbed Qianyes hand and stuffed both the silver coin and his hand into her chest. Only then did she sway her butt and walk away. A moment later, she delivered him a whole tray of food and tried to force her way into the room once more. Qianye had to expend quite a lot of effort before finally being able to shut the aggrieved maid outside the door. This hotels dinner was pretty tasty. After sweeping through the food, Qianye began cultivating the Combatant Formula. With the vampires blood as his support, the bottleneck and damage created by the excessively powerful origin tides of the Combatant Formula no longer existed. Qianye was even looking forward to seeing what kind of scenery awaited him when he broke through to the ninth level. As the Combatant Formula ran through his body, origin power began to pour out of his three nodes to form a tide. Until the third node was completely nurtured, the origin tide would continuously pour into this completely new node. When looking into his own body, he could see that this newly formed origin node was extremely dim, with a barely formed contour. Meanwhile, the two nodes at his chest and abdominal areas were shining brightly, and the one at Aura Sea point on his chest in particular looked like a tiny sun. It was brimming with threads of origin power amidst light and darkness. Suddenly, Qianye found that the impact of the origin tide was a lot weaker than usual. The original power of the ninth wave of a tide had been decreased by about one third. Did something wrong happen to his cultivation formula? He concentrated on inspecting the entire process of the formation, eruption and flow of the origin tide, and finally discovered that not all of the new tides that gushed out of the three nodes were able to merge with the main origin tide. A portion of them seemed to have been trapped and entangled by the tricolored blood aura inside his body before merging into one. This discovery shocked Qianye. Could the black blood devour origin power? It had been a long time since his black blood had given him any trouble. Even after running through the wasteland at his top speed for three days and three nights straight, and entering a large city filled with blood energy, the blood thirst hadnt plague him, which caused Qianye to feel more and more assured over time. But whats with this all of a sudden? Qianye fell silent for a moment, and in the end, he decided to finish todays drills. Twenty rounds of origin tides passed, and Qianye stood up to move his body around a little. He then practiced the militarys combat art for a full hour, right where he had been standing. These basic movements could effectively train his strength, balance and flexibility. The whole cultivation process could only be considered complete after he finished practicing the combat arts. If this was the Red Scorpion Corps base, he would have to drench himself in muscle restoration liquid or go to the doctor for a superficial examination in case there were any injuries incurred during the cultivation. Just like that, Qianye allowed his train of thoughts to wander as much as possible until the end of the cultivation session. Only then did he he withdraw himself and began pondering the problem he had discovered. The black blood was still flowing quietly inside his arteries, and although it was dormant on the surface, every time an origin tide ran through, a trace of the energy would be absorbed by the black blood. Moreover, this process was completely out of Qianyes control. After origin power was intercepted by the black blood, the impact Qianye suffered from an origin tide would be greatly reduced to the point where it was just a little stronger than a normal cultivators. This process wasnt obvious during the first tide, but when all twenty tides were done, Qianye discovered that the blood energy had grown a little more abundant. As of now, one could say that all it affected was his cultivation speed, and he could not detect any other abnormalities besides this. However, Qianye was worried that he would truly turn into a vampire as the black blood grew stronger. Qianye wasnt able to come to a conclusion even when the day broke. This unpleasant episode did not affect Qianyes new life too much. He carried on with his usual pragmatic style and increased the intensity of his cultivation to resist the decrease in his cultivation speed. For the next few days, Qianye would bury himself in his room and cultivate all day. Every day, he would inform the maid to bring his three meals into the room. This was also the simplest and most effective way of throwing off his pursuers after arriving at a new place. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and during this time, Qianye finally learned how to control his blood energy while filling an origin bullet. Surprisingly, the three empty origin bullets the old man from A1 Firearms had gifted him were the real deal, but the bullet case matched the old mans style alright. A buyer would only notice the cases weight discrepancy when they held it in their hands. It was still a fake. Qianye took out a blank origin bullet and began pouring origin power into it. A dozen or so minutes later, the bullethead was filled with a dense, vapor-like origin power. A wisp of blood energy could also be seen floating inside. Now, he could skillfully choose whether to inject blood energy into an origin bullet or not. Qianye opened a box and placed the origin bullet inside it. However, without a sealing effect, the origin bullet would lose most of its effects in around three days. He suddenly recalled the crystalline box that the old man called Uncle Wang had left behind. It seemed that it was gone after Red Spider Lily had been destroyed. However, this thought stayed in Qianyes mind for only a fraction of a second before it sank back into the depths of his mind like many of his other memories. After tidying up all his stuff, Qianye was finally ready to go out for a walk and inquire about his surroundings. Since he was planning to stay inside this city for a long term, he would have to think of a way to earn money. The prices in Darkblood City made not just a little town, but even a place like Blackflow City seem like a completely different country. If Blackflow City used copper coins as their standard unit of measure, then Darkblood City used silver coins. Before heading out, Qianye disguised his appearance as usual. After many frustrating failures, he had finally figured out a bit of the knack of disguising oneself, and that was to dye his skin as dim and dark as possible. This way, it wouldnt be too obvious that he was in disguise, but he would still appear different on the surface. What Qianye didnt know was that Yu Renyan had passed through the inns doorsteps twice while he was cultivating hard on the inside. Seven days had passed, and Yu Renyan had combed through the entirety of Darkblood City by his own plans. However, he could not find a trace of his target at all. This failure caused Yu Renyan to return to his lodging to ponder the matter. A moment later, he called over a Dark Blade subordinate and ordered him to deliver a letter to Wu Zhengnan as soon as possible. The letter stated that Yu Renyan had found some clues regarding the killer, but that the killer was unusually crafty. He would require more time. As for how much time he needed, Yu Renyan used a single word to convey his meaning: indefinite. At the end of the letter, Yu Renyan questioned if the mission should be continued. A day later, Wu Zhengnans reply came, and there was only a single statement written down: Continue until its done. Yu Renyan immediately understood Wu Zhengnans determination. However, he had his own working style and method, and after leisurely taking a spin on the outside, he returned to his lodging with a huge amount of items. An hour later, Yu Renyan had turned himself into a tall and thin blond. He even changed his eye color. This great leader of the Dark Blade then bought a small house with a separate courtyard within the city before registering himself as a mercenary at the Mercenary Guild under a fake name. After that, he went to Home of Hunters and registered himself for a Hunters qualification and actually went out of the city to hunt just like that. Yu Renyan obviously treated this mission as a convenient holiday. When Yu Renyan left Darkblood City, Qianye just happened to walk out of the inn. First, he found a random armor shop and bought himself a set of leather hunting armor. This type of leather armor was extremely suitable for hunting at the countryside and was both light and flexible. Its defensive properties were measurable as well. After Qianye put on the leather armor, he finally showed a little bit of the wildness and strength that belonged to a man. During the afternoon, Qianye randomly chose a restaurant and went up the second floor. He chose a seat near the window and sat down. Using the rare moment of daylight, he ate as he observed the people who walked back and forth the street in order to familiarize himself with some of the citys habits. When he was done eating, Qianye took out a few advertisement materials and began reading. These were all advertising pamphlets of the Mercenary Association, Adventurers Alliance and Home of Hunters. Finally, Qianyes eyes fell onto Home of Hunters. Being a hunter who preys on dark races was the only job that was suited for him. As for Mercenary Association and Adventurers Alliance, their mercenerial qualities caused Qianye to give them up. The former was discarded because Qianye did not wish to work under any noble as a hired thug. Trouble would come to him constantly if his standpoint was too well defined. The latter was discarded because an adventurer usually needed to possess some professional skills such as machinery maintenance. Qianyes scores in machinery classes had always been quite good, but he had no interest in polishing gears everyday in front of a work bench. Let someone else do this kind of meticulous work, Qianye was more interested in exploding heads of the dark races. After leaving the restaurant, Qianye looked at his map and searched accordingly, going through many twists and turns before finally entering a dark alley and arriving at a three story building. There was a board on the building with the words Home of Hunters written on it. Qianye read it a couple of times before finally confirming that this was the place he was looking for. The building was just too decrepit, and looked like it could collapse any time. Looking at the huge crack at the front wall, it would appear that the buildings supervisor had no intentions of maintaining it. With one glance through the crack, one could even see the metallic frame, which components were obviously of questionable quality. The door was open. After a moment of hesitation, Qianye ultimately decided to walk inside. His experience at A1 Firearms had seriously left a shadow in his mind. Home of Hunters should be a famous hunting organization with branches littered everywhere on the Evernight Continent, and yet, this particular building looked like some other hunter organization that had stolen their name. After entering through the door, there was a small living hall with two tables and a couple of chairs decorating its interior. There were three big men sitting lazily around a table with huge glasses of alcohol placed at its center. At the end of the hall was a counter with a wizened old man who was reading something intently with a pair of presbyopic glasses. His half-bald head was unusually bright beneath the light of the gas lamp. The second Qianye saw this baldy, his heart immediately jumped. He did not need too good a memory to recall it. This shape, this luster, this definition, there was absolutely no mistake! It was the bald old man from A1 Firearms! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 62: Home of Hunters [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye immediately felt as if a parade of mammoths had just trampled over his heart. He didnt know what to say. Wasnt that old man a gun seller? Why had he suddenly come to Home of Hunters? Qianye decided to leave then and there. As for claiming justice, it was something that never even crossed his mind. The idea of claiming justice from a local boss who opened a weapons store at a place like Darkblood City was as stupid as it gets. Plus, he hadnt been fooled too badly overall. If that Ambusher was fixed, it would still be worth around fifty gold coins. However, Qianye had only just turned around when the old man at the counter suddenly lifted his head and stared at him. Qianye shuddered and immediately became frozen in place. One of his feet stayed suspended in the air and could land on the ground no longer! Of course, Qianyes movements werent restricted in anyway, but at this moment, forget his weapons, he didnt dare to move even a toe. The blade-like aura behind him had completely locked him down, and any movement might invite a fatal attack that was akin to a thunderstorm. If he focused his mind, calmed his breathing, waited for his opponent to act and sought out an opening on his opponents aura, then he might just yet have a slight chance of survival. This was the combat instinct he had honed through countless life-and-death battles since he was seven years old. The deadlock lasted for a few second before the sharp aura suddenly disappeared. It was only then that Qianye put his foot on the ground and slowly turned around. All three big men within the hall looked towards Qianye with praise in their eyes. Meanwhile, the old man stood up and said, Little guy, judging from your expression just now, you must have gone to A1 Firearms before. Staring at the old man, Qianye finally noticed some slight differences. The old man at the gun shop looked like a enigmatic expert, but he had slightly more wrinkles than the old man before him. Moreover, now that he thought back, there were glimpses of cunning flashing though the other old mans eyes, whereas this old man only had a small scar on his face. Although it was incredibly unremarkable, this little difference was very eye-catching to someone like Qianye, who was trained to recognize peoples faces. The old man then said, The boss at A1 Firearms is my twin brother. Hes called A1, and Im called A2. Everyone here calls me Old 2. Qianye thought that his face must look very colorful right now. He wasnt sure what to say. Do you want to become a hunter? Old 2 asked. ... Yes. Qianye answered. He thought that this Old 2 didnt look like a cheat, but his experience at A1 Firearms kept rewinding itself in his head. There were no swindlers who looked like a swindler. Old 2 lowered his head and fiddled inside the counter for a moment. He then took out a hexagonal bronze token and tossed it to him, Youve passed the test. You are now a hunter, a one star hunter. Qianye subconsciously accepted the bronze token and asked a little blankly, Test? Yep. I looked at you once just now, didnt I? That was the test. Your performance was pretty good, so you are now a member of Home of Hunters. Keep that thing well. It is your token and your Hunters qualification ID. Old 2 continued to speak indifferently. Qianye looked at the bronze token in his hand. The item was polished until it was shining, but it was obvious that it had been around for some time, and even time could not conceal its rough craftsmanship. Forget that the star at the center was of uneven height, even the shape itself was crooked and distorted. It looked like a mold done by a child. Alright. As a one star hunter, what exactly can I do? Qianye finally accepted reality. If he did not need to submit an entry fee later on, then he would not mind participating in this Home of Hunters. While he was thinking this, Old 2 said, Please submit a full seasons fee first. It costs a gold coin every month. Old 2 had said it indifferently, but Qianyes heartbeat suddenly spiked. What will be my rights then? Old 2 pointed at a worn out book hung on the wall and said, Its all written down there. Qianye opened the book and saw that there were many rules written inside. The book might be worn out, but the writing was clean and elegant. Every word seemed to emanate an unspeakable energy that shook Qianyes mind, and he had to channel the origin power in his body before being able to stand firmly again. The rules were actually pretty simple. The amount of fee a hunter submitted was the main determinant of their star rank, whereas star ranks determined what kind of rights a hunter possessed. A hunters main rights included the right to sell the proof of having killed a dark race warrior in exchange for a bounty. Moreover, they could also buy some special armors and weapons from Home of Hunters as well as some special ingredients. If the items provided by Home of Hunters were not up to satisfaction, the Home of Hunters could represent the hunter and contact certain craftsmen to tailor make them. The bounty alone was worth the member fee. Of course, this was assuming that the hunter could hunt a sufficient amount of dark race warriors in the first place. Star ranks determined the upper limit of the bounties as well. For example, a one star hunter could acquire a total bounty of 10 gold coins per month, whereas a two star hunter could acquire 20 gold coins. Every increase in star rank would double the upper limit. However, right now, Qianyes eyes were filled with the amazing power hidden inside those words! It took him quite a bit of effort to calm down and ask, Can I see what kind of weapons and armor can be exchanged? Of course. Little Mi, take him to the one star warehouse to have a look. A quick-witted young man came out of nowhere and snapped a finger at Qianye, saying, Come with me. Qianye followed the youth to a underground room and entered a storeroom. Although this was just the warehouse for one star hunters, it contained an extremely rich amount of equipment. Qianye even saw the standard issue weapon of the imperial main corps on the upper continent, the Hellfire Origin Power Machine Gun! This was a grade three gun, and every single one that was there, was new! However, this gun was stamped with a four-star mark, indicating that it was available for purchase only to a four star hunter. He wasnt sure how it made its way to this storeroom. Besides that, there were all sorts of full sets of tactical armor, multifunction military knives, all-terrain sight and so on. This was literally a small scale arsenal. After having seen this warehouse, Qianye finally dispelled all of his doubts and followed the youth back to the hall. He obediently paid the membership fee. After the procedure was complete, Qianye couldnt help but ask, If there are hunters who plan to join but cannot pay the fee, what do you do? They can hold payment. However, every month, a gold coin of interest will be charged. Old 2 said lightly. Qianye was surprised yet again. The season membership fee cost three gold coins in total, and a hunter who owed them would have to pay an extra gold coin of interest every month. This interest rate sure was scary. As if noticing Qianyes thoughts, a big guy interrupted, If they could not earn enough money to pay the membership fee, then they might as well not be a hunter and just raise their kids back home! The big guys words did make sense. That being said, Qianye did not wish to pay the fee so easily. He took out a small bag and dumped six vampire fangs from it. He had gotten these vampire fangs from the bloodsuckers that had traded with Qi Yue. Qianye pushed the vampire fangs in front of Old 2 and asked, These things can be used to exchange for bounty, right? According to the Home of Hunters exchange formula, a normal vampire warriors fang could be exchanged for one gold coin. This also meant that a hunter must kill at least one vampire of the lowest ranking per month to be able to qualify as a hunter in Home of Hunters. After seeing this rule, Qianye understood why the Home of Hunters appeared so deserted. At the very least, one must be a rank two Fighter. This threshold was actually pretty high, almost as high as the Red Scorpions requirements for new recruits. Obviously, it wasnt as if a rank one Fighter could not become a hunter, but it was just a lot more difficult for them. These six fangs should be worth more than the membership fee, Qianye thought. Old 2 suddenly let out a surprised eh and picked up a fang. After examining it thoroughly, he said, If I am not mistaken, this fang was probably taken from an official member of the Niederhill Family. This vampire family has raised a Count before, and it would be a problem if they developed a sufficient amount of descendants. Therefore, they are even more threatening than the usual rank four vampire, so this pair of fangs alone is worth ten gold coins. Qianye did not think that the old vampire he killed had such a prominent background. Originally, he had thought that a rank four vampire would be worth four gold coins at best. However, judging from his words, the bounty for this pair of fangs was now more than double his expectations. Old 2 fiddled through his counter once more and took out ten gold coins and a handaxe. He pushed them to Qianye and said, Youve reached the upper limit of your bounty for this month, and I cannot give you more than that. However, I feel that this axe is rather suited for you. Just accept it as my personal gift. Qianye took the handaxe and weighted it in his hand. He then examined it closely. The axe was incredibly small. It was only half a meter long, and the axehead itself was only about the size of a palm. It was heavy. Qianye wasnt sure what it was made of, but it most definitely wasnt metallic. He then tried a few ways of probing and detection, but was unable to draw any reaction from it. It would definitely be useful to have an axe that could not be detected by instruments or abilities during a field battle. Qianye lightly swung it once, and it felt as smooth as an extension of his own hand. Then, he suddenly slashed the air with it several times, and when the axes blade cut through the air, it actually let out a faint and shrill howl! Delight appeared on Qianyes face. This handaxe was a lot more handy than his dagger. This was a weapon that truly suited him. As usual, it would appear that his combat style leaned towards the simple and direct. He put the handaxe into his leather bag and hung it around his waist. Qianye then said, This axe is great, I like it a lot. I shall be going out to hunt now, then. Old 2 narrowed his eyes and looked like he would doze off right away. He nodded slightly to indicate that he had heard Qianye, and bid him goodbye. It was as if the sharp glint that had flashed through his eyes when he saw the handaxes orbit never existed at all. After Qianye had left, a big guy said, That little fellows pretty good. He has potential. But the other person said coldly, I dislike him. He has the stench of an imperial dog on him. The third person shrugged and said, There is a difference between dogs as well. This little guy obviously came from a group of top class dogs. A top class dog is still a dog! The second person said again. Old 2 pulled out an old-style pocket watch from somewhere and checked the time. He then said slowly, This little guy is pretty suited for that mission though. Which one? Miss Qiqis. The three big men suddenly shivered. When they looked at Qianyes back again, their eyes were filled with a little bit of pity. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 63: An Unpleasant Episode [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] When he left the Home of Hunters, the sky was already turning dark. After entering a random bar and drinking two glasses of alcohol, Qianye learned from a maid which houses were on sale. An hour later, Qianye had finished signing his first accommodation in Darkblood City. The house had a courtyard and a second floor, but its price was only five gold coins. The reason it was so cheap was because it was one wall away from the slum. The slum was the concentration camp of all evil, filth, and chaos, so one might figure that that house would be visited by several thieves almost every night. No one would want to stay at such a place. They would move away as soon as possible. Qianye wasnt afraid of trouble, however. He had gone out to buy plenty of parts, and set up many traps outside the corners of the courtyard, the buildings doors and the windows. These seemingly simple gadgets were actually pretty useful in that they would not easily kill someone, but still were more than capable of dealing pain. After he was finished setting up the traps, Qianye painted these words on the outer wall: Beware! Traps inside. Once he was finished, Qianye locked the front door and set out to hunt in the wastelands. The fastest path to the front gate of the city was to go right through the slums. Qianye ignored the idling men and womens hostile gazes and walked directly into an alley that was so narrow that one almost had to turn sideways to go through. The alley was crooked and filled with all sorts of rubbish, causing the already narrow alley to be even more jam-packed and uncomfortable to walk through. Some places were so packed that it was almost impossible to find a spot to step on. The ground was filled with trash and dirty water. Kids whose faces were so dirty that it was impossible to see their features were playing and chasing each other from alley to alley. The sides of the alleyway were formed by shacks so short that even a middle-sized man had to bow their heads to enter. There were women standing at the entrance, beckoning incessantly at any passersby. As long as one paid ten copper coins, they would sleep with them for the night. Not only did these sceneries not disgust Qianye, it made him reminiscent about the past. The place he had lived and grown up in was even worse than this place. There were no streets in the airship graveyard, and every step on the ground either landed on metallic parts or lumps. People would squeeze themselves into all sizes of abandoned cabins and even tubes to live in. The kids there never thought of playing. Due to the lack of food, they would normally move less and preserve their strength. The only reason they would fight was for food. In Qianyes eyes, these narrow and dark alleys had at least the very basics of law to govern them. The kids running around represented the energy of this place. At the end of the narrow and dark alley was an empty square. There were seven or eight roads that all converged to this place. After taking a little bit of time to identify his direction, he headed towards the tallest and widest road of them all. At almost every alley entrance, there were two or three original inhabitants of the place gathered together. When they saw a stranger passing by, they gazed at him while harboring malicious intentions. Qianye did not look sideways nor did he intentionally avoid their gazes. His full leather armor, the assault rifle at his back and the short axe at his waist all showed clearly that he was not one to be provoked. However, when he was passing through an alley entrance, a thin and small boy suddenly charged out and ran right at him like a cannon. Of course, Qianye wouldnt let him run into him, so with an easy sidestep, he dodged out of the way. The boy missed and fell face first onto the ground. When he struggled to get up, he suddenly sniffed extra hard with his unusually large nose and abruptly screamed, A vampires origin gun! I smell it! I smell it! The entire slum boiled up when they heard his cry! A vampires origin gun was worth an unimaginable fortune. Anyone who obtained it would be able to change their fates! Qianye was a little surprised by this. The little boys nose was incredibly keen, to be able to smell the Flowing Gold Rose wrapped deep inside his backpack. Moreover, the fact that he didnt point out the more common wealth such as gold coins and the like meant that he wasnt just spouting nonsense. It would seem that there were plenty of talented people even in the slums, although most of their talents were fated to be buried forever. Many shabbily dressed people gradually surrounded Qianye. They were all holding primitive weapons such as wooden sticks and kitchen knives. Qianye was helpless. A situation like this usually ended with blood being shed. He unslung the assault rifle from his shoulder and pulled the gun bolt lightly, pointing the black muzzle at the crowd. Anyone who comes forward will die! Now, get out of the way! Qianye yelled. However, his words were unable to intimidate these people at all. Not only did the mob not back down, after looking each other in the eyes, they even tightened the encirclement further. Their breathings were heavy, and their eyes were slowly turning red. They stared at Qianyes backpack with lust and greed in their eyes. A man that was as thin as bones suddenly acted as to leap toward Qianye. However, as if Qianye could see behind him, he abruptly pointed the muzzle directly at the mans forehead the very moment he moved. The man froze, but when he saw that Qianye hadnt opened fire, he began lowering his body like a wild dog and even let out a provocative, low growl. Qianye knew that he had screwed things up. But perhaps it was because the reminiscent feelings hadnt completely faded away, or because the metallic tang of rot in the air was too familiar to him, but Qianyes curling finger never pulled past the point of no return. Ambushers power was not only enough to blow this mad mans head apart, the shockwave was also enough to knock the people at the side away and blow off the shack at the front of the alley. Seeing that Qianye did not open fire all this time, the mans courage abruptly grew tenfold as he leaped into the air without any hesitation and bit towards Qianyes throat! After hesitating for a moment, Qianye ultimately let out a sigh on the inside, and let go of the trigger. Instead, he grabbed the gun vertically and was ready to knock the guy out with the handle. With his abilities as a rank three Fighter, he could even forcefully push his way out of this place if he wanted to. It was at this moment that a gunshot suddenly rang from the side. The head of the man in front of Qianye suddenly exploded and covered Qianye in blood and brain matter! It was a scene only possible when someone was shot with a large caliber bullet! Qianye abruptly turned his head and saw that a woman wearing tight suit had appeared on the rooftop beside him out of nowhere. She held what was obviously a modified rifle, and right now, the unusually large muzzle was still fuming with white smoke. She slightly turned her muzzle and pointed at the boy with the unusually large nose, smiling coldly, Go to hell, little bastard! Wait! Qianyes voice rang together with the gunshot. The powerful recoil caused the womans full body to fall backwards by a bit as the boys head and upper body were shot to pieces. The mob immediately fell into panic as some of them began to turn around and run away. However, there were even more of them who turned vicious and charged towards Qianye while yelling. There were countless hands aiming for Qianyes backpack, and short knives made from scrap metal stabbing towards his lower back. These mobs were as fragile as paper, and yet, their attacks were vicious and cruel. Moreover, they did not care about their own lives at all. Qianye sighed, and with a backhand motion, he caught two knives perfectly within his hands. The two mobsters did everything they could to pull their weapons back or pushed them towards Qianye, but the blades did not move an inch, as if they were melded into Qianyes hand. However, it was during this moment that a metallic lump emitting green smoke was suddenly thrown in his direction. It was a grenade! Qianye swore loudly in his heart, but left without a choice. He leaped over a two story tall shack, landed on the other side of the street and lay himself on the ground immediately. When the explosion happened, the two mobsters were the first to be blown up into the sky along with a few broken limbs. The shockwave destroyed the surrounding shacks and caused countless wooden bits and random objects to sweep past Qianyes back, drawing pain on his skin. This was an high-power, offensive hand grenade! Qianye immediately came to the conclusion from the unexpected shockwave. This was a powerful gadget often used to deal with low level dark races, and even official vampire warriors would be hurt by the blast! If Qianye had thought that it was a normal grenade and had not dodged to the best of his abilities, then he wouldve been hurt rather badly by this indiscriminate attack. He cursed at the womans ruthlessness on the inside. She actually used a weapon that was only allowed on battlefields directly in the city! More than a dozen mobsters were instantly killed by the explosion. The rest of the people were finally frightened by the firepower and escaped frantically. The commotion occurred at a faraway street, and a few fully-armed expeditionary soldiers rushed to the blast site. When they saw the woman standing on top of the roof, they immediately froze and turned respectful. They asked, Miss Yingnan, may we know whats going on? You seemed to have used a weapon thats disallowed inside the city. The young woman laughed coldly and said, Its nothing. There were some fellows here who were planning to rob one of our Home of Hunter member, so I took a couple of them out so theyd grow a memory. As for that offensive hand grenade, it fell to the ground by accident and has nothing to do with me. The leader of the expeditionary soldiers, wearing a corporal badge on his shoulder, actually nodded and told his companions, The situation has been clarified. Someone hid a grenade in this place, and the grenade accidentally exploded. Alright, we will leave now! The few expeditionary soldiers actually turned tail and left. It was as if they hadnt seen the dozen or so corpses on the floor at all. Qianye only kept quiet when he saw this scene. He had encountered the death toll a couple of times when he was at Red Scorpion, but that was only used for the local nobles. He had often heard about the scene before him from a few veteran soldiers who served in regular army, but this was the first time he had experienced it himself. It was at this moment that the young girl jumped off the roof and landed in front of Qianye, examining him from head to toe before showing him something on her palm, Come with me! Well find a place a get a drink. A while later, Qianye and the woman sat down inside a bar. The reason Qianye had followed her was because she had shown him a four star hunter badge. The status of a four star hunter could only be obtained by accumulating a certain amount of merit and a rank four strength. It was only now that Qianye had the chance to examine her closely. She was a young girl, about twenty years old. She was clad in an armor with matching tones of dark brown and dark gray. The armors base material was probably some kind of vicious beasts skin, and the vital spots of the armor were forged from steel. The armor was of course several times stronger than the one Qianye was wearing, and it fit the girl unusually well. It was obviously either tailor made or modified. She had a soldierly and wild face that was extremely beautiful. She had a tiny scar on her forehead that not only didnt damage her looks, but even gave her a wild charm when she turned her head and lifted the corner of her eyes. The girl was extremely tall, being only slightly shorter than Qianye. Her figure was extraordinarily sexy, and it was as if they contained energy and strength that would overflow at any moment. She had dark brown hair, which she had tied back into a ponytail. She leaned forward, seemingly not noticing at all that her chest was pressing against the table. The girl then knocked the table in a bold manner that only an experienced and knowledgeable veteran would have, and said to Qianye, I am Yu Yingnan. You can call me Yingnan, or better, Sister Nan But kid, are you seriously going to drink this swill thats so thin that it may as well be plain water? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 64: Hunters [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] What Qianye wanted was a large pint of light beer, yet in front of Yu Yingnan was two whole large porcelains of self-distilled cereal liquor. Like its name, this kind of liquor was brewed using cereal grains. The flavor was ordinary, but the alcohol was extremely strong. Without allowing Qianye to explain a thing, Yu Yingnan directly poured a large cup of grain-distilled liquor to the brim and pushed it in front of him. I dont drink strong liquor. Qianye said guilelessly. What kind of man cant drink! She was not pleased. I cant find a reason to drink with you. Yu Yingnan stared blankly for a moment, Why? She looked at Qianyes face that almost had no expression, then said with realization, Dont tell me you think that those human scum shouldnt be killed? Assault grenades are weapons to be used when facing real enemies. Qianye said unfeelingly. Yu Yingnan snorted as she sneered, To those scums of the earth, is there a difference? You probably felt like you have what it takes to walk out that place, but what if it was someone else? Have you thought about the result of that? Just yesterday, two foreign women accidentally entered there. Do you know how their corpses were like when they were found?! Those kind of scum, f*cking killing them ten times over isnt even too much! Its killing in any case, whats the difference in weapons? But there were children among them That little vermin was the most important character! He would be responsible to find things of value, then decide whether or not to take the risk and kill the owner! Qianye opened his mouth, and discovered he could not rebute. Come! Down a glass first, little man! I really cant understand what weird thoughts are in your head, it isnt like a hunter at all! A rookie like you, if you really went up on the battlefield, you wouldnt even how you died. Empty the glass first! Dont be sheepish like a girl! I grew up in a place like this. Qianye suddenly wanted to explain a little. Somewhat astonished, Yu Yingnan gave him a look, then immediately said, Then I understand. Looks like you arent a wimp. Come, empty this glass, consider it my apologies! The two shot glasses heavily touched, then Qianye stared blankly at the glass in his hand. What kind of shot glass is this, this was clearly a glass for water! But with a lift of the head, Yu Yingnan drank the large glass of strong liquor down to the last drop. Qianyes expression was a little bitter. Frowning, he took quite a while before slowly drinking the entire glass by small mouthfuls. After drinking, he breathed out a mouthful of strong alcoholic smell as a layer of redness instantly emerged from his face. Another glass filled to the brim slid over on the table, steadily stopping before Qianye. This time, Qianye almost couldnt find it in him to speak anymore. Just as he raised the glass, Yu Yingnan already heavily bumped it, Cheers! She raised her head, and another glass went down her stomach. Qianye still divided it into several mouthfuls before finishing the liquor. His face was already totally flushed. Just after these two rounds, a bottle of cereal liquor was already emptied. Yu Yingnans attitude in pouring alcohol was like drinking water. In the blink of an eye, two rounds were done again. The second bottle of liquor also met the bottom. Yu Yingnans gaze toward Qianye finally softened a little, as she said, Though a little timid, the amount you can drink can still be considered a man. Shopkeeper! Two more bottles for mouth rinsing! Mouth rinsing?! Qianye heard a terrifying phrase, and instantly began to cough. Yu Yingnan waved her right hand, Only two bottles, what else could it be other than rinsing the mouth? Oh, moistening the throat? Whether it be mouth rinsing or throat moistening, there wasnt much of a difference. The keeper of the bar carried two bottles of cereal liquor as he jogged over to deliver them. Qianye and Yu Yingnans table had already attracted the gazes of the entire bar. However, this girl seemed to be very familiar to the people here. Amongst a crowd of half-drunk people, there were clappers, cheerers and hecklers, but there was just no challengers. After mouth rinsing it was throat moistening, and after moistening the throat it was time for mouth rinsing again. Just like that, the bottles piled up beside the twos feet increasingly grew in number. The more Yu Yingnan looked at Qianye, the more likable she found him to be, as she was already getting all brotherly with him. She also felt other than his disguising skills being a little bad, his skin being too fair, his frame not robust enough, his rank not high enough, his way of doing things not ruthless enough, and his imposing aura not very much imposing he could be very much considered a man, as there werent any other faults. Qianye naturally didnt know whether to laugh or cry at that. He didnt know what else left of him could still be considered good points after excluding all those things she had said. Since he couldnt even butt in with words, Qianye could only cup his hands around the shot glass that was as big as a water glass and slowly drink the strong liquor in gulps. Every time he finished a cup, Yu Yingnan would immediately fill one up for him, then heavily bump his glass again. She would finish the cup in one go, then watch as Qianye sluggishly deal with his cup of liquor. Qianye looked as though he could collapse at any time starting from the first cup. Drinking past half the night, over ten bottles of liquor gone, he still seemed as though he could faceplant at any moment. Qianye slowly finished this cup of liquor, then heavily set the cup onto the table. He waited for Yu Yingnan to fill it to the brim for him again, but after a while, the cup was still empty. Qianye finally raised his head, and only then did he find that Yu Yingnan had already fell under the table. After staring blankly for a long time, he finally realized that this outspoken huntress was already drunk to the point of having passed out. The barkeeper jogged over again, looked at Yu Yingnan first, then gave Qianye a thumbs up as he spoke in a quiet voice: Amazing! You are actually the first one who could put her out one on one. Ah, anyway, sorry to bother you, this humble bar is closing now, so could you pay the bill? Qianye looked at the humongous number on the tab, only then did he find out just how much they had drank. For the lack of a better option, he took out three gold and paid the bill, then walked over and supported Yu Yingnan up. Her posture when leaning on Qianye was still so gallant, while also being extraordinarily heavy. Just that set of armor was probably more than fifty kilograms in weight. The barkeeper eagerly and attentively gave directions to where Yu Yingnan lived, then smiled as he made eyes at him. The expression on his face was so excessively obscene. In the end, he even wanted to market a strong drug that will definitely make her unable to get out of the bed the next morning to Qianye. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or cry as he hastily refused the barkeepers goodwill. If he really were to have done something to this four star huntress, she would definitely break Qianyes legs after waking up. Then, the one who wouldnt be able to get out of bed would be Qianye. Qianye carried the huntress on his shoulder, and made his way to a small building according to the address given by the barkeeper. The door to the building wasnt locked at all, and the few simple traps inside was no problems for Qianye either. He cautiously avoided the alarm traps from the door to the hallway, went up to the bedroom on the third floor, and threw Yu Yingnan onto the bed. Only then did he finally let out a breath of relief. Qianye took a look of the room; the arrangement here gave ample evidence that this girl was simply a violent savage. One side of the wall hung full of guns, while the other was full of various kinds of knives and blades. Within the cupboard that seemed like a bookcase, there were a lot of various odd body parts of the dark races. These were all the proof of her battle records. Ordinary men would probably immediately retreat to a respectful distance after seeing these. At this time, Qianye finally begun to feel the after effects of drinking an entire night of strong liquor. His mouth was dry and his tongue was burning. Finding some cold water on the table, and not minding whether or not the water was fresh or not, he drank several cups full before finally feeling a little better. He threw himself into the sofa, slowly relaxed as he felt more and more tipsy, then also fell asleep. While in a muddle-headed state, Qianye suddenly felt an obscure danger coming. He once again appeared in that empty street block devoid of people. However, this time it was not blood thralls, but rather Yu Yingnan who had walked out from the dark alley! Her expression was ice cold, as she raised the pistol, aiming at Qianyes forehead. Qianye was immensely shocked and wanted to tell her to stop, but he couldnt make any sound no matter what! Yu Yingnan pressed down her finger, pulling the trigger while wearing a callous expression. The instant before she pulled the trigger, Qianye suddenly sprung up from the ground and tackled into her torso, grabbing her arm and then tossed her out with a shoulder throw! However, right when Yu Yingnans feet was about to leave the ground, she suddenly twisted her body and tossed Qianye with overwhelming power instead! Amidst the world turning around him, Qianye instantly woke up, and realized that he was currently speeding toward the wall. The battle instincts built upon many years of experience did its job here, as he extended all four of his limbs and pressed against the wall at the same time, nimbly shredding the momentum. Then, his entire person shrunk down and hung onto the corner between the ceiling and the wall, as he looked at the situation from the wall. Yu Yingnan was standing in the room, still keeping the posture of throwing as she looked at him with a dumbfounded face. This time, it was reality and not a dream. Yu Yingnan retracted her posture as she said in a somewhat awkward manner, Um I really didnt mean to do that, I just wanted to put a blanket on you. I didnt expect that you would suddenly then I Thankfully you were quite amazing, its good that you arent hurt. Qianye slid down along the wall, as he spoke with a bitter smile, Not your fault. Its because I often have nightmares. I just had another one just now, so thats why I reacted instinctively. Yu Yingnan nodded, In any case, your perception is really amazing, to actually be able to feel me coming close when asleep. Looks like you are qualified to move about alone in the wilderness. Qianye looked at the time. It was already five in the morning. This time was also when the hunters begin moving out. Yu Yingnan suddenly felt a little embarrassed as she scratched her head, Um, I became a little out of it yesterday night. I really didnt expect your capacity for alcohol to be so great! What did you used to do? Bar owner. Qianyes reply instantly made Yu Yingnans smile stiffen. Momentarily after, the two ate breakfast as they talked about actual business. Yu Yingnan heard that a newbie had joined the Home of Hunters, moreover, with high praises from Old 2. It just happened that she had a very problematic mission on hand and didnt have enough people. Thus, she came to look for Qianye and coincidentally saw that scene at the slums. Qianyes soft attitude caused her to unable to hold back and watch, so she dealt with those violent mobs with her usual rough style. After that, she proposed to go drink. She originally planned to ruthlessly knock Qianye out with alcohol to give this little one star hunter a lesson to be learned. She didnt expect to suffer such an unexpected defeat, to actually meet a bar owner as an opponent! Yu Yingnan who rarely met a match in drinking was finally put down, and got carried home by Qianye. But this also made Yu Yingnan have a whole new level of respect for Qianye. According to her, people with a good capacity for alcohol wouldnt have too bad of a moral standing either. Though Qianye really cant bring himself to agree to this theory of hers, he wisely chose not to debate with this alcoholic, and instead begun to ask about the mission this time. It turned out that Yu Yingnan received information about a werewolfs secret lair in a valley about three hundred kilometers away from Darkblood City. An ancient totem existed in that place, and rumor said that the totem had the terrifying power to raise the cultivation speed of werewolves. Such a thing always had a very high priority on the purchase order of the Empires research facility, as it could be used to research the origin power of darkness. Yu Yingnan planned to get this thing, but felt that her current force alone was still not enough. She had already preliminarily formed a team, including a four star hunter and two three star hunters. After that, she could no longer find any suitable personnel. Anyone who could enter her eyes were all doing missions and she didnt feel any of the free ones worthy. In the end, she really had no choice but to look for a newbie like Qianye, all because of those praising words from Old 2. Qianye didnt expect Old 2s praise to be viewed so importantly by others. After all, four star hunters werent just any lackey on the street. At the very least, thirty or forty members of the dark races had lost their lives on Yu Yingnans hands, and possibly including many rank four heavy weights. Ever her putting that much faith in Old 2 meant that Old 2 was definitely no simple man. You sit here and wait, Ill go take a shower. Yu Yingnan stripped down to her underwear right in front of Qianye, revealing her sensual body that was as graceful as a cheetah, and walked into the bathroom. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 65: Mission [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye had gotten a little grasp on the huntress personality now. Clearly, she possessed abundant hunting experience, and was used to battlefield life with no qualms between genders, which was why she was so unreserved. On the wastelands, when walking between the fine line of life and death, the distance between hunters were much closer than that of common folk. Qianyes gaze passed by a few scars on her body and could almost right away tell what lifeforms had caused them just by looking at the scars shape. The two continued chatting through the bathrooms door, and Qianye largely learnt the basic situation of this mission. A complete werewolf tribe included the three rankings of alpha wolf, elders, and ordinary warriors. Some tribes would even have special kinds such as shadow wolves, needle wolves, battle wolves, or mad wolves. The strengths of werewolves near the Boulderstone Region were relatively average. An alpha wolf was normally around rank five or six, and elders were only slightly weaker than that. As to the special kinds like shadow wolves, they would need to be judged based on some circumstances. However, situations where a powerful being existed that could shake the ecological homeostasis was very rare; because if that was the case, the dark races would undergo a turmoil within themselves first in order to re-allocate the sphere of power for the passing of their legacy to future generations. An traditional werewolf tribe would have around one hundred adult warriors, since their predatory region wouldnt keep up with more than that. With the power of Yu Yingnans small squad, it was simply impossible to frontally rattle the werewolf tribe. However, the goal of her mission this time wasnt to entirely annihilate the werewolf tribe in the first place. It was to launch a surprise attack and snatch treasures. Yu Yingnan had acquired a type of origin power drug through some means by spending quite a bit of money. It could heavily damage werewolfs sense of smell and cause their combat power to substantially drop in a short time. In the huntresss plans, this kind of drug was perfect for the sealed off environment like the wolfs nest. It was estimated that the effect could last around half an hour or so. The hunters would have to launch a surprise attack at the wolf nest in less than half an hour of time, snatch over the totem, and escape at full speed. After avoiding being hunted down by the werewolves when returning, it would be considered a success. However, the entire battle plan from the start to end gave Qianye a very unsettled feeling. From how he saw it, every chain of the plan were full of variables, especially the last one. To escape a few dozen werewolves who recovered their power, who were chasing them down with full force was way more difficult than one could ever imagine. Qianye spoke his concerns, but Yu Yingnan answered taking no mind at all, Alright already! Which operation doesnt have accidents? Itll be fine as long as we prepare adequately. Relax, Ive roped Yang Tian in this time, hes a professional at dealing with those large gray dogs. We are going to meet this afternoon, and make the final decision on preparatory work as well as division of labor. Come with me, and meet the other compatriots, so youd have an idea of them. Qianye was stumped. From the start to end, he seemed to have never said he agreed to join, but Yu Yingnan considered him agreed to join as a matter of course. To put it flatly, the twos relationship merely consisted of drinking together yesterday, moreover, she was the one who got put down by Qianye. After eating lunch, Yu Yingnan took Qianye to a weapons shop on Black Copper Street, pushed open the door and walked in. The shopkeeper was a middle aged man whose face was covered with sideburns. After seeing Yu Yingnan and Qianye, he pointed at the backroom, All waiting inside. After walking into the door, it actually was a stairway instead of a backroom. A helix staircase lead all the way down into the basement. The space inside was unexpectedly spacious and the gas lamps were very bright. There were many partitioned rooms as well as various kinds of steel rails and machinery; it was actually a small sized workshop. Yu Yingnan took Qianye to a room closest to the stairway, and from the appliances, it was a weaponry processing workshop. Four workbenches were place in a row along the wall of the workshops, and on top of them were full of components as well as some semi-finished articles. One of the workbench even had a basin of crystal kernels. After those kernels were polished, they would become the important bullet head of a blank origin bullet. In the rooms corner, shelves were stacked all the way to the ceiling and unprocessed steel strips were piled up on top of them. Various models of firearms hung all over the walls that had large stretches of loose plaster and there were even two design diagrams nailed onto the wall. Qianye took a look at the design diagram, and a few parameters that were intentionally circled out in black jumped into his view. To his surprise, he found out that they were actually standards of rank two origin guns. He could not help but fix his faze onto it and looked over the entirety of the design plans. As expected, it was a self-designed origin gun that had barely reached rank two standards. To go as far as to surpassing the expeditionary armys standard weapons shocked Qianye a bit. However, workshop-made guns were usually unreliable in terms of quality and mass production so Qianye still preferred the militarys standard-make weapon. Three people had already arrived in the workshop. Two were sitting, while a young man with tanned skin was busy processing components at the workbench. When Yu Yingnan and Qianye entered, all of their gazes fell onto Qianye. There were curious ones, complementing ones, but there were also hostile ones. Yu Yingnan did a simple introduction to both sides. Yang Tian was like her, a four star hunter. He was over forty years old and looked to be a honest and sincere middle-aged man. He reached out and shook Qianyes hands, as he smiled, Its actually the first time Ive seen someone who could put Yingnan down on the liquor table! Welcome! As for the other two, one was named Jesse, and the other Li Lunzhe. Jesse never left the workbench. Other than giving Qianye a glance when he came in, Jesse went back to being immersed in messing with the parts in his hands. Even when greeting Qianye and answering Yu Yingnans questions, his gaze had never left the components in his hands. One could tell that this was a technical madman. Li Lunzhe was very young, around his mid-twenties or so, but his strength had actually also reached rank four, the same rank as Yu Yingnan and Yang Tian. Carrying a faint arrogance, he reluctantly shook hands with Qianye. Not greeting Qianye, he instead turned his head and spoke to Yu Yingnan, Sis Nan, this kid looks quite green, does he have battle experience? How about a little test? Yang Tian who was on the side spoke, No need, people who Yingnan had chosen wont be bad. Also, this is someone acknowledged by Old 2. Hearing that Old 2 had also gave his words before, Li Lunzhe mumbled and no longer said anything else. However, his hostility toward Qianye was still clear as day and he was not hiding it in the slightest. Then, everyone discussed about their respective duties and details in the operation plan. The hunters would move separately first and then converge at the arranged location outside of the valley, so as to hide their intent of raiding from being noticed by werewolves. Jesse would be responsible for the escape route, Qianye would mobilize with Yingnan and had the responsibility of taking the totem away the moment they get their hands onto it. The others would cover his retreat in the meanwhile. They did not deploy any hard combat mission for Qianye. All he needed to do was to use his advantage in speed and successfully take the totem back. After done negotiating the plan, Yu Yingnan knocked on the table, Now its the old rules. Equipment goods as well as handing in the operations deposit, Qianyes share is on me! Qianye had wanted to pay his deposit himself, but seeing that the other three all took five gold coins out, he could only stay silent. After paying the tab yesterday night, he only had one gold and several silver on him. The only income since Qianye came to Darkblood City was the ten gold bounty traded in at the Home of Hunters. The expenses of settling down, buying equipment and supplementary supplies exceeded his expectations. This was also the reason why he didnt reject to join in on this operation even though he felt somewhat uneasy about it. To Yu Yingnans decision, Yang Tian and Jesse didnt raise any objections, while Li Lunzhes hostility toward Qianye had become more intense. Everyone dispersed very quickly, and agreed to meet at the arranged location after three days. When leaving the shop, Yu Yingnan patted Qianyes shoulder, You come with me, we will be leaving again at night. From start to end, Qianye never had the choice to object to her plans. Just after the two traveled two street blocks, Yu Yingnan suddenly stopped in her tracks. This was a street not too wide nor narrow, and was relatively clean. Most of the buildings on the side were single storied with the occasional two story buildings. Other than residential buildings, most of the others were various types of grocery stores. It was three or four in the afternoon and the sky has begun to darken. Gas lamps lit on one by one, and it happened to be the peak time for hunters to return to the city. This place shouldve also been the busiest at this time, but at this moment it was dead silent. Even a persons shadow could not be seen in the streets and alleyways. All of the doors and windows were tightly shut, as though the entire street had closed down for the evening without notice. The muddle light of gas lamps shone on the lonely signboard, appearing even more hazy and powerless in the natural light that has yet fully vanished. Yu Yingnan looked at the surroundings, and suddenly sneered, Since youve come already, why still goof around and hide? A freakish sounding voice suddenly floated out from behind the two, Of course its because were worried that you would get scared after seeing us, then suddenly making a run for it! As the old door axle made a creaking sound, a thin and shriveled looking man walked out from the house behind them. Then, many doors on the side of the street opened one by one. A few dozen people walked out and surrounded Yu Yingnan and Qianye. Most of these people possessed a power of a rank one Fighter, while that freakishly sounding man was shockingly a rank three Fighter. Qianyes gaze swept through them, then discovered that there was a venomous snake tattoo on the bare arms of every one of them. He could already tell that they ought to be gang members of a gang called Sky Snake Gang. Sky Snake Gang could be said as the third biggest gang in Darkblood, possessing quite the power. This street block just happened to be their territory. Qianye quickly sized up the surrounding environment. The buildings on this street actually couldnt cause any obstruction, and even if there were still ambush inside the rooms, there was no possibility of them stopping Yu Yingnan and Qianye if their strengths were about as high as those out here right now. Yu Yingnan raised her brows and said, Tree Snake, no need to play these little tricks on me. Dont beat around the bush, what is it this time? If its obviously a trap, then of course I will leave right away, then take my time and settle it with you lot later. Tree Snake took his time and spoke leisurely, Leave? You no longer want your business in the city? Yu Yingnan didnt get angry either, and just spoke indifferently, Yeah, but your Sky Snake Gangs people, especially you, shouldnt think about leaving the city from now on either. If you are going out, then prepare your own funeral arrangement first! The expression on Tree Snakes face changed as his momentum instantly died down by a few notches. They did indeed have the power in numbers. Everyone of them possessed some combat power, not needing to back off against anyone in the city. But the wasteland was an entirely different world. Unless they form large parties to travel every time, then they definitely wont be the match of a veteran hunter like Yu Yingnan. If Yu Yingnan was determined to go at it, and keep watch everyday outside of the city, then not many of Sky Snake Gangs members would really dare to go out. At least, they wouldnt dare to get too far from the city. Qianye instantly gained a whole new level of respect toward Yu Yingnan. He had thought this was a woman whose brains were filled with violence and muscles. But when he thought about it again, it really was true that no four star hunters were easy to deal with, no matter their personality and behavior. Tree Snake put his smile away, Alright, Yu Yingnan, you win! Now then, what are you going to do with that debt you owe our boss? If you want to keep delaying and not pay it back, thats actually fine too. Our boss said that hell go speak to the Old 2 when the time comes, and not a single copper of interest and fines will be spared! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 66: Snakes [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Yun Yingnans expression was ugly. She said, Ill return the money after Im done with this mission! Tree Snake sneered, Done with your mission? Who knows when youll be done with your mission? Plus, you said the same thing twice earlier. And the results? Not only did you fail to clear up your debt, it grew even bigger than it was before. Miss Yingnan, with your mission completion rate, do you think you can trust yourself to pay back your debt at the end of your mission had you been in my position? Yu Yingnans face grew uglier and uglier. Her right hand was clenched into a fist, and she looked like she was about to lose control. But not only was Tree Snake unafraid, he even moved his face closer and pointed at himself, saying, Cmon, hit me! Hit me hard! Hit right here and make sure you kill me when you do hit! For goodness sake please dont hold anything back at all! There was a loud bang, and the ground beneath Yu Yingnans feet suddenly cracked under pressure. This was because she failed to control some of her origin power from spreading. But despite the fact that Tree Snake had obviously made up his mind to bully her shamelessly until the end, she couldnt punch him no matter how much she wanted to. She inhaled deeply as her chest moved up and down. She barely managed to restrain her emotions before she yelled, What the hell do you want then? Tree Snake made an inviting gesture and said, What do we want? Thats up to the boss to decide! Follow me. Moments later, Yu Yingnan and Qianye walked into a big house a street away. The first floors living hall was decorated luxuriously. A calligraphy writing was hung on one side of the wall, and a landscape drawing was hung on the other. There was also a row of heavy firearms hung inside the building, and the three styles looked completely incompatible with one another when gathered in one place. Several dozens of fearsome-looking men suddenly surged into the living hall and stood still beside the walls. Then, they opened their eyes wide and stared angrily at Yu Yingnan and Qianye with impressive vigor. However, Qianye merely cast these small fries who were rank one Fighters at best a sweeping glance before ignoring them completely. Instead, he put his attention on the screen painted with a beauty lying drunkenly beside a lake at the left side of the building. When everyone was done assuming their positions inside the living hall, a bare chested man finally walked out from behind the screen. The man was a full head taller than Qianye, and a giant twin-winged python was tattooed all around his upper body. The head of the python sat at the center of his chest. He was the boss of Sky Snake Gang, and his name was Sky Snake. No one actually remembered what his real name was. Sky Snake threw his gigantic body directly onto the center of the sofa and laughed, saying, Yingnan, its quite difficult to find you, you know! Yu Yingnan said coldly, Cut the nonsense and get straight to the point! Stop wasting my time! Sky Snake slapped his own thigh once heavily and pointed at Yu Yingnan, saying, Very good, I like that frank attitude of yours! In that case I wont mince words with you. Do you know how much money you owe me right now? I doubt youve ever calculated it properly yourself, have you? Green Snake, bring over the bill and show it to her! A woman with long curly hair wearing a mini skirt walked over while twisting her round butt. She passed a bill to Yu Yingnan. In reality, her looks were incomparable to Yu Yingnans. However, her advantage lay on her huge breast, long legs, and short mini skirt. She immediately knocked a certain four star hunter out of the limelight and attracted most of the mens attention inside the living hall. Even Qianye couldnt help himself from casting her a few glances. Yu Yingnan immediately noticed his gaze and she shot him a fierce glare. Then, she snatched the bill from Green Snakes hand and gave it a sweeping glance. She immediately cried out, It cant be this much! Sky Snake finally laughed to his hearts content when he saw Yu Yingnans reaction to the bill. He said leisurely, This bill clearly outlined everything you owed in detail. Ive always worked fairly, and I will never swindle another person! If you dont believe me, you can find someone else to help you calculate it properly! Yu Yingnan looked reluctant. Qianye only needed to look at her once to know that this extremely masculine friend of his wasnt too good with numbers. Therefore, he said, Let me have a look. Yu Yingnan hesitated for a moment before passing the bill to Qianye. Qianyes life skill class had included basic calculation, and the bill before him was in fact quite simple. He only needed to check through a small portion of the bill carefully to figure out that the bill was probably proper and not tampered with. Although the total amount owed had reached a shocking amount of 500 gold coins, only one third of it fell under interest and fines. Yu Yingnan had owed this sum of money for half a year, and in this chaotic city, there was no denying that that the annual interest of this debt was on the low side considering that it hadnt exceeded 100%. After a moments hesitation, Qianye ultimately said, This bill looks fine, if you did borrow a sum of 300 gold coins or so. This time Yu Yingnan fell completely silent. A moment later, she glared at Sky Snake and said heavily, What do you want? Say it. Sky Snake slapped his thigh again and chuckled, Oh, I dont really want anything actually. You see, weve known each other for such a long time, so theres no way Id force you to pay if you really cant afford it, right? How about this: why dont I go find Old 2 and... Before Sky Snake could even finish, Yu Yingnan immediately yelled out fiercely, Dont even think about it! Then I cant do anything about it. Unless Sky Snake leaned against the sofa again and looked playfully at Yu Yingnan. He snapped his fingers once, and Tree Snake jogged over and passed over another paper to Yu Yingnan. Sky Snake waved a hand and said impassionedly, Its very simple! If you sign this contract, then your debt will be gone in one stroke! Yu Yingnan cast a glance at the paper and felt her eyebrows furrow immediately. She said in a chilly voice, A death arena? Exactly! If you participate in the death arena on our behalf and either win five matches or fight ten matches in a row, then your debt would be struck off completely! What do you say? Sky Snake stared at Yu Yingnan with bright eyes. There was undeniably lust in his eyes, but the light of greed was even greater. This appearance fee seems a little high. Youre telling me that I can clear my debt this simply? Yu Yingnan sneered. Sky Snake laughed loudly and said, Oh no, this appearance fee isnt high at all. Sure, for another rank four Fighter this price is at least three times their worth, but you are different, Yu Yingnan! If you are willing to participate in the death arena, I can guarantee that the seats would be filled to capacity every time. He paused for a moment and worked hard to put on a kind smile despite his fiendish looks, If youre still worried, I can even ask your opponents to sign a minimum guarantee clause. This means that they cannot kill or disable you even if they win, or they would have to cough up a large sum of money. What do you think? His offer sounded unbelievably good, but in reality that was not the case. Qianye knew a little about death arenas. It was a bloody battle held publicly inside Darkblood City. The challengers were not restricted to just humans, and sometimes there would be battle between humans and foreign races. Sometimes, there would even be battles between ferocious beasts. A beautiful female challenger and especially someone as reputable as Yu Yingnan was extremely favored by the audiences. This was because the battle had no set rules, and any methods were allowed inside the arena. If the female challenger wasnt good enough, then the fight would often turn into a public show of humiliation. In order to maintain the peoples interest, the organizers would often change things up a little inside the blood soaked arena. Every once in a while, the organizers would throw in a few beautiful female challengers to push the arenas atmosphere towards a greater climax. If Yu Yingnan were to attend the death arena, then there was a chance an aftershow might happen during the match. Of course the audiences were going to flock to the arena. It was only normal that the tickets would be prized at four to five times its usual prize. Yu Yingnans face changed colors constantly. Suddenly, she clenched her teeth and said, Alright, Ill sign it! Just when Sky Snake was about to shout in joy at the unexpected good news, Qianye suddenly said, Wait! When everyones gazes were focused onto him, Qianye waved the bill in his hand and said, There are still seven days until this bill is due, right? Sky Snake said disdainfully, So what? Youre not telling me that she could gather this sum of money, or complete a big mission that will pay a sum like this in a such short time, arent you? Ive already inquired about the mission youve completely recently, and the total payout of that mission is only a hundred or so gold coins. Or are you saying that a small fry like you is going to repay the sum she owed? Qianye said, Seven days isnt too much, but it should be enough to sell off a couple of things. While saying this, he opened his backpack and took out the Flowing Gold Rose. Slowly, he placed it in front of Sky Snake. Cancel her debt in full, and this gun will belong to you. Or if you so wish, I can sell this myself and return 500 gold coins to you later. Now choose! Qianye said indifferently. Sky Snakes expression changed greatly as he picked up the Flowing Gold Rose and gave it a close examination. Then, he carefully tested its origin power conversion rate before finally putting the gun back onto the table with great care. He let out a breath and said, This is a grade three origin gun! It is the fine handiwork of the vampire race too! You definitely have an eye for things, thats for sure. So what do you think of my previous suggestion? Yu Yingnan grabbed Qianyes arm immediately and said hastily, Qianye! You cant... Qianye patted her hand and motioned for her to keep quiet. Then, he looked back at Sky Snake once more. If this Flowing Gold Rose were to be sold on the empires upper continent, its price could easily reach a thousand gold coins. In fact, it could reach an auction price of 600 gold coins even at a place like Darkblood City. It was more than enough to cancel out Yu Yingnans debt. Sky Snake pondered for a moment before his expression suddenly changed when he recalled something. Then, he revealed a somewhat sinister smile and said, This gun is a little interesting. But does it truly belong to you? I think I remember a friend who seem to have lost something just like this. Qianye retorted rudely, Is your friend a vampire? Qianye wasnt really angry when he heard Sky Snakes obviously malicious tone. He knew from the beginning that the Flowing Gold Rose would bring trouble the moment it was revealed, but it wasnt like he had any other choice. Considering Yu Yingnans temperament, she wouldve signed that piece of contract under that circumstances. She was an excellent hunter, but that didnt mean that she could become an excellent gladiator. Moreover, the top champions of the death arena were all at rank five minimum. Sky Snake slapped his table once and yelled angrily, What the fuck do you mean by that! Youre too green to be accusing me falsely! Ive snatched this gun from a vampire on the wasteland. Thats why I asked you that question. Qianye looked into Sky Snakes eyes and said that softly. It was as if he didnt know that Sky Snake Gang would immediately be uprooted by the expeditionary forces the second they were confirmed that they were in cahoots with the vampires. Sky Snake let out a snort before sneering at him, And why should I believe your words? In my opinion, you mustve stolen this gun from somewhere else! How about you leave this gun with me until I confirmed that it wasnt stolen from my friend. Then well talk about repaying her debt later. While saying this, Sky Snake leaned forwards and clutched the Flowing Gold Rose firmly on the table. However, his expression suddenly turned apprehensive when he felt two cold, sudden killing intent pressing down on his body. His movements stopped midway just like that. Sky Snake slowly raised his head and looked at Qianye with a bit of surprise. It was only natural that Yu Yingnan would carry a thick aura of death around her since she was a rank four fighter with a lot of years of experience as a hunter. But what surprised Sky Snake was that the other killing intent had actually came from Qianye. This big boy that he nearly overlooked earlier actually carried an aura of death that was much thicker than even Yu Yingnans! Sky Snake could even smell a wet scent that felt like a blood waterfall pouring down from above his head. Is this the level of trustworthiness Sky Snake Gang has? Qianye asked coldly. Trustworthiness? Sky Snake wanted to laugh when he heard this word, but he actually found the urge vanishing when he stared back at the little fellows calm, almost serious gaze. But he was ultimately a rank five expert. His face immediately darkened as he replied coldly, I am Sky Snake, and my name is trust itself! As for you, you are just a kid whose hair isnt even fully grown yet! How dare a mere one star hunter talk about trustworthiness with me! Yu Yingnan had already taken down the assault rifle behind her back by this point and said angrily, Sky Snake! Dont you push it too far! Qianye sighed quietly on the inside. He understood that Yu Yingnans words had screwed up the potential deal instead. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 67: Boiling Blood [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Sure enough, Sky Snake laughed. He settled himself, his entire body relaxing. He spread his arms, exposing his unprotected chest. Shoot! Shoot! Its best if you kill me! If you kill me, then your little guys will be happy! Yu Yingnan bit down on her lower lip so hard that it turned white, but her fingers froze in midair, unable to press down on the trigger. After her mind-numbing anger subsided, she realized that if she pulled the trigger, severe consequences would occur. Besides, a trifling gun that used gunpowder had no way of killing Sky Snake in one hit. A hand reached over, steadily but forcefully lowering Yu Yingnans gun. Qianye seemed as if he couldnt see that Sky Snakes underlings had already taken out their weapons and only looked at Sky Snake. He said, Since you use your name to protect your reputation, you wouldnt prevent us from leaving at this moment, right? Sky Snake narrowed his eyes and stared at Qianye for a little, then laughed loudly, Why would I do that! My best customer, you guys can come and leave whenever you wish! Youre welcome to return at any time! Qianye nodded his head and then said to Yu Yingnan, Lets go, lets leave this place. But, Yu Yingnan still wanted to say something, but Qianye half supported and half clutched her right shoulder that was controlling the gun and walked out. Yu Yingnan felt an irresistible, strong force clutching her right shoulder. Any struggle would be futile, so she could only follow Qianye as they walked. She did not even think of questioning why Qianye could restrict her with just the power of a rank three Fighter. In the eyes of Sky Snakes gang, on the other hand, it seemed that Yu Yingnan followed Qianye of her own will. They all felt indescribably weird since they had never heard of anyone who could persuade this hot-tempered female hunter. Wait. Sky snake called out to stop them. Yu Yingnan instantly turned around and stared at Sky Snake, her eyes full of fury. In contrast, Qianye half turned around with a questioning look on his face, He did it so naturally that it seemed like nothing had happened. Sky Snake looked at Qianye thoughtfully, pondered, and then said, How about this, Ill give Old 2 some face. Ill void any interest she has and Ill give her two more months to pay back her original debt. Itll be fine if she returns her original loan within two months. You! Yu Yingnan couldnt contain her anger, but Qianye nodded towards Sky Snake, and then dragged her outside. After leaving the headquarters of the Sky Snake Gang and reaching the street, Yu Yingnan suddenly howled in frustration and heavily punched a tree on the roadside! Why did you stop me? Yu Yingnan shouted at Qianye. Because you werent ready to fight to the death, and we cant beat them. Qianye calmly responded. How do you know I wasnt ready to fight to the death? Qianye didnt answer and only silently looked at her. Under his gaze, Yu Yingnans fury began to subside. She then ultimately punched the tree again and said, If it was just me... Maybe a good idea would be to find a place to sit down and listen to your story. A moment later, the two people returned to Yu Yingnans house. She found a few bottles of liquor that she had hidden, and directly gulped it down from the bottle without using a cup. After two bottles lacked even a drop of alcohol, her excited mood finally started to slowly but surely return to normal. Yu Yingnan stared at the bottle of liquor she was swinging around in her fingers and said, You probably want to know why I have such a large debt, right? It wasnt a complicated story. A year ago, during a mission, she had been met with an enormous tragedy. Her small team was annihilated, with her as the sole survivor. Yu Yingnan believed that she was to blame for bringing them to such a tragic end. Thus, in the next half year, she had found every late team members family and sent them to relatively safe cities along with enough money for these families to live. The children of these team members that still needed to go to school, including Yu Yingnans own younger brother, were still living in Darkblood City, receiving basic combat training. In this manner, Yu Yingnan had not only spent all of her savings, but also incurred a massive debt with Sky Snake. If she chose to turn completely hostile, she was worried that Sky Snake would hurt the families of her fallen comrades, and maybe even their children. If the Sky Snake Gang intended to force her into a dead end, then she would not be afraid and would fight them to the death. However, it was still just money business. She truly did not have the resolve to fight them over this. She could only endure. This bit of money was barely even worth considering for powerful families, but in a place like Darkblood City, it was enough to force people into their graves. After saying this, she forcefully buried her face in her two hands, and said with a whimper, Sorry, I dragged you into this. Dont worry, I will return the money for that gun! That isnt important, but wont you let Old 2 know of this? Because Old 2 had already helped me many times. I already owe him so much, but if he knew of this, he would still pay off this debt for me. Truthfully, Old 2 has already used a lot of resources on me. Yu Yingnan couldnt say anything else and could only forcefully pull on her hair. This was a hunters pride. It sounded ridiculous, but she would rather enter the death arena than rely on Second Elder again. Qianye also poured himself a cup of alcohol, but only held it in his hands. He stared at the slightly yellow alcohol and asked thoughtfully, Hunters shouldnt be afraid of the Sky Snake Gang right? Youre a four star hunter, so why are you still being bullied this obviously? Yu Yingnan let out a long sight before explaining, Hunters and mercenaries are different. We have more freedom, but in exchange, Home of Hunters will remain neutral in this kind of conflict. In reality, many hunters want to me to die horribly. In any case, I really do owe Sky Snake money and I cant even pay it back, so Old 2 doesnt have a way to use Home of Hunters to suppress Sky Snake. Sky Snake used to be very rule abiding, but I never thought hed act this way today. Qianye smiled and said, I already had expected that. The logic was very simple. When the benefits and the opposing assets were no longer balanced, rules were bound to be discarded. Yu Yingnan was surprised, Then, do you have a way to take back your origin gun? He still ultimately voided your interest and gave you another two months. The gun could be considered to have been exchanged for two hundred gold coins. We didnt lose out so badly. Qianye said. This is not losing out so badly? Qianye wagged his finger at her and didnt let her continue speaking. He then said, Considering my current background and strength, to sell it without any trouble would be pretty difficult. Thats why we can just let it end here. No! Yu Yingnan pounded on the table. I dont have the strength, so I cant keep Flowing Gold Rose. Isnt that just the rule of Darkblood City? Qianye calmly said. He was even more clear on this concept than Yu Yingnan. In addition, if he had not taken out the Flowing Gold Rose, they would have had no way of leaving Sky Snakes control. However, his tone suddenly changed, becoming indifferent yet containing a hidden chill, However, I really love this rule. When I have enough strength, I will naturally make Sky Snake return what he owes hundredfold! Yu Yingnan looked up, and stared at Qianye as if knowing him for the first time. Qianye now had his original look, delicate and almost exquisite. When he spoke, his expression was indifferent, but his words had a bloody will that could shatter all obstacles. Yu Yingnan suddenly found that the boy in front of her became extremely foreign, as if the rookie one star hunter that couldnt fire into a mob had never existed. Now, we should probably finish our mission before we speak of this again. Qianye glanced at her as he voiced his opinion. Yu Yingnan regained some energy and then quietly adjusted her equipment before giving Qianye a case. Qianye opened it and saw three lined up origin bullets with her aura. He didnt decline and put the case in his backpack. At three oclock at night, Yu Yingnan and Qianye left Darkblood City one after the other, and then split up, taking different paths to reach their destination. When he entered the wasteland, Qianye took out his Ambusher and steadily ran toward his destination. He chose to run northwest at forty kilometers per hour as his limit. A number of hours later, the werewolves that had been chasing Qianye for an hour already had decided to give up. Qianyes speed and endurance surprised them. He seemed to have boundless endurance as he crossed the wasteland. In the middle of running, Qianye suddenly shook, and became alert for no apparent reason. He was on a foothill with mild slopes. The majority of the foliage there were vines and shrubs that had spikes, and the only other structures were scattered ruins drowned within the foliage. Maybe one hundred years ago it had been a small town inhabited by humans, but only a few crumbled walls remained. Qianye sprinted as he neared the the ruins. At the same time, he vigilantly searched for signs of movement in all directions. Suddenly, he saw a small, floating shadow, far in the distant sky. The person wasnt very big, and his entire body was wrapped in a black cloak, hiding the structure of his body. At this time, they had a few kilometers between them, so Qianye could only barely see mysterious persons outline. It probably was a humanoid organism. However, when Qianye saw the mysterious person, this person almost instantly reacted and turned his head to look at Qianye. Qianye was aghast and closed his eyes as fast as he could. His body curled up and rolled on the ground, almost falling into a natural hole under two stones at the side of the ruins. He simultaneously began using several military secret arts to hold his breath, stop his heart, and enter a death-like state. He just finished entering this state when an enormous consciousness swept past the area, right over his body! The consciousness was extremely cold. From this instant, Qianye could only feel a black sun gradually rise in front of his eyes. He almost couldnt feel fear, he could only feel flames that were darker than the abyss, slowly being dragged across the entire world by the black sun. Qianye desperately pushed his consciousness into his third, already extinguished, origin node, wildly trying to remain awake. He had an ominous feeling that the moment he relaxed his consciousness, it would be absorbed by the black sun, falling into an eternal night. After who knew how long, the icy consciousness retreated like floodwater. The black suns flames also gradually left Qianye. However, at this moment, the blood of darkness that had been sleeping in his body for a long time suddenly began to act up. It almost instantly boiled over! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 68: Assaulting the Werewolves’ Hideou t [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye was completely shaken, but at this moment, his heart was no longer beating. The armys turtle breath technique could be used to conceal oneself in extreme conditions, and to fake ones death in dangerous situations. Once it was used, one would lose any ability to move or protect oneself for the next half hour. The moment that Qianye saw the man in the black robe, he judged based on his years of fighting experience that the man was an enemy he had no way of resisting, so he had decisively activated this secret art. As expected, the man had almost destroyed his firm will that had been tempered through numerous battles and seas of blood. Such power could almost be compared to Dark Monarchs! Unexpectedly, he had just avoided tragedy, but the blood of darkness within his body actually started acting unusually at this moment. However, Qianye was powerless. His consciousness had only just cleared up, and it seemed to be completely separated from his body. He could only stare coldly from the side as the blood of darkness raged like boiling water. Qianye suddenly found that the raging blood wasnt actually pure. Within the flowing dark blood were innumerable hair-thin blood strands that pursued and entangled each other as they were embroiled in fierce combat! The main, dark-red blood energy had an obvious advantage of numbers. The pale-gold and strange, purple blood energies were eye catching, but were very low in number. However, in just a moment, the tides turned. The dark-red blood energy was continuously minced, gradually weakening until only a few strands remained. In contrast, the pale-gold blood energy did not change at all, while the strange, purple blood energy gained an entire extra ring after destroying the numerous strands of dark blood energy. The blood stopped raging just as suddenly as it started. When Qianye regained his consciousness, everything had already ended. His limbs were all able to move, his entire body was covered with syrup-like sweat, and he was thoroughly soaked, from his clothing to his hair, as if he had been immersed in a pool. The black blood within his veins had already lightened up, with many strands of blood energy slowly moving without showing any signs of excitation. Origin power flowed out from the three origin nodes, returning to fill his limbs and bones. Qianye slowly recovered his ability to move, inspecting if his military secret art or his raging blood left hidden damage. His body seemed normal for the moment. At the same time, he began pondering the encounter he had just had. The strength of that black-robed man could be described as deep as hell. Why would an expert who could influence the situation of the entire continent suddenly appear in the surroundings of a small city like Darkblood City, and actually stop there? There must have been something here that attracted this major figure of the dark races. However, no matter the reason, Qianye had no qualifications to participate in such a battle. As for the black blood within his body, he still had no way to control it. Qianye emptied an origin bullet, and then refilled it with a strand of blood energy following the origin power, giving this tangible bullet Qianyes unique mark. Qianye stared at the transparent bullet for a while, and then threw the little thing back in its case. The recent few strange changes in his black blood made Qianye numb. Thus, he decided that as long as it didnt interfere with fighting, he wouldnt care! At this moment, the wasteland had already become extremely dangerous. Qianye had become even more careful after recovering, no longer running at his limit as he pleased. He cautiously proceeded, barely making it to the gathering place before the time limit. Yu Yingnan, Yang Tian, and the others all had arrived. They were waiting for just Qianye. Upon seeing Qianye, Li Lunzhe let out a loud snort and smiled coldly as he said, Running for three days to travel this bit of distance, your speed is truly fast! Qianye wrinkled his brows, his expression immediately becoming heavy. Without waiting for Qianye to act, Yu Yingnans cold voice rang out, Qianye arrived before the arranged time, is there a problem? Li Lunzhe was stricken, immediately revealing an indignant expression, angrily saying, Sister Nan! What are you trying to imply, we all got here a long time ago, and everyone here waited for him for over half a day! The time limit is only the bottom line. If no unexpected accidents occur, all should arrive as early as possible. This is an unwritten agreement between hunters. Was I wrong to reprimand him? Sister Nan, have you fallen for this pretty boy here? A crash sounded. No one thought Yu Yingnan would suddenly pull out her pistol and point it right at Li Lunzhes forehead! Yu Yingnan spoke one word at a time, emphasizing each one, Who I like is up to me! Its none of your business! The crowd was stunned, not at all having expected such a strong reaction, especially since her expression showed no signs of joking around. Yang Tian saw that things were getting out of head, so he immediately pushed Yu Yingnans gun to the side and advised, Yingnan! Right now, were all teammates, theres no need to act like this. Yang Tian then spoke to Li Lunzhe, Qianye is our teammate now as well, and he just became a hunter. He is probably not clear on many rules, so its unnecessary to pick at the details. Other than that, be careful when you speak. Yang Tian was a veteran hunter and had always had high prestige, so when he chose to mediate in this dispute, Li Lunzhe stopped bickering. He raised both of his arms, and retreated two steps, indicating his concession. However, after seeing those obstinate and unruly eyes, and that resentful smile, anyone would know that this problem was a long way from finished. Yu Yingnan snorted and ignored Li Lunzhe, taking the lead in heading out. Yang Tian and Zha Xi followed behind her. Li Lunzhe purposefully slowed down to wait for Qianye to catch up before he whispered, Boy, this hasnt finished yet. In the future, you better be careful when you leave the city, you better not let me see you! Qianye glanced at him, lightly responding, In such a hurry to die? Li Lunzhe suddenly stopped walking, his eyes emitting killing intent. He spoke in anger, Die? From just you? A one star hunter? Idiot. Qianye left one comment and stopped listening to Li Lunzhe. He left to catch up to Yu Yingnan. At this time, Yu Yingnan was concealed at a cliff, looking into the valley that Yang Tian had already snuck into. At the valley floor was a cave with a few gray wolves that seemed to be guarding the entrance, and were dozing off. Yang Tian did not disappoint his name as a werewolf expert. He had already snuck within thirty meters of the cave entrance, yet the gray wolves still had no response. Yang Tian suddenly stood up, tossing a few grenades into the cave entrance. He then pulled out his pistol as fast as lightning and shot continuously. Surrounded by the sounds of gunfire, the few gray wolf guards didnt even have a chance to stand up. All of them had been shot through the head, whimpering as they fell. Yang Tian had thrown in gas grenades mixed with origin power drugs. Pale-yellow smoke sprayed out of the cave immediately. Attack! Yu Yingnan shouted quickly, immediately leaping down from the cliff. This was a hundred meter tall cliff! Midway, she threw out a hook and hooked it to the edge of the cliff. She then borrowed the force of her fall to swing to the valley floor. When her feet touched the ground, she barely paused to cushion her fall, instead running toward the cave in large strides, simultaneously firing her gun. She was able to shoot down a werewolf that had suddenly appeared. Li Lunzhe leapt down as well and latched his hook onto the edge of the cliff to slow his fall, just like Yu Yingnan did. Unlike Yu Yingnan, he was not able to use only one hook, he was forced to use three before reaching the valley floor. However, Li Lunzhe had only been halfway before seeing a figure, lightly floating over his head, heading toward the valley floor. That was Qianye. He was actually faster than him! Li Lunzhe was stunned for a moment, and couldnt resist lifting his head to look at the cliff, whereupon he found there were no additional tools. How was able to get down, he actually hadnt used any tools! Qianye had already followed Yu Yingnan in charging the cave before Li Lunzhe finally regained his senses and hastily followed up. Only Zha Xi remained behind them. He needed to enter the valley through a pull. When he reached the valley floor, the others had already entered the cave. He did not follow them in and instead began laying down various traps. In the werewolf hideout, Qianye followed closely behind Yu Yingnan. After passing through many twists and turns, five different tunnels appeared in front of them. A few vicious werewolves ran out of one of the tunnels. Yu Yingnan ran towards it, directly blocking that tunnel then pointed at another, shouting, Qianye! Run that way and look for ways to find the totem. I will try my best to keep the werewolves away! Yang Tian threw a few grenades which instantly emitted a huge wave of pale-yellow gas into the tunnel Yu Yingnan pointed at, and then turned and charged into a nearby tunnel. Inside the pale-yellow fog, werewolves whimpered in pain one after another. Many weaker ones even began rolling around on the ground. The smoke had an extremely pungent smell, which was equivalent to a deadly poison to werewolves that had sensitive noses. Qianye charged into the tunnel indicated by Yu Yingnan, bending over as he snuck forward. When he left the werewolves line of sight, he suddenly changed his posture, and his speed doubled! At bends with a slope and no sharp rocks or obstacles, Qianye virtually did not reduce his speed at all, and directly ran on the walls of the cave! After passing a tunnel entrance, two werewolves suddenly charged out, but Qianyes abrupt increase in speed caused them both to miss. The werewolves chased closely without giving up, but the distance between them and Qianye still became longer and longer. The two werewolves both widened their eyes, staring unbelievably at Qianye in the distance! They were actually unable to run as fast as Qianye in their own cave! Qianye ran faster and faster, sneaking through like wind. However, in front of him appeared a gigantic werewolf, its body taking up virtually half of the tunnel. It was on all fours, and its head was raised, roaring fiercely at Qianye. A vicious expression flashed across Qianyes face before he similarly roared deeply and actually collided into the werewolf! A muffled thud sounded. It was actually the werewolf that had been struck flying! It roared again. but before it even reached the ground it, a fist began to enlarge within his field of view. With a snap, Qianye completely crushed the giant wolfs nose. Qianye held onto the wolfs hind legs and brandished it at the werewolves chasing from behind. The two werewolves roared angrily, dodged the body, and dove toward Qianye from his left and right. However, in just this brief moment, Qianyes Ambusher had already locked onto the werewolf on the left. A gunshot sounded as a origin bullet boosted by Heavy Caliber blasted the wolf into the air. The werewolfs chest became a mutilated mess of flesh and blood. Afterwards, Qianye threw down his Ambusher and grabbed the other werewolfs front claws. The two of them began wrestling. The werewolf roared at Qianye, suddenly opening his mouth and biting towards Qianye! However, his mouth only closed halfway before it suddenly howled a painful cry directed at the sky. Qianyes hands had used force, so the werewolfs claws broke amidst sounds of shattering! The werewolf was at least twice the size of Qianye, and their race was known for their strength, but it had actually been crushed by Qianye in this contest of brute strength. Qianyes hands extended outwards, clamping down on the werewolfs lips. He roared again, forcefully ripping them out. The werewolf immediately fell into a crumbling state as it fell onto the ground, its four limbs convulsing. At this time, the other werewolf struggled to stand up. Having seen all of this happen, its eyes revealed deep terror. Qianye steadily walked towards this werewolf. It suddenly roared and actually turned around to flee! Qianye suddenly sped up, following it like he was its shadow. He then directly dove onto the wolfs back, his hands extending forward to hug the werewolfs head. He forcefully twisted! Amidst a cracking sound, the werewolfs neck broke with a snap. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 69: Success [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] With a light, overhead flip, Qianye landed on the ground ten meters away as he stared coldly at the werewolf that was struggling madly where it stood in hopes of dealing one final blow before dying. However, its nervous system had been completely damaged, and it stumbled and swayed sideways with every move it made. It couldnt hit Qianye at all, and after struggling for a moment, it collapsed on the ground and no longer got up. Qianye slowly walked back and picked up his Ambusher. He then continued to walk deeper into the cave, but he only took a few steps before coming to an abrupt stop and shuddering. He suddenly recalled that that wasnt his usual style of combat at all! He tore apart flesh and blood with his own, bare hands just now! This was obviously the preferred method of slaughtering werewolves to an elite vampire! Qianye suddenly shuddered from the bottom of his soul. At this moment, Qianye felt an unprecedented level of panic. He found it a little difficult whether to identify himself as a human or a vampire. If he had to become a vampire one day, then he would rather just end his life right now. He hadnt been this afraid even when he was tainted by the black blood and at the edge of death. This had nothing to do with interest. It was a matter of faith. After pausing for a moment, Qianye continued going deeper into the werewolf cave. Regardless of whether he would transform into a true vampire, he had to finish this mission first. The were more and more dead ends ahead. The cave was like a maze. However, Qianyes charge was as lightning fast as ever, neither hesitant nor slowed at all. He had participated in almost ten operations to annihilate werewolves back at the Red Scorpions, so he was most familiar with the layout of such caves. He could identify the right route with just a little clue to aid him. He had taken out a few more werewolves along the way. When he saw these humanoid lifeforms baring their fur and displaying their combat form, Qianye still could not help but charge forward and tear them apart with his bare hands. After a couple of times of the same method, he gave up resisting and completely obeyed his combat instincts to end the battle in the swiftest and most effective way possible. By now, Qianye noticed that Yu Yingnans information on this wolf den was a little inaccurate. The clans warriors were a little stronger than initially estimated. If he was delayed for even a moment, it would no longer be an ambush but rather a suicide attempt. Suddenly, Qianye charged into a hall. This place was wider than any of the caves he passed through earlier. There was an altar at the center of the hall, and there was a wooden totem entangled with heavy, black energy placed above it. Several old werewolves surrounded the altar. Right now, the hall was filled with faint-yellow mist. It was the origin drug spread through the tunnels or air vents. Although the mist was a lot thinner and spread out than before, its effect obviously hadnt faded just yet. Several elder werewolves were sneezing continuously through the mist, looking rather discomforted by it. However, they did not plan on leaving the place at all. Qianyes sudden appearance in the hall caused all four werewolf elders to turn their heads in surprise. The two fastest among them had already acted, and pounced at him. However, the faint-yellow mist disrupted their movements and generated just a little unnecessary movement in their breathing. When it was a matter of life and death, the tiniest bit of a mistake could be fatal. Maintaining his high speed, Qianye calmly leaped into the air, drawing a light arc across half the room before landing close enough to become extremely dangerous to the elder werewolves beside him. He had switched his form in midair, and when he landed, he was already in a half-crouching posture, lifting Ambusher evenly and pulling the trigger. An origin bullet made by Qianye himself escaped the chamber and ripped a werewolf elders head to shreds. Qianye pushed his origin power madly, causing Ambushers gun chamber to shine with a yellow light that almost penetrated the metallic gunbarrel itself. It was a sign of the guns origin array being pushed to its limit. A second origin bullet escaped the chamber, and a yellow light, mingled with a single wisp of red, struck heavily onto the charging werewolf elders left shoulder and chest area.. Although he still had an origin bullet in his gun, it was already too late to fire it. The third werewolf elder had already pounced to above Qianyes head. Qianye wasnt afraid of his current inferior positioning at all as he pushed the ground with his left hand and launched himself into the air, ramming at full force into the werewolf elder as they fell some distance away. While still in the air, Qianye shot out the spike bayonet he got from Nighteye and plunged it into the fourth werewolf elder. At first, the werewolf elder who had been shot by an imaginary origin bullet and the one struck by the spike simply shrugged off the minor injury. One of them had even activated their wolf-shape combat form. However, they had charged only a few steps before they abruptly collapsed on the floor and spasmed non-stop. They were actually incapable of climbing onto their feet. Qianye calmed down greatly. It seemed that the blood energy inside his handmade origin bullet was especially harmful to the werewolves. This was great news considering that the poison on Nighteyes spike was especially effective against werewolves as well. It was only unfortunate that after this one usage, the poison on the thorn was more or less gone. This time, it was the werewolf elder who had been sent flying by Qianye who shook its head and swiftly recovered from its stunned state. It let out a couple of low growls and bared its fangs, charging at Qianyes once more. Qianye grabbed his Ambusher and swiftly filled it with energy. Then, he calmly fired off his last origin bullet. The werewolf elders sharp claws were just about to strike Qianyes temples when the origin bullet hit its stomach and instantly sent it flying backwards. The shot was not fatal, but it was enough to immobilize it for a moment. Qianye pulled the gun bolt. He had used up all of the origin bullets he had handmade, so he reloaded with Yu Yingnans origin bullets. However, instead of securing the kill on the werewolf elder, he grabbed the totem and escaped immediately. The werewolf elders howled on the top of their lungs and looked extremely saddened. However, Qianye had no sympathy for their feelings as he swiftly withdrew from the path he came from. When he heard rapid footsteps following behind him, he turned a corner and threw two hand grenades mixed with origin drugs behind him. Faint-yellow mist immediately covered the passage behind Qianye, and since it was twice the number it was twice as effective. The werewolves who heard the commotion and chased after him realised the trap only after the turned the corner, and since they couldnt halt in time, they ran head-first into the mist. They immediately let out extremely pained howls as they rolled all over the ground. The agent was simply too destructive against a werewolfs nose especially in such a narrow environment. Right now, outside the wolf den, at the three fork road closest to the road leading outside, Yu Yingnan, Yang Tian and Li Lunzhe were fighting back to back against the werewolves that continuously charged out of the cave. There were more than a dozen werewolf bodies padding their feet already, and although they seemed to be fighting well, theyd expended all of their physical and origin bullets. Whatever remained of their origin power was now used to fight in close quarters, and theyd all switched to close quarter weapons as well. Yu Yingnan wore a glove with sharp needles on it, and her knee and elbow armor were installed with sharp needles as well. Her combat style was open and pure brute force. Meanwhile, Yang Tianxun held a short dagger in his hand, and his combat style was very careful and meticulous. However, every time he charged, blood would spill from a werewolfs body. Li Lunzhes combat style could only be considered average. Gas grenade! Yu Yingnan roared loudly. Her technique was the most brutal and forceful of them all, and since she held back most of the werewolves by herself, the greatest pressure was on her. Yang Tianxun swiftly tossed out a gas grenade before yelling, This is the last one! God dammit! We cant hold out for much longer. Why is that Qianye not out yet? Li Lunzhe couldnt help but cry out. He had just gotten in, and judging from the info we got, he probably hasnt reached the altar hall yet! It will take at least another ten or so minutes before he finishes exploring the wolf den and comes out. We must hold on for another ten minutes, or hell be dead for sure! Yang Tianxun answered. He was the werewolf expert among them, but his direct combat abilities were a little weak. Ten minutes! Itll be a miracle if we can hold out for another five! Li Lunzhe roared. We must wait for Qianyes return! Even if we are to fight to our deaths, we must wait for him to arrive! Yu Yingnans forceful attitude ended the argument. A light of ruthless determination flashed across Li Lunzhes eyes. He vented all of his frustrations onto the werewolf before him, but he couldnt help but look at Yu Yingnans vitals from the corner of his eye. Li Lunzhe suddenly exploded and stabbed repeatedly into a werewolfs chest while roaring madly! Blood spilled over his entire head, and amidst the werewolfs dying howls, Li Lunzhes eyes turned bloodshot as he chanted repeatedly in his heart, where no one could hear, If I cant get you, then no one else will! Li Lunzhe let go of the werewolfs body and leaped to his feet. Suddenly, he stumbled on his feet and collapsed in Yu Yingnans direction. Yu Yingnan noticed Li Lunzhes abnormal condition and hastily retreated backwards to support him with her back. She asked anxiously, Are you okay? I- Li Lunzhe panted as if he had been hurt, but his hand clenched the knife in his hands tightly! It was at this moment that Qianye ran out of the wolf den like the wind. Without pausing for even a millisecond, he charged towars the exit and cried loudly, I got the totem! Lets go! His voice rumbled and resonated far through the cave walls. Yang Tian exclaimed, This quick? He shouldnt have even reached the altar hall yet! Right now, Qianye charged right to the exit and did not bother fighting with the werewolves who attempted to block him at all. With his running speed and brute force, he knocked the gray-skinned fellows directly out of the way and charged out of the wolf den in an instant! Qianye flipped in midair and threw his last gas grenade down at the cave entrance. Amidst the spreading smoke, a few pursuing werewolves collapsed and rolled out of the cave as Qianye fired continuously with his origin rifle, and with three origin bullets and one mithril bullet, he took out four werewolves. While running sideways, Qianye then refilled his Ambusher with origin power and fired another two shots. This time, he had ran out of luck, as he was unable to push blood energy into the origin bullets. Naturally, the power of a normal origin bullet was a lot weaker, but it was still enough to hurt the last werewolf. Qianye tossed the Ambushers strap over his shoulders and charged towards this last werewolf like the wind or thunder. He had already taken out his handaxe while he was charging midway. When the hurt werewolf finally put on a combat stance, Qianye had already rammed into it with his entire body. The werewolf stumbled backwards like a small hill that was ran over by a giant rock, and its head split apart as the combat axe fell right into its head! When he killed this werewolf, Qianye felt so tired that all he wanted was to collapse on the ground and sleep. He knew that this was a sign that he had used too much strength, and he immediately took out a syringe from his pocket, pulled off the casing, and stabbed it into his neck, pressing all of the medicine into his body. As the medicine dripped into his body, a fiery warmth swiftly spread through his entire body as he immediately regained his spirit. The syringe was a military-use stimulant. Of course, he had made it himself, and the effects of the stimulant would last for half an hour, just enough to help Qianye escape his current predicament. However, after the duration was over, he would feel the aftereffects and fall into a weakened state. When Qianye converged with Yu Yingnan and the others, they immediately charged out of the valley, following the tracks theyd set up along the valley. Werewolves repeatedly charged out of the wolf den behind them, and chased after them. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 70: Hidden Danger [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] A devastating gunshot suddenly resounded above the mountain cliff. Zha Xi had set up an old-styled, large caliber machine gun, and was currently shooting every metallic bullet at its disposal at the werewolves. The werewolves who had just charged out of the cave were immediately staggered by the gunfire, their bodies blossoming with blood continuously. However, werewolves had thick skin and flesh, and it was very difficult for a heavy machine gun to actually shatter their bones and deal fatal damage at this range. At best, the werewolves suffered some flesh wounds. To completely kill them,origin gun or direct close-quarter combat skills were necessary. However, Zha Xi simply wanted to hinder the werewolves for a moment so that his companions could exit the valley smoothly. Four boxes of bullets were fired off in the blink of an eye as the heavy machine guns barrel turned bright red and was usable no longer. Meanwhile, Yu Yingnans group had already charged out of the valley and was running towards the agreed gathering spot. His job done, Zha Xi threw down the heavy machine gun and ran madly along the retreat path hed prepared earlier. Even more werewolves charged out of the cave as their angry howls rang continuously. However, as Zha Xis traps were triggered one after another, explosions began to resound again and again inside the valley, blasting the werewolves that charged out into a complete mess. Very soon, the entire hunter squad assembled at the gathering spot. The werewolves howls and the sound of their paws cutting through air closed in on them in an instant. Zha Xi immediately pushed out a small, four-wheel truck, and poured black crystal powder into its ignition chamber. The propulsion meter immediately rose madly, and the truck began to rumble, driving off shakily toward Darkblood City. Zha Xi drove while Qianye and the others climbed to the back of the truck. Li Lunzhe took out a rank two origin gun and aimed behind the car, while Yu Yingnan and Yang Tian were busy dealing with their wounds. Meanwhile, Qianye was rushing to channel the Combatant Formula and recovering as much origin power as possible. Li Lunzhes face was expressionless, but his eyes were extremely dark. He had almost done it back at the wolf cave. If it hadnt been for Qianyes sudden cry, he wouldve plunged the knife into Yu Yingnans lower back, and dealt similarly with the defenseless Yang Tian. Then, he would run off on his own. If that had happened, the severely injured Yu Yingnan and Yang Tian definitely wouldnt have been any match to the werewolves, and it would have been very easy for Li Lunzhe to kill the tech nerd Zha Xi after having escaped from the wolf cave. However, he had hesitated for a moment when Qianye had snatched the totem with surprising speed, so he lost his chance to follow up with his plans. A few dark shadows appeared at the end of his vision. They were the werewolves chasing after them. The four wheel drive rolling at forty kilometers per hour was akin to a crawling tortoise in the werewolves eyes, and they swiftly shortened the distance between them. Li Lunzhe calmed himself down and paid full attention to the foremost werewolf that chased them. It was only when the werewolf had shortened the distance to less than a hundred meters that he pulled the trigger! A blue light shot out of the barrel and struck the werewolfs head dead on. The werewolf flipped a couple of times in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground. It was after he saw the blood splatter and organs scatter that Li Lunzhe finally felt that his evil desires were quelled a little. Two more origin guns poked out from his left and right side. They were also aimed at the chasing werewolves. They were Qianye and Yang Tians. The two had recovered a bit of origin power, and barely had enough strength to fire just one more shot. Gunfire rang as two werewolves flew backwards in response, and drew a bloody line in mid-air before slamming heavily onto the ground. Half of the six pursuing werewolves were killed just like that. The remaining werewolves immediately slowed down and dared not get close to the truck any longer. They simply gave chase, staying out of the range of the origin guns as they waited for their group to reach them. The two sides quickly approached the place where Qianye had met the mysterious, black-robed person. A commotion suddenly broke out among the werewolves as many of them suddenly paused their footsteps and looked warily towards their surroundings. They continuously let out whines of fear, and some of the pursuing werewolves even felt the hair stand up at the back of their necks. More and more werewolves slowed down their footsteps and began to whisper amongst each other. There were a few werewolves of exceptional size that sniffed hard at the night air before suddenly turning around and running with their tails between their legs at top speed. The rest of the werewolves followed after them, and soon, all of the werewolves were gone. The sudden retreat of the werewolves caused Yu Yingnan and the group to look at each other in confusion. Not understanding what just happened, they could only be on their maximum guard. There werent many dangers on the wasteland that could cause a werewolf to backpedal. Qianye guessed that the phenomenon might have something to do with the mysterious, black-robed person, but he didnt think that it was a good idea to announce this matter. The quintets latter journey was eventless, and they actually managed to return to Darkblood City safely. The mission was submitted very soon, and the totem was said to have impressed the expeditionary armys specialist in the imperial research center quite a bit. Therefore, their original reward of one hundred gold coins had been doubled to two hundred gold coins. This good news caused every member of the team to grow spirited. Most hunters were poor, and unlike fixed mercenaries, they did not receive basic equipment distribution, and had to use most of their income to upgrade their equipment and weapons. Without sufficient strength, it was only a matter of time before they perished on the wasteland. Since Qianye had defied expectations and performed excellently during the mission, he had acquired forty gold coins. This ratio was obviously more than the usual distribution. Although Li Lunzhes face turned darker, he said nothing this time. After the rewards were distributed, he hastily left the place. Yang Tian and Zha Xi also bid their goodbyes one after another, leaving Yu Yingnan and Qianye at the Home of Hunters. You wanna get a drink? Yu Yingnan asked. Qianye shook his head and said, Nah, Im going back to rest for a bit. Then Ill come look for you in two days. This time, Qianye did not turn her down and nodded. After returning to his accommodation, Qianye first checked the place thoroughly. Other than a few blood droplets on the walls and rooftop corner, he did not find any signs of infiltration. It would seem that those sneaky fellows finally learned their lesson and avoided this dangerous little building after having suffered dearly from the traps. Qianye shut the door and immediately charged madly into the kitchen. He took out everything that was edible and began to eat like his life depended on it. He completely devoured all of his reserve food and continued eating until his stomach was swelling uncomfortably before finally stopping. The saturation diluted Qianyes desire for blood. The hunger had begun during the latter half of the mission, after he charged out of the wolf cave. Perhaps it had been he had nearly completely exhausted his origin power and stamina, but when the blood of werewolves splattered about, Qianye once again felt the hunger for fresh blood. However, unlike before, when his hunger burned at his rationality, his mind had been absolutely clear. The splattering blood simply emanated a delicious scent and energy that tempted him to taste it. Qianye pressed down on his head and smiled bitterly. He had a faint idea what was going on already. For a vampire, sucking blood was a shortcut to quick recovery and recuperation. After he acquired the physique of a vampire, he had inherited even this basic talent of the species. After he injected the military stimulant, he had been able to suppress the hunger easily, and he did not experience the kind of hunger that corroded and burned his entire body either. Qianye did not spend too much time tangling himself in this matter. After taking a bath, he decided to head to Home of Hunters to see what equipment he could purchase. Great strength was a safeguard against ones mortality, especially now that he had quite a lot of trouble on his shoulders. As usual, Old 2 was sitting behind the counter, reading a book. It was only when Qianye walked into the hall that he raised his eyelids a little to glance at him once before setting his sight back onto the page. Home of Hunters was rather crowded today, and the two tables in the hall were almost completely filled with people. Seven or eight hunters had taken up seats, causing the already small space to immediately feel congested. The hunters were chatting about recent events and exchanged information that they had acquired during their adventures. However, a similarity Qianye heard amongst the different topics, was that the dark races had been unusually irritated and violent as of late. Even the normally gentler creatures were attacking adventurers rather frequently, causing a non-stop stream of casualties of adventurers, hunters and mercenaries alike. Qianye acutely sensed that the hunters were all a little anxious. Qianye walked to the counter and asked, Old 2, when can I become a two star hunter? Old 2 answered without even raising his head, When you accumulate a bounty of a hundred gold coins, then youll be able to ascend in rank. Right now, you cant. Okay. Id like to see what I can buy. Old 2 nodded and summoned Little Mi to lead Qianye to the warehouse. It was still the same warehouse he was led to the last time, but somehow, the same array of equipment was now completely different in Qianyes eyes. After having fought with the style of a vampire back inside the werewolf cave, Qianye discovered that he was suddenly in love with it. Normally, a human was weaker in terms of strength than most dark race warriors despite being of the same rank. Werewolves were a species well known for their strength, and when they went up against a human, their instinct was to rely on their strength to beat them. However, when they encountered Qianye who had an even greater strength than them, they had been defeated exceptionally quickly. Qianye had already been known for his strength back at the Red Scorpions, and although his physique didnt seem particularly impressive, his strength had been improved upon further when he acquired the physique of a vampire. Right now, he was comparable to a rank five Fighter, and his advantage in close-quarters combat due to his great strength was indisputable. Usually, Qianye would place his attention on origin guns and their relevant accessories when choosing his weapons, but this time, the array of close combat weapons had attracted his eyes. Qianye picked up one piece of armor after another, and tested them over and over before placing them back to their rack. Finally, he picked up an armguard and played with it repeatedly. This metallic armguard was to be equipped on his forearm. It had good defense, and it had a weight that would turn it into a terrifying blunt weapon when swung. Moreover, it had a standard card groove on the surface that could be installed with military knives, thorns and similar weapons. There was also a small-scale origin array attached to its armguard. If injected with origin power, it could turn into a shield and block the shots of an average, rank one origin gun. Qianye was very satisfied with this armguard. Its only weakness was that it weighed ten kilograms, but this bit of weight could be completely overlooked with Qianyes current strength. The armguard was labeled with two stars, indicating that it was an equipment that only a two star hunter could exchange for. If Qianye wished to exchange it before he ascended to rank two, he would have to pay an additional 20% of its original cost. Besides the armguard, Qianye also picked a few plates of armor, made from the outer shell of a cave spider. He would install them on the vital spots of his armor. This was a cheap and effective way of upgrading his armor. These items alone cost more than thirty gold coins. The most expensive part was naturally the origin power-propelled armguard. After walking out of the warehouse, Qianye walked to the counter again and asked, Can I request someone to modify some of my equipment? Old 2 finally put his book down reluctantly and walked to an independent workshop at the side, beckoning Qianye to come in. He closed the door tight. What Qianye took out was Flowing Gold Roses tactical accessories. This included a scope, a storage device that could enhance blast power, and a silencer. Id like to have these parts modified so they can be used on the Ambusher rifle. Old 2 picked up these parts and examined them closely, saying, These are all standard accessories of vampires. The workmanship is pretty good. They are all originally part of the Flowing Gold Roses set, right? You already knew about it? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 71: Conflic Chapter 71:Conflict [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Of course, there are very few things in this city that I do not know, especially when theyre related to us hunters. While playing with the scope, Old 2 continued, The value of these things far exceed their actual function. It is a waste to use them for modding, so how about this. You can use them to exchange for some equipment in the Hunter Associations warehouse. Mm, I can offer you an assault rifle tactical accessory. What do you think? Naturally, Qianye agreed. Artistic value was completely useless to him, he only needed a killing weapon. Old 2 put the accessory away and led Qianye to the warehouse. He took down a suitcase from a rack and passed it to Qianye. When Qianye opened the suitcase for a look, he was very satisfied with the outcome. It was an assault rifle tactical accessory, specifically designed for the Empires main corps. Although it was only a grade two arms configuration, its overall design and function was no weaker than a random set of rank three accessories. Qianye loved this uniform style of tactical accessory the most. He could skip the familiarizing process entirely, and directly use it. Old 2 then passed over a bullet box containing ten blank origin bullets and said, The thing inside this suitcase is still not worth the accessories you gave me, so Im gifting you something extra. This was exactly what Qianye needed urgently. He had used up all of his stock during the werewolf mission. Old 2 suddenly asked, How do you plan to deal with Sky Snake? Qianyes expression darkened a little immediately, but he quickly recovered and said in an indifferent tone, Nothing for now. We will see when I ascend once more. Old 2 heard the trace of killing intent from Qianyes calm tone and tapped the rack once, saying, Sky Snake is not a normal rank five Fighter. He is not an easy foe to beat. As the representative of Home of Hunters in Darkblood City, I cannot interfere directly with the conflict between a hunter and the Sky Snake Gang. Qianye was currently assembling a few tactical accessories into a small folding grip with great skill. He said without raising his head, I know that. If you have any other needs in the future, you can come and see me as well. For example, I can borrow you some money or equipment. Of course, this will be done in my name and within a reasonable margin, unless you can prove yourself worthy of an investment. As you know, I do not control the entire Home of Hunters. Qianyes hands paused in midair for a moment before abruptly disassembling the small folding grip into its original parts once more with lightning speed. Only then did he lift his head to look at Old 2 and said, I heard that you would not normally interfere with such things. No emotion could be seen on Old 2s weathered face. He said, The Sky Snake Gang has gone too far this time. If Yingnan truly had gone to the death arena, then our Home of Hunters would have lost all our face. But she still owes Sky Snake a huge sum of money. This will not end here. Qianye frowned. Old 2 shook his head and said, This, I cannot help her. She is too headstrong, and she cannot stand bowing her head to anyone. She is a good hunter, but she is not a good leader. You should know this very well, since youve gone on a mission with her. If I help her any more, I will only be pushing her further and further down the wrong path. Qianye simply nodded and did not make any additional comments. Although their mission had been completed successfully, it was built of many irreplicable factors. Qianye had already noticed that Yu Yingnans tactical preparation and information gathering skills were lacking prior to the operation. If she hadnt recruited Qianye at the last minute, it was predictable that this operation wouldve ended in terrible defeat. Even now, Yu Yingnan probably still hadnt realized that Qianye was far more familiar with werewolves than that so-called werewolf expert Yang Tian, and that his strength far exceeded a common one star hunter. In fact, he was stronger than anyone within the squad, including Yu Yingnan herself. Had it been anyone else who entered the wolf den, there was no way they could have severely injured four werewolf elders, and even obtain the totem in the end. In reality, Yu Yingnan was just not suitable for this kind of large scale missions that required the cooperation of many people. She was more suitable to become an independent hunter. While Qianye safely put away all of the equipment, Old 2 spoke again, You must be careful. Sky Snake may very well come back to you for more trouble. He dislikes the prosperity of anyone who can threaten him. I will be careful. Although, I think he is the one who should take greater care. Qianye revealed an icy cold smile. Old 2 did not say anything. After exiting the warehouse, he returned behind the counter and continued to pay full attention to his book. Qianye left Home of Hunters and found a shop selling all kinds of drug ingredients. With his few remaining gold coins, he purchased a couple of drug ingredients and a set of purifying tools. These drug ingredients would be used to mix a special medicine that would be a fragrant synthetic perfume when diluted, but was a poor mans version of military use strengthening stimulant when concentrated. While carrying his items, Qianye exited the drug store and turned around a corner of the street. Then, a group of noisy youths came from the front and immediately jammed the already narrow street. At the center of the group was a young man in high spirits, talking nonstop about his experience of killing an official vampire warrior. The people around him met his expectations and praised him, causing him to laugh even more jubilantly than before. These people had snakes tattooed onto their exposed skin, so Qianye immediately knew that they were Sky Snake Gangs people. He frowned once, turned aside, and gave way. While the crowd passed by Qianye, the young man at the center subconsciously glanced at Qianye once. Then, his eyes lit up, Wait a second, I know you. Youre that little hunter who took the Flowing Gold Rose that day! You may look a little different now, but theres no way you can fool me with such petty tricks! Qianyes gaze fell on the young mans waist. There was a holster of exquisite workmanship there, and judging from its shape and the exposed gun handle, the holstered gun should be that Flowing Gold Rose. It would seem the young man was of unusual status. Not just anyone could equip themselves with a Flowing Gold Rose. Even on the middle and upper continents, possessing this gun would not be a disgrace, even to a small aristocratic family. The young man pushed the crowd aside and walked in front of Qianye. He stretched his hand out and said, Give it to me! Qianye frowned and asked, Give what? The young man laughed coldly and said, Do you seriously think this stupid act will work! Alright, Ill treat you like a real idiot then! Give me the Flowing Gold Roses accessories! This gun must have come together with a full specialized set of tactical accessories, now dont you tell me you dont have them! Qianye frowned even harder and asked, Who are you? The young man lifted his head and laughed in an exaggerated fashion. He turned around and spoke to the Sky Snake Gang group behind him, Me? Hey guys, hes asking who I am! Haha! This immediately drew a cheer from his men. After a moment of wild laughter, he approached Qianye and harshly poked him at the chest, forcing his words through the gaps of his teeth, Ill tell you who I am! Sky Snake is my father! Do you know who I am now?! Got it. However, I do not have the Flowing Gold Roses accessories. Qianye said calmly. You dont? The young man looked startled for a moment before his expression changed into one of slight fluster and exasperation, You dont have it?! Do you think Im stupid? Flowing Gold Roses have always been released as a set. When have you ever seen a Flowing Gold Rose without accessories! Im telling you, pass me the accessories like a good boy or Ill have no choice but to break your goddamn knees today! If you refuse to give them up... His expression chilled as he said, I see that youre a handsome-looking fellow, and I just happen to have some brothers who enjoy men. Ill have them f*ck your asshole right here before feeding you to the dogs! When he heard this threat, Qianye suddenly smiled like the coming spring. His already handsome and delicate features appeared even younger as his obsidian-like eyes curved into crescents that even looked a little innocent. When he had first arrived at Lighthouse Town and had been harassed by some hoodlums, Qianye had worn the exact same smile. It was at this moment that a dry and skinny-looking fellow closed in on the young man and whispered something beside his ears. The young mans eyes immediately lit up as he examined Qianye from head to toe, saying, I hear youve just finished a very high-ranking mission and got quite a lot gold coins! If you dont have the accessories, then Ill give you face and let you treat me to some food! The young mans exaggerated, wild laughter turned obscene, and he raised a hand to lift Qianyes chin. This time, however, he did not get what he wished for. His hand had only stretched halfway across the air before it was caught by Qianye, unable to move even an inch further! The young man struggled hard a couple of times, but to his dismay, he discovered that his hand couldnt move an inch at all! The smile that hadnt yet faded became completely frozen on his face as he roared at Qianye, What are you doing? Let go of me! He glanced meaningfully at both corners of his eyes before yelling suddenly, Cripple him! Two Sky Snake hoodlums then approached Qianye from the left and right side before stabbing two knives at Qianyes ribs! Qianyes expression chilled as he abruptly exerted force into his left hand, causing the young mans wrist to let out a resounding crack! Only then did Qianye release the young man as he backed away a step, just avoiding the two knives that stabbed in his direction. Qianye suddenly stretched out both arms at once and grabbed the two wrists accurately. With a twist and a push, the two knives then immediately changed directions and stabbed into the attackers stomachs, all the way to the hilt! The young man froze and actually forgot about the intense pain on his wrist as he exclaimed uncontrollably, You dare kill someone from our Sky Snake Gang?! He abruptly fell back and yelled simultaneously toward his left and right side, Get him together! Slice this brat to bits! A few Sky Snake Gang hoodlums pulled out their knives and daggers, while another few took out their guns and aimed at Qianye from the periphery. The moment they found an opportunity, they would immediately shoot him! Meanwhile, Qianye was standing steadily on his feet. While pulling out his own gun, he took some very small footsteps to dodge all of the bullets and blades striking toward him. Qianyes gun then roared, and in an instant, the eight bullets inside the magazine were discharged consecutively. After these eight successive bangs, eight Sky Snake Gang hoodlums fell down in order, either taking a shot in their heads or through their hearts. Everyone who was shot was killed instantly. All that happened while Qianye was using a Kohler no less. Although this traditional handgun was just a firearm, its close range power was considerable. It was just perfect for these people who werent even rank one Fighters. When the young man saw that more than half of his underlings had been killed, he immediately drew a cold breath! Before he could react, Qianye stretched his legs and flicked a handgun dropped by the Sky Snake hoodlums into his hand. Another series of gunshots then followed, and now, no one beside the young man was still standing. Qianye walked towards the young man and waved the gun once, saying indifferently, Theres one more bullet left. If you kill me, my father will never forgive you! We can still talk this out- The young man appeared to be in panic as he stepped backwards again and again. Suddenly, he let out an odd cry and swung a leg right at Qianyes crotch! This kick was actually crackling with a soft popping sound of origin power. Its power was obvious! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 72: Do Battle [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye did not attempt to avoid the blow. He took a step forward with his left leg and lifted his right knee, slamming it directly into the young mans sweeping foot! There was a crack and a bloodcurdling scream. The young mans leg was bent at an unnatural angle, his ankle obviously broken. The young man could no longer stand on his feet as he crashed on his back. He glared at Qianye. It was only now that he felt true fear! Qianyes expression didnt change too much. In the end, even his spring-like smile wasnt completely withdrawn yet. It was as if taking a dozen lives was nothing to him at all. The young man finally understood that in the eyes of this man who was so beautiful that he even appeared a little fragile, his strength as a rank two Fighter meant that he was an ant that could be crushed at any moment. Qianyes true strength was definitely not as it seemed to the surface! Dont kill me, dont kill me! My father is Sky Snake! At this time, sobs could be heard behind the young mans words. He shifted his body backward repeatedly, trying to stay away from this devil of a man. I know that your father is Sky Snake. Qianye said indifferently. Calmly, he pushed the final bullet into the chamber and aimed it at the young mans other, unhurt foot. He then said, I wont kill you. Go back and tell Sky Snake that I will play with him until the end if he dares to provoke me again! As for you, if you show up in front of me again, you will not be as lucky you are today. Let this shot will be a lesson for you and Sky Snake today. While speaking, Qianye pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the chamber with a bang and slammed into the young mans knee. Although Sky Snakes son was a rank two Fighter, the heavy duty bullet still came very close to shattering his knee. Qianye threw the emptied gun down onto the young mans face before unholstering the Flowing Gold Rose from his waist. He said, You are not worthy of this gun, and neither is Sky Snake! Qianye turned around and left. It was only a long time after his figure had disappeared that the young man dared to let out a bloodcurdling scream, Someone! Someone save me! Moments later, at the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters, Sky Snake slammed the wooden tea table with his palm, and instantly broke it into several pieces! His face was so dark and heavy that one could almost wringe water from it. His face twitched non-stop as he stared at the dozen or so corpses laid in a row on the hall floor. Right now, Sky Snakes precious and only son was receiving treatment from a doctor at the back of the room. He had one arm and one leg crushed by Qianye, and he nearly completely lost a knee as well. However, these were still not the worst of his injuries. His son had suffered such a terrible shock that he had gone a little insane at the end of everything. At times, he would suddenly let out shocked screams as if Qianye were standing right in front of him. Even if he could fully treat his external injuries, his son could never reach Sky Snakes current level any longer. Originally, Sky Snake had been hoping that he could inherit the Sky Snake Gang. While brimming with murderous intent, Sky Snake slowly stood up and yelled, Summon the men! We shall go to Home of Hunters! An hour later, several hundreds of leather-adorned men gathered at Home of Hunters doorsteps, and filled the entire street. Every mans elbows were tattooed with all kinds of snakes. Sky Snake led several dozen of his trusted subordinates and strode into Home of Hunters. A few hunters had initially been seated in the hall. Right now, they had all stood up in doubt and surprise as they watched Sky Snake aggressively step into the hall. This is none of your business! Sit down now, or Ill assume that youre trying to provoke me. Sky Snake said coldly. These hunters were all Fighters of rank two or so. Their faces paled instantly, and they sat back down on their seats. Sky Snake was a rank five Fighter, and the difference between their strength could not be more obvious. He wasnt someone they could resist at all. Old 2 was the only one still seated primly behind the counter. He had only raised his head for a glance when Sky Snake led his men into the hall. He had then turned his gaze back to his book. BANG! Sky Snakes palm slammed down heavily on the counter. However, this slap did not shatter the entire counter as he had expected it to. There were only a few cracks spreading out where he had struck. When Sky Snake struck downwards, Old 2 had put his hand on the counter as well, and protected it with an immense amount of origin power. His origin power had clashed fiercely against Sky Snakes. Still, a few cracks had appeared on the counter, so it was obvious that Sky Snakes origin power was slightly greater than Old 2s. Sky Snakes face was incredibly ugly as he said in a cold tone, Old 2, are you going to start a full scale war against my Sky Snake Gang for that one star hunter? Old 2 lifted his presbyopic glasses and said seriously, looking through the lenses that were slightly worn out, Are you talking about Qianye? The grudge between you two has nothing to do with me or Home of Hunters. However, if you try to break the counter I make a living with, and the table that I eat my food on at the very second you come in, what else do you think I should do? When that happens, I have to fight even if I dont want to, dont I? Sky Snake said in a chilly voice, This counter isnt broken yet, but my son already is! If Home of Hunters plans to defend that little brat, then yes, this war must start! On top of that, lets not forget that my Sky Snake Gang lost a dozen or so lives as well! Old 2s eyebrows wrinkled as he said slowly, Sky Snake, do not forget that Home of Hunters exists not only in Darkblood City, but also the on upper continents of the Empire as well. Try not to do something stupid, even if you think I am not worth giving face to. Sky Snake laughed coldly and said, Of course, the Sky Snake Gang cannot be compared to the entire Home of Hunters. However, Ive never heard that Home of Hunters would break their own rules and interfere with matters they shouldnt either. There are exception to rules, especially when our counter were to be smashed by someone. However, Sky Snake did not even frown at his veiled threat and said, So were doing this the hard way, then? Before Old 2 could answer, Qianyes voice rang from the side, So what if we do this the hard way? Sky Snake abruptly turned around and stared at Qianye like a hawk. He laughed coldly and said, Good! Very good! I have never seen someone who dares provoke our Sky Snake Gang in the face! Do you think Im easy to pick on? Qianyes laugh was equally cold, If someone tries to kill me but is so weak that they got killed by me instead, what else is there to be discussed about? Or do you think that I should just sit on my ass and die? Sky Snake, do you think Im easy to pick on? Sky Snakes eyes narrowed slightly as he uttered coldly, You are merely a rank three small fry. So what if I pick on you? When I saw you last time, you did seem to have some talent in you, but if I kill you now, then no matter how good your talents are, it will be worth nothing at all! Qianye laughed disdainfully, You want to kill me? Sky Snakes pupils shrank, and he suddenly smiled, saying, Do you want to give it a try right now then? Old 2 stood up at this point and said solemnly, Sky Snake, must you take a life at my place? What are you going to do now, Old 2? Even if youre willing to make sacrifices, do not forget that he is not the only hunter in Home of Hunters. Sky Snakes face was unpleasant, and his tone was already veiled with a threat. Old 2 was unmoved by his words as he said indifferently, Youve already crossed the line when you brought so many men into my place. Therefore, no one is allowed to fight here today, or they will have me as an enemy. After tonight, no matter what happens between you and Qianye, it will no longer be my business. Sky Snake raised his eyebrows and was about to say something. But in the end, he held himself back, nodded powerfully, and answered coldly, Alright! I will give you face today, but this will be the last time! From tomorrow morning onwards, I will come and settle my business with this kid. However, I will remind you, Old 2, you have a lot of hunters, and not all of them are strong. You better wish that they will have a safe journey when they go on their missions from now on. If I run into any hunters in or outside the city, maybe Ill share my kindness and help them along the way! Sky Snake glanced at the hunters inside the hall once before beckoning at his men. They then left Home of Hunters swaggeringly. The rank two hunters all wore ugly expressions on their faces. If they ran into Sky Snake or his elite subordinates when they were out on a mission, they might not even have the chance to escape. Being a hunter was an extremely dangerous occupation in the first place, and now that the Sky Snake Gang had appeared out of nowhere and became their enemy, it meant that their death ratio would become a lot higher than it had been before. Therefore, there were a lot of Hunters who were staring at Qianye with extremely unfriendly eyes. Hes just a freshman. He has no idea of the the immensity of heaven and earth! If he wants to fight the Sky Snake Gang to the death thats his own business! Dont drag us into his mess! Thats right! A person like this better watch his back when he goes on a mission in the future. A man thats too arrogant can only die faster! The hunters began conversing with one another as their grudge grew bigger and their words turned uglier. Qianye did not say anything. He simply swept a glance at them once. Those hunters suddenly choked on their words. Their numbers were greater, and Qianye was only one level higher than they were. Supposedly, they had nothing to be afraid of against Qianye. However, when Qianye had glanced at them, they all shivered at once and were unable to continue talking any longer. They looked into each others eyes and saw the shock and fear inside them. Because of this, they didnt dare to stay behind any longer, and left Home of Hunters while muttering beneath their breaths. Qianye arrived in front of the counter and said to Old 2, Do you have any alcohol? I would like to drink a bit. Old 2 took out a cup and fished out a palm-sized purple sand wine jar. He then filled a small half of the cup and pushed it to Qianye. Qianye grabbed the cup and drank it in one gulp. After holding his breath for a moment, he finally said, Great wine! Its still a little weaker than the one I make myself though. Are you talking about military use stimulants? Old 2 obviously knew a lot more than he seemed to. That stuff is a little harmful to the body though. It must be taken sparingly. Old 2 poured Qianye yet another cup of alcohol, saying, Looks like you got quite the trouble with Sky Snake. That is true! His son just tried to rob me. It is very much like that young mans style to do so. He does have some smarts, though. He knows what kind of person he can afford to provoke. Qianye let out a mouthful of wine vapor and smiled, Unfortunately for him, his luck wasnt good enough. Thats why he found me. I am exactly the kind of person he should not have provoked. Old 2 looked at Qianye deeply and said, You have great confidence in yourself. Qianye said calmly, I simply believe that I cannot let them act however they like. What do you need me to do? Youve already done enough for me. You may need more weaponry. Its fine. Ill get them from Sky Snake. Qianye set down the empty cup on the counter and headed outside just like that. At the entrance to the hall, there was a big guy leaning against the door. It was one of the three people Qianye had run into when he first visited Home of Hunters. When he saw Qianye, he suddenly spat on the ground and said, I hate the smell of dogs with the Empires stench on them. However, those trash from the Sky Snake Gang disgust me even more! The entire street outside is filled with their eyes right now. If you arent careful enough, I may have to take care of your corpse tomorrow morning. Qianye paused his footsteps and said, If you enjoy carrying corpses on your back, then congratulations, there will be plenty of Sky Snake Gang henchmen wholl be your customers by the morrow. I may not like you, but thank you regardless. The big guy nodded and opened the way. He walked toward the counter and said to Old 2, Old 2, Im here to submit a mission! It was only when Qianye had exited the front door that the big guy said, That little guy might actually be able to do a little something. Maybe hes worth raising. Old 2 simply shrugged and said nothing. When Qianye left Home of Hunters, he unhurriedly entered a dark alley by his side. The vagrants roaming around Home of Hunters immediately followed him from a suitable distance. The second Qianye entered the alleyway, he instantly sped up and charged to the end of the alley like a typhoon. He then turned to the left with a quick dash and step. The people following him couldnt be bothered to conceal themselves any longer and charged madly towards the street where Qianye disappeared. However, when they reached the crossroad, Qianye was long gone. A moment later, Qianye suddenly appeared at Yu Yingnans doorsteps. However, before he could lift a hand and knock on the door, it suddenly opened to reveal a fully-armed Yu Yingnan walking out full of killing intent, carrying an extremely powerful, double barrel shotgun in one hand. Qianye suddenly leaped forward and pushed Yu Yingnan into the room. Then, he kicked the door shut. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 73: Kill Order [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Its you! When Yu Yingnan saw Qianye, she was immediately overcome with joy and surprise. What are you doing? Qianye looked at her attire and asked. Yu Yingnan gritted her teeth and said, Im going to fight those Sky Snake Gang bastards! Qianye smiled helplessly and said, You will only be throwing your life away. Im not afraid of death. Yu Yingnan said coldly. But we all wish that youll live nicely. When she heard this, Yu Yingnan suddenly felt an indescribable sense of nervousness. She actually couldnt look straight at Qianye and averted her gaze to the side. Qianye grabbed over the shotgun in her hands and gave it a look. He then said, This shotgun looks pretty powerful. Its great. If you dont mind it, please lend it to me for a few days. What are you planning to do? Yu Yingnan only just finished half her sentence when Qianye sealed her mouth with a finger. This is my war, and I can I do anything I want because I have no bonds to tie me down, but youre different! Your companions and family are still waiting for you to protect and care for them. If you die, what would happen to your companions? Your younger brother? When he was done, Qianye forcefully took off the bag holding the shotgun bullets and tossed it over his own shoulder. He then turned around and headed outside. Wait! Yu Yingnan stopped Qianye and took out a bullet box, pushing it into his hands, There are three origin bullets here. This is all I have, but I will find someone to provide you support immediately. I prefer to act alone. Plus, its actually better for me if you dont do anything. Thank you for this! Qianye waved the origin bullet box and stepped into the night. While staring at Qianyes back, Yu Yingnan felt lost for the first time in her life. She didnt know if she should charge out and help him, or listen to his words and do nothing. She herself knew that Sky Snake had definitely sent out a great number of men to monitor her movements. Perhaps this was what Qianye had meant earlier. Qianye began to run slowly under the night sky. He ran through the streets, the alleys, and even the low shacks. Finally, he suddenly changed his directions and sped up, leaving behind Sky Snake Gangs eyes once more as he returned to his own house. He then had a good nights sleep. Perhaps the Sky Snake Gangs people did not consider at all that Qianye would actually dare to return home, but they did not even send a single person to check out his own house, allowing Qianye to sleep through the whole night. When the alarm clocks hand pointed towards six, a noisy ringing sound woke Qianye from his sleep. Qianye looked at the time and was greatly surprised that he had actually been able to get a good nights sleep, without any disturbance at all. Right now, he was like a lone wolf that was completely rested and was capable of hunting several days and nights in a row. He briefly tidied up his room and even had the leisure to put a mustache on his face before he slipped through the window, leading to a narrow passage between the kitchen and the walls. Right when Qianye exited the window, the front door got kicked in by someone. A person said in a shrill voice, Check inside! Do not let that little bastard leave! Qianye shook his head at the cry that came too late and leaped over the walls, vanishing into Darkblood Citys lightless morning. Darkblood City was a giant place with streets circulating around the four Perpetual Dynamo Towers. Its skies were covered in messy pipes and wires, and its streets were as complicated as a maze. In the west and north areas were the residences of the expeditionary forces and nobles, so they could still be considered clean and tidy. On the other hand, the east and south areas, with a slum in their midst, were filled with gangs and all kinds of people. Even if the Sky Snake Gang had over ten thousand of members and controlled one third of the south areas streets, they would still not be able to act however they wished in such an environment. After theyd retreated from Home of Hunters last night, they had spread out and stationed their spies on all city gates and major streets. Sky Snake paid no heed to Qianyes resistance at all. However, hunters were good at hiding their tracks, and if their carelessness led to Qianye sneaking out of city without them noticing, they would have to spend several times the effort to find him again. A moment later, at a dark and decrepit bar, Qianye sat at a corner, with his face completely hidden in the shadows. Bottom-level inhabitants loved these kinds of small bars the most. It might be small, but it had everything it should have, such as booze and women. More importantly, the price was low. By spending only several dozens of copper coins, they could get a large cup of home brew rice wine and sit for an entire day. The jobless men who were idle during the day loved to gather at this place and boast to other people to pass time. They would also check around to see if they could get a job the next day in passing. Therefore, this was also the gathering spot of many news and rumors. Most news was spread swiftly through places like these. The air was filled with the smell of cheap cigarettes, perfumes, freshly cooked food and all sorts of other weird scents. It was also clamorous. Qianye shut his eyes and slowly channeled the Combatant Formula in patience. When dusk arrived once more, Qianyes ears caught the news he needed. Hey! Did you guys know that something huge is going on! The Sky Snake Gang has issued a kill order on a one star hunter named Qianye! If anyone can get his head, theyll be rewarded one hundred gold coins! If anyone can provide accurate information about his tracks, they could get ten gold coins as well! Oh my god, one hundred gold coins! This number caused the entire bar to boil up. It was a sum that exceeded the limit of most of the peoples imaginations here. Almost no one here knew how they would spend such a huge sum of money if they did acquire it, so someone at the side of the bar began to scheme and plot on anothers behalf. However, the guy who suggested the ideas did not actually know how to spend such a huge sum of money either, so the conversation quickly turned into an argument between both sides. For a sack of gold coins that theyd never gotten, the duo began to fight it out in the bar. Amidst the chaos, Qianye quietly squeezed his way out of the bar. He raised his head and looked at the moonless, starry night sky. A hint of a smile seemed to appear on his lips. Kill order? Qianye was waiting exactly for this. It was obvious that the Sky Snake Gang had become a little anxious after losing his trail for an entire day. However, they were also very sure that Qianye had not exited the city, so the reason they gave out such a high bounty was to stop him from staying idle inside the city. However, this kill order brought an entirely different kind of meaning for Qianye. It meant that he now had a strong reason to lose himself in battle. On its own, the Sky Snake Gang was not worth the caution he was displaying. There was no way Sky Snake couldve made his gang the third biggest organization in all of Darkblood City, so that meant that there must be someone who was supporting him from the shadows. Old 2 might be able to force Sky Snake out of Home of Hunters, but he might not be able to stop the important people behind him. However, the war was now limited to only Qianye and the Sky Snake Gang. Qianye began to walk aimlessly inside the maze-like alleys. When he passed through a small street, a group of Sky Snake Gang henchmen just happened to come through from the side lane. Qianye immediately halted his footsteps and waited patiently. Those people immediately froze on the spot, and when they saw Qianyes face clearly, they almost couldnt believe their eyes! Is that him? A person asked tentatively. The guy who looked like the groups leader yelled loudly, Of course its him! What are you guys waiting for, go as one and cut him to death! A few people pulled out their knives and daggers and rushed towards Qianye while roaring! There were two loud bangs, and two henchmen fell backwards while looking badly mutilated. At close range, a shotguns terrifying power was almost unstoppable. Qianyes figure flashed once, and he avoided the incoming slashes while dropping the two shotgun shells into his palm. He then calmly refilled the shotgun chamber as agilely as a little bird. The second he finished reloading, the barrel spat out two long flame tongues that blasted yet another two people into fiery deaths. Qianye calmly opened the gun bolt, ejected the shells, reloaded the bullets and resumed his stance once more. He then aimed at the last two Sky Snake Gang members. Under the threat of the gun barrel, the two Sky Snake Gang members shook all over like leaves in the wind. Suddenly, they fell on their knees in front of Qianye and cried for mercy. Qianye said indifferently, Its not so easy to earn the gold coins, now is it? The Sky Snake gang members stared at each other, unsure how to answer his question. They did have some smarts in their brain, and they knew that a wrong answer on this kind of question might result in immediate death. Qianye slowly holstered his shotgun and said, Take a message back to your gang. From this day onwards, i will kill any Sky Snake Gang member who dares to patrol the streets! Now get out! The two Sky Snake Gang members immediately ran off like chickens. Darkblood City was bustling with activity even at night. Some businesses that couldnt see daylight would only have life in them during this time. There was always a way to find a channel of income in this city that never sleeps. Later on, Qianye continued to stroll about, and encountered several more Sky Snake Gang groups. His mustache disguise didnt actually change his appearance by much at all, so he was recognized almost every time. The next night, Sky Snake Gangs members showed Qianye how crazily far they were willing to go for the bounty of a hundred gold coins. Qianye also let them know just how much a different a Red Scorpion soldier was from a normal human being. Gunshots occasionally resounded in the dark streets. The messy and disorderly shots belonged to the Sky Snake Gang, whereas the steady and low rumbles belonged to Qianye. The shotgun had a unique timber that sounded like a heavy drum beat, beating again and again at the gang members hearts. Every time it beat, it would take away a life. Before he knew it, Qianye had arrived at Black Copper Street once again. Not far away, the luminous powder on the shop sign of A1 Firearms was glowing dark green. Qianye pushed the door and entered. The old man, A1, continued to wipe his gun parts behind the counter, without even bothering to lift his head. Qianye leaned against the counter and lit up a cigarette. He said, Im back. When the old man lifted his head and saw Qianye, his expression immediately changed, instantly destroying his usual image of a mysterious elite. Im telling you now, but I absolutely do not accept return goods after they are sold! the old man said fiercely. Qianye passed over a cigarette and said, I should be calling you Old 1? Old 1 sniffed the fumes breathed out by Qianye and looked slightly surprised, saying, This is mixed with military use stimulant? Let me see. Oh my god, these are the goods of an elite corps! I cant believe you actually acquired something like this! Old 1 immediately lit up the cigarette and breathed in deeply. He held his breath, and a long while later, a flush appeared on his face before he sighed, What a good taste! I havent had something like this for a long time. Qianye did not say anything. He simply pushed the whole pack of cigarettes in front of Old 1. Old 1 hesitated for a moment before keeping the cigarette pack in the end, saying, Im not accepting return goods after I sold them no matter what! Im having a good time using this Ambusher. I have no plans of returning it. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 74: Exiting the City [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] It was only then that Old 1 let out a sigh of relief, I heard that Old 2 recently recruited a little guy who had great potential, but was also very prone to getting into trouble. Not too long ago, the Sky Snake Gang even issued a kill order on said little guy. Thats you, isnt it? Qianye smiled and said, Trouble? I simply felt that there was no need to hold back. Not to an unworthy Sky Snake Gang at least! Old 1 looked Qianye up and down once before saying, You talk big, but your strength is lacking, so whats the use? You cant beat Sky Snake, and there are at least a few rank four elites within Sky Snake Gang. Should I not fight, then? Just because Im not strong enough? Qianye countered. Old 1 sighed, When I was younger, my thoughts were the same as yours. But it is only now that I understand that not fighting is the smartest measure when youre weak. Qianye smiled and said, Then Id rather not be smart. Old 1 shook his head, Tell me what you want. Theres something I would like to sell you. Qianye took out the Flowing Gold Rose, put it on the counter, and pushed it to Old 1. Old 1 immediately stood up and cried out involuntarily, A Flowing Gold Rose! He took out a magnifying glass and examined every detail of the Flowing Gold Rose bit by bit. It was only until a long time later that he said, There is no mistake! This is a Flowing Gold Rose handmade by the Niederhill Family themselves. This Flowing Gold Rose is the premium of the premium of its series. Old 1 raised his head and looked at Qianye, saying, I heard that the Sky Snake Gang has lost a Flowing Gold Rose. Therefore, this is not the best time to sell it. Behind the smoke, there was a faint smile on Qianyes slightly blurry face, Ever since met Old 2, I knew that you must have a channel to sell this off, Old 1. Old 1 nodded and said, You arent wrong there, but its just a little troublesome. Still, the Flowing Gold Rose is worth this bit of trouble. However, you understand that it cannot possibly sell for too much due to the current circumstances, dont you? What do you want? Qianye pondered for a moment and said, I need a grade three handgun or shotgun, a powerful one. The shooting speed and range can be ignored. Also, Id like some origin bullets. Both blanks and filled are fine. In reality, this deal was practically exchanging the Flowing Gold Rose for a standard origin gun of the same rank. On the upper continents, the Flowing Gold Rose could easily be traded for three premium, rank three origin guns. Old 1 put away the Flowing Gold Rose and went to the back room. A moment later, he walked out and put a handgun holster and a bullet box in front of Qianye. This is Butcher 3. Its been revamped once, but it has an accessory attached to its origin array, so its killing power has increased slightly. This is a box of blank origin bullets. There are ten bullets inside. Qianye raised the Butcher handgun and gave it a rough inspection. This was a revolver-type handgun, but its cylinder could only fit four origin bullets. Its caliber was unusually big, and the entire gun was forty centimeters long. The barrel was so huge it could literally fit a young kids fist. It looked to wield immeasurable killing power, so it was no wonder that it was named Butcher. The Butcher series were a rather famous handgun-type origin gun series. This was a handgun that was built purely for power, and the energy level a grade three Butcher could unleash was as high as that of a large caliber firearm cannon. Wielding this was literally like wielding a small, steel cannon. A single shot could easily pierce through an armored vehicles defenses. The gun was about seventy percent new, and judging from the polishing marks inside the gun, the one who had modified it was an expert. The modification caused the guns power to be enhanced by ten percent. Qianye was very satisfied with this Butcher. He immediately put it back into its dedicated holster and hung it at his waist. You had better leave Darkblood City immediately. Old 1 said. Im leaving right now. Qianye said, Although it doesnt make a difference to me to be inside or outside the city. Qianye hadnt left A1 Firearms too long before he saw a few Sky Snake Gang henchmen walking his way from the opposite side of the street. These people no longer appeared to be leisurely strolling around the place. They were holding their guns in their hands, and had their fingers placed on the trigger, looking like they were facing a terrible enemy. At the same time, Qianye could feel a few people swiftly approaching from behind him, seemingly planning to surround him from both sides. Qianye hadnt hidden his tracks, so the Sky Snake Gangs men had immediately discovered him. Its that bastard! Dont let him get away! The Sky Snake gang henchmen successively raised their guns and pulled out their knives before charging toward Qianye from the opposite side of the street, screaming at the top of their lungs. From behind him, there were also the sounds of sharp weapons cutting through the air. Robbery was not allowed on Black Copper Street. This was an unwritten rule that everyone obeyed, lest they should be viewed as enemies by every shop owner on the street. Those who had dared to break this rule in the past all turned to corpses and were dumped in the drains, to be discovered by other people. Although the shops at Black Copper Street were all small businesses, they were stores that sold arms. Qianye knew this rule very well, which was exactly why he stood in place without moving and simply grabbed his small axe with his right hand. The two groups of people charged forward madly, and they looked like they were about to catch Qianye between them. It would only take another two or three steps before the person charging at the front could pierce his back with the tip of his knife. It was at this moment that Qianye moved and fiercely rammed into the crowd in front of him, sending two men flying backward to where they came from. Then, a cold gleam flashed as his axe slashed in a flat arc and swept through three peoples waists! In that instant, Qianye had already charged ten meters away. He then paused his footsteps before slowly turning around. There were two thumps, and the two henchmen knocked away by Qianye crashed onto the ground. They twitched and struggled, but could never climb to their feet again. Meanwhile, the other three people clasped their waists and slowly fell to the ground as well. Blood swiftly spread out all over the floor. The three henchmen charging towards Qianye from behind stopped in their tracks. They stared in shock at Qianye and found that they were unable to take a step further. If Qianye could take out the five people at the front in an instant, then wouldnt the three of them just be throwing away their lives too if they charged at him? Suddenly, the group let out screams, turned around, and ran away! Qianye picked up a machete at random and threw it out forcefully! The blade let out a whistle and flew like lightning before instantly sinking into the back of a henchmans heart! The other two henchmen ran even faster and disappeared to the end of Black Copper Street in the blink of an eye. If Qianye had really wanted to kill them, these two fellows could not have escaped. However, Qianye could not be bothered to chase after them. With swift steps, he left Black Copper Street and headed toward at a dense group of buildings before climbing up the web-like pipes covering the sky. During the latter half of the night, Qianye appeared at the city gate without any warning, and flashed past a Sky Snake Gang sentry post. He then strutted across the magnificent building and left. There were plenty of Sky Snake Gang members who did not sleep well that night. They kept feeling ill at ease and would wake up from time to time. After sleeping through more than half the night, not only did Sky Snake not feel recovered, he felt even more tired than before. Naturally, Sky Snake was in an extremely bad mood at this time. His precious son was still lying on the bed, and there was no telling if he could be healed entirely. Qianye had acted ruthlessly. His shot had nearly completely shattered the young mans knee. It was very difficult to heal such an injury, and the metallic shards trapped inside his bones had to be operated on several times before they could be cleaned out entirely. This was not something the doctors of this city could do well. On top of that, if he did not want any sequelae, his son could only be sent to the expeditionary armys headquarters or even the upper continent for treatment. The moment he thought of the huge fee he might have to pay to treat his son, Sky Snake felt both irritated and uneasy. If his son hadnt been somewhat talented and if he had not reached the rank three threshold at a young age, if his son hadnt had the potential to ascend to rank five, then Sky Snake had planned to give up on him entirely and raise a few more sons. However, a rank five son wasnt something that one could get just because they wanted to. Sky Snake had been planning to have his rank five son inherit his position in the future, which was why he absolutely loathed Qianye right now. In Sky Snakes eyes, not only did this clueless brat not feel grateful for having allowed him to leave the Sky Snake Gang alive back then, he even hurt his son with such a vile method, and publically went up against him at the Home of Hunters. Qianye was someone that he had to kill no matter what! Under the torture of his anger and his worries, Sky Snake had almost slipped to the edge of insomnia. Every time he felt a little sober, he would hear faint footsteps constantly running around, as well as the occasional clamor of people outside his room. This bunch of rubbish! They cant do anything right! Sky Snake yelled inside his heart. However, not only did the noise outside not quiet down as he expected it to, it even grew louder and more disorderly. Sky Snake was finally unable to sleep any longer. He abruptly sat up and let out an explosive yell fueled by origin power, What the f*ck are you guys talking about so noisily?! The noise outside vanished instantly. With a dark face, Sky Snake put on his clothes and exited the room. His eyes swept across the guards outside like lightning, causing them to shiver and turn pale immediately as they straightened their posture. Sky Snake walked to the circular stairs and looked down at the hall beneath him. It was the place where the Sky Snake Gangs higher-ups gathered and talked about business. Right now, the hall was filled with people, and even the people who werent on duty today had appeared. They looked sleepy, and they were obviously just called up from their beds. From the top, Sky Snake swept a cold, electric glance across the crowd before yelling angrily, What happened? Everyone subconsciously shivered at Sky Snakes anger. When Sky Snake was angry, there was no one who would not fear him. Finally, someone stood out and said, Chief, we have a lot of casualties tonight. How many is a lot? Sky Snake was almost roaring at the top of his lungs at this point. A-a hundred and thirty people. the person finally reported the number under pressure. Sky Snake was just as surprised as his people when he heard this sudden number. He immediately calmed down and asked, Who did this? Its that kid, Qianye. Bang! Sky Snake crushed the stairs handrail in one punch. He then directly jumped down from the second floor, causing the entire hall to shudder once. Sky Snake swept a glance across some of his competent subordinates and asked in a low tone, Since we lost so many people, where is that Qianyes corpse? No one answered him. Sky Snakes face darkened even further. The heavy number made everyone realize that Sky Snake Gang had absolutely provoked a dangerous opponent with true mettle in him. Qianyes rank might not be high, but the fact that he could kill so many Sky Snake Gang members in a single night meant that he was absolutely not an ordinary person. Even Sky Snake had to admit that he had not been able to kill so many people this quickly and efficiently when he was at rank three. There was absolutely no way he could leave this brat alive! Sky Snake calmed down and asked, Where is he now? Someone saw him going outside the city. Saw him? A murderous look flashed across Sky Snakes eyes. The answerer immediately thought shit in his head before remedying his words, Someone outside the gang saw him. Sky Snake had issued a kill order on Qianye, so if his men saw Qianye, the only course of action they should take was to kill him. If they saw him, but did not act, then they were disobeying his orders. Of course, the reason the normal gang members did not act must have been because they were afraid of Qianye, but their fear was meaningless in front of the gangs orders. Seeing that the man had remedied his mistake quickly, Sky Snake did not pursue the matter. He turned back and walked to the sofa at the center of the room. He sat down and began to ponder. A moment later, Sky Snake said slowly, Black Wolf, Flying Bird, the two of you will lead the law enforcement halls kill squad to go out of the city and capture that kid. A dark-skinned man took a step forwards after his name was called. He only nodded and said nothing in reply. Flying Bird was a bright and clean young man who had all this time been playing with a flying knife that was as thin as a cicada''s wing. When he heard Sky Snakes order, he frowned and said, That bastard is just a rank three small fry. Do I really need to act together with Black Wolf? That kid is very cunning, and his methods are not normal. Do not be careless, Flying Bird! Hearing Sky Snakes words, Flying Bird shrugged and said nothing. Is there anything at Yu Yingnans side? Sky Snake asked. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 75: Passerby [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] She went to a few weapon shops and bought quite a lot of ammo. It sums up to about all of her dividend from her last mission, but thats about it. There havent been any unusual movements otherwise. Sky Snake pondered for a moment before saying, Dispatch some more men and watch her closely! You go too, Luo Xiong. If she shows any signs of interfering, you must delay her and keep her inside the city! Sky Snake was profoundly wary of this female hunter as well. He had even sent one of his four elite subordinates, Luo Xiong to handle her. A heated gleam flashed across Flying Birds eyes as he suddenly said, Why dont you let me watch her! I like this job! Sky Snakes face darkened, and he yelled, No! We cannot touch her yet, or that Old 2 will fight us as if his life depends on it! Flying Bird licked his lips and let out a cruel smile, saying, That old fool is only rank five. I seriously do not understand what youre so wary about! He has destroyed so many of our good deals already. In my opinion, we shouldve killed him a long time ago! Sky Snakes face was dark as he said slowly, Eventually we will do just that, but it doesnt have to be now. Old Liao, how did the communication with the hunters go? Old Liao was a lean, old man, whose thin and long eyes always reminded people of a poisonous snake. He said unhurriedly, It went very well! I found a person whom you most definitely will be interested in. Old Liao called someone from outside the hall, and a man covered in a mantle from head to toe entered the hall and stood in front of Sky Snake. He unveiled his hood to reveal a young and handsome face. Even in front of Sky Snake, the man did not appear to be flustered or cowered in the slightest. He said calmly, I am Li Lunzhe. A rank three hunter with rank four origin power. Sky Snakes eyes lit up, and he stood up on the spot and said, Ive heard of you! You are one of the strongest hunters of the younger generation! Tell me, what do you want? Li Lunzhe forced out a few words through the gaps of his teeth, I can help you hunt down Qianye. The condition is that you will pass Yu Yingnan to me after the deed is done! Flying Bird immediately let out a heavy snort at the side. While staring at Li Lunzhe, Sky Snake suddenly smiled and said, I cannot promise you this. Li Lunzhes expression immediately changed. After staring at him for a moment, Sky Snake finally said, However, I can promise you that after that brat is dead and I capture Yu Yingnan, Ill let you enjoy her for three days. Li Lunzhe clenched his teeth and said, Alright, its a deal then! Old Liao, give him a few men as well. No need. I work alone. Li Lunzhe said coldly. Good! This isnt bad! Sky Snake smiled. In the wilderness, the optimal candidate to hunt down a hunter is, of course, still a hunter. Moments later, Black Wolf, Flying Bird and Li Lunzhe departed one after another. Right now, It was still earlier than the average get up time, so it was naturally even further away from daybreak. Sky Snake paced back and forth inside the hall. Despite carefully thinking all of his arrangements through from beginning to the end, he could not find any omissions to remedy or any errors to correct. However, for some reason, there was an uneasiness inside his heart that just wouldnt go away. Old Liao had been observing Sky Snakes body language for a long time, and it was at this moment he said, Chief, one might say that were using a sledgehammer on a nut, striking down on that little brat like a thunderbolt. Sky Snakes expression loosened a little as he nodded in agreement. Qianye was incredibly young, and he was only a rank three Fighter. In order to deal with a little brat, he had sent out three rank four experts in a row, two of which were not your average rank four Fighters, and members of his four elite subordinates no less. No matter how powerful that brat was, there was no way he could be more experienced than the veterans who had fought a hundred battles in their lives. As Old Liao said this was most definitely a thunderous strike. One might even say that the measures taken were overblown. Sky Snake returned to his bedroom upstairs to sleep just a while longer. This nights sleep was even more tiring than not sleeping at all, and his headache was pounding like a hammer. After he lied down on the bed, Sky Snake quickly became very drowsy, but because he was plagued by thousands of thoughts that came in succession, he just wasnt able to fall into a deep slumber. Right now, outside Darkblood City, Qianye had already found a mountain cave that was leeward of the wind, and had built a bonfire for himself. He sat in front of the bonfire, and the hind legs of a wild boar were just about to be fully roasted. Flame tongues licked at the grease and caused soft hissing sounds. Thin smoke rose in spirals and assailed the nostrils with an exotic aroma. Suddenly, footsteps rang from outside the cave, and a tall, young man crawled into the cave just like that. Smells good! he said the second he came in. Qianye continued to turn the roasting boar leg and glanced at the newcomer without batting an eyelid. Naturally, the fact that he dared to light a bonfire at this place meant that he wasnt utterly defenseless. He could guarantee that no one could see any light or smell any odor from outside the cave. However, he had heard the young mans footsteps only after he had walked all the way to the cave entrance. This meant that none of the traps or mechanisms he had set up nearby had worked, and that even his footsteps were likely revealed intentionally by the young man after he had gotten close to Qianye. The young man took two steps and reached the bonfire, sitting down at the location opposite of Qianye. He appeared to be very graceful and content while he stretched his two long legs. Im William, Von William. He introduced himself without the slightest shyness. The young man had a narrow forehead, high cheekbones, and golden hair. It was a face in the style of a classic viking. His facial features were incredibly handsome, and his gray-blue eyes gave off a very focused and sincere feeling when he was looking someone in the eye. The smile on his face never seemed to wear off, and his short mustache added a mature charm to his young looks. Qianye lowered his gaze and painted the roasting boar leg with condiments one last time while saying, You can call me Qianye. Your name is a little strange. You are not from the Empire, are you? William smiled and said, I come from a very small country to the west of the Empire, and I have settled and studied at the Empire since a young age. My foster father at the Empire is named Von, so my surname took after his. A gleam flashed across Qianyes eyes, and he said, You are from the upper continent? William raised his eyebrows with slight astonishment, You are very perceptive, my friend. That is right, I did come from the upper continent. Qianye no longer said anything and took the fully-roasted wild boar leg down from the bonfire. He cut the leg in half and passed half of it to William. William was overjoyed by the gift, and without bothering with pleasantries he immediately accepted it and chowed down. While watching him eat, Qianyes fingers trembled indiscernibly for just an instant. Williams ears moved slightly, but he continued to eat happily without raising his head. Qianye no longer looked at him. He put another boar leg onto the fire and sprinkled condiments and alcohol on it. He began roasting again. Both men had quite the appetite, and like a tornado, they quickly gobbled down the two wild boar legs that added up to a fifty whole kilograms. William patted his belly with a fulfilled look on his face, smiling, I havent eaten myself this full for several months! It isnt easy to find food in the wasteland. Qianye expressed his agreement. Oh no, food comes by easy, but tasty food isnt easy to find. You dont mind if I rest here for a night, do you? William asked while smiling. Qianye opened his arms and said, Of course not. Please help yourself. I am about to sleep myself. William put his backpack down on the floor to use it as a pillow, placing it at the side of the bonfire that was near the cave entrance. He then lied down on the floor and instantly fell into a deep slumber. Qianye stared at the leaping flames and zoned out for a bit. He then shifted backward and leaned half his body on the cave wall. He closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, slowly revolved a mind incantation, and entered a state of hypnagogia. This was a state between wakefulness and deep slumber. It was a sleeping art used specifically by the special forces of the army. It was suited for resting at the battlefield or in a dangerous environment, enabling the user to regain wakefulness at a moments notice. The night was very quiet. There were only the occasional crackling sounds of the bonfire. The silence was unnatural. During the night, the wasteland belonged to nocturnal beasts and low-ranking dark races. Travellers who dared to pass the night here would have to be prepared to face at least one or two surprise attacks. However, it had been unusually peaceful this night, and even the usual howls and roars almost never sounded. At five am sharp, William suddenly opened his eyes and let out a yawn, saying, What a good nights sleep! The second William moved, Qianye immediately opened his eyes. William stood up, stretched his limbs and moved his body for a bit. He then let out a brilliant, sunlit smile and said, Thank you for the reception! I did nothing. Qianye shrugged and said. William crouched closer and patted Qianyes shoulder, saying, Alright, I should be leaving. Should the occasion arise, we shall meet each other again in the future! Speaking of which, I saw a few people along the road who seemed to be coming after you. Be careful! I will! Qianyes cloak-wrapped body continued to lean against the cave wall. He merely lifted his head slightly in response. Williams eyes glanced once at Qianye, while his mouth formed a deep, meaningful smile. He then raised his backpack and waved his hands, walking out of the mountain cave and never turning back. Qianye did not move from his spot until he could no longer hear Williams footsteps. It was only then he let out a soft sigh and suddenly felt cold sweat pouring all over his body! Qianye touched the spot on his shoulder where William had patted him, and put his hand in front of his nose, inhaling deeply. He immediately smelled an indiscernible, hot aura that could not be anything but Darkness origin power. Judging from its attribute, it probably came from a werewolfs territory. The young man who called himself William had immeasurable power. Qianye knew that William was suspicious from the second he stepped into the mountain cave, but he hadnt been able to discern anything until the very last moment when he intentionally left behind that strand of aura. This meant that William was so much more powerful than him that they were not at the same level at all. Aside from that, Qianye had also noticed a corner of a tattoo etched on Williams neck while he was eating the wild boar leg. It was a majestic and precipitous mountain peak. Both the shape and angles perfectly matched with that one image etched deeply inside Qianyes memory. The tattoo wasnt just any normal tattoo, but rather a totem that represented both faith and power. The Summit of Peaks was an incredibly powerful and mysterious werewolf tribe in the upper continent. It was said that every one of their members was a terrifying existences who sat at the top of the food chain. Why would a member of the Summit of Peaks suddenly appear near Darkblood City? When he related this appearance with that of the mysterious, black-robed person who had appeared suddenly that day, Qianye had a vague feeling that a gigantic storm was forming on this boulder-filled land, and that if he was careless and became sucked into it, he would most definitely die a horrible death. It was only when William had truly left that Qianye finally became assured that he had escaped a disaster. If this William held any ill intentions toward him at all, he could easily tear Qianye to shreds with a single blow. No tricks or techniques were of any use before absolute power. Before he left, William had said that some people were following Qianye. These were probably the men Sky Snake had sent over, so Sky Snakes reactions were within his predictions at least. Qianye extinguished the flames and made some small arrangements inside the cave. He then withdrew a part of the traps outside the cave before leaving the place. Half a day later, a group of men dressed as adventurers appeared in front of the cave entrance. The leader of the group was none other than Black Wolf. He was a tracking expert of the wasteland, and he had actually managed to trace Qianye all the way to this cave. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 76: Lone Wolf [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Black Wolf carefully approached the cave entrance before taking a strong whiff. After observing the traces on the ground for a moment, he said, He left. You two, go in and take a look. The two people chosen by Black Wolf crawled into the mountain cave. Not long after, their shouts rang out, He passed the night here! They hadnt finished speaking before a terrific explosion occurred inside the cave. The shockwave even blasted one of the two people directly out of the cave! Dammit! Black Wolf immediately bent downwards and covered his head, but he was also blasted several meters away from where he stood by the shockwave, falling sideways due to shaky footing. Black Wolf turned over and hopped onto his feet, feeling impossibly upset with himself. The people he had sent into the cave were both experts in tracking and surviving in the wilderness, but why did they still fail to avoid the trap? With his two companions dead and him left alone, the tracking would become incredibly difficult. Black Wolf hadnt even managed to stand firmly before a streak of light flashed from the corner of his eyes. The sight immediately spooked him out of his mind. It was the light of an origin bullet! The shot was very sudden, and it came from only a hundred meters away. There was no way for Black Wolf to avoid it no matter what he did, so he did the only thing he could do and barely shifted his vitals out of the way. While letting out a bloodcurdling scream, Black Wolf was sent flying backwards by the shot, while his arms blocking in front of his chest became a complete, bloody mess. Black Wolf exerted every strength in his body to flip over in midair so that his feet would land on the ground, but before his feet had even touched the ground, yet another light flashed from within his field of vision. It was yet another origin bullet shot! Black Wolfs brain immediately turned blank, leaving behind only a single train of thought: How many people were there? What kind of shooting speed was this?! How could a single man possibly make all these shots? No matter what Black Wolf was thinking at that moment, the origin bullet still struck the same spot on his chest as before. This time, Black Wolfs defensive origin power was completely blown away as his arms flew into the air. Right before Black Wolf crashed onto the ground, he finally saw Qianyes shooting position. Qianye was hiding right in the midst of a messy rock formation a hundred or so meters away. The rock formation there was craggy, but it did not have a high slant nor many foliages. The plants were so scattered that even the slightest movement would expose ones position. It was not a good place to hide in the first place, which was why Black Wolf hadnt paid it any special attention while inspecting the environment. Meanwhile, Qianye had buried himself beneath a layer of soil and did not move from the beginning until the end. That was how he had managed to fool Black Wolf, successfully launching his abrupt ambush. Qianye tossed the emptied Ambusher on the ground and leaped forth from his hiding spot like a hunting lone wolf. He charged towards the remaining Sky Snake henchmen at top speed! While running, Butcher and his hand knife were gripped in his left and right hand respectively. Bang! Butcher opened fire when Qianye was ten meters away from the group. The discharged origin bullet blew a Sky Snake Gang henchman backward into the air. When Qianye dashed past the final ten meters like lightning, he dove into the still confused crowd that was trying to seek out its enemy, and his war axe flashed with a cold gleam, instantly dropping two people to the ground. Then, Butcher spun in the air as Qianye gripped its barrel and slammed the steel inlaid right into a third persons head! A rank one Fighter from the Sky Snake Gang stood slightly further away from the battlefield, and was currently holding his origin gun upward, trying his best to lock onto Qianye. The patterns on his gun lit up one after another, and it looked like it would finish charging any moment. Qianye suddenly let out a low roar and rammed toward the Fighter. The dozen or so meters of distance was covered in the blink of an eye, while every Sky Snake Gang henchman in the way was bashed so hard that they flew to the sides! Amidst the sounds of bones breaking, the rank one Fighters chest immediately caved in. In face of Qianyes tremendous strength that could rival a rank five Fighter, he was instantly beaten into a state of near death. In one swoop, Qianye grabbed the rifle that was just about to be fully charged, and tossed it out with a backhand motion. The guns landing spot happened to be exactly where another Sky Snake Gang henchman was standing. That henchman was also a rank one Fighter, and he had barely stumbled out of Qianyes pouncing charge just a moment ago. He wasnt even standing fully on his feet, yet when he saw the origin gun spinning and flying in his direction, he subconsciously grabbed it. He then experienced a sudden realization as he stared at the erratic, flickering light on the guns body and felt his expression twist greatly! There was a bang, and the origin gun that had forcefully been interrupted in mid-charge exploded abruptly, covering Sky Snake Fighters face in blood. The man then fell backward and collapsed. Qianye panted intensely while inspecting his surroundings. There was no longer anyone who was still standing around him. Qianye slowly made his way in front of Black Wolf and looked at him with a bowed head, asking, Are you Black Wolf? Black Wolf had taken two origin bullets in a row and had lost both of his arms. He did not even have the strength to sit up as he asked weakly, You recognize me? You are one of the four elites of the Sky Snake Gang. Since you and I are at war now, it is only natural that I investigate every one of your backgrounds. Black Wolf said with difficulty, You are not a normal hunter! Just who are you? My identity is not important. Do you have any last words? A grieved look appeared on Black Wolfs face as he said, If possible, I wish to die by an origin gun. That is where I truly belong. Qianye lifted Butcher and slowly revolved the Combatant Formula. As the origin array on the guns body slowly lit up, a soft, lustrous light appeared on its gigantic muzzle. Qianye pointed the gun at Black Wolfs heart before pulling the trigger. With a bang, the yellow beam pierced Black Wolfs chest, and a meter high blood fountain sprung forth! Qianye briefly swept through the battlefield and took away only Black Wolfs grade two origin gun and everyones gold coins. After walking to a hill several hundred meters away to the east and laying down some arrangements, he then gradually merged with the surrounding environment once again. Half an hour later, another group of Sky Snake Gang henchmen showed up, and this time, their leader was Flying Bird. When he saw that the cave entrance was littered with bodies, his face distorted greatly as he charged directly towards the scene. However, when Flying Bird saw Black Wolfs body, he skidded to a sudden stop and simultaneously raised his hand. The Sky Snake Gang henchmen immediately paused their footsteps before spreading out and finding their place in a battle formation. They instantly entered a state of combat readiness. Flying Bird stood ten meters away from Black Wolfs body and did not take a single step closer. After a moment of surveying the traces left behind on the battlefield, he accurately deduced the position Black Wolf was blasted away from the first time. Then, after observing and calculatingly quietly for another moment, he looked to where Qianye had first fired his shot. Flying Bird slightly bent his body like an agile cat, and walked toward Qianyes former sniping position with erratic movement speed. Naturally, there was nothing to be found in the location, and not only was the pit Qianye had used to hide himself reburied once more, there were even a few rocks laid on top of it. Flying Birds gaze landed on the small patch of grass that was posed awkwardly between two of the rocks. He then raised his head and followed Qianyes sniping trajectory before scanning through the entire craggy rock formation once more. In the afternoon, the wind on the wasteland had started to grow stronger again.The plants in the open space were all swaying slightly, following the winds direction, but the little patch of grass between the two rocks was forcefully positioned to bent sideways. It would seem that this had been Qianyes first hiding spot, but he had wiped his traces after the deed was done. Flying Bird took two steps forward and crouched down to check the fake markings Qianye had left behind. An excellent hunter would be able to deduce their opponents habits through these little clues, and gain a key advantage during their next encounter with the enemy. However, he had only just bent his waist when he abruptly bounced up from the ground as if he had been bitten by something! Only, it was already too late. From the corner of his eyes, Flying Bird caught a ball of light shooting toward him, and it was only then the boom of a gunshot entered his ears! The light exploded, and Flying Bird was tossed backwards like a ragged sack. He did a flip in midair and barely landed on the ground, but his left arm was lowered bonelessly beside his body and could never be raised again. The entire arm was a bloody mess. Several hundred meters away on a gradual slope, Qianye stood up from his hiding spot and as he stared Flying Bird, he made a neck-cutting motion at him from afar. He then turned around and climbed away. With a deathly pale face, Flying Bird slowly stood up straight. The Sky Snake Gang henchmen wanted to chase after Qianye, but they were stopped by Flying Bird. Qianye had obviously exhausted his origin power and no longer had the strength to devour them all in one gulp. That was why he chose to retreat after hurting Flying Bird in one shot. However, if the group had chased after Qianye without Flying Bird to hold the lines, then they would only be picked off one by one by Qianye using mobile warfare. Flying Bird wrapped his wounds and surveyed every trace of the battlefield including inside the cave before finally climbing up the mountain ridge and looking at the direction Qianye had gone off to. His eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty madness, but there was profound wariness behind them as well. As Qianye ran, he would at times pay attention to his back. Seeing that Flying Bird did not chase after him, he felt a chill in his heart as he knew that he was facing a very difficult opponent. However, he had broken Flying Birds arm with his shot, and there was no way he could heal it without a weeks time. If Flying Bird refused to return and would persist in chasing after him, then his combat power would be greatly affected. After running continuously for several dozens of kilometers, Qianye finally decreased his speed and proceeded forward carefully. By now, he had broken away from Darkblood Citys control, and occasionally, there would be dark races operating around the area. Just as the human race would hunt down the dark races, the dark races would also capture those of the human race. The difference lay in that the majority of the dark races saw humans as food, especially humans who cultivated the extraordinary origin power. These types of humans were a rare treat to certain races. While proceeding forward, Qianye looked for a hiding spot and finally settled on a hidden mountain cave by a low cliff overgrown with bushes. He crawled inside and disguised the cave entrance. It was only then that he finally relaxed. Qianye took out a map and inspected it for a bit. He then plotted the route to take by the morrow and marked several notable locations. Finally, he reviewed his work from beginning to the end once more. If the injured Flying Bird continued to come after Qianye, following the tracks he left behind, then he would get a profound experience of the difficulties of the wasteland. Once both sides had exhausted a majority of their stamina, Qianye planned to give Flying Bird a deeply impressive battle encounter. The relationship between prey and its predator was never fixed on the wasteland. After finishing his preparatory work, Qianye began cultivating the Combatant Formula. He could now endure up to twenty-five cycles of origin tides every time he nurtured his nodes. In the foreseeable future, he had the hope of cultivating using a Fighter Kings level of origin tides. Qianye was somewhat looking forward to that future. The sheer power behind the impact of a thirty cycle origin tide could destroy almost any barrier beneath a Champions level of cultivation. That was to say, no bottlenecks existed for Fighter Kings before they reached rank nine. Although the blood energy inside Qianyes body would devour a small portion of his origin power during the nurturing process, his origin power was already compact and immense in the first place. This bit of loss would only drag him down to a normal cultivators level. While Qianye was cultivating, the blood energy inside his body acted on its own. The gold and purple blood energies became active once again as they respectively killed and devoured many strands of normal, dark red blood energy. Their activities were growing more and more frequent, to the point that they had almost become a constant interlude between every nurturement of the nodes. At this point, Qianye practically ignored them most of the time and simply treated it as part of the cultivation process. When he was done cultivating, Qianye began performing maintenance on his guns, and instilled a new origin bullet. Once all the combat preparations were complete, he closed his eyes and fell half asleep, quietly awaiting daybreak. The night was as noisy as ever. Sometimes there would be long, drawn-out wolf howls, and sometimes there would be beast roars. There were also the booms and rumbling howls of gunshots. In this deep and dark, and seemingly eternal night sky, the human race, dark races and feral beasts slaughtered each other in order to claw out a land of living. Ambusher and Butcher were right by his hands, and the war axe was within arms reach as well. Qianye could feel icy and firm metal with his fingertips at any moment. His frame of mind was very stable too. As long as he could fight, as long as he was still alive, he would never give up. Qianye gradually entered dreamland. He didnt know how much time had passed, but he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a forest. His surroundings were dark, and there was nothing to be seen, but he could feel layer upon layer of killing intent piercing his exposed skin like a sea of needles, causing wave after wave of goosebumps to tremor through his body. Suddenly, a rustling sound appeared from behind some shrubs, and Qianye immediately lowered his body like a wild hunting beast. He held his breath and closely watched the direction where the sound had come from. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 77: The Hun t [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] A girl suddenly burrowed out from a shrub. Her features were ordinary, but her figure was slim and graceful, and she had two twisted braids draped over her chest. The moment she lifted her head, she saw Qianye and was momentarily startled into jumping. However, after she saw Qianye clearly, color returned to her face, and she called out, Qianye! Mimi! The name instantly sprung from Qianyes heart. At this point, Qianye was holding a simple and crude dagger that had an incredibly sharp edge. The grooves of the blade were decorated, but it was the only usable weapon he had. He was a youth, in the midst of a life-and-death examination. The rules were simple but cruel, one had to kill one of the other examinees to pass the test. Mimi hesitated, and then walked towards Qianye. There was fog all around them, coming from an unknown place. As Mimis footsteps headed toward him under the cool light of the moon, they created ripples in the fog as if it were water. She spoke softly, Im very scared! Will you kill me? Never! Qianye was resolute. After hearing Qianyes reply, Mimi let go of a breath, and quickly walked over to Qianye and spoke quietly, Lets deal with the others together, then our chances of passing will be greater. Qianye was still hesitating, when he suddenly felt a flash of coldness at his hip! Many years of brutal combat training caused him to immediately fall forward, and roll away a few times, creating distance from the secret assailant. Qianye turned around to look, but only saw that the girls hand and dagger were stained with fresh blood! Qianye was angry and confused, and as he grasped at the wound by his waist, he called out to her, Why!? The girls face was expressionless, and her voice mechanical. Because I want to pass the exam, because I want to get rewarded! Facing the girl who was pursuing him closely, Qianye could only rapidly retreat. Blood rapidly hemorrhaged from between his fingers as he was unable to keep it down with pressure. Mimi viciously pounced at him, mercilessly stabbing away with her dagger, going so fast that her strikes left afterimages. Every single slash aimed at his vitals. Qianyes heart cooled and he grasped his dagger tightly. He suddenly ignored all of the knife thrusts aimed at him, and wholly focused on stabbing Mimis heart! This one stab struck air, and then all the fog was suddenly violently blown away. Qianye found himself on top of a lonely cliff that stretched all the way up into the sky. A few thousand fathoms below him, he could see little black lines snaking along in a large valley. From those lines that looked like little rows of ants, he could clearly make out instructors Long Hai, Zhang Jing, Yin Yin, Shen Tu and the others. There was another man on top of the high cliff. He was dressed in scholars clothing with broad sleeves, the traditional dress code of the upper echelon aristocrats of the Empire. He stood one step away from the very edge of the cliff, his clothes flapping in a breeze as if he was about to ride the winds. Song Zining turned around, and his smile was still warm like jade. Qianye, you see, that is my great way. At this time, all of the images suddenly twisted, and the entire world followed suit, cracking, and shattering into infinite pieces. Qianye was jolted away, but the image of the dream was still deeply imprinted on his mind. It was incomprehensible. From outside the cave came the extremely faint sounds of movement, almost indiscernible against the howling of the night winds of the wasteland. It was this that had woken Qianye. The resonator underneath him, which had been covered with a cloth, had vibrated with the passing of some living thing. However, the sound was a little distant, and there was still some distance to go before they arrived. Qianye quietly walked out of the cave, and climbed up the slope, heading toward the skeletal remains of the top of a crashed airship, carefully peering into the distance. Nights in the wasteland were both quiet and disquiet. A small blip in the corner of his sight aroused his attention. It was a slow-moving body that looked like some sort of strange, little creature as it relentlessly made use of the topography to close in. Qianye immediately recognized it as a hunter, and on top of that, a hunter whose skills in camouflage were remarkable. He had practically melded into the environment surrounding him. If there was one thing could be considered a failings, it was that this particular hunter was still a little anxious. Because it was now in the deepest of night, just before dawn, most of the wildlife would be incredibly exhausted. In contrary, he was moving a little fast. Hence, with Qianyes night vision, it was as if he were advancing very obviously. In the wasteland, meeting a stranger was always fraught with danger. Even the hunters themselves were divided over whether they should be cautious of the legitimacy of another hunters identity. The vast majority of hunters liked to move independently. Not only for the sake of personal freedom, but also because they were all afraid of being stabbed in the back. Even if there was a mission that necessitated a large group, there would be very few hunters who would let a complete stranger join in. A captain like Yu Yingnan was considered a rare find. This was why Qianye was actually on high alert after determining that this was a hunter. Looking at the other partys trail as they headed forward, killing intent emerged on Qianyes face. The movements of that hunter followed an incomparably familiar route. In fact, it was the exact route where Qianye had left markings the night before. Originally, it was supposed to be for Fei Niao. But as it seemed now, this solo hunter was clearly also pursuing Qianye. Qianye quietly climbed up the skeleton of the airship, and snuck toward the appointed position. A while later, that single hunter had already found to the cave where Qianye had previously sheltered himself. It would seem that his tracking skills were incredibly good. The hunters movements became even more careful as he quietly moved into the cave, not making a single sound. At this instant, a rock that lay by the hunters leg suddenly let out a crisp pa noise. He immediately stopped. This was a little trap meant for early warning, and with Qianyes expert camouflaging skills, he had even managed to fool this experienced hunter. However, he hadnt exactly lost out, either. If he could see through all of the setups, he would have discovered that a semi-circular web of information protected the center of the cave, and that there was only a three or four meter distance between each trap. From the cave came Qianyes voice, Who goes there? The hunters body trembled once, and he then made a snap decision to stand up, speaking out with a very normal voice, Its me, Li Lunzhe. We once went on a mission together. Is that you, Qianye? The voice of Qianye inside of the cave relaxed a little. Oh, its you. What brings you here? I was out on a mission, and just happened to come by. I spotted some of the markings you left behind, so I came to take a look. Right, Qianye, I could use your help on this mission, and we could discuss how to split the reward As Li Lunzhe spoke, he put down the barrel of the origin gun that he was holding, and walked lightly into the cave. At this instant, Li Lunzhe waved his left hand that had been hanging by his waist, and three grenades flew into the cave! The cave lit up with a sudden flash of light. The light even spread several metres out of the cave, and after an ear-shattering boom, the ground shook, and a thick cloud of smoke slowly spilled out. A flash grenade, a stun grenade, and a tear-gas grenade. Under the attack of all three combined, it didnt matter how many people were waiting in ambush inside the cave, they would temporarily be disarmed. Li Lunzhe pounced like a leopard, his origin guns channels lighting up fully, completely charged. He didnt even look, and instantly shot towards the cave! Another three grenades then appeared in his hands! This one shot wasnt meant to hit something, it was merely a form of suppressive fire. If Qianye had really managed to bear through the initial assault, and wanted to retaliate, then he would crash into this one shot. Li Lunzhes assault was a perfect cycle, extremely vicious and unforgiving, and designed to smash an opponent in a single stroke. It already had a little bit of the style of Yellow Springs Training Camp. Three more grenades were tossed into the cave, but it was as if Li Lunzhe had suddenly been struck by a heavy hammer, involuntarily blown away. He could only watch as his right shoulder departed his body, flying into the air. What happened? Li Lunzhe was both shocked and angry, and then everything went black. Qianye stood up from outside of the cave, and after putting down the Butcher which barrel was still warm, he dragged the unconscious Li Lunzhe into the cave. As a grade three firearm, Butchers power was four times that of an ordinary grade one firearm, and with the Heavy Caliber modifications made to it on top of having fired from such a short distance, one shot had heavily injured the rank four Fighter Li Lunzhe. A while later, Qianye finished cleaning up the remaining signs of battle outside, and returned to the cave. He took out the little copper wine flask and drank a sip. He then spit it all out and sprayed it all over Li Lunzhes amputated arm, making him howl in pain as he instantly came to. Li Lunzhe struggled, and howled again. His ankles and wrists had all been punctured and nailed to the wall of the cave. With every bit of movement, he was immediately wracked with wave after wave of heart-rending pain. It looks like the mission you took was related to me. Qianye spoke carefreely. You... how did you Li Lunzhe hadnt even finished his sentence before he saw Qianye pointing his thumbs towards the left side of the cave. Unexpectedly, there was a copper pipe, and its opening had clearly been modified. It was split into seven or eight little gaps that opened outwards, and the other end of the pipe was deeply embedded into the wall, going somewhere. Li Lunzhe was hit by a sudden revelation: Qianye had used this copper pipe to carry his voice, letting him think that he was still in the cave. Li Lunzhes face sank. Ive lost an arm, and even if I get it back, my combat ability will suffer greatly. On top of that, I cant even afford the fee to get it done. I doubt you will let me off, but dont expect to get anything out of my mouth. Just kill me quickly! Indeed, I dont intend to let you off, but Im in no rush to kill you either. I think youll be spilling the beans very, very soon. Right in front of Li Lunzhe, Qianye took out a small leather pouch from his bag and opened it, revealing a full row of precision tools. Among them were various curved needles, hooks, as well as other strangely-shaped little scalpels and the like. The pouch with tools included various metals, so these were clearly not some industrial products, but rather things that were hand-made. Li Lunzhes face became deathly pale as he instantly recognized what they were. Those were torture tools! A complete set of torture tools! These types of torture tools were intricate and complex, and the more of them there were, the more effective they were. The number of tools that Qianye had taken out was well into the tens, and from the looks of it, they were all self-made. This clearly indicated that he was definitely an expert in torture and interrogation! Qianye looked at Li Lunzhe with a little bit of regret. I was preparing to use these on the Sky Snake Gang, but unexpectedly, Ill have to use it on you first. In the blink of an eye, Li Lunzhes pitiful howling echoed throughout the cave. Li Lunzhe had still underestimated Qianye. Qianyes level of attainment in torture and interrogation had already broken past the level of a mere expert, heading straight into the level of a master! The Yellow Springs Training Camp had a specialized course in interrogation. One half of it was dedicated to improving the students ability to resist torture and interrogation, while the other half taught them specialized skills and various techniques for interrogating and torturing others. Actually, for the better part of this course, the instructors were performing the different forms of cruel torture on the students. As a result, he himself had repeatedly experienced it, so he knew each and every techniques varying strengths and weaknesses. Of course, this training would also let them improve their willpower and ability to resist pain. When this particular course had first started, the class had been a horrific mess. Many students fainted on the spot, were forcefully woken, and were then tortured to the point of fainting again. A year later, in contrary, the class was completely silent, and with the exception of the occasional person softly groaning, there wasnt a single person who fainted. There were even others who would gaily hold light conversations while suffering the cruel torture. Hence, every single graduate of the Yellow Springs Training Camp was an expert in torture and interrogation. After entering the Red Scorpions, Qianye had come into contact with the elite corps interrogation techniques, and his ability had improved yet again. Li Lunzhe lasted a mere three minutes, and then he spilled it all. Qianye constantly changed his angle of interrogation, repeatedly questioning him until he was sure that was he had gotten was the truth. In the end, he sighed. Sister Nan is actually pretty nice to you, but you dont suit her. If it werent for you, she would have been mine! If I cant have her, nobody can! Li Lunzhe suddenly had an outbreak of hysteria, and kept calling him names as if his life depended on it. Qianye shook his head, squarely aiming the Butcher at Li Lunzhes forehead. Seeing that as youre a fellow Fighter, I will let you die from an origin gun. A boom echoed out from the cave.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 78: Goodbye, Rookie [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye walked out of the mountain cave, his bags saddled with several dozens of kilograms more weight than before. This included a grade two origin gun, five physical origin bullets, several dozens of gold coins, as well as some survival gear and food for the wilderness. About a day after Qianye had left the cave, Flying Bird and his subordinates arrived. At this point, Flying Bird had already been run rather ragged, his clothes grimy and torn in a few places. The Sky Snake Gang henchmen were all equally winded and exhausted, and those that could still keep up with Flying Bird numbered only six, everyone else had been left behind. At this point, these Sky Snake Gang henchmen had long since lost that same swaggering arrogance they had when they had just left the city. When Flying Bird saw Li Lunzhes corpse in the cave, his face turned incredibly ugly. Although he was incredibly arrogant and stubborn, he was no fool. He knew very well that this person was one of the strongest of the young generation from Home of Hunters. Furthermore, it was in a wilderness like this that a hunter could unleash his greatest ability. Out here, even Flying Bird couldnt guarantee that he would be able to kill Li Lunzhe in a one on one. But now, Li Lunzhe was dead, and had died in such a terrible manner. Flying Bird crouched, and ignoring his own mysophobia, he personally stripped all of Li Lunzhes clothes, and carefully inspected every single wound. The more he looked, the paler Flying Birds face got. This was an abnormally professional and incredibly exquisite torture technique! Looking at the result, Flying Bird knew that if it had been him there and then, he might not have even lasted one minute. In fact, the more twisted and perverse the killer, the more fragile their mental states were. If he landed in Qianyes hands, the best solution would be to kill himself. The image of Black Wolfs corpse flitted across Flying Birds mind, and he slowly stood up. Withdraw! Were returning to the city! All of the Sky Snake Gang henchmen let loose a collective breath, and immediately followed Flying Bird, leaving in a hurry. Seeing that this was an enemy that they could only keep pursuing, and yet never actually catch, as well as the terrifying manner by which so many of their fellows on the road had died, these Sky Snake Gang henchmen, who would act brazenly without a care in Darkblood City, had already gotten a taste of true fear. Was Qianye really only rank three? That was the question floating at the top of everyones minds. At this point, Qianye was standing at the peak of a mountain several dozens of kilometers away, observing his surroundings. He peered from his hiding hole. That Flying Bird should have commenced the return trip by now, shouldnt he? As long as he isnt completely stupid or insane. Qianye unfurled his map, whereupon several locations were already marked down. These were all prime locations for an ambush, forming a thick defensive line between Flying Bird and the road back to Dark Blood City. By now, Flying Bird had lost the wind in his sails. He had found Qianyes hiding spot an hour ahead of his predictions, so he was still pretty capable, however, since he had pursued Qianye across the wasteland for several days and nights without rest, Flying Bird had expended a lot of his energy. Hence Qianyes intent of killing him on the way back. Killing off Black Wolf and Flying Bird would make the Sky Snake Gang lose two of its four so-called experts, an immensely heavy blow for Sky Snake. However, as Qianye was choosing his ambush spots, he suddenly had a kind of feeling and looked toward the far horizon. The dark season of the Evernight Continent was also termed the horizon days. The night skies would be dark and empty, and the star clouds surrounding the world were especially far away. In this especially placid and desolate sky, a star suddenly flared with brightness. Even as the starlight grew brighter, transforming the faint glow into complete illumination, each twinkle seemed to make it grow another ring. With Qianyes night vision, that starlight looked as if it were rapidly moving, and even approaching him. An instant later, a small, bat-winged airship came into his sight. The airship was on fire. It swayed from side to side unsteadily as its altitude constantly decreased. Finally diving toward the ground, it crashed on the other side of the mountain, immediately burst into a haze of fire. Qianye was momentarily shocked. This airships design was so unique, he definitely couldnt ever forget it! It was a lifeboat used only by the Red Scorpion Corps! Long ago, he too had flown one of these to escape certain death. He didnt expect that he would see it here once again. Qianye had already noticed that the airship being on fire was not due to mechanical malfunction. It had evidently come under external assault, and if even the lifeboats had been attacked, the state of the Red Scorpions mission could be easily imagined. However, given the strength of the Red Scorpions, it wasnt even possible for the entirety of the Boulderstone Region to oppose them, much less Darkblood City. Qianyes heart chilled, remembering that mysterious black-robed man, and William from the Summit of Peaks. If they had run into either of those two, they would have been powerless to resist, even if there was a Red Scorpion captain commanding the troops. Unless the Red Scorpion Corps dispatched an expert on the level of a vice corp commander or higher, they wouldnt stand a chance. Qianye hesitated a moment, and then grit his teeth, continuing to rush toward the crash site of the lifeboat. Even though he feared that he might directly face a monstrously strong existence like William, Qianye still decided to take the risk. Although he had not spent very long time as a Red Scorpion, the Red Scorpion Corps had given Qianye many things. One one of them was something called comrades-in-arms! As for Flying Bird, Qianye could no longer be bothered with such small fry. Qianye carefully hurried forward as he kept his body extremely low, making use of the surroundings to constantly mask his approach on the crash site. He rapidly scaled the opposing peak, and then carefully peered out, looking ahead. The lifeboat had crashed in the middle of the mountain, and was completely swallowed by the raging flames. In addition, there were ten-odd teams of vampire warriors forming an encirclement, currently besieging the lifeboat. Suddenly, a beam of red light came from the rubble beside the lifeboat, instantly blowing away a vampire warrior. At this, the rest of the vampires began to speed up, traversing over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye as they rushed into the rubble, tussling with a tall, broad-shouldered Red Scorpion soldier. That Red Scorpion soldier had long since been heavily injured, and seven-or-eight vampire warriors had him surrounded, enclosing him like a pack of wolves around a majestic lion. As Qianye watched the battle, the Red Scorpion soldiers movements suddenly slowed, and the surrounding vampire warriors were all greatly delighted, immediately pouncing at him! In his heart, Qianye was howling! He too had come from the Red Scorpion Corps, so he naturally knew what that soldier was up to. However, it was already too late to stop him at this point. As a beam of piercing, silver light emerged from that pile of combatants, all of the vampire warriors pitifully clasped at their faces, staggering backwards. Following that, a ring of flame expanded rapidly with that Red Scorpion soldier as its epicenter, and the blast wave sent all the vampire warriors flying. However, the flames adhered to them, burning endlessly. Those vampire warriors were screaming from the burning pain, but even after continuously rolling over, they couldnt extinguish the flames. The blazing flames were suffused with little threads of silver. On top of that, these were flames that had been infused with Daybreak origin power, which was of great lethality to the dark races. This type of origin power grenade had immense power, but was equally expensive, usually only issued to captain-level soldiers. In the center of that blast, that Red Scorpion soldier was thoroughly evaporated. He had burned through four of the origin power grenades in one go, and left nothing of himself behind. That only left five vampire warriors. They had been the furthest away at that time, and hadnt had time to pounce on him. However, even though they had, with great luck, scraped out of it alive, they had been scared stiff, and didnt dare to approach the epicenter of the explosions, even though that Red Scorpion soldier had been vaporized by the blast. Just at this moment, a loud roar suddenly sounded from not too far away, and a shining origin bullet tore through the sky, blasting away one vampire warrior. The remaining vampire warriors immediately split up and pulled out of their displaced assault formation, charging toward the origin of the gunshots,a low shrubbery. The origin gun boomed again, but this time round, the aim was just slightly off, and the origin bullet brushed past the body of a vampire warrior. That fellow squealed out, and in that instant of delay, was almost swept away by the remnants of the origin power wave. However, it was only a case of being bowled over, and given that vampire warriors had strong bodies, these kinds of injuries were completely ineffective at affecting their combat prowess. Indeed, that vampire warrior followed his companions in continuing their attack, while another two vampires drew origin guns of their own, aiming squarely at those bushes and began to shoot. As the explosions rang out, a tiny, lithe figure leapt out of the shrubs, and then continued to frog-leap, dodging the vampires marksmanship somewhat wretchedly. Qianye cried out in pity in his heart. That person in the shrubs was evidently some rookie, and to miss at a hundred meters distance could only be called being too nervous. Because of the extraordinary speed of vampires, much less low-grade vampire warriors, one would only have enough distance to shoot twice. Despite not being a Red Scorpion anymore, Qianye felt that it would be an act ofcompassion to protect this obvious greenhorn. Qianyes finger depressed the trigger smoothly. The moment the origin bullet left the barrel, he would immediately shift the muzzle, completely ignoring the results of his initial shot. One vampire warrior that had been lining up his shot was suddenly struck in the lower back, and was sent flying! This sudden, pinpointed attack left the vampire warriors formation to be thrown into disarray, and even as they were searching for their enemy, Qianyes second shot had left the barrel, striking the other vampire warrior holding an origin gun. The last two vampire warriors gave up chasing the rookie, and both came pouncing at Qianye. They had already detected that this assailant was deadlier by far. Qianye stood up from where he had been sitting, and pulled out his hand-axe, welcoming the opponents charge! Going up against two rank three vampire warriors, Qianye was completely unperturbed, and with a few sharp cleaves, he laid them out in pieces on the floor. Not far away, the little rookies reactions were still considered fast. She had scrambled up the slope, levelling an origin gun, but before she could finish charging it, all of the opponents had been laid flat. It was a young girl that had just reached maturity. Her body hadnt even finished growing, and her pretty little face still filled with a childish air, her large eyes drowning with panic. Qianye looked around, and seeing that there werent any other vampires, gestured toward that little rookie. Come with me, weve got to leave immediately! But Ive still got to collect Captain Xias remains cried the little rookie in a soft and weak voice. Were out of time! Leave, now! Qianye didnt speak any further, and stepping forward in two strides, gripped the rookies collar, forcibly dragging her away. The little rookie turned to look back, her tears flowing uncontrollably as she was dragged along by Qianye on that hectic escape. Qianye roared at her, No crying, rookie! Start route running, two hours straight! Follow me! The little rookie jumped in shock. For a moment, she felt like she heard a Red Scorpion commander give her an order. She instinctively slung her origin gun behind her, adjusted herself, and hurriedly followed Qianye. Only after running for some distance did she start to have a few murky thoughts. Why did this young man that suddenly appeared talk and act so much like a Red Scorpion? However, she never managed to find a chance to voice her hearts concerns. Qianye brought her along on a meandering route, ducking through the complex mountain passes, and constantly scaling mountains. Although the route run wasnt especially fast like during an exercise, these hilly conditions made for an increased energy expenditure. The little rookie ran until she saw white from exhaustion, huffing and puffing. How could she have the energy to speak? As it went on, even her eyes glazed over, and she barely managed to hold on and keep up with Qianye, even with the strength she had gained by the Red Scorpion training regime. What the little rookie didnt know was that a short time after they had left, another large group of vampire warriors had shown up near the lifeboat crash site. As that team of high-ranked warriors chased them, they were taken for a trip up and down the mountains and valleys by Qianye. After having given chase for a good hour and having crossed two rivers back-to-back, the group was finally shaken off. Qianye ran for two entire hours before finally stopping. You may rest now, rookie! You have thirty minutes. The rookie immediately collapsed onto the ground, barely managing to grab her water bottle. She drank two large gulps and then managed to recap the bottle with extreme effort. You may use stimulants, we still need to continue on, this time for an hour. Hearing Qianyes words, the little rookies face almost collapsed.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 79: Intercepting Murder [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Qianye, on the other hand, was merely a little out of breath. He didnt drink any water, nor did he use any stimulants. He only needed a few minutes of rest in order to recover to his previous state. The rookies eyes narrowed to slits watching him. If she wasnt mistaken, Qianye had only ignited three origin nodes That was to say, he had rank three origin power just like her. However, the physicality that Qianye exhibited was just too terrifying, capable of matching that of a Red Scorpion captain. Furthermore, the cleaving strikes he had made while facing the vampire warriors were so ferocious that they far exceeded those of many Black Scorpion veterans. Qianye sat quietly, waiting for the half hour to pass. He actually did have more questions, but in the end, he found that he couldnt bring himself to say a word. At this time, he took a serious look at this little rookie. She was a sweet young thing. Her small, heart-shaped face held two round eyes that glistened like gems and had a faint air of innocence. This young girl actually had rank three origin power just like Qianye. It seemed like her talent for cultivation was uncommon, and she was probably one of those who had skipped past the evaluations anddirectly enlisted into the Red Scorpions. The technique that she had used to charge the origin gun was clearly not the military standard. Although it lost out on speed, the strength displayed by those two shots was clearly more than sufficient, which most likely meant that it was some familys high level secret technique. She was not weak, but she lacked combat experience. That Red Scorpion captain had clearly sacrificed himself to suppress the vampires and give her a chance to escape, but this rookie had not been able to control herself and, evidentlywent back to exact her vengeance. However, after taking down only one vampire warrior, the vampires reacted and counterattacked. She then lost her cool and missed her second shot. If Qianye hadnt been there, she would long have since become a prisoner of the vampires. Even committing suicide would have been a pipe dream. Qianye watched this little rookie, and sighed from the bottom of his heart. It wasnt too long ago that he, too, was just a rookie, itching to shake off his probationary period and formally become one of the Red Scorpions. The future had been so beautiful, but that one fateful battle had forever changed the course of his destiny, and those of many others with it. After the thirty minutes passed, Qianye stood up and expressionlessly called out, One hour ultra running, keep up! Qianye dashed out ahead, and then the rookie immediately jumped up, running after Qianye into the distance. This time around, Qianye ran in a ruler-straight line, without any intent whatsoever of covering his tracks. Just like that, one ex-rookie of the Red Scorpions and one current rookie ran off toward the horizon, right through the broad wasteland. As they ran, Qianye suddenly said, Turn around and look! As the rookie turned her head at those words, her gaze swept the horizon, and she suddenly saw the silhouettes of several vampire warriors appear at the mountaintop where they had been resting before. She immediately got scared, her legs suddenly moving a lot faster. Qianye, on the other hand, didnt accelerate at all, only continuing on with that unhurried, constant pace as he ran, not even bothering to turn around to look. What if they make it to us? said the rookie breathlessly. They will never make it to us, theyve already been exhausted, replied Qianye flatly. The little rookie was still a little doubtful, especially since the opponents were only a few kilometers away. After running a while, she couldnt help but look back once more, and yet, those vampire warriors were still standing on top of the mountain, not pursuing them. The little rookies heart relaxed a bit, and the figure of Qianyes back grew larger in her heart. On the mountaintop behind them, a vampire elder watched with a face like steel as Qianye and the rookie escaped through the wasteland, nary a hint of blood on his lips. The bloodsuckers next to him all had their cloaks wrapped tightly around them as they silently watched the two humans daringly crossing the wasteland. Several vampires had given up the chase, especially since they had already exhausted all of their physical strength by giving pursuit all the way from the battlefield. Lord, shall we pursue? suggested a rather young vampire. His voice was severely lacking in self-confidence. The vampire elder shook his head. By the time we catch up to them, well already be well into the traditionally human-held lands. The human expeditionary army is still rather troublesome. The vampire warriors watched as Qianye went on his way, turning around one by one before disappearing behind the lee of the mountain. The hour passed, and when the rookie turned around, the vampires silhouettes were already gone, and only then did she let out a breath. Qianye stopped, pointing toward the front. If you continue on this way, Darkblood City is a mere hundred kilometres away. In the city, theres a garrison of the imperial expeditionary army, and once you flash your identity, they should be able to give you the necessary help to return. The little rookie nodded, and thinking about how she was able to return to the Red Scorpions safely after that gruelling escape from danger, her face immediately regained a little of its color. However, when she thought of the Red Scorpion captain that had died in battle, her little mouth drooped, and she started to look as if she was about to cry. Qianyes face sank a little. Suck up those tears, rookie! Any true self-respecting Red Scorpion is forged in the fires of a hundred near-death experiences, and you may be weak the first time you take to the field, but if you continue being weak from the second time on, then that is completely unforgivable! So, get your ass to Darkblood City this instant and find the expeditionary army! Then report back to the Red Scorpions! You have four hours, rookie! The little rookie instinctively puffed up her chest, and shouted, Yes, sir! Qianye nodded, and then pointed forward. The rookie immediately began to run. Running a hundred kilometers in only four hours, she would still need to maintain the same pace as she had during the ultra running. However, after running a few steps, she turned back and watched as Qianye still stood there on the plains, getting further and further away. Was he not going to go back with her? Qianye waved to her, and then turned, walking the way that theyd come. The rookie suddenly had a thought. He was going to find trouble with those vampires and avenge the Red Scorpion captain! But this young man had nothing to do with the Red Scorpions, so why would he do that? She couldnt understand no matter how she looked at it, but her feet were still instinctively running, and her pace was completely unaffected. Before long, she would be able to return to the Red Scorpions. This time around, she was determined to properly train herself, to temper herself in combat. Once she completed her probationary period, she would return to find him. Suddenly, a serious problem popped into the rookies muddled little head. She had no idea what his name was! The rookie stopped in shock, and when she turned back to look, Qianye had long since disappeared from the horizon. She stood there blankly, at a loss. Qianye was currently advancing, and the wastelands ravines seemed to have no effect whatsoever on his traversal. He was even picking up his pace as he went. Without the rookie as a burden, Qianyes excellent physique and combat capabilities were finally able to show themselves. One hour later, Qianye was climbing the summit of a small mountain, coldly looking at the vampire elder and his subordinate warriors still halfway down the mountain. From his high vantage point, he didnt bother at all to hide his tracks, shoving two silver-infused origin bullets into the barrel of the origin gun. He then lifted the barrel. The vampire elder sucked in a breath of cold air. He was a rank five vampire warrior and all those under him were rank three warriors. This particular force should logically be able to completely smash Qianye, but for some reason or another, when Qianye pointed his origin gun toward him, that elder felt a wave of uncontrollable terror! This particular elder had come from a rather famous vampire clan known for having an extremely strong instinct for danger. Although he was not in his best condition right now, his rank five power shouldve kept him from recoiling so badly at the sight of two mithril bullets. As long as they didnt hit him anywhere vital, he was completely confident in being able to recover from wounds caused by these bullets. The elder didnt move, so his subordinates were even more afraid to move; the mithril bullets were completely lethal to them. Although they could tear him to shreds the moment he fired, the unlucky soul that got hit first would definitely die. Qianye calmly took aim, and then actually chose to walk toward the crowd of vampire warriors one step at a time! A ludicrous thought sprang up in the vampire elders heart. This human intended to fight them head-on? Out of all the battles that hed fought, large or small, a good thirty percent had been against humans, and even then, hed never seen something so ridiculous. This was practically suicide! The vampire elder already had no time to think any further. With a cry, he braced himself and charged at Qianye. As the vampire with the highest rank, he was the leader. He had no reason and no way to avoid confronting Qianye, a mere rank three soldier. However, when Qianye pointed the gun at him, the vampire elder suddenly felt immense danger screaming at him. He saw Qianyes mouth suddenly curl into a small smile, the smile of a hunter watching his prey walk into a trap! With a boom, Qianyes gun spit out a beam of origin power, and a physical bullet came whistling out! The vampire elder howled, blocking with his arms crossed in front of him, his blood energy roiling as it formed a dark-red blood shield in front of him! After smashing through the blood shield, the origin bullets power weakened by half, but it still bore deep into the elders arm and created a gaping wound in which bone could be seen. The mithril immediately charred the wound black. The elder immediately determined that these injuries were well within acceptable parameters. He pointed at Qianye and yelled, Kill him! The vampire warriors immediately surrounded Qianye, but he suddenly pulled out the Butcher and fired it twice in a row, blowing two of them away. The Butchers power was extremely effective at close range and lived up to its tyrannical name. Those two vampire warriors struck the ground hard and remained there, motionless. When they tumbled through the air, a bloody mist spread from them. The smell of fresh, slightly cold blood mixed with that of burning gunpowder to create a distinct aroma of life, like that of grass after rainfall. Qianye pulled out his hand-axe, and as he stared straight at the vampire warriors encircling him, his heart suddenly leaped with great excitement, making him feel as if he were trembling! Qianye was bursting with a thirst for battle, the most intense battle! All of the vampire warriors pulled out their swords in perfect synchronization, a layer of thin bloody light covering every blade. They clearly werent some ragtag warriors from some small family, but the militarized guards of a large clan. To take the greatest advantage of their superior speed, power, and other natural talents unique to their kind, these warriors preferred traditional dark race weapons over origin guns. In an instant, Qianye had been completely surrounded, but he didnt have even an iota of fear. He violently stomped at the ground, sending a shockwave spreading out in front of him. Borrowing its momentum, he shot forward like a cannonball and collided with one of the vampire warriors!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 80: Small Victory [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The clash between Qianye and the vampire warrior was extremely fierce. It was as if the two of them had been glued together! Qianyes left bracer had clamped down onto the vampire warriors longsword, already dented and deformed by the impact. The edge of the sword had instead cut into the vampire. Qianye roared again, using his whole body to shove that vampire warrior, sending him staggering backward! This severely shocked all of the vampire warriors, and their combined-assault strategy, which had originally been tightly-knit, collapsed. They found it utterly inconceivable for a vampire to take on a human of the same rank in a straightforward clash and lose! Qianye had been waiting for the exact moment their formation fell apart like it did just now. He immediately struck the vampire warrior in front of him, sending him flying for several dozen paces. At the same time, his hand-axe struck out like lightning. Failing to defend himself with his sword in time, the vampire warrior was cleaved through with a single stroke from his shoulder through his chest. Without pausing, Qianye stretched out his left foot in another direction and whirled about, throwing the vampire warrior that had been charging at him from behind into the air. That vampire smashed directly into another vampire that had been rushing at Qianye from the side, and the dull thud of flesh striking flesh resounding through the air. By the time the two of them separated from each other, Qianye jumped into the air, firmly landing while the vampire warriors all collapsed where they stood, one after another. The vampire elders eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter as he watched Qianye. This human was thin, but the tremendous power that he exerted far exceeded even elite vampire warriors! Additionally, he was incredibly vicious and merciless to enemies, often reaping a life with a single stroke. The vampire elder didnt want to lose any more of his subordinates. He pulled out his own sword and activated his blood energy. The blade of his sword slowly became translucent and began releasing a roiling red glow- as it began to quietly shriek. He gestured for his subordinates to shift into a defensive formation and then began to walk toward Qianye. However, the moment he took a step, he suddenly felt waves of weakness wash over him. As if his body had suddenly been pierced full of holes, his pulsating blood energy instantly drained away. His hands became weak to the point that he couldnt even wield his sword, and it fell to the ground with a bang! The vampire elder was in for a huge surprise. When he looked down, his face went extremely pale in silent shock! With the strong constitution of a vampire, the wound on his arm should have clotted long ago. Not only had it not yet clotted, it was bleeding even more profusely than before. The wound throbbed, constantly leaking bloody dark purple pus. The muscles surrounding it were visibly rotting and falling away! A vampires blood was normally bright red and filled with an potent life force, but the bloody dark purple liquid that flowed from the wound was filled with the stench of death and decay. As soon as he smelled it, the elder fell into a daze. He instantly understood what was going on and weakly cried, Poison! Deadly poison! The vampire elder shook uncontrollably and then fell over head-first, unable to stand any longer. Disbelief filled the vampire warriors encircling Qianye. Some of them wanted to leave the formation to go over check on the elder, while the rest of them shifted into defensive positions, panicking over whether or not they should attack him. In the middle of their confusion, Qianye pushed forward and seized every opening, exploding with all his strength and killing two in a flash. The battle was over in the blink of an eye. Qianye had completely butchered through the entire team of vampire warriors. Since they were putting their lives on the line, these vampire warriors were also quite difficult to deal with. Wounds covered Qianyes body, constantly seeping with blood and steam. The flesh and blood around them were charred black. The longswords of this group of vampires were engraved with origin power arrays. Darkness origin power could be channeled into their blades and used to harm their enemies. Qianyes injuries were a direct result of this Darkness origin power. Qianye knew from experience that these injuries were the most troublesome kind. If he didnt clear himself of Darkness origin power, then the wounds would never heal. Furthermore, the longer that Darkness origin power remained in his body, the worse his injuries would get. The wounds hurt like mad, but this kind of pain stimulated Qianyes nerves instead, making him more and more excited. Qianye just felt like all of the blood in his body was about to boil over. Excitement and an intense thirst blended together, giving him a feeling of insanity. The corpses of the vampire warriors were strewn across the ground, blood still flowing from them. Thick blood energy rose into the air, shrouding Qianyes nose. Qianye subconsciously took a deep breath of it and instantly knew that things had gone wrong! The smell of the fresh blood agitated his consciousness, and all of the blood energy in his body began to boil! The intense thirst instantly overwhelmed all of Qianyes senses, and when he could no longer hold his breath, he took in another breath of the blood-tinged air. It was as if he were a man dying of thirst that had just drunk a mouthful of sweet, sweet water or a man who had never touched a woman and was now embracing the love of his life. That instant of satisfaction and euphoria made Qianye release a soft moan. Qianye pounced onto the corpse of a vampire warrior and opened his mouth wide, prepared to bite down on its neck! All of a sudden, deep within Qianyes consciousness, a voice began to continuously cry out in an attempt to stop him. This voice was very weak, but abnormally stubborn, and neither the hunger nor the euphoria were able to completely drown it out. At this precise moment, the scent of corrosion wafted into Qianyes nose, immediately ruining his appetite. Qianye raised his head to see that the vampire elder had stood up at some point. He brandished his sword in both hands, about to chop downward at Qianye! Qianye sprang up without a word and slammed directly into the vampire elder, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him high into the air! Blood energy, both purple and gold, boiled up inside of Qianye. Like a fish leaping out of water, blood rushed to his head, increasing his physical strength by yet another level. In the world where only one thin layer of Daybreak origin power was left untouched, the silhouette of a black sun faintly appeared from the void. It looked like it would break through the screen of Daybreak at any moment. Yet the two origin powers continued to resonate, engulfing every corner with bloody chill and tyranny. He exerted his left hand without hesitation, crushing the spine of the vampire elder to pieces! He slowly released his grip and watched the vampire elders corpse fall to the ground The feelings that had been roiling inside of him were finally released, and he gradually calmed down. This vampires body gave off an increasingly rotten smell. Qianye knelt to the ground and flipped the body over, examining the injuries on the arm. At this point the wound had already decayed thoroughly, revealing the white bone underneath it. The elders skin had taken on an abnormal purple-green pallor, and black blood constantly leaked from his mouth. The vampire elder had been too careless in relying on his bodys own resilience to endure against Qianyes origin bullets. However, there was a thread of blood energy, each one of the origin bullets that Qianye manufactured, which was highly effective against dark races. This was especially the case for vampires since they had turned their blood into a form of cultivation. The effects were even more pronounced. Qianye suppressed his thirst for blood and began to inspect the battlefield. The thick blood energy still gave off an intense aroma, and for Qianye, it was just like being in front of a feast but being unable to eat. After that werewolf totem mission, Qianye had already realized that his own vampire nature allowed him to suck blood to recover. In spite of this, he still refrained from sucking blood regardless of its source. All of the longswords that the vampire warriors had used were high quality products. The blades had been carved with origin power arrays that were specifically designed for the use of Darkness origin power. If Daybreak origin power were channeled into one of the swords, it would experience a loss in power, but if put up for sale on the black market, it would still sell for a lot more than a normal weapon. These longswords would at least fetch ten gold pieces each, but in the heat of battle, more than half of them had been damaged by the tremendous force of each clash. Only two remained intact. As for the longsword that the elder used, it was ornate and even more finely-crafted than the others, the absolute best of the best. Qianye tested the sword, and when he channeled origin power mixed with blood energy into it, the blades edge flashed with a thick bloody aura! This sword was surprisingly even stronger in his hands than the elders. Yet when Qianye weighed the blade in his hand, he felt that the sword was simply too light and immediately disliked it. He returned it to its sheath, and continued to search the elders body, finding a grade two origin power handgun and a fine leather pouch containing several crystal coins. The elders body even had a leather breastplate, another masterwork with an origin power array carved into it. Qianye naturally wasnt above taking these sorts of spoils, and he rapidly stripped them from the elder. As for the vampire warriors whose armor didnt have origin power arrays, Qianye wasnt as keen. Overall, Qianye ended up plundering six origin guns. The elders was grade two and the rest were grade one. Aside from that, he also got around fifty crystal coins, the elders set of armor, and three origin power longsword. Upon stripping the vampires of their fangs, he finished cleaning out the battlefield. Qianye looked at his backpack, which was fit to burst. This was his first time experiencing the pleasures of just how much loot that killing others and taking their property yielded. When he was still with the Red Scorpions, spoils of war would be processed by headquarters, and soldiers would be given points according to how well they did in battle. Back then, various types of training and cultivation materials require vast amounts of points, so Qianye was almost always poor. Most of the points he earned went to the improvement of his strength. Now Qianye could exchange all of this loot for resources, specifically precious medicines that could increase the speed of his origin power cultivation. Although his cultivation of the Combatant Formula was already rather fast and had reached the Fighter King rank, he also needed to cultivate origin power for more than just one reason. He cultivated to gather Daybreak origin power, but he also cultivated origin power to serve as food for his blood energy. Blood energy had caused earth-shattering changes within Qianye. A vampires night vision and physique all extremely useful, and a stronger body also helped Qianye cultivate the Combatant Formula even faster. Since blood energy had already become a part of his body, Qianye could only acknowledge it. After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, Qianye looked at the crash site of the Red Scorpion airship, suppressing his surging feelings. The little rookie was the sole survivor, lucky to escape from the squad that the vampire elder had brought along. There were definitely more powerful members of the dark races active nearby. Qianye originally wanted to take revenge against this small vampire squad on behalf of the Red Scorpion soldier, and with a little luck, he had managed to eliminate all of his enemies in spite of the serious injuries he sustained. This allowed him to cool his head a little. After all, missions the Red Scorpions undertook never had easy opponents, and this was all he could do with his current strength. Qianye scanned the battlefield one last time. Then he turned to leave, running into the wasteland. Not long after he left, around ten vampire warriors began appearing atop the cliff.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 81: Eaglesho Chapter 81:Eagleshot [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The vampire leading the new group of vampires was a middle aged man. He wore a long black windbreaker, the collar and sleeves of which were embroidered with the picture of a sanguine multiflora rose. His face was unusually pale, and his red eyes were as bright and pure as rubies. He was a higher rank vampire! He looked at the vampire corpses on the ground and dashed forward. After his figure flickered a few times, he appeared beside the corpse of the vampire elder. He immediately noticed that the fangs of all the vampire warriors had extracted and taken away. He let out a heavy snort, and the grass surrounding him strangely flattened against the ground before standing straight again. He inhaled deeply, identifying the scent that had yet to completely fade from the air. He then stared at the direction Qianye had gone, doubt flashing across his face. How strange! Why do I smell the scent of a higher vampire? This scent this scent Just when he was about to pursue it, multiple flames suddenly flashed on the distant horizon. A moment later, the sound of rolling thunder resounded faintly behind him. A black airship with a red outline descended to the ground, fire billowing from its bulk. Several enormous battleships with sinister appearances pursued it closely, firing silvery-white light toward the falling airship over and over. The airship in the front was obviously vampire-made, and the bloody multiflora rose emblem on that ships hull was identical to the one on this vampires clothes. His expression immediately changed, and a harsh buzzing noise that grew increasingly shrill resounded from off on the distance. Blood roiled within the middle-aged vampires pupils as he angrily said, Those despicable humans! All they know how to do is rely on their numbers for victory! Hmph! A vampire girl beside him said, Lord Count, thats the signal for an emergency gathering. We need to make it there within the allotted time! The middle-aged man snorted again. He cast one final reluctant glance in the direction that Qianye had fled before rushing toward the sound of the buzzing. The ten or so vampire warriors gathered around him, and all of them suddenly disappeared. Qianye was currently running madly through the wasteland without bothering to conceal his tracks. An extremely powerful consciousness had just swept across his body twice and locked onto him firmly. Considering how powerful it was, Qianye knew that he had encountered an enemy he absolutely couldnt face, so he did the only thing he could do and ran away as fast as he could. The owner of that consciousness had thankfully retreated. Either they werent interested in someone as weak as Qianye or something had suddenly occurred. They never showed up again after that. However, Qianye didnt dare stop and ran more than several hundred kilometers at full speed until he reached territory controlled by the imperial expeditionary army. Only then did he finally let out a sigh of relief. After a brief rest, Qianye hurried toward Darkblood City. Something big seemed to be going on in the wasteland recently, and stronger experts of the dark races kept popping up one after another. Even the Empires Red Scorpion Corps appeared in this region. A huge storm was slowly starting to form, and the wasteland was no longer a suitable place for the hunters to operate. Leaving Boulderstone Region also wasnt a good choice at the moment. All public transport airships had probably been halted by now, and danger lurked throughout the land. Qianye planned to stay inside of Darkblood City for the time being and cultivate his origin power. He wondered if that cute, confused little rookie had gotten back safely. Although a storm was brewing on the wasteland, all four gates of Darkblood City boldly remained open. However, Qianye knew that it made no difference whether the city gates were opened or closed wherever those terrifying stronger experts of the dark races were concerned. When Qianye finished cleaning his attire and prepared to enter the city, he happened to run into a large group of expeditionary forces making their way in as well. This seemingly endless group was nearly ten thousand strong, and the main body of the army was surrounded and protected by hundreds of tanks. A man stood on a command car with his hands behind his back and looking tall and dignified. He was a major general and held the flag of the imperial army aloft. Although his hair was already graying, his body was surrounded with a thick murderous aura that seemed as if it could be solid. It was obvious that he was a fearsome man who reaped lives as though they were grass. It seemed like the expeditionary forces had finally reacted to the situation in the wasteland and greatly increased the garrison of Darkblood City. Qianye waited for a full half hour and waited until all of the expeditionary forces had gone inside. Only then did he slip into the city. Now that the military power of the expeditionary forces had abruptly doubled, the balance of power in the city was immediately broken. All forces carefully curbed their respective activities to the point where almost all of the hooligans of large gangs were missing from the streets. Naturally, Qianye didnt return to his own house. He avoided the Southern Bank District and found a new hotel near the slums of the Eastern Lake District to settle down. Then he headed toward Black Copper Street. The moment he entered A1s Firearms, he locked the door. Old man A1 was examining a fragment of metal in his hand using multipurpose glasses. He looked up the moment he heard activity and saw that his guest was none other than Qianye. His expression immediately turned a little ugly as he exclaimed, You again? This time Qianye made a complete disguise, altering not only his looks but also his clothes so that his build looked different than it normally did, yet the old man still recognized him at first glance. By now Qianye had figured out that this old man was no simple character. His impression of him hadnt improved though, and he just wasnt able to treat him with respect. Qianye leaned against the counter and lit a cigar, saying, What, youre turning down a business? Sky Snake cant wait to tear you apart! Not only did you kill Black Wolf and many of his henchmen, you also scared Flying Bird right back to his nest. Ive never heard of that kid being afraid of anyone. If the kill order isnt fulfilled, that Sky Snakes reputation will plummet. Thats why he has increased your bounty tenfold. Did you know that your head is worth a thousand imperial gold coins right now? Sky Snake also said that anyone who trades with you is a sworn enemy Sky Snake Gang, so why would I do business with you? After listening to the old mans long rant, Qianye indifferently answered, I have a vampire weapon in my possession. The old mans expression changed instantly. Show it to me. Show me everything! A smile blossomed on the Old 1s wizened face. It was so bright that it left Qianye utterly and hopelessly speechless. He quietly opened his backpack and put five grade one origin guns and two origin longswords on top of the counter. A single look at them made the old man shudder. Those are standard-issue handguns of the Bloody Multiflora Rose family, and these two longswords are also standard weaponry of a corps! Did you take out a Bloody Rose squadron?! That isnt important. Qianye didnt plan on revealing too much to the old man because his insight was just too good. He was wary of someone who could find so many clues with just his eyes. If Old 1 were to hear any other bits of pieces from Qianyes mouth, then he could very well discover something about him that he shouldnt know. Old 1 composed himself and picked up an origin gun, examining it carefully. He muttered, This handiwork, theres no mistake. It is from a Bloody Rose corp. Mn, theres also a seal here this is a piece that was made three years ago. Old 1s fingers suddenly came alive and took the origin gun apart in an instant. Then he put all of its pieces back together again in just a couple of seconds. This series of movements was so quick that even Qianye had a hard time following it. He grew even more wary of Old 1. Old 1 put down the origin gun in his hands and looked at Qianye deeply. He said, A leader of a Bloody Multiflora Rose squadron is usually a rank five warrior at the very least. He should have been equipped with a grade two origin gun and an origin sword. Are you not going to sell them? Qianye raised both his eyebrows. Although he was already prepared for this question, he was still secretly surprised by how well-learned Old 1 was. He indifferently answered, I wont be able to get a good price if I sell it to you. Im the only one willing to take your goods. If you try selling it to any other store, Sky Snake would come to see you in just a couple of minutes, Old 1 said in a cold, menacing manner. Qianye paid no heed to Old 1s unfriendly tone. I can wait a bit longer before selling them, or I could even use them myself. Besides, something could happen to Sky Snake later on. This world changes very quickly, doesnt it? Old 1 frowned and suddenly said, Ill buy them from you at twenty percent the market price of the upper continent! Thirty percent, Qianye replied. Twenty five percent! But for the next three months youll be giving me a bottle of alcohol and three packs of cigars, the ones with the special ingredients. Twenty seven percent, and Ill give you fifty milliliters of that special stimulant, the kind used by the main corps. Deal! Only then did Qianye take out the grade two origin gun and the origin sword that belonged to the vampires, as well as some miscellaneous things he scavenged from the bodies of other soldiers. He put all of them on the counter, then took out two bags and poured hundreds of gold coins and crystal coins out onto the counter as well. At this point, the total value of all the items piled atop the counter approached a thousand imperial gold coins. Qianye pushed them forward and stared at Old 1 closely, saying, I want an Eagleshot! The corner of Old 1s eyes twitched as he slowly said, These arent enough for an Eagleshot. Youll find a way. I only want one thats eighty percent new. Fifty percent! Impossible. It has to at least be seventy percent new. Eagleshots cant be too old. Old 1 lightly tapped the counter with his finger and said, I see that youre a pro, little fellow! Im actually starting to feel curious about you. Thats not important. Its not as important as business, at least. How did you know that I could get you an Eagleshot? Intuition. Old 1 chuckled. A while later, he finally said, Come here for your goods in three days. Qianye didnt say anything else. He left the half full pack of cigars on the counter and exited A1 Firearms just like that. Eagleshot was standard long range sniper rifle of the imperial main corps. It was a grade four origin gun. A gun of this grade would normally only be distributed to middle-ranking officers. Although expeditionary forces were also considered part of the main army, the covert large-scale expansion of their own forces meant that only high-ranking officers could obtain an Eagleshot. Although standard weapons of the expeditionary forces kept on flooding into the black market through all sorts of channels, grade four origin weapons, and especially the incredibly powerful long-range sniper rifles, were still very rare. One reason for that was a limitation on the source, and another reason was, among the people who could use them, most werent snipers. Long-range sniper rifles were different from normal origin guns. They needed be new enough to maintain a decent level of precision. Any sniper rifle that was less than sixty percent new would experience a sheer decrease in precision, not to mention the fact that parts for guns in the same grade as an Eagleshot were almost impossible to obtain, let alone replace with homemade products. Qianye didnt really expect Old 1 to actually be able to give him what he wanted in the beginning. If he couldnt get an Eagleshot, he thought that a grade three Probe would barely be able to fulfill his needs. To his surprise, however, this swindling old man actually possessed various trade channels that not only allow him to process all of the vampire weapons that Qianye had brought him, but also enabled him to get his hands on a seventy percent new Eagleshot. Qianye spent the next three days cultivating and switched to a new disguise. Then he went to A1 Firearms. Old 1 tossed a ragged canvas bag straight at him. The bag looked to be largely stained with lubricating oil. Qianye opened the bag for a look. It was full of all kinds of gun parts. A few other customers were inside of the shop, and Qianye casually took a part out to carefully examine it. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 82: Sniping [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The few customers inside the shop immediately noticed the clear signs of wear of the parts with just a glance and lost interest. They looked at Qianye, their gazes tinged with disdain. A young soldier examined the origin guns on the counter and immediately said, Shit, what kind of shitty store is this? There isn''t even a grade two gun here! Old 1s face immediately darkened and pointed at the ragged canvas bag in front of Qianye. I have better things than grade two guns! The few soldiers that were perusing the shop looked between the canvas bag and the worn down parts in Qianye''s hands. They started laughing and assuming that poverty had driven the old man insane. After those people left, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Qianye''s mouth. These parts were actually almost brand new, Old 1 had simply used a special method to make them look old. This body of the Eagleshot was seventy percent new, and a few of its important parts were eighty percent new. Just these few parts alone would bring the Eagleshot''s precision to a new level. The soldiers that had just left probably wouldnt see an Eagleshot their entire lives, so of course they wouldn''t recognize these special parts. In comparison, Qianye had learned to use all of the standard guns of the Empire, how to maintain them, as well as the way their internal structure worked. Qianye''s camp had included almost every gun below grade five in its curriculum, so even if the Scorpion Needle in the hands of a Red Scorpion soldier were destroyed, they would be able to pick up any dark race gun and use them immediately. Qianye inspected the components of the Eagleshot one by one. As he did, Old 1s became stranger and stranger. After Qianye placed the last component into his bag and closed it up, Old 1 finally couldn''t help but ask, Are you not going to assemble it and try it yourself? All the parts are here, so there''s no need for me to assemble it. Qianye threw the canvas bag over his back and carried it. Old 1s eyes held a glimmer of light as he carefully said, The number of those who have seen an Eagleshot is already quite small. Those who understand how their internal structure works are even fewer in number. People who can make an Eagleshot are also very rare, right? Both men, young and old, stared at each other for a while, and then Qianye left. Returning to the small hotel he was staying at, Qianye ordered some food and ate it. Then he changed his appearance once more and began assembling the Eagleshot. Soon enough, Qianye held a two-meter-long sniper rifle in his hands. Qianye channeled a bit of his origin power into the gun, but its dark body did not shine with even a hint of reflected light. In spite of this, he could feel origin power surging within the energy-condensing component. Only when one stared at the muzzle of the gun could they see a bundle of green light in the barrel. Not even the tiniest hint of light leaked from it. This was truly a lethal weapon! Qianye was very satisfied with it. The night was dark, yet Darkblood City was still very lively. In this city, people sought fun and thrills at any time. Soldiers, hunters, and adventurers walked the line between life and death at every moment of every day, not knowing if they would live to tomorrow. These people loved to let themselves go. In this city, expeditionary soldiers had statuses that werent much higher than those of hunters. Despite the fearsome power of the expeditionary army, the military era was already over. The major corps were now on their own, and factions existed everywhere, Qianye used a cloth to cover the Eagleshot and carried it on his back before leaving the hotel. He quickly blended into the night of Darkblood City, becoming one of the millions of people moving about. After a moment, Qianye arrived beside the Sky Snake Gangs courtyard. He silently circled around the courtyard and climbed up the side of a large building. This building had twenty floors and looked dirty and black, obviously suffering from neglect. Countless families were stuffed inside of this building, each of the small apartments cramped with seven to eight people. Rubbish was littered everywhere in the building alongside filthy water and miscellaneous items. Qianye climbed the stairs, kicking a rotting corpse into an unconscious drunkard before he reaching the top floor. Qianye looked through a broken window into a room, looking for a suitable vantage point before breaking in. This was a small room that had two military-style beds taking up most of the space within. Inside were four people, two women and two men. The moment that Qianye barged in, one couple was asleep in a bed. The other two were hugging each other in the other, intensely doing the deed. When the man saw Qianye, shock filled him and he released the woman, trembling. Under the threat of a black gun muzzle, the four of them obediently let Qianye tie them up before he squatted in a corner. The two nearly naked women squirmed, trying to rub against Qianye''s thigh. However, Qianye only felt repulsed by their bodies. He was completely indifferent to these bodies that hadn''t been washed in months. He pushed the Eagleshot against their snow white yet saggy chests and pushed them away. As if the long metal rod that was the Eagleshots barrel werent the type of rod they were seeking, the women shivered and retreated to the side, obediently staying still. The thick scent of sex lingered in the room, wafting through the air and mixing with a stench that came from years without sunlight and a few other strange, unrecognizable smells. Qianye, however, was extremely satisfied with this place. Such a thick stench completely hid his own scent. Therefore, even if the enemy found this place, they wouldn''t be able to use it to track him, eliminating one possible clue. Qianye pushed open the only window that wasn''t nailed with wooden planks and looked outside. The main building of the Sky Snake Gang was in sight and in range, just like he thought. Qianye removed a few wooden planks, making space for surveillance and shooting before taking out the Eagleshot, situating the huge, lethal weapon in the window frame. Qianye moved a chair over and sat in front of the window, patiently waiting. Sky Snake was currently enjoying himself outside, but he would definitely return to the main building later on in the night. Qianye sat about a thousand meters away from the main door of the main building. This distance was longer than the range of many origin guns, and was even close to the limit of the powerful Eagleshot origin sniper rifle. Perhaps the Daybreak Pulsating Cannon or similar origin guns could launch a precise attack from such a long distance. These were weapons that were capable of causing widespread casualties throughout the battlefield. Not even the Empire''s main army normally had a reason to use such weapons, so it was impossible to find guns of that caliber in all of Darkblood City. Sky Snake would never imagine being attacked from such a distance. After two hours, Qianye finally saw a procession of small cars return to the Sky Snake Gang. Sky Snake emerged from one of the cars. He seemed to be quite tired as he stretched lazily. Qianye had already aimed the gun steadily at Sky Snake, origin power instantly filling all of the origin power compartment. Qianye held his breath, and with a calm heart, he pulled the trigger. The Eagleshot suddenly trembled with a loud resounding bang that filled the entire building, pushing Qianye and his chair a meter backward! A dark red origin power bullet drew a line through the night sky as it flew at Sky Snake. Sky Snake was dumbfounded. Even with his many years of fighting experience, he had only been able to barely come to his senses. Origin power surged through his body as a pale green shield of energy condensed and enveloped him. The origin power bullet shattered Sky Snakes shield with a bang and sent his huge body flying backward. Origin power scattered through the air, descending from the sky like shimmering red fireworks. Sky Snake flew a few meters, crashed into a wall, and slid to the ground. Although he teetered between life and death, he could still move. He rolled to the side and crawled toward the door of the main building, hiding where Qianye couldnt shoot him. The moment he entered the building, Sky Snake got to his knees. He suddenly vomited a large amount of blood, spraying it a few meters! Sky Snakes body swayed, and he fell to the floor unconscious. The Eagleshot wasnt called Sniper King for nothing. Even at the limit of its range, it did enough damage to heavily injure Sky Snake, a rank five warrior who focused on body strengthening. Despite being a grade four sniper gun, its damage far surpassed that of weapons of the same grade. According to the records of the Empire, Eagleshots power level was twelve while the power level of normal rank four guns was only eight. Qianye could only barely use an Eagleshot. Just one shot had already used up half of his origin power. It only consumed half because his origin power was thicker and more potent than that of cultivators of the same rank. A normal rank three soldier could never use an Eagleshot. Not even rank four soldiers were meant to use it. The Eagleshot was a weapon designed for rank four soldiers that specialized in sniping. Qianye already knew that one shot was not enough to kill Sky Snake. Even without seeing the results, he immediately stood up and put away the gun. He dismantled the still hot Eagleshot into two pieces and wrapped it up. He then took out a small vial of stimulants and drank it, instantly energizing himself. This counteracted of the effects of overusing his origin power. Qianye began walking out of the room and suddenly saw the four people tied up in a corner. He instinctively thought that the best method to cover his tracks was to start a fire and kill these people. Yet Qianye furrowed his brow in hesitation. In the end, Qianye shook his head and dispelled the thought. These four were normal citizens. They couldn''t see through his disguise, and if he left them alive, they wouldn''t be able to provide any useful clues. Sky Snake wouldn''t be able to find him with what they knew. Qianye took out his dagger and cut these people free from their bindings. He spoke in a deep, calm voice, saying, The more you know, the faster you die, so quickly forget everything you just saw. Finishing what he had to say, Qianye walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. After leaving, he sighed in relief. He knew that if there we too much at risk, he would have killed them. However, he still considered citizens as different from soldiers. Qianye walked down the dark cramped staircase unhurriedly. There werent very many doors in the building that were open. The huge bang that had resounded throughout the building hadn''t caused any particular reaction. It seemed like these people already learned a harsh truth of reality. Unless an omen came knocking on their door, it didnt exist. As he turned another corner in the staircase, a young lady rushing up the stairs nearly bumped into him! In that instant, Qianye and the young lady both twisted their bodies at the same time, narrowly missing each other. Both of them immediately realized just how much of a threat the other one was! A dark red light shone from the depths of Qianye''s eyes. His night vision enabled, he grabbed the dagger at his waist. The young lady suddenly bowed, extending her fingers. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 83: Night of Devilry [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The duo confronted each other for a few seconds before simultaneously taking a strong sniff, catching the scent of the other partys blood energy. Which family do you belong to? Why are you here? the young girl asked in a low tone. Thats my question too, Qianye answered. The young girls eyes flared with bloody light. She said, Youre not planning to interrupt my meal, are you? Im just about to leave. I have to say that your taste is pretty terrible, though! Its none of your business! The young girl bared her bloodsucking fangs. Qianye slowly backed away and turned a corner. He then descended to the floor below with slow, steady footsteps. Murderous intent flashed across the vampire girls eyes several times, but after listening to Qianyes steady footsteps, she remembered the tiny red hint of light that had shone in his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she ultimately decided to give up on him and continued to run up stairs in complete silence. Qianye exhaled only after he had exited the building. He hastily channeled the Combatant Formula to cover up the blood energy he had just summoned. Every moment that he spent here increased the likelihood of his true identity being exposed. The moment he noticed the girls blood energy, he immediately activated his night vision and attempted to call forth the blood energy within his body. The results were unbelievably good, causing the girl to immediately mistake him for a vampire. Qianye decided to toss this brief episode to the back of his mind and walked faster. He ran toward the next planned target. When Qianye passed by an alleyway, he brushed past yet another tall, thin, and strange-looking person. Both parties stiffened and put some distance between each other. Qianye didnt pause and continued to hurry along his way. The man with long arms and long legs stood for a while as he watched Qianyes departing figure. He frowned as if he were thinking about something. Suddenly, he muttered to himself, That guys carrying an Eagleshot on his back! Strange. Could he be a soldier from another expeditionary force corps? He shrugged and spat on the ground with a little bit of disgust. He said to himself, Those expeditionary force scumbags are the worst! But why did that guy feel so familiar? This strange man was none other than Yu Renyan. He really had turned his trip to Darkblood City into a personal holiday. After having single-handedly hunted down some dark race warriors, he even participated in a mercenary groups campaign to exterminate some arachne along the way because he hadnt been completely satisfied yet. Only when the situation in the wasteland became tense did he finally consider returning to the city. Although the two had crossed paths, Yu Renyan hadnt immediately recognized Qianye due his complete transformation, both inside and out. Moreover, Qianye was carrying an Eagleshot, a weapon that not just anyone in the expeditionary army could use. Even if Yu Renyan had decided to interact with Qianye, he might not have necessarily been able to harm someone capable of using an Eagleshot. He stood still for a moment, unable to shake the feeling that something was amiss. In the end, he couldnt think of anything and had no choice but to leave. However, just as he went around the street corner, Yu Renyan saw a big man quickly walking ahead of him. He immediately cried out, Stop! The big man heard his cry and stopped, then slowly turned around. He looked at Yu Renyan with a sinister smile and asked, Do you want to die? Yu Renyan cracked his knuckles and sinisterly retorted, Right back at you! I can smell the stench of a gray-skinned dog coming from your body! The big man leaned forward slightly and coldly said, Youre a little hunter. So what? If you think Im like the other werewolves, then youll be dead wrong! It just so happens that Im a little different from other hunters as well. As he said this, Yu Renyan pressed forward, heading straight for the big man. The battle ended just as quickly as it began! Almost half the street was reduced to ruins before the two figures separated from each other, flying in a particular direction. They vanished into the night in the blink of an eye, leaving the whole district in confusion. Not far away, Qianye had been walking toward a small, five-story building when the battle caught his attention. He turned to look toward the source of the noise caught sight of a figure vanishing into an alley at high speed. The figures wind-like speed, as well as the origin power it radiated, caused Qianyes heartbeat to quicken a little. He immediately told himself to calm down. The more normal a person acted on a dangerous night like this one, the safer they were. The situation in Darkblood City was extremely strange right now. He had no idea how many dark races had slipped into the city nor why they were allowed to run rampant with virtually no restraint. However, Qianye knew that this situation wouldnt last long. There was no way the expeditionary forces would tolerate a situation like this. Before long, they would seek out and kill all the dark races in the city with an iron fist. However, a manhunt like that often killed far more innocents than dark races. When a city became devoid of order, the first ones to suffer were always the defenseless civilians. Qianye gathered his wits and took a moment to examine this small building. The building before him obviously wasnt like the slums he had been in earlier. It had rows of windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, freshly painted walls, and several large metallic pipes fixed onto the outer walls for transporting fuel, steam, and hot water. A burly guard sat by entrance hall, and the building even had a parking lot in front of it. Anyone who stayed here could already be considered middle to upper class citizens of Darkblood City. Qianye walked straight toward the entrance, causing the guard to immediately stand. His fat, two-meter-tall bulk blocked his path.. Hey, whore you looking for, kid? This isnt a place where you can just go for a stroll. The guard tapped his palm with a malicious look on his face as he glared at Qianyes adventurer clothing. However, his movements abruptly came to a stop when Qianye punched him right in the stomach! Qianyes entire forearm sunk into the guards abdomen. The bodyguards eyes bulged as all the color vanished from his face in an instant, but returned just as quickly. After receiving Qianyes punch, the guard slowly bent forward and collapsed onto the ground. Qianye then threw a knifehand strike to the back of his neck to knock the him out. Qianye dragged him into the guard room and closed the door in passing. He then ran up the stairs and reached the fifth floor in the blink of an eye. There were only two families on this floor, and Qianye stopped right in front of a large door to the left and knocked. A moment later, a small window on the door opened to reveal a shrewd, wizened face. The man looked warily at Qianye and asked, Who are you looking for? As he finished his question, the mans face immediately twisted in shock. From the other side of the window, the pitch black muzzle of a gun was pointed right at his face. The muzzle of the gun was extraordinarily huge, and just a glance revealed how shockingly powerful it was. Moreover, the man could see origin power flashing inside the muzzle, scaring him out of his wits. His iron door was paper in front of a gun like this! Open the door! Qianye said indifferently. However, before the man could do anything, Qianye put his left hand on the window and exerted his strength. The wrenching of metal scraped through the air as all of the iron door tore from its hinges and away from the wall! A slit opened in the door of the other family on this floor, revealing the plump face of a middle-aged woman. When she looked outside, her initial face of fury immediately turned into one of shock and horror. Her thick, scarlet lips opened so wide that they could fit around a large pipe. The woman immediately shut the window tight with a loud bang and turned off all her lights. Then a heavy crash rang out, which was followed by dead silence. Qianye didnt care if the woman had actually tripped on her feet and knocked herself out, or if she was just pretending to be unconscious. He walked into the room of the now defenseless middle-aged man who was forced to retreat in the face of Butchers muzzle step by step until he fell onto his sofa. Qianye dragged a chair over and sat in front of the man he was threatening. He then calmly said, Mr. Liao? The man looked pale as he hastily answered, T-thats me! Lets talk this out, my friend. I have some influence within the Sky Snake Gang, you just need to tell me what you want! Anything can be done as long as it is within my capabilities! Qianye smiled faintly and said, My request is pretty simple. If I remember correctly, you and the Sky Snake Gang placed a bounty on my head of one thousand gold coins! Mr. Liao jumped to his feet in shock and exclaimed, Youre Qianye! H-how dare you come back to Darkblood City? Thats not all. Ive also prepared a lot of gifts for Sky Snake, and you, Mr. Liao, are one of them. I Mr. Liao wanted to say something else, but Qianye didnt let him speak any further. He rotated Butchers drum magazine and pulled the trigger. An origin bullet erupted from its barrel and easily penetrated Mr. Liaos body, leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen. Mr. Liao looked down and stared at the terrifying empty hole in his body and cried out in confusion.The man frantically attempted cover the wound with his hands, but he only managed to raise them halfway before collapsing on the sofa, never to move again. Qianye stood up and heard snoring inside of the room. They most likely came from Mr. Liaos family. His profile mentioned that he had a wife, two concubines, and several children. However, Qianye didnt plan to take more lives this time, so he turned around and left. Mr. Liaos death would deal a terrible blow to the Sky Snake Gang. His careful planning was half the reason why it had been able to reach its current state. Sky Snakes strength could be ranked among top-tier rank five Fighters, but his special ability was defensive and not offensive. It wasnt even ranked amongst the strongest thugs in Darkblood City. It was thanks to Mr. Liao that Sky Snake had been able to operate in the midst of the citys various forces and even build a relationship with the expeditionary forces. Taking out Black Wolf and Mr. Liao was tantamount to pulling out two of Sky Snakes poisonous fangs. Sky Snake still had three great experts, but Flying Bird was probably scared out of its wits, while the other two experts needed to consider their future after finding out that even Sky Snake himself had been severely injured. After all, the Sky Snake Gang was not the only gang in Darkblood City. Qianyes operation tonight ended with only good results. He got ready to return, rest up, and tend to the wounds on his body. He would knock on the doors of the Sky Snake gang in two days. When Qianye returned to his little hotel, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep right away. He had consumed quite a bit of origin power today and felt dead tired. In a small building with a garden in another part of the city, Yu Renyan stood inside a bathroom and poured a bucket of icy water over his head. There were three lengthy lacerations across his body that ran so deep that they nearly disemboweled him. When the icy water washed across his wounds, his face twitched in pain. However, the bits of flesh and dried blood stuck inside of them were washed out. Yu Renyan took out a bottle of black medicine, pressed it to his wounds, pushed down as if it were a plunger. Light blue flames actually burst from the mouth of the bottle! The flames only licked Yu Renyans wounds once, but the pain was so terrible that he collapsed to the floor, writhing. It took a while him to finally get the inhuman pain under control, and even then, he had been completely covered in sweat in the meantime. His eyes shone with hatred, madness, and a bit of excitement as he breathed heavily. That big man was extremely powerful. Not only was he rank six just like Yu Renyan, his combat skills werent the slightest bit weaker either. Both parties had been injured in that brief clash. Yu Renyan was horribly wounded, but that big man probably didnt fare much better than him. After the pain passed, Yu Renyan put on his clothes and walked out of the bathroom. He called a rather attractive young woman over. Send an inquiry to headquarters and ask them whats going on around Darkblood City, he told her. Ask why there are so many dark race bastards inside the city all of a sudden. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 84: Distance [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The woman said she would send the inquiry then immediately tried to leave. She obviously didnt want to be near Yu Renyan for even a second longer. Wait a moment! Yu Renyan stopped her. The young woman immediately began trembling all over, but she didnt dare to show any of her emotions. She forced a smile onto her face and turned to him. Yu Renyan suddenly shook his head and said, Never mind. Just leave. After the young lady left, Yu Renyan sat in his round-backed armchair and thought to himself. Ever since he returned, he couldnt shake the feeling that he had forgotten something extremely important. In light of that, he decided that he might as well calm down and recall everything that had happened and everywhere he went in between entering the city and returning to his accommodation. All of a sudden, he slapped his thigh, and his pupils took on a deadly vertical shape once more! He finally remembered the feeling he got from the young man that brushed past him while carrying an Eagleshot on his back! That young man had been dressed as an adventurer and had reeked of a stench that could only come from the slums. However, that pungent stench had hidden a sweet scent that was almost faint enough to miss. The familiarity that Yu Renyan felt had come from the memory of the rotten flesh he tasted earlier! There was no mistaking the taste of origin power! That young man was the person who had killed Qi Yue, the son of Brigadier General Wu Zhengnan! Although Yu Renyan sensed that something was amiss at the time, that big werewolf that had been strutting through the streets so fearlessly had distracted him so much that he actually overlooked this feeling. Yu Renyan didnt expect to miss his primary target just because of a moment of negligence! He shot to his feet, and then slowly sat back down in his chair. A contemplative smile appeared on his face. When he thought about the footwork the young man had used to quickly retreat from him and the Eagleshot on the young mans back, Yu Renyan couldnt help but feel that the game had become even more interesting than before. Eagleshot wasnt something that anyone could just pick up and use properly, yet the various traces of origin explosions he saw where Qi Yue had been killed made it clear that the culprit had yet to exceed rank four. A fighter either rank three or below being able to use an Eagleshot clearly deviated from common sense. Yu Renyan took out a map of Darkblood City, and checked the area where he met that young man. His finger traced several streets before tapping the part of the map labeled Black Copper Street. He then stretched his thumb and forefinger apart to measure the distance between the Southern Bank District and the Eastern Lake District. Since he had personally encountered the person, it didnt matter if his opponent altered his looks or changed his clothing. As long as he carefully combed through each and every area, he would eventually meet him in this storm-ridden city once more. Yu Renyan wasnt worried at all. He had a feeling that the chase and the battle, both of which would happen before the mystery was unraveled, would be exceptionally interesting. This young man possessed rank three or rank four level origin power, knowledge of military martial arts, long-range sniping skills, and an Eagleshot. Yu Renyan had no idea how Wu Zhengnan would react if he learned about all of this. Within the small hotel, Qianye finally woke up from a deep sleep. He asked for a basin of hot water and inspected the bandages he had applied only three days ago. However, after he peeled off the layers of gauze and got ready to change the dressing, Qianye was surprised to find that most of his wounds had already closed up. The Darkness origin power that had been stuck in his wounds disappeared god knows when, and his recovery speed was way faster than he initially expected! A bit of Darkness origin power still remained in the biggest, deepest wound he had suffered around his left ribs. When he washed the wound and put the new gauze in place, Qianye finally figured out what was going on. Almost all of his blood energies had gathered at the wounded area. Even the purple blood energy was among them. These blood energies surrounded the Darkness origin power and constantly consumed it, absorbing each bite of power into themselves. It was obvious that, for the past three days, every wound he suffered had been purified in this way. The most troublesome part of his injuries had actually been resolved just like that! The speed at which the purple blood energy consumed the Darkness origin power was faster than the speed of all seven other blood energies combined. It had consumed more than half of this particular ball of Darkness origin power before slowing down. It swam back to the vampire constitution rune, slow and lazy, and sank deep within it. The purple blood energy had obviously grown bigger, and it continuously spread wisps of blood that were even thinner than a hair into the vampiric constitution rune. The rune began to grow and transform into a new, more complicated rune. During this process, every blood energy in Qianyes body began to boil as his heart throbbed intensely. The speed of his blood flow increased by several folds! Qianyes origin power began move to his heart on its own. His heart absorbed it and spat out wisps of bright blood that flowed to every corner of his body in the blink of an eye. As this special blood circulated throughout his body, Qianye felt as if tens of thousands of ants had come alive inside his body and were crawling around. It felt itchy, painful, and unfathomably uncomfortable. His entire body swayed, and he felt like it had completely disconnected from his central nervous system. The only thing that still functioned properly was his brain. In the end, he collapsed onto his bed. Inside Qianyes body, the metabolism of even the tiniest cell was activated and increased to the maximum. His blood, muscles, and bones were continuously growing and transforming. It was a very profound sensation. It felt as if the entire world had come alive, and that even the tiniest air or dust particle had become a world of its own, capable of giving birth, growing, aging, and dying. Qianyes heart felt extremely anxious as if he stood at the edge of an extremely tall cliffside. Although he couldnt tell what was once again going wrong at the moment, the changes in his body were probably related to his origin power. Qianye had no idea how humans of Daybreak origin power deteriorated in Evernight until the day he fought the squad of Bloody Multiflora Rose warriors. That time, he thought that the black sun was going to break through the barrier inside of him and emerge.. He was subconsciously afraid of that happening from that point onward. However, the only thing he could do now was the grit his teeth and try to stay conscious as if doing so would preserve the light inside of his body. The origin power inside of Qianyes body swiftly dried up. His heart absorbed all of it in the blink of an eye! It was only then that his heart stopped producing more special blood. However, the growth and transformation occurring inside of Qianye had gone on for a full day before gradually coming to a stop. Only when the entire process was over was Qianye able to climb out of the bed. He planted his bare feet on the icy cold stone floor and looked at himself. On the surface, it seemed as though nothing was wrong, but he couldnt shake the feeling that something strange had happened to his body. He felt as if his central nervous system had become extremely detached from his body, and that he couldnt actually move as he wanted. Qianye walked toward the mirror beside the cabinet, but he lost his balance and stumbled. He grabbed the back of a chair, and the welded bars of iron that made up the back of that chair actually twisted with a metallic groan! Qianye was immediately startled. He stared at his hands and looked a bit dazed. He suddenly grabbed the chair, casually rubbed it few times, and the chair instantly turned into a pile of scrap iron. What kind of strength was this? Prior to this transformation, Qianyes strength had already been comparable to that of a rank Five fighter but now he could overwhelm even a strength and stamina-based fighter like Sky Snake without even using his origin power! The rune was still a vampiric constitution rune. It had just become a more advanced version. Qianye took out his dagger and left a cut on his arm. When he stabbed the knife into his skin, he felt like he was cutting a specially treated hide. It took quite a bit of strength to cut through his own skin. Qianye put a bit more strength into the action and sank the tip of the knife into his skin. He left behind a finger length wound on his arm that was a centimeter deep. The second the wound appeared, the muscles around it flexed on their own and left behind nothing more than a few drops of blood. The blood energies inside of Qianye then stirred and gathered around the wound, making it close a moment later and sending tingles through his body. The wound already started to recover, and judging from its speed, it would take only a night to completely heal. Although surprised, Qianye memorized the relevant data. He grew increasingly wary about future battles against high-ranking vampires. He put down his dagger and moved his limbs where he stood, performing a few basic movements of military martial arts. As he grew more familiar with his own body, the loss of balance that afflicted him slowly faded away as well. Qianye walked in front of a mirror and stared at himself. Thankfully, he still looked like a human. Other than the fact that his figure had become more lithe and his skin had become more exquisite, neither his appearance nor his physique had changed too much. He practically couldnt see any of his pores. Qianyes face immediately darkened and he kicked the full length mirror, making it flip around. He looked up and stared at a mechanical clock on the wall. There were still three hours before midnight, so he still had time to get something to eat. When Qianye opened his makeup pack, he angrily pushed things like fake mustaches and wrinkles to one side and only used dye to make his skin look an unhealthy yellowish-black. For the next three hours, Qianye went to four different restaurants, eating enough for five men until he finally felt his churning organs calm down a little. Ever since his vampiric constitution became an advanced ability, Qianyes entire body began screaming with hunger. Energy deficiency was a common affliction that occurred after each advancement. However, without stimulants to replenish energy, Qianye had no choice but to rely on normal food to restore his strength. That was why the dozens of portions of food meant for adults had vanished into a stomach that seemed like a blackhole. Qianye finally managed to satisfy his stomach before time he planned to start the operation, and he then disappeared into Darkblood City like a ghost in the night. Inside the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters, Sky Snake finally awoke from his coma. He had barely moved before he felt an unbearable pain in the left side of his body. Fortunately, his arms and legs still had feeling in them, and that made him feel a lot better. Where is everyone?! Sky Snake yelled, and the family doctor and his trusted servants immediately entered the room. He waved away the probing hands of the doctor and grimly said, Im not going to die yet. Summon everyone now. By the time Sky Snake managed to walk to the dining hall with some support, every high-level member of the Sky Snake Gang had already shown up. A rich variety of late-night snacks filled the huge round dining table, but there were several empty seats at the table. It actually made the scene look a little cold and desolate. A blue vein appeared on Sky Snakes forehead and pulsed a few times. Then, without batting an eyelid, he asked, Where is Mr. Liao? A Sky Snake Gang elder looked left and right. When he saw that no one was going to speak up and answer, he forced himself to take the initiative and said, Mr. Liao is dead. He was shot in his home last night. By an origin gun. What kind? Sky Snake asked coldly. From the traces we found at the scene of his death, we believe that it might have been a Butcher. Sky Snakes pupils suddenly shrank. This immediately ruled out the possibility that an idiot thief had broken into Mr. Liaos house to rob him. No one capable of using a Butcher would bother with such unclean, strenuous, and unrewarding work. This could only mean that the attacker was gunning for Sky Snake. Sky Snake swept his eyes across the table and gravely asked, Wheres Hornet? Everyone exchanged glances with each other. In the end, the same elder forced himself to say, Hornet declared that he was leaving the Sky Snake Gang. He joined the Earth Flame Association. Sky Snake slammed his palm against the dining table, making all the dishes on it shake violently! He accidentally used too much force and put strain onto his wound, his face momentarily twisting in pain. Hornet was one of the four great experts in the Sky Snake Gang. His departure at this time was a severe blow to the entire Sky Snake Gang. However, the Earth Flame Association was the biggest gang in all of Darkblood City, and their president was a rank six expert. There was no way Sky Snake could afford to offend the Earth Flame Association, so he could only swallow the bitter taste of Hornet abandoning him. Sky Snake stood up and asked, Have you figured out where the sniper shot from? Bring me to there. Lets go. The round table, which was made of decent phoebe zhennan wood, resounded with a soft crackling sound, then collapsed into a pile of wooden debris. All of the food fell to the floor, but Sky Snake didnt even blink as he left the room first. A moment later, Sky Snake stood where Qianye had sniped him from. He walked to the window, pulled a chair over, and sat down, imitating Qianyes posture and looking outside the window. From this position, Sky Snake could see the front of the building that the Sky Snake Gang used as its headquarters. All of it.. The angle that Qianye had chosen was impeccable. Sky Snake turned around and sternly stared at his band of underlings. He could see how they avoided his gaze, none of them daring to look him in the eye. Even the usually arrogant and obstinate Flying Bird was doing his best to lower his head and stare at the area in front of his toes. Everyone knew that the angle was perfect. The real question here was distance. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 85: Old Acquaintances [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] The Sky Snake Gang had been operating in Darkblood City for many years, so they had naturally taken care of any possible threats that lurked around their headquarters. All high vantage points nearby that snipers could use were under their control. However, the sniping range they had in mind was based on the Dawn Handheld Cannon produced by the Empires Blackstone Heavy Industries. This weapon was essentially the most powerful personal weapon any force in Darkblood City could possess. The Sky Snake Gang was only guarded against gang wars. Regardless of how powerful any adventurers, mercenaries, or hunters were, they werent a concern. Darkblood City had its own rules, and any trouble that grew too big would attract military intervention. But now Sky Snake had been sniped from an impossible location. It was twice the distance that they had prepared for. Just what kind of weapon enabled its wielder to shoot Sky Snake from such a distance and severely wound him? Unlike the bullet fired from a normal sniper rifle, the power and accuracy of an origin bullet greatly decreased as the distance of the shot increased. Most of the people present had started out as a gangster. They were born in the slums and grew up in the streets. For all the ups and downs in their life and the rank they managed to cultivate to this day, the weapons most familiar to them were choppers and daggers. Sniper rifles were a luxury theyd never had a chance to touch. In fact, most of them only carried guns because it made them look impressive. There were countless crooks and honest folk inside Darkblood City, and Black Copper Street definitely wasnt the only place that forbid shooting. Although no one would say that having a military-style firearm didnt make them look cool, powerful homemade guns werent bad either. As for guns with a range of a thousand meters, these Sky Snake Gang underlings had never heard of them before, much less seen one with their own eyes. There was also another question: Just what kind of person could fire a shot like this? The answer to this question was actually pretty simple. It was an answer that most people had already figured out. Only special marksmen that the Empire had spent staggering amounts of resources to nurture would be able to shoot and hit their targets from such a distance! A marksman like this had to be a junior-ranking officer at the very least! While it certainly was possible for someone at the lowest rung of society to cultivate on their own and achieve unbelievable results in the domain of origin power, combat, or assassination through hard work and talent, one thing they most likely could never be was a super long-range sniper. Sky Snake finally understood why everyone wore such strange looks on their faces. He also understood why Hornet had chosen to leave Sky Snake Gang at this time. Qianye, the hairless kid that didnt even look like an adult, that little hunter who was robbed of the Flowing Gold Rose, the one that Sky Snake had issued a kill order for, might actually be an expert sniper of the imperial corps! There was no way that a person like this would pop out of nowhere in a dominion as strict as the Empire. He had to have a huge military presence backing him. Bitterness filled Sky Snakes mouth, and an even more unfathomable emotion filled his heart. It felt like a unique kind of hatred. This hatred was directed toward Qianye and a certain VIP who implied that they wanted to see Yu Yingnan in the death arena. Sky Snake wouldnt have encountered Qianye if he hadnt needed to force Yu Yingnan into the arena. He wouldnt have robbed Qianye if the boy had revealed even a hint of his military background. All of a sudden, Sky Snake recalled something he had almost forgotten. He had heard bits and pieces about the background of the Yu Family, which was why he thought that he wouldnt have to worry very much about the Home of Hunters as long as he played by the rules. However, why had Qianye, someone who possibly had a military background, suddenly shown up now? Even with his rather simple brain, Sky Snake felt a chill rise up his spine as he thought about this. Regardless of whether or not someone was using him like a tool, he was doubtlessly in danger right now. The Empire had fought the dark races head on for over a thousand years. One could say that a huge amount of talents were produced in the Empire every day, and that any one of them could annihilate a group like the Sky Snake Gang. An expert sniper like Qianye was even scarier. He only needed a sniper rifle in his hands to be able to create a thousand-meter radius kill zone around him! Sky Snake could already imagine his future from this point forward. He would have to be alert at all times, unable to go outside and reveal his himself, or even appear in front of a window. He wouldnt even be able to sleep in a room with windows! If he had to live like this, then what about everyone else? Even if Qianye could only fire a single shot everyday, who could possibly guess who his next target might be? Cold sweat poured down Flying Birds head. He silently took two steps to the side and removed himself from his spot in front of the window without batting an eyelid. He clearly remembered how Qianye told him that he would never let him get away with what he did. Upon the fearful expressions of his subordinates, Sky Snake suddenly felt disheartened and grimly said, Theres no point holding your thoughts back at a time like this. Speak! Everyone exchanged looks before pushing Elder Yuan out into the open to speak for them again, like he had back at headquarters. Chief, there is no way our Sky Snake Gang can fight against the imperial corps, he said. N-not unless that VIP supporting you is willing to speak for us. Everyone knew that Elder Yuans last line was a complete waste of breath. Sky Snake smiled bitterly and slowly said, Cancel the kill order and tell everyone to lay low for now. Once morning arrives, I will personally head out and meet Old 2. Thats all for now. Dismissed! The upper level of the Sky Snake Gang left in silence, leaving only Sky Snake and Elder Yuan behind. Elder Yuans strength was average and he was only a rank two fighter. However, he was one of the brothers who started out with Sky Snake and built their current gang. This was why he wasnt too afraid to speak before Sky Snake. Sky Snake looked at him and sighed. Weve gotten old. Elder Yuan was startled by this sudden statement. He immediately said, No, were not! Once weve passed this obstacle, the Sky Snake Gang will continue to grow and prosper! Upon hearing this, Sky Snakes face gradually became cheerful. He grinned and said, Thats right! This is just a small obstacle! If we were able to build such a large base back then with just the few of us, we will definitely be able to rise again! The two brothers left the room one after the other. but when Sky Snake stared at Elder Yuans back, a faint killing intent appeared in his eyes. It was true that a VIPs words were quite useful, but they werent free. If Sky Snake didnt want to be tossed away and used as a scapegoat, then he needed to do something to prove his worth. Qianye followed the path he planned beforehand and approached the headquarters of the Sky Snake Gang. All of a sudden, he saw a figure in the distance and realized that it was Hornet. Qianye had yet to find out that Hornet had left the Sky Snake Gang. Even if he had, it wouldnt have stopped Qianye from killing him. Qianye turned around and entered an alleyway without batting an eye. He observed Hornet . Hornet looked as if something were troubling him and was moving fast. He quickly left the Southern Bank District and entered a wide road. However, the crowd around both he and Qianye was growing thinner. This was the slums, one of the three lawless areas that served as a junction between the Southern Bank District and the Eastern Lake District. It was also a prosperous underground black market. In the past, this place produced at least a dozen or so corpses every night, but because a storm had begun to envelop the wasteland of Boulderstone Region, expeditionary forces had tightened security within the city. This was the reason why this place looked a little deserted today. Through the gap between two buildings, Qianye watched Hornet walk toward a street that led to the Eastern Lake District. He walked forward and was about to turn onto an intersection ahead of him to reach on the same path as Hornet in less than fifty meters. However, after taking only two steps forward, Qianye came to an abrupt stop. He smoothly straightened his posture so he reached his full height and placed a hand on the wall to his left. He nimbly leaped into the air and landed on the roof of a house, laying flat against it and instantly becoming one with the night.. Several young men outfitted like mercenaries suddenly emerged from a bar not far away. They were so drunk that they couldnt even walk straight. These youths were singing out of tune and roaring bold, ambitious words that would make people laugh. They raised the bottle in their hands every so often, chugging large gulps of alcohol. Qianye saw a person in this group that was familiar. Although he was bigger and sturdier than he used to be, and his face was completely different, Qianye still recognized him at first glance. The mercenary that was contributing to the commotion the most was none other than Wei Potian. Back at Xiangyang, Wei Potian was the genius who was given the highest recognition and selected by the Broken Winged Angels. His talent and potential was as extraordinary as he seemed, and it didnt take long for him to reach rank three. In fact, he looked like he had already ignited his fourth node. Seeing Wei Potian staggering and running into a companion and then seizing the opportunity to grab that companions shoulders and wrestle with him, Qianye couldnt help but recall that military competition that he had been fated to win. He also recalled the three promises that Wei Potian made after losing to him in a match, as well as Wei Potians personally-made silver bullet that Qianye had stomped into the ground. Normal silver could no longer harm Qianye. All these memories felt as if they were from another lifetime, but Qianye could no longer show himself. He reckoned that he had probably been listed as a killed-in-action in the Empires profiles long ago. Ever since Qianye had rescued that Red Scorpion rookies, he noticed that the Evernight Continent was one of the places that elite corps were sent to carry out missions. There were many times in which he had wondered whether or not he would eventually meet his former comrades, but he never imagined that he would encounter Wei Potian in Darkblood City. Wei Potian was a member of an aristocratic family, so the up-and-coming youth of an elite corps naturally wouldnt appear here for no reason. In fact, the steps of Wei Potian and the other youths seemed unusually steady even though they looked heavily intoxicated. All of them possessed robust origin power, and not a single one of them was a weakling. On average, they were rank four Fighters, not to mention the fact that Broken Winged Angel soldiers were utterly dominant in a fight against an adventurer or mercenary of equal rank. Qianye didnt move and simply watched the group of youths pretending to be drunks fooling around in the street. Broked Winged Angels obviously wouldnt appear in Darkblood City out of nowhere and even put on disguises just to go on a vacation. They hadnt taken more than a few steps when a faint white mist suddenly appeared in front of this group of youths, completely cutting off the path forward. Wei Potian and the companion continued to yell loudly and pretend to be drunk, but the rest of them had already noticed the changes in their environment. They straightened their postures and took defensive stances. A tall, thin man slowly emerged from the mist. He wore a metal mask on his face and wielded a shocking two-meter-long sword. The blade of the sword was covered in a black aura so dense that it might as well have been solid! The moment he appeared, a nigh invincible aura enveloped the area! Black flames rose around the mans body and climbed several meters into the air! By then, even the thickheaded Wei Potian noticed that something was amiss. He stared wide-eyed at the mysterious man. The man stood in front of the group of youths and let out low, hoarse laughter. Oh, you little Broken Winged Angels, he said. Youre bold but your luck is quite bad. Wei Potians face was ugly. The aura that pressed down on him from above caused the color to drain from his face and made his bones to crack loudly. The rest of the young soldiers fared even worse than him, one of which had already started bleeding from his nose. The mist didnt interfere with Qianyes night vision. He stared at the scene from afar and felt extremely shocked. The manifestation of origin power! This mysterious man was actually a Champion rank expert!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 86: Encounter [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Ignoring the fact that Wei Potian and his men were only rank four on average, even if they were all rank seven or eight, they would still be nothing in the face of an expert of this level. A series of rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from a nearby street. Soon enough, a group of expeditionary troops burst out into the open. The military officer at the front of that group immediately cried out in surprise when he saw the mysterious man burning with black flames. A member of the dark races! The rest of the expeditionary soldiers didnt need their officer to tell them what do do. They raised their guns and aimed them at the mysterious man. Meanwhile, the officer himself drew his origin gun and frantically injected origin power into it to shorten the charging process as much as possible. The masked man let out a heavy sigh. His smooth, metal mask actually transformed into a look of great pity as the sword in his hand seemed to flicker through the air. Not even Qianye could say for sure if that unusually long sword had actually moved. A faint black line had been drawn in the air. It appeared to move slow, but it was actually moving extremely fast. It swept through the waists of all the expeditionary soldiers! In that moment, every expeditionary soldier stopped moving. The officer looked down at himself and saw his arms falling away from his body. His origin gun had been cut in half and his upper body fell below his waist! A dozen or so expeditionary soldiers instantly lost their lives! The cuts on their bodies were all smooth like mirrors and as black as charcoal. No bits of flesh or drops of blood burst from the wounds. The masked man turned his gaze to the group of Broken Winged Angel youths once again. He suddenly let out a soft chuckle and asked, Are you fishing for someone? Well... you definitely got a fish, but it seems that Im so big that all your bait will go to waste. So long, little fellows! His sword flickered once more, and yet another black line flew toward the Broken Winged Angel rookies! That very instant, all the rookies felt the threat of death. However, under the tremendous pressure the masked man exuded since the beginning, they couldnt even draw their weapons. At that critical moment, Wei Potian suddenly let out a booming roar. Thousand Mountains! He cried, his aura surging into the air and actually pushing back the masked mans pressure! Wei Potian took a great step forward and stood right in front of his companions. He then crossed his arms so they were in front of his head and chest, and a brownish-yellow origin power enveloped his entire body. He was actually planning to block the blow head on! Thousand Mountains was undoubtedly secret art among the imperial aristocratic families because Wei Potian, despite only being rank four, was able to emit his origin power outside his body. In spite of this, he still had absolutely no chance of blocking the masked mans black sword aura. If a Wei Family senior expert stood in his place, they mightve stood a chance. However, with Wei Potians Thousand Mountains in the way, his companions behind him now had a tiny hope of surviving. With luck, one or two of them might be able to escape the deadly sword aura. By this point, two of the Broken Winged Angel rookies were finally able to move. Instead of trying to escape first, they grabbed at the military-issue guns and swords in the holsters and sheaths at their waists. The man let out a soft exclamation of admiration that seemed to be directed at Wei Potian. Even his mask turned into a smiling face. The sword in his hand flickered once more, and the black sword aura flying toward the Broken Winged Angel rookies contracted and expanded as it descended upon Wei Potians head like a venomous dragon! Death loomed over Wei Potian, making his short hair stand on end, yet he let out a mad roar that caused the light of origin power around him to shine even brighter. The masked man had obviously manipulated his sword aura to give him a gap through which he could escape, but Wei Potian simply refused to move out of the way! The black sword aura instantly sped up and slashed down at Wei Potian! A soft crack resounded through the air. A platinum-gloved hand appeared out of nowhere and caught that sword aura! The hand tightened around the black sword aura and twisted, crushing the mysterious mans attack just like that! A tall soldier with a posture that was ramrod straight appeared before Wei Potian and the others. The man had a handsome face with soft features. White patterns adorned his black uniform, which was obviously the uniform of the Broken Winged Angels. He wore epaulets on his shoulders, both of which were adorned with olive leaves surrounding five platinum stars. Far off in the distance shock filled, Qianye yet again. The man was a major general of the imperial corps, a Broken Winged Angel major general no less! But he looked like he had yet to even reach his thirties. This young major general wore a pair of platinum gloves, and his head was lush with long platinum hair. In fact, even his pupils were platinum! It was impossible to forget such extraordinary features after seeing them for the first time. Qianye clearly remembered that this man was none other than the military officer responsible for recruiting new blood for the Broken Winged Angels back at Xiangyang. However, he had only been a brigadier general back then. Qianye hadnt thought that he would become a major general so soon. The speed at which he rose through the ranks of the military was so fast that, even in the Empires capital where strength was valued above all else, it was rare. In an elite corp like the Broken Winged Angels, the ability to command was just the second most important factor. A soldiers military rank was mainly determined by a persons own strength. Every general of the Empire was, at the very least, a Champion rank expert. The mysterious masked man sheathed his sword and somehow floated a huge distance backward even though he hadnt moved his feet at all. Bai Longjia! he exclaimed in a low tone. Bai Longjia crossed his arms in front of his chest, rubbing them together slightly. The sound of metal against metal actually resounded from the movement. He stared at the masked man standing opposite from him and sneered, A human-faced arachne trying to kill a group of rookies? Your actions shame the spider queen herself! The masked man snorted and suddenly said, Bai Longjia, dont think that I have no idea what youre planning. Youre just using those little kids to lure me out into the open, arent you? Do you really think Im as stupid as you humans? Bai Longjias expression changed as he suddenly looked to his right. Layers of white mist had suddenly risen in that direction, and a handsome large-bodied golden-haired man walked out of it. The ground trembled with every step he took! It was William! Qianyes heartbeat skipped a beat at the sudden realization. He had known that William was no ordinary person from the beginning, but it was only now that he understood that this formidable man from the Summit of Peaks was a true Champion rank expert! It appeared that, during the night he met William in the wasteland, he truly had crossed the line between life and death and returned. A harsh glimmer of light erupted from Bai Longjias eyes as he stared closely at the golden-haired man walking toward him. Emphasizing every single word, he exclaimed, The Summit of Peaks! Are you William? Williams face cracked into a bright, sunny smile, and his bluish-gray eyes looked translucent, as if flowing with light under the night sky. His voice resounded through the air, its deep timber seemingly resonating with the pulse of the world. It is I. I heard that the Bai Family produced quite the impressive group of youths this generation and that you, Bai Longjia, are among them. This is the perfect opportunity for me ascertain if that is true! That being said, it would be nice if I could check out your sisters abilities too. A vacant look replaced the sharpness in Bai Longjias eyes. His voice lost all hint of emotion as he gradually lowered his voice until it became monotone, robotically saying, If my sister were here, not a single one of you foolish clowns would be able to leave here alive, let alone make such utterly irrational boasts! A serious expression spread across Williams face when he saw Bai Longjias appearance. He stopped mid-stride and said, Id only find out after fighting her, right? Bai Longjia apathetically said, Youll have to go through me first! He turned around and yelled, Potian, take them away to the camp of the expeditionary army. Wei Potian hesitated for a second, but ultimately shouted, Yes, sir! Lets go! he yelled to the youths behind him. We must not become a burden to the general! The youths ran away at full speed. Bai Longjia took a step to the side, and his figure suddenly appeared about a dozen of meters away from where he stood earlier. He now stood in the middle of the street, barring the path of both William and the human-faced arachne. He slowly spread his arms apart, and a pair of pristine white wings suddenly extended from his back. They flapped up and down in a lifelike manner. William inhaled deeply as the figure of a giant golden wolf several meters tall suddenly appeared behind him! Like a night wolf praising the moon, he let out a long howl then charged at Bai Longjia with boundless might! Bai Longjia clapped his hands together and pushed them outward from his chest. William unleashed a punch and he met it head on. When fist struck palm, the entire district seemed to shake from the resulting shockwave andseveral tall buildings suddenly rumbled and collapsed around them. Countless bloodcurdling screams resounded from the crumbling buildings and the subsequent ruins. Bai Longjia staggered backward a few long steps and abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood. Every time his feet hit the limestone-paved street, it cracked under pressure and caved in to create multiple deep pits. William didnt fare much better, having flown horizontally backward like a cannonball. Although he ultimately managed to steady himself after flipping through the air a couple of times, the giant golden wolf shadow behind him became distorted. A moment later, it disappeared. However, several lines of black sword aura had flown toward Bai Longjia under the cover of the night sky. The moment they struck his wings, white feathers scattered everywhere and a fountain of blood erupted from his body! Although the wings were obviously an illusion conjured from origin power, Bai Longjias body reflected any damage they took. Bai Longjia let out a fierce roar and spread his arms. Countless illusory, platinum palms instantly filled the area and crushed the lines of black sword aura near him. The human-faced arachne groaned softly as blood sprayed out of the air hole in his mask. Even though he was facing two opponents at the same level as him, Bai Longjia stood in the middle of the street, tall and proud. He didnt take another step backward.. The human-faced arachne suddenly sneered at him. Did you really think those little fellows would be able to escape? I already prepared a grand welcoming party for them! The moment he heard this, Bai Longjias expression finally cracked. Just then, while William had backed off, he happened to head toward the rooftop that Qianye was hiding on. The distance between them shrank to a few hundred meters in an instant. By this point, William had enough time to regulate his breathing and resummon the illusory golden wolf. Yet, all of a sudden, William turned around looked at Qianyes hiding spot. Caught by surprise, Qianye closed his eyes just before his enemy could see him. He lay completely flat on the roof, not moving a muscle, but at the same time, he carefully channeled the Combatant Formula and exposed a tiny bit of his origin power. He was gambling on William being too caught up in a Champion rank battle to divert his attention to an insignificant rank three small fry. As expected, William didnt pay him any further attention after an initial sweeping glance. After that, Qianye slowly backed away and slid down the rooftop, then vanished into the night. Meanwhile, Wei Potian ran down a long street at top speed. He suddenly came to a stop and raised his right hand to stop the young rookies following closely behind him. He examined the empty street before him cautiously. The street was unusually quiet. Half the buildings on both sides of the street were empty to begin with, and now there wasnt even the slightest bit of light in them. Only a few street lamps bathed the quiet street with yellow light. This scene looked unfathomably cold and desolate. Before any of the Broken Winged Angel soldiers knew it, a shroud of thin gray mist slowly spread across the street. Black figures walked out of the mist one after another and surrounded the group of greenhorns. A young man emerged from amidst the many black figures. He had a pale handsome face, and with just a glance, it was obvious that he was a high ranking vampire. The young vampire wore an evil smile on his face as he pointed at Wei Potian and said, Todays bait shall be mine! Wei Potians heart immediately sank. All of the enemies that had shown up were at least rank three vampire warriors, and this higher vampire was actually rank six. This force was definitely enough to swallow them whole. The Broken Winged Angels were definitely elites, but the dark races had elites of their own. The descendants of those reputable clans were just as good as they were. Although Wei Potians heart was heavy, he showed no fear on his face. He sneered at the vampire and exclaimed, Yours? Arent you afraid that well break your canine teeth? The young vampires face darkened as he stared closely at Wei Potian. Suddenly, his expression changed into an eerie smile that sent chills down Wei Potians spine. I suddenly feel as though giving you the Embrace isnt a bad choice, he said excitedly. Youll listen to my orders from now on, okay?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 87: Reunion [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Wei Potians face darkened. He stomped at the ground, his aura naturally becoming as solid as a mountain. He turned around and yelled, Well fight these bloodsucking son of a bitches with all weve got, brothers! After saying this, Wei Potian let out an angry roar. pulled out his bayonet, and pounced at the higher vampire! He attacked the vampire without bothering to protect himself. It was almost as if he had gone mad. All he cared about was stabbing that vampire a couple of times with his bayonet! This immediately startled the young vampire. Wei Potians bayonet glittered with silver light! The thick sheen of silver that covered the bayonet was obviously the luster of exorcism mithril! No vampire in the world want to be stabbed by a mithril bayonet. Although this young vampires rank was absolutely superior to Wei Potians, his opponents unpredictable charge forced him to dodge again and again. The rest of the Broken Winged Angel rookies were well-versed in firearms and wasted no time in charging their origin power handguns, firing them into the vampires. They then pulled out their own bayonets and screamed as they pounced toward the vampire warriors surrounding them. Every single one of them attacked like a crazed tiger with bloodshot eyes. However, their aggression wasnt what the vampires had feared the most. What really scared them was the fact that all one of their bayonets gleamed with mithril light! That higher vampire nearly groaned when he saw this. He had no idea when the humans had become so rich that they could equip any one of their men with mithril bayonets of exorcism! If the humans could arm themselves to this degree, then there wouldnt be any vampires left to take part in the war between Evernight and Daybreak as it raged on. As he thought, humans were a treacherous and loathsome race. He couldnt believe that even such a shoddy trap could have a surprise! The young vampire thought that all of this was part of the trap, but he didnt know that it was the Broken Winged Angels who were rich and not the human race. Almost every soldier that the Broken Winged Angel recruited was a descendant of an aristocratic family. Other than the standard loadout afforded by their corp, all of them had their own personal equipment as well. The standard equipment that the Empire provided for their elite corps might seem like top-tier equipment in the eyes of a common soldier, but they were just outdated trash in the eyes of many Broken Winged Angels. This was why they prepared better equipment for themselves. In terms of excellent equipment, the Broken Winged Angels were undoubtedly the number one corp in the entire army. However, the difference in strength between two parties wasnt something that could be made up for with just a couple of mithril bayonets. Every Broken Winged Angel rookie was injured in the blink of an eye, and even Wei Potian suffered a deep cut to his chest! Although these rookies managed to take down five to six vampire warriors in a completely one-sided battle, making themselves proud, the gap in strength between the two parties only continued to grow bigger and bigger. It looked like that this little team of Broken Winged Angel rookies would be annihilated very, very soon! Wei Potian had already been knocked away by the young vampire three times. The origin powered light of Thousand Mountains around his body had already faded quite a bit. He could already tell that this young vampire was an official Blood Esquire at the very least. If that werent the case, his attacks wouldnt be strong enough to threaten the integrity of his Thousand Mountains defense with just three hits. With the current gap in strength between them, as soon as Thousand Mountains was destroyed, he would definitely be slaughtered like a helpless lamb. Wei Potian panted heavily like a furious bull. He squatted to the ground, assuming a martial arts stance, and watched his opponent closely. He made up his mind to forsake any kind of defense during the next attack. He would put a hole in that vampires body with his mithril bayonet even if he instantly died from a counter attack! In reality, that young Blood Esquire felt just as gloomy as Wei Potian did. He couldnt believe that he wasnt able to break through a rank four rookies origin power defense even though he had thrown three heavy strikes at it. If this news spread back to his clan, he would become a complete laughing stock. The rest of the Broken Winged Angel rookies that his subordinates were dealing with were already on their last legs. If he couldnt take this troublesome brat out before his subordinates defeated their opponents, where could he find a hole to hide in? The Blood Esquire no longer charged at Wei Potian. Instead, he stayed where he was and conjured a bloody shield in front of his chest with his right arm. His left arm burned up with a wisp of bloody light that grew brighter and brighter over time. His smile became increasingly strange as he sent a sidelong glare at Wei Potian who stood several steps away from him. It was obvious that this would be an earth-shattering attack once it fully charged! Lying in wait within a shadow, Qianye finally found his chance. Steadily, strongly, he pulled the trigger of his Eagleshot! The Eagleshot rumbled like a brewing thunderstorm as origin power erupted from it, illuminating half of that small street. The tremendous recoil pushed Qianye a full meter backward. The physical origin bullet, however, cut through the air at an unavoidable speed and shot toward the power-gathering Blood Esquire. The blood energy within the bullet head seemed to sense something as it began to wildly writhe back and forth! A terrifying red light abruptly flashed before Wei Potians eyes. The shockwave of the resulting explosion caused him to stagger backward. If the shockwave of the explosion was powerful enough to knock Wei Potian, in his Thousand Mountains state, several steps backwards, then the Blood Esquire at the dead center of the origin power explosion was blasted at least a dozen meters back! The Blood Esquire didnt only possess tremendous speed, but also unparalleled reaction time. In an instant, he protected his head and chest area by crossing his arms before them, and when the impact happened his feet dug and drew a pair of deep ditches on the ground. The arm shield he created with his blood energy had dissipated the instant his origin power clashed against Qianyes. The Blood Esquires arms were covered in blood and had been wounded by the impact to the point where his bones were visible. His clothes had been destroyed, leaving behind only a few tattered shreds of them on his body. The Eagleshot had completely destroyed the vampires upper-body armor as well. Two hundred meters was a distance in which Eagleshot could unleash its full might! Qianye inwardly proclaimed a word of pity. The Blood Esquire was obviously at rank seven, and although he hadnt trained his body like Sky Snake had, the huge difference in rank meant that the shot had only been able to seriously wound him. He hoped that the vampire enjoyed the extra substance in the origin bullet though. The Blood Esquire lowered his arms and turned his scarlet eyes to where Qianye was hiding, staring at him intensely. He didnt need to order his well-trained elite vampire warriors to do anything. They automatically abandoned the Broken Winged Angel rookies who were on their last legs and pounced in the direction that the origin bullet came from. A long period of war against humans had thought them that they always needed to deal with enemy snipers as quickly as possible! Shooting Eagleshot had been so loud that Qianye knew there was no way he could hide himself any longer. Pouring such a large amount of origin power into the shot had left him in a weakened state. He didnt even have the time to recover before he was forced to grab his hand axe and leap to his feet, preparing himself for close quarters combat. However, the vampire warriors moved faster than Qianye had predicted. A black shadow dashed forward like lightning and slammed into Qianye. The two men crashed down to the street, wrestling each other on the ground.. Qianyes attacker was a rank four vampire warrior. A dark blue rimmed his scarlet pupils, making him look exceptionally bloodthirsty and cold. He had seized the upper hand while they wrestled and put himself above Qianye. Choking Qianye with one hand, he thrust his other hand straight at Qianyes chest! A rank four blood vampire possessed strength comparable to that of a rank five human Fighter. Qianye felt as if a steel collar were tightening around his throat, keeping him from drawing air into his lungs. He couldnt use his right hand or the hand axe it gripped because he was lying in an awkward, twisted position. All he could do was grab the vampire warriors wrist with his left arm and prevent him from plunging a scarlet dagger with black and golden patterns into his chest. This quickly became a contest of strength between the two fighters. Qianye couldnt breath at all. His neck was being choked to the point where even blood could barely flow to his head. His face turned purple from the suffocation. However, after the confusion caused by the initial ambush passed, Qianye sensed that the vampire warriors strength had weakened more than he expected. Both parties were stuck in a deadlock! All of a sudden, Qianyes heart pounded and his black blood boiled. All seven blood energies within his heart emerged and rushed toward different parts of his body! The muscles on Qianyes neck suddenly bulged, and his neck instantly became half a size thicker than it originally was. This change was so huge that it actually forced the vampire warriors fingers apart! The vampire warrior was shocked. His left hand was shaking, and every muscle in his arm was trembling. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldnt force his fingers even a millimeter deeper into Qianyes flesh! He almost couldnt believe what he was seeing. How could a human, a rank three human, possibly possess such tremendous strength? Qianye inhaled deeply. The sensation of being able to breathe again was absolutely magical as he felt every cell in his body screaming in joy. Qianye suddenly put strength into his left hand, and the vampire warrior let out a bloodcurdling scream as his wrist cracked under the pressure. His fingers went limp and the dagger fell to the ground. Qianye exerted his strength once more and tossed the vampire warrior away from him. Then, he swiftly grabbed the fallen dagger and plunged it straight into his opponents heart! Qianye tossed the dagger away and plunged a stimulant syringe into his thigh. The Combatant Formula swiftly circulated throughout his body as a turbulent tide of origin power soothed his tired veins. But that was all the time he had to recover. A rush of wind could be heard behind him, and another vampire warrior pounced at him once more. Qianye immediately curled up into a ball and rolled to the side. Only when he was out of the vampire warriors pouncing range did Qianye jump to his feet. Then, instead of retreating, he let out a short yell, turned around, and strode toward the vampire warrior instead. With all the strength he had in his body, he leaped at the vampire warrior that had yet to switch his posture! A dull bang immediately resounded through the air, and the vampire warrior flew backward like a cannon ball. After hitting the ground, he couldnt climb to his feet no matter how he struggled. Qianye lightly sprang up from the ground and dodged two daggers swiping at him. He suffered a cut to his right shoulder, but swallowed a dull groan of pain, moving as if he hadnt been wounded at all. When the two vampire warriors had that had swiped him missed their first attack, they immediately switched positions and continued to attack Qianye from his left and right flanks. Qianye pressed his limbs inward to make himself smaller and jumped at the vampire on the right. His hand axe instantly cut across his opponents chest a dozen times, drenching both men in blood. However, Qianye also felt a cold chill and a sudden pain in his back. The other vampire had left a long wound on his body. Qianye silently turned around and swung his hand axe to block the other vampire warriors second strike then immediately tossed a bag of liquid at the his face! As soon as the liquid hit the vampire warrior, his exposed skin bubbled and swiftly turned black! The pain was so great that he rolled on the ground screaming and covering his face, unable to concern himself with Qianye any longer. The leather bag held the liquid silver that Qianye coated his blades with. Of course, the vampire couldnt withstand it being thrown into his face. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had taken out the first four vampire warriors who came after him. However, more than a dozen meters away, another six black shadows were rushing toward him at an unbelievable speed. The Blood Esquire that had been severely wounded by his Eagleshot had shaken off Wei Potian and was furiously charging at him as well. More than half of the vampires who were surrounding the Broken Winged Angel rookies had been drawn to Qianye! Wei Potian had originally run back to his companions. However, when he saw their rescuer battling the vampires, he couldnt help but burn with emotion and charged toward him. Qianye immediately shouted at Wei Potian. Run! Run back to the expeditionary force headquarters and bring someone to save me! Just then, Wei Potian finally saw Qianyes face. The sight left him shocked to the point of disbelief. He threw all caution to the wind, roaring as brown origin power covered his entire body. He charged two of the vampires with as much force as he could muster, knocking them away. Wei Potian stumbled to Qianyes side and grabbed his arm. He was panting so heavily that his voice was a little shaky as he exclaimed, Little Ye! But without warning, the world turned upside down as a powerful and unstoppable force suddenly erupted from Qianyes hand. Wei Potian completely lost his center of gravity, and by the time he felt his ass hit the ground painfully, he had already been thrown extremely far away. Qianye had kicked Wei Potian right back to the Broken Winged Angel rookies. F*ck off, rookie! he yelled angrily. Dont drag me down!Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 88: Soul of the Imperial Army [Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower] Wei Potian turned his head to look back. Most of the Broken Winged Angel rookies were hurt. Although the vampires had spared only four warriors to deal with them, the situation was still completely one-sided. One of his companions had already collapsed, and it was unknown if he was dead or alive. All of them, including himself, had used a stimulant for this battle. He was currently the only one who possessed a tiny shred of combat strength while the rest of the Broken Winged Angel rookies were struggling to break through the vampire encirclement. Wei Potian clenched his fists tightly and roared like a wounded animal. He rushed over to force back the vampire warriors who were still attacking his companions before hoisting the unconscious rookie onto his back. Then he ran toward the expeditionary armys camp. All of the Broken Winged Angel rookies shot Qianye complicated glances before following closely behind Wei Potian and escaping the battlefield. After attracting the attention of most of the vampire warriors, Qianye no longer traded his enemies blow for blow. Instead, he changed from his forceful style to a more nimble one by constantly moving and changing his position, relying on his speed and agility to avoid several close interceptions that wouldve led to more bloodshed. Despite having exchanged several blows already, both parties didnt actually come into contact with each other for a time. This lasted until a vampire warrior lost his patience and charged at Qianye with no semblance of skill whatsoever. A dull thud could be heard, and the vampire warrior was knocked back several steps while Qianye was thrown in a certain direction. However, some vampire warriors immediately noticed that something was amiss. Upon hitting the ground, Qianye had actually rolled right into an alleyway. The vampire warriors that failed to notice anything strange immediately roared angrily and chased Qianye into the dark alley like a pack of wolves. The Blood Esquire also started moving toward Qianye with a sinister smile on his face, but a sudden dizzy spell nearly caused him to slip and fall to the ground. He looked down at his wound in shock and finally realized that it was overflowing with the rotten stench of black blood! The Blood Esquire immediately turned pale as he circulated his blood energy with all his might. He barely managed to suppress the poison in his wound and temporarily stop it from getting worse. He didnt dare to delay any longer, however. He needed to retreat and attend to his wound immediately. The human was so hurt that, for the latter half of the battle, he didnt dare to fight them directly. Moreover, he was currently being pursued by ten vampire warriors. The Blood Esquire thought that the human who foiled their trap was definitely going to die, so he threw one last hateful glare at the alleyway before leaving. He swiftly vanished into the night. Qianye panted rapidly. His wounds burned, and his body screamed with fatigue. He was following a map in his mind, and the battleground he had chosen to make his final stand in wasnt far ahead of him. However, he had almost depleted all of his blood energy and origin power during the short but intense battle that had just occurred. Qianye stepped forward, jumped, and turned his body sideways in midair, firing a shot with his Butcher as he ran. The footsteps of the vampire warriors chasing him slowed down slightly, but he knew that his actions would only continue to enrage them and get them to chase him relentlessly. This was exactly what he wanted. His plan was to stall these vampires long enough for Wei Potian and his companions to escape to the headquarters of the expeditionary army. Maybe they might even be able to find some reinforcements and come to his aid in time. Qianye smiled bitterly at this thought. Timely reinforcements? That was clearly a thought borne of delusion. A tall tower that reached into the clouds appeared in front of Qianye. Countless dark gray metallic pipes of all shapes and sizes connected to every part of that tower. A set of gears that took up an entire floor for themselves could be seen every few meters, each one being the height of an adult human. They fitted precisely into one another, and even the tiniest gear was as big as an elephants foot. This was the colossus steam machine called the Arm of the Colossus. Darkblood City once used it to build the walls of the city. Since then, this giant machine had lain dormant for many years, and multiple parts of it were covered in rust. This was where Qianye had decided to make his last stand. Its terrain was complicated enough that it would get in the way of his pursuers trying to surround him. However, Qianye knew that, even if he managed to use the remainder of his strength to kill a few more vampire warriors, there was no way he would be able to survive until Wei Potian returned. In reality, Qianye foresaw this outcome the second he fired his Eagleshot. He couldnt explain why he had pulled the trigger, condemning himself to save Wei Potian and some Broken Winged Angel rookies that he didnt know at all. Perhaps he had been affected by Bai Longjia, or maybe he still couldnt forget the figure of the Red Scorpion leader in his heart. When standing on the great battlefield and fighting against the dark races, it seemed as though a persons beliefs would change without them realizing it. Qianye originally hated Bai Longjia with all his being. That man was arrogant, rude, and only cared about background and talent. In short, Bai Longjia was the epitome all the flaws that a descendant of an aristocratic family normally possessed. Other than his strength, Qianye found almost no reason to like Bai Longjia at all. To this day, Qianye still hadnt forgotten the comment that Bai Longjia had personally written on his file. The only thing that comes out of a landfill is trash. But while Bai Longjia possessed all these flaws, they didnt stop him from singlehandedly holding back two powerful opponents as strong as himself to let the Broken Winged Angel rookies escape. They didnt stop him from standing strong and fighting to the end without ever surrendering. This one look at his back was enough to make Qianye forget all of his unhappiness from before. In Qianyes eyes, Wei Potian and those youths were all just rookies right now, but it was these rookies that might become the Empires backbone in the future! And since they were only rookies, it was naturally the task of a veteran like Qianye to repel their enemies just like back when that Red Scorpion leader had forced the black tide to retreat with his own flesh and blood! When Eagleshot boomed, Qianye had already forgotten that he was no longer an imperial soldier, or that he was in reality just a rookie himself. By now, Qianye had reached the bottom of the tower. He crouched and jumped up its limestone foundation, repeatedly grabbing the horizontal bars to pull himself up until he reached the first floor. He pressed his back against a large gear and inspected his Butcher with a lowered head. There was one last physical bullet inside its chamber. Meanwhile, the vampire warriors sped up and charged toward him from the alley down below. Suddenly, Qianye sensed something and immediately jumped away from his original spot. It was only after he hid behind the half-cover of a metallic disc that he dared to look upward. There was a lanky figure standing at the corner of the platform above him. His limbs were so long that the sight of them was almost impossible to forget. Qianye remembered this guy. He had brushed past him during an earlier night, and had seen his brief but intense clash with that big werewolf. This guy was a rank six expert, and a thick stench of blood was emanated from his body. His pale-colored eyes never failed to instill the image of a strong and cunning beast in ones mind. Qiante was confident in his ability to fight against a dark race warrior or a wild beast, but this man was one of the few beings to instill unparalleled vigilance in his mind. The most dangerous enemy of man was man himself. Youre Qianye, right? that man asked. Qianyes heart sank slightly as he answered, Thats me. My name is Yu Renyan. I have come specifically for that matter at Blackflow City. Qianye was slightly surprised by his answer. He calmed his heart and slowed his breathing, doing his best to recover his worn body to the best possible fighting condition. Although he was currently inferior to Yu Renyan in every aspect, he wasnt someone who was resigned to his own fate. Yu Renyan let a short blade slip out of his sleeve to fall into his left hand. He then took an old-fashioned, double-barreled origin handgun from his waist and pressed a hidden button. Another blade appeared beneath the gun barrel. Qianyes heart sank further. He only needed to look at the weapon to know that this mans combat style was similar to his. To Qianye, this kind of enemy was the hardest type to deal with, not to mention that there was still a group of vampire warriors following from behind. A vampire warrior charged out of the dark alley. The moment he saw Qianye, he immediately charged toward him at top speed, wearing a sinister smile on his face. With a single leap, he landed onto the limestone foundation, but just as he was about to climb further, he sensed that the situation wasnt right. Because Yu Renyan wasnt trying to hide his presence, the stench of rotten flesh that permeated from his body was incredibly thick, causing the vampire to immediately detect his presence with a sense of alarm. It was like the scene of a wild animal encountering another vicious beast. The vampire warriors appeared one after another as they slowly approached the duo. Yu Renyan didnt wait for Qianye to speak up again. Instead, he turned his body sideways and opened up the path, saying, I should kill you immediately, but that order will have to change considering how many black-blooded bastards there are in this place. Ill deal with these bloodsucking zombies first and then deal with you! Come on, well go to the roof and kill them all. You kill three, Ill take on the other seven. Qianyes eyes narrowed slightly before nodding, Thats very fair! He dashed past Yu Renyan before leaping upward, rushing straight towards the top of the tower. Yu Renyan confronted the vampire warriors before slowly backing away and also retreating all the way to the roof of the tower. An intense battle erupted the moment the vampire warriors charged up the roof! Qianye waved his hand axe and slashed at his enemies like he was imitating raindrops. He made no attempts to defend himself at all and decapitated the three vampire warriors in the blink of an eye. When he turned around to look at the other corner of the roof, he happened to witness Yu Renyan pressing down on the last vampire warrior and cutting open his throat. As he thought, this Yu Renyan was an expert. He had slain seven vampire warriors singlehandedly, but had barely fallen behind on Qianye. This wasnt just a difference in rank, but also because Yu Renyans combat skills hardly fell behind on Qianyes despite not being a member of the Yellow Springs or the Red Scorpions. Qianye leaned against a metallic tank, trying his best to even maintain a standing position. He felt like fire was flaring both in and outside his body, and both his blood energy and origin power were completely depleted. A dozen or so wounds had been to his body during the brief exchange just now, and even the slightest movement resulted in heart-wrenching pain that seemed to stifle even his breathing. He had completely lost all feeling in his left arm. In fact, he wasnt even sure if his left arm was still in place. Yu Renyan was also hurt, but he hadnt suffered too many wounds. They were just flesh wounds that werent deep either. Its our turn now. Qianye said. He could not longer grip the hand axe. His right hand was holding a short blade he had snatched from a vampire warrior. Yu Renyan looked Qianye up and down once before saying, Youre the one who did that thing to Qi Yue, arent you? Qianye was just about to admit it when Yu Renyan waved his hand and stopped him from talking further. Actually, dont tell me anything. Ill be put in a difficult position if you did. Although I hate the armys style a lot, I am still a soldier myself. Yu Renyan put away his weapon and looked at his own wounds, saying, I saw your battle just now. Im hurt myself, and I am no longer capable of killing you, so lets forget about fighting today. However, know that I wont show any mercy if I run into you again, so memorize my face, and pray, little guy. Pray that I will never find you again! When he was done speaking, Yu Renyan walked to the edge of the roof. As he passed Qianye, he suddenly said, The blood of these guys is still warm, you should drink it now or you wont survive the night. Qianyes eyes abruptly widened as he came face to face with Yu Renyan. However, knowing that he could no longer conceal his blood energy now that he was severely hurt, he immediately calmed down. When Yu Renyan saw the stubborn light in Qianyes eyes, his vertical pupils suddenly alternated between black and white as he rolled his eyes. He revealed a hint of understanding that was overwhelmed by cynicism, It is not wrong to hold fast to a belief, but sometimes it can be inconvenient to do so. Right now, a red mist was flooding Qianyes eyes, and his vision was starting to blur. He was still pondering the meaning behind Yu Renyans words when he suddenly heard the windy sound of something flying towards him. However, there wasnt nearly enough strength in his body to dodge, and he was knocked over by the heavy object. Qianye felt warm liquid drenching his entire head and body, as the sweet scent of blood energy enveloped him like a web. Yu Renyans voice sounded like it came from far in the distance, Back in the days on the battlefield, I ate even my comrades bodies to be able to live and kill a couple more werewolves.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 89: A New Day [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A long steam whistle resounded above Darkblood City, announcing the coming of a new day. Although the night had already passed, dawn still struggled just below the horizon. Dawn did not appear during the dark season of the Evernight Continent. Amidst the gray light of day, Qianye was completely wrapped in an earthy yellow adventurers cloak. He stood atop steam pipes a dozen or so meters above ground level overlooking the now completely awake Darkblood City. It seemed like the city only needed a single night to recover from its wounds. Other than the usually unending flow of humans moving below the tall buildings being slightly sparser than usual, everywhere else was as orderly and calm as ever. Everyone had begun their seemingly familiar yet slightly different day, once again doing what they were supposed to. The smell of merriment, desire, and indulgence permeated every block. It was as if last night was just an unusually realistic nightmare. Qianye wasnt completely accustomed to the scene before him. The only thing that remained was the damage that the intense fighting had left throughout the city. Ruins silently lay as a testament to everything that had happened. The battlefield where Bai Longjia, William, and the human-faced arachne clashed had experienced the worst damage. Not a single intact house could be found in that entire block, and the single-story house Qianye first hid in had also been reduced to a pile of rubble. If one looked at everything from a distance and judged the ways in which the buildings had fallen, they would be able to see where origin power had clashed intensely, where explosions had occurred, and the way in which the fighting surged. It seemed as though small-scale battles had also happened in several other parts of the city. However, compared to the experience that Qianye had gone through, excluding the repairs that would need to be done on the streets surface, the amount of blood that had been shed in the smaller encounters could probably be completely worn away with just a slightly larger amount of passing footsteps. There were many people who spontaneously gathered at the ruins and cleared out the bodies, dumping them outside the city. On one hand, they cleared out the bodies to prevent epidemics from occurring. Dark races had all sorts of highly dangerous diseases inside of them, and all of them could spread through rotting corpses. On the other, they were also aiming for the spoils of the dead. This was an unwritten rule in the Evernight Continent. Whoever cleared out a body that no one claimed would own its belongings as well. This unwritten rule was the exact reason why the ruins were cleared out unusually quickly. The men quietly and tacitly split the rewards between themselves via an unspoken language. The scene was not chaotic. Plenty of rank one Fighters who even joined in on the cleaning. A rank one Fighter was much stronger than a normal person, and three to five of them could lift a thick metal frame the size of a mans torso. There were also a few neatly dressed people standing at the outskirts of the block that had nearly been flattened. They took out all kinds of strange folders, easels, and clipboards, writing and drawing things on paper non-stop. All of these people were representatives of large local companies or financial groups. After the ruins were cleared out, the land would need to be rebuilt. When that happened, it would be yet another piece of business worth a pretty penny. Thankfully, the land wasnt under anyones jurisdiction and intersected with very few networks. This made laying down infrastructure and dealing with reparations easier. This was the Evernight Continent. This was Darkblood City. It was like an ugly monster that no one cared about, abandoned in a terrible environment, but was somehow full of vitality. Even when it was hurt, it would work hard and rely on its own life force to recover. After all, no one would lend it a hand. Qianye turned his eyes to the northern block of the city. Beyond the random assortment of buildings with rooftops of varying colors sat a large cluster of greenish gray buildings that made up the expeditionary armys camp. Qianye smiled silently, the wrinkles on his meticulous disguise seemingly creasing even further. He didnt think that someone as thick as a steam pipe like Wei Potian would actually be able to recognize him. Unfortunately, it seemed like the day where Qianye collected the favors that Wei Potian promised him would never come. After observing for a while, Qianye discovered that the amount of expeditionary forces inside the city seemed to be less than he imagined, and the patrols did not look as if they reflected the remainder of that number either. He found a quiet, secluded corner on the ground to jump to, landed, and leisurely walked to a nearby ruin. Then he casually chatted up a few people who had just finished cleaning out a section of ruins and were now taking a break. It was only then he found out that the expeditionary armys reinforcements from earlier had left first thing in the morning. In fact, they had left without a sound. Was their departure related to last nights huge battle? Was there a conclusion? As he thought about this, Qianye asked a few more random questions. However, the chatty uncle replied casually. Who cares about what happened last night? If they died, they were just unlucky. Thats all. Only when Qianye thought about it carefully did he understand the helplessness and acceptance behind this answer. A battle at the level of the one that occurred last night was already far beyond the influence of a normal person. In fact, it was far beyond the ability of someone at Qianyes level as well. When important characters like Bai Longjia, William, and those of even higher rank appeared, normal people could do nothing but quietly wait for the judgment of fate. Important characters normally werent interested in dealing with ants like them, but if they were unfortunate and got dragged into the fray, then there was no possibility of escape. Therefore, nothing was more important to them than living as best they could. Thinking too deeply about things they could not change would simply add to their troubles. Darkblood City was the same. It had already regained its vitality the day after a nights suffering. Perhaps this was the tenacity that the human race possessed, the one that finally helped them escape a destiny of being livestock. Qianye felt as if he were seeing a side of the Evernight Continent he hadnt known before. Todays weather was unexpectedly bright and beautiful. The sun had escaped the snare of the upper continent to shine sunlight onto Darkblood City. As if hurrying to not miss the few sunlit hours of the day, more and more residents surged out of their homes and began their daily activities. Qianye walked into the Home of Hunters. Old 2 seemed to be feeling pretty good as he sunbathed in the courtyard. There was a purple sand wine jar and a few small dishes on a table next to him. When Old 2 saw Qianye, he beckoned for him to come closer and said, Come! Drink for a bit and listen to the ramblings of this old man, will you? Just think of it as respecting your elders! Qianye nodded silently and sat at the other side of the table. As he watched Qianye pour a cup of wine for him, Old 2 suddenly fished out a flattened silver pot and said, Add a little bit of this. Its just as good as the one you brew. Qianye immediately took the pot and poured some of its intense, aromatic liquid into his cup. Then he took a huge mouthful of the drink, held it in his mouth for a moment, then swallowed and said, Its good. Qianye didnt seem to notice that Old 2 had been paying attention to his reactions from beginning to the end. Only now did Old 2s expression soften slightly. You participated in last nights battle, didnt you? Old 2 suddenly asked. After pondering for a moment, Qianye suddenly came to realization. An expert would obviously be able to distinguish the unique sound of an Eagleshots fully powered shot from last night, and the amount of Eagleshots in all of Darkblood City could probably be counted on one hand. Old 2 did not wait for an answer from Qianye and just smiled, saying, Old 1 told me that you recently sold quite a bit of good stuff to him, especially those vampire warrior fangs. The vampires that those fangs belonged to were no ordinary vampires. You also bought a very impressive item. I have a little bit of experience when it comes to dealing with vampires. Old 2 nodded and sighed. Then he said, You are still young, and I am already old. I have experienced dozens of cities and seen countless wars and slaughter. To me, the world has solidified. There is no longer any possibility of change. You are different. To you, every day is a new day filled with possibilities and new hope. This is the difference between a young man and an old one. Qianye listened quietly. The weight of time and the force of change filled Old 2s voice, but he couldnt really understand the meaning of the words he said. Do you know what the common theme of every war ever since the War of Daybreak has been? This sudden question kind of surprised Qianye. To him, the answer was so clear that it didnt need to be discussed so seriously. The theme of every war was slaughter, to kill the enemy in the fastest, most direct, and most effective way. That was war. Yet Old 2s answer was something that Qianye had never considered before. The common theme of every war is sacrifice. Sacrifice? Qianye didnt really understand. Every war had its sacrifices, and it was as rote as the passage of time. Not just the sacrifice of life, but also the sacrifice of change. Some people sacrifice their time. Some people sacrifice their lives. Some people sacrifice their fates. People have their entire lives changed by war, just like this city. On the surface it appears to be full of merriment and prosperity, but if you sat here for for a long time, day after day, you would notice a lot less familiar faces and a lot more new ones. Qianye suddenly recalled comrades from the past. The death of every one of his comrades added to the responsibility that weighed upon Qianyes heart. As he currently was, Qianye needed to fight the dark races to the death the moment he saw them. That had long since been engraved into him. Qianye would have to kill god knows how many warriors of the dark races just to avenge past comrades alone. If he were still in Red Scorpion, there would have been a day he would become a responsibility and burden of his comrades as well. It was at this moment that Old 2 said, In reality, humans arent the only ones making sacrifices. The dark races make sacrifices as well. This was a view that Qianye had never heard in his life. From the moment he could learn things, the education he had been given was about how the dark races were cold, cruel, and saw humans as their food. Every member of the dark race was the epitome of filth, rot, and blood. In short, nothing good was ever associated with the dark races. Did the dark races even deserve a word as noble as sacrifice? However, Old 2 did not continue the topic. He finished the wine in his cup and said, The world is not just Daybreak and Evernight. There is a wide area between them that contains other colors beside gray. If you try harder to look at other colors, you may even see a rainbow. Dont pull the trigger lightly. That is not a good habit. It will make you to miss out on many, many things. At that moment, a hunter came in to turn in a mission. Old 2 got up and entered the house, but the last thing he said left Qianye thinking for a very long time. Qianye still couldnt really understand it. From his perspective, the world was both complicated and simple. Dark races needing to be killed on sight was one of the simplest kinds of truth. When Old 2 left, he also left behind news that was neither good nor bad. Sky Snake had sent word. He wished to make peace with Qianye. This outcome wasnt too surprising, since the shot fired by the Eagleshot from a distance of a thousand of meters mustve made a deep impression on him. Unfortunately, making peace was not a part of Qianyes original plan. Since the opponent had passed the initiative to him, he could take some time to consider it. By this point, the sky had already begun to grow dark. During the Evernight Continents dark seasons, daylight was always scarce. After Qianye left the Home of Hunters, he wandered through the streets. When he lifted his head, he suddenly found himself standing at Yu Yingnans doorstep. Qianye did not know how he made his way here. The purple sand jar from earlier had held rice wine. The one that Old 2 personally brewed was considerably sweeter than the one sold on the market. Adding the extra substance from the silver pot, drinking it was like drinking a ball of fire that didnt burn yet had delayed, incredibly potent aftereffects. Right now Qianye felt a little dizzy, and a part of his mind had become slower. In spite of that, some of his instincts had become faster and more direct. Qianye pushed open the tightly shut brown door before him. In his mind, Yu Yingnans house was never locked. The alcohol had made him a bit rash and bold. Of course, the more important factor was that he had never sensed danger here. But tonight was obviously different. A bare foot suddenly flew out of the darkness, sweeping toward Qianyes face. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 90: A Dazed Presen t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The shape of this right leg was very beautiful, but if one looked directly at the strong lines on the long lower leg poised for a strike, one would realize this leg definitely wouldnt be easy to take on! Qianye instinctively raised his arms and grabbed the ankle in front of him. A muffled thud rang out as his entire body lifted from the ground, shaken by the force of the kick. Slightly weaker than a vampire soldier, Qianye thought. The force of this kick was weaker than Qianye predicted. Although he had been taken by surprise, it seemed easy to fight against. Qianye gathered the origin power in his body and suddenly wrenched his body downward, immediately dropping to the ground steadily. Pushing all of the his momentum to the ground, he yanked his left hand into his torso, using an overwhelming strength to instantly pull his opponent toward him. Although that person was resisting, they were completely suppressed in terms of power. Qianye suddenly cried out in surprise. Years of battle experience allowed him to sense an origin gun being aimed at him. The sound of a physical bullet being loaded followed soon after. Qianye tugged at the ankle in his hands, causing the other person to momentarily lose their balance. Then he dove onto his opponent, and using the weight of Mount Tai, he held them down. The origin gun left their grasp and flew outward, wind brushing past Qianyes ear as it slid along the wooden floor until it collided with the wall at the other end of the room. Qianye was extremely satisfied with the speed and timing of his dive. He had simply grabbed onto the opponents leg, wrenched it downward when they were in the middling of charging their origin gun, then dove onto them to prevent further close quarters combat. Qianye reached out his left hand and accurately grabbed onto both of his opponent''s wrists, holding them tightly. Then they wrestled briefly until he overpowered them and pinned their arms high above their head. Then he finally exhaled and lifted his upper body. A flash of light from outside the window illuminated the room for a moment. In that moment, both the person on top and the person on bottom were dumbfounded. The person that had been overpowered by Qianye was Yu Yingnan. The only problem was, she seemed to have just left the bath and only had a towel wrapped around her. As of now, after fierce struggle, the towel had long since flown to a corner on the other side of the room. Qianye looked downward, taking Yu Yingnan in from head to toe with just a glance. After years of constant exercise, her body was strong and compact like a leopard, her full, yet no brawny figure seemingly full of explosive power. Other than that, her chest was truly something to be proud of. A curious smell permeated the room as well. It wasnt as obvious before, but a soft waxy scent could be detected. It was completely different from the aroma of fresh wine, but it did smell like rice wine. This huntress had obviously been enjoying herself. Shock instantly filled Qianye, sweat immediately trickling from his forehead. The hazy, drunken feeling influencing him suddenly disappeared, and he immediately woke from his daze. After Yu Yingnan stared at him for a second, her tense body actually relaxed as she asked, Qianye? Its me! Qianye immediately let go of his left hand, freeing Yu Yingnans arms. However, he dumbly remained in his position, as if he didnt know what to do next. Yu Yingnan sighed in exasperation, slapped Qianyes face, and said, Get off! How long are you going to stare! Qianye jumped up and immediately moved to the sofa, obediently sitting down. Yu Yingnan was actually quite forgiving in that she had only slapped him. She gracefully stood up as if nothing had happened then bent her supple waist to pick up her clothes that had fallen on the ground. She put her underwear on in front of Qianye, then her pants, her corset, and lastly her tactical jacket. Once finished, Yu Yingnan pulled up a chair and sat in front of Qianye who was still dazed. She slapped his face again, saying, Speak! What happened just now? That... um... it''s like this. A minute later, Yu Yingnan looked at Qianye with a strange expression on her face, finally unable resist asking, You said you drank too much just now? Yeah, Qianye answered honestly. Just a jug of rice wine? Two cups. Old 2 drank the rest. Qianye was extremely honest. Isn''t that stuff as light as water? Qianye thought for a moment, then sincerely said, It actually has a little kick. So you drank too much? Yes. Watching Qianye methodically answering her questions, Yu Yingnan truly did not know whether to laugh or cry. She stood up, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag from it. She had no idea how to describe her muddled emotions. The last time they competed in over how well they could handle alcohol, Qianye didnt fall even after ten to twenty bottles of hard liquor. Now he actually got drunk after just two cups of rice wine? Was he hallucinating in his drunken stupor, or did the alcohol make him courageous? When faced with Qianyes clumsy excuse, one that was unbearable to even try disprove, she could only violently spit out a curse. Qianye stood up and said, Shall I go? Yu Yingnan stopped him. Wait! What did you want to talk to me about? I just drank too much came over in a daze. Yu Yingnan seemed to freeze for a second, then she took another drag of her cigarette. She inhaled the smoke a bit too deeply, and after violently coughing a few times, she waved at Qianye forcefully. Okay! If you dont have any problems then just leave! Okay! Qianye was very obedient. Wait a moment! Yu Yingnan called for him to stop. Qianye turned around, his obsidian-like eyes flashing like bright beautiful lights in the dark room. Yu Yingnan opened her mouth, but forgot why she stopped him. Maybe there was something never she wanted him to stop for. It was Yu Yingnans turn to scratch her head. She suddenly rushed into her storage room. One could hear loud clattering noises and even the sound of racks crashing to the floor. Then Yu Yingnan rushed back out, a huge bag in her hand. It was filled with a variety of field rations, such as long-lasting canned food among other things. Yu Yingnan pressed the bag into Qianyes arms, saying, Take this with you and eat it as you will! Qianye walked out the door hugging a bag that weighed at dozens of kilograms at the very least, his mind completely blank. Yu Yingnan shouted at him from behind. When theres a new mission, Ill come find you! Qianye nodded and headed out. Yu Yingnan slammed the door shut, then leaned against the door. She began to pant frantically, as if she had just fought in a major war. After she calmed down, Yu Yingnan stressed to herself. Why did I talk so much today? Should I say less next time? Wouldnt that make things strange? I should just act the way I did in the past. How did I act in the past? Crap, I must have drank too much. Her conversation with herself echoed throughout the room like this. After going through it once, she looped back to her initial problem and started all over again. Qianye returned to his room in the small hotel. He had just changed rooms. After closing the door to his room and shutting out the noise from the corridor, he sighed in relief. He felt exhausted. He was just like a child who had done something wrong and adults had caught him in the act. Even though he and Yu Yingnan had only gone on one mission together, her fierce, tyrannical style of commanding was very similar to that of Qianyes former commanding officers and had unwittingly aroused his long-time habit of obeying orders. The only difference was that she wasnt very good at commanding. Her commands mostly consisted of simple orders like charge and attack together. Such ability was light-years away from even Nan Batian who Qianye considered barely adept at commanding. Qianye opened the bag and smiled bitterly when he saw cans that had piled into a small mountain. It seemed like Yu Yingnan had given him at least half of her rations. Qianye still couldnt understand why she gave him a bunch of cans and not other things. For example, empty origin bullets, a decent sword, or other items like that would have all been good presents. Why did it have to be a bunch of cans? Maybe it was a coincidence that Qianye actually needed a large amount of food. His power grew every day, so his appetite grew every day as well. After that night, Qianye discovered that sucking blood, especially the blood of strong vampires, recovered his energy. In fact it would make his blood energy stronger. If he didnt suck blood, he would need to eat enormous portions of food in order to satisfy his bodys needs. However, no matter how much he ate, it still wouldnt strengthen his blood energy. Until now, it seemed as if the only way to strengthen it would be for the origin tides inside of him to naturally feed the blood energy.. Qianye pulled out his army knife and pried one can open after another, eating whatever was inside. As he ate tremendous amounts of food, the injuries he received when fighting the vampires began to heal even faster. At the same time, Yu Yingnan, who had been pacing around her room in a daze, suddenly rushed into her storage. Once she opened the door and saw the fallen rack that was missing half of her rations, she was instantly stunned. Oh my god! I actually gave him a bunch of cans! What is that... Yu Yingnan moaned and sat down on the floor. Afterward that, Qianye no longer left his room to find information. Since the Broken Winged Angels and the expeditionary army hadnt made any movements, this could mean that Wei Potian hadnt been able to identify him. Or maybe they stopped looking because of some other reason. For Qianye as he currently was, this was the best possible outcome. Even though the problem with Qi Yue had been traced to Darkblood City, Qianye still didnt want to leave unless he had to. He felt this city was a suitable place for him to live since he could find most of the things he needed, the gates never closed, and the crowd could hide the aura of his black blood. In addition to that, the high grade products available for high ranked hunters in the Home of Hunters had enough appeal. Qianye stayed in his hotel room for one day and one night without leaving, waiting for his injuries to heal. His vampiric constitution had finished its advancement, and the subtle changes taking place inside of it came to an end. Qianye analyzed his power in a simple way and estimated that he had the ability to oppose rank six Fighters like Yu Renyan. In terms of power, he would probably just be at a disadvantage. He would no longer be unable to fight back. It was time to resolve the issue with Sky Snake. Qianye did not trust the head of the Sky Snake Gang at all. Yu Yingnan once said that Sky Snake used to abide by the rules when making deals, but in reality, a Flowing Gold Rose was enough to make him abandon his principles. This kind of person would only be convinced by profit and driven by power. Furthermore, Sky Snake wanted to make peace, but he did not offer any terms. Qianye didnt feel any sincerity from him because there was only one term that Sky Snake could immediately bring upYu Yingnans debt. However, even if Sky Snake were truly sincere about making peace, Qianye still would never accept it. Qianye organized his equipment. He dismantled his Eagleshot into three parts and put them into his bag, then put an origin bullet he personally infused with origin power into Butchers magazine. Old 2 had reminded him that an Eagleshot wasnt suitable for cities. However, Qianye did not want to leave the Eagleshot in his room. Security guards of small hotels like these were not much different from the trash that seeped in from everywhere. The time was nearly ripe. Qianye prepared to go to the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters that night. He felt that the best way to negotiate with Sky Snake was by pointing the Butcher at his head. By nightfall, Darkblood City became lively again. Under the dim streetlights, one could see women leaning against lamp posts to attract business. They wore heavy makeup and gaudy clothing. Under the faint light, they actually exuded a bit of charm. Of course, during the day and without makeup, they would definitely turn into another lifeform. Qianye walked through the street like an average, low-level person. The women on both sides of the street constantly threw seductive looks at him, enthusiastically calling for his attention. At times, men would see a woman that suited their tastes, so they would embrace each other and find an extremely cheap small hotel for a one night stand. Qianye suddenly discovered that Darkblood City had interesting patterns that were more direct than Lighthouse Towns. Although lustful men and women could get a room in Lighthouse Town, most of them chose to do the deed in the grass. This was truly an amazing thought. Qianye didnt know how it had even popped into his head. Qianye left this lively, lustful street and turned into a dark, dirty, quiet alleyway. He was more used to this kind of environment. However, aside from Qianye, there were obviously other people who were also well suited to this environment. At the corner of the street more than ten steps ahead of Qianye, a shadow suddenly dropped from the wall with a thud. When looking at it more closely, a person with long arms and legs was slowly walking out to block Qianyes way. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 91 : Fighting in Close Comba t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Looks like you didnt keep what I said in mind, Yu Renyan said slowly. I told you... the next time we met, I would kill you. Qianye wrinkled his brow, slowly taking off his bag and smoothly throwing it to the side. He then put his assault rifle at his feet and firmly stood up before speaking to Yu Renyan. I never thought you would be this impatient. I was just passing by. However, since weve encountered each other, theres no way to pretend I never saw you. Therefore, this is fate. Do you want a few minutes to write a will? Will has never been in my dictionary. Maybe youll use it. Qianye then pulled out his army knife from the sheath strapped behind his waist. The blade flashed with silver light. The liquid silver he had used against the vampires a few nights ago had not been depleted. Yu Renyan looked at the blade and exposed a smile that made ones hair stand on end. Using this blade... youre not afraid of hurting yourself? he asked. Thanks for the reminder. Qianye took out a pair of tactical gloves, put them on, then gripped his sword. If youre willing to return with me Qianye immediately interrupted, Not a chance! I dont recommend that either. Now then, lets fight! Yu Renyan shook his arms and two slim handleless knives slid out of his sleeves and into his hands. Qianye took a deep breath, retreating half a step. His left foot hit the ground with a thump and the entire alleyway seemed to shake. Beneath Qianyes foot, cracks filled the ground and constantly spreading further and further. Yu Renyans eyes flashed with surprise, acquiring a new understanding of Qianyes level of origin power. He quickly dodged and dove forward, attempting to gain initiative. His hands smashed down heavily and flashed with cold light, stabbing at the side of Qianyes neck. After Qianyes step struck the ground, he didnt move from his spot. Instead, he lifted his right arm to block the strike, then used the army knife in his right hand to stab at Yu Renyan faster than lightning. This was a method that would cause both sides to suffer. Yu Renyans tall figure suddenly bent at an unthinkable angle, almost as if he had no bones in his body. He retreated a meters outward with just one step and let Qianyes counter pass. Rather than pursue him, Qianye stood at his original spot and calmly waited. Yu Renyan stopped for a moment, then rushed forward like lightning, retreating then attacking. With rapid movements, the two drew close and then separated over and over. Yu Renyans movements were extremely swift and uncanny. His long limbs made him seem like a giant spider. His attacks naturally had a range advantage. In contrast, Qianyes legs were slightly spread apart, one in front of the other, giving him a steady stance. He seemed to be waiting for his opponent to exhaust himself, and did not take initiative to attack. However, when Yu Renyan dove forward, he countered with attacks that would heavily injure both sides. The two would sometimes fight each other head on, but now they were mostly evenly matched. This was an even greater shock to Yu Renyan. Yu Renyan suddenly flew in circles around Qianye like wind, his knives dancing in his palms. One could only see the reflection of a figure in the pointed blades, striking a target like a sky full of butterflies. In the blink of an eye, dozens of wounds of varying sizes appeared on Qianyes body! The more Yu Renyan fought, the more excited he became, subconsciously letting out harsh cries. In contrast, Qianye was silent and had no expression on his face. It was as if his body hadnt been wounded. He kept a consistent rhythm with his counterattacks, striking quickly, accurately, and viciously each time and using no extraneous movements. This was the culmination of his training. Fighting only focused on being faster, more accurate, and more vicious. When one was able to do so, losing would be a difficult task. As long as graduates of the Yellow Springs Training Camp had yet to fall, it was possible for them to kill their opponent in one strike. Yu Renyan struck Qianye ten times in a row, but Qianye only slashed twice. One of Qianyes strikes pierced Yu Renyans abdomen, and the other almost cut off his left hand. The fight in the alleyway drew the attention of many people. A few mercenaries came close to the alleyways entrance to watch and saw Yu Renyan and Qianye in the middle of a fierce battle. They laughed and pointed, clearly somewhat drunk. Yu Reynyans pupils took on their dangerous vertical shape once more, and he suddenly left Qianye. He rushed into the mercenaries midst as quick as wind, his blades slashing like a tornado. One could see a light expanding and shrinking, sucking all of the mercenaries into it! Huge amounts of blood, broken bits of flesh, and amputated limbs flew out of the tornado. In the time it took to take a single breath, Yu Renyan actually killed all of those mercenaries! Everyone on the street was shocked and quickly fled. Two rank two Fighters had been among those mercenaries, but they were cut apart in the blink of an eye! If Yu Renyan didnt like the way someone looked, who could stop him? Yu Renyan had cut a few people to pieces, so his mood improved. He flicked pieces of flesh from his knives, turned around, and walked toward Qianye again. Qianye took out the Butcher with his left hand. Is a gun even useful in this kind of battle? Yu Renyan grinned coldly. Yet, soon enough, he was no longer able to smile. Qianye didnt actually fire at this distance, and the two of them engaged in close quarters combat again. When the battle grew intense, Qianye moved his wrist, and the Butcher roared, spitting out a flash of yellow light. The light struck Yu Renyans thigh and slowed him down by thirty percent. Yu Renyan was also skilled at using guns in close quarters, but this battle made him learn that he actually could not compare to Qianye. Qianye controlled the origin gun perfectly. He could swing or stab with it, and every time he was about to fire it, he would suddenly withdraw his origin power. Qianye was like an extremely tough spring. The stronger the pressure, the stronger he would rebound. In addition to that, their difference in combat skill had finally begun to slowly reveal itself. Qianye always stayed calm and steady. No matter how many wounds he suffered, his fighting power remained the same. Whenever Yu Renyan suffered injuries, his movements would begin to deteriorate. This shown in his legs and arms the most. Do you not even feel pain? Yu Renyan couldnt resist from shouting. I only act as if this body isnt mine, Qianye responded curtly. He suddenly unleashed a backhand strike, almost clipping the tip of Yu Renyans nose. Yu Renyan was already in the middle changing his position, but it still almost struck him. Youre insane! You lunatic! Yu Renyan knew exactly how many wounds Qianye had suffered, so he couldnt resist commenting. Thanks for the praise, Qianye responded sincerely. Then he suddenly bent forward and picked up his assault rifle. Using it like a steel rod, he almost hit Yu Renyan in the back of his head. Yu Renyan and Qianye exchanged two more wounds. Yu Renyan quickly backed off and widened the distance between them. He lowered his head and looked at his abdomen. It held two large knife wounds, one of which had gone deep body and cut his intestines. Yu Renyan sucked in a deep breath and flexed the muscles in his abdomen, temporarily closing the wounds. He stared at Qianye deeply and said, You wont be this lucky next time. There will be a next time? Qianye furrowed his brow as he spoke. Of course! This is a command, and I am a soldier. The moment he finished saying this, Yu Renyan turned around and left.. Qianye still stood in the same place. He did not move as he watched Yu Renyan leave. Upon leaving the alleyway, Yu Renyan withdrew his hands and his knives went back into their sleeves. Two new army knives appeared in his hands, dancing between his fingers as if they were living creatures. As the knives moved, they flashed with intense silver light. They were mithril weapons! If he had used these against Qianye in their fight, then Qianyes vampiric body definitely would not have been able to last so long. Similarly, if Qianye shook or twisted his knife when he stabbed into Yu Renyans abdomen, it would have torn through half of Yu Renyans intestines. The wound Yu Renyan had received from that quick stab was not considered a heavy injury to a rank six Fighter like him. It was almost as if the two of them shared a certain kind of understanding. Even though it was a deathmatch, both sides still held back. However, no one could tell how their next encounter would turn out. Since Qianye favored ultra-long-range sniping, and Yu Renyan favored tracking and ambushing, they should never have engaged in close quarters combat. It was just as Yu Renyan said. He was a soldier. He had been given a command. Qianye used to be a soldier and thus was able to understand the weight of that. Qianye calmly stood where he was for a moment, flexing his muscles to compress all of the wounds on his body, then picked up his bag and assault rifle and slowly walked out of the alleyway. When he emerged, a mercenary suddenly reached out and stopped Qianye, shouting, Stop right there! Qianye turned to look at him and saw a number of mercenaries gathered at the alleyways entrance. Off in the distance, ten to twenty mercenaries with similar equipment were hurrying over. The one that stopped him was a rank three Fighter. Is there a problem? Qianye responded coldly. Speak! Does the guy who killed a few of us have anything to do with you? the mercenary shouted. Seeing the number of people with him increase, he grew bolder. In any case, Qianye only seemed to have ignited three of his nodes, making them the same rank. Qianye couldnt help but be surprised. After seeing Yu Renyan fight like that, these mercenaries were actually still bold enough to try and cause him trouble? Rank six Fighters like Yu Renyan could be Lieutenant Colonels of the expeditionary army at the very least. Just this kind of background alone was enough to crush these mercenaries to death. However, after seeing the appearances of these mercenaries, Qianye suddenly understood the situation. They were staring at Qianyes assault rifle and Butcher, each and every one of them burning with greedy gazes. Qianye suddenly took out the Butcher, turned it around, and held it out, saying, I think that guy used this gun. The mercenary never thought Qianye would give in so easily. He extended his hand to take the gun and said, Ill first take this and examine it! We, the White Bear Mercenary Group, trample The mercenary didnt finish his sentence and wasnt able to touch the Butcher. Qianye flicked his wrist, and the Butchers steel grip viciously struck the mercenarys face! The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed through the air as half the mercenarys face caved inward. He fell down face up without uttering a sound. The Butcher spun in Qianyes hands, its barrel reorienting toward the crowd of mercenaries. Qianye coldly said, Does anyone else want to come forward? The mercenaries in the sights of the clearly loaded Butcher wore hopeless expressions. At a distance of just a few meters, the Butchers power was enough to rip all of them to pieces one by one. In any case, their team leader, who was a rank three Fighter, had actually been struck down in a single hit, and nobody even knew if he was alive or not. What could they, as rank one and rank two Fighters, do? However, since they had an absolute advantage in numbers, they refused to give up. They slowly surrounded Qianye, blocking his escape routes. The Butcher was powerful, but it could not be fired consecutively. Once it was fired once, it would basically become useless and no different from a blunt weapon. The rank three Butcher, the rank two assault rifle, and the bulging bag on Qianyes back had already filled the minds of these mercenaries. They were mercenaries in the city. After leaving the city, they could also become robbers or bandits depending on the situation. However, if they carried a rank three origin gun, they could also become robbers while inside the city. But what these mercenaries didnt know was, that in that moment, Qianyes heart was beating extremely fast. It had already beat over three hundred times in a minute! The intense throbbing caused Qianyes mouth to heat up and become dry. His mood intensified, as if there were a beast within his body roaring with all of its might, wanting to break free from its imprisonment and return to the world. The blood and body parts of the mercenaries that Yu Renyan had sliced to pieces lay nearby. Thick blood energy swirled around Qianyes nostrils like a beautiful woman teasing a sex-starved pervert. Qianyes breathing grew a bit heavier and his fingers trembled imperceptibly. These were extremely small changes, but students of the Yellow Springs Training Camp that had known Qianye for a long time would know how hard it was to make him lose even this much of his composure before a battle. Qianye looked at these mercenaries as if they were a herd of lambs. He was extremely hungry. His throat wasnt the only thing experiencing scorching pain, he could feel it throughout every inch of his body. Qianye felt the urge to pin these people down and suck out all of their blood. He wanted to show them true pain and hopelessness! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 92: The Beginning of Trouble [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The mercenaries didnt actually perceive any signs of death. Qianyes hand, which held the gun, shook slightly. In the eyes of the mercenaries, this was an indication of fear. Many of them began to pull out knives, and others took out their origin guns. The surrounding mercenaries slowly closed in on Qianye like a herd of sheep trying to kill a lion. Qianye suddenly raised his hands and pointed the Butcher at the strongest mercenary! In the next moment, the Butcher roared and the mercenarys head immediately became a bloody mist. His headless body hadnt even moved its arms up to its chest yet, and the origin power that had just been gathered immediately dispersed. A few drops of blood splattered on Qianyes face, and a drop actually flew into his mouth. After having held back for so long, that sweet flavor nearly caused Qianye to moan. The Butchers power did not scare these mercenaries. Instead, they thought they saw an opportunity! They howled like wild beasts and rushed Qianye, three or four knives stabbing at Qianye at the same time! Qianye turned his body slightly to dodge strikes to his vitals. Only one of the knives slid across his back. The mercenary that struck with that knife felt as if he had scratched a thick piece of animal hide. He couldnt even cut past the surface. The knife slid to the side, leaving a shallow wound. Qianyes own knife moved rhythmically, neither fast nor slow. With three swooping sounds, he struck three mercenaries. Qianye was already attacking based on instinct. All three strikes hit vital areas, so all three mercenaries couldnt get back up. Qianye continued to attack instead of retreat, charging into the crowd of mercenaries. He stuck close to a mercenary, then instantly separated from them, repeatedly stabbing with his knife. Each stab made a mercenary collapse. Most of nearly twenty mercenaries collapsed in a few brief moments. The remaining mercenaries were barely able to react before screaming and running away. Qianye didnt chase after them, and through great force of will, turned to leave without looking at the flesh in front of him. He quietly returned to the hotel he was staying in and walked to his room. Qianyes steps were now quite shaky, and he ran into a number of people on his way. These people smelled the thick smell of blood on Qianye and became too afraid to say anything. They quickly let him pass by them. A short, crude door finally appeared in front of him. Qianye almost took the entire thing down before walking inside. When he stepped inside, he slammed the door and immediately dove into the bag that Yu Yingnan had given him. Qianye opened cans one after another. He fervently dumped the contents inside his mouth. It didnt matter if they were actual meals or not. By the time he emptied all of the cans, Qianye could barely suppress his intense hunger. He stumbled and fell onto his bed. He felt extremely tired and immediately fell into a deep sleep. ... When Qianye fell asleep, Yu Yingnan was sitting in her room, rigid and stiff. She had barely eaten the entire day. She wasnt hungry and didnt seem to be thirsty. Her thoughts were sluggish, and she had no idea what she was thinking. At this time, Yu Yingnan suddenly heard movement outside her house and instantly jumped off of her sofa. Did Qianye come back? she thought unconsciously. However, Yu Yingnans thoughts stopped short. She didnt understand why she thought Qianye would come back. The door opened, but the person who entered wasnt Qianye. It was Sky Snake. Yu Yingnan immediately woke from her delusions and reached for her gun at her waist. However, her hand stopped mid-movement. Sky Snake was already pointing his gun at her forehead. I really didnt want to meet in this way, Miss Yingnan. However, there doesnt seem to be a better way. Sky Snake approached Yu Yingnan step by step. Since she had a gun to her head, she was forced to move backward. She continued to retreat until her back hit a wall. Only then did she finally stop. The pistol slowly moved down from Yu Yingnans head, over her cheek, and eventually stopped below her chin. An enormous force forced her to lift her head. What do you intend to do? Yu Yingnan asked coldly, without much fear. Sky Snake lowered his head to look at her, then reached out and softly caressed her face. Then he suddenly pinched her breast and said, I wanted to see how big your charms were! Yu Yingnan showed no sign of embarrassment and continued to speak coldly. Using this method? Sky Snake forcefully yanked his hand downward. He tore off her corset and tossed it aside, immediately exposing her firm, plump breasts. All of a sudden, Yu Yingnan lifted her leg, viciously striking at Sky Snakes crotch with her knee. However, Sky Snake seemed to have predicted this. He pushed his legs together, holding her thigh firmly between them. At the same time, he struck Yu Yingnan in her abdomen. At that moment, all of her organs shifted, and the last of her origin power was crushed. She couldnt even breathe. Sky Snake grabbed Yu Yingnan by her hair and lifted her up, saying, Miss Yingnan, your best option is to cooperate. You will suffer less that way. I am somewhat interested in you, but now isnt the time for that. I might think of you when I destroy that little bastard Qianye! You better not force me to hurt you right now. Yu Yingnan immediately understood Sky Snakes intent. You want to kill Qianye? Kill? Of course not! Killing would be mercy. I want to play around with him for a while. Maybe Ill think about killing him after that. Sky Snake swung his hand, forcefully striking the back of Yu Yingnans neck and knocking her out. He then wrapped her in a cloak and put her over his shoulder. Upon leaving, Sky Snake threw an insignia of the Sky Snake Gang onto the torn corset on the floor. ... The injuries that Yu Renyan gave Qianye werent particularly serious, but there were a lot of them, so it was difficult for him to recover. Qianye rested for an entire day and night to restore a little bit of his strength. When he woke up, he changed his appearance like he always did and left the hotel to look for a bar to sit in and find information. Qianye immediately discovered a piece of brand new information. Sky Snake was spreading the fact that the Sky Snake Gang was looking for him. According to the information, Sky Snake also had an important person. Qianye left the bar and immediately ran to Yu Yingnans house. In all of Darkblood City, only this female hunter had a close relationship with Qianye. He didnt think that Sky Snake had the ability to capture Old 1 or Old 2. Yu Yingnans place was never locked. When Qianye opened the door and entered, he unexpectedly found someone sitting in the living room. It was Old 2. Sky Snake currently has Yingnan, Second Elder said, pointing at the table. A torn corset and an insignia of the Sky Snake Gang lay atop it. Qianye recognized the corset as the one that Yu Yingnan often wore, but he still picked it up and smelled it. The clothing indeed carried Yu Yingnans scent, and not much time had passed. Sky Snake had left both the corset and the insignia for Qianye. Qianye put the corset down, his face covered with a layer of frost. He looked at Old 2 and asked, Didnt you say that Sky Snake wanted to make peace with me? Old 2 wore a sour expression. Looks like that was never his intention. Qianye calmed down and asked, What do you suggest? Second Elder coughed deeply before saying, This kind of thing... maybe youre the expert on it. Qianye coldly said, I do have my way of resolving this, but I dont know if its the correct way. Considering Yingnans temper, it doesnt matter what you do. Shell be happy if you just kill Sky Snake. Qianye nodded and said, I know. However... I need a few things. As long as the storehouse has it, you can take it. Qianye left the Home of Hunters a moment later, heading through the backdoor and disappearing into the night of Darkblood City. Old 2 left as well and went to a hotel near the expeditionary armys camp. A man with a formidable beard sat at the bar by himself, quietly drinking alcohol. He seemed frustrated. Old 2 sat beside him. Its rare to see you here, Old 2. Old 2 ordered some alcohol. When it arrived, he slowly sipped it as he said, Even you, Chu Xiong, can come here. Why cant I? Chu Xiong laughed in self-deprecation and said, Whats wrong with me coming here? When that important character arrives, Ill still be afraid of showing my face and end up hiding in the camp! Sometimes I just really want vent my frustration! Even if you did come, you would just die! Chu Xiong chugged his entire cup of liquor and said, That would still be better than not fighting at all! I heard that the higher-ups sent someone who could send that important character back? Chu Xiong shook his head and said, Im dont know much about that. I only know that the Broken Winged Angels sent a major general. He wasnt some below-average personnel from the expeditionary army. However, that major general definitely cant handle that person. Old 2 sighed again and spoke in an ancient manner unique to the elderly. Ah, looks like the peace that was put in the place will leave soon. Why? Didnt that guy leave? The moment he said this, however, Chu Xiong immediately understood. Even though the important character from the Evernight Council left, Darkblood City would become the center of the conflict. People would come constantly flock here in the future and try to find the secret that important character came for. For a time, the two drank alcohol in frustration. Chu Xiong then said, You suddenly came here to drink. Something must have happened. Tell me what you want me to do. For the next two days, the city wont be very calm. I hope you can turn a blind eye to some things. It would be even better if you could cover them up. Old 2 calmly revealed his intentions. Chu Xiong slightly furrowed his brow. What things? Things related to the Sky Snake Gang. Chu Xiongs brow tightened further. That could be a bit of a problem. Although not everyone is willing to speak for him, Sky Snake has more than one connection in the expeditionary army. Even if Im not staying here for very long, I still dont want to offend a bunch of scoundrels. You would be able to consider the favor from last time as repaid. Chu Xiong seemed a bit surprised. Youre using it on this? Great! Since you say so, I understand. In Darkblood City, there shouldnt be anyone who really wants to confront me, but I wont know what they do in the dark. Itll be enough as long as the expeditionary army doesnt take action. I know I shouldnt ask, but who is it that youre willing to pay such a huge price for? Could it be that new rising Hunter? Are you planning on raising him to be your successor? Old 2 took another sip of alcohol and leisurely said, Of course not! Its for Yingnan. Youve seen her before. Ive always treated her like a daughter, and this time Sky Snake has overstepped his boundaries. Chu Xiong ordered another cup of liquor and drained all of it. Then he stood up and said, I still owe you a favor. Ill just put in a little extra effort and clean up future trouble that the Sky Snake Gang could cause. If Sky Snake doesnt die tonight, Ill kill him myself. However, Qiqis mission... you need to help me soon. I cant keep this up much longer. No matter who it is, just find someone whos pretty good and send him over. Okay? Then its decided. Also, the alcohol is on you this time. After saying that, this man who seemed a bit under the weather walked out of the broken-down bar with large strides. The bartender behind the bar, who also looked like the years were taking a toll on him, gave Old 2 a sympathetic look and shrugged. It wasnt just this time. As long as Old 2 was present, Chu Xiong never paid the bill. He truly did not have much money. His pockets were devoid of even a single silver coin. It was already deep into the night when the faint sound of gunfire seemed to ring out in the distance. This sound seemed a bit strange, quite deep, but also crisp. It sounded like the thump of a bass drum striking people indirectly in their hearts. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 93: The Night of Annihilation [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Most of the people in the bar continued to drink and chat as if they hadnt heard anything. They didnt care at all. Even the soldiers and officers that wore their expeditionary army uniforms didnt react. In this city, what day would they not hear gunfire? A small number of people slightly furrowed their brows because they could tell that the gunfire came from a high caliber sniper rifle. Although they could tell from the sound that it was a normal gun, even in the army, very few people used sniper rifles. Regardless of which corps they were in, snipers in the expeditionary army had very high statuses. No one in Darkblood City would be bold enough to offend them. Under the cover of night, Qianye pulled the bolt of his gun and put a bullet as large as a missile into the guns chamber. Then he adjusted his position and once again locked onto the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters. His tactical scope slowly swept across the buildings rooftop, doors, and windows one by one. Then Qianye locked onto a man pressed up against a corner of the outer wall. He was obviously so afraid that he didnt dare to even peek at the surroundings, simply trying his hardest to hide himself. However, he wasnt aware that his position didnt do much against someone at a high vantage point and exposed nearly half of his body. Qianye calmly pulled the trigger. Moments later, he watched through his scope as a human-shaped hole suddenly appear in the wall. Each of the Sky Snake Gang members that had been hiding behind it were virtually split into two pieces! All of the Sky Snake Gang was already a mess. Everyone in the courtyard was desperately running into the building, looking for things nearby that they could hide behind. None of them wanted to look for the sniper that had fired the bullet. Qianye pulled the bolt of the gun again and exchanged the spent casing for another bullet without any sign of panic. Then he stood up and carried his gun away, jumping from one building to another like a ghost under the night sky. He quickly found a new position, and after another gunshot rang out, a Sky Snake member hiding behind a window on the third floor of the headquarters lost his arm and half of his shoulder. Qianyes current sniper rifle was not much smaller than the Eagleshot. Repelling Wind had a formidable size and was a gunpowder weapon, but its enormous 15mm barrel guaranteed its power. This terrifying sniper rifle could be used to shoot airships from low altitudes. It was the peak of traditional gun development. As a gunpowder weapon, it had an advantage that origin guns could not replace; range and ammunition. As long as a sniper was skilled enough, a Repelling Wind could kill a target at two thousand meters away. In comparison, the Eagleshots maximum range was one thousand meters. In theory, the gunpowder weapons would be able to fire as many times as the number of bullets there were. This was another advantage the Eagleshot couldnt match. As he was now, Qianye could only fire his Eagleshot once. However, the recoil of this abnormal sniper rifle was shocking, so only those with physiques equivalent to that of a rank one Fighter could use them. Qianye was a little depressed that his Repelling Wind was one of the original models. He couldnt find a more powerful, higher-ranked version in the storehouse of the Home of Hunters. The Red Scorpions once ordered a type of 25mm caliber gunpowder sniper rifle for veteran Black Scorpion soldiers. It was extremely powerful, almost on par with rank three origin rifles. However, only rank five Fighters could use them. The recoil of just one shot would immediately shatter the hearts of people with slightly weaker bodies. At this moment, Qianye was like a lone wolf hiding in the shadows that was patiently running circles around its prey. Whenever given an opportunity, he would viciously pounce and ruthlessly tear off a piece of flesh. Gunshots continued to resound through the air, each one signifying the fall of a member of the Sky Snake Gang Chaos reigned throughout the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters. Even the outer walls did provide a feeling of security. With every gunshot, a shout rang out clearly to all of the Sky Snake Gang. Release her! If Sky Snake didnt let Yu Yingnan go, Qianye might actually kill all the members of the Sky Snake Gang tonight, one by one. Some gang members already couldnt handle the immense pressure of death flying past each of their heads. They formed crowds to charge out of the headquarters, as if searching for Qianyes location, but all of them left without returning. Only a few of them died to Qianyes gunfire. The vast majority sprinted down the streets No matter how one looked at it, they were taking this opportunity to flee. Flying Bird hid in a blind spot behind the wall, panting over and over. His originally handsome face twisting constantly, making it hard to tell whether he was excited or afraid. Of the entire Sky Snake Gang, aside from Sky Snake himself, he was that only one of the four experts that remained.. After the debacle in the wasteland, Hornet quietly left the Sky Snake Gang. A gang member ran into the room and saw Flying Bird. He was stunned at first, then became elated. Brother Flying Bird! This is terrible! The sniper outside is too skilled, our brothers are being pressured so hard that all of us are too afraid to even show our heads. If this continues, well be trapped until we die! You should go out personally and take care of that arrogant guy! Flying Bird had a faint smile on his face as he said, Me? Go out personally? The gang member had yet to realize what was wrong and even said, Yes! Of course, if its you Halfway through his sentence, astonishment filled that gang member. He suddenly realized that Flying Birds gun was pointed at his head! Origin power flashed from the guns muzzle, and the gang members head immediately exploded into a bloody mist. Flying Bird laughed hysterically and slowly stood up. As he did, an enormous puddle of blood became visible in the place he had been sitting. Blood constantly flowed from his waist. Flying Bird had also suffered from being sniped. The bullet had traveled over a thousand bullets without any warning. The moment it did, Flying Bird had been moving rapidly. That bullet was shockingly accurate. If he hadnt listened to his gut in the instant that disaster was about to strike or moved desperately, the shot wouldve hit his spine. Even then, the bullet had still opened an enormous wound in his waist. He managed to once again brush past death! Flying Bird had essentially gone insane trying to escape in every direction. He struggled greatly until he found a position that was safe for the time being. From the moment he began hiding here, his pulse had never dropped below two hundred beats per minute! This was his first time being so intensely afraid of death. Every time he murdered his opponent, seeing the pain and fear on their face gave Flying Bird such elation, a pleasure that was nearly more enjoyable than sex. But today, in this moment, he finally discovered how overwhelmingly terrifying death was. It was as if the entire world were being swallowed by a beast, and all he could do was run nonstop even though he couldnt actually see any light in the distance. He definitely did not want to confront Qianye! In the top floor of the headquarters, Sky Snakes expression was dark as he stood at the center of an enormous, extravagant room. He would carefully approach the window every so often, hiding behind the curtains and looking outward. Sky Snakes movements were extremely cautious even though this kind of gunpowder weapon wasnt much of a threat to him. However, each time a gunshot rang out, his heartbeat would increase and he would subconsciously imagine himself being struck by the Eagleshot. Sky Snake strode to the door of the room, opened it, and shouted, Is there any news from the expeditionary army? Weeping could be heard from the gang members outside as they answered, No, nothing! We havent even seen a patrol. Its been nearly an hour! Sky Snake slammed the door shut with a loud bang. One entire hour! The expeditionary armys city defense department had more patrols in the eastern and southern areas of the city than the western and northern areas. However, it would still send at least one patrol every half an hour. Ignoring where the normal patrols went, this fight had been going on for almost an hour and the gunshots had long since caused a great commotion. Even though the expeditionary armys camp was in the northern area of the city, unless they were all deaf, the powerful officers of the army had to have heard everything! Gunshots filled the air outside. Gang members were shooting blindly; only the heavens knew what they were firing at. Unbeknownst to them, the weapon in Qianyes hands was almost powerful enough to surpass standard sniper rifles of the expeditionary army. Neither patrols of the expeditionary army nor the various law enforcement of the city had shown up yet. This was definitely abnormal. This only meant one thing: the expeditionary army had decided to keep out of any business that happened tonight. Another bang rang out. Sky Snake had shattered a vase this time. He viciously swore over and over, cursing every member of the expeditionary army that he had paid off every month. What, you can be scared too? Yu Yingnan smiled coldly. She sat in a chair, hands and legs tied to chairs back and legs. She still wore her tactical jacket, which barely held in her bountiful chest. Sky Snake strode over to her, raised his hand, and repeatedly slapped Yu Yingnan across the face, causing her to fall to the floor along with the chair! Half of Yu Yingnans face immediately began swelling up, and she spat out a lot of blood. Sky Snake pulled her hair, lifting from the floor, chair and all, back to an upright sitting position. Then he gritted his teeth and said, You had better not anger me, or else Ill fuck you right now! Then Ill find a people to take turns on you! If you are interested in dead bodies, then do it. However, I can tell you that you would only die in an even worse way. Yu Yingnan didnt care about Sky Snakes threat at all. Sky Snake squinted his eyes and coldly said, I can hold back right now, but dont force me! Forcing me wouldnt be good for anyone. Even if you became a dead body, I still wouldnt let you go! Sky Snake took out a needle, tore off its packaging, and stabbed it into Yu Yingnans upper arm, injecting her with all of the transparent liquid inside of it. This drug suppressed origin power and was essentially for imprisoning experts that could use origin power. Yu Yingnan calmed down as well, no longer purposefully angered Sky Snake. She calmly said, Dont waste your time. Qianye and I havent known each other very long. You think a person like him would care about your threats just for a woman who he barely knows? Listen to the gunshots outside and youll known just how much his heart values me. Shut up! Sky Snake raved, striking her across the face again! This time, the blow was exceptionally heavy. Yu Yingnan smiled coldly and spat out a mouthful of blood along with half a tooth. She closed her eyes, no longer paying any attention to Sky Snake. The gunfire outside was dense like heavy rain. Sky Snake Gang members outside were still shooting blindly. They couldn''t find Qianyes exact position, so they stopped worrying about about Darkblood Citys laws and sometimes shot at the homes of civilians by mistake. Fortunately, when the fight began, most of the civilians on this street fled at the first opportunity. Stray bullets only destroyed buildings that had no one in them. Then, in the midst of the smoke that looked like a curtain of rain, gunshots thundered from a sniper rifle continuously. Every time the sound went off, a gang member fell. In the blink of an eye, gang members understood that peeking out to shoot would mean death. Thus, the tempest of gunfire immediately stopped. At this moment, someone opened the door to the room. Elder Yuan, a veteran Sky Snake gang member walked in. He glanced at Yu Yingnan and then said to Sky Snake, Third brother! Lets stop fighting and let this woman go! Killing her would only bring a lot of trouble, and that guy has yet to show any signs of weakness. Hes just been killing our guys! Do you really want the Sky Snake Gang to be annihilated? Sky Snake grinned ferociously. I dont believe that he truly doesnt care about this woman! I will bring her to the rooftop right now. If he still shoots, Ill cut her limbs off! Elder Yuan was shocked, shouting, Youre crazy! Doing this would kill all of us! I dont think no longer think you can properly lead this gang! All of a sudden, Sky Snake pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into Elder Yuans chest! Elder Yuan was stunned. His hand shook as he pointed at Sky Snake and said, Youre killing me? I always thought of you as a brother. Sky Snake wrenched the dagger out of Elder Yuans body and stabbed him again. He stabbed Elder Yuan in a frenzy, gnashing his teeth and saying, I grew tired of you a long fucking time ago! Brother? What kind of brother are you? What rank two trash is worthy of calling himself my brother? You always thought of yourself as my brother... Fuck your mother! When did you think of me as the leader of this gang? Do I need your approval to do whatever I want? Go down there and find those brothers of yours! Sky Snake yelled as his dagger rose and fell. Blood continuously splattered over his body and his face, making his ferocious expression look like an evil spirit. He stabbed Elder Yuan one hundred times in row. Only then did he finally feel satisfied and get up from the body that had almost broken apart from the stabbing. He used his dagger to cut the belts that tied Yu Yingnan to the chair. He held her in his arms and partially dragged her toward the rooftop. Yu Yingnan didnt make a sound. Having lost her origin power, she had no way to resist Sky Snakes strength. At that moment, the gunfire from the sniper rifle disappeared. However, the Sky Snake Gang members were making noises that sounded like they were sucking in cold air. Sky Snakes expression darkened, and rushed to a window in the hallway to look outside. He saw Qianye carrying an enormous sniper rifle. He was actually walking into the courtyard of the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters, right through the front door! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 94: Eliminate from the Roots [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A Sky Snake hoodlum suddenly let out a weird yelp as he jumped out from his hiding spot, raising his assault rifle at Qianye. But before he even pulled the trigger, Qianye had already aimed and fired at him holding a gun in one hand. With a loud bang, this Sky Snake hoodlums body were directly blasted into two halves! Meanwhile, when using a sniper rifle as a pistol, Qianyes body had merely swayed a little bit! Such power! Sky Snakes temples pulsated, and only felt pain in his throat as though he had swallowed sand. What he saw was the enormous power Qianye had displayed, which was even above he himself! But Qianye clearly only ignited three nodes! Qianyes move didnt just shock Sky Snake, it also startled the other hoodlums. Flying Bird who was hiding behind the window almost had no strength left to stand up, his heart was beating so fast that he was about to collapse. Most often, the crueler a person was, the more they were afraid of death. Until Qianye leisurely pressed in new bullets for the sniper rifle, did Flying Bird finally came back to himself, wondering why didnt he fire while Qianye was reloading. Actually, at this point, ones who dared to fire were all killed by Qianye. Sky Snake, come out! Dont let your underlings throw away their lives anymore. Qianyes voice was very calm, yet rumbled through the entire headquarters like a roll of thunder. This also showed his plentiful and vigorous origin power from another aspect. Sky Snake held Yu Yingnan in a clasp, and walked out from the front door of the building, only stopping when nearing thirty meters from Qianye. Sky Snake held his gun at Yu Yingnans head and shouted, Put down your gun! Or else, I will blow her head into pieces! Qianye laughed mockingly, and spoke slowly, Sky Snake, I think you should pull down your pants, and check whether or not you are still a fucking man! Put! Down! The! Gun! Sky Snake said gritting his teeth. Put down the gun? Qianye shrugged, as he suddenly raised the sniper and blew a Sky Snake hoodlum who unwittingly reached out from their hiding spot into mince meat. Sky Snakes face was startlingly ashen. Qianye slow and deliberately loaded bullets into the sniper, then raise it and killed another Sky Snake hoodlum who wanted to cheese him. The bullet shot by that hoodlum flew to god knows where under shock and fear. Qianye raised his head, and spoke in a cold tone, I just wont let it down, so what can you do? Want to threaten me with a woman like that? Are you that much of a fool? Sky Snake suddenly laughed, Kid, you are still too inexperienced, and are too deliberate! This instead revealed your bottom line. This time, if you dont put down your weapon, I will fire immediately! Would you like to bet on it? Of which aspect do you think I even fancy her? Qianye asked calmly. I care not about that! I just want to ask, would you like to bet on it! Sky Snakes face became more and more sinister. Qianye shrugged, Alright, you win. But you only won just a little but. Ill give you a chance, a chance to fight with me like a man. Let her go, Ill properly fight with you, right here, how about it! As he spoke, Qianye threw away the Repelling Wind, and also took down the Eagleshot from his back and tossed it aside. Now, only a Butcher is left on his entire body. Sky Snake had always been staring at the two snipers on Qianye. And when Repelling Wind and Eagleshot both fell onto the floor, he suddenly smiled sinisterly and roared, Die! Sky Snake raised his gun and aimed and Qianye in a flash! While at the same time, Qianye also moved, pulling out the Butcher in his waist and pointed it at Sky Snake in the same way! However, Sky Snake acted first and had already judged that he would shoot a step faster than Qianye, and that Qianye would be heavily injured, if not dead when directly taking a rank three origin guns blast at this range! Qianyes expression was calm as always, the hand holding the gun not trembling in the slightest. Drawing and aiming flowed smoothly together as though a stream of water. Sky Snakes gunshot indeed sounded first. The origin round flew out of the chamber and instantly blasted onto Qianyes chest. The enormous energy of impact pushed Qianye flying backwards. Shockingly, Qianyes shooting posture actually didnt change in the slightest. Right leg supporting onto the ground, his left knee bent slightly as his entire person slid backward in a straight line like he was on ice, while the Butchers muzzle still steadily pointed at Sky Snake! The sound of the two gunshot almost rang out simultaneously. What the Butcher shot out was a origin energy bullet with vividly red colored light swirling around it. The origin bullet enhanced with the ability Heavy Caliber blasted onto Sky Snake, causing him helplessly to fly backwards. Yu Yingnan was also brought down to the ground. Her reaction was extremely quick and agile, and with a roll she took her distance away from Sky Snake as much as possible. Sky Snake and Qianye were heavily wounded at the same time! The Butchers power was extraordinary, and together with the Heavy Calibers enhancement, one shot had nearly shattered all of Sky Snakes ribs! This shot far surpassed Sky Snakes expectations. He originally thought that it wasnt a big problem to tank a rank three origin gun, but the power of this shot had already reached the level of rank four! Qianyes origin powers denseness and richness far surpassed fighters of the same rank, and the power when using origin guns was also increased by it. If one cultivated the Combatant Formula to over twenty rounds, the attack power would equal to those of first rate arts. Sky Snake struggled with all his might, wanting to get up. He still could move, which meant he still could fight. He didnt believe that Qianyes constitution was also as valiant as his specifically trained body. That shot he fired also hit Qianye spot on, not any weaker than expected! However, just as Sky Snake sat up, Qianyes military boots had already appeared before him. That still scorching hot muzzle of the Butcher was already fixed at his head. Sky Snake became dumbstruck, as he spoke with a hoarse voice, How could you possibly have recovered faster than me? Thats nothing impossible. Why? Sky Snake stared fixedly at Qianyes mangled chest. He could indeed see that two or three ribs were broken, but compared to Sky Snakes injuries, this could entirely be counted as a small wound, basically having no effect on combat. Ive got no interest in answering questions asked by a dead man. The Butcher shifted down by some, and suddenly blasted between Sky Snakes legs, turning that area into mush! Now I know that you arent a man even without you taking off your pants. Qianye spoke coldly. Sky Snake already could no longer talk back, and could only roll around and struggle on the ground. Qianye suddenly bowed down to pick up Repelling Wind, and raised the barrel before even standing straight again, pulling the trigger at the darkness. From that direction, a miserable scream resounded instantly. A young man fell onto the ground with the scream, as half of his thigh disappeared. Sky Snake suddenly woke up from acute pain, as shock and anger mixed together, My son! Indeed, I still remember him. Qianyes eyes were terrifyingly bright, and the color in the depth of his iris begun to change irregularly, a profound red color emerging from time to time. No! Dont kill him! Sky Snake shouted while enduring pain. Not possible. Qianye raised the sniper, loaded a bullet with a click, then pulled back the bolt. Someone come, do this bastard in! Sky Snake shouted loudly, his shout filled with rage! But the entire headquarters was silent, and no one responded, as though all surviving Sky Snake hoodlums disappeared. Most likely, they didnt disappear, but rather ran away while theres the chance, or found some place and hid. No one was willing to reveal their head for Qianyes sniper. Sky Snake looked around, unresigned. He felt that ought to still have many loyal subordinates, why couldnt he even find a single one of them now? Qianyes sniper slowly shifted, then spout out a flash of flame. The body of Sky Snakes son suddenly sprung up from the ground, then erupted an enormous blood splatter in midair. You. Ill kill you! Sky Snake roared and actually stood up suddenly with a strength from an unknown source before pouncing at Qianye. Qianyes gaze fell upon the side of his neck, as his adams apple violently rolled, and he very much wanted to bite onto it. Sky Snakes blood was brimming with rich origin power, and was full of vitality in his sense of smell. Such an appeal was not much different from a drugs appeal to a drug addict, and required a very powerful will to restrain one self. A slight sound suddenly came from the side; that was Yu Yingnan shifting her position. After escaping Sky Snakes suppression, she had always been very alert and kept her distance, in order to avoid being held under duress again. This small sound magnified several times as it fell into Qianyes ears, as though a morning bell ringing in his heart. Qianye raised the Butcher, with a clear and steady pace, he pressed the muzzle onto Sky Snakes face as he pounced over. The moment he pulled the trigger, he closed his eyes. The Butcher shook violently, and large sheets of warm and fresh blood immediately splashed onto Qianyes face and body. Even though he tried so hard not to look, that presence full of energy kept lingering, causing Qianye to involuntarily stick out his tongue and licked a drop of blood. Instantly, all of the blood energy within his body stirred up, as even that always unperturbed golden blood energy swam out from the runes. Qianye suddenly had an intensely strong intuition that came from who knows where, that if he sucked Sky Snakes blood dry right now, his power of blood would move a step foward. This was a hard to resist enticement. Qianye suddenly found himself to be wavering. A voice incessantly resounded in his mind, This is merely a way to acquire power. You arent controlled by any higher vampires, and still have the consciousness of a human. You can only do the things you want to do after becoming powerful enough, isnt that right? For that instant, Qianye even thought about whether or not he should slightly compromise a little next time and maybe suck a little bit of blood. Qianye! Yu Yingnans voice pulled Qianye out from his own world. What happened to you? Yu Yingnan walked over as she asked with concern and care. Qianye opened his eyes, carelessly wiped the blood that covered his entire head and face, then immediately revealed a smile,Im fine, just a little tired. Your injuries Its just a small injury, lets leave this place first. Yu Yingnan also knew that the commotion caused tonight was too great. They had to leave as soon as possible. She leaned over and searched Sky Snakes body, found two origin pistols and a origin short blade. Just as she was about to tidy up other spoils of war, Qianye suddenly frowned as his gaze swept through the deep curtain of the night and spoke in alert, Dont you think this place is too quiet? Yu Yingnan froze for a bit, then said, Sky Snake died, his subordinates probably went into hiding, right? Qianye took a deep breath in; he was especially sensitive to blood tonight, while the smell of blood both inside and outside of the Sky Snake headquarters was so dense that it was almost congealing. He immediately shook his head, No, I didnt kill that many people! Theres someone else here! Lets leave this place first! Yu Yingnan didnt oppose him, gave up cleaning the battlefield and hurriedly left with Qianye. Sky Snake Gang had many years of accumulations, and definitely had abundant collections in its headquarters. If nothing else, just the weapons and ammunition in the armory was already quite the wealth. However, Qianye felt a deep, unfading unease, as though someone terrifying was moving around nearby. Though he had rescued Yu Yingnan, she still couldnt use origin power and he himself suffered injuries that werent that light. It was best to leave as soon as possible. Qianye and Yu Yingnan disappeared within the night one behind the next. In a dark valley behind the Sky Snake Gangs headquarters, sluggish footsteps resounded. A thin and long silhouette unhurriedly walked within the lightless alleyway. His arms so long that they neared his knees was a sign that could not be more obvious. This person was precisely Yu Renyan. He was holding a foot in one hand, dragging a human body behind him. The person being dragged clearly had lost control of his body and was sliding little by little on the ground like a tattered cloth sack. His body and face was full of scrapes and bruises, his originally handsome and young face was full of fear. It was Flying Bird. However, he couldnt even curl even a single finger, and the only thing that he was able to move were his eyelids as he was dragged into the darkness in despair. Yu Yingnan brought Qianye back to her place and immediately wanted to check his injuries. Qianye wasnt able to decline and before long, she had pressed him onto her bed and began to slowly tend to his injuries. After clearly seeing Qianyes injuries, Yu Yingnan couldnt help but stare blankly. What surprised her wasnt that Qianyes wounds were too serious. They were too light. Those wounds had already all stopped bleeding, and shallower wounds had already completely closed. Yu Yingnan saw with her own eyes that he tanked Sky Snakes rank three origin guns direct frontal attack, so how could he have only sustained so little injuries? Qianye suddenly closed his eyes, Um, Sister Nan, you can go take a change of clothes first. My injuries are not serious. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 95: The Soon Departing [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Only when Yu Yingnan lowered her head to look did she finally realize that she was still wearing a tactical jacket with nothing inside. When moving with this short jacket, the scenery of her chest was in full view from Qianyes angle. Yu Yingnan spoke, not minding it in the least, Not like you havent seen it before. If I get injured when going into missions later, Ill probably get seen even more by you. Whats the big deal about that? Qianye didnt know how he was suppose to answer her. He could only stiffen his body and let her do what she wanted. Yu Yingnan finally let out a relieved breath after she finished connecting and setting all of Qianyes broken ribs, cleaning and bandaging all his external wounds. When she saw her own hands full of blood, she planned to just wipe it on her clothes without taking extra trouble. Wait a minute! Qianye grasped Yu Yingnans hand at once, and forcefully dragged her into the bathroom. Qianyes strength was extraordinarily great to the point that no resistance could be put up against it. Forget about her origin power not having fully recovered, even if Yu Yingnan was in her best condition, she wouldnt be able to go against it. She followed staggeringly, her mind in a panic with a twinge of fear. She only thought, C-could it be that he likes to do that.. In this kind of place? As she thought that, Yu Yingnan suddenly felt that her entire body went soft, and the little bit of strength she recovered had gone elsewhere. Qianye dragged her into the bathroom, opened the water valve and pressed her hands below the water stream, beginning to clean the bloodstains on it. Qianyes gestures were meticulous and deft while also very diligent and careful, not even missing the crevices under the nail. This was his techniques of wound treatment. Yu Yingnan was shocked at first, but she slowly became calm and gentle afterwards. She silently looked at Qianyes long hair that flowed down the side of his ears. Under the dim light, there seemed to be streams of light flowing on its surface. After all of the blood stains were cleaned off, Qianye finally let out a breath of relief. Alright, Ill be going. I still need to go tidy some things up. Now that Sky Snake is dead, do you want to come live with me? Itll be goo- ah, I mean so we can look after each other! This wasnt supposed to be a great matter to Yu Yingnan and it wasnt like other hunters havent temporarily lived at her place before. However, this time, she was stuttering a little. Qianye thought for a bit and nodded, Okay, but Ill probably be leaving this place after some time. Yu Yingnan wanted to ask where he wanted to go, but as her words was about to escape her mouth, it suddenly became, Alright, you go pack up. I also need to go to Old 2 for a bit. After Qianye left, she started blankly for a long time before finally changing and hurrying toward the Home of Hunters. Home of Hunters was very quiet at night. Old 2 was still sitting behind the counter, wearing a old-fashioned glasses and flipping through a book. Seeing Yu Yingnan pushing open the door and coming in, Old 2 said, You came a little later than I thought you would. Its about time now, shut the gate for me! Yu Yingnan raised her leg and heavily kicked the gate closed, then sat onto the counter and knocked, Got alcohol? Old 2 took out a urn of traditional distilled spirit, Only have this. Yu Yingnan knitted her brows, I cant get used to drinking this, but its fine, as long as heres alcohol. Old 2 passed over a glass. Yu Yingnan filled it to the brim and directly downed the entire thing. Then, her face suddenly entirely flushed red as she began to cough violently. Old 2 sighed, and shook his head, Its like this again. I always forget how fierce this thing is, but its fine. More satisfying this way! Old 2 gave a look at Yu Yingnan through the top of his presbyopia glasses, and asked, What, got the worse of it this time around? Nope. Yu Yingnan self-mockingly laughed as she spoke till here, Men dont fancy ones like me. Old 2 soundlessly laughed, As long as you are fine, even though losing out isnt that big of a deal. But you dont seem to be in a good mood? Yu Yingnan scratched her hair with force, I dont know whats going on either. Its just very messy, super messy, I cant think clearly about anything at all. Ah!! A cigarette? Old 2 very timely passed over one. Thanks! Yu Yingnan lit it right away and took a deep smoke, only spouting out the leftover smoke after a long time had passed. As expected, she felt much better. Qianye perhaps will leave this place very soon. This city no longer suits him anymore. Hearing Old 2s words, Yu Yingnans hand trembled as a piece of burning ash fell onto her hands, immediately burning up a tiny blister. Yu Yingnans brows knitted. She wiped away the ash without batting an eyelid. Oh, I see. Hell have to leave sooner or later after all. Maybe after a while, Ill leave this place too. Even though he still needs to leave, theres a mission that he might be able to do on the way. What mission? Yu Yingnans eyes brightened. If there was a mission, then one could roughly grasp a hunters whereabouts and movements. They would also have to return to Darkblood City to turn in the mission and receive compensation. Its that mission put up by Miss Qiqi. We cant drag it on any longer. Yu Yingnan instantly revealed an expression that was both astonished and disgusted, Qiqi? I despise that woman! But other than Qianye, we dont have any other fitting candidates. Before this, I could still push it back, but I cant now. Perhaps Qianye will listen to your words, how about you urge him on? Yu Yingnan suddenly leaned over as she stared at Old 2s face, emphasizing word by word, I. Really. Despise. That woman! Yet Old 2 just smiled. But none of us can afford to offend her, is that not so? Let me think about it! Yu Yingnans tone wasnt sincere at all. Old 2 seemed to be speaking to himself, The city seemed to be very quiet tonight. Yu Yingnans movement froze, thought for a bit then said, No wonder why the expeditionary army didnt appear from start to finish. So if was done by you, Old Man. This favor doesnt seem small! How large or small matters not, as long as its enough. Yu Yingnan jumped down from the counter, as she spoke without hesitation, Alright! Leave this matter to me. She walked to the gate in large strides, but just as she was about to push open the door and leave, she suddenly stopped, looking as though she was about to collapse. What wrong? Old 2 was shocked. Yu Yingnan tightly grasped the pit of her heart, strongly enduring the strange pain that had never appeared before. She took a heavy breath in, didnt turn back, and said in a tone as calm as still water, Old man, I have a feeling, that the rest of my lifetime, seemed to have gotten jipped by you. Qianye returned to the small hotel and packed up before heading to Yu Yingnans residence right away. As to the house he had originally, he didnt even bother wanting to go check up on it. He reckoned whether or not even the frame of the house would be left from being wrecked by the Sky Snake Gangs people. The residences door was still the same as how it looked. This fierce and bold huntress actually was quite good looking. She was young and had the aptitude. However, even if she just sat there, her domineering air still leaked out naturally. If she spoke or even move in the slightest, her presence would be even more overbearing, like that of burly men. Qianye didnt know when, or rather, how many days later Yu Yingnan would return. She had set up some traps in both the surrounding area and near the windows and door, but they are at most able to guard against some unskilled thieves. Of course, unskilled in Qianyes eyes were actually above the level of three star hunters. In the few prominent gangs of Darkblood City, that would be at least a leader in the mid-level or above. Qianye tossed his equipments to an empty room, and really didnt feel very safe after thinking about it. Mainly it was because this rank four Eagleshot was too expensive. The sales price as a whole had already reached over a thousand gold coins. Even if a small part was lost, it would be a hard to recover loss. Thus, after hesitating for a bit, even though he felt it would arouse suspicion of looking down on Yu Yingnan, he still disguised the place where he stored equipments, and also set two traps. One of the traps was warning, and the other was to cause injury. With Yu Yingnans level, she ought to be able to discover both, and either avoid or remove them. However, Qianye forgot about this; he thought that Yu Yingnan ought be able to discover the two traps he set, but in actuality, this carefree huntress would often mess up in things that tests her meticulousness and patience that she ought to do well in. After setting up everything, Qianye left in satisfaction and walked into the night. Even though his thirst toward blood energy had calmed down for now, he still felt some restlessness in his heart. Thus, he planned to take look around, and look at this city he was soon about to say farewell to in detail. Darkblood Citys night was always very bustling, after all, most of the time of this city in the entire day was night time. When passing by a tavern with an extremely lively atmosphere. Qianye saw the men and women willfully expressing their desire through the window, and suddenly reminisced about that Red Spider Lily he had in the Lighthouse town. He walked into the bar by himself. The burly man at the gate took a glance at the Butcher in Qianyes waist, as his face instantly changed into a flattering and favor currying expression that was difficult to put into words. He lead Qianye and pushed a path through the dance floor, and escorted Qianye to an empty table. The position of this table was very good. To be still empty at such a crowded and bustling moment, Qianye naturally understand the rules. He took his wallet and dumped two silver coins into the mans hands, This is yours. Also, bring two bottles here for me. That burly man happily left and Qianye put up his wallet. After waiting for a moment, two large bottles of strong alcoholic drinks was put on his table. Two silver coins bounced on Qianyes fingertips, and flew up in an exceptionally agile manner, then fell precisely into the waitresss deep cleavage. This move was extremely beautiful, and roused cheers from the surroundings. All the more, some people who were watching Qianye with ill will also took back their unnecessary thoughts and moved their gazes away to somewhere else. One who could play silver coins so well, could play with knives just as well. A woman with heavy make-up squeezed by Qianyes side, and spoke in a coy and sweet voice, May I sit here? You may not! Qianye spoke indifferently. This woman had sprayed on some very heavy perfume, but what Qianye smelt from his nose was a rotten putridness. By now, Qianye was extremely sensitive to the smell of blood energy within lifeforms. The scent of this womans blood made him feel disgusted. The beautiful woman was quite furious. She snorted loudly, then turned and walked away. Qianye wouldnt bother to pay any mind to her. In such a chaotic place, that Butcher in his waist was enough to keep the boldest scoundrel sober and awake. Qianye reminisced about the time in the Lighthouse Town as he watched the desired filled men and women around him. At that time, people also divulged the most primal desire without any apprehension like this in the Red Spider Lily, or even more direct and unrestrained. Sometimes, men and women who couldnt suppress their desire would dash out the door and directly begin doing it. But here however,, they would at least hide in the bathroom. Unknowingly, the cup in Qianyes hand emptied and an entire cup of strong liquor had gone down his stomach. Qianye immediately felt that slightly drunken feeling once again. His thoughts seemed to have slowly floated up, and begun to twirl and cruise. Qianye suddenly felt that there didnt seem to be anything that he should not do, and also felt that there was nothing that he could not do, either. He heavily lowered the cup onto the table. At this time, the empty cup filled up by itself again. Qianye raised his head and looked, and saw that a young girl had unwittingly appeared beside the table. She was meager, and couldnt be said as pretty, but her face was very clean. Her age seemed even a little bit younger than Qianye, and she was pouring drink for him. Qianyes nose twitched. He suddenly pulled the girl into his arms, closed in to the side of her neck, and took a deep whiff.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 96: Neverending Encounter of Fate [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] As expected, the girls scent carried a little bit of fragrance within a light freshness, as though the herbal aroma of pine wood being evaporated under the suns rays. Qianye liked it very much. Qianye didnt know why, but he just said it, Take a seat! The girl seemed to be in a little panic, but neither refused nor struggled, and only turned his head away, looking at the bar counter. The man who was mixing drinks behind the counter gave the girl a fierce stare, nodded with power, then turned his head and hinted toward the drink bottle beside his hand. Qianye took all of these in his eyes. He could understand what was going on here without needing to think very much at all. Another bottle, said Qianye. A silver coin flew out of his fingertips, and fell onto the drink bottle on the bar counter in a parabola. The coin then spun itself on the mouth of the bottle, stirring up a wheel of silver colored light. The muscle of the bar owners cheek instantly twitched a few times. This trick didnt only require technique, but also needed very rich origin power to achieve. He turned around and took out a strong bottle of alcohol, opened it up, then tossed it. The bottle passed through the crowd while tumbling, and steadily fell onto Qianyes table with a thump. In the entire process, the alcohol in the bottle didnt even spill out. This trick was quite good too, but was no match to Qianyes. Somewhat stiff, the girl still tried hard to reveal a smile before she sat down. At first, she poured the drink for Qianye, then drank together with Qianye, and in the end, she softened her body and slowly leaning onto Qianyes body. In the bar, everything was so natural. The clamorous noises made people involuntarily lean against each other, else they wouldnt be able to hear what the other person was talking about. Qianye entered an odd tipsy mode starting from the first cup. This feel made him feel extremely comfortable. His tightened up nerves completely relaxed themselves. The dull and vexed feeling at the start vanished like snow in a sunny spring day. The girls body that pressed against him was very hot, and he could feel the vigorous elasticity with every touch of their skin. Her scent more so made Qianye very comfortable. Slowly, it seemed that every breath he took was filled with refreshing aroma. Naturally, desire began to surface. Qianye felt that anything he said and did seemed to follow the will of his heart. Such as this line. Want to come with me? Ethanol sure was something magical. It was unknown what the girl was thinking about as she suddenly blushed, then nodded indiscernibly. Qianye didnt dawdle either, and took the girl out of the bar right away. However, he didnt notice that two pairs of eyes were staring at him the whole time. Qianye as he was half-drunk would ignore many things, and only his instinct was still clear, maintaining his senses toward danger and killing intent. Beside a small table in the corner, sat Yu Yingnan and Old 2. There was a few fresh wounds on Yu Yingnans face. That was the masterpiece caused by the two traps Qianye had set up. The huntress was inexplicably in a bad mood in the first place, and naturally her mood became even worse now because of that. Thus, she ran back and dragged Old 2 out to drink giving no leeway. Perhaps this was the so-called unspeakable fate. They just happened to walked into the same bar, and saw Qianye. Yu Yingnan didnt go and greet him, because there was another unfamiliar young girl on the table. That girl who was a little shy through her docileness was even leaning close onto Qianye. Old 2 wanted to leave, but Yu Yingnan dragged onto him with force and sat down at a remote corner. Qianye didnt take any superfluous actions, and only smothered himself in alcohol, occasionally staring blankly at the surroundings. Yu Yingnan even felt that Qianyes gaze had turned toward her side a few times, but his expression didnt change the slightest, and only passed without noticing. In the end, she saw Qianye standing up and leaving, taking the girl with him. They passed through the crowded and clamorous hall. The young mans slender and tall physique was actually full of power, his left arm raised up and slightly split open the crowd, while that delicate small silhouette full of youthfulness tightly grasped onto the young mans arm, as though it was her only place to rely on. Very soon, the two figures nestled together disappeared within the dimly lit street. The night was still long. Yu Yingnan emptied the full cup of strong liquor in one go, silently filled it up again then poured it down her throat again without wasting a single drop. When she was about to pour a third cup for herself, Old 2 pressed her hands down. That, is what men are. She was unexpectedly calm. Thats nothing much. Old 2 said, then took that cup away from Yu Yingnan, pouring it into his own mouth. Satisfiedly sighing, he said, Not bad tasting. After a cup of strong liquor, Old 2s mood also brightened up a lot, Men, you know, will all occasionally become impulsive, especially when they drink too much. When he sobers up tomorrow, he definitely wont fancy that little girl anymore. Tsk tsk, shes neither got the chest or ass, whats so fun about that! You are saying that Qianye drank too much? Clearly so! Just look at him. Yu Yingnan smiled. Within her smile, there was a bit of mockery and bitterness. To say that just these few bottles could get Qianye drunk, she wouldnt believe it no matter what. Yu Yingnan took back the empty glass from Old 2s hand, then filled a smaller half of a glass for herself and slowly sipped on it, as she watched various women who were swinging their waist and bottom with all their might. Qianye was willing to take Sky Snakes gunshot with his body in order to save her, but never thought about tempting her to bed. As expected, no man want a woman like me Naturally, Qianye didnt go to Yu Yingnans place, and instead returned to that small house of his following his instincts. The inside was unexpectedly clean. The sight of it being a mess didnt appear, and even the bed was very well made. With a swing of his arm, the girl lightly fell like a feather, while also conveniently dragging him down. Her skin carried some ashen color within the whiteness, lacking the color of blood. However, it carried the tightness and smoothness just right for her youthful age, and felt as though he was caressing a bundle of silk when touching. The split second of satisfaction and relaxation made Qianye feel incomparably delighted. Especially the satisfaction that came from nothing, which stimulated him to into being haziness! That joyfulness could be compared to the deliciousness of blood when his energy was exhausted! Qianye closed his eyes tightly, and guided his actions only with his instincts. It was as though the entire world and stars were spinning. From beginning to end, the pinewood like fragrance filled all of his senses the entire time, while the girls light moans, were just like a soft song, sometimes high, sometimes low. Delight was like the tides of origin power, swelling up round after round, and finally reached the time to break through the limits! When happiness that surpassed imagination was about to slam down like a raging tide, the last remainder of Qianyes consciousness was also buried under. From between his teeth, there suddenly flowed in a tepid, sweet and pleasant fluid, mixed together with the hint of the girl''s sweet fragrance! Qianye suddenly opened his eyes! He was actually biting onto the side of the girls neck, a wisp of blood was entering his mouth. Qianye was greatly alarmed, and abruptly bounced up from the girls body. Dont move! Qianye pressed down the girl who was also frightened and panicked like him as he looked at the wound by the side of her neck. Thankfully, the wound was very shallow. Only some skin on the surface was broken, and the arteries wasnt affected. Moreover, after Qianye woke up in shock, he instinctively held in his blood energy right away, and the blood of darkness didnt get the chance to contaminate her yet. Cold sweat ran down Qianyes entire body as he secretly yelled lucky in his heart. He immediately got down from the bed, took out his collection of medical goods and treated the girls wound, then wrapped it for her. In the entire process, the girl only wrapped her arms around herself, trembling, letting Qianye do whatever he wanted. During the process of treating her wounds, after thinking back on everything that happened tonight, he really didnt know what to say. However, since it had already happened, then it no longer mattered anymore. Besides, the girls fragrance did attract him greatly. Thankfully, he didnt contaminate her. Otherwise, if Qianyes blood energy entered her body, he wouldnt know if it would be considered the Embrace, or pure and simple contamination. Qianye took over the girls clothes and wrapped her in, as he asked gently, Were you startled? Only hearing Qianyes gentle voice, did the girl dare to raise his head. She stared fixedly at Qianye. In that instant, she even revealed a bit of infatuation. Qianyes face and disposition without disguise, was as dazzling as the stars up in the skies amongst the lower echelons of Darkblood City. The girl silently put on her clothes. Qianye walked to the table, then came back to the bed, holding a money pouch in his hands. He leaned it to the side and poured out several dozen silver coins into his palm with a bunch of clinks, then handed it before the girl. Its for you. The girl was greatly shocked, and her body instead withdrew backwards. She muttered, T-too much. A bar girl spending a night with guests ordinarily would just be one silver coin. A few very popular girls would collect two from frequent guests. These that Qianye gave was more than ten times than the normal price. Qianye grabbed over the girls hand and opened it. Releasing his grip, the silver coins fell into her palm like a jingle of bells. He said with a smilee, Take it, you deserved it. Also, I like your scent very much. Qianye added on. The girl subconsciously held tightly onto the silver coins, as her little face still had on the expression mixed with relaxation and lingering fear. Whats wrong? asked Qianye. I I actually thought you were a bloodsucker. You scared me just now. The girl lightly patted her chest as she let out a breath of air. Since Qianye grabbed such a large handful of silver for her, naturally he wouldnt be a bloodsucker. The common folks understanding of the dark races were actually quite limited. Some were exaggerated, such as possibly being infected just by getting close to a blood thrall. While, some were ignorant, such as vampires not being able to touch silver. In fact, silver was a type of poison for vampire constitutions, and since it was a poison, there naturally exist poison resistance or ways to relieve the poison. When Qianyes vampire constitution ranked up, as long as no open wounds made contact with silver, he no longer feared ordinary silver. That was even more the case for the imperial silver coins that contained very little silver. Qianye smiled, and no longer dragged this topic on. Instead, he asked, This is the first time you accompanied a guest out? The girls face instantly flushed red. She only nodded very slightly after a while. I do need money, but its also because its you. Qianye thought for a bit, shook the money pouch, and a gold coin rolled out from the innermost part. He directly pressed the gold coin at the girl, This is yours now. If not necessary in the future, dont accompany guests out anymore. Yet, the girl tightened her fist, not taking the gold coin. Instead, she raised up her head and stared straight at Qianye. Mustering up her courage, she asked, Then will you come to find me again? Qianye smiled, I will leave this place very soon and may not ever return again. The girl lowered her head as she spoke in a light voice, Then, I dont want the gold coin. These are enough. I wont ever go to the bar again. I can probably find a job like a hotel attendant. Qianye stuffed the gold coin into the girls hand and said, If you are willing, then you can help me clean this building when you have time in the future. Count this gold coin as your compensation for hiring you for a year. If I dont come back after a year, then theres no need to clean it anymore. You can deal with this place however you want. Will you die in battle? The girl asked a question out of Qianyes expectations. Qianye thought about it seriously, then spoke gently, I am a warrior. Battling with the dark races is the responsibility of every single human warrior. As a warrior, dying on the grounds of battle is an inherent fate, I cannot escape it either. The girl suddenly embraced Qianye and kissed onto his lips. Then, she said, I cant do much, but if if you are still willing to come to visit Darkblood City again, this place will definitely be clean! As she finished speaking, the girl ran out and disappeared within the curtain of the night. Qianye silently sat for a few minutes, then remembered something. Taking up his gun, he also left following the girl.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 97: Just a Passing Traveller [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] As expected, the girl was stopped by the brutes outside the street. You got quite a lot of profit today didnt you, little whore? What else are you waiting for then? Show us! Were not asking for extras; just half of what youve got. a brutish man with thick, exposed chest hair said with an evil grin. This girl looked pretty good. Should we have a good time with her? Yeah! The night is still young! While lively chatting to each other all at once, the men began to get all touchy with her. The girl sucked in a deep breath and was just about to scream. However, a large hand stretched over and covered her mouth completely. The girl struggled, fought and kicked with all her might, but how could she possibly resist these strong men with her thin and weak body? It was at this moment Qianyes voice rang from the end of the road, Take your hands off her! The men were caught by surprise, but when they saw Qianye standing alone on the street they immediately grew bold. A fat and burly looking big man yelled in a stern voice, F*ck off! Mind your own business. Do you want to f*cking die or something? Bang! What answered him was the rumbling echo of a gunshot! The big man fell on his back with blank eyes and an extra bloody hole in his forehead. It was only now the group of men began to panic. Some tried to run away while others immediately reached for the weapon behind their backs. There was also one particular person who viciously gripped the girl in his hand and twisted her right arm around so that she would face towards Qianye. He wanted to use her as a hostage. Qianyes muzzle shot out flame tongues continuously, and in the blink of an eye he had emptied an entire magazine. The person who was holding the girl had the most bullet holes in him, and he fell to the ground along with the other two people who were reaching for their gun and chopper beside him. The two brutes who had already ran behind the cover of a shops vertical shop sign by the roadside were pretty bold. The moment they saw that Qianye had used up all his bullets, they immediately poked out their heads and raised their guns, aiming at Qianye and shooting at him continuously! However, Qianyes figure flashed repeatedly as the bullets whistled past his body. Not a single bullet could hit him! Right now Qianye had already reloaded a new magazine as the gunshots rang once more. In the end, the two brutes fell to the ground in response to the gunshots, but they were only shot at all four limbs and was howling and letting out blood curdling screeches because of it. Qianye walked in front of the duo, and with a shake of the arm dropped the empty magazine right now their spasming bodies. Then, he pushed another new magazine into his body and aimed at their heads. It was at this moment a few men charged out of the small alley by the side. When the leader of the group saw this scene he yelled, Wait! Qianye heard, but did not respond to his cry as his fingers pulled the trigger without hesitation. Two bangs later, the last two brutes had their heads popped, and it was only then he turned around and said indifferently, Wait what? The leading big man grew furious as he yelled, Who are you? How dare you kill the people of the Earth Flame Association. Even if youre looking to commit suicide theres no need to rush it! Your people tried to touch my woman. Even if youre looking to commit suicide theres no need to rush it, is it? Qianye unhurriedly threw the words right back at him. Then, he carelessly took two broad steps and blocked right between the girl and the people who showed up. Little bastard The brutish man looked like a mini boss of the Earth Flame Association, and he had the strength of a rank one Fighter. But the profanity had just left his mouth when he suddenly saw Qianye right in front of him and unsheathing Butcher! Butcher did not go boom, however. Holding Butcher in reverse, Qianye directly smashed its steel gilded handle directly into the mans mouth. Seven or eight teeth immediately sprayed into the open. The brute was immediately struck by terrible pain. With shaking hands, he tried to cover his wounded mouth, but his hands lightened as the pistol he couldnt quite grip completely entered Qianyes hands once more. The gunpowder based pistol made a twirl around Qianyes forefinger once before it was caught firmly in his grip. Then, he pulled the trigger repeatedly and shot all of the men who emerged following the brute. Right after,the barrel that was still scorching hot was stuck right into the brutens mouth. Qianye said coldly, I dont care if youre Earth Flame Association or whatever. If you dare touch my woman again, Ill pull out your very roots! I just eliminated Sky Snake Gang, so do not provoke me! The brute nodded like his life depended on it, but he did not to move too much in fear that he would cause the handgun to misfire. It was only until Qianye had gradually withdrew his gun that he finally let out a breath of relief. His eyes revealed a trace of rejoicement and hatred. Suddenly, Qianyes wrist moved as the handgun boomed repeatedly, pouring all the bullets in the extended magazine into the mans body. The terrific impulse blasted his sturdy body backwards on the spot as a dozen or some blood splatter blossomed in midair. Seeing the brutish mans unwilling but now lifeless eyes, Qianye said indifferently, I suddenly changed my mind. When Qianye tossed the gun in his hand on the brutes body, the girl was still standing and trembling a couple dozen meters away from him. She carefully avoided the floor of corpses, but did not take the opportunity to escape. Qianye did not walk towards her. He simply raised a hand, waved, and vanished into the night. The girl stared at Qianyes departing figure and did not move for very long time. It was only until her pained eyes could no longer see anything that she suddenly turned around and ran to the other end of the darkness. From the beginning to the end, Qianye neither asked for her name, nor told her his own. The sensitive and smart girl knew that he might never step foot in this city ever again in the future. Even if he did come back, the only intersection they would share was tonight, a night filled with desire and gunpowder. For the girl, this was a night that was both beautiful and ladened with grief like a drama. She had stood on the stage, but only as a traveller who passed by in a hurry. Qianye returned to Yu Yingnans home. As usual, this place wasnt locked, and the traps were just the same. However, when he walked to the entrance of the first floors guest room, Qianye discovered in slight embarrassment that the two traps he laid down had been activated. The marks left behind by the traps indicated clearly that someone had activated the warning trap and leaped away in surprise. Then, they unluckily entered right into the zone of the second trap and suffered the full blow of its might. The gunpowder Qianye installed into this little trap wasnt huge, and the shrapnels he set up werent many either. It could just take out a rank two Fighter. If it was a rank four fighter, then at best it would deal an average amount of injury. The rooms floor was splashed with a few drops of dry blood. Qianye bent over slightly and sensed a familiar smell. The blood belonged to Yu Yingnan. Qianye knew that Yu Yingnan was upstairs right now. The entire floor was filled with the thick smell of alcohol, so it would seem that she drank quite a bit tonight. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but the smell of her blood was unusually rich and her heartbeat was unusually quick too. Qianye involuntarily sucked in a deep breath. Yu Yingnans blood smelled very sweet and was filled with energy and vitality. It was like a hot milk mixed with half a glass of sugar. To Qianye, this smell was more attractive than others. However, after seeing the blood of the floor, Qianye very sensibly chose not to disturb Yu Yingnan. This female hunter wasnt just your normal kind of shrewish, but extremely competitive as well. Now that she had fallen for a series of traps in her own home, god knows how she was going to take it out on the culprit of her misfortune. Qianye softly and quietly tidied up the vestiges left behind in his room before tossing himself on his bed. Then, he let out a comfortable breath. With Yu Yingnan here, Qianye experienced a strange sense of security that enabled him to completely relax. This was something he normally would not experience when he was alone. In a daze, he fell into a deep sleep. Before Qianye was completely flooded by sleepiness, he seemed to hear some activity in the kitchen. However, he did not sense any killing intent or hostility, so he just left it be. Back at Lighthouse Town, Qianye would often leave two portions of food at the kitchen specifically for other people to steal them. However, the bars of all towns were special places, so normally a tramp would not steal food from such places unless they were so starved they had no other choice. For an instant, Qianye felt as if he had returned to a familiar and safe home, so he allowed himself to sink into the depths of consciousness. In reality, he had never possessed such a tranquility or warmth in his memorized life. When Qianyes consciousness had completely subsided, the gold blood aura in his body quietly swam out of the rune and swam along his blood vessels. Every blood aura in his body holed themselves in Qianyes heart and did not dare to reveal themselves at all. Although the purple blood aura was much larger than the gold aura, it had entrenched itself in the rune of vampire constitution and looked to be highly wary and in preparation to face a terrible enemy. The gold blood aura was as thin and weak as ever even though the amount of normal blood aura it consumed was no less than the purple blood aura at all. However, it did not appear to have changed in the least, whereas the purple blood aura had obviously evolved once and even triggered the vampire constitution to become a rank up ability. Right now, the gold blood aura was circling around the vampire constitution rune a few times and eying the purple blood aura inside covetously. It even attempted to penetrate the rune a few times, but a purple light screen lit up outside the ability rune and bounced the gold blood aura away. After attempting twice to break in without any results, the gold blood aura seemed to have lost interest in the purple blood aura and swam towards the heart instead. After circling around the heart twice swiftly, it suddenly stuck right in it and wrapped around a normal blood aura in the blink of an eye. Then, it bounced out of the heart once more. The normal blood aura struggled with everything it had, but it was completely useless. It was consumed by the gold blood aura that looked much thinner and weaker than it was bite after bite and melted into nothingness in the blink of an eye. Feeling unsatisfied yet, it entered the heart yet again and pulled out another normal blood aura, crushing it and devouring it in just a few bites. Just like that it ate five normal blood auras in a go, but still it wasnt satisfied. It circled around the heart one more time, but in the end it did not harm the last two normal blood aura and swam back into the rune of Eye Ability: Night Vision. Then, it stayed there and did not move. In a flash, the surface of the gold blood aura began to circulate with light from time to time. It seemed to be on the verge of a transformation. In his dreams, Qianye instinctively felt that something wasnt quite right. He felt as if he was buried deep beneath the water and suffocating as if there was an entire sea bearing down on him. However, no matter how hard he struggled, he could not free himself from this dream. In the kitchen, Yu Yingnan was leaning against the kitchen table and carrying a bottle of strong alcohol in one hand. She took a fierce gulp of the drink before spitting out a mouthful of alcoholic breath. She was feeling vexed and restless, and the cabinet surface that was as smooth as a mirror reflected her entire person on the opposite side. Yu Yingnan looked left and right at herself on the opposite side. No matter how she looked at it, she thought that she looked quite pretty. At the very least, she looked much better than that little bitch in that bar. She was taller than her, prettier than her, had longer legs than her and which side of your mommas breast isnt three or four times bigger than hers? If she had any breasts at all to begin with. Yu Yingnan lifted a middle finger ferociously at her opposite self! And then she was intimidated by her own aggressiveness. Yu Yingnan smiled bitterly and began drinking again. Although she had already drunk a lot of alcohol, she still didnt think that it was enough. At the least, she was drunk enough to do whatever she wanted to without any qualms. How could that possibly be considered drunk? So she continued to pour alcohol into her mouth resolutely. Before that tiny hope and courage at the bottom of her heart disappeared, she would at least make herself half drunk. The first bottle emptied, and the second soon followed. Thankfully, she had enough stock and could fish out a third. When this bottle had turned empty as well, she finally felt that her drunkenness was about right. At the least, if a dozen of vampires and werewolves were to show up before her right now, she had no problems taking a chopper and fight for her life. When she thought up to this point, the woman in the mirror began to leak aggressiveness involuntarily again. She tossed her tactical jacket on the ground and unbuckled her belt. However, the fingers that couldve twirled a combat knife effortlessly suddenly turned extremely stiff. She kept feeling that she could not go that extra mile. At her current drunkenness state, she felt that she could at best passively accept everything that would happen, and apparently she was still quite far away from taking the initiative on her own. Yu Yingnan quite literally abhorred her own weakness. This female hunter lit up a loaded cigarette and took in a deep breath. Then, she revealed a sinister smile that was employed when facing the dark races and pulled out her combat knife, cutting off her own belt resolutely! The defensive animal skin pants fell to the floor, revealing the black tactical skin tight boxers. There was also a secret compartment at the side that hid a finger length jagged blade. While recalling the data she crammed into her brain at the last moment, she waved her combat knife and cut off most of the tight skin underwear, remolding it into a somewhat sexy little underwear. The woman in the mirror now had a little sexiness in her, if she wasnt holding a cigarette in one hand and a knife in the other while looking way too imposing. This is about it! Yu Yingnan talked to herself before tossing down her cigarette and her knife. Then, she wobbled her way to Qianyes bedroom and barged in with a kick to the door. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 98: Spring Also Comes For Masculine Women [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianyes was still in deep slumber. He was currently fighting and struggling against the suffocating feeling in his dreams, and his subconsciousness continued to feel like they were submerged in a deep sea. The world above the water seemed impossible to reach. However, in Yu Yingnans opinion there was no way Qianye hadnt woken up yet after she had caused so much noise. She thought that he must be pretending to be asleep, and that he demanded for her to take a step further on her own. F*ck! I have to do it myself? Yu Yingnan mumbled vaguely to herself before tossing herself right next to Qianyes body, lying on her back. She could hear her own heart thumping like a gong. She looked at the man lying next to her, thought for a moment and took him into her arms. She put him right on top of her. Qianyes seemingly thin figure was in fact extraordinarily heavy, so heavy that Yu Yingnans breath had come to a momentary pause. However, a content and fulfilling feeling followed immediately after the feeling of weight. She stretched out her arms and hugged the body that felt like silk wrapped steel. Her wildly beating heart calmed down just a little. It was only then Qianye finally opened his eyes and looked at her in astonishment. He was obviously confused by the situation before him. Sure! Keep up that act! Its not like I care or anything! Yu Yingnan itched to beat up Qianye. Still, she forced herself to wear the gentlest smile she could on her face. But when she saw that Qianye wasnt in the mood at all, she knew that her efforts had all been wasted. Whats wrong? Qianye stretched out and touched Yu Yingnans forehead. She was burning from head to toe, but it didnt feel like a fever. She probably had too much of a drink. The air inside the little guest room seemed to turn wet with the thick scent of alcohol and milk. His response was a heavy blow. Yu Yingnans hot temper was finally ignited. She decided that she might as well discard all the pretentious poses and expressions as grabbed Qianyes thin but firm waist tightly. Then, she said through gritted teeth, I want a man tonight. Will you join me? Qianye was stumped for words. It was only when Yu Yingnan had repeated a second time that he finally understood her meaning. The meaning behind her words couldnt be any more clearer. It was something anyone who hadnt completely lost touch with his masculine side would be able to understand. It was just that it sounded unbelievably strange coming out of Yu Yingnans mouth. Qianye never thought that he would live to hear such a thing from this mighty and domineering female hunter. He stared closely at Yu Yingnan, examining her for the first time as a man would to a woman. If he were to ignore her expression and manner, then he had to admit that she was a good looking woman. Her countenance alone made her a beautiful woman, not to mention that she also had an amazing body. Now that they were touching each other tightly without a millimeter of space between them, Qianye noticed yet again the shocking flexibility of the body beneath him. Every one of her curves felt like they could send him springing into the air. Qianye had already noticed how deadly this body was the last time he accidentally pressed down on her. It was no wonder that she managed to achieve rank four at such a young age. And now, Qianye finally realized that this was a females body, and a sexy and attractive one too. Moreover, her scent was as fragrant as ever. Her milky, sweet scent that was filled with energy was extremely attractive to Qianye, who had for the past two days became unusually thirsty for some reason. But all these thoughts werent important. What was important right now was that tonights matter had advanced to a stage that he couldnt back down. If he didnt do a little something in this situation then it was obvious that the two of them would part as complete strangers after tonight. Yu Yingnan kissed Qianye a little clumsily on the lips. She hadnt controlled her strength properly, so when she knocked into him it actually felt a little painful. However, the act was like a match that instantly ignited Qianyes male instincts. It took only a few simple tears before Yu Yingnan was made completely defenseless. The intimate touch of naked flesh caused the temperature to rise non-stop. It was as if the air around them had turned into flames. Qianye probed her bottom area a couple of times before moving forward strongly, entering a warmth that wished to be dominated since a while ago! An even greater pleasure assaulted his senses. His instincts swelled and pushed his reason swiftly out of the way. Every exchange of air felt like they were on fire. Qianye paused the fencing of tongue and lips temporarily and moved his head sideways, rubbing into her flesh twice. He found the source he was looking for on her white neck, and he rubbed his white teeth gently across her skin. He could feel a strong and lively pulsation beneath it. The gold colored blood energy that had been dormant all this time suddenly moved and erupted into a desire for blood like never before. Qianyes thirst immediately multiplied, and he felt like sinking his teeth into her flesh immediately! No! Qianye was shocked. Suddenly, he awoke from his intoxicated state and recognized with incredibly clarity that the person before him was Yu Yingnan and not any other stranger. He immediately suppressed the bloodthirst with the willpower he trained over many years of resisting pain. However, Qianye also knew very well that just suppressing the waves that attacked his reason again and again wouldnt be enough. It would take some small techniques to trick his body successfully. And so he licked Yu Yingnans nape strongly and sucked the thick fragrance of blood into his throat. It immediately satisfied Qianye for a bit and caused him to grow even more excited. Meanwhile, Yu Yingnan was caught off guard by the attack and cried out in shock. From the way she subconsciously hugged Qianye tightly, it was obvious that she was unusually sensitive there. Her entire body was tensed up, and it caused Qianyes pleasure to go up by folds. He ignored everything and began riding her strongly. Every time he pounded wantonly into her depths, her beautiful body would convulse involuntarily and let out a sharp scream! Yu Yingnan grabbed onto Qianyes back strongly, and her fingernails dug deep into his muscles. However, she failed to leave any scratch marks on his body. Meanwhile, the man who controlled everything grew so forceful that it became completely one-sided. He made her capable of nothing but screaming on top of her lungs. Yu Yingnans screams lasted for a couple of hours straight. A neighbor couldnt stand the noise and tried to smash the door in protest, but took an explosive trap to the face instead. Once the explosion was over, everyone in the area decided that it wasnt worth the trouble to criticize them. And so they went away and sought out their own woman, someone elses woman, or a man instead. In short, they went to do whatever they needed to do. When Yu Yingnan crawled into the bathroom, turned on the shower and began washing herself, she saw an incredibly satisfied, and incredibly womanly face on the mirror. She touched her neck and bit her bottom lips, and she thought that she looked incredibly attractive like this. Qianye was so naughty; he mustve realized that her neck was her weakness and attacked that place non-stop for the whole night. He almost drove her insane. Her wish was fulfilled, and she was even dreaming a little about the future. When her dream went into someplace happy, she broke into a grin and couldnt help herself from pointing a middle finger at the mirror. Then, the dream was gone. Yu Yingnan stared blankly at her masculine self that had manifested once more in the mirror before sighing heavily to herself. She recalled her original decision and knew that that future she dreamed of was the real dream. It was time to return to reality now that her wish was fulfilled, and so she transformed back to that wanton and brash female hunter she was once more. Qianye was still fast asleep when she was done bathing. He looked very tired and quite obviously weakened. She supposed that he had exhausted himself too much as of late. Of course, a different man wouldnt have fared much better than him had they been in an intense intercourse that lasted several hours long. Qianye was frowning even in his dreams as if he encountered something troubling that couldnt be solved easily. Yu Yingnan gently stretched out and smoothed out the entangled lines on his forehead. Then, she watched his face closely. This was the first time she noticed how pretty the man was. In Yu Yingnans memory, her deepest impression of Qianye was his inexperience when they met each other the first time, and the moment Qianye blocked Sky Snakes shot for her without blinking an eye. These impressions had actually blurred her memory of Qianyes looks. That he looked pretty wasnt a bad thing, she thought. She leaned over and snuck a kiss on Qianyes cheeks, before putting a slip of paper beside him. Then, she packed her luggage and left during the night. When Qianye opened his eyes once more, there was sunlight shining through the windows. The arms of mechanical clock was just about to approach twelve in the noon. I slept that long? Qianye was a little surprised as he sat up on the bed. He saw the paper slip next to him, picked it up and gave it a glance. Yu Yingnans handwriting was present on the paper, and although it was a little like chicken scratch every stroke on the paper was extremely powerful. It was her style alright. Qianye, Im going to get a mission for you. Its very suitable for you, and well talk about the details once I get back later. Dont go far for the next few days and wait for me! Yu Yingnan didnt explain exactly what this mission was, but Qianye believed that she would never harm him, so there was no harm in waiting for a couple more days. While the unpredictable Yu Renyan was a small trouble that might show itself if he continued to stay inside Darkblood City, Qianye didnt think that he would necessarily lose to him even if he couldnt win. Qianye crawled out of his bed and took a look at the kitchen. Then, he swept through nearly all of his supplies and only managed to get himself half full. Qianye felt unusually weak and quick to hunger, and when he prepared to set out to replenish his food supplies he realized that he only had several dozens of silver coins with him now. He had given his last gold coin to that unknown girl. Guess I have to find a way to earn money again, Qianye thought helplessly. It was at this moment Old 2s voice rang from outside, Is Qianye around? Old 2 was standing outside the entrance hall when Qianye opened the guest rooms door. Once the two of them were seated, Old 2 passed a bill to Qianye and said, These are the things you told me to look for earlier. Take a look yourself. When Qianye accepted the bill and gave it a glance, he was slightly startled on the inside. The first part of the bill was a medicine developed by the Empire that could be used to quicken the cultivation of origin power. It was very effective on all cultivators who hadnt reached hampion rank, and it could be seen as the advanced version of the Vermillion Countenance Blood. The second part of the bill was all equipment. It included a set of light armor and a tactical scope. The armor was based on the Empire main corps standard armor, but with reduced weight and a redesign of its external appearance. This was a common process when arms were traded in the black market. Individually, the tactical scope could be used as a telescope. It could also be equipped on sniper rifles and other standard weapons. What was amazing was that this tactical scope was actually an origin equipment! A special origin array had been imbued into its interior. A total of four visual fields was available to its user once origin power was injected into the scope. Moreover, it had two additional detection modes for arachne and demonkin other than vampire and werewolf. It might not sound much, but the addition of two detection modes meant that the scopes origin formation was many times more complicated than it originally was. That was why this tactical scope was priced at a shocking eight hundred gold coins! Of course, its materials and development cost werent that expensive, but there werent many people at all who could acquire an equipment that was assigned only to elite corps even in the Empire and deliver it to the Evernight Continent. That was why this type of equipment had always been priceless on Evernight Continent, the prices on the upper continents could only be used as a reference. The value of a scope that could detect all types of dark races couldnt be measured by gold on Evernight Continent. If it wasnt for Old 2, with his knowledge of the black market prices of Darkblood City, Qianye believed that this scope would be priced more than a thousand gold coins. Of course, the price of the other items on this bill wasnt cheap as well. That standard armor was priced at two hundred gold coins, and the medicine was priced at fifty gold coins per syringe. It would be wrong to think that the medicine was expensive because it was extraordinarily helpful in breaking through the barriers of a node. The problem was that an entire syringe had to be used up every day to achieve saturation just like the Vermillion Countenance Blood. Qianye put down the bill with a wry smile and said, They are what I need, but Back when Qianye had inquired Old 2 about the prices, he hadnt thought of acquiring Eagleshot at the time. But now that he had bought Eagleshot, he could afford none of the items on the list. Old 2 withdrew the bill and circled most of the items on it including the armor, the scope and half of the medicines. He said, Ive already booked these for you already. They will arrive in a months time. Qianye was shocked as he immediately said, Wait Forget all of them, he couldnt even afford any one item on this bill. Old 2 seemed to know what Qianye was going to say and interrupted him, saying, I know you dont have the money right now, but you will have them very soon. There is a mission which deposit will pay for all of these items with spare, should you choose to accept it. A mission? Qianye instinctively felt that something wasnt quite right about all this. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 99: Returning to Old Haunts [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Yes, there is a mission that suits you very well. Yingnan has already gone out to negotiate with the other party. In my opinion it will most likely work out, so all you need to do is to wait for the news. What kind of mission? Youll know when the time comes. Qianye frowned. He disliked Old 2s secretive attitude. He said, But why should I accept this mission? Because youre suited for it. Plus, why leave money on the table? Its a huge sum of money; the kind of reward that not even top grade hunter missions will get. Old 2 waved the list in his hand and continued, Furthermore, this is good work that gains you many things in one move. The things on this list are very suitable for your current condition. You will be able to obtain huge improvements in a short time, whereas I will be able to prove the Home of Hunters strength by consuming this shipment of goods. I will then be qualified to order more from this channel in the future. Those meds especially can attract top rank hunters six stars and above for the Home of Hunters. Also this mission, is good for Yingnan. Qianye frowned. It was only until a moment later that he finally nodded and said, Alright, I will agree to take up this mission. But how long is this mission going to take? Half a year maybe. Could be even longer than that. Qianye nodded. Now things sounded a little more reasonable. If someone said that a mission that could earn someone several thousand gold coins at once only had a time requirement of one month, then it was either a racket or a trap. There was no way a mere two star hunter like him could receive such a mission anyway. After sending Old 2 away, Qianye got ready to cultivate seriously in the house for several days. His body felt a little strange and was unusually weak for some reason. During the same night, Old 2 sent his men to bring a total of five meds to Qianye. The material of the medicinal box that encapsulated the medicine was special, and the interior of the box was inscribed with an origin array to ensure that the medicines power would not be lost. Once the medicinal box had been opened, all syringes must be used up within a week or they would lose their effects. Qianye had purchased some food stocks, and after re-inspecting the outer courtyard and indoors of Yu Yingnans house, laying down the traps and preparing everything, he then opened the medicinal box and took out a syringe. He injected it into his upper arm and began cultivating the Combatant Formula. The medicine quickly worked, and Qianye could visibly feel that his reaction toward origin power had become much more acute. It had also became easier to absorb origin power from the three nodes. The medicine itself would discharge origin power within the arteries and veins, and not only could this power cause the origin tides to become much more livelier and turbulent, it could even be absorbed directly into the wave itself. Qianyes origin power was already much more robust than another Fighter of the same rank. After opening up the most difficult aura sea node, it would not longer be as difficult to activate other nodes. However, he still needed almost twice as much origin power to break through the barrier successfully. Under the medicines effects, the cycles of origin tides was more turbulent, more powerful, and easier to form than before. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the twentieth cycle. When Qianye counted down to the last number, he suddenly noticed that it was unusually easy and quick to reach twenty cycles tonight. He paid brief attention to the internal condition of his body, and it was only then he realized that there were only two normal blood energies that were intercepting the origin power non-stop. Originally, there were a total of seven blood energies that intercepted the power, whereas the two special gold and purple blood energies werent moving at all. Qianye suddenly had the absurd notion that the two blood energies had a mind of their own, and that they had decided to leave these two normal blood energies behind as seeds because there were too few normal blood energies at the moment. Another moment passed, and his heart shuddered and released yet a newborn normal blood Qi. By now the origin tide was about to hit thirty cycles. Qianyes constitution was now incomparable to before, and the toughness of his innards and his body were growing in spades. The shockwave and pain caused by thirty cycles of origin tide was now almost the same as it was during the twentieth cycle. Qianye gritted his teeth and smoothly went past the great mark of soldier king. He no longer injured his innards like the first time. Under the double effects of the medicine and his greatly improved constitution, Qianye attacked all the way up to the thirty third cycle of origin tide during this cultivation process before he finally could hold on no longer and withdrew the art, resting. Now, Qianye had attested with his own body why the heroes in the empire were graded by the number of origin tide cycles they could endure. At the thirtieth cycle, the cultivation efficiency of a soldier king was twice as much as a twentieth cycle greenhorn of an elite corps. After passing through the thirtieth cycle, every additional cycle one could endure would increase the efficiency of ones cultivation by about ten percent. The average art emphasised on steady progress and well preparation. The further one cultivated, the more they were affected by their innate gift. Those with slightly weaker potential would find themselves running into bottlenecks everywhere and be unable to take even a single step forwards. On the other hand, the Combatant Formula was the direct opposite. From the very beginning the Combatant Formula was a fierce martial art formula that forged ahead vigorously, and its increase in efficiency did not slow even after the thirtieth cycle. There were almost no bottlenecks at all for anyone beneath champion rank. If the Combatant Formula could be considered a first-class art formula in terms of its speed of completion pre-twentieth cycle, then post-thirty fifth cycle the speed of its ascension could probably be matched by only very, very few secret arts in the entire empire. It was just that most people could not endure over twenty cycles at all before they were killed by the rebound shockwave of the origin tides. Right now, Qianyes blood Qi was still at an unusually weakened state. When a total of seven blood energies had been regenerated, they would protect his innards on their own accord. When that happened, he might be able to attempt the thirty fifth cycle of origin tide. In that case, his cultivation speed would not be much weaker than a Fighter King even if the origin power he cultivated were to be consumed by the blood energies. After he had ended this round of cultivation, Qianye was given a pleasant surprise in the form of the vaguely emerged barrier at the origin node in his left hand. Obviously, this meant that his origin power savings was about to reach a critical mass. What would follow after this was the process of continuous accumulation and barrier battering. It would not be long before he ignites his fourth node. And so, Qianye spent the next few days cooped up in the house. As long as his body could take it, he would constantly put himself in a state of cultivation. Every syringes effects lasted a whole day, so he absolutely must not waste them. Several thousand kilometers away from Darkblood City, Yu Yingnan was walking down a military use air vessel. The airship base had strong militaristic style, and civilian use freight ships were all cooped up at a corner at the northeast corner. A majority of the region was covered in rising and landing airships, running cars, and all kinds of corp insignias that dazzled the eyes. Yu Yingnan stood at the same spot for several minutes. She wasnt unfamiliar with the myriad of military insignias, and she could easily name without thought more than half of the corps they were attached to accurately. However, she quickly moved her gaze away and walked towards a military depot near the bases entrance. She passed a metallic nameplate to a sentinel and said, Id like to see Miss Qiqi. After the sentinel had inspected the origin engravings on the nameplate, his expression immediately turned respectful as he saluted Yu Yingnan, saying, Please wait for a moment. I need to report this to the commanding officer. Yu Yingnan nodded and said, Never mind, I can wait. The sentinel immediately ran into the military depot like the wind. A moment later, a light off-road vehicle was driven out of the military depot. There was a captain in the driving seat, and he beamed at Yu Yingnan from ear to ear and said, Please follow me. Miss Qiqi is already waiting for you. Yu Yingnan jumped into the off-road vehicles back seat and looked outside the window wordlessly. The captain plugged in a flag at the head of the car, then started the engine and sped away. The wind blew open the flag to reveal the striking symbol of a standard gold-colored soaring serpent. This was the military insignia of the Empires main corps. The car they were riding on plugged in with this flag would possess grade two military privileges, and on the Evernight Continent grade two privileges meant that they could ignore traffic rules in most cities. As expected, the captain drove the off-road vehicle so fast that it felt like it would take off the ground. Although it had already entered the city center, he still drove like he was charging on the battlefield. Wherever the off-road vehicle went there was chaos and passersby barely dodging out of the way. Because of this, there were even several car accidents caused by cars yielding the way. The expressions of the people looking at the off-road vehicle were one of anger, but not daring to take any actual action against it. Even though some had suffered light injuries, they could only treat it as bad luck. On the Evernight Continent, the firearm and bloody bayonet military insignia of the expeditionary forces alone allowed the soldiers to run amuck, much less the main corps of the Empire. Yu Yingnan looked outside the window. It was the same familiar scenes as ever, and most of the shops even looked exactly the same as they were before; when she had just stepped on the Evernight Continent and arrived at this city for the first time a few years ago. This Xichang City was less than three hundred kilometers away from Weiyang, the empires biggest city on the Evernight Continent. It would take only a few hours to reach by airship, and a day at best by long-distance bus. Weiyang City had a transcontinental airship base that led to the Empires native land, the Qin Continent, whereas in Xichang City, there was another small-sized airship station other than the military base Yu Yingnan just arrived at that provided transcontinental airship service as well. Weiyang was controlled by the Empire, and Xichang and a few other similar cities were controlled by upper level aristocratic families. The biggest power in this place wasnt the military, but the big aristocratic families. In fact, Qianye had also landed on the small-sized airship station at Xichang City the first time he arrived at the Evernight Continent. As long as there were gains to be made, these aristocratic families were capable of overlooking many things. The airship Qianye came on was obviously used for illegal immigration, but as long as the port tax was paid, not even their passengers would be interrogated. There were only too many such things happening within the aristocratic families power of influence. The area directly controlled by the Empire was not as bad, as there were many things that required at least some semblance of credibility. But in these aristocratic families domains, even this bit of show was unnecessary. The off-road vehicle barged along the entire way. It was obvious that he had even veered slightly off course. The captain seemed to enjoy this unbridled feeling by a lot, so he was purposely trying to drag out the process just a bit longer. In the end though, the off-road vehicle ultimately stopped in front of a vast side courtyard at the suburbs. The building complex before her eyes had many tall buildings, and were sprawled with spiraling corridors and kiosks. It was obvious that this was the private courtyard of a certain aristocratic family, but surprisingly the two rows of soldiers standing guard in and outside the entrance were all imperial soldiers. In fact, looking at the color of their uniform and their insignia, they were not members of the expeditionary forces, but the Empires main corps. The captain jumped down the driving seat, walked to the back row to open the door solicitously for Yu Yingnan, and sent her up the entrances stairs. A smart-looking middle ranking officer welcomed her with a smile and said, Miss Qiqi has been waiting for a long time. This side courtyard was employed the most common courtyard layout on the upper continents. The door building, the palace, the flower walls and the moon gates were all arranged systematically to the central axis. However, perhaps it was because the Evernight Continent lacked sunlight, but there were almost no trees among the decorative plants of this courtyard. Many of them were shrubberies. This actually constructed a unique, masculine style of beauty instead. Yu Yingnan followed the middle ranking officer, and before long they had left the main building of the central axis and turned into a series of corridors and kiosks. Knowing that her destination was right in front of her, she couldnt help the slight tenseness in her heart. Immediately after, the scenery before her grew more and more winding and serene, exquisite and elegant. Suddenly, she saw that there were more than ten imperial soldiers standing straight at the two sides of the corridor ahead of her. They shared almost the same height and they all looked handsome and tall. Although their individual strength wasnt anything impressive, their looks did stand out as first grade. This was the classic Qiqi style of things. Yu Yingnan wasnt sure if she should be angry or humored by this, but her tension faded away to faint sadness instead. The middle ranking officer leading the way suddenly stopped. Before them, there was a moon gate covered full in wisteria. Looking at the furthest distance, behind the openwork of spirit screens was a lotus pond no much smaller than an actual lake. Above the water, long bridges could be vaguely seen leading towards two waterside pavilions connected by short corridors. The middle ranking officer with a gentle smile stopped here and refused to take another step further. He simply said that Miss Qiqi was waiting inside. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 100: Condition [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Yu Yingnan stepped through the wisteria door, the end of her nose catching a wisp of lingering fragrance. The world inside and outside the door seemed separate. It was warm and wet inside the garden, and even the sky was much brighter. as if they were in the light season. Beside the water, there were a few girls dressed in button court dress and wore their hairs in traditional buns chasing and fooling around with each other, and every interaction would contain some ambiguous or explicit movements. A pair of girls with the same countenance were even hugging and kissing each other passionately as if there were no one else around them. Yu Yingnan slowly walked up the railless bridge. The fields of lotus nearly climbed up her legs, and they were actually all rare thousand-petals lotuses. With yellow and pink being the two main colors, the lotuses were just at full bloom. Countless layers of petals opened outward like the many layers of an aristocratic ladys skirt. The secrets of the magnificent view that completely went completely against common sense lay beneath the water. Thin copper pipes that were as dense as woven webs lay between the unnatural roots and stalks of the lotuses. Hot water flowed within the pipes and emitted steam non-stop from its few air holes, maintaining the large ponds temperature at the temperature of light season. Meanwhile, the four corners of the garden were aligned with a light belt of black crystals, filling smokeless light and warmth throughout the entire garden. This was the peak of luxurious design from an aristocratic family. At the end of the bridge was the largest waterside pavilion of the place. There was a long chair within the pavilion where a person half-laid. She was clad in full imperial uniform, and looking at her rank, she was actually a lieutenant colonel! When she heard footsteps, the military personnel on the deck chair turned around lazily to reveal an exquisite face. She spoke, Yu Yingnan. I could hardly believe my own ears when I heard that you were looking for me! I couldnt believe there is a day when you will come to me at your own accord. Yu Yingnan said coldly, Yin Qiqi, if there is even the slightest possibility, then I wish that I will never meet you again! Just call me Qiqi. I prefer this way of addressing better. the female lieutenant colonel stood up from her deck chair. The woman was very tall; slightly taller than even Yu Yingnan. She had a short haircut, with the hair end dyed in dazzling gold color. She had a pair of thick and straight eyebrows and a pair of thick lips. Beneath the arrogant look, there were also unignorable sexiness and beauty. Qiqi was very young. If she took off her military uniform, then she would be one hundred percent a noble lady. However, not only did her military uniform accentuated her outstanding figure and shocking astonishing long legs, it also gave her some peculiar dangerous charm. Qiqi walked right in front of Yu Yingnan and stared her in the eye, smiling, I believe you! Therefore, you may leave whenever I look unpleasant in your eyes, and I will simply assume that youve never shown up. As for that mission, I wasnt really that anxious to begin with. However, if you really want to discuss a certain something with me seriously, then you will have to get used to being tolerant, with some of my habits! While saying this, Qiqi stretched out a hand and gradually lifted Yu Yingnans chin. Moreover, she pushed her chin higher and higher while staring into Yu Yingnans eyes during the whole process, licking her own lips softly. Yu Yingnan did not move, but she said coldly, Youve about to reach the limits of my tolerance. Qiqi put down her hand and turned to Yu Yingnans side, blowing into her ears softly while speaking with a tone that was full of smiles, About, means that I havent reached it, have I? I am very curious. Just where do your limit lies? I heard that everyones true bottom line was in fact much lower than they thought it will be! There was a loud slap. Qiqis hand had slapped heavily onto Yu Yingnans butt! You wish to die!! Fire shot out of Yu Yingnans eyes as she caught Qiqis neck with one hand! Qiqi did not attempt to put up any resistance at all. She did not even use her origin power and simply allowed Yu Yingnans fingers to tighten around her neck. Her face immediately became flushed in purple color. Yu Yingnan was greatly startled. Without activating her origin power, Qiqi was no different from a normal human. If she put a little bit more strength into her hand then she might actually break her fragile neck bones. In the end, being slapped in the butt was not really a big issue. The reason she was triggered so easily was because of the old grudge they shared in the past. Yu Yingnan had no choice but to let go in anger. Qiqi pulled out a military knife from her waist and used the side of the blade as a mirror. She got a reflection of her own neck and found several distinct finger marks on her snow white skin. How heavy handed. I guess you truly do hate me. while speaking, Qiqi patted Yu Yingnans face slowly with her military knife. Then, Qiqis hand slipped down Yu Yingnans chest and landed on her chest. Gently, she undid the first button. Yu Yingnan caught her wrist in one grip! Qiqi said smilingly, Think about the mission, think about the family, and think about that matter? Yu Yingnan turned pale as her body shook almost unnoticeably, saying, Dont push me any further. Qiqis hand descended firmly and undid the second button. Then, she said slowly, I am not forcing you. Since the start, I have only given you a choice; a choice that could properly settle that matter. If you are unwilling, then naturally I cant do anything as well, isnt that so? That being said, the severity of that matter depends on whose hands it falls into. I happen to know that the current person in charge of that matter, Lord Sun hated your Yu Family to the bones. Therefore, no matter how long the case drags on, it will not be brought to a close. The hand gripping around Qiqis hand grew weaker and weaker, and Yu Yingnan watched as Qiqi moved on to the third button and undid it firmly. The moment this button was undone, her deep cleavage became revealed as Qiqi stretched out her long fingers and slowly pushed into the center of her cleavage. Suddenly, Yu Yingnan said, You should know the cause of that matter. But assaulting and killing an officer is always a major crime no matter what the reason. As long as the crucial evidences are still present, your elder brother will never dare to return to the upper continent. Your family will not escape its shadow either. He said that he likes this place. This is the only place where he can truly let himself go and do certain things without going against his own nature. Qiqi laughed loudly and pulled down Yu Yingnans bra at one fell swoop, saying, Do you seriously believe that kind of nonsense? Yu Yingnan hugged her chest with both arms, refusing to let Qiqi take another step no matter what. Qiqi did not try to force her way either and tossed herself back onto the deck chair. The girls frolicking in the other waterside pavilion immediately ran over and presented her with tea and fruits. When they looked at Yu Yingnan, their eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred, especially when they were looking at her chest. Qiqi lifted a finger and said, One, completely that mission of mine, or Old 2 will have no need to hang around Darkblood City any longer. He may not seek shelter in any city larger than that either. I will also kick that fellow Chu Xiong into the cannon fodder camp. Dont you think that I dont know what he did using my name! Yu Yingnan said angrily, Come at me if you dare! Whats there to be proud about bullying other people? Qiqis eyes abruptly turned cold as she looked up and swept a glance across her once, saying, Yu Yingnan, you think too highly of yourself! You alone could not have traded for so many things. She stretched out another two fingers, Two, I will settle your brothers matter for you, and henceforth he will be able to return to the ranks of the main corps. Your small family will no longer be oppressed, and the three years red tape can be cancelled as well. In exchange, you will belong to me from now. You may do whatever you want in normal times, but when I want you, you will come at my beck and call! Qiqi tossed a fruit into her mouth and said, These are all of the conditions. If you agree, then you will accept it. If you dont, then you may leave immediately. I guarantee that you will not be impeded. You are not at the level where I must obtain you by force yet. Yu Yingnan stared blankly at nothing for a very long time. Then, she said, I promise you. But only after the conditions have all been fulfilled. Let us talk about that mission first. Qiqis expression immediately brightened. She tossed away the half eaten pear and jumped on her feet immediately, saying cheerfully, Now this is what Im talking about! You little landed gentry always think that youre different from commoners, but you finally get it now, dont you? In the eyes of a true aristocratic family, we can control you however we want to just the same! It just takes a little bit more effort than usual. But thats where the fun lies, isnt it? Hahahaha! Yu Yingnan kept quiet. She knew Qiqi very well, and this woman had always been this domineering and insolent. Although the Yin Family could not compare to the four grand households, they still ranked among the top three ranks of the aristocratic families. Qiqi was quite favored by her elders and patriarchs, so she was used to doing whatever she wanted to and enjoyed overwhelming another through power the most. To borrow her own words, So what if I bullied you? Im born higher than you after all. Speaking of that mission, the fact that you actually came to me personally meant that you have a candidate that youre fairly confident in. You know me very well, and you know my tastes. So, where is this person? How about letting me have a look first? Qiqi said with relative interest. Yu Yingnan took out a paper from her pocket and passed it over. It was a simple sketch, and although not much ink was applied it was an incredibly lifelike picture. Whoever drew it managed to outline Qianyes form in both body and spirit. Qiqi immediately blew a whistle and grabbed it over to have a good look. She praised, Very good, very good! This is exactly the kind of person I want! Haha, compared to him my subordinates are practically a bunch of trash! What is his combat power, and how is his potential? Right now he is at rank three. He is very talented in combat. Rank three is a bit low, but never mind. I have no lack of money anyway. Even if I am to build him with drugs, I can build him all the way up to rank five! At rank five he will be more or less passable, and I will not lose face too much if I bring him out. Alright, that its settled. Bring him back to me so I can have a look at him first. If there arent too many problems, then it will be him! Wait a second. Yu Yingnan pulled Qianyes portrait back from Qiqis hands and said, I have a few conditions. If you cannot fulfill them, then there is absolutely no chance that he will accept this mission. Well, speak. Does he want money, resource, or something else? Qiqi said unconcernedly. Number one, you cannot force him to do things, especially in that regard. Number two, you must do everything in your power to protect him once if he is met with danger. No matter what that reason may be; even if it is the four grand households themselves who want to attack him, you must protect him once! Qiqi pondered for a moment before saying, I cant believe you actually didnt request this for yourself. Somethings not right here! You cant have fallen in love with this guy, have you? It is none of your business! Qiqi let out a smile of clear understanding and said, I can agree to both conditions. However, the second condition must wait until after the mission. As for the first one I can agree not to use force, but I cannot guarantee that I wont seduce him. Qiqi moved closer until she was right beside Yu Yingnans ears. Suddenly, she stretched out her tongue and licked her earlobe with the tip once and said, Dont worry, I am absolutely going to have sex with him. Yu Yingnan shuddered once and took two steps to the side. Qiqi let out a burst of ostentatious laughter before speaking to Yu Yingnan, How does it feel? Your beloved man is about to climb on bed with me. You want really to kill me, do you not? Yu Yingnan said word by word, You should know that I really wanted to kill you since many years ago. Then come right over and kill me! Why havent you? Qiqi mocked her mercilessly and said, Afraid that your small family would perish if you killed me, arent you? Hmph, on one hand, you landed gentry view yourself higher than the heavens, but on the other you act like youre bound hand and foot, fearing this and that, incomparable even to the poor and humble commoners! When all is said and done, be it you or that Gu Liyu, both if you are no different from a guys who bully the weak and fear the strong. Whats the f*cking point of having people like you? Yu Yingnan did not know how she left the Yin familys courtyard. She did not know how she sat on a airship either. When she left, her mind was a complete blank, and yet for some reason she was unusually calm as well. After she had made the decision to let go, the pain wasnt as heartbreaking as she had imagined. Right now she had just lost interest in everything, thats all. However, perhaps Qiqi would be Qianyes ideal dwelling. At the very least, he would be able to earn more money. Inside Yu Yingnans small house at Darkblood City, Qianye had already finished absorbing the medicinal power of the last syringe and was circulating the Combatant Formula with all his power to batter against the fourth origin node. Right now, the blood energies inside his body had returned to seven, and these blood energies had transformed into thin bloo membranes that wrapped around his organs entirely, resisting against the rebound impact of the origin tides. In the blink of an eye, he had gone through the thirtieth cycle, and Qianye still felt as if he had plenty of strength left in him. Not daring to slack off, he repeatedly drew the origin tide to impact against the origin barrier in his left hand. When the thirty third cycle had passed, the barrier began to totter on the verge of collapse. Without any pause whatsoever, Qianye continued to draw new origin tides towards it! When the thirty fourth cycle of the origin tides reached its peak, the node barrier finally shattered with a loud rumble!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 101: Blood Feas t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Inside Qianyes body, a scorching sun gradually rose as the world became filled with light for a period of time! Daybreak origin power gushed out continuously from the four nodes and flowed to every limb and bone inside his body, replenishing the origin power that was consumed. The blood energy seemed not too used to an environment overly abundant with Daybreak origin power, and they all fell off his innards and reformed into seven blood energies, heading towards his heart. But it was at this moment the gold blood energy suddenly jumped out and caught a normal blood energy, instantly consuming it entirely. As if it wasnt satiated yet, it pulled out the normal blood energies that had hidden themselves back into his heart one by one and devoured them until there were only two left. Only then it gradually swam its way back into the ability rune. A change finally came over it, and it was obviously a lot bigger than before. Once it returned into the rune, the gold blood energy immediately curled into a ball and ultimately condensed itself into a gold colored cocoon, motionless. Qianye ended his cultivation and gradually opened his eyes. A dark colored light of blood seemed to flash across the dim, dark room. He was finally now a rank four Fighter. Not only would the physical qualities of a rank four Fighter continue to improve vastly in all aspects, when his realm had stabilized, he might even awaken a new ability. As for what this ability might be, it would depend on said persons innate gift. Qianye moved his body slightly, and he could feel very clear that some miniscule changes were happening inside his body yet again. Strength quietly flourished from every corner of his body non-stop, and the unprecedented feeling of power also gave Qianye an unprecedented level of confidence. If he were to encounter Yu Renyan again, Qianye was confident that he would be able to obtain victory in a direct battle. However, if his opponent was only thinking to escape, then he probably would not be able to keep him from doing so. Being a rank four Fighter also gave him a most straightforward benefit, and that was he could use Eagleshot twice in a battle now. However, after firing two shots he would basically fall into a state of origin power exhaustion, so he would only be able to continue fighting with origin power after injecting himself with a stimulant. The rate of his cultivation was faster than Qianyes own imagination. The consumption of a set of medicines was already enough to activate his fourth origin node. It was no wonder that there were countless young elites within the aristocratic families. Other than the first two nodes, which had to be cultivated fully on their own as a mean to build a firm foundation, the nodes afterward could literally be built by borrowing the power of medicines until all of their innate gifts and potentials had been unearthed completely. In the eyes of aristocratic families, the question of innate talent was measured by whether a person could break through the pass of a Champion. However, the higher the rank the medicines corresponded to, the higher their price became too. Basically, every increase in rank meant that its price would be doubled. Never mind the ascension from rank four to rank five, the price of the medicine that were required to ascend from rank five to rank six easily began with a base price of one hundred thousand gold coins. Even for a great aristocratic family, this was not a small number. Yu Yingnan hadnt returned yet, and the details of that mysterious mission were unknown either. However, since Qianye had already used up the medicines worth three hundred gold coins beforehand, he had to accept the mission now no matter what its content might be. Otherwise, where would he earn so much money to pay them? Higher income would come only with greater strength. Money begets resources, and only then greater strength would come. For the next few days, Qianye was going to continue cultivating and stabilzse his current realm properly. At the same time, he planned to nurture his blood energies up to a total of seven once more. Obviously, a decrease of the number of normal blood energy also meant the reduction of defenses around his innards. With only two blood energies around, Qianye would hit his limit right after he pushed himself beyond the thirty third cycle of origin tide, and not the thirty fourth. It might seem like just a cycles difference, but his cultivation speed would drop by a whole ten percent. The Yu Renyan Qianye was concerned about wasnt in the city right now. After he had recovered from his wounds, he once again left behind the Dark Blade warriors who were searching blindly throughout every city and entered a high grade hunter mission. Right now, he was already at a wasteland several hundred kilometers away from Darkblood City. This was the edge of the humans area of control, which was why there were often large sizes of dark races operating around this area. The human races main method of control over these lands was to send the expeditionary forces main troops over to perform irregular armed patrols. Besides that, the other method was to have the army set up bounties and rely on mercenaries and hunters to clean out the dark forces within the area. Yu Renyan was fully clad in survival gear, and the short mantle and mask he wore covered a huge portion of his face. He looked just like a veteran hunter. There were also five other people around him, and even the weakest among them was a five star veteran hunter, joining together to form a small, powerful squad. The squad was currently moving into battle formation and entering a settlement to perform a search. There were about a few hundred people living in this settlement, and it was one of the places they had planned to stop by earlier. It was now evening, and the sky had darkened a long time ago. Dim light still penetrated some of the buildings of the settlement, but the entire place was dead quiet with not a bit of sound to be heard anywhere. The hunter squad stood at the only entrance leading into the village, but not even the hunting wolfdogs gave any reactions at all. Yu Renyan suddenly made a stop hand gesture and pulled down his mask. Sniffing the air twice strongly with his large nose, he then stopped bothering to disguise his tracks and ran straight to the center of the village. He paused for a moment on top of the stairs, before extending a hand and slowly pushed open the main door. The hunters walked into the hall one after another. Then, they stood still in silence. This was supposed to be the meeting hall of the entire settlement, but now it was a complete mess. The remains of several young boys and girls were placed on top of the long table that could fit thirty people in the form of dishes. Only their heads were intact. Their faces were frozen in the pain and fear they experienced prior to their deaths. Their bodies had already been more or less picked clean. The walls were nailed full of human bodies like specimens, and there were even more bodies cluttered at sixes and sevens on the floor. The floor, the walls and even the ceiling of the entire hall was painted with a condensed layer of fresh blood, and half eaten limbs and innards were tossed all over the place. A row of stakes were even laid out at the depths of the hall, and every one of them were pierced with a human being! The people of the entire settlement were all here. Suddenly, a rustling noise rang inside the hall as one fist-sized spider after another crawled out of the bodies. They turned their heads all at once towards the hunters while bloody red compound eyes glared, their mouthparts opening and closing repeatedly. Servspiders of arachnes. a veteran hunter said in a heavy voice. There were at least five or six vampires, or they could not have put up a blood feast this size. They had just left not long ago. It should not be more than a day. Yu Renyan pulled out his handgun and blasted the new born servspiders crawling towards him into smithereens before saying hideously, Well chase them and kill them all! The rest of the hunters had no objections to that. No one could suppress the fury in the hearts after witnessing this sight. Gunshots erupted inside the hall. The six hunters formed a circle formation by sticking their backs against one another. The weapons in their hands spat out flame tongues continuously as they blew apart the innumerable servspiders that were charging towards them. In the hands of these high ranking hunters, even the rapid fire of an automatic rifle was no different from burst fires to them. Not a single bullet missed, and the hundreds of servspiders in the hall were swept clean in the blink of an eye. A rank six hunter with half white beard took out a square-shaped molotov cocktail and was planning to toss it out. However, his hand was pressed down by Yu Renyan. Keep it. It will do good to have the others see this so that they will not forget the past thousand years of history and the wars of countless casualties. Yu Renyan said. A blood feast like this was rare especially within the human races area of control. The moment they appeared, the imperial expeditionary forces would view immediately it as a major provocation. No matter what the authorities had in mind at the time, they would usually be inclined to take revenge. It could be said that a blood feast within the humans domain usually equaled the starting sign of a new round of racial war. Yu Renyans words were filled with deep meaning, and the other hunters were looking pensive as well. On the Evernight Continent, there was a portion of the human race who utilized the special geography of the abandoned land to perform transactions with the dark races in secrets. This was almost an open secret already. Even some people at the internal division of the imperial expeditionary forces had once suggested obscurely if they should coexist with a portion of the dark races. However, how could thousands of years of blood possibly be wiped clean by a light word of coexist? These black blooded bastards arent weak. a hunter said slowly. Were not weak either! What, youre scared? another hunter in the prime of his youth bit back. The previous hunter grew angry, Scared? You werent even born yet when I started killing those black blooded bastards! An old hunter said, Lets listen to Little Yus opinion. He is more experienced than either of us. This was not a praise, but acknowledgement. Yu Renyan had cooperated with them a couple of times, and he had won every squad members respect with his strength and results to show. Yu Renyans voice was a little raspy, A thing like this cannot be endured. We chase them, and take out these bastards! The elderly hunter immediately said, Alright! Lets kill those bastards! Who cares how strong they are! The hunter squad left behind some marks outside the settlement and charged into the boundless wasteland. The marks left behind by the squad of dark races were few, but the thick stench of blood and the stink that was unique to arachne were distinct signs in the eyes of these veteran hunters, not to mention that they had a tracking master like Yu Renyan in the group too. He chewed a small piece of servspider meat and memorized the scent of the two arachne who had participated in the blood feast just like that. A day and a night later, a base belonging to the dark races appeared in the hunters field of view. The final tracks of the squad of dark races who had created the blood feast yesterday stopped there. The hunters spread out and quietly approached. Then, a few gunshots boomed as the few dark race warriors roaming and patrolling at the edge of the base collapsed in response. Every hunter felt their hearts tighten. They were simply doing harassment shots, but they did not think that they would have succeeded this easily. If the patrollers were high ranking warriors of the dark races, then they would be lucky if they even get half of them during the first round of ambush. At best, the ambush would grievously wound their opponents. However, not only did the ambush went off perfectly without any misses, the enemies had all died in a single shot. This meant that the patrollers were not warriors at all. They were all cannon fodders! Yu Renyan was the first to react as he abruptly stood up from his hiding spot and let out a shrill howl of warning. This was the tradition of a hunter squad, an expression to mean that he was willing to cover his squads retreat. The rest of the hunter stayed motionlessly in their hiding spots and did not escape in a panic. On the wasteland, leaving ones back to the dark races meant death. Flickering shadows surged out of the opposing base, as a dozen or so high ranking warriors formed by arachne and vampires spread out and pushed outwards in a wing formation. They obviously planned to capture the attacking hunters in one go. Then, another four vampires walked out of the bases main entrance. They were all tall and wore arrogant and cruel expressions on their faces. The armor they were draped in were almost excessively gorgeous, and all of the same style. They were obviously of the same clan. Yu Renyan and the hunters hearts abruptly sank! Blood Esquires, and four of them no less! An anointed Blood Esquire was at least rank seven in power. Occasionally there would be rank six Blood Esquires, and those kinds of esquires must be incredibly young and the publically recognized geniuses of a big clan. Contrary to expectations, they were in fact even harder to deal with than rank sevens. Yu Renyan was confident that he could take out a Blood Esquire one on one in direct combat, but he would definitely perish if he tried to fight one versus two instead. With their squads strength, they would lose just going up against three Blood Esquires. Against four, without the loss of a few lives it would be very difficult to even escape, not to mention that there were still several dozens of high ranking warriors watching them covetously by the sidelines. These were not normal cannon fodders. It was at this moment another two people walked out of the base. One of them was a tall, thin and handsome looking young man. The center of his forehead was an impressive vertical pupil! This was a demonkin; an incredibly rare demonkin. The fact that he had grown out his third eye signified that he had already broken through his limits and reached the level of Champion! Beside the demonkin, there also stood a girl whose appearance looked completely like a human. She was incredibly beautiful, and she had a pair of big eyes and thick and black long hair that flowed down her shoulders like silks. She wore a blank and innocent expression on her exquisite face. She was a little thin and weak, and she stood barefooted on the ground. Her white skirt was dirty, and the edge of her skirt had already frayed into threads a long time ago. She looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, and there were plenty of unhealed wounds on her hands and legs. The girl was actually dragging a square-headed, thick-backed butcher knife over one meter long in her little hand! If swung around in a full circle, this big weapon about a dozen or so kilograms could split open a lions head with the weight of a downward smash alone!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 102: Little Girl [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The demonkins hands were bundled up inside his silk-lined sleeves as he spoke to the little girl beside him, Your idea is pretty good. Some fish actually took the bait after we held a blood feast. Although it cannot be considered luxuriant, it works as an appetizer before wine. After this battle is over, I will give you a reward, an ample reward. The little girl pursed her pink lips and swept her big, black eyes across the hunters and the dark race warriors standing off against one another. Then, she nodded strongly. A blood esquire said respectfully to the demonkin, What should we do now, Lord Masefield? The demonkin youths face darkened, What should we do? Kill them all of course! But I can warn you that this battle is not as easy as you think. Even if someone were to escape, I will not dip my hands into this fight. Small fries who are not even at the level of champions do not deserve the intervention of a member of the ancient and noble Masefield Family! Yu Renyans expression was heavy as he slowly took off his short cape and tossed it on the ground. Then, he discarded the survival equipment bag behind his back and said, Dont hold yourself back. Use everything in your power. If you do not have a trump card, then think of a way to take someone down with you. Trust me, dying in battle here will be a far luckier fate than to fall into their hands alive! The dark race warriors began to approach them. Yu Renyan bent his body slightly before he broke off into a run, charging head-on into a blood esquire. Naturally, the blood esquire would not turn down the challenge of a low ranking human. He too began to speed up and charge as well. Both people increased their speed to the max and rammed squarely into one another! The dull noise of bodies ramming against one another was like a toothache. Be it the blood esquire or Yu Renyan, they both looked to be technique oriented warriors. The foolhardy clash of strength between the two sides was truly surprising. It looked more like an accident than a premeditated affair. However, while the clash was beyond the blood esquires expectation, it was a deliberate move by Yu Renyan. When the duo separated staggeringly, a hole had appeared in Yu Renyans stomach and even his wriggling intestines were exposed! That blood esquire, on the other hand, stood tall a dozen or so meters away, looking as vigorous as ever. Yu Renyan smiled coldly while stretching out his right hand. He was holding a heart in his palma vampires heart! Yu Renyan let out a frightening smile at the dark race warriors and stuffed the heart into his own mouth. After chewing it for a couple of times, he swallowed the heart down his throat right away. His mouth, when opened, was just like a snakesit was as though his lower jaw didnt exist at all. It seemed capable of swallowing anything no matter how big it might be. The fact that they had lost a companion upon first contact surprised and enraged the other blood esquires. They immediately charged forward without any more reservations and a bloody battle ensued! Following a couple of origin gunshots, they entered melee combat in the blink of an eye. The intense battle did not last for long before a glaring silver light lit up on the battlefield. The demonkin youth observing the battle stared right into the silver radiance with utter carelessness, whereas the blood esquires eyes were all covered in a layer of blood energy to obstruct the silver lights corrosion. Meanwhile, the dark race warriors were starting to adjust their joint attack positions to avoid the brunt of the damage. While this kind of flashbang was effective against low ranking vampire warriors, those at the blood esquire level already possessed plenty of defensive measures against it. What followed after the silver light was an intense explosion as the youngest hunter triggered all the explosives on his body in advance. The burst of silver shrapnels took a couple of dark race warriors down with him and damaged a blood esquire whohad failed to dodge in time. The oldest hunter suddenly relinquished the defenses over his body and leaped onto that blood esquire who hadnt yet secured his footing. Then, another loud explosion followed! After the explosion was over, the duos shadows were no longer present at the center of the explosion. As if sharing a mutual understanding with each other, the remaining three hunters suddenly did everything in their power to attack a blood esquire together, while Yu Renyan delayed the last blood esquire by trading wounds blow after blow with him. When the surrounding dark race warriors noticed that the situation wasnt too encouraging, they no longer cared about their superiors honor or the threat of explosives. They all swarmed the hunters and attacked at once. Masefield frowned and said in a low voice, A bunch of trash! You, go help them. Lets treat this as a small cheat. The little girl walked towards the battlefield with the butcher knife in tow. It looked like the square blade would fall off her hands at any moment as her little body hauled the weapon not much smaller than herself. A long, deep mark was left on the ground where she dragged the blade behind her back. The surrounded blood esquire was the highest ranking out of the four. He actually managed to calm down during this dangerous moment. Every block and dodge he made were perfectly steady, and his defenses were extremely firm. Meanwhile, the dark race warriors at the perimeter landed continuous attacks onto the three hunters, adding new wounds to their bodies. It was at this moment that a hunter let out a burst of odd laughter and reached out for the grenade at his waist! A slight breeze seemed to pass by as the hunters laughter came to an abrupt stop! Before he knew it, the little girl had appeared behind his back with the butcher knife lifted high in the air as though it were weightless. Then, with an arced horizontal swing, she lightly cut off his right arm and elbow at the same time! The hunters elbow fell and rolled a couple of times on the ground along with the trapped grenade. However, the grenade did not explode. The young girl had made clever use of the vibrations to break the detonator when she cut off his arm. While the hunter was still in shock, several dark race warriors immediately slashed at him and killed him under a flurry of blades. After she had dealt the blow, the little girl retreated from the fray without even waiting for the results. There was not the slightest hesitation in her at all, forbidding the remaining two hunters from grabbing onto any opportunity of a counter attack. Yu Renyans faint colored pupils shrank. With a blade wound as the cost, he pulled away from his opponent and instantly flashed behind the little girl, thrusting the short knife in his hand right into her back. The little girl obviously had her back towards Yu Renyan, but she suddenly leaped to the side and avoided the attack as though she had seen it with her own eyes. She happened to land right beside a dark race warrior. The little girl reached out to tug at his battle robes, then gave the warrior a push when he glanced down at her in surprise. The dark race warrior, despite his level of strength, was nearly pushed to the ground. He staggered onto Yu Renyans forward path, forcibly interrupting his sudden charge skill. However, the dark race warrior paid a price as wellYu Renyans mithril knife plunged into his chest and ground his heart into pieces. The little girl had already made her way out from behind the dark race warrior, and once again the butcher knife floated into the air as if it had no weight at all. With a horizontal slash, it drew a huge wound across Yu Renyans leg. Yu Renyan let out a dull groan. Finally, he withdrew his scorn and focused in preparation for her next attack. This girl might only be at rank three, but her combat style was extremely strange. Every one of her attack angles was unexpected, and the might behind each attack was unusually powerful. However, the little girl did not continue the attack. Instead, without stopping her charge, she ran far away towards the other two hunters battlefield. The square butcher knife flew out of her hand mid-air and went spinning towards one of the hunter''s backs. Watch out! Yu Renyan cried out loudly. One of the hunters lifted his head in amazement, whereas the other made up his mind to trigger all the explosives on his body. The intense explosions blasted the dark race warriors until they were a complete mess. The blood esquire flew backwards as blood instantly drenched half of his body. For a time, he actually failed to clamber back onto his feet. However, the little girl had switched directions and escaped the second she hurled the square butcher knife. Presently, she had reached a distance where she was only flipped over once by the shockwave, adding some scratch wounds to her body. She quickly climbed onto her feet and ran without any pause towards the demonkin youth. At this point, the hunter squad had been annihilated. The sacrifices of the last three hunters did not bring much damage to the enemy either. Naturally, this was the work of the little girl. Yu Renyan immediately made the snap decision to turn around and escape. The blood esquire who was the least wounded let out a fierce howl before throwing out a half-meter-long square thorn! Like lightning, the square thorn pierced through Yu Renyans back and exited through his chest, the surplus force carrying with it a long string of blood droplets as the weapon finally dropped to the ground a dozen or so meters away. Yu Renyan let out a dull groan, but rather than slowing down, he became even faster. In the blink of an eye, he had already escaped the battlefield and was running towards the depths of the wasteland. The blood esquires expression was extremely ugly. He had never imagined that this humans body was so strong that he could escape even after suffering such a severe injury. He had no choice but to re-evaluate his own abilitieseven though vampires were known for their speed, it did not look like he could catch up to Yu Renyan. The blood esquire turned around to look at the demonkin youth, but before he could even ask for help, the latter said coldly, Ive said before that a worm like this is not worthy of my hand. Cant you catch up to him? When Masefield said this, there was obvious killing intent behind his words. The blood esquire trembled all over and forced himself to say, No, I can! Ill chase after him right now. Suddenly, Masefield raised his hands and waved lightly. A barely discernible black thread wrapped twice around the blood esquires neck like a living thing before it disappeared. The blood esquires expression froze instantly as his head was separated from the body and fell onto the floor. The wound on the neck was unusually bright and cleanthe flesh and tissue had actually been crystallized, leaving behind not a drop of blood. Masefield looked at blood esquires head on the floor and said with slightly fed up tone, You clearly cant catch up to him, and I hate it when people lie to me! The surviving dark race warriors all trembled in fear. The demonkin youth rubbed the little girls hair and said, You did well! You always give me a pleasant surprise that exceeds your supposed combat power. In this respect, you are much better than those idiots. Follow me well and you will enjoy ample rewards. He swept another glance at the dark race warriors and instructed, Sweep the battlefield and place some cannon fodder at the perimeter just like before. Now that the little worm has escaped, it shouldn''t be long before a true big fish takes the hook. I will be waiting right here for them! Now, the game has truly begun. In the eyes of this young Masefield, it was as though all the humans in the big cities of Boulderstone Region, including those Champion level personages, were merely big fishes to be cooked at any moment. A new day had arrived. As usual, Qianye cultivated and stabilized his own realm. After three days of rest, the ordinary blood energy had returned to seven in total, while the golden blood energy had turned into a cocoon and was currently hibernating in silence. The ordinary blood energy had finally escaped the fate of being devoured. In comparison, the purple blood energy was much gentler. It would consume at most two or three normal blood energy before it was full, and even its digestion took up to several days. However, there was a knock some time past afternoon as a hunter yelled from outside the entrance, Is Qianye around? Old 2 needs you for something urgent. He needs you to go to the Home of Hunters! Im coming right down! After a change of clothes, Qianye hastily followed the hunter back to the Home of Hunters! A light off-road vehicle was parked at the entrance to the Home of Hunters and Old 2 was already on the car. When he saw Qianye, he beckoned him and said, Come up! Im bringing you to see a person. He should be someone you know. Is it related to that mission? Qianye was a little confused. Old 2 said heavily, No, it is related to another matter. A very unfortunate matter. When the off-road vehicle made its way to Dark Blood Citys military hospital, Qianye never imagined that the person he would be seeing was Yu Renyan. Right now, the man who could be considered a formidable enemy was lying face up on an operating table with eyes staring emptily at the ceiling. The doctor pulled over a white sheet to cover up his body and shook his head at the people coming inside. Bloodstains spread continuously over the sheet, swiftly turning into a purple-black color. This is Yu Renyan, the Dark Blade Special Ops commander of the imperial expeditionary army from Blackflow City. Right now, his other identity is a five-star hunter. He''s killed many of those dark blooded bastards during this period, but something went wrong with the current operation. A few of our best hunters are all dead, and he was the only one who managed to escape and return. He has exhausted all of his life force during that last battle and doesn''t have much longer to live. Once he was finished, Old 2 sighed and said to Qianye, He said he recognizes you and wishes to see you before his death no matter what. Go and have a chat! Old 2 and the rest left the sick ward. Qianye walked to the side of the operating table and looked at the opponent against whom he had once fought a desperate battle. Yu Renyan rolled his eyes and saw Qianye. He let out a strained smile and opened his mouth slightly. Qianye immediately went closer, for it was the only way to hear what the man wanted to say clearly. Qi Yues true father is The expeditionary army division commander Wu Zhengnan. They have been trading secretly with the dark races all this time. And it''s not just weapons, but humans as well Qianyes heart trembled slightly. Yu Renyans breathing suddenly turned rapid. It was obvious that he was about to reach the end of his life. His eyes began to turn lax as he said disjointedly, Watch out for a little girl! Help me take care of her. This is great. I can finally die on the battlefieldPrevious ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 103: Blood for Blood [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] There were many things that Qianye did not understand. Yu Renyan did not say clearly who the little girl was, nor did he ever said who that person he wanted him to take care of was. It was only during his last sentence that Qianye heard the inner voice of a warrior. Every true imperial soldier had made up their minds not to return alive when they stepped onto the battlefield. The great Qin Empire built its nation on martial power, and commanded a staunch military style. There might be other members of the human race who had successfully built their nations in the world for the past thousand or so years, but in terms of casualty ratio of high ranking officers, the Empire was far beyond other countries. At this moment where no one could see, Qianye straightened his spine and gave the now deceased Yu Renyan a military salute. This was a true warrior; a warrior who passed away on the battlefield. Perhaps he might have all sorts of shortcomings, but his merits of resistance against the dark races was enough to wash away everything. Qianye walked out of the sick ward and told the doctor, He has passed. The doctor nodded and brought a few assistants with him to deal with Yu Renyans body. Qianye and Old 2 stood at the corridor and waited quietly. If the Blackflow military could not get here in time, then the Home of Hunters would step forth to handle the funeral arrangements. What kind of mission did he undergo? Why are the casualties so serious? Qianye asked. Old 2 sighed and said, They saw a blood feast at a settlement at the borders. Thats why they couldnt restrained themselves and chased into the area controlled by the dark races, falling for an ambush. That is a whole squad of high ranking hunters! In the end Yu Renyan was the only one who managed to escape home. Apparently, there were four Blood Esquires and a demonkin Champion among the enemy. Blood feast! Qianyes eyes immediately overflowed with killing intent. Back at Red Scorpion, Qianye had been present at more than one blood feast, and every time he saw one, he would deeply shaken by the bitter sight. It was the instinctive sorrow any normal living being would feel when they saw a member of their own tortured and slaughtered in cruel fashion. Even within the internal division of the dark races themselves, the holding of blood feasts was extremely controversial. Only a minor faction had insisted on preserving their progenitors tradition and organized blood feasts. This portion of the dark races were the irreconcilable enemies of mankind. The Empires principle dictated that the culprit of every blood feast must be hunted down to the very end. Even if they did fail to track down the murderer, or they temporarily did not have the qualifications to hunt them down, the Empire would commit mass murder within the same region and repay blood with blood. This was the Empires usual style of force. Although the dark races had exploited this persistence and laid down traps many times in the past, the Empires upper level never changed their beliefs. The Empire was willing to accept even if they had to pay a heavy price for revenge. In the past, an empire marshal once said this, Rationality and utility means nothing before bloody vengeance. It was exactly because of blood feasts that this marshal had led his troops and fought a number of great battles against the dark races despite unfavorable conditions. It was only after paying a terrible price that he finally managed to obtain victory. Although more than half of the younger generation of his family who followed him to battle perished in the battlefield, and he himself was attacked non stop by his political enemies because of this matter, there was never again a blood feast held within the war zones he was in charge of protecting after the war and for the rest of his life. Qianye sucked in a deep breath and said to Old 2, Im going out for a few days. Lets set aside that mission for now until I come back. What are you planning to do? Im going to kill a few black blooded bastards! Old 2 was alarmed, Youre crazy! There is a demonkin Champion over there! Youre just going to throw your life away! Qianye said calmly, Of course Im not going to throw my life away at that place. However, there are still plenty of black blooded bastards at other places. It is the natural duty of every imperial soldier to repay blood with blood in the face of such hatred! Its not like youre an imperial soldier! Old 2 said while looking like he was having a headache. It was only then Qianye realized his slip and immediately changed the subject, This is unrelated to being an imperial soldier or not. Those hunters are not soldiers either, but they still chased the dark races all the way to their territory, didnt they? They are a whole squad, while you When Old 2 saw Qianyes expression, he did not speak anything further. He simply let out a deep sigh and said, That panoramic scope has arrived. Come with me and grab it before you head out. Maybe this way youll be able to live just a bit longer. Qianye nodded and said, Relax, I wont be reckless. Only those who are still living can take out more black blooded bastards in the future! It was at this moment Yu Renyans body was pushed out of the operating room. His expression was very calm and looked just like he had fallen asleep. As his body was being pushed away, Qianye stared quietly at him and bid goodbye from the bottom of his heart, Goodbye, my friend. This man had not spoken more than a few line of words with Qianye, but they did fight an intense battle with each other. It was their shared characteristics of hatred towards the dark races and identity as imperial soldiers that made them grew close to each other. In Qianyes heart, this man was already his own friend. An hour later, Qianye carried Eagleshot and a full set of survival equipment on his back before leaving Darkblood City, heading towards the area where the dark races operated. The direction Qianye chose was directly opposite to where Yu Renyans squad had been ambushed. Naturally, he wouldnt seek out the demonkin Champion rashly and throw away his own life, but beneath the level of Champions, even the high ranking dark race warriors with noble titles were on Qianyes kill list. Be it for retaliating against the blood feast, or taking revenge for his friend, Qianye walked duty bound towards the darkness ruled territory. Even if he could not don an imperial uniform ever again, he would never forget his pride and duty as a soldier. Qianye ran several hundreds of kilometers for a day and a night. He then slowed down his speed and began penetrate deep into the lines carefully. This was already an area controlled by the dark races, and sometimes even established patrol teams would appear. These were the regular warriors of the dark races, and they were completely different from the disorganized soldiers usually killed on human territory. Qianye continued to go deeper into the area, and relying on the latest panoramic scope he was able to successfully avoid several waves of patrol and sneak into a nearby dark race settlement. He was lucky that it was a vampires settlement. The entire settlement was in fact an ancient castle and its subsidiary manor. This was the classic and traditional layout of a vampire. The main body of the building was in the shape of a column, and there were narrow and long windows only after seven or eight feet above the ground. The walls crawling with thorny vines, and it was already impossible to see how many layers of vines were entangled around the walls after many years of time. The most characteristic trait of the building was the three cone shaped towers. The outer walls, the top and the corridor railings were aligned with many standing extraordinarily shaped statues, accentuating the gorgeousness and eeriness of the entire ancient castle. Qianye quietly pushed the physical origin bullet he handmade into Eagleshot and observed the settlement with his scope for an extended period of time. The ancient castle was alit be it day or night. Occasionally, shadows could be seen passing by the long windows. This was a small family, and there were about a dozen or so official vampires. The head of the family was an old, knight level vampire with a head of silver hair. He was both graceful and dignified. Meanwhile, his clansmen included a Blood Esquire and ten warriors that hadnt reached high rank yet. The rest were normal vampires. There were also a few pure blooded descendants that werent grown up yet. There were rows of low single story houses at the manor behind the ancient castle. Several hundred humans lived inside them. These people worked at the manors croplands during the day, and they were responsible for raising livestocks as well. When it was night, and the vampires were ready for their holy communion, they were the livestock who provided the main course. These human basically would not die, though. They would be bled in rotation for the enjoyment of the vampires. When Qianye saw up to this point, he knew that this family belonged to the moderate faction of the vampires, also commonly referred to as the Neos. Normally, they would not suck blood directly and treat it as beverages instead. This way, the humans who supplied the blood would not be polluted by the black blood and thus could be used repeatedly. However, no matter the moderate faction or the progenitor faction, they were all vampires and thus, Qianyes killing target. However, this vampire ancient castle was by itself a small fortress. Naturally, Qianye could not mount a frontal attack on his own, so he was waiting patiently for a chance to arrive. Finally, when it was very late at night during the second day, the familys patriarch took several warriors with him and left the ancient castle. He was getting ready to attend a feast at another settlement. This knight climbed up a four wheeled carriage under the escort of his guards. The exterior of the van was wrapped in deep blue velvet. The familys gorgeous crest were sewn into both sides of the carriage. When the old knight was relaxing his entire body and sitting down on the comfortable long chair, Qianye pulled down the trigger! Eagleshots crisp timber broke the nights silence. The origin bullet that escaped the chamber was wrapped in the ability beam of Heavy Caliber, while its interior was swimming with a wisp of blood energy. The timing of this shot was just right, and the distance was less than three hundred meters. The blood knight was halfway into taking a sitting position, and his guards had already spread out away from him. It was impossible to evade or block the shot now. There was a loud bang, and the door and half of the carriage shattered apart as the knight was blasted into the air by a glaring ball of origin power. Half of his body was a bloody mess, and the scene of the explosion immediately fell into chaos. The frightened horses did their utmost to struggle free from their bridles, and the guards hurriedly jumped towards the knight and used their bodies to form a shield, afraid that another attack would soon follow. Qianye pushed a second handmade origin bullet into his gun, and this time the muzzle slightly deviated to aim six hundred meters away at the castle gate. There, a young blood esquire was running madly out of the gate. Because the ambush had been abrupt, he was dressed in flax shirt and riding breeches. He held a thin, long saber in his hands, and he hadnt even managed to put on his armor. Eagleshot jumped intensely once more, and the origin bullet cut through the sky with silver light to blast right at the Blood Esquire. The Blood Esquire was completely caught by surprise, and he actually froze as he stared blankly at the silver light flying towards him! He could never imagine that the silver light was be aimed at him from such a far distance. What kind of origin gun could shoot up to seven hundred meters away? No one could answer his question. The Blood Esquire only managed to put on a defensive stance before he was ruthlessly blasted away by the origin bullet. After the bullet was imbued with the ability of Heavy Caliber, the one shot had damaged the Blood Esquire into a state of near death. Qianye took out a military use stimulant and plunged into strongly into his neck. While enduring the scorching pain, he swiftly injected the medicinal fluid into his body. This model number of stimulant was specialized for combat. Other than quickening the recovery rate of origin power, it could also add up to about twenty percent of strength and reactionary speed temporarily. Immediately after, he jumped up from his hiding spot and half knelt on the ground. Holding a firearm type large caliber sniper with one hand, he pushed in five arch-shaped magazines and began firing in bursts. Every time he fired, a vampire guard would fall to the ground. Qianyes shooting skills were extremely accurate, and he was using the large caliber sniper like a handgun. The gunshots almost connected together to form a single boom. The might of a sniper like this was the equivalent of a rank two origin gun, and it was incredibly powerful against vampire warriors below rank three. It could also hurt a vampire beneath rank five. When the remaining vampires warriors saw that Qianye had been using a gun all this time, they immediately spread out, sped up, ran evasively and pounced towards Qianye like a ghost. The human sniper was dead the moment they got close to them! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 104: Blood Poison [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The distance between both sides instantly drew close. Suddenly, Qianye bounced off the ground like a leopard and with a smooth jump, charged right into the bosom of a rank three vampire, smashing a fist right into his face! After the punch, the vampire warriors facial bones instantly caved in. Then, carried off by the tremendous force to his head, the vampires body floated forwards for a second before flying backwards along his head. With a bang, the ground beneath Qianyes feet suddenly depressed before he shot forward like a cannonball. He met another rank five vampire, also the leader of the guard head on and smashed his fist into his face again while ignoring the short knife stabbing towards him! The short knife pierced into Qianyes chest, but its progress was unusually slow. It was as if the blade had pierced a pile of hard leather instead. In the end, the blade was even stuck between Qianyes ribs. The guard leaders reactions werent slow either, as he raised his left arm and barely defended himself from Qianyes punch. However, his entire person was thrown backwards by the harsh punch, and his arm bones let out creaking groans in response. After ascending to rank four, Qianye, who was doubly enhanced by origin power and a vampires constitution now possessed an extreme tough body. He could overwhelm any normal rank six fighters and rank five vampire warriors now. Qianye grabbed the guard leaders knife arm and prevented him from escaping. At the same time, his right fist and elbow smashed towards the guard leader full in the face like a storm, with every hit as heavy as a smashing hammer and as a great axe opening up a mountain! In two punches, Qianye broke the leaders arms and with an elbow, crushed the blood energy protecting his body. Then, he stepped towards the side and used his body as a weapon, leaning heavily onto the vampire guard leaders body! The guard leader flew backwards in an explosive bang that sounded like muffled thunder, his body twisted into many odd shapes. Just now, Qianye had used an extreme amount of force and complement it with his origin power to create a hidden force that was as heavy as a mountain, shattering every bone in the guard leaders body! There a soft piercing noise, and another knife had stabbed into Qianyes back. The short knife pierced through his armor and entered his muscles with difficulty before finally stopping just barely on his bones. As if he could feel the sharp blade that had entered his flesh and blood, Qianye moved his hand backwards and grabbed the vampire warriors neck, tightening his fingers and breaking his neck bone in an instant. Although a vampires tough constitution meant that he might not necessarily die from such a wound, at the very least he would lose the ability to continue fighting. Qianye swung his arm and blocked yet another vampires short knife before throwing out a straight punch. It struck him right at the bottom of the chin as the warrior fell backwards amidst a scalp numbing sound of breaking bones. Qianye was like a lion weaving through a group of wolves. His fists were as swift as lightning and as heavy as mountains. There was actually not a single person among this group of vampire warriors who could take a direct hit from him! In the blink of an eye, there were no longer any enemies around Qianye. There was only the blood knight climbing to his feet with difficulty not far away beside the remains of the carriage. However, the blood knights feet were wobbly, and he wasnt even able to stand quite steadily on his feet. He stared with a face full of shock at his own injuries. Although the mutilated mess that was half of his body could not be considered a fatal wound, black blood was pouring nonstop from his injuries. It was filled with the stench of rot and death. The blood knight was both shocked and furious. He did his utmost to summon the power of his blood, and finally he just managed to suppress and eliminate the unusual blood energy that almost felt like poison, but wasnt quite the same that invaded into his body. However, his injuries had also worsened a lot more times because of it. A large majority of his blood energy had been exhausted, and he became dispirited and listless in an instant. Qianye strode with broad steps towards the knight and grabbed towards him. The blood knight swung his own arm and met Qianyes hand with extreme fury. Their palms met each other, and they began to compete strength. Suddenly, the ground beneath both parties feet caved inward in a dull noise. A shallow pit several meters wide had appeared! Both sides strength matched each other equally, and for a time they were at a stalemate. However, the blood knights injured left arm grew weaker and weaker, and soon it looked like it would not be able to endure. Suddenly, he let out an animalistic snarl as blood energy rolled over and over in his eyes. Red light actually shone amidst the dark night as a pair of long, bloodsucking fangs appeared at the corners of his lips. He bit down fiercely towards Qianye! Qianye did not retreat in the slightest. He simply inclined his head and allowed the blood knights fangs to bite into his shoulders. The moment the vampires fangs entered his body, Qianye could feel two wisps of black, blood poison seeping into his own blood. However, his own blood of darkness immediately had a strong reaction. Purple blood energy had practically burst out of his ability rune and pounced right at the invading blood poison. They were devoured completely after just a single face-off. That wasnt all. With a twist, it immediately split out a thin wisp of purple energy that followed along the path the blood poison had come in and ultimately entered the blood knights fangs and into his body. The blood knights eyes suddenly turned round as he tried to push Qianye away with all his might with a look of extreme fright. He was no longer able to let out any meaningful syllables from his throat, and could only yell incoherently. Naturally, Qianye would not let go like this. He continued to wrestle against the blood knight, and was slowly gaining the advantage as well. However, when the purple blood energy flowed up against the stream, dense red mist rose into his eyes. As if he was drawn to the action, Qianye suddenly bit towards the blood knights neck! Blood filled with origin power surged into his mouth like floodwater. Qianye instinctively took a huge gulp, and with every mouthful he felt that every blood energy inside his body was boiling up in joy. This was the blood of a rank eight vampire, and the power of his blood energy was far richer than Qianyes. The Darkness origin power contained in every mouthful of blood was the equivalent of the total origin power Qianye possessed right now. However, Qianye had only swallowed two or three gulps before he inhaled a mouthful of stinking, rotten blood. He almost vomited on the spot. He spat out all of the rotten blood before pushing the powerless blood knight away. The appearance of this higher blood knight was withered. It was as if he had aged a dozen or so years in a short time. Right now, the blood knight had completely lost his life. Originally, the blood power of a rank eight knight was definitely not as little as this. However, previously he had suffered from the blood poison contained inside Qianyes origin bullet, and it took nearly half of his entire bloody energy just cleansing his body of this toxin. Then, he directly sucked in a mouthful of blood that contained the purple blood energy, causing a large majority of his blood to rot and die in the blink of an eye. Qianye noticed that his blood right now was extremely poisonous to vampires. He couldnt help but feel curious about the origin of the purple blood energy. Perhaps the gold blood energy would give him an even bigger pleasant surprise when it broke out of its cocoon. Qianye swiftly circled the battlefield once and sent all the vampire warriors on their dying gasps to hell. Right now, there were only a few normal vampires left in the ancient castle of this family. He picked up a long sword and wiped off the vampiric aura on it. He took out a leather bag and poured some silver liquid on its edge. Then, he walked towards the two bronze door at the front that was now no longer protected. A red flare suddenly rose into the air from the peak of the ancient castle before exploding. Qianyes ears moved once, already capturing a sharp pitch that could not be heard by human ears. This was a warning signal, and it wouldnt be long before the vampire patrol teams would notice it and arrive. Qianye did not fear the patrol teams. He strode into the ancient castle, and he saw the remaining clansmen of this family all gathering at the great hall and watching him in silence. There was a vampire even older than the blood knight sitting on the sofa at the middle of the hall. There were a few more old men standing behind the sofa, and a few children gathered beneath the old mans knees. If he didnt know that this was a vampires base, if these peoples pupils were not all blood red, he wouldve thought that he had walked into the living hall of a human noble. The hall was incredibly quiet. The sound of silver fluid dripping from the tip of the blade and onto the ground sounded like gongs in their hearts. Qianye slowly walked towards the old man at the center. The old mans face looked like it was carved from wilted wood. He matched eyes with Qianye without any expression before saying slowly, Human, you are very bold. Qianye let out a thin smile. He did not have the interest to converse with him, and so he raised his blade and pointed it at the old mans throat. Grandpa, is he tonights dinner? He looks really tasty! A young girls voice came from the side, and Qianye immediately felt pain on his thigh right after. He looked down, and saw a little vampire girl who looked to be only four to five years old biting fiercely at his thigh, her two little fangs half entering his flesh. He could see two wisps of blood threads swimming into her mouth through the half translucent fangs that had a luster like ivory. Elation appeared on the old mans face as he laughed sinisterly and said, You are finished, human! Even if you killed us, you will not escape transforming into a blood thrall! Qianye simply kept his head low and continued to look at the little vampire girl. When he heard this, he said indifferently, Is that so? This little girl is a pure blooded vampire. Her ability to hide herself is pretty good as well. When she grows up, maybe she can become yet another knight. How unfortunate Dont be so hasty, little girl. Drink a little slowly, or you might get sick. When Qianyes blood had flowed out, the purple blood energy inside his body had awakened once more and leaped out of the ability rune. Just like before, it delivered a wisp of blood energy into the little girl. The little girl suddenly turned stupefied while she was sucking at Qianyes blood. While letting out cries of exclamation, she collapsed on the ground and curled herself into a ball. Her body swiftly turned swift as purple black blood flowed out of her mouth. As if he had seen the most terrifying scene in the world, the old man abruptly jumped to his feet and cried out involuntarily, Sacred blood! The higher sacred blood! You are absolutely not a human being! Why! This is the sacred blood? Qianye smiled thinly at an inappropriate moment, and it was unclear if his tone was a declaration or doubt. He said softly, But I still feel that Im a human being while speaking, he blade shook and stabbed straight into the old vampires heart. The sword moistened with silver fluid danced continuously, lightly piercing many aging or newborn vampire hearts. After some brief screams, the hall quieted once more. Qianye swiftly walked around the ancient castle once while holding his long sword. When he walked into the display room upstairs, he saw many oil paintings and a pair of short guns embedded into the wall. This was a pair of vampire style origin gun. The pair of gold guns were so polished it was glowing. It obviously had some history to it, and as something that was placed so preciously at the most eye-catching place in the display room meant that the pair of short guns must have some extraordinary meaning and value. The rest of the oil paintings and decorations were all extremely valuable luxury goods in the human world. However, Qianye neither had the time nor the strength to carry so many things, so he simply took down the pair of short origin guns that were obviously relics and a bag of crystal coins on the wide study table before leaving the ancient castle. When he stepped into the courtyard, with the gate very close to him, Qianye hesitated for a moment before turning around and walking towards the manor at the back. The unnatural commotion inside the ancient castle had alerted the humans here. They walked out of the house and stood at the entrance of the manor, looking toward the ancient castle. Most of the peoples faces were vacant and numb. It was as if there was an invisible red line at the gate of the manor, and no one had overstepped their boundaries. In Qianyes eyes, none of these people were blood thralls who were polluted by the black blood. There were just dozens of people who looked weak and overly pale. It would seem that they had been bled out just recently. For a vampire, being able to suck in warm blood directly from their prey was one kind of entertainment, and it had a distinctive flavor from drinking slightly cool blood from a glass. That was an ability granted to them by the progenitor. However, the people whose blood was sucked would quickly turn into blood thralls, and they could no longer be used after their blood was sucked once or twice. On the other hand, bleeding them out periodically ensured that they could be used long term, just like how humans raised their dairy cows. Qianye said, I come from the great Qin Empire. Anyone who wishes to go back with me, come out! These human livestocks looked at each other. Some of these people wore struggling looks, but a large majority of them simply stood with a numb look on their faces. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 105: Player [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye raised his voice and repeated, Is there anyone who wants to go back to the Empire with me? There may be hazards along the way, but I have killed all of the vampires inside the ancient castle. You may not necessarily be able to live even if you stay behind. I give you only three minutes to consider! I want to return to the Empire! a girl suddenly ran out of the crowd. What are you doing, come back! the young man beside the girl tried to pull her, but the girl threw him a backhanded slap before running towards Qianye again. Bitter resentment appeared on the young mans face, and he abruptly pounced towards the girl. However, a blur happened before his eyes, and he slammed into something and fell back two steps dizzily as if he had run into a mountain. Qianye had appeared before the young man before anyone noticed, and he was staring coldly at him. It was he whom the young man had run into just now. Are you asking for death? Qianyes voice was both soft and icy cold. The young man stared straight into Qianyes emotionless eyes, and with a burst of courage that came from god knows where he suddenly yelled, She is my fiance! The lords of the Sacred Family had promised to give her to me after exercising her virgin rite. You cannot take her away from me! Qianye drooped his eyes slightly before raising it immediately. He smiled and said softly, Sacred Family? The young man said loudly, If we perform well, the lords of the Sacred Family would pick out one of us and give the Embrace, changing us into one of them every once in a while! Qianye had no wish to listen any longer. He swung his arm and gave him a slap! The slap hit the young man so hard that he flew out while rotating in midair. Moreover, he spat out a mouthful of blood foams and several broken teeth. The young man did have some courage in him, and throwing all caution to the wind he yelled, Even if you all followed him, you would not be able to escape the Sacred Familys chase! And what if you did reach the Empire! We are born and raised in the Sacred Family. Do you think that the great Qin will let you off? They will only treat us as blood thralls and kill us all! Ah!! The young man let out a long, bloodcurdling scream. In fact, Qianye had already walked over and snapped all four of his limbs with his foot before saying, It will be too easy to kill a guy like you right away. Wait until your Sacred Family lords arrive, lets see how they will treat a handicapped livestock! It was only now the young man thought of the potential consequences he might have to face. In an instant, he trembled all over and shouted at Qianye while twisting his body, You devil! I will haunt you even if I die! Qianye no longer paid any attention to the young man and asked one more time. This time, there were almost a hundred people who were willing to follow Qianye back to the empire. This journey will be very difficult. We must proceed at top speed, and we will not slow for anyone who was left behind. Those who are not confident that they can complete the whole journey, you may withdraw now. All those who stood out no longer wished to stay behind, so Qianye led these one hundred or so human beings who were kept like animals on the journey back home. There were still a few carriages inside the ancient castle, and they were all taken away by Qianye. These carriages were used to allow the fleeing humans to rest in turns. And so, the fleeing group had run nearly two hundred kilometers in a day and a night. At this point, all of the horses had worked themselves to death, and nearly half of the people in the group were eternally left behind on the road. Some had worked themselves to death, and some had fallen behind the group. However, their conclusions were the same. Normal humans who were left alone in an area controlled by the dark races shared a fate that was not much different from consumable animals. No matter how many people had lost steam and fallen behind the group, Qianye did not slow down in the slightest. Meanwhile, everyone did their utmost to follow the group in silence. No one complained, and no one groaned. They continued until they no longer had the energy to continue forwards. Just when they were about to leave the region controlled by the dark races, Qianye suddenly paused his footsteps and said to the very first girl who stood out, Lead them and keep running along this direction. You must not slow down no matter what. Get it? The girl nodded strongly before asking, What about you? Qianye glanced once at the incoming road and said, There is a team of black blooded bastards who had caught up to us. Ill deal with them first before meeting up with you all later. The fleeing group continued onwards, whereas Qianye turned back and welcomed the dark race patrols who had tracked them to this point. Saving these kept people was just the secondary objective. Qianyes true objective was to lure out another patrol team. The patrol team had chased them for several hours and traversed hundreds of kilometers. Right now be it their stamina or their alertness were at a low point, so this was the perfect opportunity to act. This was a cruel revenge towards the blood feast. How could slaughtering a few random dark races compare to taking out a settlement and a regular patrol team? Qianye did not wait more than half an hour before a dozen or so running dark warriors had appeared in his scope. The leader was actually a Blood Esquire, which was also the type of prey Qianye loved the most. After an entire days time, Qianye had injected yet another physical origin bullet. It was just the gift to this Blood Esquire. Eagleshots loud bang shattered the nights silence. As if struck by an invisible hammer, the Blood Esquire flew backwards into the air horizontally. Qianye immediately pulled out his short knife and rushed forwards into a sudden assault. His figure drew many afterimages as he brazenly pounced towards this team of dark warriors. Blood immediately dyed the night red! A while later, Qianye left the battlefield while carrying an entire body of deep and shallow wounds and a rank three vampire origin gun. Behind his back, everyone in the patrol team had been turned into corpses piled into a landscape. Every vampire had their throats and limb arteries cut out prior or after their deaths. This was a humans revenge towards the blood feast. While Qianye was infiltrating the dark races territory, the expeditionary forces military camp had welcomed yet another important personage that they were both in awe and afraid of, Bai Longjia. The second Bai Longjia got off the airship, he immediately said to the expeditionary force commanding officer who arrived to welcome him and said, General Yang, I heard that a blood feast has appeared at this place. Lets go, bring me to the location. Although both men were major generals, and Bai Longjias rank was even the superficial kind since he did not command an army directly like the expeditionary forces major general. Judging from their attitudes, Bai Longjia actually looked more like the other major generals direct superior. General Bai, this seems Bai Longjia cut off the expeditionary forces major general coldly before he could even finish, There is no seem! Bring me to the scene, now! If you are unwilling to go, then I will have another person lead me. But you will not need to lead ever again from this point onwards as well! The major general of the expeditionary forces immediately piled on a face full of smiles and said, No, no, I will arrange this immediately! Please wait for several minutes. Right. Call Mayor Luo and General Du along as well. Major General Yang immediately looked a little hesitant, Those two have been quite busy as of late But Bai Longjia did not appear open to his explanation at all, I will see them on the airship half an hour later! Darkblood Citys Mayor Luo Jianyi, and the expeditionary forces dispatched generals Yang and Du, were the three Champion rank elites of the human race in Darkblood City. This allocation prominently showed Darkblood Citys status, since another city of the same scale would enjoy the protection of only one Champion. General Yangs smile froze as he immediately called over his aide and yelled, No matter what you do, call the mayor and General Du over immediately! They must arrive within half an hour! Say that this is the order of General Bai, you hear me? Bai Longjia looked at him once before saying calmly, Its no use trying to push the matter on my head. If it is just the impeachment of three generals of the forgotten land, I can still take it. With a head of gray hair, Major General Yang was almost sixty years old already. But at this moment, he was bowing and bending and scraping in front of Bai Longjia, who was half his age while forcing a smile on his face, How would I possibly dare! However, if I dont use your title then those two will not come over. My face isnt that worthy. Bai Longjia nodded noncommittally before he walked back to the airship directly. He leaned against the back of a chair and began to close his eyes and recuperate. Meanwhile, Major General Yang was dumped outside the airship. His actions obviously meant that he treated Major General Yang as just a simple orderly. The officers and soldiers of the expeditionary forces all wore odd looks on their faces, but Major General Yang appeared just like normal and had not taken any offense of the humiliation at all. He looked rather much like a person who had turned the other cheek. On the night the Evernight Council member Ge Shitu had visited Darkblood City, it was he who advocated to hold fast like a turtle. As a result, he accidentally offended Bai Longjia big time. Now was the perfect opportunity to atone for his crime. They might both be major generals who shared nearly the same combat power, but Bai Longjia was an influential figure of the Bai Family, one of the four grand households the Bai Family, and a member of the Broken Winged Angel. His future could be said to be limitless. Meanwhile, the expeditionary force was just a member in the quota of the empires main corps, and the garrison stationed at Darkblood City was just a second rated corps even in the expeditionary forces. Both parties might share the same military rank, but their statuses were as far apart as heaven and earth. The army had only allocated two generals to Darkblood City because of its special circumstances, great profits to be gained and balancing of forces. Usually, both general Yang and Du did not follow a line of command, and each one of them owned a territory of their own and bowed to no one. So if General Yang were to send his aide to summon General Du, it would be courteous already if General Du had not kicked his aide out on the spot. But Bai Longjia was different. A child of a great household like him acted without restraint, and sometimes they even lacked a sense of propriety. If they really pissed him off, a high official supervisor might come down from the Empire after he went back. Who among the generals who were stationed at the borders could truly withstand an actual detailed investigation? It hadnt even been twenty minutes when Mayor Luo and General Du arrived. Bai Longjia did not waste words with them as he directly ordered the airship to head to the settlement where the blood feast had happened. An hour later, the airship slowly landed outside the settlement. Bai Longjia had already taken the lead and walked into the settlement while the three government officials followed behind him. He stepped into the meeting hall. The hall was preserved just as it was that day. It had already been a few days since the blood feast, and most of the corpses were at the advanced stage of putrefaction. The thick stench of dead bodies were everywhere. However, the cruelty and bloodiness of the blood feast when it was held could still be identified. Be it Mayor Luo, General Yang or General Du, they were all frowning on the inside. They found the thick stench of corpses a little difficult to bear. Meanwhile, Bai Longjia stood quietly as if he hadnt smelled anything. His eyes slowly swept across the interior of the hall. After a full dozen of minutes or so, Bai Longjia finally said, I heard that a demonkin Champion had laid down this trap in order to hook a few big fishes? You three truly are cautious and resourceful for not falling into this trap! His words did not sound like praise no matter how one were to judge it. The three Champions might be furious and ashamed on the inside, but nothing could be gleaned from their faces. There was only shame on their faces. Bai Longjia placed his hands behind his back and stood up facing towards the scene of the blood feast. He said indifferently, Since the other party has already prepared such a spectacle, it wouldnt be right to not give a show of support! I suppose I shall attend once and see if this demonkin truly is as powerful as the legend says! You cannot! Please rethink this, General Bai! The three champions of Darkblood City were greatly alarmed at the same time, and hastily acted to dissuade him. Bai Longjias identity was nothing to be trifled with, and he was the future central pillar of the Bai Family. If he were to be killed in action due to retaliating against the blood feast, this would implicate every higher up in Darkblood City. They would not escape at least the accusation of lack of effort, and if the important personages of the Bai Family were to push buttons from the back, then a discharge and an investigation were definitely on the light side of the punishment. The calamity would most likely reach their friends and family as well. Its fine if you want to throw away your own life, but dont drag us down with you! The trio looked at each other and shared the same thoughts at a rare moment. A demonkin Champion was not the same from a normal Champion. They were called the sons of darkness, and wielded combat strength that far exceeded their peers. They could not be measured by plain ranking at all. It was just like Bai Longjia capable of taking out any two out of three major generals currently present despite being a major general himself. Bai Longjia let out a heavy snort upon seeing the looks on their faces. He said coldly, Look at how much you were frightened by a mere demonkin! Hmph, the demonkin plans to reel in some fishes, but theres no telling if hell reel me, the big fish, in or be dragged into the water instead! But this is obviously a trap. It truly isnt smart to barge into one forcefully! Luo Jianyi hastily stopped Bai Longjia seeing that he was about to leave. Bai Longjia suddenly let out a heavy sigh and said, Perhaps the three of you have stayed on the Evernight Continent for so long that the history of the Empire has faded from your memories. Since ancient times, most of the blood feasts held by the dark races were obvious traps. However, the Empire would always respond brazenly towards every blood feast appearance, killing the culprit or repay in blood no matter what the cost! Do you think that the many famous generals and commanders of the empire were all idiots for the past hundred and thousand years? Do you think that they could not see through even a little trap like this? The forefather of our Empire, Di Yun once said, those who infringe upon the people of our great Qin will be slain no matter the distance! This is the true essence of the iron fist response of our commanders! Bai Longjias statement was powerful and resonating, with every word sounding like a clap of thunder, causing the trios faces to change color from shock. However, how could the major figures stationed at the borders for so many years that they had almost cultivated themselves into slippery, old officials be persuaded by a few simple lines? They were all nodding their heads and saying yeses, but no one shifted a foot. At the same time, they were even shooting signals with their eyes and planning to stop Bai Longjia. It was at this moment an unenthusiastic voice rang beside everyones ears, Well said! This voice came without any warning, and it sounded just like it was whispered beside the ear. However, there were obviously no one else within dozens of meters of the surrounding! The three champions of Darkblood City all turned round in shock, looking everywhere for the person who uttered these words. A huge change had also passed by Bai Longjias face, since this voice was so familiar to him that he almost felt like trembling! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 106: Collapse by Force [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A white dressed woman suddenly landed in front of the crowd. She was floating several meters above the four peoples head, but no one detected her arrival at all including Bai Longjia! This was a woman with insipid features. Her age was indistinguishable, and she wore the classic attire of a noblewoman of the upper level of the Empire. Her buttoned jacket, girdle and sleeves were spacious, they were unusually simple and neat. The silk belt tied around her waist was strung with a penannular jade pendant. This was the only ornament she wore on herself. Her long hair was casually tied up with silk bands and left hanging down behind her back. Her looks could be considered delicate and pretty, although an overlapping scar on her left cheek damaged her beauty a little. Besides that, she did not have any other features that could leave an impression in the mind. She appeared to be very normal, extremely normal, so normal that she would immediately be swept away the second she entered a crowd. Luo Jianyi, General Yang, and General Du did not recognize this woman, but it did not prevent them from knowing how formidable she was. No matter who she might be, the fact that she could appear soundlessly above their heads meant that to her, killing them was just a matter of exerting very little effort. When Bai Longjia saw her, his complexion changed involuntarily once more. He cried out, Sis! I heard that there is a demonkin laying down a blood feast and fishing. I just happened to pass through here, so I came over to have a look. the woman said insipidly. Her voice and looks were just as normal, and did not have qualities that could be specifically memorized. Bai Longjia said hurriedly, Its just a mere demonkin, I alone am enough! You do not need to attend to this personally, do you sis? And you think youre not a fish? Even if Im a fish, Im a big fish okay! Bai Longjia wanted to argue further, but the woman made a silencing gesture and said insipidly, A big fish is still a fish. Bai Longjia knew that this was her telling him to stop arguing, with no objections permitted. His face was swollen with redness, wanting to argue further on the subject that a big fish wasnt fish from the bottom of his heart . But he had known very well since a young age that it was suicide to actually do so. The woman circled around the hall once, her feet never stepping on the ground from the beginning to the end. Alright. Ill be seeing that fisherman. her figure flashed once she said this. Although she appeared to be strolling softly, she had vanished to the end corners of the wasteland in the blink of an eye. The three champions of Darkblood City only dared to exhale after she had left. Major General Yang asked carefully, General Bai, she, is she truly that person? Bai Longjia said in a bad mood, You dont say! I only have one elder sister, so who else is she but her? The three Champions actually broke out in a shiver spontaneously after acquiring Bai Longjias confirmation. Bai Longjia also turned listless as he waved his hands and said, Lets head back! Although her judgment in terms of combat strength made Bai Longjia extremely displeased, he also knew that she was never mistaken in this regard. It was exactly because of this reason that Bai Longjia grew even more downcast. A moment later, the airship slowly rose into the air and returned to Darkblood City. Inside the dark territory, the young Masefield was sitting right at the courtyard and swaying the goblet in his hand somewhat in boredom. There was wine in the goblet, and it was as red as blood. He looked towards the big, round moon in the sky and seemingly soliloquizing or confessing what was on his mind, The big fish should be arriving soon, shouldnt he? The human Bai Longjia is not far away from here, and I heard that he had a little bit of skill. If he was the one who came, then killing him should give me enough reputation. Those guys would remember my name, and I would no longer be called a Masefield. As I thought, an overly illustrious surname is a burden. While soliloquizing softly, Masefield tried to take a mouthful. However, he saw that the red wine in his cup was actually rippling. He was startled for a moment, and immediately after he felt the earth beneath him starting to shake rhythmically. It was as if an unbelievably huge ancient beast was slowing walking this way. An indescribable feeling abruptly rose up his heart, causing even his hair to stand up on its end. The eye at the center of Masefields forehead abruptly opened. It was a strange eye that was completely pitch black without any whites or pupils at all! When his third eye had opened, a black aura rose from behind Masefields back and straight to the sky. It transformed into a sinister-looking giant head of a beast that rotated in a circle once before staring fixedly at a certain direction, letting out low growls continuously. The head of the giant beast that had transformed from the black energy alone was a dozen or so meters long. It was shaped like a fierce tiger, but its two extremely long fangs were features of a giant ancient beast that had vanished into the legends. Panic suddenly fleeted across Masefields face. He hadnt even seen the enemys shadow, and his innate gift, the giant totem beast was already forced out by the opponents aura? Who exactly had come?! He could no longer maintain his cool as he leaped up from the ground, his figure flickering before appearing on the sky away from the base. He looked towards the furthest end of the horizon. A white dressed woman had entered his view, and she was walking step by step towards him from the wasteland. The earth shuddered matched her footsteps exactly. Masefield was unable to believe no matter what that the shaking of the entire earth was caused by this woman. Who are you? Masefield shouted loudly. He had suddenly recalled a name from the bottom of his mind, which was why his voice had a slight quiver in it. But that person shouldnt show up here! The woman looked like she was out on a stroll, but every time she took a step her figure would flicker and appear hundreds of meters away from where she was before. In the blink of an eye, she had appeared in front of Masefield. She glanced at the totem giant beast in the air once before saying word by word, Everpeace Bai clan, Bai Aotu! How can it possibly be you! the young Masefield cried out involuntarily in surprise before forcing himself to be calm and said, I am the great So much nonsense! Bai Aotu appeared right in front of Masefield in a single step. She punched straight towards his chest! The second her fist was unleashed, the entire world seemed to distort at this very instant! Masefield pushed out both palms in unison and forcefully blocked Bai Aotus one punch. The world suddenly transformed from distortion into absolute silence. Incessant rumbling sounds rang from behind Masefield, and every building in the base actually collapsed row after row as if they had been ran over by an invisible wave. Smoke and dust rose and covered half of the sky! What was strange was that there were no other sounds at all coming from the ruins. It was as if the dozens or so high ranking warriors and hundreds of civilians of the dark races did not exist at all. In the blink of an eye, the base that could fit almost a thousand men were flattened to the ground, and there was only one half collapsed building still standing at the farthest end. If someone were to look down from the sky, they would see the ruins was spread out in the shape of a fan-shaped brush mark. This dark race base had been wiped from the surface of the earth. This was the might of Bai Aotus one punch! At the height of the punch, Masefield continued to maintain his defensive posture and did not move in the slightest. The punch that had flattened the entire base with its aftershock alone actually failed to push him back even a centimeter. When the rumbling noises had completely subsided, only then one could hear the young demonkin murmur softly, I am the great Masefield Bai Aotu withdrew her fist and patted his head softly, saying, If youre just a kid, then dont try to mimic your elders and fish in the deep waters. Once she said this, she turned around and left, vanishing into the depths of the night in the blink of an eye. When she left, the aura which seemed to illustrate that she was the only person to exist in the entire world had completely faded away. She had turned back into that normal woman that would be forgotten after a single glance. I am the great Masefield the young demonkin continued to murmur again and again like a gramophone with a stuck record. His body slanted forwards slowly and finally fell. The instant he touched the ground, the young demonkins body suddenly shattered and turned into fine, white dust, scattering along with the wind. A demonkin Champion vanished from the world just like that, and no one remembered his name even until the very end. The only imprints he had left in this world seemed to be that incredibly illustrious surname. He simply wanted to pull up a big fish, but he did not think that the one who bit the hook would a great white shark. At the bottom of the only remaining ruin of the base, the bricks at a particular spot suddenly rolled off to reveal a little girl inside. Her white skirt was so dirty that no color could be seen, her hands and body were covered in scratch marks all over, and her face was completely covered in plaster as well. However, her eyes were as clear as ever without the slightest trace of panic in them. With difficulty, she climbed to the top of the brick pile and looked everywhere. She was the only living person in the entire ruin. Every dark race warrior and civilian had scattered into dust under the one punchs might. She had run with all her might to the furthest end and hid at an underground wine cellar before Bai Aotu had threw out her punch. It was only then she managed to avoid certain death. The little girl picked a direction and walked away from the ruins. Her posture was strained, and she limped as blood flowed down her left leg. She bowed her head to look at her leg wound before pulling out the wood chip that had pierce into her thighs forcefully. Then, she tore a corner of her skirt and wrapped her wounds before standing up once more. However, she took only a step before freezing suddenly. Then, she slowly turned around. Bai Aotu was standing not far away and looking quietly at her. Bai Aotu was cocking her head slightly and seemingly thinking about something. Then, she asked, Human? The little girl nodded. Your innate talent is just average, but you have an instinctive intuition for danger. To think that you can avoid my punch in advance. How rare. Bai Aotus tone was as flat as ever. No meaning could be discerned from her voice. The girl hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Bai Aotu. Shakily, she stretched out her arms and said with a slightly rough voice, Take me away. Bai Aotu looked at the little girls big, round eyes and said slowly, If you want to leave with me, then you will have to become the sharpest blade in the Bai Family. Will you? The girls eyes were as clear as water, and she answered without any hesitation, I will. then, she lowered her voice and murmured softly, As long as I can live. What are you called? I dont have a name. After staring at the little girls eyes for a very, very long time, Bai Aotu finally stretched out a hand and grabbed the little hand that was still bleeding before her. Bai Aotu let out the trace of a rare smile before turning around and moving away, leading the little girl towards human territory. The one big and one small girl walked further and further away into the wasteland and merged into one with the night. In the dark nation, the relative and far opposition of Darkblood City was Black Glory Gemini City. Gemini City was composed of both Wolf City and Blood Castle. They were separated at the center by a tower as tall as the city walls, a battlement and a hiding soldier wall. The architectural style of the two city districts were completely different. Only the southern end of the public area was administered jointly, and any dark race could visit this place freely. It was also Gemini Citys business district. Wolf City was mainly populated by werewolves, and was controlled by four great tribes. The mayor was a mad wolf named Kohl Moya. Meanwhile, Blood Castle was formed by many big and small vampire families led by a Count named Weald.Due to the feud between werewolves and vampires, no vampires could be seen inside Wolf City, and naturally no werewolves in Blood Castle. The responsibility of Gemini Citys mayor was assumed by Moya and Weald in rotation every three years. Moya and Weald were the supreme ruler of the territory several hundred kilometers around Gemini City. Right now, Mayor Count Weald was at the final year of his term. However, the vampire count was in an extremely bad mood as of late. It seemed like nothing was going satisfactorily for him. No, the situation could no longer be described with just satisfactory any longer. Things had never been as bad as it was now for the last several hundred years of his long life. The count paced back and forth inside the study, and from time to time his eyes would sweep across the few pages of reports on the study table. Every time he reread the pages, his feelings would worsen further. In the end, after he finally could take it no longer and let out a howl that shook the entire castle, the count picked up an entire book rack and smashed it heavily at the wall on the opposite side. Only then he finally vented some of the resentment in his chest. Several vampires were kneeling in front of the studys entrance. Every time the count saw them, his anger would rise without reason! Cant do anything right, dont know anything! Why do I still need you all then! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 107: Outpos t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The counts roar caused every vampire to shiver with cold. This was the instinctive fear of an inferior towards their superior. Moreover, the counts temper had never been too good. Every time he was this irritated and in rage, it would take tearing several living bodies apart with his own hands to calm him down. Most of the time it was the human captives who got torn up, but sometimes there were unfortunate vampires who became his sacrifice as well. Supposedly, Wealds strength was slightly above Moyas, and thus the vampires status should be slightly stronger in Gemini City. However, not long ago the Evernight Council member Ge Shitu had suddenly graced Gemini City with his presence, and after resting for a short period, he was about head to the humans Darkblood City to handle a certain important matter. However, for whatever reason the council members whereabouts were leaked, and as a result he was intercepted by a human elite outside Darkblood City. It was said that the famed gun Red Spider Lily had found a new master after several hundreds of years. Heavily injured by the Nether River Flowers mysterious abilities, Ge Shitu had no choice but to retreat in a panic. The council members of the Evernight Council were important figures that even Weald had to look up to with all his might. At first he thought that this was a once in a blue moon opportunity to curry favor with a council member, but he did not imagine that such a big slip-up would occur. After Ge Shitu came back he was extremely furious, and he laid down the order for a strict investigation to find out the leaker before leaving abruptly. From this, Weald knew that his image in this council members heart had fallen to the lowest depths. The fallout of this incident wasnt over yet when Luke Masefield showed up. This young Masefield was extremely arrogant, and he did not give either Weald or Moya any face at all. Weald could only endure it because he was absolutely incomparable to this young demonkin be it in terms of strength or status. Weald heard that the young demonkind had laid down the bait for a big fish by implementing a blood feast. The experienced vampire count instinctively thought that it was improper, but he was powerless to stop it. However, he knew very well about the human empires principal of cruel revenge towards a blood feast. Originally, the count hoped that the young demonkin would possess a strength equal to his arrogance and be able to defend himself from the humans revenge. But he did not imagine that the humans counter attack would arrive so swiftly and so fiercely that the demonkind and his entire base was wiped off the map entirely! When he received this news, Weald immediately understood the severity of the problem. The young demonkins first name wasnt important; what was important was that his last name was Masefield! A Masefield had actually died in his domain and during his term of office! Weald could not help but feel a severe case of headache. He seriously had no idea how he was going to explain this outcome to that family that was as gigantic as Evernights mountain range. He couldnt say that the young Masefield had died completely due to his own idiocy and arrogance, could he? The last report that came was the final straw that threw Weald completely into a fit of rage. The document was thrown right at a vampire barons face with a loud pop! Not only did a human hunter killed Benjamin and his clan right in front of your eyes, he even saved several dozens of human cattle in the process! And not only did he led those ordinary people without a shred of origin power in them back to human domain, he even took out an entire patrol team? Is this the army you people train? Is this the army I spent thousands of crystal coins every year? It was one hunter! One! What rank can he possibly be at? Seven? Eight? Dont tell me that theres a Champion rank hunter! Weald roared angrily while waving his arms, Investigate him! Dig out everything and anything about this presumptuous bastard! After that, bring his head to me no matter what method you have to use and what price you have to pay! Go contact our friends; their existence is for such an occasion. I want to see his head in a months time, you hear me?! Right now at this moment, Count Wealds roar was the only sound resonating throughout the entire castle. Qianye did not yet know that his activities had caused a reaction that was so huge that it was on equal footing with Masefields death. In fact, judging from the level of fury, he even seemed to be more successful. After all, the person who could wipe out Masefield and his base along with him was absolutely no ordinary human elite. Weald knew that he would only die faster if he tried to take revenge since he wasnt even a match for the young Masefield. However, how dare a human huntera thing that wasnt much more noble than a reptiledare commit atrocities on Gemini Citys domain? This was not to mention that Benjamin was no ordinary vampire knight. Following Wealds fury, the tremendous force belonging to Gemini City began to move. The pieces buried among the humans were also used to investigate the hunters origin at full force. A large web had been spread out, and it was enclosing Qianye from all directions. Right now, Qianye was facing a new problem. The several dozens of human beings he saved were stopped at the expeditionary forces outpost. Who are you people! when the outpost guards asked this in a loud voice, these people who had never been to the great Qin Empire were at a loss. Some of them admitted honestly that they were originally slaves penned up by the vampires, and that they had just been rescued before escaping to this place. The expeditionary force sentinels complexion immediately changed. After backing off a few steps in secret, he suddenly cried out in a loud voice, Alert! Instantly, the alarm was sounded, and there was a commotion at the military camp beside the outpost. In less than three minutes, hundreds of soldiers ran out and surrounded the several dozens of survivors at the center. When Qianye arrived, he just happened to encounter this sight. Stop! Qianye yelled loudly before rushing to the scene. He then asked the captain responsible for this outpost, Whats going on? Qianye might be a hunter, but he was already at rank four. That expeditionary force captain was only at rank two, so he forced himself to give Qianye a brief explanation because of his rank. The second Qianye heard his explanation, he knew that his worries had become true. It was obvious that this captain viewed these people as blood thralls, or at least potential blood thralls. According to the expeditionary forces regulations, even if these people were executed as blood thralls on the spot, they would be isolated as potential suspects, and by isolation it meant throwing them into the black mines until the observation period was over. The problem was that the observation period usually lasted a lifetime. Imperial soldiers were given a lot of decision power when deciding whether a person was a blood thrall. This was especially true among the expeditionary forces, where the extent of their authorities could more or less be simplified into one line, I say you are, and so you are. They are not blood thralls! Qianye attempted to argue. The captain had already lost his patience. He smiled coldly and said, Its not up to you to decide! It is true that they had been penned up by vampires before, it was all bloodletting only. They have never been bitten! The captain continued to smiled coldly, Who knows? Qianye forced down his anger and said, Youre saying that I saved them from the vampires and led them over hundreds of kilometers, only to have them all killed as blood thralls? Young man, you did the right thing! a voice came from behind Qianye. It was a gloomy and cold-looking major, and he appeared to be the outposts highest ranking officer. However, I only mean the part where you got them away from the vampires. There is no need at all for you to bring them over such a long distance; that is you putting yourself in unnecessary danger. All you need to do is to kill them. Leaving such people alive would only increase the vampires strength. They are humans as well! Qianye said word by word. The major looked at Qianye for a moment before shrugging. Then, he swept a glance across the numb or trembling survivors before suddenly focusing onto the girl. After examining her closely for a moment, he let out the hint of a meaningful smile before pointing at her and saying, You! Come over! The girl walked out with slight anxiety. You dont look like a blood thrall. Go stand there at the side! The girl grew more and more anxious. She could almost imagine what kind of experience she would go through later. Sometimes, when guests arrived at the vampire manor, they would be selected from the group just like this. Then again, it didnt seem much compared to staying alive. After glancing once hesitatingly at Qianye, she walked towards the location the major had pointed her at. The major randomly selected a few more women to stand beside the girl before taking out a cigarette, lighting it up, swayed his way in front of Qianye and poking the cigarette hard at his shoulder blades and said, There, kid! You saw what I did. Ive given you enough face by letting a portion of this people go! Now, you can disappear! What about the rest? Them? Of course they had to be isolated and inspected. If they are confirmed not to be blood thralls, then there will be further arrangements later. Qianye knew very well what he meant by isolation and inspection. He immediately said coldly, Let them pass. I will think of a way to arrange them. You? Arrange them? the major looked at Qianye like he was staring at an idiot, Who the hell are you to make arrangements for them? Can you handle the responsibility if there is even one blood thrall among this people? If it wasnt because you have some skill I wouldnt even waste so much breath with you! Who the hell do you think you are! A crap hunter is no different from a wild dog in my eyes! Killing intent flowed out of Qianyes eyes, and the major yielded nothing. He took two steps forwards until he and Qianye were almost pressed together. He unleashed his origin aura while holding nothing back. He was also a rank four expert. Qianye said coldly, You better put away your army riffraff methods! The major suddenly laughed loudly, Who are you? Are you a noble? Are you a son of a bitch of those aristocratic families who doesnt even know how to fart, or are you my boss? Youre nothing! Why should I listen to you! Im telling you that on this place, my word is the law! Blacky! A fat-faced staff sergeant responded to his command and struck a middle-aged man to the ground fiercely with the butt of his gun. Then, he pulled the trigger and poured an entire magazine of bullets, shooting until the ground was scattered and the air was foul. The middle-aged man was so scared his face was pale. He lay on the ground and did not dare to move a muscle. The major beckoned the staff sergeant with a finger while biting his cigarette and looking at Qianyes eyes, saying, The next round of shooting will be so accurate youd be surprised. Get me a few other. The staff sergeant wore a nasty grin as he searched for his next victim among the crowd. Very soon, he spotted a handsome-looking young man and smashed his face his the butt of his gun. Then he said, Your daddy here hates pretty-looking ones the most! The major waited expectantly for the blood curdling scream that was about to ensue, but suddenly, a fist swiftly grew bigger right before his eyes. Then, as if he was struck by an giant ancient beast, he flew backwards involuntarily. Qianye sent the major flying with a punch before grabbing onto his ankle and swinging him heavily on the ground. In the end, he stepped right on his stomach! Although the major possessed the tough body of a rank four, he felt as if he was ran over by a fully loaded heavy truck just now and nearly passed out. Just when he had finally recovered, a thick and ice-cold was plunged mercilessly into his mouth and right to his throat! The burning cigarette was pressed deep into his throat and was extinguished against its will. The major finally understood the situation before him. Qianye was holding an extraordinarily long origin gun and holding its barrel inside his mouth. He immediately noticed at first glance that it was the astonishingly famous sniper rifle Eagleshot! Forget Eagleshot, any firearm sniper rifle that was fired in someones mouth would kill the person no matter how tough their body was. All the guards at expeditionary force outpost were stunned for a time. The ruthless and invincible major in their hearts was actually knocked out in a single blow. This did not look like a fight between identical ranks at all; even a rank five could not have crushed a rank four so thoroughly. Qianye said coldly, That bit rank of yours means nothing to me! The major could only let out muffled sounds. The eyes of some expeditionary force soldiers were finally filled in fear. They did not recognize Eagleshot, but they did notice that the gun looked like a sniper rifle. A professional of sniper rifles like Qianye had always been the scariest hunter to face. Of course, there was no way he could provoke the giant that was the expeditionary force, but the senior officers would have no interest in investigating to the end if grass-root soldiers were to be assassinated on the way back home of a certain night. Qianye slowly withdrew Eagleshots gun barrel and said, Let them go! The major smiled bitterly and said, Impossible! If we let them through just like this, the moment the higher ups know about this, every one of the brothers here will be sent into the cannon fodder camp. They must be isolated and inspected! You should know this since you can use Eagleshot. right now the major was only thinking that his bad luck had caught up to him. When he recognized Eagleshot, he already knew that he had provoked the wrong person. While it was true that the adventurers, hunters and mercenaries on the wasteland were worth nothing, but god knows about people who used such identities as cover. Qianye said indifferently, Then what do you say we should do? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 108: Unsolved Problem [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The major raised both arms in surrender before smiling bitterly, saying, I will try my best to greet around and let them have a normal inspection. The observation period will be a month, and if there truly arent any infected people then well release them. If you still cannot accept this, then you may as well kill me. A normal inspection meant a more reasonable survival rate. Qianye sighed on the inside and withdrew his foot from the major. Then, he holstered Eagleshot back to the holster and showed his back. That is all. I will pay attention to the results. once he was finished, Qianye turned around and left. The major climbed up to his feet and twisted his head strongly. Then, he suddenly shouted at Qianyes back, Hey kid! Dont commit such folly in the future, get it! Qianye left without ever turning his head around as if he hadnt heard his call. The major spat out a blood stained spit and swore, What a goddamn monster! As for whether he was commenting on Qianyes strength or his behavior, it was unknown. Qianye walked very quickly, and it didnt take long before his surroundings were all wastelands once more. However, right now at this moment, the majors words were still resonating in his heart. Right now, it really would seem that saving the human cattles who were penned up by the vampires was an arduous and thankless folly to commit. It wasnt to say that these people should not be rescued, but simply a matter of the Empires current system and their principle of choosing to kill an innocent over letting a blood thrall go free. This system and principle was the product of millenniums of cruel war, and the countless bodies of pioneers and almighties. One might say even that right and wrong could not be judged based on the circumstances at the time. If something must be said, then the fact that the Empire continued to exist to this day and was just as strong as ever was proof of its righteousness. Even if Qianye had a different opinion on this matter, he was only one person. There was no way he could go up against the entire system, not to mention that he had not a clue what he could do to prevent this. At the very least, there was no way he could actually kill the expeditionary forces major and outpost guards for the dozens of human cattles right now. Now that would be a foolish action of biting the hand that feeds. No matter how questionable the expeditionary forces might be, they were still the humans final defense line against the dark races on the Evernight Continent. The majors final suggestion was the most tolerant proposal he could give in the current circumstances. Moreover, when Qianye thought deeper into the matter, he realized that this wasnt the end of the case. Even after the dozens of humans were safely released from custody, their situation still would not be much better. The Empire possessed four continents and more than three hundred provinces. However, the resources they possessed were never enough when compared to the Empires massive population and the threat of power enemies. On the empires domain, there were several billions of poor people at the lowest rung of society struggling on the line of life and death every day. In comparison, these human cattles absolutely did not qualify for better treatment unless they could prove their own worth. However, this was easier said than done. Some of these people were captured and thus had memories of human nations. Perhaps they had a chance at merging back into society once more. However, those who were born and raised in the dark territories were a different question. If there were no one to guide them, then it was unknown whether they could get used to life in human society. This was the first time in his life Qianye encountered a problem which he would not have considered in the past, and that was dealing with the aftermath of war. But he did not know where the answer lay either. After returning to Darkblood City, Qianye headed to A1s Firearms first. Old 1 raised his head and glanced expressionlessly at Qianye once, saying, Youre back. I have something good to give you. while speaking, Qianye tossed a satchel onto the counter. Old 1 snorted before standing up slowly. He said, Something good? More like some trouble! One day these old bones are gonna die by your hands Old 1s voice came to an abrupt stop before he could finish. The buckle of the satchel was broken and loose, revealing the antique handguns of the vampire kept inside it. Old 1 suddenly took off his spectacles and wiped it clean carefully before fishing out a pair of snow white gloves to put onto his hands. Only then he held his breath and gently drew out the two handguns and placed them on a piece of white cloth. Go close the door! Old 1 said without turning his head. Qianye locked the shop entrance as he said. Some amount of expectations immediately grew inside his heart. If that grade three Flowing Gold Rose last time could be sold for five hundred gold coins already, then these two antique handguns that formed pairs and were rank four origin guns should be worth at least two or three thousand gold coins, shouldnt they? If that was the case, then the goods on Old 2s list would not be a problem any longer. Of course, Qianye was still willing to accept that mysterious mission if it wasnt too troublesome. Although it might not be as simple as it appearedotherwise Old 2 would not have racked his brains and came to his doorstepsbut based on his trust on Yu Yingnan, Qianye still thought that there was no harm at giving it a try. While Old 1 wiped the handguns with leather flannel, his thumb carefully traced every decorative design on the guns. An R was etched onto the handle of one handgun, whereas a flowery W was on the other. After Old 1 placed the two handguns side by side, he said to Qianye, Take these handguns back with you. I cannot accept them. You cant? Why? Qianye was stunned for a time. Old 1 pointed at the two alphabets on the guns body and said, If I am not mistaken, you must have taken these from some vampire nobles collection room. While these pair of abbreviated alphabets may mean a lot of things, if it appears on a pair of Origin guns then it can only mean one name: Ross Weald. He is an extremely famous vampire noble. These two guns were his when he was younger. They are called the Twin Flowers. The reason they became famous was because Ross had challenged and killed the former Darkblood City Champion rank mayor when he was just a Baron, which is the equivalent of our human rank nine Fighter. This is the pair of handguns that had dealt the final blow. Then it should be even more valuable, isnt it? Qianye asked in puzzlement. Old 1 shook his head and said, The problem is that this Ross Weald isnt dead yet. In fact, his life is going swimmingly and he is a Marquis already. His territory is at the wide west of Darkblood City, and this pair of handguns is probably a gift by him to a certain descendant of his. No matter how youve acquired these guns, it is the equivalent of a loud slap on Marquis Ross face. There is no way he will take this lying down. Therefore, I cannot accept this, and so is everyone else in the entire Boulderstone Region and its surrounding areas. At this point, Old 1 looked meaningfully at Qianye before saying, You know, the borders of Darkness and Daybreak is in fact the gray area we speak of. Gray means the coexistence of both black and white. Therefore, if the dark races are planning a little something, they have many ways and many humans who are willing to serve under them. Qianye was a little stunned. Ever since the incident at Blackflow City, ever since he learned about the underground munitions of Darkblood Citys black market, he already noticed that there might be a lot more secret deals going on between the human race and dark races he could imagine. But before Old 1 had pointed this out so bluntly for him, he would not have imagined that a vampire marquis would have such powerful influence in a human controlled area. Amidst shock, Qianye also felt anger rising involuntarily to his head. In reality, this was not above reason. If the active commander of the expeditionary forces could trade in secret with the dark races, then whats so strange about other families and forces doing the same thing? Qianye sucked in a deep breath and withdrew the pair of handguns, In that case, not only could I not sell these things, I would even be chased and hunted by the vampires? It would appear so. But Old 1 had immediately hinted obscurely to Qianye that, while he could not sell off Ross twin guns in Darkblood City, it did not mean that he could not sell it in the upper continents. It didnt take much thinking before Qianye understood his unspoken words. A vampire marquis who could kill a human Champion when he was still a Baron was an important figure, but that was only on this territory. Ultimately, it was still a question of strength. The hands of this Marquis Ross had not yet stretched to the upper continents. Other than the Twin Flowers that he could not unload at the moment, Qianyes spoils also included a bag of crystal coins and a grade three origin gun that belonged to a Blood Esquire of a patrol team. Therefore, in the end an additional one hundred or so imperial gold coins was traded into his pockets, so it could be considered a small profit. After he was done tidying his equipment, Qianye that sought out Old 2 to make his report. A moment later, the duo found a quiet shop near the Home of Hunters and sat down. They ate as they chat. Old 2 listened to Qianyes adventure from beginning to the end, and his expression changed from respect, heaviness, and finally a bitter smile of helplessness. Qianyes own expression was surprisingly calm as he said, What, even you think that Ive caused a huge trouble? The one you killed is probably the descendant of Ross Weald, and the fact that he can develop a small, independent family meant that he was at least the direct bloodline of Ross Weald within five generations. What do you say? I know that you are never afraid to fight the dark races head on, but the fatal blow often comes from behind ones back. Qianye smiled slightly and said, Im not easy pickings either. If there are any people who are willing to throw their lives away from the dark races, then I dont mind adding a few more human lives to my score. I will kill as many as they come! You are only at rank four! Old 2 said sincerely and earnestly. In reality, it was because Qianye was only rank four that he was in so much trouble right now. If he was at rank eight, nine, or even Champion, then he would be facing a lot less backstabbers. After all, before one betrays, they had to at least know who theyre trying to betray! Qianye only smiled and made no comments about his rank. Old 2 said sternly, We can talk about your mission now. Tomorrow, Miss Qiqi will send her men over and give you a final interview. If you pass the interview, then you will set out on the same day. However, I doubt itll be a problem for you to pass it. Miss Qiqi? it was a name that Qianye was completely unfamiliar with. Yin Qiqi, is one of the core successors of this generations Drinking Horse Yin clan. The Yin family is an aristocratic family of the upper three ranks. Even in the entire empire, and they are the first class influential clan on the Qin Continent. Therefore, you more or less get the idea of Miss Qiqis status, dont you? Naturally, Qianye understood this very well. The nobility ranks of the empire was extremely complicated. There were four grand households, seventy two aristocratic families, and thousands of landowning households. In general, they had used the same nine rank system when the nation was founded. Among the upper three ranks, the four households Zhang, Zhao, Bai and Song were indisputable leaders. There were also some super aristocratic families that werent too far behind them. Although the rankings of the upper, middle and lower three ranks would often fluctuate, illustrious aristocratic families such as the Drinking Horse Yin clan, Far East Wei clan, and Jadestone Wang clan had never fallen off the upper three ranks. The most direct observation of this system was the page of special caption in every mission intel back when Qianye was still serving under the Red Scorpion, stating the exceptions to the local death quota. Generally, those of middle and upper three ranks would fall under this exception. If Yin Qiqi was core successor to such an aristocratic family of the upper three ranks, if they were to discuss her status in terms of the empires aristocracy sequence, then she was god knows how many times higher than people such as Darkblood Citys mayor or the expeditionary forces major general. Something puzzled Qianye, however. What kind of mission was an honored daughter of an illustrious status trying to complete that needed the help of a lowly hunter? Old 2 said, Your mission is to act as Miss Qiqis adviser, aide, soldier, and assassin during the time she is on the Evernight Continent, and if necessary, her lover. The mouthful of water Qianye just drank was nearly spat onto Old 2s face when he heard this, Lover?! Old 2 rolled his eyes at him, Of course its not real! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 109: Successor Examination [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Thats good. Qianye let out a sigh of relief. He did not think that this Miss Qiqi would be lacking in lovers. With such an illustrious status as hers, no matter how she looked like, even if she looked like a sow there would still be a whole bunch of handsome and capable men orbiting around her. However, Qianye frowned again and said, Why does it sound like I have to do everything? Doesnt that mean that I dont actually have to do anything at all? That is so. You will do whatever Miss Qiqi requests you to do, and you will do it well. As for the reason, you will know after youve passed tomorrows interview. If she has no requests, then you simply need to stay by her side. Qianye continued to frown. He had a feeling that this was an obviously troublesome mission where he did not have sufficient reason to turn down. In the end though, he agreed. A bit of potential trouble was nothing compared to the rich reward. A night passed just like that. The next day morning, Qianye was taken by Old 2 to the highest class hotel in the city. They went right up to the top floor. The price of this hotel wasnt cheap, and the entire top floor had already been booked. It was likely that the expense of the booking would cost several gold coins per day. This gave Qianye, who was still calculating his mission rewards by silver coins not long ago an indescribable feeling. Although both parties were standing on the same floor, they were like creatures from two different worlds. Qianye sat in the wide living room for forty minutes straight before a series of crisp footsteps finally rang from outside the hall. A middle-aged woman stepped inside. This was a woman who took very good care of her appearance, although her countenance revealed a bit of her age. She wore a wide gown with big sleeves, and her long hair was divided at the center and rolled into a lean bun hanging behind her head. The ornaments from the tip of her hair to her clothes and shoes were perfectly in order and completely unblemished. However, even though her long face was perfectly expressionless, one could feel the extreme unkindness and pickiness radiating from her. You are Qianye? Stand up! Qianye stood up in compliance and looked at the woman with full wariness. This woman dressed in retro clothing was a rank seven expert! Right now it wasnt too difficult for Qianye to deal with rank six Fighters, but it was definitely not a sure thing if it was a rank seven Fighter. Moreover, big aristocratic families would often cultivate one, or even many kinds of secret martial arts that granted them combat power that was far beyond another expert of the same rank. Back at Xiangyangs soldier recruitment point, Qianye did not think highly of those aristocratic secret arts. However, having watched the battle of the Broken Winged Angels recruits, Qianye finally noticed that as ones rank increases, the secret arts would gradually grow in power as well. For example, Wei Potians secret art Thousand Mountains could instantly increase his defense rapidly, turning him into a hard-shelled tortoise that could not be moved. Therefore, he now viewed these aristocratic experts with additional caution. The girl circled around Qianye twice with her eyebrows that had already completely locked together as one, Youre actually not rank three but rank four. Mm, this is slightly better than what was expected, but it doesnt change the fact that you are still useless. I doubt you understand at all how lucky you are, and how much others have paid so that you can stand here. Never mind, it is none of my business anyway. Now, remove your makeup. Qianye hesitated for a moment before heading to the toilet for several minutes and wiping away the little disguises on his face completely. He then stood before the woman once more. The womans eyebrows immediately soothed, and her gaze became a lot gentler after the removal of his makeup. She nodded and said, Good, very good! You are very suitable! Go back and tidy up your things. You have two hours. You can throw away anything that isnt too important. Over there at the Miss place, you can get anything you want! Wait a moment Go tidy up your things, now! Throw away everything that is unnecessary! Money is not a problem. Qianye opened his mouth, finally understanding that there was no possibility of communication with this domineering woman at all. He could only bid her goodbye and walked off the floor. Old 2 was waiting at the entrance, his anxiety overflowing to his speech as he immediately asked Qianye upon seeing him, How is it? Qianye spread his arms wide and said, She told me to tidy up my things and gave me only two hours. Old 2 immediately let out a sigh of relief. Qianye was a little curious, Is this mission really this important to you? A faint bitter smile of helplessness floated on Old 2s face, A single line from an important figure like Miss Qiqi can affect many peoples futures. At the very least, if she is happy with the results of this mission right now, then the fates of two families can be changed. So you tell me if this mission important or not? Of course, you will be compensated for this mission with a large sum of money and the resources needed to increase your strength. The latter may not even be purchasable with money in Darkblood City, so you can say that the benefits at least stand equal with the drawbacks. Qianye could hear the helplessness in Old 2s tone. Wheres Yingnan? Why havent I seen her come back? She has already left. Qianye was startled, Left? Where to? Her family troubles have already been resolved. Therefore, she can return to her family and not stay here and continue as a hunter. She said that she will not be bidding you goodbye. As for the items inside her house, you can take away whatever you want. Ill keep the rest on her behalf. Qianye felt a slight sense of melancholy he could not describe, and he asked, Does her family have something to do with this mission? Old 2 sighed and said, There is some relation, but not too much. Miss Qiqi had always wanted to help her, but was turned down every time. Yingnan is sometimes a very stubborn kid. Old 2 slapped Qianyes shoulder and said, Work well, for your own sake and Yingnans! Qianye nodded in silence. Two hours later, an airship rose into the air and flew far away with Qianye in it. On a grave at the outskirts of Darkblood City, a few big men were lifting an unusually huge coffin and slowly suspending it into the grave pit. The coffin was not covered up yet, and Yu Renyan lay quietly inside with a peaceful expression that made him looked like he was asleep. Yu Yingnan stood beside the grave pit and watched the coffin enter the ground in silence. While standing beside her and sighing, Old 2 asked, Do you really not want to reconsider? Brother has long said that he wishes to be buried at the place he perishes in combat. Back then, my brother had killed those bastards and hid here at this forgotten land only because he wanted to save me from the officers humiliation. Now that he has left forever, I will accomplish his dream on his behalf. My brothers biggest yearning was to become an imperial general and command the army to take out those black blooded bastards. Therefore, I will return to the Qin Continent and join the imperial army. But I have already made up my mind! It was at this moment Yu Yingnan suddenly looked towards the sky as if she had sensed something. Several airships floated above the west city district of Darkblood City. Looking at their channels, some were landing and some were taking off. The most gorgeous airship of them all was a rare barracks airship. Its white sail was drawn up on its mast, and the head of a green piebald could be vaguely seen. The airship was slowing turning to the wind and flying farther and farther away. It was none other than the Yin Familys private airship. Yu Yingnan finally withdrew her gaze when the airship had vanished from the horizon. Suddenly, she untied her ponytail and gripped her long hair with one hand and pulling out her military knife with the other. With a swing, she cut off her full head of long hair and tossed it casually into the air. The wind blew away the cut strands of hair and carried them towards the far sky. The wrinkles on Old 2s face deepened even further. With a heavy sigh, he said, I did not know that you and Qianye are in that kind of relationship already. Yu Yingnan smiled and said, Its not that kind of relationship. I know that he doesnt like me, so there is nothing to regret about parting ways. Back when I went to Qiqi to recommend him to her, Ive already made up my mind to give up. Old 2, you should know that someone like Qiqi would never let him go the second she sees Qianye. Perhaps Qiqi is more suitable for Qianye! The coffin had been covered up, and the big men began to fill the pit with soil. A moment later, a new grave had appeared on this graveyard. The gravestone was completely blank, and there wasnt even a name on it. This was also Yu Yingnans intentions. What should be remembered would be remembered. What would be forgotten would be forgotten no matter how many words were engraved on the gravestone. Yu Yingnan walked to Old 2 and hugged him, saying, Old 2, Im leaving. Thank you for taking care of me for such a long time. Take good care of yourself. You must see me become a general no matter what. When that day happens, Ill come back and drink with you again! Old 2 sighed deeply as his eyes wetted involuntarily. Slowly, he said, Yingnan, I will grant you this parting word: Live! Yu Yingnan smiled and nodded strongly. She took a few steps back, carried her backpack and walked towards the public airship base. The short haired figure looked vigorous, and also desolate beneath the evening sky. While sitting on the airship and watching the ground flying backwards outside the window, Qianye suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart as if he had lost something. However, this feeling was very thin and faint, just like the breeze that was about to arrive during the light season. It was at this moment the middle aged woman Auntie Lan passed two pieces of paper to Qianye and said, This is the essentials of your mission. Also, memorize this person. You may encounter him in the future while you are performing a mission. If he is in your way of business, dont go easy on him. You can do whatever you want as long as it is not murder. Qianye accepted the papers and gave it a look. As it turned out, the main mission was to assist Yin Qiqi in completing the examination to become the core successor of the family. The content of Qiqis examination was to battle against the dark races on the Evernight Continent, and her military accomplishments would be her results in this examination. In addition, obtaining precious resources and some important information granted additional points. This was a very common aristocratic examination content. Qianye had once participated a similar mission back when he was with the Red Scorpions. A certain important figure had secretly mobilized a small Red Scorpion squad in order to assist his son in obtaining a better examination result. There was the portrait of a young and handsome man on another paper. Although the portrait was a simple black and white sketch, one could still see the high spirits and extraordinary confidence on the person. He had to be a very talented youth. Beside the portrait, there was a record of this persons resume written in small letters. As Qianye read through them carefully, his expression gradually turned serious. Gu Liyu was born in a landowning household. With the full support of his family, he pursued his studies in the empires high military academy and graduated among the top ten several years later. Later on, he joined the corps Arms of War and served for five years, accomplishing outstanding military merits again and again. Last year, he retired from Arms of War and had joined the empires military division. He was now a lieutenant colonel staff officer. This resume could be rated very impressive. Although his individual combat result might not compare to Qianye, and the elite corps Arms of War had always been suppressed by Red Scorpion despite ranking among the top five, the direction Gu Liyu was striving for was very obviously command and not military force. However, his individual strength wasnt weak either. He was rank seven, and he was only twenty nine years old. For a child of a landowning household, a promotion rate like this was absolutely something to be proud of. After all, the medicines that aids in cultivation were extremely expensive, and they were absolutely not something a landowning household that was often slightly wealthier than a poor family could afford. Their family arts probably wasnt anything impressive either. If one wished to avoid the Combatant Formula because of its exceedingly high wear and tear rate, they could only rely on uncertain opportunities such as joining under an aristocratic family or becoming an apprentice of a great teacher. Who is this person? He is the Miss fiance. Qianye wasnt sure whether to laugh or cry. His opponent was a rank seven expert, and this three ranks of difference was nothing to be laughed at. A person who could enter an elite corps, transfer and hold an office within the military division absolutely could not be compared to an average rank seven Fighter even if he might not have practiced a secret art. Moreover, this Gu Liyu was Qiqis fiance, and he looked like quite the talented youth. Just what on earth was that Qiqi planning? Did she hire Qianye to complete her familys examination, or to cope with her fiance? If it was to complete her familys examination, then just how big of an effect a rank four two star hunter could have on the battlefield? There was no way they knew about Qianyes true strength. From the moment they met until now, they appeared to pay no attention to his strength either. If it was to cope with her fiance, then why didnt then find someone stronger then? Qianye thought that he smelled the scent of a conspiracy. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 110: Qiqi’s Orders [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The airship flew steadily and swiftly, ultimately landing at the airship base Yu Yingnan had stepped foot onto not long ago. There, a jeep with the same standard military flag of a gold colored soaring serpent at the front of the vehicle was already waiting for Qianye and Auntie Lan. Just like before, the jeep charged wildly across the streets before it stopped in front of the Yin Familys secondary residence. The same handsome lieutenant colonel stood waiting at the steps before the entrance, and Auntie Lan disappeared after she entered the door. Qianye followed the lieutenant colonel into the deeper parts of the courtyard. This was actually the first time he saw such a massive retro-inspired building complex. The local nobles he encountered when he was performing missions for the Red Scorpions also liked to pretend that they were a culture lover, but most of them only built a main building or two using wood and stone to express their artistic mood. After all, limestone and metal constructed buildings were the only buildings tough enough to survive this hostile era. There were plenty of buildings, halls, and terraces along the winding journey. At first Qianyes attention was absorbed by the sceneries, but when he started observing the terrain instinctively he quickly discovered that there werent many blind spots available for hiding in this place. In a landscape garden where building complexes and lush greeneries intersected with each other, this outcome was obviously the result of careful architectural design. Next, he noticed that the main power source of this secondary residence wasnt black stone steam. The perpetual dynamo tower wasnt huge, and it was also situated a little too far away from the central buildings. From the shape of parts of the individual facilities, Qianye deduced that the power source of the core areas were all black crystals, and this was just a secondary residence owned by the Yin Family on the Evernight Continent. One could see just how powerful and wealthy the Empires upper class families were. In the end, the lieutenant colonel led Qianye into an independent courtyard. The main structure ran along the entire southern side of the residence, and when they stepped inside Qianye was surprised to find no partitions within this huge space at all. This entire building was a study with traditional style furnishings and decor. A dozen or so bookshelves took up half the space inside the building, and there was a study table placed near the window. A pen rack hung with a row of writing brushes sat on top of it. There was also an inkstone and a few special writing papers set on the other side of the table. Qianye had never seen such a show of extravagance in his whole life. Only a genuine aristocratic family would preserve such a tradition. He looked around him, and a calligraphy work hung on the wall suddenly attracted his attention. It contained two words, Kill decisively. The ink of these letters penetrated the paper, forceful but exquisite. Every stroke that made up the words were seeping with murderous spirit. Qianye might not understand calligraphy, but that didnt stop him from picking up the smell of blood from assaulting his nostrils. While watching, a voice suddenly rang from behind Qianye, What do you think of it? Qianye turned around to find a valiant and formidable-looking beauty standing at the entrance of the study. She was almost as tall as Qianye was. She had eyebrows like swords, and long, narrow eyes that reminded one of a phoenix. When they moved upwards they gave off an intimidating pressure, but when they curled slightly her entire expression exuded such indescribable charm that she almost looked like a completely different person. She was very young, about twenty years old of age, but the lieutenant colonel uniform she wore seriously caught Qianye off guard. The womans eyes lit up the second Qianye had turned around to face her. She whistled once without the slightest scruple and said, Youre Qianye, right? You look amazing. I am very satisfied with your looks! My name is Yin Qiqi. Qianye bowed slightly in politeness and said, Miss Qiqi. Qiqi frowned slightly and asked, You havent learn any aristocratic etiquette, have you? Qianye said honestly, Yes. Qiqi waved her hand once and said, Its nothing. Ill find you some of the best teachers in this regard tomorrow, and you should be fine in a couple of days time. I believe that Auntie Lan had briefed you about the mission, but those family exams and stuff really arent all that important. You only need to remember one rule, and that is to do anything I tell you to do. Beyond that, you may act as you wish if there are no orders. My enemies are aplenty, so you only need to remember these words if you encounter anyone wholl affect my exam results from hereon! Qiqi pointed at the calligraphy work with the words kill decisively on the wall as she said this. Qianye was startled by her words. It seemed a little inconsistent with Auntie Lans talk earlier. This successor exam shouldve been top priority for Qiqi as the outcome would largely affect the family elders decision to choose their next patriarch. Just last year, the Yin Family had finally confirmed four potential candidates after ten full years of education and filtering. Qiqi was one of them. The content of the exam was very broad, and the ways they were allowed to deal with it were just as free. Every candidate were given five hundred imperial main corps and five hundred thousand gold coins worth of supplies and resources. With these as their foundation, they were required to contribute to the Empire as much as possible. Yin Qiqi had chosen to come to the Evernight Continent and battle against the dark races. Military merits gave out the highest points in this successors exam, and it was the kind of merit that was the least disputed. She possessed the strongest individual martial strength out of all the candidates within the family, and her family possessed a certain level of influence within the military as well. Her choice was supposed to be very wise as it enabled her to bring out her strengths in full. The problem was that Qiqi was here on the Evernight Continent for several months already, but she spent them all on chasing girls or eating, drinking and making merry. The few times she set out claiming that she was heading to exterminate the dark races were more aptly described as tours to experience the local customs and conditions of the forgotten land. In short, she did nothing that was of any use for the exam. She hadnt even put her five hundred warriors to much use, and when she did use them she cast them out of her mind the second she threw them to the frontlines. Of course she hadnt utilized her resources to build her private army and advisors. In fact, Qianye was actually the first helper she officially recruited on the Evernight Continent. It was no wonder that this situation made all of Yin Qiqis supporters feel a little worried, including the Auntie Lan who had gone to Darkblood City to interview Qianye. This was because the exam only lasted a year. Now that Qianye had heard Qiqis strange orders with his own ears, he finally understood why Auntie Lan had looked like she wanted to say something a couple of times on the airship, and why she looked like she wanted to cover up something but couldnt find the words to do so. He couldnt determine if a conspiracy was present in this mission just yet, but this young miss nonlinear thinking seriously wasnt something the average person could understand and execute. Your basic remuneration is one hundred gold coins per month, and there would be special rewards based on your actual merits. I guarantee that youll love these special rewards, At this point Qiqi was very walking close to Qianye, and showing no signs of stopping her approach. Qianye was very unused to have a stranger walking into his private space, and just as he was thinking whether it would be rude to dodge out of the way, Qiqi had leaned her body forwards until the tip of her nose was almost touching Qianye. Her warm breath touched Qianyes face as she said, Youll be training on etiquette and familiarizing yourself with the environment this week. The mission will officially begin once the week is over. Its decided then! Qianye finally couldnt endure it any longer and moved his body sideways, relinquishing the front. Yin Qiqi resumed a straight standing posture and instructed nonchalantly, Now, show me your strength. Qianye slowly summoned his origin power and unleashed his aura. Yin Qiqis eyes lit up yet again, and she grabbed his body a couple of times without the slightest care for politeness. For some reason, Qianye kept feeling that the young miss examination of his body strength and origin power density was just taking advantage of him. Youre rank four already, thats not what I heard earlier. Did you climb up a rank recently? Qianye nodded. Very good! Rank four is a critical stage, because it means that youve transformed from a useless pretty boy to a slightly more useful pretty boy. Someone will lead you to your lodging. Lets leave it at this for now! Qianye wasnt sure how he should respond to this bizarre comment, so he simply kept his face expressionless. Qiqi left the study while laughing loudly. Two tall, handsome and sunny looking imperial second lieutenants walked in right after she went out and led Qianye to his lodging. To his surprise, he was actually given an entire courtyard to himself. Not only did it have an individual garden and pond, it also had all the necessary facilities such as a bedroom, a living hall, a study and even an armament room and a cultivation room. This was literally the first time he lived in such a luxurious environment. Qianye put down his luggage and went through the room one by one. The bedroom had a luxury bathroom of its own, and the living hall was bright, spacious, and decorated with reputable and aged works of calligraphy, art and decor. Qianye didnt recognize anyone of these things, but he only needed to look at the quality of the metal used to frame the artworks and the origin gemstones embedded in them to know that each one was extremely valuable. He then sauntered into the study and sat in front of the traditional study table. He carelessly pulled the drawer open and was immediately stunned speechless by the object inside. The drawer was actually hiding a pocket-sized grade three origin handgun! The carvings on the guns body was exquisite and ornate, and the gun was actually wrapped inside a perfectly intact deep sea oyster shell. A thicket of inked bamboo was engraved on the handgun, and its light blue patterns glowed faintly with light. The handguns origin array might actually be cheaper than its exterior decorations. There were even three blank origin bullets placed next to the handgun. It was obviously a self-defense weapon prepared for the studys master. The fact that a grade three origin gun and a self-defense weapon that might never see any use in its life was still equipped with physical bullets made Qianye recognize yet again just how deep the pockets of an aristocratic family were. It was a kind of wealth that made its presence known silently through countless such details. It didnt take long before the lieutenant colonel who welcomed Qianye walked into the courtyard and introduced himself with a smile, My name is Ji Yuanjia, you may call me Yuanjia. I will be briefing you in detail about the mission that you will be performing in the future. Once the duo had sat down in the living room, Ji Yuanjia immediately passed over a set of documents to Qianye and said, While the mission is in effect, you will be Miss Qiqis special assistant and aide with the rank of captain. Here, please have a look over your letter of appointment. Qianye accepted the letter of appointment. The words, "Captain of the Imperial 17th Field Corps" was written on it. Naturally, the ability to distinguish the authenticity of a letter of appointment hadnt escape his grasp. He could see that the paper, the patterns and the stamp were all real, but the line where the name should be imprinted were handwritten instead. He could even see that the ink had just dried. Ji Yuanjia seemed to know what Qianye was thinking and said, Relax, this letter of appointment is definitely genuine and valid, and all of the relevant documents have already been dealt with. You may use the militarys standard equipment anytime you want. I would suggest that you use the Yin Familys grade four private equipment though. You would have more choices, and the qualitys better too. Of course Qianye knew that the appointment of military officers normally required the letter to be in full imprint, but pre-battle appointments were a common occurrence. As long as the person who issued this document had the authority, and the complete files were submitted in in time, handwritten signatures were absolutely valid. Still, the 17th Corps was a standing army among the imperial main corps, and he didnt think that this Miss Qiqi would possess a quota like this. It was a scope of power slightly bigger than what he imagined. Qianye flipped through the attachments at the back and found that all the necessary documents were present as expected. Even his resume had been written in full. He didnt fail to check his false identity in time before Lieutenant Colonel Ji passed over another thick handbook and said, This is the Yin Familys private army equipment catalogue. You may choose what you want from this book. The budget is one thousand gold coins. Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Ji placed an armband on the table and said, The 131th Independent Battle Company shall be placed under your full command. This battle company is built based on the imperial main corps reinforced company. I hope that this is to your liking. A reinforced company not only enjoyed greater numbers of personnel and equipment allocation, but also higher ranking military officers too. A squad leader would already be a rank one Fighter, and an assistant company commander''s rank would go up on that basis. A company commander would most definitely be a rank three Fighter. A reinforced companys combat strength could almost rival a standard battalion. Did they really throw a reinforced company and a hundred and fifty soldiers to my lap just like that? Still, the brick of authority that abruptly landed on his head hadnt knocked Qianye dizzy. No matter how bizarre this mission might be, it was still a mission to him. Qianye closed the document and asked seriously, What is my security clearance? Lieutenant Colonel Ji was slightly caught off guard by this question, and when he looked at Qianye again his eyes had became a lot more serious. He said, You will have the same clearance as I do. There are basically no secrets in Xichang City and the human-controlled areas in the surroundings that are hidden from you. However, the secrets involving the Yin Family and a few other aristocratic families and above are not included in your security clearance. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 111: Beautiful Bai t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye nodded his head and said, That will be enough. I need information regarding the distribution of the surrounding dark race cities and strongholds, as well as all major events regarding the dark races within the year. Youre more professional than I thought, Lieutenant Colonel Ji said sincerely. After he had sent off Ji Yuanjia, another major walked into the place and placed a suitcase on the table, saying, These are your allocated supplies. Please, check them! Qianye opened the suitcase after he signed the papers. He saw a row of ten medicinal syringes aligned neatly inside the suitcase, and the label Type Four Origin Power Booster was pasted on them. These were all cultivation medicine for rank four Fighters! The crest Made by Empire Dawn Biologicals was located beneath the cover. Empire Dawn Biologicals was a big player on the same level as Blackstone Heavy Industries in the arms industry. The origin power boosters produced by this company were high grade products almost never caught up to demand. Even the main corps could only get a small amount of supplies, and it would take an elite corps like the Red Scorpion to enjoy an unlimited amount of supplies. But even then they had to make the exchange with military merits. For a greenhorn like Qianye, it would take an entire year of hard work before he could accumulate enough points to exchange a box of medicine like this, and that was assuming that he didnt use them on other equipment. Qianye fell silent for a moment before he spoke to the major, Please inform Miss Qiqi that I am very grateful for this. The major smiled and said, She will hear your words in full. The etiquette teacher would only arrive by the morrow, so Qianye planned to spend all of his remaining time on cultivation. Every bit of growth counted before he officially began the mission. The fact that Qiqi had given him so much before the mission even began was beyond Qianyes imaginations already, but he knew that there were no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The higher his pay, the more dangerous his mission would become, even if he couldnt yet determine where the danger would come from. After all, hiring a hunter and giving him so many resources seemed unnecessary if they were just looking to win military merits from the dark races. Qianye closed the main door, picked up the medicines and entered the cultivation room. Inside the biggest waterside pavilion of the back garden, Yin Qiqi was lying lazily on her back and feeling a little sleepy as she stretched her long legs. Two maids were massaging her legs while Ji Yuanjia reported his conversation with Qianye to her. He especially emphasized on Qianyes reactions when they spoke. Transfer the full command of the 131st Company over to him now! Yin Qiqi looked just as absentminded as ever. But we still dont know much about him. Should we observe him for a little longer? Ji Yuanjia advised her tactfully. Yin Qiqi covered her mouth and let out a yawn, We dont need to know him. Yu Yingnan already does. His rank is weak, but his strength is acceptable. His background is clean, and he doesnt belong to any forces. Yu Yingnan also mentioned that Qianye was a person who would do his best once he accepted his pay. Oh, right, hes also pretty damn handsome, so what else can we ask for? Ji Yuanjias eyebrows twitched, and he fixed his gaze at the tip of his feet and pretended that he hadnt heard the last line. A reinforced company is nothing, so let him play with it all he wants. Who knows, he might even give me a pleasant surprise! Ji Yuanjia smiled and continued to persuade with a mild tone, But Miss, you only have the military strength of a reinforced battalion, and youve just given away one third of that power. Qiqi said lazily, Theyre cannon fodder. What can they do for me even if I have twice that number? Gu Liyu will be using his connections and delivering us a squadrons Arms of War soon. Of course, theyll have a different name. Ji Yuanjias smile immediately turned a little unnatural when he heard Gu Liyus name. However, since Qiqi wasnt looking at him he immediately concealed his loss of self control and spoke as if he meant it from the bottom of his heart, The situation will become much better if we could have a squadrons Arms of War. There was no doubt that fifty Arms of War soldiers would be very useful, but it still wasnt enough to secure a victory in a competition at the level of the Yin Familys successor examination. That was why Ji Yuanjia had taken care to remind her out of public and private reasons. The way he expressed his concerns were very subtle, but Qiqi had figured his underlying meaning immediately. She smiled faintly and said, Its fine, Gu Liyu is just an intermediary. He could sell his entire family and he still wouldnt have enough money to hire a squadrons Arms of War. Ji Yuanjia immediately smiled in agreement and said, An average landowning household isnt all that better than a poor family. You are still the most important factor in this trade, or the Arms of War wouldnt have accepted this mission even if Lieutenant Colonel Gu did have the money. Qiqi smiled and said, I do have to spend a little brain power and pay a tiny price to defeat those overly ambitious, but extremely lacking siblings of mine. The Arms of War is just the preliminary preparations. You will know what my real trump card is some time later. For now, do your best to cooperate with Little Qianye and let him play as he pleases. This pretty little thing may be more than just an obvious bait. I have this this feeling that he will attract more than just attention for us. It may very well be a pleasant surprise. I will arrange everything. Qiqi waved him away, and Ji Yuanjia left the room just like that. Inside the cultivation room, Qianye had injected the medicine into his body and waited quietly for it to take effect. Right now, he had tossed that bizarre mission to the back of his mind and pondered about another critically important question instead. He was thinking that Qiqi had too many experts around her. The young miss hadnt concealed her origin power, and it was very obvious that she had ignited seven origin nodes. This also meant that she was a genuine lieutenant colonel through and through. Moreover, her aides were all either majors or lieutenant colonels, and they obviously possessed the strength to match their military ranks too. As for that Auntie Lan, he couldnt figure out her strength at all. This meant that they were at least three ranks apart, and that she might very well be a rank eight expert. Moreover, this was just the strength Yin Qiqi had displayed on the surface. If he were to consider the strength she had concealed, a Champion rank expert might not be so farfetched a possibility. Ever since Qianye had ascended to rank four, the black blood inside his body had sunk into complete hibernation and appeared as if it had completely merged in one with his bloodline. They were so undetectable that he could touch a mithril object and trigger no response whatsoever as long as it didnt draw blood. But still, this wasnt a permanent solution. It was unlikely that he could continue hiding the presence of his blood power if he was heavily injured. What should he do if that happens? Qianye didnt know that Qiqi possessed such tremendous authority before he had accepted this mission, but he was no longer at a point where he could breach the agreement. One of the reasons he couldnt do so was because of the astronomically expensive supplies Yin Qiqi had given him, and the other reason was Old 2 hint to him before that Miss Qiqi had the fates of two families gripped within her palm. One of them was Yu Yingnans family. For now, he could only improvise every step of the way. It wasnt an impossible task. He was a hunter and a long range sniper, so he could request for a solo combat position. The medicine started to take effect, and Qianye immediately drove away the stray thoughts in his mind. He began perceiving the strength of the origin power derived from the medicine. The ten type four medicines were the standard dosage necessary for a cultivator to climb up a rank. They were enough to push an average cultivator from the early stage of rank four to the peak, so that they might attempt to activate the fifth origin node. But for Qianye, these ten medicines were just enough to replenish a small half of his origin power. He was still a long distance away from taking on the rank five barrier. The rich presence of origin power also caused the blood energies to become restless. The normal blood energies all came out of his heart and began intercepting and devouring origin power to grow fuller than before. Ever since the gold blood energy had gone into slumber, these normal blood energies had not only returned to their original number of seven, but also became even bigger and stronger than they were before. Moreover, Qianye also sensed the hint of an odd pulse inside his heart. It would appear that new blood energies might be born very soon. It was at this moment the small cocoon that the gold blood energy had transformed into suddenly shook as if it was attracted by the full normal blood energies. It was as if something was about to break through the walls of the cocoon and break out in the next moment. The little gold cocoon was covered in cracks in the blink of an eye. It looked like it would shatter at any second. Suddenly, the normal blood energies forgot all about capturing origin power and escaped into his heart like frightened lambs. The purple blood energy had just captured a normal blood energy and was about devour it, when it seemed to notice the little gold cocoons changes and actually let go. It swiftly swam back into the rune of advanced vampire constitution and curled into a ball, head high and combat ready. A small hole finally appeared on the little gold cocoon, and an unusually tiny gold blood energy got out of the cocoon and swam everywhere as it liked. It didnt look like it had changed much other than its shrunken size. However, when it swam so fast that it left behind an aftershadow, Qianye realized that it had a new dark gold colored thread on its body. The gold blood energy instantly circled around the advanced vampire constitution rune a dozen or so times before it finally gave up as if it couldnt find a gap in the purple blood energys defense and returned to its own rune. Then, it began consuming the fragments of the little gold cocoon. When it was done eating the fragments, the gold blood energy dashed into his heart like a bolt of golden lightning and dragged out a normal blood energy that was at least a dozen or so times bigger than it was, devouring it. The normal blood energy vanished entirely in just the blink of an eye, but the gold blood energy apparently found the normal blood energy insufficient to fill even the gap of its teeth as it dove into his heart like a starving tiger once more, dragging the normal blood energies out into the open and consuming them. The seven normal blood energies was quickly consumed to just two, but unlike last time the gold blood energy wasnt content to stop here. It actually dragged the sixth normal blood energy out of his heart and devoured it in a few gulps. Now that he had a couple of prior experiences to refer to, Qianye immediately thought that the situation was bad. If he allowed the gold blood energy to devour further, wouldnt he lose all of his normal blood energies? He had no idea what kind of consequences would arise once the balance between the three types of blood energies was destroyed. Even if there were no consequences, the normal blood energies needed time to regrow its numbers, and his innards would absolutely not be able to sustain the impact of thirty Combat Formula cycles or above without the blood energies protection. Stop! Qianye was extremely anxious when he saw the gold blood energy charging into his heart once more. He consciously sent it an order to stop and circulated his origin power to build a blue glowing origin barrier outside his heart too. The gold blood energy bumped into the barrier lightly, and a huge hole appeared on the barrier Qianye had created with all his might. It charged past the barrier and into his heart. But it was at this moment the gold blood energy abruptly stopped as if it had sensed Qianyes will. Although half its body had already slipped into his heart, it reluctantly released the last, pitiful normal blood energy and swam back into his veins. Qianye immediately let out a sigh of relief and felt a vague sense of happiness at the same time. For the longest time, the blood energies had operated autonomously whether or not he was in the middle of a cultivation or battle. This was the first time he had successfully transmitted his will to the blood energies, and obtained a limited amount of obedience and response too. Perhaps this meant that he might be able to control his blood power one day and neednt worry about the infection and influence of darkness. The gold blood energy didnt grow idle despite being thwarted by Qianye. It went back to the purple blood energy and circled around it a dozen or so times in hunger. The purple blood energy simply hid inside the rune in full defense and raised its tip like a ferocious giant python that was expressing its fighting will. Finally, the gold blood energy gave up resentfully and returned to the rune of Eye Ability: Night Vision, entrenching itself inside. Starry light started dispersing from the gold blood energy and melting into the ability rune, causing its lines to overlap, expand and become even more complicated. In the end, an independent, small rune detached itself from the bigger rune and floated beside the Eye Ability rune. The two runes were independent, but also closely connected to each other. The smaller rune was like a small room that was built next to the main building. The new rune gave Qianye a new ability called Concealed Bloodline. It hid his blood power and pushed the origin power sequence he refracted to the gray area between Daybreak and Evernight. Simply put, it was no longer possible to detect the ability users origin attribute through normal means after this ability was activated. In Qianyes case, the Combatant Formula was of the Daybreak attribute, so if he were to activate this ability and the Combatant Formula at the same time, he would be able to conceal the presence of his blood power completely. It would stay effective even if he was injured in combat. Suddenly, Qianye recalled Nighteye. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 112: The First Order [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye had rich experience fighting against vampires, but even when Nighteye was unconscious he wasnt able to discover her true identity. It was probably the effects of this ability. In this case, it would seem that the gold blood energy inside Qianyes body had come from Nighteye. The purple blood energy probably came from another higher vampire of a powerful bloodline, judging from its indistinct ability to contend against the gold blood energy. However, Nighteyes ability was just too terrifying. If the descendants she developed could all inherit similar abilities, then it wouldnt take long before an unknown number of vampires would conceal themselves among the human race while they were still completely clueless. The more extraordinary her ability was, the less he could afford to let her slip if they encountered each other on the battlefield in the future. The bronze clock in the cultivation room suddenly let out a gentle and melodious sound that seemed to seep into the origin tide and become a part of the wave itself. It awakened Qianye from his cultivation in a very natural manner. The bronze clock was made from a special metal called the cryless copper. Its sound could be transmitted through origin energy waves, and it could remind cultivators without alarming them. This type of metal was found in only in silver minerals, and from this one could see just how precious they were. Back at Yellow Spring, the entire cultivation valley had only one cryless copper clock, but this place actually allocated one for its guest room. But this wasnt the reminder time Qianye had set, so it meant that he had a guest. After changing his clothes, he walked out of the cultivation room and found that Ji Yuanjia was already waiting for him in the living hall. Captain Qian, Im here to pass on Miss Qiqis first mission. Tomorrow night, you will accompany her and attend the castellans dinner feast. When Qianye heard the way Ji Yuanjia had addressed him, he turned just a bit embarrassed. The identity file the Yin Family had prepared for him actually made Qian his surname and Ye his name directly. He was born in a commons family at a province far down the imperial southern border. He had arrived at the Evernight Continent following the business group his parents had worked in since a very young age, and he was later left stranded on this forgotten land. In the end, he became a hunter. This was truly a clean background and the perfect resume that matched the recruitment requirements of the main corps very well. By now Ji Yuanjia had slightly gotten used to Qianyes habitual silence as he continued, You will attend as her assistant and male partner. In order to ensure the success of the night feast, you will be trained in etiquette tomorrow for the entire day. Therefore, please do not arrange any important cultivation training during this time. Alright, I got it. Ji Yuanjia smiled and said suddenly, This mission is a good opportunity. Grasp it well, and you may enjoy a huge additional reward. I really do envy you! Qianye was distracted for a moment, and he asked, Additional rewards? This is a great chance, isnt it? We know this is just an act, but an act can become real if it is maintained for a long time. This is true for anyone. Ji Yuanjia said meaningfully. Qianye understood his meaning. This guy was actually encouraging Qianye to make pretense into reality by getting off with Qiqi! Qianye really could not understand the purpose behind Ji Yuanjias actions. He had not known him more than a day, and he was probably a core subordinate under Qiqis command, wasnt he? Ji Yuanjia seemed to have guessed Qianyes thoughts as he smiled and said, I simply do not want to see a guy with an ulterior motive manipulating the Miss for his own purposes. Alright, thats it for now. You will understand in the future. After Ji Yuanjia had left, Qianye found himself growing more and more puzzled. After meeting the famous Miss Qiqi for the first time, Qianye had already guessed that his so-called mission was actually a scheme to set him up as a shiny target while they handled someone else in the dark. As for why she had to go through the Home of Hunters, it might be because she thought that someone Yu Yingnan and Old 2 recommended would be reliable. After all, it sounded like the examination for the Yin Familys successor had entered a critical stage. If the enemies spies were to seize the opportunity and sneak in, then even their best strategy would be spoiled. Earlier, Qianye did not think that the reason Qiqi and Ji Yuanjia gave him a term as attractive as the command of the 131s independent battle company was to express their trust towards him. On the contrary, it might very well be a way to sound him out. Regardless, this did not affect Qianyes intentions to complete this mission. His response was very simple. When there was an order he would perform it to the letter, and when there were no orders he would go onto the battlefield, regardless whether or not this company could really become his left and right arms. But Ji Yuanjias earlier words completely confounded Qianye. He thought that it was only natural that the people Qiqi were up against were the other candidates, but it couldnt be that her fiance was on the list as well, could it? Family marriages were often alliances between forces, so shouldnt they share the same interest? The world of big aristocratic families truly was incomprehensible. For the entire morning of the next day, Qianye spent his time by training himself in all kinds of intensive etiquette training. It was only by learning through his own body that he understood just how complicated and strict the Empires etiquette after over a thousand years of time, and this was only because they lacked the time for the full course and could only select the portion related to feast socializing and hasten through them. Starting with standing posture alone, special attention was given to ones standing angle and range. Qianye could only be thankful that his memory wasnt bad and that he had a good military standing posture in the past. The evening was reserved for tailors, makeup artists and hair stylists. They had been working overtime since last night to create his formal attire, and now they needed to make final adjustments based on its overall shape and design. The hair stylist was a skinny and shriveled man nearing the age of fifty years old. However, his bearing and movements were unspeakably girlish, and he wore a massive bluish gold ring on his little finger. He gripped a pair of silver scissors that scissored non-stop in his hand, and his slightly neurotic behavior caused worry for the location of the scissors. Right now he was gripping a handful of Qianyes black half-long hair and struggling painfully to come to a decision, Should it be cut into short hair to better match Miss Qiqi, or should it be preserved to compose a strong contrast against the Miss short hair? The master stylist struggled internally for a full forty minutes, and no one could continue working if he did not arrive at a decision. Hair style was an extremely important link in the process that was only second to clothing design. An integral design starting from the strand of hair above ones head down to the color of ones shoelace of their feet must be made so that a big aristocratic familys wealth and exquisite refinement could be displayed. How else could they stood out from those landowning households otherwise? Qianye was fiddled with so much that he was almost numb to it. Instinctively, he thought that these staffs were there to torment him. Otherwise, why had he not experienced such hellish design principles from Wei Potian? The master stylist finally made up his mind, and a moment of crazy bustling later, they finally settled the final particular before the final deadline: the angle of a brooch. As Qianye stood in front of the full body mirror, the only thing he felt was that this formal attire was absolutely unsuited for combat. Although the main contrasting hues of black and gold, standing collars and epaulette of the outfit were extremely similar to imperial military uniform, it was excessively tight around the waist and sleeves and had gem buttons that knocked on the wrists. It made him feel like a bird that had fallen into a spiders nest, resulting in greatly restricted movements. Qianye moved his right shoulder in slight discomfort as he watched the flamboyant and proud look on the master stylists face from the mirror. He said nothing. Obviously, ones ability to move did not fall under this masters consideration whose first priorities were art and visual impact. Times up! the maids urging voice came from outside the door. The fan-shaped square were already parked with a dozen or so cars, and the silver convertible car at the center was impressively powered by black crystals! From inside the car, Qiqi waved towards Qianye. Her attire did not appear too garish since it was an imperial military uniform, except that it was now adorned with many obviously valuable ornaments. There was only one row of seating at the back of the car, and after looking at the car left and right he had no choice but to sit beside Qiqi. He was used to the wide space of a seam driven heavy truck, and compared to that this car was overly narrow and cramped. He would touch Qiqis arm the moment he stretched his own body. Qiqi habitually stretched a hand to lift Qianyes chin, My little belle, I didnt think you would look this handsome after youre all dressed up. Qianye moved his head aside and dodged the miss claws without batting an eyelid. He said, I have your etiquette teachers and stylists to thank. However, Qiqi was the type of person who absolutely refused to let matters drop if she failed to take advantage of another person. Therefore, her hand fell onto Qianyes palm in passing, and she groped it fiercely several times before finally smiling, Theres no need to be anxious. The reason Im bringing you tonight is to show you off. You do not need to do anything, and you do not even need to dance or socialize. If you like it, the food of the feast are pretty good. You showing up at the feast is the objective. With your current appearance, I believe you will be able to attract a lot of enmities and alarm quite a few important figures. Qianye said nothing. In reality, Qiqis words pretty much verified his guesses about this mission earlier. However, his doubts had only increased rather than decreased. Would the important figures of aristocratic families really judge a persons threat level by their appearance alone? Even if that was Qiqis evaluation standard, Qianye did not think that the experts around her had collectively experienced dementia either. Otherwise, there was no way Qiqi could have reached the final stage as a candidate of the Yin Familys successor. The mayors mansion was brightly lit. Melodious music resonated everywhere within the vast and grandiose main building. There were a lot of van-style carriages driven by all sorts of land walking strange beasts, but Qiqis black crystal car was unique and unmatched. Even on imperial land, cars powered by black crystals were extreme luxuries. Qianyes gaze quickly swept around the square once, and he came to the conclusion that Drinking Horse Yin clans status might be the highest out of every in tonights feast. The car parked right in front of the main buildings entrance as Ji Yuanjia jumped down the drivers seat and opened the car door behind. And so Qiqi and Qianye walked out under everyones gazes. A wave of discussion immediately started from their surroundings. Miss Qiqi is here! Who is that young man? How is he sitting in the same car as Miss Qiqi? How handsome! And hes a captain too! He cant be Miss Qiqis new that right? He looks very unfamiliar. Which family has sent their young children to her again? A tall and powerful middle-aged man walked out of the crowded entrance and arrived in front of Qiqi. After they had given each other a light embrace, he laughed loudly and said, My niece Qiqi is just as beautiful as ever! Qiqi smiled lightly and answered, You are just as spirited as ever too, uncle! Qianye had seen this middle-aged mans profile before. He was the mayor of Xichang City, Yuan Zeyu. He was no normal Champion, and he was also the patriarch of a branch family. He shared a close relationship with the main branch of the Yin family, and although his surname wasnt Yin, his blood ties were much stronger than most other branch families. It was because of this layer of relationship that his family had arrived at the Evernight Continent to defend the strategic location Xichang City. Compared to Yuan Zeyu, the mayor of Darkblood City was just a second rate character. Yuan Zeyus gaze then landed on Qianyes body, and as a gleam passed through his eyes, it was as if all of Qianyes secrets were to be exposed under his gaze, like lightning piercing through fog! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 113: Attracting Hatred [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] This was the second time Qianye faced a Champion rank elite directly. While William only caused him alarm, but gave off no clues for him to cling onto, Yuan Zeyus casual gaze had some sort of penetrative power that seemed to expose even the fine details of his innards in full. Qianye bowed slightly and performed a salute. Then, he withdrew his gaze and did not move. When he walked down the car, he was showered with attention by many eyes. Therefore to be safe, he had already activated the concealment ability in his bloodline beforehand. The multi colored blood energies in his body also seemed to sense the danger of a terrible enemy and scurried back into his heart; this included the ability rune. Right now, Daybreak origin power filled the insides of Qianyes body, covering his heart in a layer of faint, gold light. At a glance, it looked like a fifth ignited origin node. Yuan Zeyu nodded and said with slight praise, An impressive young man. His foundation is extremely solid, and this is something rarely seen. He is? Qiqi smiled faintly and held onto Qianyes arm, going so far as to press half her body on him before saying, This is Qianye. He is my new assistant and aide. A hint of oddness appeared on Yuan Zeyus face, but it faded immediately as he smiled, Then come in! Since you are already here, the dinner feast can start now. There are a lot of people who purposely came over from other large cities to catch a glimpse of my Niece Qiqis peerless beauty! With all smiles, Qiqi released Qianyes arm and gifted him a smile of unknown meaning. Then, she gracefully walked beside Yaun Zeyu and entered the hall of the feast together at the front. For tonights feast, Yuan Zeyu would be the master, and Qiqi the main guest. Meanwhile, Qianye fell back a few steps and moved himself to the center of the crowd who had escorted Yuan Zeyus exit earlier. While he was pondering the meaning behind Yuan Zeyus odd smile, he immediately sensed the abnormality around him. There were now a lot more killing intent and hostility in the gazes that befell on him. Alright, perhaps this was the meaning behind Qiqis smile. Qianye still had not figured out how Qiqi had done it, but he had to admit that the Miss first stage of tonights mission, which was to attract hatred, had been completed smoothly. Qianye did not know that Yin Qiqis action of holding onto Qianye intimately and introducing him at a socializing feast that was specifically held for Qiqi in the presence of her family elder was in fact, a covert declaration that Qianye was her official lover. Therefore, Qianye had immediately became the target of many youths around him. The main banquet hall was just as grand as the mayors mansion. The frame and structure of the building were all metal beneath the decors of stone and wood. The several thousand square meter wide banquet hall was twenty meters tall, and right now it was completely alit in splendid lights. Several musician groups were performing a relaxing and lively music at the veranda at the two sides. Long tables were placed at two sides of the banquet hall, and the top of the tables were filled with dazzling lineups of all kinds of exquisite food. Several dozens of waiters went back and forth to add wine for the guests or serve up meals on plates. The buffet style feast originated from the dark races, and it was a custom especially loved by vampires. Later on, this free and casual way of dining were gradually accepted by the aristocratic families of the Empire and became popular. By now, it had become the unofficial but mainstream way of setting up feasts for grand occasions. When Qiqi arrived, the feast officially began. Qiqi and Yuan Zeyu went up the second floor. There was a small hall here that enabled one to look through the guardrail and watch most of the corners at the bottom floor. There was no one who stood on this floor who wasnt a person of true, prominent status. Naturally, Qianye wasnt qualified to walk up the second floor as an assistant and aide. Therefore, he could only hang out at the main hall. Very soon, people began to walk up and talk to him. In the blink of an eye, a circle of people had surrounded Qianye. Since Qiqi had set tonights mission as a show off, Qianye decided to fully display the results of his intensive training during the morning. Therefore, he had maintained a graceful bearing and socialized with the people who came to talk with him without being overly friendly or estranged, or servile or overbearing. A while later, these people began to notice that everything Qianye said was useless. He had not revealed even a single bit of useful information. Despite talking for half the day, he had not even said which family he might belong to or how he came to know Qiqi. Because of this, the people who were either curious of Qianyes identity or came to talk with him bearing ill intentions actually felt that he was mysterious instead. After all, even talking bullshit was a kind of skill. In fact, it was a skill that both nobles and politicians must have. People began to guess that this enviable kid might actually come from an aristocratic family. Otherwise, how could he possibly use such techniques so skillfully? Then, their whispering discussions began to shift towards a different direction. The situation of Qiqis engagement was open to public, so did this mean that the engagement would be canceled, or did she simply add another new lover? Such colorful rumors had always been the most welcomed topic in feasts, but the friends and families of related parties might not enjoy it as much. Very soon, the complexion of several people among the crowd changed. At the second floor, Qiqi and Yuan Zeyu waved the waiters away and appeared to be talking casually about anything under the sun. After chatting about some important activities of the main Yin Family of the month, Yuan Zeyu changed the subject and said tactfully, This place is not as safe as it appears. It seems that some people have arrived. Qiqis eyes had been trained on Qianye all this time. When she heard the mayors words, she said absentmindedly, So what? What could those three rubbish possibly stir? Yuan Zeyu frowned and said, You should still be careful. The interests involved in this matter is too huge, and there are many people who wish to stick a leg in it. Anything that happens to you, or any mishaps that befall the results of your examinations are nothing to be laughed at. Qiqi continued to say faintly, Relax, uncle Yuan. Be it experts, the army, equipment or military accomplishments, is it not simply a matter of spending money? This was Qiqis usual view, but as a Champion rank expert, Yuan Zeyu found it a little unpleasant to the ear. He could not restrain himself from saying, Experts are not so easy to buy. That is simply because the price wasnt good enough, Qiqi said with a smile. Yuan Zeyu knew very well about Qiqis temper and behavior, and he did not wish to continue further down this topic. Therefore, he turned his gaze to Qianye at the bottom and asked, Who is this young man? Qiqi said a little lazily, My lover. Yuan Zeyu could not help but feel surprised, He really is your lover? Would I joke about something like this? How do you plan to explain this to the clan? You''re engaged! If you act this bombastically, wouldnt you be throwing all of Gu Famliys face away? Qiqi smiled coldly, Like a small landowning household would have much face to throw! If he finds this embarrassing then he can cancel the engagement! Ill be waiting for it! The mayors eyebrows locked even deeper, If this happens, your reputation As long as I have strength and money, who cares about reputation? Suddenly, a pure, cold voice cut in from the side, Money cannot buy everything! Qiqi slowly turned her head and saw a tall, young girl at the entrance leading to the corridor of the small hall that was empty moments earlier. She was very beautiful, and her pure, cool, and proud temperament made her stand out among many other noble girls. Even when standing beside Qiqi, she was not inferior in any aspect. This was the shared opinion of the majority of the young nobles. In reality, Qiqi was slightly superior be it in terms of her appearance or figure, but since she was overbearing and very dissolute, the hot blooded, proud and high spirited youths would subconsciously rate her a tad lower than she really was. Qiqi let out a ruminating smile and said, Ye Mulan, this line should not come out of your mouth. This girls attire was very meaningful. The style of her clothes was also retro, but it was in the color of a landowning household. Her upper dress was skin tight, and lower dress was an overlapping skirt with powdery jade color and muslin patterns. However, the fabric of the clothing was extraordinary and completely in dark patterns. It would only reflect faint, crystalline blue lines when she moved. It was a dress that was both low-key and luxurious at the same time. This wasnt a dress that a normal landowning household could afford. From the fact she dared to walk up the second floor instead of cowering before Qiqi, and actually provoked her while the mayor of Xichang City was right next to Qiqi obviously meant that this girls status was not ordinary as well. The girl said coldly, Yin Qiqi, you wouldnt think that every will fawn over you and obey your words just because the Yin Family is behind you, would you? Qiqi shrugged and said smilingly, Of course not! This is especially true for a genius girl like you; a genius girl who had an engagement with the Song Family. Landowning households, right?! Anger flashed across Ye Mulans face, What does this have to do with landowning households? Nothing really, but when someone clings onto their engagement and refuses to let go, then there it has a lot to do with it, especially, for a certain genius girl. Qiqi emphasized heavily on the word genius. The pure, cool and proud temperament of Ye Mulan was completely swept away as a blush appeared on her pale white face. However, the blush was obviously not due to embarrassment as she suppressed her anger and said coldly, You better clarify what you just said. What do you mean clinging onto an engagement and refusing to let go? The engagement between Zining and I had been determined a long time ago, and its not like I want it. If you dont want it then just cancel it! Qiqi smiled with curved eyebrows, instantly exuding an astounding amount of charm. Ye Mulan finally couldnt endure it any longer as she cried, Yin Qiqi! You Qiqis face darkened. Her smile faded completely as she said coldly, Who do you think you are to call my name? Who gave you the permission to walk up this floor! Ye Mulan, as long as you havent married into the Song Family, you are still just a landowning noble! If youve forgotten the laws of the Empire, then I wouldnt mind sending you to a military police prison to reflect on your actions for several days and remind you the price of offending an upper rank aristocratic family! Ye Mulan pointed a finger and shook in anger. She was so angry she couldnt even speak, You her eyes swept across Yuan Zeyu sitting calmly at the side. The mayor of Xichang city was wearing a benevolent look on his face and was even smiling at the scene. It was as if he was merely watching a scene two kids bickering with each other. In the end, Ye Mulan said hatefully, The Yin Family could not cover the whole sky with a hand just yet. Your identity cannot protect your pride forever! Youll have to marry into the Song Family first before you can say that! Qiqi said rudely. In just a few minutes, the beautiful girl who had transformed from a glacier into a volcano stomped her foot on the ground and left. Yuan Zeyu simply shook his head and let out a sigh. Qiqi simply smiled without concern and said, Did she really think that I cant do anything without relying on the Yin Family? Still, I suppose shes smart enough to see the signs. If she said anything else I wouldve done something. Yuan Zeyu opened his mouth but wasnt sure what to say. Both the surname of Ye and Gu originated from the Yue Continent. The branches of the son of first wife where Ye Mulan and Gu Liyu was in especially had a good relationship with each other for generations. Their friendship was as good as family, and they were cousins of their mothers side no less. The blood ties they shared were thick. Now that Qiqi had openly brought over her lover and paraded him ostentatiously in such an official setting no less, naturally, Ye Mulan who had always disliked Qiqi would find the chance to attack her. Yuan Zeyu also wiped himself a handful of sweat when he watched the duo bickering with each other earlier. In reality, Qiqi was almost at the limits of her patience just now, and if Ye Mulan had spoken any further especially on the topic on lovers, Qiqi would have thrown a slap right across her face. When that happened, a myriad of big and small troubles would have come incessantly. Ye Mulan might be born under a landowning household, but she shared an engagement with the seventh young master of the Song Family. When she married into the Song Family in the future, her status would become different. Rumors said that Song Zining was rather satisfied with his fiance, and Ye Mulan had already officially begun to participate in some of his private activities. Moreover, Song Zining had acted both in the open and in the dark very indulgently towards her. Even if Yin Qiqis mother was also born in the Song Family, Song Zining was this generations successor of the Song household. Even if his ranking was only around the middle, he was heavily favored by the great forefather of the Song Family. His status was also comparable to Yin Qiqi, who had not obtained the position of patriarch just yet. Moreover, even far away at the Evernight Continent Yuan Zeyu had heard that Yin Qiqi and Song Zining shared an old grudge with each other. The affairs between these juniors were practically a tangled skein. For someone like Yuan Zeyu who was used to battling a thousand enemies alone on the battlefield, he just felt helpless and clueless as to how to mediate such matters. In any case, the best course of action for someone his status would be not to get involved. It was at this moment Qiqis gaze landed on Qianye once more, and she said indifferently, Uncle Yuan, this kid is great in many ways, but unfortunately his temperament is just a little soft. If only he is more like me She hadnt finished saying this when a change suddenly occurred downstairs. Qianye had actually thrown a fierce punch right into the face of a young noble, causing his opponent to fly several dozen meters away before slamming hard onto the wall. The noble slowly slid down the wall and actually failed to get up on his feet for a time.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 114: Extra Reward [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The unforeseen event came suddenly, and shocked everyone present! Qiqi was also temporarily startled, puzzled as to what was going on. She heard Qianye speaking with a cold and apathetic voice, I am a commoner, and I am only at rank four. So what? Didnt you want to teach this bastard of a slum a lesson? Then stand up and continue! The young mans limbs twitched as he struggled several times in attempt to climb to his feet. In the end, he collapsed on the ground and fainted. The empire had very strong martial custom, and a duel in a feast was nothing to be surprised at. After the surprise, the initial cheers came mostly from girls. The glittering looks they threw at Qianye were both hot and bold. On the other hand, most of the young noblemen wore unhappy looks on their faces. The hatred born from Qiqi holding his arm hadnt yet faded, and now that they heard that Qianye was actually just a commoner, most of them felt as if they had been offended. Qianye raised his right arm. The restrictive formal wear was a major hindrance, so he decided to just pull off the gemstone cuff links and undid his upper garment. Then, he swept a glance across the young man and his few other companions and said coldly, Who else will come forward? Qiqis eyes glistened with extraordinary splendor as she put on the appearance of someone awaiting a good show. Yuan Zeyu shook his head and said nothing. The few youths froze where they stood and looked worriedly at their fallen companion and Qianye. For a moment, they werent sure how they should deal with this situation. Their companion, who had been taken out in one punch was a rank five Fighter, and not only was he the highest ranking fighter among them, he also had the highest martial force. They could not understand at all why their companion had been defeated this quickly, but they at least knew that they would only be useless even if they had gone up stage. It was at this moment a furious voice rang from the southern side of the crowd inside the hall. A young noble man cried out, This is not the place where a mere rank four Fighter like you to act imprudently and arrogantly! Miss Qiqi should understand if I teach you a lesson! Qianye raised his eyes and looked towards that direction. Then he said in a straightforward manner, Then come! The youth was absolutely furious, and he took a great step forwards. Suddenly, a hand pressed down on his shoulder, and he could not longer move at all. When he turned back to look, he was stunned, Cousin? A slightly older noble young man sharing about a third of this youths appearance appeared beside him. The latter first nodded his head at Qianye before he turned around to scold the youth coldly, You sure are all grown up now. A rank six versus a rank four? Hmph! Are you trying to throw away all of the Shen Familys face? once done, he added strength to his hand and dragged the impulsive noble youth back into the crowd. On the second floor, Qiqi blew a whistle and said, Shen Rongan is truly a fox! His younger cousin may be rank six, but if he truly went on the field he may not necessarily be able to beat my little Qianye! Yuan Zeyu nodded slowly and said, The little fellow you bring has extraordinary strength, and his origin power is condensed to a point that is rarely seen. The common rank six Fighter really isnt his match if they were even a little careless. Downstairs, the hall had completely fallen into awkward silence. Shen Rongans act of pulling his cousin away had poured a cold bucket of water on many hot blooded and eager noble youths heads. Most of the people who were qualified to participate in the mayors feast were not idiots. Qianyes punch earlier was fierce and violent, taking out even a rank five Fighter in a single strike. Moreover, the guy on the floor wasnt the kind of rubbish who only had origin power and nothing else. Here in this place where prestigious houses gather, who would dare cause trouble without a bit of confidence in their own skills? Rank five Fighters no longer dared to take part, whereas rank six Fighters would lose face regardless if they win or lose. Qiqi said smilingly, Uncle Yuan, sorry for messing up your feast. Ill make amends some other day! she said this, but her face was filled with jubilance as she stared at the young man by the wall being carried up by his companions. Yuan Zeyu smiled bitterly. He had also noticed that the person whom Qianye took out was Ye Mulans cousin. Thank goodness Ye Mulan had walked off furiously due to Qiqi, or another conflict would most certainly arise and make the situation difficult to mop up. A moment later, Qiqi left the feast along with Qianye ahead of time. After they sat into the silver car, Qiqi immediately asked about the cause and effect with great cheer. In reality, the situation was very simple. Ye Mulans cousin brother had suddenly appeared when the crowd were unable to inquire any substantive information from Qianye. He had asked Qianye immediately if he was a commoner, obviously having obtained this information from a certain channel. To Qianye, he could choose not to reveal his personal information, but he did not plan to lie for it either. Therefore, he had admitted this honestly. Then, Ye Mulans cousin immediately taunted Qianye and said that he was just a poor man born in the slums, capable of relying on his face to earn a living and nothing else. He said that god knows how many medicines he ate under Qiqis expenses to have grown to rank four. Qianye felt no need to waste words with such a person. He simply asked coldly, You think youre very strong, dont you? The young man, a rank five Fighter answered with a cold smile, Of course! What, you want to fight? Okay. Then, Qianye breathed, gathered his strength, punched out as heavy as a mountain and as fast as lightning. He knocked out the young man with a single punch. If Qianye hadnt withdrawn his strength at a suitable time, if Qianye had aimed at a vital spot, this one punch couldve beaten his victim into a near death state. Qianyes explanation was very simple, but Qiqi obviously hadnt heard enough yet, Is that all? That cant be all! Youve fought in a dinner feast! What else did he say? Qianye smiled bitterly, He said that I am a bastard of the slums. This is Qiqi was a little puzzled. It was just a common swear phrase, so why had Qianye reacted so strongly towards it? After a moment of silence, Qianye said, I grew up in the landfill. I never knew who my parents were. Qiqis smile was immediately withdrawn. Then, it slowly spread out once more like a blooming spring flower as she said with a smile that was not like a smile, Never mind. You have made me very happy tonight, so you will have a reward. Close your eyes! Qianye closed his eyes in puzzlement. A whiff of fragrance entered his nose, and he felt a soft and wet touch on his left cheek. He was given a kiss! This little interlude during their return journey was quickly put at the back of Qianyes mind. He was no longer surprised by this Miss of extraordinary behavior, hobby, and even sexual orientation no matter what she did. A Miss of her status had obtained everything too easily, so people like her often had strange eccentricities in the pursuit of excitement. However, Qianye did not think that her private hobbies have anything to do with him. What he needed to do was to complete his mission well and be worthy of the generous reward he received. Qianye spent four days to complete the basic training of etiquette in advance. Since Qiqi had not given him any new orders, he then split his everyday time table into two major categories, cultivation and battlefield analysis. During the later days, Qianye spent all of the medicines, but found himself still a distance away from officially breaking through to rank five. During this time, Qianye had only seen Qiqi once. She had suddenly asked him whether he needed more medicine, either because she noticed that he had not ignited a new origin node despite using a sufficient amount of medicine or randomly bringing up a topic. However, Qianye turned her down because he did not wish to receive too many things that he should not have received. During the time beyond cultivation, Qianye continuously read up on a bunch of intel and quickly formed a rough understanding of the surrounding area of Xichang City. Near noon today, Ji Yuanjia arrived at Qianyes dwelling and invited him to have lunch together. Qianye was just thinking of understanding the contents of Qiqis examination mission better since he was already planning on going to the battlefield. Therefore, he gladly agreed to the situation and followed Ji Yuanjia to the restaurant Copper Peacock Terrace. This was a retro building of impressive grandeur. The terrace was around thirty meters tall, and there were five floors on top of it. The window corners and door rails were inlaid with brass strips, and it shone brightly during the brightest moment of the sun, afternoon. The two sides of the tall terrace were wide and fit for the descent of small-sized airships. Beneath the terrace, the river water was stored into the sky pool at the top floor through secret channels before sprayed from the side walls up to the sky, forcefully recreating the magnificent view of a showering waterfall. It was said that the cooks and many food ingredients of this restaurant were transported from the upper continent, and its prices were even more expensive than at the upper continent. After parking the keep, Ji Yuanjia led Qianye towards the entrance while smiling, Here, you can find the true quality of the upper continent. Of course, that includes the prices as well. Therefore, please dont eat all you want, or I will not be able to foot the bill. Qianye smiled slightly and felt a bit more good will towards Ji Yuanjia. He enjoyed interacting with people who speak frankly. The duo chose a table near the window where the flowing waterfall was right in front of them. Since the soundproofing of this place was well designed, they could only hear a faint rumbling sound that seemed to come from far, far away. It both created an artistic conception and did not interrupt the guests from conversing with each other. After the waiter had presented them with the menu, a casual flip told Qianye exactly how expensive this place was. Even the cheapest meal at this place cost at least a gold coin, and the expensive ones rose straight up to three figures. That was to say a single big meal would cost a lieutenant colonel more than half a year of salary. Qianye only selected two of the cheapest dishes before putting down the menu. On the other hand, Ji Yuanjia was in fact a lot more generous than he said himself to be, ordering three or four specialty dishes into the mix. This meal would definitely eat up a month of his salary. After the food were put on the table, Qianye experienced what the so-called upper continent quality meant. The amount of food on each dish were so few that it was unimaginable, but they were also so exquisite that it was unimaginable. The main dish was actually a fish, but it was made into the shape of a dragons head. Meanwhile, the dish plate were decorated with thousand miles of cloud sea. This was an absolutely genuine hand drawn cloud sea painting of ink art style. Even a person who knew nothing about art like Qianye could see that its composition and brushwork were extraordinary. Based on this alone, he could tell that the person who decorated this dish plate was an artist of great attainment. What do you think? Ji Yuanjia asked with a smile. I think that the decoration on this plate is more expensive than the meal itself. Qianye said honestly. Ji Yuanjia laughed and said, I thought the same as you at the beginning, but it was only later that I find out that the meal is actually slightly more expensive. As Qianye looked at the dishes that looked like paintings and calligraphies, he smiled bitterly and said, Now I know I cant eat to my hearts content. This bit of food cant even fill my bottom. Ji Yuanjia laughed even more jubilantly as he said, To people like us, coming here is just for the experience. The experience of having eaten is more important than how the food actually tastes. At the very least, we would not be ridiculed in the future for being ignorant. Why would we be ridiculed? Qianye was a little puzzled. Ji Yuanjia said with slight self-depreciation, Its because I come from a poor and humble family, whereas you are a commoner. Although a family like mine is slightly better than commoners, in the eyes of landowning households, we are all the same. To those landowning households, the way they evaluate a person is very simple: There is up, and there is down. Those up there needs to be curried favor with, and those down there could not compete with them. Therefore, in their eyes there is no difference between a poor and humble family and a commoner, because we are both incomparable to landowning households. This was a powerful logic that gave Qianye the feeling of having his horizons widened. Do you know why I invited you here for lunch? Its because that punch of yours during the feast that day was too f*cking beautiful! even the usually gentle and cultivated Ji Yuanjia had broken into a rare curse. Did that person share a grudge with you? Qianye asked in puzzlement. Ji Yuanjia exhaled heavily before saying, Its not at the level of a grudge. Youll understand in the future just how disgusting those people are. Come, let us drink first! The two served each other wine, and they quickly finished a bottle of alcohol. Qianyes face was slightly reddened, and his movements were obviously a little sluggish. Meanwhile, a flush of redness had also appeared on Ji Yuanjias face. It would appear that his capacity for drinks wasnt very good. Ji Yuanjia shook the emptied wine bottle before calling out, Give me two more! The waiter quickly served them their wine. The rice wine of this place really was pretty good, and even rarer was the fact that they were not expensive. A gold coin a bottle at this place was a ridiculously fair price. Qianye, did you have a girl? Ji Yuanjia suddenly asked. No, why? Qianye asked with a little bit of confusion. Ah, nothing. Im just asking. Ji Yuanjia botched the subject with a random excuse. At first, he had wanted to introduce a few good young girls to Qianye. As Qiqis true aide, naturally he knew that Qianyes lover identity was fake. But just as he was about to say it, he suddenly recalled seeing that unusually prominent lip mark on Qianyes cheek when he got off the car. It was a faint blue color that was slightly heavier on the purple side, and it was a special color that Qiqi loved the most. There was no way Ji Yuanjia could have missed it. When he thought up to this point, Ji Yuanjia could not help but feel a twinge of pain and twisting feelings in his heart. He then immediately suppressed this tiny bit of discontent and tossed it along with that lip mark into a corner at the bottom of his heart. However, this revelation also cleared up his mind a little. Although it was possible that Qiqi had simply found a temporary, fresh toy that she would toss away after a while, before the novelty had faded from her mind, there was no way Ji Yuanjia would do something as stupid as introducing girls to Qianye. Qianye looked with slight puzzlement at Ji Yuanjia, who had suddenly grown absent-minded. Qianye, Qiqi is the kind of woman who deserves the biggest cherishment. If you even have the slightest bit of chance, you should do everything in your power to win her over. Do you get what I mean? this time, Ji Yuanjias words were unusually frank. Qianye frowned slightly and said, This is just a mission to me, plus the status quo between her and me is just too far apart. There is no possibility between the two of us. Youre telling me that youre someone who cares for the status quo? Yeah.Qianye smiled. Ji Yuanjia shrugged. If Qianye truly minded the status quo, he would not have punched right into that noble brats face during the dinner feast. That being said, for many people marriages that were too good to be true was an impassable hurdle. He himself was just the same. Aha! Guess who I found? Isnt this Miss Qiqis new pet? said an eccentric voice that came from the side.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 115: Duel [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Ji Yuanjia and Qianye turned their heads together and looked to where the voice had come from. They saw a few young men walking their way up the stairs. The youth clothed in blue wore a blue martial uniform that was so gorgeous it was excessive. He was the one who voiced the taunt just now. Meanwhile, Qianye also spotted the young man whom he had knocked out in a single blow from the people who showed up one after another behind him. There were both males and females in this young group. They were escorting a cool and proud young girl like stars adorning a moon. She wore a light purple shirt of the Han style and a skirt with unusual hem shaped like many folded layers of triangles. They looked like inverted double petals of lilies. She had an extremely beautiful face, but the tip of her brow to the corner of her eyes were filled with a cold detachment that rejected all men and women. Ji Yuanjia frowned and lowered his voice. He swiftly told Qianye, Watch out, that woman at the center is Ye Mulan. Shes the fiance of Song Zining, the seventh young master of the Song Family. Qianyes face turned a little odd, Song Zining? Which Song Family? Since Ji Yuanjias attention was put on the newcomers, he did not notice the abnormality on Qianyes face. He simply said, Of course its the Song Family of the four grand households! These noble youths had already walked in front of their table and came to a stop. The positions they assumed seemed careless, but in reality they had vaguely sealed off all of their retreat path. Qianye greatly disliked having so many people invading his private space as he put on an obvious frown. The blue clothed young man glanced at the dishes on the table and let out a ridiculing smile, Yo! And here I was wondering how a commoner and a man from a poor family could afford to eat at such place, but in reality they are just ordering the cheapest stuff! Brother Muhai, Im sure that a pot of your tea leaves is worth more than this, isnt it? Ye Muhai was the guy who was knocked out by Qianye at the dinner feast in a single punch. Right now he was glaring at Qianye with eyes that could almost shoot fire out of them, and upon hearing the blue clothed young mans words he immediately let out a snort and said, Even if these are the cheapest dishes, they probably cost more than a month of Lieutenant Colonel Jis salary, dont they? So its either Lieutenant Colonel Ji taking more bribes than usual, or Captain Qian getting quite the sum of rewards. You must have pleasured Miss Qiqi quite well recently, havent you? Qianyes complexion immediately darkened. By now Ji Yuanjia had already risen to his feet and exclaimed coldly, You are slandering an active officer of the Empire. Bring out the evidence, or you will come with me and explain things to the military supervision team! he paused for a moment before his expression turned even colder than before, Also, anyone who dares to slander Miss Qiqi again had better consider the consequences carefully. I will pass on every word back to the Miss. The group of youths fell silent for a moment. They did not think that slandering an imperial officer born from a poor family was anything worthy of consideration, but it was a different matter if their target was Yin Qiqi. These people were all born of landowning households. Forget about them, even their own families would not dare to offend Qiqi in normal circumstances. The fact that Qiqi had reached the final stage of the Drinking Horse Yin Clans successor examination meant that the resources and authority she controlled far exceeded any other landowning household familys. It was at this moment Ye Mulan said coldly, You can tell Yin Qiqi that I said that she is not all that extraordinary! As for todays matter, this is gossip at best. These people are all my friends, so touching them then it will be the same as touching me! Ji Yuanjia immediately choked on his own words. Ye Mulan already had her good reputation as a genius girl before she was an adult, but since she was born in a landowning household, Ji Yuanjia, who had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the imperial main corps before he was thirty years old wasnt really too far behind her. However, the thing that caused other people to flinch before Ye Mulans presence was her other status. Offending the girl of a landowning household was nothing, but offending the fiance of the seventh young master of the Song grand household was a different matter. If the Song grand household took it as a slight, forget lieutenant colonel, Ji Yuanjia would not be able to endure the consequences even if he was a major general. Ye Mulan snorted coldly at Ji Yuanjias expression. She said disdainfully, You guys are nothing the moment you leave the Yin Familys influence! The group of youths immediately grew lively and let out disdainful laughters. The blue clothed youth swaggered his way towards Qianye and slapped right onto the table, causing the wine cups before him to become crushed into piles of powder. Then, he stared at Qianye and laughed coldly, saying, How dare you compete with Big Brother Gu with that tiny ability of yours! Im going to break your doggy legs and scratch that pretty face of yours sooner or later! Ill let you know that a commoner should keep to your role and not dream of those things that arent fated to be yours! Qianye actually relaxed upon seeing this slight. One could discern neither joy nor anger from his face as he measured the blue clothed young man in front of him and confirmed that he was also a rank five Fighter. This group of youths could be considered a bunch of good seeds. Unlike grand households, a landowning household did not possess a sea-like amount of resources, so every person who was nurtured with all of the familys powers was a genius. Qianye took the opening to glance at Ye Mulan as well. This quiet, elegant and arrogant girl that was like an ice mountain was almost at the same age as Qiqi, but the fact that her seventh node was actually glowing faintly was a sign that she was about to undergo a breakthrough very soon. One could say that she was overflowing with talent. Seeing that Qianye was unmoved and that he had even looked away from him, the blue clothed young mans expression changed slightly before yelling without a trace of politeness at all, What are you looking at? Do you want to die, peasant?! Look any longer and Ill dig out your eyes! At best Qiqi would pay you some money and have you leave, dont even think that she would ever defend you on your behalf! You are just a plaything! Ji Yuanjia took a step and cut in between the blue clothed youth and Qianye. He had already sensed that this coincidental encounter was not as simple as it appeared. These people were obviously aiming at Qianye, and judging from the fact that Qianye had been easily provoked into a challenge at the dinner feast that night, the opponent was obviously trying to restart another fight by provoking him again and again. The blue clothed youth laughed in a strange tone, Lieutenant Colonel Ji, are you trying to teach me a lesson for disrespecting an officer? With an absolutely dark face, Ji Yuanjia spat out a single word, Yes. Suddenly, a cold snort rang crisply from the opposite side. Ye Mulans beautiful eyes were like a pair of snowballs that locked onto Ji Yuanjia firmly. A red clothed young man walked out from behind her and walked in front of Ji Yuanjia with a mocking smile. He touched Ji Yuanjias shoulder badge with his hand and cried out exaggeratedly, A lieutenant colonel, is it? Im scared, Im so scared! Hahaha, that being said, you cannot mete out private punishment in the military, officer, so you better show me a warrant first before you try anything! But unfortunately, the person to investigate and grant a capture warrant seems to be my father. So why dont you tell me if he will sign a warrant to capture his own son? The rest of the youths laughed and jeered rowdily all at once. The imperial army had a rigid structure, and disrespecting an officer was an extremely severe criminal charge. However, these youths were all placed under the expeditionary forces, and they were not of the same number as Ji Yuanjias seventh corps. If Ji Yuanjia attempted to harm them without direct jurisdictive power, he would be accused of misconduct. In Xichang City where the expeditionary forces had the upper hand, any minor disputes would absolutely be overlooked through the excuse of long investigation process. The blue clothed young man folded his arms and glared at Qianye with the corner of his eyes and sneered at him, Alright, I withdraw my previous words. Perhaps Lieutenant Colonel Ji had only accepted a bit of protection fee. Ji Yuanjias complexion was ashen. Suddenly, he sucked in a deep breath as origin power began to circulate throughout his entire body. It was at this moment Qianye patted Ji Yuanjia on the shoulder and said indifferently, Dont. With your status, you will only be honoring them by attacking them. Ji Yuanjia was startled. It wasnt that he didnt know how severe the consequences might be after he raised a hand against them, but he seriously could not swallow his anger. Qianye let out an icy cold smile, But Im different! Since these high and mighty young masters of landowning households are all of higher ranks and status than me, Im sure they wont turn down the challenge of a peasant, will they? his gaze swept across the blue clothed young man who was looking pleased at himself and into the crowd, Say Mister Ye Muhai, has the injury on your face recovered already? Ye Muhais face immediately alternated between shades of green and white continuously, unable to say even a single word at all. On the other hand, a dark and fierce emotion flowed out of the blue clothed young mans expression after he was aghast at being ignored. While Ye Muhai kept saying that he wasnt prepared back the day he was knocked out by Qianye in a single punch, he knew very well that he was absolutely not Qianyes match deep inside, even if they were to fight each other once more. The strength and speed behind that punch had far exceeded his absolute limits! Therefore, how would he dare to answer Qianyes provocative call? If he answered it, then he would have to duel him in battle. But if he lost again under public scrutiny, how could he possibly salvage his reputation? He would become the butt of jokes among the circle of nobles from this day onward no matter how much time had passed. Ye Muhai could only console himself that this scene differed from their plan and thus, he was in the right for not accepting the challenge. However, he ultimately did not dare to raise his head and look at Ye Mulans face. Right now, his fear inspiring cousin must be wearing an extremely ugly expression on her face, and her opinion of him must have fallen to the lowest point as well. Many of the customers who were having their meals at this floor were alarmed by the commotion. The people who could dine at Copper Peacock Terrace were all reputable figures of Xichang City, and they were most familiar with Ye Mulan, Ji Yuanjia, and the rest of the noble youths. Therefore, more and more onlookers began to gather around them. It was at this moment the blue clothed young man walked out into the open. Contrary to the arrogance and impudence he had displayed earlier, the young man said with pretentious calm, I am Lu Shenjiang. Unfortunately, I missed the chance to know you at the dinner feast, so I am sure that you will not turn down my chance to make up for this regret, will you? The moment ji Yuanjia heard the blue clothed young man announcing his family name, he immediately recalled his identity. Lu Shenjiang might not look much older than Qianye, but in reality he was approaching thirty years old. His origin power was at the peak of rank five, and it was said that the reason he hadnt made a breakthrough all this time was related to the secret art he cultivated passed down by his family. A persons origin power must ascend in rank simultaneously with their combat skills so that they could combine to make the greatest power. Therefore, his combat power was absolutely not just at the level of rank five. The Lu Family might be a landowning household, but their legacy had exceeded seven hundred years. It was said that their ancestors had once entered the ranks of aristocratic families, and it was only for the past hundreds years or so that they were met with declination. However, the secret art and combat skills of the Lu Family was worthy of being put at the same level as an aristocratic family. He truly was the perfect candidate to cause trouble. If their opponent had sent out a rank six into battle, Ji Yuanjia would have turned down the challenge directly on Qianyes behalf. With slight worry, he told Qianye softly about his opponents identity. Qianye smiled and said, Got it. The empire was warlike, and the important figures often enjoyed arranging a couple of fights to liven things up while they ate. Just like songs and dances, fights were just as welcomed as an entertainment event. Therefore, there was a readily available fighting ring on top of Copper Peacock Terrace beside the airship landing zone. Before Qianye entered the ring, Ji Yuanjia told him with worry, You must be careful! These people had come prepared because of that person. An indiscernible cold light flashed across Qianyes eyes as he said, I know how I should deal with this. Gu Liyus shadow was obviously behind this matter, therefore the situation had become both simple and complicated. A moment later, Qianye and Lu Shenjiang had stepped into the ring and stood opposite of each other. Their surroundings were already filled with standing audiences, and among them there were quite a few familiar important figures of Xichang City. Lu Shenjiang sucked in a deep breath as a sheen of gold light surfaced around his arms. As he spread his arms, he actually looked like a large roc spreading its wings! The onlookers were immediately alarmed by this. Not only did the fact that Lu Shenjiangs origin power had displayed unusual phenomenons despite him being lower than Champion rank meant that his combat skills had reached a higher level, the combat skill he cultivated itself could also be ranked among the nine grades. Lu Shenjiang yelled, Secret Art: Fist of the Gold-winged Bird King! His aura grew stronger and stronger as the gold light around his arms also grew brighter. He actually managed to form the fledgling appearance of a pair of wings. It was only when his aura had risen to its limits that Lu Shenjiang let out a long howl and abruptly pounced towards Qianye. With his hands curved into claws, hooking both arms at Qianyes shoulders like a pair of sharp hooks! But just as he was at mid-pounce, Qianye suddenly let out a low roar and stomped his right foot on the ground, causing the entire fighting ring to shake once! Qianyes figure abruptly disappeared, leaving behind only a big hole where he once stood. A fist became reflected in Lu Shenjiangs pupils, passing through the gaps of his claws and growing larger and larger before his eyes! The ferocious origin power that surged towards his face sparkled and rumbled deafeningly! Lu Shenjiangs heart nearly stopped beating. Right now only one thought occupied his mind, So fast! And so heavy! He did have some real abilities of his own, so although he was intimidated by this earth-shattering punch, his well tempered body acted instinctively and caused his arms to withdraw unto itself, crossing before his head and chest to forcefully endure Qianyes blow! There was a dull bang and the tiniest sound of breaking bones. Qianye swayed backwards and retreated a step, but Lu Shenjiangs fate was far worse as he skidded ten meters backwards by the single punch! Startled cries had filled the fighting ring already. Lu Shenjiang could only see gold stars flying everywhere before his eyes, and feel the air in his chest doing backflips repeatedly. He was infinitely thankful that he had instinctively chose to defend himself, or that punch would have landed on his heart even if he did penetrate Qianyes shoulders. While shocked and furious, Lu Shenjiang finally realized for the first time how Ye Muhai had felt at the time. When the punch had landed on him, it literally felt like an entire mountain peak was crashing down on his head. Even though his combat power was at least twenty percent stronger than Ye Muhais, he still found the blow indefensible at all. However, Qianye did not plan on giving him time to reflect on his mistakes. He was already striding forwards after quelling the rebound force for a brief moment. Right now, the origin power in his body was rising higher and higher as cycle after cycle of tides slapped against the shore. When the tides had reached a total of nine levels, Qianye had already ran into melee range and swept a lashing kick at the still recovering Lu Shenjiang. Qianyes leg become covered in faint yellow light in midway, and the sounds of explosive origin power crackled clearly in everyones ears. The Combatant Formula! The militarys combat arts! How could it possibly be this powerful? How would Lu Shenjiang dare receive such a kick? Unable to care for his own image any longer, he rolled on the ground and barely avoided the blow, but before he could stand still and affirm his defenses, Qianye chased after him like a shadow and swung his foot down on Lu Shenjiangs head like a giant axe or longsword! There was another dull smack. Lu Shenjiang had raised his arms above his head and forcefully endured Qianyes kick. However, he literally became shorter after enduring the heavy blow. As it turned out, Qianye had literally kicked him into the ground. Expressionlessly, Qianye withdrew his left leg and raised his right leg instead. While clasped in surging origin power, his leg swung fiercely at Lu Shenjiang once more. This time the gold light around Lu Shenjiangs body was completely destroyed as he fell backwards and even spat blood in midair. Stomp stomp stomp! Like a giant beast, Qianye tread the land in large steps and chased after Lu Shenjiang mercilessly. The entire fighting ring had fallen into silence. The Combatant Formula was both harsh and forceful. As the tides layered upon one another, it became more and more unstoppable the long it was used. Right now Qianyes aura had obviously reached its completion, and he was like ten thousand mounted soldiers riding straight into the heart of the enemy. If Lu Shenjiang were to suffer yet another blow, he almost definitely wouldnt survive. Suddenly, a faint purple figure flashed in front of him and chopped at Qianye! It was Ye Mulan!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 116: Strike of a Fighter King [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The angle of this strike was incredibly tricky. She was actually able to cut towards the point three inches below his ribs while Qianye was running in high speed. The surrounding audience could only hear a thin and sharp sound of a palm breaking through the air. The sound did not appear all that shocking to other people, but the ears of the charging Qianye were filled with an extremely shrill whistle that threatened to tear his ear drums apart. The air had reached him before the technique could, and it was as biting as a sharp blade that poked at Qianyes skin until it hurts. Ye Mulans origin power was as cold as ice, and it was far more dense and immense than Lu Shenjiangs. If Qianye still persisted on his charge, then her palm blade would cut into the vital spot beneath his ribs. Suddenly, Qianye came to a rapid stop without any prior signs whatsoever. While twisting his waist and legs, he bent his body at the same time to just barely avoid the path of the palm blade. Then, he countered with a strike to Ye Mulans elbow. Both opponents exchanged a blow fiercely with each other! Then, they immediately parted and took two steps in retreat. Neither side were able to utilize their full force during the clash. Qianyes Combatant Formula had to switch directions mid rampage so the origin tides only managed to strike its target with its sides. Ye Mulans palm blade had reached the end of its offense and was struck by Qianye at an unmaneuverable spot. She had only managed to dish out half of her full strength. Qianyes face was so dark one could squeeze water from it. While staring at Ye Mulan, he said coldly, You interfered even in a life or death duel. Do you have no sense of shame at all? His Combatant Formula continued to press on one tide after the other, crushing the wisps of needle-like frost energy that had invaded in his body. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the ninth cycle once more. Ye Mulan stood on the field proudly. The hem of her overlapping skirt hadnt yet completely subsided due to the surging ripples of origin power. It spun and flew like flower petals in full bloom. She said indifferently, Im doing this for your sake. I doubt you can assume the responsibility of hurting a noble. Qianye actually smiled at the height of his anger, As we are in a life or death duel, I will not hurt my opponent! I will only kill them! Ye Mulans face was as frigid as ice. She said, There is a limit to my patience! Do not challenge my bottom line! Qianyes expression suddenly turned calm as he said indifferently, My patience has a limit as well. Since youre entered the field, then you shall continue the battle on his behalf! Right after he said this, and without waiting for Ye Mulan to speak, Qianye appeared in front of her in a single step and threw out yet another simple punch right at her chest! Ye Mulans expression changed on the spot. The straight punch. This was the first basic movement taught in the military combat arts. In Qianyes hands, the straight punch was perfectly average without any sort of variations or special effects. It was just fast, heavy, and straightforward! Ye Mulan suddenly discovered that the many combat skills she prided herself in had utterly lost their effects in front of this one punch. There was no other way to neutralize this punch other than blocking it head on. Naturally, there was no way she would clash against Qianye head on. Qianyes frantic power left a deep impression in Ye Mulans mind, and she had failed to gain any shred of advantage at all despite preparing herself for the earlier ambush and forcing Qianye to switch techniques midway to meet her head on. Now that Qianyes aura had attained full completion, the result of another head on clash was self-evident. Ye Mulan pushed at the ground with the tip of her toes and floated backwards in abrupt retreat. A faint, cold smile appeared around the corners of Qianyes lips as the Combatant Formula climbed to the peak of a new cycle of tide. He chased after Ye Mulan with large steps and attacked her with a vertical palm slash. This was the second basic movement in the military combat arts, the knife hand. The strike looked so imposing, as though it could cut apart a mountain, granting it greater might just because of this. But if someone were to place close attention to the shape of Qianyes hand, they would notice that the joints of his second and third fingers were slightly curled into a nearly indiscernible arc. This way, he could instantly clench his hand into a fist the second he struck the target and erupt immeasurable power. Ye Mulans expression was ugly as she pushed the ground again with the tip of her foot, drawing a graceful arc in midair and dodging sideways. Just as before, she did not dare to take the blow head on. Suddenly, Qianye let out a long howl and quickened his movements. Like a tidal wave, his offense surged towards Ye Mulan. Qianye had been using military combat arts from the beginning to the end. Almost everyone present here had learned this before, so they could see with absolute clarity every single attacking movement he made. However, like a small boat trapped amidst perilous waves, not only did Ye Mulan failed to rise above the waves, as she drifted along the flow, her dodges only became more and more of a struggle. She actually could not find an opportunity to counterattack under Qianyes offense. The entire arena was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. As Qianyes attacks grew heavier and heavier, it was no longer a question whether Ye Mulan would be defeated. It was at the level where a single misstep for her side and a single solid strike would result in grievous injuries. With a heavy expression, Ji Yuanjia took a few steps into the fighting ring. The position he assumed blocked the group of youths from interfering, but in reality he was preparing himself to save Ye Mulan. He absolutely could not allow the fiance of the seventh young master of the Song grand household be heavily injured by Qianyes hands. Otherwise, forget Qiqi, even the Drinking Horse Yin clan was willing to defend him. They might not necessarily be able to save his life. Ye Mulan was losing even faster than everyone else thought. Her surrounding space was sealed off by Qianyes immeasurably heavy fist strikes. Finally, she could dodge no longer and had to clash once with Qianye in full. When the two figures ran into each other, Ye Mulan immediately let out a dull groan as her face turned completely pale. She stumbled backwards in retreat. However, Qianye had no intention of withdrawing at all. He strode forwards and widened the five fingers of his right palm. Then, he slapped downwards right on top of her head! The second this palm strike fell downwards, it was actually accompanied by a thunder-like noise. Right now, the origin tides inside Qianyes body had reached the thirtieth cycle! At a critical moment, an icy blue light flashed across Ye Mulans body, and as if she was lifted into the air by a big, invisible hand, her figure instantly shifted horizontally backwards for a couple of meters, barely enabling her to avoid Qianyes attack. Qianyes palm strike reached the end of its offense and slammed heavily into the ground. His entire forearm had sunk into the ground built from limestone! Then, the limestone within a ten meter radius all cracked as bits of stones scattered into the air. Some of the stone bits struck Ye Mulans face, drawing thin scratches of blood. The strike of a Fighter King was as mighty as the abyss! Ye Mulan seized the momentary gap to retreat to the edge of the fighting ring. Her face was deathly pale. Qianye knew that he had already lost his chance. Therefore, he gradually stood up and said indifferently, Your secret combat arts is pretty good. But you will not have this chance next time. It was only now that he finally conducted the origin tides to subside gradually. He also cleared out the frost aura that were as thin as ox hair swimming inside his veins. The combat art Ye Mulan practiced was pretty extraordinary, and every time he exchanged solid blows with her the frost aura would unavoidably seep into his body. Ye Mulans face was still completely pale white. As she stared at the terrifying mark left behind by Qianyes palm strike in disbelief, she said angrily, Youre actually trying to kill me? Qianye said calmly, This is a life or death duel. What do you think? Ye Mulan choked before following up with a stern voice, Do you know that the Song grand household would absolutely not forgive you if you hurt me? Qianye suddenly smiled and said softly, You are not a member of the Song Family just yet. Tell me again when you have actually married into the Song Family! The color of embarrassment flashed across Ye Mulans face, and she immediately beckoned her companions and said fiercely, He attempted to kill me. Capture him! We shall surrender him to the mayor after we have interrogated the truth out of him! The few noble youths walked into the open, but their movements were slightly sluggish. Having watched that absolutely hair-raising duel, none of them dared to rush up alone against Qianye no matter how much they wished to perform. Enough! Ji Yuanjia let out a cold yell before taking two steps forward to block their paths. He said heavily, Do not think that Miss Qiqi would be afraid to take out all of you just because youve managed to cling onto Ye Mulans thighs! She dares?! Ye Mulan cried out. Ji Yuanjia turned around to look at her, Miss Ye, even if you married into the Song Family in the future, you are still not their matron. You are not worthy to speak such things. Ye Mulan finally lost her reservation and stared angrily at Ji Yuanjia with eyes full of resentment. She raised her right palm slightly, and it emanated with a cold and frigid power. However, Ji Yuanjia simply looked at her just like that with calm eyes. In the end, Ye Mulan did not act against him. She simply let out a heavy snort and regained her cool pride. Unlike Qianye who had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, Ji Yuanji boasted an extremely prestigious resume despite his humble beginnings. He had graduated from the famous sword arts military school Swordrain Springs, and had once taken third place in the militarys rookie competition. Although anyone with a discerning eye would know that Ji Yuanjia had been recruited by the Drinking Horse Yin Family, the empire main corps lieutenant colonel badge on his shoulder was solidly built from a foundation of military achievements. If they were to kill someone like him without any reason at all, forget the Yin Family, his fellow comrades would not have let matters drop easily. By now Qianye had already dispelled all of the frost energy inside his body and was slowly walking over from the center of the ring. After staring at Ye Mulan for a moment, he suddenly let out a smile that was as pure as the boy that was his neighbor back at Red Spider Lily. Then he averted his gaze and swept a glance across the surrounding noble youths, saying, Im just a peasant. If I am push to the brink, then I can only end things in blood and death. Oh noblemen and women, if I may ask, how long can you guard yourself against me? A month? A year? Or ten years? Every youths face, including Ye Mulans, were ugly to the extreme. They knew that he wasnt just throwing around empty threats just from Qianyes ruthless attitude toward Lu Shenjiang and Ye Mulan just now. After Qianye and Ji Yuanjia had left, Ye Muhai finally spat out heavily and cursed, What a peasant! But he did not realize that he was already covered in cold sweat. Just when Qianye was about to make it out of the main entrance, a shout suddenly rang out from behind him, Wait there! When Qianye turned around, he saw Lu Shenjiang rushing towards him. And so he stood still and asked, You want another fight? Of course! But not now! I admit that I am not your match right now. Lu Shenjiang said naturally and without restraint. Qianye raised an eyebrow and asked, What do you want then? Lu Shenjiang stretched out a finger and said, Half a year! Let us fight again half a year later. So, what do you think? I refuse to believe that I cant take out a commoner like you! Qianye smiled and said, Even if I were to give you another ten and a half years, you will still be a coward who kneels before me. Dont get too cocky too soon! Its decided then. Do you dare, or not? Lu Shenjiang said through gritted teeth. He stretched out a hand and looked like he would clap Qianyes hand in promise. As Qianye stared into the others eyes, he let out that pure smile of his once more and stretched out his hand just the same. Just as the two hands were about to grip each other, Qianyes palm suddenly turned around to detain Lu Shenjiangs wrist joints tightly like five hooks! There was a translucent flash, and a crystalline needle that was almost invisible abruptly appeared between Lu Shenjiangs fingers. Beside Qianye, Ji Yuanjias expression changed greatly. His military achievements all came from the battlefield, so there was no way he wouldnt recognize the material of that crystalline needle. It was obviously a vampire made product. Not even god would believe it if he were to say that there were nothing fatal on the needle. Whats this? Qianye continued to smile, but there was obvious killing intent at the bottom of his eyes. Lu Shenjiang felt cold all over. Suddenly, he cried out loudly, Help, the peasant is about to kill a noble! His cries turned into blood curdling screams midway. Qianye exerted strength into his hand, and he broke Lu Shenjiangs defenses directly and crushed his wrist bones completely. Many eyes turned towards their direction. Light purple dress danced on top of the hundred step staircase. Ye Mulan and the others were rushing towards the main entrance. Ji Yuanjia sucked in a deep breath and lowered his right arm. There was a soft clang, and a small sword that was only one sixth of a meter long appeared in his palm. It glinted with a cold light. He eyes swept across the crowd as he said sternly, This is the business of the imperial seventeenth corps. Mind your own business! The familiar faces that had appeared in Copper Peacock Terrace at the fighting ring immediately showed the signs of retreat. The seventeenth corps was one of the Empires main corps. If Ji Yuanjia truly decided to throw caution to the wind, unless they fought each other and decided life or death on the spot, these natives of the Evernight Continent actually would not have the courage to harm him. Even if Ji Yuanjia were to be punished by martial law later, the seventeenth corps would take out all of the landowning households who were involved in order to protect the main corps reputation. Qianye moved beside Lu Shenjiangs ears and said softly, Is it Gu Liyu, or Marquis Ross? At this moment, Lu Shenjiang still kept a tight lip and snorted coldly, Those who know less live longer. Is it? Qianyes hand relaxed slightly, and he dropped Lu Shenjiang to the ground with a simple hook using the back of his feet. Then, he stepped onto Lu Shenjiangs knee and exerted his strength. Lu Shenjiangs knee was crushed just like then amidst breaking noises. Seeing that Qianyes foot was going to land on his other leg, Lu Shenjiang finally screamed out in fear, Dont! Ill speak! Ill speak everything! Who is it? Qianyes question was simple and straightforward. Both! There is both Gu Liyu and Marquis Ross. They both wish to see you dead! Can you let me go now? Lu Shenjiangs voice was very loud under nearly suffocating pain and panic. Many people had heard his words. Qianye withdrew his right leg slowly before saying indifferently, Alright. I can let you go once. But there isnt going to be a second time, get it? Get it! I get it! Lu Shenjiang nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Lets go! Qianye beckoned Ji Yaunjia and looked like he was about to leave. But just as he had taken two steps away, Qianye suddenly turned around and pointed the revolver of the Twin Flowers right at Lu Shenjiangs forehead!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 117: Returning to the Battlefield [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] At this moment, the surrounding had suddenly fallen into a deathly silence. Time seemed to have become frozen, and everyones faces were riddled in shock. It was as if their very thoughts had come to a pause, and they were unable to comprehend at all what was about to happen. The ancient and graceful patterns on Twin Flowers lit up, drawing the outline of a demonically beautiful double petal flower. Its inner layer was as clean white as snow, and its outer layer was as scarlet red as blood. A misty light of origin power appeared from the muzzle, followed by the slow exit of an origin bullet flying towards Lu Shenjiangs forehead. It caused the inconsolable terror on his face to become frozen forever. A red and white flower bloomed before everyones eyes just like that. Now we really should be going. Qianye withdrew his gun and beckoned Ji Yuanjia casually. Then, he turned around and left. Even Ji Yuanjia was exclaiming in slight disbelief, You, you really killed him? Qianye said indifferently, He shouldve died twice. I never joke around when it comes to something like this. Ji Yuanjia sucked in a deep breath and nodded. As he followed Qianye and began to walk towards outside, he maintained half a shoulders distance behind Qianye intentionally or otherwise. The small sword that was only one sixth of a meter sang softly as it flowed with a misty green color. When he walked out of the doorstep, Ji Yuanjia turned around and met Ye Mulans gaze with extreme calmness. The latter was standing high above the stairs and had regained her cool and proud appearance. However, her beautiful and unblemished face seemed to have turned into a slightly dull and lifeless mask. Immediately after, Ji Yuanjia strode away with wide steps, while Qianye never looked back even a single time. The youths who had just ran over were all as frozen as ice as they stared at Qianye and Ji Yuanjias departing figure. It was only when the jeep the duo rode on had completely vanished from view that someone screamed loudly. Ye Mulan said in a cold voice, How dare a peasant kill a landowning household noble in public! I must get justice for this murder! The group of landowning household youths all echoed in agreement, but the majority of them could not control the pale look on their faces. Ji Yuanjia had put on an unexpected firm display of force, and a stance that suggested that he would participate in battle if necessary. In reality, his actions had already foretold this incidents outcome. Similar conflicts were happening at every corner of the city, and the most forceful and most effective method was to kill the other party on the spot. You say you plan to get justice through the official procedures? This thing could take up to several years and not necessarily produce a result. In the end, in the eyes of the important figures, landowning households, humble families or commoners were not all that different from each other. Exceptions had always been far and few. On the way back, Ji Yuanjia suddenly said on the car, Im sorry. Dont say that. Ji Yuanjia sighed, No, I have to say this! At the time, I really did not have the courage to stand up. If he hadnt felt wariness and tolerance towards Ye Mulan from the beginning, Qianye would not have been forced up the fighting ring. The enemy had come at them with careful consideration over their ranks, martial arts, and equipment. If Qianyes combat strength hadnt exceeded everyones situation, then the person who mightve been hurt grievously or even killed on the fighting ring would be Qianye. Qianye patted his shoulder and smiled, I have courage, because I have nothing at all. You are different. You still have your family. Ji Yuanjia let out a long sigh and said hatefully, Those damnable landowning households! Qianye smiled faintly and said, Thats all there is to them. Ji Yuanjia recalled something and asked, Whats that about a Marquis? Oh nothing, its just the vampire marquis Ross. I killed one of his descendants and robbed him off the guns that was said to belong to him when he became famous. Theres no way this news can be concealed, so I know that he would send someone to come after me. I just didnt think that it would be so soon, and through the hands of these landowning nobles no less. Ji Yuanjia immediately sucked in a cold breath, Marquis Ross! Curse it, thats an old monster that has lived almost a thousand years! Still, his main territory is at Darkblood City, and he is some distance away from this place. What do you plan to do now? Will you think of a way to sell those two guns? Qianye said leisurely, No, I plan to use this pair of guns for myself. It felt pretty good when I used them just now. They may be a little old, but they are still very serviceable. Ji Yuanjia said in shock, Youve gone crazy! This is a public taunt! A public taunt against a vampire marquis! Ive never been as clear-headed as I am now. Qianye answered. Ji Yuanjia was dumbfounded. If Qianye were to do this in a different battlefield then it was nothing big, since no matter how strong that vampire marquis was he would not dare to charge into the humans faction to kill Qianye. Plus, at Marquis Rosss level, something like this was but a small matter. However, this was the Evernight Continent. This was the place where the human race and dark races permeated into one another and become entangled in countless strings. No one could say exactly how many deals existed between the expeditionary forces and the dark races, and how deep the waters were. As long as Marquis Ross issued a high enough bounty, then there would be people who would want to cut off Qianyes head just like that Lu Shenjiang. What do you plan to do now? Im going to go to the frontline and familiarise with 131. Then I would start fighting against the dark races. Its about time Miss Qiqi gather some points for her exam, isnt it? Ji Yuanjia frowned and said, The war here is more frequent than over at the Boulderstone Region, and the dark races combat strength is stronger as well. It is better to face a powerful enemy upfront than watching out for a knife behind my back at every moment. Ji Yuanjia smiled bitterly and said, Your thinking is still too naive. Its not like youd be immune to entrapment just because you are at the frontlines. he paused for a moment before saying directly, Your rank is still too low, and you will be facing many powerful dark races at a company level battlefront. They will not meet you in a fair duel or something either. Originally, Miss Qiqi was planning to send you to the frontline after youve reached rank five. Qianye suddenly smiled and said, Actually, killing is different from dueling. An enemy you cant beat may not necessarily be unkillable. Ji Yuanjia gave it a moments thought before exhaling and said, Alright. Just watch out for yourself whatever you do. Scout more before you act and prepare a retreat route. Also, it will be best if you contact me before you conduct any big operations. I may be able to get you some reinforcements. Didnt Miss Qiqi bring over a corp of regular troops only? Now that youve passed even an elite company to me, what else do you have to support me? The seventeenth corps is just the regular force the Yin Family set up for a uniform arrangement. I am responsible for the recruitment of Miss Qiqis private troops, and now they number almost a thousand people. Their training has never stopped either. Their foundations are good, and they can be sent to the battlefield after a bit more training in cooperation. Qianye nodded, Alright, I will remember this. If there really is a need, I will definitely come and look for you. When he returned to the Yin Familys courtyard, Qianye began tidying his luggage and equipment. The 131 elite companys camp was at a small town several hundreds of kilometers away. That area was the true frontline of the resistance against the dark races. While Qianye was busying himself inside the room, Qiqi had entered right into his bedroom without even bothering to notify him. She looked at Qianyes half tidied equipment and said, Going out to the battlefield so soon? The sooner Im there, the sooner I can get familiarize myself with the environment. While picking up the vampire pistols and playing with them, Qiqi said, Ive heard about todays matter. You did well. It is very much to my liking! If there is one thing I have to criticize about, it will be that you failed to kill Ye Mulan. She raised the twin guns and made an aiming posture at a vampire in a war painting before saying, That woman is even more disgusting than that treacherous and deceitful bastard Song Zining! Qianye choked as he began to recall if the Song Zining at Yellow Spring had anything to do with those two adjectives. Then he realized that he had become absent-minded and said immediately, Wouldnt killing her bring you trouble? Qiqi said carelessly, It is only a bit of trouble. In actuality, my troubles cannot get worse than it already is now. If you kill her, grand household Song would naturally get a new fiance for Song Zining. They just have to pursue the matter for the sake of their own reputation. Qianye said honestly, Ye Mulans secret arts is very useful. Although I won, I may not necessarily be able to kill her. Qiqi glared at him from the corner of her eyes, obviously amused by Qianyes overly honest answer, These two guns are pretty good. Why dont you gift them to me? Qianye shook his head and said, No, I going to use them myself. Tsk tsk! You are openly taunting a marquis, you know! He may it beneath him to deal with you himself, but his descendants will definitely come after you! Then let them come! Qiqi put down the twin pistols and said, You are even crazier than I imagine. Alright, do not die. Otherwise, where am I to find such a beautiful little lover? The next day, Qiqi sent out her private airship directly to take Qianye to his destination. Ji Yuanjia accompanied him. On board the airship, Qianye finally asked the question that had been plaguing him for two days, Why would grand household aristocratic families like the Yin Family and Song Family attempt to connect by marriage with landowning households? Its like this In order to absorb talents and preserve the vitality of the familys bloodline, grand households would select a specific group from every generation of youths to marry with the landowning households. Be it man or woman, the outcome of this marriage was the merging of a landowning household into a grand household aristocratic family. This also meant that Gu Liyu and Ye Mulan would become a member of the Yin Family and Song Family in the future. Only the most excellent group of young talents of the landowning households would obtain such an opportunity. Just by entering the gate of an aristocratic family alone, their families would be taken care as well. This was also a landowning households opportunity to advance. For a grand household aristocratic family, this was a chance to absorb the most talented youths of the landowning households into their own families and maintain their overall status. It was also a latent method to suppress the growth of the landowning households. Yin Qiqi and Song Zining had been chosen to marry with nobles of landowning households by their families since a very young age. Normally speaking, the age between six to eight was the period where the children of aristocratic families began to cultivate their origin power. They would go through a series of potential tests, background check and kin relation filtering before the selection was confirmed. Naturally, the targets chosen as marriage partners were people at the fringe of the direct line of descent. However, Yin Qiqi and Song Zining were the few exceptions to the rule. Not only did their individual strength grow stronger and stronger after they became an adult, their status within the family also grew more important with each passing day. That was why both Gu Liyu and Ye Mulan paid so much importance to the engagement and was willing to pay any price to ensure that the engagement would go through. Suddenly, a problem popped into Qianyes head. The result of the potential tests of the aristocratic family membersespecially those at the top levelshould be pretty conclusive, so why had such a huge deviation occurred? Plus, there should be plenty of chances to correct this between the period of children to adulthood. He had just asked this question when he saw Ji Yuanjias expression. He understood immediately what it meant. There were probably many people within the Song and Yin Family who wished to see through this engagement due to a variety of reasons. Yin Qiqi might be extremely dissatisfied with her familys arrangement, but she could not force the Yin Family to withdraw the engagement either. Therefore, she could only force Gu Liyun to give up on his own. It was just that her methods were truly a little dumbfounding. It was only now Qianye finally understood the entire ins and outs. However, it didnt matter whether he knew this earlier or later. From the moment he participated in this mission, he was fated to offend Gu Liyu to the death. It was just that Qianyes style of doing his best in every task caused the effects of certain matters to exceed the expectations of the originator of the problem, Yin Qiqi, and her aides. Several hours later, the airship slowly descended at Zhongying Town. This was a small town with several thousand people of population, and their main livelihood depended on a nearby black stone mine. Most of the townspeople worked at the mines.Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 118: Going to War [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Although Zhongying Town wasnt very large, but this was a key point of the border defences. Hence, the defensive emplacements of the place were remarkably complete, and it would normally have a garrison standing guard made of the expeditionary army on the order of thousands. The 131st reinforced company as well as several companies in reserve from other designations were also based here, training, supplying, and organizing their troops, ready to move off at a moments notice. Ji Yuanjia accompanied Qianye into the army camp, and once he was done with the take over procedures, he left on the airship. Even the 131st reinforced company had its own independent camp, and at this point every soldier from the company was gathered in the parade square, being inspected by the company commander, Captain Bao Zhengcheng, who was accompanying Qianye in the inspection. Within the seventeenth corps, the reinforced company was equivalent to the special forces within the units, and both their military strength and equipment were overwhelmingly above those of a normal unit, and they were often rebellious. What Qianye looked at now was such a unit. One hundred fifty men stood crookedly, not a single one of them ramrod straight. A few of the more talented officers were even sending unfriendly gazes towards Qianye, openly and brazenly evaluating from head to toe. Had Qianye been escorted over by Ji Yuanjia, and been directly greeted by him before he left, they might not have been so quick to challenge him. Ji Yuanjia had originally risen from the seventeenth corps as an infantry officer, and attained his stripes by accumulating military merits, and his name carried more weight than Miss Qiqis among these soldiers. While standing to one side was Bao Zhengcheng smiling innocently, as if nothing had been seen. He was round but heavy-set, and he towered over Qianye by nearly a full head, and at first glance he resembled a standing grizzly bear. A normal reinforced company was usually headed by a rank three Fighter, but the rank four Bao Zhengcheng had committed a crime, and was hence punished to become the company commander of this reinforced company. Faced with this similar-looking initial inspection, Qianye suddenly had a nostalgic feeling. It was only that at that time, he was still a rookie, and at most he could only observe the Black Scorpion veterans being rowdy from the sides. Qianye smiled, and his obsidian-like eyes shined. Captain Bao, your men are really quite an interesting bunch! Bao Zhengcheng opened his mouth wide, as he clasped his hands together, laughing. Theyre but rabble that only know how to wage war, and nothing else! I would think that merely being able to fight wouldnt be enough, given that the first law of the Empires military is being able to follow orders. The commanders order, theyll definitely follow for sure. Bao Zhengcheng immediately patted his chest reassuringly. Qianye waved his hand. Very well, dismiss them. Not a single man moved, and some of the warriors were even shocked back into their normal military postures. When they heard those words about the Empires military law, they had already begun to rub their hands together in glee, ready to let this new officer in front of them understand what they understood by military law, but instead, he had just so weakly ended it. Was this maiden-looking little kid really so soft? Qianyes gaze swept across Bao Zhengchengs muscular body, and suddenly asked, Before you all assembled, you were doing physical training, no? Yes. Then how about the two of us do a demonstration for them? Bao Zhengcheng started, and going with the flow, smiled. Sure! Its rare to see Sir willing to demonstrate. The basic training for power was to wrestle, and among the officers, they obviously wouldnt get down and dirty wrestling one another heavily, and the traditional way was with an arm wrestle. As the men moved the limestone stage over, Bao Zhengchengs men snuck over to him. Head, are you really going to contest him The man made a hand sign towards Qianye. This time around, there isnt even anyone willing to open bets for it. Evidently, the warriors had all piled up in the front to watch the match, no longer raucous and rowdy like during their normal matches. Bao Zhengcheng chided them. The new officers watching, all of you straighten up! Then he watched as Qianye curiously observed the various training equipment laid out upon the training grounds, and his face darkened. Qianyes military uniform wasnt made to standard measures, but was instead handmade by Qiqi, even as she forced him into it, and it was especially form-fitting. Actually, Qianye wasnt too short, and had tall proportions and broad shoulders, but his waist was thinner, and it was obvious that he was slightly slender. Looking at Qianyes small frame, Bao Zhengchengs heart was a little glum, and he could only be happy that the opponent hadnt asked to body-wrestle him, because if he lost, hed have lost all of his dignity. The stage was quickly prepared, and Qianye along with Bao Zhengcheng each took a side, and as the twos hands met, some of the surrounding soldiers were already unable to contain their smiles, and some of the non-commissioned officers were already starting to make funny faces at Bao Zhengcheng. Compared to Bao Zhengchengs bear-like arms, Qianyes arm wasnt even half as thick, and it could be called slender. The result of this evident contest of strength had never been in doubt to the soldiers, and instead the topic of the talk had changed to whether Qianyes little arm would be twisted off, or to topics about whether they were being too hard on him, etc. A single copper coin was tossed into the air, and as it landed with a clear ting, Qianye and Bao Zhengcheng began to put their backs into it. Hey, hey, hey!! Bao Zhengcheng roared thrice, and released his power thrice. But beyond anyones expectations, Qianyes arm was seemingly made of steel, not budging an inch. Bao Zhengchengs face had already flushed fully red, and he took a deep breath. And then, with a roar like a wild animal, his muscles bulged, and the tendons popped, his arm thickening, evidently putting out his maximum power! This sort of force, even if applied to a solid steel beam, would have bent it in half! But Qianyes arm still remained completely stationary! Bao Zhengcheng knew in his heart that things were going south, and suddenly, from the hand came an enormously huge and unstoppable force, that immediately crumbled his defenses, and slammed his arm viciously onto the limestone stage with a single swing! And this evidently wasnt over. With a boom, the remaining force that hadnt dissipated, slammed directly into the stage itself, and the meter thick limestone slab was actually smashed into a pile of rubble. Bao Zhengchengs body had lost its balance, and he toppled over, falling heavily onto his back, his limbs pointing up towards the sky. Qianye gave a slight smile as he pulled up Bao Zhengcheng. Sorry about that. Bao Zhengcheng looked at Qianye as if he was looking at a monster a few times. What power! The two of them were both rank four Fighters, but Qianye had used his origin power to compete against his pure power, and not only had he completely won, but he had also proven his pointthat he wasnt some pansy sent over by some large family to gain military achievements, and that his power was absolutely capable of shouldering his rank as a commissioned officer. In the Empires army, especially for those on the front line, the strong were to be revered! Bao Zhengcheng turned around to yell at all of the soldiers that were standing there mutely. All of you, fall in, at attention! Take a good look at your new senior officer! Watching the soldiers standing erect in front of him, Qianye knew that he had already taken the first step to being accepted by this rowdy bunch of soldiers. As to being the commanding officer, that had to be gained through achievement. Two days later, Qianye immediately had the entire company move out, to sortie into the border and engage in field battle. Within two weeks, Qianyes unit had run into the patrol units of the dark races three times, and each time, they had wiped them out. In every battle, the strongest warriors of the patrol teams had been personally hunted and killed by Qianye himself. It was at this point that the soldiers realized that their new officer was in fact an ultra-long-ranged sniper. Hence, some of the more hard-headed non-commissioned officers attitudes softened towards him, and no matter what they thought of this officer thatd been parachuted in, a sniper was a supernatural existence within any army group. Along their route, Qianye let the units that had battled thrice rest, while he brought the rest of them along personally to survey the area, and discovered a team of vampires that had been sent to investigate the missing patrol teams. Up until now, all of the encounters had been commanded by both he and Bao Zhengcheng, and Qianye was simply cooperating with this unfamiliar group. This time around, it was his first solo command, and since the vampires investigative team would definitely have laid down traps and ambushes, he immediately took out one of the Blood Esquires, and then led his men to take down another, wiping out this investigative team that had thrice the power of a normal patrol team. At this point, Qianye knew that it was time to throw in the towel, and hence he had the company move back to base first, while he alone prepared an ambush, biding his time. One full day and night later, Qianye had indeed managed to encounter the reinforcement force from the dark races. This was a team with an extraordinary amount of power, made up of a full team of fifty warriors, and even the worst of them was rank two! Leading this bunch was an rank eight Blood Knight, and he was accompanied by a full complement of six Blood Esquires. This squad of full warriors power had already far exceeded that of the 131st, and if Qianye hadnt let them retreat early, it would have been very possible that they would have gotten caught from behind. A normal soldiers speed and endurance, was no match for that of a rank two Fighter. This team was entirely made of vampires, and all of them were wearing black-and-red capes, quietly advancing. Although they looked as if they werent moving much, their speed had already far exceeded the full run of a normal person. As they passed by a withered tree, the Blood Knight in the front suddenly stopped, and then signalled to the rest. The whole troop immediately stopped. This Blood Knight lifted his mask, revealing a stern, but weathered face with silver hair. He walked to the tree, and sniffed strongly. Suddenly raising his head, he looked towards one of the branches that was stained with a little bit of blood. Although the blood had long since dried, but it still retained its brilliant crimson shade, evidently highly suspicious. That was the blood essence of an upper class vampire! The Knights face churned a little, and his eyes lit with a deep anger. He suddenly turned around, and shouted at the vampire warriors behind him. Pick up the pace! Well chase them down, and kill off all of those brazen humans! Even as his shout was still echoing, the Knight suddenly felt a sharp tug in his chest, and at the feeling of danger, he lunged forward. A whistling origin bullet missed his vital organs, and struck him in his leg. The enormous momentum of the bullet caused him to roll several times before he fell to the floor. Without waiting for orders, three of the Blood Esquires rushed over, and immediately began to shield him, while the other three ran towards the fleeing silhouette in the distance at full speed. Damned human snipers! The dark races hated to see these soldiers the most on the battlefield. The Knight struggled to his feet, and then furiously roared. Chase him! I want him alive! But he suddenly felt a dizziness, and nearly fainted over. This Blood Knight was seriously shocked, and he hurriedly looked towards his wounds, discovering that the injury was rapidly decaying and decomposing at an alarming rate. There was also some strange force constantly attempting to invade his body. The Knight at this point was shocked beyond measure, and he furiously circulated his blood energy, forcibly suppressing the strange force that was destroying the parts of him around the wound, and trying to infiltrate deeper, but in the blink of an eye, the wound on his leg had already reached so far that his bone was exposed. Back to the blood pool, hurry! The Knight was panicked with both shock and anger as he called out orders to his men. In the distance, the heart of Qianye, who was on the run, was full of regrets. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 119: Minor Billows [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The perception of a higher vampire was just too sharp. The moment Qianye pulled the trigger, the Knight had already reacted to it and made an evasive action. He had already taken the risk to approach close to five hundred meters away from it, but he still wasnt able to snipe the Blood Knight. Qianye ran without pause. The three Blood Esquires chasing after him did not share the same speed, and they slowly pulled apart from each other. The closest Blood Esquire had already reached several dozen meters away behind Qianye. There were even thorns whistling past Qianyes head and sides. Qianye had been listening to the air all this time while running. Through every miniscule sound transmitted by the wind, he deduced what was going on behind him and finally found the opportunity that he had been waiting for. There was a several meters wide gorge on the ground ahead of him. Qianye sped up for the run-up and leaped into the air, but he suddenly turned around in midair before landing steadily on his feet in a half kneeling posture. A pair of retro style pistol appeared in his hands. Bang bang! Two origin bullets shot out from both gun barrels and slammed into the closest Blood Esquire! The Blood Esquire had been very cautious along the way, but how could he have known that his opponent would choose to ambush him at a roadblock? Caught off guard, he did not even manage to put up a defensive posture. The Blood Esquire screamed as he flew backwards. The armor before his chest had been destroyed in one go. His chest and stomach was a bloody mess, and wisps of invisible, tiny blood energy was seeping into his body and destroying everything wantonly. Right now, the patterns on Twin Flowers had been completely lit up. The light of the origin power drew a pair of demonic flowers on both arms. The illusion hadnt dimmed yet as the flowers actually shook under the wind of the wilderness before joining together to form a pair of Hippeastrum. Only then did the illusion finally faded away. The two Blood Esquires who fell behind let out an exclamation in unison, Thats Marquis Ross gun! So it has fallen into his hands! They immediately discovered right after that their injured companion hadnt climbed on his feet yet. When they approached him and took a look, they finally realized that the Blood Esquire had actually fallen into near death. The damage he suffered was far more serious than they had imagined, and his wounds were emitting with a putrid stench. His flesh and blood was blackening and dying by the droves, and his blood power had already neared the edge of destruction. The two Blood Esquires were shocked by the sight. This was the first time they saw a blood poison that was even more terrifying than humankinds mithril, not to mention that Marquis Ross Twin Flowers were just as deadly as the legends said they were. Suddenly, they no longer dared to pursue Qianye, and they could only watch him running further and further away before vanishing towards the horizon. Qianye, who was giving himself an injection of stimulant was running wildly on the ground. It was only now that he felt a little upset that he might have used the Twin Flowers a little too early. Qiqi was very interested in these twin pistols, and when she saw that Qianye wasnt willing to transfer ownership of the guns to her, she had purposely dragged him and Ji Yuanjia to test it out at the shooting range. It already took more effort than usual for a human to use a vampires weapon, and even at the full power of two rank seven experts Twin Flowers had only shot out the result of a normal grade four origin gun. A weapon like this was considered a rare and fine piece of work among other vampire weapons, and it was considered pretty amazing already if a human could use a normal grade four vampire gun and fire a grade three shot. Therefore, everyone had simply treated this pair of pistols as a relic of minor historical value. But who would have expected that the pistols would unleash such striking special effects after it was powered by Qianye in full force? After this shot, Qianye knew that he and the 131st Company was probably going to become famous now. When the 131st reinforced companys battle report was sent to the backline, the first of the results appeared on the record of Qiqis successor examination. Qiqi tossed her legs directly on the table despite sitting inside a meeting room and facing a room of lieutenant colonels and majors. After she had finished reading the documents in her hand meticulously, she tossed it directly on the table and asked, Do you guys believe this? Some of the officers inside the room were frowning, whereas some were expressionless. No one gave her an opinion. The document had recorded the 131st reinforced companys battle result under Qianyes command for the past half a month or so. The record included severely wounding a Blood Knight, killing six Blood Esquires and the warriors of other dark races of the same rank. The number of dark race regular troops beneath rank six were close to a hundred. Forget a reinforced company, even a regular corps would find it somewhat difficult to get such a result. After observing his colleagues reactions, Ji Yuanjia took the lead and said, The former company commander of the 131st Company, Captain Bao Zhengcheng had added his signature of confirmation as well. Captain Bao has an upright character, and he has never have a bad record in this regard. The correctness of a battle result that has gone through his hands should be fine. Then how did a normal reinforced company achieve such a battle result? If every reinforced company could achieve such a success, then wouldnt I be able to flatten the entire Evernight Continent if I pull a corp over? Qiqi asked. The military officers present including Ji Yuanjia could not quite understand how it was achieved. It was at this moment a major said, Theres no point making empty guesses. Why dont we request 131st Company themselves to submit a detailed battle report? Qiqi nodded and said, Alright, then its been decided! It was at this moment the meeting room was pushed open, and a combat staff officer had swiftly made his way into the room. He placed a document of intel before Qiqi and whispered a few lines into her ears. Qiqi opened the intel and gave it a quick browse. Then, she passed the document to Ji Yuanjia, The dark races had been very active as of late, and there were signs of large scale troops being moved around. Watch your own backs whenever you come and go. Also, notify the troops at the frontline to withdraw the battle lines as much as possible and emphasise on defense. Lets make clear the enemys intentions before we decide on anything. I will also request the expeditionary forces to investigate as quickly as possible what on earth those dark races are planning to do. Ji Yuanjia read through the intel several times before saying, There are greater mobilization of the dark races at the area surrounding the 131st Company. I believe that there is a need to remind Captain Qian to be more cautious with his recent activities. I believe he should be told not to act reckless so as to avoid falling into the dark races trap. Qiqi waved a hand carelessly and said, Alright, lets do it that way. For the next period of time, the military officers began to plan out their military tactics on the table. The troops directly subordinate to Miss Qiqi, their supports and their allied troops had finally began preparations of war recently. Previously, they had already completed the gathering of intel on the landscape of the battlefield, and they were discussing and analysing the dark races next move according to the weekly military intel and the diagrams of the latest changes of the dark race troops deployments. However, Qiqi was ultimately an outsider to this battlefield. There was a limit to the length of her defense line, and the troops that she could control directly were few. Therefore, the source of her information came mainly from the military, and she had almost no personal channels at all. Therefore, there were a lot less cross referencing materials they could use for the analysis. At Xichang City, the expeditionary forces was still the indisputable main strength of the army. Ji Yuanjia did not participate into the discussion. He was still looking at the latest deployment of the dark races military forces while frowning, Miss, the 131st Company may encounter powerful enemies. Qiqi said lazily, A battlefield at this level cannot be too powerful. How about this, well appropriate a batch of equipment at the level of special forces to them. Things should be fine then. No matter how strong the enemy is, I can bury them in money all the same! Ji Yuanjia smiled a little awkwardly before following up with a careful question, Miss, the combat power of the 131st Company in itself is limited. Should we move our other two companys position slightly forwards manned by me or Old Xiao himself, so that we will be able to provide support in time in case of any problems? Qiqi let out a yawn and waved his suggestion away, saying, Theres no need. Let my little lover do whatever he wants. How can he earn his manliness without going through the roasting of war otherwise? We still have some time now anyway. Let us see what other pleasant surprises he can give us. She raised her head and looked towards the officers who were still conducting dry runs and waved her hands, All right, time to disperse. No matter what the dark races are planning to do, it can only be a big battle is all. You guys may as well go get the weapons ready. The efficiency of this rural place is sometimes terrible poor. The officers all stood up, saluted and got out of the room in succession. Ji Yuanjia was the last one to head out. After he was finished tidying the intel and materials on the table, he raised his head and discovered that Qiqi was still sitting at the same spot. After a momentary daze, he said, Miss? Youll be able to break through to the eighth node after this Profound Heaven Spring Hunt, wont you? When Qiqi did not smile, her face looked especially dignified and calm. It was vastly different from her usual appearance. Ji Yuanjia answered with a simple yes. You know, I have always held quite the high expectations of you. With the right arts and sufficient medicines, you may be able to break through to Champion rank in three years. Ji Yuanjia lowered his eyes and listened quietly. As for those two things, the Yin Family has already promised them to you. Qiqi stood up and walked towards the door. It was only until Qiqis footsteps had completely disappeared that Ji Yuanjia finally lifted his head. He stared at the half closed door and the empty corridor. The Yin Family? Yes, it was only the Yin Family. Right now, inside the filing room, the relevant materials had already been sent over for preservation. The young female second lieutenant had accepted the files, she carefully locked the door behind her and swiftly took out a letter of a different specification and copied down the meeting report with the pen and paper she had prepared a long time ago. A few hours later, these two items had been sandwiched between the briefcase of a colleague and carried away. Not long after, this meeting report had been placed before the table of a young man. He had a masculine and handsome face, coupled with a tall body of near perfect proportions. His black hair was a little messy, but it added a few points of charm to his appearance. Otherwise, he would have appeared overly dignified. He finished reading the meeting report with quick reading speed. Then, he paid very close attention to the lone letter. When his eyes fell on the word little lover, the fire that rose in his eyes nearly burned the thin paper into dust. Blue veins popped from the back of his hand, and he abruptly rolled the paper into a ball, ready to tear it apart there and then. However, he controlled himself forcefully at the last moment and slowly opened the letter bit by bit, flattening and wiping away every crease gently and meticulously as if he was treating the face of a lover. He took out an unremarkable folder from his drawer and put the meeting report and the letter inside. There were plenty of similar papers inside the file. There were meeting records, handwritten intel, and edited newspapers. Regardless of the content, they were all related to Qiqi and her scandals. The letter that had been creased was placed at the topmost part of the file. Then, he penned down the number 11 at the corner of the letter before putting away the folder. He walked in front of the window and stared quietly towards outside, pondering. The building was a very small officer hostel that was only several dozen of square meters wide. It could not fit more than a cupboard, table and chair. This was the hostel of a second lieutenant. The man did not wear any army rank on his clothes, but judging from the seven origin nodes vaguely emanating from his body he could not be any ordinary second lieutenant. The window of the hostel was facing towards a drill ground. Squads of expeditionary forces soldiers were performing combat training on it. Further away were the tall walls and main entrance of the military camp. There were soldiers on top of two sentry towers watching warily towards the endless wilderness at the distance. This was a military depot. It was garrisoned by an entire expeditionary force brigade, and it was more than a hundred kilometers away from Xichang City. It was the fulcrum of the defense of Xichang City, and it was also the hub that supported the frontlines and circulation of supplies. Every supply, intel, and personnel that were transferred to the frontlines would reach this place before being spread out to all directions. It was at this moment the main entrance of the military depot forged of black metal slowly slide towards both sides. A squad of heavy trucks protected by several armored vehicles slowly drove into the depot. Two of the heavy trucks were marked with the Yin Familys symbol. The man stared at the two heavy trucks as a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 120: Undercurren t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] It didnt take long before the door was knocked, and a young and beautiful short haired female first lieutenant walked in while carrying a stack of documents. Lieutenant Colonel Gu, this is the latest summary of intelligence on the dark races activities, the distribution of forces on our defensive line, and the information were about to send to the 131th Company. The man looked at her once. He said with a voice full of dignity, but not without a trace of gentleness, Dont call me lieutenant colonel here, and dont call me by my name either. Yes! Lie Oh no, sir. the female first lieutenant immediately corrected herself. The man first opened the summary of intelligence. It was a map covering a wide domain. The map was labeled with the latest dark races communities, armed force distribution, and mobilization. Only a grade one expeditionary force unit couldve collected and summarized a war zone level of information like this regularly. Although this distribution map still had many flaws and defects in this mans eyessuch as a large amount of unclear data, lack of rank quantization, data labeled with dates indicating that it had not been updated for a very long timeit was still far better than not having anything at all. At the very least, it enabled the troops in this domain to have an eagles eyes view on the battlefield. They were no longer just overlooking the small amount of land before their eyes. The man simply gave it a sweeping glance before saying, The dark races have become a lot more active as of late, I see. Why is it? The female first lieutenant said, According to the information from above, it seems that clues about the Black Monarchs treasure have appeared around this area. Therefore, it has attracted many elites of the dark races. The Black Monarchs treasure? the man broke into laughter and shook his head, saying, This legend has appeared for over a hundred years, and at least a dozen or so so-called most important clues have been discovered, but no one has ever found this so-called treasure, have they? I cant believe these black-bloods havent given up yet! The female lieutenant said, Anyone would be tempted by the wealth left behind by a Dark Monarch. Even if the clue may be fake, there would still be a lot of people who would want to come and take a look. They are idle anyway. It is also rumored that the reason that Evernight council member had suddenly shown up at Darkblood City last time was because of this. The man opened the 131st Companys document bag. The first thing they took out was an armaments list of items. When he saw the obviously excessive amount of equipment, he simply raised an eyebrow and casually tossed it to the side. Then he opened the rank information that was about to be delivered to the 131st Company and said, Thats true. Those dark races dont really know how to build, so they spent most of their attention on conflicts and growing stronger His voice suddenly cut short. The female first lieutenant raised her head strangely, and she saw that the muscles on his face were twitching constantly and his complexion was shrouded in green since a while ago. He stared at the information in his hands like he would burn a hole in it. She was surprised and took a furtive glance at the paper. She was immediately shocked by the scope of the map comprised, the dense labels and amount of data on it. Even if she could not see the words clearly, she knew by experience that this was information only an advisor level battle unit could obtain. It was absolutely not something that shouldve appeared in the tiny document bag of an independent reinforced company. According to the Empires laws, this was an extremely severe case of leaked secrets. The military officer directly responsible for this leaking would be executed, and all related personnel would be implicated as well. Even the lightest punishment would be a military discharge. Surprise took the female first lieutenant first. Then she let out a sigh with a dim expression. This was the abandoned land of the Empire. The first impression the expeditionary forces gave to the people was that their military discipline was a mess. This was the only place where all kinds of explanations and sentences were born out of strict laws. As long as the inspection officer wasnt alarmed, then anything could happen in this place. There was no doubt that Miss Qiqi had incited this information to appear in the 131st Companys document bag, and a child of an aristocratic family who bore the nominal title of cooperative defense like Qiqi was someone whom even the generals of the expeditionary forces werent willing to offend. In the end, Qiqi was only going to stay on the Evernight Continent for a year. If the generals interests werent harmed in the slightest, then why was there a need to make her unhappy? What should they do now? Use this information to report her? Her own downfall immediately appeared in the first lieutenants mind. At worst, Qiqi would toss out an unimportant officer a scapegoat, and she who had dared to speak up would definitely be implicated by some random incidents, tossed into a cell and be met with all kinds of torture. Perhaps her own family would be implicated as well. The man began to take in deep breaths, working hard to suppress his anger. He knew Qiqi very, very well. From the day the engagement had been confirmed, he had begun to collect every information that was related to Qiqi. A full ten years passed. She had grown up from a girl into a woman, and she had changed from an unremarkable second daughter of a direct line of a descent into someone who had reached the final stage of the Yin Familys successor selection examination. During these years, he had only met Qiqi at the Yin Familys formal settings for a couple of times, but he might know Qiqi better than even herself. Gifting equipment was a small thing, but when she had even thought of information then the whole thing became different. Qiqi was the kind of person who absolutely abhorred troubles. She never paid attention to finer details, and she enjoyed doing things the simple and direct way the most. Her most liked quotes were, anything that can be solved with money isnt a thing and naturally there will be someone who would handle a small thing like this. But now, one could see from this information Qiqis concern for the 131st Company. Naturally, this was also a concern for the newly appointed officer of the 131st Company, Qianye! She had never paid this much attention to her previous lovers who quite literally amounted to several dozens of people. A series of changes occurred on the female lieutenants face, and she suddenly hugged the man from behind and said gently, Dont be this way, Liyu. Calm down for a bit! Didnt this happen quite a bit in the past too? This man was none other than Qiqis fianc in name, Gu Liyu. Surprisingly, he was not present in the military division and had instead secretly come to the Evernight Continent and hidden himself in this military depot. The expeditionary force was like a big mishmash containing all kinds of people and all kinds of forces. Be it aristocratic families or noble households, civil or military officers, almost everyone had a foot stuck in this place. There were often cases where unit numbers had appeared and disappeared out of nowhere. Even the expeditionary force commander-in-chief himself could not say for certain exactly how many troops his subordinates had. However, this was also not a big deal. The expeditionary force was just one army out of many in the Empire and the commander-in-chief was an advisor. He only needed to ensure that the number of generals were correct. At best, he would take into consideration several military officers of special identities. It was only easy for someone of Gu Liyus past and current status in the army to take advantage of such a chaotic situation and mess around in a mere military depot. Gu Liyu finally calmed down and bit down on his teeth, saying, Its a little different this time! The female first lieutenant hesitated for a moment but did not dare to ask. But Gu Liyu had given out the answer on his own, Ji Yuanjias reaction is different from before too. he seemed to dislike this name as he continued after a pause, No matter how loyal he is, he is just a dog. The female first lieutenant did not dare to speak in the slightest. But Gu Liyu had suddenly turned around and lifted her into the air, pressing her down directly on the office table, pulling up her skirt and pressing himself right on her. What followed after was a ferocious, storm-like wave of attacks! The female first lieutenant covered her mouth with one hand with everything she got, while hugging his firm and powerful shoulder with the other. Gu Liyu raised his head and looked up at the ceiling. While ravaging the gentle and obedient female body beneath his own, he growled in a low tone like an animal, You just wait! Qiqi! No matter what you do, dont even think you can force me to break off the engagement! We will absolutely get married! I will await the night of the grand wedding! After the near-deranged exercise, he collapsed on the female first lieutenant as if he had suddenly lost all the energy inside his body. Meanwhile, the beautiful, short-haired female first lieutenant did not have the strength to move even a finger. She would only twitch occasionally and let out weak moans. A moment later, Gu Liyu stood up and carried the female first lieutenant onto the army bed. After he wiped her sweat-drenched face, he returned to the study table and spread out the 131st Companys rank information. Then, he took out a blank military use map and began labeling the dark races bases and movement arrowheads of each force. He was obviously familiar with this type of work and worked as quick as lightning. In less than half an hour, the blank military use map had already been covered full of data and turned into an advisor rank distribution map. After thinking for a bit, Gu Liyu added a few words to the top left corner of the map where strategic guidance was: standard combat readiness. What was written on the original information was: pull back the defense lines. After verifying everything once from top to bottom, he folded the paper properly and put it into the 131st Companys information bag. By now, the female first lieutenant had already gotten back on her feet and tidied her clothes. Gu Liyu passed the altered document bag back to her and said, Deliver this to the 131st Company. Hmph, I hope that brat isnt so stupid that he couldnt even understand this level of information. A complicated expression flashed across the female first lieutenants eyes as she said softly, The former company commander Bao Zhengcheng and former NCOs are all there. Even if that brat named Qian did not understand military affairs, the others would see this information as well. I believe that they will move according to your arrangements. That will be the best. It will be an achievement if they dont die this time! A mere rank four Fighter, humph! Gu Liyu nodded as his face eased up a little. The female first lieutenant finally could not hold back any longer and said, Dont be too angry now, okay? I was really scared just now. Gu Liyu hugged her and sighed, saying softly, Im sorry, Little Wei, I cared too much. When Ive successfully obtained Qiqi, I will arrange you a good life. Trust me! Mm. Ye Muwei promised gently and agreeably, but she let out a deep sigh at the bottom of her heart. Then, she raised her hand and yearningly traced the mans handsome countenance, feeling her heart throbbing at the dignified lines that were relaxing bit by bit to her touch. When he returned to the camp, Qianye gave the entire company three days of holiday. He himself stayed inside the army camp to cultivate the Combatant Formula and maintain his guns and equipment. He was also reflecting on the past battles. Switching commanders just before a battle was a great dread to any army, which was why Qianye had utilized Bao Zhengchengs former team in this mobile operation be it in terms of setting the battle strategy or on-field command. He had only chosen a battle position for himself. This was the authority an excellent long ranged sniper should possess in a corp. The 131st Company was a team with rich battle experiences. Qianye had learned many things from Bao Chengzheng and the NCOs. It felt like the continuation of his experience in the Red Scorpions. Back when he was just a rookie he had only fought battles as an individual unit and cooperative unit in group battles. If everything had proceeded normally back then, he should have obtained the power to command NCOs. This day afternoon, two heavy trucks drove into the 131st Companys camp. Qianye was wiping Marquis Ross two pistols in his room when he heard a knocking noise on his door. Then Bao Chengzheng walked in while beaming with happiness. When Qianye saw that he was this happy, he smiled and asked, Is there good news? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 121: Attack [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Of course theres good news! Miss Qiqi had supplied us a batch of good stuff! Youll understand once you come out and take a look! Oh yeah? Then I should give it a look. Qianye stood up and followed Bao Zhengcheng outside. After the previous battle, Qianye had used his own performance to subdue this group of strong and proud soldiers. Bao Zhengcheng had also become true comrades with him. Bao Zhengcheng had to admit that this Qianye who was nearly twenty years old younger than him seemed born for the battlefield. While his tactical and ability to command could not be judged just yet, Qianyes individual prowess and battlefield reactions completely qualified him to become the core of a battle group. Moreover, an excellent sniper had the ability to alter a battle situation singlehandedly and thus, could not be replaced. Right now, a dozen or so soldiers were moving many boxes of equipment down from the trucks. Qianye did not even need to open the boxes. A glance at the numbers on the inscribed signboards was enough to cause a jump at the corner of his eyebrows. One hundred grade one sets, sixty grade two sets, and ten grade three sets of the imperial single unit combat armor Iron Shield, one box of origin grenades, five hundred blank origin bullets, a set of origin machine gun Tempest and three sets of multi-barreled cannon Vulcan! Heh! This time we can fight to our hearts content! Bao Zhengcheng rubbed his hands excitedly while speaking. The imperial single unit combat armor Iron Shield was the elite soldier equipment of the Empires main corps. This also meant that it wasnt something that was normally seen in a list of allocation. The normal allocation rate of such equipment was 10% for a normal company, and 20% for a special company. Increased allocation would only happen in a national war grade large-scale military campaign. This time, not only did Qiqi provided them with one Iron Shield armor each, they even had reserves. Just what kind of expenditure was this? Tempest was an origin heavy machine gun. Although it was only a grade two firearm, its unique optimized functionality was its firepower which was comparable right up to a rank four firearm. However, its consumption was just as shocking, and even a rank four Fighter with a solid foundation like Bao Zhengcheng could only fire continuously for a full minute up to a hundred or so bullets before he would use up all of his origin power. This firearm used prefabricated physical origin bullets too. The amount of expenditure was literally astronomical! Half of the ammo on the car was prepared for Vulcan. These three big guys had massive firepower, and their ammo consumption was just as terrifying. If they did not use it sparingly, they could fire almost a thousand large caliber bullets in a minute. These two trucks of munition supplies could almost compare to a special corps already. Even if were convert them to money it would not go lower than thirty thousand imperial gold coins. When Qianye calculated this number in his mind, he was momentarily dumbfounded as he recalled Qiqis and Auntie Lans catchphrases on no lack of money. He could not help but understand just a little deeper about the style of aristocratic families. Bao Zhengchengs face was full of smiles as he fondly picked up Tempests tactical accessories and equipped it testily onto the weapon, saying excitedly, This precious little baby is something that only special corps can own. Weve gotta do something big this time! Qianye also smiled, The intel from the expeditionary forces general war zone headquarters should have arrived too. Lets give it a good look. A moment later, Qianye took out the military use map from the document bag inside the combat room and was startled immediately. Bao Zhengcheng also froze for a second before saying, Isnt this advisor rank intel? afraid that Qianye might not understand the grading system, he pointed out a few labels and gave a brief explanation. Qianye immediately understood that this was Qiqis handiwork. Ji Yuanjia had mentioned in his letter that Qiqis troops on the Evernight Continent would be launching a large-scale military operation soon. This also meant that the results of the martial roll of the Yin Familys successor exam were about to become apparent. If there was a military campaign grade ops, it would not be difficult for someone of Qiqis identity to obtain the support of the expeditionary force military advisor grade intel. After that, she directly bent the law for herself and delivered the information to him. He believed that she would definitely send him a copy in passing if she acquired a military advisor grade one intel as well. Bao Zhengcheng immediately figured out the ins and outs too and let out a meaningful chuckle immediately. He purposely cast a glance at Qianye with all sorts of underlying meanings behind his eyes. Qianye simply pretended that he had seen nothing and continued to research the map busily. By now, the companys advisor and NCOs had arrived upon the summons. They had gathered together and began selecting their operations paths and attack targets. The battlefield advisor that was allocated to the 131th Company might have been part of the seventeenth corps, but he had spent nearly half of his active service in the combat unit of cooperative defense on the Evernight Continent. He might not know the battle zone around Xichang City like the back of his hand, but he was still very familiar with it. After brushing his fingers across the map for a bit, and discussing a few lines with the NCOs, he pointed at a dark race base and said, Sir, how about we take this base out? Bao Zhengcheng slapped his thigh and said, Of course! Thatll be our target. That was also one of the two reserve targets in Qianyes mind after he looked over the map. He agreed on the spot and nodded, Send down the notice to mobilize our troops tomorrow and depart the day after. We will research our route of march again tomorrow afternoon. Two days later, the 131th Company left behind only a platoon to garrison the camp before Qianye led and departed with the entire company, approaching towards their target. Not long after he made his way, the intel had been placed at Gu Liyus desk. Gu Liyus face was covered in sneers as he watched the companys planned ambush direction. He had left out two traps on his redrawn military intelligence map. Anyone who analyzed this map would choose that place as a first choice attack target unless the choice was made by a complete amateur who knew nothing about military affairs and made a random selection while closing his eyes. However, he also believed that with the quality of 131th Companys original staff, especially an honest and just veteran soldier who lost his major rank because of a single line like Bao Zhengcheng would absolutely not obey his superiors blind commands. However, in the real military intelligence map, there were several dark races troops that were currently mobilizing towards that direction. Even if the 131th Company had successfully taken out a base, they would still fell right into the pockets of the dark races main army. It would not be as easy to escape from them. The route of march Qianye selected was complicated and circuitous. The places they trekked were almost all mountains and ruins. They marched for a full seven days over several hundred of kilometers before they finally closed in on their target. No one complained, however. On the contrary, they were extremely impressed with Qianye. He had personally scouted the path himself, and every time they brushed past the dark races patrols without ever being discovered. Be it the vampires, werewolves or arachne, Qianye knew about their habits like the back of his hand. Although the situation had looked utmost perilous several times, the danger always passed by them leaving behind more fright than harm. By now everyone knew that Qianyes former occupation was a hunter in the Boulderstone Region. However, the expeditionary forces would probably have to consider recruiting new soldiers from the Home of Hunters if every hunter was as great as Qianye. Of course, this was impossible! While resting, an NCO who was very close to Bao Zhengcheng happened to talk about this as a conversation starter. Bao Zhengcheng let out a simple laugh and pointed at him, saying, A person whose rank isnt high and lacking in commanding experience, but is capable of fighting in every position. Where do you think such a person would come from? The NCO wore a look of realization on his face, Oh, hes someone like lieutenant colonel Ji Ji Yuanjia was a figure among the top five back when he was an officer in the seventeenth corps. It was rumored that he was even qualified to enter the Empires elite corps, but his quota was replaced by an aristocratic child due to his humble background. However, Ji Yuanjia had also entered a special corps before. It was only later that he was transferred and promoted to a ranked officer in the seventeenth corps. Bao Zhengcheng continued to chuckle. Among the middle and lower rank officers in the seventeenth corps, he could also be considered a member that was close to the Drinking Horse Yin Family. His military registry was guaranteed by none other than the Yin Family themselves, and he had seen many sights of aristocratic families recruiting talents from the army. At first, he was surprised by Qianyes overly beautiful appearance, thinking that this time Miss Qiqi with her reputation might have gone a little overboard this time, but he did not think that it was he whose eyes were mistaken. Just like this, this troop finally neared the dark races base during the early morning of the eighth day. Right now dawn was not far away, and this was the most tiring moment for the dark races since they were about to fall asleep. Of course, there were not glimmers of dawn during the dark seasons of the abandoned land. The sky god knew how many kilometers up above might have been bathed in sunlight, but the earth was still eternally dark. The village-like base was quiet, and there were two black wolves crouching in front of the entrance lazily and letting out large yawns occasionally. This was all of the guards of the base. Hiding on a hill several hundred meters away, Qianye observed with the quad-directional binoculars for a moment before making a hand gesture to Bao Zhengcheng. This intrepid, brawny man licked his lips and slowly crawled towards the base while carrying the origin machine gun Tempest on his back. His huge, bear-like physique was unexpectedly agile, and he made almost no sound at all during the way. Behind him, several hundreds of soldiers were clutching the ground closely just the same and slowly approaching the base. The two black wolves seemed to have sensed something and suddenly stood up on their feet. Then, they raised their heads towards the sky and got ready to howl. Dull gunshots tore apart the silence of the dawn. The two black wolves heads burst open and their bodies fell backwards, slamming heavily onto the bases wall. Black wolves like these that could not transform to human form could not even be considered regular soldiers among the werewolves. Large caliber sniper rifles were fatal for them. The two snipers swiftly changed bullets and readjusted their aims. Meanwhile, Bao Zhengcheng leaped up from the ground and charged towards the bases main entrance with large steps. The soldiers of the 131th Company also followed suit and began forming up for a charge. The alarm inside the base rang madly, followed by chaos. Figures rushed up the citys walls. The gunshots of sniper rifles rang continuously, and blood blossomed above the walls in response. Caught off guard, the dark race soldiers were shot off the walls. There were only less than one-third of dark soldiers who successfully returned fire, but their aims were unpleasant to speak of. Humans were still the more talented race when it came to shooting. When Bao Zhengcheng was fifty meters away from the main entrance, he swung out two origin grenades from his large hand, powerfully and accurately! The terrific explosion nearly pushed the large door to the floor. The dozen or so dark race soldiers who were attempting to shut the stone cast door were all turned into corpses. The few NCOs who were following closely behind Bao Zhengcheng and charging also tossed out their origin grenades. Explosions rippled inside the base, accompanied by waves of bloodcurdling screams. The common soldiers surged to the main entrance while Bao Zhengcheng led a few rank two Fighters and leaped right up the defense walls. They risked the scattered and increasingly poor aims of bullet rains falling from the wall and swept out the remaining enemies. Just as the information had labeled, this base did not have any heavy defense weapon and was most suitable to take down by a company scale troops. Suddenly, a large black shadow flew out amidst the powdered smoke of battle! The dark figure that covered only half the wall had shrouded almost all the human soldiers with its shadow. It was a dark race near three meters tall. The lower half of its body had the eight claws of a spider. The leg hair of every bottom limb was shaped in the standard size of a narrow dagger, flashing with sharp, cold gleams. The upper half of its body was shaped like a human, and it was gripping a four meter steel spear in both its arms! It charged right up to the walls and penetrated a rank two Fighter who failed to get away in time in one spear, lifting him high up into the air and letting out a threatening roar at Bao Zhengcheng! It was a rank six arachne! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 122: Retrea t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Bao Zhengchengs expression was stern. He directly plunged a syringe of stimulant into his thigh before lifting Tempest horizontally and filling it with power. Even if this arachne was two ranks higher than him, he believed that it would still suffer dearly in the hands of the Tempest. The arachne let out an earthshaking howl before moving its eight long limbs, pouncing toward Bao Zhengcheng like the wind! It was at this moment a gunshot that sounded like a boom of thunder suddenly cracked on the battlefield! The unique, clear and melodious clamor was familiar to the soldiers since some time ago. It was Eagleshot, and there was only one Eagleshot in the entire 131st Company! The arachnes large body suddenly tilted as a large mist of blood suddenly blossomed from its upper body. Its entire left arm and half a shoulder had vanished completely! It let out a long, bloodcurdling scream of pain and lost its balance completely, falling and crashing right down from the city walls. Naturally, Bao Zhengcheng would not let go of such an opportunity. He charged to the edge of the defense walls as Tempest began to roar, spraying fifty or so origin bullets into the arachne and poking it full of holes. The arachne could not climb to its feet any longer, but its sharp limbs were still swinging around with all its might, digging up all of the stones and soils that were within its reach. Fragments flew everywhere, and even the foot of the wall had a huge hole in it. Its was so tenacious it was scary. Before he knew it, Qianye had already arrived beside Bao Zhengcheng. He pushed down the Tempest in his hands and took out an origin grenade. With a light toss, he tossed the grenade onto the arachnes body. Dammit! Bao Zhengcheng only managed to yell once before jumping down the wall along with Qianye and falling down on the ground. Qianyes origin power was exceptionally condensed, and the might of a grenade powered by him would be increased by a full thirty percent. An earthshaking explosion happened behind their backs, and the entire defense wall collapsed like a crumbling stack of toy building blocks, revealing an arachne about the size of a small house. This powerful creature had finally completely stilled. The rank six arachne was the bases leader. Once it was taken out, the rest of the matter became much simpler. An hour later, the dark race base formed by the werewolves and the arachne was basically cleared out. The 131st Company had only used ten minutes to sweep through the battlefield, obtain proof of battle and a bit of the most important trophies before dressing up their troops and leaving in a hurry. The surprise attack part of a guerilla format field mobile warfare in an area controlled by the dark races was not the most important part of the process. As long as the information was sufficiently accurate and complemented with the proper battle group, the chances of success would become extremely huge. The key here was how to avoid the patrols prior to combat to avoid the surprise attack turning into a forced attack or worse, becoming surrounded instead. The other matter was how to smoothly retreat post-battle. The fact that the entire base was taken out was absolutely going to enrage the dark race commander of this area. The battle group would be met with powerful pursuing troops and the encirclement by various dark races forces in the surrounding area that received the news along the way. The operations could be considered a complete success as long as they successfully escaped to a human controlled area. Therefore, the 131st Company did not plan to fight more than necessary at all and fully carried out the tactical thinking of hit and run. They were here to earn military achievements and not money anyway. Considering that Qiqi spent well over several tens of thousands of gold coins on munitions, she most likely would not think much of the trophies of a single base. Not far away down south was the mountain area. Qianye led his troops on a brisk run for two hours before they finally made it to the mountain area. He then ordered for an hours rest while he himself continued to scout forwards to see if their preplanned retreat route was safe or not. The fact that they managed to escape to the mountain area without any resistance meant that their return trip had succeeded in half. Qianye could be considered a professional level expert when it came to exploiting complex terrain advantage. Right now, he was using all sorts of terrain as cover while bending his body and moving like a ghost. However, the further ahead he went, the more serious his expression became. An indescribable sense of danger was growing stronger and stronger. Qianye suddenly paused his footsteps, raised his head up to the sky and sniffed strongly. A faint stench was transmitted by the nights wind. Every hair on Qianyes body stood on end. This was the unique smell of the arachne race! He suddenly sped up and charged up the mountain peak. Then, he lay down on the ground and poked up bit by bit to avoid casting a sudden shadow on the ground. Then, he carefully looked towards the other side of the mountain. Inside the mountain valley, a troop of dark races was silently marching to the front. This troop was led by a couple of man-shaped arachne with its main force comprising of several hundreds of giant sword spiders. The troop was like a black tide that almost merged into one with the nights colors and was surging forwards along the mountain valley. Qianye immediately sucked in a cold breath! Sword spiders were the regular soldiers of the arachne tribe. The two-meter tall giant spider moved like the wind with two frontal limbs that were as sharp as swords and possessed strength the equivalent of a human rank one Fighter. The combat strength of this troop was already enough to forcefully devour the 131st Company. Doubt rose in Qianyes heart. Was there another battle nearby? Otherwise, why would there be such an arachne troop marching in secret? The scale of this force was way bigger than the usual patrol team. However, this was not what he needed to think about right now. The important thing was that their scouts would discover the resting 131st Company if this arachne troop were to continue forward! Qianye quietly retreated before running back to the camp at top speed. The moment he arrived he immediately lay down the order, All troops shall end their rest and depart immediately! Bao Zhengcheng stood up and asked, Arent we going to clean up the traces? Qianye said, Theres no time! Use stimulants if theres anyone who couldnt catch up later! Three minutes later, the 131st Company had formed a long line and broke into a risk run under the night sky with Qianye in the lead. The arachne troops were right outside the two mountain ridges. When Qianye ran to the location he had memorized earlier, the entire squad gathered over and lay quietly in hiding. When the two troops brushed past each other precariously, they immediately reorganized themselves and escaped at top speed. Bao Zhengcheng ran beside Qianye and asked in shock, Why was there suddenly a troop of arachne sword spiders? Perhaps there is an oversight in the intel, or the enemy has made some last minute adjustments. This isnt uncommon. Lead the company, Im going to go to the front and take a look! Once he was finished, Qianye moved up and down several times and climbed up a mountain ridge. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night. Bao Zhengchengs face was grim. His instincts forged by long years of warfare made him feel that something wasnt quite right. Thankfully, Qianye was more familiar in mountain warfare than even the most veteran scout in the squad. He also had better stamina and was able to endure such a high-intensity night reconnaissance. Otherwise, they wouldve run into that arachne troop a long time ago. Just as he was thinking about this, Qianye had appeared from the night once more to exclaim in a low tone, All troops to the left! The entire squad made a big turn, jumped over a short hill and ran briskly along the other side of the valley. Bao Zhengcheng finally found an opportunity to ask him, Whats at the front? Qianyes face could not be seen clearly under the night sky. Only these soft words floated into his ears, Werewolves. There are four full tribes of werewolves. Bao Zhengchengs expression immediately turned extremely ugly. Werewolves were the kings of the mountains, and if they were caught by the werewolves where they had a military advantage, then the entire 131st Companyincluding the two of them who were rank four fighterswould not escape this place alive. Qianye led the squad over another mountain ridge before they ran briskly along the valley ground once more. By now, one soldier after another had exhausted their stamina, so the Fighter rank NCOs would carry a man on their backs each, grit their teeth and continue running madly behind the troop. Two hours later, the edge of the mountain was within sight. However, due to the several huge turns they had made in midway, they were quite far away from the preplanned exit. What do we do now? Bao Zhengcheng could almost say for certain that something was wrong. Here in this area, they had run into two arachne and two werewolves troops in just half a night! Qianye pointed towards the distance and said, There is one of the fulcrums of our border defense line. If we rush there at top speed, we may yet have a sliver of a chance of survival. Bao Zhengcheng let out a long, drawn-out breath before saying, I know that place, but if we escape there then we will have to give up on the wounded and exhausted. He finally used the word escape. Although the 131st Company had managed to avoid all encounters safely relying on Qianyes expertise, they did not have time to wipe out the traces of their march at all. Considering that the combat strength of the dark races in this area was this dense already, the chances that they would not be discovered was absolutely minimal. Perhaps there was already a troop chasing behind their tail right now. Let me issue the order! Qianye walked towards the squad thats taking a short rest. It was at this moment Bao Zhengchengs large hands stretched out to block Qianye. He said solemnly, No! Let me make this order! Bao Zhengcheng walked before the soldiers and swept a glance across every tired face. He said slowly, We have to march swiftly for another forty kilometers before we can return to the closest base from here. Now, who among you are willing to cover our retreat? The soldiers fell silent for a moment. No one spoke up. They were all experienced veterans, and they had all discovered that the situation was bad during their hastened march. Then, all wounded soldiers walked out on their own accord, followed by the soldiers who had completely exhausted their stamina to stand together as one. Bao Zengchengs mouth trembled as he watched the dozens of soldiers with red eyes. He abruptly turned around and yelled, Leave behind all grenades to our brothers! Lets go! Once he was finished, he no longer looked back and became the first to break into a mad run. The rest of the soldiers who could still run looked deeply at their brethren before leaving with Bao Zhengcheng as well. However, Qianye did not move as he watched the soldiers who stayed behind. He said, I will walk to the end of your journeys with you! A commando unit with and without a sniper was completely different. A moment later, rumbling noises began to ring continuously from within the mountains. Gunpowder rose and spread over the entire valley, and the detonation of the origin grenades nearly brightened the whole black night sky! On the wasteland, the soldiers of the 131st Company were all running madly with lowered heads. They did not need to look to know that there was a comrade gripping an origin grenade tightly and charging towards the enemy behind every explosion. Bao Zhengcheng finally led the soldiers of the 131st Company and arrived at the small town called Earth Castle. There were only fifty-four remaining soldiers who managed to reach here with him. It wasnt even half the original number when they first departed. Most of the casualties came from the ones who were left behind to cover their retreat. The small town had about a thousand or so human population and a five hundred men strong expeditionary forces garrison. Since the town was near the frontlines, Earth Castles defense structures were extremely well built. Most of the buildings inside the town were built from thick and heavy stones. The small alleys were tightly arranged, and most of them were incredibly narrow. These alleys were built for urban warfare since the giant spiders of the arachne race would not be able to squeeze into these two meters wide alleys, and a transformed high-rank werewolf would find the narrow space restrictive as well. Bao Zhengcheng climbed up a watchtower and looked towards the distant mountain area. His heart had already sunk all the way to the bottom. It was incredibly unusual for so many dark races troops to mobilize at night. However, according to the latest intel they obtained, this region was supposed to be an empty area! Now that he thought back to it, the last two dark races troops they encountered were only twenty minutes away between marches. This was practically a sign that the enemy was mobilizing their collective army. Did the military division of the Xichang City battlefield seriously not know about this situation?! A cloud of darkness slowly enveloped this middle-aged mans heart. It was only until the next daybreak that a figure appeared on the horizon and ran towards Earth Castle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 123: Assaul t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Its Officer Qian! Open the door, quickly! a sentinel of the 131th Company yelled loudly. His voice spread far away, and the soldiers resting in tents planted along the wall as a temporary camp crawled out of their beds and rushed towards the wall. Qianyes footsteps werent too quick. He ran at a fixed speed on the wasteland before stopping in front of the small towns entrance. He raised his head for a look before waving his hands to stop the sentinels from opening the door. Then, he leaped up onto the wall. The small towns composite steel door only opened up a slit before the wire rope of the gear rolled back along the strip and closed the door once more. Bao Zhengcheng was already standing beside the towns door. The heads of two large human-shaped arachne were tossed down from the wall and landed beside his feet. Qianye then jumped down and said simply, Im back. Bao Zhengcheng nodded strongly before striding over and giving Qianye a heavy hug. Suspicious glitters were already forming in the eyes of the man who was as brawny as a bristling bear. He rubbed his eyes in a fluster and muttered a swear, Dammit! Tonights mountain wind sure is strong! Then, he scratched his head in an attempt to conceal his embarrassment, Boss, what are we going to do now? Do we retreat or do we fight here? Qianye smiled bitterly before saying, Its impossible to retreat now. Earth Castle has already been surrounded. We can only defend here to the end and await reinforcements. Surrounded? the face of an expeditionary force battalion commander changed greatly. His feet were obviously a little shaky. Thats right. Ive seen more than five hundred dark race regular soldiers and several thousand cannon fodders along the way. Whats wrong, major? Are you planning to retreat? Qianye asked without batting an eyelid. Bao Zhengchengs thick eyebrows twisted together as he subconsciously reached for the pistol around his waist. If the size of the dark race forces Qianye saw alone had reached this level of scale, then this so-called retreat would be in fact to leave behind the majority of the men to cover their retreat. Only the officers of ranking lieutenant and above would have a chance to escape. Right now this battalion commander was the highest ranking officer of the scene. If he chose to escape right away, then the entire town would fall into disorder before they even started fighting. The battalion commanders face alternated between colors of green and white. A moment later, he finally let out a bitter smile and said, If we retreat now only death awaits. Let us defend and hope that we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. Those masters at the back though, sigh! Bao Zhengcheng slapped him once heavily on the shoulder before saying, Ignore those masters at the back. Go summon anyone who can pick up a gun first! If we guard this place then there is still hope, or we are all going to die. The battalion commander nodded and left in a hurry. Bao Zhengcheng approached the serious-looking Qianye and asked, Boss, are there really that many black blooded bastards out there? Qianye let out a somewhat bitter smile and said, It will only be more than what I said. A cold gleam flashed across Bao Zhengchengs eyes as he said seriously, From this scale, we can basically confirm that the dark races collective army is on the move. If Xichang City really had not realized this at all, then the second Earth Castles defenses fall we are going to lose at least a hundred or so kilometers of defense line. Qianye said indifferently, No matter how f*cked up the imperial military intelligence office is, I dont think they would make such a mistake. The duo looked into each others eyes, and Bao Zhengcheng suddenly said, Its not Miss Qiqi. Qianye was startled slightly. She would not use us as cannon fodders to gain military accomplishments. Miss Qiqi may appear to be bad tempered, but she is not this kind of person. Qianye looked at Bao Zhengchengs sincere expression and did not know if he should nod or not. For an instant, he did harbor such doubts before. It would be a joke if they were to say that expeditionary forces knew nothing about the mobilization of the dark races collective army at all. However, if battles were to be expected in the near future, then all frontline battle groups should have been notified that the defense line would be shrunk. Only those who were predefined as cannon fodders would be an exception, and these people would knowingly or unknowingly sound the first shot of the battle and be expended fully on the battlefield. Cannon fodder tactic was something neither the humans nor the dark races could avoid. But if it wasnt Qiqi, then there was a problem with that military advisor grade intelligence map. The map was sent together with the munitions, and the seal on the goods was intact. Although the goods were transported using the expeditionary forces transportation channel, it was the Yin Familys officers who escorted them. So, who was it that had tampered with the goods right in front of the expeditionary forces and the Yin Familys eyes? Qianye suddenly smiled and said, Its not important who did it. Our first priority is to survive this battle. As long as we return alive, we will know the truth eventually. Bao Zhengcheng nodded. After a moment of silence, he suddenly cried out, Boss! What is it? If we really cant hold out any longer, then you should evacuate first! We will help you pin down the enemy troops! Bao Zhengcheng thought for a moment before saying clumsily, Who knows, maybe those rubbish back at Xichang City really didnt know that the collective army here had been mobilized. Someone has to go back and report to them. Qianye ignored Bao Zhengchengs clumsy excuse and frowned silently. He had never considered even a trace of this possibility in this regard. In the Red Scorpion, the rules dictated that the officers should be the ones to cover their subordinates retreat. Bao Zhengcheng grabbed Qianyes shoulders and shook him once strongly. He exclaimed in a solemn tone, Boss! Get back alive! If, Im just saying if, but if theres really someone behind all this His identity as a soldier kept him from saying more, but Qianye understood his unsaid words. Staring at the bloodshot eyes of this bear-like man, Qianye ultimately nodded very, very slowly. This tiny bit of movement was in fact, harder to execute than enduring thirty five cycles of origin tides. In less than an hour, a shrill alarm was sounded above the small town. Qianye and Bao Zhengcheng climbed up the defense walls and looked outside. At the faraway horizon, a line of black tide slowly but surely surged towards their direction. It was the army of the dark races! Boss, remember Qianye interrupted him and said firmly, That will come after the fight! The dark races army slowly approached Earth Castle as it surrounded the town from all directions. In the camp, the battalion commander had already propped up a weapon that looked like an anti-air machine gun. With a crisp pop, he fired a ball of colorful origin fireworks several dozens meters into the air. The light stayed in the air and did not dissipate, Motherf*cker, I wonder how many sentry posts those dark blooded bastards left us! the battalion commander swore while wiping the sweat on his head. People began jumping out one after another from three or four sentry posts disguised as large trees within the radius of a dozen or so kilometers. This was the first time that many sentinels had seen the beacon fireworks report such a big amount of enemies. However, the second they exited their sentry posts, they immediately discovered that they were already heavily surrounded. Only the sentry post at the furthest end had a gap, and the sentinels over there began running towards the back at top speed. A group of vampires noticed these few sentinels, and so they sent a small team of vampire soldiers to stop them. The main force was still advancing towards Earth Castle. Half an hour later, a Blood Esquire ran back like the wind and knelt before a vampire elder, saying, My baron, your subordinate is powerless. He has let a human escape. Escape? killing intent abruptly burst out of the vampire barons bloody red eyes as he howled, If you cant even catch a few insects then why do I still need you? Cold sweat rolled down the Blood Esquires neck as he knelt on the ground. He did not dare to complain at all that he and the sentinels starting spot were almost twenty kilometers apart. The old baron finally withdrew his anger as he said coldly, When we begin the assault, you will be the first to charge in! Yes, My liege! the blood esquire promised before he finally dared to stand up. Several thousands of dark race soldiers approached the small city, and the unusually large and sinister figures that were mixed within their ranks put so much pressure on the expeditionary forces defending on the walls that they almost suffocated. Normally, they could scarcely find high-ranking soldiers, but now dozens of them had appeared all at once! Although the enemy had only approached them from three directions and left them a door at the back, any soldier with a shred of common sense would know that they absolutely could not abandon the city and escape unless there was no other choice. If they stayed cooped up inside the city then they might yet have the slightest chance at survival, but if they escaped to the wasteland then there was no way they could outrun the dark races. Further back, there were even more dark races who were biding their time. This first wave of attack was just a probe. If the defenders performed poorly, then they could turn this probing attack into an all out attack at any moment. As the dark races approached, the atmosphere slowly turned oppressive. It was like the calm before the storm. Suddenly, a few flares were shot into the air from the small town, showering the battlefield with a blue and white light. The second the flares went up, the high-rank soldiers of the dark races either closed their eyes or summoned a black fog and a red light to shield their eyes from the glare. Many of the cannon fodder did not have this ability, so waves of confusion were evoked when the glare pierced their eyes. The powerful human-shaped arachne, werewolves, and vampires summoned their natural might to suppress the confusion. Some had even killed off several cannon fodder that had completely lost their minds before the confusion was finally suppressed. It was at this moment a sound that was like muffled thunder broke through the silence of the night. A ball of light lit up on the high spot of a sentry tower above the walls, drawing a clear trajectory of firing line through the gray white sky and falling right onto a high rank werewolfs body! This stalwart three meters tall werewolf was struck backwards by the shot, the blood fountain and bits of innards before his chest spraying several meters tall into the air! Even with the werewolfs terrifying regeneration ability, he was unable to climb to his feet any longer. There was a terrifying, empty hole in his chest revealing innards that had nearly been torn and burned away completely. Eagleshot! Eagleshots rumble drew the curtains of the big battle. The dark race soldiers surged towards the small town like tide waters. There were giant spiders, all sorts of wargs and several thousands of blood thralls among them. Unhurriedly, Qianye loaded yet another origin bullet into Eagleshot and aimed at a human-shaped arachne three hundred meters away this time. As Eagleshot rumbled, a huge hole instantly appeared on this rank five arachnes body. The upper half of its body had nearly been broken in half by the shot! During the time it took for Eagleshot to rumble twice, the dark races had already surged beneath the walls and began climbing. The large spiders could climb directly up the defense walls, whereas the wargs could utilize the force of a full run to leap up the walls body, jump vertically for a few times and get up to the ten-meter tall wall. The blood thralls were the only ones who were powerless to scale the walls. Therefore, they pushed many long ladders onto the walls and climbed their way up through the paths opened by the arachne, wargs, and high ranking soldiers. Suddenly, there was a rumble, and Qianye felt that the bottom of his feet and the entire defense walls were shaking intensely inside the sentry tower. He poked out his head and saw several high ranking werewolves controlling a weapon that looked like a short barrel cannon. As dark origin power flashed from the cannon, a metallic artillery shell would be shot out and strike fiercely on the towns door. The power of this origin siege cannon was fairly strong. It was a heavy weapon that was relatively commonly seen in siege warfare. Qianye frowned. The enemy was indeed a part of the collective army. Usually, they would only wage guerrilla warfare under normal war-preparation status. Who in their right minds would bring such a heavy weapon along? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 124: Bloody Battle [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Naturally, Qianye would not allow them to break through the entrance this easily. He put down Eagleshot, grabbed a large caliber sniper rifle he picked from the arsenal at the side and aimed it at the werewolves controlling the short barrel cannon. He pulled down the trigger repeatedly and fired five bullets out of the magazine with his fastest speed. Blood blossomed from the werewolves bodies as they wailed. The siege cannon lost control and let out yet another rumble. But the slightly reddened long barrel had turned more than ninety degrees and fired off target this time, throwing off several dozen of blood thralls beside it instead. However, all of the high-rank werewolves except one climbed back on their feet after rolling on the ground several times. Qianye inwardly shook his head. A werewolfs life force and defense were ridiculous. When they reached rank five, a large caliber sniper rifle like this would only deal moderate damage to these creatures as long as they werent hit at a vital spot. Qianye switched a new magazine and began yet another round of quick shooting. This time, he aimed everything on a single werewolf and finally killed it. It was at this moment that the sentry tower shook even more fiercely than before, looking like it would collapse at any moment. The dark race soldiers that were rushing up the walls had discovered this snipers nest and were attempting to break into it. Those who were rash had even begun taking apart the building directly. Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Qianyes heart. He glanced outside and just happened to see several round-shaped objects engraved with complicated patterns on their surface flying toward him! They were vampires grenades! Vampire grenades were driven by darkness origin power, and although they were about the same size as a human grenade, its power was the equivalent of an artillery shell. Moreover, with the dark races strength, they could easily be thrown hundreds of meters away towards its intended target. Qianye had identified the objects at first glance. He immediately grabbed Eagleshot and jumped through the window directly to the bottom of a hiding soldier wall. He found a corner and curled himself into a ball! The rumbling noises were endless, and it was as if only smoke and explosions were left in Qianyes entire world. He could not hear a second kind of sound from his ears. Bricks and plasters fell non-stop, and there were quite a lot of debris that had fallen on his head. Finally, the rumbling noises were over. When Qianye raised his head to take a look, he discovered that half of the ceiling had vanished to reveal the gray, lightless sky above. The upper floor of the sentry tower had been completely wiped away, and the dead bodies of the dark race cannon fodders lay at its surroundings. Not only had this explosion destroyed half the sentry tower and its connecting defense walls, but its shockwave had also taken out quite a lot of dark race soldiers who were attempting to make their way in as well. However, the dark races did not care for the death of cannon fodders. There werent many human soldiers left on the defense walls. Most of the surviving soldiers had been forced to evacuate into the defensive fortifications inside the town. The cannon fodders were climbing up the defense walls endlessly, and several high ranking soldiers were yelling out commands. Some had even grabbed some slow moving cannon fodders and tossed them right into the other side of the wall. Inside the sentry towers ruins, Qianye suddenly stood up and held Vulcan, the multi barreled cannon, and pulled down the trigger! Vulcans barrel swiveled and sprayed countless bullets towards a werewolf twenty meters away like a storm. At close range, blood continuously blossomed from the rank five werewolfs body, blasting it backwards step by step until it finally collapsed on its back! Qianye did not stop there. The roaring Vulcan was like a swinging whip of metal and fire that swept down droves of dark race soldiers. In the blink of an eye, the five hundred bullets in Vulcans bullet box had been completely shot clean. There was not a single living dark race being thirty meters before Qianye. Qianye had just let out a sigh of relief when a dark shadow charged over like lightning and pushed him to the ground! It was a rank five vampire soldier. The duo rolled and fought on the ground for a moment before Qianye suddenly threw a jab right beside the vampires mouth. The vampire instinctively bit down on his hand, sinking his fangs deeply into Qianyes flesh. However, before he could enjoy the pleasant surprise, Qianyes flesh suddenly became as tough as steel. He pulled back his hand fiercely and actually pulled the vampire fangs right out of his mouth! The pain nearly knocked out the vampire soldier completely. Qianye immediately jumped onto his feet and took out a pistol. He plunged the barrel directly into the vampire soldiers bleeding mouth and pulled the trigger! There was a dull, wet sound, and Qianyes face and chest became covered in blood. He stood up and looked around. He jumped into the town before the next wave of dark race soldiers could surround him. Qianye moved swiftly between the buildings of the small alleys and attacked occasionally to kill many werewolves and arachne. On the battlefield of a large scale muddled warfare, the werewolves and arachne who had thick skin and flesh and incredible strength were much more threatening than the vampires. It was only when the battle had escalated to a higher level that vampires would then come above the two races. That was why Qianyes main killing targets were werewolves and arachne. There were gunshots, explosions, fire and bloodcurdling screams everywhere. The entire town had turned into a battlefield. Qianye had forgotten about the time, and his fighting instinct was the only thing that remained with him. Suddenly, several low-rank werewolves rushed by at the front. Qianye instinctively grabbed for something on his body but did not find anything. He did not know where he had tossed Eagleshot to, and his assault rifle was gone too. All of his firearms were out of ammo, and the bag holding the grenades was absolutely empty. His two pistols were still around his waists, but they might as well not be there. Qianyes origin power was almost completely depleted, and even if there was a physical origin bullet inside the pistols, he no longer had the strength to activate them. Qianye felt so tired he could die. If he wasnt controlling himself with all his might, he even felt like collapsing on the ground just like that. This was the result of excessive use of origin power and stimulants. Suddenly, he found something inside his pants pocket and took it out for a look. It was actually a stimulant syringe. Unable to worry if repeated usage would cause problems for his body at the moment, he immediately plunged it into his arm and injected everything inside. The feeling of sleepiness faded away quite a bit as expected. Suddenly, Qianye heard an unusual noise from the house beside him. A human was screaming. He immediately broke through the door and charged inside. There were splattered flesh, blood, and bodies everywhere in the house. Some were human bodies, and some were the dark races. Several werewolves were forcing an expeditionary force soldier to the corner of a wall. It looked like a young boy who had just reached adulthood. The military clothes on his body appeared overly huge. His complexion was pale, and he was swinging the dagger in his hand wildly in an attempt to protect himself. Qianye let out a low roar and attempted to charge inside. However, a werewolf abruptly charged him and knocked him over. Man and wolf rolled on the floor continuously and fought in melee. By now, Qianye was so exhausted that he actually wasnt able to break free from the rank two werewolf for a moment. The werewolf bit fiercely into Qianyes shoulders. Its sharp fangs tore apart the specially made military uniform that was as tough as leather armor, piercing into his flesh. However, Qianyes body was actually even stronger than leather armor, and no matter how the werewolf shook its head it wasnt able to tear down a piece of flesh. It was at this moment Qianye heard a scream. He turned around to look and find the young expeditionary force soldier had been pushed to the floor by the three werewolves. His flesh was being torn bit by bit and swallowed into the werewolfs stomach. However, the young boy hadnt died just yet, and the intense pain prevented him from even falling into unconsciousness. He could only scream at the top of his lungs and endure the pain of being torn alive. The color of blood rose in Qianyes eyes. It wasnt just the reflection of the young boys flesh and blood! Qianye suddenly raised his head and bit fiercely into the werewolfs throat! Large volumes of blood rolled into his stomach, instantly causing all of the blood energy inside his body to boil up, surging joyfully like toppling mountains and overturning seas. Even the purple and gold blood energies had swum out of the ability runes to join in on the devouring. Qianyes strength abruptly increased, and with a flip, he pushed the werewolf beneath him and kept him from moving. Meanwhile, the werewolf suddenly lost more than half of its blood as if there was a leak in its body. By now, the three werewolves had finished eating the young boy and stood up in satisfaction. Suddenly, they felt that something was wrong and turned around abruptly. They saw Qianye looking coldly at them. Qianyes eyes became as red as blood in an instant! Moments later, Qianye finally walked out of the room. He looked as if he had been drenched in blood from head to toe. Even his black hair had turned dark red in color. The vampire long sword he held in his hands was still dripping with blood continuously. However, this also made the bright red color of his pupils less remarkable. Suddenly, a group of blood thralls surged out from the alley on the opposite side. When they saw Qianye, they suddenly retreated and escaped from another alley while whining. A high ranking vampire soldier ran over and looked doubtfully at Qianye, yelling, Which family do you belong to? Why have I never seen you? Faint killing intent flashed past Qianyes pupils as he slapped the pistols around his waists and said, I am a descendant of Marquis Ross. Marqius Ross! But the Marquis did not participate in this battle this time! the vampire was immediately caught by surprise. Then he saw clearly the shape of the pistol and said in shock, Its you! He did not finish his sentence. This little bit of time was enough for Qianye to come close to him and penetrate his stomach with the long sword! Qianye even grabbed the writhing and struggling vampire soldiers neck and dragged him into an abandoned housing by the side before biting him right at the neck! This rank four vampire soldier was so shocked he could faint, but as the essence of his blood slowly flowed out of his body, the light and bright red color of his eyes faded. When Qianye released his hands, the vampire soldier had become as dry as a corpse. Qianye did not head out immediately. He calmly damaged the body with a sharp blade before sitting at a corner of the house and shut both his eyes. He quietly awaited his stamina to recover. After he had absorbed the werewolves and vampires blood, Qianyes body had entered a state of blood boil. His recovery speed had increased tremendously, and it wouldnt take him more than half an hour before he would recover his stamina and a small portion of origin power. Then, he would be able to use an origin gun again. The only tiny flaw of blood boil was that he was unable to control his blood energy and instill them into origin bullets. Suddenly, there was a bang and the door on the other side of the building was blown open. It was Bao Zhengchengs stalwart figure that had appeared. He stumbled into the room and did not even notice who was inside the house. He rolled on the ground beside the wall on the spot and gripped his short blade tightly, putting on a combat posture. A rank six Blood Esquire appeared at the entrance of the house. He was wearing the classic cold smile of a vampire, walking slowly with his head high. The longsword in his hand was glowing with bloody light. However, his smile was frozen the second he went through the door. Qianyes pistols were already aimed at him! The Blood Esquire screamed. He never imagined that there was still one more person inside the house! He didnt sense him at all! The pistol shot was incredibly soft like the sound of blooming flowers. In comparison, the Blood Esquires flying momentum was extremely shocking. He crashed through the door and slammed into the wall so hard that it cracked. The armor before his chest and his stomach had been blasted completely to smithereens. The twin pistols were tossed directly on the ground, leaving behind only two beautiful and demonic looking twin flowers blooming on one stalk in the air. Qianye had long since pounced forward like a demon. While holding the sword with both hands, he plunged the weapon right through the Blood Esquires chest and penetrated his heart! The Blood Esquire struggled with all his might. His extraordinary vitality gave him strength to retaliate. Qianyes stomach and chest were punched and kneed repeatedly, but Qianye used every strength in his body to hold onto the hilt and nailed the Blood Esquire firmly on the floor. Every time the Blood Esquire landed a punch, the soft sound of cracking bones would resound. Intense pain flushed Qianyes nerves, but the pain was completely within his limits since he had gone through the tempering of the Combatant Formula. If he allowed the Blood Esquire to climb to his feet, both he and Bao Zhengcheng would likely die to the blood esquires final retaliation. It was at this moment the sound of gunshots rang repeatedly. Bao Zhengcheng had somehow fished out a pistol from who knew where, and had pressed the muzzle point blank against the Blood Esquires face and shot every bullet inside the chamber. It utterly devastated that pale and eerie face. The Blood Esquire twitched a couple of times before going motionless. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 125: Collapse [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye released his hands and lay down directly beside the Blood Esquires corpse, panting heavily. Bao Zhengcheng also fell to the ground and panted just as heavily. The man was hurt all over, and a particular sword wound behind his back was so deep one could already see his bones. If a few cannon fodders were to come in right now, they might be able to kill them all just like that. After panting for a moment, Bao Zhengcheng asked, Boss, are your eyes hurt? His voice was filled with worry. Under these circumstances, there was almost no chance that a soldier with an injured eye would be able to live through the next battle. Its okay. Its just a small wound. Itll recover soon. Qianye continued to keep his eyes shut. Inside the domain controlled by humans, a military jeep was traveling slowly. The light in the seemingly endless forest was so dim that one could not differentiate either day or night. It was as if countless monsters were hidden inside. The road was craggy and uneven. When the jeeps wheel rolled over the floor covered in thick fallen leaves that was like a carpet, it felt as if it would slip at any moment. The four front lights of the jeep were all completely turned on. The bright white light was trained to the front. This jeep was the best target in this dark environment. However, the sinister looking cannon on top of the jeeps roof reminded the man or beast spying from the darkness constantly that this big metallic fellow was absolutely not to be trifled with! A dark shadow suddenly charged out from beside the road and blocked the jeep. He waved his hands strongly and shouted, Stop! Stop! The jeep abruptly came to a stop. The man pulled open the jeeps door and jumped directly to the front passenger seat. While panting heavily, he said, Im a sergeant of the 325th Battalion! Send me to the 60th division headquarters, quickly! Earth Castle has been surrounded by the dark races. We need reinforcements! The jeep started and continued forwards. The sergeant finally relaxed and lay limply on the seat. It was only now he saw clearly that he and the driver were the only ones in the jeep. The driver was a young and beautiful short haired female lieutenant. First Lieutenant Ye Muwei? the sergeant was both shocked and overjoyed. There werent many pretty girls on the battlefield. First Lieutenant Ye was both beautiful and capablealthough it hadnt been more than several months since she reported herself to this warzone, she had already become many a soldier''s dream lover. You know me? Of course! Who wouldnt recognize a great beauty like you? Ye Muwei smiled slightly and said, You know me. Thats even better then. Isnt the 325th Battalion subordinate to the 55th Division? Why do you want to go the 60th Division? The dark races have mobilized the entire collective army! The path to the 55th Division is already blocked off. I see. Did anyone else escape? No. Im the only one left. the sergeant wore a downcast expression and looked out the window. But when he saw what was outside, he almost jumped on his seat. He cried out, No! This isnt the direction to the DHQ. You The sergeant turned his head, and it was only now he found the black hole of a muzzle pointed at his forehead. This isnt the direction to the DHQ in the first place. This is the direction of your grave. Before she finished her sentence, Ye Muwei had already pulled down the trigger. The car window was immediately splattered with blood. During the evening, the jeep appeared at an intermediary transportation depot. Normally, there would only be a small troop of sentries garrisoned in the brightly lit depot. Now, it was parked with a heavy convoy. A moment later, Ye Muwei sneakily got up the backside of a truck. Gu Liyu was the only one inside. He was leaning against the back of a chair and resting quietly. After he finished listening to her report, Gu Liyu said, So the 131st Company did choose here to make their breakthrough. Ye Muwei asked in puzzlement, If this were normal times the patrol of the 55th Division wouldve realized that something was wrong a long time ago. But the battle over there had started since last night, theres no way they had the time to worry for Earth Castle. With Earth Castles meager strength, they absolutely could not hold out the night. But why do you still need me to intercept the messengers? Gu Liyu smiled and said, Because I prefer to be absolutely safe. But Qiqi would still have new lovers! Gu Liyus smile immediately became somewhat unnatural. Slowly, he said, This person is different. Hes a threat. Ye Muwei stopped talking. Most of the people Gu Liyu thought as a threat had slept eternally in their graves. Gu Liyu swept Ye Muwei into his lap and touched her hair softly. A while later, he finally said, Its not all for this insignificant fellow. The chief of dispatch of this battle is, in fact, the Yin Familys Old 17. He wanted to protect the 58th Divisions strength and deplete the 55th Divisions strength for a bit. I am just following his wishes and achieving a small wish of my own in the meantime. Ye Muwei felt a cold chill climbing up her back. It was only now she abruptly understood Gu Liyus planning, killing two birds with one stone. Yin 17 was one of the elders under Qiqis family branch, whereas the 58th and 55th Divisions were the main combat forces of Xichang Citys war zone this time. The 60th Division was their reserve force. A battalion Qiqi had brought with her was put under the 58th Division, so Yin 17s thoughts were easily understandable. He was just reducing the risk his Miss was about to face. As for why he specifically made the request to deplete the 55th Divisions strength, there must be other internal reasons. The 58th and 55th Division shared a proportional relationship with each other. If one side faced heavier pressure, they would suffer more casualties whereas the other part was the opposite. Therefore, Gu Liyu had used false intel and baited the 131st Company to enter the dark races collective army mobilization zone at that point of time and location, causing the 55th Divisions defense zone to enter combat earlier than expected. He also requested her to intercept any messengers who might have made their way out to prevent the 60th Company from receiving the news and intervening in advance. A single nights difference was enough to achieve many objectives. A thousand things could happen in an instant on the battlefield. Perhaps Gu Liyus plan was not limited to what she saw, or he would not have hidden his own identity and arrived in Evernight Continent personally. However, Ye Muwei was not interested in knowing more. In the hearts of these important people, military merits, success, and the overall situation were what they truly needed to consider. Casualties and sacrifices were just numbers. It did not matter at all which military number had more units, and which troops had less. Ye Muwei only knew that the entire battle would absolutely head toward the direction Gu Liyu hoped to see. Even if the matter was discovered by Qiqi later, this was the decision of a Yin Family elder. What could she say? Ye Muwei suddenly had a strange thought. When the surviving soldiers of Earth Castle lasted past tonight and welcomed daybreak, but then discovered that the reinforcements that they were hoping for did not arrive at all, what would they think? It was at this moment she heard Gu Liyu calling her name, and so she replied softly. Later tomorrow afternoon, we''ll head to the 60th Division. We will go there to mobilize the army. Im here this time with the temporary authority to conscript an expeditionary force troop. Earth Castle as a defense node cannot be lost. We will get it back from the dark races. Gu Liyus voice slowly turned faint, After this battle, I will be able to ascend to the rank of colonel. Ye Muwei did not say anything. She pressed herself before Gu Liyus chest and found a comfortable position. Meanwhile, his hands were rubbing her cheeks gently. The intoxicating warmth drove all thoughts out of her mind. On this war-torn continent, she only wanted this moment. Right now, Earth Castle was slowly turning quiet. The sounds of fighting, guns, and cannon shots slowly faded as the surviving dark race soldiers retreated out of the town. The first battle had ended just like that. Moments later, Qianye and Bao Zhengcheng lent each other an arm, struggled to stand up and walked out of the house. What they saw was devastation, ruins, bodies, and fire everywhere. Earth Castle was already destroyed. One hurt soldier after another came out of their hiding spots. The officers began attempting to gather the soldiers, and Bao Zhengcheng also leaped out and beckoned loudly for any surviving brother. While standing amidst the ruins, Qianye suddenly felt as if everything was a little unreal. His mind was also a little dazed. He opened his eyes a little, and he found the blood red color in his vision had faded quite a bit. There was a military knife that was somewhat intact standing amidst the ruins. Qianye picked it up and raised the broadside of the blade, staring at his own eyes. Through the reflection of the slightly blurry metallic surface, there was now only a little blood color left in Qianyes pupils. No one would notice it unless they paid close attention. However, when Qianye stared at the face reflected by the narrow blade, he felt that it was both familiar and strange. A little dazed, he lifted his head and watched as one tired or painfully groaning soldier after another walked by him. Everyone else was nearing complete exhaustion, but Qianyes condition was unusually good. Although he still had wounds on his body, it was no longer affecting his movements by much. Most of his broken bones had begun connecting themselves together, so even the bone fixing process could be saved. If he could get some good rest in, then he would recover in full in just a few days. By now the effects of the blood boil had gradually faded, and his additional strength and vitality were slowly returning to their normal level. Qianye once again felt tired. This was the fatigue brought by the double effects of excessive use of stimulants and blood boil. It was at this moment the expeditionary force soldiers walked by while dragging a few werewolf corpses. Those corpses were different from the other dead werewolves in that they were completely dry and wilted like a mummy. The expeditionary force soldiers were arguing what on earth caused the corpses to turn out this way. Some people believed that it was the vampires who had become so hungry that they could not restrain themselves, whereas the other person retorted loudly saying that vampires would rather starve to death than suck a werewolfs corpse. The duo argued along the way and slowly walked far away. However, when Qianye saw the few impressively broken bodies, he already knew where they found them. On the battlefield, bloodsucking was an incomparable recovery method. Perhaps even the majority of the vampires kin did not have such amazing recovery abilities. If he hadnt triggered the blood boil effect by sucking blood, then he would have been torn apart and eaten alive by the werewolves already, just like that expeditionary force youth. He would not have been able to kill that blood esquire and save Bao Zhengcheng either. Qianye could only feel that his heart was empty while standing amidst the ruins. The pillar of belief he had held since he was young had utterly collapsed at this point. He had always hated and rejected the vampires and bore the courage and ferocity to choose death over becoming a blood thrall. However, he had now used the vampires unique talent, bloodsucking with full clarity of mind. So what was he now? Boss! Youre still alive! Thank goodness! A familiar voice dragged Qianye back to reality. A 131st Company soldier was running over excitedly. He was hugging the ridiculously long Eagleshot in his arms. It was obvious that the soldiers had discovered the weapon while sweeping through the battlefield, and they immediately realized who the owner of the rifle was. Right now Qianye was almost worshipped like a god in their hearts. Not anyone could exceed their rank to snipe high ranking dark race creatures with just the strength of rank four. Qianye accepted Eagleshot and stared at the smile on this blood and soot-covered face. Suddenly, he felt as if the entire world had become real once more. He returned him a calm smile and said, Thank you. then, he looked around and pointed at an empty ground, saying, Call our brothers to gather at that spot. Tell them to look for food and ammo as well. No problem, boss! as if suddenly finding strength in his body, the young soldier broke into a slow run and went far away. When Qianye leaned against a broken wall that was now only as tall as his waist, Bao Zhengcheng walked over with the expeditionary force battalion commander. They sat at the opposite side of him. The battalion commander was also covered in blood and the vestiges of battle. The large majority of his head was wrapped in bandages, and there were two obvious teeth marks on his throat as well! When he saw Qianyes expression, the battalion commander smiled bitterly and said, Ive been bitten by a vampire, but its nothing now. I wont live past the day I become a blood thrall. With our numbers, we can hold out a wave of attack at best. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 126: Long Nigh t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Is there enough medicine? Qianye asked while passing over a cigarette. The battalion commander took a deep breath and felt just a little more spirited, We do have some meds, but at best it wont last more than a day, and we have to regulate it strictly as well. Why did these motherf*cking black blooded bastards suddenly grow so numerous? Not far away, the sounds of noises and cries suddenly rang out. The trios gazes were attracted. A young civilian was pulling at an expeditionary force soldier with great agitation, yelling, I need meds! Give me meds! My woman is about to die! Behind him, a young woman was half leaning against a wall and holding her neck. Blood was gushing out constantly from the gaps of her fingers. The expeditionary force soldier looked at her once before shaking his head, saying, Shes gone. There arent many meds now, so we must use it sparingly. Shes about to die. What are we even saving it for? the man grew more and more agitated. The expeditionary force soldiers face turned cold as he said, There are a lot of injured brothers who did not have meds. They could only hold it in even while in pain! If I give this to you, what will our dying brothers use? The man suddenly snatched the expeditionary force soldiers gun and pointed it at his head, roaring, I dont care! Give me the meds! Or Ill blow your head apart! There was the sound of a gunshot, and the mans head suddenly blew apart. The body slowly collapsed onto the floor. An expeditionary force first lieutenant walked over with the handgun in his hands still smoking. He picked up the rifle and pushed it into the other soldiers lap, saying coldly, Remember, anyone who takes your gun on a battlefield is your enemy! No one will save you next time! He stretched out a hand and patted the young soldiers shoulders. Then he said, I hope you can live through tonight, greenhorn. Bao Zhengcheng, Qianye, and the battalion commander withdrew their gazes. The atmosphere had gotten slightly heavier once more. The scene earlier was very helpless, but it was also very realistic. Everyone had met something like this more than once. On the battlefield, the military stood above all. This was the iron law of the imperial army. Qianye asked, When will the reinforcements arrive? The battalion commander sighed and said, Looking at the direction where these black-blooded bastards came from, theres probably been a battle at the DHQ too. The beacon I sent out ordered them to go to the 60th Division to ask for reinforcements. If the lads are lucky, then reinforcements will arrive by tomorrow morning. If the reinforcements are special forces made up of all Fighter rank soldiers, then they may even arrive earlier than expected. But that is all. Tomorrow morning meant that there was still a long night to pass. Qianye thought quietly for a moment before saying to the battalion commander, Have your men help me find two vampire close combat weapons. Anything is fine. I want something high grade, and the heavier the better. The battalion commander immediately called over an orderly and laid down the order. A moment later, three weapons were delivered over. Two of the three weapons were grade three vampire origin longswords. One of these longswords was none other than the sword of that Blood Esquire. The third weapon, however, was a giant axe that was completely black. It was obvious at first glance that it was incredibly heavy! Qianye reached out and picked up the giant axe. After weighing it in his hands, he looked extremely satisfied with its weight. The corner of Bao Zhengcheng and the battalion commanders eyes twitched. This giant axe was one hundred and fifty kilograms! Even a rank four Fighter specialized in evolved strength talent would have trouble swinging this thing, much less using it for battle! Bao Zhengcheng could still remember this giant axe. Its former master was a rank six human-shaped arachne. He had exhausted all of his origin power before he finally blasted it down with Tempest. However, a dozen or so soldiers had also been cut in half by the giant axe in order to cover for him. Qianye attempted to inject origin power into the axe, and an origin formation lit up on the axes blade. A dark red cloud appeared on the weapon. It was just a grade two origin weapon, but due to its weight and length, its might in a mixed battle was far beyond a vampires grade three longsword. Qianye then picked up the Blood Esquires sword and said, I want the axe and this sword. Im going to cultivate now. Any origin power we recover is necessary. I hope we can survive this night. Bao Zhengcheng and the battalion commander glanced at each other. They both found a place for themselves and began resting and cultivating. Although the night was harsh, it wasnt all bad news. The battle had exhausted nearly all of the dark races cannon fodders, and the next battle would be exhausting their regular soldiers. Not a single race among the dark races had as big a population or as great the number of fighters as humans. If they began to lose the numbers of their regular soldiers en masse, then any commander would find themselves hurting for the loss. Earth Castle fell into temporary silence. Qianye inspected his own body and discovered that there were now two additional normal blood energies curled inside his heart in surprise. Meanwhile, there was still a large amount of blood energy surging inside his blood vessels like a sea in turmoil. The gold and purple blood energies were like fish in water, devouring a large amount of blood energy wherever they went. However, his Daybreak origin power looked like a beach after a tide had subsided. He had recovered only a single, thin layer, and he obviously had to rely on channeling the Combatant Formula to replenish his strength. Before he started cultivating, Qianye finally decided on his new ability: Accurate Shooting. This ability would allow him to greatly increase his thinking speed during the instant he was shooting. He would be able to lock down his opponents vital spots more easily and fire a more powerful shot. Ascending to rank four meant that he would get a new ability. Originally, Qianye was hesitating between a gun type or close combat type ability and thus did not make the ultimate decision. However, he had made up his mind now. Eagleshots long range snipe, coupled with the two abilities Heavy Caliber and Accurate Shooting, and special origin physical bullets combined to make an extremely terrifying burst of power. It was the key to Qianye surpassing his rank and assassinating high rank dark races. The key to victory for the next battle lay on whether he could kill the enemys highest ranking soldier who commanded every node of the battlefield. After choosing his ability, Qianye began cultivating the Combatant Formula while waiting for a new battle horn to resound. Right now inside the tent of the dark allied army outside the city, a vampire baron was walking back and forth with a green complexion. Two Blood Esquires were kneeling inside the tent, and the few werewolves and arachne standing at the side appeared incredibly anxious as well. The baron was the chief of command of this allied army and the strongest person in the group. He was just one step away from breaking through to the Champion rank. The baron suddenly erupted and swept away every item on the table. He roared angrily, Trash! All trash! All of the cannon fodders are dead, and we didnt even manage to take down such a small place! How the hell am I going to tell this to the higher ups?! The Blood Esquire wasnt able to say anything at all under the natural suppression. It was at this moment a tall werewolf said, The firepower of this bases garrison is unnaturally powerful! Your intel is flawed! Moreover, I suspect that there is an elite hiding inside the town thats not weaker than us! Disgust flashed across the vampire barons face as he said angrily, How could my races intel possibly be flawed? The strongest soldiers they have there are only at rank five. Have you seen any enemies above rank five while they were attacking the city? Fools! The werewolf let out a threatening low roar without any fear at all, What wasnt seen doesnt mean that it doesnt exist! I heard Eagleshots sound! My race has suffered a terrible loss of warriors because of Eagleshot! Old fool, have you ever heard a human below rank six using Eagleshot? I see that your castle is so humid that your wooden head has rotted! The baron was absolutely furious. Blood appeared in his eyes as he let out a low howl and revealed two pairs of long, bloodsucking fangs. The werewolves rank might not compare to the barons, but they had all bent their bodies and put on a battle stance. They were obviously not afraid to fight at all. It was at this moment two arachne opened their mouths and said, I would only be happy if you all wish to duel each other, but this is not the time! If we failed to complete our mission, no one would be able to justify themselves to their higher ups. There was already an accident in this battle in the first place. The cunning humans have invaded our war zone in advance. We shouldnt be stopped in this bloody place either. Baron Mike, I suggest that you watch your tone. The Green Horse Tribe and us are not your subordinates. We worked with you only because we respect your strength. If you are unwilling, we can part ways and attack the city on our own at worst. The other arachne said coldly, Both of our races lost many high ranking warriors, but you vampires didnt lose much. This isnt quite acceptable, is it? Is there another reason? The barons scarlet eyes narrowed as he asked coldly, What reason? The arachne choked and stopped talking. It was at this moment the werewolf leader said, I need compensation. Give both of our races thirty origin grenades, and we will cut todays losses off the book. The barons cheeks immediately twitched. A while later, he finally said through gritted teeth, Fine! A vampire origin grenade was far more powerful than a humans, but every one of these grenades was handmade and the number of artisans with this level of skill were few, resulting in low production rates. Even within the dark races, it wasnt a luxury that a normal army could afford at all. The barons eyes swept over everyone in the tent before he asked, Who will be leading tonights attack? The tent suddenly fell silent. No one answered. For whatever reason, an elite who could use Eagleshot had suddenly shown up in the humans defense node. This person was a great threat to anyone below rank seven, and an unlucky rank six soldier might even be killed in a single shot. Moreover, that person had opened fire more than one time in that battle. Even if after considering the effects of the stimulant, the enemy was at least a rank six soldier. No one was willing to face Eagleshots attacks while the situation was chaotic. The only choice left was the baron who was one step away from becoming a Champion. Seeing that every gaze was focused on him, the barons expression darkened as he said coldly, If I go into the battle, what are you going to do if those human special forces show up? The arachne and werewolves fell quiet after matching each others eyes once. It had almost been a day since the battle had been sounded at Dongling Mountain Area last night. The entire mountain had been turned into a battlefield, and the situation was incredibly complex. The human races 55th Division closest to them was already pushing toward them from the open battlefield one hundred kilometers away. The 58th Division on the other side had also begun to mobilize their men. This allied army was supposed to head another thirty kilometers to their original battle positions, but now they were stalled here for some unfathomable reason. The latest news from command claimed that several human special forces completely made up of Fighters had vanished from the deep regions of Dongling Mountain Area. Even the Wind Wolf Tribe had not been able to track their whereabouts and operation areas. When the baron saw their expressions, he let out a snort and pointed at an arachne and a werewolf. He said, Both of you will head into battle tonight! I will lay down the defense line at the perimeter. The warning zone of the humans defenses is just a day of march away, so their reinforcements should arrive by tomorrow morning. I may not necessarily be able hold them back. The two of you have better take care of all troubles by tonight! The arachne and werewolf looked at each other before they exited in silence. The baron stayed inside the tent alone and was lost in thought as he stared at the map on the wall. His eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper. A vampire soldier brought in a glass of fresh blood and put it on the table. Then, he went out without a sound. However, the baron simply stared at the map and had even forgotten to taste his delicious drink. His eyes fell neither on Earth Castle nor the direction of the human races reinforcements. He was looking at the other two dark race armies with eyes that were full of wariness and seriousness. The baron picked up a pen and made a few bright red marks on the map. It was a threat level that only he understood. From the markings, it appeared that the threat of the human reinforcements was far paler than the other two dark race troops. It was deep at night at the Yin Familys other courtyard outside Xichang City. Qiqi spared out a letter in front of her and read it twice in a row. Then, she called someone into the room. A beautiful girl hastily ran in, then out. A moment later, Ji Yuanjia walked over with swift steps. He was obviously resting already and not wearing a military uniform. He was wearing a narrow-sleeved, right overlapping collared long robe. Before he could stand still, Qiqi immediately slammed him with a question, Why would Qianye go to the mountain area at Earth Castle? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 127: Chaotic Nigh t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The Seventeenth Corps joint defense camp beneath Qiqi had moved to the expeditionary forces 58th Division defense zone yesterday, whereas her self-recruited private army had reached the 58th Division defense zone today. While the combat strength of this private army was slightly lousier than the expeditionary forces regular troops, they could sufficiently serve as a reserve force and defend the secondary defense line. With their addition, the 58th Division defense zones strength had massively increased. Military officers like them were required to return to their respective squads by tomorrow morning. For the past two days Ji Yuanjia had been handling military affairs, and he had long since memorized the map of the Dongling Mountain Area. When he heard Qiqis inquiry, he had reacted almost instantly and felt a huge change coming over his face. The expeditionary forces 58th Division and 55th Divisions defense lines were arrayed in the shape of a crescent along the edge of the Dongling Mountain Area from north to south. The head and tail of the defense line stretched over three hundred kilometers. Earth Castle was the southernmost border defense node, and the 131st Company was garrisoned near the 58th Division slightly north of the center of the battlefield. Leaving aside what the 131st Company was doing having travelled such a far distance down south, that mountain area was already a battlefield since last night! Ji Yuanjias eyes abruptly sank when he looked into Qiqis eyes. Right now the pair of beautiful eyes were usually glowing with health and vigor to the point of condescending had become so serene and depthless it was as if they had lost all the emotions in them. Gu Liyu has come to Evernight. Qiqi wasnt asking. It was an affirmative sentence. Ji Yuanjia opened his mouth, but could not let out a sound. It was true. During that night at the feast at the castellans mansion, he had seen Gu Liyu at the parking lot. At the time, there was another person beside Gu Liyu, namely Yin Familys Old 17 and the great elder of Reverence Hall. Meanwhile, Qiqi was one of the direct lines of descent of Yin Family and the successor candidate under Reverence Hall. Dont worry, I wont put you in a difficult situation before Uncle 17. Qiqis tone was so courteous that it was strange to Ji Yuanjia. Then she said, Give me the militarys troop deployment writ. The air inside the study suddenly turned heavy. It was as if the streams flowing across gradual slopes had suddenly stagnated and turned sticky. It wasnt Ji Yuanjias imagination. Before he knew it, there were two elderly people standing beside the window and at the door. They were both maintaining the same posture where their sleeves were tucked in and their eyes were half open. They didnt look like they were looking at him, but the truth was that every bit of origin power inside Ji Yuanjias body had completely frozen up. He wasnt able to urge them even a millimeter. Ji Yuanjia closed his eyes and revealed a bitter smile on his face. Qiqis birth mother, the late lady of Reverence Hall had left behind these two people for Qiqi. Just like Auntie Lan, they obeyed no one but Qiqi. Two hours later, an airship rose into the air from the Yin Familys side courtyard, meeting the wind and drawing a curved orbit in the air as it flew towards the south. The few courtyards to the east of the side courtyard were brightly lit at this point. They were military officer residences, and among them, the biggest Wind Hearing Pavilion was normally used as an office. Ji Yuanjia stood in front of wide meeting table and read the letter Qiqi left behind with a bowed head. The letter was, in fact, a hand-drawn map with labels around some parts of the mountainous area near Earth Castle at the southern region of Dongling Mountain Area. The location marked with a star on the map was where the 131st Companys tracks were found. Qiqi did not explain to him the source of the information, nor did she say exactly what she discovered. But the way she acted meant that something must have happened to Qianye, and the fact she immediately related the incident with Gu Liyu meant that the situation must be very serious already. There were shadows pacing back and forth repeatedly outside the meeting room, but since they chose not to come in Ji Yuanjia pretended that he did not see them. Someone had already noticed that Miss Qiqi had taken off suddenly on an airship without bringing a single officer with her. An uneasy atmosphere was quietly spreading to the surroundings. Suddenly, there was a series of rapid footsteps. A lieutenant colonel charged in, Ji Yuanjia, why have you sealed off the archives room! Several file holders were put on top of the meeting table. The 131st Companys files were among them too. Ji Yuanjia had just sent some men to bring them over, but instead of the usual people he had dispatched the private guards Qiqi recruited instead. The way they collected the dossier was to charge straight into the archives room and lock up the officers on and off duties inside. Ji Yuanjia said indifferently, Good timing. Why have you not presented the 131st Companys report from eight days ago? The lieutenant colonel walked to the table and extended a hand to grab the file holders while saying, What could there be in a regular report? Arent those usually filed away directly? Ji Yuanjia pressed a hand softly on the file holders, How about my private letter then? Did you file that away directly as well? The lieutenant colonel was startled for a moment before he said, What private letter? Ji Yuanjia, Im the one whos responsible for military intelligence. On what authority are you interfering with my business? You and I share the same rank, and your surname is not Yin! Suddenly, Ji Yuanjia let out a smile. It was true that the guy standing before him was Yin. He might be an extremely distant collateral relative, but he was still a Yin. There was a loud bang. The sound spread very far away on this rather fretful night, surprising the military officers who were already disturbed in the first place. They stared somewhat blankly at the meeting room, doors and windows of which had been completely blown away by the shockwave. A figure crashed out of the meeting room and landed straight into the courtyard. Meanwhile, countless dazzling thin threads fell like the rain from the air, splashing against the limestone ground and leaving behind many notches that looked like sword auras. They might both be lieutenant colonels, but the result of the clash showed that this guy couldnt even handle a hit from Ji Yuanjia! Ji Yuanjias voice rang from inside the room, sounding both gentle and steady, Please get some early rest, everyone. We will be departing to the camp and returning to the squad by tomorrows daybreak. Right now though, he was thinking about another person and a specific line of spoken words. I promised Yu Yingnan to protect him once no matter what kind of danger he was in. Ji Yuanjia, you are just a Yin Family dog. How dare you raise your hand and hit me? You just wait, the Yin Family wont let you off easy! the lieutenant colonel could not climb to his feet, but his expression was still as fierce as before. His gaze on Ji Yuanjia suggested that he couldnt wait to tear him to pieces. Ji Yuanjia collected all of the related intel within the battle zone into a single bag. He walked out of the door and arrived beside that lieutenant colonel. There was a flash of sword, and the lieutenant colonel named Yin suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. An ear had flown into the air! Ji Yuanjia said indifferently, What you say counts for nothing in the Yin Family. What that person behind you says counts for nothing either. Ji Yuanjia left hurriedly after leaving behind these words. The lieutenant colonel clutched his wound and shuddered all over as blood flowed continuously between the gaps of his finger. The fear in his heart far surpassed the pain on his physical body. He just realized that Ji Yuanjia would kill him without hesitation if he were to say even one more word. It was only now that he realized that the usually gentle Ji Yuanjia was a wolf when he bared his fangs. The latter half of the night at Earth Castle was just as restless. The second wave of assault had begun. The roadblocks had burned into massive flames, and flares cut through the night sky occasionally to shower brief moments of light to the battlefield beneath. The sounds of gunshots werent dense, and in fact there were more sounds of melees and bloodcurdling screams. The dark races had lost several thousands of cannon fodder, but the human soldiers and civilians had lost huge numbers as well. Therefore, the number of people thrown into this battle from both sides was largely decreased, but the level of desperation was even greater than before. The sound of the Eagleshot was as stunning as ever. It was like a sudden clap of thunder on a summer day, but there was also an indescribable sense of clear resonance that spread it far, far away. There was no one among the experts of the dark races who wouldnt recognize Eagleshots unique timbre. The moment Eagleshot boomed, it meant that a certain high-rank soldier had collapsed on the battlefield. Those who could use Eagleshot basically wouldnt miss. Eagleshot had rung twice in tonights battle, and a rank six arachne and a rank six werewolf had collapsed with severe injuries. Since the arachne was overly huge and could not hide itself in time, it took another three origin bullet shots and countless physical bullets. In the end, it passed away unwillingly. The problem now was: Would the Eagleshot ring again? Right now, Qianye was utilizing the dim light of night to traverse amidst the ruins. His night vision was not in anyway weaker than the dark races, and the longsword in his hands had been saturated with blood all this time. Two werewolves were chasing relentlessly behind him, following Qianye all the way into a small abandoned courtyard. There were no roads left in this place, but Qianye had not leaped over the wall and left as theyd expected. Instead, he tossed down the longsword in his hands, crouched down on a bush and picked up a sinister-looking giant double-handed axe! Blood sprayed into the air within the courtyard, accompanied by the whines of two werewolves. A moment later, Qianye walked out of the courtyard while holding the giant bloodstained axe. A human-shaped arachne appeared on the opposite side of the street. The second the arachne saw the giant axe in Qianyes hands, its humongous body suddenly started to tremble. It actually turned around and ran away! There was no way it could forget that the giant axe had belonged to a famous warrior from its race. However, that arachne warrior had died in the first battle. An arachne who could swing a giant axe like this was very scary. A human who could swing it was even scarier! The arachnes movements were extremely clumsy as it tried to move its humongous body through the narrow passage. Qianye caught up from behind in the blink of an eye as the giant axe whistled downwards and cut open its flank entirely! The arachne struggled on its deathbed as its terrible screams resounded throughout the entire small town. Qianye roamed throughout the entire town like a lone wolf. He used whatever weapon he saw and hunted down the enemys high ranking dark race warriors repeatedly. His body had never exited the state of blood boil, and his body was still full of blood. In order to fight continuously, Qianye had cut open several werewolves throats, sucked their blood dry and tossed the bodies casually to the side. The night was unusually long, and the dark races were so many that it was as if he could never kill them all. No matter which direction he went he would be met with countless enemies. Meanwhile, the number of people who were still capable of moving and fighting grew fewer and fewer. Suddenly, an unusually thick and strong black furred werewolf appeared in Qianyes vision! Qianye retreated at top speed before turning a corner and leaping right into an empty house. He stretched a hand beneath the table and took out Eagleshot. Then, he knelt on the ground and pointed the barrel at the door. The second that rank six black wolf appeared, Eagleshot would give it a frontal assault. However, the werewolf hadnt shown up in Qianyes vision. This made him very surprised. A tall and sturdy figure flashed past the door, and Bao Zhengcheng charged into the room. The second he saw Qianye, he immediately cried out with great joy, Boss! We cant hold out for much longer. Leave quickly! Charge out from the south side. We still have a dozen or so brothers with us, and we will send you away together! Not a chance! If you die here, how are we supposed to explain things to Miss Qiqi? There is nothing between the two of us! Bao Zhengcheng said urgently, Boss! We cant all die in this place. Someone has to go back and notify the army! Qianye tossed an assault rifle to Bao Zhengcheng and said, The magazines full. Hold out for just a little longer. Those black blooded bastards are about to break too! Bao Zhengcheng and Qianye matched eyes for a moment. Their gazes nearly caused sparks to shoot out of the space between their eyes. In the end, he realized that Qianye wasnt willing to break out of the siege, and he angrily smashed a fist against the wall until the entire thing wobbled once. Then, he turned his head and charged out of the building. Qianye put down Eagleshot once more and randomly picked up a longsword from the ground. He went out of the door. Meanwhile, a small, unexpected confusion was happening on the other side of the battlefield. Inside a courtyard, the mournful and angry wolf howls were so shrill that they nearly tore apart the air. A group of werewolves and a few vampire warriors were standing on opposing sides in battle postures. Both parties were letting threatening howls and low growls non-stop as the situation looked poised to erupt at the slightest trigger. There were two werewolf corpses put at the center of a courtyard. Their bodies had been completely sucked dry of blood. Theres no way a member of our kind did this. Theres no way! The leader of the vampire warriors said loudly. The werewolves all roared restlessly, Who else but you would suck blood?! The vampire warrior said arrogantly, We will never suck your filthy, dirty blood even if we were to starve to death! This was supposedly a very common dialogue between the two great races, but on the battlefield and especially when there were still two werewolves lying dead on the ground, the vampire warriors words became the fuse that caused the situation to go out of control. A werewolf failed to restrain himself and suddenly pounced towards the leader of the vampire warriors. The vampire warrior was already at rank five, and his aged face only meant that he had an unbelievable amount of battle experience. He whipped out his longsword as quick as lightning with a cruel, sinister smile on his face, piercing the heart of the werewolf who was still his ally just a few minutes ago! A civil war broke out and swiftly spread across the battlefield. By the time the black wolf arrived, both parties had left behind several corpses already. A Blood Esquire swung his two-handed broadsword and nearly cut the werewolf warrior before him in half in a single strike! The black wolf was absolutely furious as the color of blood instantly rose to his eyes. He charged across the battlefield like a black storm and instantly dropped the Blood Esquire to the ground, tearing and biting at him fiercely! When Qianye and Bao Zhengcheng roamed halfway across the town and met up once more, they discovered that the pressure they endured had lightened considerably even though the roars on the battlefield were as loud as ever. Moments later, the dark race warriors that covered nearly the entire city suddenly receded like the tide. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 128: Reinforcements [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Bao Zhengcheng practically couldnt believe his own eyes! Were they going to make it past the night just like that? He was suddenly struck with excitement. If they could pass this night, that meant that reinforcements would be nearly here! In the past two battles, they had managed to cause the allied forces of the dark races to suffer massive losses, especially towards their high-value warriors. Faced with such a weakened force, the expeditionary army only needed to send forth a single regiment to rout them. We won! Reinforcements! The reinforcements are almost here! Scattered cheering came from every corner of the ruins, and the remaining soldiers came out one after another and began to congregate as well as restore the command hierarchy. This was necessary for their survival. Once the soldiers had fully regrouped, Qianye found that less than two hundred of them were still capable of fighting. The camp commandant had long since died, and here and now among the officers, only he was of rank. Qianye hence took on the mantle of command. With Bao Zhengchengs help, he regrouped the various combat units, and arranged for their defensive positions, finally having them rest and recuperate and to wait it out. As time passed second by second, the gray sky began to slowly brighten, and all of the soldiers were filled with hope, anxiously awaiting the sound of gunfire from outside. As the first ray of sunlight fell upon the little town, it was already ten in the morning. But the gloom that had settled on everyones hearts got even heavier. The entirety of the outside was completely quiet. From the camp of the dark races allied force would occasionally come some miscellaneous noises, followed by a howling mountain wind, and it made the little town feel even colder and quieter. Had the humans defensive lines really been thoroughly destroyed? Had they destroyed more than their defensive point, just thirty kilometers deeper in, there was a human gathering point, and Earth Castle housed the houses of many soldiers. Whereas Qianye and Bao Zhengchengs hearts were weighed down by another heavy rockthat fake military intelligence. Just who had brought that? Were they from the 131st or the entire defensive camp? In the afternoon, on the wasteland, a light jeep was currently rushing towards the station of the 60th Division. The driver was Ye Muwei, and sitting shotgun was Gu Liyu. Gu Liyu lowered his head to look at the sundial that was fuelled by origin power in his palm, his face impassive. He didnt say a single word, and yet, it was precisely this that caused Ye Muwei to feel even more nervous, accelerating the jeep. In front of them, the base of the 60th Division had begun to appear on the horizon. After showing their IDs, the all-terrain jeep smoothly entered through the front gates. But once they entered the camp, Gu Liyus face changed. The entire base was empty, and of the prepared material, the armored cars, the tanks, etc. more than half was missing. Worse still, the soldiers had seemingly vanished. This entire campground was only guarded by a single battalion. Gu Liyu grabbed hold of an officer that was close by, and almost roared into his ear. What is all this! Wherere the forces! Where have they all gone? That particular officer had nearly been suffocated to death, and almost reached for his gun. It was only then that Gu Liyu noticed that he had put too much force into his hands, and rapidly calmed down, stated his ID, and requested to see the highest-ranking officer that was still on base. An instant later, a colonel came running over to explain the whole story to Gu Liyu. After hearing him, Gu Liyu spoke with a far milder tone. So what youre telling me is, Miss Qiqi used her authority as someone from the Ministry of Military Affairs and directly moved the entirety of the 60th Division? Thats exactly it, sir. The colonels face was ingratiating, and although his experience and military rank were greater than this young officer, he didnt dare offend anyone from the Ministry of Military Affairs. Readily filling in the details, Miss Qiqi had come in the dead of night, requested for the entirety of the 60th Division to mobilize, and to move out before noon. Among them, the high-level officers and the special forces teams followed Miss Qiqi to leave half an hour earlier. Gu Liyu had already fully recovered himself at this point, and only dully said, but I had already given the orders previously, to request for the 60th Division. To not obey the military laws of the Empire was a major offense for the units. The colonel continued laughing nervously and seemed to be on the urge of bowing for forgiveness. But Miss Qiqi had come personally, and we were completely unable to refuse her. Ye Muwei at this point cut in very inappropriately. What did Miss want to move the 60th Division for? Nobody answered. The colonels head was in a muddle and Gu Liyu knew full well that it was. At this instant, his mind turned towards another thought, saluting the former Jing Hall Madam who had passed away fifteen years ago, but never ever let the influence and power that she had brought out of the Song family fall into the hands of the Yin. It was still firmly concentrated within the hands of Yin Qiqi. The sun moved through the sky, and then, as it went behind the edge of an overhead continent, the sky began to gradually darken. As it dimmed, other than just the survivors within the fort, it also cast a shade over the mood of the commander of the allied forces. Baron Mike was impatiently pacing back and forth in place, and his overflowing anger had no outlets. This whole day, he had not even stopped for even an hour. Although the mutiny had been suppressed for now, the dark clouds were almost going to squeeze the allied forces base until it popped, and nobody could say if the next moment was going to explode into even more chaos. In the middle of the tent, were several werewolf bodies, and one look would tell anyone that they had been drained completely of blood. All of the werewolves were staring daggers at the baron. That black-haired werewolf was even more irate, and he even growled in a low tone. The black-haired werewolfs body was covered in wounds, most of them caused by vampire longswords. In the brawl, he alone had suppressed two Blood Esquires, and had almost taken the life of one of them. Baron Mikes head hurt, but he knew what he had to say. I trust that this was definitely not the work of my warriors! Because we would never He instinctively and habitually almost blurted it, that the high and mighty noble vampires would never suck the blood of the dirty werewolves, but as the words reached his mouth, he immediately and alertly swallowed his words. If he had said them, then these violent werewolves would definitely directly pounce him, regardless of how much the difference in power was between the two parties, or they would not have taken this much time to pacify the entirety of the allied forces. No matter how much Baron Mike hated the werewolves, he still couldnt go overboard. Not only because they were still fighting against the humans, but even more because further along this path, the werewolves and the vampires both had a Champion rank expert each in charge. Worse still, the werewolves overall strength was a shade higher. As he thought about it, Baron Mike gradually regulated his tone. I will definitely get to the bottom of this! But first, we need to take Earth Castle. Investigate? Sure, but the time? The werewolves refused to let the matter go. Baron Mike forcibly held in his anger. Once the battle ends Ill immediately look into it, and will return you a satisfactory reply within a month. The werewolves looked at one another, and then slowly nodded. Baron Mike ordered his men to carry away the bodies of the werewolves, and then, spreading the map, began to plot their next assault. At this point, a commotion came from outside the tent. The baron furrowed his eyebrows as he yelled angrily. What are you all blathering about!? His angry roar was infused with origin power, and the sound of his voice swept the camp, causing some of the weaker warriors to be shocked dizzy. The baron was already incomparably frustrated, and directly demonstrated his power, showing off in front of the werewolves. But from outside the tent came an icily silky voice. Oh lord baron, is this the way you welcome us? When he heard the voice, Mike suddenly chilled, and he cried out involuntarily. Surrey! A tall, thin, middle-aged man walked into the tent, and he gave a small smile. My dear Mike, its nice to see that you still remember my voice. His face was pale white, with a meticulously-cut little mustache, and eyes the color of fresh blood, it was clear that he had already moved against someone before he stepped into the tent. Mikes pale face turned a little green as he stared Surrey dead in the face. Lord Viscount, I recall that you were assigned to a different area? Surreys smile didnt budge. I heard that your progress here has been very unsuccessful and that you lost quite a number of high-level warriors. So, I came to see if there was anything I could help with! I am enough to handle it! Ill not have lord viscount trouble himself for me! Mike immediately rejected him. Surrey stroked his mustache. Why are you in such a hurry to refuse? Actually, Im not here of my own accord, but merely as the herald for the princess. Mikes heart immediately began to pound, as he hurriedly asked, Princess? Which princess? Among the vampires, princess held a special meaning. Only those who were directly related to the grand princes who were appointed as his successors, or those who had awakened the progenitors blood within them, could be termed princes or princesses. Surrey smiled but didnt answer, instead choosing to listen to what was going on outside. He walked toward the tent entrance, fixed his expression, and then bowed deeply, presenting a very respectful welcome. Mikes eyelids jumped. Someone who could cause Surrey to ingratiate himself thus far, must definitely not be offended. As the highest-in-command here, if he didnt welcome her, then he would be the next to get punished. Mike couldnt even be bothered to curse at Surrey who had wasted his time, and immediately rushed out of the tent as he watched a team of vampires walk into the campgrounds. This team of vampires was all extraordinarily beautiful, wearing dark red-hemmed cloaks and uniforms of deep black that all sported a single blood colored Datura flower. Looking over, Mike knew that this team of vampires strength was extraordinary, and the average member was a Knight level, and besides Surrey, there were even another two Champions! But what shocked Mike wasnt that they had great strength, but rather, that Datura flower symbol. That represented an ancient family, and an extraordinary surname, as well as an incomparable strength and influence within the dark world. That was the symbol of the Monroes, and besides the current Grand Prince Fred Monroe, it was said that another two ancient grand princes slept within their family vaults. This teams movements were deceptively slow, and in an instant, they were before Mike. Not even paying attention to Mike, they lightly walked into the military tent. A young girl walked out from among the group, and directly sat on where Mike originally sat. Mike rushed into the tent, both in shock and fear, as he sneakily took a look at the girl who was sitting there peacefully. Even among the standards of the vampires, she was perfect aside from those black eyes and black hair which rarely appeared on a vampire. Seeing such unique characteristics, as well as that faintly golden Datura flower, Mike immediately thought of one person, and hurriedly rushed forward to pay his respects. Princess Nighteye, why has your honored self come here? Nighteye spoke lightly. I heard that the situation here wasnt too good, so I came to take a look. Mike was stunned. The capture of Earth Castle is indeed a little slow, but one more final attack should be enough. Theres just been a little accident. Nighteye suddenly pointed towards the werewolves who were inside the tent. You, get out! The werewolves were stunned but instantly turned to anger, as they growled. Or what? Nighteye turned to face them directly, as she singled out a single werewolf from among them, and two images began to twist and distort as if being reflected in a rippling pond. Two werewolves inside the tent suddenly let out long wails as their bodies began to emit a dense cacophony of bone-breaking noises. Their bodies had involuntarily turned into wolves, but they were evidently being twisted and changed out of shape. They soon tumbled to the ground heavily, unable to get up. Nighteye then turned slowly towards the other two werewolves. They were shocked out of their skin, and ran straight out of the tent, not even caring for the corpses of their companions. With a light wave of her hand, Nighteyes two Monroe guards threw the two wolf corpses outside of the tent. Only when there were no werewolves within fifty paces of the tent, did Nighteyes mood finally improve. Surrey took this time to step forward as he spoke to Mike. Her Highness trip here, is not merely for the sake of something as insignificant as Earth Castle. We will be staying here a night, to help you block off one wave of attacks from the humans. An attack? Which unit? The 55th Division should still be fighting, no? And the 58th is a long way away from here, Mike asked in a panic. Unless this time the humans still wanted to engage in an air battle, or they couldnt be thinking of using the airships for transport. Its the 60th Division. Mike was instantly bowled over. He didnt know why the 60th Division would suddenly leave their defense area and move toward here, but the words of Her Highness were never wrong, or why would she even bother wasting her time coming to the sticks? Although the combat strength of the expeditionary forces was a mixed bag, the combat strength of the forces that were stationed on the border wasnt weak either. Even if Mike wasnt harmed, an entire division from the expeditionary force could singlehandedly swallow the entirety of his men. On the wasteland, an innumerable amount of transport vehicles carrying the men of the 60th Division were driving towards Earth Castle. At the front of this convoy was a group of light jeeps that had long since left the rest of the motorcade behind. The light jeeps were filled with only rank two or higher Fighters and almost the entirety of the higher command of the 60th Division. The engines of the convoy roared, and their headlights lit up the place into the color of snow.They looked incomparably arrogant and savage against the dim twilight of the evening as if protesting against the darkness. In the middle vehicle, Qiqi was busy yawning, staring at the outside in boredom. At this point, the convoy suddenly stopped. Qiqi furrowed her eyebrows. Why have we suddenly stopped? Miss, Im afraid we cant go any further, youd best come take a look. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 129: Close Comba t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qiqi jumped off the jeep and walked to the front of the convoy. Peering with the borrowed snowy bright light of the lamp, she could see nine silhouettes further ahead in the wasteland, lined up in a neat row, blocking the advance of the entirety of the convoy. They were all wearing the traditional pitch-black of the vampires, wearing their high collars and pale, beautiful faces, that set off their dignity and charm. Each of them also had a blood-colored Datura flower that almost stabbed into the eyes of all of the 60th Divisions commanders, and it suddenly seemed as if the entirety of the wasteland was incredibly dangerous. The roaring winds swept across the wasteland with a howl, and the short hair of the young lady in the line fluttered. She had black hair and eyes, rarely seen amongst the vampiresbut from where she stood, she was the most respected among the nine, and on her collar, was a pale gold Datura flower. There were only nine vampires standing there in a row on the plains, but their oppressive aura was a mountain that suffocated anyone who looked at them! They were facing the entirety of the 60th Divisions elite, nearly four hundred Fighter ranked soldiers, as well as two Champion ranked experts. But just by standing there, those vampires caused the 60th Divisions soldiers to all feel fear. A burly veteran walked towards Qiqi, and spoke in a low voice. Miss, thats the Golden Datura! What does that mean? The veterans face was a little bitter as he explained. The Golden Datura is a sign that can only be worn by those who are direct blood relations of Grand Prince Monroe or those who are of sufficient status. That is to say, not even considering if we could win this battle, but if we were to kill her, from now on wed have to face a vampire grand princes unending vengeance! Qiqi nodded as if it were nothing. And so? The veteran was lost for words with which to continue. He evidently couldnt say that this kind of enemy was far beyond their little expeditionary army to handle. He carefully ventured. Miss, should we reschedule the move? Qiqi stared pointedly towards the girl that they faced, and their gazes were like daggers, having crossed swords god-knows-how-many times in the air between them. Qiqi didnt even turn back to reply. Why, is the 60th Division trying to escape without fighting? This burly veteran was the 60th Divisions brigadier general, and hed already figured out that the opposing vampires were here to just block their way, and they werent really looking for a fight either. Under these circumstances, the best course of action was indeed to retreat, and then rapidly report the presence of a high-ranking member of the Monroe clan, and let the Ministry of Military Affairs take over. If they were to fight, even before considering victory or defeat, if the scion of the Yin clan were to get injured or get into an incident, the consequences might well be several hundred times greater than just losing. But it looked as if Miss Qiqi wasnt going to take that explanation. The brigadier generals face became even more exasperated as he spoke quietly. Its not that were running without a fight, but just that picking another time would be better. Were not prepared. You can retreat now, but you wont need to worry about the vengeance of the vampire grand prince. You can just worry about the vengeance of our Yin clan. Although Qiqi spoke in a carefree tone, the old mans face had a bitter smile. No matter how deep the enmity with the dark races, they could solve them on the battlefield, whereas offending the Yin clan, could result in the complete destruction of ones family. The 60th Divisions elite all dismounted from their vehicles. Forming themselves into a battle formation behind the division commander, they confronted the Monroe vampires. It was only at this point, that the statuesque vampires began to move. Among them, Nighteye raised her hand, and Surrey who was on her right stepped forward, speaking with a silky-smooth feminine voice, Return now, and well spare your lives today. He wasnt particularly loud, but across the hundred-meter distance, everyone heard him clearly. Qiqis eyes crept upwards slightly, and while this would usually bring out a certain amount of coy charm, it now had the severity of an arrow being nocked onto a bow. Nighteyes eyebrows twitched slightly upwards, and her unfocused-looking eyes suddenly became clear, and reflected the image of Qiqi! Qiqi suddenly felt a pair of giant invisible hands grasping her, and an enormous force that felt as if it was going to grind all of her bones to dust! A boom sounded around her, and with a surge of sea blue and milky-white light, as if the sky itself had fallen down onto the ground, her suffocated face, flushed with red, gently loosened. Nighteyes beautiful face very slightly revealed a cold smile, and the dim light swimming in her black eyes became even deeper. Surrey and the other vampire that was nearest to her had terrified expressions on their faces as they each backed a few steps away, instinctively bending over. If it werent for the atmosphere and where they were, they looked as if they were bowing deeply to her. At this point, the waves of light around Qiqi became incredibly messy, as if they would collapse at any moment! An old man with long, droopy eyebrows that followed the curvature of his eyes suddenly stepped forward, reaching out his hand as he chopped the air in front of her! With a bang, the old mans hand suddenly ignited with a ferocious inferno, and it was only with this that the invisible power that was strangling Qiqi broke. The old man looked at Nighteye, his gaze sharp as daggers. But Nighteye was still as calm as still water, without a single hint of the effects of having her power rebound on her, as what he expected. The old mans expression immediately turned grim, and after taking a deep look at Nighteye, he returned to Qiqis side. Qiqi violently coughed, and pointing a finger towards Nighteye, she called out. BOMB HER! Several siege engine cars raised their mortars, and with a loud boom, the massive shells drew a parabola in the air, accurately smashing towards Nighteye in the center. The vampires on Nighteyes left and right all grunted with exertion. With raised hands, they gripped the air and all of the mortar rounds stopped in midair, before blowing themselves up! Nighteye finally opened her mouth for a single sentence. Kill them. The eight Monroe vampires all had different expressions; some with worry, some with manic delight, some with bloodlust, and some with insanity. They suddenly moved, and with streaks of afterimages after them, they crossed the hundred-odd meter distance in an instant, and rushed directly into the midst of the formations of the 60th Division, causing blood to spurt up into the sky! The two Champions of the 60th Division blocked Viscount Surrey, while two of the old men behind Qiqi suddenly exploded forth with an astounding strength, blocking the other, older Viscount. But Nighteye turned around and left, disappearing into the wasteland in the blink of an eye. Qiqis side had four Champions, and she had only brought two, but Nighteye seemed to be completely unworried about the way the battle was going. In Earth Castle, a new battle was about to begin. The battle was going horrifically, and several fortunate men from the expeditionary army were already spent arrows; their origin powers had been depleted, their physical strength sapped to nothing, but they still charged in howling, fighting against the dark warriors who were far beyond them in strength in this bloody battle. Occasionally, one would hear the dull boom of an explosion, and that was the sound of the expeditionary army blowing themselves up with the hand grenades, taking their enemies with them unto death! Qianye was still burrowing through the trash heap like a ghost, and a rank five vampire warrior suddenly appeared in front of him. The vampire saw Qianye, and upon seeing the Twin Flowers in his hand, his eyes went blood red, and he roared in fury. So the one that dared to challenge Marquis Ross was you! And so? Qianye smiled coldly. The Twin Flower emitted a unique chord that bloomed in the heart of the vampire warrior. The vampire warrior had already aimed his gun at Qianye, but his movements were too slow. He hadnt charged up the gun enough to trigger it and never got a chance after that. Outside of Earth Castle, Baron Mike was in a panic, pacing back and forth in the tent. All of the vampire warriors were all holding themselves in a dead silence, not a single one daring to make a sound. One of the poor saps had accidentally angered the baron, becoming the target of his ire and got all of his blood instantly sucked dry. But instead of calming down, the baron had become even more panicked after that. The baron was still waiting for the sound of the Eagleshot. When the gunfire started, it meant that a high-level warrior was now a corpse. But now that the Eagleshot was silent, it gave him even more pressure. Who knew when the Eagleshot would suddenly boom, and who it would be aimed at. The baron himself wasnt that afraid of the Eagleshot, and taking a shot wouldnt kill him, but once he thought of it shooting the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism, Mikes face couldnt help but pale. Her Highness Nighteye had already left along with her bodyguards to block off the 60th Division. Just before shed left, her orders were to quickly take Earth Castle, and then to regroup, so as to prevent the human special forces teams from engaging in guerrilla warfare here in the Dongling Mountain Area. But now, the battle inside Earth Castle still hadnt subsided! The baron just couldnt understand how this could be. With that little garrison, with so little battle power, how could the battle have dragged on up till now? These humans, their vitality was stubborn to the point of being a werewolf, and their resilience was as terrible as that of the arachne! Even now, they still hadnt taken a single prisoner of war. This tiny little Earth Castle defense point had already caused the baron to invest a full two-thirds of his forces. This was an unimaginable loss for him! He could already imagine that even if he could take Earth Castle, what awaited him would only be shouting and punishment. And there was that person! It was definitely because of that person! That arrogant human! The blood roaring inside of him made Mike really tempted to rush into Earth Castle himself, but a strange premonition of danger kept him at bay. Mike had the nagging feeling that there was an expert nearby that was just waiting for the opportunity to kill him. This was the innate talent of his clan, and it had saved his life numerous times. Hence, the baron held a deep trust towards his instincts. Even for him, he absolutely wanted to avoid taking a hit from the Eagleshot at close range. Suddenly, from outside the tent came Nighteyes voice. Your current expression is rather ill-suited for a baron. Mike panicked. Your Highness! Youve returned? Nighteye walked into the tent with large strides and sat herself down on the barons lavish high-backed chair. Several vampires followed her into the tent, all of them emanating strong dark origin power. These vampires were all wearing a castle insignia on their chests, and even though they werent movers and shakers of the dark world unlike the Datura flower, they were a big name as well. That was the insignia of Marquis Ross, and around the insignia was a red band, signifying that they were his direct descendants. Nighteye quietly contemplated Mike, and in her eyes, his image was already being reflected. The shivering baron didnt dare even dare lift his head. It was a long time before Nighteye spoke up mildly. I only knew after the marquis descendants came to find me, that not only had a human hunter killed one of his descendants, and snatched away the marquis famous Twin Flowers, but that hunter had also used the Twin Flowers in battle. Do you know what that means? Mike shivered even more violently, and he spoke quaveringly. I understand. Is this human in Earth Castle? Yes. Then why did you not say this earlier? I, too, only knew of it just now. In Nighteyes eyes, the silhouette of the baron gradually vanished, and her icy-cold killing intent gradually receded. Mike nearly collapsed there on the floor, and if he could, he would long have imitated the other vampire warriors around him and crept away on his knees. She spoke placidly. On account of your many years of merit, Ill let it go this time. I will personally see to this. Capture that arrogant human, and see how capable he is, to be using Ross Twin Flowers to battle. Nighteye stood and left the tent with Marquis Ross descendants behind her. They gradually accelerated, and in an instant, they had sped past the battlefield, entering Earth Castle. Qianye was currently pulling out his longsword from the body of a vampire warrior. He suddenly stopped himself and gazed in a particular direction. A series of palpitations that he had never experienced suddenly wrapped his body! Qianye dropped his sword. Pulling out the Twin Flowers, he started up the Combatant Formula with unprecedented speed, not even sparing a thought for his internal organs that were being deeply savaged by the overwhelming origin power as it rushed past, causing deep injuries. The inscriptions on Twin Flower began to light, and in an instant, it was as if two very different flowers had blossomed in the air. Qianye aimed his gun towards a space that was seemingly empty and then slowly retreated. Just at this moment, a silhouette seemingly shrouded in black fire walked into the street! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 130: The Escape [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] In that instant, Qianye suddenly felt an uncountable amount of little lightning flashes. The world lost its color as an infinite darkness swallowed everything. In this world, Qianye could only see that fiery black blurry silhouette, as well as a pair of fathomless eyes! Qianye saw himself in those eyes! He suddenly felt as if his body wasnt under his control. Every bone, every muscle, and even every blood vessel was seemingly being controlled by an invisible forcefield, twisting, tearing, disintegrating. That feeling of imminent death had never felt this real. He couldnt hear anything, and he couldnt say anything. The previously boiling blood energy suddenly quieted and stopped moving, as if he were dead. Even the golden blood energy could only offer a weak resistance as it was unable to even move out of its own rune. But Qianye didnt give up, and with the relentless determination hed forged over his ten years of hard training, he forced his fingers down, trying to operate the trigger. He could feel his own finger moving, but it was extremely slow, and it was unknown how long it would be before he could cause the Twin Flowers to fire. At this instant, Nighteye was standing in the middle of the street. Several high-level Ross clansmen were waiting on her. They, who were high and mighty, all lowered their heads in respect and servility beside Nighteye. On the road over, they had left ten-odd corpses, some of the expeditionary army, some of the dark races. All of the corpses were twisted beyond recognition as if they had been mashed in the hands of a giant. They had all been mysteriously murdered by a flick of Nighteyes eyes as they blocked her way for some reason or another. This mysterious and powerful force had already caused all of the Ross clansmen to bend their knees in servitude to her. In front of an incomparable pureblood, status had already lost much of its meaning. Nighteyes eyes were filled with a lifelike image of Qianyes silhouette. Regardless of the char or the grime of smoke and blood on his face, and even though his structure was different from that time, Nighteye could see past the falsehoods. Her eyes which could see through the illusions instantly recognized him. Its him? The memories began to jump into her mind one after the other, and it was clear as if they had just happened. Nighteye suddenly realized that she could remember every little detail, and she was once again sitting on the floor tiles of the Red Spider Lily, her tongue still rolling with the taste of fresh blood. A blood thrall is not entirely without hope Im going to fight along with you later The Neos perhaps youll have a chance receive the Embrace. The chances are that well have fewer opportunities to meet on the battlefield In those black eyes that were so deep that they could seemingly swallow the world, the image of Qianye suddenly shattered, and then faded away. Qianye could feel the sudden pressure on his body releasing, and without a single hesitation, he pulled the trigger through. His entire person was lifted off his feet, and like a flash of lightning, he flew backwards! The Twin Flowers boomed out at the same time, and the previously-frozen demon flower split in two. Its unique timbre, akin to a flower bursting into bloom, broke the suffocating silence of the night. When she saw the light shining from the barrel of the gun, Nighteye finally remembered the other line of what Qianye had said: If we ever have the chance to meet on the battlefield, I will personally kill you! She only had a little hesitation, and her breastplate had already been smashed to smithereens by the origin power. The raging origin power tore into her flesh as two enormous flowers of blood bloomed in the air. Nighteye was thrown back like a falling leaf, helplessly tossed about in the air. For some reason, her heart was a blank white. She had even forgotten to move her blood energy to protect herself. Qianye fell to the ground and he raised his head, finally seeing clearly Nighteye who was being thrown backwards, the two flowers of blood drawing his attention like no other. Its her?! Nighteyes appearance was practically unchanged, and even by the strict standards of the vampires aesthetic sense, she was nearly perfect. Qianye completely didnt expect to meet her here, much less be shot directly in the chest by the twin shots that he had launched! With that terrifying power that she had just demonstrated, even if she wasnt a Champion, she was well on the verge of being one. If that was the case, forget even dodging the Twin Flowers, even if shed forcefully blocked it, shed have been fine. But why had she not dodged, nor had she even blocked!? Your Highness! The Ross clan vampires were thrown into a panic, and a large number of them rushed towards Nighteye, while the rest came pouncing for Qianye. Qianye instinctively turned to flee. This one shot had drained him of all his strength, and the well of his origin power had already dried up, facing those vampire nobles who were at least at the strength of Esquires, he was surely doomed, and worse still, Qianye absolutely refused to let himself be captured alive by the dark races. The vampires behind him moved like the bitter wind, their speed not an iota below Qianyes. He didnt dare to even turn around and could only rush onwards at full speed. In an instant, he had run out of Earth Castle and diagonally towards the mountains. Behind Qianye, ten-odd vampire nobles formed themselves into a line formation, dogging him. The two sides were gradually drawing closer inch by tiny inch, and at this rate, Qianye would be caught before he reached the hills. Qianye didnt dare to look back, much less retaliate, and only focused entirely on running for the hills. These vampires were completely different from any that he had met previously. They were the elite of the elite, and even though he, himself, had some of the vampires characteristics, their differences in constitution were clear. At this time, the earth suddenly began to quake gently. As if the whole mountain region were recovering its life, its hibernating heart slowly beginning to pulse again. From the shadow of the rightmost of the rugged peaks, a giant wolf emerged. It had snow white fur, and a gold mane around its neck gave it an extreme majesty. The giant wolf stood at the summit, and suddenly raised its head, letting out a howl that carried right through the clouds! The curtains of night were beginning to droop down, and it was the night that the Gemini stars were the closest. The giant, pale moon occupied half of the sky. With this incomparably severe roar, the moon actually began to pulse in harmony with the earth. The soft moonlight beginning to congeal, cladding the giant wolf. Whereupon the snow-white fur of the wolf began to glow under the light of the moon, scattering a dim glow upon the surroundings, its golden mane glittering like the sun! The faces of the vampire nobles who had been urgently chasing Qianye all soured, and they all stopped, forming a tight battle formation, giving death glares to the giant wolf on the summit. After the giant wolf had finished howling, he finally seemed to notice that there were intruders, and raising his hackles, a golden sunray shot out, cutting through the dimness of the night. Its gray-blue eyes had already been focused on the vampires downhill. These Ross clan vampires had come in high and mighty, but now it was as if they were being faced by their natural predator, not even daring to try to escape. Their tight formation wasnt in preparation for slaughter but was for the sake of defense, and even then, they were only barely holding on under the oppressive might that the wolf had projected at them. Those gray-blue eyes were unbearably heavy in their focus, and it felt as if an entire mountain range was expressing its displeasure. The giant wolf stared them down, and almost as if it had lost interest, it turned to leave. The moonlight cascaded like a waterfall, and seemingly forming a landing in front of the wolf, the wolf walked onto it, and just like that, it walked away into the skies, leaving no mark of its presence. It was only after the giant wolf had left for a long while that the Ross clan vampires were able to let out a sigh of relief. All of them were heaving with exertion, and they were all extremely sluggish, as if they had just participated in a large battle. They looked toward the distance and found that the human had long since disappeared into the mountain range. It was now impossible to trace him. The baron that leading the troupe had an extremely ugly expression. He hesitated for a long while before saying, Lets return! The ten-odd vampire nobles followed behind him and were suddenly gone. In Mikes tent, Nighteye was sitting in the high-backed chair, her eyes staring fixedly at a seam on the tent room, seemingly deep in thought. She had changed her clothes, and her face was still pallid but seemed otherwise unharmed. Mike stood at one side, hesitating to speak. He had come in to make a report, but he didnt dare interrupt Nighteye after seeing her deep in thoughts. At this point, the Ross clan vampire nobles walked in, and the head baron amongst them bowed deeply, paying his respects to Nighteye. Your Highness, we were incompetent, and failed to chase down that human. Nighteyes eyes stirred a little, as she asked mildly. What happened? There was an incident on the road. The baron explained the situation of meeting with the giant wolf. Nighteye furrowed her eyebrows, speaking lightly. Isnt that William? Whats he doing here? She turned to look at Mike. Whats the situation with Earth Castle? Are there still humans alive? There are at most only a few tens of little worms still hiding inside, but to flush them all out will take a little more time. Mike had come to report this. The battle for Earth Castle was more or less over but they had to remove all traces of humans and send out search parties to scour the trash heaps. Theres no need to spend that time. Regroup your troops, encircle the place, and stop them escaping, Nighteye continued, Well wait for the human reinforcements to arrive. Baron Mike was falling over himself to agree. He too felt that this idea wasnt too bad. Having a few humans as bait would be far more effective than just the trash heap it was. From a geographical perspective, if they couldnt take all of the battlefield within a hundred kilometers of this place, then holding this defense point was meaningless, and the humans would eventually take it back. Qianye continued to scamper along his route, and after running for a long, unknown period of time, the origin power in his body suddenly stopped, and he collapsed to the ground, only able to pant heavily. After waiting a while, and seeing no vampires appear, Qianye finally confirmed that he had managed to shake off pursuit. But as to why those vampires had given up the goose, he couldnt understand at all. He only remembered that there was a giant wolf that had suddenly appeared on top of the rugged mountain on his right, and then those vampire nobles had just stopped. Qianye had instinctively seized the opportunity to flee with all his might, and he completely didnt bother thinking about whether the threat in front was more terrifying than the vampire nobles behind him. The lucky thing was that that strange giant wolf had seemingly rushed toward the vampires and not blocked him at all. After a while, Qianye managed to recover a little of his bodily strength with great difficulty, and it was then that he managed to slowly inch his way upright. Looking at the time, he gave up on returning to Earth Castle. With that many vampire nobles appearing, Earth Castles troops were definitely going to be unable to hold on. He feared that the battle had long since ended and that if he went back he would only be throwing himself into their hands. At this time, a wild boar dashed out of the woods. Its eyes went red after seeing Qianye and viciously rushed towards him. No matter how weak hed gotten, there was no way that Qianye would be unable to deal with one ordinary wild boar. With a few strokes, he had toppled the boar, cut its tendons, and was drinking its warm blood in huge gulps. As the blood entered his stomach, it slightly agitated his blood boil state. The blood of a wild beast didnt contain much origin power so the recovery speed was not as high nor as violent as that of a werewolf or a vampire experts blood, but it was significantly quicker than waiting for his own endurance to return. Qianye took stock of the equipment on him and realized that other than the Twin Flowers and a single vampire longsword, all of his other items were back at Earth Castle. He leaned on a large tree to rest, quietly waiting for his body to recover. But the moment he closed his eyes, the images of his comrades in the 131st would float in front of him, as he relived their final moments. Although they were undisciplinable, as long as they were on the battlefield, they were all true iron-blooded warriors who daringly rushed into the enemys formations with their own bodies, using grenades to take the enemy with them even in their dying breath! But this entire battle had been more than just that. Although considering the dark races forces that had emerged later from Earth Castle, they had, by circumstance, stopped one of the assault waves of forces that would have penetrated the borders, and this sacrifice could well be said to have its own value. And so, if they hadnt had Qianyes amazing ability for guerrilla warfare and extreme sniping skills, the 131st might well have all died in the mountainous regions. Even if they had failed, they had failed mysteriously. A military movement of such a scale from the dark races, that had even contained so much cannon fodder, could definitely not have left practically no traces of their movements, and it was impossible that the division level intelligence wouldnt have noticed this. To die in battle was not scary. After all, which soldier of the Empire hadnt already made preparations every time they stepped onto a battlefield? But Qianye couldnt accept that this was how his comrades had died. For some reason, he thought more and more frequently of the Red Scorpions last mission brief. Qianye gently opened his eyes. Feeling the blood energy and origin power that was well and alive in his body, he slowly stood up. He didnt know that a pair of gray-blue eyes were watching him as he left the mountain area. Using old Ross Twin Flowers to hurt the princess of the Monroe clan, this is simply too interesting. My dear friend, you must definitely live on a while longer, this will make life... far more interesting! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 131: Destroying the Evidence [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Two days later, Qianye appeared at the headquarters of the 131st Company. The gates were surprisingly without guards. Qianye furrowed his eyebrows and then saw the hurrying and busied soldiers of the expeditionary army on the drill grounds. Officer Qian! The person running towards him was the second lieutenant in charge of guarding the camp, and besides seeing the shock and happiness on his face, what showed even more was his surprise. Whore they? Qianye nodded to him, and without asking much of the lieutenant, he pointed towards the expeditionary army. They are the military police of the third army of the expeditionary army. They say that the war is over and that theyve come to tally our records. The lieutenants face was filled with complex emotions and looked pained, clearly itching to speak out further. The area covered by the Third Expeditionary Army included Xichang City, and the seventeen battalions that Qiqi had brought with her were all under the banner of the 58th Division of the Third Army. The battle had ended? Tallying the score? Uncountable numbers of thoughts were swirling in Qianyes heart, and he didnt move at all, standing stock still. Tell me what exactly happened, from the top. It turned out that after Qianye and Bao Zhengcheng had led them out, the headquarters had been quiet. After reporting the movements of the company, new instructions hadnt come from Miss Qiqis end. The lieutenant had first felt that something was off five days after the troop had left. Since the entirety of Zhongying Town had been placed on its highest alert, the other mechanized companies had all packed their camps and left, not even leaving a defensive force behind, clearly the sign that someone in higher HQ had moved them. He had sent out a report, but the reply told him to hold his position, and await orders. Passing several days like this, the lieutenant finally managed to inquire into the state of the battle from the guards of Zhongying Town, and he almost collapsed at the news. The 55th and 58th Companies had actually fought in the Dongling Mountain Area! Wasnt that exactly where the 131st Company had gone to conduct their mission!? He immediately sent men to rush over to the Yin clans home overnight, and it turned out that even before the dispatched courier had made it back, the 3rd Armys military police had made it there first. At this point, the lieutenant had an expression of both pain and despair. They said that in battle, the 131st Company had set up forward camp and won a huge victory. They have already accumulated enough merit to enter the files. But whats this?! Those guys are practically treating us like criminals! Qianye quietly listened to him, and when the lieutenant mentioned the words victory and forward camp, his face darkened, and his downturned eyes flashed with a hint of killing intent. The lieutenant only knew that much. When the military police arrived, the soldiers of the 131st who had been left to defend the place had been continually monitored by them, and they couldnt even leave through the front gates of the camp, and the Yin clans courtyards were also completely quiet. But the lieutenant was of a good background and was a close friend of one of the lesser families. Hence, those that tailed him around were not only rather polite but also privately revealed to him the victory that theyd won, coaxing him to bear with it temporarily. As Qianye listened, he pointed out the discrepancy. Since the military police had come to assess the results, what do we need to bear with? Looking over, there was indeed one of the expeditionary armys staff officers and some of their line officers staring at them like hawks. The lieutenants face turned grim as he spoke, his voice brimming with discontent. Those buggers seem to have taken the wrong medicine, theyre practically insane! One whole squadron rushing in like that, separating us all, interrogating us for a day and a night. Evidently, this round of interrogations had made them incredibly dissatisfied. It was at this point that Qianye realized where that particular bruise, that hadnt healed, on the lieutenants chin, had come from. Smiling coldly in his heart, he knew that they werent insane, and as the lieutenant was one of Pu Yangshens clansmen, they didnt dare to let him die. Our brothers are still inside being questioned? Yes. Some of them have been in there for nearly twenty four hours now. Qianye nodded. Lets go and take a look. He started to stride towards the barracks. The few expeditionary army officers on the drill grounds looked at each other, and didnt dare to approach. In front of the barracks was a group of the expeditionary armys soldiers, idly chatting, and occasionally laughing. In front of them, the doors to the barracks had been barred from the outside, and from the window one could see that in every room there was one of the warriors of the 131st Company, their arms shackled by origin power handcuffs. One of them was actually tied to a chair, his face swollen. Qianye immediately walked out in front of this crowd of Expeditionary Army soldiers, spitting out each word individually. I am the company commander of the 131st Company. Release all my men immediately! Now! A second lieutenant that looked like a mountain of a man stepped out from the group, and he towered over Qianye, smiling coldly. Sir, we are doing our duty, and we cant just release people just because you say so! Qianye looked at him once before speaking mildly. I have no interest in the rank and file! Call out your senior officer! With a squeak, the side door of the barracks swung open, and out walked a major from the expeditionary army. The majors shirt buttons werent even fully buttoned up, and he leaned against the doorframe, lit a cigarette, and deeply inhaled. Im their superior officer. Why have you called me out? I was in the middle of carrying out my duties! Not to mention a mere company commander, I wouldnt budge even if you were the commander of the whole brigade! Dont you know who I am? Let me tell you honestly, your daddy here is He didnt even finish, and Qianye had already planted a leg onto his stomach, coldly saying, Youre full of shit! The major flew backwards, and slammed right through two layers of walls, flying out the other end of the barracks! The expeditionary army soldiers were all taken for a shock. They were the people from the military police, and within the Third Army, they were always the ones to lord over others. When had they ever had to take the short end of the stick? The fat black major bellowed out as he charged over, rushing onward face-to-face with his fist. This was what he was used to doing, slamming his bear-paw-like hands over his opponents faces, and only then could he be satisfied. But his vision exploded into stars as the beautiful engravings of the Twin Flowers flashed before his eyes and his face suddenly felt as if an elephant had viciously kicked him. Stars danced in his vision while he spat out something like seven or eight teeth from his mouth. Qianye had turned the stock of the Twin Flowers into a weapon and almost smashed the fat face of the black major into putty. If Marquis Ross knew that his beloved gun from that time had been used so roughly, against such enemies of poor character, who knew if hed get angry enough to kill all the way into the human cities. Qianye put his foot forward. This time around, he exerted himself, throwing the black major that weighed nearly two hundred kilograms high into the sky well over the barracks. With a dull thud, the major landed heavily on the other side. Although he couldnt be seen, they could tell just how badly hed landed just by the noise. Qianye ignored the rest of the expeditionary army forces, walking lightly through the hole hed punched in the wall to the side of the major. The major was still struggling on the ground, but no matter how he tried, he couldnt get up. He was a rank four Fighter too, but with one kick from Qianye, all his defenses had been smashed, and he might not even have the power to battle. You dare attack me? Good, good. Ill immediately let you know what the consequences will be! Your dad The howls of the major suddenly stopped because the left barrel of the Twin Flowers was squarely aimed at his crotch! This gun was evidently a high-grade good even at first glance, but no matter what grade it was, even if it was the ungraded Light of Daybreak, or even a gunpowder gun, the crotch of the major wouldnt be able to take a blow. A bang rang out, the sound echoing about the camp. Following it closely was the pitiful wails of the major drowning out all other sounds. What the f*ck are you going on about, your balls are still there! The major howled quite a few times before he finally stopped. He suddenly felt waves of coolness between his pant legs, and although there was the tender pain of a burn, there wasnt any crippling agony that he had expected. Lifting his head to see, he only saw that there was a massive hole between his legs, and the crotch of his pants had vaporized. As for the little thing at his crotch, there was definitely going to be some burns, but it was far from being splattered. Qianye told him coldly, The matters of the seventeenth corps are far beyond your jurisdiction! Now take your men and scram! If I ever see you again, I will not be so polite! The major looked at the deep pit between his legs on the ground, then at the gun that Qianye was carrying, and didnt dare to speak another line. Scrambling to his feet, not even bothering to change his pants, he ran for the drill grounds, hurriedly gathering his squadron. With the greatest haste, he took his men and fled the camp. The lieutenant and some of the officers that had gotten free hurriedly rescued the soldiers that had been locked up, while Qianye walked one round around the camp. As expected, although the armory and the ammo depot had been opened, they werent missing anything. It was just that the filing rooms were a mess. The storage cabinets had all been raided and papers were scattered all over the floor. Qianye didnt need to guess to know that, since the majority of the documents had been taken, that false military information would also be gone. The lieutenant had already settled matters outside and come to the secret filing room. Seeing Qianye standing stock still in the messy room, he spoke out. When the military police came, some of them went into the secret filing room, and they had taken away a large number of the files that very same night . He paused a moment, but couldnt hold it in. Boss, did something happen? It turned out that that particular expeditionary army officer who had helped the lieutenant had also misled him. It was at this point that the lieutenant finally realized the full scale of the battle, where the 131st had been defending, the terrible results of that battle, and their losses. Although they werent lacking in military power, their whole organizational structure had been scattered, and only a handful had survived. Hence, the military police were so daring in their mistreatment, as they knew for sure that the 131st was sure to meet with restructuring. But once Qianye saw the state of the secret filing room, he knew that these were just superficial excuses. There was a backstage actor, who had used the Third Armys internal department to come and destroy the evidence, that fake military intel. The two reports that had been filed by the 131st, had likely been destroyed on its journey out. But Qianye saw the panic on the lieutenants face and wasnt ready to reveal it all. This situation was getting more and more complex, and the defending force didnt know anything, so dragging them into this was meaningless. But the news that the lieutenant brought to him made Qianye involuntarily inhale sharply, and his heart rate sped up. The 131st had a handful of survivors? Thinking about it, he told the lieutenant, Ill write a report, and you send someone to hand it to Miss Qiqi. In the Yin clan villa, within the Wind Hearing Pavilion, there was a certain tension in the airevery officer going in and out was in a hurry. Ji Yuanjia put down the documents in his hand, as he gripped his nose bridge gently, massaging his exhaustion away. The boardroom table in front of him had been transformed into a giant office desk, packed with various documents and cases. Although the battle was over, what followed was an even more important job. A major pushed open the door and entered, carrying another report. Ji Yuanjia nodded as he took the report, but realized that both the majors manner of speaking and facial expression was odd. He looked down to see the sealed document in front of him was from the 131st Company, and couldnt help but be taken aback. The major asked, Captain Qian has returned to the camp at Zhongying Town. Should we immediately send an airship to receive him? The report was brief and Ji Yuanjia had quickly finished all of it. No, Ill head down there personally, He paused, and get Wind Tiger to prepare two teams of men to go down there with me. Yes, sir. The major walked out, and it was only then that he realized that his palms were slick with sweat. Wind Tiger was the name of Miss Qiqis private corpsthey managed various things, including the protection of the Yin clan property. In fact, whenever one of the important members went out, they would be protected by them. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 132: Crossing Swords [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The base of the 131st Company was remarkably empty. The barracks that could hold two hundred soldiers was now only occupied by ten-odd of them and the air of despair and grief for their fallen comrades hung heavily over the survivors heads. Qianye didnt confirm if the lieutenant had heard of the battle report for the 131st from the expeditionary army so he tacitly allowed the man to use this method to comfort the men. They were different from Qianye, and regardless of whether the 131st Company still existed, these soldiers would eventually have to return to the seventeenth corps. The truth of the matter was not their burden to bear. When he had made this decision, Qianye suddenly felt a sense of dj vu, and he recalled a time long ago, after the Red Scorpions had just completed the mission to eliminate a bunch of turncoats, the team leader had told them a similar conclusion. But for some reason, this time, Qianye was a little reluctant to think of the Red Scorpions, and with that, he turned his thoughts away, choosing to enter secluded cultivation. Maybe it was because he had taken too much fresh blood at Earth Castle, but even though the gold and purple blood energies had been consuming and absorbing this external blood these past two days, the blood energy inside of him still didnt manage to fully settle. And ever since the blood energies that was ensconced in his heart grew from seven to nine, they had remained dormant for a long time. As Qianye turned to examine his inner self carefully, he discovered that the blood energy had had a new transformation, and swimming out of his heart was not the nine streaks he expected, but only a single, much thicker streak of blood energy. Qianye paused for quite a while before assuming that perhaps this was an advancement in his blood power. It strongly resembled that of the human martial artsnine tiers to a level, nine cycles to a revolution, nine stages to a realm. Perhaps blood power was like this as well, and once the nine normal blood energies grew to a certain stage, they would coalesce into a single, greater blood energy. Previously, the normal blood energy was being constantly devoured by the gold and purple blood energies, and it could never reach nine, and hence never advance. But, the thing was that as the gold and purple blood energies advanced in power, they would bring along a corresponding unique power. However, this advancement in the normal blood energy had not brought any significant changes, and Qianye only felt that his internal organs, especially his heart, were vaguely itchy, just like a wound in the final stage of recovery. He thought that it might still bring some qualitative improvements to his body, but overall, it was still far less than the rune power of the vampires natural constitution. Qianye thought that the differences in the bloodlines of the various vampire clans might well originate from this. Once he had settled the blood energy within himself, Qianye began to cultivate the Combatant Formula. He had already noticed that maybe, due to perhaps the aftereffects of sucking too much blood, or the lack of closure on this complex chain of events, that this time around his heart was disturbed, and his mood was unsettled. Hence, he had taken extra time to settle himself before inciting the origin power tides. As the origin tide rushed past its thirtieth cycle, Qianye still felt as if he had strength left to give, and his body was still full with the blood energy. His innards, particularly his heart, seemingly strengthened once over, becoming yet stronger, and no matter how the origin tides battered at them, they were seemingly unharmed. Thirty first, thirty second, and soon it was at the thirty-fifth cycle, and the shock to Qianyes organs felt like only the thirtieth wave. It was only when the thirty-sixth cycle came roaring, did his internal organs finally begin to present signs of damage. At this point, Qianye moved his mind, and pulled the wave towards his fifth origin node, only for the barrier around it to collapse at the touch, easily igniting the origin node. This time, his breakthrough was so incredibly easy that even Qianye himself felt a little taken aback. Perihelion was at an end, and it was also the one night in which Gemini- was closest to the Evernight Continent. Qianye laid down in the empty field, his arms tucked behind his head as he watched the moon that took up half of the sky with its light as if he could just reach out to grasp it. He had suddenly broken through to rank five, and instead of slowly grinding down and steadily igniting that origin node, indescribable frustrations began to roil inside of his chest. It was the first time where he didnt want to continue training. He only wanted to maintain an inner peace inside of his mind, keeping it a pure white as if it was only then that could he calm down. In the distance, there was the sound of a tire squealing, and it stopped right outside of the 131st Companys base. Once again, the night was silent, and there was no sound from the commanding officer inside of the guardhouse, nor were there troops coming over to report, as if that sound had merely been an illusion. Qianye suddenly set himself upright as he turned to look. Ji Yuanjia walked out from the shadow of the building. He looked at Qianye. Youve hit rank five? This was clearly not a normal way to start a conversation, but Qianyes frustration simmered down. Yes. It was as if the ten-odd days hadnt existed, and the two of them were just peacefully making small talk. Ji Yuanjia smiled. Wanna have a go at it? He seemed to be in the mood. His right arm slightly sagged, and a half foot long shortsword landed in his palm. Its origin power arrays lit up, lighting up the night like water reflecting the moon. Qianye and Ji Yuanjia had battled each other before in the simulators in the Yin clans villa, and Ji Yuanjia had suppressed his origin power to the limit of rank four, the two of them battling it out with each other using only the militarys techniques, and it was a misnomer to call it a competition, more like an exhibition match. Ji Yuanjias battle style hadnt left much of an impression on Qianye, his maneuvers completely orthodox, a very careful, technical style, as if they had been replicated off of a textbook. The only thing that caused Qianye to go on alert was that this textbook style had actually fended off the vast majority of his attacks. Qianye patted himself, only finding the army knife at his hips. Pulling it out, he held it out in front of himself. Ziing! As if a piece of jade were being struck, the sword whistled out from Ji Yuanjia, and the blade was already an indistinct blur, the shimmer turning into a thousand specks of light as it softly fell like rain. Qianye took a big step forward. The Combatant Formula instantly rushed past nine stages as he executed a straightforward punch. Within his body, the origin power swirled, superimposing one wave onto another, and just as the edge of his fist was about to contact the sheeting rain of sword light, the Combatant Formula, like a sudden wave, rolled over into the second set of nine tiers. The two of them went all out right from the first blow. At this point, Ji Yuanjias sword hadnt yet made contact. The sword intent folded itself into a giant, invisible net, covering the skies as it crashed down from above, and the sound of the sword sharpened to a million points, like the noise of a rainstorm. Qianye suddenly acutely felt that not only was that sword incredibly threatening, even the space around it screamed a warning in his head. Qianye took action decisively. Refusing to back down, his fist drew an arc, as if a battlefield of soldiers had miraculously risen, given up their center and rushed toward their right flank before attacking once more. And at this point the Combatant Formula had rushed out well over twenty times, and the collected origin power hummed with a thunderous crash, as though a Fighter King were about to strike. A thunderous boom echoed, and masked the sound of the rain. The two men made contact, and then staggered back several steps before recovering their footing. Ji Yuanjia reached to wipe away a thin trail of blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled. The strike of the Fighter King blows away a thousand men. Once it strikes, it is truly hard to shake. Qianye looked towards his right rib, where his uniform had been sliced open neatly. He mulled over it for a moment and said, I lost. Had Ji Yuanjia truly meant him harm, that one sword stroke would have bled him. Furthermore, when he had reinforced his Combatant Formula to the twenty-sixth cycle, it was brought to an abrupt stop by Ji Yuanjia. It was just that Ji Yuanjia was almost breaking through to rank eight, while Qianye had only reached rank five today. The almost three-rank-gap came close to being crossed and Ji Yuanjia had nearly gotten the worst of it. A Fighter Kings power was indeed indisputable. All those clan secret techniques can be broadly split into secret arts and combat techniques. Secret arts deal with the development and the cultivation of origin power, whereas the combat techniques cover all the variations of combat. Qianye quietly listened on. This was an unknown territory for him. For example, Ye Mulans secret art is called Deep Frost. If one was struck by her origin power, that bitter cold energy would infiltrate the body like tiny needles and is incredibly hard to resist. Ji Yuanjia smiled, She was previously too loving of herself, refusing to take even a tiny injury, and so she let you finish the Fighter Kings stance. If she hadnt run away from fighting you directly, and taken you head on, it would have been hard to say who would have won. Qianye knew that Ji Yuanjia was right and that he had been a fool about his own strength back then. He hadnt immediately cleared out the invading frost energy and had already started to numb in pain later on. Had Ye Mulan not been defeated so quickly, that frost energy would have caused him an enormous amount of trouble. How Ji Yuanjia had defeated him pointed out the weakness in the Combatant Formula, which was the time needed to build the origin tides to the thirtieth cycle. Of course, it was not just anyone that could use this method to break Qianyes combatant formula. If he was another rank higher, Ji Yuanjia would not have dared to collide head-on with him like this. What followed was a short silence. Captain Bao Zhengcheng is still alive, but his injuries are severe, and the medical support on the Eternal Night Continent cannot save him. Weve already sent him up to a higher continent. The good thing is that after treatment, his abilities wont be damaged, and when he returns to the Seventeenth Corps, he can resume his command. Other than that, three more have survived. Im afraid that after treatment they will have to retire, but there is a hefty discharge fund. Qianye continued to listen quietly, his eyes watching Ji Yuanjia slowly turning icy cold. Ji Yuanjia was seemingly unaware of this. The 131st Company, as the frontline for this battle, has achieved great merits in the defense of Earth Castle. Hence, the deceased will not only get double the usual compensation, but the families of those who were NCOs and higher will also be allowed a single pass for the military school. Qianye said slowly, This is the final decision made? Ji Yuanjia spoke. This is the result of the military departments report. It seems like you already know what happened, but you dont intend to tell me? Whether I tell you or not, will depend on Miss Qiqis decision. Qianye furrowed his eyebrows. Without waiting for him to say a word, Ji Yuanjia retorted mildly. Four days ago, the Miss knew that you and the 131st had appeared in the Dongling Mountain Area near Earth Castle, and forcibly moved the 60th Division overnight in a bid to reach there quickly. Qianye could not help but be stunned at the news. Calculating the times internally, he noticed that it was on that very night that he had been encircled. But on the path to Earth Castle, they ran into some of the higher-ranking vampires of the Monroe clan, and the losses were great. The Miss was also injured. The Monroes were an earth-shatteringly famous clan within the dark world. They were the first of thirteen vampire clans, and in the past several thousand years, they always had a Grand Prince. Their insignia was the legendary flower of terror, the Datura flower. Qianyes mind suddenly flashed to the pale gold Datura flower on Nighteyes lapel that time, and his feelings were thrown into disarray. Up until now, all he had been seeing were these little puzzle pieces individually, and only as time went by was he able to slowly piece together an image. But instead of easing the frustration and confusion he felt, they only intensified them. So, even if you wish to stop this designated mission, you should go and see the Miss to explain yourself in person. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 133: Return Chapter133: Return [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] This time, Qianye stayed taciturn for a longer period of time. A letter addressed to Qiqi had been attached to the report Qianye delivered, requesting the termination of this commissioned task. Previously, he had believed all along that this was a case of a young lady of an aristocratic family dissatisfied with her marriage, hence this game with her elders out of spite. Since ample revenge had been served, he didnt mind being treated as the clear target; after all, which task for hunters didnt come with danger? However, Qianye never thought the games of aristocratic families and prominent clans could actually use an independent company from the whole standing army as a mere pawn. If it wasnt for Old 2 and Yu Yingnan serving as his guarantors when he received the mission, he simply might not have returned to this camp. He had even thought, maybe hed never be able to know who the main culprit was, and whether it was one person or a group of people. Qianye didnt like this kind of game, one that could treat an entire reinforced company of brave men as cannon fodder. But the information Ji Yuanjia brought completely exceeded Qianyes expectations. He was certainly aware forcefully requisitioning troops would result in disastrous losses; Qiqi must also be clear about this, so why did she do it? Qianye snapped out of his reverie and looked at Ji Yuanjia, the latter not expressing even a hint of impatience. The half-foot shortsword, bright as the autumn waters, circled about his palm like a halo of time. When do we leave? Qianye asked. If you dont have other business, pack up your things and leave with me right now! Even though it meant setting off through the night, Qianye didnt have any objection. The two, one in front and one in back, passed through the military drill grounds and walked towards the brightly-lit barracks. At the outskirts of the training grounds, Qianye paused. More than ten burly men with foreign appearances, each sturdy in stature and steady in gait, stood in the open space; one could tell at a glance that these were experts. These people didnt appear like soldiers from the army. Rather, only looking at the assortment of unique equipment each person wore, they appeared more like mercenaries. Qianye suddenly asked, If I dont agree to go with you, whatll happen? Ji Yuanjia only smiled. Qianye inhaled deeply, and said somewhat mockingly, Lieutenant Colonel Ji, I couldnt tell, but you really are thorough. At this time, Qianye finally realized why Ji Yuanjia had sought him out to fight the instant he had entered. Half of Qianyes strength could be considered long-range sniping; if he had a gun at hand, the situation would undoubtedly become much more troublesome. Though Ji Yuanjia could suppress him in close combat right now, if long distance was also considered perhaps he wouldnt be able to leave him behind easily. Ji Yuanjias smile was as gentle as ever. He replied without batting an eyelid, I only hope to do everything well for Miss Qiqi, thats all. Qianye didnt want to say anything else and opened the door to his room. He also didnt have much to pack, so not long after, the party of people left just as silently as they had entered. In a certain great city of the Qin Continent named Caged Sun City, a landwalking beast ran across an empty street inside the city before stopping in front of the main entrance of a grand residence. This residence was constructed completely in an old style with red walls, blue tiles, vermillion eaves and flying beasts. A striking horizontal tablet was aligned on the door, and the words Yin Residence was written on it. The tablet was signed by none other than the former emperor himself. The rider immediately entered the residence through a corner gate, and handed an entire bag of express mail to the butler. Just a moment later, an urgent mail was placed inside the study. A middle-aged person, accompanied by an elderly man, strolled along a winding corridor. The middle-aged man had squared facial features and projected an aura of dignity. He stroked the short beard on his chin, and said slowly, Mister Shui Yun, this child Qiqi is indeed talented. Only, her temperament and conduct are truly lacking; how can one be at ease? The successor exam is such an important matter, yet she only treats it as childs play. The results of the other three are neck-and-neck, but her? Until now, its still zero! The old man smiled. The Third Miss only likes to fool around a bit. Ah, young people, its not like its something really serious. The miss had always been independent since young, and when have you ever seen her fail to complete a task in the end? In my opinion, the reason she hadnt acted hastily is because she is confident in her chances. A true general is capable of enduring any pressure without faltering in composure! The middle-aged man snorted and said, A true general? I think shes just fooling around. Look at Peace Halls Yin Xu; hes almost at five hundred points already! The old man called Mister Shui Yun, however, didnt seem to mind. Five hundred points? Thats nothing more than ten thousand insignificant cannon fodder, or no more than about a hundred rank five or six Fighters. You can easily accumulate a score like that in one big battle. Its just a bunch of children. Where would you find a big battle like that?! Mister Shui Yun sighed. Tianhang, you mustnt underestimate the children of now. The fact that Third Miss chose Evernight Continent means she had a plan since long ago. After all, that continent is a place of great conflict! Plus, who else but Qiqi can inherit Esteemed Fathers Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art? Yin Tianhang snorted, and said, A patriarchs position isnt something that can be secured by origin power alone! Shui Yun stroked his beard and smiled, But it is also difficult to convince masses without strong origin power, is it not? The two men spoke as they walked, and entered the study in the blink of an eye. Yin Tianhang saw the report on the table. After opening it to read, he immediately yelped in surprise. He looked through it another two times before he finally passed it to Mister Shui Yun, saying, Well this is strange! Mister Shui Yun also looked very surprised when he looked through the report, The Third Miss broke through the roof of the military accomplishments ranking in just a month? This is unbelievable, let me take another look Hmm, these one thousand points came within just ten days time, and they all came from a division level battle. The points accumulated from a defense node at Earth Castle alone totaled almost five hundred points. Tsk tsk, it mustve been a bloodbath! But even with such results, they only lost an expeditionary force battalion and a reinforced company of the Seventeenth Corps? Tianxing, have these numbers been verified? Yin Tianhang chuckled. This is the dark races internal casualty report, how could it be inaccurate? Mister Shui Yun smiled while he stroked his beard, We all know how strong an expeditionary force battalion is. This reinforced company beneath the Third Miss is truly astounding. It would seem that she has managed to gather some talented people again, As he continued to read downwards, he said with a bit of surprise, The special intel bonus point is over one hundred points? The third miss actually encountered the Monroe princess''s guards! The Summit of Peaks tracks were discovered on the battlefield too? This is too dangerous. The 60th Divisions temporary deployment Yin Tianhang, however, couldnt conceal his delight, Which great general of the empire didnt walk over from atop the tips of swords? This is a good thing. This is great news; Qiqi now has some real experiences under her belt! The matter of the 60th Division really isnt much. Seeing as they fought to such success, who in the army can have anything to say about this? Mister Shui Yun nodded and asked with a hint of worry, Evernight Continent is pretty stormy lately, and the situation at Xichang City seems a little chaotic. Should we summon her home now that she has accumulated one thousand points and finished first in the military accomplishments ranking? The Profound Heaven Spring Hunt is about to start immediately. Qiqi will be heading there in a few days time. Mister Shui Yun recalled another matter, Brother Tianxing, about Qiqis marriage Anything but that! Yin Tianxings smile was immediately withdrawn as he turned him down immediately, The Yin Family has survived a thousand generations together with the empire itself. How could a major event like marriage be treated as childs play! Since we decided upon Qiqi that year, it isnt something we can change. He eased a little, and continued, Moreover, the situation at Reverence Hall right now is fairly good. Old 17 may command the military power right now, but it is only a matter of time before he retires. If Qiqis Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art reaches the level of great attainment, she may be able to succeed him as the general. However, her temperament is unsuited for command and strategy. Liyu, on the other hand, is good at stratagem and watertight tactics. He is an excellent choice in complementing Qiqis abilities. Mister Shui Yun said, A leader doesnt need to do everything personally. In this one battle alone, she has accumulated enough merits to match another persons half a year of achievements, so we know that she is capable of recognizing and using talents. In my opinion, her achievements wont stop at just Reverence Hall. Yin Tianxing waved a hand and said, Its not a problem even if Qiqi did become the patriarch in the future. Liyu is a good kid. As long as we help improve his familys status, is there any doubt that he would do his best to serve the Yin Family? Mister Shui Yun replied slowly, On the contrary, Ive actually heard of a few different assessments. Yin Tianhang raised his eyebrows, and said, Lets hear it. An airship descended beside a Yin Family courtyard, precisely at twilights deepest time. Qianye looked at the long stretch of pavilions and buildings beneath his feet, shaded by a beautiful expanse of flowers and trees. In his eyes, however, the narrow alley through the Earth Castle reappeared along with the black smoke and the collapsed roofs. These two scenes overlapped, giving off a feeling that a lifetime had passed between them. Immediately after exiting the airship, someone headed over to whisper in Ji Yuanjias ear. Ji Yuanjia turned to Qianye, and said, The Miss is currently in the back garden; Ill bring you there directly. Qianye was currently assessing his surroundings. He had already noticed the guard around other courtyards had been strengthened. At the corners of passages, burly men, armed to the teeth, would flash by constantly. After hearing what was said, he couldnt help but stare blankly, At this time? Ji Yuanjia let out a bitter smile, The Miss has been like this for the last two days, unable to fall asleep until deep into the night. Are her injuries serious? Ji Yuanjia shook his head, and replied, You will understand once you see her. Qianye followed behind Ji Yuanjia in a haste, passing through many twists and turns of a long corridor. Qianye had never been to this courtyard area. The surrounding structures grew more and more sparse, and the vegetation became more and more lush. The winding alley, if viewed during the day, must be extremely beautiful and elegant, but submerged in the dim light of the night it only appeared somewhat cold and desolate. Up ahead, a moon gate crawling with wisteria appeared. Ji Yuanjia stopped, and said quietly, You should enter by yourself. Qianye looked up. A wall with engraved hollows lay past the door. The pale moonlight sprinkled down as if it had entirely scattered into a dense mist, rendering the scenery inside completely unclear. Qianye walked through the entrance. A gust of moist warmth blew over, the mist still as dense as before, seemingly bringing about a lingering delicate fragrance. He realized only now that an enormous lotus pond lay in front of him, and a single long bridge led to the pavilion atop the water. The star, Gemini-, hung precisely at its lowest position on the curtain of night, massively suspended atop the inclined eaves of the pavilion. The water surface was a reflection of the full moon; at a glance, the entire space seemed to spread over the surface, and the fields of lotus flowers looked just as if they had grown on the moon. Qiqi was sitting on the ground of the water pavilion while wearing a wide-sleeved robe. Her head rested on her knees as she gazed at the water surface calmly. Under the universal presence of the moonlight, her figure actually seemed somewhat bleak and lonely. Qianye slowly walked behind her, and called out, Miss Qiqi. Qiqi didnt turn around, and said with a light sigh, Uncle Li died, right in front of me. Hes someone who watched me grow up, I didnt think hed leave just like that. Qianye listened silently. Uncle Li was a Champion rank expert since a long time ago. If he hadnt stayed in the Yin Family, he wouldve earned both fame and fortune in the army or anywhere else. However, he stayed with me, took care of me and protected me all these years. If it wasnt to protect me, he wouldnt havePrevious ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 134 : The Last Mission Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qiqi stopped speaking abruptly. Qianye opened his mouth but realized he didnt know how to respond. One sitting, one standing, the two remained silent for a long time. Qiqi moved, stretching her body over the low railing of the pavilion, and extended her hand to stir up the pond water. The incomparably massive moon reflection rippled gradually, before slowly forming billows spanning the entire pond. For a moment, thousands of moons swayed beneath their feet. Rays of interwoven blue-white origin energy appeared on Qiqis hand, coiling along her arm like a cloud diffusing in the air. At this moment, Qianye saw the side of her face. Gem-like specks on the corners of her charming eyes glistened as if fragments of stars were falling. Seeing that youre alright, Im very happy. Rest early! Qiqi said. Ill find you tomorrow. Alright. Qianye agreed and turned to leave. Right as he reached the shore, he turned his head to look back. Still, only the silhouette of Qiqis back could be seen. Rays of origin energy continued to expand, spinning and circling around her body like clouds. Qianye walked through the wisteria-covered gateway and saw Ji Yuanjia, who was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, gazing at a shrub in a trance. Qianye walked in front of him, and said frankly, It was after I received a fake intelligence report that I chose to attack a dark race stronghold in the Dongling Mountain Area. The beginning proceeded without a hitch; only, when we were retreating, we came across the mass mobilization of that regions collective army. We were discovered midway, so in the end, we could only choose to break through the mountain pass near Earth Castle. Ji Yuanjia didnt reveal a very surprised expression, and said, If that person hadnt underestimated your strength that much, the 131st Company shouldnt have been able to escape from within the mountains. At that time, the battle at Dongling was just on the verge of breaking out, and several squadrons of special forces were making their way into the war zone. Comparatively, the 131st Company and the elite corps are a little lacking, so you bunch would certainly be the first to be discovered. The Third Expeditionary Army seizing the majority of the records from the 131st Company encampment; was that also incited by that man? Ji Yuanjia laughed silently, and said, In this round directed against you, that man didnt need to do a completely thorough job of everything. Only, he didnt want to leave any direct evidence, so as to avoid shedding all pretense of cordiality with the Miss. His work has been arranged and interwoven throughout all military affairs; even dealing with the aftermath was taken into account. In the official report, the 131st Company was fabricated into a vanguard squadron. You should know that its impossible for a reinforced company from the Seventeenth Corps to be casually killed off as cannon fodder. Rather than writing you off as a premature attack, it would be better to just pick up a first-class military achievement and reminisce the soldiers that fell in battle. Plus, to the bigwigs of the military, so long as there is some definitive military accomplishment, where a reinforced company is supposed to be placed in battle is something that can be neglected completely. He paused for a moment, and continued with a cold smile, Perhaps youre still unaware. The Seventeenth Corps under Miss command defending the camp and participating in this battle was originally a portion of the Miss grand successor exam. So, as long as the final military point count can reach the target, even the elders of the Yin Family wont investigate the specifics. Even if there was any suspicious activity, most of it will just pass along like this. Qianye remained silent for a moment, then asked, In other words, without evidence, we cant hold that man accountable for anything? Ji Yuanjia replied gently, yet with an undertone of chilliness, Yes, we cant hold him accountable. However, his reach wont be able to extend this far in the future. Qianye detected a hint of blood from Ji Yuanjias words. He had also discovered that everything had been laid out by an expert and that things didnt hinge solely on a fake intelligence report: the time the 131st Company delivered their battle report, none of the orderlies sent by the captain that had stayed behind ever gave a response; it was clear this situation wasnt the work of just one man. Thinking also of the present increase in defensive measures and replacement of guards in the Yin Familys side courtyard, it looked like everything around Qiqi had been completely consolidated, and the people that had colluded with that person all must not have had good endings. Who is he? Qianye finally asked the question. Ji Yuanjia looked at him, and replied, You mustve already guessed, right? Only, right now isnt the time. Qianye frowned, but before waiting for him to respond, Ji Yuanjia continued directly, Hes Miss Qiqis fianc and, while this status is still effective, anyone who kills him will inevitably be chased down by the Yin Family until their heads are claimed. Besides, you cant kill him. Gu Liyu spends most of his time in the Empires ministry; that isnt someplace one can just enter to assassinate someone, and even if he left the upper continents locking onto his whereabouts his difficult. Even if it were me, Id only have a seventy percent chance of defeating him in open battle; killing him, however, Id only have a thirty percent chance. Qianye said indifferently, In this world, theres nothing that is completely impossible. Ji Yuanjia replied, Indeed, weapons arent the only means to kill someone. Qianye was slightly stunned. Seeing Ji Yuanjias expression, he suddenly understood his implication, You In an exceedingly calm manner, Ji Yuanji continued, Before, I had the wrong idea. Once, I hoped she wouldnt change, that she would continue to follow her heart and recklessly flaunt, and be capable of retaining her conscience forever. However, if one cant seize the greatest power, no matter what kind of desire it is, itll still be nothing more than an extravagant hope. Thus, I will follow Miss Qiqis wishes, and become the sharpest sword in her hands. Even after returning to his residence, Qianye continued to ponder Ji Yuanjias last words. In the end, the conflict and dispute between Qiqi and Gu Liyu was really just an internal power struggle. Only, it had implicated the entire familys great successor exam. Between the different members of Qiqis family branch, there were both mutual and unshared interests, leading to this situation of checks and balances. Though Qianye hadnt had much contact with Ji Yuanjia, he could faintly sense that Ji Yuanjia wasnt the kind of person to be drawn into power struggles; otherwise, he wouldnt have taken one step back after another facing Ye Mulan that time. However, today, he had clearly established his position on the matter. Ji Yuanjia had locked onto his own path, but what about Qianye? After this mission ended, where would his next destination be? The afternoon of the second day, Qiqi sent someone to call Qianye over to the study. When Qianye arrived, Qiqi was in front of the long desk writing what seemed to match the writing, kill decisively, which hung on the wall. Hearing Qianye enter, she tossed her brush into the brush washer and let out a bright smile. An infinite number of charming expressions could be picked out from those phoenix-like eyes; the grief and frailty he had seen yesterday seemed only like the moons reflection in water, gone without a trace once the sun rose. Qiqi walked in front of Qianye, gave his shoulder a forthright pat, and said, This time, you helped me obtain quite a few military points. You really surprised me. Military points? Those days, Qianye had only engrossed himself in killing the enemy, to the point where his consciousness had become almost totally numb. Where would he have the effort to tally up how many enemies he had actually killed? Qiqi counted her fingers off to herself, and said, Killed 5 rank six soldiers, 23 rank five soldiers, over a hundred soldiers rank four and under, and over three thousand cannon fodder. Do you think this level of military success is something that can be achieved with only the 131st Company and an expeditionary army battalion? Qianye was silent for a moment. Naturally, he couldnt be any clearer about the military strength of the expeditionary army and a reinforced company. Under normal circumstances, being able to reach half their military success would already be considered pretty good. This number couldnt be accurate, right? Qianye was a little doubtful. This casualty number was totaled up by the opposing dark allied armies. You tell me if it''s accurate? Qianye blanked a bit, immediately understanding the implication behind these words. Only now did he realize he had underestimated the abilities of the aristocratic families and the empire. The dark races had infiltrated the Empire, so how could the Empire not have conducted their own infiltrations? Perhaps due to the nature of the dark races, infiltrations might even be deeper. Those high-level soldiers, the majority were killed by you, right? Facing this question, Qianye was unsure how to respond. Thinking carefully now, it did seem like a large half of the dark soldiers rank four and above had been killed by him. Only, this kind of military success was too astonishing for a rank four Fighter. Even though Qianye could be considered an extreme long-range sniper that had the assistance of a squadron, it was still way too high. However, Qiqi must have utterly understood the strength of the 131st Company under her command to have asked such a question. Qianye braced himself, and said, With an Eagleshot and a sufficient amount of physical origin bullets, that should be about right. Moreover, right now, Im already rank five. Qiqi stared at Qianye, until his heart became itchy with fright. She suddenly blossomed into laughter and leaned next to Qianye. Practically touching his ear, she whispered, Even using Eagleshot cant reach this level of military success; youre still hiding something from me! Her soft and delicate breath unceasingly blew into Qianyes ear, causing his hairs to stand on end. Besides bringing about a tough body, a vampire physique also made ones sensory perception much keener. Right now, Qianyes ear was feeling an unspeakable level of discomfort, and the numb, itchy feeling seemingly permeated every drop of blood in his body. Qianye leaned back, pulling apart some distance. Dont move! Qiqi shouted, then asked again, What exactly are you hiding from me? No thing! Nothing? Truly nothing? Absolutely nothing? Qiqi asked three times in succession. Qianye finally couldnt bear it anymore. He flashed back several meters, and said, What can there be? Qiqi curled her somewhat disheveled hair, and said with a shrug, I know those who choose to get by in the Evernight Continent all have their own secrets, but thats not of any concern. You leaving for battle this time, your body must have received a lot of wear and tear. Ill have Old Du come give you a checkup; sometimes, if some small injuries arent treated promptly, theyll affect your cultivation progress later. Qiqi clapped lightly. A side door opened, and a short, wizened old man, his face filled with anxiety, walked into the room and in front of Qianye. Qianye blanked for a moment. Looking at Qiqis deeply concerned expression, he wasnt sure what to say. Old Du was a Champion rank expert, and perhaps not just any ordinary Champion. With him personally inspecting, could Qianye still hide his secrets? However, at this time it was impossible to stop halfway and decline; otherwise, it would be clear evidence of a guilty conscience. Thus, Qianye could only concentrate on evening his breaths and act as if nothing was happening, while at the same time activating the Concealed Bloodline ability to hide the blood in his heart even deeper. Now, Qianye could only hope this ability was as powerful as he expected it to be. Old Du coughed, and a bead of light lit on the fingertips of his left land. With a flick of his fingers, the five spheres of light flew out and began revolving around Qianyes body. The beads of light vibrated continuously, emitting a sound akin to the buzzing of a bee, and the origin energy within Qianyes body began to resonate. In the blink of an eye, the five origin nodes in Qianyes body illuminated, one after another, blossoming into light under the influence of the light beads strength. Qianyes body seemed as though it had become transparent, and his origin nodes and origin energy flow all appeared clearly. Origin energy seemed like dense mist, and origin nodes looked like brilliant stars. Even Qianye himself was struck in awe by this sight. Qianye immediately noticed both Old Du and Qiqi were staring fixedly at his chest. He glanced down, and discovered the node in front of his chest was blazing extremely brilliantly, almost as if it were the sun in the sky! Countless faint halos of light surrounded this sun, turning in accordance with some profound and mysterious orbit. Only after looking for a long time, Old Du let out a long breath of air and said, Miss, please be at ease. His body doesnt have any hidden injuries. Qiqi, still starting at Qianyes chest, asked, Isnt this the semblance of a Fighter King? Old Du shook his head, and said, It appears like it but it actually isnt, yet there also isnt much difference. If he wants to ignite this origin node of his, the difficulty is at least tenfold what others might face! Heh! Its truly hard to believe he was actually able to crash through this crisis. Now that this barrier has been passed, its smooth sailing from here on out. Until at least rank nine, he wont encounter any insurmountable barriers. Qiqis eyes lit with an extraordinary splendor as she asked, Then what about the barrier from forming a vortex with energy? Old Du gave a wry smile, then said, Miss, now youre making it too difficult for this old man. If you want to appraise innate ability at the Champion rank and above, only the Art of Heavens Mystery and a few other ancient techniques would be able to accomplish it. Qiqi was greatly disappointed, and replied, Where do I even begin looking for someone that knows the Art of Heavens Mystery? She glanced at Qianye for a moment. Seeming to have made a firm decision, she pat his shoulder forcefully and said, How about this. Once I return, Ill coax Esteemed Father till hes happy, then Ill ask him to introduce me Great Marshal Lin Xitang. I can seize that opportunity and bring you with me, and ask him to apprise your innate ability. Qianye was shocked, immediately thinking of Marshal Lins bustling military affairs; how could he do this kind of thing for the child of an aristocratic family? If Qiqi really did this, shed most likely end up with a nose full of dust. Qiqi looked to Old Du again and asked, Doesnt his origin energy seem much deeper than that of others? Old Du sighed and said, Why stop at much deeper? Its more than double! Moreover, his origin energy is as stable as a mountain and his foundation is incomparably sturdy; it really is a rare sight to behold. Only, he cultivates the Combatant Formula, and there arent any indications that hes cultivated any secret battle techniques. This is actually something you should plan for early. Qiqi was suddenly interested, Combatant Formula? Hey, how many origin tide cycles can you withstand? Qianye pondered for a moment, then said, Thirty cycles. Qiqi was greatly disappointed again, Only thirty cycles? Then youre just an ordinary Fighter King, nothing more and nothing less. Id thought you wouldve been able to pull at least some thirty seven or eight cycles! Qianye heard this and decided to keep his silence. Even Old Du couldnt bear listening to this kind of talk from Qiqi anymore. He coughed a few times, and said, Miss, the Combatant Formula is the first-class art for advancing origin energy for those under the Champion rank. Twenty cycles is sufficient to rise into the elite forces; thirty cycles and above means the potential to contend for a position of vice corps commander in the army. As for forty cycles and above, so long as one doesnt die, sooner or later one will become a mighty, earth-shaking general. If you cast your eye about the entire empire, those that could cultivate to above fifty cycles in past years are really only Great Marshal Zhang Boqian, King Wuwei, and very few others. Qiqi hurriedly followed, Alright alright! I understand. Next time I wont look down on the Combatant Formula, okay? Please dont say anymore. Ive heard this tens of times already. Old Du shook his head helplessly, and said, Naturally, its best that Miss can think this way. However, you must know, though the Combatant Formula is simple and easy to cultivate, theres much reason behind it being popularized within the army Qiqi grabbed Qianye with one hand and pulled him out of the room, unwilling to hear Old Du dawdle any longer. Qianye was dragged by Qiqi all the way to the garden before they stopped. He exhaled surreptitiously. The Concealed Bloodline ability was indeed tough; Old Dus technique just now was evidently a probing technique specializing in blood vessels and physique, yet he still didnt discover the dark race blood within his body. It looked like if he tread carefully in the future, any expert below the rank of general or duke would find it hard to discover and expose his secret. Qiqi said, Old Du is always like this. The moment he sees someone successfully cultivate the Combatant Formula, he becomes abnormally excited and always starts dawdling endlessly. Its not that I look down on the Combatant Formula; it is said the Combatant Formula was created by the Great Ancestor and is something a Martial Ancestor once cultivated. However, no matter how good it is, once one cultivates to the ninth rank, the energy of the tides will become so great its incapable of increasing any further, and ones body will collapse. This isnt some joke. No matter who it is, sooner or later everyone must switch arts; even Great Marshal Boqian isnt an exception. Speaking to this point, Qiqi moved sideways and latched onto Qianyes shoulder like they were good brothers. However, youre actually able to cultivate to thirty cycles. Not bad, brat! Youre actually a Fighter King! Why would a guy like you hide in that rural Darkblood City as a hunter? Is it because you have some story? Come, let me hear it! Which familys young lady did you get pregnant, that you had to hide in some rural and desolate place to avoid disaster? Qianye didnt know whether he should laugh or cry. Sometimes, Qiqis reasoning was truly far-fetched, making it hard for anyone to withstand. Qiqis eyes and brow suddenly curved even more, her phoenix eyes turning as charming as a fox as she said, Alright, lets talk about your next mission! Im just about to return to the Qin Continent to participate in the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. This time, the ranking I get from the event will be counted into my points for the successor exam, so your mission is to accompany me in the spring hunt, and protect me well! Profound Heaven Spring Hunt? That sounded like hunting. As for protecting, Qianye directly neglected the Miss tendency to use all sorts of improper wording. But when he discovered what Qiqi meant by protecting later, he couldnt help but have the feeling that hed been swindled. He hesitated for a moment, then remembered hed never asked whether she had received his letter. Qiqi appeared to have noticed Qianyes hesitation, and said with a smile, As an additional reward for this mission, why dont I pick out a suitable Yin Family secret battle technique for you? Its about time you replaced that Combatant Formula of yours. Her eyes and brow filled with cajolery. Qianye raised his head to see Qiqis smile; it was especially bright and beautiful under the afternoon sunlight, completely unlike the bleakness underneath the moonlight in the water pavilion. His mind couldnt help but tremble a bit and his heart skipped a beat before he replied, This is the last mission in your exam, right? Alright, Ill definitely give it my best. That night, Qiqi sent someone to deliver Qianyes newly fitted equipment, so everything was sent to his little courtyard; a thick pile of materials for the spring hunt was also delivered to him along with everything else. On the very top, there was a copy of a long attendance list. Qianye carelessly flipped to a page, and an incomparably familiar name cropped out: Song Zining.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 135: Profound Heaven Spring Hun t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The spring hunt was a traditional social activity for the empires nobility, held to show how the Great Qin was founded through martial might and that the nations roots were never forgotten. Because hosts, participants, and hunting sites were all different, the event was separated into many divisions. The Profound Heaven Spring Hunt Qiqi was about to attend was of the lowest rank, directed solely at aristocrats of the younger generation rank seven and under, including their attendants, who also couldnt exceed rank seven. The spring hunts established specifically for those rank seven and under also included Imperial Garden and Northern Sea, two other grand hunting events. Of these, Northern Sea and Profound Heaven were of the same level, while the Imperial Garden was hosted by the imperial household. Its standards were the highest: the core successors of the four grand households would all be present, and every aristocratic family would send its direct line of descendants to participate; as for landowning households, besides specific astonishingly talented individuals that received invitations, no one had the qualifications to attend. The threshold for the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt wasnt that high. This time, two grand households marked the very beginning of the attendance list, followed by the Swallow Cloud Zhao and Highland Song clan, seventeen or eighteen lower-middle aristocratic families, and several hundred landowning households. Qianye stared at Song Zinings name for a while, but a wave of irritation suddenly assaulted him. He knew the residual effects of the bloodline promotion had shown up again. After the nine normal blood energies had combined into one, they became so much stronger that even the golden or purple blood energies were unable to devour them. As a result, they periodically fell into waves of anxiety that actually affected Qianyes feelings indirectly as well. He exhaled lightly, put down the materials, and walked into the quiet room next door to start cultivating the Combatant Formula. More origin energy could not only sustain his regular bloodline, it could also faintly restrain the chaotic bloodline movement within his body and allow his blood boil state to be more easily controllable. Two days later, a flying goose-level airship that could traverse the continent lifted off from Xichang City, slowly leaving the Evernight Continent behind and entering the boundless void. The airship looked like a multi-story boat, and the main building, reaching up to seven stories, was composed primarily of blue jade and decorated with auspicious beasts, filled with a hint of ancient appeal. At this time, the atmosphere in the top floor of the multi-story boat was tense. Qianye stood in front of the window, appearing to be looking outside, but he wore a gloomy expression and his face was filled with anger. Two young girls dressed in light jackets and draped dresses stood, trembling in fear, in front of him. One held a tray with both hands. Sitting on a long couch on the other side, Qiqi smiled like a blossoming flower. She was wearing an imperial noble ladys traditional garb: wide sleeves, silk girdle, and a gorgeous black ornament with blue embellishments. If her sitting posture was a little more composed, she would be the perfect model of a noblewoman. However, she reclined against an armrest without the least bit of bearing, her right hand propping her chin up as she sized Qianye up and down. You agreed to protect me! I didnt agree to wear this kind of thing. Qianye shot a glance at the tray in the young girls hand loathingly. That was a set of clothing identical to the clothes and jewelry Qiqi had on. They were womens clothes! Qiqi replied smilingly, Look, I intentionally picked this type of traditional dress. The only difference between the male and female versions is the side at which the sleeves are unbuttoned. The male version has an unbuttoned left sleeve while the female version has an unbuttoned right sleeve! Its not noticeable unless someone pays close attention. Come on, you only need to wear this for the first day! Once weve settled in, you dont need to meet any more outsiders! As it turned out, according to the rules of the spring hunt, though Qiqi had brought many attendants and bodyguards with her, only nine people could form a group after entering the hunting grounds. Any staff in excess could serve as logistics or hunt alone. The spring hunt lasted a month, of which fifteen days would be spent entering deep into the hunting grounds. Qiqi was the first daughter of an aristocratic family, so she certainly couldnt just mingle about with a crowd of big men. In terms of etiquette, she needed at least one female companion to eat and sleep with. As for what Qiqi had reported to the attendance list, that female companion was precisely Qianye. Qianye was deeply skeptical of this kind of questionable etiquette. Qiqi lobbied with great determination, Look, Aunt Lan is rank eight so she cant take part in the hunt. These girls are all only rank two or three; entering the core area of the hunting grounds just means sending them to their deaths. You agreed to protect me! These days, the effects of Qianyes overconsumption of blood still hadnt disappeared completely, so he felt particularly fidgety and impatient. At this time, he didnt want to argue with Qiqi anymore, so he turned and walked to the door. Qiqi jumped up and grabbed ahold of him, Its not like I can be in a tent with other people! If you were to sleep together with me, without mentioning anything else, just my familys old grandpa would hack you to pieces. Qianye retorted: Me changing into womens clothes doesnt mean Ill really become a woman. Us sleeping in one tent, how could your familys old grandpa just not know about it then? Of course hed know. Thats not a big deal. But you just said he would hack me to pieces. Qiqi replied, He only cares about the Yin Familys principles and conduct. As long as whats in the materials and the person that appears in front of everyone is female, then hell also act like he doesnt know. Qianye simply didnt know how to respond. He had also seen the damned materials. Qian Xiaoye! Could it be that Qiqi actually thought adding a xiao character in the middle of his name would make it sound feminine? Just like that, the airship slowly sailed through the path of stars above the sky while Qianye was fuming. It reached the middle part of the strategic town Jinzhong on Qin Continent and slowly descended. The Profound Heaven Spring Hunt was organized by the regional general and governor of the place, Duke Wei, and the hunting field was set at the Profound Heaven Mountain Range to the west of Jinzhong. It was said that the ley lines of this mountain region were extraordinary and that it contained huge deposits of precious minerals. The flow of origin power in this place was extremely chaotic, which was why all kinds of fearsome beasts and rare or unusual plants appeared in the area. Moreover, Duke Wei would even throw in a bunch of dark race warriors into the hunting field simply to add to the difficulty of the spring hunt. The Empires spring hunts, regardless of its rank or standard, all emphasized actual combat with real swords and guns. The Western Frontier Spring Hunt, meant for those above rank seven and under Champion rank, involved directly facing other tribes and rebel armies in small-scale military campaigns. The Spring Hunt Main Camp had been set up in Duke Weis side courtyard at the base of the Profound Heaven Foothills. It was called a side courtyard, but its scale was equivalent to that of a small city. Although over ten aristocratic families and over one hundred landowning households participated every time, even with the addition of attendants and guards that numbered over ten thousand, the side courtyard could easily make accommodations for everyone. Qiqi led Qianye and a group of attendants and guards at Jinzhong Citys airship base, then switched onto a mini airship and headed towards the Spring Hunt Main Camp. As a core character in the Yin Familys young generation, Qiqi already had dealings with the children of many aristocratic families; when she had arrived at the Main Camp, there were actually already over ten young aristocrats that had specifically come to the airship base to welcome her. Qiqi was originally an existence that received the most focus in crowds, but when Qianye appeared behind her, he received countless fiery gazes in just a split second. In the end, he put on the same wide-sleeved clothing as Qiqis and draped down his half-length black hair. His face didnt even need too much makeup. All he did was dressing up the corner of his brows for a bit so that the features that were a little too sharp were mellowed down. The end result was an intoxicating countenance. Qianye and Qiqi were almost sharing the same height. Qiqi was feeling especially good today, so her phoenix eyes were curled into exceptionally lovely crescents. However, Qianyes eyes were incredibly icy as if he were gathering killing intent just by standing there. These young aristocrats were intoxicated by the beautiful sight for a time when they saw the two twin-like girls. Anger surged from Qianyes chest for being looked at with such eyes. The impulse to explode on the spot nudged him. Qiqi was pretty good at dealing with such a scene, and she chatted and joked around with both familiar and unfamiliar aristocrats. It wasnt until the carriage sent from Duke Weis side residence had arrived, and Qianye followed Qiqi up the carriage before slamming the door hard to cut off the young aristocrats'' passionate gazes, that he said coldly, I dislike this identity. Qiqi immediately said in appeasement, Were just showing your face in public at the beginning. Itll be over after tonights feast! The carriage moved swiftly along the road and entered the courtyard assigned to the Yin family. It was a big place with multiple entries at the front and at the back. Not only was it decorated with fake hills, ponds and gardens, there was even a small pool of hot spring at the back. The environment was unspeakably beautiful, quiet and in good taste. The outer courtyard had several rows of single-story houses that could fit over hundreds of personal attendants and bodyguards, but Qianye didnt have an accommodation to himself since he was Qiqis female companion. He was assigned to live in the room outside the master bedroom. Normally, the spring hunt participants would rest for an entire day at the side residence to relieve the fatigue of their long journey. The next morning, a number of personal attendants and bodyguards would depart to their forward bases in the inner region of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range to set up accommodations and logistics. The masters themselves leading the team would only depart after everything was done. That was why Duke Wei had invited all participants to a dinner feast, starting off the spring hunt with it. Night fell, and the biggest Martial Hall of the side residence was as bright as day. Maids were going back and forth, pouring excellent wine like spring water, and tasty food filled the tables endlessly until they resembled small hills. The young talents of many aristocratic families were gathered at one place. Most of the men were dressed in imperial uniform or martial uniform, while the noble ladies were dressed in dresses with wide sleeves and ribbons around their waists. When they moved, they looked slim, graceful, charming, gentle, and as beautiful as flowers. Even among this many handsome men and pretty ladies, Qiqi and Qianye were still the focus of many peoples gazes. The duo was dressed in identical attire, but the qualities they exuded were totally different from each other. They were exceptionally eye-catching when they walked between the crowd. Qianye followed closely behind Qiqi. He neither averted his eyes nor said a word. The various stares of passion or jealousy were making him really, really uncomfortable. The core bulk of the hunting team was limited to nine people only, which was why almost all families had chosen rank six and rank seven specialists to compose their team. In comparison to those people, Qianye was only at rank five. It made him look especially conspicuous. The fact that Miss Qiqi took both men and women to her bed was known far and wide, and so some of these whispering discussions had criticized Qiqi for discovering another new plaything and bringing her to the hunting field without any sense of decorum whatsoever. However, these young aristocrats had not the slightest interested in Qianyes strength. In private, they talked about his unique quality, a special quality inside the iciness that was mixed with a strong presence of killing intent. It made them feel so unbelievably excited to the point of trembling. Qianye was staring with infinite gloominess at the tip of his feet while listening to Qiqi talking with a few familiar faces from the same province from the topic of tea parties to horse racing, when a dragged out announcement of guests resounded from the main entrance, Song Zining, seventh young master of the Song Household is here! The noisy hall turned silent, and almost everyones gazes were trained at the main entrance. A refined and handsome aristocrat accompanied by a group of people young men and women entered the dining hall. The young man was dressed in light green colored, ancient style wide sleeves clothing. He looked charmingly graceful and as gentle as jade. The smile he wore constantly in his eyes made everyone feel as if they were being bathed in the spring wind. He wore no ornaments whatsoever on his attire, and the only thing that hinted vaguely of luxury was a row of jade buttons on his buttoned jacket. The natural blood jades that looked like they were entangled in smoke were great mediums of origin power and were worth ten thousand gold coins each. An entire set of blood jades with roughly the same size and quality, like the one worn by Song Zining, was practically priceless. The Song Household was the one family that had initially started out as a family of traders, and their conduct was the most gentle and friendly out of all four grand households. However, they were also the richest of all four grand households because of it. Qianye immediately recognized that this seventh Song young master was his schoolmate back at the Yellow Springs Training Camp after a brief moment of surprise. But although Song Zinings appearance hadnt changed much after he became an adult, his temperament now was completely different from before. The surrounding people were all talking quietly about this new talent of the Song household who had risen to fame like a comet in the sky. Song Zinings conduct was extremely low key, and it wasnt until the Song household had announced the successor candidate name list that he suddenly appeared in everyones eyes. Even the aristocratic families participating in the spring hunt today didnt have much info on him. The second Song Zining had entered the hall, the crowd immediately surged forwards and greeted him warmly. Some people had even used the tiny bit of relationship they shared with the Song family several hundred years ago as an excuse to get familiar with him. Song Zinings smile was as pleasant as a soft wind during spring; a little warm and intoxicating. Some noble ladies were starting to look at him with adoration in their eyes. While walking, he answered to everyone politely and concisely without missing a single person. However, those who observed him closely would notice that there were subtle differences of familiarity. Aristocrats were obviously given more attention than landed gentry, and those people whose families were placed near the top and were close to the Song household were granted more of his time and attention. These little details sorely tested an aristocrats socializing ability. Song Zining showed not only perfect etiquette but also a complete lack of hesitation as he responded fluently to the horde of people in the blink of an eye. It fully displayed his wealth of knowledge and talent as an essential descendant of the Song household, and his performance prompted many seniors at the scene to make imaginary nods in their minds. I hate that guy a lot! Qiqi whispered beside Qianyes ears. She seemed to know about the puzzlement inside his mind and added, Its because I hate the woman beside him a lot. It was only then Qianye noticed that Song Zining was followed by several girls and among them was Ye Mulan. The girls occasionally talked with Song Zining wearing friendly expressions that seemed to hint that their relationships were uncommon. The richly dressed Ye Mulan stood out among all of them as she followed closely behind Song Zining with a cold and arrogant expression on her face. She never even graced the landed gentry and minor aristocrats around her with the corner of her eyes. Song Zining saw Qiqi from afar and immediately walked towards her with a smile on his face. He strode until he was before Qiqi, but suddenly, his gaze moved past her and stopped right upon Qianyes face. The gentle smile that looked like it would never change suddenly froze just like that. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 136: Dinner Feas Chapter 135: Profound Heaven Spring Hunt [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye had his head half lowered and his back completely tensed up in a straight posture. He pretended that everything and everyone around him didnt exist. He was an adolescent back when he had parted ways with Song Zining, and now his height and physique were different from before. Even if he retained a third of his former appearance, he was currently in the guise of a woman. Adding that to the fundamentalistic changes brought by a vampires constitution, Qianye simply refused to believe that Song Zining could recognize him at first glance. However, Qiqis smile had stiffened for a little. Her expression immediately took a turn for the chilly. The Song households seventh young master never had too good a reputation when it came to women, and there were plenty of rumors about his loose relationship and womanizing out there. It was already very rude of him to stare blankly at her female companion, and worse, Qiqi had been Song Zinings cousin for more than twenty years. She absolutely didnt believe that this habitually pretentious bastard would really lose his composure over a woman. It was obvious that he was doing it to embarrass her. It was at this moment a soft laughter rang from beside them. Ye Mulan walked two steps and stood beside Song Zining. Then, she held his sleeves and said in a brisk tone, What a pretty little thing she is. No wonder my Zining would forget his manners for a second, Although she was praising Qianye, her eyes were staring at Qiqi, You could pamper such a bright and brilliant little flower in a warm and comfortable house, and it still would be a disservice to a beauty like her. You sure arent afraid to bring her out here to the open and show her off, Qiqi. Qiqis face immediately turned dark, for the underlying meaning behind Ye Mulans words was exceptionally insidious. She was literally a hairs breadth away from accusing Qiqi of bringing her pet lover to the public. The surrounding people grew excited the moment they noticed that the atmosphere wasnt right. They were all waiting with bated breath for a good show to happen. Although the Yin Family and Song Family were connected by marriage, and Qiqis mother was a member of the Song Family herself, the fact that Yin Qiqi and Song Zining didnt get along well with each other was an open secret. Qiqi never failed to express her disgust towards Song Zining non-stop every time they attended the same setting. However, Song Zining never lost his manners and treated her politely and cordially, even if all the responses he got were mock and ridicule. Qiqi was not the kind of person who would just suffer an insult to the face by Ye Mulan quietly. She cast a chilly, sideway glance at Ye Mulan before saying indifferently, Since when did a mere woman of landed gentry have the right to speak first? Have your family taught you no manners at all, peasant? Ye Mulans grip on Song Zinings sleeve tightened, and her delicate and beautiful face immediately became distorted with anger. It would appear that Qiqis tongue was in no way duller than hers. Ye Mulans background had always been a matter of great taboo to herself, but Qiqi was the type of person who rubbed salt into the part that hurt the most. She made sure that she stepped on Ye Mulans greatest grievance and regret every time. It was only then Song Zining finally recovered himself and stopped Ye Mulan from continuing the argument with a raised hand. Ye Mulan wore a wronged look on her face. When she stared at Song Zining, her usual coolness and arrogance faded into nothingness like melting snow. With a bit of childishness, she said softly to Song Zining, Zining, she she humiliated me Song Zining looked at her once with eyes that looked as gentle as spring water, and Ye Mulan immediately fell silent. One tantrum was fine, but two tantrums meant she lacked a sense of propriety. She wasnt a person who would commit such a mistake. It was only then Song Zining finally turned to Qiqi and nodded, Long time no see, Qiqi. How have you been? Qiqis charming little pair of phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and the shadow of a smile sprung to her lips, I heard that youve gotten busy again lately, seventh cousin. I am sure youre not as bored as I am while I was staying at that backwater place called the Evernight Continent. Thankfully though, Xiaoye is by my side, She turned sideways a little and lifted a clump of hair from Qianyes shoulder, twirling it twice between her fingers. Xiaoye? Song Zining looked slightly startled. But Qiqi was looking at Ye Mulan beside him. Although Ye Mulan did her best to maintain an expressionless face, the burning fury in her eyes couldnt be suppressed no matter what. Qiqi first raised her eyebrows in pretentious ignorance for a second. Then, she put on a look of realization and began laughing, No, no, its not what you think. The Xiao in Xiaoyes name means daybreak, and the Ye means evernight, Upon saying this, Qiqi turned to look at Ye Mulan in a jubilant mood. Ye Mulans fury only worsened upon hearing her explanation. By now she was certain that the reason Qiqi gave her pet lover the name Ye (evernight) was because it sounded the same as her own surname Ye (Leaf). She did it to humiliate her. Qiqi blinked her eyes once before she suddenly threw some oil into the frying pan, Seventh cousin, I can give you Xiaoye if you truly like her! I havent used her, you know! The second she said this, Qianye immediately sensed the intensity and the number of stares on his person had multiplied by a thousand. He could no longer control his killing intent from leaking out of his body. Song Zining couldnt help but stare at Qianye a little absent-mindedly once more. Qianye continued to stand as stiffly as a pillar, and his eyes never looked up once at Song Zining. In reality, he was feeling so irritated that he itched to kick Song Zining in the stomach this instant. Although Qianye was aware that Song Zining didnt deserve his anger, there was no doubt that this whole thing had started because of him. Ye Mulan finally could hold herself back no longer. She said coldly, Miss Qiqi, shouldnt you show at least some respect to Zining? Dont you think youre disappointing Lord Tianxing like this? Qiqi cast a glance at her and said, My cousin and I are just talking about family matters, so why are you interrupting our conversation? Lord Tianxing, you say? Are you implying that seventh cousin is so certain that he would win the clan lords seat that he will speak only in Lord Tianxings presence? Ye Mulan was immediately covered in cold sweat the second Qiqi said this! In fact, most of the listeners who were having a great time watching the verbal sparring unfold turned pale to the point where some members of landed gentry and small aristocratic families immediately began retreating towards the distance. The conflict for the seat of clan lord was not only something they absolutely couldnt get involved in, it wasnt even something they could be privy to. Ye Mulans face was deathly pale as great hatred swelled inside her heart. She never imagined that Qiqi would catch a single line and forcefully swing it towards such a dangerous subject. Although the Song households overall style appeared unusually gentle compared to others, there was no such thing as an amiable war of successors within all aristocratic families. Its fierceness was not far behind a war of religion, and the level of cruelty and ruthlessness involved needed not be said. The fact that Song Zining even managed to squeeze himself into the ranks of successors was already surprising enough. He had never even expressed any sort of desire towards the seat of clan lord within his family. If he was pushed into that whirlpool because of Ye Mulans one line, Song Zinings family might decide to cancel the engagement immediately. That would be an absolute disaster for Ye Mulan. Ye Mulan clenched her fists and pressed her fingernails deep into her own palm, using the pain to quicken the speed of her thoughts. She said solemnly, Zining has never thought of such a thing. On the other hand, you seemed to be absolutely certain of the Yin Familys successor examination, Qiqi, and this spring hunt happens to be the key to your victory. Youd best perform well. However, Qiqi gave her a look that was reserved only for idiots before she smiled faintly, Whats so difficult about a successor examination? I only need to put a bit of effort to win this whole thing, so why would I care so much about it? The Yin Familys situation was different from the Song household. Qiqi was now one of the top four successor candidates and there was no longer any point in feigning indifference at the last stage of the successor exam. Ye Mulan clenched her teeth in secret when another idea passed through her mind. She said, But I thought that someone screwed up huge during the exam and caused the expeditionary forces to suffer tremendous losses. It was a hot topic that many people had heard of! Qiqi said nonchalantly, Yeah, the vampires are so bored as of late that even the descendants of their grand princes are screwing around the remote and desolate lower continent for god knows what. I led my army on a surprise attack one time and the elite guard of the Monroe clan just happened to show up and stop me. This incident did grow pretty big, but in my opinion, it still wasnt big enough. Im going to investigate to the end and find out exactly who it was who sold our intel to the vampires. Even if that person happened to be the wife of a household descendant, theres no way shes going to escape the Yin Familys grasp! Dont you think so too, Miss Ye? Ye Mulans face turned cold, What do you mean by that? Youd best make it clear! Qiqi cast a glance at her and said indifferently, Make it clear to you? You dont deserve to hear it! Her words were a merciless slap to Ye Mulans face. Qianye, who was pretending to be a pillar all this time, felt his mind click when he heard this. He could sense that Ye Mulans heartbeat and blood flow had quickened a little when Qiqi said this. It would appear that the fighting and scheming behind the battle of Earth Castle was more complicated than he had imagined. It was likely that Ji Yuanjia hadnt told him the whole story. A bit of killing intent made its way to Qianyes heart, but Song Zinings gaze suddenly fell on him once more, causing him to come very close from erupting into a litany of curses. He could only keep his head bowed resolutely. Qiqi, who else would you look up to when the Yin Family is under your control, if your behavior and conduct is this overbearing already? Ye Mulan said through gritted teeth. Qiqi replied coldly, No matter what becomes of the Yin Family in the future, they will never let a tiny Ye family climb on top of their heads! At this point, this corner of the Martial Hall had become completely silent. The aristocratic families who hadn''t dared to get themselves involved had already made their excuses and left and those who boldly stayed behind to watch the show didnt even dare utter a single comment right now. No one had imagined that the two women would draw daggers at each other and tear off all pretenses in the blink of an eye. The lost look in Song Zinings eyes suddenly became replaced by an intimidating light, and he was just about to say something when a dragged out announcement rang from the entrance, Zhao Junhong, the second young master of the Zhao household is here! The sharpness in Song Zinings expression instantly faded away into the usual, spring-like smile he wore. He said, Junhong doesnt show up often. We should go and welcome him, third cousin. Qiqi nodded in agreement and walked side by side with Song Zining toward the entrance. By now Ye Mulan had calmed herself down, and she nonchalantly took two steps backwards and chased Song Zinings back. However, every time she threw an occasional glance at Qiqi, they were filled with hatred and disdain. A group of young aristocrats walked up the stairs slowly with a group of revering followers around them. This man looked to be about twenty four to twenty five years old, and he was so handsome that even Song Zining was a shade paler compared to him. He had short, light-colored hair and a pair of black pupils tinged with a bit of purple. The moment he showed up, the crowd immediately wagged their tongues spiritedly amongst each other. It actually is the second Zhao young master! Hes as handsome as the rumors say. Ive long since heard that all Zhao household descendants were either pretty or handsome. Their good looks are known throughout the whole world. Also, Zhao Junhong was one of the four most outstanding young masters of the young generation! A dreamy looking person asked upon hearing this, I wonder if Sir Junhong has a wife already? The person beside him immediately laughed mockingly, You think your family is worthy to build a connection with the Zhao household? Stop daydreaming already! That person immediately turned red with embarrassment. He replied indignantly, Nothings impossible. All grand households have the tradition of marrying members of landed gentry into their midst, and I happen to have a young daughter whos born smart and peerlessly beautiful. How can you say for sure that Sir Junhong wouldnt fancy her? Another person patted his shoulder kindly and spoke in a regretful tone, Out of the four grand households, the Zhao household is the only clan that has never accepted any landed gentry into their midst by marriage. They are the proudest of all men and women, and their ability to produce outstanding descendants every generation has kept their fame running strong without fail for a thousand years. Thats why they have the right to make such a claim. That person immediately hung his head in silence and dejection. Zhao Junhong paused for a brief moment when he passed through the door and took in everything that was happening inside the hall. His subordinates needed no instructions to start blocking off all the people who attempted to gather around him. The man himself walked towards Song Zining and Qiqi on his own accord, and he opened his arms and gave Song Zining a hug, smiling, Zining, its been a long time since the hunting beneath the dam. Youve gotten stronger since then. Song Zining smiled, Im still a bit weaker compared to you, Brother Junhong. Zhao Junhong shook his head and mocked himself, Its a power I earned through meds, Zining. It is not worthy of praise at all! Unlike me, every step of your progress is built firmly without a shred of outside help. Song Zining sighed, You praise me too highly, Brother Junhong. Theres no one who doesnt know that all four young masters of the Zhao Family are fated to be Champions. Whether or not you used meds doesnt make a difference at all. That four young masters title is but a joke title. I am sorry to admit that my talents are the worst out of all my brothers. Song Zining immediately replied, Of course not, youre being too humble, Brother Junhong. If even you consider your talents poor then you wont find more than a handful of people in this world who would dare call themselves talented. The duo just kept exchanging praises to no end. Qiqi rolled her eyes once at the side and yelled, Alright, enough! Are you guys done yet? Keep this up any longer and the suns going to rise! Zhao Junhong and Song Zining showed no look of regret of whatsoever. They exchanged a smile with each other before they finally stopped the cycle of self-humbling and praising others. Zhao Junhong greeted Qiqi with a smile and asked, Long time no see, Qiqi. Youve gotten even more beautiful than before. I heard that you ran into a little trouble in the lower continent? Is there anything I can do in your service? Qiqi immediately looked like a headache had assaulted her and shook her head immediately, Theres no need! I totally can do this on my own! After that, the trio began talking about their families, their friends, the social events they participated in and their plans for the future. Slowly, the arrogance ingrained into Zhao Junhongs bones began to show. Not once did he cast a glance at anyone else but Zining, Qiqi and a few other people. Suddenly, a series of drumbeats resounded as a middle-aged man who projected natural dignity and power walked out from behind a screen while surrounded by his people. He was dressed in the colors of an imperial uniform, and his index and middle fingers were adorned with two huge jadeite ornamental rings. The character Wei was engraved onto the surface of the ring. This man was Duke Wei and the organizer of this spring hunt. Duke Wei swept his gaze across the entire hall, and Qianye actually felt like he was brushed by lightning when he looked by! He immediately understood that Duke Wei was a most terrifying opponent. Qianye immediately withdrew his thoughts and maintained a steady level of energy and blood. He urged the blood energies and ability runes that had long since hid themselves into his heart to hide even deeper, afraid that Duke Wei would figure out his secret. Thankfully, Duke Weis gaze had swept past Qianye quickly and without pause just like everyone else. It was only then he let out a sigh of relief. It was at this moment a maid carried over a glass of wine, which Duke Wei held in his hand before announcing loudly, Everyone here are the future pillars who will support the empire. I am old already. The infinite way of the stars and this vast world will eventually be yours. However, the race of the black blood is as strong as ever, and we need your strength to safeguard the Empire. May the dark races be utterly eradicated from this world one day! Long live the Empire! Everyone raised their glasses at the same time and cried out in unison, Long live the Empire! When the dinner feast was over, Qianye followed Qiqi to the courtyard before he hesitated in front of Qiqis bedroom. But Qiqi pulled him right into her own room and shut the door. Im going to take a bath, and you should too! Once youre done, go get some early rest. Qiqi pointed at a door at the right side of the entrance hall. After that, she walked inside and went away to take a shower on her own accord. She seemed to be worrying about something and had lost the mood to tease Qianye. Qianye also let out a sigh of relief. To his surprise, the master bedroom and the hallway outside had their own independent bathroom and changing room. Tonights dinner feast had been seriously tiring. Qianye went to bed immediately after he took a shower and fell into deep sleep. Before he sank completely into his dreams, he was suddenly assaulted by a sense of palpitation that came out of nowhere. It was as if something bad were about to happen. To the east and opposite side of the Yin Familys courtyard where there was a limestone road and two sparse rows of flowers and trees serving as a line of boundary, there was an even bigger courtyard where the Song household was accommodated. The study inside the courtyard was as bright as day. Song Zining was holding a brush and drawing on a piece of paper.The female portrait he was drawing was roughly done. His movements were unhurried, but his wrist moved like it had an independent will behind it. The thickness, modulation, transition and shade of his brush strokes were ever-changing, and the ink drawing came to life in great detail. It was as if the drawn person was about to come out of the painting. It was a drawing method that combined both meticulous brush technique and freehand style. The womans posture and attire was drawn strongly and boldly, and although she was holding herself in the simplest standing posture, her presence was shockingly fierce to the point where one could almost feel a biting killing intent penetrating from the paper. On the other hand, the womans face was drawn with thin, mild strokes. It made even the tiny frown between her eyebrows look incredibly lifelike. As it turned out, the woman in the portrait actually looked a little like a crossdressed Qianye. Song Zining stood tall as he held his brush. His lips were pursed into a sharp curve. His expression was solemn, and the gentle and modest quality he usually carried himself with were completely gone. Right now, he looked like an ancient soldier of gods who had drunk the blood of countless enemies, and just as dangerous as the biting killing intent penetrating from the portrait. Suddenly, he shook his head and tossed the incomplete drawing to a side. He spread out a new piece of blank paper and began drawing once more. It was the same female portrait with the same attire and posture, but the expression and features of the womans face differed slightly from the earlier portrait. At first glance, it still looked similar to a crossdressed Qianye. There were five or six such discarded sketches on the other side of the table. On every paper was drawn a woman with slightly differing facial features. Every one of these women looked slightly similar to Qianye, where the only differences between them lay at the eyes, lips and other facial features. If Qianye himself had seen these portraits, he would definitely be shocked to find that the altered features were all places where he had put on makeup to soften the sharp angles of his face. A cold, intimidating light suddenly flashed past Song Zinings eyes, and the sharp aura brimming from his body instantly vanished. A person knocked on the studys door softly, but Song Zining looked like he hadnt heard it at all. He continued to stare at the drawing paper and hold his brush in silence. The door was pushed open gently, and Ye Mulan walked into the room. She was holding a tray of teapot and teacups. There was also a stewing mug on top of it. She put the items at the furthest corner of the wide study table before moving behind Song Zining softly and quietly. Then, she watched him draw quietly. Suddenly, Song Zining accidentally made an excessively strong stroke, leaving behind a rather thick ink mark on the paper. He let out a sigh and tossed the wasted sketch to a side. It was at this moment Ye Mulans gentle voice rang, Zining, do you like this Xiaoye that much? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 137: Camp Raid [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining spread open another piece of drawing paper, held his brush and gathered his concentration. Ye Mulan smartly kept quiet as she watched him finish and discard yet another drawing. Song Zining put down his pen and walked to the table. Ye Mulan hurriedly poured him a new cup of tea, to which Song Zining accepted before saying gently, Shes one of Qiqis. Ye Mulans hands tightened beneath her sleeves, but her expression didnt change when she spoke, Speaking of Qiqi, she is way too disrespectful of you. She is lacking in even the smallest of courtesies! I heard that her mother has stood by the second young masters side Mn, Song Zining expressed a non-committal hum. As usual, he never expressed a clear standpoint on this subject. Zining, my older cousin Gu Liyu of the Gu Family has run into a little problem lately. Do you think you can help him? I believe that hell be very useful to us in the future if we can win him to our side. Mn, Song Zining nodded without even asking a single question. Ye Mulan didnt think that the biggest objective of her visit tonight would be accomplished this easily and was surprised for a second. That being said, it shouldnt be that surprising considering that Song Zining had given her plenty of access for the past year without asking many questions at all. It was obvious that he trusted her. She herself was aware that she had splendidly performed the few tasks the Song household had entrusted to her. She believed that she was deserving of this level of trust. But before Ye Mulan could get a chance to feel happy about this, she noticed that Song Zinings gaze had returned to the person inside the portrait. Her face stiffened. Then, she worked hard to relax her facial muscles as she walked to the table and began collecting the discarded sketches, speaking softly, That Xiaoye must be a lowborn if she is willing to attach herself to Qiqi this way. Its not really a choice Suddenly, Song Zining spoke up, Of course she followed Qiqi out of her own choice. Ye Mulan felt a skip in her heartbeat, but still she maintained her facade and picked up the tidied papers, Rest early, Zining. Mn. Ye Mulan gently closed the door of the study before walking to a secluded corner. Then, she suddenly gritted her teeth and tore the two drawing papers into pieces. Choice? Since when did the seventh young master of the Song Household care about a womans choice? The maid next to her was caught off guard by her actions. She hastily looked around them to make sure that no one was passing by before she crouched onto the ground and picked up all of the torn paper bits. She advised her in a very soft voice, Miss, its just another woman that the young master fancies for the novelty. Itll pass. Ye Mulan said coldly, We dont even know who that bitch is yet! Qiqi is obviously toying with Song Zining. How should I put this? Zining is too softhearted when family is involved, By now she had recovered her composure, and she left the place with her maid nonchalantly. A moment later, Ye Mulans maid sneakily went out to the outer courtyard. The Song household bodyguards were not the only ones staying here. There were some landed gentry who had attached themselves to the Song household living here as well. Song Zining had only brought with him a guard of fifty soldiers and twenty or so personal attendants. As a result, there were several unoccupied houses at the outer courtyard big enough to fit a hundred people. Therefore, these gentry did all they could to stay in the courtyard. They didnt care even if they had to stay inside a single room with six or seven other people; they only needed to stay there for one night anyway. The important thing was that they could declare that they had stayed inside the Song households courtyard after they returned from the spring hunt. It was a matter of great honor. The maid walked into the last room of the eastern area where only three people lived. They were all young gentry of foreign surname who had came to stay in this house by asking Ye Mulan directly, or asked for an introduction from the Ye familys elder. It was obvious that the treatment they received was much better than the other dependents. Moreover, this room was relatively bigger because it was situated at the highest floor of the house, and it had an extra window that made the room look brighter and more spacious. The room became available because Ye Mulan had forcefully adjusted the Song bodyguards accommodation arrangements. The maid hadnt stayed for too long. The paper she was holding in her hand had vanished, however. The trio surrounded the portrait and was absorbed in a discussion. This is a very troublesome matter. That Xiaoye is Qiqis female companion and bodyguard, right? Another person sneered disdainfully, What bodyguard? Everyone knows what shes really there for. Were all rank six or seven already, and weve earned our ranks by war on the battlefield! Capturing this rank five girl will be a piece of cake! The third person pondered for a moment, Its not safe! Qiqi would kill us if she finds out! The Song household may not even help us if that happens. Youre always so cowardly! Risk and reward are two sides of the same coin. If this was easy the Song household wouldve done it themselves, wouldnt they? We absolutely cannot let such a great opportunity go by. Were simply fitting the young masters fancy, thats all! The third person spoke up again, Alright then! We cannot act now, of course. Every family has a courtyard to themselves, but they are too close to the main building. We will wait until everyone has entered the mountains and set up their camps. The mobilization and arrangements of personnel would definitely be a mess then. Well hide ourselves nearby and wait until that girl is alone, or we could just lure her out in the open, knock her out in a single punch and carry her away with her face covered! As long as we act carefully, we shouldnt leave any traces behind. This matter cannot wait. We shall act by tomorrow night! Heh! Do you think we should tie the girl up first before we deliver her to the young master, or strip her naked and stuff her directly into the young masters bedsheets? Tsk! Are you blinded by lust or something? Do you seriously think the young master would accept any woman youve stripped with your hands? Hehe! Im just saying it! Plus, that girl looks really hot, you know! My heart itches just looking at her! The volume inside the room went down, interrupted only by odd suppressed laughter once in a while. A moment later, Song Zining welcomed two personal attendants in his own study. The short but sturdy personal attendant called Song Jing reported the maids visit to the front yard before he asked with a little bit of concern, Wouldnt it be difficult to justify things to that Yin family miss if they did succeed? The corner of Song Zinings mouth curled, and Song Jing immediately shut his own mouth. He couldnt help but complain on the inside that the young master was pampering his future wife a little too much though. Song Zining cast yet another glance at the female portrait on the study table. What did Ye Mulan mean by this action? There were plenty of ways to get a woman, but she had chosen the crudest method of them all. There was no way she wouldnt know that the Song households reputation would suffer if this incident were to be revealed. The only way this could be averted was if the person she kidnapped was questionable to begin with, and thus could be used as a solid leverage against Qiqi if she were to fall in Ye Mulans hands. The thin but tough young man called Song Ge next to Song Jing reported to him another matter, Young master, Ive acquired Miss Qiqis name list from Duke Weis residence. That female companion of hers is called Qian Xiaoye. Shes a rank five Fighter in a long-range battle position. There were at least ten thousand people participating in the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt, so only the data of the members of the families were provided. Naturally, the bodyguards, attendants, concubines, and maids were not included in the data. The only reason Qianye was even put on record was because he was one of the nine chosen members in the Yin Familys hunting team. The data available on him was simplistic at best. Song Zining frowned and muttered softly to himself, How could this be? The two personal attendants exchanged puzzled glances with each other. Song Ge injected another line into the conversation carefully, Miss Ye seems to be trying to obtain this name list through Captain Qiu too. Delay her. Give her the name list after the spring hunt begins, Then, Song Zining asked, When was the last time she met Qiqi? Song Ge thought for a moment before answering, Miss Ye had gone to the lower continent a month ago. She had probably encountered Miss Qiqi during Mayor Yuan Zeyus dinner feast at Xichang City. As for exactly what happened, I need a little bit of time to investigate it. Song Zining said, Investigate it along with this Qian Xiaoye. Shes one of Miss Qiqis people. Investigating her background may alarm Miss Qiqi. Song Zining said indifferently, Its fine. Let them know about it. The next day early in the morning, some teams were already departing towards the inner region of Profound Heaven Mountain Range from Duke Weis side residence. The great families had scouted the addresses of the camp since a long time ago, but they only started setting up camp a day before the spring hunt began for realism and excitement purposes. The empire was a nation who experienced war for a thousand years. They demanded realistic combat even in an event like this spring hunt. In order to guarantee gains, the hunting zones of aristocratic families and households were kept separate as much as possible just like the actual war zones. The reward and placing of the spring hunt came second to family honor and glory, not to mention that any landed gentry who managed to wow everyone with their performance would be able to rise to the top immediately. Some of these landed gentry were attached to a certain aristocratic family, while others acted independently. The Yin Familys chosen campsite was at a gradual slope at the center of a mountain. It faced towards a valley and a couple of streams, and it was suitably distanced from the mountain range and the forest. It was also not too far away from Duke Weis side residence and could be considered an excellent spot. The camp was set up in a way that resembled an army camp. Three wooden houses were set up in a triangle at the center of the camp. This was Qiqis residence and possessed the functionality of tactical command, kitchen, and armory. Four rows of terraced houses made up the four sides of the camp. They functioned not only as the bodyguards and attendants residences but also as defensive structures. Ji Yuanjia had come ahead of time to set up camp. A large majority of the camp had already been completely set up, and the only buildings that were done yet were the two half-built tool sheds side by side behind the terraced houses at the northeastern side. There were plenty of things to do when setting up camp, and it was already late afternoon when Qiqi and the rest of her men arrived. When they were more or less done setting up everything, night had long since covered the land. Three shadows approached the camp slowly from inside the forest. Their figures were indistinct, and their presences were completely concealed. It was obvious that they were all experts in covert action. They made their way to a spot not far away from the camp and hid themselves there, carefully observing the activities before them. Occasionally, there would be people busy entering and exiting the camps terraced houses, but they were all just servants and attendants. A group of three bodyguards patrolled back and forth around the area, and there were two such groups at the perimeter of the camp. It wasnt a concentrated watch, but the patrols pathing was adjusted so that the main building was perfectly protected. The trio couldnt help but feel that their task had become a little tricky. It didnt take long before they saw the target of their expedition, Xiaoye! Xiaoye had walked out of the main building, and it would appear that she was living together with Qiqi. If this really was the case, then they would probably have to return empty headed today. No matter how good they were at hunting in the wild, they didnt think that they were skillful enough to intrude the heart of the Yin Familys campsite. They quickly noticed that things had taken a turn for the better, however. Xiaoye appeared to be busy with something and actually hadnt called out to any bodyguard or attendant to help her. Instead, she carried a large box on her own and headed to the back of the northeastern terraced houses. The trio adjusted their position and continued their observation. There, they could see two independent tool sheds. One of the tool sheds was built already, but the other one was still missing a roof. Xiaoye paced back and forth a couple of times and carried a few large boxes into the tool shed. Then, the light inside the tool shed lit up. She actually stayed inside and didnt come out. The trio looked at each other, and they all saw the light of excitement in each others eyes. This girl was such a compassionate person! She was delivering herself right into their laps! That corner of the camp wasnt completed yet, and it would appear that no one was staying nearby. The patrolling bodyguards would be missing for almost half an hour before they showed up here again, and it was enough for them to do their work. Right now, what they needed to do was to wait patiently for an opportunity to show up. After that, it was simply a matter of ambushing the girl, grabbing her, and running right away. The trio slipped to a spot nearby the building, and they could see Xiaoyes moving shadow clearly from the window. They waited until the patrolling bodyguards had passed by. Just when they were about to intrude into the camp, they suddenly heard the vague sound of human sounds coming from the forest behind them. They were immediately startled. There was no one in that direction, and it was the retreat path they had chosen earlier. So why was there suddenly someone in that area? Thankfully, the human sounds gradually faded into nothingness. It was only then that the trio relaxed once more. However, it didnt take long before the human sounds appeared once more, and this time they were even closer than last time. It vaguely sounded like someone talking. The group of people came closer but gradually went away again. It looked like they were moving in a large circle either scouting or searching for something. When the human sounds inside the forest vanished once more, one of the trio ground their teeth and said, We cant wait any longer. Lets move now! And so the trio leaped out of their hiding spots, climbed across the low wooden fences like ghosts and made their ways towards the small wooden house from a blind spot of the camp. They put a hand each on the door and window of the house, and a small burst of origin power instantly destroyed the bolt of the door. Then, they charged into the house at the same time. Qianye was dressed in a black colored long dress that was almost in the same style as the one he wore during the Martial Hall dinner feast. It was just that the dark embroideries on the clothing were changed from blue to gold color. The large sleeves made moving around easier, and the ribbons on the clothing were pulled up and tied together. Qianye was currently standing in front of a long table that had one-third of its space dominated by a large amount of gun and crossbow parts. He looked up and stared at the three intruders who had suddenly entered his room in slight astonishment. The trio was dressed in nocturnal light armor, and their faces were hidden behind pieces of cloth. It was obvious that they harbored ill intentions at first glance. What really surprised Qianye however, was that they consisted of one rank-seven fighter and two rank-six fighters. Did they seriously just intrude the Yin Familys campsite with this little bit of strength? In the trios eyes, Xiaoye looked overwhelmed by shock and was at her wits end. However, a beautys a beauty, and the more afraid she looked the more endearingor should they say, ravishableshe appeared. The trio thought that force might be unnecessary if this pretty little girl was so easily frightened, and so one of them said, Look, the seventh Song young master has had his eyes on you, so consider today your lucky day! If you come with us obediently and serve the seventh young master well, you may even get a chance to become his concubine. Thats far better than following a woman with no status like Qiqi, am I right? The Song family is a grand household after all! Qianye couldnt tell what expression he was wearing right now, The seventh Song young master has his eyes on me? The trio immediately thought that their invitation was working. In their eyes, Qianyes expression was translated as fear and joy, although any expression a pretty little thing wore was pleasing to look at regardless. None of them noticed that the beautys tone was a little low and rough, unlike the sweet and mellow tone of the average girl. Of course! He even drew a lot of your portraits! So come already, just dont forget about us brothers after youve gotten rich, yeah? Another person said, Yeah! A beauty like you can melt peoples bones with just your eyes, you know? Why would you waste it on being a personal bodyguard? The third person of the group took out a rope and a clean, white hand towel. He said apologetically, Im sorry, but youll have to put this on just in case. Qianye couldnt describe his current feelings right now, so he simply cracked his fingers and forced a single line from between his teeth, Song Zining should just die already. A bad feeling suddenly assaulted the trio! It was nighttime. Human voices rang from the forest where the trio was in earlier again, and suddenly a group of nine people broke into the open. They were all carrying a truckload of equipment, and they looked like they had just been through a war. Their faces looked tired, and their hair was disheveled. Even the robes were scratched so much that the armor they were wearing underneath was showing. The leader of the group was tall, huge, and very awe inspiring. His clothes werent damaged, although he was currently enveloped in a faint brown yellow light. The Wei Familys secret art Thousand Mountains was famed far and away, but this man had used it to open a path through the forest and to protect his clothes instead. God knows how many lashes the Wei Familys old lady was going to throw at his direction if she ever learned about this. This youth was none other than Wei Qiyang; the guy who called himself the fancy title Potian (heaven shatterer). When he saw the camp not far away from his position and the huge flag with the Yin character flapping above the sky, he couldnt help but laugh loudly, Ive finally found it. Goddammit, that took more than half the night! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 138: Guests [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei Potians face immediately darkened as he turned around and said angrily, You useless bastards are the ones who wasted so much of my time on detours! Weve walked more than half the night away and youre telling me that weve covered only thirty kilometers of distance? Then why the hell do I still keep you with me?! The group of peopleall of them his personal bodyguardsimmediately agreed with his accusation. Of course, no one had the courage to tell young master Wei that he was the one who wanted to experience real combat and headed straight into the dense mountain forest instead of taking the main road. Worse, since he was leading the group the whole night, they had walked over a hundred kilometers in circles inside the forest until now. Lets go and find Qiqi! Its been a long while since I saw that girl. I am absolutely going to beat her this time and show you all my manly power! The Wei Family crowd immediately let out cheers of encouragement and support, injecting Wei Potians ego with immense pride and high spirits. No one who accompanied young master Wei along this spring hunt were idiots, and no one bothered to mull over the underlying meaning behind Wei Potians earlier words either: he had never beaten Qiqi even once. The group moved forwards swiftly and arrived at Qiqis camp in the blink of an eye. They roared and were about to climb past the fences and charge inside regardless of the fact they were at the back of Qiqis camp right now. Wei Potian suddenly paused his footsteps and stared at a wooden house at the right side corner of the camp. He said solemnly, Wait. I sense killing intent inside! Some of Wei Potians subordinates had greater origin power than him, but they hadnt detected anything strange as he had claimed. Right now Wei Potian was no longer a Broken Winged Angel rookie, and he had quite a bit of battlefield experience under his belt. It was also said that he had learned quite a lot of secret arts. Although his so-called mountain marching secret technique in the woods earlier had them all half doubting his words, they cooperated all the same and feigned the appearance of full vigilance. But Wei Potian didnt notice anything unusual from his subordinates. When he saw that the small wooden house was completely silent, he immediately sneered out loud and strode towards it. Who did they think they could foolespecially not him, the big man Wei Potianwith such obvious killing intent? There was a sudden bang just as he had shortened the distance between him and the small wooden house to a dozen or so steps. Then, a black object flew straight towards Wei Potians direction. Wei Potian was caught by surprise and hastily jumped out of the way. It was only when that thing had collapsed onto the ground that Wei Potian finally noticed that it was in fact, a man. This person was completely clad in nocturnal light armor, and his face was hidden behind a veil of black cloth. It was obvious that he was no friendly at first glance. However, this suspicious man groaned after he crashed onto the ground and wasnt able to climb to his feet at all. The bizarre scene caused Wei Potian to hesitate because he had never seen someone feign injury to bait his enemy, not with real, actual injuries at least. There was another whoosh, and a second black dressed man flew out of the wooden house, followed quickly by a third. This third and final person was kicked out of the house because Wei Potian saw the hem of a skirt and a leg clad in army boots flashing before his eyes. The third person suffered the worst kick of them all, but the distance he flew was also the shortest. The scene where the man hit the ground in a straight line three meters away from the door caused Wei Potians eyelid to twitch in alarm. There was more to the kick than met the eye, as it focused on instantaneous origin power burst that left no room for the opponent to cancel the force while they were flying backwards. Naturally, the amount of damage dealt was pretty considerable. The kick was so powerful, and the scene of the man flying backwards had happened so close to him that Wei Potian himself felt a vague sense of pain around his stomach. A murderous, beautiful woman jumped out of the wooden house, nearly skipping her entire way towards the fallen trio before she started kicking the shit out of all of them. The ponytail behind her head danced cheerfully in the air every time the woman sent a flying kick at the trio, and the sound of military boots striking painfully against flesh caused everyone to tremble inwardly. By now Wei Potian had already noticed that the three men lying on the ground were all rank six or seven experts, but it did nothing to change the fact that they were thrashed so horribly that even their mothers wouldnt be able to recognize them. He made a quick measure in his mind and figured that not even he might be able to beat up these goons exactly as he wished. Moreover, Wei Potians learned insight from Broken Winged Angels also informed him that this woman was absolutely not just kicking randomly or aimlessly. Every point she struck was a point that could cause the biggest amount of pain. However, no matter how heavy the blows were, they were absolutely not fatal. This also meant that these people werent going to die from these wounds, but they were absolutely going to be half dead. Regardless of origin power, anyone capable of beating someone into such a state wasn''t one to be trifled with. Wei Potians teeth ached a little at the sight, and he sneakily retreated a few steps backwards. It was only now that the beautiful woman looked up and slapped her thunder-like gaze onto Wei Potians face. I, uh Im Wei Qiyang. Im here to find Miss Qiqi, Before the other party could begin to ask questions, Wei Potian suddenly discarded all of his earlier aggressiveness and reported his true name obediently on his own accord, forgetting even to use the resounding name of Potian. The commotion was so huge that the entire camp was in an uproar. Ji Yuanjia and the Yin family guard captain were the first to arrive while the patrol team ran over from the other side of the camp with all their might. They were too late, though. The three intruders had already been beaten up so badly that the only thing they could do was groan. Soon, Qiqi herself showed up with quick footsteps as she stared first at the three collapsed masked men, then at Wei Potians group. The sight immediately drew a little surprise from her, Whats going on, Xiaoye? Qianye said through gritted teeth, Ask them yourself! Im heading inside first, He turned around and attempted to head into the room after he said this. Qiqi cried out from behind him, This guy here is Marquis Bowangs son of the Far East Wei clan. Hes the one I said I was waiting for, so come out quickly! Qianye nodded and entered the wooden house. Then, he slammed the wooden door with a broken chain with a loud bang. It was obvious that his anger hadnt subsided much at all. Qiqi cast a glance at the trio on the floor, and she immediately figured out who they were from their attire. She pointed at the trio and instructed, Beat them! Break their legs first and ask them what the hell theyre trying to do here later! The tough and stocky-looking bodyguards answered loudly to her calls and were about to walk over to drag the trio away. However, the trio had been beaten so badly that their heads were spinning and their courage deflated like a balloon. They immediately cried out in a high pitch, Stop! Well tell you everything! Everything! Qiqi was caught off guard too. At first, she thought that anyone who dared to assault the Yin family camp at night had to be some tough fellows who wouldnt confess to anything unless she used some special methods. However, these people were going to confess before she even started beating them. That being said, she wasnt a slow person and immediately said, I cant hear you! Drag them down and beat them for an hour before you listen to their confessions! The bodyguards immediately pounced on the three unlucky fellows and dragged them away. Qiqi cast a calm glance at Wei Potian and said, Excuse me, its my mistake for not training my men well enough that they would allow these three stupid thieves to slip into our camp. But look at you, Potian. Did you run into mountain bandits or something along the way? Wei Potian and his group did look rather miserable, but he wasn''t a man who gave ground easily. So, he pumped up his chest and said loudly, Of course not! I just spent a little too much time on the way here and had to rush over a little urgently. Qiqi asked curiously, How long did you walk? Eight, no, six three hours, Wei Potian nearly blurted out the truth. But Qiqi was even more bewildered by his answer, The spring hunt camp is only tens of kilometers away from this place, and youre telling me that you took three hours to walk here? Only a ghost would believe you! Wei Potian waved his hand in a grandiose fashion and exclaimed, Alright, lets not talk about such trivial things. Its been a while since Ive last met you, weve got to fight once and settle our score, yeah? Dont you cry if you lose this time! His subordinates exchanged glances and hidden pushes with each other, but no one dared to remind young master Wei that it was already late into the night and not exactly the best timing to duel in martial arts. But Qiqi didnt mind his untimely offer. She broke into a soft giggle and said, Yo, someone forgot their own surname after spending a couple of days in the Broken Winged Angels, I see! Sure, why would I turn down a voluntary sandbag? Come in and have a seat first, Ill send someone to clean up the training field while we chat. Wei Potian followed Qiqi into the main buildings living hall and began chatting with her. Despite their appearances, the duo actually shared the same interests and was able to chat quite happily with one another. It was at this moment Qianye walked into the hall, pulled over a stool and sat behind Qiqi. Qiqi looked at him with a bit of surprise because the dark look on his face was so deep that she could almost see literal flames of fury bursting from his body. Qiqi felt a tiny twinge of guilty conscience. She had used the excuse of welcoming a friend on her first day and used both the carrot and the stick to force Qianye into wearing this set of clothes. But she never would''ve expected that Wei Potian, who was supposed to meet them around the evening would arrive this late. Right now Qianye was feeling incredibly gloomy. Never in his mind did he imagine that the aristocratic son Qiqi said to have butted into the spring hunt halfway and was missing from the name list would be Wei Potian! Qianye sat quietly in the living hall as upright as a statue. His eyes were lowered and staring at the spot just one step away from his feet, but the killing intent brimming inside his body seemed to cause the very temperature of the living room to fall by several degrees. It was at this moment the Yin family guard captain walked in and cast a glance at Wei Potian, hesitating. Qiqi immediately said, Speak. Potian is not a stranger. And so the guard captain said, Miss, those three men have confessed everything. Qiqis eyebrows immediately shot up, Why so fast? Didnt I tell you to beat them for an hour before listening to their confession? The guard captain hurriedly said, Dont worry, theyre still being thrashed right this moment! Its just that they wouldnt stop screaming and crying to confess everything they know, and we could not stop them from doing just that. Thats why Im here to report to you what weve learned. Qiqis face finally relaxed a little, What did they say? The guard captain made sure that his face was completely and utterly under control before he started, They said that the seventh Song young master wouldnt stop drawing Miss Xiaoyes portrait, so they wanted to slip in and kidnap Qian Xiaoye for their young master and curry favor to him. Qiqi immediately took on an extremely weird expression that seemed to suggest that she was holding something back with all her might. She turned around to look at Qianye before continuing, Youre saying that Song Zining fancies Xiaoye? This seems to be the case according to their oral confession. Ive personally verified this multiple times before coming over. Wei Potian was also shocked, Song Zining? Is he lacking in woman? What on earth was he thinking sending someone to the Yin familys camp to kidnap this urk! Qianye suddenly looked up and cast him a calm glance. The sharp killing intent inside his eyes shut Wei Potian up immediately. Qiqi couldnt help but open her eyes in surprise when she saw their respective expressions. Suddenly, she started giggling, Potian, youve never been this obedient even before the old lady. Dont tell me youve fallen in love with this Xiaoye too? No way! Wei Potian hurriedly waved his hands, nearly jumping to his feet like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. However, he immediately realized that his words could be misunderstood and worked to repair it, It is true that Miss Xiaoye is extraordinarily beautiful, and her killing intent ah Wei Potians voice was silenced again by Qianyes fearsome glare. Qiqi covered her mouth with her hand. She seriously didnt dare to break into laughter considering Qianyes current expression, but Wei Potians rare look of cowardice was just too funny. It was at this moment Ji Yuanjia walked in and informed that the training field had been readied. Qiqi immediately stood up and stretched herself once. She extended her right hand and summoned misty interweaving blue and white origin power that snaked onto her arm. She then cast a malicious glance at Wei Potian, My little boy, I know youre already rank six while your sister, I, am still at rank seven. But it should still be enough to teach you a lesson! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 139: The Promise Back Then [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Once he saw the origin power aura Qiqi emitted, Wei Potian immediately felt the approaching danger. He had risen two ranks in a short amount of time, so he felt he could put up a fight, but he never expected Qiqis Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art to advance so quickly as well. However, he had already run his mouth, so how could he back off under the gaze of many subordinates? He could only harden his head and follow Qiqi outside and enter the prepared arena. Once he entered the arena, Wei Potians manner immediately changed. He roared powerfully, Thousand Mountains! An earthen yellow light shone throughout his body. After it covered him entirely, Wei Potians aura became heavy, and actually had a sense of mountainous majesty and power. Qiqis eyes lit up as she praised, Youve truly advanced at a godlike speed! Your Thousand Mountains already has some shape. Im not completely certain that I will win anymore. She said she wasnt certain, but her attack definitely did not slow down. With one step, she crossed to Wei Potians side and lightly tapped on the yellow light barrier. A pale blue patch of light spread out like a ripple in water. Wherever it passed, the yellow light barrier from Thousand Mountains rippled. Qiqis tap looked unusually soft, but Wei Potians mountainous manner actually became slightly unsteady. His body shook. Before he was able to adjust, Qiqi circled lightly around him numerous times. It was like a cloud of fog rising up, and even though the mountains were extremely tall, they would still gradually be covered up. It was the first time Qianye saw Qiqi fight. Qiqi attacked extremely quickly and her steps were light. The moonlight concept was not discernible within her Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art, but there was a hint of ever-changing flowing clouds. Even though her attack seemed light and lacked strength, each palm caused Thousand Mountains to shake unsteadily. It was important to note that Wei Potian had once blocked a strike from a Blood Esquire with just rank four origin power at Darkblood City, so Qiqis palm definitely produced enormous strength. Wei Potian now began to fight back. His attack was slow and his footwork was simple. It looked as if he were striking all over the place. This was a clever technique that appeared clumsy. After using it, he immediately stabilized the situation. Even though he continued to sway unsteadily from Qiqis attacks, his stance had never collapsed. Since Qianye last fought with Li Yuanjia, he found that in comparison with the Combatant Formulas cultivating speed, those secret martial arts power werent visible. However, when they progressed further, their potential became limitless. Especially when each secret arts specialty was used. Both sides wouldnt just compare in the depth of their origin power; manipulation of origin power and elemental weaknesses also became important. It was similar to the two competing right now. Qiqis attack power wasnt weak, but she relied more on changing tactics to catch the opponent off guard. If she were against someone with similar strength, she could easily reach an advantageous position and swiftly achieve victory. However, Wei Potian countered Qiqis method of fighting. His Thousand Mountains was thick like a turtle shell and wouldnt easily break apart. His fist was simple and primitive but held the strength of mountains, so being struck once would be burdensome. Wei Potian was able to remain unfazed no matter how many times he was hit, but if his opponent was struck once, then they probably wouldnt be able to pick themselves up. The two immediately entered into a stalemate. Neither one could take down the other. Now, Qiqi could only hope that Wei Potian did not have enough origin power and could not handle the extremely draining Thousand Mountains. She had never thought that after Wei Potian reached rank six, his origin power would last more than two times longer. He didnt even breathe heavily after fighting this long. Evidently, it wasnt very easy to deplete all of his power. Qiqi suddenly jumped away and said, Im not fighting anymore! Never being able to break your turtle shell is really boring. Wei Potian chuckled and said proudly, Now you know the power of the Wei Clans secret art, right? This secret art is called Thousand Mountains, and just as the name implies, its defense is as thick as mountains Stop! Ive already heard this hundreds of times! Qiqi immediately interrupted him, or else, Wei Potian could go on for the entire day. Qiqi looked around and waved towards the side of the arena as she said, Xiaoye, come over and give it a shot! What? Dont joke around! This guy is only rank five, as a stately lieutenant colonel in the Empire, how could I bully Wei Potian wanted to continue and declare that even though he had unparalleled courage, he would never bully weak members of the Empire, but Qianye had already begun to walk towards the arena. Qiqi laughed as she said, We dont even know who the bully is. Do you want to bet on this match? What will you bet?! Wei Potian did not have the time to speak before he felt the opposing partys killing intent soar into the sky as if he had entered a battlefield and an enormous army would approach in the next moment, so he could only think of quickly escaping and could not bring out his fighting spirit! These thoughts frightened Wei Potian himself. He had been met with life or death situations against the dark races more than once, but he had never felt fear! He suddenly regained his composure. These were signs of being completely suppressed in terms of momentum, and in a real battle, that would be extremely dangerous! It was good that Bai Longjia had once taught him that no matter what disadvantageous situation he was met with, they all had the same solution and that would be for him to use Thousand Mountains first. Thus, Wei Potian did not think much more and, like piercing thunder, briefly shouted, Thousand Mountains! Yellow light appeared, steady like a mountain. However, Qianye had already begun picking up speed and ran over with large strides. By the time he was in the middle of the arena, there were already thunderous sounds and a straight plain punch came hurtling towards the center. Wei Potian did not have any other choice at that moment. Raging momentum barreled over, so if he had the intention to avoid battle, he would have never become a soldier. He immediately met the punch with a simple one of his own thrown straight at Qianye! The two punches struck fiercely at each other! It resembled a spring storm, as sounds of thunder rolled without interruption in the arena. Even the ground shook in its wake! Wei Potians entire body violently jolted as Thousand Mountains light shield rippled and flashed. The Thousand Mountains that remained immovable from nearly one hundred of Qiqis attacks already began shaking! Qianye took another step forward and raised his elbow, jabbing at his opponents chest! Wei Potian let out a strange cry, completely unable to strike back. He crossed his arms to protect his head and chest, no longer caring about his face and moving completely to turtle defense. Thunder continued as Qianyes elbow struck time after time on Thousand Mountains light barrier. It was another three consecutive strikes, each one stronger than the last. The second strike already made the barrier violently ripple, so the third strike directly broke through Thousand Mountains! Wei Potian screamed before falling backward and heavily hitting the ground. He wanted to pick himself up, but his body suddenly stiffened, no longer able to move because Qianyes boot was pressed upon his throat. When such a vital point was threatened, not mentioning Thousand Mountains, even Ten Thousand Mountains would be useless. Wei Potian only felt his throat dry up and his entire body become ice cold. He felt that his opponent truly had the intention to stamp down with their foot. Qiqi suddenly rushed over, pushed Qianye back and shouted, Move over, move over, I got this! I got this! The young lady virtually jumped on Wei Potians body and stomped viciously on it, causing him to cry out continuously. The audience immediately went silent. Everyone in Wei Potians party turned away and looked around in every direction, pretending they did not see anything. This kind of thing actually hadnt just happened once. When Wei Potian had challenged Qiqi in the past, hed also resorted to every means possible to win, so every time he lost, he would always receive a heavy beating from Qiqi. Qiqi jumped around as she excitedly shouted, Using that turtle shell all the time! Did you think I couldnt shatter it? I might not be able to, but other people can! Keep using your secret art, where is your Thousand Mountains? Where did the Thousand Mountains go? Qiqi viciously stomped down a few dozen times before she felt comforted throughout her body. She covered her mouth as she laughed and said, Now that feels good! She grabbed Qianye, who had been standing quietly to the side, and asked, How about you, how do you feel? Very good! Qianye said without expression. Wei Potian was still collapsed on the ground. Even though he had tough skin and thick flesh, after Qianye broke through his Thousand Mountains, his Origin Power had collapsed and while he could not conjure up his defense, Qiqi had stomped on him. The young lady stepped on his crotch both intentionally and unintentionally, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air. However, Wei Potian did not disappoint his tough skin and thick flesh name. After his precious treasure had been stepped on, he actually picked himself up as if nothing had happened within half a minute. Wei Potian scratched his messy hair and hobbled over to Qianye. He took out something and put it in Qianyes hands before speaking with great pride, I lost. This is the wager. Qianye expressionlessly raised it up to have a look. It was a silver necklace with a thumb-sized square plate hanging from the end. An eagles head was carved on its surface. Qiqi said with surprise, Hey hey, I brought up the bet! Wei Potian rolled his eyes, The wager obviously goes to whoever won the fight. As the third miss of the Yin Family, youre actually not embarrassed to steal your subordinates things. After being bombarded by Wei Potians suddenly clever talking, Qiqis eyes narrowed in suspicion and stared at the chain without any indication of what she was thinking. Wei Potian told Qianye, This is my keepsake. With that, as long as its within my power, I can grant you three favors. It can be any favor. Qiqi was stunned. She could obviously tell this was Wei Potians personal keepsake. She unconsciously opened her mouth and looked at Wei Potian who had a serious expression on his face. She didnt know what to say, so she turned to look at Qianye. The latters expression let her immediately decide not to say anything. At that moment, one of Wei Potians personal guards recovered from their daze and leaned to an imposing and calm young man nearby and quietly said, Brother Huai, young master doesnt actually think that person truly is a chick, right? The beauty had refined and delicate features that were unclear in gender. They also wore old-fashioned clothing, so when they did not speak or move, it truly was difficult to tell what their gender was. However, in that last battle, their movements were powerful and violent, with a manner that could easily sweep through thousands, so how could there be any femininity? The young man answered calmly, If Lady Qiqi said he is, then he is. Then he looked up towards the other guy and said, In a little while, after this is done, the responsibility of explaining that to the young master will fall to you. The personal guards face immediately scrunched up, showing an extremely unsightly expression. Qianye lowered his head and looked at the necklace with complex emotions. Wei Potians words actually already revealed that he had recognized him. It was just that after thinking about how he had once won these three promises, he would think about Shi Yan who had taken him to take the test and Lin Xitang who had once placed high hopes on him. Wei Potian was still speaking sincerely at the side, If you meet with trouble, you have to find me! Qiqi finally couldnt resist any longer and shouted, Wei Potian, youre trying to poach my subordinate right in front of me? Wei Potian turned around and pulled Qiqi to the side, then used a purposefully lowered, but still ringing voice and said, Come, lets talk about business! The spring hunt will start tomorrow, so we should discuss it thoroughly! Qiqi glanced at the unchanged dark expression on Qianyes face and immediately decided to change the topic. She reached over and put a hand on Wei Potians shoulder, asking, What is your goal this time?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 140: How Could I Be Satisfied With Just Top Three? [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei Potian immediately regained high spirits and proudly said, Grandmother gave me a death order; that I must be within the top three. However, as a lieutenant colonel of the imperial army, how could I, Wei Potian, be satisfied with just top three? A mans achievement is as grand as his heart! Qiqi scornfully responded, With Zhao Junhong, Song Zining, and me in this competition, it would be a miracle if you could take top three! Speak more practically! She didnt believe the great madam of the Wei Family would ever give such a death order. The most she could have done was encourage him to place higher. If Wei Potian hadnt randomly broken through to rank six, the Wei Family wouldnt even have let him participate in the spring hunt. The spring hunt and actual battle did not have much difference; many people died each year. Even though core descendants were protected, there was nothing in life that had no flaws. Wei Potian had been exposed, so he immediately embarrassedly said, This doesnt have to be discussed so thoroughly! Actually this time, I just wanted to come talk to you; can you, hehe if Im only fourth, can you give up a rank for me? Anyway, for you, the points within your test wouldnt vary much from just a couple of ranks. Even though Qianye had been engrossed in his own thoughts and did not pay much attention to their conversation, when he heard this, he almost could not believe his ears. Tonight, he finally saw this display of absent integrity from a man who claimed he would shatter the skies with one fist. Qiqis eyes flashed. She heavily slapped Wei Potians shoulder, saying, What did your clans great madam promise you that made you so excited? Uh nothing much. No matter what it is, I want half! Otherwise, theres no need to discuss any further. If you want to make top three, itll only be a dream! Qiqi spoke resolutely. Wei Potian showed a pained expression, ...If you want half then you can have it, sigh! Qiqi affectionately held Wei Potians shoulder and said, This is what good sisters look like! Wei Potian became furious, Who wants to be sisters with you? No need to say anything else! Not mentioning sisters, as long as you give me half of what you get, well be best friends! Qiqi heavily slapped Wei Potians shoulder, sneaking in some origin power, forcing him to the ground with one slap. Wei Potian almost completely sunk to the ground, but he didnt react slowly and jumped up when he struck the ground. He was about to voice his anger when Qiqi pulled him into the living room to discuss how they would split the rewards. Originally the Profound Heaven and Northern Sea spring hunts would have many participating descendants from landowning households. It was the time for grand and aristocratic households to search for new members and for descendants of landowning households to increase their status. Based on tradition, the Zhao and Song household came to Profound Heaven and the Zhang and Bai household went to Northern Sea. For each family, as long as their name was represented, it didnt matter who came. That was why rumors said that the reason Song Zining of the Song household was able to come to Profound Heaven over so many of his cousins was not because he was strong, but because he was more handsome and thus received the favor of the Song households old patriarch. In contrast, children sent from aristocratic families would have higher statuses. For example, Qiqi from the Yin Family had already entered the final stage for successor examination. No matter if she gained the control of the family in the future, she would at least have an important elder position. The young master from the Wei Family came this time because firstly, Wei Potian was still young, so he would place near the bottom if he went to the Imperial Garden, and secondly, he would be practicing his ability to independently take charge and begin creating his own team. In other words, for grand households, the rewards for placing in the spring hunt were not very important. They mostly valued expanding the power of the family and the opportunity to find talents. Thus, every family would have its own goal. The great madam of Wei Family did not actually give Wei Potian a target to place, but he was courageous, so before the spring hunt began, his ambition had already shot through the roof. He gave himself a goal to make third place and strove for first. Making top three would be better than the estimated placing for Wei Potian who was at rank six. If he were able to achieve such ranking, then he would receive significant benefits from the love and indulgence of the Wei Familys great madam. Qiqi had a servant get Wei Potian a hot towel to wipe his face while she leisurely spoke, Potian, taking half of your gains isnt actually taking advantage of you. You know how the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt is today. Nangong Wanyun and Kong Yanian both came and none of them hold anything back. To place top three, Ive heard that their families already paid a steep price. In addition, theyre both now at rank seven, so you probably cant take either of them, right? Wei Potian laughed coldly and proudly said, That might not be true! Even if I really cant defeat them, I might not lose. General Bai said this before, unless it is a supreme secret art, rank sevens shouldnt even think about breaking through my Thousand Mountains. Qiqi began to laugh, Was the lesson Xiaoye gave you not enough? This how is this the same! Wei Potian was at a loss for words, completely unable to argue. Qiqi waved her hand and said, You dont know the Zhao and Song households goals yet, right? Wei Potian said, I came a bit late, so I havent had the chance to find out! At another courtyards dinner party, Zhao Junhong said one sentence in an off-handed manner in front of a crowd of youths, I am the lowest achieving of the four brothers, but since I came, then I should at least take first place. After the dinner party, Yu Mulan asked Song Zining what his goal was for the spring hunt. Song Zining spoke mildly, I have not thought about taking first, taking top three would be good enough. From this, the Zhao and Song households virtually took two of the top three rankings. With the status of these two households, unless they had extreme confidence, how would they make such a claim? After that, competition for third would be intense. In reality, spring hunts had always been this way. They began light and peacefully, but the further along they were, the more violent they became. The last stage usually became open rivalry fought through hidden means, with each side holding nothing back. Wei Potian didnt seem too stupid and wanted to ally with Qiqi, but the issue was that other families likely also had secret alliances, so the situation still seemed grim. However, the surrounding low-level hunting grounds of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range had been split very clearly. Only after entering a certain depth in the forest would they come across each other. Each family would change from hunting to competing for power. The Wei Family was the last one scheduled, so the area where they started from was very far from the two major households and upper-rank families, and to cooperate, they would have to wait until at least the second half of the spring hunt. After concluding their negotiation, Wei Potian did not stay any longer and left right away. After Wei Potian left, Qiqi couldnt hold back her curiosity and immediately took the necklace from Qianye to study. Then she put it back on Qianyes neck and clucked her tongue before she said, Take good care of it. It is very useful. Hes the heir now, so the amount of resources he can mobilize and his scope of authority are even greater than mine. But wasnt this guys solicitation a little weird? Qiqi evidently did not depend on Qianye who had been temperamental all night to respond to her. Then, she suddenly thought of something and asked, Those three people, what do you plan on doing? Qianye exposed cold intent and said, Cripple them, to give Song Zining a warning. Qiqi nodded with a smile and said, Lets do that! Even though it was already late into the night, other than the Yin Familys camp, it was busy high in the sky. If ones eye was good enough, one would be able to see several enormous airships slowly passing by towards the depths of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range. These airships were all holding soldiers of the dark races and many of these captive dark races would be placed into the Profound Heaven Mountain Range to be hunted by participants of the spring hunt. Every year there would be a few dark race soldiers who successfully escaped into the depths of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range and avoided being hunted. Then they would live for years and slowly grow stronger. This was a major random factor in the spring hunt and it was there for a reason. If the youths went onto the battlefield, the dark races there would not go by their rules and only send soldiers with just the right amount of power for them to slaughter. How to escape from a higher ranked enemy was also a necessary lesson to survive. On one of the airships, the captain was looking down from a window. His eyes had inhuman vision sharper than a hawks. He saw the campground below and even saw the Yin character on a flag. He had an evil smile as he rubbed the pocket on his uniform. In it was a card with an origin array code that could open a safe in a certain imperial bank. That safe would already be filled with ten thousand imperial gold coins. The captain stopped looking down and walked towards the bottom of the ship. The soldier from Duke Weis private army guarding at the door of the ship respectfully saluted. The captain returned the salutation and said, I need to go down and see them again and make sure theres no problem. You have to know that these black blood bastards have never been peaceful before. The soldier from Duke Weis private army opened the path and the captain walked down the stairs. The bottom deck was completely sealed by metal alloy, separating it into independent cages that contained all kinds of dark race soldiers. These were all captive dark races from major battles. After a selection process, they were all below rank seven and did not have any extremely strong abilities, thus were very suitable for the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. In the dark, pairs of eyes exposed murderous gleams, staring at the captain. A few werewolves roared deeply and grabbed at the small crystals embedded in their chests. The captain stopped in front of them and said, If you guys have the guts to take out those things, then youll die for sure! Looks like Ill need to give you guys something more memorable or else youll treat my words like the wind! The captain forcefully slapped a button on the outside of the cell and a violent rush of Daybreak origin power sprung up inside the cell, burning many werewolves until they could not stop screaming and fell to the ground. The violent gleams in the eyes of the dark race members immediately weakened significantly and many actually revealed fear. The captain walked to the deepest part of the bottom deck. There was a cell here with just one vampire who seemed decadent and malnourished. He was sitting peacefully with his head down. He did not move even when the captain walked over. The captain took out a whip with spikes all over it and pointed at the vampire before shouting, You! Stand up and let me see you! The vampire obediently stood up and slowly walked to the front of the cell. The captain used his body as cover and quietly opened the hand holding the whip. The center of his palm had the three characters Yin Qiqi and a simple portrait of Qiqi that was well imitated and lifelike. The vampires eyes flashed and he nodded almost imperceptibly. The captains hands rubbed past each other and the words and picture at the center of his palm disappeared. He said in a gruff voice, Okay, just go back to sitting! Dont try anything or else Ill show you whats coming! The captain left the bottom deck, lashing out with his whip along the way, and then shut the door heavily and locked it from the outside. A commander from Duke Weis private army was patrolling this area right then and asked, How is it down there? The captain shrugged and said, Not bad, this batch of black-bloods is pretty docile. The commander released a breath and said, Its great theres no problem! In just another hour this goddamn mission will be finished. The airship flew towards the depths of the mountains in the night. Not many knew that a rank eight Blood Knight had mixed into the cells and had not been weakened at all. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 141: Star t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The following evening, Qiqis team stopped at a hillside and made camp. This place was already deep within the Profound Heaven Mountain Range, and only nine members of the Yin Family hunting team were left within the camp. The rest had split up into several squads. One squad would carry supplies with them and head towards the agreed spot to set up a supply dump, whereas another squad would head to the landowning households hunting area and enter the hunting grounds as independent participants. The rest of the aristocratic families also had nearly the same arrangements: middle troops, logistics, and scouts. It was just like a small scale military expedition. Qianye was tidying up his equipment inside his own tent. He had lost his original Eagleshot, but it was a minor issue to Yin Qiqi. The new Eagleshot Qianye had gotten was an enhanced version retweaked and remodeled by the hands of an expert. Its origin array had two modes it could switch between. One of the modes cut the normal shooting power by half and reduced its shooting range to six hundred meters. This mode was good for conserving origin power and improving its long term use ability. There were plenty of targets who couldnt withstand a hit from Eagleshot at all, so that extra power was wasted. The other mode enhanced Eagleshots shooting range, and its maximum shooting range was increased up to a thousand and two hundred meters. Lastly, the origin array added inside the rifle was of a higher level. It utilized many designs that only a grade five origin gun would use, and thus it was capable of holding even greater berserk origin power. To Qianye, who had already reached rank five, this enhanced Eagleshot would only be more powerful in his hands than before. Ji Yuanjias voice came from outside the tent. He walked inside and saw Qianye equipping an omnidirectional sight onto Eagleshot, and so he asked, Are you departing tonight? Qianye nodded. This was his own request to Qiqi. He was going to leave the main team and operate on his own. Only then would he be able to bring out his abilities to fight in mountains, snipe from a super far range and great mobility to their maximum effectiveness. Ji Yuanjia sat down on the opposite side of Qianye, put a box holding military stimulants onto the table and said, In that case youll have to watch your own back. Before the main team arrives at the black circle, it is best if you avoid entering the other families hunting areas by accident. The rules of the spring hunt dictated that entering another familys hunting area was the equivalent of invading another countrys war zone. Whoever did this would immediately draw the other partys attacks, and while wild beasts could hardly pose a threat to Qianye with his firing range, it was a different matter entirely if he were chased by other hunting teams. The bodyguards who were selected into the hunting teams by aristocratic families were generally at rank six or rank seven, and their strength were absolutely incomparable to an average fighter of the same rank. For example, Ji Yuanjia was definitely not the only person who could ignite his eighth node at any time, but had forcefully suppressed his ascension so he could participate in the spring hunt. The black circle represented the highest danger zone, and the zone where dark race soldiers showed up. From this point onwards, every familys hunting area would largely overlap with one another. Not only would conflicts to snatch prey from each other happen frequently in this place, tactics such as wounding and even killing unimportant team members, cutting off supplies from the back, etc. would happen as well. This was the final zone Qianye and Qiqis hunting team had agreed to meet at. Qianye smiled and gave his word of promise, I will be careful. As someone who had walked out from the Yellow Springs Training Camps examination alive, he was wary enough of his own kind. I received news that the seventh young master of Song was investigating your background and identity for the past two days. Ji Yuanjia said again. Qianyes hands came to a pause as he abruptly looked up to Ji Yuanjia. He saw that the man was also frowning. The Song Households hunting area is only one Zhao Family away from us. We will probably cross paths with each other the moment we enter the grade six zones. You absolutely must be careful. It was obvious that Ji Yuanjia thought that the matter might have further repercussions. The file attached to the back of the Seventeenth Corps captain letter of appointment was fake to begin with. After Qianye had escaped from the the fatal ambush Gu Liyu laid for him, Ji Yuanjia had guessed some of Qianyes secrets even though hed said nothing about them. Later on, he supplemented Qianyes credentials to include the province where he was born etc, but there was no telling if theyd made a mistake somewhere in his credentials, especially if someone were to investigate him to the end. Plus, the matter of Qian Xiaoye was supposed to be superficial work used to fool the Yin Family elders in the first place. It was a gamble on the common sense of unrelated ordinary people who would either pay no attention at all to one of Qiqis many new darlings, or choose not to disclose even if they did notice something amiss. After all, this wasnt a matter of Qiqis reputation alone. Even if the Yin Family might deal with the matter in private once it was over, they still would not be happy to make a matter like this public. Unfortunately, not even Qiqi herself had expected that a variable like Song Zining would be drawn to the matter. Regardless of how the outside world criticized the seventh young master of the Song household, he was absolutely not as genial and harmless as he showed himself to be. Qianye sent the man away after he had briefly discussed the matter with Ji Yuanjia. Then, he continued to tidy his equipment by choosing his close combat equipment. Twin Flowers was an excellent weapon already, and Qianye took an additional origin power crossbow for himself. While the crossbow was only slightly more than half a meter long, its power was comparable to a rank three gun within thirty meters of range, and it was a fine work to use when assassinating lives soundlessly. His backpack became filled with another fifty crossbow bolts, a large caliber firearms sniper rifle, and one hundred sniper bullets. He didnt bring much of other outdoor equipment with him, and even the food he carried was enough for two days only. After night time had arrived, Qianye left the Yin Family camp and headed towards the deeper regions of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range. There were all kinds of wild beasts in this great mountain that spanned over several thousands of kilometers. Sometimes, there would even be some ferocious foreign beasts moving about the area. After a day and a night of sleepless march, Qianye figured that he had shaken off the aristocratic family teams by a huge distance. There shouldnt be many lone hunters who could travel as deeply as he did as well. He climbed up a mountain peak and began getting a firm grasp of his surroundings. After he had made labels on his map, he hid a portion of his ammunition and equipment and turned this place into a mini supply dump. Then, he began to explore the area horizontally. Suddenly, a series of urgent hoof sounds rang inside the forest. A two meter tall Armored Bull charged out of the forest towards Qianye with its head lowered. This monster shared about the same size as a wild bull, but it was clad from its forehead to the back in tough armor. The unusually tough ones would even grow large bone thorns on their body. The tough armor on its body was a premium material to create armor of main corps. Normally, a rank four or five Fighter would be hard-pressed to deal with an Armored Bull like this. However, Armored Bulls were a commonly seen species in the deep regions of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range. Qianye retreated to avoid a direct confrontation before he gathered his strength and charged forwards. He curled up and rammed fiercely into the Armored Bull, and he actually knocked the giant beast off balance, causing it to collapse sideways. With a bang, Twin Flowers blasted a huge hole at the soft spot beneath the Armored Bulls neck. The Armored Bull collapsed and stopped moving after writhing for a few times. A tiny light flew out of the corpses body and flew straight up to the sky. It was intercepted by an airship circling at high altitude and shot towards the far distance as an origin power light beam. The light beam was then intercepted again by the origin array of another airship, strengthened and shot towards the distance once more. After several relays, the transmission was finally delivered to a grand hall inside Duke Weis side residence. There was a giant-sized origin formation setup inside the grand hall empowered by several hundreds black crystals. The origin formation shone and drew a hologram table of ranking in the air. The ranking list was a name list of all of the great aristocratic families and independent landowning households. Moreover, the names rolled up and down constantly as the rankings kept changing. When the tiny light shot out of the Armored Bulls corpse had finally been delivered to the origin formation, the number behind the Drinking Horse Yin clans name jumped up by twenty five points. The Yin Familys ranking had increased by one place and jumped up to the thirty-seventh spot because of this. An Armored Bull was considered a rank five wild beast. Killing it would give the killer the square of five points. The higher a preys ranking was, the more points its killer gets. Moreover, killing a dark race warrior would multiply the points obtained once more. Right now, Duke Wei was standing at the grand hall and looking upwards at the ranking list. He couldnt help but nod in satisfaction, stroke his beard and smile faintly as he watched the nimbly fluctuating ranking list. During every yearly spring hunt, he would personally execute the Countless Wonders Art and plant a mark on every living being within the Profound Heaven hunting ground. That was how this swift and fair score ranking list was made. Whoever killed the prey would be attributed a certain amount of points. There was no fairer calculation than this. Anyone who wanted to rig the competition would have to fool Duke Wei and the power he wielded first, but then again, how many people were there in the world who were capable of doing this? This was not to mention that an expert at that level wouldnt be senseless enough to do such a thing. Moreover, the summer spring hunt was the equivalent of an extremely grand social event of the empires upper class. Cheating in the summer spring hunt would result in a scandal of extreme proportions. Although the preparation took an entire months time, the second Countless Wonders Art was executed, it could envelop a radius of several thousand kilometers at once. From this, one could see just now unfathomably powerful Duke Wei was. Of course, there was no way Duke Weis supporters would let go of such an opportunity, and words of flattery immediately rolled like tidal waves towards him. Duke Wei smiled contentedly. The crowds skill in flattering was impressive, hitting just the right spot with every line. Moreover, the Countless Wonders Art was one of the rarest ancient arts in the world, and it was equally famous as Marshal Lin Xitangs Art of Heavens Mystery. Therefore, one could not say that the crowds flatteries were overly ridiculous. Right now, most of the names at the top of the ranking belonged to landowning households. This was a normal occurrence during the first two days of the hunt because the real aristocratic families were progressing towards the deep regions of Heaven Profound Mountain Range and hadnt officially begun hunting just yet. Normally, the lone members of landowning households wouldnt travel as deep into the mountains. Contrary to the aristocratic families, their main hunting areas were the outskirts of the zone, which was why they had already begun hunting for points already. The first few days were also the best opportunity for landowning household members to present themselves. Duke Wei just happened to see the Yin Familys points increasing by twenty five points at once. He immediately smiled faintly, Yin Familys Qiqi is a pretty amazing child. Im surprised to see that she has charged that deep into the mountains already. It would appear that she has quite the confidence to succeed this year! Someone immediately echoed his words, It is said that Yin Qiqi has already taken the lead in the great examination to select the Yin Familys successor. Moreover, she is the only person to have mastered the Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art before reaching Champion rank. It would appear that her chances of victory are quite big this time. Another person said, I heard that Qiqi has a wedding engagement with a landowning household member since a long time ago. That will be a shame if she really did become the Yin Familys next generation patriarch. Duke Wei nodded slowly and said, That is true. Someone immediately tried to figure out Duke Weis intentions and said, Actually, it is not a bad idea to inform the Yin Family to turn down this wedding engagement, or have another girl replace Yin Qiqi directly. Qiqis appearance and martial arts are all top class. If she does control the Yin Family in the future, she will be a good match for lord dukes young master. Duke Wei stroked his beard and said nothing. He was obviously moved by the suggestion. If Yin Qiqi were to become patriarch, then his son would in effect become a member of the Yin Family instead. However, the Yin Family was an upper rank aristocratic family, so it wouldnt be a smear to his familys reputation. Moreover, the marriage between a patriarch and the first son of Duke Wei was different from your usual family marriage. The two families of different surnames would become incredibly close with each other. The biggest determinant that decided the gap between grand households for an aristocratic family like the Yin Family was the lack of top level martial strength. This was especially obvious for the past twenty years with Lin Xitang being the only aristocratic son to ascend as the empires new marshal. Duke Wei happened to be a person who could fill the gap in top level martial strength within the Yin Family. The marriage would be an act that benefited both parties. While pondering, the Yin Familys points jumped yet again. This time, it was thirty-six points. The Yin Family progressed by two places because of this and jumped to the thirty-fourth spot. Duke Wei was slightly surprised by this and said, Has Qiqi run that deep into the mountains already? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 142: Stealing Prey [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Duke Wei had once walked through the entire hunting area in order to execute the Countless Wonders Art so he naturally knew which area the rank six wild beasts were at. Going by the normal progression, Qiqi and her team should be arriving at that location by tomorrow. However, the march had now been brought forward by a full dozen or so hours. This was not normal. While it was bad for an army to be late to the battlefield, reaching too early wasnt good news either. It would disrupt the entire armys formation and logistic support. Immediately, someone frowned and said, Is she packed lightly, or does her team consist completely of speed-based units? This march seems to be a little reckless. Every aristocratic family was allowed only nine people per team. These nine were the only ones whose kills would be counted into the score. The rest of the subordinates were split into two types. The first type was logistics and supplies. This particular unit had strict routes to follow and was restricted to designated points; they were the equivalent of hubs in an army. The transport of supplies between the designated points and the hunting team must be completed by the hunting team themselves. The second type was independent subordinates that were participating in the hunt. In reality, their role was the equivalent of a scout, and they were responsible for delivering information on the other hunting teams location, manpower, battle situation and so on. This unit would only start to show its strength after the spring hunt had progressed into the black circle, and hunting teams were fighting for merits within the same area from one another. From this, one could see that the nine-man hunting team must not only have great offensive power but also be capable of functions such as transporting supplies, scouting for information and so on. Therefore, the composition of this team became incredibly important. Normally speaking, a team should have a balanced distribution of professions and be able to resupply themselves continuously and meticulously, while knowing the battle situation in the surrounding area of their sides hunting zone at the same time. Only then would a team be able to survive until the end of the fifteen days long hunting warfare. The spring hunt also tested an aristocratic young generations overall ability to plan and manage. During the middle and latter half of the spring hunt, the event would evolve into a direct conflict between the families. While the core members of each family would receive protectionfor example, Qiqi and Zhao Junhong wouldnt kill each other no matter how great the conflict between themthe same couldnt be said for the other members of the hunting team. It was common for members of the hunting squad to be booted from the spring hunt due to grievous wounds. Even if someone was killed, it was simply a matter of compensation for losses. Therefore, the real interesting and exciting part of the spring hunt was the middle and later stage. If Qiqi were to advance prematurely during the early stage, and the distribution of professions in her team was overly unconventional, she would most definitely lack the power to follow up later. What was the use of gaining just half a days time? However, while Yin Qiqi might have ventured too deeply into the battlefield, the most eye-catching team on the list was the Zhao household. The crowd had just finished commenting about the Yin Family hunting teams position when they noticed the Swallow Clouds Zhao clan rising through the rankings, quickly assuming the number one spot and staying there steadily. Some people were disapproving of this and said slowly, It would seem that the second child of the Zhao Family is impetuous. He is lacking in the bearing of a great general! But another person countered, Zhao Junhong is one of the four young masters of the Zhao Family. He may be proud and arrogant, but that doesnt mean he is without ability. In the entire empire, just how many youths of this generation do you think could match up to him? His method is forceful, square, and honest. He definitely has the bearing of a king. Another person laughed and said, Nonsense. The Zhao Family has always been condescending to everyone. Where would you find the distinction you speak of? This Zhao Junhong and his father are literally two peas in a pod. When he heard up to this point, even Duke Wei himself could not help but smile a little. It was true that Zhao Junhong had his fathers style. The Zhao households bloodline was special, and geniuses often come forth in large numbers within the family in successive generations. This also nurtured a proud and aloof behavior in them, which was why the Zhao Family often stood alone among other aristocratic families. They had more vassal forces than allies. It was the deep region of Profound Heaven Mountain Range, and Qianye was just standing beside a giant-sized black tiger. He frowned and looked at the fresh claw marks on his right shoulder. The tigers claws had nearly penetrated his shoulder armor, and the layer of black gold threads sandwiched between the folds of the armor had been cut open already. The Yin Family hunters uniform he wore was a standardized warriors uniform with reinforced armor around the shoulder, chest, stomach and other vital spots. Otherwise, he would most likely have been injured already. This black tiger was extremely dangerous. It was a rank six wild beast, and it was among the most dangerous preys in this spring hunt. Qianye had chosen to fight it in close quarters twice in order to figure out his preys strength at the fastest possible speed. However, he didnt know that the beast would possess not only great offensive power but intelligence as well. In the end, Qianye had to use Twin Flowers to finally take it down. With the black tigers appearance, Qianye knew that he had entered the high-level zone. This was also his planned zone to perform his hunt. Qianye wasnt in a hurry to start sweeping for combat merits right away. Instead, he scoured for a few types of herbs between the stones of the forest and captured a poisonous Silverback Snake later on. He squeezed out its poison and mixed it together with the herb juice. In the end, it became a pile of herb soil that Qianye plunged his crossbow bolts in to soak overnight. This way, his crossbow bolts had all become poisonous arrows that would kill instantly. Poison was forbidden among the weapons brought into the spring hunt, but the case such as Qianyes where he gathered the materials and prepared a poison on the spot didnt fall within the same category. He was ready to use these poison arrows to deal with several large-sized rank seven prey such as the Feathered Earth Dragon, the Giant Tusk Elephant, the Forest Boa, and so on. The next day passed by without anything out of the ordinary. Qianye had only hunted a couple of rank five prey and left no traces behind. After operating around this area for a time, he was now very familiar with its terrain, plant cover and some wild animals behaviors. He was fully utilizing his strength in long-distance sniping and no longer put himself in danger. He counted the time and figured that the aristocratic family teams had probably arrived in this area as well. Qianye was going to observe their mode of conduct before confirming countermeasures to continue hunting in this area or venture deeper into the woods. If he were to go deeper, he would reach the edge of the black circle where dark race warriors would appear. Right now, at Duke Weis place, the number one spot of the ranking list was still dominated steadily by the Zhao Family. The Song household slowly ascended to the top ten, and the Wei Family was actually just at the 9th spot. Meanwhile, the Yin Family had just entered the top ten and was several thousand points behinds behind the Zhao Family. Another day passed, and the ranking list remained in general what theyd expected it to be. There were exceptions, however. The Yin Familys ranking was unexpectedly low, and their point gain was a little odd considering the zone they predicted the Yin Family to be in from the prey they hunted right now. Duke Wei immediately sent out his personal guards to find out what Yin Qiqi was really doing, but the news that they delivered back left everyone dumbfounded. It was said that Miss Qiqi had been busy tasting all kinds of barbecued meat after hunting several preys as if she wasnt participating in a spring hunt but a picnic. However, this wouldnt be the first time she had done something like this. After all, she had fooled around for several months even when she had been competing to stay on her familys successor examinations martial ranking list. It was perfectly normal for her to screw around for several days during the spring hunt. The third day quickly arrived, and suddenly there was a long cry in the deep regions of Profound Heaven Mountain Range. Even the ground had started to rumble faintly. A seven meters tall giant tusk elephant ran past as if it had gone insane, and it ran into a huge tree along the way. The commotion it caused was massive. Behind the giant elephant, Qianye was following its trail from afar. He maintained a safe distance behind the giant elephant and followed it patiently from afar. If someone were to pay close attention to the elephant, they would notice that the back of the giant elephants ears was nailed with two crossbow bolts. The poison was already causing the giant beast to go insane. Qianye was very confident in the toxin hed created. The faster the giant elephant ran, the faster it was going to die. The poison would kill it in another fifteen minutes. Qianye wasnt worried that the poison wouldnt kill the giant elephant, but he did have to worry about its deathbed attack. That was why he no longer approached it and simply followed its trail from afar. He had already grasped the large caliber firearm sniper rifle in his hands, ready to end the giant elephant when it was nearing its death. While the gun was relatively powerful, it was not enough against the thick-skinned giant elephant. It wouldnt be able to deal a fatal blow, so he could only shoot it multiple times at its vital spot at close range. While running, Qianye suddenly felt a shiver and looked towards the other side of the hill. There, a team of people was running towards this direction. At the center of the team was that aristocrat Zhao Junhong. They too saw the running giant elephant. Zhao Junhong extended a hand, and his subordinate immediately passed over an origin gun shaped like an old style firearm that was completely silver in color. Zhao Junhong took aim, and the patterns on the silver gun began to light up. Wait! Qianye cried out. The giant elephant had gone mad since a long time ago, and it didnt notice that a group of people had appeared right before it at all. It simply kept its head low and ran wildly. Zhao Junhong took aim calmly and ignored Qianyes cries. He pulled the trigger steadily! The silver gun resounded with a clear and melodious bang, and its muzzle spat out silver origin flames. The giant elephant suddenly let out a terrible cry. Looking from afar, it was as if the elephant had charged head first into a silver ball of light. When it charged out of the light ball, half of its head had been completely destroyed. Its gigantic body charged another dozens or so meters due to momentum before finally collapsing. The gun wasnt loud, but it was incredibly powerful. Its power had even exceeded Qianyes enhanced Eagleshot completely. It would appear that this gun was most definitely at grade five, and it was a special gun that was enhanced and modified by a grandmaster no less. Qianyes expression was very ugly when he saw a tiny light flying into the air from the giant elephants corpse. He had taken more than half of this giant elephants life, but Zhao Junhong had taken the final shot in the end. Qianye said heavily, This giant elephant was my prey! Zhao Junhong paid him no heed at all as he walked towards the giant elephants corpse without leave, I wasnt aware that claims are made by mouth. Qianye said coldly, It was already going mad from poison and would die in no time. Dont tell me that the second young master of the Zhao Family is so petty that he would steal even this bit of prey? Zhao Junhong said uncaringly, Steal? What steal? I saw it, and so it is mine. Qianye smiled and said, Heh, is that so. Thank you for your guidance then. Qianye turned around and walked away after hearing this. He knew that there was no reason to talk with a person like Zhao Junhong. There was no reason in the gulf that was their status either. Wait. Zhao Junhong called after Qianye. Qianye never turned around, but suddenly he sensed an incredible danger! He immediately lay down on the ground like lightning, and a burning stream of fire blew past his back right after. It was the trajectory of an origin bullet! Qianye exerted strength into his four limbs and bounced forwards like a cannonball before suddenly moving horizontally several meters after he landed on the ground. The series of bizarre tactical movements enabled him to dodge yet another origin bullet. Then, Qianye eschewed his flexibility and ran full force in a straight line, instantly putting him out of the origin guns shooting range. A Zhao household bodyguard stood on the spot in astonishment. The light of origin array hadnt completely faded from his muzzle yet. He was well versed in guns to begin with, but he didnt think that his ambush would completely miss his target. The first time Qianye dodged out of the way it was as if he had eyes behind his back. If he were to say that Qianye had just gotten lucky, then the latter dodges he made were almost perfect. In the end, Qianye actually forewent his flexibility and escaped at top speed, causing him to make a misjudgment and not fire a third time. Zhao Junhongs face darkened as he let out a snort and scolded, Trash! he didnt mind his subordinate ambushing his enemies and wounding them, but it was just plain shameful that he missed his shot and allowed Qianye to escape. Qianye had already vanished deep into the forest by this point. The bodyguard asked hesitantly, Young master, should we give chase? Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 143: Retaliation [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Zhao Junhong grew even more furious as he countered, What do you think? The other bodyguard at the side hurriedly came out to smooth things over and said, That guys rank may not be high, but his reactions are incredible. He should be a veteran very experienced in mountain combat. It will probably be a waste of time even if we attempt to chase him down. This subordinate believes that it is best if we focus on hunting for points. Zhao Junhong didnt answer immediately and, instead, recalled the guys reactions after being ambushed. Now that he was thinking carefully, he realized that his opponents dodging movements were bizarre and unpredictable. His decision-making in a crisis was incredibly accurate, and combat tactics he chose were just right for the situation. Even Zhao Junhong himself couldnt say with certainty that he could lock down his opponent. An opponent like this would be incredibly hard to deal with in a complex and mountainous forest terrain like this. Little bits of difference between ranks werent very relevant here. Zhao Junhongs expression turned much uglier when he thought up to this point. However, he swiftly recovered and asked, Which family does that guy belong to? A bodyguard said, Judging from his clothes, hes a member of the Yin Family hunting team. He hesitated for a moment before saying, However, this subordinate somewhat recalls his face from during Duke Weis dinner feast. Er, I think he was Miss Qiqis female companion at the time? He himself was confused when he voiced this. That guy just now was absolutely not a woman. Zhao Junhong thought for a moment but came up with nothing. He did remember seeing a girl wearing the same clothes as Qiqi during that dinner feast, but he hadnt paid attention to the other partys looks at all. Zhao Junhong couldnt help but sneer, That Qiqi! God knows what the hell shes playing at again! Lets keep moving forward. Zhao Junhong quickly tossed the matter to the back of his mind. He threw the silver origin gun back to the bodyguard. A mere rank five Fighter was beneath his notice. If his opponent was smart, then he would avoid his hunting zone by miles. At any rate, only the direct descendants of those aristocratic families were in his list of people that mustn''t be killed, and these people numbered only twenty or so. That guy had run into his shooting range himself for no reason, so if he was killed, then that would be that. Zhao Junhongs hunting team spread out widely, leaving behind only two bodyguards by his side. The entire team progressed forwards in an S formation. They planned to hunt down every prey in their way. Gunshots rang from time to time as armored bulls, black tigers, earth dragons, and thorny berserk bears fell in response as the Zhao households points also ascended swiftly, pulling further and further away from their rivals. The Zhao household truly deserved to be called a top-class household. Their equipment was excellent, and every member in the team was using physical origin bullets. This way, they could greatly decrease the amount of origin power spent and increase the longevity of their combat power. Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream broke out after the crack of an origin gun! Before long, another crack followed and ended the scream. The moment Zhao Junhong raised his eyebrows, the bodyguard beside him immediately ran towards the direction where the bloodcurdling scream had come from. Moments later, he rushed back and said, AJiang found a landowning household member acting suspiciously around the area, so he shot and killed him. Zhao Junhong let out an oh of understanding and said, Tell him to clean up the body properly and leave no traces behind. This is just a spring hunt. If we kill too many people, the Zhao households reputation may be affected. Got it! A''Jiang is already cleaning up the body. He will be done very soon. Zhao Junhong nodded and continued forwards. He pointed at a hill facing the water and said, We will be camping and resting there today. Lets head forwards a little more. A bodyguard immediately ran out to scout out the location Zhao Junhong had pointed and laid down the camp while the rest continued onwards. There was still some time before the sky would darken, and they decided to eliminate all of the wild beasts and fierce animals that were tens of kilometers or so around the camp before returning to rest. Within a dense forest, the bodyguard named AJiang was humming a small tune and kicking a badly damaged corpse into a pit that had just been dug. At the same time, he scattered quite a bit of drug powder that could attract wild animals. It wouldnt take long before those wild dogs and wolves that fed on rotten meat would show up and gobble up the corpse to the bone. When that happened, there would be no proof left to show who the killer was. How dare a landowning household guy not run after seeing him. He totally deserved to die! AJiang thought happily to himself. He exhaled deeply and relaxed. Suddenly, he sensed something and abruptly turned his head! A wild dog crawled out of the forest and stared at the powder-covered corpse while salivating. AJiang immediately broke into a smile, and said, Damn, these things sure do appear quickly. It gave me a fright. Not far away, Qianye watched his smiling face through his sight and pulled the trigger. Eagleshot shook intensely, but this time it was clutched steadily in Qianyes hands. The instant Eagleshot rumbled, AJiang immediately broke into a look of shock and tried to dodge out of the way with all his might. A rank seven expert like him already possessed an incredibly astute amount of intuition, so he would instinctively react to dodge out of the way when a gun was aimed and fired at him. However, this time Qianye was way too close to him. The two of them were only two hundred meters apart. It was just the right distance for Eagleshot to unleash all of its power. AJiang barely managed to twist his body sideways before dark red flames burst forth in front of his chest. His armor instantly shattered, and his chest and stomach area immediately became mangled beyond recognition! He let out a bloodcurdling scream and fell on his back, but he hadnt lost his mobility because of the wound. He was actually able to forcefully endure the pain, flip, and roll on his back before dodging behind a tree. By now Qianye was swiftly approaching towards A''Jiang as he leapt into the air and passed by A''Jiang from the side. In his hands, an origin crossbow flashed as a steel core arrow surged forwards and penetrated A''Jiangs back under the push of both the crossbows origin array and bowstring. However, only a third of the arrow entered A''Jiangs body, and even though it entered the flesh, it went only several centimeters deep. Qianye cried out in pity inwardly. The Zhao household really was pretty astounding. The battle armor worn by this bodyguard was actually two full grades tougher than the Yin Familys standard warrior uniform. No wonder Eagleshots full-powered shot could only deal a moderate amount of damage to his enemy. A''Jiang also knew that he was in a life-and-death crisis. Suddenly, he grit his teeth, pulled out a syringe and injected its contents completely into his thigh. Then, he let out a mad howl and escaped towards the deeper regions of the forest. His speed had actually increased instead of decreasing. Qianye shook his head and withdrew Eagleshot and his crossbow. This was the first time he faced a household bodyguard, and they were just as powerful as hed expected them to be. Qianye knew that he was lucky this time since he had concealed himself two hundred meters away before all of this. Otherwise, he might have had to spend a huge amount of effort to get close to his enemy undetected judging from his enemys reaction before and after he was shot. That being said, after being affected by the mixed plant-snake poison Qianye had created, and suffering such a grievous injury, he would be useless in this spring hunt even if he were alive. Every hunting team could only have nine members, and they were not allowed to substitute in new members after being forced out of the event midway. Qianye swiftly departed and slow-jogged inside the forest towards the camping spot Zhao Junhong had designated. Those two shots to his back had completely ignited his anger, and for the past few days, Qianye had been engulfed in raging irritation and frustration after hed run into Song Zining and Wei Potian back-to-back. This was just the right moment to vent his depression onto this second Zhao young master. Zhao Junhong heard another gunshot from afar and frowned, Eagleshot? We havent equipped ourselves with Eagleshot, have we? Its coming from A''Jiangs direction. Its possible that it was the doing of another bold landowning household guy. The rest of the aristocratic families have seen A''Jiang and should know that you are hunting around this area. They would not approach us. Dont worry, A''Jiang will take care of it. Zhao Junhong nodded and cast a glance towards the front. The zone before his eyes was a pine tree forest. Its terrain was complicated, but it also had wide, open field areas. He could already sense the remnants of Darkness origin power in that place. Zhao Junhongs mouth curled into a smile, and he said, Finally, weve found those black-blooded bastards. Lets head over and take a look! Every bodyguard, including Zhao Junhong himself, had entered into a state of alertness. Dark race warriors werent wild beasts; they were a lot more dangerous than that. Moreover, a few high-ranking dark race warriors would appear every year during the Profound Heaven Mountain Range spring hunt. On the other side of the Zhao household hunting zone was the Song household. Song Zinings clothes were light and long-sleeved, and he walked at his leisure as if he were on an outing. Even now, he hadnt entered the zone where rank six wild beasts lurked. Beside him, Ye Mulan was anxious, but she couldnt express the emotion outwardly. For this spring hunt, Song Zining had passed the teams command power to Ye Mulan, and he himself had only brought a personal subordinate with him. The rest of the task such as selection of personnel, team composition, and mobilization were all left under Ye Mulans power. Therefore, Ye Mulan really wanted to perform well in this spring hunt. The better the Song households results were, the greater her merit would be. However, while everyone had listened to her instructions, Song Zining was the only person she couldnt command. This was the first time Song Zining had come to the Profound Heaven Mountain Range. The spring of this mountain area was full of life, and not only was this place covered in lush plants and wildflowers as luxuriant as paddy fields, it also had all kinds of small animals besides the expected wild beasts. He seemed to have treated this spring hunt as a trip to collect cultural materials, and every day he would leisurely walk through mountains and lands, pausing to look at beautiful sceneries or praise every rare animal they came by. When they were camped and the sky had turned dark, he would hold up a light and either draw or write on his papers. The amount of pen, ink ,and paper he brought alone required a bodyguard to carry. Ye Mulan was anxious on the inside, but she didnt dare hurry Song Zining. Although she had hunted along her surroundings while they marched, she was bogged down by two factors: one, she had to leave behind an adequate amount of bodyguards for Song Zining; and two, this area was low-ranked and thus didnt possess any prey that was worth high points in the first place. So, despite her efforts, the Song households result still dropped a spot during these two days. However, Song Zining consoled her and said that the Song households strength would gradually appear once they entered the rank six area. There shouldnt be any problems maintaining a top three spot in the end of the spring hunt. Even if they werent among the top three, being in the top five was also acceptable. Ye Mulan smiled and nodded in agreement. Once she had walked out of Song Zinings camp, she gathered the bodyguards and instructed coldly, The surroundings of this camp might not be safe. You will split into two groups and take turns to patrol and clean out every prey in the area. We must not disturb the young masters rest, do you understand? Of course the Song household bodyguards understood. She was telling them to hunt overnight and replenish the loss in marks caused by Song Zinings leisurely activities. Ye Mulan herself was armed to the teeth as she walked into the night behind the camp. It was only when there was no one around her that she suddenly erupted and cut down a Saber-toothed Wild Boar. Then, she slashed and hacked at the boar madly to the point where it was almost indistinguishable from meat paste! It was only after she had vented that the anger within her chest subsided just a little. She mumbled to herself hatefully, Fifth place is acceptable? Hehehe, hahaha! Since the Song households ancestor was prejudiced, the bodyguards given to Song Zining were all between middle to top rank. They were not weaker than Zhao Junhongs men. With such strength in their team, the only downside was that someone in the Zhao household would most likely gossip behind their backs. If shed only obtained the third spot, then she would be lucky if her performance review turned out to meet expectations. If they really dropped to the fifth, then the criticism behind her back would surge towards her from all directions. The Song households ancestors evaluation of her would definitely fall off by a lot as well. It was only when it was almost daylight that Ye Mulan carried her weary and sweaty body back to the camp. She slept the moment she hit the ground. There were only two hours left before the scheduled departure time, and she had to catch every moment to rest. There was still a day of hunting today. The light in Song Zinings camp had also been lit for the entire night. This seventh young master had stared at the blank papers laid before his table for an entire night, and it was only during daybreak that he moved his brush and drew nine portraits in one go. On the left side was Qianye without his makeup. The rest of the portraits however, described a young boy slowly growing into a teenager. In the end, an underripe, childish-looking but also handsome man stood tall in the portrait. However, the leftmost and rightmost portraits only resembled one another to a small degree. What on earth happened? Song Zining extended a hand and lay it on the paper. A flash of origin power later, a half transparent mist swept across the table. The drawing paper had completely vanished, leaving behind only a pile of thin, gray dust. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 144: Hunting Expedition [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining looked up straight at the origin lamp hanging beneath the roof of the tent. The glaring light seemed to have no effect on his eyes at all. A tiny, stubborn figure seemed to appear within its bright yellow halo. It was Qianye. After leaving the Yellow Springs Training Cramp, Song Zining never saw Qianye again. He didnt think that the next time he heard of Lin Qianye would be from Red Scorpions casualty report! Back then Song Zining hadnt returned to his family for long, and he was also embroiled in the treacherous dispute of successors at that moment. He was too busy looking out for himself at that moment and only had the spare energy to inquire about the past more than half a year later. However, he discovered that the iron curtains behind the scenes were as thick as an eternal night that would never see the light of dawn. However, it was during this time Song Zining saw the person beside Qiqi. Even though his height and body shape were already completely different, even if his countenance and temperament were only somewhat similar, he felt as if Qianye were standing right in front of him. Still, something wasnt quite right. The ancient secret art Song Zining practiced could peer right into the essence of all things. The portrait he drew were calculations to deduce Qianyes true appearance after his makeup was removed, and the appearance after he grew up. However, he had obtained a specious conclusion instead. Of all the connections between these two people, half of it conclusively proved that they were the same person, but the other half also conclusively proved that they were not the same person. Last night, Song Zinings personal subordinate had delivered him that persons background data. Qian Xiaoye, also known as Qianye was born in the Southern Hundred Market Province. His parents were commoners who worked as peddlers, and they had arrived at the Evernight Continent twelve years ago. Both of them were killed during an assault on a human settlement, and Qianye was adopted by a military officer and a hunter in succession. Later on, he joined the hunters guild and was recruited by the Yin Family during a mission announcement. All of this data seemed reasonable, fair, and perfectly clean. However, in Song Zinings eyes it was so reasonable that it was abnormal. The sun was almost up. In the upper continents, the four seasons rotated in succession with clearly defined moments of day and night. A hint of sunrise was already showing from a peak at the horizon. Song Zining, who hadnt slept for the entire night, walked out of his tent and stretched his body. He could see that Ye Mulan was sleeping with her clothes on in the tent next door. Even her hair was a little disheveled. It was obvious that she had tired herself quite badly last night. Song Zining wore a mysterious smile on his face when he saw her. However, there was no smile in his eyes at all. At a different direction, bestial roars and a mans roar that was even louder than a beasts occasionally resounded from the forest. Right now Wei Potian was roaring as loudly as dry thunder as he battled against a Steel Armored Brown Bear. This was a big fellow weighing at least thousands of kilograms. Not even a rank five Fighter could take a single slap from this beast head on. Right now Wei Potians body was enveloped in yellow light as he wielded Thousand Mountains and clashed in close quarters against this rank seven brown bear. Bits of dazzling light would flash from his fist every time he punched. His punches were as heavy as mountains, beating down on the thick-skinned brown bear so hard that it roared madly in response. Wei Potian himself felt blood rushing to his head as he suddenly let out a roar and pounced towards the bear. He gripped the bears head with a pair of steely arms and tightened harder and harder. The brown bear struggled at its deathbed, slapping and scratching at Wei Potians body with all his might. Thousand Mountains light flickered under the attack, and the Wei Familys refined battle armor was cut apart layer after layer as well. In the end, many deep and shallow bloody wounds were left on Wei Potians body! There were rank seven experts among the Wei Family bodyguards, but they had no choice but to stand at the perimeter and watch the battle. They felt as anxious as if they were on fire, but they didnt dare aid Wei Potian recklessly. Previously, they had already suffered a tongue lashing for trying to interfere, and now the one man and one beasts battle had reached a critical point. They absolutely didnt dare distract Wei Potian from his battle. This was the Wei Family sons heroic battle. Wei Potian let out let out an earthshaking roar, and his hands tightened twice around the brown bears neck. Its neck broke under his arms, and finally, the ferocious beast slowly collapsed to the ground. Wei Potian relinquished his grip and felt impossibly satisfied on the inside. He let out a few dumb laughs and was just about to take a pose to display the masculine might of an empire middle-ranking officer when he accidentally pulled his wounds and felt pain shooting all over his body! He couldnt help but let out a piteous cry! The bodyguards hurriedly rushed forwards and lay Wei Potian on the ground. The medics gave him treatment, and the water feeders fed him water. It was a busy mess. When Thousand Mountains faded, the son of Wei began screaming like he had walked into a slaughterhouse. The wounds werent severe, but they were sufficiently painful that he suffered terribly even though his skin was as thick as the brown bears. After this battle, Wei Potian would have to rest for at least a day or two. The Wei Family had just surfed their way into third place, and after this battle their ranking would definitely fall off by a lot. However, this wasnt something that he needed to pay attention to at the moment. By now, Qiqi had also entered the rank six zone already. No matter how negligent she was with her duties, she was still a bit faster than Song Zining. Her teammates complemented each other well, and her supplies were ample. It was a composition that was good at displaying strength during the late stages. Therefore, there were still plenty of people who thought well of Qiqis chances behind the scenes. And so, a day passed just like that. Speaking of which, Zhao Junhongs feelings was unexpectedly the worst out of all hunting teams despite leading way ahead in points. By now A''Jiang was already unconscious inside the camp. After he had struggled his way back into the camp, he had collapsed instantly the second hed relaxed. While there were people who were well versed in battlefield first aid among Zhao Junhongs bodyguards, they didnt have any good ways to deal with Qianyes special composite toxin. The general use antidote had temporarily preserved A''Jiangs life, but it wasnt possible to completely clear his body of the toxin and restore his strength in a day or two. They were lacking the professional tools necessary for the treatment on the battlefield too. Zhao Junhong frowned and asked after listening to the report, So he cannot participate in the hunting later? Yes, he must be sent back immediately. If he cannot be treated properly in three days, his life will be in danger. Zhao Junhongs face grew darker and darker. He nodded and said, Take him back to the base and return immediately. Arrange for someone in the base to deliver him to Duke Weis side house. He will be cured once hes sent there. His bodyguard responded in acknowledgement and went to arrange the matter. Zhao Junhong exhaled deeply, but his feelings were exceptionally horrid. With A''Jiang gone, not only this meant that his hunting team would permanently lose a pair of hands in his team, the bodyguard responsible for delivering A''Jiang back to the base would take a minimum of two days to return. The efficiency of his hunting would fall off again during these two days. Zhao Junhong wasnt worried about the other aristocratic families. In his eyes, Song Zining and Yin Qiqi were the only ones worth paying attention too. He had not paid heed to either Nangong Wanyun or Kong Yanian. The reason for this was because he couldnt see through Song Zining at all, and the strength of the Song household bodyguards sent to aid him could be said to be overqualified for someone of Song Zinings ranking within his family. Meanwhile, Yin Qiqis individual martial strength had improved at a tremendous rate for the past two years, and since she was participating in the successor exam, her hunting team was all made up of direct line descendants. She was not like him or Song Zining. While they possessed personal subordinates among the family bodyguards they brought with them, not all of them were on their side. This little bit of difference might cause a problem during the final stage where it was a free-for-all. However, right now the situation was only slightly worrisome since it would probably be difficult to gain too big of a point lead with their current circumstances. Right now it was way too early to say that someone might threaten the Zhao households position. Although it was deep in the night, gunshots and the sounds of explosions still occasionally rang within Profound Heaven Mountain Range. Plenty of peopleespecially the landowning household members operating at the outskirtswere hurrying to harvest as much prey as they could. There was a finite number of prey beneath rank five, and a huge majority of them were expected to be harvested fully in just a few days time. When that happened, they would have to risk entering the high rank zone where no one could say for sure what they might encounter. Therefore, the results of the first few days became exceptionally important. Right now Qianye was lying on top of a large tree branch and chewing at a leaf. He was looking up at the giant, round moon that had taken up a small part of the night sky. It was said that there was a world on the moon too, but it was unknown who exactly had actually been there before. Right now, Qianyes heart was still burning with unrelenting flames. It had never subsided, and he couldnt even sleep in peace until this flame had been extinguished. He was thinking about ways to deal with Zhao Junhong, outlining many methods before refuting them all. Even if Zhao Junhong had temporarily lost two of its subordinates, he still possessed top class strength. He wasnt someone whom he could resist alone. Qianye closed his eyes and worked hard to feel the night wind of the Qin Continent that was completely different from Evernight Continents. It was slightly warm and filled with the clear and vast smell or grass and trees. Occasionally, the stench of wild beasts was mingled in the air, a reminder to all people that this lively world wasnt as harmless as it seemed. He slowly recalled his findings bit by bit after tracking and observing Zhao Junhong for more than half a day. Suddenly, a detail that hed nearly missed appeared to him and cut across the proverbial night sky like lightning! Qianye immediately jumped to his feet and began traveling swiftly under the night sky, observing the surrounding terrain. His movements were as quick as a ghost, and a single leap took him a dozen or so meters away in an instant. He passed through the forest like a ghost. This way, Qianye used only a single nights time to tread through all the areas that other people might take three or four days to cover on foot. In the early morning, Zhao Junhong woke up from his dreams, washed himself, and ate breakfast before starting yet a new day of hunting. Qianye was sitting amidst a pile of rubble on the mountain peak, overlooking the entire valley from above. Almost a thousand meters away, Zhao Junhongs group was slowly walking towards his direction. His bodyguards were spread out far apart with ten meters of distance between each other. They were walking forwards along the valley. This place was the nest of a group of earth dragons, and they were worth a lot of points. Qianye withdrew all of his aura and had even clad himself in camouflage. If someone were to look over from afar, he would look no different from the other rocks in the pile of rubble. Suddenly, a roar that was like a thunderclap shattered the silence of the valley, followed by rumblings on the ground. A rank seven earth dragon rushed out of its nest and pounced straight at Zhao Junhong while leading several rank five and six earth dragons behind him. This type of earth dragon was shaped like a lizard but was several hundred times bigger than the original. Its body was over a dozen or so meters long. Its movements were as swift as the wind, and its strength was formidable. The scales covering its body were also incredibly tough. Zhao Junhong calmly raised his guns and half crouched on the ground. It was only when the earth dragon had entered within a hundred-meter radius that the muzzle abruptly flashed with silver light! The earth dragon suddenly let out a pained cry. Its upper jaw had almost been completely blown away by a single shot! The intense pain triggered its wild impulse as it continued to charge madly towards Zhao Junhong. However, the silver gunshot twice more in a row, opening a hole both in its forehead and back! Qianye calculated Zhao Junhongs shooting range, speed, and origin power strength inwardly. As expected, that terrifyingly powerful silver gun was a fully automatic origin gun. By now, the bodyguards were also shooting at the earth dragons. The smaller earth dragons were shot repeatedly. Two rank five earth dragons had collapsed on the spot, but the rank six or seven earth dragons had incredible vitality. They turned tail and ran without ever slowing down at all. Zhao Junhongs face was a little pale after he had opened fire three times in a row. In just a moment of inhalation, that rank seven earth dragon on the verge of death had already escaped more than a hundred meters away. That was beyond Zhao Junhongs absolute shooting range already, and so he broke after the beast. With his swift movements, it wouldnt take too long before he caught up with it. However, Zhao Junhong had just taken his first steps when he suddenly heard a rumble from afar that sounded like a thunder in summer! It was the timber of Eagleshot! In Zhao Junhongs vision, a dark red light traveled with impossible speed from almost a thousand meters away to hit the sides of the escaping earth dragon, destroying the remaining half of its head!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 145: Reverse Hun t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A bit of light flew out of the corpse and headed straight up to the sky. Moments later, the Yin Familys points on the ranking list at Duke Weis side house jumped up a great degree and entered the top twenty. Duke Wei happened to be enjoying tea right now, and when he saw the change in the ranking list he nodded and said, That girls finally willing to do some real work. However, the manager beside him moved closer with an odd look on his face and whispered, I just received news that Miss Qiqi is still asleep at this time. Duke Wei nearly spat out the tea in his mouth. He turned to look at the time, and the gold-plated clock hand was already pointing at nine oclock. How was she still sleeping at such a time? This was a spring hunt, not a spring outing! Duke Weis face darkened as he said, Whats with this point then? Sir Duke, the Yin Family hunting team is missing a bodyguard in their main team right now. This bodyguard had ventured deep into the zone above rank six. This may be his achievement. When Duke Wei heard that it was a bodyguard who did it, he instantly lost interest, waved a hand, and said nothing any longer. Right now, Zhao Junhong had paused his footsteps and cast a glance in the direction where the origin bullet had come from. He forced a line out of the gaps of his teeth, Its that guy! Qianye decided that he might as well show up. He propped Eagleshot in position, loaded a bullet, accumulated power and took aim all in one go. He calmly landed a headshot on a severely wounded rank six earth dragon. Then, he withdrew his gun, stood up and walked away. Zhao Junhong was extremely furious, and he could no longer be bothered by the remaining earth dragons. He yelled out in a stern voice, Chase him! Kill him! Several bodyguards immediately charged towards the top of the mountain at full speed. In the blink of an eye, they had already traversed over a thousand meters of distance. However, the fastest guy who had just stood on top of the mountain suddenly let out a surprised cry! That was because Qianye was kneeling just two hundred meters away, moving his muzzle slightly and aiming at him! The bodyguards reaction was definitely swift. In a glance, he determined the trajectory of Qianyes muzzle movements and immediately sidestepped to the right side. However, to his surprise, he felt something odd where his foot landed, and this time he could no longer afford another reaction in time. A terrific explosion suddenly happened beneath his feet, and a tremendous energy threw him into the air. While the bodyguard was spinning in midair, a thought flashed through his mind, Shit! Eagleshot rang once more, and this time the dark red origin bullet appeared extraordinarily thick and huge. A bloody red light erupted from the bodyguards body. Under the multiplicative effects of Heavy Caliber and Accurate Shooting, his chest armor shattered upon impact and an arm flew away from his torso. Meanwhile, the bodyguard himself was blasted a dozen or so meters into the air before he rolled down the hill. The rest of the bodyguards were about to reach the mountain peak as well. They were immediately met with a terrific explosion to which they laid down and avoided it immediately. Meanwhile, Qianye had already leaped to his feet and swiftly retreated into the forest. He calmly escaped far away from the scene. Zhao Junhongs face was ashen. He never imagined that a mere bodyguard would dare go up against him! Although this wasnt against the rules, and every family were definitely going to fight each other in a battle royale once the late stage of the spring hunt began, things totally shouldnt have turned out this way! In the mind of the Zhao households second young master, that battle royale should be the battle and standoff between hunting teams, and those few who had the qualifications to challenge him shouldnt number more than a few people in the entire hunting field. This rank five guy shouldnt show up in this list at all! What discomforted him the most was that they failed to kill or capture him even after they had been offended so. Right now, Zhao Junhong felt as if he had been slapped right in front of a crowd! However, there was no way such an embarrassing matter could be covered up. Zhao Junhong knew that every aristocratic familys hunting team was followed by a concealed expert nearby. On one hand, their purpose was to observe the process of the spring hunt and prevent any possible cheating. On the other, they could appear and protect them from harm when it was necessary. If core descendants like Zhao Junhong, Song Zining, Wei Potian, and Yin Qiqi were to encounter an accident, then not even Duke Wei could justify things completely. Therefore, the whole process must have been seen by someone already. Zhao Junhong slowly climbed up the mountain peak Qianye had hidden himself in earlier. A bodyguard next to him advised, Young master, it may be prudent to be more careful. That guy is extraordinarily cunning. There may be more traps. Hmph! This place has been blown apart once already; where on earth would you find a trap? He has to be escaping now while he still can, or are you suggesting that he stayed back to commit suicide? Zhao Junhong hadnt finished when a red light suddenly flashed across his vision! Qianye actually hadnt left, and he fired a shot from about a thousand meters away! Zhao Junhons reactions were incredibly swift, and he instantly laid down amidst the rubble. The bodyguard immediately jumped above Zhao Junhong and used his body as a shield. The shot wasnt aimed at them but a large rock at the side. The giant rock abruptly burst apart in an earthshaking explosion and sprayed large amounts of smelly, corrosive liquid everywhere! The might of this poisonous liquid was very average. It could only corrode normal cloth and do nothing to the Zhao households refined battle armor at all. However, the second it came into contact with air it immediately emitted an impossibly vile stench. Its ability to disgust someone was top class. After that moment of surprise, the bodyguard didnt dare to stand up immediately. He was afraid that there might be other traps set up on this mountain peak. Zhao Junhong nearly fainted from anger while he was pressed down amidst flying dust and his nostrils filled with a repulsive stench. He yelled angrily, Let me up! Bunch of garbage! Several bodyguards beneath the hill ran over madly and began searching around the area. Someone said, Young master, please allow me to inspect the surrounding area first. That guy may still be around The bodyguard had just said this when he heard several gunshots ringing from afar. It was the sound of a large caliber firearm sniper rifle. At first, Zhao Junhong was a little puzzled. The might of this kind of sniper rifle was too weak, and there was no way it could shoot through their battle armor from this range. So what was it used for? Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind. He immediately recalled the dying earth dragons! Zhao Junhong abruptly pushed away his bodyguards, leaped up a large rock and looked towards the valley. As expected, three rank five earth dragons lay dead at the edge of the nests as the last bit of light flew towards the airship in the air. There was no need for doubt. Those points absolutely didnt belong to the Zhao household. Zhao Junhong nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The Zhao household bodyguards had discovered this earth dragon nest and spent more than half a day to lay down all the necessary preparations. However, Qianye had taken advantage of his range and killed all of the earth dragons. They could do nothing but watch as the hundreds or so points slipped out of their grasps. Moreover, his loss would only benefit the enemy. This one battle alone caused the point gap between the Zhao household and the Yin Family to shrink by three to four hundred points. That damnable guy! Zhao Junhong suddenly grabbed the collar of one of the bodyguards beside him and said angrily, Chase him down! I dont care what methods you use, just find him and kill him! I want to see his head by tomorrow this time! The bodyguards expression straightened as he said solemnly, Yes, young master! This bodyguard observed the surroundings, confirmed the location Qianye last opened fire from and chased towards that direction. His specialty was none other than mountain warfare and he was the one who did most of the exploration work of the earth dragons nest. Therefore, he was already very familiar with the surrounding terrain. That reckless guy was only at rank five. The fact that he fired Eagleshot three times in a row was already an unbelievable feat. Right now he should be at a weakened state, so as long as he sought out his tracks and kept his eyes firmly on the opponents escape route, it was only a matter of time before the guy fell into his hands. Zhao Junhong had obviously figured this out too, which was why he had ordered the bodyguard to chase after him. He stood at the same spot without moving or relaxing his features before asking suddenly, What is that guy called? The bodyguard thought for a moment before answering, I think his surname is Qian, Qian Xiaoye. There is only one person whos rank five in the Yin Family hunting team. Zhao Junhongs expression darkened again. The Yin Family? Not a single upper-rank aristocratic family such as the Zhang household and the Song household had rank five bodyguards in them! The bodyguard tracking after Qianyes footsteps ran unhurriedly in the forest. He knew very well that patience was an incredibly important element in dealing with a warrior with high outdoor mobility like Qianye. His biggest advantage right now was his immense origin power. Therefore, he had to fully bring out his advantage. After chasing for half an hour, the bodyguard suddenly caught a strange object from the corner of his eyes. He immediately ran towards it and discovered the corpses of four rank five wild beasts beneath some wilted branches. These corpses were as dry as a mummy, and all the blood inside had been sucked away. Vampires! The bodyguard felt a shiver in his heart. He recalled that this place was already connected to the outer zone of the black circle. It would seem that there were vampires operating around the area. However, Zhao Junhong was protected by bodyguards, and the man himself was the number one expert in the hunting team. He himself was extremely experienced when it came to dealing with vampires, so he wasnt afraid of them at all even in a mountainous terrain that was clearly advantageous to the dark race. He continued to chase Qianye. Half an hour passed, and he realized that Qianyes tracks were growing clearer and clearer. It was obvious that his opponents origin power was about to be completely depleted, and it was very difficult for him to eliminate his tracks already. As expected, the bodyguard ran up a high spot and just happened to find Qianye passing through a ravine a thousand meters or so away. Qianye turned around and immediately discovered the bodyguard behind him. He immediately moved faster and vanished into the gorge. The bodyguard immediately sped up. He didnt pass through the canyon and instead climbed up a ridge from the sides. When he stood up on a high spot, to his surprise, a rather spacious tall slope greeted him. There were clusters of greeneries up here and several dozens of naturally formed stone pillars as well. Qianye had disappeared since a long time ago. However, the bodyguard didnt believe that Qianye could escape beyond his vision so quickly. Even if he entered the forest halfway, he had to have left behind some tracks. He narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across every suspicious corner. Suddenly, he saw an extraordinary black dot in between a clump of wild grass that was above a mans waist. The black dot abruptly blossomed with bloody light before he could take a closer glance! Next, the bodyguard was blasted backwards involuntarily as if he had been struck by a hammer. His ears were filled with the sound of rumbling, and the sensation was indescribably unpleasant. The bodyguard only had one thought in his mind, How could he still use Eagleshot? Qianye lay on the same spot and didnt give chase. Instead, he loaded another origin bullet into Eagleshot and buffed it steadily with the ability Heavy Caliber. At the same time, he activated Accurate Shooting and pointed it firmly at where the bodyguards body had fallen. Qianye knew that the bodyguard would most likely have thought that he couldnt use Eagleshot any longer. Therefore, the wisest choice his opponent could pick was to use a stimulant, jump to his feet and immediately run to safety before treating his wounds. Qianye hadnt imbued his first shot with any special abilities, so the bodyguard was probably just moderately hurt. A rank seven Fighter protected by a combat households battle armor had defensive power that was not far behind a rank six earth dragon. As expected, the bodyguard immediately jumped from the ground in his sight and just happened to pass through the center of the cross-shaped front sight. Qianyes fingers had already pushed the trigger to the critical point beforehand, so a soft push was all that was needed for Eagleshot to let out a thunder-like boom as the origin power struck the back of the bodyguards heart firmly! Several pieces of broken armor bounced into the air, and the bodyguard was blasted away after he let out a bloodcurdling scream. He was very tenacious and was capable of escaping even in this situation. The body that was collapsing towards the front abruptly jumped to its feet again and instantly vanished into the forests depths. It was only now Qianye sensed the emptiness in his body. He stood up from his hiding spot and walked towards the dense forest too. As for that bodyguard, he had taken two Eagleshot hits and the last shot was even imbued with two abilities. Even if he wasnt dead he would be grievously injured already. Even if he could survive and return to the Zhao household camp, it would take him a very long time to recuperate. At the very least, he had no choice but to quit this spring hunt. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 146: Yes, I’m Bullying You for Having a Shorter Range [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A moment later, Qianye hunted a Forest Boa in the thick forest. Then, he let out its blood and swallowed every drop. This was a commonly seen survival technique when one didnt have food with them. Even if the powerful observers hidden in the surroundings had seen this, they wouldnt suspect that he possessed a vampires ability. Qianye drained the forest boas blood, rested for a moment and slunk towards the direction of the Zhao households hunting team once more. By now the sky was approaching the night, and the Zhao household had already set up camp to rest and reorganize. After the afternoons chaotic battle, Zhao Junhong had already lost all mood to continue his hunt. He appeared to be incredibly irritated as he walked back and forth inside his tent. At first, Zhao Junhong was fully confident in this spring hunt. He wasnt even paying too much attention to their point acquisition because the event wasnt all that challenging. He was more curious to know about Song Zining and Yin Qiqis family secret arts. However, the spring hunt was already turning into a disaster for him after it had barely started, and the cause of all this was Qian Xiaoye, an insignificant rank-five bodyguard! He didnt know why, but he suddenly felt less confident in the bodyguards chances to hunt down Qianye. It was just his intuition, and in reality, it counted for nothing. Suddenly, a bang broke through the air! Zhao Junhong almost jumped to his feet. It was Eagleshot again! A bodyguard taking water by the riverside let out a blood-curdling scream as bloody light blossomed from his body. His entire body was sent flying by the impact before he landed heavily on the ground. Lucky for him, he was able to find a spot to hide after a rolling a couple of times on the ground. Therefore he was hurt, but the wounds were not so serious that they were categorized as grievous or fatal. On a hill a thousand meters or so away, Qianye appeared and waved a hand at Zhao Junhong. Then, he turned around and vanished from sight. It took a long time before Zhao Junhong finally reacted with a howl, Lets fight sniper with sniper! Someone get out there and kill that guy! To his surprise, no one answered him despite his howl. It was only then Zhao Junhong recalled that the farthest shooting range his team possessed was three hundred meters, and no one among them carried a sniper type origin gun. Zhao Junhong felt only immeasurable irritation as he waved his arm strongly and yelled, We sleep for the night! However, they were destined not to have a good nights rest, for Qianye would fire once or twice at the tents with his sniper rifle. Maybe Zhao Junhong was just unusually unlucky, but a flying shrapnel from the shot managed to cut his finger. Although it was an insignificant small wound, the injury only made Zhao Junhong angrier. A new day finally arrived, and Zhao Junhong continued the hunt with a dark expression on his face. He had already made up his mind to hunt Qianye down personally if he dared to show his face again! As for the loss of reputation he would incur for hunting this extremely daring guy personally, what else did he have to lose after all this? Zhao Junhong and the remaining bodyguards formed a counter-sniper formation and continued onwards. Eagleshot rang once more, and this time it was fired from the maximum range of 1200 meters away. Its target wasnt a man but a rank seven werewolf that had already been struck to the brink of death. As he watched the tiny light float towards high altitude, Zhao Junhong let out an angry roar that resounded throughout the entire mountain range. He chased at top speed in the direction where Qianyes shot came from! The chase lasted for more than half a day, and in the end, Zhao Junhong wasnt even sure if he was treading the right path. At any rate, he was no longer able to find any traces of Qianye at all, and none of his bodyguards were able to catch up to him either. Since Zhao Junhong couldnt chase down Qianye, he vented his anger onto the surrounding prey instead. By now they were already inside the highly dangerous black circle of the hunting field. Here in this zone, dark warriors were beginning to show up in droves. They were not mindless wild beasts, so naturally, they would group up and not act alone. They readied themselves to hunt down, in reverse, the humans of the spring hunt and fight for the opportunity to live. This was the danger of the spring hunt. When the dark races appeared in droves, the lone landowning household warrior would be hard-pressed to resist against them. That was why most of them very smartly roamed the rank six zone of the wild beasts, but didnt dare to enter the black circle. They wouldnt lose too many points hunting just rank six beasts alone, but they would face far fewer danger than had they been hunting inside the black circle. Lone hunters wouldnt enter the black circle so deeply at all without a special reason. The black circle was the aristocratic families personal domain. It was here battle results and family honor began to differ greatly. Zhao Junhong was no ordinary hunter. When five dark race warriors appeared before him, he opened fire at the first moment and caused silver light to spit twice from his guns muzzle, blasting away the upper torso of two werewolves in an instant. Then, the second young master of Zhao withdrew his gun and took out a blade, striding toward the remaining three warriors! It was a bloody battle! In the blink of an eye, the three werewolves were hurt all over. Zhao Junhong himself had suffered a few scratch wounds, and among them, two had penetrated the back of his battle armor and left behind long bloody wounds. Just when Zhao Junhong was about to finish off these three werewolves, Eagleshots sound broke through the air again! A werewolf suddenly flew away and startled Zhao Junhong. When he finally came to, the second werewolf was also blasted into the distance! Zhao Junhong finally came to a realization and immediately swung his blade to kill the last werewolf. Five rank six werewolves added up to make a total of three hundred or so points. They were basically all killed by Zhao Junhong, and his combat strength was worthy of his title as one of the four Zhao households young masters. However, if one were to look at the points, they would notice that a small half of the total points had been robbed by Qianye. This caused Zhao Junhong to feel like a huge rock was sitting inside his chest. It was an indescribably uncomfortable feeling. He strode forwards and roared out loudly at the empty mountains and thick forests before him, Qian Xiaoye! Show your face! I, Zhao Junhong, am standing right here! Do you dare stand up and fight like a man? Or do you only know how to use Eagleshot? Then shoot, shoot at me! However, the only thing that greeted him from the mountains was silence. Zhao Junhongs roar was the only thing resounding throughout the mountains. There were also two werewolves lying beside Qianye, but he hadnt taken their blood. That was because he had been sensing vaguely that he was being watched all this time. It was very normal to drink a beasts blood, but it was a different story if he drank a werewolfs blood. Qianyes face darkened when he heard the bloody name Qian Xiaoye. Then he ignored it and calmly injected himself with a stimulant. After he had regained a small amount of origin power, he then sat cross legged on the ground and actually began cultivating. The core aristocratic descendants in this spring hunt were given special protection. This was a red line clearly stated inside the rules. With the strength he had observed from the second young master of the Zhao household, there was no telling how effective his shots might be if he shot him directly at anywhere that wasnt his head. Plus, if Qianye really did show killing intent towards Zhao Junhong, the powerful observers Duke Wei had arranged would definitely interfere in the battle. These were the rules of the game known as the spring hunt. Zhao Junhong himself felt awkward after shouting madly for a while. Then, he began walking aimlessly along the mountain ridge. Suddenly his pupils shrank, and he saw Qianye walking openly a thousand or so meters away on a parallel mountain route, moving forwards together with him. Qianye had shown clearly that he was planning to move and retreat together with Zhao Junhong. As long as prey showed up, he would rely on Eagleshots great power, super long range, and his own peerlessly exquisite sniping skills to interfere with their hunt. Moreover, past results proved that there was a high probability that he was going to succeed in robbing Zhao Junhong of his prey. Qianyes battle tactic was incredibly clear: Yes, Im bullying you for having a shorter range! For a time, Zhao Junhong actually wasnt sure what to do. He couldnt catch up to the guy, and he couldnt kill the prey before Qianye did either. Most importantly, he couldnt run and escape from this bastard who just wouldnt go away because he was Zhaos second young master. Furthermore, even if he did forget about his identity and escape, there was a high likelihood he wouldnt be able to shake off Qianye. In fact, he might even be criticized by others, saying that Zhaos second young master, a rank seven Fighter, had fled after he was beaten by a rank-five Fighter. How could he possibly stand tall after that? From this day onwards, the people paying attention to the spring hunt ranking list began to notice something amiss. First, the unusually ferocious Wei Family had suddenly experienced a depression and fell off the ranking list repeatedly before being surpassed by the Kong and Nangong Family. It was said that the son of Wei had entered into battle alone and took down a rank seven armored brown bear by himself at the cost of quite the injury to himself. He had no choice but to lie inside the camp in rest for these two days. The composition of Wei Potians team was incredibly extreme, and they even had just one combat strategy, and that was for Wei Potian to hold the frontline with Thousand Mountains while his bodyguards went full throttle from the back. This attack mode was simple and highly effective, but Wei Potian had gone overboard and suffered a great injury. As a result, his team with a deformed distribution of offensive and defensive power immediately exposed its weaknesses. Although Wei Potians actions very much fitted his style of only using his brain once in a certain matter, there werent actually that many people who laughed at his expense. In fact, important figures like Duke Wei were rather impressed by him. The fact that Wei Potian was able to kill a rank-seven steel armored brown bear barehanded with his rank six strength meant that Wei Potians Thousand Mountains was quite masterful already. Wei Clan Secret Art: Thousand Mountains was, in fact, an art that could only be cultivated properly by those above Champion rank. However, Wei Potian had cultivated the first level of Thousand Mountains at the same time as the moment he ignited his first origin node at the beginning. For the past few years, he had also been improving at a tremendous rate and proving his talent and potential. This was especially obvious when Wei Potian had not only ascended two ranks in succession during the last half a year but showed no signs of foundation instability at all. In fact, the accumulation of his aura had even given Thousand Mountains some realism. One could even see the faintest hope of a future marshal from this young man. As compared to Wei Potian, Nangong Wanyun and Kong Yanian could only be rated as average despite their good performances for someone of their strength and background. The Song household had been hovering very blandly between the fifth and sixth spot. It would appear that Song Zining was as frivolous as rumored; his interest lying more in random knowledge than politics or martial arts. Yin Familys Yin Qiqi continued to neglect her proper duties, go on scenic tours, and enjoy big barbecue banquets. However their points rose steadily, and not only had they made it to top ten, their momentum didnt look like it would slow anytime soon. The most surprising household of them all was actually the Zhao household. Since the fourth day, the Zhao households kills had been falling off in a straight line, and it was only getting worse day by day. If they were to look at a days total points alone, then the Zhao household had quite literally fallen out of top five. If they hadnt accumulated too big of an advantage at the beginning, then the Zhao household wouldve lost its first spot a long time ago. Just like that, the Zhao households points grew fewer and fewer. From the seventh day onward, they didnt even manage to obtain one-quarter of their original score. After all, they were now at the latter half of the spring hunt, and all aristocratic families had entered the dark races activity zone. Their points should be soaring and not the other way around. Therefore, on the seventh day, the Zhao household finally gave up their first spot and became replaced by the Nangong Family. The instant the ranks had changed, Duke Weis side courtyard boiled up in commotion. Everyone was discussing heatedly with each other over this outcome. Something must have happened to cause the Zhao household to lose their ranking this swiftly. Therefore, a super long range sniper of the Yin Family hunting team fell under everyones scrutiny. Moreover, the resume Ji Yuanjia had purposely leaked to the seventh young master of the Song household had also been obtained and remarked upon by the crowd from start to end. Of course, everyone who participated in that dinner feast that day had unanimously overlooked the flash in the pan that was Yin Qiqis female companion. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 147: Danger 1 Chapter 147: Danger (1) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] In their eyes, Qianye was just a commoner who relied on a bit of military and hunter skills to earn a living in the lower continent, and by chance climbed on the big tree called the Yin Family while he was out on a mission. This was supposed to be a story about an extremely average person being lucky enough to be recognized by an aristocratic family. However, when Qianye snatched half of the Zhao households prey with Eagleshots super long firing range on his lonesome and was still able to survive to this day, the angle of discussion took a different turn. Now, the people were talking how insightful Qiqi was to be able to unveil such talent from a place like the Evernight Continent. To be frank, the discovery of Qianye was more luck than skill from anyones part. However, the Empire had always cared for the result and not the process, so luck was considered a part of strength as well. When the crowd learned of the conflict between Qianye and Zhao Junhong, they couldnt help but smile in amusement. Most of them were laughing at Zhao Junhongs mismatched team composition and his lack of a member with long firing range. However, this wasnt really a mistake. After all, who wouldve thought that the Yin Family would bring a sniper who could shoot from a kilometers range away with them? A super long range sniper could only display their full abilities on a battlefield. It was not that the aristocratic families didnt have such talents; most of them just werent used as bodyguards. Although the spring hunt imitated real warfare, it ultimately wasnt a real battlefield. They only had nine people in a hunting team. Even if there was a hunting team good enough to enter into the final free-for-all stage without a scratch, they still wouldnt fit a super long range sniper into their team for the sake of extraordinary results. After all, snipers would always be the first target of focus fire due to the incredible threat they presented no matter where the battlefield was. The aristocratic hunting teams deep within Profound Heaven Mountain Range received the latest news as their supply personnel showed up. Suddenly, every team made a move except the Zhao household. By now, Zhao Junhong was no longer mad as he looked at Qianye standing faraway on top of a mountain. He only had three bodyguards left now. Three of his men were disqualified due to severe injuries, and another two were still recuperating inside the temporary campsite and unusable for a day or two. Zhao Junhong had never given any weapon beneath grade five any proper attention until the day a staple army weapon had forced him into the embarrassing state he was in. There was no way he was going to admit that Eagleshots wielder was the reason why it was so powerful. Zhao Junhong no longer chased after Qianye, and Qianye no longer attacked his bodyguards either. Both parties seemed to have come to a tacit understanding. However, Zhao Junhong was the only one who understood just how helpless and bitter this tacit understanding tasted. Qianye was openly snatching their prey. Zhao Junhong thought that Qianye wouldnt be able to snatch too many points since they were a four-man team while Qianye was alone, but that was yet another mistake he made. When it came to prey snatching, four guns with less than 200 meters of firing range were incomparable to one Eagleshot with 1200 meters firing range. Qianyes shooting ability also exceeded his imagination: Eagleshots timber kept resonating within the mountains from time to time. Tonight, many teams, including the lone walkers of landowning households, were talking about the same topic. What? Were the number one team already? Nangong Wanyun couldnt quite believe her ears. While the First Miss of Yi River Nangong Family appeared sweet and gentle on the outsideshe had even purposely worn a skirt while she was restingthe fact that she carried her team to where they were was a testament that her abilities were in no way inferior to men. Nangong Wanyun pondered for a moment before saying resolutely, We will slow down our pace. From tomorrow onwards, we will put emphasis to our defenses and lay traps around our camp. Make sure that our supply lines are guarded as well! A stalwart young man standing beside her said thoughtfully, Sis, you mean the Kong Family? Yes! Theres no way that Kong Yanian is satisfied with being second to us. However, he doesnt have the courage to declare war against us directly either. This person loves stabbing people behind the back the most, so he is most likely planning to attack our supply team. The young man frowned, Doesnt that mean that well have to watch out for him everyday? What if he doesnt show up? Isnt it the same as surrendering the first place? Nangong Wanyun was also a little troubled by this. She said, Do you have a better way then? The young man suddenly said, We should attack his supply first whether or not he attacks ours! At the very least we would be even, wouldnt we? Nangong Wanyuns eyes lit up as she praised him, Very well! There''s no time to lose. Lets follow them closely and attack them the second we find out where their supply base is! Mm, the Yin Family is also not far away from us. Maybe we can consider taking out their base as well. This might work! Right now, Yin Familys sniper is holding down the Zhao household with all hes got Nangong Wanyun was abruptly startled at his words, and she said hastily, No, forget it, lets not provoke the Yin Family for now! Why? the young man was puzzled. Nangong Wanyun shot him a glare and said, Its simple! If that Qian guy could hold down the Zhao household alone, wouldnt he be able to do the same to us with greater ease? What if Qiqi tells him to attack us? What should we do then? The young man abruptly understood her meaning. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration passed his mind as he said, What if we push him to another family? For example the Wei oh, theyre too far away. The Song household is next to the Zhao household, correct? Nangong Wanyun frowned, This is a good idea, but how are we going to execute this? That Qiqi never plays by the rules; maybe we can use this somehow Somewhere else in the forest, there was another temporary campsite made up of several tents. A gloomy-faced young man was holding a map and looking at it closely beneath a camp. This young man was Kong Familys Kong Yanian. Kong Yanian had always been a well known figure among the younger generation of the Kong Family. He was resourceful and decisive, and he only had one flaw compared to someone like Wei Potian, and that was the fact that his cultivation talent was average. Due to this one flaw, he had to participate in the spring hunt at the Profound Heaven Mountain Range while his second elder brother participated in the spring hunt at Imperial Garden. His brother was a guy who was all brawn and no brain just like Wei Potian, but although his talent was slightly weaker than the son of Wei, it was a lot greater than Kong Yanians. The map before Kong Yanian was labeled with the latest activity area of every aristocratic family. There were also a few arrows marking the landowning household descendants that were subordinate to the Kong Family. Beside him, a person made a suggestion and said, Young master, this is a great opportunity. Should we attack Nangong Wanyuns rear? Lets see how shes going to endure the last few days without any supplies! Kong Yanian shook his head and said slowly, Do you think the likes of Nangong Family could hold onto the first spot? We dont need to act; there are plenty of people who would do our work for us. But dont you think this Qian Xiaoye is pretty interesting? The subordinate asked in confusion, Are you thinking of recruiting him, young master? He is a part of the Yin Family, though. It may not be an easy task. Kong Yanian snorted and said, Do you seriously think a mere rank five small fry is worthy of our attention? I mean that we should kill him! Kill him? But why? Considering how badly the Zhao household is screwed over by him, Im sure that Zhao Junhong must hate his guts. If we take him out, wouldnt we be able to make Second Young Master Zhao owe us a favor? The subordinate was still a little puzzled, But wouldnt the Zhao household grab the number one spot once more? Let them. Theres no way we, the Kong Family, can possibly obtain the number one spot under normal circumstances anyway. Whats the point of being greedy over something that isnt ours to begin with? The subordinate came to sudden realization. Kong Yanian waved his hands and said, You are well versed in long-range sniping too, so take two men with you and drop some hints to those landowning household descendants. Find a way to kill that kid; at the very least you should chase him away from the Zhao household. The rest of you will stay with me. Our own points are pretty important as well. Theres no reason to let go of a top three spot if we can get it. The young master is wise! the subordinate immediately chose two bodyguards who were good at tracking and ambushing before making his way towards the Zhao households hunting area. There were plenty of people within the aristocratic families camps who were thinking about the same thing as Kong Yanian, and that was to take out that lone super long ranged sniper. Of course, not all of them were looking to curry favor with Zhao Junhong. They simply thought that Qianye would stop considering that the Zhao household had already been humiliated pretty badly. Any further actions might affect the two families relationship. However, that sniper wouldnt stay idle after he left the Zhao household, would he? What if he set his eyes on another target? While his profile stated that he was only at rank five, his sniping and mountain hunting skills were obviously extraordinary. Otherwise, the Zhao household wouldve dealt with him already. The aristocratic families hadnt brought many snipers with them, and no one had a firing range of one kilometer. The moment their snipers were sniped on the battlefield, the Zhao households conundrum would repeat itself on them. Furthermore, the late stage of the spring hunt was a battle between hunting teams. Every family would use all kinds of methods to strike at the enemy members who represented a high threat level. They were simply acting in advance now because he was alone. Zhao Junhong tidied his equipment as he sat inside the temporary camp. He was also listening to his bodyguard reporting about the latest news from all parties at the same time. Zhao Junhong was cold and expressionless when the bodyguard reported about finding other hunting teams acting strangely, crossing their own hunting zones and heading towards their direction. When he heard that some landowning household lone walkers were gathering towards their direction as well, he finally spoke with an extremely disdainful tone, Shameless vultures. The bodyguard didnt dare to speak any longer when he saw that Zhao Junhong wasnt brightened up by the news. He retreated from the camp. Inside the Song households camp, Ye Mulan couldnt restrain the anger burning in her eyes as she watched the intel placed on top of the table. How could she not know who this Qian Xiaoye was? When she saw the Yin Family hunting teams data a few days ago, she immediately understood what Yin Qiqi was playing at. That man had attempted to kill her back then, causing her to wake up in cold sweat for the next few days after that incident! Unfortunately, she knew very well that she could never reveal this from her own mouth be it for the sake of the Gu Family, or the relationship between the Yin and Song household. Besides that, she never did figure out how to break the truth about that evildoer to Song Zining properly. However, Qianyes foolish provocation of the Zhao household had given her the perfect opportunity. Ye Mulan arranged her expression outside the main tent before walking inside softly and quietly. She spread out the Yin Familys hunting teams profiles and the relevant intel before Song Zining. Song Zining stared at Ye Mulans difficult expression in astonishment. When he took the data and gave it a look, his expression slowly changed over time. His normally gentle expression had turned into one of great fury. No man could withstand being made a fool like this. Ye Mulan gently hugged Song Zining from behind and spoke with her best calm but slightly indignant voice, Zining, this is a good opportunity to take out this Yin Family sniper. She could feel Song Zinings body freezing suddenly at her suggestion. Therefore, she softened her voice even more and said, Look, this is a good opportunity to gain several things in one go. A super long range sniper is too big of a threat towards our point accumulation, so this is the best timing to eliminate this threat while he hasnt regrouped with the Yin Familys hunting team just yet. Otherwise, it would cost us more during the late stage of the spring hunt. Ye Mulan continued when she saw that Song Zining was silent, Also, we can take him out as a gesture of goodwill towards Zhaos second young master. It was only now Song Zining seemed to react a little and asked, Why? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 149: Encirclement and Annihilation 1 Chapter 149: Encirclement and Annihilation (1) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye was passing through the forest when he suddenly came to a stop and surveyed his surroundings. Night had descended. The dense forest was almost pitch black in color. The treetops of the forest were too thick for moonlight to penetrate, allowing only a few silvery pillars of light to illuminate the grassy ground. Cold and stillness filled every corner of his surroundings, blotting out even the sounds of animals and insects. It was so quiet it was a little scary. Qianye picked up the faint scent of danger, but he wasnt sure where it came from. Was it a powerful dark race? Or was it the Zhao household summoning its allies to its aid? In this area, both were very real possibilities to contend with. The Zhao household bodyguard who was following behind him all the way was acting extremely strangely as well. Although Qianye had attempted to turn back and chase down his opponent a couple of times, the bodyguard had very uncharacteristically avoided any sort of conflict. Instead, he took a circuitous route and move far, far away from Qianye, waiting until Qianye had continued on his way again before he continued to follow him unhurriedly. All of his actions made Qianye feel more and warier. Qianye put away Eagleshot and grabbed Twin Flowers in his hands instead. They were the better weapon for close combat compared to Eagleshot in this type of environment. Then, he inserted two military knives into the Twin Flowers slots, bent his body, and sprinted towards the edge of the Zhao households territory. Qianye charged out of the forest and ran towards a pile of rocks not far away. Right now an extreme premonition of danger was assaulting his senses like a sharp blade cutting against his skin, and it made him toss all notions of observation or misdirection behind his head and focus on running as quickly as possible with all his might. He had just run a hundred meters when a weak light suddenly entered his vision. It was the light of an origin bullet just six to seven hundred meters away from him! It was the best possible range for sniping! There was a rumble, and all sounds vanished except a strange, deep hiss that resounded sharply in his ears. Every blood energyeven the gold and purple colored blood energyhad burst out of his heart or departed the ability runes, circulating wildly throughout his entire body. Touched by the hands of death, the power of Qianyes vampire vision was brought out in full. Time suddenly slowed, and he turned his head slowly while the color of blood appeared from his pupils. The world covered by gathering darkness abruptly brightened, and the origin bullet flying towards him suddenly looked crystal clear in his vision. When the origin bullet had flown halfway across the ground, there was yet another flash from another direction. There was actually more than one sniper in this place! Qianye didnt keep his gaze transfixed at the two origin bullets flying slowly towards him. Instead, he took the opportunity to scan his surroundings while the slowdown of time was still in effect. He spotted several odd sceneries that were none other than people getting up on their feet! Qianye was done calculating the trajectory of the incoming bullets when a wave of exhaustion suddenly came over him. Then, he exited the state of time slowdown just like that. Suddenly, he took a horizontal step and twisted his body sideways, and the two powerful origin bullets slipped past his body with millimeters to spare! One of the origin bullets left behind a trail that licked his left arm like a tongue of flame, leaving behind a black scorch mark on his fighter uniform. But that was all. It wasnt able to penetrate the defensive web inside the clothing at all. Ye Mulan, one of the snipers who fired the shot, felt her mouth open wide. She couldnt believe her eyes at all! Her opponent had actually dodged not one, but two origin bullets at this distance with just a simple maneuver! This ability should only exist on a Champion! It took her an entire second before she finally recovered from her shock and accepted the reality before her. However, this one second was all Qianye needed to grab Eagleshot and fire a shot at her without even looking at her direction. Then, he utilized Eagleshots powerful recoil to fly backwards before he continued to run away. Ye Mulan felt like she had run into a ghost yet again. The origin bullet had traversed several hundred meters of distance only to fly dead center between her brows. Qianye had opened fire without taking aim, and it was very much a running shot that was commonly seen when firing a handgun. However, his aim was still impeccable even when applied to a near two-meter long sniper rifle like Eagleshot! Because Ye Mulan was stunned for a second, she wasnt in time to take any evasive action. However, she was quick enough to crouch on the ground and summon a shroud of faint, white frost from her body. At the same time, she tossed out the origin gun she froze right at the origin bullet flying towards her. There was a boom, and Ye Mulans grade five origin gun shattered into pieces along with many ice bits. However, Qianyes origin bullet was also knocked off course as a result. Chase him! Ye Mulan gritted her teeth and yelled. The Song household bodyguards hiding in the surroundings immediately ran towards the direction Qianye had escaped to. Ye Mulan herself had snatched a sniper rifle from a bodyguard and took a shortcut straight towards where Qianye was heading. Qianye continuously increased his speed as he made all sorts of unpredictable evasive movements based on the terrain he was on. During this period, origin bullets would roar past his body from time to time. He only needed to cover another one hundred meters or so distance before he would reach a craggy terrain. He would have more cover once he reached there. Qianye moved faster and faster as time went on, but it was at this moment three figures suddenly stood up from the edge of the craggy terrain! They were bodyguards from the Kong Family! Qianyes heart sank, but he only grew even bolder and dauntless at a critical moment! The blood energies inside his body were boiling, and his Daybreak origin power had rippled to existence to. Cycles circulated inside his body as tides slapped against the shore. Layers upon layers of power were patiently accumulated for that one moment of eruption that would shatter stones and pierce clouds. A clear and melodious long hiss suddenly cut through the night sky, and Qianyes speed abruptly increased even further. He almost looked like a faint shadow beneath the moon as he charged towards the enemy that was blocking his way. Qianye rammed into him forcefully without changing his actions at all! There was a dull noise of impact, and the rank six bodyguard who stood ready for him was actually knocked a dozen or so meters into the air before he started falling! The bodyguard was already vomiting blood when he was in midair, and every bone inside his body had crumbled during the process! That was how Qianye broke through the strongest part of the encirclement and continued to run ahead. The other Kong Family bodyguard was quick as he lifted his hand and opened fire at Qianye. Qianye immediately summoned a screen of origin light behind his back and took the blow in full. The armor behind his back shattered into several pieces and sent fragments flying all over the place. But thanks to the origin powered shot, Qianye sped up again and swiftly escaped the Kong Family bodyguards shooting range. However, Qianyes expression suddenly changed as a mouthful of blood suddenly poured out of his lips! Qianye actually looked better after he vomited the blood. His blood energies were boiling during that critical moment of life and death just now, and now they moved to his every whim just like his Daybreak origin power. The hidden ability of his bloodline had erupted automatically almost at the same time as when he was struck by the bullet, and the hearts blood he had spat out after suffering the injury didnt contain any actual presence of blood power at all. While Qianye continued to run at top speed, the armor around his waists suddenly cracked to reveal many long cuts. They were wounds left behind by the Kong Family bodyguard he sent flying to the air, but in return Qianye also gained a new backpack in his possession. He had pulled it off the Kong Family bodyguard during the instant they came into contact with each other. Qianye passed through the craggy terrain and charged headfirst into a forest populated by deciduous trees. At this point, he didnt have too many directions he could choose to escape to, and he could only run swiftly into the deeper regions of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range. The temporary escape from his plight didnt improve Qianyes feelings. On the contrary, his heart was only growing heavier and heavier because he could imagine exactly what was going to happen next after the close combat he went through earlier. If two households had joined in on the intercepting troops, it was only natural that more households would join in on the party. It didnt matter whether or not they were allies summoned by the Zhao household or opponents who wished to weaken the Yin Familys hunting team. What mattered was that they had obviously joined hands to kill him. They had the advantage in numbers, equipment and strength, and they didnt need to pursue him doggedly. All they needed to do was to track him down, chase him towards a certain direction and draw in the big web of encirclement when the time was right. Eventually, they would be able to corner their prey and force him into a dead end. Very soon, Qianye was going to face unprecedented danger. If a long-range sniper had their activity area reduced, they would lose their mobility and become no different from a normal warrior. Moreover, every bodyguard in those households and aristocratic families were at a higher rank than him. Right now, Qianyes mind was incredibly calm. After he had escaped the most dangerous area, he maintained an even running speed while observing the surrounding terrain at the same time and selecting the battlefields he wished to fight on. Even now, he never thought that someone would come and save him. Only one thought dominated his mind, and that was to drag a sufficient number of people with him to death if he were to die in this battle! Qianye quickly chose a region where mountains and valleys intersected each other. Cragged rocks and caves were everywhere, and greeneries were overgrown. Moreover, there were groups of horned wolves living in the area. They were an intimidating power that no one could ignore, especially when these wild beasts who were rank six on average were grouped together. Behind and around Qianye, the number of pursuers quickly exceeded twenty even as more and more lone wolves from landowning households had caught the news and came over close by. An aristocratic bodyguard was running through the forest when suddenly, a pitch black thread suddenly wrapped around his neck and pulled him into the air. The bodyguards eyes bulged as his legs kicked and struggled in futility. Air entered and exited his mouth roughly, but he wasnt able to let out any sound at all. The thread dug deep into his neck and pulled him all the way to the treetop. There, a slim and handsome man dressed in black clothes stood as he stared at his victim with blood red pupils that were full of smiles! The bodyguard looked he could faint from shock. He never imagined that he would run into a higher bloodsucker at this place! However, the Blood Knight had already pounced forwards and bit him right at the throat! A moment later, the Blood Knight put on the bodyguards clothes and inspected all of the bodyguards gear. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and said to himself, I cant believe a mere bodyguard could possess such amazing equipment. These human aristocratic families sure do possess a great wealth of resources; theyre almost as rich as our Sacred Blood Clan! The Blood Knight discarded the bodyguard who had turned into a dried corpse deep inside the treetop. Then, he jumped down from the tree and chased leisurely in the direction Qianye had escaped to. After so many days of hiding and observations, and combining all his findings with the intel he obtained earlier, he had more or less figured out how this spring hunt was done. As long as he continued to follow that human who was being chased down by his kin, he would most likely find the target he was seeking. Right now, Qianye was sitting on a lush treetop himself as he slowly smoothened his breathing and carelessly stopping the blood that was dripping from his waist. Then, he bandaged the wound tightly and tidied his equipment for a bit, equipping both Twin Flowers and Eagleshot with physical origin bullets. Once he was done, he took out some food from the Kong Family bodyguards backpack and began to eat slowly. Qianye lay against the tree trunk and closed his eyes slightly, but Ye Mulans face appeared before his eyes instead of the usual darkness. During the instant he had counterattacked with Eagleshot, his attackers face had become clear thanks to his night vision. The first group of people who intercepted him were also dressed in Song household clothes. Qianyes heart twitched once strongly as if it was gripped by an invisible hand. He exhaled softly and calmly recalled the strength of the pursuers he had already exchanged greetings with and pondered on how to deal with them in the next encounter. However, the biggest threat of them all was actually Song Zining. Qianye clearly remembered Song Zinings splendid record and conduct. To him, there was no one more dangerous than this peer of his who knew very well what his fighting style was. However, Qianyes instinct had not played its part this time and failed to capture any signs of Song Zining around him. The greatest threat was one that couldnt be detected. The blade of death might very well emerge from darkness in the next moment. The Song households hunting team had already shown up. So where are you, Zining? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 150: Encirclement and Annihilation 2 Chapter 150: Encirclement and Annihilation (2) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A soft noise rang from nearby at this moment, and Qianye immediately withdrew all of his presence. Through the gaps between the leaves, he could see a lone landowning household warrior carefully moving forwards. He was just passing through the tree Qianye was at when his footsteps came to a sudden stop. A drop of water had nearly brushed past the tip of his nose before splattering into tiny bits at the tip of his boot. The landowning household warrior frowned before he bent downwards and wiped a finger across his boot. He lifted the finger and gave it a close glance. His fingertip was stained with bright red blood. The warrior silently tightened his grip around his gun and poured origin power into it. Then, he slowly looked up at the tree. It was at this moment a rush of wind appeared from behind his head! Naturally, the landowning household warrior had his reasons to dare step into this area. He was a rank six expert, and he had a lot of experience fighting at the frontlines. He immediately counter-attacked with an elbow strike without any hesitation at all! There was a dull impact, and the landowning household warrior felt as if he had rammed his elbow into a piece of dead wood, his origin power scattering completely. Although his hit had landed solidly, he wasnt able to deal any damage to his opponent at all. What kind of defense is this? The landowning household warrior was both shocked and terrified. The thought had just crossed his mind when a hand landed on his shoulder, and Qianye plunged his knife straight into the warriors ribs with his right hand. The violent origin power of a thirty cycle Combatant Formula seeped through the blade, and an impact of peerless intensity crushed both the warriors origin power defenses and internal organs around the blade completely! Thirty cycle Combatant Formula! Youre a Fighter King!? This landowning household warrior had survived real battlefields, and he was obviously knowledgeable and experienced enough to recognize the Combatant Formula. His voice was steeped in shock and fear! As a landowning household member who had to survive on his own, he knew very well what a Fighter King represented. No wonder his opponent was able to cause so much trouble to the Zhao Household even though he was just rank five! But it was now too late for regrets. He didnt hope to survive this encounter. Instead, he counterattacked with all his might, hoping to severely injure his opponent before he died. He summoned all of his remaining origin power and swung his elbow right into Qianyes waist! Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of dull impacts resounded throughout the forest, but Qianye wasnt moved by his strikes at all. It was as if the body that was being pounded by the elbow wasnt even his. He simply summoned cycle after cycle of origin tide and poured them fiercely into this landowning household members body. The landowning household warriors counterattack gradually turned weak. Although the only obvious injury on his body was the blade in his ribs, in reality, every organ inside his body had been crushed into a pulp. Qianyes own army knife couldnt endure the thirty cycle Combatant Formula and shattered into iron bits inside the warriors body. Qianyes hand suddenly slipped away from the landowning household warriors shoulder and cut a wound across his neck artery. Blood filled with the rich scent of origin power immediately sprayed several meters across the ground! Qianye closed his eyes, inhaled deeply before pushing the warriors body onto the ground. Suddenly, Qianye recalled what Yu Renyan once told him and broke into an involuntary smile. It might be inconvenient to hold fast to a belief, but in a large majority of situations, it wasnt worth breaking them either. Qianye calmed down his breathing for a bit before he began searching through the landowning household members body. He took out every stimulant and origin bullet he possessed, and to his surprise found two origin hand grenades in the process. Qianye made some arrangements around the body before he left the scene, running into a nearby forest. About ten minutes later, two aristocratic family bodyguards showed up on the scene. They were greatly surprised to find the body on the ground. One person stood guard as the other ran to the body and inspected it. When the bodyguard flipped over the body, he immediately let out an exclamation of surprise, Wu Youhong! It was obvious that they knew each other, and were on pretty friendly terms too. The bodyguard immediately carried the body and attempted to say something. But before he could do so, a strong light suddenly flashed before his eyes as a sense of danger rose from his heart. Then, he no longer knew anything. The might of two origin hand grenades detonating at the same time was extremely terrifying, and it wasnt something that a rank six warrior could endure at all. Even the bodyguard who was standing guard ten meters away from the site was thrown far away by the explosions shockwave. The bodyguard standing at the center of the explosion was gone entirely. Right now, Qianye was running across an empty field within the forest. Although his path was blocked by two Song household bodyguards, he chose to charge towards them instead of making a retreat. The two bodyguards who were holding their origin guns evenly looked extremely anxious as their muzzles chased after Qianyes figure repeatedly. Qianyes movements were unpredictable in both direction and speed. He was always able to escape the Song Household bodyguards aim with tiny movements and swiftly shorten the distance between the two of them. The two bodyguards were sweating like they were caught in a downpour before they knew it. They were both snipers, and they were well versed in counter-sniper techniques. But Qianyes performance had far exceeded his current rankin fact, his level of skill shouldnt exist in anyone beneath Champion rank at all. Both parties were stuck in the confrontation. The bodyguards knew that there existed an extremely short interval between pulling the trigger and shooting the origin power. Although they had more or less a lock on Qianyes movements, it was still enough time for Qianye to avoid being hit in a vital spot. But at the same time, their bodies would come to an instantaneous halt when they were firing their guns, and they had no doubt that Qianye would seize the opening and fire Twin Flowers into their bodies. They werent beneath admitting that they were incapable of achieving Qianyes dodging speed at all. Ye Mulan had just run over from behind the bodyguards, and her face was just as pale as theirs. She felt like she was facing an injured wolf, and everyone knew that an injured wolf was at its deadliest. She suddenly screamed, Fire! The two Song Household bodyguards subconsciously pulled the trigger, and they immediately cursed loudly inside their heads! Two balls of bloody light erupted from Qianyes body, but none of them had hit his vital spots. Qianye was tossed backwards by the powerful shots, but his posture was extraordinarily steady. He pointed Twin Flowers steadily at one bodyguard each and fired them at the same time! Pfft. There was a sound that sounded like flowers spilling their pistil, and beautiful patterns immediately crawled across Twin Flowers demonic exterior. They shuddered and bloomed in the dark of the night. The faces of both bodyguards immediately erupted with blood-colored origin light at the same time! They collapsed on their backs, clutched their faces and screamed horribly to themselves. The pain was so terrible that they rolled across the ground with all their might. Blood and fluid kept pouring from between their fingers, and it was obvious that their faces had been crushed by the shot. Ye Mulan lifted her sniper rifle horizontally and fired a shot. A mist of blood immediately erupted from Qianyes body again to reveal a huge hole at the back of his shoulder. The golden threads woven between the uniform curled up lifelessly in scorched black color to reveal bloody flesh bits and white bones! Ye Mulan clenched her teeth abruptly before tossing her sniper rifle and pulling out a handgun. She pounced towards Qianyes landing spot. Right now, Ye Mulans heart was filled with fear. It was only after she had gone on the battlefield that she realized just how dangerous, how much, much more dangerous this man was than in the arena. She only knew that Qianye might become her eternal nightmare if she were to allow him to live past this day. Right now, Ye Mulan could remember clearly every word Qianye said back at Xichang Citys Copper Peacock Terrace, How long can you guard yourself against me? A month? A year? Or ten years? She finally realized that her opponent had meant every word. This commoner was not afraid to offend even Zhao Junhong past the line, and her status as the fiance of the Song Households seventh young master couldnt protect her one bit. Ye Mulan only had one thought in her mind, and that was to kill this dangerous man right here and now even at the cost of the lives of the Song Household''s high-ranking bodyguards and the familys beration! She reached the thirty-meter mark away from Qianye and entered the best shooting range for a handgun, but saw that Qianye had retrieved his Eagleshot before she knew it. He raised the rifle horizontally with one hand and aimed its muzzle at her. His somewhat thin and even pretty looking arm wobbled not one bit and looked as steady as a rock! Ye Mulans mouth opened wide as she let out a scream. Before she could dodge out of the way, a blood-colored light erupted at her stomach and threw her back towards the distance. Qianye himself was pushed backwards by Eagleshots powerful recoil as he skidded across the ground. The wound at his back rubbed against the rough ground and left a bloody trail behind him. Although his constitution was as tough as a vampires, the consequences of firing Eagleshot one handed was the sounds of breaking bones around his wrist and elbow area. Right now, terrible pain screamed from his entire right arm if he even moved it a little. Qianye jumped to his feet, tossed down Eagleshot and pounced towards Ye Mulan. While Eagleshot was powerful, without any ability enhancement it would injure Ye Mulan severely at best. Qianye knew that the shot wouldnt kill her, and he had no idea if he could survive the next period of time. He had already made up his mind to kill this insidious woman with everything he had. As expected, Ye Mulan was actually crawling to her feet already after just spitting a mouthful of blood and shaking her head once while groaning. Her outer clothing had completely shattered, and the armor she wore beneath her clothing was revealed. It was a black soft armor that looked like a skin tight suit, and her vital spots were covered by several pieces of dark brown armor too. It was obvious that the armor was reinforced. Right now, the reinforced armor pieces had long been blasted into pieces by the shot. While most of the armor pieces had fallen apart, there were only a few holes in the black suit beneath them. The snow white skin of Ye Mulans chest was revealed, and it actually wasnt cracked at all! This armor had some serious defensive power. Qianye immediately felt a terrible headache when he saw her suit of armor. He estimated from his experience that this armor of Ye Mulans was just a tad weaker compared to Wei Potians Thousand Mountains! Qianye immediately tossed away the knife in his hand. The regular army knife couldnt withstand his violent origin power at all, It would probably shatter before it even cut open the armor. Qianye leaped into the air and landed heavily on Ye Mulans body, slamming her heavily back onto the ground. Ye Mulan groaned as blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth once more. Qianye immediately stretched out to choke her, but she immediately blocked his attempt with her own hands. Qianyes right hand couldnt exert strength properly right now. Although he managed to push down both of Ye Mulans hands with his left, it wasnt easy to kill her in one go since she was struggling with all she had. Ye Mulan twisted her body with all her might, erupting into a burst of movement from time to time in attempt to flip Qianye off her. Her close combat skills actually werent bad at all, but Qianyes combat skill and strength were far beyond hers. Qianye pushed his body between her two legs, spread open his own and held her tightly. All of her movements were suppressed at once as his left hand continued to inch bit by bit towards her throat. Ye Mulan panted heavily as fear and entreatment flowed out of her eyes. Her chest heaved heavily, and the fullness he sensed proved that she was in no way inferior to Yu Yingnan in this aspect. The damaged armor caused her breasts to appear slightly, and she even moved so that Qianye could see more of them. She was obviously hoping that Qianye could feel even a shred of pity towards beauty and let her live. However, Qianyes eyes were completely filled with an expressionless coldness. It was as if he couldnt see the view before him at all. The stalemate lasted for several minutes straight. A near indiscernible gaze suddenly swept across the area and landed on them both. However, it moved away after a moments time. No one showed up to stop the battle. It was obvious that Ye Mulan wasnt qualified to enter the safe list yet. Qianyes heart suddenly turned completely cold, however. He hadnt sensed any observers around him while he was hunted earlier. Did this mean that those aristocratic family young leaders had gotten close to him? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 151: No Longer Alone 1 Chapter 151: No Longer Alone (1) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye let out a dull grunt as a trace of blood flowed down the corner of his lips. He quickened the circulation of the Combatant Formula, ignored the tiny wounds that were starting to appear on his internal organs and pushed the fierce tides over thirty cycles again in the blink of an eye! Ye Mulan, with her rank six origin power and her Deep Frost ability that enabled her to penetrate her enemys blood, was completely suppressed. In fact, her origin powers were barely holding out against the violent charges of Qianyes origin power. Qianye continued to gather strength in his left arm. All that was left was the final step. It was at this moment a figure charged out of the forest like lightning and slammed into Qianyes side, sending them both flying for a short distance. It was a Song Family bodyguard whod heard the gunshot over this direction and had finally arrived at a critical moment, saving Ye Mulans life. But although he could save Ye Mulan, he couldnt save himself. Qianye suddenly grabbed the hand he used to hold his gun with both arms, exerted strength and slowly twisted the origin handgun around to face the bodyguards glabella instead. The rank seven bodyguard almost couldnt believe his eyes! Although Qianye was just a rank five Fighter, the origin power surging from his body was unbelievably powerful and as fierce as violent tides. His origin barrier wavered under the tides impact before it ultimately shattered in a boom. Qianyes origin power instantly rushed into his body and charged wantonly towards all directions, grievously wounding him. The bodyguard was shocked beyond belief. He cried out, A Fighter King! No, not just a His screams came to an abrupt stop. Qianyes physical strength far exceeded the bodyguards, and the bodyguard had just lost the support of his origin power. The handgun was finally turned around completely. Then, he pulled the trigger with his finger pressed against the bodyguards! At such a close range, the explosion of the origin power knocked both parties away from the center of the impact. The bodyguards neck was nearly shot off his torso, and there was no chance that he would be surviving the wound. Qianye struggled to his feet, but noticed that Ye Mulan had run at least a hundred meters away from him before vanishing into the forest in the blink of an eye. This bodyguard had saved her life, but not only did she not work together with him to attack him, she didnt even dare to look back and check out the battle situation. She had actually run away immediately and allowed even a golden opportunity to escape her grasp. It would appear that she truly had been scared out of her wits completely. Qianye shook his head and felt a little regret for not being able to kill Ye Mulan. He picked up Twin Flowers and Eagleshot before he walked staggeringly into the thick forest. He saw two other Song Family bodyguards running over a certain direction, but for some reason, they didnt charge him and simply stood at the sides far, far away. One of them had even shifted his position imperceptibly and opened the way for him. But Qianye couldnt afford the concentration to mull over this right now. He had pushed the Combatant Formula over thirty cycles many times in a very short amount of time, and tiny cracks were appearing all over his internal organs. He himself couldnt remember how he survived the next hour. Qianyes consciousness was a little fuzzy during this period. He only remembered fighting, running away, fighting again, and running away again. The cycle felt like it would go on forever. He couldnt remember how many people were wounded or killed by his hands either. There were landowning household soldiers, and there were aristocratic bodyguards. The only regret he had at this moment was that none of the masters of the aristocratic families had shown up to face him. Song Zining himself hadnt shown up all this time. Qianye tossed his body beneath a large tree and panted heavily. Every time he breathed, he felt as if a ball of flames were rolling up and down his trachea. His body fared even worse, making him feel like he had submerged his entire body into lava. There wasnt a single place that didnt burn with pain. He no longer looked at his wounds. His power of regeneration was still there, and his wounds never bled out too much. However, he had completely exhausted every bit of Daybreak origin power inside his body, and Concealed Bloodline could no longer conceal the presence of the blood energies. However, it was still displaying its effects through another form by evaporating all of the blood energy from the blood dripping out of his wounds before it fell to the ground. Qianye smiled wryly. What was the point? It was true that the gold blood energys concealment ability was unbelievably powerful, but he was also about to die soon. What was the point then in wasting energy to hide the fact that he was a half-vampire at this stage? The gold blood energy suddenly fell silent as if it could sense Qianyes very thoughts. Then, the purple blood energy and all other blood energies inside Qianyes body fell silent too and flowed motionless inside his veins like normal blood. Without the support of blood boil, Qianye abruptly collapsed on the ground as if every bit of his strength had been sapped clean from his body. He was so tired that all he wanted to do was to fall into a deep slumber. Wheres Zining? Why hasnt he shown up yet? Isnt this the best chance he has to kill me? Oh right, he doesnt need to act himself. I am soon about to die, Qianyes consciousness had already started to turn fuzzy. White light flashed before his eyes again and again. A sudden wave of unspeakable loneliness suddenly assaulted him during his final moments. For so many years, he had spent his life alone with no other. Even if he couldnt deny that there were a few people who had approached him in the past, they were always gone in the blink of an eye. The figure who had protected him from the rain back when he was young at the junkyard never returned after he turned away and left. He remembered Marshal Lin, the person who held his hand and gave him a name. He remembered the Red Scorpion officers, Young Master Zhao of the forgotten lands, Yu Renyan and more. They were tiny glimmers in his life that werent all that brilliant, but they illuminated his futureless world all the same. And now, everything was finally coming to an end. If there is a next life waiting beyond the nether river, I should try not to be alone again... In his daze, he felt as if something were approaching near him. Then, a sharp object suddenly plunged into his thighs, followed by a pain that seemed to tear at his body. Qianye turned around and wrestled against that thing above him. His consciousness was still fuzzy, and his reactions were completely a product of his instinct. His body wouldnt stop hurting, and he wouldnt stop retaliating against his assailant too. He used his nails, his teeth, his head; he used everything that was available to him. An unknown amount of time passed, and suddenly Qianye felt that his mouth was filled with a sweet and refreshing taste. It was blood! He immediately started inhaling and swallowing the blood as greedily as a man who had just returned from the desert. Hot blood entered his stomach, injecting vigor back into his spirit immediately. Slowly his consciousness returned, and his eyes became clear once more. He then noticed that he was lying on top of an adult Horned Wolf, biting its throat and sucking blood fiercely from the wound. However, the wound beneath his teeth was dry, and all the blood in the beasts body had already been sucked dry. Qianye couldnt quite believe what had happened as he stared at the rank six Horned Wolf beneath him. He had apparently fought against this beast as he was about to die just now. When he looked down at his body and saw the various wounds left behind by the Horned Wolfs teeth and claws, he finally believed that he had taken out this fierce beast completely out of instinct. But a long time had passed. Where were his pursuers and the aristocratic family bodyguards? They shouldve caught up to him by now. Footsteps rang from inside the forest. A man dressed as an aristocratic family bodyguard walked out into the open. Qianyes pupils shrank immediately when he saw this person. Although this man was wearing an aristocratic family bodyguard uniform, he hadnt worn any makeup at all. His pale white face, green eye shadows and blood red pupils were all clear signs that he was a vampire. Moreover, this man didnt do anything to conceal his presence. Qianye could feel an extremely rich and pure power of blood emanating from his body! Only a higher vampire with an aristocratic rank could possess such pure blood energy. Qianye stared at him and asked, Why has a Blood Knight appeared during this spring hunt? The man was obviously surprised by the first sentence that came out of Qianyes mouth. However, he immediately followed up with a completely careless shrug and answered, There is always a surprise, isnt there? If the surprise from one thousand and two hundred years ago hadnt happened, the Great Qin Empire wouldnt have existed today. He approached Qianye as he spoke. He was now close enough for Qianye to see that he was dragging a corpse each with both hands. Judging from the color of their uniforms, they were likely the Kong Familys bodyguards. The Blood Knight tossed the two bodyguards at Qianyes feet, Theyre the ones youre waiting for, arent they? Unfortunately, theyve all turned into corpses now. Right now, Qianye didnt even have the strength to stand up. He cast a simple glance at the two corpses before asking, There were more than two people who were chasing after me, werent there? The Blood Knight smiled, Of course. I dont know why, but they suddenly started fighting amongst themselves. Theyre fighting amongst themselves? This surprised Qianye a little. The vampire was telling the truth though; he could hear the vague, distant sounds of gunshots if he were to pay attention and listen. The extremely rapid gunshots didnt sound like a hunt at all. It sounded like a small scale warfare had erupted. But Qianye was hardly in a position to care about other matters, much less something that was happening so far away from him. He stared at the vampire and asked, You couldnt possibly have shown up to save me, could you? The male vampires smile was incredibly sincere. He bent his body towards Qianye in a greeting salute before saying, My name is Danny Hatton. At first, the reason I came here was to assassinate a woman in this spring hunt field and fulfill a mission with a very lucrative reward. This woman is named Yin Qiqi. But guess what I saw while I was exploring this place? The Twin Flowers! He raised both arms and singsonged in an exaggerated tone, Twin Flowers, the weapon that made the venerable Marquis Ross famous and the sacred object that was passed down among his descendants generation after generation! If they are in your possession, then I can imagine even with my not-so-intelligent mind that you are the human Marquis Ross has ordered to kill, arent you? It is I. Then I am right. I am forever respectful towards a person who can bring me the noble blood of Marquis Ross. Qianye asked curiously, But youre a pure-blooded vampire. Dont tell me you can accept the Embrace a second time? Danny shook a finger and answered, No, of course not! It would appear that you dont understand the nobility of Evernight too well. Although Marquis Ross cannot give me the Embrace, he can grant me his sacred blood. The Marquis blood is strong. If I am able to endure during the adaptation period, then the Marquis blood shall overcome my original bloodline and turn me into a half descendant. Do you understand now? Qianye nodded, Thank you for your explanation. So, are you going to kill me now? Kill you? Of course not! Danny raised his eyebrows and shook his finger yet again, You are far more useful alive than dead. The reward I could get from my mission isnt too far behind Marquis Ross bloodline, you know, so of course I cannot abandon it just like that. As long as youre alive, I will be able to lure Yin Qiqi out into the open. Qianye looked thoughtful, Who on earth is trying to kill Qiqi? Danny sighed exaggeratedly, Who else? Who else but her own brothers and sisters would hate her so much? In this regard, the nobility of Evernight and the aristocratic families of the Empire are very similar to each other. Perhaps this is what civilization and progress means? Qianye slowly carved a few symbols at the root of the tree trunk with his hands behind his back. It was a code used by the Yin Family. If Yin Qiqi or Ji Yuanjia were to find these symbols, they would know what Danny Hatton had spoken to him earlier. Danny finally arrived in front of Qianye as he picked up Qianyes Eagleshot and gave it a brief look. He then tossed the weapon on the ground before bending downwards to pull Qianye. Then, he walked towards a hilltop not far away from them. He dragged Qianye across the ground all the way and made no attempts to hide their tracks whatsoever. Any hunter with even a bit of experience would be able to find the tracks he left behind. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 152: No Longer Alone 2 Chapter 152: No Longer Alone (2) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Two troops were at a standstill atop a gradual slope not far away. On one side, there was Kong Yanian, the Kong family clansmen, the Song Households clansmen, a few minor aristocratic families bodyguards and a dozen or so landowning household soldiers. Meanwhile, the other troop numbered only around four people, but they were also the more imposing out of the two troops. Surprisingly, the person standing directly opposite of Kong Yanian was Wei Potian. Right now he cut a sorry figure, clothes tattered to the point that even his underwear was showing. There were countless scratch marks on Wei Potians bronze colored skin, and considering that he wielded the secret art Thousand Mountains, the appearance of these wounds was shocking to say the least. Wei Potian was only followed by three bodyguards, and Wei Huai was the only one who was still steady and composed. The other two bodyguards looked deathly pale and not much better than Wei Potian himself. Moreover, their weak breathing indicated that they had run out of origin power. They probably didnt have much combat strength left in them either. Wei Potian was the only person in the party who still looked fierce and energetic. Right now he had traded all of his usual frivolousness and exaggerated manners for a frosty look that actually gave him a bit of powerful dignity, yelling, Have you grown a pair, Kong Yanian? How dare you block my path! The look on Kong Yanians face could only be ugly in face of such rudeness. However, he didnt wish to lose the demeanor the member of a great family should possess and worked hard to maintain an elegant manner, Brother Wei, dont you think that your words are a little inappropriate? The Huaiyang Kong clan and the Far East Wei clan share no old grudges with each other, and we have always stayed away from each others business too. So why are you asking me to move out of your way so forcefully like its natural? Maybe we can talk this over? Wei Potians face darkened, Who do you think has the time to talk things over with you? I wont mince words with you, Kong Yanian; its none of my business if you choose to lick Zhao Junhongs asshole, but its a different story altogether when you piss me off in the process! Im only telling this once, and there is no room for negotiation on this matter: Get your ass out of this area right now! Kong Yanian couldnt maintain a polite appearance no matter how sophisticated he was. His expression darkened, and he started, Brother Wei - Wei Potian suddenly let out a loud noise and shouted angrily, Who the hells your brother? Maybe your elder brother can call me that, but you are absolutely not the likes of those who can address me as brother Wei! Have some shame and get out of the way! Kong Yanians eyes twitched, and for a time he was so angry he couldnt say anything. He was used to posing as a cultured person who could win battles by strategy from a thousand miles away. Wei Potians bitch-like swearing was seriously not a style he was used to. It was at this moment a landowning household soldier stood up and advised, Sirs, dont you think it isnt worth arguing like this over a mere bodyguard in the Yin Familys hunting team? How about you shake hands and apologize to each other for my sake and Before he could finish, a strong wind suddenly blew towards his face, prompting the shocked soldier to back hastily out of the way. He had his own good reflexes to thank, or he wouldve suffered a powerful slap to the face from Wei Potians direction! Wei Potian spat on the ground and said coldly, Who the hell are you? What right do you have to order me? If I did act for your sake, are you sure you can bear the consequences? The landowning household warriors face alternated between colors of blue and red, but he didnt dare speak up any longer. Wei Potian swept his glance across every landowning household soldier present on the scene and turned around to look at his three bodyguards, Memorize these bastards and see if theres anyone else who dares affront me. Ill pay their families a visit and kick their asses later! Every landowning household soldier wore extremely ugly expressions on their faces upon hearing this. Although they were very willing to curry favor with the Kong family and Zhao household, the price of an uncertain reward was an absolute grudge against the Wei Family. This was not a profitable trade no matter how you looked at it. Plenty of landowning household soldiers made up their minds to stay out of this mess on the spot. This affair had turned into a conflict between grand households and aristocratic families, and it was no place for small fries like them to stay. Wei Potian turned to look at Kong Yanian again as he spoke word by word, Today, I, Wei Potian will take Little Ye away from this place even if I have to throw my life away! Kong Yanian, if anything happens to him, then I shall become your sworn enemy! You had better think this through properly! No matter how fragrant Zhao Junhongs ass is, he is not the young master of the Zhao household, and he never will be! Moreover, I, Wei Potian, am not an easy man to provoke and get away with! Kong Yanians anger suddenly subsided by a lot. He began to think in silence with a serious expression on his face. At this point, it was impossible not to realize that that Yin family bodyguard named Qian Xiaoye shared a relationship with Wei Potian, and the connection tying them together was absolutely not just a simple alliance between two hunting teams. Otherwise, there was no way Wei Potian wouldve displayed such relentless determination. Kong Yanian had always enjoyed trickery, and people like him often didnt have a firm standpoint in any matter unless their fundamental interests were threatened. After realizing that Wei Potian was serious, the urge to retreat had immediately assaulted Kong Yanian. However, he was currently in a difficult position where everyone was watching him, and he didnt want to give up on this rare opportunity to sell Wei Potian a favor either. However, he wasnt able to think of any good way to achieve both goals despite a moment of deep thought. It was at this moment Ye Mulan walked out from behind two Song household bodyguards and confronted Wei Potian. She had already changed into a new set of clothes and tidied her appearance. She had also regained her usual icy and arrogant look. She took a few steps forwards and said coldly to Wei Potian, Young Master Wei, arent there certain rules that the Far East Wei clan has to follow despite how mighty you are? Dont take an inch and then ask for a mile. I can tell you right now that this kid is going to die today no matter what! Or are you going to fight against the entire Song household for him? Wei Potian cast a glance at her before he burst into loud laughter. Then, he spat again and again on the ground while yelling, You think you can represent the Song household? You bitch? Ye Mulan turned indignant, I am Song Zinings fiance! How dare you bully me so? Wei Potian spat on the ground again and sneered, And thats all you are, a fiance. Song Zining must have gone blind or something to land his eyes on the likes of you! You! Ye Mulan finally couldnt hold it any longer as she called to the bodyguards behind her, Get him and restrain him for now! Well ask Song Zining to deal with the Wei family later! The two Song family bodyguards answered her summons loudly, but they never moved and stood at the same spot like they were nailed to the ground. Wei Potian was conferred the title of young master of the Wei Family by Marquis Bowang himself. In terms of rank, Wei Potian was, in fact, the highest ranking person out of all the participants of this spring hunt. Even Zhao Junhong was beneath him. Wei Potian suddenly broke into an evil grin and strode towards Ye Mulan. Ye Mulan was caught off guard and took an involuntary step backwards. She forced herself to be calm and asked, W-what do you think youre doing? Wei Potian moved closer until his face was right in front of hers. Then, he spoke in a chilly voice that only the two of them could hear, Do you really think youre something? If I choose to marry Song Ziyan, then forget a fiance, I can force the Song household to divorce you even if you did marry into the Song household! When that happens, Ill be sure to slaughter your entire family to the last! Ye Mulans face changed dramatically. She even started shivering slightly at Wei Potians threats. Although Wei Potians threat sounded a little absurd, it was absolutely not empty words. Song Ziyan was the third daughter of the Song household, and she had always been the matriarchs favorite granddaughter. If Wei Potian really were to put forth a request to marry her, the higher-ups of the Song household would definitely accept the proposal gladly. The Wei Family had always maintained a neutral stance among the four grand households, so any inclination they displayed was a huge matter to the entire Empire. If that happened, then forget the insignificant Ye Family; even ten Ye families would be sacrificed easily for the sake of the marriage. Ye Mulan absolutely refused to believe that the Wei Family would allow Wei Potian to make such an important decision so carelessly, but it didnt change the fact that the ten thousand-to-one chance that Wei Potian would marry Song Ziyan was going to totally consign her family and her to eternal damnation. For a time, the opposing side had all fallen into silence. But when Wei Potian saw that those people were neither leaving nor letting him through, he immediately felt angry. He grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and turned his fist around a couple of times. He was also looking to his left and right side. It was apparent that he was going to act in the next moment. Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps rang from the shortcut beside them, and Ji Yuanjia and a couple of Yin Family bodyguards showed up while covered in smoke and blood. Wei Potian recognized Ji Yuanjia. Startled by his appearance, he asked the man, Why have you come? Wheres your crazy girl Qiqi? Ji Yuanjia said, The Miss has gone away to support Qianye personally. I happened to run into the Kong Familys supply troop while I was returning from the borders, so I took all three of their supply bases along the way. What?! Kong Yanians expression changed dramatically as he yelled, But Ive assigned my men to guard them beforehand! How did you Ji Yuanjia said expressionlessly, You did, and theyre all dead now. Sir Kong, if you dont return soon and order a new batch of supplies, youre going to run out of ammunition and food pretty soon. If that happens, dont blame me for making you drop out of the top ten. You! Well done, I say, well done! Kong Yanian was furious, and he was at a loss for words for a time. Happened to, he said! Along the way, he said! Kong Yanian was sure that Ji Yuanjia had made a beeline for his bases. Other than the supply troop that was already there in the first place, he had even sent two of his bodyguards to his biggest supply hub. Originally, he was planning to set a trap and take out those people who might try to surprise attack his supply bases, but he never thought that Yin Qiqi and the entire Yin hunting team would turn out in full strength. Ji Yuanjia himself was a fearsome person who left not even a single person alive. How could Wei Potian not figure out the ins and outs when he saw how ugly Kong Yanians expression was? He couldnt help but burst into loud laughter and pat Ji Yuanjias shoulder while doing so, At first I thought that you were a little sissy, but as it turns out youre a real man who deserves my friendship! Well done, my friend, you are a real man! When this fight is over Ill treat you to a drink! Ji Yuanjia smiled, Thank you for your praise, Young Master Wei. Ill be sure to carry you back home once were done drinking. Wei Potian let out a strange cry and looked Ji Yuanjia up and down, You are pretty boastful just like that Qiqi! He looked at the weapons Ji Yuanjia and his men were carrying and grabbed a large weapon, This baby is looking good! While saying this, Wei Potian immediately plugged the super large caliber heavy machine gun on the ground and aimed its muzzle at Kong Yanian and his people. Kong Yanian was immediately caught off guard! Although a heavy machine gun couldnt pose a real threat to cultivators at their level, they were still going to suffer some minor injuries if they were shot at such a close range. Brother Wei Wei Potian pulled the trigger before Kong Yanian could finish! Danny Hatton tossed Qianye on the ground after he arrived at a small hill with a relatively wide field of view. Qianye struggled a little and leaned against a rock to the side, breathing heavily and erratically from this one simple movement. He might not even be able to sit steadily if he werent leaning against something. I think its best if you just kill me and leave, Danny. Yin Qiqi will not show up. Danny Hatton smiled and shook his head, From what I learned, she seems to treat you quite favorably! Youre her little lover after all! Qianye revealed a mocking smile, I can only say that your source of intel is pretty bad. Have you not investigated exactly how many little lovers the third miss of the Yin Family has? Danny was startled. It was something that he had never thought of before. He paced back on forth across the ground with a frown, hesitating. It was true that the bounty on Yin Qiqis head was lucrative, but if she didnt show up then the risk of staying in this place was too great. Champion rank experts were said to be observing this spring hunting field at every moment. Although his employer gave his word that the expert following Yin Qiqi wouldnt interfere with his assassination attempt, who could say that his claims were one hundred percent true? Danny was certain that he could escape with his life intact under a Champion rank experts pursuit, but it it wasnt one hundred percent guaranteed either. It was exactly because he could no longer hide in the dark and ambush his prey calmly that prompted him to take the risk of showing and making contact with Qianye. Qianyes words did move him a little, but the greed in his heart continued to burn as brightly as ever. Qianye shifted his body once as if he were trying to move into a more comfortable position. His movement immediately caused the wound between his stomach and his chest to tear open once more. Blood immediately flowed out of his wound, but this time the blood looked extremely vibrant. It was as if a gentle light were circulating inside it, and the blood was so red that it was almost purple. Danny abruptly turned around and stared closely at Qianye. His blood colored eyes were completely overwhelmed by madness. It was at this moment the rapid noise of an automatic heavy machine gun rang from a faraway forest. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 153: No Longer Alone 3 Chapter 153: No Longer Alone (3) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The heavy machine gun spat fire non-stop as a clip of hundreds of bullets was consumed quickly. Bullet shells were scattered everywhere! The group of bodyguards and landed gentry were in a turmoil as they scattered all over the place. In reality, heavy machine gun bullets were not a problem for these rank six or seven experts, but since their leaders, the Song Household and the Kong Family, hadnt retaliated, all they could do was dodge out of the way. There was almost no one on Young Master Weis side who could fight at all, and so Wei Potian became a huge thorn in their side that could neither be underestimated nor overestimated. If they overdid their retaliation, the observers would certainly interfere with their battle, but it wasnt like the very aggressive-looking Young Master Wei would appreciate the gesture even if they gave him the slip. No one wanted to take a thrashing for free. This might not be the exit he wanted, but it wasnt like Kong Yanian had any other choice. He immediately snorted and activated his origin barrier, blocking all of the incoming shots while backing away. In the end, he turned around and left the scene. Kong Yanian didnt forget to shoot Ji Yuanjia a fierce glare before he left. Ji Yuanjia simply smiled at him calmly while the one and a half foot shortsword in his hand sang softly with unstable origin power. The sight made Kong Yanian lament a little about the fact that Ji Yuanjia wasnt his. The latter half of the spring hunt was going to cause Kong Yanian a big headache, however. He only had three bodyguards beside him, and his supply lines were completely destroyed. Considering how far they were from their forward base, going back now to grab supplies was no different from giving up more than half of the final stage of the spring hunt. While Kong Yanian was leaving in a hurry, a fierce thought suddenly passed through his mind: If I cant get my supplies in time then Ill snatch them from the other families! The other aristocratic families have plenty of supply depots! Although Wei Potian fired an entire box of bullets and didnt even severely injure a single person, he was still infinitely pleased by Kong Yanians retreat and the scattering of that pretentious woman Ye Mulan. He tossed the heavy machine gun on the ground and pulled out a knife from Ji Yuanjias waist. Then, he pointed at the Wei and Yin Family bodyguards and declared, Watch those guys and chase them out of this region. If you find anyone whos only pretending to obey, jot down their names so I can find them once this spring hunt is over! Young Master Wei, you Ji Yuanjia couldnt help but smile wryly and press a hand to his temples at how openly Wei Potian was practicing the art of bullying. Wei Potian waved a hand impatiently, Alright, thats that! Once he was done, he strode into the deeper regions of the Profound Heaven Mountain Range with a blade in hand. From the back, Wei Potians footsteps looked solid and heavy. No one could deny that Wei Potians presence currently felt as tall as a mountain and as deep as lakewater. The special spirit of a chosen one was also growing slowly inside the man. But there was a problem: his clothes were tattered and torn. Normally this could be considered a proof of masculinity, but not when half his shining white butt was out in the open. It annihilated whatever bearing he might have had otherwise. Ji Yuanjia opened his mouth, but ultimately decided that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut. Wei Potian might bore a grudge against him if he spoke the honest truth. Both the Yin and Wei Family bodyguards exchanged wordless glances with each other, and even Wei Huai let out a soft cough before he moved his gaze away resolutely. It was obvious that no one here was an idiot. Ji Yuanjia pondered for a brief moment, Young Master Wei is not a simple man, it seems! Although it might have looked like Wei Potian was held back by the other parties and had to waste a lot of breath before he could finally extricate himself, he had in fact stopped all pursuers from going after Qianye. One might call his methods tyrannical and bullying, but no one could deny that he had made his stance absolutely clear and forced everyone to forego this joint human hunting. As long as he was present, anyone who didnt wish to make a complete enemy out of Wei Potian would have to give up on chasing Qianye. This method was far better than an all out brawl because Wei Potians cumulative strength was a little lacking compared to the enemys. Deep inside the forest, Qiqi ran forwards swiftly while her short hair danced across the air. It was at this moment Nangong Wanyun appeared from the forest before her with her men, smiling, Where are you heading, sister? However, her smile had frozen immediately because Qiqi had taken down the savage-looking gun behind her back and fired a ball of origin power the size of a basin straight at Nangong Wanyuns group without a word! Nangong Wanyun screamed and fell on the ground immediately! There was no way she could block such a huge origin bullet! In fact, that wasnt a bullet at all; it was obviously an artillery shell! The fierce explosion blew her several meters away from where she fell down. When Nangong Wanyun climbed up to her feet once more, Qiqi had already passed through the center of the explosion by force and gone away. Nangong Wanyun looked uncertainly at Qiqis back. A bodyguard asked, Are we chasing her, miss? Nangong Wanyun ground her teeth and uttered, Forget it! This woman has gone insane. Its best if we dont provoke her! Lets go! And so the Nangong Family switched directions and readied themselves to head back to their own hunting zone to hunt for more points. On the small hill, Danny Hatton let out a low growl as his fangs extended on their own accord. His gaze was completely absorbed by Qianyes seeping blood, and he couldnt look away. He then inhaled deeply as if he would absorb every particle of clear, sweet blood in the air into his lungs. Qianye didnt seem to notice anything unusual. He seemed so tired that he couldnt even raise his hand. He didnt think to stop the flow of blood either as redness poured continuously out of his wounds. Danny possessed extraordinary willpower, and he somehow preserved some shreds of his sanity even in this occasion. He spoke softly, Perhaps it is a great idea to turn you into a blood thrall! In fact, why dont I give you the Embrace? Maybe I could create an extraordinarily powerful descendant like this. Qianye broke into involuntary laughter, You want to give me the Embrace? Marquis Ross would kill you. Danny forced himself to look away from the blood seeping out of Qianyes wounds and stretched a hand towards Qianye. He said, Marquis Ross may turn you into his descendant himself. This may be your only chance to live. Qianye smiled helplessly, Its not like I can resist, can I? It seems so. Danny crouched on one knee next to Qianye and leaned forwards. He pushed away Qianyes tattered shirt collar to reveal a part of his neck. He inhaled deeply and got ready to bite Qianye. However, a small wind suddenly arose and brushed across ones skin as gently and as warmly as the touch of a lover. Leaves were raining from the sky as they danced around like the twirling skirts of dancers in a grand festival. A shiver passed Qianyes heart suddenly. This hill was filled with shrubberies and some distance away from the forest. It was also the season of spring right now, not autumn. So where had these dead leaves come from? Every bit of Dannys attention was absorbed by Qianyes body right now, so he didnt pay much attention to the anomalies happening around him at all. All he wanted to do right now was to taste the little morsel that existed only in his dreams. However, a dead leaf just happened to float past his eyes. Danny subconsciously stretched out his hand in attempt to push the annoying leaf away, but he realized after he waved his hand that the dead leaf was still flying according to its original orbit. It was actually an illusion! A jolt of shock passed through Dannys mind, and it was immediately followed by a coldness in his heart and a sense of numbness that swiftly spread across his entire body. In just a breaths moment, an unprecedented level of coldness and darkness flooded over his entire consciousness and took away his last strength. Its you, Qianye looked at the figure slowly appearing behind Danny. Dead leaves continued to fall infinitely from the sky. At this point, faint colored petals that were almost fully white in color had joined in the party as they swayed and swam along warm and gentle breezes. The man looked like he had walked out of a sea of falling flower petals. Its me, Song Zining smiled and pulled out his longsword slowly from behind the Blood Knights back. I guess this isnt a bad ending. Its better if I die by your hands than that vampires, Qianye said calmly. The atmosphere froze for a single instant. Then, Song Zining shook his head and let out an involuntary laugh. Not a pause could be found in his sword pulling movement, and the technique he used was extremely unusual. He twirled the weapon as he pulled it out of the vampires body, and one could see many tiny origin lights bubbling around the blade of the weapon, causing tiny blooms of blood to erupt. No flesh or blood were scattered during the process, and everything touched by the edge of the blade was turned into fine, gray-white powder. When the longsword was completely pulled out, the Blood Knights heart and blood vessels had already been utterly destroyed by the circular motions. Song Zining picked up Danny Hattons corpse and tossed it aside. Dead leaves and flower petals continued to fly around the duo. Some of them touched Song Zinings sharp, cold weapon and caused the blood marks and gray-white powder to disappear bit by bit. It was as if an invisible hand were wiping all traces from the sword until the origin sword looked as clean as new. Then, Song Zining tossed it casually aside as well. He raised his hands, and the dead leaves and flower petals flying above Qianye flickered erratically for a moment. They slowly dissolved into half transparent mist before descending and entering Qianyes skin. The burning pain that made Qianye feel like he were submerged in lava immediately faded by a lot. He looked up curiously at the flying petals and leaves and tried to catch a flower petal from the air. However, it passed right through his palm and continued to fall towards the ground, vanishing. However, a new petal would appear anew somewhere in the air. So this is your ability. Its very impressive. When a cultivator reached Champion rank and above, they could materialize their own origin power and blur the line between illusion and reality. But Song Zining was only at rank seven, and he was able to materialize his origin power within a radius of three meters or so. Every leaf and every petal flying before his eyes signified a meticulous change in origin power down to the smallest detail. The only thing Qianye had seen that compared to Song Zinings power was Ji Yuanjias sword technique. The lieutenant colonel also possessed a similar space sealing ability, but it was limited to the area where his blade had already passed through. Song Zining cocked his head slightly and looked down at Qianye with the same warm and gentle smile on his face, This is the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. Its just some illusions and simplistic smokescreens though, His gaze landed on the deepest wound between Qianyes chest and abdomen. The thin mist formed from the ball of origin power had almost sunk completely into Qianyes skin. Song Zining suddenly looked startled, Your wounds look a little strange. Do you mind if I check them out a little? Qianye smiled wryly and answered simply, Sure. He noticed that something was wrong too. After Song Zinings origin power had entered his body, the blood energies huddled quietly inside his heart had suddenly scuttled about restlessly. Even the gold blood energys barrier had wobbled once. However, Qianye was feeling so tired right now that he couldnt care to struggle or conceal his secret at all. If he hadnt spent his remaining blood energy powers to lay a trap to snare Danny Hatton, he wouldnt have been so exhausted that he couldnt even sit straight while leaning against a rock. Song Zining touched a bit of blood from Qianyes wound, and a couple of dead leaves gathered over and transformed into a mini origin tornado around his fingertip. His expression changed slightly, Blood power! Are you a vampire? But thats not right either I was bitten, but I wasnt given the Embrace. Somehow Im not a blood thrall either. Im not sure myself how I transformed into the way I am now, Qianye said honestly. Song Zining nodded. The kind look on his face that seemed like it would never change slowly faded as he wrinkled it into a pondering frown. A moment later, he let out a sigh as the ghost of a smile passed through his lips, Qianye, Qianye. You are just as much of a trouble magnet as you were before. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 154: Friends [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining took out a masterfully crafted crystal box. The box had four compartments, and half of the boxs contents were already empty. There was a dead leaf inside each of the remaining two compartments of the box, and the bottom of the cover was inscribed with two rows of tiny text: a leaf heralds the coming of autumn; a leaf hides the bigger picture. He took out a dead leaf and dripped a few drops of Qianyes blood on it. The moment he let go, the dead leaf actually soared to the sky instead of falling to the ground, riding the wind up into the air before it scattered into thousands of light dots that fell like the rain! Qianye felt as if the world was knocked by something in the unseen world amidst the dazzling light show. When he looked at his surroundings once more, he felt as if the entire world had become different altogether. It was as if a great terror and awe existed behind its dream-like beauty; it was as if a true corner of the world was finally unveiled. The rain of light came and went as quickly as a meteor. Its brilliance lasted for only an instant before it subsided into nothingness. Qianyes blood evaporated into dense mists that ultimately condensed into three types of blood energies: dark red, purple, and shadow with only a bit of gold in it. Song Zinings face suddenly turned pale as his aura swiftly declined from its earlier state. He now looked a lot weaker than before. He stared at the normal dark red energy, grabbed, and kneaded it in his own hand. The blood energy suddenly began struggling with all its might, doing its best to split up several tendrils to its surroundings. But it was all for naught, and it vanished into nothingness in the end. The purple blood energy also seemed to have sensed something as it vanished almost at the exact same time. Song Zining said thoughtfully, Look, that dark red blood energy is the source of the blood power. It is also the standard by which we use to determine if someone is a vampire. Normally it should have taken the shape of a clans symbol, which helps us identify the vampires roots, He flicked his fingers once, and the illusion of a dark red blood energy struggling madly appeared out of nowhere once more. This time, its split tendrils entangled and merged with each other to form the symbol of a castle beneath a moon. Qianye exhaled and felt cold sweat drenching the entirety of his back. It was only now he realized just how lucky he had been to slip past the inspection of Qiqis subordinate, the Champion rank Elder Du, with ease. Song Zining was still staring at that last golden shadow, You were not Embraced, but you still possess blood power. The reason no one has found your secret all this time is thanks to this little thing here What is this? Is it a blood energy or an ability? He extended a hand and poked at the shadow once. The gold blood energy dissipated in response and turned back into innumerable light dots that floated in the air, unfading. Qianye answered with a wry smile on his face, Its probably blood energy, I think? By now Song Zining had thought through the entire matter, and he told Qianye, Whatever it is, the important thing is that its effective. It is only a matter of time before everyone notices that youre different from the average person. The fact that Yin Qiqi could bring you along to the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt meant that the Yin Family had probably put you through a talent inspection process, but since your constitution is abnormal the normal method is ineffective. For now, we can safely deduce that you have nothing to be worried unless you are scanned by the Art of Heavens Mystery or several other secret arts possessed by the imperial family. However, youve drawn too much attention during this spring hunt. Therefore, rather than endure the probes and inquiries that are sure to come, you may as well take the initiative and show them something they can see, Song Zinings hand passed through the air. The golden light dots continued to bob up and down in the air, Take a look. This is the answer you may present them with. If we keep this in the open, there is a high chance that they will assume that it is some sort of talent ability. Qianyes eyes lit up. This might actually be a better solution than Concealed Bloodline. People were only going to pay extra attention to him if they couldnt find out his secret, so he might as well show them something they could see, So what talent ability is similar to this? Song Zining suddenly snickered, If even you have no know idea what this talent ability is, then your reactions after you were found out would be realistic, wouldnt it? Qianye was stunned. Song Zining obviously had a plan in mind already, but he wasnt planning to tell him about it. His current expression was serious, damaging the gentle and cultivated appearance of an aristocratic descendant he carried himself with, though. It did match up with Qianyes memories of his classmate while they were training at Yellow Springs. Suddenly, the dead leaves that were falling infinitely around them were disturbed. There were two or three spots of the illusion where the leaves had flown up to the air and formed tiny turbulences instead. Song Zining straightened his expression and said, Your saviors are going to show up immediately, He knelt down beside Qianye and examined the wound between his chest and abdomen closely. Then, he said, Your constitution has changed quite a lot. It is to the point where your old wound looks much faded. Remember: you mustn''t tell anyone that this is an old wound. Qianyes expression changed slightly at his words. He opened his mouth, but wasnt sure which one of the plethora of questions he had to ask first. Song Zining cast a glance at the silver necklace Qianye wore around his neck and said indifferently, Marquis Bowangs son of the Far East Wei Clan is absolutely not an idiot. Ill have to take my leave. Having said that, Song Zining got up, turned away and walked away from the scene. When he stepped out of the illusions zone, his figure suddenly blurred and disappeared. The sky of falling leaves and petals abruptly halted, vanishing into nothingness as if they never existed. Qianyes mind was thrown into chaos by Song Zinings final two lines as countless memories fought their way to surface within Qianyes consciousness. It was at this moment a loud noise of argument rang from the forest not far away. One of the female voices sounded extremely familiar to his ears. It sounded like Qiqi. Neither side had traded more than a few lines before a loud explosion suddenly erupted, followed by a huge fireball that slowly rose into the air. Dozens of trees collapsed from the explosion, and one particular figure was pushed out of the forest by the explosions shockwave. They collapsed to the ground and moved no longer. The person was an aristocratic family bodyguard who was half scorched black. It was obvious that the signs bode ill for this person, considering they hadnt moved at all after hitting the ground. The arguing voices had vanished completely as well. Qiqi walked out of the forest with a frigid look on her face. She was carrying an origin gun that was as tall as her and with a gun barrel that was so huge that the weapon might as well be renamed a hand cannon. The bodyguards corpse was blocking Qiqis way, so she sent it flying with a single kick. Qiqi saw Qianye half lying on the hill the moment she walked out of the forest. She finally gave him a smile and asked, Are you dead yet? Qianye looked at her and smiled wryly, Almost there. Qiqi sighed, No one told you to be a show off! I really wasnt planning to get number one in this spring hunt, you know. Qianye shook his head, No, I did it for myself. The Zhao household tried to kill me, and I was only retaliating in kind. The points were a side benefit. Qiqis smile immediately became frozen. She then waved her terrifying looking origin gun and pretended to be angry, You have no idea how to talk pretty! I shouldve stayed away and left you to your own devices! Hmm, I wonder if I should shoot you right now? Theres no way to cure this frustration otherwise! A series of rapid footsteps resounded again from the forest before Qianye could answer her. Someone was swiftly approaching towards them. An apprehensive look fleeted across Qiqis face, and she instantly turned around, knelt down and fired a shot right in the direction of the voice! A ball of fire escaped the gun barrel and flew straight into the forest. It immediately transformed into a fearsome explosion that knocked over all the trees that were in its way. A ghastly wail immediately rang from the center of the explosion, but even more shocking was the fact that the sight of a person covered in flames charging out despite bearing the full brunt of the shot. Earthen yellow origin light flickered repeatedly before it finally extinguished the flames around this person, but not before large patches of smoke traces and scorch marks were left on the body. He let out a furious yell the moment he saw Qiqi, What the hell are you trying to do, Yin Qiqi? Are you asking for a fight? Qiqi covered her mouth in great surprise and embarrassment. The person who showed up was actually Wei Potian. What are you here for? Qiqi calmed down. She had completely forgotten that she had sent a notice to the Weis camp. Wei Potian answered without a second thought, Im here to rescue Qianye, of course! Who knows whats going on in that air head of yours? Qiqi looked at Qianye before she turned back to look at Wei Potian once more. At this point it was impossible not to notice how abnormal Wei Potian was acting, You guys knew each other before? Wei Potian said smoothly without revealing anything on his face, Weve drank together once in the past and built a small friendship. Qiqi continued to ask curiously, Small friendship? What kind of small friendship could make you this anxious? The follow up question irritated Wei Potian, and his expression immediately darkened, What are you talking about at this time! Are you using Qianye as a target, Qiqi? What else did you do during this spring hunt except barbeques and spring outings? If you arent going to work seriously then stop holding up mine. If the Yin Family doesnt want Qianye then give him to me instead! Qiqis expression changed before she turned around to look at Qianye. For once, she actually held back and said, You! Hah Wei Potian, I wont bicker with you today, but I will remember this. Ill teach you the proper way to speak to me once this spring hunt is over. After that, Qiqi ignored Wei Potian and walked straight towards Qianye. Wei Potian scratched his head, finally realizing that the situation might be a little different from what he had initially imagined in his head. Apparently, Qiqi herself had broken through many obstacles before she made it to this place. He hadnt seen her use that big gun of hers for a very long time already. Wei Potian wasnt sure what to say, so he could only follow behind Qiqi and walk towards Qianye. Qiqi strode all the way up to Qianye and let out a snort. She said coolly, Hmph! Youre the one who caused all these troubles, but Im the one who has to receive a scolding on your behalf, huh? Get up on your feet and stop playing dead; it wont save you from whats to come! While saying this, Qiqi grabbed onto Qianyes arm and attempted to lift him to his feet. However, she had just exerted a little strength when her movements came to a sudden halt. She cast a glance at Qianyes body and felt her breathing grow a little heavier than before. Qianye smiled helplessly, Im not playing dead. Im really about to die soon. Without a word, Qiqi knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on Qianyes chest. She poured origin power fiercely into Qianyes body until his pale white face finally regained some color, and his breathing steadied. At this point Qiqis face was white, and her nose was covered in sweat. Wei Potian could do nothing but walk anxiously in circles at the side. His Thousand Mountains was completely useless when it came to treating wounds, but the Yin Familys Moonlight Flowing Cloud Art had the ability to heal others. Suddenly, he felt a blur before his eyes, and Qiqis huge origin gun fell from right above his head. Grab my gun! Qiqi said loudly. Wei Potian subconsciously grabbed the weapon before he finally reacted to the situation and rolled his eyes, Why should I listen to a woman? Qiqi lifted Qianye up on her back and shot a glare at Wei Potian. She said angrily, Another word and Ill beat you half dead ten times when we get back! Qiqi led at the front of the group while Wei Potian followed behind her with her weapon. As a result, Wei Potian looked just like a lackey, and the man was extremely dissatisfied with his current image. He mumbled, You cant break through my Thousand Mountains now! Then Ill ask Qianye to shatter your turtle shell before I hit you. Thats unfair! Arent you the man who claimed that you will shatter the sky? Are you that cowardly that you wont accept a girls challenge? Wei Potian opened his mouth and wanted very much to retort with a, are you even a girl, Qiqi? remark. But in the end, he forced himself to swallow the words. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 155: Confusion [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianyes wounds were aplenty, and he was completely covered in blood stains, soot, and soil. But although his blood had seeped into Qiqis clothes, she didnt look like she minded at all. Wei Potian plodded behind Qiqi. There were a few times he almost asked Qiqi to let him carry Qianye instead, but he ultimately decided against the impulse. His instinct told him that Qiqi wouldnt agree to make a switch even if he asked. There were some people who followed and spied on them while they were passing through mountain forests and valleys, but they never showed their faces, probably because they knew that they had lost their last chance now that the Wei and Yin Family had joined forces. These pursuers all went away one after another. Qiqi had just stepped out of a dense forest when she suddenly came to a halt and looked murderous. Wei Potian was running behind Qiqi, and he nearly ran into her because he didnt think that she would come to a sudden stop. When he looked up, he immediately glared at his opponents but withdrew the anger that fleeted across his face in an instant. He strode in front of Qiqi and Qianye with a solemn expression on his face, and summoned earthen yellow origin power around his body. Song Zining, dressed in light clothing and wide sleeves and looking carefree, was standing calmly at the open space in front of the forest. Ye Mulan and two Song household bodyguards were standing behind him. Just when both sides were about to clash with each other, a clear and melodious crack rang suddenly from the forest beside them. The gunshot was as melodious as the clashing sounds of metal and stone, and its reverberation remained for a very long time. Almost everyone present was very familiar with this unique gunshot. Qianyes expression changed slightly, and he struggled out of Qiqis hold and got off her back despite her insistence. Zhao Junhong slowly walked out of the forest while he wiped his famous Silver Winged Fantasy with a pure white handkerchief. His footsteps looked slow, but he had arrived at the median line between the two parties in two steps. Zhao Junhong happened to stand in a position where he was facing the Song household directly. He looked up at Song Zining, but said nothing to him. The atmosphere was still and a little strange. Song Zining continued to smile earnestly before he spoke suddenly, What a coincidence to meet you all here! Well, go on with your business, Ill be changing directions, He actually did turn around and walk down another direction after he said this. Ye Mulan and the two Song household bodyguards exchanged glances with each other before they quickly chased after Song Zining. Zhao Junhong stared at Song Zinings back until the man had vanished completely. Then, he turned around and cast a glance at the still wary Qiqi and Wei Potian. He said indifferently, Relax. Im just here to say a few things with him. Qianye forced himself to stand up straight and stared quietly at Zhao Junhong. Zhao Junhong holstered Silver Winged Fantasy behind his back and looked at Qianye, saying, You are the first person ever to force me into such a difficult situation, but you are too hurt right now. Ill give you some time to recover, so let us compete again properly after that! Qianye was rather surprised by his words. He immediately smiled and asked, Compete what? Do you want me to switch to a gun with a shorter range and fight you that way? Zhao Junhongs face looked a little stiff as he let out a cough, Im not good in sniping in the first place, but sure, we can compete in sniping! Hmph! The Zhao family also has a master who excels in sniping. Well be able to compete properly once Ive trained under him for half a year. Qianye was caught off guard by his honesty. He never imagined that this second young master of the Zhao household would admit his weakness so frankly to the point where it no longer felt right to mock him. And so Qianye asked, What do you wish to compete in, then? Zhao Junhong answered, A fighting tournament follows after the spring hunt, and it is no virtual combat. So? Do you dare participate in the battle? Qianye smiled, Why wouldnt I dare? It was at this moment Qiqi interrupted the conversation, Youre rank seven and Xiaoye is only rank five, Zhao Junhong. I cant believe you could even ask a question like this. How about I get a Champion to fight you then? Zhao Junhong shot Qiqi a cold look, Do I look like the person wholl take advantage of him this way? I wont go over rank five during the fight. If you dont like this then get up on stage yourself, Yin Qiqi. Ill teach you a proper lesson about the Zhao clans secret arts! At this point Qianye couldnt quite maintain his standing posture, so he half-leaned onto Qiqis shoulders and smiled weakly, Theres no need for us to fight if youre just going to lower your origin powers to rank five. I have no interest in battles where Im certain to win. Zhao Junhongs face darkened as he said in a chilly voice, Thats a bold claim to make. I really hope that youre as powerful as you claim to be! After that, he turned and left abruptly without even bidding them goodbye. Qianye shook his head, I didnt realize that the second Zhao young master was such a person. Qiqi said, Everyone in the Zhao family is Her words came to a sudden halt as if she couldnt find the right adjective to use. In the end, she gritted her teeth and uttered, At any rate, Zhao Junhong is much better than that vile Song Zining! Whatever words that Qianye had meant to say were cut off by her exclamation, and when he saw that Wei Potian was also nodding repeatedly in agreement he immediately thought better of saying anything at all. Deep inside the forest, Ye Mulan ran swiftly behind Song Zining. However, she was unreconciled with the outcome of this manhunt no matter how much she tried to get over it, and so she pulled Song Zinings sleeve and asked in a soft voice, Why did we leave earlier, Zining? Song Zining answered indifferently, Brother Junhong didnt want us there, so of course we have to show him some respect. Ye Mulan said anxiously, Zining! That Qianye now bears a grudge against the Song Family. If we dont kill him now, hell be a constant thorn in our side! She wasnt stupid. Even she could see that Zhao Junhong wasnt there to kill anyone at all. Ye Mulan was feeling a sense of panic that she herself wasnt willing to admit, and Wei Potians threat had cast a dark shadow in her mind. She didnt know why that rude and rash commoner was protected by so many people, but her instinct informed her that her troubles would only grow bigger the better he lived. A gleam flashed across Song Zinings eyes, and he replied with a voice that revealed none of his emotions, Relax. There are still a few days before the spring hunt ends. Mm, Ye Mulan did her best to answer him with the most gentle and obedient expression she could muster. All she could do right now was to hold onto Song Zining tightly. It was evening, and Qiqi finally managed to carry Qianye back to the Wei Family campsite. The bodyguard who specialized in battlefield healthcare had to use more than half the night to treat all of Qianyes wounds. Since the Wei Family bodyguards had all gathered at the Yin Familys campsite, they decided that they might as well borrow the Yin Familys tools and resources to build a temporary campsite nearby. During this period, Wei Potian circled around Qianyes camp countless times, hoping to get a word in with Qianye. But since Qiqi was unable to pry out Qianyes past no matter what she tried, she kept butting into their conversation whenever the duo made contact and gave them no opportunities to talk alone whatsoever. It pissed Wei Potian off so much that he seriously wanted to fight Qiqi again. Qianye closed his eyes in rest and ignored the two of them. As a matter of fact, he wasnt ready to reminisce with Wei Potian himself. Back in the Evernight Continent, he could never shake off the feeling that he would never be able to come in touch with his former social circle. But after running into one old friend after the other, he suddenly discovered that that was a persistent anxiety deep inside his heart. He didnt know what would happen if he were to uncover the lid on his past. The spring hunt returned to its normal track after that day. All aristocratic and household teams had made their way into the most dangerous zone of the hunting field, the black circle. They were beginning to hunt down dark race warriors, and the points on the scoreboard began to grow by leaps and bounds. But because Qianye had caused the strongest Zhao, Song, Kong and a few other families to lose more than half of their bodyguards to death or injuries, the small aristocratic families that hadnt gotten themselves involved in Qianyes manhunt actually started to rise tremendously in both points and ranks. Some were even starting to take over more prominent aristocratic families. This normal outlook didnt last long, however. It all started because of the conflict between the Song and Yin Family. Although Qianye was severely wounded, Qiqi hadnt sent him away. If the Yin familys hunting team was willing to carry a burden with them, naturally the other teams had no objections to offer. This was because the camp must be guarded when a heavily wounded personnel was present. Considering that everything inside the black circlebe it the rank six or seven beasts or the dark raceswere all deadly threats, the decision could only impact the hunting teams performance. During the evening, two days after Qianye was lying in rest inside the camp, he could finally get up and move around. He chose a sniper rifle with a six hundred meter firing range and was putting together and maintaining its components one by one when an extremely sharp noise suddenly rang out outside his tent. It was the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through air, and it sounded so fearsome that it was as if an entire army were charging into their camp. Before Qianye could even jump to his feet, the tent above his head was blown away amidst a loud bang. A powerful air current borne of an origin power explosion had blown everything away. There was a soft noise, and countless water droplets joined together to form a curtain of rain in front of Qianye. It completely isolated the flames that threatened to engulf him. Ji Yuanjias short sword clashed against a bronze colored, square edged and flat headed spear about three meters long countless times in the blink of an eye before the duo finally separated from each other. Blood was dripping off Ji Yuanjias sword hand. The spear was actually clutched in Song Zinings hand! Song Zining! What are you doing?! Qiqis voice came from afar and approached within moments. The Yin Family hunting team that had gone out a long time ago had just happened to return at this precise moment. By now Song Zining was already retreating at high speed, and he instantly made his way out of the Yin Familys camping zone and returned to Ye Mulan and the Song household bodyguards. It was only then he said innocently, As you can see, this is a camp raid. Qiqi looked absolutely furious. Camp raids were within the rules of the spring hunt, but she just couldnt swallow this attack no matter what. Song Zining continued, I didnt think that you would leave Ji Yuanjia behind, though. You sure arent afraid that itll affect your performance, Ji Yuanjia was more or less the strongest expert in the entire Yin Family hunting team, so of course his absence on the field would impact their performance. Qiqi immediately realized that the Song household had come for Qianye. If the person she had left behind had been even a tad weaker, they wouldnt have been able to block Song Zinings spear attacks at all. She shot an angry glare at Song Zining before she caught a glimpse of Ye Mulans expression. She couldnt help but feel that her smile was full of malice. You dare harm my men, Song Zining?! Song Zining smiled and said nothing. Qiqi suddenly calmed down and said in a chilly voice, Seventh cousin, great grandmother doesnt favor you only, you know. Song Zining suddenly looked to his left. Wei Potian and two bodyguards were rushing their way from behind the trees. It was obvious that the Wei Family, located just several hundred meters away from the Yin Family campsite, was alerted by the commotion as well, and so he said nothing and retreated with a smile on his face. Qianye was experiencing a massive headache right now. He knew Song Zining well enough to know that he was angering Qiqi on purpose, but he couldnt figure out the reasoning behind it. Ji Yuanjia noticed that Qianye had been standing without doing anything for a long time, and that his expression looked different from the norm. Therefore, he asked with a bit of worry, Are your wounds doing well, Qianye? Qianye shook his head and glanced at Ji Yuanjias bloodied right hand. Ji Yuanjia smiled. Its just a scratch. As expected, there was only a faint scratch on his arm after he rolled up his sleeve and showed it to Qianye. There wasnt even a need to bandage it; the wound would naturally close up after the bleeding was stopped. He explained, The technique used by the seventh Song young master is a Song households famous combat technique called the Fueled Fire Spear. Fire burns one fuel, and spreads to another, and so it is ceaseless and unending. Unless the fighter is able to suppress the user of this technique completely, they will be hit no matter what. Two Yin Family bodyguards walked in and began helping him tidy his camp and his floor of scattered items. Ji Yuanjia was just about to return to his own tent when Qiqi suddenly came over after sending Wei Potian away. She stared blankly at Qianyes busy back and asked in a soft voice, Yuanjia, was I wrong about Qianye? Ji Yuanjia was quiet. It was a while before he answered her gently, This was your decision from the moment you sent out that mission, wasnt it? Qiqis lover hadnt started with Qianye. There were a lot of people who left the stage due to all sorts of reasons or even injuries. Qianye was to be used as an obvious pawn to begin with, so right and wrong never came into the equation to begin with. Them making an enemy out of Song Zining during this spring hunt was in fact just an amusing accident. A lost, girlish look appeared on Qiqis face. Ji Yuanjia said softly, Miss, you never told Qianye why you mobilized the 60th Division to save him, did you? When Qiqi had asked for the troop deployment writ from Jia Yuanjia back then, what he told him was that she had a promise with Yu Yingnan to protect Qianye once no matter what kind of danger he was in. But after that, she never told Qianye about the promise. It was as if that reason never existed in the first place. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 156: The Curtain Drops [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qiqi looked even more lost than she was before. It was true that she had thought of Yu Yingnan when she made the decision to march toward the Dongling Mountain Area, but it was fury at being manipulated and controlled that drove her more. In the end, though, be it dead or alive, she didnt find Qianye at Earth Castle. That night, when she returned to the Yin Familys side residence and looked towards the shore from the waterside pavilions, she saw Qianye walking out of the thick mist like he had returned from another world. Therefore, she only told him the thing she wanted to tell him the most: Im very happy seeing that youre alright. But something happened yet again before Qiqi could figure out a reason. On the same night, Wei Potian charged into the Song Households camp. Even from the other side of the short mountain ridge, one could see misty blue light and star-like brilliance striking against each other and illuminating the mountainous woods underneath the moon. Both Wei Potian and Song Zinings observers had to show up before they finally managed to pull the duo apart. Qiqi sat under the sky, hugged her knees close and placed her head at the top. While staring at the origin lights flickering on and off on the other side of the mountain, she sighed softly, To think that Potians Sky Shattering Bright Fist is starting to look a little shapely in such a short time frame. I guess we all need to work harder. Wei Potian had already shown her the bright part of his fist technique ten days ago when he had sparred against her. Tonight, it would seem that he had at least achieved the ability to manifest his origin powers, judging from the sparkling starlight that was illuminating the nights sky, even if the sky shattering part of his fist technique was still missing. Qianye was currently sleeping like a pig inside the tent. It wasnt that he didnt notice the commotion outside, but he couldnt help but feel a wave of powerlessness when he heard that Wei Potian had actually mounted a raid on the Song households camp. In the end, he decided to ignore everything and get a good nights rest. When his wounds were fully healed, he would have more strength to punch or kick a certain someone! Surprisingly, a healthy, active and pleased Young Master Wei showed up at the Yin Familys camp during the next day. In fact, Ye Mulan, who had been inside Song Zinings tent at the time, was the one who had suffered a moderate amount of injury. Everyone had to admit that the secret art Thousand Mountains was truly impressive. Qiqi had only two words to describe her feelings, and that was hell yes!. Qianye had nothing to say. After the messy fight between the Song, Wei, and Yin Families, no one knew which family would become the next target. A series of conflicts, probes and attacks later, internal strife became the first of everyones priority once more. The situation ultimately evolved into a civil war. Song Zining never suffered a loss again after that one time his camp was intruded by Wei Potian. Despite the chaotic situation that embroiled every family, he was able work his way around like a fish that had returned to the water. He paid little attention to hunting and simply focused on wandering around the fringes of the hunting ground and raiding anyone who gave him the opportunity to do so. He cared nothing about the identities of the ambushed. Luck seemed to be standing on Song Zinings side, because he was always able to attack his opponents at their most careless moments, or strike at their weakest link seemingly without a thought. Even Kong Yanian was severely injured by him. Speaking of which, the year had been unlucky for Kong Yanian. He had been resting inside his tent during the sneak attack, and after the Song households hunting team had sneaked close to the tents, they chose not to attack the campsite directly like they used to and instead threw a few origin hand grenades inside! Three out of four of the hand grenades just happened to fall around Kong Yanians tent. One of them had even rolled inside. Never in his wildest dreams did Kong Yanian imagine that disaster would quite literally land on his lap one day. He immediately charged out of the other side of the tent when he saw the rolling grenade, but that also meant he bumped head first into the center of explosion of the other three grenades and suffered heavy injuries as a result. The coincidence was so that not even the observer managed to save Kong Yanian in time. Kong Yanian could only lament his bad luck when he investigated the matter in detail later on. After all, Song Zining had neither shown his face nor thrown the hand grenades himself. He had simply instructed his bodyguards to throw a few grenades; who couldve known that the security of the Kong Familys campsite was so shoddy? To borrow the words of an elderly man beside Duke Wei, the act was the equivalent of firing a hand cannon at the Empires Endless Palace and actually hitting it. It was practically inconceivable. After Qianye had recovered enough to move around, he joined the Yin Familys hunting team and continued to hunt for points. Although he couldnt fight in melee just yet, using his sniper rifle was no longer a burden to him. As it turned out, the Yin Family was currently the strongest and most well-supplied hunting team of the spring hunt, so their points simply skyrocketed past the rest of the aristocratic families and entered top five in no time at all. When Wei Potian noticed that his position in the ranking list was somewhat precarious, he immediately made a huge fuss in great panic. He immediately sought out Qiqi and begged her with excessively good manners and submissive postures to fulfill the promise of their alliance. In the end, Qiqi gave him Ji Yuanjia and two bodyguards to speed up the accumulation of his points. Ji Yuanjia and his men would first beat their prey half dead before chasing them to the young master of Wei so that he could mete out the fatal blow. This was practically undisguised cheating, but since none of the observers were willing to enforce the rules they simply closed their eyes at his rascally actions. The matter was left unsettled just like that. And so, the most important phase of the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt had finally drawn its curtains after a few sensational days. The first place of the spring hunt was ultimately dominated by the Zhao household once more. With only his Silver Winged Fantasy by his side, Zhao Junhong had gone straight into the deepest depths of the Profound Heaven Mountain alone and forcefully pushed the Zhao household to the top almost single-handedly. He had killed as many as sixteen dark race members who were rank six and above. Song Zinings side was the most lively of them all. He had attacked nearly half the aristocratic families that were present in the spring hunt, and almost all them were crippled after one sneak attack. However, the Song household only sat at fifth place despite his glamorous accomplishments. It wasnt actually a surprise because humans didnt give points; only prey did. The Song household ultimately had to bear taking only the fifth spot. No one dared to ridicule the Song household because of their ranking, however. The aristocratic families who were paid a visit during the spring hunt were entirely silent, and the ones who escaped their notice inwardly thanked their good fortunes. What Song Zining displayed through a series of bedazzling offenses was in fact his astounding military talent. Every big shot who was watching the spring hunt, including Duke Wei, were pleasantly surprised by his skills. House Wei sat at the second place of the spring hunt. The biggest reason he was able to take up the spot was because powerful contenders such as the Nangong Family and Kong Family were unable to mount a proper follow up. Qiqis assistance was also a huge factor. Ji Yuanjia had once again proved himself to be a rare talent whose ability to snatch prey or attack his enemies were all outstanding. The Yin Familys points had risen steadily and ultimately ended at third place. The Nangong Family sat at the fourth place. Nangong Wanyun had lost half her men in one go after being ambushed by Song Zining, and she was attacked by both Qiqi and Wei Potian later on. That was why she had failed to get any points at all during the final two days of the spring hunt. The Profound Heaven Spring Hunt of the Empires calendar year 2331 was destined to stand out in the history books. The number of fatalities and serious injuries that had happened during the spring hunt was unusually high this time. Even the core descendants on the protected list had suffered a moderate amount of injuries. This years spring hunt was definitely the most chaotic spring hunt to date where the rankings fluctuated massively like they were on a roller coaster. The participants were given three days of rest after the real combat on the hunting grounds had ended. For this years Profound Heaven Spring Hunt participants, this period of rest and recuperation was especially necessary. Qianye followed the Yin Familys hunting team back to the town-like spring hunt main camp and returned to the side residence assigned to the Yin Family. Nominally speaking, he was staying in the room just outside Qiqis master bedroom, but in reality a bodyguards single room in the inner courtyard had been prepared for him. Qiqi became busy with work. The spring hunt was an important social event in the Empire, and the aristocratic descendants who had fought each other in a civil war earlier seemed to have tossed the bloodiness of the hunting field to the back of their minds, and started networking with each other once more. Maybe it was because she had a tonne of serious business to deal with, but Qiqi never asked Qianye to dress in the same traditional clothing as her and meet people since then. There was a lush ancient tree about several hundred years old in the back garden that Qianye really liked. It had a gigantic canopy that covered almost one quarter of the garden. Qianye would often climb to the top of the tree and look at the sky, and once he sat down, he wouldnt move away until at least half the day had passed. There was a time Qiqi had came over to ask him what he was looking at after she was finished with her work. Qianye pointed at the sky and said, Im looking at the sky. Whats so nice about the sky? Qiqi was very puzzled. Qianye smiled, The sky on the Evernight Continent isnt like this. The sunlight there isnt as warm or persistent as here either. Qiqi looked at him strangely and asked, You arent planning to become a poet, are you? Qianye laughed loudly and said, A futureless job like that doesnt suit me at all! Qiqi placed a hand on Qianyes shoulder and advised him in a very manly manner, Beauty, your smile is very unladylike, you know? Qianye replied softly, How should I smile then? Like this? He suddenly gave her a smile that was as pure as crystal, but didnt appear feminine at all. At first glance, he actually looked younger and gave off the impression of a friendly neighbor boy. The massive change in his temperament caught Qiqi completely off guard, and while she was stunned, Qianye suddenly extended a hand, held her neck and moved his lips towards hers! Qiqi screamed, What are you doing?! She subconsciously tried to push Qianye away. But the second Qianye put strength into his arm, Qiqi immediately felt like a huge animal had knocked into her back. Her body fell involuntarily into Qianyes arms! She felt completely powerless as she watched Qianyes face approaching closer and closer. In panic, the only thing she seemed capable of doing was to close her eyes and wait quietly for that moment to arrive. But although she could feel Qianyes warm breath on her skin, the soft touch that she imagined didnt arrive. Qiqis small mouth was suddenly flicked once by Qianyes fingers. Then, she heard him laugh, You shouldnt make a joke like this if you cant take it, you know? Qiqi opened her eyes, and noticed that Qianyes beautiful face was very, very close to her own. If he leaned even a little bit forwards, the two of them would be kissing each other already. However, this damnable bastard simply maintained the short distance between them, and Qiqi could sense that there was something wrong with her posture. What is wrong, exactly? She immediately discovered the problem later: she had actually pursed her lips unconsciously! What was she doing; she couldnt possibly be looking forward to it, could she? Qiqi suddenly grew angry and pushed Qianye away strongly. She said coldly, Lets see if youre really up for the challenge then! Your sleeping place tonight is my room! Qianye smiled and replied, Make it some other time. Theres something that I need to think about tonight. Think about what? Qiqi looked a little curious. About the future, and how to beat Zhao Junhong. Qiqi fell silent for a moment before asking, Are you really planning to beat him? Why not? Qiqi looked at Qianye seriously before she said slowly, I think youve changed. Qianye exhaled deeply, Maybe a little. And whys that? Qianye smiled carelessly and said, Maybe its because I took a walk around deaths door again. It made me think about a lot of things that I didnt think through. Qiqi was silent for another moment before she finally asked, Did you think that I wouldnt show up and save you? Qianye nodded, and then shook his head. He answered honestly, I never thought about it. You mean you never thought that I would come, or you never held any hope in the first place? Suddenly, a sense of loss began to spread in Qiqis heart once more.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 157: Venus Dawn [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qiqi recalled Ji Yuanjias question. Why hadnt she told him about it? But then again, why should she? Yu Yingnan had already returned to the army without a hitch, and she was climbing towards her future step by step. Qianye was just a passing traveller to herthat was what Qiqi told herself at least. Qiqi still hadnt realized she had constantly pressured Wei Potian to tell her about the relationship between him and Qianye, but never Qianye himself. It was a subconscious act made to avoid a certain potential outcome. Qianye would leave no matter what answer he gave her. After all, a person of the lower continent had neither a past nor a futurethey lived in the present, and the present alone. When Qianye saw that she was starting to daydream, he rubbed her head and smiled, You came to me afterwards, didnt you? So why think so hard on this? Qiqi slapped Qianyes hand away and said angrily, Are you petting a puppy or something? Qiqi was startled by her own words the moment she said this. She really wanted to kick Qianye off the tree when she saw the smile he failed to hold in. Qiqi worked to calm herself and quickly returned to normal. Alright, lets talk business, shall we? Duke Weis steward wishes to see you, and hell be arriving right away. Go get yourself ready. Why does he wish to see me? Qianye frowned. The fact that Duke Weis steward had asked to meet a rank five aristocratic bodyguard like him obviously meant trouble. Duke Wei would always summon those who performed extraordinarily well after the spring hunt and give them additional rewards. Going by past experiences, most of the chosen candidates are landed gentry. Qianye understood Qiqis meaning immediately. The spring hunts purpose was to maintain the Empires militaristic style and unearth new talents. As an organizer of the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt, Duke Wei had the fairest reasons and convenience the make contact with those he fancied. Even if he couldnt recruit them all as his subordinates in the end, it wasnt a losing trade to offer some benefits in exchange for a good name. However, the members of hunting teams were all subordinates of aristocratic families, so his targets of kindness were naturally those of landowning households. The rewards are normally either equipment or medicines. Thats why they need to inspect the users bloodline talents and origin power; they need to make sure that the rewards are suitable for the rewarded, Qiqi shrugged, Thats what they say, at least. Its really just an excuse to check out their targets potential and secret technique. A cultivators origin talents, art and secret technique were all very private things. A misjudgment of the enemys secret art in combat might result in death, which was why no one was willing to be inspected from head to toe without good reason. Just the same, the chances that an aristocratic family would use a person of dubious origin lessened the closer the employed position was to the central administration. Therefore, a suitable reward was a good reason to appease the inspected cultivator. Qianye suddenly smiled, I know. Its just like the inspection Elder Du did that day, Now that he thought of it, the only thing Song Zining had talked to him about on the day they met again after a long period of separation was his physical condition. It was obvious that Song Zining was familiar with the aristocratic families methods, and he had predicted the kind of trouble Qianye would face after the hunt had ended. A bit of warmth rose in Qianyes heart when he remembered this. Qiqi suddenly felt a bit of guilty conscience as she stared at Qianyes eyes, as black and bright as obsidian. Although she was worried that Qianye would suffer some invisible damage after that bloody battle, it was part of the plan from the beginning. The medical check up was also a bloodline talent inspection. Qianye looked at Qiqi and said carelessly, Alright, Ill go change my outfit and head over right away. A moment later, Qianye followed Qiqi into the main hall and saw a wizened old man sitting on the first seat. His appearance was thin, his skin color was sallow, and there seemed to be no flesh at all between his skin and his bones. He looked as thin as a dried corpse. Elder Du, the old man who had inspected Qianyes body back at the Yin Familys side residence, was accompanying him. This is Steward Wen, Qiqi introduced. Qianye saluted him neither obsequiously nor superciliously, Steward Wen. Steward Wen nodded slightly and spoke in a high pitch, I heard that this child is born a commoner, but his etiquette looks pretty well formed. You have done well, Qiqi. Qiqi smiled, I spent quite a lot of money on those teachers, you know! Steward Wen squeezed out an extremely ugly smile and said, The Yin Family is one of the best even among the upper rank aristocratic family, and you have the huge tree that is the Song household to lean on. Why would you mind such little expenditure? Qiqi winked once at Elder Du before sitting down naturally on the right side of the hall. Then, she revealed a charming smile and said, Thats nice of you to say, steward, but I am just a little leaf taking refuge under the Song households luxuriant foliage. It is also thanks to my father and uncles toiling efforts that the Drinking Horse Yin clans reputation remains strong. I am just a junior whos chasing after my seniors footsteps and broadening my horizons. Are you feeling well, Steward Wen? I have some specialty product of the Evernight Continent right here that I can part with. Just think of it as a local, backwater prescription that isnt worth much except its novelty. Elder Du immediately passed over a palm-sized box to Steward Wen. Steward Wen lowered his eyelids and opened a tiny slit with his finger. When he looked into the box through the slit, he saw an entire densely packed row of black crystals of the highest quality. There was no way this was Evernight Continents specialty product. His eyelids jumped once, and he closed the box cover without revealing anything on his face. When he placed a big, withered hand on top of the small box, it immediately vanished without a trace. Steward Wen revealed a faint smile that was impossible to discern unless someone were paying close attention, Thank you for your gift, Miss Qiqi. My body really is getting worse year by year, and I cannot stop coughing every time it rains. Im not sure how many years I have left to serve Duke Wei. At the side, Elder Du stroked his beard and smiled, But I notice that your powers have become even more consummate than before, Brother Wen. Youre probably going to climb to greater heights in a few years time at most, arent you? I guess Im going to be left behind even further after that. Steward Wen waved his hand once and sighed, At our age, even a single step forward can be as difficult as climbing the heavens itself. I will tell you that I have shed the thought of growing stronger. Alright, Duke Weis men are waiting for my news, so let us hurry up this kids inspection! He looked at Qianye and beckoned him closer, Your surname is Qian, isnt it? Come closer. Qianye walked forward and stopped three steps before Steward Wen. Steward Wen flicked his crooked left fingers continuously and fired out wisps of invisible cold energy as if he were shooting needles all across Qianyes body. Not only did Qianyes Daybreak origin power begin billowing in resonance, even the tricolored blood energies hidden inside his heart started to grow restless, so much so that even Bloodline Concealment was starting to lose control. But Qianye was unusually calm. He had thought up a plan while he was changing his clothes, and now was the time to put it into implementation. As expected, the gold blood energy responded to his thoughts as if it were an extension of his arm and swam out of the rune it was entrenched in. Then, it swam out and circled around the heart lazily in patrol. The second the gold blood energy showed up, every other blood energy immediately stopped their restlessness in obedience. Even the purple blood energy laid quietly in its ability rune like it was facing a dangerous enemy. When Steward Wen was done firing the first round of finger force, but saw no change in Qianyes appearance at all, he couldnt help but look moved as he nodded, How rare to find a child whose origin power foundation is so firm! No wonder you could surpass the difference between rank and defeat your opponents. Steward Wens left fingers glowed with dim blue light, and this time the finger force he fired glowed a little blue as it penetrated every part of Qianyes body like thin needles. These manifested origin auras of immeasurable chilliness and sharpness appeared to have gained a physical form of their own as they easily penetrated Qianyes body and swam up and down his veins. This time Qianye couldnt control his origin power, and as a soft boom that sounded like thunder crackled beside his ears, every ounce of origin power he possessed erupted like a tsunami at once! The gold blood energy was completely unaffected despite the violent tides as it maintained a constant orbit around Qianyes heart. The only time it broke its orbit temporarily was when Steward Wens blue yin energy flowed near. It would pounce at the energy immediately and consume it in a few bites as if it were delicious food, just like how it usually devoured the normal blood energies. Right now, Qianyes eyes were shut tight as he shook all over. He glowed faintly with origin power as bits of golden dots flickered amidst what seemed like a thin mist of dark red. Steward Wens expression was serious, and he actually leaned forward subconsciously as if he were about to take off from his seat. His gaze was completely locked onto the golden dots, while Elder Du thought hard and deep until something surfaced from his memory and shocked him greatly. Steward Wen fired off another round of finger force before he suddenly withdrew his hand and let out a long sigh. Qianye let out a muffled groan as the origin light around him slowly disappeared. Two trails of blood flowed down his nostrils, however. Steward Wen looked at Qianye, pointed at a lower seat and said with unusual kindness, Sit there and rest for a while. My art does hurt a little, but most people recover in just a nights time. You have a special constitution, so youll recover in just a few hours. Qianye nodded slightly and sat down at the side. Elder Du stroked his beard in ponderment before he finally asked in a serious tone, Brother Wen, if I am not mistaken just now, that light is Steward Wen nodded, You are correct. It is one of the three greatest Daybreak powers to ever exist: the Venus Dawn! The glimmer of dawn brings light to the world. When Venus appears, all things shall bathe in light. Elder Du looked emotionally moved all of a sudden before a wave of pity took over his expression. He sighed, Youhah, what a pity! What a pity it is! Both Qiqi and Qianye looked astonished. The word greatest had explained their reactions already. None of them had expected this outcome. Qiqis eyes burned with curiosity as she stared straight at Qianye. If Steward Wen wasnt present right now, she might have unveiled her true form and gone over to tease Qianye already. Qianyes surprise was a little different. When he recalled Song Zinings expression at the time, he knew that that fellow must have known about the phenomenon of Venus Dawn. He never knew that Song Zining would be so bold as to let him fake having this top-grade talent. Qianye had been paying attention to Steward Wen all this time, and he noticed that the corner of the stewards eyes never strayed away from him even though he wasnt looking at him directly. Qianye himself couldnt help his surprise when he heard that his talent was of the greatest kind, even though he guessed that letting the gold blood energy loose would result in a similar phenomenon. Steward Wen said slowly, Not necessarily! This child may have exceeded the best age to forge his foundation, but it is still possible for him to ascend to Champion rank if he switches over to a suitable cultivation art and is supplemented with sufficient rare medicines. It was all empty talk, however. Even if the Yin Family was wealthy enough to not be lacking in such medicines, no one knew what kind of art it would take to fill up the hole that was missing the best timing to cultivate a legendary grade talent like the Venus Dawn. Steward Wen stood up. Its getting late, and weve seen all that is to be seen, so I shall be leaving. The maker of origin formations, Master Lu, is waiting for me! Qiqi and Elder Du immediately got up and sent off Steward Wen rather respectfully. Qianye hadnt stood up. In fact, he was immobile on the chair ever since he sat down. He looked like he hadnt recovered from the invasion of the origin yin energy yet. Steward Wen paid his loss of manners no mind and even patted his shoulder with unusual friendliness before he exited the door. It was only when their backs had completely vanished from the entrance that Qianyes face completely darkened and a wisp of fierce killing intent flashed past his eyes.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 158: Perverted Thief Chapter 158:Perverted Thief [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Perhaps even Steward Wen never anticipated that Qianyes physique was even more extraordinary than he had imagined. In the time Steward Wen and Elder Du used to exchange a few words, Qianye used both the melting of the Daybreak origin power and ingesting power of the gold colored blood energy to eliminate almost all the yin needle energy in the body. Thus, Qianyes abnormal heart reaction was undoubtedly revealed. The yin energy Steward Wen used to execute the talent appraisal all flowed along the bloodstream, like water mixed with hot oil in a pot, stimulating the talent origin power being tested. His origin power had attributes of yin, therefore it would cause the body to be irritated. However, the amount of yin energy compared to the origin power being detected was no more than a drop in the ocean. After a moment, it would naturally melt away. However, among the released energy directed by Steward Wen, there was a stream that didnt enter the blood vessels, but instead silently pierced into Qianyes heart! Qianye originally would not have discovered that there was this kind of disaster existing, but his heart was currently the fortress for concealing the vampire bloodline, normal blood energies and purple blood energy were hidden in there. After these strands of yin origin power rashly stormed in, almost like mistakenly roaming into a group of sharks territory, it tempted the blood energies to float up strand by strand from the deep waters to the waters surface. It was the sudden and unexpected agitation of the blood energy that let Qianye discover that his heart had gained this type of uninvited guest. He had a hard time believing that this mistake might be a coincidence. No matter what kind of identification art, they were all only aimed at bloodline and origin nodes. It was absolutely impossible to enter the heart or internal organs. Otherwise, it was unknown how many people wouldve been accidentally injured due to Steward Wens strong and murderous yin origin power. Moreover, the gold blood energy still was patrolling outside his heart yet it had not swallowed the yin energy within the blood vessels. If it wasnt intentional, that strand of yin energy definitely would not have coincidently entered into the heart. Qianyes right hand slowly tightened its grip on the chairs armrest. He thought over it for a long time and decided to risk it. He couldnt let this strand of yin energy stay in his heart at this point, who knew when it would erupt and damage his life force. As such, that strand of cold yin energy that was currently finding a place to hide in his heart suddenly felt extreme danger and began fleeing in every direction. But the blood energies that had lost its suppression was like a shark that smelled blood and rapidly surrounded it. That yin energy suddenly covered itself with a layer of purple intent, but the purple blood energy that was the first to arrive pounced, tearing it into two pieces! All the blood energies boiled, flocked together, and in the blink of an eye, shredded the cold yin energy, cleanly devouring it. Although the purple blood energy had consumed the largest section, it still seemed that it wasnt satisfied. It turned around and pounced yet again, onto an ordinary stream of blood energy. However, this time the ordinary blood energy did not wait helplessly for death. An especially thick and solid stream of ordinary blood energy charged in from the side, instantly colliding with the purple blood energy. The two blood energies entangled and actually got into a fight within Qianyes heart! Qianyes complexion was pale white. Cold sweat rolled down his face and he finally let out an uncontrollable dull groan as he fell off the chair, then produced a loud sound after heavily knocking over the sandalwood chair. The Yin Family bodyguards outside the office in the corridor heard a strange sound and came in to check. They couldnt help but be shocked before promptly rushing in to support him. At that moment, the outcome of the battle within Qianyes heart was decided. The battle advanced like how it did in the past; the thickest strand of ordinary blood energy still was not able to resist the purple blood energy and was almost strangled to death. The purple blood energy also sustained some damage, barely managing to swallow the thinnest stream of ordinary blood energy. It gave up afterwards and withdrew back to its rune. Im fine, just need to sit for a moment! Qianye said weakly. The Yin Family bodyguards supported him to sit at the side and then lifted the collapsed chair. At that moment, Qiqi finished sending off Steward Wen and came back. Ji Yuanjia, who had been hurriedly called over by the Yin Family bodyguards had also just arrived. When the two saw Qianyes pale paper-like face and weak breathing, which looked like a result of sustaining heavy injuries, they were shocked. Qiqi grabbed Qianyes hand, intending to transfer origin power, and hastily asked, Are you okay? Didnt he say there was only supposed to be a small injury? Qianye shook his head and pushed away Qiqis hand. Its all right now. He raised his head and looked at Ji Yuanjia. Ji Yuanjia understood, sent off the two bodyguards, and then walked to the door to give a couple of instructions. After making sure there would be no one approaching and eavesdropping in on the conversation in the office, he came back. Steward Wen left a trace of yin energy in my heart. Qianye immediately said. Qiqi was taken aback. Why? The importance of the heart was without a doubt. Injuries in this kind of place would either cause instant death or damage ones life force, causing them to slowly pass away. This was especially the case for the single-elimination open tournament that would start the day after tomorrow. If that stream of dark energy within Qianye broke out while he was in combat, he would perhaps die without knowing the reason why. Qiqi collected and composed herself, after asking about the details of that stream of cold yin energy, a shadow flit across her face, and said, It does sound like Steward Wens ultimate skill, Polar Yin Needle. But why would he do something like this? The complexion of the three people in the office were all bad, there were too many accidents during this Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. First it was the rank eight vampire Knight, then it was Duke Weis main steward, who knew what else could be next? As for the situation with Steward Wen, it was a lot more serious than the vampire Knight. Not just any ordinary person was able to order one about, who exactly was behind him? What was his motive? Qianye suddenly asked, Among the people I killed during the spring hunt, were there any clan members of Steward Wen, any friends or relatives? This was indeed among one of the more likely reasons. Steward Wen was an attendant who had the trust of Duke Wei. If this kind of figure could be bribed and furthermore directly plot against and dispose of the participants of the sprint hunt, it would simply be the greatest scandal of the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Therefore, a personal grudge was more likely. If it was only prompted by profits, not only would the man behind the scenes have to pull out something of great interest that would tempt Steward Wen, he would have also needed the rank and position to be able to speak with Steward Wen. Whose family would have such moves? It might also be the Zhou clan or the Song clan. Qiqi facial expression turned cold. The middle and lower class wouldnt even be within Steward Wens gaze. As for the upper class, Kong Yanian had bodyguards who died to your hand, but paying such a huge price to kill you just because of this? Only if he is insane. Every year there was a spring hunt and every year there were people who would die. Every family would lose bodyguards, but using personal connections with Steward Wen to kill a familys bodyguard just for this kind of loss... not many people would believe it even if someone said it out loud. Inside the office, Qiqi paced around and after a moment said, No, perhaps it was one of my brother or sisters that did this? This situation completely lacked common sense. At the very end, Qiqi still could not come up with a verdict and could only instruct Qianye to go back and rest well. After dinner, the entire side residence was immersed in a relaxed and eased atmosphere. The sound of music, dancing, and singing could be heard from the courtyards of the aristocratic families and the fragrance of wine mixed together with the scent of flowers, convened together in various small social banquets, and permeated through the entire place. Under the cover of the night, an indistinct figure quietly approached the Yin Family courtyard from an enclosure next to the forest path. He chose a secluded corner, and jumped in with one leap. The place he entered was precisely the inner courtyard. Tonight Qiqi had been invited to attend a banquet and since the owner wasnt here, there werent many people left behind in the quiet inner courtyard. Only a group of guards was left patrolling back and forth in the night. The shadow swiftly walked a circle around the inner courtyard, not alarming anybody. Speaking of which, there was a period of time where the shadow almost brushed past the Yin Family bodyguards night patrol and was merely a couple meters distance away. Even if the garden was shady and there wasnt much light, but for six or seven expects to go so far as to say they were not able to see clearly... they had to be turning a blind eye to this shadow. The night wind blew gently and occasionally there were dead leaves that floated down. Once those bodyguards gaze crossed the place where that man was standing, a dead leaf would float across and would coincidently block their line of sight. Just like that, those bodyguards on night patrol were clueless and directly passed by. Finally, the shadow faced towards the wall of houses where Qiqis entourage slept and walked there. The last room was exactly where Qianye lived and that man wordlessly went and stood in front of the window. At this moment, there was a group of people outside the Yin Family courtyard and the tall, young man in the middle was Wei Potian. Of course the guards at the entrance recognized him, and hastily respectfully told him that Miss Qiqi was attending the banquet hosted by the Xiangbo Familys third young master. Wei Potian waved his large hands. No problem, I am here to look for Qianye. The Yin Family bodyguard immediately pointed him towards the inner courtyard. Wei Potian nodded his head, but refused their good will to lead him there, and instructed the rest of his guards to stay in the outer court and rest. Alone, Wei Potian stepped towards the inner courtyards entrance and turned around a screen wall. The row of houses on the left was the residence of Qiqis entourage. This area was particularly quiet, as more than half of them went with Qiqi to attend the banquet. The room at the very end that revealed a pale yellow lamplight should be Qianyes living quarter. He couldnt help but quicken his pace. However, a flower suddenly bloomed in front of his face. His vision seemed to become blurry, and the scenery became indiscernible. Wei Potian made a surprised sound and rubbed his eyes, but it seemed like there was nothing abnormal. He suddenly felt like something was odd, but for a short while he couldnt say what was wrong. Perhaps it was the light being too bright or too dark to the extent that his vision was vague or unclear? Wei Potians body had always responded faster than his brain and the moment flashes flickered around his body, he subconsciously rushed to activate Thousand Mountains! Earthen yellow light burst forth and shot out and in the deep night it was especially bright. In the instant Thousand Mountains was activated, the dead leaves originally floating in front of Wei Potians eyes were immediately blown apart and smashed to pieces by a gust of wind, and then reverted back to nothingness. This suddenly enlightened Wei Potian who always looked in hindsight, Damn it! I was just saying how something didnt feel right! In this season, where did all these blasted dead leaves come from! At that moment, the scenery in front cleared up and Wei Potian immediately noticed that there was a person currently looking inside the house from outside the window of Qianyes room, and he was not a stranger to this persons figure. Song Zining?! In the past, Wei Potian had no relations with Song Zining. As descendants of the Empires upper echelons, he could only say they were only acquainted with each other. Other than this seventh son of the Song Familys reputation with regards to women being not particularly good, his behavior was cultured and refined. He had money and power, and was not at all disagreeable. Although Song Zining and Qiqis relationship was poor, but Wei Potian was not stupid. He knew that most of them had reasons to the Song Familys internal strife, so he had no prejudice towards him. Who would have imagined that in his first time Profound Heaven Spring Hunt, there was the incident with Song Zinings underlings attempting to kidnap Xiaoye, and then it was the Song Familys hunting team trying to hunt and kill Qianye in the hunting grounds. Wei Potians evaluation of the Song Familys seventh son immediately fell to its lowest. Although he managed to successfully rob a camp, injure Ye Mulan with a punch, and could be considered to have calmed down a little, seeing Song Zining unexpectedly appearing here at this moment made Young Master Wei immediately think of the expression hiding evil intentions! Thud thud thud! Wei Potian immediately took off in large strides, directly rushed over! Theres a perverted thief! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 159: Disaster of the Pas t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining was shocked. He did not expect the Yin family to have someone capable of finding him before his secret art had been broken. After he saw it was Wei Potian, he figured it out and said, Wait. However, the second half of his sentence was stopped by Wei Potians punch. Young Master Wei smiled viciously and roared, Wait your mother! Go down! Song Zining wrinkled his brows, extended his arm, and pressed toward the incoming fist while his entire body backed up evenly. His secret art was still active, so within a circumference of about one meter, it was like a different world. Leaves scattered and flowers floated in the air like a day in autumn. Young Master Weis extremely loud and destructive movements were restricted to this domain, not at all leaked to the outside. Wei Potians fist had been sealed, so when he discovered the irregularities of the surroundings, there was no way he could not realize that Song Zining did not want to alert others. He coldly smiled and said, As a perverted thief, whats the point in hiding? Song Zining had been called a perverted thief twice consecutively, so his expression deepened, Young Master Wei. Wei Potian excitedly shouted in a deep voice, punched out, and the origin powers light flashed like stars before saying, Do I know you? Once youre on the ground well talk! Song Zining finally understood. This guy often acted foolishly but had certain bouts of cleverness. Now he wanted to pretend not to recognize Song Zining and catch him as if he were a thief. At this moment, the place where the two fought had leaves falling through the air like rain, almost completely obscuring their vision. Wei Potian thought he had entered late autumn typhoon for a moment. His fives were restricted by the thick autumn torrents. His punches all felt like they were traveling through mud. Only in places covered by the Thousand Mountains light would he regain his agility. Wei Potian couldnt help but adjust his neck. Goddammit, even thieves are this strong these days! Can it be that I, Great Master Wei, will lose tonight? Song Zining couldnt suppress his anger after hearing this. He was focusing on two different things. He needed to fight Wei Potian and make sure no sound travel to the outside at the same time. He seemed to have the advantage, but it became more and more difficult. Wei Potians fist was extremely heavy. Even though it didnt seem like abilities like Thousand Mountains would be able to penetrate his secret art, receiving one strike would still cause his blood and energy to churn. After being whittled down for so long, he probably wouldnt be able to last much longer. Song Zining narrowed his eyes and coldly said, Young Master Wei, do you really want to keep stirring up trouble? Wei Potian laughed aloud, Surrender obediently! Song Zining didnt say anything. His figure was originally constantly moving amidst falling leaves. Now, his movements were no longer visible. At one moment, he would appear here and the next, he would be hidden somewhere else. In places where he stopped, there would always be a leaf that lit up. The leaves outlines flashed as if they suddenly acquired substance. Cold wind began to stir, its chill extremely piercing, as the leaves seemed to fall from invisible branches and sway as flew toward Wei Potian. These falling leaves seemed to be flying in the wind, but their speed was astonishing. They reached Thousand Mountains light barrier in the blink of an eye. Wei Potian immediately became alert and roared as he pushed Thousand Mountains as hard as he could. Within the origin powers light around his body, a faint silhouette of a mountain range actually appeared. Suddenly, what sounded like sharp metal edges scraping against metal surfaces range out. The leaves that had stuck to Thousand Mountains slid down without any energy and created scalp numbing sharp grating noises. Three or four black streaks appeared on the earthen yellow light barrier. Even though the barrier hadnt been penetrated, these marks actually didnt immediately disappear! Song Zinings silhouette flashed a few more times and even more leaves began to fly. Wei Potian was horrified and shouted out, Perverted thief! Dont! With a boom, an extremely strong wind from a fist flew through the middle of the two. Suddenly the entire area became clean and empty. The two people turned their heads at the same time. The door of the room beside them had opened without their knowledge. Qianye stood there calmly looking at them, his expression extremely strange. Sounds of people and footsteps traveled through the entrance of the inner courtyard. When Song Zining used all of his strength to fight Wei Potian, he did not have any remaining strength to control the surroundings of their battlefield. Because of this, Young Master Weis long and wretched scream resounded through other Yin familys courtyards. Wei Potian scratched his head, pointed righteously at Song Zining and said, Xiaoye, this pervert was peeping outside your room! Qianyes expression immediately darkened. His right fist moved a little, extremely close to beating him up. Ji Yuanjia was the first to arrive. When he identified the people standing there and heard what Wei Potian said, he almost wanted to cover his eyes. Did Young Master Wei not think that after saying something like that, the one who wanted to beat him up the most wouldnt be the Song seventh young master, but Qianye, who had been forced to reveal himself as Miss Qiqis female companion? Qianye suppressed his fury and turned his head toward Song Zining. Song Zinings expression at this moment became peaceful like in the past. Within the calm, there was some hostility, like the way he was back in Yellow Springs. He nodded toward Qianye without saying anything, then turned and left without a word. When he flipped over the walls, he coldly left one sentence, Young Master Wei, I look forward to seeing you in the arena. Wei Potian said with immense pride, If you want to then well meet! Whos scared of you? He then turned around and waved his hand at Ji Yuanjia and the Wei and Yin Family guards, saying, Theres no problem anymore. You guys can go play somewhere else. Im looking for Xiaoye uh, to practice combat. Theres a competition tomorrow! Young Master Weis commandment once again caused the Wei and Yin Family guards to become busy in the middle of the night. Once the outdoor arena had been prepared, Wei Potian made everyone leave and said he did not want people watching him while he practiced his secret arts. Once everyone had left, a confused Qianye looked suspiciously at Wei Potian, who was acting mysteriously. He asked, Whats going on? Wei Potian proudly said, To prevent people from listening in, especially those sneaky people who know how to hide themselves! Qianye looked at his surroundings and couldnt help but admit that the place Wei Potian selected was good. The arena was huge, the surroundings were entirely in sight, and as long as someone approached close by, they would be able to see clearly. They truly did not have to be afraid of eavesdroppers here. However, when Wei Potian said sneaky, Qianye thought of the awkward scene just now. He saw everything very clearly. Some of the Wei and Yin guards that had come afterwards had evidently heard some rumors, so when Wei Potian said pervert, they immediately gazed at Qianye. Qianyes eyes flashed and he said, Since you said you wanted to practice combat, then come, lets first fight a match! Wei Potian had always confronted all challenges so he responded with no hesitation, Okay! Right after he finished speaking, a fist rushed towards him and thunderous sounds of air ripping apart rang in his ear. It was another three strikes that broke through his defenses! A moment later, Young Master Wei groaned as he climbed up from the ground. Qianye shook his right sleeve, finally feeling much better. Wei Potian looked at Qianye who was standing there with a small smile, suddenly became excited. He ran over with large strides and gave him a bear hug, Xiaoye! I originally thought you had already died! I didnt think you would be alive, its truly fortunate! Qianye smiled and clapped his shoulder heavily, saying, I never thought wed be able to meet again either! Wei Potian suddenly suppressed his voice and said, Have you already turned into a vampire? Qianyes heart skipped a beat, I was injured by a vampire and thought I would become a blood thrall, but for some unknown reason, the blood poison never broke out. Wei Potian suddenly said, It should be due to your unique natural talent! He then followed with an explanation, I heard that Duke Weis main steward analyzed your talent. I was afraid that old man saw through you, so I came to see your situation. Qianye was a bit moved, I dont know what it is either. Either way, the blood poison seems to have disappeared by itself. Wei Potian cracked a smile and said, Thats good! Thats good! I thought you had already turned into a vampire. That day at Darkblood City, General Bai personally said your blood had the aura of blood power. Qianyes heart skipped a beat, Bai Longjia? Thats him. However, General Bai is a pretty good guy. That time, he said you had long been on the list of dead, so theres no need to pursue any further. Cold sweat immediately ran down Qianyes back. Wei Potian suddenly said with a serious expression, Qianye, I have something else I have to tell you! Qianyes heart beat violently because he seemed to have guessed something. He felt expectant but also wanted to flee. Wei Potian solemnly told him, Even if you dont have problems with the blood of darkness right now, dont return to the Red Scorpion for now. Qianyes mind rung with an explosion, and even felt his ears ring. He asked dryly, Can I ask why That year after you ran into problems, I only saw a simple obituary, so I wanted to know more information. Wei Potian slowly clenched his fist, as if reliving the incredulity he felt when he initially heard the bad news. However, the weird thing was that the battle couldnt be found in the imperial army reports. Even if it belonged to high-grade secret files, there would be a label. After a few months, even the obituaries couldnt be found anymore. Red Scorpion Corps lost a third of its Red Scorpion rank soldiers. In the Broken Winged Angels, they would be the four wing rank. With such high casualties, how can there be no information? There wasnt even a proper military funeral rite! Qianye only felt an invisible hand clutching his throat. He was forced to breathe deeply. Wei Potian said, At that time, I talked to a lot of people, but this battle seemed to have disappeared from their memories. Even people inside the Red Scorpion Corps dont bring it up. Qianye didnt know what he felt in his heart. The battle he experienced truly did have strong indications of a conspiracy. Now it seemed even darker. At least not many people in the entire Empire can make the Red Scorpion Corps swallow this without a word. Wei Potian quietly said, After I got the position of heir, I received more power. Then I heard something else He hesitated for a moment, then said, I only heard this and have no way to verify if its true. Say it. Qianye slowly calmed down. That battles first command came from Marshal Lins office. After it happened, Marshal Lin sent people to the Red Scorpion Corps and took away all materials relating to the incident. Files for the battle became zero grade secret files, Wei Potian smiled ruefully, even if I am able to become a Marshal someday, it would still won''t be easy to acquire. Thus, Xiaoye, dont go back. Qianye remained silent and ignored Wei Potian attempting to change the subject with his last sentence, Are you saying that Marshal Lin Xitang planned this? Its very likely. Before Wei Potian finished speaking, Qianye interrupted him, Thats definitely impossible! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 160: The First Match [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Marshal Xitang isnt this kind of person! He would never use that many Red Scorpions as sacrifices no matter what! Wei Potians expression was serious, his usual frivolity completely gone. He looked at Qianyes emotional but immovable expression, and only pat his shoulders without speaking. Qianyes heart was at a complete loss and had an apprehension he did not want to face. In his memories, Lin Xitang was definitely not someone who would betray his subordinates for his own benefit. If he was truly able to act so ruthlessly, he would have never been dragged into the sludge of mutiny in the Western Frontier. Qianye could not believe that man would do something like this! It was Lin Xitang who pulled him out of the garbage dump. Qianye gained not only a new life, but a goal in life. Qianye struggled and strived all so that he could one day stand in front of that man and let him know that he did not let him down. Even during the most unbearable period after being infected by the blood of darkness, Qianye held onto every thread of hope to continue living, because he did not want to easily give up the life he was given by that man. But if, if Wei Potians conjecture had even some possibility, then his struggle and perseverance would become meaningless! Wei Potian tightly held Qianyes shoulder, Xiaoye, forget this, you cant go back anymore! Qianye never thought the crude and blunt Wei Potian would say something like this, and unconsciously froze. His thoughts became slow and messy. After a moment, he asked, Im the only one who returned from that battle right? Truthfully, in the eyes of the Empire, you died long ago. That night, Qianye was completely unable to fall asleep. In the end, he got up and cultivated instead, familiarizing himself with the state of the golden blood energy inside his body. Since Steward Wen believed his bodys unique traits came from that of Daybreak, he would fully take advantage of this misconception. Early the next day, the one on one tournament took place at the arena in Duke Weis side courtyard deep in the mountain. The enormous arena had been split into ten sections, so duels could take place simultaneously. Hundreds of people took part in the competition and the majority were descendants of landowning households. The first three rounds were elimination and round robin style, all scheduled to take place in one day. In other words, every person who advances would have to defeat multiple other competitors. Descendants of aristocratic households like Qiqi would begin fighting the day after, during the fourth round. Zhao Junhong and Song Zining would enter in the fifth round and be able to choose the opponent they face. Unlike the hunting ground competition where the focus was forming teams with aristocratic households, one on one tournaments were where descendants of landowning households could truly make their name. Not mentioning other benefits, the highest reward in this tournament was a fifth grade origin firearm customized for the winner. That might have been the strongest weapon a landowning household could obtain! With the phrase customize, it was no longer limited to just the grade of the origin firearm. In the hands of people with special talents, a fifth grade gun that could properly make use of the talents power could ultimately produce power greater than average sixth grade origin firearms. Zhao Junhongs iconic Silver Winged Fantasy was likely a customized fifth grade gun. As one of the four young masters of the Zhao Familys young generation, he also only used a customized fifth grade gun. That truly showed how enticing the tournaments reward was. Other than the generous rewards the tournament offered, this was also good chance for descendants of landowning households to raise their status. Duke Wei and other special guests would observe the duels. This was an even better chance to demonstrate an individuals talent and combat ability. Without exception, participants who performed with distinction would be eagerly scouted by aristocratic households. Thus, every descendant of landowning households would attach great importance to the tournament and give it their every effort. Qianye felt a high spirited atmosphere once he reached the arena. On one side of the arena, participants formed an enormous line and were picking up their number tag. The order of duels in the first three rounds were completely decided by lottery. Two strong fighters might meet each other in the very first round. This kind of thing happened in spring hunts every year. Duke Wei never went through any effort to prevent this situation from happening. In the Empires eyes, luck was also apart of ones ability. In order to have the will to strive for the top, one must have the courage to crush every opponent one meets. Qianye took a spot in line and slowly moved forward. Then he received his number tag, number 163. An enormous screen rose up on one side of the arena. On it were all of the stages. Soon, pairs of numbers began to appear for stage, a list of duels that were about to begin. Qianye found his number on it and walked towards the twentieth stage. A bald robust man stood in front of Qianye. He had a thick beard and a pair of mysterious blue eyes. His burly frame seemed twice the size of Qianyes and his arms were thicker than Qianyes thighs. The man exposed a malicious smile and scanned over Qianye. He said, Little guy who uses guns, Ive heard of you. They say you used an Eagleshot and crippled Second Young Master Zhaos team? This is truly shocking, but this is an arena. We will use fists to decide this battle and you cant use your guns. The man stretched out his hands, causing his hands to crackle continuously. Then, he began to jog around Qianye, speaking as he moved, I have always despised snipers, very very much! Do you know why? Because I think those guys are cowards and only have enough courage to hide in the darkest corners, using bullets from a far distance to take care of their opponent. They only need the power to move their fingers. Each of them is skinny like a monkey, or looks like a girl! Yes, just like you! Qianyes eyes looked down, his legs spread slightly to shoulder width. This was the most fundamental stance in military combat. He didnt move, as he did not hear what the man said. Kid, when the duel begins in a little, Ill use one fist to crush your beautiful face! You better admit defeat quickly, or else I wont be able to hold back! Qianye still calmly stood there, like a statue. At this moment, deep horns desolately sounded above the arena in waves. This signified the beginning of the duels. Qianyes eyes opened. His aura grew stronger and stronger, surging like waves and raging tides in a moments time! The bald man had already readied himself to strike, but at this moment he was suddenly stunned with his mouth hanging wide open. His hand actually also stagnated in midair! An enormous wave of origin energy that covered the sun and the skies seemed to have appeared and was immovably collapsing toward him! The man quickly recovered his senses with his bountiful experience and realized he had actually been awed by his opponents aura! He released a strange cry and his fist sped up, smashing towards Qianye. However, the man had lost initiative and in order to break through Qianyes aura, the punch was struck too hastily. It had more than enough strength and ferocity, but it lost versatility. He saw that Qianyes stance was a combat art from the army and had already readied himself to take a hit through a hole in his defense as well as think about the next attack he will change to. However, Qianye let out a deep breath, circulated his power and actually struck out with a punch that was identical, meeting steadily with the mans fist! The mans face suddenly seemed like a kaleidoscope, innumerable expression surfacing at the same time. It was impossible to tell whether they were of fear or joy. Suddenly, his arm released sounds of snapping, twisting grotesquely. The result of meeting fists head on was actually the crippling of the burly mans arm! Qianye bounded upwards and heavily kicked the mans stomach! This kick caused the man to fly into the air, but still strangely stuck to Qianyes boot and did not actually immediately fly out of the arena. Anyone with experience immediately knew Qianyes kick was too strong and extremely quick in both its strike and return. He did not leave any room for his opponent to borrow the force to retreat and could only forcefully endure the power of the kick. Qianye moved his leg back into its original position. The man seemed to stop midair for a moment before he finally fell to the ground with a thump. His face pressed against the ground, releasing muffled sounds as more than ten teeth lied in the middle of a bloody pool. My bad, you were slow to admit defeat, so I couldnt hold back. Qianye lightly said. The man could only released huffs of pain. After the beginning of the duel, he had been crushed like twigs almost instantly, when did he have time to speak? Two guards belonging to Duke Weis private army carried the man out. Qianye looked at the arenas around him and most of the battles were still in full swing. Most of the descendants of landowning households who dared to compete in this tournament had extraordinary strength. Thus, battles with well-matched strengths were high in number. Blood began to appear in many arenas and two people even died. In comparison, the man who fell to Qianye actually had light injuries. Only, he lost in an ugly manner, so after leaving, he would probably be laughed at for a long time. Qianye walked toward the side of the arenas, wanting to find a place to rest before a flew claps suddenly rang beside him. Someone praised, You fought pretty well! He looked up and saw Zhao Junhong, unaware of how long he had been there. Qianye smiled and said, Thank you Second Young Master Zhao for the praise. Zhao Junhong continued as if he hadnt heard the sarcasm in Qianyes voice, Its only interesting like this. Otherwise, you wouldnt even be able to reach me. Ill wait for you in the final battle. If you win, then my reward for the spring hunt will be yours. Qianye smiled again, this time with some more sincerity. Then thank you Second Young Master Zhao, for your generosity. Zhao Junhong lightly said, When you have the ability to meet me, then we can continue this talk. Waves and waves of fighters walked onto the arenas, and left whether they won or lost. Some people became eternal corpses on the the arenas. Every path up the social ladder wasnt any more benevolent than the bloody fights in Blackflow City of the Evernight Continent. Finally, all duels of the first round were finished. Qianye saw his second opponent, a girl from a landowning household with rather pleasant features. She stood in front of Qianye, her beautiful eyes full of hope. They seemed to speak as they stared towards Qianye. Youre very good-looking! She suddenly said. Thanks. Qianye lightly answered. I am Xie Yumiao, go easy on me okay? No. Qianyes cold response caused her eyes to turn red immediately as if she was just thoroughly wronged. She stood there timidly and lowered her head to adjust the edges of her shirt. She looked less like a competitor and more like a girl that had been shielded and protected all of her life. The horn sounded once again. Qianyes aura expanded, turning into billowing ocean waves. He reached Xie Yumiao in just a few steps and punched toward her chest. Xie Yumiao seemed as if she had just received a great scare and actually did not dodge at all. Instead, she puffed out her massive chest, inviting Qianyes fist. Her movement almost caused her shockingly full chest to be completely pushed out of her clothes. It even caused the blood of two descendants of landowning households who were spectating the match to pump harder as their faces turned completely red. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 161: Those Days of the Pas t [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye let out a low shout. Not only did he not withdraw his attack, his fist abruptly sped up and struck Xie Yumiao at her chest like thunder! His strike was absolutely beyond the girls expectations. She never imagined that the young man with a beautiful face would attack her so mercilessly. It was too late too dodge, so she tried to raise her arms to block it, but before they even moved to position Qianyes punch had already struck her in the chest. Qianyes origin power was like a violent tide that destroyed her defenses instantly, surging into her body. Xue Yumiao immediately flew backwards until she crashed outside the ring. Then, she vomited a mouthful of blood and lay there in exhaustion, unable to climb to her feet anymore. Two soft clangs resounded as a pair of blades as thin as a cicadas wing fell out of her sleeves. One could say that Qianye had won his match with exceptional ease. Judging from the unusual shape of her weapon, Xie Yumiao probably had a secret combat technique that complemented it well. The fact that she was able to get through her first fight without any injuries also meant that she must be pretty strong. However, she was taken down before she was able to execute anything at all, so the match was practically a free win for Qianye. But although Qianye might have won his match, he was showered with plenty of strange looks as well. After all, not everyone could make the attack as ruthlessly as he did. The third round began, and this time Qianye encountered an average looking young man. He was a rank six landowning household fighter who requested to use weapons immediately after they entered the ring. He held an imperial standard military blade in his hand. Qianye nodded and pulled out an identical blade from his waist. The moment the battle began, the duo pounced forwards at the same time and intersected each other! Slight surprise rose in Qianyes mind when he looked down and saw a long wound on the outer side of his left arm. He was injured already in one simple exchange! But the edge of Qianyes blade was also dripping with blood. The young mans upper outer garment was split apart by a hole one-sixth of a meter long, and a wound was inflicted between his chest and stomach. Qianye frowned slightly. The wound on his arm wasnt very deep, but he felt almost no pain except a bit of numbness. This unusual reaction alarmed him greatly, and he immediately circulated his origin power around the wound once. Unsurprisingly, he discovered that some minuscule foreign origin power had clung to the wound and reduced its ability to self-regenerate. It was extremely difficult to remove from his body. It was a special origin power similar to Ye Mulans Deep Frost and Steward Wens Polar Yin Needle! He was a powerful enemy! The duo charged forwards at the same time again and clashed a second time. This time both combatants fought in close quarters where deadly fists were intermingled with sharp blades. The fight lasted for an intense moment before they abruptly split away and stared closely at each other. They both knew that they had met a powerful enemy. Qianye suffered a few extra wounds on his body even though he had done his best to minimize the surface area of his wounds using all sorts of techniques. It didnt matter too much, because the young mans special origin power had prevented all of his wounds from recovering naturally. The young man wasnt faring much better, however: he suffered only one less wound compared to Qianye. One round of exchange was enough for Qianye to realize that this landowning household young man had incredibly adaptive combat experience. His fighting style was very much like the one Qianye was taught at the Yellow Springs and Red Scorpions in that it was simple, effective, and completely lacking in unnecessary movements. When the classic murder art was paired with an origin power that affected ones ability to heal, they created an extremely dangerous opponent! The duo walked circles around each other for a few times before they clashed against each other once more! This time both combatants dueled with speed and dished out several slashes at each other the second they met. The fight that ensued later was a competition of combat techniques. Sometimes the ring would resound incessantly with the sound of clashing blades, but sometimes not a ring was heard even after tens of exchanges had passed. The landowning household young man possessed incredible combat instincts, and he knew some little tricks that only a veteran of the battlefield would know. He saw through every one of Qianyes attempts to bait him into a trap, but the young man failed to do the exact same thing to Qianye as well. When the next round began, both combatants came to the undiscussed but unanimous decision to trade wounds with each other. Their movements became even more simple and vicious than before. Every time they attacked, they would inflict wounds on each others body. This was a battle of attrition to see who would last until the end. A few rounds later, the landowning household young man discovered in shock that Qianye was losing blood at an extremely slow rate even though he had inflicted many wounds on Qianyes body. In comparison, blood would gush out of his own wounds every time he used too much origin power. This shouldnt have happened! The reason the landowning household young man was unafraid to fight a battle of attrition was because he knew that his origin power would negatively affect his opponents recovery. However, Qianyes constitution was apparently special in a way that rendered his origin power almost completely useless. When the distance was widened, it became nearly impossible to fill up the gap between the two of them. Another round later, the landowning household young man finally wobbled and collapsed to the ground, passing out completely. Qianye himself was breathing quite rapidly and incessantly. Every wound on his body was currently numb and painful because the landowning household young mans origin power was still wreaking havoc in them. Although Qianye had caught onto every possible opportunity to dispel some of the origin power during combat, no such room existed during the latter half of the match. Therefore, he had no choice but endure them forcefully. He even made sure to suppress his blood energies and kept them from swimming out of his heart and devouring this origin power for fear that one of the onlookers might notice something amiss. Thankfully, he ultimately managed to hold out to the end of the battle. Qianye slowly walked to the edge of the ring after breathing out slowly. When a hand was stretched over to help him, the face that entered his eyes was Song Zinings sunny smile. Zhao Junhong was also standing two steps away from them and looking at him. Song Zinings hand stopped in midair halfway. There were so many wounds on Qianyes body that he was a little unsure where to start. He carefully avoided the longest wound on the outer side of Qianyes arm and held his elbow, saying, Thank goodness this is your final match today, His eyes focused, and he noticed the foreign origin powers wreaking havoc in Qianyes wounds. He shook his head, waved his hands above the wound, and crushed the persistent origin power to bits. Qianye immediately felt a lot better and gave him a wry smile, There arent many people out there whore as good as he is. Im just unlucky to be the one to run into him. Song Zining smiled faintly, Hes the one whos unlucky to run into you! He couldve entered to the sixth round at minimum if he hadnt run into you, Aristocratic descendants joined the fray starting the fourth round, and most of them possessed rank six or seven origin power. However, that landowning household young man had special origin power and great combat technique. He should have been able to get through two rounds before his fighting style became familiar to all other contestants. Qianye nodded and expressed his agreement. As expected, sleeping tigers and hidden dragons did exist in this spring hunt. He didnt imagine that a young man who had been completely unremarkable during the early stage of the spring hunt would possess such amazing combat strength. With his level of talent and strength, the young man could have qualified as a member of the Empires top ten elite corps. He wondered why he was still a free agent today. Suddenly, a cry came from Qianyes side. He saw Qiqi passing through the crowd hurriedly while followed by a Yin Family bodyguard who was skilled in battlefield treatment. Qiqi looked incredibly surprised when she saw Song Zining supporting Qianye with his hand. She wasnt surprised that Song Zining would show here since she had heard of his unfitting wall climbing act after returning from the feast. In fact, she even saw the gift box Song Zining had sent someone to deliver as an apology to Qianye. It was just that she told her men to throw it back to Song Zinings lap. But by the time she was done it was already the latter half of the night, and although Qiqi didnt need to participate in any battles today, Qianye had three consecutive rounds to fight through. That was why this young miss had broken her habit and actually restrained herself for once from charging into his room and shooting questions at him. She never thought that she would witness todays sight. Knowing that Qianye was the kind of person who wouldnt mince words even before Zhao Junhong, she knew that there was no way Song Zinings status would have any effect on him. That was why she found the sight of Song Zining supporting him, and Qianye not resisting at all so strange. Was he so hurt that he couldnt move again? Qiqi rushed towards Qianye, grabbed him and examined him closely. Thankfully, his injuries werent as bad as she imagined, although the sheer number and appearance of these wounds were pretty scary. Qiqi snorted, Who told you to be a show-off? Did you forget that you still have a match to fight tomorrow? Behind her, the Yin Family bodyguard had already laid down his backpack before rushing forwards to treat his injuries. Song Zining didnt look disturbed even though he was forced out of the way by Qiqi. He simply stood by in observation while speaking mildly, Its okay, most of his wounds are superficial. I have some body-restoration liquid at my place that will heal Xiaoye fully once he soaks in it for an hour. Qiqi cast Song Zining a suspicious glance before she turned back to Qianye, I have no idea what youre thinking, so just pass me the liquid and let me do the work! When Qianye saw Qiqis expression, he finally realized what he overlooked earlier. On the surface, his relationship with the Song Household should be pretty bad, especially since he had made a sworn enemy out of Ye Mulan. But Qianye was never good at disguising himself, so the only thing he could do after discovering this mistake was to look straight at the ground and feign complete ignorance. Song Zining smiled, Do you have a container at your side? The question caught Qiqi off guard. It was only now she recalled that the body restoration liquid needed a special container to be held in, or it would lose its medicinal substances inside really quickly and become useless before the treatment could end. This equipment was pretty complicated to install though, so the Song Household must have prepared it when they reached their side residence. There werent many families who would carry such an item that took up so much space and was usable for only a couple of times outdoors, but the Song Household paid no mind to the cost of transportation and human maintenance because they were wealthy. The aristocratic descendants had the right to borrow an equipment like this from Duke Wei if it was necessary, but naturally, that list of special privileges didnt include Qianye. Qiqi looked at Qianye again before she stared at Song Zining. She asked doubtfully, You didnt really think it was real, did you? Song Zining smiled and said nothing. He already noticed that Qianyes face was turning black even though he had his head lowered, and this wasnt the right time to tease Qiqi even if he felt like it. All things were bad when done in excess, and straying too far away from his true nature meant a higher chance of making mistakes. Qiqi might be absolutely terrible when it came to dealing with relationships, but she was pretty shrewd in everything else. She wouldnt have arrived at this point of the Yin Familys successor examination if it were otherwise. The bugle horn rang, signaling the end of the third round. Most people were injured as the remaining sixty four combatants entered into the next round. The winner of this fourth round would get two hundred imperial gold coins as reward, and this prize money would only increase for every round they won. This prize money was of great help to many landowning household descendants. The Song Households side residence was even bigger than the Yin Familys courtyard. The main building of the inner courtyard was a small two-story building, and there was a small crescent-shaped lake behind the building. An appeal of complexity and visibility was created despite the small space. Although Qianye had arrived at the Song Households side residence, he didnt actually bath in that body restoration liquid. His recovery ability was so strong that it wasnt inferior to bathing inside the body restoration liquid at this level of injury. Once he dealt with the foreign origin power inside his wounds and bandaged them using high-quality medicines, he was starting to recover at a tremendous rate. He was actually more worried someone might notice his abnormal recovery speed, so the body restoration liquid was an excellent excuse for it. Qianye was currently seated on the second floor balcony facing the lake as he watched Song Zining brewing tea with practiced motions. This was the first time he saw a complicated but leisurely recreational activity of the noble kind. None of Qiqis hobbies except calligraphy writing appeared to be of the traditional noble kind. When Song Zining was done dividing the teacups, he lifted one in his hand and said, This tea shall be our wine tonight! Qianye suddenly broke into a smile. He was recalling the one and only time he had a drinking competition with his fellow mates of the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Song Zining absolutely refused to drink wine with him since. It would appear that he still wasnt willing to drink wine with him after they reunited after so many years. Song Zining obviously recalled something to as he let out a sigh, Did you lose to Qiqi in a drinking competition, Qianye? I cant believe I finally got to see you in a skirt! Qianye was immediately indignant as he retorted, I did not! And its still better than some guy who got himself stripped naked! Both men looked distracted for a second before they matched eyes with each other. Then, they laughed out loud at the same time, flushing clean the strangeness and distance that came between them due to years of separation as if they never existed in the first place. No youth shared the same memories even if they shared the same past, and their deepest memories would often differ in interesting ways. It was a memory that belonged to them alone; a time that would never repeat again. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 162: Bringing Up Old Stories Chapter162: Bringing Up Old Stories [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The mountain breeze of spring was growing warmer as it brushed softly across the water while carrying a faint scent of flowers. Qianye twirled the eggshell porcelain cup in his hand as he bathed in the afternoon sunlight. This delicate little thing was pretty, exquisite, and as bright as glass just like the decor and sceneries around him. They were beautiful, but they were completely at odds with his kind of world. Song Zining poured a new cup of tea for Qianye and asked, I heard that Duke Weis steward had personally sought you out last night to inspect your talents. Did everything go smoothly? Qianye nodded, Steward Wen said that its Venus Dawn, He paused for a moment before giving Song Zining a look that showed that he wasnt sure whether to laugh or cry, Is this the idea you came up with that time? Venus Dawn is one of the top three greatest Daybreak origin talents, you know! His friend sitting on the opposite side shedded his usual mask of kindness for one that was slightly more mischievous and unrestrained. He said nonchalantly, You singlehandedly snatched a huge amount of points from Zhao Junhong with just one Eagleshot, and even broke free from that deadly encirclement. It would be strange if you didnt possess a top-class talent. Qianye frowned, But Steward Wen couldnt have wanted to kill me because of this talent, can he? Song Zining abruptly sat up straight and asked seriously, What do you mean? Qianye explained the ins and outs of the assassination attempt and told him several possibilities that both he and Qiqi had discussed and came up with. Song Zining went through several particulars again and again until he was sure that Steward Wen hadnt seen the old wound in front of Qianyes chest. After that, he fell into deep thought. It was at this moment Qianye recalled a detail he hadnt told Qiqi and asked in puzzlement, The hidden force Steward Wen left behind seemed to contain a trace of Darkness origin power. But I must have been mistaken, right? How could a close attendant of Duke Weis possibly be affiliated with the dark races? No Champions path is like the others. A Champions bloodline and origin power would often become extremely complicated due to all kinds of secret arts and strokes of luck. Therefore, it is one thing for ones origin power to possess darkness elements, and another to fall into darkness. A cog turned inside Qianyes head. Did this mean that he could search for a way to use his blood powers once he reached Champion rank? By now Song Zining was done thinking as he said slowly, Steward Wen is an eccentric person. Personally, I dont think he tried to kill you out of personal grudge. Even a king can be moved by certain benefits, so I think that theres a higher likelihood that the danger came from Qiqis side. Are Qiqis brothers and sisters really that capable? Song Zining suddenly smiled, Perhaps they really chose the Song Household route. Qianye was caught by surprise, but Song Zining didnt look like he was joking. Qiqi''s mothers family may be just a collateral line of the Song Household, their overall strength is among the better. But because none of their descendants were selected as successor candidates of the Song Household, they chose to form an alliance with my second brother, Song Zining smiled, If Qiqi really did become the Yin Familys matriarch, it would break more than just the family balance. Therefore, her enemies arent just the Yin Family successor candidates alone; there are people inside the Song Household who didnt wish to see her crowned as the matriarch as well. Qianye immediately understood a little about what was going on after he mulled over Song Zinings explanation. He immediately recalled something and asked, I heard that your relationship with Qiqi isnt too good. Is it because of a similar reason? Song Zining blinked at Qianye once before saying something that surprised him greatly, Not too good? Were practically enemies now that the spring hunt is over! Qianye was immediately astonished, Ah? Song Zining smiled softly, Didnt you notice that Ye Mulan isnt around? Shes gone back to the Song Family two days ago to receive her punishment. To Qianyes great surprise, his good friend seemed to be taking joy in Ye Mulans misfortune. From his perspective, Song Zining was extremely indulgent of Ye Mulan to the point of spoiling her. That was why he was feeling a headache over the past few days on how to resolve the near deadlock that was his relationship with Ye Mulan after he and Song Zining had became acquainted again. Your Miss Qiqi wrote a letter of complaint about me right after the spring hunt had ended, Song Zining knew that Qianye wasnt very familiar with the complicated relations between aristocratic families, and so he explained, My paternal great-grandmother is her maternal great-grandmother, and Qiqis status is quite special. Therefore, my grandmother cannot discriminate too much no matter how much she loves me, especially considering that her mothers family and her ally may say something in support of Qiqi. Song Zining said cheerfully, Moreover, I have only obtained fifth place during this spring hunt and lost half of our high-rank bodyguards. Ye Mulan is the commander of the hunting team, so naturally, she was summoned for punishment because she acted on her own initiative, He smiled, I can imagine that Ill also be admonished by the elders once I get back. As for whether Ill be officially penalized by the family, that depends on the amount of effort Qiqi puts into complaining about me to the Song Household. Qianye wasnt sure how to react hearing what sounded like quite the serious matter being explained in such an easygoing fashion by Zining. He smiled wryly, I may not know whats going on in your family, but a demerit would probably affect your successors exam, right? If that really was the case, then Song Zining wasnt kidding when he said that he and Qiqi were now enemies. Just look at what was going on in the Yin Family while the Yin Familys successor exam was happening; it was practically an irreconcilable war. But against his expectations, Song Zining laughed, Its not really as serious as you think. How could someone like me swimming at the middle position possibly have the hope of becoming the patriarch? At worst, the demerit will cost me a rank or two. Qianye frowned, But why did you indulge Ye Mulan? Wouldnt her actions affect your reputation? Song Zining propped his hand with one arm while brushing the teacup with the words every cloud has a silver lining and answered carelessly, It turned out well, didnt it? Look, this is a case where even I may suffer a demerit as a result, so you can just imagine how much worse that Ye Mulans punishment will be; grandmas displeasure not nevertheless. No matter how much the Song Household may value face and reputation, theres no way they could accept this engagement if someone like Qiqi were to step up to voice her complaint another one or two times, right? Qianye was both astonished and speechless as he stared at his smiling good friend. He didnt know that Song Zining was also looking to cancel his engagement. The seventh Song young masters style was completely different from Qiqis. Qiqi tried her damnedest to ruin her own reputation, but Gu Liyu was obvious a persevering man. Even Qianye could see that there was no chance Qiqi could force Gu Liyu to cancel the engagement on his own. On the other hand, Song Zining indulged Ye Mulan and allowed her to do whatever she wanted, so much so that she slowly forgot herself and eventually got into trouble. He was only the innocent victim whose reputation was spoiled only because of his fiance. If this situation were to happen a few more times, then no one could convince the Song Household elders to accept the engagement against their will to protect the familys reputation. Song Zining smiled, Ive gotten into a tiny squabble with Qiqi only because I cant be bothered to get involved in the successors conflict of two families. Even if you were to serve the Yin Family from now on, you and I wont be clashing directly, so you dont need to worry about it too much. Qianye shook his head and said, I was hired by Qiqi through the Hunters Association, and thats all there is to it. This spring hunt is my final mission. Song Zining pondered for a moment before answering, That will be the best decision. The Yin Family forger who did your resume is a real pro, so it is enough to fool everyone for now. But if you stayed by Qiqis side at an important position, then they will investigate your background thoroughly until the truth spills out. Song Zining paused for a second as an obvious look of hesitation passed through his features. A while later, he looked up to stare at Qianye, Do you know the story behind the wound on your chest? Qianyes expression changed slightly. The huge scar that stretched from beneath his heart to his belly button was a nightmare that lasted for nearly the entirety of his life in the Yellow Springs. Even if he got used to the torture-like pain eventually, it still impeded his cultivation speed persistently. Even now, Qianye had no idea who had left behind such a terrible wound on his body, and why. Song Zining sighed once and asked softly, Did Marshal Lin tell you about this? A wave of fluster suddenly came over Qianye, and he took in a deep breath before answering, I havent seen Marshal Lin after I graduated, He then added, Marshal Lin had gone to the Western Frontier to quell a rebellion at the time. It sounds like that the battlefield situation over there had not improved despite all this time. After listening to his answer quietly, Song Zining asked again, Did Marshal Lin send someone to inform you about it? Qianye was silent. Song Zining said, That is the mark of origin power theft. This means that you were born with a talent thats first class and above, and perhaps there might even be a fully formed origin crystal where your wound was since you were born. Most people have to remove the blocks over their nine origin nodes, concentrate their power into a vortex and reach Champion rank before they could create a crystal. Origin power theft is a taboo in the Empire, and most people wouldnt even speak of these words. All those who had the ability to do such things are very important people who stand at the summit. Qianye listened quietly to Song Zinings explanations. Although Song Zining had spoken very slowly and with clear pronunciation, it took him a very long time before he finally understood the meaning behind his words. Qianye looked up and stared into the depths of Song Zinings eyes, asking, Who are they? Song Zining leaned across the table and held Qianyes shoulder. Then, he answered softly, The imperial family, the four households, and the few apex experts of the Empire. What followed after his after was dead silence. Qianye sat completely still until a soft pop could be heard. The cup in his hand shattered as thin, sharp fragments bit into his palm. Blood dripped fiercely from his flesh. Song Zining stared at him before he suddenly said, The young master of Marquis Bowang told everyone that you are a former childhood companion of his. Unlike most, the Wei Family raise their younger generation by sending them away on a ten year long away journey to hone themselves. Therefore, it is a passable explanation. I know that its a lie, however. If we are to look at the time, you and Wei Qiyang had probably entered the army during the same year. However, he is a member of the Broken Winged Angel, and it is known that the Red Scorpion and the Broken Winged Angels are rivals within the army. Qianye gave him a wry smile. He finally learned where the great young master had picked up that street ruffian habits of his. He briefly explained how he came to meet Wei Potian. A hint of understanding passed through Song Zinings eyes, Then he mustve told you about that battle you fought in the Red Scorpions too. Qianye sucked in a deep breath before saying with difficulty, Is it connected to Marshal Lin? Song Zining nodded, All clues start and end at Marshal Lin. Even the files of all the soldiers who were killed in action were sealed by the Marshal Office. If I hadnt accidentally seen your name in the obituary and thought of investigating it, I wouldnt even know that you were once a member of the Red Scorpion a few months later. Enough, Qianye interrupted Song Zinings words, I will not believe in any assumptions easily without sure proof. Song Zinings hand on Qianyes grew heavier for a second. He said calmly, If you wish to ask about this before Marshal Lin one day, then you must live, Qianye. The sunrise and sunset of the Qin Continent continued along its eternal orbit as usual. The only difference was that the mountain breeze was warmer as if signaling the beginning of early summer. The one on one tournament started the next day at the proving ground on time. Qianyes fourth-round opponent was the son of a small aristocratic family. This guy left a bit of impression in Qianyes mind; he seemed to be the tenth place fighter of the spring hunt.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 163: Art of Murder [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] When that aristocratic descendant saw Qianye, he said with a cold, arrogant and disdainful tone, My name is Liu Yuqing. Remember this well, for I am the master who will restore the Liu Family and the man who will defeat you. Qianye shrugged, feeling that he could save the banter on this particular occasion. Qianye vaguely remembered that this persons family was the direct line of descent of the Fantang Liu Clan. Considering his familys strength, it was admirable that he managed to enter among the top ten of the spring hunt. Perhaps it was this success that had bolstered Liu Yuqings confidence. Liu Yuqing took a horse stance and assumed the starting gesture of a secret combat technique. His body immediately glowed with origin power as a faint pillar of light stretching several meters long appeared above his head. This secret combat technique was called the One Line Heaven, and it was a little famous among the aristocratic families. It wasnt hard to understand where Liu Yuqings arrogance came from considering that he was able to cultivate the technique to this level at such a young age. But Qianye shook his head on the inside when he saw his rigorous and meticulous starting gesture. It would seem that Liu Yuqing was the kind of cultivator who possessed good talent and worked hard in cultivation and training within the family but had no battlefield experience at all. His combat experience basically amounted to everything he experienced in virtual combat, and at best some real-life sparring. There were plenty of aristocratic families who raised their younger descendants this way. Although the Empire had never stopped warring since its foundation one thousand and two hundred years ago, those living within the borders and especially the big provinces had enjoyed peace for a very long time. The sayings of fueling war with warfare and the tempering of ones will through blood and fire were just an ideology. In reality, plenty of people who possessed the talent but not the luck would perish in the cruel environment that was the battlefield before they ever amounted to anything. It was why many aristocratic families didnt advocate this method of cultivation and self-improvement. Rank five was normally the dividing line for all those who were beneath Champion rank. The average younger descendant would be sent into the army as junior officers only after they had cultivated to rank five and possessed the basic ability to protect themselves. At rank five, they wouldnt be sacrificed casually as cannon fodders, and they would be able to accumulate experience bit by bit through the many battles a regular army would face. The people who trod on this path could grow stronger and ascend to a higher position just the same, and most importantly they would learn how to command an army in the process. Although their martial power would progress slower than those who had started off with the Combatant Formula at first, the strengths of their secret combat techniques would become more and more obvious down the line. The tides of Daybreak energy started to rise and fall inside Qianyes body as he assumed a careless stance. He had long since decided to end the first battle as soon as he could because he had to preserve his strength for the latter battles to come. There would be another three consecutive matches today, and the aristocratic descendants would be participating in the fight starting today. His low rank was a weak point of his, and it would only get worse the further he lasted in this one on one tournament. To Liu Yuqing however, Qianyes casual standing posture was a bright contrast to his own serious stance. His face took on an ugly expression, and he glared firmly at Qianye while obviously thinking that his pride as a warrior had been insulted by Qianye. When the bugle horn resounded, Liu Yuqing shot towards Qianye like a straight arrow. The light pillar above his head split into half and stretched from his arms all the way to his fists. He plunged two sharp and ferocious origin auras that looked like two sharp blades right towards Qianyes chest. Qianye stood where he was and didnt move a muscle, but he showed no intentions to defend himself against the attack either. Suddenly, he leaned backwards and extended his right hand with lightning speed. Two tiny beams of origin power appeared from his index and middle finger and went straight for Liu Yuqings eyes! It was an attempt to trade wounds right from the beginning! In this case, Qianye would suffer some internal injuries around his chest and stomach area, but Liu Yuqings eyes would suffer terrible damage in exchange! Qianye wouldnt die from damage to his internal organs no matter how severe they might be, but Yuqing would either suffer from sequelae or lose his eyesight permanently if he was struck in the eyes! Shocked, Liu Yuqing had no choice but to withdraw his fists and protect himself. Qianye smiled, rushed forward, and unleashed a tide of earth-shattering attacks that seemed to come from every direction at once! Every punch and kick he threw were incredibly forceful, and they were always aimed at his opponents vital spots. It was a vicious, all-out offense that spared no energy. Liu Yuqing managed to seize some openings and attack Qianyes vitals a few times, but Qianye simply continued his full offense without any regard for his own safety at all! One could call this a trade of wounds, or they could call it a death match as well. Liu Yuqing had never met such a person in his life, so he was quickly overwhelmed by the attacks to the point where he could only defend himself. At the grandstand, an old man suddenly snorted and spoke up in displeasure, The way that No.163 fights is just shameless! How could he use an out of trend fighting style like that in the spring hunt ceremony? Yuqing is taken advantage of only because he cares too much about proprietary! Although the old man was qualified to sit at the grandstand, his seat was near to the edge and quite far away from the main seat that was Duke Weis. He was the current patriarch of the Fantang Liu Clan, and his seat was a direct reflection of the clans status among other aristocratic families. With the Liu Familys strength and status, it was impossible for them to participate in the Imperial Garden Spring Hunt. That was why the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt was their best chance to show off their abilities. Seated not far away from the old man, a noble lady with a plump, smooth face dressed in a graceful and luxurious attire smiled faintly, I dont think so. The technique No.163 is using right now is one that truly decides the tides of a battlefield. In a war where a single exchange may decide life or death, who would take their precious time to trade blows with you slowly? Yuqing is a good kid, but his real combat experience is a little lacking. He already exposed his own weakness after encountering an opponent who is only slightly better than him. What the point of training perfectly on his lonesome, if this is all it amounted to? The Liu Family patriarchs face darkened as he let out a snort, Yuqing is a talented boy with a great future, so of course, we must nurture him with the utmost care. We are not so desperate, as the landed gentry or the poor and humble are, that we would send him to dangerous grounds just to stake his life over an illusory chance of success! The noble lady smiled softly, That makes sense. Yuqing definitely can grow into his full potential slowly. I fear that Miss Xiner cannot wait that long, however. I heard that she is going to choose her husband from this terms talented youths. The Liu Family patriarchs face darkened even further, and he fell completely silent after letting out one final snort. Xiner was Duke Weis second granddaughter, and she was rather loved by all her seniors. The news that Duke Wei was going to choose a husband for her during this terms spring hunt had spread since a long while ago, and there were many aristocratic family descendants and young landowning household descendants of higher stature who were looking forward to this opportunity very much. But even if this noble daughter turned out to be completely uncritical, there was simply no way she was marrying a husband who got stumped at the fourth round of the one on one tournament. On the proving ground, Liu Yuqing was finally showing his solid foundations little by little. The fact that he hadnt been taken down by Qianye yet even at this stage proved just how tenacious he was. However, there was no way he was overturning his defeat before the vastly experienced Qianye. Qianyes attacks grew fiercer and denser over time. Suddenly, he let out a huge cry and threw three rapid punches at Liu Yuqing in a row, throwing him out of the ring immediately! Liu Yuqing didnt realize that he had stepped outside of the ring until he saw Qianye removing his stance and backing away. By then, he had already lost, You! He pointed a finger at Qianye in fury but didnt know what to say. Ive won, Qianye said calmly. That cannot be called a victory! Liu Yuqin replied angrily. Qianye had practically forced him to step out of bounds with a round of rapid punches, so of course, he was unwilling to accept his defeat. By now, Duke Weis personal guard who was supervising the battle had walked over and warned them in a chilly tone, Withdraw immediately after the battle is done! Liu Yuqing could only swallow his emotions no matter how reluctant he was to accept it. He glared at Qianye with so much hatred that it looked like he could tear Qianye into pieces and swallow him whole with his gaze alone. Qianye simply smiled before turning away. The reason Qianye was able to send Liu Yuqing out of the ring was because he had thrown all three of his attacks on Liu Yuqings defending left arm. If he had chosen to attack any other parts of Yuqings body instead, the boy wouldve suffered at least a minor injury considering that Qianye had pushed his Combatant Formula over twenty cycles already. Liu Yuqing didnt realize that Qianye had shown him mercy because of his lack of experience. Qianye saw Zhao Junhong again just as he reached the edge of the ring. Zhao Junhong suddenly said, Your combat technique isnt suited for arena matches. By now Qianye had figured out the second Zhao young masters temperament a little, and he also noticed that this arrogant clan descendant was zealously passionate about martial techniques. Therefore, he made an amiable reply, Actually, Ive not learned any secret martial technique in my life. Also, the militarys combat technique and Combatant Formula are for killing and not for show. Zhao Junhong nodded and wore a pondering look on his face. In the past, he had looked down on all weapons that were beneath rank five. The armys standard issue guns especially were no different from scrap iron to his eyes. However, that opinion had changed on the day Qianye injured his bodyguard with an Eagleshot. It was no secret that the Combatant Formula had a fatal flaw that prevented most of its cultivators from ascending to the Champion rank, and the armys combat technique was no different from street fighting in Zhao Junhongs eyes. However, for some reason, Qianye was able to turn both of them into remarkable things like magic. It overturned nearly everything he knew. The fifth round quickly arrived, and the remaining participants were split into two big groups. The Zhao and Song Household made their first appearance in the tournament, with Zhao Junhong and Song Zining being put in different groups to avoid an early encounter. Both Zhao Junhong and Song Zining originally had the special right to choose the opponents they wanted to fight, but they waived it because they didnt want to be criticized as bullying the weak. Therefore, the groups were quickly divided after a very brief discussion. The order would be decided by drawing lots as usual. Qianye broke into an involuntary smile when he looked at the groups. Zhao Junhong wasnt in the group he was in, so this meant that he must climb to the top of his group to be able to encounter Zhao Junhong in a battle. This also meant that he must beat Song Zining first to be able to do so. Everyones eyes were focused on the proving grounds where the Song and Zhao participants were fighting. Zhao Junhong displayed incredible might by sending his opponent flying out of the arena in one kick, while Song Zining fought a standard duel that lasted for almost ten minutes before he won by a small margin. Meanwhile, Qianye finally met a powerful opponent. It was Nangong Wanyun. Nangong Wanyun had the sweet temper of a traditional aristocratic lady. After standing on the opposite side of Qianye, she smiled, Can you show me a little mercy? No, Qianye answered. Nangong Wanyun smiled in reply, You sure have no idea how to appreciate a girl. Im not asking you to throw the fight; I just want you to avoid hitting the face. Is that okay? Qianye mulled over the suggestion seriously before answering, Ill try my best! Then I shall thank you first, Nangong Wanyun spread open her arms and attracted mist to her fingertips. Then, she pushed out her palms evenly like she was doing a palm strike. A couple of colorless origin power immediately flew out of the mist and towards Qianyes vital spots. They sounded just like a sharp weapon cutting through the air. Qianye let out a low cry as a dark red glow covered his body. He strode forwards and moved slightly out of the way only from the attacks that were aimed at his weakest spots such as the eyes and the throat etc. He ignored everything else and shortened the distance between himself and Nangong Wanyun instantly, throwing a devastating punch from above! Nangong Wanyuns expression changed drastically as she dodged out of the way. She cried out, You promised not to hit the face! I shouldnt ambush you too, right? Qianye turned around and threw another thunderous punch towards Nangong Wanyuns center.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 164: A Promise of Battle [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] His fist was covered in layers of dark red origin power, and the air crackled loudly as it sped towards to Nangong Wanyun! Nangong Wanyuns expression changed immediately. The force behind the punch alone was more than enough to dissuade her from blocking it head on! She had no choice but to dash away in retreat. Qianye caught up to Nangong Wanyun swiftly and threw a horizontal kick. The attack also crackled like lightning just like before. This time Nangong Wanyun had no place to retreat, so she clenched her teeth and threw her own leg at Qianyes! A dull bang resounded, and both combatants retreated and turned pale at the same time. Surprisingly, Nangong Wanyuns origin power was the forceful type just like Qianye despite her delicate appearance. The clash resulted in a draw where no clear victor could be seen. Qianye felt as if he had kicked into an alloy plate of equal hardness, and the rebound was uncomfortable for him too. But this bit of rebound was nothing compared to the dangers of a battlefield so Qianye charged once more towards Nangong Wanyun while looking like he was barely affected by the clash earlier. Fists, legs, shoulders, and elbows; it was as if every part of his body had turned into a weapon. Nangong Wanyun abruptly realized that all of her combat techniques had become useless. The only thing she could do against such a violent display of strength and speed was to match them head-on. The exchange of blows actually lasted for ten minutes or so before Nangong Wanyun abruptly vomited blood because her origin power couldnt keep up any further. Her stances abruptly relaxed, and Qianye immediately seized the opportunity to move into her lap and lean forwards! Nangong Wanyun immediately flew backwards and crashed outside of the ring. Qianye didnt move from his original spot. An odd flush passed through Qianyes face as he also spat out a mouth of blood. Nangong Wanyun looked extremely depressed when she climbed to her feet. She only managed to use her secret combat technique once at the beginning, before Qianye took over and forced a melee with his offense for almost the entirety of the battle. Despite being two ranks ahead of Qianye, she was knocked out of the ring all the same. But after Nangong Wanyun got up to her feet, she noticed that Qianye had also spat out a mouth of blood. It was obvious that his victory hadnt come as easily as it seemed. She immediately felt a lot better as she pushed the disheveled locks of her hair behind her ears and resumed the elegant outlook of an aristocratic lady. She even greeted Qianye once before she finally left the grounds. Qianye slowly walked to the edge of the proving ground and sat down. He quietly rested as he waited for the next battle to begin. Five rounds later, sixteen participants were all that remained in the one on one tournament as the finals table appeared on the large display beside the proving grounds. It was only now that the wealth of the aristocratic class had bared its advantage. Two thirds of the sixteen remaining participants were aristocratic descendants, while the rest were a mix of landowning households, humble families, and commoners. The sixth round was the final round of the day, and it was one of the easier matches Qianye had encountered so far. The aristocratic descendant he faced had encountered two equals during the previous two rounds and barely won them. However, the cost of his victory were severe injuries, and in just a few exchanges Qianye had forced him to block a heavy punch after the match began. In the end, the added injury forced the aristocratic descendant to forfeit the match. There were plenty of people who noticed Qianyes successful promotion in the tournament. Duke Wei knew what talent Qianye possessed, so he nodded slightly but didnt look particularly moved in any way. His advisor immediately noticed his reaction and joked, Its surprising that that No.163 is able to come this far with just rank five origin power. He must have a special talent of his own. Maybe we should pick him up and raise him into something worthwhile? Duke Wei stroked his beard and replied, It is rumored that Venus Dawns greatest characteristic is its ability to win from a position of weakness, and it would appear that its reputation is well justified. He couldve gone further if the Combatant Formula is not the only art he cultivates. The advisor immediately understood that Duke Wei had probably noticed this young man since a while ago, seeing that he had investigated even his talent already. He immediately said, Your insight has always been impeccable, sir duke! But Duke Wei shook his head and said, This talent is completely wasted on a forgotten land like the Evernight Continent, however, not to mention that his origin power is only twice as dense as the normal standard. The advisor mulled over Duke Weis words and felt that Duke Wei wasnt looking to recruit Qianye. Therefore, he changed a topic and said, There are other interesting and talented youths in this spring hunt too. Setting aside those beneath the level of landed gentry, I feel like there are a few aristocratic sirs who may be fit to become Miss Xiners partner. Duke Wei simply said, Well see. There are still three rounds left in the match, right? Xiner is still pretty young, so there is still plenty of time before a decision must be made. The advisor immediately understood that Duke Wei hadnt come to a conclusion yet, so he turned quiet and waited for every battle happening on the proving grounds to end. The afternoon of the Yin Familys back garden was exceptionally tranquil. Qianye sat inside the lush canopy and raised his right hand before his eyes. Sunlight spilled through the gaps of the leaves and cast many motley light dots on his palm. He suddenly looked up and towards his right, and a figure slowly appeared as a few dead leaves floated down from the branches amidst rustling mountain breezes. Song Zining sought out a wide tree branch and sat down casually. He was holding a drum-shaped silver pot and pouring out a clear, fragrant stream of liquid. It was tea again, however. Qianye accepted the teacup Song Zining passed over to him and broke into an involuntary smile, Are you seriously not going to drink any wine? I noticed that Qiqi is quite busy for the past two days. Don''t you need to participate in any social events at all? Someone will evaluate and recruit the landowning households, Song Zining said heedlessly, I have an upcoming match, you know! Qianye shrugged. Song Zinings excuse was just too lousy; even Qiqi had gone through the first six rounds without a hitch. Song Zining rested his head on his hands and said in a carefree manner, Zhao Junhong told me that he wont go over rank five origin power when he meets you in battle. Qianye asked curiously, Why did he bring that up all of a sudden? He wanted to be put in the same group as you are. Qianye immediately accepted the answer. It would appear that Zhao Junhong was dead set on fighting against him, and he was so worried that he wouldnt last until the end of the tournament that he was even going to use his special privilege to set up an encounter. Still, Zhao Junhongs concerns werent out of place. Having witnessed Song Zinings secret art and fiery spear technique, even he didnt dare claim that he could beat Zining for sure. But Qianye threw another question in puzzlement, So why hasnt it been changed that way? Song Zining said cheerfully, Thats because I have a promise of battle with Young Master Wei too! Suddenly, Qianye felt that his friends smile was full of malice. After that, Song Zining diverted Qianyes attention by talking about his review and discussion with Zhao Junhong regarding Qianyes performance during the earlier matches. Both Song Zining and Zhao Junhong were extraordinarily gifted household nobles who managed to achieve small mastery in Champion rank secret techniques while they were still at Fighter rank. Naturally, their insights were better than others and hit the nail on the head every time. Qianye paid very close attention to the review because he had noticed his own weakness after encountering various secret combat techniques during this Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. The combat technique that was pounded into his body on the frontlines, the militarys combat art and the vast origin power he acquired through cultivating the Combatant Formula had allowed Qianye to maintain a considerable advantage over his opponents of the same rank. However, his lack of secret combat techniques that generated or overcame interaction between attributes, and fine control over origin power greatly restricted the types of combat techniques he could employ in battle. Zhao Junhong once told him that his combat technique was unsuited for arena battles. That was because Qianye only had one tactic from the beginning to the end, and that was to overcome technique with greater strength in a spurt of energy; defeating everything through sheer power. The biggest problem with this technique was that it required the cultivator to go all out with no retreat to fall back to. Moreover, the cultivator would suffer huge rebounds if their momentum was disrupted during the process. When Qianye encountered that young landowning household descendant during the third round, he literally had no choice but to risk his wellbeing to defeat his enemy. Even earlier before that, Ji Yuanjia had canceled his Combatant Formula during battle. Although Qianye had learned his lesson and not committed such a mistake since, it also resulted in Qianye not being able to use a single Fighter Kings strike throughout the entire tournament. On the one hand, he was leaving himself a trump card that he might use later. On the other hand, it was also his only trump card. If he hit his opponent, then he was invincible, but if he missed, then he might lose the initiative entirely. The next day morning, while standing on the gigantic proving ground and staring at the match table on the screen, Qianye suddenly recalled that Song Zining and Wei Potian were fighting today. However, Qianye soon found himself unable to spare the effort to wonder about their battle because his own turned out to be a difficult fight. Qianyes seventh-round opponent was a landowning household warrior, and those who made it this far were true experts. The battle lasted for almost an hour. It was only when both combatants had nearly exhausted all of their origin power that Qianye finally seized a tiny opening to heavily injure his opponent in one go and win the match. It was only when he was done fighting that Qianye realized he wasnt the last person to end his fight. A series of thunderous roars accompanied by the familiar brown yellow flashes of Thousand Mountains happened on the other side of the proving ground. Brilliance sparks of starlight would also erupt in midair on occasion as Wei Potian roared and chased after his opponent relentlessly. His opponent was none other than Song Zining! The bizarre but beautiful sceneries that appeared when Song Zining used the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art didnt appear, but his movements were just as erratic and unpredictable. He fleeted here and there like gravity had no hold over him, and he wouldve looked as ghost-like as the night he appeared if it wasnt for the afterimages that revealed his passages of movement. Wei Potians attacks were fierce and heavy. The occasional powerful ones could even produce sounds akin to a sharp blade tearing through the air, revealing just how fast and forceful his punches were. However, Song Zining was always able to avoid his strikes by the slimmest of margins, foiling Wei Potians attempts to land even one solid blow. Ten full minutes later, Wei Potians Thousand Mountains flickered a few times before vanishing completely, a sign that he had exhausted all of his origin power reserves. He himself was so tired that he almost collapsed from exhaustion. He panted like a dog and sweated like it was raining while supporting his arms on both knees. A few steps away, Song Zinings figure vanished before appearing behind Wei Potian. Then, he toppled Young Master Wei with a gentle push and even sent him sliding forward across the floor until half his body had exited the boundary. Naturally, Song Zining had won the match. Just like that, he had been decided as Qianyes semifinal opponent. Song Zining was obviously feeling so good that true jubilance was actually spilling from his seemingly eternally kind smile. It made Qianye feel a chill behind his back as he recalled the unlucky bastards who were thrashed by Song Zining back at Yellow Springs Training Camp. Although Qianye had only seen the end of the battle between Song Zining and Wei Potian, he knew very well that Song Zinings tactic countered his and Wei Potians direct and forceful style completely. It was nothing to be afraid of, however. Qianyes battle thirst gradually rose in his heart: now that he thought about it, it had been many years since he fought his friend! The bugle horn that signaled the start of a battle began and Qianye pushed his Combatant Formula over two cycles and eighteen tiers in the shortest time possible. Then, he strode towards Song Zining and punched out with a low cry! Song Zining pressed his palms forwards while enveloped in a misty blue light, and the duo exchanged a dozen or so blows in just the blink of an eye. Both combatants were extremely familiar with each others close combat technique, and years of separation had actually done nothing to dent their memory at all. They werent able to land even a solid blow on each other despite tens of rounds of exchanges!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 165: Uncertain Temperature [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianyes Combatant Formula had already exceeded twenty five cycles, and every move he made were accompanied by faint noises of tides, wind, and thunder. The dark red origin glow on his fists grew brighter and brighter, and it merged together with the blue light around Song Zinings hand. Their upper bodies suddenly shook. Although their attacks hadnt connected with each other, their discharged origin power did! A hint of surprise passed through Song Zinings eyes, and it quickly turned into that of a smile. Qianye himself didnt notice anything strange from the clash of origin power, however. He only thought that Song Zinings origin power was now completely different from before. Song Zinings origin power was now flexible, strong and unpredictable, while Qianyes was the same since the day he cultivated the Combatant Formula: fierce, brave, distinct and sharp! The personages of importance on the grandstand had a good eye for things. They noticed the clash that mightve slipped through another persons attention. Count Huayang, the person seated at the second lower left side of Duke Wei exclaimed in surprise, Did my eyes deceive me just now? Anyone who can liberate their origin power before rank seven is considered a genius already, but did these two just do it without using any secret combat techniques at all? Beside him, Count Changping said, The seventh son of the Songs direct line of descent is one thing, but the guy hes fighting is just a commoner, isnt he Before he could finish, the battle situation changed drastically all of a sudden. Qianyes fist and Song Zinings palm finally connected solidly for the first time since the battle began! A boom later, the dark red origin power and the blue origin power abruptly exploded into a ball of glaring white flash as the duo flew backwards from the impact. Qianye had just stood still when he saw Song Zining smiling at him and raising his hands for no particular reason. His puzzlement lasted until the moment Duke Weis guards entered the ring, and Qianye finally realized that Song Zining had surrendered the match. Everyone present at the scene was shocked by this turn of events! Qianye asked in astonishment, What are you doing? Song Zining put a hand to his chest and frowned slightly, I fought too long against that barbaric bull and suffered some internal injuries just now. I feel like its worsened after I clashed against your forceful origin power, so I really dont think I could fight you any longer like this. Qianye couldnt say anything for a time. Good luck couldnt even begin to describe his situation considering that his sixth round opponent had also surrendered due to heavy injuries! That being said, his previous opponent couldnt even stand properly by the time he left the ring, but Song Zining looked nothing like that at all. Even Duke Wei himself had sent an envoy to learn about the reason, and Song Zining gave him the same explanation. And so Qianye won a puzzling match just like that. Every VIP who was present at the grandstand was absolutely dumbfounded by Song Zinings claim. Out of all the battles that had happened during the seventh round, Song Zining and Wei Potians battle was the one that drew the most attention. They saw clearly that Song Zining and Wei Potian hadnt collided even once against each other. The Far East Wei Clans secret combat techniques Thousand Mountains and Sky Shattering Bright Fist were famous for their great power and consequently their rate of consumption. That was how Song Zining managed to wear Wei Potian down, to begin with. At the time, they were even praising Song Zining for his sound choice of tactic. Did Thousand Mountains have a counter attribute that they didnt know about? There was an unfamiliar looking old man sitting very close to the right side of Duke Wei, and today was the first day he showed up to spectate the match. Judging from his seat, he was probably of venerated stature, which was probably why the frowning words spilling out of his mouth were pretty blunt, Is this unambitious person really the seventh son of Songs direct line of descent? What internal injuries, I think he just wants to avoid fighting against the Zhao Familys second son! But Duke Wei stroked his beard and pondered aloud, I heard that the reason Song Zining was selected as a successor is because he successfully cultivated the ancient secret art, Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. Am I right? Marquis Yiguang nodded, but still, he looked unhappy, It has been several hundred years since anyone managed to cultivate this secret art within the Song Household. In the empires history, the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was said to be an art that stands at the same height as Art of Heavens Mystery. But I never thought that the Song Household descendant who successfully cultivated this lost art would be of such temperament. Duke Wei simply smiled and said nothing in reply. Marquis Yiguang might be old, but his temper was only hotter than when he was younger. Now he understood why Marquis Yiguang had come all the way here to participate in this small Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. It sounded like that he was gunning for Song Zining. Count Huayang threw in his own comment as he listened to their conversation, I heard that Song Zining doesnt go out at all in the past. Its a reason why we have so little information on him. Marquis Yiguangs answer didnt exceed his expectation, He spent all his time at the Enlightenment Manor until he grew into full adulthood. It is the place where the senior noble of the Song Household spends her retiring days. Forget outsiders like us, not everyone within the Song Household itself had the right to pay the old lady their respects. The senior noble of the Song Household was also Song Zinings great-grandmother, also known as Duchess An. She was the only duchess in the entire Qin Empire who didnt share her husbands title as she had earned her title through her own strength. While they were conversing with each other, the other match happening on the other side of the proving grounds had ended as well. Zhao Junhong had defeated Yin Qiqi. The second Zhao young master really was one of the top contenders of the young generation; the fact that he managed to surmount all difficulties to stand on the finals was clear proof of his strength. Moreover, every one of his battles was won cleanly without any stalemates to speak of whatsoever. In comparison, Qianyes battle results were extremely controversial. His sixth and semifinal match victory was practically given to him, so much so it was almost as if the heaven had decided to cut him a little break. Even if the second place contestant wouldnt enjoy the reward of having a gun built to their own preferences, the total value of the prize money and equipment still amounted to several thousand gold coins. The one on one tournament ended here today, and the finals would take place by the morrow. There were no matches that existed without a gambling scene around them, and this was even truer for a large scale event like the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt where the sheer number of bodyguards, attendants and servants alone as over ten thousand people. But when the semifinals results were up, what shouldve been the hottest betting pool of the gambling scene was completely deserted. This was because the disparity of strength between the two finalists was just too wide. It was only until evening that the gamblers finally grew a little interested. Someone had started an option and betted a thousand or so gold coins on Qianyes victory. As a result, a lot of people began betting against Qianye until the odds reached a shocking number of 30/1. This meant that the gamblers had to bet at least dozens of gold coins if they wished to win a single gold coin. Still, there were plenty of people who were willing to bet on a sure win setup like this and earn some pocket change. With a precedent set, a series of small betting pools followed and breathed some life into the gambling scene despite the odds leaning completely in favor of Zhao Junhong. For example, there were betting pools on how long it would take for Zhao Junhong to win, with all sorts of odds set up just between minute one to minute thirty. The gamblers could also bet if Zhao Junhong would win within single digit minutes or double-digit minutes. There were even bets on what kind of method Zhao Junhong would win the match with such as a punch, a kick, a secret technique and so on. Of course, the odds for each method were different as well. There were even some people who lived in dreamlands placing bets on victory by headbutt. Of course, the odds of this particular method was exceptionally high because everyone knew just how much the descendants of the Zhao Household cared about grace and appearance. Hell could freeze over before Zhao Junhong used a headbutt in his life. Although the bets involved very small sum of gold coins, the scene was lively and the bets were pretty interesting. The people couldnt help but praise the skills of this new banker. Qianye was completely unconcerned about the noises from the outside world. He spent his entire afternoon cultivating in silence in the cultivation room, pushing the Combatant Formula to the thirty fifth cycle and checking how his body was doing under this level of stress. While it was possible for him to reach thirty fifth cycle while cultivating, the same couldnt be said in combat. The Combatant Formula was too fierce and intense, and it damaged ones internal organs when circulating inside the veins. If he were to liberate his origin power from his body, the damage would only be higher. Right now, his limit was what Qianye was trying to find. If he didnt push himself that far, he might not be able to beat Zhao Junhong with the thirtieth cycle strike of a Fighter King even if his opponent did obey his promise and suppress his origin power to rank five. A rank five secret combat technique and a rank five standard technique were two completely different things. It was like the difference between a continental airship and a starfaring airship. Suddenly, Qianyes body shook a little as the gold blood energy orbiting outside his heart suddenly leaped out and pecked away a wisp of origin power from the Daybreak origin tide like a heron. Qianye was extremely surprised by its actions, and he couldnt help but scan it for a little. He discovered that the wisp of Daybreak origin power pecked away by the gold blood energy was exceptionally pure and well refined. It was obviously the essence of the thirty fifth cycle origin tides that appeared after repeated refinement. In the past, only the normal blood energies would consume Daybreak origin power to enlarge themselves, while the gold blood energy consumed normal blood energies only. In fact, Qianye even thought that this occurrence was just the blood powers rules of ascension until now. When he recalled that the gold blood energy had consumed Director Wens cold aura too, a strange thought suddenly appeared in his mind. Was the gold blood energy actually a picky eater? Was that why it ignored normal origin powers and consumed the special ones only? The thought amused Qianye a little. By now he had completed todays training and allowed his origin tide to slowly subside. When Qianye returned to his own room, a Yin Family servant delivered to him a gift box and an unusual looking letter. When he opened the letter, he saw the lively picture of a scenery at summer night and a short written invitation to a banquet on the fine writing paper. The last image on the paper was a simple map that showed where the banquet would be held. Although Qianye didnt recognize the handwriting, the words structure and flair gave off a familiar feeling for some reason. Qianye turned over the envelope and saw Song Zinings signature. For the past few days, Song Zining had tried to send a couple of things over to his place, but Qianye saw none of them because Qiqi had told her servants to throw them all away. Qianye looked at the simple map on the letter once more. The location of the meeting was outside the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt Camp, near the passage of the back mountain. A moment of thought later, he greeted the guard on duty once and went out of the Yin Familys side residence. Right now, Qiqi was standing alone at the crown of the ancient tree at the back garden. She watched Qianye walking out of the side residences main entrance, vanishing behind the walls and greeneries for an instant before appearing at the little path filled with cape jasmines to the west of the side residence. He then took a turn and headed towards west. It was the direction of the outskirts. Qiqis black eyes looked exceptionally calm. It wasnt like she never heard the people talking behind her back about the possibility that Song Zining might possess an unusual taste, or that he was purposely stealing her people because they were now on bad terms. Qianye never said anything about those things, however. He never even asked about them. Qiqi didnt know what the hell Song Zining was planning, but she knew very well what Qianyes attitude meant. His attitude was exactly the same as hers when she dealt with the same thing in the past, and that was total and complete indifference. Night arrived as the mountain breeze of spring grew softer and softer. The sun baked fragrance of flowers hadnt completely faded, and they filled her with copious amount of warmth. Qiqi walked into the canopy and sat down on Qianyes usual spot. Slowly, she curled herself into a little ball.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 166: Finals [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] When he arrived at his destination, Qianye finally realized that the spring night scenery Song Zining had drawn in the letter wasnt a product of his imagination. It was the actually a copy of the scenery right before his eyes. Spring is a season of even slopes, gradual earth, tall grasses and flying nightingales. Scattered wildflowers adorned the ground here and there, and the origin powered lanterns hovering in mid air looked like migrating stars at first glance. These light sources alone were the products of great expenditure, for the origin powered lanterns themselves were pretty expensive, not to mention the amount of resources it took to keep them floating indefinitely in mid-air. The banquet was held in the way of the first mens tradition where every person was given a seat of their own. There were at least hundreds of seats spread out on the wide space as maids and servants traveled back and forth like water streams while holding dishes and tableware on their hands. Female dancers and singers twirled to the entertainment of all as cotton fabric floated like clouds. The Empires nobility was currently engulfed in a trend to revive the ancient ways, and Qianye had witnessed many such events ever since he accepted Qiqis mission. However, he was suddenly struck by a strange feeling that this banquet happening just several steps away from him was so unreal that it might as well have been held in a completely different world. The people of the lower continents struggled hard every day just so that they could secure tomorrows food, while the amount of resources spent in a single banquet at the upper continents could probably keep an entire town alive for a time. If this was so, then what was even the point of the forgotten lands existence? There were two master seats because tonights banquet was co-hosted by the Zhao and Song Household. In fact, the purpose of this banquet was to identify and recruit potential talents. It was why most of the people who were invited to the banquet came from landowning households. Every person who had earned a seat on this occasion didn''t make it here with their surnames, but with true strength. Naturally, those who were fortunate enough to be invited did their best to show off their abilities, and the stream of people around Zhao Junhong and Song Zinings seats seemed like they would never end. Sometimes, the performers would even compete martial arts with each other. Of course, they were different from arena battles in that the goal was to express their strengths, not fight each other to their deaths. Song Zining looked up, and he happened to see Qianye pausing at the edge of the grounds some distance away. In fact, he looked like he was about to turn around and leave. Song Zining immediately ordered two Song attendants to stop Qianye and invite him over. Qianye! Song Zining called out to him before saying smilingly, I didnt think that Qiqi would let you come. Song Zining suddenly sighed as if in great regret before Qianye could say anything, Speaking of which, Qiqi and Nangong Wanyun were holding a joint banquet over their side too. Now that is a banquet filled with noble ladies. Youve missed out on a great show, Qianye! While saying this, Song Zining turned around to look at the banquet grounds before pointing at a certain girl, That female dancer dressed in red has one helluva flexible body. You can take her back to your room later if you want. This time Qianye didnt want to say anything at all. It would seem that his good friends bad taste hadnt improved with time in the slightest. In the end, Song Zining pulled Qianye over to his seat. By now, the chatting session was about to end as the people returned to their seats to enjoy delicious wine, delicacies, and the two rows of female dancers whose flying skirts looked like blooming flowers. Meanwhile, Zhao Junhong was drinking alone at the seat beside theirs. Qianye recalled the banquet held by Duke Wei at the Martial Hall during the first day of the spring hunt. At the time, Zhao Junhong had conversed to no one except Song Zining, Qiqi, and a few other people. No one else drew even a cursory glance from him. Therefore, Qianye was surprised to see him attending a banquet where he would be seated among members of the landed gentry. When Qianye asked Song Zining about this, his friend couldnt help but smile, The Zhao Household may be arrogant, but its not like theyre stupid. Every aristocratic family including the imperial family itself needs someone they can use. In fact, the reason they treat people based on their backgrounds is because people of good backgrounds are simply of better talent and resources on average. Of course, I understand that this distinction is obviously biased, but in the case where everyone is a stranger to everyone, this yardstick is effective more often than not. Qianye thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement. The reason those families of high prestige had come to exist almost at the same time as when the great Qin Empire was founded was because their ancestors were among the first to awaken their origin talent. Although neither the dark races nor the human race had managed to figure out the rules behind all origin powers to this day, and they were unable to effectively control the inheritance of power and the awakening of talent either, it was commonly accepted that the continuation of ones bloodline was one of the major ways to success. Therefore, it was only natural that the wealth accumulated by these aristocratic families for over 1200 years was used to benefit only their own line of descent. Fairness wasnt something to consider in this regard. In fact, the true injustice lay not in the starting line, but in the amount of room for growth. It was completely pointless to complain that different starting lines had resulted in different heights of achievements because the natural evolution of humanity itself was completely diverse. Unlike vampires, humans didnt possess the ability to create blood thralls whose rank and strength they could control. The only way to deal with this law of nature was to change or accept it. That being said, background is but the first cornerstone of ones life. You must possess ability first before you can earn the respect of others, Song Zining smiled, a temperament like Zhao Junhongs isnt all that bad. At the very least, the peace and quiet he enjoys is greater than most other people. He only pays attention to two kinds of people: the kind who shares his level of status, and the kind who shares his level of strength. If you put in that way, then I must say that I am looking forward to tomorrows battle, Qianye cast a glance at Song Zining before saying, Actually, I wanted to fight you first even more. Song Zining winked once before saying, There is always a chance to do so in the future. Id prefer if our battle is not treated as an item out of an animal taming program, dont you think? Suddenly, his good friends smile was full of malice once more. When Qianye recalled Wei Potians limp figure, he could almost say with absolute certainty now that Song Zining had done it on purpose. There was no other explanation as to why he didnt just send Wei Potian out of the ring immediately when he was about to run out of origin power otherwise. Qianye, where will you be headed to after the spring hunt is over? Qianye had been thinking about this question ever since he decided that this Profound Heaven Spring Hunt would be his final mission for Qiqi. In fact, this question had been plaguing him ever since he left Lighthouse Town. Qianye was painfully aware that he was just a passing traveler without a goal even when he was at Darkblood City. But now, Qianye had already made up his mind. He said calmly, Ill be returning to the Evernight Continent to kill someone. Song Zining smiled, That shouldnt take too long, should it? He is a Champion. Itll probably take a very long time. Song Zinings smile immediately went away, Why do you have an enemy like this? Is it related to your past? He knew very well what a Champion on Evernight Continent meant. While a Champion might just be a foreign delegate or a family general an aristocratic family, a Champion at Evernight Continent was at least a high-ranking military officer who supervises an entire land! No, its not. Qianye said indifferently, The few true friends I ever had on the Evernight Continent were killed directly or indirectly by his and his sons hands. Also, he trades black crystals with the dark races. Song Zining fell silent for a moment before he asked slowly, Who is he? He is the brigadier general and the head captain of the Expeditionary Forces Seventh Division, Wu Zhengnan. On the day of the finals, the number of spectators who came to watch the battle was even greater than before. The grandstands especially were full to the brim. When Qianye entered the field, Zhao Junhong was already waiting for him. His arms were folded, and his eyes were slightly closed. He seemed to be resting in meditation. Suddenly, Zhao Junhong opened his eyes and set his gaze on Qianye like lightning. He said coolly, I hope you wont disappoint me. Qianye gave him a simple answer, I will do my best. The horn signaling the final battle of the tournament was long and bleak. Faint, silvery light surfaced from Zhao Junhongs body, and he abruptly took a step forwards at pointed at Qianyes glabella! Although his movements looked weak and gentle, Qianye knew that from the sudden burst of strength and density of the silver light on Zhao Junhongs fingertips that the attack was no weaker than the strike of an origin weapon! Qianye let out a low cry and threw an utterly plain punch at Zhao Junhongs fingertip. He was actually going to clash head-on against Zhao Junhong right from the start of the battle! Zhao Junhong was prepared for Qianyes fierce and forceful fighting style since a long time ago. He immediately stretched wide all ten of his fingers, turned his wrists, and grabbed onto Qianyes fist. Then, he pulled and tossed Qianye into the air. By now the dark red origin power on Qianyes fist and the silver origin power on Zhao Junhongs hands had completely intermingled with one another, but surprisingly no origin explosion came from the contact. Qianye swiftly counteracted the throw with his own hands and moved horizontally across the air across Zhao Junhongs head using the borrowed strength, landing on the other side of the ground. His dodge was ingenious because he barely dodged three consecutive strikes from Zhao Junhong by moving his body several times while he was flying through the air. The three silver beams had practically brushed past him without an inch to spare. Qianye immediately kicked out sideways at Zhao Junhongs waist the second he landed on the ground, but Zhao Junhong merely caught it with his arms and sent Qianye backing away several meters with a simple push. Naturally, Qianyes follow up kick missed its target as a result. The two combatants had traded blows like lightning in just a single exchange, and both the attack and defense executed were absolutely brilliant. When the duo separated, thunderous applause from the spectators broke out and shook the very ground. Even Duke Wei was nodding slightly and commenting, Not bad. Apprehension gripped Qianye after the exchange was done. It was only after he fought Zhao Junhong in melee that he realized just how powerful the man was. The Zhao second young master possessed such outstanding close combat technique that he didnt feel like one of those house flowers at all. Moreover, his origin power was most likely of the attribute that countered the Combatant Formula, because the exchange of palms and finger strikes earlier made no sound at all. Zhao Junhong was also looking seriously at Qianye. The silver glow enveloping his body grew brighter and brighter as he said, You really are pretty impressive. A ray of silver light suddenly lit up from between Zhao Junhongs brows as if he suddenly grew a third eye. He suddenly moved like he was gliding across the water surface, showing up before Qianye instantly and pointing at him once more. This time, however, his fingertip was quite far away from Qianye. The silvery light gathering before his fingertip abruptly brightened and fired out a solid line of silver right at Qianyes chest. Someone cried out from the grandstand, Its the Silver Sword Finger! The Silver Sword Finger was one of the more reputable secret combat techniques practiced by the members of the Zhao Household. It was built on the concept that ones origin power was condensed into a solid form that was as sharp and unbreakable as an actual blade. This was a Champion rank secret technique, but not only had Zhao Junhong mastered the basics, he actually managed to form the origin blade too. He truly deserved to be called a genius! Qianye immediately felt that a huge threat was headed his way. The faint line of silver actually made him feel like an origin bullet was headed his way! Without any hesitation, Qianye let out a low cry and punched out again straight at the silver line of origin power! The Combatant Formula cycled swiftly inside Qianyes body, overlapping one another and reaching nearly the thirtieth cycle in the blink of an eye. Fierce origin power poured out of his fist and slammed fiercely into the silver line! The front part of the silver line crumbled but didnt disappear. Instead, it split into dozens of slimmer silver threads and penetrated into Qianyes origin power, wanting to climb all the way into the roots! Qianyes origin power rose and fall like tidewaters, and a wave of origin power abruptly rose and gushed out his fist again before the initial tide had even subsided. Like a wall, it blocked and scattered the rain of silver threads. Meanwhile, Zhao Junhong himself had let out a clear roar and caused the scattering silver threads to turn back suddenly. They twisted against Qianyes origin power and attempted to cut a path through the tides. However, Qianyes origin power was just as tenacious, unfading even when it was broken down piece by piece. In fact, it was resurging at the center and attempting to break towards Zhao Junhong once more. Their origin powers became completely mingled in the blink of an eye, clashing and fighting against each other at every level.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 167: Victory [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianyes fist was only a few centimeters away from Zhao Junhongs finger, but neither of them was able to push an inch forward. They could only persist in confrontation this way. A ball of light was suspended between the finger and the first. If someone were to look at it closely, they would discover that the dark red light ball that looked like it was made of mist was, in fact, countless tiny origin explosions and undulating silver lines. The spectators around the proving grounds were long since engulfed in a hubbub of cries, praises, and discussions. Even the VIPs on the grandstand were letting out gasps of surprise or wearing looks of astonishment on their faces as they whispered to one another. Yesterdays clash of origin power between Qianye and Song Zining had already attracted the attention of Duke Wei, the marquises, and the counts to begin with, but today both combatants had clearly manifested their origin power in physical form! Even more impressive was the fact that one of them was only rank seven and the other rank five. Unfortunately, it also meant that they could only witness their origin power in primal form, and not talent. The hubbub occurring at the proving grounds slowly subsided. Clashes of origin power were absolutely treacherous no matter the form because not even the slightest room for compromise existed there. It was a holistic clash of amount and attribute of origin power, art, control, and willpower. No falsities existed in a clash like this. Moreover, this clash was a lot more dangerous than the norm because both parties had recklessly manifested their origin powers before they reached champion rank. Duke Wei said, Wen, please attend to the battle and make sure that neither of them is in danger. I can do without Zhao Weihuang kicking down my doors. Understood, Steward Wen leaped off the platform and flew into the fray, suspending himself above the proving grounds. Qianye and Zhao Junhong had long since forgotten everything around them except each other. All of their concentration was focused on the clashing and exploding ball of origin power between them. The Combatant Formula was in fact at a severe disadvantage when compared to the secret combat technique Silver Sword Finger. This was because origin power discharge was not advisable for cultivators of the Combatant Formula unless they had reached Champion rank, much less manifesting it and using it in a forceful clash against another origin power. When Qianye pushed the Combatant Formula over the 25th cycle, he abruptly realized that the pressure set on his physical body had increased tremendously. Moreover, his Daybreak origin power possessed no special attributes whatsoever, marking it significantly different from Zhao Junhongs blade-like Silver Sword Finger. Again and again, his origin power was twisted and crushed by Zhao Junhongs silver sword beams, and the only thing he could do was to increase the strength and size of his origin power to match it. As a result, the effort sapped away much of his strength. In the end, Qianye only had one usable tactic, and that was to utilize the Combatant Formulas tremendous pressure and end the fight as swiftly as possible. If he couldnt destroy Zhao Junhongs defense in one go, then his defeat was all but destined. His mind made up, Qianye pushed the Combatant Formula higher and attacked his opponent again and again with tidal-like origin power! But Zhao Junhongs silver sword beams were of incredible pliability and toughness. Again and again the silver threads were blown apart by Qianyes origin tides and scattered to all direction, but again and again they recollected themselves and charged back into the fray in a flash. The origin power in Qianyes body surged violently as the tides piled up one layer after another. In the blink of an eye, and he exceeded the thirtieth cycle in the blink of an eye. When the origin tides poured out of his fist once more, the sound of tidal waves actually began resounding around it like thunder! Zhao Junhong abruptly felt a great increase in pressure, and some of the blown threads were starting to slip out of his control. In fact, a thread or two was actually blown away by Qianyes origin power. He cast a glance at Qianye while looking a little moved. Fighter King? The Combatant Formula might be worth nothing in Zhao Junhongs eyes, but a Combatant Formula cultivator who had reached the level of Fighter King was a completely different story. It was no wonder that Qianye was able to beat opponents beyond his rank since the might of a Fighter King was equal to that of a low-rank aristocratic family secret combat technique. However, the Combatant Formula had a fatal flaw just like Qianye fighting style. It was true that the origin tides got more and more overpowering as they piled up one after another, but it was at the cost of sustainability. If Zhao Junhong could hold a couple of cycles and wait until the moment Qianye ran out of origin power, then Qianye would fall and be annihilated in entirety. To Qianyes surprise, Zhao Junhong was still able to speak despite the thunderous clash, Truly, truly impressive! But its my turn to show you what Overflowing Silver is! Zhao Junhongs origin nodes starting from the one at his chest began to lit up one after another. From afar, they looked just like the brilliant radiance of silver crystals. A total of five origin nodes were alit on Zhao Junhongs body! Qianye stared at Zhao Junhong. Zhao Junhong had surprised him by holding fast to his promise even in this situation. On the grandstand, Count Huayangs face was full of praise. He said, I did not realize that the second son of Zhao had cultivated silver sword auras inside his origin nodes too. There is no denying his talents, but it is his diligence that truly impresses me. Beside him, Count Changping also said, It really is impressive. Despite possessing such talents, he held himself back from ascending quickly just to catch up with the rest of his brothers. He made sure that his combat techniques and origin power are growing in sync and built an unbelievably firm foundation for himself. With this level of foundation and willpower, his path to Champion will definitely be smooth sailing. Duke Wei pondered, I heard that Zhao Junhong is not the most outstanding descendant of his generation within the family, is he? Count Changping nodded, Yi, Hong, Su, and Du. There is no denying that Zhao Junhong is just average among the four sons of the Zhao Family. Of course, the most outstanding one of them all is the son who participated in the Imperial Garden Spring Hunt, Zhao Jundu. Count Huayang said, I have seen the fourth son of the Zhao Household before, and there is no denying that his talents are absolutely extraordinary. If the Zhao Family didnt have Zhao Ruoxi too, he wouldve borne the light of the Zhao Household all by himself. There are few people who could be mentioned as his equal even within the four households. Duke Wei pondered, Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi! Heh, the Zhao Family is going to be amazing in ten years time! But this was as far as the discussion went because the topic was so dangerous that not even the two counts were willing to continue the conversation. When silence returned to the grandstand once more, everyone switched their attention back to the proving grounds. Five origin nodes were now alit on Zhao Junhongs body, and wisps of blade-sharp silver origin power were gathering inside them. Then, five silver sword beams erupted from them and flew straight towards Qianye! The five sword beams suddenly changed directions halfway and flew into the origin light ball that existed between their fist and finger. The moment they stabbed into the ball of light, the near-silent origin explosion suddenly let out the clear ring of a sword. The pressure on Qianyes hand suddenly weakened, and there was a stifling discomfort that felt like a wrong exertion of strength pressed down on his chest. The wall of waves that sat before his fists shouldve been immeasurably solid, but it was now melting away nonstop like snow. The new sword beams that joined the fray easily destroyed Qianyes origin power and earned the silver threads room to grow more and more solid. Not only were they not scattered away like before, they were even showing signs of knitting into a net. Although Qianye didnt understand what the unusual appearance of the silver threads meant, he did notice that Zhao Junhongs defense was growing harder and harder to break through. It was like a reef that remained motionless despite being lapped repeatedly by giant waves, so much so that Qianyes origin power was even starting to roll back to him. But there was a saying that goes like: when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Qianye was such a person himself, so he immediately steeled his determination and let out a low cry. He pushed the Combatant Formula over yet another cycle and caused the origin tides to grow a lot more turbulent and powerful than before. Thirty one, thirty two. The Combatant Formula was pushed to the thirty fifth cycle in the blink of an eye! By now the dark red origin power surging around Qianye was starting to look a little like a sea with no horizon. It was as if the overlapping tides of origin power would never end. When the thunderous tides subsided into near silence, an earthshaking power abruptly surged at Zhao Junhong! Zhao Junhongs breath caught in his throat the instant the origin tides were pushed to the thirty fifth cycle. He felt as if a tidal wave as tall as the sky was about to fall right on top of his head! Zhao Junhong swiftly calmed himself down and faced his predicament with a serious look on his face. By now, he already realized that Qianyes Combatant Formula must have exceeded the thirtieth cycle already. As he had once commented about Qianyes fighting style before Song Zining, the tactic of overwhelming skill with strength was unparalleled. The only thing the defender could do in this situation was to endure and wait because the charge of a thousand troops couldnt be stopped the moment it was unleashed. It was either the death of my enemy, or the death of myself. Zhao Junhong abruptly urged out more strength and fired another volley of silver sword aura from his origin nodes. They formed a web of swords and kept Qianyes rampant origin tides at bay. Shock overcame the proving grounds again, and this time even some of the people on the grandstand had gotten onto their feet. At this point, every man and woman who were defeated by Zhao Junhong during the earlier matches including Qiqi herself was utterly convinced by his strength. It was only now they realized that Zhao Junhong hadnt used his full strength at all, and there were no flukes behind any of his victories. But Qianye had no distracting thoughts in his mind. He urged the Combatant Formula to run even faster and held nothing back, pouring out all of his origin power to form a gigantic tide of unprecedented size. It was the thirty sixth cycle of the Combatant Formula! But before Qianye could unleash it upon Zhao Junhong, he abruptly hit the bottom of the barrel. He just needed one last shred of power to complete this final tide but had nothing left to spare inside him. It was at this moment the normal blood energy inside his heart and the purple blood energy suddenly injected strength into the gold blood energy that was orbiting around his heart all this time. Once done, every blood energy shrank to less than half their size and became incredibly weakened, submerging back into Qianyes heart. The gold blood energy shook faster and faster, almost resonating with the Daybreak origin power in Qianye at the end. It abruptly shattered into sparks of golden light and leaped into the final tide. Flashing golden sparks abruptly appeared within the dark red origin light that surrounded Qianye like a veil of thin mist. His dark red origin light grew brighter and brighter until they looked like the multicolored sunlight of dawn! Zhao Junhongs silver web crumbled, and his silver threads were scattered everywhere beyond his control. The only thing he could sense was a curtain of bright red light that looked like it would devour in the next instant. Zhao Junhong activated his sixth origin node almost unconsciously, painting it in crystalline silver light as a new silver sword beam came into existence. However, the tide that had enveloped Zhao Junhongs entire world disintegrated the sword beam without any difficulties and surged straight towards him. Steward Wen was already flying down from the sky to block the gigantic origin tide the moment he noticed the golden sparks. But despite his swift reactions, the two contestants were so close to each other that he couldnt stop the initial waves from entering Zhao Junhongs body in time. Zhao Junhong immediately let out a dull groan and flew backward, crashing heavily outside the boundary of the ring. Qianye stared quietly at Steward Wen and did his best to withdraw the subsiding but still fearsome origin tides. Although the multicolored light was starting to fade, the golden sparks continue to flash erratically around him. Silence took over the proving grounds for an instant, but thunderous cries shattered it right after! Even the VIPs on the grandstand had temporarily forgotten their reservation and cried out, Venus Dawn! Its Venus Dawn! Despite knowing that Qianye possessed Venus Dawn from the beginning, Duke Wei still couldnt help but be moved by the sight of it. Legend said that Venus Dawn was the closest origin attribute to Daybreak barring none. Its strength came from its near-absolute purity, and there was almost no special origin power that countered it at all. The only origin power that was similar to it was the Evernight Dark of Evernight. Venus Dawn and Evernight Dark represented the pinnacle of Daybreak and Evernight. One was infinite light, and the other was eternal darkness. Their qualities might differ, but their strength was equal. The fact that Qianye possessed the origin power of Venus Dawn made his fair victory over Zhao Junhong a lot easier to swallow. Moreover, the VIPs also noticed that Zhao Junhong had only activated his sixth origin node at the last moment. This meant that five silver sword auras in five of his origin nodes werent his true limit and that he had been suppressing his power all this time to fight Qianye on equal rank. Count Huayang was the first to clap in praise, If Zhao Weihuangs son can maintain his fair, honest and dignified way of life, he will definitely grow to become a great person in the future."Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 168: Signs of Change [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Right now, the name Qian Xiaoye was displayed as the victor on the virtual display. The uproar that had overwhelmed the entire proving grounds hadnt subsided just yet. Qianye turned around to look at Zhao Junhong outside the ring. The man tried to clamber up but fell a second time before he could stand up properly. His personal attendants were already pushing open a path through the crowd and running towards him. That being said, Zhao Junhong didnt look like he was heavily injured, and he was probably just temporarily out of strength because his origin defense was broken apart earlier. Of course, if Steward Wen hadnt blocked the follow-up and allowed Zhao Junhong to suffer the brunt of a complete origin tidal strike instead, there was no telling what might''ve happened. Qianye finally let out a sigh of relief upon learning that Zhao Junhong was well. Then his vision turned black, and he collapsed to the ground and fainted just like that. This turn of event surprised even Steward Wen, and he tried to walk towards Qianye after the momentary surprise had passed. Qiqi immediately jumped into the ring and ran full speed towards Qianye, holding him in her arms before Director Wen could do so. The Yin Family bodyguard who was well versed in battlefield medical care appeared right after and gave Qianye a swift but thorough medical inspection. By now Zhao Junhong had already been helped to his feet. After seeing Yin Qiqis movements, he couldnt help but feel that she was guarding against Steward Wen for some reason. His eyebrows jumped once almost indiscernibly before he whispered something quietly to one of his personal attendants. The attendant nodded and immediately ran into the proving grounds. This attendant of Zhao Junhongs was a professional doctor, and his skills were a lot more holistic than the Yin clan bodyguard whose focus of study was in treating external wounds. After explaining his intentions to Qiqi and obtaining her nodding permission, he waited until she moved out of the way before checking on Qianyes condition. Hes okay, he simply used too much origin power and blacked out because of it. Hell be fine after resting for a few days. Steward Wen nodded and allowed Qiqi, the Yin Family attendant and the Zhao Family attendant to carry Qianye away. By now Duke Wei was standing up on the grandstand and spreading his voice to every corner of the area using origin power. He briefly talked about a few things, encouraged everyone to do better in the future and declared the end of the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt just like that. This terms Profound Heaven Spring Hunt was filled with surprises starting from the hunt all the way to the one on one tournament. A rank five commoner level bodyguard had beaten the competition to became the new star of the tournament. No matter how lucky his progress was, or how big of a fluke his final victory had been, there was no denying that he was the one who claimed the final victory. That being said, the person who truly shone during this spring hunt was the supposedly averagely talented second son of the Zhao Household. If even this level of talent and strength were only considered average, then they couldnt imagine just how amazing the current young generation of the Zhao Household really was. The dukes, marquises, and counts with keen perception thought they caught the signs of a storm brewing at the recently peaceful imperial court once more. When Qianye talked about this with Song Zining, Song Zining laughed at those people instead. Most people in the world loved following the herd, so they thought that Zhao Junhong was average and common the moment they heard the rumors. However, they never once thought exactly what standards Zhao Junhong was judged with to have obtained this review. They never wondered what kind of review they themselves would get if they were judged by the same standards. Ultimately, this was as far as the horizons of a wealthy countryside landlord spanned. Short-sightedness didnt stop these people from using their minuscule bit of experience to point out the great economic trends of a province or even an entire country, however. Those were all the things that happened on the surface. Beneath the surface, the mysterious banker who appeared prior to the finals was the biggest winner of this terms Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. That was because this banker had invested more than a thousand gold coins, attracting many gamblers to follow with the trend and bet against it. A thousand gold coins were enough to purchase a regular rank five origin gun at the upper continents, so this banker could be called a true hero already for spending this much money on a temporary gambling scene between attendants, bodyguards, and servants. However, not only did this person bet such a huge sum of money on a rank five contestant who won his quarterfinals and semifinals match almost for free because they bore wounds from their previous battles, he actually won the bet too! This person had won more than thirty thousand gold coins just from the main betting pool alone! Naturally, the gambling scene that happened right at the spring hunts great camp didnt escape Duke Weis attention. When his attendants told him about the extraordinary outcome of the betting pools as a joke last night, he immediately instructed his men to investigate this mysterious banker. The person who entered his vision was a rank seven bodyguard named Song Ge in the Song Household. This bodyguard possessed extremely holistic abilities, and his martial strength was at the peak of rank seven. None of these details were important, however, what was important was the fact that a bodyguard couldnt possibly produce a sum of more than a thousand gold coins in one go. Therefore, the true mastermind behind this incident was pretty obvious. Did Song Zining do all this? Duke Wei recalled the extraordinary attention Marquis Yiguang paid to Song Zining and the strange concession he made during the semifinals of the one on one tournament. He refused to believe that this outcome was the result of a coincidence no matter what. But when Duke Wei requested his subordinates to collect more intel, they witnessed the conflict between the Song and the Yin Family in the process. It was only then that he learned that this Qian Xiaoye had directly caused Song Zining and Yin Qiqi to turn hostile. However, Duke Wei was not someone who would be fooled by the veil of male-female relationship cast over this matter. He had heard of the internal conflicts between the Song Family and the Yin Family before this, and it was obvious to him that both sides were using Qian Xiaoye as a pawn to make their plans. The final outcome of this finals caused Duke Wei to return to his study and look through the intel his subordinates had collected once more. He was thinking of one thing only, and that was whether the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art that no one had successfully cultivated for several hundred years really was the equal to the Art of Heavens Mystery as claimed in legends. If the answer was yes, then it was a more terrifying news than the tale of a so-called average Zhao Household descendant outshining all other outstanding aristocratic descendants. The fact that Song Zining gave a pawn such unusual treatment and betted so much money on him in secret meant that he must have noticed his potential since a long while ago. There was no way it was the result of a whim or the happenstance of courage and luck. At this point, Duke Wei could guess a little of Marquis Yiguangs attention. If the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art really was as amazing as the legend says, then Song Zinings value was practically immeasurable. Anyone who had him would be able to unearth and bring new talents to their own cause without end. A perfect example already existed within the empire: Lin Xitang. Not only did Lin Xitang possess extraordinary power, he was the only person in an aristocratic family to be promoted as a marshal with his great mastery of the Art of Heavens Mystery. Moreover, he had countless disciples within the army and across all over the Empire, and no talent who came into his sights ever went by unearthed. The amount of capable and brave personnel he commanded was endless, and the Lin Familys power grew by leaps as bounds as a result. In just twenty years time, the Lin Family grew from a small and mediocre aristocratic family into an upper-rank family. If another person like Lin Xitang were to appear in the Empire, but was the son of a grand household instead, the shape of the imperial court might be changed yet again! Duke Wei pondered for a moment before flicking a small, bronze bell on his table. A moment later, a scholarly looking middle-aged man walked into the study and asked, Do you need me, my duke? Please have a seat, Teacher Ji. We will speak after you test the new tea leaves Ive just gotten, Duke Wei spoke pleasantly before this middle-aged man. Whatever bearing he used to carry himself with as the duke was completely gone. Teacher Ji swallowed a mouthful of hot tea before closing his eyes in quiet reflection. Finally, he sighed, What amazing tea! I have half a kilo of tea leaves right now. Ill send someone to pack it and deliver it to your place, Teacher Ji. Teacher Ji smiled, Thank you very much for your kindness, my duke. Now, it is only right that I serve you once in repayment of the amazing tea you served me, is it not? May I ask what you have summoned me for, my duke? Duke Wei said, I would like to hear about your view about this entire spring hunt. Teacher Ji answered with a smile, Someone in your service would automatically select and recruit the talents that exist within the landed gentry and humble born, so youre probably inquiring about the descendants of those families, arent you? Of course, I dont need to tell you about Zhao Junhong. Song Zining and Wei Qiyang are pretty interesting characters too. Duke Wei looked a little surprised, It is true that I cant quite see through the seventh son of the Song Family, and he is the one I wish to consult your intelligence about. But Wei Qiyang? Heh, the Far East Wei Clan is famous for their unusual education methods, and there is no doubt that Wei Qiyang possesses extraordinary talent. However, hes also a rude, impetuous, and unreasonable youth who carries himself like the common folk. I would never imagine that he would turn out like this. Isnt the Wei Family afraid that he would eventually cause some huge troubles if he keeps this up? Teacher Ji seemed to know that Duke Wei would think this way from the start, and so he immediately assumed a serious expression and said, Wei Qiyang is an extraordinarily talented kid who might grow into a marshal in the future. This is something everyone knew since the day the Wei Family bestowed upon him the title of heir. I noticed that a lot of people started to look down on the Wei Family because of their heirs temperament, but they didnt realize that Wei Qiyangs behavior and conduct perfectly matches the mental state demanded by the secret art Thousand Mountains. Wei Qiyang goes where his heart leads him to, and if his cultivation could keep up then it is only a matter of time before he grows into a true Chosen One! The fact that his talent and mental state complements each other well may mean that there is still room for growth left in him. Teacher Ji paused for a moment before saying, Duke Wei, please remember that victory by strength is a law. Duke Weis expression immediately changed upon hearing this. There was exactly one such person who carried himself without any scruples and did whatever he felt like. He was a man who crushes through all obstacles by force and was restrained by almost no one in the entire Empire. His name was Zhao Boqian, and he was a marshal of the Empire. The only person to ever make Zhao Boqian feel impotent was Lin Xitang with his flawless schemes and his ability to identify a key moment with the Art of Heavens Mystery. Empire''s Twin Paragons shared the same emperor, and although they belonged to different factions they appeared amiable on the surface, they never went fully hostile against each other. That being said, they had crossed swords in private, and Zhao Boqian was the one who suffered small losses in many of their secret clashes. This outcome was related to their natural temperaments. Zhao Boqian was not good at employing schemes and trickery, and most of his aides were fierce generals who were better off storming the battlefields than playing the court. None of his men were Lin Xitangs match. That being said, if the twin paragons were to bring their conflict onto a battlefield, then Zhao Boqian would be the one favored to win. Duke Wei pondered for a long time before asking, The Wei Familys current heir really possesses this much potential? The Far East Wei Clan has always stood out from the other aristocratic families, and they are only growing more and more low key as of late. But the fact that they dare declare their heir this early and aim as far as a marshals seat proved just how far-reaching the game theyre playing at. Wei Qiyang may one day attain your level of height, my duke. Duke Wei nodded slowly, If you say so, then I suppose that the Wei Family is worth my friendship. In fact, why dont Teacher Ji obviously knew what Duke Wei was going to say, and he cut him off without any fear of trespassing the line at all and said, Make friends, yes; but make bets as big as the one youre suggesting? Im afraid not, my duke. Neither your daughter nor your granddaughter is worthy of being the partner of the Wei Familys future patriarch. Duke Wei smiled wryly in response. Teacher Ji was a blunt man, to say the least, but he was also one of the few people who was willing to speak the truth before him. Duke Wei struck gold when he was young, and he obtained status and prestige just when he hit his middle age. His life had always been smooth sailing, and his seat was only getting higher and higher. However, the higher he climbed, the fewer truths he was able to hear. That was why Duke Wei respected and treated Teacher Ji so courteously all this time. Duke Wei immediately asked the next question, What about Song Zining. I have some of his intel with me, but I wasnt able to make sense despite studying it for a long time.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 169: Reward [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Teacher Ji listened to Duke Weis question and looked through the documents seriously, That is exactly why Ive mentioned both Song Zining and Marquis Bowangs heir on the same note! Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang came to Duke Weis mind, followed by Wei Qiyang and Song Zining. He then recalled that his subordinates once told him that Wei Qiyang and Song Zinings relationship seemed a little awkward due to Yin Qiqi. Finally, he went through the Song, Wei, and Yin Familys relationship and the stance they assumed at the imperial court. He couldnt help but gasp in his mind at the end of all this despite his dignity as a duke. By now Teacher Ji had looked through all of Song Zinings documents, and he said, Song Zinings fortune runs in a strange way that even I cant quite see through. He was either born with an unusual talent, or he cultivated a kind of secret art that obscures it, or both. The Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art is the reason he became the successor candidate of the Song Household, and it is probably also why his fortune is obscure. Marquis Yiguang had purposely come to see him, but he seems to be dissatisfied with his temperament. Teacher Ji sneered, Song Zining may be young, but he has successfully cultivated a secret art, has he not? Of course, its not easy to see through someone like that. You shouldve noticed it too, Duke Wei; Song Zining never employed his full strength from the start to the end. In fact, he showed only a glimpse of his skills in two aspects: battlefield command, and gambling. Duke Wei pondered for a moment before nodding, What meaning do you see from his actions, teacher? This time Teacher Ji spent some time to organize his thoughts before saying, I heard that the Song Households direct line of descent has always had great difficulty in producing a son due to the characteristics of their bloodline. But even then, they never failed to hold onto their authority and suppressed their collateral relatives completely. Duke Wei nodded slightly. This wasnt really a secret between the households and aristocratic families. Teacher Ji sighed, Song Zining is a son of the direct line of descent himself, but you only need to look at the familys decision to engage him with a landowning household to know that his status in the Song Household must be extremely awkward. Speaking of which, I have a suggestion that Id like to make. If you really have plans for Song Zining, Duke Wei, may I suggest that you mull over the requirements of the marriage carefully? For example, splitting the family may not be a bad idea! Duke Weis face changed the moment he heard this. Silence took over the study for a moment. Splitting a family was a matter of great importance to all families. If a grand household like the Song Family wished to do the same, they even had to report to the imperial family first before they could do anything. Song Zining was a son of the direct line of descent to begin with, and if he really was capable enough to split away from the family and establish his own, the new familys status would definitely stand above their collateral relatives. It would be a difficult path to tread, but it was also one of great profit. Duke Wei said slowly, It is a pity that Song Zining is already engaged. Teacher Ji smiled and said nothing, bowing his head and taking another sip of tea. Duke Wei was obviously enticed by the suggestion, and his comment shouldnt be taken seriously. After all, what was a marriage with a landowning household if he really could garner such profits? The suggestion wasnt unbeneficial to the Song Household either. Long-term wise, it is true that the branch that was split from the direct line of descent of the family may come to threaten the main family in the future. However, if Song Zining grew powerful enough to become a household head in the next twenty years or so, then splitting the family may be the lowest price to pay to reduce the internal friction within the Song Household to a minimum. Duke Wei switched to another topic, You havent mentioned that Qian Xiaoye, teacher. His performance in both actual combat and the tournament was excellent, and he possesses a top rate talent like Venus Dawn too. Teacher Ji smiled, Are you testing your student, Duke Wei? There are three reasons why this child shouldnt be used. One, it is true that he has great talent, but it has also been completely depleted by the Combatant Formula already. The fact that he is a Fighter King and possesses twice the amount of origin power compared to a normal person prove that his room to grow has been completely spent. Also, his Venus Dawn is Venus first, followed by infinite dawn and not the other way around. From the fact that his Venus Dawn hasnt reached the true state of Venus Dawn, we know that he no longer has any chance of improving further. At best, he would become a Champion and no further. Duke Wei nodded repeatedly and thoughtfully at Teacher Jis comments. Two, the rumors that he is born in the abandoned lands is likely true considering his behavior and conduct. It gave him a wild and reckless personality that is difficult to tame. Not only had he offended someone like Zhao Junhong, he even triggered a conflict between the Yin and Song Family. No matter what those two families are planning, it didnt change the fact that he is the trigger who started it all. A person like this may be a good blade, but you are not lacking in blades at your current position. What you lack are hands that can wield such blades well. After that, Teacher Ji broke into a laugh and said, As for three, well hes a Yin Family subordinate right now, and the juniors of the Yin and Song Family are in conflict with each other because of him. Surely you arent going to lower your stature interfere with the childish game of juniors, are you? Duke Wei laughed the same as cupped his hands, You are very right, Teacher. Thank you very much for your teachings. An entire day and night passed before Qianye finally woke up, and the moment he did the feeling of having exhausted his origin power hit him so hard that the look on his face changed. He felt as if there were countless insects gnawing at every part of his nerves and internal organs. Itchiness, numbness, and aches filled every part of his body with indescribable pain, not to mention that there was the empty feeling that made him felt like he would fall through the ground at any moment. The repercussions of forcing the Combatant Formula to go over thirty-six cycles and unleashing the origin tides were extremely obvious. Tiny wounds could be found everywhere inside his body, although thankfully his internal organs hadnt been damaged beyond reparation. He was lucky that he got the best outcome out of a bad situation. Every blood energy inside his body was in an extremely fragile state. Even the gold blood energy had shrunk to half its original size, while the normal and purple blood energy were as thin as hair. They hid inside the deepest part of his heart and moved not a millimeter. The gold blood energy seemed to have gotten used to acting independently as it orbited his heart, but even it was listless and slow. After he was done inspecting his body, Qianye exhaled a sigh of relief and slowly sat up. Are you awake? The maid lying her head on his bed was dozing off until Qianyes movements woke her up from her sleep. She cried out towards outside with an overjoyed expression, Captain Qian has awakened! Inform the Miss quickly! The maid helped Qianye to sit up on his bed before carrying over the food she had prepared and kept hot since a long time ago so he could fill his stomach. A while later, Qiqi rushed into the room. Her eyes lit up instantly the moment she saw Qianye. She climbed onto his bed without any restraint and brushed a hand across his face once, praising, Well done! You make me so proud. I never knew your Venus Dawn is so powerful that it could beat even Zhao Junhongs Silver Sword Finger! Qianye gave her a wry smile and answered honestly, I wouldve lost if he hadnt kept his promise and kept his origin power at rank five. But of course! Zhao isnt a kid anymore, how embarrassing would it be if he took advantage of you like this? Qiqi said matter-of-factly. But Qianye knew what his Venus Dawn was no Venus Dawn at all. One might say that his origin power shared no similarities to Venus Dawn except for the golden sparks at the end. The real power that defeated Zhao Junhong was the mad tide of the thirty-sixth cycle of the Combatant Formula. Cold sweat appeared behind Qianyes back when he recalled the final strike of the decisive match once more. If the gold blood energy hadnt entered the origin tide, he wouldnt have been able to reach the thirty-sixth cycle of the Combatant Formula at all. If that really happened, the backfire of the origin tide alone wouldve been enough to seriously wound him. But why was the gold blood energy able to increase his control over Daybreak origin power? Qiqi slapped Qianyes back once heavily before asking, What are you thinking again? Why do you look like youve gotten a little stupid after you caught some internal damage? Qianye was amused by the way she asked her question. He answered, This so-called victory is a total fluke. If he was able to block my final strike, I wouldve been severely wounded by my own power without him lifting a finger. The reality is Im not strong enough to beat him for real right now. Zhao Junhongs combat strength was holistic, and he had no obvious weakness in any department. It was obvious that he wished to fight Qianye at his strongest domain after witnessing Qianyes fighting style, which was why they had engaged in melee from the start before transiting almost immediately to a battle of origin power. Moreover, the characteristics of Zhao Junhongs secret combat technique made it clear that he had the range of a short weapon despite not wielding not any weapons in a hand-to-hand combat. This enabled him to use even an even greater combination of combat tactics. Qiqi shrugged, Youre just too honest. You won, so why dwell on it so much? To Qiqi, the rules of the game were set and agreed upon by both parties, so there was nothing to dispute about a victory like this. She pointed at a pile of objects carried in by the maid behind her, Lets have a look at your prize, shall we? Qiqi grabbed over a crystal box and a medal, saying, Zhao Junhong left this morning, and this is his gift to you for beating him. This medal is the prize for second place. You can use this to grab your prize from Duke Weis warehouse. This box here contains the medicine Zhao Junhong delivered over. Since his medicine is better than mine, I applied more than half of them on you. Qianyes face immediately changed when he saw the crystalline box. It was a transparent box about three fingers wide, and it was small enough to be hidden completely inside ones fist. A flower that looked like a rose was engraved on the boxs surface, and the workmanship was absolutely stunning. Once upon a time, he possessed an identical box that contained three Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. Qiqi didnt notice the odd look on Qianyes face because his head was half lowered. She turned around and grabbed a normal box this time, This is the additional prize Steward Wen gave you for the talent inspection that day. It is supposedly some origin medicine thats specifically targeted at your condition, but I didnt dare to use it on you. Although Ive asked someone to verify that its safe for use, its still better to be safe than sorry. Qianye picked up the crystalline box. A wide little bottle was currently fixed inside the box, and it contained half of something that looked like blue mist. He touched the box gently and stared carefully at every detail, comparing the box before his eyes and the one in his memory, Is this the Zhao Households symbol? Qiqi shook her head and answered, The Swallow Cloud Zhao clans family symbol is a swallow cloud armored horse. Maybe its something his family prepared for him initially? Noticing that Qianye was paying extra attention to the box, she couldnt help but gave it a careful look before exclaiming, Red Spider Lily? Qianye leaned over and grabbed a different medal from the tray the maid was holding, Is this my prize for winning the tournament? Qiqis attention was diverted by his question, Yeah, I have to say that your reward this time is pretty sizable. Guns, equipment, accessories, anything. As mentioned here, you can choose whatever you want. Qiqi dropped a thick stack of documents into Qianyes lap. Qianye flipped through the documents briefly. They were origin gun manufacturing plans with hundreds of different combinations. There were also hundreds of tactical accessories and all kinds of origin equipment in the documents. It would take at least half a day to look through these documents. Tell me your choices as soon as you can. Its best if you can wrap up tonight! Qiqi said in a bustling manner. Qianye looked at the color of the sky and was surprised by his discovery. It was already night time, Isnt this a little too hurried? Qiqi waved a hand in response, Im about to be bored to death in this hellhole. You will deal with these plans tonight and send them to Duke Weis workshop tomorrow morning! Qianye was just about to say something when he suddenly heard some noise outside the door. The noise was growing louder and louder. It sounded like someone was fighting with origin power.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 170: Discussion part 1 Chapter 170: Discussion (part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianyes room was the last one in the terraced building, so the commotion shouldnt have reached his doors even if there were minor conflicts between the Yin familys staff and guards. Qiqis eyebrows rose after hearing the ruckus outside. She jumped out of bed and swiftly rushed out. Her voice rang out almost immediately afterwards, What do you two think youre doing in my camp!? Two grown men causing such a ruckus in the dead of night! Dont you feel youve chosen the wrong place for an open battle? Qianye couldnt help rubbing his temples after hearing Qiqis voice. Meanwhile, the area outside his room was suffused with origin energy. Even Qiqi didnt dare to rush hastily into the midst of the clashing blue and yellow lights. There wasnt a soul in their immediate vicinity, but one could see moving silhouettes around the distant path leading toward the inner courtyard entrance. Judging from their uniforms, it seemed that the guards of the Song, Wei and Yin families were all present but apparently none dared to wade into these troubled waters. The two combatants had turned a deaf ear to everything going on around them. Song Zinings palm pushed forth to clash against Wei Potians fist. The impact resulted in a loud rumble that forced the both of them back. Song Zinings voice was cold and firm as he said, Wei, was our fight in the arena not enough for you? These words increased Wei Potians agitation and caused his eyes to suddenly turn red. The other day, he had lost with unprecedented misery in the arena. In the past, he would still be able to return a few fierce blows even when he fought against people like Qiqi whose skills were able to restrain him. This shameless Song Zining, however, did nothing but dodge throughout the entirety of the battle. As the fight progressed, Wei Potian truly began to hope Song Zining would deal him a ruthless blowit wouldve been the better outcome even if his Thousand Mountains was brokenbut Song Zining kept dragging on until in the end, he collapsed like a dead dog! This battle made Wei Potian feel like an absolute idiot! With a deep roar, Wei Potian expanded the Thousand Mountains radiance to form the silhouette of a mountain range. His combat strategy had also changed substantially. He kept true to his own pace and threw out simple punches left and right, no longer trying to chase after Song Zinings elusive figure. His attacks even looked somewhat clumsy at a glance, seemingly missing every strike and would land quite far from Song Zinings figure at times. However, Song Zining had surprisingly lost the advantageous position he possessed back in the arena. He was soon forced into a direct clash which sent both combatants staggering a few steps backward. Wei Potian was relatively unscathed from this exchange. Song Zining, on the other hand, was left with his blood and qi churning wildly. Even he couldnt come out unscathed after forcefully receiving the Sky Shattering Bright Fist delivered during the Thousand Mountains state. Song Zining frowned. This was the third time he had exchanged open blows with Wei Potian, and the latters improvement each time was nothing short of rapid. Apparently, the Wei clan had dispatched their scion to the spring hunt in order to nurture his talents in battle along with an expert to tutor him after each fight. That was how he learned such a restraining move. Suddenly, scattered fallen leaves rained down as Song Zining extended his hands and circulated his secret technique. Sure enough, Wei Potians movements were impeded as if he was walking through a swamp. His attacks, however, still maintained their rhythmhe now had his own strategy and was no longer being led by the nose. Song Zining lost his patience after exchanging blows for several rounds. The ruthlessness within his furious eyes intensified as a stream of falling leaves suddenly appeared like unsheathed blades. A cold and somber intent rapidly inundated the atmosphere. Qiqis expression slightly changed the moment she saw Qianye who had just walked out of his room. She hauled him over and shouted, Ill fling Little Ye in if you two dont stop! Wei Potian was shocked. He immediately withdrew his fist, knowing nothing was out of the question for this crazy lass. Song Zinings imposing figure was surrounded by fallen leaves rapidly rotating around him like thin blades, flickering with a cold and sharp radiance. Only after a while did he disperse them with a flick of his sleeve whereupon they vanished entirely. Qiqi extended her hand to touch Qianyes face as she spoke in an almost disappointed tone, I knew these words would be effective! Qianye quickly reacted this time and moved away as soon as she raised her hand. Qiqi, whats the meaning of this? Qiqi immediately recovered her usual demeanor. She chuckled and replied mischievously, I meant it literally of course! Without waiting for a reply, she proceeded to dismiss her maids and waved toward Wei Potian and Song Zining. I know you two came to visit Little Ye so Ill give you some space! Qiqi suddenly turned back midway and called out, Little Ye, remember to come to my room tonight after sending off the two young masters! What for? Qianye asked grumpily. He was quite upset at Qiqi whose only aim was to create more trouble. To sleep together, of course! Qiqi laughed in a voice so loud that likely everyone in the compound had heard her. After closing the door, Wei Potian immediately glanced at Qianye with a naughty expression and asked excitedly, Dont tell me what Qiqi said just now is the truth? What truth? About sleeping together, of course! We have indeed slept together before. What of it? Qianye appeared puzzled. Wei Potian unexpectedly slapped his thighs and cried out, Youve really slept with her?! Qianye glared at him and inquired suspiciously, What are you so excited about? Wei Potian laughed mischievously, That woman, Qiqi, always bullied me since we were young, and Ive had to endure all this time because I couldnt beat her. The elders said that, because Im two years her junior, I would need to wait until I reach the champion rank before I can suppress her. I have broken through recently and might not need to wait that long though. Who wouldve thought you were able to conquer that violent woman right away? Its naturally quite satisfying! Qianye was flabbergasted after hearing the Wei familys heir speaking such vulgar words and even bragging about himself as if it was all right and proper. He replied curtly, Shes not my woman. Shes my boss! Youve even slept with her. Why are you denying that shes your woman? We only slept together. Sleep! Understand? Wei Potians eyes went wide. Sleep? Qianye nodded. You meant literally? Nonsense, what else!? Wei Potian appeared greatly disappointed. Are you even a ma urgh.... The Wei scion at least managed to stop himself from uttering the last word after sensing the abrupt murderous intent. Idiot. A muffled yet delightful laugh came through at this point. Song Zining had long since taken a seat, poured himself a cup of tea and was watching the comedic play the whole time before commenting just at the right moment. Wei Potian suddenly turned around and only then did he notice a third person in the room. Song Zining spoke indifferently without waiting for the formers angry retort, Qianye, Ive managed to obtain some useful information that might prove useful to you since youve already made up your mind to return to the Evernight Continent. Wei Potian forgot about bickering with Song Zining after hearing this. Little Ye, youre going back to the Evernight Continent!? Song Zining cut in, Qianye has an enemy there that he needs to take care of. An enemy? Ill slaughter whoever dares to bully you! Hes nothing muchonly a brigadier-general of the expeditionary army. A mere brigadier-general isnt enough to enter my eyes! Your daddy can crush him with a single finger. Itll be as easy as squishing an ant! Wei Potian thumped his chest and met Qianyes doubtful gaze. The expeditionary army brigadier-generals are only late stage champions, and I have more than enough people who can slaughter him. These words sounded logical. It wouldnt be difficult for an aristocratic family to kill a brigadier-general if one were to solely compare martial capacity. This was especially true for scions like Song Zining and Wei Potian who had already grasped a certain level of authority within their clan and had no shortage of champion level guards at their side. Song Zining merely chuckled. Indeed, a mere brigadier-general of the expeditionary army is nothing before Marquis Bowangs heir. The Far East Wei Clan has enough talented personnel to take over that garrison area. He added after some thought, Its only a rank three garrison. At this point, Qianye had finally discovered that something fishy was going on. He grasped Wei Potians shoulder and stopped him from speaking before replying firmly, Ning, I know its going to be a difficult task. Theres also no need to accomplish it immediately. Ill naturally find a way to finish him off after I become a champion. I dont wish to drag the both of you into this! The room became momentarily silent. They knew, from Qianyes words, that he planned to perform the assassination himself. Wei Potian slapped the table and said, Im indeed not capable enough to eliminate a division commander. Why dont you and I just rush into his office and kill him directly? Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Qianye patted Wei Potians shoulder and replied, At our current level, well die without a doubt if we rushed to Wu Zhengnans place. Dammit, dont be too serious about life and death. Just kill when youre dissatisfied! So what if we throw our lives away? Wei Potians temper had surfaced. Nothing will happen if I throw mine away, but the Wei clan wont let me off so easily if you do. Its settled, well stop talking about this matter here! Wei Potian immediately recovered his composure. He now understood that there was a reason why Song Zining had brought this matter up in his presence. He glanced at Song Zining, who returned the gaze with a frustratingly enigmatic expression, before turning towards Qianye. Little Ye, why did you have to find this useless person to discuss matters?! Wei Potian was becoming increasingly indignant. It was as if his image as a pampered young master couldn''t be washed away since they first met during the recruitment many years ago. I didnt Qianye wanted to say that he had just mentioned it casually because Song Zining had asked. Thats naturally because Im more dependable, Song Zining interrupted. This time, Wei Potian didnt blow his top. He thoughtfully stared at Song Zining before saying, Little Ye, it seems youve known him since long ago? He followed up with another question without waiting for an answer, Is that division commander a field commander or a dispatch commander? What did he do? Song Zining slowly gave them all the information he had gathered in the recent days with Wei Potian interrupting with a few questions every now and then. Qianye finally understood why Song Zining wanted to drag Wei Potian into this matter all along. It appeared that toppling Wu Zhengnan involved a great deal of work. The empires policy towards the expeditionary army was akin to breeding. They were tasked to establish a defensive border within a certain perimeter while being granted only half the supplies compared to the regular army. The empire cared little about the methods utilized by the expeditionary army in order to accomplish this. As far as the Ministry of Military Affairs was concerned, this was within the scope of their normal duties. Only when the Ministry issued commands for special operations like a major battle with the dark races or when certain other corps happened to be dispatched to the Evernight Continent would they receive some attention. Sometimes, they would even receive extra funds or supplies. The word Ұ, literally meaning battle in the wilds, is also used to describe outdoor sex. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 171: Discussion part 2 Chapter 171: Discussion (part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The expeditionary army adopts a similar administrative model to govern their various subordinate forces. Divisions comprise the most basic strategic units and were divided into field divisions and dispatch divisions. The field divisions were in charge of defending the battlefront like the 55th and 58th divisions who fought against the dark races in the battle of Earth Castle. Dispatch divisions, on the other hand, were tasked with the defense of fortified cities like Blackflow City and Darkblood City. Wu Zhengnans 7th division belonged to the latter type. The humans and dark races of the Evernight Continent fought frequently and changes in territory were rather common. The gain or loss of some villages wouldnt affect the overall situation. The cities, however, served as cornerstones of the human races defensive perimeter. Unlike the territories in the vast wilderness, they were crucial for the transport of supplies and the distribution of stationed troops. Therefore, if they wanted to eliminate Wu Zhengnan, they would have to find a way to take over the 7th divisions defensive duties and prevent the area from falling into the hands of the dark race. This wasnt simply to avoid negative consequences. Every human was duty-bound to avoid harming the safety and interests of the empire, regardless of the infighting. Only this way, in addition to Wu Zhengnans involvement in the smuggling of strategic resources and the pressure from the aristocratic families, would the higher-ups of the Expeditionary Army be willing to turn a blind eye. Additionally, black crystals are strategic resources tightly controlled by the empire. The fact Wu Zhengnan was capable of smuggling them proved that a profitable organization had already formed behind him. If they failed to uproot the whole smuggling chain, another agent would appear after they got rid of Wu Zhengnaninevitable retaliation and repercussions would soon follow. Qianye laughed wryly after hearing all of this. Killing Wu Zhengnan is no different from dissolving the 7th division since nearly half the troops were recruited by him through various means. Doesnt it mean that the 7th division is already half his personal army? Song Zining nodded. The case is indeed quite troublesome but not entirely impossible. Wu Zhengnans smuggling of humans and black crystals is something the imperial military absolutely wouldnt tolerate. There shouldnt be anyone willing to speak up for him as long as we can take care of the matters regarding defense. Qianye frowned in silence. It would be impossible for him to defend a whole city even if he advanced to become a champion. Song Zining said, Dont worry about the matters regarding the black crystals. There are subtle differences even among crystals of the same cut and size. Professionals are able to discern the differences between the crystals produced from different ore veins, thus, every piece of black crystal can be traced to their source after some appraisal. We can then follow the clues to find their channel of distribution. Ive been involved in the industry for a few years now and have some contacts. Well first suppress the people behind Wu Zhengnan to avoid a counterattack. Qianye shook his head. Song Zinings words made it seem simple, but he knew it wouldnt be so easy to deal with the powers associated with the massive profits brought by the black crystals. The risk was self-evident. In the end, this is my personal matter. How can I let you expose yourselves to such danger? At this time, Wei Potian slapped his thighs. This daddy doesnt believe he cant destroy a tiny division commander! He straightened his posture, cast a sidelong glance at Song Zining, then said, Little Ye, you should know that Im the heir of Marquis Bowang! The amount of resources I can mobilize is only second to my grandmother and the clan head. But the clan head is my father, so his authority is also mine! Rest assured, Ill definitely think of a way to deal with that coward. Im going to have to return home anyway. Just wait for the good news! Wei Potian then got up, said his farewells, and walked out heroically. It almost seemed as if he would go and drag Wu Zhengnan down overnight. Qianye was astonished by Wei Potians sudden words, but the highly enthusiastic Wei Clan heir could no longer be dissuaded as he swaggered out on his own. After closing the door, a troubled Qianye asked, Why did you do that? He had naturally seen through the fact that Song Zinings words had hidden implications. The latter had grasped Wei Potians character and effectively manipulated him. Song Zining laughed. I know you wont give up on this matter, so its better I find some other methods instead of letting you take this risk. Besides, killing Wu Zhengnan really isnt a big deal. The difficult part is dealing with the aftermath. Neither of us can accomplish this on our own, but its possible if all three of us work together. Qianye was never good with words and was momentarily at a loss for what to say. Song Zining smiled faintly as if he had seen through Qianyes troubles. This fellow, Wei Potian, likes to brag and is inflexible when handling matters, but hes anything but dumb. Hell find a way to get things done since he has given his word. Regardless of whether he throws a tantrum or acts coy, as long as hes able to mobilize his familys connections in the army, Wu Zhengnan will get his just deserts. As for the price, his father is the regional lord who rules over an entire province and has no lack of money or resources. You dont need to help him conserve the wealth of his family. Qianye forced a smile. Zining, Potian isnt such a bad person. He was puzzled about the increasing hostility between the two. Song Zining only shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the door. Ill be leaving tomorrow. You should return to Evernight Continent first. Ill also head over before long. Ill find a way to get in touch with you when I arrive. He paused for a bit when he passed by Qianye and said, Qianye, stop worrying about other peoples matters while shouldering your own in solitude. Friends are there to be used. Qianye smiled faintly and replied, You take care too. Song Zining winked. That settles things. Its getting late and Miss Qiqi is waiting for you to sleep with her! Qianyes expression suddenly turned dark. His touched mood from just now had completely disappeared. Song Zining only laughed out loud and left swiftly. After seeing the two off, Qianye sat down to go through the list of firearms and equipment provided by the Duke Wei Residence. He only explored the documents related to origin firearms, tactical accessories, and melee weapons because the contents were simply too expansive and he had already formed a general idea of what he wanted. The upper limit of the custom-made grade 5 gun was 3000 gold coins. Its design options required the user to first choose a primary attribute such as power, range, or special abilities before having a master craftsman perform the fine adjustments according to the users actual attributes. Every modification had a corresponding price list attached to it. Even among origin arrays, the prices would differ between different gun types. For instance, it would cost several times more if one wished to extend the range of a pistol by 10 meters than it would a sniper rifle. Qianye, however, put away the documents after obtaining a general understanding of the various design options. He then took up the list of tactical accessories and browsed through the whole catalogue. He was satisfied by the contents as they were all exceptional grade six accessories. The other document was a list of melee weapons, most of them at the fourth grade. Grade four melee weapons usually cost more than normal grade six firearms as they were far more demanding in terms of material quality. After all, the standards of human-built weapons were still far below that of the dark races. This also reflected the different directions in which the humans and dark races had developed. The Great Qin Empire focused on origin firearms that could be adequately utilized by low ranking warriors. Naturally, this was also influenced by demographics. In contrast, the dark races traditionally worshipped the strong and most of them enjoyed killing with blades. In addition, the role of ordinary origin firearms would diminish greatly as they reached higher ranks. Not so surprisingly, Qianye found several weapons produced by the dark races within the list of melee weapons. There was no shortage of quality items among them, and even a grade five weapon appeared in the list. However, the weapons produced by the dark races required darkness energy to draw out their full potential. In the hands of a human, a grade five weapon would only be able to unleash power equal to a grade four weapon at best. Someone suddenly knocked on Qianyes door. Qiqis maid smiled charmingly and said, Miss Qiqi instructed me to come over and take a look. She asks that you go to her room immediately when youre done here. Qianye gave it some thought, collected the documents, and proceeded to follow the maid toward the main building. The lights in the external study were still on at this time. Qiqis voice came through from inside, Lock the door and come over. Lock the door? However, Qianye knew, from his experience, that it was useless to voice his objections and might lead to even more flirtatious remarks. Qiqi was dressed in an old-fashioned robe tied at the waist by a silk belt, accentuating her elegant figure. She was leaning lazily on the chair. The moment Qianye entered, her gaze was immediately drawn to his hand. Youve finished selecting the items? Qianye nodded. The prizes amount to a total value of 5000 gold coins and Im allowed to choose two items. I chose the Resounding Strike and Radiant Edge. Qiqi was somewhat surprised as it was obvious that they were pre-made armaments. I thought you would choose a custom-made grade five origin gun. I already have the Twin Flowers and the burden from using a grade five gun is still too great at my current level. I dont want to be exhausted after firing a couple of times in battle. Qianye paused slightly before adding, Additionally, the uniqueness of a custom-made weapon lies in the origin array. We should be wary of the items from the dukes residence after what happened with Steward Wen. Qiqi nodded. Indeed. Its quite troublesome to ascertain whether or not the origin power array has been tampered with. The pre-made items would be relatively safer. Speaking of origin power, wont you be ranking up in the future? Youll be able to fully utilize the might of a grade five weapon by the time youre at rank seven. You can also get a premade rank five gun instead if you dont want it custom-made. Qianye shook his head. The future is distant and uncertain. Its best to raise my current strength first. Qiqi went silent for a while before saying, Perhaps it''s just my misconception, but I feel that youre oddly uneasy for some reason. Qianye was indeed feeling somewhat odd after seeing Qiqi talking to him seriously. Qiqi took the documents and spoke while flipping through them, The Resounding Strike is a grade six tactical accessory and the Radiant Edge is a vampire dagger. What a peculiar style, do you plan to continue working as a hunter? Why not? Qiqi replied without raising her head, Actually, you now have the opportunity to learn some skills regarding troop training and tactics. The value of a commanding officer is higher than an expert who slaughters foes in the battlefield. Qianye replied calmly, I remember we had a deal that this will be my last mission under your command. The smile Qiqi had been maintaining until now suddenly froze. She kept her eyes on the documents without looking up. Do you do you not plan to reconsider it? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 172: One Nigh t [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye gazed at Qiqi in silence but didnt reply. As Qiqis gaze shifted to the tall and vigorous figure, she couldnt help but recall the first time she met this exceedingly handsome youth within the study of the Yin family external residence. Back then, despite carrying himself with a seemingly battle-hardened sharpness, he was a bashful and amiable child. When was it that she had lost control of her emotions? Or could it be that the initial sense of control was just an illusion? Qiqi raised her head to reveal her face. Fine, lets not talk about such unhappy matters anymore! What do you want the Resounding Strike for? This thing is supposed to be attached to a large caliber origin gun and cant be used on the Twin Flowers. Qianye replied, Dont you feel that the Yin family owes me an Eagleshot? The spirit in Qiqis eyes dimmed as she stared blankly at Qianye. She let out a sigh after a while and said unenthusiastically, I understand. Youre determined to leave. I I wont say anything more. Just go to sleep! She stood up and headed towards the bedroom before giving him an undeclinable command, Come here and accompany me. This is my final order! Her serious tone of voice was overbearing and willful. Qianye accompanied Qiqi into the bedroom and prepared to spend the night on the couch. He didnt expect Qiqi to suddenly pat the bed with a faint smile. Come here! Qianye was somewhat startled. He threw a probing glance at her before taking off his shirt and climbing onto her bed. Contrary to expectations, his actions shocked Qiqi a fair bit as she shrunk towards a corner and made space for him. Qiqi stole a glance at the unperturbed Qianye and couldnt help but ask, How come youve become so bold? Could it be that you Qianyes smile abruptly disappeared as he turned around to touch her hair. Why not? What should I be afraid of? Qiqi was petrified and, for a moment, felt rather muddled. Even if Qianye hadnt realized it when he accepted the mission, he shouldve already discovered that he was a pawn for attracting hostility in public. In truth, the effectiveness of Qianyes mission had far exceeded Qiqis expectations. Perhaps because Gu Liyu had always found it easy to handle Qiqis previous provocations, this time, he had actually stirred up a whole series of problems in his desperation. Although everything seemed to have been quietly settled, how could a matter involving so many conspiracies not leave any traces? Moreover, in many aspects, proof actually wasnt an absolute necessity to act. This applies to the person laying down the trap and similarly holds true for the person disarming it. Thus in the end, although Qiqi couldnt do anything to Gu Liyu, everyone in collusion with him behind the scenes were thoroughly rooted out by Li Yuanjia. He couldve done much more than this if he didnt have to consider the interests of the Yin family as a whole. Li Yuanjia was originally promoted from 17th corps due to his accumulated accomplishments. With his ability and finesse, he was already well qualified to become a leading officer of the Yin familys forces. His position within the Yin family was self-evident. This would spare Qiqi a great deal of impediment from both Gu Liyu and others within the clan if, one day, she wished to develop further with the 17th corps as a foundation. However, the direct cause of this matter, Qianye, was still well and alive. He would surely become a target for Gu Liyu and the other Yin family candidates in the future, for honor even if not for vengeance. What else did he have to fear under such circumstances? Qiqi was speechless for some time. As if speaking to herself or trying to explain something, she said, I have considered every method possible but have found no way to escape this marriage. An aristocratic family like the Yin family will put reputation and trust above all else. Actively canceling this marriage would be worse than death for my father. The only way was to force Gu Liyu to withdraw. Thats why I sought these lovers one after another, but unfortunately, none of them were of any use. Unless I Qiqi suddenly trembled, overcome by an uncertain emotion. It wasnt quite fear of what was to follow but a vague sense of mixed anticipation. He wont withdraw from this marriage even if you really did sleep with numerous men. Qianyes voice was transmitted from above Qiqis head. His breath was naturally warm since they were so close to each other, yet it actually caused Qiqi to shiver momentarily. Qianye rubbed Qiqis hair and switched off the lights, plunging the entire bedroom into a suppressive and stifling darkness. His clear voice resonated coldly within the silent room. Go to sleep. Ive told you before not to play with fire. After a long while, their breathing calmed down and it seemed they were about to fall asleep.At this time, however, Qiqi suddenly spoke. Her voice was so soft that one could easily think she was talking in her sleep, permeated by a hint of weakness one would never witness during the daytime. I know you hate me. You feel unsafe, knowing that you might suffer a stab from the back at any time. But its the same for me. Ive never truly felt safe since my mother passed away You wont understand how it feels when all your brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts are planning to kill you at the earliest opportunity. Ive done many weird things and I know how everyone looks at me. But this is the only way for me to avoid thinking of all those things Qiqis voice revealed a small part of her pain. Qianye listened in silence. The conflict within the Yin family had been going on for a long time. Perhaps it had already begun when the marriage with the Song Clan branch took place 20 years ago or even earlier. One had to pay the price to borrow anothers authority. It was vastly unreasonable to marry someone elses daughter and then marry off the granddaughter to a landowning household. Qianye lacked experience regarding the aristocratic families but he wasnt stupid. Furthermore, with Song Zinings character, he would never do something meaningless. The latter had gone to great lengths to conceal his identity when he saved Qianye during the hunt but had approached him openly later on. Aside from acting to escape his own marriage, he also seemed to be sending Qiqi a certain warning message. Thinking back on it, Qiqi no longer asked him to accompany her to social activities since then. The contest for the Yin family heir had already reached the stage where everyone had their daggers drawn. They were even willing to shoulder the price and risk of interfering with the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. This goes to show how desperate the mastermind behind all of this was. Comparing an aristocratic scion like Qiqi to someone like Qianye who had grown up in the garbage dump, it could only be said that both of them had their own misfortunes and frustrations. I dont hate you at all, Qianye replied calmly, youve done more for me than necessary. For instance, the matter with the 60th division and your assistance during the spring hunt. Qiqi let out a faint chuckle. It sounded rather peculiar for just a moment but seemed to have returned to normal as one paid attention to it. But to you, this is just a deal with somewhat better conditions... It was merely a business transaction from the very beginning. To this, Qianye didnt reply anymore. Qiqi edged closer to him in the dark and snuggled up into his arms. She moved around a bit until she found a comfortable posture before curling up like a startled kitten. Qianye would have never imagined that there would be such a side to this usually fiery lady. Perhaps this was her true self hidden beneath the wanton and unrestrained personality. Qianye extended his arms and embraced her. Neither did Qiqi move nor speak. The two fell asleep nestled against one another, each feeling warmth, dependence and safety from the others body. Tomorrow... all of this would come to an end The vast world was illuminated by the distant starlight. Among the numerous continents and millions upon millions of living beings, the two were less remarkable than two grains of sand within the ocean. After parting, there was no telling when these grains of sand would meet again as they drift along the currents. This parting was, perhaps, eternal. Qianye left Qiqis bedroom early next morning, but including the maid, many people within the courtyard already knew he had spent the night in Qiqis room. The maids also noticed that two people had slept on the bed when they went in to tidy up the room. Before long, the news had spread to many other people. Noon. Qianye received the prize from the spring hunt. Apart from the Resounding Strike and Radiant Edge, he chose to withdraw the remaining credit in gold coins. He didnt select any medicinal items. The curious attendant who delivered the items asked him why he had chosen a vampire dagger. Qianye honestly told him that it was because the weapon was convenient to carry and easy to sell in the lower continents. This caused the attendant''s expression to turn quite odd; likely no one had ever spoken so frankly of their intentions to sell the prize. That afternoon, Qiqi and the Yin family entourage finally left the Dukes courtyard. After several days of airship flight, the darkness outside of the windows lightened and the silhouette of the Evernight Continent once again appeared within Qianyes vision. Qianye began to sort out his luggage after returning to the Yin family courtyard. Apart from the various weapons, he didnt have a lot of other items. However, he couldnt leave just yet because the Eagleshot Qiqi had custom ordered for him hadnt arrived. Qiqi didnt come to see Qianye in the several days that followed. He also didnt leave the room. Every day, he would either cultivate or work to integrate the combat experience he had obtained during the spring hunt. He had witnessed several confrontations between the secret technique users of aristocratic families and had learnt certain tricks regarding the better control of origin power which he had never understood before. Even though he lacked a secret technique, several principles were interconnected. Apart from his battle with Zhao Junhong, Qianye had actually received the greatest enlightenment from the three battles between Song Zining and Wei Potian. The latters fists were simple, straightforward and unyielding, not unlike the military combat techniques driven by the combatant formula. But the technique he had used in the end to lockdown space made Qianye recall his battle with Ye Mulan. Back then, he had also inadvertently sealed her escape route with swift fist strikes. Qianye had learnt about the advantages of secret techniques during his discussion with Song Zining. Apart from possessing special properties, secret techniques could also affect a certain area after breaking through to the champion rank, just like the terrifying isolation ability afforded by the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. Then, if his speculation was correct, couldnt the Combatant Formula also be used as a combat skill? Four days later, Qianye was greeted by a brand new Eagleshot as he walked out of the virtual combat system. This Eagleshot was also a modified item of excellent quality. Its attack power was 20 percent greater than the original, and its range had been extended by 200 meters. Two high-level artisans of the Yin family also arrived to install the Resounding Strike on the Eagleshot. The little accessory was only the size of a fingernail and appeared lustrous and crystalline. After installing the Resounding Strike, the Eagleshots attack power increased by another 20 percent. This was a sixth grade tactical accessory and was actually an origin array. Its value lay in the fact that it could be reinstalled as long as the accessory itself wasnt damaged and would only expire after three installations. After receiving the Eagleshot that night, Qianye checked its various parameters and was greatly satisfied. This new weapons attack power was 18, which also meant that the power of a single shot was equal to the sum of 18 grade one origin firearms. This kind of attack power had already reached the level of grade 5 sniper rifles, but the origin power expenditure remained at the former level. With Qianyes current origin power, he could shoot five or six times in a single battle without absorbing blood. Relying on his Heavy Caliber andAccurate Shooting abilities as well as special origin bullets, Qianye was confident that he could inflict a fair bit of damage on rank six dark race warriors. Add to that the 1200 meter coverage of the Eagleshot, Qianye could already control the flow of a local battle in minor campaigns. Qianye glanced at the corner of the room. The moonlight flooding through the window washed over his luggage, dying the ash green backpack an eerie scarlet. It was another night of the scarlet moon. This exceptional phenomenon distinctly reminded the people that they were in the abandoned land of Evernight. At this time, there was a sudden knock on the door as Li Yuanjias voice came through, Qianye, can I come in? Of course. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 173: A Storm Approaches [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Li Yuanjia walked into the room and saw the various weapon parts scattered on the table. His gaze then fell on the strikingly long barrel. It appears your Eagleshot is the latest custom-made version. Yes, I also had the Resounding Strike installed. Resounding Strike? Li Yuanjia recalled what it was after some thought. He fished out the barrel from among the components and examined it closely before injecting some origin power into it. The arrays lit up in a sequence to form the outline of a small crystalline disc the size of a fingernail. Great stuff! Li Yuanjia normally came across as a typical soldier. His secret technique focused on the sword, but he was quite fond of various firearms. Unfortunately, his talents didnt encompass long range sniping. Qianye was playing around with the half meter long Radiant Edge. It was a unique looking grade 5 origin power weapon only slightly longer than the empires standard issue military daggers. Its sharp tip was decorated with a number of reverse serrations which brought out a hint of fierceness amidst its elegance. It was indeed the vampires'' style. Qianye tossed the dagger to Li Yuanjia after noticing the intense curiosity in the latters eyes. The sword sank slightly after landing in Li Yuanjias hand. This ordinary looking fella actually weighed over a dozen kilograms! A swing of such a heavy blade would surely display much more power than its size would suggest. Li Yuanjia smiled. It really does suit your fighting style. He had experienced the extent of Qianyes pure strength before. He retrieved the dark scabbard decorated with dark red patterns and sheathed the Radiant Edge before turning to Qianye. Are you leaving? Yes. Why dont you stay? The Yin family can provide you with the resources to advance to the champion rank. You already possess sufficient talent and aptitude. Li Yuanjias eyes swept over the table full of Eagleshot parts and continued, The most important point is that your strength and specialty can only be fully displayed within the army. One mans strength is limited. Only the army can stand as the pillar of defense against the dark races. Qianye raised his head to meet Li Yuanjias gaze and inwardly sighed. This man, with his insight, had already discovered that Qianyes fighting style originated from the army. It wasnt too difficult to see that his greatest wish was to kill off as many from the dark race as possible. They might have actually become true comrades had they made their acquaintance in another setting. I still feel that being a hunter is more suitable for me. It allows me ample freedom without the need to consider too many things. Li Yuanjias expression dimmed. If only I had been more attentive during the Earth Castle incident Qianye shook his head and interrupted, Thats not your fault. It isnt Miss Qiqis fault either. Qianye looked at Li Yuanjia with eyes like glistening obsidian and said coldly, Shes indeed not to blame. This is all part of the Yin familys general situation. But thats really not my problem. Li Yuanjia momentarily froze before laughing wryly. He understood this discussion had reached a dead end. He had already talked to Qianye about this matter several times, however, it was destined to be fruitless as their original standpoints were vastly different. No matter how contradictory Qiqi and Gu Liyu was in private, the Yin family was a unified entity with regards to external affairs. Gu Liyus value to the Yin Family was, of course, greater than a battle company. The status quo might be broken in the future, but for now, it was impossible. Qianye eased his tone, Im sorry, Yuanjia. The Yin family doesnt suit me. I hope to do the things that Im certain aboutthings I truly want to do. Li Yuanjia once again discerned the powerful determination from Qianyes calm voice. He became silent for a moment and said, Take care after leaving. Many people have noticed you during the spring hunt. The Song familys seventh young master not only inquired about your background from us but also dispatched agents for further investigation. This was something he couldnt explain, so he could only nod in acknowledgement. Li Yuanjia momentarily hesitated before saying, Miss Qiqis relationship with the Song familys seventh young master has reached quite an adverse state after the spring hunt. The two families sent people to mediate this matter. He proposed that the young miss gift you to him as an apology. Qianye almost dropped the components in his hand and was at a sudden loss for what kind of expression he should wear. He had already heard from Song Zining about how Qiqi had reported him to the Song Clan. Hence, he understood how ambiguously Li Yuanjia had worded the first half of the message to hide the fact that he had been used as a target once again. But this condition for making amends reminded him of something else. Could it be that Qiqi was trying to protect him when she stopped dragging him to social activities? Li Yuanjia also felt it to be somewhat absurd. However, he had always felt that this Song Zining was an extremely dangerous person. Additionally, Ye Mulan had already formed a deep animosity towards Qianye. He gave it some thought and added, You have to be careful. The combat power of Song familys seventh young master is absolutely not how it seems on the surface. Im not his match, and even the Zhao familys second young master might not necessarily win against him. Qianye nodded. Thank you. Li Yuanjias voice suddenly became gloomy. Qianye, youre pushing the young miss towards that man by leaving like this. Youre wrong. The only thing that can push her over is the Yin familys benefit. Li Yuanjia was stunned speechless for a while. When do you plan to leave? Tomorrow, after saying my farewells to Miss Qiqi. No need. The young miss has already left. Has she returned to the upper continent? Qianye was somewhat surprised. Young miss has gone to the frontlines. Her desire is that you should seek her out if you intend to stay. Otherwise, theres no need to say goodbye. For a moment, Qianye was inflicted by a multitude of complex emotions. He had recently seen a completely different side of Qiqi. Her exceptional talents, influence, and resources allowed her to lead a generally smooth sailing life. As such, she also possessed all the quirks common to aristocratic families such as indolence and egocentricity. But the most adverse aspect of her life involved her blood relativesshe was as helpless as a child in the face of these problems. This stark contrast was likely the cause of her rather extreme temperament. Perhaps Qianye wouldnt have come to realize the darkest and most chaotic facet of the aristocracy if his job wasnt to act as cannon fodder. He might have even followed his earlier notion of searching for a foothold under the protection of a major powerto develop there until he was strong enough to find his own past. But there were no ifs in this world. Qianye could understand the things that had happened but that didnt mean he could accept them. Li Yuanjia produced a jade document box and placed it on the table. The young miss asked me to give this to you. This is your final reward for completing this mission. Is this a secret art? Qianye picked up the box. Three ancient words were carved upon the jade cover: Nurturing Rain Art. This is a secret art of the Yin family that can accelerate the bodys recovery and heal moderate injuries. It can also be used for the regular cultivation of origin power. What the Nurturing Rain Art lacks in cultivation rate, it makes up with the ability to heal internal injuries during cultivation. Its a highly suitable replacement for the Combatant Formula. Qianye sighed. Please thank Miss Qiqi for me. Li Yuanjia seemed as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he shook his head and left after saying farewell. The next day. Dawn over the Evernight Continent almost seemed like dusk. A military truck left the Yin family courtyard with Qianye on board. The incomparably vast arch of the Darkblood City came into view after a long journey. The city was still bustling with activity just as before. Qianye arrived at noon to see the surging stream of people who had come out to enjoy a stroll in the clear weather. Qianye felt the city had become even more populated compared to when he left. Old Two, who was sitting behind the counter, was somewhat startled when Qianye walked into the Home of Hunters. The book in his hand dropped to the floor with a flop. Qianye nonchalantly walked up to the counter and put down his giant backpack before knocking on the counter. Old Two, Im back. Old Two slid over a small flask of liquor. This is all thats left, but it probably cant compare to the good stuff you mix yourself. Qianye opened the flask and finished the contents in a few large gulps before exhaling in satisfaction. Not bad! This is true liquor. I dont want to taste any more stimulants. Ive used so much these days that even my tongue has gone numb. Have you finished your mission? Old Two inquired. Of course! Qianye seemed quite relaxed but the experienced Old Two saw a tinge of melancholy in the depths of his eyes. The latter didnt pursue this matter. The commissioning party would soon notify them since the mission had already been accomplished. Any good missions these days? Qianye placed both elbows on the counter, his countenance tinged with a shade of pink. His alcohol tolerance had always been like this. His face would turn red no matter how little he drank. Old Two shook his head. Nothing interesting at the moment. Its been quite chaotic outside the city. The dark race population in the area has increased abnormally while their whereabouts have been rather difficult to pinpoint. Nowadays, theres no longer a safe zone to speak of, and many hunters have retreated back into the city. The wilderness is simply too dangerous. No one dares to stray too far from the city unless they possess the ability to fight a small dark race squad. Why are there so many from the dark races here? Do you mean I meant Xichang. The dark race forces have suddenly increased severalfold over there. Weve already fought several battles against the dark races within the war zone. The military strength of several field divisions would be mobilized each time. Old Twos pupils lit up as he whispered, This is quite unusual. How so? It''s rare for the dark races to mobilize on such a large scale. The battlefront between here and Xichang spans well over a few thousand kilometers. Similar activity has been reported in between and even further out. Ive heard of such news more than once in my lifetime. Looking back at the history of Evernight Continent, this either signifies something big is about to happen or an all-out war is imminent. Qianye, however, didnt seem nervous at all. He smiled and said, It sounds as if things wont be boring for quite a while. Old Two wryly laughed, Boring? Youre indeed a madman! Perhaps! Qianye laughed, Shouldnt you increase my hunter rank by now? Old Two glared at him when Qianye spoke of his rank. Young man, why are you so impatient? Ive always been fair and impartial. I only look at accomplishments and rank. You certainly have enough accomplishments, but your rank is still far from sufficient. Wait, wait! Youre rank rank Old two was stunned. Youre already rank five?! Yes. Old Two stared at him as if he was staring at a monster. He clearly remembered that Qianye had just reached rank four when he left. Soon afterwards, he spoke delightedly, Youre a true monster! Very well, take this and dont lose it! Saying this, Old Two brought over a hunters badge with five stars carved on it. However, the five-star hunter badge wasnt any better than the four-star oneit was still crude and made of inferior materials. It was evident that this cheap item was quite a sloppy piece of work. Qianye said excitedly, I want to buy some information. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 174: Foreboding Winds [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Old Two fumbled about within the drawer and slapped the list of five-star hunter equipment down in front of Qianye. He slightly slid his spectacles down the bridge of his nose and looked over the frame when he heard Qianye speak of buying information. Related to? The Seventh Division of Blackflow City. Old Twos eyes turned sharp. He immediately pushed the spectacles back in place and said slowly, Youre asking for some dangerous stuff. Qianye browsed through the contents of the list which contained almost 100 pieces of equipment. He had just recently upgraded his gear. The equipment offered here, while considered quite good for hunters, had little use for him. In the end, he selected a set of tight-fitting light armor and some blank origin bullets. Qianye placed the list in front of Old Two after completing the selection and replied with a smile, Danger? How so? I just want some ordinary information. Old Two replied pensively, Wu Zhengnan was promoted to major general just last month. Whats more important is that even if Wu Zhengnan isnt the most troublesome among the many division commanders of the Expeditionary Army, hes certainly ranked within the top three. Although hes surnamed Wuthe same surname as the Weiyang Wu Clanits common knowledge that he was of civilian origins. Its unnecessary to explain his temperament and methods when you consider how he managed to rise into such a position. The seventh division is almost like his personal army. The whole region around Blackflow City and the Four Rivers Military Base is like an independent nation. In fact, even the expeditionary army headquarters can hardly exert any influence. After that, Old Two paused for a moment and squeezed out a faint smile of ridicule on his skinny and wrinkled countenance. Thats all... if what you wanted is only ordinary information. Qianye looked up and saw Old Twos gaze piercing through from behind the spectacles. The two looked at each other for a moment before Qianye laughed, Very well, what I want are his recent trade movements. One hundred gold coins for every piece of news. Qianyes brow twitched. A hundred gold coin per piece of information was quite steep compared to the market price, however, they both knew what Qianye wanted wasnt information about on-the-table trade like supplies and weapons. Obviously, what he wanted was information regarding their underground trade. But 100 gold coins was the price of two origin power gunseven the rewards from four-star missions wouldnt necessarily reach this amount. Qianye spoke slowly, Old Two Old Two waved his hand. Its useless no matter what you say. This price is already at a 50 percent discount out of consideration for your status as a five-star hunter. You just had to go and choose none other than Wu Zhengnan. In order to collect this information, Id have to be prepared to lose all my assets in the Blackflow City Region. Do you still think it''s expensive? Old Two withdrew his probing gaze and adopted a resolute stance. Qianye refrained from speaking further and asked directly, How long will it take? Five days, I estimate. Its difficult to mobilize since the world outside is not peaceful. Qianye nodded. Very well. Ill go and find a place to stay for the time being or perhaps Ill take a walk outside the city. Yingnans room is still unoccupied. You can stay there if you wish. Qianye gave it some thought and replied, Thats fine too. Old Two watched Qianyes figure disappear through the door of the Home of Hunters before adjusting his spectacles. He was pondering, Did I make a mistake? Whose child is this? He had long since known that Qianyes origins were definitely problematic. But then again, who in this abandoned land was free from unspeakable secrets? Whenever Wu Zhengnan was mentioned, he couldnt help but recall Yu Renyan who lost his life at Darkblood City. Back then, he was quite surprised that the two were acquainted. Yu Renyan was the captain of the Dark Blade Warriors, a special force under Wu Zhengnans command. How exactly were they related? Old Two picked up the flask Qianye was drinking and gave it a shakethere wasnt even a single drop left. Hence, he threw it back onto the table and began to write in his mission record book. He was already too old to meddle with these things. In any case, Yingnan had already left for the upper continent and wouldnt be returning anytime soon. The Home of Hunters was only a place for accepting and dispatching missions. What the commissioner wanted to do wasnt his business. Qianye walked along the familiar yet somewhat alien streets. He recalled his little room as he walked past the South Bank District and that little girl who was as pure as the grass after the rain. He had returned even before a year had passed, however, Qianye had no intention to go over regardless of whether she was still there or not. His conversation with Old Two was still echoing within his mind. When he told Song Zining that he would return to the Evernight Continent, he hadnt given much thought about what he would do next. Qianyes had originally believed that getting rid of the ringleader was the only effective method. There was, of course, no way for him to kill a champion at his current stage. However, not only would he continue to grow and develop, but he also possessed the patience to wait until the time was ripe. He soon realized, however, that things werent as simple as he thought. It seemed killing Wu Zhengnan would hardly be of any significance if his ultimate goal was to stop the human and black crystal trafficking. Another representative would simply fill this gap as long as the network of profit and trade channels remained intact. Today, Old Two had also hinted that the military zone was almost like an independent nationnot even the expeditionary army headquarters could control themsomething of this scale was absolutely not built upon Wu Zhengnans benefits alone. He soon reached the end of this winding street. Some feelings of reminiscence surfaced as he glanced at the familiar door. Yu Yingnans residence had been maintained in its previous state. Nothing had changed even after such a long time had passed. The fact that it actually hadnt been cleared out by thieves meant someone had been looking after it in secret. Merely, a thick layer of dust had settled due to the long period of disuse, prompting Qianye to do some cleaning in order to clear out some sleeping space. Qianye duly set up layer upon layer of traps within the room and stowed away his luggage. It could be said that he had finally settled in. He ran over to Black Copper Street quite a few times and returned with quite a few bags of ammunition and various components with which he filled the warehouse and storage rooms. Origin weapons werent the only option in battletheir role in battle was confined by the limited number of times they could be used. It was sometimes more efficient to use gunpowder weapons when fighting against cannon fodder and low-level warriors. Qianye ate something after finishing his preparations and waited in silence until the midnight bell started ringing. He faced the mirror and changed his appearance. Putting on a heavy trench coat and hiding the Twin Flowers and Radiant Edge inside, he left the house and vanished into the night. An hour later, Qianye appeared within a gloomy alley of the Northern District. There was a small rundown tavern without a signboard at the end of this alley. A number of muscular men sat idly in front of its doors, sweeping their violent eyes over all the passersby. Qianye walked straight toward the tavern. One of the muscular men sitting beside the door suddenly extended his hand to block his path. Not just anyone can enter. You have to buy a ticket first! Qianye extended his hand and flashed something at him before inquiring indifferently, Is this ticket sufficient? When the burly man saw the item in Qianyes hand, his expression immediately straightened up. He jumped to his feet and said respectfully, Please enter! I hope you find what you want inside. I also hope I wont be disappointed.Qianyes voice, at the moment, was somewhat deep and hoarse, sounding as if he was older. After Qianye entered the tavern, the other ferocious-looking men crowded around the burly man. Who is that person? The burly mans eyes swept over them before replying coldly, This isnt for you lot to know! Ask less about such things if you want to live longer! Behind the mottled single-leaf door was an area more spacious than one would expect. The walls were made of plain undecorated limestone and so was the floor, which was meticulously polished to a glossy smoothness. The style was simple and clean. The atmosphere could be considered quite peaceful for a tavern. A dozen customers sat scattered in different areas, occasionally speaking to each other in hushed tones as if they were discussing something. Some sat alone with their heads lowered, drinking away their sorrow without even sparing a glance at their surroundings. However, as Qianye entered, the whole tavern became silent and all eyes fell on him. He understood their gazesthey were on guard after seeing an unfamiliar face. Any establishment with a relatively fixed social circle would react the same way toward outsiders. It was rather odd, however, to see such a reaction in a tavern that does business as soon as its doors opened each day. As such, Qianye was able to confirm that he had come to the right place. A plain-looking old man greeted Qianye from behind the counter, What would you like to drink? Three glasses of plain water. The old mans expression changed slightly as he replied with a nod, Certainly. But youll have to wait here for a while. Find a seat first! This bar is good enough, Qianye replied as he walked toward the old man. As Qianye walked past a certain table, a short and wretched man suddenly approached him. The latter proceeded to sniff at him before screaming, Aha, guess what I smell? The stink of a bloodsucking vampire! As pure as an entire piece of black crystal! The temperature within the whole tavern seemed to have dropped as everyones hands moved to their weapons. Qianye halted his steps. He glanced over at the man and replied indifferently, Its no use keeping such a worthless nose! Origin power suddenly erupted from Qianyes body before everyones eyes. A scarlet haze lined with specks of golden light rushed swiftly toward that person. However, the small wretched man sensed things differentlywhat he perceived was an oddly alluring fragrance.His subconsciousness urged him to take a deep breath, and soon, he had inhaled all the golden grains of light. During the latter part of this process, the mans face was full of terror and spite. He had probably already discovered that these golden specks were fatal, however, he couldnt resist their temptation and continued to breathe in deeply. He clutched his throat and tried to scream but no sound came out. The mans large nose immediately turned black and rotted away, leaving a terrifying cavity in its place! At this point, the wretched man fell on his back and passed out. The whole tavern was overcome by silence, broken only by a couple of astonished gaspstheir gaze toward Qianye was full of fear. The peculiar fragrance only existed within the short and wretched mans senses. What the others saw was the radiant origin power flowing out from Qianyes body. Releasing origin power and killing formlessly, such abilities belonged to warriors at the champion rank and above. Qianyes gaze swept through the vicinity as he spoke nonchalantly, Who else cant control themselves? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 175: Forbidden Deals [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] This time, the tavern completely quieted down as everyone hurriedly avoided meeting Qianyes gazethey lowered their heads and resumed drinking. The old man behind the bar said with a wry laugh, Oi, brat, did you have to be so ruthless? His nose is pretty useful. Qianye sat down in front of the counter and replied calmly, But his brain seems useless. Did you come here only to provoke people? Qianyes expression didnt change in the slightest. I came here to do business. However, if someone decides to provoke me, the only thing hell get is an outcome like that mans nose. He squinted his eyes and replied in a tone which could be interpreted in multiple ways, I have little interest in the grievances between those hairy bastards and vampires as long as they dont get in my way. The lines on the old mans face almost seemed to be crammed together. He mumbled something to himself and proceeded to hand Qianye a glass of wine but didnt continue on this topic. Qianye received the glass and took a small sip. The spirit burned quite a bit and seemed to be a mixture of several flavorsthe result was an ineffable sensation. It lingered momentarily at the tip of the tongue before filling his mouth with a peculiar sweetness. Qianye lifted the glass, swirled it around and observed as the crystal clear liquor draw ripples upon its sides. A completely transparent liquid was actually able to break down into numerous different flavors after entering the mouth. He silently gazed at the glass in which the blurry figures of most of the guests within the tavern was reflected. This tavern was more dangerous than it would seem on the surface. After that wretched man cried out, more than half of the people including the old man had actually responded with darkness energy! These people had either fallen entirely to the dark side or were closely related to the dark races. Of course, there was another typethe blood hunters. These people made a living hunting the dark race. They wouldnt hesitate to embrace the darkness origin power in order to obtain greater strength. Such a place actually existed within Darkblood City, and it seemed to have been here for quite some time. Qianye had always heard of such places, but this was the first time he had been to one. It was, in fact, a gathering place for the Darkblood Citys underground powers. It was a grey area wherein many things one would have trouble finding in the Daybreak or Evernight factions could be found. It also served as a trading hub between the humans and dark races. This wasnt the only one of its kind within Darkblood Citysome operated at an even larger scale and handled many more transactions. However, the city, the expeditionary army, and even the empire could only turn a blind eye to these and similar establishments. On one hand, the amount of trade going through these channels was rather limited, with a large portion of it being information. Some belonged to the dark races, while the others to humans, but the dark races seemed to leak relatively more information. Consequently, these establishments eventually became important sources of information for the human race. On the other hand, certain important tactical resources could be acquired through these channels. However, the amount of such resources flowing out was quite limited under the empires iron grip. The dark races similarly required large amounts of tactical resources such as black crystal, red crystal iron, and black crystal iron. Naturally, the more they could obtain, the better. If they couldnt obtain such resources from these semi-public sources, they would pursue a different pathWu Zhengnan for instance. This was also the reason why the upper echelons of the empire wouldnt tolerate such forbidden deals. These transactions were absolutely shrouded in darkness, and the amount of black crystals leaked through such channels was virtually uncontrollableeverything was driven purely by profit. Quantitative changes would become qualitative changes as time went on. Qianye swirled the glass and thoroughly destroyed the vague reflections upon it. He raised his head and drank a huge mouthful, letting the fiery alcohol burn all the way into his heart and lungs. Only at this time did the golden blood energy revolving around his heart show some signs of calming down. The others here would never know that the wretched man had indeed spoken the truth. The golden blood energy had reacted quite intensely the moment Qianye stepped into this place. As the man approached Qianye, it frantically swam out along his veins and began to release traces of origin power. Qianye had activated his daybreak origin power and released the scarlet origin radiance purely for concealment purposes. The golden specks the wretched man had inhaled were part of the golden blood energys aura. Even Qianye hadnt expected that this uncontrollable golden blood energy was actually so poisonous to people with dark origin power. Even a tiny bit of aura was instinctively able to break down flesh and rob the victims energy. The moment the golden blood energy came into contact with the mans origin power, Qianye sensed some information via origin power feedback. In the end, he somewhat realized why the both of them reacted so strongly to each otherthe wretched mans darkness origin power attribute actually fell within the werewolf category. The old man behind the counter appeared to have sensed something just as Qianye finished his drink. The former raised his head and said, The person youre waiting for has arrived. Go in, hes right behind that door. Qianye followed the old mans directions and entered an unremarkable door beside the counter. He walked in for quite some distance and found a little room at the end of the corridor with no doors. Within it sat a thin middle-aged manhis countenance was dignified with a noticeable shadow between his brows. Qianye walked in without waiting for an invitation and sat down from across the middle-aged man. I wasnt expecting to actually see someone with demonkin blood. How do I address you? Jorgen. You can also call me Blackowl. This name is more widely known. Mr. Blackowl, I heard you can provide me with the necessary assistance? That depends on what you need. Allow me to see your token before we continue onto the finer details. Blackowl extended his hands. One can never be too careful in this line of work, you know. Else I wouldve died countless times already. Qianye removed the simple jade ring from his middle finger, placed it on the table and pushed it toward Blackowl. Jorgen cautiously picked up the item and injected a strand of origin power. Two lines as thin as gossamer lit up on the inner surface of the ring while an image appeared on its surfacethe head of an eagle holding crossed swords within its mouth. Jorgens tone of voice relaxed as he pushed the ring back toward Qianye. It is indeed the highest grade executive token of the Far East Wei Clan. Very well, I understand. Ill provide you with all the assistance I can within the scope of my abilities. Qianye calmly placed the ring back on his finger. Wei Potian had sent someone to deliver it before he left the Qin Continent, along with information describing several such locations including this tavern. Only now did Qianye realize that the Wei Clan had sufficient influence here even if the trading hub didnt belong to them. I want to investigate some transactions and deals with the dark races, Qianye said. Qianyes words made Jorgen rather nervous. He moved his crossed fingers and asked, With whom? What type of transactions? Blackflow City, seventh expeditionary division. Forbidden deals. Forbidden deals! Jorgen faintly drew in his breath and replied slowly, You should be clear about the kind of people behind these forbidden deals. Do you really want to continue? Yes. Qianyes tone was calm but resolute and decisive. What a coincidence. It so happens that I know about the most recent one. Jorgen brought out a paper and started drawing on it with great swiftness. Very soon, the outline of a map appeared. A certain place on it was marked, and a date was written beside it. He passed it to Qianye and allowed him to look. He then proceeded to ignite the paper and watch as it burned to ashes. Qianye had already memorized all the details. He fished out a piece of black crystal, handed it to Jorgen who placed it unceremoniously into his pocket, then said, I wish you good luck. Under Jorgens instructions, Qianye left through the rear door and disappeared into the night. Qianye passed the following couple of days in relative peace. He fully occupied himself with cultivation and seldom left the house until the day he received news from the Home of Hunters. Jorgen had provided him with the time and precise location of the deal. The information from the Home of Hunters was relatively vague and inconsequential, however, it allowed Qianye to understand parts of Wu Zhengnans past. Wu Zhengnans seventh division had been trading with the dark races for many years now. Qi Yues transaction which Qianye stumbled upon certainly wasnt the beginningthey were merely opening up a new channel of trade. Wu Zhengnans main business wasnt dealing with goods of great importance to the human race nor was he trading equipment or information. He was trading in luxury products of vampire origin. Luxury goods brought Wu Zhengnan and his allies much greater profits despite having no actual effect on the combat strength of the human race. Qianye compared the two pieces of information and confirmed that the information regarding their next forbidden deal was, in fact, true. The location wasnt too far from Blackflow city, which was only about 200 miles out. Qianye thought about it for a while and decided to personally head over to observe the contents of their transaction. Wei Potian had made an appointment with Qianye. He would bring his men over to the Evernight Continent within a months time and drag Wu Zhengnan down from his position as a division commander. Naturally, there was no need for the Wei Clan heir to worry about how this goal would be met. The Wei Clan would allocate certain strategists proficient in such operations, and there would also be people to draft the whole plan for him. Wei Potian only needed to give a symbolic nod. As a result, it was Qianye who was still undecided about how he should support the Wei clans operation. One thing, however, was certainthey needed proof of Wu Zhengnans forbidden deals. In fact, the more the better. That way, he wouldnt even be able to think about escaping persecution for misconduct. Qianye boarded an airship headed toward Blackflow City the following morning. He arrived in the afternoon and left for the wilderness while carrying a large backpack. Clamor rose within Blackflow City not long after he left. A whole team of fully armed soldiers rushed to the city gates to interrogate the sentries but later left angrily after failing to obtain any concrete information. Qi Sicheng sat within his study with an ugly expression as he listened to the soldiers reports. He flew into a terrible rage the moment he heard that they failed to capture anyone. He drove them out of the room with a torrent of abuses. After the study regained its calm, Qi Sicheng stared at the unfurled map on his desk and muttered to himself for some time. The tip-off he had received was rather vaguenot being able to capture the person was also within expectations. Who could be so interested in our transactions? But not just anyone can afford to get involved with such things. Be careful or youll break your meddling hands! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 176: Trading Camp [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye ran through the wildernesshis target was a human settlement about 200 kilometers out. Looking at the map, he noticed the place was similar to a sentry post. At most, one company of troops would be stationed there to serve as sentinels and perform initial defensive measures. However, a mere company would be useless in a true skirmish with the dark races. As such, forward assignments like these had always been considered a dangerous undertaking. Those posted here were either guilty of serious charges or those who had badly offended people they shouldnt. That was also why such camps were mostly overlooked by the expeditionary armyno news meant good news. One had to admit that the seventh division using such an ignored location as a camouflage for the trade with the dark races was a great way to pull the wool over peoples eyes. Qianye wanted to head over and observe this outpost. It has been reported that a certain merchant caravan was stopping over here. After leaving the city, Qianye moved according to the ways of the hunterhe withdrew his aura and advanced under the cover of the terrain, doing his best to leave as little traces as possible. It was at this moment that an indistinct rumble appeared in the air. A certain airship had appeared from the direction of Blackflow City and was flying in Qianyes direction. Qianye lifted his head and, observing the angle of its secondary wings and propeller speed, calculated its approximate bearing. How unrestrained! They even dispatched an airship. He climbed atop a large tree and decided to rest while waiting for the airship to pass. The airship wasnt large and was of a rather old model. Such antique models have long since been superseded by newer ones in the upper continent but were rare and valuable assets here in Evernight. These airships would exhaust large amounts of fuel every time they were mobilized, equally expensive to use and maintain. Unless the situation was urgent, they wouldnt normally be used for the transportation of troops in small-scaled skirmishes. The Red Scorpion Corps frequently used them for aerial surveillance but Qianye was quite certain these defensive divisions wouldnt invest a lot of resources for this purpose. Hence, the target of this airship was rather obvious. Qianye rested for 10 minutes while he waited for the airship to fly past before resuming his journey. The outline of the camp finally appeared over the horizon just as darkness fell. It was a group of buildings scattered throughout the top of a small hill, almost as big as a small village with enough space for about a thousand people. It was certainly bigger than the usual camps which housed around 200. It was definitely unnatural for such a large settlement to be located where the dark race army could appear at any given moment. Qianye slightly frownedthe scene before him was sufficient proof that the trade had been going on safe and sound for quite some time already. The merchant caravans also seemed to be on quite a large scale, and the products being traded were of great quantity and volume. Qianye felt quite concerned. Uprooting such a well-developed operation wasnt going to be easy. Wei Potian shouldnt have much trouble since he had the whole Wei Clan behind himat the worse case scenario, he would fail to remove Wu Zhengnan from his position. Song Zining, on the other hand, had gone to deal with the dark crystal suppliers backing Wu Zhengnan. Matters involving actual profits were bound to be incredibly dangerous. Qianye collected his thoughts and proceeded to approach the outpost under the cover of the night and geography. Night time battles were usually his forte but since this place was a base of operations for trading with the dark races, there were a large number of them here. In addition, because many among the dark races possessed night vision abilities, he wasnt at a particular advantage in this endeavor. Qianye became even more vigilant after seeing a wide field just outside the village perimeter and a tower standing dozens of meters tall. It was a simple airship landing pad. It seemed they had been dispatching airships regularly for these forbidden transactions. One could easily guess how important this place was. Such a large camp couldnt have been built overnightthis also meant that it couldnt be torn down within a short time. Qianye didnt even need to go in to investigate. He only needed to return with this information and wait for the empire to perform a surprise inspection. They would surely be able to capture quite a lot of evidence. Qianye, however, still decided to go in to take a look since he had already arrived. He wanted to personally confirm the contents of this trade. He wouldnt mind dealing the bastards inside a heavy blow should the opportunity present itself. He suddenly noticed some special sentinels within the camp after closing in. He smelled a peculiar fishy odor. It was the smell of wolves and they certainly werent typical military canines. Later on, he saw the animals patrolling the village streets. The gigantic wargs raised by the werewolves served as natural guardsmen and were so much better than the average sentry. Qianye came prepared, though. He produced some white powder and sprinkled it all over his body before continuing his advance in the darkness. This special medicinal powder caused the wargs to feel imperceptible discomfort, encouraging them to avoid the source of the odor without agitating them. Arriving under the walls, he found that they were made of logs and merely four meters tall. Watchtowers were located at the four corners, quite a distance from one another. He could clearly see some of the guards dozing off within them. The lax security truly didnt match the importance of the camp. Qianye became increasingly cautious. He didnt believe this place would have enjoyed many years of peacethey had merely kept everything under wraps. A red light flashed within his eyes, seemingly illuminating the sable night in his vision. Following which, he immediately discovered something unusual. Several sheets of silver-white spiderwebs covered the whole wall and the area around its base. It wouldve been quite difficult to notice them without prior knowledge. These werent normal spider webseach and every strand were linked together to form a gigantic web. It was likely that a number of mordoran hunting spiders lay waiting in deep pits within the camp walls. These calf-sized spiders were sentinels raised by the Arachne. These spider webs were akin to an extension of their antennae. Not even the slightest change would be able to escape their senses. Qianye squinted his eyes. That even wargs and mordoran hunting spiders had appeared meant this village was hiding an unspeakable secret. After all, even some dark race military bases had only this much security. Although these mordoran hunting spiders would pose a threat to most hunters, Qianye was anything but helpless against them. He casually grabbed a handful of common bugs and threw them onto the spider webs. These palm-sized beetles and moths were exceptionally vigorous. They struggled continuously and tore at the spider webs, however, these spider webs were stickier and stronger than normal webs. The more they struggled, the more entangled they became. Several wooden stakes shot through the air while the bugs were struggling, nailing them to the wooden wall. With resulting noises, several fist-sized ash-grey spiderlings appeared from their hiding places and swarmed toward their prey. They swiftly silenced the resistance from their helpless quarry and repaired the webs before returning to whence they came. This was the greatest weakness of the mordoran hunting spiders web networktheir intelligence was simply too low. They only reacted to living creatures but failed to notice the wooden stakes sticking into the wall. Qianye appeared once again through the night. He ran with swift but silent footsteps and leapt toward the wall, landing accurately on the wooden stakes. With that, he crossed over the wall and silently entered the village. It wasnt yet deep into the night but the whole village was silent. The empty streets were virtually devoid of human activity and the buildings were sparsely lit. Qianye stood within the shadows and took a deep breath. At this time, blood energy whirled around his body and withdrew into his heart. The golden blood energy had become progressively independent since the spring hunt. It would silently resonate when he mobilized it together with his daybreak origin power. The Venus Dawn formed from the overflow of origin power was also gradually becoming better developed, however, it would sometimes lose control when the external darkness origin power was too dense as if it wanted to swallow the person whole. Qianye shook his head and pushed these concerns to one corner. Relying on the reaction of his blood energy, he had already sensed the intense odor of werewolves and arachne in the air. Furthermore, their numbers werent few. Only the vampires were missing but that didnt come as much of a surprise after some thought. There existed a ten-thousand-year-old feud between werewolves and the vampires. They definitely wouldnt be seen working with each other unless absolutely essential. The sound of footsteps and indistinct conversations came through from the alley behind him. Qianye took a few steps back in silence and entered the blind angle of a winding path. He stood close to the wall within the shadows, activated the energy hidden within his vessels, and used a secret military technique to contain his aura. Five people emerged from within the adjacent alley and walked past the street where Qianye was hiding. Their conversation was transmitted to Qianyes ears. Goddammit, wolves and spiders everywhere! How annoying! Pipe down! Have you forgotten how Old Li lost his life? These bastards dont care who you are. Theyll find a way to eat you the moment they find a suitable excuse. Sigh, Captain Zhou certainly wont protect us if a mishap occurs. He would only tell us to endure it. A somewhat older voice spoke, Stop complaining and just bear it for one more night. You know full well about the rewards well get after this deal is concluded. Which well paying deal doesnt involve a great deal of risk? We only need to conclude this deal. Dont let any accidents occur. Its been so many years now. When have we had any mistakes? Enough about this. Well force Captain Zhou to treat everyone to a round of alcohol as long as we can pass the night in peace and complete this big transaction. The group gradually walked away, chatting all the while. It seemed the dark race had stationed quite a number of troops in this village for the upcoming transaction. From the previous blood energy reaction and the presence of obvious dark race style arrangements in several places across the village, Qianye judged that there might be well over a dozen werewolves and four or five arachne. Although few in number, these Arachne could deploy various giant spiders in battle. There should be over a dozen giant spiders within those two web-covered buildings. Such a lineup was sufficient to form a standard dark race patrol unit. The value of the goods must be extraordinary since they required such power to guard a transaction. The humans had closed their doors rather early precisely because so many from the dark race were present within the village. Nighttime was the domain of the dark race. The security of this tiny village wasnt a problem, however, to the humans participating in this transaction, the threat they faced came precisely from these werewolves and arachne who came to trade with them. One might suddenly disappear while walking out at nightquite a few of such incidences had apparently occurred beforethat was likely the reason why humans would band into groups when walking at night. Now the question was, what were they trading? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 177: Hijack Part 1 Chapter 177: Hijack (Part 1) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye stealthily climbed onto a rooftop. A blood-red hue suddenly emerged in the depths of his pupils as he observed the surroundings. The abrupt howl broke the silence of this small village. A large werewolf soon appeared in the distance and charged toward where Qianye had been previously standing. Qianye, however, had already disappeared into the night, leaving the werewolf howling in confusion. Several werewolves appeared while an arachne climbed onto a roof. This large arachne occupied half the roofthe house creaked and moaned under its weightit seemed as if it could come down at any moment. A man and a woman ran out from the house in panic amidst astonished cries. One of the werewolves pounced toward the street with a growl, pinning the woman beneath its body as it opened its wide jaws. A low voice was transmitted from one side, If you bite down, I cant guarantee the gun in my hand wont accidentally go off. The werewolf raised its headits greedy eyes stared at the middle-aged man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The latters appearance was ordinary with the exception of a long scar on his face as his only notable characteristic. The werewolf let out a threatening howl, but the middle-aged man seemed relatively unaffected. His finger was gradually adding more force on the trigger. The weapon in his hand was a rank three origin gun. Its large, modified muzzle indicated that it was a weapon which leaned heavily toward firepower. Another werewolf walked over, dragged its comrade away from the woman, and then said to the middle-aged man, Captain Zhou, are you trying to renege on this transaction? The Captain surnamed Zhou replied, The deal doesnt include the lives of my subordinates. You gave me your word that a repeat of yesterdays incident wont occur. Or perhaps you cant even handle your own men? The werewolf leader let out an angry roar. Youre insulting Bernt the Brave! I can raze this camp to the ground as long as I will it! Captain Zhou was seemingly unthreatened and replied with a cold laugh, You can try! Although my men and I may die here, I promise you that the chances of your group returning alive is not greater than one third. As for you, Bernt the Brave, I wonder if youll return as a hero or an idiot after you destroy a trade channel thats been established for well over a decade. Bernt was immediately incensedhe furiously roared but restrained himself in the end. He didnt dare charge in because he knew Captain Zhou wasnt exaggerating. The arachne came down from atop the building and said, We came to complete this transaction and not to mess things up. Bernt, why did your subordinate suddenly jump out and cause a commotion? Bernt turned toward the werewolf from earlier. The latter replied, I smelled one of those damned vampires just now! Bernt turned to glare at Captain Zhou. Are you hiding those from the vampire race here? Captain Zhou replied, Are you lot trying to invent more problems? Youve checked every corner of this place when you arrived. If there truly are vampires hiding here, why did you discover it only now? The arachne also shook his head. Bernt, handle your subordinates well! This is a horrible excuse! Besides, they cant do anything even if they really are hiding here. So, stop your empty threats. I still want to take a rest. Additionally, there are things among this batch of goods that Marquis Ross personally requested. That bad-tempered sire will have your head if you foil this deal! The werewolves howled in dissatisfaction but eventually withdrew. Captain Zhou also left after letting out a sigh of relief. Qianye was silently observing the commotion nearby. He turned into a small alley and headed toward the other side of the camp. He had sensed a large number of human blood energy reactions there. The density had far surpassed that of normal residents. There were actually hundreds of them albeit with much weaker blood energy reactions. A vague possibility came to his mind. He sped up his footsteps and soon arrived before a peculiar camp separate from the village. From the features of the buildings sticking out, he immediately discerned that the interior was likely a barracks. Security was tight with several sword spiders standing guard near the door. The walls were of the same height as the villages. Qianye chose a relatively deserted corner and, climbing to the top of the wall, observed the interior of the camp. Numerous long buildings stood within the campgrounds. Their windows had been nailed shut while the doors were tightly guarded by several wargs. Two werewolves stood in the center talking amongst themselves. Qianye immediately understood what this camp was forthis was a slave pen, a place to hold the numerous slaves for trade. Every long building could hold over a hundred humans. The crowded human blood energy he had sensed came from this place. Such a camp could hold nearly a thousand slaves at its peak, a staggering number to speak of. The goods for trade was now clearhumans... real, live humans. Qianye had heard from Yu Renyan that Wu Zhengnans trade with the dark races included humans. However, this was his first time witnessing such a spectacle. Some of these people would become food, while the rest would be forced into labor or used as breeding machines. Perhaps the deal included other contents, but these humans were obviously the most important merchandise. Qianye stealthily withdrew from the village and found a place in the wilderness from which he could directly observe the village gates. He tightly pulled his cloak over his head while recalling the regional topography, defenses, and troop distribution of the various races in the village. The arachne leader was rank seven. There were three more rank five arachne and werewolves, while the rest were all below rank five. Such a group was anything but weak, however, this wasnt the first time Qianye had fought a dark race patrol squad. To him, eradicating them wasnt an impossible endeavor as long as he had sufficient range and geographical advantage. Qianye selected a few potential areas for an ambush and played out the scenario in his head for a couple of times before turning in. Dawn. The village gates opened, allowing passage to a convoy which gradually drove toward the north. The containers on these cargo trucks had been modified, allowing one to see the numerous human figures through the iron bars. Qianyes judgement was correct. It was indeed a slave convoy. These cargo trucks were surprisingly advanced in terms of horsepower and auxiliary equipment, even comparable to the equipment issued to the main imperial corps. This convoy cast an entirely new light on the value of this transaction. In the past, the dark race would have the slaves walk after capturing themrarely would they ever transport them by car. Additionally, the dark race warriors were accustomed to moving through the wilderness. They probably wouldnt take kindly to these constantly jolting tin cans which reeked of fuel. For this trade, however, cargo trucks had been arranged for all the humans. Apparently, the dark race had attached a great deal of importance to this batch of merchandise. They werent willing to lose even a single one of them along the way. This strengthened Qianyes resolve to prevent the dark race from obtaining them! The convoy was still slowly moving through the rugged terrain. Qianye, on the other hand, was already running through the wilderness and had soon arrived at the predetermined ambush points before long. It was a valley with numerous towering stone pillars. The ground was uneven, and the path was barely enough for a single car to pass. The valley was permeated by a faint yet peculiar fishy smell, and there wasnt a sign of life amidst the deathly stillness. It was because of these characteristics that Qianye was confident that the convoy would pass through here. He had already distinctly picked up the scent of an arachne. It was a great disaster for the small beasts and insects wherever an arachne passed. This path was highly likely to be the one taken by the dark races on their way to the village and was naturally their path back. The location was already quite close to the dark race borders, but the dark race had no concept about repairing roads, or at least the lower level dark race didnt. It has been said that the high ranking dark race members had already developed a greatly advanced culture and had built various lofty landmarks that were supposedly even more majestic than the Great Qin Empires trans-century projects. It was as if the higher level dark race members and the lower level ones were living in completely different ages. Qianye selected a hiding place, laid down a few traps, and patiently waited for the convoys arrival. An hour later, rumbling sounds began to ring out within the valley as a large cargo vehicle appeared in Qianyes vision. The one behind the steering wheel was a werewolf while two arachne were cramped into the rear seat. They could only prop a few of their limbs outside because their large bodies werent able to fit entirely into the compartment. The sword spiders and wargs roamed at either side of the convoy. These less intelligent cannon fodder preferred running through the wilds than being crammed into these tin cans. Qianye raised his Eagleshot and locked the crosshairs onto the target. The arachne with eye-catching white stripes on its abdomen was the leader of this trade procession and the only rank seven monster. Half the battle would be won so long as it was killed. The foremost cargo truck suddenly spat out large clouds of black smoke and came to a halt. The agitated werewolves from the cars behind jumped down and growled menacingly as they glanced at the surroundings. Bernt! What is it this time? the arachne impatiently shouted. The tall werewolf roared in reply, The scent of vampires is in the air and its extremely fresh. You know there shouldnt be vampires in this area! The arachne shivered slightly. Hold on, Ill come down to take a look. Moving its large body took some effort, almost as if it was trying to pull its bulging abdomen out of the car. This action became the cause of its death. A red light flashed in the distance. Sensing great danger, the arachne let out a screech and hacked away at the car with its limbs. This action didnt merely break apart the vehicle but also hacked the other arachne seating beside him. The rank five fellow was completely split open from the waist up and immediately lost the ability to fight. But even that didnt allow the first arachne to escape harm. The incoming bullet was clearly reflected upon the center of its abdomen. The projectile wasnt merely emitting a hazy origin light but was also surrounded by a band of radiance! The origin power within this bullet had stirred an external reaction. The more colorful it was, the more terrifying the might behind it. A bloody mist burst out of the arachnes abdomen and its bulky body was flung back from the momentum. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 178: Hijack Part 2 Chapter 178: Hijack (Part 2) [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A defect immediately appeared on the eye-catching white stripes of the arachnes abdomen. A large hole had appeared from which yellowish fluids sprayed out like a gush of rain. Such an injury was indeed serious but not to the point where it would threaten its life. The arachne possessed tenacious vitality and could regenerate even if its entire abdomen was cut off. However, Qianyes physical bullet just now was instilled with his blood energy which, after entering the wound, immediately began to gorge itself on the abundant darkness origin power. Qianye calmly ran to another position. The machine gun on the cargo truck spewed out flames as it swept randomly, spraying bullets through the air like rain. This scene caused Qianye to shrug his shouldersit was meaningless to fire from such a range. Barring the vampires, there were few among the dark races who could snipe from a range exceeding 500 meters, and these werewolves and arachne were no exception. This granted Qianye a home-field advantage. Qianye arrived at the next vantage point and aimed his Eagleshot at the arachne climbing out of the other cargo truck. At a range of less than 500 meters, the latters large body was like an easy target. Killing this arachne would leave Bernt the Brave as the only rank five warrior of their group. There were, however, a large number of lower ranked werewolves remaining, and the wargs and swordspiders could also prove to be quite troublesome. But the battleground was rather secluded and there shouldnt be any passersby in the short term. There was sufficient space for Qianye to slowly chip away at these scattered troops. As expected, that arachne also fell under Qianyes gunthe Eagleshots firepower could be discerned from the formers fate. Its whole abdomen had disappeared, leaving the upper body barely alive but likely not for long, judging from the way it was squirming weakly. Next up was Bernt. The tall werewolf had finally realized that holding their position would make them easy targets. He stood on top of the car and let out a long howl while beating his chest. He then crouched down, arched his body, and leapt toward Qianyes position at lightning speed. All the werewolves were dauntlessly following behind him. To them, a distance of a few hundred meters could be crossed within the blink of an eye. The werewolves shuttled left and right, advancing in a zig-zag fashion. It almost seemed as if these movements had little effect on their speed. Human snipers had always been a great threat to the dark races because, due to racial characteristics, none of them were proficient in the use of origin guns. The only exception was the vampire race. However, the dark races had long since developed their own ways of dealing with human snipers. The werewolves relied on their sprinting speed and evasion abilities to engage in a direct attack. The arachne would spit out spiderwebs toward the snipers relative position and slowly seal off the latters escape routes, eventually turning them into swordspider food. But this time, the werewolves werent facing an ordinary human sniper. Qianye locked onto Bernt with relative ease and pulled the trigger on this gigantic brown-furred werewolf. The origin power bullet whizzed out once again, its destination was to Bernts left. The werewolf shifted to the side to evade but found himself colliding with the incoming bullet. Half of Bernts body vanished, sending what remained of his injured body tumbling through the air for quite the distance before crashing onto the ground. Although the unyielding werewolf was struggling and his cries were still vigorous, the injuries he had sustained were apparently unsalvageable. The remaining werewolves didnt cower after losing their leader. Only when they reached a point within 100 meters did Qianye put down his Eagleshot and, drawing the Twin Flowers, aimed rather casually. Two more werewolves fell in a puddle of blood as the illusory flower blossomed mid-air. Every shot from the Twin Flowers at full power was lethal to these rank four werewolves. After two shots, ten werewolves had already surrounded Qianye, and there were even more wargs and swordspiders rushing over behind him. Cruelty and carnivorous craving appeared within their eyes. To them, a captured human sniper was a delicacy with abundant origin power. Human snipers were notoriously weak in melee regardless of their rank. The werewolves didnt notice the gaze with which their supposed prey was looking at themit was the gaze of a hunter. Qianye calmly returned the Twin Flowers to their holsters and drew the Radiant Edge, into which he poured a mixture of origin and blood energy. The patterns on the vampire dagger lit up once again. This time, however, its radiance bore the dense color of blood which lingered on its edge and emanated a desolate aura. A strong gale carrying the stench of blood arose from behind Qianye as he lowered his body and spun around, swinging his sword arm to attack. The brilliance of the Radiant Edge instantly intensified as it drew a bloody arc in the air. A werewolf rushed past Qianyes side. However, it didnt land safely afterward and instead rolled away as if it had lost control. On the way, its head dropped off, followed by a front paw, then anotherthe cut edges were incomparably bright and clean. Qianye looked down at the blade in his hand in surprise. He had felt very little resistance from the slash just now even though he had cleanly cut through the wolf''s head and claws. How sharp! As a dark race champion level weapon, this kind of grade five melee weapon would only be able to reveal its true might in the hands of vampire viscounts. Qianye didnt expect his blood energy to unleash the weapons true power. The battle immediately became much easier after drawing the Radiant Edgeevery slash sent werewolf bodies flying. Their crude leather armor and supposedly sturdy claws became as brittle as paper before this grade five dagger. Fallen werewolves were soon strewn across the battleground. A swordspider appeared before the fervent Qianye who, with a flash of his dagger, cut off its two front limbs before stabbing at its disproportionately small brain. Only after all of this did he remember that he wasnt here on a hunting mission and had no need to bring back these dark race body parts. The two fortunate werewolves who had survived the fight had already lost the courage to fight. They slowly edged back and suddenly turned to flee. Qianye didnt pursue them and only muttered, A bunch of idiots who think they can benefit from this trade! Look at yourselves! Qianyes voice wasnt loud but the werewolves, with their sharp senses, certainly heard him loud and clear. Qianye had released traces of his blood energy while he was investigating the trading camp in order to add a layer of disguise. A brilliant idea came to his mind when he saw the definite suspicion and fury in their eyes while brandishing the Radiant Edge. Thus, he added the last few words in order to strengthen his misdirection. As for how the two surviving werewolves would report this matter or what kind of disturbance it would create, none of those was the target of his concern. However, Qianye didnt expect much from an instigation of this levelit wasnt his forte to begin withhe quite preferred to meet enemies in open battle. Cleaning up the wargs and swordspiders was only a matter of time. He also sent the dying arachne on their way. After cleaning up the battlefield, he was finally able to inspect the merchandise. He approached the storage compartment on one of the cargo trucks and crushed the lock on itwhat he saw inside stunned him immediately. There were over a dozen people within the rectangular compartment, young men and women to be precise. One could sense the superior vitality within them although they were downcast and listless. Qianye even saw a few prisoners who had been restrained with special handcuffs. Could these origin shackles mean they were fighters who had awakened their origin power!? Come down and line up beside the car. Dont move about randomly. Did I make myself clear!? The voice with which he issued orders wasn''t particularly loud and his tone was calm, but it was still able to compel the people''s obedience completely. They jumped down from the compartment one by one and swiftly fell into formation beside the car. The speed was almost comparable to that of the regular army. A certain uncomfortable premonition rose in his heart. He frowned and stopped a rather well-built man and tore the latters sleeve off from his shoulder, revealing a tattoo depicting a bayonet, a helmet, and a poisonous snake. Qianye was no stranger to his pattern. He whispered, The 65th division? The man forced a smile and replied, I used to be. But now as you can see, Im just a merchandise. Qianye nodded. He went on to open up all the other storage compartments and had everyone come down. Apart from two cars which contained 8 to 12 years old children, the rest were all good-looking men and women below 30. What surprised Qianye was that he found some rather familiar faces among these peoplethe people he had saved from vampire territory.They had actually appeared once again on a truck bound for the dark race territory. How did this come about? Qianye inquired. The youth apparently remembered Qianye. He bitterly laughed amidst his surprise. Successfully passing the quarantine wasnt enough. We didnt know anything else besides growing plants and could only find some odd jobs to do. Gradually, many of us could no longer hold on. It was at this time that some gangs found us. They told us that a ranch on the outskirts was recruiting skilled individuals. However, they captured us all once we were out of the city. This kind of situation wasnt too surprising. Many among the massive low socioeconomic population had no fixed income. The most important thing they had to do every day was to earn the next meal. These people comprised a major source for the slave trade. Many people would mysteriously disappear each year, but the city administration would mostly turn a blind eye as this lessened a fair bit of potential trouble for them. That youth continued, Its said that a certain vampire marquis asked for us by name. We were to become the main dish for a blood feast of vengeance. Marquis Ross? The youth replied, That is indeed his name. I heard the werewolves mention this matter many times. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 179: Seedlings [Volume 3 - The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye nodded. As it turned out, the merchandise Marquis Ross requested by name was them. Qianye only discovered the Twin Flowers significant origins after meeting Lu Shenjiang at the Copper Peacock Terrace. The blood esquire he had killed was actually a descendant of Marquis Ross and was apparently one of his favorites despite the formers mediocre strength. The marquis had even granted him the famous pair of guns which had accompanied him on his rise to fame. However, not only did Qianye attack the esquires estate, but he also snatched the Twin Flowers and brought over a dozen of their livestock back into human territory. This was a great humiliation to the marquis. But the bounty on Qianyes head had failedLu Shenjiangs fate caused many people to have second thoughts. After all, staying alive was more important no matter how generous the rewards were. They also had their reputation to consider. It was one thing to run some errands for the vampires in secret, but quite another to be exposed in public. The local nobility of the Evernight Continent found it even more difficult to track Qianye down after he left for the Great Qin Empire to participate in the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. How would they dare to get involved with the upper continent? In his frustration, Marquis Ross shifted the flames of his anger onto the livestock Qianye had rescued back then. He expended a large amount of money in order to track them down and buy them back into dark race territory. The marquis had to let people know that anyone who betrayed him would face a terrible fate. The sharp Radiant Edge effortlessly destroyed the shackles on the prisoners hands. Qianye first selected the few fighters from among them and released them from their bindings, tasking them with freeing the others in turn. He even checked their physical conditions in passing and found them to be in surprisingly good condition. There werent many wounds on them and they were even free from troublesome internal injuries. This proved that their captors, be it humans or dark races, hadnt abused them. At this point, Qianye suddenly remembered a certain termseedlings. They were to bring new blood to the humans living in dark race territory. No wonder this batch of people were of superior quality. These people normally wouldnt be tortured or forced into labor, while some might even receive basic living conditions. However, their future wasnt any different from livestock used to mate and rear offspring. This batch of humans was quite young. The dozen or so who were close to thirty were either first rank fighters or possessed special skills in certain areas.At this time, good looks was also an advantagean important advantage. The vampires inclination to aesthetics almost bordered on prejudice. Qianye found that many of these people were soldiers. A portion of them was from the Imperial Regular Army who had been dispatched to the Evernight Continent to serve penal military service for various reasons. It would be quite difficult to round up such a group of humans in the Evernight Continent. God knows how much effort Wu Zhengnan had secretly invested into this. Qianye looked at the people who were helping each other unlock their shackles and decided to change his original plan. At first, he didnt want to alarm the trading settlement and planned to use it as evidence against Wu Zhengnan. As for these people, he had planned to let them scatter and escapethey would have a chance to survive as long as they reached human territory. He knew, from previous experience, that snatching these people from the hands of the dark race and bringing them back into the city would only invite trouble. The expeditionary army might, once again, use quarantine inspections as an excuse to isolate them. What happened after that would be totally out of his control. Even if they passed the inspections, what then? These livestock could hardly blend into human society. It wouldnt be so easy for the others eitherjobs were scarce within the cities of Evernight Continent. Without a job or background, they would definitely become expendable sooner or later, just like the batch of people Qianye had saved before. These people were exceptionally quiet and obedient, perhaps even numb and mechanical because they knew there was no future for them at all. Qianye suddenly realized that although he had no way to give them a future at present, other people might be able toat least the Wei and Song families could. Although their roots were in the upper continent, like all the other aristocratic families, their clans owned industries of various sizes here. And all these industries required human resources. Most importantly, these people, including the children, werent useless. The innate quality of these hand-picked seedlings was basically guaranteed. In truth, the aristocracy would have many uses for them. Over half of them could serve as qualified clan soldiers after some basic training. The 100-odd children were all in their growth phase, the perfect time to lay down a good foundation and nurture their loyalty. All this meant that they could potentially provide for themselves. This was their true pillar of support. Qianye decided to test it out at once. He would take these people along. Their destinationthe Broken River City which was about 200 kilometers from Blackflow City. There was a Wei Clan branch within the city which might, perhaps, be able to provide a true home for these people. But if they wanted to leave Blackflow Citys jurisdiction and head toward Broken River City, they would have a long journey ahead of them. Disregarding the perils of this adventure, the black stone fuel supply they had on board was already insufficient. There was, however, a large depot of black stones not far from where they werethe settlement used by the seventh division for trading. Qianye was prepared to attack that outpost. Losing a piece of evidence to use against Wu Zhengnan wasnt as important compared to the lives of hundreds of people. He scanned the orderly formation of the people and said calmly, We cannot remain here for long. I plan to bring you all to Broken River City but there isnt enough fuel for the cars. Well have to head to the slave camp first to requisition some things. None of them made a sound. Qianye nodded and said, Those who can drive the cargo trucks, step forward! Unexpectedly, dozens of people stood forward. Next up were those who could use various types of weaponseven more stepped forward. Qianye distributed the weapons they had found on the cargo trucks and the dark race corpses to these people. He then assigned all the rank one fighters into a simple squad and allocated them to each truck. Qianye instructed indifferently, Your duties are to protect the other people. The soldier from the 65th division suddenly asked, Are you going to fight alone? As a soldier, he easily understood the meaning behind Qianyes orders. The incredulity was evident in his voice. Qianye only turned his head slightly and smiled before jumping onto the first truck. He instructed the convoy to head directly toward the settlement. There were approximately one hundred soldiers stationed there, and among them, almost one third were fighters who had awakened their origin power. Captain Zhou himself was at rank five. However, this kind of lineup was hardly an obstacle for Qianye. The sentry tower was the first to notice the abnormality when the convoy appeared within the villages field of vision. The alarms sounded, sending the camp into a state of confusion. Captain Zhou immediately appeared on the village wall accompanied by an increasing number of soldiers. Qianye halted the convoy 500 meters away from the village and advanced alone, stopping at a point 100 meters from the wall. It was completely silent atop the village wallall eyes were on the lone Qianye, but for some reason, they felt a sense of profound dread instead of superiority. Who are you? Captain Zhou shouted from afar. The one who killed the whole dark race convoy alone. Qianyes reply was simple and direct. Many gasps were heard atop the village wall. They were very clear about the strength of the dark race convoy. Everyone had to keep quiet out of fear during the few days they had stopped over at the camp. The werewolves had even found an excuse to devour one of the soldiers. But now, the lone youth standing outside the village was claiming to have actually killed off the whole convoy! Why should I believe you? Captain Zhou shouted with a frown on his face. You need not believe me. You only need to surrender. That way, fewer people will die. Damn it! Captain Zhou swore hoarsely. He then raised his voice and shouted, You want to make me surrender with just a few words? With you alone? Forget about it! Qianye replied coldly, You bow and scrape before the dark races but dare to fight against me? I dont understand where your courage stems from. Perhaps its because Im a human, someone of the same familiar species? Captain Zhous frown intensified as he quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. In truth, he had already realized that things werent looking good the moment he saw the familiar convoy behind Qianye. The merchandise was worth tens of thousands of gold coins. The dark races would never yield submissively. Qianye suddenly raised his Eagleshot and shouted, Look, what do you think this is? Resistance is futile. Or perhaps you think I dont dare to kill? Only death awaits if you dont surrender! Captain Zhou felt his heart thump after seeing the two-meter-long weapon. The enemy was an incredible sniper! Now he knew the fate of the dark race caravan. The range and power of the Eagleshot were too deadly. It could kill anyone within the settlement, including himself, in one shot. Surrender or escape? Captain Zhou was puzzled as to where this brat had suddenly popped up from. However, there were simply too many secrets within this camp that he couldnt let people know. It wouldnt be as simple as death if things were exposed. He suddenly took out a flask of alcohol and took a hard swig before shouting, Charge! Charge toward him! We can kill him as long as we reach him! Following Captain Zhous roar, the soldiers within the village hurriedly jumped down from the wall and rushed toward Qianye! They covered the hundred meters in the blink of an eye. Qianye shook his head and inwardly sighed. At the same time, the flames of fury raged within his heart. He couldnt understand their way of thinking. Why couldnt they show such courage when facing the dark races? On the contrary, they were so courageous when facing him, the person who killed those dark race warriors alone. Qianye lifted the Eagleshot. He ignored those charging madly at him and locked onto Captain Zhou who was standing on the village wall. Captain Zhou sensed mortal danger. He let out an odd cry and turned around to jump down into the village, but alas, it was too late! As the Eagleshot rumbled, the origin bullet directly shot through the wooden wall and struck his body with great accuracy. Captain Zhou watched as the lower half of his body vanished into the origin power explosion. It was uncertain what was going through his mind at that momentwas it regret or was it something else? Qianyes body suddenly lit up with small origin power eruptions. He staggered back a couple of steps from the impact of the origin power bullets which struck him head-on. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 180: Safe Arrival [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye lowered his head to inspect his body. He found his armor torn in many places with blood seeping out of the wounds caused by the origin guns. However, the damage these grade one origin guns could inflict on the current Qianye was rather limited. Gunpowder weapons couldnt even penetrate his defenses and only left a smoky scent on him. The slave-trading soldiers charging at Qianye were momentarily stunned after seeing him unfazed after taking several hits. They had witnessed such scenes before with powerful dark race warriors, but the one before them was a humana sniper no less. Qianye creased his brows and said slowly, It really is a little bit painful! His cold gaze swept over the soldiers whose faces were surging with murderous intent. Perseverance can, of course, be considered a good moral characteristic. With that, he suddenly rushed into their midsttwo illusory flowers bloomed on the battlefieldthe distinct rumble of the Twin Flowers reverberated through the air. Not only did the tremendous force tear apart its primary target, but the radiating energy also flung the nearby people into the air. These rank one fighters were incomparably weak before a rank four origin gun. Qianye drew the Radiant Edge after firing twice and proceeded to illuminate the air with streaks of blood color light. The slavers fell one after another, and the remaining soldiers went berserk in their desperation. Many were determined to tear off Qianyes flesh even on their deathbeds. Qianyes physique and strength far surpassed these soldiers even without activating his origin power. He weaved throughout the battlefield and was virtually unstoppable. The more he killed, the more he found it difficult to restrain his anger. Why couldnt they direct such valiance toward fighting the dark races instead of using it against someone of the same race!? Qianye suddenly let out a long howl. Origin power rushed into the Radiant Edge, and accompanying it into the blade was his evolved blood energy! The dagger erupted with a scarlet radiance. These human soldiers were simply too weak before the blade capable of cutting open swordspiders and werewolves. Oftentimes, they were cut into two merely after brushing past the overflowing origin power radiance! Gunshots suddenly rang out beside Qianye. Among them was the rumble of origin guns and an even greater number of gunpowder weapons. Fresh blood burst out from the bodies of the slaver soldiers rushing toward Qianye in waves. Qianye turned around to checkthe people who shouldve been hiding behind the cars had climbed onto the roof and were firing continuously from an advantageous elevation. Many of them used to be outstanding soldiers who possessed almost consummate shooting skills. Those without guns picked up swords and staves, while the rest without any weapon at all simply picked up stones from the ground before charging toward the battlefield! The slavers began to retaliate. Several slaves collapsed as a series of gunshots rang out. However, this caused the remaining slaves to charge even faster and their cries to grow even louder! Their surging murderous intent caused the slaver soldiers a great deal of alarm. Only a few dozen soldiers from the village remained by the time the battle ended. This meant that over half of them had fallen. A squad with such a casualty ratio could be considered one with martial spirit, even by imperial army standards. The problem was that this squad wasnt even part of the army. Only a small part of them were on the seventh divisions official records, while the others were privately groomed guards. Their combat targets werent dark race members but instead, humans. Qianye never understood why these people could erupt with such fighting spirit against their own race. Nevertheless, the battle had ended. The gap between their strength and Qianyes was already too large to compensate with numbers. Fortunately, in the end, their fighting spirit crumbled in the face of blood and carnage, else the only option would be to bathe the village in blood. Qianye could easily accomplish this but he certainly wouldnt enjoy it. They found a large amount of supplies within the settlement as expected. In addition to the two warehouses full of black stones, there were several dozen industrial-use black crystals, a warehouse full of metal ingots, and large amounts of grain and cured meat. They found sufficient weapons and armors to outfit the hundreds of seedlings. There were also quite a lot of vehicle components and some spare trucks. All of these things were carried away by Qianye as spoils of war. The captives who had surrendered were all crammed into a cargo compartment after being disarmed. It was quite fitting to lock these prisoners in a vehicle used to transport slaves. The convoy drove toward Broken River City that very night. The fatigue brought by the entire night of jolting intensified as even some of the trucks broke down. Fortunately, there were actually some seedlings who were familiar with mechanical repair. Add to that the components and tools obtained from the settlement, all the trucks were able to resume their advance in the end. Qianye had no intention to stop and rest. He arranged for the drivers to take turns at the wheel. Everyone else was to remain within the passenger compartment to preserve energy. It was imperative that they leave the seventh divisions domain as soon as possible. They could only be considered safe after getting in touch with the representatives of the Wei clan base at Broken River City. Hurried footsteps rang out within the seventh division headquarters in the dead of the night. A staff officer rushed past the drill grounds and was headed toward Wu Zhengnans residence at full speed. A gloomy Wu Zhengnan appeared in the parlor, still dressed in pajamas. Despite his usual fondness for the officer, his glare at the moment seemed to say that the latter better have a good explanation or else he would be punished severely. General, the convoy has encountered an accident. The staff officers word caused Wu Zhengnan to jump up from the sofa. He grabbed the formers collar and roared, Which convoy!? Wu Zhengnans voice was actually trembling slightly even though he was a champion level expert. The officers reply shattered Wu Zhengnans final bit of hope. The one with which we completed the transaction yesterday. The goods being transported were seedlings. Wu Zhengnan released his grip and fell onto the sofa. He let out a heavy breath and asked, Those kinds of seedlings? Yes, sir. Actually, the two instances of confirmation were completely unnecessaryWu Zhengnan couldnt be clearerthere was only one convoy transporting seedlings within half a month. He had deliberately refrained from scheduling other transactions during this period in order to avoid unnecessary complications to this important deal. Where are the seedlings now? Have they been handed over to the dark race? The transaction had already been concluded at that time but the werewolves and arachne were ambushed before they had gotten far. The escorts were almost completely wiped out, and it was said that only two werewolves managed to escape. The seedlings were all lost. Wu Zhengnan asked solemnly, Where are those seedlings? Have you found them? They returned to the camp under the leadership of a young man where a battle ensued. Battle? Dont tell me we lost!? The staff officers face was pale but he summoned up the courage and said, We indeed lost. Captain Zhou fell in battle along with most of the soldiers. The rest were taken captive with the exception of a few who had hidden themselves. The young man leading them seemed to be in a hurry. He took everything he could and left. Wu Zhengnans expression was exceedingly somber. A young man? Any distinctive traits? We only know that he wields an Eagleshot. A sniper? A sniper can actually crush all the troops in the settlement!? Wu Zhengnan roared in absolute fury. He stood up and grabbed the officers collar and howled, Do you know how much time I had to invest in order to find so many seedlings? Do you know how much this failure will cost us? 50 f*cking thousand gold coins! 50,000 whole imperial gold coins! The colossal amount caused the staff officer to go dizzy, but even more dizzying was Wu Zhengnans hand. The bones on his neck were emitting cracking sounds under the latters grip. Wu Zhengnan tossed the officer onto the sofa with a humph. There arent a lot of people in this region who can use an Eagleshot. Go and investigateIll give you a weeks time to find out his identity. And whats the use of keeping those cowards who dont even have the courage to fight the enemy? The staff officer replied, Rest assured, General. I know what to do now. The staff officer hurriedly excused himself after seeing Wu Zhengnan wave his hand in response. Wu Zhengnan paced back and forth in the living room with a solemn expression. It was late at night but he had already lost any and all sleepiness. Dawn arrived once more. Broken River City was already visible in the distance. The journey was rather uneventful albeit exhausting. They ran into a beast pack twice but encountered neither dark races nor humans. Qianye instructed the convoy to stop near the hills on the city outskirts. There was a forest nearby from which they could gather materials for a temporary camp. Qianye headed toward Broken River City after allocating their duties. Broken River City had a population numbering in the tens of thousandsit couldnt compare to Darkblood City but was more or less equal to Blackflow City in scale. The city, along with an area of over 100 square kilometers around it, fell under the jurisdiction of the 10th division. Geographically, Broken River City was closer to the interior of human territory, while Blackflow City was located near the front lines. Consequently, Broken River City was much more prosperous in comparison. Its perpetual dynamo tower at the city center was somewhat larger, and the public facilities appeared to be more orderly. Qianye brought out his hunters association badge and entered the city after paying the entry fees. He compared the map data in his mind to the streets at present and soon found the place without much effort. It was a rather majestic looking building standing a whole seven stories tall. The decoration was new and didnt look like the old buildings of the Evernight Continent at all. This great building felt like a giant among dwarves in Broken River City. Qianye stood before the metallic doors and looked up at the four large words: Far East Heavy Industries. The four words were vigorous, powerful, and exuded an especially murderous aura. Every stroke possessed the sharpness of an unsheathed blade. Far East Heavy Industries. This was one of the Wei clans primary industries which was, much like those of the other aristocratic families, engaged in the manufacture of all kinds of products ranging from machinery to weapons and ammunition. From what Qianye understood about the aristocratic families, it seemed they were all on a trend to manufacture everything by themselves in order to avoid being controlled by others. This was especially true for the successive generations of the Wei clan serving as regional lords. Far East Heavy Industries was a gigantic entity to the Broken River City. Its imposing manner was evidenced by this building which easily occupied half a block. Despite all this, it could only be considered second-rate in the upper continent because this wasnt the Wei clans specialty. Two guards walked over after seeing Qianye stand before the door for some time. They sized up his hunter attire and shouted, What are you looking at!? This isnt a place you can come to. Scram! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 181: Settling In [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Aristocratic family branches were some of the most formidable powers in the Evernight Continent, second only to the expeditionary army. Most of them were quite haughty and overbearing, even going as far as to look down on the mayor and the local troops. Qianye was in no mood to bother with such people. He produced the jade ring and said indifferently, This is the insignia of an inspection executive. Please have the person in charge come out. Although the crossed swords werent visible because the ring hadnt been injected with origin power, the engraved eagle head of the Wei Clan could be seen clearly. A guard replied coldly, We have never received such a notice. Who knows where you got that item from? Dont you dare act ostentatiously in Wei clan territory Before he could finish speaking, another guard swiftly moved to cover his mouth. The latter then bowed to Qianye and said, Please wait for a moment. Ill go and get the manager this instant. Were not qualified to identify which superior this token belongs to. Qianye nodded calmly. An aristocratic family like the Far East Wei Clan could be considered to have strict principles and managed their clan members and servants quite stringently. In truth, one could roughly estimate the clans circumstances by looking at the performance of their basic staff. They werent too far from decline if they couldnt even control their servants. The guard darted into the building and hurriedly returned in the company of a man in his prime years. The mans eyebrows twitched when he saw the simple jade ring in Qianyes hands. Inspection executives were the highest ranking among the Wei clans external executive officers and were several ranks superior to a mere manager of a tiny Broken River City branch. Their arrival often meant that they had major business to take care ofhow come they hadnt heard anything at all? The man introduced himself as Wei Cheng, a deputy manager of the Far East Heavy Industries Broken River City branch. He was currently the person in charge since the manager had gone to the upper continent last month to verify accounts. Wei Cheng respectfully invited Qianye into the hall before receiving the ring for inspection. Sire, you look rather unfamiliar to me. I wonder what official business you have in coming down this time? Qianye had been observing Wei Cheng for some time. This person appeared to be respectful, but in truth, he was quite shrewd. His words were rather probing, and he was likely a difficult person to deal with. Qianye smiled after hearing Wei Chengs inquiry. Wei Qiyang granted me the inspection executive token in order to facilitate everyday matters. I should be able to requisition resources to a certain extent should the need arise. He removed the silver necklace and placed it on the table. Wei Cheng was greatly astonished. Wei Qiyang was the taboo name of Marquis Bowangs heir. Although he, too, was surnamed Wei, the distance between them was simply too great. Normally, it was likely that the heir would never set foot into such a small city. Wei Cheng withdrew all his thoughts at this point and returned the ring to Qianye. He then took the necklace in both hands and injected a strand of origin power into the eagle head pendant. Immediately afterwards, the array lit up and a single layer feathered crest appeared on the eagle head, the symbol of the marquis heir. Indeed, this is a token of the heir! May I ask what instructions do you have, sire? I have a batch of people who need to be settled down. Do you have any camps outside the city? Wei Cheng replied hurriedly, You have an entourage outside the city? Allow me to dispatch someone to welcome them into the city. Although Broken River City is small, Im sure we can sort out a few courtyards and settle them down appropriately. Qianye shook his head and replied, No need to enter the city. Its best if we can arrange for them outside since I brought quite a number of people. Ill also require clothes, beddings, and food for them. How many people are there in sires entourage? 700, more or less. Wei Cheng was shocked out of his wits, but this time, he seemed to have no intention of probing into the heart of this matter. He pondered for a moment before bringing out a map and pointing to a certain location. What do you think of this? Theres a mine owned by the Wei family about 20 kilometers east of the city. We might be able to fit everyone into the adjacent village albeit with some minor discomfort in living conditions. Most of the buildings there are empty because the mine isnt operational during this season. Its good enough. Lets just go with this. Qianye observed the map in detail and habitually memorized the local topography and roads. Wei Cheng immediately got to workhe summoned the staff in charge of various resources one after another and assigned them their relevant tasks in front of Qianye, appropriately arranging for the basic needs of all 700 people. He even took security into consideration and instructed the weapons warehouse to issue a batch of firearms and ammunition. Although they were only gunpowder weapons, it was sufficient to deal with normal situations. Being able to mobilize such a large amount of resources was an indication of the Wei clans wealth, but Wei Cheng himself was quite capable to be able to arrange everything appropriately in a short amount of time. Qianye was relieved at last after helping these people settle in. He also had Wei Cheng notify Wei Potian of his situation by mail. Along the way to Broken River City, Qianye had made the decision to prevent these people from entering the city. The value of these seedlings was extraordinarythe Blackflow Citys defensive perimeter alone wouldnt be able to gather such an amount of quality merchandise. He suspected that the other expeditionary divisions might have a hand in this. Broken River City fell under the 10th divisions jurisdiction. The Far East Heavy Industries, on the other hand, was like a trading company. Despite possessing a good number of elite private soldiers, they couldnt be compared with the expeditionary army in terms of pure strength. As such, he might be walking right into a trap if he brought these seedlings into the city without due caution. Even if the 10th division wasnt involved in this matter, there was no telling how these adjacent divisions would collude with one another. They would only be truly safe after meeting up with Wei Potian. Qianye didnt stay for long in Broken River City. He left at dawn the next day and disappeared into the wilderness. The prisoners they had captured were all handed over to Wei Cheng who promised to deal with them cleanly. The latter followed conventional methodsmost of them were sent to remote mines to work, while a small group of undisciplined ones was transferred to slave traders. Seeing Qianye show little interest regarding this matter, Wei Cheng refrained from going into the details. At this time, Qianye was working on another matter. He spent three days alone in the wilderness, retracing the path along with which they had escaped to Broken River City. Anyone following their trail, be it the dark races or other people, would likely run into Qianyes ambush. He returned to Broken River City only after confirming that no one was on their tracks. The Far East Heavy Industries occupied a total of six mines, four of which produced black stones, while the other two produced metallic ore. The group Qianye had saved was settled down in a village beside one of the black stone mines. After being told of their identity and origins, Wei Cheng dispatched an additional 100 soldiers to protect them. In truth, he just wanted to keep a closer watch on these seedlings lest some of them try to escape while Qianye wasnt around. Except being unable to leave the mine, their daily lives were arranged in perfect order. The men, women, and children all had their residences while the soldiers formed a separate group. The miners residences were all in the mining area. This village was used to provide residence for the foremen and their families during the mining season. It wasnt very large and the available living space was only slightly better than the slave camp. Wei Cheng dispatched several batches of laborers to fell trees and build more houses the next day, and before long, the small village had expanded by almost twofold. Everything within the village was already on the right track by the time Qianye returned. At this time, he unexpectedly came across a familiar face on the village streetsSong Zining. The Song Clans Seventh Young Master was together with the children, his expression as gentle as spring water. They were all gathered around him in a circle with raised heads, listening attentively to what he was saying. Qianye hurried over and called out, Zining! Song Zinings warm smile became even brighter when he looked up and saw Qianye walking over. He bent down, said something to the children and had them all disperse before welcoming Qianye with a hug. I thought I was quick enough in handling matters, but I would have never expected you to act even faster. After hearing Song Zinings words, Qianye understood that the former had gotten a general idea regarding Wu Zhengnans black crystal suppliers. Qianye couldnt help but laugh while explaining the current circumstances. He didnt plan to take action at first but changed his mind after finding out that the products being traded were people. Song Zining didnt seem to mind. It doesnt matter. There are too many variables involved in such matters. We should act as fast as we can. I just hope Wei Potian doesnt dawdle. Qianye glanced at the surroundings. Lets go into my room first. The house Wei Cheng had arranged for Qianye was naturally the best in town. However, the village itself was simple and crudeeven the best building here wasnt anything impressive. Song Zining walked around the house and clicked his tongue. A stately Far East Wei Clan arranged such a place for their heirs friend? This treatment is no different from the mine foreman. However, Song Zining hadnt come alone. The moment he gave the order, several dozen maids, servants, and guards entered in single file. They cleaned the simple house and arranged everything systematically in the blink of an eye. Song Zining had also brought along two chefs who had already gone into the temporary kitchen to prepare their meal. After seeing Song Zinings show of extravagance, Qianye began to understand why the former was willing to set up camp on the outskirts instead of entering the city. It seemed the facilities in his camp might be even better than those in the city. Qianye helplessly shook his head. Its not a big deal. I chose this place instead of heading into the city to avoid unnecessary trouble. Song Zining nodded. Not entering the city was the correct choice. The people from the 10th division can still play dumb if youre outside the city, but that wouldnt be the case if you swaggered in with so many people. By that time, they couldnt play dumb even if they wanted to. At this point, Song Zining glanced at Qianye and said, Such a large number of good seedlings... The value of this transaction should be in the tens of thousands. The seventh division alone wouldnt be able to muster up such a capital. Perhaps the nearby divisions are also involved. You really hurt Wu Zhengnan this time. Qianye replied apologetically, Zining, it seems the implications are getting deeper and deeper. Im sorry to drag you into this. It was merely an idea back when Qianye decided to deal with Wu Zhengnan. In truth, he wasnt certain how he would go about realizing it. Only when he began to take gradual steps toward it with the help of his friends did he realize that it was a maelstrom involving many factors. It seemed as if every string he pulled out was connected to a whole network. Of course, Qianye didnt have the slightest fear for himself. What worried him most was his friends. Song Zining laughed out loud and replied nonchalantly, No matter how troublesome he is, hes just an expeditionary army division commander of civilian origins. Killing him is much easier than killing Gu Liyu. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 182: Knowledge Is All About Details [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye was somewhat startled but soon realized that Song Zining must have already known about the incident he had encountered while staying with the Yin family. In truth, the way he viewed these things had gradually changed since the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. He shook his head and replied, These things are related to the Yin familys internal affairs. Only Qiqi can resolve them. Besides, Gu Liyu normally stayed at the Imperial Military Department and his whereabouts would be highly confidential even if he did leave for a mission. There was nothing Qianye could do unless the former took the risk to appear before him. However, he had already left the Yin family and was now completely unrelated to that pond of murky water. Song Zining seemed to have understood Qianyes unspoken notion. His eyes faintly flashed as he swiftly changed the subject toward inquiring about how he had intercepted Wu Zhengnans merchandise. I have unexpectedly received news of this transaction, but come to think of it, it was rather strange. There actually werent any proper defensive measures despite the scale of this trade, not to mention the dark race escort was only about the size of a single patrol unit. I succeeded only because of this. Song Zining smiled. Wouldnt it be telling everyone that the value of this transaction was extraordinary if they suddenly increased security? You said the recipients of this transaction were the werewolves and arachne. How could the vampires not be interested in such a large batch of high-quality seedlings? Theres little meaning in increasing the number of guards if news of this transaction was leaked. They would never be able to walk out of vampire territory. Arent the goods desired by Marquis Ross also within this batch? Its not as if he cant play dirty among themselves. Qianye also began to understand and later said, Ive saved these people but know of no good way to help them settle down. Staying here on the long term isnt quite feasible. Youre actually worrying about what to do with a batch of superior seedlings! Song Zining laughed until his brows turned crescent. However, after seeing Qianye still puzzled, he muttered to himself for a moment and said, Just have them stay here for the meantime. Ill dispatch some people over to help you manage things once we finish dealing with Wu Zhengnan. Song Zining suddenly blinked while saying this and proceeded to smile mischievously. I have already prepared some presents for you, but Ive changed my mind after seeing these people. Ill bring you a different gift next time we meet. Qianye suddenly felt a bad premonition toward this gift after seeing his good friends expression. Zining, why did you suddenly come over to this place? What else other than for your case? Ive already found clues about the black crystal channels and I came here to confirm some things. Qianye felt somewhat apologetic. Dont let my matters delay your own business. But Song Zining only replied with a smile, This is my business now. The two slept in the same room that night and reminisced about past events from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Qianye was astounded to discover that so many amusing things had happened during that period of hellish training. Memories were indeed fascinatingsometimes the hardships would be washed away, leaving only warm-hearted recollections; but sometimes, all happiness would be erased, leaving only pallid ugliness. Song Zining stayed in the village for two days to make sure matters were running smoothly. Wei Potians messenger arrived during this period with a reply stating his time of arrival. Only after that did Song Zining leave hurriedly along with his entourage. In the following days, Qianye arranged the seedlings into various groups. Not all of them had nowhere to go, but almost all of them were unwilling to leave and expressed their desire to follow Qianye. However, Qianye soon discovered that managing people was quite a troublesome task, especially when they were in the hundreds. Wei Cheng came to the village to meet Qianye this morning and respectfully placed a list on the table. Qianye looked through it and found a long and detailed list. Most of the items on it were trivialfood, clothing, equipment, weapons, house and road maintenance, so on and so forthmore than a hundred of them. These detailed items meant only one thing, money. Wei Cheng didnt ask Qianye for compensation but had delivered this list for Qianye to look over. The meaning was clearit was to let Qianye know how much had been spent on these people. Discounting other costs for now, the daily necessities alone came down to ten gold coins a day. If there were other requirements, physical training or weapons, and ammunition, for instance, the cost would increase several fold or even tens of times. Qianye put down the list and asked, How much resources can the heir allocate? The amount made available to the heir is different for each region. Were at the lowest grade seven region and thus we can only provide 500 gold coins worth of supplies. A county town would be able to supply 1000 gold coins, while the upper continent cities would be able to mobilize up to 5000 gold coins worth of resources. Wei Chengs attitude was respectful throughout their interaction but Qianye knew this shrewd manager wouldnt accommodate at all once the predetermined limit was reached. Qianye had already used over 300 gold coins on these seedlings up till now. A large portion of it was used to buy the necessary weapons and tools. Qianye had obtained a significant amount of ores and tools from Wu Zhengnans trading camp while the dozen cargo trucks also constituted a small fortune. He thought about it for some time and then brought Wei Cheng toward the temporary storage room. There were several sealed chests stacked here, all of which were goods to be shipped to the dark races along with the seedlings. Qianye extended his hand and, with a single tug, tore the lid off from one of the sealed chests to reveal the fist-sized pieces of red ore within. Wei Cheng was astonished after seeing the contents of the chest. He produced an optical instrument from his coat pocket and proceeded to inspect the ore. These origin stones were decorated with beautiful cloud patterns and had several minute crystals embedded in them. Wei Cheng exhaled deeply. Indeed, these are indeed crude red crystal iron ore and of good quality too. Each chest could easily sell for over a hundred gold coins. But red crystal iron ore is the raw material for producing origin arrays. How did you obtain such a large amount? Qianye didnt reply. Wei Cheng slapped his forehead. Ah! Im so silly! I shouldnt have inquired so carelessly about your matters! Please dont take this to heart! 150 gold coins for each chest, will you buy them? Wei Cheng nodded continuously. Of course Ill buy! Ill buy as many as you have! Qianye nodded and replied, I have 20 chests here. Wei Cheng was so excited that his face was almost red. Since you look after me so much, I, Wei Cheng, am not someone who doesnt appreciate kindness. Let me tell you honestly, your asking price is indeed a tad too cheap. So, for such a large amount, I intend to set it at 3300 gold coins in total! What do you think of it? Thats fine. Qianye simply nodded. But dont pay me the whole amount in coins. Convert the surplus into weapons, equipment, medicine, and food. No problem! Ill have people prepare everything right away. Youll see a list this afternoon. We can prepare everything within a week as long as it isnt too difficult to procure. You can also receive a 10% discount on everything since you have the inspection executive insignia. Qianye felt relieved after finalizing the details of the trade with Wei Cheng. He knew red crystal iron was the primary raw material for inscribing origin arrays and that it could be used to produce origin guns below grade three and melee weapons below grade two. The ore within a single chest was sufficient to produce 10 origin guns, meaning Wu Zhengnan had sold an equivalent of 200 origin guns to the dark races. Qianyes quotation on the red crystal iron ore was indeed somewhat cheap. Each chest of ore could be worth over 200 gold if sold to the Qin Continent, or close to 300 gold if sold to the dark races. However, it wasnt easy to sell such a large amount of thorny and illegally obtained goods. He could only rely on the Wei Clans Far East Heavy Industriesonly they dare accept goods of dubious origins without the slightest scruplethis was also out of consideration for the token in Qianyes hand. Wei Chengs attitude toward Qianye in the following days became excessively enthusiastic after receiving such a big profit. He would visit the village almost every day to call upon the latter. It just so happened that Qianye also had uses for himmanaging the basic needs of these 700 people, planning ahead, preventing conflicts and unexpected circumstanceseverything was extremely tedious and convoluted. However, knowledge could be found hidden within details. Qianye, on the contrary, had learned many things from Wei Cheng during this time. While Qianye was busy with countless trifles, Song Zining had already changed his appearance and was now a commonly dressed young man. He had come, with two servants, to Shanyin County, located in the hinterlands of the Evernight Continent. A whole 30,000 expeditionary troops were garrisoned in Shanyin County. Normally, there shouldnt be so many troops stationed here since it wasnt located close to human territory borders. The reason for having three times the standard number of soldiers here was that this place was the largest and most famous black crystal production zone in the Evernight Continent. It was already quite dark and the world would be completely engulfed by night in another half hour. Song Zining was strolling along a narrow street within the county town. The county town was very lively, but this particular street was unduly silent for some reason. The end of this street appeared before Song Zining and to one side of it was a large mansion. Quite a few thugs had gathered at the end of this street and were chatting away lazily amongst themselves. Song Zinings footsteps reverberated along the silent street and soon attracted the attention of these idle thugs. They stood up one after another and walked slowly toward Song Zining, their cold eyes gradually turning bloodthirsty. Song Zining continued toward the mansion as if he didnt see them at all. The thugs glanced at each other and moved forward to intercept him. Perhaps youve come to the wrong place. Head somewhere else if youre just taking a stroll! This should be the place. Im precisely here to meet Chen Guangyu, Song Zining replied with a smile. The bewildered thugs sized up Song Zining and asked hesitantly, Youre looking for Master Chen? But how come weve never seen you before? Song Zining glanced at them with a smile. That means Chen Guangyu is here. Oh, is it autumn already? What autumn? The thugs were puzzled by Song Zinings wordsthe people from the Evernight Continent werent as meticulous as those from the upper continentthere were only the light and dark seasons here. Sensing something odd, one of them immediately looked up in time to see countless leaves falling ever so gently... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 183: Under-the-Counter Deals [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Whats this!? the thug cried out in alarm under the murky illumination. There were very few broad-leaved trees in the Evernight Continent and even less within the city. Where could they witness such a scene of colorful falling leaves? The thug was absolutely startled and subconsciously reached out to grab one of them only to find his hand pass right through as if it was an illusion. The confused thug actually saw his fingers dropping off before he could realize what was happening! The pain had yet to reach him at that moment. He was pondering whether this was origin power if not an illusion. Suddenly, he looked up as if he had remembered something and saw countless leaves falling still. Following which, boundless pain engulfed his senses and pushed him into complete darkness. Falling leaves rustled down like rain. A garish blood-colored flower would bloom whenever a leaf landed on someone. These thugs only had enough time to let out a short cry of misery before falling onto floor one after the other. Fresh blood began to flow within this silent street. Song Zining continued onwards. The sound of water would ring out whenever his heels struck the ground. It almost seemed as if he was walking on waves, but it was, instead, blood beneath his feet. Song Zining finally arrived before the mansions scarlet doors, swung the door knocker, and proceeded to wait in silence. A moment later, the main doors opened a bit from which the impatient countenance of an old servant emerged. Didnt I tell you lot to settle things on your own!? Song Zining was smiling just as before. I believe no one has ever told me that before. Besides, Im here to visit Chen Guangyu tonight. The servant shouted, Do you think my master is someone you can meet anytime you want!? He peeked outwards as if he was searching for something but his expression changed after finding no signs of activity. He swiftly turned around with the intention of crying out. Song Zining only chuckled. It was at this time that a single leaf suddenly appeared mid-air and swept past the servants throat. The old man grasped his neck and stared fixedly at Song Zining but was already unable to utter a single word. With that, Song Zining walked through the main hall and arrived at the study after passing through two patterned doors. No sooner had the two servants looked up at the intruder than they fell clutching their throats. Over a dozen corpses lay haphazardly along the pathsome were servants and others were guardsall of them had their throats slit by a seemingly sharp object. Song Zining calmly pushed the door open and entered. An elderly man within the study said without looking up, Didnt I order you lot not to disturb me!? But I really must disturb you for a while. Song Zining maintained his mild behavior throughout the exchange. The old man was astonished after hearing an unfamiliar voice. You! Who are you!? Song Zining walked to the old mans desk and sat down nonchalantly. One who comes with a deal. How did you get in? Guards! The elderly man called out loudly but received no reply. The whole mansion was deathly silent as if there wasnt a soul. The mans expression immediately changed. Only then did Song Zining smile and say, All who can come to your aid are dead while the remainder can do little even if they arrive. Hence, I suggest you dont need to let them know, unless, of course, you think it''s a good idea for those women and children to come out. The elderly mans expression was dismal. The veins on his forearms quickly became visible as he gripped the armrest tightly. He swiftly calmed himself and sat straight before replying in a gloomy voice, Lets talk about your deal. I think youll recognize this? With that, Song Zining produced an item which he placed on the table. The elderly mans eyes suddenly went wide as a trace of extreme terror flashed within! His fingers briefly touched the item in his hand but abruptly withdrew as if he was burnt. Even his voice was trembling as he said, You where did you get this? What Song Zining had placed on the table was a standard measure industrial-use black crystal, as large as ones palm and one centimeter thick. This was one of the crystals Qi Yue had traded with the vampires back then. All black crystals looked the same to the untrained eyethe cuts of the industrial use black crystals would be larger, while origin energy black crystals would be smaller and of increased purity. However, every crystal was different to those who truly knew the ropes. There were minute differences in each of them, from the internal patterns to the energy fluctuations in their depths. A master appraiser would be able to determine the ore vein from which a particular black crystal was produced or even narrow it down to a certain mining site. This black crystal shouldve leaked out from the Chen clan mines, am I right? Beads of sweat hung on Chen Guangyus forehead. Yes yes, how did this happen? Everyone knows our mines only produce a small amount of black crystals. Dont you feel this black crystal is somewhat special? Song Zinings voice was very gentleso gentle that it felt like a devils whisper. The elderly mans posture straightened even more and his vigor seemed to have increased. However, his actions seemed to betray his guilty conscience under the current circumstances. I dont know whats so special about this crystal, Chen Guangyu replied slowly. Song Zining chuckled. Oh, I actually have a story to tell you. This black crystal was reclaimed from vampire handsit so happens that the vampires were trading with some humans. Chen Guangyu calmed down. Leaning back on the chair, he laughed coldly. What does that have to do with me? We, the Chens, are only responsible for extraction and processing. The ores are then sold. How can we control what the buyer does with them afterward? Song Zining nodded. It is indeed so! Chen Guangyu was momentarily startledhe hadnt expected Song Zining to be so reasonable. But the latter continued, I only need to ask the buyer about the details to confirm whether or not your Chen clan is involved in this matter. Chen Guangyus expression changed slightly but then he began to laugh coldly. Young man, these people are all big-shots. Theyre not as easy to bully as I am. Feel free to try if you think you can do it! Song Zining played down the mans words. Youre also an in-law of the Huaiyang Wu clan and not necessarily someone to be pushed around. The commander of a third-rate defensive division cant be considered much of a heavyweight either. Youd best turn around and take a look. Chen Guangyus heart began to beat wildly after having his background and connections thoroughly revealed by Song Zining. He turned around as he was told, and only then did he discover the two people who had been standing behind him all along! The two middle-aged men were expressionless, and the contours of their faces were as hard as nails. More importantly, they were releasing their origin power aura without reservation. Chen Guangyu perceived vortices of dazzling origin power radiance slowly revolving behind them. Two champions! Chen Guangyu forgot to breathe for a moment as he turned his head back with great difficulty to face this youth whose disposition was as mild as jade. The latters unchanging smile, at this moment, felt incomparably artificial, sinister and bloodthirsty. Regardless of his own ability, someone who could order two champions around indeed had no need to fear an expeditionary army division commander. Additionally, this youth clearly knew of his close relationship with the Huaiyang Wu family and yet he had killed everyone within the courtyard. Such domineering methods indicated his deep background. Song Zining spoke indifferently, Do you understand now? I have absolutely no need for any proof nor do I need anyone to confirm the truth of matters. If I say that youre involved in trading with the vampires, then that is the truth. As for how you go about proving your innocence, thats your business. Chen Guangyu seemed to have aged a decade and responded decrepitly, I understand. How do I address the young master? Please dont hesitate to state your commands. Ill fulfill them to the utmost of my abilities. Im surnamed Song. Chen Guangyu was overwhelmed. Song, as in the Song clan? Song Zining tossed a pouch of coins onto the table along with two papers. Heres an airship receipt which can be used to travel to the Qin or any other continent under imperial rule. As long as you hurry toward Xichang City, you and your family can safely depart aboard an interstellar vessel no matter what happens here. The money within the pouch is for travel expenses. Naturally, you can also take whatever you can from this mansion. He moved the thicker document toward Chen Guangyu and said, You need only to sign this document before you go. Chen Guangyus countenance turned pale after glancing through the contents. His voice trembled as he said, You want all of the Chen clan mines? There are only three in total and one of them is outrageously small. Chen Guangyu inhaled deeply. Young man, dont you feel this is going overboard? Song Zining smiled faintly. I feel Im extremely lenient. Look, I even arranged your trip, paid for your travel expenses, and allowed you to take away part of your fortune. Its also fine if you dont want to sign. By the time the higher ups come to investigate this forbidden deal, youll have to pay with the lives of your whole family in addition to these mines! He paused momentarily and continued, Perhaps, more than just your family will be dragged into this. Chen Guangyu drew a cold breath as he glanced at Song Zining. He suddenly laughed bitterly and replied, Good, good, very good! I admit defeat this time! With that, he grabbed the contract, signed his name, and proceeded to put down his personal seal before tossing it back to Song Zining. Song Zining inspected the signature and origin power seal before folding the contract and putting it back into his pocket. This process caused Chen Guangyus brows to twitch uncontrollablythe other party had apparently come prepared. They were even familiar with his signature and personal seal. Song Zining was still speaking amiably, You have one day to pack up. Ill send someone to take over the mines at this time tomorrow. I expect everything to be ready. Song Zining got up after saying this but glanced back suddenly as he approached the door. If I were you, Id avoid entertaining thoughts like admitting a loss this time and making a comeback later on. Youd do well to hide as far away from here as possible, lest I suddenly change my mind. Chen Guangyu fell limply onto the chair after Song Zining left. Cold sweat had drenched both layers of his clothing. At present, he had lost all notions of revenge. Regardless of whether the young man was from the Song clan, his ability to mobilize champions and his direct and efficient methods fully displayed his might. He was vicious and merciless but didnt neglect to leave a lifeline for the other party, preventing them from burning the boats. Besides, the threat in his words was very clearhe would unravel Chen Guangyu thoroughly if the latter dared to act rashly. Chen Guangyu shuddered at the thought of this. That young man was right in that his top priority should be to cover his tracks. He suddenly turned around as if he had remembered something but found that the two champions had left just as silently as they had appeared. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 184: Suspicions [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining arrived in a certain courtyard in the southern part of the city after leaving the Chen mansion. This was his temporary residence. Its original owner was from a distant branch of one of Songs subsidiary clans. The house wasnt very large but quite functional and was built in the classical style of Evernight architecture. The buildings well-planned defenses, in case of emergencies, could compare to those of a small castle. The two champions were already waiting inside by the time Song Zining walked into the side hall. He had someone bring out two boxes sealed with origin power and gifted one to each of them. This matter wouldnt have gone so smoothly without the two of you. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please give my regards to ninth uncle upon your return. The two experts hurriedly stood up and the older person said, Were delighted to have the opportunity to help the seventh young master. Lord Nine has already reminded us to do our utmost in this matter. Were all from the Song clan. Theres no need for the young master to be so courteous. The two wanted to refuse the gifts. But Song Zining said resolutely, Its merely a small gift. Im only paying due respect and it has nothing to do with identities. This is a necessary gesture to maintain the prestige of our guest officers. Even though Im from the direct line, how can I casually order about true experts like yourselves? Ninth Uncle thinks highly of and is willing to look after me. He also wishes for the two of you to treat me as a friend. Only then can we manage matters well. The two experts felt at ease after hearing such words and stopped trying to refuse the gifts. They opened the sealed boxes upon returning to their rooms and found, to their great satisfaction, a piece of origin energy black crystal within. The two had their duties in the Evernight Continent. Coming to Shanyang County was just a small detour. A mere three days delay netted them a piece of black crystal. Such a quick and easy bonus wasnt a common occurrence even at the champion level. They rarely had any contact with Song Zining in the past, but they found, in their few days of interaction, that the seventh young master was amiable, courteous, and sincere. The other young masters and mistresses seemed relatively narrow-minded compared to him. These days, Qianye was busy training the seedlings. These meticulously selected people possessed good talent, constitution, and comprehension. Things almost seemed quite presentable after only a few days of training. Additionally, there were quite a few among the children with the potential to become fighters. He was quite surprised after witnessing their progress even though he had expected as much. They would be able to form a squad 500 strong if they could maintain this training intensity. Their numbers were almost equivalent to a battalion and might not be at all inferior to the Imperial Army if they were properly equipped. If in time, more of them were to ignite their origin nodes to become fighters, their collective strength would even surpass the regular army. The training in the drill grounds had begun even before dawn. Groups of young boys and girls were running under the dusky illumination of a few origin lamps, undergoing their basic endurance training. The group of fighters was gathered on the other side of the drill grounds training their strength with various equipment. It was at this time that Wei Chengs hurried figure appeared. Qianyes expression changed involuntarily after seeing the formers unusually early arrival. Wei Cheng approached Qianye and whispered, Young Master Qian, several suspicious figures were recently spotted in the vicinity. We just captured one of them last night. Qianye frowned slightly. Have you found out his origin? The problem lies therein. Hes someone from the seventh division; the type with official records. Qianye glanced at the seemingly worried Wei Chenghe had told the latter that these people were seedlings and also entrusted the handling of red crystal ores to him but he had never exposed the precise origin of these goods. But Qianye didnt intend to hide anything because he felt that, with Wei Chengs perceptiveness, he shouldve long since found out. That being said, his current worried expression seemed to be somewhat late. Qianye didnt intend to beat around the bush and asked directly, Will they attack the Far East Heavy Industries? Wei Chengs expression changed slightly and replied, They certainly wouldnt attack openly but there are indeed many ways to do things in secret. A group of convicts coincidentally attacking the Wei clan mines for instance. No one can blame them for such a thing. Qianye nodded. I need weapons; a large number of them. Wei Chengs expression momentarily turned ugly. Although the seventh divisions defensive region is some distance away from Broken River City, the expeditionary divisions from the same theatre have good relationships with each other. In truth, before theres any enemy movement, we should take this opportunity to Qianye squinted his eyes as he glanced at Wei Cheng. He understood what the latter was implyinghe wasnt willing to thoroughly offend the expeditionary army for Qianye. Although quite powerful, the Wei clans strength was still concentrated in the upper continent. The strength of this tiny Broken River City branch is far from being comparable to the expeditionary army. Once conflict breaks out, the ones to suffer first would surely be the Far East Heavy Industries. If Wei Cheng hadnt accepted the red crystal ores without hesitation or if Wei Potian hadnt dispatched a messenger, Qianye could understand that this manager didnt dare make such a big decision on his own. But for someone who dared take in stolen goods and already knew Wei Potian would be arriving soon, his attitude was rather odd. Qianye was now quite suspicious and had no intention of giving this old fox the opportunity to evade his end of the bargain. Please deliver the equipment you owe me right away. Dont tell me you have insufficient reserves in the warehouse! Wei Chengs smile grew increasingly helpless. Young master, isnt this making things difficult for me? Even if I dont, youll be blamed all the same when the Wei clan heir arrives. I cant take all of these people out into the wildernessthatll be no different than sending them to their deaths. I want to see the equipment tonight. You must deliver the things Ive already paid for! Qianye stopped paying attention to Wei Cheng after saying these cold words and went back to training the young warriors. Wei Cheng left helplessly after wishing the young master to take care. Gazing at Wei Chengs receding figure, Qianye called one of the warriors over and gave him some instructions. This person used to be a hunter and was proficient in tailing people. Qianye told him to follow Wei Cheng from a distance and see whether he returned to the city or went somewhere else. Thinking back, Wei Chengs attitude was quite zealous after receiving the red crystal ore but had later stalled on delivering the full amount of equipment until this very day. Now, he even wanted to drive Qianye and the seedlings out of this stronghold-like village. This was rather unjustified. At this moment, the seventh division headquarters was covered in proverbial dark clouds that could turn into a downpour any minute. Wu Zhengnan stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the map on the wall without saying a word. There were half a dozen people within the meeting room, all of them were Wu Zhengnans trusted aides. All the core members of the seventh division had gathered here. No one spoke. It almost seemed as if one could hear peoples heartbeats amidst the deathly silence. Finally, Wu Zhengnan slowly asked, Any news from the mines? A colonel replied, Yes, sir. They refused to deliver the latest batch of goods using numerous doubtful excuses no matter how we urge them. The old bastard Chen Guangyu has hidden himself somewhere and hasnt been heard of since. Wu Zhengnan suddenly asked, Where are his family members? Have you seen them? The colonel was momentarily startled; following which, his expression turned quite ugly. We havent seen them either. Not even one of them. An adjacent mine is being managed by his cousin, but he doesnt know where they went either. Wu Zhengnan nodded. This means something has happened to the Chen clan mines. Either Chen Guangyu has been captured or he has escaped. The person in charge of this matter, Qi Sicheng, said, This shouldnt be possible. That old man has some background and also has some relationship with General Lu of the expeditionary army. Otherwise, how could he get his hands on three whole mines in Shanyang County? Wu Zhengnan said gloomily, Thats why Im saying this matter isnt simple. Someone has their eyes on us. Qi Sicheng was quite puzzled. This is the Evernight Continent. Who would dare suppress our expeditionary army directly? Wu Zhangnan laughed and pointed upwards which caused Qi Sicheng to immediately stop talking. Another colonel was dissatisfied. So what if its an aristocratic family from above? Its probably not that easy to touch the expeditionary army, right? How could the dignitaries of the military department allow them to do as they please? If that really is the case, who will be willing to risk their lives for the empire in the future? Wu Zhengnan replied calmly, Its too late to be talking about these things. What do you make of the news delivered by the 15th division? The 15th division was a field divisiontheir position and defensive line were located between Blackflow City and Broken River City. The seventh division naturally couldnt march its army into the neighboring divisions area and wantonly conduct an open search. The officer in charge had already dispatched a small number of scouts while secretly contacting the divisions they had good relations with. Now, it was precisely the 15th division that had sent a reply. Weve received confirmation that the seedlings are hiding in one of Far East Heavy Industries mining sites. The young man who robbed our goods is surnamed Qian and is also at the mine. The 15th division received this news from within the Far East Heavy Industries. Division Commander Zhang stated that he can dispatch a regiment but he wants a 10% share increase in all future transactions. Not only does he have to pay a toll because the mine lies within the 10th divisions defensive region, but also because this matter involves the Far East Wei Clan. Wu Zhengnans expression became quite ugly at this point as 10% was naturally not a small number. Wu Zhengnan gloomily paced around before saying, Agree to it! But you have to tell the man surnamed Zhang that he has to settle this efficiently within a single day. Additionally tell him not to leave any survivors! Qi Sicheng was shocked and said hurriedly, General, those seedlings are worth quite a lot of money! Losing all investment is better than giving others something they can use against us, sending us to our miserable deaths. Lets just do it like this! Qi Sicheng didnt dare dissuade but his expression was visibly pained. 50 of those seedlings could be considered his personal investment. He had thrown in quite a bit of the Qi familys wealth into this. There were also quite a few people with similar expressions within the meeting room. Wu Zhengnan muttered to himself for a moment before adding, The way that man surnamed Zhang does things isnt quite reassuring. Lets send one of our own regiments oversend the first regiment! The first regiment was the strongest among Wu Zhengnans troops. It consisted of over 2000 soldiers despite being called a regiment in practice. They were well outfitted and wasnt at all inferior to the imperial army regiments. Dispatching this combat unit proved that Wu Zhengnan was determined to erase these seedlings along with anyone related to this transaction. Qi Sicheng was also a meticulous person. After the pain from his loss had subsided, he recalled the abrupt and coincidental disappearance of Cheng Guangyu and his family. Suddenly, he felt a dense shadow fall upon his heart. The officer in charge of mobilizing the first regiment came running back almost as soon as he left. General, things dont look good! A group of people has arrived outside the city claiming to be from the Wei clan. Theyve locked down the city gates, forbidding anyone from leaving the city. Our brethren have gotten into a conflict with them and a dozen or so were wounded. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 186: Struggle Behind the Scenes [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Assigned to each of the Far East Industries mines was a single squad consisting of over thirty guards. Wei Cheng had transferred an additional squad over after Qianye brought these seedlings to the village. The two guard captains were both in their thirties and had the strength of a rank four veteran fighter. After arriving at Qianyes small house, they entered the study which also served as the guest room. There, they encountered Qianyes pondering figure as well as a table with a map before him. The two glanced at each other as a vague sense of uneasiness came over them. As the people in charge of the mines defenses, they were much more familiar with the local situation in comparison to Qianye. Although they had long since discovered the unusual changes outside the village, they were still unsure of the enemys identity. This place, however, was the Evernight Continent, and fights could occur at any time or placethe enemy wouldnt necessarily be limited to the dark races. After asking them to sit, Qianye bluntly told the two about Wei Chengs visit as well as his discoveries after the latter was trailed. The expressions of the two guard captains changed drastically. Of the two, the guard captain who was similarly surnamed Wei began to curse on the spot, Dammit! That traitorous bastard! The other, somewhat older captain was more composed. He pointed toward a few locations on the map and said, Young Master Qian, if Wei Cheng has left Broken River City for the southwest, hes most likely heading for the 15th division. The representatives of the aristocratic families usually maintained close relationships with the expeditionary army, but Wei Chengs actions this time indicated that he wasnt quite innocent. The only thing worth rejoicing over was the fact that the Broken River Citys 10th division wasnt involved. Perhaps they wouldnt have to worry about a whole division attacking them in full strength. The 7th and 15th divisions would more or less have to exercise some restraint if they wanted to launch a cross-region assault. Qianye warned, From this point onwards, theres a chance that well encounter a fierce attack at any moment. The two guard captains wore somewhat bitter expressions. Could it really be the expeditionary army? The Far East Heavy Industries naturally wasnt an entity to be trifled with. All their guard squads were comprised of fighters and were definitely stronger than the expeditionary armys reinforced combat units. However, it was still impossible for them to contend against a division within the expeditionary armys territory. Qianye nodded. Such a large number of people would be vulnerable out in the wildernessleaving here means certain death. However, a small group of people might have a chance. Youre all people from the Far East Heavy Industries. As long as you enter Broken River City, you should be safe from overt attacks. The captain surnamed Wei replied, Young Master Qian, what are you saying? How can we face the heir in the future if we just abandon you and flee? This would be tantamount to betraying the clan! Although the two werent familiar with the inside story, as management grade guard captains, they were present when Wei Potians messenger transmitted his message. The messenger had already confirmed that Qianyes business had to be considered a clan affair and had also stressed that the latters authority was equal to that of an inspection executive. The other guard captain also spoke, Its certainly too late to leave now. Furthermore, since its the 15th division playing tricks behind the scenes, theres no telling what stance the 10th division will take. Broken River City wouldnt necessarily be safer. We can only do our best to defend until the heir arrives tomorrow evening. The captain surnamed Wei continued, Even the expeditionary army cant be allowed to bully the Wei clan like this! The Wei clan had fostered us for so many years! There will be people to take care of our matters even if we die here. Rest assured, young master, well fight to the death! The captain surnamed He only nodded with silent resolution. Qianye sighed somewhat emotionally. In the beginning, he didnt plan to have the two guard captains stay because he was worried about the expeditionary armys influence on them. He thought it would be better to have them leave rather than keep a potential threat nearby. Additionally, Qianye didnt want his friend to suffer grievous losses in order to help him. It was only on this day that Qianye was able to witness the true strength of the aristocratic families. Although traitors like Wei Cheng were present, there were even more loyal warriors such as the two guard captains before himthey were willing to lay down their lives for the clans honor and interests. This was only one of Wei clans lower ranking branchesjust how powerful would they be as an entire clan? The three proceeded to discuss defense strategies. They decided to immediately reinforce the defensive perimeter by dispatching scouts and sentries toward the exterior. Fortunately, there was an abundance of heavy machinery within the mine behind them that could be used to build roadblocks and barricades. Due to Wei Chengs betrayal, the situation of the surrounding mining zones had become unclear and their original channels of communication may have been compromised. The two guard captains thus selected a few quick-witted veterans and tasked them with finding a way to report their current situation via the Wei clan channels in adjacent regions. At this time, Wei Potian had just come out of the expeditionary armys administrative headquarters. He was positively beaming. Everyone said Xiao Lingshi is difficult to deal with and tends to protect his subordinates shortcomings, but today, I found that the rumors arent true at all! The people around him replied almost simultaneously, This is, of course, due to the heirs wisdom and might! Wei Potian laughed loudly and scolded them with a smile, You lot should stop with the boot-licking! This daddy here clearly knows what hes capable of. But, it seems my ability in handling affairs has indeed made some progress recently. With Xiao Lingshis matter proceeding smoothly, the old ancestor should be able to justify things on his end. Wei Potian was over the moon as the people around him continued to shower him with praises. Lets go fellas! This daddy wants to see what kind of shady business the expeditionary army is involved in! Ill take you all along to broaden your horizons along the way and also let you meet my good brother whom Id met back in the day! Well arrive there tomorrow evening. The retinue walked out of the administrative stronghold and headed toward the airship landing pad, where the Wei clan airship from the upper continent was already waiting. Wei Potian had come to call upon Xiao Lingshi because a certain clan elder had told him that he would have to go past the latter if he wanted to touch anyone from the expeditionary army.The Wei clan heir didnt have any strategy or plan before coming herehe was prepared to get into a huge argument and use force if necessary. However, he found that this expeditionary army general was extremely amiable. After listening to what Wei Potian had to say, Xiao Lingshi immediately stated that forbidden deals with the dark races absolutely couldnt be tolerated and that he wouldnt help such a person even though he was protective of his subordinates. He told Wei Potian to investigate this matter without any hesitation, and that he would provide as much help as he could within his power. Wei Potian, apart from being greatly surprised, was naturally quite satisfied. With that, he contentedly walked out from the administrative stronghold and headed toward the seventh division to trouble Wu Zhengnan. Wei Potian was full of confidence this time but he wasnt acting arbitrarily. Even if he wasnt adept at military affairs, there were people in the Wei clan who were talented in such matters. After all, the Wei clan ruled over an entire province and possessed a certain amount of influence in the empire. The Wei clan had long since dispatched people to investigate Wu Zhengnan thoroughly. Only then did they set out on this task. Even before Wei Potian had set out, someone had long since handed him a thick stack of charges against Wu Zhengnan. The Wei clan heir thus arrived confidently in the Evernight Continent with this evidence in hand. On one hand, he would be able to help Qianye a great deal, while on the other, he would be able to show off his abilities and prove that he was so much better than that useless Song Zining! Song Zinings figure appeared behind a certain window of the administrative stronghold. He stared at Wei Potians receding figure and said softly, Idiot! A middle-aged man clad in a generals uniform stood beside Song Zining. The two stars on his epaulet indicated that he was a Lieutenant General. He was of a strong build and possessed an incomparably sharp and imposing manner, almost like an unsheathed blade. He was also following Wei Potians shadow when he heard Song Zinings unceremonious evaluation. The general couldnt help chuckling but ultimately didnt comment. The Wei clans heir was quite interesting. With Xiao Lingshis background and experience, he looked down on these wild and arrogant aristocratic scions the most. But for some reason, he just couldnt come to hate this Wei clan heir whose actions, words and bearing quite resembled a fool. Xiao Lingshi turned toward Song Zining. This Song clan descendant who appeared extremely graceful and amiable at first glance was also wearing a meaningful expression at the moment. What made him somewhat upset was that the core descendants of two different aristocratic clans had set their eyes on one of his subordinate division commanders. Song Zining replied, General Xiao, you dont need to pay that fool any attention. Lets continue with our discussion. Xiao Lingshi nodded and returned to the sofa. Song Zining sat across from him and produced a certain document which he placed before the former. Heres half of the rights to all three of the Chen clans mines. Please check them. Then I wont hold back. Xiao Lingshi received the contract and checked it in detail. Song Zining sat calmly and patiently. People in a high position such as Xiao Lingshi normally wouldnt need to personally attend to such matters as there would be relevant personnel to help him sort things out. Song Zineng was partially surprised to see the latters devotion and couldnt help but raise his evaluation of this lieutenant general of humble origins. This man worked with due diligence despite his high authority and was flexible enough to lower his stance at important junctures. These qualities probably allowed Xiao Lingshi to ascend from his humble origins to his current high position. After reading through the whole contract twice, Xiao Lingshi put the document back onto the table and spoke with great satisfaction, Im greatly reassured by Seventh Young Masters meticulousness in handling affairs. Theres no problem with this contract. Let us proceed accordingly. Ill send someone to your residence with my insignia to sign the contract. Song Zining nodded in agreement. This was the right thing to doXiao Lingshi wouldnt put too many properties under his direct name. These things didnt pose a problem for those of aristocratic origins as they had various sources and channels at their disposal. However, for those of humble origins, such properties were potential evidence that could be used against them. Song Zining said with a smile, General Xiao, as I said before, this is just the beginning. There will be many profits to share in the Shanyin County or perhaps even in the whole Evernight Continent. After we unroot Wu Zhengnan, all of his trade channels will fall into my hands. At that time, youll see even greater returns from this trade route. Those divisions commanders colluding with Wu Zhengnan will also continue earning the same profits as long as they dont cause intentional trouble for me. The amount of earnings definitely wont decrease despite the inevitable reduction of their percent shares. Xiao Lingshi nodded. This will be for the best. Otherwise, itll be hard for me to settle things if too many people are opposed. He thought for a while and added, Since seventh young master came prepared, you must know about the Huaiyang Wu Clan. Have you considered whether or not theyll voice their opinion? Song Zinings eyes flashed. Xiao Lingshis tone was calm and seemingly without any complicated meanings behind them. Everyone knew Wu Zhengnangs surname Wu had nothing to do with the Huaiyang Wu Clan at least on the surface. The only person related to the Huaiyang Wu Clan in this whole business was the supplier, Chen Guangyu of the Chen clan, who could be considered a faraway in-law relative of the Huaiyang Wu Clan. However, Xiao Lingshi wouldnt be so kind as to remind Song Zining about this just to facilitate the cleanupthe former definitely had other plans since he had mentioned this matter. Song Zining laughed. If General Xiao has other ideas, we can consider them regardless of whether the Wu clan voices their opinion or not. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 185: Barricade [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei clan? Speak of the devil! The staff officer reported, Those claiming to be from the Far East Wei Clan say theyre here to seal off the city and await their heirs arrival. The heir!? According to imperial nobility classifications, only the successor to the title of marquis and above may be addressed as such. Even if the people present couldnt recall the tremendously complicated aristocratic system, they knew a marquis was definitely the core of a high ranking aristocratic family. This was common knowledge! This also meant that the person arriving was from the main branch of the Far East Wei Clanthis changed the very nature of this mattereven the dignitaries of the expeditionary army would have to give the Wei clan some face. Wu Zhengnans expression turned extremely ugly. Have you confirmed it? It should be true. Theres also a squad from the Broken Winged Angels among them. Our brothers no longer dared take action after seeing them. Could it be that our city gates have all been sealed? Wu Zhengnan inquired. The Wei clan men are stationed at all four gates. Wu Zhengnan suddenly asked, The airships have returned, right? Two airships can hold one battalion. Sicheng, you and Old Zhao will lead two battalions from the first regiment and meet up with the 15th divisions men at the Far East Heavy Industries mines. You must kill that brat and all the seedlings no matter what happens here. Leave none alive! Do I make myself clear? Qi Sicheng and another sinister looking colonel stood up to accept the order before leaving. Only then did Wu Zhengnan glance at all his aides within the meeting room and speak in a dull voice, Lets go and see what the people from the Wei clan plan to do. An officer suddenly whispered into Wu Zhengnans ear, General, were still holding over a hundred seedlings in one of the barracks. Do you think Wu Zhengnan waved his hand without any change in expression. Deal with all of them! The officer shivered slightly before hurriedly complying. Wu Zhengnan said indifferently, Dont feel distressed about this. We need to be alive to use all the money. We can earn back the fortune after we overcome the challenge before us. However, the expressions of the numerous officers didnt improve much. The Far East Wei Clans heir making a personal appearance indicated that this matter wouldnt be settled so easily. A faint trace of malice appeared on Wu Zhengnans face as he watched the two old airships take off and fly in the direction of Broken River City. He then boarded a jeep and drove toward the city gates. The two parties were in a confrontation. A dozen military trucks were parked right across the gates, forming a temporary barricade which effectively blocked the path out of the city. The 100-odd soldiers who had arrived with this convoy were facing off against hundreds of expeditionary army troops from the city and even more were on their way. Although it seemed like a confrontation with an obvious disparity in numbers, the party that had the upper hand was, in fact, the smaller one. Many from among the expeditionary army appeared apprehensive. They would glance into the distance from time to time and then look back into the city repeatedly. The cargo trucks outside the city werent those old models from the expeditionary army system. Even the mud and dirt accumulated from the long track couldnt hide the exquisite craftsmanship of the dark black and streamlined metallic hood. The expeditionary armys old model trucks, on the other hand, had large pipelines running along their sides. Due to the lack of proper maintenance, most of them were rather rusty with areas where the paint had peeled off. The cars seemed to be from two different eras judging merely by their external appearance. Their flags and emblems also represented very different things. There were two types of flags among the cars forming the barricade. One of them was a depiction of an angel with a sword looking downwards, its wings dripping with blood, while the other was the Far East Wei Clans eagle head emblem. Perhaps the ordinary soldiers were unfamiliar with the emblems of the aristocratic families, but the fierce veterans were all too familiar with them. The mere presence of these flags was sufficient to cause the expeditionary army soldiers to hesitate. A commotion rose from within the city as a convoy of jeeps rushed toward the barricade. Wu Zhengnan jumped down from the vehicle and shouted hoarsely, Im Wu Zhengnan of the seventh division. Whos the person in charge here, come out and meet me! A Broken Winged Angel lieutenant colonel walked out and stood before Wu Zhengnan. The difference in rank didnt garner any extra respect from the formerunconcealed arrogance was written all across his face. Where is the Wei clan heir? Wasnt it said that hes coming? The Broken Winged Angel Lieutenant replied coldly, The heir of Marquis Bowang is still at the expeditionary army headquarters and will arrive in approximately one day. Anything you have to say will have to wait until his arrival! Wu Zhengnans expression sank. Whats the meaning of this? It wasnt quite evident on his face, but he was shaken deep down. Marquis Bowang was the head of the Wei clan! No other meaning. Were sealing the city and thats it. The Broken Winged Angel wasnt quite courteous with his choice of words. What if I want to leave? The heir commanded us not to let anyone enter or leave. It appears youre not an exception either. The implication behind the lieutenant''s words was that Wei Potian had instructed them not to let Wu Zhengnan escape by any means. The Far East Wei Clans influence hasnt extended quite as far as the expeditionary army, has it? Maybe the Far East Wei Can cant, but the Broken Winged Angels certainly can, the lieutenant replied arrogantly. Wu Zhengnan nodded. Very well. Then Ill wait for the Wei clan heirs arrival within the city. Forgive my lack of hospitality since youre here to blockade us. With that, Wu Zhengnan jumped into the jeep and actually turned back into the city. This surprised the Broken Winged Angel lieutenant. He hadnt expected this notoriously bad-tempered division commander to actually be able to endure it. But that wasnt exactly a bad thing either. He turned around and shouted, Alright! Line up! We camp here! Wu Zhengnan was completely silent within the vehicle. His aide-de-camp said lightly, General, do we need to make certain preparations? No need. Wu Zhengnan closed his eyes to restore his composure. He was able to stay calm at this point but the aide was quite anxious. Wu Zhengnan suddenly asked, There should be quite a few prisoners in the southern prison, right? Yes, sir. The aide calculated in his mind and replied, Over 400 prisoners remain. Kill them all. Wu Zhengnans tone was dull. The aide-de-camp shivered once again and ground his teeth. Rest assured, general. Ill deal with this matter today. Wu Zhengnan nodded. Dont be in a hurry to get off the car. I have a list in my office. After this, take the list and mobilize my personal guards to kill each and everyone one of them. Leave no survivors but dont cause a ruckus, understand? Understood! The jeep swiftly advanced toward the division headquarters but left soon after arriving. This time, it was followed by several military trucks as it drove toward the south of the city, surging with murderous intent. Wu Zhengnan stood gazing at the drill grounds from the french window in his office. The entire city could be seen not far in the distance. He had watched this scenery for many years now. It was merely a fort at first, but it had slowly grown block by block from a small village into the medium-sized city it was today. He cherished the memory of this process and thus hadnt changed his office all this time. He even went so far as to avoid reconstructing this office building just so he could preserve this view completely. For a person of his status, the office building appeared rather shabby, however, sitting here watching the city develop bit by bit under the short-lived sunlight was his most satisfying pastime. Wu Zhengnan cared little whether the citys foundation was built on fresh blood or bones. To him, the weak were stepping stones, while the strong were handrails to help him climb higher. Food was scarce in the predominantly dark Evernight Continent. Meanwhile, humans possessed powerful reproductive capabilities and the growing population was a big headache to any ruler. Wu Zhengnan himself was struggling to keep all these people fed. Some generals chose to import food and grain from the empire or other upper continents, while others opted to search for a third and better optionsell the surplus population to the dark races. It made little difference whether the buyers were werewolves or vampires. Noon. It was supposed to be one of the rare times of the day where the sun was at its brightest, however, the sky today was covered in dark clouds and was almost as dark as nightfall. This stifled Wu Zhengnan greatly. He had overcome many dangerous situations before, but he had little confidence in surviving this tribulation safely. I refuse to believe General Xiao will let them do as they please! Xiao Lingshi was Wu Zhengnans only hope at the moment. Xiao Lingshi had already reached the rank of lieutenant general before the age of fifty and occupied the post of deputy commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army. He was also the only one among the expeditionary armys higher-ups born in the Evernight Continent. By imperial standards, Xiao Lingshis upbringing could be considered rather humble which, strictly speaking, was somewhat of an understatement. Xiao Lingshi had always firmly defended the interests of the expeditionary army, sometimes directly opposing the upper continent nobility in the process. On one hand, this caused the higher ups of the empire to view him as a troublemaker, while on the other, he won the love and respect of all his peers. The Far East Wei Clan and the Broken Winged Angels arriving tyrannically and immediately barricading the city seemed as if they were targeting the seventh division alone, but to Xiao Lingshi, this was an intolerable insult. Even the heir of Marquis Bowang wouldnt be able to do as he pleased as long as Xiao Lingshi kept the other party in check. Perhaps Wu Zhengnan might be able to overcome this difficult situation after all. In truth, Wu Zhengnan was still unclear as to when he had offended such a large entity as the Far East Wei Clan. This incident happened too abruptlynot to mention his allies, even his contacts within the expeditionary army headquarters hadnt sent so much as a hint. The whole matter felt rather ominous. Wu Zhengnan went through all possible scenarios in his mind. Did the Wei clan want to do away with him after taking a fancy to Blackflow City and the region around the Four Rivers Military Base? It wasnt as if such things had never happened before throughout the history of the expeditionary army. On second thought, however, it didnt seem like that either. Wu Zhengnan remembered that the Wei clan marquis was the regional lord of the entire Far East Province. What could they possibly want from a mere third rate defensive region of the Evernight Continentone that was so close to the front lines too? If one were to investigate thoroughly, every expeditionary army division commander had vulnerable points which could be used against them. The most crucial evidence was still those seedlings taken away by that brat surnamed Qian. That was the business that had truly crossed over the militarys red line. Dead men tell no talesas long as they were silenced, with Xiao Lingshi around, he would receive a light punishment or a public reprimand at most even if other small problems were discovered. However, if those seedlings were to survive, they would serve as an irrefutable evidencenot only would Xiao Lingshi have a hard time defending him at that point, but many other things might also become implicated. Wu Zhengnan regained much of his calm at the thought of this. How could one of his most elite battalions along with a whole regiment from the 15th division fail to deal with a few hundred people? Besides, the manager who had dealings with the 15th division had reportedly withheld a large batch of weapons and ammunition from them. It was likely that only half of those people would be outfitted at most. Wu Zhengnan had become quite calm at this point and was now waiting for the arrival of the marquis heir. Evening, Far East Heavy Industries mining village. The hunter whom Qianye had tasked with tailing Wei Cheng had just returned. After listening to the report, Qianye pondered about the situation for quite some time. The hunter had tailed Wei Cheng with great patience. He didnt leave after seeing Wei Cheng enter the Far East Heavy Industries Headquarters because he had sensed some unusual signs of activity. It seemed as if they were shipping things, but it also didnt look like they were preparing the goods for Qianye. He got his answer in the afternoonWei Cheng left Broken River City along with two cargo trucks and was headed toward the southwest. The hunter saw women and kids in his company. There was no doubt that something was up with this Wei Cheng. The most important thing was to decide what to do next. Qianye nodded and gave the command, Go and bring over the two guard captains of the Far East Heavy Industries. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 187: Besieged [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Xiao Lingshi stood up to retrieve a map which he then unfurled onto the table. The distribution of all human-controlled ore mines was recorded upon it in impressive detail. He pointed toward the rather large-scale mines and said, These locations all belong to the Huaiyang Wu Clan. They used to be content with their lot. Even though they had some minor deals going on under the table, they were always harmless on the surface. Song Zining listened attentively, knowing there would be a continuation to this introduction. Wu Zhengnans seedlings came from god knows how many channels, with some arriving from his allies whose benefits were closely related to him, while others changing several hands on the way. Most aristocratic families preferred clean business and werent too keen on earning money from a pot of hot oil. Perhaps they were motivated after seeing the people around them earn substantially by trading with the dark races, however, their choice of goods is rather problematic. How so? Theyre trading humans and black crystal iron. Song Zinings eyes turned narrow. Black crystal iron? Black crystal iron ranked above red crystal iron and was the raw material used to produce grade four origin firearms. The patterns within the origin array were made from this material. In comparison to red crystal iron, the value of black crystal iron as a strategic resource was miles ahead. Song Zining immediately grasped the pivotal point. The Wu clan mines produce black crystal iron? Xiao Lingshi nodded and replied, Theyve been trying to keep this a secret all this time. However, while investigating recent transactions, my men discovered a batch of black crystal iron of unknown origins. My two appraisers believe that the black crystal iron was produced from the Wu clan mining area. Song Zining muttered to himself, The Huaiyang Wu Clan, although only a third-rate force, is still an aristocratic family. Thats where things get tricky. Xiao Lingshis tone sounded as if he was just chatting casually but Song Zining knew that this was the key point of todays conversation. Their continued cooperation would depend on whether or not he could accept this matter. The benefits he had offered before, including the business regarding Wu Zhengnan, was only enough to have Xiao Lingshi not get involved. Money alone wasnt enough if he wanted to have the latter slightly lean toward him in the case of a slip-up. Xiao Lingshi had already established himself in the Evernight Continent, but when all was said and done, he was still a commoner of humble origins. The difference in identities would be magnified as soon as he left the continentthe reason why he placed this opportunity before Song Zining. In the end, family background was Xiao Lingshis only weakness. He had almost nothing to fear apart from this. Do you have any more information? Please wait a moment. Xiao Lingshi left for a while and returned with a thick stack of files, all of which contained information related to the Wu clan mining area. It was Song Zinings turn to go over documents in detail while Xiao Lingshi waited at one side. This lieutenant general of humble origins didnt show the slightest trace of impatienceit seemed as if he could sit idly for the whole day. Meanwhile, Song Zining read page after page, as if he had no idea a lieutenant general was waiting beside him. Song Zining finished reading only after a whole hour had passed. He rearranged all the files and then proceeded to mumble to himself while tapping on the table with his fingers. Theres some room for manipulation because these mines all belong to the third branch of the Wu clan. Xiao Lingshi nodded without saying anything. Song Zining continued, I have some people on the Qin Continent. Although itll be difficult for them to suppress the third branch of the Wu clan, they can definitely hold them up for a period of time. We can intercept the Wu clans caravan and occupy their mines while theyre too busy to attend to matters. We wont need to worry about them denying their crimes as long as we can find the evidence to use against them. If at that time, were willing to return one-third of the mining rights, the third branch of the Wu clan will have no other choice but to obey. Im quite certain theyll have a clear view of things regarding their unspeakable relationship with Wu Zhengnan. Xiao Lingshi laughed, Why would the stately Song clan have any difficulty dealing with a mere third branch of the Wu clan? Song Zining replied calmly, The Song clan can deal with the Wu clan as easily as smashing ants. Why would they have any difficulty? The reason for this difficulty is precisely because its not the Song clan but I, Song Zining, whos dealing with the Wu clans third branch. There was a huge difference between whether or not one borrowed the Song clans power. Xiao Lingshi was finally moved and stared deeply into Song Zinings eyes. It is I who had made the wrong assumptions. A solemn glow flashed across the depths of his eyes. Could it be that this low-profile seventh young master of the Song clan only relied on his own strength from establishing contact to making plans on how to deal with Wu Zhengnan? Xiao Lingshi wasnt disappointed after discovering that he couldnt borrow the Song clans power. On the contrary, he looked forward to things even more. Song Zining smiled indifferently and didnt continue with this topic. The most crucial point is, what will we do if we raid the Wu clans mines and caravan but find no traces of black crystal iron? What do you think we should do then? Song Zining replied calmly, It should be fine as long as we dont let them find out our identities. If they do find out, we just need to prevent them from speaking ever again. However, I need more manpower to be able to do these things in the Evernight Continent. General Xiao, Im sure you have such personnel under your command? Xiao Lingshi naturally understood Song Zinings notion. I do have some men. Their loyalty isnt a problem, and they can be considered to have some ability. None of their names can be found in any imperial record. Does the seventh young master intend to go personally on this hijacking business? Song Zining laughed lightly, I naturally have to oversee such a big matter in person. Only then will I be at ease. Xiao Lingshi replied, Its said that privileged young masters should avoid sitting under overhanging eaves. The seventh young masters wellbeing is of great value. Are you certain you wish to wade into danger personally? If by privileged youre referring to those distinguished clan and family names, theyre helpful early on but will turn into ones shackles later in life. Its better to depend on your own two hands to fight for what you want and shoulder all success and failure alone. Wouldnt such a life be freer than struggling for family favors? Xiao Lingshi became momentarily silent before letting out a soft sigh. The seventh young masters aspirations are indeed broad. I am ashamed. All Ive been thinking of after reaching this position is how to preserve my predecessors accomplishments. Heh, heh, it seems the impulsiveness of youth has been worn away. Song Zining replied, General Xiao always considers the long term and is vigilant in times of peace. Youll definitely move further onwards in the future. Xiao Lingshi laughed, Then I shall borrow the seventh young masters auspicious words. Song Zining left after chatting for a while longer and settling the details of their upcoming operation. Song Zining saw an airship rise up over the distant horizon as he walked out of the administrative stronghold. The Far East Wei Clans insignia was visible even across such a distance. He wondered what Wei Potian had been dawdling over all this time as he gazed at the airship but soon turned away with a sneer. Wei Potian was currently holding a feast on the airship with a large group of followers. He was slightly tipsy, and his uninhibited heart was full of joy and noble aspirations, feeling as if he was the greatest person under the heavens. Even those experienced characters following Wei Potian felt baffled by todays course of eventsXiao Lingshi wasnt known as Black-faced Xiao for nothing. But as it happened, the latter immediately agreed to Wei Potians requests without the slightest hesitation. These people knew there was definitely more to this than meets the eye but none of them were able to make a definite guess. Perhaps Wei Potian was the only one among the whole group who believed that Xiao Lingshi was convinced by his grandeur. His grandiose confidence was flourishing more than ever. Naturally, Wei Potian wouldnt admit Song Zinings role in this matter even if he knew that it was the latter who had used half of the Chen clan mining rights as a door knocker followed by a series of follow-up deals in order to make Xiao Lingshi abandon Wu Zhengnan completely. At this time, neither Song Zining nor Wei Potian knew of the two armies silently surrounding Qianye and the seedlings he had saved. They were waiting for nightfall to launch their attack. Such cross-region troop movements naturally couldnt escape Xiao Lingshis notice but this lieutenant general of humble origins had no intention of stopping them, and neither did he inform Wei Potian nor Song Zining. He believed it to be the best outcome if these seedlings were to disappear completely. These people would only become potential thorns in the expeditionary armys side if they survived. As for the aftermath, the seventh division was already done for but he would have the accomplice 15th division cough up more of its profits. After concluding matters at the administrative stronghold, Song Zining dispatched a few subordinates to visit Qianye and inform him of recent developments. He himself went to another city with a few trusted aides where an important matter awaited his personal attention. The twilight gradually began to recede. Qianye stood on the sentry tower of this small village and gazed into the distance. The horizon was enshrouded in a fuzzy mist. The time was two oclock, and the Evernight Continent was nearing nightfall. Fortunately, the bright full moon was already high in the sky. Under the lunar illumination, even humans with good vision were able to see a few hundred meters away. Qianyes pupils grew faintly red as he activated his night vision ability. The Evernight Continent appeared undisguised within his visionall secrets became plainly visible. Qianye noticed, at the extremes of his vision, the minute differences between the dust clouds and the usual nocturnal mist. These were the dust and smoke produced by the movement of military trucks. A large-scale unit was moving toward them and would arrive before the village walls in less than an hour. The two guard captains of the Far East Heavy Industries stood to Qianyes left. To his right was a young man and woman. They werent much older than Qianye and were likely to be in their twenties. Both of them were rank one fightersthe man was handsome while the lady was quiet and elegantthey were quality goods that could be sold to the vampires for a good price. They were half-siblings. The young man was called Wu Shiqing, and the lady Wu Shiying. They were originally born to a declined landowning household but later ventured to the Evernight Continent in search of future prospects. But no sooner had they arrived than they were captured by Wu Zhengnans slave hunters to be sold to the vampire as seedlings. Under Qianyes command, they were goods no longer. The two siblings were able to exhibit their outstanding abilities during the few days of training, prompting Qianye to promote them and task them with temporary leadership over a batch of soldiers. The two rank four guard captains tried hard to peer into the distant night but could see nothing apart from the hazy darkness. However, Qianyes expression was solemnhe already knew what was likely to come from that direction. It was just that they were too far for him to see with naked eyes. At this time, Wu Shiqing suddenly whispered, So many people are coming from that side! We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 188: Fierce Battle Part 1 Chapter 188: Fierce Battle (Part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The convoy was still several kilometers away by the time twilight began to deepen and mists rolled in. It was impossible to see them without any special abilities. An idea flashed through Qianyes mind as he shot a sidelong glance at Wu Shiqing. Normal night vision abilities would never be able to see so far. Wu Shiqing said with some uneasiness, Young Master, I-I have some special perception abilities. Mainly night vision and the ability to see some things others cannot. Qianye had already expected him to possess powerful night vision, but it seemed that Wu Shiqing was able to see other things too. This meant that he possessed a complex perception ability. This surpassed the level of a mere outstanding talent. Even if this man could only reach rank five, he could still become a lethal sniper when equipped with an Eagleshot. Wu Shiying, on the other hand, hadnt developed any obvious special ability, but her development was worth looking forward to just based on her training speed. The guard captain surnamed Wei was somewhat restless. Young Master Qian, how many of them are there? A lot! Im guessing a whole regiment. Ah, two airships just landed over there. From their size, they should be carrying a whole battalion, Qianye replied. Almost two thousand enemies? The two guards expressions turned rather ugly. Although mentally prepared, they had never expected that the expeditionary army would go all out like this. Such a large movement would be impossible to hide afterward. This meant the other party was determined to win at all coststhe following day and night were destined to not be easy. Even if the Far East Heavy Industries guardsmen were quite confident about fighting the expeditionary army, the difference in numbers was simply too great. While there was quite a large number of people under Qianyes command, less than half of them were battle-ready, not to mention they had been trained for only so many days. In the guards eyes, this group of 400 people would likely equal a company at most, and they werent even properly outfitted. The captain surnamed Wei said, We have insufficient weapons and ammunition. The captain surnamed He sighed rather calmly. It doesnt matter, we have no choice but to fight. The expeditionary army soldiers were alighting in quick succession when they were joined by the battalion that had come by airship. There was only a short period of confusion while the two groups merged and organized themselves before they quickly restored proper order. From this, one could see just how well-trained these troops were. Seeing Qianye wave his hand, a soldier behind him released a long blare from his bugle. The deep alarm reverberated through the village, causing everyone to turn solemn as they tightly grasped the weapons in their hands. Qianye brought out a large bore gunpowder sniper rifle and tossed it to Wu Shiqing. Ill hand this to you. You may operate independently during the upcoming battle. Remember, kill only officers at the rank of captain and below. Forget about those above the rank of major. Shiying, youll be in charge of supporting and protecting your brother. Wu Shiqing received the shockingly heavy sniper rifle and the large bag of bullets Qianye had tossed over. However, he wasnt quite satisfied as he stubbornly said, I want an origin gun! Qianye shook his head. Youll be drained after a couple of shots with your origin power capacity. This is a battleground; its no place for you to play hero! Remember, dont attack those at the rank of major and above. Its best if you dont even attack captains. Just focus on killing first and second lieutenants. Gunpowder weapons posed little threat to the captains who were usually rank four or rank five experts. However, they were still quite damaging against rank two or rank three fighters. The expeditionary armys chain of command would suffer greatly if a large number of mid to low tier officers were killed. At this time, Wu Shiying stepped forth, her expression a mixture of nervousness and resolution. Please Please give me an origin gun! I-I can fire more shots than the others. Qianye asked with a laugh, How many shots can you fire? Wu Shiying became even more tense and rushed out her next words, stumbling upon them in her hurry. I can fire five, no, six shots from a grade one origin gun! Even the two guard captains were visibly intrigued by her words. Not even all rank two fighters could fire six shots, whereas Wu Shiying obviously possessed only one origin node fluctuation. Qianye was immediately fascinated. Honestly speaking, this number didnt differ too much from his own. Gazing at this girl whose back had tensed up into a straight line, he softened his tone and said, It seems that you also have some special talents. Can you tell me about it? Wu Shiying answered softly, I seem to be able to control the flow of origin power, thus reducing the energy consumption while firing origin guns. Additionally, my origin power also appears to be slightly more abundant compared to others. Qianye nodded. As it turned out, Wu Shiyings abilities were origin power manipulation and increased origin power capacity. Although they didnt sound too impressive at a glance, she would be able to suppress all her peers by virtue of the increased origin power capacity alone. These siblings were nothing short of geniuses. An idea flashed through Qianyes mind as he glanced at the two. Do you two know why I decided to make our stand here? Wu Shiqing and Wu Shiying seemed to be at a loss. This military matter wasnt something they could understand. Thats because the surrounding area is strategically indefensible. Additionally, natural enemies like wild beasts will be tempted to attack us if we become weakened. Therefore, even if we want to run, well still have to take advantage of the immediate topography to destroy our pursuers before having any real chance at escaping. Not that well need to do so. Our reinforcements will arrive tomorrow night, so we just need to hold out until then. What Qianye didnt tell them was that this battle would greatly reduce the number of seedlings as well. Only the strongest would survive, and they would be comparable to treasured swords removed from the furnacethey would grow sharper and sharper with every calcination. Can we really defeat them? the guard captain surnamed Wei mumbled. He didnt seem too confident despite not fearing death. Qianye laughed but didnt reply. Since the expeditionary army had actually mobilized a whole regiment, there had to be at least two rank six experts among them. The two guard captains had never considered retaliation because not only was their side inferior in equipment and weaponry, but they only had Qianye as a rank five expert. Holding their current position was already quite difficult. The defenses within the small village had long since been deployed, and now all they had to do was wait for the enemy assault. The expeditionary armys soldiers didnt even bother to change their military uniformsthey just tore off their designation numbers. Such a careless disguise indicated their determination to eliminate the other party to the last man. The expeditionary army fell into formation outside the village and brought out some small cannons from the cargo trucks, preparing to deliver a bombardment. Soon, a number of explosions rang out as several cannons erupted with flames, sending shells raining into the village. Cannon bombardment was a rather primitive method but an effective one nonetheless. It was especially lethal against ordinary soldiers who didnt cultivate origin power. The trajectory of those cannon shells was exceptionally clear to Qianye. He suddenly grabbed the sniper rifle from Wu Shiqing and fired into the air as if he was shooting with an assault rifle. The rumble of the sniper rifle almost drowned out the sound of the exploding shells. An eye-catching light blossomed in the air as a cannon shell was blasted apart in mid-air. Such a scene was common in battles involving high ranking soldiers, but the expeditionary army regiment rarely had an opportunity to witness such an impressive spectacle, not to mention the seedlings behind Qianye. Qianye fired off four more continuous shots almost without aiming, emptying a five bullet cartridge immediately. Four balls of flame erupted in the night sky, showering the vicinity in waves of heata wave of deathly silence washed over everyone within the village and beyond. Moments later, world-shaking cheers rang out from the village! Qianye nodded. They would only be able to fight if morale was high enough! After all, the expeditionary army was an undefiable monster to normal people, let alone to those here who had once been slaves. The expeditionary army kept on firing while the vanguard pushed towards the village. The machine guns in charge of suppressive fire were shooting out tongues of flame, sending streams of bullets whistling through the air. Miserable screams would ring out from time to time as the hail of bullets landed in the village. However, the effects of the bombardment werent particularly good. Most of the non-combat seedlings had retreated into the mines, while the other soldiers were spread across the whole village. In addition, it was obvious that the expeditionary army had mobilized in a hurry, seeing as how they didnt have the time to prepare heavy artillery. Hence, Qianye wasn''t worried about them. The real battle would begin only when the expeditionary army advanced into the village. The deciding factor of the battle was still going to be the showdown between experts. A machine gun atop the village wall suddenly opened fire, mowing down a batch of expeditionary army soldiers. However, origin power erupted amidst the enemy troops, and a dazzling origin bullet whistled over the battlefield. It shot through the machine guns steel plates with relative ease and tore the gunner into two. Soon after, whistles rang out through the sky as several artillery shells rained down upon the machine gun, pulverizing it along with the assistant and reserve gunner. Qianye sighed inwardly. These people had received too little training. Apart from the ten-odd soldiers from the regular army, most of the other mercenaries, hunters, and adventurers had little to no experience with group battles. The gunner just now lost his cool under the immense pressure and started firing too early, compromising his position. He couldve avoided the concentrated cannon fire if he had waited until the expedition army reached the city walls and the frontlines of both parties drew closer. Qianyes gaze swept over the expeditionary army, memorizing the position of the first lieutenant who had fired just now. Qianye was waiting patiently for a few of the big fish to get hooked. The moment his Eagleshot started rumbling, those lieutenant colonels were sure to hole up as far back as possible. That was why he couldnt give them the opportunity to run away once he started shooting. The cannons gradually stopped rumbling once the expeditionary army reached the walls, and their eruptions were replaced by the sounds of guns and explosions in every directionthe battle had finally begun. Several agile figures leapt out from within the expeditionary army ranks and swiftly jumped onto the village wall which stood several meters tall. These people moved like the wind and didnt seem like humans at all. It could even be said that they possessed the agility of wild beasts. Several of Qianyes soldiers would fall whenever the agile soldiers jumped onto the wall. Only the guardsmen from the Far East Heavy Industries were able to obstruct them, albeit barely. A certain burly, bald man was completely unfazed even after being struck by tens of bullets and revealed a nasty grin as he twisted a soldiers neck. This was a fighter. His kind was almost unbeatable when facing ordinary soldiers. The sounds of sniper rifles rang out across the battlefield. The burly man froze momentarily in a defensive posture, but he was completely unharmed. A second lieutenant beside him fell back and collapsed. This somewhat puzzled the fourth rank fighterhe scratched his head, wondering what was going on. The sniper rang out once again, eliminating another second lieutenant some distance away from the burly man but leaving him still unharmed. This obviously roused the muscular mans wrath. He scanned his surroundings for the damned sniper and soon noticed a youth heading toward him within his field of vision. The odd thing was that this youth passed through areas of intense fighting with relative ease and soon arrived before him without the slightest hindrance. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 189: Fierce Battle Part 2 Chapter 189: Fierce Battle (Part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The bald and burly man couldnt believe his eyes. Qianye had already arrived, drawn his Radiant Edge and slashed down before the formers muscle-filled brain could react! Qianye felt his hand grow lighter as the mixture of blood energy and origin power rushed into the complex patterns on the dagger. A faint sanguineous glow emerged from the blade, rendering the cold sharp edge almost ethereal. The burly man glanced carelessly at the small pitiful blade coming towards him. The Radiant Edge, with its fine and exquisite vampire designs, was a mere dagger in his eyes. Besides, a human wielding such a weapon meant that he didnt have anything better to use. Dense origin power radiance erupted from his body as he swung a heavily armored arm toward the blade to block it. However, the faint blade light cut right through his arm and continued onwards as if there was no obstruction whatsoever. The burly mans upper body suddenly felt lighter as half his arm flew off into the distance. At that point, Qianye switched his stancethe slash turned into a stab and pierced deep into the mans abdomen! Everything happened so quickly that the burly man almost didnt feel anything. He came to a sudden realization as if something had exploded in his mindthat blade was so sharp that he didnt feel pain from losing his arm! The man let out a blood-curdling roar as he came to realize the fact that he had suffered two strikes in quick succession. Apart from the weapons extreme sharpness, there was also a great gap in strength between them. He moved to smash Qianye with his intact left arm since survival was already quite unlikely! The oppressive strike whistled through the air with the momentum of a falling mountain! Qianye raised his hand dexterously to repel the incoming attack. His foot sank as the ground underneath was split apart, but his seemingly frail body was incomparably sturdythe hand blocking the blow didnt even waver in the slightest. Qianyes origin power erupted from the Radiant Edge and swiftly shattered the opponent''s internal organs. He then retreated calmly. The burly mans eyes bulged out as he stared fixedly at the figure before his eyes. He failed to utter even an unwilling growl as his large body slowly toppled over. The 15th divisions assault battalion commander had fallen in battle! Morale fell to an all-time low among the expeditionary army soldiers who had witnessed this scene. The villages resistance, on the other hand, greatly intensified. Qianye jumped down from the wall and began to wander through the village, killing only fighters along the way. None of them, whether they were rank one or rank four, could stand against Qianyes Radiant Edge. Sniper shots rumbled continuously over the battlefield. Qianye had assigned a total of five snipers but the timbre of Wu Shiqings large caliber sniper rifle was especially prominent. His firing frequency was rather stablebasically one shot every 10 seconds, with not a single shot missing its target. This young man was already becoming quite calm and steady after overcoming the initial confusion. Wu Shiqing didnt change his sniping position at all. His vision and firing range was able to cover the whole village from atop the bell tower at its center. However, that also made the bell tower a priority target. The expeditionary army continuously charged toward his position, but 10-odd corpses already lay dead within and around the bell tower. Among them, the few lieutenants had all died to origin gunfirethe sister, Wu Shiyings deep origin power capacity was finally proving itself on the battlefield. Qianye sensed something moments after killing a lieutenant and his support team. He immediately turned around and saw that a lieutenant colonel had already climbed atop the village wall. He had deployed a gigantic sniper rifle under the protection of dozens of soldiers, its black muzzle aimed towards the bell tower. It was an Eagleshotthe sniper weapon in the lieutenant colonels hand was actually an Eagleshot! The Radiant Edge in Qianyes hand slashed out amidst numerous hazy ripples as he swept past the nearby expeditionary army soldiers. Ignoring the several collapsing enemies, he scuttled onto a small slope with a few leaps. He retrieved the Eagleshot from his back and aimed it toward that lieutenant colonel. Those capable of using an Eagleshot were brave veterans who had experienced hundreds of battlesthe lieutenant colonel sensed extreme danger at almost the same timehe turned around in alarm to see Qianye and his Eagleshot hundreds of meters away. The most unbelievable part was that the other party was aiming the weapon in a standing position. The Eagleshots extraordinary firepower and range meant that not all snipers were capable of wielding it. Its costs included greater origin power consumption, recoil, and strict requirements in control. One would only be courting death by firing from a standing position unless he was at least rank eightthe recoil would swallow the reckless gunman. The lieutenant colonel refused to believe that the other party would fire under such circumstances. He could definitely finish off the sniper on the bell tower first before evading the attack from behind. However, the intuition he had fostered from his many years in the battlefield and his cautious nature convinced him to abandon this notion. The lieutenant colonel jumped up and moved swiftly behind two of his supporting soldiers. He then heard the unique sound of the Eagleshot! The sound was like rolling thunder before a summer rain. This person really dared to shoot while standing? The lieutenant colonel was shocked. He didnt have time to be pleased with his foresight, nor did he have the time to look down upon the gunman whose arm was probably crippled. He only saw the two expeditionary army soldiers in front of him being torn to shreds as a sparkling origin bullet pierced their body with unimpaired momentum and struck him squarely in the chest! Within moments, the lieutenant colonels body was flung backwards and fell slowly to the ground after losing all consciousness. Neither the defensive power from his military uniform nor his origin power was of any use. While mid-air, he saw that the young man was still standing nonchalantly at his previous positionthe latter even raised the Eagleshot and fired two more times! The dark red origin bullets whistled through the air. Within the lieutenant colonels enlarging pupils, this young mans figure slid backwards several meters as if he was gliding across a lake surface. He then nonchalantly hung the Eagleshot on his back and moved onto another battle. How did this happen!? A ball of dark red flames was ignited in the air as the lieutenant colonels body burst into pieces and eventually scattered onto the ash-blackened ground. His heart was filled with hatred toward his superiors and intel department the moment before his death. A rank five warrior with an Eagleshot? Not even rank eight veterans would necessarily be able to fire while standing. Qianyes vision swept through the entire battlefield once more but was disappointed to find that no other lieutenant colonels had appeared. Now that the Eagleshot has been fired, they probably wouldnt dare to show up anymore and would likely order the soldiers forward to exhaust Qianyes origin power. The battle in the village had become white-hot. Tides of expeditionary army soldiers were pushing forward and people were killing each other at every corner. Wu Shiqing could no longer snipe and was now fighting alongside his sister. They stationed themselves near the stairs and were relying on the advantageous terrain to keep the charging soldiers pinned down. Otherwise, these two exhausted rank one fighters would be surrounded and killed within moments. Casualties had begun to appear among the Far East Heavy Industries guardsmen and many among Qianyes seedlings were also dead or injured. These briefly trained and poorly equipped young men and women were, after all, not a match for these old veterans. It would take more than just passion and courage to overcome these battle-hardened wolves. Qianye suddenly discovered that his combat strategy wasnt quite right. He had been wandering around the battlefield and had killed dozens of fightershis battles were nothing short of stunning. But while it was true that the enemy combat strength had begun to decline due to the heavy casualties among junior officers, both sides were in no condition to take notice of the subtle shift in power. The village defenses would have probably collapsed by the time Qianyes victories began to impact the battle significantly. Qianye produced his only origin power grenade, activated it and tossed it out! The grenade flew over a hundred meters and exploded right above a group of assembling expeditionary army soldiers. The devastating origin power storm and terrifying shockwave immediately took the lives of that entire group. This gigantic explosion drowned out all the other sounds throughout the battlefield! The lieutenant colonel who was observing the battle from afar was drenched in cold sweat. He had never expected the enemy to actually have a vampire origin power grenade! If the lieutenants were to hastily join the battle and encounter such a weapon, they would be gravely injured even if they survived. Now, it seemed that this frightening weapon had been used up against a few dozen worthless soldiers and a few fighters. But what was the other party trying to achieve with such a puzzling method? The residual shockwaves from the explosion raged amidst the inferno. Qianye dashed right through the flames and pounced at the major leading the battalion on the other side of the plaza. This major hadnt even recovered from the shock of the vampire origin grenade when he saw Qianye arrive before him. The major wasnt alonethere were over a dozen guards surrounding him. Qianye was still rushing toward him through the rain of bullets but suddenly changed his stance at one point, leaping into the air instead! The majors line of sight followed Qianye upwards and found two pistols aimed directly at him. Following which, two illusory flowers bloomed in the air. The majors origin power defenses were shattered by the tremendous force as blood spurted out of his face and chest. Qianye dissolved the recoil from the twin flowers with a twist of his body and landed back on the ground. The wide plaza became deathly silent. There was but a single enemy, and yet all the lucky survivors of the expeditionary army felt apprehensive. First, the whole squad fell under the vampire grenade, and then the assailant had rushed through a shower of bullets with incomparable momentum to kill their battalion commander. How could these ordinary soldiers not be afraid? Qianye returned the Twin Flowers to their holsters and kicked a specialized assault-unit hatchet into the air. The alloy hatchet duly landed in his right hand while his left hand retrieved the Radiant Edge. With a hatchet in the right and a blade in the left, he strode toward the expeditionary army soldiers in front of him. His every step caused the remaining soldiers to edge back until they had exited the block. No one actually dared to charge at him! The heavy metal axe that could slash open an arachnes armor in the hands of a lieutenant seemed as light as a feather in Qianyes hands. They had no doubt that whoever charged in first would be cut into two. Reinforcements continuously arrived from the distance, gathering into a hundred strong group within moments. However, their advantage in numbers couldnt grant these soldiers any increased confidencethe soldiers who had lost their commander were continuously forced back by Qianye. Each of his solemn footsteps resounded within their hearts and smashed apart the fragile thing called courage. A captain who had hurried over after receiving news of the situation rushed out of the crowd while shouting out commands. However, Qianyes hatchet had already swept past his neck before he could even swing his. A head flew high into the air, accompanied by a fountain of fresh blood which sprayed onto the faces and bodies of the nearby soldiers. The expeditionary armys morale finally collapsed. The disorderly crowd of soldiers collided with their own battlefront as they turned to run. The village wasnt very big, and as such, a partial collapse soon affected the battle as a whole. The experienced Far East Heavy Industries guardsmen immediately mounted a counteroffensive. Under their command, the young men and women all rushed out of the fort and attacked the enemy from every corner. The desolate sound of a bugle finally resounded from the expeditionary army. That was the signal for retreatan indication that the assault had failed. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 190: Fierce Battle Part 3 Chapter 190: Fierce Battle (Part 3) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qianye naturally wouldnt let the expeditionary army retreat in peace. The officers couldnt stop his pursuit and continuous attacks despite doing their best to keep the retreating soldiers in formation. Fighters fell one after another under his relentless assault. At this time, Qianye was like a wolf stalking his preyhe bit off large chunks from time to time, causing the expeditionary armys wounds to gradually expand. Qianye tailed them out of the village and only gave up when he felt several snipers lock onto him. Thick smoke surged from the unextinguished flames and wreckage. The two guard captains were drenched in blood as they came over to meet him. It was unknown whether the blood was theirs or the enemies. However, their spirits were obviously higher than before the battle began, and raging flames could be seen burning in the depths of their eyes. Their gazes toward Qianye were also different from before. Qianye was quite clear as to what their gazes embodied. It was respect for an expert and could even be considered worship. Qianye could be said to have won the two guard captains respect from this point onwards. An idea flashed through Qianyes heartit was as if the sudden realization tore through the dense mist like a bolt of lightninghe was no longer a lone wolf but a commander who needed to lead the whole battlefield! Qianyes strategy wasnt wrong in terms of maximizing personal accomplishments. Snipers were independent units who, under normal circumstances, could only exert their full potential when they were free to choose their own position. But a commander was differenthe needed to let all his subordinates see him, trust him, and let them know that the commander would always be with them. The situation here was different from when he was in the 131st company. The latter was a seasoned squadBao Zhengcheng and his officers all served as sturdy nodes of command on the battlefield. Such a coordination was built over the countless battles in which they risked their lives together. Qianyes hurriedly assembled squad, on the other hand, had no such cooperation and neither had they accumulated much confidence. That was especially why they required a strong commander. The person most qualified for such a position was Wei Potian. Qianye had seen his fighting style back at Darkblood City and also during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. His imposing attitude and the way he fought at the head of his troops to storm the enemy directly were qualities suited for open confrontations on the battlefield. One merely needed to look at his reputation and position in the Broken Winged Angels to see that his style was suitable for leading troops. But Qianye had learnt only killing methods during the Yellow Springs Training Camp and his time with the Red Scorpions. Maintaining morale became the single most important factor in order to win an outnumbered battle without the aid of steep fortifications and geographical advantage. That meant he had to collapse the enemy head-on. That was the difference between a soldier and a general. This age belonged to the strong and only the strong reigned supreme! Qianye appeared on the battlefield with an indomitable attitude from the moment he tossed out that vampire grenade. Anyone who dared challenge him, from second lieutenants to lieutenant colonels, were all killed! This dealt a huge blow to the expeditionary armys morale while lifting their own at the same time. Finally, the expeditionary armys first assault was thus repelled. In addition to the two guard captains, the fighters from among the seedlings had also gathered before Qianye. They were previously tasked with leading their own small groups during the organization phase. After going through the previous battle, all of them had become the core of their respective squads. Some of the more experienced veterans were already beginning to reorganize their members as soon as the battle ended. Qianye didnt say too much and only gave out simple instructions. Perform a casualty check and reorganize the defenses. Remember to distribute weapons and equipment to everyone now that we have sufficient armaments. After everyone hurriedly dispersed to attend to their duties, Qianye climbed to the badly damaged watchtower alone and gazed at the distant expeditionary army. They had retreated for over a thousand meters and were reorganizing their troops. It was obvious that the enemy commander was apprehensive of Qianyes Eagleshot and had all the troops retreat well outside its range before marshaling the soldiers. Qianyes sight was fixed upon a certain lieutenant colonel standing in front of the troop formation. In truth, his Eagleshot could definitely reach the latter. It was just that, due to the great distance, the officer would likely have enough time to evade. Sir, youve been wounded. It was a young and tender voice full of obvious nervousness. Qianye turned around to see a young seedling girl. The dust and blood on her face couldnt conceal her delicate and beautiful features. Following the little girls gaze, Qianye looked down to find a large bloodstain around his waist. There was a badly mangled wound that was still bleeding. Qianye himself couldnt recall when he had been wounded. Perhaps it was when he had run through the hail of bullets to fight against the assault squad that had gathered in the plaza, or perhaps he was sniped while pursuing the retreating expeditionary army. He secretly activated his blood energy and discovered a strand of cold origin power lingering around the wound, preventing it from healing. The one who had shot Qianye apparently possessed a special ability. This kind of rare cold attribute origin power was quite useful in battle. That soldier would likely become an expert given enough time to develop. But unfortunately, he had encountered Qianye. Qianye had clearly committed him to memory despite not knowing the exact personeach and everyone who had attacked him with origin power were destined to be on his list of martial accomplishments. This was war. Outside the village. The lieutenant colonels expression was solemn, and the seventh divisions battalion commander beside him wasnt looking any better. The seventh division commander suddenly spoke, Ill lead the charge during the next battle! The lieutenant colonel shook his head. Our divisions assault battalion commander, my vice regimental commander, and another battalion commander all died within the village. Do you think youll fare any better if you go? The battalion commander roared, At least I dont fear death! The lieutenant colonel replied coldly, No one here fears death! But the sacrifice must be effective! What good will charging in do apart from serving as the brats target? Will it win us the battle? The battalion commanders face turned blue and white. He couldnt help but sneer, Indeed, no one fears death, but I wonder whose men was it that ran away just now. The regiment commander snorted but didnt retort. The men in question were naturally the soldiers under his command. The battalion commander checked the time and turned rather anxious. When do we attack? We rest for until dawn at least. The troops are in no condition to fight at the moment. But we of the seventh division cant wait any longer! We must eliminate these seedlings before dusk tomorrow! Thats your problem. The battalion commander couldnt hold back any longer and started shouting, Dont think the 15th division will be unaffected if the seventh division gets in trouble. Dont forget that all of us are in this together. The lieutenant colonels expression became as gloomy as black stone as he stared fixedly at the seventh divisions battalion commander. Only after some time did he turn toward his aide and barked, Go, go and request reinforcements from the division commander! I need true reinforcements! The orderly jumped onto the jeep and drove away as if he was flying. Their distance from the 15th division was no more than 10 kilometersreinforcements would flock toward them by noon the following day. As for how the local 10th division would react, that was a matter for the generals to ponder on. No sooner had the seventh divisions battalion commander recovered his composure than the 15th division commander said coldly, Why did your seventh division only send one battalion? Dont forget that once this matter is disclosed, our 15th division will only suffer to a certain extent, while the seventh division will be pushed to the forefront as the mastermind behind everything! The battalion commanders expression turned unsightly once again. The lieutenant colonel didnt say much more than that. He believed that the battalion commander would understand the meaning behind his words. He then called the vice commander over and began to go over the casualty reports. The expeditionary army had abandoned nearly 400 corpses during the first assault. Their casualty rate was over one fifth. Although he trusted Qianyes side to fare just as badly, the present casualty rate had far surpassed his expectations. Furthermore, they werent even able to capture the village. The vice commander major hurriedly entered and whispered, Commander, things dont look good. Our officer casualty rates are too high. Some of our brethren are refusing to fight. How many did we lose? the lieutenant commander asked begrudgingly. Over 50 junior officers have died! What!? The lieutenant colonel could no longer keep his calm. He exchanged a few words with the major before turning to sneer at the seventh divisions battalion commander. This is the rank five soldier from your reports!? Have you ever seen a goddamn rank-five soldier kill so many lieutenants!? By the end, the lieutenant colonel was already shouting at the top of his lungs with spittle flying onto the face of the seventh divisions battalion commander. The battalion commander couldnt find anything to sayhe could only laugh bitterly without even having the chance to wipe off the spittle on his face. In the village, Qianye only applied basic treatment to his wounds before he was up and about, checking the situation of the village defenses. The total casualties among the seedlings and guardsmen combined for a little over 100, well within the acceptable range. After experiencing the previous life and death battle, Qianye could no longer see fear within their young eyes but instead saw courage and worship. A general who appears in the most dangerous places and charges toward the most powerful enemies will inevitably gain the love and respect of his soldiers. Gazing at the young warriors who had gathered around him, Qianye calmly said, Persevere for a while longer. We only need to overcome the next assault because reinforcements will arrive tomorrow evening. This is the Far East Wei Clans domain. A mere expeditionary army division commander is nothing before an upper-rank aristocratic family of the empire. The surroundings became momentarily silent following which the seedlings began to cheer, their exhaustion and pain seemingly swept away. The expeditionary army, to them, was an insurmountable giant entity, the rulers of the Evernight Continent. They might not fear death, but their futures looked completely barreneven if they won this time, what about the next? No one had told them before what this village was. Perhaps many among them didnt even know the Far East Wei Clan, but the words "upper-rank aristocratic family of the empire" couldnt be clearer. They signified an existence that could contend against the colossus that was the expeditionary army. It also implied that their futures werent so hopeless as long as they survived! The battleground was always full of unexpected surpriseswhat they saw arrive wasnt Wei Potians reinforcements but instead the 15th divisions reserves. This time, the 15th division had dispatched a whole regiment. Sending out two regiments across areas within a short period of time was already their limit. At Broken River City, 20 kilometers from them, the 10th division continued to maintain their silence. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.User "rendezvous on memory lane" asked about military ranks used in MoE so I''m posting them here for reference. The links go to relevant Wikipedia pages.: Second Lieutenant --> First Lieutenant --> Captain --> Major --> Lieutenant Colonel --> Colonel --> Brigadier General --> Major General --> Lieutenant General --> General --> Marshal : Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain: Major, Lieutenant Colonel, ColonelPrevious ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 191: Reinforcements [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The expressions of the two Far East Heavy Industries guard captains turned rather ugly as they observed the dense mass of expeditionary army troops in the distance. However, they were still able to laugh. The guard captain surnamed He swore, Damn it! Theyre really investing quite a lot! This daddys never experienced such a large battle! The guard captain surnamed Wei spoke solemnly, Young Master Qian, well hold them down here. You should find a way to break through the siege and escape! Tell the heir what transpired here, and the main family will surely avenge us. Qianye gazed outwards for a moment before saying, Rest assured, they cant stop me! The two guard captains immediately replied, Thats great! Now our brethren can let loose! The battle was especially arduous and lasted from noon until before dusk. It even made Qianye feel as if he had returned to Earth Castle. However, the expeditionary armys combat strength was greater than the dark race cannon fodder while Qianyes subordinates this time, though greater in number, werent more powerful than the reinforced company back then. The only difference this time was Qianye and his Eagleshot. A lieutenant would fall every time the Eagleshot rumbled. This scared the expeditionary army officers witless. The two lieutenant colonels didnt dare enter the village at all. With the officers hesitant to do battle, troop morale also began to decline. Not only was the battle long and unfavorable, but they were also being made to fight a civil war of unclear reasons. The expeditionary armys offensive as a whole was overcome by an inexplicable sluggishness. As the fierce battle raged on until nightfall, even Qianye, with his advanced vampire constitution and recovery, was feeling similarly exhausted, and his origin power had virtually dried up. A soldier suddenly ran out from within an alley. His whole body was soaked in blood with terror written all over his young face. His footsteps were unsteady and his expression distracted. He didnt seem to know that his innards had already spilled out. The soldier collapsed before Qianye. This unfortunate young man had just recently escaped the fate of becoming a seedling or livestock. He had only experienced freedom for a few short days before reaching the end of his life here. A few expeditionary army warriors rushed out from the alley in pursuit and, after seeing Qianye, pounced upon him amidst loud cries. Qianye took two steps forward and, like a ghost, passed through them largely unhindered. The few expeditionary army soldiers suddenly came to a halt mid-charge. They looked down to see the baffling new wounds on their bodies before gradually collapsing. A few more strands of blood stained Qianyes Radiant Edge. Afterwards, these rolling blood drops accumulated toward the edge of the blade and dripped off, restoring the blades spotless luster. Qianye then leapt onto a broken part of the village wall. At this moment, his heart felt extremely heavythe stifling sensation increased slightly with every young seedling who fell before him. Qianyes body suffused with cold murderous intent. He didnt bother to hide himselfhe stood straight and tall on high ground and gazed at the battlefield outside of the village. The two expeditionary army lieutenant colonels, on the other hand, were both hiding at the back, not daring to reveal themselves at all. It seemed even they were scared silly by Qinayes killing methods. Up until now, three lieutenant colonels from the coalition of two regiments and one battalion had already died in Qianyes hand. The two fortunate lieutenant colonels had long since realized that the Eagleshot in Qianyes hands was exceptionally powerfulthey simply couldnt block that one shot. Hence, they werent willing to throw their lives away. Qianye suddenly sensed a gust of wind from behind him! He instinctively drew the Radiant Edge and calmly turned around. A combat hatchet brushed past Qianyes left shoulder and struck the ground. It was a burly man with a full beard. His designation number had been torn off, but the flower on his collar indicating his position as a major was particularly eye-catching. He stared fixedly at Qianye and opened his mouth as if to say something. However, a red line had already been drawn across his neck from which fresh blood gushed out like a waterfall and splashed onto Qianyes face. Qianye didnt dodge at all. Only the boiling fresh blood of his enemies could extinguish the flames in his chest! The hot blood, abundant in origin power, was a great enticement to the current weakened Qianye. He had to do his utmost to prevent himself from swallowing the blood near the corner of his mouth. All of Qianyes blood energy began to roll and rage as the fresh scent of boiling blood rushed into his nose. He had involuntarily entered a state of blood-boil but his blood energy wasnt being replenished with fresh blood. This caused the churning to grow increasingly violenteven the usually lazy golden blood energy from around his heart was starting to become restless. A light golden radiance suddenly erupted from Qianyes body with a hint of purple within. This was due to an involuntary outflow of his gold and purple blood energies. They began to absorb the blood energy and origin power immediately after coming into contact with fresh blood, ultimately channeling them back into the body. This kind of minimal replenishment, while not as fast as directly ingesting blood, was still a form of replenishment. Fortunately, no one noticed the faint blood energy leaking from Qianyes body since the scent of gunpowder and blood could be found everywhere on the battlefield. Qianye naturally realized the minute changes in his body. He smiled ruefully before charging toward a nearby enemy squad with the Radiant Edge in hand. The Eagleshot rumbled once again moments later, felling a violent second lieutenant. The two lieutenant colonels outside the village were secretly rejoicing. They thought the other party had run out of origin power since they hadnt heard the Eagleshot for some time. But now, it seemed fortunate that they hadnt charged out hastily. Just how many times has the enemy fired the Eagleshot? As dusk fell, the expeditionary army forces were forced to pull back from the village once more due to the heavy losses and low morale. Qianye sat alone within a half-collapsed house, surrounded by over a dozen expeditionary army corpses. He closed his eyes, undisguised exhaustion was written all over his face. The purple gold glow on his body was covered up by bloodstains. The blood energy within Qianyes body was still feasting on the fresh blood. The countless drops of blood in the vicinity converged on him as if they were alive and gradually disappeared. Sir! The enemy is retreating! Wu Shiqing shouted as he rushed in. Qianye calmly replied without opening his eyes, I know. Only then did Wu Shiqing notice the corpses scattered throughout the house. His voice immediately stopped and hesitated for a moment before saying, We eh how long do we have to hold out, sir? We might not be able to overcome the next wave. Those who cant hold on will die. Only those who can will survive. But Wu Shiqing wanted to say something but was hesitating. Qianye said calmly, They will definitely come. After saying this, Qianye realized he wasnt actually comforting Wu Shiqinghe actually firmly believed that Wei Potian would arrivethe latters eventual arrival was a certainty, but when did he start having so much confidence in him? Such confidence certainly wouldnt be misplaced if the appointment was with Song Zining. As for this Wei clan young master... Qianye broke into laughter. He slowly stood up and flexed his body. His limbs felt heavy and there wasnt a single place on his body that wasnt hurting. The burning sensation of pain was being transmitted from his many wounds and his movements had turned sluggish like an old man. His blood energy had cleared out most of the external destructive origin power from the wounds. His regenerative abilities were starting to circulate anew, but the sequelae of his previous blood boil made him clumsy and awkward. Qianyes daybreak origin power was on the brink of exhaustion and only began to accumulate gradually after the blood boil ended. Qianye tried using the Nurturing Rain Art after he had regained some origin power. He hadnt cultivated this secret art since obtaining it because he simply didnt need healing with the blood energy protecting his organs. But the moment Qianye circulated the Nurturing Rain Art, he felt the origin tides wash over him. It was comparable to the mist rising from the lakes surface on a sunny day. He felt his surroundings become moist as if a fine drizzle of rain was showering down upon him. The foreign origin powers stubbornly clinging to his wounds were dissolved in quick succession. Its effectiveness was not at all inferior to that of the blood energy. The wounds had become much cleaner by the time Qianye had used up what little origin power he had recovered. It seemed another circulation of the Nurturing Rain Art would clear them completely, leaving only simple flesh wounds. Qianyes spirits rose as he walked out of the room. It was then that he suddenly heard a faint rumbling in the distance. It wasnt thunderit was the sound of engines! The sound wasnt unfamiliar at all. It seemed another airship had arrived. His heart tensed up as he jumped onto what remained of a roof and retrieved his Eagleshot. Qianye certainly didnt have enough remaining power to fire the Eagleshot. However, if it really was an airship carrying enemy reinforcements, he would have no choice but to ingest blood to recover origin power and see if he could shoot it down. The atmosphere of the village abruptly became stifled. Many of them who had heard the sound raised their heads and gazed toward the flickering lights on the distant horizon. Judging from its direction, the airship had obviously arrived from the direction of Broken River City. The airship was still far away but the assault on the ground was already imminent. The expeditionary army was ready to launch another assault after an hour or reorganization. Dozens of high output origin lights were installed onto the roof of the cargo trucks and aimed at the village. Over a thousand expeditionary army soldiers, arranged in a loose formation, began to push into the village from all directions. Sniper shots rumbled from atop the tall framework which used be the village tower, extinguishing the searchlights with every shot. Qianye raised his brows; Wu Shiqing had surprised him yet again. With the battle going on until now, a rank one fighter like him shouldve been completely exhausted long ago. Unexpectedly, he could still perform with such stability. But the dense crowd of charging expeditionary army soldiers invoked a persistent heaviness in Qianyes heart. Over half of his men had already died and they likely wouldnt be able to push the enemy back this time. The village likely wouldnt even survive the first wave if he broke through the encirclement to escape. It was at this time that the whirl of engines in the air became especially prominent. Flames rushed out from the rear of that distant airship as it abruptly raised its speed and arrived over the battlefield within moments. This was an especially fierce-looking airship. Under the illumination of the flames from the ground, one could see that the ship was actually armored. This wasnt the average military airships commonly seen in the Evernight Continentit was an imperial army battle airship! The battle airship opened its hull armor to reveal numerous large pitch-black cannons. The artillery spewed out dazzling flames amidst a rumble which almost drowned out the whole battlefield. Following which, several giant fireballs surged up from the ground. Numerous expeditionary army cargo trucks were struck by the aerial cannon fire and exploded violently, sending all the nearby troops flying! A Far East Heavy Industries guardsman suddenly roared, Look! Its the Wei clan insignia! Reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived! The expeditionary army forces on the ground were thrown into confusion. The lucky survivors of the initial explosion began to flee in panic. It was unknown whether they were brave or had broken down from the pressure, some soldiers began to fire madly at the airship with their rifles and machine guns. However, it was impossible to hit such a distant target without using a sniper rifle at grade three or above. They only managed to produce a shower of stray bullets. After seeing the Wei clan insignia on the airship, the two lieutenant colonels immediately disappeared into the night. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.User "rendezvous on memory lane" asked about military ranks used in MoE so I''m posting them here for reference. The links go to relevant Wikipedia pages.: Second Lieutenant --> First Lieutenant --> Captain --> Major --> Lieutenant Colonel --> Colonel --> Brigadier General --> Major General --> Lieutenant General --> General --> Marshal : Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain: Major, Lieutenant Colonel, ColonelPrevious ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 192: Bloodline Seedlings [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] An explosive roar rang out from atop the airship, Scram! Let me do it! Wei Potian shoved the cannoneer away, took his seat, and aimed at a fleeing lieutenant colonel. The previous cannoneer had fired twice but failed to strike the target, causing Wei Potian to become quite dissatisfied. Wei Potian had his eyes on that bastard since the beginninghow could he let him get away? However, Wei Potians shot missed the target by an even greater margin. At this time, the battlefield on the ground had turned into a raging inferno which greatly distorted ones vision. That lieutenant colonel had vanished in the blink of an eye, causing Wei Potian to curse in rage while slapping his thighs. The battle airship was basically an invincible entity on such a battlefield since not even the Eagleshot could pierce through its thick armor. It hovered in the air with its numerous cannons still firing continuously at the expeditionary army belowit was a completely one-sided massacre. There were fleeing expeditionary army soldiers everywhere. Wei Potian grabbed one of his aides and shouted, Capture all of them in one go. Dont let even a single one of them escape, you hear me?! The aide laughed ruefully. Young master, we only have 100 men. We still need to leave some to guard the airship. Wei Potian let out a loud humph. His burning rage gradually receded as he watched the battlefield below. He naturally knew it wasnt quite possible to capture a thousand fleeing soldiers in the wilderness with a mere 100 men. Then capture a few of them alive, target the officers! Yes, sir! With Wei Potians order, the battle airship rapidly descended. Each of the Wei clan elite guards grabbed onto a rope and jumped off as the ship reached a height of 100 meters from the ground. After landing, they rolled to one side in order to disperse the force of impact before rising up to pursue the routed soldiers. Qianye stood on the wall and signaled for the troops to reassemble. At this moment, the soldiers under his command were all completely exhausted and already had no strength cooperate with the pursuit. Those who recklessly chased might even be killed instead. The battle airship slowed down its descent and finally came to a stop 50 meters from the ground. Wei Potian jumped out directly and smashed onto the ground with a thumpeven the village walls seemed to tremble due to the deafening soundonly a yellow light was seen flashing through the dust cloud as Wei Potian nonchalantly stood up and strode toward Qianye. Suddenly, everyone in and around the village was impressed by Wei Potians incomparably fierce entrance. The only exception was Qianye whose taut nerves finally relaxed after one whole day and night. He almost wanted to laugh out loud because, with his eyesight, he naturally saw Wei Potians face turn unnaturally pale. 50 meters was, after all, a bit too high for any fighter without flying capabilities. From afar, Wei Potian cried out, Qianye, are you alright!? Qianye jumped off the village wall and replied, Even you are alright, so how can anything happen to me? Wei Potian suddenly felt he was caught in the act, but his face only turned red for an instant. He then proceeded to take large strides toward Qianye as if nothing was wrong. He sized the latter up and clicked his tongue. Look at your expression and all those wounds on your body! Youre still saying youre alright? None of this would happen if you arrived one day earlier. Wei Potian immediately scratched his messy hair and said, How could I know this would happen? Arriving on time is... umm the right thing to do. He felt somewhat guilty because, in truth, he was almost two hours late. Qianyes indifferent expression suddenly eased up like the spring snow under the sun as he laughed. I was only able to hold out until now because I knew youd come! A good brother indeed! Wei Potian pounced forward and gave Qianye a bear hug. A Wei clan guard appeared from the shadows and said, Young master. Weve captured a few of them alive. Do you want to take a look? Killing intent surfaced on Wei Potians face. Good! I want to see whos so bold as to touch this daddys brother! Moments later, ten-odd junior officers were dragged before Wei Potian. However, the highest ranked among them was only a captain. The rank and number of prisoners didnt quite meet Wei Potians expectations. He was immediately enraged. So few!? Where are those lieutenant colonels? Dont tell me theres no senior officer among the several regiments! Could it be that you lot cant even win against an expeditionary army senior officer? The guard smiled bitterly and replied, I interrogated them just now and found out that the officer casualty rate was exceptionally high. More than two-thirds of the senior officers were either wounded or dead. As such, we are already quite fortunate to be able to capture these people. Two-thirds! The number shocked Wei Potian. From his battle experience, he knew that such a casualty rate meant that the other party possessed suppressive single-target firepower. The guard stole a glance at Qianye with great reverence in his eyes. Its said that most of them lost their lives to young masters friend here. Wei Potian turned to Qianye and let out an odd cry. Brat, youre so capable! Youre even more awesome than I am! Qianye only shot him a sidelong glance with an expression that seemed to say: Isnt it normal for me to be more awesome? Qianye smiled and listened on in silence. With this normally pampered Wei clan young master around, he would unconsciously become more relaxed even while standing on a bloody battlefield. Wei Potian walked toward the prisoners after he finished boasting, the smile on his face vanishing completely. The captives were all pressed to the ground in a row. Wei Potian walked from left to right and then back before stopping in front of a cruel-looking captain with a full beard. This officer was quite headstrong. He spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm without waiting for Wei Potian to speak. This is the expeditionary armys territory and Im an expeditionary army officer on active duty! Brat, I dont care whether youre from the Wei clan or any other great family, this daddy will give you some advicestop messing around in the Evernight Continent. This is no place for kids to play house! Wei Potians expression appeared calm with his arms crossed. He listened seriously and nodded. You have a point there, following which, he growled, someone, execute this bastard! A guard immediately came up from one side, drew his pistol and aimed it against the captains temple. He pulled the trigger after seeing Wei Potians confirmatory nod. The captains brains exploded with a loud bang, fluid and fresh blood splattering onto the nearby captives. The prisoners became momentarily restless but soon became deathly still. Wei Potian was still expressionless as he took one step toward the side. He now stood in front of the adjacent first lieutenant. The first lieutenant immediately blurted out, Ill talk! Ill tell you everything! Im not interested! Wei Potian said coldly. He made a gesture and walked toward the next person. A Wei clan guard walked up and shot that first lieutenant in the head. Wei Potian passed over several prisoners this time and stopped before a young second lieutenant. He stared at the latter for some time before speaking slowly, The expeditionary armys ranks are nothing in my eyes. They can only be used to scare kids. The young second lieutenant turned pale. He gritted his teeth and was trembling, afraid of making any unnecessary sounds lest he invites a mortal disaster. Only then did Wei Potian ask, You, tell me whats going on. The second lieutenant revealed everything he knew. In truth, there were many secrets which he had no access to. The real reason behind this cross-boundary assault on a mine under the 10th divisions jurisdiction certainly wouldnt be revealed to a second lieutenant. The only useful information he could offer was his unit number and sequence, the time of mobilization, and the surface pretext for this operation. Wei Potian nodded and then pointed toward a certain officer who was shooting warning glances at that second lieutenant and said indifferently, I dont like this person. Kill him. A Wei clan guard stepped forth and fired without the slightest hesitation. With this, all the expeditionary army officers turned completely silent out of fear. No one else dared to play small tricks anymore. Qianye was observing from one side. This was the first time he had seen Wei Potians decisive and cold-hearted aspect. The casual, easy-going and sincere man within his memories didnt just distinguish himself in terms of talent but was also well nurtured in the art of statecraft. After dealing with the captives, the Wei clan guards who were in charge of capturing the fleeing soldiers began to return in succession. Wei Potian then assigned his guards to help with cleaning up the battlefield and aiding the injured. He himself dragged Qianye to inspect the whole area. Even the accompanying Wei clan elder was quite surprised after seeing the surviving seedlings, especially Wu Shiqing and Wu Shiying. The elder waited until the group had left the seedlings residence before saying, These arent ordinary seedlings! Its no wonder Wu Zhengnan would stake it all in one throw. He wont allow these seedlings to live on no matter what. Wei Potian asked curiously, There are different types of seedlings? The Wei clan elder explained, Young master, there are over a dozen rank one fighters among these seedlings. That aside, unless my old eyes are blurred, the glow of their origin powers are different. Its clear that they all possess different abilities. Since they were selected as seedlings, this meant that these abilities were produced naturally after igniting their origin nodes and not an attribute change brought about by learning a secret technique. In other words, they are all bloodline seedlings! Bloodline seedlings? So many? Wei Potian had begun to understand after listening up to this point. He turned to Qianye and explained briefly. He knew that the latter might not understand the relationship between these seedlings and the underlying profundities of origin power. The degree of innate talent wasnt important for these so-called bloodline seedlings. The dark races had many ways to strengthen their reproduction and reduce their development time. They would then filter out and accumulate countless such samples to gradually strengthen their bloodline abilities. Perhaps after several hundred years, they would be able to produce a completely new subspecies with special abilities. That was precisely why these bloodline seedlings were worth so much more than normal seedlings. Mere slaves simply couldnt compare with them. A convoy carrying a couple of bloodline seedlings could be considered to be doing a large business. It was truly rare to see over a dozen young bloodline seedlings appear in a single transaction. The Wei clan elder said, These seedlings arent easy to obtain. Its impossible for Wu Zhengnan to round them all up within a single region. To be able to form a caravan of this scale, its likely that many division commanders are involved. If this was really the case, then the value of the goods which the dark races traded to Wu Zhengnan was simply too low. In my opinion, they should have other secret agreements. Wei Potian immediately shouted, Investigate! Dig up every secret for me! Young master, this The elder glanced at Qianye and paused his words. We just launched our Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 193: Silent Contest Part 1 Chapter 193: Silent Contest (Part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei Potian pulled a long face. Qianye is my brother. Theres nothing we cant discuss in front of him. Thereupon, the elder said, The scope of implications regarding this matter appears rather wide and probably isnt limited to just a few divisions. Theres likely a powerhouse acting as a mediator. Although our Far East Wei Clan isnt afraid of trouble, we still have to show General Xiao Lingshi some respect in the Evernight Continent. Toppling a few offending division commanders is fine, but its not appropriate for us to start a war. After saying this, without even waiting for Wei Potians reply, he turned toward Qianye, bowed and said respectfully, What does Young Master Qian think of this? Qianye hadnt expected the elderly man to suddenly skip over Wei Potian and ask for his opinion. However, he felt it was natural after some thoughtthis matter had indeed arisen from him. While the Wei clan might also obtain some benefits from this, the gains were barely passable compared to the resources invested. Waging a war in the Evernight Continent was definitely past the Wei clans bottom line. This wasnt an issue of whether or not the Wei clan could contest against the expeditionary army in court and in military strength, but a consideration of whether the regional lord could interfere with the deep-seated military affairs of the Evernight Continent. This Wei clan elders words were rather clearhe wished to prevent the heir from expanding this matter for Qianyes sake lest it ultimately goes out of hand. Qianye immediately replied, Potian, the matter between me and Wu Zhengnan is a personal grudge, and I dont want to create more problems. Everything originated from him. He was at the core of the forbidden deals with the dark races. I think we should just focus on the mastermind here. Wei Potian shot him a glance and voiced his agreement. He then turned around to find the captive expeditionary army officers gathered at the base of the village wall near the gate. He immediately raised his voice in anger. But Im absolutely infuriated everytime I see these bastards. I really want to kill them all! The Wei clan elder intervened, Young master, theyre only following orders. Its fine to kill since weve already captured them, but there are many outsiders around His voice was quite soft and only Wei Potian could hear it clearly. The elders opinion was that killing captives privately wasnt a big deal, but it would more or less affect the Wei clans reputation with so many witnesses. Qianye wasnt considered an outsider but these bloodline seedlings and Far East Heavy Industries guardsmen were a different matter altogether. Wei Potian exhaled deeply and replied, Very well! Lets deal with them later. There was much to do regarding funeral arrangements in addition to cleaning the village and tending to the wounded. Defensive measures, on the other hand, werent a problemWei Potian had immediately dispatched someone to Broken River City with a letter as soon as he arrived. The 10th division would inevitably be held responsible if the heir of Marquis Bowang and a lieutenant colonel of the Broken Winged Angels was attacked in this defensive region. Hence, they could no longer feign ignorance. Those captive officers from the 15th division had all been returned to their division headquarters. The only thing left was to wait for the 15th division to give the Wei clan a satisfactory explanation. The next day, Wei Potian dragged Qianye onto the airship and flew directly toward Blackflow City. The Wei clan heirs movements this time was extremely fast with absolutely no delay during the journey. After landing outside the city in the afternoon, Wei Potian immediately charged right into the city after marshaling the Broken Winged Angels and Wei clan soldiers. The expeditionary army guards had likely received orders beforehand, seeing as how no one dared to obstruct these fiends. The dozen military trucks sped straight toward the seventh division headquarters where they stopped across the main gates. The soldiers then alighted in succession and proceeded to blockade the entrance. Wei Potian jumped off from the drivers compartment and sized up the unimpressive building before him. This is the seventh division headquarters!? Doesnt look the part! An aide beside him replied, Young Master, this is indeed the place. At least according to the map. Look, its also written on the signboard! Wei Potian finally found a sign that said expeditionary army seventh division but he was still half suspicious.This seventh division headquarters looked like a space-occupying courtyard with a few old and unadorned office buildings within. This headquarters was somewhat historic and hadnt changed at all for nearly a decade. Wei Potian, who was used to seeing the awe-inspiring and majestic division headquarters of the empire, felt as if he had come to a skirmisher barracks in the countryside. But on second thoughts, wasnt the expeditionary army just a ragtag band of countryside stragglers? As Wei Potian took large strides toward their main gate, the guards shouted reflexively, Who dares barge into the division headquarters!? Well fulfill whoever is courting death! The Wei clan men didnt make a move but the Broken Winged Angel troops didnt have such a good tempermany of them had their hands on the weapons at their waist, ready to kill all those guards at a moments notice. Qianye stood with the Wei clan guards and let out a soft sigh. He couldnt be clearer about the death quota granted to elite corps such as the Broken Winged Angels. Killing these ordinary soldiers wouldnt even count against their death quota which was used for those above the level of junior officers and landowning nobles. At this time, a major dashed out from within the courtyard and hurriedly cried out, Lower your weapons, all of you! Lower your weapons! The guards dropped their guns unwillingly but continued to glare at the other partythey knew these visitors had come with ill intentions. The major, identifying the leader at a glance, arrived before Wei Potian and said solemnly, You must be the heir of Marquis Bowang, Young Master Qiyang. Wei clan heir, I wonder when our expeditionary army had offended the Wei clan? Not only did you barricade our city, but now youre blocking our seventh division headquarters! Youre also a man of the empire. You must know that blocking a military-use road is tantamount to interfering with military affairs. I shouldnt have to remind you what punishment that warrants according to imperial law. Wei Potian didnt bother to reply. The lieutenant colonel from the Broken Winged Angels who had come to stand behind Wei Potian was also silent. It seemed the two had no intention of speaking with this major. The major ground his teeth and shouted, All of you, whats the meaning of this? The expeditionary army guards the wilderness for the empire, risking sweat and blood while receiving insufficient supplies! That aside, why do our brothers who return from fighting against the dark races have to suffer such humiliation? Were also men of the empire with imperial spirit. We will report this to the Department of Military Affairs no matter how big your origins are! I refuse to believe we cant argue logically. Why cant our brothers receive fair treatment even after bleeding themselves dry? The majors vehement words resonated with the already furious guardsmen. Wei Potian waited expressionlessly until the major had finished his words before speaking indifferently, Do you seriously think youre the only ones whove fought against the dark races, the only ones whove bled? I rather think you guys put in much more effort into fighting our own race. The Broken Winged Angel lieutenant colonel also spoke slowly, You want to take this to the Department of Military Affairs? Very good! Brother Zhang, its your turn! A man in his thirties respondedhe and several other unidentified men had silently joined Wei Potians group after his arrival. This man surnamed Zhang seemed like an ordinary civil staff and even appeared somewhat frail. He arrived before the major and flashed him a certain insignia before putting it away. He then calmly said, Go and tell Wu Zhengnan that he has five minutes. Were leaving if he doesnt arrive in five minutes. Furthermore, everyone here will go with me if you dare to repeat those words one more time. The majors eyes widened after seeing the insignia. He began to tremble uncontrollably as he suddenly turned and rushed toward the interior at full speed. This man surnamed Zhang calmly produced an exquisite origin power sundial. He then set the time and lightly closed his eyes to wait in a composed manner. Qianye happened to see a corner of the insignia during that instant. Although he didnt see the whole picture, the unique shape and color were well known to all imperialsit was the insignia of the Imperial Military Police. The involvement of the military police was an indication that this matter had already entered an official persecution procedure. The expeditionary army could no longer cover things up regardless of their wishes. It seemed the Wei clan had indeed come well-prepared. Wu Zhengnan appeared from within the division headquarters building at four minutes and 50 seconds. His figure flickered continuously and crossed the hundred meter plaza within moments to appear before the crowd. Wu Zhengnans gaze swept over the crowd, pausing ever so slightly on Wei Potian and the Broken Winged Angel lieutenant colonel before saying calmly, Even the military police prosecutor has arrived. It seems this little division commander has really alarmed the higher ups. Since youve all arrived, please come in. I would suggest, however, the leaders to keep their men in check. My subordinates might not necessarily be able to hold back if someone dies. The Broken Winged Angel lieutenant colonel sneered. Things like this wont happen if you had come out earlier. Why should we care about them when you yourself dont even care about their lives. Wu Zhengnan shot a glance at the lieutenant colonel and laughed. Youre still quite young. I might not be your match after another 6 years. The startled lieutenant colonels expression turned quite ugly. The whole group became silent. None of them spoke as they followed Wu Zhengnan toward the tallest office building at the center. More and more expeditionary army soldiers poured out from the barracks on each side and were glaring fiercely at Wei Potian and company. It seemed as if they would charge toward them at any moment. The atmosphere around this 100-meter distance was exceptionally heavy as if a pack of wolves was waiting, ready to pounce on them and tear them apart at a moments notice. The breathing of some of the Wei clan guards had already become unstable, a clear sign of fear. The soldiers from the Broken Winged Angels were able to display their extraordinary qualities at this timethey were all calm and completely without any fluctuation despite being younger as a whole. However, nothing happened until the group reached the floor where the meeting room was situated. It seemed Wu Zhengnan had only brought out those expeditionary army soldiers to intimidate them. Qianye frowned after hearing the few Wei clan guards discuss this in whispershe didnt believe Wu Zhengnan would do something so meaningless. Given a good opportunity, Wu Zhengnan would definitely give the order to attack and finish them off within the division headquarters. That part of the road, in truth, wasnt that peaceful. However, the entire squad of Broken Winged Angels in addition to Prosecutor Zhang and his powerful military police subordinates likely made Wu Zhengnan feel that he didnt have a chance. That was why he didnt take action. The officers all walked into the meeting room. Qianye followed the Wei clan guard captain into the room and silently took his seat at a back row corner. At that moment, he looked up after feeling a sudden sharp gaze landing upon him, only to find Wu Zhengnan looking straight at him. Qianyes age and rank were particularly eye-catching among the officers and high-level guardsmen who were rank six or seven. This one is Zhang Youheng, the active prosecutor colonel of the military police headquarters. These are the relevant documents for the current prosecution. Saying this, Zhang Youheng produced a document and gently pushed it forward. The document slid across the long table and stopped accurately in front of Wu Zhengnan. Wu Zhengnan read through the papers in detail and examined the seals of the Imperial Army and Military Police. He then nodded, signed his name on the document, and handed it over to his aide, indicating him to put it away. This action caused the tense atmosphere within the meeting room to relax slightly. Accepting the official document meant that Wu Zhengnan was willing to accept the Imperial Military Departments restrictions and had no plan to revolt. There had been precedents of such cases beforean expeditionary army division commander had once revolted when the Department of Military Affairs dispatched agents to investigate him. He not only killed the investigation team but also fled to the side of the dark races along with most of the divisions troops. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 194: Silent Contest Part 2 Chapter 194: Silent Contest (Part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The arrogant Broken Winged Angel Corps and Wei clan elite guards became increasingly silent after Wu Zhengnans appearance. The latter wasnt doing anything deliberately, but his every movement brought about an immense amount of invisible pressure. Only at this point did the young aristocrat Wei Potian realize that those who could stand firmly in Evernight Continent indeed possessed the corresponding capabilityindividual combat ability was exactly one part of it. He understood that they had indeed taken this matter too simply. The more experienced Zhang Youheng, on the other hand, was virtually unaffected. He calmly produced a pile of documents and said, General Wu, weve received no small amount of accusations against you, the details of which are all recorded here. Do you need me to read it out loud? Wu Zhengnan calmly replied, Go ahead. Lets hear what they say. Zhang Youheng read everything out loud with an unchanging flat tone. It took him a full ten minutes to finish the accusations despite reading only the concise gist of things. Qianye felt it to be quite odd after listening to these accusationsZhang Youheng had listed as much as ten violations of military law, but even Qianye, who had only served the army for less than a year, could understand that most of them were of the dispensable type. For instance, misreporting vacancies, embezzling military supplies, failing to fully exert himself during a certain battle or late reinforcements, etc. These clauses were indeed written in black and white within the imperial military law, but most of them wouldnt be thoroughly investigated unless they led to grave consequences. These accusations were common occurrences among the lower level troops. Take late reinforcements for instancenot to mention the self-managed armies of the Evernight Continent, even those from the upper continent were often full of conflicts and contradictions. Incidences like half a days delay in delivering reinforcements weren''t considered a matter of great significance. Besides, it was difficult to prove whether the delay was intentional as the process could easily be influenced by the weather and geography. Yet, Wu Zhengnans actions that had truly trampled upon the empires red line such as trading strategic resources and bloodline seedlings werent included in Zhang Youhengs list. Although the combined punishment he would receive from the dozen petty offenses wasnt too far off from the two major crimes, Qianye still felt that it was rather absurd that they had foregone pursuing the true crimes and was instead punishing him for some unremarkable misconducts. After reciting everything, Zhang Youheng said in a cold and mechanical voice, General Wu, that concludes the complete list of accusations. Do you have any objections? Please come back with us to the Department of Military Affairs for investigation if you have no other arrangements. At this moment, the expressions of the 7th division officers became much more relaxed and so did the hostile atmosphere. Yet, Wu Zhengnan didnt look at anyonehis gaze was fixed on the meeting table, his fingers tapping silently upon it. He only came to moments after he heard Zhang Youhengs words. To the Department of Military Affairs is it Wu Zhengnan smiled. Who else here will be investigated? Zhang Youheng opened another document and calmly read out ten namesall of them were junior officers below the level of lieutenant colonel. Not even a single active regimental commander was included. The 7th division officers were all relieved after the names were announced. It seemed the investigation was targeting Wu Zhengnan personally. As for the few insignificant staff officers, who would care about them? It would be, on the contrary, abnormal for someone of Wu Zhengnans status to not have any co-defendants. Wu Zhengnan was still quite calm. Have the charges been confirmed? Zhang Youheng put away the documents and replied with an impartial expression, Not yet, these are all accusations. The proper procedures will be followed, and youll have one chance to defend yourself. Public or private? Public. Zhang Youhengs reply caused everyone else in the 7th division to breath a sigh of relief. Even Wu Zhengnan himself revealed a somewhat relaxed expression. Qianye, who was sitting at the last row, squinted his eyes as he took in the expressions of everyone in the room. Wei Potian, on the other hand, had almost jumped up near the meeting table but was swiftly restrained by the Wei clan elder beside him. Fortunately, he had also grown calmer in the recent years and actually didnt flip out. Zhang Youheng stood up. General Wu, please see to the necessary arrangements of Blackflow City. You may assign a temporary commander, but the city defenses will be temporarily handed over to the Broken Winged Angels. You, yourself, will rendezvous with me at the airship landing pad outside Blackflow Citys east gate. The destination will be the expeditionary army headquarters. You will bring along all of the previously listed personnel. Additionally, you may bring one squad of guards. That is all. Wu Zhengnan stood up and saw Zhang Youhengs party out of the meeting room. He stood at the door and bid everyone farewell with an exceptionally sincere smile. Wei Potian wore a long facehe wanted to smash Wu Zhengnans old face into a pulp, but he wasnt dumb. He naturally knew that his fist would likely receive more damage than the latters face. Zhang Youheng didnt say another word and hurriedly left the division headquarters building. He then got onto a jeep and left along with his subordinates. He didnt accompany Wei Potian. Wei Potians expression was visibly upset. He jumped into his own jeep and banged the door shut before shouting at that Wei clan elder, What the f*ck is the meaning of this!? This wasnt what we agreed on! Qianye took his seat beside wei Potian and was, on the contrary, quite calm. He had already vaguely guessed the outline of this matterthe situation at present seemed as if they had started out strong only to reach a weak finish. Wu Zhengnan had seemingly been accused of a dozen or so misconducts but hadnt been convicted at all. Additionally, he still had one chance to defend himself. Situations like this, before reaching the end, could develop into many other problems. The location of this so-called public defense was at the expeditionary army headquarters, which meant that the expeditionary army higher-ups could intervene with the investigation. Those minor accusations such as unauthorized mobilization and the wasting of resources could easily become insignificant if, at that time, a certain expeditionary army dignitary was willing to step out and say a few words for him. He might even be able to avoid a direct punishment in the end. Zhang Youhengs appointment three days from now was actually giving Wu Zhengnan the time to clean up some loose ends. During this buffer period, the latter could clean up some of the more difficult accusations. When the time comes, the relevant offenses would be left undetermined due to a lack of evidence. Confronting Wei Potians flames of fury, the Wei clan elder replied steadily, Young master, this is, in fact, the outcome of your original negotiation. Have you forgotten? Wei Potian carefully thought backit seemed there was a mention of such a plan back then. It was also the easiest and most reliable plan. But Zhang Youheng spoke quite ambiguously and didnt say anything definitely, presenting only a general idea of the scope of his arrangements. But, recalling this made Wei Potian even more furious. He did say something like that but he didnt say every item would be dealt with in the simplest manner! If things were going to end this way, why did I need to negotiate with him!? Young Master, this is the best method. As long as Wu Zhengnan accepts the investigation and leave the 7th division, everything will be much easier to deal with. If he can make the expeditionary army higher-ups acquit him, we can also have the Broken Winged Angel and Imperial Military convict him. At this point, the Wei clan elder paused momentarily then said, Additionally, whether we directly execute this division commander or force him to rebel, this matter has far surpassed the scope of your authority. If we really do this, youll likely be placed under greater restrictions by your father in the future. Let him restrict me! This daddy cant have Wu Zhengnan worm his way out of this! The Wei clan elder gestured with his hands. Young Master, there will be ample time for that later as long as Wu Zhengnan is no longer a division commander. Wei Potian seemed as if he wanted to say something but Qianye placed a hand on the formers shoulder and said, Potian, thats enough. Its already quite difficult to reach this outcome. Qianye had already understood the meaning behind the Wei clans background arrangements. Their aim all along was merely to drag Wu Zhengnan down with these accusations. They couldnt care less about a solitary champion who had lost his identity as an expeditionary army major general. This was quite a circuitous methodit could even be considered ruthlessbut it was also a method that would minimize repercussions from all sides. The effect was quite obvious from the reactions of the 7th division officers. Since they all knew that the persecution was targeting only Wu Zhengnan, almost none of them would be willing to join him in a rebellion. Similarly, those trivial accusations combined would still result in a serious punishment. By omitting the forbidden deals, they could avoid implicating the other divisions and dragging certain powerhouses into this matter. Otherwise, even if they did pin the whole forbidden deal on Wu Zhengnan alone, the expeditionary army higher ups would still be punished for their negligence in their management. Qianye sighed inwardly after recalling how Song Zining had told him that he was also dealing with certain matters on that side. He only began to truly understand the significance of Song Zinings actions behind the sceneshe was acting to pull the carpet out from under Wu Zhengnan. The latter definitely wouldn''t be able to escape his crimes. The higher ups of the expeditionary army definitely wouldnt voice their opinion if the verdict was to dismiss and not to execute a major general division commander. Song Zining had likely foreseen the current situationthe political maneuvers of the aristocracy were sometimes shockingly similar. After figuring out the cause and effect, Qianye suddenly felt even more tired than going through a great battle. Although his experiences today made him feel rather stifled in the chest, he still felt a lingering warmth within his heart. Even though the result of this whole matter was likely to be barely passable, he was no longer fighting alone this time. Wei Potians anger still hadnt subsided. But this bastard colluded with the 15th division to kill you! Qianye laughed. This isnt the first time they wanted to kill me. Am I not fine right now? Wei Potian only mumbled a few indistinct words, most likely something about how he would let Wu Zhengnan have it, before calming down. Wu Zhengnan returned to his office after the group took their leave. He stood before the window and gazed at the city which he had built almost single-handedly. There was a light knock on the office door. Enter. Wu Zhengnans voice was calm and collected. There was only one person who would dare to visit him at such a time. It was indeed Qi Sicheng who walked in. He arrived at Wu Zhengnans back with hasty footsteps before speaking joyfully, General, this outcome seems quite good! Wu Zhengnan revealed a spurious smile, Do elaborate. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 195: Visitor Part 1 Chapter 195: Visitor (Part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Qi Sicheng made a throat-slitting gesture and whispered, Ive cleaned up most of the matters here. Those who know too much are now eternally silent. Given enough time, Im even quite confident in shutting up General Jis group regarding that big matter. Wu Zhengnan asked without commenting, So? So, you can go to the Department of Military Affairs at ease and wrangle with them until everythings been made clear. Things have been cleaned up quite well on our side so when the time comes, therell be no valid testimonies. This will also make it easier for the expeditionary army bigshots to help you. Youll definitely be able to walk out of the headquarters safe and sound. Its obvious from this matter that the imperial army has no intentions to make things difficult for the expeditionary army. Wu Zhengnan laughed, Yes, indeed. The expeditionary army is, after all, the empires barrier in the Evernight Continent. Furthermore, I heard the recent situation isnt so peaceful. Not being peaceful is a good thing! Those lords will only remember about our benefits when theres no peace. Wu Zhengnan waved his hand. Thats enough Old Qi, no need to speak further. I know what to do. You should continue to tie up the necessary loose ends. If those lords come down again, dont let them see anything they shouldnt. From now on, you may mobilize all of the 7th divisions personnel and resources at your discretion. Rest assured, Ill arrange everything well. Qi Sicheng was about to leave after seeing Wu Zhengnan nod, however, the latter suddenly asked, Whats the situation over at the old street? Qi Sichengs steps halted as he thought for a moment. No activity. The old street was where most of Blackflow Citys crooks gathered. Wu Zhengnan possessed a long-standing personal channel there. Even Qi Sicheng wasn''t privy to the details of the operation as he only managed the transfer of certain things between the two parties. He had absolutely no idea where the channel was connected to. However, the old street has been rather silent as of late which, in and of itself, could be considered good news during this period of unrest. Wu Zhengnan nodded once again and didnt speak any further. Hence, Qi Sicheng left at that point. Qi Sichengs steps halted as he reached the end of the hallway. He shot a backward glance as a vague strand of malice appeared within the depths of his eyes. Ill definitely let those lords see the things they should see. Back in the office, Wu Zhengnan was still gazing at the city. No activitywas that man planning to save his own skin? Everything will become clear on the morrow. He only had to wait one more day. He suddenly laughed. Although the sound was very soft, it contained a tinge of madness. Will I really be safe even if Im able to walk out of the Department of Military Affairs? At that time, theres no telling into whose hands the 7th division will fall. It wont be me in any case. What an ending heh, heh, heh, heh. In Blackflow City, the Wei clan and Broken Winged Angels had rented out half a block. Qianye found an independent room nearby because he didnt want to come into frequent contact with the Broken Winged Angels. Additionally, the evolution of the blood energy in his body was becoming increasingly odd. Although he didnt need to avoid Wei Potian himself, there were Wei clan champions around him. Therefore, it was more convenient for him to live alone. He even returned the attendants Wei Potian had sent to him. A Wei clan guard came to deliver a certain list that evening. It was news from the villagewritten upon it was the recent developments regarding the numerous seedlings and the loot they had obtained from the battle. These young men possessed good constitution. With the Wei clans medicine and emergency treatment, most of them were able to make a complete recovery. After calculations, the true death toll of this battle was less than 200. Additionally, the 100-odd underage boys and girls were completely unharmed. This number was much better than Qianyes expectations. After cleaning up the battlefield, the weapons and equipment they had obtained from the expeditionary army could outfit at least half a regiment. The 15th division also reacted quite swiftly and had already proposed a compensation. They planned to hand over a small town with a population of thousands in addition to a black stone mine and a smaller iron mine which produced a small amount of red crystal iron. Additionally, they promised to assist with security for one year. This also meant that as long as the 15th division existed, the small town would be extremely safe for the following year. These were rather generous and sincere conditions. Obviously, the 15th division had already sensed something out of the ordinary. The compensation was initially offered to the Wei clan but Wei Potian heroically waved his hand and transferred it to Qianye. Additionally, the guard also brought another piece of newsthe 15th division had handed over Wei Cheng and his family. As for the latters fate, the guard didnt elaborate in detail. However, the aristocratic families had always punished traitorous family members with the utmost severity and cruelty. Not only was Wei Cheng likely to be executed, his family might not escape death either. It would depend on the results of Wei clans investigations whether or not his friends and relatives would become involved. The seedlings were still living in the Far East Heavy Industries mines for now. As Qianye still had no idea how to make arrangements for them at the moment, he decided to wait until Wu Zhengnans business had been concluded before making further plans. Without cleaning up this matter first, those young people would likely be in danger the moment they left the Wei clans area of influence. It wasnt just for silencing themthe dark races would similarly show great interest in them. The allure of a dozen bloodline seedlings was difficult for even a dark race count to refuse. Qianye immediately entered a quiet room to cultivate after the Wei clan guard took his leave. Although he hadnt directly ingested blood in this battle, the purple gold blood energy had automatically passed outward to absorb the blood power staining his body. This kind of absorption was quite slow compared to direct extraction, but it could, over time, accumulate a fairly impressive amount. Qianye could only utilize the powerful origin power surge of combatant formula while urging the blood energy to protect his innards in order to consume the vast amounts of blood energy within his body. Half the night quickly passed by the moment he started cultivating. Now that he had sufficient blood energy defenses, Qianyes Combatant Formula was able to successfully circulate to the 35th cycle without much damage to his body. At this rate, he would be able to attack the sixth origin power node in under two months. It was already past midnight by the time his cultivation ended. Qianye stood up to stretch his body and found that it still felt rather bloated. It was as if he was swelling with origin power but he knew it was but a misperceptionthis actually indicated that there was too much blood power in his body. However, the dark red ordinary blood energy was already satiated and was no longer absorbing blood power. All of them had retreated into his heart to hibernate. Qianye felt an inexplicable premonition that a second advanced blood energy would come into being within a few days. Qianye was gradually becoming quite accustomed to the coexistence of these blood energies. From time to time, he was able to control them, but at other times, they would act on their own. The only thing worth rejoicing so far was that the blood energies werent able to control him at all. This was the present situation regardless of Qianyes willingness. The deep night was very tranquil. Blackflow City, with its usually abundant nighttime activity, was exceptionally quiet for some reason. Perhaps the citizens had sensed the abnormality and instinctively reduced their outdoor activities. Qianye walked toward the window and gazed at the sky. The starry sky was blocked by large patches of darkness. In truth, they werent formed from the darkness of the night but from the shadows cast down by the upper continents. One would only be able to notice the difference after witnessing the sky of the upper continents. This was Qianyes favorite night time activity during the spring huntto sit down and gaze at the starry sky in a relatively deserted location. In this world, being able to see a sky full of stars was also an indication of ones status. Even after returning to Evernight, Qianye would still habitually look up at the night sky, and whenever he did, he would be reminded of the brilliant river of stars in the upper continent. The night was still young. Qianye didnt feel any sleepiness perhaps because of the overly abundant blood energy. He simply spread out his tools on the long table and began to maintain his weaponsfirst the Eagleshot, then the Twin Flowers. However, Qianye sensed something odd while wiping the pair of famous pistols that had brought him a fair amount of trouble. The pistols possessed powerful firepower but, as his blood energy advanced, he began to feel more and more that something wasnt quite right when he used them. It was a kind of obscure sluggishness as if he was using it the wrong way. Theoretically, there shouldnt be any essential difference between human and vampire firearms. The method of activation for both involved the injection of origin powerone would be able to fire the gun as long as he could activate the origin array. But Qianye somehow felt he hadnt been using the correct activation method or otherwise it might be a defect in the two pistols themselves. He studied them repeatedly and tried using different blood energies on their own for activation. The more progress he made, the more he realized that something was possibly missing in the Twin Flowersit was perhaps a certain special part, a certain type of special darkness origin power, or maybe it required a vampire bloodline as medium. Qianye shook his head as he put down the Twin Flowers and picked up the Radiant Edge. When the blood power was at its thickest on the battlefield, he had occasionally been able to rapidly extend the blade to one meter in length. As it turned out, this was the true might of a champion level weapon. The extended blade tip was similar to a materialization of external origin power and possessed similar destructive powers, a weapon highly effective for group fights. He wiped the Radiant Edgethe veined patterns on the weapon were exquisite, smooth and even finer than hair. One could almost feel the origin power splitting into tens of thousands of strands as it flowed gently within. It was truly difficult to imagine how the vampire craftsmen were able to produce such fine patterns. The following two days were quite peaceful. Nobody disturbed Qianyes little house apart from the Wei clan guards who had come over to deliver some supplies. Qianye continued to cultivate the Combatant Formula and had finally used up the blood power in this body. It was already midnight by the time he emerged from the quiet room once again. Qianye was somewhat startled after suddenly hearing a soft yet sharp whistlethis was the alarm he had deployed in the yard. It would produce a soft yet penetrative sound after sensing an intruder. The whistle resounded repeatedly and regularly. By the sound of it, it seemed as if many people were rushing into the courtyard. The regular activation interval indicated that it was a well-disciplined military squad, however, Qianye frowned because he couldnt sense their aura. With his current ability, only those at the rank of champion or higher would be able to completely avoid detection. Grabbing the nearby Radiant Edge, Qianye stepped out calmly and opened the door. There was indeed someone in the courtyardit was, to be precise, a very familiar person. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 196: Visitor Part 2 Chapter 196: Visitor (Part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] A certain graceful figure slowly appeared from the shadow at the base of the wall. Two fallen leaves that were rotating in the air ruptured like soap bubbles and vanished completely. Qianye forced out a helpless smile as he resheathed the Radiant Edge. Zining, how did you find me here? And please stop playing with my intruder alarm. That sound isnt very comfortable to hear. Song Zining stood there rather engrossed. His right hand waved to and fro as he controlled a hazy mass of glowing azure origin power, shifting it from top to bottom along the wall. The intruder alarm installed in the area would emit a sharp whistle whenever his hand waved past. It sounded, to Qianye, as if several people were jumping into the courtyard. Song Zining withdrew his hand and smiled at Qianye. Its simple. I knew youd be with Wei Potian these days. I can easily find you after finding him. That muscle-brained idiot doesnt know anything about hiding his tracks. Its almost as if he wants the whole world to know hes here. Qianye felt a headache after listening to Song Zinings malicious evaluation of Wei Potian. Zining The two had been quite upset with each other over various misunderstandings since the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Even after things were made clear, the tension between them failed to ease and, on the contrary, seemed to be intensifying. Song Zining had always acted the part of a typical aristocratic scion in publiche was cultured, refined, and elaboratebut would change utterly and completely at the mere mention of Wei Potian. Song Zining retorted, Did I say something wrong? He allowed you to fall into a dangerous situation in Wei clans territory. Humph! The expeditionary army actually dared to dispatch two regiments to launch a cross-region attack on their property, and the local garrison decided to turn a blind eye. The Wei family has truly lost the prestige of us upper-rank aristocratic families. As expected, it''s better if they stay quietly in their Far East Province and dont come out. At this moment, Qianye understood that Song Zining had already found out about what happened at the Far East Heavy Industries mines. The cause of this incident is still me. He smiled ruefully after seeing Song Zining still somewhat angry. Zining, when you first met him, you said the heir of Marquis Bowang isnt a fool. Song Zining replied, I was telling you to be on your guard against him. Dont think everyone who looks foolish is a good person. Furthermore, what does his not being a fool have to do with his idiotic actions? Qianye finally understood that he had no way to convince Song Zining regarding this matter. Instead, he seemed to be pouring oil over fire the more he talked about this. At that point, he invited Song Zining into the house and asked, I guess matters on your side have been progressing quite well, seeing as how you came to call on me so late at night. Song Zining stepped into the room and swept his gaze over the simple furnishings within. He then glanced back at Qianyes somewhat difficult expression and decided not to express his negative views on the living conditions. Things have gone without a hitch on my side. Ill go into the details later. Do you still remember that I said Im going to obtain some important merchandise? This is the present I prepared for you. What is it? Qianye asked curiously. Anything mentioned so seriously by Song Zining had to be rather unique. Song Zining lightly clapped thrice. His actions were gentle and almost didnt use any force, but the sharp and clear sound of his claps was transmitted quite far. After it, Qianye heard the alarm in the courtyard ring twice, and two people covered in black cloaks walked into the room in the blink of an eye. The aura of the two mysterious characters wasnt very powerful, probably at rank three to five. Song Zining pointed towards them and said, This is the present I prepared for you. Why havent you two taken off your hoods yet? The two lifted their hoods as instructed, revealing two identical faces that were exquisitely beautiful. They were actually a pair of twinsyoung, beautiful, and as clean as clear springs. Song Zining smiled. How are they? Not bad, right?! Theyre already at rank four at only 16 years old. They were trained stringently since a young age in a variety of skills, from assassinations and battle to statecraft. They know a bit of everything. Such first-rate goods are extremely limited even in the whole empire. I rushed over as soon as I received the news and bought the two with great difficulty. You bought them? Indeed. These elite slaves are handpicked by the Hidden Spring Merchant Group since a young age, going through long periods of training and numerous selections. Youve perhaps heard of the Hidden Spring, one of the higher ranked trade conglomerates. Their underground slave trade is quite large, and theyre famous for training slaves for various applications. They recently held an auction in Evernight Continent which is where I bought them. Song Zining pointed towards Qianye and said to the two girls, Hes your master from now on. Go and greet your new master. The two girls stepped forward gracefully and prostrated themselves on the floor, drawing out their bodies in supple and elegant lines from neck to waist. Im called Lil Seven, said the girl on the left. And Im Lil Nine, said the girl on the right. Song Zining proceeded to explain about their odd names. They joined Hidden Spring as nameless infants. Every batch would be differentiated by their numbers. This is both a tradition and a trademark of Hidden Spring. You can name them if you care or you can just use their numbers; it really doesnt matter. Song Zinings smile deepened at this point as he blinked his eyes and said, The two of them should be quite useful. Do you want to try it now? Haha! ... Qianye was absolutely dumbfounded at this point. Song Zining still had the habit of gifting him ladies, just like when they were back at the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Could this be a means of socializing common to all aristocratic scions? One had to admit that such a habit would certainly be quite well-received among the empires nobility. Qianye thought about it for a second and then said firmly, Zining, you know I have a whole heap of unsolvable problems. Its truly not a good time to add more people to my side. The two of them are quite capable. Not only will they not be a burden, on the contrary, theyll be of assistance to you. The Hidden Springs training methods tend to overdraft ones potential, but with their talents, they may still reach rank seven, Song Zining said with a smile while patting Qianyes shoulder. Qianye suddenly felt a sharp pain on his shouldera thin needle had pierced into his body, following which, a cold sensation spread out from the point of contact. He jumped up in shock and instinctively moved to the wall in the blink of an eye. At this time, the threads of cold sensation had already melted into his flowing blood. Song Zining placed the slender syringe on the table and laughed. Qianye, your awareness is truly lacking. Also, shouldnt you be retaliating after being ambushed? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this. Are you regretting that I didnt stab you? Song Zining laughed as he picked up the syringe and shook it. Dont worry. This drug is just to add a certain element to your blood and has no other effect on living beings. However, its a necessary drug for them. Theyll become restless and anxious if they dont get to drink your blood within half a year. Theyll then live suffering from thirst and cravings until they go completely mad. Qianye was startled. Is this the Hidden Springs method to control them? He understood the principles behind this methodthere were also similar drug interrogation techniques within the army. Song Zining nodded. Yes. A specific type of drug is assigned to every type of elite slave. Additionally, the drug for every batch is different and theres only one dose of each. Its impossible to duplicate. Finally, Song Zining shrugged and said, Now they wont live past a year if you dont take them along. Qianye shook his head. Is this really necessary? Song Zining smiled. Of course it is! Otherwise, how would you be willing to accept them? Song Zining turned towards the two girls and said, You two go back first. Come back tomorrow with the things I prepared for your master. Lil Seven and Lil Nine bowed, put on their hoods, and withdrew silently. They returned the same way they came, by jumping over the wall. Song Zining beckoned with his hands after he looked up to see Qianye still keeping his distance. Now lets discuss proper business. He took out an unremarkable wooden document box and placed it on the table. This is an ancient cultivation scroll from my family. Its said to have existed since the Battle of Destiny. The Song clan didnt even exist at the time. Qianye returned to his seat across Song Zining and was just about to take the scroll to flip through when he was startled by Song Zinings words. His hand froze midway. The ancient arts of the aristocratic families were, without exception, clan-defining treasures. Never were they known to be divulged to an outsider. Song Zining opened the box nonchalantly to reveal a volume made of three pieces of jade strung together. The surface of the jades had dimmed due to the passage of time. He removed one of them and stroked it lightly, immediately revealing a reserved and mellow brilliance from within. It was evident, just from the jades quality, that it was a priceless item. Song Zining placed the jade booklet before Qianye and said with a chuckle, This is the genuine item. You can throw away the useless Nurturing Rain Art from the Yin family. Qianye was stunneda clan elder would always make a separate copy when aristocratic families passed arts to outsiders. The Nurturing Rain Art hed obtained from the Yin family was also similarly copied. If they gave him the original, what would the Song clan descendants do when they wanted to learn the art? Song Zining seemed to have figured out Qianyes misgivings. It doesnt matter. Ive already placed a few counterfeit items in the family storehouse. Counterfeits Qianye felt a corner of his forehead twitch and couldnt help but rub it with his hand. Each of Song Zinings words and actions tonight had left him absolutely speechless. Song Zining actually dared to just take out such a valuable item, a genuine copy of his familys secret art, and replace it with a counterfeithis way of thinking was truly baffling. It might not end with him simply being expelled from the clan if things came to light. The more serious offenders would have their origin power destroyed and banished for penal servitude. Furthermore, based on his words, it seemed that he was bestowing this secret art upon an outsider without the familys consent. It was inevitable that the recipient, Qianye, would also be chased down and killed by the Song clan. Song Zining, however, played down the whole thing. Dont worry, there are over ten such ancient scrolls and all of them are there collecting a thousand years worth of dust on the innermost shelves. No one has ever cultivated this art successfully. Its only there because it was left behind by the ancestor. Its already been an eternity since anyone had gone to flip through them, much less was dumb enough to cultivate them. Qianye suddenly felt somewhat odd. What did he mean by dumb enough to cultivate these ancient scrolls? Before he had time to think further, he heard Song Zinings eager words, Thats why, Qianye, you must cultivate this art earnestly and do it quickly. Qianye almost began to sweat after hearing this. How was he supposed to successfully cultivate an art that no one from the Song clan had managed to in a thousand years? Song Zining had always been extremely meticulous with his methods, but this time, hed acted rather presumptuously and without regard for consequences. Zining, this kind of Song Zining interrupted Qianyes words and proceeded to brag delightedly, You have no idea how difficult it was to persuade that elder from the depository. Id planned this single-mindedly for quite some time before I was able to catch him in bed with his new mistress. This woman was the concubine of the Marquis of Xiangcheng, not someone he could easily deal with. You dont know how brilliant his expression was when he jumped up from his bed! Qianye only laughed helplessly. This wont this be a problem? None of the elders from the aristocratic clans were simple, even those with a different surname. Yet, the one who had schemed against this elder was actually the concubine of a marquisSong Zining was practically playing with fire. Song Zining said indifferently, Why should it be? Im only asking him to do some small things despite having him at my mercy. Furthermore, I even remunerated him according to the market price instead of extorting him. Oh right, Im actually planning to buy that lady from the Marquis of Xiangcheng and gift her to this elder. That should make him work for me with increased loyalty. A peculiar thought flashed through Qianyes mindSong Zining seemed amiable but was, in fact, unyielding and decisive. He was never one to explain his methods, much less brag about such shameful tricks. However, Qianye wasnt familiar with the strategies of the aristocracy at all. After listening for a long time, he finally said, By all means, be careful. Song Zinings sitting posture became even more relaxed. He rested his head on his hand and said lazily, One has to seek fortune amidst danger. This time, for instance, I cut off Wu Zhengnans black crystal supply. Ive seized a good portion of the industry behind him and temporarily crippled half of the remaining channels. All of those trade routes will fall into my hands after hes been officially overthrown. Qianye frowned involuntarily. It sounded like Song Zining intended to inherit these channels. As someone who had a vendetta against the dark races, he couldnt help but feel a spell of discomfort even if it was only ordinary trade. Furthermore, their reason for toppling Wu Zhengnan wasnt for seizing his trade routes, was it? However, Qianye didnt inquire further on account of his trust towards Song Zining. In truth, he failed to notice that he was actually evading the issue out of instinct. Song Zining observed Qianyes expression attentively and then continued, You have no idea how big the profits here are. These resources are all wasted in the hands of someone like Wu Zhengnan. If the profits werent big enough, how would I be able to trade for such authority and thus seize so many industries and routes? This cant be done even with the Song clans name. Even someone as oblivious to trickery and tactics as Qianye was able to discern that something was wrong with the meaning behind his words. He looked up doubtfully and saw Song Zining gazing at him. At this moment, his warm, smiling face resembled a mask like never before. There were no fluctuations in the depths of his eyes and not even a strand of warmth. Qianye, arent you afraid Ill become the next Wu Zhengnan? The suspicion within Qianyes obsidian eyes gradually faded away when their eyes met. He didnt reply immediately but instead brought up another matter. What would you have done if my blood power had condensed into a vampire clans insignia during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt? Song Zinings expression froze. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 197: Visitor Part 3 Chapter 197: Visitor (Part 3) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining recovered his calm attitude in the blink of an eye and seemed to have no hesitation when he said, A vampire progeny cannot disobey its progenitors will. This isnt a comparison of power but a natural law. If you were truly given the embracehis calm tone bordered on crueltythen the Qianye I know would no longer exist. Qianye revealed a smile, one that was as clear and limpid as crystal. Thats why I believe you. Even Song Zining, with his swift reaction, was momentarily startled before he understood the meaning behind these words. This was Qianyes reply to his question. After some thought, Qianye continued, Im somewhat proficient with hunting and assassinations. You can come to me if you have things you need handled. Song Zining was partially surprised. I thought you didnt like filthy and shady businesses. Qianye shook his head and replied, Theres no room to discuss whether I like it or not. Red Scorpion also had its fair share of such things back then. For accomplishing missions, I presume. Qianye wasnt really good with words. He paused here to think before saying, While handling matters, one shouldnt lose his conscience to the point of forgetting his original goal. The methods used actually arentthat important. Song Zining suddenly raised his voice. I like these words! We should really let that fool Wei Potian hear them! The only thing he knows is to charge in head-first with the Thousand Mountains. How is that different from a wild boar?! The previous solemn and somewhat strained atmosphere was immediately swept away. Qianye couldnt help but want to rub his temples as he followed Song Zinings gaze towards the door. A sudden sneering voice came from the courtyard. So what if Im a wild boar? Its still better than being a perverted skirt-chaser! You cant even break through my Thousand Mountains with that empty rank seven strength of yours. Werent you chased around everywhere like a stray dog? Song Zinings expression sunk as he walked towards Wei Potian with a glare. What did you come here for in the dead of the night? Shouldnt you be hiding in a hole cultivating your turtle shell? Wei Potian let out a cold snort. When I come over is none of your business! Im here precisely because Im worried that a certain spineless pervert is roaming about in the dead of the night, engaging in shameful and shady business. Although Little Ye isnt afraid, you might bother him and worsen his mood. Song Zinings glare was a sharp as a blade. Admiring beauty akin to blossoms is an inherent quality of men. A wild boar like you naturally wouldnt understand. I do wonder who spineless one really is? Who was the one beaten until he collapsed onto all fours like a dying pig gasping for air? Wei Potian laughed loudly. How is that being beaten? It was obviously me tiring myself out. You sure like to blow your own trumpet! Ill naturally pay you back for everything many times over in the future. Song Zining said softly, Perhaps its not a bad idea to beat you up. No need to wait until the future. Wei Potian squinted. I feel the same way! Let me tell you, true men are fearless in the face of battle. The stronger the enemy, the bolder one should be. Your daddy here wont shrink back even if I cant win. As for you, you dont even dare to admit your pervertedness. What admiring flowers? Ptui! Qianye could no longer stay silent. You two, stop shouting about killing and fighting whenever you meet! Shouldnt we at least get proper business done first? Wei Potian grinned. Theres no proper business. I only came over to visit you. Song Zining stood up. The same goes for me. Well, its time to leave now that theres nothing to do. The two walked closer to each other once they reached the courtyard. I think theres a small and seemingly deserted alleyway nearby. I also happen to have the same intention! The two mumbling men thus left alongside each other. Qianye shook his head helplessly as he watched their receding figures. The room suddenly became much quieter after all the liveliness was gone. Qianye was momentarily having a hard time deciding what to do when his gaze fell upon the box and jade booklets on the table. He reached for the box and unexpectedly felt his hands sinkit was even heavier than an alloy of the same size. He was astonished. After some detailed observation, he found that it was made of an unknown type of wood. Although the patterns on its surface were natural and showed no signs of being carved by hand, they constituted a certain array which isolated the interior from all external origin powers. This prevented people from probing into the item within. It was highly probable that the box itself was an antique dating back to before the War of Daybreak. Qianye extracted the palm-sized jade booklet from within. The jade was slightly yellowed and exuded an aura of primitive simplicity. He injected a small amount of origin power to gradually reveal four ancient characters on the jade tablet: Song Clan Ancient Scroll The name was truly, uh, special. Qianye suddenly discovered a small word in a corner below the words Song Clan Ancient Scroll that said Part One. Overcome by an abrupt and surreal sensation, he flipped open the other two tablets. They were, as expected, parts two and three. These three tablets were the Song Clan Ancient Scroll parts one, two, and three. It had to be said that Qianyes understanding of secret arts was impacted quite a bit. The aristocratic secret arts hed seen beforeranging from the Thousand Mountains, the Moonwater Flowing Cloud Art to the Silver Sword Finger and the Sky Shattering Bright Fistall had metaphorical names that left deep impressions and displayed their essence. Qianye reorganized his thoughts and flipped open the second page of the first booklet where numerous words appeared in response to his origin power. It was indeed a cultivation method, but it was recorded in ancient human languageevery word was incomparably abstruse and complicated. Learning ancient language was a compulsory and basic knowledge for the scions of aristocratic families. Its said that many imperial edicts were still being issued in this language in order to express veneration. Qianye, on the other hand, was still at a stage where he could barely recognize some of the words individually and was completely unable to make heads or tails of them when they were strung together. Qianye smiled ruefully. Flipping casually through a few pages, he unexpectedly discovered a cultivation technique completely different from the ones he normally sawit was evidently speaking of how to absorb darkness origin power! He couldnt have misinterpreted this no matter how lousy his ancient language skills were. The words undoubtedly referred to a darkness origin power cultivation method. This issue was more than just shocking. Since the humans awoke to origin power, theyd caused the daybreak attribute of this world to shine ever so brilliantly. Thousands of years of history proved that humans were inherently daybreak lifeforms. Although some had fallen to the Evernight Continent for various reasons, none of them were known to reach the apex. This went to show that darkness origin power wasnt suited for the human race at all. In truth, some unpublicized studies from the empire proved that those who were able to easily switch to darkness origin power cultivation usually possessed dark race blood. Pure-blooded humans would require a complete transformation like the vampire races embrace in order for the darkness origin power to completely swallow their natural daybreak origin power. Having read up to this point, Qianye finally understood why no one from the Song clan had cultivated these three ancient scrolls since their founding, or even studied them. Qianye hadnt yet put down the ancient scroll when he saw Song Zining and Wei Potian return one after another. The two of them had been fine when they left but returned looking utterly miserable. Song Zining had it somewhat betteronly some creases could be seen on the hem of his clothes. He would be no different from his normal, peaceful self if not for the large bruise around his right eye. Wei Potian was in a fairly miserable state. One of his eyes was so swollen that only a single line remained, and a corner of his lips was torn. His tattered clothes were no different from a beggars with several sole marks on them, while the exposed parts of his skin were all bruised. Qianye suddenly felt blue veins pop up on the corner of his forehead as his head began to throb. You two could it be that you guys went to fight? Wei Potian laughed loudly. No, why would we fight? We were just exchanging pointers, yes, only pointers! That alleyway wasnt half bad. We fought for so long yet no one came. Ive finally loosened my tendons and bones. How satisfying! Song Zining was still mild and tranquil. Its indeed satisfying, but my legs are tired from all the stomping. Wei Potian said with a laugh, Its no big deal for a man to suffer some setbacks. Contrariwise, it seems a certain pervert isnt so invincible after all! That smash was quite the satisfying blow. So what if this daddy gets stomped on a few times in exchange? Its doesnt hurt much anyway! Enough, enough, you two are really Qianye sighed as he brought out a first-aid bag from the cabinet and opened it on the table. An aristocratic familys heir and a successor candidate of one of the four great clans actually went to brawl in an alleyway like local ruffians and came back bruised and battered. This was the second time Qianyes understanding of things was challenged this evening, right after the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Wei Potian waved his large hand and said heroically, Ive already taken some medicine. These small injuries will heal in no time! Song Zining said ambiguously from the side, My Song familys medicine is known as the best among the four great clans. Its a pity to use it on a wild boar. Wei Potian suddenly let out a cold snort and grabbed the medicine box Qianye had offered him. Whats this? It seems quite familiar. It was a three-inch-long crystal box with a beautiful blood-colored flower carved upon it.It was half-filled with a misty blue substance. This was the drug Zhao Junhong had given Qianye, the only valuable medicine in his possession. The red spider lily, isnt this Zhao Ruoxis item? Wei Potian scratched his head, obviously unable to put two and two together. Zhao? Zhao Ruoxi? Qianye thought about this name and replied slowly, This was, indeed, given to me by the second young master of the Zhao clan. The unconcerned Wei Potian stuffed the box back into Qianyes hands. Zhao Ruoxi is Zhao Junhongs sister. This medicine is good stuff, you should keep it. A peculiar feeling suddenly emerged within Qianye. He turned around and discovered Song Zining gazing at him thoughtfully. Without waiting for Qianye to think more on it, Wei Potian opened the document box on the table where the activated words on the jade tablet hadnt quite faded. Whats this? Judging from the style, it looks like a Song clan item. The odd expression on Song Zinings face suddenly disappeared, and he said proudly, It seems you do have good eyesight. This is an ancient scroll from the Song clans depository I found for Qianye. The amazement on Wei Potians face abruptly turned into disdain. He casually lifted the jade bookletthe words on the cover were beginning to fade but were still legiblehe stared blankly for a while, then said, This thing is actually called the Song Clan Ancient Scroll? And its the first part? Could it be that theres a part two and three? Haha, haha, Song Seven, Brother Zining, oh please! You should put some thought into it even if you want to play a prank on Qianye. Is there a fake item more obvious than this? Ahahaha! Song Zining replied furiously, You ignorant fool, open your eyes wide and look carefully at the material of this ancient scroll! Ill buy it at any price if you can find a similar item! Wei Potian flipped the jade tablet over disapprovingly and sneered while pointing at a certain passage inside. Youre still trying to say it isnt fake! What the hell is with this passage instructing the reader to cultivate darkness origin energy? Why dont you try cultivating darkness origin power? Ill write my name backwards if you dont burst a few origin power nodes! Qianye also had similar misgivings and couldnt help but turn his gaze towards Song Zining. Seeing that Qianye also had some doubts, Song Zining glared at Wei Potian and replied grimly, Qianye, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll can only be cultivated by those awakened to the Venus Dawn. I once asked a great master to perform some calculations and found that you are only fated for these three volumes among the Song clans ancient scrolls. That great master''s art isnt, at all, inferior to the Art of Heavens Mystery. Qianye was amazedso this was the actual reason? He naturally knew what this so-called Venus Dawn was, and so did Song Zining. Could it be that he believed that Qianye could successfully cultivate the ancient scroll with the fake Venus Dawn? Wasnt this jest a bit too overboard? Wei Potian interrupted with a sneer, Stop trying to deceive people. A master whose art isnt below the Art of Heavens Mystery? Heh heh. If the Art of Heavens Mystery were so simple, how could Lin Xitang stand alongside Ba Qian as one of the twin pillars of the empire? According to you, we should probably add that great master of yours in and call them the three heroes. Song Zining became furious. Wei Potian, youre disrespecting the great master! Wo Potian immediately jumped up. So what if Im not respectful? Why should I be afraid of you? Qianye turned towards the door after seeing them about to start another awful ruckus, whereupon his expression turned as solemn as water, revealing a frosty killing intent. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 198: Visitor Part 4 Chapter 198: Visitor (Part 4) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining turned around and looked toward the exterior at almost the same time. Wei Potian, on the other hand, appeared rather puzzled and only peered out after seeing that the expressions of the other two had turned solemn. It was unknown when an extra person had appeared within the large and empty courtyard. He possessed a moderate build and his robust figure appeared as if it was carved from stone. He merely stood there but his grave and imposing manner pervaded the air, suppressing everyone until it was difficult to breathe. Qianye slowly stood up and met that persons incoming gaze. He suddenly felt as if a beam of white light was striking toward him like a bolt of lightning. His whole field of vision momentarily distorted. He, however, forcibly withstood this moment of blindness. He stood straight as he exclaimed with a serious voice, Wu Zhengnan! If I didnt remember wrong, we only met for the first time the day before yesterday, but it seems youve been concerned about me for quite some time. Wu Zhengnans tone wasnt as overbearing as his demeanor. His words were spoken calmly as if he was actively chatting with a friend. Wu Zhengnan advanced in slow strides and no loud sound could be heard from his every step. However, the courtyard was trembling as if a whole mountain was encroaching upon it. He only halted his steps when he reached the eaves of the porch. Light poured out of the open door and illuminated the visitor. One could see Wu Zhengnan still wearing the expeditionary armys major general uniform, but the military rank insignias on his cuffs, collar and shoulders have been removed. Wu Zhengnan was only supposed to be investigated and not dismissedafter seeing him appear wearing a uniform with no insignia, the corner of Song Zinings eyes twitched ever so slightly while Qianye also felt a vague sense of unease. Wei Potian, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. He suddenly stood up and shouted, What are you here for!? Wu Zhengnan replied with a smile, The Wei clan heir still has that fiery temper. In truth, I only came to see little friend Qianye. I didnt expect the heir to also be here. At this point, Wu Zhengnan turned toward Song Zining and spoke with a questioning tone, And you are? Highland Song Clan, Im seventh. Song Zinings reply was very simple, but those who could announce their name like this could only be main branch scions of considerable identity. The branch lineages would have to state their branch name. The uneasiness within Qianyes heart grew stronger. He understood Song Zining very wellhim throwing out the Song clan name directly indicated that they were in a position where it had become absolutely necessary. Wu Zhengnan was startled ever so slightly. He then proceeded to nod in greeting. So its the seventh young master. Wei Potian suddenly shouted, Wu Zhengnan! How did you come in here? What happened to my men outside? The men outside? Wu Zhengnans smile suddenly became fleeting. I didnt see any living people outside, only a few corpses. Wei Potians expression immediately sunk as he said coldly, That means youve killed them? What nerve! Wheres Elder Chen? Qianyes gaze suddenly fell on Wu Zhengnans left hand which was hanging to his side at an unnatural angleit looked like an artificial arm was attached to the bodya drop of blood slowly trickled down from his sleeve and dripped onto the floor. The blood pool on the ground gradually increased in size and became palm-sized in the blink of an eye. Qianye finally discovered something he had overlooked. Under the suppression of Wu Zhengnans powerful vigor which almost seemed to be able to stir up space, he had failed to notice the dense stench of blood in the air. Such a density couldnt be accumulated by killing just one or two people. Qianye had only smelt such a concentrated stench of blood on battlefields involving thousands. But now such a bloody aura was being emitted continuously from under Wu Zhengnans uniform as if his body was completely stained with fresh blood. Qianye suddenly looked up at the dark night sky. At this time, the whole block was unusually quietnot even the slightest background noise could be heard, and even the night winds seemed to have stopped flowing. Wu Zhengnan sighed. Wei clan heir is really dull. How could you reveal something like this? Now its no longer interesting! I dont know any Elder Chen, but I did pick up something outside that might perhaps be of interest to you. With that, Wu Zhengnan raised his right hand and casually tossed a black object toward Wei Potian. Wei Potian subconsciously caught it. He was immediately enraged after seeing what it was and cried out involuntarily, Elder Chen! It was, shockingly, a human head. Its facial features resembled the external elder who had been accompanying Wei Potian on this excursion. He was also a champion level expert, but unexpectedly, he had silently died in Wu Zhengnans hands. Wei Potians anger disappeared all of a sudden. He calmed down and spoke with a harsh tone, General Wu, although it wasnt my idea, I have already left you a way out, but you suddenly killed our Wei clans elder. Did you think those expeditionary army dignitaries will cover for you till the end? Wu Zhengnan attentively gazed at Wei Potian and found the latter to be completely unaffected by his suppressive might. This wasnt a forced and artificial calmness but true fearlessness which he couldnt help but praise. The Wei clan heir is indeed a giant among men. Sigh, my son wouldnt have died so early if only he had half your talents. With that Wu Zhengnan turned to Qianye. If Im not wrong, that useless brat shouldve died in your hands. Qianye replied indifferently, He was actively courting death. He shouldve known he would lose his life the moment he annihilated the whole of my friends family. Wu Zhengnan laughed loudly and said repeatedly, So its like that. Good, good, good! It seems my son should indeed be killed! Well done! Wei Potian frowned. General Wu! What is the meaning of this? You have a way out before you, are you not willing to go? Wu Zhengnan sneered. A way out? Even if I walk out of the Department of Military Affairs alive, the 7th division should already have another owner, right? This division, this land, this city, and this military base Ive spent half my life operating this place! What meaning is there in being alive if I lose them all!? Just like this military uniform Im wearing, can you still call this a military uniform after removing all the military insignia? Wu Zhengnan continued, Originally, I only wanted to see this person of astonishing talents who was able to kill my son, escape the pursuit of my assassins and, in the end, rob an entire caravan of mine. I hadnt expected the Wei clan heir and Song clan young master to be here. Quite unexpected! You also killed everyone in this street block, Qianye said calmly. It seemed as if flames were dancing within his eyes amidst restrained fury. Wu Zhengnan was visibly surprised by Qianyes keen senses. He raised his brows and said, It seems my useless son died for a reason. You are all young and heroic. Its only proper that you have people to accompany you in death. Qianyes heart slowly sank. Only a short while had passed between his friends return from the alleyway and Wu Zhengnans appearance, yet the latter had actually killed all of the residents in this block along with Wei Potians personal guards and the elder during this time. This kind of strength proved that he was more than just an ordinary champion. Wei Potian, on the other hand, laughed loudly instead. If you kill me, your whole clan can forget about surviving! Wu Zhengnan replied calmly, Since Ive already killed people from your Wei clan, one more doesnt make a difference. Evernight is a vast place. It wont be so easy even if the four great clans want to find me, not to mention your Wei clan. As for family, heh, heh, how can there be whole eggs under an overturned nest. They should be resigned to their fate. Song Zining suddenly spoke, Its quite grand of you to bury the whole Huaiyang Wu Clan along with you. Wu Zhengnans expression finally changed. However, his expression was somewhat odd. It didnt quite resemble fear, but neither was it complete anger. Song Zining continued without waiting for him to say anything, General Wu, you also seemed to have paid quite dearly in order to kill the Wei clan champion if Im not mistaken. You probably wont last very long suppressing your wounds with a secret art. The radiance within Wu Zhengnans eyes intensified as he stared fixedly at Song Zining like a vicious beast choosing his prey in the dark night. Young Master Song truly has a good eyesight. But even if Im wounded, do you three juniors really think youre a match for me? The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy and stagnant during the short three steps he took from the hallway to the room door. It was as if an invisible gigantic beast was encroaching upon them. Song Zining, however, wasnt quite affected. He revealed a gentle and refined smile as azure light flashed across his body. His whole person suddenly flickered for a moment, however, that was just an illusionthe truth was that the distorted air around his body had affected visual perception. But it seems this matter is completely unrelated to me. So can I leave? Song Zining shrugged and said innocently. Wu Zhengnan hadnt expected Song Zining to say something like this. He hesitated for a moment before saying, If Young Master Song wishes to leave, please do so immediately! I cant promise I wont change my mind if you delay any longer. Song Zinings figure suddenly flickered and disappeared, leaving only a few afterimages where he stood. Wu Zhengnan stared at the place where the final afterimage disappeared and frowned. After which, his gaze swept back toward Qianye and Wei Potian. He had long since figured out that Song Zining was the most difficult among the threethe latters unfathomable secret art had exceeded his expectations. Since he had let one of them go, it was imperative for him to end this battle quickly. Qianye had already whispered to Wei Potian when Song Zining expressed his plan to leave. You leave too! Wu Zhengnan was a major general. A major general, even if he was only from the expeditionary army, wouldnt just be a late stage champion. This also meant that the three of them were at least three ranks lower than him. Under the suppression of such a difference in rank, they might not be able to receive a few blows from Wu Zhengnan, even if the latter was badly wounded. But as long as Qianye could block the enemy for a moment, the others could run awaythis was especially true for Song Zining and Wei Potian who had personal guardsthey would be safe as long as they could return to their garrison. At this time, he couldnt be clearer on what to choose. Wei Potian, on the other hand, said calmly, What are you scared of? At worst, this daddy will repay you with this life. Qianye wanted to say more but Song Zinings figure had already disappeared at this point. Wu Zhengnan laughed out loud. Its already quite late. Allow me to accomplish your wishes! A bright jade glow emerged on his right palm and swatted down with earth-shattering momentum! Qianye and Wei Potian felt the space before them freeze even while the palm winds were some distance away. A tremendous and peerless force was pushing toward them, almost causing their breathing to stagnate. Wei Potian took large strides toward the courtyard. He roared wildly like a thunderclap as a blazing yellow radiance surged even brighter than the glow of his origin powerthe Thousand Mountains had been activated at full power! However, this yellow gleam dimmed swiftly under the assault of the jade green light. He was like a flickering flame amidst the violent squall, about to be extinguished at any time. Qianye suddenly appeared diagonally behind Wei Potian and reached out to support the latters back and waist. The Thousand Mountains, at this time, was wavering and about to collapse. Qianye pushed out with a supple force and sent the unsuspecting Wei Potian flying to one side. Qianye took one step and withstood the incoming attack in Wei Potians previous position. He faced the jade green glow which had arrived within arms reach. It was at this time that Qianye clenched his jawshis full attention was gathered on the origin power tide within his body as the combatant formula rushed past the 28th cycle. This was already his current fastest speed. At this moment, he only heard the sound of the tide and soft thunder rumbling from afar. Qianyes fist struck out toward the jade glow which seemed as if it could swallow everything. His heart was exceptionally calmthis matter had arisen from him, and quite rightly, it should also end with him. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 199: Fatal Attack [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The combatant formula tides rose from level-ground like the unyielding willpower of this verdant worldit persistently gathered forth time and time again after being cut apart countless times. Suddenly, the world stood still as if time had stopped for a moment. Following which, the jade glow was swept back with a speed faster than when it came. Accompanied by an incomparably harsh sound, Wu Zhengnan let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps. The arm hanging vertically to his side was now bleeding even more profusely. A gigantic bodhi leaf had appeared between Qianye and Wu Zhengnan. The distinct network of veins on the leaves that were as fine as muslin shattered into tiny fragments before fading into nothingness. Song Zinings figure materialized soon afterwards, arriving nonchalantly with an unconstrained demeanor. As he stood before Qianye and spread his hands, falling leaves began to rustle down. Each leaf was like a fully unsheathed blade that was rotating slowly and emanating a frosty murderous intent. Wei Potian, who was almost thrown out of the courtyard by Qianye, had just regained his footing when he saw this scene, which caused his pupils to almost pop out of their sockets. Why were they locked in such a long battle during their earlier fight if Song Zining really had such strength? Astonishment flashed across Wu Zhengnans eyes as he gazed at the tiny specks of lingering light. You actually have such an extraordinary treasure. What is your position in the Song family? But then he shook his head and grinned. How many of such treasures can you take out? You can die together with them since you refuse to take the way out. Song Zining smiled lightly. Could it be that the general is a bit disappointed after failing to shift the blame to the Huaiyang Wu Clan? Wu Zhengnans expression changed. Song Zining revealed a spurious smile. Thats really a pity. It almost seems as if youve been abandoned once again? While talking, he gestured to Qianye and then swept out with his palm. Tens of thousands of leaves were blasted toward Wu Zhengnan with irresistible momentum as if they were swept forth by a storm. Wu Zhengnans attention was affected after hearing Song Zinings words. It seemed as if the latter was exceedingly familiar with his most intimate secrets. He couldnt help but erupt in fury after looking up to find the origin power light blasting towards him. Junior, you dare to deceive me! Wu Zhengnan took large strides toward Song Zining and struck out with a simple blow. The point of his fist erupted with a lingering half meter wide jade-green light and whistled through the air like a blade. Champion level origin power attacks usually reached ten meters or more in diameter, but Wu Zhengnans was stronger and more concentrated. His strike was only half a meter wide which indicated just how concentrated and powerful his attack was. The whirlwind carrying the numerous leaf blades came into contact with the glow of Wu Zhengnans fist. However, no matter how many leaves there were, all of them were ground to pieces after entering the range of the jade-green light. They couldnt block the clashing momentum of this single fist and were only able to shave off a few corners of the jade-green radiance. Song Zining swiftly stepped back but his faintly discernible figure was forced to materialize at a dangerous positionattacks from a champion rank expert were able to affect the space in a vicinity. Wu Zhengnan had exerted full power behind this blow and naturally wouldnt let the former escape unscathed. He sneered and shifted the trajectory of his fist, causing the strike to sweep toward Song Zining. He had already sensed someone was ambushing him from behind but he didnt have the slightest intention to change his offensive stancethe other two brats might not even be able to break through the defense around his body. In Wu Zhengnans eyes, only Song Zining posed a true threat. He had to kill this person first at all costs. Qianye and Song Zining had fought side by side countless times during their time in the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Hence, Qianye immediately understood the latters hand gesture and intention. Wu Zhengnan was simply too powerfulnone of them would be able to receive a direct blowhence, there was only one method, and that was to attack instead of defending. They had to attack actively and find an opportunity to take advantage of. The patterns on Qianyes Radiant Edge lit up immediately. The surging dark red glow of blood completely enshrouded the blades edge. Those beautiful and complex origin power patterns were exceptionally distinct tonight, floating within the bloody glow like a cryptic totem. Qianye stabbed toward Wu Zhengnans lower back. But at this moment, Wu Zhengnan suddenly sensed an imminent and serious threat coming from the back. His instincts, honed over many years in battle, allowed him to react instantly by drawing in one side of his abdomen. However, he still felt a burning pain despite taking an evasive stepa wound had appeared where he was sliced through. Qianye withdrew the Radiant Edge and retreated. He was crying out in his mind what a pity it was. Champion rank experts were indeed extraordinary in that their senses were astonishingly keen. Wu Zhengnan obviously had the intention to endure the blow with his physical defenses at first while Qianye also withheld his blade until he was well in position. Only then did he inject origin power, drew the Radiant Edge and slashed forth as swiftly as possible. Wu Zhengnan had unexpectedly evaded an attack Qianye had launched with full force and one which he believed would definitely connect. Wu Zhengnan clearly saw the weapon that had wounded him. He sneered. Youre courting death! The former was also a man who made prompt decisions. After discovering that the weapon in Qianyes hand was capable of breaking through his defenses, he immediately shook off Song Zininghe switched from fist to palm and shot out a beam of jade-green origin power toward Qianye. Qianye immediately dived toward the side, curled into a ball and rolled twice before quickly shooting up once again. Wu Zhengnan only smiled coldly when he saw the series of flashy evasive maneuvers carried out by Qianye. He strode out and pushed out with his palm. Simple tricks were virtually ineffective against champion rank warriorsthey could wound the enemy as long as they were within the range of their origin power. However, numerous falling leaves appeared out of nowhere to interfere with Wu Zhengnans vision. Normally, such an obstruction wouldnt affect his attack but he felt his hand suddenly grow heavy as a fist struck his right shoulder. This attack did little to reduce the force behind the palm strike. It was only able to change the trajectory ever so slightly. Although it was just a subtle deviation, Qianye had already taken advantage of his opportunity to escape the range of Wu Zhengnans palm wind. Wu Zhengnan couldnt help but feel greatly frustrated after missing narrowly one time after another. Origin power began to rush forth like a wild hurricane with a wave of his large hand. The upper floor of the small house was swept up with a loud boom and transformed into rustling debrisonly a few sturdy metallic frames were left in place, albeit bent out of shape. Wei Potian let out a muffled groan as he was flung toward the back. The ridges and peaks projected by the Thousand Mountains began to break and collapse in sequence. The earthen yellow radiance had been thoroughly extinguished. The attack had directly broken through Wei Potians Thousand Mountains, causing him to turn as pale as a sheet before collapsing onto the ground. He was momentarily powerless to even stand up. Previously, Wei Potian was observing Song Zining and Qianyes joint attack from the sidehe lacked the tacit understanding the other two had developed over long periods of cooperation and his strength was too weak compared to Wu Zhengnan. He would only be a burden if he charged in recklessly. Later on, he was able to find an opening to join the battle but Wu Zhengnans counterattack proved rather unpleasant. But Wei Potian''s strike wasnt completely ineffective. Wu Zhengnan wasnt too concerned when he was struck, but now he began to feel a hint of pain being transmitted from his fingertips after he released the origin power palm strike. He focused his gaze therein and found that some parts of his skin on the back of his hand had begun to split apart. There were tiny specks of remnant origin power flickering brightly like the stars and causing a numb sensation to creep up onto the back of his hand. Jade-green radiance flooded out as Wu Zhengnan swung his hands, completely dissolving the remnant origin power. He then revealed a sinister smile and said, Well done! The Wei clan heirs secret arts are indeed extraordinary. Qianye wounding him was due to the sharpness of his blade. Wei Potian, on the other hand, was actually able to wound the hand from which he was shooting out origin power. This is truly a waste of time! Wu Zhengnan suddenly stomped down with such force that the whole courtyard began to shake. His body seemed as if it was covered in jade-green flame arrows as he charged toward Song Zining. There was no longer any space for maneuver at this distance and speed. With a shift of his right hand, an oblong crystalline object appeared in Song Zinings grasp. He flicked his wrist to extend the item to twice its previous lengththe tip of this weapon flashed with a cold gleam. Judging from the shape, this was a short spear. Song Zining maintained his standing position but his aura was completely unmasked. This was the cold killing intent which belonged to a Yellow Spring graduate, the aura of someone who had survived through seas of blood and mountains of corpses. At the same time, Qianye, who was standing in one corner of the courtyard, let out a low growl. He charged forth with the same movement as Wu Zhengnan and, unexpectedly, with a speed that wasnt slower than the latter. It even seemed as if he would arrive first despite the late initiation. Wu Zhengnan laughed maliciously and released origin power from his body which condensed into a jade-green light akin to the point of a sharp arrow! A loud boom resounded with a lingering sound akin to the march of a powerful army. Clusters of flames enshrouded in cold jade-green radiance shot through the air to clash against the enemy before they were eventually extinguished. Song Zining crashed into a broken wall before he was able to halt his receding steps, his pale face almost becoming transparent. Qianye and Wu Zhengnan crashed into each other in the courtyard and werent able separate immediately after the exchange. Even Wu Zhengnan hadnt expected that such a powerful force would be transmitted toward him from the side. Even though he was facing Song Zining to the front, it shouldnt have been possible for him to lose out to Qianye in a collision of origin power. It was obvious that the other partys physical strength and power were astonishing. Qianye had precisely crashed into Wu Zhengnans left where his crippled left arm had formed a gap in his defenses. However, Wu Zhengan let out a cold snort as he shifted his center of gravity and closed in toward Qianye, effectively interrupting the slash of the Radiant Edge. The body of a champion level expert was a sharp weapon in and of itselfWu Zhengnan stood mighty and unmovingQianye, on the other hand, felt as if he had been struck by a giant hammer and almost tumbled away. Qianye abruptly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood which drenched Wu Zhengnans head and face. Afterwards, he staggered back several steps before he was able to dissolve the incoming force. Wu Zhengnan smelled a bizarre and sweet fragrance during the short moment his vision was blocked by the bloody mist. Qianye stood with the Radiant Edge firmly in his grasp. Its complex patterns lit up once again, but this time, the glow emerging from it was actually purple. Wu Zhengnan suddenly felt his heart throb violently for a couple of times as the fragrance lingering around his nose intensified. This was undoubtedly the sign of an anomaly, but as it happened, he couldnt sense anything out of the ordinary at all. He glanced around the ruins of this small courtyard and suddenly said, If you give up right now, I might give you all a clean death! Qianye glanced around and found Song Zining leaning on a broken wall, unable to move his body. Wei Potians expression, on the other hand, had recovered somewhat, but his legs had gone limp and were in no position to stand. Qianye said in a heavy tone, I dont have a habit of surrendering. With that, the Radiant Edge transforemed into a purple radiance as he brandished his blade and sallied forth. A flame pillar of alternating black and red erupted as soon as the purple and jade-green lights came together! The blaze immediately surged over ten-odd meters high and almost completely purged the incoming blade light! Wu Zhengnans major general uniform was burning brightly at the center of this flaming pillar but he himself was evidently unaffected. Qianye was astonishedhe immediately withdrew his blade and fell back. The blood energy within his body suddenly began to churn and rage, immediately reaching a state of blood boil. Wu Zhengnans naked body gradually became visible. While not very tall, the man was definitely well built. His muscular body seemed as if it was formed of twisted steel wires. Many small and uneven dark patches could be seen all over his body. Upon closer inspection, one would find that all of them were scales. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 200: End of the Road [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei Potian suddenly shouted, Wu Zhengnan, youve actually fallen to evernight! This was precisely an indication of gradual demonization. One possibility was that Wu Zhengnan had long since fallen under the control of darkness origin power and was only using certain methods to deceive everyone. Another possibility was that the darkness origin power had become dominant because of the secret art he had used to suppress his grievous wounds. In any case, this signified only one thinghe had already fallen to evernight. Wu Zhengnans resentment gushed out as he said in fury, Would I need to seek a method of survival from the dark side if the Combatant Formula hadnt damaged my foundation? You nobles have always cultivated your secret arts since childhood. How would you know the hardship of seeking a high-level cultivation art just so we could live on? He paused momentarily before pointing at Qianye with a sneer. Hes also cultivating the Combatant Formula. Do you really think a rank five fighter king is a good thing? The faster your progress, the shorter your life will be! Youll feel the constant pain from various hidden injuries within three years and die before the age of 30. Wei Potian was flush with annoyance. He opened his mouth but couldnt find the words to say. Qianye spoke unhurriedly, Cant you apply for a cultivation formula once youve accumulated enough merit within the army? Wu Zhengnan seemed to have calmed down a little as he glanced at Qianye. He sneered, You should be from the army too and probably know well that youd have to line up for such special resources. Back then, they said my rank and achievements werent enough, but I mightve barely passed if I was of the landowning class. Qianye, your fate hereafter wont necessarily be any better than mine. Either you become a noble familys dog in exchange for a low-grade cultivation art or bet ten years of your life and see if you can accumulate enough merit before you die. Qianye was silent. He could imagine Wu Zhengnans despair when he was denied that day. Rank and status were strictly observed in imperial society. The distribution of almost every type of resources would be somehow related to ones family background. The imperial army could already be considered quite fairwhether it was a promotion or applying for equipment, everything was dependent on ones strength and accomplishments. Switching from the Combatant Formula, however, was an exception. It didnt just involve a copied cultivation art. It included a complete set of medicines for repairing the bodys internal injuries. They were not only extremely expensive but also the raw materials were quite difficult to obtain. The availability every year was thus extremely limited. As a result, family background inevitably became related to the qualifications for the distribution of such special resources. That was also why the Combatant Formula was considered a cannon fodders art. Wu Zhengnan let out a muffled laugh. Tell me, how can I serve such an empire loyally? Qianye shook his head and replied in a resolute tone, None of these things justify your fall to evernight and the harm you brought to your own race. Wu Zhengnan was momentarily startled before he began to laugh madly, Youre truly an obstinate brat. Then have a taste of darkness origin power. Itll melt away your flesh and blood little by little until nothing is left of you but bones! This pain isnt much worse than the internal injuries brought about by the Combatant Formula. Wu Zhengnan punched out from the distance. A blazing mist of alternating red and black shot toward Qianye and engulfed him. Its speed was so fast that it left no room for evasion. Little Ye! Wei Potian seemed to have gained strength from god knows where and stood up violently. His body was once again covered by a layer of earthen yellow light. The light screen of the Thousand Mountains, however, was extremely dim like a candle flickering in the wind. He probably wouldnt last long even if he wasnt attacked. Wu Zhengnan squinted his eyes and snorted coldly, You overestimate yourself! He waved an extended hand to shoot out a misty blaze toward Wei Potian. The cluster of scarlet mist-like flames was viscous and thick. It stuck on firmly as soon as it came into contact with the Thousand Mountains and began to emit sizzling corrosive sounds. The glow of the Thousand Mountains was completely nibbled away by the flames in the blink of an eye. A couple of remnant clusters landed on Wei Potian, eroding his high-grade armor to form a huge hole before sticking onto his skin and muscles. His skin was rapidly charred despite his origin power working continuously to resist. Wei Potian was actually quite unyieldinghe stood upright and endured the pain without so much as a groan. His clenched fist seemed to be flickering with specks of starlight. Wu Zhengnan snorted as a sinister expression appeared on his face. He once again swung a fist toward Wei Potian while shouting, Ill help you since you want to die so badly! Black and red origin power emerged from Wu Zhengnans strike to form a meter long flame whip which lashed down at Wei Potian. Wei Potian roared and fearlessly brandished his own fist to receive the blow, but how could he block such an attack when he could barely stand? A thin beam of azure light suddenly shone through the air. A single green leaf disappeared from the tip of Song Zinings finger and appeared in empty spaceit split the dark red origin power flames in half and swept toward Wu Zhengnan with its remaining momentum. Wu Zhengnan cried out loudly and staggered back a couple of steps. He doubtfully glanced down at his own body and saw that a thin stream of blood had appeared on his abdomen. The wound rapidly split open to become a terrifying wound, an injury that had almost ripped his chest. Song Zining also spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as the green leaf-shaped pendant on his neck rapidly lost its color and turned a coarse grey. Wu Zhengnan looked at his own wound and turned toward Song zining. You actually have that many protective methods. Even I might not necessarily be able to capture you if I come across you again. Why are you so intent on throwing away your life? Song Zining laughed indifferently. You wont understand. Wu Zhengnan said with a deep voice, It doesnt matter. In any case, I wont need to know after I kill you all. It was at this time that Qianye, who was struck down by the dark red flames, suddenly groaned and clambered up. The remnant viscous flames on his body were originally about to die out but they suddenly flared up once again as if they were stimulated by something. Large patches of flesh were scorched and smoldered wherever the flames passed. However, Qianyes situation was extremely bizarre. Fresh blood gushed out continuously from his wounds as he moved to stand up, the dense vitality therein was absolutely astonishing. If one were to look closely, the blood flowing out from Qianye seemed to be alive. They didnt drip to the ground but were climbing and flowing autonomously. They would immediately extend toward wherever the misty flames were, rapidly extinguishing them amidst sizzling white fumes. Clusters of granulation tissue grew out at a visible rate and closed the wounds within the blink of an eye, leaving only sheets of pale scars. Streaks of gold and purple would flash past from time to time within the blood swarming toward those bone-deep wounds. For unknown reasons, an intense sense of uneasiness and alarm suddenly filled Wu Zhengnans heart after seeing the current Qianyeit was as if he had met a natural predator. His expression sunk as he inhaled deeply. Only a long uneven scar was left of the wound on his abdomen. He slowly raised his right palm on which the black and red origin flame mist appeared once again. Qianye raised the Twin Flowers, and following which, the patterns on the guns lit up in succession. Scarlet origin power radiance emerged from his arms mixed with specks of floating golden light. The blood boil energy within his body was completely emptied in order to resist Wu Zhengnans flaming mist. The dark red blood energy and purple blood energy had crawled into his heart, listless and dispirited. Only the golden blood energy remained barely usable. During this life and death crisis, the golden blood energy once again resonated with what little remained of Qianyes daybreak origin energy as they rushed into the Twin Flowers. Qianye suddenly sighed heavily. Wu Zhengnan, you paid such a high price but only managed to obtain this kind of lowest grade vampire bloodline? Wu Zhengnan was startled. He didnt understand why Qianye said these words but the sense of danger lingering in his heart was magnified by hundreds of times. His instincts were screaming for him to take immediate action, and as such, he struck out with a loud roar! Qianyes fingers steadily pressed down on the trigger. Following which, two crisp bangs were heard as if something had just shattered. The twin-colored flowers that bloomed in the sky swayed just as before but a completely new origin array had appeared on the gun frame. A mist formed by the interweaving of the countless specks of golden light draped a cloak of sunlight over the illusory flowers. The origin power bullets that materialized within the Twin Flowers barrels were also light golden in color. They were like an inconspicuous ray of light shining through the window and falling onto a corner of the room. Wu Zhengnans black and red flame mist, however, melted away immediately after coming into contact with the flowers. It was akin to spring water breaking through the ice. The light golden origin power bullets werent weakened or delayed in the least after breaking through the flaming mist. In fact, they immediately bombarded Wu Zhengnans body! The golden light rapidly expanded and covered the greater half of Wu Zhengnans body. He let out an indescribable cry as if he had experienced the most profound pain on earth. His steel-like body struggled and twisted continuously, but his originally sturdy flesh was like wax before the flamesit rapidly melted, pieces of it broke off, and even the bones were being eroded at the same time. Wu Zhengnan collapsed in the blink of an eye and was broken down into a puddle of indescribable substance. Is it over? This was Qianyes last conscious thoughts. He knew nothing from there on out. The large ruined courtyard suddenly became silent. Wei Potian indeed possessed thick flesh and skin. He was the first to clamber up after a few moments of gasping for breath and made his way toward the puddle formed from Wu Zhengnan. It seemed like molten wax but clear outlines of certain organs and bones could be seen within. Even a daring person like him couldnt help but feel his hair stand on end after witnessing such a bizarre scene. Flames suddenly streaked past Wei Potian while he was staring absentmindedly and landed right on Wu Zhengnans remains. The spark ignited to form a violent flame the very moment it came into contact with its target. The blaze shot up tens of meters in height! Wei Potian was caught off guard and almost had his brows singedhe swiftly stepped back and turned back to find that Song Zining had stood up. The latter was holding the crystalline short spear in hand with flaming sparks still lingering in the air. The Song clan secret art, Fueled Fire Spear, was capable of shooting out virtually inextinguishable origin power flames. The especially flammable remains were incinerated into black dregs within the blink of an eye. Wei Potian was shocked and immediately became enraged. What the hell are you doing!? This is proof! This is proof that Wu Zhengnan has rebelled! Song Zining spat out yet another mouthful of blood but his expression seemed to have recovered a little. He couldnt be bothered to address Wei Potian. He walked toward Qianye with swift steps and knelt on one knee. A hazy azure radiance flashed on his hands as origin power washed down on Qianyes wound-riddled body like a misty rain. Thin streams of blood were still crawling aimlessly over the surface of Qianyes body. They immediately shrunk back like living creatures once they came into contact with Song Zinings origin power mist. Those remaining bone-deep wounds wiggled slightly and started to close up. Wei Potians expression changed many times before he finally calmed down and stood there observing in silence. Song Zining only raised his head after washing away all the blood on his body. Now you can call for help. Please also inform my guard squad on the way. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 201: The Aftermath Headache [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The sky outside the window was still quite dark when Qianye woke up. However, there were already sounds of activitylight but hurried footsteps could be heard along with people speaking softly from time to timethis was the dawn of Evernight Continent. Qianye propped himself up into a sitting position and felt his whole body was still feeble and weak. He looked around and found himself in an unfamiliar room. It wasnt very big and the furnishings were simple but tidy. However, the sheets, mattresses and even the utensils on the table were fairly refined. They looked nothing like the practical style of Evernight Continent. Qianye first examined his own body and found that all of his wounds had been treated and bandaged. There were countless internal injuries but most of them had begun to heal. There were many places on his body where the medicine hadnt been fully absorbed; someone had obviously applied it for him while he was unconscious. His blood energy had become especially well-behaved. The purple and ordinary blood energies were hiding in the depths of his heart and almost seemed nonexistent without thorough probing. The dispirited golden blood energy was hovering lethargically around his heart and refused to budge. That attack from the twin flowers had consumed too much energy and had almost exceeded his tolerance. In the end, he felt as if the gun was assimilating his origin power and blood energy instead of him injecting them into the guns origin array. At this time, a sensation of extreme hunger was transmitted from Qianyes abdomen. He felt a mild throbbing pain from his completely empty stomach. Thus, he got off the bed and opened the door. In the outer room, he saw two girls sitting back to back and dozing off on a small couch by the window. Two identical and elegant faces turned around at the same time when they heard the sound of the opening door. Both of them exclaimed in joy, Young Master, youre awake! This is truly wonderful! Qianye was momentarily startled before he identified the two as Seven and Nine. Young Master Song and Young Master Wei visited many times. Well inform them immediately. Qianye nodded. I need something to eat first. Its already been prepared in the kitchen. One of the two sisters went to prepare the food and deliver the message, while the other stayed back to prepare a set of clothes for Qianye to change into. Qianye still couldnt tell between the pair of flowers. After asking, he found out that the one who had stayed behind was the younger sister, Lil Nine. He wasnt quite accustomed to being so close with another person, but presently, he found out that this girl was agile and quick-witted. Her movements were very gentle, avoiding any of his sore wounds. It was apparent that she had received meticulous training. Qianye chatted briefly with Lil Nine and found out that this place was located in the alley behind Song Zinings temporary residence in Blackflow City. Qianyes belongings had all been moved here. The greater part of his previous house was already uninhabitable. Furthermore, it had been sealed off for investigation as it was the scene of the battle. Investigation? Lil Nine didnt know much about it but Qianye already had a premonitionhe frowned involuntarilykilling an active expeditionary army division commander obviously involved a lot of follow-up matters. The one to bear the brunt of this pressure would be Wei Potian. It was also unclear if Song Zinings background business arrangements would still take effect. Lil Seven returned with a large steaming pot while they were talking. Unexpectedly, her slim and graceful figure actually possessed such strength. The contents of the pot, consisted mainly of meat, flooded the place with its fragrance. Qianye sat down and finished five servings in one go before he felt satisfied. It seemed the training these girls received at the Hidden Spring Merchant Group was indeed quite effective. They not only prepared sufficient amount of food but also set up Qianyes personal belongings, which they had collected for him, in an orderly fashion. This was especially true for the firearms and other equipmentall of them were packed quite expertly. Wei Potian appeared while Qianye was inspecting his belongings. He was actually the first to arrive despite living in another street block. He hurriedly walked into the room and sat down at the table. After seeing a basin of rice even larger than a pot, he unceremoniously ordered Lil Seven who had just seen him in, Give me one serving too! With that, he grabbed the cup beside Qianye and finished it in one gulp. He then said in a surprised tone, How come its water? Qianye had just walked out from the interior. Why cant it be water? Wei Potian turned around and shouted, Bring me a couple bottles of wine! Lil Seven and Lil Nine who were walking towards the door shot a questioning glance at Qianye. There was actually no shortage of wine and food since the Wei clan and Song clan had delivered a fair amount of supplies recently. It was just that the Wei clan heirs expression was somewhat frightening. Lil Seven and Nine quickly left to prepare after seeing Qianye nod and wave his hand. Qianye looked at Wei Potian and asked, Whats the matter? In a bad mood? Ive a whole load of crap to deal with! Itll be odd if Im in a good mood! Wei Potian began to unleash a torrent of complaints. By the time Wei Potian had wolfed down his second basin, Qianye had more or less begun to understand the things that had transpired while he was unconscious. The first problem originated from Wu Zhengnans death. This expeditionary army division commanders remains had been burnt to a crisp by Song Zinings origin power flames. Nothing could be gleaned from those ashes. This indicated that Wu Zhengnans fall to evernight could no longer be proved. Military police prosecutor Zhang Youheng maintained a strictly professional attitude and refused to pass judgement in the absence of direct evidence. He merely recorded Wei Potians statement to bring back to the department of military affairs. At this point, Wei Potian smacked the table angrily and cursed, This man surnamed Zhang accepted so much money from my Wei clan but used this kind of method when the situation became critical! Damn his grandmother! What an ass! Wei clan dispatched two family elders from nearby regions the day after Wei Potian was attacked. The elders were also distressed by the present situation. In any case, failing to bring forth direct evidence of Wu Zhengnans fall to evernight meant that Wei Potian had murdered a major general of the expeditionary army in their territory. There would certainly be repercussions from the expeditionary army higher-ups regardless of the reason. That military police prosecutor anticipated these troublesome matters. That was why he had decisively extricated himself and let the Wei clan face the expeditionary army headquarters directly. Wei Potian and the personnel he had brought this time were insufficient to placate the expeditionary army higher-ups. Hence, he had no choice but to request help from his family. At the thought of this, Wei Potian couldnt help but feel a bad headache. Compared to this matter, losing an external elder and a few guards seemed relatively small. He would at most receive a superficial scolding upon his return. Finally, the 7th division and Blackflow City were in shambles. The 7th division had largely become Wu Zhengnans personal army throughout the years due to the expeditionary armys particular methods. Wei Potian absolutely wouldnt dare to put the soldiers to full use even if they expressed compliance after Wu Zhegnans death. Otherwise, he wouldnt have left the citys defenses to the Broken Winged Angels. The actual situation wasnt too far off from his predictionsthe 7th division collapsed on the spot after news of Wu Zhengnans death was disseminated. A small part of the soldiers stationed in the Four Rivers Military Base deserted their posts. These people escaped with their weapons. As one could easily imagine, there would likely be many more robbers and bandits in the Trinity River County thereafter. The ones staying behind were also a cause for worry. Several instances of group conflicts had arisen within the Blackflow City barracks. Two of them were quite serious enough to force the Wei clan guards to open fire and kill a couple of the instigating leaders. In the end, it was the Broken Winged Angels who had appeared to quell the scene. It would be a great undertaking to reorganize the whole of the 7th division, not that different from forming a new division. Wei Potian wasnt afraid of charging into battle but he had absolutely no interest regarding management, training, logistics, and supply. He would feel distressed just by thinking about it. To pour oil on fire, Song Zining completely vanished after saying that Qianye was stable. Even most of his clan guards had been left behind with no idea where he had gone. Watching over the unconscious Qianye and dealing with all these chaotic matters, Wei Potian felt that he was facing this terrible mess alone. Qianye comforted Wei Potian after listening to all of his complaints. These are all trivial duties. Its not a big deal. Why dont you just list them out one by one and deal with them in order? Is there anything I can help? Wei Potian shook his head. Youve been wounded badly this time. Its better you rest well and recuperate. Evernight Continent wont be peaceful in the future. Qianye was shocked. He recalled the news he had heard at the Hunters Association in Darkblood City. Are we looking at a war? Wei Potian nodded and replied solemnly, Thats right. The dark races are drafting soldiers on a large scale. The situation here has become so strained that even the higher-ups of the empire are alarmed. Its said that the Bai and Zhao clans have begun to move their men towards Evernight, just in case. Two of the four great clans had begun to move. This indicated that the situation was abnormally serious. Wei Potian said dejectedly, Whats worse is that, according to the army distribution map, this Trinity River County is also at the van. So Im left with very limited time to reorganize the 7th division. Id be lucky to have one month of adjustment time. Qianye stood up and found a map of the Trinity River County as he listened to Wei Potian summarize the military intelligence released by the Imperial Army bulletin and the information he had obtained himself. In the end, Wei Potian sighed and said to Qianye, Ill leave first. Theres a multitude of things I need to see to. Sigh, an originally good matter had turned into this mess. That damned Wu Zhengnan! I fail to understand what got into him. Its a relief that your wounds left no sequelae. Otherwise, this daddy will dig up and massacre his whole clan! Qianye continued pondering in front of the Trinity River County Map long after Wei Potian left. At noon, it was said Song Zining, who had disappeared for quite a few days, had finally appeared. The seventh young master of the song clan was in a good mood and appeared quite well compared to the overworked Wei clan heir. As he entered, his eyes fell on the map of the Trinity River County spread over the table. Why are you suddenly looking at this? Song Zining asked. Qianye drew two lines on the map and said, This morning, Wei Potian said that the dark race side is probably going to make a move. Judging from the enemy troop movements, the pressure on the Trinity River County is pretty big and Blackflow City happens to be the most important and protruding defensive node on this battlefront. It might be broken through at any time if war breaks out. Song Zining nodded and said, I also heard similar news. The movement this time is quite large. Even the Bai and Zhao clans have moved out. Previously, our Song clan only has a few auxiliary industries in Evernight Continent. However, theyre recently amassing a private army in preparation to join the war here at a moments notice. Just what had happened? Could it be that were going to fight an all-out war? We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 202: General Principles [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Song Zining shrugged. Who knows? Those dark races have all kinds of odd reasons. Theres really no way to guess how their brains work. Its not like there wasnt any precedent of them initiating a war just because favorable conditions that year had left them with an excess of cannon fodder. Qianye was still contemplating before the map. Its said that the appearance of that Evernight Council member is related to the Dark Monarchs treasure. This kind of situation was actually even worse than an all-out war because the latter had to follow a certain sequence. Because most regions in Evernight Continent were limited in resources, the scale of war as a whole could be controlled unless one party was determined enough to breach the others core region. Many factors could be predicted such as the consumption of cannon fodder, the participation of experts, and the pressure upon the various regions. As for matters regarding treasuresthe human race would perhaps laugh them off as utter nonsense, but the dark races have an almost zealous adoration for these almighty figures lost in history. This news might attract extremely powerful experts. There was no way to predict the movements of these dark race experts. They might turn everything in their wake into uninhabitable wastelands. Civilians were mere bugs to them. Song Zining said casually, The dark race experts live too long and often do senseless things. He extended his hand and drew a circle around Blackflow City and the Four Rivers Military Base. That chap, Wei Potian, is in deep trouble now. I thought he had already arranged everything since he decided to take down Wu Zhengnan so quickly but apparently, that wasnt the case. With only a few months left to reorganize the 7th division, it wouldnt be possible to reestablish its military power even if he invested hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Heh, Im sure hell be receiving a torrent of abuses from his family. Qianye smiled ruefully after seeing Song Zinings attitude of Schadenfreude. You incinerated Wu Zhengnans remains to prevent my anomalous blood energy from being discovered, right? In the end, things wouldnt be so troublesome if not for me. Song Zining raised his eyebrows. What does that have to do with you? That Wei Potian is the idiot. You dont need to worry about the Expeditionary Army Headquarters since Ive long since negotiated with Xiao Lingshi. The reactions from their higher-ups are just a formality since, after all, they need to give the other division commanders an explanation. However, its his problem if he cant handle the 7th divisions affairs. Qianye felt something was off after recalling Wei Potians rants from earlier that morning. You havent told Wei Potian about the true situation at the Expeditionary Army Headquarters, right? Song Zining replied as if it was natural, Those are my connections. Why should I tell him? Let him feel anxious for a while. In any case, the Wei clan will send some big shots over sooner or later to help him clean up the situation. Its all fine as long as the Expeditionary Army doesnt summon you as a witness. Song Zining shrugged and said, Stop talking about that fool. Whats the use of a wild boar if his skin isnt thick enough? What do you intend to do now? Do you want to follow me back to the upper continent? Qianyes ears automatically filtered out Song Zinings harsh words as he pointed to Blackflow City on the map with a serious expression. I want to build a mercenary group here. On one hand, its to find a place for these seedlings, while on the other, itll help me realize my wish of joining the war against the dark races. One mans strength is simply too flimsy. Song Zining looked at Qianye for a while and said with a laugh, How will you arrange equipment, logistics, and personnel? Lets hear your plan. Qianye listed everything he had been pondering on that morning. The training he had received in the past was targeted at individual elite soldiers. He had only considered a general outline of the other aspects apart from soldier training. However, Qianye could be considered to have some resources in his hand. Just the 400 seedlings were already equal to a medium-scaled corps. Things should be more or less good enough after developing the basic officer structure and hiring a few free mercenaries. The seized expeditionary army equipment on the seedlings could probably be used for quite a while at least. The most difficult part was the logistics. Although Qianye had a small town and mine to his name, they were both taken over from the 15th division. These assets couldnt be counted as a source of stable income because the cost and output still werent quite clear. Mercenary groups usually have two main sources of income. One was to complete various missions for remuneration, while the other was to kill dark race members and bring their body parts to exchange for rewards at certain imperial agencies. The empire had to issue huge amounts of reward every year for this purpose. It was precisely this money that had provided for countless hunters, adventurers, and mercenaries. This colossal number was accumulated upon the corpses of countless dark race members. Qianyes idea was to receive an assignment from the newly organized 7th division to assist its defense. The mercenary groups initial scale would be sufficient to garrison a few outposts or guard a small town. At this point, Song Zining lightly shook his head and laughed, Hmm, thats not a bad idea. You''re certainly not suited to join the imperial army system with your condition. Its not a bad choice to establish a force in the periphery. However, Song Zining didnt quite approve of Qianyes intention to buy military equipment and sell the produced minerals through the Far East Heavy Industries. He immediately criticized the unreliability of the Far East Heavy Industrys Broken River Branch. However, Song Zining provided Qianye with two secret trade channels after he finished complaining. One of them was his private business,the Ningyuan Group. Additionally, he also assigned a number of high-grade smiths to the area around Blackflow City. His business in Evernight Continent saw a substantial expansion this time, and there was an emergent need to establish a branch office for management. By the time a certain phase of their negotiation had reached a conclusion, Qianye had already added several details to the program document before him. Song Zining suddenly remembered. Qianye, you havent let the two girls drink your blood have you? Qianye was momentarily startled before he realized Song Zining was referring to Lil Seven and Nine. He wanted to say something but the latter had already walked to the door and admitted the girls who had previously excused themselves when Qianye and Song Zining began their discussions. Song Zining laughed when he saw Qianyes expression. Its been a week since they left Hidden Spring. Their first episode of withdrawal is about to begin. You can leave them to die if you really dont want them. With that, he grabbed their wrists at lightning speed and injected a stream of origin power. Lil Seven and Nines breathing soon turned distressed. The twin girls were completely identical in stature and complexion. Their appearances were beautiful and their figures elegant. It almost seemed as if gentleness and docility was ingrained in their personalities, sufficient to cause everyones imagination to run wild. They clearly heard Song Zinings words. Their bright eyes became slightly red under the combined effects of the drug and the terror. Following which, a misty layer rapidly covered their eyes flowing like dazzling autumn ripples. Qianye could only smile ruefully as he slit open his wrist and drip some of his blood into the two cups of wine Song Zining had poured for him. He intentionally restricted the blood energy within his body lest his blood taint other people. Qianye only felt relieved when he saw no signs of contamination after the two girls finished the bloody wine and settled their addiction. Following which, he recalled a problem he had been pondering for quite some time and that was how dark blood infected their victims? From his experience, the blood energy and not all of his blood played a key role in this. Did this mean that vampires might not necessarily infect their human prey as long as the blood energy was kept in check? Song Zining was smiling rather meaningfully. Its time for me to leave. Enjoy the two little beauties, dont let them go to waste. After Qianye saw Song Zining off and returned to his room, he found that the twins had actually crept into his bed obediently. It was evident from how they were stealing glances at him with embarrassed expressions that they had really taken Song Zinings words seriously. Qianye truly didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. The injuries he had sustained from the battle with Wu Zhengnan hadnt healed and he couldnt even cultivate the Combatant Formula because it was too vigorous. He simply had no way to accept the fortune which had fallen into his lap. And the two girls seemed to have been frightened by Song Zinings words. To them, the only fate that awaits abandoned slaves was death. As such, the two girls seemed as if they wanted Qianye to truly accept them as soon as possible. Qianye had to expend some effort to convince the two girls to leave. He retrieved the Song Clan Ancient Scroll from the headboard and prepared to continue cultivating it. The parts related to cultivating darkness origin power wasnt a problem for Qianye. On the contrary, it had cleared away some of the doubts he had about his coexistence with the blood energy. For instance, blood energy was basically a manifestation of darkness origin energy. This was also true for his blood power. It was just that the profundity and obscurity of ancient language were interfering with his comprehension quite a bit. Qianye casually flipped through the jade booklet and finally returned to the jade tablet describing the general principles. The previously activated words were beginning to fade away. It was this passage that was giving Qianye troublethe words described therein had far surpassed his comprehension. In the very beginning of the world, there were was no sun, moon, and stars. There were no mountains, rivers, and continents. There was only chaos. Only later when the heaven and earth first blossomed did the sun, the moon and the stars come into being along with myriad living things and the cycle of life and death. Cultivation is returning to the chaos from before the heaven and earth came into being. This method was the extreme of all great daos. Conventionally, the general principles was the most concise expression of any cultivation art and was also its ultimate direction. However, Qianye had never heard of anything regarding the time before the formation of the heaven and earth. Humans were only slaves of the dark races before the War of Daybreakthe dark races naturally wouldnt allow livestock to record their historyconsequently, everything was only passed down through word of mouth. As for how the different layered world was formed and whether or not the two suns, planetary ring and the dozen-odd continents floating in the lower strata appeared at the same time with life, these things were laws decided by nature. They existed naturally and no one had ever questioned or studied them. The words on the jade tablet began to dim down as Qianye vacantly pondered on the words written on the general principles and recalled the far-reaching sky he had seen on the Qin Continent. And thus, he once again injected a strand of origin power. Suddenly, he felt heat at his fingertips. He felt as if something unknown had crashed into him, and in his consciousness, the whole world began to shake. Darkness soon engulfed everything. At that time, a faint sound rang out from an unknown direction and Qianye couldnt tell whether it was the sound of the wind or tides. Only when a thin beam of colorless radiance pierced through the world did Qianye reach a discoverythis was the sound of the suns first rays breaking through the dark night. The eye of daybreak gently opened in the depths of evernight, instantly causing the world to rotate. Half light, half dark they embraced each other tolerantly. The boundary was incomparably distinct. Qianye woke up from the mystical world without prior indication just as when he had entered. His fingertip was still feeling slightly warm. He looked down and found that the greater part of the jade tablet containing the general principles had already shattered. What remained of the ancient jade was disintegrating into specks of lustrous light and merging into his finger. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 203: Uninvited Gues t [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] There was always a short calm before the storm. Song Zining was still on the constant move and Wei Potian had buried himself in a mountain of work. Before Wu Zhengnans case had been thoroughly concluded, Wei Potian would be in charge of the city, its accompanying military base, several small towns, and a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands. In addition, these places might be hiding an unknown number of people who hated him deeply. As for Qianye, apart from polishing the details of his plan to establish a mercenary group and setting up a few initial jobs, he mostly spent his time in cultivation. Song Zining revealed an as expected expression when he was informed of the fate of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Only then did Qianye understand why those famous clans had a very limited number of inheritors to these secret combat techniques. It wasnt only to maintain their position by suppressing the descendants, but also because it was a matter of distributing a limited resource. For instance, the Nurturing Rain Art he had obtained from the Yin family didnt include the general principles and only contained a bottle of specially formulated primer drug. The drug would temporarily transform a small part of his origin power and use it to introduce the Nurturing Rain Art. This also meant that Qianye couldnt spread the art even without the Yin family monitoring him. The reason why it was so difficult to practice these secret techniques was because these middle and upper-grade arts passed down from thousands of years ago were extremely difficult to copy. This was especially true for the general principles partthe chance of successfully copying it was low enough to make ones hair stand on end. Hence after fumbling about for a long time, people eventually developed this cultivation system of using a primer to complement the art. The combatant formula was an exception. That was also why it had become an art targeted at the masses. Thus, even those aristocratic scions had very limited opportunity to practice with the true copy of an art. And those outstanding chosen ones, if they could complete the introduction naturally without the help of medicine, would garner the attention of the masses as a genius. An example was Wei Potian who had successfully introduced the Thousand Mountains at the same time he ignited his first origin power node. It was no wonder he became a person expected to rise to the rank of a marshal. Fortunately, those like the Song Clan Ancient Scroll which required the general principle to disintegrate before a successful introduction was quite rare. Otherwise, the distribution of cultivation resources would be even more intense. Qianye suddenly recalled the few words of lamentation he had heard from Lin Xitang. Humans were able to naturally awaken their talents and powers before the thousand years of war. Unexpectedly, cultivation had actually become increasingly dependent on medicines. His heart trembled slightlyhe felt that the words about the beginning of the heaven and earth within the Song Clan Ancient Scroll might not be ramblings of a madman after all. In any case, Qianyes life continued according to routine. His primary cultivation was still the Combatant Formula. That was because the arts recorded in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll were mostly related to the movement and control of origin power. Additionally, he wasnt quite familiar with many of the descriptions regarding the channels, vessels, and qi flow. Qianye couldnt figure out which part of the body they were referring to. However, he wasnt discouraged and would set aside some time every day to test them out. As expected, many of them were completely unresponsive. Only a few techniques were able to activate his daybreak origin power. After practicing a few times, he didnt feel any changes in his origin power attributes. It was just that his origin power would become slightly more condensed after each cycle. Today, as he was convincing the two girls to leave his room after cultivating, the loud rumble of an engine was transmitted from beyond the courtyard. A jeep stopped in front of his gates, from which alighted a man in his forties. His appearance was average without any special characteristics, a man who would easily blend into the crowd within the blink of an eye. However, Qianye immediately became cautious after seeing him. This man, whose age was nearing familiarity with heavens decree , likely wasnt of high rank. However, his movements revealed some traces of solemnity amidst lightheartedness. His footsteps appeared fast and light but the center of gravity was exceptionally stable. Qianye was very familiar with such peoplethey were veterans with incredibly abundant combat experience and would pose a great threat on the battlefield. As crafty as a fox and as cruel as a wolf, the degree of danger they posed was grossly disproportionate to their ranks. The middle-aged man spoke a few words to Lil Seven who had stopped him for inquiry and continued walking toward the main building. He halted before the steps and saluted Qianye. This lowly one is called Song Hu, originally one of Young Master Zinings followers. He has instructed me to follow Young Master Qian for a duration of one year and assist you with the various jobs related to the mercenary group. Its Zining? Qianye was momentarily stunned. He then invited Song Hu into the house. Song Hu stood respectfully and wouldnt hear of sitting down. After Qianye was seated, he politely presented a box and a letter to him before lowering himself into an adjacent seat. Qianye was paying attention to and sizing up this person. He wore plain warriors clothes, and the design was quite familiar too. It seemed to be the Song clan guards apparel with all insignias removed. He was carrying an old-fashioned and oblong suitcase, which he didnt put down even while seated. His sitting posture appeared rather uncomfortable and seemed as if he was in a horse stance . However, Qianye knew that this posture was extremely suited for dealing with emergent crises. He could easily switch to a combat position with minimal obstruction. What else did Zining instruct you? Qianye received the box and letter but didnt open them immediately. Song Hu replied, Seventh Young Master said this lowly ones salary is 200 gold coins per annum and the cost of all equipment will be covered by Young Master Qian. Qianye was immediately overcome by an indescribable feeling as he waited quietly for SongHu to continue. As expected, Song Hu added, Seventh Young Master instructed me to relay a message. He said that since youre playing this mercenary game just to help that wild boar, hes already acting quite fairly by not foiling things. He asked me to tell you that he absolutely refuses to invest both money and effort for this. Qianye was momentarily at a loss whether to laugh or cry. This Song Hu was indeed a talented person. Although he had relayed the two messages with a wooden expression, he was still able to perfectly deliver the meaning behind Song Zinings words. This man was definitely not as unrefined as he seemed on the surface. Qianye knew Song Zining had already seen through his intentions as soon as he heard about the plan to establish a mercenary group. Qianye didnt expand further on this subject and only explained to Song Hu a summary of his recent plans along with the details regarding the training of personnel. Song Hu listened attentively before going straight for the main topic. Young Master Qian, since you plan to base the mercenary group in Blackflow City, we have to find a base of operations first and foremost. This lowly one will take a few days to go about the city and select a suitable location for our headquarters. However, this lowly one may be so bold as to ask, how much funds have you prepared? Qianye gave it some thought and replied, Little over 1000, give or take. Song Hu was somewhat surprised. This lowly one originally thought you planned to establish a medium-sized mercenary group with over a hundred members. Was it a small-scaled mercenary band instead? In truth, I have close to four hundred people, plus 100-odd children who can join the battlefield in five years time. Seeing Song Hus somewhat odd expression, Qianye added with a laugh, They are already fully equipped. Song Hus expression was still a bit strange. However, noticing that his behavior almost seemed discourteous, he let out a dry cough and said, Since it is so, well still need about 500 gold coins per month to maintain the groups fighting power at an optimum level, discounting the need to upgrade equipment and supplies. Qianye only laughed because he knew this number wouldnt stop here. Song Hus equipment and remuneration for instancesince the price set by Song Zining is 200 gold coins, his full set of equipment likely wouldnt cost any less. And as for those seedlingsdid he need to pay them? In the beginning, these people would likely recall how Qianye had saved their lives and serve him without expecting any remuneration. But some of them would surely nurture a different opinion with the passage of time. There would also be some who would want to lead their own lives. Some of them would definitely hold a grudge if Qianye was unable to pay them. No matter when or where, the heart was the most difficult thing to control. After seeing that Qianye had no other instructions for him, Song Hu expressed his desire to go into the city right away. Qianye called over Lil Seven and Nine to have them arrange a guest room for Song Hu. Qianye sat down at his usual place to ponder in silence after the room had once again regained its calm. This was also something he had recently been thinking about whenever he had the time. According to Song Hu, he would require sufficient funds for the mercenary group to function normally. Qianye was merely supporting these people right now so the problem wasnt quite evident, but once they officially start joining battles, they might run out of supplies within two months. In the end, everything came down to money. It could be said that this was an issue of resources. When Qianye was alone, just by relying on his ability to hunt dark race members, he didnt have to worry about food and shelter no matter how bad the situation was. In truth, it was not that he had no way. He could take charge of an areas defense and receive remuneration from the expeditionary army. He could also hunt high-level dark race warriors in the wilderness on his ownthe rewards from this would allow the mercenary group to continue operating, albeit with some difficulty. However, if this duty were to expand to a town, a city, a province or even a whole country, what would he do? Qianye shook his head and decided to stop thinking about the questions he had no ability to answer at the moment. He opened Song Zinings letter and found, to his surprise, only three words Wei Bainian. This was obviously the name of a person? While Qianye was pondering how to solve the problem he had initiated, Wei Potian was under great stress from the thorny problems that had fallen into his hands. Now, whenever he sat on the chair which originally belonged to Wu Zhengnan, Wei Potian felt as if he had fallen into a swamp with no shores. Documents were always piled into mountains on the large desk in front of him. It seemed impossible to trim down this small hill even though he put great effort into reading through them. Whenever he finished working on 10 documents, 11 more would be placed onto the table. Wei Potian had brought many aides but none of them were idle. He required people to implement the content of these documents, otherwise, they would only be worthless pieces of paper. It was during this period where the majority were tranquil and a small number of people were distressed that a seemingly inconspicuous airship landed outside of Blackflow City, and from which alighted a group of similarly inconspicuous people. Today, like any other day, Wei Potian was buried behind a pile of documents. Within this Wei clan heirs limited lifetime, these few days were probably one of his most terrifying experiences. It had even far surpassed the period he had undergone Bai Longjias special training. After hearing a knock on the door, Wei Potian immediately roared furiously, More?! Cant you deliver them all in one batch? The door opened on its own as a voice which had always caused Wei Potian to be scared witless was transmitted from behind, Oh Qiyang, youre about to be promoted to colonel very soon. How come you still cant keep your calm? Wei Potians hand trembled as he heard this voice, causing him to smudge the greater part of the document he had just signed. [1] Confucius''s own account of his gradual progress and attainments. 1. The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. 2. "At thirty, I stood firm. 3. "At forty, I had no doubts. 4. "At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. 5. "At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. 6. "At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right." [2] A martial arts stance: We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 204: Elder Generation [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Standing in the doorway was a soldierly man in his prime. Noticeably taller than Wei Potian and clad in an undecorated traditional Chinese robe, this man projected a natural aura of dignity and power. This was obviously a person who had occupied an eminent position for a long time. Wei Potian immediately jumped up and greeted respectfully, Father, how come youre here? The person was indeed Wei Dongming, the current master of the Far East Wei Clan, the Marquis of Bowang and Wei Potians father. He was definitely one of the few people in this world Wei Potian was greatly afraid of. Wei Dongming walked around the office and glanced at the surroundings. In the end, he swept through the pile of documents on the desk and nodded. Things seem to be in proper order! Its just that Ive told you more than once since you were young that you need to calm down when you encounter major events. You have to keep your calm no matter what kind of situation youre in Wei Potian hurriedly interrupted, knowing his father wouldnt stop once he starts lecturing, Dad, what kind of major event brought you all the way to Evernight Continent? Wei Dongming glared at Wei Potian. What other major business apart from yours would have me coming personally? Wei Potian scratched his head with a forced laugh before approaching his father. Dad, you see how Im handling the work here. Not too shabby, right? In the end, I still obtained two cities for our clan, although theyre a little bit poor Only a little bit poor!? Wei Dongming glared at his son incisively. Wei Potian replied embarrassedly, We did pay a small price, but there are also some gains! Wei Dongming snorted. Qiyang, dont tell me you dont understand what it means to be a regional lord of the Far East Wei Clan. Not to mention the loss of your personal guards and Elder Chen, how much can the Wei clan even profit from a third-rate defensive region in an abandoned land? Wei Potian scratched his head hard, at a loss about what to say. The Wei clans highest feudal rank was only a Marquis, but that was lord of a whole region. Speaking disrespectfully, the Marquis was almost like an emperor within the Far East Province. As for Blackflow City, not only was it located at the frontlines of Evernight Continent, but it was also in the expeditionary armys domain. Everyone will think the Wei clan had overextended its scope of influence.Furthermore, the investment required to maintain this territory would be significant because battles could break out anytime in Evernight Continent. In truth, even someone as slow as Wei Potian had come to realize this logic after several days of managing governmental affairs. Wei Dongmings tone suddenly changed just as Wei Potian began preparing himself to receive a harsh scolding with his head lowered. But, for better or worse, you did indeed obtain a territory with two cities. We did pay a certain price for this, but when had pioneering the expansion of a new region ever been easy? Especially when youre bearding the lion in his den. As a whole, your results seem to be direct and efficient with no loose ends lying around. This isnt easy to achieve. Wei Potian was pleasantly surprised. His father, the Marquis of Bowang, was the prime example of a strict father and very sparing with his praises. This was a rare reward for him. Wei Dongming walked toward the window with his hands behind his back and gazed at the panoramic view of Blackflow City. You managed this business quite aptly and were still able to concentrate on governmental affairs afterwards. Although youre not as calm as Id like, at least you didnt lose your diligence. Oh Qiyang, youve finally grown up. Wei Potian was laughing dumbly at this point, not knowing how to reply. Marquis Wei was a solemn man who governed his subordinates strictly. He was especially demanding toward this son for whom he had high hopes. He had rarely, if ever, given such a lengthy evaluation and encouragement. Wei Dongming casually flipped through a certain document on the table and exclaimed in surprise, The crimes listed on this paper, while few in number, are all crucial and closely interrelated points. This document alone had firmly certified all of Wu Zhengnans crimes and caused those expeditionary army higher-ups to fall silent. This Qi Sicheng is indeed a capable person! Wei Potian looked over and said, This chap was in charge of logistics under Wu Zhengnan. Hes naturally able to capture all the vital points since almost all transactions pass through him. He added with a sneer, This man surnamed Qi is only thinking about extricating himself by piling all the blame on Wu Zhengnan. Wei Dongming didnt comment. Where is this person now? Hes already under protection. What kind of protection? Wei Potian laughed out loud. Where its truly safe, in the deepest layers of the dark dungeon. Wei Dongming nodded and replied, Youve indeed grown up. Wei Potian felt anything but reassured after hearing this evaluation. His intuition had always been accurate. As expected, Wei Dongming continued, Im half-relieved now that you are capable of taking charge alone. However, youre lacking a final step here. Youll need someone who can oversee this region if you truly want to claim this theater. Even in the Wei clan, there arent many people both qualified and available to take up this post. Your uncle Bainian happens to be one of them. Ive brought him along this time, but its up to you whether you can persuade him or not. Wei Dongming said after some pause, Youre no longer young. Its just that your character needs some tampering. Itll be better if youre calmer. Ive consulted the ancestor. Youll come back with me to settle your marriage affairs after things here are settled! What what marriage!? Wei Potian was completely gobsmacked. Wei Dongming laughed, Theres no shortage of outstanding young ladies among friendly nobility who are quite suitable for you. The old ancestor has seen a few of them and was fairly fond of them. You can choose one of them when you return. Wei Potian was dumbfounded and couldnt utter a single clear word. I this isnt it too early? Wei Dongming patted Wei Potians shoulder and laughed loudly, It isnt! Others at your age already have more than one children! Your twentieth birthday will arrive in two months time. Men are supposed to take up true responsibility after their coming of age ceremony. The old ancestor intends to make it a grand spectacle. At that time, many noble ladies will attend. You mustn''t squander this opportunity. Your daddy here is quite open-minded in this regard, see? You still have the opportunity to choose your bride. Back then, I had to marry whoever the clan deemed fit. Wei Potian didnt quite register how he had seen his father to his lodgings. He only remembered to ask when Wei Dongming and his entourage had been settled in. Where is Uncle Bainian? It seemed whether or not he could get Wei Bainian to stay at Blackflow City was his final test. There was a blade waiting whether he extended or withdrew his neck. It would be better to finish things quickly. Wei Dongmings smile became more amiable after seeing his son was still able to recall proper business at this time. You have a friend here in the city, right? Bainian went over to see him and, in passing, invited him to have dinner with us. I wish to meet your friend too. Wei Potian suddenly quivered after hearing these words. His expression rapidly changed as his muddle-headedness completely vanished. Although Wei Bainian wasnt famous and usually kept a low profile within the family, Wei Potian knew the former was one of his fathers most trusted brothers. It already surprised him greatly that such a person had been chosen as a candidate to oversee the seventh divisions defensive region. Why would he go and see Qianye immediately after arriving in Blackflow City? There really was no reason for an elder to visit a junior, even if Qianye was his good friend. Wei Dongming acted as if he didnt notice Wei Potians expression and said, Oh yes, I also brought Shiqing along. The old ancestor seems to have sent you a trunk load of items. You should go and take a look right now. Shiqing was Wei Potians maid who had followed him since childhood. Wei Potian suppressed the distress in his heart and responded respectfully before excusing himself. He paused slightly at the courtyard gates but decided to follow his fathers advice and return to his room to visit Shiqing. At the same time, he could inquire about the situation back home. Qianye should have already met Wei Bainian by now. Those from the older generation possessed keen eyesightthings might actually worsen if he was too crude. While Wei Potian was feeling restless and apprehensive, Qianye still hadnt encountered Wei Bainian. He was out to see the future headquarters of their mercenary group. Song Hu was indeed a talented person. He had already found a large empty area in the citys west side within an afternoons time. This place was an abandoned factoryits majestic framework was still intact and could accommodate people after some cleaning and partitioning. The space occupied by the factory was fairly large and could still house the mercenary group even if it grew to thousands of members. Right now, there were only homeless refugees living here. Song Hu had already gone to the government hall to handle the necessary procedures. He had paid a token price of 50 gold coins to obtain the rights to use this factory zone for 50 years. Qianye had just reached the street when he gazed forward after sensing something. A small group of guards with no insignias on their uniforms had gathered at the courtyard gates. However, all of them were silent, calm, and imposing. The positions they had taken formed a practiced group attack formation. Song Hus grip on his suitcase tightened. Although he was still walking, his footsteps had obviously slowed down as his direction of advancement deviated ever so slightly. Qianye didnt show any changeshe maintained his natural calm and continued walking at his usual pace. With that, they passed by those guards and only came to a stop after entering the wide-open gates. A person stood within the courtyard with his back facing them and only turned around when he heard sounds of movement. This was a tall and lean man whose age was difficult to discern from his facial features. He appeared quite young at first glance, but after some observation, one would discover traces of time upon his countenance. He was clad in archaic apparel and exuded a noble and scholarly temperament. One could immediately tell that he was born to a well-known family. Im Wei Bainian. You must be Young Master Qiyangs friend, Young Master Qian right? Qianyes expression changed slightly after hearing this name. He had already guessed that this was an elder from Wei Potians clan when he received Song Zinings letter, but he didnt expect to meet Wei Bainian in person. At this point, Song Hu approached Qianye and whispered a few words. Qianye nodded and performed a rather formal salutation toward Wei Bainian. So its Potians sixth uncle. Song Hus introduction was short but sufficient to express the person before them was extraordinary. Wei Bainian wasnt even 50 years of age but had already served over 30 years in the Imperial Army. He had joined the army as a soldier despite being a direct descendant of the Wei clans main branch and was eventually promoted to the rank of general by accumulating merits. The empire had faced constant threat throughout the years but god knows how much blood was on the hands of those who had survived more than ten years in service. Wei Bainian had long since taken in the odd expression on Qianyes face and was, at the moment, paying attention to Song Hu. I didnt expect anyone here to know a nameless person like myself. Qianye still wasnt clear about the purpose of this visit even after Wei Bainian left. Unskilled as he was in the ways of the world, Qianye still understood it was impossible for Wei Potians elder to visit his residence just to invite him to dinner. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 205: Lobbyist Part 1 Chapter 205: Lobbyist (Part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] In truth, Qianye still wasnt clear as to what Wei Potians two elders were planning even after their dinner together. The meal was a family dinner through and through. The dishes were sumptuous and involved no overly complicated table etiquette. They simply ate as an ordinary family would. There was only Wei Dongming, Wei Bainian, Wei Potian and a single advisor who seemed to be of significant position within the Wei family. Wei Potian was exceptionally well-behaved today as most of Marquis Weis words were to lecture him. Wei Bainian and the advisor both seemed to be cultured gentlementhe topic of their livening conversations mostly involved the customs of various lands and the hobbies of the nobility of which Qianye had merely heard of. Qianye was inherently lacking with regards to social intercourse. The odd part was that they didnt inquire about Qianyes origins either. Wei Potian insisted on sending him back when Qianye excused himself and proceeded to jump into the jeeps driver seat. Qianye noticed Wei Potians expression seemed somewhat gloomy as if he wanted to complain about his sufferings. The jeep rumbled as it fled swiftlyit almost seemed as if it was about to fly. Qianyes residence was in the adjacent street block but Wei Potian drove in the opposite direction, taking a long detour. Despite that, it didnt take them much longer than the normal route to arrive at the small courtyard. Apparently, driving at such a speed was the only way to improve his mood a little. Wei Dongming and Wei Bainian stood gazing at the jeep rushing through the streets. The advisor had already excused himself and no maids were left in the room. Only the two brothers were left in intimate discussion. Wei Bainian spoke first, Ive already observed the scene. Wu Zhengnans remains were ignited by origin flames, but his friend doesnt have such an origin power attribute. He paused momentarily before adding, The expeditionary army headquarters arent without skilled personnel. Its impossible for them to not discover this point. However, I heard that it was Qiyang who had appeared to deal with them from beginning to the end. They didnt even ask if there were any other survivors who can testify. Although Marquis Wei had come to Evernight Continent in secret, he was, nonetheless, an extremely prominent target. That was why he rarely left his residence after returning from Wei Potians office. Wei Bainian would check up on whatever the former wanted to see. At this point, Wei Dongming replied indifferently, Even black-faced Xiaos attitude seemed to be more bark and less bite. When did he become so amiable? I refuse to believe this Marquis of Bowang has that much prestige. Do you mean someone had already paved the way on the expeditionary armys side for Qiyang to overthrow Wu Zhengnan? And our Wei clan had no hand in it? Wei Dongyang nodded. Its quite likely. But whether or not Qiyang knows is uncertain. He laughed coldly. Why otherwise would Zhang Youheng be in such a hurry to wash his hands of this matter? He wouldnt extricate himself so directly if he knew of the expeditionary army headquarters ambiguous attitude. Wei Bainian frowned. This man is really too pragmatic. It doesnt matter. Hes not from the Zhang clan despite his surname. Its better for him to be more cautious. Well just have to use him less in the future. Wei Dongming didnt really mind the military police prosecutors withdrawal but instead asked, What do you think of Qiyangs friend? A good blade, but one thatll be hard to control. Wei Dongming was silent for a moment before saying, Theres someone behind him. Wei Bainian also expressed agreement. Qianye didnt seem like a person who could scheme and accomplish the feat of placating Xiao Lingshi. At this time, Wei Potian was rushing into Qianyes courtyard. He shouted at Lil Seven and Nine as if he was the master, Bring wine! Qianye shot a glance at him before entering the house. He then received the two cups of strong wine from Lil Seven and put a drop of his custom stimulant into each of them. Wei Potian snatched a whole bottle and finished half of it in one swig. Only then did he slam the bottle onto the table and said angrily, Tell me why that bastard wont stay despite the many benefits Ive offered him? Damn his grandmother! Isnt this making it difficult for me on purpose? Which bastard? Who else but my sixth uncle? In order to take up the position of division commander, one needs to be a champion in addition to being proficient in military affairs. Hes likely the only one in the clan who can make time for this. At this point, Wei Potian couldnt help being depressed. He had gone to see Wei Bainian as soon as the latter returned, striking while the iron was hot. However, he was respectfully seen off before half an hour had passed. Apparently, the negotiation wasnt successful. This Wei clan young master certainly wouldnt suffer such bulsh*t if he had a second choice. Qianyes felt a slight jolt to his mind. As it turned out, Wei Bainian was the Wei clans candidate for taking over the 7th divisions defensive region. But judging from how Marquis Wei worked, there should be another purpose. It was likely that the Wei clan had intended this operation against Wu Zhengnan to be a practical experience for the heir. That was why they had set up only the general plan and required Wei Potian to work out the details. After passing through many knocks and bumps along the way, it was his final test to find a suitable candidate and reorganize the 7th division. However, even an outsider such as Qianye was able to see that it was quite the overkill to assign someone of Wei Bainians talents to Evernight Continent. It seemed the Marquis Weis real intention was to make Wei Potian back out after seeing the difficulties and give up on this small region sooner. However, it also wasnt bad if Wei Potian could persuade Wei Bainian to stay because that would give the Wei clan an additional base of operations in Evernight Continent, albeit one of little value. At this time, Qianye began to recall the item Song Zining had given him and the contents of the conversation between Wei Bainian and the advisor at the dinner table. He suddenly began to grasp the meaning behind all this. Why is he refusing to take up the position of the 7th division commander? How should I know?! Heaven knows whats going on in his mind. Why would he need to travel all the way here if he has no intention to stay? Wei Potian drank in large gulps while complaining and soon a whole bottle had entered his stomach. Wei Potian kept on talking continuously for almost an hour. The effects of the wine had appeared and he could no longer stand straight. Hence, he summoned the guards who had come to find him with a loud cry and staggered away in their company. Wei Potians complaints were mostly focused on the management of trivial matters which he mustve been holding in for quite some time. It was just that today was a good opportunity to vent. Qianye mostly listened in silence during the whole process. As the heir of Marquis Bowang and the future leader of his clan, Wei Potian would encounter these things sooner or later. They would only be more complex than the management of a mere Blackflow CityWei Potian was obviously aware of thishe only needed someone to listen to his rants. After Wei Potian left, Qianye returned to his bedroom and gazed contemplatively at the wooden box near his bed. He could already confirm that the item within it was prepared for Wei Bainian. Qianye thought for a while before he laughed, shaking his head. Could this be considered adapting to other partys tastes? The night peacefully passed by. Qianye, being someone quick to take action, called upon Wei Bainian early next morning. Qianye went silent for a moment when Wei Bainian inquired the purpose of his visit. Recognizing that he wasnt quite proficient in lobbying people with lengthy words, Qianye decided to get straight to the point. General Wei should be the single best candidate for the 7th division commanders position. I wonder why you refuse to accept? Wei Bainian replied with a question of his own, Then why do you think I should accept this position? Qianye was momentarily speechless as he discovered how difficult it was to answer this question. Qianye shook his head after the words future prospects escaped his mouth. With Wei Bainians qualifications and background, he could easily obtain a division commanders position in any of the regular corps. The future prospects there were much better than in the second-rate expeditionary army. Qianye gave it some thought before asking, I wonder if General Wei has plans to climb higher in rank? It was easiest to breakthrough amidst life and death struggles. This was the creed of all experts of the Great Qin Empire. Most champions had cut their way through paths full of thorns and thistles. It was likely that the war zone in which Blackflow City was located would encounter a battle with the dark races. It was also likely to attract those who sought to increase their strength. However, Wei Bainian laughed self-deprecatingly. Im very clear about my aptitude. Im afraid its no longer possible for me to improve. That being the case, I would rather pass my days peacefully and let my family be at ease." This had effectively blocked Qianyes intended words. If Wei Bainian had really reached a bottleneck like he said and could no longer breakthrough, the focus of his considerations would likely be a stable lifestylethis was common sense. This was especially true for descendants of aristocratic families. With so many things burdening their minds like their parents, children, and subordinates, one simply couldnt exclude the possibility that they had lost their spirit. This might be the background reason why he was the only champion available to lead an army. The guest room immediately became silent. Wei Bainians expression was quite calm and showed no traces of impatience. But there are tens of thousands of people living in the two cities ofthis defensive region. Wei Bainian broke out in laughter. The tens of thousands of Evernight citizens arent more important than the people of my Far East Province. I can serve anywhere and still serve the same purpose. His words could be considered quite polite. For many of the aristocracy, their native citizens were naturally more important than the people from this abandoned land. Qianye produced a wooden box and placed it on the table. Then, what about considering this item as remuneration? Wei Bainians eyes flashed slightly as he let out a chuckle. You must already know that Young Master Qiyang has already offered me many things. Wei Bainian had already noticed the uneasiness in Qianyes actions and the awkwardness of his words as he handled the item. It was obvious that this was the first time he had engaged in such business. However, he didnt expose the latter and only took the box and played around with it in his hands. He didnt open it in a hurry but instead sized up Qianye with great interest. Qianye also replied quite calmly. Potian didnt tell me about the details but did indeed say that he had offered you very good terms but you didnt agree to it. That makes me somewhat curious what young master has brought for me. Wei Bainian smiled as he unlocked the jade fastener. The box was pushed open a crack to reveal the corner of a smaller and more exquisite box. From this angle, one could see a light golden seal on its cover. Wei Bainians expression suddenly changed after his gaze fell upon this seal. His chest began to undulate rapidly and the hand that was holding onto the box casually trembled a little bit. He couldnt help but close the box and place it back on the table. He raised his head and looked toward Qianye with a rueful smile. I truly lost my composure! Its actually such an item! Wei Bainian inhaled deeply before opening the wooden box once again. It was uncovered completely to reveal a small and exquisite black lacquer box. On its surface was a striking insignia overflowing with great antiquity. Every stroke exuded the aura of vicissitudes. Qianye was only able to barely recognize the word forming this insignia because he had read the description of this item. It was the ancient character Ji. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 206: Lobbyist Part 2 Chapter 206: Lobbyist (Part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] Wei Baininan gently and cautiously removed the black lacquer box and placed it on a piece of brocade. A light yellow glow surged from his palms and gradually spread out to form a one square meter light shield which enclosed the box within. Wei Bainian explained, One mustnt allow the item inside contact with moisture or light in order to preserve it well. Thats why an origin power barrier is necessary when appreciating it. I hope the young master will excuse my behavior. Qianye momentarily scanned the barrier and found that it had indeed isolated the interior from outside influences. He couldnt help but feel slightly shakena champion level experts attacks were more or less able to affect an area. Wei Bainian being able to conjure such a barrier obviously meant that he was able to control origin power at will. Wei Bainians full attention was concentrated on the little box before him and didnt mind Qianyes observations at all. It seemed, from the formers solemn expression, that he was conducting an extremely important business as he gently pushed the lid open. There was a jade frame within the box with faint origin power lights flickering occasionally at each corner. This was evidently an origin power array. A bright yellow piece of brocade sat upon the jade frame, and properly placed at its center was a small half-used block of ink. Three slim words were visible on the remaining half: Handmade by Ji. Wei Bainian leant over with bated breath and approached the ink block. His eyes didnt deviate in the slightest as he observed the item detail. Qianye had long since known that it was a block of ink and that it had extraordinary origins and value. However, he felt rather odd after seeing the actual goodsit was actually a half-used item? But after seeing Wei Bainians seriousness and excitement, Qianye intelligently swallowed any doubts he had back into the depths of his heart. Wei Bainian straightened his back only after a long time. He only dared exhale a long sigh of relief after properly closing the lid. A smoky ink of the highest quality! Its actually an item used by King Ji back in the day! I have never expected such a treasure to appear before my eyes! Do you know the merits of this piece of ink? Qianye only smiled without replying. He had already read the items introduction but decided that it was unwise to make a display before an expert such as Wei Bainian. Wei Bainian himself didnt seem to have the intention to wait for Qianyes reply. His question was only to act as an introduction for the lengthy and unceasing discussion that was to follow. The patterns on this smoky ink form the thousand miles mountains and rivers pattern. It should be one of the thirty pieces handmade by King Ji himself. Its benefits lie in Wei Bonian spoke for the greater half of an hour from which Qianye only understood that this King Ji belonged to the imperial lineage. He was a great expert from the previous dynasty widely known for his painting and calligraphy. The handcrafted ink and pen were only things he produced for fun?a minor path. However, even this half-used piece of ink was worth tens of thousands of gold coins. Disregarding the price, the important thing was that one might not necessarily be able to buy it even if he had the money. All of King Jis equipment and ink had long since been collected by the imperial family and nobility. How could it have the opportunity to appear in the outside world? Qianye listened quietly and attentively despite being puzzled at heart. Even if it was a rare item belonging to a great expert from the previous dynasty, how was it able to make a person like Wei Bainian change so uncharacteristically? To Qianye, ink was still ink. The numerous patterns were showy, but they were not substantial. It would prove no use whatsoever on the battlefield. Urgent military reports could be written in a few lines as simple and concise messages were the most effective. As for the yin-yang balance, the color and flourish of the strokesnone of these had any significance. Such items could only be enjoyed by those born of distinguished families like Wei Bainian. Wei Bainian only let the matter drop after he had talked to his hearts content. At this time, his gaze toward Qianye was no longer the same. He said with a smile, Young Master Qian is indeed a kindred spirit. Qianye felt sweat dripping down his back. Im actually not very knowledgeable Wei Bainian waved his hands and said, Young Master Qian, why the need for such modesty? Taking this item out is already a sufficient display of your thoughtfulness! Many young men have probably never even heard of this unique treasure. Qianye felt extremely guilty after being praised like this and felt his facial expression turn somewhat rigid. Wei Bainian, on the other hand, could no longer be controlled as he started talking in great delighthe began to discuss his opinions and preferences regarding the various painting and calligraphy experts throughout the history of the Great Qin Empire. This time, the conversation wasnt just limited to King Ji and involved commenting on almost every expert of various dynasties. It was obvious that this Wei Bainian was an arts and calligraphy nut. He was actually able to talk until lunchtime even without Qianye talking actively. Even then, his spirits hadnt diminishedhe personally prepared a meal consisting of four dishes and a bottle of good wine, inviting Qianye to drink with him. Fortunately, Wei Bainian didnt continue discussing art during lunch but instead talked about past battles with the dark races. The topic of discussion had finally returned to Qianyes field of expertise. The experiences of a champion were naturally extremely valuable, but Qianye also possessed a degree of unconventional knowledge, allowing the two to hold an enjoyable conversation. However, Qianyes heart sank slightly as he noticed a small detail. The wooden box was still placed on the tea table and Wei Bainian didnt seem to have the intention of putting it away. Wei Bainian followed Qianyes gaze and suddenly asked with a faint smile, What do you intend to do from now on if I dont accept this division commanders position? Qianye sighed inwardly. He had correctly implemented the strategy of catering to ones interests, but as a champion, Wei Bainian wasnt one to be moved by material objects. From this, it could be seen that Wei Bainian had only followed Marquis Wei for a visit to Evernight Continent. He was likely here only to posture for a bit and bring Wei Potian back. As for this third-rate defensive region, the Wei clan didnt care that much. Wei Bainian hadnt blocked off the possibility, but being unproficient in persuasion, Qianye no longer knew how to move Wei Bainian. He could only continue guessing the outcome and cater to the other partys interests, waiting for that slim chance which might or might not come. Qianye suddenly felt this wasnt his nature. He had nothing much to contribute to a conversation related to art and calligraphy nor did he possess the authority to comment on the mans hobby. Wei Bainian, on the other hand, had his own answer and standpoint. Qianye raised his head, his gaze clear and calm. Ill still establish a mercenary band and strive to guard Blackflow City. Wei Bainian smiled faintly. What are you going to guard it with? With just a few hundred seedlings? His voice contained a hint of ridicule but with no evil intentions, like an old veteran confronting a rookie who didnt know the immensity of the heaven and earth. Qianye didnt mind Wei Beinians tone at all and only replied, Ill know whether its possible only after I try. This is a city with tens of thousands of people. Regardless of whether its easy to defend, I cant let the dark races easily obtain it. I dont believe I can change the ending of this battle, but I''ll at least properly fulfill my responsibility since this matter originated from me. Wei Bainians eyes flickered. You plan to die together with Blackflow City? Qianye shook his head. Ah, of course not. Ill fight until its no longer possible to do so and then break through the encirclement. Only by living can I kill more enemies. Only by living will I continue to grow stronger. Then one day, Ill return and take back everything I lost from the hands of the dark races. Uninfluenced by the honor, disgrace, gains or losses of a single city, land or moment while possessing a broad view of the distant mountains and rivers. Fighting when one should and retreating as the situation demandsthis is the true way of a general! Qianye was shocked as Wei Bainian broke into praises. Wei Bainian patted Qianyes shoulder and said, Then lets see what kind of ending this battle will bring! Qianye was only able to react after a while. Has General Wei decided to stay? In any case, there are battlefields everywhere. It makes little difference whether I fight here or there. Its said that the situation here is no small matter and has already alarmed many major characters. I do want to see what kind of surprises there will be. After that, Wei Bainian picked up the wooden box containing the half-used cloud ink and put it away carefully. Although this little thing alone isnt enough to make me change my mind, things certainly wouldnt have worked out without it. Since you were so considerate as to find such a thing, Ill not forego the modesty and accept it! Of course. Qianye finally heaved a sigh of relief. Accepting the item meant that Wei Bainian had officially agreed to the matter. Qianye walked slowly along the streets of Blackflow City after coming out of Wei Bainians residence. He didnt enter the alleyways but instead followed the main street of that block, observing everything along the way. This place was similar to Darkblood Citythe population had obviously risen as the situation in the wilderness became increasingly tense. The recent effects of Wu Zhengnans matter hadnt completely faded and the atmosphere was still somewhat tense whenever armed warriors passed by. However, the ordinary citizens were forgetfulto them, the city administration was just an abstractionit mattered little who was in power as long order was kept and the taxes remained the same. The tension in the wilderness had more or less affected the city. The shoddy taverns had become even more crowded. There were already drunkards staggering on the roads even though it was only two oclock and the sun hadnt completely set. In Qianyes eyes, however, such clamor still didnt feel like the ambiance before a true battle. The civilians all knew that the Trinity River County where Blackflow City was located and Boulder Region wherein lies the nearby Darkblood City were all likely to be embroiled in battle. However, the majority had no experience with true battle. Bloody conflicts were happening all the time in Evernight Continent, but this land abandoned by the Qin Empire was also a barren place to the dark races of the upper continents. Here, resources were scarce and life was hardthose so-called battles were merely offensive campaigns. The gains from fighting an all-out war on Evernight Continent might not even cover the costs involved. Therefore, the true frontlines between the dark races and the empire were still located in other continents. What was a true battle? Qianye had only indirectly experienced such a battle once during his short military career. Back then, he was a rookie who didnt even have the qualifications to step into a true battle. He was assigned as a guard to a military base close to the front lines. That base was used as a final stop for the major characters joining the battle to reorganize their troops. Leaving it meant they had truly entered the van of the battlefield. During a short week, Qianye had seen three whole batches of 17 champions assemble there and enter the battlefield. In the end, less than one-third of them returned. And that base was only one of the many such locations. Through such means, Qianye was first acquainted with the cruelty of the war against the dark races. This was a process every rookie had to go through. In truth, Qianye had also sensed that both Wei Potian and Song Zinings true attitudes toward the imminent battle were grave and serious. He had also sensed a similar feeling from Wei Bainians words just now. Qianye was lost in thought as he gazed at the stream of people shuttling back and forth. How much of this lively yet orderly street scene would remain after the chaos has passed? If war was a furnace, then geniuses were ores. Countless ores would be tossed into it but only a few of them would be refined into true goldmost others would become dregs to be discarded and eventually forgotten. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 207: Parting Part 1 Chapter 207: Parting (Part 1) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] The days that followed were rather tranquil. Now that the headquarters of the mercenary band had been selected, the seedlings from the Far East Heavy Industrys mining zone were split up into batches and began to move toward Blackflow City. From the renovation work to the batch migration of the seedlings and the necessary logistics and supplies, everything was managed by Song Hu alone. He was so busy it seemed as if he was about to start flying. Qianye simply sent Lil Seven and Nine over to assist him. The statecraft which the twins had learnt at the trade group was finally able to shine. Additionally, the girls were patient, careful, and hardworking. Within a couple of days, they were already able to take charge of a sector and become a helping force to Song Hu. Qianye only needed to listen to the reports once every night while leaving all other matters to them. He himself spent most of his time cultivating in an isolated room. He had already decided that he would go out into the wilderness to hunt once the mercenary band had been settled in. This wasnt only for the reward with which to keep the mercenary band running but also to personally observe the surrounding topography. The best safeguard out in the wilderness was ones own strength. At this time, Wei Potian was still toiling away amidst the mountains of documents when Marquis Wei, whose recent whereabouts were unknown, walked in silently. When Wei Dongming saw Wei Potians writings werent the slightest bit disarrayed despite the grimace on his face, the former nodded inwardly in satisfaction. Wei Potian got up hurriedly and asked, Dad, how come youre back so soon? Wei Dongming was apparently in a good mood as he scolded with a laugh, Your old man has a multitude of important businesses to attend to. How will I have the time to waste in this tiny place? But after visiting the surrounding places, I found that the general situation still seems rather peaceful. This indicates that your management has been quite effective. Wei Potians expression was the picture of bitterness. These trivial matters are more annoying than a war! Wei Dongming restored his usual expression and began to lecture, Youre to become the master of a clan in the future. How can you keep thinking about fighting and killing all day!? We can only take our time to transfer this defensive area back to the expeditionary army since your uncle Bainian isnt willing to accept the division commanders position. Naturally, we cant return it to them for free. Well have to make them bleed for it. At this point, Wei Dongmings expression eased up and said, Ive already instructed people to arrange the trip. Leave with me in a few days. The old ancestor misses you and you should also meet those ladies in advance. Choose someone you like and let your daddy hold a grandson soon. Unexpectedly, Wei Potian replied, Sixth uncle has agreed to stay. Wei Dongming was shocked. What!? Bainian plans to stay!? Wei Potian shrugged. Yes, I have no idea what changed his mind either. Two days ago, he wouldnt agree no matter what I said, but yesterday, he suddenly came to tell me that he has decided to stay. He has already gone to visit the remote sentry posts today. Wei Dongming seemed as if he couldnt believe things. This is impossible! He obviously said Wei Dongming immediately stopped talking at this point, but Wei Potian had already come to realize what had transpired. He glared at his father with eyes full of ill will. Wei Dongming no longer showed excessive surprise by the time he met Wei Bainian. This cousin of his was always casual and simple. Naturally, Wei Dongming wasnt opposed since the latter was interested in Evernight Continent and also gained an item that he loved. It was just that the Wei clans composition in the area would have to be readjusted. The two brothers had many years of experience regarding such matters. Wei Bainian briefly stated the necessary resources, manpower, and present arrangements. Wei Dongming listened to all of them and authorized the plan verbally. This matter could be considered settled after recording them upon his return to the clan. Only afterwards did Wei Dongming mention the fruits of his recent activity. I already know the person working in the background. Its the seventh son of the Song clan, Song Zining. Since Wei Potian didnt mention it himself, Marquis Wei naturally wouldnt openly ask his sons aides. A servant shouldnt have two masters, regardless of the reason. The expeditionary army and Xiao Lingshis side definitely wouldnt divulge this information. However, it was impossible to erase all traces after doing something. As long as one traced along the gigantic channel of profit behind Wu Zhengnan, he would be able to find certain clues within the changes. Wei Bainian was startled. Song Zinings name wasnt prominent and he had barely ever heard of it. Suddenly, he recalled some of the traces at the scene of Wu Zhengnans death and immediately realized something. Thats it. That means the origin power flames at the scene likely came from the Song clans technique, Fueled Fire Spear. With that, he involuntarily frowned. Song clan? Hmm The Far East Wei Clan had always maintained a neutral position when dealing with the four great clans and werent particularly close with any of them. After Wei Potian joined the Broken Winged Angels, he was placed under Bai Longjia of the Bai clan. This kind of relationship arising from organizational structure, however, couldnt represent their standpoint. Wei Potian choosing to work together with the Song clans seventh son in handling this half-official, half-private business related to Wu Zhengnan, on the other hand, meant something else entirely. Wei Dongming continued, Shiqing told me just now that Qiyang has returned the heirs token and had asked her to revoke all external authorizations. External authorization of the core Wei clan member tokens had to be registered at the main clan to be effective. Their utilization wasnt an exception either. The two brothers both knew that the heirs token Wei Potian had given to Qianye hadnt actually been exchanged for resources. Wei Bainian was somewhat stunned. At first, he was suspicious whether someone was secretly trying to influence the heir through Qianye, but this news came as quite the surprise. Why would he let go of such a good opportunity if he had other intentions? Wei Dongming said indifferently, Well let this matter end here. Since Qiyang considers this his personal affair, then we have no need to probe too deeply. Hes no longer a child and he should know what hes doing. Wei Bainian nodded. He had no objection toward his elder brothers decision. What the Wei clan required was a leader and not a puppet who does anothers bidding. Even parents couldnt keep their children under complete control. The road ahead, after all, had to be walked alone. The way Wei Bainian led his troops was swift and decisive, a stark contrast from his refined appearance. He had made a tour of the whole defensive region within three days and, in passing, even settled certain disputes with the two adjacent divisions. In truth, he was the one who had incited his subordinates to provoke the other party over small matters and cause these so-called disputes. Afterwards, he used this as an excuse to rapidly suppress the other two divisions and bring the two nearby strategic points under his control. Qianyes mercenary band also received their first commission from Wei Bainian. The mercenary band would take over the defense of two small towns surrounding Blackflow City. The remuneration for the defense of each town was 300 gold coins. This would barely cover the basic expenses of the corps, but it was far from enough if they wanted to expand. The only true way out was to wait for the defense budget to rise after the war, or exchange military service gained from fighting against the dark races for rewards. Night time, it was once again time for Song Hu to deliver a report to Qianye. Song Hu had organized the mercenary band into five squads of 100 men. He had selected four experienced soldiers from the seedlings and distributed them as leaders among two groups. Lil Seven and Lil Nine would each lead a group while the final one would be led by Song Hu himself. Next up was the renovation, training, and other trivial matters of which Qianye was only told the gist. The only thing that required his attention was the issue of expenditure. Resources were the only thing the leader needed to considerother trifling matters could be left to appropriate personnel. Afterwards, Song Hu mentioned the defensive duties of the war zone they had been assigned to. Qianye only signed an agreement with Wei Bainian, but Song Hu was the one who had managed the actual transfer arrangements with the 7th Division Headquarters. Normally, one would require a day or two to formulate a concrete defense strategy since the defense map was received only this afternoon. Qianye saw the map of the warzone Song Hu had spread out and was slightly shaken. Of the two towns designated to him, one was Lighthouse Town in which he had stayed for half a year, while the other was an adjacent town less than ten kilometers away. Song Hus expression was somewhat grave. Young Master, how is your relationship with the Wei clan? Qianye looked up. Is this important? Song Hu pointed to the map and explained everything at once. These two towns were in bad shape. Lighthouse Town hadnt quite recovered from that ransacking during which Young Master Zhaos forces were completely uprooted by the expeditionary army. There were little over a thousand residents left in the whole town. Black Clay Town was in a slightly better condition, but its location was protruding toward the dark race region even more than Lighthouse Town. It was the area closest to the border in the whole of the Trinity River County and only a few scattered human settlements remained further out. Black Clay Town bordered the Black Clay Swampthe environment there was barren and adverse. The residents there were mostly scavengers and people who risked their lives to gather medicine in Black Clay Swamp. Please look at this place. Song Hu pointed to a certain point at the center of Black Clay Swamp and drew a line all the way to a dark race city 300 kilometers away. This is Spiderweb City, mostly inhibited by arachne, werewolves, and possibly a small number of demonkin. In the large-scale battles of the past, they would occasionally traverse the Black Clay Swamp and attack Blackflow City. The swamps natural environment couldnt hinder the arachne and the werewolves could ride on the arachne to pass through the swamp. Qianye couldnt help but raise his head to glance at Song Hu. Youve led troops into battle before in this region? It had only been a couple of hours since Song Hu had obtained the map of this defensive region but he had already grasped the environment so clearly. Song Hu replied, Of course I havent. However, since youve decided to work out of Blackflow City, I naturally have to collect some information. This also meant that Song Hu had been paying attention to the surrounding trends of Blackflow City since he arrived at Qianyes side. No, Song Hus focus of attention wasnt just limited to the 7th divisions war zone. There was a distance of over 300 kilometers between here and Spiderweb City. This area had surpassed the defensive scope of a single division, even by Evernight standards. Seeing this, Qianye said, It seems you wont have any problem working as a division chief of staff. Song Hu played down the praise. I served as a division level chief of staff in the imperial armys 10th corps ten years ago. I wasted my days there until I was wounded. The injury caused me to drop two ranks whereupon I retired from the army since I could no longer retain my original position. Since then, Ive been scraping by at the Song clan. Qianye was somewhat moved. The 10th corps belonged to the main force of the imperial army. The quality of officers there were completely different from those in the expeditionary army. He hadnt expected Song Zining to send someone of such caliber. Song Hu later added, The dark races from Spiderweb City wont go through the trouble of crossing the swamp if theres no war. Our mission, in that case, remains fairly simple. However, a war is inevitable this time, and as such, its almost certain that a great dark race army will emerge from the swamp! Young Master, who would believe its a coincidence that General Wei had assigned us to such towns? We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 208: Parting Part 2 Chapter 208: Parting (Part 2) [Volume 3 C The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace] After some thought, Qianye said indifferently, These towns it is then. But Song Hu gave up protesting after he saw Qianyes expression and said helplessly, then Ill formulate a defensive strategy. Qianye pondered for a while after Song Hu left and let out a somber sigh. Even though the current 7th division couldnt be considered completely disorganized, it was still far from being a cohesive organization. Wei Bainian hadnt even brought his complete personal guard. Granted that he had the Wei clans support, it wasnt quite possible for the clan to transport troops and resources across several continents. The young and hot-blooded Wei Potian had made a ruthless move after seeing several conflicts arise in Blackflow City following Wu Zhengnans death. He captured all of the latters relatives and aides, and as a result, several veterans no longer dared to show themselves and escaped to the nearby territories. The 7th division, in its present state, might need to recruit a large number of troops in order to reestablish its organizational structure. As such, not to mention two small towns, even Blackflow City might be in danger should the dark race army descend upon them. That very night, Song Hu once again explained the defensive duties of the mercenary band to another person. Song Zining, who had just returned after leaving for several days, couldnt help but laugh after hearing Qianyes response. In truth, theres also another possibility. It could also be that those two towns are merely being used as sentry posts and not strategic points to defend to the death. The line of defense would be shifted inwards once the dark race military strength reaches a certain scale. Song Hu, on the other hand, appeared quite comfortable and not the least uneasy. With his ability, he had naturally thought of this possibility. It was just that he had chosen to speak selectively. Song Zining added, Uncle Hu, you really dont need to do things too deliberately. My friends a simple person but hes by no means naive. Sometimes, vague and roundabout methods dont work too well on him. Ill have to trouble you during this one-year duration. From here on out, you no longer need to report things from that side. As you command. This was Wei Potians last night in Evernight Continent. He dragged Qianye out and, after going around the streets of Blackflow City, came to a noisy and inconspicuous little tavern. He had planned for them to get drunk here. Both Qianye and Wei Potian drank silently in the beginning. First two bottles each, then four went into their stomachs. Qianyes expression was somewhat hazy. He had been in that state since he finished his second cup all the way until he finished his second bottle.Wei Potians alcohol capacity tonight was exceptionally goodhis eyes were as clear as the stars and didnt show the slightest sign of intoxication. Wei Potian suddenly let out a long sigh and said in a dreary tone, Little Ye, tell me, why are there so many things in this world that cant be handled according to ones wishes? Thats because youre not the same as us. Youre an heir. Naturally, there are things you have little control over. Dammit, then whats good about being an heir? Wei Potian was somewhat vexed. He banged the table lightly as he emptied the glass in his hand. Why isnt it good? You can do whatever you want if youre alone. Whether you do well or not is your own business. But you, on the other hand, have to rise to this challenge for the people by your side and for the whole Wei clan. You have to perform well until the day you take over the position of clan head and thereafter carry the Wei clan forward. You should be even clearer than me about the meaning behind the title of heir. With great power comes great responsibility. Wei Potian began to ponder deeply as he muttered, Does that mean the more resources I control, the more I can do the things I want? Thats not wrong. How could we have removed Wu Zhengnan if you weren''t the heir? He would probably still be sitting properly in the commanders seat. Wei Potian nodded. I understand now. Its similar to what General Bai Longjia said! The night you saved me at Darkblood City, General Bai Longjia said that every statement is a lie unless one has the power to prove it. With my authority at that time, I could only slaughter those cowards ranked major and below but now I can deal with the field officers. Qianye was somewhat startled. A bright trace flashed through his hazy eyes, but ultimately, he didnt reply. Wei Potian became spirited. He patted Qianyes shoulder heroically and said, Very well! Ill work well in this position and become the head of the Wei clan. The Marquis of Bowang isnt the end of the road. This daddy here still wants to become an imperial marshal! Qianye laughed. Good ambition. How about you? What plans do you have? Sigh, if not for your condition, you can just go back with me to the Qin Continent. You can easily become a field officer in any of the main armys corps! At this point, Wei Potian suddenly realized his tongue had slipped and immediately stopped talking. He hadnt brought up this matter since Song Zining incinerated Wu Zhengnans remains that night. Qianye was unconcerned about this. He emptied his cup and said with a smile, Im doing fine right now. Wei Potian habitually scratched his head and said, You say that but its going to be troublesome for you. With your character Qianye couldnt help but laugh. Im not one to reason patiently with someone who comes looking for trouble. You should be worrying more about yourself! Wei Potian looked deeply at Qianye and slowly said, Youve changed. Qianye sighed. Back in that village, when I saw that the people rushing up were all from the expeditionary armythat they were all humansmy way of thinking changed in many ways. Wei Potian became much more relaxed on the spot as he proceeded to fill their empty glasses. He said with a smile, I was worried youll suffer losses in the future but I feel relieved after hearing your words! Qianye emptied another glass before glancing at Wei Potian. You of all people are saying that to me!? Unlike you, Im not that, Wei Potian had to think quite hard for a suitable word, inflexible! Toward this evaluation, Qianye opened his mouth but couldnt utter a word. Wei Potian added, I was taught, as a child, that the Wei clan comes first and your daddy here comes second. If anyone blocks my way, whoever that is and however he claims to have a righteous cause, I should kick him away, and better yet, stomp on the damn person a few times! How straightforward! Qianye was somewhat stunned. He had never expected an aristocratic family to train their heir like so. Of course, they didnt say it so blatantly but thats the meaning I got after figuring things out. At this point, Wei Potian moved to refill his glass only to find that the battle was, once again, empty. Looking at the rowdy crowd around them, the worn-out surroundings and the empty bottle, Wei Potian suddenly felt sad for some reason. Little Ye, I dont know when well meet again after this parting. But I reckon its no longer possible to find another brother like you. You and I have our own ideals, but this world is too damned chaotic! Only by grasping the whole realm in our hands can we make it operate according to our thoughts. Thats why Little Ye, lets work hard together and stand at the apex of this world. Lets grasp all the continents in our hands! What grand aspirations! Qianye broke into a laughter. The heart is only big enough when it can accommodate the whole world! The Wei clan heirs heroic spirit was still surging toward the skies. Qianye didnt say anything, however, a certain flame was gradually ignited in his eyes. The glass of strong wine in his hands seemingly turned into a fiery stream which flowed into the throat and fell into the abyss where it rose up again as raging flames! By the time they left the small tavern, it was already deep in the night and the moon was hanging high in the sky. Blackflow City was still bustling with activitymercenaries, adventurers, and hunters were busy spending large amounts money they had risked their lives to earn on women and alcohol. There was no heartache at all. During this period of imminent crisis, no one could be certain they would live to see the coming dawn. War was drawing near. The news had long since been circulated among the upper classes, but basic classes also have their way of finding out certain clues. For instance, they witnessed many wealthy people evacuating one after another, weapons and foods prices rising continuously, and large batches of soldiers being mobilized. Additionally, those violent aristocratic scions who liked to throw their weight about seemed to have disappeared. Evernight was at the bottom of the whole empire. Those at the bottom of Evernight neither had the ability nor the opportunity to leave this place. They could only stay here and leave their fates to the heavens. Both Qianye and Wei Potian turned silent after seeing the city being permeated by an atmosphere of final merriment. Finally, Wei Potian said softly, Im leaving now. Take care. Dont forget our promise just now! Wei Potian grinned and broke into a laughter after seeing Qianyes nod. Its settled then. You have to survive for our reunion! Be careful or youll be crawling under my Thousand Mountains next time we meet! Qianye was never one to shrink back from such a challenge. He sneered. Its not a problem for me to smash your turtle shell no matter how many times we meet! I told you, just worry about yourself! With that, Qianye faintly released his origin power aura. Six origin power nodes lit up within Wei Potians wide eyes and almost blinded him! You youre already rank six! Qianye laughed. Merely an accident. But, you actually reached rank six just like that!? Wei Potian scratched his head intensively. He simply couldnt imagine the outcome of fighting with Qianye. But afterwards, he smiled happily and said, Thats quite good. At least I can go with my mind at ease. If any of those bastards come to provoke you before reaching rank eight or nine, theyll be in for a big surprise. Wei Potian opened his arms and gave Qianye a big hug before preparing to leave. He had just turned around but, sensing something, he suddenly lifted his head and looked toward the side. It was unknown when Song Zining had appeared on the roof of a nearby building. His footing was quite stable despite standing on the ridge. It was at this moment that the thick clouds moved away in the sky, allowing the clear and cold moonlight to shower down onto his body. It seemingly enshrouded him in a clear layer of light or a faint cloaking of rising mist. This dignified and picturesque scene appeared extremely offensive in Wei Potians eyes. He immediately glared at Song Zininghadnt this skirt-chaser already gone back to the upper continents? Why would he appear at this time? And he was standing up so high in a coquettish manner with no fear of falling and breaking his neck! Song Zining waved at Qianye with a smile, but by the time his gaze turned toward Wei Potian, the smile had already transformed into a sneer. His mouth opened slightlyit was obvious, from its movement and shape, that he was saying what he frequently said to Wei Potian: Idiot. Wei Potian was much more straightforward. He spat toward Song Zining since he couldnt be bothered to talk with the latter. Song Zining didnt hang around for very long and soon turned around to leave, his figure gradually disappearing under the moonlight. It was also time for Wei Potian to say his farewell. He only waved his hand since everything he needed to say had already been said. He didnt care where the governor''s residence was and simply picked the direction opposite of where Song Zining was heading. One went east and another headed westshowing clearly that they absolutely werent willing to walk the same path. Qianye gazed at his two friends behavior and began to laugh involuntarily. He knew Wei Potian would leave Evernight sooner or later. This abandoned land was not where the Wei clan heir belonged. Song Zinings appearance, on the other hand, was a surprise. The Song seventh young masters movements had always been a mystery. Last time, when he said that he would be leaving to patch up the identity the Yin family had given Qianye, it was already considered a farewell. Unexpectedly, he hadnt left Evernight yet. Within the blink of an eye, only Qianye was left standing at his original spot. The wind suddenly kicked up that night and the chill within cut like a knife. In the depths of the night, with this unremarkable Blackflow City as the origin, three people set out on their different paths to explore the worlds they each belonged to. Perhaps they would return to this familiar place after many years, but by the time they meet once more, they might have become characters who could lift up a part of the sky. Maybe some of them would forever remain on the path and only offer his friends fond memories to recall... This was a world that belonged to an era of war and every parting may very well be eternal. Worries and concerns were a form of luxury because most of the people were often powerless to change anything. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 209: Old Friend [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Night was the eternal theme of Evernight Continent. The whole vast and barren continent was enveloped by the endless night and shadows, leaving only a brief gap for sunlight. Within the several deep gazes cast upon the many, or perhaps even all continents, Evernight was akin to a shadow at the very edge of their fields of visionit was simply not worth investing any attention. The changing of a mere expeditionary army division commander from this dark corner region wasnt even worth appearing as an article on the Imperial Bulletin. The establishment of a tiny mercenary corps was paid even less attention. Over this great land hidden within the shadows, there crawled a vast and profound darkness. It crossed over the lands beneath, sketched in many shades of grey and eroding all that was bright. Even the daytime sky was similarly murky on the eve of this tempest. An airship was flying along the dense layers of clouds near the Evernight border. It was swaying due to the occasional gusts of strong wind and would, at times, suddenly veer dozens of meters off course. The airships metallic framework creaked and moaned in the strong gale. Some parts of it were obviously twisted and seemed as if they would break at any moment. This definitely wasnt a suitable day to fly an airship. The strong wind still wasnt its greatest enemythe flashes of lightning jumping within the pitch black layer of clouds were the true danger. This intercontinental stellar airship would undoubtedly fall burning to the ground once it was struck by lightning. A tall and sturdy captain was personally steering the ship at the bridge. His head was drenched in sweat as he stared fixedly at the front. However, all he could see were dark clouds and lightning arcs. The the sound of whistling wind filled everyones ears like the cry of a gigantic beast. Two origin power lamps lit up at the top of the airship. These powerful lights that could illuminate a whole drill ground on the surface seemed particularly dismal at the moment. It could only penetrate a small portion of the clouds to shine upon the host of hair-raising lightning serpents. Beyond that was a seemingly endless and tempestuous inferno. The bridge door was suddenly knocked opened as a pale youth rushed in and cried, We cant keep flying. The power furnace is at its limits and the support frame has started to distort. Land, land quickly! Well fall apart if we keep flying! What did you say!? the captain roared. However, his cry was akin to the buzzing of a fly amidst the wind and thunder. The young man rushed over to the captain and almost shouted into his ears, I said, the airship is about to fall apart! We have to land immediately! The captain hollered, Impossible! That man will tear us apart if we land now! But The youth wanted to say something, but in the end, he only cursed resentfully, Lunatics! All of you are madmen! He left the bridge and no longer demanded that the ship land. It seemed his fear towards that person was still far greater than the wind and lightning. The airship was like a leaf upon the stormy sea. It strove to move forward through the raging waves although it might be crushed at any moment. Two rows of warriors sat with their backs to the walls within the inner compartment. Their strength was astonishingall of them were at rank seven and abovebut their expressions werent looking good at the moment. They could only tie themselves tightly to their seats amidst the intense jolting to avoid being thrown out accidentally. Crashing into something within the cabin was a small matter, but people being flung out of the cabin door, or even the side windows, wasnt unprecedented. There were three people who were actually able to move unhindered within the rather spacious cabin. The group of warriors gazed at them with eyes full of reverence. The soldiers knew full well how terrifying these people were as they could not only move about unaffected but also engage in combat training in an environment where they could be suddenly jolted hundreds of meters in any direction. A soldierly young man stood to one side of the cabin door, the stars on his shoulder especially eye-catching. As the youngest general of the Broken Winged Angels, Bai Longjia had always been the center of attention wherever he went. However, at this moment, he was no different from the average bystander. The stars here were the two ladies, one younger and the other older, at the center of the cabin. The woman always dressed in light-colored ancient clothing appeared ordinary at a glance. However, her sharpness could wound anyone who glanced at her for a moment longer. She was the woman who could make the arrogant and incisive Bai Longjia as obedient as a kitten, Bai Aotu. Opposite of her was a young girl whose large eyes flickered with an innocent radiance. She appeared only 12 or 13, but her child-like countenance could already be termed stunningly beautiful. With a short knife in her hand, she was encircling Bai Aotu while launching a flurry of continuous attacks. The airship was still shaking fiercely and the little girl staggered and swayed. However, she did not fall no matter how unsteady her gait was and would even grasp the opportunity at every turn to launch fatal attacks at Bai Aotu. She was like a cunning and ruthless viperno matter how badly beaten she was, she could still deliver a fatal bite the moment the enemy became careless. Bai Longjia, who was looking from the side, rubbed his face. He was unwilling to admit the cool sensation which came from his palms. This wasnt a discomfort brought about by the rocking airship but an involuntary chill which arose within his heart after seeing the little girls training. He had long since realized that, if it was him in the ring, any carelessness or hesitation would have resulted in several slashes on his body. This little girl was able to launch dreadful counterattacks no matter how disadvantageous her situation was. The lass had only ignited five origin power nodes and couldnt be considered very talented. Even this level was only achieved after Bai Aotu had used no small amount of medicines on her.But sometimes, rank and and origin power strength wasnt everything. Her powerful combat instincts were evident when compared to those rank six or seven soldiers who could only tie themselves to their seats. Furthermore, this little girl still seemed quite young. Although Bai Longjia knew that her true age was somewhat older than how she appeared, her tested bone age was only about 15 years old. 15 years of ageeven if one were to train since birth, it would be impossible to reach her current state. It seemed there really were geniuses in this world. Even the Bai clans next-generation military leader, Bai Longjia, couldnt help but think so. This little girl was an inherent combat genius. It almost seemed as if she was born proficient both in her judgement and intuition toward danger. At the thought of this, Bai Longjia even felt somewhat jealous. The only pity was that although she possessed great talent in one aspect, there were defects in the otherher gift in origin power cultivation was mediocreshe had no chance of becoming a champion even if large amounts of medicine were used. The lasss origin power was limited while the expenditure during battles in such an adverse environment was especially great. She had already come close to collapse within moments. Bai Aotu evaded her stab and said, Thats enough. Well stop todays training here. Go rest and recover. The little girl saluted Bai Aotu in all seriousness, ran toward a corner of the cabin and proceeded to consume her rations. She appeared to be concentrating on the food as if she was tasting the most delicious food on earth. In truth, what she had in her hand was only a military ration made from compressed meat, vegetables, and grain. Both its texture and taste were far from the word delicious. Bai Aotu stood leaning on the cabin wall with her eyes closed and began to recuperate. Bai Longjia walked to her side and glanced at the little girl before saying, Sis, dont you feel that we might not necessarily be able to keep Kong Zhao? Bai Aotu didnt bother to open her eyes and just replied indifferently, Kong Zhao is a double-edged blade. Shes very powerful when used properly, but if not, she might bring you harm. What? Have you no confidence in yourself? Bai Longjia laughed ruefully. Kong Zhao is simply a monster. I really wouldnt be so confident if not for her mediocre talents in origin power cultivation. Dont forget that Kong Zhao is now surnamed Bai. Her name will gradually become known starting from the moment we let her into this battle. Shell always be surnamed Bai whatever feats she performs. But could it be that you feel the Bai clans name will have any binding effect? At this point, Bai Longjia hesitated for a moment before asking, Sis, how much confidence do you have in suppressing her in the future? Bai Aotu sank into a rare moment of silence before replying, Half. The airship was still moving with great difficulty, bouncing up and down like a pond-side frog hopping to evade the rain. Miraculously, it hadnt crashed and was still pushing toward the distance in the wind and lightning. Silence still reigned over Blackflow City. The commotion brought about by Wu Zhengnans case had completely disappeared. Even the dark races active outside the city had lessened greatly. However, to some people, this wasnt a good sign. The dark races would only withdraw their forces before the eruption of a great battle. Hence, the upper and basic classes within the city were split into two different groups. The upper classes were all anxiousthose who could leave had already leftthe others bound here by their duties were all nervous and restless. The basic classes, on the other hand, welcomed this rare period of relaxation, enjoying lifes pleasures to their hearts content. Their expectations werent high; some lousy wine would allow them to get by for a couple of days. As the captain of a newly established mercenary band, Qianye could now be considered as someone of status in Blackflow City, albeit barely. It had to be said that Wei Potian did possess the keen senses befitting of an aristocratic scionas flamboyant as he usually was, he didnt make his relationship with Qianye known. This spared the latter from inheriting the resentment of Wu Zhengnans old subordinates. Thus, as the leader of a mercenary corps with only a few hundred members, Qianye was only a third-rate character within a city with many such powers. No one paid much attention to him apart from similar small characters. Wei Bainian removed the current barracksthe reconstructed encampment of the 7th division was also at the four rivers base of Cloudsail City. There used to be a troop strength of two regiments stationed year-round in Blackflow City, however, these soldiers were the first to be affected by the confusion after Wu Zhengnans death. Now, only an empty frame was left of the two regiments and the remaining soldiers numbered less than 300. There were recruitment posters all over Blackflow and over a dozen recruitment centers had been established throughout the city. All recruits would receive a silver coin upon enlisting. Wei Bainian hoped to mass recruit soldiers this way, however, those recruited through such methods were naturally not very useful. Their combat strength wasnt any better than Qianyes newly established mercenary corps. Qianye had been standing near a recruitment station close to the north gate for a while, observing his surroundings. He was dressed in an ordinary hunters attire and had a large field backpack on his back. Qianye had originally planned to go out of the city to observe the situation in the wilderness. Unexpectedly, he felt as if someone was watching him as he left the courtyard at dawn. He immediately became vigilanthow could he be targeted so soon? Could it be a local of Blackflow City or one of Wu Zhengnans former subordinates? But soon afterwards, Qianye crossed out these two suspicions. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 210: Old Friend Part 2 Chapter 210: Old Friend (Part 2) [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] With a great war looming over the horizon, the local tyrants probably wouldnt act so inexperienced even if they wanted to display their authority to a rising power. Furthermore, Wei Bainian would have the city under tight control during such a time of unrest. Any commotion would be strictly investigated afterwards. Qianye didnt speed up and shake off the person tailing him but instead circled about from the north gate to the south. On one hand, he wanted to observe the situation within the city, while on the other, he wanted to observe the surveillants reaction. The sensation of being monitored persistently remained, and it was obvious that the surveillant was a well-trained individual. Qianye was finally able to confirm that the other party was not only quite professional but was also unworried of being noticedthis came as quite the surprise. He raised his head to glance at the sky and proceeded to circle around the city gates before calmly heading toward the citys east. After patiently following Qianye as he roamed freely around the city, it was about time for this surveillant to show up. Qianye deviated from the streets and headed toward a secluded wasteland, maintaining a steady speed. As expected, there was some movement behind him. No sooner than the sound of a rapidly approaching engine reverberated when a jeep rushed out from behind him within the blink of an eye. The car drifted horizontally amidst the sound of screeching brakes before coming to a halt in Qianyes way. Qianye paused his steps and silently observed the jeep that had just blocked his way. There were no insignias on the car but the tall frame and the six usually large tires were the symbols of a hunting hound. As one of the largest manufacturers of various types of off-road vehicles, hunting hound was one of the most important suppliers of the imperial army. This particular kind of high-grade merchandise would hardly appear in the expeditionary army. A handsome young soldier jumped down from the hunting hound, his tall stature almost perfectly proportioned while his black hair was somewhat messy due to the high-speed driving. He appeared gentle at a glance, but the sharpness from the corner of his eyes could hardly be disguised. He wasnt wearing any military rank insignias, but his uniform was quite different from that of the expeditionary armysit was the uniform of an imperial army field officer. Qianye gazed pensively at the young soldier before him. He knew who this person was even without taking note of all those details because he had long since memorized the latters profile. The young mans steps were nimble but steadyhis strength obviously wasnt weak. He continued walking and only stopped after reaching a distance of ten meters from Qianye, whereupon he said with a smile, Im Gu Liyu from the imperial military. Im sure youve heard of me and should be able to recognize my appearance. Qianye calmly replied, You should recognize me even more. Even Gu Liyus sophisticated and handsome countenance couldnt help but twitch slightly. He suddenly laughed and said, You can be considered quite wise to have left Qiqi of your own accord. Qianyes expression didnt change after hearing these words. He only glanced at Gu Liyu without the slightest ripple in his serene obsidian eyes. Gu Liyu was rather surprised as he came to face Qianyes limpid gaze. I heard youve run over to this place to set up a mercenary corps after latching onto Wei clans legs. Thats why I came to visit in passing and see what Qiqis ex-plaything can accomplish. Qianye still didnt bat an eyelid. So how does it feel? Not bad, its in fairly good shape! Gu Liyu clapped and expressed his praise with a raised voice. Following which, he lowered his voice and said with a certain overtone, However, war will break out soon and youd better be careful. Otherwise, your whole corps might be wiped out. Itll be quite troublesome if, at that time, your beautiful twins and those bloodline seedlings fall into dark race hands! At this point in the conversation, Gu Liyu revealed a malicious expression and said while grinding his teeth, Dont think that I cant kill you just because youve latched onto the Wei clans legs! There was no obvious expression on Qianyes face. He only sighed and asked calmly, The soldiers from the 131st company shouldnt have died like that. Dont you ever lose sleep over this? Thats their fate! Gu Liyu laughed loudly. This matter wont end here! Qianye suddenly grinned. His smile was always as clear as crystal and contained a hint of innocence like that of a boy-next-door, just like when he had killed his first victim at Lighthouse Town. Gu Liyu slowly leaned forward and said with an exaggerated smile, So what if it wont end? Proof! Do you have any proof? You dont! Dont forget, Im a staff officer from the imperial army and also of a landowning class. Either of my identities are ten times superior to yours. You wont be able to deal with the consequences if you were to kill me in such a city under so many eyes! Even Qiqi doesnt dare to do anything to me. What can you even do? Gu Liyus twisted smile suddenly froze after seeing Qianye draw his twin flowers and aim them at him. The beautiful and bizarre patterns on the guns body began to light up in sequence! You what are you doing!? Gu Liyu was finally alarmed as his feet involuntarily edged back. He even seemed to have forgotten that he was one rank higher than Qianye. Qianye muttered word by word, Killing you! The twin flowers rumbled at the same time and the gunshot reverberated throughout the sky above Blackflow City. Gu Liyu, who had fled over ten meters away, let out a miserable cry. The light blue origin power shield on his body was immediately shattered and fresh blood spurted out in all directions. His left arm immediately fell limp and almost fell off his body. The image of the twin flowers blooming before Qianye didnt seem as eye-catching compared to the blossom of those warm sanguineous petals. Gu Liyu fled at full speed as he let out a ruthless cry, Just you wait! Ill repay you 100 times over for this injury. Qianyes expression sank as he leapt onto a rooftop over ten meters high and gave chase. This mans strength was indeed impressive. The twin flowers were actually unable to kill him even at such a close distance and only broke an arm. At this time, Qianyes heart was filled with exuberant killing intent. Since Gu Liyu was so kind as to appear before him, how could he let go of such an opportunity? There was no way Qianye would let him leave the city alive. Otherwise, he wouldnt know where to find the latters whereabouts. The wound seemed to have little effect on Gu Liyus movements. He was still as agile as a bird as he leapt up and glided over ten meters away before landing. He flashed across the rooftops like a wisp of smoke and soon arrived at the base of the city walls. Gu Liyu reached the top of the city wall with a single jump, grabbed onto it and leapt over it like a feather. With that, he immediately left the city. Qianye pursued closely and refused to let go. However, he couldnt close the gap between them even with his speed. It seemed Gu Liyu was proficient in physical arts. His speed would probably be far above Qianyes if not for the wound. Qianye also reached the base of the city wall within the blink of an eye. He similarly leapt up to climb over the city wall but he felt intense danger just as his body rose into the air. Qianye reacted instantly by kicking the wall and shifting his ascending trajectory backwards. With a loud boom, a meter wide hole appeared on the wall in front of him. The spattering pieces of rock struck Qianyes face and body, causing him a certain degree of pain and numbness. Qianye turned back to see a female officer standing up on a rooftop a few hundred meters away. She had a long and easily recognizable sniper rifle in her hand, an Eagleshot. Qianye glanced at her deeply and etched the other partys appearance deep in his heart. He then extended his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture at her from a distance. The female officer went slightly pale as she clearly understood the meaning behind this gesture. Whoever she was, Qianye would kill her on sight as soon as he saw her again, just as he did with Gu Liyu. She originally wasnt someone so easily intimidated, but she felt a biting chill under the clear and distant gaze of this young man. It was as if great danger would descend upon her across the many street blocks. Qianye continued rushing toward the wall and borrowed the momentum to leap over the Blackflow Citys moderately tall walls. The battle seemed to have ended within the time it took for a spark to fly off the flint. Only then did some commotion arise within Blackflow City but there was still no signs of any expeditionary army patrol. Those old veterans were very experienced. How could they not know who was fighting after hearing the unique timbre of high-grade origin guns like the Twin Flowers and Eagleshot? They werent tired of living just yet and wouldnt rush out so quickly. They would wait for the situation to clear up and for the killing parties to leave before showing up to check the damage. Qianye stood on the city wall and, gazing into the distance, saw Gu Liyu run hurriedly into the wilderness. Gu Liyu had already fled over 500 meters away during the moments delay brought about by that lady. Qianye breathed in deeply and leapt off the wall in pursuit. Gu Liyus speed was even faster than Qianyes by a small margin out in the wilderness. However, Qianye didnt have the slightest intention of giving uphe would press on until one of them was exhausted. The two men, one fleeing and the other chasing, ran dozens of kilometers before the gap between them grew to a thousand meters. At this moment, Gu Liyu had no chance to make use of the topography to shake off the pursuit. He could only keep running in a straight line and depend on his speed to arduously expand the gap between them. Gu Liyu, who was running at the front, suddenly produced a syringe which he stabbed into his wounded arm. He let out a roar akin to a wild beast as the needle went in, but his slightly weakened aura stabilized and soon gradually increased. His footsteps became increasingly firm and strong as he raised his speed once again. Qianye was alarmed. Despite having a vampire constitution and a lingering aura, he had always been superior to same ranking warriors. But Gu Liyu was obviously no ordinary rank-seven fighter either or perhaps he was only one step away from reaching rank eight. Even after chasing all this way, he hadnt gained the slightest advantage. Judging from Gu Liyus reaction after the injection, it should be a top grade composite combat medicine. It possessed the combined effects of a stimulant and a nutrient, stimulating ones potential. Within the span of a day, the drug would greatly raise the users stamina and even temporarily raise their origin power by a rank. This type of drug was extremely expensive and could only be obtained through exchanging military merit. A single syringe was worth a rank five origin gun. Qianye hadnt expected Gu Liyu to have such an item. This was a potential life-saving weapon on the battlefield. He was originally hoping Gu Liyu would turn around to fight it out with him after his strength increased. Unexpectedly, the other party had absolutely no such intention. Qianye could only shake his head after seeing the distance between them growing gradually. However, he still kept on chasing without giving up. 1500 meters, 2000 meters One hour, two hours... After five hours, Gu Liyu had become a small dot in Qianyes field of vision and a continuous mountain ridge began to appear in front. The landscape Gu Liyu could make use of could be found everywhere once he entered the mountainous region. Moments later, Qianye climbed onto a mountain peak and observed his surroundings. The mountains were boundless under the night sky. Where would he even find Gu Liyus shadow? However, it couldnt be considered a disappointing outcome since it was already expected. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 211: Harvest Part 1 Chapter 211: Harvest (Part 1) [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye felt that it was rather unfortunate. With Gu Liyus character, there likely wouldnt be such a good opportunity in the future. Originally, he wouldnt be able to trace Gu Liyus whereabouts even if he had the intention to. However, perhaps due to prolonged repression or maybe to conduct some nasty scheme, the other party actually appeared directly before him. It was just that, hereafter, Gu Liyu probably would never reveal himself anymore unless he was sure of killing Qianye. However, Qianye also gave Gu Liyu a big surprise. Gu Liyu had never expected that Qianye would be completely uninterested in the purpose of his arrival. The latter had absolutely no fear of his identity and actually opened fire right there in the city. The price of a single arm could be considered quite high. Gazing at the vast mountains, Qianye suddenly raised his twin flowers and fired! The dark red origin bullet rocketed toward the sky and pierced through the profound darkness of the nightit was extraordinarily eye-catching. The immensely loud gunshot echoed throughout the valleys and spread into the distance. Qianye believed Gu Liyu would hear and understand the meaning of this gunshot. Irreconcilable. Qianye was in no hurry to return to the city after giving up his pursuit. He studied the surrounding in detail and found a hiding place to recover while cultivating. Qianyes origin power had almost been exhausted after maintaining his maximum speed until now. He didnt use a stimulant all this time because, in truth, he more or less hoped that Gu Liyu would rely on his one rank superiority in origin power to turn back and counterattack. At that time, Qianye would be able to give him an unforgettable surprise. However, Gu Liyus overcautious nature wrecked Qianyes little trap. At this moment, a pale Gu Liyu appeared before a well-disguised cave dozens of kilometers away. The cave was equipped like a small supply stationthere were military-use mattresses, some food, and necessary medical supplies. Gu Liyu found two packs of preserved blood packs and proceeded to replenish the significant amount of blood he had lost. Only then did the color on his face returned with difficulty. Gu Liyu immediately jumped up and drew his dagger after hearing some footsteps outside of the cave. He moved quietly to one side of the cave and waited while holding his breath. The person outside didnt walk in but called out first, Liyu, are you there? Its me! Gu Liyu lowered his dagger only after confirming that it was Ye Muweis voice. He said weakly, Come in! Ye Muwei squeezed into the cave and immediately saw Gu Liyus limp left arm. He had already performed a simple operation, however, the color of the back of his hand extending outside his sleeve and the insensible swaying angle made it obvious that the injury was no different from a traumatic amputation. Ye Muweis voice immediately began to tremble. Liyu, your hand Gu Liyu recovered some of his normal calm at this point and said, Its nothing. I dont have to depend on martial power to make a living. At worst, Ill have to expend some military merit to have it reattached. Ye Muweis face turned even paler because this meant that his left arm had truly been crippled. However, she nodded and forced out a faint smile. In truth, both of them knew that such a fundamental injury would inflict heavy losses to a persons martial capabilities even if it was perfectly reattached. In the extremely warlike empire, one had to be backed by great individual strength even in a post like a staff officer which leaned toward civil work. Otherwise, how could one convince those arrogant soldiers and valiant officers to obey? Ye Muwei went over to dress Gu Liyus wound anew and felt somewhat relieved only after seeing his situation stabilize. She would grind her teeth until they crackled whenever she recalled the culprit. Liyu, lets issue an arrest warrant when we get back! He dares injure a staff officer of the imperial army. No one can protect him from this crime! Gu Liyus expression was extremely sinister and replied only after some pause, No, dont report this matter. Just say that we were attacked by a dark race patrol and that I sustained an injury in combat. Ye Muwei was shocked. Why!? Wouldnt that be letting that brat off too easily?! Gu Liyu gazed at the flickering flames and replied slowly, We would have to explain the whole process of this conflict if we report this matter. If we completely fabricate the cause of this incident, there will inevitably be too many loose ends which others can use to attack us. With my current identity and position, the dispatched military police enforcer will definitely be below champion rank. Even if Yin Qiqi and the Wei clan people cant protect him, it isnt difficult for them to leak the news. What do you think the consequences will be if we fail to kill him and allow him to escape into the wilderness? Ye Muwei shivered after some thought. Qianye was a wolf, the most dangerous hunter in the wilderness. His perseverance and patience had been sufficiently proven during the spring hunt. Additionally, it was confirmed, with Zhao Junhong, that the former was completely unaffected by the other partys identity. He would be an extremely terrifying killer once he loses all the restraints binding him, someone who would wait for 10, 20 or even 30 years as long as he could kill his target in the end. Yin Qiqi and the Wei clan would certainly be happy to supply him with various things during this process such as information and equipment which would only serve to sharpen his fangs. Gu Liyu said gloomily, Right now, Qianye has just established a mercenary corps. This will serve as reins to bind him and well at least know where he is with such a rope tied around him. How will we sleep soundly at night hereafter once hes unbound? Ye Muwei nodded. Gu Liyu leaned on the stone wall and closed his eyes. I was too careless this time, but this will never happen again. Let that brat live for a while longer. Ill definitely send people to find him if he doesnt die to the dark races during this war. Ye Muwei finally revealed a sincere smile. I believe you. Ive always and will always stand beside you! A faint trace of arrogance appeared on Gu Liyus face. In truth, he had always been the one to leave his peers in the dust and with the gap growing only wider and wider. Gu Liyu had never paid attention to anyone apart from a number of geniuses from the aristocratic families. Martial strength was quite important, but upon reaching high places, one would find that it wasnt everything. At the thought of this, Gu Liyu said, Its getting late, lets rest. Well have to return to camp tomorrow. With the war near at hand, the old man from the Yin family wishes me to perform to some extent. I still have to complete my arrangements for him. Humph, Qianye, if not for this war Qianye had just completed his cultivation as Gu Liyu and Ye Muwei began to rest. He slowly stood up and had just taken a single step when he staggered back. His legs were numb and aching as if countless ants were crawling through his bones. Qianye wasnt alarmed but was instead delighted because the sixth origin node was in his knees. The ignition of the origin node in the knees would strengthen all the other parts of the body. This effect was especially pronounced in the legs. This kind of tingling sensation meant that the skeletal muscles on his legs were growing anew and such an intensity indicated that it was a complete transformation. After the stabilization of his current condition, his leg strength would be raised by a large margin and his speed would also increase. The only thing unfortunate was that such a change would require timea more thorough transformation would be more time-consuming. Gu Liyu wouldnt have escaped so easily if such an upgrade had arrived just a few days sooner. At the thought of this, Qianye shook his headno wonder even Li Yuanjia, with his explosive sword arts, said he only had a 30 percent chance of killing Gu Liyu. It seemed Qianyes chances of killing the latter was still quite small even after obtaining an overwhelming advantage in speed. In a fight between experts, it was easy to decide the outcome of the battle but difficult to kill one another. This becomes more evident at higher levels. Qianye slowed down his steps and ran back to Blackflow City at a jogging pace, lest he strains his legs too much. He arrived at the city close to dawn. At this time, Blackglow City was overcome by a tense atmosphere. The expeditionary army guards on the city walls had increased quite a bit. Gazing at the tardy expeditionary army, Qianye only hoped that they would be able to move promptly when the battle with the dark races began. It wasnt yet time for the city gates to open, but the captain on duty happened to be a Wei clan guard. Both sides greeted one another before Qianye directly leapt up, took a couple of steps on the city wall and crossed into the city. Qianye first went to the place where he encountered Gu Liyu. The abandoned grounds were completely empty and silent as if nothing had ever happened before. He turned into a small roadthis place was already quite close to the mercenary corps headquartersthe newly installed gates would come into view after taking two turns. Gazing from a distance, the whole headquarters was still fast asleep and only the lights in Song Hus room were lit. Qianye approached the half-open door without alarming the guards and silently walked in. Song Hu was standing in front of the map and seemingly pondering about something. Qianye arrived beside him and asked, What are you looking at? It was just about the same time Qianye spoke that Song Hu discovered an extra person in the room. This shocked him greatly. He instinctively flipped his hand and performed a horizontal swing. A dagger with a cold gleam surprisingly appeared in his hand as he slashed toward Qianyes throat. Qianye raised his hand to block and accurately caught Song Hus wrist. Song Hu immediately felt as if his wrists were cuffed by an alloyed hoophe couldnt move a single inch no matter how much force he exerted. The violent origin power rushing out from him seemed to have crashed into a sturdy and unshakeable wall. Song Hus tense nerves only relaxed after seeing clearly that it was Qianye. Qianye let go with a faint smile. Song Hu moved his stiff and rapidly swelling wrists which had several new fingerprints upon them. Although inevident on the surface, his heart was overcome with shock. During the short contest just now, Song Hu had been unable to sense the origin power difference between him and Qianye at all. Both of them were currently at rank six. Song Hus was due to a level drop, and as such, he was much more knowledgeable about these few levels than the average person. He knew it hadnt been long since Qianye reached rank six and he had also sensed, during their clash, that the latters origin power was only slightly stronger than average. However, Song Hu was completely defeated during the confrontation of origin powerit was like an ocean wave crashing into a dikeif the origin power of an ordinary person was a shield, then Qianyes was like a wall. So this is the power of the Venus Dawn? The reputation is indeed justified! There was finally some reverence within Song Hus tone. Qianye didnt comment on this and asked, Whats the situation here after I left? Song Hu shrugged and said, Fairly tranquil just as before. Right now, all the junior leader positions of the city guard are occupied by the Wei clans people. They certainly wont come to us looking for trouble, but you cant expect them to provoke those experts either. Qianye glanced silently at Song Hu. Two days ago, the latter was still complaining before him about the mission assigned by the Wei clan. But now it seemed he had gotten over it? However, we did reap some rewardsI drove that jeep back. Tsk, tsk, a hunting hound car. This is first-rate stuff even on the Qin Continent. Id advise you not to use such a thing. Selling it for money would also solve our current desperation. Qianye raised his eyebrows. Following which, he broke into a laughter and praised, Not bad. You act quite fast. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 212: Harvest Part 2 Chapter 212: Harvest (Part 2) [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Naturally! But anyone who knows their stuff wont dare touch such vehicles used by the imperial military. Song Hu laughed mischievously. You dare go back and collect their things despite knowing theyre from the military? You must think I dont have enough trouble on my hands. Qianye revealed a spurious smile. A certain radiance flashed passed the depth of Song Hus eyes as he replied with a chuckle, These troubles wont mean much after you gain money, guns, men, and influence. Besides, you werent even worried about offending the Zhao clan during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Why would you be concerned with a mere couple of bandits from the military department? These people who dont seem to know the immensity of heaven and earth rely on their family background to act wantonly but have no matching strength. Ive seen too many of them. Qianyes gaze became somewhat attentive. How do we handle this car. Will anyone accept it? Of course they will. How could they not? The underground channels only recognize the goods and not the person. Who cares where it came from as long as its good stuff? Besides, finding someone to do some modifications on it isnt difficult either. Qianye nodded. Very well then. Ill leave this matter to you. I plan to go out further and take a look at the situation around Black Clay Swamp. Qianye had originally wanted to go out of the city and familiarize himself with the situation of the surrounding areas but changed his mind after encountering Gu Liyu. He had a strong premonition that the war with the dark races was imminent and that he no longer had the time to explore the wilderness in leisure. Additionally, the mercenary corps was already fully preparedits only bottleneck was the lack of money. In order to halt the dark races advance through the Black Clay swamp with their current strength, they would have to rely on an advantage in numbers and firepower. Currently, the mercenary corps was still outfitted with standard equipment. Whether they wanted to bring out some heavy firepower or increase their ammunition reserves, gold coins were necessary for everything. Hence. Qianye decided to head toward the Black Clay Swamp directly. On one hand, he would scout out the area in preparation for the imminent battle, and on the other, he could kill the local dark race members, more or less reducing the pressure of their future defensive duties. Song Hu very quickly noticed Qianyes sudden change in itinerary. He thought for a moment and said, Thats also good. With the war being imminent, the dark races will definitely dispatch no small amount of advance guards. If you can remove a good number of them, the enemy might even shrink back from the difficulties and change their course. But Young Master, dont force yourself. Your safety is the most important. With that, he pointed at the map and patiently explained the situation around Black Clay Swamp once more. Song Hu called out to Qianye just as he was about to leave and brought him toward the bungalow behind the drill grounds that was being used as a storehouse. He pulled open one of the iron doors with some force and revealed a bold-looking motorcycle. The bikes seat was half a grown mans height above the ground and over three meters in length. It was like a graceful yet dangerous cheetah on all fours. With its beautiful flowing lines, sturdy metallic texture and brimming tension, it made one feel as if it would leap up from the shadows and pounce towards its prey. Where did this come from? Qianyes eyes flashed as he asked. There were very few single-seater vehicles in Evernight Continent since large trucks were the mainstream. Its a second-hand merchandise I exchanged after selling that hunting hound. But this baby isnt cheap at all, especially since it only eats processed energy sources. The paintwork was black. At the moment, a certain mechanic was applying a coat of non-reflective lead grey paint to the originally eye-catching silver exhaust pipe while another was installing a weapons rack. Judging from the worn bullet hole-shaped rims and the dented anterior suspension, it was definitely a second-hand item. However, all twin turbine motorcycles were equipped with origin array engines and those things had to be handcrafted. As a result, none of them were cheap goods. Qianye felt somewhat excitedit took less than 20 hours from when Song Hu disposed of the goods to the time of purchase. This goes to show just how capable Song Zinings secret trade channel was. The modifications will require some time but it should be usable by the time you return from Black Clay Swamp. Qianye went around the motorcycle a few times. He had always been fond of machines since his time with the Red Scorpions, but his contact with such things was greatly reduced after coming to Evernight Continent. He had the momentary urge to drag it out for a spin but came to after hearing Song Hus words. He then just patted the leather seat somewhat regretfully. The two hadnt walked out of the storehouse when they suddenly heard the rumble of engines through the ceiling. The vibration shook the whole row of buildings constantly. Qianye and Song Hu glanced at each other and walked out swiftly. They found, upon arriving at the drill grounds, that a huge shadow had appeared in the sky. They glanced up and spied an airship hovering at low altitude, dozens of meters above them. The black cannon ports on its sides and the thick protective armor indicated that it was a military use gunnery airship. Some Wei clan guards were hurriedly walking towards them from the direction of the main gates on the other side of the drill grounds. They were being led by a tall personal guard whom Qianye recognized as the elder usually accompanying Wei Potian. The Wei clan personal guard walked over and greeted Qianye with a salute. Then pointing toward the sky, he shouted loudly through the deafening roar, This is the present the heir left for you before he left! We hope you like it! Qianye was startled for a moment. Present!? You mean this Gunnery Airship? Correct! the Wei clan guard replied proudly. But there should also be a captain and some gunners, right? Everything has been arranged. We only flew it over to show you, and we will park it at the airbase immediately afterwards. Following which, the Wei clan guard waved his hand toward the air whereupon the airship proceeded to turn slowly, ascend and fly toward the Blackflow City air base. The Wei clan guard didnt stay for long. He left in a hurry, leaving Qianye and Song Hu standing at their original spot. There was no delight on Qianyes face but Song Hu beside him smiled rather insincerely and said, Congratulations, Young Master! Qianyes regained his composure and asked, What are you congratulating me for? For the addition of a new weapon of course! Additionally, Young Master will have to strive to earn more money from now on. Qianye let out a long breath with seemingly no intention of continuing on Song Hus topic. Having risen from an elite imperial corps and thus possessing a wide knowledge of various military armaments, he naturally knew these airships were toys that would burn through money. This gunnery airship left by Wei Potian could be considered his personal property, and as such, it was quite small. The total crew capacity, including the bridge, wouldnt exceed 30 men and there were only two multipurpose gun ports. But an airship was an airship no matter how small it wasits routine maintenance, fuel and ammunition requirements, as well as the remuneration for the professional gunmen and captain, would add up to a significant expenditure. As far as he could recall, the total expenditure from various categories for such a military use gunnery airship should be at least 500 to 600 gold coins. This also meant that this large fellow would consume even more money than the operation of a whole mercenary corps, and this still didnt include replacing worn parts. It could only be said that military-grade airships were indeed effective weapons in Evernight Continent, but its use to Qianye wasnt significant. If he could, later on, expand the mercenary corps to the thousands and independently defend Blackflow City, then owning an airship would be adding wings to the tiger. In the end, Qianye could only laugh ruefully. He had no idea how to evaluate todays harvests. That chap Wei Potian seemed smart on some occasions, but sometimes he was sloppy enough to bring one between laughter and tears. Qianye immediately packed up his weapons without delay. He put them all on a light off-road vehicle and drove out of the city. The Black Clay Swamp consisted of several deep swamps which covered a wide area. In addition to slimes, there were poisonous bugs, various wild beasts, and hook-scaled alligators, all of which were deadly threats to humans. Only high ranking warriors would be able to traverse these swamps. However, the dark races had various methods to evade these dangers. The demonkin and vampires could emit their dark aura to expel lower-ranked dangerous lifeforms, including those from the swamp. There was a subspecies of the arachne servspiders called the swampspiders. Only the werewolves were unable to adapt to the wetland environment but they could ride upon the swampspiders to pass through the swamp. Hence, the Black Clay Swamp formed an almost unilateral passage between the humans and the dark races. The dark race army could pass through to assault human territory, but the human army could hardly penetrate the swamp to launch an attack. It was already evening by the time Qianye drove into Black Clay area, and darkness was already encroaching upon Evernight Continent. Jolting all the way, he drove through a seemingly trailless forestaccording to the map, the town was right on the other side of this grove. But gazing from a distance, he noticed Black Clay Town was rather dark. There were almost no lights except for a few hazy yellowish flickers. One would easily mistake it for phosphorescence in the wilderness. Qianye stopped and used his night vision to observe the small town but found nothing out of the ordinary. It mustve been that Black Clay Town had entered a combat-ready status in advance and implemented a curfewnothing could be said against that. Black Clay Town was the most peripheral town in this war zone and a strategic location close to the Black Clay Swamp. Hence, there was an outpost here that couldnt be considered small with over 100 expeditionary troops stationed here year long. Although they fell under Blackflow Citys jurisdiction, they were actually situated in a rather marginal area of the seventh division. Not only were they not influenced by Wu Zhengnans incident, but they were also quite cordial toward Qianyes visit. After having his authorization documents confirmed, he entered Black Clay Town together with a few garrison officers. Mercenary corps, according to convention, would gain the highest command authority after taking over the defensive duty of locations at town-grade and below. In other words, these soldiers would fall under Qianyes command from now on. Additionally, Qianyes rank six fighter strength was far superior to everyone at present. Hence, the officers attitudes toward Qianye even bordered on flattery. Qianye didnt head toward the mayors house immediately. Instead, he parked the car to one side of the towns main street and strolled around the place. The town walls were five meters high and were quite sturdy. Apparently, this place had always been a strategic location for many years. The population here was larger than Lighthouse Town while its area was only half of the latter. The houses in the small town were densely packed together, and the streets were abnormally narrow. Only the two main streets, one horizontal and one vertical, could allow Qianyes jeep to barely pass through. After walking into the town, Qianye discovered that the low hanging light sources were still workingthe depressing and lifeless lights illuminated the streets. Although one was spared from total darkness, it was certainly quite uncomfortable. At the same time, the air was suffused by an inexplicable odor so dense that it was nauseating. The smell here was even stronger and more pungent than the scent of decay from the swamp outside of town. There were scavengers lying haphazardly in every street, alley and vacant space. They loudly snored while laying on the ground and occupied all of the already cramped passages. There was hardly any space left to step on. Qianye frowned at this scene. Judging from what he saw, there might be a thousand such scavengers and wanderers. This was a significant number compared to the registered residents of the town. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 213: Shadow [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] It was at this time that a fat middle-aged man hurried over with a jog. He stopped right in front of Qianye, bent over and began to pant. Are you the corps captain? This lowly one is called Hu Wei, the current mayor of Black Clay Town. We hope Sir Qianye will take care of us from now on! Qianye sized up Hu Wei and was a somewhat surprisedthis fatty was a rank two fighter. After checking the situation of Black Clay Town, Qianye had already discovered that it was completely different from Lighthouse Town. The little town he had once lived in couldnt compare to this town at all both in terms of importance and danger. That being said, Hu Wei being able to firmly occupy the mayors position meant that he was either stronger than his rank or that he had some background. However, if he really did have some background, why didnt he find a more stable livelihood instead of coming to court death here? Qianye pointed to the wanderers lying all over the place and asked, Mayor, whats this all about? Hu Wei laughed. Sire, this town is yours from now on, so please dont call me mayor again. You should just call me Hu Wei or, as long as you dont mind, Little Hu. Qianye glanced at the fattys wrinkled face, from which it was difficult to judge whether or not he was 40 years old, and frowned. Whats with these people? Hu Wei swept his gaze over the wanderers strewn across the ground and replied, Theyre scavengers who rely on collecting medicinal plants and natural resources from the swamp to make a living. However, only a few of them are true herb gatherers, the others are all trying their luck at the risk of their lives. Picking herbs was a skilled occupation. Otherwise, not only would there be a risk of mistaking similar herbs but also some herbs might become powerful poisons when put together despite being harmless on their own. However, this was a job involving little interest and high returns as the herbs were worth much more than the metal scraps that could be found everywhere on Evernight Continent. As such, the crowd still goes on this wild goose chase. Qianye was standing at the entrance of a certain alley. Looking around, there were at least 20 to 30 people lying within it. The wanderers who were originally asleep sat up in succession after hearing their voice. With beast-like eyes, they stared at Qianye and the fat mayor who was pointing at them. Qianye suddenly saw a shadow walk past the other end of the alley! It was an ordinary looking adventurer whose true features were completely hidden under a dark-colored cloak. Qianye, however, felt an inexplicable sensation after seeing this persons gait and posture. It almost seemed as if the person wasnt walking on level ground but was instead floating on a water surface. Hold it! Qianye rushed into the alley but the lying wanderers were too densely packed. He could hardly find any space to step on. For some reason, the wanderers all began to move after seeing Qianye rush oversome of them deliberately raised their legs to cause more obstruction while others even tried to grab Qianye directly. One could tell from the greed burning within their eyes that Qianye would be robbed clean of his belongings were he pushed to the ground. How could Qianye allow himself to be obstructed by these ordinary people? He leapt up and arrived at the rooftop after a few swift steps on the surrounding walls. He then proceeded to chase in the direction of the adventurer''s shadow. However, this effort caused a minor delay. Qianye gazed down at rows upon rows of rooftops but just couldnt find traces of that shadow. The illumination from the gloomy light sources covered but a few dozen square meters under which the wanderers lying out in the open were deep in sleep. The undisturbed part of the small town was still completely tranquil. Qianyes heart somewhat sanksuch speed and poise was superior to his own and not at all inferior to Gu Liyu. Qianye swept through the whole town once again with his gaze but jumped down after finding nothing odd. Sire Qian, that person just now is he your friend? Hu Wei enquired. No, thats a vampire, and a high ranking one at that. Hu Weis fat face immediately turned pale. He let out a sharp cry in astonishment but immediately suppressed his voice afterwards. High ranking vampire!? How high? At least a knight. The reply nearly caused Hu Wei to blackout. He asked with a trembling voice, Kn-knight! Why would a knight come here? Theres nothing in such a small place! Having humans is enough, a certain expeditionary army officer standing beside them interrupted. Impossible! The town population is indeed high, but how could the vampires fancy such people? Hu Wei almost cried out once again. However, he knew such things couldnt be spoken out loud and kept his voice in check. Qianye shot an astonished glance at Hu Wei. How did the mayor of such a remote town come to know such things? The empires propaganda regarding vampires was as simple as it was extreme. One could see, from how the ordinary citizens were afraid of being infected just by staying close to blood thralls, that the empire had no intention of spreading knowledge in this respect. Even Qianye had no authority to know these secrets during his time in the elite corps. Only after he had taken blood for himself did Qianye realize that the attraction fresh blood had for vampires lay in the origin power content.This was especially true for high ranking vampiresonly blood containing sufficient origin power would be able to induce their appetite. As for these wanderers without so much as a shred of origin power, even if someone were to wash them clean and put them before the vampires, the latter might not be too willing. Hu Wei glared at the wanderers in the alley, rushed over and sent one of them tumbling with a kick. He shouted loudly while kicking madly, You lot dare block the sires path! Are your dog eyes all blind!? If not for you all, sire would have caught that vampire by now! If this daddy doesnt beat you black and blue, youll really think Black Clay Town is yours! With that, seemingly unsatisfied with mere kicking, he brought out a whip and began to thrash the tramps mindlessly. He beat them until they were crawling on the ground and letting out miserable howls. Soon, there was no one left within that small alley. These tramps were greatly apprehensive of Hu Weithey didnt dare to resist in the least and only ran away. These lowly people need to be beaten almost every day! Hu Wei said angrily. The whip just now swung wildly. He had indeed put quite a lot of force behind it. Qianye didnt comment on this. He went on to tour the town and check out various places before following Hu Wei back to his residence. The mayors residence was at the very center of the town. It was a small but sturdy three-storeyed stone building. The windows were small and narrow, making the house seem like a miniature castle. After entering the small house, Qianye discovered that the parlor was on the second floor and Hu Weis room was on the third. The first floor consisted of the kitchen and the residences of the expeditionary army officers garrisoned here. As such, Hu Weis personal space, within this small building, wasnt too large. Qianye sat down within a pathetically small guest room on the third floor after touring the building from top to bottom. One could almost touch the room walls by standing and extending the arms. It seemed quite cramped with just three or four people sitting here. I dont think Ive seen your family members? Hu Wei laughed ruefully, How can I build a family in such a damnable place? Who knows when those dark-blooded bastards will rush out from the Dark Clay Swamp? Its highly unlikely that we can hold this place when the time comes. Only death awaits if we cant escape. He paused for a moment before continuing in a soft voice, Actually I have kids, but I placed them in the care of their aunt in Red Pine City His tone became gentler with a tinge of fatherly affection. Qianye chatted with Hu Wei for a while and learned of the environment and history of Black Clay Town. Hu Wei seemed to have recalled something mid-conversation and almost jumped up. Theres still a high ranking vampire in town! Qianye replied indifferently, So what? Hu Wei immediately stopped speaking. He realized why Qianye hadnt ordered a town-wide search back then and the expeditionary army officer beside him showed no signs of movement. In a complex environment like Black Clay Town, a vampire knight could easily conceal his tracks or escape into the swamp. The only way to deal with such an enemy was to lay down a trap and wait for him to jump in. The meaning behind Qianyes words was that there shouldnt be anything worth a vampire knights attention in Black Clay Town... unless Hu Wei was hiding something. Hu Wei began to sweat immediately after understanding this and hurriedly stated that he was innocent. He then broke into a thoughtful frown while mumbling, What good stuff do I have that could be worth a vampire knight coming in person? Qianye saw that Hu Wei likely wasnt actinghe wasnt really expecting to discover clues so easily. Let it be if nothing comes to mind. Itll be for the best if the vampires appearance is just a coincidence. My soldiers will arrive in two days to take over defensive duties. Therell be roughly 200 men, so please prepare in advance. Hu Wei immediately discarded his restless concerns and rubbed his hands in delight. Please rest assured, sire, Ill definitely wait upon them properly. Qianye shot an odd glance at Hu Wei and smiled spuriously. Are you hoping that much for my men to arrive? Qianyes question had some other implications. It was common knowledge that the imperial military had always been somewhat wanting in discipline, and the expeditionary army was especially notorious in this regard. They would do whatever they wanted in the name of hunting blood thralls. Qianye had witnessed this more than once and had also personally experienced it. The sole reason mercenary corps were less unruly was because they didnt have enough authority and strengththe difference between mercenaries and bandits werent that distinct out in the wilderness. Elite corps like Red Scorpion that Qianye used to be in, on the contrary, wasnt too inclined to disturb people. This wasnt because of firm discipline but rather because they were too well supplied. The ordinary citizens measly possessions couldnt enter the discerning eyes of these elite corps masters. Hence, as one of the lowest-leveled bureaucrats of the empire, Hu Wei shouldve been more inclined to remain at a respectful distance. The most common situation was that the mayor would maintain his own armed force, and they usually werent too weak either. Only this way would he possess the qualifications to share loot with the expeditionary army. Hu Wei smiled ruefully. The fact that even a vampire knight has appeared clearly means that war isnt too far off. Besides, this land of mine is dirt poor. I let the expeditionary army masters take whatever they want as long as they help defend this town. Precisely because of this, there are fewer and fewer masters willing to come over. But, sire, how did you discover that high ranking vampire? Experience, Qianye replied simply. In truth, that high ranking vampire was probably too confident that there wouldnt be any experts in this small settlement who could discover him and made no effort at all to contain his aura. The dense fresh blood power had caused the gold and purple blood energies within Qianyes body to react, thereby allowing him to see through the other partys movements. Qianye had no intention to rest. After instructing Hu Wei to prepare some dried rations for him, Qianye collected his equipment and left the town alone. He was prepared to head into the Black Clay Swamp that very night. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 214: Trap [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Outside of town and toward the swamp was a shockingly large cemetery filled with broken gravestones as far as the eye could see. Grave mounds without headstones were even greater in number. It was unknown how many graves there were in this cemetery, but at the very least, there should be tens of thousands. This cemetery had existed for at least hundreds of years. No one knew when such a tradition started in Black Clay Townno matter who died in the vicinity, the townsmen would spontaneously dig a grave here for him. Deceased townsmen were also buried here. A spectacular burial ground was thus formed over time. The little mounds rising and falling endlessly on the barren landscape stood as a cold testament to the desperate war the humans had been fighting against the environment and the dark races for hundreds of years. Qianye observed the land before him for a moment before passing through the cemetery and toward the Black Clay Swamp. Black Clay swamp was covered with a faint layer of gray mist under the night sky. Even Qianye, with his night vision, couldnt see past a few dozen meters.The odd stench, seemingly a mixture of hundreds of nauseating odors, became increasingly evident the closer he got to the swamp. The stink was too much for the creatures from outside of the swamp to bear. Additionally, it would also cause their sense of smell to lose effectiveness. There were no obvious boundaries around the swamp. Most of the areas resembled ordinary muddy terrain covered by a thin layer of grass-like vegetation. Those werent ordinary wild grass but contained a mixture of mosses and ferns growing together. The exterior was smooth and luxuriant, but it wasnt solid ground underneath. Some of them were hiding extremely deep mires. An ordinary person would be unable to climb out after falling in and would be swallowed alive by the Dark Clay Swamp. This kind of marshland terrain posed little trouble for Qianye. His military boots struck the muddy ground as he strode forth, his steps steady and fast. The moment he felt the ground beneath him suddenly turn soft, his whole body would immediately become as light as a feather and he wouldve stepped over before the mud could even spread onto his shoes. Qianye had received special training in this respect. He had also learnt from Hu Wei how to distinguish whether there was a mire beneath by looking at the type of vegetation. Even so, he was unable to evade every time despite his good eyesight. Sometimes, he would know whether it was solid ground beneath his feet only after stepping on it. This goes to show how adverse the topography was. Only those with the strength and adaptability of a rank five fighter or above would be able to compensate for some misjudgements and maintain free movement under such circumstances. Qianye kept on going for a while but then he suddenly stopped, drew the multipurpose military knife from his waist, and scooped out a black vine from within the marsh. He cut off a part from the vine and found that the liquid oozing out from the cut end was actually viscous and scarlet in color. This blood vine, a local specialty of the Black Clay Swamp, was also an important component in many medicines. Its most famous auxiliary property was that it was compatible with many types of stimulants and would greatly increase the drug effects after addition. Basically, all stimulant prescriptions from the elite corps contained blood vine as an ingredient. It was also one of the reasons why many wanderers and herb gatherers were attracted to the Black Clay Swamp. A segment of blood vine like the one in Qianyes hand would sell for several gold coins in Blackflow City. This was a life-changing fortune for many scavengers. The blood vine didnt get its name from its dark red sap but because too many people had paid with their lives in order to pick it. An odd buzz rang out within the darkness. The lingering sound gradually closed in as finger-sized flying bugs appeared one after another and began to fly around Qianye, attracted over by the scent of the blood vine segment in Qianyes hands. They seemed like flying ants that had been magnified many times over. Their mouths looked especially fierce and the poisonous needles on their tails were constantly moving in and out. These were common flying insects, but in the marshland environment, they had grown much larger than their relatives of the same species. At the same time, their poison had also grown more lethal. The blood vine would release its characteristic smell once it came into contact with air and would attract all the flying insects in the vicinity. Seasoned herb gatherers would handle the blood vines under the water and pack it in special herb bags to control the spread of its scent as much as they could. At this time, Qianye raised his hand slightly, whereupon a strand of blood energy mixed together with origin power was sent out of his finger. The movements of the flying insect swarm were suddenly disturbed as if they had encountered a dangerous beast. Their instinctive fear warned them not to approach although the blood vines scent was alluring. However, danger couldnt stop these flying insects. Ripples suddenly began to appear in a pool of muddy water beside Qianye. Suddenly, a black shadow shot out like an arrow from underneath the muddy waters. There was absolutely no prior indication and the movement was as swift as a flash of lightning. Add to that the close distance, Qianye simply had no time to evade. He only felt pain on his leg before the affected area immediately went numb and lost all sensation. It was a half-meter long serpentine animal that had pounced from under the water. There was an incomparably sharp horn growing On its head. It had, with a single strike, pierced through the metallic mesh in Qianyes military boots and directly bit into his leg. Horned snakes were another type of danger which accompanied blood vines. If the flying insects signified lethal danger, then the appearance of the horned snake was equal to death itself. Its horn was hollow inside and served as an organ to suck blood. Furthermore, the horned snakes venom was lethal. Currently, there were no effective antidotes apart from special anti-venom serum used by the military. Once poisoned, the victim could only rely on his physical constitution and origin power to resist. His vampire constitution afforded Qianye a natural resistance to poison. The numbness brought about by the horned snakes venom stopped its ascension after reaching his knees. His life was apparently not in danger but he was still somewhat affected. This goes to show how strong the poison was. No wonder Hu Wei said people who went to the Black Clay Swamp were trying their luck at the risk of their lives. Qianye stayed abnormally still. Sensation gradually returned to the wound on his leg as the horned snake began to suck blood. He could feel his blood flowing out continuously as the horned snakes now bulging gray abdomen grew bigger and bigger. Qianye released the suppression on his blood energy after he reckoned the horned snake had its fill. A strand of ordinary blood energy immediately rushed out from his heart, deftly found its way into the outflowing blood, and was sent out along with a strand of Qianyes aura. The horned snake suddenly shot away from Qianyes leg. It began to writhe, flutter, and struggle continuously in the muddy water. It then turned rigid within moments and lay half-submerged on the water surface, never to move again. To the snake, that strand of blood energy was an extreme poison that couldnt be resisted. Qianye stowed the blood vine away and walked around the place as he erased most of the traces he had left behind. However, a detailed observation would reveal that the clean up wasnt quite thoroughcertain intermittent traces and clues could be found in unremarkable corners. Qianye didnt touch that horned snake and left it lying where it was. Qianye checked the scene once more before he felt satisfied and headed toward the depths of the swamp. But this time, his footsteps were much heavier and he had to free himself from the mire quite often, leaving no small amount of traces. At this moment, Qianye was in a state of high alert despite his usual expression. He had activated his concealed bloodline and was keeping the blood energy within his body in careful control. His intuition told him that the blood knight he had encountered in Black Clay Town hadnt left and had even followed him into the marsh. Qianye wasnt able to ascertain the traces of being followed despite having gone around for so long.However, that faint sensation of lingering danger hadnt dispersed since the very beginning. This was the reaction of the blood energy in Qianyes body to the fresh blood power of the blood knight. Although the other party had withdrawn his aura later on and Qianye could no longer sense his exact location, that kind of feeling lingered on. As long as the sensation didnt disappear completely, it remained a possibility that the blood knight was prowling in the vicinity. Qianye thought of a bold plan after he was ambushed by the horned snake. He had no idea if this kind of strategy would be of any use against that high-ranking vampire. A vampire who dared enter deep into human territory and still not leave after being discovered was evidently an experienced veteran. Such an enemy wouldnt fall for a trap easily. However, Qianye wasnt impatient in the least. The marsh was extremely vasthe would have ample time and opportunity later on. Not long after Qianye left, part of the scenery at one corner of the marsh began to distort as a shadow seemingly materialized out of thin air. His whole body was enveloped in a dark-colored cloak with vague dark red lights where his eyes were supposed to be. He knelt down to observe the water surface. He saw an indistinct footprint from his current angle. Shallow footprints usually disappeared quickly due to the undercurrents of this seemingly peaceful marsh. The fact that this footprint remained indicated that step taken was especially heavy. The blood knight didnt look forward but turned back toward the direction from which the footprints came. As he rose up, his whole figure became warped, indistinct, and somewhat drifting before heading weightlessly toward the direction where Qianye had come from. Moments later, the shadow found the place where Qianye had dug out the blood vine and also saw the horned snake floating rigidly on the water surface. The horned snake was a tyrant of the marsh, and as such, despite its death, no marshland creature would dare approach this place for some time. The blood knight walked toward the horned snake. But when he was only a few meters from the target, his body shook as he lurched to a stop. He slowly removed the hood over his silver hair to reveal a noble and dignified countenance. The deep downward curve at the corner of his mouth and his falcon-like eyes allowed one to feel the coldness and cruelty within his heart. But at this moment, his facial features actually became twisted as he let out a vague growl from his throat. Even his fangs had emerged from the corners of his lips. He was staring fixedly at a low lying bush. The shrubs trunk was twisted and full of spikes with sparse dark green leaves growing on top of it. The blood knight took deep continuous breaths and, allowing his sense of smell to guide him, slowly approached the bush. In the end, he found his target on the surface of a leafa drop of dried blood. Although the blood had already dried out, there was still a strand of sweet fragrance lingering on it. Just how wonderful would the scent have been in its fresh and active state? The blood knight approached the drop of blood and inhaled deeply. He then held his breath and, closing his eyes, revealed an intoxicated expression. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 215: Enticemen t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The blood knight sobered up from his intoxicated state moments later and resumed his calm demeanor. He began to observe the surroundings, trying to judge the origin of this blood drop before heading toward the dead horned snake in the end. The pensive blood knight hurriedly walked to the snake carcass, picked it up, and inspected it in detail. As expected, he saw traces of blood on the snakes horn as well as its bulging abdomen. Apparently, it had eaten not long ago. This finding made the vampire especially delighted. The blood knight hurriedly drew his dagger and cut open the snakes abdomen. As expected, it was full of blood! It was fairly fresh and even slightly warm. He immediately poured all the blood into his mouth but wasn''t quite satisfied. In the end, he simply ate the snake whole and spat out its horn. After enjoying this rare delicacy, a satisfied expression appeared on the blood knights cold countenance. He raised his head and gazed toward the direction in which Qianye had left. His eyes had completely changed into a scarlet color, infused with dense blood energy. This human, as frail as a speck of dust, was someone he had even deemed too troublesome to kill because there was no clean water here to wash his hands afterward. But now, it was differenthow far could a prey run after being bitten by a horned snake? The blood knight put on his hood once again and slowly faded into the mist as he hurriedly chased after Qianye. He traveled swiftly and covered several kilometers in the blink of an eye. But contrary to his expectations, he hadnt caught up to the human. The traces left behind by the other party seemed, as before, like a person on the verge of a gradual death after being wounded. He couldnt even hide his tracks very well. Doubt flitted across the blood knights mind. The horned snakes venom was highly toxiceven high ranking vampires would need to use fresh blood power to dispel the poison or else they would be in mortal danger. Only powerful demonkin would be able to ignore its venom. But how was a mere human able to hold out for so long? Could it be that he was a true herbalist? The blood knight suddenly let out a miserable shriek and fell head first into the marsh! At this time, he was being tormented by an inexplicable agony from within his abdomen. It felt as if countless bugs were biting at his internal organs! What made him panic was that the blood energy within his body began to boil uncontrollably, locked in an intense battle with a certain blood energy that had suddenly appeared along with the onset of the pain. It seemed the two sides were struggling to take control of his body. The blood knight grasped at where his heart was and opened his mouth wide, but he didnt even have the strength to cry out due to the intense pain. The shock in his heart was indescribablethese signs clearly indicated a battle between two bloodlines for control over the body. This would happen only when a vampire was injected with the essence blood of a supreme bloodline. The blood knight knew that his blood lineage couldnt be considered glorious, but it was at least a leading middle-grade bloodline. But he was actually being suppressed by an external bloodline without its originator nearby and was even at a disadvantage in this struggle. This meant that the bloodline that had entered his body had to be at least a genuine supreme bloodline! Such powerful supreme bloodlines could be counted on ones fingers even among the whole vampire race. The blood knight truly couldnt recall when he was bitten by a pure-blooded vampire. Additionally, the damned bloodline conflict had actually flared up at such a time! It was as if the blood knights mind was struck by lightninghe immediately recalled that horned snake and the deliciously fresh blood within. Suddenly, his whole body went ice-cold! A trap! This was the blood knights first thought. However, he immediately rejected the notion himself. The blood knight absolutely refused to believe the person he had been tailing was of the same race with a powerful bloodline. Oftentimes, the suppression of bloodline superiority was stronger than that of personal ranking among the vampiresif the other party was indeed a descendant of those few clans, he only needed to reveal his identity and the blood knight would surely concede provided that they had no prior enmity. He simply couldnt imagine the reason for laying down such a trap. The other possibility was that he had encountered a man-made fresh blood receptacle! At the thought of this, the blood knights greed surfaced once again and let go of the thoughts he just had about fleeing. Similarly, fresh blood from a vampire of a supreme lineage was extremely precious to humans. With this fresh blood, complemented by certain rituals, they could secretly engineer a new vampire race. Although the humans and the dark races were irreconcilable on the surface, humans had always yearned for the dark races lifespan, especially the vampire races. There were bound to be certain major characters who were afraid of death, for fear of losing their power and influence. They would, at the end of their lives, use various unscrupulous methods to continue living, and becoming a vampire was, of course, one of those methods. It would be an unexpectedly wonderful meal for the blood knight if that young man who had drifted to this abandoned land for unknown reasons was indeed a fresh blood receptacle being raised for such a purpose. The blood knights abdomen was still in agony as if it was being twisted. The entangling external blood energy flowed throughout his body with every pulse of his blood vessel, bringing with it a similar soul-wrenching pain to every part of his body. The extreme pain made him lose his usual calmhe was now alternating between clarity and fuzziness. It was during his absent-minded state that the blood knight saw a figure appear before him. It was the human he had been tailing. Qianye stopped several meters away from the blood knight and didnt approach him. The vampire races vitality was exceptionally strong. A counterattack on the verge of death was usually fatal. Even in the elite corps, there was no lack of precedents where people were counterattacked and killed by dying vampires. Qianye drew his military knife and tossed it with force. The blood knight whose nerves had been paralyzed by the intense pain let out a low growl. He forcefully shifted himself but was barely able to move his vitals out of danger as the military knife pierced into his thigh with a pfft. The blood knight was furious. He struggled to pull out the dagger and forced himself to produce a strand of blood energy before throwing it back at Qianye. However, his hand twitched at the last moment and hence lost his aimthe projectile only brushed past Qianyes side. Qianye laughed coldly as he approached the blood knight. However, a cold gleam suddenly flashed across the blood knights eyes. An exquisite pistol appeared in his hand as he abruptly sat up and aimed the weapon at Qianye! The blood knight was injured with such a clumsy weapon by an insignificant human whom he didnt even place in his eyes. This made him so angry that he was momentarily extricated from the intense pain and actually became sober in an instant. His gun hand was extremely stablehe laughed coldly and was just about to say something when he suddenly saw Qianye take a sidestep, moving several meters away and escaping the pistols aim! His motion and speed had far surpassed the blood knights expectations. At this moment, a sense of extreme danger gripped his nerves. He produced an origin power grenade, but he couldnt toss it immediately because they were already too close and the blast would likely injure himself. He only wanted to intimidate this human of odd origins and grasp the opportunity to counterattack during the latters retreat. However, the blood knight saw a dagger appear in Qianyes hands. Its appearance was extremely refined and elegant, a classical vampire style weapon. Its decorative patterns began to light up like a living being under the activation of origin power. The blood knight had already been surprised more times during this short period than several past years combined. That dagger looked like the legendary Radiant Edge, the favorite weapon of a certain marquis that had reportedly fallen into human hands. Afterwards, the blood knight saw the human slash out from where he stood. The distance between them was at least a couple of meters. He wanted to laughwas this human scared silly? The Radiant Edge was indeed a champion level weapon, however, a human certainly wouldnt be able to exert its full power, not to mention a mere rank six pawn. The blood knight stopped thinking too much. He pulled the finger he had on the trigger with the weapon aimed at Qianyes thighs. There were simply too many secrets on this humanjust his fresh blood containing the aura of a supreme bloodline was enough reason for the blood knight to take a small risk and attempt to capture the former alive. However, the blood knights finger wasnt able to pull the trigger to its firing position in the end. In his enlarging pupils, he saw the Radiant Edges patterns all lighting up as a dazzling light suddenly erupted from the dark red blood energya scarlet blade radiance was shot toward him! Impossible! How could a rank six human produce blade radiance!? As Qianyes blade slashed out, a blade radiance emerged and rapidly grew to over a meter before sweeping past the blood knights throat. Following which, a silver-haired head flew into the air! Apparently, the blood knights fresh blood power was in chaos. The blood shield he had congealed gave way upon contact and was easily cut through by the Radiant Edge. Even the inherently sturdy vampire body was easily cut apart like paper. Qianye swiftly rushed out and kicked the blood knights hand holding the grenade. He then flicked it with the tip of his toes and sent the grenade flying far into the distance. A mass of surging flames appeared accompanied by a loud rumble. The raging flames rose up tens of meters into the air and were extinguished only a while later. Even though he was dozens of meters away, the violent shockwaves still sent Qianye flying. He only regained his footing after being flung over ten meters away. Qianye crawled up from the mud and only dared to approach the center of the explosion after the energy fluctuations in the area died down. There was now a huge pit over a dozen meters in diameter where the origin grenade exploded, and some crystalline granules had even appeared at its base. Qianye was shockedthis grenade appeared ordinary, but its power had far surpassed his imagination. Were he at the center of this explosion, he would be blown to smithereens even if he had a more powerful vampire constitution. No wonder the blood knight held it in his hands without throwing it. It was fortunate that Qianye noticed this small detail and didnt try to take the grenade out of greed after killing the blood knight. Judging from its might, this was actually a champion level grenade! Even ordinary vampire grenades were extremely precious.Champion level ones were even rarer, so such an extent that this was the first time Qianye had personally witnessed its might. Qianye gazed toward the headless corpse of the blood knight that had been flung to another side by the shockwaves from the explosion and couldnt help but feel some curiosity toward his true identity. Someone who could carry a champion level origin grenade definitely wasnt of simple origins. And the reason for such a character appearing in the marshland was even more thought-provoking. Qianye arrived beside the blood knights corpse and noticed that the blood flowing out from his wounds had already turned dark and putrid, accompanied by a somewhat scorched odor. Conceivably, the blood, flesh, and internal organs of this blood knight had been corroded and burnt to a certain degree. Witnessing this scene, Qianye understood that him being able to kill such a vampire expert was apparently because the trap he had laid down previously had taken effect. However, this blood knight actually didnt show any external abnormalities while he was alive. The corrosion only appeared when his fresh blood power was no longer able to suppress the toxin after his death. This indicated just how strong he was, but unfortunately, he didnt get the chance to exert even one-tenth of that power. Qianye began to search the blood knights body, and moments later, even he was shocked at the bountiful harvest. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 216: Diary [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The blood knights equipment was geared toward stealth and ambush. He carried two small firearmsone of them was the high power pistol which ultimately failed to fire, while the other was a suppressed handgun. This was an extremely rare special effect. Both of them were grade-four origin guns with a special insignia engraved on the grip. It was the symbol of a vampire smith, indicating the creator of the weapon. Only high ranking smiths possessed the qualifications to leave symbols on their wares. For instance, these special pistols with the smiths symbol on them weren''t at all inferior to ordinary grade five origin guns both in terms of might and value. Additionally, Qianye found a longsword and a dagger on the blood knights body. The longsword was grade three. A melee weapon at this grade was equal to a rank four origin gun, so it was nothing much. But the dagger was actually grade four! This was rather uncommon because grade four melee weapons would usually be in the hands of a champion rank expert, and normally only vampire viscounts would be able to use them. The internal armor the blood knight was wearing under his disguise was also a good item. It was unknown which giant beast skin it was made from, but there were a whole three origin power arrays sewn into it. Qianye activated it and found that two of them were used to increase defense while the third actually caused vision to warp around the wearer within a certain time frame, achieving a semi-invisible state. Qianye couldnt help but become curious about this blood knights identity. He began to flip through the latters backpack and the exquisite little tool bag within his pocket. His backpack mostly contained various supplies and equipment required for outdoors travel. There was also a notebook and over a dozen blood crystals. These items were important supplies for high ranking vampires and were a solidification of fresh origin power-rich blood. Ordinary vampires would never be able to get their hands on such blood crystals. They could only suck blood to replenish their energy and fresh blood power. Within the tool bag, Qianye found a crystal disk wrapped up in a soft beast skin. This sky blue item, the size of a palm and as thick as a finger, appeared to be the remnant of a certain equipment. There were undecipherable lines engraved upon it somewhat resembling enchantments. Qianye didnt recognize the words on the crystal remnant but they appeared to belong to a certain ancient language called runespeak. Runespeak was an ancient language passed among the dark races. Its history was much more distant than the human races ancient languages. Reportedly, runespeak was a type of language containing mysterious powersthe characters themselves could form structural components of many types of origin arrays. Every character of true runespeak could be considered a complete origin array. According to their representative origin power, they were further classified into dark runespeak, daybreak runespeak, and neutral runespeak. Qianye naturally couldnt tell which attribute the runespeak on the crystal disk remnant belonged to. However, any object in dark race hands related to runespeak was probably an antique handed down since ancient times. He had only ever seen one item with runespeak on it, and that was in the Red Scorpions display room. It was a cane carved from a single piece of black crystal with a ring of runespeak at its crown. Back in the day, that cane belonged to a powerful demonkin wizard who had killed countless imperial soldiers. Later on, all the Red Scorpion leaders of the time simultaneously took action and ambushed him. After paying a heavy price of near annihilation, they finally killed this high ranking member of the Evernight Council. They brought back his cane as a trophy and placed it in the display room. Today, a remnant crystal disk with runespeak carved on it actually appeared in the hands of a blood knight. Qianye picked up the notebook and observed his surroundings once more before flipping it open. The Black Clay Swamp was, as before, pervaded by an obscure and dangerous silence. The lingering aura from the death of the horned snake and the blood knight exerted a deterrent effect on the creatures of the marsh in the area, saturating the air with a deathly stillness. Qianye began to tread through the blood knights notesupon the pliable and waterproof papers were decorated cursive words penned in a special dark green ink. Every stroke carried elegance and complexity, portraying the characteristics of the vampire race. Fortunately, it was a diary and the words within were quite simple and direct. It was written mainly in present-day common language of the dark race and there werent any particularly abstruse words apart from a few vampire-specific terms. Hence, Qianye was able to understand most of the vocabulary. The notebook recorded this high-ranking vampires adventures of the past few years. His tracks were quite broad, having tread across several continents. Qianye found some interesting contents in one of the pages. I, Deryl Kurlas, a baron of the grand and ancient Kurlas family actually received a conscription order!? My goodness, its Evernight Continent, the gathering place of those lowly bloodlines! Why was I so unlucky as to return at such a time? Had I known beforehand, I wouldve postponed the journey for three more months. The scenery in Azure Gold Continent is still extremely enchanting. Qianye checked the date and discovered that the diary entry was written nine months ago. Could this mean that the dark races had already been planning this large-scale war since over half a year ago? And it was on Evernight Continent? But Qianye hadnt heard of any war of similar scale in Evernight Continent during the past period. At least there were no wars that warranted a blood race conscription order from the upper continents. That left only one possibilitythis blood knight was conscripted for the imminent battlethis was a total war! The conscription order was issued at least nine months earlier. Considering the time spent in secret planning, perhaps the major characters of the dark race had already been working out a strategy since nine months ago. Just what was it that had attracted the vampires that they were willing to pay such a great price to start a war on this barren Evernight Continent? The reasons for a war couldnt be anything else but resources, territory, and population, etc. Was it for territory? It was completely meaningless. The Great Qin Empire wasnt very ambitious regarding territories on Evernight Continent. Otherwise, they wouldnt have abandoned it after occupying the Qin Continent. Although for some reason, they established the expeditionary army later on and still maintained a certain range of power in Evernight Continent, the latter was largely ignored both in terms of equipment and strategic supplies. Was it for the population? The humans living and multiplying on Evernight Continent were the lowest rung of human society, struggling on the fine line between life and death. Most of them would never awaken origin power in their lifetime. Most of the fastidious pure-blooded vampires wouldnt be interested in drawing such poor mans blood unless they were in extreme hunger. The grime and odor on these people were sufficient to destroy any and all appetite. These people were even inferior to the humans raised by the dark races. What use could they serve even if they were captured in large numbers? But Qianye being unable to find a reason didnt mean the dark races were stupid. In truth, most of those old geezers from the Evernight Council had lived for thousands of years and had experienced too many things during their long life. Due to their experience and strength, they make virtually no mistakes. The foolish things they sometimes did were out of boredom. Qianye withdrew his thoughts and continued flipping through the book. Although he had guessed, from the spoils of war, that this blood knight was one of extraordinary origins, he never expected him to actually be a baron from the upper continent who had been conscripted here. Very soon, Qianye found another interesting entry. I have to admit that Im now somewhat interested in this conscription order. According to Mills, it seems the war this time has something to do with a treasure left behind by the Black Monarch. This guy has never been reliable but I admit Im inclined to believe him this time. As to why I am, I can only say that its the intuition granted to me by the primogenitor. This fellow, Mills, has made so many mistakes. Hes got to get it right at least once, right? Black Monarch? Qianye wasn''t at all familiar with this major historical character of the dark races. However, someone who could use such a name was possibly a great dark monarch, and even the items left behind by the weakest of great dark monarchs would interest a marshal of the empire. From there on, Qianye slowed down his browsing speed and, as expected, saw many shocking contents. Black Monarch? Which Black Monarch? Those frightening and repulsive old geezers of the council want to cover up all history. But that wont pose a problem for meI, Deryl Kurlas, may only be a baron, but at the same time, Im also a great scholar and adventurer! Theres only one monarch who matches the conditions in the most recent thousand years of historythe second generation vampire progenitor, the terrifying Black Winged Monarch Andruil! He disappeared not long after the War of Daybreak and his fate was unknown. There was no explanation all this time for his disappearance. I personally believe that a better solution is to investigate the world outside of the 27 continents. After all, the vampire progenitors have a natural advantage in this respect it seems Ive gone off-topic? The sudden disappearance of a second generation vampire progenitor? Qianye silently memorized the name Andruil. He hoped to collect some information related to the Black Winged Monarch should the opportunity present itself. But at present, he needed to survive this war first. The remaining diary entries were all related to Deryls activities after arriving in Evernight Continent. The requirements of the dark race conscription order were quite relaxed. It was evident from this that they had no specific target to plunder. As a baron and also as an expert in stealth and ambush, Deryl basically possessed complete freedom of action as long as he entered his designated war zone when the conflict began. The length of this section wasnt short eitherDeryl was someone who just couldnt stay idle. He had spent almost half a years time exploring various places in Evernight Continent. However, he hadnt taken part in any proper battles. According to his own accounts, he only set about killing people after his identity was seen through. He had only raided a human settlement once in a state of intense starvation on his return from a dangerous exploration trip lasting over ten days without blood. As for the results of the raid, he only played it down with a few words, Even the blood of seemingly young girls and tender children tasted incomparably coarse. As expected, this continent is only suited for the lower species of inferior bloodlines to live. Additionally, one should always wash the food before every meal. This is especially required in Evernight Continent. The corner of Qianyes eyes twitched slightly as he read on. This was the true relationship between humans and the dark races. This adventure-obsessed Deryl could already be considered quite mild, although his mild behavior stemmed from his pride and his contempt for the human race as a whole. Among his adventures in Evernight Continent, there were mentions of certain mysterious places even someone like Deryl was temporarily unable to enterTwilight Woods, Polar Fissure, Noctilucent Ridge, etc. Qianye was intrigued by these names which he had never even heard of before. He had long since known that this continent he had been staying in for the longest was extremely vast. However, he had never known just how vast it was. Perhaps he could go everywhere to take a look after growing stronger in the future. Suddenly, a certain passage attracted Qianyes attention. Today, I found an extremely ancient document. Its contents are truly astonishing! Who wouldve imagined Andruil had actually been living secretly in Evernight Continent for decades!? No one actually knew that the great Black Winged Monarch had come to Evernight Continent! Perhaps this was the truth those Evernight Council geezers had been concealing at all costs! Some among them are, in fact, characters from Andruils era. I absolutely refuse to believe that theyre not aware that Andruil came to Evernight Continent and even lived here for so long. Ha! This is truly a good day! I finally found evidence of Andruils former movements! Perhaps I might be able to discover something from this. A whole week of effort wasnt wasted! I simply cant believe what I found! A remnant disk with runespeak engravings! Even though two-thirds of it is missing, judging from its unique style, this must be a key. The key to opening the Black Winged Monarchs treasure! Perhaps I should keep this item. It is most appropriate for a vampire to inherit the treasure of a vampire progenitor. Ive finally obtained new rewards after two months. I found my target in an indescribably small human town across this foul-smelling marshan old man on his deathbed whose ancestor had once waited upon Andruil. That was naturally during the time the Black Winged Monarch had stayed in Evernight. I only needed a few tricks to get all the relevant information. His ancestors did indeed leave words for his descendants, telling them to bring the remnant disk to the Forgotten Mountain Range on the Flaming Beacon Continent. There will be a gift for them therein as a reward for his 30 years of loyal service. The problem right now is this damned conscription order. I have to wait till the war is over before I can go to Flaming Beacon Continent! There was only a single entry on the last page. A young human had actually seen through my disguise? This is interesting. Perhaps I should make him my descendant. Here, the diary came to an end. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 217: Scouting [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye closed the barons diary and reviewed the important points in his mind. After confirming that he had memorized them all, he set it aflame. He watched every last fragment of the notebook turn to ash before stirring it into the muddy water. The few unique trinkets in Deryls backpack were left in place. Qianye sank all those things, along with the corpse, into a deep pond hundreds of meters away from the scene. In this way, all traces of the baron would be naturally erased in a couple of days and no one would ever be able to track what had happened. Baron Deryl Kurlas would hereafter be marked as missing on the vampire name list. This kind of situation wasnt a rare occurrence. It was the same for that Black Winged Monarch Andruil whose whereabouts were a mystery to this very day. Qianye carefully stowed the runespeak fragment. He wasnt sure if the information he had obtained from the barons diary was true, or if this seemingly solemn runespeak fragment was indeed part of a key. Even the humans had heard much about the dark races fondness for treasure huntingthere would be many rumors of mixed authenticity every year. Some clues appeared genuine at first glance, only to find that it was a prank of unknown origins after following up on it till the end. However, the implications of this matter were simply too great. Especially since the dark races reasons for starting a war this time included something that seemed rather ridiculous to a human. Qianye weighed this matter over and over again but felt it best not to reveal this information to anyone. Naturally, he couldnt discuss this with anyone either. Treasures can turn into unexpected calamities at any time. However, the spoils of war currently placed before Qianye were, as a matter of fact, quite significant. The two pistols were both high-grade smith-signed merchandise that would auction for at least 3000 gold coins in the empire. Those noble scions interested in firearms had enough time and energy to research the source of the smiths signature. If they were found to be prestigious names, the prices could soar to 5000 or even higher. However, these huge profits could only be imagined. Since Qianye had to conceal Baron Deryls fate, he could only process these items as stolen property of unknown origin. Even going through Song Zinings channel, it would already be quite fortunate if he could get rid of them for 2000 each. Presently, Qianye certainly wouldnt invite more trouble for himself, drawing from his experience with the Twin Flowers. A premium grade four dagger could be easily carried on many occasions. Add to that the refined and sophisticated style of the vampires, it would certainly be a well-received merchandise. Demand for a longsword would be narrower but it wasnt impossible to sell. As for that grade three armor, there was probably no market for it. The core price of an armor was related to its origin array, but vampire origin arrays were, without a doubt, best activated with fresh blood power. Activation using other darkness type origin powers would reduce their effectiveness. The reduction for daybreak origin power was even greater. Although it wasnt quite useful for other people, it posed no obstacle for Qianye. As such, the item was claimed for his personal use. Qianye calculated the value of the origin guns and blades, finding them to be barely passable. The money would be sufficient for his Dark Flame Mercenary Corps to develop for half a year. It was enough to develop and not just for basic operation. The other fortune left behind by Baron Deryl was a detailed map of the Black Clay Swamp. Marked upon it were three safe routes through the swamp. These routes were, of course, due to the efforts of the arachne. Giant swampspiders were the hegemons of the marshlands. It was precisely because they opened up the paths that the dark races were able to pass through the Black Clay swamp and flank the human defense line. However, the environment within the marshlands was adverse, especially the stench. It was harmful to all creaturesnone could endure it apart from the vampires and demonkin. Even someone fond of exploring mysterious places like Baron Deryl wouldnt appear in such a place if not for the temptation of the Black Monarchs treasure. This roadmap changed Qianyes mind about merely familiarizing himself with the swamp. The hundreds of kilometers of marshland would serve as sufficient operation space for him. He thus decided to enter the hinterlands, not only to verify the map but also to see if he could ambush the dark races. During the latter half of the night, Qianye was attacked countless times on his journey toward the depths of the marsh. Most of them came from local marshland creatures. There would be flying insects wherever there were bloodvines with the occasional appearance of horned snakes. Presently, Qianye naturally wouldnt get bitten againhe simply swatted them with the Radiant Edge and fragmented their organs. Well-preserved horned snakeskin, gallbladder, horn, and poison glands could be sold for good money. A single horned snake was worth up to dozens of gold coins. Before half the night had passed, Qianye had already dug up over a dozen bloodvines and caught three horned snakes. This could be considered quite a helpful harvest, but nothing could compare to killing a high ranking vampire in terms of quick money. However, the vampire was actually a baron. If not for him being too careless and falling into Qianyes trap, the one being hunted down after entering the depths of the marsh would probably be the latter. Since Deryl had the intention to turn him into a descendant, there was no telling when he would take action. Qianye was attacked by a group of alligators as he continued toward of the depths of the marsh. The horde retreated only after Qianye killed several giant alligators in succession. Afterwards, he encountered a type of palm-sized killer fish that could pierce through normal armor with a single bite. Spiders the size of basins, meter-long leeches, and unknown giant bugs began to appear with increasing frequency. The skin of marsh alligators, the roe of killer fish, and the silk of spiders could be sold for a decent amount of money. Qianye began to realize why there were so many scavengers and herbalists in Black Clay Town. The bloodvines and other materials in his backpack were enough to completely change the lives of dozens of scavengers. These scavengers had followed the rumors here with dreams of good fortune falling upon them. Perhaps they might find a bloodvine with no horned snake in the vicinity or find a follicle of killer fish roe. It was just that reality was always cruel and good fortune was hard to come bydanger was the eternal theme of this land. Scavengers who die in the marsh every year numbered in the thousands while those that truly struck rich were fewer than few. However, it was precisely because the achievements of these few lucky people were spoken of so repeatedly that others began to accept this as the normal pattern. The thousands who lost their lives were thoroughly forgotten by the greed in mens heart. The graveyard outside of Black Clay Town stood as a silent testament. Buried within were those whose remains could be found, while most scavengers who died in the marsh were left with neither corpse nor bone. The peoples attitude toward fortune had always been comparable to deceived loversthey sought but a moments intense pleasure and never the price of long-term perseverance. They speak as if affection was no longer pure when affected by various factors, but then how was an irresponsible romance any better? As Qianye advanced further, he saw dozens of lofty black stone pillars towering over the center of a low-lying region. The soil in the center was smooth and dry, but the area surrounding the black pillars was littered with hundreds of holes of various sizes. Qianye suddenly shivered after seeing this group of pillars. He immediately withdrew his aura and observed for a moment, slowly approaching the place only after making sure there was nothing peculiar in the vicinity. The air suddenly turned dry in an area of ten meters around the stone pillars. The ground was also several centimeters higher than the surrounding area. Qianye arrived beside a certain pit where he began to pinch and observe the soil. There were darkened black shells within the soil. This certified that these pits were dug by the arachne servspiders for resting. The eggshells came from their eggsthe newly hatched baby spiders would become new servspiders while eggs with no opportunity to develop would be eaten, supplying other servspiders with nutrition. There were traces of a camp at the center of the pillars. From the marks left behind, one could tell that the last batch to stop over probably consisted of arachne and werewolves. This group of stone pillars was a campsite the dark race had set up within the marsh for the armies marching through the swamp to rest. The design of these stone pillars was extremely clever, and together, they formed a natural origin array. This was a method humans hadnt been able to unravel to this very day. They could operate for several years on a small number of black crystals, providing the dark race army with a comfortable and dry camp. Qianye didnt touch anything and only observed the traces within the camp in detail. His tightly creased brow relaxed slightly after finding that this camp hadnt been used for a long time. This was the last decently-scaled place where they could camp before exiting the swamp. Qianye recalled the markings on the barons swamp map, checked his bearings and made his way toward another camp. If not for this map, Qianye would have never imagined that the dark race had actually constructed as many as five camps within Black Clay Swamp and was planning to build one more. This was a prelude to the marching of a great army through the swamp. Judging from the scale of these camps, Qianye realized that the few men he had in hand were certainly not enough to hold Black Clay Town. The path through the swamp became increasingly difficult to traverse. The surface of the mire was also weaker. Qianye now had to move with extreme caution despite his reaction speed and ability. He had already encountered several instances where he almost fell in. He had to observe the flora along his path in detail in order to decide whether the path was solid ground. Due to his cautiousness, Qianye didnt advance along the road opened up by the dark races and instead moved along its periphery. In this way, he would be able to discover them immediately if a dark race squad were to pass by while hiding his own tracks. Qianye didnt discover any signs of a marching dark race army until he arrived at the second camp. However, he suddenly felt a peculiar sense of danger just as he was about to leave the second camp. He reacted instantly by hiding in the muddy waterhis whole body sunk gracefully but swiftly, leaving only two eyes above water level. The originally calm water surface began to ripple. Soon afterwards, Qianye heard fine rustling sounds as a large group of basin-sized dark grey spiders passed by over ten meters away. Their movement speed was rather fast, their long legs shifting rapidly as if they were gliding over the water. These dark grey spiders were the descendants of the giant swampspiders. They were, of course, not as frightening as the giant swampspiders, but had the advantage in numbers and their adaptability to the marsh terrain. Additionally, they were quite sensitive to their surroundings and especially proficient in capturing moving images. Wherever the spiders passed by, the local creatures of the swamp would hide just like Qianyenone dared to show their presence. The movement of these escaping creatures served to conceal Qianyes sinking movement. Qianye lay motionless like a rock after sinking into the water. As expected, the horde of grey swampspiders swarmed passed without sensing anything out of the ordinary. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 218: Beating the Bush to Startle the Snake [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] A formal squad of arachne would definitely follow the grey swampspiders. Qianye closed his eyes and sank deeperwater gradually covered his hair without forming so much as a ripple. The swamp began to shake as a number of giant shadows emerged from the distant mist. They were a type of arachne servspider known as giant swampspiders. These giant spiders possessed astonishing build, growing as tall as three meters and possessing a bulky abdomen that almost looked like a boat. These giant spiders moved with a nimbleness that was out of proportion to their large bodies. It wasnt too excessive to say that they moved like the wind. Even Qianye would not be able to flee from a giant swampspider within the marshlandsthe only choice might be to stand and duelthere was simply no way to outrun a pursuing giant swampspider in such an environment. There were probably half a dozen of them. Their heavy footsteps meant that they were transporting a couple of werewolves on their backs, forming a small but complete werewolf squad. Following at the very end were two arachne bringing up the rear. This squad soon rushed past Qianye and, judging from their direction, they were headed toward the camp. Qianye gradually surfaced after the group had passed and the shaking of the swamp disappeared. Judging from the scale, it was an advance scouting party and their strength was one level greater than an ordinary patrol squad. Qianye pondered for a while and, once again, went through topography around the camp in his mind. He decided to take them down! Although it was said that beating the bush would startle the snake, it made little difference to the situation at hand. The dark races would never abandon their plan of transporting troops through the swamp, regardless of whether the humans had discovered traces of their movement. If he could force the dark races to change their route by killing a large part of their scouting party, that would be, on the contrary, just what he wanted. Qianye found a dry high ground where he sat down to rest and wait in silence. He stood up only three hours later and moved stealthily toward the second campsite. The only ones truly difficult to deal with in the scouting party were the rank seven arachne and a werewolf captain of the same rank. However, Qianye was confident he could badly wound one of them in an ambush. Simple tents had been raised in the campsite. The two largest ones were for the two arachne, while the smaller ones were occupied by the werewolves. Some of the lycanthropes simply lay down on the dry ground and began to snore loudly. Most of the arachne and werewolves had begun to rest. The march through the swamp was extremely arduous, leaving both races utterly exhausted. It was a total torment for the violent and restless werewolves to lie completely still on the swampspiders bodies and suffer the long period of jolting. On the other hand, the werewolves heavy bodies were a burden to the swampspiders. Qianye hid for another half an hour, watching as the giant swampspiders also fell asleep outside the stone pillars. Most of the grey swampspiders had crawled onto dry ground and only a few of them were left moving restlessly. The arachne didnt especially leave any sentinels. Their warning mechanism mainly relied on the sharp perception of the numerous small spiders. Such a system would normally be superior to the so-called sentinels, but their effects were greatly diminished in the current marshland environment. The arachne and werewolf captains weren''t quite concerned because their current location within the swamp was quite central and very few humans would be able to traverse this deep. These campsites had been completely safe for the past several years and had never been raided by humans before. Besides, it would take at least a detachment of human soldiers to launch an attack against them. The noise from such a number of people approaching would wake even the sleepiest of spiders. Amidst the silence, Qianye gradually rose from the muddy waters and inched toward the camp. The grey swampspiders only began to sense him when he was 50 meters away from the destination. The somewhat restless spiders collided with one another as they clambered and scanned the dark swamp repeatedly, however, the dense mist and the unique scent of the marshland occupied all their senses, rendering them unable to judge the source of this unease. Qianye stopped concealing himself and rushed into the center of the camp within the blink of an eye! Despite the swampy terrain, Qianye was like an arrow let loose from a bow the moment he raised his speed. No sooner had the few grey swampspiders in the periphery let out a warning cry than Qianye rushed into their midst. His forward rushing posture abruptly dropped down in tandem with the descent of the pure and refined origin power within. Following which, a powerful stomp fell on the camp groundenergy from over 25 cycles of combatant formula surged out from his body. The firm ground suddenly caved in under Qianyes foot as spiders of various sizes within a ten-meter radius were tossed into the air and flung away by the energy shockwave which followed relentlessly. Qianye once again rushed out like a cannon shell and crashed into a giant swampspider who had just clambered up. Only a dull thud was heard before the spider was knocked back to the ground with an ear-piercing snap. It seemed some of its limbs were broken. Following which, its large body slid several meters and fell into the water. The way was now open! Qianye had reached the center of the camp within moments. The whole campsite erupted! All the swampspiders clambered up and let out threatening hisses. But these slow-reacting creatures were gazing toward the exterior where Qianyes initial attack had caused a large pit. This served only to interfere with the judgment of the other arachne and werewolves within the circle. Qianye stood at the center of the camp with his Twin Flowers aimed at the largest tent, waiting patiently for his prey to appear. As the rank seven arachne emerged, tearing the tent open and letting out furious roars, the first thing he saw was the two illusory flowers blossoming in the air. Amidst the resounding explosion, a bloody mist immediately erupted from the arachnes humanoid face as half its brain was blown apart! The distance was simply too closeso close that Qianye didnt even need to aim accurately. The two pistols bombarded the arachnes head with full force. The weakest and most vital part of the enemy was struck by the beautiful and almost illusory origin power radiance of the twin flowers, turning it into a heap of bloody flesh. Despite losing its brain, the arachnes body didnt turn rigid immediately due to its strong vitality. The headless body, dragging half the tent along, charged forward madly. Its sharp limbs suddenly pierced through a werewolf who had just climbed out of a nearby tent and easily punched a hole through the unfortunate fellows chest. The werewolf captain was an extremely strong black wolf. He had torn through the tents roof and jumped out immediately only to witness this scene play out before him. Both shocked and infuriated, he roared, What the hell do you think youre doing? Are you courting death!? But the arachne leader could no longer respond to the wolfs words with half its brain missing. The uncontrollable spider charged directly into the werewolves camp area. Under the flailing of its eight limbs, a certain werewolf who was sleeping outdoors failed to escape and was cut into pieces. The werewolf captain could no longer say anything as he let out a roar and pounced forward to save his subordinates. Qianye changed positions several times amidst the chaos and made use of the certain blind spots to arrive near a smaller tent, waiting for the rank five arachne to appear. He holstered the Twin Flowers and drew the Radiant Edge. A scarlet glow began to emerge on the blades edge! A brilliant red blade radiance suddenly illuminated the campgrounds when the second arachne emerged. The spider let out a blood-curdling scream as its chest and abdomen were completely separated! After finishing off the two arachne, all the servspiders were thrown into chaos. From the giant swampspiders to the small grey spiders, all of them were going around in circlesthey completely had no idea as to where the enemy was. Meanwhile, the out-of-control arachne leader had died completely. Its gigantic body fell in a pile beside a half-smashed stone pillar. Consequently, the nearby spiders immediately got into a conflict with the violent werewolves survivors. Qianye calmly fell back and then turned around to exert his strengthhe flashed past a giant swampspiders strike and, with a flicker of his blade, split open the latters abdomen. The giant spider immediately fell to the ground and stopped moving as blood gradually seeped out, dying the muddy waters a sanguineous red. Covered by its large body, Qianyes figure disappeared noiselessly into the mists of the Black Clay Swamp. The camp had fallen into complete disorder. The servspiders, with their limited intelligence, began to reveal their fierce nature after escaping the constraint of the arachne leaders. The bloody stench continuously agitated the nerves of the werewolves and arachne. This made them increasingly violentthe conflict expanded to a bloody battle in the blink of an eye. A giant swampspider had fiercely pinned a werewolf to the ground. It opened its mandibles and was about to bite down when it suddenly raised its head and let out a miserable hiss. The werewolf captain had already pounced onto its body and pierced his glowing claws deep into the spiders back shell. Then, with a powerful lifting motion, he split open the whole of the victims back. This slightly alleviated the violent werewolf captains bloodthirst. He let out a roar, hoping to reassemble his subordinates. The chaos was partly stopped under the loud voice suffused with suppressive might. However, the werewolf captain suddenly felt an intense sense of danger. He immediately leapt off the giant swampspiders back, but it was already too late. The twin flowers rumbled once againthe origin power bullets erupted with a mass of dazzling light upon the captains body, turning his whole back into a mess of flesh and gore! This shot wasnt quite lethal, but it drastically reduced the werewolf captains combat capabilities. There was no longer any suspense in the following battle after the last rank seven opponent was badly wounded. The werewolves heavy bodies were ill-suited for marshland combat. Additionally, the giant swampspiders, unweakened within the swamp, had lost their masters and turned into indiscriminate enemies. Just like that, Qianye roamed the area around the camp and continuously killed the werewolves who, unable to restrain themselves, rushed into the swamp to fight him. In the end, half of those dozen-odd werewolves were devoured by the bottomless mire. After patiently disposing of the swampspiders of various sizes, the whole camp area became silent once again. The spoils of war werent exactly abundant. Werewolf armor and claws were of no use to humans, and the same went for arachne battle armors. Fortunately, the arachne also used origin gunsQianye found a grade four origin gun within a tattered tent. There were good rank three items among the looted melee weapons. Unfortunately, the heavy battle-axes favored by the arachne easily weighed a couple of hundreds of kilograms. Qianye didnt want to carry such a huge load all the way back. The two origin grenades, however, were a good harvest. Although they werent as powerful as the ones used by vampires, they were still much better than human grenades. Qianye went around the campsite and cleared away traces of himself before setting out once again toward a different camp. In the following days, he encountered two more scouting parties of the same size, both of which he easily eliminated. We now have a Patreon! Please visit ourfor advance chapters and support us if you can.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 219: Before the War [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Several days later, Qianye encountered a larger patrol squad in one of the campsites on the other side of Black Clay Swamp. This time, he had to engage in an arduous battle before he was able to kill all the arachne and pursue the fleeing werewolves through the night. However, some special members of that squad cast a shadow over Qianyes heart. He swiftly ended the ambush and retreated swiftly without even erasing his traces. The additional extra members were the giant lizard packbeasts who could move through the swamp unimpeded. These large amphibious beasts were over a dozen meters in length and possessed inexhaustible stamina. Their carrying capacity was also several times greater than that of giant swampspiders. Qianye went through the items being carried on the packbeast and found that the securely sealed trunks were full of various armaments, ammo, medicines and war rations. One of those trunks even had 12 whole vampire grenades in them. Judging by sight, those packbeasts were carrying several tons each. Ten-odd packbeasts meant that there were dozens of tons of supplies. The dark race army had little pressure regarding supplies because their food sources were quite abundant and they were adept at drawing on local resources, humans for instance. The several dozen tons of military supplies were being escorted by a reinforced patrol squad. Simply from these details, one could predict the scale of the dark race army about to move through the Black Clay Swamp. This was an army of thousands! Thousands of formal warriors and not cannon fodder used to make up the numbers. Formal dark race warriors had always been stronger than human soldiers. The dark race forces that took part in the battle of Earth Castle consisted mostly of cannon fodder. There were no more than a hundred formal dark race warriors and yet they had wiped out an elite reinforced company of the empire along with a whole battalion of regular expeditionary army soldiers. If the scale of the dark race forces being mobilized was indeed as large as Qianye had predicted, not to mention Black Clay Town, even the whole Blackflow City region would be in grave danger. Qianye was no longer in the mood to continue hunting. His top priority now was to report this new intelligence. The thousands of dark race warriors would, no doubt, be led by a champion. This estimate still hadnt taken into account the commonly allocated cannon fodder, usually several times that of the formal troop count. Equipment was still the deciding factor in many battles regardless of numbersQianye only brought along the crate of vampire grenades and burnt the remaining supplies he couldnt carry before rushing back at full speed. Qianye returned to Black Clay Town after three days. The first batch of 100 soldiers from his Dark Flame Mercenary Corps, led by Lil Seven, had already been settled in. Song Hu, on the other hand, would arrive in a few days with ammo and supplies. Lil Seven, upon seeing Qianye, was momentarily shocked by the bag-shaped object behind him. Master, what is this? The three large outdoor backpacks tied together was almost as tall as Qianye and fully twice as wide. Even Qianye felt rather strained carrying this load. He unloaded the straps on his shoulders and replied, This is the harvest from my trip to the swamp. Find someone to do inventory. Lil Seven immediately called over a number of warriors proficient in miscellaneous duties. The girls immediately screamed as a pile of arachne heads rolled out from the bulging first package! Lil Seven was still quite calm. After the screaming subsided, she instructed the soldiers to pile up the arachne heads to one side. Despite their frightening aesthetics, these things were proof of military service, each of them worth over a dozen imperial gold coins in reward. Next up was a number of randomly knotted packs. What fell out from the opened corner were several ears with blood clotted at their cut ends. Judging from the shape and fur, they obviously belonged to werewolves. There were at least half a dozen ears with signature earrings, indicating their status as high ranking werewolf warriors. This time, the cleanup crew was mentally prepared. They didnt scream although their hands trembled and almost reflexively tossed the small packs away. In addition to this were the armamentsten rank three origin guns, half a dozen origin power weapons and over ten pieces of armor. The numbers were great, but most dark race weapons required darkness origin power to display their full might. As such, their value on the market was decided by whether they had any artistic or aesthetic value. Arachne and werewolf gear usually wouldnt fetch a decent price. Lil Sevens face was full of delight as she made an inventory of the items. These things would gain them thousands of gold coins after selling and exchanging accomplishments. The amount was sufficient for many months of the mercenary corps basic operations. Qianyes mood, on the other hand, was quite heavy. He went in to immediately write a letter after putting down the items. He recorded, in detail, everything he had seen and heard these days within the great swamp. He then dispatched a group of soldiers to head towards the Four Rivers Military Base at top speed and hand this report to Wei Bainian. At this time, Hu Wei hurriedly arrived in response to the urgent summons. Qianye didnt explain much and only ordered him to make immediate preparations to evacuate all the townspeople. Hu Wei was shocked out of his wits. A complete evacuation meant that the situation had reached the worst stage. He didnt even ask if Qianye had obtained the 7th divisions command before saying that he would make immediate arrangements and left without even remembering to say goodbye. Song Hu arrived at Black Clay Town two days later with the supplies. After hearing Qianye recount the situation, he immediately sent people back to Blackflow City to collect trucks because only with enough trucks would they be able to ship more people and food back to Blackflow City. Song Hus instructions behind Qianyes back wasbuy if you can, rent if you must, and rob if all else fails. But the most difficult part of all this was that there wasnt any news at all from the expeditionary armys side. The messenger Qianye dispatched returned along with a supply team from the mercenary corps. He brought the news to the 7th division headquarters but Wei Bainian had no message for him to bring back. Fortunately, they still had some time. The marshland terrain was truly adversepassing through the swamp would take the dark race army over ten days considering their size and marching speed. Previously, Qianye had destroyed most of their camping grounds. They wouldnt be able to avoid a delay even if they had immediately dispatched repair teams after receiving news of it. News finally arrived from the expeditionary army after a week. Qianye thought his eyes had gone blurry after seeing the motorcade outside Black Clay Town. The snaking convoy stretched as far as the eye could see and completely blocked off the only highway outside of the town. Just the troop transportation trucks numbered close to a hundred and there were dozens of others carrying supplies. Qianye even saw ten truck-drawn heavy cannons! The army was close to three thousand strong and consisted of almost two regiments in structure. With the 7th divisions current condition, it seemed all available troops had arrived here, barring the garrisons in the two cities and the essential frontline forces. Wei Bainian jumped down from the jeep and immediately broke into a frown due to the stench assaulting his senses. Qianye directly jumped down from the town wall after seeing Wei Bainian. He approached the latter and asked in surprise, General Wei, how come youve come in person? Wei Bainian replied, I saw your letter. Its absolutely impossible for you to block a dark race army consisting of thousands of regular warriors. So, I shifted the 7th divisions main force here. Well give those dark blooded sons of b*tches a ruthless surprise at the exit! Campsites are limited in the great swamp, so they can only come out in batches. Well conveniently destroy them one by one. Such opportunities dont come often! Qianye was somewhat startled, but after some consideration, he couldnt help but admit it made sense. However still had some concerns. What about the primary defensive line? Wei Bainian replied, Well just have to let the current forces hold on. With such a large force coming through the black swamp, its likely that the attacks on the other defensive lines will be mere diversions forces made up mainly of cannon fodder. Theyll have a hard time, but its not impossible to defend. Qianye was still somewhat worried, What if the troop strength over there exceeds our estimations? If the main battlefield was broken through, even Blackflow City might be lost and half the theater would be crushed. What meaning would there be even if they repelled the assault from the Black Clay Marsh? Wei Bainian Calmly replied, I flipped through the war records of this defensive region. The Trinity River County had always been a barren location. There are no natural resources here, and neither is there any important strategic value. Furthermore, Blackflow City is considered to be at a lower intermediate grade in Trinity River County. He glanced at Qianye and smiled. Despite being one of the most troublesome characters in the expeditionary army, Wu Zhengnans 7th division had always remained a third-rate defensive region. Qianye inwardly sighedit seemed the Wei clan had indeed investigated Wu Zhengnan thoroughly. His later increase in power mostly relied on illegal trade. He was only in charge of holding the city on the actual battlefield. Think about it. This place has neither resources nor tactical value. Why would the dark race mobilize a large army toward such a place? Additionally, if the main defense line really cant be held, it holds little meaning even if I dispatch a massive force over there. Qianye immediately understood. If the dark race had also invested a large army on the main battlefield, they would become an enormous military force after their rendezvous with the army emerging from the swamp, a force the 7th division had absolutely no way to stop. At that time, they wouldnt even be able to hold Blackflow City unless the expeditionary armys strategy department deployed additional troops to this area. Wei Bainian called out to Qianye and the two entered the town together, giving the latter a simple explanation of his thoughts along the way. Wei Bainians strategy in this war was very clearhe would deploy all of the main forces here at Black Clay Town and defeat this army first, taking advantage of the fact that the dark race forces had no choice but to yield to the geography and split up their forces. In this way, he would win a decisive advantage during the upcoming war. This was an extremely bold strategy. As he walked into the conference room in the mayors residence, Wei Bainian finally couldnt resist complaining, How come this place stinks so much? Qianye replied with a smile, This is the Black Clay Swamps characteristic stench, a mixture of hundreds of odors. However, thats not a bad thing because it cripples the werewolves and vampires sharp sense of smell. Although the arachne are able to adapt better, their senses also decline within the black marsh. Wei Bainian broke into a laughter and patted Qianyes shoulder. Now I suddenly feel this smell is quite good! The dark race held too great a racial advantage in terms of night vision and perception. Interfering with their sense of smell would weaken a part of their fighting capacity. Wei Bainian produced a military map and spread it open on the table. He then pointed to a few places for Qianye to see. This map, densely packed with landmarks and symbols, was actually the 7th divisions complete defensive map! Wei Bainian said, From now on, this place will be the weakest link in the defensive line. After the battle here, you can choose one or more places there to defend. This will increase your rewards by 30% over the standard rate. Qianyes eyebrows were raised slightly as he checked the map in detail. After the battle here? Was this withdrawing defenses or changing defenses? Wei Bainian laughed and added, Theres much work to do. You can decide if youre interested. This place used to be a small mine and theres still some production. Right now, its being occupied by the previous 7th divisions deserters and I dont have the extra manpower to deal with them. The area will be placed under your authority hereafter if you can take them down. Ill not care about anything else as long as you pay a 30% tax. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 220: Evacuation [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye was moved. He observed the map and found some simple numbers beside the mines symbol, explaining its yield. If he could take this place in addition to those mines Wei Potian had gifted him before, he would gain a regular profit of thousands of gold coins each year. This would be sufficient to expand Dark Flame to a thousand-man scale or he could maintain a 500-man scale but with equipment and remuneration equal to that of the regular imperial army. However, this mine isnt so easy to claim. There should be over a thousand men in there, led by a colonel of the previous 7th division. Additionally, the location is quite close to the 15th divisions defensive area, closer than the distance they offered as compensation back then. Qianye nodded gently but showed no changes in his expression. Is the colonel rank seven or eight? Wei Bainian replied, Seven. However, that man is a veteran with eight years of service. Achieving the rank of colonel and the eight years of service in the expeditionary army signifies that his combat experience is definitely abundant. Qianye nodded and replied calmly, It wont be a big problem if thats the case. A smile flashed through Wei Bainians eyes as he asked, The 15th division Qianye shrugged. They promised not to get involved again if I remembered correctly. The one-year agreement still hasnt expired. If their lesson last time didnt leave a deep enough impression, then I dont mind repeating it. Wei Bainian nodded with a smile. Very well. Ill help you hold off the pressure from other areas. After reaching an agreement about the mine, Wei Bainian had someone bring over the local map of the region surrounding Black Clay Swamp. He compared it to the map drawn by Qianye and began to study how to deploy the line of defense. A clamor was heard outside of the window at this time. There were sounds of quarrel, cries, curses, and even a few gunshots. Qianye walked to the narrow window and glanced outside only to witness a large batch of expeditionary army soldiers driving away the scavengers and tramps living on the streets. Hu Wei stood on high ground, shouting hysterically, Ill give you 30 minutes to get out of town! Weve already prepared a camp for you there! Listen up, you have only 30 minutes! Only a whipping awaits if any of you appear in front of this daddy after 30 minutes! Anyone who dares remain in town after an hour will be executed on the spot! Dont test my patience! Qianye frowned slightly, but soon his expression became calm. Driving away the scavengers wasnt just to make space for Wei Bainians army. Many defensive measures had to be built immediately. There was simply no place for wanderers on the battlefield. The scavengers clambered up rather slowly. Some remained lying in their original places, unwilling to move until the expeditionary armys whips arrived. Some scavengers got into a clash with the expeditionary army for some reason and became increasingly agitated. They suddenly pushed a soldier down on the ground and began to rob him of his gun and blade. After seeing this, Hu Wei immediately jumped down with unexpected agility, snatched a gun from the hands of an expeditionary army soldier, and pulled the trigger repeatedly without any hesitation. His aim was surprisingly good, and although it was only a gunpowder weapon, every bullet struck a vital area as he shot those scavengers one by one. The boiling red blood and fresh corpses extinguished the dangerous flames within the scavengers eyes. One of Wei Bainians personal guards also arrived near the window and suddenly asked, There are passable soldiers among these people. Why not distribute some weapons and assign them to a defensive squad? This person was a someone who had accompanied Wei Bainian here from the upper continent. He was now wearing the rank of an expeditionary army lieutenant colonel, but his every movement exuded the demeanor of a classical regular army soldier, likely one with a long military service record. Qianye exhaled lightly and replied, This is Evernight. These people are scavengers with absolutely no sense of belonging, he paused momentarily before continuing, much like hyenas in the wilderness. The moment they discover that youre not intimidating enough, theyll turn to bite you at any given time, and obviously, the dark races are more frightening than us humans. The guard turned silent after catching on to Qianyes meaning, but he probably couldnt comprehend everything immediately. One would only be able to truly understand the meaning of this abandoned land after living in it for a certain period. Those abandoned by the empire had, naturally, also abandoned the empires hopes and beliefs. The days that followed passed by in bustle and tension. Wei Bainians great army deployed itself with Black Clay Town at its heart and constructed an uninterrupted battlefront which completely blocked off the dark races marshland exit. The army also dispatched scouts deeper into the marsh, relieving Qianye of this duty. Wei Bainian handed part of the defensive line deployment to his assistant after completing the overall tactical plan. He himself entered an isolated room to cultivate. As a division commander, he would need to face the dark race champion when the great battle began. It could be considered the most perilous duty. Qianye also delegated the matters regarding the mercenary corps to Song Hu while he made an all-out effort toward cultivation. He finally emerged from the isolated room after cultivating several days with neither sleep nor rest. Just now, he was struck by a sudden sensationit felt as if a giant dark tidal wave was sweeping in from the southwest, which was also the direction of Black Clay Swamp. Qianyes daybreak origin power was continuously being purified and condensed since he started cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Although his current origin power capacity wasnt two or three times that of his peers, its strength was found to be increasing in repeated tests. At the same time, his perception toward danger was also becoming much sharper. Qianye entered the bathroom and showered. He then glanced at his legs in the full-body mirrorhis legs had been tingling for almost a month since he ignited his sixth origin power node. Although it didnt affect his movements, the deep-seated sensation was still quite uncomfortable. This physical constitution in the area was being strengthened continuously. Before igniting this origin power node and barring that special place on his chest, Qianye had never experienced such a protracted remodeling. But the longer this process went on, the stronger his body would be upon completion. Right now, the modification process had been completedQianye felt every inch of his legs filled with an explosive energy. He walked to the corner of the room wherein lay the two barbells he usually used for strength training. They were items used for training his arm strength. For others, barbells weighing hundreds of kilograms were normally used for training the entire bodys strength. An idea lit up in Qianyes mind as he gazed at the pair of barbells. He extended his foot and lightly flicked it, sending a barbell flying into the air with a swoosh. It stopped right before touching the ceiling and proceeded to fall back down. Qianye extended his right leg and caught the descending barbell. The heavy item stopped steadily in the air while Qianyes leg only sunk slightly. This deviation, only as wide as a finger, definitely wouldnt be noticed without careful observation. After muttering to himself for a moment, he lightly flicked his extended right leg and raised the barbell slightly before switching to his left leg. This time, his left leg caught the barbell without the slightest movement. It seemed the active origin power node was in his left knee, resulting in a slightly greater strength on that side. Qianye slowly lowered his left leg and lightly kicked the barbell back into place. This kind of strength had far surpassed Qianyes imagination, so much that he still wasnt quite accustomed to the sudden increase in strength. It seemed a period of targeted training and some real combat experience would be required before he could completely control and adapt to this new body. Qianye examined himself once again in front of the mirror and suddenly felt the man in the mirror was somewhat unfamiliar. Humans had always been inferior to the dark races in terms of physique and strengthQianye had long since gotten used to long range kills and a close quarter fighting style which involved speed and technique. His physical strength right now, however, was sufficient to completely suppress a vampire of the same level. He held an advantage in many aspects even when compared to werewolves of the same level. However, Qianye wasnt quite sure where this strength came from. Now wasnt the time to look into these things. First, he had to face this imminent war. Qianye called over the mercenary bands smiths after exiting the cultivation room and had them check the werewolf and arachne armors he had previously brought back. The armors of the werewolves and arachne were extremely crude and not one bit aesthetically pleasing but the materials were, in fact, top notch. The armors Qianye brought back were all cast from black iron alloy by demonkin or vampire smiths, stronger than even the highest grade steel alloy produced by humans. These armors almost had no style to speak of and appeared like large pieces of raw material at first glance. With only minor modifications, one would be able to produce armor suitable for the human body type. Werewolf armor could be remodeled into leg armor, while arachne armor, which originally consisted of six pieces, could have any two of them used to construct a breast and back plate. The smiths needed only to install some leather attachments. It was fine as long as Qianye could strap them onto his body. The modification process took the whole afternoon. Qianye felt exceptionally satisfied after donning the new armor and trying out a few combat moves. He could still wear the internal armor he got from Deryl inside his warrior apparel. Many of the smiths and mercenaries watching from the side felt their faces turn green. The smiths had personally modified this set of armor and knew full well how heavy each part was. The mercenaries had also stepped out to weigh the dark race armor in their hands. They had never expected someone would be able to equip a set of armor weighing almost 200 kilograms without even activating origin power, much less move around unimpeded like so. Qianye slightly circulated his origin power and immediately sensed the origin array in the armor being activated. This made him feel relieved. After obtaining a suitable darkness origin power cultivation method from the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, he finally completed a complete cycle of the introduction. One of the advantages was that his fresh blood aura was no longer too prominent despite the detectable darkness attribute origin power during activation. This was a great way to disguise his abnormal constitution. Human origin power was likely the most diverse in this worldhaving a minor darkness attribute wouldnt pose much of a problem. The arachne and werewolf armors prevailed in terms of thickness and weight, but their origin arrays werent bad either. If the origin arrays on these third-grade armors were fully activated, they would be able to reduce the impact from a rank five origin gun down to a rank two level. Such a defense could be considered a mobile fort on the battlefield. That night, Qianye discovered that his instincts were on point. The scouts dispatched into the depths of the swamp returned and reported that they had discovered the dark race main forces. They hadnt brought along any fodder this time because they had to march through difficult marshland terrain. The army consisted uniformly of regular warriors along with a few support types. According to their current marching speed, the vanguard would likely appear in the vicinity of Black Clay Swamp at dawn the next day. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 221: Showdown [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] After ten-odd days of urgent work, Black Clay Town had completely turned into a fully armed fort. The original townspeople had been completely evacuated and settled in Blackflow City, while the scavengers had been herded into the wilderness. In any case, the dangers in the wilderness couldnt be greater than Black Clay Swamp on the eve of war. There would be no other use for them here except to become food for the dark races. At dawn, a peculiar smell suddenly emerged from the winds blowing in from the direction of the swamp. An experienced hunter would immediately know that this was due to the gathering of a large number of arachne and werewolves. The soldiers from the expeditionary army and Dark Flame Mercenary Corps were all in position. As the wind carried toward them a shiver-inducing aura, both veterans and rookies unconsciously gripped their weapons tighter, their hearts beating like drums. Gradually, dancing shadows began to appear from the dense marshland mist. Gazing from a distance, those moderately tall figures made even the most experienced of veterans shiver and become wary. The orderly formation of werewolf warriors indicated that they werent random soldiers from a small tribe but from the dark race regular army. The reason why their figures appeared small was because there were other especially tall warriors in their ranks. The three to four meter-tall silhouettes were the nightmare of many an expeditionary army hero. These werent servspiders but true arachne. The giant servspiders, possessing almost the same combat power, stood behind the squad. The less powerful human warriors subconsciously held their breath as the dark race formation made up of several hundred regular warriors walked out clearly from the swamp with an invisible momentum capable of crushing every obstacle in their path. The higher the warriors rank, the more he was able to understand the oppressive feeling before the storm. Standing on the city wall, Qianye felt the chill even more deeply. He vaguely sensed the center of the black clouds bearing down on the city and a supremely terrifying aura gradually moving closer like a gigantic tornado connecting the heaven and earth. All creatures appeared extremely insignificant before the powerful consciousness that could contend with the might of the heaven and earth. Qianyes abundant combat experience told him this was just an illusion, an instinctual reaction caused by the suppression from the partys powerful spirit. However, being able to invoke such an aura indicated that there was an outstanding expert in the other camp. He couldnt help but glance at Wei Bainian who was standing to his front left. Sensing Qianyes gaze, Wei Bainian turned to smile at him before patting his shoulder. The commanders calmness rapidly infected the expeditionary army officers around them. This effectively calmed the initial unease. Qianye realized this was why champion level experts were irreplaceable on the frontlines. In the present battle, for instance, it was imperative for Wei Bainian to block the other expert when the two armies began to clash. If he failed to block the latter or if he was holed up and refused to do battle, the enemy champion would forcefully break through and collapse the defenses regardless of geographical and troop strength advantage. He was still a rookie back at the Red Scorpion. Although someone had explained this principle to him back then, it didnt leave as clear and deep an impression compared to the current personal experience. Back then, due to his rank and characteristics as a sniper, he had always been posted far from the center of the battle. Now, however, he had the qualifications to stand beside a champion as a core member of the fighting force. Wei Bainian stood on the wall with his hands behind his back. He still hadnt released his aura, but it was precisely this calmness and unperturbed demeanor that gave people confidence. The land suddenly began to tremble. A figure as large as a hill appeared in the mist behind the enemy formation! Qianyes heart skipped a beat after seeing that black shadow almost seven to eight meters tall. What an enormous body! Could the dark races have mobilized a giant battle beast? But how did a giant battle beast pass through the swamp? At this time, the small hill exited the dense mist and was gradually approaching them. What appeared before everyones eyes was an incomparably large arachne. Its naked upper body was a tangle of bulging muscles, and its azure skin was actually sparkling with a metallic luster. The vital parts of its body were covered in black armor. Unlike the coarse armor on most arachne, every piece of its armor was decorated with golden vein patterns. Its craftsmanship was exquisite and its shape was graceful. The dark race army spread out like a tide and made way for the arachne to advance on its own. Each and every one of its steps seemed to be trampling on the peoples hearts. It advanced continuously and stopped only 100 meters short of the newly constructed barricade. The arachne shouted with its arms across its chest, I am Viscount Brahms! Lowly humans, do you plan to impede the great army of the sacred blooded race with such rubble? Brahms voice was like thunder. It sent all the expeditionary army soldiers directly in front of him into a daze. Some ordinary soldiers, who werent fighters, suddenly let out a miserable cry and collapsed with blood rushing out of their ears. Everyone from the expeditionary army was momentarily shocked! Wei Bainian let out a cold laugh. He undid his overcoat with a raise of his hand and passed it to one of his guards, revealing a full dark yellow battle armor. Some guards carried over a giant shield almost as tall as Wei Bainian and a hands-breadth in thickness. One could only imagine its defensive power and weight. The seemingly lean Wei Bainian lifted the shield with one hand and casually waved it in the air a few times. Such an enormous object actually seemed as light as a feather in his hands. Wei Bainian exhaled and let loose his voice, which resounded like thunder and rumbled across the battlefield. It actually almost suppressed the arachnes volume. Brahms! Today, not just these dark blooded bastards, but you yourself will also fall beneath these town walls! Brahms let out a world-shaking roar, Puny humans, let me see how youll block my footsteps! Brahms retrieved, from his back, a gigantic origin gun befitting his own size. Judging merely from its basin-sized muzzle, it would perhaps be more suitable to call it a cannon. The muzzle of the handheld origin cannon gradually lit up with origin power radiance. The cannon charging so slowly even with the arachnes strength indicated just how powerful the fired shell would be. Wei Bainians figure gradually rose into the air. At the same time, he gestured for his attendants to retreat. Some expeditionary army officers rapidly fled from the outward-protruding observation tower. Wei Bainians guards were somewhat hesitant but could only comply when the formers stern gaze swept past them. An empty space was soon cleared out upon the town wall. Wei Bainian stood hovering in the air with the giant shield positioned before him as if on solid ground. He extended his left hand and curled his finger in a provocative gesture. The arachne roared loudly after seeing this provocation. He activated the origin power hand cannon with all his mighta deep azure beam of light suddenly shot out from the muzzle and blasted ruthlessly toward Wei Bainian! Wei Bainian let out a clear hiss which broke through the arachnes thunderous roar without being suppressed in the least. At the same time, a dazzling yellow radiance surged from his body and immediately enveloped an area dozens of meters around him. The light barrier was filled with images of towering mountains, steep ridges, and perilous precipices. This was the true secret art of the Wei clan, the Thousand Mountains! The dark azure beam and the Thousand Mountains collided and immediately caused a worldshaking origin power explosion. Rolling waves of energy fluctuations assailed everyones face. Origin radiances of various colors lit up from Qianye and the other officers. Their group was still able to stand straight without moving, but the weaker soldiers behind them were all swaying from side to side and some even lost their footing and fell back. This was an all-out collision between opposing champions! Brahms had slid back several meters as the origin power explosion gradually calmed down, his limbs drawing several deep scars on the ground. The origin gun in his hand was spitting out a continuous stream of sparks with the occasional small explosions. It had already been ruined after bearing Brahms full-powered attack. Directly in front of Brahms, only a solitary stone tower was left of the Black Clay Towns wallsthe surroundings had become a pile of rubble and ruinsthe might of Brahms hand cannon had actually leveled a whole section of the town wall. However, Wei Bainians figure appeared as the wall of dust clouds calmed down. He stood calmly on the stone tower with the heavy shield in his hand and was completely unharmed. Loud cheers suddenly erupted from Black Clay Town. At this moment, all the expeditionary army warriors were high in morale. The dark race ranks, on the other hand, were apparently no longer as spirited as they were when they marched out from the swamp despite the continuing war cries. At this time, a crisp sound was suddenly heard from the giant shield in Wei Bainians hand. Cracks began to appear throughout its surface, on which the origin array patterns hadnt completely dissipated. Following which, it broke into pieces and was completely shattered. The expeditionary armys cries were suddenly lowered somewhat. Wei Bainian nonchalantly tossed away the fragments in his hand and shouted, Shield! A number of guards appeared carrying a new giant shield which they worked together to throw high into the air amidst loud cries. Wei Bainian extended his hand with great dexterity and caught it firmly. He produced a short and unremarkable black hammer from his waist.After the injection of origin power, both head and body of the hammer lit up with flickering symbols. Wei Bainian struck the surface of the shield with a swing of this short hammer and laughed disdainfully at Brahms. Come on, what are you waiting for? Brahms had already been triggered into a furious state by Wei Bainians actions. The former drew the giant axe from his back and swung it around his head before pointing it at Wei Bainian. Charge! Kill all those humans! Hundreds of dark race warriors let out bloodthirsty howls and pounced toward Black Clay Town. Werewolves and arachne rushed past Brahms like the tide while he himself stood there without moving, only staring fixedly at Wei Bainian. The latter also stood straight at his original spot, unmoving like the mountains. Those dark race warriors were fairly well coordinatednone of them charged toward Wei Bainian. They knew this person was Viscount Brahms opponent. If they were to interfere in a battle of such major characters, they might be torn to shreds by Brahms first before even arriving in position. Qianye, on the contrary, felt relieved after seeing the charging dark race army. Wei Bainian had succeeded in provoking Brahms, who sent all of his troops charging toward the expeditionary armys line of defense. This was undoubtedly advantageous for the heavily fortified expeditionary army. However, this didnt mean the battle would be an easy one. The crux of this whole battle still depended on the showdown between Brahms and Wei Bainian. Brahms, who had arrived in command of the dark race army, was indeed very strong. He was only a viscount because of his half-arachne state, but he might directly reach the threshold of a count if he could completely cast off his arachnid body and take on a human form. At this moment, Qianye had occupied a temporary bunker built on top of the town wall. He was watching as the werewolves leapt over the wall and rushed into town one after another. He didnt move at all. Only when a large arachne began to climb up the town wall did he raise the fully loaded multi-barreled Vulcan machine gun and walk out of the bunker. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 222: Fierce Battle [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The sturdy town walls were tall and narrow. Only a couple of people could walk side by side on top of it. It was quite difficult for the arachne with their enormous bodies to even turn after climbing on top. It could only nail its limbs into the wall to barely stabilize itself. Gunshots sprang up everywhere as the expeditionary army soldiers in the vicinity focused their fire on its gigantic spider body. A shower of sparks flew out from the arachne hanging on the wall as it was bombarded by a hail of bullets. Most of the projectiles were deflected by the thick armor it wore while the few bullets landing on the unarmored areas only left some dents. Those were light injuries at most. From this, it was evident that the soldiers were mostly newbies. Arachne possessed boundless strength and mostly wore heavy armor to the battlefield. Small caliber firearms simply couldnt threaten them. It was difficult to kill them in one attack even with an origin gun. Experienced veterans would never waste ammo on those arachne mobile forts and would instead pick the weakest of werewolves and servspiders first. As for something like the rank six arachne on top of the wall, there would naturally be officers to deal with them. The arachne simply cared little about the scrap bullets and didnt even spare those flaming muzzles a glance. Latching onto the wall with its limbs, the arachne was hesitating whether or not to jump into the town. The small human town before it was the narrowest it had ever seen. So much that even a settlement might be more spacious. The buildings were densely packed and the streets were full of twists and turns. Even a werewolf would bump into things when running quickly. An arachne would likely be trapped in the rubble once it collapsed a rooftop. It looked down at the small town filled with smoke and flashes of light for some time, unable to find a suitable place to land. It was at this time that Qianye arrived beside the arachne like an arrow and rushed through its blade-like limbs with a few evasive maneuvers. The Vulcan was almost pressed against the arachnes body as its six barrels began to spin rapidly! The arachne let out an astonished cry and wanted to curl up its body immediately. However, it was already too late. A torrent of red-hot metallic bullets gushed out of the Vulcans muzzle. The tempest of flame and metal forcefully tore the arachnes armor apart, piercing through its hard skin and pulverizing its flesh and blood. The arachne was badly mutilated under the immense force, causing its gigantic body to flip over and fall down the wall. The arachnes life force was extremely strong and despite suffering a sudden ambush, its limbs were still moving as it let out a hiss so sharp it could almost cut the air apart. Carrying the Vulcan and using the town wall and the arachnes body as footholds, Qianye evaded the spiders dying counterattack with a few leaps. Qianye nimbly jumped back onto the wall as the arachnes large body struck the ground. The flames from the Vulcans multiple barrels were like whips striking at the arachnes body continuously. The arachne struggled in the rain of bullets, its cries growing softer and softer. At this time, the Vulcan stopped spinning with a loud clickQianye had emptied a whole 300 bullet cartridge. The arachne under the town wall still hadnt died completely. It kicked up a cloud of dust as its limbs were still moving and scraping at the ground continuously. However, its exoskeleton was almost completely destroyed and its innards were a mess. It likely wouldnt survive too long with such an injury. An especially large black werewolf captain was dragging out an expeditionary army sniper from within the bunker. After witnessing this scene, it tossed away the body in its hand, got on all fours and pounced toward Qianye while letting out a long howl! Qianye discarded the Vulcan and glanced at the werewolf captain with cold eyes before jumping into the town as if he had no intention to meet the latter in battle. The werewolf captain roared in rage as it leapt over the town wall in a flash and descended toward where Qianye last disappeared. It turned its head around while in mid-air and scanned the surroundings for signs of the human, but with battles raging everywhere in the town, where would he find traces of Qianye? The werewolf captain suddenly felt a sense of extreme danger. It rapidly lowered its head at this moment to see Qianye standing with his back tightly pressed against the wall with a pair of pistols aimed at him. The humans disdainful eyes seemed to be mocking its recklessness. The werewolf captain howled as origin power flickered on its body and formed an immediate defense. But under the bombardment of the twin flowers, the werewolf captain was sent flying as if it had been kicked by a giant, drawing a trail of saturated blood on the ground. Qianye rushed toward the werewolfs landing point in large strides, knocking away the werewolves and servspiders in his path with his body. He was determined to kill this rank six werewolf captain and didnt relax his pursuit in the least. The werewolves defenses were extremely robust and this was doubly true for captain level warriorsneither the Eagleshot nor the Twin Flowers could kill them in one shot. They would become dangerous enemies once they were allowed to catch their breath. The werewolf captain who had just landed nearby struggled momentarily and was, indeed, about to clamber up. The nearby expeditionary army second lieutenant had just dealt with a servspider when he saw the bloody werewolf captain land nearby. He rushed over with his assault rifle hoping to take advantage of the situation and finish off the enemy, but the other party showed no signs of falling even after three consecutive shots. On the contrary, the werewolf captain straightened its body and let out a horrifying roar toward the sky. The lieutenant colonels face, pale from the overconsumption of origin power, was filled with terror as he immediately turned to flee. However, the werewolf captain had already pounced on him like a flash of lightning and ripped off half his brain! Qianye was one step too latehe bent his back and charged after seeing the situation. The more badly wounded the werewolves were, the more violent they would become. This werewolf captain wasnt one to refuse a direct confrontation. It arched its back, got down on all fours and leapt forth, viciously biting at Qianye without using any fighting techniques. Qianyes left elbow pushed forward as if he didnt notice that the incoming attack wasnt a claw but cold sharp fangs. His right hand drew the Radiant Edge and, with a flash of dark red light, pierced ruthlessly into the enemys heart! The werewolf captain bit into Qianyes arm but felt as if it had bitten a piece of metal alloyseveral of its teeth were immediately knocked off. It was staring with wide opened eyes even before its death, unable to understand why it couldnt bite through this insignificant humans armor or even damage it. It had only seen such defensive power in high ranking arachne warriors. The werewolf captains final guess was, in fact, the truth. Qianyes arm plate was taken from a rank seven arachnes armor. It was originally an armor of extreme weight and thickness. After activating its internal origin array, it was naturally not something that could be destroyed with a mere bite. It was just that an ordinary human warrior would be pressed to the ground by his own weight upon donning such an armor, not to mention do battle. Qianye pushed away the werewolf carcass and glanced at the somewhat deformed armor on his arm. He couldnt help but shrug his shoulders after having experienced a werewolfs biting power once again. Qianye raised his head and scanned the surroundings. A rank five arachne struggling amidst the rubble entered his field of vision. He began to speed up, running faster and faster before finally leaping up and crashing into the arachnes body. Qianyes body, with his full set of armor, weighed several hundred kilograms. A leaping charge with such momentum directly toppled the arachne who had just gotten up with great difficulty and the two tumbled to the ground together. Qianye immediately jumped up after touching the ground, while the arachne, on the other hand, was momentarily unable to flip over with its belly toward the sky and its limbs swinging in confusion. Qianye took a step toward the arachne and directly pierced its defenseless abdomen with the Radiant Edge. The rank one heavy armor therein did little to impede the attack as the violent origin power erupted from the tip and immediately shattered the arachnes internal organs. Qianye immediately retreated after cutting into the vital parts and effectively evaded the arachnes final struggle. It waved its limbs madly and drained its remaining energy on the nearby rubble. Shattered stones and debris flew into the air and fell like rain but was ultimately unable to reverse its fate. It was at this time that a rumbling sound rang out behind Qianyes back. He only felt as if his back was struck by a heavy hammer, causing him to stagger a few steps forward before stabilizing himself. A fiery sensation spread throughout his back accompanied by intense pain. At the same time, a bone-chilling darkness origin power entered his body but was immediately crushed after coming into contact with the raging tides of the Combatant Formula. It turned out that Qianye was struck by an origin gun. The dark red origin power radiance flowed across Qianyes body and immediately swept away the remnant darkness origin power. Only then did he turn back unhurriedly to face the werewolf standing dozens of meters away. The werewolf, on the other hand, glanced at the muzzle of his still glowing gun, peeked at Qianye and then back at his origin gun. Apparently, he was completely puzzled and couldnt understand why there was no effect after striking this moderately powerful human with no military insignias. Qianye had no intentions to be entangled by this pitiful werewolf. He drew the Radiant Edge, rushed toward the enemy, and pierced its heart. The werewolf roared and swiped with its claws, and Qianye just grabbed onto one of them while letting the other strike his body. The werewolfs claws drew several flaming tracks on Qianyes armor, leaving deep marks from shoulder to the chest. However, they were far from penetrating the armor. At this moment, the Radiant Edge had easily pierced into the werewolfs chest, immediately bursting with berserk origin power and grinding its heart into small pieces. Qianye withdrew the dagger and threw the werewolf corpse to the ground. It was somewhat of an overkill to use the Radiant Edge against a rank five werewolf. However, he was on the battlefield right now and the mission was to kill high-level enemy warriors as quickly as possible. He entered the battlefield once again and, along the way. helped two expeditionary army and mercenary sniper teams complete their kills. Additionally, he also killed numerous rank five werewolves. Afterwards, he felt as if a ball of fire was burning in his chest and the sensation was only intensifying. This was a sign of origin power overconsumption. Qianye flashed into a small house by the alleyway and, with his back against the wall, worked to calm down his breathing. There was a crystal in his handdense blood power was being continuously drawn into his body. The fresh blood power contained within the crystal was rich, mellow, and extremely satisfying. It could be directly absorbed, unlike directly sucked blood which had to be devoured by the blood energy within his body and turned into energy. Qianye now understood why blood crystals were a high-level currency among vampires. It was just like energy-grade black crystal but was more advanced in its deposition and release. Minutes later, the blood crystal in Qianyes hand had been reduced to an ash gray color, becoming weak and brittle. A light squeeze was enough to turn it into fine powder which scattered like dust. A huge black shadow suddenly flitted past the room door. Qianye immediately rushed out of the house and chased after the rank seven werewolf. The latter, sensing the pursuit of a high-ranking human warrior, immediately turned back and bared its fangs at Qianye. The two had just begun their confrontation when the ground beneath them suddenly shook. A world-shaking explosion resounded from nearby as a terrifying origin power tempest soared toward the sky. Lightning and thunder were provoked continuously in the air as daybreak and darkness origin powers clashed wildly. Several bolts of lightning struck the ground and immediately ignited a great fire! Qianye and the werewolf both understood that Brahms and Wei Bainian had begun fighting. [1] I looked through the raws and found at least 3 chapters with the same title. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 223: Joint Assaul t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Warriors at such a high level as Qianye and the werewolf captain could already, albeit with some difficulty, join the battle between champions. Each saw the determination in the others eyesthe determination to kill the current opponent as quickly as possible and assist their own champion in battle. Man and wolf roared at the same time as they released their power and similarly charged in a straight line. Qianye and the werewolf crashed into each other with a loud boomthere was nothing fancy about their exchangeand both were sent staggering back after the impact. Qianye turned to check his left shoulder with a frown. His shoulder armor was completely deformed after being pierced through by the werewolf captains bite. A fuzzy mess of flesh and blood could be seen under the fragmented pieces of armor where a large chunk of muscle was nearly torn off. The werewolf captain didnt get off that easy either. His mouth was full of fresh blood and many of its fangs were broken. Additionally, there was a fine strand of blood in front of his chest left behind by the Radiant Edge. Perplexity emerged in the werewolf captains eyes as he looked down at the wound in front of his chest. However, an uncontrollable and profound fear arose in the depths of its heart. Why was such a small wound making him feel as if his energy was gradually dripping away into nothingness? This feeling, this feeling he suddenly recalled what this feeling was! He was once stabbed by a vampire noble during a certain conflict with a vampire tribe. It was a rapier as fine as a toothpick and the tiny wound left behind was almost negligible. But moments later, this harmless little laceration erupted like a volcano and transformed into a gigantic wound which almost killed him! The vampires loved to play such shady games! The recollection made the werewolf furious. It let out a growl and once again activated his darkness origin power. At this moment, however, the indistinct sensation of energy drainage was suddenly magnified by thousands of times like a volcanic eruption. Fresh blood gushed out from the werewolf captains thread-like wound and shot several meters into the distance. The prepared Qianye leapt to one side as the werewolf captains huge body collapsed with a loud bang. Qianye turned back to inspect the results of the battle and happened to see a jet-black war hammer strapped behind the werewolf captain. He was immediately moved and bent over to retrieve it before weighing it in his hands. This war hammer was made completely in werewolf style. It was heavy and crude, but there was nothing to complain about the material and origin array. This was a grade three melee weapon. Its might was, of course, not comparable to the Radiant Edge. However, it was more suitable for dealing with large, heavily-armored enemiesBrahms, for instance. Qianye picked up the hundred-kilogram war hammer with relative ease and was quite satisfied. With that, he turned and ran toward the village exterior. The battle line was already fully deployed on both sides. The expeditionary army made no special effort to keep the dark race army outside of the town. In two short charges, almost all the dark race warriors had rushed into Black Clay Town. However, the dark race warriors immediately found themselves being doubly besieged. There were expeditionary army soldiers everywhere as the little town had already been modified into a gigantic military stronghold. Every wall was a sturdy fortification, sharp blades would extend out from under the roofs, and every house might fire bullets or even origin bullets at them. The rubble within the town served to impede the movements of the enormous arachne. The strength they were expending to deal with the rubble had far surpassed that of dealing with the expeditionary army. One could see large arachne bodies getting stuck everywhere, following which, a large number of expeditionary army soldiers would appear to surround it and attack madly. Mixed within the expeditionary army forces was a group of soldiers wearing ordinary officer uniforms with no rank insignias. They were all rank five and abovejudging from their joint assault tactics and positioning, one could tell that they were experienced in killing werewolves and arachne. They blended in with the ordinary soldiers in groups of three to five and targeted high ranking enemies at rank four and above. They would usually finish off a strong werewolf within a couple of exchanges. These people were Wei Bainians personal guard. Although they numbered only a few dozen, their effect on the present battlefield was great. Qianye passed straight through the thick of the battle and rushed toward where Wei Bainian and Brahms were fighting. The area outside of the town had already been cleared into an open field by the origin power explosions. There, Brahms and Wei Bainian were engaged in a bitter fight as blinding white light erupted time to time from their midst. The arachne viscounts body was enormous, but his movements were quite nimble. His eight limbs were all sharp killer weapons. Being struck even a little bit would be no different from being cut by a sharp blade for the frail human body. The spider held a new origin gun in his left hand and a five-meter halberd in his right. The halberd was the viscount''s primary weapon. He stabbed and slashed repeatedly, stirring up an area dozens of meters wide. Numerous raging origin power fluctuations appeared on the sturdy earth. The origin gun would rumble from time to time and a giant hole would appear wherever the projectiles struck. The situation was extremely adverse. The greater part of Wei Bainians body was hidden behind his giant shield. He seemed to be only defending and not attacking, running circles around Brahms and causing almost half the viscount''s attacks to strike empty air. The other half of the attacks were blocked by Wei Bainians giant shield which flickered with yellow light. The way Wei Bainian utilized the Thousand Mountains was different from Wei Potians. The image representing a sustained Thousand Mountains state couldnt be seen around Wei Bainians body at all times. A yellow radiance would emerge only when Brahms attack was about to land and would disappear once again after blocking the impact. Brahms violent and ceaseless attacks were comparable to the tides. However, Wei Bainian wasnt completely on the defensive either. Qianye had just approached the battlefield when he found Wei Bainian circling toward Brahms flank. Wei Bainian suddenly lifted his heavy shield and chopped down on one of the arachnes limbs with its palm-sized edge. The arachne viscount''s limbs were naturally covered by thick diamond-hard black shells. The sound of clashing metal rang out as Wei Bainian hacked down with his shield. Brahms was actually shoved several meters away by this full force attack, however, the shell on the his limb was only cracked open despite receiving such a heavy blow. Brahm counterattacked with his gun, accurately grasping the short pause after Wei Bainians charge. Wei Bainian was also quick to reacthe had already assumed a retreating stance after the successful attackthe arachne viscounts attack barely connected despite taking advantage of the close distance. Wei Bainians shift to a defensive stance hadnt yet completed and was struck before he could fully activate the Thousand Mountains. He was blown dozens of meters away and fell heavily to the ground, suddenly spitting out a spray of fresh blood. Brahms let out a roaring laughter and completely ignored his cracked limb. The gigantic spider body pounced toward Wei Bainian like a flying mountain peak. Two patrolling personal guards in the vicinity came forth to block the attack, but the arachne viscount had long since noticed their movements and sent them flying with a swing of his halberd. Ordinary rank seven or eight fighters were completely helpless before Brahms terrifying strength. Brahms suddenly felt something unusual with his body. One of his limbs could no longer move as if it had gotten stuck in the mud. The currently accelerating Brahms abruptly lost his balance, sending the enormous arachnid body swerving to one side. He glanced down in surprise and rage only to find one of his limbs being held down by a tiny human. This fighter was neither tall nor strong even by human standards. In Brahms eyes, the human was merely the size of a main dish, a stark contrast from the enormous force being transmitted through his limbs. Not only was the arachne viscount stopped from moving even a single inch forward, but it even seemed as if he would be dragged backwards. The astonished Brahms immediately broke into a fit of violence. He raised another limb and was prepared to punch a hole through this annoying bug with its sharp point. Qianye immediately let go as soon as he felt the sharp winds assault him from nearby. He bent down and exerted power through his foot, immediately disappearing from his original spot and crashing toward another leg. With a muffled thud, Brahms razor-sharp jab missed its target while an intense pain was transmitted from another of his limbs. Momentarily losing his balance, the arachnes huge body began to sway wildly. Qianye was already prepared when he charged toward the other limb. Making use of the recoil force, he leapt into the air with great agility, and he then retrieved the warhammer from his back, ruthlessly smashing the arachnes front limb with a full swing. Only a loud crack was heard as the hard shell shattered and peeled off. The black pillar-like spider limb was actually broken and slowly collapsed. This didnt mean Qianye was stronger than Wei Bainian. It just so happened that he had targeted the place damaged by Wei Bainians shield. The force behind both overlaying attacks was not the least inferior from a champions. Of course, the spider limb couldnt withstand it and was fractured. Brahms was immediately sent into a frenzy and raised his origin gun with incomparable fury. The arachne viscounts power was extremely berserk and thus the origin bullets he fired would always explode violently. Qianye was so close to the viscounts main body that the latter himself would be swept into the explosion if the shot found its mark. But at this moment, the enraged Brahms could no longer care about these things. However, he couldnt find the tiny human when he looked down. Qianye didnt zealously continue his assault after breaking the arachnes limb. He immediately abandoned the cracked warhammer and ran away. Brahms glanced left and right, but by the time he discovered the human, Qianye was already dozens of meters away. Brahms roar grew louder. He slowly moved the origin gun as the radiance at its muzzle grew even more dazzling. The viscount cared little about accuracy at this pointwith his strength, the shockwaves from the explosion were sufficient to engulf Qianye even if the shot missed. A sudden gunshot rang out at this timeit was the timbre of an Eagleshota dazzling milky white origin bullet tore through the air and struck the back of Brahms head. After the blinding origin power explosion dissipated, some pieces of armor, including the greater half of Brahms helmet, were sent flying into the air. The arachne viscount, who was interrupted while charging his origin gun, seemed somewhat dazed. He pierced his halberd into the earth and began to look around him in search of the sniper. Qianye grasped this opportunity to hide into a nearby fortification and left the arachne viscounts line of sight. Just as he had expected, the Eagleshot wasnt quite able to exert its might against a champion level expert. The current dark race army was also composed of high-defense races such as werewolves and arachneit would be difficult to deal a fatal blow with a rank four origin gun unless the marksman was able to hit vital areas like the eyes, ears, or heart. At this time, Wei Bainian had already recovered and was rapidly approaching the arachne viscount while the latter was still searching for the enemy. He found a gap and smashed his shield toward Brahms arachnid abdomen. The arachne roared continuously in pain and once again turned to battle Wei Bainian. But this time, Brahms flexibility had been greatly reduced due to the loss of a limb, allowing Wei Bainian to evade with greater ease. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 224: The Finishing Blow [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye emerged from the fortifications after a moment of rest and observed from the edge of the champions battlefield. Several high-ranking arachne and werewolves were currently tangled in a melee with Wei Bainians personal guards. Apparently, those dark race warriors had also come to provide assistance, but they were firmly blocked by the prepared personal guards. Wei Bainian had stationed all the warriors of the 7th divisions main force here and thus possessed an advantage over the dark race armys vanguard of a few hundred. Although the dark race vanguard was led by a champion like Brahms whose attacks could only be fended off by Wei Bainian, the latters subordinates could kill off all the dark race warriors first and ultimately focus their fire on Brahms. This was a rather conservative tactic, but judging from the progress of expeditionary army in Black Clay Town, it was quite effective. From his somewhat extreme strategy of contracting the whole frontline to concentrate a massive military force on one corner of the theater, it was obvious that this famous general of the Wei clan was a genuine leader despite his not-so-remarkable individual strength. It was no wonder he could occupy a position near Marquis Wei. Both alone and in cooperation with his comrades, Qianye once again killed off a fair number of arachne and werewolves. He then silently approached Brahms and Wei Bainians battlefield once again. The bitter fight between the two champions had gone on for quite some time at this point and both of them were showing signs of weariness. The arachne viscount used to have eight spider limbs, but the effects of losing a single appendage were becoming more and more evident. Qianye withdrew his aura and circulated his concealed bloodline ability before approaching Brahms rear flank with a heavy hammer in hand. Wei Bainian clearly saw Qianyes movements from the front, but the latter actually vanished from his senses after withdrawing his aura. Even someone as calm as Wei Bainian couldnt help but feel astonished. However, the surprise lasted mere moments. With Wei Bainians rich combat experience, how could he miss such a great opportunity? After changing his posture a couple of times, he let out an explosive shout and rammed into Brahms body. He poured his full strength into this attackthe Thousand Mountains erupted with radiance as he knocked the arachne viscount back repeatedly. Qianye finally found the opportunity he was looking for. The Combatant Formula he had been maintaining at 20-odd cycles suddenly surged as he abruptly pushed all of his origin power into the warhammer. The weapons surface was enshrouded in rapidly intensifying scarlet glow as though poised to condense into a sanguineous light! The warhammer ruthlessly smashed one of Brahms rear limbs, kicking up fierce winds in the process. The thick and sturdy shell immediately collapsed into an almost penetrative depression as fluids gushed out from between the cracks. Qianye hadnt the slightest bit of hesitationhe took advantage of the short moment before Brahms could react to swing the warhammer at the previously damaged area with full strength! Brahms let out an ear-piercing howl of agony as one of his limbs fractured with a loud crack. Qianye abandoned the deformed hammer, leapt up and aimed the Twin Flowers at Brahms head. The arachne viscount turned back just in time to see two origin bullets explode in his face with a loud boom. Qianye landed on the side and immediately fled with no regard for the outcome of the battle. The grade four Twin Flowers were unable to do any considerable damage to Brahms and probably couldnt even blast through the origin power defenses covering his vital areas. But two origin power bullets exploding in his face sent him into a daze. His face was covered in fresh blood and he couldnt see clearly for some time. Wei Bainian had long since arrived in position with a few movements. The shield in his hand emitted an intense radiance akin to an origin power cannon shell as it struck Brahms abdomen with great force. This blow was incomparably heavy and caused a huge dent in Brahms abdominal armor. The shell beneath the armor didnt shatter and was only deformed, but judging from the muffled sound of surging fluids within, it seemed a large area of flesh within the shell was shattered from the impact. This immediately wounded Brahms badly. The arachne viscounts halberd swept toward the retreating Wei Bainian, who only had enough time to block the most lethal edge with his shield. The two powerful forces collided with a loud boom. From the midst of which, Wei Bainian was sent flying with fresh blood spurting out of his mouth and crackling sounds coming from his body. Apparently, he had suffered some fractures. However, the Thousand Mountains was widely known for its toughness. Upon landing, Wei Bainian spat out another mouthful of blood and got up as if nothing had happened. Brahms, on the other hand, could no longer adapt after fracturing two of his spider limbs and was finding it difficult to balance himself. Furthermore, Wei Bainians shield was the most suitable for dealing with such heavily armored fellows. The injury caused by the shield bash was comparable to or even worse than a blow from a hammer of similar size. At this moment, the sound of an Eagleshot rang out once again. A middle-aged senior officer with a solemn countenance had stationed himself on an elevated position hundreds of meters away. Surprisingly, he had fired the Eagleshot from a half-kneeling position. Like the Twin Flowers, the Eagleshot couldnt do much damage to a champion, but it could greatly impair Brahms senses when aimed at the head, hence creating an opening for Wei Bainian. But such an opportunity would only be available after the majority of high ranking dark race warriors were disabled. Otherwise, with the dark races tradition of rushing for the human snipers as soon as the battle began, it would only be placing the auxiliary combat team in peril. Qianye ducked into the ruins of a house and, with a blood crystal in each hand, began to rapidly circulate his fresh blood power to absorb the energy within. Qianye had almost exhausted all of his origin power during the few seconds he had fought with Brahms. It was practically a suicidal behavior to attack a champion, and it was impossible for him to withstand a frontal attack from the arachne viscount even with his current physical strength. Any one of Brahms spider limbs could easily punch a hole through him. Qianye rushed out from the ruins once again after resting for a couple of minutes and recovering his origin power. He rushed in close pursuit of a werewolf who had just run past him. This lycanthrope hadnt discovered Qianye at all and was completely focused on a frantically escaping expeditionary army major. It was just about to launch an attack when it suddenly fell to the ground in a cloud of dust as if a rhinoceros had trampled on its back. Following which, the werewolf felt a chill from its back as all of its energy was sapped within moments. Qianyes blade was extremely accurate. He was certain he had pierced through the werewolfs heart. The strand of warm and dense blood energy transmitted from the Radiant Edge and the fresh darkness origin power therein immediately roused Qianyes senses. But then he laughed ruefully in his heart. He had vaguely discovered Radiant Edges other function back during the battle at the Far East Heavy Industries mining zone, and now the feeling had become especially distinct after this stab. Not only the three blood energies in Qianyes body but the Radiant Edge itself could also absorb blood energy from his victims. Qianye leapt onto an elevated structure after killing the werewolf and swept his eyes over the whole battlefield. Battles were becoming sparse everywhere. Most of the dark race forces had been killed and only a few were resisting obstinately. Very few of them escaped because their leader, the arachne viscount, hadnt issued the order to retreat and their desperate counterattacks on the verge of death were still incisive and deadly. As such, the expeditionary army had also become quite cautious with their encirclement. In the distance, Brahms and Wei Bainian were still locked in battle but their momentums were no longer as great as when the battle began. Qianye immediately headed toward them. Now was the time to encircle and kill the arachne viscount. Killing Brahms would deal a huge blow to the dark races, but if he was allowed to escape, the impact of this battle would be cut in half even if all the dark race warriors were eradicated. The battle between the two warriors was already approaching its end by the time Qianye arrived. At this moment, Wei Bainian was focusing on defense and would only launch a fierce attack when the arachne viscount showed signs of movement or revealed an opening. Two of Brahms limbs were broken and movement wasnt convenient for him. However, the large swamp was close byit would be extremely troublesome if he escaped into it. Flames and origin power explosions erupted continuously on Brahms body as more and more high ranking expeditionary army officers joined the encirclement. Most of them dared not approach and could only fire from afar.Those who had exhausted their origin power and could no longer use origin guns would simply pick up large caliber gunpowder weapons. This kind of weapon probably couldnt even pierce through the skin of the arachne viscounts human upper body but would be quite annoying when they were completely unloaded onto his face. The wounds on Brahms body were increasing by the minute, and his roar was gradually becoming lower. Although the officers attacks merely caused disruption and minor wounds, a qualitative change would follow when accumulated in great numbers. Qianye didnt act at all and kept on running about dozens of meters away from Brahms, waiting patiently for an opportunity and helping comrades escape the energy shockwaves from the arachne viscounts attacks from time to time. However, Qianye didnt find many openings this time. Wei Bainian suddenly let out a long whistle as a yellow glow surged from his body. At this time, he was holding nothing back and had thrown everything into an all-out attack, even suffering a couple of counterattacks from Brahms. Wei Bainian directly smashed Brahms defenses after a violent series of fierce and thunderous attacks. This assault also deprived the latter of his last chance at survival. A dazzling yellow mass of light swept through the skies as Wei Bainian swung his shield horizontally at full strength and actually slapped the arachne viscount flying dozens of meters into the distance. Brahms mountain-like body slid ten-odd meters on the ground and landed not far from Qianyes position. Brahms, at this moment, had collapsed onto the ground and could no longer get up. Only a few of his limbs were moving feebly. Wei Bainian gestured towards Qianye and shouted, Qianye, finish it! This was an extreme honor on the battlefield. It was also Wei Bainians acknowledgement toward Qianye. Neither the high ranking officers from the expeditionary army nor Wei Bainians personal guards had any objection. Qianye had ambushed Brahms twice, breaking the latters limb each time. This had affected the battle significantly. Furthermore, Qianyes performance on the battlefield was witnessed by everyone and no one could compare to him in terms of battle accomplishments. He had confronted the enemy head on almost every time without any support teamshe himself was a strong combat unit. No dark race warrior was able to stand up again after three to five attacks from Qianye, a display of true power. The supportive attacks he provided the other combat units along the way were also quite beautiful. Whether he was cooperating with sniping squads or melee teams, he had proven his holistic capabilities with great results. To soldiers, only strength on the battlefield could thoroughly convince them. Qianye, finish it off! Wei Bainian urged. Qianye no longer hesitated. He leapt onto Brahms body and pierced the Radiant Edge deep into the spiders heart. All the patterns on Radiant Edge immediately lit up the moment it punctured Brahms heart as if it was agitated by the warm blood therein. Among them were a number of dark violet lines Qianye had never seen before. He suddenly discovered blood energy pouring through the Radiant Edge like a powerful flood into his body. Within moments, the abundant energy had filled every corner of his being and was still increasing continuously! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 225: Song Clan Ancient Scroll: Mystery [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Brahms, who was initially struggling on the verge of death, suddenly stopped moving. The spider limbs that were excavating deep lines in the ground just moments ago froze in mid-air as the dirt and residual origin power waves gradually settled. Meanwhile, Qianye stood there like a statue without the slightest bit of movement. Qianye? Wei Bainian sensed something was wrong and swiftly arrived through the air. Only then did Qianye come to. He turned around and replied softly, Im fine. Im just too tired. At this time, his face was as pale as a sheet but would be often suffused by a somewhat strange tinge of red. Wei Bainian landed beside Qianye and felt relieved only after hearing his words. This battle was indeed quite arduous, but our victory was also absolute. You have the leading merit! Qianye could only force a silent smile. The blood energy within his body had expanded to the point where it could explode at any moment. So much that he was worried a dense aura of fresh blood power would gush out from his mouth if he spoke. Qianye exerted his last bit of remaining strength to extract the Radiant Edge. The arachne viscounts human-shaped upper body suddenly shriveled up as soon as the dagger left the body, and his skin completely lost its luster. Furthermore, many wrinkles appeared on its body as if it had aged hundreds of years within moments. Wei Bainian said apologetically, I only wanted to leave the final blow to you, but I didnt consider how youve been fighting an arduous battle up till now. Sigh, I was thoughtless. Not at all. Its my honor. Qianye revealed a sincere smile. Wei Bainian didnt seem to pay much attention to the arachne viscounts unusual condition. The dark races possessed as many odd and secretive arts as there were stars in the sky and would take all sorts of odd forms after death. He only checked Qianye from head to toe with worry. At this time, Qianye was completely bathed in blood. There were many open wounds on his body suffused with different origin power auras. Fortunately, he appeared to be merely exhausted. His aura was still enduring and powerful. Wei Bainian transferred the giant shield to his left hand and approached to support Qianye. Qianyes body momentarily tensed uptwo human figures climbed up from below and arrived beside Qianye in a flash, holding him up left and right. It was Lil Seven and Lil Nine. The twins beautiful eyes gazed at Qianye and almost seemed to be tearing up. They were covered in dirt and blood but appeared otherwise unharmed. General, Ill go back to rest a bit. Qianyes voice was extremely feeble. Wei Bainian withdrew his hand after seeing the twins and nodded faintly. He assigned a few officers to lead their squads in a cleanup of the battlefield and left first. Wei Bainian had also sustained significant injuries during this battle. Brahms lacked any scheming, was violent and easily enraged, but he was definitely one of the best among the dark race viscounts. If it wasnt Wei Bainian with his Thousand Mountains art and, instead, another human champion with weaker defense, he wouldve collapsed with heavy injuries even if he survived the first round of attacks. The great battle had finally ended. Cheers suddenly rang out from the town with increasing clarity and intensity. All the warriors hugged each other, laughing and shouting. The veterans were somewhat more reserved, but the young soldiers were almost crazy with joy. Even several badly injured soldiers were roaring and waving their fists despite the pain, expressing the joy within their hearts! It was a glorious victory! They had killed an arachne viscount and eradicated a well-organized unit of regular dark race warriors. This kind of accomplishment was extremely rare, even if not unique, among all class A defensive regions. All surviving soldiers with such a contribution would almost always receive a promotion. The empire had always been generous in rewarding military accomplishments. Being able to survive such a battle was proof of ones strength and fortune. However, they had also paid a hefty price for this victoryQianye saw corpses at almost every step along the way, and there was no small number of familiar faces among them. Victory was always constructed on sacrifice. Whether it was daybreak or evernight, the fame of those illustrious characters was built on foundations of white bones and painted with fresh blood. Seeing an unscathed Song Hu after turning toward the next street block, Qianye couldnt help but feel some relief. The former was currently leading a number of captains in reorganizing the soldiers from the mercenary corps. After seeing Qianye who, at the moment, could hardly even walk, Song Hu hurriedly arranged a place for him to rest. It was a house with only the ground floor still intact. There was a semi-basement there suitable to use as a cultivation room. Qianye instructed Lil Seven and Nine to stand guard outside and not to disturb him for any reason. The moment the heavy stone door was shut, Qianyes face turned dark red as he sprayed out a mist of blood. Coughing up this mouthful of blood didnt ease Qianyes situation much. At this moment, he could no longer suppress the boiling blood energy within his body and felt as if his body was being stewed. A part of the blood energy had already begun to vaporize and seep through his skin toward the exterior, enshrouding his whole body in a hazy sanguineous mist. Back then, Qianye had only thought of cutting Brahms heart with a stab of his blade to completely kill off this dark race expert. However, he hadnt expected the Radiant Edges blood absorption to transform from a trickle to an overflowing tidal wave. Vast amounts of blood energy essence had rushed into his body within moments. Just how formidable was a champions power? Additionally, the arachne were famous for their powerful vitality. If not for Qianyes vampire constitution and his condensed origin power after cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, he might have exploded from the blood energy overload. Even so, not only was Qianye not having an easy time right now, but he was also at an extremely dangerous juncture. Although the blood energy from the arachne viscount contained vast amounts of vitality, it was essentially a type of darkness origin power. Unlike before, Qianyes red, purple, and gold blood energies, as well as his own daybreak origin power, were only thin streams compared to it. The abundant darkness origin power was flowing slowly within Qianyes vessels and had already drowned out his near-exhausted daybreak origin power. Even his origin nodes were being threatened. The recently ignited origin node in Qianyes knees was being continuously invaded by the dark tides and gradually being dyed red! Qianyes body was flaring up in a conflagration, but his heart was ice-cold... However, he no longer had any choice at this moment. It was absolutely impossible for him to expel the blood energy with his own strength. Calculating from his previous rate, it would take at least three months for the three-colored blood energies to devour all the blood energy. By that time, his origin node wouldve long since transformed from daybreak to darkness attribute. Qianye sat cross-legged with the Radiant Edge on the ground in front of him and took out a jade piece from the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. He brushed it with his fingers and caused numerous collections of words to appear. This was the first volume of the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls darkness origin power cultivation art, Mystery. Qianye had tried cultivating this art before and had achieved a complete cycle, but he set it aside later on although it was capable of diminishing his fresh blood power aura. Qianye had no intention to cultivate darkness origin power. However, he had little choice at present and could only gamble on it. The Song Clan Ancient Scrolls introductory arts all possessed a purification and condensation effect on origin power. Working with daybreak origin power, It consumed ten times the amount of origin power purified. Now Qianye only hoped the efficiency would be the same for darkness origin power cultivation. As for whether the considerable amount of condensed darkness origin power would oppose the daybreak origin power from his combatant formula, there was no way to tell at present. Qianye guided the tremendous dark tides according to the records on the mystery chapter. Perhaps due to the overabundance of darkness origin power, a part of the arachne blood energy began to rotate and form a small whirlpool just as he had completed one cycle. Pop! The jade tablet of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll suddenly shattered and transformed into lustrous specks of light which disappeared into Qianyes fingertips. At this moment, Qianye had no time to heed the jade tablet. His attention was focused on the small vortex in his lower abdomen. The amount of arachne blood energy gradually decreased with the spinning of this whirlpool, and the dark tides in the vicinity were also drawn in. It seemed this type of cultivation method could, indeed, use up the arachne blood energy. Only then did Qianye sigh in relief and continued to guide the circulation. The vortex gradually began to expand with the continuous consumption of darkness origin power. In the end, all of the arachne blood energy in Qianyes body began to revolve around the part of his body described in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll as the dantian.The vortex was like a grinding stone. Every cycle of its rotation would wear away some of the arachne blood energy while expanding the vortex itself a little bit. At this moment, the dark red and purple vampire blood energies were all holed up in his heart without the slightest bit of movement. Qianye even felt that they were somewhat apprehensive of the gradually spinning vortex. Only the gold-colored blood energy was revolving around his heart. It seemed as if neither daybreak nor darkness origin power could trouble it. An unusual phenomenon arose after an unknown amount of time. A blood-red mist was gradually condensed from the vortex. It then began to stretch and move about as if it possessed a spirit, but it couldnt leave the confines of the dantian no matter how much it moved about. The gold blood energy immediately noticed the appearance of the bloody mist. It suddenly calmed down as if it was focusing its attention on the direction of the rotating vortex. After a moment of silence, a new strand of mist was born and converged into the small bloody mist. The golden blood energy, in its extreme longing, rushed toward Qianyes consciousness with the momentum of an avalanche, After which, it moved toward the vortex like an arrow before he could even react. It darted into the dantian and swallowed the bloody mist in one gulp! The middle segment of the golden blood energy bulged up like a snake that had overeaten. Before it could make its next move, the vortex suddenly began to spin rapidly. The latter instantly swept the golden blood energy into it, forming an indistinct mass of shining mist! The whole process was completed within the blink of an eye. Qianye had no time to reacthe could only stare helplessly as the golden blood energy aura rapidly weakened until, in the end, it completely merged into the vortex and ceased to exist. Qianye was stunned and his mind momentarily turned blank. The golden blood energy not only gave him his eyes ability, but was also the core of his so-called Venus Dawn. The three blood energies had existed together in his body until now and he could naturally tell that the golden blood energy was the strongest among them. In truth, all of these things were just part of the reason. Qianye suddenly felt his mind go empty when the golden blood energy dissipated within the vortex. He even felt a vague pain in his head. The sensation of unwarranted regret made him feel as if everything was just an illusion. At this moment in a certain faraway land, a group of high-ranking dark race warriors was traveling swiftly through an underground tunnel. The squad consisted mostly of vampires. Shockingly, there were three viscounts and a count in their ranks, and the weakest among them was a knight. There were also two pale and lanky demonkin within the squad. The auras on their bodies were profound and mysterious. It was almost impossible to see through them. Although this squad consisted of less than 100 people, it could immediately cause a huge quake if they were deployed in any part of Evernight Continent. Their strengths were easily sufficient to decide the battle situation with a perimeter covering several counties. However, these people seemed to have little interest in the war on the surface. They were completely focused on advancing forward. Finally, a pillared hall with no doors appeared at the end of the hidden tunnel. In the depths of this hall, however, were two gigantic copper doors dozens of meters in height. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 226: City of Heaven’s Chosen [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] There were undecipherable patterns and runespeak symbols carved upon the door. Streams of light still flickered across the symbols although the door had been left unopened for an unknown length of time. This signified that the origin array was still operational. A certain vampire viscount walked up and observed the door in detail. He then returned to the squad and said respectfully to the expressionless demonkin, Great Master Maris, Ive checked and found no other arrays in the vicinity. Only the seal on the door itself is still operational. The down-curved edges of Maris mouth shifted slightly as he emitted a nasal mm. This was considered a reply. The viscount was only a step away from being addressed as a sire, but in the eyes of this Master Maris, he wasnt even worth speaking to. Maris took a slow step forward but his figure suddenly became blurrythe next moment, he had already appeared mid-air before the giant doors. He hovered there silently observing the runespeak symbols and patterns on the door. No origin power fluctuation could be sensed during this whole process. Even in his current levitational state, it seemed as if he was standing on an invisible platform instead of using origin power. The vampire viscounts gazed at Maris with reverence in their eyes. Even the count was wearing a rather reluctant expression which barely disguised his profound apprehension. Maris studied the door for quite some time before he exhaled deeply and lamented, The work of a master! This is the work of a great master! Sadieson, my friend, what do you think? Only then did the other elderly demonkin speak slowly, If we hadnt obtained the opening method in advance, it would likely take a couple hundred years to open this gate with our ability. Legends stated that Andruil was a grandmaster of runespeak and origin arrays. It seems theyre not false. The group of vampires were relieved and revealed delighted expressions. It was unknown how old these demonkin were, but they were both masters of runespeak and arrays. They had likely served the Evernight Council for more years than the ancestors of everyone else here had lived. Receiving such an affirmation from them meant that the operation this time had already half succeededthey had found the correct place. Besides, Andruil was a vampire monarch. The fortunes he had left behind would benefit the vampire race the most. Perhaps all the vampires from the evernight camp would rise in strength once the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure comes into being. Sadieson walked toward a certain vampire lady and, erasing the arrogance on his countenance, spoke respectfully, You Majesty Nighteye, its up to you at this point. Your bloodline is the only key to opening this great door. Nighteye removed her hood at this momenther remarkably beautiful face was the very picture of perfection, a countenance free from all blemish. If one must find a flaw, it was that her expression was too cold and her demeanor too proud. She seemed to hold everyone around her in contempt. This vague arrogance was also an inherent majesty. However, no dark race member was discontent. Their society was extremely strict with regards to the hierarchy founded upon bloodline and strength. Someone of higher rank could kill someone of lower-rank with little to no repercussions, given that he possessed overwhelming strength. Many of the weaker vampires immediately lowered their heads as Nighteye removed her hood and dared not look upon her features. Even the viscounts dared not gaze at her for too long. Even so, they felt their heartbeats hastening and the blood energy within their hearts almost going out of control. While restraining her aura, there wasnt the slightest bit of origin power fluctuation around her. It was as if she was a fledgling vampire who couldnt yet leave her superiors side. Even now, her strength was merely rank nine and had yet to reach the level requirement for a viscount. However, even the vampire count couldnt help but take a step back and edge away when she released her aura. The vampires only sensed the suppressive might stemming from the primogenitor bloodline. In Sadiesons eyes, however, there was a formless energy field proliferating constantly around Nighteye with some drifting runespeak symbols flickering on and off. The two demonkin masters both revealed expressions of admiration upon seeing the powerful runespeak array. This was a top-grade bloodline power which could be rated as a perfect prototype. She was able to utilize runespeak power instinctively even before the champion level. This was something many champions would fail to do in a lifetime. Hence to Maris and Sadieson, Nighteye wasnt just a young vampire lady who hadnt yet crossed the champion threshold but was a princess who would ultimately sit with Evernight Council in the future. This was the veneration every race from the evernight camp possessed toward bloodlines. Nighteye advanced and arrived before the bronze doors. She then rose into the air to stand beside Maris. Before her was a great eye carved upon the bronze door, comprised of incomparably complex arrays. The tens of thousands of array lines each contained power. This had already been personally witnessed by the vampires in the squad. The vampires below the viscount level had observed the eye for mere moments before they began to grow dizzy and some even fell to the ground. At this moment, no one apart from the count dared look straight into the giant oculus. Nighteyes pupils gradually turned from blood color to gold. The wisp of golden radiance transformed continuously, seemingly materializing into a complex condensation. If anyone here possessed a magnifying eye ability, he would clearly find that there were countless golden strands twisting together repeatedly. They were actually duplicating the array within the giant eye one by one. Maris was finally movedhe was completely unable to disguise his astonishment and profound envy. This was ones bloodline and innate giftthe root of darkness had always been unfair. Some existences arrived in this world with incomparable power and were destined to trample all living beings underfoot. However, it was such injustice that made the dark race citizens revere and seek providence with all their heart. After the origin array in her eyes had formed completely, Nighteye extended her left hand and used her nails to cut across her palm. Blood immediately gushed out like a spring. Nighteye muttered some words in ancient runespeak, each of her words containing tremendous energy. She actually had no grasp of the meanings behind them, but the string of runespeak words had suddenly appeared in her head after successfully copying the origin power array on the bronze door. This was the command to open the giant bronze doors. Beyond these doors was their objective, something they had been seeking all this time. Nighteye slowly faced the bronze door and pressed her bloodstained left hand on the giant pupil. Countless strands of blood immediately spread along the origin array patterns and gradually extended over the whole eye. As fresh blood flowed out continuously from Nighteyes hand, her face became increasingly pale and her aura rapidly weakened. She suddenly fell from mid-air and collapsed to the ground after failing to stabilize herself. The door seemed to come alive as the network of sanguineous lines covered the whole of the giant eye. The lustrous eye seemed as if it was about to start moving, and indeed all of a sudden, the eye blinked. Within moments, all of them felt as if the eye was staring at them! However, such a bizarre scene delighted the two demonkin instead. Sadieson stopped the vampire count who wanted to rush forward to support Nighteye and continued to wait. They didnt need to wait too long before the giant eye shattered and transformed into countless irregular blood colored fragments which dispersed in every direction along the origin power patterns. The giant door began to shake and rumble before slowly collapsing backwards, finally revealing the world within. There was vast space behind the doors, hundreds of meters from floor to roof, and supported by gigantic stone pillars that could hardly be encircled by a dozen or so grown men. There was a deep ravine just beyond the door. Glancing down, one could see water flowing at the bottom of the abyss and emitting a bluish luster. The more powerful vampires would feel even greater terror while gazing at this river. The falling bronze door just happened to fall across this deep ravine and formed a natural bridge. Nighteye slowly got up at this time, her aura weakened significantly. The vampire count hurriedly ran over and presented two translucent and sparkling pieces of ruby-like top grade blood crystals. Nighteye directly swallowed one of them before color gradually returned to her pale face. A faint mist suffused the area beyond the abyss. It didnt appear very thick, but nothing could be seen through it. Everything from the bridge formed of the giant bronze door to the high vault seemed to vanish from everyones senses as soon as they reached the other side of the abysseven the two demonkins senses were being blockedonly Nighteyes pupils were able to see through the mist unobstructed. She pointed toward the distance and said, Theres a city over there. Maris was both delighted and surprised as he cried out somewhat excessively, Could it be the legendary Heavens Chosen City!? Sadieson also said, The city constructed by the runespeak proficient chosen of the dark races! Could it be true that Andruil had discovered the City of Heavens Chosen? Well know when we see for ourselves. I cant wait! Maris said eagerly. Sadieson turned back and said to the vampire count, You return immediately and inform the His Majesty Slaughterblade that weve found and successfully opened the door of lifeweaving eye. We request him to dispatch reinforcements! The vampire count was quite hesitant. Great master, the family has ordered me to protect Her Majesty Nighteye and not to leave her side. Maris said frostily, Its sufficient with us two elders protecting her majesty. Who needs a mere count like you? The vampire count wanted to protest but Sadieson suddenly let out a heavy harrumph. It was unknown what secret art he used but the vampire count suddenly went pale and his aura was immediately weakened. He was actually injured by this single strike. Nighteye suddenly said, You go and inform His Majesty Slaughterblade. I wont be in danger within Andruils domain. Only then did the vampire count leave grudgingly. Nighteye then glanced at Sadieson and said lightly, Mother will naturally discuss what happened today with His Majesty Darkword. Darkword was the immediate superior of the two demonkin. Sadiesons cheeks twitched after hearing these words, but in the end, he ground his teeth and bowed toward Nighteye. Your Majesty, I had no intention to offend you. I only hoped to inform His Majesty Slaughterblade as quickly as possible and have him come over. After all, Great Monarch Andruil was exceedingly powerful and the defenses deployed by him might not be something we can break through on our own. Seeing Sadieson apologize, Nighteye only snorted and proceeded to ignore the two demonkin as she advanced straight toward the other side of the abyss. She had just set foot on the other side when she let out a muffled groan and collapsed onto the ground. The two astonished demonkin rushed over to support her. Nighteyes face was pale as she vacantly stared upwards as if she had lost her spirit. She only came to after Maris and Sadieson called out to her several times. Her eyes moved around, taking in the surrounding imagery and finally landed on Maris and Sadieson for a moment. Only then did her eyes gradually regain their spirit. Your Majesty, whats wrong? Maris inquired hurriedly. This was a significant shock even for people with their status and identity. They certainly didnt want anything to happen to the princess of the Monroe clan on their watch, especially not after they had just ordered the vampire count away. Nighteye gradually propped herself up and said, Its fine. Perhaps I lost too much blood while opening the door. Ill be fine after some rest. The squad found a place to camp after crossing the chasm. Alone in her tent, Nighteye sat hugging her knees and staring blankly at her toes. She hadnt told Maris the truth at all. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 227: A New Battle [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] After crossing the bridge, Nighteye suddenly felt as if an unseen string of fate had been severed. She suddenly felt her mind go blank. She couldnt tell clearly just what she had lost but the feeling of emptiness was fairly difficult to bear. Nighteye sat alone and was deep in thought, hoping to find an answer. She was startled to find that a certain figure had appeared in her mind. Could it be him? Nighteye was surprised, but it seemed as if another voice in her heart was telling her that this wasnt unexpected. The squad continued their advance after several hours of rest. A city appeared before their eyes after passing through the dense mist. The whole city was a land of deathly silencethere was no clamor, neither was there any life. There was dust everywhere. It was unknown just how many years the city had passed in the quiet darkness. The squad searched through a number of buildings and couldnt find even a single corpse or skeleton. No one found any clues regarding where the citizens had gone. Within the households, the pots were on the stove, the utensils were on the table, and the sheets in the bedroom were left undone. However, they couldnt find traces of the master at all. Their investigation went smoothly. There was an incomparably large shrine at the center of the cityone could hardly miss such a target. Everyone was momentarily shocked by the scene before them after entering the shrine. It was extremely spacious within the great shrine. However, there werent any extra objects at all within this gigantic space hundreds of square meters in area apart from a tall stage erected at its center. There was a crystal sculpture at each of the four corners of this stage. The four ladies had their hands extended toward the same point in the sky as if they were praying for something. The place where they were pointing to was completely empty, but the same feeling appeared within the hearts of everyone presentthere used to be something there. And the item that had disappeared was likely the treasure they had been seeking persistently. Maris wanted to fly up to the stage and observe in detail but was held back by Sadieson who pointed toward the ground and said, Look underfoot! Maries glanced down and immediately drew in a breath of cold air. The floor of the entire hall was covered with crisscrossed carvings which, upon closer inspection, were all interconnected. This had meaning in Maris eyes because it was actually an origin array which filled the whole of this shrine. Glancing at the array beneath his feet and then back at the stage, Maris suddenly came to a realization. This is a sacrificial altar! Sadieson slowly nodded with a serious expression. The carvings which formed the array were, in fact, grooves which would also serve to carry the medium. Apparently, the driving force for such a large array wasnt just origin power. And the sacrificial altar, as the name implied, required a sacrifice to display its effects. Then just what were the offering and medium? How were the two related? Back at Black Clay Swamp, Qianye did not walk out from the isolated chamber for two days and one night. Almost all of the arachne blood energy had been consumed, and there was now a small vortex spinning within Qianyes lower abdomen. It was formed from supremely pure darkness origin power which, according to attribute distribution, was extremely close to the peak of darkness origin. However, Qianye had no idea that Brahms power was derived from his inherent physical strength. The arachne viscount had maintained his half-human state even after he had entered battle for so long and was unable to transform freely between human and arachnid forms like most high ranking arachne. The reason was that his bloodline wasnt pure enough. It would certainly cause quite a commotion if the evernight camp discovered that he was able to refine such pure darkness origin power from a mixed and impure origin blood. However, Qianye was being regretful about another thing altogether. Compared to the scale of daybreak origin power condensation, the quantity of this darkness origin power was somewhat lacking. He wasnt really expecting an extremely deep darkness origin power, but such an obvious change could hardly be ignored. The small vortex was still spinning without rest. It seemed like the densest of black clouds, dark and bottomless. One would even feel, after staring at it for some time, the illusion of the boundless darkness suffused by the color of blood. Mysterious is he with red amidst the darkness. This was a record within the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, describing one who had succeeded in cultivating the mystery chapter and was on the verge of entering the next stage. Qianye sighed in his heartthe final moment was imminent. After two days and one night, his exhausted daybreak origin power had gradually returned to his usual levels. At this time, daybreak tides were flowing along Qianyes blood vessels while a dark vortex was spinning in his dantian. How would the darkness origin power, after fully completing its condensation process, react with his native daybreak origin power? The result would become apparent soon enough. Which would it bethe ice and flames shared not a furnace, as proven by 1200 years of human practice, or the outrageous darkness-daybreak equilibrium as described by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll? Qianye didnt ponder too much nor was he terrified about the impending result. In fact, at this point, there wasnt much of a choice. He would rather bet his life on it rather than watch helplessly as the darkness origin power corroded him. The revolution of the vortex sped up several times as he guided the darkness origin power through its final cycle. In the end, it contracted violently to form a black crystal the size of a fingertip. How come such an object appeared? Qianye was astonished. Admittedly, it was good news that the darkness and daybreak origin powers werent in conflict, but he hadnt sensed any form of equilibrium between them either. The black crystal suddenly shattered before Qianye could extend his consciousness to observe further. From within emerged a stream of golden blood energy so thin that it was hardly discernible. The color and luster of this newborn blood energy were toward the darker side. Although its aura was extremely weak, it contained an aura which was cold, lofty, and awe-inspiring. It also vaguely contained a certain ancient and desolate air about it as if it had experienced the passage of countless years. The dark golden blood energy began to move slowly and, like a comet, left a faint trail wherever it went. The trail would only disappear after some time. Qianye suddenly discovered minute and faintly discernible runespeak symbols within its trail. It was just that, because the golden blood energy was too small and its trail even smaller, he could hardly confirm whether he truly saw something. The dark golden blood energy first roamed the area filled with fragments of the black crystal. These particles would disappear as the blood energy moved forward. Afterwards, it began to move upwards against the flow of Qianyes blood, as if it was familiarizing itself with the new environment. Qianye suddenly felt that the original golden blood energy possessed its own intelligence while the present one was like a newborn baby. The dark golden blood energy finally arrived at his heart. The eye ability seal hadnt dispersed after losing the golden blood energy and was still hovering within his heart. The dark golden blood energy was like a curious childit circled the seal a few times and tried touching it a couple of times with its slender head before shooting right into it. It then curled up and began to hibernate as if it had finally confirmed that this place was its new home. Qianye saw Song Hu sitting right outside as he walked out of the cultivation room. It seemed he had already been waiting for a long time. There were many things to do after the great battle. It was unlikely that Song Hu would come here to waste time unless it was necessary. Has anything happened? Qianye extended his arms and allowed Lil Seven and Nine to change his sweat-drenched clothes. Song Hu replied, Weve already discovered traces of the dark race armys follow-up squad in the swamp. General Wei wants you to visit him immediately after you finish your cultivation to arrange defensive matters. Most of the expeditionary army officers had left by the time Qianye walked into the war room. A number of Wei clan personal guards had also received their missions and were just about to leave. Wei Bainian was standing in front of the map of the war zone. He turned around after hearing Qianye enter and said, Theres a good news and a bad news. Which one do you want to hear first? The good news first then. Since Wei Bainian was still in the mood for humor, the situation probably hadnt deteriorated to a disastrous state. However, Qianye noticed that the expressions of the officers he had passed by on the way here werent exactly good-looking. Wei Bainian said, The good news is that the vanguard army we had just eradicated was, in fact, half of their forces in this direction. Furthermore, the price we paid for this victory was extremely small compared to the previous expeditionary army campaigns. Qianye nodded and asked, Then whats the bad news? Wei Bainian smiled ruefully and replied, The bad news is that, although the dark race army isnt being reinforced, they seem to have no intention of changing their route. The scouts reported just now that theyve discovered the follow-up unit within the swamp and the leader is likely Sades Soulsplitter. Soulsplitter? Is it that werewolf tribe? Correct. The Soulsplitter Tribe is one of the ten great werewolf tribes, notorious for their bloodthirst and cruelty. That aside, the problem is that Sades Soulsplitter is also a champion. Qianye couldnt help but frown. Two champions? Wei Bainian nodded with a solemn expression. Yes, they refuse to change routes even after losing half the army. This war zone is clearly but a mere segment of their military deployment. Dispatching two champions in a direction which cant be considered an important point probably means the strength of the dark race offensive this time is completely unprecedented. Qianye walked toward Wei Bainian and asked while checking the newly marked map, General, how are your injuries? Ive recovered more or less. Fortunately, I have brought along a special medicine from my personal stash. I didnt want to use it at first, but who wouldve expected a werewolf to appear! Sigh, that medicine is worth a grade-six origin gun. At this point, Wei Bainian shrugged. He seemed rather reluctant to part with it. Special medicine capable of healing a champion''s injuries within a short period was extremely rare. It was a life-saving ace to be used in perilous situations. But with the imminent arrival of another dark race champion, Wei Bainian had no choice but to recover to his peak state as quickly as possible. Following which, Wei Bainian shifted the topic back to the business at hand. Ive already arranged for the urgent transfer of troops from other defense lines and only left enough troops to maintain order. With that, we can at least maintain the advantage in troop strength. Your Dark Flame Mercenary Corps will be in charge of defending this position, an area of 100 meters of the town wall and the three adjacent street blocks. Qianye pointed toward the map and said, This area seems a bit too weak At this point, he suddenly felt a slight discomfort in the left hand he had propped on the table and thus moved it every so slightly. With a loud crash, the whole meeting table was broken into countless wooden fragments and even the military map upon it was torn to shreds. Qianyes left hand was still pressed on empty air. He was completely stunned. Wei Bainian was also astonished and couldnt help but ask, What just happened? I that I think I used a little too much strength. Qianye stuttered as he spoke. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 228: The Second Battle [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] A little too much strength? Wei Bainians tone was suspicious. He had seen Qianye exchange pointers with his personal guards beforethe standard military combat technique, in Qianyes hands, wasnt at all inferior to those from aristocratic families. How could such a person lose control of his own strength? However, he reacted swiftly and sized up Qianye as he said, You didnt advance in rank, but it seems your strength has increased. It seems so. Qianye nodded. Afterwards, his right leg began to itch and ache uncomfortably as if countless ants were crawling within. He couldnt help but move it a bit. With a crack, the board beneath Qianyes foot shattered and left a big hole therein. Wei Bainian responded swiftlya yellow beam of origin power radiance extended toward Qianye to help stabilize his body. Otherwise, the room might not last under the latters staggering. Wei Bainians expression turned somewhat odd as he glanced at his hand. Just how much did your strength grow? The outward extension of his origin power was comparable to solid material. Thus, he clearly felt Qianyes strength after propping him up. This growth within this short period was extremely shocking. Naturally, Qianye himself had no answer to this. This kind of change was brought about by the dark golden blood energy. Qianye clearly felt the initiation of a new cycle of strengthening in his body after it occupied the eye-ability rune and the process was still ongoing. Wei Bainian saw Qianyes confused expression and broke into a laughter while shaking his head. This is a good thing. Normally, people in the fighter stage will only see an obvious increase in strength when advancing in rank. Only those with exceptional talent or special arts will gain a couple of extra opportunities between levels. Your gift, the Venus Dawn, had always been one to look down on those at the same level, so it isnt very surprising to see such a benefit. However, you must make use of this time to get some more training done and adapt to this new strength as quickly as possible. Go, the next battle will probably arrive in two or three days, Wei Bainian gave it some thought before adding, remember to bring more supporters into battle this time. The smallest of mistakes on the battlefield could lead to disastrous outcomesevery decision was a measure of the distance between life and deatheven the smallest of mistakes couldnt be tolerated. It would, on the contrary, cause him great danger if Qianye couldnt adapt to his strength immediately. Qianye nodded in acknowledgment. He sensed Wei Bainians concern as the elder, but the philosophy of a Yellow Springs Graduate was to nurture ones combat abilities in combat. No amount of training could compare to an actual battle. The minor prelude before the battle thus passed by. Hundreds of dark race soldiers appeared outside of Black Clay Town three days later. Just as before, there were no cannon fodder. All of them were regular warriors. The external defensive fortifications had all been reduced to ruins after the previous battle, and the greater half of the structures within the town had also been destroyed. Despite urgent repairs for the past few days, they could only restore the outward appearance. The original town gate and tower, for instance, had long since been leveled during the fight with Brahms. Presently, they had raised rows of sharpened stakes as a temporary line of defense. Many other segments of the town wall were also damaged, and some places had completely collapsed. They could only use logs to fill in the gaps as a temporary measure. Hence by the time Sades Soulsplitter emerged from the swamp, what he saw was a broken Black Clay Town that was even inferior to the larger human settlements. To this three-meter tall, dark grey-furred werewolf, these defensive structures couldnt be considered a fort at alleven calling them roadblocks was somewhat strained. A certain werewolf lieutenant colonel ran over and saluted at Sades before reporting, Weve confirmed that the defending army in the town before us belongs to a formal numbered unit of the human expeditionary army. Additionally, the battlefield is suffused with the scent of blood belonging to Sir Viscount Brahms and his subordinates. Sades let out a cold snort and said, This means that brainless idiot Brahms and his troops were completely wiped out? It should be so. General Sades, should we wait for reinforcements? Sades snorted once more and said coldly, Why should we wait? The superiors havent issued any new orders even after the reports were submitted. Additionally, the lord were collaborating with is a mighty count of the Monroe family. Im sure youre clear about the consequences of a delay. He pointed toward Black Clay Town and added, Must I report that I was dragged down here by such a bunch of ragtags? The lieutenant colonel involuntarily lowered his head. A fair amount of friction between werewolves and vampires was usual even when working as alliesneither party accepted the other. However, it was different with the Monroes. This family name wasnt merely one of the 13 great vampire clans, but it was also acknowledged throughout the whole of the dark world. An influential count of the Monroe clan was sufficient to make the arrogant werewolves maintain a level of respect. Brahms strength is evident despite his lack of intelligence and even I am not so certain I can beat him for sure. This area is merely a third-rate defensive region under the expeditionary armys jurisdiction and will have, at most, a couple of champions. How could they not have paid a heavy price to kill the former? I reckon theyre just bluffing right now. At this point, Sades raised his head and let out a long wolf howl! A circle of dark red fluctuations spread out rapidly with Sades at the center. All the werewolves immediately felt their hair stand on end as a dark red glow of bloodthirst appeared on their bodies. Sades let out yet another howl after the battle-cry. This was the command to attack. The hundreds of werewolves howled in unison before crouching down and dashing toward Black Clay Town. With lightning speed, the distance of a few hundred meters was covered within mere moments. Great balls of flame suddenly rose amidst the running werewolves as the rumble of heavy artillery reverberated through the air. Dozens of werewolves were thrown into the air and flung backwards. For the two unlucky victims struck directly by the shell, heads and limbs were blown away instead. However, such casualties were negligible compared to the whole squad. Not only did the werewolves not reduce their speed, they even began to charge. The stronger leaders, on the other hand, reduced their speed and turned their attention to the cannon placement. When the second volley arrived, the shells were shot by officers and exploded in midair. Only three of them landed successfully and killed a few werewolf warriors. Sades finally began to move after seeing the warriors at the van charge into the town. He advanced toward Black Clay Town in large strides. This werewolf general loved to personally dig out the hearts of his enemies. A certain werewolf captain brazenly leapt onto the town wall. He sent the defending expeditionary army soldier flying with a swipe of his claws before jumping right into the town. He took two hurried steps but came to an urgent halt after seeing Qianye who had just walked out of a house about ten meters away to block this his path. The werewolf captain quivered and his hair began to stand on end. The young man before him couldnt be considered strong even by human standards. However, the heavy armor crudely fastened outside of his warrior attire was clearly part of an arachne armor, and the warhammer in his hand was also the type used specifically by arachne officers. Those things were so excessively heavy that even werewolf officers would rarely choose such an outfit. His subconscious reaction to the scent of incomparable danger dictated the werewolf captain to retrieve the battle-axe from his back. After all, werewolves werent beastsweapons were certainly much more reliable than fangs and claws at a juncture of life and death. The werewolf captain growled as he charged at Qianye at full speed. Qianyes movements seemed somewhat sluggish and even awkward. He simply swung the warhammer and smashed it toward the incoming werewolf captain. A sudden whistle resounded from the head of the hammer as it passed the point in the arc where it was pointed toward the sky. The werewolf captain simply couldnt believe his earsit was clearly a blunt weaponhow was it able to produce such a sound made by sharp weapons tearing through the air? The werewolf howled instinctively and waved the battle-axe with all his might to block the incoming blow. Only half of Qianyes attention was on the werewolf captain because all of his limbs were still arching and itching unbearably. There was also a feeling of distension and swelling as if he would only feel better after venting the power within. The warhammer, suffused with a scarlet radiance, landed accurately on the werewolfs battle-axe. The once incomparably sturdy grade two battle-axe, at this moment, was as soft as freshly baked bread. It gave away at first contact and was immediately deformed like melted butter while the warhammer continued its unobstructed descent. Next to deform was the werewolfs skull and body. A deep pit appeared on the limestone road as Qianyes hammer fell. The werewolf captain and his battle-axe had been smashed deep into the hole, transforming into a mixture of metal, flesh, and blood. Qianye himself was astonished. The combination of pure strength and origin power could result in such might? Although he had been training constantly for the past three days to gain better control over his new strength, the changes in his body hadnt stopped, and as such, it was difficult to exercise control over his output. But according to common knowledge, one had to continuously unload this energy and preferably at full capacity. This would allow the body to thoroughly remember the present state and adapt accordingly. The battlefield was the best of grinding stones. Qianye hoisted the heavy hammer and began to search for another battle. A number of werewolves were currently engaged in a desperate battle against a squad of expeditionary army warriors. The strongest among them suddenly raised its head and sniffed hard. Hair on end, it cautiously turned toward the left to see Qianye who had just turned around the corner and was approaching with slow and unsteady steps. The werewolfs roar became a whimper after seeing Qianye. It suddenly shook off its opponent and fled with a few groans. The remaining werewolves were also alarmed and turned to glance at Qianye at the same time before running away. Qianye couldnt help but feel astonished. He checked himself and found nothing special apart from smoke and bloodstains. This was a battlefield and the intense scent of blood was everywhere. Qianye walked toward the expeditionary army squad and was just about to ask about their situation when he saw some soldiers turn pale with terror reflected within their eyes. Some fell back and passed out immediately. Whats wrong? Qianye asked bluntly. Passing out in battle was unforgivable for any reason. A certain captain ground his teeth and stepped out. He was trembling with fear as he said, Commander Qianye, s-sir I dont know why, but were all scared of you. Qianye frowned and deliberately withdrew his aura. As expected, the soldiers expressions took a turn for the better. At this point, Qianye was extremely puzzledit seemed the problem was with himself. In terms of suppressive might, he hadnt even reached the champion level. Neither did he sense any change in the origin power aura emanating from him. Qianye waved his hand and instructed the soldiers to head over to support another weak area. He, himself, headed toward an arachne in the distance. The rank seven arachne actually took two steps back after turning around to see Qianye approaching. [1] ֮ʧ֮ǧ Lit. An error of one milli-Li (0.5 meters) could result in the loss of a thousand Li (500,000 meters) Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 229: The Shadow Behind the Reception [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Despite the lingering doubts in his heart, he couldnt let such a battle opportunity to slip by. He immediately started to charge. Dark red radiance lingered around his shoulders as his hammer, once again, whistled through the air. The arachne captain lay smashed on the ground after the tempestuous onslaught. Qianye stepped on the arachnes chest, drew the Radiant Edge and pierced it deep into the latters heart. Surging blood energy flowed through the Radiant Edge and into his body. His mind was immediately shaken. The blood energy in Qianyes body was nearing its maximum capacity after killing two more arachne and a werewolf. The final battle, just as before, involved numerous high ranking warriors supporting Wei Bainian in killing Sades. However, drawing from the previous lesson, Qianye no longer used the Radiant Edge to deliver the honorary finishing blow but instead used a war hammer to smash the werewolf generals spine. This battle left Black Clay Town completely leveled. Wei Bainian seemed to be in a great mood despite being wounded again. He only left a token guard force and a small scouting party before returning to Blackflow City with the bulk of the army. Qianye and the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps were also brought along with him. The first thing Wei Bainian did upon arrival in Blackflow City was neither a bolstering of defenses nor an examination of the situation in the other lines of defense. Instead, he instructed his men to prepare a grand celebratory wine reception and invited everyone possessing a certain level of fame and prestige within the defensive region. The heads of Brahms and Sades Soulsplitter were preserved with a secret art and displayed at the wine reception. Reports of the battle had already been delivered to the expeditionary army headquarters. These two trophies will later be sent back to the empire as a display of military accomplishments. Qianye was naturally also an honored guest at the reception. Additionally, his mercenary band also received a quota to attend the reception. This could be considered a rare honor. But Qianye was still unaccustomed to such occasionsafter chatting with some of the expeditionary army officers, he brought his food to an inconspicuous corner table behind the pillar. Wei clan was indeed worthy of being an aristocratic family. With only a single day of preparation and even during wartime, every detail of this reception was arranged perfectly. Song Hu followed Qianye around and naturally noticed the latters expression. He only spoke after the two had almost cleaned their plates, Is young master wondering why General Wei is holding a celebration with great fanfare instead of managing urgent military matters? Qianye raised his head and glanced around. He said after seeing no one had taken notice of them, Although we won two battles, the officer casualty rate is almost one-third and troop casualties are more or less the same. That was only a dark race squad from a single direction. What he didnt say was that the battle situation hadnt yet relaxed and, on the contrary, was about to get even more strained. It was a bit too early to be celebrating. Song Hu understood his implication and replied with a smile, Young master, youll start to see many other aspects to matters when you get to General Weis position. This time, for instance, the Wei clan suddenly arrived to suppress the 7th expeditionary army division and even killed the division commander. Although Xiao Lingshis side was silent, there are other generals within the expeditionary army headquarters. Even though theyre not showing it on the surface, how can they not have other secret designs? Even if they cant do anything publicly, there are no shortage of things they can do behind our backs. Behind our backs? Qianye seemed to have grasped the outline. Song Hu replied, Supplies, funds, and provisions for instance. The empires supply allocations for the expeditionary army are already insufficient. Now itll grow even less after passing through the headquarters hands. In any case, delays are a common occurrencethe sequence is from top to bottomas for whether the 7th division is receiving especially fewer provisions, no one will show any interest. Isnt Wei clan channeling resources over here? Song Hu laughed out loud, Wei clan? Theyre located in the remote Far East Province, more than thousands kilometers away. If they have to ship resources from their continent, the transportation will probably cost several times more than the resources themselves. However, there is no way to get past the expeditionary army headquarters if they were to collect supplies locally. In truth, this applies not only to resources but also to military accomplishments. Qianyes eyes turned cold as he replied coldly, Could it be that they dare to embezzle military accomplishments? Why wouldnt they dare? Song Hu questioned. Qianye was somewhat startled because Red Scorpion didnt have such an atmosphere. However, he had heard about unfair resource distributions even within the regular army. It was just that he had never expected that military accomplishments could be embezzled from an established unit fighting an honest battle. They even dare touch the Wei clans military accomplishments? Qianye couldnt help but frown. Besides, Wei Bainian wasnt a nobody within the Wei clan. Song Hu laughed coldly. The Wei clan means nothing. The Marquis is a top character in imperial court with monopoly over the military and governmental affairs of the whole Far East Province. Comparatively, his voice holds little sway over the imperial military. The expeditionary army might even be stronger in terms of comprehensive strength. But this gigantic entity lacks internal unity, much like a tray of loose sand, while Xiao Lingshi himself lacks a proper background. Thats the main reason for their lack of prominence in the empire. At this point, Song Hu said with some pride, If its the Song clan here, Id like to see if they dare make odd moves! Qianye glanced at Song Hu. He then lowered his eyes to ponder for a moment before saying, Did General Wei want to deter certain people from the expeditionary army headquarters from going too far by holding this celebration and spreading the news first? It is exactly so. Qianye felt a certain discomfort within his heart. If theyre even embezzling the accomplishments obtained by the front line soldiers in life-and-death struggles, who will be willing to fight for the empire in the future? Song Hus expression was calm as usual without any signs of indignation. He shrugged his shoulders and said, This is a land abandoned by the empire, is it not? Some people neither plan nor look that far ahead. Besides, Wu Zhengnans incident is a thorn in their flesh. Some people want nothing more than for the 7th division to be wiped out. Qianye inhaled deeply. Momentarily, he was at a loss whether to be angry or depressed. It was at this moment that a Wei clan personal guard came to see him. Young Master Qian, General Wei invites you over to the study. Qianye nodded towards Song Hu and followed the personal guard. Song Hu glanced at Qianyes figure from the back and laughed soundlessly. The seventh young masters friend was an expert in solo combat but was like a blank sheet of paper in other mattersthe classical outcome of elite military training since childhood. If there were no accidents, he would definitely become an extremely sharp blade. However, overly firm items tend to break easier. As things stood, perhaps there wasnt much to worry about. Although inconsistent with his character, Qianye possessed a certain sharpness regarding strategy which allowed him to deduce many things from a single case. Even if he wasnt one to scheme against other people, he likely wouldnt fall for others ploys that easily. Within the study, Wei Bainian was standing in front of a war zone map which occupied a whole wall. His brows were locked together and his expression was solemn, a stark contrast from his spirited and cheerful demeanor back at the wine reception. General, you called for me? Qianye knocked on the half-open door and entered. Wei Bainian passed him a few papers saying, This is the report I received just now. Take a look at it! Qianye received the papers and was immediately shocked after looking through them. West Cliff Town was lost? So was Midcurrent and Three Cypress? The defending troops were obliterated and only a few escaped. Wei Bainians tone was serious. The three small towns were located on the borders of the defensive region, directly facing the dark race frontier. Now that all three of them had been lost, it was apparent that dark race armies had also appeared from those directions. How come there are so many units joining the battle this time? Qianye suddenly recalled something and asked, General, how are your injuries? Wei Bainian inhaled deeply and let out a wry laugh, The accumulated injuries from two continuous battles will need at least a couple of weeks to heal. Itll be extremely dangerous if another battle arrives. This was attributed to the extraordinary qualities of Wei Bainians inherited artsthe Thousand Mountains was top-grade in defensehow otherwise could one not pay a steep price to kill a champion of comparable strength? Wei Bainian hadnt received any grave injuries, only those accumulated over the course of continuous battles. This was an excellent outcome. Qianye shivered involuntarily after going through the report.The three border towns had collapsed almost immediately after the battle began and didnt even have time to ask for reinforcements. The dark race armies were inevitably led by champions. The situation would be extremely dire if Wei Bainian couldnt hold them back. Qianye could severely wound an ordinary champion with a successful ambush, but killing them just wasnt possible for him. Furthermore, he definitely wouldnt be able to escape from the other partys desperate counterattack. Wei Bainian said with a sigh, Although these developments are unexpected, it wasnt completely without clues. Ive already made some preparations. This is also the meaning behind this wine reception. To avoid military accomplishments being discounted? Qianye asked hesitantly. Wei Bainian shook his head. Military accomplishments are minor. Everyone, barring the descendants of those generals from the headquarters, will suffer some deductions more or less. I held this wine reception to let people know that we gained two absolute victories. With such accomplishments made known, whatever I do next wont be criticized. Qianye was startled as he waited for Wei Bainians continuation. As expected, Wei Bainian slapped his extended hand hard on the map and said, Ive already issued the order for all troops to retreat to Blackflow City. The surrounding cities and towns will be abandoned without exception, including the Four Rivers Military Base. This strategy shocked Qianye momentarilywithdrawing the whole army to defend a single city was a great military taboo. Wouldnt it become an isolated city without the deep battle lines? Besides, the defensive fortifications in Blackflow City werent as strong as those of Darkblood City. Wei Bainian continued, The forces mobilized by the dark races this time has far surpassed anyones imagination. We have no idea what theyre after, but it certainly isnt the 7th divisions desolate and barren territory. After concentrating all our strength in Blackflow City, anyone hoping to take us down will have to pay a certain price. If that price is steep enough, I would circle around and avoid being entangled here if I were the other sides leader. At this point, Wei Bainian recovered his usual leisurely attitude and said with a smile, Its time we let our expeditionary army colleagues taste how sharp the edge of the dark races army really is. Lets see how many waves of attacks they can withstand and how many champions they can kill. Qianye was dumbfoundedWei Bainians method of withdrawal and leaving the main road open was an obvious move to divert the source of calamity. Not to mention the combined dark race forces from various directions, defending Blackflow city would be a problem even against the joined force of Brahms and Sades armies. Wei Bainian patted Qianyes shoulder and said meaningfully, Maybe Blackflow City will fall to you after this war ends.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 230: Total War [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye looked up at Wei Bainians expressionsome thoughts flashed through his mind as he realized what the latter meant. The expeditionary army headquarters was still deploying troops according to routine, but the dark race armys strength had far surpassed their estimation. The several divisions garrisoned across the whole Trinity River County would suffer heavy damage in the face of such an onslaught. A couple of divisions might even have their numbers canceled. Wei Bainian would be able to preserve his strength to a large extent if his concentrated defense strategy was able to hold out. With such a trade-off, Wei Bainians 7th Division would rise as a major power of the post-war Trinity River County. With Qianyes contributions in the war, he would then have the qualifications to hold a city given that he was able to grasp the opportunity to expand his mercenary corps. Qianye let out a long sighhe felt a great deal of respect for Wei Bainian. Song Hu had once told him that Wei Bainians lack of fame was simply because his specialty was in defense. Within this fiercely martial empire, it was mostly stories about brave generals who charged through enemy lines that people frequently spoke of. Only today did Qianye truly comprehend the meaning behind the word defense. Song Hu himself was no saint either. Once a chief-of-staff in a regular army corps, he was able to guess most of Wei Bainians intentions just from small clues. According to his previous tone of voice, it seemed he quite approved of Wei Bainians vicious arrangements. Indeed, none of these characters who had reached such a position were easy to deal with. Qianye suddenly felt somewhat distressedif he moved forward along the current trajectory, occupying a city after the war wasnt impossible. He might be able to gain more lands thereafter or even a whole county. At that time, the people he would have to deal with, whether friend or foe, would be characters like Wei Bainian and Song Hu. Compared to them, no wonder Song Hu felt Gu Liyu wasnt impressive at all. Although he knew and understood the nature of such arrangements, he still felt an inexplicable sense of depression. In the entirety of the empire, perhaps only Zhang Boqian was free from such circuitous activities. His character was absolutely unrestrained and would do whatever he wantedmost times, he wouldnt even care about the Imperial Household. But whatever he did, he would only garner overwhelming applause because all those who dared risk their lives to criticize Zhang Boqian had already lost their lives. Qianye didnt know why at this moment, he was thinking about an unfamiliar character like Zhang Boqian, whom he had only ever heard of.Perhaps he was just like the many other hot-blooded youths of the empire who subconsciously admired Zhang Boqians style before their passions were ground away by reality. Marshal Zhang never thought twice about killing. The situation was just as Wei Bainian foresaw. The unstoppable dark race army swept through all the towns and cities between the border and Blackflow City. The army consisted of tens of thousands of cannon fodder and thousands of regular warriors from every primary dark race, from werewolves to demonkin. Such a force had no weaknesses and was impervious to ambushes and sneak attacks. One could only meet them head-on. Wei Bainian had withdrawn the battle lines in advance, collecting all moveable men and materials into Blackflow City. Citizens who were willing to follow the army in its retreat were taken into the city but there was no time to convince those who werent. All of them were left in their original locations. The fate of these people need not be explained once the dark race army passed through. The whole of the 7th division had withdrawn to defend Blackflow City. Even the deployment of scouts were few and limited to the area around the city. Every corner of the city was undergoing urgent construction. Large machinery which hadnt been used for a long time began to puff out steam which covered the greater part of the city from dawn to dusk. With that, a fort gradually took shape. Daily life revolved around defensive matters. All resources, as long as it was required for war, would be acquisitioned unconditionally. Naturally, there were people in the city who depended on their identities to defy the expropriation. There were even some who wanted to hoard certain resources and take advantage of the unrest to amass great profits. At this time, Wei Bainian revealed some thunderous methodshe killed off a number of young masters and effectively intimidated everyone else. The current population in Blackflow City had exceeded 100,000. The whole of the 7th division was garrisoned here, and an additional 20,000 temporary warriors were conscripted. Blackflow City was now like a curled up hedgehog, waiting for the fierce beasts to come knocking on the door. Wei Bainians move was a tactic of using weak forces to defend against the strong. It was almost invincible but not without consequences. The duty to defend was among the first ten clauses of imperial military law. His method of allowing the dark races to pass through would draw heavy criticism and might even result in his immediate removal from office. However, Wei Bainian was quite calm. His contribution of killing two enemy champions was enough to cancel out the penalty for his withdrawal. This was also why he had concentrated the line of defense on Black Clay Town. The great dark race army arrived at Blackflow City seven days after the wine reception. When the massive dark race army, tens of thousands in number, appeared outside the city walls, those people who had been hooting about charging out into battle and fighting for every inch of land immediately shut up. The numbers didnt make one feel absolutely hopelesswhat truly made one afraid to stare directly was the massive layer of clouds which had formed a gigantic vortex above the densely packed formations, rotating slowly with the army at its center. At the center of this vortex, one could see five vague pillars of light surging toward the sky and connecting with the center of the vortex. The emanation of the dark race experts aura had caused an abnormal alteration of origin power between the heaven and earth, resulting in this shocking scene. This also meant that there were actually five champions leading this army! At the center of the formation, the uneven figures of five experts possessing similar surging auras slowly rose toward the sky and gazed at the well-fortified Blackflow City. Itll be a bit troublesome. What trouble? Its just a small city. But how many of our warriors will die? They only have a single champion. Dont forget that Brahms and Sades both fell to this man. You cant hold him back and neither can I. The despicable human will escape as soon as the battle is unfavorable. Its meaningless if we capture the city but let him escape. Four dark race champions quickly began to exchange ideas but felt that it was a thorny task to tackle Blackflow City which had been armed to the teeth. As they couldnt come to a unanimous decision, their gazes fell on the petite figure at their center who hadnt spoken a word since the beginning. This mighty count of the Monroe clan had already lived for 700 years. He easily overwhelmed the other four champions both in terms of bloodline origin and personal strength. He spoke with a hoarse voice after a period of silence, Our road ahead is still very long. This is but the first stop. The other four champions immediately turned silent. It would undoubtedly affect their later battles if they lost too much troop strength here. They all knew the true reason behind this battle and were also aware of the lip-smacking strength that had been mobilized. Not to mention others, even the Evernight Council had dispatched nine members! None of them would be able to assume responsibility if a battle of such scale was delayed because of them. At this time, the count continued, Additionally, we shouldnt forget that our mission this time isnt to occupy cities or land. The other four champions nodded in succession. This circumstances surrounding this battle were special. As for why they had received such an order, even they didnt have the qualifications to know the inside story. Seeing that none of the others were protesting, the vampire count said slowly, Then its settled. Lets head toward the next city. The dark race army hadnt stopped over for too long before they received new orders. However, it wasnt to attack but to retreat. This made many of the violent dark race warriors dissatisfied. The human city was already before their eyes and it was filled with fresh meat. Why werent they attacking such a small city? Many races from the evernight camp were inherently violent and impatient. However, they had forgotten that the vampires, with their calm and refined appearances, were just as vicious and cruel. And the Monroes, whose emblem was the dread flower datura, were better known for their bloodthirst. Several dozen uproarious soldiers were dragged out from their squads and beheaded on the spot. The counts bloody ruthlessness finally suppressed all dissent and brought the great army back under his will. The countless people in Blackflow City couldnt believe their eyes when the dark race army left in the end. They finally understood that they should hold the new master of the 7th division, the seemingly gentle and refined aristocratic champion, in greater respect. The dark race also left a medium-sized garrison, obviously to monitor activity in Blackflow City. At this moment, it seemed those in the city had regained their rationality as no one suggested going out to eradicate this squad. From that moment on, the fires of war ignited across the whole of Evernight Continent. The dark races mobilized armies of unprecedented scale and assaulted the human territory from dozens of routes. Tens of expeditionary army divisions collapsed within a short period. Nearly ten counties were lost in succession, and more or less the same number in imminent dangertheir defending armies had suffered severe damage and the defense lines could collapse at any moment. The expeditionary army, as a whole, suffered a serious setback within a short period of time. At the current rate, the imperial expeditionary army would be completely defeated within two more months, and human powers would be completely driven out of Evernight Continent for the first time in history. The empire finally respondedone month after the war began, the 9th legion entered Evernight Continent. The leading squads of the 17th and 21st legions landed a week later. After two months, elite corps such as Broken Winged Angels, Red Scorpion, and Arms of War were dispatched toward Evernight Continent in succession. Among the four great clans, the Bai and Zhao clans began to dispatch experts to Evernight Continent on a large scale and launched a desperate attack against the dark race experts. During one of the most bitter battles, a total 11 champion rank experts from both sides were killed. This was a total warthe whole empire and even the whole of the Daybreak and Evernight factions were involved, all of them showing some signs of activity. The Northern Legion, under the command of the normally gentle Lin Xitang, suddenly mobilized on a large scale and launched a fierce attack on the rebel armies on the western frontier. Additionally, they imposed a coercion policy for the first time on the rebel-active regions, and night curfew was uniformly put into effect in all cities. Those going outdoors at night without explicit approval were shot on the spot. The thunderous methods naturally produced abundant results. Tens of thousands of rebels were captured and executed within a few short days, almost more than the whole of the past year. Accidental injuries were unavoidable during this process. Hence, a cabinet minister attacked Lin Xitang during a court session, saying the latter treated human life like grass. But before long, the man was thrown behind bars for cases such as corruption and fraud from five years ago. Once the western frontier was stabilized, the Fire Beacon Corps guarding the area immediately began to move. Almost half of them rushed over toward Evernight Continent. The other of the Empires Twin Paragons, Zhang Boqian, had always hated such circuitous and complicated methods. He led a small elite corps and charged off on his own. Reports arrived days later about how he had actually launched a brazen assault on the vampire headquarters on Twilight Continent. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 231: The Call of Destiny [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] A gravely wounded Zhang Boqian returned days laterthe squad he had taken with him had been wiped out. He didnt mention a word about the concrete results of the battle, but he was in high spirits upon return and showed not the slightest sign of being in a bad mood. Zhang Boqian was someone who found it beneath himself to conceal or pretend. Since his mood was good, it was likely that he had a great harvest. People could only make a few guesses from small clues since the results of his battle wasnt announced. Soon, there was news from the dark race camp. Even two of the 13 great vampire clans had urgently recalled all of their high-ranking nobility back to Twilight Continent, not to mention the smaller clans. The empires gigantic war machine began to rumble into action with Zhang Boqians assault as a starting point. All major corps were mobilized in succession. Some were dispatched to reinforce Evernight Continent, while others attacked the dark race territories from different directions, hoping to decrease pressure on the ongoing war. The war was unfolding on a grand scale. Meanwhile, a certain location in a corner of the war zone was enjoying relative tranquilityBlackflow City. Blackflow City began to confront the small surveillance unit after the dark race army left. Those outside the city had no intention to attack, and those inside had no plans to leave. Just like that, the situation became a deadlock. As flaming beacons ignited across the whole of the Evernight Continent and battles gradually escalated in ferocity, this place seemed to have become a forgotten corner. Wei Bainian wasnt idle during these days of peace. He was working on Blackflow Citys defenses at all time. With each passing day, Blackflow City moved a step closer to becoming a complete fortress. Qianye wasnt without things to do either. After confirming the departure of the dark race army from the war zone, he took the mercenary corps toward the mine occupied by the deserters from the previous 7th division. The 15th division was thoroughly thwarted as the dark race army passed through the borders. Even the number of 7th division deserters from the mine were reduced significantly. The defensive battle which followed could hardly be considered intensetwo out of the three leaders were killed by Qianyes Eagleshot as soon as the battle began. Morale plummeted and quite a few soldiers began to flee. According to his agreement with Wei Bainian, Qianye was to station the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps at the mine until the end of the war. The location of this remote mine was rather far from the usual routes of troop movement, and there were only a few hundred inhabitants in the attached village. There was no value at all apart from the meager ore vein. The topography surrounding the mine was complicated and connected to a branch of the adjacent mountainous region. Furthermore, it was just within the flight range of a small airshipholding this mine was akin to ensuring an escape passage for Blackflow City. Although only a select few would be able to make use of this channel, those major characters who were forced to stay in Blackflow City would feel safer and, hopefully, play fewer tricks behind everyones back. Qianye began to scout the surrounding areas alone after occupying the mine. All signs indicated that the invading dark race army had set out toward the depths of human territory without stopping over. This confirmed their previous speculation. Qianye continued to cultivate in isolation after returning to Blackflow City. Additionally, he continuously underwent intense physical training in order to adapt to his sudden increase in strength. Compared to the original golden blood energy, this new dark golden one was rather silent. It mostly stayed hidden within the eye ability rune without much movement apart from occasionally scuttling out to devour a strand of ordinary blood energy. It was simply too quietthe inactivity wasnt one which made people forget about its existence, but instead made Qianye feel an inexplicable chill as if a boundless ancient aura had brushed past him. Radiant patterns would flash on the eye ability rune from time to time, its transformations becoming more complex by the day. There were signs of an upgrade or even the formation of new runes. Qianye was still cultivating the Combatant Formula primarily. The strengthening period of the dark golden blood energy this time was unprecedented, and the benefits were naturally extremely significant. He could already push his daybreak origin power tides past 40 cycles with relative ease. But after going through the condensation brought about by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, his maximum origin power capacity wasnt that astonishing. It was merely twice that of other warriors at the same level. As for the darkness origin power, Qianye had no need to worry about it conflicting with his daybreak origin power for the time being. The blood energy absorbed during his second battle at Black Clay Town all became food for the three types of blood energy in his body. The dark golden blood energy gobbled up the greater half, and the remainder were devoured by the purple and ordinary blood energies. The delivery speed of various news and information were affected by the unstoppable war. Finally, there was new movement from the expeditionary army headquarterstwo official documents passed countless flames to reach Blackflow City. One was a letter of commendation. The rewards listed in the attached document far exceeded expectations. According to Qianyes military accomplishments, he alone would receive over 3000 gold coins. This rate wasnt lower than the per unit bounty for free warriors. It seemed the expeditionary army had only deducted about 20% for military expenditures. However, they were currently at war. Thus, all rewards would only be granted after it ended. The few remaining channels of transportation had to be left for urgent military use. The other document was a war order. The document severely reprimanded Wei Bainians conduct for his withdrawal. He was ordered to immediately mobilize the 7th division and launch a rear attack on the dark race army wreaking havoc through the Trinity River County, hence relieving pressure on the battle situation as a whole. After reading the order, Wei Bainian let out a cold laugh and tore the document to pieces in the presence of Qianye and the other officers. He then raised his withdrawal tactic to its peakevery wide street in the city was filled with barricades and fortifications. Hidden sentries and sniper nests were built everywhere. Wei Bainian lifted the restrictions on the city after it was proven that the surveillance unit outside Blackflow City had no intention of taking action no matter how many citizens or soldiers left the city. He did not require the guards to perform any form of special inspections on those entering or leaving the city, only imposing a strict schedule for the opening and closing of city doors. News would naturally spread once there were people leaving the city. Generally, there was no shortage of dark race agents and spies in human cities, and Blackflow City was no exception. The status of defenses within the city was soon leaked out which served to fulfill Wei Bainians intentions. He wanted to let the dark races know how difficult it was and how much of a price they would have to pay to take down Blackflow City. Qianyes daily life wasnt dull in the least. It was, at most, a bit uninteresting. After settling down the mercenary corps and returning to Blackflow City, he spent his time cultivating almost every waking moment. Although the city itself was peaceful, the whole of Trinity River County and even the whole of Evernight Continent was in grave dangerif the human race was completely cleared out of Evernight Continent, the tiny Blackflow City naturally wouldnt be able to stand alone. Once the dark race army appeared again below the city walls, that would be when the city falls. After completing a whole hour of strength training, Qianye walked out from the training room and entered the bath. He felt a comfortable sensation gush out from all of his pores as the scalding hot water sprayed onto his skin. It was at this time that he suddenly heard a voice, Approach me Qianye was shocked and immediately entered a combat state. Dark red origin power rushed out from his body and intersected with the steam which suffused the whole room. The scene was comparable to a mountain peak enshrouded in rosy clouds at dawn. The bathroom wasnt large and could be fully observed without turning ones head very far. There was no one apart from Qianyethere wasnt even a single bug. Qianye turned off the tap and attentively listened, but found that it was similarly quiet outside. However, he was sure he had clearly heard the voice. With Qianyes sharp senses and resolute temperament, how could there be any auditory hallucinations or mishearing? Qianye spread out his consciousness and swept through the bathroom and building once again. After confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary, he calmly walked out of the bathroom and began to change his clothes. The Radiant Edge was habitually placed within arms reach. Nothing odd happened after that. Qianye picked up the stack of documents and letters from atop the table and began to work on general affairs. He added his thoughts to the two reports sent by Song Hu and proceeded to write him a reply letter. Qianye momentarily hesitated after finishing up his business. During this period, he had formed a habit of replacing sleep with cultivation. But currently, he was feeling rather ill-at-ease, perhaps due to the frequent military matters and cultivation. His body was feeling fine, but his spirit felt overly fatigued. Qianye even felt the long-absent sensation of happiness as he lied down on the bed. Sleep came over him and he quickly entered dreamland. Qianye suddenly felt a jolt in his consciousnessit was as if the whole world was swaying. He opened his eyes and found himself in a world of haziness. Not to mention the furniture, he couldnt even see the bed beneath him. The mist rolling around him was so thick that it felt tangible and almost sentient. Qianye performed a scooping action and actually tore off a large chunk of mist. A sensation of moist cotton was transmitted from his hand. Whats going on? Qianye was extremely astonished. He lowered his head to glance again and suddenly found himself no longer in the room. He was now standing on solid ground. The dark and oily ground seemed rather fertile but no signs of life could be found. There was neither grass nor bugno signs of lifethere was nothing. He raised his head and found a similarly hazy grey sky. It seemed boundlessly lofty but was also completely empty. Within this bizarre world, there was seemingly nothing else apart from the grey mist. Qianye checked himself. He was clad in a simple flax robe which he never remembered owning. The style was similar to the common apparel of low-level vampires. Qianye extended his hand and found that there was color on it. The other parts of his body exposed outside of his clothing also had normal color on them. However, it felt extremely out of place within this grey world. That was because he was the only existence with color. Qianye suddenly understood that it was a dream, but this dream was simply too realistic. It was at this time that the voice rang out once again, Approach me Qianye heard it very clearly. The voice was faint and barely discernible, and it was difficult to ascertain the speakers gender from its tone. However, its general direction was still distinguishable. He tried moving toward the source of the sound. It was a long journeyhe walked at least a whole half hour. The surroundings didnt change in the least and remained exactly the same. Qianye glanced suspiciously at the grey mist around him. Why did he feel that even the patterns on the rolling mists seemed the same as those at his point of origin? Was the whole world moving forward along with him? Qianye couldnt help but halt his steps. The voice rang out once again this time with seemingly less clarity. Additionally, there seemed to be some words after the initial three. It was just that they werent clear. Qianye continued onward after some thought. And this time, it was a whole hour before he heard the voice again. Approach me bring me my head grant me eternal peace. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 232: Distance [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye glanced at his surroundings. Not to mention the so-called head, there was nothing else but grey mist here. It was at this moment that he felt the world spin and his surroundings rapidly darken. He could no longer see anything. The next moment, Qianye woke up on his own bed. His whole body was dripping with sweat and his clothes, completely drenched. He felt a certain emptiness within and found that his origin power had been completely exhausted. It was as if he had just experienced a great battle and used up all of his energy. Touching his sweaty forehead, Qianye began to ponder about the strange dream world. Intuition told him that he would be able to go further into the dream realm and find the source of this voice if only his origin power was deeper. Following which, he shook his head and shook off this seemingly ridiculous thought. However, the existence of this voice was simply too realistic. He couldnt just dismiss it as a meaningless dream. There were a plethora of things going through his mind. Finally, he focused his thoughts on the three special things he had encountered recently: the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, the dark golden blood energy, and the rune fragment. Which of them was related to this incident? After lying there for a while, he got up and retrieved the fragmented crystal disk he had acquired from Baron Deryl. He observed it in detail but found nothing else apart from the indecipherable runespeak characters. If there really were any secrets waiting to be discovered, perhaps the chances were much greater in Deryl''s hands. Qianye then tried to recall the details recorded in Baron Deryls notebook once again but found nothing of note. After returning to Black Clay Town back then, he wanted to ask Hu Wei if there were any single old men who had passed away recently or shown unusual movement. But after inquiring about the circumstances, he decided against this method of investigation. There were simply too many old single men among both the residents and the scavengers. No one truly paid any attention to their fate. Perhaps the only clue was the forgotten mountain range in Flaming Beacon Continent. Flaming Beacon Continent was the name given by the dark races. The continent, on the empires territorial map, was called Western Continent. This was an upper continent where the two factions were evenly matched, each occupying half of the territories. There had been victories and losses for both throughout the years with no single side gaining any great advantage. The Western Continent was also where the Zhao clan of the four great aristocratic clans had its foundations. The famed Fire Beacon Corps under the command of the new clan master, Zhao Weihuang, was also stationed here. Additionally, the power of the rebel forces on this continent wasnt small either. They operated openly in several provinces, two of which had once declared independence at the same time. It just so happened that the dark races had stirred up a new war at that time. Under the combined assault of the dark race army and the rebel forces, the local forces including the great general of the northwest, Zhao Weihuang, were forced to run for their lives. The empire had no choice but to call in Lin Xitang from the northern regions to hold the fort. Although the general situation was calmed down in the end, the military deadlock remained till this day and had Lin Xitang bogged down in the Western Frontier. The flames of war were burning brightly in the current Western Continent, fanned by a disorderly mess of powers, big and small. The only relatively peaceful regions were those under the firm control of imperial clans. The situation surrounding the dark race and rebel territories, as well as the newly reclaimed provinces were exceptionally chaotic. The situation wasnt any better than that of Evernight Continent. At the thought of this, Qianye decided that he would go to the Western Continent to have a look once everything in Evernight Continent had been settled. The Black-Winged Monarch was a great monarch of the vampire race, and it so happened that vampire items were suitable for him. This was, perhaps, an opportunity for him to become stronger. After experiencing the two battles against Brahms and Sades, Qianye came to a deep understanding that only a battle between experts could determine the outcome of a battle. He wanted to obtain greater power. Strength was the only cornerstone in this chaotic world, whether it was for survival or to protect things that were important to him. Qianye recovered slightly from his state of extreme exhaustion but he no longer had any feelings of sleepiness. He properly donned his clothing and opened the door to take a walk outside. Deep at night, Blackflow City was somehow different from before. The greater half of the city was still brightly lit, and the giant machines were puffing out wisps of steam which enshrouded several city blocks. It seemed they were still reinforcing the city fortifications. There werent many citizens on the streets at this hour, however, the city didnt feel deserted at all because many of the conscripted reserve soldiers were camping out and the expeditionary army patrols squads would pass by every quarter of an hour. Qianye aimlessly walked through the streets and alleys. Just as he walked past a certain lane, his eyes fell on a figure standing on the other end of the alley. His whole body jolted as he immediately halted his steps. After a moment of hesitation, Qianye slowly walked back and glanced in that direction. The person was still there. They stood gazing at each other, separated by a ten-meter long alleyway. Her countenance was hidden deep within her hood and veil. But her figure, her temperament, and especially those eyes capable of accommodating the whole world were things Qianye could never forget. Qianye stood there for quite a long timethe other party, just as patient, also stood there in silence. When he finally walked into the small alleyway, he found that the hooded lady was also moving toward him. Finally, the two came to stand in the middle of the small pathway. Its you. Qianye thought for a long time. There were things he wanted to say but also felt that his words wouldnt be appropriate. In the end, only these two words came out of his mouth. Its me. She slowly removed her veil to reveal a perfect countenance. It was Nighteye. Qianyes expression was cold and stiff. His tone betrayed a strand of helplessness which he himself wasnt aware. You shouldnt have come now. Nighteye gazed calmly at Qianye and replied with a voice containing no fluctuations, But Im already here. At this moment, at this place, they were reunited. What do you plan to do? Kill me? Speaking thus, she glanced at the Twin Flowers and Radiant Edge on Qianyes waist. Qianye habitually pressed his hand on the handle but his fingers hesitated slightly as if he was feeling ill at ease. To a veteran warrior, such small extra movements might be lethal on the battlefield. You Qianye stopped after saying a single word. There wasnt a need for Qianye to ask why Nighteye would appear here. She was obviously someone who had been conscripted. With her perfect bloodline concealment ability, she was capable of operating in human territory without fear, the perfect candidate for undercover and spy work. At this moment where the dark race army had swept through the whole of Trinity River County, her appearance in Blackflow City was obviously to assess the defenses. She would then provide information to the dark race commander to decide whether or not they should swallow this city whole. Qianye inhaled deeply and said, Go, dont come back. The corner of Nighteyes lips curved up slightly into a spurious smile. What? You dont intend to kill me? Arent you here to spy on the defenses? As you can see, Blackflow City doesnt fear a battle. Wei Bainian actually wanted the dark race spies to see the defensive arrangements in the city, making them think twice about the price of attacking this place. Qianyes expression was calm, frosty, and exuded an unquestionable resolution. I will kill you when we meet on the battlefield. Nighteyes slightly lowered her gaze and found Qianyes hand wandering aimlessly around the guns handle.She revealed a faint smile and said while gazing into Qianyes eyes, Very well, Ive seen what I came here to see. Ill take my leave now. She turned around and walked a few steps before saying, Leave this place quickly if possible. The war on Evernight Continent is completely different from what you think it is. With that, she hastened her steps to leave. Qianyes voice suddenly reached her from behind. Dont let me see you on the battlefield next time. Nighteyes elegant figure paused momentarily. She turned her head ever so slightly and replied with incomparable confidence, We will definitely meet again on the battlefield. After saying this, she continued forward and vanished into the darkness of the night within the blink of an eye. Qianye stood there wondering why he had spoken those last words Nighteye shouldnt be too far from the champion rank, but her strength was mostly based on her powerful eye ability. Qianye had a hunch that he could suppress those vampire bloodline abilities and that his destructive powers against vampires would become stronger especially after his successive increase in rank. If they were to meet again when Qianye was rank eight or nine, she would likely fall to his blade as long as she hadnt reached champion rank. The wind blew in from the wilderness. It passed over the sturdy city walls and through the fortifications on the streets, rushing into Qianyes chesthe felt a deep coldness permeate into his bones. Qianye was no longer in the mood to keep on walking. He returned to his room and immediately went to bed. However, he couldnt fall asleep even after lying there for several hours. Numerous thoughts were running through his mind in a tangled mess. It felt as if there was a defect in a certain corner of his mind and things were continuously falling through like a bottomless holewithout rest, without end. He couldnt grasp what it was. Only a lingering sense of uneasiness remained. He and Nighteye were in the same war zone. They would definitely meet in battle down the road. Scenes from the battle of Earth Castle where the origin power bullets from the Twin Flowers exploded on Nighteyes body kept replaying in Qianyes mind. At that time, she actually wasnt able to evade. Would it be even more difficult for her to evade the next time? There was a whole worlds distance between Daybreak and Evernight. Qianye went to find Wei Bainian as soon as he woke up the next day. Wei Bainian was apparently in a good mood as he practiced calligraphy in the study. The piece of ink handmade by King Ji lay quietly in a corner of his desk. Qianye had never seen Wei Bainian use it before. The few times he had opened the box was simply to admire it. Wei Bainian moved his brush very slowly. From the posture of his hands, it seemed as if he was moving a mountain instead of a brush. Qianye didnt disturb the general and instead waited for him to finish writing. Wei Bainian put his brush away and checked his writing several times. With great satisfaction, he then said to Qianye, Look, what do you think of this word scroll? Written on the scroll were four large words, Immovable as the Mountains. Its grandeur was dignified and resounding as if four mountain peaks were towering over the paper. Although Qianye didnt understand calligraphy, he could still feel the magnificence being emanated therein. The grandeur is indeed profound. WeiBainian laughed contentedly and said, The late stages of the Wei clans Thousand Mountains requires one to comprehend concept more than cultivate arduously. If one cannot achieve the towering intent of the lofty mountains, it will be difficult for him to attain greater success in this secret art. However, the great dao is boundless and everyone walks a different path. I suddenly chanced upon this enlightenment back in the year and found that I could only advance by tempering the mind with calligraphy. But at this point, Ive also reached my limit. He paused momentarily before he pointed at the scroll and said, This word scroll is a piece Im most proud in the recent years. Why dont I give it to you? With that, he laughed loudly and joked, If one day youre short on money, this will sell for at least several dozen gold coins! Qianye also liked this scroll very much. He immediately thanked Wei Bainian and put it away without being overly modest. Qianye stood waiting while Wei Bainian spent quite a lot of time carefully putting away his writing equipment. Come, Qianye. Sit. Wei Bainian only invited Qianye to sit after he finished with everything. He brought over a cup of tea and took a sip before saying, Theres some confusion in your mind. What happened? [1] It was actually aimlessly stroking the guns handle... but that made me think of certain other things so I modified it slightly. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 233: Inexorable Restraints [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye calmly admitted, My mind is indeed a mess these days. Thats why I came to see you, General, and ask you about future war plans. Wei Bainian was somewhat surprised. He smiled faintly and said, This doesnt sound like you at all. Whats the matter? Are you anxious to fight? Quite a few people have come to visit me already, some from the expeditionary army headquarters and others from among the hot-blooded youths of the city. The situation outside was changing as time went on. Wei Bainians withdrawal tactic was once again being questioned both from outside and within. There were quite a number of hot-blooded youngsters in Blackflow City who wanted to fight to the death against the dark races. However, Wei Bainians administration was extremely strict. Neither regular nor conscripted warriors of the 7th division were allowed to move out alone. The commotion became so big that a number of them had to be handled on the spot before the opposing voices died down. Wei Bainian gave it some thought and said, I dont mind telling you some things since its you asking me about this. He stood up, pulled out a map from the bookshelf, and spread it out upon the table. Qianye saw a small seal at the corner of this mapit was the ancient character for Wei. He had seen this seal on many of Wei Bainian and Wei Potians equipment. Apparently, this map didnt come from the expeditionary army but through the Wei clans channels. Wei Bainian lightly patted the map and said, This is the true situation of the war on Evernight Continent. It comes from the imperial military, given only to the clans and upper-class nobility taking part in this war. Even in the expeditionary army headquarters, only a few have seen this. Qianye walked over to the table and looked over attentively. There were, indeed, much more details here than the one on the wall. Apart from the distribution of the dark race army, there were also various numbers and predictions of enemy troop movement. On the empires side, there were several additional symbols on the current locations of the expeditionary army and the various reinforcement units. Apparently, there were important characters among them. Looking further, all the dark race armies were tagged as mechanized corps.This signified that the strength of each unit was comparable to an imperial regular mechanized corpsthis was absolutely shocking news. One had to know that each army normally had only two regular mechanized corps. There were over 20 such dark race units! Qianye couldnt help being startled. How is the expeditionary army going to block all this? Wei Bainian nodded and said, In truth, the expeditionary army has already lost over a third of its military strength and half the territories. However, the current situation can still be maintained, albeit barely. Currently, two regular armies from the empire have arrived in Evernight Continent and more reinforcements are on the way. A large number of experts from both Bai and Zhao clans have also been mobilized and are arriving in succession. Qianye studied the map in front of him and suddenly said, The movements of the dark race army are a bit odd. Why are these armies moving toward this direction? Qianyes fingers traced along the several troop movement prediction lines. The direction of these dark race armies was inconceivable. They deviated from the cities and headed toward the wilderness whereupon they stationed themselves without further movement. It was as if they were waiting for the imperial army to attack them. Wei Bainian also said, This area is indeed quite odd. I cant make heads or tails of it, either. From their movements, it seems that the dark races have chosen those areas for the final confrontation. But, most of them are indefensible. When two sides engaged in a great battle, the party choosing the location would normally gain a significant initial advantage, provided they could use various methods to force the other side to enter. However, those with the initiative would usually choose strategic locations. Here in these flat plains, the two parties could only engage in a head-on battle. What benefits would it give to either party? Qianye suddenly recalled what Nighteye told him last night, that this battle wasnt what the humans thought it was. Wei Bainian patted several points on the map and said, Currently, the imperial army has reached an initial consensus. They will meet the dark race army in combat at these locations. As for troop strength, they will only dispatch enough troops to gain a small advantage. Qianye felt even more suspicious. It sounds very much like one of those knight duels greatly revered by the vampires. When did those great characters become so honorable? Humans and dark races had fought countless battles over thousands of years. Humans had always held the advantage in tactics, while the dark races were superior in military power. If the two were to meet in a head-on clash like so, it was almost certain that the casualties on the empires side would be greater. Wei Bainian laughed wryly and said, You misunderstood. Its not that they dont want to raid and take out a number of enemy units first, but its just that they simply dont dare. Dont dare? The dark race military power currently amassed in Evernight Continent is far superior to the empires side. Since theyve already taken such an obvious stance, the military is concerned that the situation will deteriorate rapidly if we dont play by their rules. The dark race army has been fully assembled. If they were to launch an all-out attack immediately, almost all territories apart from the major cities in the interior would be lost. This also meant that it was only a matter of time before isolated cities were taken down. Qianye immediately understood Wei Bainians intention. Since the empire and the dark races were about to meet in an open battle, it made little difference to the general situation whether or not Blackflow City would go to battle. Entrenchment wasnt without its meritstheir location at the rear was like a chokepointthey could easily block off the enemy path of retreat once their frontlines had taken too much damage. So, we just have to wait for the battles to end? Correct, Wei Bainian said with a nod, but we cant relax our city defenses in the slightest. Otherwise, the dark races certainly wont mind uprooting us in passing. Qianye deliberated in silence before saying, Since thats the case, I want to go out and look for some opportunities. Maybe I can kill some of those dark-blooded bastards. Wei Bainian gazed deeply at Qianye and said, Qianye, youre a dear friend of Young Master Qiyang, so let me give you a veterans advice. How can hunting solo compare to leading soldiers into battle? Just look at Black Clay Town. How many accomplishments did you amass? This isnt something you can do alone. The young should learn patience and restraint. You have to look at the bigger picture. Qianye nodded and replied sincerely, Thank you, general, for the advice. However, my individual strength needs more tempering. Thats why I hope to fight and practice more. Wei Bainian exhaled deeply and waved his hands. Nurture strength in battle. Another one of Zhang Boqians theories. You, youngsters, are all the same! Sigh, why does no one stop to think how many people are just overflowing with innate gift like Marshal Zhang? Theres only one Zhang Boqian in the empire. However, Wei Bainian didnt stop Qianye. He only asked the latter a few questions about certain arrangements regarding the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps and about his representative commander. Qianye began to collect his equipment after returning to his residence. Without further delay, he directly left Blackflow City by motorcycle and headed into the vast wilderness. Subconsciously, he wanted to leave this war zone as quickly as possible. The excuse he kept giving himself was that there shouldnt be any battles around Blackflow City for the time being and that he wanted to find enemies in order to nurture strength through battle. However, he didnt realize in the depths of his mind just what he was running from. If he met Nighteye once again, what reason would he have to avoid fighting her? The wilderness was still shrouded in unchanging twilight. The time had yet to arrive for sunlight to fall upon Evernight Continent, and even then, seeing the sun wasnt a certainty due to the recent gloomy weather. Glancing as far as the eye could see, the great land extending toward the distant horizon was seemingly blanketed by a faint layer of mist. The cold and moist wind was blowing from the front. The crossover between the light and dark seasons would soon fall upon Evernight Continent. As such, even the wilderness was filled with a rare aura of such intense vitality. Qianye lowered his body until he was almost leaning over the motorcycle and pushed the power output to the maximum. The motorcycle engine let out a rumble like rolling thunder as flames burst out from its four large exhaust pipes. The bike shook violently like a horse freed of its reins, sped up rapidly, and flew off into the vast wilderness. The incoming winds were as sharp as blades and would produce a stabbing pain as it struck Qianyes face. The surrounding scenery became somewhat blurry, and the sensation of extreme speed made the blood in his body boil. He was beginning to fall in love with this kind of stimulation. Many existences were alarmed as Qianye rumbled past through the hazy mist. Their eyes fell on the brilliant flames emerging from the rear. A reckless little brat Shall we catch up and kill him? Let it be. Its too troublesome. Such conversations took place repeatedly. The wilderness was full of danger, but it was currently a period where both humans and the dark races were minimizing scattered outdoor activities. This tranquility was just an illusion. Qianye naturally sensed these malicious gazes and was actually hoping for enemies to appear. As long as the other party wasnt a champion, the outcome could be managed. There was a certain flame burning in Qianyes heart, and it was being fanned violently by the fierce winds he faced at his current speed. What made him disappointed was that not a single dark race warrior had caught up to him despite having traveled hundreds of kilometers. Even vampires, known for their speed, hadnt appeared. A mountainous region lay before him. Qianye found a cave, hid his motorcycle there, and camouflaged the opening before dashing into the continuous mountain range. His target was the closest dark race war zone. He still couldnt direct the general situation of the battle with his current strength, but he planned to go around the vicinity and see if there were any opportunities he could exploit. He could still cause the dark race army to suffer some minor losses. This part of the journey was extremely peaceful. He met no enemy whatsoever except some wild beasts. Apparently, the dark races have truly entered a total combat-ready status and had placed restrictions upon their subordinate warriors. This was a rare circumstance for the relatively undisciplined dark race soldiers. A level valley appeared before Qianyes eyes as evening arrived. The valley was very wide and filled with luminous grass. This kind of wild grass was common in the predominantly dark Evernight Continent. They would absorb the sunlight during the few hours of daytime and emit a faint luminescent glow as they swayed in the night breeze. However, luminous grass usually grew sporadically and rarely appeared in such a large patch. What Qianye witnessed was like a sea of luminescence wherein ripples would appear one after another in the wind. This kind of beautiful scenery was quite rare. And on Evernight Continent, an abnormal phenomenon usually signified a special reason. For instance, there might be certain mineral resources under this valley. At this moment, there were two groups engaging in a desperate battle. One side comprised an alliance of vampires and arachne, while the other was made up of human warriors. Judging from their uniforms, the latter seemed to be private soldiers from an aristocratic family. Qianye stealthily approached the battlefield without hesitation. Both sides were engaged in a battle of great momentum, and it seemed the bitter struggle had gone on for quite some time. There were few scouts in the vicinity, allowing Qianye to easily arrive at a distance of a few hundred meters. Qianye propped up the Eagleshot and observed the battlefield through its scope. The dark races were led by two vampire barons and the highest ranked on the human side was a rank nine fighter. But this private army, as a whole, wasnt weaker than the dark race warriors. Judging from the way they fought, it was evident that they were well trained, adept at group assaults, and well-versed in regular army tactics despite being a private army. As such, they were slowly regaining the upper hand. Qianye observed for a while before making his move. His crosshairs firmly locked onto a certain vampire. This blood esquire was the leader of a section of the battlefield and a perfect target for the firepower of the Eagleshot. He calmly began to charge the gun and add special effects one after another. What Qianye wanted was to kill in a single shot. Just as the origin power bullet took shape within the gun chamber, the figure of a certain girl leapt into his sights. Her movements were somewhat shaky and wild in nature. It was evident that she had received formal combat training only recently, and as such, a large part of her instinctive fighting habits still remained. [1] The PLA works with Group Armies as a unit which is roughly equal to a US corps. I think Ill go with corps so as not to confuse everyone. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 234: Intuition [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The young lady was holding a standard dagger in her left hand, but in her right was actually a morning star. She lunged at the blood esquire from the backalthough she wasnt fast enough and her movements werent exactly efficient, she was able to grasp the perfect moment. The blood esquire had just parried a heavy blow from his opponent and his reaction was somewhat delayed by the impact when the girl swung the morning star toward him at a sharp angle. It was during this extremely short moment that the ladys morning star ruthlessly smashed through the blood esquires back armor and into his spine. It was an astonishing accomplishment. She was able to break through both the blood esquires defense and armor in a single strike. Obviously, the young lady possessed a strength unfitting of her external build. The blood esquire let out a miserable cry and soon lost the ability to move. His opponent grasped this opportunitya sword pierced into the blood esquires heart and completely ended his life. However, Qianye clearly saw, through his scope, that the final blow was already unnecessary. The blow from the morning star had already done the blood esquire in. The young lady seemed only 13 or 14 years of age and was almost a full head shorter than the other warriors. She possessed pink lips, large dark eyes, and a small chest which protruded ever so slightly. The ends of her long hair contained wavy curls, granting her the semblance of an enlarged doll. However, this cute little girls combat style made one feel a certain chill. She constantly roamed about the battlefield and would, like a phantom, appear from the most unexpected of places. Moments later, she successfully ambushed another blood esquire, completely crushing his ankle as a result. Dragging a wounded leg through this kind of intense battle, his death was just a matter of time. Qianye discovered, after a period of observation, that the girl was displaying incomparable combat instincts. She could grasp even the smallest of opportunities while each and every one of her attacks came from extremely ruthless angles. The person on the receiving end would suffer injuries to vital areas even if he didnt die immediately. The more Qianye observed, the more he felt an odd sense of familiarity. He felt as if he had seen this girl somewhere. His heart was jolted as a number of almost-forgotten memories began to emerge. On the night that completely changed his fate, something actually happened right before he met Lin Xitang. He vaguely remembered sharing his food with a small girl after which she had returned with a group of older boys and tried to take his life repeatedly. He had never expected to meet her again after so many years. The girl appeared even younger than him by a couple of years. It was unknown whether she was naturally built this way or if she had failed to mature properly during her growing period. Children who grew up in the junkyard were usually malnourished due to the lack of food. Qianyes thoughts were somewhat complicated. He slowly shifted the Eagleshot in his hands and locked the crosshairs onto the back of the girl''s head. On the battlefield, the girl was, once again, making her way toward another rank-five vampire. She had just raised her morning star when she suddenly turned back as if she had sensed something! Through the sniper scope, their gazes met once again after so many years. The young girl suddenly opened her small mouth, disbelief and shock written all over her face. Qianye calmly pulled the trigger. He was baffled because the girl''s expression didnt look quite like someone who had discovered an enemy ambush. Could it be that she had recognized him? A sanguineous glow was reflected within the girls eyes as the image of an origin power bullet rapidly enlarged within them! Both her mind and body were completely frozen. A certain emptiness akin to a loss of awareness rose within her eyes. This was an inherent self-defense mechanism which had activated on the verge of death. The red radiance virtually brushed past the girls face with only a fingers breadth between them. Some strands of hair flew into the air while a red mark also appeared on her skin. This was a swelling caused by the remnant fluctuations of the origin bullether skin wasnt actually torn. A gush of warm blood splashed out from behind and spilled onto the girl''s neck and back, causing her to shiver. The girl turned back and found that her previous target vampire had already become a headless corpse which slowly collapsed. Qianyes shot blasted the vampire warriors head without the slightest deviation. His Eagleshot, after being enhanced by the Resounding Strike, possessed great power and could kill any warrior below rank six in a single shot. This rank-five vampire received a headshot which immediately shattered his skull. The sound of the Eagleshot immediately alarmed both parties on the battlefield. Without waiting for everyone to respond, the Eagleshot rang out once again. A certain rank eight arachnes leg was broken in response to this timbre. The young lady appeared behind the arachne at almost the same time and, with a ruthless swing of her morning star, smashed another of the arachnes legs. Qianye was somewhat startled. He hadnt expected that the two of them would select the same enemy and even attack the same part. His combat instincts were half innate, but the other half was obtained by virtue of the extremely harsh training he had gone through in Yellow Springs. This girls, on the other hand, was almost completely innate. The allegiances had become obvious at this point. The human race side was naturally overcome with joy at the arrival of a strong reinforcement. Meanwhile, the dark race made a prompt decision to form a small squad. They wanted to rush over and kill the newly arrived sniper. How could the private army allow the enemy to have their way? At almost the same time, a group of melee experts moved forth to block the other party. The dark race was already at a disadvantage before. Now, after seeing the battle situation lean further toward the other side, they swiftly reorganized and retreated while fighting back. Qianye finally removed the sight from the girls head, upon which the swiftness of her movements was restored. She seemed to have reached a tacit understanding of Qianyes unexpressed intentionswhatever she had to say should wait until after the dark races were killed. After laying down the burden, the girl once again became a deadly threat on the battlefield. Every time she attacked, the target would either die or become crippled. The battle rapidly developed into an overwhelming situation. The dark races began to disperse and retreat after seeing that their momentum had been lost. This was supposed to be the correct strategy. However, they hadnt expected that the number of times Qianye could fire the Eagleshot each battle was twice that of the average soldier. The wide and empty valley provided Qianye with the best sniping vision. The Eagleshot rumbled constantly as the escaping warriors fell one by one. The girl also flung the dagger and morning star in her hands, putting down two more opponents. Unfortunately, the two rank-nine vampire barons still broke through the encirclement and escaped. After the battle ended, a middle-aged man walked out from the crowd and saluted Qianye. This lowly one is Bai Lun. I have an insignificant connection to the Bai clan. We greatly appreciate your timely help in this battle. Otherwise, we really might have to expend a lot more effort. Qianye swept his eyes over the soldiers behind Bai Lun and muttered, These people probably have more than just some insignificant connection to the Bai Clan. Bai Lun was slightly taken aback. Following which, he replied with a calm smile, Young Masters perception is indeed like a burning torch. Since you already know, it will be inappropriate for this lowly one to incur your ridicule by hiding things. We are indeed part of the Bai clans main branch. How should I address young master? Qianye smiled without replying. Bai Lun summoned a subordinate and gave him some instructions in a whisper. Moments later, this soldier delivered a small bag with an origin array attached to it. There were two pieces of black crystal within. Bai Lun advanced a couple of steps, stuffed the bag into Qianyes hand with a smile, and said, This is just a small token of our gratitude. Its insufficient to fully represent our respect, but we hope Young Master will kindly accept it. We originally intended to split the spoils of war with you, but, due to certain reasons, the items on these dark race warriors happen to be things we require. So, please do not decline this gift. Qianye frowned. He naturally knew how many dark race warriors were captured or killed. The value of these two black crystals had far surpassed his potential share of the loot. However, after seeing Bai Luns insistence, Qianye decided to not decline after some thought. His gaze momentarily paused at the girl before saying to Bai Lun, I was only passing by this area. I have important business to take care of, so Ill be taking my leave. Let us meet again later if we have the opportunity. Bai Luns expression immediately relaxed quite a bit after seeing that Qianye was willing to leave. He said goodbye to Qianye with an even more courteous attitude. When Qianye had gone further away, a puzzled Bai clan soldier asked, Master Bai, why were you so polite toward that little brat? Hes merely rank six. Only then did Bai Lun reveal a dignified expression and reply with a snort, What do you know? That Eagleshots firepower is unusually powerful and his firing frequency during the battle also far surpassed the norm. I might be causing extra problems if I dont treat such a person politely. Fortunately, he is quite tactful and might really be a passerby. Otherwise, it will be quite troublesome. Bai Lun then instructed his subordinates to clean up the battlefield, collect all the carcasses in one place, and search them in detail. It seemed the aim of this battle was to find a certain person. At this time, the lady suddenly spoke, Im leaving for a while. That, Miss Kong Zhao Bai Lun hadnt even finished forming his words when the girl had already sped into the distance. It just happened to be the direction in which Qianye had left. These Bai clan soldiers didnt dare to comment rashly about this lady. They had fought alongside her in many battles in the recent days and were astonished by her killing methods. When all was said and done, they were afraid of her. The girl swiftly moved through the mountainous area. The way she ran was like a wild animal. She relied more on her own physical instincts and did not appear like someone who had cultivated a secret art. While running, she came to a sudden halt! Qianyes voice rang out from behind her. I knew youd come. Ive already been waiting for quite some time. The girl slowly turned around and saw Qianye under a large tree over ten meters away. However, she hadnt sensed even a strand of his aura previously. Qianyes posture was rather casual. He was leaning against the tree with his arms folded in front of his chest. The girls gaze landed first on the Twin Flowers and Radiant Edge at Qianyes waist, then on the Eagleshot behind his back. After checking out his weapons, she glanced at Qianyes hand with due seriousness before looking into his eyes. By the time their lines of sight made contact, a strand of fear finally emerged on her usually undisturbed countenance. Qianye felt somewhat surprised and asked, What are you afraid of? His dagger and guns were still at his waistthe weapons were sheathed and the Eagleshot wasnt something useable at such a distance. I am not! The girl immediately shook her head. However, her expression was simply too fake. Even a dumb person could see that she wasnt being truthful. This little fellow, despite still retaining her childish features, was already becoming a remarkable beautyher scared and restless demeanor added a certain allure to her charm, which would likely induce certain inappropriate thoughts in peoples hearts. Qianye squinted his eyes and raised his head slightly without changing his posture. He simply sized her up from top to bottom with great confidence. The two parties were thus locked in place for a moment. It was still Qianye who took the initiative to break the silence. Why are you following me? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 235: Predator [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The young girls chest wildly undulated as she took deep breaths. There was a different kind of charm in her youth and inexperience. A pair of glistening dark eyes was shifting between Qianye and the ground before him. I I think weve met before Qianye replied without any shift in his voice, Where do you think weve met before? He wasnt less surprised despite having guessed that the young girl had already recognized him. Due to his vampire constitution, Qianye had undergone a lot of changes after coming of age. Even Song Zining, despite being his schoolmate for many years, had to sound him out in order to confirm. This gifted little girls intuition was powerful that it made ones hair stand on end. The young lady seemingly drummed up her courage and said with much difficulty, I think when we were very young, you gave me bread. Mm Qianye neither confirmed nor denied. Youve entered the Bai clan? The girl nodded. I was recently fortunate enough to meet Big Sister Aotu. She brought me back to the Bai clan and provided me with food, training, and medicines. Bai Kongzhao is the name they gave me. Youre indeed fortunate, Qianye said indifferently. He then asked, You actually arent that young if I remember correctly. Bai Kongzhao replied obediently, I stayed in the junkyard for many years after you left. There was barely enough food to survive there. When I grew up and could go further out, I left that place and drifted everywhere in search of food. Ive been in the Bai clan for less than a year and it was only there that I had ever eaten until I was full. Perhaps I couldnt grow up because I was eating too little all these years. The girls tone was very calm as she spoke, and her expression also calmed down gradually. These few words encompassed the ten-odd years of her life. With that, the silence between the two resumed once again. Qianye was still maintaining his leisurely posture as he gazed silently at Bai Kongzhao. The young girl, on the other hand, was looking downward at her toes with her hands behind her. She seemed like a small animal before a powerful predator, abandoning all resistance and waiting to be slaughtered. This awkward silence was so stifling that it gave one the urge to scream out loud. Qianye exhaled deeply and said with a spurious smile, Good, very good. Extremely well done. You actually didnt give me any reason to kill you at all. You dont even have any killing intent. How rare. Bai Kongzhao breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was pouting timidly, the line drawn by her pink lips almost seemed like a smile. Qianye said indifferently. Im not one to look back. So, let bygones be bygones. Dont give me a reason to kill you if we meet again in the future. I won''t! the little girl said confidently. Qianyes smile suddenly deepened as he said, Me being in a bad mood is also a reason. Bai Kongzhao immediately became silent. She lowered her head and didnt say anything. Goddammit! Certain profanities poured out of her mouth after Qianye left. Bai Kongzhao peeked at Qianyes back. In her eyes, Qianye was leaving in a hurry and his defenses werent tight enough. At a glance, there were at least four or five openings she could exploit. However, she quietly tightened her fist and, using the fullest extent of her willpower, forced herself to lower her head again. Her nails had even dug into her palm, causing a moist sensation to emerge there. After walking for a certain distance, Qianye turned back and found Bai Kongzhao still standing silently and obediently at her original position. He shook his head and hastened his steps. This little girl still astonished Qianye even after so many years. She definitely wasnt harboring good intentions when she chased after him on her own, but she didnt reveal even a shred of hostility. Afterwards, she took on a defenseless attitude and almost made others feel as if she was really here to apologize. Qianyes conscience made it difficult for him to take action against a non-hostile person for no obvious reason. Furthermore, after some deeper thought, he wondered if he really could kill this girl with astonishing combat instincts in one blow. If he couldnt, it would be giving the other party an opportunity to exploit. This was a rare capability. Bai Kongzhao, with her gifted intuition, would definitely find her opponents weak point in the end and tip the scales in her favor. By the time Bai Kongzhao returned to the valley, Bai Lun had already ordered his subordinates to gather the dark race corpses into a pile. Some wooden stakes had been erected nearby and two vampires were currently tied upon them. Two Bai clan soldiers had slashed open several wounds on the vampires bodies and were dripping silver into them. After seeing Bai Kongzhao return, Bai Lun hurriedly came over to ask, Miss Kongzhao, are you alright? You look pale. Bai Kongzhao shook her head and replied, Im fine. I only went out to look around. Have we found any clues? Bai Lun shook his head. No. It seems these two vampires dont know anything either. We have to continue searching. Since they dont know anything, then entertain them a while longer. Additionally, I feel tired. Lets camp here tonight, said Bai Kongzhao. Bai Lun immediately ordered his subordinates to set up a tent. He had already traveled with the girl for some time. Even a battle-hardened veteran like him felt deeply apprehensive of her bloodthirsty methods. Bai Lun felt that her future prospects were unlimited even without her relationship with Bai Aotu. He knew that, even if he didnt fawn over her, he definitely shouldnt offend her. Bai Kongzhao entered her tent, drew the curtain, and poured herself a cup of water. However, the water in the cup wasnt very calmit shook and splashed toward the sides. Bai Kongzhao hadnt even drunk the water but her chest was already wet. She shifted her eyes in a daze and found that her hands, which had pierced through countless hearts, were shaking uncontrollably at this moment. She quickly realized that she was afraid. Fear wasnt an odd emotion. Bai Kongzhao had never felt even a tiny bit of security in her life. It was precisely this fear of danger that allowed her to survive extremely adverse situations. But according to her memory, the fear she was feeling now was different from that which she had ever felt before. She replaced the splashing cup of water onto the table and subconsciously applied some strength in order to stabilize it. With a crackle, the steel cup was swiftly flattened. Bai Kongzhao held onto her trembling right hand using her left. She sat up straight and tried hard to ponder what it was that she was afraid of. Was it that person? He whom she had immediately recognized. She knew from her lifes experience that she could only rely on herself. If any notion emerged in her mind, then it was the truth. Strict logic and plentiful reasoningall of them were fake. Thus, she chased after him when her instincts told her that this man was deadly and dangerous. The whole interaction was full of danger. Although Qianye didnt reveal the slightest bit of murderous intent, she knew that she couldnt afford even a single incorrect response. Otherwise, the proverbial blades edge she felt at her back on the battlefield would immediately transform into a sharp sword to pierce her heart. However, Bai Kongzhao also believed Qianye wouldnt actually move against her. That was because she understood people quite well and knew how much damage her underaged external appearance could cause. But even so, she was still afraid, very much afraid. Now that she thought about it, she probably wasnt that confident. This was the first time Bai Kongzhaos intuition had fallen short. She began to wonder why she had immediately associated this Eagleshot-wielding warrior and the young boy from the junkyard. Those eyes! It was as if a bolt of lightning suddenly struck past Bai Kongzhaos mind. At the same time, she discovered just what she was so afraid of. It was actually his eyes! Why was she feeling this way? Bai Kongzhao recalled, in detail, Qianyes weapons, build, and methods. Those were the details used to judge a warriors strength. Qianye was powerful and his movements agile. His arms and legs were abnormally strong. The pair of pistols and the Radiant Edge were extraordinary, but it didnt stir any intense reaction from her. Qianyes eyes were ordinary. Perhaps other people would even feel that his eyes were beautiful but they held little meaning to Bai Kongzhao without any special ability. If she had to point out one thing she thought was special about them, it was that they were exceptionally limpid, almost like a flawless piece of crystal. But those eyes were precisely what made Bai Kongzhao afraid. Was she afraid of a special ability that her instincts couldnt detect? Or was she apprehensive of the absolutely tranquil but not lifeless look in his eyes? Bai Kongzhao couldnt remember at all just how many people she had killed. To her, survival and a full stomach were the only things that matteredall obstructions had to be eliminated. Among them were all kinds of humans and dark race members. Every victim responded differentlysome were shocked, some cursed maliciously, some were resolute, while others fought with her in a bloody battle until the very end. Bai Kongzhao had also seen more than just a few unyielding characters capable of continuing the battle in good cheer even with broken hands and legs. In the end, all of them had died in her hands. The girl had always believed that among humans, or even among all living creatures, there were only two typesone that she could kill right away, and another that she would kill in the future. Therefore, her opponents condition and resolution hardly affected her. But none of these could explain why she had recalled that small matter from so many years ago and why she was afraid of those eyes. The young lady pondered for a long time but ultimately found no answers. She knew one thing for certain. If the situation from back then were to repeat, that person absolutely wouldnt hesitate to pull the trigger. Over ten years had passed. She had changed and so had he. Bai Kongzhao didnt sleep well that whole night. In the distant wilderness, Qianye was crouching on a large mountain rock and gazing at the valley below. He felt no sleepiness at all. His heart was rolling with killing intent and wracked by an inexplicable sense of vexation. A voice in his mind was telling him to turn back, kill Bai Kongzhao, and be rid of a potential trouble. Qianye controlled his agitation. Since that time he was invaded by the dark blood, he especially abhorred such uncontrollable emotions. He was terrified of losing his mind and falling into the darkness. He was also felt quite odd. Why did he erupt with such intense killing intent only after leaving the young girl? In truth, both of them were kids back then and werent exactly clear as to what they were doing. And there wasnt any conflict during their second encounter. If one were to search for malicious intent, it was actually him who had aimed at the girl numerous times during that battle. After careful thought, that kind of killing intent seemed to be a hostility that had been branded into his survival instincts. This killing intent made him unsettled and agitated. He had to try quite hard in order to suppress the urge to hunt down and kill Bai Kongzhao. Additionally, he felt quite conflicted. With the girls frightening intuition, he would likely have little to show for his troubles if he went over right now. But if he didnt go, she would just stay there without moving. Qianye shook his head amidst the cool night breeze, sweeping away his almost ridiculous notions. He began to climb and leap through the mountainous terrain. Since he couldnt sleep, he might as well go about and see if some unlucky dark race soldiers would bump into the muzzle of his gun. He didnt find any unlucky dark race warriors but instead discovered two unfortunate beasts. Near a canyon on the neighboring mountain ridge, he saw a natural cave halfway up the mountain with two giant pythons lazily moving around within it. [1] â̱ - Literally means a blades tip/edge at ones back. It describes an intense sense of uneasiness. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 236: Conspiracy [ Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] One of them had three rows of crystalline scales on its back, each the size of a palm and extending from the head to tail. The crystalline scales on the giant python sparkled with a faint luster under the curtain of the night, making it seem like a wandering beam of light as it roamed about. It was both mysterious and beautiful. This was a crystal python. A type of wild beast native to Evernight Continent notorious for its poisonous mist. A fully mature crystal python with three rows of crystalline scales on its back was equal in strength to a rank seven or eight human fighter. Qianye was still glancing at the two crystal pythons and considering whether or not to go in when the smaller of the two serpents noticed the intruder outside. It rose tall, open its wide mouth, and spat out a sparkling mass of poisonous gas. Qianye sidestepped the incoming toxic mist and jumped down the precipice without further hesitation. Within moments, he had thrown himself into the crystal pythons nest. A scarlet blade radiance flashed through the air as the Radiant Edge pierced through the head of the python with three rows of scales on its back. Qianye had to use almost 80% of his strength in order to pierce the dagger into the gap between its skull bones. This proved just how hard its skull was. With such hardness, even the Eagleshot wouldnt be able to blast its head apart in one shot. The giant python possessed extremely strong vitality and was rolling about even though its brain had been pierced through. It came pretty close to swatting Qianye against the cave wall. At this moment, Qianye had finally found an opponent with which to try his strength. He grasped the Radiant Edge tightly with one hand while latching firmly onto the crystal python with the other. He would occasionally warp and leap between the cave walls as the python continued to roll its huge body in vainno matter how hard the python swung, it simply couldnt throw Qianye off its back. The crystal python only fell down immobile after the struggle went on for quite some time. The other python with a single row of crystalline scales was almost forced out of the cave by the force of this rampage. It only found an opportunity at this point and suddenly scuttled in to launch an attack at Qianye. However, at approximately rank four or five, its strength was simply too lacking. It died to the Radiant Edge in the blink of an eye. Qianye had, once again, climbed to the top of the cliff by the time the night reached its peak. His backpack was now bulging quite a bit, filled with palm-sized scales. The crystal pythons scales had long since been confirmed as a type of crystal. It would emit a beautiful halo after activation with origin power, thus, the crystal pythons scales sold for a rather high price. It was popular as a raw material for low-grade origin arrays and as a component of fashionable jewelry in the upper continents. It was just that, these two crystal pythons were so big that Qianye couldnt carry away all their scales. He could only select those with the highest quality to fill his backpack which wasnt even a third of the total. When Qianye returned to the cave he was staying in, his face was suddenly flushed by a layer of dark red and even began to puff out faint red mist when he exhaled. Just now when he was killing the three-striped crystal python, he had stabbed into its heart to prevent it from retaliating on its deathbed. Vast amounts of blood energy had rushed into his body through the Radiant Edge. The power contained within was comparable to a rank nine dark race warrior but of a lower quality and a great deal more impurities. Qianye discovered for the first time that he could actually draw blood energy from darkness attribute beasts like the crystal python. The darkness origin power contained within was even more abundant than a dark race warrior of the same rank. And with the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls mystery chapter, the purity of the blood energy obtained from these beasts became an insignificant factor. However, Qianye was somewhat uncertain as he recalled a detail which he had previously overlookedit seemed most of the strange beasts on Evernight Continent leaned toward the darkness attribute. During the period which followed, Qianyes journey took him around several battlefields. He followed the labels on the Wei clan map to personally observe the dark races designated battlefield. At the same time, he also surveyed the troop strength of the expeditionary army, the imperial regular army, and the private armies of the participating nobility. Situations like the one in which he had encountered the Bai clan private troops also occurred a number of times. Qianye used his long range sniping ability to help the imperial soldiers hasten their victory or recover from a loss, but would leave hastily after the outcome of the battle was clear. He avoided all unnecessary contact with these aristocratic clans. One ordinary morning, an intense battle had just ended on the Silverlight Plains near the northern border of Evernight Continent. In the past, this boundless plain was filled with luminous grass that emitted a faint silvery glow under the velvety curtain of darkness. Gazing from a distance, this whole plain looked like a gigantic glowing lake with layers upon layers of silver ripples. This used to be a scenic location of Evernight Continent. But later on, the dark races began to appear on the Silverlight Plains after the expeditionary army lost several important strongholds nearby. From then on, people no longer visited this place for sightseeing. At this moment, the whole of the Silverlight Plains had changed beyond recognition. There were traces of corrosion and burns everywhere. There were also gigantic craters caused by the explosions reaching almost 100 meters in diameter. The luminous grass had all been burnt clean, and thin streams of green fluid were flowing on the exposed brown soil. The arachne body fluids, possessing highly corrosive properties, would destroy all life in the soilnothing would grow again thereafter. Squads of expeditionary and imperial army soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield. They cleared out each corpse of its belongings and moved them to a designated location. Judging from the control of the battlefield, the humans had probably come out victorious in this bitter campaign. However, there wasnt the slightest bit of joy to be found in the expressions of the generals standing to one side of the battlefield. Standing among the group of generals in martial attire, Bai Aotu seemed almost eccentric in her usual wide-sleeved gown. However, she possessed outstanding qualifications as the most powerful expert of the Silverlight Plains which consisted of three counties. When necessary, she could directly take over the commanding authority of the whole war zone. Although the Silverlight Plains was but a second class war zone, there was a battlefield selected by the dark races in this region. Additionally, there were very few experts among the empires younger generation who could watch over a whole region independently. There was blood all over Bai Aotus white clothing which had been torn in many places over her back and shoulders. Through them, one could vaguely see some badly mangled wounds. Her face was completely pale and her aura, weak and unstable. It seemed she had been injured quite badly. The imperial generals around her were over twice her age but all of them glanced at her with eyes full of admiration and reverence. This wasnt merely out of respect for the Bai clan but because of her substantial military accomplishments. During the battle just now, Bai Aotu had killed the strongest expert from the opposite party almost on her own and thereby reversing the tides. Gazing at the bitter scene of the battlefield, an old general with grizzled hair sighed deeply. Is this considered our victory? Another general smiled ruefully and said, The dark races lost but they retreated in an orderly fashion and didnt fall into confusion. This can only be considered a small victory. The old general said with a dark expression, My unit has been completely wiped out and will likely have its unit number canceled upon our return. Another person consoled, That wont happen. Youve contributed so much. The empire will surely reform the 133rd Corps. I hope so. The old general sighed as he helplessly shook his head. These generals naturally knew that, although the unit was reformed, it would be reduced to a third-rate lineup. How could new soldiers compare with a unit brought up over the years? Bai Aotus drooping eyelids suddenly opened and said, Our casualties shouldve exceeded 100,000, right? A general beside her replied hurriedly, Were still running the numbers, but from my own estimate, it should be over 110,000. Bai Aotu spoke seemingly to herself, Almost 10,000 dark race regular warriors and over 100,000 cannon fodder were killed. Just what reason did they have to fight such a war? All the generals glanced at each other but none were able to answer. This campaign was extremely bitter. The dark races swarmed over like tidal waves. They were dauntless and were completely unafraid of death. Most were able to take down imperial soldiers with them, so much that they were even prepared to sacrifice regular warriors. It almost made one suspect whether they were simply trying to achieve mutual destruction. The generals didnt dare say too much because none of them were very confident. Bai Aotus body suddenly flashed and reappeared dozens of meters away. She crouched down beside the corpse of an expeditionary army soldier, drew her dagger, and tore open his chest. The generals were stunned by her sudden action but soon followed over in succession. Bai Aotu wouldnt do anything meaningless. It was obvious that she had discovered something abnormal. Bai Aotu pointed at the soldiers corpse and frowned. Look. He died after being pierced through the forehead by a high-ranking vampire noble, and as such, his body wasnt affected at all. However, his life force was drained especially fast. Dont you all feel this is abnormal? This warrior had died not long ago, but even his innards were showing signs of withering. Additionally, such changes were still ongoing in all his other organs. At this rate, he would likely turn into a dried corpse before two days had passed. A certain general with sharp senses suddenly pushed his hand into the ground and scooped up a handful of soil. Following a forceful squeeze, fresh blood flowed out from between his nails! After seeing this scene, that general said with a solemn expression, It seems this land is able to absorb blood energy. No wonder I feel my movements have grown somewhat heavy. We cant stay here for long. But there wasnt much to fear if only the environs were soall present here were experts with firm and powerful blood energy. The insignificant absorptive power of the Silverlight Plains wasnt enough to affect them. Bai Aotus frown locked even tighter as she said slowly, Perhaps it isnt that simple. Dont forget those old bastards from the Evernight Council. Mad they may be, but they are anything but foolish. Let me see the intelligence map. A certain major general brought out the map with the latest military intelligence and opened it in front of Bai Aotu. There were a total of 15 battlefields marked on this map, including the Silverlight Plains. Battles had already occurred in seven of them. The humans were at a slight disadvantage, having won three of them and losing four. These were battlefields designated in advance by the dark races. As such, the humans held a slight advantage both in the deployment of troops and experts. Even so, they had lost more than they won. Bai Aotu stared silently at the 15 battlefields, frowning all the while. In truth, the imperial army had long since analyzed these 15 battlefields thoroughly. They had also studied various connection diagrams but found absolutely no meaningful pattern. Many people had also used secret inference arts. Even Lin Xitang had rushed back to the imperial capital from the Western Frontier, but as it happened, the Art of Heavens Mystery revealed nothing. However, this result wasnt too odd. It was said that many Evernight Council powerhouses had personally arrived to command. With those old fogeys around, how could they let human secret arts infer their conspiracy? The old general said at this moment, Miss Bai, weve already fought seven battles and have eight more to go. Perhaps well only find more clues after additional battles. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 237: The Great Monarchs Treasure Chapter 237: The Great Monarch''s Treasure [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Bai Aotu nodded in agreement at the old generals theory and had the chief-of-staff put away the military intelligence map. However, something continued to weigh persistently on her mind as if it was being pressed down by a huge rock. Similar misgivings arose in several other theatres and even back at the expeditionary army headquarters. Those in charge of the war on Evernight Continent, Duke Ding and the expeditionary army commander-in-chief Marshal Luo Mingji, were also constantly discussing this matter but to no avail. They had exhausted every method at their disposal and had even destroyed a certain arachne counts consciousness with cruel torture in order to obtain a confession. However, the results were disappointing. The dark race count was never made aware of the reason behind this war. The order he received was merely to rush toward a certain battlefield and kill as many human warriors as possible. From this, it was obvious that only those at the duke level would know whether or not there really was a certain conspiracy in the background. It was also possible that the authority level of this secret was even higher and perhaps only the Evernight Council members were privy to the details of the plan. Finding no clues even after repeated discussions, the major human characters on the battlefield drew similar conclusions. And that was to continue fighting and observe. Qianye carefully made his way through the war-torn Evernight Continent. He traveled, fought, and cultivatedhalf a month passed by in the blink of an eye. As the battles in all regions turned white-hot, he no longer dared to intervene so casually. This might easily draw fire from both parties at the same time. Qianye had killed off two dark race patrol squads on the way. It took him quite some time to gradually refine the blood essence into darkness origin power, over half of which was devoured by the new-born dark golden blood energy. The remainder was shared between the purple blood energy, the seven dark red blood energy, and the two advanced dark red blood energy. Qianye immediately discovered that the darkness origin power he had refined from the Song Clan Ancient Scroll had actually boosted the evolution of his blood energy a great deal. Within a short period of time, the number of ordinary blood energy had recovered to nine strands and two of them had been upgraded to rank two. The upgraded purple blood energy had also become more abstruse and seemed as if it would advance once again. The dark golden blood energy had inherited the golden blood energys characteristics but was growing at a much slower rate. It was only slightly stronger than its new-born state even after consuming so much darkness origin power. However, Qianye felt that two more illusory runes had appeared within the trail it left behind while roaming about. Qianye had coexisted with the blood energies for a significant length of time and was already quite familiar with their uses. Ordinary blood energy would increase in number or upgrade, granting Qianye a slight boost in constitution while at the same time protecting and repairing his internal organs when they receive damage. The purple blood energy was clearly the source of his vampire constitution ability rune. Its growth and upgrade would bring about a significant strengthening in Qianyes body. Additionally, the highly damaging toxicity of his blood to the dark races and especially vampires could probably be attributed to it. The golden blood energy was originally the source of his eye ability rune but also came to possess strengthening properties after its upgrade. The extent of this effect fell between that of the ordinary and purple blood energies. As for the new-born dark golden blood energy, it had apparently taken over the runic ability of the golden blood energy. It wasnt quite evident how it would develop in the future, but one thing was extremely evidentits strengthening effect on Qianyes constitution was even greater than the purple blood energy. Its origins were also quite puzzling. Qianye still wasnt quite certain whether the golden blood energy advanced after engulfing the dark vortex or if he had assimilated the golden blood energy after cultivating the Mystery chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. However, Qianye was slowly beginning to form a system after fumbling about with his cultivation. Daylight origin power was still dependent on the Combatant Formula for accumulation and then purified by the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Glory chapter. Since gaining an abundant supply of darkness origin power, the blood energies in Qianyes body no longer devoured daybreak origin power. Although he would have to waste some time circulating the Mystery and Glory chapters of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, he would no longer lose daybreak origin power. Thus his cultivation speed, as a whole, wouldnt be affected. Qianye would sometimes laugh ruefully at his weird origin power system. However, this newly-constructed equilibrium based on the Song Clan Ancient Scroll felt much more dependable than anxiously fumbling around for ways to make daybreak origin power and dark blood energy exist together. Qianyes somewhat relaxed mood was once again enshrouded in a layer of darkness after he entered the county seat of the Shadowhill County. This city, located in the hinterlands of Evernight Continent, was also a famous black crystal production zone under human control. This place was always heavily garrisoned. Although the whole of Evernight Continent was in a strained situation, the flames of war hadnt reached this place. The city was still in good order and bustling with heavy traffic. Qianye had planned to cross the Profound Jade Peak, a branch of the mountain range running through this area, and head toward the next battlefield to check on the situation therein. As such, he had chosen to enter this city and replenish his supplies. There was a small business here run by a vassal family of the Song clan and also one of Song Zinings secret contacts. There wasnt even a signboard on the storefront of this small manual workshop which specialized in weapons repair. Qianyes original plan was merely to head over and replenish his physical origin bullet supply, however, he unexpectedly found out that Song Zining had been trying to get in touch with him via each and every branch organization since seven or eight days ago. The message was disseminated akin to casting a fishing net, and thus, its contents were naturally quite vague. Qianye could only determine that Song Zining had a matter he needed help with and it was quite urgent. This kind of situation was absolutely abnormal! The haze in his heart grew even thicker after recalling the fragments he had picked up from Song Zinings letter last time. The latter likely wouldnt seek out Qianye like looking for a needle in a haystack if he hadnt encountered a problem for which he couldnt even mobilize his own men. This tiny contact point wasnt able to provide much more information. Qianye hurriedly finished resupplying and immediately headed toward Weiyang City through the night. That was the empires largest city in Evernight continent. Not only did it boast airship bases connecting toward the empire, but it was also home to the branch organizations of virtually every influential major power. Qianye climbed atop a mountain peak north of the county town and, gazing toward the north, compared the landscape before his eyes to the map of the Shadowhill County he had just memorized. He finally decided to take some risk by crossing through a region under dark race control about 100 kilometers in the distancethis was the shortest path toward Weiyang City. Meanwhile, deep underground. The mysterious city once opened by the Black-Winged Monarch Andruil was already strictly guarded by the soldiers under the direct command of the Evernight Council. No living creature was allowed to pass through apart from those with special authorization. This batch of warriors directly subordinate to the Evernight Council were rather few in number, and yet they were the most powerful elite warriors of the Evernight factioneven an ordinary captain was a champion rank expert. The officer selection process for this unit was extremely stringent. Not every champion rank dark race expert would receive such an honor. Only true experts of slaughter were qualified to enter their ranks. This unit was a legend even in the Evernight faction and very few have ever seen their members. This was Black Sun, the sword-bearers and protectors of the Evernight Council. Black Sun was actually mobilized to guard this grand underground city and even those elite warriors were only allocated on the city borders. There seemed to be an invisible boundary in place which they dared not pass. The interior of the city was still empty without any signs of life or activity. There was only a small group of people standing near the central altar. From a distance, these people looked to be of different physiques and were standing quite a distance from one another. However, the enormous space wherein the altar was located seemed incomparably narrow for them, with each possessing an aura comparable to the boundless oceans. Every casual movement caused their tremendously powerful auras to crash against each otherit seemed as if perilous tidal waves were rolling through the air. And even this was the result of them showing some restraint. Perhaps this whole underground city was extremely small before any one of them. Even champion rank captains of Black Sun didnt dare to cross over the invisible boundary, so much that they didnt even glance toward the central altar as if their eyes would be burnt just by looking. The most shocking part was that there were 12 such terrifying existences. A whole 12 Evernight Council members! They werent just ordinary council members. There were several senior members among them. A certain majestic figure among them even resembled one of those legendary powerhouses. There were a number of young people among these major characters of the Evernight faction. All of them, without exception, were illustrious characters of the Evernight factions younger generation. Their future prospects were judged to be unlimited, and the prestige of the most excellent among them stood toe to toe with some of the ordinary members of the council. Nighteye stood at the very center of this group formed of genius among geniuses. She was the focus of all attention and was also one of the core members of this lineup. Fresh blood was flowing through the grooves which weaved together to fill the whole of the altar hall, climbing and crawling as if they were alive. This suffocative gigantic origin array had been completely activated. The blood running through the array gave off such an especially vivid aura of vitality that it made the vampire council members glance at it a couple of times. Blood energy was particularly dense above the altar where it had condensed into a mass of glistening mist. It was still rolling continuously akin to the pulsating heart of a primordial beast. After witnessing this scene, a vampire council member so old that it seemed as if he would collapse any moment couldnt help but say, The foolish humans are probably thinking about how they should fight a few more battles and see just what kind of arrangements we have made. Hehe, how can they know that we only needed seven battles? A certain demonkin council member said slowly, The humans are indeed stupid, but there was also a certain honorable lord who was repelled by those foolish humans. Another council member suddenly turned and said coldly, Farah, keep going if you insist on inciting a war! The man who had turned around was, in fact, Ge Shitu. Back then, he had gone alone to the pillar of the human territory, Darkblood City, and was shot by a human girl wielding the Red Spider Lily. He was badly wounded and had no choice but to escape. This incident became a weak point for his political enemies to attack. Farah snorted and said disapprovingly, I was only stating a fact. Ge Shitus replied with a cold voice, It is indeed a fact. If a certain other fellow were to take a direct hit from the Equinox Flower, I fear he wouldnt be returning at all. Farah snorted deeply with a sour expression but didnt retort. Everyone here was a major charactercertain superfluous things need not be articulated. Defense was indeed his weak point. If he was, indeed, struck by the Red Spider Lily, one of the ten Grand Magnums, it was likely that he would be gravely wounded on the spot. He wouldnt even be able to escape. It was at this time that an old voice akin to the sound of chafing metal rang out, Silence! The treasure of Great Monarch Andruil has appeared. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 238: Bloodline [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The tone of this aged voice couldnt be considered very polite toward Farah and Ge Shitu, but even so, the two of them didnt reveal the slightest bit of dissatisfaction. Everyone in the great hall became silent. The continuously forming lines on the bloody mist atop the altar gradually began to stabilize, vaguely forming the silhouette of a large unadorned door. Furthermore, it was gradually materializing and no longer illusory. The surroundings were completely quiet. One could clearly hear the breathing of some of the Evernight Council members deepen. Even a council member would find it hard to stay calm before the legendary treasure of the Dark Monarch Andruil. After a short wait, the great door materializing from fresh blood finally took form. At the center of this door was a boundless and profound darkness. It almost seemed as if one would reach another unknown world after crossing through this threshold. In the perception of these Evernight powerhouses, the space beyond this bloody door seemed to be undergoing myriad changes every instant and constantly rotating like a wheel as if there were infinitely different realms therein. The worlds were simply switching too quicklyit had already switched over to a new realm by the time their probing consciousnesses began to condense upon it. The incisive forces generated during the spatial changes were absolutely beyond compare and could easily bisect even those Evernight Council members known for their strong physical bodies. This was the Black Winged Monarchs terrifying mighta single sanguineous door had effectively stumped the 12 council members. After careful investigation, these great characters of the Evernight faction silently withdrew all thoughts of forcefully breaking through. Ge Shitu slowly spoke, It seems we have no other way to open this bloody door without a descendant of Andruils bloodline. This is also fine. Your Majesty Nighteye, we have arrived at the critical juncture. Itll be up to you whether or not we succeed. Nighteye had just taken a step forward when a tall young lady, possessing the beauty of a frigid night-blooming cereus, suddenly walked out first and stood in front of Nighteye. She raised her head and addressed all the council members, Respectful lord council members, I also have Dark Monarch Andruils blood flowing in my veins and, from many aspects, my own bloodline isnt inferior to Her Majesty Nighteyes. At this moment, Im willing to devote all my blood as a key to opening this treasured door! Ge Shitu was visibly enraged and said coldly, Nonsense! Twilight, do you know what the dark monarchs treasure signifies? How can we allow you to mess around with such a major business. Twilight ground her teeth and said, I know! Great Monarch Andruil sealed his most formidable power within. A core array with the potential to rival one of the ten grand magnums. An array with its own sentience and one that will choose its own master! As she spoke these words, some from among the young people who were not yet privy to this secret let out gasps of astonishment. Ge Shitus voice became even colder and began to emit a frosty killing intent. This is a secret of the highest level which only council members have the qualification to know. Where did you obtain this news? Twilight was evidently feeling uneasy under Ge Shitus suppressive might, but she had thrown all caution to the wind. Not only did she not lower her head, but she instead raised her voice and said, Its not important where I learned this. Whats important is that we, the chosen of the darkness and the descendants of the sacred bloodline, obtain Dark Monarch Andruils most valuable inheritance, is it not?! A sentient core array with an unlimited ability to matureif we can successfully obtain it, we will have a famed gun that can rival the Red Spider Lily. Isnt it better that we get an extra attempt toward such a goal? Ge Shitu was furious and was just about to say something when a certain vampire council member slowly spoke, The core array will automatically judge all bloodlines in the vicinity and select its partner according to their strength and purity. Theres nothing wrong with letting Twilight try since the contents of the previous agreement will not change. It''s fine as long as Her Majesty Nighteye is standing nearby when the core array appears. Ge Shitu let out a deep humph and glared fiercely at Twilight. So youve found some backing, have you? No wonder youre so daring! At this point, Ge Shitu turned toward the majestic figure in their midst and said angrily, If this test succeeds, then wouldnt the future magnum become hers? This isnt what we agreed on back then! The figure, as majestic as a mountain, was only a mirage. It was a shadow which extended from the ground all the way toward the roof of the hall. No one knew where his real body was or if he was, in fact, present all along. After hearing Ge Shitus protests, the majestic figure said indifferently, This can be considered an internal matter of Black Wings descendant branches. But since Twilight wishes for an opportunity, Sylvester, are you prepared to pay the price? The vampire council members face lit up with delight and immediately replied, Our clan has already prepared sufficient supplies and can definitely give everyone a satisfactory compensation! The gigantic mirage slowly lowered its head. A pair of illusory eyes appeared to gaze at Nighteye as he asked amiably, Nighteye, are you willing to let Twilight try once? At this time, the depths of Nighteyes pupils was like a vast and boundless ocean of fresh blood, the waves suffused with a faint golden glow. As she gazed silently at the sanguineous door, the ripples in her eyes began to converge upon the blood energy fluctuations of the door. Twilight turned toward Nighteye, raised her chin and said coldly, She doesnt dare agree! Dark Monarch Andruils bloodline also flows within me and our branch is the direct descendant of the great monarch. Shes but a fortunate awakener from a branch of a branch family and shes not even a champion. Am I right, sister, Nighteye?! She placed a great deal of emphasis on the word sister. In the face of such a provocation, Nighteye only continued to gaze at the bloody door and replied with a cold laugh only after some time, Mixed bloods will always be mixed bloods. Therell always be idiots who dont know the immensity of the heaven and earth. Nighteye faced the lofty figure and said indifferently, Let her try. I just hope shes considered the consequences of paying such a significant compensation. Additionally, I want two shares. Twilights eyes ignited with the flames of fury and stressed her reply word by word, You can have five! Seeing that the majestic figure had no objections and that Nighteye had also agreed, the other council members no longer expressed their opinion. That vampire council member had already openly expressed his standpoint by supporting Twilight. Thus, there was each a council member behind Nighteye and Twilight. The purity of Nighteyes bloodline after awakening had received the recognition of all members of the Evernight Council. However, Twilight was younger, rose to fame earlier, and as the inheritor of an ancient bloodline, her current strength was greater than Nighteyes. It was just that her bloodline, after awakening, wasnt as pure as the latter and thus her future prospects were deemed inferior. However, there never was a unified standard for such a thing as bloodline purity and had always been a matter of much controversy. This became even more pronounced when such a greater matter as the inheritance of the Black Winged Monarch was involved. The bloodline of Andruil similarly flowed through Twilights veinsif not for Nighteyes existence, the spot in front of this altar wouldve rightfully been hers. Twilight had to fight for this opportunity even if she must offend Nighteye and the council member supporting her because the one opening the bloody door would have a greater chance of becoming the core arrays master. Being able to grasp a grand magnum would cement her position in the whole of the Evernight faction. Twilight exhaled a sigh of relief after seeing her objective fulfilled. Her face was flushed with undisguised delight and excitement as she walked over and took her place before the altar. With a clang, Ge Shitu tossed a dagger at her feet. The daggers sharp edge was engraved with countless runes, and embedded within the hilt, instead of gems, was an actual live eyeball! The eyeball rotated and stared fixedly at Twilight. One could clearly feel its overflowing bloodthirst despite it being a mere eyeball. Twilight picked up the dagger, extended her left hand, and suddenly slashed her palm. She suddenly let out a miserably cryrows of sharp teeth had actually appeared on the daggers edge, leaving a wound so deep that it almost cut off her palm! It seemed this dagger didnt just cut through flesh and blood but instead the soul. Even with her willpower and wild mindset, she couldnt help but cry out wretchedly from the pain. Fresh blood flowed madly from the wound as if guided by an invisible force, transforming into a ribbon of blood which flew toward the sanguineous door. The great door immediately reactedthe arrays on the door frame lit up one by one as the profound darkness churned, gradually forming a pathway leading toward a certain space within its depths. However, the borders of the pathway were blurry and indistinct as if they were swaying violently in a tempestuous downpour. Twilights face had gone pale and ashen amidst the deathly stillness, but the arrays on the bloody door hadnt lit up completely. Fresh blood flowed out from Twilights body like a waterfallshe would be sucked dry by the door within a minute if this went on. But judging from the current speed, the door would require at least ten more minutes to open completely. Twilight ground her teeth as her left hand trembledshe was unwilling to withdraw no matter what. Enough. The vampire council member sighed. He appeared before the altar in a flash and broke the stream of blood with a wave of his hand. No! I can still hold on! I Twilight wanted to struggle but was forcefully dragged away. Only then did Nighteye respond, Is it finally my turn? She slowly walked toward the altar, but as she was passing by, that vampire council member suddenly said, Your Majesty Nighteye, I hope you wont disappoint us! Nighteye paused her steps and cast her gaze upon that vampire council member. Duke Jotun, you should be very clear that your current position is not the end of my ambitions. Therefore, I would suggest you dont offend me again out of consideration for yourself and your descendants. I shall remember todays incident. And remember, Im taking five shares and not a single gold coin less! Duke Jotuns face naturally grew extremely ugly. He snorted deeply and said, Lets continue this discussion when youve opened the bloody door! Nighteye walked toward the altar and picked up the dagger. She then glanced up at the ten-meter tall sanguineous door before slowly cutting her palm. The dagger let out a joyful scream the very instant it tasted Nighteyes blood! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 239: Unforeseen Even t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The wound on Nighteyes palm wasnt very big. Her blood was similarly drawn towards the door in a ribbon-like stream, but it was evidently different from Twilights with strands of gold mixed into it. Twilights expression grew dismal after seeing this. Both their bloodlines had been thoroughly stimulated by the sanguineous door. Thus, in the eyes of all these council members, it became obvious that there was a difference between the strength of their bloodlines. An imposing growl was suddenly heard from the boundless space beyond the door just as the ribbon of blood came into contact with it. The howl seemingly broke through space to invade the altar hall, whereupon the auras of all those major characters fell abruptly as if the peaks of a mountain range had been shaved off. Even that indomitable and majestic figure was suddenly shortened by a third. They soon came to and realized that it was a strand of consciousness left behind by Andruil. It actually able to subdue the numerous council members here. From this, it was obvious how strong the Black-Winged Monarch was at his peak! Afterwards, several origin arrays on the door began to light up; the rate was much faster than Twilights. Within the blink of an eye, all the origin arrays on the door were activated, whereupon a gigantic eye slowly materialized at its center. It spun around and swept its gaze over everyone present. Everyone was overcome by an earth-shattering pressure as the gaze fell upon them. The stronger the council member, the greater the pressure. The pressure upon the younger generation was much lighter. Almost half the council members couldnt withstand the gaze sweeping over them and were forced to retreat several steps. Standing dejectedly in the crowd, Twilights eyes suddenly lit up as she discovered something odd. She actually didnt feel any pressure as the eye swept over her despite her diminished vitality. Consequently, she began to ponder. The giant eye finally fell on Nighteyeeven its pupil was taller than herthe cold and lifeless gaze turned much gentler as a deep voice rang out. My descendant, you, child, who possess the same bloodline as Iyou have finally arrived. For this day I have waited a whole millennium! Now, accept my gift and prepare to inherit my destiny. May the darkness be with you, my child. The darkness in the depths of the eye began to flow and, within the blink of an eye, spread out to form a seemingly endless pathway connected to an unknown location. A drop of sanguineous radiance lit up in the deepest parts of this pathway, following which several red gems gushed out like a spring. Jotun suddenly let out a resounding scream, Origin blood! Great Monarch Andruils origin blood! Apart from a number of senior council members, the others frantically soared into the air to intercept the flying red gems. Each origin blood crystal could produce a descendant with Andruils bloodline. Although they would be much weaker than his direct descendant Twilight and incomparable to Nighteyes awakened prime bloodline, their chances at becoming a marquis, or even a duke, was much higher. Andruil left a whole seven crystals of origin blood. It was likely that a lot of disputes would ensue regarding their distribution. Even the 12 ancient clans wouldnt let go of such a readily-available marquis position. Just as the crowd was busy intercepting the origin blood crystals, an inexplicable sensation emerged throughout the whole underground capital. It was a pensive, ancient, and tyrannical intent, comparable to the sudden descent of a ferocious ancient beast. A golden radiance lit up in the deepest parts of the giant eye! The core array!!! Ge Shitus loud shout roused those who were busy intercepting the crystals. Suddenly, all eyes were focused on the mass of golden light. Not only did the council members not advance, but, on the contrary, they immediately landed and completely withdrew out of the altars range. The younger generation also retreated along with their elders. No one dared to ignore Great Monarch Andruils consciousness after experiencing his might. The Evernight Council had found certain records proven to be Andruils own handwriting. It was clearly stated therein that the core array would choose a master on its own. Only a person with Andruils bloodline and one of sufficient purity would have the qualifications to wield it. The eyes of all council members were aflame, but none of them dared to attempt a forceful collection. This core array was related to the birth of a grand magnumif the dark faction could gain control of it, they would be able to completely suppress the human race. It was a major change that would completely shift the power balance between the two factions. Additionally, there were high hopes that it could, one day, confront the Red Spider Lily directly. If anyone were to forcefully collect the array and, as a result, destroy the inheritance, the commanding Evernight Council Powerhouses would be the first to tear the bastard apart. According to the agreed-upon procedure, only Nighteye and Ge Shitu would remain near the altar. Nighteye would be responsible for collecting the core array with her awakened bloodline power while Ge Shitu would provide support from the side. The golden light leapt out of the eye and hovered in the air for a moment. Everyone held their breath at that moment and their hearts almost skipped a beat. It was at this time that a figure suddenly leapt up high and pounced towards the golden light. It was Twilight! She charged like a bolt of lightning, shouting, Its mine! It belongs only to me! Killing intent flashed across Nighteyes countenance as Twilights flying figure was reflected within her eyes. The highly excited Twilight suddenly felt a sense of indescribable danger. She immediately erupted with origin power and forcefully clashed with Nighteyes attack mid-air. Twilights charging momentum was disrupted as she hovered in the air and coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood. Nighteye who was on the ground also let out a muffled groan and staggered back a few steps. Her face had gone pale and two streams of blood were trickling down the corners of her eyes. In this contest, Nighteye was actually on par with Twilight who was already a champion. The blob of golden light seemed to sense something. It suddenly stirred and flew toward the two ladies. Twilight was immediately overcome with excitement as she extended her hand to grab the ball of light. However, the moment her fingertips came into contact with the golden halo, she was flung away like a kite with its string broken. It was almost as if she was struck by lightning. The golden ball of light, completely unaffected, continued along its trajectory toward Nighteye. A number of council members revealed expressions of disappointment, but most appeared delighted. In truth, the Evernight Council as a whole had little interest in the countless conflicts underneath, especially the internal disputes of the clans. Neither did they have any predisposition. They only sought an extra magnum for the Evernight faction in order to gain a six versus three advantage over the humans. This was the bigger picture. As for who the master of this gun was, it was a significant matter but definitely not the most important thing on their list. Before awakening, Nighteye was only the young mistress of a small clan with no blue-bloods supporting her. But this was actually better because it signified that she could still be won over. Twilight, the other hand, was a famous pureblood descendant and precisely because of this, her standpoint was already predetermined. Those in conflict with her clan absolutely wouldn''t wish to see her obtain the core array. Nighteye used the dagger to cut her palm open. She extended hands stained with fresh blood toward the ball of light. This was both a ceremony and a testament. Everyone exhaled in relief as they waited for the advent of this historical moment. Nighteye was able to open the sanguineous door and draw out Andruils origin blood and core array. This signified that her bloodline had already received the recognition of Andruils remnant consciousness. Only she was the rightful inheritor of the core array. However, just as the ball of light entered Nighteyes hands and everyone believed the situation was decided, an alarming change suddenly occurred! The light rose suddenly and rapidly, shooting toward the sky with a sharp whistling sound. It pierced right through the domed roof within the blink of an eye and disappeared just like that. Only that powerful character and a few other senior council members were able to lock onto its trajectory. They extended their consciousness through the thick layers of earth to reach the surface but could only watch as the light disappeared into the distance, its whereabouts thereafter were no longer known. Everyone was momentarily petrified. In the deathly silence, Twilight wanted to howl with laughter but she wasnt that dumb. She closed her half-open mouth and proceeded to wipe the traces of blood at its corner. Nighteye was also frozen in place. She glanced at her hands and then toward the direction in which the light had flown away. Her mind was completely blank. The domed roof of the underground city was completely unharmed. Not a single mark was left as if the ball of light wasnt even corporeal. The silence continued for a few moments before the majestic figured roared, Search! Go find out where the core array has gone! Only then did everyone wake up from their reverie and began to accept the truthAndruils core array, the Wings of Inception, chose neither Twilight nor Nighteye and had flown away into the distance. The Evernight Council members contacted their subordinates stationed on the surface. Moments later, everyones expression turned extremely ugly. More than one person witnessed the mass of golden light break through the earth and fly toward the south. However, its speed was comparable to a shooting star. It even escaped the perception of that major character and many other senior council members. How could those soldiers, who knew nothing at all, be of any use? Give chase! Chase after it immediately! Theres a major human city in that direction. Then mobilize all the armies. Flatten whatever stands in the way! Numerous commands brimming with killing intent were transmitted in every direction. Before long, an elite squad began to move toward the last known direction of the Wings of Inception. Hours later, numerous dark race armies disassembled camp and moved south. One day later, the units stationed near the predetermined battlefields also began to move. Suddenly, Evernight Continent was, again, overcome by sudden and violent developments. The imperial troops aggregated on Evernight Continent had already reached the size of five regular armies. Additionally, half of the elite corps had also arrived. The spies hidden in the Evernight faction were all mobilized to deliver each of the dark race armys movements to imperial ears. Besides, movements of such a scale could hardly be concealed. At the expeditionary army headquarters, dark arrowheads began to move on the map before Duke Ding and Marshal Luo Mingji. All of them vaguely pointed toward a certain direction. The arrows were of different sizes but each of them represented a unit of considerable strength. Duke Ding stroked his short beard and said slowly, Theyre moving in full strength! Luo Mingji nodded. This time, it seems they have completely no intention to feign or conceal their movements. Could it be my misperception? Why do I feel that these dark-blooded scoundrels are flustered and exasperated? What do you think, Lord Duke? Duke Ding muttered to himself. There was a mountain range and a human city in that direction. But according to reports, there was almost nothing special about that place except the production of black crystal and some rare ores. Duke Ding didnt ponder too long before he slapped the map and said resolutely, We will also dispatch our troops! No matter what they want, we wont let them have an easy time. Mobilize every combat-ready army. Every army we deter counts! Luo Mingji nodded. As it should be! Moments later, numerous mobilization orders were sealed and delivered to the airships. Dozens of airships then took to the air and flew off in all directions. One day later, the elite units closest to the front line began to set out. Afterwards, three half-armies with some preserved fighting power and the expeditionary army reserves were moved out in full force. Dozens of armies from both factions were directed at a single region. If they were to clash head-on, it would inevitably result in an earth-shattering battle! Meanwhile, in a remote corner of this region, Qianye was still sleeping soundly.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 240: Wings of Inception [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye had just killed a rank eight iron rhinoceros. The plentiful essence blood within this ten-meter long beast made Qianye extremely full. This time, Qianye exhibited symptoms of tiredness after the filling meal. He was immediately overcome by drowsiness and could hardly control the urge to sleep. He had no idea if something was wrong with his body or if it was a special characteristic of the iron rhinoceross blood. He could no longer care about how safe this region was as he hurriedly searched for a hiding spot to lie down and sleep. Qianyes consciousness was still laughing self-deprecatingly when he was swept into the dreamland by the extreme weariness. It seemed shortcuts would always involve certain repercussions. Just as the combatant formula brought harm to ones body, drawing upon the blood of creatures would also produce weird reactions from time to time. His sleep this time wasnt deep. After an unknown length of time, Qianye was still lingering in a half-awake state. Suddenly, he saw a golden meteorite falling from the sky and smashing ruthlessly into him! Immediately woken up with a start, he turned around and switched to a sitting position. He once again found himself in that hazy world. Mists were rolling about in all directions. He wanted to reach out and tear off a piece, however, he soon felt himself slowly ascending and piercing through the domed roof as if it was empty space. He then emerged through the thick earth, continuing to rise above the ground and toward the boundless skies. There was a ball of golden light before him which seemed to be the only existence he could sense within this empty space. Qianye proceeded to fly straight into it almost as if he was being guided by an invisible force. Following which, a pair of eyes appeared within his conscience. A pair of inexplicable eyesthey were enormous, as if they would blot out the heaven and earth. They had experienced countless vicissitudes, as if every ancient timeline was flashing sequentially through their depths. Furthermore, they were intelligent, as if they could see through the worlds deepest secrets with every gaze. The moment Qianye gazed upon this pair of eyes, an unparalleled and tremendous will touched his consciousness. Following which, a resonant voice reverberated throughout this whole world. I am Andruil of the black wing. Oh ye blood descendant who shares a common origin as I, are you prepared? Since my legacy has chosen you, then its inevitable that you accept this taskthis mission destined to never be completed Qianyes immediate reaction was, why should he accept the orders of a great dark monarch? Furthermore, how difficult would it be if even Andruil himself felt that it was impossible to complete? Moreover, what was this so-called inheritance all about? It seemed this colossal consciousness immediately understood Qianyes thoughts as the voice once again rumbled, My legacy is divided into two parts. One of it is named the Wings of Inception which, at this moment, is already within your body. The other, called the Eye of Truth, is hidden on Flaming Beacon Continent Following which, the scene of a continent appeared within Qianyes consciousness. Judging from its special landscape, the confluence of three peaks and single river, it was probably the Western Continent which was also the Flaming Beacon Continent as addressed by the dark races. At this moment, Qianyes field of vision seemed as if he was looking down from thousands of meters up in the sky. The earth was being repeatedly magnified as if the scene was zooming in until it fixed itself on a certain mountainous region. It wasnt merely a still map but similar to an incomparably life-like image. He could clearly see many dark race members roaming about in the area as if they were searching for something. A large number of them were already digging into certain hills and valleys. Qianye was shaken. Apparently, the dark races had also found certain clues about Andruils treasure via other channels. Furthermore, they were already starting to explore and excavate. However, it seemed they hadnt obtained the exact coordinates and could only investigate over a large area. But with such a carpet-like excavation, they would find it sooner or later. Qianyes heart tightened as his vision was flooded with dazzling light. Go now, find the Eye of Truth and youll obtain true strength. At that time, youll gain the right to know your destiny When Qianye opened his eyes, he found himself lying within the cave hideout. The cave roof was intact. There wasnt the slightest sign of rocks falling down from above. So it was just a dream. Qianye propped himself up and was stunned as he lowered his head. The ground he was lying on had caved in with cracks extending in all directions. A red glow was flashing in the depths of these crevices, and there were actually residual flames slowly flickering inside. However, no heat was transmitted to the surface at all. After seeing this bizarre scene, Qianye suddenly felt a chill run down his back. It so happened that he had been sweating profusely and all layers of his clothing were drenched. Could it be that a meteorite had really fallen onto him? Why couldnt he find any wounds on him at all? Even his clothes werent damaged. So it was a dream but yet not a dream? Qianye doubtfully checked himself from head to toe but couldnt find this so-called Wings of Inception anywhere. At this time, Qianye calmed down and moved toward an intact corner of the cave. He sat down with his back to the wall to regulate his breathing. The drowsiness brought about by the rolling blood energy had all but vanished. This was a region under dark race control and not his pre-determined resting place. Hence, Qianye decided to continue his journey after being able to move again. As he ran through the night, Qianye sensed an unusual and almost drowning-like sensation which seemed to press down and diffuse throughout the surrounding air. The feeling affected his heart with every breath, making him very uncomfortable. It vaguely seemed as if great danger was closing in. Qianye raised his speed and, at the same time, became more cautious. His night vision and perceptive abilities were all activated as he paid rapt attention to surrounding movements. Qianye gazed into the distance after climbing up a peak which offered him a wide field of vision. Suddenly, his expression shiftedthere was a black tide slowly moving at the edge of the horizon. From his abundant combat experience, Qianye was able to tell that this wasnt a tide at all but a rapidly moving army. It seemed the previous wind-borne aura had come from the dark race army! Judging from its scale, this should be an army numbering in the tens of thousands. Even the strength of 10,000 cannon-fodder couldnt be underestimated. Besides, Qianye also noticed a number of black specks floating above the dark race unit. Those were the champion level dark race experts monitoring the troops from the air. Such large number of experts signified the great strength of this army. Qianye observed for a while before he suddenly turned his head. A similar dark race army had appeared over the horizon in another direction. Additionally, their strength wasnt inferior to the current one. Qianye rapidly recalled the surrounding map in astonishmentthis wasnt a predetermined battlefield. There must be some other reason for dark race armies of such scale to be converging upon it. The strength of these armies wasnt inferior at all to those deployed at the predetermined battlefields. The empire would inevitably react immediately. It was quite likely that this area would turn into a great battlefield. At this time, Qianye had no choice but to avoid this place despite his wishes to serve the empire to some extent. Neither side would be able to distinguish his allegiance once the battle began. Their first reaction would be to kill him immediately. He now had two options. One was to turn back to Shadowhill County, and the other was to continue toward Weiyang City. He gazed at the lines of movement of the two opposing armies and, after a while, decided to take the risk. He would take the opportunity to pass right through them before their rendezvous. With that, Qianye leapt off the peak and ran under topographical cover for almost half a day at a speed slightly faster than that of long distance running. Finally, he successfully passed through the region between the two dark race armies as the sun began to rise. He was forced to kill off two keen scouts along the way. What awaited in front, after passing through the danger zone, was a hilly region. However, Qianye had only walked for another half a day before finding yet another dark race army. Although the numbers in this unit were smaller, their soldiers were all elites compared to the other two armies. Two powerful consciousnesses swept toward Qianye just as he showed his head even though they were separated by a distance of over 10 kilometers. Qianye fell flat on the ground with great astonishment and lay without moving a single inch. He circulated bloodline concealment and withdrew his aura. The two fluctuations swept past the hill but ended up empty-handed. Even the vegetation here was sparse with the occasional harmless creature passing by. Qianye didnt dare movethings absolutely wouldnt be so easy now that he had attracted the other partys attention. As expected, the two consciousnesses swept through the region once again one after the other. This time, Qianye immediately leapt up and fled along the mountain ridge as soon as the two consciousnesses passed him. A number of vampires appeared on the mountain ridge soon after he left. They had come to investigate once more but found nothing out of the ordinary. Qianye left almost no traces of himself, not even his own scent. Meanwhile, the dark race armies continued moving along their designated lines. This group of high-ranking vampires split up to check the surroundings for a short while then left to catch up with their unit. Qianye continued on, encountering several roaming dark race sentries along the way. He discovered even more dark race armies lying across his path toward Weiyang City. In order to skirt pass enemy scouts, Qianye was forced to change his route further and further away from his target. It wouldnt do if this went on. Even though Qianye had no idea what was going on in the outside world, he knew that the empire wouldnt let these dark race armies rendezvous successfully. Therefore, a battle could break out any moment here. There were dark race scouts everywhere, and their experts were increasing in number. It was already too risky for him to escape toward the surrounding areas. If he was unlucky, he might run straight into the intercepting imperial army units. Qianye momentarily pondered before making a prompt decisionhe turned back toward the complex mountainous area, found a cave extending deep into the ground, and sealed himself inside. He fumbled into the deepest parts and started cultivating. He was prepared to pass this period of turmoil here. Battle broke out at dawn the next morning. Qianye could still sense the sounds of origin power collisions and the shockwaves from explosions despite being hidden deep underground. Sometimes, the earth shook violently as if the whole cave and mountain peak was about to collapse. From this, it was obvious how intense the battle outside was. Such experts and armies had gathered here to engage in a life and death battle. But why? Qianye sometimes couldnt help but wonder about the reason. He naturally didnt know that the true reason for this war was for Dark Monarch Andruils Wings of Inception. Merely, after a certain completion of his 40th Combatant Formula tide, he discovered that the dark golden blood energy previously entrenched lazily within the rune had swum out. It remained unaffected within the sea of daybreak origin power and only continued to move around his heart in a leisurely manner as if it was out for a stroll. Oddly, a small pair of wings had grown out of one end. It seemed as if this blood energy, previously impossible to differentiate between head and tail, had suddenly grown a head. [1] There was a slight inconsistency here between this sentence and the next one. I modified them slightly so that it makes more sense. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 241: Boulderheart Jade Letter [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Blood energy raised on pure darkness origin power advanced at a relatively faster rate. Seven of the ordinary blood energy in Qianyes body had already advanced successfully, and the purple blood energy was also on the verge of upgrading to rank three. Since then, the essence blood from the iron-skinned rhinoceros had all been refined. The battle on the surface was still ongoing. But after that one world-shaking battle, there were no more collisions of the same scale. They fought back and forth for a period of time before gradually becoming silent. Deep inside the mountain, Qianye knew neither day nor night as he entered a critical part of his cultivation. He was in the process of igniting his seventh origin node. It seemed the effects of pure daybreak origin power were also superior. At one point, Qianyes body suddenly shook as radiance erupted from within. The barrier around his seventh origin power node shattered with a loud rumble, following which, origin power flowed out continuously from within. The other six nodes were also vibrating constantly in response to the newborn node. Qianye slowly withdrew the surging origin power tides within his body only after the origin nodes were stabilized. He felt every movement of his limbs full of power and had the urge to release them in a ruthless battle. From now on, he had formally reached rank seven. According to vampire race standards, he had already stepped past the threshold of a high-ranking vampire and would be able to receive the title of esquire. Rank seven was also the doorway for the promotion of new nobility in the human empire. In the military, he would be eligible for the rank of lieutenant colonel and gain the qualifications to lead a regiment. The surroundings had already quieted down for quite some time. It seemed the battle on the ground had reached the end of a phase. Qianye followed the snaking tunnel to reach the entrance, listened for a moment, and proceeded to break apart the rock blocking it. It was daytime outsidethe sunlight almost seemed brighter with the coming of the light season, and the mountain gale was also suffused with warmth. It was just that the winds also contained the intense odor of gunpowder and blood. Qianye climbed to the peak and gazed into the distance. Traces of a cruel battle appeared before his eyes. The plains had long since been charred, and the isolated mountains in the periphery were actually broken across the middle. The river had stopped flowing, and the woods had been reduced to scorched earth. The gigantic war beasts were like small hills and possessed boundless strength while alive, but now only their gigantic skeletons remain. The battlefield had apparently been cleaned already. Both parties had already retrieved the remains of their soldiers. However, no one bothered with those giant dark race war beasts and cannon fodder like the servspiders. At this moment, countless ravens and vultures were gathered on the battlefield. Corpses were swiftly reduced to white skeletons under their razor sharp beaks. Qianye knew not whether the empire won or lost this great battle, and it was too difficult to determine the outcome from the traces on the battlefield. But judging from the way the cleanup was carried out, it was likely that the battle had ended in a draw after which both sides began to pick up the pieces. At this moment, neither humans nor dark races appeared within Qianyes vision. Such battlefields would always be plagued with epidemics for a certain period because of the dark races habitual abandonment of cannon fodder and giant beast carcasses in mass. This land would become a forbidden region for humans with insufficient strength. Although Qianye had no need to fear such diseases, it didnt feel too comfortable either after a while. He checked the direction and began to head toward Weiyang City. The vast region seemed completely empty after the battle. Qianye didnt encounter a single high-ranking warrior along the way, not even beasts. However, large mobs of scavengers and tramps had flocked here. To them, the recent battle was like an excavated gold mine with countless opportunities within. The little things left behind after the cleanup would allow these scavengers to live as if they were in paradise for a certain period. Qianye arrived in Weiyang City without a hitch. The war had hardly affected the largest city in Evernight Continentthe bustling city was still flourishing and extravagant. Lights of various colors, akin to dazzling stars, could be seen in the night sky. Those were long distance airships landing and taking off continuously. As one of the two major hubs connecting Evernight and the empire, Weiyang Citys airship base itself was like a small city servicing hundreds of airships each day. During wartime, this number would increase severalfold due to the transportation of troops. Most of the imperial regular armies arriving to participate in this war arrived via this hub. Qianye, on the other hand, was in no mood to admire the thriving city. He had been detained in the mountains for ten-odd days because of the war and was worried about the situation on Song Zinings side. He checked in at a small inn upon entering the city and then visited some other places like the imperial trading company to sell off a large part of his crystal python scales for several hundred gold coins. Finally, he visited the origin power raw material trading company run by the Ningyuan Group. Qianye sold the remaining crystal python scales and other materials here, then flashed his token to obtain a parcel Song Zining had left for him. Reportedly, none of the several high-ranking managers of the Ningyuan Group were in the city and the shopkeeper was only tasked with delivering the package upon seeing the token. After chatting with him for a while, Qianye realized that this shopkeeper was merely an outsider. The latter was even under the impression that Qianye was a customer who had custom ordered certain equipment. Qianye opened the package after returning to his residence. There was half a piece of palm-sized jade withinthis was a boulderheart jade letter. Its surface was smooth with seemingly nothing upon it, when, in truth, there were words therein carved with origin power. The words would only appear when the recipient injected origin power into it with a predetermined method. It was impossible to retrieve the contents without it. There was also a letter in the package with only a few words on it. Song Zining had entrusted Qianye with the task of delivering this boulderheart jade letter to the Western Continent, the recipient being a certain champion from the Zhao clan. Qianye was rather concerned by the atmosphere around this business which seemed calm on the surface but involved a lot of tension inside. He himself had a load of problems in his hands. He couldnt just start investigating the Song clan in an unfamiliar city without careful consideration. The destination, however, surprised him a great deal. It was actually the Zhao clan of the Western Continent. The Forgotten Mountain Range mentioned in Deryls diary belonged to Blue Dreams Mountain Belt, as did the Zhao clans Swallow Cloud Pass. In the couple of days that followed, Qianye was busy preparing his luggage. He disassembled the eye-catching Eagleshot and packed all the components into his backpack. The Twin Flowers and Radiant Edge were tucked away in his tactical jacket. He bought some common equipment from the gunsmith and hung them from his waist, including a secondhand Butcher and a military use tactical dagger. The outfit made Qianye look like an extremely ordinary hunter. The dagger and Butcher delivered a clear messagethis was a madman who loved close quarters combat. Those with some degree of rationality wouldnt be willing to provoke a fellow who loved melee combat. Such people were quick to die, but, on the other hand, they enjoyed taking risks and were more willing to fight with their lives on the line. Qianye paid five gold coins to board an airship flying toward the empire where he would transfer towards the Western Continent. The price of five gold coins was a significant amount. As such, many citizens of Evernight Continent, including the soldiers of the expeditionary army, found it hard to visit the empire even once in their lifetimes. This was an old airship. Qianye was squeezed into the lower cabin with several hundred other passengers. They would all have to stay there for the long two-day journey. There were neither toilets nor dining halls. As such, the odor in the cabin wasnt exactly the best. But this wasnt too challenging for Qianye. At least there were seats in the lower cabin. When he first came to Evernight Continent, Qianye had traveled as a stowaway in the cargo hold and was made to sleep on a pile of mineral ores. He came quite close to being buried alive by collapsing piles of ore when the airship shook violently. Qianye didnt want to attract any attention, and as such, he had chosen to travel with hunters and mercenaries of similar social status despite the availability of better cabins above. Not long after boarding, the airship rumbled and shook violently as it gradually rose into the air and flew toward the border of the continent. There was a long journey ahead. Qianye leaned on the cabin wall and began to rest with his eyes closed. It was at this time that he received a heavy kick to the foot. Qianye opened his eyes to see a burly man as stout as a bear staring fiercely at him.The man smiled coldly and said, Move aside. Master Fang here wants that place! As Qianye looked over, the burly man revealed a tattoo-riddled arm and drew out the dagger on his waist half-way. There were a number of companions behind the man looking on at Qianye with bloodthirsty eyes. Apparently, these people would immediately pounce on him at the slightest protest. Such incidents werent rare at all, but Qianye didnt expect it would happen to him. Those willing to squeeze into the lower cabins usually never exceeded rank three, and the people before him were not an exception. They were relying on their build and muscles to demonstrate their might instead of releasing their origin power auras. Hence, it wasnt too hard to imagine their strength. Qianye stood up and smiled at the burly man. You kicked me. So what? This daddy here still wants to kick you a couple more times! the burly man said. Then, as expected, he kicked fiercely toward Qianyes knee. Qianye laughed once again without moving an inch. He merely lifted his leg to block the incoming blow. The two legs collided with a muffled thump followed closely by the crisp sound of cracking bones! The burly man cried out in misery as he bent down to hug his completely deformed shank. His cries were almost world-shaking. Qianye briefly rotated his ankles and felt quite relaxed. He had just reached rank sevenhis body, especially his legs, were undergoing another round of strengthening. This was a long and painful process and the bone-deep itch often gave him the urge to kick the wall. Seeing the burly mans cries werent stopping, Qianye shrugged his shoulders. So noisy. He then proceeded to knock the man out with a kick to the back of his head. The expressions of the mans companions rapidly changed. Two violent but not-so-intelligent men drew their guns at Qianye. Qianye said indifferently, Im in a bad mood. You guys are really courting death. Everyone saw a blurred scene before their eyes followed by two earsplitting booms. The sound emitted by the Butcher was enough to deafen people within this enclosed space. Origin power erupted on the two mens bodies as they were blasted into the distance with countless shattered bones. The lower cabin was quite crowded. There were still quite a few unrelated passengers standing near the two unfortunate fellows. At this time, they were pale with shock as they frantically felt around their bodies for possible wounds but found themselves completely unharmed. Qianye had used a powerful Butcher to shoot explosive shells. Why were they unharmed despite standing so close to the two fellows? The lower cabin descended into a moment of chaos. People squeezed toward the sides to open up a large area in the middle. There used to be seven people facing Qianye, but now, three of them were already collapsed on the floor. The lower cabin doors were suddenly opened with a bang as a number of fiendish sailors charged in along with a bearded captain. Dont you know the firing of origin power guns is forbidden on airships? the bearded captain asked, his voice suffused with killing intent. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 242: Silentflame Steppes [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The hundreds of people in the lower cabin turned completely silent in fear. Many who frequently traveled between the continents had heard of the past deeds of this captain known as Ole Bearded Blade. It was said that this fellow was a veteran pirate before he got into the imperial airship business. Even without bringing up his past, Ole Bearded Blade could settle everyone in this cabin with his strength alone. Who fired his gun? Ole Bearded Blade asked again. It is I, Qianye replied calmly as he cleaned the Butcher with a square towel and restored it to his waist. The corners of Ole Bearded Blades eyes couldnt help but twitch after looking towards Qianye. He walked over to the fellow who had been injured, flipped the man over with his foot, and gave him a once over. He wont die. Send these troublemakers to the fuel cabin. Ole Bearded Blade got up and swept away the burly mans group with a wave of his hand, including those collapsed on the ground. With that, he actually turned around and left. Even those sailors were stunned. Someone pointed towards Qianye and asked, What about him? Ole Bearded Blade glanced at Qianye and said, Hes unrelated. Just do as I say! Ole Bearded Blade pushed open the door and left. One of his aides followed him to the gangway and said after looking left and right, Boss, that brat broke your rules! Ole Bearded Blade snorted. If you can shoot an explosive shell from the Butcher like that, you can also ignore my rules. The aide was startled. His expression gradually changed as he realized the meaning behind those words. The Butcher possessed great firepower but was notorious for its bad control. Qianye had fired two explosive shells but didnt wound anyone nearby. The two unfortunate fellows were wounded but still very much alive. This feat was much more difficult than blasting them to pieces. This meant that either the Butcher was a disguised high-grade origin gun, or Qianyes control over origin power had reached near perfection. Regardless of the actual circumstances, this wasnt a person they could afford to offend. As for why such a person had gone to stay in the lower cabins, this aide had no desire to investigate. People in their line of work tended to die earlier the more they knew. The airship was peaceful thereafter, all the way until they reached the Qin Continent. Ole Bearded Blade stood at the cabin door, watching the passengers leave in succession. As a rule, the lower cabin passengers were the last to alight. But this time, there were a couple of passengers from the fuel cabin behind them, the chaps who slept on piles of black stones. Just as Qianye was about to disembark, Ole Bearded Blade tossed him a dagger and said, Half price if you ride my airship on the way back. Qianye caught the dagger, checked it, and glanced towards Ole Bearded Blade with a smile. Any other benefits? I ship anything, replied Ole Bearded Blade. Sounds good. What routes? You decide the origin and destination. Ill draw up the route. Qianye pulled out a box of cigars and tossed it towards Ole Bearded Blade. Very well, Ill come find you when the need arises. Ole Bearded Blade opened the box of cigars only after Qianye left. His expression changed slightly as he brought one to his nose and sniffed at it. The aide suddenly inhaled deeply. He then stared fixedly, unable to take his eyes off the cigar. Boss, somethings odd about this cigar! Bulsh*t, this is good stuff. Its got military-use stimulants added into it. The aides eyes lit up as he rubbed his hands. No, theres a slightly different scent. Ole Bearded Blade immediately put away the box of cigars into his innermost pocket and glared firmly at the aide. He then tossed the cigar in his hand towards the latter, albeit reluctantly. The aide placed the cigar under his nose and took a long sniff. This scent, its different from the usual stimulants. Ole Bearded Blade stared at the man and said, Of course its different. This is an exclusive product from the elite corps. The aide was immediately shocked out of his wits and nearly dropped the cigar. Boss, does this mean hes someone from one of those places? Ole Bearded Bade only snorted without replying. The aide immediately squinted his eyes into a straight line, his thoughts unknown. Qianye didnt stay long in this airship port city. He boarded another airship the following day and headed towards the Western Continent. Unnoticed by the passengers, this airship began to secretly veer off course not long after it left the Qin Continent borders. It met up and docked with another airship in the void whereupon a batch of passengers and goods boarded the second airship. The whole process was carried out rapidly and secretly. Then the two airships separated and each flew towards the Western Continent. At this moment, Qianye had already boarded the second airship. There were rust and patch marks all over this airship. It seemed to be at least 50 years old if not 100. Its only advantage was its absence from imperial official records. The target of this flight was also a small empty port unmarked on the official map. The gasping airship finally landed after a whole day of travel. Qianye jumped out of the hold and landed firmly on the ground, kicking up a cloud of red dirt from under his military boots. This made him cough a few times. At this time, sunlight was pouring down from above like surging waves of flames. Qianye felt his skin being scorched the moment he stepped out and even the air was suffused by a burning sensation. The surface temperature was close to 60Cthe environment made it impossible for ordinary people to move about. Even Qianye felt somewhat unwell. Blocking the sun with his hand, Qianye gazed into the distance. The airship had landed in a plain. This so-called landing pad was just a manually leveled area amidst the wilderness. There was red soil as far as the eye could see, and the air was extremely dry. Sheets of fine dust would be kicked up by the occasional wind to produce a scene akin to leaping flames, most fitting of its name, the Silentflame Steppes. There was a small town nearby. The buildings therein had square roofs and were built of a mixture of wood and clay. It seemed the region was arid and rarely experienced rain. There was wilderness all around with almost no vegetation whatsoever. The most eye-catching were a number of solitary giant trees standing nearly 100 meters tall. They were quite far from each othereach of them seemed to be ruling over a kingdom of its own. A wild gust of wind blew past at this time, drowning the whole landing pad in a cloud of red dust. Qianye frowned after the wind had passed as he spat out a mouthful of sand. He then proceeded to shake out large amounts of red dust from his head. Young man, wear this. This is a necessary equipment for this damnable place. Qianye glanced over to see the airship captain handing him a hat with a face towel attached. Thank you! Having just experienced the might of the sandstorm, Qianye immediately received the hat and donned it. The captain then said, The car and items you requested have been prepared. Ill take you to see them. Qianye thus followed the captain towards the small town. The town didnt look very large from the outside and but it was unexpectedly lively within. The streets were mostly filled with strong young men. They seemed like fugitivestheir cold eyes brimming with killing intent indicated the amount of blood on their hands. After seeing Qianyes unfamiliar face, many of them revealed expressions akin to hungry wolves eyeing their prey. But their expressions immediately became much more gentle after seeing the dagger at Qianyes waist. A person with Ole Bearded Blades dagger was obviously one of their own. Within a small warehouse, Qianye was shown a two-wheel motorcycle. No one knew when this one-ton vehicle was manufactured. It seemed extremely old on the surface, but Qianye noticed that the engine and important components were pretty well maintained. Additionally, there was an origin array interface on the engine. The captain patted the almost three-meter-long bike and said, Thunderous Tiger, its a good brand! At least it was 150 years ago. Now, youngsters arent too fond of vehicles like this that only tough guys can operate. Look, I even had an expert modify it. Its more powerful than it actually looks! Qianye looked around the warehouse and found piles of abandoned components but no second motorcycle. It seemed this big fella was his only choice. But gazing at this motorcycle several times his own age, Qianye felt it wasnt worth 50 gold coins at all. The captain, on the other hand, didnt care that much and tossed the keys over to Qianye without even asking. Afterwards, he walked closer to Qianye and said mysteriously, As for the other thing you wanted, I can only say that your luck is good! Recently, theres a true master in town and he should have the goods you need. Of course, good things also come with a corresponding price. The captain gestured and said, Come with me, you lucky little fellow! Qianye wasnt feeling too lucky after seeing the Thunderous Tiger. However, people making their living in grey zones were just like that. They seemed capable of finding almost anything, but if they could really obtain truly good things, why would they need to hang around in such places? Besides, Qianye didnt have much of a choice either. If he traveled via the empires common route he would have to land at the human airship port city located in the northeast of the Western Continent. Not only would he have to spend time and money passing through several provinces, but it would also be easy to track his whereabouts. Although he wasnt too clear about Song Zinings situation, it wouldnt hurt to be cautious. As such, he could only choose these underground channels. However, Qianye knew nothing about the Western Continent. Ole Bearded Blade proved to be an unexpected bonushis connections were certainly much more reliable than the ad hoc agents Qianye would otherwise have to find on the Western Continent. But moments later, Qianye was standing before a small, dark clay house with broken windows. He was having a hard time imagining what kind of master would live in such a place. The captain wiggled his bear-like body and squeezed into the small lodge. Qianye could only follow him in. The originally small space within the lodge was lined with shelves holding all sorts of odd items. Basically, they were all broken scraps and components. Qianye recognized some of them but he had no idea what most of them were used for. There was a beast skin spread out in one corner of the room and there was also a rolled quilt nearby. Apparently, this was the masters bed. There was a table against the wall littered with tools and various materials, where a thin, withered old man, about 1.6 meters tall, was currently working busily. This was his workstation. There was a crystal lamp installed upon the wall casting a clear and cold beam of light onto his workstation. This was probably the only modern item in the whole house. The old man raised his head to reveal an aged countenance akin to dried tree bark. He glanced at the dagger on Qianyes waist and said, Since you have Ole Bearded Blades dagger, then youre one of our own. Everything can be discussed since youre one of us. Young man, show me the gun you usually use. Qianye hesitated for a moment, then retrieved the right-handed Twin Flower revolver from his tactical jacket and placed it on the table. A light flashed across the old mans eyes after seeing the gun. He stared deeply at Qianye and said, Not many people use vampire weapons! There are some who do, Qianye replied calmly. Intentionally or otherwise, the captains hand slowly extended towards his pocket. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 243: Unavoidable Confrontation [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The old man suddenly raised his head and glanced at the captain. Ole Bearded Blade wont lie to us. The captain sighed in relief and shrugged toward Qianye. The latter didnt fuss about it and only responded with a smile. The old man picked up the Twin Flower and mumbled while gently stroking each pattern. There are only two types of people in our eyes: those on our side and those who arent. Even being a true vampire wont be a hindrance in becoming one of our own. Qianye couldnt help but raise his brows after hearing this but didnt say anything. The old man studied the gun over and over before saying, There should be another one, right? Only then was Qianye somewhat moved. He produced the other revolver and placed it on the table. This time, the old man only looked over the left-handed revolver casually before returning it to Qianye. The old man began to rummage through the heap of bits and bobs on his workstation and finally found a rusted iron box. He placed the container under the crystal lamp and properly adjusted the angle before opening it slowly. Judging from his serious behavior, it seemed as if the box contained the most valuable gem in the world. The box was opened to reveal a yellow silk cushion seemingly as old as the exterior of the box. Upon the silk cushion was a single silver bullet. The craftsmanship of this bullet was exquisite, its deep silver-colored shell emitting a flowing radiance. It was actually mythril. Its surface was covered with a dense network of complicated patterns. Some of it patterns even resembled runespeak. When Qianye merely saw the patterns, he was surprised that a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism would appear in such a small place. But the addition of these runespeak symbols made him quite suspicious. Those who could incorporate runespeak symbols into an origin array had surpassed the master level. There was only one such smith even in Red Scorpion. Qianye glanced at the old man and then at the surroundings. He was finding it rather difficult to believe this old man was a great master who could use runespeak arrays. The old man had no interest in Qianyes secret criticism. He wore a zealous and sacred expression as he stared at the silver bullet with bated breath. Then, he suddenly raised his head and pointed toward the silver bullet as the following words poured out of his shriveled mouth, This thing is called a bullet. Qianye momentarily felt the urge to cough up blood. Of course, he knew it was a bullet! Furthermore, he could even go into the detailsfor instance, this was a physical Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. But seeing the old mans unshakable expression, Qianye helplessly lowered his stance and said, Very well, a bullet it is. Its yours now. Remember, use it only to save someones life. With that, the old man closed the box and handed it to Qianye with both hands. Qianye was still pondering, even after leaving this small town called Dogs Claw, about how this single bullet was worth 100 gold coins. This was an outrageous price, but under the old mans gaze, Qianye muddle-headedly paid for it along with the other pre-ordered ammunitions. If one were to appraise it, the value should lie in the patterns and runespeak symbols upon it. It might even have some artistic value if the veins were a bit more exquisite. Qianye laughed ruefully as he felt his chest. The bullet was currently placed within his shirt pocket. No origin power fluctuations were felt from the iron box. This rusted container naturally wasnt a crystal box capable of origin power isolation, neither was it an origin bullet cartridge from the imperial corps. This box didnt have any barrier effect at all. Thus, there being no origin power fluctuations from the bullet could only mean that this was a blank physical bullet which needed to be filled with origin power. Qianye shook his head in an attempt to forget about this small interlude. There were limitations on how much ammunition one could carry when riding intercontinental airships. At the very least, he was able to restock in such a desolate location. Additionally, the rest of the gunpowder and physical origin bullets seemed quite normal. As for this mithril bullet, regardless of whether it could really perform an exorcism, its mithril quality was indeed up to par. So, the outcome wasnt really that bad. Although Qianye was still a bit suspicious if this flowery origin bullet could really be filled with origin power... Qianye recalled asking the old man how he should be addressed. In the end, the old man replied, Just call me master. What a blunt reply! Qianye turned the motorbike accelerator while thinking of this. The rumbling of the engine intensified as the senile Thunderous Tiger trembled and gasped. It frantically dragged its heavy body and sped into the distance. The Thunderous Tiger, although very old, could be considered quite durable. It drove hundreds of kilometers before it began to spit out black smoke, almost as if it was threatening to go on strike. The Silentflame Steppes was a branch of the Blue Dream Mountain Belt with a unique landscape. Due to its topography, it rarely rained in this region. The land was incomparably arid and appeared lonely and barren. But after crossing over the barrier-like mountain range, one would arrive amidst the magnificent scenery of the Taihang Mountain Range. There were actually many underground rivers flowing between the sides of the mountain range. This was the source of life for those colossal trees growing in the wilderness. Additionally, there would always be a small oasis around them. Qianye gazed forward and found a giant tree with a crown akin to an imperial canopy. He adjusted his direction and headed straight for the giant tree. As expected, a small oasis came into view and there was even a tiny clear spring in the middle. Qianyes spirits rose after seeing the spring water. His weariness was swept away as he pounced toward the spring and began to drink the cold water in large gulps. Afterwards, Qianye wiped his face, filled the Thunderous Tigers radiator with water, and added sufficient black stone powder to the kinetic furnace. He was prepared to rest here for the night before continuing his journey on the morrow. Judging from the map, he would need to travel one more day through the arid wilderness before entering the Taihang Mountain range. The Great Qin Empire, dark races, and the rebel army existed together on the Western Continent. Especially in the recent years, the flames of war burned continuously and the situation had become quite chaotic. There were battles everywhere. Due to the presence of rebel forces, every checkpoint in the imperial territory had to perform stringent interrogations to prevent spies from entering. Qianye entered the Western Continent from Silentflame Steppes via a grey channel. It was an excellent shortcut. Additionally, it was an ownerless land before crossing over the Taihang Mountain Range. Naturally, there were no sentries. Of course, he had still brought along the set of identification documents Song Zining had prepared for him. These documents described Qianye as an officer of the imperial regular army who had retired after being wounded in action. The documents came complete with the relevant origin power seals which even experienced people would have a hard time finding fault with. As for verification, it would be difficult for even the imperial family to confirm the background of such an insignificant officer in an era where armies maintained their own documents. The only way to do this was to request a formal dossier from the original army. But drawing from his previous experience as a junior officer in Yin Qiqis 17th corps, perhaps this set of military documents might already be within the original armys archives. Qianyes fingers drew an arched line on the map, passing through the mountainous region and toward the Zhao clan territory. Several provinces on the Western Continent were wrested from dark race hands by the successive generations of the Zhao clan. Additionally, they constructed the majestic Swallow Cloud Pass at the border to defend against external enemies. These provinces became inherited territories of the Zhao clan according to the imperial system, thus cementing the familys position as a major clan after a thousand years of inheritance. The Forgotten Mountain Range described in Deryls diary was likely the name used by the dark races to mark the Taihang Mountain Range. And the legacys location was quite close to one of Zhao clans core cities. Qianye closed the map and removed his luggage from the Thunderous Tiger, planning to pitch a tent here to spend the night. His heart suddenly trembledhe stood up and took a deep breath facing the night wind. There was a characteristic aura in the night air of the steppes. It was likely due to the heat of the Silentflame Steppes combined with the lively scent emitted by certain plants from the other end of the mountain range. However, what caught Qianyes attention was a certain sweet fragrance which, after entering his nostrils, gave rise to intense craving and hunger. It was the scent of fresh bloodpure, sweet, and full of energy! Qianyes first thoughts werent actually to hide or run away but to attack and devour this delicacy. Immediately afterwards, he extricated himself from the urge and flashed behind the great tree. His eyes began to glow a dark red as he activated night vision. A group of warriors in dark clothing emerged through the night. There was a certain unrestrained and fearless quality in their movements. They didnt bother to restrain their aura at allthe leader was actually a champion, and the weakest among them were above rank five. This group of ten were all vampires, but they were wearing imperial military uniforms. This kind of disguise could hardly deceive expert eyes as long as they entered visual range. But it would, indeed, reduce a fair amount of unnecessary trouble while passing through human territory. They saw the giant tree from afar and thus adjusted their direction and ran over here. Qianyes heart jolted. He immediately knew the situation wasnt favorable. The oasis was quite small and there were no hiding places in the vast wilderness. Furthermore, he had no time to clear away the traces he left while drawing water and setting up camp. He made a prompt decision. Tossing his luggage onto the Thunderous Tiger, he started the antique motorbike and fled toward the depths of the steppe. The rumble of the Thunderous Tiger was transmitted far and wide through the night, immediately drawing the vampires attention. All eyes swept past toward it in the blink of an eye. The warriors, both strong and weak, noticed a speck of light drawing away from their destination. Sir Zalen, it''s a human. It seems hes already discovered us, said a young vampire knight. The viscount leaders face was gloomy. He said with an impatient expression, A small inconvenience. The two of you will pursue and kill him. The others will rest at the oasis. We move out in one hour. The two vampire knights moved out after receiving their orders. They turned into strands of vague mist as they chased swiftly after Qianye. Moments later, a small camp was constructed around the oasis. Zalen didnt rest at allhe stood pondering in silence before the clear spring. The female knight walked up to him and whispered, Sir Zalen, what is our actual objective this time? Their unit had been traveling through the highlands for many days, seemingly without aim. They would occasionally encounter some humans and would spare them as long as they werent discovered. This was quite different from Viscount Zalens usual temperament. Zalen retrieved a red crystal pendant and injected his blood energy into it. The pendant was immediately activated, projecting a palm-sized holographic map in the air. A certain area therein was marked out in an eye-catching red color. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 244: Critical Speed [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The region didnt seem very big on the map. however, the map itself was a representation of the whole Blue Dream Mountain Belt. It encompassed the vast Silentflame Steppes and thousands of kilometers of the Forgotten Mountain Range. Not only the dark race territories, but a large chunk of the empires Zhao clan territories were also mapped. After a while, Zalen put away the pendant and said, Master Weber sacrificed dozens of years of his life to prophesize that clues regarding the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure will be found here. So our mission is to find this clue, whatever it may be. The female knights eyes suddenly lit up. She hesitated slightly before asking cautiously, What exactly is the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure? Greed and longing were revealed in Zalens eyes as he said with a rueful laugh, I dont know either. Such secrets arent something people at our level can understand. The Black-Winged Monarch Andruil, one of the second generation primogenitors, was a highly regarded expert even throughout the whole of dark race history. That was why the Evernight Council made a big fuss about this and even paid a considerable price to have a master prophet perform a search. And due to the matter of bloodline inheritance, the fortune Andruil left behind greatly appealed to the vampires, much more so than the other dark races. As time passed in silence, Zalen was suddenly alerted and said, Why havent those two fellows returned? At this time, dozens of kilometers away, two blood esquires were running madly in pursuit of Qianye who was charging with his head lowered on the motorcycle. Only at such a critical juncture was the senile Thunderous Tigers reliability truly revealed. This old fellow had obviously been remodeled by an expert. Not only did it maintain its original stability, but its acceleration was also fairly astonishing. The two blood esquires, running at full speed, were somewhat faster than the Thunderous Tiger. However, the advantage wasnt too great since the two parties were originally separated by several kilometers. They only arrived within a hundred meters after chasing for the greater half of an hour. Although endurance was one of the strengths of a vampire constitution, they had exhausted over half of their stamina during the rapid pursuit. Additionally, they couldnt find the slightest opening to use long-range weaponry. The Thunderous Tiger in front of them let out a deafening screech from its breaks and came to a halt after a few jolts. Qianye jumped down from the motorcycle, turned around, and unsheathed the Radiant Edge halfway. All of his movements were executed smoothlyhe had completed all attack preparations in the blink of an eye. The two blood esquires didnt pause their march at all and directly rushed toward Qianye. They were now within 50 meters. One of them reached for his gun and let out a nasty laugh while gasping for breath. How come youre not running anymore? Are you prepared to die now? The other blood esquire said with a frown, Be careful, this brat likely isnt that simple! He calculated the distance between the two parties and began to draw his sword. Qianye suddenly moved without giving them any time to react. He pounced toward the blood esquires at a speed which far surpassed their expectations. The first blood esquire to meet Qianye in combat was greatly astonished despite having made ample preparations. His sword thrust toward Qianyes chest moments after leaving its sheath. The origin array in the blade wasnt even half-activated. However, Qianye arrived within melee range at lightning speed and directly swung his arm to smash the sword away. The blades edge drew a series of sparks on his arm but couldnt chop through the arm guard modified from a grade three arachne armor. At the same moment, the Radiant Edge in Qianyes right hand swept out in a reverse thrust. The blood esquire was shocked after catching a glimpse of the dagger through the corner of his eye. It was definitely a powerful weapon that could cut through defenses. He raised his left hand and grasped Qianyes wrist, hoping to grapple with the latter. Qianye briefly gauged this blood esquires strength and abruptly exerted some force. The blood esquires body was completely pressed to the ground as the Radiant Edge penetrated deep into his heart. Qianye suddenly released the Radiant Edge, flipped over, and flashed several meters awaya rumbling origin bullet narrowly missed him. After seeing his shot was fruitless, the other blood esquire immediately drew his sword and charged forth. Qianye bounced up from the ground and forcefully wrung the incoming sword with a twist of his arms. Under the frightening energy, the blood esquires sword momentarily let out a creaking sound before it became thoroughly distorted. Qianye moved forward and crashed heavily into the blood esquire like a metallic fortress. This simple and direct collision immediately caused the blood esquire to become dizzy. He swayed, staggered, and almost fell head-first onto the ground. Qianye drew one of the Twin Flowers, aimed it at the blood esquire, and pulled the trigger. Qianye himself felt somewhat excited after efficiently dispatching two blood esquires of the same rank. But, he felt even more apprehension. The equipment on these two blood esquires was abnormally superior. They were actually using grade three weapons and armor, a whole grade higher than the dark races in Evernight Continent. Qianye would probably have to spend more effort to deal with them if they hadnt exhausted so much stamina during the chase. Qianye walked toward the blood esquires corpse to perform a simple check and found a symbol depicting an inverted noose on the chest armor near the left arm. He couldnt help but become somewhat shaken. It was actually the family crest of the Byrne clan, one of the 13 vampire clans. Qianye didnt waste any time on cleaning up the corpses. He immediately retrieved the Radiant Edge and prepared to flee immediately. These two blood esquires were only members of that small unit. The leading viscount was presumably a person of esteemed status since he didnt join the chase, but if these two subordinates failed to return after a while, he would definitely investigate in person. Qianye knew he didnt have the skills to deal with a viscount at the moment. As soon as Qianye grabbed the Radiant Edge, abundant and lively blood energy immediately flowed into his body through the hilt. Great delight swept through his consciousness like a tidal wave. It was as if he had received a shot of top-grade stimulant. His whole body was trembling, and it seemed as if his blood energy was cheering happily, reaching a state of blood boil within an instant. Even the dark golden blood energy, usually unreceptive of low-grade origin power, was currently acting out of character. It swam around vivaciously and seized a large blob of blood energy without holding back. This blood esquire was merely rank seven and his blood energy capacity was rather limited, however, the quality far surpassed the vampires he had killed in the past. A pure-blooded descendant of the 13 vampire clans was indeed extraordinary! Qianye completely drew out the Radiant Edge only when the blood energy flow became indistinct. Its malevolent sawtooth-like edge was suffused with a faint glow. It was as brilliant as a brand new blade and not the slightest bit stained by blood. Only then did Qianye truly understand why those vampires would go mad with excitement while sucking blood. After tasting the fresh blood of an esquire of the 13 vampire clans, the blood of the dark races and beasts of Evernight Continent became somewhat dull and insipid. Qianye put away the Radiant Edge and forced himself not to look at the other blood esquire corpse. He then hopped onto the Thunderous Tiger and drove at full speed toward the border of the Silentflame Steppes. The Thunderous Tiger was indeed a rare instrument in this boundless wasteland. Its stability, endurance, and speed were all quite good, allowing Qianye to conserve a lot of stamina. Unfortunately, the time to part ways with it was nigh. Qianye roughly calculated the vampire viscounts speed and prepared to abandon the Thunderous Tiger in another hour. He would only carry some necessities and travel light during the escape. Zalen appeared at the scene of the battle not long after Qianyes departure and naturally saw the two blood esquires corpses. His expression immediately turned quite ugly as he stood there silently. The female knight and the other esquires arrived minutes later. The female knight checked the two corpses and said solemnly, Sir, this fellow isnt human. Hes from our race! He used a high-grade blood absorption weapon. The victims essence blood stores were almost sucked dry. Zalen spoke slowly, A little bastard who isnt even a viscount actually used a grade five blood absorption weapon. It seems this comrade of ours is someone of significant origins. The puzzled female knight asked, Then why would he run away immediately after seeing us? Even if he recognized us She suddenly recalled a certain possibility. Ah, could he be someone from the Dracula clan? A fierce killing intent flashed past Zalens countenance. Those weak Neos are the scum of us sacred blood descendants. Since one of them actually dares appear before our eyes this time, he can forget about returning alive. The enmity between the Byrne clan and the Dracula clan naturally ran deeper than just a conflict between the old and new factions as Zalen said. The first all-out clan war between the two could be traced back to 700 years ago. The source of hostility between the two parties began from their primogenitors from the same era as the Black-Winged Monarch. The hatred originated between Dark Gospel Howard, the primogenitor of the Byrne clan, and the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, the primogenitor of the Dracula clan. The female knight was astonished and said hurriedly, But sir, were still on the Evernight Councils mission. Zalen shrugged and replied coldly, The council dispatched more than just our group. Theyll continue the investigation. Wait for me near the oasis at this time tomorrow. Hmph, do I even need one day to take care of this junior? With that, Zalens figure flickered and appeared a dozen meters away. He flashed again to cover the same distance as he followed the tire tracks in rapid pursuit. Qianyes whole body was crouching on the Thunderous Tiger. Under such extreme speeds, the winds striking his skin started to cause some pain. The Thunderous Tigers large metallic body below him seemingly contained boundless energy. It howled and shook as it left the monotonous wasteland far behind. This old motorcycles reliability had far exceeded his expectations. Even the off-road vehicles from the empire would have long since broken down after running at such a speed for so long. The Thunderous Tiger, on the other hand, was showing no signs of malfunctioning after refueling twiceit was already worth the money spent just from this. The scenery in the vicinity began to change after driving dozens of kilometers. It was no longer filled with unchanging red dust barrens and sporadic giant trees. There were now hills of various sizes with shrubbery growing upon them. Further ahead, the verdant and majestic mountain range was vaguely coming into view. Here, Qianye reluctantly abandoned the Thunderous Tiger and began to run through the wilderness. The mountainous terrain ahead wasnt suitable for motorcycles. Additionally, with his experience in wilderness combat, the chances of being caught up would be drastically reduced after entering the mountainous regions and dense forests. At this moment, Qianye was rank seven. The strengthening process in his legs was nearly complete, and his speed had increased significantly. He had far surpassed ordinary blood esquires of the same rank. Presently, he could only make a bet, hoping that champion rank viscount was on an important mission and wouldnt waste too much time trying to hunt him down. After all, a dark race warrior from one of the 13 clans was already a major character. He likely wouldnt come to a desolate place like the Silentflame Steppes just to lounge around. A day and a night passed by. Qianye hadnt stopped to rest this whole time. That was because the sensation of being pursued was becoming more and more intense despite running at such extreme speeds. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 245: The Last Bulle t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye began to think about how he should escape his current predicament. He hadnt expected this vampire viscount to actually ignore his current business and pursue him so fervently. In any case, the final solution would be to escape into human territory. It would inevitably draw the attention and interference of human experts if a dark race champion were to recklessly enter Zhao clan territory. But it was easier said than doneone would have to cross over thousands of kilometers of ridges and peaks in order to reach the nearest Zhao clan city. In front of him was a lush mountain ridge overgrown with intersecting shrubs and large trees. Meanwhile, that pursuing consciousness was becoming clearer and clearer to the point where Qianye could feel the ferocity and killing intent. Qianye decided to take the risk. He leapt up onto a mound and stopped there. He picked up a dried branch in passing and sharpened it using his dagger. After puncturing his finger, Qianye dripped some of his fresh blood onto the branch. The blood which flowed out was no longer a dazzling bright red and suffused with a bizarre luster. Instead, it had a certain condensed and restrained flavor within. The color was also much darker but the flavor of the blood was now richer and more intense. The fresh blood seeped into the shriveled branch and was soon absorbed completely. Qianye then ran toward a previously selected shrub and carefully placed the branch within it. He tried his best to make it seem as if the branch broke naturally and fell down. Afterwards, he tied together the two vampire hand grenades he had on him and buried them in a good spot nearby before setting up some small trigger mechanisms. He then wiped traces of human activity. Finally, Qianye climbed a small highland to the southeast and swiftly set up his sniping position. He assembled the Eagleshot and then camouflaged himself, aiming the muzzle toward the distant shrub. He slowed down his breathingthreads of origin power gradually flowed into the Eagleshot with a powerful rhythm and gradually formed an origin bullet within the chamber. Presently, the origin power which Qianye had injected into the Eagleshot was purified daybreak origin power. The condensed origin bullet was milky white and possessed a gentle luster akin to high-quality jade. Blood colored vein patterns began to appear on the surface of the gradually forming origin bullet. There were several bizarre purple lines between them as well as a golden stripe so thin that it was almost undetectable. A hazy origin power glow arose from the origin bullet after it was completely formed. Its size expanded significantly, indicating the activation of Heavy Caliber. Finally, Qianye activated the nail-sized Resounding Strike and raised the remodeled Eagleshots firepower by a level. After completing all preparations, he silently waited for an opportunity. During this time of complete concentration, Qianye was suddenly overcome by a wonderful sensation. The origin bullet within the rifle chamber seemed to have formed a vague strand of connection with him. Afterwards, a scarlet layer of semi-translucent mist emerged on the surface of the bullet. This would serve to greatly reduce the sonic boom. Qianye wasnt made to wait very long. The faint mist of twilight had shrouded the mountainous region akin to a layer of muslin. A dark specter-like shadow rose up as viscount Zalen appeared. He silently flitted across the treetops and rocky peaks like an illusion and entered the range of Qianyes Eagleshot in the blink of an eye. At first, Zalen had already leapt up once again and would have glided at least dozens of meters before landing. However, he came to a sudden and urgent halt mid-air and immediately turned around like a stringed puppet. This completely defied the logical trajectory of his flight. The viscount rapidly retraced his steps and landed exactly, without the slightest deviation, at the point from where he had leapt forward. The corners of Qianyes eyes twitched after seeing Zalens bizarre movements. It was fortunate that he hadnt lost his calm after seeing the vampire viscount walk past the trap. Otherwise, he would have probably missed the shot. Zalen returned to his original position, raised his head, and inhaled deeply. His nostrils opened and closed continuously. Afterwards, he turned to stare at a certain dark green bush and no longer took his eyes off of it. With his powerful perception, the viscount immediately saw the single bloodstained branch among the hundreds of branches of leaves in the shrub. The sweet scent being emitted from it almost made Zalen somewhat absent-minded. The situation was similar to when the blood energy of pure-blooded vampire nobles made Qianye momentarily lose self-control. Qianyes fresh blood contained multiple types of blood energy. This strong and complex power was a poison to their vitality as well as an irresistible allure. Zalens eyes turned red as he immediately revealed an expression of fanaticism and avarice. The blood in his whole body was heating up and had almost reached a state of blood boil. He extended his hand to reach for the branch, but his hand abruptly paused midway. Zalen was, after all, a viscount of the Byrne clan. He had entered a state of confusion just now but he immediately woke up. Following which, a sense of intense danger enveloped his sharp senses. Zalen had already leapt up like a bolt of lightning the moment Qianye pulled the trigger. The viscounts figure immediately broke away from the crosshairs. Behind the scope, Qianye forcefully resisted the urge to shift the muzzle and, instead, pulled the trigger completely. This time, the Eagleshot didnt erupt with a thunderous rumble but only a muffled pfft. The milky white origin bullet with bloody patterns upon it shot out silently like a fish swimming through the sea, crossing the thousand meters with incomparable swiftness. Zalen leapt ten meters into the air and, just as before, hovered and fell back to his previous position with a similarly bizarre motion. It was as if time itself had been reversed. This special ability had allowed him to escape countless ambushes in the past, but this time, it had caused him to voluntarily return toward the trap. Zalen turned around and found, to his great astonishment, that the origin bullet was already very close. The distance was already too close for him to evade. The only thing he could do was to cross his arms in front to cover up his head and face. Blood energy gushed out frantically and began to form the silhouette of a shield in front of him. With a loud boom, Zalen was forced back two steps by the origin bullet which had undergone multiple augmentations. The armguards on his forearms were shattered, but at this moment, blood energy was continuously pouring out of his body with increasing intensity to block the fierce origin power explosion. Zalen frowned and shook his left hand where a bloody line had appeared on the palm. A fully powered blast from the Eagleshot was completely blocked by him, however, the fierce origin power explosion still tore the webs of his fingers, and two minor wounds had even appeared on the back of his hand. Qianye calmed himself down after witnessing the strength of this dark race warrior from an ancient clan. He swiftly fired off another round, but Zalen was already on guard against him. The latter spat out a mass of dense blood energy and actually struck the origin bullet midair. A dazzling origin power radiance erupted in the air as the blood energy and origin bullet were destroyed at the same time. Qianyes expression shifted slightly. He violently broke the Eagleshot in tow, retrieved the Resounding Strike crystal from within, and immediately fled. Zalen had also noticed Qianye on the high ground a thousand meters away from him. The corners of his mouth turned into a cruel smile as he calmly tidied up his somewhat messy coat. Only then did he step forward to give chase. In his eyes, Qianye possessed the strength of a mere esquire. It made no difference if the distance between them was 300 meters or 3000 meters. Since the other party had already exposed his whereabouts, chasing him down was only a matter of time. Zalen had only taken a few steps when he was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. Immediately afterwards, the huge explosive power from the vampire grenades completely engulfed him within! By the time the origin power storm had passed, the surrounding shrubbery was completely razed, and a 30-meter crater had appeared on the mountaintop. Zalen was actually standing at the center and seemed none the worse for wear. It was just that his whole person seemed tatteredhe was riddled with wounds and dark stains from the blood and smoke. The Qin Empire military uniform he was using as disguise had been completely obliterated. Even the custom-made grandmaster level armor inside was torn in some places. As intense blood energy gushed out of Zalens body, the small visible wounds were rapidly healed, while the larger ones began to close up and stop bleeding. The viscounts eyes turned completely red akin to two scarlet gems. He stared fixedly at Qianyes receding figure and ground his teeth. Youve infuriated me. Youve completely infuriated me. Youll regret doing this very soon and youll be regretting it for a very very long time! Qianyes running speed this time actually wasnt very fast. Zalen easily caught up and was already within 100 meters even before ten minutes had passed. Qianye never looked back all this time for he knew that the viscount would catch up very soon. Suddenly, he erupted with strength and suddenly sped up, almost reaching Zalens speed in the blink of an eye. Zalen laughed coldly inside. He did want to see how long this little blood esquire could maintain this explosive state. Qianye frantically ran while waiting patiently. That strike from the Eagleshot couldnt cause a champion level expert any significant damage, but Qianye clearly saw tiny open wounds on Zalens hand. Furthermore, the furious viscount didnt pay immediate attention to the two small openings. Even under his explosive state, Qianyes speed was still slightly inferior to Zalen. The distance between the two continuously closed in from 100 meters all the way to 50, then 30 meters. Zalen couldve caught up to Qianye in the blink of an eye if he activated his blood energy ignition at the risk of some short-term damage to his body. But as a noble viscount, how could he use such a desperate method as igniting his blood energy just to capture a mere blood esquire? If news of this were to spread, he might become a laughingstock in the clan. Not to mention the fact that he had to maintain his prestige at all costs before this descendant of the Dracula clan. Just as Zalen was calculating how he should torture this little esquire in order to vent his anger, his whole body suddenly trembled and almost collapsed on the ground. He felt an indescribably uncomfortable and sticky moisture around his mouth and face. He extended his hand to wipe it off, only to suddenly realize that his palm was covered in putrid black blood. At this moment, Zalen was extremely shockedhe felt something beginning to burn within this body as waves of scorching pain were transmitted to his sensory system. His arms immediately swelled up. In front, the keen Qianye sensed the abnormality in Zalens footsteps. He turned back and, as expected, found that the poison had begun to take effect. He immediately drew the Twin Flowers, rapidly loaded them, and fired continuously. He then reloaded and fired again. The Twin Flowers continuously rumbled. Enchanting red and white flowers bloomed through the air as several origin bullets landed on Zalens body. However, the violent barrage had little effect on the enemy apart from forcing him several steps back. Although the greater half of Zalens armor was now torn and his blood energy barrier was flickering on and off under the relentless onslaught, those were merely superficial wounds to himif only he didnt have to struggle against the blood poison within his body. Qianye was still surprised despite having already expected such an outcome. Only in a head-on battle was he able to truly experience the frightening strength of a champion. The previously unbeatable Eagleshot and Twin Flowers almost seemed to have lost all effectiveness. Perhaps only the Radiant Edge would be able to break through his opponents defenses, but Qianye absolutely wouldnt fight with a vampire viscount in melee. Within the blink of an eye, Qianye had exhausted his supply of origin bullets. Only a single metallic bullet case remained in his pocket. He instinctively opened the iron box and let the origin bullet drop into his palm. After which, he loaded it into one of the Twin Flowers and pulled the trigger. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 246: The Nameless Valley [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Up until the very moment he pulled the trigger, Qianye was completely acting on his well-honed combat instincts. There wasnt any time to think. Only when the projectile left the chamber did he suddenly realize that the bullet he had fired from the left-handed component of the Twin Flowers was the bullet he had obtained from the great master. And he hadnt even filled it with origin power! Qianye felt quite distressed. As a veteran soldier,this was a mistake he absolutely shouldnt have made. But then again, how was this empty bullet actually fired? At this moment, he wasnt even paying attention to the effects of that final shotan unfilled physical origin bullet was only a little more than a metal bullet, and without an explosive medium, the fired projectile would have as much effect as a pebble. Previously, he had fired so many rounds from the Twin Flowers and failed to wound the other party. Zalen merely maintained a simple blood barrier with seemingly no intention to evade. He was concentrating on dealing with the blood poison in his body. From this, one could see that the viscount was confident no grade four origin gun could break through his defenses. Qianye, on the other hand, didnt put too much hope on the Twin Flowers firepower. He was only using this method in an attempt to send even more blood energy into Zalens body. Everything after that would depend on the outcome of the blood energy struggle. Qianyes movements were as fast as lightning despite the countless thoughts flashing through his mind. After he finished pulling the trigger, Qianye immediately leapt away from the ground and toward a preselected direction of escape. However, he heard several odd hissing sounds while he was in midair, momentarily preventing him from hearing anything else clearly. Afterwards, he felt an incomparably powerful energy fluctuation behind him, but it didnt seem to be directed at him. Qianye turned around to witness a completely unimaginable scene. The flying bullet was shining brilliantly. All the fine patterns upon it had erupted with resplendent light and were gradually breaking down, transforming into irregular rings that were breaking free from the bullet surface layer by layer. The irregular ring-shaped radiance twinkled like starlight, revealing an indistinct pattern between each flicker like a miniature origin array. Additionally, the bullets speed would increase a little whenever a ring broke from the bullet. Hundreds of rings broke away in such a short distance! The outer shell was completely shed off in the blink of an eye, revealing a silver core a couple of centimeters in length. The bullet core was abnormally bright and could be seen very clearly despite the bright origin power radiance. Judging from the luster of its material, it was undoubtedly made of high purity mithril. The core was similarly filled with veined patterns as if an unknown origin array was carved upon it. At this moment, the flying bullet core was like an unsheathed blade as it rumbled through the air with surging momentum. If not for the origin power radiance being a tad too small, one would be inclined to think, from its energy fluctuations, that it was an origin cannon shell. Zalen was the foremost target in its direct pathhe immediately raised his head but the distance was so short that even the blood barrier didnt do much of a deterring effect. The bullet directly pierced into his body. Qianye was stunned by the scene. He descended from the air and almost forgot to continue running. A severely wounded vampire viscount was a great enticement for him. He wanted to take the risk and go in for the kill. It would be worth it even if he was heavily wounded in the process. However, Qianye immediately resisted this captivating notion. His recent experiences with dark race champions told him that a badly injured champion was still a champion and could easily drag him into mutual destruction. Besides, he only aimed for the greatest area of effect while he used the Twin Flowers to deliver blood energy just now and didnt especially target his vitals. It was the same for that final shotthe silver bullet core merely brushed past the viscounts heart. To high-ranking vampires with powerful constitutions, this injury was far from lethal. Qianye immediately raised his speed. He crossed over the mountains and ridges without looking back and soon disappeared amidst the peaks. Meanwhile, the wounded Zalen let out a pained roar as the bullet struck him. His blood energy suddenly began to boil and almost enveloped his whole body. He looked down at the wound on his chest. A large area of his flesh was charred by the burning mithril. His exposed and wriggling internal organs were continuously spraying out bloody mists and striving to resist this external corrosion. However, threads of black were coiling upwards from within his body like vines. That was Qianyes blood poison. Zalen retrieved a black crystal bottle from his pocket and unscrewed it with trembling hands. There was a single drop of fresh blood within the bottle. The blood wasnt motionless. Instead, it was rolling about incessantly as if searching for an exit. As the viscount brought the bottle close to his wound, the drop of blood immediately shot out from the bottle, rushed in, and had merged into his flesh within mere moments. Zalen let out a painful howl and fell to his knees. His whole body was trembling uncontrollably. However, the rapidly putrefying flesh around his wound stopped worsening. Moments later, the parts corrupted by the mithril began to shed, revealing pink granulation tissue underneath. After some time, large amounts of black blood seeped out of his skin as Qianyes blood poison was expelled from his body. That was a drop of pure origin blood of a mighty count from their race. Zalen had obtained it in the past for his meritorious contributions. This drop of pure origin blood, when used on a human, would immediately produce an offspring at the blood esquire level from the start. When used on inferior or mixed blooded vampires, there would be a high chance of raising its bloodline rank. For a viscount such as Zalen himself, this drop of blood was a life-saving medicine. It would save him from dangerous situations as long as his injuries didnt kill him immediately. However, it was different from the essence blood used for the embrace or to produce blood thralls. Even a powerful count could only produce a drop of pure origin blood in dozens of years. When Zalen stood up once again, his previous handsome demeanor had become completely warped and twisted. He stared fixedly toward the direction in which Qianye had fled and said while grinding his teeth, Ill definitely catch you and let you know what hell truly means! Zalens voice was traveled far and reverberated throughout the mountains. The fleeing Qianye heard Zalens roar and felt a chill in his heart. He hadnt expected the vampire count would actually recover from such heavy injuries in the blink of an eye. The dark race warriors from the 13 clans were indeed extraordinary. Qianye began to increase his speed. At first, Qianye thought he would have one day to escape. He reckoned it would be quite difficult for the viscount to catch up as long as he planned his route through complex environments such as jungles and make false traces along the way. But now, there was less than half an hour between them. There was simply no time to remove the traces of his movements. This episode of fleeing lasted one whole day and night. The distance between the two was shrinking gradually. It was just that the process was quite slow. Such an outcome greatly surprised Zalenhe hadnt expected a mere esquire could hold out for so long. But this also served to increase his resolve to eliminate this target completely. Although it was quite bizarre that the other party had fired a daybreak attribute origin bullet from a vampire handgun, the invading blood poison confirmed Zalens previous speculation. Regarding this hostile clan scion whose bloodline power could contend against his own, it was obvious that he had to throttle the former to death before he matured. Besides, Zalens losses this time were immense. He had consumed a drop of pure origin bloodit was uncertain when he would be able to obtain such an item again. The chase had taken so long that he was certain it could no longer be concealed. If he couldnt find any clues related to the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure, he would inevitably receive severe punishment upon his return. Right now, he could only vent this resentment by catching Qianye and bleeding him dry. Zalen climbed a tall peak and saw, in the distance, a faint shadow disappearing from his field of vision. He was so angry that he began to laugh instead. Youre actually running toward human territory? Dont tell me that you think those livestock can be of any use. Scum like you will only tarnish our sacred blood! Qianye who was at the front fled with his head lowered. He mostly went in a straight linethe terrain did little to obstruct him. But whenever he happened to come across some special terrain, he would utilize it in passing. But currently, the blood essence he had obtained from the blood esquire had been depleted. Hereafter, he would have to consume the daybreak origin power and blood energy within his body. The only thing that could be considered a bonus was that his legs, having been strengthened just a while ago, received maximal tempering due to the constant and extreme running. Not only did their strength stabilize, but they also seemed to be growing a little bit stronger. Another day passed by in the blink of an eye. Qianye had crossed over thousands of kilometers and the Zhao clans territory was just at the other end of the mountain range in front of him. Both of them were obviously moving slower, and the distance between them had shortened to a couple of kilometers. However, this distance hadnt changed for quite some time now. Qianyes heart was incomparably heavy. He knew for certain that he wouldnt be able to push through this mountainous region with his remaining stamina. At this moment, his body was extremely tired and his legs were moving almost mechanically. However, he did his best to focus his mind and observe the surroundings. He had to come up with a countermeasure. As Qianye crossed over a mountain ridge, a long gradual slope appeared before his eyes which lead toward the valley in front. He leapt forward and, borrowing from his forward momentum, rolled down the gradual incline until he reached its base. He then jumped up and was prepared to sprint once again, leaving this valley as quickly as possible. This way, he might be able to borrow the concealment effect of the landscape to temporarily escape the vampire viscounts line of sight. If there was another terrain advantage he could utilize on the other side of the valley, it would help him gain a small distance advantage. The valley was tranquil and beautiful, but Qianyes eyes could hardly see the scenery. He was nervously determining the terrain at the valleys exit in order to draw a swift escape route the moment he rushed out. It was at this moment that Qianye suddenly came to a halt. A beautiful scene rushed into his vision. The green trees shaded the hillside while the valley ground was covered with a lush carpet of grass, decorated with mountain flowers akin to speckled stars. A stream trickled down along the steep precipice and converged into a winding river within the valley. The blue water was so clear that one could see the finger-length fish scuttling around at the bottom. The scenery was just like a painting. And within that painting, there was also a lady. She possessed a head of black hair and her temperament was gentle and beautiful. There was a transcendent aura about her comparable to a fairy who shouldnt appear in the secular world. At this moment, she was crouching beside the rivershe held up her long skirt with one hand, while with the other, she was stirring the river water. Her skin was so fair that it almost seemed translucent as her slender jade fingers moved through the water. The fish in the water werent frightened by her movements. On the contrary, they gathered over and frolicked around the ladys fingers. The young woman was apparently quite fond of these little creatures in the water. However, a faint but undispellable concern was visible upon her countenance. This was a painting so beautiful that it was stifling. The moment it rushed into his field of vision, Qianye was momentarily dazzled as if something had struck his heart. The young lady seemed to have noticed Qianyes gaze and also raised her head at that moment. As such, Qianyes figure appeared within her pure and limpid eyes. The moment their eyes met, Qianye and the young lady seemed to have recognized one another. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 247: Fligh t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] They had indeed met before. It was at the little bar in Lighthouse Town named Red Spider Lily. Qianye had a deep impression of this young lady who had come and gone so hurriedly that day. It wasnt merely because of her elegance, purity, and captivating beauty, nor was it because that Uncle Wang who was with her had seen through his secret and left him a box of Mithril Bullets of Exorcism... That kind of sensation was indescribable. There was a certain familiarity about her. It was as if an unseen attractive force was urging him to approach her and engrave her in his memories. However, the otherworldly peace was broken in the blink of an eye as an evil and cold killing intent rushed toward them. Qianye rapidly turned back to see Zalens figure appear on a peak to one side of the valley. At this moment, the vampire viscounts movements were quite miserable. One could hardly recognize the grace and calm of a high ranking vampire noble in him. His aura had never been so weak before. It was obvious that the long chase right after he was badly wounded by the bullet had caused quite a lot of damage to his vitality. Qianye began to run instinctively but he had only rushed out a couple of steps when he suddenly paused and glanced back toward the top of the valley. Zalen was still standing rooted to his previous position, and his attention wasnt even on Qianye. The viscount''s eyes were on the young lady near the river as a cruel and unbridled grin appeared at the corner of his mouth, revealing an expression of undisguised bloodlust, thirst, and craving. The young lady stood up and seemed all the more fragile and petite as she did so. She wasnt the least afraid as she blinked her large eyes with intangible childishness and naivety. She gazed at the vampire viscount with great fascination as if she had found an interesting new toy. Qianyes heart sank. He knew what Zalens expression signified. The vampires and humans from the two different camps shared deep enmity toward each other, but their sense of aesthetics was quite similar. Additionally, the dark races were known for being unrestrained in their desires. If this young lady were to land in Zalens hands, her fate would definitely be miserable. Zalen rose into the air and slowly glided down from the top of the valley toward the young lady. His voice was low and raspy as he said, I would have never expected to see such an exquisite item in such a place. If only I can obtain her as a forever-obedient offspring Ah, but now, but now, we only have a few short moments. How regretful! Zhao Ruoxi was still looking at Zalen with great curiosity as if she had no idea what was happening. The intrigue in her eyes seemed to grow even more intense. Run! Qianye shouted loudly. His voice had yet to reach its destination when he immediately started rushing over toward the young girl. The young girl wore a puzzled expression and asked, Why must I run? Her voice was just as clear and limpid as it was that night. It was as gentle and pleasing to the ears as a bell under the windy eaves. Qianye ferociously spat out an obscene word. How could he have the time to explain things to Zhao Ruoxi? Did he have to tell her that this vampire viscount wanted to defile her first and then kill her before draining her blood to replenish his energy? And that he would, afterwards, continue to hunt Qianye? Even if he wanted to say all these things, Zalen wouldnt have given him the time. Without waiting for the young girl to say anything else, Qianye immediately pounced toward her and rather impolitely picked her up by the waist before frantically running away. There wasnt the slightest bit of origin power fluctuation on the little girlQianye couldnt even sense a single ignited origin node. Instead of pulling such an ordinary person along, it was better to just pick her up and run. Suddenly losing her balance and having her upper body swaying fiercely due to the high speed, the little girl subconsciously reached out and held Qianye tightly. As her wide sleeves slid down toward her elbow, the young ladys exposed skin was pressed tightly against Qianyes neck. She could clearly feel his burning body temperature, his powerful pulsating arteries, and each strand of muscle, as hard as steel, contracting then erupting with vast amounts of energy like a volcano as he performed the high-speed run. Qianyes every step was exceedingly powerfulthe immense shock as he soared upwards kept the young girl tightly pressed against his body, but he would become extremely relaxed while gliding through the air as if he was wandering through the clouds. It was apparently a novel experience for the young girl. Her eyes gazing at Qianye were full of excitement and delight. The sadness gathered on her countenance seemed to have been swept away completely. Presently, she began to move her body, trying hard to look backwards and see if anyone was catching up to them. Qianye was furious after seeing her reckless naivety and proceeded to slap her buttocks ruthlessly. Behave! Stop moving around! The little girl let out a soft cry.Much like a frightened kitten, she immediately curled up into a ball and buried herself in Qianyes chest. Before long, she raised her head quietly and stole a glance at Qianye from under her long lashes. She felt an extremely intense aura of vitality seeping out from under Qianyes skin. It was precisely this exuberant life force which made her want to draw closer and closer to him. Qianye had no way to deal with this young lady who was as pure as a white sheet of paper. He would just let her be as long as she didnt squirm around. Qianye suddenly performed a sidestep while running. This shifted him several meters to one side and effectively evaded a whistling origin bullet. Zalens face was completely ashen. He let out a deep snort, holstered his origin handgun, and continued chasing after his prey. He had long since known that snipers were also expert anti-snipershe had already attempted and missed two shots on the way, but he didnt expect Qianye to actually be able to make such an accurate evasive judgement in his near-exhausted state. The young girl turned around to look after hearing the gunfire as if she didnt feel any danger at all. Her large eyes swept over the vampire viscounts body and even revealed a simple smile. She then unconsciously shot a meaningful glance toward the sky. At this moment, there were two pairs of eyes silently watching them from the sky. One of them belonged to Uncle Wang whom Qianye had met before at the Red Spider Lily Bar. The other belonged to a tall, thin, and angry-looking man. His long white beard was moving on its own despite the calm winds. Stop blocking me! This old man will definitely chop that little pervert to death! No, a single death isnt enough. I have to revive him and then kill him again! The old man was enshrouded in flickering lightning. Countless arcs of electricity seeped out from his body and condensed into blades and weapons in quick succession. He was able to control the intangible lightning with such perfection. It was truly shocking. The thunderous old man was spewing flames from his eyes as he stared fixedly at Qianye and his hands. It was precisely this hand which had unceremoniously slapped the young girls buttocks and made her a tiny bit more well-behaved. However, she was already beginning to glance left and right, seemingly discontent with staying still. Uncle Wangs face was full of helplessness. He extended his hands and formed a semi-translucent barrier which trapped the thunderous old man inside. Hundreds of lightning weapons formed in rapid succession and bombarded the barrier. The weapons were annihilated one after another, and the barrier was also flickering unstably. However, this barrier so thin that it looked like a cicadas wing was actually abnormally firm and didnt shatter until the end. Ole Zhao, my boy, dont be impatient! Look, the young miss isnt injured at all. With us here, that vampire cannot touch her at all The thunderous old man surnamed Zhao replied with a glare, You call that unharmed? Its not that dark race bastard Im talking about here, but that brat! Did you not see what that little bastard did just now? He actually dared actually dared to humph! The thunderous old man simply couldnt say it out loud. Uncle wang said with a laugh, That slap cant even kill a mosquito. Its nothing serious. The old man surnamed Zhao glared so hard that his eyes were turning round. Of course that slap isnt serious. But but the location isnt appropriate! This is clearly a slap in our Zhao clans face! Uncle Wang replied, How is that part of the young misss body related to our Zhao clans face? Why isnt it related?! Just how important is the young misss identity? Even the Imperial Prince wouldnt dare to do something like this! Compared to slapping our Zhao clans face, beating the young misss butt is even more While the two old men argued up in the sky, the intense game of cat and mouse on the ground continued. Zalen was, of course, hot on Qianyes heels and had shortened the distance to a few hundred meters. However, he slowed down his steps after crossing over a hill filled with rocks and, while keeping his consciousness locked onto Qianye in front of him, began to sweep his eyes all around him. Although the vampire viscount was seriously exhausted, his still-intact sharp senses sensed danger. It was as if a vicious beast was waiting for him in the dark despite not yet releasing its killing intent. Although at this moment, Zalens urges were raging within him, he hadnt yet lost his intelligence. It was absolutely abnormal for a little girl without any origin power fluctuations to appear in the middle of the wilderness. Of course, he wasnt afraid, but he was always guarded against other potential enemies. In front of him, the figures of Qianye and the little girl suddenly disappeared from his line of sight. Zalen stared blankly and then rushed over swiftly. He could hear the deafening sounds of flowing water even before he arrived. There was actually a steep cliff with a hanging waterfall where the meandering stream flew off its precipice. Its water surface wasnt wide at all, but the drop was quite significant. The waterfall produced splashing water akin to pieces of shattered jade and was enshrouded in a watery mist. The viscount sneered. Did this brat think he could erase his traces with water and escape? The former had already memorized the scent of Qianyes blood energy from the previous trap. Unless the other party was fast enough to throw him off, finding the target was only a matter of increasing the search radius. But right now, Zalen was prepared to catch the bastard probing from the shadows. He suddenly let out a shrill cry. Soon, his whole body seemed to bulge up and was surrounded by a mist-like bloody glow. Blood energy ignition! Zalen had already lost all patience regarding this chase and was aiming to finish this business quickly. Since that little girl had entered his eyes, he was determined to obtain her. As such, he would kill anyone who dared enter his field of vision whether the one spying in the dark was one of the girls guards, Qianyes accomplice, or just an unfortunate passer-by. The vampire viscount almost seemed to have recovered to his peak state. He rose into the air, flitted over the rocky hill like a wisp of smoke, and pounced toward an overgrown bush. Following which, a shrill scream rang out. Zalens raised right hand was holding a distorted human body, dripping with fresh blood. His left hand pulled out a chained metallic tablet which he glanced at casually before tossing onto the ground. Lone Ghosts? Interesting. Arent those the gray-rat-like assassins? Chaos ensued in the sky after seeing Qianye jump into the waterfall while hugging the little girl. The thunderous old mans roars reverberated through the skies. Stop blocking me. Let me go down! I have to hack that blood-sucking bat to death. Ah, and also that little bastard. Ole Wang, cant you see the young miss is in danger? The young miss isnt in danger. I only saw her gesture for you not to act recklessly. Even a scratch on her skin isnt acceptable! Her skin cannot be scratched either. Ah, I have not seen such an interesting thing in many years. Ole Zhao, my boy, stay still! My barrier wont hold much longer. At that time, youll suffer if you ruin the young misss happy occasion. The thunderous old man glared. What young misss happy occasion eh?! The tone of this last sentence was quite odd. The rolling thunderbolts assaulting the barrier also weakened all of a sudden. Lone Ghost? What are those grey rats doing in Zhao clan territory? Move out of the way. Im going to hack them into pieces! This isnt the Zhao clan territory just yet Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 248: Wings Unfurled [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye scuttled out of the water surface hundreds of meters away, still carrying the little girl. They were enveloped in a faint layer of scarlet origin power. The little girl was still clean and tidy, while Qianye was half drenched from the spray. Although Qianye could skip levels to perform origin power discharge, it wasnt quite stable, not to mention his daybreak origin power was already near exhaustion. The curious little girl extended a finger to poke at the origin power radiance and watched as her white finger passed through the rosy scarlet light.Even though there wasnt any tangible sensation at her fingertips, the origin power crystal within her was trembling slightly as if it was resonating with this young mans exuberant vitality. This was a sensation she had never experienced before. It was as if her monotonous world of black and white suddenly became colorful and was gradually blossoming with life. The little girl pressed her astonished face tightly against Qianyes shoulder and neck, her soft breathing blowing upon his skin. At this moment, Qianye had no time to notice her little movements. He was constantly searching for a large rock to act as a foothold. Then, he leapt up from the water and fled into the distance. Qianyes swift running figure suddenly slowed down when he heard a vague scream of a human from the direction of the waterfall. Where are your guards? The little girl shook her head. Her strands of hair rubbed against Qianyes cheek to induce a slight but soul-stirring itch. I ran away from home. My family wants to force me to marry an old man in his fifties! Her voice was very soft and contained an almost weeping grievance within. Such a delicate and innocent little girl had actually encountered such a fate. Any young man with a shred of valor would feel infuriated at this. Qianye went silent for a moment and then asked, Does your family have a residence around here? His question was very logical. The Zhao clans nearest city was still over 300 kilometers away. It would be difficult for a young girl without an ounce of origin power to appear here alone even if she could drive a vehicle. But just what kind of family would be strong enough to build a residence in the mountainous boundary between the dark race and human territories? The little girl blinked hard and pursed her lips at an angle Qianye couldnt see. This expression immediately added a certain spirit of playfulness that didnt quite match her original delicate and naive temperament. At this time, Qianye slowed down his footsteps. He had already left the flowing river and crossed over a series of rising hills. From there on, Qianye deployed some simple warning or misdirecting mechanisms as he ran. The path he chose was filled with certain shrubs called thorned butterflies. Its needle-shaped leaves would release a certain odd scent capable of driving insects away. This scent wasnt quite evident to the human nose, but a creature with a highly sensitive sense of smell would suffer significant interference. For instance, a vampire. Qianye knew that the vampire viscount had already memorized the scent of his blood energy. However, the girl was an ordinary human with a fairly weak aura. Her scent would definitely become untraceable after being flushed by the flowing river and passing through a large thorned butterfly breeding ground. Now, the two of them needed only to run separately and Zalen would completely lose track of the girls whereabouts. About an hour later, Qianye carried the little girl up a small hill with a gentle incline and stopped in front of a cave. Qianye let the girl down and felt her sleeves. Although she wasnt drenched by the river water, they were still quite damp. Qianye retrieved some tools from the waterproof compartment of his backpack and lit a bonfire. He then walked out of the cave and began to set up certain traps around the cave. The little girl stood at the mouth of the cave and curiously observed the busy Qianye. In truth, they didnt have much time left. From that miserable scream, Qianye guessed that Zalen had probably encountered some people, but judging from the little girls unconcerned expression, they were probably not her guards. Regardless of what had happened at the waterfall, it wouldve gained them only a couple of hours at most. The only thing Qianye could do right now was to deploy some mechanisms to repel wild beasts and then erase his own traces as soon as possible, hoping this innocent little girl, whom he had dragged into this mess, would be safe after he lured the vampire viscount away. As for the conflict between the girl and her family, Qianye might have asked her where she wanted to go and perhaps send her there if not for the mortal threat of a vampire viscount. Now, he could only hope the family that dared build a residence in the mountainous region would have guards of corresponding strength to escort her home safely. After he finished his arrangements around the cave, he walked a fair distance and then ran up and down the peak a few times. When he finished his business and returned to the cave, he found the girl sitting on the ground in front of the bonfire. The flickering flames were reflecting one side of her delicate outline. Her skin was pure, limpid, and was almost emitting a gentle glow. As she sat still without moving, her lively temperament completely vanished and was, once again, replaced by that sorrowful demeanor while her near colorless lips made her seem almost sickly and frail. It was truly heartbreaking to the beholder. There were two different sides to this little girlone when she was active, and another when she was still. Qianye sat across from the little girl and began to regulate his breathing. His daybreak origin power had reached a dangerously low level. Yet, his senses were fully concentrated on the outside at the moment, and he had no time to recover at all. Im called Xixi, how about you? Qianye. What shall we do from now on? Ill draw the vampire far away. Youll be safe. Contact your family guards once the danger subsides! The little girl pouted her little lips as if she was peeved and then buried her head in her knees. As for your family, perhaps you should talk to them Qianye gave it some thought, then said, I dont have a family, so I dont know what to say. Qiqi had used many methods to coax him into dressing up as a woman during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. This experience gave him a fair amount of knowledge regarding the fashion of noble ladies. At this moment, Qianye noticed that the little girls apparel and ornaments seemed quite simple but were, in fact, not ordinary goods. This kind of low-keyed luxury signified that not only was she from a landowning household, but was also likely to be an important scion from an aristocratic family. The importance attached to these aristocratic scions was usually decided by their talent and ability. Since this young girl was taken care of so well despite having no origin power, her family head probably wasnt completely unreasonable. The little girl was startled, You have no family? Qianye suddenly leapt up with a solemn expression. He removed the Radiant Edge from his waist and stuffed it into the girls hand. Im so sorry. Ive drawn you into this mess. Take this! Afterwards, he reached toward her waist and retrieved the beautiful but ancient-looking handgun therein. The little girl finally let out a cry of surprise. What are you doing?! Stay here. Dont come out no matter what happens! You cant use that gun! Its The girl didnt even have time to stand up. The corner of Qianyes clothes brushed past the tip of her helplessly extended hand before he disappeared in the form of a faint shadow. Qianye exited the cave with great speed. However, he didnt continue onto the gently sloping hill up front and, instead, climbed up a steep cliff from the top of the cave according to his predetermined route. Very soon, he arrived at the back of the peak. A dense forest of mixed trees and creeping shrubs grew therein. The elevation was quite highone could see quite far through the gaps between the leaves. At this moment, the sky had completely darkened, but the nights curtain at the edge of the horizon still hadnt closed completely. There was still a narrow line of glimmering light against which one could see a faint black shadow flitting across the peaks above the mountainous terrain. Qianye ran down from the side of the mountain while sensing the fluctuations from the small devices he had scattered throughout the wilderness. Everything was still going according to planthe vampire viscount was still chasing along the path he had laid out. However, he had to let Zalen truly capture his traces or else the viscount might become alert or even deviate from the path. Qianye held the magnificent old handgun. He had only heard half of the little girls words, but he knew what she wanted to say. This was a Red Spider Lily replica. As one of the ten grand magnums obtained earliest by the human race and as the grand magnum with the most mysterious power, it received the favor of many young nobles. As such, replicas of the Red Spider Lily were quite fashionable. During its peak, one might see several such guns in a single banquet. Considering the girl was an ordinary person, it was likely that this replica was merely a grade-one origin gun and not even grade two. However, what Qianye currently required was a grade-one origin gun because his origin power was already insufficient to activate the Twin Flowers. It wasnt important whether a grade-one origin gun could wound Zalen or not. He only needed a medium range weapon with which to draw the vampire viscount away for a sufficient distance. It would be a welcome bonus if he could seize this opportunity to deliver a tiny bit of blood poison. The next hill was the first predetermined catch-up point. He leapt up without any hesitation and pulled the trigger at Zalen who was rushing toward him from afar. The hammer in the old-fashioned gun let out a clicking sound as it rose and fell. The flintlock-like barrel became completely transparent as an indistinct glimmer appeared at its center, so faint that it resembled the wick of an old oil lamp. Qianye suddenly discovered that the whole world had vanishedthe only thing left was that hammer made of rose gold swinging past its highest point like a pendulum and falling forward. A bottomless abyss appeared where the hammer struck. An undefiable absorptive power activated all of Qianyes origin nodes. His previously exhausted and dim nodes were set ablaze like a raging inferno. It almost seemed as if the origin nodes themselves were ignited. His near exhausted daybreak origin power suddenly surged like tides, coming together to form a soaring wave which poured into the deep abyss. At this moment, Qianye could no longer feel anything. It was as if the only thing within his consciousness was the all-devouring and bottomless abyss. After his whole world was swept away, a speck of vitality sprouted in an unknown corner of his being. There wasnt any radiance at all. Only an aura of blossoming life began to spread outwards in silence. The dark golden blood energy had scuttled into his heart to hide since the daybreak origin power tides began to surge. But at this moment, it suddenly rushed out into the empty world and expanded thousands of times in the blink of an eye. Golden light burst out from every corner, mixed with a faint scarlet hue akin to the first rays of dawn falling upon the great land. There seemed to be something gradually forming within the light, and it became clearer in the blink of an eye. It was a ball of golden flames. At a location Qianye couldnt see, the girl who called herself Xixi appeared on a mountaintop an ordinary person simply couldnt reach and was signaling with her hands in the air. But soon, her anxious expression turned into one of disbelief as a pair of giant golden wings were reflected in her wide open eyes. Scarlet mist rose in the wilderness, with specks of golden light floating in their midst. They werent that dazzling at first, but the glow gradually became brighter and brighter akin to the advent of a morning star. Qianye was still in his previous posture with the gun held in both of his hands. His countenance was concealed within the flickering lights and couldnt be seen clearly. The night wind carried the soft timbre of a gun through the air. That pop was so faint that it was almost indiscernible. It was as if a flower in a certain corner had burst into bloom and one would soon smell its fragrance. Xixi mightve even missed the sound if she wasnt extremely familiar with it. A strand of faintly discernible light slid through the air. It was almost invisible in the darkness of the night. Meanwhile, the scarlet mist surging around Qianye abruptly disappeared, and the specks of golden light suddenly erupted into a dazzling radiance. After the initial blinding moment passed by, that which hung in the air was actually a pair of gigantic wingseach of its feathers was a golden flame! [1] The raws said as white as a scallion tip, but scallion tips are green! He must''ve mistaken it for the scallion stem? So, I removed it. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 249: Remember Me [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] W-What is that thing? The thunderous old man in the sky stuttered as he spoke, A little brat whos not even a champion actually materialized his origin power and condensed the shape of his innate gift? Uncle Wangs reaction wasnt that great. The young miss is calling us. With that, he descended toward the mountain peak. The thunderous old man also began to move while mumbling, Which familys secret art was it that appears in the form of a birdman? Damn his grandma, the Bai family! Their Feathercloud Art The Feathercloud Art was one of Bai clans secret artsas one of this generations successful practitioners, Bai Longjia reached champion rank before the age of 30. However, the latter half of the old mans words were seemingly caught in his throat. His eyes were like copper bells as he stared blankly at the scene below. Uncle Wangs movements also turned sluggish and his pupils suddenly dilated. He witnessed the vampire champion in the wilderness suddenly enter a water surface, perhaps it could even be called a mirrors surface! Viscount Zalen was just running across the wilderness when he suddenly realized something was wrong with the environment. It seemed as if he had unknowingly entered a bizarre space. He was still running swiftly despite having lost all sense of distance. Following which, he felt that his hearing had also become problematic. He could neither hear the wind nor the nocturnal beasts and birds, only the sound of waves crashing against the shore. The noise entering his ears seemed to be growing closer and closer. A speck of faint light appeared in the air before him, which rapidly grew in color and luster. Blood red silken strands began to unfurl one after another in every direction. Only then did the vampire viscount realize that his body had long since been immobilized and even his thoughts were almost frozen. Thousands of illusions suddenly appeared before him. Within each of them was a reflection of himself and a beautiful Red Spider Lily bursting into bloom, seemingly locked within the mirror world. It was at this time that a gentle pop was heard as if that flower of the underworld river had reached the peak of its bloom. Then suddenly, cracks began to form on the mirror world which, soon afterwards, shattered with a loud rumble. In this manner, that viscount of the ancient Byrne clan fell from the air and collapsed on the ground. There wasnt a single wound on his bodyhis countenance plastered in fear and his eyes devoid of all lifehe had become a corpse. Meanwhile, in the sky opposite Zalen, the wings of golden radiance rose up and gently folded themselves around Qianye as if holding him in their embrace. The wings gradually descended and, after placing him on firm ground, dispersed silently into countless specks of light. At this moment, the whole world was overcome by silence. A giant bubble surrounded the little girl as she glided down from the sky. Immediately after landing, she lifted her skirt and ran frantically toward Qianye. Xixi threw herself onto the youth whose eyes were tightly shut and pressed her cold face against his chest. She let out a sigh of relief only after hearing his heart beating under the burning skin. She clenched her fingers so tightly that Qianyes shirt had become a wrinkled mass upon his chest. She raised her head but couldnt bear to move away the small hand on his body. As his exuberant aura of vitality seeped in through her palm, it almost seemed as if her world of black and white would come back to life at any moment. Xixis expression suddenly changed as she turned to look at the handgun still tightly clasped in Qianyes right hand. The previously golden barrel was still semi-translucent, but the Red Spider Lily on its handle was still gushing with an intense aura of vitality. It was still continuously drawing energy from the wielder as if it hadnt been satiated. She immediately grabbed Qianyes hand and pulled back on the ruyi-shaped hammer.The little girls delicate figure was seemingly pushed back by a powerful force. The intense impact almost made her fall off of Qianyes body. The ornate old handgun returned to the girls hands and reverted to its original form. Meanwhile, Qianyes lashes trembled as if he would wake up soon. The two old men were standing nearby and staring at Qianye with faces full of astonishment. Even the thunderous old mans fiery temper vanished. He actually fired. He actually fired it! Just how powerful was their vision? They had already taken in every minute detail that had just transpired. They naturally saw that Qianye couldnt completely control the Red Spider Lily. He might have been drained clean if Xixi hadnt gone over to remove the gun. But that absolutely couldnt conceal the shocking fact that he actually activated the Red Spider Lily! The Ten Grand Magnums were named so because, contrary to activating a darkness weapon with daybreak origin power, it wasnt as simple as having reduced firepower or being unable to display auxiliary effects. It shouldve been completely unusable. Uncle Wangs expression was somewhat different from the thunderous old man. He was sizing up Qianye in detail as if recalling something. At this time, Xixi suddenly turned back and looked deeply into his eyes. At this moment, the girls expression suffused with an unfamiliar prestige. Uncle Wang was slightly surprised and immediately lowered his gaze. The little girl brought Qianye into her arms, produced a thumb-sized crystal bottle, and poured the misty blue contents into his mouth. She then gestured toward the two old man beside her. Uncle Wang and the thunderous old man glanced at each other and rose into the air. The thunderous old man could no longer hold back his words after reaching a certain distance. Arent we bringing that boy back? Someone else is capable of using the Red Spider Lily, this is big news! Although it seems he cant control it that well, we can still do some research. Uncle Wangs gaze was focused on the ground. Lets see what the young miss says. The thunderous old man retorted, Such a major incident must inevitably be reported to the clan head Qianye opened his eyes and sat up before the little girls worried eyes. He was momentarily at a loss, but then he recalled the things from before he blacked out. It seemed he opened fire, but what happened afterwards? He suddenly noticed the completely lifeless vampire viscount lying over 50 meters away. Qianye subconsciously glanced at his right hand but found that the gun had already returned to the girls waist. A somewhat cold sensation rushed into his arms. The surprised Qianye caught the little girls body and found her delicate arms hugging him with all her might. Forget about it! This This is Qianye was baffled. Forget about it and forget about everything that happened. Dont ever mention what happened just now to anyone! Xixi stared into Qianyes eyes and said word by word. The little girls serene eyes seemed bottomless. At this moment, Qianye could no longer see the frailness in her eyes, but instead he saw shock and apprehension. He also noticed the strand of determination which had appeared for unknown reasons. Qianye nodded involuntarily. Xixi forced out a smile and suddenly pressed her cool face against Qianyes cheek. No, wait. You have to remember me. With that, Xixi let go of Qianye, stood up, and repeated in all due seriousness, Forget everything that happened just now, but remember me. She then turned around and ran away without turning back. Soon, only a black dot remained of her petite figure. Qianye watched her disappear into the distance before letting out a sigh. Although he still wasnt clear as to what had happened just now, one thing was extremely obviousneither the gun nor the little girl was normal. Qianye sat in place for a while and stood up to stretch his limbs only after the feeling of exhaustion was alleviated. A small crystalline bottle fell from his body as he got up. A trace of light blue liquid could be seen on the wall of the empty bottle. Qianye bent down to pick it up and found it to be quite familiar. He sniffed at it and sensed a mixture of origin power and herbs. It was a medicine for injuries. The familiar scent dragged out a certain memorythe medicine Zhao Junhong had given him during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt had the same smell and was contained in a similar bottle. Following which, he recalled the crystal box in which the medicine bottles were contained. A light flashed through his mind as countless memory fragments came together. Crystal box, Red Spider Lily, Zhao clan, Zhao Junhong, Zhao Ruoxi, Xixi... Qianye stared blankly at the ground as thousands of thoughts spun within his heart. Even he himself didnt know what he was thinking anymore. He didnt want to believe Xixi and Zhao Ruoxi were one and the same. Xixi was pristine and delicate. Although her naivety was likely just a facade, it stirred very natural feelings of intimacy in Qianye. Meanwhile, Zhao Ruoxi was the proud daughter and successor of a great clan who was even more talented than the second young master. She was a character high above the clouds. At this time, Qianyes grasped a certain fact from amidst his confused thoughts. The Radiant Edge was still in her hands?! Whether it was intentional or otherwise, she hadnt returned the dagger to him. Qianye had pushed the blade into her hands so that she could end her own life should things comes to worst and all of his plans fell through. The blood absorption effects of the Radiant Edge could prevent her from being embraced into a puppet before her vitality faded away completely. Why didnt Xixi give it back to him? Qianye subconsciously walked toward Zalen and flipped the corpse over. The vampire counts face was frozen in a terrified expression just like during the last moments of his life. However, there were no new wounds on his body. His body and organs were still full of vitality, so much that it could be said his body was still alive. However, Qianye discovered that Zalens consciousness had been completely obliterated. Even if his body could be revived with certain secret arts, it would only become a walking corpse without any self-awareness. But just what kind of force could completely wipe out a vampire viscounts consciousness without wounding him? While Qianye was occupied by a multitude of questions akin to tangled yarn, Xixi was facing Elder Wang and the thunderous old man. Her expression was extremely solemn. Uncle Wang, Uncle Kai, you must not breathe a word about todays incident. You must not leak a word about this, even to my father! Although Xixis tone was gentle and amiable, this was clearly an order. With her current position in the Zhao clan, Uncle Wang and Zhao Kai could actually be considered her subordinates despite being her guardians and advisors in name. Uncle Wang appeared pensive. The thunderous old man named Zhao Kai came from the main branch of the Zhao clan and possessed a rather frank nature. Young miss, this is important news! Theres another person who can use the Red Spider Lily! How can we not inform the clan head of such an important matter! Xixi bit on her pale lips until it was a faint red color and said, That isnt using the gun at all. Zhao Kai knew what Xixi meant. They had all witnessed the process and knew that the Red Spider Lily had probably absorbed his strength passively. But the old man believed that it was not an inherent hindrance compared to those without even the slightest bit of response. As such, he retorted, Even if that kid cant control it on his own, we might be able to find a solution after some research. There must be something special about his bloodline or secret art. If we can rope him into our clan, wont the Zhao clan prosper even more? Xixi said slowly, Uncle Kai, this matter is impossible. Please forget it! [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruyi_(scepter) Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 250: A Daughter All Grown Up [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Zhao Kai was completely puzzledfrank people like him were usually quite stubborn with their beliefs and not easily dissuaded. And unlike Uncle Wang, Zhao Kai was an actual cousin of Zhao Weihuang who watched Zhao Ruoxi and her siblings grow up. At that time, Zhao Weihuangs branch wasnt the head of the clan. Thus, his attitude was more that of an elder than a retainer like Uncle Wang. Uncle Wang suddenly interrupted, Old Brother Zhao, think about it, it might not be a good thing for the young miss if more than one person can use the Red Spider Lily. It might not necessarily be good for our Zhao clan either. Additionally, that person is capable of materializing such an astonishing innate gift form. Even if it was induced by the Red Spider Lily, this still signifies that his inheritance and secret arts arent simple at all. If hes from another clan Zhao Kai was astonished. Uncle Wangs words made senseregarding a grand magnum like the Red Spider Lily, no one could be certain this young man would belong to the Zhao clan. The imperial court might even make the first move before them. If he himself was already the scion of a certain clan, it certainly wouldnt be Zhao clans turn to claim the benefits. He immediately replied, Then we might as well But he quickly withdrew his suggestion about eliminating the subject. A rank seven fighter being hunted down by a dark race champion indicated that his identity wasnt simple. And despite all that, the brat was actually still alive! He might even have companions nearby. With regards to silencing someone, firstly one had to worry that the target was of a distinguished identity, secondly, there was the risk of not being secretive enough and being easily exposed later on. As such, there were unpredictable risk factors involved in both recruiting and silencing this greatly defective talent. On the contrary, the most certain option would be to seal their lips tight and let this incident quietly pass by. Zhao Kai couldnt help but nod. Although somewhat dissatisfied, he had already begun to agree with this method. A mysterious look flashed across Xixis eyes as she said slowly, Uncle Kai, you should know how difficult it is for our Duke Chengen lineage. Although both I and fourth brother are slow-witted, we still believe we can carry on fathers legacy. The two elders definitely wont be mistreated no matter who becomes the clan head in the future. Zhao Kai gazed at the little girl whose calm demeanor was so different from the past and suddenly felt quite satisfied. It felt as if he was seeing a daughter mature. No follower would worry about a clan scion being too ambitiousonly the opposite because the subordinates would then have no future. Duke Chengen was Zhao Weihuangs title. However, the two hereditary dukes of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan were Duke Yan and Duke You respectively. In the past, the clan head would be born from one of their two branches. From this, one could imagine the meaning behind Xixis words about how difficult it was for the Duke Chengen lineage. Zhao Kai naturally knew that Zhao Weihuang had faced countless crises and power struggles in order to become the clan head. Two years had passed since Zhao Weihuang ascended to the position of clan head, but even now, the situation wasnt quite stable. On one hand, Duke Yan and Duke You were both well-established and still possessed great influence, while on the other, Duke Chengens title wasnt hereditary. This meant that Zhao Weihuang couldnt pass the title to his children. Among Zhao Weihuangs current children, Zhao Jundu was the most hopeful of succeeding his fathers business. He was a well-recognized genius who had touched the threshold of champion rank at 20 years of age. Xixi, on the other hand, was a special case among special cases. She had shown an affinity toward the grand magnum Red Spider Lily since she was only three years old. However, she was born with a weak constitution and suffered several bouts of critical illness during childhood. As such, this owner of the Red Spider Lily was rarely involved in administrative affairs despite her superior status. There was another implication within the latter half of Xixis wordsthat she was already allied with Zhao Jundu. With these two working together, chances of the clan head position staying with the Duke Chengen lineage was greatly increased. This came as a wonderful news to people like Zhao Kai who were attached to Zhao Weihuang. Although Xixi and Zhao Jundu were allied, there was still some rivalry between them. They certainly couldnt let the other party catch wind of there being a second person who could use the Red Spider Lily. It would be difficult to tell if Duke Chengen would favor the son or the daughter after being informed of this matter. Zhao Kai, feeling as if he now understood everything, patted his chest and said, Young miss can rest assured. Ive completely stuffed this matter into my stomach. Xixi smiled sweetly in response. As for Uncle Wang, he was an elder brought into the Zhao clan by Princess Gaoyi, mother to Xixi and the fourth young master. His status was self-evident. Meanwhile, Qianye was standing beside the vampire viscounts corpse and trying to recall the memories he seemed to have lost. He clearly remembered that a bottomless abyss had appeared after the hammer struck, seemingly poised to suck the whole world into it. Qianye frowned. There was definitely something wrong with that gun. The principle behind origin guns was the activation of the array with instilled origin power. Individual control and strength of ones origin power, as well as the compatibility of the origin power attribute and the array, would affect the final firepower. During this process, the wielder was certainly the active component. He had never heard of an origin gun that could draw energy as if it was sentient. Sentient? Qianyes heart was shaken. He suddenly recalled a certain legend in which each gun was sentient and would choose its owner. Just like most people, he had dismissed this as an exaggerated rhetoric. The spirit was an exceptionally mysterious field. Even the peak characters of the empire were still debating its existence. As for the dark races, it was said that some demonkin wizards knew secret arts that could restrain spirits. However, no one had actually witnessed it. Could that have been the real Red Spider Lily? This was simply too unbelievable. This almost ridiculous notion only flashed through his mind for a moment because even Qianye himself didnt quite believe he could activate the Red Spider Lily. That grand magnum, one of the ten famous guns, had mostly remained ownerless during these long years, not to mention there being two people at the same time who could use it. He rapidly shook his head and decided not to waste any more time on such mysterious things. Although this mountainous region was quite close to human territory, there might still be dark race warriors passing by. If they discovered that he had killed a viscount from the illustrious Byrne clan, he would land in even more trouble than taking Marquis Rosss Twin Flowers. Qianye swiftly searched through Zalens belongings. He found that the vampire viscount had set out in a hurry and wasnt prepared for a prolonged chase. The weapons he had on him focused on portability. There was also an empty blood crystal box, but judging from its size, the contents were probably not for replenishment. His gun was a grade six handgun and its cartridge, capable of holding five rounds, was already empty. Qianye recalled the times Zalen had opened fire at him and concluded that shooting wasnt the viscounts strong suit. He didnt even bring any extra ammunition. Zalen didnt carry a longsword like most vampires and only carried a dagger that was somewhat shorter than the Radiant Edge. Qianye thought about it for a moment and immediately turned to check the vampire viscounts hands. There, he unexpectedly discovered extremely thin finger-sleeves worn on the thumb and middle fingers of both hands. They were as thin as a cicadas wings and made of an unknown material that was both strong and flexible. Qianye was somewhat alarmed and a chill went down his spine. At this moment, he was rejoicing over his cautiousness and good fortune in not giving his assailant any opportunity to come into close range. Judging from the weapons carried by this dark race champion, it was obvious that he was a melee expert who exerts his might through his fingers. Qianye drew the dagger and found a certain seal near the base of the shaft. Its name was Scarlet Edge. The dagger was of the same grade as the Radiant Edge, but its quality and craftsmanship was almost a grade above the latter. At this moment, Qianye was already quite experienced with vampire melee weapons and was able to recognize several types of arrays amidst the complicated and beautiful design patterns, including the commonly seen firmness, sharpness, and blood absorption arrays. He held the Scarlet Edge and gazed hesitantly at Zalens corpse. Vampire bodies would also undergo changes after reaching the champion rank. The vampire heart would condense into a blood core where the greater half of his flesh and blood essence would aggregate. Even a low ranking blood core could be sold for a sky-high price. Its uses ranged from origin arrays to medicines, and a single blood core could be exchanged for a grade six origin gun. On the other hand, it would increase Qianyes strength by a level if he were to absorb it himself. But after some thought, he decided to put it away in the empty crystal box. It would inevitably take a long time to absorb and digest the dark race champions essence blood. Drawing from his past experience with the arachne viscount Brahm, Qianye knew he might even be rendered immobile for a couple of days. It truly wasnt safe to do so in this border region where there was danger lurking in every direction. Additionally, he had to deliver the boulderheart jade letter to its destination as quickly as possible. He couldnt just hide somewhere for half a month. Qianye pierced the Scarlet Edge into Zalens already empty heart. The remaining blood energy flowed into his body through the dagger and, just as before, rejuvenated his spirit. Finally, he found some random bits and pieces within a bag, including some crystal currency. There were actually several rutilated crystals among them. That was the most valuable common currency of the dark races, each equal to a thousand imperial gold coins. He also found a red crystal pendant casually strung with a black rope, its style was a stark contrast to the exquisitely crafted vampire ornaments. Qianye had a feeling that the patterns on the red crystal were actually origin arrays and man-made ones at that. He tossed it into his pocket when he saw no reaction after instilling some origin power into it. The items in the other two small boxes shocked Qianye quite a bit. One of them was also a blood crystal, but its color was deeper than any Qianye had ever seen. There were some strands of bizarre purple in its center, and from this piece of crystal, Qianye sensed an aura similar to the purple blood energy in his body. He had no idea why Zalen hadnt used this piece of blood crystal. The other was an origin bullet box. He could sense the violent energy contained within just by holding the box without even opening it. Through the crystal cover, one could see a single purple-red origin bullet. There were extremely complicated and densely packed patterns carved upon it, forming an origin array which served to firmly lock the origin power inside the shell. Qianye was suddenly drenched in sweat as he recognized the material of this bullet. Although he had not seen it personally, the classes in Red Scorpion had touched upon the general knowledge regarding all high-level armaments. This should be the legendary black titanium, a rare and exotic metal found only in places with dense darkness origin power. It possessed exceptional sturdiness but extremely lightweight. Black titanium possessed great destructive powers toward all living things and, due to its attribute properties, does even greater damage to those from the Daybreak faction. Additionally, a smith capable of handling such a rare material would inevitably be a great master. Judging from the top-notch craftsmanship and the violent energy contained within the bullet, its might was far above that of a mithril bullet of exorcism. Black titanium bullets were listed as champion-level killer weapons within the empires armament evaluation list. It was said that human champions who suffered a direct shot from such a bullet would be gravely wounded even if he didnt die on the spot. Fortunately, black titanium was extremely rare, and those continents with the densest darkness origin power were ill-suited for survival, even to the dark races. As such, there was never a way to mass produce black titanium bullets of annihilation. It seemed the vampire viscount couldnt bear to use such a rare and valuable bullet on Qianye, hence, allowing the latter to survive this tribulation. Otherwise, how could Qianye escape the explosion? Even if Zalen wasnt too accurate, the deviation shouldnt be that significant. And the destructive powers of the black titanium bullet of annihilation possessed an area of effect. Qianye cleaned up the scene of battle and thoroughly wiped away traces of himself and Xixi before throwing Zalens corpse into a ravine thousands of meters away. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 251: Purple Crystal [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] There was a certain liveliness to nighttime in the mountainous region. The stars were exceptionally brightthe mountain range seemed even more majestic under the night sky, and the undulating cries of little creatures were faintly discernible. The meandering river seemed like a silver ribbon under the moonlight. Its crystalline luster was as gentle and leisurely as the flutter of wide-sleeved robes. It seemed as if earth had withdrawn its imposing might and severity of the day as the clouds danced gracefully through the sky. It was only now that Qianye regained the mood to admire the scenery apart from the geography. He ran swiftly against the wind until the horizon began to brighten. Dawn over the Taihang Mountain Range was enshrouded in a faint layer of mist. This area was already past the highlandsthe dominant vegetation was no longer the twisted and knotted shrubs or the sparse woods made up of needle trees. The area around the foot of the mountain was covered by a luxuriant meadow. Qianye turned around and was still able to see the vague outline of the Silentflame Steppes. It was like a deep red patch of raised land that had abruptly collapsed to one side, comparable to the head of a reapers scythe that had claimed countless lives. Qianye slept during the day and traveled at night during the two days that followed. He didnt immediately enter Zhao clan territory but instead traveled along the mountainous region at its border. He was planning to enter from a point closest to Yingzhou City so as to bypass most of the checkpoints. Things were peaceful at first, but Qianye felt something off as he got closer and closer to his destination. It was as if a pair of eyes was staring at him from the dark. He was certain that this sensation of being surveilled had appeared only recently. He hadnt sensed it when he was deep in the mountainous region. The sensation grew even more apparent after passing through the First Sun Highway. First Sun Highway was the main artery of human transportation on the Western Continent. It was also the longest highway on the continent, passing through most of the major Zhao clan cities. The wilderness and mountains had always been Qianyes home-field. He quietly proceeded at his normal rate after noticing this abnormality, but modified his route so that it meandered through the mountains. One whole day passed like this, but that faintly discernible sensation never disappeared. At this point, Qianye was certain he was being targeted. Random passers-by would never travel through odd landscapes like he did. However, he was unable to discover the one trailing him despite using many different methods. He couldnt help but become intrigued. Seems to be an expert. Quite interesting. Qianye stopped by a clear stream at dusk. He washed his face calmly, then caught and roasted some fish. He appeared to be taking a leisurely break, but in his mind, he was pondering the other partys identity. Having been trained in Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion, very few opponents were his match in the wilderness. But this time, the other party hadnt revealed the slightest movements despite Qianyes intentional probing. This level of skill was already superior to his own. Not only was it possible that the one trailing him was a professional, but it was also likely that his innate gift was related to concealment and tracking. Who was it? What were his intentions? Qianye pondered momentarily but felt that there were too many possibilities, and it was too difficult to come to a definite conclusion. He wasn''t afraid of trouble, but he hoped to deal with this annoyance before entering Zhao clan territory. Qianye actually looked forward to meeting this opponent. He was confident that he could take control of the situation as long as he could evade the first wave of surprise attacks. He had already left many openings during his daytime journey but failed to attract the ambush he was expecting. It seemed the other party was exceptionally careful and cautioushe actually didnt reveal himself despite Qianyes current situation being quite unstable and his wounds had yet to heal. Then, was the other party waiting for the perfect opportunity or was he waiting for companions? The former was a reasonable possibility because those proficient in assassination usually possessed superior patience. Even Qianye himself sometimes had to wait silently for several days straight during Red Scorpion missions just to take that single shot. If it was the latter, then it wasnt good news. After resting and eating his fill, Qianye turned back toward the mountain and set up camp halfway up an isolated mountain peak. Although narrow spaces like caves seemed easy to defend and difficult to attack, there were many things there that experienced assassins could exploit. Chances of a successful ambush werent low if the assailant possessed special equipment. Qianye had given the tracker a choice. He himself began to cultivate and digest Zalens essence blood after placing some traps and alert mechanisms. Although he hadnt gotten into a direct confrontation with Zalen, Qianyes origin and blood powers came close to running dry several times during the many days of fleeing. There were also internal wounds left behind due to the extended periods of high-speed running. Now that a great enemy was approaching, he had to grasp this opportunity to recover. As the mystery chapter began to circulate, the vast amounts of blood essence transformed into a vortex. Like a millstone, it slowly stripped away the impurities within, leaving only pure darkness origin power. Meanwhile, the blood energies in Qianyes body began to devour the darkness energy and grow continuously. After the completion of a cycle, an ordinary blood energy was first upgraded to the second rank. The dark golden blood energy had become slightly stronger, while the purple blood energy, after being nourished for several days, arrived at the threshold of the third rank. At this time, the darkness origin power within Qianyes body had already been divided up, but the purple blood energy was still moving about as if it was still longing for more. Qianye hesitated for a moment, but then he took out the blood crystal containing strands of purple blood energy and held it in his hands. However, he had only begun to absorb it when the blood crystal exploded and massive amounts of essence blood entered his body. Among them were also stands of purple blood energy. The total amount was roughly equal to a third of the vampire viscounts essence blood. Qianye felt surprised at how a small crystal could contain so much blood essence. But moments later, he was absolutely shaken! The several strands of purple blood energy werent drawn into the darkness origin power vortex after entering Qianyes body. Instead, they actually started swimming up toward his heart and devoured an unevolved ordinary blood energy. The purple blood energy was alive?! Qianye was badly shaken. Fortunately, his own purple blood energy shot out at lightning speed and entangled one of the newcomers. Soon, they began to roll around, fighting against each other. The dark golden blood energy was even fiercer. It alone blocked three strands of purple blood energy. The remaining second rank ordinary blood energy worked together to contend with the final purple blood energy. Within the blink of an eye, the inside of Qianyes body became a battlefielda dozen different blood energies were fighting against each other. Qianyes own purple blood energy had long since reached second rank and thus had the advantage in single-combat against the newcomer. Before long, it was tearing off the opponent segment by segment and devouring it. The dark golden blood energy was actually suppressing the scene despite fighting one against three. It was even beginning to focus its attacks on a single opponent and would tear off parts of the enemy from time to time. It seemed this external purple blood energy would become its meal before long. The ordinary blood energy was fighting seven against one, and all of them were at second rank. Even then, they were only able to gain a slight advantage. Their attacks dealt little damage to the invading purple blood energy, while the latter would deal obvious damage with each attack. This major blood energy battle allowed Qianye to understand the true concept behind things like blood poison, bloodline suppression, and the embrace, all of which were quite fuzzy before. He also began to understand why the vampires attached such importance to gift and bloodlines. Blood energy was the vampires source of darkness origin power. The difference between ranks was so great that it was difficult to make up for it with numbers alone. The situation with other dark races, despite the differing manifestations, should be more or less similar. From this, one could see that the humans were much more balanced. Even a gifted genius might not be able to draw out his innate gifts to their utmost without the support of great amounts of resources far exceeding his own diligence. This kind of difference, in fact, allowed many people the room to grow. This allowed the extremely hardworking and lucky people to eventually surpass those so-called descendants of the famous families despite their mediocre talents. This was, perhaps, the greatest difference between humans and dark races. It was also the greatest difference between the Evernight and Daybreak Factions. After comprehending this point, Qianye no longer sat observing the outcome of the blood energy battle. The external purple blood energy was also a form of darkness origin power. He selected a distant origin node and began to circulate the Glory chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. He condensed a drop of pure daybreak origin power and ruthlessly bombarded one of the invading purple blood energy with it. This purple blood energy was entangled in battle with the dark golden blood energy when it was struck and was almost torn in two. The dark golden blood energy shook its wings and completely tore the enemy apart. Qianye followed the same pattern once again and struck another purple blood energy. The battle situation completely changed after two more external purple blood energy were badly wounded and were wiped out within moments. The dark golden blood energy gobbled up two external purple blood energy but seemed to have lost interest in them afterwards, opting to go back and rest instead. Meanwhile, Qianyes purple blood energy, which was at the threshold of an upgrade, appeared quite hungry. It devoured three external purple blood energies before withdrawing into the rune and calming down. What surprised Qianye was that the large number of ordinary blood energy actually didnt get anything for their effort. Even the external purple blood energy they had tried so hard to injure went into the purple blood energys stomach in the end. They could only share the small fragments torn off during the battle. This was the rule of the Evernight factionthe strong were privileged, even at the microscopic level. Ordinary blood energy would get their turn only after the dark gold and purple blood energies had eaten their fill. If they were short on suitable food, those ordinary blood energy would be devoured in the same manner. The world within Qianyes body slowly recovered its tranquility as the first rays of the morning began to appear outsidea new day had arrived. He finally realized why Zalen was carrying this special blood crystal without using it. The viscount apparently understood its special properties. Without the originator or a superior elder nearby, the blood crystal might actually kill him if he was unable to suppress it. This indicated that the purple blood was of a more powerful bloodline than the Byrne clan. Qianye hadnt walked too far from the cave when he, once again, vaguely sensed that he was being watched. He only laughed coldly and hurried on his way. At this moment, Qianyes movements were obviously shaky and rigid. It was the result of the vampire constitution rune being upgraded after the purple blood energys promotion. Somewhere in his body, invisible to the naked eye, countless tissues were dying and, at the same time, growing anew with rapid speed. Similar to every time he underwent a physical transformation, it would require some time for him to recover perfect coordination. His combat power would undoubtedly be affected if he were to fight someone during this period. This was also an opportunity for the one spying on him in concealment. In the distant wilderness, a certain figure was faintly discernible within the dense leaves of a tree crown. He gazed at Qianye who was just running down from the hill and sneered, How can someone be wounded so badly from just a night of cultivation? Who are you trying to fool? You want to trick this daddy here with such poor acting skills? Youre still too inexperienced! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 252: Friendly Reunion [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] At this time, Qianye had almost disappeared behind the sloping landscape. The persons figure gradually turned indistinctthere was a barely noticeable distortion in the background scenery wherever he passed. As it turned out, this person was already approaching near-invisibility. No wonder Qianye couldnt grasp the movements of his surveillant. An hour later, the spys indistinct figure appeared atop a certain mountain peak. As expected, Qianye was still within his field of vision. The man was still undecided whether or not to make his move because Qianyes movements were still quite unnatural and he had already seen several openings for a long-range shot. However, the intense sense of danger in his heart kept this temptation at bay. That man was somewhat dissatisfied. What was there to fear about a mere rank-seven fighter, even if hes a veteran soldier? But his companion would arrive that eveningperhaps he should wait a while longer? In their line of work, one would die early without due caution and patience. The surveillant was calculating the pros and cons in his heart when he discovered a change in Qianyes route. He found that Qianye, after meandering around the rugged valley below, was actually walking toward the mountaintop he was on! The man immediately became vigilant. Was it possible that he had been compromised? He rapidly observed the surrounding landscape and suddenly realized what had happened. No wonder Qianye was wandering around the valley for so long. As it turned out, he was using the barrier-abundant terrain to calculate the angle from which he was being observed. A rank nine assassin like him had actually been found out with such a clumsy method. The assassin placed his hand on his weapon and subconsciously glanced at a somewhat suitable sniping position nearby. Should he take action now or escape for the moment? A sound rang out near his ears while he was still hesitating. Youve been watching for so long. Is it so interesting to watch that man? The assassin was shocked out of his wits and almost slid off the slope. He rapidly twisted his head to find that a tall and handsome youth had appeared beside him since god knows when. And he was even standing shoulder to shoulder with him and gazing at Qianye. The blonde youths expression was harmless and leisurely. However, the assassin felt as if he had fallen into an icy cavernhis whole body became rigid within the blink of an eye. He had absolutely no idea how that person had arrived or how long he had been following him. Since this blonde young man had actually appeared in complete silence, naturally, he could also have slit the latters throat undetected. The assassin, after his initial shock had passed, immediately flipped his hand and thrust his weapon so fast under the young mans ribs that only a cold gleam was barely visible. Meanwhile, his figure warped as he leapt away in a different direction. As if he didnt see the wisp of cold and lethal light, the blonde young man shrugged and said, Is that all there is to the Lone Ghost? You guys really dont amount to much! With that, he reached out and grabbed the assassin by the throat with relative ease as if the attack from the rank nine fighter didnt amount to anything at all. He suddenly lifted his blue-grey eyes and revealed a smile as brilliant as the sun. Hi, my dear friend. We meet again! The blonde youth almost seemed to have forgotten the man in his grasp. With a wave of his hand, the assassin who was already on his last breath shattered into several pieces and fell to the ground. On a half-slope hundreds of meters away, Qianyes eyes opened wide as a chill ran down his spine, all the way to his feet. He was also an expert in concealment and trackinghe had finally utilized the limited vision within the special landscape and found the position of his surveillant. Qianye reckoned the other party possessed a skill or equipment related to invisibility, the reason why he had come to perform a thorough observation despite seeing no one on the mountaintop. But he hadnt expected to witness such a scene after the invisibility was dispelled at the right place! He grasped the grade six origin gun he had obtained from the vampire viscount and instinctively aimed it at the blonde youth. The other party had no intention to dodge and was still smiling radiantly. Qianye, its me, William. Qianye had already fled like a bolt of lightning before he could even finish speaking. Williams expression and movements all pausedhis waving hand was still in the air, and his mouth was opened wide. Ah? Why did he run away? With that, he tossed away what remained of the assassins corpse. A pop rang out behind a rock overgrown with flowers as a tall female werewolf with delicate curves tumbled out of invisibility. A pair of furry ears stood up amidst her dense maroon locks and then dropped back down, just like her current mood. Your Excellency, your friend the female werewolf said with some difficulty, is a human. So? You just killed a human right in front of him! the female werewolf said in her mind. He had even used such a bloody method as tearing the assassin to pieces. That bastard came to kill him. But, he probably doesnt know that Eh?! William rose into the air and chased toward the direction in which Qianye had fled, leaving only an instruction, Tidy up here. The female werewolf strongly shook her ears and tail but ultimately resigned herself to her fate. She walked toward the assassins corpse and began to check through his belongings. The scent of flesh and the origin power in it was still very fresh. It made the female werewolf want to pounce on it for a snack. But after remembering that she would have to appear before his excellencys friend in a while, she could only wipe away her saliva and continue working. After hurrying for a short distance, William found that something wasnt quite right because Qianyes speed had far surpassed his imagination. The latter had already reached the valleys exit within a short conversations delay. Qianye, wait! His loud cry swept through the whole valley. Qianye, of course, ran even faster after hearing such an imposing voice. William was from the Summit of Peaks, the most powerful and mysterious werewolf tribe. Even its immature members possessed strength close to a champions. That night, near Darkblood City, Qianye had personally witnessed William take action and knew that the latter could only be stronger than Viscount Brahmsthat might not even be his strongest attack. Before such overwhelming strength, how could Qianye give him even half an opportunity to catch up? Battle wasnt even an option. With Qianyes near rank-eight strength, he would, at most, be able to leave a moderate wound on William even if he used all of his trump cards, including the grade-six gun and the black titanium bullet of annihilation. That was assuming he was fortunate enough to land the hit. One had to know that werewolves were the kings of mountainous regions, and their ability to make use of the landscape werent inferior to humans at all. William began to frown after rushing out of the valley. Qianye had chosen to flee in a straight line toward a flatland. In that way, both the werewolfs advantage in mountainous regions and his ability as a champion to fly over obstacles had been negated. Now, both parties could only compete in pure speed. What was worse was that Qianyes speed was actually not slower than a vampire viscounts. He was showing no signs of slowing down even after running dozens of kilometers. Apparently, this wasnt a short-term explosive sprint. Judging from the current situation, it was impossible for Qianye to shake off William, but it would also prove quite difficult for the latter to catch up to him. He could only rely on his endurance to wear Qianye down to exhaustion. This definitely wasnt a good idea. Although the flatland Qianye had chosen was somewhat a detour, he could still run to the First Sun Highway within a day. There, the chances of encountering human experts would increase greatly. Even as a member of the Summit of Peaks, William wouldnt dare to pass through Zhao clan territory so brazenly. It seemed that running one day and night wasnt a problem for Qianye. William was truly discomfited. He suddenly let out a long howlthe earth beneath his feet began to tremble slightly as the giant image of a golden wolf, several meters tall, appeared behind him, and powerful origin powerful fluctuations surged toward the sky. William leapt upwards and merged with the illusory image. He had become a formidable giant wolf as he landed back on the ground, his hair as white as snow and his golden mane as dazzling as the sun. Williams speed increased twofold after transforming into the giant wolf. A beam of golden lightning streaked across the land and caught up to Qianye within moments. The giant wolf leapt into the air, crossed over Qianyes head and landed right in front of him. At this time, Qianyes newly upgraded body was yet to achieve perfect coordination. He was caught completely off-guard and almost crashed into the wolf. In the end, he reacted rapidly by coming to a sudden halt and stepping several meters toward the side. However, even the giant wolfs back was almost two meters tall. A pair of greyish blue eyes gazed at Qianye with the weight and solemnity of a mountain. The wolfs naturally suppressive might spread outwards almost substantially and even caused the wild grass, half as tall as a man, to collapse flat on the ground. Qianyes sidestep didnt bring him out of the suppression range. He immediately felt the force of a whole mountain peak rushing toward himhis arms dropped like heavy objects under the tremendous suppressive force, and even the origin power within his body became sluggish. The giant wolf let out a menacing roar and then slowly retracted his suppressive might before complaining, You scoundrel! You sure run fast Qianyes expression abruptly changed after the suppression on him receded. Was this William? Usual werewolf transformations only involved the head and tail, and the body would remain in human form. Only some of those low-ranking cannon fodder who couldnt take on human form would stay in full wolf form. He had never heard of a champion turning into a giant wolf. The giant wolf shook his neck and stood up, his mane erupting with golden radiance akin to the sun. After the dazzling glow receded, William stood there with his perfectly proportioned and muscular body exposed. He then grabbed a pair of trousers and began to put them on, Qianye, can you not Before he could even finish speaking, Qianye had already taken a step forward and struck out with his fist. At this moment, William was in an awkward position as the trousers in his hands had only been pulled up halfway. However, William didnt mindhe only moved after observing the opponentfreeing one hand and reaching out to grab Qianyes wrist. He was prepared to drag Qianye to the ground. But, as the two fists came into contact, a sound akin to muffled thunder was emitted from their midst. William felt an inconceivably strong force transmitted from Qianyes arm and actually failed to block the momentum of the latters fist. This far exceeded Williams expectations. He immediately exerted more strength and raised his output to half his maximum before he was able to lock down Qianyes wrist. Qianyes wrist sunk and twisted out of Williams hand. At the same time, his foot stomped hard on the ground as a sideways elbow lashed out along with the weight of his whole body. This stance was actually that of close-quarters combat. William sensed the earth tremble under Qianyes stomp and suddenly became more cautious as he raised his arm strength to 70%. He knew that the human body was quite frail, which was especially true for snipers and assassins. For instance, that Lone Ghost assassin he had accidentally ripped to pieces. That was why he had refrained from using darkness origin power. But with his rank as a count and his physique that was much stronger than those from the average werewolf tribe, he shouldve been able to suppress a human fighter with pure strength. At this moment, using 70% strength against a rank seven fighter could already be considered quite cautious. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 253: Purpose [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Williams body was completely knocked over with a loud boom, and he was even seeing stars as he flew through the air. It was as if an ancient giant beast had slammed into him. After stabilizing himself mid-air, he saw that Qianye had borrowed the momentum of this clash to fly backwards. The latter leapt away right after landing and was already dozens of meters away. Am I that scary? Why are you running away as soon as you see me!? Qianyes steps faltered and he almost tripped. He only felt a cold intent brush past his back. This kind of aggrieved tone was similar to the more mischievous children from his mercenary corps who refused to be content without secretly drinking some alcohol. He mustve been hearing things! Following which, Qianye felt a fierce wind kick up from behind him as a ten-thousand-kilogram force pummeled through the air.He rapidly calculated the speed and strengthhe knew full well that it was absolutely impossible to escape from a dark race warrior at Williams level from within 100 meters. Qianye drew a deep breath and came to an urgent halt. Only when he sensed the vague pain from the incoming fist winds did he make a sharp turn and swing out his elbow. He suddenly entered a wondrous state of awareness. It seemed as if he was carrying a stone thousands of kilometers in weight on his arm. He had to utilize his full strength while swinging, but became completely different after gaining momentum. With Williams eyesight, he had long since noticed that Qianyes movements were, at times, uncoordinated. It was just that the latters almost clumsy strike gave him an inexplicable feeling, and it was actually a feeling of danger? William would rarely get such a feeling even if his opponent was a champion of the same rank. Curiosity welled up in his heart as he shifted his fist stance and threw a similar elbow toward his opponent. This time, he had sufficient time to react and thus added some more power into his strike. The two elbows collided! Bangs echoed through the air as their arms clashed countless times with each other within an instant. Within that split second, all the origin nodes within Qianyes body began to vibrate as an origin power tide extended to form an indomitable wall that crashed toward William. This time, William felt a bizarre oscillation from the exchange of elbow blows which forcibly dispersed some of the energy he had condensed therein. He was once again knocked flying after an exchange of blows. He was still grabbing onto his pants and was unwilling to let go even as he was flung away with his upper body leaning backwards. Meanwhile, Qianye only took half a step back before he lunged forward, grabbed Williams ankles, and instinctively shook his hands. Qianyes origin nodes all lit up and vibrated at the same time as the numb sensation brought about by the weird oscillation spread throughout Williams body. The latter screamed as his whole body fell from the air and smashed heavily onto the ground. Qianye frowned and stomped down on his opponent. His leg-raising movement wasnt fast at all, but the air suddenly began to vibrate and let out buzzing sounds as if a giant hammer was coming down. Originally, William was lying nonchalantly on the ground. But now, he was completely shocked and no longer dared to hold back. A leg whipped out like lightning, accompanied by a stream of blue origin power. Qianye let out a muffled groan as his defenses were penetrated by a burning darkness origin power and his whole body was flung away. Spirals of smoke could be seen rising on the endless grassy plains. Qianye and William were sitting beside the bonfire as two boar legs and two large racks of boar ribs sizzled away on the flames, their golden yellow fat dripping onto the flames and permeating the whole place with fragrance. A furious William was scolding Qianye, I finished off several Lone Ghost assassins for you out of kindness and you repay me this way? Someone as kind as I Qianye was attentively rotating the skewer in his hand. His ears moved a little after hearing the words, and he felt the flames in front of him grow a bit hotter, almost causing sweat to drip down his forehead. In any case, Im someone whos helped you before! We can ignore the fact that you didnt even greet me after our meeting, but look at how you treat me! Do you not feel guilty about that last stomp?! You! William was drenched in cold sweat after recalling Qianyes underhanded final move. The force behind that attack had already reached the champion level despite Qianye being a rank seven fighter. No matter how strong Williams body was, some places were still quite fragile and definitely couldnt take a champion-level blow. Qianye moved his hand and tossed a large rack of boar ribs toward William. Williams eyes immediately lit up. He caught the incoming food and wolfed it down without any fear of burning his mouth. He wasnt quite content even after that and had his eyes on the almost-done boar leg, his greyish blue eyes actually glowing with a green luster. The sweat on Qianyes forehead finally seeped out. He helplessly shook his head as he applied a final layer of seasonings and roasted it a while longer before tossing all the remaining legs and ribs toward William. William laughed heartily and was somewhat embarrassed, but his mouth didnt slow down in the least. Nearly 50 kilograms of meat was swept away like scattered clouds in the wind. Qianye shrugged, feeling quite speechless at the fact that this dark race count who had once intimidated a whole squad of high-ranking vampires was such a glutton. He began working on the remaining slab of ribs and the boars hind legs. One could easily tell, after seeing Williams gigantic wolf form, that a single boar wasnt quite enough. Only after devouring the greater half of the roast meat did William free his mouth to chat with Qianye. Lone Ghosts target should be you. Ive killed two, including the one just now and I also found a Lone Ghost corpse in the mountains. William opened a bag which the female werewolf just delivered and poured out a pile of small items. These things were collected from their bodies. Take a look yourself. Qianye nodded and, after placing the seasoned meat onto the flames, began to rummage through the items. In addition to some portable and suppressed weapons, there were all kinds of equipment for traveling in the wilderness. There were also Lone Ghost Assassin identity tokens, but there was nothing special about them. William then opened a map of the Blue Dream Mountain Belt and pointed to the approximate places where the assassins were encountered. Qianyes heart shook after observing in detailLone Ghost really was targeting him. These places seemed unrelated at a glance but, barring the official highways, all of them were points he had to cross if he wanted to head toward Zhao clan territory. As for the reason why they were waiting for him on the Western Continent, it was likely related to the item Song Zining had entrusted him to deliver! Qianye raised his eyes and saw Williams head buried in the food. Why have you arrived here? William revealed a greatly satisfied smile after swallowing the last piece of meat and said, Originally, I was just passing by when I saw some people chasing you and thought Id say hello, his eyes shifted to Qianyes waist, but after seeing this gun, I think my objective might have something to do with you. Qianye looked down and found that William was referring to the grade six origin gun he had acquired from the vampire viscount. This gun is called the Thorned Lariat, William said meaningfully, and it belongs to one of the 13 ancient clans, the Byrnes clan. Currently, its serving as Viscount Zalens weapon. Qianye nodded and replied calmly, Hes already dead. William squinted his eye and suddenly extended his hand toward Qianye. Give it to me! What? Since youve obtained the Thorned Lariat, his other belongings should also be in your possession, right? William said with a chuckle, Dont worry, I dont care how he died. I originally rushed over to the Forgotten Mountain Range because I received news that Zalen had come here and wanted to get rid of him in secret. Qianye believed the greater part of this reason because there was enmity between certain werewolf and vampire tribes that could be traced back tens of thousands of years. That was an era far in the past that written records were sparse and only legends remained. All the items Zalen has on him along with the items from the Lone Ghost assassins will go to you. I only want a certain blood crystal, William drew out the approximate size with gestures and added, its not a pure-colored blood crystal. There should be some strands of purple mixed in. Qianye immediately understood that William was referring to the crystal he had already absorbed. It had a number of live purple blood energy within. He replied without any change in expression, I did obtain some items but there isnt anything among them that fits your description. Qianye grabbed his backpack over and took out the Scarlet Edge, the pouch of crystal currency, the red crystal pendant, and the black titanium bullet of annihilation. Just these. William picked up the items one by one, examined them, and put them back down. He frowned as he said, Tell me where you found Zalen. Ill have Aya go and take a look. Qianye recalled the map of the Blue Dream Mountain Belt and, after some thought, pointed to the deep ravine where he had thrown Zalens corpse into. It was completely meaningless to give William fake news because, as kings of the mountains, it was only a matter of time before the werewolves would find traces of the vampire viscount. Aya was the female werewolf who was following William. Qianye had no idea how the signal was sentAya appeared very soon and left again in a hurry after memorizing the map. Qianye thought for a while and began to probe. If its a blood crystal, perhaps Zalen has already absorbed it. William let out a wry laugh and said, Impossible. Zalen would never dare to absorb that thing without an elder nearby. It isnt just any blood energy inside that crystal. It contains a powerful bloodline from a direct descendant of the Mammon family. Not to mention an ordinary viscount, even a count might not dare to attempt an absorption so rashly. William paused momentarily and then said solemnly, This piece of blood crystal, if used on a suitable candidate, might produce another Nana. Nana? Qianye was astonished. The empire had records of all the powerful dark race characters, and Marquis Nana was also included in this list. Hailing from the Mammon clan, Nana rose to become a mighty marquis before the age of 100. She was considered a genius as 100 was still considered underage for the long-living vampires race. Nana had entered this list not simply because of her rank as Marquis, but, most importantly, due to her combat prowess. During several great battles in the past, Nana had eliminated half of the enemy forces on her own and thus established her bloody fame. To many of the empires experts, they would rather face a vampire duke than fight against Nana. If the vampire race was able to produce another Nana, this wouldnt be good news at all for the empire. She was a terrifying combat genius who might ascend to the rank of prince within the next 100 years. If such a person were to mature, it would signify a disaster for the experts of the human race. Fortunately, Nana didnt take part in battles that often, otherwise, the casualty list on the human side would be even longer. However, Qianye couldnt help but ask after seeing Williams serious expression, Isnt it a good thing for the dark races if the vampires gain another Nana? [1] Precise calculation: 1 jun = 30 catty = 18000 kilograms. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 254: An Old Tradition [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] William shook his head and said, All sacred-blood races must be the same in your eyes. But, in fact, the relationship between the four great races are quite complicated. Take Nana for instance, did you guys think she rarely took part in battles because she was busy cultivating? It is indeed so. Qianye nodded. His impression naturally came from imperial army documents. William drew a deep breath and said, The truth is actually different. Cultivation isnt important to Nana. The only things that can increase her strength are battle and slaughter. Shes been fighting against us for the greater part of the past ten years. It was precisely because of her emergence that our ancient Silverback tribe is on the verge of extinction. This was surprising news to Qianye. The Silverbacks were an old werewolf tribe with over a thousand years of history. They were recently quite low-key and rarely made any appearanceswho wouldve thought they were on the brink of extinction in a war against the vampires. Wont the summit of peaks intervene? William stretched his legs, switched to a different sitting position, and sighed. This is a feud between the Silverbacks and the Mammon family. We currently have no right to get involved. Once we interfere, it will give the other vampire clans a reason to join the fight. This was the dark races old tradition of blood feudsthey not only existed between different races, but also within the same species. It was just that Qianye had only found out that such conflicts were no less bitter than their war with the daybreak faction. That was also why the werewolves could hardly tolerate the emergence of another Nana even though the chances of producing an ancient bloodline awakener was quite low. There were seven such purple blood crystals. Up to this day, they had already used five of them and failed to produce an awakener with the Mammon bloodline. The one in Zalens hand was one of the two crystals that had drifted outside. Although Zalen himself possessed only mediocre talent and bloodline power, he was a purebloodboth his paternal and maternal lineages were quite strong. Bloodline awakening and strength inheritance couldnt be determined with conventional reasoning, and as such, the werewolves werent willing to take this risk. On the other hand, Zalen had kept the fact that he had obtained this blood crystal a secret from his race, giving the werewolves an opportunity they could exploit. Qianye continued to gaze at the bonfire in silence. William felt it was odd and asked, Why arent you talking anymore? Qianye replied indifferently, Since youve told me so many secrets, I reckon youre going to silence me soon, right? William raised his brow and began to laugh maliciously, Yes! Yes, indeed. But, I can give you a chance. You have to work for me! For instance... He laughed resplendently and even patted Qianyes shoulder. The latter didnt dodge, but his eyes turned extremely cold. William then continued, For instance, keep on using the Twin Flowers! Ha, every day the gun stays in your hands, is another day of vexation for that old thing Ross. And whenever I see that old thing unhappy, my mood will become especially good! The tense atmosphere, much like a punctured balloon, was thus immediately deflated. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Qianye said unceremoniously, It''s just a grade four origin gun. Soon, I wont be able to use it anymore. William rubbed the short beard on his chin and said, So, you dont know how to use it yet! Qianye was somewhat startled and naturally quite puzzled. He had never encountered the wear of incompatible origin power while using them, but it seemed there was some other meaning to Williams words. William pulled out the Twin Flowers from Qianyes waist and released his powerful suppressive might, accompanied by the illusion of a large golden wolf in the air. He then brought his arms together until the guns were adjacent to each other, whereupon an unusual phenomenon ensued! The origin arrays on the guns lit up in sequence as the origin power radiance formed the outline of two beautiful and even somewhat bewitching flowers. The flowers, blooming in opposite directions, began rotating in the air until they faced each other. A layer of patterns emerged on each gun at the moment of contact, wherein an undecipherable rune would light up with the fall of each petal. Before Qianyes eyes, the Twin Flowers merged into a double-barreled handgun. Each of the guns two barrels shot out an azure origin power bullet just as the last petal from the two illusory flowers fell. The projectiles merged in the air and collided with a giant tree hundreds of meters away. The giant tree completely vanished amidst an earth-shattering explosion, leaving a deep pit dozens of meters in radius. Everything on the ground was wiped off to reveal a deep brown-colored soil with red rocks mixed in. The firepower of a grade-six gun! The original appearance of the Twin Flowers was a double-barreled gun? Williams aura gradually receded. He once again separated the Twin Flowers and turned them back into the two revolvers. William tossed the Twin Flowers to Qianye and said, See it? Thats the true Twin Flowers. Its an antique of the Monroe clanits said to have once belonged to a certain duke and that there were certain secrets hidden within, at this point, William casually shrugged and said, but all these named guns claim to have stories and secrets. Having said that, and seeing Qianye trying to combine the two guns, William couldnt help but say with a laugh, Its no use. Why else do you think Rosss descendants didnt use it? Without the activation of a suitable bloodline, youll need to be at champion rank or higher. And not just any ordinary champion; you might be able to do it in a few years. William hadnt even finished speaking when a layer of scarlet mist appeared around Qianyes body with specks of golden light hovering within. These motes of light suddenly burst into flames! Within the searing light, a pair of radiant wings began to unfurl and soon reached its peak. The two illusory flowers condensed upon the guns didnt fall this time. The petals began to burn as the guns merged together and then shot out two blood-colored origin bullets. The projectiles similarly merged as one and struck a nearby patch of shrubbery. A deep pit appeared on the ground after the explosion subsided. It was even somewhat deeper and larger than the one William had produced with his shot. This, this isnt normal, a stunned William mumbled while scratching his head subconsciously. He then began to size up Qianye, Your bloodline Qianye himself was absolutely shocked. He had originally wanted to give it a try and didnt even hold too much hope of success. He knew it was probably due to an incompatible bloodline that the descendants of the Monroe family werent able to use this gun. In order to use origin power to forcefully activate this gun, he would likely have to be at Williams level to obtain decent selectivity and cost to performance ratio. The initial feeling he got was indeed so. He sensed that a terrifying amount of origin power was needed to merge the two guns, and that the requirements had far exceeded his current ability. But just as he was about to give up, the pair of little wings on the dark golden blood energy suddenly expanded and unfurled, whereupon the obstructive force in the Twin Flowers vanished, allowing him to fire a shot that could easily wound a champion. However, the great firepower came at a steep price. This single shot had drained the greater half of his origin power, and his blood power was drained significantly by the dark golden blood energy as it spread its wings. And this was under a condition where his origin power intensity and purity were far superior to those at the same rank. Any other person under the champion rank might not be able to succeed even after being sucked dry of all origin power. Even so, the might of this single shot came as a delightful surprise to Qianye. After Qianye came to, he saw William sizing him up thoughtfully and couldnt help but feel alarmed. William shook his head and said, I remember when I first saw you, I thought you were a newborn from a certain vampire clan. It seems human bloodlines are even more complicated than the ancient sacred-blood clans. How odd! His last words were referring to a common consensus that was reached since the War of Daybreak. The reason the dark races kept on kidnapping, buying, and breeding human bloodline seedlings was partly because they wanted to study this strange phenomenon. Did you spare me back then because you thought I was a vampire? asked Qianye. Oh, no, its because you were so weak that even slapping you to death was too much trouble, William replied honestly. Qianye frowned. Youre truly frank. Williams gaze once again turned to the meat roasting on the bonfire. The ribs and legs had turned a golden yellow and seemed nearly done. He inhaled deeply and said delightfully, Of course, the delicious food was also an important factor. Qianye went silent for a moment and said, Its quite strange for a werewolf to like cooked food. The smile on Williams face froze momentarily. The two spent the night there. The next morning, Qianye was quite surprised after waking up because he hadnt expected himself to actually fall asleep. But with William around, the vicious beasts of the wilderness dared not approach. The night was especially peaceful. He opened his eyes to see that the female werewolf, Aya, had already returned and was currently speaking to William. William came over after they finished their discussion and said, Im headed toward the Tulip Bazaar. We best go together if were headed in the same direction. This so-called Tulip Bazaar was, in fact, a grey city between Zhao clan and dark race territories. Such cities were also scattered across the borders on several other continents, and the only difference was their scale and the content of their trade. They would trade in anything they could get their hands on in the area, completely ungoverned by law and order. Qianye asked, What happened? There were many problems on Zalens corpse. The most evident was the way he had died, and how his essence blood was drained by a blood absorption weapon. William didnt seem to suspect Qianye even after listening to the female werewolfs report, but there seemed to be some other unexpected discoveries. William thought about it for a while and said, Agents from the Evernight Council were already there when Aya arrived at the scene. Qianye nodded and then frowned. It was naturally good news that William hadnt found out his secret, but he wasnt quite certain if his methods in erasing traces would work against agents of the Evernight Council. Regardless of the little girls actual identity, Qianye didnt wish to bring her extra trouble. I recall seeing a red crystal pendant yesterday among Zalens possessions. Qianye brought the item out. After examining it for some time, William found an unremarkable symbol at its base. So its the work of Master Weber! Qianye, give this to me, and Ill give you this in exchange. William brought out a deep blue velvet pouch and tossed it toward Qianye. After opening it, Qianye found that it was filled with blood crystals, a couple dozen of them. A werewolf was actually in possession of so many blood crystalsit seemed Williams target in coming to this mountainous area wasnt just Zalen. Whos master Weber? Qianye was curious. A prophet from the Evernight Council, William laughed, this should be a map. I cant open this thing, but if I can find someone who can, Ill know just what theyre up to in this area. However, this is an internal affair of the Evernight nobility. Youd best pretend you never obtained such a thing. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 255: The Grey City [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye put the silk pouch away. He wasnt that interested in the red crystal pendant, merely a bit curious. Williams tone didnt seem that reverent toward the Evernight Council. At this time, Qianye was hesitating whether or not to travel together with William. Speaking geographically, the Tulip Bazaar was in the same direction as the recipient of the boulderheart jade letter, and the distance between them wasnt that great. It would also be safer for Qianye to sell the items he had obtained from Zalen in this grey city. But even if this was likely a friendly gesture on Williams part, Qianye still couldnt trust the former completely. William handed the red crystal pendant to the female werewolf and softly said a few words to her. He then headed back to Qianyes side after she left. He seemed not to have noticed Qianyes hesitation and said with a nonchalant smile, Then lets set out right away and leave this place as soon as possible. I dont want to bump into those old fogeys from the Evernight Council. I doubt you do either! Qianye suddenly realized that William should also have some doubts about his identity. His suggestion to leave together probably wasnt just on a whim but might also be to prevent his traces in this area from being leaked. And thus, one man and one wolf, each with their own intentions, set out on the two-day long journey in each others company. Owing to Williams presence, Qianye only cultivated Combatant Formula on the road. This was the first time he had circulated the Combatant Formula after absorbing the purple blood crystal and receiving an upgrade to his vampire constitution rune. He began to feel some pressure after the origin power tides exceeded 38 cycles, but he clearly still had power to spare. Forty cycles was his previous limitthis time, he was somewhat overcome with excitement as he began to form the 41st cycle! The rebound suffered by the body would increase almost exponentially in the later stages of the Combatant Formula, and the progression of each cycle had to be executed with great difficulty. That was why fighter kings were so rare. But behind such difficulties lay virtually unparalleled potential accomplishments because there was no upper limit regarding the increase in cultivation speed. Even though it was just in theory, it was still unlimited nonetheless. A small part of Zhang Boqians great fame could be attributed to the Combatant Formula. He was the first ever warrior in history to push the formula past 50 cycles before adulthood. Moreover, he was only fourteen years old when he ignited nine origin nodes with astonishing speed and broke through the bottleneck to become a champion overnight. Zhang Boqian switched to a different art after breaking through to champion rank. Even to this day, when talking about the past, people would enthusiastically discuss and guess just how many cycles Marshal Zhang would be able to circulate if he hadnt switched cultivation arts. And now, Qianye was currently on that very same path. The vague figure of Zhang Boqians back had begun to appear in front of him. There was a fundamental difference between the advanced and intermediate vampire constitutions. Add to that the tenacious protective effect exerted upon his heart by the continuously growing dark golden blood energy, Qianye immediately charged past the 41st and 42nd tides to reach the 43rd within the blink of an eye. At this time, his Daybreak origin power tides were like tsunamis. Even the defenses formed by the dark golden blood energy momentarily dimmed down! At this point, Qianye understood that he had arrived at his true limit. As the tides gradually calmed down, delight gushed out from the depths of Qianyes heart. It seemed that, with the repeated evolution of blood energy, his constitution would continue to grow even stronger, and the number of origin power tides he could withstand would increase. Perhaps one day, he would be able to withstand 50 origin power tides and formally stand alongside Zhang Boqian. Looking at this era, it was indeed a period capable of accommodating two apex characters. These couple of days, Qianye was focused entirely on attacking the Combatant Formula. The majority of his body was filled with scarlet origin power with a smaller amount of condensed daybreak origin power mixed within. Qianye suddenly realized somethingthis so-called Venus Dawn, one of the three greatest daybreak origin powers, was perhaps referring to the attribute closest to daybreak. That was to say, the condensed form of daybreak origin power. What appeared before Qianye after leaving the mountainous region was a large area of wilderness. This place was different from the Silentflame Steppes; the coarse landscape was flourishing with vitality. Apart from the great trees with deep roots that could extract water from the underground water flow, there was also vegetation growing close to the earths surface. There were weathered rocks everywhere, and at the end of ones sight, there were several large stone pillars towering over the horizon. They seemed to be some ancient remains. After traveling for the greater half of the day, an area filled with short buildings appeared before them. This was an oasis marked neither on human nor dark race official maps with a patch of verdant and lush trees growing upon it. Its tender green color formed a stark contrast with the grey-brown wilderness surrounding it. The grey city had no walls and was filled with short houses. A three-storeyed building stood as its grandest building. The sandy winds were strong in the wilderness. The night winds would sometimes grow so strong that even a camel might be blown up into the sky. The buildings here had to be exceptionally firm and couldnt be built too tall. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to withstand the might of nature. Additionally, grey cities actually werent fixed as the Zhao clan would sweep the surroundings clean once every few years. Grey existences such as the Tulip Bazaar would then be rebuilt in a new place. There naturally wouldnt be any beautiful buildings since they had to move around. They were just like the wilderness lilies bearing little yellow flowers. Even when completely uprooted, they would grow out again from a certain crack in the ground after the sandstorm had passed. Qianye was somewhat shaken after seeing this grey city and subconsciously reached for the gun and knife at his waist. People would die mysteriously every day in such a place where order and trust were almost nonexistent. Strength was the only dependable resource both for protecting the transaction and oneself. William who was beside him began to laugh and said nonchalantly, Relax, this place may be a little bit dirty and messy, but theres no danger to speak of. We can totally walk unhindered here. Qianye ignored the man and proceeded to pull his traveler cloak over his head. Such grey cities, similar to other human areas, would normally have a couple of champions overseeing them in order to maintain basic order. Those that had developed to the scale of this Tulip Bazaar before them would at least have three. Williams current rank of count made him a great noble, someone who had to be addressed as an excellency. Even the noble heads of lower and intermediate aristocratic families, who ruled over several regions, were merely at this level. As the two walked into the grey city, Qianye saw scenes of vampires and werewolves happily chatting away, that of humans and arachne haggling, and even that of a servspider pulling a carriage with two humans sitting upon it. Such scenes would be quite unimaginable had he not seen them with his own eyes. The grey city neither had city walls nor guards. One could come and go freely. Only after entering the city did Qianye realize why the humans and dark races could coexist so peacefully here. The humans in this place were all extremely fierce and tough. Both their might and killing intent were superior to the dark races by a clear margin. The occasional passer-by would sweep their eyes over Qianye and William as if they were evaluating how plump their prey was. Qianye wasnt unfamiliar with such gazes. It was the same in every underground world and every land of disorder, that was to size up any unfamiliar faces. Both Qianye and William were wearing the most ordinary of traveler cloaks. Qianye made no attempt to hide his own levelrank seven wasnt the strongest in this place, but it definitely wasnt too weak either. It should be enough to avoid a fair amount of unnecessary troubles. William, on the other hand, had, for some reason, completely retracted his aura and even his race was no longer evident. Within this grey city, there was an inn, a casino, a bar, an arena, and even an auction house of considerable scale. Here, Qianye had seen almost all of Evernights races just by walking through a short lane. There was even one from the rare demonkin race, a grocery shopkeeper no less. Qianye involuntarily paused his steps as they passed in front of a weapons store and began to size-up this unremarkable little shop with great curiosity. The store actually had two grade five guns laid out before its main doors, and one of them was a rare vampire sniper rifle. This grade five sniper rifle appealed greatly to Qianye, especially since vampire weapons were known for their accuracy and craftsmanship. The only doubt he had was whether or not he could install the Resounding Strike array on it. Qianye was shocked after shifting his gaze toward the price tag stuck beside it at a weird angle. This grade five gun was actually on sale for a whole 80 pieces of high-purity blood crystals. This number was twice the normal price. Qianye picked up the gun and observed it in detail. He found signs of refurbishment in many places. The technique was quite brilliant, but it still couldnt escape the eyes of a veteran like Qianye. In other words, this wasnt a new gun but a second-hand item. Adding depreciation to the equation, its asking price was more than three times the market price. Qianye shrugged, put the gun down, and planned to leave. After finding out about the real use of the Twin Flowers, he was no longer in urgent need of a high-grade sniper rifle. If, in the future, he was required to take up a long-range role in combat, a remodeled Eagleshot with the Resounding Strike installed would still be his weapon of choice. At least it could overwhelm this second-hand grade-five rifle in all aspects. It was just that, after seeing such a random small shop being able to place two grade-five weapons on display allowed Qianye to gain a direct understanding of this Tulip Bizaar. Qianye had just turned around when a fierce voice arrived from behind him. Halt! Qianye turned around and found that it was the keeper of this small shop, a middle-aged man with a face full of scars. There were two tall and burly men standing to his left and right. From their undisguised auras, it seemed that they were werewolves. At this time, they were staring at Qianye with malicious eyes. It would be an inconceivable sight, both in imperial and dark race territories, to see a human set up shop with werewolves acting as guards. But apparently, everything was possible in such a place as this grey city. Qianyes expression didnt change in the least as he asked calmly, Whats the matter? That shopkeeper spat on the ground and then extended his large hand toward Qianye, saying, 80 blood crystals! You looked at my gun and asked the price, so you must buy it! Qianye frowned. He knew such places were rife with all kinds of trouble, but he hadnt expected trouble to come knocking so quickly and so directly. Some people had already gathered in the vicinity. Most of them were standing in a leisurely manner and many revealed expressions akin to watching a play. But Qianye knew that once there were benefits or opportunities to exploit, nothing could stop them from turning into hungry wolves that would join the ranks of those sharing this meal. Qianye swept his eyes over the shopkeeper and his two guards. The two guards were rank seven, while the shopkeeper himself was rank six. In this grey city and even in other places, this kind of lineup could already be considered quite powerful. This could be considered a probethese people were trying to sound out the foreigners. Merely, it belonged to one of the most serious types. Qianye shot a glance at William and found him to be fairly relaxed. The latter was full of smiles as he asked quietly, How can I be of service? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 256: Rules of the Tribe [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Are there any taboos? asked Qianye. William took a step back and shrugged. None whatsoever. Do as you wish. Qianye nodded. He then stepped forward and grabbed the mans collar. Revealing a nasty grin, one of the werewolf guards grabbed at Qianyes wrist and roared, Little bastard, are you courting death? But soon after catching Qianyes wrist, his whole body shook and flew backwards, as if he were struck by lightning. Qianyes movements werent quick at all, but the shopkeeper seemed to be bound by an invisible attractive force and unable to retreat. He could only gaze helplessly as Qianye lifted him up by the collar. The shopkeeper felt as if he were struck in the chest by a heavy hammer the moment Qianyes fingers touched him and a mouthful of blood rushed up his throat. However, with a shake of Qianyes hand, the mans whole body trembled as if struck by lightning, effectively choking that mouthful of blood back down. The other werewolf bodyguard drew his weapon and rushed over. With a wild roar, he smashed his spiked club down on Qianyes head. Qianye only turned and shot a glance at him, but the guard suddenly began to palpitate as if he were being watched by a vicious beast. Not to mention swinging his club, he even had the urge to run away immediately. Qianye calmly lifted his leg and stomped down. The ground suddenly began to shake as an indefensible force was transmitted underneath the werewolf bodyguards. It threw him high into the air and dozens of meters away. Qianyes hand suddenly relaxed and dropped the fierce-looking shopkeeper to the ground. The man wasnt weak, but he was still struggling to clamber up. In truth, he had already received two heavy blows since falling into Qianyes hands and the origin power within him was on the verge of collapse. How could he stand up? Qianye walked calmly towards the booth, retrieved that grade five sniper rifle, and tossed a blood crystal over. It bounced once on the shopkeepers face, then slid down his jacket and onto his belly. Qianye lifted the rifle indifferently and began to inspect the trigger and barrel in detail. Afterwards, he said without even looking at the shopkeeper, This is money for the rifle. You wont get off so cheap next time. Its not as if I cant afford to buy your arms, legs, and even your brain. None of the spectators were heckling anymore. Most of them were trembling because all of them knew that Qianyes words, although spoken to the shopkeeper, were likely also directed at them. However, some among them showed no signs of fear and only gazed deeply at him and William to memorize their appearances before dispersing in twos and threes. The results of this probing were already quite evident. The strength of this newcomer was tyrannical, to say the least, and his way of handling things was just perfect. Someone with such efficient and ruthless methods was clearly not a newly hatched bird. The onlookers swiftly decided that it was impossible to scrape profits from such a person, but they might be able to do something big by cooperating with him. Qianye strapped the sniper rifle to his back and beckoned William. Lets go. William nodded and left with Qianye. Williams destination was a two-storeyed building on the west side of the city. It was a sizeable store with all kinds of merchandise filling its display racks. From vampire origin power guns to arachne crystalline silkthere were all sorts of things. Those entering and leaving the shop also comprised of many different races and the number of werewolves among them wasnt greater than that of the others. William pulled back his hood and revealed an insignia on the inner surface of his collar. After seeing the origin glow emitted from the insignia, the clerks eyes lit up as he led them towards the back of the store. Qianye was walking furthest back. He had just passed the doorway when he suddenly noticed a cold gleam in the corner of his eye as a dagger was thrust at his throat. Qianye made no extra movement and even his expression seemed absolutely unaffected. At a glance, it was difficult to say if he was petrified with fright or if he was so calm that he didnt even care about the lethal danger. He only raised his head to glance at William. The dagger arrived at lightning speed and was pressed against Qianyes throat. A capable looking young werewolf with a bare upper body appeared from within the shadows and said while staring fixedly at Qianyes face, I smell the stench of a vampire on his body! A florid radiance flashed across Williams ceramic-like greyish blue eyes, but it gradually vanished after seeing Qianyes calm demeanor. His turned towards the young werewolf, and said coldly, This is my guest. Drop your weapon, lest the visitor looks down on us. The young man wasnt quite satisfied and retorted loudly, What right does he have to look down on us? Hes just a useless bastard! William immediately let out a sigh. The young werewolfs eyes never shifted away, but his expression suddenly changed. A handgun had appeared in Qianyes hand at some point and its muzzle was aimed straight at the werewolfs heart. A chill permeated the young werewolfs hearthe actually hadnt sensed it! Due to this, he came to a swift realizationsince the other party was capable of drawing his weapon and aiming it at him so silently, it was also quite likely that he could have easily dodged the blade at his throat. That is to say that, although Qianye seemed restrained by the werewolf, he had actually never even cared about him. That was the sole reason why the sharp weapon was allowed to approach his neck. The young werewolfs breathing grew distinctly heavier as he retracted his blade and growled, He uses a vampire weapon and theres a vampiric stench on his body! We dont welcome him here! Williams expression turned cold as he roared at the young werewolf. The volume of his roar was just about the same as normal speech, but the young werewolf was suddenly blown back as if he were struck by a cannon shell. He smashed through two layers of walls with a loud crash and collapsed on the street outside. Wait! This is a misunderstanding! An old werewolf rushed over and blocked Williams way. The old werewolf performed a salutation towards William and said, Honorable guest of the Summit of Peaks, it was not our intention to offend you. My son, that young werewolf, is easily agitated due to the hot weather. Its just that your guest is truly not welcomed here. Please have him remain outside! This is a grey city and not the tribal grounds. When did such a rule appear without my knowing? One such that even I cannot bring a guest. The old werewolf wore an apologetic smile but seemed to have no intention of retracting his words. William let out a cold laugh and said, It seems the White Claw Tribe is so amazing right now. Youve brought your tribal rules to this place after being allowed a turn in this position for a mere three years? I insist on bringing this person with me. What can you do? The old werewolf replied politely but resolutely, Then I can only ask you to leave. William began to laugh loudly instead of showing anger. He dragged Qianye behind his back and said very slowly, It seems the Summit of Peaks has been too kind towards you lot. Even a second-rate tribe dares disrespect me. Is this a declaration of war from the White Claw Tribe?! At this point, William let out another muffled roar and sent the old werewolf flying. Not only did he shoot through the building walls but also crashed into the shop across the street. It was unknown just how many houses he crashed through after that and where he fell in the end. The sound waves from Williams roar hadnt yet died down and was still reverberating in all directions. All the people in the shop collapsed and rolled on the ground. Many werewolves were directly flung away and crashed into the walls, spraying fresh blood mid-air. Qianye, who was standing behind William, felt as if a hurricane was blowing into his face. The origin power in his whole body began to move on its own, suddenly becoming more condensed and contracted. Along with the changes in origin power, Qianye noticed that he suddenly felt as if he were in water; his every movement was greatly impeded. He felt as if his body might just leave the ground and float upwards due to the formless attractive forces that had appeared in the vicinity. Many small objects were already beginning to hover in the air. As Williams roar traveled forward and reverberated throughout the place, the residual waves crashed into Qianyes protective barrier and produced a sound like muffled thunder before shooting out in every direction. Qianyes face turned somewhat pale but recovered soon afterwards. This time, he had personally experienced Williams unfathomable strength. It seemed that William hadnt, in the slightest, used his full strength that day in Darkblood City. Otherwise, Bai Longjia would have undoubtedly lost when fighting one against two. Originally, William had turned around with a mass of azure-colored energy on his arm, intending to help Qianye block off the residual waves, but unexpectedly, a collision between the two origin powers had already taken place. A touch of surprise appeared within Williams eyes after witnessing the scene before him. He didnt have time to say anything before an incisive killing intent surged in from outside the house. A tall and thin man walked in with large strides, looked around, and said with a frown, Friend, grey cities are indeed free, but youll still have to maintain a basic level of quietness. Whats the matter here? Can you give me an explanation? William let out a snort and replied coldly, This place belongs to the werewolves. It has nothing to do with you arachne. Whatever I do here is not your business. Leave immediately! That arachne was already capable of taking on a human form and was apparently also a champion-level expert. Fury flashed across his countenance after hearing Williams impolite reply, but at this time, the arachnes eyes happened to sweep over the unremarkable tattoo on Williams neck. He was immediately shaken and his anger also vanished completely. The arachne then shot a glance at Qianye and frowned. This person, who was the only one left standing in this shop apart from William, gave him a certain odd sensation and even a faint sense of danger. However, the other partys aura was that of a weak human and might also be related to the vampires in some way. The arachne noticed the dagger and pistol at Qianyes waist and understood that normal humans wouldnt use a whole set of vampire weapons. In any case, the arachne wanted to regain a little bit of face, and Qianye was just right for that. He immediately roared, Since that is so, what is this weak human doing here? William frowned and was about to give an impatient reply, but Qianye had already raised his head. While looking at the arachne, he said while releasing a strand of his aura, I just killed someone and am here to sell some of the spoils. The arachnes expression changed drastically. He took a few steps back almost subconsciously and cried out in astonishment. Brahms! He actually died in your hands?! That which Qianye released was, in fact, a strand of Viscount Brahms aura from the battle at Black Clay Swamp. Back then, a large amount of Brahms essence blood had been absorbed by Qianye, and naturally, it wasnt too difficult to preserve a strand of his aura. The arachne stared at Qianye as if he had seen a ghost and began to edge back. Have fun in this place! he said with some difficulty. With that, the arachne turned around and left hurriedly, as if he were fleeing for his life. William asked in amazement. Brahms? If I remember correctly, hes quite capable in battle despite being a bit dumb. He actually died in your hands? Qianye laughed and said, Of course not! I merely delivered the final blow. Then what are you holding onto his aura for? To drive wild beasts away. William immediately rolled his eyes at this. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 257: Underground Trade [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Most wild beasts would stay away once Viscount Brahms aura was released, and its uses werent limited to this. In the hands of an expert in concealment and assassinations, a strand of special aura could also be used for deceit and disguise. For instance, it could be used together with a blinding technique to pretend one was a powerful arachne and confuse the perception of dark race enemies, allowing one to sneak into certain sensitive areas. William only glared at Qianye once but didnt reveal any of this. His gaze swept across the werewolves strewn across the building and shouted, Get up, all of you, and clean this place up immediately! You have one hour! The werewolves clambered up in succession. They endured the pain and began to work without any resistance. Only at this moment did Qianye see Williams tyrannical side. Qianye felt quite odd because this extremely dignified dark race count before him was too different from the glutton who loved eating roast meat despite being a werewolf. Afterwards, William and Qianye continued on their path which had been interrupted previously, walking through two doors and entering a small empty hall. There wasnt any furniture there, only a single path downwards. At the end of the spiral flight of steps was a strictly guarded door, through which they entered and arrived at a maze-like underground space. This was a natural underground cave. There were actually a number of shops within, but they hung no sign boards and their customers seemed few and far between. However, Qianye was shaken to find that none of the humans or dark race members moving about here were below rank seven. The underground cave was very quiet. People were conversing in hushed tones and seemed as if they were whispering to each other. Occasionally, one could see a number of people leaving hurriedly with trunks of goods in tow. Qianye also noticed that the path out wasnt just limited to the one they had entered from. William also softened his volume and said to Qianye, There are some fine goods in this place, and itll be easier for you to sell the stuff in your hands here. Therell be relatively fewer after-effects as well. Im off to handle the business regarding the White Claw Tribe. You can look around on your own for now. Go back along this tunnel when youre done. Just inform the guards and theyll let you through. Youll get back as long as you follow this tunnel. A thought flashed through Qianyes mind. Do you need my help? The matter above ground likely wouldnt end just like that. The fuss about vampire weapons and aura from before was just an unintelligent excuseit was common knowledge that weapons seized from vampires would retain their clans aura unless it was erased with special equipment or methods. Qianyes current Concealed Bloodline ability no longer needed to be activated and was already a part of his normal status. He didnt believe that the mediocre werewolf youngster would have been able to see through anything. This whole business was basically the White Claw Tribe trying to make William lose face for some reason. William laughed out loud as a cold gleam flashed through the depths of his eyes. No need. If I cant even take care of a mere White Claw tribe elder, then Id rather mingle with you from now on! Qianye nodded. William probably didnt want to expose too much of his tribes internal conflicts in front of Qianye either. After he left, Qianye swept his eyes over the shops in front of him and went in a random direction. This natural trading hall was used both for setting up storefronts and as a warehouse. There were a total of six moderately-sized stores, and among them, the vampires, werewolves, arachne, and demonkin owned one store each. Humans, on the other hand, owned two. After observing the set up here, Qianye understood that this wasnt just a coincidencethey were arranged according to the distribution of major powers in the Tulip Bazaar. The reason there were two human stores was because they were the other party in trade and not because they were more powerful than the other races. The clerks in the stores appeared lazy and indifferent. The items upon the racks werent too impressive either. The demonkins shop was even empty. There wasnt a single item upon the shelvesonly two iron ammunition boxes lay in one corner. They were covered in dust and it seemed as if theyd been left untouched for quite some time. Qianye browsed through every store and chatted with the clerks briefly until only the demonkin store was left. What surprised Qianye was that among the two human stores, one of them belonged to an agent of the Zhao clan while the other was backed by the rebel army. The Zhao clan and the rebel army had been fighting bitterly on the Western Continent for decades. But within this grey citys trading hall, agents from both parties were sitting side by side in harmony, doing their best to collect rare resources for their respective masters. The six shops had their own ways of running their business. Dark race goods would normally fetch a better price in human stores while imperial goods had to be sold to one of the four dark race stores. As such, Qianye returned to the Zhao clan store and asked, Do you buy vampire armaments? The person behind the counter was a fair-looking young lady. She glanced coldly at Qianye and said, You dont need to bring out any origin guns below grade four or melee weapons below grade three. Qianye produced the Thorned Lariat and placed it upon the counter. The young ladys eyes suddenly went round. She picked up the Thorned Lariat and observed it carefully for quite some time before carefully placing it back down. She then turned towards Qianye with a gaze so passionate that it could melt steel. She smiled charmingly and said with a gentle voice, I need to have someone appraise this. Can you wait a moment? Fine. Qianye nodded. Immediately, the young woman asked Qianye to sit down with all due politeness. She then brought out a teatray from god knows where with fragrant tea and attractive desserts upon it. Only after that did she hurriedly leave for the back of the store. Moments later, a short and fat old man walked out. He was also somewhat startled after seeing the handgun on the table. Then he brought out his equipment with a solemn expression and began to appraise the item in detail. Qianye only sat quietly without touching the tea or snacks. The short and fat elder observed the gun for over ten minutes. Only afterwards did he exhale deeply and turned towards Qianye while wiping the sweat from his brows. The Thorned Lariat, a premium product of the Byrne clan. This is a gun with a long story behind it and not something that would easily drift outside. Qianye replied indifferently without raising his head, A gun is a gun and the stories are merely stories. As for other thingshe smiled silentlyI thought the items in this trading hall had no history attached to them. The old fat elder focused his gaze on Qianye and nodded. Youre right. Its just that guns with stories are more valuable. So, young master, what do you want? Mithril, energy-grade black crystals, and Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. Moments later, Qianye walked away with several pieces of mithril, a piece of energy-grade black crystal, and three Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. He then walked towards the arachne store and directly poured out the Lone Ghost assassins equipment onto the table. The arachne were very much interested in human equipment. Qianye didnt understand why these gigantic and powerful arachne would want with such portable gear, but they had things he wanted and the price offered was quite good. There was a small pouch of crystal silk in Qianyes pocket when he left. The production rate of arachne crystal silk was extremely low, but it was one of the most resilient materials currently known. Even a high-grade origin gun would have a hard time blasting through a small sheet of cloth woven from crystal silk, making it one of the best materials for making inner armor. Such things were considered tactical resources in the empire, but who knew they could be easily traded for in this place. Finally, Qianye walked up to the demonkin store and knocked on the counter. The demonkin behind the desk was focused on carving a sheet of crystal and asked without evening raising his head, What do you want? Qianye glanced at the empty racks and asked, What do you have? The demonkin still didnt look up and replied, We have everything. Do you have Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation? The demonkin finally raised his head and glanced at Qianye after hearing these words. You actually want something like this? I have one in stock. Twenty blood crystals, no bargaining. Qianye was overwhelmed by this price. It wasnt possible for such bullets to exist in ordinary markets in Evernight Continent and, as such, this was also the first time he had heard of its price. Twenty blood crystals were already enough to buy a second-hand rank-five origin gun. However, Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation was a rare tactical resource since the metal couldnt be mined in the empire at all. As for how they arrived in the military resource stores, it was a special-grade secret and Qianye naturally wasnt aware of it. The only way to buy one outside of the military was to purchase it from the dark races via underground channels. Qianye gave it some thought but, in the end, he counted out twenty blood crystals from his backpack and placed them on the counter. Only then did the demonkin stand up lazily. He picked up a piece, sniffed it, and said carelessly, Monroe clan goods. The quality isnt bad. He swept the crystals off the table with a wave of his hand. Apparently, there was a certain mechanism underneath. Qianyes heart skipped a bit. If William had obtained these crystals just recently, this indicated that the Monroe clan people were also in the Forgotten Mountain Range area. What were the vampires or perhaps the Evernight Council searching for? Could it be the Eye of Truth he had heard of from the voice in his dreams? The demonkin turned a switch under the table, whereupon, the counter split open in the middle. A small lifting mechanism within dragged out an elaborately decorated palm-sized black bullet case. Qianye sized up the ordinary-looking counter. He unexpectedly found that it was made of metal and that every joint in it was probably movable. It could be opened and closed mechanically to form a storage space within. No wonder there wasnt anything on the shelves. Qianye received the bullet case and only flipped it open for a quick glance before shutting it tight immediately. Black titanium metal itself possessed extreme destructive properties towards life. Ordinary humans would have most of their vitality destroyed and slowly die just by being close to it, let alone coming in direct contact. Qianye was quite satisfied with the quality of the goods. With two Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation in hand, he would have a good chance of gravely wounding his opponent even if he were to encounter a human champion. Since the Lone Ghost assassins had already appeared, it was obvious that the last leg of his journey towards the Zhao clan wouldnt be peaceful. His only regret was that he had no weapon in his hands capable of dealing significant damage to a dark race champion. The handmade bullet he got from the great master in Dog Claw Town was indeed quite powerful. Unfortunately, he had already used it on Zalen. He had bought the mithril and black crystal just now so that he could go and find that great master on his way back. He wanted to see if he could have that master make him another bullet. Qianye went back along the passage and arrived at the werewolf base of operations. The messy shop had been more or less cleaned within the short hour and even the hole in the wall had been repaired. The werewolf clerks and guards had also resumed their open-for-business status and werent hostile towards Qianye, at least on the surface. Qianye had just stepped through the door of that small hall when a werewolf met him and told him that William was waiting for him. He found William gazing silently at a map as he walked into a room on the west side of the second floor. Qianye shot a glance at the map and found the geography to be quite unfamiliar. He could discern neither the region nor the continent of the area displayed on the map. Additionally, he had never seen most of the symbols on the map, making it difficult to understand their meaning. Williams brows were locked tightly in a frown. Apparently, he had encountered some trouble. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 258: Deals and Choices [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye wasnt in a hurry either and turned his attention to the furnishings around them. This was a lounge built so crudely that it appeared a tad miserable. A somewhat disorganized display of beast heads, hides, and blades decorated the walls in a true werewolf tribal style. It was at this time that William let out a deep sigh and turned around to ask, Howre your profits? Significant, replied Qianye. Thats great. Qianye glanced at the map and suddenly recognized a symbol resembling the insignia of a certain mid-rank vampire clan. This time, he noticed that the symbols on the map resembling that of military units seemed to represent a confrontation between the vampires and the werewolves. It was just that the situation on the werewolf side wasnt looking very optimisticthe vampires had already begun to form a vague half-encirclement around them. Qianye asked, Anything troubling you? William laughed wryly. A lot. Quite a lot, in fact. So much so that Im not sure where to start. His gaze then fell back onto the map as he said in a dreary voice, We werewolves, as a race, greatly revere our ancestors and traditions. A large part of our experts strength also originates from our ancestors protection. However, that doesnt mean all their methods were correct, especially after a thousand years of war Qianye listened in silence and didnt say anything. Tradition or changeit was an extremely complicated issue. And even more political factors would come into play after reaching a level of nations and tribes. This certainly wasnt Qianyes forte. On the other hand, as one of the four major races of the Evernight faction, the werewolves had always been a backbone of their military strength. They were more intelligent than arachne, somewhat less selfish than the vampires, while their numbers were much greater than those of the demonkin. William knocked on the corner of the table, collected his thoughts, and resumed his usual demeanor. He then brought out a black tablet made of an unknown metal and tossed it to Qianye. This is our tribes token. With this, you can walk freely through werewolf tribal territory. It goes without saying that a basic level of caution is still necessary. There are no shortage of tribes like the White Claws. Qianye caught the metallic tablet and studied it in detail. This tablet was the size of half a palm and had a rough and uneven surface. The image of a towering mountain peak decorated the front side and a werewolf totem was carved upon the back. The metallic tablet, from its craftsmanship to the images carved upon it, possessed a crude style characteristic of the werewolves and was emitting a vague aura of desolation. Qianye asked in passing, Has your problem with the White Claw Tribe been solved? A coldness once again appeared in Williams tone when he said, Old Walker has been chief for too long. So long that hes forgotten to revere the ancestral spirits of the Summit of Peaks. Since war is what they want, war is what theyll get. Qianye raised his head in amazement. The expression on Williams face, at this moment, was extremely unfamiliar. A touch of incisive sharpness had emerged upon his handsome, viking-like countenance. Qianye said while flipping the metallic tablet in his hand, Youve investigated me right? What do you want me to do? William suddenly giving him a tribal token was naturally not to just facilitate travel. A human might not need to head into werewolf territory in a lifetime, and those who do travel that deep into dark race territory were there either to trade or to kill. If William hadnt known about Qianyes identity beforehand, why would he think that a lone hunter possessed the ability and qualifications to do business with a werewolf tribe? William laughed and said, I was only slightly curious about the person who made Ole Ross unhappy. Now that you have a mercenary band of your own, youll need money and resources. This business will benefit us both. Qianye maintained his silence. Before meeting William, he had never believed he could associate with a dark race member for several days. However, doing business was another matter entirelyit wasnt as simple as buying and selling loot at the underground market, nor was it something he could accept just because both sides would benefit. William retrieved a certain scroll from beside him and opened it to reveal a map of the Evernight Continent. Its very simple, you only have to help me with a couple of small things. First, when you go to war with the vampires, I hope youll go and give Marquis Rosss descendants some extra care whenever the situation permits. I might even be able to provide you with some extra information from our side. He paused for a moment and then pointed to the region around Blackflow City. The other thing is there are a dozen or so small werewolf tribes in the vicinity. They can trade you medicine and ores in exchange for armaments. Of course, itll be even better if you can provide some custom-made equipment. The price will definitely be satisfactory. Qianyes frown became even tighter. The werewolves werent proficient in crafting due to their innate characteristics. The vampires, on the other hand, were born masters of arts and crafts, while the demonkin were famous for their top-grade origin power equipment. The werewolves would habitually rely on raw physical strength to kill their enemies. To them, armor wasnt essential, but their strength in combat would increase explosively should they get their hands on suitable equipment. This wasnt something Qianye was willing to see. William suddenly patted Qianyes shoulder. While looking deeply at him with a pair of greyish-blue eyes, he said softly, In truth, the matter is quite simple and its completely up to you whether or not you want to do it. Qianye gave it some thought and said slowly, The first thing is something I would obviously do. As for the trade William smiled. Why not decide on this matter after you go and get in touch with them? Those tribes have close ties with my own and are also relatively friendlier. But just like in this place, you have to display enough strength when meeting them since werewolves have always revered the strong. This will make them recognize you with greater ease. Qianye nodded while heaving a sigh of relief in his heart. At this moment, he suddenly thought of Song Ziningthe Ningyuan Group maintained certain routes of trade with the dark races. Just what were Song Zinings thoughts when he decided on doing business with the dark races? William added, I still have some matters to attend to and will be staying here for a couple of days. You should also stay a while longer. Good stuff appear in this grey city every day. No, Im short on time. Actually, Im going to set out in a while. Worried about the situation back in Evernight Continent? Theres nothing to worry about right now. The war there has actually ended. Qianye was stunned. That was a total war poised to sweep away half of the Evernight Continent. There were signs that the Evernight faction had mobilized a two digit line up of council-member-grade experts to oversee the situation there. According to Wei Bainians information, the empire had also transferred a number of regular army corps and almost half their elite forces to Evernight Continent. Just the transportation costs would add up to an astronomical figure. According to convention, a war of such scale should drag on for the greater part of a year before a winner became evident. How did the war suddenly end? William discerned Qianyes puzzlement and said with a laugh, It seems the reason those old Evernight Council geezers started this war was to search for a certain item. Now that the outcome is clear, theres naturally no need to continue fighting. Qianye felt the first part of his words to be almost unbelievable. He couldnt imagine just what kind of item could actuate a war of such scale. But his heart tightened after hearing what William had said after that. Is the outcome good or bad? William shrugged and said, Of course its bad. Those old fogeys are probably quite distressed right now. Later on, Qianye said his goodbyes to William. William accompanied him out the door and warned him, I dont know why the Lone Ghosts are after you. I helped you kill two of them while a third unexpectedly died in Zalens hands. However, the Lone Ghosts never leave their commissions unfinished. You must be careful. Qianye nodded and, without further delay, left the grey city for Zhao clan territory. He stuck close to the border along the road to Serenity. Unlike in the empty mountainous region or the open plains, the dark races and vicious beasts were quite active here. Thus, there were also quite a number of human hunters and adventurers. And these humans werent any less dangerous than the dark races. Serenity was a major city within Zhao clan territory with a population of over 300,000. The situation inside the city was also quite complicated due to its proximity to the territories of both the dark race and the rebel army. The true danger probably lay not in the wilderness, but within Serenity. Qianye set out in the afternoon and, unexpectedly, encountered no danger even while camping out that night. At that time, he ignited his eighth origin node after pushing the Combatant Formula past 43 cycles. While Qianye was hurrying on his journey, the war situation on Evernight Continent had developed into an odd statethe great army made up of countless dark race warriors suddenly began to retreat like the ebbing tide. Even the strategic points they had captured with great difficulty were easily abandoned. The empires side simply couldnt determine the purpose of the dark races actions. Some valiant and impetuous officers couldnt resist charging after them in pursuit. But this time, the dark races no longer abided by their previous rule of pre-selected battlegrounds. Several armies surrounded the carelessly advancing corps and devoured them whole. An entire four divisions worth of elite soldiers were wiped out within three short days. Duke Ding, who was in charge of that battlefield didnt even have enough time to send reinforcements before the corps had been completely annihilated. The empires losses in this campaign were now equal to those of the dark races. This caused Duke Ding and Marshal Luo Mingjis expressions to turn extremely ugly. After that battle, the empires side became fairly cautious in their troop deployments. They followed the retreating dark race army and fought them steadily, gradually reclaiming the lost territories. In truth, the atmosphere on the dark race side was also quite heavy. Over ten council members were gathered in a nearby frontline castle. No one had yet spoken in the hour since the meeting had begun, allowing the stifling atmosphere to expand continuously. Only after an unknown length of time had passed did a specter-like council member speak with an erratic voice, Is there no news yet? An arachne marquis attendant immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, All search parties have arrived at the Flaming Beacon Continent as instructed and have entered their designated areas. There have been no reports of new discoveries up till now. The only news worth noting is that Viscount Zalen of the Byrne clan has fallen in battle. A vampire council member asked in a stern voice, Zalen? How did he die? This veteran council members aura pressed forth like a black panther. Even someone as strong as the arachne marquis had to take a step back. The marquis hurriedly replied, Weve already found Viscount Zalens remains. Its said that he went deep into the mountainous region in pursuit of a suspicious human who resembled a vampire. The place where the viscount fell is quite close to Zhao clan territory. Judging from his corpse, the viscount likely died to the Red Spider Lily. These words immediately caused a commotion within the meeting hall. Even these council members couldnt control their emotions after hearing the Red Spider Lilys name, and this was especially true for Ge Shitu.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 259: The Storm of Investigation [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] This Evernight Council member who had once suffered greatly in the hands of the Red Spider Lily said coldly, Impossible! Is there a need to use the Red Spider Lily to kill a mere viscount? Its wielder has to pay a portion of his life for each activation. The empire had finally found a compatible wielder after so many years, how could they waste it like this? The arachne count began to sweat under Ge Shitus gaze and replied with a trembling voice, This-this subordinate doesnt know either. But the results of the post-mortem inspection did-did indeed say that its the Red Spider Lily. Ge Shitus face turned cold. He let out another snort, suddenly reducing the temperature in the entire hall. Even as a member of the Evernight Council, he had been heavily injured by a shot from the Red Spider Lily. From this, it was evident just how powerful the Ten Grand Magnums were. A gun with such a heavy activation price was actually used to deal with a mere viscount. This made Ge Shitu feel rather humiliated. Another council member interrupted before Ge Shitu could become further enraged. Its not important how Zalen died. Its apparent that he died in the hands of the Zhao clan. Zalen was found far from the area designated to him by the great master. His death is deserved since he was operating without permission. The current issue is how to find the Wings of Inception. The council members began to discuss the issue one by one, but there was no effective solution. Someone asked, Perhaps the Wings of Inception have already left the area. Should we have the great master grant us another prophecy? The most majestic shadow in the hall shook his head and said in a deep voice, The previous prophecy has drained the master greatly. Hell need at least three years to recuperate. One must know that this prophecy involves the great Black-Winged Monarch. The price for such a prophecy is naturally colossal. Prophecy was a mysterious and powerful ability, but it wasnt omnipotent and had many limitations to it. The stronger the character involved, the more difficult it was to form a prophecy and the greater the rate of error. Each prophecy related to someone as powerful as the Black-Winged Monarch was equal to doing battle with his power across space even though he had been missing for thousands of years. Great Master Weber was gravely wounded after forming the last prophecy despite being a veteran member of the Evernight Council. Additionally, the contents were fairly vague and could only point to a vast region. The hall fell into silence. Looking for the Wings of Inception would be like searching for a needle in a haystack without the help of prophecy. At the very least, no one wouldve thought that the Wings of Inception which had disappeared from Evernight Continent would actually appear on Fire Beacon Continent if not for the prophecy. Amidst the silence, a certain council member slowly said, What does the Wings of Inception look like? All the council members glanced at each other after hearing these words. They had never thought about this because this was never an issue. The Wings of Inception carried the Black-Winged Monarchs aura. Although quite weak, to them, this aura was like an incomparably brilliant star in the darkness. Yet now they realized that even a marquis wouldnt have the ability to discern Andruils aura. Only council members with strength akin to the oceans would be able to do so. Originally, this problem didnt stand out because the great master had, after all, demarcated the area in which the Wings of Inception was located through prophecy. But now, it had become an unavoidable issue after failing to obtain a second prophecy. A certain werewolf council member said coldly, According to the current situation, only a descendant of Andruil can receive the Wings of Inception and his bloodline has to be even purer than Nighteyes. As such, lets investigate along this lead. First, we should inspect all the members of the Monroe clan... Two vampire council members were immediately infuriated. Youre provoking the ancient Monroe clan! The werewolf council member didnt seem afraid in the least and smiled sarcastically. Is the honor of a single Monroe clan more important than the whole assembly? It doesnt matter if you lot arent willing to undergo an inspection, but the remuneration for our tribe has to be paid in full, not a single crystal coin less. You! The two vampire council members were so furious that their faces turned ashen. The entire Evernight Council had been mobilized for this operation and, consequently, the expenditure was rather enormous. The original agreement was that the Wings of Inception would go to the vampires while the vampires would compensate all the other races. But now, they would have to pay the agreed compensation despite the whereabouts of the Wings of Inception being unknown. This would be a difficult thing to manage for the Ross clan, even with its deep foundation and accumulated resources. The leading dignitary said coldly, Stop bickering. Obtaining the Wings of Inception is of utmost importance. We cannot let it fall into anothers hand like the Shattered Moment! All the council members trembled after hearing this. Shattered Moment was also one of ten Grand Magnums. It fell into the hands of a young vampire genius of humble origins about three hundred years ago. He eventually defected from the Evernight faction and joined a neutral faction because his lover was snatched away by the descendants of the Mammon clan. Thus, the Shattered Moment also fell into the hands of the neutrals. During the last three hundred years, this ex-vampire genius had roamed the various continents like a specter and continuously killed the higher-ups of the Evernight Camp. In total, two council members and three dukes had actually died to the Shattered Moment! This grand magnum thus became an unextractable thorn in the hearts of the Evernight Council members. The hearts of the council members naturally trembled when Shattered Moment was brought up again. The Wings of Inception was Andruils masterpiece and it hadnt even been completed when it was lost. According to the Black-Winged Monarchs own assessment, if such a divine weapon were to mature, it would surpass at least half of all the Grand Magnums. So much so that it might even vault over the leading Magnum. At this time, the great dignitary slowly said, Issue this command: From now on, all vampires who enter the Flaming Beacon Continent will undergo inspection. Especially young vampire geniuses; all ofthem will be inspected thoroughly no matter who they are! This command wasnt giving face to the vampires at all. The faces of the two vampire council members were extremely ugly, but they had no way to retort. If the Wings of Inception were to drift out and mature, the damage it might cause to the Evernight faction would probably be even greater than that of Shattered Moment. It would be even more unbearable if by some chance it fell into the empires hands. This might actually break the current strategic balance. Finally, the council members reached consensus and the new order was immediately issued to all parts of the continent. This immediately set off waves of unrest in the dark race territories on Flaming Beacon Continent. Many of the young vampires were geniuses of their clan or even a whole region. However, they had now become suspects that were being hunted down and brought to designated areas for isolated inspections. These young vampire geniuses were, more often than not, proud and arrogant. Relying on the power of their clans and their own talents, they either refused to pay attention to the Evernight Councils orders or felt that they could at least struggle. In the past, such actions would have posed no problems and would have even won them some respect, since the dark races revered strength so much that their hierarchy was constructed upon it. Additionally, the law enforcement group dispatched by the council was all made up of arachne and werewolvesthere were no vampires among them. In the eyes of most vampires, the arachne and werewolves were like half-wild beasts, even though they recognized the valiance of these two races. The young vampire geniuses were thus even more intolerant of having to lower their heads before these savage races. But this time, these young vampire geniuses had made a grave mistake. The law enforcement team from the Evernight Council performed their duties without the slightest leniency. Those who resisted were met with an utter and bloody suppression. Within a single day, numerous proud and untamed vampire youths died in the hands of the law enforcement unit, while many others were badly injured. This batch of vampire youths comprised the future core members of their respective clans. As such, this matter immediately caused huge tidal waves among the vampires of the Western Continent. Many high-ranking vampire nobles either personally rushed towards the law enforcement units encampment, or elected a certain count or even marquis to make an appearance and demand an explanation. However, the protesting vampire nobility left with ashen expressions soon after entering the law enforcement units camp. Before long, news spread in every clan that the order to inspect all young vampire geniuses came from one of the Seven Great Dignitaries of the Evernight Council with the consent of ten-odd council members. The weight behind such an order was so great that perhaps only the chairman of the Evernight Council might be able to overrule it. Qianye, however, knew nothing about the storm brewing across the continent under his feet. He also had no idea that this order had caused the gazes of all the major characters to fall upon the young vampire geniuses, especially those from the main branch of the Monroe clan. The information regarding Qianye was completely overlooked during this whole incident. The dark race reports stated that chasing after him was the reason Zalen had left his designated area, while that Lone Ghost assassin who had died in Zalens hands was mistaken for Qianye. An extravagant vampire airship of great magnificence, decorated with alternating black and gold colors, was flying silently through the vast emptiness. A group of vampires was currently gathered in a great hall on the upper deck of this airship, chatting in groups of twos and threes with wine glasses in hand. As they gazed out from the side-windows, the silhouette of a great continent came into view. It was Twilight Continent, the headquarters and legendary birthplace of the vampires. A certain young lady whose looks were perfect and free from all blemish, was standing by the window and gazing at the distant continent. At this time, another vampire girl walked over and said, Nighteye, stop gazing into space. Why not come and tell us about your experiences with the treasure of Andruil? The one who was standing beside the window was indeed Nighteye. After hearing the invitation, she only revealed a faint and tired smile. No, Im rather tired. I want to stay quietly alone. The vampire girl nodded and returned to the group of young vampires to once again join their conversation. The recent major events involved the opening of the Black Monarchs treasure and the loss of the Wings of Inception. The strength of the great monarch and this divine instrument comparable to the Ten Grand Magnums were the focus of discussion for the hot-blooded youths of the vampire race. As they kept on chatting, the topic of discussion naturally shifted towards this matter. I heard Twilight rushed to open the great door but failed and was so badly wounded that she almost fell from champion rank. Indeed. How can she compare with Her Majesty Nighteye? After all, the latter is a true primo. This isnt something that can be said of all geniuses. But didnt the Wings of Inception fly away? Could it be that theres someone in this world with a bloodline closer to Great Monarch Andruil than Her Majesty Nighteye? The group of young vampires discussed the matter with great passion. They were all born of noble backgrounds and their strengths were also well-known among their peers. Thus, they possessed a fair degree of authority by which they were able to obtain such information not privy to those on the outside world. They even knew a fair number of details about the opening of Andruils treasure. When mentioning Nighteye, however, they subconsciously lowered their voices. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 260: Changes [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] This was, after all, not a good thing for Nighteye. At least, this meant that she wasnt the most qualified inheritor in the eyes of the Black-Winged Monarch. A certain vampire girl asked in puzzlement, Her Majesty Nighteye is a primo. Could it be that theres someone with an even purer bloodline? The hall turned silent after these words were spokenperhaps most people had already thought of such a possibility, but no one was stupid enough to say it out loud. Being a primo meant that her awakened bloodline was that of a primogenitor and likely the closest to Andruils own. Even descendants who had received the embrace from the great monarch wouldnt be able to compare to a primo. Nighteye was the only primo among the younger generation of the Monroe family. There were only a handful of primos in the vampire race as a whole and their awakened bloodlines were incomparable to Nighteyes. The Black-Winged Monarch Andruils strength was ranked near the front even among the thirty second-generation primogenitors. But now, another descendant with Andruils bloodline had appeared. As such, Nighteye was no longer the only one, and there would inevitably be subtle changes to her value. Although Nighteye was standing in front of the window, she had heard the entire discussion of the group of young vampires behind her. After hearing it, she shouldve become distressed or perhaps begun to consider her own future. But for some reason, Qianyes figure appeared in Nighteyes tired mind. She laughed wryly and pressed her forehead against the cool metallic border of the airship window. The fires of war in Evernight Continent had calmed down and Blackflow City hadnt been included as an attack target up till the very end. In that case he was he doing well? The airship crossed through the void and gradually approached Twilight Continent. Gazing at the great continent occupying the whole window, Nighteye slowly calmed down and buried that persons shadow deep inside her heart. The final leg of the journey was particularly calmQianye arrived at the city of Serenity without any obstruction. This was a strong fortress of steel, boasting twenty-meter tall walls irregularly embedded with thick steel plates. Although steel wasnt considered that valuable as a metal, it was still quite the expenditure to build a city out of it. Gazing from a distance, the most eye-catching was the heart of every human city, the Perpetual Dynamo Tower. Serenity had a total of six Perpetual Dynamo Towers and, among them, five were constructed around the city, surrounding and protecting the lofty central tower. A colossal airship was floating in the air above the city. It was almost a hundred meters from bow to stern and seemed like a small hovering fortress from afar. This airship wasnt flying, but was instead fixed in place by numerous metal chains as thick as a mans arm. Gazing at it from the distance, Qianye could see two ship cannons from his viewing angle and a number of long-range binoculars fixed in different positions. Even though he was used to seeing cutting-edge military equipment at the Red Scorpion Headquarters, he couldnt help but sigh at the boldness of Serenitythey had actually fixed an airship here as a watchtower and firing point. The metal gates of Serenity were steam operated, and right then was the time of day when they were open. Only half of the gate on each side was pushed back into the city wall, but even so, the width of the passage in the middle already surpassed the size of the entire Backflow City gates. Only while passing through the gates did Qianye realize that the gate actually wasnt composed of just a single layer, but five layers of metallic doors stacked together. The population of Serenity was quite high, but there were no signs of war within the citythe streets were wide and clean, the eaves of many buildings were exquisitely decorated, and, from time to time, a magnificent work of architecture would appear that could light up ones eyes. The buildings before him grew taller and more magnificent as Qianye walked along the streets and towards the city center. The number of buildings constructed in ancient style also gradually increased. The carved metallic pillars mixed together with the stone walls produced an unusual sense of beauty. Qianye saw restaurants that were a whole seven stories tall, certain company headquarters that were hundreds of meters in height, and vast plazas that could hold thousands of people at a time. After entering the city center, many shops bearing the insignia of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan began to appear. Whether it was a tavern or an arms shop, all of them had something in commonthey were exquisitely decorated outside and ornately decorated inside. Even in such a magnificent street, they stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens. Those walking around in the city center were dressed rather differently, and there were very few dust-laden travelers like Qianye. He strolled around the street block and then checked into a middle-grade inn at the border of the central district. The price for lodgings here was several times higher than in Weiyang, the largest city in Evernight Continent. This left Qianye speechless. The maids in this inn were all delicate and pretty, even if it could only be considered a middle-grade establishment in Serenity. Qianye found his room, put down his things, and washed up to his hearts content before throwing himself onto the large, soft bed. After a long period of running and fighting, this place almost seemed like an immortal peach garden. Qianye closed his eyes and took a short nap. Afterwards, he got up and observed the facilities in the room. He tried pulling on a certain tasseled rope near the headboard, following which, the cheerful sound of a bell rang out on the other side of the inn. Moments later, a gentle voice came through, accompanied by a knock on the door. Sir, how may I be of service? Qianye opened the door and said to the maid, Please bring me a map of Serenity and send over three portions of dishes. The maids eyes lit up after seeing Qianyes face, and she revealed a charming smile. Ill prepare them immediately! Additionally, I can also serve as your guide if you wish to tour the city. Qianye didnt volunteer any unnecessary replies. The maid didnt seem disappointed either. She tossed a rather charming glance at him and excused herself. Moments later, the map and dishes were delivered to his room. After eating his fill, Qianye studied the map for a while and finally found the objective of his journey, the Golden Glow Casino. It was currently still afternoon, so he took another nap to revitalize his spirit and regulate his condition to its peak state. Only then did he prepare his equipment and leave the inn. The curtain of the night was descending upon the city of Serenity. The street lamps were beginning to light up, but the number of pedestrians wasnt any less than during the daytime. Qianye hurriedly walked in the direction of the Golden Glow Casino. The establishment, a three-storeyed building, was located adjacent to the central district. Although its exterior was a dazzling sight to behold, it was already showing signs of aging and some parts of its neon signboard were dark. As was usual for such establishments, there was a number of burly men in black clothes standing in front of the buildings doors. These strong and vigorous men were releasing an origin power aura that wasnt at all weak. With expressionless faces, they swept their eyes over the people that were entering and leaving. Qianye followed the flow of people and arrived at the casino door, whereupon a young lady immediately arrived to receive him with a smile. How may I be of service, sir? This young lady was pleasant and beautiful, but was still a grade inferior to the ladies from the large casino two streets away. This was also the difference between the two establishments. Additionally, the backing behind that casino named Swallow Hill was the Zhao clan. Qianye produced ten imperial gold coins, placed them in the girls hand, and said, Exchange this into chips for me and bring me to the blackjack section. The lady revealed a sweet smile and immediately exchanged the chips for him. She then brought Qianye to a medium-sized gambling hall on the second floor. There were a dozen-odd players within this elegant and tranquil environment, along with several maids traveling back and forth in service of the customers. Ten gold coins happened to give Qianye the qualification to enter this gambling hall and also put a sweet smile on the young girls face. But if he wanted an even more charming look as well as some minor ambiguous advances, ten gold coins werent quite enough. He would have to exchange at least twenty gold coins. If he had exchanged fifty, he would have gained the qualifications to head to the third floor and also bring this young girl into his room. Qianye wasnt interested in such entertainment, however. He came here only to contact the recipient of the boulderheart jade letter. He looked around and then walked towards a certain table. Blackjack was an easily-learned card game. Qianye sat at the gambling table, asked to be dealt some cards, and casually played a few rounds. He won some and then lost some. At the seventh round, he turned his cards horizontally. This unremarkable movement could easily be overlooked as many gamblers had their own habits. The banker only shot him a simple glance, but paid no more attention. Numerous rounds went by, and soon, another seventh-round arrived. Once again, Qianye carelessly placed his cards in a horizontal position, and once again, the bankers gaze passed by him before the man continued his usual routine of dealing cards and handling chips. At the third seventh-round, Qianye placed his cards horizontally once again and lost that round. At this time, he had already lost the greater half of his ten gold coins worth of chips. Qianye pushed away his cards and got up as if he were upset. After he left his seat, an impatient player immediately came over to take his place. Qianye walked around the gambling hall for a moment and, finding nothing else of interest, began to walk towards the exterior. It was at this time that a strand of delicate fragrance arrived, accompanied by a gentle voice close to Qianyes ears. We still have some other special games. Are you interested? Qianye had long since noticed someone approaching him. He turned around at this time and saw that the speaker was a woman dressed in black. Her appearance could only be considered graceful, but her skin was as fair as snow. Especially since, at the moment, she had her head lowered, revealing a segment of her spotlessly white collarbone which formed an almost dazzling contrast with her black dress. A thought flashed through Qianyes mind. I only play Blackjack. The young lady smiled alluringly and said softly while extending her hand towards Qianyes shoulder, We have three types of Blackjack. This was the designated password. Qianye nodded and said without any change in expression, Very well. Bring me to take a look. The lady in black dress immediately led Qianye through another gambling hall and into a silent corridor. She then stopped abruptly and pressed on the wall, whereupon a secret door actually appeared on its smooth surface. The lady swiftly pulled Qianye insidebeyond the secret door was a spiral staircase. They descended one floor and then pushed open another secret door on a seemingly empty wall. At this time, Qianye found himself standing in a dark alley behind the casino. There were no lights here, and the two sides were blocked off with high walls. Perhaps this wasnt even a passage at all and merely a narrow space between two large buildings. The dark alley was currently quiet and dark, with only the faint light coming through the casino windows illuminating it ever so slightly. Follow me, The lady dressed in black gestured to Qianye as she walked towards the end of the alleyway. Qianye followed her through the dark and narrow passage for about ten minutes, until they finally arrived at an old and dilapidated two-story building. Only a couple of windows on this old building were still intact, but there should be residents inside, since a faint glow could be seen in some of them. The main door was left unlocked with rust creeping all over what was supposed to be a sturdy metallic door. The lady in black took a step back to arrive beside Qianye and said gently, The person youre looking for is inside. Please enter. Qianye glanced towards the building and found the floor completely dark. Not even through the crack in the doors did any light seep in. A faint red glow flashed through the depths of his eyes as he stepped forward and arrived before the door. He didnt push it open immediately, but instead turned to ask, Do I go in alone? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 261: Middleman [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The lady in black apparel smiled and said, Of course, Im only responsible for bringing you here. Now, I must return to the casino. Qianye nodded and reached out to open the door. The door bolt, apparently lacking lubrication, let out a shrill screech which added a bit of eeriness to this dark night. He didnt head in immediatelyinstead, he suddenly turned around, caught the lady in black, and pushed her inside. Bang! The muffled sound of an apparently suppressed firearm rang out. The lady in black let out a miserable scream as a flower of blood bloomed on her thigh. But the shrill cry was almost immediately suppressed and then followed closely by the sound of someone rolling and stumbling in the darkness, only stopping when the subject was firmly pressed against the wall. Qianye stood at his original position and revealed a cold smile. His origin power flowed into the lady and directly penetrated her defenses during that moment of grabbing and pushing. But this lady who had only revealed a strength of rank two or three along the way was actually rank six. It wasnt surprising then that she still had the strength left to find a hiding place after suffering a shot and having her defenses broken. At that same moment, the shooter behind the door cursed, Goddammit! For a long time afterwards, there was only deathly silence both inside and outside of the building. However, a pair of eyes blinked within the pitch-darkness behind the crack in the partially opened door. Apparently, the shooter couldnt hold back and had arrived near the door to see if there was still anyone outside. Qianye, with his Dark Vision, had a clear view of this shooters every stealthy move. He then sighed silently at how foolish the latters method was. The actions of the man didnt frighten Qianye at all, but he was quite astonished that the person waiting for him was such an unpresentable trash. The shooter had just poked his head out when a black muzzle was pressed against his face. Qianye had one of the Twin Flowers pointed at the shooter. However, he didnt say anything and only gazed at the latter in silence. The shooters expression fluctuated wildlyhe didnt dare make a reckless move nor let out the slightest sound. He froze there with bean-sized beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. Someone else in the depths of the hall couldnt wait any longer and let out two soft whistles. The Twin Flower in Qianyes right hand was still pointed at the shooters face while his left hand drew its counterpart and fired towards the source of the sound. On the second blast, he shifted the muzzle about thirty degrees. Something heavy fell to the ground with a loud bang. With his night vision, Qianye saw a middle-aged man tumble down from a height of about thirty meters with a bloody hole in his chest, right where the heart was. As expected, it was an assassin with a special abilitythe place where the first shot landed was only a sound refraction. Unfortunately, Qianyes firing speed was much faster than that of a normal person. Not only did the assassin not succeed in misleading the enemy, but the small movement of activating his origin gun had instead revealed his true position. Qianyes right hand suddenly withdrew and then smashed down on the shooters head with the gun handle, knocking him out cold. After this, Qianye didnt advance but instead withdrew. He flashed out of the main door, leapt onto the second floor, and silently climbed in through the window. A half-naked man with bulging muscles was currently pressed against the wall with his gun aimed at the stairwell, waiting for the person downstairs to rush up. Another neatly-dressed middle-aged man with a dagger stood silently while leaking virtually no aura at all. He was comparable to a motionless desert viper waiting to deliver that single coup de grace. Qianye leapt through the window and immediately fired a shot with a flick of his hand. The burly man stationed near the stairwell let out a miserable scream after his back was struck and tumbled down the stairs. Immediately afterwards, Qianye drew his dagger and pounced at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man grinned nastily as he strode forth to engage Qianye. Thus, the two beguna blade fight within the small space. The middle-aged man had reached rank sevenhis attacks were as swift as lightning and his sword techniques were quite exquisite. Apparently, the middle-aged mans origin power capacity also surpassed that of a standard rank-seven fighter. The dagger in his hand hummed and trembled with every thrustthis was an extremely powerful type of assassination ability. If one were to carelessly suffer a strike, the wound would be rapidly expanded by the high-frequency vibrations. Qianye didnt want to prolong this fight. He chose not to evade the incoming dagger and only raised his hand to catch the opponents arm, thereby reducing the greater half of the incoming force. He then stabbed at the middle-aged man with his dagger in a backhand grip. The middle-aged man increased the force in his hand and ruthlessly pushed the blade tip towards Qianyes abdomen. Being an experienced veteran, the man decided to take advantage of the situation after seeing that Qianye wanted to trade injuries. He planned to stab the opponent first and then flash away. That way, even if they had to trade injuries, Qianye would inevitably be weaker after being badly wounded in the abdomen while his own wounds would be much lighter. But when the blade pierced Qianyes abdomen, the middle-aged man felt as if he were stabbing into a dense tree trunkit was difficult to go even slightly deeper. He was shocked and wanted to extricate himself by backing away, but Qianyes dagger had already entered his flank, all the way up to the hilt. The blade had just entered his body when the middle-aged man immediately felt all of his origin power and essence blood rushing towards the blade and pouring out of his body. It felt as if there was a bottomless black hole on the other side of the blade sapping away his strength. He suddenly cried out, A blood absorption blade! Youre a vampire! Qianye gripped the middle-aged mans neck and stifled his cries. The blade he was currently using was the Scarlet Edge he had obtained from Zalen. Qianye held the daggers hilt tightly for several moments and only withdrew it after he had drawn out the greater half of the middle-aged mans essence blood. The middle-aged man fell to the ground like a deflated balloon. Qianye went around every floor of the building and only returned to the main hall after finding no other enemies. As expected, the lady in black had already moved herself to one side and was leaning against the wall. There was an exquisite palm-sized dagger in her hands with which she had cut off her long skirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound on her thigh. This origin gunshot wound was sustained after her origin power defenses had been crippled by Qianye, and as such, the injury was especially severe. It was fortunate that the shooter had planned to capture the target alive and had only aimed at the leg. Otherwise, this shot wouldve killed her on the spot if it struck a vital area. The black-dressed lady had already dressed her wounds, but her head was drenched in sweat from the pain. She was just about to clamber up, but her movements halted when Qianyes military boots appeared in her line of sight. Qianye pulled out a first-aid drug and waved it in front of her eyes before tossing it over. The woman in black caught the medicine and immediately injected it into her arm, sending all the fluids into her body. This type of first-aid drug possessed anesthetic properties and greatly eased her expression within moments. Qianye crouched in front of her, then raised her chin with the Scarlet Edge and asked, Wheres the person Im supposed to see? The lady in black forced a smile and said, Give up. If youve heard of the name Lone Ghost, you should know that a single person cant go against us. Perhaps if you leave right away and hide yourself, we might not be able to find you. That ought to allow you to live a few more years. Qianye smiled and gently pushed the blade tip forwards, breaking a small part of her fair skin. He then repeated the question, Where is the person Im supposed to see? Her gaze followed the blade in Qianyes hand. As the blade pressed against her face and drew out a drop of blood, she could no longer resist crying out, In the basement! The basement here? Qianye watched the lady in black nod with some difficulty and felt somewhat surprised. Although this matter had gotten off quite terribly, the developments seemed rather smooth. He patted the ladys face with the blade and said, Bring me there. The lady in black ground her teeth and clambered up before limping towards the back of the building. The entrance to the basement was in the storage room. After opening it, she clenched her jaw and actually jumped down. Although the first-aid drug possessed an anesthetic effect, the impact still affected her wounds and caused her vision to darken from the intense pain. Qianye immediately jumped down after her and supported her in passing. It was no longer completely dark from this point onwards as a minimal level of illumination was maintained along the short corridor. There was a room at its end, likely a cellar which had been converted into a prison cell. There was a man in his forties locked within the room. He was pinned against the prison wall with steel nails through his wrists while numerous wounds marred his body. Apparently, he had suffered cruel torture and was barely breathing. Qianye frowned after seeing the man in the prison. Wake him up! The lady in black pulled open the simple bars of the prison door and fed the man some medicine taken from the pile of items nearby. Moments later, the man finally woke up and began to tremble after seeing the lady in black. He shouted loudly, Ive told you everything! I really dont know anything else! Im only responsible for receiving the goods and have no clue about the messengers identity! Qianye sighed and interrupted, Have you truly told us everything? The man wasn''t completely sober and said deliriously, Its absolutely true! Youll definitely be able to find the courier with the method I gave you! Besides, havent you already found my coordinator? Qianyes expression became cold when he turned towards the lady in black. Im guessing Im this so-called courier. Whos this coordinator then? So this person is just a middleman? The black-dressed lady turned pale and immediately recited an address. There are about a dozen people there, but over half of them were killed during our raid and the remainder have been sent to our regional headquarters in Hill City. Its possible that theyve already been dealt with and are being sent out of the Western Continent. Qianye narrowed his eyes, sensing something wrong with this statement. The information given to him described the recipient as a champion from the Zhao clan. It was just that he didnt know who it was exactly. That champion clearly wouldnt appear to receive the goods, so he only needed to find the agent according to the provided method and hand the boulderheart jade letter to him. It was possible to kill a couple of people in Zhao clan territory, but a battle involving dozens of people could hardly be disguised. After exchanging moves with the Lone Ghosts members just now, he could only say that their combat strength might gain them an advantage against the local gangs but was far from being comparable to the private army or elite corps of the aristocracy. Who are they? The lady in black smiled wryly. Us Lone Ghosts were also hired. The commissioner requested that we capture both parties involved in this matter and deliver them to a designated location. As for the details, I was not told. Those at my level know nothing about it. The man nailed to the wall became quite excited after hearing the conversation between Qianye and the lady in black. You did you come to save me? Did master Lin send you? Im Ma Zhong! Why havent you released me yet?! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 262: The Recipien t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye glanced coldly at Ma Zhong before picking up a steel nail and piercing it into his thigh. Amidst the miserable cries, Qianye calmly said, This is the price for selling me out. Now, tell me the truth about your identity and the details about the goods or deal. The man replied rapidly, I really dont know what the goods are! Im only here to wait for the courier and guide him to the designated receiving area where a different person will be in charge of receiving the goods. But now, that place has also been destroyed. Qianye frowned after hearing the complicated handover procedure. His intuition was telling him that the boulderheart jade letter in his chest pocket wasnt just any normal letter. Then who do you work for? Qianye asked. I belong to the Egret Corps. We can be considered a power attached to the Serene South Province. Qianyes thoughts were interrupted after hearing this reply. Although the Serene South Province still existed within the empires territory in name, it had actually left the empires control and was one of the most active rebel provinces. This so-called Egret Corps was, in fact, the rebel army. Qianye had never expected that the target of Song Zinings business was actually the rebel army. According to imperial law, the crime of associating with the rebel army was ranked even higher than colluding with the dark races. The rebel army had already existed for hundreds of yearsthe empire had cleared out their nest time and again, but the situation on the Western Continent was only growing worse by the day. The rebel army was on such an expanding momentum that the empire had no choice but to mobilize Marshal Li Xitang to come and hold the fort here. Even then, they were only kept in check; it still wasnt possible to uproot them completely. Qianye had become acquainted with some of the indignant stories behind these rebels during his missions with Red Scorpion. But he had seen even more instances of the rebels stabbing the imperial army in the back while the latter was busy fighting against the dark races. Thus, Qianye had an ingrained sense of dislike for the rebel army. Qianye forcefully suppressed the feeling of discomfort in his heart and pondered some of the odd points in this whole matter. He then raised his head to look at the lady in black. Seeing no surprise on her face at all, he knew that this spineless man before him had already confessed to all he knew. As it turned out, Ma Zhong was a lieutenant colonel of the Egret Corps logistics department. The Master Lin whom he had spoken of just now was his direct superior, the deputy chief of the military supplies department. Although Ma Zhong himself was also directly in charge of some of the rebel armys external transactions, he was merely a liaison this time, while the true recipient was another lieutenant colonel. That person was called Chen Lu. This 28-year-old lady with rank-seven strength was someone who had been in the Serene South Province for ten years. Her military rank wasnt high, but she was a technical officer in charge of purchasing and maintaining origin arrays for origin guns. It could be considered a fairly important position. That was also why Ma Zhong had held on to some vague hopes that the rebel army would dispatch people to rescue them. After hearing this, Qianye turned to ask the lady in black, Has Chen Lu already fallen into your hands? All survivors were moved to the headquarters after taking down that base, said the lady in black. She then added, This was three or four days ago. By now, they ought to have spoken everything they should and shouldnt have. Surprisingly, Qianye laughed after seeing the calm gradually returning to the ladys face. But even then, you lot still dont know my identity and what item Im carrying. It seems this matter would cease to exist as long as I just walk away. The lady in black responded with a charming smile, and this time, her expression was much more natural and lively, Although youre powerful, its impossible for you to contend against the whole of Lone Ghost. Not to mention others, the chief in charge of this region alone is already a champion. Youre young, powerful, and have a bright future ahead of you. So I think you should just abandon this matter! Qianye laughed againhe was almost tempted to do so. He turned his gaze toward Ma Zhong and found that an expression of terror had surfaced on the mans face. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. However Qianye spoke first, But I still feel somewhat uneasy about this. For instance, this Ma Zhong. Although he claims not to know the details about this transaction, itll be troublesome to leave him alive. The lady in black hesitated for a moment and said, Although the employers instruction is to capture him alive, I guess its fine to kill him since theres nothing more we can squeeze out. For the sake of her own survival, the lady in black had been trying to persuade Qianye to prioritize safety over principles since they were in the hall. As such, she repeatedly suggested, both explicitly and subtly, that Lone Ghost didnt know of Qianyes identity at all. Now that Qianyes stance had finally softened, how could she still care about the clients requests? By comparison, her own life was naturally more important. Ma Zhong, on the other hand, was astonished. This was the first time he had heard that the Lone Ghosts client wanted him alive. What scared him out of his wits was that this mysterious courier who had passed through a siege of numerous Lone Ghost assassins actually wanted to silence him! No, dont! You cant do this! Ma Zhong cried out. Qianyes freezing gaze swept over Ma Zhong, causing the latter to shiver. Since this trade route has already been broken due to your own incompetence, its best we clean this up thoroughly. Theres more! I know a secret! Ma Zhong shouted, Save me, this secret is absolutely worth it! Qianye said indifferently, Oh? Speak. Ma Zhong had already begun to gasp for breath as his emotions fluctuated wildly. Let let me down first. An indescribable glow flashed within Qianyes eyes as he directly pulled out the nail on Ma Zhongs wrist. The man fell heavily on the ground and gasped for a while before saying, Chen Lu is from the Song clan, and its very likely that her true surname is Song. A thought suddenly flashed through Qianyes mind and it was so rapid that he almost couldnt grasp it. But he had already come to a definite and keen realization that this business wasnt just for pure profits. This also meant that Lone Ghosts employer wasnt just a villain who wanted to rob from another villain but also had other motives. And the crux of this incident was perhaps this Chen Lu with her twin identities. Song clan? Qianye raised his brows and shot the lady in black a glance. The ladys face, once again, turned pale as she met Qianyes gaze. The terror within her eyes was even more obvious than before. This was also the first time she had heard of this matteras a Lone Ghost assassin, she was very clear that such a secret, especially one involving such a gigantic entity as the Song clan, was a certain death warrant. Ma Zhongs eyes stared fixedly at Qianye like a drowning man searching for a floating log. The man found no specific expression on Qianyes face and was truly afraid that he wouldnt be trusted. He nodded vigorously and said, Its indeed the Song clan, theres no mistaking it! I incidentally saw Chen Lu having dealings with a certain person. Ive seen that person before on the Eastern Continent, and hes a steward of the Song clan. Later on, I found the opportunity to tail her twice, and I overheard parts of their conversation during one instance. Theres no doubt! The significance of this news was broad and complicated. The Song clan was one of the four major clans and a core strength of the imperial nobility. With regards to their standpoint, they naturally ought to be irreconcilable with the rebel army. Since Chen Lu was a Song clan spy planted within the rebel army, it would result in a lethal calamity for herself if this news were to spread. As for the Song clan, not only would they lose a spy, but their connections and deals might also be traced and subsequently destroyed. However, the matter wasnt that simple. Now that it was certain that the Song clan was trading with the rebel army via this channel, they might be prosecuted for collusion with the enemy. Qianye said calmly, This news is, indeed, quite valuable to me. At least I can make her do some things. If Ma Zhong used this information to threaten her, there was a good chance he could obtain some benefits from Chen Lu. Ma Zhong hesitated for a bit and stammered, I have indeed thought of this, but I didnt get the time. Qianye suddenly asked, Who did you sell her to? Ma Zhong answered reflexively, I didnt! Following which, his pupils constricted as if he had suddenly remembered something and revealed an expression of extreme terror. Qianye spoke Ma Zhongs current thought out loud, Then why would the Lone Ghosts client want you alive? Ma Zhong, as a middleman who knew nothing, was of little value if the robbers target was this batch of goods. It would be better to kill him directly and avoid future problems. Presently, the other party had stressed that they wanted him alive, so it was obvious that they needed him as a witness to testify against his colleague, Chen Lu. Ma Zhongs expression shifted irregularly, and his gaze was darting around as he moved his lips without making any sound. What are you doing?! The lady in black trembled and lost control of her voice, almost as if she would scream the next moment. She saw Qianye draw his dagger and directly slash Ma Zhongs throat open. The lady in black wasnt a little girl who had never seen blood, but she couldnt help but shiver after seeing Qianyes precise movements which almost seemed as if they would never deviate even an iota. This kind of man will sell out just about anyone. Whats the use of leaving him alive? Qianyes tone was calm, but he was trying hard to suppress the waves of surging vexation in his heart. At this point, Qianye was no longer in the mood to look into the things Ma Zhong did or did not do since the causes were no longer important. The situation was quite obviousSong Zinings business had been compromised, and the situation was extremely dire. The person behind the scenes wasnt content with simply uprooting this trade channel but also wanted to capture witnesses. This signified that Song Zining himself might be in danger. Qianye drew a deep breath and looked up at the lady in black. Tell me the location of your regional headquarters. You cant contend with Lone Ghost! The lady in black still wanted to resist. The Scarlet Edge danced between Qianyes fingertips, and his handsome face was half concealed in the shadow cast by the dusky light. The one in the hall is still alive, and theres one more upstairs with half a breath left. Additionally, their positions seem to be somewhat higher than yours. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 263: Exposed [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The lady in black shivered, and her lips trembled slightly before saying, Will you spare me if I tell you everything I know? I can. The lady in black had some misgivings. How can I trust you? Qianye smiled coldly and said, You have no other choice than to bet on it. The lady in black clenched her teeth and brought out a map, on which she pointed out the location of their headquarters. Additionally, she also explained the distribution of personnel and guards. Qianye frowned slightly as he listened. There were three other resident experts in addition to the chief of Lone Ghosts regional headquarters, Fang Tianlun. Although the number of experts above rank five was limited, they were still a fairly powerful force. After the lady in black finished speaking, Qianye brought her back into the great hall to wake up the gunman in the hall and the badly wounded middle-aged man upstairs. The gunman and the lady in black were roughly the same in rank and knew little about the details. That badly wounded middle-aged man, however, was the person in charge of the Lone Ghost base in Serenity. Qianye had to put in a fair bit of effort interrogating him. Consequently, the lady in black witnessed Qianyes precise and almost surgical interrogation methods. The lady in black huddled up on one side until the moment the middle-aged man breathed his lastshe would have probably vomited midway if only her body werent frozen in terror. Qianye got up and slowly wiped his hand with a square towel. This manager was a middle-ranked character in Lone Ghost, but his knowledge was fairly limited and knew little regarding the identity of the client or the purpose of this operation. But the middle-aged mans confessions did explain a number of questions Qianye had in mind. As it turned out, Lone Ghost was rather doubtful about the operation and had no intention to cause a big commotion in Serenity. They set out to lure and capture Chen Lu after seizing Ma Zhong. At the same time, they dispatched the best assassins of the regional headquarters to obstruct Qianye in the wilderness. However, the situation on both sides didnt progress quite as planned. Chen Lu was indeed lured to the receiving area in advance, but, during their assault, Lone Ghost encountered intense resistance which far surpassed their expectations. They were able to take down the base in the end but suffered fairly heavy casualties. Meanwhile, those on Qianyes side had gone completely silent until, suddenly, they received news that he had already entered Serenity. As such, Qianye encountered this last-moment trapnot only was it extremely coarse, but the participating personnel were also quite weak. Of course, this was only Qianyes feeling. To Lone Ghost, a line-up consisting of the lady in black, Lu Yalan, three rank-six sharpshooters, and two ran-seven assassins was already considered quite powerful. At this point, the matter was even more complicated than he had expected. Lone Ghost only obtained the pattern with which to connect with the courier from Ma Zhong, while the couriers appearance, distinctive features, and the information that he was a rank-seven hunter came from the client. From this, it was apparent that Song Zinings side had also been compromised. Actually, Song Zining had said in his letter that Qianye should immediately destroy the boulderheart jade letter and leave the Western Continent in due haste if he encountered any accidents. He had also told Qianye not to proactively contact him after returning to Evernight Continent, and that he would deal with the aftermath himself. Back then, Qianye had thought this to be merely a routine instruction, but now it seemed Song Zining also had a premonition. Fortunately, not all was bad newsit was clear from how Lone Ghost was acting so cautiously regarding this matter that the mastermind behind this wasnt the Zhao clan. In addition, the information regarding Qianye only contained his outward appearance, which meant that the compromise on Song Zinings side only involved the outer circle and could still be reversed. At this time, Qianye suddenly realized that he owed William a great favor because Lone Ghosts most powerful assassin, barring their regional chief, was rank nine and possessed a special concealment ability. Add to that the two rank-eight assistants and the fact that Qianye hadnt fully recovered at that time, it was highly possible that he might have fallen into their hands had he not met William. Qianye ignored the lady in black who was cowering in the corner and proceeded, with due haste, to search through every floor of the building. After confirming that there were no other survivors, he reappeared before Lu Yalan with a large bag. She hadnt moved at all and even her posture hadnt changed. It seemed she was so shocked that she didnt even dare think of running away. Qianye tossed her an injectable origin power medicine and said, You have half an hour to recover. Afterwards, well head to the regional headquarters. Lu Yalan suddenly came to and cried, Youre insane! The chief is at the headquarters and hes a champion! Well all die! Qianye calmly replied, Ill let you drive to save some time. Otherwise, I only have to spend a bit more time finding the right place. Lu Yalan trembled momentarily. She then injected the medicine into her arm, sat there cross-legged, and began to circulate her origin power. Just by looking at Qianyes style of handling matters, she was clear that she had no opportunity to resist. Qianye took no precautionary measures against her at all and seemed as if he wasnt, in the least, worried about her running away or launching a surprise attack. The more he acted this way, the more afraid Lu Yalan became because only those with sufficient strength could act so confidently. Qianye casually pulled a chair over, sat down, and began to recuperate with his eyes closed. His heart wasnt as calm as his outward appearance. As things stood, the best way for Qianye to deal with this matter was to leave immediately as per Song Zinings instructions and not wade into these muddy waters. That was because he had no idea who was actually behind Lone Ghost, and neither did he know how big the entire tempest was nor what proportion of it the link in Serenity occupied. But after hearing of Chen Lus other identity from Ma Zhong, Qianye immediately realized that he couldnt let her fall into Lone Ghosts hands since this person was a direct witness who might perhaps implicate Song Zining. It was imperative that he assess the situation and decide whether to save or silence her. Qianye laughed wryly in silencenow wasnt the time to argue about Song Zinings trade with the rebel army, but what should he say once he met his good friend again after everything was settled smoothly? The half-hour swiftly passed by and Lu Yalan had recovered over half of her origin power. She no longer struggled pointlessly and obediently drove out a light jeep from the garage behind the building. Qianye jumped onto the front passenger seat and tossed the large bag in his hand towards the back seat, producing a series of rustling sounds. Lu Yalans heart momentarily skipped a beat. There was something wrong with this soundshe immediately went through all the items from the bases armory in her head and was overwhelmed to discover that the bag was stuffed full of grenades! In addition to ordinary gunpowder grenades, there were also a number of powerful origin grenades originally prepared for use at the recipient base. Later on, their chief decided against using them for fear that the huge commotion would attract the Zhao clan in full force. Qianye was casually tossing such a bag around! Although the grenades normally wouldnt go off on their own, what if they did? If by any chance the bag of grenades was to go off accidentally, the force would most definitely blast the car along with the two passengers into smithereens. Lu Yalans back was immediately drenched in cold sweat but she refrained from speaking after seeing Qianyes silent and almost hazy face from the side. Afterwards, she started the cars engine. The city of Serenity was surrounded by the dark races Forgotten Mountain Range and the rebel-controlled Serene South Province. Despite being surrounded by enemies, the city gates werent closed during the night and allowed people to enter or leave. From this detail, one could see the Zhao clans confidence and arrogance. The light jeep exited the city without a hitch and drove along a branch of the First Sun Highway into the boundless night. Lone Ghosts regional headquarters was located in a certain manor about an hours drive from Serenity. Even near cities, the roads through the wilderness were still quite dangerousferocious beasts and bandits were both lethal threats to the night-time traveler. The jeep didnt have any lights on. Lu Yalan advanced relying only on the dim moonlight. As a rank-six sharpshooter, she possessed a certain level of night vision capability and could see the road ahead with some effort. However, she would also slip up occasionally. Whenever this happened, Qianye would immediately tell her to turn either right or left. Nothing on the road could escape his eyes whether it were stones, pits, or corpses. Apart from this, Qianye mostly kept silent, leaning on the door with his head propped on his hand as if he were pondering deeply about something. As the jeep advanced through the night, there was almost no other sound apart from the rumble of the engine. The night seemed especially quietnot to mention encountering beasts, not even a single living creature scuttled past the side of the road. Eventually, this deathly silence turned into a huge boulder which pressed down on Lu Yalans heart and gave her the urge to let out a frantic scream. Additionally, the jeep was terribly cold and it was unknown just where this eerie chill was coming from. This caused her to start trembling uncontrollably toward the end. Lu Yalan became faintly aware that this abnormal sensation was arising from Qianye. There was one moment where she actually felt the illusion that the person sitting in the passenger seat wasnt a human youth but a terrifying beast. A faint strand of aura was indeed being constantly emitted from Qianyes body. Lu Yalan only felt extreme danger from it but couldnt discern the specific details. The beasts in the wilderness, however, easily sniffed out an arachne at the level of a viscount or even greater. This was Brahms aura. The powerful suppressive might declared the region as its domain and caused even the most powerful of wild beasts to not dare take a single step over this minefield. Qianye ordered Lu Yalan to stop the jeep at an approximate distance of five kilometers from the destination. He then tossed her an origin assault rifle and a dagger before bringing her toward the manor. The fear in Lu Yalans heart had reached its highest point as she obediently followed behind Qianye. At this moment, she wasnt willing to stay alone in the wilderness even if Qianye let her leave. Comparatively, the regional chief within the manor didnt seem so scary anymore. The few kilometers passed by in silence, and the silhouette of the manor was already appearing before their eyes. Qianye gestured toward Lu Yalan and said softly, Fire at anyone who comes out of the manor. With that, Qianye left without waiting for a reply and continued to advance alone. Lu Yalan hesitated for a moment as she gazed at Qianyes back. Of course, she wouldnt dare to fire at Qianye. She understood, after seeing the grade-five vampire sniper rifle in his hand, that she might not necessarily be able to hit him even if she launched a sneak attack. Lu Yalan was actually hesitating whether or not to fire some warning shots, but she lowered the muzzle after recalling the strict rules of the organization. She had already failed her mission completely, not to mention all her companions were dead. Not only was she the only survivor, but she had also brought the enemy to their regional headquarters. The only fate awaiting her was a cruel punishment even if Qianye were to be captured or killed. A faint scent of blood suddenly pervaded the dense night air as Lu Yalan heard an almost undetectable groan mixed amidst the wind. Apparently, Qianye had dealt with the hidden sentry of the manor. It was just that his actions werent very clean. An odd sensation flitted across her hearthow could this cruel, precise, and orderly youth compromise his movements at the external sentry post? However, her doubts were immediately answered. The scent of blood and the muffled groan could perhaps be hidden from ordinary people, but it definitely couldnt escape the senses of the experts. A loud roar suddenly rang out from within the manor, Who dares come here to court death?! An ear-piercing alarm then rang out as several figures rushed out from within. The snake had left the hole! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 264: Devastating Strike [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The formation fell into disorder as one of the several shadowy figures suddenly fell. A chill crept through the bottom of Lu Yalans heart because she couldnt tell how Qianye had done this. It seemed even the guards themselves had no idea what had happened and began to gaze in random directions. Lu Yalan recalled the instructions Qianye had given her with his dull and uncaring tone. She clenched her teeth, rushed out of her hiding place, and began to fire in three-round bursts. Three Lone Ghost guards fell in quick succession while the remainder were so startled that they abandoned their search for the incoming enemy and ran back into the manor. Lu Yalan began to gasp for breath after the bout of running and shooting, working desperately to calm down the fluctuating origin power in her body.However, she didnt dare stop her feet in the least as she rapidly left her original position and dived toward a different hiding spot. Assault rifles were her forte, and firing the three-round burst with differential aim was her ability. The accomplishments just now were due, in part, to the fact that the Lone Ghost guards were already in confusion. But killing off three rank-four targets in a single burst was also a superb display of her abilities. It was just that a single burst was already her limit, and at present, she only had enough power to fire one more shot. However, the Lone Ghost guards inside no longer dared to emerge because they had lost four men in this face-off without even seeing who the enemy was. It was at this time that a lanky and stern figure slowly rose into the air and, in the blink of an eye, enveloped the whole forest with his tremendous suppressive might. He hovered in the air above the forest as his voice flooded every corner of the area like flowing mercury. This old man is called Fang Tianlun. What kind of person honors us with his presence? Why not come out and meet me? There was only silence in the four directions. Fang Tianlun frowned. His gaze, akin to a torch, gradually swept over the fallen guards and toward the surroundings. He suddenly focused on Lu Yalans direction and sneered, This experts burst fire isnt bad at all. Judging from the technique, you should be Lu Yalan, right?! Good, very good. A mere whore actually dares to betray us? After capturing you, Ill cut off your limbs and soak you in a jar of alcohol. I guarantee youll live for a month at least Lu Yalan was hiding within a bush and holding her breath with an ashen expression. Her limbs had become so stiff that she couldnt even extend her fingers. She knew Fang Tianlun would definitely do what he claimedsince he planned to torture her for a month, he certainly wouldnt let her die a day sooner. But Fang Tianlun hadnt even finished speaking when muffled sounds rang out from within the woods as a dozen or so dark objects flew toward him from different directions. Grenades! Fang Tianluns expression changed significantly. He wasnt actually afraid of these grenades, but was, instead, astonished at how he hadnt sensed the enemy below him at all. Additionally, judging from the trajectory of the flying grenades, it seemed as if there were at least three or four of them hidden here. How was this possible? Fang Tianlun didnt have time to think as he immediately descended to the ground with hazy origin power emerging from his body. He had passed the champions threshold for many years now, but his progress had also halted there. Although he could hover in the air, flexible movements were out of the question. At this moment, there was no clear intelligence on the enemy situation, and it was possible that they were specialists in concealment. Naturally, he wouldnt stay in the air for no reason and become a target. However, the trajectory of those grenades seemed to have been precisely calculated and thrown with a special technique. Fang Tianlun hadnt even landed on the ground when the grenades exploded one after another in the airthe circular wave of flames combined with the shrapnels to form a huge net which swept over him full in the face. Amidst this continuous series of rumbling explosions, Fang Tianlun was engulfed in smoke and flames. Afterwards, another dozen or so grenades flew through the darkness. This time, the target was the manor. These grenades were also thrown from different directions and landed at different distances. The closer ones landed within a couple dozen meters which happened to be within the range of the manor building, while others flew several hundred meters before exploding at the center of the villa. The continuous explosions thoroughly tore apart the silence of the night. The manor was in a state of confusion. Half of an annex building had collapsed and was burning rapidly amidst miserable cries. The sentries couldnt stay hidden any longer and scuttled out from concealment to search for the enemy. At this time, Qianye was standing at the border of the woods with his aura completely retractedin fact, he almost seemed as if he was one with the tree behind him. The origin tides within his body, on the other hand, werent calm at all. Even with his repeatedly upgraded speed and incomparably pure and dense origin power, the two continuous bouts of extreme movement and grenade-hurling had still drained a considerable portion of his stamina. At this time, the last of the chain explosions around Fang Tianlun had just subsided and the flames were beginning to weaken. Qianye calmly gazed at the human-shaped silhouette that slowly emerged from the surging fumes before hurling the grenade in his hand. Fang Tianlun had just made his way out of the fiery rain. At this moment, his face was covered in dirt and scrape wounds, and the clothes on his body were tattered, exposing his dark brown inner armor. His entire left shoulder was in a most sorry situationboth clothes and armor had been torn open to reveal a large patch of flesh. However, Qianye was quite surprised. There were quite a few abrasion marks on the exposed parts of Fang Tianluns body with numerous fingernail-sized shrapnels embedded within the flesh, but Qianye noticed that, on closer inspection, these shrapnels were blocked by the steel-like muscles and unable to penetrate deeper. Although Qianye hadnt expected such ordinary grenades to do major damage against Fang Tianlun, such a sturdy constitution had surpassed the level of an ordinary champion. It seemed his innate gift was related to the strengthening of his body. At this point, Qianye no longer hesitated and immediately tossed the remaining two origin power grenades. Fang Tianlun had just walked out of the explosion when he saw an origin grenade rolling toward himits surface was already beginning to flicker with the glow of origin power! Dammit! He only had enough time to curse out loud before immediately curling himself up on the ground and using his arms to protect the vital areas on his chest. Such a powerful wave of grenades was already enough for breaching fortifications on the battlefield. It definitely wasnt an operation manageable with just a couple of men. But Fang Tianlun still couldnt get a lock on the enemy positions. It was unbelievable! He began to recite various obscenities in his mind while forcefully defending against the origin power explosion. An extremely dazzling light lit up in the night sky as terrifying fluctuations dispersed in every direction. The destructive power of these high-temperature flames was far superior to that of ordinary fire. After being abused by a single origin power grenade, another two exploded at the same location. At the center of the explosion, Fang Tianlun was suffering the impact from wave after wave of origin power storms. Lu Yalan had frantically left her previous position and fled to the back of a giant tree in the distance as the first grenade exploded. She didnt even have time to congratulate herself on finally escaping Fang Tianluns focus before she was scared silly by the terrifying origin power storm. Although the center of this explosion was quite a distance away, the earth beneath her feet rocked and swayed. Even the great tree behind her, which would require several men to wrap their arms around, began to tremble continuously and seemed as if it would snap off at any moment. Qianye stared fixedly at the center of the explosion, his face as gloomy as water. The two continuous probing attempts had yielded clear results. Fang Tianluns speed and agility werent outstanding, but his constitution was especially resilient. Such an opponent couldnt be considered dangerous but was also fairly difficult to kill. At the thought of this, Qianye cut open his own finger and flicked it. A peculiar drop of fresh blood flew out and struck a giant tree several dozen meters away. This drop of blood became more and more condensed after leaving his body and finally became an eerie navy blue. It also seemed somewhat crystallized. Qianyes face turned somewhat pale after shooting out this drop of blood. He lowered his body and vanished silently into the mottled shadows. Fang Tianlun slowly got up after the origin power storm subsided. His face was the very picture of wrath because he hadnt been reduced to such a wretched state in quite some time. The nearby trees began to shake and leaves began to fall chaotically as a substantial bluish-white origin power radiance extended outwards from his arms. It was at this time that he was suddenly startledhe rapidly turned around and stared fixedly at the eastern border of the woods. There was a strand of aura surging from that direction which, despite being fairly faint, caused one to shiver. The aura of an arachne viscount! Fang Tianlun inhaled a breath of cold air. The dark races inherently possessed sturdier constitutions compared to humans and, at the same level and under the same conditions, held a relative advantage in combat strength. The situation regarding the raid on this manor was already bizarre enough, and now, with the sudden appearance of an arachne viscount, he couldnt help but become alarmed. Fang Tianlun was on full alerthe immediately turned toward the arachne viscounts aura and activated his origin power to its peak. Qianye quietly reappeared within the shadows in a certain part of the woods, as indiscernible as the nocturnal mist rising atop the leaves. The Twin Flowers in his hands had been combined into onescarlet origin power flowed amidst the dense twilight and flickering stars. Following which, a pair of flaming golden wings unfurled behind him. The turbulent origin power fluctuations caused Fang Tianlun to suddenly turn his head, whereupon his vision was immediately filled with the radiance from the wings of raging flame. Qianyes hand was was steadyabilities like Heavy Caliber, Accurate Shooting, and Night Vision unfolded in sequence. In the air, the twin flowers bloomed, faced each other, and then withered in each others embrace. In the pitch darkness of the night, an even darker dot flew toward Fang Tianlun. It resembled a most profound darkness capable of devouring all lightimpossible to discern with the naked eye, and could only be traced from the changes in the surroundings as it passed by. As a champion, the intuition he had sharpened by walking across countless blades was screaming danger! Within moments, Fang Tianlun suddenly recalled a terrifying name: Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation! Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation were the nightmare of countless human experts just as Mithril Bullets of Exorcism were for the vampires. It was already too late to evade. One could hardly escape the area of effect of the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation with a mere shift in position. Fang Tianlun let out a crazed howl and crossed his arms over his chest as bluish-white origin power radiance suddenly erupted to its peak, forming numerous layers of dazzling and almost blinding white barriers. The Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation flew silently through the air enshrouded by a faint layer of black mist. Like ink falling into water, the black mist immediately dispersed Fang Tianluns daybreak origin power upon contact. A black spot emerged on the burning-white origin power barrier and spread out within the blink of an eye like the ink on a superior work of calligraphy. The daybreak origin power stained by the black mist rapidly disintegrated. It wasnt even discernable whether or not the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation had slowed down as it simply pierced through the multi-layered defenses and came into contact with the skin on Fang Tianluns arm. Fang Tianluns origin power defenses, as well as his steel-like flesh, were immediately shattered. The bullet shot through the bones of both arms and only came to a halt as it reached his ribs. The next moment, this seemingly invincible bullet suddenly melted as jet black metallic fluid extended toward every direction. Flesh and blood were reduced to nothingness wherever it passed. On the verge of death, Fang Tianlun drew his dagger and ruthlessly sliced off a large patch of flesh from his chest. He then held the dagger in his mouth and cut off both his arms which had been pierced through by the bullet. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 265: Rescue [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] After all doing all of that, Fang Tianlun instantly fell exhausted to the ground and could no longer stand up. The amputated limbs and the flesh he had carved away turned into a pool of black liquid in the blink of an eye before vanishing completely. Fang Tianluns ruthless decisiveness caused Qianye to raise his eyebrows. With what he just did, he could no longer return to being a champion in this lifetime, but at least he could keep his life and still be capable of self-care with the use of artificial limbs. Still lingering within the shadow of the trees, Qianye turned toward a different part of the forest. Sounds of sniper fire rang out, followed by two brief but wretched cries. Fang Tianluns previous shout and the grenade explosions attracted the attention of several Lone Ghost guards. They didnt dare approach the origin power storm at first, but now that the chaos had receded, some of them wanted to see what was wrong. Unexpectedly, two of them died to Qianyes gun the moment they emerged from hidingthe others ran away. Only then did Qianye walk out of the darkness to check on Fang Tianlun who was lying feebly on the ground. He called Lu Yalan over and gave her some simple instructions. Watch him but dont get too close. Fang Tianlun was, after all, a champion. Although he had been badly wounded, it wasnt impossible to drag a rank-six fighter with him if he used some secret techniques. Qianye retracted his aura once again and walked into the darkness. Moments later, a series of grenades exploded again in the heart of the manor, accompanied, from time to time, by the sound of sniper shots. Buildings collapsed and human bodies were blasted high into the sky amidst the flames. Comparatively, the charred wreckage within the woods seemed pervaded by a deathly silence. Only the embers which had yet to burn out completely would release the occasional crackling sound. Under the illumination of the flames, Fang Tianluns face was ashen and the corners of his lips twitched continuously. He suddenly glared at the woman who was curled up in the shadows and said coldly, Well done! Half a lifetime of my hard work has been ruined in your hands! Im sure youre even clearer than me regarding the fate of those who betray Lone Ghost. Lu Yalan leaned on a big tree ten-odd meters away and spoke not a single word. On closer inspection, one would see that her face was pale, beads of sweat were hanging on the tip of her nose, and her hands were trembling continuously. She had worked under Fang Tianlun for many years and deeply understood this chiefs cruel and violent character.Although he was, at the moment, seriously injured and even had to gasp for air a couple of times while speaking, she still felt fear. This was likely an accumulation of his dominance over the many years. The battle in the manor was now coming to an end. Or it could even be said that before Qianyes night vision, speed, and sniping abilities, it was just a one-sided slaughter. Over half of the Lone Ghost guards were either wounded or dead, while the others escaped from the manor. Qianye didnt give chase as this was, after all, the regional Lone Ghost headquarters; they shouldnt have forces more powerful than this in the province. Traveling toward the adjacent one through the wilderness at night would be a fairly dangerous undertaking, and Qianye would have already finished his business here by the time Lone Ghosts newly assembled party arrived. The manor calmed down once again. Qianye only cleared out the surroundings and returned to the woods without entering the building. Fang Tianluns expression was now even more dispirited and his face was shrouded in a layer of darkness. Although he had made the prompt decision to cripple himself, a small amount of black titanium still remained in his body which he couldnt expel no matter how hard he tried. At this moment, not much was left of Fang Tianluns origin power, and he was slowly losing his suppression over the invading black titanium. The distinct sensation of being corrupted inch by inch tortured him until he was half dead. Qianye brought the antidote before Fang Tianluns eyes and said, Answer my questions and this will be yours. Fang Tianluns depressed expression immediately became radiant as he stared fixedly at the medicine. He said with a trembling voice, You wont kill me? Qianye squinted his eyes as he gazed at Fang Tianlun and said indifferently, Its not impossible. Your survival actually isnt that important. A strand of hope was ignited in Fang Tianluns eyes as he said while nodding, Im not a threat to you since I no longer have any hope of recovery after being wounded to such a state. Ill tell you everything as long as you let me go! Wheres the recipient? Who hiredyou? Fang Tianlun spoke without any struggle at all. Qianye wasnt surprised with his cooperative attitude because anyone ruthless enough to cut off both arms to live apparently wouldnt choose to bring about his own doom. The client was a certain elder from Lone Ghost headquarters. Fang Tianlun himself wasnt quite clear regarding the details. He only knew that the other partys identity was quite extraordinary, and he might actually belong to aristocracy or even a great clan. Originally, the client had dispatched a representative to oversee the operation, but he had actually died fighting at the recipients base. Thus, the recipients group, including Chen Lu, hadnt been shipped away yet. They were still being held in the dungeon, waiting for the client to dispatch an agent to receive them. Qianye glanced once more at Fang Tianlun and tossed the medicine to him. Drink it and then take me there. He didnt fully trust Fang Tianluns words. Although most of them should be true, he felt that Fang Tianlun wasnt necessarily ignorant about the clients identity. When Fang Tianlun mentioned that the client was likely from an aristocratic family, his expression flickered as he stealthily sized up Qianyes weapons and apparel. From how the man was trying to judge his identity, Qianye knew that he might have actually heard something about the client. However, the waters surrounding the aristocratic clans had always been very deep, and Qianye being capable of overturning the whole Lone Ghost headquarters despite not being a champion meant that his identity likely wasnt ordinary either. Presently, even Fang Tianluns own life was in the hands of another. How would he dare reveal that he knew certain things which he shouldnt? Fang Tianlun bit down on the medication and swallowed it with a raise of his head. The medicinal effects spread out within moments, and his vitality was marginally restored. He then proceeded to clamber up. The dungeon was under the largest building complex. Everything went smoothly with Fang Tianlun leading the wayQianye killed off the remaining rank four and five guards without much effort, while the other servants and chefs were all ordinary people without any fighting capabilities. Qianye instructed Lu Yalan to round them up and lock them in a room while he himself followed Fang Tianlun into the dungeons. The entrance was behind a spiral staircase. A great steel door appeared before them after taking ten-odd steps down and turning a corner. There was a row of four handles, each with a number above them. Qianye was slightly astonished. A steam mechanism? Whats the password? Without waiting for Fang Tianlun to reply, he casually pointed at the steel door and said, You stand in front of the door. Fang Tianluns expression shifted slightly and his eyes flickered about. Finally, he stood before the door and said, The password is 0704. Qianye glanced at him with a spurious smile and began to pull on the handles. Amidst the clicking sounds of rotating gears, the number above began to rotate and was soon at 0. Afterwards, Qianye turned the other three handles in sequence. A gush of steam emerged from the crack in the door when the numbers were at 0704. The giant gear began to rotate, slowly drawing the panels of the heavy door to each side. Qianye glanced upwards and found some steam seeping out from the gaps in the ceiling. If the wrong password were entered, this narrow corridor would be filled with high-temperature steam hot enough to scald even the powerful body of a dark race warrior. Fang Tianlun walked obediently in front for the rest of the way. The dungeon was quite spacious and contained a couple dozen prison chambers of varying sizes. Most of them were currently empty, but the walls and torture equipment were dyed black with aged bloodstains, a testament to what usually went on around here. Qianye followed Fang Tianlun to a small solitary chamber at the end of the dungeon. Held within was a completely naked woman with various cruel torture wounds all over her body and four thin chains attached to the wall piercing through her hands and feet. The woman raised her head and revealed her delicate countenance upon hearing footsteps. She couldnt see the visitors as her face was full of grime, and the messy hair stuck onto her face obstructed her vision. She let out a snort and, although her aura was quite feeble, one could still hear the undisguised ridicule in her tone. So, has the bastard Song Ziqi finally sent over more of his men? Heh, heh, youd better be careful this time and not let him get killed like Liu He. Alas, I would advise you not to waste any more effort. Killing me will help you save some resources. Qianyes pupils constricted slightly after hearing the name Song Ziqi. As he swept his gaze toward Fang Tianlun, the latter said softly with an awkward expression, Liu He is that representative. That wasnt what Qianye was asking about, but it was already meaningless to continue this conversation. He only smiled and raised his voice, Contrary to appearances, you seem pretty strong-willed. I might just listen to your advice if I were Song Ziqi. Qianye directly crushed the lock, pulled open the prison door, and walked in. He then picked up the nearby bucket of water and poured it over the woman. The woman let out a groan and immediately raised her head to swallow large gulps of flowing water. Apparently, she was extremely thirsty. Qianye poured two more bucketfuls of water on her and washed away most of the grime. Only then did he draw his dagger and slashed at the chains, easily hacking the four fine-steel chains into several fragments. Bear with it. Qianye pressed her down and tugged forcefully. A chain was drawn out of the womans shoulder accompanied by a gush of fresh blood. The woman was exceptionally unyielding and didnt even let out a groan. Even Qianye couldnt help but admire her tenacity. He produced a medicinal syringe, injecting half into her arm while applying the remainder on her wound. The woman lay there with her chest heaving up and down continuously. Her face recovered a bright red color only after a while, whereupon she turned to glance deeply at Qianye and said, Im Chen Lu. Whore you? Qianye pulled Chen Lu up and said, Its not important who I am. Im only responsible for delivering a package. Chen Lus eyes lit up as she sized Qianye up from head to toe before revealing a charming smile. Youre the courier? Great! Please bring me away from this place and we can talk later. Theres a bastard called Fang Tianlun guarding this place, and hes very powerful! Did you mean him? Chen Lu glanced over and was astonished to find Fang Tianlun outside the door. Not only was Fang Tianluns aura extremely feeble, but he had also lost his hands. There was also a terrifying bone-deep wound on his chest. Chen Lu stared speechless for a moment before asking, You did this? Qianye pulled out his cloak from his backpack, tossed it to Chen Lu, and said, Lets leave first. Fang Tianlun said with a laugh, Youve found the prisoner, and Ive also told you everything I know. Now, Im completely useless to you. Can you let me go now? Qianye glanced at Chen Lu and said, Look away. Seeing Chen Lu turn around as instructed, Fang Tianluns expression changed greatly. Youre going back on your word! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 266: Silenced [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The Scarlet Edge in Qianyes hand had already pierced into the mans heart before his cry had even ended. Surging blood energy flowed through the Scarlet Edge and into Qianyes body. As expected of a champion with a strengthened constitution, Fang Tianluns essence blood was fairly abundant and was able to restore the greater half of Qianyes reserves even though the formers foundation had been severely damaged by the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. At this moment, Qianye felt an indescribable sensation. It was by instinct that he had used the dagger to kill this person, and only when the blood energy began gushing in did he realize that he was holding a blood absorption weapon. His heart was overwhelmed by a peculiar sensation when he recalled that the blood energy was from a human. Chen Lu, with her back toward him, let out a snort and said disdainfully, Isnt it just to silence him? Why must I turn around?! Its not like Im a little girl who hasnt seen such things before. Frankly, the people Ive killed might not be fewer than Chen Lus voice immediately drew Qianye back to reality. He quickly put away the Scarlet Edge and interrupted Chen Lus chatter, Its done. Chen Lus eyes suddenly widened when she turned around and saw Fang Tianluns withered corpse. Her gaze brushed past the Scarlet Edge which had already returned to its sheath on Qianyes waist. She opened her mouth ever so slightly but didnt say anything in the end. I didnt promise him anything, Qianye said as he walked out. Puzzlement flashed across Chen Lus eyes after hearing Qianyes clueless words. But then she recalled the words Fang Tianlun shouted before his death. Could it be that Qianye was trying to explain that he didnt promise to not kill Fang Tianlun and that he didnt break any promises? She blinked a few times and finally couldnt help but burst into laughter. This isnt a big deal. Its a matter of course to silence people. Even if you did promise him, he can only blame his own stupidity in believing it. Qianye, who was walking in front, couldnt help but rub his temples and even wanted to let out a sigh. This womans character was simply too... sprightly. How could such a person work as a spy? But, the greater half of Qianyes solemn mood was actually scattered by her. Although Fang Tianlun had lost all of his fighting capabilities, he was fairly resilient and knew when to bow and when to stretch. Especially when Chen Lu mentioned the names of Song Ziqi and Liu He, he had obviously avoided the major character while focusing on the minor one. From this, it was obvious that he wasnt completely ignorant of the details. Letting such a character go would cause no end of troubles for him later on. Even though Qianye himself wasnt afraid of Lone Ghosts retaliation, he wouldnt do something that would add more variables to the unclear situation on Song Zinings side. There were a number of other prisoners held within the dungeon, but none of them were Chen Lus companions. Of the originally captured recipient party members, only Chen Lu and a number of other key characters were kept under strict watch, while the rest had committed suicide or died to cruel torture. None of them had survived. Chen Lu didnt show much grief and simply said, Someone will pay for what happened here. Qianye wasnt interested in the backgrounds of the other prisoners and had no intention of releasing them. He walked out of the dungeon while Chen Lu stayed behind to find some clothing. She emerged only after a while, now wearing a Lone Ghost uniform and carrying a set of weapons. An origin assault rifle hung from her back, two handguns at her waist, and a dagger attached to each of her thighs. Qianye stood smoking at the door. In truth, he was mostly just gazing at the flickering flames and the smoke spiraling up from his fingertips. After hearing the approaching footsteps, he shot a glance at Chen Lu and said, You sure took your time. Chen Lu shrugged and replied, I had to kill everyone inside. Qianyes eyebrows knitted together every so slightly. Chen Lu raised her brows and said, They saw our appearances very clearly and probably also heard you kill Fang Tianlun. I really have no time to go over their origins and find out whos trustworthy. Qianye said nothing else and gestured her to move along. The two of them then searched the whole manor thoroughly and found some letters in Fang Tianluns study. However, there werent any details related to the client. Chen Lu didnt feel disappointed because she had long since recognized the identity of the clients representative, Liu He. That was why she had risked her life to kill the man during the battle at the recipient base, thus delaying the time the captives were transported away from the Western Continent. And seeing that no new representative had arrived during this period, it was likely that Song Zining had also taken action to hinder the other partys movements. Qianye felt somewhat relieved after listening to Chen Lus speculation. Although they didnt find any information, the spoils of war were actually quite abundant. As the Lone Ghost regional headquarters, there were a lot of resources stocked up within the manor. In particular, they had hundreds of origin guns, daggers, and armor. As for firearm type weapons, they had two warehouses full of them. These origin guns were only rank two or three with rifles occupying the majority and were thus useless for Qianye. He browsed the armory a couple of times and only picked up a couple dozen of blank origin bullets and three origin grenades.Chen Lu, on the other hand, had stuffed her backpack full of grenades. Later, the two of them ignited the gunpowder inside and blasted apart the whole building complex. Since they couldnt ship the armaments away, they naturally wouldnt leave them for Lone Ghost either. There was a fair number of good stuff in Fang Tianluns personal storage, including a number of rank-five origin guns. There werent any premium models in his collection, but the advantage lay in that he had collected almost every type. There was a particularly rare rank-five mini-submachine gun. There were over ten rank-four rifles, half of them being sniper rifles and even a remodeled Eagleshot. It seemed Fang Tianluns hobby was to collect various types of origin guns, but now, all of them would benefit Qianye. Apart from this, Qianye also found two vampire origin grenades, a crate of special medicine, and a number of arachne abdominal scales. Finally, there were three Mirthil Bullets of Exorcism. Although such bullets were precious, basically everyone at the champion level would be able to get their hands on a couple of them as a reserve. Finally, they snatched away a fair number of gold coins and six black crystals. Lone Ghosts total losses likely reached tens of thousands of gold coins. Even if Lone Ghost dispatched people to reestablish this regional organization, the losses in accumulated armaments and resources were simply too great. It would be difficult for them to recover completely even after ten years. Qianye summoned Lu Yalan and prepared to leave the place. After Chen Lu saw the dozen servants huddled up in a corner of the kitchen, she suddenly tossed out a series of grenades into the kitchen with a wave of her hand. The explosives bounced off the floor and walls, followed by a sequence of explosions. Qianye cursed out loud and pushed Lu Yalan down under his body. Following which, he rolled through the hallway with the force of the explosion and tumbled several meters away with the girl in his arms. All this while, he had to dodge the bricks falling down continuously from above. Presently, nothing remained between that kitchen, in which the servants were being held, and the end of the corridor. Even the second floor had been smashed down, while the greater half of the external walls had collapsed, revealing the deep night sky. There wasnt even a single groan coming from the rubble. Those ordinary people happened to be at the center of the explosion and were all buried under the collapsing building. It was impossible for them to survive. Meanwhile, a giant steel shield had been erected seemingly out of nowhere at a corner of the corridor. Hiding within the triangular space formed by the steel plate and the wall, Chen Lu didnt even suffer any of the shockwaves. Her body was weak and her position was quite close to the room. Shockwaves of such intensity would badly injure her even if they didnt kill her on the spot. It seemed she had already made preparations to hide even before she took action. Qianye said with an angry expression, Those are civilians! Chen Lu replied indifferently, But they have eyes and mouths. She walked past Qianye on her own and said, Naive little fellow, you wouldve died countless times if you were to have dealings with the rebel army. Youre trying to lecture me? Lets go. We should leave this place. While talking, Chen Lu suddenly halted her steps and swept her gaze over Lu Yalan from head to toe. Lu Yalan was originally quite pale, but at this moment, she met the other partys gaze with great determination. Chen Lu let out a cold snort and turned around to leave in large strides. The three drove out a jeep from the manor garage. They threw the spoils of war onto the car, started the engine, and left the raging flames of the burning manor behind them. The jeep drove through the wilderness for four hours and arrived at a small town around sunrise. Their target was a house located in the northern corner of this town consisting of a three-storied building and a medium-sized courtyard. Chen Lu jumped off the car and proceeded to bang on the house door with a particular rhythm. Moments later, a small window opened up on the black door from which a pale old man peered out before opening the door. The residents here looked like a rich merchant family. There were even a fair number of servants who had gotten up to work at the break of dawn. However, none of them showed any surprise to see Chen Lu and the dust-laden Qianye and Lu Yalan. All of them kept on doing their own jobs as if they hadnt seen anything. The three were brought to a guest roomthey passed through the main building and arrived at the two exquisitely designed houses with white walls and black eaves. Lu Yalan went off to bathe first, while Qianye followed Chen Lu into an inner room resembling a study. Only then did Chen Lu finally relax and extended her hand toward Qianye. Now, you can give me the goods. Qianye brought out the boulderheart jade letter and placed it on the table. Are these people from the rebel army? Chen Lu smiled and leaned back into the chair. She then glanced at Qianye and said, It can be said that they are, and it can also be said that they arent. In truth, they are just civilian merchants whose lives are no different from ordinary people. They dont have any dealings with the rebel army either. But when needed, they can provide us with everything. Everything, you understand? Everythingthis signified that they were willing to sacrifice even their lives. These people acted as the eyes and ears of the rebel army. How terrifying would it be If there were a large number of them? None of the civil affairs of the empire would be able to escape the rebel armys notice. Qianye went silent for a moment and said, This is incomprehensible. Theres nothing too difficult to understand here. There are too many reasons for them to do such things. To the empire, only the major clans could be considered their true citizens. The landowning class are only second-rate people, to speak nothing of the commoners. Trivial matters not even worth mentioning in the eyes of those major characters might perhaps decide a commoner households life or death. The empire is vast and such cases are abundant, hence the existence of the rebel army. Chen Lu paused momentarily before revealing a mocking smile. A single Zhao clan couldnt handle it so the empire called in Grand Marshal Lin Xitang and his Northern Legion. But then what? After several years, the rebel army is still growing larger and larger. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 267: Array Lock [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] An indescribable feeling of anger rose in Qianyes heart after seeing Chen Lus disdainful expression. He said coldly, So what? You think the rebel army would have had the opportunity to thrive if the imperial warriors hadnt been busy obstructing the hordes of the dark races? I dont recall the rebel army fighting the dark races even once. Why dont they try to achieve something if theyre really so capable? Chen Lus smile deepened. Ah, the temper of youth! But its useless no matter how angry you get. The imperial soldiers have no choice but to hold the line once hordes descend. So what if you disapprove? If you really hate this so much, why dont you go and eradicate the rebel army? But with just you? Heh heh! Qianyes expression became even colder. What of it? Youll be devoured whole, bones and all, if you tried. What major business can you accomplish when youre so soft-hearted and sloppy even when silencing witnesses? Qianye was slightly distracted because he actually hadnt expected such an answer. He suddenly recalled having heard from Shi Yan how even Lin Xitang had made little progress when he first arrived on the Western Continent. A large part of that could be attributed to the fact that the rebels were hiding among the civilians and were difficult to differentiate. Marshal Lin refused to utilize a scorched earth policy and hence caused a delay in military progress. He was even summoned back to the empire to deliver a report regarding this matter. Seeing that Qianye wasnt speaking, Chen Lu pointed at the main building and said, You cant kill off the rebel army.It wont disappear as long as people like these exist. Little boy, youll know when you grow up a bit. Okay, theres no time to lecture you on these major principles. Ill accept the goods now. Chen Lu reached out to take the boulderheart jade letter, but it was pressed down by Qianye who had just snapped out of his thoughts. Chen Lu raised her graceful brows and asked, Whats the matter? So many things have happened. Dont you feel you owe me an explanation? For instance, what the goods were about? There was a strand of almost unnoticeable coldness in his unyielding tone. Chen Lu became silent for a moment. She then withdrew her frivolous expression and said seriously, You must be young master Qianye, right? Our seventh young master has long since instructed us to answer your questions truthfully, but are you sure you want to wade into these muddy waters? Qianyes heart was shakenit seemed that Chen Lus identity was even higher than he had expected, and she was likely an important character in the Song Clan, or more precisely, Song Zinings faction. She mustve already understood certain things about Qianye. Otherwise, there was no way she couldve ascertained his identity just from the rescue and the few hours of subsequent interaction. It was just that Lone Ghost had only been able to obtain the couriers physical appearance and professional ranking, but not his actual identity. From this, it was apparent that Song Zining had already taken certain precautions in advance. As for the pool of muddy water in front of Qianye, he originally only wanted to hear what Chen Lu had to say in order to get rid of that stifling sensation in his chest. But he was surprised by the instructions the woman before him had just stated. Did Song Zining mean to keep nothing at all from him? Qianye laughed wrylySong Zining hadnt changed at all since their days in Yellow Springs. He was straightforward in a completely different sense and had no restraints at all. Back in training camp, they were able to trust one another with their backs even in an exam where students were tasked with killing one another. What about now? Qianye suddenly realized that it was probably not Song Zining who needed to think about how to give him an explanation but, instead, it was he who had to think about how he would face the following answer. Despite the million thoughts running through his mind, Qianye said indifferently with a calm expression, Ive already crossed over. Chen Lu nodded. Then allow me to demonstrate. Qianye moved his hand away, allowing Chen Lu to take the boulderheart jade letter. Upon instilling it with origin power, a set of numbers and a diagram composed of lines emerged on the smooth surface of the jade. Chen Lu committed this to memory and then flipped the jade tablet over. A faint origin power glow appeared at her fingertips with which she reproduced the diagram she had seen just now on the jades surface. As the final stroke fell in place, the jade tablet split into two halves with a crack, and a fingernail-sized crystal disk fell out from within. Chen Lu took out a set of equipment from a secret compartment in the bookshelf, carefully placed the crystal disk inside, and flipped the switch. The apparatus shot out a beam of white light which illuminated the crystal with a magnificent brilliance. The radiance changed along as she adjusted the apparatus. Moments later, the picture stopped to form another set of numbers and a line diagram. Chen Lu once again memorized this and placed the crystal disk on the side. She then extracted another black crystal disk of similar size and shape from the storage compartment at the bottom of the apparatus. She inserted this into the device and manipulated the white light so that it fell upon the black crystal from different angles. At this point, Qianyes gaze suddenly froze. He realized that this so-called boulderheart jade letter was only an outer shell which housed the origin array chip inside. Chen Lu was apparently an expert in this field and could use a device to decode and reproduce the origin array. Chen Lu picked up the crystal disk and compared it with the copy. She then crushed both into fine powder because she had already memorized the array and could make a copy anytime. She exhaled deeply, put away the device, and turned to Qianye. Thats it. What you just delivered was an origin array segment embedded within a mother array. Normally, it wouldnt affect the latters functions and would only activate after receiving a special signal. Chen Lu paused momentarily, then added, The function of this segment, when activated, is to disable the mother array and lock down the origin gun. A vague premonition arose in Qianyes heart as he said slowly, But the origin arrays in mass-produced origin guns come fully formed. Where would you insert this segment? Theres a reserved slot within the origin array of each and every gun sold to the rebels by the Ningyuan Group, and Im the one who will insert this segment into them. Qianye suddenly understoodChen Lu was the technical officer and as such the maintenance and remodeling of all origin guns was in her hands. The origin guns sold by Ningyuan groups channels had no problems originally but would become problematic after being maintained by Chen Lu. Once the percentage of such origin guns had expanded to a certain level, a middle-ranking fighting force capable of using origin guns would be caught off guard in battle and face inevitable defeat. Qianye broke into a frown. This sounded quite good, but the implementation period was long and the risks were great. Just like this time, if Lone Ghost had gotten its way and revealed Ningyuan groups trade with the rebel army, Song Zining might not have been able to escape the implications. As for the true reason behind this trade, those with evil intentions would make sure not to let them see the light of day. There were many other methods to strike at the rebel army, so why did Song Zining choose such a convoluted method? What would he do if he encountered an accidental setback? There was no way that Song Zining hadnt foreseen the dangers in this endeavor if even Qianye could see through them. This really didnt feel like his way of doing things. Whos Song Ziqi? Was he the one who hired Lone Ghost to disturb this transaction? Song Ziqi is the third young master of the Song Clan and is ranked fourth among the successors to the clan lords title. These high-ranking young masters not only fight ferociously among themselves but also attempt to form alliances everywhere. The seventh young master had always maintained a neutral position and his family branch only slightly leaned towards that of the eldest young master. Originally, he was able to live together with everyone in harmony, but the old ancestor of the Song clan began to show favor towards him at one point and it became increasingly difficult for him to conceal his rapidly increasing strength. This caused many others to view him as a threat and Song Ziqi was one such person. Chen Lu sneered, This time, Song Ziqi wanted to seize evidence of the trade between the Ningyuan Group and the rebel army. This crime would be sufficient for the seventh young master to be expelled from the family or even suffer a secret execution. In truth, they would secretly assassinate the seventh young master as soon as he was captured in order to consolidate this crime. Their ambitions arent limited to just toppling the seventh young masters branch, either. They have plans to utilize this incident to attack other people. Qianye inhaled deeply and said while disguising the killing intent in his eyes, I heard that the Drinking Horse Yin Clan is related by marriage to a branch of the Song Clan? A strand of confusion appeared on Chen Lus face, but she soon understood the question. You must be referring to the second young master Song Zians connections. They once used the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt to suppress seventh young masters evaluation. But Song Ziqi and Song Zian arent on the same team. Qianye nodded and then told her about Ma Zhongs verbal confession. I feel that its not just Ma Zhong who had incidentally discovered this secret. I think there might be problems with the people on Zinings side. A stern expression flashed across Chen Lus eyes. Of course, its not that spineless bastard! Song Ziqi got wind of the trade between Ningyuan Heavy Industries and the rebel army from sources outside of the Western Continent. Ill definitely report this matter to the seventh young master after returning. We have to perform a thorough cleanup of personnel both on his side and the Western Continent. Are you returning to the rebel army? The important characters here are all dead. Naturally, whatever I say is the truth. Chen Lu continued with great confidence, It wasnt easy to form this trade route. How can we just throw it away? Meanwhile, the fact remains that Song Ziqi had hired Lone Ghost to destroy one of the Egret Corps transaction points. This news must be made known to the rebel army dignitaries. Qianye immediately understood Chen Lus intention to shift the blame, but he himself had little to comment on such schemes. Ill take my leave now since theres nothing else on your side. Chen Lu stood up and asked, Will you return to Evernight Continent? Is there anything else you need here? Qianye muttered to himself momentarily, then said, I cant ship away all those things in the car. If possible, introduce me to a reliable channel so that I can sell them off. Wait for me. Chen Lu left the room and came back after mere moments. She tossed Qianye a ring and said, Take this token and visit chief auctioneer Zhao Runshui in Serenity. He will give you a fair price. She shrugged and said, The Zhao clan has never cared about ones affiliation so you should be safe back in the city, but its never wrong to exercise caution. Qianye fiddled with the ring and said with a smile, This batch of origin guns wont drift into the hands of the rebel army, will it? Its hard to say. However, the auction in Serenity belongs to the Zhao clan. You should be seeking them out if, in the end, these guns land in the hands of the rebel army. Qianye nodded and said, Many thanks. Then Ill take my leave. After some thought, Qianye decided to follow Chen Lus channel and also observe the situation in Serenity. Additionally, his luggage was still in the small inn. Although it wasnt that important to him, he would still need to replenish some supplies for use in the wilderness if he planned to visit the place housing the Black-Winged Monarchs Treasure. Chen Lu finally revealed a charming expression and smiled much more normally. You saved me this time, so Ill help you modify your weapons free of charge. Anything below grade six, I can modify or upgrade. But youll have to pay for the materials yourself. Im not rich! Qianye smiled faintly. Got it. He immediately saw Lu Yalan as he walked out of the room. She had just finished bathing and even her hair hadnt yet dried completely. She was sitting blankly on the sofa and gazing out the window. Qianye momentarily felt somewhat distressed. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 268: Ahead [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye gestured towards Lu Yalan and said, Lets go. Somewhat stupefied, Lu Yalan followed Qianye out and got into the drivers seat. To Serenity. Lu Yalan trembled slightly as she turned to glance at Qianye with eyes full of anxiety and uneasiness. Were going back to Serenity? I have some business there. Why? Does Lone Ghost have more agents there? Only some external informers. Youve killed most of Lone Ghosts main characters in this region, but theyll soon discover that something has happened here. At that time, theyll dispatch some elders over. Lu Yalans voice trembled slightly. Apparently, those Lone Ghost elders werent easy to deal with. Qianye had already familiarized himself with the distribution of Lone Ghosts force on the Western Continent. He thus replied indifferently, Itll take them a couple of days at least. We still have enough time. Youll be free once I leave Serenity. Lu Yalan couldnt help but shiver after hearing these words. Qianye realized what had happened and said with a smile, Relax, you did well along the way, so I wont kill you. And I believe youre clever enough not to do something foolish like returning to Lone Ghost. Lu Yalan nodded and started the engine in silence. After arriving in Serenity, Qianye collected his luggage at the small inn and moved to a more centrally located establishment owned by the Zhao clan. He, himself, didnt linger there and rushed towards the auction house despite the time being close to nightfall. Zhao Runshui was from a side branch of the Zhao clan. His bloodline was so thin that he could barely be called a member of the clan. Even so, the Zhao surname had played an essential part in allowing him to obtain this lucrative post at the Serenity auction house. The place had already closed for the evening, but Zhao Runshui was still taking inventory of the days income and hadnt yet left. He welcomed Qianye inside with great enthusiasm once the guards passed him the token that Qianye had presented. He even dispatched some men to call back the appraiser and trader who had already left and proceeded to evaluate Qianyes guns one by one. Qianye suddenly realized something while looking at Zhao Runshuis appearance. Song Zinings original instructions had stated that the recipient was a champion from the Zhao clan. Although this was just a disguise, it probably wasnt without reason. Perhaps Song Zining did have similar connections within the Zhao clan. It was just that this incident had stemmed from the Song clans internal competition for the successors positionnot even the core members of the Zhao clan would interfere in this, to say nothing of a mere champion. Qianye sighed in his mind. This whole excursion to the Western Continent had been full of battle and murder. His emotions became extremely complicated whenever he thought of the stories hidden behind all the bloodshed. Zhao Runshui completed his evaluation and brought over a thick resource catalog. Qianye casually flipped through it and requested some rare materials that could be easily carried with him. He also expressed a desire to obtain some weapons used specifically to target the dark races. Zhao Runshui didnt ask anything and brought out five Mithril Bullets of Exorcism as well as a special jade box. The origin bullets within the box were a pleasant surprise to Qianye. He had never expected to see a Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang in an auction house. This was a type of bullet whose firepower was comparable to that of the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. That was, of course, when used against the dark races. Comparatively, even the bullet made by the great master was a grade inferior. If Zalen had been shot in the chest by a Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang, he would have likely turned into a charred corpse in an instant, without any chance to recover or treat his wounds. After completing the deal, Qianye returned to the hotel and found Lu Yalan asleep on the sofa, curled up in an extremely uncomfortable position. Too many things had happened these days, and it seemed that she was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Qianye patted her awake and said, We should leave now. Lu Yalan opened her eyes in a daze. Leave? Where are we going? A single word had jolted her awake. Huddled up into a ball, she stared fixedly at Qianye with a pale countenance. She wasnt that timid in the past, but it had become increasingly difficult to maintain her courage after that first time she flinched on the fine line between life and death. Dont worry, I wont kill you. But Im leaving now, so youre free to go wherever you want. Lu Yalans eyes flickered as she suddenly said, Can you arrange something for me? Qianye was startled. What kind of arrangement? Lu Yalan sat up straight. In addition to fear, there was also a strand of hope within her eyes. Ive received comprehensive training in assassination. Its just that my field experience isnt sufficient. My specialties are gambling, management, and information gathering. Qianye had already packed. He threw his backpack over the shoulder and said after some hesitation, Im currently on another mission and cant bring you along. Lu Yalans expression fell a bit. After some thought, Qianye said, If youre willing to go to Evernight Continent, you can head to Blackflow City in Trinity River County and claim a position in the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. After that, Qianye tossed her a pouch of money. Lone Ghost wont dare cause a big ruckus in Zhao clan territory, so the public airships might be safer. Lu Yalan hesitated for a moment but finally nodded. Qianye thus drove his jeep onto the First Sun Highway under the gradually darkening twilight. At first, he would still pass by travelers who were hurrying towards the city, but after a while, only the wilderness remained in every direction. A segment of the starry night sky was occupied by a gigantic moon, and one could clearly see the mountain ridges rising and falling upon its surface. The city of Serenity soon vanished on the other side of the horizon. There was only boundless night wherever Qianye glancedit was as if the sky and the wilderness had merged together into one. It felt as if he were the only one left on this whole continent. An unfamiliar star atlas hung upon the firmamentthe sky of each continent in this world was unique, and the stars and moons appeared different to people on different continents. At this moment, many faces appeared in Qianyes mind. He suddenly began to miss his friends, acquaintances, and even those whom he had only met for a couple of times. Countless images flashed before his eyes: Song Zining passing over the green tea, Wei Potian as he constantly lost his fights, Nighteyes figure as she turned towards the airship cemetery, Zhao Ruoxis smile as she glanced at him from beside the creek, and even that of William as he drooled while gazing at the meat roasting over the bonfire. With this, Qianye knew he was feeling lonely. It seemed the older he grew, the more afraid he was of loneliness. But he also knew that this feeling was different from when he was escaping Darkblood City. Presently, every bit of longing was born of concern and every bit of loneliness was born of the expectation of a reunion. After crossing over two provinces, the Fallen Star Mountain Range, which extended for thousands of kilometers, came into view in the distance. Hidden there was another piece of the Black-Winged Monarchs legacy, the Eye of Truth. Qianye had already guessed, after merging the Twin Flowers twice, that the pair of wings which had suddenly appeared on the dark golden blood energy was very likely the Wings of Inception. But even if he had no intention to obtain more power by combining it with the Eye of Truth, he still couldnt sit by and watch as such an important item fell into the hands of the dark races. The jeep drove farther along the road, day in and day out, toward the boundless mountain and his boundless destiny. Western Swallow Province was one of the Zhao clans four provinces, and it was also a territory the clan had opened up and constructed from scratch. The Zhao clans ancestors, as the meritorious ministers during the founding of the empire, were entitled to a single county. Later on, by virtue of the skill and wisdom of successive clan lords, they had exchanged the county for half a province on the Western Continent. Back then, the empire had just extended its reach here and it was a charred land enveloped by the flames of war, completely incomparable to the fertile lands at the empires belly. However, the Zhao clan produced experts in every generation. With this as a foundation, they were able to seize territories one after another from the hands of the dark races and finally became a great clan whose influence spanned four provinces. In truth, it wasnt just the Zhao clanthe other clans had also made contributions as pioneerseven the Song clan, known for its trade and less so for its military might, had gained its core fiefdoms by developing them from the ground up. That was also the reason why their lands were hereditary. No foundation was conjured out of thin air. Every inch of territory was exchanged for an inch of blood and buried beneath them were the heroic spirits of warriors from each generation. The jeep had only gone past half of the Western Swallow Province when there was no longer any road in front of Qianye. The Western Swallow Continent was quite oddhalf of it was flourishing while the other half was incomparably desolate with numerous traces of having been deserted after the war. The boundaries between the flourishing and desolate regions were also the border regions where the dark races would frequently attack. After seeing no more road ahead, Qianye knew he had left the safe zone. Following the markings on the map, he found a small border city wherein he sold off the jeep and bought a short-legged horse famous for its endurance. The road ahead was a boundless desert and was impossible to traverse without specialized vehicles. The horse was an easy-to-purchase means of transportation with the best price to quality ratio. On the evening of the second day, Qianye discovered an isolated stone table which read: Great Qin Border. He would officially exit the imperial territory after passing this boundary tablet. At this time, a gust of wind blew past and kicked up a large cloud of yellow sand. Even the sun in the sky became somewhat distorted, but the sandstorm couldnt affect the boundless light and warmth projected onto this uninhabited area. The horse under Qianye was already somewhat listless, and his water pouch was already half empty. It would be dangerous if he couldn''t exit the desert before he used up his water supply. An experts strength could only help so much in such a vast and uninhabited region. But this naturally adverse environment was especially silent. After one more night, Qianye could already see the mountain range far in the distance. The winds blowing in his face had also become less scorching. He should reach the dark race territory after entering the Fallen Star Mountain Range. Originally, this was an extremely desolate and sparsely populated mountain region, populated a multitude of wild beasts. However, Qianye had seen numerous dark race squads roaming this area. Apparently, it was no longer as tranquil as it was in the past. After walking out of the desert, Qianye set the horse free and walked into the vast mountains alone. He was fairly cautious and avoided advancing rashly. He took a rest after finding a proper hiding place despite it still being light outside, planning to restore his stamina to its peak before going deeper into the mountain. Afterwards, Qianye fell into a deep sleep while leaning on the cliffside. In his dream, he seemed to hear a voice call out to him continuously. It sounded very familiar, but he couldnt recall where he had heard it before. The voice repeated the words at a uniform frequency for an unknown length of time before Qianye was able to hear it clearly. Approach me. Bring me my head and I shall help you become the king of this world! Qianye was suddenly jolted awake! The voice in his dream had been extremely vivid, and it seemed to echo in his ears even after waking up. He finally recalled where he had heard this voice before; it was just after he had obtained the crystal disk fragment from Baron Deryl. From his experience interacting with Andruils consciousness, Qianye realized that this voice was most likely not a hallucination, but a summons from a certain entity. It was just that he couldn''t confirm whether the voice was calling out just to him or if other people could also hear it. But why was this related to a crystal fragment which Andruil had left for his servant? Could it also be a remnant of the Black-Winged Monarchs consciousness? Qianye inhaled deeply. He felt rather uneasyperhaps he would encounter more than just the Eye of Truth in this endeavor. The next day, Qianye finally discovered traces of dark race activity when he arrived at a vampire castle which stood towering over a certain valley. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 269: Abrupt Change [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The castle wasnt very big, but the environs were fairly beautiful. The towering old trees and the flower orchards that had already become part of the courtyard scenery indicated that this place had been established for hundreds of years. Qianye pondered momentarily and then began to slowly approach the castle. He intended to observe this familys strength. A number of airships were parked in a small plaza to the side of the castle, filling the small space to the point of bursting. It was clear that such a large number of airships would never appear here under normal circumstances. Qianye frowned slightly after counting in his mindjust the number of vampires he could see already far surpassed the scale of a single castle. Even if it were a marquis living here, there shouldnt be so many of them even after adding up his descendants and private troops. It was clear that this castle had already turned into a transitional base. As night gradually descended, squads of vampires walked out of the castle and swiftly disappeared deeper into the mountain range. At the same time, another vampire unit emerged from the mountainous region and entered the castle. Qianye watched for a while, resisting the urge to capture a live prisoner for interrogation. The vampires were cautious creaturesthey would immediately deduce that there was a hidden enemy nearby if one of their companions went missing, especially when they were all in distinct groups. After some time had passed, Qianye began to shift his scouting position and, after familiarizing himself with the pattern of the vampire squads, followed one of them deeper into the mountainous region. There were ten-odd members forming this vampire squadall of them were clad in black trench coats with a blue flaming shield insignia sewn onto their cuffs with dark red thread. Apparently, they were warriors from the same clan. The group, led by a knight, traveled silently through the mountainous woods and didnt utter a single word even after traveling for the greater half of the night. The squad arrived at a valley when it was nearly dawn. There was a small camp erected here with everything they might need for rest and replenishment. A number of vampires were already within the camp, all of them busy with their own tasks. Some were preparing food while others were cleaning their origin guns, weapons, and defensive equipment. One of the two vampires preparing food was chopping some kind of meat while the other was dragging a man out from a cage and hanging him up on a nearby rank. After this, the vampire pierced some empty needles into the mans arteries, causing fresh blood to flow out of the pipe on the other end and into the pre-positioned tin cans. Qianye was currently on a distant hill. He could clearly see everything going on in the camp with his night vision despite being far away. So much so that he could even make out the ornament attached to a certain female vampires long fluttering hair. Because of this, Qianye saw that the meat being cut up by the vampire was actually human meat! Fresh human meat! There was a number of large cages at a corner of the camp, holding ten-odd captives with apathetic expressions and sluggish movements. These humans were bred by the vampires to be used as food. They had long since come to terms with their fate and had given up on struggling. The man suspended on the wooden rack was nearly drained of blood. He was gasping for air with great difficulty and could no longer even utter a word. A vampire warrior came over and collected the tins of fresh blood. Afterwards, he picked up a dagger and began to cut the man up immediately. The man who was on his last breath shook and let out a pained cry as his final struggle. Soon, he lost his voice. Pieces of his carcass fell into the tray after a series of fine cuts and would soon become a dish to be served on the table. These vampires belonged to the blood-banquet party, the cruelest and most radical among the primogenitor factions. They not only drank human blood but also ate human flesh. For these vampires, the pained expressions and mournful screams of the humans were the best accompaniment for their meals. Qianyes expression was ashen as he gradually lengthened his breathing, strands of scarlet origin power surging up on his body from time to time. This wasnt the first time he had witnessed a blood-banquet. He had even seen some that were crueler and larger in scale than the one before him. But every time he witnessed such a scene, the deeply ingrained anger and sorrow would well up from the bottom of his heart. This was an irreconcilable enmity between the humans and the vampires, born from every aspect of their daily lives. Qianye forced himself to slow down his breathing and shift his hands away from the sniper rifle.It wasnt a good time to take action because he wouldnt be able to save these livestock humans even if he could kill all the vampires in the camp. It would only serve to compromise his movements. Additionally, there inevitably were dark race experts overseeing this mountainous region. Once they were alarmed, it would become impossible for Qianye to continue his search for the Eye of Truth, even if he could escape with his life. The group of vampires became obviously relaxed after entering the camp. They unloaded their equipment in succession, sat down at the table, and began to wolf down the fresh human meat in large gulps. Qianye was just about to leave when an unexpected incident occurred. A vampire warrior heading towards the creek suddenly rose into the air! He struggled with all his might and continuously scratched at his throat with both hands. However, he kept rising higher and higher as if he were held by an invisible rope. The incident near the creek immediately alarmed the resting vampire warriors in the camp. They drew their weapons and began to search for the assailant. However, even morewarriors were suddenly hoisted into the air, bound by an invisible force. Within moments, strands of blood began to appear on their bodies, splitting them into pieces of flesh which were sent flying through the sky. Qianye finally discovered the countless transparent threads weaving through the air. It was these threads that had entangled the vampire warriors and carried their powerful bodies into the air. These transparent threads were incomparably resilient and possessed unimaginable cutting power, capable of dismembering a vampires powerful body with relative ease. The leader of this camp, being a vampire knight, reacted quickly and brandished his sword to cut apart the invisible threads in the vicinity. He then drew his gun and fired off a volley of shots toward the nearby woods. Origin bullets whizzed through like a storm. Branches and leaves flew in every direction as a number of ancient trees fell with loud rumbles. At this time, a gigantic figure slowly emerged from amidst the falling leaves. Unexpectedly, it was an arachneits lower body was in arachnid form with natural blue scales covering its abdomen. The scale armor seemed fine and delicate, but its defensive power was quite exceptional. The vampire knights shot had struck the arachne squarely in the abdomen, but was only able to leave a meter-long wound that was as deep as a palm. This could only be considered a minor injury to an arachne. He extended a hand and shot out dozens of spider silk strands which continuously entangled the vampire warriors. Additionally, large patches of spider web would appear around the arachne whenever it moved. A vampire warrior suddenly dashed in from the left side but was glued tightly the moment he stepped into the webs and couldnt extricate himself no matter how hard he tried. The arachne laughed maliciously and hacked that high-ranking vampire warrior into two with a swing of its axe. The blood knight was both shocked and furious. What the hell are you doing? The arachne smacked its lips and grinned. What am I doing you say? Im wiping you all out of course! The blood knights eyes flickered with a red glow, and he roared in anger, Then go to hell! Blood-colored light erupted around his body as he activated his full potential and fired a rumbling barrage of origin bullets toward the arachne. Half of them were blocked by the spider webs, but a series of projectiles still found their mark. The arachne let out an explosive shout as he hurled the gigantic axe in his hand towards the blood knight, cutting him into two halves. The arachne moved towards the blood knights corpse, dug out his heart, and proceeded to eat it up. This exceptionally powerful arachnes strength was close to that of a champion and he was proficient in utilizing spider silk for both offense and defense. With over half of the vampires either killed or injured during the sudden ambush, the situation collapsed after the blood knights deathsome of the warriors roared and charged towards the arachne while a number of them began to scatter in various directions. At this point, Qianye secretly shook his head. Escape was probably impossible against an arachne who was so gifted in the control of spider silk. No one knew just how long he had been hiding in the vicinity and how many traps it had laid down. As expected, the fleeing vampires were either hoisted into the air and torn to pieces or completely immobilized within spider webs that seemed to have come out of nowhere. After killing each vampire, the arachne would immediately dig out the victim''s heart and directly swallow it. At this time, Qianye noticed that there were many old scars mixed in among the criss-crossing patterns on the arachnes body, one of which extended across the arachnes entire abdomen and nearly cleaved him into two halves. These wounds werent left behind by the warriors of this vampire camp. Qianye was momentarily enlightened. This arachne was probably a viscount whose strength had fallen due to an unknown injury. Even so, he retained his special combat technique and, with it, finished off all the warriors in this vampire camp. The arachne greedily devoured the vampires hearts one by one as if the world would end the next moment. Apparently, he was eager to heal his injuries. The hearts of vampires and werewolves, the demonic cores of the arachne, and the origin furnaces of the demonkin were the respective core organs for origin power convergence. Devouring large amounts at a critical juncture could, indeed, allow one to rapidly recover from injuries. But the problem was that this kind of absorption was extremely wasteful and associated with a fair amount of sequelae. Apparently, this arachnes injuries were extremely critical, leaving him with no other choice but to use this kind of extreme method to seek recovery. It seemed the dark races active within this vast mountainous region werent exactly unified. On the contrary, they likely possessed deep hatred for one another. A thought flashed through Qianyes mind as he began to approach the camp stealthily. The arachne was so focused on prying open the vampire corpses and devouring their hearts that he didnt notice the movements in the vicinity at all. Actually, in addition to the unsprung traps it had set up around the camp, an area dozens of meters around the arachne was covered in dense spiderwebs. It was almost impossible to launch a sneak attack against it. But Qianye had long since confirmed the coverage area of the webs with his night vision. He moved cautiously through the gaps and halted his steps just beyond the webs spread out on the ground behind the creature. Qianye brought out the Twin Flowers and pressed a Mithril bullet of exorcism into it. After this, he activated the Wings of Inception as he merged the guns together and a loud boom echoed out as the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism tore a huge hole in the arachnes body. The arachne suddenly let out a hysterical scream as the translucent white silk frantically wrapped around his body to form a defensive barrier. He turned around, stared fixedly at Qianye and let out a roar while attempting to pounce at him. However, his body had long since been drained of strength and his entire back was charred as if he had been scorched by intense flames. The strands of spider silk were immediately reduced to ash upon contact. The arachne was only able to take two steps before collapsing onto the ground. However, it still managed to extend its right hand towards Qianye and shoot out a strand of spider silk. Qianye took a step back, drew the Scarlet Edge, and hacked down into the air in front of himself. His hand shook from the impact as he cut the spider thread apart. It was as if he had just cut through a steel bar. The shrill sound of cut threads echoed through the air as Qianye continued to brandish his blade and tear a path through the dense spider webs. Qianye arrived within melee range, pointed the Scarlet Edge at the arachnes throat from a distance, and asked coldly, Why did you kill them? The arachne stared at the dagger in Qianyes hand, then asked in a hoarse voice, Which clan are you from? [1] Author said Eagleshot here, but I think the current sniper is no longer an Eagleshot. Because of this, Ive replaced it with sniper rifle for now. At least until I can confirm things. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 270: The Second Fragmen t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye waved the Scarlet Edge around and said indifferently, Thats none of your business. Answer me or Ill plunge this blade into your demonic core. How could a dark race expert not recognize a blood absorption weapon, a symbol of the vampires? Having ones essence blood absorbed while alive was a slow and agonizing way to die. But the arachne didnt seem terrified. His legs began to twitch and his expression turned vacant as he muttered while gasping for air, I wont live much longer, so what does it matter how I die? My only regret is that I obtained it with much difficulty and yet yet Qianye waited for a moment to make sure the arachnes voice had completely died down. After a moment of hesitation, he took two steps forward and pierced his blade into the arachnes demonic core. The pure essence blood flowing through the vampiric blade signified that the arachne was indeed a viscount and was likely just one step away from becoming a count. It was just that his injuries were so severe that his strength had been reduced to that of a rank-nine fighter. Afterwards, Qianye quickly searched the arachnes body but found nothing special apart from a number of crystal coins. The battle axe was a grade-five weapon, but unfortunately, Qianye would be unable to hide while carrying such a big piece of equipment. Qianye got up and took note of the surrounding movements. He then carefully recalled the arachnes dying words and felt he had missed something. He checked the arachnes carcass once again, and this time, he found something. One of the wounds on the arachnes abdomen appeared somewhat abnormalit seemed to have closed much faster than the others and was almost fully healed. A thought flashed through Qianyes mind as he cut open the scar and revealed a glittering crystalline light. There was actually a crystal fragment within! Qianye brought out his own fragment and held the two together in his palm. He found that they were made of the same materials, possessed similar patterns on them, and were more or less of the same size despite the difference in shape. After pairing them side by side, he found that there was, indeed, a segment where they could be connected together seamlessly. Qianye had never expected that he would discover this crystal fragment on the arachnes body. It seemed the battles he had experienced before were likely related to this item. Could it be that the gift Andruil left behind for his servant was no longer a secret? Qianye frowned as he picked up the origin gun which belonged to the blood knight and fired at the wound in which the crystal fragment was hidden. The projectile thoroughly destroyed the flesh around the wound and also wiped away all traces of the crystal fragments existence. He then observed the surrounding scene of battle, cleared away traces of his own movement, and left swiftly. Qianye didnt dare stay here too long and continued deeper into the mountainous region. He ran for one whole day and night, cautiously avoiding the dark race patrols along the way. A number of vampires appeared outside of the camp not long after his departure. They were wearing copper masks and each of them possessed deep and powerful auras. Grote actually died here. This is terrible, one of the vampires said slowly. More importantly, where is the item he took away? Perhaps its still on his body. Grote is notorious for his craftiness. A slim hope at best. A vampire at their center raised his hand and sprayed out sheets of blood-colored mist from his fingertips which immediately burst into flames upon contact with the arachnes corpse. Within moments, only a pile of white ash remained of the gigantic carcass. The atmosphere among the vampires suddenly became quite depressed as they glanced at the pile of white ash and then at each other. One of them said, Grote was sucked dry of all essence blood, and judging from the traces on the carcass, it was done by someone from our race. But the lethal injury was caused by a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. Its not that rare to see a human bullet being used. One must know that the Mithril Bullet of Exorcisms damage against our sacred-blooded races is truly commendable. Also, didnt you notice that the bullet was fired from a vampire origin gun? This means that the key disk should be with Grotes killer. It might be wise to initiate a large-scale manhunt The vampires in the group immediately shook their heads and said with lowered voices, That wont do. We absolutely cant let other people get wind of this! The key, as well as Andruils treasure, must be kept completely under our control. After scanning everyone with his eyes, a vampire said, This camp belongs to the Fargus clan. You, immediately investigate their members dispatched within this area. I want a complete list, and not one of them must be missing. Do I make myself clear? The vampire affirmed the order and immediately left. At this time, the vampire leader waved his hand and said, Well split up and search. He shouldnt have gotten far. Lets comb through a radius of 200 kilometers from this point. This search perimeter wasnt small. Even these powerful vampires would have to expend a considerable amount of origin power in order to accomplish this. But they silently turned away to execute the orders without a shred of discontentment. The key fragment was too important. Even if they couldnt get their hands on it, they must prevent others from combining them into a complete key. The masked vampires moved like the wind and pushed through the mountainous woods like specters. Within moments, they had flipped over numerous mountain ranges and inspected every deep ravine. They passed by many other dark race patrol squads but remained completely undiscovered. Qianyes intuition was correctthe mysterious vampires were no farther than ten kilometers from him at their closest. But at that point, they had already reached the boundary of their search perimeter. From the vampires point of view, Grotes killer couldnt have fled so far in such a short time. Additionally, if that person had indeed left their search radius, it signified that he either possessed a special gift in speed or was exceptionally powerful. This meant that there was no way for them to deal with this assailant on their own and would have to report this to their higher-ups. Qianye was still running even after the mysterious vampires stopped giving chase. He ran for nearly 400 kilometers before finding a well-hidden spot to rest. On the way, he found some odd things worth pondering. The dark races were stretched too thin in this mountainous region, and their numbers were too few. Their average levels werent high enough either. It already seemed pretty good if a small squad had a high ranking dark race warrior like a knight leading them. There were even units without any high-ranking warriors. Comparatively, the average strength of the vampire forces was of a higher level. In addition, the dark races here were continuously fighting amongst themselves. Just along the way, Qianye had encountered at least half a dozen ongoing battles or traces of them. Their situations werent similar to the one-sided slaughter at the vampire campthe battles were small in scale but in no means inferior in intensity, most of them ending in the complete annihilation of one party. According to Qianyes previous experience, this kind of deficiency in operational unity usually meant that they were lacking a powerful leader. It could also be that the alliance agreement between the higher-ups didnt put much emphasis on restraining them, allowing the dark races to settle personal feuds while performing their missions. All in all, this probably meant that the dark races still hadnt found the location of Andruils treasure. So much that they might not even have any solid clues regarding it. After observing these battles, Qianye felt that it was time to capture someone and ask them some questions since he no longer needed to worry about compromising his movements. After several hours, Qianye silently followed a search party comprised of some arachne and their servspiders, ambushing them as they entered a short and narrow valley. There was no longer any suspense in the ensuing battle after Qianye grievously wounded the arachne knight leader with his sniper rifle. The remaining two arachne and the dozen or so servspiders were only able to hold out for minutes before they were wiped out completely. Qianye brought out a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism and waved it in front of the dying arachne knight. Answer my questions and Ill let you die easy. Otherwise, Ill stuff this into your mouth. The arachne knights eyes had just moved away from the Scarlet Edge when it clearly saw what that origin bullet was. It was immediately overcome by a mixture of rage, terror, and perplexion. However, it finally nodded. Where are you lot from and what are you looking for in this place? The arachne struggled somewhat before replying, We hail from the Hanging Silk Kingdom of the Western Continent, and our mission is to search for a certain historical remain which might exist. Murals, antiques, and tombs are all within the search criteria. As for what the actual goal of this search is, Im also uninformed. Qianye frowned slightly. He knew, from the current clues, that the arachne knight was telling the truth. Such an all-encompassing search covering a vast area only went to say that the dark races had no idea regarding the specific location of their objective. So much that they might not even know in what form Andruils treasure existed. Qianye asked a number of questions from different perspectives and, after confirming that the arachne knew nothing more than he had said, slashed its throat apart. After the arachne stopped moving, Qianye plunged the Scarlet Edge into its demonic core. The blood energy within Qianyes body was nearing its maximum capacity after absorbing the arachne patrol squads essence blood. But even after transforming such a large amount of essence blood into darkness origin power, he still wasnt able to let the dark golden blood energy to upgrade again. Qianye cleaned up the scene and wiped away the traces of his position. However, he left behind traces which showed the corpse was drained of its essence blood. Later along the way, Qianye took the risk to ambush two more search parties. Finally, he squeezed out some information from a vampire baron and discovered that the person in charge of overseeing the operation on Fallen Star Mountain Range was Duke Bellini of the vampire race. After hearing this news, Qianyes taut nerves relaxed somewhat. Presently, there may be great monarchs from the dark race comparable in strength to Andruil and could possibly break the Black-Winged Monarchs arrangements. However, this character definitely wasnt a mere vampire duke. Putting a duke in charge of this operation and not someone of higher standing meant that the dark races hadnt found out further clues. This was good news. It meant that as long as Qianye was careful enough, he wouldnt encounter especially large forces at the entrance of his destination. Qianye climbed onto a tall peak and gazed into the distance. He compared the current topography against the one he had seen in Andruils consciousness and found that the Eye of Truth should be located in a central region of the Fallen Star Mountain Range. Qianye traveled for the next three days without attacking any more patrol squads along the way. This went on until the familiar silhouette of a towering solitary mountain appeared in his eyes. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 271: Discovery [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The lone peak was verdant, tall, and precipitous. This exceptionally eye-catching peak, akin to a sword pointing towards the sky, was one of the prominent landmarks Qianye had noticed in the scene Andruil had shown him. He proceeded even more cautiously and gradually approached the lone peak under the cover of the surrounding topography. Dark race activity was obviously greater in this region, but it was still manageable as there was no increase in the inherent strength of the patrol squads. Even though the Wings of Inception would be able to sense the entrance when it was nearby, searching for it in an area spanning thousands of square kilometers was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack. But sometimes, the clumsiest of methods was the most effective. Qianye had already committed the landscape to memory and, thus, with himself as the center, he split the region into thousands of small areas which he later went through one by one. On the second day, a group of humans appeared in Qianyes field of vision. Hardly able to believe his eyes, he brought out a differential scope and began to scan them. He scanned for vampires first and found that, among the dozens of people, about half were surging with blood energy, while the other half was non-reactive. Next, he found that the others were non-reactive in werewolf, demonkin and arachne modes as well. A faint glow began to shine on their bodies only when he switched to the daybreak origin power gauge. Qianye put down the scope with a heavy heart. Excluding the possibility that the enemy had utilized special anti-detection methods, the current results could almost confirm that half of the group consisted of humans, while the other half was made up of vampires. Under normal circumstances, humans who cultivated daybreak origin power would be like sheep among wolves after entering dark race territory and would be torn to shreds before getting very far. Additionally, there was no need for the dark races to disguise themselves in this special region where their forces were especially concentrated. This meant that these were bona fide humans who cultivated daybreak origin power and not those fellows who had fallen to the Evernight Faction. Such people were currently walking together in harmony with vampiresthere was definitely something going on behind this. Their manners were also somewhat peculiar. Instead of moving around aimlessly like ordinary patrol squads, they would pause after moving a certain distance, whereupon some of the humans in the group would operate certain machines or assume odd cultivating stances. Only after a while would they head over to the next region. Qianye found, after observing them a number of times, that they seemed to be using special equipment, detection origin arrays, and spatial fluctuations. This gave him a bad, albeit vague, premonition. He didnt continue tracking them but instead continued with his own search. But after half a day, he came across yet another similar group. Qianye decided to take a risk after seeing that the unit had entered and stopped within a valley. He activated his Bloodline Concealment and retracted his aura, then circled to the front and hid inside an ancient tree. This was an extremely dangerous endeavor. Although the party wasnt being overseen by a champion-level character, it still had several rank-eight knights in addition to a large number of high-ranking warriors. Without the advantage of range, it would be difficult for Qianye to even escape unscathed from such a force. But his luck was quite goodthe group did indeed walk over to where he was hiding but stopped when they were about 200 meters from his position. At such a distance, Qianye could clearly hear what they were talking about. The vampire leader was a knight and, from his hangmans noose insignia, it was apparent that he was a member of the Byrne clan. The other vampires were also mostly warriors from the Byrne clan. The human leader, on the other hand, was a middle-aged man with a gloomy and distracted expression. The Byrne clan knight and the middle-aged man stood together, looking at the men setting up the equipment or sensing their surroundings using meditation and origin arrays. Impatience flashed across the Byrne clan knights countenance as he said, Weve been searching for ten whole days with nothing to show for it. If you wretched humans dare lie to me, Ill tear you all to shreds and put you on the dining table! The middle-aged man fearlessly responded to the Byrne clan knights threat with a sneer, Our progress during these ten days is obvious. The numbers show that were gradually closing in on the entrance. Hmph, you morons mustve searched for months before working together with me, but what have you found? This is an insult to our great ancient Byrne clan! A mere knight cant represent the whole clan, the middle-aged man replied impolitely. The knight drew his sword in a bout of fury and pressed its edge against the middle-aged mans neck. Despicable human, all of you are only good for being diced and placed upon the dining table! The middle-aged man wasnt moved at all, and there was even some disdain in his smile. He pushed the blade away and said, The current cooperation between us was finalized by the major characters. If you dare kill me and delay matters, not only you but also this whole squad will be wiped out. Away with your blade, idiot. The blood knights pale face warped and twisted while his chest heaved with great intensity. He suddenly pulled back his sword and growled, You best be able to prove your worth. Or else, Ill personally dig your heart out! The middle-aged man glanced askance at him and mocked, Youre just a bastard who hasnt even condensed a blood core. If we really start fighting, it''ll be me digging your heart out instead. And dont forget that the person working with us is Duke Garis. Do you intend to declare war on him? Neither of them was willing to give way in this verbal spar. From how the subordinate vampires and humans were all minding their own business, it was apparent that they had already become accustomed to this kind of quarrel. Dark clouds filled Qianyes heart. He was puzzled as to why these humans would choose to work with the dark races, but it was apparent that they possessed certain techniques and information that might allow them to find the entrance to Andruils hidden treasure before long. Qianye knew he had to act faster. After the group left, he continued on his own journey. He encountered many units along the way and their strengths were also increasing. At dawn the next day, Qianye was struck by a sudden sense of alarm. The dark golden blood energy was still sleeping lazily outside his heart, but the pair of small wings on its back fluttered a number of times. After this, he felt a gentle voice calling out to him from the northwest. It was the entrance! Qianye calmed down his rapidly beating heart. It was imperative that he be more cautious at this point. He regulated his physical condition and returned himself to a state of concealed bloodline before running in the direction from which he was being called. At this moment, over ten people were standing on an isolated peak and gazing into the distance. Since this was the highest point in a radius of hundreds of kilometers, one was able to take in the entire region while standing here. The ten-odd people looked different and possessed greatly different demeanors. Over half of them belonged to the dark race, but there were also a number of humans among them. The leader on the dark race side was a vampire count while the humans were led by a young man, not even thirty years of age. The vampire count asked the young man, Mr. Li Rui, hows the progress on your side? He was fairly polite and didnt show the slightest hint of arrogance before this human. That was because he knew that this young mans age actually exceeded his external appearance and that his strength was much greater than his frail body would suggest. This vampire count couldnt hope to emerge victorious in a battle with this human. Li Ruis gaze swept across the vast mountainous region below him, and he said with a smile, We already have a general idea of its whereabouts. Im currently four parts sure that Andruils treasure is within this region. The sound of a falcon suddenly echoed through the air as a fierce-looking bird flew in from the distance and landed on Li Ruis shoulder. He retrieved a copper tube from its claws and pulled out a paper slip from within. Once he had read the message, he allowed the bird to fly away. With a wave of Li Ruis hand, his servants approached and opened up a map for him. He confirmed the coordinates for a moment and then marked down a certain location. There were dozens of similarly eye-catching marks on the map, vaguely forming a spiral shape together. Li Rui stared at the map momentarily, then said to the vampire count, We have more good news. Weve picked up yet another origin power fluctuation. It seems our target is quite likely to be in this region. We should be able to find the entrance to the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure within half a month. When the time comes, I hope Duke Garis will honor his word. The vampire count replied proudly, We are of the great ancient Lakins clan. Duke Garis won''t go back on his promise under any circumstances, so please rest assured! Li Rui smiled. All is well then. According to our agreement, everything related to the Wings of Inception will go to your side, while everything else will be split 50-50. Additionally, Ive already prepared enough black crystals and mithril. I hope our upcoming deal will go smoothly. 300 origin guns specially-crafted for human use are already being shipped. They should reach your hands after a month. Li Rui extended his hand and said, Wonderful! I look forward to a joyful cooperation! The vampire count hesitated for a moment, but in the end still reached out to shake Li Ruis hand. Eh? At this time, Li Ruis eyes suddenly shifted towards the distance. Whats the matter? The vampire count followed Li Ruis gaze but found nothing. Li Rui frowned and said slowly, I thought I saw someone moving in that direction, but Im not too certain because of the distance. Not just the vampire count, but all the other vampires on the peak were visibly moved. The location Li Rui had pointed towards just now was dozens of kilometers away. All they could see from such a distance were the dense mountainous woods. How could they spot a persons figure? Just in terms of perception, this constantly smiling and polite Li Rui had overwhelmed all of these vampires. The vampire count was secretly alarmed, but said without much change in countenance, Maybe someone lost his way? Li Rui frowned even more, then suddenly said, No, somethings not right! I have a bad feeling about this. Li Zhan, take some men and check that location. Now! The patrol squads in the region were strictly assigned to their own perimeters. However, it was difficult to tell the direction in the vast mountainous woods, so a slight deviation in their routes wasnt a big deal. But a single person moving through the woods was definitely abnormal. A staunch man with killing intent concealed between his brows answered Li Ruis call. He gestured to the several warriors behind him and immediately jumped off the cliff. He fell straight down for almost a hundred meters before a fine rope shot out from his hands. The steel claw at its end dug into the cliff and slowed the mans fall. Afterwards, he retracted the rope and shot it towards a cliff below. With this method, he reached the base of the thousand-meter peak in the blink of an eye. The other Li family warriors also descended rapidly by utilizing their ropes in a similar manner. Afterwards, they ran full speed in the direction Li Rui had indicated. The expressions of all the vampires changed slightly after seeing Li familys elite warriors in action. The vampire count said to a certain viscount, You should also take a squad of warriors and check that area. The viscount responded and left with a unit of vampire warriors. At this moment, Qianye was standing on a treetop. His expression couldnt help but sink when he saw the stream of warriors descending from the tall peak and rushing in his direction. He knew he had been discovered.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 272: Spatial Restriction [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The pair of small wings on the dark golden blood energy began to move faster and faster. The feeling Qianye was getting from the northwest was also becoming more and more intense. He could almost see clearly, in his consciousness, a certain space in rapid transformation. It was forming an incomparably large vortex as if something was about to charge out from within. Apparently, the entrance was just nearby and would open any moment. But Qianyes movements had already been compromisedthe warriors coming down from the isolated mountain peak were of extraordinary strength, especially the leader. He definitely wasnt an ordinary champion. At this time, Qianye had two choices. If he ran directly toward the entrance of Andruils treasure, he would surely expose its location. If he ran toward a different direction and the group sent out news of his presence, he would soon be swarmed by the dark race forces converging upon him. And that was assuming he could outrun the group coming after him. Qianye no longer had the time to ponder on his options. He clenched his teeth and ran frantically, raising himself to top speed within moments. Immediately noticing Qianyes rapid fleeing movements, the leading group from the peak left the other warriors far behind and began to chase after him in succession. However, there was no way for them to shorten the distance so quickly. A world-shaking whistle suddenly echoed from the tall peak as a number of figures rose into the air and tore through the sky at incredible speeds. Qianyes heart immediately sank after glancing back at the mountaintop. There were indeed characters there at the level of count or perhaps even greater. Recalling Williams top speed, he knew he would only have the chance to sprint a couple of times. The pair of small wings in Qianyes body shook continuously as he ran with many imperceivable fluctuations emerging from his body and spreading far into the distance. The scenery not far in front of him suddenly began to distort. The silhouette of a great door gradually appeared with prismatic beams of lights sweeping around it. The image behind the door was rather fuzzy, but after a moment of stabilization, one could actually make out the indistinct outline of a dense forest. If not for an obvious difference in the types of trees, one might even suspect the scene to be a mirror image of the current forest. Qianye had no prior experience with space traversal. In truth, he had only learnt of the existence of large origin arrays and space passages while studying the basic theory of firearm arrays. But right now, he had no time to ponder what dangers might lie behind this peculiar scenery as he ran straight into it. The tiny wings on the dark golden blood energy stopped shaking and Qianye felt his limbs being filled with energy from an unknown source. It felt as if he would rise into the air the very next moment. His back, on the other hand, felt as if it were being pierced by countless needlesthe sensation of extreme danger almost seemed to brush past his earsthis was because the experts from atop the isolated peak were closing in on him. Qianye leapt up without thinking; his body felt exceptionally light as it left the ground. After reaching the limit of his ordinary jumping height, he rose even further into the air before steadily entering the spatial door. The prismatic beams of sweeping light suddenly became chaotic after Qianyes figure disappeared, and the great door was even showing signs of dissipation. Li Rui, who was just a short distance behind, let out a great roar. Dazzling origin power radiance erupted from his body as the image of a gigantic azure snake appeared behind him. Its gigantic amber eyes shot out slender beams of light which irradiated the half-dispersed door. The haphazard beams of multi-colored lights ground to a halt and were frozen in place, effectively stabilizing the space therein. However, Li Rui seemed to have exerted himself to the extreme, turning as pale as sheet within moments with his forehead full of sweat. The vampire count was only one step slower than Li Rui. His figure shot forward into the spatial door like a bolt of lightning, followed by a number of slightly weaker vampires. The originally stable door immediately began to fluctuate with great intensity after the group of vampires entered. Li Rui appeared heavily injured. His bloodless face turned ashen as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Despite his efforts to hold on, the azure snake image behind him was becoming increasingly dim and indistinct. There were thin streams of blood flowing down its eyes. Soon afterwards, the spatial fluctuations from the door became even more intense as the vampire count was spat out amidst wretched screams. The vampire count was enveloped by a faint layer of white light. Droplets of white water formed continuously in the air and poured down upon him like fine rain. The water drops immediately burst into raging flames the moment they came in contact with his body, charring the counts skin until it was as black as coal. The vampire count tumbled down from the air. The rain of white water drops was like his own shadowit closely followed his every movement and poured onto him without the slightest deviation. The pale white flames burned the vampire count until he was screaming in continuous misery. Li Rui momentarily drew in a breath of cold air. He had noticed that these white waterdrops were a liquefied form of condensed daybreak origin power. Such pure daybreak origin power was extremely toxic to creatures of darkness origin like vampires. He would have a hard time imagining such an outcome if he hadnt witnessed it personally. The defenses within the personal space of a great dark monarch actually included daybreak origin power. How was a great dignitary of the Evernight Faction actually able to command a daybreak origin power so pure that it had condensed into liquid form? His heart trembling, Li Rui made a prompt decision to stop maintaining the spatial door. He rushed toward the vampire count and shot out a thin beam of light from each finger which pierced through space and dispersed the lingering daybreak origin power mist in the air. Finally, the count was saved from the burning white rain. The count lay collapsed on the ground and was barely able to stand up with support even after his subordinates arrived to apply simple first-aid. The largely dispersed spatial door flickered a number of times and spat out two vampire viscounts before vanishing completely. The two viscounts were similarly enveloped in raging daybreak origin flames. They were far weaker than the count and thus had already turned into charred corpses by the time they were expelled. The vampire count was greatly astonished after the spatial door disappeared. Dont tell me we cant enter anymore? Li Ruis eyes transformed as he observed the area where the spatial door used to be with vertical serpentine pupils. Moments later, he said with a deep voice, No, we might still have a chance to reopen it. However, itll require a great amount of resources and the help of experts. The vampire count immediately replied, Ill notify Duke Garis right away. Rest assured, anything you need will be provided as long as you can open that spatial door. The vampire count turned to instruct his subordinates. A certain vampire viscount flew away like a bolt of lightning without a care for his own injuries. Only afterwards did the counts complexion recover slightly. They had found the entrance before everyone else and had thus made a great contribution. Not only would they receive ample rewards, but they would also enter the sights of those major characters from the Evernight Council. However, not to mention them, even Duke Garis wouldnt be able to escape heavy punishment if the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure were to be snatched away by the mysterious person who had entered before them. Fortunately, the spatial door had only spat out two vampire viscountsa viscount and two barons still remained within. Presently, they could only pin their hopes on the group inside to capture the bastard who had snuck in. At this point, the vampire count felt slightly more relaxed. Although he had no idea who this person actually was, he had seen the other partys strength during the short pursuit, and it was only at the level of a knight or at most a baron. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been chased to the point of compromising the doors location. The count and Li Rui didnt have to wait very long. Before even an hour had passed, the wind and clouds began to stir in the distant skies as faint peals of thunder echoed through the air. A number of figures appeared in the distance, and although they were still quite far, the transmitted pressure was enough to stifle everyones breath. Even Li Ruis expression was somewhat pale. Within moments, a vampire elder stood before the group. He was clad in a black trench coat with golden rambler roses around its sleeves and a holy grail insignia on the chest. The elders countenance was as pale as a sheet and his skin hung loose. Both the corners of his mouth and deep blue eyes were drooping downwards. This vampire who seemed so old that he would die any moment was Duke Garis of the Lakins clan, one of the thirteen ancient vampire clans. Even someone as powerful as Li Rui had to show due respect before this vampire duke. Duke Garis tossed a briefcase toward Li Rui and said, Heres everything you need. Now, open that spatial door again. I need about ten minutes. Li Rui immediately opened the case and began to make the necessary arrangements. As expected of an expert in the field of arrays, he completed the deployment of a sizeable array even before ten minutes had passed. Li Ruis aura, at this time, was much weaker than before. He stood up and wiped the sweat of his brows while regulating his condition for a moment. Then, he walked to the center of the array and shouted, Open! Several minute beams of light shot out from the origin array and illuminated the air, wherein the outline of a spatial door slowly came into being. Duke Garis gazed at the gradually stabilizing door but didnt enter immediately. He even stopped a certain count behind him who wanted to charge over. Duke Garis said slowly after a moment of observation, The Black-Winged Monarch left a restriction within this space. Those greater than the rank of viscount will suffer strong attacks after entering. The more powerful they are, the greater the retaliation. Everyone glanced at each othera count was badly injured, and the corpses of two viscounts lay before them. This proved just how powerful the spatial restrictions were. Since even Duke Garis wasnt willing to take this risk, the other experts naturally wouldnt dare to make this attempt. Garis turned around and instructed, Send out this command; transfer everyone above the level of knight and below the level of viscount over here within three hours. A number of vampire experts immediately left. At this time, Li Rui whispered as if he had thought of something, Sire, if even the restrictions at the entrance are so powerful, the viscounts inside might suffer severe limitations to their activities. He naturally had other words he wanted to sayit was certain that Andruil had made such arrangements in order to prevent others, apart from his descendants and servants, from entering this place. Even if they sent low-leveled warriors into the space, it would only serve to avoid the defensive capabilities of the entrance. They still had no idea what kind of dangers lay within. Duke Garis replied slowly, Itll be alright. Ill attack the space continuously in order to draw away a portion of its power. It shouldnt be a big problem for the rank-two or rank-three viscounts to enter at that time. Shouldnt be a big problem A chill rose from the depths of Li Ruis heart. Not a big problem meant that there was still a problem. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 273: Minor Realm [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The ranks above the dark race viscount were all divided into three ranks, however, there were always situations where a persons strength surpassed his level. What they feared was that the spatial restriction assault would ignore ones rank and, instead, act according to his strength. As an expert in space and origin arrays, Li Rui was extremely clear regarding the dangers of spatial restrictions. It was just that Great Monarch Andruil had been missing for thousands of years, and such spatial defenses could still be worn down to depletion no matter how powerful they were. Duke Garis made it clear that his intention was to let those experts enter first to serve as cannon fodder. Two hours had just passed when dozens of vampires arrived on the scene and, under Duke Garis eyes, disappeared into the spatial door one after another. Duke Garis stood in the air in front of the spatial door with his hands behind his back and seemed as if he wasnt doing anything. However, Li Rui noticed several indistinct strands of blood energy flowing out continuously from the dukes foot and into the spatial door. Li Rui probed the spatial door once again and was shaken. The violent energy hidden beneath its seemingly calm facade was actually being reduced gradually. Duke Garis domain was actually able to control space. A duke from an ancient clan was indeed unfathomable. Any minor doubts Li Rui might have had before were completely dispelled at this moment. A strand of dissatisfaction flashed across the depths of his eyes as he turned back and said, Li Zhan. Li Zhan stepped forth and said in a deep voice, What is your command? Li Rui said slowly, You go in with some men and capture that brat. I want to see his person if hes alive, or his corpse if hes dead. Li Zhans strength was already quite close to a viscountentering the door, for him, would be akin to walking along the borders of the underworld. However, he did not show the slightest bit of awkwardness and only replied in the affirmative before jumping into the spatial door with a number of rank-eight to rank-nine warriors. Duke Garis didnt comment on this. Currently, they had completely no idea about what was going on inside. The addition of a number of humans could also be considered an extra attempt opportunity. Qianye was currently running through the forest at full speed. Many towering ancient trees flashed past beside him. He had been running for nearly an hour, but there was only the boundless forest in front of him. It felt as if the woods were without end. According to the human races understanding of vampires, Qianye had, at first, thought Andruils treasure would be hidden within an ancient tomb or an underground city. He had never expected to fall into a vast sea of trees upon entering the space. Fortunately, the Wings of Inception maintained a lasting reaction to a certain place in the distance, and that was the location of the Eye of Truth. Otherwise, Qianye might not even be able to grasp the correct direction in this vast sea of trees. Suddenly, his ears captured a number of subtle and rapid footsteps. This vampire viscount had been on Qianyes tail since he entered this space and refused to give up all this timehe just couldnt shake the former off no matter what method he used. Qianye frowned. He took note of his surroundings as he ran, hoping to find a landscape he could utilize. Although he had once gravely wounded a Lone Ghost regional chief, that was a sneak attack he had launched while the other party wasnt prepared. Presently, Qianye had no way to fight head-on against a vampire viscount. His chances of victory were quite slim even if the other party was only third-rank. But the forest was largely uniform with hardly any utilizable terrain. Qianyes several attempts at harassment found no success, to speak nothing of laying down traps in leisure. The vampire viscount displayed similarly abundant combat experience and patience, not giving Qianye the slightest opportunity to retaliate. It was just that he wasnt able to close the gap between them either. It was during this period of deadlock that a sense of extreme danger appeared in Qianyes heart. The scenery not so far in front of him suddenly distorteda gap was torn in the space between two large trees, from which a person tumbled out. Qianye immediately recognized this human as the leader of the first batch descending from the lone peak! More people have come? Did the spatial door not close? Or was it reopened? Could it be that the entry points were random? Many questions flashed through his mind at once. However, he was in no condition to think of extra things because, once that man landed safely, Qianye would fall into a dangerous situation with a tiger in front and a wolf at his back. A surge of valiance rose up within his chest as he released a loud roar and slammed into the back of the falling Li Zhan! In addition to the fact that he was running at full speed at the time, the collision was backed by the eruption of his full strength. Without any fancy tricks, the two collided with a muffled bang like the impact of a falling meteorite. Li Zhan hadnt yet recovered from the jolt of spatial transportation and was still focused on stabilizing his descent. He was thus caught completely off-guard as Qianye slammed squarely into him. Several bones were broken amidst a series of cracking sounds, sending Li Zhan flying at an odd incline. Qianye wasnt feeling good himself and could feel an intense fishy smell gushing up his throat. He forcefully swallowed the mouthful of fresh blood and pulled out the Twin Flowers at lightning speed. He didnt even have time to merge them before he pulled on the triggers and fired two shots. Li Zhan let out a muffled groan as blood sprayed out from his legshe had been shot. The aftershocks from the origin bullet explosion crashed violently onto his defenses. In the end, he couldnt help but cough up a mouthful of blood. However, Li Zhans reactions werent slow at all. Despite suffering successive attacks, his consciousness had recovered from the muddle-headedness of spatial translocation. He immediately drew his origin gun and aimed accurately at the potential direction of the follow-up attack. Qianye, however, had no intention of going in for the kill. After firing the two shots, he ran into the distance without even a moments pause. Li Zhan couldnt help but feel amazed while looking at the figure rapidly disappearing into the distance. The vampire viscount swiftly arrived and came to a sudden halt dozens of meters away from Li Zhan. He stared at the latter with bloodshot eyes and did nothing to hide the greed therein. To a vampire, the essence blood of a human expert of Li Zhans strength was a great supplement. This third-rank vampire viscount might even advance a level if he could suck the man dry. Li Zhan only let out a cold snort and shot the vampire viscount a glance. He then proceeded to holster his origin gun, sit down, and handle the wounds on his leg. It was as if he didnt even care about this viscount who had been eyeing him covetously. The viscount was restless and, on several instances, had the urge to pounce forward. But the intense sense of danger would always stop his movements at the final moment. He felt as if the man before him wasnt a sheep to be slaughtered, but instead a natural predator. In the end, the viscount slowly retreated and put a certain distance between them. Human marksmanship was more powerful than the dark races. It was obvious from how Li Zhan had drawn his gun after he was ambushed that he was an expert in this field. Since the vampire had no plans to take action, the wisest course of action for him was to move out of gun range. Li Zhan spat hard and said disdainfully, What a spineless vampire! Your daddy here would skin you alive if the master hadnt strictly forbidden me from taking action! The vampires face twitched. Good, very good! Ill be sure to relay every word you said just now to Duke Garis. Li Zhan mumbled after the vampire viscounts figure vanished into the dense woods, You still want to leave here alive? He applied simple first-aid to the wounds and continued his pursuit in the direction Qianye had left. After gaining some distance with great difficulty, Qianye didnt even look back and continued running toward the location he was being guided to by the Wings of Inception. Currently, he had fallen into a mysterious space. Even if he were to discount the people chasing after him, there was no way for him to leave this place without any understanding of spatial pathways and origin arrays. His only hope was to find the Eye of Truth. The reaction became increasingly clear as Qianye rushed out of the forest and the scene before him abruptly opened up. He stood in place and was momentarily distracted. The scene that had appeared before him was a soothing plain which extended all the way toward the horizon. There was a great river winding across it, and a majestic city towering over its bank. There were white clouds drifting in the lofty blue dome above, and the midday sun was moving ever so slightly toward the end of this sky. Meanwhile, a gigantic red moon hung just above the distant horizon. This scenery had never existed in Qianyes memories before, and neither had he ever read of such a place. He hadnt expected that beyond the sea of trees was such a vast land and sky. This wasnt like a sealed space at all and was more like a minor realm on its own. For the first time, Qianye suspected whether or not he really was in Great Monarch Andruils space. These vast mountains, great rivers, and this deathly still city all stood as a silent testament to the Black-Winged Monarchs might. Qianye was momentarily startled but soon set out once again and dashed toward the distant city. He had only covered a couple of kilometers when the vampire viscount and Li Zhan charged out of the woods one after the other. The vampire viscount was hardly any faster than Qianye. Li Zhan, on the other hand, was probably originally faster, but his legs were affected by the wound and had thus fallen behind even the viscount. The three figures, one fleeing, and two chasing, were akin to flashes of lightning as they shot across the plain and darted toward the city. A layer of faint mist rose up in front of Qianyes eyes after stepping into the city perimeter. His range of vision became fairly limited, and he could only see objects within several meters. This mist seemed to have risen abruptly because there wasnt the slightest sign of its existence before entering the city. The mist also greatly obstructed ones perceptions. Qianye discovered that his night vision had been rendered ineffective, and even his hearing had become impaired. It felt as if the world had shrunk down to a few meters after entering the city. This wasnt a bad thing for Qianye because he believed his pursuers, the vampire viscount, and Li Zhan, wouldnt be able to escape the effects of this mist. He swiftly traveled along the streets and dashed past several street blocks. He then made two continuous turns into a couple of alleyways before activating his bloodline concealment to withdraw all of his aura. Hereafter, it would depend on pure luck for both human and vampire to find Qianyes trail within this city. Qianye leaned on a tall wall and gradually regulated his breathing before beginning to observe the surroundings. The buildings in this city were quite special. They were built with foundations of stone and metallic frames. The walls, windows, and eaves were all decorated with metallic sculptures and ornaments. The style gave off a feeling of exquisite magnificence amidst the solemnity. The greater half of the metallic materials consisted of steel and copper. Judging from the height of the buildings and sculptures, it was evident that the residents were humanoid creatures slightly taller than the current humans and vampires. Their average height should be around 200 centimeters. The wall Qianye was standing on belonged to a certain building with a great steel door just nearby. Qianye walked over and reached out to push on it. There was no lock on the fairly heavy door, and it was, almost miraculously, free of rust. At this point, the door opened slowly and silently. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 274: City of Death [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye listened attentively for a moment. Hearing no movement within, he walked in slowly and cautiously after a moment of hesitation. However, the scene that came into view made him break into a frown. The room and hallway were fairly spacious, but there was no furniture or decoration of any kind. The whole of the first floor was absolutely empty and contained nothing else whatsoevereven the walls were made up of raw stones. The interior of the building was also suffused with a thin mist. One could hardly make out the wall on the other side of the hall while standing at the sizeable doorway. Qianye arrived at the wide spiral staircase and gazed upward. He slowly walked up amidst the deathly silence and found that the second and third floors were in the same state with absolutely no traces of people having lived here. By the time he was on the third floor, he could no longer hear anything from the first. He gazed out of the curtainless window and found mist as far as the eye could see. Only the silhouette of a large building across the street could be vaguely discerned. The clammy grey mist made it feel as if the world were limited to a small area around the beholder. This reminded Qianye of something and his heart was suddenly jolted. That dream! The two dreams in which he had heard the mysterious voiceonce after he had obtained the crystal fragment from Baron Deryl, and the next after entering the Fallen Star Mountain Range. Qianye pondered for a moment and then quietly went back downstairs. He then entered a number of buildings and found all of them empty regardless of the size and structure. There wasnt a single valuable thing to be found. At this time, an uneasy sense of frustration rose up from the bottom of his palpitating heart. He was first astonished, but then came to realize the source of this uneasiness. The city was too silent, so silent that only ones own footsteps could be heard. Every little sound seemed to have become magnified within this environment of extreme stillness, and after some time, one could even hear his own heartbeat and blood flow. Walking alone in such a city made Qianye feel as if he were the only one left in this world. This kind of loneliness gradually became difficult to endure. Qianye inhaled deeply and made an effort to relax his tense nerves. The city wasnt small at all and, judging from its scale, could probably accommodate tens of thousands of residents. But, although the buildings had been maintained fairly well, he wasnt able to find any traces of people having lived there. The city was simply too cleanthere was neither trash nor dust, and even the metals hadnt rusted. It seemed as if time had stopped at the point where the city was newly constructed. Fortunately, the Wings of Inception werent obstructed by the mist and could still sense the location of the Eye of Truth. But this was also what bewildered Qianyethe Eye of Truth was constantly changing locations. Every time he closed in on it, he would sense the eye in a different location. Additionally, the eyes new positions were erratic regardless of his own movement speed. It would sometimes move farther and farther away or suddenly appear nearby. It had no regular pattern and seemed to be moving almost randomly. After realizing this, Qianye stopped attempting to chase down the Eye of Truth. He instead entered a random building nearby, sat down on the ground, and began to regulate his breathing and replenish his origin power, all the while pondering his present predicament. Qianye had already lost his sense of direction within this mist-enshrouded city. After being led in circles by the Wings of Inception, he realized that he could no longer even discern the city entrance. All the buildings around him seemed rather similar, and although there were some unique details, it was difficult to find any striking landmarks with such limited visibility. After realizing this issue, he also tried leaving marks on the buildings. However, this was actually a terrible idea because there were two enemies on his tail and more of them would definitely appear. He would have revealed his movements once the marks were seen through. Those enemies were still an unknown factor, but Qianye actually discovered something overwhelmingly odd about the city. It was that any mark he had left behind would gradually disappear within the mist. He even tried carving a deep notch on the metallic decoration patterns with his Scarlet Edge but found that the mark would gradually fill up and later disappear. Unwittingly, Qianye had completed a full cycle of origin power circulation. He became greatly spirited after the abundant daybreak origin power inundated his vessels. He pushed away all distracting thoughts for the moment and proceeded to check his equipment and items. He even took the Twin Flowers apart and performed some maintenance on it. Afterwards, he lay down and silently counted to a thousand with his eyes closed. This was a method which forced him to rest. After reaching a thousand, Qianye leapt up and walked out with his blade drawn. He could neither find the Eye of Truth, see through the secrets of this deathly still city, nor even leave this place. But there was at least one thing he could do at the moment, and that was to kill the enemies chasing after him. He would soon go insane if he had nothing to do in this kind of environment. Additionally, killing seemed to be the only thing he could do at the moment. At this time, dozens of vampires and a group of Li family warriors led by Li Zhan had gathered outside the city. Their entry points into this world were indeed different, but regardless of the topography they had walked out from, everyone would see this city towering over the plains. Several vampire viscounts wore grave expressions and were somewhat hesitant. It wasnt because some of their companions had gone missing, but because the city before them was apparently the core of this space and was most likely where the Black-Winged Monarch Andruils treasure was kept. But how could the Black-Winged Monarchs palace be so easy to enter? Upon closer inspection, one would find a faint layer of bloody radiance enveloping the viscounts, a clear sign that they were circulating their blood energy power constantly. Strands of faint white mist which occasionally appeared through the air would be neutralized by the bloody glow upon contact. The viscounts had suffered from such restrictive pressure on their way through the spatial gate. They had believed that the worst had passed since their ensuing journey was rather uneventful. Never did they expect to encounter this restriction just by standing outside of the city doors. After standing silently for a couple of minutes, a certain viscount said, Lets just go in. Were short on time. He then shot a glance at Li Zhan. The viscounts all glanced at each other and nodded with pained expressions. This humans strength wasnt weaker than any of the viscounts here, but they couldnt discern from Li Zhans expression whether or not he was subject to a similar spatial restriction force. If the viscounts refrained from entering the city out of fear and the great monarchs treasure fell into human hands, their fate after returning would be more terrifying than death. The vampires and human race warriors entered in a straight line and were soon engulfed by the mist within the city. Qianye was walking down an empty street. Not only had he lost track of his direction, but he had also lost the sense of time. The frustration and uneasiness in his heart would have expanded several times if he didnt have the goal of ambushing his enemies to cling on to. After an unknown period of time, Qianye was overcome by a certain illusion and felt that he could walk to the ends of the earth this way. After turning into a street corner, he suddenly halted his steps and listened attentively. He still couldnt hear anything, but he recognized this trembling sensation as one that would emerge right before a battle, an indication that someone or something was approaching. Qianye calmed himself down, leaned quickly against the wall, and waited. A certain vampire warrior, wielding a sword and pistol, rushed out of the mist. He assumed a stooped posture as he cautiously scanned the surroundings. The vampire had also noticed Qianye by the time the latter saw him clearly. The two were less than ten meters apart. The vampire warrior reacted swiftly. He let out a roar and pounced toward Qianye at full strengththere was no time to shoot at this distance, and melee fights were largely decided by the initiative. This was precisely what Qianye wanted. He arched his body slightly and suddenly exerted strength, shooting toward the vampire warrior head on. The two immediately slammed into one another. The vampire warrior flew backward with a loud bang as a cold gleam flashed in Qianyes hand. In truth, the Scarlet Edge had already delivered three slashes during this short exchange. The vampire was flung over a dozen meters away and crashed into the building across the street. He then slid downward and collapsed on the ground with fresh blood flowing out from under his body. He would never rise again. Qianye walked toward the vampire warrior who had already stopped breathing and was planning to look through his belongings but swiftly retracted his hand midway. He noticed that the fresh blood gushing out from beneath the vampire warrior was gradually vanishing after flowing a meter or so. The street surface was paved with a virtually seamless arrangement of highly polished stones, so how did the fresh blood seep in so easily? It was at this time that the body of this lifeless vampire moved slightly. He had collapsed while leaning against the wall and even left a shocking trail of blood upon it. But currently, the body was actually beginning to sink into the ground and wall right before Qianyes eyes. Before long, the vampire corpse was swallowed up completely, and not even a single trace of blood was left behind on the ground or wall as proof of this warriors previous existence. Qianye instantly felt his blood run cold. This silent and empty city had just quietly revealed its sinister side. Qianye slowly crouched down and reached out to touch the ground. There was a puddle of fresh blood here just a while ago, but now he could only feel the cold stone blocks. He stood up with a sigh and headed toward a random direction with the Scarlet Edge in hand. This time, he reached a small plaza after passing two street blocks. The mist was relatively thin in this open space, and as such, he was able to make out a number of shadowy figures within. Qianye was quite familiar with this silhouette. It was Li Zhan whom he had ambushed along the way. Qianye had his aura withdrawn this whole timehe immediately restrained all his actions and maintained complete silence. He then drew the Twin Flowers and aimed them at the figure in front of him. Li Zhan seemed to have felt something the moment Qianye pulled on the trigger. He suddenly stepped sideways and turned around like the wind, drawing his gun and firing at lightning speed. A scarlet origin bullet brushed right past Li Zhans chest. At the same time that Li Zhan turned around, Qianye had also flashed away and similarly evaded his shot. The two bullets disappeared into the mistthey might have struck the buildings or something else. But in any case, no such sound was heard. The two opponents had no time to take note of this bizarre detail and were completely focused on each other. Li Zhan glanced at Qianye with a solemn expression. He then revealed a sinister smile and said, Weve finally caught you.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 275: Fangs of the City [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye asked, Youre a human? Of course I am. What? Do you have any last words? Li Zhan sized Qianye up, somewhat astonished that the person he had been chasing was also a human. Since youre a human, why do you work for the dark races? Li Zhan frowned. Apparently, he was quite surprised to hear such a question. But he was quite patient and replied, This isnt working for. Its working with. Both parties are here for things they need. Things they need? Qianye sneered, Did you know what the dark races are getting with such a cooperation and what kind of profit youll get? Did you think your gains will be equal the object you just gave away? Li Zhans eyes flickered. This isnt my concern. My only objective is to bring you back to the master. Ill bring you back alive if you dont resist, otherwise, I can only bring your corpse back. It makes no difference for me. Qianye raised his hand and pointed the Twin Flowers at Li Zhan. However, a click rang out at the same time as he pushed a physical origin bullet, which he had brought out at one point, into the bullet chamber. Li Zhans killing intent erupted. He wasnt one for words, but this city was simply too bizarre. He was in a group of three with his companions when he entered the city, but they were split up after turning through a couple of street blocks. This kind of situation definitely wasnt normal. All of them were veterans who had gone through hundreds of battles, and they were vigilant of their surroundings at all time. How could they make such a mistake? As such, Li Zhan felt extremely astonished after seeing Qianye and finding him to be human. He couldnt help but say a few more words. It was also, more or less, to sound out his options. He hadnt expected Qianye to have acted right under his eyes. Li Zhan sneered, You want to force me back with a single bullet? With your mere strength, its uncertain if you can even break through my defenses unless you have a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. Put down your gun He suddenly stopped speaking and then said each word with a pause, You really have a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation? Qianye revealed a faint smile and said, Wont you know for sure by the time I fire? Li Zhans gaze was as sharp as a blade. The origin power radiance flowing out from his arms gradually became thicker and almost seemed as if it would condense into something substantial. Qianyes expression didnt change in the slightest. He edged back step by step with the Twin Flowers still aimed at Li Zhan. Li Zhan tightened his left fist. His face was twitching continuously as he took one unresigned step after another. Both sides had maintained about ten or so meters of distance the whole time, neither of them in the mood to pay attention to their surroundings. They felt the mist becoming gradually thicker, but at such a distance, they were still capable of sensing the other partys movements with some effort. Qianye knew he had won this gamble when he saw that Li Zhan hadnt charged in immediately. Apparently, Li Zhan had weighed his options and felt that the difference between them was significant enough that he would be able to take Qianye down easily if the opportunity presented itself. He felt that there was no need for mutual destruction. Qianye retreated continuously and suddenly shifted sideways into a corner of the street block. Li Zhan waited for a breaths time before turning the corner and arriving at a small alleyway similarly enshrouded by the omnipresent mist. However, Qianyes figure had long since vanished. Li Zhan stood in place for a moment with a cold expression. He had definitely smelled black titanium on Qianyes body just now. Although this was also somewhat doubtful, how could a sub-champion level brat activate a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation with a grade-four origin gun? But neither the city nor the appearance of this Qianye was normal. Li Zhan didnt dare take careless riskshe didnt fear death, but he certainly wouldnt throw his life away impetuously. Li Zhan glanced around him. He was prepared to try tracking down Qianye despite knowing that it was a wasted effort to do so within this mist. But a vampire knight charged out of the mist at that very moment. Li Zhan immediately tightened the grip on his sword and origin gun while staring at the other party. Although they were cooperating at the moment, it was only temporary and everyone knew this relationship was so fragile that it would shatter at the slightest touch. Also noticing Li Zhan, the vampires face immediately tensed up as he quickly halted his steps and retreated to lean on a nearby wall. His hand was firmly pressed against his chest with fresh blood flowing out continuously from between his fingers. There were actually strands of black mixed into the blood. Li Zhans pupils constricted; this was a sign of mithril infection. But if this knight had really been wounded in Qianyes hands, their battle shouldnt have been too far from this place. Why then did he not hear anything? Li Zhans understanding of this city increased ever so slightly. He shot a glance at the vampire and then walked away, soon disappearing into the mist. That vampire knight had just breathed a sigh of relief when a dagger shot through the air, pierced through his wounded chest, and pinned him firmly on the wall. Li Zhan then walked out of the mist. The vampire knight pointed at Li Zhan with great difficulty. You But he failed to finish his sentence as fresh blood gushed up into his throat and obstructed his words. Li Zhan walked toward the vampire knight with an expressionless countenance. There was no telling how long they would have to stay within this accursed place, so he couldnt afford to waste ammo and supplies. But just as Li Zhan arrived before the vampire knights corpse, two round metallic balls were suddenly tossed out from the mist and began to roll toward him. Li Zhans expression shifted as he jumped back with all his strength and accelerated to full speed almost within moments. He rapidly charged into the mist although he couldnt clearly see just what was behind it. The two exquisite metallic balls were evidently vampire origin grenades! The explosion seemed to shake the whole street blockthe shockwaves caught up to Li Zhan and flung him into a forward somersault. By the time the shockwaves subsided and he turned back to look, the vampires corpse had already been torn to pieces. Li Zhans expression was ashen, and green veins pulsated upon the back of his blade hand. He suddenly turned around and, relying on his memory, headed toward the direction from which the grenades were hurled. But the street was accessible from all sides and enshrouded in fuzzy mist. Not a single shadow was found. Meanwhile, the cracked stone pavement and scraped wall ornaments behind him were restoring themselves one by one. Every part of the vampire knight was gradually disappearing into the ground. Qianye was moving swiftly through the mist on a different street. He pushed open the main doors of a building, hoping to find a place to rest. However, his expression changed rapidly! The entire hallway was clearly visiblethere was a vampire there with half his body submerged into the ground. He was frantically flailing his arms around in hopes of pulling himself out. But just like a weary traveler devoured by the marsh, he only sunk deeper and deeper no matter how he struggled. The vampire warrior also saw Qianye. His pale countenance was the picture of terror as he opened and closed his large mouth as if he were saying something. However, Qianye couldnt hear any sound at all. There was only a stifling silence. Qianyes heart suddenly thumped heavily and almost jumped out of his chest. He glanced down and indeed found that his feet were gradually sinking in. He wouldnt have discovered it if he hadnt seen it with his own eyes because his normally keen perception hadnt sensed anything at all! Qianye reacted instantly by leaping away and out of the building. Fortunately, he was still able to extricate himself, but that peculiar sensation still lingered on even after he stepped firmly onto the stone pavement outside. Quite luckily, things were normal on the street. Qianye swept over the nearby buildings with a dreary gaze. He didnt even need to take the risk to test his theory and was fairly sure that all the buildings in the city were no longer safe to use as temporary shelter. The excessively silent city had gradually revealed its fangs. It seemed swallowing dead bodies could no longer satisfy it. The Wings of Inception fluttered slightly as the Eye of Truth, once again, appeared in the distance. Qianye suddenly felt an odd sensation and a question popped up within his mind: what was it waiting for? He leaned against the wall and brought out a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. His palm lit up with scarlet origin power radiance which enveloped the bullet and gradually liquefied it. There were actually some other unremarkable changes since he started cultivating the glory chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. For instance, the relative weakness brought about by his vampire constitution had disappeared. Mithril, which was highly toxic to vampires, no longer had any particular effect on him. At times, Qianye wondered what would become of him in the end. He lifted the Scarlet Edge and observed the dagger briefly before rubbing the mithril onto it. A Mithril Bullet of Exorcism was used up within moments, but the dagger in his hand now had a layer of menacingly flowing silver. Qianye stood straight, holstered the Twin Flowers, and walked back into the misty street with the Scarlet Edge in his hands. During the ensuing period, the city became more dangerous. Qianye had no idea just how many pursuers had entered this space. After the insides of the buildings became deathtraps, the search perimeter of the survivors was now limited to the streets. Encounters would become even more common from now on. A vampire knight appeared before Qianye. The former was first startled but his expression immediately turned to delight as he drew his blade and pounced. But the knights sword was still in mid-air when Qianyes figure suddenly flickered like a demon, following which the Scarlet Edge was buried into his chest. The vampire knight gasped and breathed his last. He didnt even see clearly how that blade had pierced his heart. Waves of fiery warmth flowed through the glowing veined patterns and into Qianyes body. He lifted the vampire knights limp body and slowly placed it on the ground. The corpse gradually sunk into the ground behind Qianye as he continued forward. Qianye came to a halt at the next intersection after seeing a lone haughty figure in the middle of the streetit was a vampire viscount. He was coldly gazing at Qianye with his head raised. Qianye immediately came to his senses. This viscount hadnt been looking around for him and had, instead, waited here at this six-road intersection the whole time. Although waiting idly for opportunities wasnt a wise strategy, it seemed fairly effective under the current circumstances. At the very least, he had succeeded in waiting for Qianye to appear while it was difficult for the latter to escape. The corners of the vampire viscounts mouth formed a harsh curve. He then revealed a disdainful smile and said, Human? Yes, replied Qianye. Very well, human. Considering how you actually had the honor of entering the great Black-Winged Monarchs domain, Ill give you a chance at fair combat. With that, the vampire viscount dropped his origin gun and equipment pouches onto the ground. He also tossed his dagger and sword to one side before curling a finger at Qianye in a challenging gesture. Come and witness the true might of our sacred-blooded descendants before your final moments! Qianye suddenly broke into a laughter. This was probably his first time encountering a vampire displaying the chivalry of those legendary ancient knights. Thus, he sheathed his Scarlet Edge and strode toward the viscount. The next moment, the two had grabbed onto each other in a contest of strength. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 276: Reward [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] A wild grin appeared on the vampire viscounts eerily handsome face as he let out a shrill scream and exerted strength from both arms. In his expectations, this power was enough to crush Qianyes wrist, so much that he could even hear the crisp snap of upcoming fracture. After all, the human body was just that fragile, just like a porcelain doll. But the vampire viscount felt, after exerting strength, as if he had grabbed onto an incomparable solid piece of superalloy. During their collusion, he discovered that the opponent was completely immovable like a mountain. Qianye also felt somewhat astonished. The strength coming from the vampire viscounts side was much weaker than he had imagined. Indistinct rumbles of thunder rang out in the air as he took a step forward. The vampire viscount couldnt help but take a step back when Qianye advanced. The mockery on his face was no longer there and had instead been replaced by shock. The viscount had never imagined that he would be at a disadvantage in such a contest of strength. However, the continuous waves of energy gushing toward him were absolutely indefensible. The viscount was pushed back at every exchange until his back crashed against the wall with a bang. Qianye let out the roar of an ancient primordial beastall the origin nodes within his body trembled as specks of golden flames suddenly emerged amidst the scarlet origin power around his body. With a crack, the bones in the vampire viscounts hand were crushed whereupon the violent origin power surged into his body. The sounds of fracturing bones echoed throughout the vampires body, extending from the arms to the chest, and all the way down to his legs. Qianye took a step back and gazed at this opponent who could now barely stand while leaning against the wall. In any case, youre an opponent worthy of respect. I shall put you to rest according to your ancient traditions. With that, Qianye drew his Scarlet Edge and pierced the vampire viscounts blood core. The vampire viscount didnt pass away immediately and said while looking at Qianye with eyes full of disbelief, So, youre actually a descendant of the sacred blood Im a human, Qianye replied. Qianye immediately vanished into the mist after completely depriving the vampire viscount of his vitality. The viscounts strength was so unusually weak that Qianye suspected he had already been wounded or had exhausted a great part of his essence. He had only walked out of another street block when he encountered yet another vampire baron, whereupon an intense battle broke out between the two parties. In the end, Qianye finished off the baron with his mithril coated Scarlet Edge, while he himself also suffered three cuts. Comparatively, Qianye felt that the previous viscount was much weaker. There was no place in the city that could be considered safe now that the buildings couldnt be entered. Pursuers might appear at any given moment, even within a silent alleyway. Qianye sat down on the spot and applied some simple bindings to his wounds. He then began to circulate the Mystery Chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll in a carefree manner. Abundant essence blood was continuously transformed into darkness origin power which was then absorbed by the blood energies in his body. It was imperative that he conserve strength while facing this unpredictable city and the countless enemies within. Although his daybreak origin power had little function after the strengthening of his blood energies, it could still accelerate the recovery of his injuries and physical stamina. Luck seemed to be on Qianyes sideno enemies appeared during the time it took for him to complete a full cycle. He sensed the Eye of Truths location as he stood up once again. This was likely the closest it had ever been to him since he entered the city. It was only a couple hundred meters away! Although he knew from experience that he wouldnt be able to find the place that easily, Qianye still headed over in that direction. An explosion rang out moments later. Qianye watched as a vampire knight collapse in front of him. The might of a vampire origin grenade wasnt so easily blocked. Two more explosions rang out minutes later. Following which, Qianye drew his sword and pounced toward the wounded vampire baron. The enemy was quite fierce and managed to return two stabs despite falling to the Scarlet Blade in the end. Qianye glanced down at the injury on his thigh and sighed helplessly. An injury here would make things fairly troublesome for him as it affected his speed. The main reason Qianye had always been able to gain the advantage whenever he encountered a battle was because of his overwhelming advantage in both constitution and speed. What followed was a series of battle encounters. Although Qianye was able to kill his opponents every time, he had also suffered continuous injuries. He had already experienced a blood boil and had also used his recovery medicine. Fortunately, however,there was no shortage of essence blood. Qianye sat down at the corner of a certain wall. From here, he could clearly see the enemies approaching from the front and prevent an enemy assault from the rear. Most of the wounds on his body had already closed, but they were still emitting waves of pain. Additionally, they would burst open again if he were to engage in an intense battle. Qianye brought out another Mithril Bullet and applied it to the Scarlet Edge. He pondered about how all the enemies he had encountered along the way were no weaker than knights but no stronger than viscounts. Among them, the knights and barons possessed normal combat strength, but the viscounts were evidently weaker, so much that they were even inferior to the barons. What was going on? Finally, the entire Mithril Bullet of Exorcism transformed into a layer of silver on the blades edge. Qianye inspected his equipment once againhe had two more mithril bullets or exorcism and three more vampire origin grenades. He hadnt touched the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation at all. Qianye exhaled lightly, got up, and instinctively sensed the direction of the Eye of Truth. He was somewhat startled to find that, at this moment, the Eye of Truth was within a hundred meters of him. It had never been so close before. Suddenly, a chill run down Qianyes spine as a thought suddenly arose in his mind. Could it be that the Eye of Truth would appear only after a sufficient number of deaths? He looked up and saw the unchanging mist before him and the carnivorous city behindit was like a living creature hiding within the darkness. But wasnt this a gift Andruil had left for his servants and descendants? How could the Black-Winged Monarch have known that countless dark race warriors would follow the activator into the spatial door and thus become sacrifices to the city? Qianye had a premonition about what was to come and felt that there were more secrets to this city than anyone knew of. He had made certain associations after recalling how the highest ranking enemy to appear here was at the level of viscount, and even then, they were suppressed. But for now, he could only wait silently. Qianye didnt get to rest for long as a certain vampire knight appeared around the street corner. Qianye rushed out like a bolt of lightning and pierced the blood knights heart with his blade. This blood knight was fairly young but possessed astonishing combat strength. He actually executed a successful retaliation in his death throes, piercing through Qianyes abdomen with the sword in his hand. Qianye let out a muffled groan as he pinched the blades edge, effectively preventing it from causing greater damage. At the same time, he shook his right hand and sent a wave of oscillations along the Scarlet Edges blade. This stirred up the blood knights innards into paste. Qianye endured the intense pain and slowly pulled the sword out from his abdomen before downing a bottle of healing medicine. His strength rapidly recovered in his blood boil state, swiftly contracting the wound on his abdomen and stopping it from bleeding. However, the internal injuries werent that easy to heal. The blood knights body was already beginning to be dragged down into the city. Qianye picked up the sword he had just pulled out from his body and was moved after giving it a glance. The edge of the sword was stained with blood just now, but it had become completely clean just within moments to reveal the origin power patterns upon it. Those seemingly coarse and inflexible patterns were, in fact, formed from a layer of finer patterns. This sword absolutely wasnt a normal grade-three weapon used by blood knights. Qianye tried slashing a couple of times and felt that the sword was extremely heavy, perhaps even hundreds of kilograms in weight. He thrust the sword into the nearby wall in passing and saw almost half the blade easily pierce into it with a pfft. The stones in this city were all as hard as metal alloy. After activating the origin array upon it, Qianye recognized the effects "advanced stability" and "advanced sharpness". This also meant that this sword was at least grade-five. A weapon which not even a viscount might possess had actually appeared in the hands of a blood knight. It was clear that he was a direct descendant of a certain ancient clan and was likely a genius of great importance. Such a person had met a fate in this city where even his remains werent left. Qianye shook his head with emotions that couldnt really be considered regretful. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, seizing every moment he could to rest. It was at this time that a wave of intense pain assailed his head without warning. It was so painful that Qianye couldnt help but groan in agony. A familiar voice rang out within his consciousness, Bring me my head! Contrary to the one in his dream, the voice this time was extremely loud and clear. Every word shook Qianyes ears until they were ringing and he was almost dazzled. Where is your head? Qianye couldnt help but reply within his consciousness. His question was then answered. Youre close now, very close! Keep on killing. Kill those outsiders and the guardians. Youll find my head when youve accumulated enough blood! The voice slowly receded but left a word just as it was about to fade away. This is your reward in advance The pain in Qianyes head gradually disappeared. Presently, he was no longer in the mood to resthe leapt up all of a sudden and was startled. The stone slab before him was rippling like water and bubbling up as if something was actually about to emerge from within. It was a sword! The blade was jet black in color with faint silvery patterns carved upon it. At a glance, it was quite similar to the grade-five sword he had obtained from the blood knight. Qianye slowly reached out, grabbed the swords hilt, and lifted it up. The formation of origin array patterns on this sword was indeed quite similar; it was also made up of layers of embedded arrays. There was only one new ability: Devastation. Qianye weighed the sword in his hand and then pushed the pointed end into the ground. He had only casually pressed on it without much force, but the sword let out a soft whistle and easily pierced into the sturdy ground. It was indeed Devastation. It would produce even more devastating strikes when brandished with greater force. This could also be considered a half active ability that was particularly useful in battle. Naturally, it was also very valuable. It was at this time that a figure, once again, appeared from the mist. Qianye immediately reacted by tossing out an origin grenade as the figure of a man appeared in the corner of his sweeping vision. He wasnt very tall, but stood ramrod straight and was surging with killing intent. It was Li Zhan! Qianye hadnt expected to meet him again so soon. Li Zhans strength was just short of a first-rank vampire viscount and, as a character who had walked out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, possessed abundant combat experience. It was unknown what Li Zhan had been doing all this time, but he was also startled upon seeing Qianye. Immediately afterwards, he reacted with a speed similar to Qianye and also tossed out a grenade. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 277: Book of Darkness: Inception [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye cursed in a hoarse voice as he grabbed the sword at hand and pierced headlong into the nearby building. He then rapidly crossed the room and leapt out from the other window. The two origin grenades exploded at the same time, turning the narrow alley into a zone of death. The explosion had just receded when Li Zhan shot through the smoke, appeared before the building Qianye had just entered, and, likewise, charged in. But the moment he entered the room, he immediately felt as if he had fallen into a swamp. It was clearly solid ground beneath his feet but there was no foothold to be found. Every movement took great effort, and the waves of piercing pain being emitted through his skin became unbearable within moments. Li Zhan was greatly startled. At this moment, he actually began to feel stifled as if his mouth and nose were blocked by something. He suddenly let out a loud roar and erupted with dazzling origin power. This seemingly shattered something around him, freeing him of his invisible bindings and allowing him to stumble out of the room. He was yet to calm down from the fright as he stood on the street. From the street, the room indeed seemed empty without anything out of the ordinary. Li Zhan glanced down at his body and found that the skin on his arms was red with pearls of blood seeping out continuously. The metal fasteners on his armor had also begun to rust. Li Zhan was certain that even his body would have dissolved had he stayed for a couple of seconds more within the room. Maybe even his skeleton wouldnt remain. The buildings in this city were becoming more and more dangerous. Previously, they only dragged people in like quicksand and wasnt that perilous for someone of his abilities to pass through briefly. Now, however, it was directly dissolving ones flesh. His expression turned gloomy. He tightened his fist and went around the street corner to continue the long pursuit. Qianye, who had passed through the room, didnt feel any obvious changes apart from a somewhat sticky force trying to drag him down as he leapt out of the window. But he had long since prepared for this and used extra force with every step. Thus, he successfully landed on the other street. He didnt dare to stop over at all as he advanced rapidly through a number of foggy street blocks before reducing his speed to find a resting place. But just at this moment, a vampire warrior each appeared from his left and right. Goddammit! Qianye pounced forth while brandishing his blade. The battle ended swiftly with the two vampires turning into corpses which peacefully sunk into the ground. Meanwhile, Qianye had sustained an extra wound and two more old ones had burst open. Qianye sat leaning against the wall and gasped for air, each breath seemed as if he were breathing out flames. He rummaged around his pocket with great effort and found that there was no more medicine. There were, however, two origin grenades. Just at this time, Li Zhans figure appeared through the mist. Qianye stood up in silence. He didnt run away this time and charged instead of fleeing. The devastating blade slashed toward Li Zhans head without any fancy moves. The latter sneered and moved to block with a horizontal slash. At the same time, his left hand clawed toward Qianyes chest. The two blades drew intense trails of radiance through the air. Qianye grunted as he suddenly sped up the sword and hacked down at the center of Li Zhans blade with the force of hundreds of kilograms. A loud clang rang out like the toll of an ancient bell. Qianyes sword recoiled back and fresh blood began to flow from his right hand. Li Zhan, on the other hand, sank down and staggered back continuously with blood flowing out of his nose and ears. The force transmitted from Qianyes blade was too terrifying. Li Zhan had to lean against a tall wall in order to stabilize his backward momentum. He let out a furious roar as origin power radiance erupted from his back to form the vague image of a twisting python. But he turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood just as his innate talent materialization was about to complete. Li Zhan couldnt help but curse at this damned city. He was, of course, also under the suppression of the spatial restrictions. But the energy utilization pattern of humans and vampires were different. The vampires could only depend on blood shackles to suppress their bloodline power. Thus, those vampire viscounts could only use their own strength to resist this spatial suppression. Li Zhan, on the other hand, had discovered that he could escape the restrictions as long as he didnt activate his origin power vortex and only drew upon the daybreak origin power within his nodes. But even if Li Zhan didnt use his champion level abilities, his strength was at least equal to a third-rank viscount. He hadnt expected that he would actually be pushed back by a single slash in direct confrontation. Li Zhan suppressed the boiling blood energy in his chest. He was just thinking about continuing his pursuit when a sudden and peculiar whistling sound was transmitted through the air. A sense of extreme foreboding rose in his heart as he watched the sword spinning toward him through the air. It was the other sword Qianye was holding just now. The swords momentum and sound were too odd as it flew almost erratically through the air. Li Zhan didnt want to receive this blow head-on and thus he moved out of the blades range after looking around. But it was at this moment that two origin grenades rolled over toward him as if they had eyes. You madman! Li Zhan cursed out loud. He only had enough time to curl up his body before he was flung away by the shockwaves from the explosion. He slammed squarely into a wall and was only able to stand up with great difficulty. He glanced over and saw only the thick mist. How could he even find Qianyes shadow? What insanity! Hes truly a madman! At the distance just now, Qianye himself should also have been within the radius of the origin grenades explosion. In truth, it was almost a half-suicidal course of action. Qianye would have inevitably paid a great price even though he was able to escape once again by using this method. Meanwhile, Qianye had already run to a different street and was breathing heavily while supporting himself on an anchor-shaped sculpture. In truth, his condition was much better than Li Zhan had imagined it to be. His powerful vampire constitution had withstood a large portion of the explosive force. Suddenly, Qianye heard something moving behind him like the sound of shifting sand. He turned around and saw, in the distance, a giant door decorated with carved patterns. The door creaked open and a vampire warrior walked out from within. Qianyes pupils constricted as he took a step forward, raised his sword, and slashed down at lightning speed. The vampire warrior seemed slow to react and his manner was somewhat sluggish, but the sword he raised horizontally still managed to obstruct Qianyes attack. The sword in Qianyes hand, however, was incomparably heavy and glowing with faint silver origin arrays due to the activation of its Devastation properties. The slash directly cut the vampire warrior and his sword into two. The two halves of the vampire fell slowly to the ground, but there wasnt any blood within its body sections and was, instead, filled with sandy granules. The corpse transformed into a pile of sand before Qianyes eyes, rustled to the ground, and disappeared into the street surface in a matter of moments. Qianye was astonished and soon recalled that the voice had told him to kill off the outsiders and guards. So, was this a guardian? It shouldnt be very difficult if they were only at the level of rank seven or eight like this one. However, it was unknown just how many of them there were. There was something glittering where the fine grains of sand had disappeared. Qianye picked it up and discovered a fingernail-sized piece of crystal. He flipped it about and, finding nothing special about it, put it away into his pocket. This was the first time the city had left something after devouring its victim. Qianye was just planning to leave when the uncomfortable screech of flowing sand was heard once again. He turned around and saw a guardian climb out from a french window in the distance. Qianye moved forth in large strides, beheading the guardian as his hand rose and his blade fell. He obtained yet another piece of crystal. Qianyes pupils constricted after picking up the crystal because three more guardians appeared within his field of vision! Additionally, sounds of movement were heard from the buildings lining the street. Needless to say, there were more guardians appearing within them. Qianye couldnt help but inhale a breath of cold air. However, he charged forth with his blade gripped tightly. Any guardian who approached him was either slashed apart or beheaded in a single move. There was no give up in his life dictionary. He had even gotten through the danger of being infected by dark blood back then. This trial before him was just a battlea true warrior wouldnt give up until the very end. This ordinary-looking street stretched so far that one couldnt see the end, and the wave of guardians seemed unending no matter how many were killed. Qianye could no longer remember clearly just how many slashes he had already executed and only knew that the number of crystals in his pocket was increasing. He didnt even need to bend down to pick them up; his pocket would grow slightly heavier with each guardian he killed. After an unknown length of time, Qianye suddenly halted his steps. The endless street before him finally changed as a lofty building suddenly appeared. It was hundreds of meters tall and was supported by twelve pillars at the front, each of them several meters in diameter. A person would feel as insignificant as an ant before this majestic building. The Wings of Inception shook once again as it sensed the Eye of Truth within. Qianye crossed through the threshold and arrived before a hall so big that it almost felt stifling. The walls and roof were filled with murals of exquisite artistry, most of them depicting stories of their genesis. They showed how the heroes of each dark race had battled countless giant primordial beasts and even alien creatures. There were also some murals which portrayed a number of great battles between the dark races. Some of the giant beasts depicted in the murals had never even been heard of, and the dark races battle prowess had been embellished brilliantly. One could see their boundless might with a single glance. These murals would definitely fetch an exorbitant price if one were to find a way to copy these paintings and bring them back because they were able to fill in the large gap in history before the thousand-year war. Unfortunately, it wasnt the time to be thinking of such things. Qianye retracted his gaze and moved forward. In the depths of the great hall was a row of thirteen coffins. From their layout, it seemed the area was a resting place for certain ancient vampires. There was an altar before the coffins with various rare treasures scattered on and around it. In their midst were piles of eerie white bones likely belonging to creatures of different races. The abundant riches along with the openly displayed remains gave one an odd sensation. There was a scripture stand that stood erect before the altar, and currently lying upon it was a large black book with a bleeding red eye on its cover. The reaction from the Wings of Inception was so close that it almost seemed within reachit was precisely this mysterious ancient volume. Qianye hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on the black cover. He felt a brief pain from his palm as his fresh blood immediately stained the cover and was then absorbed into the book. Countless strands of almost tangible black radiance erupted from the book. It almost seemed as if tentacles had reached out and entangled Qianye. At this point, Qianye lost all control over his body and even his perception had disappeared. The next moment, he found himself floating within an empty space with the black book hovering in front of him. The pages on this thick and heavy tome began to turn on its own, and with each page flipped, the content would emerge within Qianyes consciousness. He had no idea how much time had passed when the last page was finally turned. Qianye gradually opened his eyes. He now knew what this book was. It was one of the dark races lost ancient tomes, the Book of Darkness: Genesis. The black book didnt just consist of one book; it was a set. This tome had vanished in an era long before the War of Daybreak, and only its name was left behind in the memories of the descendants. There wasnt any other information about it. Who would have thought the first part, the Genesis Chapter, would actually appear in Andruils ruins? The Genesis Chapter recorded the workings of the worlds origin power system. Qianye saw the moment of the worlds inception, how the boundless darkness had burst forth from the void and spread toward the vast expanse at an unimaginable speed. This was the darkness of genesis, the source of all darkness origin power. This world was originally dominated by darkness.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 278: Trial [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye was extremely astonished after witnessing this scene and suddenly recalled the first glimmer of daybreak which had appeared during the disintegration of the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls General Principles chapter. As if something had slammed into his world, Qianye was suddenly jolted awake and soon recovered all of this senses after withdrawing from the state of emptiness. His hand was still on the book stand, but the black tome had completely vanished. He pensively checked the inside of his body. As expected, he found a new conscious space within, and the Book of Darkness: Genesis was floating in it. Qianye took a deep breath and tried hard to calm down his chaotic emotions. The Genesis chapter described the birth of the world, while the Song Can Ancient Scroll recorded the first opening of the heaven and earth. However, the differences between them were too significant. Why did the dark race and human race have different concepts regarding this same world? The Glory and Mystery chapters which he had successfully cultivated were vastly different in their methods, but after careful thought, they probably werent completely unrelated. Glorious is he who breathes fire but conceals his luster, mysterious is he with red amidst the darkness Qianye seemed to have grasped some clues. Yet, he was seemingly separated by a thin veil and couldnt see through everything clearly. Just at this moment, the familiar aura of a certain colossal consciousness swept through Qianyes mind. You who are descended of the same bloodline as I, it greatly surprises me that you were able to absorb the Book of Darkness. It seems the long vicissitudes ultimately cannot wipe away our hallowed ancient bloodline. Qianye frowned and maintained his silence. He didnt know why the Black-Winged Monarch had always believed him to be his descendant, however, it made little sense to deny things under such circumstances. It seems youre bloodline isnt, at all, inferior to my own and is extremely close to that of the ancestor we share. As such, you can already be considered my peer according to the oldest sacred blood traditions. You are, without a doubt, extremely weak at the moment and powerless to shoulder this responsibility and mission. Unfortunately, however, neither you nor I have the time. Qianye asked, Where are you? He had no interest at all in the vampire races mission and responsibility. However, he vaguely realized that something beyond his control had already occurred and that everything had already been set in stone. This kind of sensation made Qianye somewhat frustrated. Im within the Wings of Inception and also within the Eye of Truth. There are fragments of my consciousness left within them. I will guide you on how to obtain them, but before that, youll face some trials. I feel Ive been through enough trials. That is an accident and not my original intention. I left some riches around the altar, things that are considered treasures to those of the secular world. I had originally intended to gift them to my loyal servant, Lu Jianan. You may take a portion of it and then give a suitable share to his descendants. Excessive wealth isnt necessarily a good thing for ordinary people. On the contrary, it might spell their eventual doom. I will find his descendants, Qianye promised. Lu Jianans progeny should have been living in Black Clay Town. Back then, there was no way for him to search, among the multitude, for an old man who lived alone. But now that he knew the mans name, he might be able to try again. However, chances were slim at best since that place had just been baptized by the flames of war. I have a crystal key thats been split into three fragments. I left one with my devoted servant and another with my loyal guard. After combining the two with the third, it will open a different secret chamber. I prepared some presents within for Nangong Yuqing, my lover during my time amongst humans. At this point, Qianye was astonished. This was the first time Andruil had personally admitted that he had once lived amongst humans. The surname Nangong was also quite familiarcould she be from the Nangong family, one of the empires top aristocratic families? Although he was extremely surprised, he agreed after some thought. It was at this moment that the two crystal fragments in his pocket suddenly began to throb, and a beam of light shot out through his clothes. Qianye brought it out and found that the two fragments had already fused together and was emitting a beam of light toward a certain direction. That was the location of the third crystal fragment. It seemed that the crystal key fragments wouldnt activate unless one agreed to Andruils request. At this moment, Qianye was utterly convinced by the Black-Winged Monarchs mysterious powers. He couldnt even begin to imagine how Andruil had managed to do all this. At this time, Andruil seemed to have spoken something but his voice suddenly became distorted and noisy as if affected by an intense interference. Somewhat startled, Qianye waited for some time but the Black-Winged Monarchs consciousness didnt appear again. He looked around the place and decided to complete his initial promise first. The fortunes around the altar mostly consisted of gold coins, gems, and a number of exquisite little boxes. Qianye opened them one by one and found that they were all filled with blood crystals. It was just that, due to the passage of time, the energy contained within them had all dissipated and only empty crystals were left behind. These crystals could be instilled with fresh blood power, but empty crystals could also be used interchangeably with the dark races crystal coins. The value of the treasures around the altar could be counted in the hundreds of thousands of gold coins, but it would be almost impossible to move out the hundreds of kilograms of treasure with powerful enemies lurking around. Qianye collected two small boxes of rare materials and headed toward the direction of the third crystal fragment. At some point, a number of pathways had emerged on the four walls of the hall. Qianye followed the guidance of the beam of light being emitted from the key and entered that passage. There werent any traps or mechanisms along the passage, and as such, he arrived at the end without any problem at all. It was a side-chamber. But as he walked into the hall, Qianye realized why there werent any defensive mechanisms in such an important place. Atop a black steel seat within the side-chamber sat a high-ranking vampirethe insignia on his black robes signified that he was actually a marquis of the Monroe clan. Qianye was instinctively cautious, but later on, he discovered that the vampire marquis sat peacefully without any movement at all, his falcon-like eyes staring at a point one meter in front of his feet. He had long since lost all signs of vitality. Qianye advanced slowly and saw that there was a dark bloodstain on the marquis chest. It had blended in with his black robes and thus wasnt evident without careful observation. That place was where the blood core resided. The vampire marquis body collapsed into a pile of fine sand and fell to the ground as Qianye approached, perhaps because the vibrations from his footsteps had broken the fragile balance. This vampire marquis should also be one of the guardians Andruil had deployed here. It was unknown, however, whether such a powerful expert had turned into a puppet-like guardian before or after his death. It was also a mystery regarding who had come to the Black-Winged Monarch ruins before and killed this vampire marquis. Qianye looked down to find a crystal fragment on the ground in front of the tall throne and a skull beside it. The cut surface on the neck bone was as smooth as a mirror. It seemed he was decapitated by a sharp weapon. Qianye heard that voice again as soon as he saw the skull. Youve already found my head. Well done! Now bring it to me and youll obtain a generous reward. Do not doubt the power and prestige of Andruil. Bring it to me, now! This sound seemed to have some sort of magic power which made Qianye subconsciously reach for the skull. But at this moment, he realized something was wrong. As his spirit jolted awake, the purple blood energy suddenly scuttled out from the ability rune and rapidly spread throughout his whole body. This drove the voice out of his consciousness and made it sound fairly distant. Two Black-Winged Monarchs? Qianye could already confirm that the colossal consciousness and the voice constantly demanding his head wasnt the same person. The situation seemed increasingly bizarre. Qianye stared fixedly at the skull for a moment and then decided to pick up the crystal fragment first. The three fragments merged together upon contact and formed a complete crystal disk. He pondered for a moment and then picked up the skull. Afterwards, following the guidance of the crystal disk, he traveled deeper along a passage and finally arrived before a great bronze door. There was a depression at its center which was an exact fit for the crystal disk. The origin arrays on the door flickered and lit up as the door gradually slid to one side. Behind the door was another side-chamber, and this time, there werent any guardians. Only some beams of various dazzling colors would shoot through the air from time to time. A sense of extreme danger emerged within Qianyes mind. He had obtained some knowledge of space after obtaining the Book of Darkness. He knew that these beautiful and illusory beams of light represented the presence of unstable spatial rifts. A part of his body would fall into the space if he were to bump into them carelessly. The most eye-catching within the side-chamber was a weapons rack placed against the wall. Displayed upon it was a full array of weapons and defensive equipmentfrom daggers to full sets of armor. Judging solely from their material and origin array patterns, none of them was less than grade-five. And within this side-chamber, there were several dozens of such equipment. This was indeed a large fortune. But Andruil had especially mentioned that the equipment within this chamber were the cornerstones of this secret chamber and couldnt be taken away. The item he needed Qianye to bring to Nangong Yuqing was on a table nearby. Qianye turned away and walked toward the roundtable at the center of the chamber. On it, there was an origin gun, two daggers, and two golden boxes. The gun and blade were premium products made especially for use by humans. The gun was a grade-seven origin gun, while the two daggers were grade-six. One of the golden boxes was filled with physical origin bullets crafted of mithril. The method of production was extremely rarethe bullets would deal significant damage to members of the dark races even without the instillation of origin power. The other golden box was actually filled with liquefied mithril. Not to mention the value of the gun and blade, just the value of the two boxes and the high-purity mithril contained within them would rival that of a small clans entire treasury. But Andruil had stated clearly that these items were to be handed to Nangong Yuqing or her descendants. Qianye had no designs of them. He would respect the words he had given regardless of who the other party was. Qianye sorted out the items and placed them in his backpack. The bronze door closed on its own behind him as he walked out, and the crystal key was ejected into his hands with a click. Andruils will appeared once again in Qianyes consciousness. Congratulations on passing another trial. As it turned out, the armaments within the secret chamber were indeed its cornerstones. The defense mechanisms would have kicked in if he had failed to control his greed and had collected them. The brilliant beams of light would expand, and the gigantic spatial rifts would tear apart everything in the room, including Qianye. Qianye was in a bad mood. Setting foot in such an accursed place was like launching a one-way automatic airship. Unless it crashed in the middle, there was no way to turn back once he reached his destination. He didnt like this kind of feeling. The familiar voice once again rang out in his ears when he returned to the main hall. Well done! Youve brought my head as you promised. Now, return it to its rightful place and you will obtain the great Black-Winged Monarch Andruils gift and protection! Youll be able to found a clan and its name will rival that of the 12 ancient clans. So much that you might even be able to inherit the surname of the 13th clan which had already broken its line of succession! Such a series of promises which would probably cause huge tidal waves within the dark races might perhaps cause a true vampires blood to boil with passion. However, Qianye felt nothing from it. Even though Andruil himself had admitted to the purity of Qianyes bloodline, the latter had consciously avoided this issue. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 279: Traitor [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye was now certain that the voice wasnt Andruils. But then, why was it able to transmit information via the Black-Winged Monarchs crystal fragment? Additionally, this was the Black-Winged Monarchs ruins! Andruil had left such shocking arrangements here since thousands of years ago. How could he allow someone to impersonate him within his own palace? The Wings of Inception became still after Qianye walked out of the secret chamber. Andruils will also turned silent and no longer gave him any suggestions. Could this be the unintended trial as described by the Black-Winged Monarch? Qianye glanced at the skull in his hand and had the urge to hurl it at the opposite wall. Even though he was facing a great dark monarch who enjoyed a high ranking throughout dark race history, he didnt enjoy the feeling of being led by the nose. The voice beside his ears sounded even more urgent now. Qianye calmed down his depressed emotional state and followed the voice. He found himself returning to the great hall he had first arrived at and finally discovered the source. It was coming from one of the thirteen ancient coffins behind the altar. Only after observing the blood coffins in detail did Qianye find that the clan insignias carved upon them werent the same. From the first Perth clan to the twelfth Carlton clan, all of them were gathered here. Qianyes expression changed; he felt that such a situation went against common knowledge. According to the human races understanding of the vampires, it was impossible for the twelve great clans to coexist in peace. Additionally, those resting within the coffins were ancient vampires who should be with their own clans. The one that gave Qianye the chills was the thirteenth blood coffin. The patterns carved upon it were exquisite and complex, but there werent any insignias upon it. Vampire legends state that there were 13 primogenitors, but presently, there were only records and descendants for 12 of them. Who then was in this last blood coffin? The thirteenth clan? This wasnt good news for the humans. If a thirteenth clan had existed before, it would mean that the vampire race would possess the strength of another primogenitor in due time. Even if it was dormant at the moment, who knew when its descendants would awaken? Approach me, present to me my head! I shall grant you power, rank, and strength in the ancient name of Andruil! This time, Qianye heard it very clearly; the voice was coming from the first blood coffin. However, he didnt pay it any attention and, instead, pushed open the coffin nearest to him. The heavy coffin lid felt cold to the touch. The quality and sturdiness of its wooden material surpassed even that of metallic alloys. After opening the lid, he saw the corpse of a high ranking vampire clad in martial attire. His insignia consisted of an olive branch surrounded by a circle of golden leaves. He was actually a glorious marquis. It was just that there was a hole in his chest, and his blood core had long since disappeared. A vampire who had lost his blood core was akin to a human who had lost his heart. He had long since died thoroughly. It was at this time that the first coffin slowly opened to reveal a sleeping vampire within. Vampires in long-term hibernation looked no different from a sleeping person except becoming thin and shriveled. They would become thinner and weaker the longer they stayed in hibernation. By the time they had surpassed 100 years of hibernation, these vampires would need to be bathed in a blood pool in order for them to wake up. The vampire who had appeared before Qianye had almost shriveled up to the point where there were only bones left. He was also clad in martial attire and had sustained several large wounds on the surface of his body. Many of his military decorations had been lost, and thus his rank could no longer be discerned. It seemed the injuries hadnt been treated at the time they were sustainedthe flesh and blood around the wounds had become discolored as if they had suffered wind erosion over the years. Although the injuries on this vampire were severe, the position of his blood core was still intact. The only thing missing was his head. Fortunate descendant, youve done well! Very well! Now, place my head on my body and offer me some fresh blood. I, the mighty great monarch Andruil, will rise again. I shall then grant you the bloodline of a progenitor and the ability to found your own clan! This time, the voice no longer caused Qianyes ears to ring like the tolling of a great bell. It was muffled and possessed a certain inexplicable magic to it as if it were emitted from the bottom of his heart. Every word was a representation of what he wanted the most right now. Qianye felt momentarily absent-minded and began to step forward involuntarily. Vigilance arose in his heart as he felt himself about to be torn into two halves. One half wanted to walk toward the first blood coffin and put the skull onto the body, while the other half wanted to drag down his steps and, at the same time, crush the skull into pieces. A spectator watching from one side would see Qianye acting like a malfunctioning robot. He would take two steps forward, then one step backward, and would even turn around from time to time while flailing his arms about. But behind these comical movements was an intense contest of willpower. The purple blood energy had, once again, expanded as Qianye took the first step. However, it was unable to completely negate the control of the voice. It could only exert continuous interference, preventing Qianye from being utterly crushed in the struggle for control over his body. Qianyes will become increasingly murky with the rapid exhaustion of the purple blood energys power. At this moment, the dark golden blood energy resting just outside his heart suddenly moved. It spat out a strand of blood as fine as an oxs hair which traveled upward along his blood vessels at lightning speed. It then exploded upon reaching the area between his brows. Following an intense pain in his head, Qianye suddenly felt that his consciousness was incomparably clear. He once again took control over his body and immediately realized that this was a fleeting opportunity. He could no longer care about the conflict between his abundant blood energy and daybreak origin power as he immediately activated the Combatant Formula. His origin power tides arose, whistling like a storm on the sea. The dark golden blood energy quickly retreated into his heart but not before leaving the illusory image of a pair of golden wings. As the pure daybreak origin power refined by the Glory Chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll swept over, speckles of golden light emerged within the dark red world and soon erupted into clusters of flame. The torrent of origin power radiance infused with golden flames poured out of Qianyes hands and fell upon the headless vampire corpse like a waterfall. Silvery flames rose up within the blink of an eye, soon accompanied by a wretched scream which echoed throughout the great hall. The shrill voice was like a sharp blade and almost seemed as if it could cut through anything. It pierced into and twisted Qianyes consciousness, almost causing him to faint from the pain. Just as Qianyes vision darkened and he was right before deaths door, he managed to condense a willpower capable of resisting this attack which hacked at his very soul. He shook off the skull once again, and this time, the skull was successfully flung away. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers and opened fire after loading his final Mithril Bullet of Exorcism into it. An enchanting flower bloomed in the air with a loud bang, followed by a rain of bony fragments. At this point, the incisive scream also came to a sudden stop. The whole world suddenly became incomparably still. Qianye then sat while leaning against the coffin behind him, extremely weak and exhausted. It felt as if he didnt even have the strength to pant. The invasion became bidirectional during the fight for control over his body or perhaps because the voice had wanted to occupy Qianyes consciousness. Consequently, Qianye was able to grasp some broken fragments of the other partys memories. It turned out that the high-ranking vampires in the coffins were the thirteen blood generals of the Black-Winged Monarch. They had kept guard over these ruins all this time after Andruil went missing. The headless vampire had, for some reason, deserted his post and slaughtered all his comrades. However, he was later beheaded by the guardian marquis in the side chamber. Also for some unknown reason, the traitor actually didnt die completely. Since his talents specialized in spiritual power, he was able to use the crystal key fragment to tempt others into exploring the ruins and thereby achieving his goal of revival. In truth, one would already have the opportunity to enter this hall after obtaining a single crystal fragment. Throughout the hundreds if not thousands of years, many powerful and greedy experts had come here before Qianye, but they were all, without exception, turned into energy for maintaining the operation of this space. Qianye only recovered a minuscule amount of strength even after resting for a long time. It seemed this bizarre incident had come to a close. Although there were many details he was still uncertain of, he knew this wasnt the only truth to be drowned in the long river of time. Qianye opened up all the other blood coffins and found the corpses of ten high-ranking vampires. Their martial attire was more or less similar, and from the badges on them, one could see that the lowest rank among them was a marquis. All of them had their blood cores dug out, and only the corpse of that headless vampire was whole. However, Qianye was surprised to find that the thirteenth blood coffin was empty. He carefully recalled that the vampire marquis guarding the side-chamber was wearing different adornments. Did this mean that there was still a thirteenth blood general? Qianye raised his head and glanced around the great hallthere was only absolute silence all around. If not for his arrival, this place would be like a frozen fragment on the vast wasteland of time. But at this point, Qianye had already realized that the Black-Winged Monarch wasnt omnipotent. Everything he had witnessed within this space had long surpassed his understanding and could only be described as a miracle. Even so, unforeseen events had still occurred with the long passage of time; one general had turned on him, another had gone missing, while the rest had all been murdered. Qianye had a vague feeling that Andruil was borrowing his hand to deal with the traitor. Judging from the tone of the colossal will, the Black-Winged Monarch wasnt ignorant of what had transpired within the hall. As for why he didnt take action himself, there was no way to know. Blue light emerged on the vault of the great hall after the thirteen blood coffins were all opened. The murals on the walls all vanished as Qianye looked upthe vast and deep color was like a starless night sky. Following which, a beam of radiance shot down and fell upon him. Subsequently, gentle but tremendous power filled Qianyes bones and limbs. This time, he clearly felt the Wings of Inception unfurl and form a pair of gigantic radiant wings behind his back accompanied by specks of brilliant gold. Suddenly, the whole palace began to rock and sway. The tremors werent intense, and it felt as if one were standing on the waves. Before him was a wall dozens of meters in height and hundreds of meters wide. The facade began to split and gradually open up. Blue radiance gushed out and stopped before Qianye to form a giant door of light which reached toward the sky. Qianye subconsciously reached out and found that the blue light felt tangible, cool, and smooth to the touch. It felt as if he had reached into seawater. A tremendous suction force came through and dragged him into this ocean of radiant blue. The palace was then restored to its original state. The opened coffins all closed up on their own and resumed their deathly stillness. At this time, the city outside of the hall was in chaos. Intense battles were raging in every street as the vampire warriors fought against the guardians. The guardians levels were a couple of ranks lower than Qianye, but their numbers were endless. They emerged continuously from the buildings and rushed out of the long windows. After they were killed, they would turn into sand and flow back into the ground without leaving a single trace. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 280: The Black-Winged Monarch [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Li Zhan brandished his sword and sent the heads of two guardians flying. He watched as their bodies turned to flowing sand with a gloomy expression. He had already lost count of how many guardians he had already killed, but the scene before him was always the samemore of them would flood out from the houses on each side regardless of how many were killed. He had sustained a fair number of injuries and his face was somewhat pale. Despite that, the battle intent in his eyes hadnt faltered in the slightest. Mere puppets! Detest flashed through the depths of his eyes. In other places, a number of vampire viscounts were locked in constant battle. Their vampire constitution gave them an advantage in such melee battles, and with the support of blood crystals, their endurance was much greater. But mists of daybreak origin power would spray out through the air from time to time and land accurately on them despite their evasive efforts. This type of damage wasnt very serious, but it had never stopped since they entered the city. As such, the accumulated energy became quite significant over time. Additionally, the viscounts had a feeling that the frequency of gushing daybreak origin power, as well as the number of emerging guardians, was steadily increasing. Apparently, Duke Garis who was impeding the spatial restrictions outside was almost at his limit. Not only would the citys defenses reactivate, but even the spatial door might close once Duke Garis powers were exhausted. This meant that those who had gone in would be trapped within. Over a hundred figures had gathered outside of the spatial door. Li Ruis expression was cold as he switched out a number of drained crystals from the origin array from time to time. The discarded crystals had formed a sizeable pile nearbythis expenditure alone was an astronomical figure. There were some high-ranking vampires who were previously looking on with indifference. Their expressions turned quite ugly as they watched the newly replaced crystal lose its color before even ten minutes had passed. Finally, a vampire count could bear it no longer. What the hell are you doing?! The number of crystals youve used up can already cancel out the power of a prince! But the spatial restrictions here are becoming more and more consolidated. Damned human, dont tell me the Black-Winged Monarch is on the other side! Li Rui turned to stare at the count for a length of time before saying, If my guess isnt wrong, the spatial door is connected to an intact lesser hidden realm. This kind of realm can operate for a long time on only a small amount of energy because most of it stems from the apex of the realm which we can never reach. Since your sense of superiority is so ardent, why not come and maintain this spatial door on your own. Ill end my life here if you can maintain it for three minutes without dissipation, hows that? The enraged vampire count roared loudly. Despicable human, this is an insult to the noble Count Bernie! Ill put you on my dinner table! A frosty baleful intent flashed through Li Ruis eyes as he replied coldly, Is that so? Then why dont we engage in a fair duel to the death? Im quite confident about killing an idiot like you. Bernie was unable to restrain his anger and revealed his fangs amidst his roars. In the distance, Duke Garis suddenly growled, Bernie, shut up! Bernie, who was originally in a towering rage, actually shivered after hearing Duke Garis voice and no longer dared to speak. Duke Garis then glanced at Li Rui and said, Mister Li, please restrain yourself. Casually provoking my subordinates wont benefit our cooperation. Li Rui switched to a respectful expression and said with a smile, Please rest assured, Ive always acted appropriately. At this time, a vampire elder standing nearby said with a mocking tone, Garis, it seems to me that you cant hold on much longer. Do you want me to help you? Garis replied without even turning to look, Agnis, I can still hold on for a long time. Your Monroe clan has already gotten itself into quite a lot of trouble this time. Dont tell me you want to provoke our Lakins clan right now? The elder named Agnis laughed heartily and said, No matter how great an inconvenience is, its merely an inconvenience. You, on the other hand, should consider whether you want to keep on being stubborn and lose all your chips in the process. Duke Garis said after a moment of silence, I can give you some advance payment. Choose someone to send in. Agnis let out a muffled laugh and said with a wave of his hand, You, enter. A vampire lady behind Agnis responded. Even Duke Garis couldnt help but exclaim with an astonished expression after she removed her hood, Twilight! Duke Garis shot a glance at Agnis and snorted coldly. It seems youve indeed come well-prepared. Agnis stroked his short beard, seemingly pleased with himself. I only wanted to see if well have a chance. Additionally, we wont take a big share here. The greatest benefits will still fall to you, my dear excellency. Garis replied slowly, Thats quite difficult to say. Agnis didnt argue with Garis. He pointed and shot out a thin strand of blood, whereupon the originally agitated spatial door immediately stabilized. Twilight removed her hood to reveal her lithe figure clad in black leather armor. Two swords appeared in her grasp with a flick of her hands. After which, she stepped into the spatial door without the slightest bit of delay. Duke Garis watched the figure of Twilights back and sighed. If only the Lakins clan possessed a descendant like Twilight. Agnis smiled faintly but didnt bother to comment. It wasnt impossible for vampires to switch clans, but the price wasnt easily affordable. The battle within the city seemed perpetual, and even Li Zhan had lost track of how many he had killed. Yet, the enemies were still swarming toward him, causing a fretful expression to finally emerge on his countenance. Suddenly, the two guardians dashing toward him sank down and dispersed into sand. Li Zhan was startledhe surveyed the surroundings and found that the city had been restored to its initial state of deathly silence without a single guardian in sight. And at this moment, the mist in front of him suddenly became much thinner, revealing a great majestic shrine towering over the end of the street. Hardly able to keep his calm, Li Zhan raised his speed and dashed toward the temple hall which almost seemed to extend into the sky. Just as he reached the base of the stairs, he saw a figure suddenly appear in front of the palace doors. The vampire lady was clad in black leather armor and wielding a sword in each hand. Her short golden hair danced about like cold flames. To Li Zhan, this lady felt like a sharp unsheathed blade; he felt a slight pain in his eyes just by looking at her. Twilight shot a glance at Li Zhan and immediately proceeded to enter the shrine without paying him further attention. Li Zhan clenched his teeth and followed suit. Both Li Zhan and Twilight sensed only one thing the moment they stepped into the great hallthe world was swaying. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for them to take notice of the appearance of the palace hall. To their astonishment, they saw a gigantic door of azure light stretching from the floor all the way up to the domed roof and from the left wall of the hall to its right. Twilights eyes were filled with fanaticism as she stared intently at the blue door and mumbled, Is this the great inheritance left behind by the great monarch Andruil? I-Its mine. Its finally mine! Suddenly waking up from her reverie, Twilight turned to Li Zhan and said, Give me your blade. Li Zhan hesitated for a moment but ultimately passed her the sword in his hand. Twilight immediately hurled the blade at the door of azure light after receiving it. It was enveloped by a layer of black and blue flames, a manifestation of her darkness origin power. The sword whistled toward the radiant door, but at the moment of contact, numerous small bolts of lightning suddenly shot out from the door and immediately reduced the grade-four sword to ash. Twilights expression dimmed with obvious disappointment as she slowly said, I cant enter. Then we only need to wait here. That brat has to emerge sooner or later, provided that he isnt utterly destroyed. Whatever he obtained inside will be ours as long as we kill him. Li Zhan had recognized the datura flower insignia on Twilight''s jacket. Andruil was a great monarch of the Monroe clanif even a descendant of their clan couldnt enter, then it would be impossible for him, a human, to break through the restrictions. Twilight corrected him with a cold voice, Its mine. Li Zhan bowed and said, As you command. At this angle, Twilight couldnt see the flash of cold murderous intent which flashed through his eyes. The two became silent and waited calmly before the radiant door. A while later, two vampire viscounts also entered the great hall, followed by a dozen-odd vampires and Li family warriors. The expressions of the vampire warriors changed greatly after seeing Twilight. All of them, including the two viscounts, edged back subconsciously, not daring to go past Twilights position. The azure door occupying the entire hall was rippling like sea water. Behind the door, Qianye was walking along a passage composed of blue light. Although it felt as if he were treading on solid ground, there was only emptiness on all sides. Even Qianye felt his heart shudderthis wasnt related to courage or the lack thereof, but it was, instead, a type of inherent fear when facing the unknown. Qianye knew not for how long he had walked, but he could no longer see the radiant door when he glanced back from time to time. There was only a single path emerging from and stretching toward the emptiness. There seemed to be neither a beginning nor an end. The Wings of Inception awoke again by itself and pushed Qianye forward until he was gliding along the radiant path. He went faster and faster until he felt as if even the empty space were accelerating backward. There was finally a change at the end of the radiant path. A blue speck of light emerged and expanded continuously until it formed the silhouette of a vast and majestic palace, one that was even greater than the temple outside. Qianyes emotions almost froze at this momentit was impossible to express everything he had experienced in words. It was simply impossible to produce all of this by manpower unless everything was just an illusion. Even a miracle could hardly surpass this level. After entering the great hall, the first thing to come into view was the throne at the center of this vast space. Upon it sat a man with his chin resting on one hand as if he were deeply pondering something. The moment he glanced over, the entirety of Qianyes attention was attracted by this manit was as if he were the center of the whole world. He had long dark hair and was dressed in a loose black robe. His hands were as fair as jade, and his skin was enveloped by a layer of hazy radiance. The man gradually looked up as Qianye approached the throne, the latters figure clearly reflected within the pair of ocean-blue eyes. At this moment, Qianye felt as if his whole being had become as transparent as glass. From the inside out, there was no place on his body to hide any secrets. At the same time, a strand of enlightenment appeared out of nowhere. He immediately realized that the man sitting upon the throne was, in fact, the long-lost second generation primogenitor, the Black-Winged Monarch Andruil. Youve finally come, Andruil said with a smile.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 281: Inheritance [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The legendary Black-Winged Monarchs voice was pleasant, gentle, and possessed an inexplicable magnetism. His countenance was almost perfecthis deep blue eyes were akin to starry oceans, boundlessly serene and profound. If one must point out a defect, then perhaps it could be said that his handsomeness leaned toward average. At this time, Qianyes astonishment could no longer be described with words. Andruil was actually alive?! As a second generation primogenitor and a great dark monarch, he had demonstrated a variety of mighty powers since Qianye stepped into this space. If he were truly alive, it might just break the fragile balance of power between the empire and the dark races. Qianye had long since known that the crime he was committing was incomparably dangerous, but he had never expected to meet the Black-Winged Monarch himself. Andruil extended his hand toward Qianye and said, Its a delightful surprise that you were able to appear before me so quickly. Now, let me take a good look at you. Specks of blue radiance emerged around Qianye as his figure was once again reflected in Andruils eyes. His body gradually turned transparent, thoroughly revealing the condition of his origin power and blood energy circulation. Eh? Andruil exclaimed in surprise as he retracted the light from his eyes. He pondered for a moment before saying slowly, A human? This is truly a surprise. How could a hybrid possess sacred blood of such purity? What is your name? Qianye. Qianye, on the other hand, had completely calmed down. He knew, since the moment he met the Black-Winged Monarch, that the secrets in his body would all be laid bare. But he hadnt imagined Andruils understanding would also be skewed, that the monarch would actually think he was a hybrid. Andruil still seemed somewhat bewildered. He extended a finger, drew a few lines in the air, and condensed a rune. But then, he reached out to wipe it away. The Black-Winged Monarch shook his head and said, This isnt a big problem. Normally, hybrid lineages are always impure, but your daybreak origin power is of a fairly rare purity. It seems youre a top-grade talent among humans, but it would ultimately be impossible for the daybreak races to retain their origins in this world blessed by the darkness. In the future, your sacred bloodline will continue to awaken. It will naturally suppress and assimilate all the impurities. Qianye inhaled a breath of cold air and felt his heart suddenly tighten. Although Andruil had misjudged his bloodline origin and this meant that he was safe for the moment, he could find no delight in the future the Black-Winged Monarch had described. This so-called sacred blood assimilating the impurities inevitably meant that he would turn into a pure vampire in the end. At this point, Andruils voice rose considerably as he said, What truly astonishes me is that, although your bloodline is still very weak, its purity has surpassed all the primos and approaches that of a primogenitor! Andruil became increasingly excited while speaking. In the end, he stood up and began to pace on the high platform. Perhaps you dont understand what this signifies! As long as you dont fall in the foreseeable future, theres a large chance that youll produce a drop of origin blood, and the Monroe clan will once again bear witness to the birth of a primogenitor! Andruil paused for a moment and said with a fairly perplexed expression, Although you and I share the same bloodline origins, you probably havent grown past the newborn stage for a long time. This means, in terms of generation, you can only be boundlessly close to my own bloodline power, but can never surpass it. But now, your bloodline purity is equal to my own. This is unbelievable, no, this is simply a subversion of all common knowledge. Qianyes understanding of the vampire race, of course, wasnt deep enough to involve bloodline inheritances. Hence, he had no idea what the latter part of the Black-Winged Monarchs words actually meant. Additionally, this great monarchs assessment of his condition had been skewed since the beginning, causing his later speculations to go completely astray. Hence, Qianye didnt really take it seriously. But he did recall a certain incident back when he was cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Mystery Chapterthis dark golden blood energy was produced only after the original golden blood energy was sucked into the black vortex and devoured. Could it be that the Mystery Chapter could not only purify darkness origin power but could actually purify vampire bloodlines? Qianye naturally couldnt walk the path toward a vampiric awakening, but since the Song Clan Ancient Scroll could purify the golden blood energy, it might also be able to purify the dark golden blood energy and might finally produce origin blood. If it could also purify origin blood what then was the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls ultimate goal? Qianye was lost in his own thoughts. The impact of such a possibility was immense even for a mere thought. Andruil returned to his throne and sighed helplessly. Regrettably, Im only a fragment of the main bodys will and have no power to unravel this mystery. For the time being, just think of it as a gift from destiny. Qianye was somewhat startled. He had felt the suppressive might of this great monarch since coming into the great hall, but it was actually a mere manifestation of Andruils will. Qianye couldnt help but ask, Wheres the real Black-Winged Monarch? You should know that there are two suns and an asteroid belt at the topmost layer of this world. That place is actually reachable, and it is there that my main body found a path to leave this world and explore the distant realms. He made ample arrangements here and then left. Even though there were airships, the journey between continents was full of danger and unexpected events. Climbing up to the top of the world, where the sun and asteroid belt were located, sounded like the ravings of a lunatic, but there had indeed been records of such feats in both the dark faction and the human empire. The disappearance of a certain emperor of the Great Qin was also related to this endeavor. Qianye stared blankly, not knowing how to assess his course of action. Despite his advantage in power, wealth, and his longevity as a vampire, Andruil, who was in his prime back then, had actually stepped onto such a path of no return. Qianye couldnt help but feel a heartfelt admiration toward his spirit and broad-mindedness although he belonged to the enemy faction. But Qianye noticed something from Andruils words. Arrangements? Was everything that happened in the great hall already foreseen? Andruil laughed. Are you asking about the crystal keys perpetual activation of physical energy or the fall of the 13 generals? O descendant who shares the same origin as I, your understanding of peoples hearts is too simple. Even prophecies can only grasp, among the countless strings of fate, the one closest to reality. My main body only set the rules for the operation of this space. As for the results, they were brought about by individual people. A speck of azure radiance appeared on his extended hand as he said with a smile, Well, our time is short. Its time I hand you the most important item. This is the Eye of Truth, one of the most important powers of our bloodline. The blue light flew out from Andruils hand and merged into Qianyes body. Andruil added, Although your bloodline is comparable to my own in purity, it''s still very weak at the moment. This is a drop of my origin blood. Itll help you activate the Eye of Truth and the Wings of Inception. A drop of fresh blood then flew out from Andruils fingertip and immediately transformed into a fist-sized crystal. Oddly, the crystal wasnt gold or blood-colored as Qianye had expected but a deep azure like the sky and ocean. Upon contact with Qianyes hand, the blood crystal erupted with a mass of blue radiance which enveloped him entirely. Following which, Qianye discovered that the dark golden blood energy in his body had formed a cocoon at one point, and the specks of blue light were diving into it like moths to the flame. After all the specks of light had entered, the cocoon began to wiggle, and almost immediately, Qianye felt as if a second heart was beating along with his own. The excessively powerful pulsations caused Qianyes consciousness to grow fuzzy as an indefensible sleepiness welled up within. He slowly fell to the ground and, in his dazzled state, seemingly heard Andruil exclaiming in surprise, Eh? These guns are actually in your hands. What an unbelievable coincidence When Qianye gradually awoke after an unknown length of time, the first thing he saw was the tall domed roof of the great hall. He slowly turned his head and saw Andruil sitting firmly on the throne. It was just that his figure was somewhat blurry and would become distorted from time to time. Youre awake? Andruil smiled as if he understood Qianyes puzzlement and said, The sage blood inheritance put you into a deep sleep. Youve slept for a month now. But time is a meaningless concept in this place, so by taking the spatial door as a reference, youve likely slept for only a couple of hours. Qianye couldnt help but glance at the great hall and said, What a grand achievement. Two revolvers emerged in the air as Andruil raised his hand and pressed ever so lightly. Qianye reached out to receive them, somewhat puzzled. Werent these the Twin Flowers? But they seemed a bit different at a glance due to the many faint blue patterns upon it. Apparently, the origin array had undergone a significant modification. These guns used to be mine when I was young. They were just experimental products I had built out of fascination. Id never expected that they would be in your hands. Now, their origin arrays are complete. Im only a fragment of the main bodys will and thus have no way to upgrade it. However, its already good enough since you possess the Wings of Inception. The main body also left you one of his true masterpieces, one that is likely unrivaled in the world. Its name is Andruils Mysterious Realm. Qianye suddenly realized that he was now wearing a necklace with a fingernail-sized sapphire pendant attached to it. It appeared rather simple and one could hardly see anything unique. It can be activated with your bloodline power and, within it, is a hidden space. Although its size cant be compared to this vast place, its stability is tangible and will exist perpetually. Qianye tried instilling the necklace with blood energy and found that his consciousness had suddenly entered a special space. The interior was a dusky grey with faintly discernible barriers in all directions. The space was roughly a couple of cubic meters in volume and couldnt be considered very large, but this was already astonishing. At this moment, Andruils figure became fairly indistinct, and the great hall began to tremble. So much that broken pieces were beginning to fall down from the domed roof. This place is about to perish. Leave now, the Wings of Inception will bring you away. Qianye momentarily turned silent for he had no idea what to say at this moment. As such, he performed a salutation toward Andruils figure as the Wings of Inception unfurled behind him. As Qianye stepped out of the great hall, Andruils voice rang out beside his ears, Ah, how terrible! I almost forgot to tell you the most important thing. The Black-Winged Monarchs voice, at this moment, was gentle, leisurely, and it almost seemed as if he was smiling as he spoke. Qianye suddenly felt a bad premonition.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 282: Escape [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Since youve already obtained my inheritance, its only natural that you also inherit my enemies. For now, you should remember some names. First on the list is Lilith; shes our common enemy as well as the eternal nemesis of our entire lineage. Second is Medanzo, a fellow whose stance is unclear, but the true Wings of Inception is an irresistible attraction to him. Finally, Rex. He was one of my best students, one I took great pride in. He was also the one who betrayed me with the greatest ruthlessness. Kill them, or at least dont let them kill you. This is your fate. As for the future Andruils voice slowly faded away, but Qianyes emotions couldnt relax in the least. It felt as if he were being pressed down by a thousand Books of Darkness. Lilith, known as the Queen of the Night, was the primogenitor of the Perth clan, ranked first among the twelve ancient vampire clans. She had lived through countless eras. Although she hadnt made an appearance for hundreds of years now, the empire believed that she was hibernating in a secret location and would appear again when needed. As for the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, he was the primogenitor of the Dracula clan, ranked fourth among the twelve ancient clans. He had similarly lived for a long time and was a terrifying character from the same era as Lilith and Andruil. An even more frightening fact was that there had been news of his activity within a hundred years. This signified that a great dark monarch could likely descend upon Evernight Continent at any moment. Finally, Rexthis was an unfamiliar name. But since he was a student even Andruil took pride in and someone being mentioned alongside Lilith and Medanzo, he was likely to be a character at the level of a great dark monarch. If this was to be his fate, Qianye felt that his future was looking quite bleak. Moreover, he suddenly recalled Andruils mention of a mission destined never to be accomplished. Was it related to the words the Black-Winged Monarch couldnt finish saying? Qianye couldnt even force out a wry laugh at the moment. It was really just as Andruil said, the first thing he had to do was to ensure his own survival. Thereafter, he would just have to play it by the ear. The Wings of Inception shook as it brought Qianye out of the great hall. The miraculous palace behind him collapsed amidst loud rumbles as giant pieces of rock and broken pillars fell toward the boundless void. Qianye felt extremely emotional as he watched this drastic transformation. The return journey was much faster, and the radiant door was within sight in the blink of an eye. He glanced back and saw that the luminous path through the void was gradually dispersing into specks of lustrous blue which eventually faded away into nothingness. Qianye didnt rush through the radiant door in a hurry. Instead, taking advantage of the time before the platforms complete dissipation, he began to check his gains following the dark golden energys advancement. It had thoroughly broken out of its cocoon and was swimming in circles around his heart. The eye ability rune, on the other hand, had split into three. One was the Eye of Truth, the other was a Super Vision, and the last one possessed an ability which made Qianye feel a great rush of excitement. It was Eye Ability: Control. Qianye brought out an origin bullet case and tossed it into the air. Soon, his eyes turned a deep blue color as a spinning bullet case was reflected within them. Click! As if a big invisible hand had grasped the bullet case, it was continuously deformed and slowly squeezed into a metallic ball. Qianye reached out and caught the falling mass of metal. This was the power of Eye Ability: Control! Qianye deeply exhaled and casually hurled the piece of metal into the distant emptiness before walking into the radiant door. Outside of the radiant door, Li Zhan and the vampire warriors were standing in silence. They had been waiting for several hours now, and apart from Li Zhan and Twilight, most of the vampire warriors seemed somewhat anxious. Presently, all of them could feel that the space was becoming increasingly unstable. The great hall was shaking continuously, and some stone fragments had begun to fall from above. The floor was also beginning to crack, and the fissures therein were gradually growing longer. Twilight waved her hand and said, You lot, carry away all the things in this hall and leave nothing. Afterwards, retreat immediately. The vampire viscounts were hesitant because they werent under Twilights command. However, they also werent willing to offend this young talent who already had a spot reserved in the Evernight Council. Additionally, Twilight was notorious for her viciousness. Finally, the viscounts decided to bring their vampire warriors to sweep the hall clean first. Then they went to move the 13 coffins away. They had already checked the items in the hall and knew that these items, although incomparable to Andruils inheritance, were extremely valuable for vampires. Moments later, only a dozen or so vampire warriors remained within the great hall. The expression of that vampire viscount who had stayed behind gradually eased up. It was quite far from being able to make up for their losses in this operation, but now, they at least had something to show for their efforts. It was at this time that the blue ripples in the radiant door suddenly intensified, like the sea surface during a storm, as the figure of a person rushed out. Its him! Capture him! Dont let him escape! A number of vampire warriors shouted loudly as they charged forth one after another. Li Zhan let out a sinister laugh as he pounced at Qianye with his dagger aimed directly toward the latters heart. It was as if he wanted to vent all of the resentment he had saved up from the long battles. Twilight was one step ahead of himshe charged at Qianye and thrust her twin swords toward his legs. Her plan was to capture this unidentified person alive and interrogate him about the whereabouts of Andruils treasure. Seeing Li Zhan going in for the kill, Twilight suddenly erupted with rage and shouted, You dare?! The sword in her left hand kept on thrusting toward Qianye, while the one in her right turned to hack at Li Zhans throat. This change took place within moments. From this, one could easily gauge Twilight''s combat strength. It was at this time that Qianyes eyes turned a deep blue with Twilights figure reflected within it. Twilight suddenly felt a chill surge up from her heart and could no longer maintain her offensive. She let out a scream, hugged her knees, and spun backwards at lightning speed. Within moments, she had pulled back dozens of meters. Li Zhan was also astonished by the abrupt change in situation and became hesitant for a split second. During that moment of hesitation, Qianye had drawn his gun and blasted out an origin bullet. Li Zhan immediately lost his composure and exclaimed, A grade-five gun! He had fought with Qianye a number of times and knew for certain that the latters guns were grade-four, but now, they had suddenly turned into grade-five weapons. It was only a levels difference, but Li Zhan wouldnt dare to forcefully resist a blast from a grade-five gun like he would one from a grade-four weapon. Li Zhan let out a furious roar as he frantically moved sideways and managed to evade the blast by a hairs breadth. A pair of luminous wings suddenly spread out behind Qianye during this short gap while, at the same time, a beam of brilliant light shot down from the domed roof. He rapidly ascended along this beam of light, broke through the roof in a flash, and eventually vanished. Within the mountainous region, Duke Garis and Agnis were standing side by side as they resisted Andruils spatial powers. At this time, a brilliant pillar of light appeared dozens of kilometers away and directly pierced through the night sky! The pillar of light was emitting a faint suppressive might which made it impossible for one to gaze upon it directly. Duke Garis expression greatly changed as he exclaimed, Great Monarch Andruil! Agnis had disappeared at this moment and was rushing at full speed toward the pillar of light. Duke Garis was just one step slower, but he also flashed away instantly. Two vampire dukes were charging at full speedjust how powerful was this momentum? Blood power surged out around them as they shot out like two sanguineous meteors. They crossed the dozens of kilometers in the blink of an eye and arrived near the pillar of light. The radiant pillar had emerged from the empty air, and its other end extended toward the depths of the boundless night skies. Within the pillar of light, Qianye was traveling upward at full speed with his wings spread wide. The two vampire dukes growled at the same time as numerous beams of sanguineous light shot out like roaming dragons. They extended thousands of meters within the blink of an eye, poised to entangle Qianye. But the pair of wings behind Qianye suddenly flickered with a blue light, following which a hexagonal spatial door suddenly appeared before him. The numerous bloody poison dragons behind him all struck empty air as he rushed into the spatial door. Duke Garis suddenly turned around and gazed toward his left. There, he saw a spatial door open with a flicker of blue light and Qianye charging out from within. As it turned out, the latter had fled to a point almost a hundred kilometers away by means of a spatial leap. Duke Garis eyes erupted with a spiritual glow and he was about to give chase. However, he was stopped by Agnis. Its too late. Agnis sighed. Another spatial door had appeared in the distant night sky and Qianye was already dashing toward it. But this time, he had surpassed the limits of their vision, and it was unknown where he would next appear. This is Agnis said with a sigh, Spatial Flash, one of the Black-Winged Monarchs most powerful abilities. Each Spatial Flash can travel hundreds of kilometers. We cant catch up to it. The great monarch actually left behind such a method behind to protect his descendant. Duke Garis glanced at Agnis and sneered, Who wouldve thought the Monroe clan still possesses such a talented descendant? It seems that Twilight you tossed out just now was merely a diversion? Agnis expression immediately turned ugly. He knew that Duke Garis had paid an enormous price in order to take charge of this search operation and would face immense losses if the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance fell into anothers hand. It was only natural for him to be upset. But the problem was that Andruils inheritance didnt fall into the hands of the Monroe clan. Agnis laughed wryly and said, Im not certain who that person is, but I can say with great confidence that hes not a descendant of the Monroe clan. Garis expression turned even more solemn. Bloodline inheritance is the most important attribute for a vampire race descendant. Do you expect me to believe that this person who obtained Andruils inheritance is unrelated to your Monroe clan? He isnt necessarily the one to obtain the great monarchs inheritance. Agnis expression had also turned cold from the overbearing pressure from Duke Garis. The two dukes flew back to their original position in silence. At that exact moment, Twilight and Li Zhan rushed out of the extremely unstable spatial door, which soon became distorted and vanished into the air. Whats the situation inside? Agnis asked in a deep voice. Twilight replied with a solemn expression, This space is indeed the location of Great Monarch Andruils inheritance. But but my bloodline isnt pure enough to enter the final space. However, I saw a young descendant emerge from within. I suspect hes already obtained the Wings of Inception and the Eye of Truth! Duke Garis snorted heavily and said to Agnis, Youll explain this matter at the council! Agnis replied coldly, You dont have to worry about this matter. Garis said nothing more. He rushed directly into the sky and vanished into the depths of the night. Agnis, on the other hand, left together with Twilight. There would be other people to clean up the scene. Although the Black-Winged Monarchs most important treasure was likely taken away by someone else, the remains itself was extremely valuable. The dark races might actually take a step forward in the study of space by researching these ruins.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 283: Nascent Gun Spiri t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] An azure hexagonal door suddenly appeared in the sky over a certain uninhabited mountain region. Qianye rushed out headfirst from it only to find that he was hundreds of meters in the air. At this moment, the luminous wings on his back dimmed and dissipated into specks of light. Qianye paused for a split second in the air before falling rapidly toward the ground. Below him was a dense forest regionamidst a series of rustles, he broke several large branches on his way down before slamming into the grass. Although Qianyes body was quite sturdy, he couldnt help but become completely dazed after falling hundreds of meters. He came to only after a good while, after which he slowly dragged himself up with the help of a nearby tree. He observed his surroundings and, finding that he had landed at the edge of a forest, began to advance toward the exterior. Qianye exited the woods moments later and came to a vast clearing. He was currently standing halfway up a mountain, and before him was a gentle slope covered by a green meadow. It was like a piece of brocade extending toward the distant valley. Within that valley, there was a small river which snaked toward the horizon, joined by numerous streams flowing down from the mountains on both sides. Qianye was moved because the small river suddenly became extremely clear in his vision. So much that he could even see numerous fish under the translucent water surface swimming up against the current with all their might. The fish inhabiting the mountain streams were palm-sized with a transverse golden line running along their sides. Qianye saw all of these with extreme clarity. However, Qianye was a full thousand meters away from that small river. Greatly astonished, he gradually swept this gaze over the entire valley. The already picturesque landscape of the valley seemed to have come alive at that moment. He could see the leaves swaying in the wind, the birds moving about their nests, and even that unidentified green bug being blown off from atop the leaf. All the details and secrets in this whole valley were reflected in Qianyes eyes despite him standing a thousand meters away. A certain realization came over him. Was this Super Vision? If that was so, then what kind of ability was the Eye of Truth? Just as Qianye was thinking, his eyes once again became a deep blue color and the world within it transformed. It seemed as if all the colors were stripped away, leaving only black and white. In truth, the colors were still intact, but every inch of Qianyes vision was suffused with a layer of faint black mist which seemingly covered up all the colors. The black mist was everywhere, but it was incorporeal and couldnt be touched. Strands of white mist would shoot through the air from time to time and collide against the all-encompassing black mist before gradually fading away. Strands of white mist were born, eliminated, and then the cycle began anew. Qianye couldnt help but feel that he had seen this scene somewhere. He pondered momentarily and soon recalled what it was. Back in the empty city, he had seen such white mist emerging from the air and spraying onto the vampire viscounts during battle. Qianye, once again, sensed the changes and finally confirmed his theory. The white mist emerging in the air was actually daybreak origin power, and the diffuse black mist that filled the air was darkness origin power. Was this the True Sight? To ones surprise, it could display the distribution of origin power. It wouldnt be too excessive no matter how one described the significance of such an ability capable of identifying origin power. At least for the current Qianye, he would be able to render many of the dark races inherent concealment abilities completely ineffective. Most camouflage abilities could deceive ones vision, but it was impossible to change ones fundamental origin power attributes. Qianye had a vague feeling that his True Sight would gain the frightening ability to see the truth of the world after continuous strengthening. True Sight was likely just an initial manifestation of the Eye of Truths power. The scene he had witnessed just now served to confirm the vague feeling he had before. It seemed darkness origin power was everywhere on the continent. In comparison, daybreak origin power was much thinner. No wonder human experts required all kinds of supplementary methods when cultivating, from specialized cultivation chambers to the various secret medicines. Meanwhile, the dark races would see a corresponding increase in strength with natural growth. At least on this Flaming Beacon Continent, humans who had to cultivate daybreak origin power were at a great disadvantage. After trying out his True Sight, the only thing left was Eye Ability: Control. Qianyes gaze shifted toward a plump hare hiding within the bushes not so far away. As though it had sensed the sudden danger, the hare leapt out from the shrubbery and fled swiftly into the distance. However, its figure had already appeared in Qianyes eyes. The hare seemed startled as it leapt away with all its strength. But it suddenly fell midair, smashed heavily onto the ground, and stopped moving after a few twitches. Qianye picked up the rabbit and dissected its abdomen. He found that the hare was completely unharmed externally, but its innards were a mess, and its heart had directly transformed into a puddle of blood. This was Eye Ability: Control. Where his gaze falls, lies his domain of control. That drop of Andruils origin blood helped Qianye lift all restrictions on the Wings of Inception, activating it completely. Contrary to what people believed, it wasnt a core array for an origin gun. After fusing with its owner, the Wings of Inception was perhaps better described as a gun spirit. It could be annexed to any origin gun to raise its firepower, the magnitude of which was decided by the wielders own strength. This also meant that its boost in firepower would increase without any upper limit as Qianye grew stronger. It was likely that powerful new abilities would awaken in the Wings of Inception as it matured, giving Qianye the chance to obtain all of Andruils special abilities like Spatial Flash, Penetrative Darkness, etc. All in all, the Wings of Inception was a gun spirit with unlimited potential for growth. Presently, it was still in its nascent stage and Qianyes bloodline would serve as an incubator for its growth. After reaching complete maturity in the future, the Wings of Inception would separate and materialize. Only then would a new Grand Magnum truly appear. This process sounded so mysterious that it was almost magical. No wonder Andruil viewed this as his supreme masterpiece. It also wasnt surprising that the Evernight Council spared no effort and even initiated a continent-wide total war in order to obtain it. Qianye exhaled and picked up the Twin Flowersthey were both grade-five guns now that their origin arrays had been perfectly restored. The left-handed and right-handed revolvers could now be distinguished. The former, known as the Bloody Datura, sought victory through pure power, while the latter, called the Mystic Spider Lily, was capable of overlaying its attacks with special effects. After having the origin array restored to flawless perfection by the maker Andruil himself, the guns firepower could be increased by an entire grade after activating the Wings of Inception. Looking up at the sky and gazing toward his surroundings, Qianye suddenly began to appreciate the incomparable vastness of the world with its tall skies and faint clouds. The uninhabited mountainous region was completely quiet with only the occasional indigenous animal scuttling about and no signs of dark race activity. Qianye relaxed somewhatthe luminous path via which he was sent out had consecutively activated a dozen-odd Spatial Flashes. At this moment, he was almost a thousand kilometers away from his original position and should already have escaped the dark races search perimeter. Qianye was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he rested for a couple of days in the forest and only began to determine his location after he was fully recovered. Previously, he was already at the end of the Fallen Star Mountain Range, the middle segment of the Blue Dream Mountain Belts three-peak-one-river geography. He would arrive at the empires borders as long as he traveled along the mountain toward the southeast. Several days passed by in a flash. The panorama of a gentle plain entered Qianyes vision as he ascended yet another mountain ridge. He surveyed the land and found, in the distance, a river traversing the plains and a city towering over its bank. The city wasnt very large, but it possessed tall walls, deep trenches, and strict fortifications. Judging from its style, it was likely a human border fort. Its appearance proved that the area was already within imperial territory. A surge of delight rose in Qianyes heart as he hastened his steps and ran toward the city. Although the place was a border fort, it wasnt a barren land. There were large patches of fertile agricultural land surrounding the city with crisscrossing canals for irrigation. Ten-odd villages of varying sizes stood around the city, each of them located behind heavily fortified stone walls that were several meters in height. During war, these villages would be able to depend on each other and work together in a wide consolidated defense. There were roads connecting each village to the city. Although crudely built, they were at least even and could easily allow a jeep to drive through at high speeds. On the other side of the city, there were two highways stretching separately into the distance. From the villages, roads, and farmlands, one could see the how flourishing this domain was. The feudal lord of the city was able to govern these lands with such order and make it thrive like so. In comparison, the human cities of Evernight Continent were like rundown villages. Atop a faraway tower, Qianye could see two flags dancing in the windone was naturally the empires flag, and the other depicted an armored horse galloping in the clouds. That was the insignia of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan, and signified that the city was a Zhao clan enfeoffment. Qianye had no Zhao clan residential identity and thus would have to pay tax to enter the city. What amazed him was that the guards let him pass after he paid the tax. They didnt make things difficult for him, neither did they pay particular attention to outsiders. Hundreds of people had passed through the gates within mere moments and among them were small to mid-scaled trade caravans. Just from the flow of merchants, one could see that this city, although a border fort, was even more flourishing than certain county capitals on Evernight Continent. The great river flowing past the city was known as the Dark River, and thus this city built upon its shore was called Darkshore City. The first few things Qianye did after entering the city was finding a detailed regional map and confirming that he was at the border of the Zhao Clans Southern Swallow Province. Darkshore City was just adjacent to Mount Pugou. The soil there was quite special, and both the flora and fauna yielded significant amounts of precious products. Thus, Darkshore City became a fairly famous distribution center within the region. After entering the city, Qianye originally intended to board a public airship toward the Zhao clan capital. From there, he would backtrack along the Taihang Mountain Range and return to Evernight via that small nameless village in Silentflame Steppes. But flights toward the Zhao clan capital didnt operate every day in this small border city. The earliest flight would set out only several days later. Thus, Qianye decided to tour Darkshore City during the several days of idleness. He unexpectedly discovered, after asking the inn owner about the regions specialty, that the most famous in this city was the bone of the fragrant cloud deer. After the fragrant cloud deer bone was burned using a secret method and ground into powder, it could be used as the main ingredient of the secret medicine, the Origin Construction Incense. The effects of the Origin Construction Incense were similar to the Vermillion Countenance Blood. It would afford a fighter at the fifth rank and above increased sensitivity to origin power during cultivation, thus increasing their progress. The main ingredient of such a medicine didnt seem too rare in the region of production, but its price would soar several times after reaching Evernight Continent. This was more than just an issue of shipping coststhe safety of the cargo during transport also had to be factored in. The journey between the great continents was full of peril. Not just because of the flames of war raging everywhere, but also due to the astrological phenomenon that would occur without warning. It was already considered acceptable if seven out of every ten caravans setting out from Darkshore City reached Evernight Continent. But to Qianye, shipping was now no longer a problem. Although Andruils Mysterious Realm wasnt large, it was sufficient to store several crates of Fragrant Deer Bone Powder. The difference in market price alone would be in the thousands if he could bring this shipment back to Evernight Continent.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 284: Preparing Goods [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] After having breakfast the next day, Qianye headed toward Darkshore Citys most thriving trade street and arrived at Xinglong Trade Company as per the inn owners recommendation. This company specialized in the various products of Mount Pugou, and among them, the Fragrant Deer Bone Powder was one of its most important commodities. Qianye had just entered when a sales clerk walked up, bowed, and asked with a smile, Greetings! How may I be of service? The sales clerk was quite young and clad in a well-fitting uniform of tastefully chosen materials. Not only were his appearance and bearing impeccable, but his strength was also at an acceptable level. A sales clerk with rank three combat strength would, indeed, be inconceivable in back in Evernight Continent. There were seven or eight such personnel on this floor of the Xinglong Trading Company, and all of them were handsome men and women. In contrast, Qianye was dressed in the pre-made clothes he had just boughthis warriors coat and tactical jacket were also somewhat damagedadd to that the alterations he had made to his appearance, he now looked just like an ordinary young man. Just from the outward appearance, these sales clerks were much cleaner and neater than him. Qianye could be considered the odd one out among the customers of the Xinglong Trading Company. Because the company mainly focuses on large-scale trading, the ones to usually frequent it were stewards of noble houses and peddlers above the medium scale. Rarely, if ever, would a lone hunter appear. Qianyes eyes swept over the display cabinets in the hall and said, I want some deer bone powder. Also, if there are other special products related to cultivation, introduce them to me. There was some faintly discernible contempt in the eyes of this young sales clerk. But, at least, his outward attitude was still acceptable. This young master, our Xinglong Trading Company normally doesnt engage in retail. For instance, the sales of Fragrant Deer Bone Powder begins at three boxes, each of them 100 grams in weight and 100 gold coins in price. 300 gold coins was a significant amount to a solitary hunter. At this moment, the gazes of the rich merchants in the hall all fell upon Qianye, all of them eager to watch an interesting show. This was Zhao clan territory where those with grand origins calmly suppressed those of inferior status. One had to shame these country folk and let them know the immensity of the heaven and earth in order to be considered competent. Three boxes at least hmm Qianye calculated the space in Andruils Mysterious Realm. The young sales clerk smiled and said, If you have no intention to buy that many, you can visit the nearby Shore Street. There are many retail stores there that may be able to satisfy your needs. The words sounded perfectly polite; he had even helped the customer with directions. The issue was that Shore Street was a trade street targeted at outsiders where they sold inferior goods for cheap prices. It could be said that the place was a black market intended to trick outsiders. A major store like Xinglong, on the contrary, wasnt quite popular among newly arrived hunters and adventurers because there was basically no contact between the two groups. The young sales clerks words seemed mild on the surface but contained a sharp edge within. This served as welcome entertainment to the customers within the hall. In their eyes, strangers should go to places that best suited them. Qianye sensed the faint malicious intent in his surroundings. Despite his smile and modest demeanor, this young sales clerk before Qianye made him rather uncomfortable. However, he couldnt find any reason to flip out either. After a moment of silence, Qianye said, Im indeed unprepared to buy too many. Lets go with three crates then. T-Three crates?! The young sales clerks expression froze. The other customers in the hall also found it quite difficult to believe their ears. Every crate of deer bone powder contained 100 boxes and was valued at 10,000 gold coins. Three crates would amount to a colossal batch of goods that even a major trading company have difficulty digesting. The young sales clerk reacted swiftlyhe quickly adjusted his expression and said with a professional demeanor, Please follow me to the upper floors where youll be received by our manager. Qianye followed the young sales clerk to the third floor and sat down within a top-grade lounge. Moments later, a chubby middle-aged man quickly walked into the lounge. He sat down in front of Qianye and said with a smile, Your humble servant is called Wang Youyuan. Young noble, although barely, we are indeed capable of putting together three crates of goods. Its just that the amount is simply too great. Well require two days for the transfer and preparation. Qianye nodded. Time isnt a big issue. I can wait. Wang Youtuan sized up Qianye and said, On our Xinglong Trading Companys prestige, I can guarantee a timely delivery of goods. May I check the funds on your side? Or perhaps you have a certain family to vouch for you? Wang Youyuans request was reasonable. This large-scale transaction would turn into a comical waste of time and manpower if one party couldnt deliver the goods or money when the time came. There was no doubt about the prestige of Xinglong Trading Company. Solitary hunters like Qianye usually paid up front, but 30,000 gold coins was a significant sum. It would require a sizeable box even if the amount were converted to black crystals. I dont have that much cash on me, Qianye spoke the truth. Wang Youyuans smile froze momentarily; he slowly rubbed his plump hands while waiting for the follow-up words. One would need to have a considerable ability if he wanted to make fun of the manager of a Zhao clan trading company. Qianye brought out a small box from his pocket and pushed it across the table. Can we use this as a payment for the goods? Wang Youyuans expression was somewhat doubtful as he received the palm-sized metallic box. He opened it and immediately inhaled a breath of cold air. Mithril?! Within the box was a piece of silvery metal the size of an egg, flowing with a gentle radiance. It was actually mithril! And it appeared to be of the highest purity. According to the current market price, this piece of mithril was more than enough to pay for the goods. They would even have to pay Qianye two to three thousand gold coins. Wang Youyuan held the box in both hands as he said with a stern expression, Im unable to set a price for such a valuable item on the spot. Lets do it this way since the Deer Bone Powder will also take some time to transfer. Please return three days later and Ill invite a specialist to appraise the mithril. What do you think of this? Mithril, belonging to the class of top-grade tactical resources, rarely, if ever, circulated in the market. Even a large business like the Xinglong trading Company wouldnt hire a specialized appraiser and would need to borrow one from another place. Qianye understood the situation and nodded. Very well. Ill return in three days. With that, he collected the ball of mithril. Wang Youyuans gaze followed the little box up until it entered Qianyes pocket. Only then did he reluctantly shift his gaze and said with a face full of smiles, I still have to ask young nobles name and contact details. Well immediately send someone to contact you after we finish preparing the goods! Qianye left his hotel address and fake name before leaving the Xinglong Trading Company. Wang Youyuan saw Qianye to the door and watched as his figure disappeared. At that point, his smile vanished completely and his expression became gloomy. The young sales clerk, who had been standing nearby him all this time, came over and whispered, Manager Wang, are you really going to let him take that mithril away? Wang Youyuan glared at the man. What else can I do? The young sales clerk said in a soft voice, Trade companies have their own rules, but some rules no longer apply once he walks out of the door. Perhaps Wang Youyuan frowned and said after a moment of pause, This transaction is too big and not that easy to digest. Lets decide after I report this to the superiors. He wouldnt have any disloyal thoughts about normal goods, even if it were red crystal iron. But mithril was simply too hard to come by, and such a large amount was exceedingly rare. Additionally, the recent situation was specialthe Zhao clans demand for mithril had increased dramatically. The young sales clerk said with a sinister smile, Manager Wang, it so happens that my uncle is in Darkshore City these days. He can help you with certain things that are inconvenient for you. Wang Youyuan pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. Very well, I understand. As the manager of Xinglong Trading Company, Wang Youyuans news channels had always been fast and efficient. So much that he had gotten wind of the slight restlessness within the Zhao clan, which was also why he cared even more about tactical resources like mithril. As for where these disturbances originated from, it wasnt something a minor character like him would know. West Pole City, towering over the north of the Western Continent, was built against Swallow Mountain. It was also known as the granary due to the confluence of three rivers in front of the city and was also a land many military forces would fight for. This grand city had a long history to it. Hundreds of years ago, the leader of Zhao clans resurgence, Zhao Wuji, felt deeply for the declining spirits of the clan. Thus, he abandoned the rich lands of the Qin continent and moved to the Western Continent which, back then, was dominated by savage darkness. Back in the day, Zhao clans territory was claimed to be a province when, in fact, it was limited to a single county. The other areas were either uncultivated lands or occupied by bandits of various races. Zhao Wuji built the clans ancestral hall in West Pole City and proceeded to wage a thirty-year war. He advanced unhindered for tens of thousands of kilometers, killing enemies and claiming wild lands until he conquered the Serene Cloud and Swallow North provinces. Thus, he established the foundation of Zhao clans prosperity for hundreds of years to come. Even to this day, West Pole City boasted a population in the millions with a constant flow of people passing its gates each day. The continuously operating airships in the sky were a magnificent sight to behold. This was the number one city of the Western Continent in every aspect. Even the dark races Fullmoon City which had been operating for thousands of years couldnt be compared to West Pole City on equal terms. There was a city within West Pole City built against the mountain in the northwestern part of the city. From its highest point, one could look down on the entirety of West Pole City. This was the Zhao clans main camp, and with tens of thousands of people living within, it was a complete city of its own. At its center stood the Zhao clan manor with its endless array of palace halls arranged in a nine by nine structure. This was the residence of the successive generations of Zhao clan masters, the current head being Duke Chengen, the Northwestern General, Zhao Weihuang. The nine-building layout was a symbol of one who had reached the highest of official positions. One had to know that even the imperial palace was built with 18 buildings from north to south and 12 buildings from east to west. The other three clan master residences were all built in an eight by eight layout, and not even the Zhang clan, with its four dukes, was an exception. The Zhao clans extra slot wasnt due to its strength but because of its close ties to the imperial family. Zhao clan was a relative of the imperial family, and there was no shortage of imperial consorts with the surname Zhao in the successive dynasties. And the current clan head Zhao Weihuang had taken Imperial Princess Gaoyi, a clear sign of the close relationship between the two families. The outer buildings of the Zhao clan manor were split into two major residences and 18 auxiliary residences. The two major residences were the mansions belonging to the families of the two hereditary dukes, Duke Yan and Duke You. The 18 auxiliary residences were occupied by direct relatives and the six main branch families. As for the Zhao clans many side branch families and divisions, they were not qualified to enter the manor. At this moment, a young man was sitting behind a desk and focused on reading through some documents. The study was spacious, well-illuminated, and exquisitely decorated. Outside its windows was the famous Lake Profound of the clan residencethe scenery therein was extremely beautiful. It was clear from its central location that the study was quite important and could be said that its significance was only second to the clan master and elders. But the person sitting in such a place was fairly young. This was a rare sight among aristocratic clans. This elegant young man was clad in loose-sleeved ancient attire, sported a head of flowing short hair, and wore a pair of square-rimmed glasses. He seemed deep in thought and would look up from time to time, revealing his beautiful, almost enchanting countenance. At this moment, a knock rang out from the door as another young man walked in. Surprisingly, it was Zhao Junhong with whom Qianye had once fought in an intense battle. After entering, he said with a smile, Fourth brother, are you not done yet? Eldest brother recently got his hands on a good gun and is inviting us to the front line battlefield to try it out. Do you want to go together? Now that I think of it, we four brothers havent fought together for a long time. The young man behind the desk was the youngest of the four young masters of the Zhao clan, Zhao Jundu.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 285: Resonance [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Zhao Jundu shook his head and said, Ill pass. These are troubled times. The dark races are maneuvering troops on a large scale, while the rebel army is becoming restless after getting their hands on a large number of weapons from an unknown source. Zhao Junhong shrugged. Fine, those are indeed major developments. Heh, heh youre the one becoming clan lord in the future, so who else can these burdens fall to? Fighting on the front lines will only take a week or so. Cant you even make time for that? Zhao Jundu revealed a helpless smile. Father is in the army all year round and doesnt like to handle these trivial affairs. You, Third Brother, and Eldest Brother arent willing to work on administrative duties either. So, who else will do all of this if not me? These matters, regardless of importance, cant be left to outsiders. One has to know that the other two branches are eyeing this position! Someone has to work hard if we want to keep the clan master position within the Duke Chengen lineage. Zhao Junhong raised his hands and laughed. Say no more, I get it. In any case, I dont plan to join administrative duties before I break through to champion rank. Zhao Jundu only shook his head. Among the three brothers, the eldest and thirds temperaments were completely unsuited for administrative work. Zhao Junhong, on the other hand, possessed moderate talent in this aspect. However, he was fascinated by martial arts all year round and would join the battlefield at the first chance. He simply couldnt set his mind on common duties. Zhao Junhong casually picked up a provincial report and flipped through it. He then said with some surprise, Lone Ghosts regional headquarters in serenity was burnt to the ground? Who is it that left Elder He with no face at all? Zhao Junhong was quite keen regarding the movements within the clan even though he refused to take part in them. Elder He, from the Duke You lineage, was someone who usually campaigned quite actively against Zhao Weihuangs administration. Most of the affairs under his administration were grey matters. An organization like Lone Ghost, which couldnt appear in public eyes, was inevitably linked to him in countless ways. Losing any number of people while fighting wasnt considered a big deal, but having ones foundation razed to the ground would definitely result in great animosity. Zhao Jundu said without much interest, I heard Lone Ghost messed up a certain transaction point and was destroyed in retaliation. After hearing this, Zhao Junhong felt that the incident had little to do with his clan and thus tossed the folder to one side. He was just about to leave when he suddenly recalled something and said, Oh right, Fourth Brother, when do you plan to break through to champion rank? Zhao Jundu continued working through his documents and said without even looking up, Ill decide after consolidating my foundations. Theres no particular hurry. Im having a hard time restraining the urge to rank up. Zhao Junhong sighed. Zhao Jundu put down his pen and said seriously, Your foundations are still not solid enough. You wont get very far even if you break through to champion rank in this state, so why the rush? Sigh, I still have a rematch with that fellow. Its almost been half a year now. After hearing this, Zhao Jundus expression didnt change but a cold gleam suddenly flashed through the depths of his eyes. Zhao Junhong suddenly became vigilant and said, Fourth Brother! Dont touch him. Zhao Jundus character was extremely protective. There were some people within their community who had mocked Zhao Junhongs defeat back during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Zhao Junhong, at this point, recalled that Zhao Jundu seemed to have sent people to search for Qian Xiaoye back then, but the person had already left the Yin family. Later on, Evernight Continent was engulfed in a total war and the situation on the other continents was also quite tense. The matter was thus dropped, and he no longer paid it any more attention. Zhao Jundu smiled while shaking his head. Since Second Brother has said so, this little brother naturally must obey. After Zhao Junhong left, Zhao Jundus eyes fell upon a certain grey portfolio buried under the pile of documents. With the flames of war rising all across Evernight Continent, a tiny hunter was no different from a needle in a haystack. That was why he had dispatched people to keep an eye on the seventh young master of the Song clan. Although he hadnt obtained any solid leads, he believed that person should have been in touch with Song Zining all this time. However, Song Seven was in a fair bit of trouble himself and the internal affairs of the Song clan werent that easy to pry into. Zhao Jundu didnt want to reveal this news to his second brother at the time. After leaving the trading company, Qianye took a leisurely stroll around the city since he was in no hurry to return to the hotel. He arrived before a courtyard with a hint of ancient elegance to it and looked up to find a horizontal board inscribed with the characters, West Suppression Dojo. The calligraphy wasnt bad, but the words West Suppression were rather grandiose and felt somewhat comical placed atop a small dojo. Fortunately, Qianye wasnt here to trouble them, but rather to seek a cultivation chamber. Although any quiet location would suffice for cultivation, a specialized chamber capable of applying medicinal supplements was still the first choice for increased cultivation speed. The empire was founded upon battle, and thus within its borders, there were all sorts of armament stores, armories, and even dojos. In addition to accepting disciples, teaching them combat skills, and accepting certain violent missions, renting cultivation chambers was also a primary service offered at a dojo. Qianye entered the dojo and said to the disciple in charge of receiving customers, I want to rent a top-grade cultivation chamber for 20 hours. The disciple wore a well-trained smile and replied with respect, One gold coin for every three hours. Qianye couldnt help but sigh at the priceZhao clan domains were indeed wealthyeven the prices in such a small border city was ten times higher than on Evernight Continent. But after being brought to the place, Qianye discovered that this so-called top-grade cultivation chamber was actually hundreds of square meters wide and came equipped with all the necessary facilities. There were medium-sized law arrays for origin power condensation on the walls, not just ordinary arrays. This in and of itself was a big investment. Afterwards, a female disciple with delicate facial features appeared carrying a censer of origin construction incense to aid with cultivation. After seeing all of this, Qianye felt that the money spent could be considered worth it, albeit barely. Qianye sat down cross-legged without any delay right after the door to the cultivation chamber was pushed close along the steam rail. First, he circulated the Combatant Formulahis constitution had taken a step forward after the successful advancement of the dark golden energy. Once again, an increasingly strengthening blood energy barrier emerged to protect his internal organs, allowing his cultivation of the Combatant Formula to forge head with great ferocity and finally reach a shocking 45 tides. During the later parts of the Combatant Formula, the more powerful the origin tides that were brought about, the more rapid the increase in origin power growth. Beyond the 30th, every increase of origin power tide would increase cultivation speed by ten percent. After the 40th, each tide would increase cultivation speed by twenty percent. This also meant that Qianyes actual daybreak origin power cultivation speed was now twice as fast compared to when he was at 40 tides. At this rate, he would be able to ignite his ninth origin node within a month and would only be one step away from becoming a champion. At that time, he would need to purify his origin power and consolidate his foundations while searching for the perfect opportunity to break through. After the Combatant Formula tides gradually calmed down, Qianye activated his True Sight to confirm a certain suspicion. Under the effects of the eye ability, he could see that the air was still pervaded by darkness origin power, while the origin law arrays would spray out a mist of daybreak origin power. It was relatively sparse and was soon neutralized by the darkness origin power. But compared to the outside world, the chamber was indeed a better cultivation environment. Strands of white daybreak origin power were flowing out of the incense burner in the corner. The Origin Construction Incense actually helped cultivation by increasing the density of daybreak origin power. From this, it seemed that the incense burning within the censer was one of high quality. This West Suppression Dojo could be considered quite conscientious in its business. Qianye began to condense his origin power. Daybreak origin power gushed out of his origin nodes along with his respiration. Meanwhile, the origin power purified by the Mystery Chapter accumulated at his chest to gradually form a qi vortex. After the qi vortex was formed, the daybreak origin power in Qianyes body suddenly reacted to the darkness origin power outside. Suddenly, the originally formless darkness origin power around him seemed to have gained weight, making Qianye feel as if he was at the bottom of the oceanhis every movement would stir the seawater and become incomparably sluggish. The ocean formed from darkness origin power was much denser than ordinary seawater. Even punching and kicking felt fairly exhausting to Qianye despite the fact that his strength was comparable to a vampire viscount. The more intense his daybreak qi vortex grew, the stronger the pressure exerted by the surrounding ocean of darkness. After accumulating almost all of his daybreak origin power, he utilized at least eight parts of his strength to gradually perform a punch. Every time the striking edge of his fist pushed through, the ocean of darkness within a meter of his body would tremble slightly, and a fine strand of darkness origin power would leap out to wrap around it. The current fist didnt just carry his own formidable power but also drew upon the origin power in the surrounding air. Qianyes fist struck toward a steel dummy near the wall. The dummy, made of crude steel and covered in a thick layer of rubber, was provided for warriors to practice their martial arts. The strand of origin power urged on by Qianyes fist had impacted the steel dummy before his hand actually came in contact with the target. The target area immediately caved in like a giant wave crashing onto the shore! Qianyes instinctively withdrew his strength, but the fist attack was like a boat amidst the waves and couldnt be easily controlled. A clack rang out from the steel dummysuddenly, it collapsed as if it were trampled by a giant beast and transformed into a piece of sheet metal. Its edges curled up as it was pierced through in the air. The remnant force behind the attack didnt stop there and slammed into the wall behind the dummy. A crack rapidly traversed the entire wall, and with a boom, the sturdy wall collapsed into a pile of rocks right in front of Qianye. The dojo absolutely didnt skimp on materials while building this cultivation chamber and had offered their services to many a high-ranking fighter. Yet, it couldnt withstand a single blow from Qinayes fist. Qianye finally understood why his attacks had grown slower and heavier after cultivating the Mystery Chapter and activating his blood energy advancement. It seemed that he could already induce origin power resonance with his surroundings back then. It was just that he didnt have True Sight and thus failed to discover the profundities within. The fundamental principle behind the secret combat arts of the aristocratic families was to utilize the origin power within ones body to attack. Some high-grade combat arts, however, were able to draw upon the origin power in the environment and were thus much more powerful than ordinary ones. As such, most of them required one to be at the champion level to cultivate them successfully. Condensing qi into a vortex and drawing upon the origin power of the heaven and earth. This was a champion-level ability and also the main reason why a fighter and champion were worlds apart. Qianye being able to execute a champion-level method despite not knowing any special combat art or igniting all of his origin nodes had to be attributed to the mass of pure daybreak origin power. From this, it was obvious that the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Mystery Chapter wasnt simple at all. There should be even more secrets within just waiting to be dug out. At this time, a commotion had risen outside of the cultivation chamber. The door frame began to rotate as a number of disciples rushed in with anxious expressions.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 286: Proof of Allegiance [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] This cultivation room was the most expensive one in the dojo, but now Qianye had demolished an entire wall with a single strike of this fist. The big commotion had long since alarmed the greater half of the dojo. They still had no idea what had happened, but it could only mean trouble regardless of whether it was a customer suffering a cultivation accident or a malfunctioning facility in the chamber. The group of dojo disciples rushed in and were immediately petrified. For a while, they actually thought they were hallucinating when they saw the back garden scenery. It wasnt easy to explain this situation, so Qianye brought out a thirty-square-centimeter piece of black crystal, stuffed directly it into the hands of a dojo disciple and left hurriedly after saying, Take this as compensation. An entire piece of uncut energy black crystal was more than enough to cover the repair of this cultivation chamber. The disciples hadnt yet recovered from the shock and thus no one remembered to block him as he left. It was just that the disciple holding onto the black crystal felt puzzledfrom where had this customer, who wasnt even carrying a backpack, pulled out this big box? He then glanced at the multi-colored back garden and felt somewhat confused. Long after Qianye left, a female disciple exclaimed in surprise as she fished out, from the rubble, a thick steel plate with a big hole in the center and fragments of rubber all over it. She observed it for a good while and stammered as she spoke, This is this the steel dummy? How did it become like this? The disciples all examined it and finally confirmed that this steel plate was once the steel dummy used to train combat arts. However, it was so flat and it didnt even seem like it was struck by a human but instead run over repeatedly by a convoy of heavy trucks. The disciples felt that their eyes were somewhat unreliable today as they glanced at the steel plate and then at the missing wall of the cultivation chamber. Qianye didnt think he would cause such a ruckus with a casual punch. It was fortunate that he had gotten away quickly, otherwise, it would be quite difficult to explain things. After this, Qianye was no longer in the mood to continue his stroll and thus headed back to the hotel. That night, Wang Youyuan was standing respectfully before a certain middle-aged man. The man possessed a handsome countenance, slender eyes, and an amiable-looking demeanor. However, Wang Youyuan didnt even dare breathe loudly before him. The middle-aged man mumbled something to himself as he tapped lightly on the table and said only after a while, You also know how seriously our Zhao clan takes its rules. Wang Youyuan hurriedly bowed and said, Sir Zhao, the strict laws naturally must be observed within the clan, but it isnt completely impossible to do things flexibly once outside. The middle-aged man only snorted with an indifferent expression. Wang Youyuan bowed even lower and his voice grew even softer. Sire, you see, this is mithril were talking about! This humble one understands that other things wont even enter your esteemed eyes. And isnt it quite likely that the position of city lord will be yours from now on? The middle-aged man shot Wang Youyuan a glance, and his expression somewhat softened. Seeing this, Wang Youyuan swiftly proceeded to strike while the iron was hot. Sir, the clans military affairs are at an important phase. Handing in a resource like mithril now will not only grant you an equivalent value in gold coins, but also a meritorious record! Moreover, that brat casually brought out a piece of mithril worth 30,000 gold coins, so he might have other goods on him. The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and suddenly said, What are his origins? Someone from out of town. This is his first time coming to Darkshore. Moreover, he doesnt have a guarantor. Wang Youyuans mention of a guarantor back then wasnt just a random question. For such a transaction worth tens of thousands of gold coins, both parties would normally invite a guarantor, unless they were long-term business partners who knew each other well. An exchange of goods like this was equal to two separate transactions, so it was important to prevent problematic goods or receiving stolen property. A store with the Zhao clans signboard naturally wasnt afraid to take in stolen goods, but these things couldnt be done in the open. There was a big difference between a regular business and underground transactions. Having stayed on Evernight Continent year round, Qianye had no experience at all in such matters. Wang Youyuan immediately knew after a brief chat that Qianye wasnt a legal peddler. He could let it slide if it was a cash transaction, but as it happened, the other party had brought out a piece of high-purity solid mithril. Such an item being in the hands of a hunter meant that its origins were definitely sketchy. Thus, in Wang Youyuans eyes, it was equal to an ownerless fortune. The middle-aged man, Zhao Youpin, seemed to hesitate briefly before nodding unhurriedly. Then do it, but dont leave any loose ends. Ill arrange for someone to keep watch. For a moment, it seemed as if flowers had bloomed on Wang Youyuans countenance as he said repeatedly, Rest assured, Ill handle this business appropriately! It so happens that Triblade Ma is in Darkshore. Hes a fierce man whos halted before the champion rank for many years now. Im confident I can convince him to take action, at which point, success will be assured. Zhao Youpin frowned. Triblade Ma? I heard this fellow has raised a group of bandits outside the city and isnt someone easy to get along with. It might be troublesome if we drag him into this business. Wang Youyuan replied with a smile, On the contrary, I know a fair bit about Triblade Ma. Hes the type who thinks of nothing else but profit and has a fair reputation in handling matters. Everything is on the table as long as enough money is paid. Moreover, his clan nephew works at our store. What problem can there be with two such connections? Seeing that Zhao Youpin was hesitant, Wang Youyuan added, Even if he has other intentions, youll have become the city lord after this deal is completed. At that time, we can let him be if he knows his place. Otherwise, he cant blame us for being cruel. Zhao Youpin eventually nodded. Very well, lets do it that way then. Ill arrange for a platoon of guards to cooperate with you just in case. Sir, please wait for the good news! Wang Youyuans steps seemed much lighter as he left the study. A womans sneer came from within the room, Delivering a gesture of allegiance right away; this old fellow is quite clever despite being from an external branch. A young lady with beautiful facial features had been standing behind Zhao Youpin all along, but only voiced her opinion at this point. Wang Youyuan running over to present such a case naturally wasnt because he coveted the small reward he would gain after the matter was settled successfully. He was actually taking a considerable risk by doing this, not because burying a foreigner without a background was troublesome, but because he might be prosecuted by the Zhao clans law enforcement unit. It was rather unexpected that this general manager of the Xinglong Trading Company, notorious for being a wolf in sheeps clothing, was actually so decisive. He had noticed that the old city lord wasnt in good shape and thus had intentionally come over to the popular city lord candidate, Zhao Youpin, to deliver such a benefit as an expression of his allegiance. Go and investigate. If everything Wang Youyuan said is true, have Li Liu cooperate with the man. Zhao Youpins expression was calm, but in his heart, he felt quite good about the Wang Youyuans expression of goodwill. But Zhao Youpin felt distraught after thinking about the city lords position. The situation within the clan wasnt very peaceful in the recent years. After the Duke Chengen lineage gradually worked to consolidate their newfound authority, there was a need for them to assign people to certain positions. Despite wearing the Zhao surname, it was becoming increasingly difficult for people from branch families like him to grasp benefits. A share of ten to twenty thousand gold coins would definitely help him in his endeavor. No amount of money was considered too much when pursuing an official position. Seeing that Zhao Youpin was once again in deep thought, the woman decided not to disturb him and quietly withdrew from the study. The next day, Qianye continued his leisurely tour of the city after completing his morning cultivation. Darkshore was a center of trade; perhaps he could find some more good items like the Deer Bone Powder. The bone powder of the fragrant cloud deer wasnt too rare at its region of production. On Evernight Continent, however, it was a special commodity. Normally, the trade of medicine used in cultivation like the Origin Construction Incense and its corresponding ingredients were monopolized by the expeditionary army. This authority wasnt decreed by the empire, but the expeditionary armys ban was naturally effective on Evernight Continent. Because its supply was fully controlled by the expeditionary army, the prices of these medicinal materials were not only much higher than the source but also unavailable to everyone. With Blackflow Citys current relationship with the expeditionary army headquarters, it was possible that the 7th divisions quota would be withheld. Bringing back a batch of deer bone powder under such circumstances would afford him great convenience both for sale and self-use. Qianye browsed through the commodities and thought about what else he should stock up on. There should be several thousand gold coins left over after trading in the piece of solid mithril. He would have to limit his budget accordingly if he were to buy other goods. Back at the altar within the great hall, Qianye didnt have Andruils Mysterious Realm and the space within his backpack was limited. Thus, he only took some rare materials. Among them, mithril was considered a common resource; there were others so rare that he knew nothing of their origin. As for those rare ores only obtainable from certain mines on certain continents, he didnt want to sell them off so easily. Qianye had just turned into a small alleyway when he saw a young man rushing towards him. He was running hurriedly at full speed, but just as they were about to brush past one another, his body bent forth as if he had tripped and suddenly bumped into Qianye. Having grown up in a dumpster, Qianye had seen all kinds of tricks. He had long since known that the other partys movements seemed to be in disorder, when, in fact, his steps were fairly steady and he hadnt lost control of his body at all. Qianye moved slightly to one side and avoided the youth while locking his hand with a backward grip. The youths movements were exceptionally agile. His hand had actually half-reached into Qianyes pocket when it was caught. The youth immediately struggled after he was caught, but Qianyes grip held firmly onto his wrist like a metal pincer. Release me! the youth screamed. Qianye glanced calmly at the young man but didnt let go. The youth suddenly began to shout loudly, Help! Theres a foreigner trying to kill me! Qianyes countenance turned colda number of disorderly footsteps were heard in the vicinity as a number of burly men who looked like street thugs began to appear and blocked off the two ends of the alley. After seeing that some people had come over, the youth produced a dagger with his free hand and thrust fiercely toward Qianyes flank. Not only was the strike swift and ruthless, it was also aimed with exceptional malice. An ordinary person wouldve been killed instantly. The youth didnt forget to cry out during this process. Murder! A foreigner is attempting murder! Qianye watched on expressionlessly as the young mans dagger reached his flank. Its edge was so sharp that it almost didnt seem like a non-origin power weapon. It pierced through Qianyes tactical jacket, bypassed his internal armor with great precision and stabbed ruthlessly into his flank. The impact even caused his skin to dip down ever so slightly. But that was it, not even a drop of blood appeared. The youth felt as if he had stabbed at a stone and almost dropped the dagger due to the pain from the impact. It was impossible for him to thrust further. Qianye strengthened his grip ever so slightly and shattered the young mans wrist bones with a snap. The latter didnt even have time to scream in misery before Qianye, likewise, grabbed onto the hand holding the dagger and crushed all the bones within.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 287: The Third Blade [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] The young mans hands had been bent into odd angles. He could no longer speak clearly and was only capable of rolling on the ground while crying out in misery. The group at the entrance of the alleyway witnessed this scene and were immediately upset. Their leader, a thin man in brightly colored clothing, roared angrily, You dare touch someone from our big blade gang! Everyone, attack! Chop him up! The group of thugs drew their machetes, flocked toward Qianye, and covered him with slashes. Their machetes were all of the same styleover half a meter long with a thick back and a straight edge. This kind of weight and sharpness was enough to lop off ones head with a single slash. The thugs wore sinister expressions and had apparently exerted lethal force behind their blows as numerous machetes whistled toward Qianye. It almost seemed as if they couldnt wait to hack him into several pieces. Qianye responded with relative ease. With a slight shift of his body, he had passed through the gap between two machetes and grabbed the skinny leader. Then, with a full swing of his arms, he sent the man directly into the wall on one side of the alley. With a muffled bang, a human-shaped defect appeared in the red brick wall wherein the skinny man was completely embeddedhe had been knocked out cold. At the same time, Qianye stepped sideways and kicked an incoming thug flying over ten meters away. Afterwards, he performed a backhand slap which sent another hooligan into the air. He spun several times before falling back to the ground with a mixture of teeth and fresh blood splashing onto the nearby wall. In the blink of an eye, only one was left from the group of thugs. This burly man was also one of the most ruthless in his attacks. It was just that despite going all out with his slashes, the man had failed to even touch the corners of Qianyes clothes. The latter casually grabbed onto the burly mans wristwith a twist and a push, he easily turned the mans shank-sized arm around and pushed the machete into his abdomen. In no time at all, no one in the alley, apart from Qianye, was left standing. His frown hadnt dispersed because his instincts were telling him that the matter wasnt as simple as it seemed on the surface. Qianye turned around and saw a bald man full of tattoos rushing out from the alleyway behind him. He was surging with killing intent as he aimed a large caliber origin gun at Qianye and pulled the trigger. The trigger hadnt even reached its base when Qianye stomped firmly on the ground, sending a wave of vibrations through the ground and toward the burly mans feet, sending him flying into the air. As for that shot, it had long since blasted toward some other direction. The bald, burly man slammed heavily onto the ground and even his origin gun had flown out of his hands. Qianye had appeared beside him at some pointhis right hand reached out and caught the falling weapon firmly. The bald, burly man wanted to flip over, but no longer dared to move after realizing that the hot muzzle was pressed against his temple. His Adams apple moved up and down as he begged, D-Dont kill me! Im only following orders. I had no other choice! Qianye paid him no heed and gradually raised his head. A sinister looking man almost two meters in height was walking into the small alleyway at the moment. He opened his jacket to reveal a strong chest filled with black hair and three eye-catching combat blades, one long and two short, hanging at his waist. The man walked over to a point ten meters from Qianye and said while pointing at himself with his thumb, Your daddy here is called Ma Zuo. All the brothers in my line of work call me Triblade Ma. However, in the recent years, there arent many people left who are qualified to see my third blade. Qianye sized up this Triblade Mathe mans nine origin nodes lit up radiantly under his True Sight. His aura was exuberant, but the activity of his origin nodes wasnt uniform. Some were overactive, while others were deficient, and there was even a fair amount of impurities mixed into them. Apparently, this self-proclaimed Triblade Ma was a rank-nine fighter and one who had stagnated here for a considerable length of time. It was just that his foundation wasnt optimal, and his origin power was impure despite its abundance, making it difficult for him to advance to champion rank. Triblade Ma frowned. He felt extremely uneasy before Qianyes eyes which had suddenly turned a deep blue. It felt as if he had suddenly turned naked from inside out and was being read like a book. He spat somewhat angrily. Then, he unsheathed his sword and shouted while pointing toward Qianye, Brat, this can be considered your misfortune. Someone paid me a large sum to take your worthless life. Let go of the bald head and hand over the goods obediently. I promise you a clean death! Qianye replied indifferently, I dont have a habit of releasing people I plan to kill. With that, he immediately pulled the trigger and blasted the mans brains out with a boom. Bald head!!! Triblade Ma roared madly. His expression turned ashen as he glared at Qianye with flaming eyes. Well done! Its been many years since Ive seen such a reckless brat! It seems I''ve been so quiet lately that no one remembers Triblade Ma anymore. Little bastard, you can rest assured. After you die, Ill put in the effort to find your family and have them accompany you. Die, brat! Triblade Ma leapt up and immediately rushed toward Qianye. His sword, accompanied by fierce winds, slashed toward Qianyes head. Within Qianyes eyes, he could already see the affected origin power fluctuations even before Triblade Mas sword swung down. A ripple had formed before the blades edge, clearly denoting the blades lethal trajectory. Qianye immediately performed a sidestep and easily allowed the blade to brush past his body. Triblade Ma was greatly astonished. Actually, he wouldnt have been so shocked if Qianye had merely blocked the sword. At his level, although he still couldnt draw upon the might of the heaven and earth, he could already affect an area with his attack. An ordinary opponent absolutely wouldnt dare to brush past his blade edge in such a calm fashion. But not only did Qianye do this, he was also completely unscathed. But although Triblade Ma was astonished, his hand didnt pause in the least. He borrowed the momentum to rush forward, drew his dagger, and performed a backhand slash at Qianyes flank. The angle of this blade was extremely tricky. The origin power projected from the blade was over half a meter long and could tear through flesh just like a direct cut from the blades edge. However, Qianye didnt even step away and only retracted his abdomen, effectively evading Triblade Mas killing move. This time, the man was truly shocked. He pointed his sword at Qianye and said while clenching his teeth, Little bastard, youre unexpectedly quite slippery! Your daddy here will let you see my third blade! With that, Triblade Mas left hand reached toward the third blade at his waist. However, there was already a dagger in his left hand. Could it be that he was planning to hold two blades in one hand? Qianye noticed origin power fluctuations suddenly appearing on the sword in Triblade Mas right hand as a beam shot straight at Qianyes chest. Qianyes heart trembled. He immediately drew the Scarlet Edge and, with a wave of his hand, produced a beam of bright light before his body. It was at this time that Triblade Ma let out a loud cry. His sword vibrated as the tip of the blade left its body and shot out at lightning speed toward Qianyes heart. As it turned out, this was his third blade! At this moment, his Scarlet Edge had formed a swirling barrier of light. Triblade Mas sword edge ran into it and was immediately knocked far away. So its like this! Qianye was immediately enlightened. His True Sight allowed him to see the flow of origin power, and with that, he was able to judge the opponents route of attack. Although it was just a brief prediction, this small advantage was enough to impact the outcome in a melee battle where changes occurred rapidly and constantly. Qianye reached toward his waist and, drawing the Bloody Datura with his left hand, aimed it directly at Triblade Ma. Triblade Ma suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of danger. It was the kind of terror when death was just within reach. But knowing that the might an origin gun could display in melee combat was fairly limited, the man roared loudly and lunged toward Qianye. Both parties entered melee range within the blink of an eye. At this point, origin guns had lost their value. But Qianye didnt pull back and, instead, flipped his right hand over to perform a backhand stab at Triblade Mas abdomen. The man let out an odd cry as he crossed his blades to entangle Qianyes dagger. But for some reason, Qianyes strike became slower and slower. Triblade Mas blades arrived first despite having started out late and clamped down on the Scarlet Edge. Just as the three blades came into contact, Triblade Ma felt as if he were struck by lightning. His two blades flew out while the Scarlet Edge pierced deep into his abdomen without the slightest pause. Qianye exerted some force through his hands, sending Triblade Ma flying backwards and crashing into a courtyard wall on the side of the alley. Qianye walked toward Triblade Ma. Now, tell me. Who is it that wants my life? If youre straightforward and my mood improves, I might let you off. Its fine if youre unwilling. Well just have to see whether youre stronger than they are. With that, Qianye brought out a series of odd little instruments resembling metal threads of various shapes and sizes. Triblade Mas expression immediately changed after recognizing the set of specialized torture instruments. These little things, in the hands of a professional, were even more terrifying than whips and branding irons. Triblade Ma couldnt help but tremble after seeing Qianye approach and shouted hurriedly, Wait! I have something to say! Youve provoked someone you absolutely cant afford to. Its best if you put down the goods and leave immediately! Cant afford to provoke? How so? Qianye took a step forward. At this time, Qianye suddenly became aware of the peculiarity in his surroundings. In his ears, he seemingly heard an odd whistle. The sound was very soft but exceptionally clear. This went to show that the surroundings were too quiet. Qianye halted his steps and a blue hue once again emerged in this eyes. The bunch of jingling instruments had disappeared and his hand was now on the holster at his waist. At this moment, the sun was high in the sky, showering the world with scorching light, and the sounds of crickets could be heard in the distance. Ignoring the half-dead hooligan brat, the only ones alive in the alley were Qianye and Triblade Ma. It was too quiet. It was currently daytime and this alleyway was still located at the city center despite being at its edge. How could there not be a single person at the entrance? Where was everyone? On the ground, Triblade Ma was covering the wound on his abdomen and gasping for air. The terror on his face gradually intensified as beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. The silence was suddenly broken by the roar of an engine as an armed jeep barged into the alley and screeched to a stop. Several soldiers jumped down from the car and pointed their guns this way. Their uniforms and insignias clearly indicated that they belonged to the Zhao clans private armyquite surprisingly, it was the city defense force.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 288: Disengage [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Dont move! Hands in the air! the city guard warrior shouted with his gun aimed at Qianye. Qianye slowly raised both hands and edged back in silence until his back was pressed against the wall. An entire group of city guards poured in from the entrance of the alleyway. Agents also appeared on the rooftops on both sides. Qianyes eyebrows twitched slightlyhe had seen the two snipers hiding on a rooftop about 200 meters away, and the black muzzles aimed at him from the front were mostly from origin guns. This indicated that there were a fair number of fighters in this unit. This ratio allowed Qianye to understand the strength of a clans private army. Even the troops distributed to a small border city like Darkshore wasnt inferior to the imperial regular army. A large burly officer jumped down from the jeep and swept his gaze over the corpses on the ground. What happened here. Im not sure either. These people suddenly jumped out and attacked me, said Qianye. Oh, that fellow calls himself Triblade Ma. The bearded man waved his large arms and said, No matter what happened here, I can figure it out. Right now, remove all the weapons on your body and come back with me to the city guard headquarters along with that Triblade Ma person. We have to make things clear. Qianye frowned slightly. As an officer of the city guard, this bearded mans decision seemed quite normal, but Qianye could sense an inexplicable enmity and killing intent coming from him. It was at this time that Qianye heard that odd whistling sound again. This time, he finally recalled what it wasit was the sound of a charging origin array! Qianye instantly reacted by pushing himself backward with all his all strength. The brick wall simply couldnt bear the impacta huge hole immediately appeared amidst a cloud of dust, and bricks rustled down one after another as Qianye rushed into the room behind it. A series of rumbles rang out within the alleyway as numerous origin bullets whistled over and bombarded Qianyes previous position. A characteristic muffled sound was also heard amidst the explosions. That was the timber of a large caliber sniper rifle. Even his vampire constitution wouldnt be able to endure the concentrated fire had Qianye kept on standing where he did. He would, no doubt, be injured quite badly. A number of soldiers from the city guard rushed toward the hole in the wall in response to the bearded officers shouts. But suddenly, a number of green melon-sized grenades rolled over through the dust cloud. Origin grenades! The group of city guards were frightened out of their wits and began to scramble in all directions. The grenades traversed the alleyway and bumped into the opposite wall but didnt explode. Goddammit, theyre dummies! The bearded officers face turned ashen as he proceeded to personally lead the group forward. At the same time, Qianyes figure burst through the roof, knocking out the soldier therein and snatching his assault rifle in passing. He then plucked the string of grenades from the mans waist, pulled the safety, and tossed them into the room below. The room beneath his feet shook violently amidst the series of continuous explosions, accompanied by the bearded officers roars and curses. These gunpowder grenades possessed limited firepower. They were fairly effective against ordinary people, but it would be rather difficult to blast a rank-five fighter like the bearded officer to death. However, encountering a string of them in an enclosed space would still cause an episode of confusion. Qianye felt extremely depressed despite having gained the advantage. He couldnt help but want to spew out ruthless profanities. The city guards had apparently come with malicious intentions. It would be quite troublesome if they were working together with the group in the alleyway. Breaking out without killing anyone would be fairly difficult since the other party held the advantage in numbers. But the outcome would be grave if he were to kill the city guards. No clan would let off someone who had killed their people; they would inevitably chase him down regardless of the reason. While Qianye was still hesitating about killing the soldiers, a sudden feeling of alarm arose in his heart. Stepping sideways, he narrowly avoided a number of bullets which whistled past his body. Qianyes expression was indifferent. He raised the assault rifle, aimed it at the sniper on the distant roof, and pulled the trigger all the way to the end. The assault rifle spat out tongues of flame and was emptied within mere moments. There were an entire 200 meters between Qianye and the sniper. Although he was within the range of the assault rifle, the sniper refused to believe Qianye could hit him while strafing from such a distance. In his eyes, the other party was just venting without a thought. The rain of bullets flew out and landed more or less within a meter of the sniper. The sniper let out a loud scream and was flung away with dozens of bullet holes added to his body. Qianye calmly swapped out a cartridge and fired toward a different direction. The second sniper also took ten-odd bullets and fell off the building, screaming. Qianye swapped out the final cartridge and mowed down everyone else who dared poke their heads out. He then discarded the assault rifle, leapt off the roof, and soon vanished into the distance. Only after Qianye had left did the city guards dare to clamber up and glance around cautiously. The bearded officer emerged from the half-collapsed wall with an ugly expression. At this moment, a chubby figure appeared from within a nearby alley. This was precisely the manager of Xinglong Trade Company, Wang Youyuan. He saw the whole area in disorder and couldnt help but feel his face twitch with large beads of sweat rolling off his shiny bald forehead. How how did this happen? Wang Youyuan stammered as he spoke. Save save me! A faint voice was heard from nearby. Wang Youyuan turned around and saw Triblade Ma leaning on a nearby wall with one had pressed upon the continuously bleeding wound on his abdomen. Wang Youyuans expression suddenly turned gloomy as he shot a meaningful glance at the bearded officer. The bearded man walked up to Triblade Ma, raised his origin gun, and fired ruthlessly toward the mans heart. The explosive force from this shot almost penetrated his body. Triblade Ma used struggled to speak with his last breath, Why? No reason. You lost and you know too much, Wang Youyuan said lightly. You Triblade Ma only spat out this word before collapsing in endless resentment. Wang Youyuan wiped away the sweat on his forehead and said to the bearded man, Im going to meet sir Zhao right away. Ill leave the situation here to you. You must catch that brat at all cost or well have no way to explain all this! The bearded man nodded and gestured toward a number of warriors. You lot, immediately head toward each city gate and ensure that the people passing through are strictly inspected. We have to prevent him from escaping even at the risk of mistakenly detaining some people! Moments later, alarms went off throughout Darkshore City as squads of city guards rushed out from the military camp and began to search the city. A unit charged into Qianyes hotel room and flipped over all of his belongings, but found nothing apart from a change of clothes. Meanwhile, in West Pole City, the main residence was extremely peaceful. Zhao Jundu stood on the waterside balcony gazing at the misty waters of Lake Profound before him. His expression was vacanthe seemed to be pondering deeply yet also seemed as if he was thinking of nothing. The chimes hanging from the eaves began to jingle, indicating the arrival of a guest. Zhao Jundu entered the study and found that it was Uncle Wang. He was somewhat surprised, but still offered him a seat with due politeness. Uncle Wang was an elder Princess Gaoyi had brought along when she married into the Zhao clan. Due to her illness, the princess lived in a separate courtyard all year round and Uncle Wang was in charge of all contact with her four sons and one daughter. After the four young masters reached maturity in the recent years, Uncle Wang had been staying at Zhao Ruoxis side for the most part. Uncle Wangs expression was gravehe got straight to the point and said, Fourth Young Master, this old servant has been pondering a certain matter repeatedly, which I feel needs to be brought to your attention. Zhao Jundu was was somewhat startled. Instead of asking what the matter was, he said, I heard Ruoxi has gone to visit mother? What was it that Uncle Wang had to tell him behind Zhao Ruoxis back? The latters temperament was such that she disliked others interfering with her business, even if this other person was her own brother. As if he knew what Zhao Jundu was thinking, Uncle Wang immediately said, This old servant and Zhao Kai were both present when the matter took place. Back then, the young miss had requested that we not utter a single word about this matter. However, not only is this related to the inheritance of the Red Spider Lily, but that person might be related to past mattersand the young miss At this point, Uncle Wang paused as if he were trying to find the correct words before continuing, Young Miss knows very little about the matters of the past. Zhao Jundus brows slightly knitted together. Matters of the past? What kind of past matter was on the same level as the Red Spider Lilys inheritance? While pondering on this matter, he had his servants deliver tea and then had them leave the portico. He also instructed them not to allow anyone else to approach. Zhao Jundu watched as the doors closed before reaching out to press something under the table. Numerous origin arrays came to life on the windows and walls, isolating the entire study from the exterior. Then, he personally handed Uncle Wang a cup of tea and then poured one for himself. Only after this did he sit down calmly and waited for Uncle Wang to explain everything. Uncle Wang had been mulling over this matter repeatedly during the recent days. Although his account was short to the point, he didnt leave out any of the important details. He quickly described Zhao Ruoxis encounter with Qianye and the ensuing feigned pursuit, fully describing how Qianye had manifested his talents in the form of a luminous wing and activated the Red Spider Lily, killing the vampire viscount in one shot. Zhao Jundus expression changed numerous times, and he only spoke after a moment of silence, Up to this very day, the empires research into the Red Spider Lily has yielded no insight into its mechanism of inheritance. After Xixi became its wielder in this generation, anyone with pure Zhao clan blood can, with great effort, successfully fire a shot. But its impossible to activate the ultimate skill. Although it was said that any Zhao clan descendant with a pure bloodline could use the Red Spider Lily, Uncle Wang knew that Zhao Jundu was the only one who had successfully charged, activated, and fired it; the others were only able to complete the first few steps. Even then, Zhao Jundus shot was equal in firepower to a corresponding origin handgun, a far cry from Zhao Ruoxis ultimate skill, the River of Forgetfulness. Luminous wings? The Feathercloud Art? Zhao Jundus expression turned increasingly solemn as he got up and paced around the room. He then paused and shook his head, saying, Thats not possible. Well definitely have heard of it if there was a second inheritor to the Feathercloud Art in the Bai clan. Uncle Wang spoke unhurriedly, The reason this servant is concerned about his identity isnt just because his aura is similar to the Young Miss; theres also another matter. I was in the Young Miss company when she went to Evernight Continent two years ago to attack that Evernight Council member. There, we encountered a youth in the tavern of a small town who had a very eye-catching scar on his chest. Elder Wang paused for a moment. The two look extremely similar. Its likely they are one and the same. Bang! The teacup in Zhao Jundus hand suddenly shattered. [1] Melon-sized?! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 289: Matters of the Pas t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Zhao Jundu brought out a napkin and slowly wiped away the tea on his hand. By the time he looked back up, his expression had resumed its calm ambiguity. Let me handle this matter. Dont tell my father and brothers just yet. Uncle Wang nodded, heaving a deep sigh in his heart. Those old matters were extremely convoluted, and its aftermath was also extremely bizarre. Although Zhao Jundu was old enough to remember the events back then, how much information could a child have heard? But since he was able to connect the dots just from some isolated phrases, it was apparent that he had never forgotten the past, or perhaps he had secretly investigated this matter before. But regarding the princess Uncle Wang was hesitant. A spirited gleam flashed through the depths of Zhao Jundus eyes as he said indifferently, Because of him, mother had to go through a difficult labor when she gave birth to Xixi and hadnt recovered up to this to this day. Additionally, mother wasnt, at all, involved in the matters back then. Regarding this, Uncle Wang, you should be even clearer than me. That being said, why should we trouble mother with something completely irrelevant? Uncle Wangs heart trembled ever so slightly, but in the end, he nodded solemnly and said, Rest assured, Fourth Young Master, this old servant wont breathe a word of this. Uncle Wangs loyalty toward Princess Gaoyi was unquestioned. Since he had made his way here, it was already apparent that he had no intention to alarm the princess. Zhao Jundu didnt say anything else and only asked, What does that person look like? Since he was unconscious, you were able to obtain a personal belonging of his, right? I have methods to track him as long as I have something directly related to him. Back then, the Young Miss didnt allow us to approach, however, the young miss does have something belonging to him. Uncle Wang came preparedproducing a portrait and a dagger, he placed them in front of Zhao Jundu. The simple but lifelike artwork of the portrait outlined Qianyes appearance with a few simple strokes. The dagger, on the other hand, was the Radiant Edge which Zhao Ruoxi hadnt returned. Uncle Wang said, Fourth Young Master, this dagger belongs to the Young Miss collection. I only borrowed it for a while and will have to return it afterwards. Zhao Jundu replied, Its fine. Its said that Xixi will head toward the Northern Mountain Kings residence after visiting my mother. This journey will take at least ten days, and I wont require more than five days. In that case, this old servant is relieved. Uncle Wang got up and excused himself, but he paused as he reached the door and hesitated for a while before saying, Fourth Young Master, theres one more thing. Im not sure if I should speak. Uncle Wang, his heart full of worries, didnt notice Zhao Jundus hand on the portrait tremble ever so slightly. What is it? Zhao Jundus voice was still tranquil and without any fluctuation. It seems, to this old servant, that the Young Miss has some feelings for that man. Zhao Jundu suddenly stood up with an astonished expression. Is this true? Unless my old eyes deceive me, it is indeed so. Zhao Jundu inhaled deeply and soon resumed his calm. Very well, I understand. Zhao Jundu held onto the portrait for a while even after the door was closed. He then proceeded to rummage through the documents on the table for that grey portfolio, within which was another sketch of a certain person. The two drawings were of completely different styles, but the subjects looked somewhat similar. Zhao Jundu crunched up the two papers. They were slowly ground into fine powder in his hand before flowing out from the gaps between his fingers. He stood there for quite some time before picking up the Radiant Edge and walking out of the study. Year round in the outer courtyard, there was a fully prepared carriage ready to set out at a moments notice. The main residence was the size of a small city, so a means of transportation was necessary to travel toward the outer residences. Zhao Jundus expression was as gloomy as waterhe boarded the carriage and only instructed the driver to head toward the Elder Assembly before closing his eyes in silence. The driver had followed Zhao Jundu for a long time. Seeing the young master in an extremely bad mood, he dared not say a single word and started driving steadily toward the Elder Assembly as swiftly as he could. The silver carriage drove straight into the Elder Assembly and parked in front of a solitary courtyard on its eastern side. Zhao Jundu alighted and, stopping the boy servant who was about to announce him, headed directly into the courtyard. The courtyard wasnt very big, but the flowers and plants within were arranged meticulously. There was even a canopy full of purple grapes. Being in season at the moment, the vines were heavily laden with fruit and bunches of them could be seen hanging down amidst the verdant leaves. An elder was sitting there on a chair made of vines, resting with his eyes clothes while fiddling with the two perfectly round jade spheres in his hand. Just as Zhao Jundu entered through the door, the old man said without opening his eyes, Ah, its Jundu. What a rare occasion for you to visit this old man. Speak, what kind of troublesome business do you need me to handle? Zhao Jundu was very familiar with the elders temperament and thus got right to the point. He passed the dagger over and said, Sixth elder, it hasnt been very long since this blade left its previous owner. This nephew wants you to take action and find that persons whereabouts. Hes a youth about 20 years of age and about rank seven or eight in strength. The elder slowly opened his eyes and frowned. I knew nothing good would come of your visit. This business will ruin my constitution. Is he on the Western Continent? Not necessarily. After hearing this, the elders brows almost bunched up into a ball as he said, That makes it even more difficult. You have to know that this deed will consume ten years of my cultivation. Zhao Jundus expression remained unchanged. This matter is extremely important to me, and I will not hesitate to pay a certain price. Please help me, Sixth Elder. This Sixth Elder was hesitant and his expression was quite unsightly. Even though he had already retired and no longer needed to engage in contests of strength, ten years of cultivation wasnt something easy to part with. Zhao Jundu said, I heard Cousin Ruo Ming is preparing to break through to the champion rank. This nephew has some methods to help him obtain some of the most valuable medicines required for the process. Sixth Elders eyes flashed with a spirited glint and sighed while shaking his head. This so be it. This old man will stake it all on this one. Sigh, I wouldnt need to worry so much for Ruo Ming, if only he were half as talented as you are! After receiving the Radiant Edge, Sixth Elder swiped a finger along the blade and said, In order to trace its origin, Ill need to offer sacrifice to the stars and pray for power. The process will require a few days. Very well, Ill be waiting for Sixth Elders good news. With that,Zhao Jundu left without lingering further. A few days Zhao Jundu sat within the carriage with his eyes closed. Moments later, he said, Notify the military; have them withdraw the Blue Firmament and nurture it within the Celestial Pool. I shall go to war within the next few days. His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was enough for the guards outside the carriage to hear clearly. Everyones expression trembled slightly as they responded, Yes, Young Master. Zhao Jundu cultivated the Zhao clan secret art, West Pole Purple Cloud, and had already ignited nine origin nodes when he turned fifteen. The champion rank was already within arms reach, but he halted his vigorous progress for an entire five years to polish himself at the ninth rank. During his earlier years, Zhao Jundu would disobey the family teachings and appear in battle from time to time. But since Zhao Weihuang became the clan lord, he mostly stayed within the residence to handle administrative affairs for his father. He rarely fought except in major imperial events such as the spring hunt. However, he would never lose whenever he went to battle and even his guards had no clear grasp of his martial prowess. They only knew that he had never encountered his match at the same level. Just before twilight, the atmosphere in Darkshore City was extremely tense. They couldnt casually close off the city gates, but the inspection process had become extremely stringent, causing a long line to form at the gates. Meanwhile, within a small inconspicuous courtyard two streets away from the city guard headquarters, Wang Youyuan was standing before Zhao Youpin with his waist bent at a near-ninety-degree angle and half his face badly swollen. Worthless! What use would I have for you if you cant even manage such a small business? Now we have neither the goods nor the person, and even lost a fair number of our city guard brothers. How do I report such a blown-up matter to the superiors? Humph! Although that old man, the city lord, has one foot in the grave, hes still sitting in that position! Before Zhao Youpins tongue-lashing, Wang Youyuan could only repeat the same words while slapping himself. Im worthy of death. Zhao Youpin suddenly glared coldly at him and said, Is there no news yet? The guard nearby said hurriedly, Sire, well give you a report as soon as we have news! A bunch of trash! The guard glanced at Zhao Youpins expression and hurriedly left after saying, Ill go rush them! Zhao Youpin walked toward the window in frustration and said suddenly, Fine, since that brat is still in the city, Ill take action myself and take his worthless life! Youre going to act personally? Wang Youyuan swallowed hard and said cautiously, Sire, I think that brat is a rank-eight fighter, the same as yourself. Even Triblade Ma lost in his hands, so I fear hes not easy to deal with! Why dont we find more people to join you? Zhao Youpin replied coldly, How can our Zhao clans combat techniques be compared to that low lifes? Triblade Ma maybe of a higher level, but I only need three moves to kill him! Find more people?! Are you worried that the matter isnt big enough yet? The top priority right now is to kill that brat as soon as possible. The goods are secondary. Even I will be in trouble if this matter is exposed, to speak nothing of you. That bastards aides are all watching us attentively and waiting for us to make a mistake! Youre indeed valiant, sire! Wang Youyuan hurriedly flattered with a somewhat frightened expression. The city guard was, of course, not under Zhao Youpins sole command. There were two other captains, one of whom was a trusted aide of the current city lord. The other captain, the strongest among them, was from an external family, and thus had always remained neutral in factional disputes. Although Wang Youyuan had given Li Liu the timely instruction to finish off Triblade Ma, he naturally wouldnt let the latters nephew off either. That way, the escaped brat would have no proof even if he wanted to complain to the authorities. Even so, it would be akin to breeding a calamity if they couldnt kill him off. Zhao Youpin suddenly felt his emotions in disarray and waved at Wang Youyuan, saying, Leave! Wang Youyuan hurriedly excused himself as if he had received a great pardon. But he began to move back just as he got to the door. Didnt I tell you to leave?! Eh?! Zhao Youpin saw an origin gun pressed against Wang Youyuans head; the latter was edging backward one step at a time, followed by a young man. Zhao Youpin focused his gaze on Qianye and said, Are you the one who killed my subordinate? It is I. Zhao Youpin sneered and said as he unbuttoned his robe. You dare kill our Zhao clans warriors and even make your way here. Youre quite bold! Qianye replied indifferently, Your public attempt at murder and robbery is even bolder. Does imperial law still exist in this world? Zhao Youpin laughed and said, The imperial law is another matter entirely. Now that youve killed our Zhao clans warriors, youll have no place to hide even though the world is vast! Qianye sneered, Is that so? Thats fine. I wont be losing outtoo much if I also kill a city guard captain like you. Zhao Youpin revealed a mocking smile and said, With just you? He had already removed his robe to reveal the full set of flexible armor underneath. He then relaxed his limbs and lifted one leg upward while supporting himself on the other. He took on a stance resembling that of a soaring immortal crane and shouted, Ill let you experience the Zhao clans secret art, Soaring Wader Fist! Qianye calmly crushed Wang Youyuans neck and tossed the carcass away. He then slowly moved toward Zhao Youpin and assumed a combat stance. Military Combat Arts? Zhao Youpins face was the picture of disdain. The Military Combat Arts was the hallmark of an ordinary citizen. Even landowning households would possess familial or sect-taught secret arts. Only the most ordinary of recruits from the army would be using the Military Combat Arts up until rank eight. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 290: Return Journey [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] With his True Sight, Qianye saw that Zhao Youpins stance wasnt just for show. The surging origin power rippled outward with his body as the center, a full seven ripples extending toward the surroundings. All of them were potential attack routes, covering almost the entire semicircular area in front of him. Zhao Youpins body swayed lightly like an immortal crane dancing in the wind, the seven origin power ripples fluctuating indefinitely along with his movementsit was as if he would launch a fierce attack toward a certain direction at any given moment. The Soaring Wader Fist was indeed worthy of its status as a secret art. Judging from its origin power movements, it could be said that the art possessed both offensive and defensive capacities. The swaying movement afforded him many routes of attack while making it difficult for the opponent to grasp the trajectory of his assault. For the same reason, he was also capable of calmly dealing with all attacks within the wide coverage area. That semicircular area-of-effect might expand even further if Zhao Youpin were to reach the champion level. But presently, all of the Soaring Wader Fists variations were clear as day in Qianyes eyes. The secret art was, true to the Zhao clans style, fairly elegant and flowery. It was constantly suffused with an unhurried calmness and seemed free of all worldly intent. But this was also why, despite its quick-witted elegance, the art was three parts lacking in power. Qianye immediately accumulated his origin power and strode forth to deliver a simple punch toward the opponents chest. It was a jab from the Military Combat Arts. It wasnt accompanied by any fancy movements, but faint rumbles of thunder seemed to echo in the air as the fist shot out. Zhao Youpins range of swaying suddenly increased, almost losing his balance and involuntarily leaning toward the edge of Qianyes incoming fist. He was greatly astonished because the incoming attractive force was so powerful that it took a fair amount of effort just to overcome it. Zhao Youpin could no longer bother with bringing himself back to the most optimal position. He immediately let out a resounding scream as he swung his right hand like a wing and slapped down on Qianyes fist. A thunderous bang was heard as fist and palm collided. As if struck by lightning, Zhao Youpins entire body was severely shaken and suddenly flung backward. He crashed through the desks and tables along the way before slamming into the wall and coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. Zhao Youpin had never expected that he would encounter such a situation. For a while, he was startled, afraid, and even his brain was blanked out. He saw Qianye running over with large strides, but was slightly delayed in his reaction. Qianyes leg whipped out with a momentum capable of bringing about total annihilation. As if he had just woken up from a dream, Zhao Youpin shifted his body and evaded with all his might. Qianyes fist smashed down again, but this time, Zhao Youpin could no longer dodge and was forced to defend with his arms crosseda thunderous boom rang out from the impact followed by the coughing up of even more blood. Qianyes attacks were like lightning and thunder, not leaving Zhao Youpin with even a moment to catch his breath. Each and every one of his moves was direct and agile, with most of the basic moves from the Military Combat Technique, but he was fast enough, powerful enough, and cruel enough. Zhao Youpin had lost the initiative and had to exhaust all his strength just to defend against Qianyes casual blows. He couldnt understand why the latters strikes were so powerful despite being at the same level as him. It felt as if a great mountain was pressing down upon him, one so heavy that it made him despair. Within moments, Zhao Youpins origin power defenses crumbled, allowing Qianyes palm to strike right through and land heavily on his chest. The man couldnt even cough up blood as his entire chest caved in amidst snapping sounds. Qianye slowly withdrew his attacks and gazed at the dying Zhao Youpin. While gasping for air, he said with great ferocity, The Zhao clan wont let you go! They will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. Ill be going first to wait for you down there! Qianye replied with an unmoved expression, Then keep on waiting. With that, he casually drew out a sword from the nearby rack and pierced it into Zhao Youpins heart. He then looked around the room, dropped the sword, and calmly leapt out of the window before disappearing into the night. The battle was over in a flash and had involved only ten-odd moves. Only after Qianye left did the guards rush into the study and raise the alarm. Qianye ran swiftly under the night sky and straight toward the airship port. The entire Darkshore City was in chaos at the moment, but this area just outside of the citys west gates was relatively silent. The only difference from the norm was a several-fold increase in the number of guards. However, these vigilant guards were only for show in Qianyes eyeshe deftly crossed over the guard cordon and arrived before the three airships parked on one side of the port. There he chose the centurion class airship transporting a mixture of passengers and cargo. Opening the emergency hatch at the rear of the airship was quite easy for Qianye; the set of metallic instruments used for torture could also open simple mechanical locks. Moreover, this centurion class airship was the empires most common dual-use public airship model and thus had no overly complicated mechanisms. Qianye snuck into the airship from the auxiliary door, resecured the door, and removed all nearby traces. The airship, scheduled to fly for the Zhao clan capital in two days, was completely quiet at the moment with neither crew nor passenger on board. However, the greater half of the cargo hold was filled with goods. Qianye headed toward the fuel chamber in the lower layer. The ship had already been resupplied with black stones piled up in the form of a small hill within the fuel reservoir. Qianye found an isolated corner near the wall where he dug out a hole, lined it with military use tarpaulin, and made his way inside. Qianye emitted an origin power vibration, causing the surrounding black stones to roll down and bury him within. He then retracted all of his aura and gradually retracted his body temperature until he reached a state of semi-hibernation. The chaos in Darkshore City eventually calmed down after the other two city guard captains appeared to take control. However, the tense atmosphere persisted. As a city guard captain, Zhao Youpins assassination within a private residence was not a small matter. A city guard captain from such an important city could be considered a manger level character within the Zhao clan, belonging to the middle ranks. The city guard mobilized in full forcethey overturned Darkshore City as they searched for a full day and night, but to no avail. Naturally, an important area like the airship port was searched thoroughly many times over. Even the guests and their luggage were inspected stringently as were the goods in the cargo hold. It was just that no one thought to overturn and look through the pile of black stones in the fuel reservoir. All of this torment only took place within Darkshore City region as external order had to be maintained. Otherwise, not to mention a mere captain, they would be rebuked by the Zhao clan even if it was the city lord who died. As such, the centurion class dual-use airship carrying both passengers and goods took to the sky according to schedule and flew toward West Pole City. Everything was normal within the Zhao clan residence in West Pole City, the only exception being the privately circulated news of Zhao Jundus imminent action. This news astonished many people. Duke Chengens three highly ranked sons had just left for battle and hadnt returned just yet. Zhao Ruoxi was also away from the city. There was no need to mention Zhao Weihuang himselfthe man was with the Fire Beacon Corps all year round and would only return for major occasions and ceremonies. There was a dedicated group of staff to operate the daily affairs of the Zhao clan and thus their absence wouldnt cause any disturbance. However, the Duke Chengen lineage leaving no administrative character in the residence raised a fair number of eyebrows. Soon, people from every residence became curious about this matter. However, Zhao Jundu had decided to set out alone this timeinquiring about his destination was out of the question since even his personal guards received no mobilization notice. The folder related to the assassination of a city guard captain from Darkshore City arrived on Zhao Jundus desk the next day. The nature of this matter was relatively vile, but it couldnt be considered too big a matter and was thus categorized as a third class document. This meant that the matter had already been handled, and Zhao Jundu needed only to know of it. Zhao Jundu only glanced at the subject before tossing the folder onto the desk. He had been in a bad mood these days, and now after seeing that a stately guard captain had actually been assassinated within the city, he couldnt help but feel enraged. The file didnt stop on the table. It slid off and landed on the floor with a bang, whereupon a loose sheet slowly fell out from it; it was a drawing. The conclusion of the search in Darkshore City was that this person had likely escaped and thus they were requesting the main branch to issue a wanted notice for him within the Zhao clan domain. Zhao Jundu bent down to pick up the file and his expression changed slightly after glancing at the drawing. This was an ordinary-looking young man whose features couldnt compare to that of the handsome youth in the other two drawings. But Zhao Jundus intuition was somehow making him associate the two. He refocused his thoughts and went through the folder again. There wasnt a lot of new contentthis person had killed many soldiers in Darkshore City and had then assassinated the city guard captain for reasons unknown. Zhao Jundu picked up the drawing again and, after observing it for a while, suddenly noticed which part of it was similar to the other two. The eyes! Both in the handsome drawing and the ordinary one, those eyes were too alike. Generally speaking, unless it was an overly complicated appearance alteration technique, one wouldnt especially change the shape of the eyes. Zhao Jundu couldnt help but reach out to rub his forehead. He suddenly thought of Zhao Ruoxi and only then did he notice another issue. Regardless of who this person from Darkshore City was, the clear eyes of the youth in the drawing given to him by Uncle Wang actually bore a striking resemblance to his little sister. Zhao Jundu gave it some thought before stamping some large characters on the file from Darkshore City: Return for reinvestigation. Those from the Profound Library in charge of daily affairs couldnt help but feel astonished after receiving this rejected folder. Zhao Jundu would usually only read through such cases and never take action. Could it be that there was more to the assassination in Darkshore City than it seemed on the surface? The steward who had received the folder immediately understood something after he recalled the bedridden Darkshore City Lord and the ambiguity of this assassination case report. Several secret orders were dispatched toward Darkshore City before dusk that day. Soon, the secret agents who only answered to the main family were mobilized to further investigate the root of this matter. While the Zhao clan headquarters and Darkshore City were busy with various things, the airship carrying Qianye finally arrived in West Pole City after two days and one night of flight. The airship landed at a public airship port in the outskirts of West Pole City. There, Qianye waited until the dead of the night before emerging from the fuel chamber. It was quite fortunate that the Zhao clan was wealthy enough to stock enough fuel for a round trip, even for a public airship. The black stone reservoir was only half consumed, leaving Qianye with enough space to hide. At this moment, the airship was completely empty and even the goods had been unloaded. Qianye made his way to the auxiliary door and left without leaving any traces just as he had done when he entered. West Pole City was located in the hinterlands of the Western Continent and was also the heart of the Zhao clans four great provinces. In a grand display of their affluence, the city gates were kept open through the night and there was no tax for entry. Qianye discarded all the alterations in his appearance before entering West Pole City. That way, no one would be able to associate him with the incident in Darkshore City. As expected of the number one city on the Western Continent, they also were quite efficient with news from the other continents. Naturally, Qianye paid the most attention to the war on Evernight Continent. From the current information he had obtained, it seemed the war was overit was truly over. The conflict had passed, and thus he didnt need to hurry on his way back. However, he also couldnt remain in the Zhao clan territory for too long since disguises werent omnipotent. True experts could utilize various unfathomable methods to lock onto a persons whereabouts. It was best for him to leave the Western Continent as soon as possible. Qianye booked a seat on the earliest public airship bound for Mount Taihang. His target was that small remote city. He would cross the Silentflame Steppes just as he did when he arrived and return to Evernight Continent via the grey channel. Afterwards, Qianye lay low in West Pole City and almost never left the hotel room. Only when the scheduled time for his flight approached did he leave hurriedly for the airship port and boarded his airship. Moments later, Qianye stood at the cabin window and watched as the ship gradually distanced itself from the ground. He felt much relieved as the airship sped into the distance, traversing over the mountains and rivers. Zhao Jundu received news from the Sixth Elder not long after Qianyes airship took to the skies.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 291: The Blue Firmamen t [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Zhao Jundu arrived at the Elder Assembly without a moments delay. The Sixth Elder seemed to have aged quite a bit during the few days of his absence; his hair and skin had all but dried up. He returned the Radiant Edge to Zhao Jundu and said, That person will appear at the eastern border of the Silentflame Steppes within five days. Zhao Jundu nodded. Many thanks to Sixth Elder. Ive already prepared the spirit condensation grass and marine lotus. Ill have someone deliver it to Cousin Ruoming immediately. An expression of joy appeared on Sixth Elders tired face. Spirit Condensation Grass was native to the Wasteland of Time, and Marine Lotus was a plant unique to the Great Maelstrom. The former was deep within dark race territory, while the latter was a natural stronghold that even powerful experts wouldnt dare enter carelessly. With these two main ingredients, one could produce several types of high-quality medicines to aid with the breakthrough to champion rank. It might even be possible to make a selection based on Zhao Ruomings natural aptitude. With such a reward, Sixth Elder sacrificing ten years of his cultivation could be considered worth it. Zhao Jundu returned to his residence, the Violet Ketu Courtyard, summoned his aides, and gave them some simple instructions regarding the matters at hand. He had made ample preparations for his upcoming journey during the recent daysmost affairs had been arranged for and could be handed over any time. Within two hours, a small high-speed airship rose into the air from the Zhao clan residences private airship port and sped toward Mount Taihang. At the same time, a larger airship happened to be in the process of descending, and the two brushed past each other. The landing craft was an armed airship equipped with two aerial cannons. Chatting enthusiastically on its deck was a group of young men and women in military apparel, most of whom were suffused with the scent of recent battle. One of them suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, Eh? Isnt that the Zhao Fourth Young Masters vehicle? Zhao Junhong suddenly turned around. He could see through the cabin windows quite clearly at this distancehe saw Zhao Jundu sitting in the main cabin with the extremely eye-catching Blue Firmament in his hands! The faraway Silentflame Steppes was the same as before with the gigantic red crescent-shaped peak stretching across the land under the vast blue skies. The geography of the path taken by Qianye this time was more arduous. This part of the Taihang Mountain Range, full of steep inclines and precipitous cliffs, was definitely off the beaten track. So much that even the local wild beasts were few and far between. But such a mountainous landscape wasnt much of a hindrance for the current Qianye. He traversed the mountain range even faster than he had before and soon entered the hilly region between the desert and the foothills. The Silentflame Steppes grew larger and larger within his eyes as speckles of red began to appear in the soil under his feet. This was the eastern border of the Silentflame Steppes, and the landscape here was almost level with little to no elevation. Qianye suddenly noticed a number of vampires appear in the distance while he was running. Additionally, they were rushing toward him at high speed. More trouble! The entire wilderness was in plain sight during the day, and there was no place to hide apart from the giant parasol-shaped trees scattered across the region. With his long range of sight, Qianye was quickly able to discern the details on the vampires bodies. From both their speed and insignias, he could tell that there were no viscount level experts among them. This could be considered good news, albeit barely. Qianye simply halted his steps. He had already run for half a day and had exhausted a fair bit of his strength. Since there was no way to avoid a battle, he would rather initiate the fight and replenish his diminishing blood energy in passing. He drew the Twin Flowers, loaded a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism into each of them, and silently waited for those vampires to approach. Those vampires were moving in an odd fashion, and their attention was so focused on the rear that they actually noticed Qianye only when they were 500 meters from him. Their expressions turned obviously frantic as they conversed amongst themselves in a secret code. Their path soon began to shift away; it seemed they were planning to skirt around Qianye. This came as a great surprise to Qianye because, with their usual arrogance, the vampires would never display such weakness when encountering a solitary human. He suddenly noticed that almost all of them had dark stains on their clothesit turned out that they had long since suffered injuries. The group was made up of high-ranking vampires. They possessed fair skin, handsome features, and were equipped with exquisite clothing and premium weapons. Apparently, they were the descendants of a respectable clan. Just what kind of person was able to make them flee in such misery? Soon, Qianye saw a number of figures appear in succession on the small hill where the vampires had first emerged. There were also vampires in that group, but there were more werewolves and arachne among them. A greatly alarmed Qianye swept this True Sight over the area and immediately found three enormous masses of origin power. To his astonishment, there were three viscounts! Qianye drew in a breath of cold air. He then started to run with all his might without uttering a single word. Of course, he chose to run in a different direction from those who were being chased down. At this time, the dark race warriors who had gathered on the small hill had approached a hundred. They could clearly see the situation in the vast wilderness. A certain arachne viscount chased after Qianye with a dozen or so men in towit seemed they had no plan to leave any survivors, even the passers-by they had come across incidentally. The arachne possessed a great advantage while traveling in marshland, but the viscount could only maintain a basic champion-rank speed on the vast plains. Qianye was able to gauge the difference in speed after running for a while. Outside of the arachne viscount, there were also two high-ranking vampires who possessed relatively threatening speeds. If he ran at full speed, he could shake them off completely within a hundred kilometers, and the remaining dark race warriors would fall behind within twenty. The infighting among the dark races wasnt a rare sight, and Qianye had no interest in the details of this pursuit. However, he was quite intrigued by the group chasing after him, especially the arachne viscount. He was currently short of blood energy. Although the blood crystals made for effective replenishments, directly absorbing the essence blood from an expert was the fastest method. The lack of blood energy to shield his internal organs would obviously affect the progress of his Combatant Formula. A bold idea formed within Qianyes mind. Controlling his speed, he had pulled his pursuers apart in less than an hour. At his heels was the arachne viscount, and then at a fair distance were the two high-ranking vampires. The remaining dark race warriors were left several kilometers behind, while the weakest ones like the servspiders had long since been thrown off. The time was just about right. There was a towering tree in front with a small oasis about ten-odd meters in radius. Qianye broke into a sprint and, with a sudden leap, disappeared into the lush crown of the giant tree. The branches rustled violently as small broken twigs and leaves fell down pell-mell. The arachne viscount who had just arrived looked on blanklythe tree definitely wasnt a good hiding spot. With his strength, he could simply uproot the entire tree, and that was also what the arachne intended to do. A mass of dazzling origin power radiance enveloped his forearms as he got ready to unleash a fully-charged blow. However, at this moment, a grey shadow silently rolled out from behind the tree trunk and leapt up as it reached the oasis. A pair of radiant wings suddenly unfurled in the air as Qianye combined the Twin Flowers into one and aimed directly at the arachne, layer upon layer of origin power patterns lighting up in succession. Bang! The gunshot reverberated throughout in the wildernessit was a long rumble akin to a dragons roar. The arachne viscount was blasted high into the air and even flipped over as sheets of jade green brilliance flashed across its enormous body. By the time the arachne viscount landed on the ground, he had transformed into a half arachne body, but the right half of his shoulder and two of his spider legs had long vanished. The viscount realized something was wrong and had immediately sought the high defenses of his true form. Unexpectedly, his defenses were directly broken, and even a part of his body had been dented. Had the arachne viscount received this shot in human form, it was likely that he wouldve been obliterated. Even now, his situation wasnt any betterhe could only struggle at deaths door unless the injuries were treated immediately. A shota single shot had crippled an arachne viscount! Even though he was only a third-rank viscount, the accomplishment was still something to be proud of. But Qianye, standing at the edge of the oasis, was currently dumbfounded. Clear blue light akin to flowing seawater had appeared in his hands after his Wings of Inception had accumulated its peak power and the Twin Flowers were fully charged. And within the radiant gleam, two flowers, one blood-colored and the other dark-golden, were faintly discernible. But, the issue here was that Qianye hadnt pulled the trigger. Someone else had shot that arachne viscount and sent it tumbling! At this moment, the two high-ranking vampires had arrived before him. Their faces were full of astonishment, but they could no longer control their charging momentum. The changes were too sudden and had given them no time at all to react. They could only keep on charging toward Qianye. Qianyes origin power had already been activated to the critical point. As such, he split the Twin Flowers into two, aimed it at each vampire knight, and immediately blasted them to the verge of death. Qianye then rapidly turned around only to find the same vast wilderness without a single human shadow to be found. Thus, he activated his True Sight and swept it over the horizon once again. This time, he found a certain location in the distance with signs of massive origin power accumulation. However, it was over a thousand meters away and thus he couldnt see anything with his range of vision. Suddenly, a beam of brilliant splendor surged up from the area of accumulation and, within moments, almost dyed the entire firmament a greenish blue. It was at this moment that Qianye saw an origin bullet penetrating through the world of blue and whistling toward him. His True Sight immediately outlined the bullets trajectoryit would produce a slight deviation at a distance of three meters and form a slight curvature. Qianye stood there without moving and allowed the origin bullet to brush past his left arm. The blue radiance wouldve infringed upon his sleeve had he shifted even a millimeter. Even so, the brilliance actually condensed into a number of crystalline fragments as it shone on Qianyes wrist guard but quickly dispersed without waiting for him to reach out and check if it were real. Qianye turned back and saw the origin bullet shoot through the pursuing dark race warrior. It was unknown what material this origin bullet was made from, but its penetrative power was exceptionally strong. It actually shot through three dark race warriors in succession and continued flying over ten meters with its remaining momentum before exploding into a ball of flames. The upper bodies of the three shot werewolf warriors burst apart completely, leaving only the lower halves. One no longer required accuracy with such terrifying firepower; a simple abrasion would lead to a lethal injury. Compared to this terrifying firepower, what made Qianye even more apprehensive were the sniping skills the person had displayed. Especially that last bullets trajectory which wound around him and the accurate angle with which he killed three enemies in a single shotboth of them were the skills of a great master. Qianye felt that he himself was much inferior in comparison. He raised the Twin Flowers and fired off three consecutive rounds, blasting off the heads of the last three soldiers. At this point, the entire squad chasing after him had been wiped out, and the servspiders that had lagged behind were of no threat; it wasnt even certain if they could find this oasis. The empty wilderness once again regained its calm, as if a great crisis had just passed. Qianye gazed at the horizon and suddenly felt beads of sweat appear on his forehead as a faint pinprick sensation arose between his brows. The feeling was very faint and most people wouldve overlooked it. However, an experienced sniper like Qianye knew that this was the sensation of enemy crosshairs landing between his brows.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 292: Victory, Defeat, Survival, and Death [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Qianye slowly bent down as if he were picking up something. In truth, his movements werent that simplebreaking his actions down into one-second frames, one would find that Qianyes body was swaying gently at an irregular frequency and that the speed of this movement was fluctuating. This was an extremely brilliant evasion technique capable of breaking away from a lock-on by a small margin. However, the crosshair in the distance kept itself fixed on Qianyes forehead all along as if he had never even moved. Qianye slowly straightened his body and felt his palms grow somewhat clammy; he was actually sweating. Qianye had always displayed an almost suicidal level of courage regardless of how powerful the enemy was, but this time, this sniper who had helped him kill those enemies made him feel a chill which ran deep into his marrow. Qianyes corner vision fell on the dark race corpses strewn across the ground and suddenly understood why this sniper had killed them. That person wanted a clean battlefieldone with only a cat and a mouse. The phantom image representing the Wings of Inception dispersed, and a deep oceanic azure once again emerged in Qianyes eyes. Amidst the omnipresent darkness origin power, the dense purple mist was as eye-catching as a flag. Traces of that sniper once again appeared within the monochromatic world of his True Sight. He had changed positions after firing the shot which had killed three enemies, and this time, he had come within 800 meters. Qianye took a deep breath and ignored the tingling between his brows. He produced a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation in plain sight and slowly pushed it into his most powerful gun, the Bloody Datura. The mass of purple mist in the distance was extremely rare, but it still belonged to the daybreak side. The Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation was particularly destructive against any creature with daybreak origin power cultivation, regardless of the form. However, distance was the greatest barrier here. No matter how powerful they were, the Twin Flowers were only handguns, and their range was no more than 200 meters. But at this moment, Qianyes chances of escaping were almost zero. That sniper was over a thousand meters away when it killed the arachne viscount. Even if Qianye erupted with the highest speed in an instant, he wasnt confident in escaping the other partys firing range in the time it took for him to charge up and fire. It was as if there was only a single path he could take, and that was to go forward. Qianye began to runhe almost seemed to be warping about with no regular landing point. At the same time, his body was also swaying about lightly. This type of gait was the most effective method to deal with snipers despite its greater energy consumption. As expected, the feeling of being locked on by the crosshair vanished momentarily. Eight hundred meters away, Zhao Jundu was standing within the crown of a towering tree, his footing as stable as he was on solid ground. When Qianye vanished from his rifle scope, he only raised his brows and sent a beam of violet mist shooting straight up toward the sky. A deep blue color lit up before Qianyes eyes as if the entire world had transformed into the blue sky. A great sense of alarm emerged in his heart, but there was no time to ponder about this. He could only rely on his instincts and rush forth with greater speed! In a battle against an expert sniper, it would become incomparably dangerous once one came within a certain distance. With Qianyes current reflexes, he could evade a shot from a sniper below grade-four at a hundred meters, but this would become uncertain once he arrived within a hundred meters. The stronger the sniper, the wider this zone of absolute danger. Qianye judged that the sharpshooter was using a grade-seven heavy sniper rifle and that the danger zone was at least two hundred meters. This just happened to be the maximum range of the twin flowers. This also meant that Qianye only had one shot at thishe would survive if he hit, and die if he didntit was that simple. During his all-out sprint, his True Sight outlined the path of an origin bullet. Extending from a distance, there were actually five potential trajectories for this single bullet! Qianyes heart trembled. This, of course, didnt mean that the sniper could fire five bullets at one time, but that he was currently performing minute adjustments in accordance with Qianyes position. All five lines were potential bullet paths. A boom echoed in Qianyes ears at the decisive moment between life and death. The sounds from the entire world disappeared within that split second, leaving only the muffled whistle of a charging origin array. Time seemed to slow down as Qianye turned, stepped, and leapt sideways to extricate himself from the coverage area of all five bullet trajectories. In the distance, a strand of astonishment flashed across Zhao Jundus face. There was even some frustration within the depths of his eyes as he reached out to remove his glasses. His pitch black eyes suddenly burst into violet flames, and a pair of deep violet eyes actually appeared when the flames later receded. He no longer made any deliberate attempt to aim and only lifted the muzzle and pulled the trigger all the way to the end. Qianye suddenly felt a moment of weakness as he left the state of time stagnation. Without waiting for him to regulate his breathing, an origin bullet suddenly appeared amidst the lingering blue light. There was no trajectory to it as if it were condensed out of thin air. It was inconceivably fast and seemed to have reached Qianye right after it left the muzzle. During the split second where thoughts could no longer function, only a single notion was left within Qianyes mind, and that was a gun skill which only existed in the legendsTrue Strike. The origin bullet flew on at an unimaginable speed. It pierced through Qianyes left leg and bore into the red earth before exploding therein to form a shallow hole. What burst out of the wound on Qianyes leg wasnt fresh blood but, instead, threads of lightit was as if the bullet had shattered a glass doll. Subsequently, Qianyes body began to distort and flicker before disappearing amidst a shower of luminous specks. Qianye emerged ten meters away with a pair of fleeing wings behind his back. He staggered and almost fell to the ground. Spatial Flash! The Wings of Inception had actually succeeded in activating Spatial Flash at the moment of grave peril. However, Qianye didnt even meet the minimum requirements for using Spatial Flash and thus could only move a short distance while consuming the greater half of his blood energy in the process. Presently, his dark-golden and purple blood energies were still energetic, however, the nine ordinary blood energy had sunk completely to the depths of his heart and become extremely dispirited. But the several meters he had traversed with Spatial Flash had effectively countered the legendary True Strike. At this moment, a shadowy figure was shooting through the sky from a distance. Enshrouded in a purple mist and drawing a comet-like trail behind him, he arrived within a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. Qianye instinctively raised his hand and the timber of the Bloody Datura resounded throughout the land. Zhao Jundu urgently halted his steps, fell kneeling onto the ground, and fired off a shot from the astonishing two-meter long heavy sniper rifle in his hand. The two bullets actually collided mid-air! The wilderness erupted into a mass of dazzling radiance, followed by a world-shaking explosionthe light radiated over a perimeter of a hundred meters before gradually weakening. Such firepower was comparable to a blast from a daybreak origin power heavy cannon. It would be lethal even if the shot landed somewhat close by, to speak nothing of a direct hit. The two were naturally flung away by the shockwaves from the explosion, but it wasnt a problem at all for Qianye and Zhao Jundu to deal with such a level of impact. At most, the dust and remnant black titanium would cause some discomfort. Qianye rapidly pulled back and safely left the explosive area of effect with the exception of some dust on his body. Meanwhile, violet mist flickered around Zhao Jundus body. He actually forcefully resisted the shockwaves and landed ramrod straight on the ground. It was as if he could completely ignore the violent impact. Qianye finally saw the opponents appearance. That person was unexpectedly young and handsome, possessing the grandeur of a dragon and the temperament of a phoenix. The most eye-catching was the rising dark violet mist which suffused the depths of his eyes. Comparatively, Qianyes appearance was affected by his vampire constitutionhis skin was a sickly white, and his handsomeness was accompanied by a coalescence of pride and determination. But this young mans external appearance, as a whole, was superior to Qianyes by a small margin. It was just that he was more neutral, and his gaze, like ice and snow, had a penetrative chill to it. As the two stood to face each other, it almost felt as if they had already taken the greater share of the heavens favor. Qianyes eyes fell on the gun in that persons hands, a heavy sniper rifle which he had never seen before. Its two-meter long bronze body was decorated with life-like patterns resembling a legendary primordial beast, the wind stallion, and its might was also fitting of its unforgettable appearance. In comparison, even a remodeled Eagleshot equipped with Resounding Strike was like a childs toy. That person held the heavy sniper rifle in one hand as if it were as light as a feather. Apparently, his strength was just as astonishing as the weapon in his hand. He glanced at Qianye and suddenly revealed a smile. Zhao clan, Zhao Jundu. Qianye was astonished; there was naturally no way he hadnt heard of this name before. The most illustrious genius among the younger generation of the four clans. Why would such a character appear in a barren land like the Silentflame Steppes? Could it be due to the incident at Darkshore City? Qianye soon discarded this notion. The incident in Darkshore was neither big nor small, but it definitely didnt warrant the personal arrival of the Zhao clans fourth young master. However, Zhao Jundus current attitude made it evident that he had come here specifically to kill him. Why? Qianye asked. Zhao Jundu replied, Either defeat me or be defeated. Then youll know. Qianye frowned. The two were a mere ten meters away, a range which happened to be optimal for the Twin Flowers, while Zhao Jundus heavy sniper rifle was no longer suitable for use. He put away the Bloody Datura, flexed his fingers, and then gradually formed a fist. Zhao Jundu smiled and inserted his heavy sniper rifle into the ground. He then spread his arms wide as if he were spreading a pair of wings. Surprisingly, it was the Soaring Wader Stance. Qianye had long since experienced the Soaring Wader Fist in his fight against Zhao Youpin. Back then, he had disrupted the mans stance with a single strike and followed up with a tempestuous assault momentum. The other party didnt even have the opportunity to retaliate. However, would this same Soaring Wader Fist be the same in Zhao Jundus hands? Qianye advanced in large strides and pushed the Combatant Formula to the 35th cycle, the tides resounding like thunder. When they were only meters apart, Qianye let loose his voice and broke into a sprint at extreme speeds. A leg swept toward Zhao Jundu accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder. This kick was delivered at Qianyes full strength, leaving no room for any change. Only this kind of brute force suppression was effective against the Soaring Wader Fist whose advantages lay in its grace and agility. Seeing Qianyes incoming kick which would likely break even a giant tree trunk, Zhao Jundu raised his hands and held them together in the air like a wader holding its wings together. The next moment, he smashed his fisted hands downward with the great strength and boldness of a lightning storm. The interlocking punch and kick caused a clap of thunder to resound through the clear skies as both combatants were thrown back. This exchange was actually a pure contest of strength without any fancy moves. Qianye flipped around mid-air and landed firmly on the ground, his legs suddenly digging deep into the soil and transmitting the remnant shockwaves into the earth as two long ditches appeared in front of him. Zhao Jundu, on the other hand, stepped back continuously and only stabilized himself after four or five steps, each leaving a deeply chiseled foot imprint on the ground. The result of this forceful exchange apparently far surpassed the expectations of both parties. The two opponents gazed at each other with surging killing intent and cold gleams flashing through their eyes. A reckless bird just had to fly over their heads at this very moment. In the end, it plummeted mid-flight and burst into a mist of blood before even reaching the ground. Following which, half of this bloody mist burst into golden flames, while the other was immolated by a purple blaze. The violet intent in Zhao Jundus eyes surged. Very good. Once more! Qianye didnt say anything else and rushed forward directly. Every step was accompanied by the sound of fluctuating tides, and a scarlet radiance weaved over his forearm as he chopped down like an axe. Zhao Jundu swept out with his palm like a divine bird flapping its wings and materialized myriad phenomena with a single strike as if the entire jade mountain was being toppled over! Another peal of thunder resounded as the two exchanged blows once again. Qianyes attacks were all from the Military Combat Technique and, at times, would completely abandon all form to launch an earth-shattering brute force attack. On the other hand, Zhao Jundu was still wielding the Soaring Wader Fist. But, in his hands, every move from this secret art known to all core descendants possessed such power and momentum that it could shatter the land. There wasnt the least bit of emptiness in it. The moves used by the two were swift and distinct, yet every exchange was akin to colliding mountains and submerging continents. As the battle progressed, the two eventually forewent blocking and evasion. They traded blow for blow and collided in melee range, each consuming vast amounts of origin power. The more simple and violent the blows, the greater its might. After a long battle, Qianye could no longer catch his breath and was smashed back by Zhao Jundus fist. Finally, he couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. With a wave of his hand, the Blue Firmament left the ground and fell into his hand. With one hand, he pointed the gun at Qianyes chest and said, Were you the one who killed Zhao Youpin? Qianye replied candidly, It is I. Zhao Jundu suddenly smiled and said, Ill let you live if youre willing kowtow, apologize, and work for me. What say you? Qianye closed his eyes and said indifferently, Theres no need. Since Im inferior in skill, my fate is to die after being defeated. Zhao Jundu nodded and pulled the trigger. Click! went the sound of trigger pushing against the firing pin. Qianye opened his eyes, his limpid eyes gradually surging with anger. Do you find this amusing? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 293: Half-Brother Spoiler Title [Volume 4 C Perpetual Conflict] Zhao Jundu glanced playfully at Qianye and bent over to pat his face lightly. So this is your true appearance, huh, Qian Xiaoye? Qianye only felt that Zhao Jundus actions were inexplicably odd. But after hearing that depressing name, he suddenly thought of a certain possibility and felt speechless. Could it be that this fourth young master of the Zhao clan was keeping an eye on him in order to get back at him for Zhao Junhong and had discovered the murder at Darkshore City in passing? If that was the reason he had caught up with Qianye, then it was really too much of a damn coincidence. Qianye said while grinding his teeth, My name is Qianye. A heavenly flame lit up in Zhao Jundus violet eyes. He unhurriedly brought out his glasses and put them on, concealing all emotion therein. Why did you kill Zhao Youpin? Qianye sneered without replying. I really shouldve let you suffer a bit more! An abrupt change occurred as Zhao Jundu moved once again! He suddenly felt as if the right hand he had on his gun was clamped by a red-hot vice, and he almost loosened his grip from the intense pain. He looked over and found nothing there, but a strip of his skin about two-fingers in breadth was red and swelling up at a visible pace. At that same time, Qianye, who was being pressed down by the muzzle, suddenly moved. A great force traveled upward, causing the Blue Firmament to fly directly out of Zhao Jundus hands. Zhao Jundus eyes behind his glasses flashed with cold austerity. He shifted the gun to his left hand, pulled it up, and casually stuck it into the ground on one side. A mass of purple mist appeared in his right palm which extended toward his elbow within moments and ignited with a whoosh. The red swelling on his wrist was immediately contained and could spread no furtherthat invisible constrictive energy had been immediately dispersed by the violet mist. Zhao Jundu then sent a palm slapping toward Qianye at lightning speed. Qianye had just rolled away after extricating himself from the muzzle. He was jumping back to his feet when he suddenly let out a muffled groan as if he had suffered a powerful attacka thin stream of blood flowed down the corner of his left eye. Zhao Jundus furious palm strike had also arrived before him. Qianye blocked with his armshis entire body was shaken upon contact and flung away. Following which, an incomparably heavy object pressed down upon him and locked his body firmly in place. A still-flaming fist fell right beside Qianyes left ear and pierced deeply into the ground, the violet blaze singeing some of his hair until they were burnt and curled up. Qianye lay on his backhis vision was dark, his chest was burning, and every breath felt laborious. His body was already in an exhausted state when his origin power defenses were broken just a while ago, and now he had forcefully activated his eye ability and daybreak origin power again within a short time. Presently, the effects of the backlash from the eye ability and the overdraft of origin power had overlapped. This feeling of weakness was extremely uncomfortableit felt as if a giant hole had appeared in the world, and even his soul was falling into it. Zhao Jundus voice, overflowing with anger, was so close that it ruffled the broken hair near Qianyes ears. My dear brother, youre really asking for a lesson! Qianye felt as if he were struck by heavenly lightningall of his thoughts ceased working in the instant that he opened his eyes. Zhao Jundu withdrew his right hand, grabbed onto Qianyes collar, and pulled down. This immediately ripped apart the front of his clothes to reveal a giant scar stretching through his chest and abdomen. In truth, the scar had already healed a fair bit after Qianye obtained his vampire constitution and was no longer uneven and sinister like an entrenched centipede. Zhao Jundus hand trembled slightly, and his expression changed several times. His eyes on Qianye saw, in the latters limpid crystalline pupils, a mixture of doubt, emptiness, puzzlement, and some angerbut no joy. Zhao Jundu said slowly, It is indeed you. Qianye, we have the same father. Qianye stopped his struggling. He still couldnt see very clearly at the momentlines of black and white flitted across his vision from time to time, a lingering effect of the backlash from his eye ability. His state of extreme weakness was also still there. But at this moment, Qianyes thoughts were in even more chaos than his blurred vision. He never had any expectations about his birth parents. A child from the dumpster had only himself to rely on. Even if he really had parents, there was little they couldve done amidst the extreme hunger and the struggle to survive. Under the extremely adverse environment, it would be difficult for parents to ensure the survival of their children even if they traded away everything they had. That was why there existed no age, gender, and family in the dumpsteronly individuals seeking survival. As such, he had never had such expectations or hopes. In truth, when he sometimes looked back, Qianye felt that he was incomparably fortunate in that he had always found a tiny strand of light whenever he groped toward the future. Marshal Lin who had dragged him out of the dumpster, Song Zining with whom he shared a close companionship since their days at the Yellow Springs training camp, Wei Potian whom he had met on the day of recruitment, all those he had met and left on Evernight Continent, and even those dark race descendants with ambiguous stances like Nighteye and Williamall of them were so. He cherished all friendship and goodwill because they werent things he could take for granted. In this chaotic era of war over this land of imminent peril, even protecting oneself was a difficult mission, to speak nothing of caring for others at the same time. However, at this very moment, someone was suddenly telling him that his life couldve been different? Qianye suddenly felt that it was laughable and even wanted to break out in laughter. Youve got the wrong person. Zhao Jundus reaction after seeing his scar reminded Qianye of Song Zinings warning. He wasnt so naive as to believe he was merely a lost child of the Zhao clan. At one point, he had desperately wanted an answer when failing to break through bottlenecks despite spending many times more effort than a normal person would in cultivating the Combatant Formula. But at this moment, Qianye suddenly had no wish to know any further. The identity Song Seven made for you is virtually impregnable. Since he interfered with the internal affairs of our Zhao clan, tell me, how much do you think he already knows? Zhao Jundus tone of voice was suffused with an unmistakable chill. Anger flashed across Qianyes countenance. What are you trying to say? Go back with me. Qianye laughed, his voice suffused with unspoken ridicule. You can bring my corpse back, he added after some pause, your brother has died over ten years ago. The one living now is a child who grew up in a dumpster on Evernight Continent. I have neither parents nor siblings! Zhao Jundu inhaled deeplyhe raised his hand to strike but just couldnt bear to swing it down after seeing those crystal clear eyes. Qianye struggled to clamber up. Although he almost fell several times, he was able to stabilize himself in the end. After seeing the bloody trail at the corner of Qianyes eyes, Zhao Jundu coldly said, My West Pole Purple Mist has already entered the heavenly flame realm. You dare clash against it with that measly eye ability of yours. You wouldve been blinded already if I retaliated with full force. Qianye only laughed coldly without saying anything. Vampire abilities all required blood energy to activate, and that Spatial Flash back then had already deprived Qianye of the greater half of his blood energy. This eye ability was just a risky all-in gambit. He was willing to accept defeat, he was willing to die, but he absolutely wouldnt accept being humiliated. He was already indifferent to life and death during that last bout, so how could he care about being blinded? If Zhao Jundu looked down on his eye ability because of this, he might be in for a surprise the next time they met again, that was if there was ever such an opportunity. Zhao Jundu suddenly removed his glasses and glanced at his surroundings with flaming purple eyes before putting it back on. His somewhat thin lips formed a stern arc as he promptly withdrew his fury. He picked up the Blue Firmament and strung it to his back. Then he tossed toward Qianye a tablet with a jade relief carving installed on a bronze base. Ill handle that incident at Darkshore City. Take this, its my personal token. With it, you can enter the Zhao clan residence at West Pole City or send me a message via the Zhao clans channels. You can also utilize the resources under my name. Qianye caught the palm-sized tablet and gave it a few glances. Carved on the jade relief was the same deviant beast as the one on Zhao Jundus heavy sniper rifle. He threw the jade bronze jade tablet and said indifferently, I dont feel that I have a father, much less a brother. If you want to kill me, then do it swiftly. Otherwise, Im leaving. Zhao Jundu wasnt angry this time. He only laughed as he walked toward Qianye and pressed the tablet back into his hand. Whether you have a father or not, youre still my little brother. Additionally, your mother left you a locked crystal disk back then, and your name Qianye came from it. That is the only thing she left behind, and its at the Zhao clan residence. Do you really not want to take a look? Qianye was startled. He clearly knew Zhao Jundu was enticing him, but even so, he revealed an expression of hesitation. He hesitated for a moment and finally asked, Whos my mother? What exactly happened back then? Zhao Jundu said with a smile, Ill tell you everything the day you return to the Zhao clan. Otherwise, you can only dream of knowing! You!!! Qianyes eyes flickered with killing intent. He felt his hands start to itch and really wanted to smash his fist into Zhao Jundus face. Zhao Jundu laughed out loud. Youre indeed very strong, but youll need a few years if you really want to beat me. If youre not convinced, we can fight another round when youre recovered, but youll have to return to the Zhao clan if you lose. Do you dare? Farewell! How could Qianye fall for this trick? He turned to walk away, leaving a laughing Zhao Jundu behind. The smile on Zhao Jundus face gradually disappeared as Qianyes figure disappeared over the horizon, replaced by an indescribable coldness and arrogance. He slowly turned around, aimed the Blue Firmament toward the front, and said coldly, Havent you seen enough? Time to come out and die! A commotion ensued ahead as many figures appeared on a small hill hundreds of meters away. It was actually a group lead by two werewolf viscounts and hundreds of warriors. Among them, a small unit led by a baron chased toward the direction in which Qianye had left. One of the werewolf barons stared fixedly at Zhao Jundu with eyes full of greed and roared with a sinister smile, So youre Zhao Jundu? Very good, we might even get to meet the prince if we capture you! Zhao Jundu aimed the Blue Firmament at the werewolf viscount and said coldly, An audience with the prince? Wait till your next life! The Blue Firmament rumbled, turning the entire world a greenish blue! When the jade-like color faded away, that werewolf viscount and the entire guard squad behind him had vanished. The werewolves had, in their enthusiasm to gain merit, forgotten one thing. The Blue Firmament was a grade-seven heavy sniper rifle, and most weapons of such grade were able to launch area of effect attacks, although, in theory, only count-level champions could completely utilize their full power. Chaos descended upon the small hill as the remaining werewolves erupted with savagery after recovering from the momentary panic. They howled loudly, leaping and charging toward Zhao Jundu. Zhao Jundus countenance was covered in a layer of iciness. With a clang, a sharp blade gleaming with a cold luster extended out of the Blue Firmaments muzzle. Still holding the heavy sniper rifle as if it were as light as a feather, he swung it in an arc, whereupon a large crescent-shaped blade radiance flew out and hacked the pouncing werewolves through the waist. At this moment, mechanical rumbles suddenly resounded in the air as a high-speed gunship approached from the distance. It so happened that they encountered that small unit chasing after Qianye. The cannons under the gunship spat out a continuous stream of flames, filling the vast wilderness with resounding explosions. Origin power lights of different colors erupted at set intervals on the ground, amidst which the unit of werewolves was immediately devastated. Zhao Jundu frowned after seeing the insignia on the gunship. He leapt sideways and, like a bird, stepped over the heads of three werewolf knights. The blade extending from the muzzle of his heavy sniper rifle drew an arc of blue light resembling a water screen. When he landed back on the ground, only fresh blood and pieces of flesh were left behind him. At this time, the small gunship in the distance had already concluded its battle and quickly approached this side. Several cables were dropped down, via which a number of agile guards slid to the ground. The battle ended moments later, leaving a ground full of strewn corpses. Zhao Jundu climbed the highest lookout post on the small airship and saw Zhao Junhong standing there with his hands behind his back, gazing at the twilight over the Silentflame Steppes. Second Brother, how come youre here? Someone sold your movements to the Doncaster werewolf tribe. Zhao Jundu nodded and didnt ask further. He was already used to such situations. Since he dared go into battle alone, he was naturally not afraid of such things. His heart shook ever so slightly as he approached Zhao Junhongs side and followed the latters gaze. From such a high vantage point and with his vision as a long-range sniping expert, he could see a small black dot walking alone through the red earth of the vast wilderness. That was Qianye who had not gotten very far. It was an era where battles were present everywhere and at any given time, regardless of clan, nation, or race. Even proud sons of heaven like them could only protect those who were within reach.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 294: A Call For Help [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The Silentflame Steppes remained just the same, no matter how much the world had changed. The occasional gust of wind would kick up clouds of fine dust akin to leaping flames, just like Qianyes emotions at the moment. He walked forward almost mechanically. Replaying in his mind were not only Zhao Jundus words but also a plethora of past memories, memories that belonged only to him. Now that he thought about it, he had probably formed a vague premonition since the day he learnt, from Song Zining, that his scar was due to origin power theft. Fortune and coincidence could hardly explain how he had survived such a forbidden incidence. As such, he had long since given up on wanting to know the answers as nothing else but more deaths, conspiracies, pain, and blood would come of this. Qianye had never wanted to return to Evernight Continent so urgently. At least there, he had a small shelter and people waiting for him to returnthose were things that truly existed. Only when Dog Claw Town appeared in the distance did he suddenly realize that a whole day and night had passed by. Dog Claw was just as simple and crude. That great master was still working busily in his run-down workshopno one wouldve associated this little store, set up in such an uninhabited land, with the extremely powerful bullet. When Qianye opened the door and entered, the great master was processing some unknown item on his semi-automatic worktable. That which he was working on was an extremely exquisite silver component. It was only the size of a fingernail and covered with openwork patterns. Qianye finally recognized that it was a component of a bullet. The materials used by the great master were mostly common goods, but he was actually able to process them into such a precise component. The great master exhaled deeply after he was done with the processing. He glanced up at Qianye and said, Are you here for the bullet? Qianye replied respectfully, Yes. I also brought some of the necessary raw materials. The great master rubbed the sheet of silver which was as thin as a cicadas wing, checked its patterns against the origin power lamp, and said slowly, I only owed Ole Bearded Blade one favor and Ive already returned it with the last bullet. I understand. After personally witnessing the astonishing transformations after the bullet was fired, Qianye understood that the price tag of a hundred gold coins was far too cheap. The great master asked, Where did you use that last bullet? A viscount of the Byrne vampire clan. The great master nodded. Thats good enough. It can be considered tolerable that this old mans masterpiece was used on a viscount. Let me see your materials. Qianye brought out two small boxesone contained the fingernail-sized piece of mithril he had exchanged from Tulip Bazaar, and the other contained four vampire fangs. The great master swept his gaze over the mithril and said, Mn, enough for three bullets. He picked up the vampire fangs and said after observing it in detail, The fang of a vampire viscount. This thing can also be made into bullets, but itll only be effective against daybreak creatures. The effects will be significantly inferior against the dark races. The great master put away the materials and handed two finished mithril bullets to Qianye. This time, the crafting fees alone amounted to 400 gold coins for each bullet discounting the materials. That was the true value of the bullet. Qianye only stayed half a day at Dog Claw Town before boarding the smuggling airship back toward the empire. The great master would deliver the special origin bullets crafted from the vampire fangs via Ole Bearded Blade. The airship shuttled through the void and traversed imperial lands. Only after several more flights did Qianye arrive back at Blackflow City. The great war had already ended. One could still see soldiers bearing the insignia of the imperial regular army in Weiyang City. Blackflow City, on the other hand, had completely recovered its normal order. There were many traces of battle left behind outside of the city. However, the dark race army ultimately decided not to launch a large-scale attack against Wei Bainians withdrawal tactics. As such, Blackflow City immediately recovered its vitality as soon as the dark races withdrew. After entering the city, the first place Qianye went to was the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. But as he walked into the encampment, he almost couldnt recognize this exceptionally lively place. Back then, the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps had signed over an abandoned factory at a corner of the city. The land was large and fairly underutilized, making it seem extremely empty. But now, what stood before Qianye was a bustling construction site. A number of large construction machinery were excavating deep trenches, and a heavy crane was slowly lowering a steel pipe, as thick as an ancient tree, into a completed segment of the ditch. Qianye couldnt help but become alarmed after seeing the picture of a kinetic tower carved upon the steel pipe. Apparently, they were installing an energy channel used specifically for the transport of kinetic steam. This wasnt a small project at all! Additionally, only major military camps would require such energy pipelines. He surveyed the surroundings and saw a number of other buildings under construction at the same timea barracks, a fort-style compound wall, and two watchtowers. Judging from the scale of this project, one might be able to stuff an entire division into it after completion. Although Qianye inevitably had certain ambitions for the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps, they hadnt inflated to such a degree. At this time, Song Hu immediately rushed over after receiving news of Qianyes return. Behind him were a number of unfamiliar mercenariesapparently, they were in the middle of a business discussion. The group of leaders from other mercenary corps greeted Qianye and then left. Only then did Qianye point at the construction site and asked, Whats going on here? Song Hu replied indifferently, Increasing our speed of development. Qianye, of course, knew this would speed up development. But werent things going too fast? Originally, the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps had also suffered some losses during the war. However, the merits accumulated during the two major battles amounted to a large sum in rewards. Additionally, the expeditionary army hadnt subtracted a lot, and Wei Bainian definitely wouldnt take a cut like the other expeditionary army generals. As such, after this sum of money was paid out, Song Hu began to expand on a large scale without holding back. The current mercenary corps had expanded to two thousand men, and this camp was built according to the standards of a light division. The group of mercenary leaders who had arrived with Song Hu just now were the leaders of mercenary groups from the cities that fell in the war as well as those originally from Blackflow City. Song Hu was currently negotiating an annexation which would formally raise the troop count to three thousand. But no matter how abundant the empires rewards, the payout couldnt be that high. Not only did Song Hu spend all the rewards, but he also borrowed all the money he could borrow. As such, the debt on Qianyes head was already as large as 50,000 gold coins! For a moment, Qianye had no idea what to say. Song Hu saw Qianyes unsightly expression and consoled him, Rest assured, Sir Qianye, we still have some money in our coffers, and its enough to pay for the next two months of our operating costs. Qianye exhaled deeply. He currently had no need to worry about the debt because, although he hadnt acquired that many rare materials from Andruils space, the piece of high-purity solid mithril alone was valued at 30,000 gold coins. But Song Hus decision was simply too risky. What would he do after two months if Qianye hadnt returned with Andruils rewards? Was he planning to disperse the mercenary band? Song Hu produced a letter from his pocket and passed it over without waiting for Qianye to form his words. This is a letter for you from Young Master Zining. There were special instructions to hand it to you directly. Qianye was somewhat startled and suddenly recalled that there was a score he needed to settle with Song Zining. He opened the letter immediately and saw that the first words written there were, Qianye, save me! Qianye was momentarily shocked. Song Zining had never lost his composure like this even during Yellow Springs Training Camp where there was only a thin line between life and death. He asked immediately, When did this letter arrive? Song Hu saw something wrong with Qianyes expression and was also surprised. Only two days ago. Young Master Zinings messenger said that you should be returning around this time, so I was waiting for you at the camp without doing outside work. Qianye continued scanning the letter as he listened to Song Hu. The letter made no mention of the cause of danger. It only said that Song Zining was at the city of Hope in Clear River County, and that Qianye should go to meet him immediately after receiving the letter. Qianye crushed the letter to shreds with a twist of his hand and said with a gloomy expression. Help me secure a flight to the city of Hope in Clear River County. Youll be in charge of everything here. As for the other matters, just let it be. Just maintain the expansion as is and well see what we should do when I return. Qianye was extremely busy during the following period and had no time to rest. He went to meet Wei Bainian and learnt of the most recent situation on Evernight Continent. He even brought back a pile of reports from the Imperial Bulletin. He had no time to read through them all and only browsed through the headlines. Qianye then went to find an underground trade channel and sold off the piece of mithril which he failed to exchange at the Xinglong Trading Company. This would be left as funds for the mercenary corps. Song Hus eyes immediately became quite different after seeing the large sum of money. Unfortunately, Qianye had explicitly ordered him to restrict the expansion. Otherwise, with such a sum of money in the formers hands, it was likely that Qianyes debts would increase instead of decrease. Of course, Qianye didnt forget to dispatch some men toward Black Clay Swamp to secretly gather information on Lu Jianan. Finally, he got back to his residence at night and was warmly welcomed by Lil Seven and Lil Nine. Only then did Qianye recall that he had already left for several months and it was time to let them drink his blood. After recalling the twins origins, Qianye became even more worried about Song Zinings situation. That fellow dared to deal with the rebel army and even had his transaction zone flipped over in Zhao clan territory. But what kind of problem could Qianye possibly help him with? After a night of interwoven anxiety and passion, Qianye woke to the lightless dawn of Evernight ContinentLil Nine was still huddled up beside him, and Lil Sevens light footsteps could be heard outside as she prepared the rinsing water. Qianye pulled the thin blanket over Lil Nines naked body before walking out of the room. A joyous smile emerged on Lil Sevens small blushing face when she saw Qianye. Qianye smiled as he rubbed her head and then dressed himself with the clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair. And this was how many restraints were formedsome of them he had forged willingly, some came to be unintentionally, while others had emerged out of responsibility. There were also some he was determined to undertake. In this world where tomorrow was always an uncertainty, Qianye felt more and more strongly that he had to build up his own little paradise, a place where he could shelter the people around him from the wind and rain. That morning, Qianye boarded the airship toward the city of Hope just as the first light of dawn cast its rays upon the airship port outside of Blackflow City. His destination was Clear River County in the hinterlands of human territory. There were few wars there, and it wasnt even affected by the most recent war on Evernight Continent. And that was where the true headquarters of the Ningyuan Group was located.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 295: The Examination [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] If he didnt have the address in hand, Qianye wouldnt have imagined this fancy building before him, with the word wealthy carved onto every brick, was the headquarters of the Ningyuan Group. Although Song Zining spared no effort outside to maintain his image of a hedonistic scion, at least he was tasteful. This enormous building, however, was a far cry from the word tasteful and could only be associated with the word nouveau riche. The lower eight stories of the building was a restaurant which included all forms of entertainment. Qianye had only stood at the door for a couple of seconds when he was almost dragged into the clamorous main hall by a woman with a slender waist, large chest, long legs, but one who couldnt hide the creases on her face despite the thick makeup. He went halfway around the building and found a staircase leading directly to the top two floors where the Ningyuan Group was located. After Qianye reported his identity, a young lady immediately brought him toward Song Zinings personal office on the top floor. The view opened up as he walked out of the stairs and it actually felt quite spacious. The top floor had mostly been opened up to form a wide room and arranged to provide the atmosphere of a secluded valley. Although the Song clan had always been regarded as the nouveau riche among the clans, people began to regard them as cultured after reaching a certain level. The notion that money couldnt buy sophistication only applied to those without enough money. Even the best master-level craftsmen had a price. It was just that the price might not be plain money. But such a show of extravagance didnt suit Qianyes tastes. He felt that such exquisite facilities bordering on extravagance were hardly suitable to exist on the same plane as this world where bloody battles could break out at any given time and place. Song Zining was, at this moment, standing before a french window. He seemed deep in thought as he gazed at the cityscape under the rosy glow of the setting sun. Zining. Song Zining immediately turned around with a big smile. He walked forward with large strides and reached out to hug Qianye. Hey! Qianye, youve come! Its great to see you safe and sound! Seeing Qianye observing from head toe, Song Zining felt somewhat apprehensive and even his smile turned a bit unnatural. He thus called out arbitrarily, Qianye? Qianye raised his brows after seeing Song Zinings calm and unworried demeanor. I received your letter. What happened? Song Zining let out a dry cough and laughed. Ah, that letter dont worry too much about it. Its merely to make you hurry over here. Qianye exhaled lightly after hearing this and had the urge to beat up this fellow before him. Thus, he actually indulged himself and swung his fist. You came late, so we might not be in time for ah Song Zining hadnt even finished his words when the latter half of his sentence was blocked back. He staggered back seven or eight steps and only stopped after crashing into the window sill. The two stared blankly at each other. Although Qianyes fist wasnt delivered at full force, there was still considerable strength behind it because he wanted this troublesome fellow to know some pain. Unexpectedly, Song Zining neither dodged nor blocked and was struck squarely. Fortunately, Qianye had withdrawn some of the force at the last moment. Song Zining reacted first and had to rub his abdomen a number of times before being able to speak. Qianye, your strength sure grows fast. Qianye didnt know what to say at this moment and just responded in an upset tone, Congratulations on reaching rank nine. Song Zining smiled ruefully. I, on the other hand, know that youre already rank eight. But I wasnt expecting you would become this powerful. Thats odd. I dont think even a rank-eight arachne will be that fierce. Qianye had reached the eighth rank on the Western Continent. Since Song Zining already knew of this, it was apparent that Chen Lu had already reported the incident at Serenity and Lone Ghost Headquarters. Qianyes expression grow cold and said, Dont you think you owe me an explanation? Song Zining said calmly, Chen Lu has told you most of it. Im indeed working for a certain major character from the imperial army for a holistic strategy against the rebel army. I and my Ningyuan Heavy Industries merely constitute a small loop within it. Qianye turned silent. Song Zinings current position was no different from a spy hidden within the enemy camp. That major character definitely wouldnt speak for him should things go south, and even if that plan were to succeed, there was no telling if Song Zining would gain any open credit. He might even be charged with treason many years later. Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulder with a laugh and said, Dont worry, I also obtained sufficient benefits. The rapid development of the Ningyuan Group cant be separated from the various conveniences this person has given me. Fortune has to be sought amidst danger. High-risk businesses are naturally high in return. Song Zining had also spoken the same words back when he acted against the trade channel behind Wu Zhengnan. Qianye sighed inwardly and said, Remember to tell me if theres anything I can help with. Song Zining blinked a few times and said, Arent you going to ask who that major character is? Qianye kept his silenceat some point, he had begun to avoid this matter. He always felt that he wasnt prepared enough to mention that name. Song Zining no longer continued speaking about this matter. Dont worry about me. Every business has risks. At least the risk with this business isnt greater than my return to the Song clan this time for my great-grandmothers birthday. Qianye was somewhat startled and Song Zining didnt keep him guessing either. Its our old ancestors birthday in a couple of days. Qianye said in surprise, Its a good thing that she possesses such longevity. Lethal accidents could happen anywhere in this era of conflict. One would require significant fortune to be able to live to an old age. Song Zining laughed. Of course, its a good thing for her. The same cant be said for me, however. Someone is determined to take my life on the old ancestors birthday. Who? Qianyes voice was suffused by a strand of killing intent. Song Zining shrugged. Who else but my beloved brothers? Qianye was somewhat perplexed. How can they kill at your old ancestors birthday? The clans encouraged internal competition among their descendants in order to preserve their vigor, but they strictly forbid such conflicts to escalate to the murder of blood relations. Even if Song Zining had such archenemies within the clan, they wouldnt pick such a time to commit the crime. Song Zining sighed and said, But killing is possible during this birthday event. It turned out that the birthday of the Song clans Duchess An happened to coincide with the decennial successor exam. Thirty years ago, Duchess An felt that the clans descendants were growing progressively weaker in martial power and becoming more dependent on trickery, thus widening the gap between them and those from the other three clans. She thus set up this unique examination system. Outside of the statecraft and tactics assessments included in all great clan examinations, their martial arts section was a unique and pivotal component. Here, the martial arts referred to ones individual strength, and the competition was a single-elimination tournament. The participants here werent just limited to the Song clans successors; each of them could invite two guest warriors for assistance. The level of the Song clan successors wasnt restricted, but the guest warriors had to be below the champion rank. Such a rule was quite fitting of the Song clans characteristicssince martial power wasnt their forte, they would have to draw upon the superiority of their relationships. Those external participants would then be given the treatment and qualifications of an official clan guest. This could also be considered a way for the Song clan to attract talents. The problem was that the competition between Song clan successors actually followed the rules of bloody battle which also meant that each was responsible for their own life and death. Even if an outsider were to kill a Song clan scion, he wouldnt be held accountable. Qianye had long since known, from the Yin familys successor exam, that the conflict for the clan successors position had always been cruel. The Song clan, on the other hand, had always maintained a relatively mild facade. Yet, unexpectedly, its assessment methods were so cruel and blunt. It was virtually the same as openly encouraging the candidates to fight and kill each other mercilessly. This rule is truly unexpected, Qianye said after recovering from a momentary lapse in thought. Song Zining, however, spoke without much concern, The old ancestor finally made this painful decision to baptize the Song clan descendants with blood in order to produce some promising talents. But old habits die hard; how can they be broken so easily? Its been thirty years now, and the two successive generations of the Song clan only continue to grow weaker. When have we ever produced a character on par with the Zhao clans Zhao Jundu and the Bai clans Bai Aotu? To say nothing of a peerless genius like Zhang Baqian. With him around, the Zhang clan is guaranteed at least fifty years of unfailing prosperity. Qianye was slightly shaken after hearing Zhao Jundus name. Song Zinings words were full of undercurrentsthis was the first time Qianye had seen just how far the conflicts between the four clans had progressed. The Song clan was actually poised to use the blood of its descendants to wash the stairs leading toward the sky. Qianye asked with a sigh, Whos planning to kill you? Ha, naturally its that bastard Song Ziqi and a couple of others in cahoots with him. Qianye had heard Chen Lu mention the name Song Ziqi before he wrecked the Lone Ghost regional headquarters, but he wasnt clear about the reason for their enmity. What did you do that made your family want to kill you at all costs? This bloody rule was laid down since thirty years ago, yet the Song clan was still maintaining its mild outwards appearance. This went to show that, regardless of the reason, the Song clan successors competition hadnt reached an extreme intensity, at least on the surface. Song Zinings entry into the successors list was fairly recent, and he had always maintained an extremely low profile. So much that the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt could be considered his first public appearance. So how did he provoke such an archenemy? Song Zining plucked his fingers nonchalantly and said, Nothing too big. Its just that the Ningyuan Group was growing a bit too fast recently and snatched a few deals from them. Ah yes, those deals seem quite sizeable. In addition, I accidentally destroyed two of their trade caravans, but thats because theyre too weak. Who wouldve thought they would be wiped out after a few rounds? Oh, and I mightve taken up his little brothers quota in the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Perhaps that counts too? Qianye was momentarily at a loss for words. There was indeed enough reason for Song Ziqi to form a vendetta. Then, give me data on Song Ziqi. Song Zining shook his head and said, Song Ziqi just broke through to the champion rank. Hes my opponent. I only need you to help me deal with his guest warriors. Qianye said with a frown, It might be better for me to do it, he paused for a bit before adding, did you break through to rank-nine just to deal with this examination? Song Zining said with a smile, Dont worry. Although I ranked up quickly, there are no problems related to an unstable foundation. Its just that an overly wide gap in levels will be troublesome. The oldest among the Song clan successors of this generation was already nearing thirty, and among them, three had already broken through to the champion rank. If Song Zining still lingered at rank-seven, the three-level-gap would put him in a fair bit of disadvantage. It is preached in every cultivation art that one must, with patient polishing, form a solid foundation after igniting the origin nodes. However, such a rule couldnt easily apply to a genius with great attainments in the secret arts like Song Zining. There was no significant consequence for them under the champion rank regardless of the time and level of their breakthrough. Qianye could only nod since Song Zining had said so. In his mind, however, he was thinking of playing it by the ear when the time came. He already had experience fighting against champions. Song Zining, on the other hand, was speaking of it quite casually but it would definitely be a bitter fight at that time. Qianye suddenly recalled another matter and hesitated slightly before asking, There should be many people from the other clans going over to offer their well-wishes on Duchess Ans 100th birthday, right? The old ancestor has declined visitors for many years now.There wont be any outsiders present during the successor exam. However, the other clans will surely send people to deliver birthday presents and offer greetings. Although there wont be a unified banquet, the clan will arrange for people to receive them separately. Song Zining reacted fairly quicklyhe knew Qianye wasnt someone who would think of such trifling details. Why? Is there anything that will inconvenience you? I met Zhao Jundu on the Western Continent. Qianye couldnt even squeeze out a wry smile and couldnt help but reach out to rub his throbbing temples. However, recalling Zhao Jundus unmistakable killing intent at the mention of Song Zinings name, Qianye still decided to tell his good friend about this incident so as to prevent unexpected circumstances when the two met again in the future. Besides, Song Zining was probably the one who knew Qianyes many secrets the best. Song Zining was astonished, but there was nothing unexpected in his gaze toward Qianye. On the contrary, it seemed to contain more understanding. [1] The literal translation is closing the door and thanking the visitors, which sounds much more polite but makes much less sense here. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 296: Meeting on the Narrow Path [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining listened attentively to Qianyes narration and said after a moment of thought, If you plan to go to the Zhao clan residence, remember not to enter directly for any reason. Contact Zhao Jundu with the token and have him come out and meet you. Qianye was momentarily stunned because he hadnt expected Song Zining to say such a thing. Do you believe what he said is true? Complicated emotions flashed through Song Zinings eyes. That fourth young master of the Zhao clan has a vile temperament, but his words hold enormous weight. Besides, with his position and authority, why would he need to recognize a stranger as a brother for no good reason? The room fell into a period of silence. In the end, Song Zining said, Although the clans will definitely send people from the younger generation to offer birthday congratulations, chances of meeting Zhao Jundu arent very big. His position is a bit too high for this. Actually, its the Eldest Brother Zhao Junyi and the second brother Zhao Junhong who usually appear in recent public events of this nature. The two no longer talked about such stuff and began preparing to set out. There was quite a distance to cover from Evernight Continent to Highland County in the imperial territory, and Duchess Ans birthday was six days later. Their schedule was already relatively tight. Most things had been prepared in advance. The problem was that Qianye needed a new identity and a complete makeover in appearance. But there were as many experts in the Song clan as there were clouds in the sky and an excessive disguise definitely wouldn''t escape their eyes. Thus, he only made some changes to his temperament, using some medicine to change his skin color, then applying some appropriate changes to his appearance and facial hair. Qianyes new identity was called An Renyi. There was indeed such a person, a manager whom Song Zining had taken in two years ago. He was only a couple of years older than Qianye, and the two were similar in build and height. That person was one of Song Zinings hidden agents who rarely made any public appearance. Moreover, he had recently been dispatched on a faraway mission which required him to have no identity at all. Originally, Qianye was to assume this identity and participate in the examination. Later on, he would become a guest in the Song clan, thus obtaining a formal identity with which he could make public appearances. But man proposes and God disposeswho wouldve thought he would bump into Zhao Jundu on the Western Continent. At noon on the third day, the airship on which Song Zining and Qianye were riding landed at the airship port outside of Trade Hill City. Trade Hill was the capital of the Highland County and also the home city of the Song clan. The city was already incomparable in its prosperity due to the hundreds of years of meticulous development. The region was situated with the Cloud Mountains at its back, and the Lan River at its front. This place was also the center of transportation for the entire province. The Song clan, founded on commerce, possessed only one province in the empires interior. Even if they did cultivate new lands, those places would be outlying locations disjointed from their main clan. Although the land they possessed was limited, it was nonetheless extremely abundant; their natural resources and fertility were many times superior to the harsh frontier fortresses. Qianye glanced out of the cabin window as the airship gradually descended. He saw that the city was still far in the distance and that the one before them was a small airship port city. On the parking site which extended into the distance, there were actually dozens of large airships laid out in an endless row. The air was filled with a dense fleet of hovering airships waiting to enter the port while airships landed and took off in turn from the eighteen landing platforms. Perhaps because Duchess Ans birthday was drawing near, many small to mid-sized airships here bore the insignias of different clans and families. Befitting of a trading clan, the airships bearing the Song clan insignia were mostly freight vehicles. The aides Song Zining had left behind at the main family had long since arrived to await his arrival. His car was decorated with a crest symbolizing his status as a direct descendant of the Song clan. Even so, they had to queue for nearly half an hour on their way out of the airship port. Qianye and Song Zining rode the same car, watching as the scenery outside flew past in reverse. Their destination wasnt within Trade Hill City, but the Enlightenment Manor in the western suburbs where Duchess An resided in seclusion. But merely by looking at the state of the road, one could discern that the position of this Enlightenment Manor, despite being known as a place of seclusion, wasnt the least inferior to the capital city. It was a majestic road where eight jeeps could travel side by side, not at all smaller than the circumferential main road of Trade Hill City. Not long after they entered the highway, Qianye saw an 80-meter tall kinetic tower. Such an installation dedicated to providing energy for the illumination and defenses of a single highway could only be seen in the first-class highways of the empire. There were several jeeps overtaking them from the adjacent lane. Eh? An exclamation of surprise was produced from one of the jeeps as the two motorcades crossed each other. Following which, those jeeps made rapid turns and forcefully cut into Song Zinings convoy. The driver stomped down on the brakes, causing the tires to emit an ear-piercing screech from the friction. Song Zinings body suddenly became as light as a feather. He reached out to the front seat and lifted himself up to hover in empty air. Qianye, on the other hand, braced himself against the side of the car. This caused the steel plate to crunch and cave in while he sat firmly and completely immobile in his seat. A certain follower sitting at the front seat, however, wasnt that capable. He crashed headfirst into the windscreen and flew out directly. Afterwards, he slammed into another car with a bang and fell to the ground. The jeep spun crazily and only stopped after shooting off to the side of the road following a brief impact with the incoming car. The doors of the opposite jeep opened, and from it jumped a smiling young man. He spread his arms and called out with an exaggerated voice, Ah! Isnt it my beloved seventh brother? What a surprise seeing you here. You have no idea how sad I was all this time! He then snapped his fingers toward his back and said angrily, Get down here! Are you all dumb?! How dare you all sit so boldly on the car in the presence of the Seventh Young Master? Ill chop off your legs when we get back! Dozens of burly men jumped down from the seven or eight jeeps. All of them were warriors whose levels werent low at all. They stood properly behind the young man and said in unison, Greetings, Seventh Young Master. Song Zining hadnt brought a lot of people in the first place. Apart from Qianye and himself, there were only a total of eight warriors spread across three cars. At this moment, all of them had alighted and were standing in confrontation, but their momentum was apparently much weaker. Qianyes eyes twitched for a moment as he whispered, What a broadening of horizons. I thought those fellows from the Sky Snake Gang have come back to life. Song Zining asked curiously, Sky Snake Gang? A third-rate gang I wiped out on Evernight Continent. Song Zining let out a couple of dry coughs. He then opened the door, got down, and said with a smile, Brother Ziqi, how unexpected! Are these your new recruits? They look rather unfamiliar. Where are those old people? Song Ziqis eyes overflowed with coldness. There was an accident recently, and my losses are great. But as you can see, Ive already supplemented my staff. Ill definitely recoup my losses, right? Little Seven? Song Zining only smiled without replying. Song Ziqi glanced at the follower who had fallen on the ground and said, Havent I collected a little bit of interest here? Oh, he can still move. Hes quite the tenacious one. He had just finished speaking when a nearby jeep driver started the engine and immediately drove toward the heavily injured follower! The expressions of the warriors on Song Zinings side changed drastically. Someone immediately rushed out to grab the collapsed follower and retreated immediately. But his movements were just a little bit too slowhe was grazed by the jeeps body and staggered back several steps with a pale expression. As the jeep started up, Qianye suddenly felt a penetrative killing intent lock onto him. He looked up and saw, behind Song Ziqi, a gloomy-looking man with a short beard glaring at him with a frosty smile. That rank-nine warrior was emitting a constant scent of blood and gunpowder. One could tell at a glance that this was an elite veteran who reaped human lives as he would flax. Such a character was fairly difficult to handle. In an arena where there were no restrictions on life and death, such a person would be even more dangerous than some warriors of a higher level. Qianye smiled and moved his left hand ever so slightly. However, Song Zining reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, whereupon Qianye retracted his aura and stood silently to one side. Song Zining replied indifferently, Since Third Brother is in such a hurry to claim all the interest, then be my guest. Song Ziqi took a couple of steps forward and whispered as he approached Song Zining, Do you think Ill fall for such a dumb trick? Killing on the streets for no good reason will result in a forfeiture of successor rights. Heh, heh, I only wanted his legs just now. Song Ziqi shot a glance at Qianye and thrust his consciousness toward him in an unbridled manner. He then revealed a mocking smile and said, This is your guest warrior? Hes not even rank-nine! Seventh Brother, is your eyesight growing worse or are you so poor that you cant afford a rank-nine soldier? Tell big brother here if youre really tight on money. Ill help you pay for one! hahaha Song Ziqi turned toward Qianye and reached out to pat his head like a household pet. Song Zining was smiling just as before but a cold leaf-shaped gleam emerged between his right fingers. However, Qianye frowned and suddenly flung a kick toward Song Ziqi at lightning speed! Song Ziqi hadnt expected Qianye to make a move at this juncture and thus found himself with no time to react at all as the kick landed squarely on this abdomen. The impact sent him flying backwardhe knocked into several followers along the way before smashing heavily into a jeep and causing the entire bonnet to cave in. Things developed so suddenly that the men on Song Ziqis side were momentarily startled. Following which, everyone drew their weapons amidst shouts and curses. Qianye, on the other hand, paid no heed to the clamorous men who were charging over to encircle him. He kept his gaze on the silent and unmoving men at the back. Only those people were emitting an aura which made Qianye somewhat apprehensive. Song Zining revealed no change in expression as he reached out and dragged Qianye behind him. The group of warriors charging forth with torrential momentum was obstructed, for they didnt have enough courage to make a move against the Song clans seventh young master. On the other side, Song Ziqi had already fallen to the ground. He ground his teeth and said, You bastard, you actually dare attack your father? Even with Ole Sevens protection, you can only leave in eighteen pieces today! Song Zining broke into a laughter, Song Ziqi, why are you being so loud? As a champion kicked flying by a rank-eight fighter, do you even have any face left? Stop the car. A voice was heard nearby at this moment as a motorcade came to a stop amidst the sounds of rumbling engines and screeching brakes. The two groups in confrontation glanced over in astonishment. There were still cars passing by on the highway even after the conflict began, but all of them had naturally taken a detour. Without a doubt, the Song clan cars all recognized the insignias on the two convoys. Both the ordinary descendants and the other successors wanted nothing more than to pretend they didnt see anything. As for the people from the other clans, they, of course, wouldnt come to watch the liveliness. Qianye sensed someone looking at him and thus turned back to look. The person coming down from the main car happened to be none other than Zhao Junhong. His apparel was rather formalhe was dressed in ancient style clothing with a silver and black dual-colored theme. Apparently, he was the one who had come to offer congratulations on behalf of the Zhao clan. Zhao Junhongs smile was, just as before, fairly reserved and suffused with a tinge of arrogance. Long time no see, Song Third Young Master and Zining. Song Ziqis expression immediately turned unsightly because Zhao Junhongs greetings made their distance obvious. As it happened, he couldnt act up either because the Zhao clans lack of tact was notorious. They had always acted as they willed and were extremely arrogant. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 297: Omniscient Seal [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Take this moment for instanceZhao Junhong had stopped to offer greetings at such an inopportune moment. For any other aristocratic scion, it would seem that the person had come to watch this joke play out. But with Zhao Junhong, it might not necessarily be an intentional move to embarrass them. Song Ziqi could only calm down his anger and respond to the conversation with a different expression. Song Zining, on the other hand, was already proficient in such matters and seemed as if he was bathed in the spring breeze. Consequently, the atmosphere changed swiftly from the verge of a group brawl with daggers drawn to a conventional conversation between nobles who had not seen one another for a length of time. However, Song Ziqis mood was presumably quite sour at this moment, seeing as how he had to swallow his anger after taking such a loss. Qianye watched from behind as the three chatted in an extremely delighted manner and couldnt help but praise these aristocrats for their ability in keeping up appearances. Even that Song Ziqi who had entered the scene with great malice had wiped away his rascally demeanor, assuming the proper bearing of a Song clan descendant and conversing with great elegance. Qianye glanced up after sensing yet another gaze on him. He suddenly realized that everyone had also quieted down and were looking in the same direction. A person had, at one point, appeared beside the central car of the Zhao clan motorcade. That person was extremely young, slender, and as elegant as a lady. At first glance, he was full of grace and blessed with an almost resplendent beauty. After a second glance, however, one would find that he was as cold as ice and his eyes seemed as if they would cut everyone down the very next moment. He walked straight toward Qianye as if there werent anyone nearby and the Song clan warriors subconsciously made way for him. Suddenly, someone cried out miserablyone of Song Ziqis subordinates covered his eyes and fell rolling onto the ground with blood seeping out of his fingers. No one knew how this warrior was wounded. However, the two nearby warriors had clearly recognized this young mans identity; they wore apprehensive expressions and didnt dare move to support the victim. Song Ziqis expression changed rapidly. How come it was this malignant star?! This person was even more beautiful than a lady, but it was a taboo to mention his appearance. Back at the primary academy in the imperial capital, he had beaten up nearly half of the students for thiseven the son of the imperial prince wasnt spared. It was likely that Song Ziqis subordinate had no idea who this was and had revealed something inappropriate in his eyes; he shouldve been blinded already. Although Song Ziqi had broken through to the champion rank, he had absolutely no wish to compete with this person. He simply didnt dare! He secretly cursed his subordinate and was just thinking about what he should say when Zhao Junhong calmly turned around. My Fourth Brother has a somewhat urgent temperament. He only came to get acquainted with the Song Seventh Young Master. Zhao Jundu stopped at a point about ten steps away and removed his glasses. His pitch black eyes gradually lit up with a layer of violet mist as he said, Song Zining? Qianyes expression sank. He took a step forward but was dragged back by Song Zining. Tufts of violet flames suddenly emerged flickering in the air and fixed themselves in the four corners before splitting into two. Each violet flame then transformed into a beam of violet qi which shot into the sky, forming a total of eight violet pillars and locking Song Zining in the middle. Domain: Omniscient Seal! This was the most powerful domain of the West Pole Violet Qi. Originally an ability only champions could activate, only Zhao Jundu had cultivated it successfully in the entire Zhao clan. Song Zinings gentle smile didnt change in the slightest as he responded, It is I. Only a whoosh was heard before countless leaves rustled down within a radius of a dozen or so meters. They drifted with great speed and momentum as if blown by a violent storm and blocked the eight beams of purple qi outside. Song Ziqi had almost choked on Zhao Junhongs words and now he was petrified by the scene before him. Using a domain right off the bat! He even suspected whether these Zhao clan brothers were here for revenge. But he quickly reacted and immediately decided to go with the flow. By all means, brother Junhong. I have an appointment, so Ill be leaving first. When you arrive at the Enlightenment Manor, you must visit the Cloud Crown Hall and allow me to fulfill my duties as a host. He then left immediately after saying some formal parting words. Zhao Junhong shot a glance at the figure of his back and no longer paid him any more attention. As expected of the of Song clans descendants, they possessed the qualities of a merchant and were mostly cognizant of the situation. But sometimes, they were so adaptive that it made one feel contempt for them. At this time, the Zhao clan motorcade and Song Zinings warriors all received the order to pull back to over a hundred meters away, leaving only four people at the scene. Zhao Jundu reached out and dragged an illusory leaf over. He then crushed the leaf into fragments as it materialized in his hand. His countenance was as cold as a glacial rock, and his voice didnt have the slightest warmth in it. Does a Yellow Springs graduate only know such effeminate tricks? Song Zining raised his brows. Even within the Song clan, only a handful of people knew he had gone to the Yellow Springs Training Camp. Just who was Zhao Jundu investigating? Was it him or Qianye? Yellow Springs actually isnt as scary as the rumors make it be. Song Zining finally withdrew his gentle expression and revealed a profoundly evil smile. My identity as an aristocrat is a guarantee for walking out of that place alive. He spoke the word aristocrat slowly and clearly, causing the violet intent in Zhao Jundus eyes to grow deeper. Among the empires four great secret training camps, the distinguishing feature of Yellow Springs was to push the law of the jungle to its greatest extent. It was said that the rate of elimination for every batch was 99%. Then how ever did Qianye walk out alive? Zhao Jundu inhaled deeply. He cut short the verbal spar and said directly, Qianye must not fight for you in this life and death arena match. Get someone else. Ill provide double compensation for all losses incurred. Otherwise, you no longer need to participate in this examination. Zhao Jundu was, of course, very clear about the contents of the Song Clans successor exam. Thus, after recognizing Qianye, he immediately realized that there was absolutely no other reason for him to be here except to serve as a guest warrior. Qianye, who had maintained his silence all this time, suddenly spoke. Zining is my brother. Weve even fought through the life and death battlefield together, let alone a mere arena match. There was neither emotion nor any fluctuations in his tone. It was as if he were describing a truth. Zhao Jundus perpetually ice-cold demeanor shifted ever so slightly. Beside him, Zhao Junhong let out a sigh as if he wanted to say something, but he had no idea what to say at this moment. Song Zining smiled at this time and said, Zhao Fourth Young Master, are you implying that Im manipulating Qianye? But the child from back then wouldve long become a skeleton in some unknown corner if he were any less fortunate. So many years have passed by and now you come to say such things. Are you sure its not at all for your benefit? Zhao Jundus eyes suddenly erupted with killing intent. The violet flames in the air began to circulate and gradually contract toward the center. Song Zinings countenance quickly turned pale. He raised his hand and swiped through the airleaves would freeze in place wherever his hand passed, their borders flickering like the cold gleam on a blades edge. A clash between domains was totally free of pretense. Strength and weakness, life and deatheverything was clear and decided in an instant. However, at this moment, Qianye suddenly moved. He threw a simple punch toward the violet flames. The moment his fist arrived, there was a split second of complete silence, progressing to the sound of tides and gradually erupting in a deafening blast of thunder. In the end, the strike arrived with great momentum akin to myriad galloping horses! As Qianyes fist blasted out, Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal flickered unsteadily for a moment. Song Zining grasped this opportunityall the fallen leaves spun together to form a gigantic tornado which blasted toward the violet qi from within. Amidst violent rumbles, an origin power tempest clashed in the air, churning, raging, and sweeping away everything. Occasionally, some dancing leaves and sparks of violet flames would escape from within and fall down like tiny meteors. Suddenly, a clear and melodious hum of a blade echoed as eight silvery sword beams rushed into the tempest and began to grind away indiscriminately at the remnant origin power radiance from the previous explosion. Zhao Junhongs Silver Sword Finger finally swept the residual origin power clean after its second wave. All four of them staggered backward. Zhao Jundu lost color for a split second and soon recovered. Meanwhile, the other three could hardly catch their breath. In truth, Zhao Junhong had attacked both sides at the same time, but even then the result was actually a draw. Qianye shot a silent glance at Zhao Jundu and then gave Zhao Junhong a thankful nod before turning to leave with Song Zining in tow. Zhao Junhong said softly after watching the two leave, Fourth Brother, have you given it any thought? Its impossible for him not to hate us after knowing the truth. Zhao Jundu was silent for a long time before he replied slowly, But, I cant allow other people to tell him false stories. Zhao Junhong hesitated for a moment. Song Zining likely isnt such a person. Song Zining, of course, wouldnt know the details of that incident back then. In truth, even the siblings themselves had some lingering doubts and suspicions. As a clan descendant, Song Zining might have guessed some things, but Qianyes gaze toward them was overly calm and didnt seem like one who had listened to rumors. Zhao Junhong also knew that his fourth brother had strongly suspected whether Qianye had killed the Darkshore City Guard Captain Zhao Youpin out of his hate for the Zhao clan. Who would have guessed investigations would reveal a Zhao clan trading companys plot to murder a customer for profit? This matter made Zhao Jundu extremely furious. Although the two perpetrators had both died on the scene, their relatives were all implicated. This could be considered a fairly severe penalty, but this misunderstanding likely stirred up Zhao Jundus emotions even more. Zhao Jundu slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his violet pupils had once again reverted to their dark color. He retrieved his glasses and put them on. His emotions could no longer be discerned from his speech as he said, Song Seven seems unremarkable within the Song clan, but in truth, he already holds a sizeable power in his hands. But most of them are scattered outside of the main family and hidden in the darkness. This person is extremely shrewd and his schemes are difficult to fathom, but he approached Qianye deliberately. Who knows what intentions he has? Zhao Junhong suddenly asked, Back then, who was it that wanted to kill Qianye? Zhao Jundu replied coldly, No doubt its one of those old fogeys. Perhaps its some of them or it might even be all of them. Those old fools only fear that the world wouldnt be in chaos! His voice was suffused with deep hatred and anger. Zhao Junhong sighed in his heart. Zhao Jundu was a prodigy and thus had already begun to remember things back then. As such, it became an obsession after many years of accumulation. Fourth Brother, Ill always stand on your side no matter what. Thank you, Second Brother. No need for such words between brothers. Meanwhile, their other half-blood-related brother was feeling perplexed. Qianye stayed silent for a long time but ultimately couldnt help but ask, Just what had happened back then? Song Zining was resting against the seat with his eyes closed, his face suffused with a bloodless pallor. There was a sizeable gap between him and Zhao Jundu. The lengthy confrontation in addition to that last strike had virtually drained him of all origin power. He opened his eyes after hearing Qianyes words and replied in a weak voice, This matter is a top secret even within the Zhao clan. How can I know the details? I have my own conjectures, but I cant just speak without thinking it through. Otherwise, I might mislead you. Qianye laughed wryly. Dont tell me the only way is to go and ask Zhao Jundu. Youll have to face this matter sooner or later. It makes no difference whether you do it now or later, said Song Zining, at least, the Zhao Fourth has no evil intentions toward you. Otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to leave his domain standing. Neither you nor I am a match for him at this point. Qianye keenly discerned the meaning hidden within Song Zinings words and said with a frown, Just him? Yes, and add Zhao Second into the equation. In major aristocratic families, even blood-related half-brothers might not be of the same mind. No one can be trusted without sufficient certainty. Song Zinings words were so calm that it almost sounded grim. The end of the highway was at the base of the Cloud Mountain. When Qianye got out of the car, he was greeted by a scene akin to an extremely magnificent mountain and river painting.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 298: East Peak [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The rosy peaks surrounding the Cloud Mountain were elevated in gentle gradients. The dark azure mountain range spread out windingly across the vast plains near the middle stretches of the Lan River. The numerous exquisite pavilions and courtyards built against the mountainous terrain resembled the layers of a terraced field. All of these buildings belonged to members of the Song clan. The Enlightenment Manor occupied the entire summit and was, most of the time, only faintly discernible amidst the mist. The four generations of the Song clan lived under the same roof. Duchess An, whose one-hundredth birthday was imminent, held the greatest power. Not everyone was qualified to even enter the Enlightenment Manor, let alone live in it. As such, the surrounding areas became treasured feng-shui lands coveted by everyone, and after dozens of years, this impressive scenery was formed. Among them, the pieces of land with the best geography and scenery naturally belonged to the branches of the direct line. While traveling up the mountain, Qianye experience just what it meant to have an extravagant lifestyle amidst tall towers and majestic buildings. Even the maids who would rush by from time to time were clad in colorful brocade. There were ancient-style buildings everywhere. The perpetual dynamo tower and steam pipelines were either painstakingly hidden behind specially designed decorations or, with great effort, buried deep underground during construction, lest they ruin the scenery. At the same time that Qianye sighed emotionally, he also vaguely understood why the old ancestor of the Song clan had changed the rules for the successor examination 30 years ago. Compared to the Zhao clan city he had seen before, the Song clans pursuit of such fancy details in life and the unnecessary expenditure of resources was perhaps too extravagant in the eyes of the imperial nobility. The group finally arrived past half-way up the mountain. Those living at this height could be considered people of significant status in the Song clan. Behind the cover of the trees was an array of seven or eight courtyards of fairly similar size and style. Apparently, they were constructed around the same period. But from the state of the courtyard decorations and the flow of servants, it was clear that Song Zinings Deep Cloud Hall was fairly silent and in decline. Qianye discovered the reason for this silence after walking in. It turned out that the entire courtyard was mostly sealed off, and only a small courtyard on the eastern side was tidied up as their temporary lodgings during this period. This Deep Cloud Hall was still listed under Song Zinings father who had, since a young age, withdrawn from the center of Song clans authority due to his frail constitution. He had been recuperating in Enlightenment Hall all this time and hadnt made a public appearance in a very long time. He had also never lived in this courtyard. As for Song Zining himself, he had another garden courtyard where most of his servants and concubines were placed. But in order for them to prepare for the examination in silence, Song Zining, Qianye, and another guest warrior would stay here for a couple of days. The side-courtyard was on the smaller side and possessed an ancient yet secluded appeal. The courtyard was paved in slabs of limestone. There was soil only in the four corners wherein clusters of green bamboos and two banana trees were planted. There was also an odd rock and an ancient-looking octagonal well which brought out an otherworldly character. Even though Qianye wasnt a big fan of this style, he couldnt help but offer some praise. Its a nice place. Song Zining received a pile of documents from the caretaker and gestured toward Qianye to follow him into the main hall. The arrangements in the courtyard actually form an origin array. Every day, at dawn, it will double the accumulation of natural origin power. You can test out its effects tomorrow morning. Qianye was somewhat startled and dumbfoundedhe didnt know whether he should praise the architect for remembering practicality while producing art or if he should sigh at how they had to be so creative even while building an origin array. Song Zining went through the documents while walking and handed Qianye a couple of pages related to the successor''s examination. He said, Your guest identity has been registered, and after a while, Ill arrange for someone to bring you over to pick out your equipment. Well visit the depository and cultivation chamber tomorrow. Wait to have dinner with me tonight. With that, Song Zining instructed his aide a couple of things, including making arrangements for the person injured earlier, and left in a hurry. There were many things waiting for him to do. Not only did he have to rush toward the Enlightenment Manor and pay his respects to an entire list of his fathers seniors beginning with Duchess An, but he also had to report to a number of important elders and inform them of the results of the recent affairs he had been assigned to. Qianye sat down in the quiet hall and flipped through the information Song Zining had handed him. He couldnt help but shake his head. Even an outsider like him could see that the changes Duchess An had made to the successors examination had already failed. Song Zinings experience was clear proof of this. The Song clan, due to its small number of direct descendants, had a different familial ranking system as compared to the other three clans. They werent divided into ancestral halls and family branches but arranged in sequence according to generation. Song Zining was from the great-grandchildren generation and was seventh among his siblings. From this, it was clear just how few their descendants were. Moreover, the Song clan had a system which suppressed the side branches and had firmly controlled the clan authority for hundreds of years. Despite the severe lack of manpower, a talented descendant like Song Zining was actually designated as a marriage partner to a landowning household citing his lack of cultivation potential as a reason. One had to know that the aristocrats began origin power training at six to eight years of agethere was enough time to revise the results of this test. However, Song Zining had chosen to enter the Yellow Springs Training Camp at the age of eight. This went to show the situation he was in at the time. A large part of this was because his father wasnt at the center of authority and, as such, even a direct descendant who shouldve been greatly valued by the clan had lost protection. If a clan had become so narrow-minded that they would withhold resources from descendants of lineages without authority, then it was inevitable that they would eventually turn into a pool of stagnant water. Moreover, as a merchant clan, the Song clan was not required to cultivate and safeguard new lands, and as such, they had little experience with the perils of war and death. This, to a great extent, camouflaged the consequences of being so narrow-minded. This became so pronounced that merely changing a system could no longer turn things around because there was no longer any space for its implementation. This wealthiest clan thus became the weakest in martial prowess. It was unknown whether the authoritative figures were able to see through the shadow looming behind the brocade of flourishing flowers. Qianye rested for a short while after browsing through the documents. At this time, a personal guard came to report in, saying he was instructed to drive Qianye to the Song clans external armory. The guard also told him that Song Zinings other guest warrior would only arrive at night the next day, and thus, Qianye would have to visit the depository on his own. The Song clan had invested a great deal of resources for the successors examination. The benefits offered to the guest warriors were extremely bountiful, mainly in terms of weaponry and access to the depository. After registering as a guest warrior, he could borrow a set of equipment from the external armory and could buy it at half-price as long as he won three rounds or more in the arena. It would be gifted free of charge should the participant win five rounds. This money was equal to buying ones life. Although it was considered a life and death arena, one couldnt be free of all apprehensions when facing a Song clan descendant. But a clash between two guest warriors, on the other hand, was very likely to be decided by life and death, depending on their prior grievances. The clans depository was even more soit would never be open to outsiders normally. Guests were limited to certain shelves and could only read on site, but it was a rare opportunity nonetheless. If with luck, one were to find a suitable cultivation art, the benefits would be equal to ten years of service to the clan. Only after arriving did Qianye realize that this so-called external armory was almost as big as a small town. He followed Song Zinings personal guard inside and saw an old man nodding off in a small space between two file cabinets. The personal guard first looked for the name An Renyi in the register, and only after finding it did he respectfully wake up the old man. Elder Lu, this is the Seventh Young Masters guest warrior. Hes come to select armaments. The old man gradually opened his eyes and shot a glance at Qianye. When the man opened his eyes, Qianye felt as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through the room and was actually blinded for a moment. The bright sensation lingered in his consciousnessit felt as if his entire body from the inside out had been left behind within that flash of light and all of his secrets had been laid bare. Qianye was overwhelmed and instinctively circulated the Glory Chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, sending pure origin power rushing out of his origin nodes. Presently, he didnt even dare activate his Concealed Bloodline ability. All of his blood energy had been withdrawn. The dark golden blood energy had also scuttled into his heart and dived into its depths along with the ability rune. The old mans gaze swept over Qianyes body several times. So its the Seventh Young Masters man. Not bad. In you go! Dont forget to tell him the rules. Saying this, the old man gradually closed his eyes. The guard responded hurriedly, Rest assured, elder. With that, the two prepared to cross through the giant indomitable-looking alloy door before them. Elder Lu suddenly said from behind them, Young people tend to rush things. The armory is quite big and there are a lot of things inside. Dont rush, choose slowly. After hearing this, Qianye turned back to nod in gratitude and said, Many thanks for Elder Lus advice. Elder Lu waved his hand and, once again, began to sleep. External warriors were allowed to access the section with grade-five origin guns and grade-four weapons. There wasnt enough space in the arena to draw out the advantages of an origin gun. It was just that Qianye couldnt pull out the Twin Flowers on stage, so he chose a random mid-range handgun and then focused his attention on melee weapons. Qianye browsed as he wenthe would frequently pick up weapons to weigh them and give them a few swings. The weapons entering his hands grew progressively heavier, but whether it was battle axes or heavy hammers, he was able to wield them with relative ease. The guard following Qianye all the way revealed a doubtful expression because, as a rank-eight warrior, he was fairly familiar with the standard weight of these weapons. It greatly astonished him to see these weapons become as light as a feather in Qianyes hands. He couldnt help but pick up the long hammer Qianye had just put down and was overwhelmed to find that he was unable to move it at all. He glanced at Qianyes slender and somewhat frail figure with eyes of admiration. Qianye had eventually covered the greater half of this area when he suddenly noticed a heavy sword leaning against a certain corner. It was longer than normal swords by half and already approaching the length of a two-handed greatsword. However, its blade was only slightly wider than a normal sword. He walked over and reached out to grab the hilt, wanting to lift it up and see. Unexpectedly, his hands sank down and the blade almost fell off. Qianye was astonished because this weapon was many times heavier than the ones he had just tested. He no longer dared treat it lightly the second timehe grasped it with the right amount of strength and finally picked up the longsword steadily. He placed it at eye level and gradually pulled off the sheath. The blade edge was pitch-black and unremarkable. Although it wasnt especially sharp, it wasnt one of those outlandish designs with no edge either. There were numerous crude origin patterns on the spine which gave it a primitive sense of beauty. However, this also meant that the origin array didnt possess any complicated function, just as it was impossible for even an expert with great attainments to narrate an extravagantly embellished story with only a few words. Qianye observed the sword repeatedly to confirm its material. If he had to point out something special about the sword, then it would have to be its unusually heavy weight. The more he observed, the more he felt that the blade was an incomplete product. It was like a piece of peerless material discarded by the artisan after a few crude strokes. Qianye flipped the sword over and saw two words carved therein, East Peak.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 299: Dowry Changes Lives [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye walked out of the armory and found Song Zining talking to a certain young lady. Behind the counter, Elder Lu was still dozing off with his back against the chair and snoring subtly. But the old mans eyes suddenly opened just a tiny slit the moment Qianye stepped out of the alloy door. His gaze immediately fell upon the East Peak in Qianyes hands accompanied by an unnoticeable flash of light. At this moment, the personal guard walked over to the counter and said while passing over two tokens, Elder Lu, weve chosen our equipment. Please look over them. Elder Lu shifted his sitting position and opened his eyelids completely. He then shot a glance at the tokens and, seeing that they belonged to a grade-five origin gun and the ancient sword East Peak, he began to record the name An Renyi in the data column along with the date and purpose of withdrawal. Elder Lus vision seemed somewhat blurredhe brought the tablet closer with shaky hands until it was almost at his nose. During this process, his pinky finger rubbed against the tablet lightlythe name ancient sword East Peak suddenly faded away and was replaced by the words incomplete heavy sword. Elder Lu tossed the two tablets to the nearby armory steward to be filed. He then yawned and waved his hands toward Song Zining who seemed to want to say something. All is well, your men have always been meticulous in their work. You can go now. This old man still has to sleep a bit longer for that all-night gambling match. Ill definitely have old man Fu leave without his pants! Song Zining said with a smile, I have to accompany my friend for a drink tonight and wont be there to cheer for you. I wish you a big victory over the other three parties. Elder Lus eyes had already closed at this moment, and after waving, he began to snore once again. At this time, the young lady beside Song Zining said, Brother Zining, youve not come back for a long time. Are you sure youre drinking tonight? Dont tell me youre going to fool around with little brother? Song Zinings smile was as gentle as the warm breeze in spring. I only arrived this afternoon. I havent even met Zhiyuan yet! He looked up and found Qianye looking at them curiously. A strand of evil flashed through his eyes as he waved and said, Xiao An, this way. He then said to the young lady, This is my brother, An Renyi. The young lady turned around and glanced expectantly at Qianye with her large watery eyes. She was about 14 or 15 years of age, with a petite figure and was only as tall as Qianyes chest. Her countenance possessed a certain type of bewitching charm and this contrast formed an extremely unique sense of beauty. The young lady said in an outgoing manner, Big brother An! Qianye was startled and, having no idea what to say, uttered a random response. Song Zining said with a laughing tone, Yunqing is my clan sister and Honorary Count Gus daughter. At this moment, there was a group at the door who seemed to have been waiting for some time. A person among them called the young ladys name. Consequently, Song Zining said his farewells to the lady with a smile and dragged Qianye out of the door with his arm over the latters shoulder. The leader of that group was a champion. Only after seeing Song Zining move away did he go forward and said respectfully to the sleeping old man, Elder Lu, the guest warriors of Young Master Zhihe and Young Mistress Jingchu have arrived to withdraw equipment. Also, Young Mistress Yunqing wishes to enter the third-grade weapon area to change armaments. Judging from the champions announcement, the group belonged to a side branch of the Song clan. The Song clan currently has 20-odd people on its successor list. Among them, not even half were direct descendants. Although the side branches gaining the clan lords position was unprecedented, they could still contend for the position of an elder. At this time, Elder Lu was snoring continuously and seemed to have no intention of waking up. The leader didnt seem very concerned as if he had known it would turn out this way. He opened the book on his own and found the records related to the guest warriors. A steward soon walked out from behind and took them into the armory. The leader didnt follow them in. He stayed outside and whispered to the manager, Manager Li, how come Elder Lu came out today? Manager Li said in a soft voice, How will I know? Elder Lus actions are full of profound meanings. But judging from his intentions, its possible that he wants to observe the youngsters participating in this examination and see if there are any moldable talents he can guide. The group leaders eyes lit up and said enviously, If that is the case, then its truly a great fortune. I wonder which brat has such a good luck. In the courtyard just outside of the armory, Song Zining and Qianye stood at the base of the stairs as they waited for the formers personal guard to drive the car over. Song Zining still had his hand over Qianyes shoulder as he whispered with a laugh, What do you think of the girl just now? If you wish, I can play the matchmaker and let you bring her back home after the exams. Qianye was shocked and almost felt something was wrong with his ears. He had never thought about getting married, not to mention the other party was from a large clan. Shes the daughter of a count, right? Only an honorary count. It sounds all good and well, but the title cant be inherited and can be obtained as long as one donates enough money to the imperial military. Song Zining shrugged casually and spared no effort to explain the many benefits of this union. According to his words, this was a shortcut that would spare him 30 years of hard work. This clan sister Yunqing, for instance, was the only daughter of Honorary Duke Gu and would come with an extremely abundant dowry. It would, at least, be equal in value to the equipment costs of a regular army corps. In this day and age, those with money and equipment would easily gain an entire group fearless people to work for them. Hence, taking this wife would allow Qianyes small mercenary corps to leap upward and expand to the level of a division. On Evernight Continent, he would at least be a city lord. Additionally, Song Zining, in his usual immoral style, told Qianye to rest assured and that he could take more than just one wife. He could just marry again if he met another girl he really liked or one with an abundant dowry. The empire had strict rules regarding polygamy, but that was not the case on Evernight Continent. As for the family of the original wife coming to cause trouble, that wasnt a problem either. As long as Qianyes martial prowess kept on improving and moved up to the ranks of brigadier general and general, who would dare speak to him with his head raised? Hence, he could marry as many wives as he had the strength to. Song Zinings final conclusion was: Dowry changes lives. Qianye was already dumbfounded by the time Song Zining was done speaking. He only felt that this was such a preposterous argument and he didnt even know how to retort. As it happened, Song Zining was waiting for his reply with an expectant expression. Hence, Qianye replied in a somewhat distressed manner, That girl isnt even of age, right? Song Zining was stunned. What does that have to do with marriage? The two stared at each other for a while before Song Zining suddenly spoke as if he had understood something, You like mature women?! Thats fine too. I know a couple of them. Qianye was already too lazy to pay attention to him. Meanwhile, Song Zining was still going on. Dont tell me youre thinking about heirs? If you find these women not very desirable, then dont let them get pregnant. Its not easy to make a woman give birth, but its even harder to make them not give birth. He glanced at Qianye and said suspiciously, Dont tell me you dont know about these things? The slaves from the Hidden Springs Merchant Group are extremely proficient in room-craft. Have you not used them well? How about this? Ive gotten my hands on yet another pair of sisters, Ill let you have one tonight. Qianye could no longer endure and used his elbow to deal a moderate blow to Song Zinings upper abdomen, flinging him away from his shoulders. He then walked toward the gradually approaching jeep in large strides. When Qianye got onto the car, the entire jeep suddenly sank down and even began to emit slight creaking noises. Although this vehicle was designed for speed and not outstanding in its capacity for weight, it was still surprising to see it being pressed down like so. Song Zining hurried over from behind and, after seeing what had happened, reached out to lift the East Peak. However, to his great surprise, he was actually unable to pick it up on the first try. He then used origin power to weigh it in his hands and said with an astounded smile, Its a good item. Very suitable for the arena. Although heavy weapons drained a fair amount of origin power, they made for powerful killing tools in the limited space of the arena. As long as the wielder was capable of controlling the situation, he would be perfectly capable of overpowering all fancy techniques. Only on the way back did Qianye come to know why Song Zining had come back from the Enlightenment Manor so soonit turned out he hadnt met the elder in charge of clan affairs. It was said that some esteemed guests from another clan had arrived, and the elder was required to receive them. This matter was supposedly a top secret, but Song Zining had his own methods of obtaining information. At this point, Song Zining couldnt help but sneer, What esteemed guest? Its merely Zhao Jundu, and those old fogeys cant focus on their own duties anymore. Qianye was rather surprised. Perhaps Zhao Jundu could, in terms of authority, half-represent Zhao Weihuang of the Zhao clan. But in any case, he was still a junior and hadnt even received any formal title. The Song clan expressing such excessive courtesy was actually equal to throwing away their own prestige. After all, the two clans were ranked together among the four major clansoverly lowering their stance not only amounted to bad etiquette, but it also made clear their inferiority in position. Qianye gave it some thought and asked, Does the Song clan have anything to ask of the Zhao? Song Zining was momentarily startled. Qianyes thoughts were honest and directalthough this made him inferior in strategy, it also allowed him to see things with greater clarity. More often than not, he was able to directly address the vital points in military affairs. Unexpectedly, he was also quite keen in clan politics. Song Zining replied, The position of my eldest brother Song Zichengs first wife had always been an undecided matter. Rumor has it that he was scheming to marry a lady of the imperial clan. In truth, this isnt just so that he can claim the seat of the next clan lord. This method has already gained the silent approval of many an elder, and the Zhao clan is a faithful member of the imperial party. That was why the elders are eager to express their goodwill toward the Zhao clan. And with Zhao Jundus abilities, he is the most likely to become the next Zhao clan lord. This Song Zicheng he had spoken of just now was the eldest son of the generation and the eldest grandchild of the current clan lord. He was close to thirty years old and had broken through to become a champion three years ago. Additionally, he had participated in clan affairs for many years. As the leader of this generation in terms of age, martial prowess, and ability, he had always been ranked first as a successor. With the Song clans current situation, it was likely that the clan lord position would be handed over a generation. As such, Song Zicheng was the favorite candidate for this position. At this point, Qianye had understood the entire process. The Song clan had already weakened to a dangerous level as there were no powerful experts in all three generations capable of supporting the general situation of the clan. For a clan with so much wealth that even a branch familys dowry could affect the strength of a division-level force, such a situation would make them a fat sheep amidst wolves. The inferior aristocratic families might not dare to do anything to them, but those at the same level might not have any qualm. One had to know that the great clans were neither there since the beginning nor were they the only ones to ever gain this position. In the empires thousand-year history, there were nine clans at their most flourishing era and three at their lowest. There were old grudges between the ancestors of the Zhang and Song clans. Presently, the Zhang clan had made no bold moves because Duchess An was still around. However, Zhang Boqian was like a midday sun and hadnt even reached the peak of his martial advancement. If some unforeseen events were to occur in the future, the Zhang clan would likely be the first to cause trouble for the Song clan. From Qianyes point of the view, however, the Song clans attempt to draw closer to the imperial clan wasnt a wise choice either. The current Song clans situation wasnt the same as Zhao Weihuang. Its successor marrying a lady of the imperial clan, or perhaps even a princess, might preserve his position as clan lord and duke, but would the strength of a single woman be enough to maintain the Song clans position in the empire? From Song Zinings somewhat mocking expression, Qianye knew that he didnt approve of this matter either. But Qianye wasnt interested in evaluating the internal affairs of the Song clan. He did have certain other concerns, however. Will Zhao Jundu harm you? Since the Song clan was flattering Zhao Jundu like so, it might become fairly problematic for Song Zining if the former even slightly expressed his dissent. Song Zining shook his head. You need not worry about this. Its more likely for him to kill me directly than to do something like borrowing the Song clans hands to suppress me. Qianye couldnt help but frown after hearing this. At this time, the jeep had stopped at an extremely large courtyard at the base of the Cloud Mountains. Song Zining said with a laugh, Weve arrived at the Clear Melody Pavilion. We shall not return until were drunk. Leave all other troubles for tomorrow! Atop three flights of stone steps before them was a splendorous hall. The sounds of dancing and singing lingered around this building with its doors and windows opened on three sides. This was the Song clans most prestigious music hall. Since most businesses were concluded over banquets and feasts, the Song clans entertainers and delicacies were extremely famous.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 300: Hidden Currents [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The banquet within was designed in an antique style. The hall was divided into two partsthe pathway in between was paved with green jade and had been made, with an unknown method, to emit a flickering glow in the twilight. A group of twenty-odd dancers was moving elegantly amidst the music of bells and zithers, their exquisite and bountiful curvatures faintly discernible under the flying muslin. Add to that their charming and gentle expressions, they would not lose out even if there were no accompanying music. Zhao Junhong was seated at the leading table to the left and beside him was a tall man no more than thirty years of age. His bearing was calm and his facial expression resembled Song Zining a fair bit. He was the man they had mentioned just a while ago, Song Zicheng. The great hall was already half full, filled with people of all descriptions and relatives both close and distant. This place was a public venue where the music troupe performed and not reserved by a single person. But even then, those who could sit at the front were all direct descendants of the Song clan, or at the least people from powerful branches. Song Seventh Young Master, known for his love of beauties and wine, was a frequent customer of the music hall. He had long since been spotted by a servant who ran over to guide them in. At this time, the singing and dancing came to a pause. The dancers split into two groups and performed salutations toward the seats on each side. The hall was filled with cheersthe mens eyes lit up as they swept their gazes over the ladies and began to make idle comments. Qianye and Song Zining arrived at a certain empty seat without drawing much attention. Song Zinings eyes immediately lit up as he swept his gaze toward the stage. So this is the batch of little beauties trained by Zhiyuan? Interesting indeed. The guiding servant seemed as if he wanted to say something, but he happened to see a person rushing in from the entrance just as he turned around. Seventh Young Masters eyesight is comparable to a torch. Look, sir, Young Master Zhiyuan has arrived. The person who had just arrived was a young man in his twenties with a cheerful and frank demeanor. This was precisely the younger son of Honorary Duke Gu, Song Zhiyuan. The kid Qianye had met at the entrance to the armory was his sister. The three of them sat down together after Song Zining introduced the two. Song Zhiyuan immediately began to praise the group of dancers he had trained. He immediately beckoned for two of them to come over and pour wine for them. His attitude was fairly enthusiastic and didnt neglect Qianye just because he was a mere guest warrior. This went to show that the personal relationship between Song Zhiyuan and Song Zhining was quite close. Qianye felt the scene to be a tad too noisy and his nose was filled with all types of fragrances. The perfumes used by the Song clan dancers were all high-quality items and were, without exception, faint, natural, and alluring. They absolutely couldnt be spoken of on equal terms with the cheap cologne worn by the women in those little taverns on Evernight Continent. After some time, the pleasant fragrance almost seemed to penetrate deep into the marrow, making one feel intoxicated. On one side, Song Zining was in high spirits as he teased the little beauty. Soon, the group shifted the target of their jests to Qianye. A dancer with a beautiful purple chrysanthemum pinned to her hair stood with her back toward Qianye. She then flipped back as if her soft waist had no bones in it and delivered the wine cup held steadily in her mouth toward Qianyes lips. Not only Song Zining and Song Zhiyuan, but even those from the nearby tables were cheering. At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was gradually heating up. The group of dancers had dispersed toward the various tables to pour wine and were using various methods to urge the guests to drink, giving rise to bursts of laughter from time to time. Qianye smiled as he reached out to take the wine cup from the dancers mouth and drained it in one gulp. Song Zining couldnt help but perform a facepalm and say, Why would you use your hands for this? The dancer who passed Qianye his drink was still maintaining her posture. But at this moment, she suddenly movedher slender waist extended sideways with great dexterity and actually kissed Qianye who was just within reach on the forehead. Song Zining couldnt help but slap the table as he broke into a laughter. He reached out to drag Qianye by the shoulder and said, Good brother, dont betray the ladys grace. The dancers lips were quite soft, and quite unexpectedly, there werent any intense external fragrances on her body. That which assaulted the nostrils was first the scent of the Dahlia in her hair, followed then by a wisp of alcohol. Expedited by the girls vivacious aura, the two came together to form a distinct spirit which made ones blood flow faster. Qianye didnt hate this kind of tipsy feeling. He reached out to hold the dancers chin and immediately gave her a kiss. The lady let out a moan and sent her supple waist backward until she actually landed on Qianyes lap. Her lips and tongue were offered with great passion as they intertwined and partook of each other. Suddenly, Zhong Junhong stood up from the leading table and raised his wine glass at Song Zining. The latters eyes flashed as he cheerfully reciprocated the gesture and emptied his cup. Zhao Junhong then turned back and began to chat with Song Zicheng beside him. This small action had, in truth, entered the eyes of many. The relevant parties were already aware of the incident that took place this afternoon on the way to Enlightenment Manor. Even Song Ziqi, who had left some men to observe the entire process from afar, had no idea what had just happened. That servant only saw Zhao Jundu and Song Zining exchange a few words without any obvious movement before the latters guest warrior had thrown a punch forward, whereupon he was promptly obstructed by Zhao Junhong. After that, Song Zining and his guest warrior turned to leave. But no one dared to carelessly judge if a person was friend or foe just from this. The Zhao clans fourth young master possessed a notorious temper. Throughout the years, all who had heard even a little bit about him would know that it was best not to join in even if he were confronting someone else because he might actually beat the newcomer first before killing his enemy. In comparison, Zhao Junhong seemed like a good person since he was, at most, merely condescending and arrogant. As such, no one mocked Song Ziqi for withdrawing even though he had gone to stir up trouble for Song Zining and had, instead, taken a loss in public. Although it was normal for those of the same clan to stand up against outsiders regardless of their infighting, not many among the younger generation of the Song clan had the guts to do so against the Zhao clan brothers. Song Zhiyuan whispered in Song Zining''s ear with an extremely soft voice, The Zhao second young master seems to view you favorably! Song Zhiyuan had already witnessed the grand occasion of Zhao Junhongs arrivalit was an honor if that second young master even gave one a glance, to speak nothing of a proactive greeting. Song Zining only smiled without responding. Under the Song clans current circumstances, a favorable impression could only be considered a mixture of fortune and calamity. The gesture was just enough to make up for Zhao Jundus ineffable ambush since the latter made no move to promote him or affect him in any way. Zhao Junhong had always been mediocre in his fame, but after numerous dealings with him, Song Zining found that this Zhao clan second young master shouldnt be underestimated. His manners were always controlled and appropriatethis was a definitely a far-sighted person. At this time, Zhao Junhong left the table and walked out of the side door alone. Song Zining also stood up and left the great hall. Letting go of the dancer in his arms and playfully stroking her long silky hair, Qianye turned around with a pensive gaze. Meanwhile, the dancer, panting and with fiery eyes, remained latched onto him like a pond of spring water. The moon was at its brightest outside, its soft hazy light scattering to the ground amidst the exquisitely decorated plants and origin lamps of the courtyard. Song Zining walked to the end of an isolated alleyway and smiled as he saw Zhao Junhongs figure appear. Brother Junhong, do you have anything to say to me? Suddenly, autumn seemed to pervade the air around them as several fallen leaves gradually fluttered down. All sound had been isolated by the domain of the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. Zhao Junhong didnt seem at all uneasy just because he was standing in another persons domain. Youve reached such a level even before the champion rank. It wont be wrong to say that youre the number one character in the Song clan. Unfortunately, time isnt on your side. Song Zining was somewhat startled but soon replied with a smile, So it turns out, Brother Junhong is here to talk about my affairs? Zhao Junhong said, If you are willing, you can marry any lady from the Zhao clans side branches. Even Zhao Yuying isnt impossible either. Zhao Yuying was born to a side branch of the Zhao clan, but her talents were reportedly just below Zhao Ruoxi and the fourth young master. A chill suddenly ran down Song Zinings back and his hands actually began to sweat. In truth, this was the third time he had received a wedding offer, and it seemed the propounders had all ignored his engagement to someone from a landowning class. But this wasnt a good thing either, because it meant that these people were also ignoring the Song clans will. Even though the attitude of those individual aristocrats couldnt indicate anything special, the significance behind Zhao Junhongs sudden offer was completely different. One had to know that Zhao Yuyings position in the Zhao clan could only be higher and not lower than Song Zinings status in his own clan. Bringing her up for this marriage offer was, without a doubt, not for her to marry into the Song clan. Since Zhao Junhong had spoken so directly that Song Zining was already short on time, those words had to have a reason behind them. After a moment of silence, Song Zining spoke with an unmoved expression, Zhao Second Young Master truly favors me. This is also my fourth brothers opinion, Zhao Junhong was smiling just as before, I shall take my leave on the morrow to attend to the many clan matters. As such, its best we dispel the misunderstanding between us as soon as possible. He paused for a moment and said with a flash of melancholy, Fourth Brother only wishes for Qianye to be safe. Its just that his way of handling things is a bit impetuous. I hope Zining can understand. Song Zining suddenly broke into a laughter. Let me tell Brother Junhong a story. About half a year ago, I helped Qianye kill one of his enemies, a brigadier general and division commander of the Evernight Continents expeditionary army. He was known to be of common origins and it was also thus recorded in the armys files. But in truth, he was a bastard son of the head of the Huaiyang Martial Family. At this point, both Song Zining and Zhao Junhong suddenly turned around to see Qianye walking through the small alley toward them. Song Zining only nodded at the latter and opened the domain to let him in. He then continued his words. That person single-handed established a city, which shows just how talented he was. Later on, he somehow found out about his own origins and established contact with the main family. In any case, we found, when we moved against him, that the transactions under his governance were all closely tied to the three branches of the Huaiyang Martial Family. Qianye was somewhat startled after hearing this. It turned out Song Zining was talking about Wu Zhengnans case. Actually, the situation wasnt at its worst when his forbidden transactions with the dark races were being investigated. But, the Huaiyang Martial Family maintained complete silence and cut off all trade routes rapidly. Theres something even more interesting. Even though the Huaiyang Familys secret arts and techniques are just so-so, theyre still an aristocratic family. But not only did he not obtain any inheritance from the family, but on the contrary, he was forced to seek bloodline amalgamation from the vampires in order to repair the hidden injuries brought about by the Combatant Formula. In the end, he fell to the dark side completely. The scene was suffused with a stifling sensation as Song Zining finished speaking. Zhao Junhongs expression changed several times before be smiled ruefully and said, I think I understand what you mean.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 301: The Most Profound Take the Simplest Forms [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] After bidding Zhao Junhong farewell, Song Zining and Qianye didnt return to the hall. They didnt drive either and, instead, walked along the main path up the mountain. Looking back from halfway up the mountain, the crystalline Lan River was gleaming under the moonlight like a dancer''s wide sleeves. There were lanterns scattered all over the place from the Cloud Mountains to all the way to the riverbank. It was truly a flourishing and magnificent landscape. Suddenly, a beam of purple flames flashed through the night sky and approached rapidly. Even the air began to churn akin to the ripples formed when a roof tile hit the surface of the water. Qianye took one step forward and stood in front of Song Zining after seeing the flames. Zhao Jundu landed ramrod straight at a point several steps away and said coldly with a frosty expression, What ability does a mere Song Seven have that youre willing to be ordered about by him? Qianye frowned and said slowly, Zhao Fourth Young Master, I dont know what youre misunderstanding here. If we have to calculate benefits between Song Zining and me, then I owe him my life in the first place. Whats more, did you think I will allow anyone else to easily influence me? Song Zining sighed and couldnt help but say, I heard all those who have come of age in the Zhao clan must enter the battlefield. Even if Qianye is willing to go back with you, are you going to prevent him from fighting his whole life? Is this trying to protect him or harm him? Zhao Jundu didnt reply after hearing this and momentarily closed his eyes in silence. He then opened his eyes and looked intently at Qianye. One year. If you dont come by that time, Ill come looking for you. Additionally, youll never see that crystal disk again. Qianye inhaled deeply. His fingertips were trembling, but he made no sound. Zhao Jundu didnt wait for Qianyes reply as he turned his cold gaze toward Song Zining and said, Song Zining, theres something you might not know yet. Zhang Boqian will challenge the Grand Duke of Profound Order. This news will spread across the empire in a months time. Song Zining was suddenly shaken and his expression changed precipitously. The Grand Duke of Profound Order was from the imperial lineage and also one of the four heavenly monarchs of the human race. It was precisely because the four grand dukes were holding the fort and standing in opposition to the dark race great monarchs that the empire was able to keep the general situation under control. Now that Zhang Boqian intended to challenge the Great Duke of Profound Order, it was a major event that would shake the empires internal structure regardless of the outcome. Whether he won or lost, Zhang Boqian had a good chance of becoming the fifth heavenly monarch as long as he displayed fighting strength rivaling that of the Grand Duke of Profound Order. The Song clan would inevitably come under pressure once Zhang Boqian advanced to the rank of heavenly monarch even if Duchess An could keep things under temporary control. This news could be considered earth-shattering. Even someone as subtle as Song Zining was greatly affectedhis mind went completely vacant for a moment. By the time he had collected his thoughts, Zhao Jundu had long since left. Lets go, Song Zining called out. His voice had unexpectedly turned hoarse. As such, Qianye and Song Zining continued up the mountain. The latter broke the unbearable silence only after a good while. Qianye, have you ever thought about your future path? If theres only one path, then Ill walk straight ahead. If there are many paths, Ill choose one and walk forward all the same. How will you choose? Ill choose a path that leads to results. What if you cant tell which one you desire? Then Ill pick the closest one. After ending this almost pointless conversation, Song Zining suddenly broke into a laughter. Living beings wallow in complexities, but the most profound take the simplest forms. The path has always been there. It seems Im the one overthinking things. Now that he thought of it, there had never been many options in Qianyes life. So why was he, on the contrary, feeling lost despite the choices he had? Qianye, since youve said so yourself, you have two choices before you now. Pick one! Song Zinings voice was once again cheerful. Whenever he spoke such words, Qianye would usually encounter nothing good. Qianye looked up and found that they had already arrived at the main doors of the Deep Cloud Hall. Two identical and beautiful young ladies had emerged from the side-courtyard and were bowing toward them in greeting from under the porch. Their long raven-dark hair fell toward their chest to reveal a segment of dazzling white skin on the nape of their necks. This pair of young ladies resembled one another even more than Lil Seven and Nine. Additionally, they had received professional trainingtheir every frown, every smile, every little action, and even their voices were exceptionally uniform. It was as if the two were one and the same. It seemed as though the beholder were drunk and seeing double images. Qianye felt his temples aching. Could it be that this fellow was planning for them to take one each? Song Zining laughed mischievously. Ive never used Sixteen and Seventeen before, but, according to the teacher at Hidden Springs, their only difference is on bed. Qianye suddenly felt a sense of approaching danger. Without giving him time to dodge aside, a powerful force came in from behind and pushed him into a pile of soft, fragrant jade. The two ladies clung onto Qianye after seeing Song Zinings gesture and embraced him tightly between them. At this moment, under such circumstances, Song Zining would never allow Qianye to shrink back. Moments later, the sounds of battle rang out from the inner and outer rooms of the main building which were separated only by a curtain. As expected, although Sixteen and Seventeen were identical down to their speech, the wonderful sounds they were making at this moment were rather different. One was like a black-naped oriole, her voice mellow, clear, and from time to time, rising high into the clouds. The other was like continuous silken thread, with a deep and winding voice akin to the waves crashing on the river shore under a moonlit spring nightone wave hadnt even died out when the next had already arisen. As this intense and chaotic battle was going on, the origin power lamps were as bright as day within the command room of a majestic fort towering over the rebel-controlled Serene South Province on the Western Continent. Lin Xitang was standing before a long table with his hands behind his back and gazing attentively at the sand tablehe had just sunk into an episode of prolonged reflection. There was an old-fashioned wooden box placed at a corner of the long table. Its craftsmanship was rather crude, but the material was fairly sturdy. This was one of Lin Xitangs personal items, something he would put on his desk no matter where he went. Someone had once gotten a glimpse of the contentsthe box was filled with damaged name tags quite similar to those used by the army. Many of them were badly damaged, each carrying traces of burnt powder and flames. Lin Xitangs expression suddenly changed as he walked over and pushed open the balcony window. His figure then leapt into the sky and rose into the ash-grey firmament amidst the flowing moonlight, his silver hair fluttering in the wind. A giant cloud, covering hundreds of square meters in diameter, was slowly revolving hundreds of meters in the air. A certain person was sitting at its center with one leg extended and the other flexed. His natural posture made it seem as if it were solid ground beneath him and not empty air. That person raised his head and swallowed a large mouthful of wine, a small amount of the scarlet fluid flowing down the sharp outline of his chin. He suddenly tossed the bottle out with an extremely unruly manner. Lin Xitang stood just outside of the cloud. He reached out to grab the incoming wine bottle and took a large gulp out of it before hurling it back. That persons voice seemed to have a certain attractiveness to it as he let out a muffled laugh. The vampires have nothing good, but their history is long enough. Theyre the only source, apart from the imperial palace, where we can find such high-quality 500-year-old liquor. Lin Xitang let out a faint smile and said, Congratulations on Marshal Zhangs further accomplishments. Zhang Boqian slowly stood up. This legendary character, famed as one of the Empires Twin Paragons, possessed an imposing stature and a staunch appearance. Every contour of his was suffused with a precipitous intent resembling steep cliffs and perilous peaks. The most impressive was his pair of brilliant phoenix-like eyesfull of spirit and accompanied by a terrifying pressure capable of overturning the heaven and earth. Youve stayed in this damned place for two years. Is it really that interesting? Lin Xitangs expression was calm, without the slightest bit of fluctuation. There are certain difficulties with the ongoing war. Fortunately, theres been some progress with the conflict on Evernight Continent. Zhang Boqian laughed mockingly. Mere roaches! How difficult can they be? Give me a month and I promise Ill leave none alive. Lin Xitang restrained his emotions and said, This is my theater of operations. If Marshal Zhang has an opinion, please petition the imperial first before commenting on it. Why the need for these half-truths, Marshal Lin? Arent you hanging tightly onto this place in order to escape the terrible mess at the Endless Palace? Everyone Great waves arose in Lin Xitangs calm eyes as he cut Zhang Boqian short with a stern voice. Marshal Zhang! An all-encompassing lightning seemed to flash through Zhang Boqians phoenix eyes as the clouds surrounding him suddenly began to stir. Then, he gradually calmed down and said in a dull tone of voice, Let it be, lets not talk about this anymore. This time, Im here to give you a big present. Lin Xitang was somewhat alarmed. Dont you have a high demand for the rare medicines produced from the Song clans Vega Meadow in the Great Maelstrom? Go ask for more a month later, and Song Zhongnian will offer them to you with both hands. Their defensive capabilities will soon become insufficient for guarding their outlying realms. Song Zhongnian was precisely the current Song clan lord. Additionally, the Great Maelstrom where the Vega Meadow was located wasnt connected to the Song clan domain, and its normal defenses required more military power than their primary domain. Lin Xitang frowned as he waited in silence. He knew, from Zhang Boqians words, that there must be a continuation. Zhang Boqian then said, Ill challenge the Grand Duke of Profound Order in one month. Li Xitang went silent for a moment before saying, Congratulations, Marshal Zhang, on your breakthrough to the heavenly monarch realm. Zhang Boqian was completely devoid of fear and restraint, regarding even the majestic imperial court as though it were an uninhabited place. Anything he had decided, he would see through to the very end. But it was this unwavering self-important attitude that had actually cultivated his brilliant momentum and power. Zhang Boqians odds of winning were high in this challenge against the Grand Duke of Profound Order. Li Xitang sighed in his heart after thinking about the Song clan. As one of Zhang Boqians biggest political rivals, the Song clan might really draw closer to him if the latter were to become the fifth heavenly monarch. Why has your Art of Heavens Mystery paused at the realm of celestial splendor? Since youve already deduced the sixty-year-cycle horoscope back then, you should already have known that my path is the correct one. Li Xitang smiled faintly and said, Our paths were never the same. Didnt we deduce the heavenly mysteries so that we can defy the heavens? Otherwise, whats the use of such an ability? Why should I become a puppet of the heavenly dao? Zhao Boqian was suddenly shaken. He had never imagined that this former Yellow Spring schoolmate and imperial marshal, whose divination arts were celebrated as the best in this world, was actually walking such a path. Why?! Since Ive received His Imperial Majestys trust, I can only devote myself to the empire unto my dying breath. Whats this empire to you? Zhang Boqian asked slowly. With a wave of his sleeve, the clouds were immediately torn into wads of flying cotton. Following which, they were rapidly stained with a layer of ash-grey as if they had been soaked in ink. It seemed as though the sky over this region were spinning as a gigantic dark vortex began to form and sweep over Lin Xitang. The latter extended his hands, and immediately after, the dark clouds lit up for a brief moment as specks of starlight flickered through them. It was as if a small meteor belt had shuttled down from the top of the world. Stars fell like rain into the great vortex where Lin Xitang stood ramrod straight and as sharp as an unsheathed blade. It felt as if he would never bend even if he were broken in two. Zhang Boqian suddenly took a deep breath and, with a wave of his hand, swept away the clouds to reveal the moon. The world regained its previous calm as if nothing had ever happened here. His pair of phoenix eyes was full of untamed cruelty as he said, Ill wait and see how your imperial path turns out! He then turned around and disappeared into the distant sky. Lin Xitang watched as the mans figure disappeared, his clear eyes reflecting the heaven, earth, and stars. Among the ways of myriad living beings, the only thing to be feared was a lack of conscience.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 302: Aggregation [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] There was already a strand of dawn on the horizon by the time Qianye walked out of the room. He swept over the small courtyard with his True Sight, and as expected, he could clearly see wisps of white mist flowing out from the man-made decorations at the four corners. Moreover, they were somewhat denser than the naturally occurring daybreak origin power. Afterwards, Qianye began his busy day. First, he went to the depository. The section open to the guest warriors was related to basic theories and low-grade cultivation arts, so there werent too many people here. Normally, most warriors who had reached rank-nine, even those of humble origins, already had certain opportunities to learn special cultivation arts. As such, they had little interest in those basic items. But as it happened, Qianye was lacking in basic theory. He was currently cultivating both daybreak and darkness origin powersthe opposing attributes were existing together under the effects of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll and didnt obstruct his progress. But compared to the secret techniques held by those aristocratic descendants, his technique in origin power utilization was a blank slate, just like a toddler learning to talk. Taking the Combatant Formula as an example, he could steadily push past 45 tides during cultivation, but in battle, he could only fire off 35 in an instant. Meanwhile, his resonance with the origin power in the environment was completely dependent on instincts. Unlike Zhao Jundu and Song Zining, he couldnt draw upon natural origin power to form a fixed domain. Qianye stayed at the depository for an entire morning, browsing through various types of basic origin power theories. These were things the Song clan descendants had to learn at a young age before formally practicing secret arts and combat techniques. As such, almost no one came to the corresponding bookshelves, but Qianye benefited greatlymany topics became clear to him at once. The entire process was fairly smooth and the steward of the depository even made two copies for him. They didnt need Song Zining for such a privilege as the personal guard in charge of guiding Qianye could settle it on his own. Additionally, Qianye also found a book on two-handed sword basic techniques. It could be said that his rewards were quite bountiful. Planning to use all of the remaining time on cultivation, Qianye headed to the Song clans cultivation grounds with the personal guard. Although he was already mentally-prepared, he couldnt help but become momentarily astonished at the sight. The largest centralized cultivation grounds Qianye had seen was at the Yellow Springs Training Camp which could accommodate hundreds of cultivators. However, the cultivation chambers there were no more than rows of metallic longhouses resembling a barracks. But the grounds before them occupied half a hillside and an entire valley floor, an even wider area than Yellow Springs. Every chamber occupied a wide area and was built upon an incomparably enormous origin array. There were two kinetic towers, dozens of meters in height, supplying the energy required for its operation. A faint blue glow emerged in Qianyes eyes as he glanced over with the Eye of Truth. He found that the basic structure of each origin array was quite similar outside and only their sizes were different. He saw that the core of the array was located in a windowless stone room at the cornera number of disciples hauled an entire crate of black crystals into it and soon brought out a crate full of depleted stones. Dense origin power flowed out from the stone room and transitioned, layer by layer, through the origin arrays. They were purified and transformed until finally entering the cultivation chamber as daybreak origin power for the cultivator to absorb. When the personal guard brought Qianye to register, the young lady in charge of handling the procedure gazed intently at Qianye and seemed unable to ignore him at all. Qianye was startled, but before he could ask, the young lady chuckled and said, Its nothing! I was just curious and I wanted to see what kind of person can actually make the seventh young master bring out an entire years quota. The whole year? Qianye glanced at the register and found that he was listed for three days. The young lady raised her chin and said, The Song clans cultivation ground isnt of a low quality like the dojos outside. There are only seven sky-grade cultivation chambers, sometimes used by the elders. Seventh Young Master has three days to his name and this is far beyond any other person. The other young masters and mistresses get only one day per year. Some dont even get any at all! While saying this, the young lady and the personal guard nearby both revealed envious expressions. They two of them were both surnamed Song, but their bloodlines were relatively thin. Not to mention a sky-grade cultivation chamber, they didnt even have the right to use the earth-grade and man-grade ones which were slightly lower in rank. The young lady brought Qianye to the sky-grade cultivation chamber. Along the way, he observed the facility with his Eye of Truth and found that, in terms of origin power density, earth-grade cultivation chambers were ten times that of man-grade, while sky-grade was dozens of times more. Converted into black crystals, the volume of consumption was huge! Qianye finally understood why there were only seven such cultivation chambers even with the Song clans wealth. The young lady pushed open the doors to a small walled courtyard and pointed to the cultivation chamber at its center. Were here, she paused for a moment, but couldnt help but add, its unfortunate that youre not yet at rank nine. Otherwise, the sky-grade cultivation chamber is most helpful for breaking through to the champion rank. According to the elders, the chances would be increased by as much as ten percent! Ten percent! Qianye was astonished. One had to know that there were hundreds of millions of fighters, but to most of them, rank-nine was the peak of their lives. Less than one out of ten thousand would be able to successfully condense their energy into a vortex and truly step onto the path of a champion. Less than ten percent of clan disciples were able to break through to the champion rank despite their exceptional bloodlines, proper nurturing, and solid financial support. This meant that this sky-grade cultivation chamber was actually able to raise their chances of a breakthrough by more than twofold. Unfortunately, the Song clans younger generation descendants were declining in talent even though they possessed such resources. The young lady explained all the facilities to Qianye one by one and then tapped lightly on the purple bell outside of the courtyardthe clock had started ticking. After the young lady left the compound, Qianye removed his armor, entered the limestone cultivation chamber, and sat down cross-legged. The mist inside was so dense that one could hardly see his own fingers. There were neither windows nor vents hereit turned out that the vapors were gushing out directly from the limestone on the walls and floor. At this moment, Qianye didnt even need to activate his Eye of Truth to know that this wasnt vapor, but instead extremely dense daybreak origin power. The energy aggregation array in the Deep Cloud Hall paled in comparison. Qianye reached out to touch the floor and found that, although the limestone appeared coarse, it actually possessed a soft, warm, and gentle texture. This wasnt stone at all! It was the legendary Green Sun Warm Jade. Most aristocratic clans would use them to make cushions for cultivation and meditation. A palm-sized piece was already priceless, but the Song Clan had covered an entire cultivation chamber with it. Qianye wouldnt have imagined the Song clan would actually have such a foundation if he hadnt seen it for himself. Similarly, although the other three great clans werent known for their wealth, it could be presumed their accumulations over hundreds of years wouldnt be too different. Qianye suddenly thought of Evernight Continent where a silver coin was a colossal amount a scavenger had likely never seen in his life, and a dozen-odd gold coins would be enough to make hunters and mercenaries risk life and limb. Those who would be counted as geniuses of the landowning class like Gu Liyu and Ye Mulan would stop at nothing to form a marriage relationship with the great clans. There was no fairness to speak of in this world, even in nature. Exuberant darkness origin power filled one''s lungs at all times while daybreak life forms had to struggle to survive in between the gaps. Qianye collected his thoughts and began to cultivate. The core of his current cultivation were the Glory and Mystery Chapters of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll in which he had achieved an initial balance. Darkness origin power was derived from blood energy which could be continuously replenished as long as he kept killing. This was an accelerated pathhe didnt have to worry about the progress. On the contrary, he had to control his essence blood absorption to avoid taking in an excessive amount of blood energy and breaking the fragile balance. Comparatively, he had no other shortcuts for daybreak origin power and could only rely on cultivation. This had actually become the weak link. Even though Qianyes combatant formula had reached an astonishing 45 cycles, it still couldnt compare to the convenience of killing and absorbing essence blood. This was perhaps a reflection of the difference in cultivation as a whole between humans and the dark races. Taking a deep breath, Qianyes heart became as concentrated as still water. At this moment, the daybreak origin power density here had reached a point where it was visible to the naked eye. His breath drew in everything like a whale devouring the ocean watersthe vapors not only flowed in from his mouth and nose but also seeped into his body through his skin. Within the blink of an eye, the daybreak origin power within the chamber was completely exhaustedhe had actually absorbed all of it. It turned out that the sky-grade cultivation had such a benefit! Dense clouds of daybreak origin power filled Qianyes body to the brim. Even his muscles felt some pain after his bones and limbs were flooded with intense origin power pressure. It was fortunate that Qianye had to go through unimaginable barriers when he first cultivated the Combatant Formula and this kind of pressure was nothing to him. The Glory Chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll kicked into action, gradually circulating the daybreak origin power within Qianyes body and forming it into a vortex. A drop of milky white daybreak origin power was formed at its center. The drop eventually grew bigger and finally took form as all the daybreak origin power in his body was used up. It dripped down from the center of the vortex and fell into his sea of energy. At that split second, it seemed as though the entire world was filled with the sound of a drop of water falling into the sea. Qianye couldnt help but tremble all over as he instinctively spat out a beam of milky-white qi. It took the shape of an arrow, flew directly at the opposite wall, and actually bore a small finger-sized hole through it! Exhalation like an arrowthis was precisely a sign of attaining a higher level as described by the Glory Chapter. Reaching this step meant that his origin power had reached a certain level of density. Aggregating energy into a vortex to break through to the champion level was now only a matter of time. His success would naturally follow when the conditions were right. Qianye slowly opened his eyes. The room was, once again, filled with vapor. Strands of daybreak origin power continuously seeped through the four walls, and before long, it became tangibly dense. Qianye shot a glance at the clock and found that it hadnt even been one hour yet. He got up, moved his muscles around, and also practiced one round of the military use combat arts. Seeing that the daybreak origin power was once again as heavy as rain, he got seated once again and swept all the daybreak origin power clean with a whale-like breath. He then closed his eyes and concentrated on purifying it. An hour later, Qianye spat out an arrow once again. All of the daybreak origin power had been condensed into a drop of milky fluid and collected into his sea of qi. Cultivating for one hour here was equal to the greater half of the month outside. And this was compared to Qianyes 45 tides in the Combatant Formula. At this point, Qianye was completely assured. He would definitely rely on daybreak origin power to achieve victory in the arena under the gazes of all the spectators. It was best he refrained from using blood energy if he could help it. Otherwise, there were many experts among the spectators, especially Duchess An, and there was no guarantee he wouldnt slip-up under their discerning eyes. Now, the effects of the sky-grade cultivation chamber were so good that he even had the leisure to thoroughly comprehend the basic theories he had learned this morning and also practice some two-handed sword techniques in passing. Just like that, a drop of milky fluid would fall into the nodes of his sea of qi every hour. Qianye no longer paid any attention to time and was completely immersed into the world of cultivation. However, the world outside the cultivation chamber was in chaos. Six out of the seven sets of sky-grade kinetic equipment were operating normally, but one of the kinetic towers was rumbling like thunder and spewing out large masses of white gas. Its operation speed had exceeded the critical point and was already bordering on danger.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 303: Chamber Robbing [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] This origin array being driven by this kinetic tower was exceptionally bright. There were beams of origin power surging up like waves and rushing torrentially toward the cultivation room at the center. A disciple in charge of odd-jobs ran out from the windowless stone room at the corner and shouted loudly, Quick! The black crystals have been used up again! Inform the warehouse quickly and withdraw another batch! Within the stone room, the disciple in charge of replacing fuel was pale and drenched in sweat. Presently, the black crystals would be drained of energy and turn white as soon as he put them in. An entire crate of black crystals had been used up in a short period of time. This disciple was sweatingthe fuel used in sky-grade cultivation chambers werent ordinary goods. Such high-purity energy grade black crystals cost many times more than the ordinary ones. The head steward on duty rushed over and, after seeing the rate of consumption, felt his facial muscles twitching. According to the current rate of consumption, this cultivation chamber would likely surpass the sum of the other six. Have you checked the energy condensation array? The elder was well experienced and immediately got to the important point. The disciple replied hurriedly, Ive already checked and found no problems. We all feel that such an abnormality almost almost The elder had long since lost his patience with the stammering boy, Speak! The disciple was shocked out of his wits and said quickly, It almost seems as if the person in the cultivation chamber is absorbing origin power at an excessive speed and the energy condensation array cant keep up the replenishment. Hence, the present situation. The elder glared angrily and said, Nonsense! How advanced is a sky-grade array? Such a situation wont occur even if it was an elder cultivating inside. Do you think Im muddled due to my age? You lot mustve damaged the origin array in your carelessness and refuse to admit! The disciple said with a bitter expression, How would we dare speak irresponsibly regarding such an important matter? Take a look, sir, and youll know what I mean! The elder personally inspected the stone room, wherein lay the core of the array, inside out and top to bottom. His expression immediately became quite odd as he said, This could it really be a replenishment insufficiency? Whos inside? I didnt hear anything about any revered elders coming over. Someone nearby replied, Its the seventh young masters Zining? The elder felt even more baffled. Not to mention a single seventh young master, even ten of him wouldnt drain so much origin power while cultivating. The disciple continued speaking, Guest warrior. He flipped through the record book in his hand and said, This person is called An Renyi. Hes 24 years old and a rank-eight fighter of unclear origin power attribute. Rank-eight?! The elders eyeballs almost fell out of his sockets. Absorbing origin power like this at rank-eight, does this person not want to live anymore? Such vast amounts of origin power would likely cause even ten of such rank-eight warriors to explode! But warriors participating in the examination likely wouldnt fake their rank because there was no way they could slip through. Additionally, the abnormal situation in this cultivation chamber had been going on for some time. If it really was a rank-eight warrior inside, there was no way he could withstand even a quarter of an hourhow could he have withstood until now? Just what kind of secret art was that person practicing to have brought about such an astonishing rate of consumption? The disciple saw the elders bewildered expression and said cautiously, Shall we call him out and check? Perhaps theres a leak in the origin array inside the room? His words were spoken without much confidence because they had already checked since the beginning and found nothing out of the ordinary in the courtyard. There werent any signs of a leakage at all. The elders expression fluctuated wildly before asking, Is the person inside alright? As if in response, the energy condensation array began to circulate wildly yet again. The disciple nearby who was in charge of replenishing black crystals rapidly switched out two rows of greyed out crystal residues. Apparently, the person inside was not only fine but had also begun a new cycle of cultivation. The elder clenched his teeth and said, Go and withdraw more black crystals from the warehouse and set the energy condensation array to overdrive. Never let it be said that our Song clan cant keep up with the consumption of a mere rank-eight fellow. And a guest warrior no less! Wont we lose all our face if this matter spreads out? The disciples nearby dispersed to perform their duties after receiving the instructions. Moments later, the radiance on the energy condensation array grew even brighter. Crates of black crystals were shipped out from the warehouse and poured into the array like flowing water. Fortunately, the energy condensation array calmed down after it was cranked up, making everyone sigh in relief. Qianye, who was in the cultivation chamber, had no clue about the turmoil outside. There were already a dozen-odd drops of daybreak origin power liquid within the nodes in his sea of qi. Presently, they had combined with the previously purified daybreak origin power to form an expanse of milky white. Under the impact of such a vast amount of origin power, his ninth origin node began to blossom with a soft light and its barrier was on the verge of collapse. Qianye felt that he could light up the final node after a couple of cycles. The benefits brought about by the sky-grade cultivation chamber had far surpassed his imagination, but he was already beginning to feel a vague sense of weariness. This was a sign of him approaching the limits of his cultivation session. Even a constitution as strong as his wouldnt be able to endure if he kept going and accumulated too much energy within a short period. Additionally, his daybreak origin power had finally surpassed his blood energy, so it was best not to over-cultivate for the moment. Qianye looked up to glance at the origin clock and unexpectedly found that time had passed much slower than he had imagined. If he stopped cultivating at this point, he could leave Song Zining with two days of cultivation time. He assessed his physical condition and decided to stop after completing the last two cycles. As such, he devoured all the origin power within the chamber and began refining in silence once again. At this moment, the sunlight outside was sprinkling down all over the plainsit was already noon on the second day. A group of people walked into the cultivation grounds. The leader was a tall and gloomy looking youth who seemed to be in his twenties. He was already a champion and his every movement was accompanied by an extraordinary temperament. As soon as the steward in charge of welcoming guests saw him, he ran out with a face full of smiles and welcomed the man with great passion, Its the Second Young Master! What can I do for you? Song Zian was second in seniority among the younger generation descendants of the Song clan. He was also ranked second as a successor. He had broken through to the champion rank even earlier than the eldest Song Zicheng and was considered number one among the younger generation in terms of combat strength. He had always been Song Zichengs most powerful rival. Song Zian nodded toward the steward and said, The examination is near at hand. I should also put some effort in. Open up a sky-grade cultivation chamber for me. I should have a fair bit of quota left, right? The stewards expression turned rather unsightly. This Second Young Master, Im truly sorry. All the sky-grade cultivation chambers are full. Full? Song Zian was quite surprised. The consumption rate for each activation of a sky-grade cultivation chamber was enormous, and as such, the quotas had never been abundanteven he only had about ten days this year. These chambers were usually empty, but unexpectedly, all of them were full today. It seemed many disciples had gritted their teeth to apply for a sky-grade chamber in preparation for the upcoming examination. It could be considered adding a little advantage. Song Zian asked with a disappointed expression, When is the earliest vacancy? The steward''s eyes darted about and suddenly said, Second Young Master, even for you, it won''t be convenient to have people in the other six chambers give way. But this one is rather interesting. Please take a look. The steward flipped the register to An Renyis page and handed it to Song Zian. Song Zians eyes gleamed as he swept through the data. Interesting. So its little sevens man inside. Heh, heh, hes truly generous. Song Zian returned to the document to the steward and said indifferently, Right now, the old ancestors birthday is close at hand. Some rules should be bent during such important periods. These cultivation chambers are top-grade resources of the Song clan and should be prioritized for use by Song clan descendants. Have little sevens man vacate that cultivation chamber. The steward said immediately, Ill handle things immediately! Please wait a while. Speaking of which, hes already been there for an entire day, it should be enough. The steward was just about to leave when Song Zian suddenly reached out to block him. No need. I want to see how this person, whos received such a favor from little seven, looks like. With that, Song Zian brought his subordinates and headed over to the sky-grade cultivation chamber area. This is bad! the steward secretly cried out in his heart. One had to know that the one in the room was the seventh young masters guest warrior. There was a good chance the and Song Zians men would face off in the examination. If Song Zian took this opportunity to wound or even beat him to death in great numbers, things would become quite big. Normally, a young master beating a warrior to death could be solved with compensation. But they were currently in the exam period and the names of these guest warriors had already been submitted. Since the old ancestor attached such importance to this examination, who would dare to do such a thing under her eyes? When the time came, Song Zian would likely push the blame onto his underlings, but he, as the steward, would have to take all the blame. The steward cried out in his heart. The seventh young masters reputation wasnt prominent. Even though he was favored by the old ancestor, favor and authority were ultimately different. The steward had just wanted to curry favor with the second young master since he knew the latter and seventh young master didnt quite get along. But if a major conflict arises, he wouldve brought trouble unto himself while trying to be clever. For a moment, he didnt know what to do and almost wanted to spin around on the spot. The other reception stewards looked at each other and sneered secretly, but only looked on with folded arms. One of them shot a knowing glance at one of the disciples who then slipped out from the side door. He immediately jumped onto a jeep and drove rapidly toward the Song clan direct descendants courtyard district. Song Zian paid no attention to what the group of stewards wanted to do and found his way to the relevant courtyard with his group in tow. Within the cultivation chamber, Qianye happened to be at a critical point in his refinement process. The drop of milky white fluid had taken form and the ninth origin node was continuously emitting a flame-like brilliance as if it were being immolated. This was an indication of imminent origin node ignition. As soon as he finished refining this mouthful of origin power, the ripples formed as it fell into his sea of qi would be enough to shatter the barrier around the node and allow Qianye to pass through the great threshold of a rank-nine warrior. It was at this moment that the doors to the cultivation chamber were violently pulled open and a domineering voice said, That fellow inside, come out. Stop cultivating! The abrupt shout startled Qianye and sent the origin power within his body into turmoil. The origin power slowly evolving within him like a vortex was immediately dispersed to all parts of his body, and that half-formed pure origin power was shattered. The overflowing origin power crashed ruthlessly into his internal organs. If not for the blood energy protecting them, he wouldve lost half his life under this impact. So much that even his origin nodes might have suffered damage and adversely affect his future achievements. Qianyes face turned instantly pale. He let out a muffled groan as a strand of fresh blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He slowly opened his eyes, a cold killing intent filling his obsidian pupils. The person who had shouted loudly had done this deliberately in order to agitate him during cultivation. The purple bell used specifically to rouse cultivators without causing damage was just at the door. Additionally, the doors to the cultivation room were made incomparably heavy to prevent people from accidentally opening them. It couldnt be easily opened unless the person had intentionally released the mechanism. A young man wearing a Song clan warriors outfit stood at the door of the cultivation chamber and sneered, You seem to be cultivating quite impressively. Come out quickly! What use does a rank-eight fighter have for a sky-grade cultivation chamber? Qianye got up slowly. At this moment, his chest was in grave pain and the smell of blood would rush up to his throat even with slight movements. After hearing the perpetrator mocking him, Qianye silently drew the grade-five origin gun he had just withdrawn from the armory. The man laughed coldly and said, This small gun looks quite interesting He hadnt even finished his words when he choked up as he made eye-contact with Qianye! He was being looked upon like a dead object, and the cold killing intent in the latters eyes was almost tangible.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 304: Decisions [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The young warrior went mute on the spot. He managed to force out a few words as he watched Qianye calmly put on his clothes and then walk toward the door. Dont be reckless! Our family our familys young master has something to say to you. He hadnt even finished his words when he ran scuttling toward the courtyard. Qianye walked to the door and saw that ten-odd people had arrived in this small courtyard, led by a tall youth. He had seen the relevant information and thus knew that he was the Song clans second young master, Song Zian. Yin Qiqis maternal lineage was attached to his branch of the Song clan. This person was one of the three champions of the younger generation and also recognized as first in combat strength. Song Zian sized Qianye up from head to toe and said nothing. It felt to him that even speaking a couple of words to his brothers subordinate was beneath him. A follower beside him said, So, youre the Seventh Young Masters guest warrior? Our second young master needs to use the cultivation chamber. Please vacate it! Afterwards, no matter how much compensation you want, well reward you. Qianyes fury completely calmed down at this point and his emotions were as calm as the water surface. Glancing at the crowd and recognizing the steward at the rear, he extended a finger and said, You, come here. The steward didnt dare speak directly after being picked out and said with an apologetic smile, Well, Steward An, you see that Second Young Master has his reasons for doing this. All of this is for the examination. So, why dont you switch to another room? After all, youve already cultivated for an entire day, right? Things like cultivation cant be rushed There were no fluctuations in Qinayes expression as he cut the steward short. Is my time up? The steward was immediately drenched in sweat and said with a salute, Well, there is indeed some time left The follower from Song Zians party who had spoken just now shouted in dissatisfaction. Brat, Second Young Master is waiting for your reply! Qianye ignored both the man and Song Zians somewhat unsightly expression. He only gazed fixedly at the steward and said calmly, Since my time isnt up, then why did someone open the cultivation chamber door? The steward forced out a few words. This I guess they were just a bit impatient. Please bring over the elder on duty. Qianyes tone was neither high nor low and was devoid of any fluctuations. Eh? Elder? The steward''s sweat fell like rain. I remember theres an elder on duty here every day. I wish to see the elder. The steward couldnt help but bow down and said apologetically, We dont need to alarm the elder with this small matter, do we? You have no right to decide whether or not this matter is small. Will you go and invite the elder or do I need to go myself? One of Song Zians followers could no longer endure. He stepped toward Qianye and said furiously, Brat, you dont want to be given face huh? Qianye lowered his gaze. Even under the cover of medicine, one could see that his hand on the gun had lost color and green veins were throbbing on the back. He inhaled deeply but ultimately decided not to act. Instead, he turned toward Song Zian and said coldly, Does a stately Song clan second young master not dare to meet an elder? Song Zian finally frowned and gestured for that follower to return. Youre called An Renyi, yes? This cultivation chamber is very important to me. How about this? State your terms and Ill grant them as long as theyre not too excessive. Qianye raised his brows at Song Zians words and was quite surprised. However, Qianye had no idea that Song Zian was actually forced into showing his weaker side due to the circumstances. He hadnt thought that a mere regional steward under Song Zining was actually so shrewd and ruthless in his conduct. He was neither servile nor overbearing, neither alarmed nor angry. So much that he hadnt even gotten into an argument with his subordinates and only demanded to see the elder. He had originally wanted to use the conflict as a pretext, but now his calculations had all gone awry. This way, the situation had become fairly tricky. Song Zians party was in the wrong in this matter. Regardless of who the on-duty elder today was, even if it was one who supported him, it would be very problematic if this matter was blown-up. Even if he and his followers could get off just fine, the steward absolutely wouldnt be able to escape the crime. He would certainly be sacked and investigated. No matter how mediocre Song Zining was, he was still the seventh young master of the Song clan. How easy would it be for him to cause trouble for a clan member without office? If such an incident came to be, who would be willing to express goodwill or work for him in the future? Qianye pondered in silence. He was fairly hesitant because the other party had come with great momentum but had turned soft in the end. He hadnt expected Song Zian to actually lower his stance like so. But this incident was clearly intentionalthey had done this deliberately in order to prevent him from entering the arena. How could Qianye be willing to let the matter drop like this? Song Zinings voice came through from afar just as the two parties were in a deadlock. Second Brother seems to be in high spirits today. Everyone glanced over and found Song Zining approaching swiftly with a number of followers. Among them was a burly man who quite resembled a steel-tower. He was an entire head taller than the others and every step he took would cause the ground the shake. He was surrounded by an almost tangible killing intent and his facial features seemed as if they were carved with knives and axes. After the steward turned around to see this kind of lineup, sweat fell from his forehead like rain and extreme regret welled up in his heart. The corner of Song Zians eyes twitched momentarily. He greeted Song Zining and then took the initiative to repeat the conditions he had given to Qianye. Song Zining had already walked to Qianyes side. His expression changed greatly as his gaze landed on the corner of Qianyes mouth and that trace of blood the latter had no time to wipe away. Killing intent immediately surged up from the bottom of his eyes. But his expression had normalized by the time he turned back to Song Zian and said with a smile, Its rare for Second Brother to be in such high spirits. This is a small matter. As long as Second Brother compensates us with twice the time quota afterwards, this cultivation chamber is yours. Song Zian broke into a frown and was immediately overcome by a major heartache. Usage rights for the sky-grade cultivation chamber could only be acquired by quota and converting contribution merits. This chamber was registered for two more days, so it would come down to four days after conversion. Even though he was already formally participating in clan affairs, this would amount to an entire half year of contributions. But Song Zian was also a decisive person. He knew that it was the most beneficial for him to immediately settle the matter at hand. Realizing from Song Zinings words that he had no intention to look into the matter of his guest warriors injury, the former immediately said, Seventh Brother is indeed considerate. Then its settled. With that Song Zian said to the steward, Transfer four days from my quota to Zinings name Ill do it immediately! Feeling lucky to have gained a new lease life, the steward immediately fled to handle the procedure. Afterwards, Song Zian once again said, Thank you, Seventh Brother, I visited the Sparkling Plains not long before and brought back a number of pretty good local produce. Ill have someone send them over to you soon. Song Zining only nodded with a smile and left the courtyard with Qianye in tow. As they reached the side of the jeep, he whispered, Who injured you? Point him out. Qianye indicated that young warrior who had pulled the cultivation chamber doors open. With a nod, Song Zining turned back and said, Song Ge. A follower stepped forward and said softly, That person is called Yue Feng. Hes born of a landowning household and is now a rank-seven fighter serving as a small unit leader in the Second Young Masters guard unit. Hes not a guest warrior in this exam. A wisp of ruthlessness flashed across Song Zinings forehead. Then dont let him live past this examination. Song Ge replied, His sister is the Second Young Masters concubine. If that woman is too talkative, just let her accompany the brother, Song Zining said calmly, then send two dancers to Second Brother. Song Ge responded, Yes, sir. At this moment, Song Zinings followers all arrived near the car. The burly steel-tower-like man walked over and opened the front passenger seat on Song Zinings car. Since he was able to sit in the same car as Song Zining, it was clear that his position wasnt low. The burly man crammed himself into the seat, shaking the car somewhat before saying in a hoarse voice, Young Master, are we leaving just like that? Are we letting that bastard off? Song Zining replied, An Renyi is wounded, so we must return right away. Remember their faces well. You know what to do if we meet them in the arena. Only then did Qianye understand that this burly man was actually Song Zinings other guest warrior, Gao Junyi. He was also the strongest under the champion level among Song Zinings warriors who werent of the surname Song. One look was enough to tell that he was an old veteran who had come from the battlefield, and it was unknown just how much blood was on his hands. The burly man laughed maliciously, Understood. Rest assured, Seventh Young Master. The injuries caused by disrupted cultivation had to be treated without delay. Otherwise, not only would it leave detrimental effects, but it was even possible to be crippled. Once both parties turned violent, the first thing that would happen was a delay in Qianyes treatment. And it wasnt even certain whether Song Zining could gain an advantage. That was the actual reason Song Zining had decided to endure the anger. Song Zining stuffed a tube of medicine into Qianyes hand as the car began to move, Drink it. Well go back first and find someone to treat you immediately. Qianye glanced at the label on the tube: Origin Power Restoration Medicine Type-3. This was a special medicine used to treat a loss of origin power control and its price was astonishing. It was divided into three types, and the higher the number, the better the effects. The type-3 medicine in his hand was of the highest grade, something even champions wouldnt use lightly. This was probably something Song Zining had saved up for life-saving situations. Qianye felt a faint warmth in his heart. He returned the restoration medicine to Song Zining and said, Im fine. Ill recover after some rest. Theres no need to use such a medicine. Dont be careless! This is no ordinary injury. Itll affect your foundations if improperly handled. There was some anxiety in Song Zinings voice. Qianye extended his hand and said, Im really fine. Take a look and youll see. Song Zining grabbed Qianyes hand and focused on it. He then sent a wisp of origin power to probe the situation inside Qianyes body. As expected, origin power was flowing just as normalit was calm, steady, and only some of his organs showed signs of new injury. Only then was Song Zining reassured and his expression relaxed. In truth, Qianye could be considered fortunate. What he was circulating at the moment of disruption was the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. As such, the impact from his loss of origin power control was equal to the 45th tide of the Combatant Formula and the injuries werent severe. With his constitution, he could recover completely in one night even without any medicine. After the two returned to Deep Cloud Hall, Song Zining still couldnt relax and forced Qianye to soak into a physique restoration fluid for three hours. Qianyes injuries had fully healed when he woke up. He was still a hairs breadth away from breaking through to rank-nine, but the advancement was only a matter of time and not something to be overly worried about. Qianye clothed himself and walked out of the isolated room. There, he saw Song Zining sitting in the courtyard and bathing in the twilight glow. He seemed to be pondering over something with a cup of tea in his hand. The tea within had long since gone cold and there was even a leaf on its surface. However, Song Zining was totally unaware of it. He gulped down the tea in the cup as he heard the door open and turned to ask with a smile, Youre awake? Howre you feeling? Qianye replied, Im completely recovered. Song Zining got up and grabbed Qianyes hand to inspect the condition of his origin power flow. Afterwards, his smile grew brighter. Qianye glanced at him and suddenly asked, Anything troubling you? Song Zining shook his head, but after seeing Qianyes expression, he smiled ruefully and said, Is it that obvious? Qianye broke into a laughter. You even ate a leaf just now. Dont tell me thats how you cultivated your Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. Song Zining was stunned, then he rotated the teacup in his hand as if he had understood something and sighed. How did you see that? Mn, its actually not that big a case. Since I have no plan to become the clan lord, I should sell my chips for a good price and act without any restraints. This should prevent other people from thinking Im easily bullied and stepping all over me. Qianye was startled but soon realized the meaning. Youre going to form an alliance? Or perhaps speaking more precisely, submit to someone. But Song Zining really could obtain abundant remuneration by forfeiting his ranking in this examination. Song Zining nodded and said, Qianye theres no need to consider the effects itll have on me if you encounter my second or third brother in the examination. It doesnt matter even if you kill them. Ive never feared criticism about infighting. Normally speaking, it would be lucky for them to get away with their lives in the face of a champion. It was just that combat strength wasnt always decided by rank. Song Zian had long since become a rank-eleven championhe was equal in strength to a second-rank viscount and was perhaps a formidable opponent. Song Ziqi who had just crossed the threshold of a champion couldnt enter his eyes at all. Qianye frowned. Ive never heard you mention having any great animosity toward Song Zian. Is this because of me? Song Zining replied with a smile, Of course not, its for myself. He waved his hand and said, Im heading out to run some errands. Tell Song Ge if theres anything you need. Zining, Qianye called out to Song Zining who had just turned to leave, do you really have no intention to become clan lord? Song Zining gave it some thought and said with a serious expression, Zhao Junhong was right. I have no more time. Ill need at least ten years if I want to sit at the clan lords position. But neither the Song clan nor I can live through this ten-year trial. Additionally, an aristocratic family name is both an assistance and a restraint, and what I want has never been limited to such things. Qianye gazed intently at Song Zining and nodded after seeing no signs of reluctance.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 305: Price [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Within an external courtyard near the summit of Cloud Mountain, the eldest young master of the Song clan, Song Zicheng, sat upright behind a desk, looking through the examination register with rapt attention. An old man sat resting with his eyes closed in the elders seat on the right-hand side. Song Zicheng read everything in detail down to the last line before looking up with a smile. Ive troubled Sixth Great Uncle this time. I still want to look through these documents, so Ill return them to you tomorrow. Additionally, Ive prepared a small gift. Ill have someone deliver it to your residence shortly. The Song clan elder waved his hand while laughing. This is a small matter. Why the need for gifts? I watched you grow up, so theres no need to act like strangers. But you mustn''t be careless in this examination. You should also draw-in the other old fogeys. I heard Song Zian has come up with some wild schemes to drag you down from the favorite position. Hes determined to win this martial arts contest. Song Zichengs expression turned slightly more serious. However, he wasnt flustered and replied calmly, Rest assured, Sixth Great Uncle. I have the advantage in politics and the same goes for military strategy. He cant topple the general situation as long as Im not left too far behind in martial arts. The elder smiled while stroking his beard and said, You, Zicheng, have always been reliable in handling matters. Very well, I should avoid arousing suspicions before this exam, so I cant stay here very long. Sixth Great Uncle take care! Song Zicheng got up and personally sent the elder off to the gates before turning back. Song Zicheng summoned his trusted aides and advisors to begin studying this registry of examinees. The rules in this category of individual arena matches were an elimination system and the sequence of contestants hadnt been scheduled just yet. They were currently discussing how to exert some influence on this sequence. Song Zichengs contacts among the elders afforded him the convenience of making small modifications to the order of matches. This also meant that he could choose to avoid a certain person during the first couple of rounds or get his own warriors to face some weak opponents first. This would allow them to conserve combat power and snipe the powerful enemies later on. It was just that the arrangements had to be reasonable in public eyes and not too excessive. At this time, the group of advisors had looked through the name listthe rank-eight warriors stuck out like a sore thumb among the virtually uniform list of rank-nine warriors. Most of them were Song clan descendants who were participating in the examination, and Qianye was the only guest warrior at that rank. An advisor said while pointing at the documents, This An Renyi is only rank-eight. We should let one of our men meet him in the first round. Another advisor spoke, Its the Seventh Young Masters man? Thats odd, I heard he has brought together no small number of powerful experts outside. The three strongest under his command are known as the Three Tigers of Ningyuan. This time, only Gao Junyi, the leader of the three tigers, came, and he is indeed an expert. Could it be that this rank-eight An Renyi is even more powerful than the other two tigers? Another person said, I feel something odd here I think I heard someone say before that this An Renyi is in charge of certain grey businesses under the Seventh Young Master. This kind of person must have some special advantages. Song Zicheng said pensively, I heard there was some friction between Old Two and Little Seven at the cultivation grounds? It just so happened that the aide who had reported this matter was in the study. After hearing this, he said, Thats right. That An Renyi was also at the scene. The Seventh Young Master had given the man his quota for the sky-grade cultivation room. Numerous people in the room let out sounds of astonishment. Song Zicheng also raised his eyebrowsconflicts between brothers werent anything new. Back then, he had only listened to the general outline and didnt bother to ask the details. Only now did he realize there was such a case. He couldnt help but break into a laughter. So thats what happened. Bullying a guest warrior for no reason, what was Old Two thinking? He should still give Little Seven some face even if its because of the Yin family woman. So he wanted to cripple that An Renyi just because Little Seven cares about him? Old Two always flaunts himself as frank and outspoken when, in truth, hes the one whos always scheming. It was at this time that a personal guard hurriedly entered and whispered into Song Zichengs ears, The Seventh Young Master is here to see you. Zining? Whats he here for? Song Zicheng felt surprised. The relationship between him and Song Zining wasnt bad, but not especially close either. Basically, they had little dealings with one another, but their occasional cooperation while working on clan affairs could still be considered quite delightful. However, Song Zinings visit during such a critical period might have different implications. Song Zicheng instructed his guards to lead the guest to the reception pavilion in the front courtyard. He then pondered for a moment while tapping lightly on the table and said, What does everyone think? A certain advisor said hesitantly, Seventh Young Master has made quite a number of enemies recently. Theres been a lot of tension with the Second and Third Young Masters. Accepting a friend also meant accepting his enemiesthe advisors opinion was to keep things simple. Another person sneered. That makes it sound as if the Second Young Master wont fight for the first place anymore if we dont receive Seventh Young Master. Song Zians ambition for the successors position was known by everyone, and he had always been Song Zichengs greatest rival. The previous advisor argued, But the Second and Seventh Young Masters hostility arises from Yin Qiqi, and Seventh Young Master was in the wrong regarding that matter. At this point, everyone in the room wore ambiguous expressions. The advisor added, Besides, Yin Qiqi has the heir of Marquis Bowang behind her back. After the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt, Song Zinings successor ranking fell by two positions. Such a severe punishment wasnt due to Song Zians efforts, but an action taken by the Song clan to appease Yin Qiqi and Wei Qiyang, Marquis Bowangs heir. The contradicting advisor laughed even louder. Yin Qiqi and the Second Young Master are in-laws, and the same goes for Yin Qiqi and the heir to Marquis Bowang. Those people wont stand behind the Eldest Young Master even if there wasnt such an incident. Song Zicheng, who had been listening to the debate, extended his hand and gestured with a downward motion. Enough. All of you discuss the arena match sequences for now. Ill go and meet Seventh Brother. Although Yin Qiqi and the Wei clan heir have personal relationships with Second Brother, they cant affect the future of the clan. There wont be a problem as long as I hold this position firmly. The Song clans relationship with the Yin and Wei clans was one between two clans and could hardly be influenced by individuals, even if that individual was the clan lord. Otherwise, there would be no need to struggle for the successors positioneveryone could just compare their connections. Song Zicheng entered the reception pavilion and sent away his staff. Song Zining stood up and said, Eldest Brother, I feel that Ive always respected my elder brothers with sufficient respect and have never acted irreverently. But Second and Third Brothers actions are leaving me without even a place to stand! Song Zicheng could vaguely confirm Song Zinings intentions from this. Thus, he gently spoke a few words of consolation and then listened to Song Zinings story. Moments later, Song Zicheng gazed solemnly at this brother who was a fair bit younger than him and said, You mean that youll support me on the inheritance rights and also sweep away the opposition for me in this examination? Precisely. Song Zicheng picked up his teacup and said slowly while fiddling with it, Seventh Brother is quite confident! Song Zining replied with a smile, How would I dare come and find you if I dont even have this ability? Not to mention other aspects and merely speaking in terms of military strategy, it wont be a problem to defeat both Second and Third Brother even if they somehow joined forces. Song Zicheng slowly drank his tea in order to gain some thinking time. This mouthful of tea took a fairly long time, but he finally finished it. He then put down the teacup and asked casually, I heard Old Threes merchant caravan took heavy losses a while ago? There was a minor conflict, then, Third Brothers ambitious agents decided to outnumber and wipe out my men. But, in the end, his party was annihilated instead. I feel that Third Brother should train his people a bit more before bringing them out into public, lest he loses all face like that. Song Zicheng and Zong Zining didnt bring up Song Zian. Both of them were clear that the former and Song Zian were enemies with completely no chance of an alliance. Song Ziqi, on the other hand, was a different matter. Actually, the Song clans eldest young master was now faced with a choiceone was his third brother who had already stepped into the champion rank, while the other was his seventh brother who had only recently started to stand out. Song Zining lowered his gaze and focused on the steaming teacup in his hand. What does Seventh Brother have in mind? Song Zining had long since prepared for this. The assault airships produced by your Yuancheng Heavy Machineries are the top of their line among those of the same class. My Ningyuan Heavy Industries has recently built a number of industrial facilities, but unfortunately, we have no heavy heavyweight products. I hope Eldest Brother will transfer the technology to me. Additionally, you have a small number of mines on Evernight Continent. It must be quite troublesome for you to manage all the extraction and shipping. It so happens that your brother here can put them to good use. So, why not sell them to me at a discount, and Every condition that came out of Song Zinings mouth was of considerable value. They included technology, mines, and even two well-developed heavy truck production lines. Song Zicheng felt his heart sink with each conditionit hadnt sunk all the way to the bottom after Song Zining was done speaking, but it was already quite close. Seventh Brother, your asking price is a bit too high. Song Zining laughed. Even if we disregard the potential grand position of clan lord, the stability of your position as the favorite successor should be worth more than just these things. Additionally, your brother isnt one to destroy the bridge after crossing it. Ill help you reach the top in this examination and also stand with you in all clan affair disputes hereafter. Song Zicheng pondered for a good while before finally making the decision. He reached out and shook Song Zinings hand tightly. There was some weariness on Song Zichengs face as he saw Song Zining out of the reception pavilion. He smiled ruefully and said, My investment this time is truly big. Brat, you almost swept away the greater half of my family properties in one go. Song Zining smiled. Eldest Brother has great aspirations. How can such small personal estates enter your eyes? Our Song clan is lacking in many things. What we never lack is property. At this time, Song Zicheng suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said to the advisor who was standing near the door. Rearrange the sequence of the arena matches. Our men should be kept away from Seventh Brothers men as much as possible. The advisor was startled and couldnt help but ask, But what about that rank-eight? Song Zicheng waved his hand. Avoid. But, in any case The advisor only brought up this subject, but his true meaning couldnt be more obvious. A rank-eight warrior was virtually a forfeit, so why not give it to their own men? Song Zicheng, on the other hand, maintained a forthright temperament and had no interest in taking this small advantage. He was more concerned with Song Zinings feelings and immediately said with a frown, Its decided. No need to bring this up again. Song Zining heard this from one side and said with a smile, Eldest Brother is wise. After seeing Song Zining off, the eldest young master of the Song clan, for some reason, couldnt help but feel that his seventh brothers smile had another meaning to it, and that made him rather uneasy. Meanwhile, back in Deep Cloud Manor. Qianye had asked someone to open the drill grounds in the back courtyard and had arranged tens of steel training dummies in a tightly packed formation. This site was an enclosed space and wasnt very large. It became quite packed after stuffing so many dummies into it, and even swinging ones sword without touching anything was a struggle. Qianye drew the East Peak and began to size it up in detail.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 306: Commencemen t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The blade possessed no other special abilities apart from being especially heavy and sturdy. However, after a detailed observation, Qianye found the craftsmanship to be excellent and it was incomparably comfortable to wield. How could a sword with such exquisite design and craftsmanship have only East Peak as a special characteristic? Even if this East Peak was an upgrade version of the Sturdy characteristic, it still didnt feel very fair. With such good quality materials, this blade could hold at least four or five more origin arrays. Could this be a half-finished product? That was likely the only explanation for now, but how could the Song clan keep a half-finished product in their armory? However, he felt somewhat unsure after recalling Elder Lus implicit words that day. After familiarizing himself with the nature of the sword, Qianye tossed the sheath to one side and stepped forth to perform a simple one-handed thrust. East Peak moved like the wind and brushed past a dummy. After which, Qianye thrust, slashed, swept, and cut through the air, sometimes holding the blade in both hands and at times in one. But the cutting edge of East Peak began to emit faint sounds of wind and thunder as Qianye struck with increasing speedit also became progressively difficult to control. Finally, Qianye lost control while switching from a cut to a thrust. His wrist trembled as the East Peak scratched one of the steel dummies. The lower half of this mannequin didnt move in the slightest, but its upper half suddenly collapsed into a pile of scrap metal! Qianye continued practicing. At this moment, East Peaks thrusts were as graceful as the wind, and a faintly discernible shadow flickered around its edge. The densely packed steel dummies would creak, groan, and crumple into a mass of scrap metal if they were grazed by the blade. The greater half of the dummies in the field had been destroyed after an entire hour of training. Only then did Qianye sheathe the sword and moved to the side of the field for a rest. He brought out the sword technique book he had copied from the Song clan depository and began to read in earnest. Additionally, he compared the information therein with the insights he had gained from personal practice. That basic-level sword technique book mostly described methods related to force application and sword strikes, which happened to suit Qianyes current needs. He had rarely used heavy weapons before back in Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion. Now, with the growth of his physique and strength, ordinary weapons were gradually becoming less handy for him. Sometimes, he would even have to snatch werewolf and arachne weapons on the battlefield, and he had to fight according to instinct all this time. It was said that one strong warrior could beat ten skilled warriorsthat could also be considered a strategy, but one would eventually become exhausted. Presently, Qianyes destructive power had increased, but he needed to refine his skills. Qianye closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Once the servants had swapped out a new batch of steel dummies, he once again carried his sword down to the field. Another hour passed by in a flashthis time, he had destroyed 21 out of 50 steel dummies, three less than the previous round. Qianye rested for half an hour before continuing once again. Out of the third batch of 50 dummies, only 19 were destroyed; two less than the last round. 16 dummies were destroyed in his fourth round, and 11 on the fifth. By the time the midnight bell rang, there wasnt a single light in the drill grounds. One could only hear the indistinct sound of wind and thunder as Qianye practiced in the darkit had been over an hour since any dummy was destroyed. During the following days, Qianye continued to temper his sword skills day and night. Occasionally, he would head to the Song clan depository to read. He didnt learn any new sword techniques and only polished the basic stances repeatedly. This was the way Yellow Springs honed the path of killingthe focus was on extreme simplicity and extreme ferocity. As his training progressed, the number of steel dummies in the drill grounds progressively increased in number. At last, the space between them was only enough for Qianye to squeeze through sideways. Even so, the number of mannequin casualty only decreased in a straight line. In the end, not a single dummy was destroyed for an entire afternoon, and the vague sound of wind and thunder was no longer audible when Qianye swung his sword. During these few days, Song Zining almost didn''t cultivate at all. He ran everywhere, engaging in secret discussions and who knows just how many hidden deals he had made. The day of Duchess Ans birthday celebration arrived in the blink of an eye. That day, the entire cloud mountain was decorated anew and full of jubilation. One would need to be a character of considerable importance to even show ones face momentarily at the birthday feast. Not to mention guest warriors like Qianye, even Song clan descendants born of concubines and side branches had no right to enter the Enlightenment Manor. Attending the banquet was even further out of the question. Song Zining brought his followers with the surname Song to attend the banquet, while Qianye and Gao Junyi remained in the external courtyard to cultivate. There was no problem between the two. At first, Gao Junyi seemed somewhat dissatisfied that Song Zining had given the other guest warrior position to Qianye instead of his sworn brothers. As such, under Gao Junyis half-jest-half-provocation, Qianye took him on in a round of virtual combat. Gao Junyi wasnt yet totally convinced when the two emerged from the fighting room, but his view toward Qianye had changed greatly. Under the origin power suppression of virtual combat, that which was put to the test was their combat instinct and fighting experience. Gao Junyi immediately understood that although Qianye looked young, he was a veteran of a hundred wars and a master of killing techniques. It was just that Gao Junyi had no idea that Qianye wasnt fighting seriously at all. The next day after the celebration proper came the Song clans decennial examination. The first category of the great martial arts contest would span three days. The venue was a drill grounds just outside of the Enlightenment Manor which was big enough to allow an entire private army regiment to train at the same time. This event, to the competitors, was both an honor and an opportunity. If one could enter the old ancestors discerning eyes, his future prospects would rise to the skies. Arrangements had been made on the inspection platform in the drill grounds and over a dozen awe-inspiring elders were already seated therein. Almost all of the Song clans elders had gathered here and at their center was an empty cushionobviously, that was Duchess Ans seat. All participating Song clan descendants and guest warriors were lined up under the platform. At nine oclock sharp, an elderly silver-haired woman walked onto the stage with the support of a number of ladies and took her seat, trembling all the while. This was the first time Qianye had seen this legendary Duchess An. She was already so old that the years seemed to have condensed on her body. She possessed a benevolent appearance and was no different from an ordinary grandmother. Duchess Ans gaze swept over those under the stage, her eyes squinting as if she couldnt see very clearly. She then smiled and said, Good, good! These are good children. I can see theyre not bad just by looking at them. Zining, come up, come up! Song Zining seemed already used to such a treatmenthe leapt onto the stage under countless fiery gazes and performed a formal greeting. Duchess An held Song Zinings hand and said to Clan Lord Song Zhongnian beside her with a smile, Among all your grandchildren, I like Zining the best. Hes well bred, talented, and simply delightful to talk to! All the elders responded with smiles, but those under the stage couldnt help but reveal odd expressions. What reasons were those?! Additionally, these talents being praised by the old ancestor werent of the martial dao, but miscellaneous arts like painting and calligraphy. Duchess An cared not about what others thought and immediately removed the jasper thumb ring from her hand and pushed it into Song Zinings own. Paying no particular attention, Song Zining calmly put the ring on his hand. That was a grade-six defensive armament. Although it could only be used once, it was powerful enough to block an all-out attack from a champion. Duchess An had never before concealed her favor toward Song Zining, and this time, she had once again made people speechless. Qianye, who was under the stage, broke into a frown. He had always heard that the Song clans old ancestor favored Song Zining, but he felt that something was off after seeing it personally today. Could she be making enemies for Song Zining without any good reason? Without waiting for him to think further, an elder stood up on the stage and began to announce the roster for the first round. There were 24 Song clan descendants participating in the exam, and there were 48 guest warriors. Among them, the guest warriors would have to fight a number of rounds first and decide on the top 16. Then they would meet the 16 lower ranked Song clan descendants in an elimination match until only eight were left. Together with the eight higher-ranked Song clan descendants, they would then form the top-sixteen participants of this martial examination. In the end, they would confront each other two by two until the respective first places were decided. Every contestant would accumulate points according to their rank, and the sum of the Song clan descendant and his guest warriors scores would decide the first place of this examination. The drill ground was divided into four sites which would allow four confrontations to commence at the same time. Apart from high explosive weapons like origin grenades and handheld origin canons, there was no limit on the types of weapons. There was also no limit on life and death. According to the rules, sixteen guest warriors would be vacant during the first round. Neither Qianye nor Gao Junyi drew vacant lotswith every successor using various methods to influence the fight roster, this kind of advantage naturally wouldnt fall to Song Zining. It was obvious that the successors had invested great effort to rope people inthe first batch of guest warriors were all experienced veterans. Not only were they fierce and ruthless, but their combat strength had also far surpassed that of a standard rank-nine fighter. These were all ferocious people who could easily suppress those at the same level. Additionally, the fights were especially intense. There was no friendship to speak of between the guest warriors, and thus no one had the intention to leave any space for the opponent. Almost every match would end with blood. Gao Junyis name came up in the second batch of four matches. In this batch, the longest battle lasted for almost an hour. Gao Junyi was indeed a genuine talenthe had defeated his opponent in less than half an hours time, however, he had also paid a certain price in the form of a near bone-deep cut on his left arm. Gen Junyi raised his head and said with a smile as he passed Qianye on his way back, Little fellow, dont lose Seventh Young Masters face in a while. It was already enough to boast after winning the first round since none of the participating guest warriors were ordinary. Qianye only laughed. Song Zining, on the other hand, was all smiles as he gave Gao Junyi some praise. It was at this time that the elder presiding over the examination announced An Renyis name. Qianye got up and walked toward the arena after casually picking up the East Peak leaning against his seat. Just as Qianye had taken his position at the center of the arena, Duchess An suddenly opened her eyes from atop the stage and shot him an ambiguous glance. Qianye, who was silently waiting for the competition to begin, was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable feeling. Feeling a pair of eyes were watching him attentively from the dark, he subconsciously turned toward the high platform. However, the Song clan old ancestor had long since closed her eyes and once again resumed her resting state. No one on the stage noticed that short moment where Duchess An opened her eyes. No one was surprised about the ancestor nodding off either because, to this duchess who had advanced to the divine champion level over forty years ago, such fights between the younger generation were like kids swinging swords before an adultthere wasnt anything of interest to speak of. Perhaps she would pay some attention when the Song clan descendants took the stage. But, although Duchess An had her eyes closed, no one on or below the stage dared slack off. With the ancestors cultivation, nothing in these grounds could hide from her perception even if she was nine parts asleep and only one part awake. Ninth battle, Du Dahai vs. An Renyi, begin! Tenth Battle, Cao Junping vs. Gu Xiaohui The bell indicating the commencement of the fights was rung as soon as the elder finished speaking. At this moment, Qianye finally focused his attention on the enemy. Standing on the other end of the arena was a burly red-faced man with a sinister scar on his left cheek. Qianye glanced at him and said with a smile, You must be one of Song Ziqis men?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 307: Sweeping Through [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Du Dahai sneered. Its good that you know. Rest assured and forget about leaving since youve already come up here. The price of daring to move against the Third Young Master is death! The word death was uttered through his teeth. With a handgun in his left hand and a battle axe in his right, he was well equipped for both melee and ranged combat. This was also the standard gear for most arena matches. Du Dahai raised his battle axe and spun it around his wrist in a display of might. He then strode forth in a straight line and began to charge with surging killing intent. But he was still separated from Qianye by a gap of ten meters when Du Dahai came to a sudden halt as if he had struck an invisible wall and stared fixedly at the front with his cheeks trembling ever so slightly. Meanwhile, amidst the action, Qianye was still calmly standing at his original spot. He had no intention to even draw his sword and only took on a simple combat stance, his right hand raised high like a blade. Within an instant, the entire world vanished within Du Dahais visionthere was only the radiance of a completely unsheathed blade suspended high in the air. Under the draw of an invisible force, Du Dahai involuntary took another step forward. The moment he stepped forward, the fragile confrontation was immediately shattered. Qianyes figure moved and immediately arrived in front of Du Dahai. A thunderous boom resounded in the air as the palm blade slashed toward the latters head. Du Dahai was terrified and his hair all stood on end. He utilized his full potential at the moment of life or death, letting out a frantic shout as he crossed his raised arms in an attempt to defend against this single strike which seemed to be accompanied by the force of an entire world. Only a muffled thump was heard akin to the beating of a war drum. Qianyes palm blade halted in mid-air for a momentit was actually resisted. But the very next moment, Du Dahais knees gave inhe fell kneeling with a plop, and the ground underneath his knees caved in with cracks extending in every direction. Afterwards, his entire body sunk half a meter into the floor. Qianye held his hand and pulled back a step. East Peak was still firmly grasped in his left hand, and it seemed there was never any intention for it to leave its sheath since the very beginning. The focus within Du Dahais eyes dispersed as he gradually collapsed forward without even the chance to cough up blood. A deep pit several meters in diameter had appeared in the arena with Du Dahai lying at its center, his fate unknown. This battle is An Renyis victory! The elder in charge of judging the match gazed blankly for a moment before he remembered to announce the results. The other two matches had just begun, and the contestants from the third were still standing in a confrontation. Yet, the battle here had already ended? On the high platform, Duchess An was still napping, but this battle was so unexpected that over half the elders were visibly moved, and a number of them couldnt help discussing this matter as Qianye turned to leave the site. That strike drew upon the worldly origin power? But thats clearly a champion level ability! I believe I only saw eight origin nodes on his body unless my old eyes are failing me. This young man is able to use a champion level skill at rank-eight. His future is boundless, boundless I say! Little Sevens foresight is pretty good. There were also other voices mixed in with the praise and astonishment. Humph! The enemy is just too weak, and the defeated fellow underestimated his enemy! The elder who had spoken was Song Xiuwen, Song Ziqis great uncle. Naturally, he felt as if he had lost a lot of face. Immediately, another elder who was always at odds with him sneered. I wonder if Brother Xiuwen was able to slap a rank-nine warrior half dead when you were rank-eight? Song Xiuwens old face immediately turned red. He let out a deep snort but couldnt retort. When Qianye returned to his seat, Gao Junyis gaze toward him was filled with astonishment and admiration. Song Zinings personal guards were even more deferential. Within another spectators area, Song Zicheng withdrew his gaze from Qianye and exhaled lightly. He had suddenly understood the odd meaning behind his seventh brothers departing smile. He couldnt help but secretly congratulate himself for not taking that small advantage. He also knew that the arrangement of this battle involved no small influence from his third brother. Du Dahai was Song Ziqis capable subordinate. The latter had perhaps hoped to gain a cheap advantage by sending him to face Qianye in the first battle and, at the same time, wash away the previous humiliation. But he had never imagined things would turn out quite contrary to his expectations or that he would lose a powerful general right off the bat. Qianye paid no heed to everyones attention as he walked toward Song Zining and sat down at his side. Song Zining sized up Qianye with an astonished expression and said, I suddenly have an unpleasant premonition that I wont be able to beat you anymore. Qianye replied with a smile, Its been quite some time since you can no longer beat me. Not just now. Song Zining responded with a light snort. He then moved near Qianye and said in a whisper, You dont think you can beat me with just this? Qianye responded in a soft voice, And you dont think I only have this much, do you? Is that so? Then let me see your other methods in a while. You should worry about yourself first. Dont let others beat you down. The two exchanged a few words but then they stopped the debate at the same time after finding that neither held a solid advantage. At this time, the first round had finally come to an end. With the addition of the vacant lots, there were now 32 guest warriors remaining. The second round began according to schedule. Half of the warriors would be eliminated here, and the victors would battle 16 participating Song clan descendants. Gao Junyi encountered a formidable foe during this round, and the two evenly-matched opponents fought an extremely thrilling battle and every blade drew blood. In the end, he won by a hairs breadth. Next, it was Qianyes turn once again. From the opposite spectators area, Song Ziqi gazed at the distant figure of Qianyes back, his expression as gloomy and dark as a low-lying cloud. He gripped his fist tightly, emitting a series of crackling sounds from his joints. Apparently, he was extremely furious. Du Dahai wasnt only one of his strongest warriors, but also rather knowledgeable in leading troops in battle. All of Song Ziqis calculations had fallen into chaos now that the man was defeated and half-dead from the severe injuries. Not only would the loss of such an assistant cause his martial assessment rankings to plummet, but it would also deeply affect his future strategic assessment. Now, it was almost impossible for him to fight for the second successors position. There was never a Song Ziqi in Qianyes eyesthe current opponent was the only one he saw. Qianyes opponent couldnt be considered powerful and was also wounded. It appeared this opponent was arranged for Du Dahai after he had gained victory over Qianye, allowing him to win two easy battles and move up to fight against the Song clan descendants. He would then clear the way for Song Ziqi by removing the obstructions posed by those successor candidates. Standing before Qianye was a female warrior who, at this moment, was wearing a bandage on her leg and glancing at him with a flustered expression. Although she hadnt witnessed Qianyes battle in person, her companions had, of course, informed her about it. As such, the female warrior didnt use her origin gun and instead drew a pair of blades. The intention was to avoid his terrifying strength by utilizing agility and flexible techniques to circle around him. Just as the elder announced the beginning of the fight, the female warrior let out a shrill cry and pounced toward Qianye like a cheetah! The two blades were tucked tightly beneath her ribs like a poisonous snake that would erupt at any moment to injure the prey. Qianye stood motionless just as he did in the first battle, and only when the opponent arrived within a certain distance did he take one step forward. The arena floor suddenly shookthe female warrior let out a muffled groan as if she were struck by an invisible hammer and staggered toward Qianye due to the sudden disruption of her footwork. Qianye raised his hand vertically like a blade and slashed down amidst a thunderous boom! The female warrior wanted to evade but suddenly realized that there was a certain attractive force coming from the palm blade in front of her. She simply couldnt change the direction of her forward momentum no matter how she struggled. Desperation flashed in her eyes as she let out a shrill scream and crossed her blades to resist the incoming blow. And, at this moment, the sharp edge of her blades was aimed upward. She had not hoped this clamping movement would stop Qianyes palm blade. Her only hope was that the other party would worry about the sharp blade edge and slightly modify his trajectory, hence missing the vital parts of her head and face. As for the rest, she could only hope the follow-up blow wouldnt cause too severe an injury. However, the female warriors speculations never came true. Qianye completely ignored the blade edge and chopped down directly without the slightest deviation. As palm and blade intersected, the female warriors twin blades were flung away. Her entire body was also knocked flying with a bang as if she were struck by lightning and could no longer clamber up. However, the cracks on the ground beneath her were much fewer than the previous round and she could still move her limbs. Apparently, her injuries were much lighter than Du Dahais. On the other hand, Du Dahai, despite being much stronger than this lady, was still receiving emergency treatment after being dragged off the arena. There was still no news of his fate. This battle was won without much suspense, and it was obvious that Qianye had been lenient. By the time he returned to Song Zinings side, the attention and comments he was receiving had lessened quite a bit. After Qianye sat down, Song Zining said, Let me see your hands. Qianye extended his right hand. There were two long red marks at the edge of his palm and the center was starting to turn purple. However, that was the extent of itthe blades raised by a rank-nine warrior with all-out effort had actually failed to even cut through his skin. Although origin power defense was also a reason, this was still an exchange between flesh and an origin power weapon. This went to show that the sturdiness of Qianyes physique had reached an astonishing level. Song Zining was momentarily dumbfounded. He then tossed the medicine he had prepared back to his personal guard and squeezed out the words, Are you still human? No, Qianye replied truthfully with great sincerity. The examination came to a halt for the day after the 16 guest warriors were decided. Both of Song Zinings warriors had made it to the next round, and this attracted quite a bit of attention from the elders. The Song clan descendants took the stage in succession the following day. Unexpectedly, Duchess An was present once again. This raised the spirits of all the participating Song clan descendants since this meant that they could enter the old ancestors eyes even if they didnt reach the finals and might even receive the opportunity to gain her favor and be promoted. Hence, everyones fighting spirits were raised by a great deal. The old lady glanced around with a benevolent expression. There were a number of fresh fruits and various snacks beside her. Apparently, she was in a rather good mood today and was ready to observe her great-grandchildrens generation in earnest. The elders were also in high spirits and were doing their best to shoot meaningful glances at the successor candidates from their branch. From this moment on, every battle would affect certain groups of people. Qianye appeared on stage with the first batch, and his opponent was a young man in his twenties. He was tall, slender, and somewhat elegant. This persons name was Song Zizehe was actually fourth in seniority among the direct line of descent, but was actually ranked third as successor, surpassing the third brother Song Ziqi. Apparently, he was a fairly outstanding individual. Song Zize glanced at Qianye and said with a smile, Its indeed astonishing for a rank-eight fighter to reach this stage. However, this is as far as youll go. The remainder of the arena belongs to our Song clan descendants. Will you admit defeat yourself or do you want me to send you down? Qianye glanced at this bragging fourth young master and said calmly, If your skills are as eloquent as your words, the battle shouldve ended by now. Song Zizes expression turned vacant. He then drew his sword and sneered. I had wanted to leave some face for Little Seven at first, but since youre courting death, I can only chop off your hands and feet to teach you a lesson in his stead! Qianye couldnt understand the opponents logic at all. Did the man think a few words could make him forfeit? In truth, Song Zize had the qualifications to be so arrogant. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to suppress Song Ziqi. He had already been polishing himself at rank-nine for quite some time. He wanted to form a solid foundation and then break through to become a brilliant champion in one go. Qianye turned back to glance at Song Zining. The latter more or less understood his fourth brothers attitude and really wanted to laugh after seeing Qianyes helpless expression. He shrugged in response, indicating that Qianye could do as he wished and had no need to fear anything. Qianye nodded and gradually drew the East Peak. This underwhelming long sword had finally left its sheath after sleeping for two rounds.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 308: Pushing Through [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] At a corner of the high platform sat Elder Lu from the armory. His originally intoxicated-looking eyes opened slightly after seeing the East Peak leave its sheath and his peripheral vision swept toward the arena. Song Zize was holding his sword with both hands, the tip pointed at the ground as he rushed toward Qianye with a footwork resembling that of dragons and tigers. Song Zize exhaled deeply and let out a great shout after drawing closemyriad beams of illusory brilliance erupted from his blade in a tempestuous forward slash. With just a single move, Song Zize had displayed his exquisite sword technique to the greatest extent. The splendorous radiance was formed of origin power and contained an incisive sword intent. There was no difference at all between being struck by the light and being slashed by the blade. Song Zize could already perform a materialization of origin power before crossing the champion threshold. Although he was aided by the premium grade-five origin sword in his hands, it was also a reflection of his own strength. Qianyes expression was completely calm as he raised the East Peak and performed a sweeping horizontal slash from left to right. This simple stroke of the sword couldnt even be considered a technique and was merely a basic sword move. However, the incoming brilliance was extinguished wherever the East Peaks edge passed by. Song Zize was inconsolably shocked. This Myriad Lanterns was the most powerful secret sword technique he had always relied on. He had never imagined that it would be broken through so cleanly by a basic sword move. All of this origin power variations and interlacing sword intents were as illusory as a mirage before this calm sweep of Qianyes sword. Seemingly as light as a feather, East Peak transformed from a sweep to a slash with a mere twist of Qianyes wrista blade came slashing down toward Song Zizes head. At this moment, Song Zize was completely shakenthis slash was overflowing with sword intent and yet entirely silenthe was one who studied the sword and knew at a single glance that it was impossible for him to receive such a blow. But the blade was as quick as a sudden thunderbolt and there was also an invisible force pulling him toward its edge. How was he supposed to evade? He made an all-out effort to block the strike with a sweep of his own blade but felt as if he had slashed at a mountain. Meanwhile, Qianyes descending edge continued its descent, completely unaffected. How can there be such a heavy sword?! This was Song Zizes thought. Qianyes blow slapped both Song Zize and his sword into the ground, forming a man-shaped pit in the arena. Had Qianye not turned the sharp edge away at the last moment and used the flat of the blade instead, Song Zize would have likely been hacked into two halves. Even then, he had suffered a dozen or so fractures throughout his body. Not only was he disqualified for the current martial assessment, even the ensuing strategic assessment might be affected. The might of this single strike was actually so powerful! On the stage, Elder Lu unwittingly opened his eyes wide and nodded slightly with an undetectable smile before resuming his nap. When Qianyes final blade landed, even Duchess An raised her eyelids ever so slightly. Many elders on the stage wore ugly expressions. Song Zize was considered one of the more outstanding talents among the younger generation, but in the end, he was beaten into such a miserable state by an unknown fellow. The Song clan would be left with no face if this matter were to spread out. This round, Gao Junyi suffered an unfortunate defeat and Song Zining achieved an easy victory. Nine out of the sixteen guest warriors had been eliminated, and only seven of them achieved victory. From this, it was obvious that the combat strength of the great clan descendants as a whole was anything but ordinary. They had already gained the upper hand against the guest warriors even before the eight most powerful candidates had made an appearance. The reasons for this was not only due to the numerous formidable secret arts but also because the Song clan descendants were also much better equipped than the guest warriors. The expressions of the Song clan elders recovered somewhat after seeing these results. One of them immediately said while stroking his beard, These results arent bad at all. It seems the children are quite diligent! Another elder said with a smile, With the Old Ancestor watching them, how would they dare not to give it their best? That being said, there are a lot of moldable talents among these children. It seems our Song clan has good descendants and our resurgence to power is in sight. Even the Song clans current lord and Duke Wei, Song Zhongnian, gave a slight nod. However, Duchess An didnt even bother to open her eyes. Meanwhile, a thin elder sneered from one side, Resurgence? Heh, heh, just dont let the first place get taken by an outsider. That would make things interesting. The elders expressions all changed. Thats impossible. We have Zicheng and Zian holding down the fort! The thin elders name was Song Zhongxing. He had always been one to speak frankly and knew not about making indirect remarks or leaving any leeway. As such, his relationship with most elders was quite adverse. However, people had no way to deal with him since he was the current clan lords brother and also one of the current Song clans few experts. After hearing the elders words, Song Zhongxing sneered and said, Zicheng and the others are all champions. Of course, they can hold their ground against a group of fighters. If our Song clan is really so confident, then why havent we relaxed the guest warriors rank restrictions to the champion level? How can it be called ability when were suppressing the weak with the strong? The elders all felt somewhat awkward and no one dared continue with his conversation. They were indeed somewhat crafty with their rules, but one had to know that this was the old ancestors 100th birthday and what they wanted to bring about was an auspicious jubilation. There was nothing wrong with using the rules to let the Song clan disciples win as long as the examination still served the purpose of assessment and tempering. Things like this were best kept to oneself after realizing; how could one blurt it all out? But Song Zhingxing was unwilling to spare them and continued with a cold laugh, So what if the Song clan descendants win? Which of these kids from the third generation can be brought out to compete with the other three clans? Not to mention Zhao Jundu, I heard the Bai clan recently accepted a certain Bai Kongzhao. Shes already out on the battlefield at such a young age and has set a record of killing champions at rank-seven. Although she took advantage of certain cheap tricks, thats still an extraordinary feat. Do Zicheng and the others dare fight against this Bai Kongzhao? The elders expressions turned more and more unsightly. A character like Bai Kongzhao was a demonic star born to slaughter. Anything could happen in a fight against her. Even if Zicheng and the others could win against her, they would likely receive permanent injuries. They might even lose their lives if they were a bit careless. A certain elder let out a dry cough and said, Zicheng and Zian are both people with status. How can they be compared on the same page with that feral kid whose origins are unclear? Song Zhongxing hadnt even spoken when Duchess An finally opened her eyes and sighed. Whats the use of status on the battlefield? However, Zhongxing, you would also do well to speak less. Song Zhongxing was much more reverent toward Duchess An. I merely feel indignant watching these people scheming around behind peoples backs for mere points. What meaning does such a victory have? What meaning do these points have once they walk out of the Song clan? Numerous elders became angry. They had all engaged in no small number of petty maneuvers in order for their branch descendants to gain some advantage. So much that some blood was inevitably spilled in the process. However, Song Zhongxing actually revealed them so directly in front of the old ancestor! As members of a major clan, he should still consider their dignity. The old ancestor closed her eyes once again and said calmly, The competition has just begun and the champion is still undecided. Zhongxing, you shouldnt be so anxious. Just watch slowly. You wouldve broken through a long time ago if not for your impetuousness. Song Zhongxing responded affirmatively and sat down in silence. Those elders who had been taunted by him proceeded to sit upright and give the match below their undivided attention. Afterwards, the sixteen victors once again faced off in pairs to decide the final eight. Qianyes opponent this time was a Song clan descendant who was almost thirty years old. He had reached rank-nine three years ago and was tempering himself all this time. His origin power was abundant and inherently possessed a god-like strength. He was considered to become a powerful contender for the third successors position once he had broken through to champion rank. This person didnt bring an origin gun and only carried a heavy halberd. Judging from its external appearance, the weapon should be at least hundreds of kilograms in weight. He gradually walked into the ring with dignified steps and shouted, I see that youre also a straightforward person. Lets do away with the long-winded conversation and exchange a few heavy blows first! Some Song clan disciples glanced at Qianye and sneered. They understood this cousin very well and knew that his scheming mind was completely contrary to his coarse external appearance. A direct contest of strength was his specialty, and a halberd going against a sword was also taking a big advantage. Song Zining glanced at the arena and let out a yawn in order to conceal the smile hanging around the corner of his mouth. On the stage, Elder Lu had already started to snore. Qianye shot a glance at the opponent and nodded. Very well. That person held the halberd horizontally and said, I wont take advantage of you. You can have the first three moves! Qianye broke into a laughter but had no intention to hold back as he held the sword with both hands and raised the East Peak. This sword which was one and a half times the length of an ordinary blade seemed full of vigor above Qianyes head but was obviously slim and delicate compared to the opponents heavy halberd. Qianye exhaled lightlyEast Peaks cutting edge gradually began to tremble as a droning whistle akin to a dragons cry arose within the arena. That opponents expression suddenly shifted. The speed with which East Peak slashed down wasnt fast at all, but it was like a mountain peak gradually toppling over. The moment the blades edge moved, it let out a rumbling thunder which shook everyones hearts. The opponent let out an odd cry as he raised his halberd and, with all his might, finally resisted this heavy blow. Contrary to expectations, no sound actually came out as the sword and halberd came into contact, but the entire arena violently shook. The heavy halberd shaft suddenly bent downward, and the origin arrays upon it shattered one by one until East Peaks edge stopped no more than a palms breadth above the mans head. Afterwards, the mans movements came to a complete pause during this deadlock with Qianyeit was as if time itself had slowed down. The next moment, all the origin power defenses on his body suddenly shattered, and he shot toward the back like a cannonball, landing near the edge of the other arena. The spectators who were hoping to watch a good show turned speechless. Many people had their mouths opened wide and their faces were frozen in astonishment. Even such an opponent was struck flying with a single blowjust how heavy was Qianyes sword? Next, Song Zining took the stage and once again defeated his enemy with relative ease. This time, most of the elders gazes were focused on him. Song Zining had only entered the successors rankings for only two years. Although he had achieved minor success in the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, it wasnt an attack type secret art. He was also quite young and only rank seven when he took part in the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Now that he had continuously advanced two ranks for this examination, there were people secretly criticizing him for being short-sighted and that his foundation would be unstable. No one had actually expected he would display such combat strength. After the round was completed, the final eight victors were given half a day of rest and would face the eight higher-ranked Song clan descendants in the afternoon to decide the top-eight of this examination. Qianye had swept through all opposition in his previous battles and didnt need to rest since he hadnt expended any stamina at all. However, the others didnt have it that easy since the entire four-hour interval had to be used for both rest and treatment. The martial examination, up to this point, hadnt seen any casualties. However, the battles between guest warriors almost always drew blood, and among them, the one with the gravest injuries was Du Dahai whom Qianye had met in the first round. It was said that he still hadnt regained consciousness. However, as the competition progressed, the smell of gunpowder on the drill grounds grew progressively thicker. In the previous round between two Song clan descendants, the two parties obviously had old grudgesthe fight immediately escalated into a lethal combat which ended with one of them sustaining heavy injuries and losing consciousness. Had the elders not stepped in at the critical moment, it might have become the first casualty of the examination. At this point, there were only three guest warriors left. All of them possessed tyrannical strength and seemed to be hiding certain tricks up their sleeves even when they were pitted against champions. And Qianye was one of them. The rules of battle were different from the top-sixteen onwards. The contestants who had killed their way up the ladder would be appraised and ranked by a collective group of elders. They would then be able to choose their opponents from the top-eight Song clan descendants according to this ranking. This rule greatly favored the warriors who had fought their way up the elimination ladder because the person assessed as first in combat strength would get the first pick. Normally, they would choose the weakest opponent because they would have reached the top-eight after this round, and there was no longer a difference whom they met first or last. With Duchess An sitting on the stage, the combat strength assessment naturally proceeded without any obvious sketchiness. Qianyes ranking was the lowest, but he had swept through all of his opponents as if he were pulling out rotten weeds. As such, he was unanimously elected as first in combat strength and would gain the right to select the first opponent. Such a result was already expected by the audience. Song Zining asked before they walked out onto the drill grounds together, Have you chosen your opponent? Yes. Dont get beaten up too badly. Thats something I should be saying to you. I wont. Ill definitely pick the weakest. Song Zining shruggedhe had already guessed what Qianye would do, but decided not to stop him after some thought. From here on out, the supporting elder had been changed to the elder of the Hall of Peace, Song Tu. It was obvious from his name that he came from a side brancha tall, strong, and burly man in his prime. However, his every action was as steady as a mountain peak, and his eyes flashed like lightning whenever they moved. Apparently, he was extremely powerful. Song Tu pointed toward Qianye and said in a deep voice, An Renyi, choose the opponent for your next battle! Qianye stepped forward and slowly raised his hand. Following his movement, the eight Song clan successors all revealed different expressions. This was especially true for the only female successor who was ranked eighth in the list, Song Xinran. Provided there were no accidents, Qianye was almost certain to choose her as an opponent because that would ensure his advancement into the top-eight. The others who were ranked toward the lower end were all forcing themselves to look calm. With the strength Qianye displayed during the elimination matches, he could sweep through any opponent under the champion levelthey were all bound to lose when faced against Qianye. Qianyes hand slowly rose, but the direction in which he was pointing at was actually the first-ranked Song Zian. Immediately, the entire audience broke into a commotion.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 309: East Peak Sinks the Moon [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zians expression was extremely unsightly because this wasnt just a challenge, but also a humiliation. This meant that Qianye didnt pay any attention to his first-rank combat strength at all. He leapt up from his seat and said with a cold snort, A little mayfly dares cross the river? Qianye replied indifferently, Im not a very patient person, and I dont like dragging out my revenge. Since you harmed me intentionally two days ago and caused my advancement to fail, I shall settle this enmity with you today. Your martial examination rank shall end here! Insolence!!! Song Zian was enragedhe felt rather regretful. He thought the matter from that day had been settled and that he had gained a secret advantage over Song Zining. Never did he expect that the other party to make such a move. Even if he did win this round, this accusation had already been heard by the seniors. Beside him, Song Tu roared with a frown, Enough! Next! Behind Qianye was Song Zining who unceremoniously picked the Song clan young mistress. However, Song Xinran actually let out a sigh of relief because Song Zinings fighting style from the previous rounds could be considered quite gentle. Even if she lost, it wouldnt affect the upcoming assessments as long as she didnt sustain heavy injuries. The remaining six chose their opponents one after another, and this time, there werent any surprises. The two lowest-ranked contestants would have to face Song Zicheng and Song Ziqi, which was as good as saying they had been eliminated. At this moment, Duchess An suddenly opened her eyes and instructed her attendants to change the refreshments. This also indicated that the old ancestor was no longer going to rest with her eyes closed. It appeared she was going to watch the competition in earnest. The stage bustled with activity. By the time the things Duchess An requested were arranged for, the elders seats had also been somewhat modified. Elder Lu had been summoned to Duchess Ans side alongside Song Zhongnian on the other. Among the various elders, the great elder Song Zhongchengs countenance was as gloomy as a dark cloud capable of pressing down upon a city. He was Song Zians grandfather and also the current clan lords eldest brother. It was bad enough that Qianye had challenged Song Zian, but he actually announced that Song Zian had harmed him secretly before the competition. How important was the Song clans decennial examination? It was a great taboo to harm the opponent in secret before the contest. Additionally, all the other guest warriors were rank-nine. Only Qianye was rank-eight, and yet he was ranked first in combat strength. He had chosen, at this moment, to reveal that his failure to advance was due to Song Zians secret ploy. How serious was this matter?! Regardless of the truth of this matter, Song Zhongcheng had already sensed something different in the other elders expressions. Although the old ancestor seemed unmoved by this, she might actually hold a grudge considering how much she favored Song Zining. The Song clans third generation was in a general decline and there was no longer any suspense regarding the fact that the succession of the clan lords position would skip a generation. Song Zhongcheng had always hoped Song Zian would be able to wrest the successor rights from Song Zhongnians lineage and seize the clan lords position. He was absolutely infuriated now that his plans were messed up by Qianye and wanted nothing more than to slap this bold youngster to death. He made a firm resolution to clear away the root of these troubles as soon as the examination was over. Following the bells toll, the first battle for top-eight began. It was Song Zian versus Qianye. This lineup shouldve belonged to the semi-finals or even the finals, but was forced to commence early due to Qianyes selection. Elder Lu immediately sat up straight as Qianye walked into the arena holding the East Peak. He was looking forward to the battle. Song Zian appeared on stage soon afterwards and stood before Qianye. Before the battle began, he suddenly suppressed his voice and asked, Have your injuries from that day healed already? It seems you recover rather quickly. Suffering an agitation during cultivation would result in internal injuries, and it was difficult to fully recover from them. Moreover, Qianye had claimed that he was attempting an advancement at the time, and as such, the consequences should be even worse. Song Zian bringing up past matters at this moment was clearly to enrage Qianye. But Qianye wasnt moved at all and only glanced up at him, saying, So it was indeed you who did this deliberately. It seems knocking you out of the competition at this point is the right choice. Song Zian drew his sword and the corners of his lips formed a disdainful curve. A servant imitating the master. Utterly reckless! A deep azure flashed through the depths of Qianyes eyes and along with a visible killing intent. Song Zians sword was a bit longer than ordinary blades, and its body was narrower by a thirdapparently, its focus was on agility and sharpness. There was also an aqua-blue light flowing along the sword, and after instilling it with origin power, the image of a moon against the starry night would emerge within the erupted radiance. This was an impressive grade-six melee weapon. This was one of the Song clans famed swords, the Moonchaser. It was an extraordinary product among grade-six swords. With such a weapon in hand, Song Zian was already at a great advantage in terms of weaponry. Not to mention the fact that a grade-six weapon would come with various powerful attributesits Divine Edge alone was enough to directly hack through an ordinary grade-five weapon. The two parties began to move in confrontation. Song Zian, however, didnt attack with his sword and, instead, retreated to one side. While running, he whipped out his handgun and fired off a series of shots toward Qianye. Qianyes body seemed to be swaying in the wind. His smooth footwork shifted within a small radius and evaded the blasts almost effortlessly. This kind of side-step technique could only be trained amidst the rain of bullets on the battlefield. Seeing that origin gunfire was ineffective against the opponent, Song Zian let out a snort and holstered his handgun. He then drew his sword and sped up his footwork. He encircled Qianye several times within the blink of an eye and launched a series of tempestuous sword attacks. Song Zian had observed Qianyes previous battles and knew that this opponent possessed extraordinary strength despite his frail-looking physique. As such, he immediately took the initiative to launch an agile offensive, hoping to defeat Qianye with speed and technique. Song Zian''s strategy was indeed correcthis only mistake was using it on Qianye. The East Peak in Qianyes hand moved forththis modest-looking blade suddenly seemed to have lost all weight as it stuck close to the Moonchaser and drew a chain of circles in the air, almost wringing the blade out of Song Zians hands. These few moves were seemingly lightweight and incomparably exquisite. Song Zian was momentary stunned in the face of this completely unexpected situation, and his hand actually paused for a moment. How could Qianye let such an opportunity slip by? He took advantage of this lapse and swung his blade in a counterattack. The East Peak trembled, emitting faintly discernible draconic roars akin to a fish swimming against the torrential currents. Song Zians reaction wasnt slow at all. He immediately recovered from his momentary daze and calmly met the blow head-on. The Moonchaser in his hand was incomparably agile as it drew out several rings of origin power radiance. However, Qianye was in full control of his advance and retreatthis Devastating Strike which many had experienced before was, at this moment, akin to a sheet of goose feathers. Qianye weaved back and forth with great haste as he broke through the rings of origin power brilliance and shattered them one by one. This exchange between the two transformed into an entanglement, and they were evenly matched! At this time, the entire audience was astonished, and the expressions of the several elders on the stage changed. Even Elder Lu was staring fixedly at the battle with his eyes wide open. The old ancestor slowly peeled a lychee and put it into her mouth. Song Zians heart was ablaze. In his eyes, Qianyes every attack was the most ordinary of basic sword techniques, but his attacks were virtually at the pinnacle of timeliness. Not only had they pierced through the gaps between his sword radiance, but also struck the weakest links with great accuracy, effectively shattering his origin power. Song Zians peripheral vision accidentally fell on the expressions of the elders on the stage and couldnt help but grumble in his heart. Presently, he had almost broken through to a rank-twelve champion and was deservingly the number one descendant in terms of cultivation level. If he was having such a hard time beating a rank-eight warrior, his status in the old ancestors eyes would decline sharply even if he did win this round in the end. Not only did he have to win this round, but he would also have to win beautifully! Song Zian was now in a position where he couldnt stop midway. He gritted his teeth and rearranged his sword stance. At this point, the blade erupted with blazing light as he ruthlessly slashed toward the East Peak. Qianyes brows rose. He knew that Song Zian wanted to borrow the power of his grade-six weapon and his advantage in origin power ranking to forcefully receive the blow from his heavy sword. The round was as good as won if he could break the East Peak. Qianye flipped his wrist over, whereupon the East Peak made a sharp turn and slashed in reverse toward Moonchaser without the slightest intention to evade or yield. The moment the two blades came into contact, Qianye suddenly let out an explosive roar as his origin power surged upit actually seemed as if scarlet flames were soaring into the sky. The specks of golden light were especially dazzling amidst the origin flames. Within a split second, Qinayes origin power had been raised to its peak, and the natural origin power several meters around his body began to resonate with him. A strand of darkness origin power wound around the East Peaks edge as it hacked toward Moonchaser! Qianyes True Vision was able to clearly identify the origin power lingering around Song Zians Moonchaser and that it would fluctuate in intensity according to the shift in his sword stance. However, the superiority became evident in a single all-out exchangethe origin power resonance brought about by Song Zians sword was much smaller in magnitude. As the two blows intersected, Song Zians entire body was violently shaken and his hands could hardly hold onto the hilt. Meanwhile, Qianye also lost all color at that moment and his hands on the sword couldnt help but tremble. The two staggered backward. This blow had resulted in a draw. However, this result shocked everyone at the scene. Song Zian was already about to break through, but Qianye was a mere rank-eight fighter. The difference between the two wasnt limited to just three levels, but also encompassed the wide chasm between a champion and a fighter. Even under such circumstances, it could already be considered a poor performance if Song Zian was unable to kick Qianye out of the arena in one move. How could they reach such a stalemate? Song Zians countenance was also full of shock. He stared at Qianye suspiciously and cried out involuntarily, Youre hiding your strength! Youre definitely not a fighter Song Zian immediately stopped talking midway He was simply too astonished just now and thus lost his composure. How could a mere champion hope to conceal his rank under the old ancestors eyes? The moment these words slipped out of his mouth, Song Zian realized he had lost more points with his performance. At the moment, the old ancestor was cracking melon seeds while gazing over at their battle. Although she said nothing, her eyes were extremely sharp and no small movement could hope to escape her notice. Song Zian forced himself to calm down. He gazed at Qianye and said coldly, Im fairly astonished that you can fight against me to this level. But this ends now. You shouldve been injured quite badly just now, am I right? Qianye suddenly revealed a mocking smile. After a few deep breaths, he raised the East Peak once again and his vigor also rose gradually like the tides in the blue sea, not weakened in the slightest. Song Zian could hardly believe his eyes. How could Qianye be completely unharmed? In truth, the forceful clash between the two parties had indeed resulted in a draw. Qianye was originally just a step away from rank-nine and was far above Song Zian in terms of physical strength and endurance. Speaking in terms of constitution, Qianye was already comparable to a vampire viscounthow could an ordinary human compare with him? Comparatively, Song Zians only advantage at the moment was his origin power capacity. He hadnt even gained a significant advantage in terms of weaponry. It was only logical that their exchange of swords would result in a draw. How could Song Zian know where the crux of the problem was? He shot a glance at the East Peak and couldnt help but starethat unremarkable jet-black sword was completely unharmed! This also meant that this ordinary-looking sword, at least in terms of material, was not the least inferior to his own. He inhaled deeply, and with a shake of his hand, a bright moon suddenly appeared overhead and illuminated the sky. The long sword in his hand trembled continuously as it sprayed out tens of thousands of sword beams toward Qianye akin to the brilliance of the moon reflected on the water. This was the Highland Song Clans secret sword art, Brightmoon Heart. At this time, he could no longer care about leaving cards up his sleeves for the upcoming matchesthe upcoming matches were out of the question if he was defeated here. However, at this moment, Qianyes stance had fully formed and the East Peak slashed through the air amidst a loud cry.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 310: Success in One Battle Spoiler Title [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] This slash was extremely simple and left no room at all for any variations. Accompanied by a torrent of origin power, it came hurtling down in a straight line like a waterfall descending from the nine heavens. The greater half of Song Zians attacking blade radiance was dispersed as the blade fell. A change occurred right after East Peaks momentum was exhausted. With a reverse flick and a sideway sweep, what remained of the fading moonlight was completely obliterated. After breaking Song Zians Brightmoon Heart, Qianye maneuvered the blade with both hands and switched from defense to offense, launching a flurry of chaotic attacks against Song Zian. It almost seemed like a series of random slashes where not even a basic sword move could be observed. However, the sword momentum behind each of Qianyes blows was incomparably heavy. It could break mountains, overturn the seas, and was poised to sink the moon and stars! On the stage, Elder Lus eyes lit up. He immediately slapped the table and praised, Good swordplay! Duchess An washed her hands in the basin of clear water offered by her attendant and actually agreed with a gentle nod, Acceptable. This was an evaluation from the Song clans old ancestor! This acceptable, when placed on a younger generation descendant, was an extremely high praise one would hardly hear once in several years. Among the hundreds of Song clan disciples, only Song Zicheng and Song Zining had ever received such praise. On the side, the great elders countenance turned even darker. The old ancestors high evaluation clearly wasnt given to Song Zian. At this moment, Song Zians sword was emitting sheets of lunar brilliance and forming a multitude of wondrous images in the air. Apparently, he had reached a certain level of attainment with the Brightmoon Heart. Countless beams of moonlight formed a screen and gradually enveloped him, making it seem as if he were standing within a gigantic full moon. Those who were familiar with the secret art couldnt help but exclaim in astonishmentthis was a sign denoting the imminent formation of the heart. Once perfectly integrated, he would be able to launch an extremely powerful attack. However, Qianye was completely unaffected and seemed as if he was engrossed in his assault. East Peak shifted once again with a violent whistleit was, at times, as heavy as a mountain and, at times, as exquisite as a thread. His transitions between light, heavy, slow, and fast were almost untraceable and his footwork grew progressively calm and relaxed. However, the situation within the field was extremely clear. Whenever East Peak streaked past, that gigantic moon would weaken by a bit and never reach consummation. In the end, Song Zians forehead was filled with beads of sweat. He had to drive the Brightmoon Heart to its extremes just to forcefully maintain the full moon. On the stage, Elder Lu was clapping continuously. Good, good. Well done! The great elders face was as dark as the bottom of a pot because Elder Lus words almost seemed to be saying Song Zian should be beaten up. Song Zian, on the other hand, was able to exhibit some tenacity after getting rid of his distracting thoughts. Although he was at a disadvantage, he was still able to hold on. Additionally, with his rank as a champion, his long-term endurance was significantly greater than Qianye, and he would eventually win if they continued this stalemate. A deep blue color suddenly emerged within Qianyes eyes and Song Zians figure was clearly reflected within. The latter suddenly felt his heart tighten. Although he was able to suppress the sensation immediately, his movements still turned sluggish for a moment. Qianye grasped this short interruption in the opponents strength to launch three continuous strikes with the East Peak. With a momentum seemingly capable of sinking the land and overturning the seas, he shot down Song Zians full moon in one go. Song Zian wanted to retaliate in astonishment, but the weight of his longsword seemed to be fluctuating wildly as his movements all turned sluggish as if his limbs were stuck in a spiderweb. He was feeling inexplicably awkward. At this critical moment, his heart suddenly began to hurt once again. Song Zians origin power became momentarily unstable. However, Qianye didnt press the attack. Instead, he took a couple of steps back and slowly raised the East Peak. With a loud cry, three strikes were, again, launched at lightning speed! The first shattered the lunar brilliance, while the second broke Song Zians origin power defenses. Meanwhile, the third ran directly toward Song Zians lower abdomen and, with a light flick, flung him high into the air. Carrying East Peak with his left hand, Qianye drew his origin gun with the right and unleashed a volley of shots toward Song Zian who happened to be falling back down at the moment. Origin power blasted out continuously from the muzzle! On the stage, the great elder jumped out of his seat and roared, Brat, you dare?! The gun in Qianyes hand was the grade-five handgun provided by the Song clan, and its might was far below that of the Twin Flowers. However, Song Zians origin power defenses had just been shattered and could no longer resist such concentrated fire despite being a champion. Song Zian let out a wretched cry as his body spun several times in the air with blood gushing out continuously. Surprisingly, none of those shots had missed and all the projectiles had found their mark. The great elder roared furiously, Junior, youre courting death! He leapt off the stage and, using his palm as a sword, slashed toward Qianye from afar. A beam of silken lunar brilliance shot across the long distance. It was the same Brightmoon Heart, but in the elders hands, it possessed a formidable might capable of tearing apart the heaven and earth. Stay your hand! Song Tu, who was overseeing the match from beside the arena, blocked the moonlight with an angry roar. However, the elder had launched this malicious attack at full power. Song Tu was immediately struck flying and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Although the streak of lunar radiance had dimmed a fair bit due to Song Tus obstruction, the remaining half continued its flight toward Qianye. The latters eyes turned a deep azure as he locked onto the incoming moonlight. A slight distortion was suddenly revealed within this consummate radiance. Although it was minuscule, there was finally a weak point in this originally invincible blade light. Qianye tossed away the origin gun and held the East Peak in both hands. He held his breath and concentrated his attentionthe heavy sword felt as if it were dragging ten thousand tonnes of seawater as he raised it with great difficulty and thrust directly forward at the lunar sword radiance. Just as the two blades came into contact, a pair of luminous wings suddenly unfurled at Qianyes back. Spring thunder rumbled through the air as the great elders moonlight was actually hacked apart by the East Peak. Qianyes entire body was shaken as he coughed up a large mouthful of fresh blood. The radiant wings behind his back distorted for a moment and gradually faded away. His finger webs were all drenched in blood, and his arms were trembling uncontrollably. However, his figure still stood ramrod straight. Qianye had actually received a blow from the great elder! The audience almost couldnt believe their eyes. The great elders combat strength could be ranked within the top ten in the entire clan. Even though the greater half of the attack power had been blocked by Song Tu, it still wasnt something an ordinary champion couldve received. Even the great elder who was hovering high in the air was startled because he had never expected that his all-out attack would be rendered ineffective. He was completely enraged and raised his hand to fire another moonlight rainbow. But this beam only flew out halfway before it was severed and completely dispersed by a certain object. The elders on the stage clearly saw that the item which had broken the great elders attack was actually a peeled lychee. Meanwhile, the lychee in Duchess Ans hands had gone missing. Zhongcheng, what do you think youre doing? Duchess An said slowly. The great elder flew back to the stage and bowed. Zian has already been defeated and yet that junior still launched a treacherous blow. His intentions were clearly improper. That was why I wanted to take action and give him a lesson. Duchess An replied indifferently, Ive said this long ago. The martial assessment wont pursue life and death. Even if he killed Song Zian on the spot, thats just because our descendant is lacking in skill. Are the rules I laid down being ignored even before my death? The great elders forehead was drenched in sweat as he replied hurriedly, This son doesnt dare! Duchess An sighed. Your actions have actually shown the world that our Song clan doesnt even have the slightest bit of tolerance. Who will be willing to join us in the future? Withdraw now and relinquish your elders position on your own. Your entire branchs expenses shall be halved for five years. A disastrous change came over the great elders countenance. This was a fairly severe punishment. Although the time span was only five years, it meant that their entire branchs development would be suppressed during this time, and it would become even more difficult to contend with Song Zhongnian. Duchess An then said, Pour a cup of the Heavenly Wind Dew from my room and let that child drink it, lest his foundation be damaged. The two attendants immediately leapt off the stage and left in a hurry. The elders were all somewhat moved. The Heavenly Wind Dew collected by Duchess An could be considered a priceless wine. Not only was it a divine medicine for treating injuries, but it could also help nurture a solid foundation for cultivation. After taking on the great elders blow, the primary injury Qianye had received was the moonlight sword intent which had penetrated his body. It was indeed difficult to eliminate, but all of the elders here were capable of treating it. Duchess An bringing out such a valuable item was, in truth, a disguised compensation. There were people on the drill grounds to carry Song Zian off the arena and take care of his injuries. He had suffered a series of gunshots and the deepest one had damaged his lungs. This kind of injury would require several months of recuperation even with the best of medicines. This also meant that he was bound to be crippled for the remainder of the assessments. But this matter didnt end here. After the conflict was over, many people recalled the radiant wings Qianye had manifested behind his back and couldnt help but reveal peculiar expressions. Normally, one would have to reach rank-thirteen champion and above in order to manifest ones talent form. However, it wasnt exactly strange to see someone achieve this in advanceevery major clan would have a number of geniuses who could do this. Qianye had defeated a champion as a rank-eight fighter so he couldnt be assessed with conventional standards. Hence, people werent overly astonished. But those luminous wingswhich clans bloodline or secret art did it belong to? In truth, some had already begun to privately discuss his identity after he distinguished himself in the elimination matches. They suspected whether he was a clan disciple who had come to provide assistance with a hidden identity and even felt that he might be from another major clan or a high-ranking aristocratic family. This didnt go against the rules of the competition. Moreover, one had to know that in an empire with rigidly stratified social statuses, it could be considered a commendable ability to be able to convince a high-ranking aristocratic descendant to hide his name and act as a guest warrior. But certain criticisms couldnt be avoided when said persons strength was so overwhelming. Song Zining sat motionlessly as if he hadnt sensed all the gazes upon him. Qianye drank the provided medicine and also took care of the lacerations on his hands. Then, with the East Peak in his arms, he leaned back in his seat and began to rest with his eyes closed. Of course, he also turned a deaf ear to the discussions around him. On the stage, the elders suspicious voices had also faded away. Only a couple of them were exchanging glances and whispering under their breath. Song Zhongxing, with his nasty temper, sneered, What Feathercloud Art? Its not as if the elders here havent seen the Bai clans secret art. It looks nothing like this! And even if that is indeed the case, is it enough to save our Song clans face? Dont tell me a Bai clan junior should be stronger than our Song clan? Without waiting for him to continue, Clan Lord Song Zhongnian hurriedly shot Song Zhongxing a meaningful glance and stopped this younger brother of his who tended to offend everyone with his speech. At this time, Elder Lu said, Its indeed not the Feathercloud Art. Duchess An, on the other hand, couldnt even be bothered to open her eyes. As such, the numerous elders gradually became silent. The remaining battles were no longer suspenseful since all of them involved the strong defeating the weak. The final eight would fight again on the morrow and finally decide on the first place of this examination. At this point, only Qianye and one of Song Zians men remained among the guest warriors. The difference between ordinary warriors and clan descendants was significant. Although they were comparatively more experienced, this hardly made up for the difference in material wealth and the foundation laid down since childhood. It was also no wonder why elder Song Zhongcheng lost his composure like so. It was obvious that their branch had invested heavily in this examination, especially in the martial assessment. They had come well prepared and were determined to take the highest score. However, they were met with a complete failure when Song Zian was defeated by Qianye during the battle for top-eight. That night, Qianye drank the Heavenly Wind Dew and fell into a deep sleep, waking up only at dawn the following day. He felt some peculiarities in his body as soon as he woke up. Thus, he hurriedly observed with his internal vision and found that the ninth origin node had actually been ignited unconsciously. Additionally, all of his injuries had completely healed. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 311: The Foundation of Survival [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Having seen him sweep out Song Zian in advance, Qianyes opponent in the top-eight battle was obviously low in fighting spirit. Qianye was thus able to score an easy victory. Song Zining, on the other hand, faced off against Song Zians guest warrior. Both sides had shed all pretenses after yesterdays battlethat warrior immediately launched a series of killing moves and wasnt at all hesitant to exchange injuries. He obviously intended to push Song Zining into dire straits. However, Song Zining finally displayed astonishing combat prowess in this battle. He used the Song clan secret art, Fueled Fire Spear. This spear art was most suitable for group combat in the battlefield and, in his hands, possessed the destructive might of a formidable army. The fight between the two didnt last long before that guest warrior was killed on the spot. This was the first mortal bout during this martial examination, however, the audience was silent and no one made any criticisms. Song Zian had lost yet another powerful general and this damage could be considered disastrous. The top-four was thus produced. Qianye would soon face Song Ziqi, while Song Zinings opponent was Song Zicheng. Song Ziqi had just crossed over the champion threshold and was an entire level inferior to Song Zian in combat strength. In comparison, Qianye had advanced to rank-nine after drinking the Heavenly Wind Dew. As such, there was little suspense in the following battle. Qianye didnt even need to use Eye Ability: Control before he had broken through Song Ziqis defenses and injured him with a flurry of sword strikes. Qianye really wanted to leave some disability on Song Ziqi if not for Song Tu keeping a close eye on him from nearby. But even so, he should be bedridden for at least three to five days. On the other hand, an intense battle had erupted between Song Zining and Song Zicheng. As the eldest son of the current clan lord, Song Zicheng had always firmly held the first successors position. He had much more resources at his disposal and shouldve held a complete advantage in terms of combat arts and weaponry. Only when the two made their appearance did people realize Song Zining had already swapped out his gear and was actually equipped with a full set of grade-six armaments. Even as members of a clan known for its great wealth, everyone was still visibly movedSong Zian only possessed a single grade-six weapon and Song Zicheng only had two pieces of grade-six armor. When the examination began, Duchess An had publicly granted Song Zining a grade-six defensive ring as a life-saving measure. That was because everyone knew that Song Zinings paternal and maternal lineages werent at all prominent and his future wife belonged to a landowning household. There was no way for him to have accumulated anything significant. With his current ranking as a successor, his quota of resources and benefits were hardly enough to put together a set of grade-four defensive gear and a grade-five weapon, let alone an entire set of grade-six equipment. Naturally, all the elders knew Song Zining owned a private industry known as the Ningyuan Group, but who among the grown main family descendants didnt own a number of factories and workshops? But if this set of equipment did come from his personal business, it signified that the scale of his assets wasnt small at all, not to mention it had only been a few years since he started managing things on his own. Many elders were instantly overcome by a peculiar feeling. Duchess An suddenly asked, Zhongnian, Zining is from your branch. Where are the origins of the little things on him? Song Zhongnian was also looking at Song Zining. He pondered for a moment after hearing the duchess words before answering, In my opinion, part of the equipment should be from his personal accumulations, while the remainder was put together via his connections. Putting together was no different from borrowing money. However, the elders all nodded in succession, knowing that being able to borrow was also an ability. Zining this child seems to be growing progressively better. The old ancestors words petrified the smiles on many of the elders faces. Song Zinings fighting style during this round was completely different from the last. Against Song Zichengs Embroidered Sword Art, which was adept in both offense and defense, he immediately unleashed the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Arts domain. At this moment, the three hundred meter radius of the arena was filled with a hint of autumn rain. Countless strands of fine origin power materialized in the air and wove into a network of air-tight defenses. After sensing an external origin power assault the very next moment, the origin power was once again transformed into blades of wind which spun back to mount a counterattack. The Song clan descendants in the audience had never seen this secret art which no one had succeeded in cultivating in hundreds of years. The elders, on the other hand, more or less understood this technique, and as such, everyone was wearing different expressions. However, they also seemed to have different worries in their hearts. Even the discussions had lessened by quite a bit and the stage was completely silent. The Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, like many other high-ranking secret arts, was classified into three ranks and nine realms. Normally, most people would only reach the middle rank in their entire lifetime. The high rank could only be achieved through enlightenment and opportunitiesthere was no shortcut whatsoever. Once a person reached high-rank in any type of secret art, he would have little obstruction when breaking through the last few champion ranks. This also meant that he had the potential to break through to the rank of divine champion. Song Zinings current Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art had actually reached the Autumn Sunset realm which was the fifth realm of the middle rank! In terms of secret art realms, Song Zining was already number one among the Song clans younger generationthe others behind him wouldnt be able to catch up to him for several years at least. Song Zichengs only advantage was in his origin power. His combat art wasnt weak either and was just about to break through to middle-rank. However, it was greatly evened out by Song Zinings superior gear. It was inevitable that the battle would drag on since both parties were high in defense but lacking in offense. The battle lasted for an entire two hours before Song Zining finally exhausted his origin power and faced an unfortunate loss. Although Song Zicheng could still support Song Zining, he himself was pale as a sheet when he stepped off the arena. His footsteps felt weak, and he could hardly take the final steps when he reached the border of the arena. Had Song Zining held on for ten more minutes, the first to collapse mightve been Song Zicheng. That afternoon, the final battle commenced between Song Zicheng and Qianye. As soon as he entered the arena, Song Zicheng decisively announced, I concede! He was overly worn out from his battle with Song Zining. Even with the use of superior medicines, he hadnt recovered from the weakened state arising from his overdraft of origin power. The Song clan elders on the stage all wore odd expressions as Song Tu announced the results of the competition. And Song Zhongxings laughter, at this moment, sounded incomparably grating to the ears. The rules of the Song clans successor examination was highly advantageous for the clan descendants. In the end, the champions position was actually taken by an outsider. If this matter were to leak out, it would more or less affect the Song clans prestige. However, the elders appraisal of Song Zichengs forfeiture wasnt uniform. This was also the special characteristic of a clan built upon commercegive up on the impossible and find another way. At this point, Duchess An said, Summon Song Zining and that child onto the stage. I wish to have a few words with them. Moments later, Qianye followed Song Zining onto the stage and stood before Duchess An. Only at this point did Qianye have the opportunity to observe this legendary Song clan ancestor. He only glanced at her once before quickly lowering his head. Although Duchess Ans hair was as white as snow, her countenance wasnt as aged as one might expect. She might possibly be mistaken for a middle-aged lady if she had dyed her hair black. But her pair of eyes, filled with the vicissitudes of the passing years, vaguely revealed the secrets of her age. When Duchess Ans gaze landed on Qianyes body, she merely sized him up and didnt use her perception to probe his origin power and constitution. This little detail allowed Qianye to feel a little bit more relaxed. Duchess An said after a glance, Not bad. Both children are not bad. Having you as a friend is also Zinings good fortune. Friends? Qianyes heart trembled ever so slightly after hearing those words and immediately replied, Thank you for the praise. Duchess An said to her attendants with a smile, This child is so talented and polite. I like him. Someone, bring me that box. A nearby attendant presented a cedar box inlaid with silver and opened it before everyone, revealing three origin bullets within. These bullets were completely silver in color. However, they werent as shiny as mithril and, instead, possessed a type of simple yet profound depth to it. Additionally, there were unique patterns upon them which seemed to have been embedded layer by layer. From a design perspective, it was somewhat similar to the work of the great master from Dog Claw Town, but the craftsmanship was vastly superior. Under Duchess Ans indication, Qianye received the box of origin bullets from the maids hands. As soon as the items entered his hands, he was astonished to find that the intensity of the origin power fluctuations being emitted was significantly greater than that of a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism. Duchess An said warmly, These are Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang produced by our Song clan, slightly different from the ones on the market. You won the first place in the competition and yet I have nothing good on hand to give you. Ill just let you have these little things so that you can use it to protect yourself. The elders nearby were still able to keep their composure, but the same couldnt be said for the Song clan disciples below. Many people revealed expressions of pain and envyit was a rather marvelous scene. The Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang were powerful killer weapons comparable to the Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation. Moreover, those produced privately by the Song clan had been heavily modified. Every shot was handcrafted and involved dozens of high-ranking artisans toiling away for several months. This so-called slight difference spoken by Duchess An was equal to a gap between the heaven and earth for ordinary people. This kind of Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang was a killing weapon unique to the Song clan and could kill a dark race viscount even when fired from a grade four to five origin gun. Such ammunition was usually supplied to the personal guards of the imperial family. Many great experts would fight over them in the rare occasion that they leaked out into the public market. Even Song Zicheng and Song Zian had only two each on as a life-saving measure. Song Zining, with his current status, havent even gotten one such bullet. But Qianye, as an external warrior, was given three in one go. How could this not make the other disciples envious? Duchess An waited until Qianye had put away the box before glancing at the people around her. Our human races greatest nemesis is still the dark race. As such, the foundation of our survival is still on the battlefield against them. The reason our Song clan established ourselves as merchants was, in fact, so that we can provide support to those on the front lines. You lot must be thinking that my reward is excessive. These little things will take the lives of three dark race viscounts in this childs hands. In the hands of you unworthy descendants, however, theyre likely to be sold off for business capital and become part of a personal collection in another clans armory. These words exposed many peoples thoughts, causing them to be drenched in cold sweat. Duchess An sighed. The path of the martial arts, outside, can defend us from the other races, while inside, it is the very foundation of our clan. The intention of holding this decennial examination is to reverse our Song clans weaknesses, but some still fail to understand this logic. Resorting to trickery has become so much of a habit in daily life that you cant change your methods when true swords and spears are required. If we continue developing this way, how will there be any bravery and courage left? Can we still expect anything from you all when our survival is at stake? The title of a great clan isnt perpetual after being granted to a certain family. A thousand years ago when the empire was founded, there were seven great clans. Later on, within a short two hundred years, they were reduced to three and then back to nine great clans during the period of resurgence. How prosperous an age! Counting from the fall of the Zhu clan, its been over three hundred years now since power was divided amongst the four clans Qianye listened with bated breath. This was the first time he learned of the detailed historical changes of the clans. He had no contact with such things during his time at Yellow Springs or Red Scorpion. Qianye shot Song Zining a glance and found him just listening to the lecture with his eyes lowered just like everyone else. He seemed no different from his usual self. But with Qianyes understanding of him, he knew that there was a lot on Song Zinings mind and that the latter felt little joy from his good grades at the successors examination. It seemed as though his depressed mood had grown more obvious since after the battle between Qianye and Song Zian. Recalling all that had happened during these few days, Qianye couldnt help but let out a secret sigh. Perhaps he should find some time to talk with Song Zining about this. The Song clan was, after all, related to the latter by blood. Regardless of his choice, this decision mustve been an extremely difficult one to make, even for someone as decisive as Song Zining.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 312: Set Adrif t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye suddenly recalled Zhao Jundu and felt momentarily confused himself. At this time, Duchess Ans speech had reached a conclusion. The three clans, Zhang, Bai, and Zhao have produced many a genius from their younger generation who have achieved great accomplishments in the battle against the dark races. But what about our Song clan? How many of you have actually joined a major battle before? Right now, you have these old bones to protect you, but what will you do after the older generation retires? These words caused the entire scene to grow completely silent. Although the world was vast, the Song clan was at least second if not first in terms of wealth. But if there was no one at the helm, the only path was toward destruction, and the best outcome would be to have the clan divided up by the others. But how could it be so easy to reverse this current trend of weakness? Many people began to sweat profusely. Even Qianye, who was quite ignorant toward tactics and trickery, had sensed the Song clans predicament in this examination. The inheritance of such an enormous aristocratic clan naturally involved a twisted network of benefits on the inside, currently held at a relatively stable equilibrium. Discarding the old and bringing in the new would, in truth, be tantamount to shaking these elders lifeblood; how difficult would that be? But if such a change werent carried out, it would likely shake the Song clans roots. Duchess An seemed to have lost interest after speaking up to this point. She got up and said, Youre all dismissed. Put more effort into the strategic assessment two days later. At this point, the curtains fell on the martial examination. After taking inventory, the one who had benefited the most in this competition was still the eldest Song clan young master, Song Zicheng. The branch of his most threatening rival, Song Zian, had taken disastrous losses. This was especially true after Elder Song Zhongchengs dismissal from office and their resources being halved. The effects of this were far-reaching and couldnt be measured merely in terms of successor scores. Comparatively, although Song Zicheng hadnt taken first place, his status grew even more solidified since he had pulled himself far ahead of the second successor. Song Zining, on the other hand, had always kept a low profile since he entered the successors sequence two years ago. This time, he could be considered to have amazed the entire Song clan with a single brilliant feat. He had only advanced to rank-nine for a few months but had already displayed enough strength to contend with a champion. Additionally, what no one else knew was that Song Zining, as a Yellow Spring graduate, could be considered number one among the younger generation in terms of actual combat experience. A newly ascended champion like Song Ziqi might not be his match. These results came as a slap to the greater half of the elders faces. They were in charge of assessing the talents of clan descendants and guiding them, but Song Zining had always received a third-rate evaluation since a young age. Later on, he was reassessed and raised by a level. Even then, he was merely second-rate in the records. Later on, Duchess An personally judged Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art as successful and raised him into the successors list. However, because Song Zining indulged in miscellaneous studies and possessed a romantic nature, most elders refused to believe he would achieve anything great on the martial dao. But as it turned out, even though the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art wasnt an offensive secret art, Song Zining had already surpassed most of the clan descendants they had evaluated as geniuses. Although Song Zicheng had obtained the greatest benefits in this examination, under present circumstances, some of his advisors couldnt help but express their concern about Song Zining. However, the Song clans eldest young master refused to listen. He gently said to his aides, Regardless of bloodline, Little Seven and I share the same grandfather and were closer than many other people. In terms of the assistance, we have an agreement between us and hes delivered so much more than expected. We cant always keep working with weak people. The way to make progress is to strengthen oneself and not to suppress others. Moreover, a real expert cant be suppressed. So, dont let me hear about such comments in the future. That very night, Song Zicheng personally went to Deep Cloud Hall and delivered all the things Song Zining had requested along with a generous gift. Skipping one day ahead, it was the strategic assessment. The Song clans military tactics examination resembled the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt in form, but the rules were vastly different. The examination grounds were constructed on the borders of the Eastern Continent. In truth, the place was a battlefield where they were confronting the dark races. The examinees would each bring a hundred-man unit and launch an assault against the dark races, then form rankings in terms of military accomplishments. Chances of accidents happening in this strategic assessment were high. Even a powerful candidate might run into a large dark race unit or a general if he was unfortunate. As for the strength of the successors forces, there was only a generalized restriction on the number and level of troops. Individual combat strength would depend on the resources of their respective branches. At first, both Song Zian and Song Ziqi had ambitions to suppress the eldest Song Zicheng. However, they had never expected to be injured so badly by Qianye in the martial examination. Song Ziqi could still force himself to appear, but Song Zian simply couldnt join the examination in person and only sent his squad in. Without a leader at the reins, their final results were easily imagined. One day before the strategic assessment, almost a hundred airships arrived majestically on the Eastern Continent. Duchess An was no longer spectating this time, but the experts from the Hall of Peace had all been mobilized for security. Song Zinings unit was neither strong nor weak and could only be considered average. Having received no support at all from his parents, he had depended on himself to build everything from scratch. It was already commendable for him to have reached this level. The prize for this military tactics examination moved Qianye. It was a set of armaments sufficient to equip a reinforced company and, additionally, their quality was at the level of the imperial elite corps. With these armaments, anyone with sufficient resources could form an unit of considerable strength. One could see Duchess Ans intentions from this reward. She hoped the Song clan descendants would not only raise their individual fighting power but also form an impressive military force. She hoped that they would accomplish things out on the battlefield. The foundation for maintaining ones noble title was still via military accomplishments. Only then would they be capable of preventing the downfall of the Song clan. Unfortunately, Duchess Ans painstaking effort had turned out contrary to her expectations. Although Song Zining himself didnt quite need the equipment, Qianyes Dark Flame Mercenary Corps was expanding with great momentum in the recent days and such a batch of premium military supplies might not be available for purchase even if one had the money. As such, Song Zining and Song Zicheng reached a secret agreement. If he were to help Song Zicheng win the military assessment, the rewards would all go to him in addition to enough cargo trucks for use by a battalion. Qianye had never expressed his opinion on such matters and simply let Song Zining make the decisions. He also stopped cultivating intensively and, instead, went to Song clans depository to find more books on the theory of origin power cultivation and various basic martial arts. Qianye would return to Evernight Continent as soon as this examination was over. With Song Zining and Song Zichengs name, he was afforded a rare opportunity to borrow and read so many classics. He had to grasp this opportunity to study as much as he could. The myriad great daos werent always interconnected, but the more one understood, the easier it was to approach the true path. After reading through a dozen or so basic martial techniques and then reviewing the experiences he had gained from actual combat, Qianye felt himself beginning to understand things comprehensively. After over a day of flight, they finally arrived at the borders of the Eastern Continent, and the curtains would soon be raised on the strategic examination. Over twenty Song clan units would be thrown into different places on the battlefield and launch individual attacks against the dark races. They were almost three-thousand-strong with all the Song clan units added together and were made up of elite soldiers all rank-five and above. Additionally, there were two champions and several quasi-champion level experts among them. Obviously, the dark race forces here werent expecting to encounter such a powerful force and were immediately beaten into a miserable retreat. Their defensive lines fell into chaos and holes opened up everywhere. Things became chaotic right after boring a hole through the enemy defense lines. Some units continued to push deeper in, some chose to circle back and flank the enemy, while certain unit commanders decided to settle old scores in advance. As such, many moderate conflicts broke out throughout the place. Even though the main goal of the examination was to eliminate the dark race forces, incidents where people hindered each other were a common occurrence. While fighting for relative rankings, sometimes it was more effective to weaken someone else than to bolster ones own score. Qianyes true vision was definitely a powerful killer weapon on the actual battlefield. No enemy within a thousand meter radius could escape his perception. With the addition of Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, they were able to successfully counterattack and half-massacre two ambush units attempting to launch a sneak attack on them. Afterwards, Qianye left the group and proceeded to ambush Song Ziqi and Song Zians units. Qianye felt that such a move wasnt entirely necessary in this round. To them, the path toward victory was to ignore the competition and directly push into the depths of the battlefield, killing as many dark race soldiers as they could. Who would be able to catch up to them if they killed a number of viscounts? But Song Zining had pestered Qianye insistently until the latter reluctantly agreed to this strategy. According to Song Zining, the key to this battle was to ensure Song Zichengs victory. Only then would they achieve the greatest benefits for everyone. As such, they had to be absolutely safe in case Song Zicheng somehow encountered some odd misfortune and suffered a setback. The best method was to cripple Song Zian and Song Ziqis forces, completely disabling their competitive strength. As for the others, there was no need to fear them since it was impossible for them to catch up with Song Zicheng. In the end, Qianye didnt deny Song Zining and made his way through the battlefront alone. He then ambushed Song Zian and Song Ziqis forces in succession, heavily injuring all of their core experts. Song Ziqi suffered a direct hit and was immediately withdrawn from the competition. Apart from Zhao Jundu, Qianye had rarely, if ever, met his match on the battlefield in terms of sniping. He was at an entirely different level compared to these Song clan young masters. On the battlefield where myriad changes could occur within an instant, these so-called experts from the arena were easily overwhelmed and abused. Qianyes ambush also produced an additional effect. The two units completely lost their couragethey each found an easily defensible area and made camp, only daring to reveal their heads after noticing no hostile activity for several days. With so many days of delay, it could already be considered a miracle if they could make their way to the middle of the rankings. During the remainder of the battle, Qianye couldnt help but feel Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art, rumored to be able to see through the mysteries of the mortal world, had the potential for inauspiciousness. Song Zichengs troops pushed in continuously like a hot knife through butter, but for some reason, they had actually failed to notice the positions of the allied units. Among his adjacent forces, Song Zining had stopped moving entirely after Qianye left, while Song Zian and Song Ziqis forces were beaten up by Qianye until they were holed up in a corner. As a result, Song Zicheng pushed too far ahead and soon became an isolated unit. The dark race forces immediately grasped this opportunity to rapidly assemble their forces and surround Song Zichengs unit. A great battle ensued where Song Zicheng routed the enemy forces but at a great cost. He single-handedly killed a third-rank werewolf viscount but was also heavily injured and had no choice but to withdraw from the competition. The greater half of his troops had also suffered heavy casualties and lost their fighting power. After Qianye returned to the squad, the situation developed in such a way that even sitting in place was no longer feasible. They even had to actively retreat tens of kilometers, lest some blind dark race units bump into them. Killing such a unit would cause Song Zinings score to surpass Song Zichengs instead. As such, a peculiar spectacle was formedthe examination was only halfway through when four of the Song clans most powerful squads stopped making any progress. The remaining units, on the other hand, were fighting rather valiantly. However, their fighting power was too inferior compared to the top-four and had no way to catch up. What shouldve been a vigorous strategic examination was thus concluded with a weak finish. The total accomplishments of each unit could scarcely be described as passable. But this was the real trutha truth mixed in with politics. Just like how internal struggles had always held the empire by the elbow whenever they faced the dark races. The situation on the dark race side was even more serious. Were it not for their intense infighting, how could the Great Qin have established the empire and gradually expanded? Qianye was in a bad mood after the battle ended. But he was no longer that rookie from the Red Scorpionseverything he had experienced during his journey from Evernight to the Upper Continent had changed his mental outlook. He glanced at Song Zining who had been out of sorts throughout the entire strategic examination and ultimately decided not to say anything.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 313: Our Country [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The final assessment was quite simple. Every contestant would compose a political strategy for ruling the country and governing ones house. He would then be interviewed by the various elders and finally be given a score by the elder group. This part of the examination was the most transparent because all examinees could listen during the interview. However, it was also one of the most debatable areas. Everyone had different opinions and points of viewsome advocated for defense, some supported radical expansion, while others wanted to maintain a middle ground. In order to gain the recognition of most of the elders, one had to have the appropriate ability. Song Zining was quite relaxed and contented. He casually produced a strategy and dealt with the interview and, without even waiting for the results, ran back to his own courtyard to enjoy warmth and tenderness. Someone had recently gifted him two little beauties who were reportedly rare experts in roomcraft. Qianye was no longer willing to accompany Song Zining in fooling around and seized the available time to browse through more ancient martial arts classics. His scope of study had already expanded to the various entry-level melee combat techniques. Hence within Deep Cloud Hall, Song Zining was unrestrainedly hugging the two newly arrived beauties while Qianye sat within the study, going through ancient books. Number seventeen, who had once shared a brief night of fateful grace with Qianye, waited upon him in silence, pouring him a new cup of tea periodically. Qianye suddenly felt that such silence and comforting moments were indeed a type of enjoyment. He could single-mindedly push forward on the dao of martial arts and had no need to think about the troubles of the secular world. At this time, the study door was pushed open and Song Zining walked in with a relaxed expression. Your simple life isnt so bad, I see! Qianye looked up at him and said, Youre like this every day. Arent you afraid your cultivation will fall into neglect? Over ten days had passed since the two arrived at the Song clan up until the end of the examination. During this period, he had never seen Song Zining cultivating. He went out to meet friends almost every day and returned late at night, suffused with the scent of alcohol and cosmetics. Song Zining sat down on a wide ceramic couch facing the desk and leaned on the backrest in a semi-reclining position. Only after making himself comfortable did he say, Following ones nature is also one of the great daos. Moreover, Im only like this when I return to the clan. Im very restrained normally. Qianye sighed. Even back in their days at the Yellow Springs Training Camp, no emotions could be found on that young Song Zinings face. Back then, there was a certain coldness and pride between his brows, befitting of a person born to the highest order of society. He also possessed a certain ruthlessness and wouldnt allow anyone to offend himhe had definitely killed more students than Qianye. Song Zining had already transformed into a different person when they met again several years later. He almost seemed like a standard clan descendantbright, cheerful, and gentle. But this was merely a mask with which to hide his emotionshis delight, his fury. Only after coming to the Song clan did Qianye understand why this clan descendant of noble bloodline turned into such a person. He had wanted to talk to Song Zining since the end of the martial assessment, but he wasnt quite adept at expressing himself and never found a way to bring this up. Qianye put down the jade scroll in his hand and shot a glance at Number Seventeen. The clever girl immediately understoodshe withdrew from the study and carefully closed the door. Song Zining was resting silently with his eyes half closed. A moment of silence pervaded the study. Zining, it seems youre about to go through a period of trouble. Do you have any plans? Song Zining didnt open his eyes and replied carelessly, After this examination, my successor rank will be entering the top three. This is a wonderful development. What trouble can there be? Will Song Zian and his elder generation endure such a loss? Qianye believed that the great elder Song Zhongcheng had really wanted to kill him at the scene. Duchess An punishing the entire branch of his family would only serve to deepen his enmity and make it difficult to resolve. Song Zining laughed lightly. He raised his hand to cover his eyes, which also conveniently concealed his expression and said indifferently, So what if theyre not willing? They only have those few bargaining chips. The Yin family and Yin Qiqi will have to try much harder if they want to occupy the leading position. The Wei family and Marquis Bowang definitely wont care about such matters. As for that boar, its not even sure whether he can leave the battlefield alive Song Zinings voice suddenly stopped here after noticing he had spoken too much. He lowered his hand to glance at Qianyes expression and said with a laugh, Twenty days ago, the Wei clan suffered a crushing defeat on the Far East frontline, and Wei Potian was reportedly in the army at the time. The situation there is quite tense at the moment. Its likely Wei Bainian will be summoned back to the main family when you return to Blackflow City in a few days. Qianye was astonished. The Wei clans Far East Province, as a frontier fortress, had been campaigning against the dark races year round. Within the information Song Zining had just revealed, the most important detail for Qianye wasnt Wei Potians safety since there would definitely be safety measures to protect the Wei clan successor on the battlefield. But Wei Bainians departure meant that the expeditionary army would dispatch a new division commander to take office. Regarding the previous incident involving Wu Zhengnan, it was unsure whether the expeditionary army headquarters knew of Qianyes involvement in the matter. However, just from the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps closeness with the Wei clan, Qianyes relationship with the new division commander might not be that great. But Qianye wasnt distracted by Song Zinings words. Even if you feel Song Zian isnt a threat, then what about Song Ziqi? Isnt he the one after your life since the beginning? Song Zinings lazy attitude completely disappeared at this point. He sat up straight and said with a calm expression, Dont worry about me. The old ancestor wont let him act too excessively within the clan. As for incidents outside of the clan, why would I have to be afraid of him? Why is that? Seeing that Qianye insisted on getting an answer this time, Song Zining said differently, Perhaps because I was thrown into a engagement with a landowning household. Oh right, it might also be related to the level of my talent assessment. Qianye couldnt help but inhale deeply. Even though he had guessed these things, it still felt extremely uncomfortable to hear Song Zining speak about it in an unperturbed manner. That year, Song Zinings talent assessment was obviously suppressed by someone and most of the resources entitled to him were given to someone else. This was perhaps an unavoidable part of family infighting, but as a victim, it would feel as if there was no justice in the heavenly dao. There was only coldness in the depths of Song Zinings eyes despite the faint smile on his face. But Ive already decided not to fight for the clan lords position no matter what. This piece of land is already rotten and its no longer possible to build tall buildings on it. I might as well develop a new territory on my own. Qianye laughed wryly. If Song Zining was really so open-minded, he wouldnt have been so out of sorts these days. Since that is so, what else is on your mind? Song Zining turned silent and appeared distracted for a moment. He only spoke moments later, This is terrible. It seems you always see through my emotions, he continued calmly, Im regretting things. Qianye, I shouldnt have dragged you into this. Qianye laughed and said, I gained a lot of benefits this time. These words absolutely werent just to comfort Song Zining. He was able to use the sky-grade cultivation room and obtain the heavy sword East Peak as well as three refined silver bullets. He also received enough equipment for a reinforced company in addition to a battalions worth of cargo trucks. An ordinary mercenary corps commander could never amass such wealth even in his entire lifetime. What helped Qianye the most was still the Song clan depositary. The multitude of basic martial arts knowledge made up for his final shortcoming. As of this moment, he only needed to digest and comprehend them slowly. Song Zining no longer attempted to hide his emotions since he had already revealed the matter. I still failed to observe the situation clearly. You shouldnt have had to engage in life and death battles in the arena. Zining, youre overthinking things. Theres really no difference whether I fight life and death battles on the battlefield or in the arena. Qianye knew Song Zining hadnt taken this examination seriously since the beginning, and neither did he pay any attention to Song Ziqis death threat. In truth, Song Zining had no intention to deal a deadly blow to Song Zian and Song Ziqi. Despite his scheming and decisive nature, there was still a subconscious weakness against blood relations. The incidents following this examination made Song Zining realize a certain truthhe couldnt avoid conflict just because he wasnt contending for certain things unless he was willing to be a mediocre person and let things take their course. Qianye. Mn? Lets go to Evernight together and build our own nation. A country founded according to our ideals. Very well. Duchess Ans Lotusheart Residence within the Enlightenment Manor. At this moment, someone was discussing the two friends. Although it was called a residence, the building occupied a large area and even included a man-made lake in the courtyard. A banquet was currently being held within its main hall with only one table and five seats. Naturally, the guests were extremely important characters. Duchess An was sitting at the masters seat, and beside her was a graceful middle-aged man with long brows, narrow eyes, fair countenance, and no facial hair. The current Song clan lord Song Zhongnian, Elder Lu, and another grand elder accompanied them on the lower seats. Judging from how he was invited to this banquet, it was obvious that this Elder Lus status wasnt as simple as it seemed on the surface. Duchess An spoke first, It mustve been a tiring period for Prince Rui. The younger generations performance was quite clumsy. Theyve truly made you watch a joke. This middle-aged man was, in fact, Prince Rui of the empire. He was also the nephew of the current emperor. Although his influence in the imperial court couldnt be considered enormous, he was still a character of distinguished status. Even within the Song clan, only a select few people knew that someone from the imperial family was actually spectating the decennial examination. Prince Rui said, Old ancestors words are too serious. There are a number of talents among the younger generation who can be nurtured. As for their lack of battle experience, whats there to worry about? Theyll naturally be tempered when they go into the battlefield in the future. Theres no need to be too concerned. What does your Excellency think of the champion, An Renyi? asked Elder Lu. Prince Rui also had a deep impression of Qianye who had taken the first place. He immediately replied, Naturally, that childs talent is extremely good. Unfortunately, like an unpolished jade, he wasnt carved well. His talent is rather special. At first, there were signs of Venus Dawn, but instead of a twilight radiance mounted upon the stars, it actually turned into endless flames and finally condensed into a pair of luminous wings. It seems my knowledge is quite limited since I have never heard of such a talent. Everyone here couldnt help but make a few comments on this matter. Of course, no one came up with an answer. In truth, Duchess An had already noticed the wisp of darkness origin power on the East Peaks edge when it collided with the Moonchaser. Qianyes daybreak origin power was so pure and intense that he could draw upon the origin power of the heaven and earth even at rank-eight. This was a clear indication of his outstanding talents. Prince Rui said with some regret, Hes not a clan descendant and thus missed the best time to build his foundations. If Im not wrong, his origin power circulation method is actually the Combatant Formula. A fighter king whos cultivated to rank-nine would have too many internal injuries at this point. Even if he can become a champion in the future, how far he can progress will only depend on luck. The Combatant Formula was the human races number one accelerated cultivation art, but its greatest hidden danger was the damage it caused to the body. A rank-nine fighter king like Qianye had most likely reached the end of his road. If he continued cultivating, his body would fall apart before the age of thirty. Even if he switched to another art before that and healed his internal injuries, he could hardly reverse the damage to his foundations. This would adversely affect his future accomplishments as a champion. There was one thing, however, that Prince Rui refrained from saying in order to preserve the Song clans prestige.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 314: Sign of Resurgence [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye had dared challenge one who was three ranks above him and won; his strength and courage were indeed commendable. But there was no lack of geniuses in this world, and he certainly wouldnt be able to perform such feats forever. It was quite likely that he would be forced to return in low spirits had he attempted this against the descendants of the other three clans. From a different perspective, being forced to leap ranks despite ones low level was a strategic mistake in and of itself. At the mention of Qianye, it was inevitable that the other Song clan disciples would be brought up. Prince Rui finished a cup of wine and said calmly, Zicheng isnt bad. He has a calm temperament and a magnanimous character without foregoing strategic methods. I heard he had formed an alliance with Song Zining since before the examination and, in the end, placed second in the martial assessment and first in the strategic and political assessments. Now, he firmly holds the first place successor position. Zichengs talents are upper intermediate, and hes also diligent and hardworking. His ability in your future military power might not exceed the previous or current situation, but hes more than enough to preserve familial accomplishments. The Song clan people nodded in succession. Even Duchess An was also in agreement. Afterward, Prince Rui frowned indecisively and only spoke after a while, As for Song Zining, its truly difficult to judge him. Its said that the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art is a divination art, but its combat strength isnt weak at all in Zinings hands. His realm advancement is in fact quite fast, but he left no traces of an unstable foundation. This is simply too rare, but I sometimes hear that hes quite indulgent in the female charms? Moreover, hes engaged to a landowning household? Song Zhongnian and the grand elders expressions turned rather awkward. This matter was the result of the elders collective evaluation. Actually, the power balance within the clan was also a reason. But no aristocratic clan, even the branch families, would be willing to have their descendant marry someone from a landowning household. Song Zinings parents belonged to a weak branch and his cultivation talents back then werent ranked too high. Yet, he was a lineal descendant by right. [1] As such, he was chosen by the elders. In order to appease the clan members, Song Zhongnian gave them a tacit approval by not speaking up for this grandson. As the clan lord, he had to make some sacrifices for the clan. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would amaze everyone with such a brilliant performance. One had to know that the resources he had obtained from the clan couldnt compare to Song Zicheng and Song Zian. And yet, he was able to achieve such accomplishments. If this wasnt talent, then what was? After this exam, Song Zining had become publicly accepted as the number one genius of the fourth generation. It wasnt just limited to the fourth generationeven the previous generation was swept away by him. The Ningyuan Group founded single-handedly by Song Zining also displayed its strength by means of that grade-six equipment set. Judging from this, Song Zining possessed both martial talent as well as management skills. He could be considered a crane in a flock of chicken, at least among the younger generation of the Song clan. As long as it didnt affect his cultivation, his romantic temperament and pursuit of miscellaneous arts would only add to his sophistication. Only those who indulged in such things without a solid foundation were considered hedonistic. But the biggest problem at present was that Song Zining had already been pushed out to marry a landowning family. Those of the imperial aristocracy would never accept a landowning class woman as the mistress of a clan. Moreover, with that prior engagement in effect, no high-class lady would be willing to become his second wife. Even if the wedding was called off in the future, it could hardly wipe away this blemish. Regardless of the reason for the breach, he would be clearly dishonored, and the social status of his future wife would also fall by a level. At least the imperial clan would never consider such a marriage. This was Song Zinings actual shortcoming. A marriage of two families was the merging of two lineages. In this chaotic world where one had to depend on powerful alliances at all times, failing to form a marital relationship with a major clan meant one had lost half of all assistance. Prince Ruis first wife was the lineal daughter of Song Zhongnians first wife. He was in charge of civil affairs in the imperial court and also required the Song clans support in many areas. As such, he had no apprehensions about speaking his thoughts on such an occasion. However, he had no intention to dive too deep into the Song clans internal affairsseeing that the atmosphere had turned awkward, he deliberately changed the topic of conversation. Prince Rui hesitated for a moment and then said, Come to think of it, there are some movements that might be worth paying attention to. Firstly, its said that Zhang Boqian will challenge the Grand Duke of Profound Order once his injuries are healed. Everyone was astonished as soon as these words were spoken! Due to their ancestral grudges, Zhang Boqian had never concealed his enmity toward the Song clan. However, he had shown little movement due to the presence of Duchess An. But if Zhang Boqian were to successfully advance to the rank of heavenly monarch, many people from different levels of society might get ideas even if the Zhang clan kept on biding its time. Everyone from the Song clan wore anxious expressions. Duchess An, on the other hand, asked in a seemingly unconcerned manner, What other news is there? Prince Rui replied, I and a number of other imperial brothers went to observe the various clans and found a batch of young people who had advanced rapidly in the recent years without any signs of an unstable foundation. They didnt just rely on medicines to catalyze their progress. Almost all of them cultivated champion level secret arts or techniques since the fighter stage and had achieved minor success. For instance, the Zhao clan Duke Chengens second young master, Zhao Junhong. Just like Zining, he had ranked up continuously since the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt and had already touched the threshold of a champion. The Far East Wei Clans successor had advanced four entire ranks in the past year! There are also a number of such cases among the Zhang and Bai clans, as well as few among the other aristocratic families. Perhaps, before long, we will see a batch of champions in their twenties. Everyone was visibly moved after hearing this. The direct major clan descendants had no need to worry about resources as long as they were sufficiently talented. As such, they placed a lot of focus on solidifying their foundationstheir advancement speed prior to the champion rank wasnt fast compared to the descendants of landowning households and humble families. Sometimes, they might even fall behind, but their champion breakthrough rate was much higher, their foundations solid, and their origin power pure. The disparity in combat strength would increase evidently after their advancement. According to the empires past convention, one would be worthy of the title genius if he became a champion before the age of thirty. For instance, Bai Longjia of the Bai clan had reached the champion rank only when he was close to thirty years old. However, he skipped right over the brigadier general level and possessed the combat strength of a major general. There were two accepted paths when breaking through to the champion rank. One was to advance when the conditions were right. This involved routine cultivation and the condensation of ones qi into a vortex, followed by a direct advancement. The second method was to suppress ones level and repeatedly temper oneself during this period in order to refine, condense, and remove all impurities in ones origin power. The closer one got to the origins of daybreak, the more powerful he would be after breaking through to the champion rank. But not everyone could take the second path. Most people would fail to contain and control the tremendous origin power when condensing the vortex, leaving them with no choice but to advance. The major clan descendants had various secret methods to attempt a suppression. Normally, those who could suppress rank advancement for a year after the initial vortex formation could be considered a genius. Zhao Jundu was likely the only one in the empire who could stall for an entire five years. Prince Ruis words clearly meant that a batch of champions in their twenties was about to appear whose post-champion-rank accomplishments were apparently unaffected by rapid advancement. Song Zhongnian said in a solemn tone, Could this be a sign of the empires resurgence? Outstanding heroes were born in large numbers when the empire had brought about the Guangwu resurgence hundreds of years ago. The so-called geniuses of the past immediately became lackluster in comparison. During that time, countless famed generals galloped through the battlefield and beat the dark races into a progressive retreat. Not only did they claim the Eastern Continent for the empire, but they also occupied a third of the Flaming Beacon Continent. During the latter parts of the Guangwu resurgence, the number of great clans in the empire grew from three to nine. The standards for the great clans had never changed since the establishment of the Great Qin empire, hence, the growth in number signified an increase in the number and strength of experts. Could it be that another era of resurgence was about to arrive after hundreds of years? It would seem so. Prince Rui nodded. I and most of my royal brothers believe this to be the case. However, there wasnt a lot of joy on his face. Those from the Song clan also wore serious expressions. This so-called imperial resurgence almost meant that a period of turmoil was about to arrive. The effects of this would not only manifest on the battlefield against the dark races but also in the imperial court and the civil affairs involving all levels of society. There was also a truth no one here had brought upthe imperial familys strength was far from its former era of glory. Throughout the history of the Great Qin empire, it had always been the imperial family and the major clans who ruled the world together. The foundation of the empire was based on awakening and possessing clans with great power, establishing its territory on the four continents with the blood of their countless descendants. This also gave the human race a vast world to rest, recuperate, and develop. Through the 1200 years, the clans had always enjoyed special authority while, at the same time, taking on the responsibility of protecting their territory. In the eyes of their descendants, the clan, their name, and their bloodlines were the most important. The empire controlled the world and commanded the three hundred provinces, but could hardly interfere with the internal affairs of the major clans. In the eyes of the common people, the clan laws had always been more effective than the imperial laws. Under such circumstances, the imperial family would also produce talented people during this era of resurgence. However, there was a significant difference between their base numbers, and they had far fewer people compared to the clans. When this batch of young people matured ten or twenty years later, the imperial familys power over the general situation would fall to a dangerous level. Conversely, the clans influence would expand, and it was difficult to say whether one or two ambitious characters who wanted to command the world would appear. During the previous resurgent era, Emperor Guangwu was a peerless champion of the times both in strategy and in martial power. He had once retreated under the combined assault of three great dark monarchs and shocked the world. Although there were nine major clans in office at the same time, their reverence for the imperial family had far surpassed the previous generation and was only second to the empires founding era. However, the current emperor stayed deep within the Unending Palace and rarely made an appearance. Among the empires core generation, the twin paragons Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang shone brightly while Zhao Jundu displayed astonishing talent in the younger generation. Within the imperial family, it was still their two ancestral-generation heavenly monarchs upholding the general situation. Although there were also good talents among the remaining descendants, they were far from being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the three people. Amidst the silence, a thought emerged within everyones mindsa chaotic era was imminent. Elder Lu suddenly said, Since thats the case, these old rules have long since expired and become useless. Why not let Zining assume the successors role and have An Renyi join the family by marrying Ziyan? With our Song clans resources, it wont be a problem to make up for that childs deficient foundation. Elder Lus words astonished everyone. Even the old ancestor frowned and began to ponder in silence. The Song clan grand elder said with a laugh, Old Lu, this matter is too shocking. How would the other major clans view our Highland Song Clan? Moreover, Duke Jin had thought rather highly of Ziyan during his imperial concubine selection. Dont tell me youd have her give up the position of Duke Jins main imperial concubine and recruit someone who might be the descendant of a humble family or even a commoner. Assuming we did agree to your plan, wouldnt this be a grave offense to Duke Jin? Old Lu sneered, This isnt only about An Renyis background, is it? In the end, you people arent willing to admit to past mistakes and give the clan lords position to Zining! Its just that even if Zicheng married a member of the imperial clan, he can at most secure a dukes position and drag things out for one more generation. Have you never thought about how the Song clan would fare when the era of chaos actually arrives? Why not take this opportunity to destroy the old, welcome the new, and be reborn amidst the flames? Song Zhongnian and the grand elder glanced at each other with rueful smiles but didnt retort. That was because they simply couldnt bear to speak some of the truths out loud. Matters werent as simple as Old Lu saidthe power balance had already been established, and even the clan lord Song Zhongnian couldnt make everyone obediently welcome a new master with just a few words. Song Zinings foundations were simply too shallow and his age was too young. If he wanted a firm grasp on authority, he would have to uproot a couple of branches and establish his might. The great elder Song Zhongchengs branch was definitely one of them. There was no telling how much Song clan blood would be spilled during this process. The Song clan had never been abundant in population, so how could they afford such an internal friction? They might actually turn to ashes before they could be reborn amidst flames. An Renyi was indeed a good blade, but he was too sharp. If he didn''t die and advanced to the champion rank, there would likely be no one capable of wielding him. Even Song Zining himself might have to expend a lot of energy to do so. Under such circumstances, how could Song Zhongnian and the grand elder dare to let him marry a lineal descendant and give him the power to establish a main branch? Elder Lus shocking words deeply involved the Song clans internal matters. Prince Rui could only listen on the side and continuously drink his wine without even looking up. In the end, Duchess An sighed and said, Internal selection, the passing of inheritance to a lineal descendant and forbidding intermarriage between the noble and the humble are the founding rules of a clan. If we break those rules for no good reason, our Song clan will have made an enemy out of the world. We will fall into internal chaos even before the era of chaos arrives. This matter, we shall discuss later. Since Duchess An had spoken thus, it meant this matter was impossible. Elder Lu wore a resentful and dissatisfied expression but said nothing else. Hence, the Song clans situation was like a tall building on the verge of collapse. Those who moved would be seeking death, those who did not could only wait for death. The choice between the two was extremely difficult. While the atmosphere around Lotusheart Residence was becoming progressively stagnant, the ambiance in Deep Cloud Manor had already recovered its calm. After speaking all that needed to be said, Song Zining soon recollected his recent depressed mood and dragged Qianye out for a drink in the courtyard. The two sat facing each other with a bottle of wine and a couple of side dishes. There were beauties to help them pour wine as they drank and sang in a leisurely manner. This could be considered their parting banquet. The dust had settled over the examination, and the situation in Blackflow City would soon see a great change. Hence, Qianye didnt lingerhe left the Song clan at noon the next day and boarded an airship bound for Evernight Continent. He rushed all the way back to Blackflow City. Qianye didnt even have the time to hand Song Zinings project to Song Hu before Wei Bainians personal guard came knocking on his door.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 315: A Hesitant Beginning [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye asked and found out that Wei Bainian had dispatched his guards to pay attention to his movements. That was why they had come to see him immediately after he stepped into the main gates of the mercenary corps. Some thoughts flashed through Qianyes mind as he recalled what Song Zining had told himabout the Wei clans war with the dark races. It seemed the power structure in Blackflow City was about to witness some big changes. By the time Qianye arrived at the Seventh Division Headquarters, he saw Wei Bainians guards hurriedly moving around. The open space near the main building was fully occupied with private soldiers who were in the process of packing. Wei Bainian was personally waiting for Qianye before the door. He brought Qianye into the study and had someone deliver tea before closing the doors for a lengthy discussion. Qianye exchanged some conventional greetings with Wei Bainian and then asked directly, General Wei, are you about to leave? Wei Bainian sighed. The Far East Province is now in a total war with the dark races. Qianye had already heard bits and pieces of information from Song Zining. Thus, he immediately asked, Hows the heir doing? The heir was also in the army at the time and returned with serious injuries. But Qiyang is brimming with talent. Not only is his Thousand Mountains already at the seventh realm, but hes also awakened a powerful ability, Superhuman Recovery. Regardless of how grievous his injuries are, hell recover as long as he doesnt die on the spot. Moreover, his recovery is over ten times that of a normal person. At this point, Wei Bainians tone was full of praise. Qianye couldnt help exclaim in admiration after hearing of Wei Potians almost perverted ability. The Thousand Mountains was known as the best in defense. Add to that a Superhuman Recovery, this Wei clan heir was truly developing toward an indomitable direction. Then Wei Bainian began to explain the general situation in Far East Province. It turned out that a great general of the Wei clan had recently scored repeated victories against the dark races. Becoming quite conceited and making light of the enemy, he unwittingly found himself deep within dark race territory as he led his troops forward. Surprisingly, the dark races wouldnt let this go. It was as if they already had the intention to launch a war. They took this opportunity to pursue and attack the unit all the way to the jade gates where they were finally stopped by the natural stronghold and its fortifications. Presently, the dark race troops outside of the Jade Gate had increased by several times. It was only by relying on the fortifications there that the Wei clan forces were able to hold onto this passage leading into the Far East Province and barely stabilize the general situation. The other defensive lines of the Far East Province were also fairly strained. The Wei clan was currently recalling their generals stationed in various enclaved domains. As a general famous for his defensive capabilities, Wei Bainian would definitely be assigned to oversee the Jade Gate Stronghold. This was a place of utmost importance. It was currently unclear as to how long the situation in the Far East Province would drag out. It was a battle for survival, and the Wei clan was contracting all of its forces. With the exception of those stationed in some extremely important administrative enclaves, most of its troops had been transferred back to the main clan. Blackflow City was of little value to the Wei clan while Wei Bainian was one of its few great generals. As such, it was inevitable that the city would be included in the list of withdrawals. The Wei clan had already dispatched an elder level attendant to discuss this matter with the Expeditionary Army Headquartersthey would assign a new division commander to take over the seventh division. The handover between the two parties would take place within a couple of weeks. After informing Qianye of the developments, Wei Bainian asked meaningfully, What do you plan to do after I leave? Some thoughts flashed through Qianyes mind. What is the expeditionary armys attitude? Do we have any idea which general will take over the seventh division? Wei Bainian smiled faintly; these questions had struck the two most important issues. Due to Wu Zhengnans incident, the relationship between the expeditionary army and the Wei clan was bumpy at best. The new division commander might not have a good impression of Qianye. For a mercenary corps standing in opposition to the garrisoned expeditionary army, even survival would be difficult, to speak nothing of future developments. The expeditionary armys attitude was exceptionally good. The reason, at least on the surface, is the total war between the Far East Province and the dark races. They dont want to cause an obvious hindrance from behind lest they are blamed by the empire. In truth, I heard that a certain aristocratic family from the empire plans to extend its reach to Evernight Continent. Theyve dispatched a main clan descendant to develop territory here, and this happened to be a readily available opportunity. Qianye frowned. There was currently no way to judge whether this information bode well or not. If the expeditionary army was planning to bring about a peaceful handover with the Wei clan for certain benefits, they would have good reason to maintain the stability of the situation in Blackflow City. However, the effects it would have on Qianye and the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps was difficult to say. Additionally, the new division commander was of an aristocratic background. He should be vastly different from most of the expeditionary army division commanders who had climbed up from the grassroots and fought for their accomplishments. It wouldnt be easy to guess this persons way of handling things. Do you know which aristocratic family? The Sishui Dong Family, Wei Bainian thought about it for a moment before adding, their family title is that of a regional count. Qianye had no recollection of this aristocratic family, but he knew that the title regional count was for a lower-ranking aristocratic family. The regional count had to maintain his feudal lands at the size of a major county or above and was always at risk of being demoted from nobility. It wasnt surprising that they were anxious to break new grounds and had turned their attention toward Evernight Continent. Wei Bainian said, Ill still be around for about fifteen days or so, and Ill be taking all my men with me when I leave, so you should make plans in advance. Qianye nodded. Wei Bainians words meant that the Wei clan troops in the Blackflow City war zone would be withdrawn completely. But Qianye had no plans for the moment. He might consider fighting for the position of the seventh division commander if he were already a champion, but he still needed some time. A division commander must be a champion; this was a rigid thousand-year-old rule set by the imperial military. Qianye wasnt a true champion yet, despite his current power already being comparable to one. In truth, Qianyes response would largely depend on the attitude of this new division commander whom he had never met before. Qianye left Wei Bainian with a heavy heart and returned to the encampment of the mercenary corps. At this moment, the camp was extremely lively. A long line of cargo trucks was filing in, all of them outfitted according to imperial regular army standards. Each truck had a large caliber heavy machine gun mounted on top with two thick exhaust pipes standing tall and straight behind the drivers compartment. Their bold appearance was truly unforgettable. The two sides of the road had already been filled with people who had come to watch the liveliness, and more people were rushing over. These people had spent the greater half of their lives on Evernight, so how could they have ever seen such a large number of imperial regular army standard cargo trucks? At this moment, half of those cars were carrying military grade cargo crates, while the other half was occupied by fully uniformed soldiers. These warriors were formidable in appearance and outfitted with excellent gear, also of regular army standards. Comparatively, the expeditionary army looked like beggars, and most of those mercenaries, hunters, and adventurers who made their living on Evernight Continent looked even worse. Song Hu had long since received this news and immediately came out to receive them. A burly man with a dark complexion jumped down from the leading truck. He then walked toward Song Hu with large strides and said, Third special reinforced company of the Ningyuan Heavy Industries internal guard unit reporting in. Song Hu nodded and pointed toward the side. That area will be your barracks. Park all the cars in the side courtyard parking lot. Move all heavy equipment into the warehouse after taking inventory and keep all light equipment at hand. Yes, sir! The company commander saluted Song Hu and set out to make arrangements for their establishment. The soldiers from the Ningyuan Heavy Industries quickly alighted. They began to move the equipment and set up camp in an orderly fashion. The entire process involved no idle chatter apart from necessary orders and inquiries. Song Zining had dispatched this company to escort the prizes from the examination. It was also his first investment in Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. They would be assigned into the corps after they had completed their escort and delivery duties. This company was valued at a five percent share in Dark Flame Mercenary corps. In terms of actual fighting power, this special company might actually defeat the entire Dark Flame in battle, given that Qianye didnt join the battle. If an outsider were to know of this converted price, they would surely believe Song Zining had taken a huge loss. Even Qianye himself thought so. But Song Zining didnt calculate in such a way. He believed that a single Qianye was equal to an entire division, and that he might even be comparable to a corps or more in the future. With such a calculation, he had actually profited considerably. While the internal guards of Ningyuan Heavy Industries were busy with their work, some other people within the camp were paying attention to their movements. Apart from the blood seedlings he had saved, there were two neighboring mercenary groups Dark Flame had recently annexed. The high-ranking officers of those mercenary groups all wore ugly expressions. They secretly drew some comparison in their minds and realized that they would be utterly defeated even if they pulled out four or five hundred warriors to fight against this reinforced company made up of a hundred-odd people, not to mention the heavy weaponry being unloaded continuously from the trucks. The sheer quantity made ones scalp go numb. At this moment, what little hidden intentions they might have had in their hearts had dispersed into thin air. Qianye returned to the encampment in a dreary mood, and after seeing this buzzing scene, his somewhat low spirits were immediately uplifted. According to the plans between Song Zining and Qianye, the present expansion was only the beginning. During the following period, Song Zining would use the Ningyuan Groups name to recruit 500 more warriors, organize them into a battalion, and invest them into the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. This kind of troop organization and equipment allocation would continue until they reached the strength of an imperial regular army corps. This would then become the first step in their westward project. Qianye met Song Hu and the dark-faced company commander Duan Hao, then proceeded to make arrangements regarding certain corps affairs. He then stood in front of the map rubbing his tired eyes as he repeatedly compared a number of westward routes in his mind. However, no path was completely certain when forming such a major scheme. The most important question here was the stability of their rear. A new seventh division commander with an unclear stance would only serve as a hidden danger. Qianye didnt dare guarantee that their home base wouldnt be seized while they were off developing land in dark race territory. He gave it much thought but couldnt think of any good way outside of expanding the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps once again and leaving enough troops here to ensure the safety of their base. But this method wasnt quite feasible. For one, Qianyes financial strength was limited, furthermore, a rapidly expanded unit without sufficient combat experience would only cause their overall fighting power to decrease. Additionally, an infighting with the expeditionary army within the seventh divisions defensive region was a sure way to disaster. Then how should he defend? Qianye gave it some thought and then discarded this option. After a round of rapid expansion, the earnings from the defense of those surrounding small towns could no longer provide for the current Dark Flame. He could more or less make do if he was granted a contract for half the defensive region, but the issue loops back to the originwith the seventh division here, how could they allow him to take away such a large share of resources? Dark Flame continued to expand as planned while Qianye spent the few days drowned in hesitation. Song Hu was overwhelmed with all the work since he had to reallocate officers, reorganize the troops, and supervise the construction work in addition to investigating the westward paths. Of course, he also grabbed Lil Seven and Nine, the Wu siblings, and some other outstanding warriors from among the seedlings to share his heavy responsibilities. This was also a good opportunity to nurture the new blood of the mercenary corps. Meanwhile, Qianye spent most of his time cultivating. He had just advanced to the ninth rank and needed to solidify his foundations. During the remaining time, he would repeatedly ponder their future operations and corresponded with Song Zining regarding certain ideas. It was during this period of peace that a small group of travel-worn adventurers arrived in Blackflow City, seeking a meeting with Qianye. [1] The actual translation is county count which sounds kinda ridiculous to me. So I modified it a bit and named it a regional count. Neither of the two is an actual feudal rank. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 316: Guest at The Doors [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye couldnt help being baffled because this group of adventurers claimed they werent natives of Evernight Continent. However, he was somewhat astonished when he saw this group of fivethe leader was a rank-eight fighter and the rest were rank-seven. Their levels were quite high, comparable to the small units dispatched by the major clans to handle foreign errands. The leader, a burly man with a full beard, introduced himself, Im called Black Liu, Ole Bearded Blades life and death brother. I came over this time because he entrusted me to deliver an item to you. Black Liu passed a lead box to Qianye. It appeared simple, crude, and even the lid was welded shut. Qianye received the item and observed it momentarily. Then, without any instruments, he first tore a slit with his bare hands and then proceeded to open the entire cover. The strength he demonstrated made Black Lius eyes twitch. Thereafter, his attitude became imperceptibly more respectful. Within the lead box was an exquisite bullet case which held four origin bullets. Their tips were round and lustrous as if they were made of the highest quality jade material. However, Qianye was able to smell a wisp of blood energy from it. This should be the batch of origin bullets made from the blood sucking fangs of a vampire viscount. Apparently, the great master from Dog Claw Town had completed Qianyes commission and had shipped the goods via Ole Bearded Blade. These four vampiric fang bullets possessed great destructive potential against humans, only inferior, by a single grade, to the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. A single square hit would kill anyone below the champion rank. Qianye put away the goods and a certain idea flashed through his mind. In which area does Brother Liu usually work? What other business do you deal in apart from shipping goods? Black Liu replied, Just call me Big Black. I and my brothers mainly deliver goods between Evernight and other continents, only picking up combat missions occasionally. At this point, Qianye realized that Black Lius powerful little unit was, in fact, a trade channel. But it was merely a grey smuggling channel. Qianye pondered for a while and said, You shouldve seen the situation here when you came in. There''s demand for a fair amount of supplies here. Naturally, I also have goods Id like to trade out. What type of goods do you usually carry? A cheerful look appeared on Black Lius face. They were all secretly astonished by the scene after walking into the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps base and facing Qianye made them feel even more suffocated. All of them were old veterans who had rolled about the border of life and death for many years and had a keen intuition for danger. Even though this mercenary corps commander was excessively young and not even a champion, the pressure they had felt indicated that Qianyes strength was far above theirs. The future expansion of such a mercenary corps definitely wouldnt be limited to a small place like Blackflow City. Being able to find such a business partner in Evernight Continent was equal to gaining an additional fixed smuggling route. Their risks would be greatly lowered, while their profits would increase exponentially. Black Liu didnt do a sloppy job at all. He wrote down two separate lists after asking for pen and paper. Sire Commander, this is a list of goods we purchase along with their prices. Theres no upper limit. This one is a list of goods we offer, mostly things of limited supply on Evernight Continent. We can also negotiate if you have any special requirements. Qianye glanced over the list and found that the items they purchased were mostly ores and various local products and materials from the dark race side, all of them high-level varieties. The goods they marketed on Evernight Continent were mostly weapons and equipment. Among them, origin bullets occupied a major share of the transactions. Qianye was slightly moved after seeing copper in the list. During the most recent war on Evernight Continent, Qianye had attacked a small mine occupied by the deserter army as per his agreement with Wei Bainian. Later on, that mine fell under his name. Although the scale of that mine wasnt very large and the types of ores produced were also somewhat mixed, it did produce copper ore. Qianye made some simple inquiries and found out that the copper ore produced from Evernight Continent were favored by the corporates of the upper continents due to its high quality. Only at this point did Qianye realize the meaning behind Wei Bainians seemingly inadvertent arrangements. The produce from that small mine wasnt rare at all, but the copper it produced was a staple material that was easily tradable. To the newly established Dark Flame Mercenary Corps, the ease with which their resources could be converted to cash was of great importance as it would signify a continuous stream of replenishment. Rare resources were, of course, valuable, but their trade restrictions were also significant. Qianye immediately called Song Hu over to go over the amount of copper ore they had in hand and negotiated the price with Black Liu on the spot. Additionally, he also bought a fair number of spoils from the dark races. The total value of this transaction reached 3,000 gold coins. Black Liu would require a couple of days to collect the cash for this. Additionally, a part of it would be paid for in origin guns and origin bullets. Black Liu was a pleasant surprise that Qianye gained in the recent days. However, the people he had dispatched to Black Clay Town to investigate Lu Jianan didnt bring back any good news. The town was being rebuilt after the previous great battle, and the expenses were provided by the expeditionary army. As such, the mayor, Hu Wei, felt that he might as well build it into a complete fort. The layout of the buildings was now even more dumbfounding than before, and it was said that reconstruction work should be completed after two months. Two months?! Qianye was startled. The progress was simply too fast. Hu Wei recruited a large number of scavengers and obtained most of the building materials from neighboring regions, hence the fast construction speed. Qianye recalled the fatty mayor whom he had met when he first arrived at Black Clay Town. He already had some impression of the man back then, but now it seemed he was even more talented. Perhaps the management of a single town wasnt enough to sufficiently display his abilities. But news regarding Lu Jianan was quite disappointing. Black Clay Town was abandoned during the war on Evernight Continent. The place was trampled over by the dark race army soon afterward, and almost all the scavengers there were utterly destroyed by the famished servspiders. Additionally, Black Clay Town had been destroyed and rebuilt three times during the past hundred years. The residents had changed several times, and all of the relevant documents had been lost. There was simply no way to make inquiries. At this point, Qianye could only let out a sigh. The vampires might have certain methods incomprehensible to humans with which they could identify the blood energy of certain clans. It was quite possible that the vampire knight had found Lu Jianans descendant back then and killed him after obtaining the crystal fragment. It was unknown where he had disposed of the corpse. However, it was probably impossible to confirm this theory because the vampire knight had already died in Qianyes hands. During this relatively peaceful daily life, the atmosphere around the Blackflow region was slowly growing tense. Of course, this had nothing to do with ordinary civilians. Qianye received news from Wei Bainian that the negotiations between the Wei clan and the expeditionary army had ended, and that the compensation received by the Wei clan was acceptable. From another perspective, this indicated that the aristocratic family who wanted to take over this place had made a steep investment. Additionally, Wei Bainian also gave Qianye some more information. Although the new division commander hadnt yet taken office, this person had already arrived in advance and was beginning to make contact with a number of strong officers from the seventh division. Perhaps some of the local powers in Blackflow City had already received such visits. The hunters association, a number of major adventurer guilds, as well as some of the poorly-backed trade establishments,were clearly becoming restless. It seemed this aristocratic family had its own way of doing things. This new division commander hadnt even made an appearance but was already setting out to make certain administrative arrangements in the defensive region. Wei Bainian naturally turned a blind eye to all of this. He was only waiting for the other party to perform a formal handover and then he would return to the upper continent. But this didnt stop him from providing Qianye some help. No uninvited guests had yet appeared before Dark Flames doors. But as one of the most powerful local power in Blackflow City, Qianye and the other core members of the corps had already sensed the abnormal atmosphere in the city. As such, they had discussed this matter a number of times and confirmed their policies. Qianye didnt have to wait too long before a visitor appeared just as expected. At noon this day, a number of rumbling armed jeeps rushed straight toward the gates of Dark Flames camp. The vehicles were all armored, outfitted with heavy machine guns on top and had the expeditionary armys insignia painted upon it. Such vehicles with powerful defense and flexibility were considered elite equipment even among the core divisions of the expeditionary army. The sentries from Dark Flame immediately sounded the alarm as the armed jeeps drove straight toward the camp gates. The two large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns mounted on the guard towers on each side of the gate turned and aimed toward them at almost the same time. The guard at the camp gates picked up the microphone and shouted, Halt! Report your identity or we will open fire! There was a gloomy looking officer seated in one of the jeeps. He shot a glance toward the front and frowned. He had some documents on Dark Flame in his hand, but apparently, the information there had already become outdated. The scale of the other partys encampment had far surpassed what was described therein. He sneered after hearing the guards shout and said, Charge in! Run over whoever dares block the way! The jeep engines rumbled as they accelerated instead of slowing down and charged straight toward the main gates. The Dark Flame sentinels turned palethey took aim but didnt dare pull the trigger. The jeeps were clearly painted with the expeditionary armys insignia. Attacking them was tantamount to attacking the expeditionary army. These sentries had been ordinary hunters and adventurers until recently, so how would they dare offend the expeditionary army? Atop the gate tower, a military officer with a dark complexion and iron-like muscles frowned. He quickly pushed the sentry aside, held onto one of the heavy anti-aircraft machine guns and opened fire at the jeeps rushing toward them. Tututu! The muffled sound of a machine gun rang out as powerful anti-aircraft bullets struck the road, kicking up meter-tall clouds of soil and debris. In this way, he drew a clear bullet trajectory which extended rapidly toward the incoming jeeps. The expeditionary army warrior behind the steering wheel was well experienced. Under great alarm, he rapidly turned the steering wheel, and the five jeeps shifted toward the two sides of the road. The four jeeps at the front barely evaded the machine guns line of fire but the last vehicle was a moment too slow and swept through. Its armor was immediately struck flying, and a small part of its back compartment roof was completely torn open. This sent a number of expeditionary army soldiers flying out, and one of those unlucky fellows was even missing an arm. The jeeps swerving toward the side werent completely unharmed either. Two of them had clearly lost balance and were on the verge of flipping over. A door on one of the jeeps flew out with a bang as the officer who had given the order to charge leaped out just as the car was about to flip. His face was full of anger as he shouted with a stern voice, Im a lieutenant colonel of the expeditionary army! You dare open fire against me? Do you have a death wish?! The officer on the gate tower sneered. He dragged over a new crate of bullets with his foot, connected the ammo belt to the anti-aircraft machine gun, and aimed at the lieutenant colonel. Immediately, tongues of flame began to gush out of the muzzle.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 317: Whose Means of Survival? [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Huge changes came over the expeditionary army lieutenant colonels countenance as he urgently leapt sideways and ducked over ten meters out of the way. Meanwhile, the place he originally stood had been drowned in a cloud of dust. One could see the earth being shaved away layer by layer amidst the rolling smoke. Even a rank-seven fighter would have been turned into a beehive even if he didnt die. That lieutenant colonel was shocked and furious in equal measures. Not just because he was being shot at, but also at the firepower of the heavy weaponry. An anti-aircraft machine gun capable of shooting down airships werent a common sight even in the expeditionary armys core divisionshow could he run into one at the gates of a mere mercenary corps? The hundred-bullet belt was emptied within an instant. The officer on the gate tower wasnt quite satisfied and wished to continue pulling on the trigger, but a big hand reached out from beside him and pressed the muzzle down. Glancing back, the officer immediately let go of the machine gun and performed a salute. Sir! The one who had appeared nearby was the iron-tower-like burly man with a dark complexion. He glanced down and said in a clear voice, My name is Duan Hao. Just now, my brother here fired accidentally. Everything is a misunderstanding. Since youre really from the expeditionary army, then do come in! The lieutenant colonels expression was extremely unsightly and almost broke out in curses. Accident?! Misunderstanding?! He and his subordinates had used these words countless times over the years and tricked numerous people. However, it was really the first time they were being used on them. Out of the five jeeps, two had flipped over and one had crashed badly. The lieutenant colonel ground his teeth, waved his hand toward the back, and headed directly toward Dark Flames main gate. The expeditionary army warriors clambered out of the cars in succession and formed up behind the officer. Duan Hao immediately jumped down from the gate tower and stood at the center of the road. There, with his hands crossed over his chest, he sized up the lieutenant colonels group. The man walked up to Duan Hao and glanced coldly at him. Their stares almost sent sparks flying. The lieutenant colonel sneered. Youre the first to dare treat the expeditionary army like this in Evernight Continent! Ill remember you! Duan Hao said in a relaxed tone, Sir, you mustve arrived at the abandoned land not long ago. He laughed and said with deep implications, Its precisely because we''re in Evernight that there wasn''t any bloodshed just now. Otherwise, the army wouldve had to send people to collect corpses. The lieutenant colonels eyes narrowed. The expeditionary army soldier who had lost an arm was still in the group behind him. How could this be called didnt see blood? He was so angry that he broke into a laughter. Collect corpses? What a big tone. Ill be sure to look into your background when I get back and see what sort of major character you are to have spared so many of our lives! Duan Haos face turned cold and said indifferently, Quite frankly, Im astonished you dare come over here without investigating our background first. Duan Hao was one of the heavyweight characters under Song Zinings command. Under normal circumstances, having him bring a reinforced company to garrison a small place like Blackflow City was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There was definitely a reason Song Zining had dispatched him at such a time. That was because Duan Haos other identity was an official external steward of the Song clan. Regardless of how much internal and external conflicts the Song clan was facing, it was still an enormous entity in the upper continents. A mere expeditionary army lieutenant colonel would require sufficient reason if he wanted to touch a Song clan external steward. Moreover, the expeditionary army could do little to deter the retaliation he would suffer afterward. The lieutenant colonel wasnt able to gain the least bit of advantage verbally and, instead, became hesitant after hearing Duan Haos words. However, all of the recent arrangements had been completed in succession and Dark Flame was his last stop. His mission would be a great success if he could chew off this bonethere was no reason to withdraw just because of a few words. He gazed fixedly at Duan Hao for a moment and said while forcefully suppressing his anger, Im expeditionary army lieutenant colonel Du Yuanze. I must see your corps commander for urgent military matters. See? Nothing wouldve happened if you had just said so sooner! Duan Hao raised his eyebrows. He then turned to step out of the way and summoned two warriors with a wave of his hand. Notify Sir Qianye and ask him if he has the time to meet some idle people. After hearing these words, Du Yuanzes expression couldnt help but grow gloomier despite his subtlety. Watching Du Yuanzes expression, Duan Hao squinted his eyes and revealed a cold smile. He had already made things very clearit couldnt be blamed on him if the other party insisted on jumping in. Afterward, Du Yuanzes group met no more obstacles and were soon able to meet Qianye in the parlor. This speed caused Du Yuanzes expression to relax slightly. Even if Dark Flame did have some background, the master of Blackflow City was no longer the Far East Wei Clan. As the common saying goes, the present officer is more powerful than the district magistrateeveryone should be clear about the circumstances. Although Du Yuanze had already looked through the documents beforehand, he was still astonished after seeing this excessively young mercenary corps commander. Sitting at the end of the long table was a young man who could almost be described as beautiful. His obsidian eyes were clear, bright, and seemed to be overflowing with brilliance. Du Yuanze would have doubted the other partys identity had he not seen how those vicious and unbridled veterans nearby treating him with great respect. The lieutenant colonel suppressed the wisp of groundless uneasiness in his heart and sat straight as he gazed at Qianye. It seems commander Qianye still has a basic level of respect for the expeditionary army. In Evernight, the expeditionary army represents the empire. I wonder if commander Qianye is aware of what happened just now? Qianye didnt stand up to welcome these unwelcome guests. He sat leaning on the chair and said indifferently, You mean the unit captain who fired at you from the gate tower? Hes already been punished. Oh, as for the specific penalty, what was that again? Song Hu? Song Hu, who had been standing behind Qianye, took a step forward as if he were about to whisper in Qianyes ears. However, his voice was so loud that everyone in the room could hear him clearly. Three days of confinement and an additional three months of special training. Qianye nodded and glanced up at Du Yanze. Thats the punishment. This couldnt be considered a proper punishment at all, but Du Yuanze decided to take this as an expression of goodwill. He swallowed his anger and stopped complaining about this problem. The reason he had come to Dark Flame Mercenary Corps wasnt to punish an ignorant captain but to discuss more important matters. Du Yuanze was never someone so easily dealt with. The reason why he had given in, for the time being, was simpleall that he had seen on his way into Darkflame Headquarters had far surpassed his imagination. This was especially true for the row of cargo trucks in the parking lot. It was clear, from their model and horsepower, that these were armaments only the imperial regular army should possess! In his mind, mercenaries were only slightly better off than hunters. They possessed strong individual fighting power but had no tactics to speak of. They had almost no cooperation on the battlefield and were far inferior to the standing armies. Most mercenary corps were made up of short-sighted people who knew only about buying guns and ammunition. They had no idea how important special vehicles like cargo and engineering trucks were to the battlefield. Du Yuanze secretly congratulated himself on making Dark Flame Mercenary Corps his last stop. Currently, the deployments in and around the city were basically complete. Otherwise, there might be accidents when facing this Dark Flame. Du Yuanze decided to finish his mission as quickly as possible. He could settle the scores later no matter how upset he was. He dragged the corners of his mouth into a smile and said, Ive seen commander Qianyes goodwill. Ill definitely report this to General Dong upon my return. However, his words were cut short by Qianyes absent-minded words. Mister Lieutenant Colonel, I think youve misunderstood. That captain was punished because his aim was too poor. Against a motorcade charging straight at our camp, he actually failed to kill even a single person. Thats why I feel the need to reinforce his training. If that brat repeats such a mistake, well directly demote him to a foot soldier. A third time and hell be fired. Du Yuanzes countenance was frozen, contorted, and alternating between pale and blue. He couldnt even utter a word and only managed to calm his breathing after a long while. You, surnamed Qian! The land youre standing on is the domain of the expeditionary army! Dont forget that the expeditionary army represents the Great Qin Empire on Evernight Continent! Qianye changed his posture. He propped his chin on his hands and said meaningfully, You also shouldnt forget that the land beneath our feet is the Evernight domain. This place is also called the forsaken land. Du Yuanzes expression turned progressively darker as he sneered. So what? Corps Commander Qian, I was appointed by General Dong to take over the seventh division. This Blackflow City belongs to the seventh division, and right now, I represent the seventh division! These are General Dongs appointment papers and the orders personally penned by him. Take a look! Du Yuanze grabbed two file bags from his subordinates hands, tossed it onto the table, and flicked it over with his fingers. The documents slid across the smooth surface of the table with no intention to stop even as it reached Qianye. The high-ranking officers of Darkflame revealed expressions of fury. Du Yuanzes movements were too frivolous. Qianye, however, remained calm and collected. He reached out and deftly stopped the bag of documents. He then pulled out two sheets of paper and looked over them. One of them was the expeditionary armys appointment order, assigning Dong Qifeng as the commander of the seventh division with immediate effect. The other was a military announcement signed by Dong Qifeng himself. Qianye scanned the two documents from top to bottom and passed the military announcement to Song Hu. The latter read through the document and immediately broke into a frown. Qianyes expression, on the other hand, was unchanged. He glanced up at the gloomy Du Yuanze and said, So, General Dong wishes for all the armed forces in the Blackflow City to accept the seventh divisions rearrangements. Each force must not exceed 200 men and they would have to await the expeditionary armys assignments at any given time? Du Yuanze revealed a contorted smile and said while clenching his teeth, Thats right! All soldiers exceeding this number must be dispersed. Additionally, there cannot be any type of heavy weaponry or origin guns above grade-two. All equipment in violation of these rules must be handed over to the seventh division! The meeting room was suffused with a horrifying silence. Unexpectedly, all the high-ranking Dark Flame officers didnt question this matter. Their previous angry demeanor had disappeared, and most of them became expressionless. Du Yuanze was fairly pleased with the present results and paused intentionally before extending a finger. The time you have to organize things is one day! Qianyes sitting posture was casual and relaxed. He suddenly broke into a laughter like the spring rain melting the snow. All armed forces? What a swift and decisive aristocratic style. Du Yuanze instinctively sensed something wrong, but Qianye asked without waiting for him to think, What if we dont reorganize our forces? Then you are rebels! The expeditionary army will thoroughly annihilate you without leaving a single one alive! When Qianye smiled, his exquisite facial features made him look even younger and even somewhat naive. He said softly, This is refusing to give us a means of survival. Du Yuanze laughed loudly. He then forcefully slammed on the table, leaned forward to gaze fixedly at Qianye, and said word by word, Ive already given you a means to survival! Reorganize as I say and get it done by the time I say. This is the only way youll survive! Those wretched citizens of Blackflow are already carrying out these orders obediently and you are no exception! Play tricks with me and Ill blast your ass apart with an origin gun! Qianye wasnt furious. He stood up slowly and said with great indifference, I think that general has gotten something wrong. This is Evernight Continent. Whoever has the biggest fist has the say. And right now, youre in my territory and not the seventh divisions. Du Yuanze was shocked. Are you revolting?! Qianye raised his hand and said calmly, Men, seize this Lieutenant Colonel Du.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 318: Parting Gif t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Du Yuanze shouted in a stern voice, Who dares?! The expeditionary army soldiers beside him also drew their guns in succession. However, the Dark Flame officers moved much faster and with greater ruthlessness. Gunshots rang out in the parlor along with flashes of origin power radiance. When the smoke had settled, the smell of blood hung in the air, and there was no longer anyone standing beside Du Yuanzeall of his subordinates had collapsed into pools of blood. Du Yuanzes hands and feet were cold. His voice was trembling, and he could no longer even speak in full sentences. You-you-really dare. He had his subordinates draw their weapons just to threaten Qianye and had no real intention to start a fight within Dark Flame headquarters. Presently, all of the forces around the Blackflow City area had already fallen under his control. If only Dark Flame refused to recognize his power, then its only fate was to be besieged by the remaining powers. Who knew Qianyes subordinates were actually not in the least apprehensive and committed murder so brazenly. The expeditionary army uniform didnt have the slightest bit of deterrence. Qianyes expression was still undisturbed and he spoke as if he were engaging in idle chatter, See? I dont like the path of survival youre giving me, so I just went and made one on my own. Duan Hao approached Du Yuanze with a smile and unceremoniously searched the latter from head to toe, confiscating all weapons. Although Du Yuanze was a rank-seven fighter, he didnt dare make the slightest move. Duan Hao alone was enough to slaughter him, not to mention all the others in the room. Qianye passed Dong Qifengs appointment order to Song Hu and said, Deliver this to General Wei Bainian. With this, his transference procedure is completed. Also, advise General Wei to leave Blackflow City before dusk tomorrow. Song Hu thoroughly understood this matter and left quickly. Du Yuanze suddenly trembled after he heard Qianyes message for the Far East Wei Clan general. The information he had obtained stated that Dark Flame had developed so quickly within half a year because it had attached itself to the Wei clan. Actually, this was also a major reason why they had chosen to use such thunderous methods to disassemble this mercenary corps. Dong Qifeng had paid a significant price in order to get this appointment and vowed to go all out. What he wanted was a completely obedient administrative region, and as such, the old powers had to be cleared out. Additionally, Dark Flames newly constructed base and the mine under its name was also quite enviable. But how could a mercenary corps depending on the Wei clan for survival dare speak to Wei Bainian in such a tone? Du Yuanze thought back to the meaning behind Qianyes words after his initial shock subsided and felt an extremely bad notion emerge within his heart. He said in a trembling voice, You-youre going to Qianye didnt wait for the man to finish speaking. Thats right. I wont bother Lieutenant Colonel Du with the transference procedure. We can have a good chat after I capture Blackflow City. Du Yuanze was a smart man. Otherwise, he wouldnt have gotten this staff officers position. What he relied on the most was that he had already assumed control of the majority of the seventh division. As for the hunters, mercenaries, adventurers, and even the city factions, he viewed them as cannon fodder. It was virtually impossible for these local powers to contend with the organized expeditionary armynot that they would dare. Hence, Du Yuanze had never even considered the possibility that he would encounter any form of obstruction during his operation of purging Blackflow City. He was even prepared to kill some faction leaders to establish his might. But his experience with Dark Flame had far surpassed his imagination. Qianye had long since known that they had taken control of the seventh division. However, he seemed completely unperturbed and was actually planning to launch a proactive attack? Du Yuanze smelled a conspiracy brewing and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He couldnt help but say, This is rebellion! Qianye shot a glance at Du Yuanze and said indifferently, It seems Lieutenant Colonel Du just came from the upper continents and isnt quite familiar with the rules of Evernight. The territories here are not official imperial fiefs. Whoever wins the fight owns the place. Presently, the two were speaking face to face and no one restricted Du Yuanzes movementshe was neither tied nor handcuffed. Apart from having no weapons, he could be considered entirely free. But the more it was so, the more Du Yuanze didnt dare play any tricks. He was very clear that Qianye dared let him move around freely because the latter was absolutely confident in killing him at the slightest suspicious move. At this time, the Dark Flame base outside the window was bustling, but in an orderly mannerwarriors had been mobilized in full force and were assembled on the drill grounds. An unending flow of various weapons and equipment were being brought out from the warehouse. Du Yuanze heard the sounds of large forces being mobilized, and finally, he couldnt resist moving to the window and gazing out. The more he observed, the paler his face became. He turned back to glance at Qianye who was silently listening to a Dark Flame officers report and felt himself drenched in cold sweat. At this time, Du Yuanze was already feeling extremely regretful. He shouldnt have placed excessive trust in those big shots from the expeditionary army headquarters, and he really shouldnt have relaxed his vigil after seeing the Wei clans cooperative attitude. As for the information provided by the expeditionary army, now even a fool would know that it had been tampered with. Had he known this sooner, he wouldve visited Blackflow City personally to check on the situation even if it meant delaying the plans. The best way to deal with a tyrannical entity like Dark Flame was to first cooperate with them on the surface and then slowly encroach upon their living space. Even if they had to spend more time, it would be much better than the present situationthey were riding atop a proverbial tiger and couldnt stop midway what they had set in motion. Even until now, Du Yuanze could scarcely believe that Dark Flame actually dared take action! Song Hu pushed open the door, walked in, and whispered some words in Qianyes ears. Song Hu had been quite busy during the past hour. He had personally delivered a message to Wei Bainian and sent information regarding their agreement to Song Zining who had arrived on Evernight Continent two days prior. Finally, he sent word to all the regional powers of Blackflow City and instructed them to maintain their neutrality if turmoil breaks out in the city. Song Hu didnt wait for the reply from the various factions within the city because he was very clear about Qianyes intentions. When they moved out, whoever dared stand on Dong Qifengs side would be annihilated without mercy. Qianye wanted to sweep his room clean. Qianye nodded after listening to Song Hus report. He then stood up and instructed his men, Entertain Lieutenant Colonel Du well. Song Hu turned to Du Yuanze with a sinister smile and said, Rest assured, Sire Qian. The latter sensed a cold intent from the distance and suddenly realized that, despite being a rank-seven fighter, he actually felt timid before this rank-six veteran. The old tavern on Green Leaf Street had existed since the founding of Blackflow City and was quite famous. It had been destroyed and reconstructed numerous times. The entire establishment was new apart from that wooden signboard ridden with scorch marks. Within this tavern, conspiracies, assassinations, betrayal, adultery, and everything else that could take place in a tavern had already played out before. There werent many customers in the old tavern when Qianye arrived and most of the tables were empty. He chose a corner table and sat down. He then ordered seven portions of their signature roast meat pies in one go and began to enjoy them in a leisurely manner. The old tavern wasnt too far from the seventh division headquarters. It was a great place to get together. Before long, the main doors of the tavern were pushed open as a man walked in, clad in a trench coat with its collar raised high. He scanned the tavern, walked over to Qianye on his own, and sat down beside him. Why did it have to be this place? asked Wei Bainian. I heard the food here is great and its quite close to your place. Qianye pushed the extra large plate forward as he spoke. Wei Bainian unceremoniously grabbed a big piece of meat pie and stuffed it into his mouth. He munched on it quietly and praised, Not bad. Its indeed not bad. Quite satisfying. Afterward, the two forewent conversation and ate their fill. Soon, the plates which filled the greater half of the table were cleaned out. Wei Bainian drank a large gulp of wine and said in satisfaction, Good food. Now, back to business. I received your message, but let me hear the reasons. To avoid suspicion, Qianye uttered these extremely simple words. Although Wei Bainian had already anticipated this, his expression still changed after actually hearing it. Are you really taking action so soon? Wei Bainian was very clear about the momentum of Dark Flames current strength and development. Any other division commander wouldnt be willing to see such an external armed force in his territory, and frictions would occur sooner or later. It was just that he hadnt expected the two parties to reach the point of open battle even before the garrison had been transferred. Qianye summarized Dong Qifengs military announcement and said, Its quite clear that this General Dong has no intention to interact peacefully with me. That being the case, Ill seize Blackflow City first and then sit down to negotiate with him. Wei Bainian nodded. Any discussion, regardless of the topic and method, would require sufficient bargaining chips. And the controlling rights to Blackflow City had a lot of weight. This was Evernight, not the upper continents of the empire. Here, the strong made the laws and even the expeditionary army couldnt control everything. Otherwise, there wouldnt be so many grey areas and grey factions. In truth, the expeditionary army itself was shrouded in a layer of grey. As long as Qianye was strong enough, he could make the changes in Blackflow City become facts. Wei Bainian pondered for a moment and said, Dong Qifengs command is indeed a weakness. A complaint can be filed against it. Although I cant make a direct appearance, I can find some connections in the military to help you. The caveat is that you have to win the battle first. In theory, the expeditionary army division commander possessed all rights in his defensive region. However, Dong Qifengs manners were too unsightlyapart from the seventh division, he wanted to scrape a layer of grease off of all the regional powers. Even division commanders who rose to power from the grassroots would scarcely do something so short-sighted. It was comparable to draining a pond to catch fish. An accuse of misconduct had little effect on those civilian-born division commanders, but the Dong family was, at any rate, still a middle-ranked aristocratic family. Even if Dong Qifeng was shameless, his main family couldnt afford to throw away their prestige. But whatever he planned to do, the first step was to seize Blackflow City. Only then would he have the corresponding authority to speak. No one would be interested in the voice of the weak. After swallowing Blackflow City, Qianye naturally wouldnt cough it up easily. As for what Dong Qifeng had to negotiate, that was a matter for the future. Qianye gazed at this general from the elder generation and felt fairly thankful. He smiled and said, To speak the truth, I have a plan regarding this matter. I have a friend who will talk to some of the expeditionary armys big shots. Then why dont you want me to stay back? With me and my men, youll have an easier time suppressing the seventh division. Seizing Blackflow City is just the beginning. This matter wont end so easily. Since the Wei clan has already made an agreement with the expeditionary army headquarters, itll be tantamount to open conflict with the expeditionary army if you and your men take part. The Wei clans focus on Evernight isnt profit and theres still a war going on in Far East Province. I dont wish for the clan to gain another enemy because of such a minor business. Wei Bainians eyes flickered as he glanced at Qianyeno one knew what he was thinking. He suddenly let out a long laugh and said, Very well! Since you have the confidence to handle this business, then I wont take part anymore. It seems people from our generation are indeed growing old. Qianye said with great sincerity, General Wei, thank you for all the care and advice during this period. Wei Bainian waved his hands in response. He then brought out a map and placed it on the tableit was a defensive map of the Blackflow City region. He pointed to a number of places and said, These three places are the main camps of the seventh division. Their troop distribution and defense situations are all written here in detail. After going back, Ill declare tomorrow as a holiday but forbid them to leave camp. Additionally, I will allow them an extra meal and lift the ban on alcohol temporarily. This place is my Wei clan private army camp. All my men will withdraw before dusk today, but the heavy weaponry, ammunition, and supplies will be left behind. Qianye had already seized Du Yuanze. As such, even if the Dong family had other men around, there shouldnt be anyone authorized to give commands. At least for tonight, Wei Bainians orders will be effective. Qianye understood clearly that this arrangement was Wei Bainians parting gift to him. Wei Bainian stood up and reached out a hand to Qianye. I wish you success! Qianye shook the generals hand with a smile and replied, I will definitely succeed. Wei Bainian suddenly realized that the temperature of Qianyes hand was slightly lower than normal people, but his grasp was extremely firm and powerful. It felt as if he had gripped a solid block of stone. There was no longer a significant difference in the power represented by the two hands.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 319: The Offensive [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] After midnight, Qianye brought his guard unit and appeared at the east-west street block. The tallest building here, a ten-storied hotel, had been completely emptied at this moment. Glancing out of the french windows of its top-floor room, one could vaguely see the silhouette of the entire seventh division in the neighboring street block. This distance of less than a thousand meters was nothing for Qianye with his extraordinary senseseverything was in plain sight without even the need for a scope. Qianye stood beside the window watching the brightly lit military base on the other side and could vaguely feel the atmosphere of jubilation therein. He suddenly let out a sigh from the bottom of his heart. These people, these warriors had thrown away their lives just for that tiny bit of present benefit. They had no idea that their current merriment would probably be their last. They had been abandoned. Qianye pulled out his Scarlet Edge in silence and slowly wiped it with his finger, oblivious to the fact that he had been cut. His blood was already flowing freely upon it. The expressions of the few officers who had come to deliver reports shifted slightly, but no one reminded him about it. They only concluded their reports and left immediately. Du Yuanze was sitting on the sofa opposite of Qianye. All this time, he had sat ramrod straight, and his nerves had been extremely tense. So much so that he felt somewhat exhausted and would occasionally feel that everything before his eyes was a dream. He suddenly glanced at his own hands and realized that it was suffused with an unprecedented pallor. There were officers knocking and entering continuously to report on the most recent situation with no intention to avoid Du Yuanze. The latter, on the other hand, felt the blood on his face drain away after hearing each of them. Bloodit dripped continuously toward the tip of the Scarlet Edge and fell to the ground. After an unknown length of time, the unsleeping city finally started to calm down, and the lamps everywhere began to turn dim. This night, there were very few nocturnal animals in Blackflow City, and the entire city was beginning to fall asleep. The room regained its silence as two officers completed their report and left. Du Yuanze finally couldnt hold back and said, Youre causing too much of a ruckus and wont be able to handle the aftermath! Stop it now! Qianye had already put down the Scarlet Edge and was currently performing maintenance on his grade-five vampire sniper rifle. This gun was eight-parts new and was part of Wei Bainians collection. The latter saw that the weapons Qianye carried were all vampire products and, hence, gifted him this sniper rifle, believing that he was particularly fond of vampire armaments. This was originally a pretty good piece of decoration, but in Qianyes hands, it was a complete killer weapon. Qianye didnt bother to deal with his wounded finger and kept on inspecting the tactical accessories one by one, slowly dying the entire gun red. After hearing Du Yuanzes words, Qianye replied indifferently without even raising his head, You people are the ones who should be thinking about how to handle the aftermath. Du Yuanze had already discerned that Qianye wouldnt kill him. Moreover, he wasnt avoided during the troop deployment. This was likely to let him see how Dark Flame would take down Blackflow City, and he even anticipated that Qianye would let him go after this battle so that he could tell General Dong about all that he had seen here. However, he didnt feel the slightest bit secure. The expeditionary army was a special existence in the Great Qin military. Du Yuanze was originally a high-ranking officer in the regular army and was, of course, familiar with such common knowledge. But only at this point did he recall those rules and suddenly realize their hidden meaning. All numbered units apart from the two corps under the headquarters direct control would only receive half the pay. During the most difficult phase of land expansion, some division commanders had led a numbered unit and conquered a certain territory at the borders, gradually establishing a division therein. The authority of an expeditionary army division commander was significant. Below the level of county capital, division commanders were granted full governmental and military authority as well as an equally big responsibility. From this perspective, the expeditionary army was like a miniature empireeach division was akin to an aristocratic clan, and the territory they conquered would be added to their domain. The empire only demanded nominal sovereignty, the right to mobilize them during war and the collection of taxes. Compared to the dark races, the empires internal parties seem relatively peaceful. However, it wasnt entirely free of infighting and the rebel army was one such example. Wars might also be declared between two aristocratic clans. Although the imperial family would step in to mediate after the incident, the cities and territories that were occupied might not necessarily be restored. Thinking up to this point, Du Yuanze couldnt help but shiver and his clothes were so moist that they stuck to his skin. Could it be that Dark Flame intended to swallow up the entire seventh divisions defensive region? At this time, Song Hu walked in and said, General Wei handed all military authority to the deputy division commander and left Blackflow City before midnight. Our men have already taken control of the southern city gate, and all of the combat units are ready to move out at a moments notice. Qianye glanced at the time and said, Take action at 0500 hours. Kill all who resist. Yes, sir! The hours felt like years to Du Yuanze. He was restless and fidgety, but time still passed by little by little. Ten minutes before the appointed time of 0500 hours, all of Dark Flames officers had gathered in the room and were reporting their statuses to Qianye. In the end, they each confirmed their missions and left after accepting their orders. Five oclock arrived. The peace in Blackflow City was broken by the rumble of machine guns. A series of heavy weaponry seen only in medium-scaled battles such as trucks, armed jeeps, and mobile artillery rushed out of the Dark Flame headquarters and ran over the empty streets. The civilians along the way were jolted awake. Some of them opened their windows amidst curses and were planning to spew out some profanities. However, they were left trembling after witnessing the scene outside. They quickly closed their windows tight and dared not let out any unwarranted sounds. There were sentries from the seventh division at important crossroads within the city, but just as they were alerted, the doors to the lookout posts were blasted open as Dark Flame soldiers who had been hiding nearby poured in. Within the blink of an eye, they had taken control of the guard post, disarmed the guards, and placed them under watch. These sentries were in hidden locations and werent easy to take down. But since all of them had been arranged by Wei Bainian, they were like naked sheep before a pack of wolves. All of the seventh division sentries in Blackflow City were disabled the moment Dark Flame formally began their operation. The regional powers were completely silentit was as if they had turned deaf and dumb. Dark Flame moved out in full force and split into three forces. The main force and the company of elite special forces headed straight for the seventh division headquarters and rapidly took control of the entry and exit passages in the surrounding street blocks. The other two teams marched out of the southern gate and made for the seventh division garrisons in Cloud Sail City and the Four Rivers Military Base. Their orders werent to attack the encampments, but to prevent their forces from exiting the camp. A military-use airship rose into the air outside of the city. There was finally a place for this big fellow Wei Potian had gifted Qianye to shine. It would serve to supplement the somewhat weaker military power of the two Dark Flame units and also prevent the seventh division from using any heavy weaponry. It was common knowledge that airships were the bane of all land-based heavy weaponry. Du Yuanze also saw the airship rising from the south of the city, the blazing lights on its wings somewhat distorted by the powerful airflow. It was exceptionally eye-catching against the pitch-dark city background. Although it was quite far away, he immediately recognized it as an armed airship. Although he had already been astonished by Dark Flames situation up until now, Du Yuanze still let out an audible gasp. Lifting the heavy and almost gigantic grade-five sniper rifle, Qianye got up and said to Du Yuanze, You will stay in this room here on out. Youre not allowed to leave. If you take so much as one step out, there wont be a second chance to live. I hope you can return in one piece and with news of what happened here. After saying this, Qianye no longer paid attention to Du Yuanze and left on his own. Du Yuanze sat rigidly on the sofa within the empty room. His mind had gone completely blank, and he had no idea what he should do. Qianye climbed onto the flat roof atop the hotel and found a suitable place to set up his sniper rifle. From this point, he could take in all of the changes in the seventh division headquarters and the surrounding street blocks. Near the seventh division, two mobile heavy cannons appeared at the end of the long street where they lowered their supporting legs and began to extend their dark muzzles. Only when they began preparing for a bombardment did the sentries at the gate realize things werent looking good and urgently set off the alarm. The mournful alarm thoroughly ripped apart the silence, but the entire division camp was obviously slow to react. Not only were they sluggish, but also badly disorganized. The soldiers rushed out of the barracks in disarray, but most of them ran around the camp like headless flies and seemed to have no idea what they were doing. Qianye observed this scene and realized that Wei Bainians plans had taken effect. Wei Bainians management in the army was extremely strict. The seventh division had also experienced numerous changes and great battles throughout the year. As such, the soldiers were almost never granted such a period of relaxation. But on his last day in office, the general had not only given them a holiday, but also added an extra meal and lifted the alcohol ban. The officers were more or less worried regardless of whether they had hooked up with the new division commander. However, the soldiers were simplehow could they not grasp this rare opportunity to enjoy the drinking? In the end, both the officers and their men ended up as drunk as a lord. It was five oclock at dawn and precisely when people were in their deepest sleep. Most of the soldiers in the barracks hadnt sobered up from the intoxication and were sleeping soundly despite the blaring alarm. Through this, Qianye had once again experienced Wei Bainians abilities. A small stratagem had collapsed most of the seventh divisions combat strength. At this time, armored jeeps and heavy trucks loaded with soldiers appeared in quick succession. The Dark Flame soldiers, armed to the very teeth, jumped off the car one after another and pushed toward the seventh division headquarters. Numerous Dark Flame officers shouted at the same time, Dark Flame has come under orders to reorganize the seventh division. Everyone lay down your weapons! All who disobey will be killed on the spot! Within the headquarters, a lieutenant colonel jumped onto a combat vehicle and shouted loudly, Theyre rebelling! Everyone pick up your weapons and converge on me! We must wipe out these insignificant mercenaries! A dark red light suddenly tore through the night sky as he was shouting. Following which, the lieutenant colonels head along with half his shoulder completely disappearedthe badly damaged carcass fell slowly from the car and collapsed onto the ground. Sniper! Theres a sniper! The seventh division warriors were all thrown into disarray as they sought individual cover. The few officers who had rushed onto the drill grounds immediately halted their steps. They had to find a safe location first and had no time to care about stepping in to organize the soldiers. A certain major was fairly brave. He raised his voice to calm down the warriors around him and ordered them to assemble near the armory to prepare a counterattack. The majors position was quite ingenious. He was at a blind spot below a row of buildings, and there was a half-enclosed stone wall nearby. Unless the sniper came from straight ahead, he would encounter obstructions in every other angle. Qianye scanned the position of the voice source and took note of all the obstructions along the firing trajectory. He then loaded the sniper rifle with a physical origin bullet and knelt down. Then, he calmly applied Heavy Caliber and Elemental Shot before pulling the trigger. With a loud bang, the origin bullet, flickering with a deep yellow radiance, easily pierced through the stone wall and opened up a huge hole on the majors chest. Elemental Shot was a new ability Qianye had gained at rank-eight and could apply certain attributes to an origin bullet. The camp was once again thrown into chaos. The officers only dared to stealthily gather up the soldiers who were close by; no one else was willing to raise his voice and take the lead. With such a terrifying sniper suppressing them, whoever dared to stick out would surely die. Numerous snipers from the seventh division had already been outfitted, but the situation outside was too chaotic. Although they had already deduced the general direction of the enemy sniper from the previous shots, they didnt dare to rush out without any cover fire since it would be equal to throwing their lives away. Fortunately, the division gates had been sealed shut. The machinery on each side rumbled and shot out large amounts of steam as two massive steel doors slowly came together, adding another layer of safety to the main gates. These doors were usually activated only in times of war. Qianye saw this clearly but had no intention to stop it. He believed Duan Hao who was in command would know what to do. As expected, the two mobile canons they had set up just now began to rumble. At such a close distance, the cannons were almost firing straight ahead and their firepower was fully exhibited. The massive explosion left the greater half of the city shaking. After a dozen or so consecutive shots, the seventh divisions main gates finally collapsed with a boom!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 320: Occupation [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The armed jeeps jolted over the steel plate which had been riddled with holes and charged straight into the division headquarters. The anti-aircraft machine guns mounted upon them possessed great firepower. Wherever there was resistance, they would spit out a stream of red-hot flames and crush the people along with their bunkers. Within an instant, all soldiers of the entire seventh division had been pushed back into the barracks. Bursts of origin power flickered in different colors as the numerous seventh division officers charged out through the hail of bullets. They wanted to use their advantage in rank to quickly enter melee range and stop the armed jeeps from pushing in. Under Duan Haos orders, Dark Flame experts charged out in succession to intercept the officers and entangle them in melee combat. A loud boom suddenly rang out as one of Dark Flames armed jeeps was engulfed by a massive ball of flames, the violent explosion sending the passengers flying dozens of meters away. This was the result of a high-ranking officer of the expeditionary army launching a sneak attack with a high-firepower origin gun. He had finished off one of Dark Flames armed jeeps in a single shot. In the distance, Qianyes eyes turned a deep blue. His sniper muzzle shifted rapidly and locked onto the enemy sniper hiding within a certain part of the main building. It was a rank-nine colonel. The man was moving rapidly within the building, but in Qianyes eyes, his intense origin power aura was like a lighthousethere was simply no place to hide. The sniper rifle in Qianyes hand shifted continuously. No matter how the colonel tried to evade, he was still locked down at the center of the crosshairs. The colonel finally picked a new sniping positionhe had just set up his sniper rifle and revealed himself when he spied a dark red beam of light through the corner of his eyes. Warnings went off within the colonels mind. He immediately fell flat on the floor and spread out his origin power defenses. An origin bullet whizzed toward him almost at the exact moment that he lay down. Not only did it completely destroy the wall he was hiding behind, but it also blasted apart his origin gun and a corner of the balcony. The colonel curled himself into a ball, rolled back into the room, and shrunk into a corner. His entire body was numb and almost immobile. He had only been struck by the residual waves from the explosion, and yet, his origin power defenses had almost collapsed. If that shot was just a bit lower and had struck him directly, it would have definitely torn his body apart. How could that be called an origin bullet?! It was practically a handheld cannon! After two or three minutes had passed and his numbness subsided, the colonel discovered that he was drenched in cold sweat. At this moment, he suddenly recalled that Dark Flames commander was a sniper whom Wei Bainian had praised before. The rumble of origin guns and explosions outside were still intense. A clear and resonant shout rang out once again across the battlefield. This was the last call for the seventh division to surrender. If they chose to resist, Dark Flame would begin to use heavy firepower. Several minutes passed by yet again. Duan Hao pushed back his opponent with a slash of his sword. He then turned back to shout, Launch an all-out attack! Kill! The sound of snipers rang out once again across the battlefield. The Dark Flame snipers no longer had any misgivings and began to go all out in taking down the seventh division officers who were still resisting. Very soon, the seventh division snipers also began to retaliate. It was at this time that the rumble of heavy cannons suppressed all sounds on the battlefield. An artillery barrage fell toward one of the positions where numerous seventh division snipers were holed up in, tearing both men and bunker into pieces. The call for surrender echoed once again on the battlefield a short while after the bombardment. At this moment, the expeditionary armys resistance had already weakened significantly. After the numerous officers fighting with Duan Haos unit were killed, the rest lost fighting spirit and pulled back into the main building while covering each others retreat. Meanwhile, the colonel who had just survived a calamity under Qianyes muzzle lay on the cold floor as he struggled continuously in his heart. He was the highest-ranking officer in the seventh division after Wei Bainians departure. That was also the reason why he was the first to be contacted by Dong Qifeng, and the two parties had already reached a rather generous agreement on the distribution of benefits. Dong Qifengs aristocratic family background also moved him quite a bit. Not only did it signify resources, but also a status which many Evernight Division Commanders lacked. It would serve as a substantial safeguard of sorts. Almost a thousand meters away, Qianye was frowning. He had repeatedly scanned the battlefield in the seventh division headquarters with his True Sight, and he could already confirm the colonels identity from his origin power aura. However, the other party still seemed to have no intention to surrender and was even secretly moving to a new position. Qianye circulated his origin power and shouted at the top of his voice, Zhu Wuya! Youre still not surrendering. Are you courting death?! Zhu Wuya was that colonels name. At the same time, he was also the seventh division deputy commander and commander of the first regiment. He was also a veteran who had been in service since Wu Zhengnans government. He had retained his position after Wei Bainian took office due to his timely submission to the Wei clan. Regardless of the reign, this persons combat strength had always been ranked within the top five in the seventh division. Despite the long distance, Qianyes voice still reached the seventh division headquarters with great clarity. So much that it even suppressed all the explosions. Zhu Wuya had found a new sniper rifle and was in the process of moving to a new position. He was greatly astonished to hear Qianye address him by name. He hesitated for a moment but then continued to move toward a side corridor. Although Dark Flames surprise attack came abruptly and the battle situation was extremely adverse, he still held onto some hope of winning by a fluke. The seventh division still had two units stationed outside the city, and many of Dong Qifengs men had already seeped into the Blackflow defensive region. Perhaps there would be reinforcements if he held on for a while longer. Qianye waited ten seconds in silence but finally lost patience with this obstinate fellow. He locked onto the man with his sniper rifle and, once again, applied Heavy Caliber and Elemental Shot. An entirely yellow bullet accompanied by a trail of dark red flames flew out from the barrel and whistled into the distance. Elemental Shot was even more practical than Heavy Caliber in many situations since one could apply various types of destructive attributes as needed over the former. This time, Qianye had added an elemental attribute capable of penetrating metallic alloys, increasing the origin bullets armor penetration. Zhu Wuya immediately pressed his back against the wall right next to a window. He had long since observed the place and knew that this would be a relatively good sniping position. From here, he could see the two extremely threatening Dark Flame heavy cannons. If he could crush them, Dark Flame wouldve lost its fiercest firepower, and the seventh divisions morale would rise dramatically. However, just at this moment, a sudden sense of extreme uneasiness arose in Zhu Wuyas heart. Without even the time to think, he tossed the sniper rifle in his hand and leapt to the side with all his might. He had just left his original position when the wall he had been taking cover behind suddenly shattered. An origin bullet flew out amidst the dust and debris to blast a huge hole on the opposite wall of the corridor. It seemed to lose momentum only after shooting through four walls. The limestone walls and their metallic frames were easily broken through like paper, and the cool dawn breeze poured in from the large hole in the front wall of the main building. Zhu Wuya couldnt catch his breath for a short instant. That shot just now wouldve taken his life were it not for the powerful upgrade to intuition he had received when he ascended to rank-eight as well as the instinctive reactions he had formed through many battles both large and small. In the distance, Qianye was quite surprised to find that he had miscalculated. This staunch seventh division colonel could be considered a great talent. It was truly unfortunate. Qianye locked down the target once again and began to apply his abilities. Zhu Wuya hadnt even caught his breath when a sensation of grave danger once again crept up to him. This time, he could no longer endure. He rushed to the window and shouted while raising both hands, I surrender! I surrender! Qianye had already pressed the trigger to its boundary point. He hadnt expected Zhu Wuya to suddenly rush out and surrender. He rapidly shifted the muzzle away, and the very next moment, an origin bullet whizzed out. The bullet swept past Zhu Wuya from several meters away. It struck an expeditionary army soldier who was continuously sweeping the area outside with a machine gun and blasted him away along with an entire segment of the corridor. After Zhu Wuyas surrender, the seventh divisions resistance finally crumbled, and only sporadic battles remained within the division headquarters. Qianye walked down the hotel building, bringing Du Yuanze, who had been staying quietly in the room, along with him. He then headed toward the seventh division headquarters which had already fallen into Dark Flames hands. Duan Hao and Song Hu were leading individual teams to clean up the battlefield. After being disarmed, the expeditionary army officers and soldiers were placed under watch in separate areas. The officers were placed in an intact warehouse with heavy weaponry like cannons and armed jeeps keeping guard outside, while the soldiers were all made to sit down in the drill grounds; no one was allowed to stand. Qianye left 500 men to watch the headquarters and allocated two companies to monitor the situation in Blackflow City and adapt as needed. He himself led a unit toward the other two base camps. The scale of the other two bases was much smaller and each of them only had a single regiment garrisoned within. It was precisely ten past nine when Qianye arrived at Cloud Sail City, and the sky was gradually growing brighter. Those in the camp had already discovered something wrong with the situation outside and were getting restless. However, Wu Shiqing and Lil Seven had mercilessly ambushed any soldier who had dared leave the barracks. The airship, on the other hand, had kept the heavy weaponry in Cloud Sail City suppressed. Although it wasnt easy, they had still managed to keep the situation under control. A battle commenced immediately after Qianye arrived, and his call for surrender fell on deaf ears. He sniped and killed the regiment commander who refused to surrender with a single shot, then, with the momentum of a thunderbolt, rapidly flattened all of the enemies defensive positions with heavy firepower. When Qianye rushed into the enemy camp with experts like Duan Hao, there were still five or six officers who came out to meet them in battle. However, they were all slaughtered within the blink of an eye, and the remaining forces surrendered. Qianye only left behind a single company to monitor the captives and rushed toward the Four River Military Base with the main force. At this time, Lil Nine and the other captain could no longer hold the expeditionary army in their barracks. The enemy had charged out and was pressuring them into a gradual retreat. Qianye finally arrived with the main force just as they were falling into a precarious situation. The airship and mobile artillery fired continuously, inflicting severe casualties among the expeditionary army troops. They were forced to fall back into their camp and depend on the barriers therein for defense. However, Qianye had rushed into the camp alone under cover-fire and brought the entire regiment under control in one go, forcefully pressuring them to surrender. At this point, the main battles had already been concluded. However, the cleanup work was still not done. Dark Flame had to spend another half day to completely occupy all the important locations in the city, especially the kinetic tower, the city defense structures, and the airship port outside the city. Only then was their control of Blackflow City considered complete. Afterward, Qianye dispatched orderlies toward the dozen small towns within the Blackflow Citys defensive region, demanding the immediate surrender of the local garrison and mayor. Approximately one day later, Qianye received news from the individual parties in succession. Most of the dozen-odd small towns had surrendered, but there were also those who had ignored Qianyes orders. Those from a town named Rocky Ridge had even directly killed the Dark Flame warrior who was sent to deliver the message. Qianye didnt even bother to find out whether there were Dong Qifengs men hiding within that small town. Right in front of Du Yuanze, he ordered Duan Hao to lead a special company toward Rocky Ridge, aided by the just-surrendered Zhu Wuya and half of the heavy weaponry. His only order was to kill!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 321: Reorganization [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] There wasnt really any suspense in this battle since Dark Flame held the absolute advantage both in terms of weaponry and experts. There were only a couple hundred soldiers guarding this townthe mayor and the guard captain were only rank four or five in addition to numerous outsiders who were above rank-five. But Dark Flame seemed completely uninterested in those strangers and had no intention to negotiate. As soon as the unit arrived, they began the battle with a round of heavy artillery barrage. The fight ended before an hour had passed. They half-destroyed the town wall and gates, razed the mayors residence to the ground, and killed all who resisted without mercy. Afterward, Duan Hao performed a large-scale manhunt throughout the town, capturing all the relatives of the mayor and the guard captain. He then immediately sold the captives to a slave merchant who had come along with the army. Such a ruthless and thunderous method shook all the small towns that were still wavering. They quickly dispatched messengers in succession and expressed their wish to submit to Qianye. The entire Blackflow defensive region had fallen under Dark Flame control at this point, in name at least. It went without saying that such allegiances were like grass on the wallthey would sway to whichever side the wind blew. This was merely the path to survival for people on Evernight Continent. Qianye didnt require their absolute loyalty; he only needed them to adapt to the present circumstances and be obedient while he governed the defensive region. Three days after the battles ended, Qianye was finally able to gain a basic level of control over the general situation of the Blackflow defensive region, and there were no longer any open voices of dissent in various regions. The surviving officers from the seventh division had all been brought to the Dark Flame headquarters, while the soldiers were placed under watch in the three military camps. After gaining initial control over the state of affairs, Qianye summoned all the officers of the seventh division and began to formally reorganize them. The assembly point was a large warehouse hundreds of square meters in area. This used to be where the two mobile heavy cannons were parked. There were thick chains hanging down from the steel rails near the ceiling of the warehouse. One side of the warehouse had been raised half a meter and installed with brand new steam rails. All of these were equipment used to support the maintenance of heavy machinery. It was just that dispatch divisions garrisoned by the expeditionary army rarely built such expensive maintenance facilities. Presently, there were a tightly packed group of over 200 people in this fairly large space. The group below quieted down when Qianye walked in through the doors and leapt onto a high platform. All of the seventh divisions officers above the second lieutenant level had gathered here with the exception of a dozen-odd imprisoned officers who still refused to yield. There were four colonels here including Zhu Wuya, 14 lieutenant colonels, and over 30 majors. The remaining junior officers numbered over a hundred. This also meant that there were approximately 200 fighters above rank-two gathered here. Among them, there were three rank-eight and one rank-nine expert. The three rank-eight colonels werent exactly outstanding and were already over forty years of age. Their origin power was somewhat deeper than the standard, but they had more or less reached the peak of their cultivation with no possibility of future progress. Zhu Wuyas position as a rank-nine sniper was already quite outstanding in the army. Moreover, he had awakened Danger Awareness and Origin Sight, two very rare abilities most suited for snipers. He was also an important core member of many tactical operations. That was why he had always been able to retain his position regardless of who was in power. Unfortunately, bumping into Qianye was like meeting a natural predatorhe was left with no room to display his abilities. As a whole, the strength of the officers gathered here was already about to surpass Dark Flame. But the seventh divisions equipment was inferior to Dark Flames by a level, and they were vastly inferior in terms of heavy weaponry. Additionally, they had been caught unaware due to Wei Bainians plot and were unable to display even half of their abilities, allowing Qianye to lead Dark Flame to an easy victory. At this moment, all of the seventh division officers here were unrestrained. They had neither been injected with origin power inhibitors nor forced to wear origin shackles. All of them were in good condition apart from some of the officers who had been injured in the previous battle. Meanwhile, on Dark Flames side, there were only three groups of warriors guarding the two sides of the door. Yet, there wasnt the slightest bit of abnormal movement among the group of officers. They had already seen the combat power of Dark Flames special forces unit two days ago. Back then, Song Hu was taking roll with the seventh divisions roster in hand and his inspection had reached a rank-six warrior clad in a majors uniform whose name wasnt on the list. That person and another senior officer suddenly launched a surprise attack. Song Hu was rank-six and the two Dark Flame warriors beside him were only rank-five. However, they didnt even mobilize the sniper outside the entrance and simply killed the men on the spot. The entire process took only a couple of minutes and didnt even give the other officers time to consider whether they should rebel together. This result wasnt brought about by a suppression in terms of equipmenttheir warriors also possessed mutual understanding and cooperation. This was a clear display of how Dark Flames fighting strength was vastly superior to ordinary mercenary corps. After the officers from the Four Rivers Military Base arrived and recounted how Dark Flames commander had single-handedly forced them to surrender, most of the others no longer entertained any more thoughts about resisting. Qianye swept his gaze through the crowd one by one and finally said, I think all of you already know the reason behind this battle. At this point, the expressions on many of the officers became quite unnatural. This was especially true for the senior officers who had been contacted by Dong Qifengs representative. Song Hu had already announced the entire story to all of the seventh division officers while checking the prisoners of war. This was also a type of psychological warfare. Dark Flame was resisting a tyrannical rule and not rebelling. The two involved completely different meanings. Those old veterans who had been tempered through the flames of war naturally werent lacking in resolution, but they also needed to see what they were fighting for. At least in the eyes of most middle and junior officers whose benefits were unrelated to this matter, this new general was simply trying to cause trouble without the capability. He had tried to reorganize a mercenary corps for no reason but was reorganized instead. No soldier was willing to serve a foolish and incapable commander. Qianye observed their expressions and continued, Since Dark Flame has won this battle, we have the authority to reorganize the seventh division. This is the law of Evernight. If you are willing to join Dark Flame, your status and salary will remain unchanged. It will only increase in the future according to your accomplishments. Most of the officers were surprised by this promise. On Evernight Continent, even those few ten-thousand-strong mercenary corps couldnt compare to the expeditionary army in terms of resources. Dark Flames armaments had already exceeded their expectations, but to actually be able to provide the same salarydidnt this mean that their true strength could already match that of an expeditionary army division? There are likely some of you who want to return to the expeditionary army system and are thus hoping for General Dong Qifengs counterattack. However, going with Dong Qifeng isnt the only way to return to the expeditionary army system. Dark Flame can do it as well. Qianyes words ignited a huge bomb and everyone under the stage was visibly moved. Even Zhu Wuya who had fought a battle against Dark Flame was somewhat dumbfounded. The expeditionary army division designations werent permanent. In truth, the rise and fall of number designations here were even faster than in the imperial regular army. Numerous divisions had been dissolved in the recent war after their commanders fell in battle and more than half the troops were lost. However, every designation had a defensive region to watch over. Qianyes intention was to actually establish his own designation, which also meant that he would completely drive Dong Qifeng out of this defensive region. In order to accomplish this, both strength and connections were indispensable. Qianye took in everyones reactions and said, Whatever ideas you may have, I dont really mind. But right now, you will help me complete the seventh divisions reorganization. Whoever dares to play petty tricks during this process will be killed without mercy! That is all, dismissed. The group of officers dispersed with heavy hearts. In the following days, the entire seventh division was dismantled and mixed into Dark Flames ranks. The batch of surrendered officers were all reappointed in separate groups, but most of them merely played an auxiliary role. According to Song Hu, these officers could only be trusted after a bitter fight against the expeditionary army. Fortunately, the expeditionary armys regional forces possessed the characteristics of a personal army, especially true for the lower level officers. This was just another job for them, and it was inherently no different from being a hunter or mercenary. They were all here to exchange their lives for money. The only difference was that the expeditionary army had greater authority, their status relatively more stable and their profits better ensured. As long as Dark Flame could stand tall without falling, the warriors would gradually form a sense of belonging to it. The factions on Evernight Continent were fickle and complicated with no everlasting loyalty to speak of. Apart from the common belief that the dark races were the enemy of the human race, even the Great Qin Empire was just a distant symbol of authority. Qianye watched the officers leave in succession and went through his plans once more in his mind. Using Dark Flame as the skeleton, he would break up the original seventh division soldiers and fold them into its ranks. In this way, he could form a unit with considerable combat strength within a short time. The urgent matter at hand was to repel all potential interference from the expeditionary army. Although Song Zining had stated that he would settle things with the expeditionary army leaders, it was best to be prepared. After repelling the interfering expeditionary forces, he would march west to open up new territory. Blackflow City was an adverse territory. It was below average both in terms of location and resources while its staple income, in the past, mostly came from grey trade. The city was enough for a seventh division commander, but it was insufficient to accommodate Qianyes plans and dreams. The only path ahead was to head west. The vast land there with its boundless resources would serve as the true foundation for the future. Meanwhile, the airship port at the expeditionary army headquarters was bustling with activity. Numerous military-use jeeps had arrived in quick succession. When the airship port guards saw the expeditionary army insignia with a golden star on it, they immediately stood ramrod straight and performed a resounding salutation. Greetings, General! The jeep windows were lowered and an obviously chubby face appeared from within. His puffy eyes were especially conspicuous. He seemed quite pleased with the sentrys attitude and raised his hands to his forehead in response. Afterward, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking, but there was a smile emerging at the corners of his mouth. This squad of jeeps overtook several cars that were lining up for entry and drove directly into the airship port toward a certain landing platform. This was obviously jumping the queue. However, the cars and travelers who had been waiting in the tedious line dared not utter a word of dissent after seeing the generals insignia on the car. Special privileges werent a rare sight, especially in such a place as Evernight where there was never any lasting peace. The motorcade drove all the way in and only stopped after reaching an airship. A beautiful female aide-de-camp with dazzling long legs jumped down from the front seat. She then opened the back door and said with a clear voice, General, were here. That general with a square face and big ears glanced outward before moving his fat body out of the car. His bearings were actually quite nimble. As he passed by, the general firmly groped the female officers buttocks secretly with his left hand. The beautiful aide-de-camps face turned frosty and jab at those fat hands in reverse. The attack was quite ruthless, but the general remained unfazed as if that hand wasnt even his. The tenacity of a champions body far surpassed that of ordinary people, and it was just right to use it in such an occasion.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 322: A New Designation [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] At this time, the airship captain approached with a flight bill and performed a military salute before handing it to the general. The airship captain said respectfully, General Dong, please look over the itinerary and sign it. The journey to our final destination, Blackflow City of Trinity River County, is rather long. As such, we plan to stop three times on the way for rest and supplies. Our midway points are Plateau Mountain City, Weiming City, and Vast Depth City. This fat general was Dong Qifeng who was preparing to take office at Blackflow City. He received the itinerary but was still glancing at his aide-de-camp, the iceberg-like beauty, through the corner of his eyes. The lady was quite clear what the general was concerned about. Thus, she introduced the three stops with great emphasis on their famed characteristicssome were known for their good food, some for their scenery, and Weiming City for its beauties. Dong Qifeng was radiant with delight after listening to this introduction and repeatedly said "good". He then reached out to grope the aides buttocks yet again. The aide-de-camp didnt even raise her eyebrows, her expression cold and defensive. This was exactly Dong Qifengs favorite type. This general fancied ladies who were ice-cold on the outside and as passionate as fire on the inside. Dong Qifeng had taken the journey toward his new post as a vacation trip and wouldnt miss any attraction along the way. Otherwise, it was little more than a days journeywho else wouldnt fly directly? Dong Qifeng was quite satisfied with this arrangement. He checked the safety measures and found that he would be escorted by two military use gunships. He immediately decided that there was nothing to complain about and signed his name with a wave of his big pen. Ignoring everything else, the three big characters Dong Qifeng were, in fact, written with an impressive style. This was a clear display of his great power. Enough with the blathering. Lets board the airship! This general has to hurry on with the journey! Dong Qifeng waved his large hand and boarded the airship first. But his entourage hadnt even finished entering the cabin when a light jeep arrived as if it were flying. It rushed directly toward the airship and came to a halt at its side. A major jumped down from the vehicle and shouted loudly, General Dong, please wait! I have orders from General Xiao asking you to return to headquarters immediately! Dong Qifeng poked his head out of the cabin door and asked curiously, General Xiao? The major passed over an official document and said, This is a handwritten order from General Xiao. Please take a look. Dong Qifeng received the document and glanced over it. However, the order only asked that he return to headquarters and didnt explain any details. The generals expression immediately turned gloomy after receiving such an order all of a sudden and for no good reason. There was only one General Xiao who could give orders to General Dong in the expeditionary army, and that was the deputy commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Xiao Lingshi. The expeditionary army commander-in-chief, Luo Mingji, was an imperial marshal. His role with the title was merely to oversee the general situation and wouldnt involve himself with the details. Almost all military affairs were handled by the four deputy commanders-in-chief, and Xiao Lingshi was one of them. But whatever opinion General Dong may have regarding this lieutenant general of humble origins, he wouldnt express it at this moment. He simply gave out some instructions, returned to the jeep, and traveled back toward the expeditionary army headquarters with the major who came to convey the order. The convoy of jeeps rapidly drove all the way and practically sprinted through the headquarter gates. The major then led Dong Qifeng straight to Xiao Lingshis office in the eastern building. The moment he stepped into the building, Dong Qifeng suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, and this person was one who shouldnt be here at this time. Dong Qifeng said in great astonishment, Du Yuanze, why are you here? Didnt I send you to take over the seventh division? That person was, indeed, Du Yuanze. The man smiled wryly and whispered, General, lets go in first. General Xiao is already waiting in the conference room. A layer of dark clouds emerged in Dong Qifengs heart. He gave a nod, then followed Du Yuanze up to the top floor and into the conference room. The room wasnt that big at all. There were only ten-odd people seated here, but their generals stars were sparkling on their uniformsapparently, most of them were generals. It could be said that most of the high-ranking officers under Xiao Lingshi were gathered here. Xiao Lingshi himself was seated at the end of the long table. No clues could be obtained from his expressionless countenance. Seeing Dong Qifeng and Du Yuanze enter, Xiao Lingshi gestured for them to sit down and said slowly, I received news just now from Blackflow City that a certain mercenary corps called Dark Flame has annexed the seventh division. They have dispatched a messenger to the headquarters requesting us to revoke the seventh divisions designation number. At the same time, they expressed their willingness to join the expeditionary army system. The designation they applied for is Dark Flame Independent Division. Dark Flame Independent Division! Discussions immediately broke out within the conference room as soon as this new title was announced. Even those generals werent an exceptioneveryone felt that this Dark Flame Mercenary Corps was crazy. They were actually demanding an independent division designation? The expeditionary armys main fighting units were classified into two typesdispatch divisions who were assigned to guard the cities, and field divisions used to supplement the gaps in the defensive lines. However, there was also a number of specialized organizations, and the independent division was one of them. This designation represented greater authority and scale. An independent division could recruit 50% more troops than an ordinary division, and the staffing structure would also increase accordingly. Moreover, only the deputy division commander position required the approval of the expeditionary army headquarters. The appointment and dismissal of all other senior-officer positions would be left to the division commander. Dong Qifengs ears began to ring immediately after hearing Xiao Lingshis words. He could no longer hear anything else, and for a moment, he couldnt even comprehend the meaning of those words. It took him quite some time to collect his thoughts and immediately began to roar without a care for his composure, Thats my seventh division! How can it be revoked just like that?! In order to obtain this lucrative post, he had used up numerous big favors and tens of thousands of gold coins in bribes. Additionally, the clan had forked out a huge sum when he formally received the appointment orderit was titled as a donation to the expeditionary army, but was, in truth, a compensation to the Wei clan and the expeditionary army headquarters. The Sishui Dong Family was willing to pay such a price because the Blackflow City was almost untainted by the flames of the recent war on Evernight Continent. Although the campaign received a mixture of praise and criticism, being able to force the dark race army to take a detour was proof of the seventh divisions strength. Obtaining the seventh division was like picking up one of Evernight Continents most mature scopes of influence. Dong Qifeng was prepared to use this as a foundation to develop an even more glorious family business. But he had never expected the situation to actually be turned on its head during the short period that he was getting ready to take office. Up until this moment, Dong Qifeng still hadnt realized what exactly had gone wrong. He had discussed all the steps beforehand with Du Yuanze and a number of his trusted aides. Dong Qifeng had assigned his personal guards to take control of some important characters across the Blackflow defensive region even before his official transference with the Wei clan. There were old veterans who had served in the imperial regular army among Dong Qifengs personal guards, while the others also possessed experience handling clan affairs. It was reasonable to say that such an arrangement was absolutely safe. Why then had matters not developed as he had imagined? The group of generals and high-ranking officers stayed silent and allowed Dong Qifeng to shout as he pleased, most with a shade of schadenfreude in their eyes. Most of these high-ranking officers were born of humble civilian families or, at most, landowning households. They had no favorable impression toward the high-level aristocracy. To them, both the Far East Wei Clan and the Sishui Dong Clan were outsiders who were here to compete for profits on Evernight Continent. Comparatively, Wei Bainian who had managed to defend Blackflow City during the war probably received more recognition. This Dong Qifeng, on the other hand, was virtually unheard of before this incident. Only when Xiao Lingshi frowned and gestured for his silence did Dong Qifeng calm down. As Xiao Lingshi saw it, this entire incident wasnt complex at all. Wei Bainian had visited the expeditionary army headquarters to handle the final resignation procedures before he left Evernight Continent. At that time, he had personally brought Dong Qifengs appointment papers and a copy of the first set of issued military announcements. Thus, according to the timeline, the two parties had, in fact, completed the handover procedure even though Dong Qifeng hadnt personally arrived at Blackflow City. The expeditionary army headquarters could confirm this. Hence, Blackflow City was definitely lost in Dong Qifengs handseven the man himself couldnt utter any objection or question this fact. Following which, Xiao Lingshi had Du Yuanze recount his experience that day. Du Yuanze stood up and narrated how Dark Flame had taken down the seventh division. Many generals frowned silently after listening to the battle process. They were very clear as to how terrifying a skilled sniper like Qianye was on the battlefield. Even champions wouldnt be willing to face such a dangerous enemy. Dong Qifeng could no longer endure after Du Yuanze concluded his story. He stood up once again and roared, Rebellion! This is a complete rebellion! I demand that Dark Flame be announced as rebels. Afterward, mobilize the expeditionary army forces around Blackflow City and annihilate that brat Qianye along with that damned mercenary corps of his! Otherwise, wont anyone be able to disregard the expeditionary armys prestige?! Dong Qifeng wasnt a complete idiot. He still knew how to strive for his profit by making use of the expeditionary armys great status. Some of the high-ranking officers nodded in agreement, but the generals, on the other hand, only glanced at each other and showed no signs of movement. With a wave of Xiao Lingshis hands, his personal guards immediately led Dong Qifeng and Du Yuanze out of the conference room with an extremely respectful yet unyielding attitude. The room was pervaded by a moment of silence after the doors were shut. Xiao Lingshi was a staunch general who had always defended the best interests of the expeditionary army with no fear of confronting the upper continent aristocracy. Those familiar with his character knew that his present attitude was rather thought-provoking. One of the generals broke the silence first and began to express his doubts, The Wei clan extricated itself from this matter quite efficiently. But if it was really so clean, how could a mercenary corps actually devour the entire seventh division? Naturally, the expeditionary army headquarters couldnt keep constant watch over a new mercenary corps from a third-rate war zone like Dark Flame. The last time the generals heard of this name was during the recent war on Evernight. Dark Flame had reaped abundant rewards in a single campaign, and the amount wasnt less than the handful of ten-thousand-strong mercenary corps on Evernight Continent. This was sufficient proof of their combat strength. But in the eyes of the expeditionary army generals, there was no way it could reach the stage where it could devour an expeditionary army division whole. Dark Flames rapid expansion was a recent matter, and news of it hadnt even gotten around to the headquarters. There was naturally no shortage of people concealing and misdirecting this information deliberately. An old white-bearded general said after a moment of silence, According to Lieutenant Colonel Dus statement, it seems the Wei clan hadnt taken part in this at all. Since they, themselves, have no intention to lodge a complaint against the Wei clan and we didnt witness the situation, its inappropriate for us to bring up new problems. This old general was Wen Ruocheng, Xiao Lingshis chief staff officer, and his words had always carried some weight. Everyone couldnt help but form their own plans after hearing the tone of his voice. The previous general spoke once more, Dark Flames commander isnt a champion as far as I know. Wen Luocheng replied without batting an eyelid, Speaking of which, that Qianye cant be considered a champion, but his combat strength is more or less already at that level. However, the division commanders position must be held by champions. This is the militarys iron law and there will be no accommodations. Since Dark Flame has applied for a designation, then they mustve taken this into consideration. When the time comes, its fine as long as a champion takes office. All the officers in the room glanced at each other when these words were spoken.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 323: A Brother in Need [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Those who were quick to react immediately recalled that although champions were all heroes of a region in Evernight, they werent all that rare on the upper continents. The high-ranking nobility would have quite a few guest warriors at that level. High-ranking nobility?! There still wasnt any expression on Xiao Lingshis countenance, however, he quietly observed the reactions of everyone in the conference room. The greater part of those sitting here were his trusted aides, but there were a few of them who had closer ties to the other generals. Hence, he refrained from carelessly expressing his stance. However, Wen Ruocheng words could be considered his own, and the news he had revealed just now included sufficient information for people to make certain connections. The direction of this meeting quietly changed right before their eyes. Xiao Lingshi simply closed his eyes to rest while everyone was in discussion. He was thinking about the private discussion he had with Song Zining a while ago. Xiao Lingshi was quite satisfied with this allynot only had they cooperated delightfully numerous times, but the latter himself had also jumped up to the second rank as a successor in the recent examination. It could be said that his future was limitless. However, what Xiao Lingshi cared most about was that Song Zining was extremely low-profile in the outside world and rarely used the Song clans name to finish his business. This made it easy for him to conceal traces of his involvement with a clan descendant during their cooperation and maintain his image of never working together with the influential powers. Xiao Lingshi favored looking at the long-term, and a person like Song Zining was someone he could work with for many years to come. As such, a temporary loss or gain wasnt that important. The sounds in the room gradually softened as the officers concluded their discussions. Xiao Lingshi raised his eyes and glanced at a certain colonel sitting in a corner who hadnt spoken at all since the beginning. He was one of General Yang Shuos men. The Sishui familys appointment to the seventh division had also come via the Highfence Yang family. Xiao Lingshi quietly laughed in his heart. Song Zining had visited him this time to pave the way for Dark Flame. However, what he brought out wasnt the Highland Song Clans name but, instead, the Cloud Swallow Zhao Clans. The military might perhaps be able to play dumb in the face of the merchant Song clan, but they would have no choice but to act impartially when facing the Zhao clan with its three dukes. Most of the people in the room were Xiao Lingshis long-term confidants, and they should already have understood his intentions. At this moment, a strong young general with a valiant countenance stood up to speak, According to the expeditionary armys rules, the territory belongs to whoever conquers it. The seventh division can be considered an ownerless force after Wei Bainian left office. Since Qianye is capable of seizing it, its only reasonable that we give it to him. As for the independent division designation, its not something a few light words can settle. Apart from shouldering the corresponding responsibilities, he must be able to pay a sufficient price! The audience nodded in succession after these words were spoken. Even those big shots who had received benefits from the Dong family were no exceptionthe nature of this matter had undergone some subtle changes at the mention of a price. What kind of price? someone asked. That valiant general glared and said, Of course its an expedition! Otherwise, how will we preserve our expeditionary armys prestige? If that brat can win this battle, itll have proved that his strength is sufficient, and it wont be excessive to give him a designation. As for the independent division designation, we can discuss that later on. Wen Ruocheng said indifferently, The problem is, who will fight him? Thiswell The valiant general glanced at Xiao Lingshi and was at a loss for words. He couldnt give a definite answer. This was originally a fairly simple problemcampaigning against rebels and restoring peace was already within Xiao Lingshis scope of authority. That was why this meeting was hosted by him after the expeditionary army headquarters received news from Blackflow City. But for some reason, Xiao Lingshi seemed to have no intention to continue on this topic, and this placed the valiant general at a loss. Xiao Lingshi was a lieutenant general who had the fourth corps under his command. He was far above everyone else here both in terms of military force and authority, while that general was only a major general. He didnt dare to ask directly after seeing Xiao Lingshi keep his silence. The other generals couldnt help but make some guesses since Xiao Lingshi obviously had no intention to mobilize his army. Those with aspirations quickly recalled how a new deputy commander-in-chief had recently appeared out of nowhere in the expeditionary army. Although this persons individual rank and office were equal to Xiao Lingshis, his military rank was, in fact, a general. Under normal circumstances, there was only one reason for such a differencefamily background. Moreover, Wen Ruocheng had come only one step away from directly stating that Dark Flame also had an aristocratic background. As such, many people suddenly felt enlightened and formed secret notions of watching a good show. No one could blame Xiao Lingshi if he didnt want to get involved in a conflict between the aristocracy. At this point, the only way was to mobilize the other three divisions stationed in the Trinity River County. Although two out of these three divisions had experienced some minor conflicts with the seventh division during the Wei clans administration, it wouldnt be easy to convince them to mobilize their troops against Blackflow City. It went without saying that a city siege wasnt easy. A punitive expedition of this nature wouldnt allow them occupation, and they would have to hand the city back to Dong Qifeng after a victory, to speak nothing of a defeat. Nobody was willing to undertake such an arduous and thankless task without sufficient compensation. Even the valiant general who had brought up this matter would never stick his head out despite having two divisions under his control. The meeting room was overcome by a prolonged silence. The awkward quietness was finally broken by Wen Ruocheng who was apparently prepared for this. Since it was Dong Qifengs seventh division that Dark Flame has devoured, the responsibility for this incident should naturally fall on the general himself. As I see it, we should dispatch him to campaign against Qianye. What does everyone think of this? Everyone immediately voiced their agreement after these words were spoken. Xiao Lingshis eyes flashed with a wisp of delight but, soon afterward, reverted to the calmness of an ancient well. Very soon, the two men waiting outside of the conference room were informed of the final decision. They were so overwhelmed that their jaws almost fell to the floor. Dong Qifeng was here to take over the seventh division. How could he have any troops in his hands? Was he expected to muster the few dozen guards he has to attack Blackflow City? There was no need to use such an idiotic method even if one wished to court death. Dong Qifeng was so furious that his face was ashen and the fat on his chubby body was trembling. But he also knew that he couldnt flip out at such a place. Wen Ruocheng clearly explained everything clause by clause. Additionally, all of them were annotated with reference to the expeditionary armys rules. If they were to compete in looking for loopholes in the army regulations, the Dong family was definitely not a match for this old general who had served in the expeditionary army his entire life. Dong Qifeng forcefully swallowed his anger and walked out of the conference room with great difficulty. He understood that the huge sum of gold coins and the ten-odd beauties he had invested were all gone with the wind. Those expeditionary army big shots were incomparably greedy and would never cough up things they had already swallowed. On the other hand, there was no telling how many gold coins he would have to fork out if he wanted to raise an objection to Xiao Lingshis decision. The difficulty involved was on a completely different level. General, what shall we do now? Du Yuanze asked meekly, feeling quite bitter in his heart. A lieutenant colonel like him with mediocre combat strength wasnt worth a fart without the armys participation. In the Dong clan, he had relied on his past achievement as a rank-seven fighter to obtain a middle-grade stewards status. Dong Qifengs countenance was as gloomy as water. What do we do? We must muster our clans troops and finish off that son of a b*tch Qianye! To actually dare rob this daddys seventh division, I must kill this group of lowlifes! We wont leave a single one of them alive! Du Yuanze shrunk his neck but didnt dare say anything. He had personally witnessed the entire process where Dark Flame took down the seventh division. Especially, that young commanderthe feeling he had given Du Yuanze was even more terrifying than a champion. Dong Qifeng was planning to mobilize family forces to launch a punitive expedition, and the expenditure involved was colossal. Even if they could seize Blackflow City, the profits wouldnt make up for the loss if they could only regain a patch of rubbleit might be more efficient to build a new city in an uninhabited land. However, Dong Qifeng was currently in a fit of temper. Du Yuanze felt that it was already quite fortunate that the man wasnt blaming him for his incompetencehow would he dare say anything else? At this time, Qianye was sitting in an office on the top floor of the seventh division headquarters, observing a map of the entire trinity river county. That map was different from the ordinary versions. Not only did it include the geography of the land 500 kilometers into the dark race territory, but also had the distribution of dark race forces in the region marked upon it. This was the result of the effort Song Hu had exerted for the greater half of the year. Qianye drew lines upon the map with his finger while contemplating. Some led straight toward dark race territory, while others passed through the hinterlands of the Trinity River County. He was forming a plan for his westward campaign, but at the same time, he had to be prepared for the cold spears behind his back. Dong Qifeng definitely wouldnt let this matter be. Meanwhile, the divisions neighboring the seventh divisions defensive region had more or less taken part in Wu Zhengnans business back then, and it hadnt been that long since the incident. Qianye put down the map and pulled over the stack of documents from the table. Those were reports of corps affairs he needed to know or comment on, now with the addition of matters related to Blackflow Citys defense. After Dark Flame took over the seventh division, Song Hu alone could no longer handle everything. Those talented bloodline seedlings along with Lil Seven and Lil Nine were maturing quickly, but there was no way for them to catch up to the speed of Dark Flames expansion. A handful of men from Song Zinings special company could be used, but they were far from sufficient to cover the would-be Dark Flame Independent Division. Qianye felt that he needed a number of deputy commanders. There were two personal letters on top of the stack of documents. The first came from Song Zining, and its contents werent that long. The correspondence began with a message telling Qianye not to worry, hinting that he had always enjoyed a happy working relationship with certain major characters from the expeditionary army and that this time was not an exception. The letter stated that the matter regarding the designation would be handled soon, and that although he had paid a certain price, it could be considered reasonable. Song Zining also mentioned that he would come to Blackflow City after concluding the business at hand to help Qianye handle upcoming matters. Qianyes mood was quite good up to this point, but Song Zinings letter made an unexpected sharp turn. It proceeded to discuss how Hidden Springs had launched a new batch of goods, and that their quality was the best they had ever offered. He claimed that such a good opportunity couldnt be missed, and that he was prepared to drag along Qianye to visit the place. Song Zining mentioned, with great cheer, that Qianye already had Lil Seven and Nine. With just a couple more, he could form a guard squad made up of beauties. Such a scene would truly fill one with delight! Qianye could only laugh wryly and decided that he wouldnt go to Hidden Springs with Song Zining no matter what. This Song seventh young master was good in every aspectthe only thing Qianye couldnt endure was how he liked to gift women. If this kept going on, the money he earned from fighting everywhere would probably be insufficient to provide for all of them. However, Qianye soon recalled how Song Zining had once explained that the ladies from Hidden Springs didnt need to be provided for. Not only were they all beautiful, but they were also extremely capable and could easily provide for themselves. Perhaps only Song Zining would have such an original way of seeing things. The second letter made Qianye feel quite surprised because it was actually from Wei Potian. Calculating the time of its dispatch, Wei Bainian likely hadnt arrived back at the Far East Province. From the contents of the letter, Wei Potian indeed had no idea about Blackflow Citys recent developments. The contents were quite short and only took up half a page. The greater half of the letter explained how much he was enjoying the fighting. It was mentioned, only at the end of the letter, that this successor of Marquis Bowang had encountered some trouble. It couldnt be considered a major problem, but it was something he couldnt handle himself. He stated that, since brothers had to share each other''s troubles, he was prepared to let Qianye deal with a part of this problem. Seeing these brainless words, a sudden sense of foreboding came over Qianye for some reason.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 324: Sharing the Burden [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] At this time, Song Hu knocked and entered the room with a thick stack of documents in his arms. All of them were reports related to the takeover and reorganization of the Blackflow defensive region. Presently, Dark Flame had already taken control of the entire warzone in name, and the reorganization of the seventh division was coming to a conclusion. Dark Flame was originally a force of less than four thousand men, but now that it had suddenly expanded to over ten thousand, there were countless details among the men which required mediation and wearing-in. In order to gain strict control over this newborn force, Qianye and Song Hu temporarily had no intention to spread their forces throughout the domain. After accepting the surrender of the various towns, he followed the former procedure by stationing a small unit there to maintain basic defensive operations. Dark Flames most important mission was to ensure the absolute control of Blackflow City along with its two conventional military bases, Cloud Sail City and Four Rivers Military Base. According to Song Hu, the entire process of taking control was especially rapid and smooth. As for the bloody methods behind this so-called smooth, he only played them down and moved on to other topics. Qianye didnt pay too much attention to such details and was going over the armament list in his hands. The seventh divisions properties were even more abundant than he had imagined. They possessed a fair number of heavy trucks, ten-odd heavy cannons, and the same number of armored combat vehicles. Such a scale of weaponry had far surpassed the standard of a dispatch division in charge of a third-rate war zone. It went without saying that these armaments didnt come from Wu Zhengnan but were procured after Wei Bainian took office. It was precisely because of this that no suspicion was roused among the seventh division officers when Wei Bainian, upon his resignation, ordered them sealed and placed in storage, only to be used after the new division commander had taken inventory. And after being sealed and stored, it would take technicians the greater half of a day to bring them out. Qianye couldnt help but sigh emotionallyno wonder he felt that Cloud Sail City and Four River Military Base were especially weak in firepower when he attacked them. It turned out that there was such a reason behind this. Only someone like Wei Bainian was a general truly capable of leading troops. With just a small instruction, he had greatly reduced the fighting power of two military bases that had been operating for many years. And now, all these weapons were left behind to Qianyes benefit. Strictly in terms of weaponry and troops, Dark Flames current strength was already catching up to the imperial regular army divisions. Qianye passed through a relatively peaceful and uninteresting period. The days were filled with handling military affairs and cultivation. On the expeditionary armys side, both the headquarters and the neighboring divisions showed no signs of movement. However, Song Zining sent him a letter saying he had heard that Dong Qifeng had gone back to the upper continent to assemble his familys private army. It seemed a battle was unavoidable. Song Zining warned Qianye repeatedly that he must pay attention to his own safety as well as that of Dark Flames core members. One had to know that the most effective method to win a civil conflict was to target the leader. Originally, Qianye had wanted to head over to the surrounding dark race territories to take a look at the situation, however, he naturally couldnt leave the city under such circumstances. In the current Dark Flame, he was the only one who had the power to contend against a champion. That Dong Qifeng had gone back to muster his familys forces and might even pull out a couple more champions. As such, Qianye, Song Hu, Duan Hao, and the others had to rearrange the citys defenses and bolster their defensive capacity on a large scale. Several more days passed by in the end, and, instead of Song Zining, it was Wei Potian who had arrived first. Qianye had just concluded his cultivation and walked out of the room when Seventeen approached to help him change into a new set of clothes. At the same time, she said, Marquis Bowangs heir of the Far East Wei Clan has come to visit you. He has been waiting outside for some time now. Qianye was immediately astonished. He hadnt imagined that Wei Potian would arrive so fast even if he really did have the intention to come to Evernight Continent. He had just examined the expeditionary armys latest bulletin and understood that the war in Far East Province was still ongoing and had transformed into a war of attrition. Why had Wei Potian suddenly run over to Evernight Continent while the flames of war were still burning? Qianye immediately changed his clothes and headed toward the parlor in a hurry. Before the french window was a man with broad shoulders and a slim waist standing with his back toward the door. He was gazing at the city outside the window as dusk slowly crept over it. His simple standing posture possessed the imposing grandeur of a mountain. A wisp of blue flashed past Qianyes eyes. With his True Sight, he could very clearly see nine dazzling origin nodes flickering on the mans body. There was a faintly visible stream of energy circulating between them. It was actually the sign of an impending breakthrough. During the period of his absence, Wei Potian had already stepped into the ninth rank, and his cultivation was already quite close to that of a champion. Wei Potian turned around after hearing the door being opened and glanced at Qianye with shining eyes. Then he suddenly walked over with large strides and gave Qianye a big bear hug. This heavy hug was as fierce as that of a literal bear and almost broke Qianye into two. However, Wei Potian soon realized something wasnt quite right. It felt as though he had hugged a solid pillar made of superalloyhe couldnt move Qianye even slightly no matter how much strength he exerted. The embrace lasted quite some time. Only after discovering something wrong with Seventeen''s expression and seeing her little mouth hang open so wide that it could fit a goose egg did the two separate. Neither Wei Potian nor Qianye showed any signs of having activated their origin power. Naturally, Seventeen couldnt see that they were, in truth, competing in pure strength. Qianye smiled and said, So fast! Youre already rank nine. Wei Potian laughed loudly and replied with a bitter expression, But arent you also rank nine? Dammit! I thought I could totally suppress you! Wei Potians talents have always been outstanding, and the clan had provided him with as much resources as he required. He had progressed rapidly during the past year and surprised the entire upper class of the empire. Additionally, Wei Potians awakened abilities were extremely powerful and allowed him to fight to his hearts content on the battlefield. It was common knowledge that the more intense the battles, the easier it was to break through. As such, it was publicly accepted that the Wei clan heirs future was full of promise. But Wei Potian and Qianye had always advanced shoulder to shoulder since their reunion back then. Every time he met Qianye after a period of satisfaction, he would feel as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed into his face and have no choice but to sober up. Qianyes eyes turned blue once again. He observed carefully for a while and then said with a frown, Potian, your foundation seems to be lacking in purity. Have you been advancing too fast? With your talents, the champion rank is only the beginning of a long future path. Theres no need to rush with breaking through. Qianye had discovered that there were already signs of qi aggregation in Wei Potians nine origin nodes, and the latter seemed to have no intention to suppress his level. According to Wei Potians advancement speed for the past year, a breakthrough was imminent. But Wei Potian didnt seem to mind at all. He patted Qianyes shoulder and laughed loudly, Thats good enough. Ill breakthrough when its time to breakthrough. Whats the use of pondering over so many details? In any case, this daddy here is a man destined to become a marshal. Theres no need to be overly careful with cultivation! Qianye gave Wei Potians words some thought and had to admit that it might be reasonable in its own way. High-grade secret arts focused more on talents and comprehension as they progressed, and everyones path above the level of champion was different. Wei Potian had been charging around violently all these years and had nurtured a second-to-none momentum. Especially since the cultivation of his Thousand Mountains and Sky Shattering Bright Fist was dependent on his momentum. Perhaps he might be able to forge a path of his own by advancing all the way without grinding for origin power purity. Qianye was hesitating whether or not he should tell Wei Potian about how he had seen signs of origin power flow within his body. In the end, Wei Potian waved his hands and said in a carefree manner, Enough with the nonsense. Lets fight first! Qianye, youre becoming more and more long-winded now. Youre almost starting to sound like that sissy Song Seven. Ive said this before, but that gigolo isnt a good person. At the mention of Song Seven, Wei Potian began to unleash a torrent of unpleasant words. Additionally, there were many irrelevant comparisons and groundless accusations within them. Qianyes ears were buzzing from the noise, and it took a fair amount of effort to resist the urge to beat this man to the ground. He waved his hand toward Seventeen and instructed her to open the fighting room. Wei Potian immediately took his stance after entering the ring and said with a laugh, Qianye, Ive been killing on the battlefield for such a long time and it so happens that Ive gained some insight recently. Come, come, come! Ill let you know today what it means to be unmoving as a mountain! Wei Potian released a loud shout. His momentum immediately surged to the skies, and the deep yellow radiance emerging around his body was so dense that it was almost tangible. Images of numerous mountain peaks actually emerged behind his back. Qianye had long since learned from Wei Bainian that Wei Potian had already broken through to the seventh realm of the Thousand Mountains, and now, he was personally witnessing the group of mountains materialize. Although merely an illusion, they possessed the imposing aura of a majestic mountain range. He couldnt help but sigh in admiration at Wei Potians comprehension. Just by the realm of his Thousand Mountains, ordinary champions could forget about breaking through his defenses. Wei Potian let out another resounding shout akin to spring thunder and pressed toward Qianye step by step, each as heavy as a mountain. Qianye shot him a glance. He then quietly removed East Peak and placed it conveniently against the wall. The entire fighting room actually shook slightly as the sword touched the ground. Wei Potian was momentarily astonished, and a familiar sense of diffidence arose in his heart. He wanted to forfeit the match immediately, but Qianye had already circulated his energy and struck out directly with a forward stride. The momentum of Qianyes fist was fairly slow and resembled a person practicing the basic form of a jab. However, there seemed to be genuine and strenuous effort involved in his movements as if he were pushing against ten thousand tons of seawater. By the time his fist was midway, a faintly discernible rumble of thunder began to emerge in the room and soon erupted into a thunderous echo of crashing tides. One fist to move the wind and thunder! The intuition Wei Potian had honed through countless life and death battles was screaming madly. He let out an odd cry and wanted to run away, but the space around him had suddenly turned incomparably dense and sticky. A powerful force actually pushed Wei Potian forward to meet Qianyes fist head on. Left with no other choice, he braced himself and received the incoming fist with crossed arms. Only a sudden clap of thunder was heard before Wei Potian was blasted onto the floor, smashing a human-shaped hole therein. The brightness of the yellow origin power radiance around his body was fluctuating rapidly, while the illusory mountain peaks became distorted and finally vanished. After their reunion, the illustrious Thousand Mountains which had allowed Wei Potian to move unhindered throughout the battlefield had once again been smashed apart by Qianyes fist. Wei Potians momentum was too strong when he charged overit was as if a sky-piercing mountain peak was pressing forward directly. As a result, Qianye had subconsciously attacked with full force. Not only had he used forty tides of the Combatant Formula, but also invoked a wisp of worldly origin power from his surroundings. Qianye soon regained his senses and hurriedly went over to help Wei Potian up. But by the time he arrived, the latter had already clambered up with a grimace and was crying out in pain after some movement. Goddammit, what a heavy blow! Ouch!!! Dont touch me! Wei Potian howled as he slapped Qianyes hand away and struggled to stand up. There seemed to be some lingering fear in his mind as he gazed at Qianye with a begrudged expression. Qianye was somewhat worried after seeing that gaze. He scanned Wei Potians body with True Sight and felt secretly relieved after finding no broken bones. He casually picked up East Peak which he had left leaning against the wall and was just about to say something. However, Wei Potian spoke first. Wait! Let me see that sword, shouted Wei Potian. Qianye found it odd but nonetheless passed East Peak to Wei Potian. After the blade changed hands, Wei Potian immediately let out an odd cry. His whole body slightly sunk down and almost collapsed to the floor. His Thousand Mountains had just been broken and he was quite weak at the moment. He would have been pressed down by East Peak if not for his firm horse stance. Qianye hurriedly snatched the sword back and helped Wei Potian stand firm. The latter wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and said, Could you have been planning to hack me with that sword? Qianye replied calmly, Yeah, its called East Peak. Since you claim yourself to be as unmoving as the mountains, I had indeed wanted to try it out. Youre inhuman! Wei Potian said while clenching his teeth. Despite his momentary weakness, he had still gotten a good idea of the blades weight. If Qianyes fist just now had been replaced by a slash of this sword, he wouldve been left with a dozen or so fractures at least. He wouldve been bed-ridden for several days even with his superior gift in regeneration. However, Qianyes smile was just as clear and brilliant. I think so too. Wei Potian suddenly broke into a laughter accompanied by a wisp of craftiness contrary to his originally outspoken manner. Qianye, now that weve already finished sparring with each other, Ive recently run into some problems, you see. Since were brothers, you naturally have to help me bear this burden.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 325: Disaster [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye nodded immediately. No problem. But Evernight is quite far from the Far East Province and moving troops over there isnt very practical. How about I go with you? The enemies there are also dark race forces anyway. Its not much of a difference. Wei Potian shook his head and said, No, this problem is bigger than a battle. Theres no longer a problem with the war situation over at Far East Province. The cold wave for this year came early, and the ice will only melt away next spring. So, there wont be any large-scale movements for either party. Otherwise, I wouldnt have the time to visit you. So what exactly is the problem? Youll know very soon! Wei Potian laughed craftily. Qianye suddenly felt a bad premonition come over him. It seemed this problem wasnt related to life and death, but might be even more serious than life and death. Not having seen each other for a long time, they discussed their recent situations over wine that night. Wei Potians topics were all about his battles and how he had been beaten black and blue by those dark race viscounts. He had no qualms about these awkward incidents and was, on the contrary, laughing with great satisfaction. Qianye could only shake his head as he recalled the first time he had met Wei Potian back at Xiangyang City. Although that was only a number years ago, it felt as if an entire lifetime had passed in between. Qianye still maintained a basic level of reservation regarding Wei Potianhe only told the latter that he had met Zhao Jundu and that he might be related to the Zhao clan. Moreover, he was still uncertain what exactly had happened that year, and there really was no way to confirm. Wei Potian didnt pursue the matter. As someone born of aristocracy, he knew very well that there were countless scandals within those big residences that could never be brought out into the light. The Zhao clan had lost a child for no reason, and now they want to recognize him after ten years. One would know there was something wrong with this even if they used their knee to think. As such, Wei Potian only patted Qianyes shoulderhe told the latter to remember that he had a brother in him and that there would always be a foothold for Qianye as long as he was alive. Qianye was somewhat moved, but he had no intention to drag his friend down. Wei Potian and Song Zining werent the same. Song Zining knew almost everything there was to know about him and was also part of one of the most important periods of his life. When Zhao Jundu had threatened Song Zining back then, Qianye suddenly realized that anyone investigating his past would definitely draw out Song Zining. Temporarily disregarding the matter regarding Red Scorpion, Yellow Springs was just sitting there perfectly fine. Qianye wasnt willing to see his personal matters affect his friends. However, he had no proper way to deal with this and could only hope to grow stronger as quickly as possible. Additionally, Wei Potian wasnt as flexible as Song Zining and might not be able to hold back on certain things. It was for the best that he knew a bit less. Afterward, Wei Potian asked about that heavy sword East Peak which had left him with some lingering fear. Unexpectedly, Wei Potian was immediately infuriated. He slapped on the table and began to curse Song Zining for actually pushing Qianye onto a life and death arena. I knew from a single glance that sissy is no good! You cant have a friend like him! Wei Potians eyes were red from the alcohol as he reached such a verdict. Qianye rubbed his buzzing ears and could only laugh wryly. Song Zining actually had no intention to fight for a successors position. Hence, there was no need for him to try too hard both in the martial and strategic assessments. Bringing Qianye to take part in the examination was, in truth, to provide him with resources. The depository, the sky-grade cultivation room, and the equipment provided to guest warriorsall of these had greatly benefited Qianye. As for the later developments, they were completely unexpected. But no matter how Qianye explained, Wei Potian was still like a red-eyed bull and hell-bent on cursing Song Zining. He cried out how the Song clan was blind to have ranked that gigolo second as a successor and that a destructive crisis was imminent for them. In the end, Qianye stopped speaking. He had realized that Wei Potian was actually so drunk that his eyes were blank, and there was no way he could listen clearly to what others were saying. The angry Wei clan heir was likely moving by instinct and refused to stand down before he had cursed Song Zining to his hearts content. The dawn over Evernight Continent was eternally dark. However, the city had already awoken, and the brightening origin lamps on the ground had formed a contrasting belt of light against the pitch-darkness of the sky. Wei Potian, who had been chattering away all night, had finally collapsed due to the intoxication. Meanwhile, Qianye had already sobered up. Qianye helplessly shook his head after seeing all the empty wine bottles strewn across the ground. He summoned a number of orderlies who were on duty and had them move Wei Potian to the guest room to rest. It seemed Wei Potians superior recovery had a rather comprehensive effect; he only slept for a couple of hours. He woke up before noon and immediately went to look for Qianye in high spirits. After seeing Qinaye, Wei Potian began to denounce Song Zining once again after a short conversation. At this moment, the Wei clans eldest young master had completely forgotten about the absurd things that had happened last night, including how his Thousand Mountains was shattered by Qianyes fist. But he clearly remembered each and every one of Song Zinings evil conducts. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He rotated his wrists and considered if he should knock Wei Potian out with a single blow. That would at least give him enough peace and quiet to finish going through the stack of documents on the desk. Qianyes expression suddenly turned solemn as he walked over to the French window and looked out. A group of black spots had appeared over the distant horizon. It was an entire fleet probably made up of dozens of airships! Moreover, they were actually traveling along the flight path toward Blackflow City. The dozen-odd airships at the center were of different shapes and sizessome were steady and dignified, some were swift and graceful, some were shaped like spiritual birds and deviant beasts, while others were adorned with mountain and river ink paintings. These airships were surrounded by dozens of imperial military use gunships. Among them, the most eye-catching was the main battleship. What a powerful escort fleet! Even a dukes inspection tour entourage wouldnt exceed such a scale. What kind of major character could this be? And what business could he have around Blackflow City? At this time, the sentry on the lookout tower had already discovered the approaching massive fleet. He immediately turned pale and sounded the alarm with all his might. The sharp bugle sound indicating an imminent enemy attack resounded throughout the skies. Blackflow City hadnt heard such a sound for several months now. Apart from the army officers, all the people on the streets broke into a commotion. Qianye was quite calm. With his powerful vision, he could already make out the designation on the gunships at this distance. They belonged to the regular army corps stationed within imperial territory. He had, for a brief moment, suspected whether it was Dong Qifengs assault, but he excluded the possibility soon afterward. The designation belonged to the third corps under the direct control of the imperial army. If Dong Qifeng and his family possessed such power, there wouldve been no need for him to build his own domain on Evernight Continent. After all, there were numerous opportunities to develop new land on the upper continents. Qianye opened the door and was just about to summon some men when an orderly came running to report this matter. Qianye thus gave him instructions, Inform the airship port to make preparations. The fleet will likely request to land. Dont be overly alarmed, thats an imperial fleet. There were a number of Dark Flame officers following behind the orderly. They were all relieved after hearing Qianyes words and headed out to perform their respective duties. Qianye did find it quite odda third of the Blackflow warzone borders was directly connected to dark race territory, and there werent any special natural resources to speak of. So why had a fleet of imperial airships arrived? The insignias on the luxurious airships were all different. Although Qianye couldnt identify all of them one by one, he still knew a few of them. Unexpectedly, all of them belonged to upper and middle-class aristocratic families. Qianye suddenly recalled something. He turned back to glare at Wei Potian and said, Dont tell me this is your so-called trouble? Wei Potian scratched his head continuously and said with a mischievous laughter, It would seem so. What exactly is the matter? Qianye frowned. Youll find out very soon. Wei Potian suddenly became embarrassed, but he refused to yield no matter what. Qianye shot a glance at Wei Potian and then summoned one of his personal guards. Prepare the car. We must go to the airship port. With that, he reached out to grab Wei Potian who was planning to escape and dragged him onto the car. Since Qianye was the current person in control of Blackflow City, he couldnt ignore such a fleet of airships poised to fly over his head. By the time he jumped off the jeep with Wei Potian in tow, the massive fleet had already arrived in the sky above them. Gazing from below, that primary battleship, hundreds of meters in length, appeared especially fierce and formidable. It was akin to a giant beast hovering in the air above Blackflow Citys walls. Its twenty-odd main cannons stretched out and slowly adjusted their direction toward the city below. Qianye had just broken into a frown when he discovered a commotion break out in the air. It seemed all of those luxurious airships wanted to be the first to land and started fighting among themselves for flight paths. But Blackflow was only a third-grade city even in Evernight Continent. Not only did the public and military share a single airship port, the landing sites could only accommodate two airships at the same time. Even so, it was idle for most of the time. But Qianye had noticed some things. Although the military gunships were strict and orderly, the airships they were protecting seemed to have been put together temporarily with no one to command them. They began to fight for the descent and no one was willing to give way. A collision actually took place after a number of dangerous aerial maneuvers. Fortunately, the airships produced by aristocratic families were sufficiently sturdy. Otherwise, they would have probably crashed. The main battleship finally reacted after witnessing this scene. A dozen or so experts flew out and landed on each of the airships. Qianyes eyelids twitched for a momentan entire group of champions! Moments later, the chaos took a turn for the better. The airships formed a line in the air and prepared to land in sequence. At this time, a general hovering in front of the main battleship slowly landed on the ground. His shoulder insignia indicated that he was actually a major general. Additionally, he possessed a fairly young countenance. The general swept his gaze over the place. After seeing Wei Potian, his stern expression relaxed as he began to walk over in large strides. He directly ignored Qianye and said to Wei Potian, Im Zhang Zixing of the third imperial army corps in charge of escorting the noble ladies here. Since the Wei clan heir is here, then it makes things much easier, and I can now hand over my duty. Wei Potians face turned stiff and he merely nodded. Zhang Zixing then turned around and gestured toward the sky at which point the airships began to land in succession. First, a jade-blue-themed airship began to descend. Qianye wasnt unfamiliar with the familys insigniait was the Yishui Nangong. After the airship landed, a young girl came down the steps surrounded by a crowd. She was quite beautiful, possessing a noble temperament and a mild, charming expression. She was precisely in the most brilliant years of her life. Zheng Zixing bowed humbly and performed a salutation usually used when interacting with nobles, A respectful welcome to the second young miss of Marquis Ningyuan, Nangong Ling. Nangong Ling was followed by a large group of people consisting of a dozen-odd maids and almost a hundred guards. She walked toward Wei Potian on her own. Then she glanced around with a smile and said in a charming manner, Qiyang, how come youre in such a place? Is there anything interesting here? Nangong Lings words sounded rather intimate, but Qianye could see that their relationship couldnt be considered close. They might not even be friends. All close friends of the Wei clan heir knew very well that he preferred to be addressed by the name he had given himself. Nangong Ling was all smiles as she chatted with Wei Potian. Her eyes lit up for a moment as she shot a glance at Qianye but then turned back to Wei Potian. At this moment, another airship landed, and out came a lady dressed in warriors clothing. But it was apparent from the materials that the clothes were made by a master. She herself possessed a wonderful temperamentlively yet not fickle, heroic yet not coarse. Zhang Zixing raised his voice yet again, Respectful greetings to the adopted daughter of Duke Wei, the third young miss of Marquis of Highsun, Sun Kaiyan. Kaiyan, youve also come. Wei Potian was obviously more cordial toward the young lady who was walking over. Nangong Lings beautiful countenance was suddenly covered by a layer of frost. Within moments, Zhang Zixings voice rang out once again. A respectful welcome to the eldest young miss of Marquis of Righteousness, Shi Dongqi! At this point, Qianye had already discovered that something wasnt right and began to edge backward quietly. He wanted to move away from Wei Potian who was the heart of this calamity.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 326: Each Other’s Sunshine [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] As expected, Zhang Zixings voice kept echoing in quick succession. A respectful welcome to the eldest young miss of the Marquis of Citysun. Greetings to the fifth young miss of the Marquis of Order Foundation. One airship after another landed in quick succession. Qianye had quietly retreated to the edge of the airship port and was continuously distancing himself from this troublesome area. He secretly counted and found that there were two adopted daughters of dukes, ten lineal daughters of marquis, and three lineal daughters of counts. And this was excluding the main family ladies within the enormous groups of followers. This group of noble ladies had come for Wei Potian and was precisely this so-called trouble the Wei clan heir had been mincing words about. At this time, Qianye suddenly thought of something. It seemed Blackflow City would be extremely safe in the period to follow. A total of fifteen prominent noble ladies had arrived along with their guard units, each comprised of well over a hundred warriors. Blackflow City had gained a powerful thousand-man squad in the blink of an eye! There wasnt much cooperation to speak of among them, but their levels were high and their equipment, excellent. They, alone, could easily defeat an imperial regular army corps of the same size. Besides, the expeditionary higher-ups were undoubtedly aware of the fact that a group of noble ladies and an imperial fleet had come over to Blackflow City. They certainly wouldnt choose such a time to act even if they had certain plans in mind. Qianye was thus afforded with another buffer period. Meanwhile, his control over the reorganized Dark Flame and Blackflow City would only increase over time. From this perspective, the problem Wei Potian had invited over wasnt all that bad. But the sudden influx of so many people made Blackflow Citys poverty even more obvious. There werent enough jeeps in the city to carry everyone not even if they ran back and forth several times. In the end, only the noble ladies and their female companions were offered a comfortable ride, while their followers and guards along with Zhang Zixings subordinates had to share the troop carrier trucks on the bumpy ride into the city. Qianye hadnt gotten the chance to speak with Wei Potian in private since the moment Nangong Ling alighted from the airship. Presently, he had been surrounded by ten-odd noble ladieshow could he have the time for Qianye amidst the constant buzz of feminine chatter. Meanwhile, Qianye had no intention to help him break this siege at all. He absolutely wouldnt court trouble for himself by approaching these noble ladies. Qianye called for Song Hu, Duan Hao, and the others immediately upon arriving back at the division headquarters. Together, they began to recruit the rich and powerful gentry of Blackflow City to accommodate these heavens proud daughters. It was just that the standards of the Blackflow City upper-class were a ways off from that of imperial nobility. Although the local gentry were delighted to ingratiate themselves to these noble ladies, the process wasnt exactly a smooth sail. Settling thousands of people in was a complicated business, and these aristocratic fellows were exceptionally demanding. Additionally, the nobles of the upper continent were inherently disdainful of the civilians of the abandoned land, their language and behavior a constant display of their arrogant sense of superiority. Arranging for accommodations alone took up the entire afternoon. To speak nothing of the other Dark Flame members, even Qianye himself heard words like as expected of a rural area, why isnt this place cleaner? and can you bear the crime if our young miss gets sick? multiple times. The actual noble ladies were all mild-mannered and refined. They absolutely werent lacking in manners, at least in front of Wei Potian. But those followers were much more difficult to deal with. Their attitudes were usually much more arrogant than the noble ladies, and it almost seemed as if their eyes were growing atop their heads. Perhaps one could discern the noble ladies true manners from their respective maids. Fortunately, there werent any problems with the imperial army corps led by Zhang Zixing. They quickly settled themselves in after the seventh division emptied half a barracks for them. Even the accompanying champions who had to share a room in twos or threes didnt raise any special demands. It was already night time by the time all these uninvited guests of astonishing identities had been arranged for. Only then did Qianye find an opportunity to grab Wei Potian and drag him into the dark. He lifted the man by the collar and said angrily, What the hell is going on?! Qianye could be considered slender and thin among his peers. Wei Potian was taller than him by almost half a head, and his build was stouter than the former by a significant margin. But now, he had been lifted up by this relatively delicate Qianye with no ability to retaliate. Wei Potian let out some awkward laughterit seemed there was no way to fool Qianye. Ill speak, Ill speak! Qianye, can you please let me down first? Qianye let out a cold snort and released his hand, whereupon, like a huge rock, Wei Potian fell to the floor with a loud bang. Wei Potian glanced at Qianye fearfully while rubbing his somewhat painful neck. He couldnt help but exclaim, Even the arachne viscounts Ive battled before arent as strong as you are. Are you still a human or not? Ive told you before that Im not, Qianye was starting to get impatient, now speak! Stop rambling about other things! Wei Potian sensed a rather familiar killing intent and immediately shrunk his neck while letting out a dry cough. Hehe that wasnt my birthday just a while ago? This so-called just a while ago was six months priorit was Wei Potians important twentieth birthday. At first, Qianye had intended to visit the Far East Province after the matters regarding Dark Flame had settled down, but plans fell through when war erupted on Evernight Continent. So, what of it? It turned out that half of the upper continent defensive regions had battled against the dark races in the period preceding the war on Evernight. The Broken-Winged Angels where Wei Potian had been at the time was also called into battle. Under the circumstances, his birthday banquet was canceled and, that very same day, Wei Potian was gravely injured after single-handedly holding back two dark race viscounts on the battlefield. Wei Potians face flushed red as he said sheepishly, Erm, while I was recuperating, my family suddenly told me that it was time for me to start a family since my birthday has passed. Qianye stared fixedly at Wei Potian and observed him from every angle. The Wei Potian who usually acted like a local ruffian was actually wearing such a bashful expression. Qianye suddenly became spirited and said with a laugh, Thats not wrong. What then? Wei Potians face turned even redder and was now like a well-cooked lobster. Naturally, all types of matchmakers began to appear at the doors! As it turned out, my family had already spread news of my marriage arrangements. Qianye found Wei Potians reaction quite odd. Wasnt this normal? Marriage was one of the most important events for the aristocracy and signified an alliance with other powers. Wei Potian had long since been designated as the heir and had revealed outstanding talents. His future was extremely promising and was the perfect marriage partner. Daughters of dukes and marquis all flocked to him the moment this news was released. But Wei Potian was usually natural and unrestrained in his social interactions. Why was he being so sheepish? He was even more bashful than a noble lady pretending to be pure and innocent. Qianye suddenly thought of a possibility and said abruptly, So, youre still inexperienced. Wei Potians face immediately swelled up with a purple-red color and said angrily while stomping about, Youre the inexperienced one! This daddy has been peeping at bathing ladies since I was ten and playing with twosomes since I was fourteen. Although I dont have as many women as that perverted sex-glutton Song Zining, Ive been with no less than a hundred and eighty! Qianye laughed loudly but refused to believe him. Aristocratic descendants would have maids in their room after coming of age, allowing them to understand the ways of the world. However, very few would overindulge in the female charms. The period before the age of twenty was the most suitable time to cultivate origin power and lay down a solid foundation. The greater the aristocratic family, the more rigorously they would discipline their core descendants. Only hedonistic sons with no initiative would revel in dance and wine each day. That was why Song Zinings style had always been criticized. He was considered an odd character among his aristocratic peers for having such a large group of concubines at such a young age. Song Zinings love of female charms and his pursuit of miscellaneous knowledge was seen as self-abandonment. People felt he had no future even if he had great talents. That was also why no one had paid any special attention to what he had been doing outside before the Song clan decennial examination. Under the gaze of Qianyes bright eyes, Wei Potians momentum grew weaker and weaker until he finally said in disappointment, Sigh, its useless. Let it be, theres no problem in telling a brother. Laugh if you want to! That Nangong Ling dropped in as soon as I started to recover from my injuries, claiming that she was traveling and happened to be passing through Far East Province. She was merely the first, then an entire group of them followed. Even Qianye had realized that Nangong Lings so-called traveling was just an excuse and her real reason was to call upon Wei Potian. But it was also quite common to let two young people meet each other before marriage. Although the essence of a marital connection was for the benefit of the two families, the feelings of the people involved were also important. But there was something not quite right about meeting an entire group at the same time. How did that happen? Its quite different from the normal style of the nobility. Even though he didnt understand much about the upper-rank aristocracy, he knew that they paid particular attention to their reputation. Even if the Wei clans position was quite outstanding, they were nothing more than a regional marquis. Selecting from such a lineup was unheard of even for the concubine selection of an imperial family member. Wei Potians expression was so bitter that he might be able to wring water out of it. This matter was quite complicated, yet it was also simplemany dukes and marquis favored Wei Potian, and this made it difficult for the Wei clan to pick. It was unknown what had been going through the Marquis of Bowangs mind when he actually announced that he would allow it as long as the two youngsters fell in love. Unexpectedly, these nobles had no objection whatsoever regarding Marquis Weis unconventional decision! One could clearly see, from the fact that all the noble ladies had begun to travel and coincidentally pass through Far East Province, that they had tacitly agreed to the Marquis methods. Three more daughters of feudal lords joined the entourage on the way. Their status was far below that of the nobility and their chances of being selected as the next Wei clan mistress werent that high. But those who felt that their daughters were qualified decided to have them jump into the fray since the marquis himself had announced that the marriage would be allowed as long as the youngsters were in love. Then, you ran over to my place? Qianye had asked this question without any change in expression, but Wei Potian could almost hear the killing intent within. He paused for a moment and then said sheepishly, We havent met for a long time, right? So I dropped in to see how you were doing. Qianye shot a glance at Wei Potian and said indifferently, You were wounded, so they came to visit you. This is a common thing even among friends. Why are you so flustered? Common? How can this be common? Wei Potian was suddenly furious and embarrassed. You have no idea what I had gone through these days! It turned out that these noble ladies arrived at the Wei clan in succession and took turns to visit Wei Potians sickroom. Later on, they couldnt allocate the time in a fair manner so they split into several groups and stayed with him in shifts. Wei Potian was badly wounded at the time and couldnt even get down from the bed. As such, he was taken care of by the noble ladies in various ways. But these ladies had belonged to rich families since childhoodhow many of them had ever done any chores? It was quite easy to imagine the quality of care he receivedthere was no limit to this potential horror. As it happened, Wei Potian could hardly even turn in bed at the time and thus he was faced with a fair bit of suffering. What made the Wei clan heir most dissatisfied was that, during this process, he had been in close contact with the ladies as well as their maids. He eventually lost count of how many times he had been taken advantage of. Recalling those nightmarish days, Wei Potian finally couldnt resist cursing out loud. F*ck! It was like picking ladies at a brothel where you grab her chest to see if its big enough and her behind to see if its curvy enough! But goddammit this time, I became the one being poked and picked. Its like the whole room was full of brothel patrons and Im the only lady! At first, Qianye listened attentively without a change in expression. However, it eventually became impossible for him to hold back and he broke into a howling laughter. Qianye!!! Wei Potian ground his teeth. Qianyes laughter grew so intense that he couldnt even stand straight. Wei Potian pounced over in anger, grabbed the front of Qianyes shirt and roared, Are we still brothers? Yes, of course, we are, haha, haha! Then stop laughing! Wei Potian shouted. Fine, fine, fine Ill stop laughing. Qianye struggled free from Wei Potians bear-like grasp with a single move and dashed out several meters with great agility. He didnt even wait for Wei Potian to come back to his senses before he started howling in laughter once again. Wei Potian suddenly felt helpless after seeing Qianye laughing in such an exaggerated manner. Qianye, you! What kind of brother are you?! His fury had reached an extreme. He suddenly charged toward Qianye and the two tumbled to the floor. Even then, Qianye was still laughing uncontrollably. Wei Potian sighed helplessly while covering up his face. I did not want this to happen! It wont be this bad if only my face was half as thick as Song Sevens. It was at this time that the night suddenly quieted down. Even Qianyes laughter was broken off for a single moment. Suddenly, a fallen leaf floated past Wei Potians eyes. Wei Potian had an instinctive hatred of fallen leaves. He grabbed at it, crushed it into fine powder, and cursed, What kind of damned tree is shedding leaves in this season?! It was at this time that a gentle voice rang out, Whats the joyous occasion? And how is my insignificant self related to it?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 327: Land of Tigers and Wolves [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Wei Potian had just leapt up from the ground when he was startled by the incoming voice. His expression changed completely as he muttered two words from between clenched teeth, Song! Seven! A young man clad in ancient wide-sleeved clothing had walked out from the night, his smiling countenance as tender as the spring rain. His bearing as he flapped the folding fan in his hands was inexplicably romantic, and the calligraphy on it was clearly the work of a great expert. Wei Potians face naturally turned dark and his dislike grew deeperit was in the dead of the night and the cold breeze had brought about a noticeable chill. Was there a need to use that damned fan?! Song Zining arrived before the two and extended a hand toward Qianye. Qianye stood up with his support and turned to look at Wei Potian. At this moment, the heir had a solemn expression on his face, a stark contrast from the sheepish demeanor from just now. Qianye immediately broke into laughter once again. He began to cramp up and couldnt help but bend over with laughter, almost stumbling in the process. Song Zining supported Qianye and asked with a smile, Whats so funny? Qianye pointed toward Wei Potian with great difficulty and said, Ask him! Song Zinings eyes flashed as if he had realized something. He glanced toward Wei Potian and said with a laugh, It turns out to be the heir of Marquis of Bowang. Its quite rare for us to meet like this. If you have anything delightful, why not speak out and share the happiness? Song Seven! Youre courting death! Wei Potian immediately flew into a rage from the embarrassment. He naturally wouldnt be polite with Song Zininghe raised his fist on the spot and smashed toward Song Zinings face. The latter was fairly calm as he took a small step backward and pulled Qianye in front of him in passing. This made it so that Wei Potians fist was headed straight for Qianye. Wei Potian hadnt expected Song Seven to be so evil. He hurriedly withdrew his fist but the urgent shift in momentum left his qi and blood boiling, causing him to suffer internally. Wei Potians countenance turned ashen. Without a single word, his origin power began to surge, and a hazy yellow light immediately appeared over his body. Numerous illusory mountains began to appear behind him while specks of brilliant origin power began to flicker around his fist. Seeing that Wei Potian had already brought out the Sky Shattering Bright Fist, Qianye quietly withdrew his laughter and reached out to pat Wei Potians shoulder. The half-formed Thousand Mountains immediately dissipated under the indefensible force. Stop messing around and lets find a quiet place to talk. Well attract trouble if we cause too much noise. At the mention of those noble ladies, Wei Potians expression immediately shifted. Song Zining only coughed lightly with a spurious smile on his face. He had already seen, on his way to Blackflow City, the magnificent airship fleet parked at the port. Qianye considered various locations within the Dark Flame camp but ultimately decided that his room was the only safe place. Wei Potian refused to live in the external mansions no matter what and insisted that he sleep in the guest room at Dark Flame headquarters. The result was that a continuous stream of noble ladies came to visit him using various excuses. Seeing that Wei Potian was obviously hiding from them, the horde of noble ladies began to scour the Dark Flame base with the excuse of taking a tour. This threw the entire base into a turmoilthere was virtually no place they didnt dare enter and even the bathrooms werent safe. Meanwhile, Qianyes bedroom was made up of three layers, and the room outside of his own was where Lil Seven and Nine took turns to live. With such a layout, those heavens proud daughters found it difficult to charge deeper in. Song Zining was waving his folding-fan and smiling as he gave Lil Nine some instructions. He advised her to wear fewer clothes in the future and told her that she should wear clothes that were thinner and more translucent. Qianye and Wei Potian immediately understood the unspoken words within and secretly lamented, in different words, about Young Master Songs wise yet despicable nature. After the three sat down, Qianye gave them a simple breakdown of the circumstances surrounding Blackflow City and Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. He made brief mention of Wei Potians purpose of visit but didnt mention the nightmarish experiences he had gone through during his convalescence. This finally allowed Wei Potian to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Song Zining had already guessed what had transpired even though he wasnt privy to the details. He closed his fan and said while rapping it lightly against his palm, Qianye, you dont need to hide things for that wild boar. Its not the first time hes acted without using his brain. He thinks he can escape from those young mistresses just by running to the forsaken land, haha! Wei Potians face was like a color palette. It changed from ash to purple and then from purple to red. His expression revealed a killing intent as his momentum rose up gradually. Qianye helplessly stood between the two and said to Song Zining, Is there any progress with our military designation? Song Zining knew that Wei Potian would explode if he kept on agitating the man. As such, he accepted Qianyes change of topic and went back to proper business. Receiving a designation is not a problem at all. Its just that we have to fight for our right to be designated as an independent division. The business there has been concluded, so Ill be staying here for some time. It turned out that Song Zining planned to have the Ningyuan Group and Dark Flame work closely together. The Ningyuan groups future operations in Evernight Continent would be entrusted to Dark Flame as much as possible while their own private armies would focus on protecting the merchants and trade routes. As such, he planned to pick a plot of land and construct a Ningyuan Group branch office during his present trip. Song Zinings other reason for coming here was because he was greatly interested in Qianyes westward project. He hadnt fought alongside Qianye for a long time and it so happened that he could take part in a few battles this time. He also wanted to open up another trade route toward the west if possible. Wei Potians eyes grew wide as he listened on the side. He had administered the military affairs of Blackflow City for a short period and naturally knew that only dark race territory remained to the west of Blackflow City. It was fairly evident who the trade-partners of a westward trade route would be. If it were any other occasion, Wei Potian wouldve banged on the table and gotten up. But he suppressed his temper after seeing Qianyes calm demeanor. Qianye also noticed Wei Potians expression. He suddenly recalled the metallic token he had gotten from William which he had tossed into a corner of Andruils Space. He couldnt help but let out a long sigh in his heart and quickly end the discussion about the trade route. Song Zining observed Qianye, shot a glance at Wei Potian, and squinted his eyes knowingly. However, he refrained from stirring up trouble and shifted the topic to another matter. He had gotten wind that Dong Qifeng had mustered his familys private army and would soon land on Evernight Continent. Additionally, it was rumored that the force was quite considerable. Song Zining had already issued a mobilization notice to all of his private forces in the upper continent. However, it seemed that there was already no need for this military expenditure judging from present circumstances. At this point, the topic once again turned back to the noble ladies chasing after Wei Potian. Wei Potian understood that Song Zining was mocking him once again, but he only sat to the side with a dark face and didnt say anything. This time, he had indeed miscalculated. He had never expected those proud noble ladies would actually flock to a place like Evernight Continent, a place most of them viewed as nothing more than a savage wasteland. Strictly speaking, Evernight wasnt imperial territory. Moreover, Blackflow City was located at the very border of human-occupied territory where battles could break out at a moments notice. It was, indeed, a fairly dangerous place. It was unknown just how many connections and resources those aristocratic families utilizedthey actually persuaded the imperial military to dispatch an entire fleet from the third army corps to escort the ladies. The soldiers on those military airships were also transferred over from various places using their private connections. And that was how the magnificent and exaggerated lineup before them was formed. Presently, the area around the Wei clan heir had become an arena where the aristocratic families wishing to form a marital connection were competing with great ferocity. Emerging victorious from this invisible war would prove that the family who won the wedding contract possessed the strength to overwhelm the competitors. In an empire where people paid particular attention to strength, such a prestige wasnt small. Additionally, Wei Potians reputation in the Broken Winged Angels and his many exploits on the battlefield against dark race viscounts was sufficient proof of his talents and combat strength. His position as the heir was as solid as a boulder. The present Marquis of Bowang might leave office within ten years and take up the position of grand elder, thereby completing the transfer of authority to the younger generation. A bona fide regional marquis less than thirty years old! This also meant that Wei Potian had a wider space for development and growth. With such potential benefits, the various aristocratic families could no longer care about being reserved and thus ensued an undisguised contest over this marriage. The noble ladies had also put down their aloofness and were going all out. What was a little bit of face compared to the position of a regional marchioness? Had they been allowed to use force, there would be no telling how many times the Wei clan heir wouldve been pushed down. The one who was feeling the most discomfort was naturally the one at the center of this entire business, Wei Potian. In the Wei clan eldest young masters own words, it was like being the only lady in a room full of brothel-patrons. He was about to go crazy just from their big hands reaching out to touch him here and there for no reason. Qianye suddenly spoke, Potian, there are so many ladies here, and all of them look quite good. Which one do you actually prefer? Make a decision quickly and be done with this. Wei Potians face suddenly turned a swollen red color and began to hem and haw once again. He wasnt willing to speak even if his life were on the line. Song Zining shook his fan and calmly threw out a rotten idea. As I see it, why not take them all since you cant make a choice? When the raw rice becomes cooked rice and they all become pregnant, those old fogeys will have no choice but to recognize that whats done is indeed done. In any case, you can take more than one main wife! Wei Potian was immediately enraged. Song Zining was clearly digging a trap for him to jump into. It was already inexcusable to have two wives of the same status. If he were to take seven or eight of them, what difference would there be between them and maid concubines? At that time, not only would the Wei clan not gain multiple marriage alliances, but would instead come under siege from all of them. Wei Potian wanted to retaliate, but he knew that he couldnt win againt Song Zining in a verbal spar. Many painful experiences had taught him that the more he spoke, the deeper this no-good fellow would drag him into a pit. He circulated his qi and let out a cold snort, saying, Fanning himself in the middle of the night, as expected of a sissy! Song Zining began to laugh loudly after hearing this. It seemed he had taken this as a compliment instead of an insult. He then opened and closed his fan repeatedly to showed off both sides. This treasured ink painting is the work of a great expert. I paid a considerable price to get my hands on it, so I should display it more often in public. Anyone whos even slightly knowledgeable about these things will know that Im rich after seeing this fan. Theres no need for me to explain needlessly. This is the fans true significance, haha, haha! For a moment, Wei Potian couldnt find any place to vent his stifled anger. Although he was mocking Wei Potian, Song Zinings actions made it clear that he didnt dare provoke these heavens proud daughters either. During the following period, Song Zining led his people from the Ningyuan Group to find land and construct a branch organization here. He almost never came into contact with those ladies. Qianye, on the other hand, discarded the code of brotherhood and decided to continue with his present work. He spent most of his time entrenched within his office at the seventh division headquarters or within his cultivation chamber. Thanks to the third army corps stationed there and the location being clearly labeled as the expeditionary army headquarters, the noble ladies showed little interest in visiting this crude office building and army camp. As such, during this period, Wei Potian was unceremoniously abandoned amidst the pack of tigers and wolves. Song Zining left most of the work to his subordinates after making the foundational arrangements for his branch organization. He then came back to Qianye to continue making plans for their westward campaign. The two no longer gave any thought to Dong Qifengit could be reasonably assumed that the Dong clan wouldnt be so stupid as to assault the city while Wei Potian and the group of noble ladies was here. The expeditionary army definitely wouldnt wade into such muddy waters. However, Song Zining himself had forgotten that he had told Xiao Lingshi that he had best block Dong Qifengs sources of information. General Xiao was a man of his word and a very reliable partner. At noon this day, a massive fleet of airships appeared over a hundred kilometers away from Blackflow, and they were exactly headed toward this tranquil yet lively city.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 328: Astride a Tiger [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The fleet was made up of dozens of airships. An armada of this scale could definitely be considered grand in Evernight Continent. Division-level fighting units usually possessed only a couple of dual-purpose airships used both for transport and fighting. Additionally, most of them were models that had been eliminated on the upper continents. But one would find, upon closer inspection, that most of these ships were dual-purpose airships used to transport cargo and passengers. Those that possess actual combat ability were limited to a mere three airships, and they were only small swift gunships. They were the most basic of all armed airships in the imperial regular army. Those cargo airships were obviously overloaded. There was a cumbersome number of cables hanging below them, and all of them were connected to cargo crates. Their flying speed was originally slow, and now they resembled the sand beasts used to carry heavy loads across the desert. They werent much faster than cargo trucks traveling over land. The main warship at the center resembled an ancient boat and was the only vessel that possessed the spirit of an upper continent airship. But its size, capability, materials, and degree of lavishness were far below the noble ladies airships parked in Blackflow City. Up on this airship, Dong Qifeng was gazing through the right cabin windows and down at the land below. Days on Evernight were short and the nights were longalthough it was morning at the moment, the dawn had yet to break because the sun had been obstructed by the upper continents. The weather outside wasnt very good, and those on the deck could clearly feel the cold, damp air rushing at them from the front. Glancing into the distance, the vast land below the airship was dark and covered in a hazy mist as far as the eye could see; nothing could be seen clearly. They could only confirm the correct route via a guiding compass. A lanky colonel standing beside Dong Qifeng spoke, This time, not only did we mobilize a large force, but also expectedly transported all the troops by airshipits truly an unfathomable tactic! Blackflow City certainly wouldnt have expected our army to appear so suddenly. Moreover, theyve just undergone an internal conflict and happened to be in their weak state. Youll definitely be able to secure the city and leave a classic example for military school textbooks! Dong Qifeng laughed in a rather aloof manner and said, This isnt much. Weve only seized the element of surprise. If were careless, we might still suffer some losses after arriving at Blackflow City." With a powerful wave of his hand, the lanky colonel said with great vehemence, General, you mustered a massive force to launch such a long distance raid. How can these mercenary mobs ever hope to withstand our assault?! Dong Qifeng laughed out loud after hearing these delightful words. What do you think? Those fellows from the expeditionary army headquarters should have a whole new level of respect for us after this battle, right? The colonels, lieutenant, and majors in the command cabin immediately began to engage in a tide of flattery. Only Du Yuanze said with some hesitation, General, we mustnt be careless. Dark Flame is completely different from ordinary mercenary corps. The fighting power of their core members is even slightly stronger than that of some imperial regular army corps. Dong Qifeng was immediately displeased after hearing this. The previous failure was purely bad luck. We just happened to arrive just after their expansion. Now, General Yang has given us the updated information. Theyre only slightly better equipped and have a few experts in their ranks. What other tricks can they pull when the average rank of their entire force isnt even that high? Moreover, Ive brought over half of our familys elites. In addition, there were two champion-rank guest warriors who would target Dark Flames experts specifically. In the end, the core strategy of this battle was to launch a blitzkrieg attack and finish off the enemy leadership. Dong Qifeng anticipated that such a rabble of mercenaries would be routed immediately once the core members were eliminated. Meanwhile, the officers of the seventh division would definitely know where they should stand after witnessing his might! With that, Dong Qifeng let out a cold snort. Our Dong familys elite soldiers and armaments are enough to completely suppress even an imperial army corps. It seems youve been scared out of your wits by those plebeians! Du Yuanzes expression changed drastically after seeing that Dong Qifeng was truly furious. He hurriedly apologized and refrained from talking any further. He felt secretly relieved only after recalling that an entire divisions worth of Dong family private soldiers were on the airships. At this time, the major in charge navigation said, General, Blackflow City is 50 kilometers to the front. Shall we descend? According to their predetermined combat strategy, the Dong family private troops should land at an area 50 kilometers from the city. This distance was beyond Blackflow Citys normal patrol range and would allow them to unload soldiers and equipment without alerting the city. They would then march toward their objective after sufficient rest and reorganization. Dong Qifeng waved his hand and said, Merely a ragtag mob that has taken control of my seventh division. Their losses cant be small either. Theres no need to rest and reorganize. Fly over directly and land five kilometers from the city. We must let those wretched natives see the might of an aristocratic family! His staff naturally began to lick his boots once more. The only one feeling uneasy was Du Yuanzehe recalled the words of that officer surnamed Duan who had stopped him at the gates. However, the new information they had obtained didnt indicate anything special about the mans identity. Du Yuanze, on the other hand, believed the man wasnt just bluffing. Having been reprimanded by Dong Qifeng just now, he didnt dare splash cold water over the enthusiastic atmosphere in the cabin. Expeditionary army headquarters. Xiao Lingshi was sitting in his office carefully going through a thick stack of documents. Those were the detailed records of the most recent exchanges in top-secret military intelligence. Originally, such a trivial inspection would be left to his aide-de-camp and he would, at most, receive a report whether there were any oversights. But Xiao Lingshi seemed rather engrossed and even revealed a rare smile as he closed the folder. The lineal daughters and descendants of fifteen middle to high-ranking noble families as well as the Wei clan heir had all flocked to Blackflow Citythis news had been classified as a top-secret military intelligence. Only the deputy-commanders-in-chief were privy to the detailed information at the expeditionary army headquarters. The others only carried out their orders without knowing the specifics, and they werent allowed to make inquiries either. In order to prevent this information from leaking and consequently encountering a dark race ambush, the imperial third army corps had been in charge of everything from escort duties to travel arrangements. Not even the local officers who had received orders to cooperate with them knew which major character was passing through. Finally, these noble ladies arrived safely in Blackflow City. But now, another trouble was headed their way. News of several thousand people appearing out of nowhere in that small place wasnt exactly a secret. Moreover, the rapid increase in demand posed great difficulty in collecting enough daily necessities. Hence, the expeditionary army headquarters had issued a secret military order to the other cities in Trinity River County. They were asked to provide Blackflow City with various types of daily-use supplies and instructed not to pry or disseminate news. Regardless of how the expeditionary army felt about the imperial aristocracy, none of them wanted anything to happen to these noble ladies in their territory. Their deaths wouldnt affect the strength of the aristocratic families, but would surely bring about an investigation for misconduct. The expeditionary army headquarters hadnt forgotten the newly appointed division commander Dong Qifeng and the seventh division that was still garrisoned in Trinity River County. Thus, the list of top-secret military information dispatches also had his name on it. It was just that the recipient had been changed to an unknown basic level personnel, and it had been addressed to seventh division headquarters, Blackflow City northern district. There was a knock on the door as Xiao Lingshis aide-de-camp walked in and collected the processed documents from the corner of this desk. That list would subsequently fall into the ocean of documents in the archive room. Xiao Lingshi turned his tall-backed chair toward the French window and gazed at the unchanging scene of the expeditionary army headquarters. This place was Evernightin the end, all outsiders had to recognize this fact and adapt to the rules here. That General Yang Shuo who had appeared out of nowhere was no exception either. The silhouette of Blackflow City gradually appeared over the horizon as the gigantic Dong family fleet advanced slowly and continuously. Blackflow, on the other hand, had already raised a city-wide emergency alert well over an hour ago. That was the information provided by General Zhang Zixing of the imperial third army corps. The seventh divisions own defense systems had only sent a warning ten minutes prior, stating that a massive unidentified airship fleet was fast approaching. On Evernight Continent, most of the alert systems around the cities consisted of ground watchtowers, independent sentry posts, and village guards. Money-burning toys like scouting airships were only used for reconnaissance and rapid transportation. There was no change in this policy even after Wei Bainian took over the city because the value of this warzone could only support such an expenditure. Based on the differing topography, the average scope of sentries in every direction was about thirty-five kilometers. This was an hours forced march distance for ground troops. From this, it was obvious that the alert system wasnt used to guard against aerial assaults. Back when the third army corps had escorted the fleet of noble ladies here, both their speed and altitude were enough to ignore the land-based defense lines. But on Evernight Continent, there was no military target worth launching such an incomparably expensive aerial assaultthis applied to both humans and dark races. But such a defensive situation apparently couldnt satisfy the third army corps. After being stationed in Blackflow City, Zhang Zixing immediately requested permission to assist in defensive duties. Presently, there were two small gunships patrolling the skies continuously within a 30-kilometer radius while a battleship stood hovering in the sky above the city at all times. Qianye had no qualms with this arrangement and was quite happy to let the third army corps flush money down the drain. The Dong familys airship fleet was quite large and the cargo airships couldnt fly too highthey were almost immediately discovered by the third corps patrols. Meanwhile, Dong Qifengs expression was turning quite ugly as he gazed at the battleship floating above Blackflow City. He turned back to ask Du Yuanze, Whats going on? You never mentioned that Dark Flames armed airship was a light corvette! The size of the airship in the distance was indeed a corvette class ship. It was still a standard battleship despite being only a light corvette and could easily outperform the three small gunships they had pulled over from the Dong family. They might not emerge victorious even if they fought three against one. Du Yuanzes forehead was drenched in sweat as he tried hard to recall the model of the Dark Flame airship he had seen amidst the chaos. I didn''t see this battleship back then. But even if there is a battleship in a place like Evernight, it must be a broken vessel discarded by the imperial army. Only then did Dong Qifengs expression recover somewhat. However, his eyesight was much better than the other officers, and the more he observed this airship, the more he felt that something was wrong. The airships external form resembled that of a Skylark class battleship. That was the newest model, the first batch of which was introduced less than ten years ago. How could it have been discarded? However, he was already astride the proverbial tiger and couldnt get down halfway. Even if they didnt have any external sentries, the watchtowers in the city would have already discovered him at this distance. Dong Qifeng gazed fixedly at that battleship for a moment. He had originally planned to fly close to Blackflow City with his fleet of airships and suppress the enemy. His intentions to subdue the enemy without a battle vanished without a trace. He immediately issued the orders, Gunships to the front! Transport airships land on the spot. All troops must finish assembling in thirty minutes! Go and invite the two elders over.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 329: Challenge [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] This order was somewhat forceful, but no one was foolish enough to anger him after seeing his gloomy expression. All the officers scattered like birds and beasts, each tending to their own duties. Blackflow City, on the other hand, had already finished its first wave of troop assembly after the first alarm was sounded. After a simple negotiation, Qianye and Zhang Zixing each agreed to dispatch half of their forces to reinforce the city defenses. The time it took for the two parties troops and weapons to reach their designated areas was more or less the same. However, there was a significant difference between the reorganized seventh division and the imperial third army corps. Whether in terms of quantity or quality, Dark Flame was a ways from being a match for that division of tigers and wolves. Qianye stood atop the wall and gazed at the big airships in the distance slowly descending one after another. Squads of soldiers rushed out from them and moved toward their respective assembly points in an orderly fashion. It was obvious that the unit had landed quite suddenly, but despite the hurry, they werent disorderly at all. Apparently, they were part of an elite division. Qianye observed for a few minutes and deduced that there were over ten thousand soldiers in this unitan entire division! The cost for transporting such a force by air was astronomical. Such an operation would be carried out only for certain important battles on the upper continents. Just which familys emblem was it on those airships? Zhang Zixing, Wei Potian, and Song Zining were standing around Qianye. Zhang Zixing appeared quite pensive but chose to remain silent without making any comment. Wei Potian lowered the binoculars and broke into a frown. Neither he nor Qianye could recall which family that emblem belonged to. Song Zining raised his brows in surprise, Judging from the emblem, its the Sishui Dong Familys private army. Its just that the Count of Sishuis fiefdom is far in the Eastern Continent, and its quite odd for them to concentrate such a large force on Evernight Continent. Judging from this line-up, theyre determined to win this battle. The Sishui Dong Family? Qianye reacted immediately. It seemed the news Song Zining had gotten wasnt wrong at all. Dong Qifeng hadnt given up on Blackflow City and had even mobilized the familys private army. However, Qianye had truly underestimated this General Dong. He really hadnt expected the man to have the courage the lay siege to Blackflow at such a time. The Sishui Dong Family! Wei Potian suddenly understood. He tossed the binoculars to a follower, cracked his knuckles in a series of pitter-patter, and let out a nasty laughed. Just in time! Let this daddy see what kind of person dares bully my brother. He had been feeling incomparably sullen these days. What aristocratic family? He would fight first and talk later even if it were a major clan at their gates. Song Zining shot him a sidelong glance and his expression was as if he were looking at an idiot. Zhang Zixings gaze swept over the three and then silently turned toward the distance. A battle flag had been raised over the opposing armya cross formed of a flintlock and a bloody bayonetthat was the emblem of the expeditionary army. However, Qianye was somewhat speechless at how they had so brazenly landed just a couple of kilometers from Blackflow City. Werent they afraid that the troops in the city would charge out and attack while they were still unorganized? The three small gunships in the air werent very useful at all. Without even needing Qianye to do anything, Zhu Wuya could use a large-caliber sniper to shoot one of them down. Finally, Qianye frowned. At this moment, the Dong familys armaments were being deployed on the ground one after another. However, it was obvious that they were lacking in equipmentthere were no heavy combat vehicles at all, and only a number of heavy trucks, armed jeeps, and a couple of heavy cannons. It seemed the Dong family was already at their limits. Such a lightly armed force might succeed if they were to attack other cities at the same level, but Blackflow Citys defensive structures had become as sturdy as a turtle shell during Wei Bainians reign. Even the dark race army could only take a detour around it. Additionally, Dark Flames heavy weaponry had grown much more powerful compared to that time. Even though the Dong family had brought three champions, it wouldnt be that easy to fight a siege battle. At this time, Wei Potian could no longer endure. These grandsons are assembling their troops right under our noses. Do they think the people in the city are dead? Qianye, Ill lead the soldiers out to kill those f*ckers. Three champions? Ha! Who do they think theyre trying to scare? Qianye paid no attention to Wei Potian and, instead, shot Zhang Zixing a glance. Let them come to us. At this moment, Song Zining sneered, Blackflows walls are sturdy and its cannons are fierce. Meanwhile, the other party has no heavy firepower. Why do we have to go and fight it out with them? We can think about what to do after they exhaust themselves at our walls. Zhang Zixing only smiled faintly. Song Zinings tactics were admittedly reasonable. Qianye, on the other hand, seemed as though he wanted to drag the third corps into the waters, but the general didnt really mind. The Vast North Zhang Family could be traced back thousands of years to the same roots as the Green Sun Zhang Clan at the foremost of the empire. However, they had already been independent for ten generations. There was no way they couldve maintained their position if they were weak. Moreover, he was representing the third army corps this timeeven if the Sishui Dong Family decided to look into this matter, they wouldnt dare cause a ruckus at the third corps. Qianye issued a series of orders in rapid succession. At which point, the orderlies waiting quietly nearby left instantly as if they were flying. Wei Potian glared at Song Zining but gave up in the end. At this time, a clamor arose from the city as the pleasant and mellow sound of feminine chatter boiled over. Is there going to be a battle? I heard there are enemies outside the city! Can it be the dark races? Definitely! Didnt we come here to see the dark races? Lets guess who the opponents are? Werewolves or arachne? I like vampires! They''re cool and handsome! I must capture a few and take them back this time! Itll be great if there are demonkin! Indeed! Im feeling excited just at the thought! Make way, make way! This young lady cant wait any longer! Qianye suddenly felt a headache coming over him and even Zhang Zixings wooden countenance seemed to be twitching. Wei Potian, on the other hand, had suddenly transformed into a statue. Only Song Zining was still calm and didnt even raise a single brow. Apparently, he was extremely familiar with such situations. The city walls were flooded within moments as the group of noble ladies rushed up the city walls and began pushing toward the front for a good view into the distance. Their arrival squeezed the third corps and Dark Flame soldiers out of their formations. The noble ladies looked out in high spirits and found that the incoming force was actually a human army. The most eye-catching fact was that the enemy flag appeared rather similar to the expeditionary army flag on the walls. Immediately, everyone was greatly disappointed. The reason they had run over to a remote area like Evernight continent, apart from chasing after Wei Potian, was to see the dark races. The handsome vampires and demonkin were especially popular among the nobility who took to them like exquisite human dolls. A certain noble lady was immediately displeased. Whose unit is that out there? So ugly! Theyre like beggars. A lineal daughter of a certain feudal lord replied, Judging from the emblem, it seems to be the Sishui Dong Family. Sishui Dong Family? It sounds somewhat familiar, but who exactly are they? Most of the noble ladies were at a loss. Dong Qifeng might actually vomit blood and faint if he saw their reactions right now. These noble ladies were barely past twenty years old, and most of them were daughters of dukes and marquis. Their social circles consisted mostly of the high-ranking aristocracy, and it was rare to see even middle-ranked ones. On the other hand, the Sishui Dong Family was positioned so low among the middle-ranks that they were already at risk of being demoted. The ladies rarely had any opportunity to come into contact with such a family, and it wasnt surprising that they couldnt recall the name. Finally, someone reacted appropriately and asked, What are they trying to do? Are they going to attack us? It seems so! Not only were these ladies not frightened, but their eyes were even glowing. They were lineal daughters of aristocratic familiesthey, of course, cultivated, and their origin power ranks werent low either. But they had nearly zero experience in actual combat, to speak nothing of a battle. At this moment, Dong Qifengs forces had finally completed their reorganization and were beginning to move toward Blackflow City. However, the large fleet of airships didnt provide cover fire for them according to their original plan. The main reason was the light corvette hovering in the sky above Blackflow City. In front of an actual military battleship, these unarmored transport airships were nothing more than giant shooting targets. General, were at a sufficient distance. Shall we press the attack? The colonels helpful reminder roused General Dong from his reverie. He rubbed his hands anxiously and said, Demand their surrender first! People on the airship became busy. Technicians moved to erect giant megaphones, filled them with black crystals, and activated the origin arrays. Moments later, an extremely clear voice echoed across the air above Blackflow City. Those in Blackflow City, listen up! The expeditionary army seventh division commander Dong Qifeng demands your immediate surrender! I repeat, surrender immediately! You have three minutes to consider. If the defiance continues, all who resist shall be put to death immediately after the city is breached. The citizens will be sold as slaves, and the women shall be forced to become prostitutes for the army! It wasnt rare to punish a subdued city in such a mannereven internal conflicts within the empire werent resolved with much benevolence. It would be even crueler for opposing factions. However, Dong Qifeng had never expected that his announcement would cause a huge commotion within Blackflow City. Wei Potian was still wearing that sharp, stern expression, while Song Zinings smile became as warm and gentle as jade. Zhang Zixing, on the other hand, couldnt help but sigh. This fool! Qianye only smiled faintly and made no comment. Things had exploded on the noble ladies side. The actual young misses themselves didnt react that strongly since they had to maintain their image before the Wei clan heir. Their maids, however, didnt have a lot to care about. All of them were as red as a beet and began to curse while stomping their feet. Judging from their fierce attitudes, it seemed as though insulting their young misses was ten times more serious than being humiliated themselves. In truth, those noble ladies couldnt keep very calm either. From childhood up until now, when had they ever been threatened to be made into prostitutes? How dare he?! Sishui? What noble rank is Sishui?! A mere regional count dares to act so arrogantly?! Ill ask my father to annihilate him! General Zhang, where is general Zhang? Where''re the imperial corps? Why arent they mobilizing? Amidst the clamor, Zhang Zixing suddenly moved close to Qianye and whispered, Its not that easy to make use of the third army corps. Be careful not to burn your hands if you want to play with fire. Qianye replied indifferently, Not moving your forces even at this point, it seems to me that youre the one playing with fire. The clamor on the wall grew louder and louder. The noble ladies only mentioned it verbally, but their maids had already drawn their weapons and some were already prepared to go down and assemble their guard units. The corners of Zhang Zixings eyes twitched slightly. Well done. This is the first time Ive met a mercenary who dares talk to me like this. I wont bully you either. Come find me for a match after youve broken through to the champion rank. If general is interested, we can do it right after the battle. Theres no need to wait. Zhang Zixing broke into a laughter instead of getting angry. The young truly dont know the immensity of the heaven and earth! He was able to wear the rank of a major general as a rank-eleven champion not because of his background but because of his solid military achievements. Even ordinary champions couldnt last very long under his attacks, not to mention a rank-nine mercenary like Qianye who specialized in sniping. Qianye also laughed softly, his crystal clear eyes overflowing with spirit. People like us who constantly walk on the blades edge arent always lucky enough to meet weak enemies. In truth, Qianye was was truly interested in fighting against Zhang Zixing. He wanted to know the disparity between himself and those champions who had walked out from a sea of flames and swords. Unfortunately, this young general didnt seem to understand Qianyes thoughts. The veins on Zhang Zixings neck began to pulsate and he was so angry that he couldnt speak. He turned away rapidly and shouted at this aide, Issue the order! The third army corps will immediately spread out in formation and prepare the heavy cannons. All airships scramble! Apparently, Zhang Zixings anger had been transferred directly to Dong Qifeng. Song Zining listened from the side, exchanged a glance with Qianye, and shrugged. It seemed there was nothing else for them to do since Zhang Zixing had actually given the order for all of his airships to scramble. The three minutes were up at this moment. Hence, Dong Qifeng issued the order, Army advance! Heavy cannons prepare to fire! Along with an impassioned cry of the bugle, the Dong family private army assumed a scattered formation and charged toward the Blackflow City walls like a tidal wave. After approaching the city walls, the fighter-rank experts mixed in with the ordinary foot soldiers would launch a sudden attack and occupy the highest vantage point on the city walls. Dong Qifeng hovered in the air and glanced coldly toward Blackflow City in front of him. There was a crowd of black human heads on the city walltheir formations were extremely chaotic and could hardly be called a formation at all. Dong Qifeng suddenly felt that his previous anxiety wasnt necessary at all. So what if Dark Flame had a corvette? A rabble was still a rabble. Even if they had superior equipment, they would never be able to make full use of them. At this time, the two champion-rank elders were standing to his left and right. The appearance of three champions would surely affect the morale of the forces defending the city. A divisions worth of troops and three championshe refused to believe he couldnt take down a small Blackflow City with such a lineup. That which drew the curtains over the battlefield was the Dong familys artillery. Numerous heavy cannons aimed at the city wall, and with a loud rumble, their shells smashed toward the gate towers. A voice suddenly rang out in the ears of everyone on the battlefield, You dare fire your cannons at your mother? Youre courting death!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 330: Complete Victory Chapter 37 [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Immediately afterward, a continuous string of gunshots rang out as five giant balls of flame erupted in the air. The cannon shells fired by the Dong family private army had all exploded in mid-air. Qianye glanced back, astonished, and found that a lady had appeared atop a shooting platform on one of the sentry towers. She was indeed an impressive sight to beholdher long ponytail was flying wildly behind her head, and her tight-fitting clothes outlined the beautiful and energetic curves of her body. She was fairly tall and possessed a pair of astonishingly long legs. Her figure was slender to the front and curvaceous toward the back. One didnt need to see her face to know that she was a great beauty. She was holding onto an assault rifle with one hand, and the origin array on its muzzle was still glowing. However, Qianye had been able to discern that the drawn-out rumble from just now actually consisted of five shots, which meant that the lady hadnt missed a single shotshe had detonated all the incoming shells with an ordinary assault rifle. It seemed shooting down five cannon shells in one go wasnt enough to satisfy her. She extended a hand backward and said, Give me something more powerful! Two ladies clad in similar combat attire brought over a handheld origin-canon. Its caliber was so large that one could almost stuff a watermelon inside, but that lady lifted the weapon with relative ease and clamped it under her arms. She then took aim at Dong Qifeng who was hovering in the air and opened fire! The origin cannon rang out with a world-shaking rumble. The wall under the ladys foot was immediately split apart as surging origin power fluctuations began to spread outward. Zhang Zixing immediately rose into the air and, with a wave of his hand, drew out an origin power shield to protect the noble ladies. However, some residual waves still managed to slip past, and the impact even caused some of the warriors to lose their footing. The cannon spat out a red ball of flame which flew across the sky like a shooting star and blasted toward Dong Qifeng. Seeing this ten-meter ball of fire, the expressions of Dong Qifeng and the other two champions changed immediately. They didnt dare to block the attack at all and had to evade one after another. He had just sidestepped ten meters away when Dong Qifeng suddenly remembered something, and his heart screamed in distress. The fireball advanced with unreduced momentum and was hurtling toward the airship behind Dong Qifengs back. That was his flagship! The fiery ball sunk into the airship with relative ease. The very next moment, streams of raging flame erupted therein, and a dozen-odd figures were seen jumping out from the airship and falling to the ground. An earth-shattering explosion soon followed as the airship transformed into a giant ball of flames which swelled up and then dispersed in the air. Those who failed to escape in time were turned to ashes along with it. Now thats satisfying! the ponytailed lady cried out and tossed the handheld cannon back to her maids. It wasnt just Qianyeeveryone else who had witnessed this scene showed different degrees of changes in their expression. The might of this cannon had exceeded all expectations and was probably the most powerful attack Qianye had witnessed apart from the Red Spider Lily. In terms of pure firepower, it had already surpassed Zhao Jundus Blue Firmament, and even Qianyes complete Twin Flowers reinforced by the Wings of Inception still fell short. It was at least grade-seven, and even then, it must be an item of premium quality. Qianye immediately formed such an opinion of this terrifying handheld cannon. Those who could use a grade-seven weapon couldnt be a nobody. However, Qianye had no impression of this person. Qianyes eyes swept over the group around him and concluded from their expressions that this unidentified lady wasnt their comrade. Wei Potian and Song Zining didnt seem to know her either. He suddenly discovered something wrong with Zhang Zixings expression after he saw the woman. It wasn''t astonishment or fear, but rather annoyance? It was as if his distressed expression after seeing the group of noble ladies had been magnified by a dozen times. But there was no time to look into the details at this moment. Since Dong Qifeng had already opened fire, Zhang Zixing naturally wouldnt be so polite. He immediately issued the command for an all-out attack. The cannon fire on the walls almost shook the sky. Roughly fifty heavy cannons belonging to Dark Flame and the third army corps rumbled continuously and bombarded the attacking unit with great ferocity. Dong Qifeng couldnt help but become petrified after seeing the abrupt and violent assault. He simply couldnt imagine how Blackflow City, with its chaotic troop formation, had been able to retaliate with such concentrated firepower. The artillery barrage was so fierce that even the three champions and those high-ranking officers were only able to destroy a small portion of it. Most of the shells landed amidst the besieging army and blasted entire groups of warriors into the air. Following which, Dong Qifeng witnessed a scene he would probably not forget for the rest of his life. In the sky just beyond the city, airships were rising one after another in quick succession, and at the very end, a terrifying giant battleship, hundreds of meters in length, revealed its sinister face. It looked as though an entire street block had risen into the air. The smallest among the dozens of battleships were corvettes. Meanwhile, a flag was gradually being raised on the biggest airshipit was evidently an imperial airship on active duty! Dong Qifengs brain had gone blank at the moment and he almost couldnt believe his eyes. An entire squadron of imperial airships had appeared in front of him! Even if all of the Dong familys airships were added together, they couldnt stand a single blow from such a squadron. Dong Qifeng nearly thought he had come to the wrong place. He had the illusion that the city in front of him wasnt Blackflow but an important county of the empire. As soon as the fleet appeared, it rained down a layer of flames toward the troops on the ground and threw them into complete disorder. The Dong family warriors could no longer care about attacking the city. The troops immediately switched to an anti-air formation, and the heavy cannons began to raise their firing angle. The small gunships were frozen in the air. One of them courageously wanted to meet the enemy head-on but was fired upon by numerous fiery beams and soon exploded into a ball of flames. Qianye suddenly leapt atop the wall with a two-meter-long grade-five sniper rifle in tow and directly jumped out of the city. Song Zining grabbed a bronze spear from one of his personal guards and leapt out at almost the same time. Qianye then ran toward the place where the three champions were hovering in the air with Song Zining at his heels. The two possessed largely different motion patternsQianye was running in an irregular zig-zag motion, a method widely employed in the army to counter snipers. Meanwhile, Song Zinings figure faded in and out like a phantom. At this moment, the aerial barrage had just ended on the battlefield, and there was smoke and residual fluctuations everywhere. The Dong family army had already retreated to a point three hundred meters from the city walls and was in the process of reorganizing. Almost no one noticed the two of them. The occasional origin power shockwaves and sniper shots were either evaded or blocked by Song Zinings spear. Atop the gate tower, Wei Potians expression was dark. By the time he had squeezed his way out of the three layers of noble ladies and approached the city walls, Qianye and Song Zining had already landed on the ground and covered at least a hundred meters. He had the sudden urge to smash something with his fists but had no target. Zhang Zixing who had been issuing instructions from the air revealed a faint smile. His duty was to protect those noble ladies, and there would be no danger to them as long as Wei Potian behaved himself and stayed in a safe place. This work wasnt so bad after all. Previously, the three champions on Dong Qifengs side had arrived quite close to the battlefield in order to protect the troops from the cannon fire. As such, Qianye had spent only minutes before arriving within his sniping range of a thousand meters. Dong Qifeng, who was still somewhat in a daze, felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest as if he had been pricked by a needle. He suddenly realized something and glanced instinctively toward Blackflow City just in time to see a blazing radiance approaching at lightning speed. Following which, his entire body quaked from the impact as a large hole opened up over his heart. Dong Qifeng immediately sobered up from the intense pain. He covered up the wound with his hands and immediately turned to flee. His ability to escape decisively had saved his life numerous times in the past. Naturally, he had also sent no small number of comrades to their deaths in the process. However, Qianye would never give him such an opportunity. He pulled on the trigger once morea blue color suffused his eyes just as the bullet flew out of the muzzle with Dong Qifengs figure clearly reflected within it. Eye Ability: Control was activated within a split second. Dong Qifengs heart was suddenly afflicted by an intense pain, and he couldnt help but bend downward. It was during this moment of delay that blood sprayed out from Dong Qifengs back, and the man fell straight down from the sky. This time, Qianye had blasted him with the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation and ended his life completely. And thus, the eldest young master of the Sishui Dong Family, the rank-ten champion Dong Qifeng, unexpectedly died at Blackflow City on Evernight Continent. As soon as Dong Qifeng died, the private army under his command immediately fell into chaos. The other two champions no longer dared to linger and immediately left the battlefield. Soon, Blackflow Citys gates opened wide and Dark Flame soldiers swarmed out. The Dong familys private soldiers had completely lost the will to fight and began to surrender in large groups. The cargo airships, as well as the two gunships, didnt dare move at all in the face of the imperial squadron. A small number of them refused to surrender and chose to escape into the wilderness instead. However, this was Evernight Continenttheir fates wouldnt necessarily be better than becoming prisoners. The battle had been won, and Blackflow City took almost zero casualties. The noble ladies atop the wall were all in high spirits as if they had won the war themselves. Honestly speaking, the Dong familys forces werent that bad. They had the ability to fight a proper battle even against an imperial regular army corps. But the lightly armed unit had no way to resist the suddenly appearing imperial airship squadron. Add to that the death of their leading general, they naturally collapsed completely. Taking post-war inventory, merely the prisoners of war numbered close to ten thousand along with countless armaments. Zhang Zixing naturally paid no attention to the trifling matters regarding the clean-up. He claimed that Qianye was the actual Blackflow City Lord and pushed all the work to him. Settling and handling so many prisoners wasnt a simple matter at all, not to mention the horde of curious noble ladies causing trouble nearby. Song Zining knew what Qianye was distressed about and immediately said with a smile, This is a small matter. Watch me! He looked around and then walked over toward one of the noble ladies with a smile. The other party also recognized him and immediately returned a smile. Song Zining greeted, Dongqi, long time no see! That noble lady was precisely the eldest young miss of Marquis of Righteousness, Shi Dongqi, who had met Song Zining numerous times before. Song Zinings appearance was elegant and his temperament was gentle. The miscellaneous arts which people considered useless were, on the contrary, extremely appealing to these young ladies. As such, he had always been well-received by the ladies in the empires social circle. He was already engaged and thus didnt fall within the scope of potential marriage for these lineal daughters. This posed no hindrance to friendship, however, and those ladies from lesser aristocratic families were fairly intimate with him. A prime example would be the lady standing behind Shi Dongqi who belonged to one of the Shi clans branch families; she was smiling rather passionately. Song Zining waved his fan and said with a smile, Eldest Young Miss Shi, our empire puts great emphasis on military accomplishments. Since the young ladies achieved the first merit in this battle, I feel that a celebratory banquet is in order. Moreover, the soiree definitely has to be large-scaled. An idle person like me has no place participating, but an honored guest like the Bowang Heir cant be absent. Shi Dongqi was immediately enlightened. A celebration like this was a great opportunity. When everyone had gotten tipsy and merry, she might have an opportunity to seize Wei Potian on the spot and confirm the marriage affair. She immediately thanked Song Zining and left in a hurry to arrange matters. Song Zining watched the figure of Shi Dongqis back as she left, a barely discernible shade of schadenfreude emerged within his smile.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 331: A Wanton and Unrestrained Beauty [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Wei Potian was surrounded at all times by a number of noble ladies except when he was discussing serious business with other menthese bossy young ladies absolutely refused to let him interact with any single woman. There was no way Shi Dongqi could hide her intentions to invite Wei Potian using a celebratory feast as an excuse. As such, the situation developed just as Song Zining had anticipatedall the noble ladies were soon intent on holding a celebratory party. However, there was only one Wei clan heir. As a result, the soiree was jointly held by all of them with the lone guest of honor being Wei Potian. Song Zining dragged Qianye away to stand in the distance. They watched as the group of noble ladies chattered around Wei Potian, discussing what type of wine they should serve, what dishes they should prepare, and what music they should perform. Qianye suddenly recalled Wei Potians remark about being the only lady in a room full of brothel patrons and felt that the scene before him was a vivid depiction of those words. He immediately broke into an uncontrollable laughter and even his stomach started to cramp up. Song Zinings strategy of diverting calamity was extremely effective. All of the noble ladies lost interest in the post-war affairs and focused their attention on the banquet which had quickly become the highlight of the night. However, not everything went as planned. Qianye had just breathed a sigh of relief when trouble came knocking on the doors. Moreover, it was even more troublesome than all the bossy ladies added together. That valiant lady who had blasted Dong Qifengs flagship with a handheld cannon suddenly appeared before Qianye and asked to speak with him alone. Seeing this beautiful lady up close, Qianye deeply experienced a type of magnificence and splendor that was even more dazzling than the sun. So much that he had been bewitched even before he could see her facial features clearly. However, the giant handheld cannon she was fiddling with in her hand painted the words speak in private with a sense of inexplicable danger. Under her harsh gaze, Song Zining quickly turned around and left without a shred of brotherly spirithe didnt even stay to engage in social niceties. Qianye couldnt help but curse in his heart and felt that Wei Potians rude descriptions of Song Zining werent totally unreasonable. Ill have someone clear out a conference room, Qianye braced himself and said. That beauty replied impatiently, Lets just go to your room. Stop acting like an old woman! Qianye was astonished. This isnt very appropriate, is it? Enough with the rubbish. Even your mother here doesnt care, whats a little boy like you being so embarrassed about? Little boy? Qianye glanced at the beautiful lady who was at most a couple of years older than him and felt drops of sweat roll down his forehead. Moreover, she was waving that astonishingly big handheld cannon around while she was speaking and, intentionally or otherwise, the muzzle always seemed to be pointed toward him. At close range, the cannon muzzle was so big that it was no different from that of a mobile heavy cannon. Could this thing really be fired from ones hands? Even Qianye, who possessed a constitution surpassing that of the dark races, couldnt help but have some doubts about it. The scene where this big fellow had blasted an airship apart with one shot was still vivid in Qianyes mind. He felt that his fate, after being struck, wouldnt be much better than the airship. Suddenly, an inconspicuous insignia flitted past Qianyes eyes and caused his gaze to freeze for a moment. That was the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clans emblem. There was, however, a slight difference, and it likely represented a certain branch family. Qianye gave it some thought and then brought her toward his own residence in the Dark Flame headquarters. The moment this lady entered, she sized up Seventeen, who was standing at the door, from head to toe and then from toe to head. One big and one small, the two ladies glanced at each other with beautiful eyes akin to peach blossoms. Qianye felt his distress intensify. During his momentary lapse in concentration, that beautiful lady had walked toward the interior on her own and directly entered his room. She then tossed her big handheld cannon to one side and, with a loud clang, produced a hole in the floor. Qianyes eyes couldnt help but twitch a few times. Not because the floor had suffered an unexpected calamity, but because he felt a heartache for that grade-seven weapon. A grade-seven origin armament was a big step-up from grade-six. Any random grade-seven weapon was worth tens of times more than a grade-six. Because of the lack in craftsmen at that level, the creation of a custom-made weapon of that level would take several years or even dozens. Without waiting for Qianye to speak, she had thrown herself onto his bed and bounced a couple of times on it before sitting up to speak to him, Its not comfy at all! After making such a comment, she sat at his bedside, crossed her two straight legs, and proceeded to light a cigarette. She then inhaled deeply without a care for her image. Finally, Qianye couldnt take it anymore and said, Thats my bed. I know its yours, but so what? Isnt it just a broken bed? What? This mommy here wants to sit on your bed. Do you dare to not yield? Qianye was immediately defeated and said helplessly with a wry laugh, Stop playing such jokes. What exactly is your business? The lady began to laugh out loud after seeing Qianyes distressed attitude. Has anyone told you that your embarrassed manner is very amusing? Darkness flitted across Qianyes countenance as he replied in a frosty voice, Let me tell you that its not fun at all. The unbridled beauty curled her lips and said, So serious! Youre just like Little Four. Qianye was somewhat startled and asked suspiciously, Little Four? Which Little Four? She replied impatiently, Which other Little Four is there? Theres only one person in the Zhao clan who can be called Zhao Fourth, and thats Zhao Jundu. A clan as large as the Zhao had countless branch families. Naturally, there was more than one person who was ranked fourth in seniority. But at present, the name Zhao Fourth only referred to Zhao Jundu and none other. Qianye went silent. A layer of coldness appeared in the depths of his eyes as he asked, Then what about you? She hopped up, landed in front of Qianye, and extended her hand. Come, little beauty, lets get to know each other! Im Zhao Yuying of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan and Duke You is my grandfather. The Swallow Cloud Zhao Clans two branches of hereditary dukes were Duke Yan and Duke You respectively. During the past hundreds of years, the position of clan lord had always been controlled by these two branches. That was until the current Duke Yous younger brother achieved a meteoric rise and was designated Duke Xuanyuan. He then pleaded the emperor to allow his eldest son, Zhao Weihuang, to marry the Imperial Princess Gaoyi. It was only after ten-odd years of service that Zhao Weihuang was conferred the title of Duke Chengen and allowed to sit at the clan lords position. This also meant that the current Duke You, Zhao Xuan, was Zhao Weihuangs uncle. Although the clan lords position had fallen to a different branch, Duke Yan and Duke Yous connections were deeply rooted akin to a tree with complicated branches and luxuriant leaves. Their status wasnt easily shaken within a generation or two. In addition to the apprehension in his heart, Qianye also found it to be somewhat odd. Among the Zhao clans younger generation, it seemed that Zhao Weihuangs four sons and one daughter had seized most of the brilliance. In truth, the Zhao clan, as a whole, wasnt lacking in geniuses. Zhao Yuying was one such outstanding person from a branch family. But she was particularly special. Her name was frequently heard, but she rarely made any public appearance. Even lineal descendants of high status like Song Zining and Wei Potian had never seen her before. This indicated that she almost never attended any social event held by the upper-class of the empire. Hence, her limelight had been drowned out by the fourth young master. But after meeting her personally, Qianye felt peoples evaluation of her didnt do her justice. Zhao Yuying was exceptionally strongignoring other aspects of her strength, just that grade-seven cannon alone wasnt something everyone could use. A weaker champion wouldve been sucked dry if he were to fire a shot from it. Even though this lady couldnt compare to Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi, she could easily suppress the other three young masters without much suspense. Seeing that Qianye wasnt reacting, Zhao Yuying waved her hand closer and almost reached Qianyes nose. Qianye didnt take her hand and, instead, asked, Did Zhao Jundu tell you to come here? Him? Zhao Yuying let out a snort and said, I havent the slightest association with that stupid fellow. Im only here to see how troublesome his disobedient brother actually is. Those last words made him recall something. and his heart suddenly softened. He let out a sigh in his heart and, after a moment of hesitation, slowly reached out to shake Zhao Yuyings hand. The smile on Zhao Yuyings face suddenly changed and was now full of complacency as if her plot had succeeded. Qianye felt a powerful force being transmitted from her hand, one so strong that it could easily leave fingerprints on solid steel. Qianye had no doubt that the bones in his hand would have shattered if he were a bit weaker. He let out a deep shout and erupted with full force to mount a painstaking counter-attack. It was a struggle completely devoid of fancy moves and, for a time, neither side could gain an advantage. They were in a deadlock. Qianye was greatly astonished because this was the first time he had encountered someone among the younger generation who could match him in terms of raw strength. Even ordinary champions were far inferior to him in terms of physical strength. Zhao Yuying was a lady, and yet, she actually possessed a terrifying strength comparable to arachne of the same level. Seeing that her sneak attack had failed, Zhao Yuyings ponytail began flying behind her without any wind. Following which, she charged forth and crashed straight into Qianye. The force from her shoulder actually caused cracking sounds like thunder and lightning to ring out in the air. Qianye was very familiar with this soundit was a sign of origin power resonance. Qianye was already a bit angry and his countenance was as gloomy as water. He returned the same move with his shoulders and similarly stirred up thunderous rumbles through the air. The moment the two crashed into each other, the plates and tableware in the room all shattered. Afterward, anything not solid was torn into shreds, including the pillows and sheets. In this exchange, merely the origin power seeping out from their bodies had displayed such destructive might. This clash once again resulted in a draw. Zhao Yuyings body swayed abruptlythis movement, extremely clever in both its angle and timing, shook Qianyes balance. She then closed in on Qianye, locked her long legs around him, and tossed him into the air. She then pressed him heavily onto the ground. Reacting rapidly, Qianye twisted his waist away and wrung her in return. He stuck tightly to Zhao Yuying and brought her along into the air. Their bodies intertwined and smashed together onto the ground where they rolled around. Heads, shoulders, elbows, palms, and fingersevery part of their bodies were used as weapons to attack the other party. In more vulgar terms, the two now resembled two ruffians brawling on the streets. There was no more technique to speak of and only random attacks based on instinct. Although the battle appeared rather ugly, it was, in fact, extremely dangerous. Both their bodies were killer weapons from head to toe and every elbow strike and headbutt possessed enough power to shatter rocks. Numerous loud thumps rang out within the blink of an eye, and it was unknown who had received how many blows. Qianyes physique was strong enough to be compared to a vampire champion, but that dazzling beauty, Zhao Yuying, wasnt a bit weaker. Purely in terms of constitution, she was even a bit stronger than Wei Potian. However, Zhao Yuying was already rank-eleven and she was far superior to Qianye in terms of origin power. He fell into a disadvantage shortly afterward and was pressed to the ground by Zhao Yuying. She grabbed out with her left hand and clutched Qianyes throat. Qianyes chest rose and fell as he gasped violently for air. Within this short battle, he had used up all of his origin power and didnt even have the strength to raise his hand. But, through this battle, Qianye had also come to a direct understanding of Zhao Yuyings strength. Among the champions he had fought, Song Zian was also rank-eleven, but the difference between him and Zhao Yuying was like that between a firefly and the bright moon. If they were to fight each other, Song Zian was the type of trash who could be eliminated with a single shot of her cannon. Zhao Yuying stared fixedly at Qianye for a moment and then raised her brows in delight. I thought you looked like a beautiful little toy, but you really do pack quite a punch in battle. Very good! Now thats more like it. Youre just my type! Youre worth that stupid Zhao Fourth offending so many people. Zhao Yuying stood up while speaking and also pulled Qianye back to his feet. It was at this time that a blade of autumn leaf suddenly flitted past the two. Qianye and Zhao Yuying both fixed their eyes on the leaf and watched it fall in a leisurely manner. For a time, the atmosphere turned incomparably odd.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 332: Song Zining, The Almost-Conned [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Most of the items in the room had already been destroyed by the two, but the window was still intact. Additionally, there werent any trees outside even if the window was broken. So how did this thing get here? Zhao Yuying shot Qianye a glance; her eyes were shockingly bright. Without the slightest bit of brotherly spirit, Qianye shrugged to show that it had nothing to do with him. In truth, he was somewhat enraged. A moment ago, he was under great pressure while fighting against Zhao Yuying and thus hadnt been able to observe the surroundings. But now that the atmosphere had more or less relaxed, it did vaguely feel as though they were being watched. Apparently, this leaf was like an eye, and it was likely that someone had been observing the fight between him and Zhao Yuying. As for who had secretly stretched his domain inside, was there even a need to ask? Song Zining usually wasnt so carelesshe was probably shaken after witnessing the scene of their battle or perhaps the energy scattered from the two had jolted his domain and caused a couple of leaves to fall out. Zhao Yuying suddenly sneered, You dare play these mysterious tricks before your mother? She lifted her long, exquisite, yet powerful hand and threw out a slap. Her target was still that floating autumn leaf. However, a pow rang out as Zhao Yuyings slap landed on the leaf. It had actually produced the crisp sound of flesh. This astonished Qianye almost immediately. It was clearly a leaf that had been struck, so why did it sound as though the strike had landed on someones face? As if to answer Qianyes question, a cry of pain rang out from outside the door, and it sounded as though the person had been slapped. Zhao Yuying let out a cold laugh. She swung her hand again and said to the leaf, Pretend! Continue pretending! A cry of alarm was heard from outside just as the slap was about to be delivered. Song Zining flashed into the room and said hurriedly, Beautiful lady, please have mercy! Zhao Yuying glanced askance at Song Zining and asked, What did you call me just now? Song Zining adjusted his clothes, flicked the expensive fan in his hand, and said in an unflinching manner, Youre an outstanding beauty. Both your figure and grace are, without exception, the best of the best. Additionally, you are so capable! From the inside out, theres not one place about you that isnt beautiful. Although the words ''beautiful lady'' is somewhat cliche, its the closest one can get to describe this young lady. Qianye was dumbfounded and suddenly wanted to pretend he didnt know this fellow. This was actually the first time he had personally witnessed Song Zining trying to court a lady. Qianye could hardly find any words to express his present mood. But soon afterward, he noticed a sudden change on half of Song Zinings face. A palm print had emerged therein with five clear marks resembling fingers. Judging from the size of this palm, it evidently belonged to Zhao Yuying. The slap just now was thrown onto the falling leaf, but had, in fact, landed on Song Zinings face. He mustve noticed that the second slap was imminent, and thus, walked out on his own, lest a calamity befall the other side of his face. Zhao Yuying was startled after hearing Song Zinings explicit, corny, and shameless words. Afterward, she asked, Am I really that wonderful? Of course! When has this insignificant one ever lied? Song Zining said with due seriousness as if he were dissatisfied with Zhao Yuyings doubt. He flipped the fan in his hand over to reveal the drawing of another great master and said in a clear voice, If this young lady isnt a beauty, then who else can be considered such? Qianyes vision grew darkhis exhausted body hadnt yet recovered and was already swaying unsteadily. But, hearing Zhao Yuyings reaction almost made him fall down. Zhao Yuying was beaming with delight and even somewhat embarrassed. She reached out to grab the leaf and fiddled around with it subconsciously before asking, You really mean what you said? Of course! Song Zining replied vehemently. Qianye felt that his horizons had been broadened. It turned out that wooing a lady could be such an utterly shameless business, and such frank flattery almost bordering on crudeness was actually effective! Facing this man and woman, Qianye was at a loss who among them he should be admiring. Song Zining secretly peeked at Zhao Yuyings reaction and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had fortunately made it through this problem. This womans methods were extremely powerful and could actually restrain his domain. This was quite rare even though the other party was a rank-eleven champion. It was at this time that Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up and sneered, Damn you! These tricks used to fool little girls, you actually dare use it on me? What hasnt this mother here ever seen? You think Ill believe your nonsense? She put in some force and rubbed the unlucky leaf in the palm of her hand. With her strength, not to mention an ordinary leaf, even a golden leaf would be rolled into a ball. Qianye couldnt understand why Zhao Yuying was being so violent with the leaf. However, he vaguely understood some things after recalling the slap to the leaf which had actually landed on Song Zinings face. He glanced back at Song Zining and, just as expected, found the fellow wearing a wonderful expressionhe clearly wanted to cry out but couldnt. Who knew which part of Song Zinings body was being affected by the leaf pinched tightly in Zhao Yuyings hand. In any case, his demeanor made it clear that he wasnt having an easy time. Qianye was suddenly enlightened, and a deep azure emerged within his eyes. Just as expected, numerous origin power lines began to appear before him. He was quite familiar with Song Zinings origin power aura. He first identified a patch of faintly discernible blue-green light in the form of a net. At a glance, it looked like the veins on a bodhi leaf overallthis should be Song Zinings domain. At this moment, this origin power net was contracting toward a point in the air, and most of it had already escaped. There was only one place where it had been clamped down tightly by a dark purple mass of daybreak origin power and couldnt break free. Meanwhile, that dark purple radiance would oscillate from time to time, and with each fluctuation, a surging tide would travel along the lines of the origin-power-net and pound against the air. Qianye grasped certain outlines from this and gained a deeper understanding regarding origin power materialization. At this time, the fallen leaf could no longer bear the humiliation and transformed back into origin power with a flicker, returning to where it came. Meanwhile, the two wisps of wrestling origin powers were also extinguished in Qianyes True Sight. Song Zining appeared as though he had just been granted amnesty. He took a step back and glanced at Zhao Yuying as though he were looking at a venomous snake. Qianye had great eyesight and noticed that his fingers were trembling ever so slightly. Song Zining finally withdrew his romantic and profligate attitude. He wore a serious expression as he glanced at Qianye and asked, Qianye, are you alright? Is this your friend? The roomed looked as if a tornado had just swept throughalmost all of the furniture and utensils had been shattered, and the floor was a complete mess. It almost seemed as though a great battle had taken place here. Zhao Yuying laughed in an exaggerated manner and said, What? Do you plan to seek revenge? Thats fine with me! You seem quite capable, so Ill give you the opportunity and wait for you to come and find me. Group brawl or one-on-one, take your pick! Your mother here is called Zhao Yuying of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan! Zhao Yuying? Song Zining couldnt help but become dazed after hearing this name, and soon afterward, his expression became incomparably brilliant. What? Have you heard of my famous name? Song Zining suddenly clenched his teeth and said, Zhao Junhong! Ill settle this score with you! This time, it was Zhao Yuyings turn to be puzzled. What does this have to do with old two? Nothing. Ill be taking my leave first. Song Zining bowed slightly toward Zhao Yuying after recovering his composure and then turned around to leave. Just as he was about to leave through the door, Song Zining suddenly turned back and said with due seriousness, Young Miss of Duke You, speaking honestly, the two words beautiful lady are extremely appropriate to describe you. Zhao Yuying was startled, but just as she was wondering how to react, Song Zining had already gone far away. Who is that pretty boy? Why does he hate Zhao Junhong so much? Zhao Yuying asked. Qianye did know a little bit about why Song Zining was reacting this way. Zhao Junhong had tossed out a marriage offer back then, and Song Zining had told Qianye about it later on. He had also revealed some of his own opinions. Song Zining wasnt against such a marriage. With his awkward situation in the Song clan, finding a powerful in-law family and striving for independence could be considered a way out. The Zhao clans strength far surpassed that of individual nobles and, compared to the other ladies in the clan, the young miss of the Duke You lineage possessed a higher status and value. It was said that her strength wasnt bad at all, and that she wasnt just a pretty face. It was just that Song Zining didnt want to officially leave the Song clan just yet. That was why he hadnt agreed to it back then, but he still considered the option seriously. But only after seeing Zhao Yuying today did Song Zining understand what a natural nemesis was. It was someone he had to take a detour around. It was precisely because of this that he was resentful of Zhao Second and couldnt shake off the lingering fear. If he had agreed to the marriage immediately back then, this seventh young masters life wouldve fallen into a bottomless pit. Qianye naturally wouldnt disclose such a matter to Zhao Yuying and only gave a simple explanation. Hes called Song Zining, seventh young master of the Song clan and my brother. Zhao Yuying had apparently heard of his name before and raised her eyebrows. Oh, so thats who he is. Let it be that you dont want to recognize Little Four as a brother, but youve actually taken such a weak chicken as one. Are you not afraid Little Four will dismantle him into thin sheets? Presently, Qianye had gained the ability to listen only to the important points in his conversation with Zhao Yuying and ignore all the vulgarities. Why did this Zhao clan daughter feel more like a street thug than the Wei clan heir? However, Zhao Yuying still understood Zhao Jundu quite well. The Zhao fourth young master did have such an intention. Since Song Zining had already run away, Qianye didnt want to drag him back into the waters. He collected his thoughts and asked, You said Zhao Jundu offended a lot of people. What exactly is going on? Zhao Yuying replied, Youre that little bastard who was snatched away from my uncle''s house, right? Qianyes expression changed ever so slightly. Zhao Yuying glanced oddly at Qianye. You didnt know? Or was there a problem back then? Qianye drew in a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and asked, What did you hear about the matter back then? Zhao Yuyings knowledge of this matter was fairly limited. Reportedly, there was once an illegitimate child in Zhao Weihuangs family, and that he was about a year older than Zhao Ruoxi. More than ten years ago, an assassin had charged into the inner courtyard and kidnapped the young boy. Thereafter, his fate was never known. Qianye had never expected there would actually be such a story. The most serious thing that had happened to him was origin theft, and Zhao Jundu should be familiar with the details. Otherwise, he wouldnt have checked the wound as soon as he approached. Although Zhao Yuying was a core descendant of the Zhao clan and even Duke Yous granddaughter, she seemed to have no knowledge of this matter. Qianye felt somewhat frustrated, but he also knew that it was useless to continue asking Zhao Yuying who knew little of this matter. As such, he returned to the previous issue and asked, What exactly is going on with Zhao Jundu? Not long ago, Little Four announced that he would recognize a brother, add him to the family records, and have this person join his auxiliary residence. Zhao Yuying saw Qianyes doubtful expression and realized that he wasnt clear what Zhao Jundus actions signified.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 333: The Wei Clan Heir’s Crush [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Yuying said with due frankness, Presently, the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan already has one main, two peer, and eighteen auxiliary residences. There are thousands in our generation alone. Who has the time to recognize so many brothers and sisters? Blood relations really arent worth much. Qianye frownedZhao Yuyings words annoyed him although he had no intention to return to the Zhao clan. But Zhao Yuying didnt care at all and continued, Temporarily putting aside the matter regarding the family record, gaining an auxiliary residence signifies status, honor, and vast amounts of resources. There are thousands of descendants in each generation, but only a hundred or so are chosen. Even if Little Four is strong enough to hold a residence on his own, others would find it difficult to accept him bringing someone in without a good cause. I heard some people went to argue with him about this matter and, well, you know Little Fours temper. Many disagreeable things happened on the spot and some fights broke out. Only then did Qianye realize that the Zhao clans internal affairs worked purely on elite authorityhalf depended on bloodline inheritance, while the leading half was one''s strength. Only those with enough strength would have the opportunity to take up a residence, and Zhao Jundu was already the master of one at twenty-one years old. Zhao Yuying spoke as if it were a matter of course, Others still dont know you actually have Zhao clan blood, but that really doesnt make much of a difference. Recognition in the Zhao clan can only be gained through strength. Trash without ability will die early on the battlefield. Who has the spare energy to take care of them? After listening to all of this, Qianyes heart was filled with an inexplicable feeling. He fell silent for a short moment and then said, Did Zhao Jundu send you? Of course not. He is he and I am I. I was only curious about you, so I came to take a look. But youre really not bad and quite to my liking. Qianye said helplessly, Dont tell me your so-called take a look is to attack? Zhao Yuying replied matter-of-factly, Why of course! Youre also my brother, so it wont do if youre too weak. It seemed just now, you were trying to kill me. If I really wanted to kill, I wouldve used Mountain Splitter from the get-go. With that, she pointed at that origin handheld cannon. However, the strength she had used just now was enough to cripple an ordinary rank-ten championhow could it be called test out his strength? But after some thought, perhaps this was just the way Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying tested people. Without strength, one would not gain any recognition. Just as Zhao Yuying said, there were thousands in every generation; what use was ones bloodline? Seeing Qianyes expression, Zhao Yuying said in a rare stern tone, Little Four decided to bring you back to the clan only after he tried out your strength. Otherwise, the only fate awaiting you after entering the Zhao clan is death. It will be wiser to raise you outside. Those last words almost made Qianye choke. But with Zhao Yuying as a comparison, Zhao Jundus actions in the desert could be considered gentleat most, he wouldve been shot through the left leg. If it were Zhao Yuying in that place, he wouldve been left with at least a dozen fractures. Zhao Yuying patted Qianyes shoulder and said casually, Dont feel too uncomfortable though. Little Four and I also went through all of these things. Since childhood, I fought my way through all adversity and beat up everyone who refused to recognize me until they changed their minds. That was how I arrived at my current status today. Qianye could only stay silent. In truth, the Great Qin Empires policy, in and of itself, favored the strong and devoured the weak. However, after a millennium since its founding, it was also starting to pay more attention to cultural inheritances and whitewash certain things in the name of righteousness. But the Zhao clans geniuses were too proud and felt disdain toward this layer of disguise. Qianye let out a soft sigh and said, Since Zhao Jundu didnt ask you to come, and youve seen what youve come to see Zhao Yuying immediately cut Qianye short with a laugh. It just so happened that Ive had nothing to do recently, so I can help you do some fighting. Look at how bad a job youre doing? Even a regional counts son dares besiege your city! But rest assured, with this old sister protecting you from now on, its useless even if old man Dong himself arrives! But Qianye had an instinctive feeling that Zhao Yuying staying here wasnt a good thing. As he saw it, this unrestrained beauty was even more frightening than an imperial regional count. But Zhao Yuying had already lifted up her hand cannon, and its muzzle was swaying around in front of Qianye. It almost seemed as if the weapon might accidentally go off if he didnt agree to this. Qianye let out a helpless and rueful laugh. He summoned Seventeen and his personal guards, instructing them to make arrangements for Zhao Yuying and her two followers before entering the study alone. At the moment, he truly had no idea what to do. As such, he brought out his westward campaign map. However, the lines and colors before him seemed to be jumping about just like his confused thoughtshe simply couldnt stand it anymore. The night passed by in the blink of an eye. As the sounds of Dark Flames morning drills came through the window, Qianye walked out and left the headquarters. He wanted to find Song Zining for a chat. Song Zinings residence was a grand mansion in the eastern part of the city. That place would later become the regional headquarters of the Ningyuan Group. Because it was currently undergoing construction and renovation work, the entire building was already brightly lit early in the morning. The construction work was in full swing as the workers toiled against the clock. Song Zinings residence was deep within the manor and could be considered relatively peaceful. Upon arrival, Qianye saw Song Zining sitting under a wisteria pergola and sipping his tea continuouslyapparently, he was feeling rather ill at ease. After greeting Song Zining, Qianye found that the former was was not only pale, but his aura was also somewhat weak. In fact, there was even a trace of instability in his origin power. He thus asked with concern, Are your injuries alright? That leaf formed from the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art was crushed apart by Zhao Yuying. Now it seemed things werent so simple because Song Zining had apparently sustained significant injuries. Song Zining laughed wryly with a lingering fear in his heart. The injury is a bit troublesome, but its fortunate quite fortunate. Whats fortunate? Qianye was puzzled. Song Zining replied, Its fortunate that I didnt agree to Zhao Second impulsively. Otherwise, I wouldve been harmed to death by him! Qianye immediately understood and nodded in agreement. Whoever married Zhao Yuying would suffer a calamity. This beautiful lady wasnt just eccentricit so happened that she was also from a major clan and was extremely powerful. Such a woman had no weak points at all, but how was a man to interact with her? Song Zining shot Qianye a glance, offered him a cup of tea, and asked, You seem to have some concerns of your own? Qianye sighed. Yes, its related to the Zhao clan. He recounted the information he had gained from Zhao Yuying. Song Zining frowned but didnt comment on the matter. He only asked, Whats your plan? Qianye stayed silent for a moment and said, It wont do to just let things continue this way. I plan to visit the Zhao clan when matters here are stable. Song Zining turned the teacup in his hand and said with a smile, Very well. Call me when you go. Ill accompany you. Qianye frowned. It might be dangerous." Still smiling as before, Song Zining replied, At least on the surface, Im second in place as the Song clan successor. They wont dare go too far with me around. After all, the old ancestor is still alive. They had no fear of open conflicts and challenges, but it was impossible to defend against secret schemes. With Song Zining tagging along, those fellows with unfathomable intentions would need to consider their methods carefully. After all, the Song clan was still a member of the four major clans regardless of its weak internal affairs. It was an enormous entity who ranked first in terms of wealth and currently had Duchess An overseeing it. They would have no way to explain if a high-ranking Song clan successor were to disappear in the Zhao clan. Qianye shook his head. For you to casually interfere in the Zhao clans internal affairs, Duchess An might not be pleased even if shes willing to protect you. Song Zining let out a laugh and said, Since I have no intention to become the clan lord, it doesnt matter whether shes pleased or not. Besides, to me, your matters are not the Zhao clans internal affairs at all. Its our internal affair. Qianye sighed deeply and said after a good while, Theres no hurry. Let me think about it. Song Zining nodded. You still need to be careful about Zhao Yuying. I heard the Duke You and Duke Yan lineages are at odds with Duke Chengens branch. He only gave such a reminder and refrained from saying more. Qianye excused himself after two cups of tea. He recalled something just as he was about to leave and turned back to ask, Zining, are your wounds alright? A suspicious blush flitted across Song Zinings countenance as he replied in an angry tone, Qianye! Youve learnt some bad things! Qianye was immediately startled. He had spoken out of pure concern and hadnt given it much thought. But judging from Song Zinings intense reaction, Qianye immediately understood that this matter mustnt be brought up and thus slipped away in a hurry. After returning to his residence at the Dark Flame headquarters, Qianye unexpectedly found that Wei Potian had been waiting there for a long time. Potian, how did you find the time to visit me? Its truly odd. Those noble ladies actually let you go like this? How have you been doing recently? Wei Potian was infuriated at the mere mention of this matter. If not for this daddys peerless capacity for liquor, I wouldve collapsed in the hands of those savage people! Goddammit! Who gave them such a rotten idea? Ill definitely flay him alive once I know! A celebratory banquet for heroic deeds?! Heroic my a*s! Those ladies didnt even fire a single shot! Qianye could only pretend to be dumb because he had witnessed this matter from the sidelines and made no effort to stop it. Of course, he wouldnt be so dumb as to say it out loud. Wei Potian continued to curse the mastermind for a moment, but the truth dawned on him after noticing Qianyes somewhat peculiar expression. He leapt out of his seat and began to scream in anger, I know it now! It mustve been that sissy Song Seven! That fellow actually dares scheme against me behind my back?! This daddy here must settle the score with him! Qianye hurriedly dragged Wei Potian back and said, Hold on! Settling the score can wait. You must have some serious business to visit me so early in the morning? After being questioned by Qianye, Wei Potian suddenly became restless and started to hem and haw incomprehensibly. That erm Qianye, didnt a lady come to visit you suddenly? That one with an origin hand cannon. Qianye replied suspiciously, Yes, what of it? I-Ive seen her before in Far East Province. She visited Far East Province before? Ah, thats also possible. It was my first time seeing her yesterday. Is something wrong? Wei Potian scratched his head vigorously and minced his words around for a long time before picking up the courage to say, I still dont know who she is. Zhao Yuying, granddaughter of the Zhao clans Duke You. Ah! Wei Potian was startled and his countenance fluctuated for a moment before saying, So its like that! I-I thought she was also here for the engagement. Now it seems to not be the case. Qianye gazed intently at Wei Potians expression and realized something. You like her?! N-No! Wei Potians voice rose sharply and then fell to a whisper, Its just that theres an inexplicable feeling. Shes not like the other noble ladies Qianyes expression immediately became one of not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Indeed, Zhao Yuying and the other noble ladies werent the same. The degree of her uniqueness bordered on outlandish. Compared to her, Wei Potian was simply a good little boy. Whats the story with you two? Qianyes curiosity began to burn.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 334: Bidding [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Wei Potian hemmed and hawed for a long while before making things clear. It turned out that Zhao Yuying had once appeared in his sickroom while he was bedridden, and for some reason, none of the noble ladies had appeared that night. This independent and unique lady walked around the room and even opened Wei Potians sheets to check his injuries before leaving with a disdainful expression. The process of inspecting his wounds was presumably quite intense judging from how the Wei clan heir seemed distracted while talking about it. Wei Potian never saw her again afterward until her sudden appearance when Dong Qifeng attacked the city. Even Wei Potian himself had no idea what he was expecting when he ran over in the early morning to ask Qianye about her. But as soon as he heard that she was the granddaughter of Duke You, Wei Potian understood that it was impossible for her to be a noble lady who had come for marriage. A wedding was to the benefit of two families and to form an alliance between the clans. However, Far East Wei Clan had always maintained a neutral stance in the hundreds of years of its history and never formed marital connections with the major clans. It wouldnt be a small matter if the Zhao clan had such an intention and Wei Potian would have known about it. Potian? Do you need any help? Qianyes question roused Wei Potian from his reverie. He thought about it seriously and suddenly let out a wry laugh. No, you dont need to do anything. Its enough now that I know who she is. Qianye went silent for a moment and then said sympathetically while patting his shoulder, I must admit, its a truly courageous choice! But I shouldnt get involved in this matter, so take care of yourself. Wei Potian opened his mouth but didnt know what to say and left in a dazed state. Qianye watched Wei Potians receding figure and shook his head. With Zhao Yuyings character, it truly wasnt appropriate for him to recommend her to be his brothers wife. Although it was Wei Potians own business if he wanted to leap into the flaming abyss, Qianye decided it wasnt appropriate for him to give him that final kick on the butt. Besides, judging from Wei Potians distracted mood, it seemed there were some other obstacles. After sending Wei Potian off, Qianye found a rare opportunity to sit down and deal with proper business. A thick stack of documents had accumulated on the desk in just half a days time, through which Qianye looked one by one. Dark Flame and seventh divisions reorganization was on the right trackthey were already beginning joint training, and the preparations for the westward campaign was also progressing methodically. The battlefield outside of the city had already been cleaned. The various armaments and supplies had been sorted and stored away after making inventory. However, the most troublesome were those captives and airships. This kind of private army was mostly made up of family servants and descendants of faraway branches. Hence, their loyalty to the clan and family was high. Incorporating them into ones troops would be akin to planting a mine. This was also one of the reasons why captives in civil conflicts were sometimes massacred. But since the other party had surrendered and the battle had already ended, Qianye simply didnt have the heart to kill the ten thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, airships were considered luxury goods on Evernight Continent since their maintenance costs were colossal. Not only was there a shortage of technicians, the required parts would also have to be bought from the upper continents. The Dong familys airships were mostly freight ships, and they were also quite old. There was no use in keeping them, but it was also a pity to just abandon themit was quite the dilemma. Qianye thought about several methods to deal with them, but all he came up with was either not feasible or too wasteful. All in all, there wasnt a fully satisfactory solution to this. Song Zining waltzed in just as Qianye was busy with work. It seemed the injuries that had been worrying him had taken a turn for the better. After the two talked for a while, Song Zining came to understand the predicament Qianye was in. He then immediately ran over to the residence of the third young miss of the Chongyang Hou Family and asked to meet Sun Kaiyan. The Marquis of Chongyang and the Song clan were longtime friends. The moment he announced his identity, the personal guards immediately invited him through the doors, and a maid hurried over to bring him into the pavilion in the inner courtyard. Immediately after seeing him, Sun Kaiyan asked with a smile, Zining, long time no see. Is Mulan well? Song Zining replied with a laugh, Shes doing fine. You, on the other hand, have gotten even more beautiful during this time. Sun Kaiyan chuckled. What glibness! The maid beside her chimed in from Song Zinings side, Young Miss, Seventh Young Master isnt exaggerating at all! You probably dont know, but the eyes of the Zhou family and Tian Familys young masters were about to pop out after seeing you! Sun Kaiyan snorted. You cheeky lass. Watch how Ill tear your mouth apart in a while! That maid only giggled. Although she apologized politely, there wasnt the faintest trace of fear on her face. Sun Kaiyan said to Song Zining, Cant help it. This lass has gotten used to being rude since childhood. Zining, did you come here just to chat? Song Zining smiled faintly and proceeded straight to the point, Kai Yan, what do you think you should rely on to take the Marchionette position? The two had known each other for many years and shared a good relationship. She didnt really feel offended even though Song Zining had directly mentioned such private matters. She was, however, somewhat stumped by the question. She immediately sighed and said, How should I know? Wei Potian and I originally got along quite well, but now, theres an entire group of orioles and swallows around him. How can I ever catch him alone? Its not even possible to exchange a few words with him alone! Actually, Ive stopped thinking too much about this matter. Ill just take it as coming out on vacation. Could it be that you have some bright ideas? Song Zining had already planned for this in advance. Actually, the crux of this matter doesnt lie with Wei Potian and you, but on Marquis Chongyang. Sun Kaiyan was startled. Why do you say so? Song Zining smiled and said, This matter has already reached a stalemate. Even if you have methods to break the status quo, the others wont just sit idly by. All of this is because Marquis Bowang casually said as long as the youngsters are in love. The way to break this stalemate also lies with Marquis Wei. Sun Kaiyans brows were slightly knitted together but seemed to have realized something soon afterward. Both of us are very clear what the real significance of a marriage is. As such, only by having Marquis Chonyang negotiate with Marquis Bowang will you have any hope of sealing this deal. And during this process, your status and reputation in the clan are extremely important. The greater your weight, the more chips Marquis Sun will be willing to throw out, and the greater the chances of moving Marquis Bowang. Sun Kaiyan said with a frown, That may be so, but what should I do? Song Zining waved his folding fan and said, Actually, theres an opportunity right in front of us. The great battle just now ended in an unrestrained victory. Although the Sishui clan ranks on the lower end among the middle ranked nobility, dealing with an army that had mobilized in full force isnt that easy. This battle was a complete victory; the merits involved arent small and can be considered quite dazzling. Didnt you also climb the city walls to take part in this? If you can bring back some captives, it will be a proclamation of your military accomplishments. Everyone knows the number of guards you brought this time, and their ratio to the number of prisoners will serve as a measure of your accomplishment in peoples eyes. Sun Kaiyan felt a rush of excitement after hearing this. The Great Qin Empire had always given the most weight to military accomplishments, and the nobility werent an exception. All of these noble ladies were to be married into other families and wouldnt take part as a family successor. However, military accomplishments would definitely increase their status and resource quotas within the clan. But she hesitated for a moment and said, But the captives are all in Dark Flames hands. Song Zining laughed and said, Those captives are all private soldiers of the Sishui family and this is Evernight Continent. What use does Dark Flame have for them? They dont dare take these people into their ranks, and itll be quite the waste to sell them off as ordinary slaves. As long as you propose to buy these captives, Dark Flame Commander Qianye wont have any reason to refuse. Youre right! Ill go find him right away! Sun Kaiyan had a brisk temperament and did whatever came to mind. After saying goodbye to Song Zining, she ran toward Dark Flame headquarters with her maids and guards in tow. Earlier on, these noble ladies had thrown Dark Flame into chaos in order to besiege Wei Potian. The guards all recognized Sun Kaiyan and thus she was able to meet Qianye without any difficulty. She said as soon as she arrived, Commander Qian, I want to buy a batch of captives and also a couple of airships, those belonging to the Dong family. Qianye was just worrying about how to deal with this difficult situation when Sun Kaiyan came knocking at his door. How could he refuse such an offer? He immediately summoned Song Hu and opened the list of spoils, and the two parties began to negotiate. Sun Kaiyan didnt look through the thick stack of documents in detail. She only wanted numbers and a certain proportion of ordinary soldiers and officers. She paid no attention to specifics of who they were. When Qianye asked how many captives she needed, Sun Kaiyan replied, Five hundred, no, make it one thousand! This number astonished Qianye. The proportion of fighters in the Dong family private army was quite high, and it would require a force of sufficient scale in order to thoroughly incorporate all of them. But that was Sun Kaiyans own business and had nothing to do with him. Qianye, however, didnt know that Sun Kaiyan was thinking how the more she bought, the less other noble ladies would be able to buy. From the very beginning, she hadnt hoped to be able to hide this from the other young missesthe best way was to take drastic measures. After reaching an agreement, Sun Kaiyan had her followers bring out the payment immediately. That which she had brought along were high purity energy-grade black crystals, a currency that was welcome anywhere. After the big deal was concluded, Qianye left the rest to Song Hu and had him arrange for the Sun family people to go and pick out their captives. Blackflow City wasnt very big. The group of young misses had one eye on Wei Potian, and the other on each other. Before long, Sun Kaiyans movements had reached the noble ladies ears, and her reason for doing so was revealed within hours. It was unknown whether their clever advisors had figured it out or if someone had leaked this news. The many noble ladies who had been locked in a stalemate immediately found a glimmer of hope. They all realized that the key to obtaining the status of Marchioness Bowang actually lay with their families and clans, and the support from their clans would naturally depend on their own performance. Hence, all of them began to take action. Not long after Sun Kaiyan had left, Qianye replaced Wei Potians position and was surrounded by a group of noble ladies. The captives and old airships which had been distressing him all this time were robbed clean, and the noble ladies almost lost courteousness in a bid to get a bigger share. The difficult problem was placed back in the Dark Flame commanders hands. The share available to each of them was an issue of principles and prestigehe couldnt skimp on this. All of these noble ladies were of extraordinary backgrounds. There were three ladies whose fathers were only feudal lords, but despite their ranks being inferior to the aristocracy, they were either high ranking frontier officers with abundant troops under their command or possessed powerful connections. Otherwise, they wouldnt have had the confidence to send their daughters over to form a connection with Marquis Wei. The slightest mismanagement would make it impossible not to offend people. Qianye was still hesitating about this matter when one of them started to bid. This meant troublethe women gathered here were highly competitive. Who would be willing to fall behind? Within moments, they had drawn their daggers and raised the prices to exorbitant heights. Qianye saw that the situation was going out of hand and immediately shouted, Shut up, all of you!!!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 335: A Meeting Doth Not an Acquaintance Make [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye had used origin power with this shout and even caused the origin power in the surrounding air to vibrate. All the noble ladies were immediately shakentheir vision dimmed and they became dizzy. For a moment, they forgot to continue their bickering. The surrounding guards were all overwhelmed, and a number of powerful experts almost charged in directly by conditioned reflex. They exchanged a few secretive looks among themselves and seemed to have become much more guarded than before. Those who were able to become an aristocratic family guard captain were all outstanding individuals of their respective ranksthey clearly understood the implications of a fighter possessing champion-rank abilities. They were also familiar with the terrifying combat strength people like him, who drank blood from the blades edge, could display on the battlefield. The eyes of many a guard lit up after noticing that Qianye had sent all the young misses into a daze, but only enough to draw all attention onto himself. Qianye could be considered half a vampire and not many humans could surpass him in terms of external appearance. But, at the moment, Qianye only wanted to put an end to this troublesome business as quickly as possible. As such, he waved his hand and said, The captives will be divided equally and every family will get two airships! The price will be set according to the market price on Evernight Continent. This is final! Quite unexpectedly, Qianyes impolite and tyrannical demeanor didnt produce much backlash. Most of the noble ladies felt this wasnt a bad outcome, and the couple of them who werent quite satisfied only pouted. Qianye had settled this business with such difficulty, so how could he let them linger? He immediately pushed the troublesome group out amidst a loud commotion. Qianye only breathed a sigh of relief after the last noble lady had left; he was actually drenched in sweat. Communicating with this group of young misses was even more tiring than the martial examination. But the good thing was that the issue regarding the captives and armaments had been completely settled. It could be considered a major problem solved. The captives and airships were all sold at the current market price on Evernight Continent which, compared to the upper continents, was so cheap that it looked like a free gift. Those old airships, on the other hand, were much more expensive. But the price was nothing to these young misses and they didnt have any objection eitherthey could even be considered to have owed Qianye a small favor. Qianye had no way to sell all these at the market price were it not for these young misses. Spoils of war originating from the aristocracy had always been hot potatoes, and it wouldve been considered fair if he could sell them for sixty percent of the norm. Dark Flames coffers were filled with tens of thousands of gold coins in the blink of an eye. Indeed, murder and arson was the true hegemonic way toward fortune. After settling this business, Qianye began to consider matters regarding his westward campaign. The initial path had already been decided. The present issue was to decide where to stop and how to establish a new base of operations. Qianye spent an entire afternoon alone contemplating this matter, but there were a plethora of things to consider, and he was still left with countless unsolved issues. Establishing a permanent stronghold wasnt as simple as building a temporary camp. A kinetic tower was an absolute necessity and that, in and of itself, was a major project. Since there was a kinetic tower, there had to be a set of facilities, relevant equipment, and people to maintain it Qianyes mind was crammed in the blink of an eye. Night arrived in a flash. Qianye suddenly slapped his forehead and scolded himself for being dumb. Why would he need to fret about these things on his own? He immediately summoned a personal guard and instructed him to invite Zhao Yuying, Song Zining, and Wei Potian for dinner. The three arrived soon afterward. It seemed all of them were quite enthusiastic about food, especially since it was Qianyes treat. Zhao Yuying arrived first with a large barrel of wine in towit was half a persons height, and one could barely wrap his hands around it. Qianye wondered if Duke You would kick her out of the Zhao clan doors in anger if he saw her present state. He finally understood why she wasnt famous despite her outstanding strength. With such gangster-like behavior, she would immediately cause the Zhao clan to become a laughingstock if they brought her into the public. But Zhao Yuying paid no heed to other people''s opinion. She tossed the barrel onto the ground with great excitement and said while patting it, I finally found some good stuff! I really didnt expect to find good wine in such a poor remote city. After seeing the poverty-stricken state of your room, Ive reckoned that you wont have anything worth drinking. So, I went out and found some on my own. Qianye began to feel somewhat distressed and asked, Dare I ask how you found this barrel of wine? Zhao Yuying laughed mischievously and said, How else but to go through every house one by one. Rest assured, no one in this rundown place will find any traces of me! Qianye muttered just as I thought in his heart. Zhao Yuying had actually stolen a barrel of wine. As for which unfortunate fellow had received such a favor from her, there was no way to find out. Wei Potians boisterous laughter rang out from the door minutes after Zhao Yuying arrived. I finally have a reason to escape those women! Qianye, this daddy wont let you go tonight. We must go at it again, and this daddy will let you know how powerful he is! Theres no shortage of alcohol anyway! Zhao Yuyings countenance turned odd. She glanced at Qianye and asked, Is it that idiot? Qianye hadnt even replied when Wei Potian cried out from outside the door, Which bastard dares insult me? Come out here; this daddy here will beat you until youre black and blue! Zhao Yuying sneered after hearing this. Wei Potian arrived carrying two barrels of wine by himself and entered the room in large strides. Upon seeing Zhao Yuying, his mouth immediately opened wide and his jaw almost fell to the floor, unable to close it back. Why, why is it you? Zhao Yuying frowned. She sized up Wei Potian from head to toe and turned to Qianye only after a long while. Do I know this idiot? How should I know? Qianye shrugged. He made a wise decision not to wade into these muddy waters. Wei Potians expression immediately dimmed down as he said, That it seems we mightve met before. Where have we met before? How come I cant recall? Zhao Yuyings expression was somewhat impatient. Hey, brat. Are you trying to pick up girls like this? Your methods are so dumb that it wont even work on those young girls, and youre trying to use that on me? Let me tell you honestly, this mommy here is at least three or four years older than you. So, dont waste your breath! Wei Potians face became red and almost swollen. That wasnt my intention. Weve really met before! Zhao Yuying clearly didnt believe this and only sneered. It seemed she was ready to resort to violence. Qianye hurriedly stood between the two and blocked their lines of sight. He summoned Lil Seven and Nine with a loud voice and had them carry the wine barrels to the dining room. Afterward, he instructed the kitchen to serve a couple of cold dishes first. Lets go, lets go, the table has been laid. Lets eat first! Qianye had just distracted Zhao Yuying with great difficulty when he saw that Wei Potian was about to say something. Hence, he immediately dragged the latter away. At this moment, Wei Potian simply couldnt understand why she couldnt remember him despite having spent a long time together in his sickroom back then. Meanwhile, Qianye understood Zhao Yuying more than Wei Potian. He knew that this beauty usually had only one thing on her mind. She definitely had some other business when she ran over to the Far East Wei Clan that day, and the bedridden Wei Potian was probably no different from a piece of furniture. Naturally, she had completely forgotten. In the eyes of the Zhao clans younger generation members, those with even slightly weaker strength were mere background scenery that deserved to be ignored. It was so for Zhao Yuying, the same went for Zhao Jundu, and even the seemingly gentle Zhao Junhong was no exception. The three had just entered the dining room when numerous autumn leaves began to flutter in the room. Afterward, Song Zinings voice rang from outside the room, Were you guys planning to start the feast without waiting for me? Isnt that too unethical? Qianye let out a cold snort. Blue ripples began to emerge from his eye as he swept through the room with his gaze, causing the falling leaves to immediately disappear. Zhao Yuying was reaching toward a leaf and hadnt yet succeeded when it was dispersed into specks of light by Qianyes gaze. Only at this point did Song Zining realize that Zhao Yuying was also in the room. He immediately cried out in astonishment, Beautiful lady, please dont resort to violence! He only let out a sigh of relief after finding that Qianye had destroyed the leaves in advance. He no longer dared to play his mystifying tricks and directly jumped in through the window. The group was now full after Song Zinings arrival, but the atmosphere had become fairly odd. Qianye hadnt expected the three fellows would produce such a spectacle when put together. He decisively interrupted their spark-producing staredown and said, Lets go! Lets eat first! A steady stream of food and drinks were soon served. The four of them possessed outstanding strength as well as a similarly powerful appetite. As such, the dishes were cleaned out one by one with tempestuous momentum. Even Song Zining had discarded his elegance; he was eating quite voraciously and scrambled to grab food whenever a new plate was served. All of them, including Qianye, knew that the feast had just begun and the curtains hadnt yet been raised over the true battlethe three big barrels of wine were still sitting in the corner. If they didnt take this opportunity to fill themselves up and build up a foundation, they would definitely face a tragic fate later on. The three of them wiped out an entire ten portions of food before they felt remotely satisfied. Almost at the same time, everyone put down their chopsticks and glanced at each other with overflowing killing intent. Wei Potian was completely fearless, or it could also be said that he didnt know life from death. He laughed loudly and said, Whats the meaning of food without wine? Come, lets drink a bit. Zhao Yuying sneered, A bit? Naturally, we shan''t return until were drunk! Song Zining carefully put away his expensive fan and said calmly, Since everyone is so refined and elegant, then I shall face the peril without fear. Qianye was speechless. He stole a glance at the three barrels of wine and felt his confidence waning. Everyone here was intelligenteven the Wei clan heir was much smarter than ordinary people when he wasnt overexcited. All three of them sensed Qianyes lack of confidence and immediately began to pour the wine. Within moments, four big mugs of wine had been placed before each of them. Fragrance rushed at their noses as soon as the alcohol was poured. Qianyes forehead began to sweatall three large barrels were actually full of strong alcohol. Additionally, it was the richest type of aged wine. Qianye asked while wiping his brow, Why dont we ask the kitchen for a couple more dishes? Weve more or less eaten enough. Empty the cup first and well talk! Wei Potian raised his head and drained the container in one go. Now thats what Im talking about! Zhao Yuying praised and also emptied her own cup. Song Zining drank in small but unceasing mouthfuls and also emptied his share within moments. Only Qianye was left staring blankly at his cup. Moments later, he made a firm resolution and emptied it with great ferocity. Qianyes face immediately flushed red as the cup of aged wine entered his stomach. Very good! This is satisfying! One more round! Wei Potian simply stood up, held the barrel in his arms, and began filling everyones cups.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 336: Knock Them Down One by One [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] There was clearly something wrong with Qianyes expression after another round of emptying their cups. Haha, Qianye. Serves you right! I remember how you made me so miserably drunk back then. Today, the heavens will let you know that I, Wei Potian, am no longer the same person! Wei Potian was extremely unbridled and took little notice of the expressions on Song Zining and Zhao Yuyings faces. Song Zining was thinking this idiot, while Zhao Yuying immediately realized that Wei Potians capacity for alcohol wasnt all that great either. By the time they had finished the third round, Qianye was already swaying and seemingly about to collapse. Additionally, his mood was fluctuating quite a bit, and he seemed particularly excited both in terms of expression and words spoken. It was obvious that he had drunk more than he should. This time, even Zhao Yuying became interestedshe dragged Qianye over and emptied three cups with him in quick succession, hoping to bring him down. But Zhao Yuying herself began to feel somewhat dizzy after three cups, while Qianye was still hanging in there on the verge of collapse. Zhao Yuying felt that this was normal. According to her understanding, combat strength equaled to alcohol capacity. Since Qianye possessed such great strength in battle, how could he collapse so easily? She had just wanted to continue another three rounds when Song Zining suddenly arrived to challenge her to a few cups of wine and discuss the matter of that leaf. How could Zhao Yuying fear Song Zining? She immediately emptied three cups with him and began to debate the grudges from back then. However, both parties naturally began claiming they were right, and very soon, they had turned back to drinking once again. Thus, a chaotic four-way battle ensued. Meanwhile, Qianye was already wobbling quite badly since the very beginning of this war. As they kept drinking on and on, Wei Potian grabbed Song Zinings collar and said angrily, Hey sissy, I know its your rotten idea that made those women come and pester me to drink every day! I wont forget this matter so easily! Clang! Song Zining smashed his cup toward Wei Potians face and sneered, So what? Empty three cups first if youre not satisfied. Whats with all the nonsense? Youre just like a woman! Zhao Yuying moved before Song Zining and laughed coldly, What is this about women? Song Zinings expression was the samehe pushed the cup toward her face and said, Nothing. Three cups to dissolve all grudges and enmity? Deal! It was currently a battle between the three kingdoms while Qianye wobbled quietly to one side. It was unknown how long they had been drinking. Even Qianye himself could only vaguely remember that he had drunk quite a bit, to speak nothing of the other three. After a while, Wei Potian pulled Song Zining over and lisped, Although I dont like you that much, I really must admit that youre a tiny bit stronger than other people. Only a little bit though! Song Zining slapped Wei Potians hand away and said in annoyance, Stop touching me. How can I be only a little bit stronger than other people? Let me tell you the truth. Just my fan alone hic is enough to trade a dozen such ladies! Song Zinings expression was calm and his movements steady, but it just so happened that the direction he had pointed at was toward Zhao Yuying. Song Zining pointed at her without much thought since there was only that single beautiful lady at the table, and the only other choice would be Qianye. Huh? A dozen women like me? Zhao Yuyings eyes immediately lit up. Qianye understood Song Zining very well and knew that the latter had already drunk too much; his eyes were already muddled despite seemingly normal on the outside. As expected, Song Zining only glanced once at Zhao Yuying and nodded. This lady is not bad! Quite good in fact! A dozen really was too exaggerated, but my fan is worth at least eight of them. Zhao Yuyings mood eased up a bit after hearing the first half of the sentence, but she turned completely green after hearing the follow-up words. Sitting quietly to one side, Qianye felt an inexplicable thought arise in his heart. Zining is about to suffer. Zhao Yuying grabbed a cup of wine, took a small sip, and pursed her lips. It seemed she was planning to feed Song Zining mouth to mouth! Song Zining immediately puffed his chest out and raised his head in a heroic and altruistic posture. Meanwhile, Wei Potians mouth was opening wider and wider. The alcohol-induced redness on his face receded thoroughly, and his countenance was now fluctuating between white and blue. His right hand had tightened into a fist and his joints were beginning to crackle. Zhao Yuying acted like flame and fireshe lifted Song Zining up directly and moved closer to his face. Their faces were now so close that they could hear each others breathing. Qianye supported his head with one hand and looked on calmly. Song Zining was definitely about to suffer soon. As expected, Zhao Yuying suddenly grasped Song Zinings neck and pressed him onto the table. Zhao Yuyings strength was about the same as Qianyeshow could the Song Seventh Young Master resist? She tightened her left hand and caused Song Zining to open his mouth involuntarily. Afterward, she grabbed a full cup of wine and poured it down Song Zinings throat. This was just the beginningZhao Yuying continued to pour a whole five or six cups before releasing her hand. Song Zining immediately fell kneeling on the floor and began to cough violently. This wine was fairly strong, and he had been made to chug with great ferocity. He really couldnt endure such a devastating blow no matter how good his alcohol capacity was. Zhao Yuying slapped Song Zinings back and laughed in an unbridled manner. Ha! This mother here can handle tender birds like you all day. With that, she reached out to squish Song Zinings face and said while clicking her tongue, Your flesh seems quite fresh and delicate. You might be able to exchange a couple of moves with me if your face were thicker, but now, youre just too inexperienced! Wei Potian couldnt help but slap the table and cry out in approval. Song Zinings face flushed red from the insuppressible tipsiness. He had lost control under the anger and embarrassment, causing the intoxication to rush up to his head. He fell down on the spot and directly collapsed under the table. On the other side, Wei Potian finally saw Song Zining collapse. He relaxed after trying his utmost to hold on for so long, and within moments, he too fell to the floor and started snoring. At this moment, Zhao Yuying looked around and found that only Qianye remained among her opponents. Moreover, he was already on the verge of collapse. She wanted to sneer at first but suddenly recalled that Qianye had been wobbling in this manner since the very beginning. How come he hadnt collapsed yet? Zhao Yuying immediately became interested. She poured two more cups and stuffed one into Qianyes hands. She then sat down beside him and, quite naturally, placed her right hand over his shoulders as though she were a hedonistic son taking liberties with an innocent lady. Qianye removed her arm and wanted to move to the side, but Zhao Yuying was immediately displeased. Whats the big deal? I even helped you bathe when you just arrived at the Zhao clan as a kid. Whats there left to see? Right, Little Four was one year older than you. He insisted on carrying you away and everyone fell rolling onto the floor. Haha! Qianye was startled and even sobered up for a split second. He had thought Zhao Yuying was just speaking nonsense during the first part of the sentence, but the second part made his heart throb intensively, and he couldnt tell whether it was due to pain or bitterness. Enough with the nonsense. Come! Drink! Zhao Yuyings hand had slapped over with great strength. Qianye felt helpless. He wiped away the lingering sentiments and accompanied Zhao Yuying in drinking one cup after another. He wobbled and swayed, but kept on drinking until, at one point, he heard a loud thud. Zhao Yuying had collapsed. Qianye sat silently for a moment before he realized that he was the only one left. He let out a sighit seemed he was always the only one left every time they competed seriously in alcohol, and that was since Yellow Springs. At this moment, Qianye recalled that his original intention for calling them over was to ask for their opinion regarding the westward campaign. The western expansion was a major gambitsuccess would allow them to open up a new territory and mold out a completely different power structure, while failure would mean a great loss in their power which would take a long time to recover. Qianye looked around and discovered that the three whom he had hoped to discuss big things with were all collapsed on the floor like dead pigs, emitting a continuous stream of intoxicated sounds. It seemed there was no way to wake them up without resorting to extreme measures. Although Qianye was still feeling dizzy, he knew that he would be consigned to eternal damnation the next day if he were to use these extreme methods on them. It would be impossible to endure a combined attack from Wei Potian, Song Zining, and Zhao Yuying even if he had two Wings of Inception. Qianye rubbed his aching temples. His original plan was merely to treat them to dinner and discuss the westward campaign. How did it turn into a contest of alcohol? These three fellows were all fierce characters who could hold up a part of the sky. For instance, Zhao Yuyings combat strength was capable of killing the enemy leader among ten thousand troops. But together, they did nothing but undermine one another and produce a big mess without accomplishing anything. Qianye suddenly felt an anger rush up from the depths of his heart as he roared, We march west in three days. Its decided! But the three only responded with their thunderous snores. At this moment, it was already two in the morning; the guards and maids had long since been instructed to retire. One would have to cross the wide drill grounds in order to reach Dark Flames guest residences, and there were only two guest rooms on this side of the building where the high-ranking officers lived. Qianye glanced at the three and decided to set about the task himself. Zhao Yuying naturally had to be given a single room. After tossing her onto the bed, Qianye suddenly felt that this decision wasnt to protect her, but, instead, to avoid misfortunate befalling anyone else. Then came Song Zining and Wei PotianQianye dragged each of them in one hand and tossed them into the same bed in the same room. As for how they would react after waking up, that wasnt Qianyes concern. Things were unexpectedly calm the next day. All three of them woke up early and even had breakfast with Qianye. Both Song Zining and Wei Potian conversed cheerfully with typical aristocratic elegance. Zhao Yuying also became quite lady-like this morning and didnt even once address herself as this mommy. Qianye found this ambiance to be fairly odd, but their gazes toward him were even more peculiar. He calmly told them of his intentions to expand westward and didnt receive any objections from them at all. Unexpectedly, no one said anything unnecessary either, and breakfast ended with an oddly harmonious atmosphere. No one mentioned the matters from last night. Before they dispersed, Wei Potian solicitously ran over to Zhao Yuyings side and asked her what her origin handheld cannon was called, claiming that there was no way such a powerful grade-seven weapon would be nameless. As expected, Zhao Yuying spat out an extremely tyrannical name: Mountain Splitter. After breakfast, the four came to the war room to listen to Qianyes plans for the westward campaign. The march from Blackflow City to the predetermined destination would pass through the territories of four dark race viscounts. There were also many settlements, big and small, along the way. If it were up to Song Zining, he would have likely brought out a splendid strategy utilizing an entire array of direct attacks, hidden ambushes, charging, and surrounding. Strategies like attacking the enemy base to relieve a siege and besieging a city to wipe out incoming reinforcements were simple matters to him. Qianyes plans were much simplerknock them down one after another!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 337: Melted Ice [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] As expected, this plan received full approval from Wei Potian and Zhao Yuying, but was firmly opposed by Song Zining. The plan successfully passed with a three to one vote. Additionally, Qianye had no intention to go into details with them because, even if they knew, their intelligence would sharply decline when they were together. Qianye planned to scout the dark race territory himself before their formal advance toward the west. He wanted to see if there was any change in the military intelligence he had previously received. The objective of this trip was the Silverflow Fjord, a natural barrier at the bend of a big river formed by precipitous cliffs. These cliffs were hundreds of meters tall, and from atop them, one could see dozens of kilometers toward the other bank. As long as he could ship heavy cannons up there, he could construct an effective network of defense. The dark races had already built a settlement at the summit, but the garrisoned forces werent very powerful. Everyone felt uneasy letting Qianye go alone. Apart from Wei Potian who simply couldnt extricate himself, Song Zining and Zhao Yuying both wanted to go along with him. However, their notions were declined since even Zhao Yuying was far inferior to Qianye in terms of scouting and fighting in the wilderness. It was safer for him to go alone. In truth, Qianye also had another destination which he couldnt tell them. The werewolf tribes William had mentioned were also near their westward route, and Qianye planned to check them out in passing. He hadnt even decided whether or not he should tell Song Zining of this matter. During the following days, Qianye was kept busy organizing his baggage and arranging the affairs of the mercenary corps. Upon arriving at the motorcycle garage, he found many people were moving in and out to instal a kinetic pipeline. Deafening sounds of machinery rang out continuously from within the garage. Qianye was somewhat astonished as he walked in with large strides. This was a small garage used by a number of Dark Flame higher-ups, and most of the vehicles within were two-wheeled motorcycles or light jeeps. The building was normally closed to the public, and only people like Qianye and Song Hu would come here when they needed a means of transport. How come there were so many people here all of a sudden? He saw a familiar figure the moment he entered: Zhao Yuying. Despite wearing a workers uniform and a sturdy boot, her flamboyant beauty allowed her to be recognized almost immediately. At this moment, Zhao Yuying was together with an elderly man and seemed to be gesturing at some blueprints. The ten-odd workers near them were hurriedly adjusting a massive lathe, while numerous others were carrying the core components of a small pressing machine toward their designated positions. Qianye recognized the man beside Zhao Yuying as Dark Flames chief engineer in charge of the maintenance and modification of various combat vehicles. Afterward, the engineer walked to the side with the blueprint and began to study it with his assistants. Meanwhile, Zhao Yuying picked up a box of components and walked toward a half-dismantled two-wheeler. The workers were almost petrified. The box of components was almost a square meter in size and weighed at least a ton. Normally, it would have to be dragged with a pulley block or moved by numerous strong men. They had never expected Zhao Yuying would actually lift it up with a single hand as though it were a lunchbox. She crouched down near the motorcycle and began to personally remodel it. Qianye quietly arrived near her and watched attentively. She apparently possessed a great understanding of the motorcycle''s compositionshe easily unloaded the engine in just a few adept moves and began to adjust the chassis. This process demonstrated Zhao Yuyings strength as a champion. Dark purple origin power gushed out from her hand and turned into light blue flames by means of an unknown secret technique. After softening the chassis with heat, she used her bare hands to turn and pinch certain parts into a completely different shape. She followed this pattern and adjusted numerous parts in succession. Presently, the vehicle framework had completely changed and could now fit an engine that was two sizes bigger. This entire process took her less than ten minutes. I really didnt think you would know how to modify motorcycles, said Qianye. With a screw in her mouth, Zhao Yuying replied disdainfully, Dont think that clan disciples only know how to cultivate and make merry. Anything can happen on the battlefield. Dont tell me I have to wait for an engineer when a weapon breaks down? Ordinary engineers arent your match. Qianyes words came from the bottom of his heart. The origin flame and the ability to modify parts with her bare hands were virtually impossible to manifest for anyone below the champion level. Thats a given! You should know who this mommy is! Zhao Yuying had no idea what modesty was. But is it really useful for you to learn these things? Qianye had some doubts. Disregarding the time it would take to master machinery, one would still have to save valuable origin power to kill enemies on the battlefieldmotorcycles, cars, and even heavy cannons were relatively expendable. Zhao Yuying pulled out an engine from the component crate and began to install it. Of course there is, but its primary use isnt in land battles. Instead, its most useful on battleships and interstellar airships. Just think about it, how can there be any place for you to land and repair if a malfunction occurs while in space? Qianye suddenly understood. Zhao Yuying snorted and said, I just know at a glance that youre a country bumpkin whos never taken part in an aerial battle! Qianye had indeed never participated in a large-scale air battle. Red Scorpion was a special operations elite unit specializing in surprise attacks, and their battles were mainly fought on the ground. The most advanced battleship he had ever boarded was merely a light corvette. Zhao Yuying added, A battle between airship fleets is completely different from ground battles. There, even champions might not have the ability to protect themselves. You have no experience in this, so its best you dont get involved in such battles, lest you become a cannon fodder. Ill take you to the frontlines for a few battles when the opportunity presents itself in the future. Just follow elder sister around and you definitely wont lose out! Although Zhao Yuyings language was quite offensive, her last words caused an inexplicable feeling to well up in Qianyes heart. The Zhao clan members put no one in their eyes and viewed the weak as dirt. But one would find a completely different side to them after receiving their recognition. A pride of lions would only allow another lion to join themwild wolves that approached them would immediately become food. As he interacted more deeply with them, Qianye found, to his great alarm, that the sturdiest corners of his heart were actually showing signs of melting. The anger and pain he felt when occasionally recalling the past seemed to be weakening progressively. Zhao Yuying had prepared this motorcycle especially for Qianye, but he only felt its benefits after entering the wilderness. Its rear end had been fitted with a luggage frameon one side was a large bag full of various supplies for use in the wilderness, while the other had East Peak. The motorcycle still had the horsepower to spare even while carrying such weight. Qianye felt that it wouldnt be a problem even if he had to carry another East Peak. This level of output had even exceeded many of the light-armored vehicles. Qianye jumped off the motorcycle after traveling a certain distance from Blackflow City and put away the bag and sword into Andruils Mysterious Realm. There were even more ammunition and supplies sitting in there. The motorcycle immediately recovered its full vitality after East Peak was put away. The motorcycle, with its special mufflers, only produced a light hum as Qianye rode through the wilderness, but its speed had already exceeded 100 kilometers per hour. The sound of the wheels grinding against the ground was fairly insignificant since even nocturnal beasts would produce louder sounds when they ran. The only problem was the shock absorption. The specially modified system could allow him to ride at greater speeds over rough terrain, however, it posed strict requirements on the drivers physical attributes. Qianye felt that any other person below the champion level would be seeing stars and vomiting uncontrollably if they rode as fast as he did. This was simply a transportation tool designed for champions. Qianyes eyes fell on the engine cover, on which the head portrait of a beautiful lady with a ridiculous cigar in her mouth and a flamboyant expression on her face was painted. Her eyes, brows, and temperament bore a striking resemblance to Zhao Yuying herself. Qianye hadnt expected Zhao Yuying to play such a move. A faint smile emerged on Qianyes face as he looked at this wild and reckless portrait. Evernight was no longer that dark and lonely with these people around. The motorcycle rushed toward the west and left Blackflow Citys scope of control after about a hundred kilometers. The rapidly flowing Blackwater River could be seen far in the distance. At this point, he was formally in grey territory where both dark races and humans operated. However, the enemies here werent limited to the enemy faction alone. Any life form one encountered in this lawless place could very well be an enemy. Qianye adjusted his direction and traveled west along the river, arriving at an uneven mountainous region after traveling a short distance. It was here that the Blackwater River would make a sharp turn toward the north. Qianye, on the other hand, turned into the mountains to scout for dark race settlements and the distribution of their towns and cities. Along the way, he encountered numerous human hunters and adventurers moving in small groups. All of them were astonished after seeing Qianyes speed. Qianye paid them no mind and just passed by from a distance. In the wilderness, the distinction between friend and foe could change with a mere thought. Sometimes, those of the same race would prove to be even more dangerous than the dark races. Qianye wasnt afraid of anyone but was merely too lazy to waste time on them. He also didnt want to draw his gun on a human unless it was necessary. Just as he was about to cross over the dark race borders, numerous streams of smoke began to appear at a distance. Qianyes extraordinary vision allowed him to see three hill spider model light jeeps driving over against the wind, each occupied by three or four adventurers. Most of them were wearing leather armor and had tattoos on their face and bodies. There were also metallic rings pierced through their ears, noses, and even their lips. Such adventurers were one of the most dangerous groups in the wilderness. They had completely no fear of death and even dared launch attacks on dark race settlements and the expeditionary army convoys when they were in a frenzy. They were known as the Carrion Vultures. For a piece of rotten meat, or even just for the excitement of walking the line between life and death, they would act with recklessness and without the slightest bit of apprehension. Qianye slightly changed the direction of his motorcycle to avoid meeting them head-on. At the same time, he raised the throttle to the maximum and suddenly accelerated. He was prepared to bypass the trouble coming in from the front. On the leading car, a woman with her lips painted black was staring fixedly at Qianye. Her eyes suddenly lit up and said, Sand Snake, somethings not quite right with that brats motorcycle! The bald and burly man known as Sand Snake had a sinister snake tattoo on the top and back of his head. The corners of his eyes twitched as he cast a glance at Qianye. Goddammit! What high-quality goods!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 338: Internal Strife [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Stop him! The woman became excited. She clambered onto the steel rack atop the car and shouted loudly toward Qianye. At the same time, she began to fire toward the sky with the assault rifle in her hand. Qianyes expression was cold. He had no intention to pay them any heed and completely ignored the womans show of force. He accelerated once more and caused the engine to emit a bewitching clamor as he sped into the distance. Sand Snake ordered the jeep to make a sharp turn and chase after Qianye. At the same time, he brought out a large bore sniper rifle, took aim, and fired at Qianyes back. This was a gunpowder rifle, but it possessed such firepower that a solid hit was enough to kill ordinary fighters immediately. Sand Snake was aiming for his life! Qianye having no intention to invite trouble didnt mean he would tolerate anyone trying to kill him. He pulled on the throttle and raised the output to the max, turning the docile motorcycle into a wild monster. Its engine rumbled as the vehicle drew a wide arc amidst the flying dust and charged toward the incoming jeep. It was unknown when a sniper rifle had appeared in Qianyes hand. He held the gun with one hand and aimed the long, cold barrel at the jeep as the origin patterns lit up rapidly. The woman on the car had sharp eyes and good knowledge. She immediately became flustered after seeing the gun in Qianyes hands and screamed, Eagleshot! Thats an Eagleshot, turn around! Turn back! No! Charge over and suppress him with gunfire! Sand Snake roared. The jeep suddenly sped up and rushed toward Qianye like a wild horse. Qianyes right hand on the gun was rock-steady as he pulled on the trigger. The Eagleshots unique timber echoed across the wilderness. The jeep windshield shattered into countless crystalline fragments, and in the front passenger seat, Sand Snakes head was nowhere to be found; only a headless upright corpse remained. The woman began to scream hysterically. The shocked driver spun the steering wheel subconsciously and caused the vehicle to spin around uncontrollably in the wilderness. The Eagleshot rang out once again and the jeeps engine exploded violently, blasting the remaining passengers into the air. Soon, the burning hot metallic fragments swept through and tore those Carrion Vultures apart like a hot knife through butter. Qianye was still sitting firmly on the motorcycle with the Eagleshot in one hand. His expression was calm, and not a single fluctuation could be seen in his eyes as he slowly raised the muzzle toward the other two jeeps. The two vehicles made rapid turns and accelerated frantically in a bid to escape with their lives. Qianye wasnt interested in chasing after them. He put away the Eagleshot into Andruils Mysterious Realm and swung the motorcycle around to resume his journey. Sand Snake had made a fatal mistakehe thought that a powerful weapon like the Eagleshot required a proper positioning to fire. He felt that not only would Qianye surely miss if he fired from a single hand, but he would also harm himself in the process. That was why he had ordered his men to charge. He wanted to draw close before the other party had time to take proper aim. In Sand Snakes eyes, whoever used the Eagleshot must be a sniper. And no matter how powerful a sniper might be in close combat, it was impossible for him to outfight these Carrion Vultures that roamed through the wilderness. Moreover, he was all alone. But there were always accidents in this worldSand Snake would have never imagined that the Eagleshot had long since become a single-handed weapon for Qianye. The only reason he had brought this weapon along was because he was extremely familiar with it. With his current strength, not only could he use it with one hand, but he could also fire over ten shots in one go with power left to spare. The Eagleshot was much more practical against weaker enemies compared to a grade-five weapon. Qianye also encountered some groups of dark race warriors along the way. They possessed comparatively sharper senses and were able to detect, albeit vaguely, the dangerous blood energy and suppressive might brought about by the difference in rank. As such, all of them stayed away from him. Qianye got down from the motorcycle after entering dark race territory and stored the big fellow into Andruils Mysterious Realm. The small space was immediately stuffed quite full. Qianye changed into a light armor for convenient movement, then equipped himself with the Twin Flowers and Scarlet Edge. He then left the main road and made his way through the mountains toward the first dark race settlement on his map. According to reports, this settlement housed a number of arachne and hundreds of servspiders. Qianye observed from a thousand meters away and confirmed the situation of the settlement. He then wrote an arachne-3 on the map and rushed toward the next settlement. This settlement could be considered a strategic location for transportation and, as such, was of a bigger scale. Qianye was much more cautious this time and climbed atop a small hill a thousand meters away. With his superior eyesight, he was able to observe the general situation within the settlement even at such a distance. There were over a thousand dark race citizens here and it could even be considered a small town. After surveying the place, Qianye marked out a mixed-6 on the map. This was the common marking method used by the imperial military. The characters before the number indicated the primary race living in the settlement, while the number indicated the grade. Dark race cities were classified into many grades according to their size, troop strength, and defenses. The larger the number, the more powerful the city. For instance, the main vampire camp on Twilight Continent was a gigantic city as high as grade-twenty. No one, however, had assessed the dark councils headquarters before because no human had ever set foot in there up to this day. In this manner, Qianye kept on probing deeper into enemy territory, covering hundreds of kilometers and a dozen-odd settlements in one day and night. Most of them were minor settlements grade-three and below; only two of them were small towns. There was also a castle belonging to a viscount. The combined forces in all of the places he had surveyed could equal an imperial regular army division. These troops, however, were scattered in many places, and he could break through them one by one as long as he was fast enough with the offensive. However, the biggest obstruction, in the end, was at the fjord. Qianye would have to face the wrath of an arachne count if he wanted to build a city there. The latters city was no more than a hundred kilometers away, and it was almost equal to breaking ground at his door. War was inevitable. However, Qianye still chose this place because this arachne counts strength was the weakest compared to the others within a hundred kilometers. His rank was the lowest among the counts despite having lived for a couple hundred years. He was already at the end of the road in terms of dark race lifespan, and his strength was gradually declining. Reportedly, his strength was more or less equal to Brahms. The most important part was that there were no strong descendants in his tribe. Qianye planned to sneak into the enemy counts territory and finish his reconnaissance before returning to Blackflow City. With his current strength, he could handle it even if he encountered a number of dark race patrols. However, Qianyes primary goal was to gather intel, and as such, he resisted the urge to attack even though his essence blood had long since run dry. On the third day after entering dark race territory, the majestic and beautiful fjord entered Qianyes vision. The blue water surface below was like a pristine green gem, and the granite mountaintop was where he had planned to build his city. The arachne counts territory lay just beyond this fjord. It was at this time that Qianyes heart skipped a beat. He quickly leapt onto an ancient tree, retracted his aura, and hid himself in the crown. A werewolf appeared in the distance and was running at full speed toward Qianyes position. This werewolf had already transformedhe possessed a coat of dark glossy hair, but there were injuries all over his body. There was a bone-deep wound almost a meter long extending along his back. Additionally, the flesh around it had been mangled up and without the slightest sign of healing on its own. It seemed even the werewolfs powerful regenerative abilities had lost their effect. Qianye scanned the place with his True Sight and found that the werewolfs darkness origin power was extremely pure, far surpassing that of ordinary werewolves. Reaching such purity before the viscount level was a clear indication that he was an extremely talented character in this tribe. Such a werewolf should possess the strength of a baron, but the injuries were causing him to stagger even as he ran. It was unlikely for him to even beat an esquire in this state. He rushed all the way to the tree where Qianye was hiding and fell down all of a suddenhis body was spasming and he couldnt clamber up for the moment. The injuries on his body had opened up, and fresh blood almost seemed to be gushing out. A dozen or so figures rustled through the distant forest and approached quietly. Qianye squinted his eyes. These were all vampires and they werent weak at all. The leader was decorated with a ribbon denoting his status as a rank-three viscount. However, Qianyes True Sight showed that his darkness origin power purity wasnt below that of the injured werewolf. Among the vampires he had ever encountered, only viscounts from the twelve ancient clans possessed such strength. It seemed the werewolf was being hunted down by these vampires. Qianye still kept his aura retracted, but he had already produced two Mithril Bullets of Exorcism in his right hand and quietly loaded them into the Twin Flowers. Origin bullets instilled with Qianyes blood energy served as devastating weapons against vampires, and it was indeed quite a waste to use up two Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. He didnt even want to use them if not for the large number of vampires that had appeared. However, the internal conflict between dark races was of no importance to Qianye, and he had no intention to take action as long as they didnt get him involved. Qianye continued observing the development after he had completed the necessary preparations. That viscount walked over toward the collapsed werewolf and said, You run quite fast, I must say. You actually managed to escape thousands of kilometers, but now it seems you can run no more. Schiller, I heard you were taken in by the Summit of Peaks and have become so arrogant that you dont even put our twelve vampire clans in your eyes. Did you ever think youll suffer such a fate? The young werewolf could no longer maintain his fighting posture and had turned back into human form. He propped himself up with great difficulty, leaned against the tree trunk, and glared furiously at the vampire viscount. That matter will be known sooner or later even if you kill me here. Duras, you cant hide it from everyone! All of you will die once this thing gets out! So what? Even the Evernight Council will value our holy child when he succeeds in this endeavor. Who else will dare interfere? Duras sneered.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 339: Youth from the Summit of Peaks [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The werewolfs chest rapidly rose and fell, but each violent breath caused more blood to flow out of his injuries. He said with great difficulty, The Summit of Peaks wont let you have your way! Duras laughed out loud. How will the Summit of Peaks ever know if I kill you now? You stinking dogs never use your brains, haha! He walked toward the young werewolf Schiller, pointed his blade at the latters chest, and said coldly, You really know too much and even saw some things you should have never seen. Now, die! But just as Duras was about to pierce down with his sword, he felt a feeling of inexplicable danger. At the moment of life and death, he could only do his utmost to move his body and leap to one side. However, he felt his lower back burn as his entire body flew out as though it had been smashed by a heavy hammer. All he managed to do was let out an anguished cry. Another speck of silver light appeared in the air and caught up to Duras in the blink of an eye. The vampire viscount could not even scream this time as the bullet entered his abdomen and burned a fist-sized hole through him. The size of the wound was only a minor issue. The wounded area, however, felt as if it were burning, and the pain it brought about was unusually severe. Duras was immediately shocked out of his wits because this was a sign of mithril entering the body. With his strength, the two injuries he had received just now werent lethal despite being quite serious, but he would die without a doubt if mithril had gone into the wound. Even someone born of the twelve great vampire clans like Duras was at his last breath after being shot in two vital areas with Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. The other vampires were completely caught off-guardthe calamity had struck too abruptly, and only after Duras had been shot twice did they look up at the crown of the tree where the two Mithril Bullets of Exorcism had been fired from. Qianye had already leapt backward and landed behind the tree by the time the vampires looked up. At this moment, two vampires ran toward Duras, while the rest charged toward the big tree. A number of them jumped up mid-way, drew their vampire longswords, and hacked toward the crown of the tree. Qianye flashed out from behind the tree. The Twin Flowers rumbled continuously as he fired off four continuous shots. Four vampires collapsed amidst miserable screams, either dead or on the verge of demise. After firing four continuous shots, Qianye put away the Twin Flowers, drew his Scarlet Edge, and pounced directly towards the closest vampire warrior. The latter had just reached rank-six and couldnt even take a single move from Qianye. The Scarlet Blade trailed a vaguely discernible shadow as it pierced swiftly through the vampires heart. After a successful strike, Qianye immediately pulled out the blade and turned toward another vampire. This one was a blood esquire. He had long since drawn his sword in a vigorous stance and immediately thrust forward after seeing Qianye charge toward him. The presence of his sword intent was fairly stern, indeed the style of an ancient clan. However, Qianye deflected it with a wave of his bare left hand and smashed his face ruthlessly! The blood esquires entire face caved in under Qianyes viscount-level power and immediately collapsed on the ground. At this time, a series of sanguineous light exploded on Qianyes body as he was bombarded by numerous origin bullets. But the high-ranking vampires had already been wiped out completely, and the remainder were all warriors below blood esquire rank. With Qianyes defenses and powerful constitution, even taking direct hits would merely result in some minor injuries. Qianye grabbed a six-barrelled Vulcan rotary cannon from Andruils Mysterious Realm, and a blue light emerged within his eyes. Wherever his gaze fell, low-level vampires would feel their hearts wracked with extreme agony as their movements turned sluggish. The Vulcan cannon in his hand roared madly amidst a tempest of whistling metal, mowing down all the vampire warriors one by one. The Vulcan cannon in Qianyes hand was an outstanding remodeled weapon that used special high-caliber ammunition. It possessed extreme firepower at close range and was lethal to these blood esquires. As a gunpowder weapon, it could be used without limitation as long as one had enough ammunition and served as a great killer weapon in chaotic fights. Presently, ammunition was no longer a problem since Qianye possessed Andruils Mysterious Realm. Thus, Qianye had brought along a fair number of gunpowder weapons this time in order to deal with cannon fodder like servspiders, wargs, and blood thralls. There was no longer a single standing vampire in Qianyes sight by the time the Vulcan cannon stopped rumbling. He drew his Scarlet Edge once again and walked around the battlefield stabbing through all their hearts regardless of whether they were dead or alive. On one hand, this action was to remove any potential trouble, while on the other, it aimed to absorb some essence blood in passing. The warm flow rushing up through the Scarlet Edge made Qianye feel fairly comfortable. All these vampires came from an ancient clan and possessed purer blood energy compared to those of minor clans, even if their ranks were the same. In terms of efficacy, absorbing the blood of a baron from the twelve great clans was better than drawing the blood of a viscount from a small clan. Qianye finally arrived before Duras after taking a trip around the battlefield. This third-rank viscount glared at Qianye with intense hatred and said through gritted teeth, You will suffer the full retaliation of our clan! You and your entire family! Im truly sorry, but thats impossible. With that, he pierced through Duras blood core with the Scarlet Edge. Vast amounts of essence blood streamed continuously into Qianyes body. Sensing his essence blood flowing out, Duras glared fixedly at Qianye and said in a trembling voice, Impossible! Youre also of sacred blood. But he never finished this sentenceQianye gazed coldly at him and suddenly accelerated the absorption rate. Duras blood core rapidly shriveled up and then cracked open like an air-dried fruit. Qianye didnt have the habit of wasting words with dying enemies, especially when he was in dark race territory. Qianye gradually withdrew his blade; there was only a faint, cold gleam on its edge and not a single trace of blood. Qianye sheathed the dagger and searched through Duras body, but found nothing special apart from standard equipment. As such, he walked toward the young werewolf. Schiller had long since returned to human form and was leaning against the tree. His countenance was deathly pale as he stared cautiously at Qianye. He was emitting a series of threatening growls from his throat, but there was an uncontrollable sense of alarm in his eyes. This curly brown-haired youths face still possessed a trace of childishness, and just like William, he had a totem tattoo of a mountain range on the side of his neck. It seemed he was only a big boy but already possessed the strength of a baron. This improved Qianyes evaluation of him by another level. Qianye tossed the Vulcan onto the ground. He then lighted a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and asked, Youre called Schiller? Can you still fight? The werewolf youth didnt reply. He subconsciously edged backward in an attempt to distance himself from Qianye. The vampire squad that had been chasing after him all this time had lasted no more than a few minutes in this persons hands. The young werewolf had never seen such accurate grasp of timing, ruthless attacks, and powerful combat strength. Even the elders from his tribe wouldnt be able to perform such an efficient and accurate massacre despite their higher cultivation. Humans were the common enemy of all dark races. Although the internal strife within the Evernight faction oftentimes exceeded their hatred of the human race, Qianye was no different from Duras in the young werewolfs eyes. All of them were enemies. Qianye laughed after seeing the werewolf youths alarmed and cautious expression. He pointed toward the cigarette in his hands and asked, Do you want one? The werewolf slowly shook his head, not daring to take his eyes off Qianye. Theres no need to be afraid of me. Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when the werewolf shot out like lightning, rolled over to grab the Vulcan cannon, and aimed it at Qianye. Let me go. This was the first time he had spoken on his own. Qianye smiled and pointed at the Vulcan cannon. Do you think that thing is useful against me? The werewolfs gaze flitted across the injuries on Qianyes body. The latter had taken at least half a dozen straight hits from the vampire warriors origin guns, and, through the large holes on Qianyes protective armor, he could see that the wounds had already closed, leaving behind only faint traces of blood. Even if the wounds hadnt closed, they were fairly small and shallowminor injuries at most. There was probably little the Vulcan cannon could do against Qianye if even a grade-three vampire origin gun had only left such light injuries. Moreover, Qianyes movements just now were lightning fast; perhaps his head would be taken first even before he had finished pulling on the trigger. The werewolf youth waved the weapon with an obstinate expression and shouted, Let me go! Qianye took out Williams metallic token and waved it in front of the werewolf youth. Your injuries are too severe. You wont be able to walk out of this mountain even if I let you go. Moreover, after seeing this, I think youll be willing to at least let me finish talking. The werewolf youths eyes went wide after seeing the token in Qianyes hand. Thats the Summit of Peaks Sacred Envoy Writ! How did you get this thing? Qianye replied with a smile, A fellow named William gave it to me. Hes quite mediocre in battle, but he can really eat a lot. The werewolf youth hesitated for a moment before approaching to sniff the writ token. Only then did he slowly put down the Vulcan cannon and said, It does have the smell of the holy land. This writ token is genuine. Qianye put away the token and said, Of course its true. William asked me to help him look after the tribesmen in this area. Why are you being chased by the vampires? And although you have the mark of the Summit, your strength is honestly quite lacking for such a title. How did that come to be? At this point, Qianyes voice contained a wisp of coldness. He didnt mind absorbing some more essence blood if the fellow he had encountered was a bragging swindler pretending to be from the Summit of Peaks. Presently, Qianyes strength had advanced greatly and so had his capacity for essence blood. He still had space left after absorbing the essence blood of an entire vampire squad inclusive of a viscount. He was no longer like before where a single viscount was enough to fill him to the point of bursting. The werewolf youth replied, I my name is Schiller and was, up until recently, a member of the Sharp Fang tribe. Our tribal ancestors moved to this region over four hundred years ago and had been living in Count Stukas territory all this time. As the number one warrior in the younger generation of our tribe, I gained the qualifications to participate in the decennial great hunt. There, I ranked within the top thirty and gained the qualification to join the Summit of Peaks. That means you havent had the time to learn at the Summit of Peaks? Yes, the young werewolf replied. Qianye nodded since this explanation was reasonable. He then addressed the most important issue. Why were the vampires chasing after you?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 340: Tradition and Perseverance [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] A wisp of hatred flashed across Schillers face. A group of vampires arrived at Count Stukas castle not long ago, and later on, a number of them occupied Green Peak Mountain for some reason. Since four hundred years ago, Green Peak Mountain has always been our Sharp Fang tribes sacred place wherein rests the ancestors of every generation! But a single order from Count Stuka made it so that our Sharp Fang tribe members couldnt enter our own sacred place! Schiller calmed down his emotions with some effort and continued, I felt indignant after my return and thus sneaked onto Green Peak Mountain to see what those vampires were doing at our ancestral cemetery. Im quite good at stealth and thus successfully arrived at the summit where I discovered a group of vampires holding a secret meeting. They probably hadnt expected anyone to approach, and thus I was able to eavesdrop on many topics of their discussion. However, I was accidentally discovered upon my departure and chased all the way here. At this point, Schiller began gasping for breath. His wounds had been invaded by blood energy and could no longer heal on their ownthey were worsening with each passing moment. Qianye checked the werewolfs injuries and asked, Do you want me to help you treat the wounds? Schiller edged back instinctively and shook his head. I need food. Qianye nodded and brought out a large piece of dried meat ration and tossed it to him. After some thought, he also tossed out a piece of blood crystal. Schiller literally wolfed down the food and finished it in just a couple of mouthfuls. He held the blood crystal and hesitated for a moment before swallowing it whole. Moments later, a visible strand of darkness origin power washed over the big wound on his back, after which, the curled up flesh and skin slowly began to close. The effect of blood crystals on darkness life forms was similar to that of black crystals on humans. It was just that the effects were remarkably better on vampires. But this werewolfs powerful restorative abilities made Qianye somewhat envious. The dark races were indeed the favorites of this worldthey possessed powerful talent and abilities from birth, while the humans had to cultivate with great difficulty. To close the gap, humans even had to borrow the help of special effects from various arts. What secrets did you hear that they have to chase you all the way here? asked Qianye. Schiller looked at Qianye cautiously. Then, he said slowly and firmly, I cant tell you, and I wont ever tell anyone outside of the Summit of Peaks! Qianye laughed and said, If not for me, you would already have died and wont be able to inform the Summit of Peaks. Additionally, it seems their holy child is taking action from what I heard from that vampire viscount. Are you sure you dont want to tell me? This might delay important things. Schiller shook his head. No! I can only tell this secret to the Summit of Peaks! Qianye frownedhe tried persuading him once more, but no matter what Qianye said, Schiller only replied that he could only reveal this to the Summit of Peaks. Most werewolves were like Schiller. They were extremely stubborn and inflexible, sometimes to the point of being stupid. That was precisely why they made poor military commanders despite being the best warriors on the battlefield and also why they werent suited to become lords of a region. Those like William were an oddity in the werewolf community. It seemed that he wouldnt be able to get that secret out of this young werewolf even if he killed the latter. But Qianye didnt really mind that so-called secret. Among the dark races, the vampires and demonkin had always enjoyed engaging in conspiracies, scheming and deceiving each other. This was especially true in such an obviously secretive situationthe details overheard by the werewolf youth probably seemed like a big issue to him, but it might not actually be that significant to Qianye. Qianye didnt plan to pressure Schiller and only said, Its fine if youre not willing to divulge the information. I can only help you this much. Schillers eyes flickered. He glanced at Qianye and suddenly said, I can give you information on Count Suka. Qianye was startled. What makes you think Im interested in this count? Im quite sure a powerful person like you must be a major character on the human side and not just a mere hunter or adventurer. Since someone like you came to this area on your own, who else but Count Stuka is worth your attention within a hundred kilometers? You might not care about the other viscounts. Qianye smiledthis werewolf was unexpectedly clever. Although he also had a good deal of stubbornness, Qianye couldnt help but form a favorable impression of him. Two bottles of strong wine appeared in Qianyes hand, one of which he tossed over and said, Then lets hear it. The dark race members loved alcohol and Schiller wasnt an exception. But he glanced at the vampire corpses strewn across the ground and asked with some hesitation, Here? What if more of them catch up? Qianye replied casually, Its fine as long as His Excellency the Count doesnt arrive himself. Itll save me some trouble if they find their way here. He still had two of the great masters bullets and three of the Song clans Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang. Add to that his own blood energy suppression, the Twin Flowers, and the powerup from his Wings of Inception, he really didnt care about one or two low-rank viscounts. Schillers young blood was stirred after hearing Qianyes calm words. He immediately sat down on a big rock and began to recount all of the secret information he had obtained. Count Stuka was the arachne count who ruled this area. He was the lowest-ranked among counts and, according to arachne standards, was near the end of his life. The arachne, as a race, would not grow stronger during the last phase of their lifespan. In fact, they might even deteriorate somewhat. Normally, Stuka should have already chosen a successor to inherit his title and lands. The dark races enjoyed long lives and also placed the pursuit of strength above all else. As such, upon reaching an advanced age, they would choose to hand all of their authority and resources to the most outstanding descendant. Afterward, they themselves would either wait peacefully for the end of their lives or enter a long hibernation to delay their gradual death. With the exception of vampires, members of other races had to have the strength of a duke or utilize other special arts in order to enter hibernation, not to mention they would also have to spend vast amounts of resources. Both paths were far out of Stukas reach, and the only path left for him was to obtain the essence blood of a powerful expert. But according to Schiller, this Count Stuka was apparently not resigned to his fate. As such, he had proactively participated in matters of the upper continent in hopes of working for a major character. He wanted to borrow this opportunity to receive recognition and hence receive a few drops of essence blood. Essence blood from a true superior expert possessed all kinds of miraculous effects. It could activate the bloodline of young descendants and heal deadly wounds. When used on Stuka, the most direct effect would be the prolongation of his life. Stuka was willing to pay any price In order to obtain supreme essence blood. Not only did he control all of the region''s resources in his iron grip, but also bled all the vassals and tribes dry. Anyone who didnt comply with him would invite the counts frantic retaliation and bloody suppression. The werewolves were the weaker race within this region. Having lost their ancestral resting place, it was only natural that the Sharp Fang tribe would be full of hatred toward the count, and there were many others tribes who were in similar situations. Since even the werewolves had experienced such things, it was even worse for those small races outside of the four major onesmany of them were killed off or banished. The entire county was actually in a state of tempestuous chaos. This information was something Qianye had never expected. The reason he had chosen this place was because the count had no powerful heir, and the potential resistance after occupying this land would be weak. But now it seemed that the only obstacle was this mad count. He only needed to defeat the count, and the seemingly powerful army under his command would immediately collapse. Moreover, Qianye felt that the closer this arachne count was to the end of his life, the less he would be willing to put his life on the line. Schiller removed a beast bone necklace from his neck and passed it to Qianye. I owe you a life. This is my token. If you need any help in the future, you can come and find me with this. I will uphold my promise even if I have to fight a bloody battle. Qianye smiled and said, Will you still help me if I decide to drive Count Stuka away and take his place? Ill carve out a piece of land and live alongside all of you. This made Schiller hesitate. Share a territory with humans? Although there was no shortage of such grey zones in Evernight and even the upper continents, a treaty with the human race was simply inconceivable to this young werewolf. Qianye was in no rush and waited calmly for Schillers decision. The young werewolf glanced over at the vampire corpse, and moments later, a firm resolution appeared in his eyes. The Sharp Fang tribe will stand with you as long as you promise to return our sacred mountain to us and not slaughter those of my race! Thats fine. I agree. Schiller cut open his wrist and poured his boiling hot blood onto the necklace. The beast fangs turned a dark red immediately after absorbing the fresh blood. This was the werewolves most sacred ceremonya promise made in this manner had to be upheld with the lives of the entire tribe. It seemed his position in the Sharp Fang tribe was very high. Otherwise, there was no way he could easily decide the tribes future like this. Schiller handed the necklace to Qianye and said solemnly, Its not you whom I trust, but His Excellency William and the Summit of Peaks. If one day I find that you used us without keeping your promise, I will find and kill you wherever you may be, no matter how many years have passed! Qianye broke into a smile and asked, Do you think you can do it? The werewolf youth was momentarily stunned and his momentum dropped quite a bit. There was, at this moment, a huge gap between Qianyes combat strength and his. It would take him at least several years of hardwork in cultivation to catch up. But Qianye was quite young in terms of human life-span, which meant that he had a long future ahead of him. Who knew how powerful he would be at that time? However, the word fear didnt exist in the werewolf dictionary. Schiller immediately replied with due seriousness, If I cant kill you, I will continue to fight you until I die! Qianye sighed. Out of respect for William, I can only give you some advice. Excessive courage is no different from stupidity. We werewolves have our own traditions and perseverance! Schiller replied in a dedicated tone. Having recovered a fair bit of his stamina and origin power after a while, this obstinate werewolf youth insisted on leaving by himself. Qianye then cleaned up the battlefield and took away everything valuable. There wasnt a single item he fancied, including Duras belongings. But now that there were two trade channels, one light and one dark, in Song Zining and Old Bearded Blade, these vampire armaments were all equal to gold coins. After hearing about Count Stukas madness, Qianye began to show some interest in that secret Schiller had found out. Although the young werewolf wasnt willing to talk, he had actually revealed a key locationGreen Peak Mountain. The vampires involved should still be there, waiting for Viscount Duras return, and Qianye could catch them on Green Peak Mountain if he moved fast enough. According to Schiller, there was no count among them, and this added to Qianyes desire to get to the bottom of this matter. He opened the regional map and confirmed the direction before running swiftly toward the Sharp Fang settlement.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 341: Pity [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Green Peak Mountain was a towering peak located within the neighboring mountainous region. It was imposing, upright, and boasted beautiful sceneries. It was no wonder the Sharp Fang tribe chose this place to settle down after moving into the region. Werewolves were kings of the mountainous landthey believed that the prosperity and growth of the tribe came from the earth and mountains. Qianye watched from afar and took in the complete picture of the Sharp Fang tribe into his eyes. There were a dozen or so caves at the base of Green Peak Mountain with a small clear stream snaking past not so far in the distance. There were dozens of wooden houses constructed on the shores, forming a small village. There was a pack of wargs on the gently sloping grassland, and few would be able to approach the tribal village without being discovered. Qianye was standing atop a mountaintop hundreds of meters away. He shifted his gaze toward the surroundings and found a path up the mountain not so far from the Sharp Fang Village. There were numerous giant wooden totems erected on each side of the entrance, indicating that this was the territory of the Sharp Fang tribe. But now, many of their totems were either askew or had fallen to the ground, replaced by a long metallic spear. A flag flying from it displayed the emblem of the vampires, but there was no indication of the specific clan. There were a number of sinister-looking servspiders lurking around each side of the mountain path. These servspiders were probably kept by Count Stuka and posted here to prevent the Sharp Fang tribe from going up the mountain. At this moment, there was a young werewolf boy playing with a majestic warg, running back and forth on the meadow. The physique of werewolf children far surpassed that of humans, and they were already comparable to young men by the time they were seven or eight. And this werewolf boy was even younger than that. He was at most four or five, yet he could actually catch up with an adult warg running at full speed. Chasing after one another, they unknowingly approached the path up the mountain. A woman suddenly rushed out from one of the wooden houses and shouted loudly toward the little child. It was obvious from her expression that she was extremely anxious. Qianye couldnt hear what she was saying from such a distance but noticed that her expression was full of terror as she rushed forward. On the other side, the young boy stopped and looked back with a vacant look, not knowing that he had already stepped across an invisible boundary. The warg lowered its body and let out a threatening howl, the hair on its back standing on end. A hundred or so meters away, one of the originally prostrating servspiders stood up. Its large body was several meters tall and looked as though a small hill had risen up from the ground. The servspiders long legs moved as if it were moving across the water surface and arrived nearby in the blink of an eye. There, it sprayed out a large spider web from its abdomen, covering up the warg and the young werewolf boy. The young boy turned back and was still bewildered as to what had happened. The warg roared and pounced on the young boy, hiding him firmly under its body just as the spiderweb landed. The ten-meter web soon enveloped both the boy and the warg. Green smoke began to rise immediately as the spiderweb fell on the wargits pelt was rapidly charred and began to break away, revealing patches of squirming flesh. Despite the incessant howls, the wargs four legs dug in firmly and refused to move in the slightest. Within moments, the spiderwebs had eroded its strong body and its originally black, glossy pelt had turned dark grey. An aura of death emerged around the warg as its howls lowered to a whimper and finally broke off. The servspider moved over slowly, its terrifying mouth opening and closing continuously. Small holes were formed on the ground as large drops of saliva dripped down. The wargs raised by the werewolf tribe were only somewhat stronger than ordinary wild beasts. But these servspiders were differentCount Stuka had raised them meticulously for hundreds of years, and each of them was almost equal to a knight in strength. The warg, as well as the greater half of Sharp Fang tribe, was categorized as food in the eyes of this servspider. The young boys mother had rushed over madly at this point. Numerous werewolves had rushed out of the caves and wooden houses in response to her loud cries, and their expressions all changed after seeing the young boy scuttle out from beneath the dead warg. They began charging over with loud roars in a bid to drive the servspider away. The servspider hesitated ever so slightlythese werewolves were much weaker than itself, but they were superior in number, and it might not be able to handle them once they swarmed over. At this time, three more giant servspiders stood up around the mountain path and walked down step by step. The four servspiders stood together and began to face off against those of the Sharp Fang tribe. At this time, the puzzled young boy prodded the warg but received no response. He accidentally touched a floating strand of spider web, and a deep burn mark appeared on the back of his hand. The young boy began to cry out in pain, and his young but penetrative voice echoed throughout the valley. The cries ignited flames of anger in the werewolves hearts. They let out a uniform battle roar and began to advance in formation. The servspiders, on the other hand, were somewhat hesitant and began to edge back slowly. The anxious mother let out a sudden scream as she charged recklessly toward the young boy inside the spider web. There were dancing spiderwebs all around the place, and it would take only a few strands to end his young life. Strand after strand of spiderwebs twisted mercilessly around the mother and began to erode her body. However, she just kept on running into the center as though she felt none of the pain. She then grabbed the boy into her arms and retreated along the path she had opened with her body. The werewolves of the Sharp Fang tribe let out mournful howls because they knew the woman wouldnt make it. She finally staggered over the last strand of spider web and glanced delightfully at the child in her arms. The young boys hand had already eroded down to the bone but he had survived in the endas for her own agony, she had long since forgotten it. It was at this time that a muffled gunshot rang out from the mountains, and a large origin bullet tore through the air. It shot right through the mothers body as well as the child in her arms, blasting them into two. Qianye frowned in the distance. A frosty killing intent emerged in the depths of his eyes as he grabbed the Eagleshot from his back with his right hand. The werewolves of the Sharp Fang tribe were just as furious. Some young werewolves even transformed and assumed a combat stance, while other activated their origin power blades and charged up their guns. Seeing that a battle could break out at any moment, an aged wolf howl came through from one of the caves above. The angry werewolves finally calmed down somewhat and turned back to look in that direction. An elderly werewolf appeared from one of the caves. He was so old that he could no longer stand straight and had to move slowly using a tree branch as a walking stick. An arachne charged down from the mountain path at the same time. There was an origin assault rifle in his hand with its origin array still glowingapparently, he was the one who had killed the boy and mother with a single shot. This arachne was already a baron and not too far from becoming a viscount. As such, he was able to view the hundreds of assembled werewolves as though they were nothing. He calmly walked past the servspiders and scanned the werewolves with cold eyes. What? Do you want to challenge the counts authority? The werewolves didnt shrink back and only stared fixedly at the arachne while emitting deep growls. A vicious glint filled the arachnes eyes as he pointed at the mountain path below and roared, Ive warned you before that anyone who steps into this forbidden area will be killed! What? Are you not satisfied? But hes only a child who knows nothing! Even if he entered the forbidden zone by mistake, its only a couple of steps! a young werewolf cried loudly and charged to the front, immediately stirring a burst of response from his tribesmen. Even one step means death, not to mention a couple of them! And whoever dares to question the counts order shall die! The arachne erupted with ferocity, and the assault rifle in his hand rumbled once more, opening up a large hole in the young werewolfs chest. The large wound penetrated his entire chestthe place where his heart shouldve been had already disappeared along with the surrounding flesh and bones. The young werewolf soon collapsed with a loud thud. The werewolves were sent into an uproar once again. Meanwhile, the arachne let out a sinister laugh and shouted, Whoever dares question His Excellencys order will meet the same fate! Its no big deal even if we wipe out all of you smelly dogs. Do you want to try? A bunch of useless garbage! We have Schiller and hes already joined the Summit of Peaks! someone shouted from among the crowd. Right! We must let Schiller speak out for us! Even the count wont be willing to fight the Summit of Peaks, right? There werewolves hopes were ignited once again, but apparently, the Summit of Peaks name failed to intimidate this arachne. The baron laughed out loud and said, Go and bring out that little wolf bastard. Ill let you know whether or not the arachne fear the Summit of Peaks! Qianye watched all of this with a frown. Although his hand was already gripping the Eagleshot tightly, he hadnt pulled the trigger all this time. At this time and moment, he still had no intention to meddle with the conflict between the werewolves and the arachne. Qianye had indeed promised William that he would treat the werewolves as well as the situation allowed it, but this didnt signify an alliance. It was merely a limited neutrality and would, at most, mean a mutual exchange of assistance. There was a vast difference in opinion among the werewolves, just like how the White Claw tribe had treated William back at the Tulip Bazaar. Although Sharp Claw tribe deserved sympathy and Schiller had also promised Qianye their commitment, it was still unknown just how effective this promise was. As Qianye saw it, he definitely wouldnt interfere rashly if the Sharp Fang tribe itself didnt rebel. Moreover, he would still wipe them out mercilessly if the tribe wasnt willing to swear allegiance after he occupied the region. That was because Qianyes foremost responsibility was for the soldiers who followed him, the friends who had allied with him, and the civilians living in his territorynot the other races who, despite deserving of sympathy, could potentially turn into enemies at any given time. This was wara war between Daybreak and Evernight. There might be a tiny bit of warmth amidst the conflict, but it must be built atop the foundations of victory. Only the victors had the right to pity the weak. Enough! An aged voice rang out. The werewolves opened up a path as the elderly werewolf had finally arrived at the scene, displaying the elders incomparable prestige in the tribe. There werewolf elders eyes swept across the werewolves to his side and said indifferently, What are you lot doing? Are you trying to rebel against His Excellency the Count? The werewolves lowered their heads and slowly lowered their weapons. Count Stukas ruthlessness and terror had long since seeped into the depths of their hearts. Every now and then, there would be news of certain tribes being wiped out because they were bold enough to rebel. Sharp Fang tribe wasnt the only one within Count Stukas territory, and neither were they the strongest. Sharp Fang tribe would surely be exterminated if they somehow angered Stuka and that was precisely why they had to endure even though their ancestral sacred place had been expropriated. The werewolf elder arrived before the arachne, steadied his trembling body, and said, Sire, this is just a misunderstanding. The ones who mistakenly entered the forbidden zone are already dead. Can you stop here?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 342: The Mysterious Array [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The arachne almost seemed to hold a deep apprehension toward the werewolf elder. He stopped pressuring them and said with a nod, Fine. Remember that the prohibition is final! Whoever violates it will be put to death even if he is a child, understand? Understood, replied the old werewolf. Then I hope the chief will control his tribe well. The count is in a horrible mood these days. Im sure you all know what will happen if word of this gets to his ears." The arachne put away his origin gun and ordered the four servspiders to return to their positions. The elder walked toward the two corpses and bent down to pick up the boy. A couple of other werewolves carried the bodies of the mother and the young werewolf man toward a nearby valley. Moments later, the corpses were flung into the bottomless ravine, while the Sharp Fang tribe members stood near the precipice singing an ancient ballad in unison. Qianye couldnt understand the lyrics but was able to feel the deep sorrow and sense of vicissitude. The werewolf funeral ceremony was brief but solemn. Moments later, the tribesmen headed back to their settlement under the elders leadership. Hundreds of them formed a long line through the mountains, and just like the great migrations, their race would undertake for survival in almost every era since time immemorial. Qianye turned around and left quietly. Perhaps justice and equality were only relative values in every country. Qianye had always known that there were serious conflicts among the dark races, but this was the first time he had witnessed the experiences of their ordinary civilians. The policy of honoring the strong was implemented even more thoroughly in the dark race nation. Those in power, more of than not, used an iron fist to maintain their rule and would wipe out smaller tribes at the slightest pretext. Qianye recalled the missions related to the rebel army which he had undertaken back at Red Scorpion. One could see a similar kind of cruelty within the empire. There were indeed many similarities between the two factions and one wasnt necessarily better than the other. But with what had happened today and the token Schiller had given him, Qianye felt that it might actually be possible to negotiate with the Sharp Fang tribe. He didnt need them to fight alongside him. In truth, he would never feel at ease letting them do so. What he needed was merely information related to the upcoming battle and the promise that Sharp Fang wouldnt take part in it. The valley was once again calm after the werewolves retreated back to their residences. Qianye avoided the defensive range of the servspiders and circled around to the other side of the peak to the most precipitous parts of the mountain. There he began to climb toward the summit. If his luck was good, those mysterious vampires might still be waiting at the summit. Qianye moved cautiouslyalthough his Bloodline Concealment could retract his aura, it wasnt true invisibility. It might be able to deceive perception, but not the naked eye. An entire hour passed by before Qianye arrived at the summit of Green Peak Mountain. There were odd, craggy rocks everywhere, and looking from above, one could see a natural stone platform about a hundred meters below. On the stone platform was a sacrificial altar with many totems erected around it. This should be the Sharp Fang tribes holy land. At this moment, there were many peculiar apparatuses set up on the empty space in front of the altar where ceremonies were usually held. Together, they formed a large circular origin array over ten meters in diameter. There was a metallic pillar at its center with a metallic sphere floating atop. The metal ball, engraved with origin array patterns, was currently in operationit alternated between light and dark while emitting odd fluctuations. Three vampires, two esquires and one baron, stood beside the circular origin array. The baron who was standing at the edge of the platform and gazing at the towering mountains in the distance suddenly said, Why hasnt Sir Duras returned yet? Perhaps they were delayed by some matters on the road. Although that werewolf whelp isnt that strong, hes fairly crafty and knows how to run, one of the knights replied. The baron frowned. Even so, Sir Duras shouldve returned by know. Those he brought along were all experts. They could only keep on waiting despite being a bit anxious. The baron instructed the two esquires to guard the array while he himself entered the cave to rest. The two esquires stood guard on each side and gazed at the surrounding mountains with great boredom. They didnt have the slightest clue about the danger descending from above their heads. Qianye glanced at the array for a while but gained nothing from it. What little knowledge he had about origin arrays was mostly related to guns and machinery. The only way for him to learn what they were doing in the werewolves sacred place was to acquire information from these remaining vampires. Qianye observed the two blood esquires for a moment then gradually slid downward until he was tens of meters away from the platform. There, he leapt straight down and pounced toward the esquire on the left. The blood esquire swiftly reacted, immediately drawing his sword and launching a backhand stab at Qianye before shouting out in alarm. But the long sword had only stabbed halfway when Qianyes scarlet edge struck the blade. There was an entire two-grade gap between the weapons in addition to the full force Qianye put behind the attack. The Scarlet Edge broke the blood esquires sword like a bamboo and left a bloody streak between his brows. Qianye finally landed on his feet, and the impact shook the altar for a moment. The metallic ball at the center of the mysterious array began to sway immediately, and its light began to fluctuate with great intensity. Protect the array! An alarmed voice rang out from the cave as the baron rushed out from within. At this time, the blood esquire on the other side was rushing over with his sword drawn. Qianye charged at the baron without so much as a moments pause. The Mystic Spider Lily appeared in his grip while he was running. After which, a shot was fired toward the cave with a raise of his hand. The ignited origin array shot out numerous illusory flowers which bloomed around the exquisite handgun. Such a beautiful background scenery just happened to be the fangs of the grim reaper. That baron wasnt even able to evade before his entire body was shakenhe turned rigid as though he were petrified and fell to the ground. Apart from Qianyes own Heavy Caliber, the shot was empowered by the Twin Flowers powerful shock and paralysis effects. The barons blood energy defenses dissolved in a flash like thin ice under the sunlight. The remaining blood esquire near the altar had assumed a defensive stance in front of the metallic ball, but was shocked after seeing Qianye knock out the baron with one shot. Qianye simply rushed into the cave afterward, leaving the blood esquire hesitating whether he should follow him in and coordinate with his companions inside to launch a pincer attack or if he should guard the array. Without waiting for the blood esquire to come to a decision, an origin grenade flew out from within the cave and shot straight toward the array. The blood esquire was overcome with shock. If that origin grenade exploded within the array, it would completely destroy the array and the apparatuses. Without the time to think, the esquire threw himself toward the origin grenadewith a grab and a toss, he enveloped the grenade in blood energy and turned it toward a different direction. The grenade was flung dozens of meters away from the platform and exploded in the air. The violent shockwaves seemed to have disrupted the operation of the mysterious array. The metallic sphere began to undulate wildly but soon calmed down again. The blood esquire had just finished breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the intruder walk out from the cavehis heart immediately sank to the very bottom. A blood esquire and numerous other high-ranking warriors were resting inside, but there were no signs of movement from within. Could it be that this person had finished them all off in such a short time? The baron, on the other hand, lay immobile on the ground a dozen or so steps away from the cave entrance, his fate unknown. The blood flowing out from his body was unexpectedly black. Qianye approached at a steady pace and said differently, Surrender. Stop dreaming! The blood esquire clenched his jaws and pounced forward, the sword in his hand erupting with a blazing radiance. However, a layer of purple energy flickered over Qianyes body as inexplicable terror gripped the blood esquire, suddenly freezing him in place. Sacred Blood! Senior The esquire came to a sudden stop mid-sentence and extreme panic appeared in his dark red eyes. This was the dread toward superior experts that had been etched deep into their consciousness. He slowly lowered his head to find a beautiful dagger pierced into his heart, through which all of his essence blood was gushing out. Qianye had just released all of his blood energy without reservation. The terrifying pressure and intimidation from his superior bloodline caused an intense suppression upon the unsuspecting blood esquire. In a melee exchange, a short moment of distraction was enough to decide ones life and death. The blood esquire finally understood why the other party was able to finish off the warriors in the cave with such speed. But why would a superior vampire appear in this place? To this question, however, he no longer had the time to think and would never know the answer. Qianye walked to the edge of the platform, took out Wei Bainians grade-five vampire sniper rifle, and aimed at the path up the mountain. The commotion just now wasnt small, and if there were enemies nearby, they would surely appear. As expected, an arachnes hurried figure entered Qianyes vision soon afterward. He calmly pulled on the trigger and sent the arachnes giant body tumbling some distance backward and then off the cliff. He waited a while longer and put away the sniper rifle after confirming that there was no more movement. He then grabbed the unconscious baron and pierced the latters chest with the Scarlet Edge. The pain of essence blood leaving his body woke the baron who let out a groan and gradually opened his eyes. Qianye pulled out the Scarlet Edgea drop of fresh blood traveled along the blade and dripped down right in front of the barons eyes. The latters face turned pale, and his expression was fluctuating with terror upon recognizing this grade-five vampiric weapon. Qianye pointed at the circular array and asked directly, Tell me what this is for. With that, he pointed the Scarlet Edge at the barons heart. The baron was exceptionally weak after losing a part of his essence blood. Although Qianyes tone was flat and his words almost didnt feel like a threat, the vampire couldnt help but tremble under his aura. That was a suppression of bloodline which transcended cultivation ranks. Moreover, he had sensed a similar aura before on a certain other persona type of tyranny capable of destroying everything and filled one with instinctive dreadMarquis Nana. The baron spoke respectfully, May I ask if you hail from the honorable Mammon clan? Mammon was precisely the clan Nana belonged to. Qianye replied coldly, You need only to reply my question right now. The baron finally submitted under the Scarlet Edge and the threat of having his essence blood sucked alive. Our mission is to set up such arrays in special places like these. Its said that they have detection and inhibition abilities, capable of sensing the emergence of specific auras. We were instructed to report immediately as soon as abnormal fluctuations appear in the array. Specific auras? The baron smiled wryly and replied, We dont know what it means either. Qianye nodded. He knew that these people were only responsible for setting things up and understood little about its uses. Additionally, there hadnt been any unusual reactions recently. But the fact that Qianye didnt understand didnt mean he couldnt find someone who did. He gave it some thought and decided to terminate the arrays operation first. He then disassembled those peculiar apparatuses and tossed all of them into Andruils Mysterious Realm.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 343: A Difficult Choice [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] There were hundreds of components to this law array, and some of them were composed of rare metals. Just the recycled materials alone were worth a small fortune even if one were to ignore the origin array at the top. The baron watched the components vanish one by one in Qianyes hands and was, at first, astonished. But then his expression became progressively dismalhis fate was sealed now that he already knew of Qianyes secret. The origin grenade and sniper fire had already alarmed the Sharp Fang tribe at the base of the mountain, but they weren''t able to proceed after arriving at the boundary of the forbidden zone with the servspiders eyeing them as a tiger would its prey. After Qianye killed the arachne in command with a single shot, the less intelligent servspiders could only obstruct the werewolves according to previous orders. Qianye naturally wouldnt let go of such a good opportunity. He finished off the baron in one slash, quietly cleaned up the scene, and left stealthily from the back of the mountain. Qianyes resolute attack on these vampires and arachne was meant to also add more pressure on these werewolves. Otherwise, it was hard to make sure whether Sharp Fang tribe would stand with Qianye in the future or if they would choose to stay neutral. After such a long period deep in dark race territory, Qianye had already heard a fair bit about the counts brutality and his actions to curry favor with the upper continents. These vampires were clearly related to major characters from the upper continents. Now that they had died in his territory, Count Stuka would likely take it out on the Sharp Fang tribe, and the best way for them to avoid annihilation was to choose to stand on Qianyes side. Qianye wasnt in a hurry to contact Sharp Fang just yet. These obstinate werewolves needed some time to recognize their situation and likely not a short while either. After descending Green Peak Mountain, Qianye headed toward his final destination: Count Stukas underground castle. He had long since wanted to see how this dark race lair looked like. The time would be just right to secretly contact the nearly disabled old chief of the Sharp Fang tribe when he returned from the counts castle. Someone like him was bound to have many stories to tell, and it might even bring Qianye some pleasant surprises. Qianye arrived at Count Stukas castle after traveling cautiously for several days. As an arachne count, Stukas castle had retained the unique characteristics of the arachne race while also conforming to his status as a count. That which appeared before Qianye was an earthen mountain with a majestic castle built on top, and a wide path stretching down along its slope. The weird part was that there were many caves distributed throughout the entire body of this earthen mountain with an especially large one at its base. It was dozens of meters wide, enough to allow passage to massive war beasts. There were members of various evernight races entering and leaving through each cave. On the contrary, there was no one passing through the castle gates at the summit. There was a wide road running through the biggest cave at the base of the mountain and seemed to be a path designed for races other than the arachne. The ground on each side of the road was filled with spider webs and was only suitable for the arachne and servspiders to move through. These creatures would be able to move at least twice as fast on the webs, and every small vibration on it could be sensed by the distant servspiders, notifying them of intruders. Some arachne and servspiders could lay down spiderwebs laced with intense poison to form a natural defense line. Even Qianye would have a hard time passing through such a large area of spiderweb coverage. He observed for a while and realized that the entire earth mountain was hollow inside. One could directly enter the belly of the mountain via a secret path from the castle above. The underground portion of this mountain was likely a large space since, after all, arachne were experts at digging and building. Stukas castle atop the earthen mountain was built according to a conventional arachne layout, and it was unknown just how many warriors and servspiders he had hidden underground. The structure was easy to defend and difficult to assault. One would have to pay a steep price to seize the stronghold with only troops. Qianye frowned and abandoned the impractical notion. It would be too difficult to conquer Stukas castle with what little strength he had. He circled around the entire castle and observed for a good while. He then headed back in the direction he had come from after confirming the patterns of activity in and around the castle. Qianye felt a tinge of regret just as he was about to leaveall those different dark race members entering and leaving the castle were living masses of essence blood and darkness origin powerbeing unable to attack at the moment was too much a suffering. Qianye visited the Sharp Fang tribe again on his way back. This time, Qianye hid near the tribe and waited patiently. The werewolves sense of smell was quite troublesome and made it difficult for him to get close. But he didnt need to wait too long; the Sharp Fang chief emerged from the cave shortly after dinner time and began to patrol the area and console his tribesmen. He finished his rounds only when the moon was high in the sky. This matter alone had worn him down quite a bithis back was bent deeply, and the worry on his face couldnt be wiped away. Qianye understood where the chief''s worries stemmed from. It was definitely the dead vampires and Count Stukas servspiders. You all go back first. I want to take a walk. The chief glanced at his two werewolf guards and ordered them to leave. Afterward, he slowly walked out of the village on his own. This area was Sharp Fang tribes territory and could be considered fairly safe and tranquil. There were numerous high-yield mines in the domain, and each of them was guarded by a significant number of werewolf soldiers, serving as garrisons. As such, those of the Sharp Fang tribe werent particularly worried about the old chiefs safety. The old chief strolled along with heavy steps, all too familiar with the mountains and streams along the way. He arrived beside a clear pond and knelt down to wash his hands. He had maintained this habit for dozens of years and had almost become a ceremony of sorts. The old chief glanced down at the pond and suddenly discovered the figure of another person standing beside him. His old hands trembled ever so slightly, raising numerous ripples and shattering the reflection on the water surface. He collected himself and turned back slowly toward Qianye. Young human, youre quite bold. Qianye replied indifferently, Youre the one whos truly courageous. You look so calm. Dont tell me youve found a way to deal with Count Stukas wrath? The old chief stood up in an instant and his vigor rose all of a sudden. An ardent flame began to burn brightly in his originally turbid eyes as he stared fixedly at Qianye. Qianye, however, just stood there without the slightest bit of movement and looked on as though the chiefs imposing manner was nothing to him. A wisp of shock and admiration flashed through the chiefs eyes. Youre likely not an obscure character in the human race. Youre so young and possess such potential, so why would you take the risk to enter our country? Great geniuses are nothing if they become corpses. Qianye smiled and said, This area will become my country very soon. The old chiefs eyes immediately turned sharp and replied with a cold voice, You humans want to invade? Humph! Your soldiers will be met head-on, and your warriors will be torn to shreds by our sharp claws! No human soldiers have stepped through this land in hundreds of years. Qianye laughed loudly and said, Even if I fail, it wont be in the hands of a tiny Sharp Fang tribe. Moreover, its not certain whether youll survive until my army arrives. I heard the count isnt very patient and maybe Sharp Fang wouldve become history even before my forces arrive. And he probably wont let you off even if, by any chance, I was forced to withdraw. The chiefs eyes flickered as he pondered for a moment and said, Is there a difference between dying to the count and dying to human bullets? Stuka might not destroy Sharp Fang completely, but the humans definitely will! That might not necessarily be the case. Qianye brought out Schillers necklace and passed it to the chief. The old werewolf received the item, brought it to his nose, and sniffed a couple of times. His eyes became somewhat more gentle as he said, This is Schillers blood oath. He has used his ancestors spirit to vouch for you. But itll still take time for me to trust you since, after all, Schiller is only a youngster. And the youth are always impulsive. The chief hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye passed him yet another metallic token. The youth are impetuous. Then how about this? The old chief observed the token and began to tremble all over. T-This is the token of the Summit of Peaks! How did you get this? According to the friend who gave it to me, this token should possess considerable prestige among the werewolves. Why dont I see any from you? After hearing Qianyes implicit criticism, the old chief smiled wryly and said, A token from the Summit of Peaks is like a holy object for those like us living in the lowest rungs of society. Its just that your demands are too too inconsistent with our traditions and beliefs. I fear no werewolf is willing to live a life under human rule, to speak nothing of fighting alongside them. Youll be disappointed if you want to borrow Sharp Fangs strength to fight against Count Stuka. Qianye laughed out loud. Youre overthinking things. Ive never hoped to borrow Sharp Fangs strength. In truth, your meager forces are insignificant in my eyes. Its just that my friend from the Summit of Peaks had once asked me to take care of his race and Im also impressed by Schiller. Thats the only reason why Im willing to appear here and talk with you. Qianye drew the Scarlet Edge and flicked the blade lightly with his finger, whereupon a whistle akin to a dragons cry rang out. He then glanced at the old chief and said, I have no demands for the Sharp Fang. Its fine whether you wish to join the fight or stay out of this, but that choice will affect the treatment the tribe receives after I take this entire region into my territorial map. You should be very clear that the two treatments will be entirely different. Naturally, you can also choose a third option, which is to join Stukas army. However, I will definitely slaughter all those who oppose me! Think about it carefully. With that, Qianye turned around and left without waiting for the old chiefs reply. The old werewolf cried out while gazing at Qianyes back. How should I address you? Were you the one who killed Viscount Duras and Baron Wendu? Qianye didnt reply. His figure disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a trailing laughter. The return journey was much simpler. Qianye left the dark race territory safely and arrived at the grey border territory. Here, he brought out the motorcycle and sped toward Blackflow City. Upon approaching, he brought all of the weapons and law array components he had gained from Green Peak Mountain out from Andruils Mysterious Realm and stored them on the motorcycle rack. Only then did he continue toward Blackflow City. Upon his return, Qianye immediately handed the origin array components to Dark Flames array specialist for deciphering. At the same time, he summoned all of the high ranking Dark Flame officers along with the trio, Song Zining, Zhao Yuying, and Wei Potian, for a strategy meeting.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 344: Drastic Measures Part 1 Chapter 344: Drastic Measures (Part 1) [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye had marked out the new intelligence he had gained on the large war-map. At the same time, he had drawn out a route for dispatching troops. Qianye gave everyone a simple explanation of his gains during this trip. This is the newest information I have obtained and the attack route I have planned. The good news is that the ruler of the territory, the arachne count Stuka, is exceptionally brutal and has already milked his subjects dry. As such, my prediction is that there wont be a lot of resistance in other areas as long as we can defeat the counts direct forces. The bad news is that our chances to engage this count in battle are very high. Wei Potian quickly became excited. He leapt up shouted, An arachne count! That will be goddamn satisfying. I must go this time! This daddys arts have improved again recently, and now I want to know if an arachne count can break through my Thousand Mountains! He can definitely break it, and he wont even need a second hit! Now sit! Zhao Yuying was merciless in making Wei Potian see reality. Afterward, she reached out and pressed down on Wei Potians shoulder, causing him to fall back into his chair. She sneered, A brat who hasnt even grown proper hair wants to imitate how adults fight? Just behave and stay in the city! Wei Potian glared angrily. He then turned around and pointed at Song Zining. Then how about this gigolo? Zining will go with us, Qianye replied. Us? Wei Potian was suspicious. Me and Yuying. Wei Potian began to stomp and roar. Why does that sissy Song Zining get to go, but I cant? How am I inferior to him? Without waiting for Qianye to reply, Song Zining stood up while flapping his fan and said, Thats because this insignificant self is more handsome than you are! Wei Potian immediately erupted with anger. Sissy, youre courting death! Song Zining fanned rapidly while laughing. I am indeed courting death, what can you do? We must see how capable the Wei clan heir is. Wei Potian wanted to retort but a gigantic force pressed him back into his seat. After slapping Wei Potian back into his chair, Zhao Yuying scanned the two with cold eyes and roared, Shut the hell up! Wei Potian and Song Zining immediately sat down, no longer making a din. Qianye was immediately stunned and almost couldnt believe his eyes. He still had no idea that even Zhao Yuying had been annoyed to no end by the two bickering men. As such, she had set up a rule for the two of them, and she would immediately beat them up if they didnt follow it. With Zhao Yuyings strength as a rank-twelve champion and her fierce brute force, she could even smash apart Wei Potians Thousand Mountains with a few hits. As for Song Zining, never again did he dare to use his Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art in front of herdomain takeover was no funny matter. It turned out that these two young men had the fear of god put into them. Everyone else understood why Wei Potian couldnt be brought along for this battle. The horde of young misses from the upper continent would definitely follow suit once the Wei clan heir went to battle. A place like Blackflow City with nothing to see or do was incredibly boring, and that battle with Dong Qifeng was probably the only thing entertaining during these days. These noble ladies definitely wouldnt miss the opportunity to take part in a real battle. But the moment they moved, Zhang Zixings third army corps would have to follow. Once the dark races caught wind of an imperial fleet appearing in Evernight, they would also maneuver their own fleet to face the enemy. At that point, it would no longer be limited to a local battle, but escalate to an all-out war. Originally, Qianye only wanted to seize a piece of territory to lay down his foundations. In a barren place like Evernight, any viscount could rule over a vast territory, and the major characters of the two factions wouldnt even be interested in listening to the report. But if an entire squadron of imperial airships were to appear, it would not only cause a marquis to appear, but might even catch the attention of a duke. And such a matter was neither Qianyes goal, nor was it the empires intention. Wei Potian actually understood this matter quite clearly, but he simply couldnt swallow his anger after seeing Song Zinings arrogant attitude. In his wrath, he couldnt help but point at Song Zining and shout, I challenge you to a one-on-one fight in the back alley. Come alone. Whoever doesnt come isnt a man. Song Zinings eyes lit up as he said with a faint smile, Thats fine too. Apparently, your skin is itching because its been a long time since Ive beaten you up. Wei Potian sneered, This daddy here has gone through life and death in battle. Do you think I cant beat a useless person like you who surrounds himself with women every day? Qianye couldnt help but feel an imminent headache after seeing the two of them once again making appointments for a fight. It was still Zhao Yuying who had a good method of dealing with them. She lifted her Mountain Splitter, smashed it down in front of Wei Potian, and said, This is for you! She then pounded the table in front of Song Zining with her fist and said, And this is for you! There was a fiendish expression on the Zhao young miss countenance. Her gaze swept over the faces of the two as she said with a nasty laugh, You two ignorant brats have already learnt to slash people? Fine! You have guts! Tonight, this sister will take the both of you in the back alley! The face of Wei Potian and Song Zining froze in place. It was unknown whether they were intimidated by this sisters words or actions. At this moment, Qianye let out a faint cough. Zhao Yuying turned back to point at him and shouted, You, shut up! Ill also beat you up otherwise! Qianye laughed innocently and said, I only wanted to say that youll lose if they fight you together. A rather brilliant expression appeared on Zhao Yuyings face. She quickly turned back to glare at Qianye. Why are you always butting in?! Fine! Lets fight one-on-one. Let this mommy here teach you how to behave! Qianye widened his eyes and asked with a smile, Close quarters, no weapons? Zhao Yuyings expression turned dark. Unlike Wei Potian, Qianye was an expert in melee combat, backed by a terrifying constitution and strength. The wrestle in Qianyes room back then had made it clear to her that a complete victory over him wasnt possible. How would she have any honor left if a beautiful lady like her had to clamber up with bruises all over her face? But the young miss of Duke You possessed an unyielding temperament. Her brows rose tall, and her expression turned frosty. It was at this time that Song Zining said in an unhurried manner, Qianye, how can you bear to attack such a stunning beauty like Yuying? And you even want to engage in close-quarter combat? Thats really too distasteful. Its fine if you guys want to fight, but there should be rules. First, no attacking the face, second, no assaulting the chest, and lastly, no touching the buttocks. You two can fight as long as you follow these three rules. Otherwise, Ill have to join the fight and protect Miss Yuying. How can I let you mistreat such a beautiful lady? Qianye was immediately stunned. How was he supposed to fight a melee with so many limitations? Zhao Yuying was also furious. She banged the table with strength and shouted, How can one even fight like that?! Who told you to meddle? Stop treating your mother here like a lady! The entire room fell into an awkward silence after this shout had passed. It seemed as though no one here had any intention to treat her as a lady. Order was restored only after great effortQianye finished explaining his overall plans, summarized everyones suggestions, and made the necessary amendments. He then summoned the high-ranking Dark Flame officers and assigned them their missions. After leaving the conference room, Wei Potian naturally returned to his encirclement of young misses. But after being in a deadlock up until now, these noble ladies were no longer as aggressive as they were before. Moreover, everyone understood that a large group wasnt beneficial for fostering affection. As such, the number of people surrounding Wei Potian was drastically reduced, and they began taking turns to accompany him. The Wei clan heir was finally able to relax a bit. That afternoon, Wei Potian occupied Dark Flames open-air combat arena in the company of a couple of noble ladies. It just happened to be a good time to have an intimate chat. Wei Potian was already drenched in sweat after finishing a round of practice. His bare upper body was chiseled and muscular, granting him a rather fierce look. Potian, whats wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood, asked a beautiful and gentle lady. Nothing. Its just that Im vexed by that gigolo! With that, Wei Potian proceeded to spew out a series of profanities before his anger subsided. He glanced at the refined young lady and asked after recalling something, What do you think of my brother Qianye? Very handsome! The lady replied without thinking and then added with a red face, Of course, hes also very powerful. Thats my brother, of course, hes powerful! Wei Potian was greatly pleased with himself and seemed even more delighted than receiving praise himself. Nangong Ling had been in touch with Wei Potian for quite some time and had already discerned what he was thinking. Young noble Qianye is good in every aspect, but his background is a bit too low. I think it cant even be considered a humble family, right? Wei Potian replied back in anger, Men depend on ability and fists! What effing use does background have? Yes, yes. Nangong Ling smiled and no longer continued speaking. She believed Wei Potian would understand her meaning. The latter drank some water and said, Qianye is my life and death brother, and he hasnt settled down yet either. Which family has a suitable girl for him? Introduce them over! Youve all seen him. This brother of mine already owns a division. Wont it be a piece of cake to take down a couple of provinces in the future? The three noble ladies all felt a rush of excitement. Wei Potians words were always exaggerated, and three provinces were indeed too excessive. But, as they saw it, it wouldnt be too hard for Qianye to seize a couple of counties. Such a territorial structure was already comparable to the peak of landowning families. His familial background naturally couldnt match theirs, but it wasnt a problem at all for him to marry the daughter of an honorary count who couldnt inherit any title. Furthermore, the daughters of various levels of hereditary viscounts were an appropriate match for him. These noble ladies all possessed good judgment. Among them, Nangong Ling was especially mature and knew full well the potential value someone like Qianye held. Simply put, a valiant general like Qianye with a powerful army in his hands was much more useful than ten noble descendants in times of conflict, or even war with other noble clans. The gentle lady immediately replied, I understand. Ill discuss this with grandpa when I return and ask him to pick out some sisters from our clan." An idea flashed through Nangong Lings mind. This lady was the granddaughter of Duke Fu, and she had actually brought out her grandfather in order to cater to Wei Potians wishesthis was quite the investment. Nangong Ling didnt show her weakness and said on the spot, I have a cousin with superb appearance and temperament. Shes the youngest daughter of Count of Huihe and has always been doted upon in our family since childhood. The Count of Huihe came from the Westsong Qiu Clan, one of the top clans among the middle-rank, and the count himself was the clan lords brother. Although his own noble title was that of a regional count, the title was hereditary for five generations, and it could be considered a social climb for the current Qianye. Wei Potian immediately glanced at Nangong Ling and gave her an approving nod after these words were spoken. The two other noble ladies saw the situation and immediately lowered their heads, thinking hard about suitable candidates among their family and friends. Wei Potian was also thinking of a number of suitable candidates from among the Wei clans branch family. Adding these ladies into the mix, there would be a fair number of beautiful ladies to choose fromQianye should pick at least one of them, right? At this point, Wei Potian withdrew the smile on his face and said with due seriousness, Now I have some proper matters to discuss with you all. The three of them saw Wei Potians serious demeanor and couldnt help but become nervous.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 345: Drastic Measures Part 2 Chapter 345: Drastic Measures (Part 2) [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Wei Potian said gradually, Im greatly indebted to all of you for your favor during the recent days. In terms of family background, temperament, and looks, all of you are more than a good match for me. But even as a noble heir, I can only have one primary and two parallel wives according to imperial law. The smiles of the three noble ladies were more or less forcedthey, of course, knew this. In truth, being a parallel wife was already extreme injustice for them. But how could they not contend for it under present circumstances? These noble lineal daughters were born to riches and honor. However, there were also corresponding responsibilities behind the glamorous lifestyle, and one of them was marriage. This was a duty given to them by the family and clan. Just take the marriage with the Marquis Bowangs heir for example. They would enter a new life with new authority and responsibilities after winning this position, but everything would start all over again if they failed. Stories like being deep in love and marrying into humble families without regard for ones status only existed in folktales and opera. These noble ladies had to do it for the family even if not for themselves; they had to fight for a good family background for their future children. Even if there really was a person reckless enough to let go of everything, things wouldnt end with just her contentedness with poverty. The high-ranking nobility would never allow the existence of such a conduct which challenged convention and ruined the family name. This was the price of being born with everything; authority and responsibility were always proportionate. There was only one way to break out of these shackles, and that was to be strongstrong enough to break free from all these bonds. Just as the three noble ladies were worrying, Wei Potian suddenly halted this topic and turned to another one. Ah, yes. I almost forgot one thing. Its also time for Zining to build a family. Song Seven? Isnt he engaged to a landowning household? Nangong Ling asked curiously. These young noble ladies didnt know about the secret conflict between Wei Potian and Song Zining. They only saw that both of them were quite close to Qianye and assumed the three of them shared a good relationship. Wei Potian waved his hand and said casually, How can that landowning woman sit in the Song seventh madams position? Shell be removed sooner or later. You might not know, but Zining shocked everyone at the most recent decennial examination and jumped to the second successors position. Dont forget that hes an entire nine years younger than Song Zicheng. The future clan lord, heh, heh, theres no telling who that will be! The Song clan didnt announce the results after their recent examination. Although it wasnt difficult for interested people to obtain relevant information, it was actually the first time the three ladies had heard of this. Song Zinings engagement to a landowning family was a major problem, but it wasnt impossible to settle. Moreover, even if they themselves werent suitable, there were still other lineal sisters and close friends who would become their support once they became in-laws with the Song. The three noble ladies and their companions couldnt help but feel great waves in their hearts. They remained calm on the surface, but the flicker in their eyes revealed some of their thoughts. With Song Zinings current momentum, he could be considered a popular candidate in the Song clan and was sure to eventually become a grand elder even if he couldnt sit in the clan lords position. He would receive a noble title in due time, and, with enough luck, accomplishments and a territorythe title might even become hereditary. Even if such a future prospect wasnt as stable as Marquis Bowangs heir, it could be considered outstanding among the empires younger generation. The three noble ladies began to suggest some suitable ladies from those at their side, but it was also unavoidable for them to have certain thoughts in secret. So what if it were themselves? How could their families object? It was hopeless to try and keep secrets when the group of ladies got together. Night hadnt even fallen when all the noble ladies became aware of Song Zinings situation and value. Meanwhile, Song Zining suddenly received numerous appointments, and being direct invitations from lineal noble ladies, most of them were difficult to reject. Song Zining realized something was wrong by the time he received over five of them. Wei Potian dragged Qianye to hid in the war-room and was laughing quite happily. He was enjoying some peace and quiet after a small part of the firepower around him was split off. Song Zining, on the other hand, had been held up, and it would be impossible for him to join the westward expedition with those ladies surrounding him. These noble ladies possessed impressive identities, and even the clan ladies who had come along with them werent of low status. One would have no choice but to marry them after climbing into their beds. Wei Potian laughed with great cheer thinking about how that lecher Song Seven would be surrounded by a group of beauties but could do nothing but watch. Qianye was still unaware of what had transpired. He only felt that it was fairly abnormal to see Wei Potian laughing frequently like an idiot. The latter had brought along a champion when he came to visit Qianye just now. He wanted his guest warrior to join the western expedition because he couldnt go personally and was worried about Qianye. Although an extra champion would indeed bolster the strength of their unit, Qianye still didnt agree on the spot. It wasnt that easy to use a guest warrior champion from an aristocratic family, and the man might not fully obey Qianyes instructions in battle. Moreover, that persons original duty was to protect Wei Potian. How could he suddenly agree to leave his side? But Qianye understood the reason very soon. The war-room doors were suddenly pushed open. Song Zining walked in and, without so much as a word, materialized his origin power into a pile of razor-sharp leaves. He then flung all of them straight at Wei Potians face. The latter was apparently prepared; he circulated the Thousand Mountains within a split second and blocked all the attacks. That Wei clan guest warrior made no attempt to block Song Zinings attack, and instead retreated awkwardly to one side. Then under Wei Potians amused gesture, he said goodbye to Qianye and left the war-room in a hurry. What followed was a chaotic battle. Qianye only learnt of the issue after the two had worn themselves out. It turned out that Wei Potian had caused Song Zining to be unable to go to war. Then, in order to make up for the loss in fighting power, he had stuffed his own guest warrior into Qianyes hands. It was unknown just how many benefits the Wei clan heir had promised the man in order to make him go to battle and also keep quiet about the matter. Qianye didnt even want to get angry with these two fellows who were always trying to hinder one another. The young miss of Duke You was in high spirits after she found out about this matter and felt that the opportunity to decide everything in one battle had come. She immediately patted her chest and took complete charge of everything. You can rest assured. When this mommy here goes into action, she can do the job of two people. Qianyes expression turned even darker. Young miss Zhao Yuying was indeed worth two men in terms of unreliability. This big beauty definitely wouldnt listen to his commands on the battlefield. Qianye came to a firm decision on the eve of the western expedition. If there was ever any important business in the future, he would have each of them take charge of one aspect, but would never have them working together. The predetermined time arrived very quickly, and Dark Flames armored battalion was the first to set outthe western expedition had begun. Qianye and Zhao Yuying sat in the command vehicle and left the city with the main force. Meanwhile, Wei Potian and Song Zining were left to deal with all the noble ladies. It was just that ones mood was on cloud nine, while the others was in hell. Song Zining seemed to have been stimulated after being given a taste of his own medicine by the wild boar. He had used up his normal half a years worth of paper and books to train with great diligence. According to his words on the night of Qianyes departure, he had already touched upon the meanings of dark twilight and would soon break through to the sixth realm of the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Arts middle-rank. Meanwhile, Wei Potian was in a great mood and had touched upon the threshold of forming an origin power vortex during practice. It seemed the two had arrived at the same destination despite having taken different paths and were making great progress in their martial power. Zhao Yuying was sitting across Qianye in the command vehicle and said casually while peeling a fruit with her army knife, It seems I have to deal with that damned count. But this wont come cheap! Ill let you take a look at this. She reached out to kick the black crate beside her. The cover sprang open on its own, revealing a silver physical bullet which was the size of a palm and as thick as a fist. The origin array patterns on it ran in straight lines and were filled with a somber aura. Qianye asked in surprise, What is this? Zhao Yuying took a bite from her fruit and said, This is specialized ammo for the Mountain Splitter. A single shot can blast that low-rank count half-dead. Naturally, its firepower is evenly matched by its price. With this baby in hand, we have nothing to fear from that old count whose teeth are about to fall off. But youll have to compensate me afterward. I want 20% of the spoils of war after this battle, and Ill be the first to choose. What are you looking for? Slaves, prisoners of war or civilians, but they mustnt be old. Demonkin are the best, werewolves are suboptimal, and arachne are useless. Qianye frowned. Youre going to engage in slavery? Im not working in the slave trade, but something even worse! This matter is unrelated to you and its best you dont ask. Moreover, this cant be considered my business. Im only helping a friend. Qianye pondered for a moment and said, Fine, but reckon there wont be many prisoners of war in this battle. Civilians are fine, Zaho Yuying replied. Her nonchalant attitude was capable of producing a chill in the depths of ones heart. Qianye was silent for a moment and said, Im quite curious about your past. A noble lady born to a hereditary duke had turned into who she was today. Naturally, this couldnt be solely attributed to a deviation in upbringingit was likely that an extremely unpleasant story was involved. Zhao Yuying laughed while looking at Qianye. Youre just a kid. Stop asking about this and that like an adult. Youll naturally come to understand when you grow up. Qianye broke into a laughter. This young miss was only older than him by a couple of years but loved to act like an old and experienced person. But then again, there was a certain appeal in seeing this big beauty call herself this mommy with such ferocity. This made Qianye recall one of Song Zinings words, As long as youre handsome enough, everything you do will look good. But Qianye had no intention to let Zhao Yuying seize the initiative just like that. This didnt just involve the distribution of spoils but also the authority of command. Qianye brought out a small box and opened it to reveal three origin bullets. I wont let Count Stuka have an easy time even if he really came. Zhao Yuyings countenance changed somewhat after immediately recognizing the tiny emblem on the tip of the origin bullet. The Song clans Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang? Correct. Qianye closed the lid with a bang. This bullet requires a grade-six gun to bring out its minimum firepower, but I dont see you holding one. Rest assured, I dont have a habit of squandering things. The two became silent and cultivated quietly on their own. Any sort of accumulation before the battle was good. Zhao Yuyings body was overflowing with dark-purple origin power and emitting an aura similar to the West Pole Violet Qi. However, it contained more of a bloody, murderous intent as compared to Zhao Jundus bright and imposing heavenly-flame-like violet qi. Qianye circulated the mysterious chapter in silence, digesting the essence blood stored in his body. He had, once again, had his fill of essence blood during the last reconnaissance run, but all kinds of business had kept him from digesting it in cultivation. After completing a full cycle, the mass of darkness origin power was dispersed and devoured by the blood energy within his body. Perhaps owing to his True Sight, Qianye was able to see the pair of golden wings plump up a bit after the dark golden blood energy had swallowed nearly half of the darkness origin power. The darkness origin power swallowed by the purple blood energy was fewer this time. Moments later, numerous purple rays spilled out from the blood energy and flowed toward every part of his body. There would be a slight itchy sensation wherever these tiny lights went, be it his organs, flesh, or bones. Newly formed energy seemed to be gushing out from each drop of blood and strengthening his body. This was the purple blood energys process of strengthening and modifying his body. Comparatively, the dark golden blood energy seemed to be doing its best to nurture the Wings of Inception. Qianye slowly opened his eyes and spat out a strand of black qi, which pierced a small hole through the cars body. Zhao Yuying was still resting with her eyes closed when she suddenly said, Im really curious about your cultivation art.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 346: Factors That Decide Victory [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Combatant Formula, Qianye replied calmly. The Song Clan Ancient Scroll and the blood energy within his body were his greatest secrets. Only Song Zining knew of them at the moment. Zhao Yuying broke into a laughter. Combatant Formula? That muddy qi you spat out just now was pure darkness, not something that can be passed off as a minor impurity. Ive never heard that the Combatant Formula can cultivate darkness origin power. There was no emotion on Qianyes face. It was apparent that he didnt want to continue this discussion. Zhao Yuying said with a laugh, Dont be so stingy. Im not interested in this little secret of yours. Oh, and by the way, let me tell you that I cultivate the Western Emperors Grand Ambition, which is the polar counterpart of the West Pole Violet Qi. One light and one dark, these two are the top-grade secret arts of the Zhao Clan. The West Pole Violet Qi was one of the most famous arts of the Zhao clan. Why was the Western Emperors Grand Ambition not well-known if it were comparable to the former? Qianye didnt know Zhao Yuyings intentions in telling him this, and he didnt want to ask too many questions. Sometimes, it was better to know less about the secrets related to the Zhao clan. News from the vanguard arrived while they were setting up camp that night. Duan Hao had already assaulted the dark race territory and captured two settlements. Additionally, he had also annihilated two patrol units and successfully arrived at his designated position. There were already hundreds of captives in Duan Haos hands, both warriors and civilians, currently being escorted to the rear. Duan Hao had also allowed a number of dark race citizens to escape on purpose. Viscount Thomas, who was closest to this location, would receive news of the invasion very soon, and his troops would likely arrive at the battlefield within two days. Qianye passed the report to Zhao Yuying and said, I guess its time for us to move out. As expected, Zhao Yuying said while yawning, Thomas? That pitifully weak rural vampire? Not interested. You can take care of him on your own. Qianye smiled indifferently and stuffed the report into her hands. This wont do. Many of my subordinates will die if you dont take part. Zhao Yuying yawned once again and tossed the report back to Qianye. You can be considered a leader now. Use some brain, will you? Your elder sisters greatest value is in launching a ferocious surprise attack against that arachne count. I can at least knock off two of his hind legs. Why would I need to take action for a mere third-rank viscount? Dont tell me you want all your warriors to come back alive? How can there be any elite soldiers without any deaths? If thats your intention, then its best you just disperse Dark Flame right now. Youre not suited to lead an army. Ill deal with Stuka. You should know that the correct choice is for me to deal with him. Zhao Yuying had no plan to compromise. Qianye shrugged and said, Fine then. If you really cant knock off two of his hind legs, then youll have to listen to my commands from now on. Zhao Yuying glanced at Qianye and said, As long as you cooperate well, Im five parts confident in finishing off that old spider. But are you sure thats what you want? Qianye immediately shook his head. Of course not. Leaving him alive for now will benefit us. Then thats settled. Zhao Yuying then ignored Qianye and returned to her cultivation. After finishing up the military affairs at hand, Qianye pondered on his conversation with Zhao Yuying and felt his heart tremble ever so slightly. Apparently, the latter possessed impressive strategic foresight despite her sloppy outward appearance. After the night passed by, Qianye led Dark Flames main force and marched toward the designated battlefield. The mine they were charging toward was one of Viscount Thomas economic bloodlinesthe viscount would have no choice but to send reinforcements whether or not he had other intentions in mind. Dark Flame now had a total of six regiments after incorporating the seventh division. Qianye only brought along three of the most powerful regiments and left the remainder to guard Cloud Sail City and Four Rivers Military Base. Blackflow City was left under Song Hus full control to manage logistics. Qianye had no worries at all about the citys defenses at the moment. It was practically invulnerable to attacks as long as Zhang Zixings airship squadron was around. Dark Flame arrived at the predetermined battlefield in the evening. It was a hilly region with gentle slopes, most suitable for Dark Flame to display its firepower. Qianye set up the two mobile heavy cannons on the highest knoll with which he could control a ten-kilometer area around them. Zhao Yuying watched detachedly from the side and found that Qianyes troop deployments strictly adhered to standard imperial army tactics. Although he couldnt be considered a genius in this regard, at least he wasnt making any mistakes. This was indeed the best strategy in a scenario where ones own troop strength and armaments were at an advantage. Night came early in Evernight Continent, and the sky had completely dimmed down by four oclock in the evening. A faintly discernible sound suddenly rang out in the distance, but upon careful listening, it also sounded like the wind blowing through the plains and forests. Those experts who possessed Night Vision could see a crowd of black figures appearing on the distant hilltop. There was an invisible pressure slowly advancing toward them. Zhu Wuya arrived beside Qianye and whispered, Sir, the enemy has arrived. How about their reconnaissance units? Those in range have been finished off. Qianye nodded and instructed Zhu Wuya to return to his position, leaving only Zhao Yuying and a number of orderlies near him. In the distant forest, countless bats suddenly fluttered up and formed a swirling black cloud in the sky. Below that dark cloud was the main army of the dark race. The bright day and dark night were no different at all in Qianyes supervision. He shot a single glance and said to Zhao Yuying, 5000 blood thralls and around four to five hundred vampire warriors. It seems most of them are the viscounts men. Zhao Yuying shrugged and said, Is this your first time leading a battle of this scale? Yes, Qianye admitted calmly. Very well. After this boring fight ends, youll understand that there are many factors that affect the outcome of a battle, including the warriors training, sufficient supplies, firm strategy, and quality of equipment. But theres really only one thing that decides victory. These were the words of one of the empires greatest marshals, Zhang Boqians great-grandfather, Zhang Dongliu. Almost every imperial soldier knew this by heart and Qianye was no exception. He finished the sentence with a rueful smile, Experts. Correct. I was wondering whether or not youll know. Why dont you just rush over directly and finish off that weak viscount? Wont that solve everything? Dont tell me you cant kill a measly third-rank viscount? I feel its not difficult for you to finish off two such characters. Qianye smiled and pointed toward the Dark Flame warriors who had taken up a defensive stance. Youre not wrong. But my subordinates need to mature amidst the flames of war and such an opportunity doesnt come too often. Whats the use of these ordinary soldiers? On the contrary, its distracting. Qianye broke into a laughter and shook his head. Theyre naturally useless to high nobles like you, but its not the same for us. He hadnt even finished speaking when Zhao Yuying cut him short. Qianye, youre mistaken. Troops and influence are only useful to people like us. We received the support of the clan, and as such, we also have a responsibility to reciprocate. Troops are best used for occupation, control, and administrationtheyre like adding wings to tigers like us. But its not the same for you. You must be clear by now that the Zhao clan may become your support, but quite likely a crisis as well. Qianye frowned slightly. Zhao Yuying continued, Little Four is strong, very strong. And I have no doubts about his determination to protect you. But I also know that relying on others is, in and of itself, unreliable. So, what you really should do is to become stronger yourself and not get distracted. For instance, Lin Xitang. The appearance of this name shook Qianyes heart. Zhao Yuying hadnt noticed the minute changes in his emotion and kept on speaking, Many people only know Lin Xitang leads his armies with extraordinary skill and is unparalleled in strategy. They only know that the Northern Legion he established can be considered the most elite unit, and how he single-handedly brought the Lin family from low to high-ranking noble status. But few know the true reason why Lin Xitang was able to stand equal to Marshal Boqian as one of the empires twin paragons. Qianye couldnt help but listen with bated breath. He too had never imagined that there would be another reason. Zhao Yuying laughed coldly and said, Lin Xitang has gone through hundreds of battle, big and small, throughout his career. But he has never once been defeated in a direct confrontation! Its quite amusing that everyone thinks he achieved a leading position with strategy. Qianye opened his mouth and couldnt help but ask, Has Marshal Lin and Marshal Zhang ever fought before? Zhao Yuying shook her head. Ive never heard of such a battle. Dont ask me, I dont know why either. Qianye recalled in detail. He had indeed never heard any rumors related to the results of a contest between the two. This was quite surprising. The reputation of the Empires Twin Paragons rose when they were both champions. Back then, they were the two incomparable brilliant rising stars, one civil and one military, one a strategist and the other a warrior. Their stories were spread far and wide among the militarys younger generation. Later on, one became the cornerstone of the aristocratic clans, while the other became the leader of the rising military power. In the end, the two became political rivals in the imperial court, but they were still the idols of countless youths. Today, Zhang Boqian was a peerless symbol of the empires backbone generation, while Lin Xitangs completely unfathomable Art of Heavens Mystery was gradually surpassing the other ancient secret arts. Thus, in the eyes of countless people, the best combination was to have Lin Xitang lead the army, and Zhang Boqian break through enemy formations to slaughter their generals. As for a comparison of martial strength, it was naturally Zhang Boqian who was stronger. However, according to Zhao Yuying''s words, it seemed the results of a battle between the two paragons wasnt that easy to judge. But now that Zhang Boqian was about to advance to the rank of Heavenly Monarch, there would probably never be an answer to this guess. Qianye collected his thoughts and gazed at the fast approaching vampire army. I understand. But, lets finish this battle first before anything else. He slowly raised his right hand. The orderly immediately focused his attention on his gesture, waiting for the command. Qianye gauged the distance in silence. He finally gripped his hands into a fist after the tide of blood thralls had descended the knoll and began charging along the gentle slope. The dense darkness of the night was torn apart by the resplendent flames as a dozen-odd cannons rumbled continuously, firing shell after shell toward the dark race army. The first wave actually contained a fair number of flaresit was as though ten suns had appeared in the sky as the blinding white light illuminated the entire battlefield. The high-ranking vampire warriors hiding amidst the blood thralls were staring fixedly at the sky, ready to intercept the incoming heavy cannon shells. Ordinary flares would only affect their vision slightly and caused no damage to their eyes. However, the ones Qianye had used were special flash shells used only by the imperial regular army. The light erupting from them contained intense daybreak origin power and were highly destructive against the dark races. This was especially true for the vampires and demonkin who possessed outstanding eyesight. These special flash shells were of extraordinary value, and it was fairly rare to see them on Evernight Continent, even in major battles. The opponent, Viscount Thomas, had never even seen this thing before. He realized something wasnt right the moment this white light suddenly appeared and hurriedly closed his eyes. Even then, his eyes stung and tears flowed out involuntarily. Even Thomas was in such a state, to speak nothing of the vampires under his command. Many high-ranking warriors were howling in pain while covering their eyes. Large charred marks had even emerged on the blood thralls skin. Many of the weaker ones were burned until they rolled about on the ground in pain. A single wave of cannon fire had thrown Thomas entire unit into confusion and wiped out all of his lower-ranking military power. Qianye stood at the back, observing everything in silence.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 347: Minor Victory [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Heavy cannons rumbled on, and this time, they contained ordinary shells. Balls of flame erupted amidst the vampire ranks, each of them blasting away a dozen-odd blood thralls. Although the heavy artillery blasted with great vigor, their actual destructive power was rather limited. Because of humans frequent use of cannons in battle, the dark races normally spread themselves out in a scattered formation when charging. Moreover, blood thralls were purely expendable cannon fodder for consuming enemy ammunition, and the vampires wouldnt feel distressed no matter how many of them died. But such a wide-coverage barrage was effective against vampire warriors who usually hid among the blood thralls charging toward the enemy camp. The middle to low-ranking dark race warriors wouldnt dare take direct cannon fire despite their strong bodies. Their evasive movements were much nimbler than ordinary blood thralls and would usually be spotted by the human race snipers, turning them into firing targets. At this moment, Viscount Thomas had fallen into a predicamentmost of the blood thralls had been immobilized by the star shell just now, and the entire formation could no longer press forward. If he ordered the army to continue their advance, the vampire warriors would be completely exposed before Dark Flames cannons, but they would suffer continuous cannon fire if they were to hold their ground. Even the thinly spread formation wouldnt last long under the continuous plowing of the artillery barrage. Thomas opened his still-teary eyes and entered a state of complete fury. He pointed forward and roared, Kill! Kill all those despicable humans! This was a signal for an all-out attack. The vampire warriors began to charge under the viscounts ordersthey displayed extreme speed and agility as they rushed toward Dark Flames defensive line even faster than a cheetah. Qianye raised his fist and pointed forward. The order was passed on like a relay, and Dark Flames light and heavy weaponry began to blast out in unison, mowing down the first row of vampire warriors like grass. The vampires began to retaliate at the same time. The characteristic timbre of their origin guns reverberated continuously as beams of origin light streaked across the night sky and landed on the defensive position. The quality of the vampire elites came into display at this moment. Very few of them used gunpowder weapons, and their origin bullets almost seemed to trace back along the trajectory of the projectiles fired from Dark Flame guns, seemingly poised to drill into the muzzles. Dark Flame suffered hundreds of casualties in mere moments. Qianyes expression remained unchanged and continued to observe the situation in silence. Under the provocation of terrifying enemies, Dark Flames warriors fired an overflowing torrent of bullets toward the front. The dense barrage of bullets formed a flaming net in the darkness of the night which soon enveloped the vampire warriors. Vampire warriors fell continuously no matter how they moved or shifted. They were also retaliating, and almost every bullet would find a mark. However, the casualties they were able to inflict grew smaller and smaller. Snipers like Zhu Wuya and Tu Shiqing were firing with all their mighteven high-ranking warriors with lightning-fast agility could hardly escape their shots. In the end, the vampire warriors still made it past the zone of death and arrived near the battle line. Numerous black shadows were immediately flung into the frontline, followed by a world-shaking explosion. Its might wasnt at all inferior to Dark Flames heavy artillery barrage, and might even be more powerful in certain areas. Vampire grenades were just that powerful no matter when they were used. But seeing the few exploding balls of flame, Zhao Yuying spat and jeered, Just these few toys? As expected of rural vampire bastards, so poor. Ill have to cry if theyre rich. Qianye displayed some rare humor. Hundreds of vampire warriors had rushed up the defensive position in an instant, and the battle quickly turned into a melee. One after another, Dark Flame officers issued battle cries and jumped out to meet the incoming enemy in battle. Far in the distance, Viscount Thomas let out a shrill cry, whereupon the vampire warriors who had charged into the defensive position split into two. Some vampires held their original positions and engaged the enemy, covering for the others who quickly pushed deeper into the defensive position. It seemed they wanted to create confusion in Dark Flames battlefront and also destroy the snipers and heavy cannons that were usually positioned at the back. However, Dark Flame wasnt an ordinary unit. This was especially true for the three regiments Qianye had brought this timethe proportion of fighters in them far surpassed ordinary expeditionary army units. The high-ranking vampire warriors who had charged in found themselves surrounded by countless fighters. Viscount Thomas noticed the multicolored origin power radiance within Dark Flames position. Although the enemy ranks werent excessively high, they were capable of drowning out his own warriors with numbers alone. Moreover, he had never seen any expeditionary army unit with so many fighters! At this moment, even ordinary people who knew nothing of warfare could see that the vampire warriors who had rushed in would soon be annihilated. The viscount looked left and right. His entire force was already engaged in battle, and only his personal guard unit remained around him. It would be their turn after the completely surrounded vampire warriors were finished off. Thomas hesitated for a moment and then let out a mournful whistle which represented a retreat. He then turned around and ran into the darkness of the night. In Viscount Thomas heart, it wasnt considered a defeat as long as he himself was alive. As for the warriors and descendants, it wasnt important no matter how many had died. He could still recover his strength with a bit of time and resources. The blood thralls, on the other hand, werent considered a loss at all. Zhao Yuying suddenly glanced at her side as Thomas began to escape, only to find that Qianye had disappeared at some point. It was at this time that a vampire warrior staggered past numerous interceptions and arrived before Zhao Yuying. This was a blood knighthe had long since become drenched in blood, and there was a large sinister looking wound across his chest. However, his powerful vampire vitality allowed him to keep on fighting. His eyes immediately lit up after seeing Zhao Yuying and charged up while waving his sword. Apparently, he wished to drag someone important along with him to the grave. Unfortunately, Zhao Yuying was too much for him to handle. She didnt even raise her hand and only spat out in a disgusted mannerthe saliva projectile shot through the blood knight''s forehead and actually produced a cross-shaped hole amidst a gush of fresh blood. The blood knights eyes immediately lost all spirit, and the body gradually collapsed after taking a few steps forward from the inertia. All the Dark Flame soldiers around Zhao Yuying revealed expressions of fear and distanced themselves secretly. She had actually spat a desperate and fierce blood knight to death with a mouthful of saliva. They probably wouldnt believe it had they not seen it with their own eyes. The fight within the Dark Flame position gradually calmed down after the blood knight fell. Most of the vampires had already died in battle, and a portion of them chose to surrender. There were also a small number who broke through the siege and disappeared into the night, not daring to look back. Thomas was running quickly through the distant forest, his speed much faster than a high-ranking werewolf. The landscape and darkness posed not as obstructions but were, instead, the best covers for him. He cursed Dark Flame maliciously in his heart as he ran. He wasnt that worried about his own safety because he was already safe after running this far. Thomas didnt believe any human could catch up to him under present conditions. However, he came to a sudden halt after rushing out of a forestQianye was standing quietly not so far in the distance, waiting for his arrival. Thomas recognized him as the commander of Dark Flame but didnt know how this person had suddenly appeared here to intercept him. He had seen Qianye issuing instructions in the Dark Flame position just before he set out. Thomas roared furiously, sped up, and pounced straight toward Qianye. Immediately after moving forth, he drew his origin handgun and blasted straight ahead. However, he felt a sudden burst of intense pain in his chest just as he was about to pull the trigger. This caused his hand to shake, and the muzzle was raised upwarda beam of origin power shot toward an unknown direction. The viscount endured the pain in his heart and looked up with great difficulty, just in time to find that a double-barreled handgun had appeared in Qianyes hand and was aimed at his head! Thomas expression grew increasingly fierce as he suddenly let out a resounding scream. Qianye felt a fit of dizziness as the strong origin power fluctuations in the dark viscounts cry rushed into his central nervous system. Qianye simply closed his eyes and relied on his instincts to pull the trigger. Thomas anguished howl was mixed in with the timbre of the Twin Flowers. The dizziness had subsided when Qianye opened his eyes, but the vampire viscount had already arrived before him. Thomas right shoulder and arm were badly mangled, and the wound was charred black as though it had been burned. Apparently, the Twin Flowers had injured the viscount seriously despite the slight deviation. Thomas had paid a hefty price to draw close to Qianye. He naturally wouldnt let go of this opportunity and slashed out with the sword in his intact left hand. At the same time, his two blood-sucking fangs emerged, ready to be sunk into Qianyes body at the first opportunity. Qianye reached out with his right hand and easily grabbed Thomas wrist. The sword stopped immediately mid-air and couldnt advance a single inch. Thomas was greatly astonished. How could a mere human possess such strength?! He noticed Qianyes left arm move past him and, without thinking, bit down. His two blood-sucking fangs sunk deep into Qianyes arm! Thomas stared fixedly at Qianye with a flash of cruel excitement in his eyes. Although this human was strong, he apparently lacked experience fighting against vampires. Ordinary people simply wouldnt dare engage a vampire in barehanded melee. That was because a human, once bitten, would turn into a blood thrall. Qianye was undoubtedly a powerful opponent. Thomas couldnt help but become excited when he thought of the former turning into a blood thrall. However, he suddenly realized that Qianyes expression was calm, so calm that it made him feel cold. It was as though the arm that had been bitten wasnt his own. Thomas sucked forcefully, but he simply couldnt taste the intoxicating blood. He wanted to inject toxins into Qianye, but the venom wouldnt flow out as though his fangs were blocked. At this moment, Qianyes arm was as hard as a rock, and Thomas fangs were sealed in stone. Qianye sneered and suddenly pulled his left arm away from Thomas mouth with the two blood-sucking fangs still nailed on it. Even the flesh at their roots was still wiggling. Thomas let out a blood-curdling howl of anguish and fell rolling onto the ground. Having one''s blood-sucking fangs pulled out wasnt something a vampire could withstand. Qianye stepped on Thomas with one leg, drew his Scarlet Edge, and pierced the latters blood core. Thomas stared fixedly at Qianye with a contorted smile. Blood was flowing out of his mouth, but he still managed to speak with great difficulty. Youve been bitten and wont live long. Youll be burnt to death by those of your race! Youre overthinking, Qianye replied indifferently. Scarlet Edges absorption was suddenly increased, and Thomas essence blood flowed out along the blades edge. The viscounts expression changed drastically as he shouted in great terror, You! Youre also a descendant of sacred blood?! Why?! He never got his answer because the Scarlet Edge had shattered his blood core and drained him of all essence blood. Meanwhile, Qianye had never made it a habit to satisfy the enemys curiosity. He got up and felt as if his body were bathed in warm water. This inexplicably comfortable sensation was a sign of overflowing essence blood. He wouldnt be able to absorb anymore if he were to meet another powerful enemy. Qianye glanced at his surroundings and found that it was completely silent. After confirming that no one had slipped by, he picked up Thomas body and went back.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 348: Standard of Profit in War [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Gunshots rang out from time to time as Dark Flame warriors cleaned up the battlefield. They worked in groups of three to five, and their attitudes were just as cautious as they were during battle. Vampires were the most dangerous enemies to humans, especially those on the verge of death because one would become a blood thrall all the same if they were suddenly bitten. The standard procedure during a cleanup was to fire first at any blood thralls or vampires with signs of life before approaching them. Perhaps that was also the reason why vampires treated human prisoners of war with increasing cruelty. They were now much harsher compared to before the Thousand Year War where human prisoners were kept as livestock. Between the two factions, the conflict between the humans and vampires was the cruelest. When Qianye returned, he saw a dozen or so vampire warriors pacing around Zhao Yuying, probably the only prisoners of war in this entire battle. There was only one way humans treated blood thralls, and that was to exterminate them. There were also very few vampire warriors who were willing to surrender. Zhao Yuying would occasionally pinch their chests and pat their buttocks as though she were the patron of a brothel picking out a girl. Then, he saw her open a blood knights mouth and check his fangsnow that was definitely a method for picking beasts of burden. Qianye truly had no idea how to evaluate this granddaughter of Duke You. The more he interacted with her, the more amazed he became. For instance, these originally fierce and vicious vampires were now as meek as kittens before her. One had to know that it was a great humiliation for vampires to have their fangs looked over, yet they were actually enduring it. Qianye couldnt help but ask, How did you achieve this? Zhao Yuying didnt turn back. Call me sister and Ill tell you. Lets leave that for later. Qianye tried to slip through. It was a rare occasion for Zhao Yuying to not pursue a matter relentlessly. She only continued her selection process and said, Its quite simple really. I only told them that anyone who disobeys will die for three days. Is it that simple? Qianye couldnt believe it. Its just that simple! Zhao Yuying replied without hesitation. How can you have so much time. Qianye unceremoniously exposed her lies. Time was precious to a person like Zhao Yuyinghow could she spend three days on something like this? Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuying laughed out loud and said, Ive always had a lot of time on my hands. Moments later, Zhao Yuying picked out ten vampires and said, These vampires will be my compensation. Dispatch someone to send them back in a while. Qianye frowned after checking the remaining vampires. Thats more than ten percent. Zhao Yuying put a hand on Qianyes shoulder and laughed. Qianye, why do you have to be so stingy?! This mommy, no, Im still your sister no matter what. Qianye slapped away her claws without batting an eyelid. This matter hasnt been confirmed yet. Zhao Yuyings claws came back once again and her face was all smiles. Why isnt it confirmed? There are only these few siblings in the Zhao clan. How can there be a mistake? Naturally, there were more than just a few people in the Zhao clan. Just the younger generation under thirty years old numbered in the tens of thousands. But those who could enter the eyes of Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying could naturally be counted on one hand. Qianye frowned slightly. He didnt want to be tangled with her anymore and said without the slightest bit of concession, Its fine if you want to take more from this batch. Well just adjust your payments accordingly in the future batches. Zhao Yuying pouted. Its so rare to have another brother, yet hes such a miser! This little property is all I have. I wouldve been devoured clean by you if I werent stingy. Youre speaking as though youre this mommys man! I suggest you do find a man as quickly as possible. Hey, who treats an elder sister like that?! Qianye had already lost interest in bickering with Zhao Yuying. He shot a glance at the ten vampires she had picked out and asked, How did you pick them? According to their strength and quality of course. Quality? Qianye had never felt he could find any quality in these vampires. Even if there was any to be found, she probably couldnt find any with her methods. Moreover, no matter how one observed, it still felt as though she was just picking those with good looks and figures. Qianye had heard vaguely about how handsome vampires and demonkin were quite popular among the high-ranking nobility. The results of the battle were checked very quickly. Viscount Thomas forces were completely wiped in this battle. Over twenty vampires above the level of esquire fell in battle, and two were captured. Nearly five hundred formal vampire warriors were killed, and over a dozen were captured. As for the blood thralls, the losses reached six thousand. Meanwhile, the casualties on Qianyes Dark Flame was over three hundred. This kind of casualty rate could be considered a glorious victory by the empires standards, however, that wasnt the case in Zhao Yuyings eyes. Qianye had used ten rounds of expensive daybreak flares in order to achieve this result. This battle could only be considered a minor victory once the ammunition cost was factored in. Qianye was somewhat puzzled after hearing Zhao Yuyings evaluation. She was, after all, a descendant of a major clan. Ignoring her shockingly carefree nature for the time being, just how was she raised to be so avaricious? As Qianye saw it, ammunition was something that would be used sooner or later, while warriors would grow stronger with each battle. Using ten star shells in exchange for a major victory was definitely worth it. Qianye didnt stop after eliminating Viscount Thomas and continued marching through the night. He split up the forces into twoone unit, led by Zhao Yuying, assaulted the mines along the way, while Qianye personally led the other toward Viscount Thomas lair. That Wei clan champion continued leading the military engineers and logistic teams at a safe distance from the main army where he could both safeguard their rear path and rush to the front when his help was needed. Zhao Yuying had to make an incomparably painful choice between attacking the viscounts castle and the mines. There, Qianye saw a different side of her that was indecisive and hesitant. But come to think of it, she would only waver so much when money was involved. Dark Flames offensive finally alarmed the entire county after this battle. Only then did the feudal lords under Stukas command began to mobilize their troops, and with incomparable sluggishness at that. Up until now, the human forces in Blackflow Citys direction had only focused on defense and never launched a major offensive before. Only when Thomas army was completely wiped out and the viscount himself had fallen in battle did they come to realize that the humans were launching a real war. Within a castle in the southeast, an extremely tall and sturdy werewolf was sitting on his high seat, looking down at the hall full of his subordinates. Those in the hall were all werewolves, and there was none from the other racesa stark contrast from other feudal lords. Additionally, all of the werewolves were in their primitive forms; no one had transformed into human shape. The werewolf on the high seat had flaming red hair, a vicious expression, and a large scar across his chest. He was known as Red-Haired Brudo the Terrible, the only werewolf viscount under Count Stuka. Brudo was inherently cruel and tyrannical, but he possessed great combat strength and would disregard all consequences when he turned berserk. The scar in front of his chest was left behind when he challenged Count Stuka. Having challenged Count Stuka as a second-rank viscount and even living to tell the taleeveryone came to know of Brudos madness and valiance after that incident. This werewolf viscount was, at the same time, a racist who had always believed that only werewolves were trustworthy. That was why only werewolves were allowed to live in his territory and the only ones from the other races were slaves. At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely stifling. Brudos loud breathing was akin to that of bellows as it echoed through the hall. The other werewolves, on the other hand, cowered without daring to speak. Brudo finally spoke, Where are those humans now? A werewolf walked toward the large map on the wall and pointed out the positions of Qianyes three units. When did this incident take place? asked Brudo. Yesterday night. The viscount suddenly roared, Dont try to fob me off with something so ambiguous as last night! Tell me the exact time. How many hours before was this!? The werewolf in front of the map said in a trembling voice, F-Fifteen, approximately fifteen hours ago. Fifteen hours! Humph! It was quite rare to see a pause in Brudos fury. The pair of jade-green eyes stared fixedly at the map with an inexplicable solemnity on his face. According to the information they acquired, Thomas lost too quickly no matter how they assessed the progress of the battle. As one of the feudal lords under Stuka, Brudo understood Thomas very well. Even though that treacherous and cunning vampire was as cowardly as a mouse, the army under his command wasnt weak at all, so much that his army might even be more powerful than Brudos werewolf-supreme army. How could he have been defeated just like that? Brudo slowly turned back and asked, Are the warriors from every tribe present? Warriors from all tribes have been summoned except Except what? Great ferocity flashed in Brudos eyes. The Sharp Fang Tribe hasnt come. They claim to be performing an extremely important sacrifice to their ancestors and for which their entire tribe must be present. Otherwise, their ancestors would blame them. Sharp Fang, Brudo muttered this name from between his teeth and ended with a muffled growl toward the end. Those familiar with Red-Haired Brudo the Terrible knew that he would tear everyone from Sharp Fang apart after this battle. A brown-furred werewolf waved his claws and said, Sire, lets set out now. Ill charge first and tear those human insects apart. Brudo stood up and paced a couple of times in front of his seat before suddenly saying, No, we shall defend. Inform all our men to recall all external patrol units and stop all hunting activities. Every warrior shall withdraw to defend the gates, and no one is allowed to fire unless the humans attack us proactively. No one shall attack even if they walk right past our eyes! Sire, this The werewolves were bewildered because they had never seen Brudo issue such an order. Execute the order! Brudo roared loudly and released his aura of brutality without restraint. The werewolves lowered their heads in fear and firmly memorized their orders. Then, they withdrew from the hall and began to convey the will of Brudo the Terrible to all relevant parties. Only Brudo was left in the hall. He stood in front of the map and stared fixedly at the marks upon them, some thoughtfulness and caution appearing in his originally savage eyes. On Dark Flames side, the vanguard led by Duan Hao swept through all dark race settlements one after another and annihilated all patrol teams who entered their sights. And with Thomas main force already destroyed, Qianye and Zhao Yuying conquered their respective targets with relative ease. Qianye plundered everything valuable from the viscounts castle. He dispatched a company of soldiers to escort the hundreds of vampire captives and tens of thousands of livestock humans back to Blackflow City while he himself led the army to rendezvous with Zhao Yuying. The first thing Qianye asked after seeing Zhao Yuying was the number of casualties, but the latters only reply was that they had made a big profit this time. With great effort, Qianyes thoughts made a sharp turn and confirmed that their losses were indeed quite small.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 349: A Peculiar Ore Vein [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The mines in Zhao Yuyings charge produced black stone ore. This was a fairly common mineral found on Evernight Continent, but the vampire counts mine boasted massive reserves and easy extraction. Moreover, there was also a considerable yield of black crystal which was worth much more than black stone ore. Compared to Qianyes little mine, however, its ability to convert produce into cash was somewhat inferior since it didnt produce copper. Qianye and Zhao Yuying stood on high ground, watching Dark Flame warriors escorting the mine guards toward the designated camp in a single file. In addition to the guards, there were also thousands of miners and a fair portion of them were humans. They werent blood thralls or raised livestock, but human slaves. Zhao Yuying tossed an irregular piece of black crystal ore in her hand and said, There are too many of them. Itll be fairly troublesome. What do you plan to do with them? What do you think we should do? Qianye replied with a question. He liked to listen to Zhao Yuyings idea recently. Although this unique and independent noble lady would sometimes say astonishing things, they werent entirely unreasonable upon careful thought. Additionally, this was a good opportunity to understand more about her. Qianye had originally thought that Zhao Yuyings reply would be to put them all to death or seal them directly into the mines and leave them to their fate. It was a commonly used method in war, especially in territories where one couldnt station troops mid-way. This would prevent the army from being dragged down by the prisoners of war and deny the other side any opportunity to take advantage of. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuying said, Leave them here and have a company watch over them. Dont stop the ore extraction routine. Now, it was Qianyes turn to hesitate. This will restrict a large part of our troops. Dont tell me were going to do the same for all the other mines along the way? My troop strength isnt at a level where we can scatter them in this manner. Zhao Yuying replied, If worst comes to worst, Ill put in more effort and fill in for the gap in fighting power. This isnt like you. No, this is just like me. The ore vein here is different from the others. It might actually be hiding something, but I need to occupy even more mines to make sure. Look, this black crystal is proof of this. Zhao Yuying flicked her fingers and sent a black crystal rolling into Qianyes hands. The latter observed in detail and switched to different perceptions. He even used darkness and daybreak origin powers to probe, but couldnt find anything special about this piece of black crystal. You also know how to distinguish minerals and prospect mines? This is a necessary skill for a money grubber, is it not? You also know that youre a money-grubber? Qianye, if you keep treating your sister like this, Ill double the battle reward! Youre the most generous and magnanimous! What horrible flattery! Go back and learn from Zining! Qianye gave the present issue some thought. He then summoned Dark Flames senior officers to discuss matters related to troop allocation and made arrangements accordingly after confirming that they could still afford to take out a company of soldiers. Qianye walked into his own tent after he had finished handling military affairs. He opened the map and began to research the remainder of their journey. There were two viscounts on their way forwardthe werewolf Brudo and the arachne Musk. Their strengths were more or less equal to Thomas, but the fight against them would be much harder. Daybreak star shells were especially effective against vampires, and Qianye himself possessed an overwhelming advantage against vampires of the same level. The shells werent as effective against the resilient werewolves and arachne, but the situation would be completely different if Zhao Yuying was willing to put in more effort. At this time, the door flap to the tent was lifted up and in came Zhao Yuying. Have you thought about how well fight the upcoming battles. Qianye drew out two advancement routes and said, If I were them, Ill find a way to meet up at this point and hold the defensive position. After all, we just devoured Thomas and the two of them arent fools. How would they dare to fight us separately? Zhao Yuying muttered, It seems we took down Thomas too quickly. Itll be a bitter fight if the two of them join forces and that old spider dispatches his forces at the same time. We will split up if theyre all gathered in one place. You and I will lead a unit each. As for the target, heh, heh, are you interested in robbing a viscounts castle? Little Five, youre too kind! Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up in a scary manner as she latched right onto Qianyes shoulder and kissed him. Moreover, this movement caused her chest to press completely against his shoulder without the slightest restraint. Qianyes perception was extremely sharp and immediately sensed the surging fullness of Zhao Yuyings bosom. He immediately took a step back without batting an eyelid. Zhao Yuying also noticed something was odd and laughed loudly, Whats the big deal? I even helped you bathe when you were a kid. Qianye was dumbfounded for a long while and replied helplessly, Who knows if thats real? You were only a small lass back then lets get back to proper business! Fine, lets get back to business. I just interviewed the foreman of this mine and gained some interesting information. There are five more similar black stone mines in the counts territory. With that, Zhao Yuying marked down the five mines on the map which Qianye observed repeatedly. However, he found nothing special about them apart from the fact that they all belonged to the same mountain range. Zhao Yuying knew Qianye wasnt proficient in prospecting mines and, as such, marked down several other areas on the long mountain range. We should be able to find new black stone mining sites in these areas and they should be of similar or even greater yield than the present ones. Qianye raised his brows and said, These mines are so abundant? Doesnt this make this place a mineral-rich region? How can it be as simple as a mere mineral-rich region?! Come, remember this place. Zhao Yuying pointed to a point on the map. Qianyes expression shifted slightly because the place where she had pointed was precisely Green Peak Mountain. It was also the region where Sharp Fang Tribe was. Is there something special about this place? If my judgement is correct, there is something hidden in this region affecting all the mineral deposits. This place should be a key point according to the path of the ore veinsits highly likely that well be able to find some clues or even a completely new ore vein. Qianye only frowned in silence as he recalled the mysterious law array he had seen at the summit of Green Peak Mountain. Zhao Yuying also recalled the matter at this point. Didnt you say there was abnormal dark race activity in this area? Maybe they have also found this abnormality. Well know after the array components you brought back have been cracked whether theyre searching for new ore veins or something else. Qianye nodded and said, Very well! Ill take control of this area as soon as possible. He began thinking about how he should modify his own plans. A mere Sharp Fang Tribe wasnt much of an obstruction. It was at this time that an orderly entered the tent and said after performing his salutations, Sire, this is the most recent intelligence, please take a look at it. Qianyes expression turned rather odd after receiving the report and scanning it briefly. He then passed it to Zhao Yuying. Zhao Yuying looked over it and was momentarily startled. Werewolf Viscount Brudo didnt dispatch his troops and, instead, pulled back all of his warriors to hold the mountain pass outside of his castle? They this Brudo holding back his troops and assuming a defensive position was naturally good news under normal circumstances, but now, it was a problem because Sharp Fang Tribe was beyond the mountain pass, and two of the mines Qianye and Zhao Yuying hoped to occupy were also on Brudos territory. This fierce werewolf famed for his valiance has actually holed up? This was indeed surprising. Qianye quickly collected his thoughts. In any case, this wasnt bad news for the present battle situation because it meant that the arachne viscount Musk would be left alone without any help. Qianye promptly made his decision. He summoned the orderly and issued commands while pointing to certain points on the map. Immediately prepare the army to move out in one hour. Our destination is here, and we will set up camp on this mountain ridge. Send someone to find Duan Hao and have him lead a unit south to watch the werewolves. Instruct him not to hold the line in case of abnormal movements and merely retreat while fighting. Stalling them will suffice. The location Qianye had pointed to was a position suitable for cutting off Count Stukas potential reinforcements from the arachne viscounts forces. This would prevent them from joining forces and the initiative would be in Qianyes hand when the time came to attack any one side. Qianye glanced at the map after the orderly had left and said, Theres only one problem. What if Musk also holes up and doesnt come out? At that time, well probably have to face enemies on all three sides. If that little spider decides to hide himself, then well just overturn his lair! Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up at the mention of the word lair. It wont be that easy, will it? Arachne castles were famous for being easy to defend but difficult to besiege. Anyone would encounter a fair bit of distress against them. But Zhao Yuying let out a frosty smile. Musks so-called castle is merely a small earth mound. Whats so difficult about that? We have such a large amount of extracted black stones. We can just move them all over, pile them up at the base of the earthen mound, and burn their stronghold for a couple of days. Whether its a viscount or a count, well just incinerate them! Qianye felt a chill in his heart. Zhao Yuying saw something queer in Qianyes eyes and said with a charming smile, What? Are you thinking about your sisters brilliance and wisdom? You could say that. Qianye realized that he was speaking more and more things that were contrary to his thoughts. Zhao Yuying immediately revealed her inherent character and let out three loud laughs. Just follow this elder sister and learn in the future. I guarantee youll become really skilled in dealing with the dark races! Qianye laughed wryly since he had nothing to say. Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion had mainly focused on elite fighting ability. Although he had learned some strategy and military operations, that was merely for cooperating with large units in accomplishing combat missions. While commanding Dark Flames forces at present, Qianye had to consider and deduce things repeatedly, frequently convening with the high ranking officers for discussion. It was akin to a process of step-by-step learning and practice, and meeting Zhao Yuying widened his horizons greatly. Each and every one of her numerous suggestions were outrageously cruel and sinister. For instance, this method of burning the arachnes lair with black stone was definitely not in the imperial military academys textbooks. However, these cruel tactics were extremely effective. The arachne would have no choice but to charge out for a decisive battle after seeing the battle situation. Otherwise, his castle would be immolated for several days straighteven though it wasnt enough to kill the high-ranking arachne, countless low-ranking warriors, servspiders, and civilians would be roasted alive. Their spider eggs wouldnt escape this fate either. Young Miss Yuyings strategy, in summary, came down to two words, Complete Annihilation. Qianye couldnt help but want to know what kind of experiences Zhao Yuying had gone through to have become such a terrifying god of murder. The army marched straight toward its destination after completing the necessary preparations. It was like a sharp blade piercing straight into the belly of the counts territory. At this moment, the werewolf Brudos eyes were red. He only stared fixedly at the map in front of him while drinking one cup of wine after another. A werewolf guard approached fearfully. Sire Viscount, the messengers of the count and Viscount Musk cant wait any longer. Brudo suddenly turned around, his bloodshot eyes radiating ferocity in all directions and the red fur behind his back standing on end. The guard was so scared that he took several steps back and almost fell to the floor. White mist sprayed out continuously from Brudos nose as he ground his teeth, emitting sounds that would make one shudder. He spoke only moments later, Let them wait! The werewolf guard asked once more despite his fear, How long shall I have them wait? Let them wait as long as they want and tell them to leave if they cant wait! The guard no longer dared to say anymore and turned to leave. A sigh suddenly echoed through the hall, followed by a gentle voice. Does this mean youre breaking off all ties with that spider? Have you thought about how youll deal with them in the future? Brudo turned toward a corner of the hall where, in the shadows, sat a femalea human female.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 350: Eve of The Tempes t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The woman was fairly delicate and pretty, but nothing more than that. But when Brudo glanced at her, his eyes were no longer cold and gradually became gentle. This time, Brudo spoke in a rather deep voice, Ive never thought so far ahead. First and foremost, the werewolves must survive the impending tempest. The lady asked, Why have you not asked the Summit of Peaks for help? The Summit of Peaks strength is currently waning because they have left the ancestral path. Only under the protection of our ancestors heroic spirits will the werewolves gain power! Explosive, destructive, and bloody-thirsty power! Brudos roar echoed throughout the hall. Werewolves were born of the darkness, and our most powerful weapons are our fangs and claws. This is our own power handed down from generation to generation. But that group from the Summit of Peaks makes us wear human armor and use those weak origin power weapons! Do those old fellows not know that the vampires and demonkin wish to see the werewolves rely upon their frosty goods? So much that these things will eventually become our bridles and reins! In their eyes, werewolves are no more than warbeasts who know only to kill and bleed! The werewolf viscount waved his claws violently and left numerous deep azure traces in the air. The lady spoke softly when he had calmed down, I dont understand these things, but I have a feeling that the tempest this time will be very, very big, and many totems will collapse. Every tribe had their own totem, and the fall of a totem signified the destruction of a tribe. Brudo gazed at the deep twilight outside of the window with resolution in his eyes. The werewolves will survive! Atop the distant mountain ridge, a dark brown arachne had just climbed up to the very peak. There were thousands of servspiders rolling forth under his feet, crawling into the distance. The several units of arachne warriors moving amidst the sea of servspiders would occasionally shoot out spider webs and sweep away all life forms that had failed to escape in time. There was a number of small units made up of a mixture of werewolves and vampires. Their treatment was obviously inferior by a grade and had to make way for the arachne. The dark brown arachne shouted with an impatient voice, Any news from that rabid dog Brudo? The arachne guards on each side glanced at each other. Apparently, they had no news to report. At this moment, an entirely azure arachne with exceptionally long limbs appeared at the base of the mountain and approached at great speeds. The craggy mountainous terrain was like a flatland under its five-meter-long legs. This was a storm arachnespeed being their forte, they made natural scouts and orderlies. It ran straight for the summit where it came to a halt before the brown arachne and said with a bow of its human upper-body, Sire Musk, I have brought two bad news. Viscount Brudo refuses to field troops and even abandoned all of his surrounding settlements, withdrawing all civilians and warriors to the area around his castle. Our messenger went to seek an audience but wasnt able to meet him even after waiting for so long. The dark brown arachne was Viscount Musk. After hearing this, he said furiously, What?! Brudo this bastard! Musks army would become an isolated unit if Brudo refused to field troopsthis human force could devour him without much effort since he was capable of swallowing Thomas so easily. Musk collected his thoughts and asked, Whats the second piece of news? The storm arachne replied, Our scouts reported that the human army has arrived at Black Ridge and have set up camp there. Black Ridge? Musks expression shifted immediately, and his two hind legs even wavered for a little bit. The occupation of Black Ridge meant that Musks communication with the counts territory had been cut-off. Now, he could no longer join forces with Stukas army even if he wanted to. Sire, what should we do? Musk paced around the mountaintop a dozen or so times before calming down. Turn the army around. We return to Fort Legarne! Fort Legarne was one of Musks border strongholds and, although not very large in scale, should provide some degree of defense. Musk was prepared to pull back there and watch the movement of the human army. This human units designation was unfamiliar, and they had appeared too suddenly. Presently, it was unclear whether the aim of their invasion into dark race territory was to occupy land or to plunder resources. Although it was also an arachne castle, Count Stukas was significantly more magnificent and several times larger. At this moment, Count Stuka was standing in his study and reading a thick ancient book. His external appearance was a lanky old man with perfectly groomed greyish-white hair. He wore a gold-rimmed monocle with a thumb-sized black gem attached to the end of its chain. It was apparent that this count was fairly attentive of his appearance and sought perfection in every detail. This quality of his wasnt the slightest bit inferior to the vampires who cared most about their looks. However, faint speckles could still be seen on his skin. These were senile freckles that would appear as one arrived at the end of their lives. They were actually caused when the slow but uncontrollable seeping of darkness origin power from the body produces an irreversible erosion of the skin. Count Stuka had already dabbed a thick layer of powder but still found it difficult to suppress the deep colors. There came a knock on the study door at this time. A wisp of annoyance flashed across Stukas countenance. Enter, he said, his eyes never leaving the page he was on. It was a vampire who entered. Seemingly in his middle age, this handsome and elegant person was Stukas assistant. Even most members of the counts race couldnt understand why he kept a vampire at his side and even trusted him so much. Your Excellency, I had to disturb you because we received news of the human invaders. Count Stukas asked without looking up, Oh? Where are they now? Black Ridge. Have you found out what they are here for? Not yet. The count still refused to raise his head and said indifferently, Then lets just keep observing and make sure what exactly it is that they want. Deschamps, take a look, theres a rather interesting legend here related to the seven hallowed objects: The gushing spring of blood shall bring about eternal and unfading youth. Deschamps didnt go and read the book in the counts hands, but said anxiously, Your Excellency, the viscounts to the east of your territory will be wiped out if you dont take action! The count finally raised his eyelids and gazed at the vampire until his bright eyes had forced the latter to lower his head. Its fine even if theyre wiped out; we can rebuild. Losing some viscounts is fine too; we can replace those reckless people. Moreover, were almost at the most critical phase, as such, my main force cannot move. They must hold fast to this defensive line. Do you understand what will happen if I slip up on my side? Deschamps lowered his eyes in silence. Stuka carefully folded the page he was reading and placed the book back on the table. He then rose and strolled around the room several times before stopping in front of Deschamps. Youre also a descendant of sacred blood and should know the source of this storm. Were pressed between those two major characters, and the time to choose a faction is imminent. How can I have the mood to pay attention to what those human ants are doing? Stuka sighed and reached out to pat Descamps shoulder. Can you give me some suggestions? Deschamps said calmly, My advice is the same as before. The oldest is always the most powerful. Stuka uttered a heh but didnt continue this topic. He said moments later, Ill give you a thousand warriors and the authority to mobilize the surrounding viscounts forces. That is all I can give you. Go, Deschamp, do not disappoint me. Yes, Sire Count. Deschamps was just as respectful and calm. He wasnt flustered or delighted by the sudden authority given to him. Stuka spoke slowly with a sigh, This is a tempest. Well arrive at a boundless open vista if we can get through this, and we will die if we cannot. Deschamps expression trembled momentarily as he slowly withdrew from the study. Just before leaving, he gazed habitually toward the window, hoping to see the moon. But he found not a single window after scanning the entire room. The count had dressed himself up like a vampire from head to toe, but he was still an arachne at the fundamental level. This study was decorated luxuriously in an ancient style, but it was still buried deep under the ground. At this moment, Black Ridge was well illuminated by brilliants lights. Qianye stood at the summit, watching as pillboxes were raised and trenches were dug one after another. The heavy cannons were being moved up to their designated positions atop the mountain by the combined strength of a dozen-odd fighters. Their base was quickly taking shape, and this put Qianyes mind at ease. Occupying Black Ridge meant that he had effectively separated Count Stuka from the three viscounts in the northeast, and it could be said that his western expedition had half-succeeded. Zhao Yuying stood beside Qianye and said, Brat, your luck is quite good. It seems the old spider is tied down by something or perhaps hes already senile. He actually let you in. Since weve already entered, we definitely wont go back so easily. Qianye shook his head. Weve only wiped out a single viscount, and Count Stukas main forces have yet to receive any damage. This battle has just begun. What are your plans for now? In truth, Qianye had been pondering this problem all this time. We have to draw out Stuakas main force first. The land we occupy wont be safe unless we can deal him a serious injury. But it seems the old spider is going to hole up to the end. Qianye immediately made up his mind and said, He wont be able to sit still if we make him believe that were here to plunder. Oh? Whats our target? Mines. The most important things in his territory are the mines. Normal destruction wont be effective! Qianye replied indifferently, Well burn them. Zhao Yuying whistled and said frivolously, How ruthless! Now thats more like a man! Otherwise, youre so beautiful and soft-spoken. I thought Little Four found himself a sister. Qianyes felt a breath stuck in his chest and began to curse silently. Dont tell me all ladies should be like you? But he knew, from their interactions in the recent days, that he could never gain any advantage in a verbal spar with Zhao Yuying. It was even less beneficial if they started fighting physically. He immediately ignored her and proceeded to summon some Dark Flame officers to discuss military affairs. Count Stukas territory was famous for its abundant black stone production. Black stone ore was different from the others in that it could burn a long time even without being processed and purified. If one could ignite the accompanying black crystals using a special ignition fuel, no amount of water or soil would be able to extinguish it. That was why igniting black stone mines was an extremely destructive method. They would burn for several months, and the entire mine wouldve been destroyed by the time the flames died down. Even the nearby involved regions would become a wasteland for a long period of time. Black stone ore was the lifeline of this regiononly those with the intention to plunder and leave would do something like burning the mines. And Qianye was planning to use these mines as chips to flush out Count Stukas main force for a decisive battle.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 351: The Wei Clan Heir’s Coordinated Scheme [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] After discussing the war-map with the Dark Flame officers, Qianye selected a mine in the counts territory as his target and began to mobilize his forces. He planned to have his main force stationed on Black Ridge, leaving Zhao Yuying in charge to maintain logistics and their retreat path. He himself would lead a company of light-armored elites to launch a raid. Zhao Yuying only spoke up after seeing Qianye picking out warriors, Are you serious? Of course I am. Qianye felt baffled. Thats a mine you know, an unending fountain of gold coins! It turned out that her miserly character had resurfaced. Qianye laughed. If we cant drive that old spider away, we cant get our hands on any of them no matter how many mines there are. Moreover, didnt you say there are many other places in this mountain range where we can excavate new black stone mines? Zhao Yuying wanted to grab Qianyes shoulder out of habit, but Qianye easily got away. She rolled her eyes and asked with a laugh, Qianye, why are you being so shy? Dont tell me youre still a virgin? Qianyes countenance turned dark and replied coldly, Im most certainly not. Thank you for your concern. Oh, thats great then! Elder sister will take you to a brothel when we get back to the upper continents. There are a lot of premium goods there! The Dark Flame officers nearby seemed as though they wanted to laugh but didnt dare. Qianye wanted to put his palm on his facewhy had a proper strategy discussion deviated toward such a topic? In the end, he said helplessly, This isnt something you should be concerned about, is it? Whats wrong about this sister caring about a major turning point in your life? Zhao Yuying was bold and confident in her conviction. Qianye really didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. How was caring about a major life event related to a brothel? In truth, he already had quite a few at his sidefor instance, Lil Seven and Nine who were glancing over at him from a distance. Speaking of a major turning point in life, there really were quite a few people concerned about it, including Song Zining and Wei Potian. It was just that their focus was entirely on one anothers major life event. At this moment, Song Zining and Wei Potian were playing chess. Normally, such sophisticated matters were out of Wei Potians reach, but at this moment, the Wei clan heir was sitting beside the chessboard with a black piece in hand, gazing at Song Zining with a smile as though he was about to play a move of the ages. [1] Meanwhile, Song Zining was inherently proficient in the miscellaneous arts. Although his skill in chess wasnt comparable to a national grandmaster, it was still quite easy for him to fling Wei Potian away for a few streets. But his expression wasnt joyful at this moment and could hardly maintain the usual elegance despite the group of noble ladies spectating the contest from the side. He was rubbing a handful of white pieces and had already cracked quite a few of them. Judging from his expression alone, Song Zining was presumably about to give up and admit defeat. But looking at the chessboard, white was doing quite well and had beaten black into disorderthe outcome had already been decided. Wei Potian, however, simply refused to admit defeat. He continued to place pieces randomly and even smiled faintly with the attitude of a national expert. It was, once again, Wei Potians turn, but he didnt even look at the chessboard. He simply opened his fan with a swoosh and began to wave it around absent-mindedly. The Wei clan heirs way of holding the fan was rather valiant and looked as though he was raising a battle axe. But the drawing on the fan was the work of a famous expert and it looked incomparably familiar. This should be Song Zinings favorite item that he had been carrying around recently, and it seemed to have fallen into Wei Potians hand for some reason. Wei Potian closed the fan with a swoosh and began pointing at Song Zining. Just look, haha! What makes a gifted scholar? What makes a romantic? Arent they all like this? If anyone in the Song clan says they can surpass the Seventh Young Master, Ill be the first to object! These words ignited a series of gentle feminine giggles that were inexplicably pleasant to the ears. These noble ladies were watching the gamesome were sitting on Song Zining''s side, while the others were beside Wei Potian. The scene was joyful and harmonious. The recent days were mostly filled with such scenes. Half of the distress originally belonging to Wei Potian was now shouldered by Song Zining. How could this not make Wei Potian delighted? Especially since the Wei clan heir had rarely ever succeeded in scheming and the one he had conned this time was Song zining. Song Zinings eyes swept past Wei Potian like a blade and calmly said, Play your piece. Wei Potians mood was as good as having drunk a jug of cold water on a hot day. He didnt look at the chessboard and, instead, spoke to the ladies with a laugh, I, Old Wei, have always been an unrefined person with no other hobbies apart from fighting and womanizing. The only merit I have is my loud snoring. But look at this Seventh Young Masterhis face, his chest, on second thoughts, just look at his face! Isnt he so much better than me? He slapped his thigh. Song clan. Ah, thats the Song clan were talking about! My Wei clan isnt that bad either, but were somewhat lacking in military expenditures and cant draft that many soldiers. When the dark races come knocking at our doors, even I, the heir, have to fight them on the front lines. Ive even lost count of how many times I was injured. With that, Wei Potian got up and lifted his clothes, As a matter of fact, this daddy here has another deep scar on his butt! Come, let me show you! The group of young misses cried out in alarm and immediately started giggling. Someone scattered a handful of chess pieces onto Wei Potians head, most of which then fell into the chess board. Later on, Wei Potian shamelessly messed up the chess board and demanded it to be a draw. Song Zining was so angry that he couldnt speak, but he didnt dare to provoke Wei Potian either. Otherwise, who knew how chaotic the scene would become if the latter really took off his pants. It was a fact that the game could no longer continue. It was already quite late at night, and all the noble ladies rose and excused themselves with smiles. Song Zining grabbed Wei Potian who was about to slip away and growled through his teeth, Wei Pighead! You clearly know I wont fight for the Song clan lords position. Why do you have to con me like this?! Wei Potian grinned. This is an era where looks are everything. Who else should I con? Song Zining replied coldly, Qianye looks so much better than me. Why dont you con him instead? Wei Potian halted his steps, sized Song Zining up from head to toe, and said while clicking his tongue, What a brother you are! Song Zining replied unceremoniously, Youre no better either. Otherwise, you wouldnt bring these women over here! Wei Potian suddenly looked up at the moon and said solemnly, Do you know whats more important than looks? Song Zining responded subconsciously, What? Strength. Song Zining suddenly felt like an idiot. It was such a foolish question, and the answer was just as dumb. Yet, he had actually accompanied this boar in such a conversation. But things couldnt go on like this. Wei Potian had been dragging him around all this time, and they would always be accompanied by a large group of noble ladies. The greater half of Song Zinings forces were in the dark. Some stewards with special identities wanted to report certain matters to him but found no opening to make an appearance. Song Zining said solemnly, Qianye is on his westward expedition and there is an entire pile of work regarding Dark Flames logistics. The matter with the expeditionary army hasnt ended either, so I have a lot of work to do. I wont be able to do anything if Im entangled by these women. Wei Potian folded his arms in front of his chest and gazed at Song Zining with narrow eyes. He then broke into a laughter all of a sudden. Dark Flame? Qianye is the corps commander, but I feel that all the men inside are yours. Song Zinings gaze fixated upon him, and the two proceeded to stare daggers at each other. After a while, Song Zining laughed. This is a business partnership between me and Qianye. My investment will reach thirty percent share at most. Even if we have some old grievances, do you really have to pick this time to trouble me? Wei Potian extended three fingers in an unperturbed manner and waved it in front of Song Zining. Very well then, promise me one thing. Lose three rounds of chess to me publicly, and Ill give you some pointers. Losing three rounds of chess was only a bit of humiliation and nothing big. Song Zining thus agreed on the spot. Wei Potian laughed loudly and said, Its easy to deal with those women. Just do what you must and pretend they dont exist. Oh, right! Its always a good strategy to bring up other suitable candidates for them and split the firepower. Song Zining ground his teeth after hearing this. Apparently, he was such a target for sharing firepower. When Nangong Ling and three other noble ladies came to find Wei Potian, the Wei clan heir was in exceptionally high spirits. He brought them to the seventh division headquarters to drink with Zhang Zixing. Wei Potian began to boast after three cups of wine had gone in. He claimed that he was unrivaled in chess, and it was easy for him to take down Song Zining. Nangong Ling and the others had already seen how he had shamelessly failed to acknowledge his defeat, but they didnt reveal anything at the moment and only concealed their faint chuckles. Zhang Zixing had actually played a couple of rounds against Song Zining and utterly lost. How could he be satisfied after hearing this? Itll be a miracle if you can beat Seventh Young Master. Wei Potian waved his hand and laughed. That gigolo? Not to mention win against him, even winning three times straight isn''t impossible. Im not bluffing! You want to bet?! Zhang Zixing laughed and said, What does the Wei clan heir want? Wei Potian rubbed his hands and said, I heard you have a piece of high-quality silken essence gold in your hands. Im not very greedy; just give me about 250 grams of it. Zhang Zixing couldnt help but glare at him. Silken essence gold was a rare metal used to make high-quality armor, but Wei Potians words made it seem like cabbage. 250 grams? Itll be difficult to bring out such an amount even if you rob me. What do you want it for? Wei Potian said, I already have quite a few other raw materials and only missing that one thing. With it, I can have someone forge a heart armor for one of my brothers. Your brother? Qianye, the head of Dark Flame. Youve also met him before. One can die any day in a place like Evernight. This daddy here will feel more at ease with a good armor on him. Zhang Zixings expression eased up quite a bit. He gave it some thought and said, Very well then. What will you bet? How about this fan? Wei Potian brought out Song Zinings folding fan, opened it with a swoosh, and showed off both sides. Zhang Zixing was quite knowledgeable. This is the work of an expert, and the price is extraordinary. But Im someone who leads soldiers into battle. What must I do with such a thing? You dont like it, but that doesnt mean those old men will feel the same. These ladies like it even more. Just look at their expressions! Nangong Ling and the others reached out to poke Wei Potian ruthlessly. Fortunately, he possessed thick skin, and they werent even able to tickle him. As for how this fan arrived in Wei Potians hands, no one knew the actual story behind it. Zhang Zixing nodded with a smile and agreed to the bet. The two continued drinking until noon. Wei Potian then dispatched someone to send word to Song Zining. After confirming the latter was at the Dark Flame headquarters, the intoxicated Wei Potian headed over to play chess with Zhang Zixing in tow. Wei Potian was belching from the alcohol even as he sat down unsteadily at the chess table. Even in this manner, he played three rounds in succession and actually won the bet. Zhang Zixing was dumbfounded. Wei Potians chess style was unrestrained and fairly strategic. But he had experienced Song Zinings chess ability beforeit was bold, imaginative, and flexible. He simply didnt believe Wei Potian would win three rounds in succession. It was impossible to say nothing fishy was going on. But Zhang Zixing also noticed that although Wei Potian and Song Zining were both Qianyes friends, they were secretly at odds. How could they work together to scheme against him? He connected the dots and understood that this was probably a linked scheme set up single-handedly by Wei Potian. Despite realizing what was going on and his displeasure at being tricked, Zhang Zixing was still willing to accept the loss. He immediately ordered his guards to deliver the silken essence gold to Wei Potians residence. Wei Potian laughed shamelessly and said, Just a small trick, dont take it to heart. With that, he brought out the folding fan and slipped it into Zhang Zixings hands. Zhang Zixing was startledWei Potian was actually planning to trade all along, and the bet was just an excuse. His expression relaxed quite a bit. Song Zining saw everything from the side and immediately realized that he had been thoroughly exploited. His face couldnt help but turn dark. It was at this time that a sharp alarm echoed over Blackflow City. Everyones expression changedhow could there be a sudden alarm with the third divisions airships patrolling the skies? Zhang Zixing rose into the air without a word, and his guard unit ran after him at full speed. Numerous light jeeps began speeding at full throttle toward the nearest sentry post. Zhang Zixing flew into the sky over the watchtower, whereupon he gazed into the distance and found four black dotsthose were four airships approaching them at high speeds! No wonder the patrolling airships didnt have time to report back. The other party had already overwhelmed all the airships in his sub-fleet in terms of speed. Zhang Zixings heart trembled momentarily. He emitted a long whistle which reverberated through the sky, sending all the corvettes and destroyers in his sub-fleet scrambling into the air while the main battleship started up its engines. The four airships in the distance approached without slowing down and made a beeline for Blackflow City. They began to send out a series of light signals after seeing imperial airships rising into the air one after another. So its from the Red Scorpion. Zhang Zixing felt relieved. At this time, Song Zining and Wei Potian had arrived atop the wall. They glanced at one another with peculiar expressions. [1] Chess here is referring to go .Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 352: The Mine Raid [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The four airships from Red Scorpion entered their vision in the blink of an eye. Among them was a high-speed troop transport ship, and its size could fit two Red Scorpion battalion, which meant that its combat strength had surpassed that of an imperial regular army division. Zhang Zixings brows bunched up into a ball after seeing this lineup. Red Scorpion, having mobilized at such a scale, was a clear indication of how difficult the mission was. It so happened that he had a group of untouchable noble ladies to take care ofif Red Scorpion were to engage in a combat mission nearby, it was hard to say whether or not Blackflow would be left unaffected. The Red Scorpion battleships drove straight in and hovered in the sky above Blackflows airship port. However, they didnt landthe cabin doors opened hundreds of meters in the air, and batches of Red Scorpions jumped out with rapid descent cables in tow. Their descent was fairly close to a free-fall, and they only tugged on the cable slightly when they were close to the ground to reduce their speed. Thus, over two hundred Red Scorpion warriors reached the ground in a flash. Many of their high-ranking fighters were holding gigantic weapons and supply crates in their hands, some of them even larger than the person. Just this alone was enough to fully display Red Scorpions elite qualities. Despite his mental discomfort, Zhang Zixing had to admit that the warriors of the third imperial corps werent just a little bit inferior to those of Red Scorpion. Such an elite unit formation was a force capable of tipping the scales in the battlefield. The two battalions of Red Scorpion warriors spread out in all directions and quickly took control of the strategic points around the airship port facing Blackflow City. In the end, a man jumped out from the cabin without any cable and proceeded to hover in the air, the general star on his chest sparkling brilliantly. He was actually a brigadier general! After everything was in order on the ground, the high-speed transport ships cabin doors opened wide. A dozen-odd giant metallic boxes were pushed out and slowly lowered to the ground via cables. Zhang Zixings eyes froze. Could it be that two Red Scorpion Battalions had arrived to escort this thing? Song Zining suddenly spoke, Hey, Mister Heir, arent you from Broken Winged Angels? Go and ask which camp theyre from. Unexpectedly, Wei Potian didnt mock Song Zinings unceremonious instructions and only asked, Which camp is Qianye from? How should I know? Without waiting for Wei Potian to act up, Song Zining said, These are all minor details, and theres really nothing we can do. I only wanted to give him the news. Wei Potian turned silent with a solemn expression, and Song Zining didnt speak again. They watched the busy Red Scorpion warriors outside the city. It was fairly easy to identify the special elite corpsscarlet embroideries on the collar and lapel of the standard black imperial army uniform and an eye-catching red scorpion design on the arm. A storm was gathering on the Blackflow war zone. Qianye sat atop a giant rock and looked down at the valley below. The ravine was man-made, and there were layers of winding paths on its borders for cargo trucks to drive through. Meanwhile, at the bottom, there were numerous metallic monsters dozens of meters in height, spitting out steam. Giant shovels as tall as multi-storeyed buildings were being pushed into the earth, and each of them would push out tons of black stones. This was an open-air black stone mine, one of the top-three mines in the counts territory. Its greatest value lay in the fact that its transportation was convenient, and it could be extracted in the open. As such, it was easier to use large steam machinery. There werent many slave miners here despite the size of the mine, and most of the staff here were technicians for the operation and maintenance of the mining equipment. An important mine like this was definitely Count Stukas favorite. Even though it was within his own domain, the count had assigned his own nephew, a third-rank arachne viscount to stand guard here. Qianye observed the place in silence, memorizing the geography and troop distribution here before vanishing into the boundless hills. Dark Flame had already set up a secret camp in a valley several dozen kilometers away where hundreds of elite soldiers were either resting or cultivating. Qianye returned to the camp and instructed, We eat in four hours and set out afterward. We attack at 12 noon. In the short daytime of Evernight Continent, it was said that daybreak origin power was strongest at noon. It was also break-time for many of the dark races, especially those lower-level citizens who hadnt separated themselves from their bestial forms. Noon arrived, and the originally noisy mine became somewhat quieter. The mining cars had all stopped, and only a small number of slaves were still performing some odd jobs. It took at least a rank-three fighter to operate such metallic monsters. The guards in the vicinity of the mine had grown lazy, and many of them were lying in the spiderwebs without moving. In truth, they were already sleeping. This mine had been peaceful for ten-odd years. The period of uneventfulness was so long that the guards had already forgotten what it was like to fight. A two-meter tall servspider was lying between two rails with its limbs folded. There were spider webs underneath and all around its bodythe hazy white patch covered an area hundreds of meters in diameter. It was the master of this defensive region, and everywhere the spiderweb touched was under its control. All of the important paths leading the mine were guarded in this manner. Qianyes figure appeared atop a nearby hill. He weighed the origin grenade in his hand, took a deep breath, and hurled it out. The grenade flew hundreds of meters through the air and landed right in front of the servspiderthe explosion was clearly reflected in its compound eyes. The grenade landed, shot through the spider webs, and smashed onto a rock. The grenade which had been set to detonate on impact exploded violently and flung the arachnes giant body into the air. Afterward, a ring of flames spread out in every direction. This was an incendiary grenade. The flames produced by the ignition of compressed origin power fuel reached extreme temperatures and was difficult to extinguish. Spider webs were especially weak against flames and began to break apart in the blink of an eye. Dancing threads of still-burning spider webs scattered, facilitating the spread of the flames. A dozen-odd Dark Flame elites appeared behind Qianye. Under his orders, a portion of them charged from the front, while others began to set up heavy firepower like anti-aircraft machine guns. Qianye wasnt in a rush even after the arrangements were complete and proceeded to delegate command authority to each combat unit. He himself lit up a cigar and inhaled deeply, immediately raising his spirits. This was a pure military use stimulant and a medium-quality one at that. But Qianye still missed the taste of the counterfeit products he had made back then and was distracted while thinking about how he would make some for himself. Qianye had just finished half the cigarette when he suddenly hoisted the Eagleshot, aimed briefly, and pulled on the trigger. Hundreds of meters away, an arachne who had just clambered out of his lair was badly shaken as half a head flew off. Qianye tossed the half-finished cigarette onto the ground and advanced in large strides with the Eagleshot in hand. Only at this point did the alarm start to ring. From this, it was obvious just how lax the defenses of this mine were. A continuous stream of guards emerged from the caves and thousands of crawling servspiders, big and small, covered the entire mountain. However, the hundred Dark Flame warriors actually advanced through one layer of defense after another, pushing the guards back continuously. Those Qianye had brought along were all elites, and this assault units firepower was extremely fierce. Incendiary grenades were tossed out one after another as though they didnt cost any money, and the anti-aircraft machine guns never stopped roaring. Although such standard firearms had no great effect against high-ranking warriors, they were fairly powerful against the large number of fragile cannon fodder. An earth-shattering roar suddenly rang out in the mine as an arachne charged out of its underground lair. He was in a half-man-half-spider form but almost one and a half times as tall as the othershe looked just like a spider-shaped tank. Amidst loud roars, the arachne began to charge through the hail of bullets and toward the Dark Flame soldiers. The high-caliber bullets striking his body were all deflected by his thick, sturdy armor, and not even the anti-aircraft guns were effective. A certain dark flame lieutenant colonel tossed an origin grenade with excellent accuracy which landed right where the arachne viscounts next step would fall. After the explosion, the lieutenant colonel watched, dumbfounded, as the terrifying arachne landed firmly after rising only one meter into the air. His limbs moved swiftly as he charged over as though nothing had happened. The arachne held a long battle-axe in one hand and an origin gun in another. But apparently, he wasnt very proficient with a gun. He only fired a couple of random shots while charging, and there was really no aim to speak of. At this time, he was less than a hundred meters from Dark Flames front line. As such, he abruptly swung his four-meter long battle-axe and sent an arc of dark green origin power sweeping forward, kicking up numerous shockwaves on the ground. The few high-ranking Dark Flame officers at the front hurriedly produced their origin power defenses, while the weaker ones retreated swiftly. However, the multicolored origin power shields actually collapsed at first contact. Fortunately, the two parties were still quite a distance from each other and, although the soldiers were all pushed back, no one was injured. This was the arachne viscount guarding this mine. Although he was only third-rank, a viscount was still a viscount. He wasn''t something normal human fighters could handle. Qianye let out two whistles, signaling the warriors at the front to withdraw. He tossed the Eagleshot to one of his personal guards, drew East Peak, and charged straight toward the arachne viscount with large strides. He ran faster and faster, with every step causing the earth to quake. Merely judging from his running posture, it was evident that Qianyes slender and somewhat frail-looking body was even heavier than the arachne viscounts. The two met each other midway in the blink of an eye. Qianye let out a shout, leapt up, and performed a sweeping slash with East Peak. The arachne roared loudly and held the battle-axe straight up in a bid to block East Peak with its bowl-sized handle. Comparatively, Qianye and his sword combined was only half as long as the battle-axe, and it seemed as though he would be knocked flying the moment they came in contact. But when the sword and axe actually crossed blows, the arachne viscount was shaken, and his massive body was unexpectedly flung into the air. He only felt the earth-shattering impact transmitted through the battle-axe before the weapon actually began to warp right in front of his eyes. At this time, the arachne heard the crisp sounds of his shoulder bones breaking continuously. A shade of red appeared on Qianyes face. He was actually surprised to find that he hadnt been able to snap that battle-axe in two. With a loud Ha!, he spat out a stream of white mist and moved his hands once again. East Peak shot up once more and slashed down diagonally. The arachne viscounts arms were wounded anew, and the battle-axe flew out the moment it struck against East Peak. He could only watch as the heavy sword cut through his waist, completely separating his human upper body from his spider torso and sending it flying onto a distant mine shaft.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 353: Nighteye’s Interes t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] East Peak fell with a pat and half the blades edge sank into earth. Qianye held the sword in both hands after landing and almost fell down himself. He gasped urgentlyhis entire body was heating up at a frightening pace, and there was white steam gushing out of his nostrils. He had just cut down an arachne viscount with two slashes, and although this feat seemed effortless, it had taken everything he had. The two strikes from East Peak were both agile and heavy in equal measures. He had poured out almost all the origin power in his body in an extremely short period and was now finding it difficult to even stand straight. However, the arachne viscount was slaughtered head-on, and this scene immediately shook everyone present. The dark race defenders found their morale collapsing in the blink of an eye, and they started scrambling in all directions. Dark Flame soldiers continuously chased them down in squads, but it was only to prevent the routed army from reassemblingit wasnt quite possible to wipe them out completely. Those high-ranking servspiders similarly escaped into the wilderness after being deprived of the arachnes control. The low-ranking servspiders, on the other hand, turned violent and advanced dauntlessly in continuous waves. But such cannon-fodder level troops werent a threat at all in the face of superior firepower and were mowed down in droves. Qianye breathed heavily for a while before slowly calming down. He waved his hand, indicating to his guards that he didnt need any support. He then brought out a stimulant syringe and injected it into his arm. Moments later, wisps of origin power were regenerated in his body, and his countenance regained some color. At this moment, a fully armed Lil Seven approached and asked in a concerned tone, Master, are you alright? Im fine, only a bit tired. Be careful with the cleanup process and capture as many technicians alive as possible. Lil Seven replied, Rest assured, Master. Qianye still couldnt get rid of the emptiness within him brought about by the exhaustion of origin power. He immediately lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. Dark Flames elites didnt need Qianyes instructions. They worked on their own, tending to the wounded, checking casualties, and reforming into numerous combat units to search the mine. The miners and technicians who werent able to run away were all moved to an open ground where they were interviewed by a major who came from the Ningyuan Group and separated according to their professions. There were a fair number of werewolves among the technicians, but most of them were vampires. There was even a rarely seen demonkin among them who was immediately isolated and interrogated in detail. He was unexpectedly quite cooperative and basically answered everything he was asked. Qianye was quite interested in the demonkin and walked over as soon as he had recovered some origin power. How did it go? Did you find out anything? Lil Nine didnt even get the chance to reply when the demonkin cut her short. No need for her to speak. Ill tell you everything. Im called Percy, a grand metal thaumaturge from the ancient and honorable nation of Dark Abyss. I am here as chief technician on His Excellency Count Stukas invitation, and my contract term is one year. All the mining vehicles you see here are my products! At this point, the demonkins expression was full of pride. A flash of astonishment flitted across Qianyes countenance. He nodded and said, Very good. Percy said proudly, I admit youve captured me. As a son of darkness, I have the right to let my country pay ransom in exchange for my freedom, but the Dark Abyss evaluates the members of its race differently, and the standardized ransom also varies. Lucky human, I must warn you that you only have one chance at obtaining a ransom. Dont try to haggle. Qianye couldnt help but chuckle. Oh is that so? Very well then. I shall forfeit this opportunity. Lil Nine, lock him up and watch him carefully. Understand what I mean? As you wish, Master. Lil Nine responded in a very obedient attitude, but she soon revealed her true appearance after turning around and walking toward Percy with a rope weaved from thin metallic filaments. Percys expression changed greatly and began to shout while stomping about, You cant do this to me. Stay away! Youre a little demoness disguised as a beauty! Qianye couldnt help shaking his head in laughter. He then turned around and went deeper into the mine. Seeing that Qianye was about to leave, Percy became even more anxious and shouted toward Qianyes receding figure, Im Percy, a grand metal thaumaturge! Youre all treating a son of darkness in contempt. What are you doing? Dont do this, lets talk nicely. Oh! Ahhhh! Qianye had already arrived near the mine shaft when he heard all that and broke into a laughter once again. He then jumped down into the depths. Qianye landed at the bottom with a thud and smashed a big hole in the floor. He then got up as though nothing had happened and began to observe his surroundings. The bottom of the mine was about a kilometer in radius, and there were six or seven mining machines scattered throughout the place. Only up close did he truly understand what a colossus meantjust their wheels alone were as tall as twenty meters. Beside them, Qianye looked like an ant standing near an elephants foot. He couldnt help but sigh in admiration. Qianye had learnt basic knowledge regarding machines and knew that, despite their fairly uncomplicated structure, it wasnt easy to build mining machines of such size. This was the work of a true master. If these machines were all designed by Percy, then his title as a metal thaumaturge probably wasnt a bluff. Qianye reached out to touch the wheels and felt that he had really picked up a treasure this time. The value of that demonkin called Percy was indescribable. With his technology and the Ningyuan Groups rapidly expanding manufacturing power, countless war machines would roll out continuously from the factory and toward the frontline. To hell with that measly ransom from the Dark Abyss. Qianye walked around one of the mining machines and felt increasing pity. He simply couldnt take away such a gigantic fellow and could only let it sit here as a funerary object. Otherwise, if he could drive it to the frontline, ordinary origin guns wouldnt be able to penetrate it. He could definitely install a heavy cannon on the sturdy roof and blast the enemies directlyit would be just like a mobile battery. But there were also other benefits apart from these leviathan machines. For instance, there were close to a hundred cargo trucks in the parking lot beside the mine. With some modification, they could be made into different types of special military vehicles. Qianye bent down, grabbed a handful of black stones from the ground, and crushed them in his hand. They were all ordinary black stones with no special characteristicsnot that he could identify them even if they did. Qianye shook his head and patted his hands clean, discarding the powder to the ground. No matter what secrets the dark races were hiding here, they would be revealed once enough territory was occupied. Ten-odd Dark Flame warriors appeared at the border of the mining pit at this moment, each of them carrying large wooden barrels which they hurled into the pit with great effort. The wooden barrels rolled, bounced, and then shattered at the base of the pit, filling the air with a pungent smell. Those barrels contained purified black stone powder and ignition additives. This was also the kinetic power source for heavy trucks and could burn for prolonged periods of time. Moments later, more Dark Flame soldiers appeared in another direction and tossed down a dozen or so fuel barrels. Qianye didnt linger any longer. He began to climb back up along the side and exited the hundred-meter deep mine pit. Lil Seven, after seeing Qianye from a distance, said, Master, all important materials have been checked and loaded onto the trucks, but were short on manpower, and there are thirty more cargo trucks that we cant drive away. Destroy all that we cant take. Lil Seven nodded and left to fulfill the commands. Moments later, Lil Nine also hurried over and said, Master, all important captives have been loaded into the cars, and were ready to leave at any time. There are still hundreds of useless captives. What shall we do with them? Shall we push them into the pit? Qianye shook his head. No need. We still need someone to bring word to Count Stuka. Tie them up, throw them to one side, and leave them there. Lil Nine replied yes sir, then added, Things have been set up in the mining pit, and the men have withdrawn to a safe distance. When shall we ignite? Do it now. With that, Qianye tossed out a combustion grenade he had prepared beforehand. The grenade reflected the sunlight and turned into a dazzling meteor which flew close to a thousand meters and fell into the middle of the mine pit. A ball of flames blossomed from the bottom of the pit and immediately ignited the fuel flowing freely throughout the place. Numerous blazing dragons rolled toward every direction, and within the blink of an eye, the giant pit had transformed into a flaming inferno. All is done. Lets go. Qianye turned and walked out of the mine areabehind him, an earth-shattering explosion resounded as enormous metallic parts flew hundreds of meters into the sky and then fell down once again. That was the mining vehicles last moment of glory. At this moment, there was a certain majestic castle standing atop a distant mountain peak, and its scale, history, and accumulation werent things Count Stukas castle could ever hope to catch up to. In the main building of the castle, Nighteye was standing before the French window and gazing at the distant horizon. The sky at this time shouldnt have darkened just yet. A massive shadow hung over the end of the horizon and almost occupied half of the sky in her vision. That was the Western Continent, more commonly known to the dark races as Flaming Beacon Continent. And on the other side of the horizon, another shadow was slowly moving over. This was a scene unique to Evernight Continent. It always seemed so magnificent and yet it always made people despair like so. Nighteye stood there in unmoving silence just like a statue. It was at this time that the room doors were opened and in walked a woman who was even slightly taller than Nighteye. She had short faint golden hair and a pair of cold eyes seemingly capable of dragging out a persons soul. Twilight, Ill tell you for the last time, I don''t want to be disturbed. Ill crush your blood core if you keep coming uninvited. It seemed as though Twilight hadnt heard Nighteyes threats at all. She walked toward Nighteye on her own and stood abreast to gaze at the rosy vista together. As expected of a primo whos awakened the ancestral bloodline. You already dare speak to me, someone on the verge of advancing to count, in such a tone just after becoming a third-rank viscount. My dear elder sister, should I say that your courage is laudable or that youre foolish? Nighteye replied coldly, Try me if you think Im bluffing. Twilight turned to gaze deeply at Nighteye with a pair of blood-colored pupils. She then shrugged and said, Im not interested in such fights. Our Monroe clan has already taken too many losses recently. Theres no need for more infighting. Im only curious why youre coming to Evernight Continent regularly. Just what is attracting you here? Thats none of your business. Twilight suddenly laughed. As keen as she was, the former had sensed a change in Nighteyes tone of voice. This variation was extremely minute, but perception happened to be her specialty. Nothing of significance could escape her, no matter how small the change. As such, she decided to press on with this topic.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 354: Signs of Danger [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Twilight pensively extended a finger and pointed to her own lips. Im just curious. Let me guess, the reason youre being attracted to Evernight Continent is perhaps related to Great Monarch Andruil? The Black Winged Monarchs greatest masterpiece is the Wings of Inception, a weapon with sentience. It is truly unimaginable! Were you being so long-winded just to say this? Perhaps. You know Im too bored and theres rarely anyone to talk to. There are only groups of useless people outside, and I couldnt be bothered to spare them a glance. Lets continuethe Wings of Inception flew away right in front of our eyes. It is truly inconceivable that theres actually someone with a bloodline closer to the Black-Winged Monarch than a primo. Twilight shot a glance at Nighteye. But in any case, we werent able to find the whereabouts of the Wings of Inception even with the Grand Princes secret art. Finding it again after such a long time is an impossible mission. Its unlikely youre here for the Wings of Inception or the Great Monarchs other hidden treasure. Then, maybe youre here for Enough! Nighteye was finally showing faint traces of anger. Twilight laughed in a muffled tone. Her trailing voice rose swiftly with an explicable allure. She moved closer to Nighteye and said softly, Youre here for a certain person, someone who may or may not be related to the Black-Winged Monarch. Did I guess right? Nighteye suddenly calmed down and replied indifferently, Youre very much correct. Twilight laughed lightly. No matter what you say, the answer is already in my heart. Well then, I wont disturb you anymore. Enjoy your last period of freedom, my most beloved sister. Twilight walked toward the exit but came to a sudden pause just as she was passing by the desk. She brushed away the scattered books on the table and revealed a paper pressed down at the very bottom. Upon that paper was a half-portrait of a certain person, drawn vividly with concise lines. That was a human youth whose civilian identity was made evident by the style and texture of his clothes. He appeared fairly young and was looking straight forward with a clear and tranquil expression. That was actually Qianyes image from his days in Lighthouse Town. Nighteye turned around like a tempest and shouted furiously, What are you doing?! Twilight didnt give Nighteye any opportunity. She grabbed the paper rapidly and scanned it a couple of times before raising her head. There was an inexplicable cruelty within her bewitching smile. This is the reason you came to Evernight Continent? Nighteye began to feel a chill on her body. Her eyes gradually turned abstruse as she said slowly, Twilight, youre courting death. Can you kill me? Blood energy also began to surge on Twilights body, and it was much more powerful than Nighteyes. Nighteyes eyes were now completely suffused with fresh blood, and Twilights figure suddenly appeared within it. However, blood energy churned madly and gushed out of the latters body, covering her in layers of scarlet mist. The almost-formed image in Nighteyes sanguineous eyes became distorted and was even about to disappear. The two stood opposite one another, but the battlefield immediately shifted into Nighteyes eyes. There, Twilights figure was struggling, at times clear and at times blurry. It was as though they were in a stalemateTwilights figure was unable to disappear, but Nighteye wasnt able to completely seize her and force her to materialize. This was a battle free of smoke, but it was even more vicious than real guns and blades. Twilight suddenly raised the paper in her hands and Nighteyes gaze turned cold upon seeing this. Therell be no conclusion if we keep on going like this. You cant kill me, at least not now. And I, have similarly important reasons not to kill you. So, why dont we talk? Nighteye slowly nodded and Twilights figure finally faded from within her eyes. She said in a low voice, Put down that paper. Twilights lips curved up in an enigmatic smile. Is this person so important to you? Nighteye replied indifferently, Thats not something you should be paying attention to. Perhaps I should go and take a look at him. The moment she spoke such words, Twilight felt an even sharper killing intent press down upon her. She broke out in a laughter. See? Arent you so anxious right now? Nighteyes gaze was incomparably serene, but her killing intent grew progressively denser. Twilight finally withdrew her insincere smile and said seriously, Relax, I only want to go and take a look. I wont do anything. Why should I do anything to a human ant? Lets make a deal. Its not convenient for you to go out recently, but I have no such limitations. Ill go check up on him and see how hes doing. If hes in trouble and Im in a good mood, I might even help him out a little bit. What say you? Nothing. Such a clear-cut refusal? Nighteye sneered. You cant find him. Thats not a certainty. Nighteye turned silent for a moment and said, What exactly do you want? Twilights expression finally turned fervent and uttered word-by-word, The Black-Winged Monarchs essence blood! Thats impossible because Ive already used it, Nightly replied calmly. Is that so? Then thats quite regretful. Twilight said nothing more. She glanced at the drawing in her hand and let out a whistle. She then placed it back on the table as though she were truly regretful and then left the room. Nighteye stood in place for a good while before walking toward the table. She picked up the portrait and gazed silently at the youth who still bore a wisp of naivety. This was Qianyes appearance when she had first met him, and he had already changed a lot since then. At the thought of this, Nighteye sighed softly and her tightened back relaxed somewhat. Twilight left the castle when night fell. She turned into a black figure which vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye. She arrived at the base of a lonely and desolate mountain deep in the night. Hidden behind a certain thicket therein was an entirely dark and inexplicably eerie wooden house. Twilight arrived before this house and entered. The furnishings within were extremely simple with only some beast skins and hay on the floor. There was a cold fireplace at one corner, the walls of which had been blackened with soot but there wasnt so much as an ember within. So much that the roasting rack leaning against it even had rusted stains upon it. At a glance, this seemed like a small hut for hunters to rest in the wilderness. However, it seemed a long time had passed since anyone had come. Twilight didn''t find a place to sit down. She stood upright in the middle of the house and rested with her eyes closed. Before long, the similarly rusted door hinge leat out a creak and in walked a stooped elderly man. He let out a low, hoarse laugh and said, How rare to see a major character here. Pray tell, how can I be of service? Twilight tossed a folded piece of paper and said, Help me find this person. This is his portrait, but his appearance now should be completely different. The old man opened the paper carefully and brought it to the window to examine under the moonlight. Shockingly, it was Qianyes portrait, and it was exactly the same as the one on Nighteyes deskTwilight could reproduce an exact copy of whatever she had seen before. The old man peered carefully at the portrait and said, A change in appearance isnt important. There are always traces in ones facial features and framework that I can use to search. Ive already memorized this pair of eyes. But, can you give me a starting range? Its beyond my ability if you want me to search the entire Evernight Continent. He shouldve appeared in Trinity River County within human territory about two years ago. Is this enough? Oh, theres a small possibility now, but this human civilian mightve died long ago. You know that this is Evernight Continent. Those weak bugs, there are simply too many things that can take away their petty lives. Twilight said without the slightest hesitation, He wont die even if you die a hundred times! This I am certain! Stop rambling incoherently and go find me this person! The elderly man was shocked out of his wits by Twilights voice. He took a step to the side, slammed heavily into the wooden wall, and wheezed several times before saying, Ill try my best, but itll be expensive. How much do you want. Name the price. Twilight''s voice was frosty. You should know that crystal coins cant buy everything. The old man stole a glance at her most curvaceous area with a flash of avarice in his eyes. Unexpectedly, Twilight had captured all of his small movements. She immediately snorted, raised a finger, and shot out a thin beam of blood energy which shot through the old mans thigh like a bolt of lightning. The impact sent his clumsy body skidding across the floor. The old man immediately began squealing miserably like a pig at the slaughterhouse. His hands clawed at the air with streams of dark mist rising from his fingers, but for some reason, he couldnt touch the blood at all. He continued to wail for a full three minutes before Twilight withdrew her blood energy. The elders injured leg smashed onto the floor with a painful thud. He covered the mangled wound with his hands, trembling all over. He was in so much pain that he couldnt even cry out. Twilight tossed a couple of crystal coins on him and sneered. This is your down payment. Isnt it said that your Grey Nightwalkers have infiltrated all of Evernights shadow? Dont think that Twilight Continent can only rely on you and, from now on, stop being deluded about things youre not worthy of obtaining. Ill immediately dig out your eyes if you dare shoot indiscriminate glances again. What use do you think a black-robed elder is before a pureblood of the Monroe clan? The old man couldnt help but shiver after hearing the name Monroe. He immediately grabbed the crystal coins and said repeatedly, Rest assured, please rest assured! Ill have results in half a month. I definitely will! You know what will happen if you fail to get results after taking my money. The old man nodded with all his might and came pretty close to performing a blood oath. Bandage your leg. Dont die from blood loss before you finish my job. Twilight left the wooden house after saying this. When Twilight arrived at the edge of the thicket, a tall man wearing a black trenchcoat quietly appeared from within the shadows of a large tree and stood behind her. He was exceptionally handsome and his fingers were particularly long and slender. Ge Mu, come back here after half a month and bring back the information in my stead. The young vampire named Ge Mu asked, Then? Twilight replied coldly, Then dig out his eyes and cut off his left hand and leg. Just that? Dont you want him to die slower? No, leave his life. The Monroes wont kill those who work for us. Ge Mu shrugged and said, Truly an old and almost rotten principle. Twilight turned back and stared fixedly at Ge Mu. You mustnt say such words before you have the power to challenge those old fellows. Its meaningless, understand?! Ge Mu laughed carelessly and said, Well be able to challenge them sooner or later, wont we? Well see when the day comes! Twilight left these words as her figure flickered repeatedly and appeared hundreds of meters away. Ge Mu started to run after her and shouted, Hey, wait for me! Listen to me! Many strange people have appeared in the vicinity recently. Night had once again enveloped Evernight Continent. It felt as though the darkness had never left in the first place, and the couple of hours of sunlight during the short daytime was only a fleeting illusion. At this moment, Qianye had already crawled back into his tent and was preparing to cultivate. But for some reason, he was suddenly overcome by an irresistible exhaustion. He controlled his body with great difficulty, found a fairly suitable posture, and fell into deep sleep. Qianye had an odd dream that night. He was in a black forest filled with dark colored ancient trees. They were entirely devoid of leaves, and all the naked branches were twisted and warped out of shape. There wasnt a single straight line as far as the eye could see. It almost seemed as though the chaos in his vision was being impacted by the silent and exceptionally painful cries of those ancient trees. There was an exceptionally dazzling white figure at the center of this forest. It was a young lady walking alone.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 355: The Black Fores t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The details in his vision slowly grew clearer as though an invisible lens was zooming in. A fair bit of the young ladys skin was revealed under her badly tattered white skirt. She was covered in small red marks, and some places were slightly swollen with drops of fresh blood seeping out. She kept on walking forward, completely oblivious to the razor-sharp branches scratching at her body and adding even more red scars. She was holding half a piece of bread in her hand. It was at this time that the lady seemed to have noticed somethingshe turned back abruptly and gazed toward Qianyes direction. Only then did Qianye discover that she actually had no eyes! Only two bloody holes remained where her eyes used to be. Qianye clambered up suddenly. His heart was beating like a drum, his chest was trembling, and his body had become completely drenched in cold sweat. He composed himself and found that not only did the scene in his dream not fade away, but it became even clearer in his memory. If he had a pen in hand right now, he could portray everything down to the folds and creases on the ladys white skirt. Although the girl in his dream had lost her eyes, Qianye could still recognize her. She was Bai Kongzhao, the little girl who was determined to kill him back at the junkyard. Qianye frowned subconsciously; nothing good had come of his recent dreams. Whether it was coming into contact with Great Monarch Andruils consciousness or hearing that headless generals summons, his dreams were actually a response to things in real life. However, even after pondering for a long while, Qianye still couldnt comprehend what this particular dream signified. He pulled open the tent flap and glanced out to find that everything was normal and undisturbed. The camp was encircled by rows upon rows of cargo trucks, and the bonfire at the center was still burning fiercely. Most of the warriors had already eaten their fill and were either cultivating or resting. There was also a small group of them organizing the heavy equipment. A number of warriors were moving a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun onto a truck to set up a firing point and bolster the nighttime sentry. On the other side, Zhao Yuying was sitting atop a truck with a bottle of wine in hand and taking large swigs from time to time. For some reason, Qianye felt a hint of loneliness as he gazed at the silhouette of this drinking lady. Qianye laid down the tent flap, sat down cross-legged, and was prepared to cultivate the Mystery Chapter. His body was almost overflowing with essence energy at the moment, and he couldnt absorb any essence blood at all after killing the arachne viscount at the mineit could be considered extremely wasteful. As such, it was of urgent importance that he use up the accumulation within his body. The Mystery Chapter began to circulate slowly, but, to his great astonishment, his entire body was shaken. He suddenly discovered that only half remained of his originally brimming essence blood, while the other half had vanished into thin air. Qianyes heart sank immediately and his first thought was whether an accident had occurred with the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. He checked internally and found nothing wrong with his organs, vessels, and origin nodes; even his blood energies were behaving well within his heart. But that was the greatest abnormalitythe missing essence blood couldnt have disappeared into thin air. But under True Sight, he found no signs of his blood energies having over-absorbed darkness origin power, and his daybreak origin power nodes hadnt been eroded by darkness either. It was inconceivable! Half of a third-rank viscounts essence blood had transformed into nothingness. Qianye pondered for a moment and then tried circulating the Mystery Chapter once again. The result was fairly successfulthe vortex converted a part of the essence blood into pure darkness origin power after nine revolutions which the dark golden blood energy promptly devoured. Qianye was still perplexed after completing a full cycle of cultivation and could only put this odd incident off for the time being. At this moment, there was an ancient black leather book hovering in the depths of his heartthis was a place where Qianyes perception couldnt reach for the time being. The previously indistinct title on the cover had become much clearer now. In a certain location northeast of the camp, there was a black forest extremely similar to the one Qianye had dreamt of where only a few lonesome leaves hung upon the crooked branches. A young girl with a white skirt was standing within the forest. She looked up vacantly and gazed at the sky, but, apart from the many oddly-shaped tree branches, she could see nothing under the lightless firmament. No bright colors existed here. A gust of wind blew past, but the eerie branches didnt move in the slightest. Only the helpless leaves drifted upward, proving to the beholder that the wind wasnt just a misperception. A leaf left its branch and flew through the sky, spinning several times before landing in front of the young girl. She reached out to grab the leaf and looked closely. The leaf was also greyish black with some patches of mold growing upon it. It had long since died and was emitting a lingering scent of fishiness. The girl threw the leaf to the ground, but a black patch was left behind on her palm. She immediately scraped at her palm with the dagger she was holding in her right hand. Although this erased the black patch, the flesh and blood stuck to the blade were smeared on her palm, dirtying her small white hand even more. The girl seemed fairly angry. She conveniently pulled over the warrior beside her and wiped her hand forcefully on his combat robe. That warrior was extremely tall and sturdythe girl only reached his chest in height, however, he didnt dare move in the slightest at this moment. So much that one could sense, albeit with some difficulty, that he was trembling. Apparently, he was extremely apprehensive of this young girl. The ten-odd warriors behind them possessed powerful auras and were apparently rare elites. But these fierce and bloody warriors all looked at the girl with extreme fear as though she were a poisonous creature. She was still wiping her hand when an old soldier summoned up the courage to approach her. Miss Kongzhao, that vampire is already dead. This young girl was, in fact, Bai Kongzhao. But she had grown much taller since she last encountered Qianye and her facial features had also matured quite a bit. Now, she seemed like a fifteen-year-old girl at a glance; at least she was no longer malnourished in the Bai clan. She also happened to be in her growing phase and, as such, was changing rapidly. The gust of wild wind hadnt stopped and kept on blowing in one after another. It lifted the soldiers capes and revealed a bear-head insignia embroidered on the corner of their combat robes. The Wild Bears was one of the Bai clans internal guard units. Such an elite unit had no fear even if they faced a champion, but they were all quiet and fearful before Bai Kongzhao. Bai Kongzhao suddenly raised her head and gazed at the sky. She had a certain feeling that some mysterious existence was watching her attentively, but she couldnt find this person no matter how hard she tried. She became frustrated and suddenly fling her head back to stare at the few vampires nearby. These vampires had lost all movement capabilities and were prostrating on the ground. Seeing Bai Kongzhaos gaze sweep toward them, these naturally vicious vampires actually started to tremble. Bai Kongzhao walked over in large strides, lifted up a vampire girl, and stared fixedly at her for a while. A sweet smile slowly emerged on her face as she asked, Tell me, why have you bastards suddenly run over to Evernight Continent? What are you planning to do? The vampire girl was so terrified that her beautiful face had almost become somewhat distorted. She replied repeatedly, I dont know. I really dont know! Were only external units following our captain to assemble at the designated location and wait for the next order. I really dont know anything else! Then what are you all looking for? Do you not know that either? The vampire girl began to scream uncontrollably. Bai Kong Zhaos words just now signified the beginning of a deep nightmare, evidenced by the other miserable vampires who had died before this. Continuous mournful cries echoed throughout the black forest. The hysterical sound was a clear indication of the inhumane suffering the vampire girl was going through. Such cries lasted for an entire half hour before they died down. Bai Kongzhao released her hand and dropped the unrecognizable corpse to the ground, her face and body were covered in droplets of splashed blood. She didnt bother to wipe them and only turned back to give instructions, Deal with these fellows and remember to make it clean. Then, wait for me back at the clan settlement. The Wild Bear unit captain hesitated for a while and said, Miss Kongzhao, are you sure you dont need us to follow you? Many unfamiliar faces have been appearing in this area lately. It might be dangerous. No need. With that, Bai Kongzhao walked toward the depths of the black forest on her own. The captains expression fluctuated wildly as he watched the girl leave. Only afterward did he wave his handa number of soldiers rushed toward the vampires and ended their lives efficiently. Then, they began to deal with the remaining traces with great proficiency. After seeing Bai Kongzhaos methods, they only wanted to finish everything quickly and return to camp. They were no longer in the mood to torture or kill captives. Additionally, they could foretell that everything they had experienced today would appear in their nightmares for a long while afterward. The white-skirted girl walked through the black forest alone, and apart from her clothes, there wasnt a single piece of equipment on her, nor did she bring any supplies. She sang briskly while walking, her voice pleasant and ephemeral. But upon listening carefully, one would find that she was merely repeating the same words over and over. Ill find you, Ill find you. A birds eye view would show chunks of black forest scattered throughout the land akin to ink blots on fine paper. Nighteye sat before the French window with a wine glass in her hand filled with a bloody dark-red liquid. The room doors were opened once again, and just as before, the visitor didnt knock. Nighteye kept on gazing outside of the window without the slightest movement. It was as though she had no idea someone had entered. It was a tall, young man with a head of brown, wavy hair. He was extremely tall, over half a head higher taller than the average vampire, and his build was also different from the normally slender vampire physique. He was exceptionally muscular, and it seemed every bit of his flesh and blood contained explosive power within. His countenance was blessed with the characteristic handsomeness of the vampires, and his eyes flickered with a glint of callousness and cruelty. His aura, unusually mysterious and profound, had actually reached the level of a count. Vampires enjoyed long lives and many of them would stop aging once they had reached a certain level of strength. Hence, it was fairly difficult to judge their age from external appearance. The young man glanced at Nighteye with scorching flames in his eyes. Nighteye, youre always like this. Youre not willing to even greet me despite knowing that Ive come. Not in the mood, Nighteye replied indifferently. The tall vampire pulled over a chair and sat down beside Nighteye. This isnt a proper answer. The close distance made Nighteye frown. She replied coldly, Proper or not, its none of your business. Please leave if you have no other business. The tall young man laughed and said, This isnt a qualified answer either. Ill sit here if I want to sit here. Nighteyes brows knitted tightly together, but she actually didnt retort. The young man laughed contentedly after seeing this. He then looked out the window, from which he could see a dense grove of black trees. At this point, his gaze froze and his expression turned solemn. The black forest has reached this place. It seems that time is coming soon. Have you thought about what youll do?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 356: Pressure [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Nighteye finally turned around and looked straight at the Young Man. Fira, the answer is no regardless of how many times you ask. Firas expression froze and his cheek was twitching continuouslyapparently, he was extremely angry. He tried to force out a smile in order to retain some elegance, but the distorted line on his lips only made him look inexplicably sinister. Nighteye turned back and continued gazing out the window. Her eyes were detached, cold, and even contained a trace of disdain. She also moved her body as though by accident and distanced herself a little bit. You whore! Firas cursed in anger. Nighteyes small movement had ignited the last segment of his fuse, and he directly extended his large hands to grab her. A cold gleam flashed in Nighteyes eyesthe pair of daggers at her waist left their sheaths and fell into her hands. A bright red glow suffused the twin blades as she thrust at Firas chest, and at the same time, his image appeared in her eyes. Only a ding was heard as the sound of clashing metal echoed through the room. Firas right arm moved across his chest and actually blocked Nighteyes daggers. It seemed as though the two sharp blades, which had already cut apart countless enemies, had just slashed at a metallic sculpture. It was extremely difficult to push the blade further even slightly. Nighteye let out a clear shout on the spot, and Firas image in her eyes shattered abruptly. Only a muffled groan was heard as the mans face turned much paler. However, his blood energy only wavered for a moment before restabilizing. The bloody mist around his left hand rapidly intensified and immediately pressed upon Nighteyes protective blood energy. The dense blood energy gushing out wildly from the two was almost tangible and filled the entire room in the blink of an eye. Following which, the blood energies of different attributes materialized their own domains to launch fierce attacks. Firas dark red blood energy took the form of numerous land beastslions, tigers, bears, and wolves appeared in great numbers and charged toward Nighteye amidst loud roars. This wasnt just a simple illusion. Every pounce and every rend possessed the power to tear apart flesh and blood. So much that they were even more vicious than ordinary demonic beasts. A peculiar cry rang out all of a sudden as a twin-headed beast emerged amidst the countless land animals, and an extremely powerful pressure emerged the moment it appeared. The ability to materialize terrifying entities within a domain to attack the opponent was recognized as a standard for geniuses, and the attack power of such a domain was much stronger than ordinary ones. Firas anger subsided by a fair bit after releasing his domain to the fullest extent and converting it into calmness necessary for battle. Nighteye was a primo and so was he, but he received much less attention from the major characters of the upper continent. Nighteye activated her blood energy; hers was bright red with specks of gold. At this moment, her entire body was enveloped in a dense, lingering blood-colored mist and was barely discernible. Suddenly, a giant bird rose into the sky! It was like a peacock with a line of gold extending from its beak toward its back and all the way to its last feather. Firas pupils constricted precipitouslythis was a golden peacock! A fierce beast with the ability to control darkness origin power. Comparatively, the twin-headed beast Fira had released from his domain immediately lost its color. The golden peacock pounced directly toward the twin-headed beast as soon as it appeared, not even sparing a single glance at the other land beasts charging at Nighteyes defenses. It pecked several times with great ferocity and excavated a bloody hole in the beasts left head. The beast was in immense pain and struggled with all its mightthe other head turned around and bit down on the golden peacock''s body. However, the peacock pressed the beast firmly and couldnt be shaken off no matter what. After several vicious pecks, the beasts other head burst into strands of spiralling black smoke which dispersed within the blood-colored domain. The superiority in this battle had been decided. But the victorious golden peacock was soon drowned out by all types of land beasts. Every flap of its wings sent demonic beasts flying and transforming into black origin power mid-air. However, there were simply too many of them, and the golden peacock continuously sustained more and more injuries. Nighteye opened her eyes amidst the bloody mist, her cold pupils exceptionally bright and clear. Once again, a grey condor with snow-white wing tips rose into the air and pounced forward. A snow-winged golden condor! Yet another vicious beast and, although it was somewhat inferior to the golden peacock, the difference was fairly limited. Firas expression finally changed. Two vicious beasts had appeared in succession from Nighteyes domain, and they were both high-ranking flying beasts. It seemed her talents in the field of domains had already far surpassed his own. The ability to materialize vicious beasts in domains was ordinarily limited to experts above the level of marquis, but if he had remembered correctly, Nighteye had only just become a viscount. No wonder the Monroes were still unwilling to negotiate and acting coy even under present circumstances, and no wonder the Evernight Council big shots would pay her so much attention. But drawing too much attention wasnt always a good thing. Fira revealed a sinister smile. The greater the talents Nighteye displayed, the more resolute he became. Demonic beasts rushed out like a black tide within his domain and rushed toward the golden peacock and snow-winged golden condor. Even though the two avians would tear the land beasts into black smoke with every swipe of their claw and peck of their beaks, but the numbers were simply too great. Every dead beast would be replaced immediately by the one behind it. Firas level was far above Nighteyein the end, he was able to achieve victory by means of his blood energy capacity and forcefully suppressed Nighteye. The snow-winged golden condor was the first to falter and was torn to shreds. Nighteyes countenance turned pale as she coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood. Her movements immediately turned somewhat slower, and she was almost struck by Fira. Within the blink of an eye, the golden peacock also disappearedNighteye coughed up yet another mouthful of fresh blood, and her movements became even more sluggish. Fira finally found his opportunity. His left hand pierced through Nighteyes protective blood energy with great ferocity and lifted her up by the neck. After controlling Nighteye, Fira glanced at the surroundings and found that only a small number of vicious beasts remained within his domain, all of them injured. Firas expression turned gloomy because this indicated that he had won only by a narrow margin. He was an entire three ranks higher than Nighteye, and yet, the fight had progressed to such a state. If they were at the same level, he probably wouldnt last even ten minutes. Fira stared fixedly at Nighteye with madness in his eyes and said through gritted teeth, As expected of a primo capable of moving those old fellows. Your talents are indeed far above my own. But so what? Your talents will only push you into the abyss. Nighteyes pale countenance was flushed due to the suffocation, but she only returned a cold gaze with exceptional calmness in her eyes. It was as though even the present situation couldnt move her in the least. Firas voice turned particularly deep. I know you despise me, but this matter is beyond your control. Just be obedient and become my woman he paused suddenly and then continued with a dangerous tone, perhaps I should have a taste of you right now. Thats not a bad idea at all! It was at this time that a cough echoed through the room. Firas movements slowed down for a moment. He turned back abruptly and glared at the old man who had appeared at some point with fiery eyes. There wasnt a single hair out of place on this old maneven the jeweled ring on his finger was angled perfectlyhis style was completely that of an ancient noble. He glanced at Fira and said slowly, Your Excellency Fira, your actions at the moment are rather inappropriate. Inappropriate? Fira sneered and moved the hand on Nighteyes neck slightly. With an ear-piercing tear, her first button was torn away along with her collar. The old man coughed once again. Firas movements froze as a bright red dot appeared on the side of his neck from which a drop of blood slowly trickled down. Are you determined to stop me? Fira shouted in a sharp voice. If youre referring to the present, then I am. Firas eyes almost seemed to be spouting flames. He snorted deeply and pushed Nighteye away. Nighteye flew backward and crashed heavily into the wall, immediately coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. The contest of domains had exhausted her blood energy completely, and now, she wasnt much stronger than a newborn vampire. The old man raised the corners of his brows but neither took action nor said anything. He watched Fira quietly without taking his eyes off him for even a moment. Fira became violent and paced about in the room with large strides. He waved his arms with great force and spoke continuously, Very good, Your Excellency Count Klaus, I shall remember your words today. I heard you have a fair number of descendants but all of them are trash. They should be careful hereafterit would probably be best for them to not leave the castle or their coffins. Evernight had always been unsafe, and it will become even more dangerous from now on. The old mans expression changed and then recovered immediately afterward. Fira walked over to the old man, jabbed at his chest with a finger, and said word by word, Listen, old thing, even if you can stop me today, you wont be able to stop me tomorrow! Shes destined to be my woman, and its only a matter of time. But because of your actions today, Ive decided to toy with her in front of all your descendants until shes half-dead! And this is all because youre too meddlesome, hear me? You old thing! This time, the old man retained his normal expression as though a breeze had just blown past his ears and said indifferently, Its getting late. You should go and rest. Firas chest rose and fell rapidly, and he only calmed down slightly with great effort. Fine! Im leaving! But I want to see how the current Monroes can reject me! I shall go back and tell Carl that the original conditions have been canceled. Negotiations will start anew!!! After roaring thus, Firas left in large strides and slammed the door with a loud bang. The old man arrived before Nighteye, supported her up, and then passed her a piece of blood crystal. Color returned to Nighteyes countenance only after draining the blood crystal clean. The old man watched Nighteye with eyes full of love and pity. Although youve awoken the primogenitors bloodline, I still consider you my child. The iciness in Nighteyes expression melted as she whispered, Youve always been my father. This has never changed. The creases on the old counts face appeared even deeper as he sighed deeply. Fira is unexpectedly so brazen. It seems theyre fiercely determined. An indiscernible flash of determination appeared in her eyes. Theres nothing in this world that one can obtain for certain. The old count laughed wryly. Im a little bit worried that the people up there wont be able to take the pressure. Nighteye lowered her gaze without replying. The old count turned silent for a while and said, You should go. Leave this place. Nighteye was startled and then shook her head. But what about you? Theyll definitely take it out on you if I leave. Im already old, so old that the time for eternal sleep is nigh. So what if they take it out on me? Nighteye gently held the old counts hands. That was a definitely the hand of an old manhis skin had lost its elasticity, and it had become fairly thin, almost translucent, due to the erosion of time, revealing the craggy bones and tendons underneath. She slowly pressed her face in his hands just like she had done many years before when she was but a child. ... During these days, Dark Flames elites were stationed atop Black Ridge with the Wei clan champion overseeing them and taking full charge of logistics and the transport of the spoils of war. Qianye himself led the elites on a series of raids and struck two more mines. He seized everything that could be moved away and then burned the mines to ruins. There was still no movement in the depths of the arachne counts territory, but Qianye wasnt worried whether or not there was any scheme behind the counts passivity. The longer things dragged on, the more established the defensive construction on Black Ridge would becomegiven enough time, the place would become a fort. Qianye even transferred an airship over. It wasnt a bad thing even if the arachne count really had no intention to mobilize his forces. They could cut off the eastern regions communication with the count completely so long as they maintained a firm grasp on Black Ridge. Then, he would mop up the viscounts in the eastern region one by one and accomplish his western expedition plans. Zhao Yuying disappeared during this period, leaving a message saying she was going to survey the geography and that she would probably be back when there were actual battles to fight. With Zhao Yuyings ability, no existence in the counts territory could pose a threat to her as long as she acted with some care. Thus, Qianye just let her go since there wasnt an urgent need for her anyway. The guardians of the two other mines were only barons. Qianye was able to obtain victory without much effort, and there was even the added benefit of replenishing his essence blood. After pulling back to Black Ridge, Qianye wanted to start cultivating immediately and convert the essence blood as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, he was suddenly overcome by exhaustionit was, once again, that familiar and irresistible sensation.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 357: Nirvanic Rend [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] An unknown length of time had passed when Qianye sat up and glanced vacantly at his surroundings. He recalled, after quite some time, that he had fallen into a deep slumber just as he was about to cultivate. He reached for the nearby origin clock and was relieved to find that only about half an hour had passed. Qianye was just thinking about circulating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll when he suddenly realized that his essence blood was missing again. Additionally, over half of it had vanished and only about a third remained. Qianye was shockedthis time, he knew for certain that something was wrong. He immediately sat down, activated his True Sight with great concentration, and began to check every corner of his body. He couldnt rest easy without uncovering the mystery of the vanishing essence blood. Qianyes internal vision had become much clearer after obtaining True Sight, and he could even capture the most minute of changes in origin power. As such, he began to circulate his cultivation arts one by one and observed the flow of origin power within. Everything was normal, starting from the Combatant Formula to the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. He simply couldnt find anything odd. Qianye finally noticed some details he had formerly overlooked when he activated the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Mystery Chapter. It turned out that threads of condensed essence blood were flowing out of his heart under the guidance of the Mystery Chapter to form a vortex within his body. This vortex was like an invisible grinding stone which crushed and expelled the mixed impurities within the essence blood. This process produced the purest of darkness origin power which was then absorbed by his blood energies. After absorbing darkness origin power, the purple blood energy would use it to strengthen his body. At the same time, it would release some specks of purple light which were then carried, by means of his blood, to every part of his body. Meanwhile, the dark golden blood energy displayed no changes despite absorbing even more darkness origin power than the purple one. Instead, a certain feather on the Wings of Inception suddenly seemed a bit brighter than before. It was almost tangible and no longer illusory like it was before. Sometimes, the dark golden blood energy would also release some light, but it didnt flow to his limbs and bones via the bloodstream and was instead absorbed by his internal organs. There were some minute changes in the organs after absorbing the golden light. The changes were so minuscule that one could hardly notice them, but they were, in fact, a definite reinforcement. Qianye finally discovered the dark golden blood energys effects. It was unexpectedly capable of strengthening his internal organs. The cultivation path of those from the Evernight faction was much more straightforward compared to the complex human systemsevery race prioritized strengthening their bodies. But the upgrade was mostly limited to the external physique below the level of champion. Only after passing the champion threshold would the darkness origin power enter deeper into the organs and reach a new level. This implied that Qianye, with his dark golden blood energy, possessed combat strength comparable to that of a viscount despite the fact that his blood energy was quantitatively at the level of a barons. This also meant that his strength in combat would exceed other vampires of the same level when he formally condensed a blood core and advanced to the champion rank. At this moment, he had completed a cycle of the Mystery Chapter. The luminous feather on the Wings of Inception had become slightly more substantialit might perhaps undergo a new transformation after materializing completely. Qianye rested for a short while and then began cultivating his second cycle of the Mystery Chapter. He had to examine the Mystery Chapter in detail in order to figure out the reason behind the disappearing essence blood. As expected, the essence blood seeping out of his heart was cut off at the beginning of his second cycle, and only a small amount of essence blood seeped out a while later. The flow of essence blood during this entire process was intermittentapparently, a part of it was disappearing once again. Qianye slowly withdrew his arts. He already knew that the essence blood he had absorbed were all stored in his heart, and hence, the reason behind the vanishing essence blood should also be in its depths. It was just that ordinary internal vision couldnt probe into the internal operations of the heart. He gave it some thought before operating his true sight, focusing it on his heart. Quite unexpectedly, the heart became transparent under his True Sight and slowly revealed the scene within. At this moment, the essence blood had formed a ball the size of his thumb and was hovering within his heart chamber. Its color was fairly mottledsome parts were bright red, while others were somewhat darker, presumably caused by the mixture of essence blood from different races. Above this sanguineous ball, Qianye saw the illusory figure of a book. That was the Book of Darkness which he had obtained from Andruils treasury! Back then, the book had inexplicably entered Qianyes consciousness but had mysteriously disappeared after he had left the lost realm. He couldnt find any traces of it no matter how he observed. He had never expected the book to have entered the depths of his heart at some point. The Book of Darkness: Genesis was one of the dark races lost classics, but Qianye had no other information about it apart from the demonstration of the worlds inception when he had first obtained it. Even though the Song clans depository had indeed collected a fair share of dark race historical documents, no records there were related to this book. The bleeding eye on the books cover had undergone some changes and now seemed rather illusory. On the contrary, the three runes around it appeared much clearer than before. Qianye observed for a moment and automatically understood their meaning. The first rune was the Book of Darkness, the second meant Genesis and the third represented darkness origin power. Two out of the three runes had already been lit up, while the third was halfway between illusory and materialit was lacking just a little bit to appear completely. At this moment, the scenery within this conscious space became exceptionally clear. A strand of essence blood would occasionally seep out from the bloody sphere to be absorbed by the Book of Darkness. Could it be that the vanishing essence blood had been absorbed by the Book of Darkness? Qianye, once again, shifted his focus onto the Book of Darkness. This time, the Book of Darkness was altered the moment it came into contact with his consciousnessan inexplicable and enormous attractive force began to draw the ball of essence blood toward it. The Book of Darkness began to pulse as though it possessed a life of its own and continuously devoured the essence blood in large gulps. Within the blink of an eye, the ball of essence blood equivalent to a knight had completely disappeared. Qianye was amazed. Afterward, he discovered that the last rune on the cover had lit up, and a thought flashed through his mindhe subconsciously wanted to open the Book of Darkness and study it in detail. This notion had just emerged when the hovering Book of Darkness opened itself. There was a table of contents on the title page, but it contained only one line: Tempering. Qianyes will moved once again, and the Book of Darkness flipped to the next page on its own. This time, there were masses of billowing darkness on the page. There was a small runic word at the corner of the page which read Tempering. Qianye tried to flip the page once again, but it jumped directly to the back cover. This thick Book of Darkness, at present, had only one page. Qianye flipped back to the Tempering Chapter. Following the attention of his consciousness, the mass of darkness slowly transformed, and the irregular mist slowly formed meaningful and continuously transforming images. Suddenly, the figure of a person flashed past, someone Qianye felt he had seen before. The figure immediately became much clearer as Qianye focused his attention, its form stabilizing in the shape of a man thrusting with a sword. Qianye was fairly familiar with this diagramit was a basic stance from one of the Song clans basic sword techniques. Qianye soon recalled the other sword stances from this basic sword technique, and the corresponding human-shaped figure would appear almost immediately. All of the human-shaped diagrams were moving continuously and displaying their representative sword techniques. Every demonstration was slightly different, and these minor discrepancies shook Qianyes heart. They were actually improvements made to the basic sword technique! Those changes happened to be in the parts which he had felt were not very smooth but didnt know how to improve on. The Book of Darkness was automatically deriving martial arts? Qianye suppressed the astonishment in his heart and began to recall the other martial techniques he had seen in the Song clan depository. As expected, any stance he recalled would appear on the Book of Darkness. Within the blink of an eye, there were hundreds of human-shaped figures within that lump of darkness. They moved up and down as they continuously demonstrated various types of martial arts. Back at the Song clan, he had spent most of his time and energy on studying sword techniques after obtaining East Peak and naturally paid more attention to sword techniques at present. Following his will, all of the human figures in the Book of Darkness turned blurry and reverted to misty black lines. Then, they assembled once more, and this time, all of the human-shaped figures were holding swords. The most astonishing thing was that these swords were actually identical to East Peak. Every human figure represented a sword stance. On careful observation, these sword techniques all originated from the dozens of basic sword technique records Qianye had read. The mass of darkness surged at progressively greater speeds, and all of the human-shaped figures began to move accordingly. Within moments, hundreds of people were waving swords in front of Qianyes eyes. Some were performing sword dances on their own, others were sparring with one another, and some figures were even engaging in a group brawl. Moments later, some of the human-shaped figures disappeared, while others combined into one. Their numbers dwindled quickly, and only a couple of human figures remained in the end. Qianye observed with even greater concentration and found that these figures werent using the sword techniques from any single sword art. Their actions were similarly simple and direct but were much more exquisite than basic sword techniques. Most importantly, these sword techniques were obviously a fit for the East Peak, not only in terms of size and shape, but also in terms of weight. Qianye had been single-mindedly studying East Peaks use during this period and was struck with a sudden flash of insight after seeing these techniques. But he still felt something was missing. As if they had sensed Qianyes thoughts, the human figures performing swordplay in the darkness turned blurry. They gathered to one side and seemed to be on the verge of merging together. During this process, the mass of pure darkness origin power faded away rapidly and was fully consumed in the blink of an eye. After which, only a single human figure was left on the page. With the sword in hand, the figure slashed out like a thunderbolt and fired a sword radiance extending dozens of meters. Qianyes heart and mind were completely shaken as he watched this move. This sword strike wasnt elaborate and only sought pure might, almost capable of slashing open space. The human figure released that single slash and then stopped moving as numerous ancient runes began to appear in the surrounding space. An abrupt revelation condensed the meaning of this runic word in Qianyes consciousness. Nirvanic Rend!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 358: Long-Distance Raid [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] At about the same time, Qianye naturally comprehended the secrets and basic techniques of Nirvanic Rend. The darkness origin power on the book then completely disappeared, and the sword-wielding human figure also faded away gradually. The Book of Darkness flipped back to the content page on its own, and the only words upon it, tempering, also grew indistinct. Qianye tried flipping the page again, but he couldnt no matter how he tried. He was thinking about sword techniques when he activated that function just now. As such, the Book of Darkness took all of the basic sword techniques he knew, weeded out the complicated parts, kept the simple essence, and then integrated them into his weapon of choice, the East Peak. In the end, everything culminated into a single move: Nirvanic Rend. The process of tempering martial arts consumed the darkness origin power within the Book of Darkness which, in turn, came from essence blood. The consumption involved in this process was truly astonishing. Qianye did some calculations and found that the required essence blood was equivalent to that of two third-rank viscounts. Had the quantity been even slightly insufficient, the tempering process mightve stopped at the first few sword moves and the final Nirvanic Rend wouldnt have appeared. This discovery came as a pleasant surprise for Qianye. Andruils True Sight, the Wings of Inception, and the Book of Darkness could all be considered amazing items. But despite their colossal might, the Wings of Inception and Book of Darkness were also amazing in their blood essence requirement. Two third-rank viscounts were only enough to feed a single page on the Book of Darkness. It was obvious that he would need similar amounts of essence blood if he wanted to use the tempering ability again. And this was just a single sword stancethe essence blood requirement would be even greater if he needed to temper higher level martial techniques. Tempering was only the first page of the Book of Darkness. It didnt take a lot of thinking to know that he would need to fork out vast amounts of essence blood if he wanted to see more pages. Comparatively, the Wings of Inception was even more hatefulthe dark golden blood energy had already devoured so much essence blood and yet, even up to this day, only half of a single feather had been lit. It was unknown just how many experts would have died in Qianyes hands by the time both wings were illuminated. Qianye couldnt help but laugh wryly. With two big abyss-like consumers in the form of the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness, the growth of his three blood energies fell by more than half. All in all, this could be considered a blessed distressit seemed he would have to join more battles in the future. He picked up East Peak and walked out of the camp. He brought out his motorcycle in a secluded area and drove toward the wilderness, hoping to find a place to test out the might of his Nirvanic Rend. There was an isolated valley to the northwest of Dark Flames garrison with a steep cliff dozens of meters tall at its entrance. The stony surface was bright, clean, and fairly suitable to test out a martial technique. This place was already quite a distance from the camp and likely wouldnt alarm others even if he stirred up a commotion. Qianye drew the blade and circulated his origin power in silence. Then, with a loud cry amidst wind and thunder, East Peak unleashed a Nirvanic Rend toward the opposite precipice. A wisp of darkness origin power emerged from the void as East Peak slashed out and flowed into the blades edge, merging with Qianyes origin power. The sword was suffused by hazy black mist as a faintly discernible sword light burst forth, extending ten meters and cutting apart the rocky cliff in its entirety. A crack appeared at the center of the smooth stone cliff amidst the loud rumble which then shot explosively in every direction like a spider web. Shattered rocks fell like rain as a ten-meter long and two-meter deep sword scar appeared before Qianye in the blink of an eye. The might of this blow shocked Qianye even though he was already expecting it. He carefully recalled the process by which he unleashed the Nirvanic Rend and how he had caught the strand of darkness origin power through the void. Perhaps this was the key to this overperforming might. Qianye could also utilize origin power while attacking, but that power was from his surroundings and not drawn out from the void. Obtaining the Nirvanic Rend made up for Qianyes biggest shortcominghis lack of a powerful combat art. The only weak point was that both the Wings of Inception in Nirvanic Rend consumed large amounts of energy, and his ability to continue fighting would plummet after a single use. Qianye felt that he could, at most, swing three Nirvanic Rends in his peak state. He picked up East Peak and reached out to touch the stone cliff that was no longer smooth. He then left the valley in the end after confirming the might of his sword technique. The motorcycle had just entered the main gates when Zhao Yuying appeared out of nowhere. This beautiful lady was, at the moment, looking fairly miserableher face was covered in so much dirt that it was almost difficult to make out her original countenance. The combat attire on her body was also full of cuts and holes, not much better than the junkyards residents of Evernight Continent. Upon finding Qianye, Zhao Yuying jumped onto his motorcycle without a word and squeezed Qianye to the back seat. Follow me! Whats the matter? Qianye was somewhat startled. An extremely important matter. I think Ive figured out the old spiders secret! From the sudden appearance of those vampires and the origin array that hadnt been cracked up to this day, Qianye knew that Count Stuka was plotting something. Perhaps because the dark races enjoyed long lifespans, it seemed they were always scheming in order to relieve their boredom and prevent themselves from becoming a pool of stagnant water. Additionally, their schemes were more often related to their internal conflicts rather than their conflicts with humans. That was why Qianye had paid little attention to the arachne counts secret in the beginning. But it was apparent from Zhao Yuyings expression that the matter wasnt as he had thought. Stukas conspiracy might somehow be related to the human raceeither that or it involved massive profits. Otherwise, this young miss who, more often than not, possessed a unique way of thinking, wouldnt be so anxious. Whats Stuka up to? Qianye asked. Zhao Yuying didnt reply. She opened up the lid at the top end of the motorcycle and revealed a row of hidden switches. Qianye was startled because she had never told him about them. Zhao Yuying pushed all of the switches upwardthe vehicle began to jolt restlessly, and the sound of the engine became muffled and powerful. Hang on tight! she shouted as the motorcycle leapt out amidst a loud rumble. Its wheels spun at high speed and shaved two deep traces on the ground. The vehicle shot out thunderously like a fired cannon shell, almost flinging Qianye off. He subconsciously tightened his hug around Zhao Yuyings waist as the motorcycle accelerated to extreme speeds and the scenery around them became fairly blurry. Zhao Yuying didnt even have the patience to make a turn out of the camp gates and simply charged straight at the fence. Qianye cried out, Where are you going? But his voice was drowned out by the roar of running machinery and friction. The noise of the engine escalated even higher as Zhao Yuying grabbed the handles and swerved ever so slightly. The motorcycle charged up an inconspicuous little mound at the speed of wind and lightningits wheels rose several meters into the air and flew right over the protective fence. The vehicle then drew a parabola in the air before landing heavily on the ground. The motorcycle was unexpectedly able to withstand such a rough landing as though it were nothing and then proceeded to roll into the distance amidst thunderous rumbles. Only in Zhao Yuyings hands was this motorcycle able to draw out the true meaning behind the word wild. Comparatively, Qianyes own method was like riding a docile little sheep. Where are we going to? Qianye moved close to Zhao Yuyings ears and shouted loudly. This willful young miss was always so swift and decisive. They shouldve made proper plans after finding some cluesit was simply too rash to charge out like this without even informing Dark Flame. To a certain mining pit! Zhao Yuying shouted back. They couldnt hear each other amidst the thunderous roar of the engine without shouting at the top of their lungs. Zhao Yuying shouted once more as if she knew Qianye would surely blame her actions. Its fine to leave those burdens behind! Qianye was rendered speechless. But then he recalled a different matter. Didnt you mobilize some men to attack a settlement? Ah! I forgot! Zhao Yuying replied as though it was all right and proper. Then what about the company you took along?! They should be fighting already, I guess. A response typical of the granddaughter of Duke You. Qianye roared furiously, You let them attack a settlement on their own? So what?! Its just a settlement. This mommy here can overturn a dozen or so of them in one night. Theyre an entire company! Whats the use if they cant even handle that? You! Considering the scale of dark race settlements in this region, a single company of Dark Flame soldiers was enough under normal circumstances. The problem was that they were already deep in enemy territory and no longer in the buffer zone. It would be terrible if there was a traveling dark race expert in the settlement. If by any chance the expert was at the level of Qianye or Zhao Yuying, even an entire battalion would fail to return, to speak nothing of a single company. Zhao Yuying suddenly accelerated once more whereupon the engine let out a deafening roar and it became difficult to converse even with shouts. Qianye could only clam uphe seemed to vaguely catch Zhao Yuyings last few words about how a unit incapable of fighting independently was useless, and those without sufficient luck were also useless. The motorcycle shattered the peaceful night and shook all life-forms within several kilometers out of their dreams, throwing the wilderness into a commotion. Countless birds and beasts gazed in terror as the faraway metal beast shot through wilds at unimaginable speeds and drove into the distance. They only dared return to their nests after the rumble of the motorcycle receded. But it would likely take them quite some time to fall back asleep. On the way, Qianye finally couldnt resist the urge and shouted once more, Arent you announcing our location to the dark races with this ruckus? So what if they know? Who will dare come and throw away their lives, that old spider? Qianye turned silent once again. It was just as Zhao Yuying saidwith the exception of the arachne count, anyone else seeking them out would only be throwing their lives away. The motorcycle sped on for almost two hours before finally arriving at the destination. Qianye noticed that this mine wasnt on the common map of this region, but was one of the locations where Zhao Yuying had pointed out as potential mining sites. It seemed the dark races werent lacking in expert excavators either to have chosen the same place as Zhao Yuying without prior arrangements. The buildings in front soon became clearer in their field of vision. Judging from its appearance, the scale of this mine was even larger than the black stone mine Qianye had razed, and it was also heavily guarded. Not only was it surrounded by numerous high walls, but the main gate was also ten meters tall with three towers constructed around ittheir forbidding, black cannon muzzles could be seen from a distance. What kind of mine was this? It was clearly a fortress! The motorcycles movements were simply too conspicuous and had drawn the attention of the guards from a fair distance. Guns poked out of the embrasures in succession, and the fixed cannons on the towers began to turn slowly toward them. Are we going over just like that? Qianye inquired. Yup, were going in just like that! Zhao Yuying replied. The rumble of the motorcycle engine escalated to its peak once again as the vehicle actually charged straight toward the main gates.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 359: Unexpected [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Alarms erupted immediately in the mine. The guards roared as various weapons opened fire, sending forth a shower of gunpowder projectiles and origin bullets. An extremely faint layer of dark purple emerged on Zhao Yuyings body which extended vertically into a protective arc and enveloped the motorcycle. She didnt have the slightest intention to decelerate or change directions and simply charged straight into the tempest of bullets. She tugged violently at the head of the motorcycle upon approaching the gatesthe vehicle rose into the air before the countless dumbfounded arachne and vampires, leapt over the gates, and landed in the mine. Behind the gates was an extremely large plaza, on one side of which was a small mountain of black stones. There were numerous caves at the base of the mountain in the distance with railway tracks extending into each of them. This kind of mechanization could be considered a major investment on Evernight Continent where manpower was still heavily relied upon. The mine was brightly lit. Although the dark race warriors all possessed night vision, the mining slaves couldnt see in the dark, and the illumination was prepared specifically for them. Even so, the dazzling lights were simply too extravagant, a clear indication of how much importance the count attached to this mine. There were hundreds of smiths at the center of the mine, busily setting up a massive origin array hundreds of meters in diameter. There was a mountainous pile of crates beside the law array, and judging from their external appearance, they seem to be components for its assembly. Smiths capable of constructing a law array of such scale couldnt be slavesthey should be true technicians of considerable individual strength. Such professionals were of significant value in either faction. With Stukas strength and position, recruiting even half this number would cause him to suffer greatlythe numbers before them certainly wasnt something an Evernight count could afford. Qianye saw this and understood why Zhao Yuying wanted to raid this mine so urgently. No matter what the function of this origin array was, a matter capable of making the arachne count ignore an invasion into his lands was definitely of utmost importance. But before he could even decide what to do next, the group of people standing beside the array glanced back successively in alarm. The first to turn was an elderly person. Qianyes heart skipped a beat after seeing the other party clearly. He only heard Zhao Yuying exclaim in astonishment, Stuka! Apparently, meeting the elderly man here was also well beyond her expectations. The elderly man was the master of this domain, the arachne count Stuka. Qianye had seen pictures of him, the viscounts under his command, and certain other important characters in his early military intelligence. But why was Stuka here instead of staying in his castle? Since even Stuka was here, it was only natural that his elite units would be nearby. Qianye had already calmed down. The enemys strategic location was where his side had to strikethis strategy could never go wrong in any era. It was just that, with the old man here, the surprise attack had now become a direct confrontation. Apparently, a bitter fight was imminent. Within moments, Qianyes hand was already on the Twin Flowers at his waist. At the same time, he reached into Andruils Mysterious Realm with his consciousness and began to go through the suitable munitions within. After a cry of surprise, Zhao Yuying gritted her teeth and leapt off the vehicle with Qianye in tow. It was unknown what button she had pressed during this maneuver, but the motorcycle engine reached its peak once againthe four large exhaust pipes spewed out long jets of flame and screamed toward Count Stuka like a mad bull. Without waiting for Count Stuka to move, an arachne viscount beside him waved his hand and conjured a spider web out of thin air to envelope the motorcycle. However, the output of the vehicle Zhao Yuying had modified far surpassed the viscounts expectations. The vehicle shook slightly in the air as its wheels spun wildly, and quite unexpectedly, it only sank for a moment before charging straight at Stuka. Stuka let out a cold snort and attacked in person. Three dark green colored spider webs appeared at the same time and wound tightly around the metallic machine. This time, the motorcycle couldnt break free and was dragged to the ground. With a loud boom, it smashed to the ground near the law array amidst a cloud of dust and debris. Stuka looked up with a sneer and numerous jade green lights started flickering between his fingers. But then his expression changed abruptly as he turned back to glance at where the motorcycle had landed. The motorcycle engine had yet to die after smashing to the ground; it was still trembling, and its temperature was climbing rapidly. The origin arrays outside the kinetic chamber had not dimmed down. Instead, they were glowing progressively brighter and, in the end, began to spew out flames. Stuka had no time to issue a warning and shot out a spiderweb with a wave of his hand. But it was too late; the motorcycle exploded with a loud boom. The force of this explosion could only be stronger than a vampire origin grenade and not weaker. Everything within fifty meters apart from Count Stuka and the two viscounts was blown away by the shockwaves. Even the smiths working on the law array were affected by the ripples; many of them collapsed after they were struck by the sputtering metal fragments. Count Stuka turned back furiously and was just about to chase after the two bold human insects when he suddenly noticed two origin grenades flying toward the half-constructed origin array. Stuka was greatly alarmedhe immediately rose into the air and intercepted one with a spider web while blocking the other with his own body. Two balls of fire erupted in the air with a loud rumble as shrapnels flew out like rain in every direction. Count Stukas figure emerged as the flames recededhis hands were wrapped around his head in a protective stance, and the origin power radiance around his body was flickering unstably. The count lowered his hands and looked down at himself. Two tears had appeared on the formal attire crafted by a famous master. A layer of frost had appeared on the counts expression when he looked up again. Darkness origin power began to spread out like rolling haze as though a small storm was brewing. He had taken a hidden loss during their first exchange. Originally, it wouldve been impossible for a grenade to blast open a dark counts origin defenses regardless of its power. But the count hadnt expected that the human who had used this unorthodox weapon was, in fact, a champion who had secretly condensed tangible daybreak origin power onto the explosive and used it like a throwing weapon. Moreover, that persons origin power attribute was extremely unique and quickly broke through his origin defenses. At this moment, explosions rang out in succession. Qianye followed tightly behind Zhao Yuying and finally witnessed this beautiful ladys fiery combat style. She warped around like the wind as she rushed about the mine, dropping grenades at every stop before continuing to the next. Qianye followed her for a part of the way but turned toward a different direction after finding that she didnt need his protection at all. He also produced two origin grenades, stuffing one into a random building and tossing the other toward the center of the law array. An arachne viscount waved out a spider web amidst furious roars and wrapped it around the grenade mid-air. A dazzling burst of light erupted in the air soon afterward as origin power shockwaves rippled out, almost affecting the law array. Stukas expression was dark. He hurriedly issued some orders and then threw himself in Zhao Yuyings direction to give chase. His guard forces were originally resting in the row houses at the border of the mine. At this moment, they were just running over, but after seeing the counts gestures, they turned away to flank Qianye instead. Meanwhile, the arachne viscount beside Stuka stood guard near the array for fear of Qianye and Zhao Yuying attempting to destroy it. The origin array was yet to be completed and simply couldnt withstand the destructive power of an origin grenade. It wasnt even certain whether or not the shockwaves would affect the precision instruments within. Meanwhile, Qianye and Zhao Yuying had realized, from how Stuka had personally intercepted the grenades, that the array was his greatest weakness. As such, they would throw an origin grenade toward the array from time to time as they waved through the mine. In this manner, they had effectively restricted that arachne viscount to the area around the array. The mine was in chaos and explosions rang out everywhere in close succession. Stukas guard unit found no success in trying to capture Qianye. The latters speed had far surpassed these high-ranking soldiers and would often take advantage of his powerful physique to meet them head-on. He hadnt brought out East Peak and only relied on the Twin Flowers and hand-to-hand combat. And despite that, no one was his match. The guard force only managed to slow Qianye down slightly even after paying a steep price of one baron and one knight in casualties. As for those ordinary warriors, miners, and smiths, their losses were even greater. The dark race warriors had never encountered a battle where grenades were used in such large amounts. Zhao Yuyings large backpack was filled to the brim with origin grenades and almost nothing else! Under her special methods, every grenade was capable of producing extreme destruction. Most of the grenades Qianye had tossed out werent origin grenades. But that didnt make the situation any bettergunpowder grenades possessed great cost to performance ratio against cannon fodder. With Andruils Mysterious Space in his possession, the number of grenades he was throwing out could only exceed Zhao Yuyings rate. So much that he was throwing them out continuously without the need to search for specific timing and angle. Stuka had locked onto Zhao Yuying and was hot on her trail. However, the latter was extremely fast and exceptionally craftyshe took full advantage of the mines complex terrain and refused to fight head-on with Stuka. The count chased for a long time and almost succeeded in intercepting her on several occasions, but she always managed to slip away at the last moment. The count scattered spider webs on numerous occasions, but all of them were pierced through directly and failed to impede this human-shaped T-Rex in the slightest. He decided to stop wasting his origin power after numerous repeats. Stuka suddenly realized that his own path was about to converge with Qianyes at one point. After a moment of hesitation, he scattered a spider web to block Qianyes advance. This little rat who wasnt even a champion had caused no less damage than that woman, and as such, he decided to spend a few seconds to help his guard squad kill off this troublesome fellow. But sanguineous flames lit up around Qianyes body at this moment, accompanied by specks of faintly discernible golden light. He charged straight forward and swaggered off, leaving only a human-shaped hole in the jade-green spider web. At the same time, two origin grenades were thrown out toward the origin array. Stuka was stunned and his expression became increasingly ugly. He let out an earth-shattering roar as his body suddenly began to swell, ripping his formal attire to shreds. The arachne count revealed his absolute combat stancean incomparably large arachne with two striking green lines at his waist. At this moment, Count Stuka was five or six meters tall, and his spider body was like a small hill. The pressure from his gaze alone made one feel asphyxiated. The count reached out to grab the javelin one of his guards had tossed out and flung it with a cold snort. He then shot the javelin toward Zhao Yuying at lightning speed.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 360: A Bitter Struggle Part 1 Chapter 360: A Bitter Struggle (Part 1) [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Yuying had just tossed out another grenade, but she made a sharp turn and circled back after seeing that Stuka intended to intercept Qianye. To her surprise, however, Qianye escaped without a hitch, and the arachne count revealed his true form in anger. The javelin enshrouded in dark green mist whistled toward hereven Zhao Yuying didnt dare take on such a momentous attack by force. She immediately shifted out of the way with all her might, causing the javelin to brush past her left arm. Without waiting for Zhao Yuying to adjust her breathing, another sharp whistle rang out as the second javelin closed in! Zhao Yuying had no more room for evasion. She drew her combat knife, roared loudly, and hacked forth with all her mightthe extremely risky strike actually landed on the javelins sharp point. A muffled bang rang out. Zhao Yuying was struck flying from the impact and only stabilized herself after taking several large steps backward. Stuka was fairly surprisedhe hadnt expected that a mere human lady would be able to block his all-out attack. But he sneered right afterward and said in a sinister tone, Doesnt taste good, does it? A layer of hazy green appeared on Zhao Yuyings countenance. Stukas spider poison was extremely powerful and could penetrate the body merely from the contamination of his origin power. However, Zhao Yuying didnt suffer from the full effects of the poison as Stuka had imagined. A dark purple origin power seeped out of her body and, like infernal flames, ignited with great intensity. Zhao Yuying slashed her wrist open with a wave of her bladethe arrow of blood which shot out was actually dark green! The gloomy shade of green on Zhao Yuyings face was reduced significantly after the blood spurted out. You think this mommy here will go down because of this little poison? Stuka felt his cheeks twitch as he stared fixedly at Zhao Yuyings origin power radiance, a mixture of purple and swirling black mist. He said with some uncertainty, Violet qi? The West Pole Qi?! Youre a member of the Zhao clan? Zhao Yuying spat in an unrestrained manner and curled her fingers at Stuka. This old spider seems to be quite experienced and knowledgeable. But come over if you want to fight! What do you care who I am? Count Stukas expression was austere. He made a grasping motion midair, shooting out numerous spiderwebs and bringing a battleaxe and origin gun into his hands. His massive body was actually floating slightly above the ground while his eight moving limbs propelled him forward as if he were a boat in water. He charged toward Zhao Yuying at great speeds and hacked down with his axe. Zhao Yuying brandished her blade to block the attack. Her entire body was immediately shaken from the impact, and her face was drained of all color. A fierce battle had begun. Origin power surged wildly within the plaza, and the exchanges would cause small explosions from time to time. The air was soon filled with flying dust and debris, making it difficult for the weaker people to even breathe. Stuka, in his complete combat form, was able to truly bring out a dark counts combat strengthhe definitely wasnt as weak and feeble as the rumors had claimed. With the two experts exchanging blows, the dark race soldiers no longer dared to linger nearby. All of them had moved to the border of the mining zone to form a large perimeter. Although Zhao Yuying was just as strong as Qianye, she was far from being a match to an arachne count and quickly fell at a disadvantage in melee combat. However, she was able to bring out numerous secret techniques which made it impossible for Count Stuka to defeat her immediately. At this moment, Qianye had run all the way to a mine shaft to the East and tossed a grenade into the mining tram car. His expression changed after hearing the concentrated collision of origin power behind him. He glanced back and, as expected, found Zhao Yuying and Stuka facing off against one another. He threw down the bag of grenades within Andruils Mysterious Realm and drew out East Peak. However, a massive shadow enveloped Qianye, and the ground quaked slightly as an arachne viscount in combat form appeared in front of him. This arachne was clad in azure-colored heavy armor and only one meter shorter than Stuka. Brandishing the combat axe with both hands, he said with a cold voice, Little fellow, I shall be your opponent. This was Count Stukas guard captain who was previously out patrolling the surroundings. He had rushed back only after hearing the alarm and happened to arrive just in time for this battle. A deep ocean-blue color emerged in Qianyes eyes as True Vision swept past. This was a third-rank viscount, and the density of his darkness origin power could only be greater compared to Duras and the other two vampires he had killed. Qianye squinted his eyes and waved East Peak disdainfully at the arachne. The guard captain was enragedhe let out a thunderous roar and began to rumble forward like a tank. He lowered his body, and his eight limbs struck the ground rhythmically like steel rods. The battleaxe in his hand tore through the air with a sharp whistle and hacked straight at Qianye. Qianye stood where he was and met the incoming enemy attentively with East Peak in hand. The scenery in his eyes shiftedthe world turned black and whiteand only circular ripples of darkness origin power extended in all directions with the guard captains battleaxe as their center. He inhaled deeply. East Peak shot up, pressed against the battleaxe with great precision, and flicked lightly upward, causing the massive weapon to draw a wondrous arc through the air as though it were weightless. The battleaxe in the guard captains hand pulsed violently and almost flew out. He was greatly astonished and grabbed at the axe with all his might. His eight limbs stomped about in disarray and only managed to stabilize his body after some time. The sword technique Qianye had used just now was one of the final moves tempered by the Book of Darkness. The blade had cut into the gap between the guard captains swinging battleaxe. That last flick involved no strength at all, and the method was based on inciting a darkness origin power resonance insteadeven an arachne viscount couldnt stand the two moves stacked together. After the flick, Qianye pulled back immediately. His right hand was still on East Peak, but an origin grenade had appeared in his left, which he flung out close to the ground. The guard captain had just stabilized his footing when he suddenly spied the rolling origin grenade through the corner of his eyes. But as it happened, that was a blind spot for his massive arachne bodyhe could neither evade nor deflect it. The grenade exploded almost directly under the arachnes body. The intense shockwaves sent the guard captain flying into the air and revealed his weak abdomen. Qianye had withdrawn East Peak at this point. He whipped out the Twin Flowers at great speed and fired two shots in close succession, each striking the center of the arachne''s spider abdomen. The viscounts abdomen was revealed as the blinding radiance receded, a mess of mangled flesh and blood. Although he didnt have time to add special effects to the two shots, he had used Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. The pain sent the guard captain into a maddened rage as large amounts of mithril entered his body. He fell heavily to the ground with his spider limbs in the air and couldnt flip over for a moment. The sharp limbs, swinging wildly about, injured several of the counts guards who had come to assist him. Qianye moved as fast as lightning and ran around the injured guard captain, firing continuously with his Twin Flowers and sending Mithril Bullets of Exorcism into the viscounts abdomen one after another. With so much mithril entering his body, it was enough to corrode most of the arachnes internal organs, and he was certain to be crippled whether he lived or died. The counts personal guards formed a combat unit once again to block Qianye but failed to catch up to the latters speed. Qianye paid them no heed and continued firing as he ran. On the contrary, it was the guard captain, who had become their greatest threat. The arachne viscounts central nervous system had been destroyed by the pain and mithril, causing him to lose all rationality and flail about with his sharp limbs and battleaxe. But with the eventual drain in his vitality, the captains movements gradually turned sluggish, and his attacks grew progressively weaker. Seeing that the time was just about right, Qianye holstered the Twin Flowers and made a beeline for the dying arachne viscount, directly knocking away a guard who had moved to obstruct him. Qianye leapt up and threw himself onto the arachnes mountainous body. The already staggering guard captain collapsed with a boom, and his razor-sharp limbs began to slash about madly in the air, preventing the counts guards from approaching. Meanwhile, Qianye drew his Scarlet Edge and plunged it into the arachnes heart. A torrent of hot essence blood rolled into his body through the dagger, and Qianyes spirits rose as his exhausted body began to recover at a noticeable speed. The guard captains struggles grew weaker and weaker until his limbs trembled unconsciously and his body spasmed on the verge of death. Only then did Qianye pull out the Scarlet Edge and stand up slowly. The counts dauntless guards roared and pounced toward Qianye. They only saw the heavy sword East Peak appear out of thin air and land in Qianyes grip before the latter spun around and sent a circle of sword radiance extending in every direction. The guards froze midway as though they had turned into statues and didnt dare move. Terror surfaced on their countenance as they slowly looked down at their own bodies, at the thin line of blood which had appeared at their waist. Then, their lower bodies eventually staggered and fell awaythey had been cut apart at the waist with a single slash! Qianye lifted East Peak and two origin grenades appeared in his hand as he shot a glance at the dark race warriors who had surrounded him from a dozen or so steps away. The warriors who had previously experienced the pain shivered. Many of them slowed down and began to retreat instead of pressing forward. Qianye tossed the grenades in his hand up and down before hurling them with great force. His target wasnt the dark race warriors in the front. The two grenades flew backward to his right and, one after another, landed precisely within the origin law array. The arachne viscount guarding the array let out a furious howl but had no choice other than to run back and intercept the grenades. He was originally charging over in Qianyes direction after seeing that the guard captain had died. Qianye turned and charged toward Stuka with East Peak in tow. Stuka was battling Zhao Yuying contentedly. The two green stripes on the arachne counts body were dazzling, and wherever he passed would be suffused by a lingering faint green mist. Even dark race warriors would lose their lives on the spot if they were accidentally enveloped in it. Zhao Yuyings entire body was gushing with dark purple origin power as if she were clad in a full suit of armor, and this allowed her to move freely within the poisonous mist. However, a hazy jade color had once again emerged on her face. Her movements werent as smooth as when the fight began and seemed to be in a perilous situation. She held the Mountain Splitter in her left hand and the combat knife in her right as she fought a desperate battle against Count Stuka. Mountain Splitters muzzle had been surging with light all this time, but she had never found the right opportunity to fire. Zhao Yuying had fired two shots at the very beginning, and one of them had blasted off half a spider limb. Although this couldnt be considered a major wound, Count Stuka had come to realize this human ladys strength from this. He responded with extreme caution thereafter and denied Zhao Yuying another chance. Zhao Yuying wasnt having an easy time either. Mountain Splitters consumption rate was astonishing, and she could only fire so many shots in total. Thus, she had to focus on conserving origin power so that she could give the old spider a vicious blow when the chance arose. At this moment, she had already loaded that exceptionally valuable ammo and was just waiting for the right opportunity. But Count Stuka was, after all, a count who had experienced countless battles throughout his long lifetime. He was currently closing in step by step, swinging his battleaxe and firing continuously from his handgun. Zhao Yuyings room for evasion was shrinking little by little. It was at this time that a sense of alarm emerged in Stukas heart, and he couldnt help but divert his attention to glance back amidst the intense battle. What he saw was the human bug, whom he had thought was already dead, walking toward him while dragging an unremarkable black sword. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 361: A Bitter Struggle Part 2 Chapter 361: A Bitter Struggle (Part 2) [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] For some reason, Count Stuka sensed the approach of intense danger, but then he felt that it was quite comical. How could a little insect who wasnt even a champion be a menace? But the counts heart was still beating fast and it made him fairly uncomfortable. He frowned and raised his origin gun at Qianye for, in his vicious arachnid eyes, the best way to avert danger was to get rid of it directly. Zhao Yuying had just performed two consecutive sideway jumps to evade the continuous slashes of Count Stukas battleaxe, but her expression changed rapidly as she glanced back upon landing. Qianye, pull back! Theres a poisonous mist! However, it seemed Qianye had neither neither heard Zhao Yuyings shouts nor noticed the arachne counts gun muzzle aimed at him. He just kept on advancing in a straight line, plowing a deep trench as he dragged East Peak along. It was almost as if he were cutting the earth into two. Later on, the dust kicked up by East Peak increased progressively and began to emit a vague droning sound like the tides in the deep seaEast Peak was starting to vibrate ever so slightly. Goddammit! You madman! Little Four and Little Five are all goddamned madmen! Zhao Yuying cursed loudly. She gritted her teeth, lifted her Mountain Splitter, and fired immediately after taking aim. Blinding light erupted abruptly as an orange ball of flame was spat out toward the arachne count. This wasnt the most opportune time to attack, but she had no other choice. Stuka paid no more attention to Qianye. He let out a loud roar and waved his axe with all his might. The cannon shell fired by the human lady this time was much more powerful than the previous ones, but it wasnt at the level where the count needed to be apprehensive in a direct confrontation. The green light shrouding the battleaxe lit up and expanded several times in the blink of an eye. Then, with a torrential momentum, he slashed violently at the incoming fireball. Only a loud rumble was heard before the fireball was shattered forcefully and turned into dozens of flaming balls which shot out in every direction. But because the cannon shell had arrived a bit faster than Stuka had anticipated, the explosion took place at a dangerously close distance. Several stray flames landed on the counts massive mountain-like body. This time, his defenses were actually penetrated with ease, and large amounts of yellowish-green fluid flowed out from his body. Not only did the flames not die, but they began to disseminate and form deep trenches on his spider body. Stuka glared at Zhao Yuying with a vicious glint in his eyes. These seemingly shocking injuries could only be considered superficial wounds to him. But this made the count mark Zhao Yuying as an extremely dangerous characterhe had made a decision to eliminate her on the spot even if he had to pay a certain price. Allowing a woman with the firepower of a walking cannon to roam free in his territory wouldnt just harm his profits. There was a good chance that she might affect the major business he had taken part in, an outcome he couldnt afford to shoulder. At this moment, Qianye had been tossed to the back of the counts mind. Stuka let out a long cry as his massive spider body rose into the air and pressed down toward Zhao Yuying like a collapsing mountain peak. Darkness origin power within a hundred meters began to fluctuate wildly, so much that a mixture of black and green mist was faintly discernible. It was a scene of absolute chaos and violence. Little Five, run! Resolution flashed across Zhao Yuyings face as she erupted in incisive killing intent. She made no attempt to run or evadeMountain Splitter was raised, and the origin arrays lit up in quick succession as she stared fixedly at the arachne count descending upon her. You want this mommys life?! Seeing Zhao Yuyings bid to end in mutual destruction, a furious expression flashed across the arachne counts countenance midair. He had forgotten just how many years it had been since he had been provoked like so. At this moment, the dark green origin power glow had extended from his arachnid body to his human-shaped upper body and was emitting a metallic luster. It seemed he was about to go all out with his present attack. A gentle hum resounded all of a sudden. The sound was fairly soft, but it possessed extreme penetrance and echoed clearly through the area filled with darkness origin power. Stuka felt as though he had been pricked by a needle. His heart suddenly contracted as he sensed an inexplicable force approaching him from afar which arrived behind him in but an instant. The arachne count had no time to turn his large arachnid bodyhe failed to notice that Qianye had never once slowed down and was still charging toward him. However, East Peak was now tightly in Qianyes hands and swept out diagonally. The edge of the heavy sword trembled slightly, and every vibration would condense a lingering illusion of the blade. Even the counts personal guards didnt dare approach the area covered by his darkness origin power, but it seemed to have no effect at all on Qianye. Scarlet origin power suffused with flickering specks of gold passed out of his arms, blocking out the mixture of black and green. In a flash, Qianye was now only a distance of two or three sprints from Stuka, and three sword mirages had appeared around East Peaka new one would be generated at the back as soon as the foremost one dissipated, maintaining the cycle. Without the slightest hesitation, he let out a shout, leapt into the air, and slashed toward Stuka from a fair distance! All the experts on the battlefield felt a rush of palpitation. At this moment, the void almost seemed to have opened up, revealing vaguely a tiny corner of a different world. However, the aura which spilled over in the time it took for a spark to fly off a flint was so terrifying that it gave one the urge to involuntarily prostrate in fear. Afterward, a faintly colored thread of origin power hung down from the air and wrapped itself around East Peak. The three illusory swords returned in a flash, and Qianyes arms sunk abruptly because the blade in his hand had become several times heavier. He had long since prepared for this and managed to hold onto the hilt firmly without a change in his swinging trajectory. A faint sword shadow slashed out from the East Peaks edge and charged straight toward Stuka. Nirvanic Rend! The blade struck noiselessly and without any overwhelming momentum. The arachne counts expression, however, shifted greatly and abruptlythe darkness origin power around him felt like the ocean in a violent storm, akin to raging waves tearing apart the rocky shores. Stuka could no longer pay attention to Zhao Yuying and twisted his enormous body around. At the same time, he pulled back his axe and slashed forth in a hurried defense. The sword shadow flitted pastit appeared slow but was, in truth, extremely fast. The first and second beams clashed successively with the battleaxe. The gold speckled scarlet origin power tangled with the mixture of black and lingering green mist, suddenly causing a series of small explosions. The third sword shadow, however, streaked past Stukas body silently. The arachne counts protective origin power lit up brightly in an eerie green color. The next moment, countless cracks began to appear before it shattered with a loud boom and countless fragments flew off in all directions. A bloody line appeared on Stukas arachnid abdomen which split open immediately afterward, forming a grisly two-meter long wound. The arachne count let out a howl of pain and sent the battleaxe flying toward Qianye with a wave of his hand. Stuka fell heavily onto the ground with a muffled thud, but he was still able to stand and started roaring in extreme fury. The origin gun in his hand spat out tongues of flame as it bombarded Qianye continuously. Zhao Yuying was startled for a moment after witnessing this scene. She came to at this moment and, turning the full-charged cannon around, blasted out an origin power shell which struck the battleaxe flying despite having acted late. Qianye slashed out with his sword and felt as though he had struck a mountain. His figure paused slightly in the air before he was flung backward by the enormous counter-force that was transmitted along East Peak. The numb sensation in his hands spread to his shoulders, and for a moment, it felt as though he had lost both arms and a large stone was pressing down on his chest. The stifling sensation was relieved only after spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. Qianye staggered backward as soon as he landed on the ground and almost fell over. He stuck East Peak into the ground to stabilize his body but immediately ducked to the side after seeing a series of origin gunshots through the corner of his eyes. He evaded Stukas barrage with several rolls but still failed to escape the shockwaves and shrapnels completely. Numerous bloody wounds appeared on his shoulder and back. What followed was a short moment of silence as the arachne counts origin gun had reached its limit for continuous fire. Qianye supported himself up and took advantage of the gap to drew the Twin Flowers. A pair of luminous wings appeared behind his back as the Mystic Spider Lily and Bloody Datura merged into one. He aimed straight at Stuka and fired! All sounds vanished as the shot rang out, and only the unique timbre of the Twin Flowers echoed throughout the battlefield. Two origin power bullets emerged from the chamber and twisted around each other like the gemini of fate. Not long after taking flight, they suddenly erupted with intense radiance and rose like two suns. Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang! Stukas heart skipped a beat as the radiance appeared. The fear of refined silver was instinctive to the dark races just as humans feared black titanium. However, the two bullets almost seemed to be crossing through space as though the distance between them and Stuka didnt exist. Stuka was already beginning to move sideways the moment he saw the blinding light, but he felt pain at almost the very next moment as the two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang blasted his arachnid abdomen. Stuka turned immediately to escape. The arachnids agility was brought out without restraint at this moment of life and death. Qianye had just lit up the first origin array while charging for a second shot when the arachne counts figure leapt over the mountain ridge beside the mine and disappeared into the boundless night. Zhao Yuying had just arrived at Qianyes side as her eyebrows rose. She wanted to chase after the fleeing count but was stopped by Qianye. Dont chase after him. Are we letting him off just like that? Rest assured, this mommy here has a way to finish him off! Zhao Yuying said while rubbing her fists. This was how one should take advantage of anothers precarious situation. Hes taken two of my Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang and probably wont have an easy time. We have to clear up this place now. The reason you took such a big risk to come here isnt to fight that old spider, is it? Zhao Yuying revealed a rare expression of embarrassment. She had dragged Qianye over for a robbery but unexpectedly encountered Count Stuka here. She immediately shifted Qianyes attention by glancing at their surroundings. Almost a hundred dark race warriors remained but, for a moment, none of them movedthey were stunned by the abrupt shift in battle situation. Meanwhile, there was still an arachne viscount standing at the center of the origin array. Zhao Yuying said while pointing, This side is yours and those stronger ones are mine. Qianye shook his head. No, all of them are yours. I have to rest for a couple of minutes. Zhao Yuying was startled, Why? Have you been squeezed dry with just that? Qianye calmly produced a stimulant and stabbed it into his thigh. Im not a champion yet. Youre so fierce even now. What will this mommy do when youve become a champion? What was that sword move just now? Even I dont have much confidence in receiving it. Qianye said helplessly, Theyre going to escape if you dont take action. Zhao Yuying glanced back and, as expected, found the arachne viscount near the origin array edging back constantly. Apparently, he was planning to escape. Zhao Yuying raised the Mountain Splitter and roared, Youre not allowed to run! How could the arachne viscount listen to her? He turned and fled immediately without the slightest bit of hesitation. Zhao Yuying was immediately furious and shouted, Stop Running! This mommy here commands you! Youre still being disobedient? Ill break off all your legs once I catch you! Zhao Yuying shouted all the way as she chased after the arachne viscount and disappeared over the other side of the mountain in the blink of an eye. Qianye was left alone in the mine. The atmosphere here was fairly subtle. The dark race soldiers scattering in every direction halted their steps and glanced at Qianye with malicious intentions.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 362: Rio t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The dark race members eyes were filled with ferocity. The warriors nearby had clearly heard that Qianye was drained of origin power, and a warrior without origin power wasnt much stronger than an ordinary person regardless of his rank. Qianye almost seemed oblivious to the dangerous situation he was in. He brought out a cigarette from his pocket, inhaled deeply, and said with a smile, Do you guys want a smoke? An arachne and two vampires roared loudly as they charged toward Qianye. A ring of sword radiance suddenly emerged and swept past the three warriors. Their bodies kept on running forward and only split apart after taking a couple of steps. Together! It was unknown who exactly let out such a shout, but it caused everyone to swarm forth. Qianye stood holding his sword with both hands at the center of the battlefield. East Peaks sword qi weaved back and forth, drawing out an illusory image with every wave of the blade. Be it vampires, arachne, or werewolves, the sword would immediately see blood if it so much as brush past them. Qianye was merely repeating the basic sword stances tempered by the Book of Darkness. However, every wave of his sword would bring about a bloody storm and send broken limbs and bits of flesh flying in all directions. Dark race warriors were mowed down in droves. Some attacks did land on his body, but even slashes at full force only managed to leave shallow wounds on his body. After a round of fierce killing, the dark race warriors finally grew apprehensive and began to retreat in succession. Dozens of corpses had fallen around Qianye, while others who had lost the ability to move lay groaning and gasping. Qianye removed the cigarette hanging from his mouth and gave it a quick glance before tossing it to the ground. The blood below his feet had formed a river. The cigarette stub fell into the sanguineous flow and was extinguished with a sizzle. Qianye suddenly drew the Mystic Spider Lily and fired into the distance. A certain smith who was trying to slip away was taken down in a single shot. Qianye aimed the Mystic Spider Lily at the gathering of smiths and said, None of you may leave. Whoever dares escape will meet the same fate. Someone in the crowd shouted, Split up and run! Some of them felt a rush of excitement. They saw that Qianye only had a single handgun. How many rounds could he fire? How many of them could he intercept? But numerous balls of flame erupted beneath the foremost group just as they began to run, and the pungent smell of gunpowder quickly filled the air. That was a gunpowder grenade! The smiths were immediately frozen in place. Those further from the explosion still hadnt given up, but the moment they stepped out, a number of grenades landed accurately near themit was as though they had grown eyes. Only then did the smiths slow down their steps and return. Qianye watched them with a spurious smile while tossing a grenade in his right hand. A heavy cloth bag had appeared in his left hand at some point, and from the shape, it was very likely filled with grenades. The smiths expressions turned dismal. Some among them werent low in rank, so much that there were even rank seven or eight experts. However, they had been working with origin arrays most of the time and were thus lacking in combat experience. The only reason they had raised their strength was so that they could construct higher level arrays. The explosives in Qianyes hands were all gunpowder grenades. Although a single blow wasnt enough to kill them, they still wouldnt be able to avoid receiving heavy injuries. Under such circumstances, splitting up to escape was more or less a joke. No one was willing to become cannon fodder for the sake of draining Qianyes ammunition. Some of them still had their hopes pinned on the counts army. But they glanced around only to find that all the dark race warriors had long since run away while Qianye was busy with the smiths. After Qianye tossed a grenade near them and the ensuing origin power shockwaves caused the nearby smiths to be unable to stand straight, all of them obediently returned to the law array without any other movements. At this time, on the other side of the mountain, Zhao Yuying had slashed off the arachne viscounts head with a wave of her combat knife. Competing in speed with this mommy here. Youre just courting death! She suddenly remembered something and cried out in alarm, Qianye! Zhao Yuying was too engrossed in the chase and only now did she remember that she had left Qianye, now drained of origin power, in the mine. And there were at least a hundred dark race soldiers there. She ran back to the mine at full speed without even taking the time to collect the spoils of war. Moments later, Zhao Yuying arrived back at the mine and was momentarily stunned after seeing Qianye. It was unknown when a table and chair had been set up in the middle of the mine. Qianye was sitting at the table with East Peak beside him and drinking tea in all due leisure. Two vampires were standing beside him, and it seemed they were reporting something with great respect. There were also dozens of smiths working busily near the origin law array, disassembling and sorting the array components they had just installed a while ago. It seemed as though Qianye was the actual master of this mine. Zhao Yuying walked toward Qianye with large strides and asked, Whats going on here? Qianye shrugged and said, Its just as you see it. Where are those dark race warriors? Oh, so you still remember that theres a batch of dark race warriors here? Zhao Yuying immediately felt guilty and her tone softened by quite a bit, That well this mommy here was only a bit careless. You seem fine and dandy right now. Qianye shrugged and said, At this rate, youll kill me one day! Zhao Yuying knew she had passed a tribulationshe was immediately all smiles as she placed a claw on Qianyes shoulder. How can that be? You just stick with your elder sister here and there can only be benefits. After hearing this, Qianye felt that his future was rather bleak. It was at this time that a muffled rumble was heard, followed by a series of explosions. Flames and smoke emerged from a mine shaft to the east as its steel doors collapsed with a boom and out poured a large group of miners and slaves. Most of them appeared to be humans, but there were also a fair number of dark races. Those people were likely the slave miners toiling in the depths of the mine pit and mixed in with them were their supervisors. It was unknown why they had blasted open the spare exit and rushed out only at this moment. A dense crowd of people had poured out. Most of them appeared malnourished and were clad in tattered clothing. They were waving mining picks and shovels, without any presentable weapons to speak of. There were a number of werewolves among them who emerged completely naked with their chaps swinging and moving below their crotchesthey took a couple of steps out and simply started running out on all fours. At this moment, the smiths still needed some time to disassemble the origin array. Moreover, the apparatuses and media were exceptionally precise, and even a single stomp would likely damage them. The origin array would be completely ruined if it were to be stepped over by the hundreds of mining slaves. Qianye saw the crowds direction and couldnt help but frownthese people werent scattering and were, instead, running toward the center of the plazaapparently, someone was urging them on from behind. These people possessed little martial prowess and naturally posed no threat to Qianye and Zhao Yuying who had even defeated Count Stuka. But they could cause chaos. On one hand, they could take this opportunity to destroy the array, while on the other, they could give the smiths an opportunity to escape. Qianye scanned the smiths in the law array and noticed that some of them had stopped working and were gazing into the distance. He said coldly, Continue working. Qianye did not repeat his threat, but the smiths discerned the sharp killing intent within his words. They all shivered and lowered their heads before continuing to disassemble the arraythey understood that the next grenade in Qianyes hand would likely land on their heads and not near their feet. The incoming stampede approached rapidly and someone in the crowd shouted, Charge! Whoever kills that wretched man and woman will be granted freedom! Many slaves eyes were red as they let out bestial roars and charged over while brandishing the makeshift weapons in their hands. The perpetrators intentions were clear as day. The mining slaves were mostly humans, and thus, he wanted to see if Qianye and Zhao Yuying could bear to take action against so many of their own race. Qianye hurled numerous gunpowder grenades and drew a firing line in front of the advancing crowd. He then shouted with a stern voice, Withdraw! One step forward and you will die! Under the effects of his origin power, Qianyes voice rang out like thunder and echoed throughout the plaza. However, the slaves showed no signs of slowing down their footsteps and continued to swarm forward. It almost seemed as though the ones up front were being pushed by those behind. Qianyes warning fell on deaf ears. Qianyes countenance turned frosty. He looked over but found that there was a fair number of dark race members mixed within the crowd. It was simply impossible to tell the hiding perpetrators apart from the penalized dark race members who had been forced into slavery. The human tidal wave approached the origin array in the blink of an eye. Qianye was hesitant for a moment. He had no shortage of origin grenades on him, and he could blast away hundreds of people in this dense formation. It was at this time that Zhao Yuyings enraged voice rang out, filled with killing intent, You want to play this game with this mommy here?! Soon afterward, a dozen-odd origin grenades flew toward the charging crowd in a horizontal line. This mommy here has killed even more people than youve seen in a lifetime! Zhao Yuying only spat out the second part of her heroic speech after the attack. The slaves, both dark race and humans, could still recognize the grenades despite the madness. The crowd fell into chaos asthose in front wanted to retreat with all their might, while the ones at the back couldnt halt their advance immediately and kept on pushing forward. The grenades exploded at almost the same time, and the dazzling origin power light formed a low wall in front of Qianye. The intense stench of blood filled the airalmost all of the hundreds at the van fell, and a land of death close to a hundred meters wide appeared in the midst of the horde. Not many survived the immediate blast. The few lucky survivors were struggling in pools of blood, and their screams caused those behind to turn pale. They lost their heads and no longer dared to advance. Zhao Yuyings cruelty and viciousness had finally stemmed their madness. Some of the slaves were finally afraid and turned to flee. A sharp whistle rang out through the air as numerous grenades flew over, but this time, the explosives passed high over their heads and fell at the back, turning the escapees into corpses. Neither able to advance nor escape, the slaves had no idea what to do at the moment. Some of the more timid ones couldnt control the fear of death. They fell on their knees and began to plead for mercy. Zhao Yuying tossed her backpack to the ground. One could see from the opening that it was indeed filled with origin grenades. Although she had used up a fair bit, about half of them remained. Not yet content with the present firepower, she looked around and found the two crates of gunpowder grenades under Qianyes table which he had brought out to intimidate the smiths. She arrived in large strides and, with a flick of her foot, sent the two heavy crates smashing near her backpack. She returned to her previous position, picked up a grenade, and tossed it in her hand while gazing forward with a cold smile. The slaves immediately fell into a commotion. Meanwhile, the smiths buried their heads in work and dared not even shoot a glance. Zhao Yuying said coldly, This mommy will give you all a chance. Who made you lot charge? Point that person out along with all of the old spiders men. Otherwise, I have a lot of toys here in this crate! Although most of them were gunpowder grenades, the slaves werent experts in origin power either. The threat from these explosives was no different from origin grenades to themthey would die all the same once they were caught in the explosion. The slaves began to glance around, and a dozen or so dark race members were isolated almost immediately. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 363: Dividing Loo t [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] A vampire from the group noticed things going south and shouted loudly, Dont listen to her nonsense! The count will be back immediately. Finish them off or everyone will die when His Excellency returns! Zhao Yuying laughed coldly. She drew the Mystic Spider Lily from Qianyes waist and fired off a round with a raise of her hand. That vampires brain was blasted apart, sending blood and brain fluid flying everywhere and drenching those nearby. Gunshots rang out continuously. Zhao Yuying fired a dozen or so shots in succession and killed off all the isolated dark race members before stopping. The slaves all lowered their heads. No one dared look at Zhao Yuyingher murderous intent had suppressed the entire scene. Zhao Yuying then ordered, Everyone strip naked. Leave nothing on your body. Then you may leave! As soon as these words were spoken, the slaves immediately discarded everything and ran out of the mine naked. Their only wish was to get as far as they could from this terrifying woman. Some of them were hesitating at first, but they noticed people around them were doing as they had been told. They realized they had no choice but to join the naked army as Zhao Yuyings gaze scanned over them with overflowing killing intent. Perhaps there were still foremen and aides of Stuka among them, but they could no longer affect the general situation. After the scene was emptied, Zhao Yuying turned to Qianye with a frown. Qianye, what was that just now? Cant bear to attack? Qianye laughed ruefully. These people can be considered civilians, right? Zhao Yuying laughed coldly, To hell with civilians! Can you tell them apart from those guards and warriors hiding among them? Its fortunate that they didnt have a sniper or they would have shot you. Who put this nonsense in your head?! Remember, this is a battlefield, and everyone charging at you in a battlefield is your enemy. The same goes for women and children! [1] Qianye continued to laugh wryly, Okay, okay, I only hesitated for a little bit. He then shot a glance at the two crates of gunpowder grenades Zhao Yuying had kicked over. Zhao Yuying followed his gaze and said in a baffled manner, Where did these things come from? They seem to be of human make. Qianyes heart skipped a beat because he had pulled this out of Andruils Mysterious Realm. Naturally, no one noticed it during the chaotic battle, but Zhao Yuying was very clear what armaments Qianye had on him when she dragged him out. In any case, it was impossible for him to have brought these two big crates. Found them in the storehouse, Qianye replied boldly. This explanation was somewhat far-fetched. Additionally, one would know something wasnt quite right just by asking those in charge of the storehouse. Zhao Yuyings attention was soon shifted away from this small matter, perhaps because she had never imagined there would be an item like Andruils Mysterious Realm. She saw East Peak stuck in the ground nearby and immediately recalled the earth-shattering slash that had grievously injured the arachne count. That blow was already equal to a blast from her Mountain Splitter in terms of raw power, but Qianye wasnt even a champion yet. Where did you learn that sword stance from just now? Its so powerful! At this point, Zhao Yuying noticed she had overlooked a major issue. Oh right, Ive never asked you before, but just what kind of art are you cultivating? Why does the induced innate gift look like the Bai familys birdman inheritance? Qianye hesitated for a moment. My cultivation art is the Combatant Formula. That sword strike is something I thought up. Zhao Yuying immediately glared at him. She grabbed Qianye by the collar and almost lifted him up. You thought of it on your own? Stop joking. Do you know the significance of a sword strike that can break a counts defenses? Even the Zhao clan secret arts available only to its core scions are merely at this level, and there are less than a hundred core descendants in each generation. Youre actually telling me that you thought up something like this?! The true secret arts of the major clans shared a common standard. That was the ability to draw upon the origin power from the void, not just from the surroundings. Only such a secret art would give the practitioner a chance at breaking through to the divine champion level. But all such secret arts had to go through dozens of generations and hundreds of years of revision in order to reach perfection. Only then would they truly become an inheritance. Many of them were lost throughout the long years because there was no one suitable to cultivate them. Its merely a single move, Qianye said with a guilty conscience. Zhao Yuying still couldnt recover her calma single move? And merely? The value of a secret art couldnt be measured by the number of moves. More often than not, the more powerful a secret art was, the less the number of moves. Countless geniuses had, in their entire lives, only managed to cultivate one or two such moves to perfection and managed to draw out their full power. Creating a technique was only heard of with legendary characters. At this moment, Zhao Yuying glanced at Qianye once again and felt increasingly displeased. A proud and arrogant person like her wasnt willing to stay below someone else. Now that she had suddenly encountered a genius who far surpassed her, one whom she could never catch up to, her first thought was to strangle him to death. Zhao Yuying stole glances at Qianyes neck, sending a sudden chill down his body. Fortunately, she remembered that there was still some blood relations between them and muttered to herself, This is Little Five. Ah, hes also quite cute. Its a pity to strangle him to death. How about I strangle him half dead? She felt that it was good idea. Qianye felt an indescribable sensation of danger. He felt as though he had to do something or else bad things were about to happen. As such, he quietly took a step back and reached out his hand. My gun. Why are you so anxious about this tiny gun? This sister will find you a pair of good ones after we go back! Zhao Yuying patted her chest. She was just about to hand the Mystic Spider Lily back to Qianye when, with a sudden Eh?, she brought the gun before her eyes and started examining it. Thats odd. Why was the firepower so much weaker when this mommy fired off a dozen rounds just now? Dont tell me this damned thing is selective? Qianye was dumbfounded. In truth, he was already extremely surprised at how Zhao Yuying managed to fire the Mystic Spider Lily so many times in succession after a big battle. He had truly gained a new recognition of Zhao Yuyings origin power capacity. It was just that the Twin Flowers, in Qianyes hands, was constantly affected by the Wings of Inceptionits firepower from ordinary shots fell between that of grade-five and six custom-made guns, and a fused shot was equal to a custom-made grade six weapon. Meanwhile, in Zhao Yuyings hands, it was only an ordinary grade-five handgun. Add to that the reduction in firepower for a human using a vampire weapon, the discrepancy naturally became obviousits firepower in her hands was only grade-four, approximately. Qianye said vaguely, This, custom-made No one knew whether or not she had noticed that the Mystic Spider Lily was made in a classic vampire style. She stopped her observation and mumbled, Both of you are perverts! before tossing the gun back to Qianye. Zhao Yuying then slapped Qianyes shoulder and said patiently, Little Five, remember this. Theres no one in this world worth trusting with everything youve got. On the battlefield, whoever charges at you with a weapon is an enemy. Outside of the battlefield, those who want to fish money from your pocket are enemies. Qianye could only listen to the lecture. Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up as she scanned the large origin array at the center of the plaza. I lost too much today, I must have half the profits. Qianye was immediately dumbfounded. What else had she lost apart from having used too many origin grenades? He immediately said, Didnt you just say that anyone looking to fish money out of my pocket is an enemy? A fist landed on Qianyes shoulder with a thump. Zhao Yuying replied furiously, Im your sister. How can you be like this? Your things are all mine, and my things are still mine! You! Qianye suddenly realized that his attempt at reasoning with this lady was akin to climbing the proverbial tree to catch fish. Although Qianye had used up two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang, they were nothing compared to the profits from this mine raid. This holds true even for the special version made by the Song clan. In addition to the resources before them, they had also caused Stuka to escape with grievous injuries. This outcome wasnt bad at all. Qianye didnt want Stuka to die immediately. A count was a major character who could be termed an excellency. Even though this place, in the eyes of the Evernight Faction, was only a rural area, the loss of a count would at least draw the attention of Count Stukas clan. They might even dispatch other experts to take over. Meanwhile, the arachne count who had been struck by the Extreme Yang Bullet would, at most, live a couple of years more. Judging from Stukas harsh governing policies, it didnt seem like he would allow anyone to meddle in this area. It just so happened that this would give Qianye a much-needed buffer period during which he could slowly devour the counts territories. While waiting for the origin arrays disassembly, Qianye and Zhao Yuying engaged in a round of seriously haggling. In addition to the mine itself, the value of the origin array wasnt appraisable. Moreover, the thirty surviving smiths were also a sizeable fortune. The standards of those who could construct a law array of such scale were, no doubt, first-rate even in the dark race domain. Obtaining these smiths was equal to gaining a batch of first-rate origin array technicians. It was fine if Zhao Yuying wanted to split the components of the array as long as its core remained. But Qianye wasnt willing to let go of even one of the smiths because they would become a foundational stone when Dark Flame was ready to upgrade in the future. The issue of loot division was solved at last with Zhao Yuying taking half of the array components and Qianye receiving the array core and smiths. Although the disassembly was easier than the construction, it still took the greater half of a day to take it apart and sort the components into crates. The modules took up an entire three containers. The mine was located deep in the counts area of jurisdiction, and it was a long way from Blackflow City. The losses would be too great if any accidents were to occur along the way. Qianye personally rushed back to Black Ridge and transferred the airship over. The crates and smiths were stuffed into the airship and then escorted back to Blackflow City by Zhao Yuying. Qianye didnt stay idle after returning to Black Ridge. Taking advantage of the arachne counts recuperation period, he decided to take this opportunity to expand his martial accomplishments in dark race territory. He split his army in two. Part of it followed Qianye toward the werewolf viscounts territory. Qianye found the werewolves movements to be quite odd and decided to bring his troops over for observation. The other unit stayed behind. There, they would wait for Zhao Yuyings return and then attack arachne viscount Musks fort under her command. As for Dark Ridge, the Wei clan champion would oversee the scouting and logistic forces therein. Count Stuka, the only one who could threaten Black Ridge, had been incapacitated and wouldnt be able to do battle on the short term. The occupied lands would become interconnected after Qianye and Zhao Yuying had taken down their respective viscounts territories. Then after knocking out the dark race settlement at Silverflow Fjord, most of Count Stukas territories in the east and south would have fallen into Qianyes hands. At this point, this westward expedition would be accomplished perfectly. Qianye set out with only a company of special forces in tow. The werewolves had completely retreated and were holed up behind their natural stronghold. Ordinary warriors were useless regardless of the numbers and would only serve to slow down their marching speed. It was faster to travel with a small number of elites. Back at Blackflow City, Wei Potian was sitting within a study and repeatedly examining a piece of armor. [1] I modified the raws it bit for better flow. It was originally where did you learn such a disease? The disease/ailment here refers to the subjective shortcoming of a person.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 364: Nangong Xiaoniao [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] An old man beside him said, Heir, this armor was made too urgently. The pattern is somewhat coarse, and the engravings arent very detailed. But all the origin arrays that should be added have been added, and I guarantee they are all top-quality. Wei Potian didnt express his opinion and only kept on examining it over and over. Afterward, he activated the origin arrays on it one by one. The primary material of this chestguard was the silken essence gold Wei Potian had obtained from Zhang Zixing with the addition of a dozen or so rare supplementary materials. It took the Wei clans smith several days from the forging of the mold to the carving of the origin arrayeverything was crafted by hand. The chestguard wasnt very big, and it was shaped like an inverted maple leaf. Although the old man had, in his modesty, claimed the molding was coarse, it was in fact fairly exquisite and beautiful. However, it was only capable of protecting the vital areas of the chest and couldnt even cover the shoulders and part of the waist. The old man saw Wei Potians less-than-delighted expression and hurriedly explained, It was impossible to make it thinner because the requirement was for it to be capable of blocking a blast from a grade-six origin gun. You also know that theres only so much material. Because of the limited surface area, we had to especially design this shape so that it will protect the vital areas of the chest and abdomen simultaneously. Wei Potian also knew that the chestguards design was fairly exquisitethe origin arrays on it were mainly defensive, and they had even used rare layering techniques to increase the strength of the effective surface area. The Wei clan smiths had worked day and night against the clock to finally complete it on time. Nothing more could be asked of them. In truth, Wei Potians displeasure was largely because the armor looked like a leaf no matter how he looked at it. And whenever he thought of leaves, he couldnt help but recall a certain annoying fellow. But his depressed feeling had lessened quite a bit after conning Song Zining a couple of times recently. Wei Potian placed the armor back in the box and said, Send this to the Dark Flame Headquarters and hand it to Uncle Hu. Ask him to give it to Qianye when he returns. While youre at it, ask Dark Flame if they have any news on the army? Where is Qianye at the moment? Understood, Heir. The old man withdrew with the armor box in hand. Wei Potian watched the room doors close and was distracted for a moment. He picked up a letter from atop the table and scanned it a couple of times. Actually, he had already read this letter from Marquis Bowang before. Marquis Weis letter stated that Wei Potian had left the family for too long and asked him to return to the Far East Province immediately even if the wedding business hadnt reached a conclusion. Although the cold wave had forced the Wei clan and the dark races into a deadlock outside of the Jade Gate, the other side seemed to have no intention of pulling back, and battle could break out at any moment. Wei Potian, as the clans heir, couldnt stay outside for too long during such a critical period. In addition to military matters, there were also other affairs that required his eventual participation. Only by doing so could he convince the masses. Wei Potian had already expected this letter. In truth, he had already known that he could only linger on Evernight Continent for half a month at most, and now, the time was up more or less. As the successor of his clan, he naturally couldnt act too headstrong. Since he had already received the clans letter, it was time for him to return. As he grew older day by day, this young man who had once dreamt of breaking the sky with a single fist felt that he was gradually losing his free will. At the thought of this, Wei Potian somewhat envied Song Zining. Regardless of how evil and cunning this fellow was, he had abandoned the struggle for the Song clan lords position without hesitation and was working hard on his own. Although the process was arduous, he was completely unfettered. Wei Potian sighed silently. He had already announced the news of his imminent departure, and those noble ladies would likely follow him. Even those who had designs on Song Zining wouldnt linger too long on Evernight Continent. It would take a couple more days for them to pack and prepareit was unknown whether he would have the chance to meet Qianye before leaving. Someone knocked on the study door at this time. Wei Potian frowned ever so slightly. He closed the letter and said, Enter. Nangong Ling entered with a tea tray in hand and said delightedly, I just roasted some new tea, lets try it out together! Speaking of which, I never thought there would be wild tea in a place like Evernight Continent. Moreover, the taste isnt bad at all. Its unexpected that youre still in the mood to do these things. Nangong Ling smiled warmly. Everyone is familiar with such ordinary skills. The only difference is whether they have the consideration. Wei Potian picked up the teacup and was just about to drink when he gazed out the window with an Eh?an airship had appeared over the distant horizon and was speeding toward Blackflow City. This airships style was fairly odd, and it was traveling abnormally fast. It had expanded from a black dot to the size of a basin in the blink of an eye. Wei Potians eyesight was capable of seeing the scorpion tail on the side of the airship; his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. Red Scorpions airship? Why havent I ever seen that model before? What the hell are they up to? Could this be reinforcement? Two Red Scorpion battalions had arrived last time and stayed over in Blackflow City as though they had nothing better to do. But two nights ago, an entire battalion disappeared along with the dozen-meter long metallic crate. The Broken-Winged Angels and the Red Scorpions had never gotten along in the army. Wei Potian disliked them even more because of what happened to Qianye. He only felt relieved for his good friend after finding out that these two units were from the Blood Scorpion Camp and had no direct connection with Qianye. Unexpectedly, more of them were arriving immediately after one had just left. Nangong Lings gaze froze for a moment as she looked at the airshipit was as though she had noticed something. A layer gloominess flitted past her countenance, and her lips moved ever so slightly. However, she said nothing in the end. Blackflow City opened up the territorial airspace after seeing the flag signals transmitted from the Red Scorpion airship. Hence, the airship dashed straight over with a long trail of flames spewing out of its end. Numerous flames streaked out of its sides when it was right above the landing padthe airship was thus brought to an urgent stop and made to hover therein. This was a maneuver only a high-performance jeep could pull off on the ground. People had long since gotten used to the whale-like movement of the airships; some main battleships would need a trajectory of several kilometers just to make a turn. From this, it was obvious that this airship possessed extraordinary flexibility and control. The airship descended abruptly after coming to a hovering stop. It fell tens of meters before spitting out more flames and braking itself in the air. At this moment, the airship was only tens of meters from the ground. The cabin doors were thrown open, and dozen-odd figures jumped out from within. One of them was completely enveloped within a thick set of armor and looked just like a human-shaped mecha at a glance. This person flipped open the visor after landing on the groundthere was a hint of childishness in her pair of round and brilliant eyes as she glanced about left and right. It was actually a young girl inside such an armament, and she didnt seem too old. The surrounding Red Scorpion soldiers, however, were apparently quite respectful toward this young lady. At this moment, numerous Red Scorpions entered the airship port. Their leader was a burly manit was precisely the commander who had arrived earlier. The young lady performed a salute and said, General An, Ive come to Evernight Continent to do some studying. Im only here at Blackflow to resupply and will leave for Darkblood City tomorrow. No need to mind me if youre on a mission. Brigadier General An was startled. Darkblood is one of Boulder Countys most strategic cities. The state of the powers there are fairly complicated, and it seems to be less than peaceful in the recent days. Transportation and flights between Darkblood and Blackflow have also been reduced by half. If you can make adjustments to your study area, might I suggest considering Blackflow or the nearby Broken River City? Theyre smaller in scale, but the geography and atmosphere are all quite similar. The lady lowered her gaze and said indifferently, Ill consider your suggestion, but I want to go and take a look at the situation in Darkblood City first. Brigadier General An seemed to understand the ladys temperament. He nodded and said, I will probably stay here for about a week. Tell me if theres anything you need. I can give you two companies when necessary. Many thanks. I will definitely ask for help when needed. At this time, two jeeps were lowered to the ground via cables. Their most eye-catching part was the giant exhaust pipe at the back of the car. The Red Scorpion Brigadier General drove the new Red Scorpion warriors into the gates of the Seventh Division. This place was more or less under General Zhang Zixings control in Qianyes absence. The combined forces of the third imperial army division and Red Scorpion had occupied most of the barracks living quarters. Wei Potian stood before Qianyes office window and watched the two obviously foreign jeeps drive through the main gates. For Qianyes safety, he had to come over and see which boot camp this new unit was from, no matter how much he disliked the Red Scorpions. But a puzzled expression appeared on Wei Potians face after seeing the new arrivals. He thought of a certain possibility but found it to be rather inconceivable. Could it be that person? Nangong Ling, who had followed him out from behind, was now wearing a rather ugly expression. She said coldly, Who else can it be but her? Humph, fiddling with these useless things to make up for her mediocre strength. Wei Potian laughed loudly and became quite relaxed. If it really were that person, then there was no connection whatsoever to Qianyes former boot camp, the Tiger Scorpions. I heard people from your family got into quite a disagreeable argument with her? Only a minor matter. What kind of wind and waves can she kick up on her own? Wei Potian laughed meaningfully without making any comments. He glanced at the girl in heavy armor jumping down from the car and said, I wonder what shes here for? Nangong Ling followed along and was just planning to say something when she suddenly realized that she might have been acting too harsh in front of Wei Potian. She swallowed the words she was just about to say and bit her lips. At this time, Zhang Zixing and a fair number of third army corps officers walked out from the barracks, and some of the noble ladies who had come after Wei Potian had also just arrived. The small plaza in front of the divine headquarters was colored with extraordinary liveliness. It wasnt just Zhang Zixing alonethe high ranking officers of the third corps and the newly transferred champions all had slight changes in their expression after seeing the girls appearance and the Red Scorpion emblem on the heavy armor. They whispered among each other, Dont tell me its that person? What is she doing here instead of staying at the Red Scorpion Headquarters? With so little guards? She probably snuck out. Brigadier General An led the Red Scorpion procession before Zhang Zixing and proceeded to make an introduction after exchanging salutations. This is the Red Scorpion Armored Divisions Colonel Nangong. The heavy-armored girl said with neither expression nor enthusiasm, Nangong Xiaoniao. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 365: Chance Encounter [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Wei Potian walked down the stairs of the division headquarters and stood nearby, stroking his stubble in a seemingly pensive manner. If it really is her, then it seems the rumors about her taking up the family name are true. Nangong Lings expression turned cold, no longer able to care that she was in Wei Potians presence. She let out a snort and said coldly, How can she be worthy of the name Nangong? Wei Potian only laughed without saying anything. The expressions of the greater half of the audience turned odd after hearing the name Nangong Xiaoniao. The third army corps officers kept silent, but the noble ladies had no such reservations. They got together and whispered among each other while shooting occasional glances at the girl. Nangong Xiaoniao, where have I heard this name before? Is it the Nangong Xiaonaio highly favored by the commanders of Red Scorpion? Isnt it said that she has the potential to become both a master machinist and a master array specialist? Then, isnt she really awesome? Not just awesome, but extremely so! Its said that she has already begun to design new airships. Did you all know that she and the Nangong family have a feud? I heard they nearly came to blows Whats that all about? Pray tell! Nangong Ling felt the peculiar gazes of the noble ladies upon her, and their whispers were still loud enough for her to hear clearly. Her countenance fluctuated between blue and red, but naturally, none of those who dared discuss such a matter in front of her was of inferior background. It was apparently not a good idea to act up here. Nangong Ling was always looking for ways to approach Wei Potian and, at times, even prevented them from coming into contact with him. These noble ladies had no intention of holding back now that they had found a rare opportunity to anger her. On the contrary, they spoke louder and louder. Nangong Ling could no longer endure and said coldly, Im feeling a bit unwell. Ill return first. Wei Potian hadnt the slightest intention of comforting her and actually said, Thats good too. Nangong Ling was so angry that she stamped her feet and left the seventh division headquarters. At this time, a lieutenant commander from Dark Flame headquarters rushed over to take over the duty of arranging lodgings for Nangong Xiaoniao and her Red Scorpion warriors. Zhang Zixing muttered to himself with a frown as he followed the leaving party with his gaze, This is going to be troublesome. The puzzled aide-de-camp beside him asked, General, even if there is trouble, it should be Red Scorpions, right? Arent we about to escort the Wei clan heir and the noble ladies back to the Qin continent? Zhang Zixing said with some indignance, When has a Red Scorpion operation ever been free of casualties? How can they have the extra manpower to deal with that little troublemaker? I dont care about An Shaonians survival, but those old men from Red Scorpion will tear my house down if something happens to her! Dammit! The aide-de-camp realized Zhang Zixing was in a bad mood and immediately stopped shooting off his mouth. However, Zhang Zixing was already annoyed with him and suddenly said, Go ask Red Scorpion how long Colonel Nangong Xiaoniao is staying in Blackflow City and where she plans to go afterward. Ill assign you a battalion and a high-speed destroyer. You will be in charge of escorting her from here on out, and youll be held accountable if she loses even a single hair! The aides expression immediately turned bitterdidnt this mean he couldnt return with the battalion? No one was willing to stay too long in a place like Evernight where one almost couldnt see the sun. But how would he dare oppose the angry Zhang Zixing? He only asked with a sour expression, General, how how long will this take? Until she leaves Evernight Continent! Zhang Zixing threw out those words and buried all of the aide-de-camps hopes. In the days that followed, Blackflow City was peaceful yet busy. The noble ladies who had, for so long, caused a clamor in this little border city were about to leave along with their accompanying troops. This made the entire city feel greatly relieved. Wei Potian was still in a bad mood. Dark Flames military intelligence had reached his handsQianyes Western Expedition was fairly successful, and he had even badly injured Count Stuka in the most recent battle. But he had led his troops toward the werewolf viscounts territory afterward, and it seemed impossible for him to rush back within two days. Meanwhile, the unpredictable Song Zining had appeared once again after disappearing for a number of days. Reportedly, he had settled matters with the expeditionary army headquarters, and all that remained was to follow various procedures in order to legalize Dark Flame. Wei Potian was, on one hand, happy for Qianye but, on the other, was displeased with Song Sevens spirited countenance. He began pondering whether he should find a way to drive the latter away and suppressed the notion only after recalling that Qianye was just starting out with everything. Moreover, his Zhao clan identity and what he had gone through in Red Scorpion were still hidden concerns. Song Zining paid no heed at all to the Wei clan heirs depression. He was in a wonderful mental state after settling Dark Flames matters and hid himself behind closed doors to engage in art and calligraphy, improving his mental realm cultivation by leaps and bounds. Today at dawn, his brush was flying about as though he were assisted by the gods. The image of a mountain journey took shape in one go, and in a flash of origin power, the scene on paper seemed to have come alive. Frosted red maple leaves danced along the stony path meandering toward the clouds. Dark Twilight. Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves art had entered the sixth realm of the middle rank. At this moment, Wei Potian was observing the painting from behind. The Wei clan heir immediately recalled the chest guard he had made for Qianye when he saw those specks of light condense into maple leaves. His countenance immediately turned dark. He suddenly extended his handyellow lights formed the vague outline of a perilous and lofty ridge which pressed down on the world in the painting. Song Zining was unaware of the reason, but he became even more delighted after seeing Wei Potians unsightly countenance. Ignoring the fate of his painting, he allowed the two origin powers to clash, turning the fine paper into a pile of powdery fragments. He was just about to make fun of Wei Potian when a commotion came through from the outside. The two were startled and turned to look out the window at the same time. They were in Qianyes office at the Dark Flame headquarters where the southern window overlooked the large drill grounds connected to the main gate. Presently, a group of people had gathered there. Today was the day Nangong Xiaoniao was set to leave for Darkblood City, but a Red Scorpion warrior had mentioned that the Blackflow City Lord and Dark Flames commander had previously brought back an origin array which no one had been able to crack. They had even come to ask the professional staff from Red Scorpion and the third army corps about the situation. The young girl was most interested in such things. She checked the time and, seeing that there was still an hour until her flight, decided to visit Dark Flame for a while. She had just walked into the main gates when she saw a group of people following a noble lady. It was precisely Nangong Ling. Nangong Ling hadnt expected to bump into Nangong Xiaoniao either. She was momentarily startled, but her expression fell immediately and said, Out of the way. Nangong Xiaoniaos heart-shaped face puffed up. She was apparently angered and said while clenching a fist, Who are you asking to get out of the way? You, of course. Is there anyone else? The main gates of Dark Flame were designed for the passage of combat vehicles. Not to mention two young ladies, even two armored combat vehicles can move through side by side. But the two Nangong ladies stubbornly stood face to face, unwilling to move a single step. Why must I make way for you? Nangong Xiaoniao asked furiously. Nangong Lings brows rose. She walked slowly toward Nangong Xiaoniao and said, Because of my identity. Because yours is but a humble family and not even a landowning household! Nangong Xiaoniao cried out, If you lot hadnt plotted and set us up, how could my grandfather Nangong Ling cut her short, Such a distant matter. Who knows what actually happened back then. Moreover, what does that have to do with me? Nothing! So now, Im telling you. Make! Way! Nangong Xiaoniaos face was completely red. It seemed she was no match to Nangong Ling in terms of verbal combata few words from the latter had almost caused her to burst into tears. The ruckus they were causing at Dark Flames main entrance immediately drew a lot of attention. The Dark Flame warriors had long since gotten scared of these noble ladies and only watched from afar without daring to approach. Meanwhile, the young noble misses who just had to visit the Dark Flame camp with Song Zining and Wei Potian began to emerge from every corner. They began to point fingers and make secret comments. Naturally, they had no intention to calm the situation and were only thinking about how to fan the flames. Nangong Xiaoniao suddenly wiped away the tears that were on the verge of rolling down. She then stared fixedly at Nangong Ling and spoke word by word, Im. Not. Moving! Nangong Ling suddenly broke into a laughter. How audacious of you to use the Nangong family name. You dont even know the slightest bit of manners. Then let me teach you some today! Nangong Ling suddenly swung her hand toward Nangong Xiaoniaos face in a slap. Perhaps because she was lost in thought, or perhaps because she hadnt expected Nangong Ling to attack so suddenly, Nangong Xiaoniao failed to react immediately and was struck on the cheek with a resounding bang. This time, the noble ladies on the side were all startled. Even Nangong Ling herself was fairly surprisedshe had only intended to put on an act and make Nangong Xiaoniao move away. She hadnt expected that the slap would actually connect so squarely. Nangong Xiaoniaos face immediately swelled up, and a handprint appeared clearly upon it. She covered her cheeks and glanced at Nangong Ling. Her expression turned incomparably calm at this point and said slowly, You hit me? The Red Scorpion soldiers behind her werent as calm, however. After a moment of astonishment, a number of them strode forth with weapons drawn. Nangong Lings heart trembled. The Red Scorpion warriors were all veterans who had killed on the battlefield. Although their levels werent especially high, their imposing momentum seemed to carry a thirst for blood. Since things had developed to this point, how could she cower in front of so many people? She clenched her teeth and said, So what if I did? Who told you to block my way?! Nangong Lings maids and guards also swarmed over and blocked her front. A maid shouted, Why arent you moving away yet? Imperial laws clearly state that those of humble birth must give way to those from a noble family. What? Do you want to break the law? Nangong Xiaoniao ignored the maid entirely. She only stared at Nangong Ling and repeated, You hit me? Nangong Lings expression froze. However, she was absolutely unwilling to back down. Concession was a small matter, but she would be throwing away the entire Nangong familys face. The Red Scorpion warriors who had been stopped by Nangong Xiaoniao wore expressions of fury and were surging with killing intent. They might take action at a moments notice. The army was full of suicidal soldiers who cared little about Nangong Lings identity, and once angered, their blades would draw blood all the same. If worse came to worst they need only pay with their lives. One of Nangong Lings followers realized that the situation wasnt good and began to retreat secretly. Although aristocratic family guards thought highly of themselves, they didnt dare act carelessly while facing an elite special unit. This person was rather clever and had gone to find their familys experts. The spectators also noticed that things were deteriorating fast and hurriedly dispatched people to find Wei Potian, Song Zining, and Zhang Zixing. It would become a major issue if, by any chance, Red Scorpion and the Nangong family started fighting. These spectators would also find it difficult to extricate themselves once things had truly gone out of hand. All eyes were on Nangong Ling. This made her feel quite pressured, but after recalling the attitude of her clan elders, she raised her head high and said, Still not moving? Ill slap you again if you insist on blocking the way! The maid reached out to push Nangong Xiaoniao while shouting, Move! You lowlife from a poor family. However, at this moment, an ostentatious voice rang out outside of the gates, Oh my! So many people. Are all of you here to welcome me?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 366: Imperial Law [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Who else apart from Zhao Yuying would dare speak to all those noble ladies in this manner? Nangong Lings maid, however, didnt stop and continued to push Nangong Xiaoniao forcefully. A faint origin power glow emerged on her palmapparently, she was planning to launch a sneak attack. But a sudden crack, resembling that of a whiplash, rang out in the air just as her hand was about to touch Nangong Xiaoniaos chest. The maid screamed wretchedly and staggered back. The sleeves were torn, and the two bloody traces on her arm were swelling up fast. No one saw the whip, but knowledgeable people understood that it was an invisible whip formed from origin power, and that the assailant was exceptionally skilled in origin power control. Zhao Yuying walked through the base gates in a leisurely manner and beside her was Qianye. She gazed at this maid with a cold smile and said, You dare attempt an attack while this mommy here is talking? Youre simply asking to be disciplined. I whipped your arms this time, but Ill whip your mouth if you dare repeat this offense! I wonder who raised such an unruly dog. Nangong Xiaoniao glanced backher gaze shot past Zhao Yuying and landed on Qianye. She was completely stunned. Zhao Yuying walked over. Xiaoniao, how come youre here? Why didnt you tell me beforehand? Come to think of it, how are the old men doing? They havent died, have they? It was evident that Zhao Yuying was more than just familiar with Nangong Xiaoniao. Nangong Xiaoniaos eyes seemed stuck to Qianye and only let out some unintelligible sounds as though she hadnt heard a word of what Zhao Yuying just said. Zhao Yuying stood in front of Nangong Xiaoniao with a puzzled expression and said loudly, Hey! Im going to harass you if you keep acting mute! Oh, right, okay, Nangong Xiaoniao replied absent-mindedly. It was apparent that she had no idea what she had just replied. At this time, the hostile atmosphere had been completely broken by Zhao Yuying. The Red Scorpion soldiers standing close by had heard her clearly and were all dumbfounded. A female Red Scorpion officer near Nangong Xiaoniao wanted to remind her by pinching her arms, but Zhao Yuyings glare sent her cowering to one side. Miss Zhao Yuying wasnt one to be messed around withshe laughed like an evil wolf as she reached out her claws to grab Nangong Xiaoniaos chest. This grabbing motion immediately outlined the actual size of Nangong Xiaoniaos chest under the military uniform. Quite surprisingly, its curves rose and fell like the roaring waves. The sudden assault to her vital part woke Nangong Xiaoniao from her reverie. First, she screamed loudly and only afterward did she remember to slap away Zhao Yuyings hands. Zhao Yuying took the opportunity to grab a couple more times and laughed, What a klutz. This mommy here wouldve finished taking all kinds of advantages by the time you react. Youre acting like this again! Nangong Xiaoniao glared angrily at Zhao Yuying. The word again filled people with imagination. It was a clear indication that such an incident had happened more than once before. Zhao Yuying laughed mischievously with a rascal expression. One more time makes no difference. Nangong Xiaoniao was fuming as she forcefully swung her little fists at Zhao Yuying. Later on, her gaze turned back to Qianye and was stuck there once again. Even the insensitive Zhao Yuying had already discovered that something was off. She glanced between Nangong Xiaoniao and Qianye with a puzzled expression. My brother here is indeed not bad looking, but Qianye also felt odd after being gazed at by this young lady and felt as though he had seen her somewhere. Something flashed through his mind all of a suddenhe blurted out, Little rookie?! Yes, thats me! Nangong Xiaoniao immediately became excited. Zhao Yuying wore a suspicious expression. When did your name become Nangong Little Rookie? My name is Nangong Xiaoniao! She quickly slapped away the hand Zhao Yuying was secretly extending toward her. At this time, Nangong Xiaoniao turned around completely, allowing both Qianye and Zhao Yuying to see the red palm print on her face. Qianye was only startled slightly, but Zhao Yuying was completely furious. She pulled Nangong Xiaoniao over and asked, How did this happen? Who hit you? With that, she scanned the surroundings with vicious eyes. Nangong Xiaoniaos lips were shut tight and refused to answer, but the reactions of the surrounding people immediately pointed out the culprit. Nangong Ling spoke without any pretense, It is I. Zhao Yuying squinted her eyes and asked coldly, Why? Qianye also walked over and, glancing at the little girl whose height only reached his chin, asked with a frown, What happened? Nangong Xiaoniao looked up but immediately lowered her head like a startled deer after realizing she was only an arms length away from Qianye. Her face was as red as a big, ripe apple. Her pursed lips couldnt manage to speak a single word, and her head had been lowered so much that it was about to disappear. Nangong Xiaoniao couldnt speak, but Nangong Ling had no choice but to reply. Unwilling to lose out in terms of momentum, she said insipidly, Yuying. Is Yuying for you to address? Dont act so familiar with this mommy! Nangong Lings expression turned extremely ugly. She took a deep breath and forced herself to contain her emotions. At this moment, a group of people arrived from outside of the gates. Zhang Zixing and the Red Scorpion Brigadier General An Shaonian had arrived. Meanwhile, Song Zining and Wei Potian had also emerged from the base. It seemed all the important characters in Blackflow City were now present. Nangong Ling found it even more difficult to compromise under such circumstances. Her face was somewhat pale as she straightened her chest and said calmly, Young Miss Zhao, you also know that our Nangong family has grievances with her. Zhao Yuying cut her short once again and said impatiently, Cut the crap. This mommy here doesnt understand! Speak directly! Zhao Yuying wasnt giving Nangong Ling the slightest bit of face. The spectators, especially those noble ladies, were all looking on with an expression of schadenfreude. Nangong Ling clenched her fists under her wide sleeves and said coldly, Directly it is then. I slapped her because she was blocking my way. Its just that simple! So what if I strike a person of humble birth? Not to mention a slap, I only need to provide a bit of compensation even if I cripple her. This amount, I can afford! This is the Imperial Law. What? Does the young miss of the Zhao clan have any questions about this? Zhao Yuying laughed languidly instead of getting angry. Contrary to expectations, she said, Of course not. Nangong Ling was greatly surprised, but she understood that she shouldn''t stay here for long. Since you have no questions then I shall take my leave. Wait, Zhao Yuying called Nangong Ling back and then walked toward her. What? Does the Zhao clan young miss have more advice to give? Nangong Ling hadnt even finished speaking when Zhao Yuyings palm swung over. The slap landed squarely on her face with a loud bang. Half of Nangong Lings face swelled up, and fresh blood trickled down the corner of her torn lips. Nangong Ling was petrified and only managed to cover her face with her hand. She couldnt believe that Zhao Yuying would actually make a move against her, and with such ruthlessness no less. The maid behind Nangong Ling reacted only afterward as she rushed out and hurriedly stood protectively in front of Nangong Ling. However, she knew very clearly just how powerful Zhao Yuying was and didnt even dare utter fierce words, to speak nothing of drawing her sword. Zhao Yuyings mood improved quite a bit after the slap. Theres nothing to advise. Im only teaching you to be obedient and letting you know how the Imperial Law works. This is Evernight continent. Not the empire. At this point, a cold light flashed through the depths of Zhao Yuyings eyes. Im indeed in the wrong for slapping you. You can go and report this matter after returning to the empire. Theres no rush. Maybe the verdict will come after eight or ten years. This mommy will do whatever the Department of Justice sentences me toyoull be compensated not a penny less. Nangong Ling stared fixedly at Zhao Yuying. Her eyes were full of flames, but she spoke not a word in the end and turned around to leave. That maid-guard also hurried after her. The threat in Zhao Yuyings words was fairly evident. There wasnt the slightest bit of advantage in confronting her in such a lawless place like Evernight continent. Moreover, as the granddaughter of Duke You, her identity was much higher than Nangong Lings status as the second lineal daughter of a marquis. So what if she returned to the empire? So what if she reported this matter to the Department of Justice? At that time, those old men from the Department of Justice need only perform their routine duties according to the book, and this matter would drag on for several years. Even if it was ruled that Zhao Yuying had slapped her for no good reason, the law would only require her to pay for medicine and treatment. The commotion would only cause the Nangong family to lose face. Zhao Yuying was on a completely different level compared to Nangong Ling in making use of Imperial Laws. Seeing Nangong Ling retreat, Zhao Yuying said with a cold snort, You sure are quick to run! This mommy here wanted to do another backhand slap! Many of the noble ladies felt intimidated after hearing these words and began to disperse in succession. Their identities were all similar to that of Nangong Lingsince Zhao Yuying dared to slap Nangong Ling, she dared slap them too. Zhang Zixing wouldnt interfere. He had made it very clear that he would only deal with external threats and not internal conflicts. Wei Potian apparently had no fear at this moment and approached with a face full of smiles. Sister Yuying, youve returned! Oh, Qianye, youre here too! Qianye narrowed his eyes at the halfway point, overcome with the urge to smash this boars facethe latter hadnt noticed him at all. Zhao Yuying was too lazy to pay the Wei clan heir any attention and dragged Nangong Xiaoniao over to check her wounds. Does it still hurt? Are you injured anywhere else? Although she was apparently checking the face for injuries, her hands were quite busy, touching here and grabbing there. Nangong Xiaoniao, on the other hand, no longer possessed the courage she had displayed while confronting Nangong Ling. She continuously evaded Zhao Yuyings claws and had almost bunched up into a ball. Seeing that Zhao Yuying was acting more and more unreasonable in front of the crowd, Qianye couldnt help but let out a dry cough. Zhao Yuying looked up and rolled her eyes at him, saying, This mommy here is busy picking up a girl. Whats with that cough? Do you have a cold? Shall I find you a doctor? Zhao Yuying still loosened her grip despite the sharp retort, whereupon Nangong Xiaoniao immediately escaped and hid behind Qianye. Her movements were as swift as a sweeping blaze and had far surpassed her usual standards. Zhao Yuyings brows rose after witnessing this scene and broke into a meaningful laughter. Moments later, everyone was seated in Qianyes study. Qianye glanced at Nangong Xiaoniao and felt a deep headache. Zhao Yuying had already explained this rookies identity in full detail. Qianye hadnt expected that the little rookie he saved that day would rise from the ashes and soar to the skies after returning to Red Scorpion. Presently, she had become the darling of the Red Scorpion commanders, and they were all afraid of her coming to any harm. At such a tender age, she had already displayed great talent in two major fields: machinery design and origin arrays. Qianye naturally understood the value of those geniuses from the armored battalion. On the long-term, their value was even higher than a scorpion king, not to mention that Nangong Xiaoniaos talents were much greater than ordinary geniuses. Such a person had run over to Evernight Continent with only a small guard squad and a high-speed airship. No one would believe that she hadnt snuck out. Nangong Xiaoniao sat across Qianye with her eyes fixed on the table as though there was a rare origin array therein. Xiaoniao, did you sneak out? Zhao Yuying asked after introducing Nangong Xiaoniaos astonishing background to everyone. Yes. Ah! No, no, of course not! Nangong Xiaoniao was clearly lost in thought and blurted out the truth. Zhao Yuying and Qianye glanced at each other. Then are you returning now? Although Zhao Yuying was usually irresponsible, she was still quite clear regarding such important matters. She understood that Nangong Xiaoniaos stay in Blackflow City wasnt a good thing for Qianye. No! The little rookie was no longer muddled and replied without the slightest bit of ambiguity. Then how long are you staying? A long time! [1] Nangong Xiaoniao = Nangong Little Bird, Rookie/Cai Niao = (Vegetable/weak/unskilled) + Bird. When ZYY said when did your name become Nangong Little Rookie, she only needed to add the character /cai in the middle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 367: Little Miss Trouble [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Yuying shrugged at Qianye with a helpless expression. She then scuttled over toward Song Zining with a whoosh and slapped his shoulder. Bring out a couple of leaves for me to play! Song Zining said proudly, My humble self is not an entertainer. Zhao Yuying pinched his ear with a pow. Song Zining continued smoothly without a change in expression, But Im willing to jump into water or flames as long as Miss Yuying commands it! With that, he shot out two masses of origin power and condensed them into leaves. However, it was no longer easy for Zhao Yuying to counterattack Song Zining through these two leaves. Zhao Yuying immediately discovered this and waved her hands in a bored manner. The leaves turned into motes of lights which gradually vanished. Wei Potian couldnt help but move his chair away with a snort. He was deeply familiar with this fellows shamelessness. Qianye was too lazy to pay attention to these three. Comparatively, Nangong Xiaoniao was the biggest problem. Those old fogeys from Red Scorpion might arrive in Evernight to chop him up if something were to happen to the lass in his domain. Qianye spoke after a moment of silence, Xiaoniao. Eh?! An apparently startled Nangong Xiaoniao bounced up and knocked against the table, sending all the refreshments in front of her spilling toward Qianye. Qianye felt helpless. He casually grabbed East Peak from beside him and, with a shake of the long sword, produced an invisible energy barrier to block the refreshments mid-air. Only afterward did he get up and hurriedly take a step back. Nangong Xiaoniao jumped up along with the flying tableware in a bid to remedy her mistake. But she tripped over and ended up landing a square kick on the table, sending it whizzing toward Qianye. Qianye instinctively swung his hand to block and completely shattered the tea table. However, this caused the pool of green tea to go out of control. It proceeded to pour down over his head, drenching him completely. Eh?! Nangong Xiaoniao was frozen midway in the same posturerushing forward with her hands outstretched. She could neither advance nor retreat. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He went inside to change into new clothes and had Lil Seven and Nine clean up the room before returning to Nangong Xiaoniao. After witnessing this scene, Wei Potian and Song Zining excused themselves in quick succession. They claimed to have just remembered some things they needed to do and left this mess to Qianye without a shred of brotherly spirit. Zhao Yuying didnt stay either. It was just that, before leaving, she made a fierce clawing gesture at Qinaye and then pointed at Nangong Xiaoniaos chest. She then swaggered off while laughing heartily. Nangong Xiaoniaos face was so red that it seemed ready to drip blood, and her head hung lower and lower until it was almost buried in her own chest. Qianye cursed the three fellows countless times in his heart, but it was all in vain. The two of them were now alone. Qianye did his best to express his heartfelt words, Xiaoniao, were fighting every day here. I know. That I have to be at the front lines quite often. Moreover, my city is located close to the borders, and dark race forces appear here quite often. I know. Qianye felt truly helpless and decided to be more direct. Its very dangerous here. Im not afraid of danger, Nangong Xiaoniao replied with a fresh set of words. Qianye laughed wryly. But I am. If something happens to you, Ill be cut up alive by the people from Red Scorpion. Thats fine. I wont know anything at that time. Nangong Xiaoniaos words choked Qianye half-dead. He finally understood that she was here to stay no matter what. Qianye recalled, amidst his distress, that he would neither have returned early nor met Nangong Xiaoniao were it not for the sudden change in circumstances that made him give up the assault on the werewolf viscounts territory. But from a different perspective, if they hadnt met here, there was no telling what kind of trouble a special character like Nangong Xiaoniao would cause if she had gone to perform an unrestrained search for him in the Darkblood City region. Zhao Yuying had secretly warned Qianye that this Nangong Xiaoniao was only gentle on the surface but was, in fact, strong and unyielding at heart. She would go all the way once she was determined to do something. Presently, Qianye had begun to understand Wei Potian and Song Zinings suffering. They couldnt get anything done with such ladies of important background hanging onto them. His only hope at the moment was that Nangong Xiaoniao wouldnt insist on following him to the front lines. Very well then. Youre staying at the seventh division headquarters, right? Ill have someone move your lodgings to Dark Flame headquarters after a while. You can go about as you wish under normal circumstances, but you have to be accompanied by your guards at all times. You must notify me in advance if you want to leave the city. Xiaoniaos large eyes were filled with delight as she nodded with all her might. Then its settled. Qianye got up and saw Nangong Xiaoniao out. The Red Scorpion soldiers shifted their gaze toward Qianye at the same time, immediately putting him under great pressure. At this point, anyone with eyes could see that the lass so-called field trip to Darkblood City was just a pretense, and that she was here to find Qianye. Hence, all the Red Scorpion warriors were curiousjust how outstanding was this person to be able to make the darling of their corps travel thousands of kilometers just to find him. Afterward, Qianye spent the entire afternoon handling official matters. Dark Flame officers, both the ones stationed here and those who had returned with him, were filing in and out of the office like flowing water. The city defenses needed to be rearranged since the third army corps was about to leave. This was of utmost importance because Blackflow City was his foundation. Now that there was an untouchable special character like the little rookie here, there was no longer any room for even the slightest bit of failures. Wei Potian came to see him at dinner time. He was scheduled to leave the morning after tomorrow. Song Zining and Zhao Yuying also arrived after a while. Qianye instructed the kitchen to produce a sumptuous feast since it could also be considered a farewell dinner for Wei Potian. Everyone had just sat down when a high-spirited Zhao Yuying immediately asked, How was it? Have you touched it? Its quite big, right? Qianye glared at her. Touch my a*s! The only thing big about her is the trouble. Whats wrong with that? Its obvious that shell be yours sooner or later. You should just sleep first and talk later. Isnt that right, Zining? Song Zining only smiled without paying her any heed and said, Qianye, you need to think this through. Are you really going to shelter Nangong Xiaoniao here? I suggest you send her back. Zhao Yuying was immediately displeased. I like that lass a lot. Why must we send her back? Song Zining replied calmly, Leaving her here is equal to going against the Nangong family. Yuying, youre naturally unafraid since you have the Zhao clan and Duke You behind you. But what does Qianye have? Zhao Yuying was even more annoyed and said furiously, You think this mommy here needs to rely on the clan? But, for the first time, Zhao Yuying felt a spell of diffidence under Song Zinings sharp gaze. She naturally understood that it wasnt her who had forced Nangong Ling to leave in disgrace today, but Duke You, Zhao Xuanji. Qianye asked, What exactly is the problem between her and the Nangong family? Actually, both Wei Potian and Song Zining had heard of this matter, but Zhao Yuying was familiar with Nangong Xiaoniao and understood more. She immediately waved her hands and said, An utter mess! Thats what! The ancestor of her family originally belonged to the eldest lineal branch. But its said that they later committed a grave offense and nearly caused the Nangong family to be demoted. This resulted in their entire branch being expelled from the direct line of descent. They remained in the clan but were considered a side branch. Thereafter, the situation deteriorated quickly. At her grandfathers generation, a certain elder set his eyes on her familys estate. He found a reason to drive the entire branch out and then devoured their family property. Such incidents existed in every clan, but it was a different feeling when the implicated party was someone close. For no reason at all, Qianye suddenly recalled his own childhood at the junkyard. Perhaps, to a certain extent, he could be considered a victim of clan conflict. Zhao Yuying continued, Its fine if things ended there. Xiaoniaos family struggled to survive and wanted only to live an ordinary civilian life. Unexpectedly, a certain elder from the clan fancied Xiaoniao after she grew up and entered her room one night to force himself upon her. Goddammit, Xiaoniao was only twelve at the time! Which bastard is it? Wei Potian was furious. This kind of conduct was too despicable! It made one feel great contempt. Zhao Yuying replied, That bastard is Nangong Lings father, Nangong Yuanbo. Nangong Xiaoniaos father was also a genius warrior and possessed outstanding cultivation. It was just that he had always kept a low profile. That night, he attacked in angerto save Nangong Xiaoniao, he killed all of Nangong Yuanbos guards and gravely injured the man. However, he was also irreversibly injured and passed away soon after. At this time, Song Zining said, Back then, it was reported that Nangong Yuanbo had fallen ill and he nearly lost his successors position. He recovered only after several years of recuperation. So this turns out to be the case. Wei Potian shot Song Zining a glance. I also heard that Nangong Yuanbo relied on the Song clan to hang on to his clan lord position. Song Zinings expression was indifferent. He paid a great price, and the Song clan has already maintained a relationship with his branch for three or four generations. Having Nangong Yuanbo at the clan lords position is better for the Song clan than having a more powerful stranger there. Will your Wei clan have done differently in our place? Wei Potian was immediately at a loss for words. Zhao Yuying sighed. Near the end of his life, Xiaoniaos father entrusted his daughter to a good friend of his, a retired general from Red Scorpion. And thus Xiaoniao joined the corps. Song Zining said, Nangong Yuanbo is petty-minded and extremely vengeful. Under present circumstances, he wont dare do anything to Nangong Xiaoniao in the open. but he will definitely take it out on you if he discovers that youre somehow related to her. Must you offend an aristocratic family for a total stranger? The Nangongs are not like the Sishui Dong Family. Qianye, you must think this through. Zhao Yuying suddenly stood up and said angrily, Xiaoniao is my friend. You might not dare to offend the Nangongs, but Im not afraid. This time, Song Zining showed not the slightest sign of fear and faced Zhao Yuyings killer glare with due calmness. Youre not afraid of offending the Nangongs. Wei Potian and I arent either. But its not the same for Qianye. Qianye shook his head and said calmly, Zining, no need to say further. Ive thought this matter through. Let her stay. Song Zinings expression shifted. Qianye... Qianye raised his hand and stopped Song Zinings words. Rest assured, I wont do things forcefully. Ill have Red Scorpion send her back if things take a turn for the worse. In any case, theyve also dispatched people to accompany her. As for Nangong Yuanbo, if he really decides to take it out on me for this, then let him come. Us brothers are still youngwe still have ample time to make him regret. Wei Potians blood was immediately sent boiling. He shot up and said loudly, Well said! The first thing this daddy will do after assuming command of the Wei clan is raise an army to beat up that old brat! Song Zining shot him a sidelong glance and said coldly, The Far East Wei Clan and the Yishui Nangong Clan are not even on the same continent. Raise an army? Where are you going to do that? The empire wasnt free of civil war, but most of them were conflicts between adjacent territories. Not to mention that the imperial family and army wouldnt allow him to do as he pleased, first he had to find a way to move the massive force through the territories of other nobles. Wei Potian replied in anger, This daddy will go alone, alright?! Then you wont ever return, idiot! Shut up! Qianye roared, unable to endure any longer, and finally managed to silence the two. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 368: Untitled [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye said, Lets leave Nangong Xiaoniaos matter at this. I already have a lot of troubles on my hand, so whats one more? Song Zining lowered his gaze with a silent frown. Qianye continued, Lets get back to important business. Count Stukas movements during this Western Expedition are too odd. Additionally, there are also signs of abnormality in the werewolf territory. In any case, Dark Flame has taken three viscount territories and the strategic point of Black Ridge; these profits should take us a while to digest. As such, Im prepared to pause our expansion and figure out what exactly the dark race is up to before deciding on our course of action. He glanced at everyone and asked, What are your plans? Potian, youre leaving the day after tomorrow, right? Wei Potian scratched his head and said in a deflated tone, The old man sent a letter asking me to return. You should indeed go back. Earnestly practice leading troops in battle. Song Zining wasnt polite at all. Qianye turned to Song Zining and asked, Zining, what about you? After a moment of silence, Song Zining said, Upgrading Silverflow Fjord to a stronghold is a major project. Now, we also have Blackridge. Both of them are strategic locations that must be held onto. Ill return to the Ningyuan Group to reorganize the military construction bill. Ill dispatch a merchant caravan as soon as possible and ship over a part of the materials and equipment for the stronghold construction. According to Miss Zhao Yuying, the underground ore veins in the region are peculiar and might be hiding a rare type of ore. I must also deploy some specialists in that area. Its clearly not a good idea to rely on dark race technicians completely. Qianye nodded and then glanced at Zhao Yuying. The young miss replied lazily, Ill stay here since I have nothing better to do anyway. Just dont forget my share. Qianye pondered for a moment and said, Im lacking a division commander at the moment. Why dont we register you first? How convenient for you! You want to tie this mommy here? Impossible! Not doing it! Ill pay you ten percent of the surplus profits. Zhao Yuying immediately leaped up and arrived beside Qianye, beaming. Ill definitely help you since were family. The party dispersed after dinner since everyone had a pile of things on their hands. Qianye returned to his study and continued processing the stack of documents on his desk, the task ending only deep at night. He rubbed his tired eyes and strolled over to the military map hanging on the nearby wall. The present situation was more or less clear-cut. Presently, the arachne viscount Musk had fallen in Zhao Yuyings hands. The werewolves were holed up completely, and many vicious beasts had suddenly emerged in his vicinity. Qianye cautiously decided against storming the region and only dispatched the army to block off the werewolf domains external passages. They would have to climb over the mountain range on the other side if they wanted to come out. So far, a large portion of the counts southeastern territory had fallen into Qianyes hands. During the following period, he only needed to wait for Song Zining to transport the machinery and materials required for construction work. The first step of his pioneering would be complete once they finished building strongholds on the Silverflow Fjord and Black Ridge. However, there was a lingering shadow in Qianyes heartjust what was that origin array for? But to crack that origin law array was no simple matter. Dark Flames array specialists werent worth a mention. They were highly-ranked in the Trinity River County, but they wouldnt be considered anything on the Qin continent. But the specialists Song Zining had transferred over from the Ningyuan Group were also helpless. They had also studied the array for several days without any progress. The prisoners were all technicians in charge of assembly and maintenance, but they had no knowledge regarding its specific function since the core of the origin array was sealed within the metallic sphere. As for that demonkin, he was a master machinist who had nothing to do with arrays. Regardless of what this origin array was for, one thing was obviousthis wasnt something the arachne count could set up on his own. So much that he probably couldnt afford to do so. Something Qianye had always been worrying about had happened; an external power was beginning to interfere with the situation in his region. Under such circumstances, it was indeed a wise decision to have spared the arachne count. Qianye was currently rejoicing that his two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang had struck Stukas arachnid body and not his human-shaped upper half. After a moment of pondering, he decided to first prospect the mines within his occupied territory and see what kind of profits they would yield. Song Zining intended to invite a true array specialist via the Ningyuan Group during his trip back. Perhaps there might be some progress at that time. Qianye walked out of the study only after concluding his thoughts. Qianye saw Zhao Yuying as he pushed open the door, standing alone with her back against the wall and smoking a cigarette. Were you waiting for me? Zhao Yuying nodded. About Xiaoniao, thank you. Qianye said with a smile, Theres no need to say such things between us. The ice in Qianyes heart shattered the moment Zhao Yuying decided to stay behind and cover his escape during the battle with Stuka. It was only toward her, however. Since Zhao Yuying hoped Nangong Xiaoniao would be able to enjoy a period of relative freedom in Evernight Continent, it was only a slight effort on his part to accept. Zhao Yuying exhaled a ring of smoke. Xiaoniao is very pitiful, but shes also very strong. The first time I met her was on the Red Scorpion drill grounds, I had never imagined a little girl could train so madly as though her life depended on it. Even I hadnt tried so hard during that time. Later on, after we became friends, I asked her why she was trying so hard. She said that it was all so that she would have the ability to go and meet a certain person. Qianye was silent. Id never expected that person was actually you. Zhao Yuying shot out a straight line of smoke and watched it slowly disperse. She then turned to stare fixedly at Qianye and revealed a mischievous smile. Are you really not considering bedding her? Shes really big! Qianye said unceremoniously, Probably not as big as you. Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up immediately as she straightened her chest. Your elder sister here is indeed hiding some impressive goods, and that little girl is not my match at all. You have good eyesight! But Xiaoniao has a different attractiveness to her. Youll know once you sleep with her. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. How can there be a friend like you? Trying to push her onto my bed. Zhao Yuying said with great confidence, That is how a true friend should be. Shell sleep with someone sooner or later. Isnt it better to find someone she likes? Qianye had no way to refute Zhao Yuyings distorted logic. He only pushed her from the back and said, Thats enough. Go and rest! Call Xiaoniao out for some late-night snacks and wine! Its better to act when shes drunk! Go and sleep! He sent Zhao Yuying away with great difficulty and returned to his bedroom, indicating Lil Seven and Nine to follow him in. Unexpectedly, the moment he stepped into the room, there was a leaf floating to and fro in front of his eyes. It was inexplicably irksome. Qianye pondered for a while and then activated his True Sight. At the same time, he attempted to project his origin power. Strands of daybreak origin power rose up to form a misty network. The fallen leaf was emitting a faint mass of light in the world of black and white origin power. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that numerous threads of light were extending from a certain point in the air. Qianye waved his hand and sent the network of origin power sprinkling toward the strands of light. As if it had detected the dangerous situation, the leaf turned around rapidly and evaded Qianyes slap. Then, it immediately reverted to origin power and vanished. Qianye, youve learned bad things! Song Zinings exasperated voice came from outside the window. When did you start engaging in voyeurism? Qianye watched as Song Zining jumped in through the window and added with a smile, And when did you start becoming fond of climbing through windows? This is the only way to prevent being discovered. Song Zining wasnt ashamed at all. He tidied his clothes and once again recovered his confident demeanor. Qianye, Ive important business to discuss. He raised two fingers and said with due seriousness, Firstly, you must find a way to send Nangong Xiaoniao away. Otherwise, Im sure Nangong Yuanbo will find someone to deal with you. Secondly, my departure this time might take a while. I have some personal business to attend to. Let Nangong Xiaoniao stay. As for the Nangong clan, theyll regret it if they target me. Song Zinings expression was solemn. He sighed after a moment and said, Let it be. I wont dissuade you anymore. You have to be careful during my absence. The Zhao clan just as I said before, dont trust them too much, he hesitated for a moment before whispering, including Zhao Yuying. Qianye was slightly startled. He looked up at Song Zining and nodded only after a while. When are you leaving. Early tomorrow morning. At this point, Song Zining broke into a laughter. That fellow Wei Potian wont be satisfied if I dont leave. After saying farewell, Song Zining left from where he came. Qianye sat down beside the bed. His sleepiness had now disappeared, and he felt even more distressed after recalling Nangong Xiaoniao. He simply threw all these things to the side and entered the cultivation chamber to digest the essence blood in his body. He hadnt cultivated properly since the beginning of the western expedition. As expected, the Book of Darkness continuously absorbed the essence blood just as he started circulating the cultivation art and only stopped after consuming more than half of it. One of the three ancient runes on the cover had almost materialized. Qianye continued his cultivation and began feeding the Wings of Inception. The blood energies in his body got their turn only after the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception had had their fill. Qianye sighed silentlyhe had a vague feeling that his future path was going to be full of slaughter. This was the path of survival on Evernight continent. It was in the dead of the night. Nangong Xiaoniao was in her room fiddling with a metallic sphere. This was the one Qianye had gotten from the origin array on Green Peak Mountain. Numerous array specialists had worked on it for many days but still failed to open this metallic ball. They could open it by brute force, but that would likely destroy its core and, along with it, any chance at figuring out the dark races secret. After Qianye had agreed to let her stay, Nangong Xiaoniao ran back to her residence and started opening her packed luggage. Only then did she recall that her main reason for visiting Dark Flame was because she had heard that there was an uncrackable origin array there. She ran back to Dark Flame immediately and happened to bump into Zhao Yuying. With this young miss endorsement, the metallic sphere arrived in her hands without much effort. Suddenly, a light knock came from the door as the voice of a young man rang out, Colonel Nangong, may I come in? Nangong Xiaoniao was first startled. Although her room was a single room, there were Red Scorpion warriors in both adjacent onesthere seemed to be no signs of movement coming from them. How did this person manage to arrive without alerting anyone? But she noticed that the voice sounded rather familiar and quickly recognized that it was Song Zining whom she had met during the day. [1] I''m not exactly sure why it''s titled so. It might be referring to the "untitled" poem series by . I have limited knowledge of verse structures but here''s a rough translation of it: The time since our parting was hard to bear, the flowers have withered in the east wind. Spring worms stop weaving only in death, Just As candles cry themselves into ash. Clouds in the early morning mirror reflect the changing color of his hair, and the night sings under the cold moonlight. His paradise is near. Oh, Green Bird! Pray listen, and bring his message to me. PS: There was actually no indication of gender in the poem.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 369: The Third Button [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Nangong Xiaoniao went over to open the door and said, Please come in. Its a bit messy here. Song Zining entered sideways through the door with a flash of light green origin power. He stood just inside the doorway and didnt go further in. Nevermind. Ill leave after a few words. P-Please speak! Xiaoniao was apparently somewhat nervous. Song Zining didnt beat around the bush and got straight to the point. I heard theres an unpleasant feud between you and the Nangong family. We have a deep enmity! Sooner or later, Ill have that old thief, Nangong Yuanbo, pay with his blood! Nangong Xiaoniaos emotions were riled up at the very mention of this. Song Zining continued with an apathetic nod, Then why havent you taken action? A startled Nangong Xiaoniao stammered, That old thief t-that old thief is very powerful. I-Im not his match at the moment. Then why hasnt he made a move against you? Song Zinings expression was indifferent. Nangong Xiaoniao replied, Elder Gu, Elder Zhou, and Elder Yin said that the old thief wont dare do anything to me as long as theyre alive. Then you should know the weight of the three elders, right? Nangong Xiaoniao nodded with a bewildered expression. She had no idea why Song Zining was asking these obvious questions. Song Zining smiled and said, Youre not afraid of Nangong Yuanbo because you have the three Red Scorpion commanders supporting you. Miss Zhao, as the granddaughter of Duke You, has no need to fear him. Im from the Song clan and naturally have no qualms either. But what about Qianye? He has nothing. If Nangong Yuanbo cant do anything to you, hell take it out on Qianye. Do you understand? I-I Nangong Xiaoniao didnt know what to say. Ive said all I came to say. Now please excuse me. With that, Song Zining opened the door and disappeared into the night just as silently. It was yet another night of the scarlet moon. The Dark Flame headquarters was fairly quiet during the latter part of the night with the exception of occasional patrol squads. Song Zinings figure materialized in the shadows behind the dormitory. He looked up at the full, scarlet moon which had almost taken up half the sky, the gauze-like moonlight showering onto his cheerless face. He suddenly turned around and saw Wei Potian walking over from the other side of the drill grounds. A passing Dark Flame patrol unit left after greeting them. Wei Potian watched the soldiers disappear over the other end of the drill grounds before turning back to stare at Song Zining with a cold expression. Dont you think youre meddling too much? Ignorance is not an excuse for being stubborn, and neither is innocence an excuse for recklessness. If Nangong Xiaoniao wants to stay here, she must be clear about the consequences of her action. You underestimate Qianye. He knows what hes doing. Must I let him bear this burden just because he can? Wei Potian was silent. He sized Song Zining up with luminous eyes and said slowly, In that case, I have something Ive wanted to ask you for a long time. What is the relation between the Ningyuan Group and the Northern Legion? Song Zining chuckled out loud. Two years ago, the Ningyuan Group provided them with a thousandth of their origin arrays. Presently, we provide one percent of their armamentsall types of them. Youre Lin Xitangs man An implication of exceptional danger was apparent in Wei Potians suppressed voice. The Wei clan heir should speak cautiously. Its not a good habit to make irresponsible remarks. Song Zinings voice was similarly soft. Although the Far East Wei Clan has never taken sides between major clans, its a known fact that the second grand elder of the Wei clan is very close to Marshal Zhang. Why then are you so interested in Marshal Lins matters? The two glares met, the coldness in them cut through the flesh like sharp blades. Wei Potian said slowly, Song Seven, youre a smart person. Dont play with fire. Its fine if you burn yourself to death and rid the world of a scourge, but dont drag Qianye into these waters. Did you think everything Qianye experienced back then has ended? Hes already been in the water for a long time. Wei Potian gripped his fist so tight that it started emitting popping sounds. In the end, he relaxed his hands and said, I know your Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art is quite extraordinary. But, Song Seven, the world is filled with myriad dao and the most important is to maintain ones conscience. No one has the right to make decisions for Qianye and youre no exception. Thats your path, not mine. Then we shall see, Wei Potian replied in simple words. At this point, he had nothing more to say and thus turned around to leave. However, Song Zinings voice reached him from behind. Qianye and I were classmates for five years and partners for two. If youre interested, you can find out what it means to be partners in Yellow Springs. Wei Potian noticed that Song Zinings tone as he spoke those last words was especially odd. He couldnt help but glance backSong Zinings jade-like countenance almost seemed devilish under the scarlet moon. He then took a deep breath and left. In truth, he didnt need to inquire. Wei Potian knew what kind of place Yellow Springs was. Less than one out of a hundred students survived the place, and their very first class involved killing their partners. These were the two charges frequently brought up by the opposition party to condemn the death training camp. After Song Zining left, Nangong Xiaoniao sat in her room for an entire night, doing nothing apart from stroking the metallic sphere subconsciously. Only when there was, once again, a knock on the door did she jump up like a startled little bird. A maids voice came through the door, Miss Nangong, the commander invites you to breakfast. Breakfast? Ah, okay! Just a moment! Ill be done right away. Right away! Nangong Xiaoniao practically flew into the bathroom and, as expected, found a girl in the mirror with disheveled hair and panda eyes. She was almost in tears. She made herself presentable as quickly as possible and rushed out within three minutes. As for the effects, she could only leave it to fate. At this time, the anxious thoughts that had wracked her for the entire night had been tossed away. Breakfast was served in a small guest-cum-dining room at the other end of the corridor from Qianyes room. Qianyes life wasnt that luxurious at first, but a reception area became necessary after the arrival of Zhao Yuying and the noble ladies. In addition to being a necessary etiquette, it was also to prevent them from charging into his living room all the time. Qianye and Zhao Yuying were already seated by the time Nangong Xiaoniao arrived. She rushed to the table, jumped into the seat, and quickly sat straight with a very unnatural expression. Zhao Yuying was cutting a cigar on the dining table at the moment. She tossed one at Nangong Xiaoniao and said, Enough, stop pretending! Its tiring to do this every day and you still have a long while ahead of you! Smoke one first to celebrate the slap I gave Nangong Ling. The goods here are quite rare. Nangong Xiaoniao picked up the cigar reflexively but soon came to. She stole a glance at Qianye, put the cigar back onto the table, and said with her head lowered, I I dont smoke. Zhao Yuying let out an odd cry, Oh! You dont smoke?! Enough! Who stole half a box of my premium goods back then? Humph, I still remember how you almost choked yourself half-dead on your first try. But, half a month later, youve already learned how to steal my cigars! When did I Nangong Xiaoniaos head was almost pressed against the table. Then there was that one time you demonstrated how to light a cigar with origin power! This time, Nangong Xiaoniao really pressed her red face directly on the table and mumbled, Stop, please stop. I-Ill smoke! Now thats more like it! Theres no need to act like a refined lady in front of my Qianye! Qianye glared fiercely and whispered, Whats this about not needing to act like a refined lady? Zhao Yuying patted Qianyes shoulder in an incomparably outspoken manner. Shes already trying to act like a refined lady and probably wont let you bring her onto your bed so easily. Listen to this sister, just push her down and be done with it! Were doing big things. How can we have the time to spend on a woman? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Beside them, a trembling Nangong Xiaoniao succeeded in lighting the cigar only after numerous attempts. It took her several continuous puffs before she managed to calm down. Qianye had nothing more to say about her habit of smoking cigars at breakfast. He shot Zhao Yuying a sidelong glance and said, These cigars will go into your tab. Stop eyeing the military budget. Zhao Yuying immediately sat straight. She approached Qianye with a charming expression and said gently, Qianye, youre already an important character who wields a big territory. Dont be so miserly! Its just some cigars. Rest assured, when have I ever mistreated you? Xiaoniao!!! Nangong Xiaoniao was shocked out of her wits. Eh?! Undo your top three buttons! Now! Nangong Xiaoniao was momentarily dazed. Un-undo my buttons? I-I havent Zhao Yuying said with an evil smile. Theres only me and Qianye here. And its only three buttons! Whats the big deal? Undo them! If you dont, then Ill talk about our little incident in the tent No! Nangong Xiaoniao was apparently worried. She quickly opened up the top two buttons but began to hesitate at the third. The greater half of her bosom would be revealed after undoing the third button on her military uniform. Enough! Stop messing around! Qianye roared and knocked Zhao Yuying on the head before leaving the dining room in large strides. Zhao Yuying shot an angry glare at Nangong Xiaoniao. Look at you! Why didnt you unbutton quickly? Now you pissed Qianye off. Nangong Xiaoniaos hands were frozen on the third button and her brain was muddled. Eh? Qianye was really angry? Just because of this button? She instinctively felt that something wasnt quite right, but couldnt think of what it was. Zhao Yuying summoned the maid regretfully and said, Put this meal on your commanders tab. Oh right, send a box of cigars to my room in a while and put that on his tab too. The maid naturally understood this rather famous Zhao young miss and, with a nod, proceeded to do as instructed. As such, a small part of Qianyes military budget was swindled yet again. Qianye was already quite full and didnt want to deal with the piles of documents just yet. As such, he asked his guards to open up a drill grounds so he could warm up his sword techniques. But he was feeling ill at ease throughout the sessionNirvanic Rend would either fail to exert its full might or it would go out of control. After destroying half the steel dummies in the drill grounds with a single slash, Qianye finally put away East Peak and headed toward Nangong Xiaoniaos room. He knocked for a long time but the room remained silent. The maid outside had clearly seen Nangong Xiaoniao return, so why was there no response? Qianye tried pushing lightly on the door and proceeded to walk into the room after finding it unlocked. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 370: Aura of an Old Friend [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The room was fairly messy with components and tools scattered everywhere like an old arms workshop. It was a wonder how she had brought so many things into the room. Qianye heard some movement in the bathroom and thus walked over to take a look. There, he saw Nangong Xiaoniao standing before the mirror muttering irresolutely to herself, Third button, third button. Qianye was worried after seeing her in this state and couldnt help but call out, Xiaoniao? Eh?! Nangong Xiaoniao turned around like a whirlwind, her face pale and clearly startled. When she saw that the one standing before her was Qianye, she immediately began to sway and could hardly stand straight. Are you alright? Qianye was even more worried now. I-I Nangong Xiaoniaos brain seemed to be filled with gears at this moment, and all of them were creaking and groaning. It was a mystery just what kind of conclusion they had churned out. She suddenly pulled open her third button and said to Qianye, Ill undo it! Qianye was deeply affected after seeing Nangong Xiaoniaos almost bursting cleavage. Nangong Xiaoniao was still the sweet and adorable little rookie from back thenthe impact of her childish face paired with such a bosom was indeed incomparable. Xiaoniao, dont do this. The button Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when Nangong Xiaoniao spoke once more, Im undoing it! Helpless to do anything else, Qianye shouted, Rookie! Attention! One order, one actionNangong Xiaoniao stood to attention out of reflex. Unexpectedly, her nerves were tense and her movements were too forceful, nearly causing her chest to pop out of her clothes. Nangong Xiaoniao glanced down at her chest and then at Qianye. A different implication appeared in her bewildered eyes as though she had understood something. Qianye was overcome by the urge to put his palm to his face. He did his best to maintain a straight face and shouted, Rookie, button up your clothes! Nangong Xiaoniao asked innocently, You dont need me to undo one more? Qianyes vision grew dark, and he finally realized that perhaps the rookie had grown up all of a sudden. In the end, he decided that this matter couldnt continuehe forcefully pulled up Nangong Xiaoniaos clothes and did all of her buttons one by one. But Qianye immediately regretted his decision when his fingers came into contact with the skin on her chest. It was inexplicably exquisite and the elasticity was astonishing. Enough, Xiaoniao, lets get back to proper matters. I might have to go to on campaign in the near future. What do you intend Eh? Wait! Qianye suddenly felt a familiar aura. It was extremely faint, but the familiarity became exceptionally clear after taking notice of it. His heart skipped a beat. He fully activated his perception and discovered a wisp of blood energy, one that was extremely faint and unassimilated by the darkness origin power in the environment. Qianye was indeed incomparably familiar with this strand of blood energy because he had once possessed it. However, the golden blood energy was purified and transformed into the dark golden blood energy after he gained major success in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. That blood energy was devoured by the terrifying origin power vortex. Presently, he had once again perceived the smell of this blood energy and immediately detected this barely discernible presence. This blood energy reminded him of a certain person, a person he thought he would never see againNighteye. Qianyes eyes swept through the messy room and found the source of this blood energy. It was an opened metallic sphere with its internal compartment exposed. The compartment was silver and just as smooth as its outer shell with a number of small holes lining its upper half. Under his true vision, Qianye saw that the origin power in the surrounding environment was exceedingly active and flowing into the internal compartment continuously. Meanwhile, a strand of extremely faint blood energy was flowing out from the small holes above. This is the core of the origin array. You managed to open it? asked Qianye. Nangong Xiaoniao nodded. It wasnt so hard. I managed to open it after a few tries. But we need to open the internal compartment to know exactly what its used for. Can you open it now? Qianye was eager to know more. Let me try! Nangong Xiaoniao flipped through the metallic components and whipped out a number of oddly-shaped special tools. She first fixed the silver component on the workbench and then brought out a set of slender metallic needles which she carefully inserted into different parts of the internal compartment. The silver compartment was as bright and clean as a mirror, and even Qianye couldnt find any openings apart from the small holes. It was unknown just how Nangong Xiaoniao managed to pierce all the needles in after feeling the surface carefully with her hands. Nangong Xiaoniao produced a special golden needle once the ten odd metallic needles were in place. She tried out a couple of places and then chose one to probe into the internal compartment. She then flicked lightly when the needle was halfway in. Suddenly, numerous origin array patterns lit up on the originally bare needle and rapidly extended to cover the entire compartment. A number of gaps emerged on the surface of the internal compartment amidst minute snapping sounds and weaved together before opening up like a blooming flower. The process of opening the internal compartment was a new experience for Qianye. He had never imagined there would be such an exquisite mechanism on earth. Moreover, the internal compartment was opened in less than three minutes in Xiaoniaos hands. One had to know that many famous Red Scorpion array specialists had worked on it for quite some time, but failed to tackle even the outer shell, not to mention the internal compartment. From this, it was quite reasonable that the old men from Red Scorpion were willing to offend Nangong Yuanbo for her. Qianyes eyes fell on the opened internal compartment. It was lined with dense array patterns which formed an incomparably exquisite three-dimensional structureit was almost like a work of art. There was a dark fingernail-sized crystal planted at its center, and one could vaguely make out a thin strand of blood within it. The aura of the sanguineous thread abruptly grew stronger after the internal compartment was opened, a clear indication that the crystal had no sealing properties. On the contrary, its function was to nurture and disseminate its aura. Qianye was finally certain that this wisp of blood was Nighteyes. Why would her blood appear here? Qianye asked in contemplation, Xiaoniao, what is this origin array used for? Nangong Xiaoniao replied, Judging from the utility of the origin array, there are four functional areas. One is to draw in darkness origin power, nurture the fresh blood, and maintain its vitality. The second function is similar to a blood shackle. The warning mechanism of the array will be activated when the owner of this drop of fresh blood enters its effective range and, when needed, it can suppress the bloodline associated with that drop of blood. Im not too clear about the other two arrays. Ive never seen anything similar beforeI might be able to crack them, but Ill need some time to test them out. Qianyes heart sunk for some unknown reason. He had only encountered the blood shackles once and that was when the vampires were hunting Nighteye down. They had utilized the blood shackles to trace her movements and suppress her strength. Now that the present array had incorporated the abilities of the blood shackle and contained Nighteyes aura, it was clear that the person behind this had evil intentions. When he had seen her last time, it seemed as though Nighteye had already become a major character among the vampires. Could the target of this extravagant set up be her? Qianye gave it some thought and asked, How wide is the area of its effect? Nangong Xiaoniao brought the internal compartment to her eyes and inserted a thin needle into the origin array as a reference. She then performed some silent calculations before saying, It can affect an area of approximately 200 kilometers if installed at a height of 300 to 500 meters. Only 200 kilometers. Then there should be many more such origin arrays. Its impossible for there to be only one. Qianye pondered for a moment and then continued, I still have components from another origin array. Its of a much larger scale, and its complexity is even greater. Please help me crack that one too if possible and see what its uses are. Okay! Nangong Xiaoniao agreed while puffing up her chest. Qianye moved his eyes away and said, Ill send people to assist you. Just tell me whatever you need. With that, Qianye prepared to excuse himself. But Nangong Xiaoniao suddenly blocked his way. She drummed up her courage and said, See? I still have some uses. Ill try hard and make myself even more useful! Can you please not send me away because of the Nangong family? Qianye glanced at Nangong Xiaoniao, and in her large eyes, he saw courage, determination, and apprehension. He sighed lightly in his heart and said, Dont worry. No need to pay too much attention to the Nangong family. This is, after all, the Evernight Continent. But I cant keep you here if the Red Scorpions demand it. Qianyes voice hadnt even trailed off when brilliant colors erupted from Nangong Xiaoniaos eyes. She came pretty close to jumping about and kept on nodding furiously. Rest assured, the Red Scorpions wont do that. I have ways to deal with them! Seeing Nangong Xiaoniaos excited state, Qianye suddenly realized that he might have made a mistake. Those old men mightve spoiled herit seemed they had no way to deal with her if she insisted on staying. Qianye shook his head. The ineffable shadow vaguely shrouding his heart had lessened by quite a bit. He reached out to rub Nangong Xiaoniaos head and said, Ill be leaving first. I have some business to attend to. And stop messing around with Zhao Yuying. Dont just undo your buttons randomly, you hear? But it seemed quite effective. Effective my a*s! Qianye knocked on Nangong Xiaoniaos head, pushed the door open, and left. There was no telling how many more buttons this little rookie would undo if he stayed longer. After returning to his study, Qianye unfurled a table-top deduction map and outlined a 200-kilometer circle around Green Peak Mountain. Afterward, he pushed outward and expanded another 200 kilometers, penning in a number of possible origin array locations. Qianye gazed at the map with his brows locked in a frown. The dark race territory seemed to be hidden behind an iron curtain, and the humans understood little about them up until this day. When Qianye saw Nighteye for the second time at Earth Castle, he saw that she was wearing a golden datura emblem. That was the insignia of the Monroe clan, one of the twelve ancient bloodlines. But he knew almost nothing else about her. He knew not whether she was still on Evernight Continent, which clans she had an enmity with, or if the vampires and werewolves who had hunted her down the first time were on the same side as those setting up the origin array. Qianye committed to memory the area he had drawn and the specific coordinates of the potential sites before crushing the map into a pile of paper shreds. At this time, a drawn-out whistle rang out in the distance, followed by what sounded like rolling thunder. That was the sound made by dozens of airships in ascent. Qianye walked to the window and saw a massive airship gradually rise into the air from behind Blackflow City. The origin arrays at the ships belly flickered on and off as the darkness origin power in the environment fluctuated continuously. This massive vehicle comparable to half the city rising into the air was the third army corps flagship. After it took to the air, the other corvettes, patrol ships, and transports all soared into the air in quick succession. Moments later, the entire sub-fleet was assembled above Blackflow City. Then, the strangely-shaped retro-airships belonging to the numerous noble ladies started taking to the air. They left under the protection of the escort fleet and finally vanished over the horizon. Qianye was gazing absent-mindedly at the empty sky when Seventeen came to report that General An Shaonian of the Red Scorpions was here to visit him.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 371: Danger From Behind [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye couldnt help being startled after hearing this news and immediately instructed her to invite the man in. His emotions were fairly complicated when he received Song Zinings letter back at Black Ridge. Qianye had completely changed in terms of identity, appearance, and aura, and those who had fought alongside him had mostly fallen in that battle. He had no reason to worry about his identity being exposed even if he met those from Red Scorpion once again, but there was a lingering sense of frustration and loss in his heart. Qianye had never met this Brigadier General An Shaonian in person, but he had seen the mans data. He was yet to become a general, but his experience was comparable to a scorpion king. With Red Scorpions casualty rate and the tradition of higher-ups acting as rear-guards during retreat, scorpion kings who had been in service for over a decade were as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers. At the thought of this, another name popped up in his memory, Wei Lishi. Colonel Wei was one of the scorpion kings who had stood shoulder to shoulder with An Shaonian back then, and it was he who had brought Qianye into Red Scorpion. However, he was buried within that conspiracy. Qianye had to take a deep breath in order to calm down his almost boiling blood. The door was pushed open following Lil Sevens clear announcement, and in walked a lanky man with an astute countenance. As expected, he was a typical military man, a model Red Scorpion member. General An, please take a seat. Please dont hesitate to tell me if theres anything I can help. Qianye stood up to welcome the man with a level of intimacy which he, himself, wasnt aware of. An Shaonian simply returned the courtesy but didnt sit down immediately. He sized Qianye up with incisive eyes and suddenly shouted, Forgive me! His voice hadnt even trailed off when origin power surged over his entire body and a punch was shot toward Qianyes fist! An expression of astonishment flashed across Qianyes face, and a deep blue radiance emerged in the depths of his eyes. He saw, in his True Sight, that all the origin power in the vicinity had flared up at this moment and numerous threads were aggregating toward An Shaoninas fist. This fist strike appeared simple and was but the basic stance of the military combat technique. However, every square inch of its force was solid after drawing upon the origin power in the vicinity, and there was not a single weak point to be exploited. Utilizing this basic straight punch from the military combat technique to such a level was a sign of a grand dao simplification. Qianye had let out a low roar and threw a similarly simple punch which crashed into An Shaonians fist! A thunderous explosion rang out from the study as a gust of qi rolled upward from the point of impact, quietly cutting a bowl-sized hole in the ceiling and almost piercing through the roof. However, the other objects in the room were undamagedeven the tea-table between them and the sofas werent displaced in the slightest. An Shaonian seemed completely unfazed after the exchange of fists. Meanwhile, a flush of redness emerged on Qianyes countenance, but he recovered immediately afterward. Apparently, he had suppressed the origin power impact and backlash during this short moment. The astonishment on An Shaonians face was clear. He was a scorpion king and, although only a brigadier general in rank, even an imperial regular army general like Zhang Zixing wouldnt dare slight him in terms of combat strength. Even though he hadnt exerted his full strength with that blow, Qianye hadnt used any evasive movements or secret arts to dispel it either. He had forcefully received the assault head-on and yet he wasnt struck down. This was already the standard of a scorpion king in Red Scorpion. Moreover, An Shaonians champion-level talent was Origin Power Precision which allowed him to wield combat strength surpassing his own rank. The very little overflow with that strike just now was a clear indication of his exquisite control over origin power. What was abnormal was that Qianye had managed to do the exact same thing, and he wasnt even a champion yet. An Shaonian sighed in admiration and said, I heard that Commander Qianye, born a bounty hunter, had built the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps from scratch and devoured the expeditionary army seventh division even before a year had passed. I originally believed this news to be overly exaggerated, but your combat strength is actually far above the rumors. The victor isnt a certainty if we had gone all out against each other. General An has overpraised me. Youre not just any general either. Qianye smiled. The combat strength of Red scorpion soldiers was far above what their ranks implied. The more complicated their environments, the better they could reflect this point. You arent an ordinary corps commander either. An Shaonian also smiled, but his expression turned solemn soon afterward as he said, Commander Qianye should already have guessed the intention of my visit. I come to discuss the matter of Colonel Nangong. Qianye nodded slightly. Qianye had already guessed, upon hearing of his visit, that the man was here for Nangong Xiaoniao. An Shaonian pondered for a moment as though he were carefully choosing his words and then said, Im sure Commander Qianye has more or less heard about Colonel Nangongs importance to Red Scorpion. But Xiaoniao is rather obstinate and we can hardly persuade her once she decides to stay. Moreover, her circumstances will be even more dangerous if she ran off on her own. Qianye was also quite distressed about this matter, but he couldnt help but become soft-hearted when he recalled the little girls manner as she said, Ill make myself useful. Please dont send me away. An Shaonian added, I came to Evernight Continent on an important mission and will have to leave very soon. I suggested leaving some men with Colonel Nangong, but she refused me. In truth, the number of men I can spare is fairly limited even if she didnt. Qianye naturally understood the other partys situation very well. The mission level of An Shaonians unit couldnt be inferior to the one that had mobilized a third of Red Scorpion back then. This also implied a higher level of danger. Qianye gave it some thought and said, General An, you probably know that weve been campaigning against the dark races recently. But Ill do my best to ensure her safety as long as she stays within the city. An Shaonians expression showed some relief after hearing Qianye say so. Theres probably no problem with Colonel Nangongs safety with you and Miss Zhao Yuying around. However, some people might come to trouble you, and these people might not be limited to the Nangong family. Qianye nodded. I understand. Thank you for General Ans warning. This didnt come as much of a surprise either. Red Scorpion itself had a lot of enemies within the army and government. An important character like Nangong Xiaoniao leaving the headquarters would definitely draw the attention of those lying in wait for an opportunity. The Nangong family wont dare do anything to the colonel in the open, but this is the Evernight Continent, and the imperial armys deterrence here is that much weaker. Theres nothing much I can do either. Ill just leave this little thing here. Perhaps therell be an opportunity to make use of it in the future. An Shaonian placed a box on the table. Qianyes heart was slightly moved after seeing its familiar lead-sealed style. He opened it and found a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation within. This was a clear implication that the danger An Shaonian had just mentioned very likely involved humans and not the dark races. An Shaonian laughed in self-deprecation. Life in a military post is poor and full of hardship. Many years of accumulation was only enough to buy a single bullet. I hope it can be used to good effect in Commander Qianyes hands. Qianye suddenly felt the box in his hand grow exceedingly heavy. An Shaonian was also of civilian origins. Even though Red Scorpions accumulated more merits than the ordinary army corps and were granted higher priority in exchanging them for military supplies, he had still expended a significant amount in order to advance to a champion. Qianye pushed the box back. General An, its better you take this back. Truth be told, I also have a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation in my hands. An Shaonian shook his head and said, The duty of the Red Scorpions is to fight against the other races. I have little use for such an item. But the same cant be said for you. There are many enemies in Evernight Continent, both in front and behind. Qianye heaved a heavy sigh in his heart. He was, of course, all too clear that Red Scorpion missions didnt always target the dark races. In truth, certain missions related to internal affairs were even more rewarding and involved less danger. This was likely An Shaonians personal choice. The general added with a smile, Fighting dark races is simpler. My talents are limited so I tend to be lazy and choose simpler work. With that, An Shaonian excused himself. The figure of his back was as straight and tall as a pine tree. North of the Transcendent Continent was a river called Yi which spanned across three provinces and meandered for thousands of kilometers. The Yidong Province was one of the three, located at the nine bends of the rivers middle segment. It was most prosperous with tens of kilometers of fertile lands. The Nangong familys fiefdom was within the Yidong province, and six out of ten in the province had their surname. The empire had conferred three marquis and eleven counts along the Yi river, and only the Nangong family was able to use the title Marquis of Yishui. This went to show the imperial favor and authority they enjoyed. The Nangong family was already one of the three marquis hundreds of years ago when the empire was fighting the dark races for control over Transcendent Continent. Later on, they proved themselves time and again with outstanding military accomplishments and went on to become the only regional marquis around the Yi River. This allowed them to develop their private army without any restrictions. Presently, the Transcendent Continent had long since been taken over by the empire, and there were no longer any wars. The Nangong familys private armies were mostly dispatched to the battlefields on the Eastern and Western Continents as well as to guard their resources outside of the fiefdom. The private army left to guard their lands had grown smaller over the years due to the growing peace, but even so, it was far greater in scale than that of the other two marquis. The Yishui Provincial government was located within the Transcendent North City, half of which was occupied by the Nangong Manor. As such, the successive lords of the Nangong family had privately given it a nickname: Half-Nangong City. One could imagine the depth of the marquis manor just from how it was known as half a city. The primary manor was constructed halfway up the Wei Mountain to the north of the city and extended all the way down to the foothills. As for the wide residence at the base of the mountain, it was where the various branch families lived. At this moment, within the study of a big residence, Nangong Yuanbos expression was ashen. He roared furiously, Useless! All of you are useless! What use are you if you cant even deal with such a small matter properly? Several people were kneeling in a wide room the size of several ordinary family courtyards. In addition to Nangong Ling, her maid and guards who had gone with her were also present. At this moment, Nangong Yuanbo was in a fit of rageeveryone had their head lowered and dared not make the slightest movement, lest they attract the flames of his ire. Nangong Yuanbos wrath calmed down after cursing for a while. Linger, stand up. Nangong Ling stood up with her head still lowered, not daring to glance at Nangong Yuanbos expression. Nangong Yuanbo paced back and forth a couple of times with his hand behind his back. Then, he suddenly stopped in front of Nangong Ling and said, You said it was Zhao Yuying who slapped you? Nangong Ling trembled slightly and replied, Yes. And in front of all the noble ladies, she said she said What did she say? She said I shouldnt hesitate to report her and that it''s useless no matter where I take this matter! Bang! Nangong Yuanbo crushed the jade lion he was fiddling in his hands into fine powder and roared, How arrogant! Yes! Shes simply a female hoodlum. Nangong Ling hadnt even finished speaking when a slap landed on her face once again, whipping her onto the floor. Nangong Ling covered her swollen face and glanced blankly at Nangong Yuanbo. The marquis snorted deeply. Even if shes a scoundrel, she still has her grandfather, Duke You! Humph, female scoundrel? I, on the other hand, hope I have such a female scoundrel for a daughter. Zhao Yuying is a character with the potential to become a divine champion. What about you lot? How far will you go past champion rank? Rank two? Three? No one dared speak a word in the face of his thunderous wrath. Nangong Ling had already served as an example, and the others here were all stewards and servants. Who would dare provoke Nangong Yuanbo? You cant even deal with a mere Nangong Xiaoniao and the engagement with Wei Qiyang has probably been slapped away too. Tell me what use are you?! After the fit of anger, Nangong Yuanbo took a deep breath to suppress his rage and called out, Xiaofeng! A man walked out from the shadows of a bookshelf, Im here. Nangong Yuanbo said in a deep voice, You go and wipe out that Dark Flame or whatever. A group of lowly civilians dares interfere with the internal affairs of our Nangong family. They can hope for a better next life! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 372: The Secret of the Werewolves [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] That person revealed a set of snow-white teeth. There seemed to be a shade of lingering haze between his delicate, upright brows. He said with an almost frivolous tone, A mercenary head? A trivial matter. Nangong Yuanbo pondered for a moment and added, Its fine as long as you dont offend the expeditionary army too badly. Additionally, bring Xiaoniao back if you get the chance. But you must get it done efficiently and without loose ends, understand? His smile grew even more peculiar. Understood. I wont take action before finding a good opportunity. A regional expeditionary army division not under the command of a corps didnt amount to anything. But the same couldnt be said for Red Scorpioneven the Nangong family wasnt willing to go head-on against an elite corps ranked within the top five in the empire. Nangong Yuanbo wanted to say something after seeing this persons expression, but he restrained himself and said, Dont hesitate to utilize the necessary resources. I only wanted this matter handled successfully. The young man smiled silently and said, Should I deal with Zhao Yuying while Im at it? Nangong Yuanbo asked with a frown, Are you confident? Two parts. Thats enough. Two parts? Humph! Nangong Yuanbos expression was furious. Even if you manage to realize this twenty percent chance, how confident are you in hiding it from Zhao Xuanji? The man laughed. None. But uncle, isnt dealing with Zhao Xuanji your business? Nangong Yuanbo replied furiously, If I can deal with Zhao Xuanji, then I would be Duke You instead of the Marquis of Yishui! Only at this point did the man take on an enlightened demeanor and said, Oh, I see. Very well then, Ill stay away from Zhao Yuying. Enough, everyone withdraw! Nangong Yuanbo waved his sleeves angrily and went back inside. The man standing within the shadows had his back half-bent all this time and only stood straight after the marquis figure vanished beyond the doors. The level of etiquette was a bit too exaggerated, and almost contained a hint of mockery. The room immediately turned silent. He suddenly turned around and glanced at Nangong Lings party with the same silent smile on his face. Nangong Ling couldnt help but shiver and her already bloodless face turned as pale as snow. She produced a smile with great difficulty and said, Cousin Xiaofeng, Ill take my leave now if theres nothing else. The man nodded slowly. Nangong Ling immediately performed a salutation as though she had been granted a great amnesty and left hurriedly without even daring to look back. Nangong Xiaofeng was the number one genius of the Nangong familys younger generation, comparable to even the top descendants of the four major clans. However, his warped personality was just as outstanding as his talents. He was a double-edged swordeach side just as sharp as the otherand even Nangong Yuanbo had cut himself once. A younger generation descendant like Nangong Ling would, under normal circumstances, rather not bump into this cousin of hers. But after withdrawing into the courtyard, Nangong Ling revealed a delighted expression as she gazed at the wisterias hanging from the flower canopy. That was because she knew that Blackflow City would, no doubt, become a living hell with Nangong Xiaofeng taking action. She was happy to let that woman who still dared to use the Nangong surname witness the destruction she had brought about! She was even more hopeful that Nangong Xiaoniao would be secretly taken care of since killing young ladies slowly and sadistically was Nangong Xiaofengs favorite pastime. But she knew chances were slim since Nangong Xiaoniao was Nangong Yuanbos forbidden zone. Nangong Xiaofeng, despite his warped personality, was by no means a foolhe wouldnt actually break such a taboo. Within a secret Red Scorpion base on the Qin Continent, a calm young man was standing before a desk with a weasel-hair brush in hand. He was busy copying a certain martial scripture in tiny, carefully crafted characters. The vertical and horizontal strokes in each character appeared straight, neat, and without the slightest bit of deviation. However, they all appeared stiff and were completely lacking in character. The long piece of calligraphy paper had been half-filled, and the characters written therein likely numbered in the thousands. At this moment, a young female officer entered and whispered something into his ear. The young mans hand trembled, and the brush in his hand immediately fell down, leaving a large blotch of ink on the paper. You mean Xiaoniao suddenly left? Do the old men know? His expression was calm, but his voice was trembling somewhat. Judging from various signs, they probably didnt know either. Its highly likely that Colonel Nangong left secretly, the female officer replied. There was a faintly discernible wisp of jealousy in her eyes. The young man said slowly, Go and check what Xiaoniao did before she left. For instance, what books she read, what information she checked on, and who she contacted. Then report the results to me. The female officer affirmed the instructions and was just about to leave when the young man called her back. Prepare my Windchaser. Ill leave once theres the slightest news of her. The female officer opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but refrained from doing so in the end and withdrew from the room. However, she couldnt resist the urge to peek through the crack in the door just as she was about to leave and witnessed the young man slowly tear the half-filled calligraphy paper apart from corner to corner. This caused her to tremble involuntarily. Each of the countless, neatly-arranged little characters on the paper was a cage used to contain the beast within his heart. And now, the cage had been destroyed. Qianye was always feeling ill-at-ease in the recent days. He was distracted every now and then by a sense of agitation during cultivation and while handling official business. Official matters fared much better. Everything was still progressing smoothly according to his plans and remained more or less unaffected. There was a small problem, however, with his cultivation. The cultivation rate of the two chapters, Mystery and Glory, had slowed down so precipitously because most of the essence blood obtained during the previous campaign had been absorbed by the Book of Darkness. Qianye couldnt find the reason for his restlessness, but the dark cloud in his heart was presently growing bigger and bigger. If not for Nangong Xiaoniaos research on the large origin array showing constant progress and his eagerness to see the results, Qianye mightve gone out to battle once again to calm himself down amidst blood and slaughter. An extremely bored Zhao Yuying grabbed Qianye in the afternoon for some idle chatter, to which Qianye responded absent-mindedly. The conversation eventually drifted to the dao of martial arts. Whenever they reached this topic, there would be an episode of Zhao Yuyings self-praise followed by a bout of belittling the other geniuses of the same generation. She suddenly recalled something after completing this procedure and asked, Youre already rank-nine at the moment. Why dont you have a domain yet? Domain? Isnt that supposed to happen after becoming a champion? Moreover, only a small number of champions are able to comprehend a domain. Zhao Yuying immediately shook her head. Thats a theory for useless people. According to normal standards, one should already have a fledgling domain by rank eight and it should become fully formed by rank nine. Everything will be too late if you comprehend it after becoming a champion! Qianye laughed wryly, What kind of standard is that? The Zhao clan standard, Zhao Yuying replied as though it were all right and proper. Qianye was speechless. Then, how many people have met these standards in the Zhao clan? Little Four and I have definitely surpassed it, and Old Two barely qualifies. There are also four or five more, but their potentials are lacking a little bit and even inferior to Old Two! That also means that there are only seven or eight such people in the entire younger generation of the Zhao clan? Thats already a lot. Thats why I say this standard is quite lax. There were tens of thousands of people in the Zhao clans younger generation, but only three of them had truly met Zhao Yuyings so-called standards. Qianye could only shake his head at this. My talents are inherently mediocre. How is that possible?! How can anyone preferred by your elder sister be lacking? The form of your innate talent is quite unique and quite easy on the eyes. Youll surely be very powerful in the future, so its also possible that your domain is taking some time to appear. Qianye felt somewhat guilty after hearing this. That so-called talent form was Andruils Wings of Inception. How could a relevant domain ever appear? Being powerful was a certainty, nonetheless. Some secret arts could produce their own domains after a successful cultivation. But unless the cultivation art was especially suitable for the cultivator, they are usually less powerful than the ones naturally awoken by ones innate talents. At this point, Zhao Yuying slapped Qinayes shoulder with great force and said heroically, Dont you worry though. Whether or not you have talent in domains is a small matter! Ill give you a copy of the Three Taiyue Divine Peaks after we get back to the Zhao clan, and youll be able to cultivate a domain no matter what. Her brows suddenly knitted together. You still seem to be cultivating the Combatant Formula. Although this thing is good for rushing ranks, it Qianye, on the other hand, didnt hear Zhao Yuyings question. A flash of lightning streaked through his mind the moment he heard her mention the Three Taiyue Divine Peaks. Green Peak Mountain! Zhao Yuying was baffled. What mountain again? You told me a couple of days ago about an important mining node in the area, remember? That is Green Peak Mountain. Zhao Yuying also recalled the matter. Right, but isnt that area the territory of the werewolves? Has the big dog shown any signs of movement? Werewolf strongholds were vastly different from the arachnes, and the biggest distinction was the choice of foundationthey favored rocky peaks over earthen mountains. This posed no hindrance to the werewolves who were known as the kings of the mountainous region. In their primitive form, even ordinary soldiers could run over rugged terrain as though they were on flat ground. Human warriors were differentordinary soldiers could hardly scale the precipitous heights, to speak nothing of shipping heavy weaponry. That was why Qianye had decisively given up on storming them after an entire night of scouting. He only left troops at the pass to seal off communication between the stronghold and the outside world. His original plan was to come back and deal with this isolated army after bringing the arachne counts entire eastern territory under control. Qianye stood up and paced around the room for a couple of times and said with a frown, I have a bad feeling as though something is happening at the moment. This kind of uncontrollable development is very frustrating. I dont want to wait anymore. Lets take down the werewolf territory first and link up all the special nodes. Lets see what kind of secrets are hidden in the ground beneath our feet. Well need to know more in order to decide what we should do. Its also a good idea to make plans in advance. What are your plans? Take down the leader! Ill go alone. Zhao Yuying nodded. Okay, but you should stay here for one more day. Ive just finished remodeling a new motorcycle, and it just so happens that you can use it. Xiaoniao also put in a fair bit of effort! A new motorcycle? The type with a large amount of gunpowder hidden inside? Qianyes expression was fairly ugly. No one was willing to sit with a pile of explosive under their buttocks. Zhao Yuying let out a dry laugh. Rest assured, the only way to ignite this mommys special gunpowder is via the built-in mechanism. Otherwise, it wont explode even if you shoot it with a gun. She stole a few glances at Qianyes expression and proceeded to guarantee while patting her chest. This time, Ill explain all the mechanisms on the bike! Qianye received his brand new motorcycle one day later. This motorcycle with a dark-red paint job was heavier than the previous one, and its external appearance was even more exaggerated. As one can well imagine, there had been a performance upgrade with this mechanical monster. Zhao Yuyings ostentatious portrait was painted above the fuel tank as usual but now with two adorable golden birds on each side. Qianye stared fixedly at the mutated smith symbol and felt speechless. He glanced up at the immensely satisfied Zhao Yuying and Nangong Xiaoniaos expectant countenance. Finally, he still got onto the bike and left the city. The Dark Flame camp outside of the werewolf pass had expanded to the size of a regiment. After the battles in other areas came to a close, all the motorized combat units apart from the stationary garrisons at Black Ridge and the fjords had gathered here. The commanders of the present camp were Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya. Although Dark Flame had yet to receive an independent division designation, the expeditionary army headquarters had tacitly recognized the fact that the seventh division had been replaced. The military channels were still regularly delivering all kinds of official documents and military intelligence. It had never stopped, even during the week Dark Flame had taken over Blackflow City. Not long ago, the seventh divisions half a year worth of rations, as well as the reward for killing dark races, were delivered normally, and with them was a batch of issued armaments. These weapons were grossly inferior to Dark Flames own equipment, but it was a strong message and a clear indication of the expeditionary army headquarters attitude. With that, Dark Flame, which had incorporated the seventh division, was granted unprecedented stability. Both Blackflow City and the new regions cultivated during the western expedition were operating with great efficiency, and the disloyalty of the surrendered officers was also wearing away. Accompanied by Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya, Qianye went up to the frontline position to observe the werewolf mountain pass. It was made up of two screen-like mountains, with only a gap between them several dozens of meters wide. Additionally, this natural passage inclined upward, making it easy to defend but hard to assault. The werewolves had sealed off the passage completely with the fort-like defensive structures and walls at the end of the passage. The positioning of these walls was fairly cleverartillery fired from the outside would have to pass through many layers of natural obstructions and could hardly strike the target directly. Duan Hao passed over a pair of binoculars. Sire Qianye, more and more weird things have been going on these days. Please take a look! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 373: Through the Mountain Pass [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye took the binoculars and, sure enough, saw a number of lifeforms resembling giant crocodiles crawling over the precipitous cliffs. Their bodies were several meters long with dark scales growing over them, and they were crawling slowly over the almost vertical cliffs as though on level ground. The scene before him caused Qianyes heart to tremble because there werent as many vicious beasts when he last came here. Most of the ones here preferred hiding in the dark corners and rarely climbed out into the open. Moreover, there were already hundreds of such crocodile-type beasts on the two sides of the cliffwho knows how many more were hiding in unseen places. Do you know where these things come from? asked Qianye. According to our observation, its very likely that they crawled out from the southwestern forest. But its indeed quite odd because these animals dont look like woodland creatures at all. Our scouts tried approaching the area, but had to give up on investigating deeper because the beasts there are too powerful, said Zhu Wuya. Oh? How are their strengths? Their power is proportionate to their size for the most part. The weakest ones among them require rank-three warriors to deal with, while only rank-four soldiers can hold back the bigger ones. Those especially large ones over there are probably leaders. Only I, Old Duan and a couple of other lieutenant colonels can handle them. Qianye nodded. What is their relationship with the werewolves? Duan Hao took over the conversation and replied, They seem to be completely unrelated. Just a while ago, I saw an impudent werewolf guard being torn to shreds after charging into their territory. But even if these mountainous crocodiles were unrelated to the werewolves, their area of activity happened to occupy the mountainous cliffs on each side of the mountain pass. This was equal to granting the werewolf defensive line another layer of natural fortification. Qianye assessed the surrounding landscape and pointed toward an area where the mountain crocodiles were the most concentrated. Fire a few cannon rounds at that area. Duan Hao and the rest hadnt made such an attempt because there was a risk of enraging the entire population of mountain crocodiles. But there should be no problem at the moment since it was Qianyes orders. The orderly flew toward the nearby firing point, and moments later, the sound of heavy cannons began to rumble. Shells rained down continuously on the concentrated group of mountain crocodiles. Several of them fell over a hundred meters from the cliff side and smashed heavily onto the ground. But unexpectedly, they only swayed a bit afterward and managed to clamber up. Apart from a number of unlucky victims that were directly struck and killed, the rest within the area of the shockwave were relatively unaffected. The crocodile horde became restless, and the ones within the coverage of the heavy cannons seemed to have sensed the source of the attack. They turned around in quick succession and were seemingly intent on moving toward Qianyes base. Like the first tidal wave in the great ocean, their movement gradually spread to and began to affect the other crocodile groups. Cease fire! Qianye ordered. The mountainous crocodiles suddenly lost their target after the cannons stopped rumbling, and their movements were thrown into momentary confusion. After a while, the entire herd gradually calmed down and proceeded to divide the remains of the dead crocodiles for consumption. It seemed these mountainous crocodiles werent very intelligent but were quite sensitive to external assault. A couple more cannon shots wouldve incited the entire herd to charge at the Dark Flame base. Qianye pondered for a while and said, You lot remain on standby and keep an eye on the werewolves inside. Dont let them charge out no matter what. How about you? Im going to visit that Viscount Brudo. Qianye didnt stay any longer since he had already made the decision. He left the motorcycle within the Dark Flame camp and headed into the steep mountains on his own. The mountainous landscape posed little hindrance to Qianye. He had brought sufficient supplies inside Andruils Mysterious Realm, especially various types of grenades. The battle at the mine had allowed him to experience the tremendous might origin grenades afforded the lone raider. As such, they became his first priority when replenishing arms. Qianye traveled swiftly through the mountainous woods and shot straight into the pass. He was prepared to ascend the western cliff, circle around the barrier at the end of the passage, and head straight into werewolf territory. He came to a sudden halt while running as an agile shadow scuttled out from beneath the pile of leaves in front of him. The mountain crocodile opened its mouth wide and bit down with great ferocity. Its endeavor, however, was rendered fruitless by Qianyes sudden stop. Up close, the mountain crocodile was indeed a huge monster. Its body was over five meters long, and the scales on its back were as solid as slabs of rock. The most dangerous part was that this massive body was as agile as a mountain wolf. After missing its aim, the bite landed on a large tree behind Qianyesplintered wood flew out in all directions as a large defect as deep as the trees radius appeared on it. Qianye stepped to the side, performed a half turn, and stomped down on the mountain crocodiles back. At the same time, Scarlet Edge pierced deep into its neck at lightning speed. That was the mountain crocodiles vital area, and its hard scales could do little to block the grade-five Scarlet Edge. The strike sank with relative ease, all the way down to its hilt. Large amounts of essence blood rushed up from the Scarlet Edge. It turned out that this rank-three crocodile was able to provide even more essence blood than a rank-five dark race warrior. Qianye stood up from atop the corpse and continued forward. Very soon, he had killed yet another crocodile looking to ambush him. The current Qianye finally understood why Dark Flames scouts dared not go deeper into the southwestern forest. Although these crocodiles werent high in rank, they were strong, agile, and possessed far greater destructive power than the ordinary beasts of the Evernight wilderness. Qianye had killed off ten-odd mountain crocodiles within the short distance of several hundred meters. He finally stopped advancing after finishing off a ten-meter beast and left the mountain crocodiles active region. Qianye found a quiet place to calm down his somewhat boiling blood energy. These beasts contained several times the essence blood compared to a dark race warrior of the same level. He had already filled a small part of his capacity after killing only ten-odd crocodiles. However, the situation here was clearly abnormal. Even a small group of vicious beasts like the mountain crocodile would require a large hunting area. Otherwise, their consumption rate would destroy the ecosystem of the entire region. Presently, there was already such a large number of them in sightthere was surely a reason behind this unnatural phenomenon. Qianye cultivated the Mystery chapter in silence, consuming a part of the essence blood. He then continued in the direction of the werewolf settlement. But before long, he discovered the mountain crocodiles possessed extremely keen senses and were able to sense a persons movements from far away. It was impossible to pass through this area without alarming them unless Qianye expended large amounts of origin power to keep himself concealed. Qianye could think of only one strategy: let loose and kill his way over. These crocodiles were originally hunters of the mountainous woods, but they became prey through and through after losing the advantage of concealment before Qianyes Eye of Truth. Afterward, Qianye proceeded to hack his way through the horde of mountain crocodiles until his body was almost full of essence blood. He then found a hiding place and began cultivating the Mystery Chapter. Little by little, the essence blood transformed into darkness origin power which nourished the blood energy in his body. He set out once again after he had digested a good part of his essence blood, hunting and cultivating in turn. It seemed the adequate supply of essence blood had allowed the Book of Darkness to complete a full cycleits cover had almost lit up completely, and Qianye would soon be able to open it once again. Meanwhile, the greater half of that feather on the Wings of Inception had also materialized. In addition, the three types of blood energy had seen different developments, and the Dark Golden Blood energy was on the verge of welcoming its third evolution. When Qianye set out once again, he realized that the mountain crocodile horde had thinned out significantly, signifying that he had left their area of control. He scaled a certain cliff and looked down to find that he had already arrived at the other end of the natural mountain pass. A series of hillocks rose and fell behind the mountain ridge, dotted with verdant trees, and there was even a small, crystal-clear lake halfway down the mountain. The scenery atop the distant mountain was somewhat different. Qianye released his extraordinary eyesight to its maximum range and saw that it was a vast, crude, but majestic castle. The large pieces of greyish-white wallstones were completely unadorned and almost blended seamlessly with the windswept cliffs. A flag depicting three claw marks was fluttering atop the castlethis was the insignia of the werewolf Viscount Brudo. The claw marks symbolized his comprehension of the ancient werewolf traditions: speed, power, and destruction. A lush forest stretched from the base of the rocky peak and far into the distance. There was yet another beautiful mountain peak past a natural rift valleythat was Green Peak Mountain, the territory of the Sharp Fang tribe and also where Zhao Yuying had speculated the ore vein node would be. At this moment, Qianye was overlooking the entire area and could see the mountain pass. The werewolves had also built fortifications here to block the end of this passage, and there were a number of wooden huts and tents scattered nearby. Judging from their number and scale, Brudo seemed to have deployed hundreds of elite werewolf warriors herethis was over half of the viscounts fighting power. Qianyes gaze didnt linger here for too long and fell back onto the distant castle. The viscounts defensive line would naturally disperse so long as he could capture or kill Brudo. Werewolf castles were mostly built atop rocky peaks, and the basic materials were large pieces of rock which looked extremely sturdy at a glance. However, the werewolves advocated nature, and many of their tribes didnt even like using weapons in battle. As such, there were very few origin arrays and defensive mechanisms within their strongholds which, compared to those of other races, were primitive both in terms of decoration and function. It was undoubtedly much easier to raid such a castle as one would only require warriors capable of dealing with the werewolves. Qianye pulled out a large pack from Andruils Mysterious Realm and began his pre-battle preparations. He equipped and properly positioned his standard military knife, Scarlet Edge, the Twin Flowers, and other gadgets used for climbing and stealth. At last, he brought out a bottle of medicine and sprayed himself from head to toe. This was a drug specifically used to deal with the werewolves keen sense of smell. The scent would cause the werewolves instinctive discomfort, and thus made it easier for them to overlook the wearers aura. Qianye checked the equipment on his body once again and jumped down the cliff. He would hang onto the rocks and pause for a short while after every ten or so meters before continuing his descent; this repeated for several times until he had landed quietly on the ground. Afterward, he entered the forest and sped toward the viscounts castle in the distance. Qianye finished off two more mountain crocodiles near the cliff. It seemed their area of control had already stretched from the screen-like mountain pass to this region. Although their numbers here were negligible, Qianye still broke into a frown. While killing crocodiles all the way, he had discovered that the beasts that shouldve been living in the mountainous woods had almost been wiped outthis wasnt a good omen at all. Once the natural balance of the ecosystem had been destroyed, the next to be encroached upon would likely be the living space of intelligent creatures like the dark races and humans. Qianye pierced the Scarlet Edge into the neck of a leader-rank mountain crocodile and felt a rolling gush of hot blood flowing into his body. Meanwhile, the giant creature was still struggling continuously and only stopped moving after a few minutes. Qianye only felt warm and comfortable from head to toe. His limbs and bones were overflowing with energy, and his heart was beating with exceptional power. The essence blood provided by this large beast was already equal to an ordinary baron. This was the depths of the forest. Qianye glanced back at the position of the cliff which he had climbed down from and formed an estimate of the distance. He then pulled out the Scarlet Edge and made his way forward, quickly disappearing into the woodland shadows. A faint mist suddenly appeared over the forest as a barely discernible figure walked out from within. Her entire being was blurred, and her facial features werent clearly visibleone could only judge, from the graceful outline of her silhouette, that she was a woman. She stopped and slowly bent over the corpse of a mountain crocodile. She then sniffed the wound briefly and covered it with her hand. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 374: Glory of the Werewolves [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] A number of sharp nails sprang out of the ladys fingertips with which she sliced open the mountain crocodiles stony carapace as though it were thin paper. She checked the insides of the injury and, as expected, found that the flesh within had dried up. She then poked at the smooth injury near the mountain crocodiles vital area. Vampiric blade? Its becoming more and more interesting. Could it be the primo whos even stronger than Nighteye? As the lady stood up to glance at the surroundings, her eyes fell on the body of another mountain crocodile, then another. She stood there without moving at all, but it seemed as though her vision was completely unobstructed, as though it could pierce through the mountains and forests at will and find whatever she wanted to see. Moments later, her gaze turned toward Viscount Brudos territory. Her entire being grew blurry, and she soon vanished completely amidst a gust of mountain wind. The mountainous woods extending toward the viscounts castle had retained a fairly primitive appearance. There was only a single run-down passage leading toward the pass, but this didnt mean there werent any residents nearby. After forging ahead for a while, Qianye discovered that there were numerous small werewolf tribes scattered on the road to the castle. The warriors from those tribes served to guard the castles vicinity and were obstructions on Qianyes path. An inexplicable sensation emerged in Qianyes heart as though he had overlooked something. He simply halted his steps, leapt onto a fir tree growing straight into the clouds, and gazed at the werewolf viscounts core region unraveling before his eyes. Werewolves... brave warriors... so it was actually like this! Qianye suddenly realized that an assassination was probably not the best way. Killing Brudo would get rid of the werewolves most powerful military asset, but he would have to spend a lot of effort suppressing the resistance if he wanted to fully occupy the territory afterwards. Perhaps there was another choice. The werewolves in the area held primitive valor in high esteem, and as the viscount, Brudo was no doubt the most powerful warrior in the area. Since he was the most powerful, he would be the one to charge at the fore and accept any direct challenge in accordance with werewolf traditions. Qianye decided to change his strategy in the upcoming battle. Moments later, a sharp wolf howl suddenly rang out in the depths of the forest. The sound spread far into the distance and soon received a response in the form of several howls. This was a warningthe entire forest was alarmed in a flash and angry growls were heard repeatedly. After responding with a long howl, a young werewolf warrior rushed toward the direction of his companions first warning. But he hadnt run far when the figure of a human youth appeared in front of him. The werewolf warrior pounced forward instantly and bit toward the opponents throat. He had imagined himself snapping the invaders neck bone with a single bite. However, the human only stretched his hand casually, and the young werewolf found himself being clutched by the throat. The other partys hand felt as though it were cast from steel and refused to loosen no matter how he struggled. Qianye had little interest in the young werewolf in his grasp. Although the other party was already rank-five, he was only fighting instinctively and had not undergone any systematic and professional combat training. Warriors of such standards were useless against Qianye no matter how many of them there were. It seemed these werewolves werent aware of this fact at all, but Qianye would soon make them understand the disparity. Qianye increased the force of his grip ever so slightly and snapped the young werewolfs neck bone. He then loosened his grip and let the werewolf slide to the ground. The latter hadnt died yet, but would soon stop breathing without urgent treatment. Qianye started running through the forest once again. The complex landscape of the mountainous woods was the werewolves home ground, but it was also Qianyes home ground. He suddenly sped up, quickly catching up to a werewolf patrol squad and running alongside them. The sudden appearance of a human figure shocked the werewolves out of their wits. The warriors confirmed that it was a human only after a moment of confusion. A black-furred werewolf immediately roared, Intruder! Lowly human! Tear him apart and devour him! Numerous werewolves pounced forth in response. However, Qianye took a step forward, shot through the numerous werewolves at lightning speed, and appeared before the black-furred werewolf. A simple horizontal sweep of East Peak cut the werewolf into twoQianye had no habit of showing mercy to an enemy who planned on eating him. The black-furred werewolf, probably the captain of this small unit, was much stronger and sturdier than the other werewolves. Yet, he couldnt even block a single move under Qianyes sword. But the other werewolf warriors showed no signs of fear and continued their warning howls. At the same time, they pounced dauntlessly toward Qianye. Qianye raised East Peak horizontally and, with a shake of his wrist, numerous sword images materialized from the blades edge. Within moments, all the werewolves were struck in the abdomen and collapsed amidst mournful wailsnone of them could stand up again. Qianye slowly put away East Peak and left a word for the collapsed werewolves, Brudo would come and meet me in battle if he were a true warrior. Stop sending useless trash to die. With that, Qianye walked through the werewolves unhurriedly and vanished into the depths of the forest. Before long, a burly brown-furred werewolf appeared at the scene to whom the injured werewolves relayed Qianyes message. He was first astonished, then suddenly became enraged and let out a long howl toward the sky. Qianye hadnt gone very far when he heard the meaningful howl. He laughed coldly and turned back to meet the enemy in battle. Moments later, the brown-furred werewolfs entire body had sunk into a tree-trunk with his long tongue drooping to one sidehe hadnt even the strength left to draw it back in. His two hands were completely deformed, and countless bones in his body had been broken. At this moment, the vicious gleam in his eyes had been replaced by deep fear. Qianye stood before him and said indifferently, The time it takes to fight isnt as long as the time it takes to travel. With that, Qianye withdrew East Peak from the werewolfs neck and turned to leave. But for some reason, Qianye felt somewhat uneasy as though a pair of eyes were staring at him from somewhere. He subconsciously used True Sight to scan his surroundings but only saw some faint darkness origin power reactions in the distancethe somewhat fierce auras probably belonged to the werewolf warriors rushing toward this area. The wisp of peculiar sensation had died down within an instant and could no longer be captured. Qianye delayed no longer. He ran several kilometers and toppled yet another squad of werewolf warriors before drifting away into the distance. As casualties stacked up, the werewolves began to notice that the vast mountainous wood they were based in had become a natural hunting ground. It was just that the usual predator and prey had switched rolesthe human who had suddenly appeared was now the hunter, and the werewolves in the viscounts territory had all become prey. In the hall of the viscounts castle, Brudo was pacing back and forth with a continuous growl of anger. A table and several of chairs had already been torn to shreds under his claws. That wretched human actually dares humiliate me like so. He insults the most valiant warrior in this territory! The werewolves in the hall were all apprehensive and no one dared persuade the angry viscount. Only the human lady who had been sitting in the shadows said, Brudo, calm down! Youre not just a valiant warrior, but also a farsighted leader. Anger wont solve problems. Her voice was very soft, but the werewolf viscount still heard it amidst his fury. He snorted several times in succession before he finally managed to suppress his wrath. Brudo suddenly turned back to stare at the woman and said word by word, But hes provoking me? Hes issuing a challenge on our traditional hunting grounds! How can I not go to battle?! As a warrior, you should fight. But as a leader, you mustn''t fall into his trap. Hasnt the werewolf honor been manipulated enough by the vampires? Why would you be enraged by a human? Then what should I do?! Dispatch a group of your most elite warriors into the forest. Have them kill him or capture him. Since hes a human, his constitution will surely be his weakest link, and you have the advantage in numbers. Theres no need to fear sacrifice. Drag him to death! Brudos expression was gloomy, and the breath from his nose almost seemed as though it would burst into flames. But he began to ponder over her words. Gazing out from the window in front of him, he could see several hundred werewolf warriors had gathered atop a nearby hill. A tall werewolf stood in front of the group, waving his arms and shouting loudly. That werewolf had revealed his primitive formhis tall and sturdy body was covered in lustrous brown hair and was more valiant than most of the others at the scene. At this moment, he revealed the large scars on his body as he roared at the warriors below. We are the descendants of the wolf god. Every drop of blood in our veins is for the sake of battle! The lowly, treacherous, and weak humans are only fit to serve as food! Now, theres actually a human who dares provoke us. Brothers! This is our chance to restore our ancient glory and traditions. Follow me! We shall capture him, tear him apart, and serve him at the dinner table! The brown-haired werewolfs voice instilled bloodlust in the warriors who then began to howl excitedly as they materialized their wolf-forms in quick succession. Brudos expression was still gloomy. The brown-haired werewolf was his uncle, a long-term fanatic of Ancient Glory. Ancient Glory was one of the most radical factions among the werewolves who advocated the restoration the Wolf Gods rule over the Seven Holy-Land Continentsjust as it was during the legendary eraand destroy the other continents that were outside of the glory of God. Not only did they view humans as food, but also saw the vampires as incoexistable enemies. At the same time, they regarded the demonkin as treacherous, and the arachne as a race with incomplete evolution. As for the other minor races outside of the four major ones, they were all classified as mixed breeds. All in all, in the eyes of Ancient Glory, the entire world was their enemy, and even werewolves from other factions might join the list. Even Brudo, who followed traditions strictly, found this kind of radical ideology unacceptable. But Ancient Glory garnered increasing support from werewolves of the lower social strata. Brudo couldnt help but frown after seeing the brown-furred werewolf ignite the young werewolves emotions and wanted to go out and stop them. But his arm was suddenly pulled backthe woman had arrived beside him at one point and was also glancing out. Isnt this a good outcome? The sacrifice wont be your responsibility. Brudo struggled within his heart, but he didnt remove the ladys hand. Qianye hid in the luxuriant crown of an ancient tree, watching the roaring brown-haired werewolf through his scope. Although they were quite a distance apart, the wind just happened to be blowing in this direction. The werewolfs shouts echoed through the mountainous region and entered Qianyes ears intermittently. Tear all human livestock apart. Devour the wolf god. Conquer the world. The brown-furred werewolf was speaking in the common dark race language for the most part, but some of the most intense nouns sounded like wolf howls and was likely the werewolf tribal language. Qianye revealed a mocking expression after finally guessing the meaning of the frequently repeated wordsit turned out that they were part of Ancient Glory. He slowly pulled the trigger. The unique timbre of the Eagleshot tore through the skies as the brown werewolf collapsed. Qianye jumped onto the top of the tree and unhurriedly shifted the sniper rifle to his back. He then raised a middle finger at the werewolves who were almost boiling in anger before jumping down and vanishing into the forest. The werewolf viscount stood before the window and felt his body tremble. Qianyes middle finger was clearly aimed at him, and he couldnt cower in front of so many warriors. Brudo pushed the woman away firmly and leapt out of the window. He let out a long howl and chased after Qianye with astonishing speed.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 375: The Nameless Dancer [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The young werewolf warriors felt their blood boiling as they followed their leader into the forest. Brudo weaved through the forest like a bolt of lightning and had soon left the other werewolves far behind. The werewolf viscount didnt really care because, as the most powerful warrior in the territory, he felt guards were unnecessary. However, Brudos already heavy heart was soon covered in dark clouds after running several kilometers. That human had left no aura whatsoeverthis meant that he had come prepared and applied a medicine targeted at werewolves. This was the most common trick used by the cunning humans when ambushing werewolves, and it was fairly effective against ordinary warriors. But it had little effect against dark race champions because they would quickly perceive the abnormality in their sense of smell and investigate the source of the problem. Take the present situation for instancealthough there was no scent to guide the way, Brudo was still able to follow that wisp of peculiar intuition and pursue the target closely. What puzzled him was why the other party had come in secret and then provoked him so openly? This was poles apart from the normal behavior of the human race. There was still no trace of Qianye in front of him, and there were no werewolves who could catch up behind. Although Brudo was certain that he was chasing in the right direction, his heart was gradually filled with uneasiness. Werewolves were the kings of the mountainous regions and only vampires could match them in terms of speed. The other party was a mere human, so why hadnt he caught up yet? All of a sudden, Brudo found that he had charged into an open space, and there, at its center, was the human youth. And it seemed as though the latter had been waiting for him. Qianye said indifferently, Youre so slow. Human, youre humiliating the most powerful warrior in this land! A low and threatening growl escaped from Brudos throat. Qianye broke into a laughter. The most powerful warrior in the land? From now on, that is no longer the case. Brudo was enraged to the extreme. His disheveled fur stood up, and his sharp claws, dancing with a cold gleam, stretched out from his fingers. On the other side, Qianye raised his blade and launched a straight thrust. The sword strike was neither fast nor slow, but Brudo was overcome by a misconception that it was impossible to avoid. With a loud roar, the werewolf viscount brandished his claws and slapped ferociously upon the blades edge. For a split second, it felt as though he had crashed into a mountain. In the end, East Peak was still deflected to one side, but the steel gauntlet on Brudos hand was also torn into pieces. Qianye took a step forward and seized the opportunity to drag East Peak horizontally toward Brudos waist. Brudo slapped at East Peak once again, but this time, a laceration appeared on the back of his hand and blood began to seep out. The werewolf viscount could hardly believe itthat unassuming heavy sword was actually able to break his defenses. In the blink of an eye, East Peak had changed directions and slashed down once again. Brudo held back no longer and went all-out in battle. In Qianyes True Sight, blazing darkness origin power was rising over the werewolf viscounts body. Every wing of his fist possessed the explosive force of an origin cannon, and the origin power in the vicinity would aggregate on his claws with every swipe, strong enough to tear open the sturdiest of armors. East Peak drew several sword arcs in the air with no specific stance. It looked as though he was swinging randomly with nimble movements. But only Brudo, who was engaging him head-on, could feel pressure thereinevery slash felt as though a mountain peak was pressing down at his face. The werewolf viscount felt that his defenses were being cut open at their weakest point, and the resounding energy accompanying the heavy blade seemed as though it would devour everything. In Brudos memory, he hadnt felt so helpless even while contending against the powerful Count Stuka; it felt as though he had fallen into the deep ocean. Just as Brudo was finding it increasingly difficult to endure, Qianye took several steps back all of a sudden. He slowly raised East Peak and said unhurriedly, The final sword. This sword stance was average, unimpressive, and felt no different from the ones before. But an intense sensation of danger arose in Brudos heart as though the entire world was shaken. The werewolf viscount felt, with incomparable clarity, that the source of his vigorous power, the darkness origin power of the earth, was trembling wildly. Brudos hair stood on end as he let out a frantic howl and erupted with his full strength. Visible black flames appeared around the viscount as though the darkness origin power near him had been ignited. At this time, Qianyes strike arrivedthe dark heavy sword slashed open the void, stained with an indistinct radiance of indescribable color. Brudos darkness origin power defense, one so strong that it could be considered a second set of armor, was shattered like an avalanche. The werewolf viscount was sent flying backward and smashed heavily onto the ground. The thick armor on his body split apart as he struggled to clamber up, and a bloody line appeared at the center of his body. Brudos hands trembled as he glanced down at the wound. The strike, were it even slightly more forceful, wouldve cut open his abdomen. He glanced up to find that Qianye had stuck East Peak into the ground and now had a gun aimed at him. Fire. Brudo was exceptionally calm. This wasnt the first time he had had his defenses broken, but he hadnt felt so powerless even when he was defeated by the count. The strike just now had shattered not only the viscounts protective origin power, but also his connection with nature. This made him feel exceptionally weak, and the regenerative abilities the werewolves were so proud of had also been rendered ineffective. I dont want your corpse. I want submission. I think I made that very clear in the letter I sent to you. Brudo replied in a downcast voice, Werewolves will not surrender. Perhaps you can take a look at this and reconsider. Qianye tossed him the insignia of the Summit of Peaks. Brudo caught the heavy token, and his expression changed ever so slightly. His expression fluctuated as he brought the insignia to his nose and sniffed it a couple of times. You should know that we who pursue the ancestral path walk a different path compared to those from the summit. The difference has grown wider and wider over the years, so I wont obey their orders. The Summit of Peaks hasnt issued any order at all. Im just telling you that Im not an absolute enemy of the werewolves. With that, Qianye smiled and said, Naturally, we cant be friends. But you may lead your tribe and continue living on my territory as long as you fulfill your obligations. Itll be the same with how you treat Stuka. This is our land! Brudo roared. Qianye sneered, Dead men have no land, and dead wolves have no lair. Brudos vigor gradually weakened. He suddenly sniffed hard in Qianyes direction, and his expression changed drastically. An extremely hateful stench! You have the scent of fresh blood on your body! The werewolf viscount became agitated once again, and a red glow emerged within his eyes. Qianye replied calmly, Im a human. Brudo glanced at Qianye suspiciously, and at the same time, he was also baffled. Those bloodsucking vampires would rarely insist themselves to be human no matter what schemes they were plotting. Strength begets reverence and submission. Is this not your creed? Qianye spoke. Ive replaced Stuka and obtained his territory. In other words, Im now in power unless you plan to fight to the death or move your tribe away. These words seemed very logical. In fact, if only Qianye wasnt a human and, instead, a dark race noble, even the werewolf viscount himself would agree to his rights as the victor. Brudo was hesitant. What benefits will I gain from submission? You can maintain your present lives. I dont mind a werewolf tribe living in my domain as long as you fulfill your obligations as a vassal. Furthermore, you might be able to live even better if you offer more service. A low growl rolled through Brudos throat, but then he calmed down and said, It seems I have little choice. You would have more options if I were the one lying on the ground. Brudo spoke only after a moment of silence, I need some time to think this over. Fine. But you only have one day. I hope you understand that since I can win you in a fair fight, I have no fear of you going back to muster troops. I have even fewer qualms about killing more werewolves. Brudo nodded, moved back gradually, and turned around to enter the forest. Qianye also turned to leave. Moments later, he sat atop a tall, ancient tree and surveyed his surroundings. Since both parties had agreed on the time, Qianye would wait for a full twenty-four hours. Qianye wasnt worried that the viscount would change his mind after going back because, under that violent exterior, Brudo had a meticulous heart. Clever people would always think more, and this was a good thing. It was precisely because they thought so much that clever people were afraid of dying and making unnecessary sacrifices. Qianye suddenly discovered that he was beginning to like intelligent people. Qianye was prepared to visit Green Peak Mountain since he had the time to kill and visit the Sharp Fang chief in passing. The totems erected at the mountain pass defensive line indicated the small tribes on Brudos territory, but there was none belonging to the Sharp Fang Tribe. This was, perhaps, already a clear indication of the chiefs stance. Qianye leapt off the ten-meter tree and shot straight into the forest below. Along the way, he pulled on a thick branch in front of him, snapping it at the base. However, this movement transformed Qianyes descending momentum into a horizontal movement as he flew toward the distant Green Peak Mountain. It was at this time that Qianye spied something unusual through the corner of his eyes. He immediately landed on a tree branch with an eh?, and scanned a certain direction with his binoculars. Through the lens, he saw an unimaginable scene. The giant round moon was slowly rising in that direction as though a bright, shining border had been drawn on the night sky. And before this majestic and mysterious silver curtain was a dancing girl. The light of the full moon blurred out the details, and only her silhouette could be made out. But it was precisely because of this that her astonishingly perfect figure was magnified. She danced wildly, full of primitive unruliness. Her chest, her waist, her legs, all of them were shaking and trembling at an inconceivable frequency. Although the world within the lens was soundless, Qianye felt as though he could hear the sounds of an ancient drum beside his ears. She seemed in search of something. She seemed happy, yet distressed. All forms of intense emotions were being expressed vividly and silently via her dancing movements. Her limbs were, at times, unimaginably soft and, at times, full of powerful flexibility. Every swing of her hips, every twist of her waist, every kick of her legs, and every spring of her chest was like the powerful beat of a drum which made Qianyes heart beat along with its rhythm. Qianye watched silently for a while before putting away the scope. With the East Peak in his right hand and the Mystic Spider Lily in his left, he stood unmoving as he waited for this mysterious womans follow-up actions. He knew that genuine trouble had arrived. Qianye didnt believe that he would happen to witness this scene after raising his scope so randomly. Attracting his attention at the right moment and appearing within his lensthis was a type of unfathomable special ability. It was her intention to let Qianye see her. Before this mysterious woman, he would be courting death by running away. He might perhaps have a slim hope at survival if he stayed calm and engaged in battle. Qianye stood for a while just like that, but nothing happened. Just as he was starting to suspect whether or not it was an illusion, an alluring voice rang out beside his ears. The speaker seemed to be panting ever so slightly. Were you waiting for me?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 376: A Fatal Allure [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The voice came from behind and sounded fairly close. Qianye didnt turn back immediately. Instead, a deep oceanic blue flickered within his eyes. As expected, his True Vision perceived countless strands of unusual darkness origin power interweaving in the air around him. The source was behind him, and its area of effect had enveloped him completely. Qianyes eyes recovered its normal clear darkness as he calmly and gradually turned around. Hovering in the air in front of him was an indescribable woman. She was, without a doubt, beautiful, but her expression was as cold as ice. Although she was standing at the same height as Qianye, there was an inherent superiority in her eyesit was as if she were looking down at him from high above. However, there was one part of her that formed a stark contrast to her cold and arrogant demeanor. Her full, vermilion lips pursed ever so slightly and glistened with bright colors, adding a touch of liveliness to her painting-like countenance. Anyone who saw her would feel the urge to nip on them. The ladys figure at this moment was the polar opposite of that wild dancer inside his scopeone was ice and the other, fire. But such an intense contrast brought about a similarly powerful attraction. Qianye gazed at her with a fairly calm but probing attitude and asked without any emotional fluctuation, Who are you? She laughed suddenly. Thats not important. Now answer this one question, was my dance enjoyable? It was. Qianyes reply was sincere. It seemed she only twisted her waist ever so slightly before her figure crossed over several meters and arrived near Qianye. There, she leaned forward and asked again, Then, was it alluring? The deep ravine in her chest was clearly visible from this angleit would appear the degree of fullness was not inferior to Nangong Xiaoniaos. Qianye nodded yet again. The woman smiled in satisfaction as she gazed attentively at Qianye. From a battle perspective, the two had already reached a dangerously close distance. However, Qianyes hand on East Peak was fairly steady and showed not the slightest bit of restlessness. Moreover, he didnt avoid the womans gaze, either. So much that he had no intentions to hide his admiration upon seeing this beautiful object. The womans eyes turned progressively brighter. She smiled lightly and said, Im called Twilight, a woman whos very much interested in you. Im pleasedvery pleasedwith you. So, doing it isnt out of the question! As long as you pass a small test. Her voice hadnt even trailed off when two exquisite daggers suddenly appeared in her hands and, with a flash of cold light, pressed toward Qianyes throat and heart. The two blades arrived without the slightest warning and moved with the momentum of a thunderbolt. Qianye simply couldnt react on time and seemed to be on the verge of being pierced through. It was at this time that Twilight heard a sudden clap of thunder, and her heart actually skipped a beatshe saw that Qianye had made no effort to evade. Meanwhile, East Peak was shooting straight toward her chest amidst a thunderous gale. Twilight was deeply astonished. She was able to feel the might of this strike with the greatest sensitivity because her blood energy domain had fully enveloped Qianyeit was no passing breeze, but instead a sweeping gale. She immediately determined that her two daggers were perfectly capable of piercing Qianyes vitals, however, even with her speed, she wouldnt be able to pull back afterward and would have to take this blow. But how could this strike be so easy to endure? Twilight had a bad premonition. She was actually uncertain about coming out of this unscathed. And her combat instincts had already helped her conquer countless enemies who were even stronger than herself. Qianyes single move had forced Twilight to withdraw her blade; she swerved away and evaded the incoming edge with extreme alacrity. At the same time, she drew a snaking blade radiance which slashed toward Qianyes throat. Another peal of thunder rang out. Qianye was, just as before, stationary when yet another sword-strike slashed down on Twilight''s head. The power behind this slash was even more evident. Twilight felt the resonant darkness origin power in the vicinity turn chaotic, so much that there were even signs of a reverse suppression. Surprise flickered through her eyes, and she was once again forced to dodge sideways. The blade slashing at Qianyes neck naturally missed its target. Twilights supple figure formed several indistinct afterimages in the air as she reappeared behind Qianye almost immediately. Her dagger stabbed quietly at Qianyes back as her figure flickered twice, almost like performing a teleportation. It was obviously an incomparably powerful combat technique. Qianye didnt panic after her figure disappeared from his vision, and he was in even less of a hurry to turn around in search of her. Instead, he used East Peak to draw a ring-shaped blade radiance which protected him within. Twilights blade slashed against East Peak with a clang. Both of them staggered back from the severe impact as though they had been struck by lightning. This was the first time they had exchanged solid blows. Qianye came out a bit shorthe jumped down from the tree with relative calmness and took a couple of steps back before stabilizing himself. Twilight performed a backflip and landed on a horizontal branch of a big tree. She floated up and down as though she were completely weightless. Qianye looked up at her. He had already put away the Twin Flowers, and his hands gripped East Peak tightly. This was the most powerful enemy he had encountered to date. This womans combat technique appeared to lean toward grace and agility, yet Qianyes heavy sword and his strength comparable to that of a dark race champion had failed to form any kind of suppression. The most important point was that her blood energy was faintly stirring the ambient darkness origin power. Qianye tried twice but failed to activate Nirvanic Rend successfully. Twilights eyes lit up as she gazed at Qianye. Her figure suddenly flickered and drew out a long trail of afterimages. Within moments, she had arrived before him, her dagger almost pressing against his throat. Her speed was too fastthe afterimage standing on the branch hadnt even disappeared completely when both man and blade had arrived in front of Qianye. Qianye was barely able to react despite his combat experience. However, Twilights expression shifted ever so slightly. That dark, scrap-iron-like heavy sword appeared slow but was, in fact, extremely fast. Another blow was already aiming for her abdomen. In spite of everything, his methods were still aiming to injure both parties. In truth, after several exchanges, both of them already had a clear understanding of the gap between them. But Twilight had never expected that this human youth would be so determined to go all-out. His ruthlessness was completely disproportionate to his elegant, almost frail, appearance. One had to know that this kind of technique would mean injury for Twilight, but death to Qianye. Twilights figure flickered in and out of visiononly the sharp whistle in the air proved that she was attacking Qianye. Within moments, a dense web of interweaving origin power patterns emerged in Qianyes True Sight. There was simply no way to judge her next attack. This was an attack of extreme speed and power forming a state of near-invulnerability. Qianye exhaled and let out a roar. He hacked, slashed, and thrust out with East Peakhe was no longer searching for the other partys weak point and only slashed at the area with the densest veined patterns with all his might. He suddenly felt the tip of his sword strike something, followed by a muffled groan. The battlefield suddenly changed. The watery moonlight suddenly turned dark as though one were standing in the darkness between sundown and the moonrise. The sky turned gloomy, and a chill spread out boundlessly, cutting deep into the bones. Qianye suddenly felt as though countless threads had entangled his body. His every movement became incomparably stagnant, and he could barely lift East Peak which was more or less an extension of his own limb. His wrist turned numb. East Peak fell from his grasp and pierced into the ground in front of him. Twilight emerged behind Qianye with her entire body pressed tightly against his own, hugging him from behind and caressing his neck with great tenderness. If not for the killing intent in the air, their posture at this moment would look just like a pair of intimate lovers. Twilight buried her face in Qianyes neck and inhaled deeply, a faint moan escaping her lips. She praised, What a nice scent. Why dont I give you the embrace? What say you? Qianye remained silent. Then its settled! Twilight let out a delighted laugh. Qianye felt a faint stabbing pain to the side of his neck where Twilight had her fangs pressed against his skin. She needed only to bite down and inject her essence blood for Qianye to become her descendant. Twilights hands slowly reached upward and gently stroked his cheeks and eyes. Qianyes footing was stable although his vitals had been restricted, and he showed not the slightest signs of nervousnessnot even his fingertips trembled. He was waiting for an opportunity. This woman who called herself Twilight was one of the strongest dark race members Qianye had ever encountered. From their exchange just now, Qianye understood that the pressure from her darkness domain was only second to Williams suppressive might. This wasnt a gap between their bloodlines, but a pure contrast in their power levels. But now that Twilight wanted to give Qianye the embrace, it happened to give him an opportunity. Normally during the ceremony, the vampire giving the embrace would also take in some of the descendants blood in addition to bestowing her own. On one hand, this was a token of compensation, while on the other, most descendants were chosen because of their powerful and excellent bloodlineseven the most powerful of vampires could hardly resist the temptation of such sweet, fresh blood. The purple blood energy in Qianyes body was from the ancient Mammon clan, one of the top vampire bloodlines. The origins of the dark golden blood energy were unknown, but judging from their usual origin power distribution, it should be far more powerful than the purple one. If the one receiving the embrace already possessed the power of blood, then the process would turn into a battle between two blood energies of different origins. The strong would survive, and the weak would die. There was no room for negotiation. Qianye waited in silence. But in the end, Twilight didnt sink her fangs into him and only bit him flirtatiously. She then whispered into his ears, I already told you that this is only a small test. Congratulations on passing it. Which means you now have the qualifications to be my man. But this is only the first step! Qianye moved his body ever so slightly but found that his body was mostly numb from the arms down. He couldnt sense the origin power activity within him at all. Apparently, it was a powerful restrictive secret art which utilized blood energy to lock down his senses. It was somewhat similar the origin restriction drugs humans used on their slaves. Qianye asked calmly, Why me? Because youre very interesting. You also have great potential. Although youre somewhat weak at the moment, I needed to use my domain to take you down unscathed. You should have the power to fight evenly when you arrive at the same level. Thats why I said you have gained the initial qualifications. But you must become stronger if you want to become my only man. Then our encounter here wasnt coincidental? Twilight broke into a laughter. Dont try to stall for time. Its meaningless. I dont want to kill you just yet. I only want to sleep with you!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 377: Danger Close at Hand [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Finally, Qianye could no longer maintain his calm expression in the face of such bold words. Right now? Why not? Qianye was rendered speechless and only managed to reply after a long while, The environment in somewhat inappropriate. Twilight let out a fascinated laugh as she pinched Qianyes face a couple of times. Then, she moved her hands down to stroke his chest. Dont even try. Dont you feel that your origin power has been completely frozen like a river in winter? This is the effect of Bloodfreezenot to mention you, even a virtuous count can forget about extricating himself. Unless you have some other secret arts? A virtuous count? That was the highest rank for a dark race count. Qianye lowered his eyes. Indeed, his daybreak origin power felt as though it were sinking into a mire. His ordinary blood energy had withdrawn into the depths of his heart and were completely inactive. The purple ones had shrunk into the ability rune and looked as though they were about to enter hibernation. However, the dark golden blood energy carrying the Wings of Inception was only a little bit sluggish. Twilights seemingly playful and probing whisper caused Qianye to become cautious. A sense of extreme danger flashed through his heart, whereupon he immediately dismissed the thought of trying to use his eye ability. At the same time, he also recalled something! This woman had been giving Qianye the feeling that they were somehow acquainted. It turned out that this wasnt just a misconception. He had seen her before! She was the first enemy he had encountered after emerging from the radiant door of Andruils lost realm! Back then, the drop of primo blood Andruil had given Qianye hadnt yet lost its effect. Qianye wasnt certain whether or not Twilight had seen him clearly during the high-speed Spatial Flash, but no one would believe that their meeting here, at this place and time, was a mere coincidence. The key lay in what she wanted, and how much she knew. Seeing that Qianye had turned silent, Twilight gently patted his face and said, Be obedient and stop thinking too much. I might change my mind if you drag this on for too long. Then? Will you let me go? Qianye inquired. Twilight, as though she had just remembered something, broke into a sudden laughter and said cheerfully, I can consider! Didnt you say youd give me the embrace Twilight wrapped her arms around Qianyes neck and leaned her head sideways to gaze into the pair of obsidian eyes. They were so limpid and crystal-clear that she could see her own image within it. For a while, the two gazed at one another just like that. Twilight rubbed her cheeks against Qianyes face. Her words were almost exhaled straight into his ears. I dont like useless, obedient men. Theyre not interesting at all. I like strong, dangerous, and exciting men She let go of her hands and took a step back, saying, It seems today is really not the right day; youre not strong enough at the moment. But, I can give you some more time. Ill be looking forward to it, so dont make me wait too long. Qianye turned back and gazed silently at Twilight. Just how trustworthy the words of this extremely polar and fickle woman were, it seemed only she herself would know. At least, Qianye was certain that she had really wanted to give him the embrace, but she had suddenly changed her mind for some reason. And this reason was naturally not born of kindness. Twilight leapt up with graceful alacrity and glided several meters onto a large, horizontal tree branch. There she turned back as though she had just remembered something and pointed toward Qianye in a shooting gesture. Oh, right! If you become my man, I dont mind helping Nighteye once. Nighteye! This name was one which he hadnt heard for a long time. Great fluctuations arose in Qianyes heart at the sudden mention of it, so much that there were some abnormal changes in his facial expression. Even the smallest of peculiarities couldnt escape Twilights eyes. A certain tinge emerged within her smile which made Qianye tremble in fear. It was as though the two had been playing a game of blind chess up until now, and Twilight had finally seen his hidden cards. Im leaving now. Get stronger, little man! Twilight waved energetically. Her figure turned indistinct and, in the blink of an eye, reappeared far in the distance. After a few of such flashes, she had vanished entirely, giving Qianye no opportunity at all to raise his question. He stood there in silence and endured the urge to call her back. Twilights appearance covered Qianyes heart with a heavy shadow. This vampire ladys combat strength was far above Count Stuka, and even Zhao Yuying was more likely to lose against her than to win. Now that he thought about it, he had stepped into Twilights domain in an unguarded state at the very beginning. She could easily have ended the battle in a few moves if not for her wanting to avoid damage. Qianyes only choice was to rely on the dark golden blood energy and the Wings of Inception to break through Bloodfreezes control and prevent himself from falling into her hands alive. However, a person with such power was definitely a high noble among the vampires. Why would she target him specifically? Qianye recalled the secrets in his body and couldnt help but take a deep breath. If this vampire woman was indeed one of the contestants for the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure, then perhaps certain dangers werent too far off. But how was this matter related to Nighteye? Qianye smashed the tree beside him with a loud bang. The tree-trunk which even two adults couldnt wrap their arms around immediately collapsed on one side. A deep laceration also appeared on the back of his hand and, drop by drop, fresh blood fell onto the earth. Qianye suddenly realized that he couldnt do anything in his present state despite knowing that danger was close at hand. The sense of achievement he had gained from subduing Brudo had vanished without a trace. He couldnt tell if his complicated emotions and feeling of helplessness stemmed from his own fate or because of Nighteyes situation. Qianye stood there for god knows how long before he exhaled deeply and ran toward Green Peak Mountain. Regardless of what the future held for him, he had to walk the current path to its end. Qianye was never one to give up so easily, otherwise, his life wouldve ended back at Lighthouse Town. Sharp Fang tribe was still there at the foot of Green Peak Mountain, however, the entire settlement was solemn as though they were preparing for the arrival of a great enemy. The werewolves in the wooden huts had all pulled back into the caves, and they had even constructed a low wall halfway up the mountain with numerous stone archer towers. A long howl rang out as Qianye shot into their vision at high speed. Hundreds of werewolf warriors rushed out to their posts and assumed combat stance. Qianye turned a blind eye to these warriors and pressed forward all the way until he was about ten meters from the wall. He swept his gaze over the battle formation which seemed like it would ignite at a moments notice and asked coldly, Wheres the chief? How long is he going to wait? The werewolves were immediately agitated and many of them roared. But at this moment, there was a clear aura on Qianyes body which incited a sense of inherent apprehension within themthe suppressive might of a powerful expert. Even the most violent of werewolves dared not charge out. The defensive line toward the left split into two, and the old chief emerged in the company some powerful werewolves. He waved his hand, gesturing for his tribesmen to stay put while he walked toward Qianye on his own. Young and powerful human, the way you appeared is rather inappropriate. Honorable Chief, your fence-sitting attitude is also very inappropriate. My patience is disappearing as we speak. Please give me a clear answer. The chiefs expression turned gloomy. Are you threatening our Sharp Fang tribe? I never threaten. I only state the truth. Our tribe has over two hundred brave warriors, and all of them are prepared to bleed. Qianye sneered. So you want all your soldiers to bleed? The chief turned silent for a moment. Before you make your decision, you should probably know that Brudo is about to surrender. Red-Haired Brudo the Terrible? The Sharp Fang tribesmen broke into a commotion. They could be considered vassals to the werewolf viscount, and Brudos terror had long since taken root deep within their hearts. Such a terrifying character was actually willing to serve a young human?! The werewolves finally took Qianyes strength seriously. Before this, they couldnt help but hold him in contempt simply because he was a human. The chiefs expression seemed to have aged considerably during that moment. He hadnt the slightest doubt regarding the authenticity of Qianyes words since this kind of news could be confirmed with a simple inquiry. Moreover, the chief knew that Brudo had locked down the mountain pass at the very front. Qianye appearing here was already enough to explain everything. He turned back to glance at the werewolf tribesmen behind him. Most of the warriors seemed at a loss as they gazed at their chief and leader with pure faith and expectation. The chiefs gaze then shifted into the distance where the women and children were standing. The old werewolf finally withdrew his gaze. He looked at Qianye attentively and said with a wry laugh, It seems we have no other choice. He slowly got down on one knee and raised his scepter, a symbol of his status as chief, before Qianye. Qianye took the scepter, then returned it to the old chief. In the dark race nation, this simple receive and return was a ceremony to acknowledge allegiance. It symbolized a vow of loyalty, and the lords subsequent conferment of authority. From this moment on, Sharp Fang tribe would be considered Qianyes vassal. Naturally, that was according to dark race rules. Bring a few men and accompany me onto Green Peak Mountain. The chief immediately became hesitant. Thats the resting place of our ancestors. Qianye replied indifferently, That place was nothing several hundred years ago. And even now, that place wouldnt be yours had I not driven Stuka away. The old chief sighed. He then summoned two elders to follow Qianye up the mountain. There were still traces of an origin array on the natural platform at the summit. Qianye circled around and then entered the cave where the vampires had once stayed. Back then, the vampire guards were all concentrated within the two outer stone halls. Qianye was in a hurry back then and thus didnt go deeper after finishing them off. Only now did the have the time for careful observation. The outermost stone hall was completely empty. From the second layer onward, there were holes chiseled into the walls on both sides, many of them filled with corpses wrapped in thick cloth. Qianye walked toward the innermost room and found hundreds of such corpses. It was a werewolf tradition to preserve the remains of the most important people in the tribe and place them in the ancestral graveyard. Meanwhile, the bodies of most werewolves would be thrown into the ravine and allowed to return to the earth. Sharp Fang tribes ancestral grave had preserved such a large number of corpses. Apparently, their history was even longer than Qianye had anticipated. Perhaps the origins of this tribe could be traced back to the Thousand Year War. The vampires who had occupied this place didnt profane the ancestral remains and left everything intact. Standing within the werewolf ancestral grave, Qianye was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable feeling. Both his daybreak origin power and blood energy were restless, as though they were responding to something. A vague blue color emerged in Qianyes eyes, and as he scanned the surroundings, he immediately discovered that the origin power here was much denser than the outside. Threads of darkness origin power were seeping out continuously from the cave walls, and some of them were actually being absorbed by the corpses of the werewolf ancestors. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 378: Dark Crawlers [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianyes heart trembled slightly. The werewolves methods of offering sacrifices to their ancestors were indeed mysterious. The truly valuable part, however, was the darkness origin power seeping out from the cave walls. No wonder the vampires chose this place to set up an origin array. Qianye didnt stay in place for very long and continued into the depths of the cave. This was a natural cave which snaked downward and only ended at about half-way down the mountain. The werewolves had built five layers of stone halls as their ancestral graveyard. This took up but a small segment of the cave while the remainder was left in its original form. The deeper he went, the more intense the sensation became. Presently, Qianye could clearly feel his blood energy and origin power resonating with something in the darkness. It seemed there was indeed a secret hidden beneath this land. Qianye turned back to ask the chief, Is there anything special about this area? Ore types for instance. The old chief shook his head. Theres nothing especially valuable here. In terms of production, the elk glands in the forest and the white fish spines from the nearby lake can be used as origin power media and are perhaps the most valuable. Oh, there are also a number of wild medicinal grasses on the hillock, but those cant be considered too valuable. Then why did Sharp Fang tribe decide to settle here? One of the werewolf elders sighed. They gave this piece of land to Sharp Fang tribe because it was so barren that no one wanted it. Compared to tribes on Count Stukas core territory, were merely foreigners who arrived later. Qianye nodded. One had no right to speak without sufficient power. This kind of profit distribution couldnt be considered wrong. I can give your tribe a new place after things settle down. Where? The werewolf elders immediately became alert. The old chief laughed wryly. No matter where it is, it certainly cant be worse than this place. The elders also felt that was the case and thus refrained from saying anything. Observing up to this point, Qianye had already confirmed that something out of the ordinary existed within Green Peak Mountain, however, he wasnt familiar with excavation and had no intention to investigate on his own. He immediately gave the surroundings a once over and memorized the unusual state of origin power before returning to the surface with the werewolves. I shall be leaving first. Ill send men to bring all of you to a new territory after things have settled down. Its best not to let your tribesmen go outside, lest a conflict arises between them and my soldiers. Qianye didnt stay too long since the chief had already agreed to do as asked. His return journey was much faster. Those mountain crocodiles remained in their original areas and showed no signs of spreading out. Already familiar with the regional geography, Qianye quickly circled around the mountain pass and returned to the Dark Flame camp directly. He hadnt returned for very long when the guards reported that there was a woman outside the camp. She had asked specifically for Qianye and claimed to be the viscounts messenger. A woman? Qianye wasnt surprised that Brudo had made his decision within the appointed time, but he hadnt actually expected this conservative werewolf to actually send a human female messenger. As expected, he saw a woman waiting silently when he walked into the reception tent. Her back on the seat was ramrod straight, and her hands were crossed on her knees. She couldnt be considered very beautiful, but her facial features were delicate, and her fair countenance was tinged with the frailty of a sickly person. The woman turned around upon hearing footsteps, after which, she stood up and performed a formal imperial greeting. You must be Sire Qianye. I come representing Viscount Brudo to discuss our surrender. Qianye walked over to the master seat and gestured for her to sit down. He didnt speak immediately and, instead, sized the lady up from head to toe. Many secrets were revealed under his True Sight. She was indeed a human through and through. At least Qianye couldnt find anything abnormal with her bloodline. But flowing within her was all darkness origin power and not a shred of daybreak. It was rather interesting. This womans body had practically toppled the basic rules of origin power control in both factions. Humans were inherently creatures of daybreak, but compared to other creatures, they could be considered compatible with both. Some secret arts would carry darkness components after advancing in rank or awakening talents. Some people would cultivate darkness origin power in pursuit of greater power. However, these were the minority. Moreover, these people could hardly avoid being corroded by the darkness and their bodies would mutate. But this woman was able to maintain her human appearance despite the fact that her body was filled with darkness origin power. Even Qianyes True Sight couldnt find any abnormalities. Brudo sent a human as his messenger. This is indeed surprising. The woman replied indifferently, Its not too unexpected, right? Besides, how can I meet you so easily were I not a human? The defensive line at the front isnt that easy to pass through. Brudos faction can be considered quite conservative. Why does he trust you? This is a secret. Please allow me to keep it. Qianye shook his head. No. This is related to whether or not I can trust you, and whether you can represent Brudo. You may return if you dont wish to speak. Have him come and explain things personally. The womans expression turned cold. Sire Qianye, do I take this as your determination to fight the viscount? We still have thousands of brave warriors! I even beat the count running. What have I to fear of a viscount? In truth, my willingness to sit down and negotiate is because I personally admire the straightforward manner of the werewolves. If the reason youre sitting here is to use meaningless words to win some benefits, then you may leave now. Qianyes voice was neither loud nor soft, but it carried an unquestionable pertinacity. The womans expression froze. She then softened the tone of her voice with a hint of resentment on her face. Sire Qianye truly has no compassion for the fairer sex. Youre not that beautiful. The woman was startled and then laughed wryly. How frank and insensitive. The thing about sensibility is that the more you give it, the less you have for yourself. So I make it a point to only treat those close to me with due subtlety. Qianyes tone turned colder. Youve already wasted enough of my time. Lets stop here. With that, he prepared to stand up. The woman sighed. Very well. Viscount Brudos bottom line is that he retains the same authority and status he had under Count Stukas rule. If you can promise this, then he will surrender. Otherwise, he will fight a bloody battle to the end. Qianye replied coldly, Thats not a problem. Those are the conditions I proposed back then. But bring him a message. The viscount must understand that, even if he went all out, the damage he can do to me is still within acceptable limits. But every single werewolf will die, so dont try to threaten me with war! The woman couldnt help but tremble. The killing intent overflowing from Qianyes body was almost tangible, and she could even feel faintly discernible pain on her skin. She forced a smile and said, Then we should consider this negotiation concluded. Additionally, I have a small request. Count Brudo requires a nominal independence, at least on the surface. Otherwise, itll be difficult to suppress those in his lands. Qianye nodded. Thats fine, but hell have to move to another territory. Another territory? The woman was surprised and watched Qianye with a guarded expression. His territory is too close to the borders. Ill find a piece of land closer to the counts territory, enough for all werewolves to reside in. One has to know that the eastern borders will eventually join the ranks of human-controlled territories. I might also get into trouble with the empire if the werewolves live here publicly. The woman pondered for a while and said, I understand. Ill convince Brudo as much as I can. There shouldnt be a problem if the new territory isnt too poor. At this point, she chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, But itll be quite difficult to find a land more barren than ours in the counts territory. Qianye felt odd. Why? I heard Brudo once challenged Count Stuka. Although he lost that match, it shouldve allowed him to obtain a more resource-abundant territory. In truth, Brudo is much more powerful than the other two viscounts. Because of the werewolves ancient tradition obviously. The womans tone contained a trace of mockery. The werewolves in this land believe in the ancient traditions, which means that they believe that only physical strength is their own true power. They believe that armaments and origin arrays are for the weak. As one can well imagine, they have very little demands and dont feel that theyre lacking anything. Theyre content as long as they have a forest to provide herbs and meat, and a river with fish to add some variety. Resources like minerals hold no meaning to them at all. Qianye was enlightened and stirred by an inexplicable emotion. The woman stood up and said, If Sire Qianye has no other instructions for me, then I shall report back to the viscount and have him arrange territorial matters related to the migration. Qianye stopped the woman who was preparing to leave. She glanced back to see a pair of exquisite handguns with their dark muzzles aimed at her. She immediately said in alarm, Sire Qianye, theres no need for this. Whatever you want, just say it and Ill obey as long as it is within my power. At this point, an inexplicably flirtatious expression emerged from the corner of her eyes and brows. There was no fluctuation in Qianyes expression. I dont need you to obey. Im just curious about your origins. Perhaps you should introduce yourself properly, otherwise, I might be inclined to think that youre more valuable than Viscount Brudo. In that case, Ill give up on the werewolves allegiance and bring you back to the empire. There are many professionals there who excel in prying out secrets. A gleam flashed through the womans eyes. She watched the origin power patterns on the Twin Flowers light up and finally relaxed her well-prepared stance. She spread out her hands in a harmless stance and said, I was fairly confident about fleeing from the viscount, yet Ive lost all fighting spirit in front of you, one whos not even a champion. Very well, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ruoyu, and I come from the Skywing Continent. I belong to the Dark Crawlers, an organization so enormous that you cant even begin to imagine it. Im just a common member there, a very common member. Dark Crawlers? An interesting name. There was still no expression on his face, but great waves had risen in his heart. He had never heard of this organization, but the Skywing Continent was one of the middle continents. It had always belonged to the dark races and human soldiers rarely, if ever, set foot on it. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 379: Black Tide [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Ruoyu sighed. This name is indeed odd, but youll understand why we call ourselves so after finding out certain things. As a person living in the lowest rung of society in the dark nation, every day is a struggle between life and death. But although we are petty and can only crawl in the dark, we possess as much power as there are granules of sand on the Ganges River. We are the foundation of the entire dark nation pyramid. We fight for freedom in hopes that one day, we can overturn the Evernight Council and grasp fate in our own hands! The ladys last words were full of passion. Qianye raised his brows and asked, Are you all humans? No, only a part of us are human. There are werewolves, vampires, and even demonkin in. Race is neither relevant or important. The most important part is that we share a common vision, and that is to overturn the Evernight Council! Ruoyu seemed emotionally stirred. What is your mission here? Ruo Yu hesitated for a moment. She then glanced at Qianyes expression and spoke with careful deliberation, To seek potential rebels, draw them to our cause, and nurture them. As our members expand, so does our strength. Does that mean Ill become your enemy if I kill Brudo? Qianyes voice was tainted with killing intent. Why must we reach such a stage? Ruoyi replied with a question. Our interests coincide, do they not? At least regarding the overthrowing of the Evernight Council. Qianye put away the Twin Flowers after pondering for a moment. Go then. Tell Brudo of my decision. As for your organization, do not act in my territory in the future. Ruoyu was stunned after hearing this and immediately sought to explain, But our existence wont cause the slightest bit of obstruction to you! The Evernight Council is our common enemy. I believe there are many areas in which we can cooperate. Qianye remained unmoved. His fingers tapped a couple of times on the table as he said, Perhaps, but I have no interest at the moment. We can discuss further in the future when I encounter an issue. Qianye sat pondering in the tent after Ruoyus departure. He felt an inherent dislike for the Dark Crawlers organization; their ideals sounded too far-fetched. Perhaps they held considerable power, however, it was undoubtedly a pipe dream to think of overthrowing the Evernight Council which had several big-shots overseeing it. Moreover, even if they did manage to overthrow the council, what then? The definition of freedom was too broad and was honestly not a term suitable to prattle about. Who knew what would happen if he allowed such an organization to roam free within his territory. As for the potential retaliation after clearing their organization out, Qianye wasnt overly apprehensivethis was something every lord would have to face in the process of exerting control over their territory. Even without the Dark Crawlers, there would still be other people and other matters. He was even less worried about Brudos side. It was just as Qianye had told Ruoyu, the one who couldnt pay the price of this battle was the werewolf viscount, not him. Qianye gave Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya instructions pertaining to the follow-up matters and, seeing that it was still early, decided to return that very night. His western campaign had come to an end after having subdued the werewolf tribes. He had managed to fully achieve his initial concept. This was the first time Qianye had truly pioneered a new territory. However, he didnt feel at ease during his journey back. The appearance of Twilight and Ruoyu caused the entire area to be suffused with dark clouds. Moreover, it seemed like things would escalate over the days to come. The sky over Evernight was always gloomy, but the dark races felt no discomfort from the dreariness. Although darkness origin power on the continent was intense, it was extremely violent. For most dark race members, it wasnt a suitable place for living or cultivation. It was far inferior compared to the upper continents like Twilight Continent where many ancient races had originated. At this moment, Nighteye was standing against the wind on an isolated mountain peak which pierced into the cloudsa single step in front of her was a bottomless ravine. Count Klaus was standing behind her. Within a short month, his hair had grown whiter, and the wrinkles on his face had increased significantly. Klaus gazed at the lonesome figure of Nighteyes back and finally said with a sigh, Your Majesty. Nighteye turned back and said gently, Dont call me Your Majesty. Youll always be my father in my heart." Klaus was alarmed and said hurriedly, No, you cant say it like that! Youve awoken Great Monarch Andruils bloodline. That is your true inheritance. Nothing will happen to me if others hear these words, but it will bring you a lot of trouble! Nighteye laughed self-deprecatingly. Are my troubles any less at the moment? I wouldnt mind adding a bit more. Klaus also sighed and asked, What are your plans from now on? Nighteye replied indifferently, I wont let them have their way. I most certainly wont agree to this engagement! With the Grand Prince around, he definitely wont allow Feras to act as recklessly as he said he would, Klaus reminded. Marriage was an extremely sacred word among the twelve ancient clans. But more often than not, it was also just a formality. To the long-lived vampires, the true significance of marriage was an alliance. Secondly, it was to create a pure blood descendant with a powerful bloodline. As such, not every vampire had the right to marry. This was especially true among the twelve ancient clans where gaining the right to marry indicated that the person had gained the clans recognition. Although inferior to Nighteye, Feras was also a primo. He was born of the fifth-ranked Sperger clan and one of the strongest competitors for the next term clan lord. Nighteye understood what Klaus wanted to say and thus interrupted his words, Ive decided to go to war. Go to war? Klaus was astonished. He said hurriedly, Dont be rash. Youve just ascended to the viscount rank. This war will be covered by an iron curtain. It will be one of the cruelest and bloodiest! Your life will truly be in danger if you enter the battlefield. A faint, ineffable emotion emerged in Nighteyes gaze. The rewards of a bloody battle are bountiful. I should have more confidence in speaking to those old fellows if I have enough contributions, right? Klaus wanted to say something but was hesitant. How could the present issue be canceled out with mere military contributions? But he was very clear about Nighteyes present moodshe only wanted to leave a thread of hope for herself. Military contributions in a bloody battle were generous, but the risk involved in accumulating them was significant, and chances of survival were slim. The sound of a rumbling engine echoed through the wilderness as Qianye rushed forward on his motorcycle. Blackflow City had already emerged far over the distant horizon. He had long since arrived back in human territory. The wild beasts of the wilderness and the wanderers of various professions posed no threat to the current Qianye. But for some reason, there was an indescribable uneasiness in his heart, and it was becoming progressively prominent. The motorcycles rumble shook the earth and caused a number of giant rats to leap out from an unremarkable hole in the ground. They were a full meter long from head to tail and almost looked like an ugly dog. Seeing the motorcycle speeding toward them, their eyes turned red as they pounced forth amidst sharp squealing sounds. An origin power radiance suddenly emerged. A defensive layer covered the entire vehicle as it whistled through the swarm of giant rats amidst a shower of blood. A number of giant rats were sent flying, unable to stop the motorcycles advance in the slightest. Qianye braked urgently and caused the bike to spin several times in place before bringing it to a stop. He jumped down, walked over to one of the corpses, and picked one up with his dagger. Crashing into an origin barrier at high speeds was no different from bumping into a steel wall. The giant rats bones had all shattered, and it hung flaccidly on the blade, barely recognizable. However, what Qianye was interested in was why it had attacked the motorcycle. The giant rats were the lowest in the wilderness food chain, so it definitely wouldnt provoke something like a motorcycle under normal circumstances. But a swarm of them had actually launched an attack at Qianyethis kind of suicidal action didnt conform to their nature. But Qianye couldnt find the reason for their sudden violence at all. He tossed the giant rat carcass away and put away the Scarlet Edge. His originally gloomy expression turned even more solemn. In truth, he had encountered such an incident more than once on his way back. In addition to omnivorous beasts like giant rats, even small animals that were normally docile had turned ferocious all of a sudden and would occasionally launch suicidal attacks at the passers-by. The atmosphere over the entire wilderness was somewhat different. At this moment, engine rounds rumbled in the distance as two jeeps appeared over the horizon and sped toward Blackflow City at full speed. The vehicles were riddled with signs of damage and large patches of dried blood. Qianye could see even from afar that the passengers were also wounded, and a number of them were in critical condition. They swerved over after seeing Qianye and slowed down near him. The burly man at the wheel shouted at him, Brother, return to the city quick! The beasts in the wilderness have gone mad and will bite anyone they see! This is a sign that a beast tide is imminent. Dont stay outside the city and court death! After shouting thus, he stomped on the gas pedal without waiting for Qianyes reaction. A large puff of black smoke shot out from the jeep as it bolted away like a wild stallion. A beast tide? Qianye had lived on Evernight for a fair length of time, but he had never heard of such a term. However, the changes in the wilderness werent too bad in places closer to the city. The strength of the wild beasts was limited and could hardly pose a threat to fighters. But what about those beasts deep in the wilderness capable of using origin power? Were they just as berserk? Ordinary and berserk beasts were a completely different concept. The fighting power of berserk beasts would suddenly advance by a couple of ranks. For instance, the giant mountain crocodiles were rank five or six demonic beasts. Qianye could normally do them in with a single strike of his blade, but he would have to run if numerous berserk mountain crocodiles were to swarm at him. If a beast tide really were to appear, the entire Blackflow City warzone would be in imminent danger. The defensive structures Wei Bainian had left behind in Blackflow City would suffice to resist a dark race army, but the surrounding towns and bases would become ruins. Qianye suddenly glanced back at the depths of the wilderness. A black line had appeared over the distant horizon at one point and was gushing toward him. It looked like a large patch of dark clouds, but in Qianyes eyes, it was just an insubstantial dark color. Everywhere it passed, the land below the skies would turn abnormally dark. What is that? Qianye was bewildered. The dark line was expanding rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it had occupied half the sky and was still spreading. Whatever it was, its omnipresent grandeur made even breathing difficult. Qianye jumped onto the motorcycle rapidly and drove toward the incoming darkness. Along the way, he encountered many hunters, mercenaries, and adventurers. Most of them were full of injuries and running toward Blackflow City in a flustered state. There were violent beasts everywhere in the wilderness. Even the timidest of rabbits would reveal its incisors and rush toward Qianye with great ferocity. Fortunately, these beasts were weakthey were only attacking instinctively on sight and hadnt started moving in ranks. This allowed Qianye to breathe a sigh of relief. An hour later, Qianye stopped the motorcycle. He stood gazing at the sky in what seemed like a completely empty wilderness. In the air, the darkness flowed past like the tide, and the demarcation was extremely clear. In front of it was a clear sky, and behind the line was a murky firmament, a world where day and night were difficult to tell apart. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 380: The Iron Curtain [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The surroundings turned oddly dark as the black tide line pushed swiftly over Qianyes head. It was just as though dusk had fallen over the land. He turned to gaze as far as his eyes could see and found the light over the wilderness growing farther and farther away. It was as though the dark tide were traversing the firmament with unstoppable momentum. A blue glow flickered in Qianyes eyes as he glanced at this own hands. His slender fingers were surrounded by threads of darkness origin power. At this moment, they were exceptionally lively as they flew and danced about. He could feel a very mild sting when they came into contact with his skin occasionally. The sable world governed by darkness was separated into blocks of dark and light colors. Qianye discovered that there was darkness origin power seeping out through the air continuously. They spread out like ink-stains until they encountered a different mass of energy, whereupon they would soak up and change shape. Upon closer inspection, these rapidly changing forms were, in fact, the projections of various beasts, and all of them were roaring and killing each other. An unexpected and ineffable frustration welled up within Qianyes heart. He suddenly felt the urge to throw himself in and massacre everything. He came-to soon afterward and felt his back drenched in cold sweat. The sensation was familiarit was as though he had returned to the days where his dark blood would flare up, inciting in him a craving for fresh blood and slaughter. At this moment, an indescribable shudder emerged from the depths of Qianyes heart as he realized what this black tide was. It was a domain, one so inconceivably big that he couldnt see its end even with his extraordinary eyesight! An unknown existence was using its domain to cover the earth and sky. Qianye stood in place and took a couple of deep, slow breaths before jumping back onto the bike and heading back to Blackflow City. After getting through the initial phase of restlessness, Qianye realized that the black tide was somewhat different from the effects of the dark blood. The black tide caused the natural darkness origin power to suddenly become active, and this, in turn, brought about the restlessness in the creatures. On the other hand, dark blood corroded the assimilated creatures intelligence. However, this discovery only served as some consolation and couldnt completely put his mind at ease. Presently, Blackflow City and its surrounding area, or perhaps even the entire Trinity River County, had been covered by the black tide. Evacuating the civilians on a large scale was practically impossible. The city was still safer than the wilderness in any case since no one knew how big this black tide was and where it was safe. By the time Qianye returned to Blackflow City, the black tide had already passed over, and it was now extending deeper into human territory. The world had been plunged into darkness, and even the few hours of sunlight each day was no more. Such a peculiar phenomenon caused incomparable terror among the citizens. But Qianye found, upon reaching the city, that everything was exceptionally tranquil. This was a result of Zhao Yuyings iron fist. She had summoned Dark Flames high-ranking officers and Song Hu to announce a city-wide martial law as soon as the black tide appeared. Dark Flames garrisoned soldiers were all dispatched onto the streets and began setting up precautionary measures at every intersection. They set to work with thunderous methods, killing a dozen or so peoplesome were inciting panic after losing their heads, while others were looking to profit from the misfortune by engaging in murder and arson. Finally, they were able to intimidate the hunters, mercenaries, and adventurers flocking into the city. As for the native residents of Blackflow City, most of them had become incomparably obedient during those noble ladies half a month of stay. Immediately after returning to Dark Flame headquarters, Qianye called on Zhao Yuying nad asked, Is it a beast tide? Zhao Yuying was rarely ever so solemn. No, its even worse than that. If I remember correctly, thats probably an Iron Curtain. Iron Curtain? Qianye was startled. He had always thought this term was a mere comparison and not an actual object. Its not surprising that youve not heard of it. The iron curtain only appears in the Dark Nation under normal circumstances. It will, at most, extend to distant imperial borders and engulf small regions. News of previous instances were suppressed by the empire. Its a top-level secret, and even I was only able to catch wind of it because of my grandfather. Qianye glanced out of the window and gazed at the dark sky. However, it wasnt completely dark like the nightthere was a lead-grey glow in the sky which instilled an incomparably stifling sensation in the beholder. It was truly as though a boundless iron curtain had covered the entire world. There was neither sun, moon, nor star in the world beneath it. What exactly is that thing? You mustve felt it too. This Iron Curtain is, in fact, a domainone that is inconceivably large. The smallest Iron Curtain recorded by the empire was half a province large. As for the large ones, no one had ever been able to ascertain their borders. Since its a domain, there must be someone releasing it. This kind of energy is unfathomable. Just what kind of existence possesses such might? Zhao Yuying smiled wryly. Perhaps they cant be considered people. The empire has its heavenly monarchs, and the dark races have their grand princes. Similarly, the beasts have their own regents. In terms of pure strength, they are the true experts who stand at the peak of the realm. Moreover, there are some unimaginably powerful existences that roam the void. Perhaps its not wrong for ordinary people to consider them gods. Qianye felt that it was unimaginable. The iron curtain is a beast kings domain? That has always been the case as far as I know. There are no exceptions. Qianye was astonished. He opened his mouth briefly but knew not what to say. He only spoke after a long while, The iron curtain wouldnt have appeared for no reason, right? Such an astonishing phenomenon signified a vast consumption. Even the king of beasts wouldnt do it meaninglessly. This is only hearsay, but its possible that those kings have discovered a rare object or a special region that theyre determined to obtain. The release of the iron curtain is a declaration of authority. Its said that the gun spirits of two of the ten Grand Magnums were born within an iron curtain. This time, Qianye turned completely silent. At the level of the Grand Magnums, all battles were fought between grand princes and heavenly monarchs. Not to mention the Blackflow war zone, even the entire Trinity River County and the expeditionary army were as insignificant as insects. These major characters might find it troublesome to even spare them a glance. However, that was also precisely why the bystanders were bound to suffer. Dark Flame couldnt afford to to suffer even the residual shockwaves. This was also Zhao Yuyings first time coming into contact with the Iron Curtain, and she wasnt quite clear about what would follow. But both of them had similar ideasa mass evacuation was impossible. It would cause quite a stir even if they abandoned the residents of Blackflow City and move the entire Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. Who knew what kind of situation they would trigger? The only thing they could do was to quietly await new developments. Neither Qianye nor Zhao Yuying enjoyed being completely passive. After reaching an agreement on the strategy, they split up to take a stroll within the city and in the wilderness in hopes of getting a better grasp of the situation. As time passed, Qianye gradually acclimatized to the pressure and violence of the Iron Curtain. There were no abnormalities apart from that. However, a domain was still a domain, and it was a fairly dangerous business to be within oneTwilight had just proven this point to him. At this moment, a light barge dozens of meters long was gliding through the void just outside of Evernight Continent. Enveloped by a layer of faint origin power radiance, its external appearance was like an ancient boat with numerous sails billowing atop its tall masts. The most eye-catching part of this blue-grey flying boat was the solemn and majestic bronze vajra image carved into its bow. There was no other visible kinetic system on it apart from the propellers installed on each of its wings. It was astonishingly simple for an intercontinental airship. This light barge was unusually fast, so much that it had surpassed some of the most famous high-speed models used by the imperial military. It arrived near Evernight Continent in the blink of an eye and, without slowing down, transformed into a beam of blue light which sped into the distance. Below the light barge, the edges of the void were rapidly disappearing as great mountains and rivers blurred past. During its swift advance, a gentle voice rang out from the topmost room of this two-storeyed vessel. An honored guest has arrived. Stop the ship. The persons voice wasnt very loud, but it reached every corner of the barge in an instant. The light barge decelerated rapidly and came to a hovering stop in the air. The entire process was as smooth as the moving clouds and flowing water; there wasnt the slightest jolt. This wasnt solely due to the superiority of the airships performanceapparently, the operator was also a top-grade expert. Someone in the air let out a clear laughter. It seems I cant hide it from you. A sudden flash of lightning tore through the air. Soon, the wind and clouds rapidly converged, rolled, and spun together to form a thousand-meter cloud as a person descended atop a small canoe. That was a genuine boat. It was only a couple of meters long and shaped like a sailless boat used by river anglers. The sole difference was that its entire body was emitting a metallic luster and had runes flickering across from time to time. The person was tall, sturdy, and possessed a pair of vigorous phoenix eyes that exuded an unparalleled momentum. Who else could it be but the Imperial Marshal Zhang Boqian? Lin Xitang walked onto to the deck. How have you been doing Marshal Zhang? What a coincidence to see you here. Zhang Boqian snorted. He sized-up Lin Xitang from head to toe and then scanned the light barge. No one emerged from the two-storeyed vessel, but all the soldiers within who gazed upon Zhang Boqian shivered at the same time. It was as though the latters sharp gaze could pierce through the cabin walls and see them clearly. Zhang Boqians expression was gloomy. Come down and talk. Lin Xitang smiled faintly. He neither moved nor spoke. Zhang Boqian sneered, A stately imperial marshal doesnt dare take half a step off of his ship? How unexpected. Lin Xitangs expression remained unchanged. His eyes flickered ever so slightly as he said, Marshal Zhang mustve met the Grand Duke of Profound Order recently, right? The battle appointment between Zhang Boqian and the Grand Duke of Profound Order was an event which received the most attention in the recent days. The odd thing was that the appointed time had passed, but not the slightest related news was heard from both the imperial family and Zhang clan. The only thing that could be confirmed was that the imperial family and the other heavenly monarchs had already recognized Zhang Boqians status as a heavenly Monarch. This also meant that the Great Qin Empire now had five heavenly Monarchs. That was why Li Xitang was, in truth, fairly surprised when he discovered that the person who had arrived was Zhang Boqian. It was almost impossible to come out unscathed from a battle between experts of that leveleven several years of convalescence wasnt out of the question. So why was Zhang Boqian here on Evernight Continent so soon after his big fight? Why wasnt he recuperating in properly? Zhang Boqian said modestly, I have indeed seen it. A spiritual gleam flashed through Lin Xitangs eyes. How is it? Come out if you want to know. Lin Xitang broke into a laughter and stepped aside. Why not Marshal Zhang board my little vessel instead? We can discuss the scenery and people over a cup of tea. What say you? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 381: Bloody Battle [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhang Boqian stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze returned to and swept past Lin Xitang like a flash of lightning. Do you really want me up there? I wont pay you back if I accidentally smash your beloved Bluebird. Lin Xitang remained unmoved in the face of Zhang Boqians overbearing attitude and said, Brother Boqian, now is probably not the time to settle whatever matters there are between us, dont you think? Are we supposed to wait until after the bloody battle if not now? Zhang Boqian said indifferently, Its all fine that the empire wants to step in after the Iron Curtains appearance, but why did it become a bloody battle? Even if they want to engage in a bloody battle, why arent those four old fellows not coming out? Do you think you can stay in control on your own and snatch that thing under the iron curtain? Li Xitangs brows knitted together ever so slightly as he slowly said, This time, the imperial family truly intends to give up on that item in exchange for a bloody battle. Zhang Boqians gaze suddenly turned sharp. Theyre giving up just like that? Whose idea is it? Lin Xitang pondered momentarily and said, Its the Sky Demon at the center of this Iron Curtain. The present matter was a top-secret military intelligence. All of the armys mobilization orders came from the emperor himself. This also meant that even the marshals only figured out the details after their units were mobilized. Secret orders for the major clans would only be dispatched several days later. Zhang Boqian was also quite surprised. It was almost as though dark clouds were flitting across his countenance. Why him? At the ends of the void dwelled several of the most mysterious and terrifying beasts, and Sky Demon was one of them. This name originated from the dark race records because they had dealings with him before the Thousand-Year War. However, no one knew its true appearance up until this day. Sky Demon would take on a different external appearance every time it appeared, albeit with identical origin power auras. It could even appear in multiple places at once and could be said to possess countless incarnations. It was precisely because of such an ability that Sky Demon could bring out its full combat potential in any given environment. That was to say that there was no specific method to restrain himthe only option was a painstaking fight to the death. Moreover, a void-entity like Sky Demon was different from the beast kings that lived on the various continents. The objects it took a fancy to were perhaps incomparably rare and invaluable, but there was also a good chance that the item was only significant for itselfit might be completely useless to humans and dark races. Lin Xitang continued, The Iron Curtain this time has a special rule: champions ranked thirteen and below on our side and warriors below third-rank viscounts on the dark race side are unaffected and allowed to move freely within. But those above that level will suffer the attack of Sky Demons incarnations. Im only here to serve as a restraining force and boost morale. I neither have the intention to snatch the item nor take part in the battle. Zhang Boqian sneered, Its unlikely those old fellows from Evernight will have the same thought. Will they be willing to sit by and watch you take advantage from the side? Im quite capable of running away even if theres danger, Lin Xitang said calmly. His Art of Heavens Mystery was undoubtedly number one in terms of self-preservation ability. Zhang Boqian realized after some thought. Youre referring to the bloody battle? Lin Xitang replied slowly, Its indeed a bloody battle! But this time, itll be one between Evernight and the empire. Three out of the empires ten elite army corps will take part in this battle. Additionally, large military contribution rewards will be established, and the elites of all the major clans will be made to participate. The strength of our Great Qin Empires younger generation and that of the Evernight Council will be made clear under this Iron Curtain! Zhang Boqian sneered after hearing this. A flock of sheep will never give birth to a lion no matter how much they train or fight. Lin Xitang smiled indifferently. Their difference in opinion wasnt a matter of one or two daysthere was little meaning in debating. Zhang Boqian glared at him and said, Such a large-scale business even involving the rising clan descendants, this doesnt look like something youre capable of doing alone. Lin Xitang lowered his eyes. This plan not only mobilized the elites of the army, but even involved the nobility and bigwigs. Its naturally His Majestys wise decision. A trace of gloominess flashed across Zhang Boqians face as he said indifferently, But who doesnt know that His Majesty takes your advice. Lin Xitang looked up, his gaze as deep and clear as a secluded pond. Dont tell me a stately Prince Green Sun believes such street talk? The imperial family had just conferred Zhang Boqian the title of Prince Green Sun. Although those of different surname couldnt inherit their titles since Emperor Wus reign, this could be considered the emperors recognition of his strength as a heavenly monarch. With that, the Zhang clan was restored to its former glory, one that was comparable to the midday sun during the days of the Empire''s founding. Zhang Boqian snorted. Lin Xitang, you understand very clearly whether this is your idea or His Majestys. Lin Xitang replied softly, What difference is there? Im fully devoted to His Majesty and the Empire. Zhang Boqians killing intent flared up, but he retracted it soon afterward and said indifferently, Ill be in Evernight for a period of time. I must see what exactly is within that Iron Curtain and what kind of people are coming from the Dark Races. You can lead your big plans and observe from atop the wall, but I just hope you and His Highness dont trip over from being too smart. Lin Xitang said in a meaningful tone, Thatll depend on how the bloody battle goes. On a certain nameless mountain peak stood an odd, elderly man. His long hair was disheveled and knottedno one knew when he had last washed it. The clothes on him were also torn, tattered, and no different from that of a scavenger. He was as thin as a match, and his eyes appeared muddled. This person looked through and through like he belonged to the lowest rungs of society, but a knowledgeable expert would find the darkness origin power boiling around him was so strong that it was almost tangible. The old man stood atop the mountain peak and glanced up at the sky. The Iron Curtain had just reached the peak, and its grey-black line was exceptionally distinct. There were dozen-odd figures on the mountain peak in addition to the old man, and most of them were demonkin warriors clad in magnificent black armor. There was also a number of vampires present, and the weakest among them was actually a count. All of them appeared cautious. No one dared approach the sloppy old mans side and made sure to avoid even a single strand of his overflowing darkness origin power. The mountain peak wasnt very large, so these people had almost reached the edge of the precipice. The old man gazed upon the boundless Iron Curtain in silence. No one knew what he was thinking about, or what he was waiting for. It was at this time that a black dot suddenly appeared in the distance and shot toward them. It tore through the horizon in the blink of an eye and arrived before the mountain peak. This was a metallic ball enveloped in such intense darkness origin power that it appeared to be shrouded in lingering black mist. The metallic ball suddenly unfolded into humanoid form and landed right in front of the elder. It was a middle-aged demonkin manthe external surface of the metallic ball was originally the armor on his body. Upon coming into contact with the rolling black mist around the old man, the middle-aged demonkins darkness origin power shrunk back immediately as though it had been scorched. It then remained on the surface of his body as a thin layer. Only then did it manage to block out the rolling black mist. Even so, the middle-aged demonkin was the only one who dared approach the elderly man, and there was only reverence for him in the eyes of everyone else present. Any news? the old man inquired. The middle-aged demonkin only dared reply after the old man finished speaking. I just received word from our agent that the empires Lin Xitang has arrived in Evernight. He should be here for the Iron Curtain. Moreover, I have two pieces of unverified information. One is that the imperial family will issue a decree after assembling the army, enlisting the descendants of all the major clans for this campaign. Theyve even announced a generous amount of contribution rewards. The news, at this point, only coincides with this Iron Curtain. The second is that the empires new Heavenly Monarch Zhang Boqian has reportedly left the empire and is headed to Evernight. How do you see it? A simple question made the demonkin fairly nervous. He pondered carefully and said in measured words, I believe that the empire wishes for a bloody battle. The thing under the Iron Curtain might be secondary. The demonkin and vampires on the mountain peak became pensive the moment these words were spoken. The old man questioned indifferently, You really think so? The middle-aged demonkin tensed up, but he gritted his teeth and replied, Yes. The old man glanced up at the sky and asked without looking back, What do you all think? Do you believe this to be so? Everyone hesitated for a moment and finally replied, Yes. The old man sneered. In the end, this is just for a bit of experience! No matter what the thing under the Iron Curtain is, itll change the general situation between the two factions as long as its usable. So what if we win the bloody battle? It will either be a miserable victory or a small loss. How many such battles must we fight to change the present situation? What will you all amount to if you let small gains and losses cloud your judgement? The middle-aged demonkins forehead was covered in sweat. He replied only after a moment of silence, Your teachings are true. The old man shot him a glance and said unenthusiastically. Its fine even if you remain unconvinced. Ill be hesitant about killing you as long as you obey my orders. I still have to give that old fart some face. The elderly man asked again after a short pause, Zhang Boqian has also come to Evernight? This is quite interesting. What exactly are the results of that Heavenly Monarch battle? If he was indeed the winner, its not quite enough with me alone. We must call a couple of those old fellows here. The middle-aged demonkin replied, Its said that theyve already fought, but the results are not yet known. The old man spoke no more and only waved his hand. This time, he couldnt even bother to say the word useless. Moments later, the elderly man concluded his contemplation and said, The item inside the Iron Curtain is naturally the most important, but the bloody battle must also be fought. Its rare for the Great Qin Empire to lay down such a game of chess. We must play them properly. Hump! The empires resurgence? I must see what they have to back such a claim. With that, he waved his hand and said, Go and make necessary preparations. Since its already certain that we have to fight this bloody battle, we must also prepare for a couple of months to put up a presentable fight. Naturally, those old fogeys will be responsible for that thing, but you lot must think things over if the bloody battle is lost. Everyone bowed in salutation and disappeared from the peak in the blink of an eye. Outside of Blackflow city, Qianye was standing atop a highland and gazing at the surroundings. There were numerous violent beast corpses at his feet. These ordinary beasts shouldve run in fear after sensing the aura Qianye was intentionally releasing, but now they were rushing at him in waves as though they had lost the instinctive fear of death. He had no choice but to kill them one by one. Killing these violent beasts was a matter of one slash, but it became extremely troublesome in large numbers. The sky was still lead-grey, and the Iron Curtain had covered the entire Trinity River County. The expeditionary armys reaction this time was much faster than their usual wars against the dark races. Orders had reached the divisions in the Trinity River County requiring them to contract their battle lines and guard their defensive regions tightly and without fail. It also stated that the regular army and imperial reinforcements would arrive within a few days. The orders for Dark Flame, on the other hand, were no longer addressed to the seventh division. Although the same number designation was used, it was clearly written as Dark Flame independent division. It seemed the expeditionary army had no intention to tangle further regarding this matter. Additionally, there was a piece of secret military intelligence attached to the new Division Commander Zhao Yuyings appointment papers. It contained information related to the Iron Curtains master and its rules. It also stressed that they should hold fast to their original position and allow the major characters from above to handle the other matters.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 382: Solid Defense [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] The couple of days which followed were exceptionally quiet. Human hunters and adventurers no longer dared venture into the wilderness covered by the black tide. The sudden change sent everyone into a panic. Many chose to escape overnight into the hinterlands of human territory, but there was also no lack of brave chancers who wanted to wait for opportunities. Such people stayed back in cities like Blackflow that were located within the border counties. Similarly, the dark races also kept themselves hidden, both sides waiting for the right moment. News of the Iron Curtain had stirred up quite a tempest inside the empire as the empire half-publicized this information for the first time. Moreover, the army and aristocracy were formally mobilized to participate in this battle. The scope of mobilization would increase as the bloody battle progressed. In the eyes of many, the opening up of a new battlefield was a symbol of the empires increasing power, but those with vision knew more. There were deep implications regarding the empires proactive initiation of this bloody battle. It wasnt only to demonstrate their martial prowess to the dark races, but it also served as an opportunity for the aristocracy to show off their military accomplishments within the country. The bloody battle was, just as the name implied, extremely cruelthe nobility, the army corps, and even the imperial family would be ranked according to their military contributions. It would directly reflect the relative superiority of all the clans. The clan rankings which hadnt seen any change for quite some time would likely shift after this battle. The noble clans who received the recruitment order naturally began to prepare for war. Meanwhile, the minor clans that didnt receive the order were rather dissatisfied and began thinking of ways to get their hands on one. Many small families with big ambitions chose to attach themselves to the major clans after failing to receive the order. Even if they didnt have big aspirations, the generosity of the military contribution rewards was enough to move them. The Violet Ketu Courtyard within the Zhao Clan Manor of West Pole City was busier than usual in the recent days. Followers and guards passed through continuously, arranging various types of armaments. There was a pool of flowing water in the little courtyard at the back, emitting white steam in the warm afternoonit was actually a hot-spring. At this moment, there was violet mist mixed in with the white steam which pervaded the air. Zhao Jundu sat cross-legged at the waterside performing maintenance on his Blue Firmament, part by part. Extremely light footsteps were transmitted from outside the courtyard doors. There were only a couple of people who dared disturb him at such a time. Zhao Jundu looked up and, as expected, saw Zhao Junhong arrive. Zhao Junhongs expression was solemn, but he didnt speak immediately. Zhao Jundu snapped the Jade River Blade into the groove below the barrel and stood up to break the silence. Second Brother, youve returned. Come in and have a seat. He was very clear why Zhao Junhong was here. The Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan, as one of the four major clans, received news of recent matters before receiving the imperial familys official order. The elites of the younger generation were to emerge in full strengthwith Zhao Yuying as the commander and Zhao Junhong as her deputy, they were to lead the group into battle. However, the most famous Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi werent included. Such an arrangement wasnt due to the selfishness of Duke Yan and Duke You lineages. The eldest of the Duke Chengen lineage, Zhao Junxiao, made his name the earliest and had already surpassed rank-thirteen. He would draw Sky Demons attention if he were to enter the Iron Curtain, and it would be no different from throwing his life away. Although the third Zhao was a champion, he was incomparable to the second brother in terms of talent, combat strength, and charisma. As for Zhao Ruoxi, she was the Zhao clans guardian treasure. It wasnt necessary for her to gild the lily with more military accomplishments. Zhao Jundu, on the other hand, was the accepted number one character of tomorrow and thus had no need to prove himself in the bloody battle. What he needed at the moment was to nurture his origin power well and enrich his foundations. Moreover, this lineup reflected the Zhao clans habitual arroganceit was almost saying that there were so many outstanding talents in the Zhao clan that they could contend against the other three clans even without Zhao Jundu. However, Zhao Jundu acted completely out of character after receiving this news. He wholeheartedly requested to go into battle and, in the end, replaced Zhao Junhong. Zhao Junhong was, at that time, on a punitive expedition against the rebel army on the Western Continent. By the time he returned, the name list had already been submitted to the imperial army and become set in stone. Zhao Jundu personally served Zhao Junhong tea after entering the room and said without beating around the bush, Its better for Second Brother to oversee the family in this battle. Zhao Junhong smiled ruefully as he received the exquisite porcelain cup. He turned the vessel in his hand for a couple of times and, in the end, still decided to ask, Why? Is it because of Qianye? Not just him. I want to experience this so-called Iron Curtain. Zhao Jundu smiled sarcastically after a brief pause. There are gushing undercurrents in the empire. No small number of people are dissatisfied at our Zhao clan. Im hearing no small number of rumors about how our Zhao clans reputation was born of nepotism. This bloody battle will be a good chance for our Zhao clan to kill its way to glory! The Iron Curtain will be a good opportunity to kill whoever isnt convinced. Zhao Junhong suddenly said, Im preparing to enter seclusion and advance to the rank of champion. Zhao Jundu was startled momentarily and was just about to say something when Zhao Junhong waved his hand. Dont worry, the conditions are just about right. My Silver Sword Finger has formed its ninth sword intent. Ill come over to the Iron Curtain and kill my way to fame after I become a champion. Zhao Jundu nodded, and Zhao Junhong placed a hand on the formers shoulder. There was no need for superfluous words between the two brothers. Qianye had just returned to Blackflow City. He had spent the past two days patrolling the wilderness between Blackflow City and Silverflow Fjord. There were no signs of the dark races whatsoever, and there wasnt anything unusual in the areas enveloped by the Iron Curtain apart from the silence and overactivity of darkness origin power. Qianye summoned Song Hu and went up to the city walls to inspect the city defenses. After Wei Bainians reconstruction, the strength of Blackflow Citys defenses was undoubtedly one of the best among the third and fourth-tier human cities. It was, without any reservations, number one within the Trinity River County, but it would involve a major project if they wanted to upgrade it one more level. The core of a medium-sized citys defenses lay in the kinetic tower and the various large defensive weapons attached to it. Any of the two involved steep construction costs and had fairly stringent requirements for technicians and resources. The current Dark Flame couldnt afford it at the moment. As such, Qianye decided to employ the sea of people strategy commonly used in Evernight Continent, conscripting large batches of mercenaries and adventurers to fill the gaps in the city defenses. Fortunately, Dark Flame still had sufficient supplies after devouring the seventh division, but it would be a completely different matter if the dark tide continued for several months. Qianye called Song Hu over for a tour of the city defenses. He had planned to let the conscripted mercenaries guard the less important regions. After they had inspected half the citys defenses, Qianye asked, How many soldiers have been conscripted? Ove three thousand in total. Any more and our budget might not be able to hold out. Qianye frowned. Only three thousand? It might not be enough. Qianye still had some rare materials he had brought out from Andruils realm and thus didnt need to worry about military expenses for the time being. But the armies of Evernight had always nurtured soldiers in battleone would still need to consider the value of the defensive region before deciding the investment. Qianye had learned the truth about the Iron Curtain from Zhao Yuying and understood that this battle would be dangerous. Song Hu, however, wasnt at the level where he could know of such secrets, hence it was natural for him to have reservations during conscription. Qianye pondered for a moment and said, No matter, a unit will be delivered soon. Qianye saw Song Hus expression turn a bit unnatural and said with a smile, Relax, Im not asking the Seventh Young Master for reinforcements. Song Hu immediately turned somewhat awkward. He coughed a couple of times and asked, So where is the new unit coming from? There seemed to be no visible danger after the descent of the black tide, however, the most affected were the peoples hearts. Few among the original residents moved away, but only the boldest of the vagrant hunters and adventurers stayed backno small number of them flocked toward the hinterlandsthis caused the formerly ample manpower to become rather scarce. Qianye saw that Song Hu was clearly trying to avert the topic after his moment of indiscretion. He didnt press on with the question and only said, From the other expeditionary armies within the county. Theyll provide soldiers and military expenses. Its not a lot, but at least itll serve as a supplement. The expeditionary army? Its already fortunate if they dont stab us in the back at the critical moment. Why would they reinforce us? Qianye replied with a laugh, Dont forget that this is Evernight. Evernight wasnt imperial territory. Apart from a number of massive fortresses, they had no way to dispatch soldiers to reclaim land once it had been lost. Presently, no one could clearly say how long the black tide with last and what would happen during this period. Just like Blackflow City, the defensive regions of Evernight were all more or less the private properties of the respective division commanders. Should Blackflow fail to hold out, the adjacent warzones and cities would be next in line to face the dark race battlefront. There were no eternal enemies in the face of profit. With that, Qianye continued toward another defensive sector. The place he was going to inspect next was a crucial part of the city defenses, a cannon tower. There used to be an old ballista on top of the tower which relied on mechanical force to fire bolts at the enemy. Now, it had been replaced with a stronghold cannon. It was a second-hand model ten years behind the ones installed in the empires frontline bases, however, it was still countless times more powerful than the ballista which had fallen behind by hundreds of years. Blackflow City had four stronghold cannons in total. Wei Bainian had utilized the Wei clans resources to get a hold of them during his time in office. His withdrawal tactics during the great war were also built around these cannons. Qianye naturally couldnt overlook the core of Blackflow Citys defenses and had to inspect it personally before he could rest easy. However, he couldnt help but become alarmed when he gazed upon the cannon tower from afarthere were dozens of people working there, and the outer shell of the stronghold cannon had been unloaded to reveal the machinery within. Moreover, it looked like many of the internal components had been removed. The stronghold cannon was different from ordinary tanks and trucks. Its construction was exceptionally complex and not something ordinary mechanics could handle, especially since many of its internal components were sealed together as modules for ease of maintenance. Entire modules would normally be swapped out during repair, allowing them to complete the process in the absence of a high-ranking machinist. The price for this was its great cost since entire modules would need to be switched out even if a small component was damaged. Qianye looked carefully and found that it wasnt just a couple of modules that had been removed; some of the modules had even been opened. One had to know that the weapons manufacturers had installed anti-tampering mechanisms in order to prevent imitation. The components installed within would be completely destroyed unless the modules were opened with a special method. Now that these modules had been opened, the cannon was as good as scrap. Qianye was shocked out of his wits and immediately hopped onto the cannon tower. Hold on! What are you doing?! The technicians on the platform were all those whom he recognized. One of them looked up at himit was actually Percy! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 383: United Chapter 383: United [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] This demonkin master machinist had never made himself useful since he was captured. The most important point was that there was nothing in Blackflow City for him to display his qualities. Percys daily life here could be considered quite free, but there was always someone keeping an eye on him. He was, after all, a demonkinhis underlying rank would still afford him impressive combat strength in battle no matter how little he knew about fighting. Now, Percy had actually appeared on the cannon tower and even seemed quite busy. How could Qianye not be astonished? He looked around and found that there was indeed a fair number of dark races among the smiths. These people were all familiar facesthey were those he had captured at the mine. A small figure poked its head out of the stronghold cannons interior after hearing Qianyes furious roarit was Nangong Xiaoniao. She was smeared in grease, and her little face was a mess of white and black patches. She held a module in her hand which she had just taken down, and judging from the label, it was the cannons core origin array control module. Qianyes brows twitched. Xiaoniao, whats going on? Its like this. I saw that these cannons are all very old, and there are also numerous problems with their design. So, I wanted to modify them a bit and upgrade their performance. Nangong Xiaoniaos voice became softer and softer. She felt indescribable tension whenever she was standing in front of Qianye. However, her words came as a pleasant surprise to Qianye. It can be upgraded? Isnt this stronghold cannon a military model? There might not be any room for improvements if its the newest model, but this one is already seven to eight decades old. What kind of upgrade are we talking about? Xiaoniaos speech became more fluent while talking about professional matters. She tossed the black metallic module in her hand and said, This is the core origin array of this cannon. Ill design a new array and switch out some components. This will grant the stronghold cannon an overdrive mode. When required, we can increase its firepower by 50% and firing speed by 20%. But the only problem is that the cannons lifespan will decrease. Qianyes eyes lit up. Then wouldnt the firing parameters almost rival the empires newest models? Its only equivalent to the smallest models. Thats enough! Qianye was delighted. A small stronghold cannon was still a stronghold cannonit was already an overkill to use it in a place like Blackflow City. Nangong Xiaoniao was able to use these old components to remodel the stronghold cannon to such a degree. No wonder those old men from Red Scorpion treated her like a treasure. Qianye glanced at Percys group and asked, Whats going on with them? Those technicians under you arent very useful. I have to teach them too many basic things and they learn too slow. These fellows are much better, especially Percy. Hes quite smart. Percy was immediately furious after hearing this. What do you mean quite smart? I am a great demonkin born of the Pool of Deep Darkness and known as the metallic wizard! Nangong Xiaoniaos expression was one of disdain. You have the cheek to call yourself a metallic wizard with your level? Youre just trying to swindle people who dont know better! The demonkin Ive met before is so much better than you. A trace of astonishment flashed across Percys face. Better than me? In the field of mechanical design and metals? Of course. Not just these two fields, hes also so much better than you in origin kinetics and arrays. Whats his name? The excitement on Percys face was unsuppressed. Barbarossa. Barbarossa!!! Percy almost jumped up and pounced toward Nangong Xiaoniao. Qianye was watching from the side, so how could he let the demonkin succeed? East Peak didnt leave its sheath eithera mere horizontal wave was enough to block Percys advance. The sword refused to budge in the slightest no matter how Percy pushed. Percy clung unto the heavy sword, stretched his neck forward, and shouted, Barbarossa is my masters master, a first-generation of machinist of the great Pool of Deep Darkness! Where is he now? I want to go and meet him! Nangong Xiaoniao was startled and said with some hesitation, This wont be possible. Hes locked up at the Red Scorpion Headquarters, and its already been some time. Youll all be caught without a doubt if you go to Red Scorpion, and you might not necessarily be placed in the adjacent cell. Percys face immediately dimmed down and let out a sigh only moments later. He erased the thought, returned listlessly to the cannons side, and continued his work. Qianye stood on the side and watched all of this in silence. Percy could ignite a faint black flame in his hand. With it, he could rapidly smelt any type of metal and mold it into the desired component. This method was quite similar to Zhao Yuyings, but Percy was able to produce a comparable effect despite his vastly inferior individual strength. There was indeed something original about him; it seemed his name as a metallic wizard wasnt undeserved. Qianye called Nangong Xiaoniao over and asked in a whisper, How did you make him obey and work? Wont there be a problem? Nangong Xiaoniao shook her head and said, There wont be a problem! I split up the work into many different parts, and everyone is in charge of a small section. Its easy work for them and its not quite possible even if they wanted to play tricks. I do the final inspection and acceptance. Moreover, I told them that they will be paid as much as they were on the other side, and that they were free to spend the money as they wished as long as they didnt leave the city. They agreed just like that? Qianye felt that it was inconceivablethe conditions were too simplehe wouldve dealt with them long ago if these technicians could be settled with money. Why not? Sister Yuying said we can chop up whoever disagrees and feed them to the dogs. Qianye was momentarily rendered speechless. What Nanong Xiaoniao brought was a delightful surprise. Four stronghold cannons with firepower comparable to the newest models would serve as a big killer weapon. This kind of stronghold cannon was extremely powerful and would even heavily injure a viscount if struck directly. Ordinary heavy cannons simply couldnt compare. Qianye let Nangong Xiaoniao go about her business but transferred a number of high-ranking guards for protection. He then returned to headquarters with Song Hu. He had just sat down in the study when a personal guard entered to deliver a report. Sire, those from the expeditionary army have arrived. Invite them into the war room. Qianye was apparently in a great mood. Waiting in the parlor outside wasnt just a single person, but a dozen or so people. In addition to the field and dispatch divisions within the Trinity River County, even those from the neighboring counties had dispatched people. Moreover, all of them were high-ranking officers at the rank of colonel and above. Even that brigadier general, the 10th division commander of Broken River City, had arrived in person. It could be said that all the warzones adjacent to the Blackflow City theater had dispatched forces over. Qianye invited the guests to take their seats and proceeded to sit down at the main seat himself. He forewent the exchange of conventional greetings and got right to the point. Everyone arrived at more or less the same time, so I take that youve all talked things over amongst yourselves? The expeditionary army officers all glanced at one another, but it was the brigadier general who spoke, Commander Qianye, I have a question first. How confident are you in holding Blackflow City if the dark races make their way here? Qianye lifted his teacup and took a slow sip before putting it down calmly. This will depend on everyones support. Blackflow is at the van and will suffer great losses in the war. But as long as everyone supports me well, Im quite capable of blocking the enemy outside of Blackflow City even if a count arrives. Everyone was visibly moved. On the dark race side, the total strength of a viscount was roughly equal to an expeditionary army division. A count was a big monster to these division commanders who ruled their separate lands. The officers exchanged glances amongst themselves. They understood that news of Dark Flames western expedition and how they had forcibly seized significant territory and resources from the hands of the arachne count had to be true. Otherwise, Qianye wouldnt have such confidence. These high ranking officers were all important characters from their respective divisions. They werent young anymore, and there were even two white-haired men among themthis was made especially evident since such a young person like Qianye was sitting across from them. However, Qianyes every action was collectedhis speech was mild and contained not a single superfluous word. Were he not sitting before them, these people wouldnt believe that the person truly in charge of this independent division was only in his twenties. This should perhaps be attributed to Song Zining. While the two were chatting about the styles of major characters, he had playfully demonstrated the proper appearance one should have when in a discussion with important peopleevery action had to be solemn and dignified. Not only must one speak unhurriedly, but the words should also be rehearsed in the mind before speaking. No mistakes must be made even if one had to speak slower. Qianye was currently applying what he had learned. It seemed the results werent bad judging from how these expeditionary army officers were listening attentively and pondering in earnest. Moreover, Qianyes surging origin power and powerful physique came into play after obtaining East Peak. His bearing was now as grave as the mountains, and his every movement possessed a transcendent strength about them. At this moment, the expeditionary officers found that the longer they sat in front of Qianye, the more they sensed a vague pressure descending upon them. Moreover, it was growing progressively heavier, and even their breathing no longer felt smooth. The 10th division commander laughed wryly in his mind and completely abandoned what little discontent he had before. He had felt that Qianye wasnt treating him, a general, with proper respect. Even though Dark Flame was now on equal standing with the 10th division, he felt that he was still slightly above Qianye since the latter wasnt yet a champion. The strong were respectedthat was the empires creed from top to bottom. The brigadier general let out a cough and said, We came to help Sire Qianye stabilize the city defenses. Its just that were not yet clear which area you need help with. Qianye smiled faintly and extended a single finger. I want one battalion from each party, replete with necessary trucks. Thats all. Everyone glanced at each other, dumbfounded. There were seven or eight divisions here. If each of them forked out a battalion, it would reach a total of three regiments, and Dark Flames combat strength would suddenly increase by half. These units were certain to never return after they had fallen into Qianyes hands. Moreover, in such a special period, the soldiers delivered would all be from their main forceno one would play tricks here. Otherwise, they wouldnt be here for an alliance. Another colonel coughed with a rueful smile and said, Sire Qianye, your request is a bit too steep. Reportedly, the empire will be issuing exceptionally high rewards for this battle. It should be more than enough to cover your losses. Would you consider Qianye replied with an indifferent smile. Its precisely because the rewards are high that you have all come to find me, is it not? Since youre all so interested in the contribution rewards, then why not go and earn them yourselves? How about that? The colonel was instantly at a loss for words. The high rewards indicated greater risk. The imperial military would never act foolishly in this regard. But no matter how high the rewards were, one had to be alive to earn them. It was exactly because of this dangerous signal that the neighboring divisions had sent people to Blackflow City, hoping Qianye could withstand the frontline pressure for them. The 10th divisions brigadier general pondered for a moment and said while clenching his teeth, Then one battalion it is! Rest assured, all those delivered will be from the main force. Its fine as long as their combat strength and equipment are up to standard. I dont care about their designations or even their military ranks. Qianye scanned the surroundings and, as expected, saw some peculiar expressions on a number of officers. As veterans, they all understood the meaning behind Qianyes words. There were rebellious soldiers in every division who were capable in battle but failed to gain the favor of their superiors due to their nature. Every time, they would be dispatched to the most dangerous and arduous of missionsQianye wanted such men. Chapter 384: The Winds Rise Chapter 384: The Winds Rise [V5C91 - A Distance Within Reach] An agreement was quickly reached, and the various divisions promised to deliver the troops within a week. This was equivalent to paying Qianye protection feesthe price seemed high, but it was nothing compared to having their own defensive regions wiped out. But the more protection fees Qianye accepted, the greater his responsibility became. Everything would be off if he couldnt halt the dark races advance. Qianye received a special guest after sending off the group of officers. It was a man in his forties. The plump middle-aged man wasnt very tall and possessed an obviously bulging belly. However, Qianye felt a vague aura of danger emanating from the man when he sat down across from him. This feeling was much stronger than it was with the previous expeditionary army officers. The middle-aged man took his seat on the sofa but maintained a cautious, upright posture. His hand, resting on his knees, was subconsciously rubbing his hat. Apparently, he was feeling rather restless, almost like a small merchant who had suddenly met a senior officer. Even Qianye had to admire his acting. Had he not clearly seen the persons complex origin power fluctuations with his True Sight, he mightve been fooled into thinking that this was an ordinary fatty. Qianye waved his hand and gestured for Song Hu to leave. Now, only Qianye and the fatty remained in the living room. Just speak directly. No need to act anymore. No matter which family youre from, you should be an elder at the very least. This also meant that the man before him who had assumed the identity of a little merchant was, in fact, a champion. The middle-aged man looked deeply at Qianye; his gaze had suddenly become as sharp as a blade. Sire Qianye has good eyesight indeed. Youve seen through my identity and still dare to remain alone in the same room. Thats an extraordinary level of insight and courage. Qianye smiled faintly. Actually, this is unrelated to courage. Ive killed a fair number of viscounts and elders in the past. I also plan to keep on killing more in the future. I dont mind killing one more or one less. The middle-aged mans expression froze momentarily. He suddenly withdrew his imposing manner and restored his friendly fatty demeanor. Sigh, Im old now and encumbered by family and career. Its true that I no longer have the courage to rush and take risks like the youngsters. If it were fifty years ago, I wouldve insisted on receiving pointers from you. Qianye only smiled without replyingsuch matters were meaningless in words. Only taking action would prove who was stronger or weaker. The middle-aged man took on a serious expression and said, My surname is Zhou and given name Caiguang, a veteran elder from Lone Ghosts who was just transferred here. Hereafter, Ill be in charge of business in the six northwestern counties under the expeditionary armys control. I came over just to call upon Sire Qianye and see if we might have the honor of working for you in the future. His words were pleasant and tactful, but in reality, there was no telling what kind of words he would say had Qianye not torn off his disguise immediately. Qianyes brows rose after hearing the name Lone Ghosts. He reached out to pick up his teacup and took a sip before glancing at Zhou Caiguang. Lone Ghosts? I heard your group has always operated on the Western Continent. So you also have a branch in Evernight? Zhou Caiguang replied, The Western Continent is the Zhao clans domain, so the Lone Ghosts can only hold so much power. Evernight is the real place for unlimited development. These few words were enough to completely display this fattys ambitions. Qianye said calmly, But there are many other organizations like yours, even some that are bigger. Even Evernight itself has its fair share of such groups, and theyre at least more familiar with the lay of the land. Why should I choose you? Zhou Caiguang replied with a smile, No matter how Lone Ghosts fare on the Western Continent, its a new phase after entering Evernight. The powers you mentioned have been here for a long time, and thus, they might be stronger than us for the time being. But its impossible for them to have various types of connections like we do. They might sometimes be convenient for handling matters, but therell also be a lot of impedance. So much so that you might not be clear whos actually standing behind them. Qianye raised his brows. He hadnt expected this unassuming fatty to be such a smooth-talker. The various powers in Evernight were tangled and complicatedthe biggest obstacle in the way of cooperation was usually trust between the two parties. That was because, in some fields, profits werent everything. We, on the other hand, are different. Lone Ghost is as clean as a newborn baby on Evernight Continent and thus more trustworthy. Your Dark Flame is fairly powerful, but I heard that it was also just recently established. I believe there are many aspects in which we can cooperate. Youll know as time goes by that killing isnt all that Lone Ghost can do. This is also the reason why we chose to visit you first. Additionally, we also prepared something for you. Please take a look. With that, Zhou Caiguang produced an envelope and passed it over. Qianye opened it to find a letter of certification inside, and on it were numerous estates listed as collateral. What surprised Qianye most was that the certificate was signed by Wei Potian. Zhou Caiguang was watching Qianye attentively and observing his every expression. At this time, he smiled and said, Please take a look. This should be enough proof of our sincerity. All the estates on the list have been given to the Wei clan heir as security. With the relationship between you and the Wei clan heir, you can contact him and take them as compensation should any problem arise in our future cooperation. Up to this point, Qianye couldnt help but admire this fattys methods. It seemed Zhou Caiguang still wasnt aware of the past matters between Qianye and the Lone Ghosts. He was only doing this in order to break new ground with his business. Furthermore, in order to facilitate this, he had intentionally visited Wei Potian and got him to serve as an endorsement of trust. This also meant that Zhou Caiguang had invested some effort to understand Dark Flame and Qianyes background. Qianye pondered for a moment and inquired, What can you do for me? We can start from the basics like intelligence for instance. For a set monthly fee, well provide information at regular intervals. I guarantee youll see some things that interest you that other people do not. Qianye laughedthis was a tailored serviceit seemed Zhaou Caiguang was intent on taking Dark Flames market. Zhou Caiguang brought out a thin stack of documents containing only a few pages. The papers were split into numerous columns, namely major world events, imperial movements, and important matters of Evernight. There were over a dozen pieces of information listed at each level, and two of them were even about the movements of the imperial family. Every article was around a hundred words and only contained simple introductions. Zhou Caiguang spoke while Qianye was flipping through the papers, Youve opened up such prospects at such a young age. Your future will be boundless after you break through to the champion rank, thats why the things you hold in your hands are absolutely necessary. One must have a broad view in order to do big things. Qianye put down the summarized report and said, These things are a bit too simple. Zhou Caiguang said with a laugh, This is only an entry level report worth 100 gold coins a month. There are two types of higher level presentations should you require them, but the prices are also differentmore than 10 times the cost. If you have certain areas that interest you, we can also provide an in-depth investigation and report. As for Lone Ghosts primary line of work, thats also within the scope of orders we accept. The so-called primary line of work was murder. In truth, assassination was Lone Ghosts actual livelihood. To have used information as his main selling point, this Fatty Zhou was indeed an interesting character. Qianye nodded and put down the report in his hand. Thats good enough. Leave this report with me along with a mode of contact. Ill contact you when the need arises in the future. Zhou Caiguang extended his chubby hand and said with a smile, Its my honor to be able to serve you. Qianye reached out to shake Zhou Caiguangs hand. All of a sudden, he felt a terrifying force from the man that might even crush steel if there were no resistance. It seemed this kind-looking fatty couldnt resist testing Qianyes strength in the end. Qianye circulated origin power throughout his body and abruptly applied force from his hands. Origin power surged out together with the formidable strength of his vampire constitution. The sound of rolling thunder echoed throughout the empty living room. Zhou Caiguangs face turned pale and sweat began to drip down from his forehead as his entire body trembled. The origin power he had attacked with was actually flushed back at him. Qianye slowly withdrew his origin power and relaxed his grip after seeing Zhou Caiguang couldnt hold out much longer. The mans right was swelling up rapidly, and the purple fingerprints upon it were incomparably clear. Zou Caiguangs face turned pale from the pain as he tried moving his fingers. He took a deep breath after finding that his fingers were fortunately still able to move. Apparently, Qianye had shown him some mercy by not crushing all of his bones. Zhou Caiguang couldnt help but laugh wryly. Sire Qianyes strength truly makes one sigh in admiration. Although my skills are rather disappointing, Ive never placed ordinary rank-ten champions in my eyes. Unexpectedly, I couldnt even last a couple of minutes in your hands. Thunder rang out in empty air the moment your origin power stirred. Even among champions, not everyone is at such a level. At this point, Zhou Caiguang couldnt help but ask, When do you intend to advance to champion? There''s no rush. Qianye didnt feel obligated to answer this question. Zhou Caiguang also understood that he had spoken inappropriately. He left his contact details with a bow and excused himself. In the days that followed, people like Zhou Caiguang visited one after anotherthere were all kinds of them, and they came in a never ending stream. This was proof that Dark Flames swift, decisive methods after devouring the seventh division and the success of their westward campaign were finally showing their effects. They had received the recognition of Evernights powers from top to bottomonly now could their foothold be considered truly stable. Among the visitors, there were organizations like Lone Ghost proposing cooperation, and there were also certain aristocratic families and powers with dubious backgrounds looking to develop business in Blackflow City. There were even arrogant representatives of minor nobility who looked upon Qianye as though a high-class person would a commoner, and demanded that Qianye switch allegiances. Moreover, they acted as if they were doing him a gargantuan favor. Qianye was simply too lazy to pay such people any attention at all. He beat them up on the spot and kicked them out of the city. As for cries like youll definitely regret this or you cant afford to offend the person behind me, even the Dark Flame soldiers only treated them as dog barks. Once or twice was fine, but similar matters repeated too many times. Only then did Qianye realize that not everyone was well-informed enough to understand the rules. Now that he thought about it, he wouldve been entirely ignorant of things outside of the war zone were it not for Song Zining and Zhao Yuyings channels. Qianye couldnt help but recall Hunters Home from back then. The price for information there was quite expensive relative to the mission rewards. Now, it seemed that Zhou Caiguangs report was indeed important. At least, he wouldnt be completely ignorant of the things happening in the world. The other topic Zhou Caiguang had brought up caused some waves in Qianyes heart, and he began to seriously consider the possibility of advancing to the champion rank. Human champions and dark race viscounts were both a threshold, the doorway separating the upper-class society and the lower ones. No matter how strong Qianye was or how many champions he had killed, the respect he received would be somewhat lacking in meaning unless he broke through to the champion rank. The human races secret to advancement could be described in a single term: Condense Qi into a Vortex. After origin power had been condensed to a certain level at the nine nodes, they would naturally become a vortex. This would increase their origin power absorption by many times, allow them to draw upon the origin power in the surroundings, and, at the same time, improve their constitution to a certain degree. Advancing to the champion rank was a holistic upgrade process. It was a watershed which the difference in strength would be akin to the difference between heaven and earth. Even among champions, the size and purity of the origin power vortices would determine how far the person would be able to go. The purer ones origin power wasthe closer it was to the originthe greater his might and potential for advancement. Ordinary champions were only slightly superior to fighters in terms of origin power condensation. That was why geniuses would find ways to suppress their rank and invest great effort into purifying their origin power. At the thought of this, Qianye recalled Song Zinings words about how every major family had their own secret methods to boost in champion advancement. Not only would they greatly increase the chances of an upgrade, but certain top-grade methods were even capable of raising ones origin power purity by a level. The top-grade cultivation chamber Qianye had used back at the Song clan was one of them. Its consumption rate was a colossal number to ordinary people. Qianye was somewhat curious as to what the Zhao clans methods were. Now that the Iron Curtain was fully formed and war could break out any moment, Qianye felt the urge to stop suppressing his rank and advance to champion rank. This might perhaps affect his future prospects, but what future would there be if he died in the bloody battle? The endless stream of visitors finally died down after a couple of days, and Qianye was allowed some free time to cultivate in peace. Thus, Qianye began preparing for his advancementall of Dark Flames officers received instructions not to disturb him unless it was extremely urgent. All matters related to daily operation were handed over to Song Hu and a number of high-ranking officers. On the second day of Qianyes isolated cultivation, an unassuming little airship arrived in Blackflow City. It appeared fairly mediocre at a glance, but the fact that it was able to arrive in Blackflow City through the Iron Curtain spoke volumes of its extraordinary qualities. Under the Iron Curtain, not only were the land animals berserk, but the birds in the sky were also in a similar state. Ordinary transport airships had all stopped running, and only those escorted by military airships dared take to the skies. After the airship descended onto the landing pad, the cabin doors were opened, and the ladder was lowered. Out walked an elderly man with clear, handsome facial features and a head of perfectly groomed silver hair. He was dressed in plain clothes with no decorations whatsoever. However, knowledgeable people would see that the materials and craftsmanship were the work of a master and every detail was flawless. His clothes alone might be able to buy several houses in a poor, remote place like Blackflow City. There was a handsome young man behind the elder along with a number of followers. The old mans eagle-like gaze swept across the place as he said indifferently, So this is Blackflow City? Yes, we have arrived, the young man beside him replied. The old man was noncommittal about the cityscape before him and only said, Since this is the right place, then lets go find the young miss first. Chapter 385: Injured Chapter 385: Injured [V5C92 - A Distance Within Reach] A number of Dark Flame officers in charge of guarding the airship port saw the disembarking group and felt suspicious. A junior officer said, Why do I feel somethings not quite right with these people? Could it be that theyre from a high-ranking family? They might be aristocracy, said another. A certain bearded officer spat out a mouthful of spittle. Impossible. What kind of aristocratic family would run over to such a place at this time? We have to fight and die every day here. How could those proud young masters be willing to join in on the action? Moreover, those from the major families have their noses in the air, and theyre usually not even willing to glance at us. These people dont look the part! The only major in the group said, What are you all babbling about?! Just do your job no matter who they are! Even people from the four major clans must follow the procedures. The officers all agreed. One among them said with a laugh, We should take it easy if theyre from the Zhao clan. Or else, the Young Miss Division Commanders face will turn ugly. The major snorted and said decisively, Everyone will be treated equally no matter who they are. Besides, why would the Zhao people come here? Stop speaking nonsense and get to work! Youll get three months of sentry duty if you keep goofing off. The officer was shocked and waved his hands hurriedly. Oh no! If I dont fight for three months, the idleness will be ball-breaking! The officers little bickering wasnt very loud. However, the people from the airship were of extraordinary strength and had heard all of it clearly. Their expressions turned rather odd except for the old man who remained completely unmoved. The petty officer assigned by the major immediately withdrew his sloppy demeanor. He then headed over to the airship with some men and began the routine registration and inspection process. The entire process was carried out strictly in adherence to the rules and without any presumptuous behavior. Seeing this, the old man nodded and said, The soldiers are led fairly well. There was an astonished expression on the young mans countenance for he knew the elder rarely offered praises. Moreover, the major families were governed by strict ruleshow could these ruffian officers be considered good in his eyes? As such, Qianye hadnt even cultivated for two days when he was interrupted by the arrival of an important guest. This Count Yuyang was, at the same time, Duke Yans younger brother, definitely an honored guest in every aspect. Moreover, they had used the Zhao clans name on the visitor''s token, signifying that Count Yuyang was here on behalf of the Zhao clan. It was just that Qianye didnt quite understand before entering the living room. Count Yuyang was most likely here for Zhao Yuying, and she was indeed out at the moment, but why would the man insist on seeing him? A thin old man was sitting within the room with his eyes lowered. He only looked up to glance at Qianye when the latter stepped through the door. That single glance made Qianye feel as though a bolt of lightning had flashed past his eyes. His entire body shook and momentarily lost all perception. Qianye was shocked, and his body reacted automatically. His origin power rumbled out like the raging tides and quickly shattered the origin power binding his body. Astoundment flashed through the old mans eyes as he nodded. What a fierce and tyrannical art. Not bad. Qianye was astonished. This old mans strength was completely unfathomablea single glance had locked him down on the spot. Although he was able to extricate himself almost immediately, it consumed a good chunk of his origin power. Moreover, a moment of restriction was enough to kill him many times over had they been in an actual fight. Solely in terms of combat strength, Count Yuyangs title as an honorary count was apparently too unfitting. Combatant Formula? the young man behind the elder blurted out in astonishment. His eyesight wasnt weak despite his young age, and he was able to figure out Qianyes cultivation art with a single glance. However, the combatant formula was a famous cannon fodder art. As such, it was extremely powerful against opponents below the champion level, but using it to contend against those above was virtually unheard of, especially against people at the elderly mans level. This caused the young man to be particularly astonished. The old man was still sitting formally as he sized up Qianye from head to toe. Its indeed uncommon to see someone cultivate the Combatant formula to this stage. Whats rarer is the purity of your origin powertruly exceptional. Qianye slowly calmed down his origin power and sat down across the old man. Its an honor to receive Count Yuyangs praise. Count Yuyang nodded. He then summoned the young man to the front and introduced, This is Zhao Fenglei, my great nephew. I brought him out this time to broaden his horizons and gain some experience lest he becomes too engrossed in cultivation at home and grows to be lacking in this respect. A thought popped up in Qianyes mind as he recalled the documents he had seen. Could Brother Fenglei be Duke Yans grandson? Count Yuyang replied, Correct, hes indeed my elder brothers lineal grandson. Zhao Fenglei offered some conventional niceties. Not the slightest fault could be found in his tone, but Qianyes sharp senses perceived a faint hostility emanating from him, even some killing intent. This bewildered Qianye somewhat because he was quite certain that he had never met Zhao Fenglei before and knew not where he had offended the young man. Count Yuyang spoke while Qianye was still puzzling over this matter, This old man came here to bring word to Duke Yous young miss. The empire has recruited an unprecedented number of rising talents from the major clans for this bloody iron-curtain battle. Our Zhao clan also attaches great importance to this fight and Yuying is the leader elected by our council of elders. Her staying in Blackflow up until now is proof of how much she cares about you, so this old man was somewhat curious and insisted on meeting you. And, indeed, you did not disappoint me. Qianye only laughed without continuing this topic. Whether in terms of age, combat strength or rank, Count Yuyang wasnt excessive in playing the part of a senior. Count Yuyang pondered for a while and said, I hope you assist Yuying as much you can in this battle and accumulate contributions. This old man might as well tell you that the empires bounty this time is several times greater than before. Our Zhao clan will also arrange separate rewards that are not at all inferior to the empires. As long as you accumulate enough merits, even our Duke Yan Lineages secret cultivation arts are on the table. Zhao Fenglai was shocked. This But he immediately stopped speaking when Count Yuyang raised his hand. The young man was apparently quite reverent of this elder. Qianye pondered in silence for a moment before saying, I shall try my best since you think so highly of me. Whether it was with the empire or the major clans, bountiful rewards signified greater danger. Judging from Count Yuyangs words, the Zhao clan seemed to have invested quite a bit of power in this battle. Qianye wasnt quite clear as to why the Zhao clan would recruit a small mercenary corps commander like himself since they had already mustered such military power. But he had long since decided on a strategy regarding this Iron Curtain. He had just recently built a small foundation for himself, so how could he sacrifice everything for the Zhao clan in exchange for rewards? The secret cultivation art, no matter how good, was a matter for the future. The Combatant Formula wasnt inferior to any other art below the champion level. Meanwhile, Qianyes condition was special, and his path to the champion-rank was unlikely to be conventional. Zhao Fengleis expression was one of displeasure as he listened to the conversation from one side since the evasive intent in Qianyes reply was obvious. He wanted to say something but refrained from doing so after glancing at Count Yuyang. Count Yuyang, on the other hand, nodded calmly and said, Since that is the case, this old man will take his leave. Qianye stood up to see the visitors out and had just exited the building when a personal guard rushed over with an urgent report. Sire! Young Miss Zhao has returned with grave injuries! Qianye was astonished. Yuyings injured?! Where is she? Lead the way immediately. Count Yuyang was still beside him. He who had never worn his heart on his sleeves couldnt help but reveal an astonished expression at this moment. Zhao Fengleis expression shifted even more rapidly. Everyone followed the personal guard and hurried toward Zhao Yuyings residence. Zhao Yuying wasnt lying on the bed when Qianye rushed into the room, but her condition wasnt necessarily better. She was sitting beside the table with two bottles in front of her, one of which was still unopened. Hearing people enter, she withdrew her hand and looked up. Zhao Yuyings face was devoid of color. Although she was wearing her usual nonchalant expression, Qianye, with his sharp eyesight, immediately noticed that her hand under the table was trembling slightly all along. She couldnt even control her own fingers despite her powerful strengthone could easily imagine the severity of her injury. This small maneuver naturally couldnt evade Count Yuyangs eyes. The old mans expression turned rather unsightly. Zhao Yuying was startled upon seeing Count Yuyang. Sixth Grand Uncle, why are you here? The more powerful one was, the greater the danger under the Iron Curtain. Why would an important character of the Duke Yan lineage personally take this risk at such a time? Qianye spoke anxiously without waiting for Count Yuyangs reply, How are your injuries? Zhao Yuying shook her head and said, Its no big deal. Such a small injury isnt a problem for this momfor me. Zhao Yuying was somewhat more reserved in front of Count Yuyang and quickly withdrew her usual obscene language. She said it wasnt a big deal, but Qianye didnt believe it at all. Who did this? His words were filled with killing intent. That bastard Nangong Xiaofeng. F*ck! This mommy was chasing down a vampire viscount when that bastard launched a sneak attack. But the little animal didnt have it easy either. He suffered a fierce blow from my cannon. Damn his grandmother! He made me waste that cannon shell. Thats my entire fortune! Zhao Yuying was apparently quite furious. The angrier she was, the less reserved she became, and foul language eventually began to gush out from her mouth. Count Yuyang, with his level of self-restraint and upbringing, revealed a great shift in facial expression. Zhao Fenglei was completely flabbergasted and even his body was frozen stiff. Apparently, he had never seen this kind of disposition. Qianye, on the other hand, felt somewhat relieved. He would find it abnormal if she wasnt spewing foul language. It seemed the injuries were still under control at the moment since she was so full of spirit. Nangong Xiaofeng? Qianye frowned as he tried to recall if he had ever heard of this name. Zhao Yuying sighed. Hes the number one expert of the Nangong familys younger generation. In the recent years, hes even a bit stronger than this mommy here, but thatll change after a few years! Why? Of course its because of Xiaoniaos matter. What else can it be? Killing intent surged in Qinayes eyes. Where did you meet him? Zhao Yuying was shocked and replied hurriedly, What are you planning to do? Dont be rash? Itll be better to kill him since hes injured! Count Yuyang let out a cough at this moment and said slowly, This matter isnt so simple. We mustnt act rashly. There are strong undercurrents within the empire, and the Nangong familys tendencies are not clear. Its exactly a crucial contesting moment. We have to consider the aftermath at length since an inappropriate handling of matters will push them to the other side. Naturally, Yuyings injury isnt a small matter. Rest assured, we will definitely make Nangong Yuanbo fork out a satisfactory explanation before we let this slip. Qianye narrowed his eyes. A sanguineous hue ignited within his clear, obsidian pupils as he sneered, A satisfactory explanation? Yuying has been wounded like this. Only Nangong Xiaofengs death is a satisfactory answer! Zhao Fenglai couldnt help butting in, You want to kill Nangong Xiaofeng when youre not even a champion yet? Hes not someone you can casually move even if hes heavily injured. What are you going to fight him with? The Combatant Formula? Besides, is the Nangong family someone you can afford to offend if our Zhao clan doesnt take the initiative? Qianye turned to glare at Zhao Fenglei and suddenly said, Get lost! Chapter 386: Revenge Chapter 386: Revenge [V5C93 - A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Fenglei was momentarily dumbfounded and simply couldnt believe his ears. Even though his talents were inferior to the Duke Chengen fourth young master and Zhao Yuying, he was still an excellent character within the Zhao clan and also the grandson of Duke Yanwhen had he ever heard such words? He came to only with great difficulty and his face immediately turned red as he shouted, What did you just say? Say it again? Qianye spoke word by word, I said scram! Zhao Fenglei was furioushis origin power erupted without disguise and formed two vortices around his body. Youre courting death. Qianye didnt even spare Zhao Fenglei a glance. He gazed at Count Yuyang and said coldly, Do you intend to take action inside the room or shall we go out? His bearing and tone as he spoke those words completely ignored Zhao Fengleis existence. The latter was greatly enraged and pounced toward Qianye with a flash of green origin power. However, Zhao Fenglei had just moved when Count Yuyang placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed him down. At this moment, Zhao Yuying propped herself up and blocked Qianye. She then turned around and said, Sixth Grand Uncle, lets leave this matter here. I wish to rest. Ill call upon you in a couple of days. Count Yuyang nodded. Thats fine too. Zhao Yuying hung unto Qianyes shoulder and said, Qianye, stay behind. Theres something I need to discuss. Zhao Fengleis eyes were almost spewing flames as he stared fixedly at Qianye. Dont think that I dont know what youre planning by getting yourself involved with Yuying! If you have guts, dont learn our Zhao clans arts. Continue cultivating your Combatant Formula until you die! Qianye stared coldly at him without a change in expressionan azure light swept through his eyes. Count Yuyang said with a frown, Fenglei, speak less! Lets go. With that, he turned around and left. Zhao Fenglei wanted to say something but was immediately dragged out. Zhao Yuying turned limp after Count Yuyangs group left and had to cling onto Qianye for support. She said with an unsteady voice, Help me with the wound, this mommy cant hold on much longer. Qianye broke into a tight frown. He simply picked up Zhao Yuying and walked into the bedroom. Zhao Yuying removed her clothes and lay face down on the bed. Her wound was on the back close to her ribs. It was only about three fingers wide, and the margins were extremely smooth. Qianye was astonished after a careful inspectionthe wound seemed small, but it was extremely deep and almost reached the other side of the body. Moreover, the external origin power lingering around the opening was extremely sinister. Not only did it remain undispersed around the wound and obstruct its healing, but it was also invading the internal organs continuously. Zhao Yuying appeared fine on the surface, but her organs were already badly damaged. The damage wasnt lethal considering her strength, but she would need to recuperate for at least a month and would be restricted from using her full strength several months afterward. Qianye calmed down after observing the wound clearly and inquired once more about how she was injured. It was just as Zhao Yuying had recounted earlierNangong Xiaofeng had launched a sneak attack. His strength was slightly above Zhao Yuying in the first place, so he succeeded in heavily wounding Zhao Yuying in a single strike. But Zhao Yuying didnt run away immediately in the face of grave danger and, instead, launched a brazen counterattack. She used up that extremely valuable cannon shell to shatter Nangong Xiaofnegs protective origin power and similarly injured him. I understand now. With that, Qianye began cleaning Zhao Yuyings wound. Qianyes daybreak origin power was incomparably pure, and its effects were extremely evident here. Before long, the lingering origin power around the wound had more or less been dispelled, and Qianye also managed to grasp Nangong Xiaofengs origin power attribute during this process. However, she would have to slowly clear the remaining bits of origin power that had entered her lungs. Zhao Yuyings aura became apparently weaker after this round of torment, but her complexion had taken a turn for the better and was no longer as pale. Only at this time did the two of them regain the mood to discuss other matters. Zhao Yuying asked about Qianyes meeting with Count Yuyang and said, Qianye, thats just how the Sixth Grand Uncle is. He only takes action after sufficient planning. This matter, in his eyes, might be an extremely good opportunity with which to force the Nangong family toward our Zhao clan. Even if he fails to do so, hell definitely make Nangong Yuanbo bleed heavily, and the compensation will be more than enough. Qianye sat down beside the bed. I grew up as a native in the countryside, and I dont understand the methods of you aristocrats. I only know that since theyve injured you, dont even think about compensating with money! Qianye, dont be rash. The Nangong family is not one you can afford to provoke. Its fine while Im still here, but Ill have to leave sooner or later. Zhao Yuying only felt Qianye remove the sheets and hold her in his arms. Zhao Yuyings weary body relaxed in his warm presence, and tiredness finally rolled over her entire being. She could no longer hold on at this point and fell into a deep sleep. She suddenly woke up after an unknown period of time. She found that the sky outside the window had turned dark, and the room was completely empty. Qianye was gone. Zhao Yuying was alarmed and, for some reason, completely flustered. She could no longer care about her powerless body and rushed out after putting on her clothes. Two ramrod straight Dark Flame warriors were standing guard outside the door. Zhao Yuying asked immediately, Wheres Qianye?! Sire Qianye left long ago and only instructed us to keep watch here. Zhao Yuying had left even before the guards voice had trailed off. She asked everyone she met along the way and finally heard from Song Hu that Qianye had long since left the city on an airship without telling anyone where he had gone. The one he had taken was Nangong Xiaoniaos airship. It was several times faster than normal vessels and was probably already far away at this moment. It was already too late even if Zhao Yuying wanted to chase after him. She stood in a daze for a length of time before returning to her residence. There, she brought out a bottle of wine and started drinking slowly, her emotions incomparably complicated. Meanwhile, Qianye was standing atop a rocky mountain peak and looking down at a certain courtyard at the foot of the mountain. The manor was extremely big and even had its own perpetual dynamo towerit was practically a small city. Gazing down at the manor below, Qianye thought quietly to himself, This fatty is quite useful. This news couldnt be considered too hard to obtain, but it was still difficult to bring it out on the spot. Zhou Caiguang had, without a second word, brought out intelligence related to the Nangong family when Qianye went knocking on his door. Not even a single unnecessary word was spoken. From this, it was clear that he had already done sufficient homework. This was the Nangong family''s biggest estate in the Trinity River County. The family only had three or four bases of such scale on Evernight Continent. If Nangong Xiaofeng needed to recuperate, it was very likely that he would be here. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers and pressed two Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation into the chamber before holstering them. He then retrieved East Peak from Andruils Mysterious Realm, strapped it to his back, and ran toward the manor. The Iron Curtain hadnt extended to this place yet, but it was already quite close. Hence, security in the manor was tightthere were sentries everywhere, and there were soldiers patrolling the area constantly. Moreover, a fair number of fierce dogs were kept outside of the manor walls to ensure watertight defenses. A patrol unit was moving along the external walls of the manor, the origin lamps in their hands flickering with an exceptional yellow hue against the dark night. A gust of cold air caused them to shiver involuntarily. This accursed weather suddenly turned so cold. Will we even survive? A little chill is fine, but not seeing the sun every day is damn frightening. The fully bearded leader snorted, Enough! Quit complaining. If there was a choice, who would be willing to be sent to an accursed place like Evernight? But were fortunate that whatchamacallit Iron Curtain hasnt reached this place yet. Otherwise, you can all start weeping! Someone asked curiously, What kind of thing is that Iron Curtain? Why is everyone so afraid? Another person glanced around and, after finding no one nearby, spoke in a whisper, Im not trying to intimidate you guys. You might not know, but Sire Xiaofeng just arrived today and now hes grievously injured! I heard he went into the Iron Curtain. What kind of person is Sire Xiaofeng? Even he was injured, so tell me if that Iron Curtain is scary or not? Everyones expression changed since all of them were external warriors, and it was the first time they had heard about this. Someone asked suddenly, Has Sire Xiaofeng left? The person who revealed the news replied subconsciously, He still has to recuperate for a couple of dayswait, who are you?! The warriors all glanced back and discovered that they didnt recognize the person who had raised the question. In fact, they didnt even know when this person had appeared behind them. This shocked them out of their wits. Qianye swung East Peak without unsheathing it. Powerful origin power tides shot forth like a tsunami and knocked all of them flying. They spat blood through the air and collapsed onto the ground. Qianye discovered, from their gossip just now, that these people were dispatched from the upper continent. No matter how unfavored they were, each of them was still part of the clans main force. Such soldiers usually served the family faithfully for generations and would probably fight to the death. As such, Qianye didnt hold back at allthe entire unit was killed from the impact of his origin power. Numerous canines in the vicinity heard the commotion and charged over toward him, but just as they were about to bark furiously, Qianye shot them a sidelong glance. The dogs immediately lowered themselves to the ground after sensing the blood energy on his body. There, they whimpered continuously and couldnt even stand up. Qianye jumped over the wall but didnt move covertly the rest of the way. Instead, he charged straight into the courtyard without hiding his presence and shouted with a stern voice, Nangong Xiaofeng. Get out here! Does the number one genius of the Nangong family only know how to hide like a turtle? The manor was stirred within moments, and many people charged out from their rooms. They wanted to see who was bold enough to cause trouble in the Nangong family estate. At this time, a lazy voice rang out from a secluded little building, Where did this madman come from? Are you so eager to die when youre not even a champion? Your daddy here is just halfway done with this young girl. What a nuisance! It seems I have to teach you a good lesson to vent my frustrations. While speaking, a ghostly figure floated out from one of the second-floor windows and rose against the wind to stand upon a tall eave. It was evident from his unfathomable movements that this person was an expert in assassination. Qianye said nothing more. A backpack suddenly appeared in his hand which he tossed toward Nangong Xiaofeng. The bag unraveled in the air and out spilled a dozen or so black objectsall of them were origin hand grenades! Shit! Nangong Xiaofeng was shocked out of his wits and cursed loudly. His entire body curled up into a ball as he charged into the small building. He saw, at a single glance, that the grenades all had vampire style patterns on them. Moreover, the other party was clearly a veteranalthough the grenades were tossed at the same time, each of them was lit up to a different degree, and the trajectories were somewhat interlocked. Even with his skills, Nangong Xiaofeng didnt dare attempt to break through the explosive net, much less resist forcefully. Chapter 387: Heavy Sword Chapter 387: Heavy Sword [V5C94 - A Distance Within Reach] The ten-odd vampire grenades exploded continuously. The little building at the center of the world-shaking firepower was swiftly leveled, so much so that there wasnt a single intact building left within several dozen meters of it. Just like that, the back half of the manor went up in smoke. A mass of red origin power radiance emerged amidst the explosive aftershock. It encompassed a floating human figure within, but the light was flickering like a candle in the wind that might be extinguished at a moments notice. Apparently, the heavily wounded Nangong Xiaofeng had managed to forcefully endure the explosion, but his defenses had taken great damage and were on the verge of collapse. Nangong Xiaofeng had just breathed a sigh of relief when a sense of great danger suddenly arose in his heart. He looked up to find an extremely handsome youth standing atop a nearby broken wall and slashing down at him from a distance. Madman! That was Nangong Xiaofengs first thought. The young mans position was also within the range of the origin grenades, and the revolving origin power storm still hadnt receded at this moment. His body was also full of injuries and apparently wasnt feeling so comfortable either. Qianye, however, appeared completely unaffected. His hands were rock steady as he hacked down with East Peak. That sword strike was clearly a dozen or so meters away, but for some reason, Nangong Xiaofeng felt great alarm and quickly raised his origin defenses without much thought. However, he soon discovered that his red origin power glow had stopped fluctuating as though space had frozen for a split second. Immediately afterward, there was a sound of cracking glass followed by an explosive shattering. The sword intent tore his origin defenses, and after a mere moments delay, the bone-penetrating chill slashed onto Nangong Xiaofengs body. Only at this point did he manage to reacthe realized that his protective origin power had failed to completely nullify the sword strike, and that its remnant energy had managed to cut open his body. Seeing that the long wound was continuously increasing in width and depth, Nangong Xiaofeng let out an odd cry as his body erupted with brilliant light. His origin power gushed out like the raging tides and finally broke down the sword intent completely. It was just that he had paid a steep price for this all out move, causing fresh blood to gush out madly from his wound. Moreover, his old injury was also affected. The already healed wound was once again torn open to reveal the pulsating organs within. Nangong Xiaofeng felt equal measures of fury and alarm. He screamed, Who are you?! The might of this strike was unusually powerful and even drew upon the origin power of the void. Else it would have been impossible for him to have his defenses broken and his body injured despite the grave injuries he had sustained beforehand. Few champions, even among the lineal descendants of top-grade aristocratic families, would be able to utilize such a method. Nangong Xiaofeng reached out to grasp his personal weapon. The young mans origin power hadnt even formed a vortex when he brandished his swordapparently, he wasnt even a champion. However, his ability to hide within the origin explosion and launch an abrupt attack proved that he was no ordinary person. This was likely a top-grade assassin one of the other noble families had sent to target him. At this moment, East Peaks previous strike had stirred the origin power in the vicinity and kicked up great waves in the unsettled origin storm. Qianye hadnt the slightest intention to talk. He stood as unmoving as the mountains and calmly put East Peak away. In a flash, the Mystic Spider Lily and Bloody Datura appeared within his hand and combined into one. Following which, two radiant wings unfurled behind his back as two bullets blasted out of the chamber, revolving around each other like the Gemini of Fate and shooting toward Nangong Xiaofeng. Those were Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation! Nangong Xiaofeng let out a hysterical scream after seeing this. At this distance, he had no chance to perform an evasive maneuver. He curled up into a ball and burst out with a blinding orange radiance, squeezing out his last bit of potential. At the same time, he did his best to lean toward the side and shift the angle of his front-side. Two black clouds exploded in the air, the darkness especially eye-catching even in the depth of the nightit was as though anything thrown in would be devoured completely. Afterward, a ball of orange flames ignited amidst the black mist and didnt disperse for quite some time. Those were the flames of origin power. Unless it burned out on its own, even pouring out entire rivers and lakes wouldnt extinguish it. Even Qianye didnt dare charge in hastily. After the flames finally died down, Nangong Xiaofeng was already nowhere to be found. Indistinct howls of pain could be heard in the distance, and it was moving farther away at a rapid pace. Qianye sighed. Judging from the voice, it was already too late to chase after him. Nangong Xiaofeng was indeed powerful and even such methods couldnt kill him, but two badly charred limbs could be seen falling through the air, barely recognizable as an arm and a leg. Apparently, Nangong Xiaofeng had also paid a hefty price to block the two Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation. Top-grade aristocratic families naturally had secret techniques to regenerate lost limbs. However, disregarding the colossal price, the new limbs would be extremely weak and completely incomparable to the repeatedly tempered main body. After being wounded to such a degree, Nangong Xiaofeng would need more than half a year of recuperation. Furthermore, even if he did recover, his strength would see a sharp decline and even his life accomplishments might be affected. It was quite likely that the Nangong familys number one genius had been destroyed. Just as Qianye was feeling resentful, a furious roar was heard from behind. Which bastard dares act so atrociously in the Yishui Nangong Familys domain?! At this time, the shockwaves from the explosion had finally died down. The Nangong family warriors previously suppressed by the origin power storm began to emerge from their hiding places one by one. Most of them hadnt seen Qianyes short exchange with Nangong Xiaofeng and wasnt clear as to the situation. In the wake of this explosive shout, the ruins of a half-collapsed house nearby was blasted apart and out rushed a man. The man was in his fifties and shrouded in concentrated origin power fluctuations. An origin vortex could be seen clearly as he rose into the air, condensed his power, and assumed combat stance. He was actually a champion. In the face of such an opponent, Qianye immediately hurled three origin grenades without further words. The Nangong family champion cried out in alarm and dropped rapidly onto the ground. The three origin grenades were of human make, however, the champion wasnt an exceedingly powerful expert either and would definitely suffer if he received the impact forcefully. With his rich combat experience, the man managed to adapt swiftly and avoid the brunt of the explosive impact. He had just landed on the ground but, upon looking up, found Qianye charging straight through the explosive flames to arrive above him. He was so astonished that he couldnt believe his eyes. He saw East Peak fly toward him and could only raise his blade to block. A light screech rang out as East Peak swept past the mans arm and dagger. Soon afterward, a head was sent flying into the air. After killing the champion with a single slash, there was no one else in the manor who could last one round against Qianye. At this moment, the entire base was in chaos. The origin power fluctuations from the previous explosion had just calmed down when raging flames began to rise. Another backpack filled with grenades appeared in Qianyes hand. All of them were ordinary grenades, but it was a powerful weapon against buildings and ordinary soldiers. Rumbles rose and fell in quick succession, and after one bag was emptied, there was yet another. The Nangong familys base which they had built over the years with painstaking efforts thus went up in raging flames. Hundreds of elite soldiers were buried together with the collapsing architecture within this infernal sea. Nangong familys northwestern forces on Evernight Continent were thus uprooted. Not to mention the enormous costs involved in rebuilding the base, it would be quite difficult to even find a suitable location and amass sufficient manpower. Qianye turned and leftthe sea of raging flames behind him lit up the dark night as though it were day. Before long, Qianye had climbed up a nearby mountain peak. He took out his pocket watch and found that there was still some time until the appointed hour. He thus sat down, silently lit up a cigarette, and inhaled deeply. He was somewhat regretful about allowing Nangong Xiaofeng to escape, but, in truth, it was almost impossible for Qianye to take down a person like Nangong Xiaofeng at the moment. It wouldnt have gone so smoothly had he not ambushed the man by staying within the explosion radius. There were sure to be some lucky survivors within the base, but Qianye couldnt bother to kill the little fish one by one. After meeting Nangong Xiofeng face to face like this, the Nangong family would surely discover that it was his doing and soon come to exact revenge. However, there was no fear in Qianyes heartonly a raging, inextinguishable inferno. A faint engine sound was heard from the sky as a small airship appeared silently through the night sky. It glided through the sky like a swimming fish and arrived at the mountain peak. The airship cabin opened, and a long cable was tossed out. Qianye leaped up, grabbed onto the cable, and hopped into the cabin with a couple of climbing movements. In the front cockpit, Nangong Xiaoniao covered her little mouth as she gazed at the blazing fire in the distance. She was so shocked that she couldnt speak for a while. Qianye pushed open the door and entered at this point. He then threw himself into the chair, reached for a bottle of strong wine, and took a fierce swig. He poured all the remaining liquor in one go before he felt a little bit better. Nangong Xiaoniao asked in a trembling voice, How did it turn into this? Who were you trying to kill? Qianye sighed. Its Nangong Xiaofeng that bastard. Unfortunately, he escaped but not before leaving an arm and a leg. The number one character of the Nangong family is probably about to change. What about that burning place? One of the Nangong familys bases. I burned it in passing. Nangong Xiaoniao stayed silent for a while, then said in a soft voice, Im sorry. I brought this trouble. Qianye shot her a glance. Trouble will always come knocking. Its only a matter of more or less. But Qianye stood up, pulled Nangong Xiaoniao over, and said while rubbing her hair furiously, No buts! Drive the airship quickly! I have to go back for a midnight snack! Yes, sir! Nangong Xiaoniao reflexively stood to attention and almost performed a military salute. Qianye leaned back into the chair and shook his head with a smile. It seemed only this kind of ordering tone was effective in making her obey. The airship turned about nimbly and accelerated rapidly with flames spewing out of its back. Soon, it had disappeared into the boundless night. During the flight, Nangong Xiaoniao said, The Nangong family will definitely send their men. Qianye was gazing at the swift motion of the mountains and rivers below with his head placed against the cabin window. He said with a faint smile, Well kill every last one that comes. If not today, then tomorrow. If worse comes to worst, Ill just give up this estate. But, I must kill until Nangong Yuanbo pulls back. Within a certain residence in Blackflow City, Count Yuyang was resting with his eyes closed. It was just that he was constantly spinning the teacup in his handapparently, he wasnt as calm as he seemed on the surface. Zhao Fenglei approached and sat down across from him. Sixth Grand Uncle, Sister Yuying has been gravely wounded. This will be quite troublesome. Before we left, grandpa told me that the foreign affairs related to the bloody battle were only secondary. The most important point was to establish the empires might. At this point, Zhao Fenglei said with a shrug, Although I have no idea who were trying to impress. Count Yuyang opened his eyes and shot Zhao Fenglei a glance. Elder brother cares deeply about you. Its also the right time to let you know more things. Its not just our Zhao clan, but the other three major clans and some high-ranking aristocratic families are all of the same thought. This establishment of might is for His Majesty to see. His Majesty?! Zhao Fenglei was astonished. He had never expected there to be such a reason behind things. Count Yuyangs expression was calm and looked as though he had just spoken some insignificant gossip. Since his ascension to the throne, his Majesty has always enjoyed promoting the young. After many years of experience, the new nobility has also produced many talents. Zhao Fengleis expression shifted after hearing this. Since Count Yuyang had pointed them out intentionally, these people werent just ordinary young people. Most of the so-called new nobility of the imperial party had no impressive family background to speak of. Even the lineal son of a lower-ranking aristocratic family like Lin Xitang could be considered to have a fairly significant status. Count Yuyang added, Now that there are signs of the empires resurgence, His Majesty wishes to follow the example of the Martial Emperor and become a ruler of resurgence. It was just that out of three parts under the heavens, two are in the hands of the clans and aristocratic families. As such, the new nobility is somewhat helpless despite their great ambitions and are naturally unresigned. Zhao Fenglei had calmed down at this time. He processed Count Yuyangs words in his head and then asked carefully, Could it be that theyre planning a centralization of power? Chapter 388: Treatmen Chapter 388: Treatment [V5C95 - A Distance Within Reach] Count Yuyang responded with a heh, but didnt reply directly. The structure of the major clans have already lasted for three reigns and hundreds of years without any change. The peace has indeed lasted too long. At this point, Zhao Fenglei realized something. If his Majesty is indeed intent on shifting the power structure of the imperial court to make space for the new nobility, hell surely be paying particular attention to which family he should target. He continued with a vexed tone, Then this battle is indeed vital. Unfortunately, Sister Yuying has been wounded at such a juncture. Count Yuyang replied, Theres no need to worry about the big picture. Yuying is injured, but there wont be a big change with Jundu around. On the other hand, its no longer possible to overwhelm the Zhang clan in this battle. Zhang Boqian has also arrived in Evernight. He wont interfere with the younger generations fight, but we can forget about using cheap tricks under his watch. The only way is to compete for contributions fair and square. With that, Count Yuyang sighed lightly. Its just that the Duke Chengen lineage will take all the glory. Do you understand now? Zhao Fenglei wore an ashamed expression and said in a grave tone, Its all because Im disappointing. Count Yuying shook his head. No need to undervalue yourself. At least us old bones were also the same at your age. Zhao Yuyings aptitude is extremely rare, and Zhao Jundu is even more of a heavens chosen. Its very normal to lose to them. Its just that Seeing the count hesitate, Zhao Fenglei couldnt help but ask, Its just what? Count Yuyang shook his head but refrained from speaking more. You dont need to know so much yet. Just focus on the battle ahead. Zhao Fenglei nodded. Something flashed through his mind at this moment. Great Uncle, I have an idea. Oh? Lets year it. Sister Yuyings injury might be a good thing if handled properly. I heard Nangong Xiaofeng has a queer temperament and is absolutely unrestrained in handling matters. Meanwhile, the Yishui Nangong Family has no grudge against our Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan. Injuring Sister Yuying must be his own decision. Count Yuyang responded with an mm, indicating that he should continue. Zhao Fenglei spoke on, Theres no doubt at all that the fault in this matter lies with the Nangong family. In the recent years, Nangong Yuanbo isnt so well-regarded as he seems on the surface. There are a lot of problems both inside the family and in the imperial court. If we exert enough pressure and throw in some benefits, it might not be too difficult to make him yield. At the very least, he can support us in secret. With the Nangong familys full support, the Zhao clan will be able to suppress the Zhang clan in this bloody battle. Moreover, our Duke Yan and You lineages will also triumph over the Duke Chengen lineage. Count Yuyang nodded slowly and praised, One must not be controlled by emotions when thinking of the big picture. Youve matured quite a bit. All this time, Ive been thinking about how to report the matter of Yuyings injury to the family. What you said just now are my thoughts exactly. Humph! Nangong Yuanbo cant refuse. Zhao Fenglei took the opportunity to add, Well gain great merit in the clan once this matter succeeds. At that time, if we can combine our two lineages by marriage, the next clan lords position might not fall to another branch. Count Yuyang shot Zhao Fenglei a glance. Seeing his great-nephew''s eyes filled with passion, he couldnt help but sneer, The idea isnt bad, but the probability of success isnt looking good. You cant tame Yuying. At that time, who will be the master and who will be the deputy? Zhao Fenglei lowered his gaze and said, Im very sincere in my fondness for Sister Yuying. Im sure shell eventually understand this in the long years following our marriage. Besides, combat strength doesnt necessarily decide how suitable one is for the Zhao clan lords position; take Duke Chengen for instance Im sure the elders understand this very clearly, right? Count Yuyang disapproved of this initially, but he soon revealed an expression of contemplation and proceeded to close his eyes in silence. There was also another reasonZhao Fenglei hadnt spoken it out loud, but both of them knew what it was. Presently, the Yan and You lineages appeared quite close since they were in the same situation, but in terms of bloodline, the Duke You lineage was much closer to the Duke Chengen lineage. That was Duke Yans true concern. So, any path that would solidify the Yan-You alliance was worth walking. Moments later, Count Yuyang said, Thats fine too. Its not necessarily impossible to achieve. Delight appeared on Zhao Fengleis countenance. Then Ill contact the Nangong family immediately. We must make Nangong Yuanbo submit! Count Yuyang nodded. Go then. He was actually the one in charge, but he allowed Zhao Fenglei free reign since the purpose of this trip was for the younger generation to gain experience. It was at this time that hurried footsteps were heard in the hallway. Someone knocked lightly on the door and said, Urgent report! Zhao Fenglei recognized the voice of his trusted aide and walked over to open the door. He received the short note and only scanned it once before crying out involuntarily, The Nangong familys base of operations was destroyed? Nangong Xiaofeng escaped with grievous injuries and his fate is unknown?! Whats going on? This news came too suddenly. Even the calm Count Yuyang sprang up from his seat in astonishment. Although he hadnt come to a decision on how to handle the matter of Zhao Yuyings accident, the meticulous Count Yuyang had issued a secret order to the nearby Zhao clan branches and affiliated organizations, instructing them to keep an eye on the Nangong family estates and search for Nangong Xiaofengs whereabouts. He had never expected such a quick reply, and it was such a shocking news too. Zhao Fenglei looked toward Count Yuyang and suddenly said, Could it be Sister Yuyings doing? Its too much of a coincidence otherwise. Count Yuyang frowned in silence. He was certain that Zhao Yuyings injuries at this moment were very severe, and that it was impossible for her to do battle in the short term. Zhao Fenglei suddenly recalled something and said in a thoughtful manner, Could it be that Qianye? But he shook his head immediately afterward. How can someone whos not even a champion pull this off? Count Yuyang paced around the room for a couple of times and muttered, You go and check on Yuying and try to sound her out. Her injuries are grave, and its unlikely for her to be so willful. Zhao Fenglei also recalled this matterthere would be severe after effects if Zhao Yuying were to suppress her injuries with a secret art in order to go and exact revenge. He felt rather worried about all this. He instructed his aide to summon the messenger and, after asking him a few questions, hurried toward the Dark Flame base. It was already deep into the night at this moment, but the lights were still on in one of the rooms within a small building at the back. Qianye was naked on the bed with only a towel around his waist, and the room was suffused with the intense smell of medicine. Meanwhile, Nangong Xiaoniao and Zhao Yuying were standing on each side and dressing his wounds. Qianye quietly returned to Blackflow City with Nangong Xiaoniao and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he arrived. He had twice charged forcefully into the grenades explosive range in an effort to launch a surprise attack and kill the enemy in one strike. In truth, he had also paid a steep price for this, and his body was covered in dozens of wounds from head to toe. The shrapnels in some of them had already reached his internal organs. Fortunately, Wei Potians chestguard served to protect the vitals in his chest, and there was no lethal damage despite the multitude of injuries. That Nirvanic Red and the shot from the Twin Flowers also consumed a great deal. Add to that the two instances of recoil from Nangong Xiaofengs all-out defense, Qianye had accumulated a fair amount of internal and external damage. His daybreak origin power and blood energy had all bottomed out, and it was already quite the ordeal for him to hold on until he got back. It was just that there was a bit of Nangong Xiaofengs origin power left in his body, and it would require an expert to remove it. Neither seventeen nor Nangong Xiaoniao could do it. Qianye wanted to use stimulants to recover some origin power and then clear it out himself but received a bout of serious scolding after being discovered by Zhao Yuying. There were side effects to any type of medicine that served to rapidly recover origin power. They had no choice on the battlefield, but doing such a thing during recovery was, according to Zhao Yuying, courting a slow death. In the end, Zhao Yuying took action personally and cleared out Nangong Xiaofengs origin power. Next up was to clean the wounds, remove the shrapnels, and dress it. Since it was such a slow and painful process, Zhao Yuying gave Qianye a special medicine for his injuries. It was just that he would be restricted from using his origin power for one day. Zhao Yuying and Nangong Xiaoniao treated Qianye with entirely different attitudesthe latter was extremely meticulous and took half a day to clean one wound, meanwhile, Zhao Yuying worked quickly and ruthlessly while spewing out a stream of profanities. Sometimes when she was angry, she would even push the shrapnel in before pulling it out. No matter how harsh Zhao Yuying treated him, Qianye only smiled. He would only reply once in a while, How can I tolerate such a matter? Zhao Yuying glared until her eyes turned round and roared, This mommy hasnt even complained yet. When is it your turn to find it intolerable? No need to rush even if you want to die so badly. You must return the money you owe me first. When did I ever owe you money? Qianye was baffled. He had already dispatched her fair share. On the contrary, it was Zhao Yuying who kept putting things on his tab during her stay at Dark Flame. After detailed calculations, it should be her who owed Qianye. Anyway, you owe this mommy here! Dammit, you dare talk back after being wounded so badly! With that, Zhao Yuying was so furious that she picked up a rather large piece of shrapnel and proceeded to jab Qianyes shoulder with it. She soon found that the sensation wasnt quite right as the shrapnel connected. Zhao Yuying was startled to find that Nangong Xiaoniao had reached her hand out to cover Qianyes body. The shrapnel pierced into the back of her hand and fresh blood flowed out immediately. Xiaoniao, you! Hes so injured already! He mustnt be wounded anymore! Nangong Xiaoniaos eyes were red, and it seemed tears would fall at any moment. Zhao Yuying was momentarily speechless. How is this a wound? Dont be fooled by his listless appearance. All of them are just superficial injuries. Hell be up and about in three days at most. Besides, this guy courted disaster by jumping into the origin grenade explosion for no reason and even fought until he was completely drained of origin power. He deserves it! But youre so heavy-handed! Nangong Xiaoniao was almost shouting. Zhao Yuying put her palm to her face and sighed. Itll scratch his skin at most. This fellow looks tender, but his skin is even thicker than a wild boar. Ordinary people cant cut him even with a knife. Do you think hes the same as you? Xiaoniao, you Nangong Xianiao glared at Zhao Yuying angrily and was almost resting on top of Qianyes body. She refused to let Zhao Yuying touch Qianye no matter what she said. Zhao Yuying could no longer endure. She slapped Qianyes buttocks and said, Qianye! Stop playing dead and explain things to her! Qianye let out an extremely awkward cough. Its like this. Xiaoniao, Sister Yuying is only trying to clear away the necrotic flesh in my wound and teach me a lesson in passing. Nangong Xiaoniao produced an Ah as her face turned red. At this time, a clamor arose from outside the door, followed by Seventeens scream. You cant go in! Scram! Seventeen cried out in pain, followed by a muffled groan and then silence. The door was kicked open with a bang, and in walked Zhao Fenglei. His gaze was so fierce that his eyes were about to lacerate, but he laughed instead of showing anger. Sister Yuying, its already so late, but you too seem to be in quite the mood. What a cheerful scene of romance! Chapter 389: Hatred Chapter 389: Hatred [V5C96 - A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Yuyings expression sank precipitously. Which eye of yours saw this mommy here indulging in romance? This mommy is treating injuries. Are you blind? Can you not see? Treating injuries? Could it be that theres not a single doctor in this city? How come a stately young miss has to do such work? Zhao Fenglei let out a sinister laugh. Very well, let me see where this brats wounds are! With that, Zhao Fenglai charged in and grabbed at Qianyes back. A metallic origin power glow emerged on his five fingers accompanied by the faint sound of a sharp weapon tearing through the air. It was evident that the might of this blow, if struck, was enough to punch a hole through steel armor. You dare?! Zhao Yuying swung her hand furiously. However, she hadnt recovered from her heavy injuries and was extremely weak after forcing herself to clear the origin power in Qianyes wounds. Zhao Fenglei raised his left hand and pushed her away with an origin power barrier. Nangong Xiaoniao screamed and stood in front of Qianyes bed. Scram! Zhao Fengleis backhand slap landed on Nangong Xiaoniaos face. The flames of his fury had been thoroughly ignited, and his attacks were extremely ruthless. She was immediately whipped flying and crashed heavily into the wall. Fresh blood flowed out immediately. Qianye had already shot up on the bed, but he couldnt activate his origin power as the effects of the medicine hadnt yet receded. Thus, he was a step too slow and failed to pull Nangong Xiaoniao away. He only made it in time to block Zhao Fengleis claw. Two origin power vortices lit up on Zhao Fengleis body as he clenched his claw into a fist and smashed out. Qianye was immediately flung backward with a muffled groan and collapsed half the dividing wall amidst a loud boom. Zhao Fenglei was also somewhat surprised at how easy he had succeeded. He sneered, I was wondering just how powerful you were. So it turns out youre just a useless trash who cultivates the Combatant Formula! He glanced over to see Qianyes naked body and immediately confirmed all kinds of ideas. The flame obstructing his chest burned even brighter and turned his eyes red. He kicked away the pile of stone fragments in front, took a step forward, and once again clawed toward Qianyes heart. Hurried sounds came through from outside the door accompanied by a shrill alarm. The Dark Flame warriors outside had noticed something was wrong. Two soldiers with origin assault rifles rushed in and, seeing the situation within the room, raised their guns to firethe origin arrays on the weapons lit up rapidly. Zhao Fenglei let out a cold snort. Mere insects dare interfere? He stopped and pulled back all of a sudden, crashing into the two warriors at lightning speed. Following the dull sound of impact, the two soldiers were sent flying while coughing up blood mid-air. Their chests had caved in. Immediately afterward, two small balls of flame lit upit was the explosion of the origin power guns that had been interrupted mid-charge and struck with great force. At this time, several soldiers rushed in and pounced toward Zhao Fenglei without a care for their lives. However, they were all killed without much effort. The difference in strength between them was too great, and their suicidal attacks failed to impede Zhao Fenglei in the slightest. Zhao Fenglei frowned. He had just killed off an entire small patrol squad. These people fought to the end even under an obvious disparity in strength and not one ran away. Zhao Fenglei turned back and saw that Qianye had finally clambered up near the wall and was supporting himself on a nearby table leg. It seemed he would collapse again at any moment. Qianyes obsidian eyes had turned an azure blue, much like the ocean before a storm. An intense dark red color was flashing in its midst, akin to the blood of the soldiers within and outside of the room. His heart was beating slower than ever before, but the three blood energies were agitated and waiting for the moment of Zhao Fengleis approach. His blood energy had erupted, prepared for the final technique of detonating his blood energy and dying together with the enemy. Qianye knew not if his pure blood energy was enough to contend with a rank-eleven champion, but the answer would soon become evident. The metallic origin power on Zhao Fengleis hands was so dense that it was almost tangible and emitting a frosty luster. He was just about to cross over the shattered wall when a chill rose from behind his back that gave him some pause. Afterward, he heard Zhao Yuyings scream, Zhao Fenglei! If you dare touch him today, I will team up with Zhao Jundu to kill you tomorrow! Zhao Fengleis body trembled as he glanced back. He could hardly believe that Zhao Yuying was threatening him like so. Youll kill me? And even team up with Zhao Jundu? Im the lineal son of Duke Yan. Duke You wont allow you to do so! Zhao Yuying laughed loudly. At that time, youll already be dead. What can grandpa do to me? This mommy will at most be confined for ten years or sent to a border region to fight to my hearts content. Zhao Fenglei said fiercely, Why would Zhao Jundu help you? He wont have an easy time either after harming someone from the same clan. Zhao Yuyings voice turned cold. Qianye is the one Zhao Jundu wants to bring into Ketu Secondary Residence. If you dare attack him today, this mommy will make you regret being born into this world unless you can hide inside the Duke Yan residence without ever coming out again! Zhao Fenglei was shocked and only glared at Zhao Yuying with a fluctuating expression. He didnt know whether he should believe this or not. He had indeed heard about how Zhao Jundu had caused a ruckus in trying to bring someone into his residence, but he had never connected the dots until today. Now that he thought about it, there mustve been a reason why Zhao Yuying had run over to Evernight to stay with this unknown rural mercenary leader. Zhao Yuying added with a cold smile, As for Zhao Jundu, what can ever happen to him? You think too highly of yourself. Nothing will happen to him at all, at most, a couple of days of reflection. Zhao Fengleis countenance immediately turned ugly. Although Zhao Yuyings strength was higher than his at the moment, the lineal grandson of Duke Yan was slightly higher in position than the lineal granddaughter of Duke You. However, the same couldnt be said for Zhao Junduhe was the number one genius in the 300 years of Zhao clan history. Moreover, he had the potential to become the empires number one character after Zhang Boqian. Such a person would definitely receive Duke Chengens greatest protection even if he killed Zhao Fenglei. Even many elders within the clan would stand on his side. Why would they hurt the clans pillar with which they could climb into the skies for a dead person? This was the general train of thought in major clans and aristocratic families. It was similar to Nangong Xiaofeng injuring Zhao Yuying. The damaged had already been done, so instead of demanding blood, why not simply claim even more benefits as compensation. Individual sacrifices were nothing compared to the benefit of the clan. Zhao Fenglei was making such a rational plan just a while ago, but this very principle had fallen onto his head in the blink of an eye. What surprised him was that this feeling was exceptionally sorrowful. Wont that mean Zhao Jundu can kill anyone he wants? Zhao Fenglei guffawed, but his laughter was brought to a sudden halt by Zhao Yuyings cold gaze filled with killing intent. Zhao Jundu was indeed capable of killing anyone he wanted, and even the lineal grandson of Duke Yan was no exception. In truth, Zhao Fenglei was also able to do the same to anyone who wasnt royalty or nobility. Naturally, Zhao Jundu would be restricted by the clan after killing someone of Zhao Fengleis status, and the empire wouldnt allow him to act wantonly either. But the problem was that the first victim wouldve died for nothing and Zhao Fenglei didnt want to be the first. He clenched his teeth and said, Fine, youre capable! You even allied yourself with the Duke Chengen lineage for a country boy. I want to see how youll explain this to Duke You. Thats my problem. None of your business! Zhao Fenglei took a deep breath. Yuying, youll be my woman sooner or later. This is something already finalized by our grandparents. Zhao Yuying spat disdainfully and said, Unless all the men in the world are dead! Zhao Fenlei turned to glare at Qianye and said, It seems youre not fated to die today. Qianye had been standing at his original place all this time and gazing at him as though he were observing a dead man. The gaze caused Zhao Fenglei to feel uneasy all over and he couldnt help but shout, What expression is that? Thats my expression when I look at a dead man, Qianye replied calmly. He hung onto a nearby object and slowly clambered up. Zhao Fengleis eyes were filled with anger. He wanted to kill this bastard regardless, but a bone-deep chill flashed through his heart. Qianye was quite unsteady as he stood up and seemed as though he would collapse at any moment. But Zhao Fenglei perceived the illusion of an injured beast baring its fangs. Zhao Fenglei had wanted to say something when footsteps were heard from the hallway accompanied by slight buzzing sounds of charging origin guns. Without a second word, he smashed through the window behind him and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The group of dark flame officers and soldiers rushed in. Qianye changed into his clothes with the help of two personal guards and, without a single word, went to inspect Nangong Xiaoniaos injuries. Half of her face had swollen up, and her nose and mouth were full of fresh blood. But she was only struck because of the anxiety and lack of combat experience; her own origin power wasnt that weak. She managed to block most of the damaging impact and received only flesh wounds. After putting Nangong Xiaoniao down, Qianye found Seventeen in the hallway outside. Her head was bent in an unnatural position as though she had fallen asleep. However, there was a ghastly trace of blood snaking down from the wall behind her. Although he had already expected this, Qianye still extended his hand toward her nose. There was no longer any breathing. Qianyes hands trembled slightly. Although Lil Seven, Nine, and Seventeen were all slaves in the beginning, Qianye had always treated them as friends. Lil Seven and Nine had been transferred to military duties and could already shoulder heavy responsibilities. Seventeen came later and thus stayed near Qianye to take care of his clothes, food, and everyday life like a thoughtful little maid. The patrol unit that had charged had been wiped out completely, and their remains had been gathered to one side by their colleagues. Qianye still went over to check on them one by one, however, miracles were called miracles because they rarely ever happened. There was clamor outside the room. After finding that Qianye was safe, the Dark Flame officers reassembled their forces to search the base and reestablish defenses. A series of orders and footsteps could be heard continuously therein. Inside the room, however, everything was deathly still. Qianye walked to the bed, picked up his clothes, and started wearing it piece by piece. However, Zhao Yuying caught him. Lie down immediately and finish the treatment. Xiaoniao, take care of him and dont let him leave until the wound has been dressed. Ill take care of things outside! Qianye wanted to struggle free, but Zhao Yuying lifted him up and pressed him down on the bed. She then said word by word, You can fight tomorrow if the injuries are properly treated. If youre not willing to spend one hour, then itll take a week! Understand? Qianye glanced up but lay down obediently with a sigh after seeing Zhao Yuyings bright gaze. Zhao Yuying spoke no more. She exited the room in large strides and shut the door in passing. Moments later, a blaring marshaling call rang out in the Dark Flame base as squads of soldiers rushed out and assembled on the drill grounds. Zhao Yuying jumped onto the jeep and rushed out of the barracks with numerous transport vehicles carrying hundreds of warriors behind her. Even more soldiers rushed out of the base and toward the various strategic points. In the blink of an eye, the defenses of the entire Blackflow City had been raised to the highest level. Zhao Yuying circled the city once in her jeep before driving toward Count Yuyangs courtyard. The courtyard door opened just as she jumped off the vehicle, and from it emerged a guard who bowed toward Zhao Yuying and said respectfully, Young miss, the master has been waiting for you. Chapter 390: Unyielding Chapter 390: Unyielding [V5C97 - A Distance Within Reach] Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach, Chapter 97: Unyielding Zhao Yuying nodded and turned to instruct the Dark Flame warriors, Wait for me here. She then followed the guard into the courtyard on her own. The area inside and outside of the courtyard were two different worlds. The decorations within were beautiful and refined. Count Yuyang was standing there with his hands behind his back and admiring an ink-splash mountain and river painting. If the owner of this courtyard were present, he wouldnt even be able to recognize his own residence. The ability to completely change ones surroundings without missing a single detail was indeed the style of a major clan. Zhao Yuying entered the room and said, Sixth Grand Uncle seems to be rather spirited. There was undisguisable anger in her voice. Count Yuyang didnt turn around and only replied calmly, Youre still unable to control yourself. Brother Xuanji might be disappointed to see you like this. Zhao Yuying no longer maintained her bearing and reverted to her usual style. There was never an aspect of me that has satisfied him before. Wheres Zhao Fenglei that bastard? Tell him to get out here and meet me! Count Yuyang turned around and said with a sigh, Ive sent him away. He shouldve left the war-zone by now. Moreover, you shouldn''t use those words just now on Fenglei. If it were made known, my two elder brothers wont be happy. Zhao Yuying snorted heavily and said coldly, Fine, then I wont curse at that bastard anymore. But Sixth Uncle, is todays matter your idea or did he do it of his own volition? Count Yuying frowned after seeing Zhao Yuyings hands crossed in front of her chest in a tyrannical manner. Ive heard about what happened. Fenglei was indeed too impetuous. But whats so serious about killing a few lowlifes? Your words back then, on the contrary, were out of place. Do you know what consequences will follow if it were to be spread? Zhao Yuying sneered. Did Zhao Fenglei not tell you he wanted to kill Qianye? Count Yuying responded with a question of his own, Was it Qianye who raided the Nangong familys base of operations last night? Zhao Yuying nodded. I had him do it. What about it? A wisp of fury flashed across Count Yuyangs face. How willful! Your moment of impetuousness has caused the big picture to deteriorate to such a state! Originally, we couldve used your injury to make the Nangong family submit and stand with the Zhao clan. Now, its troublesome. What good does killing some insignificant private soldiers do apart from venting anger? Now, the Nangong family will lean toward our enemies. Think about the merits and demerits in this! Zhao Fenglei even wanted to kill Qianye back then. What are the pros and cons of that? Count Yuyangs expression eased slightly and said, Its not as if you dont know Fengleis feelings. Hes already reached a state of madness. Its unavoidable that hell be impulsive after witnessing such a scene. Moreover, although Qianye is talented, hes still an ordinary civilian. His identity remains the same even if Jundu brings him into his residence. Theres no way he can compare to Fenglei. Even if Qianye really does enter our Zhao clan, he must follow the rules. Even Jundu cant ignore this logic. Qianye, he Zhao Yuying stopped her words at this point. She was very clear that Zhao Fenglei held back in the end, not because of her threat, but because he feared Zhao Jundu. Zhao Jundu had caused quite a commotion in an attempt to bring this person into his residence and was reportedly going to recognize him as an adopted brother. If Zhao Fenglei had killed this person outside without any reason, the enmity would be serious. In the end, Qianyes life wasnt as important to Zhao Fenglei as Zhao Jundus face. The difference in identity was a deep chasm. This was the same even if Qianye became a Zhao clan member in the future. The meaning in Count Yuyangs words was clear. It wouldnt be a big deal even if Zhao Fenglei killed Qianye in the future. Zhao Yuying said coldly, This means that Sixth Uncle is intent on siding with him to the end? Count Yuyang was enraged. What kind of words are those?! This old man has always prioritized the Zhao clan. Fenglei made a small mistake, but you lot have destroyed the big picture. The results will be the same even if we bring this matter to the council of elders. Count Yuyang was observing Zhao Yuyings expression while speaking. In the eyes of various elders of the Duke Yan lineage, Zhao Yuyings temperament wasnt at all suited to become the mistress of a major family. Duke You, however, had no other lineal granddaughters of a suitable age. This discussion had dragged on all this time simply because they needed to bridge the five-degree gap in bloodline between the two lineages, breed talents for the next generation, and because of Zhao Fengleis own determination. Zhao Fengleis heart was in turmoil and likely failed to discover it, but after hearing that Qianye was the person Zhao Jundu wanted to bring into his residence, Count Yuyang immediately sensed that Zhao Fenglei might have been mistaken about certain matters. It was likely that Zhao Jundu wanted to interfere with Zhao Yuyings wedding to weaken the alliance between the two branches, but that person probably wasnt Qianyethe latter was, after all, unqualified even if he did enter the Zhao clan in the future. What then was the reason for Zhao Yuyings unusual concern about Qianye? Perhaps he should investigate the lord of this small frontier city in detail. While Count Yuyang was pondering thus, Zhao Yuying suddenly sneered. You take my life and exchange it for your branchs merit. What a good plan! I didnt bring any men from the Dark Flame independent division when I went out hunting this time, so how did Nangong Xiaofeng know my whereabouts so clearly? I must make this matter clear with my grandfather. Count Yuang was finally moved and said anxiously, Our Yan and You branches are like one family. Yuying! You cant speak wantonly like this! How I wish to speak is my business. And tell Zhao Fenglei to give it up! It wont be his turn to touch my finger even if I have a hundred or even a thousand men! You!!! The calm Count Yuyang was momentarily at a loss for words. Zhao Yuying spoke no more and left the small courtyard. On her way out, she broke through the courtyard gates with a loud bang. Count Yuyang sat alone in the room and sighed deeply after a good while. By the time Zhao Yuying returned to Dark Flame headquarters, Qianyes wounds had already been dressed. It was already dawn, but he was maintaining the Twin Flowers instead of resting. Qianye was calm and focused as though nothing had happened before. However, this made Zhao Yuyings heart tremble. How could she not know his temperament after interacting with him for so long? The calmer he was, the more he took the matter to heart. Youre back? Qianye looked up after hearing the door. Zhao Fenglei has run away, and I just had a rather tense discussion with Sixth Granduncle, Zhao Yuyang said openly. Afterward, her countenance flushed red as she began to cough violently as frothy blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth. Her injuries were even more serious than Qianye had expected. It wasnt obvious when she was moving about as normal, but the torment of this journey had overstressed her internal organs. Qianye said with a frown, Sit down and rest for a while. Your internal wounds require a period of convalescence. Following which, his voice turned cold, Let Zhao Fenglei run. The days that follow are long. Well definitely meet again unless he hides in the Duke Yan manor without ever coming back out. Zhao Yuying threw herself into the sofa and said with a depressed tone, Zhao Fenglei is different from Nangong Xiaofeng. What he did is insignificant in the eyes of those old men. I know. Its a small matter even if I had died. No! Youre not the same. Zhao Yuying found that she couldnt continue her words. Qianye was naturally important to both her and Zhao Jundu, but his life and death was also a small matter to the Zhao clan as a whole. Even if Qianyes status as a bastard of the Duke Chengen lineage was restored, he would only be one among the tens of thousands of young scions. At the thought of this, Zhao Yuying smiled wryly. Youve already provoked the Nangong family. You cant afford to offend Duke Yan. Qianye only smiled and said calmly, Whats one more to me? If worse comes to worst, Ill just give Dark Flame to Zining and hide away into the wilderness. Ill just treat it as tempering myself, but they can forget about sleeping soundly as long as Im alive. Zhao Yuying didnt know what to say. She said softly after a while, Zhao Jundu will be taking part in this battle. Will you meet him? Qianyes hands on the Twin Flowers paused for a moment. Then, he proceeded to remove the muzzle and said indifferently, No. Zhao Yuying thought about it for a moment and continued, Qianye, let''s go back to the Zhao clan once the bloody battle ends. The Marrow Cleansing Pool there can awaken your potential to the maximum. Advancing ranks there will be much better than any other place. This is an important matter, so dont be stubborn. Qianye said after a moment of silence, Lets see. This time, Zhao Yuying didnt say anything else. She stood up to excuse herself and returned to her room. After Zhao Yuying left, Qianye lay the Twin Flowers down on the table and sat in silence, his heart wracked with complicated emotions. He understood Zhao Yuyings intention. Advancing to the rank of champion was a step every expert had to take. It was also the first great barrier. Everyone had to treat it with incomparable importance since any carelessness could affect ones future accomplishments. Meanwhile, the Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pool was one of, if not the very best, supplement for advancement. However, using it meant returning to the Zhao clan. No matter what reason Zhao Jundu used to bring him into the family, he would no longer be Qianye and instead become Zhao Qianye. This didnt sound like something he should be distressed aboutin the eyes of many people, it was even an opportunity to ascend the heavens in a single step. Who wouldnt want to live in the Zhao clan? Even a descendant of its side-branch was much more powerful than the lineal son of an aristocratic family. It was just that Qianye recalled how he had grown up at a junkyard since his first memory and that sinister, giant scar which occupied his chest despite the multiple upgrades in his constitution. His heart was screaming with an unwillingness to return. In the depths of his heart, he used to be extremely obstinate and unyielding. But first Zhao Jundu, then Zhao Ruoxi, and later Zhao Yuyinghis interaction with the younger generation melted most of the ice in his heart. Zhao Yuying had been wounded so badly, but there wasnt even a receptacle for physique restoration fluid in Blackflow City, to speak nothing of facilities that can help champions recuperate. She shouldve returned to the upper continent long ago, but she stayed back all this time for fear that the Nangong family would rain vengeance upon Qianye. Who else apart from a madman like Nangong Xiaofeng would dare move recklessly against Zhao Yuying? Qianyes heart was in complete disarray. He had thought at first that the Zhao clans fetters would end with the item left behind by his mother, but now, he had discovered that some things werent that easy to severblood relation for instance. At the thought of this, he suddenly recalled his two friends who were also born of nobility. Although Song Zining and Wei Potians situation in their respective clans were different, they both had things that were beyond their control. With the bloody battle imminent, things were developing with great momentum. At this moment, a small, unassuming city at the border of the Transcendent Continuent was welcoming a guest of the highest status in its entire history. A row of airships was descending toward the city in what could be described as a sky-blotting scene. Although the emblem on the airships had been hidden, knowledgeable people would easily recognize that this was the Nangong familys main fleet. Chapter 391: One Step Away Chapter 391: One Step Away [V5C98 - A Distance Within Reach] Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach, Chapter 98: One Step Away A middle-aged man with long, slender eyes walked down from the airship. He was clad in Chinese style apparel, and there was a faint aura of frostiness around him. Without a word, he headed straight toward the city lords mansion immediately after disembarking. There were numerous guards at the door to the city lords residence. A young soldier stepped forth to face them and asked, Who are you people? His words hadnt even ended when a figure flashed out from behind the middle-aged man and flitted past the young guard. The soldiers expression froze, and immediately afterward, his head flew high into the air, accompanied by a gush of fresh blood. The figure didnt stop at this and continued to encircle around the remaining soldiers. Hence, several heads flew into the air as the guards all turned into headless corpses. The middle-aged man ignored all of this and walked straight into the main residence. The city lord had received news at this point. He rushed over, fell to the floor, and cried repeatedly, I did not know of Sire Nangongs arrival and my foolish subordinates dared clash against the esteemed guests. This servant deserves to die! The middle-aged name was the current lord of the Nangong Family, Nangong Yuanbo. Despite his bad mood, he found it rather difficult to lash out at this prostrating city lord. He only asked, Where is he? The city lord secretly wiped the sweat off his brows and said hurriedly, Please follow me, sire! Moments later, Nangong Yuanbo finally met Nangong Xiaofeng within the city lords own room, the best in the city. At this moment, his aura was withered as he lay on the bed gazing at the ceiling with a blank expression. He didnt even react to people entering the room. Nangong Yuanbos gaze froze upon seeing what remained of Nangong Xiaofengs arms and legs. He glanced back to inquire, Can he be saved? An old man behind him stepped toward the bed and said after a thorough examination, The limbs can be regenerated with secret arts. There will be a loss in power, but theres still hope of him recovering to his current combat strength. Future breakthroughs, however, might not be possible. At last, there was some expression on Nangong Xiaofengs face. He let out two soft chuckles and said, It seems Ill still be of some use. Nangong Yuanbo forcefully suppressed his fury and asked, Who did this? First, I was injured in the battle with Zhao Yuying. Afterward, I was ambushed by that brat called Qianye. My arm and leg were destroyed in the fight with him. At that point, a trace of self-deprecation that wasnt easily noticeable to the bystander emerged on Nangong Xiaofengs countenance. He had never taken that Dark Flame mercenary corps seriously. Naturally, he hadnt memorized the related data and was unable to recognize Qianye amidst the chaos. Only after he escaped with grievous injuries did he feel as though he had seen that beautiful yet insane youth somewherehe subsequently realized that he had been injured in the hands of someone he had once treated as an insect. Qianye? For a moment, Nangong Yuanbo couldnt recall who it was and only realized when a follower whispered in his ear that it was that mercenary corps commander. He paced back and forth in front of the bed with an even graver chill around his body. Moments later, Nangong Yuanbo came to a sudden stop and said, Xiaofeng, you acted on your own this time. Do you know how much trouble youve brought upon our Nangong family? Duke You has sent us three letters in a single day demanding an explanation! Nangong Xiaofeng laughed. Isnt it just Duke You? You can still handle it, right? Moreover, hasnt the Zhang clan invited you for a chat already? Nangong Yuanbo snorted coldly. The Zhao clans eyes have always been on top of their heads. Their alliance is only in name when, in truth, well become subordinates. Judging from their style, they definitely wont treat us with any respect. As for the Zhang clan, theyre not much better either. What difference will there be? Nangong Xiaofeng was startled because he had understood Nangong Yuanbos thoughts from his words. He said in exceptional astonishment, Are you planning to side with the imperial party? Why shouldnt I? Even the unbridled Nangong Xiaofeng was shocked by Nangong Yuanbos words. He glanced around the room and found that none of the trusted aides of the Nangong family were too amazed despite some change in expression. It seemed Nangong Yuanbos thoughts about this didnt just happen within a couple of days. Nangong Xiaofeng laughed heartily in his mind and said slowly, Most of the new nobility are born of humble origins. Uncle, can you bear their vulgarity? Moreover, His Majesty is just waiting to flatten the major clans and aristocracy What use will we be to them? When the time comes, the Imperial Party will recall that were also an aristocratic family. Nangong Yuanbo said in displeasure, Nonsense! Is the so-called nobility and Imperial Party not imperial officials all the same? His Majesty is bound to accomplish much in the future, so its inevitable that he must establish his might and cut off some disobedient people. Why would he eliminate all the aristocracy?! Serving His Majesty is the correct path. Why must we care about the opinion of the four major clans? After a short pause, Nangong Yuanbo laughed. The skies over this empire is due for a change. As for this person, Qianye, let him disappear in this bloody battle! Nangong Yuanbo waved his hand casually. This kind of small matter didnt require any extra effort from a clan lord like him; his aides would deal with it. Qianye had no idea that his moment of anger had more or less affirmed the Nangong familys previous resolution. He was unaware of how he had dropped a small stone into the lake of politics and stirred up a small wave therein. The words imperial politics were indeed too big and too far away from Qianye. The only thing he knew was that strength was the only thing he could rely on whether it was the Iron Curtain or the clans he had to face. Qianyes Combatant Formula cultivation improved by leaps and bounds perhaps because he had just launched a brazen attack on the Nangong family base and his mind was still filled with fearless slaughter. He actually broke through forty-nine cycles in one go and was only one step away from Zhang Boqians accomplishments during his youth. And only after reaching this step did Qianye realize just how terrifying the Combatant Formulas fiftieth cycle was. The might of every added cycle after forty-five was equal to the nine earlier ones. The incited origin power tide swept through every corner of his body and resonated with all of his origin nodes. His vessels surged forward like raging wavesit was as though the entire world had disappeared, and only the surging tides remained. As the tides brought about by the Combatant Formula grew stronger, he somehow happened to draw upon a wisp of daybreak origin power from the void. This strand of daybreak origin power was incomparably pure and already close to the origins, even more so than the origin power purified by the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Glory Chapter. After it entered his body, Qianyes Nine Origin Nodes began to vibrate at the same time, accompanied, unexpectedly, by the sound of thunder. However, even Qianyes vampiric constitution bolstered by the dark golden and purple blood energies could only reach forty-nine cycles at the maximum. His body was already showing signs of collapse. Qianye perceived a wondrous feeling at the exact moment the Combatant Formula reached the peak of its forty-ninth cycle. It was as though something was breaking out through the waters of this all-encompassing tide. Qianye had to spend twice the usual time to completely calm the tides of the Combatant Formula. He recalled the process of this cultivation and confirmed that his final reaction wasnt an illusion. It seemed the Combatant Formula had undergone an astonishing change after he reached fifty tides. It was just that the recoil wasnt a force he could endure in his present state. He couldnt help but sigh in admiration at Zhang Boqians talents. He still couldnt compare to Zhang Boqians accomplishments from back then even though his strength had far surpassed ordinary vampire viscounts. This marshal of unrivaled bearing who could already aim for the rank of Heavenly Monarch in the prime of his life was indeed worthy of his fame. It was almost impossible to catch up to him. But even on the day of his ascension to a heavenly monarch, Zhang Boqian had no intention to renounce his position as the so-called Empires Twin Paragons. It was said that some busybody had, in earnest, requested the emperor to revoke the term Empires Twin Paragons because Lin Xitang was no longer worthy of being addressed at the same level. Unexpectedly, he was severely berated by Zhang Boqian. This persons bootlicking had gone too farhe had thoroughly offended both the paragons and made himself the empires laughingstock for quite a while. Qianye inspected his body after a moment of rest. Just the wisp of daybreak origin power he had obtained in the middle was equal to half a month of grueling cultivation. It was just that a second one never appeared up until the end of his cultivation. It seemed such a fortune could only be encountered and not sought after. Meanwhile, the forty-nine cycles of Combatant Formula absorbed the origin power of the heaven and earth akin to a whale swallowing seawater. Its cultivation speed had far surpassed the so-called secret arts of the aristocratic families. Perhaps only the core cultivation arts of the four major clans and imperial family would be comparable. As such, Qianye didnt need to cultivate long before the daybreak origin power in the vicinity was no longer sufficient. Not only had it been wiped clean, but even a fair amount of darkness origin power had been drawn into his body as well. Any other person would have to invest extra effort to obstruct and clear out the darkness origin power, but it was not a problem for Qianye. The darkness origin power, after entry, was suppressed by the Combatant Formula, whereupon they would be driven towards his heart and devoured by the blood energies therein. Theoretically, the origin node resonance was already a sign of advancing into the champion level. However, Qianye discovered that his situation was special. Even though the Combatant Formulas cultivation speed was extraordinary, only a fraction of the energy it had accumulated remained after the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls purification process. As such, he was still quite a ways from being able to form an origin vortex with overflowing energy. It didnt seem too far off, but he would need to spend much more time than ordinary people. Naturally, the purification of origin power had great advantages. He didnt need to suppress his level at the champion threshold and could break through as soon as his origin power was completely full. At this time, Qianye couldnt help but recall the cultivation chamber back at the Song clanonly that cultivation session could be considered satisfactory. But even Song Zining only had so many quotas each year. It was easy to imagine how valuable it was. That single cultivation was able to balance out half a year of arduous work. The aristocratic descendants were afforded such advantages which, after gradual accumulation, formed an unsurpassable barrier for other people. After several days of strenuous cultivation, Qianye was once again faced with another problem in addition to whether or not he should advance to champion rank. The Song Clan Ancient Scrolls second chapter required darkness and daybreak origin power to exist alongside each other without too much deviation. This also meant that his darkness origin power had to reach the viscount level when his daybreak origin power reached champion rank. There was a big difference in cultivation method between the dark races and humans. No matter the race, a telltale sign of reaching the viscount level was the formation of an origin power core. The vampire blood cores, the demonkin dark cores, and the arachnid crystal of the arachne were all similar items. As for advancement, most of them came naturally. They would transform naturally once the time was ripe. At the thought of this, Qianye suddenly felt flustered. Could it be that he would condense a blood core in his body? After some thought, he felt that the possibility was high. The three blood energies had already taken his heart as their headquarters. The purple blood energy was continuously changing Qiuanyes constitution while the dark golden blood energy was strengthening his heart. This so-called strengthening was, in truth, a type of transformation, and it wasnt impossible for a blood core to form during this process. But if this came to be, Qianye himself wouldnt know whether he would be considered human or vampire. He laughed wryly and decided to let go of these terrifying thoughts for the moment. It wasnt easy to advance his blood energy. Although absorbing essence blood was a shortcut, the consumption rate was similarly frightening. Moreover, the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inceptions also needed to be fed, and their absorption rate was uncontrollable. Hence, the difficulty involved in raising his darkness origin power was no less than upgrading his daybreak origin power. Qianye walked out of the isolation room and looked up at the perpetually dark sky. He had already decided to walk the path to advancement. Whether it was to nurture his blood energies or to collect murderous qi for cultivating the Combatant Formula, the best choice was to nurture power in battle. The iron curtain above his head was unusually calm, and even the Gemini Alpha star that would approach Evernight once a month was nowhere to be seen. The near tangible darkness seemed to be constantly reminding everyone that the bloody battle was about to break out any time. Chapter 392: Shade Chapter 392: Shade [V5C99 - A Distance Within Reach] Qianye, who had just experienced the forty-ninth cycle of the Combatant Formula, had come to a deeper understanding of power. His heart was burdened by some other matters as he gazed at the almost eternal night sky, namely the rules of the Iron Curtain. It was, in truth, quite understandable why the curtain prevented people above the level of count from entering. Take Qianye himself, for instance. He wouldnt bother to spare a second glance at a group ants passing near his feet whether they were fighting or moving food. Even stomping them to death would only happen if the ants were to appear where his foot would land. But if a number of giant bugs were strutting around or if dogs, cats, or mice were to appear, he would be annoyed and kill them off in passing. This understanding made Qianye uncomfortable. He thought in self-mockery that no one would be happy about being an ignored ant. A special guest arrived in Blackflow City soon after Qianye had exited isolated cultivation. It was an imperial envoy. The envoy, a colonel from the imperial military, came with only a handful of attendants and requested a meeting with the Blackflow City Lord. The envoy didnt say anything else after seeing Qianye and immediately passed him an official document envelope and a bestowment order. After asking briefly about Blackflows defensive matters, he soon excused himself and hurried toward his next destination. There was nothing special about Blackflow City in the eyes of the envoy, so much so that there was even some pity in his gaze. This small city was at the border frontline and located beneath the Iron Curtainits downfall was only a matter of time once the bloody battle began. Qianye opened the documents after the envoy had left. The contents were similar to the previous rallying order from the expeditionary army. This document was a call for all powers to mobilize for this bloody battle. It stated that the rewards would be twice as high compared to normal standards, and that there were no limitations to identity. Everyone, regardless of social status, may obtain rewards. Additionally, the empire had constructed many temporary bases in Evernight Continent. Participants could visit them anytime with proof of contribution to receive the rewards. This spared potential participants the complicated procedures usually involved in applying for rewards. Among them, the closest base was at the county capital of Trinity River County. There was a map accompanying the document, and on it was the range within the Iron Curtain that was currently under imperial control. That was also the scope of the upcoming battlefield. Of course, there were no rules forbidding one from leaving the Iron Curtain to fight the dark races, but there was a risk of running into true experts. Encountering experts under the Iron Curtain wasnt impossible, either. Some with special abilities that could hide their auras or experts who had suppressed their rank could still move about under the Iron Curtain. For instance, Zhao clans Count Yuyang was able to directly enter Blackflow City. It was just that they couldnt drag too long once they had entered combat, lest they draw Sky Demons attention. At that point, they wouldnt just be suppressed by the Iron Curtainthe higher their level, the greater the chance of being attacked by Sky Demon. Qianye unfurled the map to observe in detail. The markings on the map this time were even more detailed compared to the military intelligence he had received last week. He was greatly astonished after seeing the borders of the Iron Curtainit had surpassed a quarter of human territory, and judging from the curvature of the external borders, most of the unmapped parts should be within dark race territory. There was no information from the dark race side. However, an extrapolation of the known borders, assuming that the curtain was round, showed that over 20% of Evernight Continents surface area had been shrouded by the Iron Curtain. Just from the size of this Iron Curtain, it was obvious that Sky Demons power had exceeded the limits of imagination. After seeing his map, Qianye ventured a guess regarding the imperial upper echelons intentions. It was the perfect timing to attack the dark race territory under the Iron Curtains protection. Qianye put down the documents and proceeded to open the rewards list at the back. Listed upon it were different rewards corresponding to different levels of dark race soldiers. Among them, the baseline was viscountthe reward for killing a third-rank viscount was a grade-five origin gun or other military supplies of equal value. Taking firm control of a viscounts territory and incorporating it into human-controlled territory would raise the reward to a custom-made grade-five firearm. Just from this list, it was obvious that the empire had invested a great deal for this battle. One had to know that there were only so many technicians in the empire capable of producing armaments above grade five. That was why, in general, only a set number of grade-five weapons were produced each year. Previous military rewards came in the form of gold coinsstrategic supplies could be exchanged only under special situations. Ordinary people couldnt afford even standard high-grade firearms, to speak nothing of the custom made ones. Qianye was inevitably moved as he flipped through the entire two pages of firearms. He currently possessed the Wings of Inception and the Twin Flowers, so even grade-six firearms werent of any use to him. But there were many high-ranking officers in Dark Flame. In due time, the number of soldiers capable of using grade-four or even grade-five weapons would only increase. Their combat strength would undoubtedly soar if he could swap out all of their equipment. There was only a short sentence on the last page, but it managed to firmly draw Qianyes gaze. It was actually the highest purity black crystal! Black crystal was a tightly controlled strategic resource. Both the low-purity, kinetic-grade black crystals that were used as fuel and the medium-purity, industrial-grade black crystals that served as the primary material in building origin guns were in short supply all year round. Additionally, the energy-grade black crystals that were usually converted to daybreak origin power for use in cultivation only had a price tag but no set market for it. For instance, the cultivation chambers in the Song clan used such high-purity black crystals. The empire actually allowed for the exchange of energy-grade black crystals this time. It was clear that the importance they had attached to the bloody battle on Evernight Continent was on par with the large-scale wars of the upper continents. Qianye had just put down the rewards list when Zhao Yuying approached in a hurry. How went your isolated cultivation? No bad. At least, Ive come to understand my future path. Thats good. How long until you break through to champion? Qianye laughed wryly, At least two months. Itll take even longer after factoring the time in battle. Zhao Yuying breathed a sigh of relief instead. Dont rush with the breakthrough so as to avoid an unstable foundation. Its best to advance at the Marrow Cleansing Pond. You dont have to worry about the resources involved. Ill find a way to settle it. At worst, this mommy wont withdraw money from the clan anymore! An indescribable sensation emerged in Qianyes heart. Zhao Yuying had lightly spoken of it, but this meant that she would have to exchange all her future resources from the clan for a chance to enter the Marrow Cleansing Pond. But, he only nodded without saying anything. At this day and time, there was no longer a need for any polite conventions between Qianye and Zhao Yuying. Even though he had no intention to accept such a costly gift, he appreciated her kind intentions. Zhao Yuying picked up and briefly looked through the official documents, map, and rewards list before putting them down. The contents therein werent too different from the dispatch they had received from the expeditionary army. It seemed as though she had something on her mind, but had no idea how to say it. Zhao Yuying was rarely so hesitant. Qianye only waited in silence and didnt rush her. This valiant beauty took a deep breath and said amidst a series of vulgarities, This mommy still wants to take part in the bloody battle! Why? Qianye inquired. With Zhao Yuyings identity in the Zhao clan, she should have no shortage of military contributions to exchange for resources. Meanwhile, that previous matter with Zhao Fenglei had blown up to disagreeable proportions. As a result, the squad that was supposed to be assigned to her hadnt even arrived. In truth, the state of Zhao Yuyings injuries would require her to avoid intense battles for several months. It was only rational for her to make use of this fact to withdraw from this battle. For the Zhao clan. This reply surprised Qianye somewhat. Zhao Yuying felt unburdened after speaking her mind. Correct, its for the Zhao clan. Even in my current state, Im still a Zhao clan member at heart. Descendants like us are afforded its cool shade only because the great tree, that is the Zhao clan, remains tall. Although there are many people in the family I dont see eye to eye with, Im still surnamed Zhao with regards to important matters like this. I understand. The Imperial Partys intentions in this bloody battle are clear. Theyre forcing all the major clans to lay their cards on the table. It can be said that theyre using everything at their disposal to centralize power. The empire had been established for thousands of years, and the clans had also existed for just as long. Which centralization did not involve a storm of blood? Qianye was a bit confused since he wasnt very knowledgeable about imperial politics. He said with a frown, Centralization? What does it have to do with the Zhao clan? Even if the four clans were involved, shouldnt the Song clan should be first? Zhao Yuying shook her head. Our Zhao clan is closely related to the imperial family and our bloodlines are quite close. Many empresses of generations past were surnamed Zhao. The present emperors situation is relatively special. The empresses family is the Jingtang Li Clan, but the imperial family married Princess Gaoyi to Duke Chengen. As such, the other clans see the Zhao as a part of the Imperial Party, but in the eyes of the Imperial Party, the Zhao clan is one hundred percent a clan. Qianye was enlightened. So, the Zhao clan will be weakened or suppressed no matter which side ends up winning? This My grandfather and a number of great-uncles share the same view. Most of the clan elders also believe this to be so. Hence, their attitude toward this bloody battle is very different. Mm, raise the bounty? Zhao Yuying was originally in a solemn mood, but she broke into an angry laughter after hearing this. She reached out to knock Qianyes head and said, You only know about rewards. Song Seven mustve led you astray! Afterward, she resumed a serious expression and said, The clan has received news that someone from the Imperial Party wants to single out the Zhao clan. Its possible that theyll secretly attack the Zhao clan descendants during this bloody battle. The elders wish to end violence using violence and use this to establish our might. We must not only gain military contributions but also kill anyone with hostility toward the Zhao clan, regardless of party and allegiance. With that, Zhao Yuying reverted to her carefree personality. She landed a powerful slap on Qianyes shoulder and said, Thats why this sister has to return to the Western Continent to recuperate as quickly as possible before returning for battle. Im still much stronger than ordinary people despite some inevitable reduction in combat strength. Little Qianye, you have to take care of yourself! Qianye smiled and extended his hand. Give it to me. Give what? Zhao Yuying was startled. Your war token. How else will I put my dark race kills on your head? Qianye said a matter of factly. What did you say? Zhao Yuying couldnt believe her ears. I said, Ill fight in your name. But the rewards from both the Zhao clan and the empire will go to me. Thats impossible. Half-half! Zhao Yuying retorted mercilessly. Two-eight! Three-seven! Zhao Yuying appeared much more relaxed after the flurry of ferocious haggling. She and Qianye looked at each other and broke into a hearty laughter. Chapter 393: Commence Chapter 393: Commence [V5C100 - A Distance Within Reach] The imperial emissarys arrival was akin to the silent tune of a bugleit signified the raising of the curtains over the bloody battle. Crowds of young heroes swarmed over from all over the empire and charged into the Iron Curtain without a second thought. The dark world also treated this matter as a distinguished gathering. The Evernight Council decided to offer similarly astounding rewards which included not only equipment and resources, but also nobility and land. Under the allure of the enormous bounty, young warriors from numerous tribes mobilized in great numbers, even bringing along the older children. At this moment, if there were a pair of eyes in the sky, it would see that Evernight and Daybreak forces were like two tides approaching each other continuously. Numerous imperial army units had gathered in a small, unassuming city at the border of the Iron Curtain. For a period of time, the number of warriors here even exceeded that of the city residents. The buildings at the center of the city had all been commandeered, and the city lords mansion had turned into a command center. This little city was the overseeing base chosen by Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang. There were rising hills and snaking rivers on the sand table which occupied a third of the entire room. The human-populated regions scattered throughout the land were arranged in picturesque disarray. The different hues to their brilliance represented the state of their combat-readiness. A jet black arc passed through the human-controlled territory, and most of the models closer to the dark race territory had lit up. It was a sign that these strategic points had completed all preparations for war and was ready for mobilization. As the final imperial envoy finished reading his report, the cities of the Trinity River County also lit up accordingly on the sand table. The envoy closed the document folderthere was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his spine was as tense as a drawn bow. However, this wasnt because there was anything wrong with his report. In truth, most of the people in this crowded room full of military stars were similarly anxious. The source of their tension originated from the man standing before the french window, clad in imperial clothing of black and gold. Zhang Boqian hadnt spoken a single word since the very beginning and even his gaze had always been directed out of the window. However, an invisible pressure had enveloped the entire place since the very beginning. Lin Xitang, who was sitting in the first seat of the sand table, looked up amidst deep contemplation. Since this is the case, every general should pay attention to dark race activities at all times. Dismissed. The participants footsteps as they left the war room seemed rather urgent. These generals who belonged to the various imperial army corps and expeditionary army headquarters had all killed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. But with Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang present at the same time, they were akin to a rookie facing his military instructor on the training field. Many people exhaled deeply after walking out of the door, feeling rather apprehensive at heart. It was unknown what the imperial army headquarters was thinking to have dispatched two obviously antagonistic generals together to this battlefield. The room was quickly emptied. Li Xitang rose and walked over to one end of the sand table where he picked up a mountain model to fiddle with his hands. His gaze was fixed upon the large mountainous region in front as though he were contemplating something. Zhang Boqian turned back from the window and, spying a major general who had remained in the war room, said indifferently, Leave. The major generals imperial uniform was somewhat different from the others. Its golden edges werent in lines but, instead, cloud-patterned, symbolizing his status as a member of the imperial guard. This man actually refused to cower under the tremendous suppressive might of Zhang Boqians gaze and continued standing ramrod straight without the slightest of movements. A tempest surged within Zhang Boqians eyes. Lin Xitangs gentle voice broke the tense atmosphere. Wei Sang, there are no other matters here. You may retire. The major general performed a military salute and left without a word. No emotion could be gleaned from Zhang Boqians voice. I do wonder if His Majesty assigning you the Thunder Guard is out of fear that Ill harm you or in order to keep an eye on you? Lin Xitang had only brought a battalion of personal guards from the Northern Legion when he arrived on Evernight Continent. Apparently, this general from the Imperial Guards Thunder Guard Division had appeared only recently. Li Xitang said with a frown, Brother Boqian, please speak cautiously regarding this matter. Zhang Boqian walked toward Lin Xitang and stood beside him at the sand table. He bent over slightly to briefly scan the landscape in front of him and then said, Evernight has also mobilized in full-force, but there arent any especially powerful characters among the units entering the Iron Curtain. Does this mean the Evernight Council is uninterested in Sky Demons item? Or could it be that theyve already realized whats inside the Iron Curtain? Present imperial intelligence stated that the dark faction has responded proactively to the bloody battle. However, the standard of their invested fighting power and the number of already known big shots from the Evernight Council overseeing the occasion was even inferior to the previous, inexplicable battle on Evernight. Li Xitang spoke, The empires real intention is only to fight a bloody battle. Well have it easier if the Evernight Council mobilizes less. Zhang Boqian pointed at the area in front of him. Red Scorpion seems to have conducted some missions on Evernight Continent a while ago. His finger drew a circle around the western part of Trinity River County and the opposite dark race territory. Apparently, its within this area. There was also a Zhao clan unit there at the time. What could be in that region? Lin Xitang was silent for a moment. Im not quite sure. The seventh army was in charge. Zhang Boqian didnt press this matter. He raised his hand in a brushing motion, sending the origin array on the sand table flickering. At this moment, the dark races reaction was only secondary to the upper echelons of the empire because their major characters all had their eyes on the empires internal affairs. The present situation was tricky. The political structure surrounding the clans had been maintained for too long, and everyone wanted to shift it around a bitthe key was when and how. But the political situation was something best left for the major characters to consider. To the present Qianye, it was more practical to fight tooth and nail for his own military contributions. Qianye made brief arrangements for Dark Flames military matters after seeing Zhao Yuying to her airship. Then, he packed his belongings and headed into the vast wilderness. The bloody battle had begun. Under normal circumstances, cities like Blackflow that were fully equipped for defense wouldnt be the target of a large-scale attack early on. As such, Qianye decided to take this opportunity to go around hunting. This would also allow him to gain first-hand intelligence. His first target was naturally the territory of his old friend the arachne count. Count Stuka hadnt yet recovered from the grave injuries he had sustained from Qianye and Zhao Yuyings joint assault. Moreover, a third of his eastern territory had been seized by Qianye which led to a significant loss in resources. This was precisely a time where he had been greatly weakened. From every perspective, the arachne counts territory was the best target. Naturally, such a fatty piece of meat mustnt fall into a bystanders mouth. Qianye headed due west and soon arrived at Silverflow Fjord. The defensive construction work was in full swinga number of light cannons had been installed at the highest points and could now control the river running through the fjord, albeit barely. He didnt stay for long and continued past the fjord toward the arachne counts territory. Qianye bypassed the werewolf habitat and made for the depths of the northeastern land. There was a first-rank viscount territory called Black Nest, where Stukas brother had supposedly entrenched himself. Black Nest and Silverflow Fjord were separated by Count Stukas main territory and thus wasnt within Qianyes original plan. Due to the geography, it was impossible to seize his resources or territory unless Qianye could devour the entirety of Count Stukas lands. But things were different with the arrival of the Iron Curtain. With rewards coming from both the empire and the Zhao clan, killing a viscount had, in and of itself, become a very profitable endeavor. Qianye withdrew his aura and traversed the mountainous woods at a steady pace. He kept himself in his optimal state at all times, ready to intercept the enemy. Before long, a bloody stench swept through the surrounding area as a giant wild beast rushed out from woods and pounced ruthlessly toward Qianye. This ambush couldnt threaten him. Qianye side-stepped the charge and plunged the Scarlet Edge deep into the giant panthers side, sending the point of the blade into its heart. A hazy glow of blood flashed on Qianyes hand as intense essence blood flowed into his body through the blade. Within moments, the massive panther had collapsed to the ground as its dark fur lost its usual luster. Qianye frowned after easily finishing off the giant panther. With his current ability to retract his aura and hide his presence, even a count would find it difficult to sense Qianyes movements. However, this giant panther, with a strength of only rank-five even after going into a frenzy, had actually sensed him from far away. This made his heart tremble. Under the effects of the Iron Curtain, not only had the panther grown significantly larger within half a month, but its fur had also turned dark, and its essence blood had increased severalfold. This was absolutely abnormal. Qianye checked the carcass and found that all the internal organs were showing signs of overgrowth. He had a vague suspicion that this giant panther had overdrafted its vitality to explosively increase its strength within a short period. The road ahead wasnt easy. Qianye was ambushed seven or eight times before he could pass over a single mountain ridge. All of them were grade five to seven beasts that had gone berserk. They threw themselves at him upon sight and fought madly to the death. Beasts were naturally no threat to Qianye. On the contrary, they provided him with a fair amount of essence blood, the total amount almost catching up to a knights. However, such ambushes impeded the speed of his advancement. Qianye discovered that it was useless no matter how he tried to hide his presence. Be it ligers or mountain crocodiles, all of them seemed to discover him from a thousand meters away and proceeded to launch frantic attacks. Killing beasts awarded no merits, and because of that, Qianye didnt want to waste time on them. But for some reason, these beasts seemed to see through his every disguise. In the end, he had no other choice but to adopt the clumsiest and most direct method. That was to advance in a straight line and kill his way through. Qianye chose the mountain region at the border of Stukas territory. This area was quite barren, and there wasnt even a single dark race settlement here. The smooth journey he had originally planned became quite bumpy in the end. He finally walked out of the mountainous region after spending an entire two days killing almost a hundred beasts of various sizes. But although there werent any contributions to be gained, the journey wasnt without benefit. Qianye obtained a fair number of precious materials from the beasts, and the essence blood he had absorbed surpassed a third-rank viscount. Qianye immediately felt the world open up before him as he walked out of the mountainous region. He couldnt help but exhale deeply. Even the Iron Curtain above him no longer felt as stifling. It was at this moment that Qianye heard a delighted sigh from some distance away, and this startled him quite a bit. He turned back to find a young vampire walking out of the forest. The original exquisiteness of his tattered clothes was barely noticeable, and his skin was full of injuries from claws and fangs. It would seem that this youth had also endured the ravage of the vicious beasts within the forest. Originally, blood energy released by the vampires could force beasts and poisonous insects to withdraw, but apparently, it was no longer effective. Chapter 394: Hunting Chapter 394: Hunting [V5C101 - A Distance Within Reach] The vampire youth also saw Qianye. He was first astonished, but his eyes lit up immediately afterward. A human! He drew his handgun rapidly and aimed it at Qianye. The youths movements werent slow, but Qianyes figure in the guns sight was oddly distorted and indistinct, so much so that it was continuously fading away. The vampire had never encountered such a scene. A bullet had already pierced through his forehead during the short moment that he was startled. Qianye lowered the Mystic Spider Lily and walked over to the young vampires corpse. The Mystic Spider Lilys powers had begun to appear as Qianyes own strength increased. Although its firepower wasnt comparable to the Bloody Datura, it would occasionally distort Qianyes figure while he was firing, throwing off the enemies judgement and aim. Astonishment and shock were still plastered on the vampire youths countenance as his completely lifeless eyes stared listlessly at the sky. He was very young, and would only be fifteen or sixteen in terms of human age. Despite that, he already possessed the strength of a knight, an indication of his outstanding bloodline and talent. Qianye searched the body and found several blood crystals, melee weapons, and small, tightly-packed notebook with the depiction of a bloody dagger on its cover. It was filled with densely packed notes and even red highlights in certain areas. Qianye looked through it and found all types of military contribution rewards. The highlighted parts contained armaments, bloodlines, and titleseverything a youth would dream of. But Qianye found, after some calculation, that it would require one to kill five or six experts at Zhao Yuyings level. What a madman. Qianye couldnt help but sigh emotionally at the young mans sky-high ambitions. It seemed beasts werent the only ones who had gone berserk under the Iron Curtainpeople from both factions might be even more so. However, on second thoughts, Qianye found that he might not be so different either. He put away the spoils into Andruils Mysterious Realm, removed the youths vampiric fangs as proof, and continued on his journey. Qianye started encountering small dark-race combat units on the road ahead. These groups were of different sizes and strengths, but, judging from their direction of advancement, all of them seemed to be hurrying toward human territory. Apparently, they were also looking to hunt human warriors to exchange for rewards. The vast land under the Iron Curtain was slowly turning into a battlefield. Qianye wasnt interested in small groups below the knight level. He did his best to evade them as he moved deeper into enemy territory and finally arrived at Black Nest. Black Nest was, just as the name suggested, a lair comparable to a small, black mountain. The scale of this fortress was much smaller than Count Stukas, but there were a lot more passages. It was evident that this lairs master was even more radical than the count. At this moment, the interior of Black Nest was clamorous with all types of dark race members moving in and out. This place seemed to have become the Evernight Factions transit base. Qianye didnt dare act blindly after seeing this. He found a good hiding spot to conceal himself and waited patiently for an opportunity. Apparently, the dark races hadnt expected a human to have infiltrated their surroundings. Security was somewhat lax as most of them were in a state of restless excitement on the eve of war and slaughter. Their line of thought was simple and effectivesuch a large number of warriors had already gathered here, and this, in and of itself, was the best defense. Qianye patiently remained in hiding in the days that followed, waiting for the right moment. Valiance was important in battle, but patience was equally crucial. A few days later, signs of human warriors appeared in Black Nests vicinity. This group of ten or so adventurers was actually led by a champion and had likely killed their way here from the opposite direction. Powerful and skilled in teamwork, it was no wonder they were able to reach such a deep place. But their luck was simply too bad. They had likely never expected this viscount castle to be a dark race transit station. Hundreds of soldiers of all types swarmed out soon after the alarm went off and spread out into the wilderness as though casting a net. Atop an isolated mountain peak, Qianye had disguised himself as a rock and retracted his aura. The view here was good and allowed him to take in the entirety of the surrounding area. At this moment, an intense pursuit battle was raging on in front of him. The squad of human adventurers fought and ran for an entire day. Their headcount had also dwindled down to five from the previous ten-odd members. The pursuers had also sustained over fifty casualties, a clear indication of how powerful those adventurers were. Qianye was just hesitating whether or not he should save these adventurers when a rustling sound entered his ears. A vampire soldier had arrived on the peak with a large sniper rifle in tow. He circled around, selected a satisfactory location, and began setting up his weapon. Afterward, he sat down to take aim and wait for an opening. Qianye was speechless after seeing this. The vampire sniper was no more than ten meters away from him but failed to notice him at allperhaps he was too concentrated. Qianyes eyes lit up after seeing the giant, eye-catching sniper rifle in the vampire warriors hand. The extremely elaborate gun was so filled with intricate patterns that, at a glance, one would find it difficult to tell the decorations apart from the origin array. The barrel retained the original color of the materialblack mixed with golden specksit looked like metal but was not. The ten-odd meters between them was but the distance of a single sprint. Qianye activated his Bloodline Concealment to the maximum and silently awaited his opportunity. The vampire sniper began moving the muzzle ever so slightly. He had apparently locked onto his target and was completely focused on the crosshairs, completely oblivious to his surroundings. He was muttering irresolutely as his finger latched onto the trigger and tugged at it little by littlethe shot was imminent. Qianye leapt out without hesitation and plunged the Scarlet Edge into his back, all the way to its hilt! The vampire snipers body tensed up as he glanced back slowly with a face full of shock. But weakness washed over his entire body before he could see Qianyes figure behind him. Qianye lifted the flaccid body and placed it slowly on the ground before drawing out his dagger. The victim was a baron, but only a single step away from becoming a viscount. Qianye waited until the last drop of essence blood had entered his body before picking up the sniper rifle. He wasnt mistaken. This magnificent sniper rifle possessed a firepower fitting of its grand external appearance. It was specially designed and likely the premium work of a master craftsman. Although it was only grade-five, the combination of its accuracy and long distance arrays, along with the use of special bullets, would bring its firepower fairly close to grade-six. Qianye flipped through the barons body and, as expected, found two boxes with a total of ten titanium cored sniper rounds. The tip of this bullet was cast with a black titanium core. Although its might couldnt compare to the annihilation bullets made of pure black titanium, its price was nothing to scoff at. The two boxes of ammunition were enough to exchange for two Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation. A fellow who could afford to use such a weapon couldnt be a poor person. This vampire baron also possessed a fair number of other small odds and ends. There were over thirty rounds of various types, and all of them were good quality items. The only fly in the ointment was the fact that these bullets only possessed special effects against humans. But this was perfectly understandable since the objective of the participants of the bloody battle was to kill humansit was only natural that they would bring the relevant equipment, just like how Qianye had bought a fair number of refined silver bullets before setting out. It was just that the situation surrounding this bloody battle was somewhat special, and there was a lot of infighting among humans. With this sniper rifle and so many bullets in hand, Qianye somewhat looked forward to encountering the Nangong family. Qianye handled the barons corpse quickly and left the mountain peak. Moments later, the fortunate human survivors ran past the base of that mountain, completely unaware of the fact that they had just escaped a disaster. Only at this point did the vampire warriors in charge of interception notice something wrong. They rushed to the mountain peak to check but found nothing apart from the barons remains and some traces of blood Qianye had left behind. A night passed by in the blink of an eye, and the five adventurers had become three. They ran with all their might but failed to notice that the number of pursuers were dwindling. Qianye, like a specter, followed the hunting party from behind, pouncing at them whenever the opportunity arose and killing one or several of them before vanishing once again. Qianye had already discovered that only the native beasts could sense his presence. Naturally, they could also sense the dark race soldiers. Meanwhile, the dark races perception was no different from the norm, or even somewhat decreased due to the Iron Curtains effects. This made Qianye feel thoroughly relieved. The remaining three adventurers ran frantically with neither rest nor sleep. Even eating was done while running. Even then, they just barely managed to prevent themselves from being overrun. When they finally rushed out of the mountainous woods, they found themselves within a valley with precipitous cliffs on three sides and no other way out. How did this happen? Arent you capable of telling the direction under any circumstance? The champions expression was gloomy as he turned to glance at his lanky companion. The latters countenance turned extremely unsightly. The Iron Curtains suppression on my ability is quite significant. I dont know when my senses deviated. The champion snorted with a furious glare. Prepare to fight with your lives! Climbing the ravine at this point will only turn us into living targets. Numerous dark race warriors appeared from the dense forest and closed in on the three people. The only female among the three had turned pale, and her sword hand was trembling continuously. The champion said solemnly, Xiaoqing, keep calm. Well just have to die at worst. I perhaps dont need to die, the woman mumbled to herself. Her voice was so soft that even she herself couldnt hear it clearly. The champions hearing was extremely powerful. His countenance turned frosty as he said, Youll only live a couple more days after falling into their hands. Youll become food in the end. The womans face turned paler, but she managed to stabilize her hand and stop it from shaking. At this time, the three noticed that the dark race warriors in front of them were acting abnormally. Their movements were slow, and their gazes were dull. There was also something wrong with their numbersthere were far fewer of them than they had expected. They took a couple of steps forward before falling down one by one. Only then did the wounds behind their backs start gushing fresh blood. Qianye appeared from within the forest and said to the three adventurers, Youre safe now, but only for the time being. The three were delightfully surprised by the sudden development. The woman groaned and fell limp onto the groundthe brush with the grim reaper had left her completely exhausted. The other two werent any better. They had sustained injuries of all sizes from head to toe and were on the verge of collapse. Qianye said calmly, If you dont want to die, then leave the battlefield and return only after recuperation. He pointed toward the southwest of the incoming road. Head in this direction and swim downstream when you reach a big river. Youll soon arrive in human territory. With that, Qianye bent down to check the dark race warriors and put away the parts that could be used as proof of contribution. The champion said, Thank you very much! Please die now! Chapter 395: Black Nes Chapter 395: Black Nest [V5C102 - A Distance Within Reach] Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach, Chapter 102: Black Nest Qianye suddenly looked up to find that a handgun had appeared in the champions hand, and its black muzzle was aimed at him. It charged up in a flash before letting out a rumble. Qianye felt as though a big hammer had rammed into his chest as he flew backward and fell to the ground. The other two were fairly surprised. They hadnt expected the champion to have conserved his power and even managed to fire a shot at full force. Why? the lanky man couldnt help but ask. The champion snorted as he holstered the handgun and said, That brat shouldve killed many dark race members. There should be a lot of good stuff on his body. Killing him will make this trip worth it. The lanky man and the woman immediately understood. What concept was the empires reward? Were it not for the promise of enormous rewards, how could this group come together to risk their lives in this accursed place? The woman immediately leapt up and said, Ill go search his body! The champion said with a frown, Remember to add a couple of stabs. He might not be completely dead yet. The woman waved the blade in her hand and said, No problem. She approached Qianye with brisk steps, the blade in her hand gleaming coldly as she stabbed at Qianyes throat with great viciousness. However, Qianyes body suddenly slid several meters away. The incoming blade struck empty air and pierced into the ground. Qianyes back straightened as he shot up from the ground. Following which, East Peak appeared within his hand, and a Nirvanic Rend soon shot forth. The woman hadnt even realized what had happened and only felt a chill at her waist. Meanwhile, an ear-splitting shout came through from behindthe champions voice was filled with shock and anger in equal measures. The woman suddenly glanced back to find the champions protective barrier fluctuating violently on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, a large cut had appeared on her abdomen amidst a continuous gush of fresh blood. Qianye flitted past the woman like a gale and charged at the champion. At this moment, he had swapped out his weaponthe Blood Datura fired off one round with every step he took. The gunshots rumbled like thunder. The champions protective energy was shattered in just two shots, and after which, sanguineous flowers bloomed continuously on his face and chest. By the time Qianye stood before the champion, his upper body had already become a mess of blood and gore. The staggering champion raised his arm; it was unknown whether he was trying to defend or attack. Qianye grabbed the mans fist and violently shattered his resistance amidst the sounds of cracking bones. Qianye then pushed the scalding muzzle into his mouth and pulled the trigger! With a loud boom, a rain of blood shot out from the back of the champions head before he finally collapsed on his back. Qianye drew out the Bloody Datura and shifted his cold gaze toward the lanky man. The woman was still staring blankly from her original position. The development was so sudden that she hadnt even managed to react when the continuous gunshots faded away completely. Only then did she realize that she was positioned behind Qianye, and the other party had his back to her, completely unguarded. This was him showing disdain toward her, but this was perhaps an opportunity. She subconsciously gripped the blade tightly as the thought occurred to her. If she could only launch an attack, they might yet escape this peril still. The notion was very attractive. However, she discovered that something wasnt quite right as she tried to exert power. She looked down to find a bloody line running through her body from which her body separated into two halves. At this moment, she finally understood that Qianyes slash had cut through her before landing on the champions body. The lanky mans face was pale as his gaze landed on Qianyes chest. The area was charred black, and his warriors apparel was already in tatters, revealing the chestguard within. There was a radial indentation on the front of the armor, a clear indication of the might of that champions full-force attack. That armor, however, merely became distorted without showing the slightest sign of ruptureapparently, it was no ordinary item. The lanky mans lips twitched slightly. Finally, he lowered his hand and said with a rueful smile, You saved us, but we repaid you with enmity. Its only right that we die in your hands. Do it! Qianye shot the man a glance and said indifferently, You have never touched your weapon since the very beginning. So, Ill let you go. Put down all your belongings and leave. The lanky man was startled for a moment. Afterward, he threw down his backpack and removed everything else he had on his body before running in the direction Qianye had pointed out. Hold it, Qianye called him back. The lanky man turned back in shock, thinking that Qianye had changed his mind. Unexpectedly, he saw Qianye toss him an origin gun and a combat knife, which he caught subconsciously. Take these for self-defense. You wont be able to reach the empire otherwise, said Qianye. The lanky man was greatly astonished at this. He gazed deeply at Qianye and said, Im called Gao Congyuan. I hope we meet again one day! With that, he turned around and disappeared into the forest. Qianye didnt put this matter to heart. He inspected the spoils of war and found, to his surprise, a viscount-grade vampiric fang, and a viscount grade werewolf heart. There were also dozens of other items grade-five and above usable as proof of contribution. It turned out that these adventurers had already killed two viscounts along the way, and judging from the number of their spoils, they had likely knocked out a viscounts territory already. No wonder they were full of confidence and rushed toward Black Nest without even bothering to scout it out. It was just that they hadnt expected the stronghold to have already become a dark race transit base. In the end, they had bumped into a hornets nest. It seemed the adventurer groups spoils were all held for safekeeping by the champion. Now, all of it had easily fallen into Qianyes hands. After putting away the spoils, Qianye carefully wiped away his traces and entered the forest once more. The woods and mountains were the home-ground of the dark races, but it was also his own home-ground. The surging origin power tides were slowly receding within the Zhao clans Ketu Violet Courtyard. Zhao Jundu extended his hand and allowed the plumes of falling violet flames to enter his palm. He then asked without turning back, Second brother, were you looking for me? Zhao Junhong had been standing for some time at the entrance of the training grounds. He took the silver tray from his followers hand and gestured for him to leave. He himself walked toward Zhao Jundu and passed him the wet towel. When do you plan to go and find him? The last Zhao clan unit participating in this bloody battle had left at noon today. The destination of Zhao Jundus personal vehicle, however, wasnt the empires Evernight command center, but the remote Trinity River County. Zhao Junhong watched Zhao Jundu wipe his sweat and change his external robe. His movements were relaxed and elegant, no different from his usual demeanor. But Zhao Junhong knew that the flames of anger in his fourth brothers heart, ignited by the news Zhao Yuying had brought back upon her return, had never quieted down. Ill go and bring him out. The Zhao clan hasnt fallen to a state where we need him to risk life and limb for military contributions. Zhao Jundu glanced back and lapsed into a moment of silence after seeing Zhao Junhongs expression. Finally, he said, He took Yuyings token. Those with intentions will find out his whereabouts as soon as he goes to exchange military contributions. The Zhao clan had always drawn peoples attention, and there were too many people with malicious intentions. It might be the Nangong family, another aristocratic family, or even someone from the Zhao clan. Even identities like Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuyings couldnt guarantee absolute safety on the big battlefield, to speak nothing of of Qianye. So much so that he wouldnt even die in battleit was more likely that he would be found missing. Fourth Brother, you know this bloody battle is not the same as before. There was no expression on Zhao Jundus face. Is Second Brother advising me to think of the big picture? No. Zhao Junhong sighed. Fourth Brother, have you thought about how much more attention you will draw after entering Evernight Continent. Zhao Jundu was somewhat startled at this. Zhao Junhong continued, It might not be good for Qianye if youre over attentive of him at this point. In fact, it will only add to his danger. At that time, Qianye will be surrounded not only by his own enemies but yours as well. Zhao Jundus participation in the Iron Curtain would definitely draw special attention from the aristocracy. Meanwhile, the enemies who wanted to hunt Zhao Jundu were much more powerful than those who wanted to kill Qianye. Just like Nangong Xiaofeng, he was simply too lazy to touch Qianye at first and went directly for Zhao Yuying. There was another thing Zhao Junhong didnt say. He had heard from Zhao Yuying that Qianye didnt want to meet Zhao Jundu. He was almost certain that the stubborn youth who had left a deep impression on him back at the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt wouldnt follow arrangements obediently. Zhao Jundu remained silent for a good while. I know. I only He paused for a moment and continued after taking a deep breath, What right does a bastard like Zhao Fenglei have to humiliate Qianye? Zhao Fenglei and Zhao Yuying arrived back at the clan at almost the same time. There werent any major chaos, but minor conflicts were unavoidable. Zhao Fengleis words were naturally unpleasant to hear. He didnt dare address Zhao Jundu directly but put all the blame on Qianye, fueled by the previous resentment about Zhao Jundus attempt to bring someone into his residence. When a formerly overlooked character rises to power, he will definitely experience a lot of setbacks and suppression. Thats because people truly feel threatened. But everyone will choose to bow their heads when he soars into the sky with nothing to hold him back. Zhao Junhong watched his Fourth Brother in silence before saying, This is the path of the strong. No one can do it for him. The Iron Curtain over Evernight had gone beyond a night-like darkness. Qianye would occasionally scan his surroundings with True Sight as he ran swiftly through the forest. This revealed all sources of origin power within two kilometers and allowed him to avoid being ambushed by experts. Suddenly, Qianye discovered a strand of extremely intense darkness origin power. His heart was shaken because he knew that the big fish he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He inspected the equipment within Andruils Mysterious Realm, brought out the great masters bullet, and placed it in his pocket. His mind was on a different matter. With Blackflow Citys resources and future prospects, he could already establish his own weapons factory. He decided that he would visit the small town on the Western Continent once this bloody battle was over and invite that great master to Blackflow City at all costs. There would never be enough killer weapons like the bullet in a war against the dark races. Qianye retracted his aura and slowly approached the source of that origin power. As expected, the forest had already become a battlefield, and the wild beasts here had been killed off completely. This removed any worry of his whereabouts being located. In the end, Qianye selected a high vantage point and, after disguising himself, began to investigate the battlefield below. He saw a large unit of dark race warriors passing by atop a nearby grassy knoll, surging with killing intent. Among them, some were werewolves, but most were arachne. The land trembled slightly as the ten-odd massive, sinister-looking arachne passed by. The arachne at the center of the unit was exceptionally eye-catching. His arachnid body was black with strands of silver patterns upon it. In terms of physique, he was even larger than the counts primal form. Apparently, this arachne was different from Stuka who fought mainly with poison and different abilities. He was likely closer to Brahms who favored engaging in close-quarter melee. Chapter 396: Entering Deeper Chapter 396: Entering Deeper [V5C103 - A Distance Within Reach] Regardless, Qianye still felt his skin crawl after seeing this several-meters-tall arachne and gave up any intentions of ambushing this giant. If there were no surprises, this arachne was likely the master of Black Nest and Count Stukas brother, the first-rank viscount Porter. Qianyes rifle crosshairs wandered around Porters vital areas for a good while, but in the end, he had no choice but to resist the urge to fire and let him go. Recalling the bitter fight between Wei Bainian and Brahms back then, Qianye wasnt entirely confident in severely injuring Viscount Porter who was in his peak state. Moreover, there was also a large squad of guards around him. Judging from how he had mobilized in full force, it was likely that a powerful enemy had appeared nearbyit was likely that a certain aristocratic family or army corps had arrived. After the arachne combat unit had passed by, Qianye was hesitant about how he should proceed. But he immediately recalled that Porter had taken all of the elites under his command. Wouldnt this mean that Black Nest was entirely unguarded? Qianye had been active around Black Nest in the recent days and was very clear about the dark race warriors arriving at Black Nest for transit. With the gradual extension of the war, all incoming soldiers would leave soon after arrival and disperse toward the vast battlefield. He no longer hesitated and began sneaking toward Black Nest immediately. The massive Black Nest once again appeared over the horizon. As expected, things were much calmer than the past couple of days, and even the guards in the vicinity had lessened quite a bit. Qianye observed for half an hour but found only a couple of arachne passing through, not to mention the servspiders perched within were also few in number. Qianye approached an unassuming exit like a spirit. This was a logistics passage through which slaves usually moved in and out with carts full of miscellaneous items. The defenses here were much weaker than the others, perhaps because this place was always in use. People would inevitably think, out of habit, that infiltrators wouldnt choose such a lively place to enter. There was a giant servspider lying on one side of the passage. It made not the slightest movement, and it was a mystery just where its ten-odd eyes of varying sizes were staring at. Qianye approached the spider at an angle from behind. The servspider shifted restlessly as though it had sensed something. Its gigantic body swayed slightly as it made an attempt to stand up. Qianye suddenly leapt up. East Peak descended and slashed the servspider into two. He immediately activated his blood energy to release his vampiric aura and shuttled through the smaller servspiders. Those servspiders were quickly suppressed by the might of his superior bloodline and fell paralyzed to the floor. Qianye moved his blade like the wind and all the servspiders were killed with a sweep of his sword intent. These servspiders were all rank two or three cannon fodder. The empires reward list counted enemies rank two and above as eligible for military contribution, but each would only award a minuscule amount. Thereafter, the reward would increase twofold for every increase in rank. Although the servspiders in front of him could be exchanged for some contributions, Qianye was too lazy to collect the spoils. Instead, he ran swiftly and headed into the depths of Black Nest. Before long, a group of servants appeared in the passage along with a number of servspiders. They were shocked out of their wits when they saw Qianye. The servspiders emitted shrill screams as they threw themselves at Qianye who, with East Peak in hand, charged past them without the slightest pause. He rushed through the entire group in the blink of an eye and killed all of the servants along with the servspiders, leaving behind only a single human servant. Qianye waved East Peak at the man and said, Take me to Porters residence if you want to live. The servants knees shook, and he could hardly stand despite leaning against the walls of the passage. He raised a trembling arm and pointed toward a certain direction. Catch up on your own. Qianye only left some words before his figure vanished in the blink of an eye. The servants pale countenance turned blue as he almost fell onto the floor. In the end, he gritted his teeth and clambered up with the wall as support before following Qianyes trail. After turning a corner, the servant was utterly shocked by the scene before him. There was a room on the side of the passage for the guards to rest, and normally, there would be several werewolf guards within. Now, however, they were all covered in flowing blood and strewn across the place at different angles. Qianye was standing amidst the corpses, watching the servant with a spurious smile as he arrived. A timely arrival more or less. Keep pointing the way. The servants heart almost leaped out of his chest, knowing Qianye wouldve turned back to kill him had he not followed from behind. After personally witnessing how seven or eight violent werewolves had been wiped out in complete silence, the servant dared not have other thoughts and could only point the way obediently. Moreover, he especially reminded Qianye about the locations of hidden sentries and patrols. With such a hardworking guide beside him, Qianyes progress was exceptionally smooth. East Peak was as heavy as a mountain peak, and his techniques, having undergone countless tempering, was like a fish in the water in such tight spaceseven knights couldnt block a single blow from his blade. Only an arachne baron managed to block a head-on blow, but Qianyes follow up attacks fell like raging tides upon the spider who couldnt move freely within the enclosed space. He thus suffered ten-odd blows within moments and was almost torn apart. Qianye cut off his head in one slash and stored it within Andruils Mysterious Realm. The arachne baron was seemingly the highest-ranking warrior in the area. The journey after killing him became a smooth sail, and there was little resistance until they reached Porters residential area. The residence was an isolated area, and at the end of the passage was a small circular courtyard. The servant had reminded Qianye that this courtyard was actually an elevator for Porters personal use. Fortunately, nobody could activate it while he was out, so there shouldnt be any danger of an attack from above. There were two large copper doors on the other end of the plaza, and standing before them was a large, entirely black arachne clad in sinister-looking armor. There was a giant axe in his hand with flames burning faintly upon its edge. One could immediately tell that it was no ordinary item. A human?! The arachnes voice rang out like thunder. His burly body stooped down ever so slightly, and it seemed he was fairly surprised. But immediately afterward, the arachne raised his giant axe amidst a swell of viscount-level darkness origin power which resembled lingering black mist. Its indeed surprising that you managed to arrive here, but it ends here after running into me, Gurema! Tonight, you will become the most sumptuous dish on our table! Qianye spoke not a single word. He raised East Peak and arrived before Gurema in a single flash before slashing down with his heavy sword! Gurema roared frantically and waved his giant axe horizontally to clash against East Peak. Dong! A powerful sound, akin to the toll of a bell, shook the entire passage! There wasnt the slightest bit of fanciness in this contest of pure strength and origin power. However, contrary to his expectations, Gurema failed to knock the puny human flying as though he would a fly. The clash with East Peak felt as though his Giant Axe had collided with a mountainthe recoil immediately sent Guremas blood and qi into turmoil. He couldnt help but stagger and fall backward to the ground as his arachnid legs gave way. Qianye was also sent flying backward with numbed arms. Apparently, he didnt have it easy either in this clash. Gurema was evidently proficient in close-quarter combat, and his strength, among the dark races, was capable of looking down on all of those in the same realm. Qianye could already be considered extremely powerful to be able to contend against him head-on and come out only slightly worse for wear. In fact, no one would believe that such a thing actually happened. Having sounded out Guremas strength, Qianye no longer continued his probing. He drew out a wisp of darkness origin power from the void and East Peak slashed down from mid-air. Nirvanic Rend! Gurema sensed the danger instinctively. He let out a wild roar and erupted with origin power, hoping to resist the incoming attack with his heavy armor. At the same time, he raised his giant axe to retaliate during this opening. The human before him possessed extraordinary strength, but Gurema wanted to see if his insect-like body could withstand a blow from his axe. However, the giant axe had just been raised when it was frozen in the air before it could even come back down. Gurema was assaulted by a wave of weakness as though he had fallen into a deep abyss. Most of the origin power he had condensed vanished in the blink of an eye as a long crack emerged on his heavy armor, almost tearing it into two. Under the armor, there was also a wound on his body that was currently opening up. With a slight shift of Guremas body, the injury burst open and fresh blood gushed out instantaneously. He was immediately shocked and could hardly believe that this single sword strike would possess such might. How was this a human? Even an all-out attack from a descendant of the Twelve Ancient Vampire Clans was only at this level. At this time, Qianyes figure flickered as he stepped onto Guremas arachnid body. The arachne smashed his elbow toward Qianye with a roar, but Qianye promptly caught his arm. There was nothing to compare between their armsGuremas wrist was much thicker than Qianyes thighbut the contest of strength resulted in both parties being locked in place without a clear winner. In the short while that they were in a stalemate, Qianye tossed East Peak away, drew the Scarlet Edge, and plunged it deep into Guremas back. The blade went straight for his heart. Youre not human?! Guremas giant spider body collapsed with a boom just as he finished muttering his final words. His limbs were still struggling unconsciously, but his body was no longer mobile. He never received an answer up until the very end. Qianye lay atop Guremas body without any movement and arose only when the rolling tides of essence blood had dried up. Afterward, he began to gasp loudly for breath. The arachne possessed powerful vitality and could still survive for some time even if they were cut through the waist. They could be considered truly dead only after their essence blood had dried up. Qianye calmed down his breathing before cutting open Guremas chest to retrieve a fist-sized crystal. This was an arachnid crystal condensed by most viscount-level arachne. It was also proof of his military contribution. Gazing at the translucent yellow crystal, Qianye vaguely sensed origin power flowing within. Even the empire hadnt discovered the uses of arachnid crystals up until this day, so most of these things became ornaments for imperial nobility. It was the perfect item to use as proof of contribution. The trembling servant poked his head out from the other side of the plaza and exclaimed in shock after seeing Guremas corpse, Sire Gurema has died? Just like that? Qianye replied with a laugh, How else should he die? Do I need to kill him a couple more times? The servant waved his hands and said in terror, No! That isnt my intention. Sire, up ahead is Viscount Porters residence. Ive never had the opportunity to enter before. I wonder Qianye waved his hand and said, You may leave. Be careful not to get killed. The servant left while holding his head in his hands as though he had just been granted a great amnesty. Qianye sighed secretly. This servant was a bona fide human, but he had grown up in the Dark Nation and had no intention to return to human-controlled territory. This man would probably look for a place to hide and then return to being a servant after things had calmed down. He would continue this life until he died of old age, or until he became food on a certain dark race dinner table. That was simply because he knew no second way to live. Qianye collected his thoughts and walked toward the copper doors which opened wide after a forceful push. The door wasnt locked, and there were no restrictive arrays behind it either, so much so that there werent even any guards or sentries. It would seem Porter placed full trust in Guremas protection. The resident was abnormally wide and almost seemed to occupy half of the lairs area. Before Qianye was a half-enclosed passage ten meters tall and ten meters wide. Walking through it, the place felt exceptionally empty and spaciouseven his footsteps would produce echoes. But after recalling Porters massive arachnid body, it was only natural that he would require such a tunnel; in truth, it could even be considered narrow for him. A blazing torch hung from the wall at regular intervals, casting a peaceful, greenish light upon the path and granting it a touch of incomparable eeriness. The area was extremely silent as though it were a sleeping city. At the moment, it seemed like the intense battle between Qianye and Gurema hadnt alarmed anyone at all. Qianye walked out of the hundred meter passage with due swiftness and arrived at a magnificent building at its end, the main doors of which were decorated with depictions of spiders. This time, Qianye didnt rush to push the door open and instead pushed himself close to listen attentively. Chapter 397: Incubation Chamber Chapter 397: Incubation Chamber [Volume 5 C A Distance Within Reach] As expected, Qianye heard faint sounds coming from behind the door, the rustle of limbs brushing across the floor. He withdrew his aura and waited silently for a moment. He estimated that it was a wide space inside with over ten arachne moving about. Qianye quietly produced several grenades from within Andruils Mysterious Realm, pulled the door open, and tossed them inside. A gust of fishy air assailed his nostrils the moment the door opened. Qianye quickly confirmed that his judgement was correctthe cave-like hall within appeared to be the arachnes daily gathering and resting area. It was just that the roof was higher, and the walls were wider. The ten-odd arachne within, some prone and others standing, were moving with gradual crawling movements. Several of them reacted rather quickly once the door was opened. With their limbs rustling about, they pounced toward the door. However, Qianye shut the door immediately afterward. A series of powerful impacts were transmitted through the metallic doors. Qianyes countenance turned palethe combined force from so many arachne was almost equal to a small siege machine. Fortunately, the explosion of origin power grenades rumbled behind them. Near and far, they rang out continuously amidst the sharp hisses, roars, and hurried footsteps. Eventually, the sounds of the arachne banging against the door also died down. Qianye opened the doors once more and found the hall in a state of disarray. Over half of the spiders had collapsed to the floor and were on their last gasp. Those still alive, on the other hand, had been badly wounded. The angle at which the bunch of grenades was hurled enveloped the entire room within the blast radius, and the halls strong walls deprived the arachne of any space to escape as all of them were swept up in the explosive tempest. Qianye charged in with East Peak in tow. He then swiftly went around the hall to kill off all the arachne before breathing a sigh of relief. At this time, he had just realized that the arachne in the hall were all females. Add to that the fact that this place was at the very center of Porters residential area, they were likely his wives, concubines, and daughters. It was just that Porters preferences were evidently quite unique. These arachne all possessed arachnid bodies, and some didnt even have human-form upper bodies, a stark contrast from the dark race upper-society who favor humanoid forms. There werent any garrisoned soldiers in the residential area. A number of servspiders were drawn out by the loud rumble of the grenades, but Qianye killed them off one by one with relative ease. And behind this hall was Porters bedroom. It was a large space of about a hundred square meters and over ten meters tall. The ground and walls were covered in dense spider webs, but certain important equipment like blades, armaments, paintings, and carved treasured sculptures were left untouched by the spider webs. There was a tall platform at the end of the hall with a thick layer of countless beast skins entangled with the interlacing spiderwebs below. That was likely Porters bed. There was something sparkling within the beast skin and spider webs. Qianye discovered, after arriving closer, that they were randomly scattered jewels and black crystals with a number of rare ores mixed within. The treasures, ores, and black crystals didnt count toward military contributions, but they were of great value in and of themselves. The price for obtaining these benefits wouldnt come cheap, however. Qianyes senses were extremely sharp. As he approached the bed, the intense odor beneath the mattress almost caused his vision to go dark. Qianye endured the discomfort and leapt onto Porters large bed. East Peak swung like the wind, cutting the beast skin and spider webs into several pieces. The jewels, ores, and black crystals were sent flying into the air with a light flick of his blade, eventually falling into the bag in his hand. The speed of Qianyes movements was even faster than when he was fighting against Gurema. From this, it was evident just how destructive this mattress was. He managed to breathe a sigh of relief only after wiping Porters bedroom clean and beating a hasty retreat. But his mood was immediately elevated after weighing the bounty in his hand which was likely worth several tens of thousands in gold coins. Porters storeroom was also easy to find. Perhaps because no one had ever entered the viscounts bedroom before, the door was constructed to the east of the room and was only covered by a simple tapestry which occupied the entire wall. There was simply no way to disguise a ten-meter door. Qianye used East Peak to tear away the wall decoration of interwoven cloth and spiderwebs, revealing a set of two giant doors cast from refined iron. This kind of metal was sturdier than the steel alloys used by humans. Its main merit was still the massive weight, with each door weighing several tons. Here, weight was the best defense. Porter didnt bother setting up any steam mechanism to open this door, thus it required several powerful arachne to forcefully open this storeroom. Qianyes present strength was insufficient to open the massive doors, but he had other methods. He raised East Peak and attempted an all-out slash which promptly produced a deep scar upon the large refined iron door. Afterward, Qianye landed numerous slashes on the same area and, amidst a shower of sparks, finally managed to punch a hole through the big door. He widened the opening enough to allow himself passage before making his way inside. The storeroom was extremely large. There were as much as four ten-square-meter rooms within separated into weapons, defensive armaments, ores, and raw materials. But Qianye was greatly disappointed after going through them. There were a lot of items in the storeroom, but all of them were items for arachne use. The armors were all unusually large, and most of the weapons were so big that they wouldnt fit inside Andruils Mysterious Realm. Additionally, the arachne weapons were different from vampires and demonkin. Because they were large, heavy, and inherently powerful, the armaments werent as exquisite as the demonkin''s, and the raw materials were also several grades inferior. That said, Porters giant axe was at least several hundred times heavier than a vampire viscounts sword. How could he afford to use the same materials? Because of this, there were only a handful of things in the entire storehouse worth taking away for Qianye. It was the same with ores and materials. Various types of ores were piled until they reached the ceiling, but they were mostly copper, refined iron, or raw, unprocessed ores containing some black crystals inside. The material room was full of already-refined metal ingots, but the grade of these materials couldnt catch Qianyes attention. After a round of inspection, Qianye did gain some benefits in the end. He found a batch of raw black titanium and mithril ores. The amount was enough to produce two or three bullets, albeit barely. Moreover, he had also found a batch of high-purity black crystals and blood crystals. In the end, Qianye picked out two grade-five vampire handguns and a grade-four sword from Porters collection of armaments belonging to other races. That was all he had. Apparently, this arachne viscount wasnt interested in weapons from other racesthe collection was pitifully small, and the quality was also fairly mediocre. Well, it cant be considered a fruitless trip. Qianye consoled himself. The things he could take away were more or less equal to the treasures in two ordinary viscount castles combined. But there was no denying that he was disappointedafter all, Porter was a first-rank viscount. It was at this time that Qianyes heart skipped a beat as a peculiar feeling emerged therein. The sensation passed by in a flash and was soon untraceable. Qianye confirmed that it wasnt a hidden source of danger, but instead a certain existence that didnt quite fit into the surroundings. He pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up with an azure blue as he scanned the storeroom with True Sight. After two repeats, Qianye finally discovered an origin-power abnormality in a certain corner. There was actually a strand of void origin power lingering around the junk piled up therein! This was an almost impossible scene. It was virtually impossible for it to appear without any external induction. Even the void origin power that leaked through the legendary spatial tears would be quickly assimilated by the surroundings and turn into darkness origin power. Qianye arrived before the pile of junk and began rummaging through it. There were various things among them, including irregular pieces of timber, ores, crystals, and some peculiar things of unknown function. It seemed Porter would toss things here if he had no idea whether it was useful. Qianye soon found the source of that wisp of void origin poweran unassuming metal box. It was made of the most common of pig iron, two fingers breadth in size and mottled with rust. The box hadnt been opened for an unknown length of timeeven the latch on the front surface had became fixed with rust. Qianye held the box and studied it time and again. He scanned the state of the void origin power once more and pried it open with his fingers after confirming that there were no mechanisms within. The box was only made up of a thin layer of metal. The inside was just as ordinaryits inherent metallic hue was visible due to the absence of origin arrays and linings. Within it was a black crystal the size of a finger. There was almost nothing special about it apart from its surface appearing smoother and its corners more rounded. Moreover, it was much smaller than the standard black crystal. Qianyes True Sight, however, could actually see strands of void origin power forming at its core. One of them would gradually seep out, but would only exist for an extremely short moment before being assimilated into the surroundings. Qianye sensed it for some time and confirmed that the previous abnormality he had perceived was in fact due to the emergence of void origin power. Apparently, there was a secret within this piece of black crystal. He fished out an origin bullet case and carefully stored the black crystal within, along with its iron box, before putting them away in Andruils Mysterious Realm. Only after this did he feel that this trip hadnt been in vain. Qianye checked Porters residential area once more before returning to the circular elevator plaza outside. He had stayed in Black Nest for a fair length of time up until this point and was just hesitating whether he should withdraw when he felt the nearby vent releasing a stream of abnormally warm air. The facilities in the arachne lair were several times larger than those found in human buildings, and the air vent was no exception. Qianyes vision was filled with red mist as he peered down through the large grills. The heat was actually coming from real magma! This also meant that the space beneath his foot was the arachne incubation chamber. Now, that was an effortless discovery. The human from before had never come into contact with the Dark Nests core area, and Qianye himself had no time to search every corner of the castlehe was already about to give up. Qianye observed the geography then proceeded to carve an entrance on the plaza floor and advanced into the room below. However, he had unexpectedly encountered intense resistance as he reached the door into the incubation chamber. Unexpectedly, there were over a hundred guards stationed therethe security here was far tighter than Porters own residential area. The hundred-odd soldiers were all slaughtered in an arduous blood-bath before Qianye successfully arrived in the incubation room. He was immediately shaken by the scene before him as he stepped into the room. Chapter 398: Interception Chapter 398: Interception Chapter 398: Interception [V5C105 A Distance Within Reach] The incubation chamber was a giant room hundreds of meters in diameter which seemed to have been transformed from a natural cave. There was a deep pit at its center in which flowed burning red lava. There was an origin array set up around the opening of this pit which filtered over half of the fierce flames, leaving only a gentle warmth with which to incubate the spider eggs. The four walls were built in steps which rose upward like terraced fields with a large number of spider eggs on each of the ten steps. Their count increased toward the periphery, but their sizes decreased. There were at least tens of thousands of eggs on the outermost one, but they were also greatly inferior in size and activityit seemed they would only produce servspiders. Qianye scanned the entire room and found that there were actually tens of thousands of spiders eggs of all sizes. Not to mention a viscount, even Count Stukas incubation chamber might not be of such a scale. What was going on here? His gaze swept through the room and fell upon the two flights of stairs closest to the center. There were five completely black spider eggs upon the second last step. They were completely different from the other ones, and three of them even had a number of obvious jade-green stripes on their shells. Those were viscount-grade spider eggs! The arachne breeding methods were somewhat different from the rest of the dark races. The female spider could produce hundreds of eggs in one go, but only a small number of them would become arachne. It could be said that the egg hadnt even hatched when its lifetime accomplishments had already been confirmed. This was an even crueler law of survival compared to humans. Barring any major accidents or opportunities, these viscount-level eggs would normally reach the viscount rank after they mature. The higher the grade of the spider egg, the lower the chances of it appearing. An arachne viscount could make his female partner lay down tens of thousands of eggs in her lifetime, but viscount level ones would hardly exceed ten even among different mothers. To the arachne, only this kind of egg would be treated as a true descendant. Now, there were five viscount-grade spider eggs before Qianye. Bringing these back would net him military contributions. A single egg was equal in merit to a third-rank viscount. Just like the dark races, the empire had always been engaging in biological researchthe demand for gifted dark race offspring was high and the rewards, generous. When Qianye walked down to the lowest step, he unexpectedly discovered a spider egg behind a veil of green mist. The egg wasnt big, and its aura was weaker than the other viscount eggs. However, its entire body was a sparkling, translucent black. There were numerous green veined patterns on its shell which came together to form a set of natural runes, albeit the simplest type. Its meaning was poison. This rune alone was enough to set it aside from the spider eggs of the viscount grade. Qianye found the aura being emitted from the egg to be somewhat familiar. He activated the Eyes of Truth once again and observed in detail before finally confirming that the aura bore some semblance to Count Stukas. Qianye suddenly realized that this spider egg was probably Count Stukas descendant, and a count-grade one at that. Although its aura was weak and seemed to be congenitally deficient, it might perhaps force its way to the count ranks. But there was an inherent difference between it and a viscount grade egg, and this difference was the keythe natural rune representing poison. This discovery caused Qianye to suddenly realize something. Count Stuka possessed a count-grade offspring, but it was congenitally defective. Perhaps this egg hadnt finished growing even as he was at deaths door. This was probably the reason why he was reluctant to give up his position and let it fall into anothers hand. It was no wonder Qianye had encountered such intense resistance after his arrival just now. So it turned out that this was a common incubation chamber used by a first-rank viscount and a veteran count. That was why it was of such a large scale. Since Count Stuka had placed his descendant here, then the incubation chamber in his castle was likely filled with decoys in order to pull the wool over peoples eyes. With such thoughts and schemes, it appeared this arachne count wasnt that incompetent. Qianye carefully sealed and stowed away the count-grade egg and the five viscount-grade ones into Andruils Mysterious Realm. The realm was now packed full and could no longer accommodate anything else. Qianye decided not to linger here. It was high time he returned to the empire to report his contributions and renew his supplies. Additionally, these spider eggs wouldnt survive very long after leaving the incubation chamber, so it was imperative that he dealt with them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, dead spider eggs would lose their value. Qianye couldnt help but sigh as he glanced at the remaining spider eggs. Such a large number of eggs together would equal a dark race count in terms of contribution. It was just that he had no means to take them away in one piece. He placed a number of origin grenades on the origin array covering the lava heat source and installed a simple timing mechanism before leaving swiftly. This time, Qianye took the large passage toward the main gates. This passage was straight, wide, and the shortest in distance, but he would definitely encounter guards. After sprinting all the way and slaughtering over twenty high-ranking dark race warriors, Qianye finally arrived at the main gates. At this time, muffled rumbles rang out behind him like rolling thunder. The entire Black Nest began to tremble as a wave of infernal heat spread out from behind. Qianye sped up his footsteps after sensing the odor of lava. He slashed a baron in front into two and knocked a servspider flying as he charged straight out of the lair. He glanced back while dashing along the stone path leading away from Black Nest. The castle was shaking continuously, and people were running out from its various passages in panic. Two of the tunnels had even started to spit out flames. This movement quaked the earth and shook the mountains. It was as though a volcano was erupting. Qianye was startled. Afterward, he recalled the origin array he had just destroyed and realized that the array suppressing the underground lava was probably of utmost importance. After its destruction, the lava underneath went out of control and started gushing out. Apparently, the entire incubation chamber and the surrounding core area of Black Nest had become unsalvageable. This was good news for Qianye because Black Nest would no longer be an obstruction should he choose to push further west in the future. He halted further observation and darted into the closest mountainous region, prepared to retrace his steps via Silverflow Fjord. He hadnt gotten far when he suddenly chanced upon the first-rank viscount Porter as he was scanning his surroundings for origin power. However, Qianye discovered that his aura had grown much weaker than before. Hes injured? Qianyes heart was shaken. He adjusted his direction and began approaching the arachne rapidly. Moments later, Viscount Porters entourage appeared from behind a gentle slope several hundred meters away from Qianye. It could be said that the viscounts troop formation as he left Black Nest was majestic and surging with killing intenteven a main force division of the expeditionary army might not be able to halt his advance. Now, however, the squads around him were in disarray, and no more than twenty high-ranking warriors remained by his side. Moreover, all of them carried serious injuries. Porter himself wasnt in good shape as his armor was broken in many places. There was a big defect on the edge of his giant axe, and its hilt was obviously bent. Unexpectedly, two out of his eight arachnid legs had been broken. Presently, he had four legs on one side and only two on the other, which made it difficult for him to maintain balance while moving. There was a terrifying, bone-deep wound on his face, and his left eye had vanished. Judging from the travel distance, Porters battle time hadnt even reached half a day. How was he beaten so badly? Apparently, the human unit that had appeared here was of extraordinary combat strength, quite likely the main branch unit of a certain aristocratic family. Regardless of that, Qianye no longer hesitated because the opportunity before him was simply too rare. He emerged abruptly and charged full speed at Porter without bothering to disguise himself. The groups morale was at an all-time low from the pain and injury. Moreover, they had relaxed their vigilance since they would soon arrive at Black Nest. Only when Porter suddenly glanced backward after sensing some abnormal vibrations in the earth did he see Qianye rushing toward them. At this moment, Qianye was less than a hundred meters from Porter. He exerted greater power from his feet, causing the ground to rise and fall with his every step. Waves of runes spread toward every direction like ripples on the water surface. Qianye raised his speed yet again and sent flying an arachne viscount who sought to block his path. He was now less than ten meters from Porter. East Peak rose and slashed out through the air. Nirvanic Rend! Porter saw Qianye clearly. His first expression was of disdain, then one of anger. No matter how injured he was, there was no chance a weak human who wasnt even a champion could take advantage of him. But his expression shifted all of a sudden as Nirvanic Rend appearedhe felt an instinctive threat to his life! The arachne viscount paid the price for his initial carelessness. He roared frantically and hurled his giant axe at Qianye like a javelin in a bid to block the latters charging momentum. He forcefully moved his massive arachnid body to the side and used his four intact limbs to receive the sword intent emitted from the edge of the heavy blade. A series of cracks rang out as one of Porters limbs actually broke. However, Nirvanic Rends momentum didnt end there. It pressed on to leave a deep gash on the arachnes abdomen before the sword intent thoroughly dissipated. Qianye evaded the whirling axe with a simple sidestep and leapt up without pause after landing on the ground. His speed, at the level of a vampire viscount, allowed him to reach the viscount in a single dash, and he was poised to stomp onto Porters arachnid body. Porter already saw Qianye as a great enemy. How could he give the latter such an opportunity? He immediately retracted his entire body as his lingering origin power began to crackle on his humanoid torso, poised to launch an all-out attack the moment Qianye arrived. However, Qianye made an urgent stop mid-air. He then drew the Twin Flowers, merged them into one, and unfurled a pair of brilliant wings behind his back! Soon, an incomparably fierce blaze blossomed from its muzzle, instantly lighting up the dark world like a beam of sunlight shooting through space. The Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang turned into a beam of light which blasted upon Porters body, issuing a dazzling burst of radianceit was as though a new sun had risen amidst the darkness. The surviving dark race warriors in the vicinity began to scream in misery as the sudden extreme yang radiance pierced their eyes. Even powerful barons felt their eyes burning and had tears streaming down. Their vision became a blur, and they could no longer see anything for the moment. Porter howled in pain. His entire body was covered in raging flames from head to toe. These flames which contained daybreak origin power was extremely agonizing to the dark races. The arachne viscount lost all reason due to the agonyhis massive body fell to the ground where he rolled around with all his might in a vain effort to extinguish the flames. Qianye had already switched back to his True Sight. Before him, he saw a boundless surge of daybreak origin power almost engulfing the entire area. Chapter 399: Conflic Chapter 399: Conflict [V5C106 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye only stopped the Eye of Truth when the daybreak origin power gradually dispersed. Several meters away, Porters shoulder had been blasted into oblivionthere was almost nothing but a layer of skin attaching his arm to his torso, and the wound was still flowing with incandescent refined silver. Qianye pounced over instantaneously and stabbed at Porters heart. The arachne viscount let out a pained roar and, with all his might, swung the intact left arm at Qianyes shoulder. However, Qianye didnt evade and forcefully endured this assault as he absorbed essence blood via the Scarlet Edge. Porters movements quickly turned weak as his massive body collapsed with a boom, never to move again. Only at this point did the dark race warriors recover their vision, but what awaited them was only Porters corpse. The atmosphere suddenly became rather complicated. But Qianyes injuries were obviously not light either, not to mention he had used his most powerful Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang and the Nirvanic Rend. Although these arachne had no idea what Qianyes two powerful moves were, they could easily imagine that an attack capable of heavily injuring a first-rank viscount probably couldnt be pulled off continuously. If they swarmed over him right now and pay a certain price, they might perhaps be able to slaughter this human ambusher on the spot. Qianye also understood this reasoning, but he showed not the slightest sign of being flustered. Instead, he calmly produced an entire box of Mithril Bullets of Exorcism and pressed two of them into the Twin Flowers. Everyone could clearly see that there were eight bullets left in the box. The arachne were momentarily hesitant. The Mithril Bullet of Exorcism was something they were very familiar with. Most of them had even suffered its effects before and knew that it was indeed unpleasant. The arachne possessed naturally large bodies, and a single bullet might not be lethal to them. However, it was common to be left with an unhealable injury or even become handicapped after getting struck by it. With the ruthlessness Qianye had displayed just now, the arachne soldiers knew that the first ones to charge would die without a doubt. Qianye, on the other hand, still had so many mithril bullets left. The soldiers reckoned half of them would have to die before they could take him down. Qianye spun the Twin Flowers in his hand. He then glanced at the hesitant arachne soldiers and sneered, Who wants to try first? Lets see if your waists can take a shot! The arachne were shocked. Before complete human transformation, the waist between the arachnes human upper body and arachnid abdomen was one of their weaknesses. A blast there from a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism would leave a perpetual injury, resulting in a precipitous decrease in their combat strength and agility. In the Dark Nation where rankings were strict and strength was honored above all, a fall in strength meant a certain fall in status. Moreover, the slide in status was usually much fastersuch a conclusion, to most arachne warriors, was even more difficult to accept than dying in battle. Dont listen to his nonsense. Humans are the craftiest species! an arachne knight cried loudly. Bang! Qianye pulled the trigger without the slightest bit of hesitation. The arachne knight let out a cry of extremely agony as blood burst forth from the bowl-sized injury at his waist, accompanied by a stream of green fumes. Qianye gravely injuring this knight intimidated the other arachne. Afterward, he produced yet another box of mithril bullets and said indifferently, Ive ample supply of these things. I guarantee everyone will get his share. The arachne warriors finally began to show some cowardice. The strongest baron among them whispered, He must be from a major human clan. Lets retreat! Although the arachne took delight in slaughter, they werent stupid. The arachne of Evernight Continent were considered rural villagers in the Dark Nation. They were no match for the empires aristocratic scions both in terms of combat strength and armaments. Now that Porter had died, the most important thing at present was to return and decide how to split the benefits. Those heavily wounded right now would be eliminated when it was time to cut up the fatty meat. Qianye finally heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the arachne soldiers retreat. He had never imagined that he would be able to escape the perilous situation so easily. He felt that his luck was pretty good since he was expecting to sustain more injuries before being able to break out of this encirclement. Qianye retrieved Porters arachnid crystal and returned swiftly to Silverflow Fjord without seeking more battles. Silverflow Fjord wasnt affected by the bloody battle and was still fairly peaceful. Qianye recuperated some time and dealt with the injuries on his body before setting out. He drove the motorcycle over the vast wilderness and hurried back to Blackflow City. The interior of Blackflow was just as Qianye had left it. The atmosphere was somewhat tense, but things were still relatively peaceful. There were many adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers in the city, and most were here for the high military contribution rewards, prepared to fight risking life and limb. Those fortunate enough might be left with a sizeable fortune after this battle and never again have to worry about food and lodgings for life. A large batch of people had escaped the Iron Curtain when it first appeared. Now, however, there were more people arriving in Blackflow than those who had left. The bloody battle had just begun, so a supply base like Blackflow was a godsend. The adventurers and mercenaries naturally werent easy to deal with, but few dared to stir up trouble in Blackflow City. Their eyes were extremely fiercethey had long since discovered that there were more soldiers inside Blackflow than in any other city. At this moment, the reinforcements from the nearby divisions had already arrived, bringing Dark Flames regular soldier count to one and a half times that of an ordinary independent division. Moreover, the Dark Flame soldiers patrolling the entire city were clad in superior equipment almost comparable to the imperial regular army. Barring for those who were too blind, none of the mercenaries dared cause a ruckus under such circumstances. There were also aristocratic combat units passing through the city, but the surprised men quickly retracted their pride after hearing that the division commander was actually Duke Yous granddaughter, Zhao Yuying. After returning to Blackflow City, Qianye assembled the high-ranking officers to inquire about the present situation and found out that everything was normal. Regarding defense, three out of the four stronghold cannons had already been modified. The last one was half done and should be completed in three more days. Blackflow Citys defenses would reach new heights after the four stronghold cannons were completely remodeled. At the very least, it would not be inferior to an imperial border city. Qianye felt somewhat relieved after listening to the reports. At this moment, he heard a series of rumbling sounds outside. He got up to the window and peered out to find several heavy combat vehicles and armored military trucks loaded with soldiers leaving the camp in a single file. Whats going on? Qianye inquired. Free hunting was the main theme among the many expert participants of this bloody battle. Troops without an expert to oversee them had little impact, and it was almost equal to sending them to their deathsjust like how Qianye had entered Black Nest on his own and killed all the guards there. Song Hu replied from the side, The caravan dispatched by the Seventh Young Master has arrived and will enter the Iron Curtain soon. This unit is heading out to receive them. The materials have arrived? Yes, the materials this time are quite important since they include components for the stronghold walls and a small kinetic tower. Seventh Young Master has already dispatched his most powerful guards, but the situation inside the Iron Curtain is difficult to ascertain. Thats why I acted on my own in dispatching an armored unit to support them, Song Hu explained. Qianye nodded. Song Zining had given him a surprise at the critical momentthese materials were originally due to arrive several months laterhe hadnt expected the latter to ship the goods at lightning speed. It seemed Song Zining had made use of some major connections in order to achieve this. Qianye was now free since there was nothing major in Blackflow City. He thus drove a jeep alone toward the Trinity River County capital in order to hand in his military contributions. The county capital, at this moment, was incomparably lively. There were busy craftsmen all over the walls, and new cannon towers had sprung up one after another. Its four main gates were wide open, and the flow of people continued day and night without rest. The empire had established a tallying center for military contributions here. As such, the city had become a gathering place for all the hunting parties in the surrounding battlefieldsno less than tens of thousands of mercenaries and adventurers had converged therein. Unless they were completely crazy, the weaker dark race combat units would steer clear of this region. Qianye saw a crowd at the city gates as he arrived at the county capital on his jeep. The crowd leaving and entering the city was in chaos and refused to make way for one another. There were sounds of quarrel mixed in with the sound of fists striking flesh. The expeditionary army guards only watched the show from one side and seemed to have no intention of interfering. They were even commenting on the developments with laughter. Qianye was also blocked within the stream of people amidst the chaotic scene and couldnt move his car for quite a while. Qianye jumped down from the vehicle with a cold expression and pushed past the crowd to arrive at the scene of conflict. The parties in contention were a mercenary band and an aristocratic combat unit. Judging from their family crest, this so-called nobility was merely a landowning household. The squads strength was also rather mediocre, and there was nothing to praise about them apart from their uniform equipment. The landowning household squad was shouting loudly, repeating their noble rank and family name as though they themselves were the nobles. But this was Evernightthe major clans and families from other continents might have some deterring effect, but a small landowning household held no weight at all. Their name wasnt even as useful as that of a current expeditionary army officer. Regardless of location, mercenaries and adventurers who earned a living with their lives on the line were always cruel and untamed. They would, at most, need to hide away in the wilderness or go to a new city after committing a crime. This landowning household squad was only equal to the mercenaries in strength, so how could they force the other party into submission? The two parties had already progressed from spewing out curses to the verge of actual fighting. They were currently hitting each other with fists, but weapons would soon be drawn if this dragged on. The city gates became even more obstructed as more and more people came to watch the liveliness. Qianye had no time to waste here. He shouted with a heavy expression, Go to the side if you guys want to fight. Dont block the road! Qianyes voice wasnt high, but everyone heard him clearly. Moreover, everyone felt their hearts beat faster and their chests began to tighten as though a big rock were pressing over it. The mercenaries knew who they could and could not afford to provoke. Qianyes shout clearly displayed his deep and resounding origin power. After seeing the expeditionary army insignia on Qianyes uniform, they immediately withdrew from the conflict with apprehensive expressions. These mercenaries were clear that, with Qianyes strength, his position in the expeditionary army must be fairly high. The expeditionary army was the local tyrant of Evernight Continent, an entity they were most unwilling to offend. However, the landowning household squad didnt care about such things. They became furious after seeing the mercenaries give way and started to give chase with punches and kicks. It seemed these people actually had no intention of letting the other party go, even after victory. Chapter 400: Exploitation Chapter 400: Exploitation [V5C107 C A Distance Within Reach] Chapter 400: Exploitation [V5C107 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianyes expression sank somewhat. He reached out to grab the landowning family soldiers shoulder and said coldly, I said stop it. Did you not hear? That persons reaction wasnt vague at all. He lowered his elbow to launch a sideways blow toward Qianyes chest. Meanwhile, the other hand wasnt idle eithera slap whistled toward Qianyes face as he spewed profanities from his mouth. Who do you think you are? Is this your place to speak? Dont you know who our master is? Qianye swung a fist out with a frown. His attack arrived first despite moving later and smashed the man flying backward. The man crashed a path through the crowd and fell down only after striking the city wall, leaving a trail of flying blood and teeth. The landowning squad was shocked for a moment. Afterward, they exploded and began shouting, Commoner! How dare you injure a noble? Hey, expeditionary army soldiers over there! Are you all blind? Didnt you see this brat hit a noble? Seize him! We might as well just slaughter him. Well have to pay a fine at most. Another burly man from the group roared. He drew a handgun, took aim, and actually pulled the trigger on Qianye. Qianyes brows locked into a frown. He had never expected this unit would reach such a degree of unruliness. One had to know that he was wearing an expeditionary army officers uniform. Even the imperial elite corps would have to use up their casualty quota in order to kill him in public. Qianye removed the heavy sword from his back and tapped the man lightly with a sheathed East Peak. The burly mans expression turned sluggish and his knees gave way. He fell kneeling onto the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing, his fate unknown. Everyone was astonished, and even those watching the liveliness turned silent for a moment. Soon, everyone backed up in panic and cleared out an open space at the scene. Moments later, someone from the landowning unit came to and started shouting, Murder! A commoner has murdered a noble! Capture this brat and the empire will reward handsomely! Qianye exhaled lightly. He could no longer endure the scoundrelly behavior of these landowning soldiers. East Peak waved out horizontally and whipped onto the mans face. The soldier spun several times in the air and spat out several teeth before falling unconscious. This time, these people finally understood that they had kicked a steel plate. All of them froze on the spot and no longer dared continue their lowly speech. Some among these fellows had their hands on their origin guns. They were considering their options time and again but dared not draw their weapons. Qianye glanced toward the surroundings and then waved at the expeditionary army officer nearby. Come here. The officer wore a majors insignia on his shoulder and should be the commander of the gate sentry. His subordinates called him out from within the guard tower for fear of the situation going out of control. He realized things werent looking too good when he saw the colonel insignia on Qianyes shoulderbut then he glanced at Qianyes face. He felt a rush in his mind and immediately hurried over in a jog. The major said with a smile, So its Colonel Qianye. What instructions do you have for us, sir? Dont hesitate to say it. Ill work on it right away! Dark Flame was quite famous among the expeditionary army soldiers of the Trinity River County, having nursed gratitudes and grudges with the expeditionary army divisions therein from the moment of its founding to the establishment of its independent division. All middle to high ranking officers had at least heard of Qianyes description even if they hadnt seen him in person. This gatekeeping officer was in his forties and had already been a major for several years. He naturally knew that the person in true control of Dark Flame was this Qianye standing before him. This was a major character capable of standing on the same level as their division commander. As such, the smile on his face was exceptionally enthusiastic. Qianye said indifferently, These people can be considered a disturbance to public security, right? Seize them and deal with them. The majors expression turned ugly. Sire Qianye, it''s not a problem to capture them, but its not much use since well have to release them later on. Our division commander has ordered us to let those from the upper continent be unless they commit a major crime. Qianye pondered for a moment. That means things like this have been happening frequently? The major revealed an accompanying smile and said, Its not especially common. These lords coming down from above are indeed difficult to serve, but not a lot of them actually move against our expeditionary army officers, so our general doesnt really want to deal with them. Moreover, the true major clans wont stay here for long. Theyre usually off to war as soon as they arrive. Qianye understood the majors hidden implications. This one before them wasnt the only arrogant and despotic minor family. However, the expeditionary army division commander did not want to get tangled up with them since these people could only bully mercenaries and adventurers who had no background. But this also allowed them to become more and more arrogant. So much so that they casually moved to kill Qianye despite his expeditionary army officers uniform. Presently, these landowning household soldiers had regained their breath. Only now did they notice that Qianye was wearing a high-ranking expeditionary army officers uniform. They glanced at each other and felt that they were quite unlucky. But they werent nervous at allso much so that they were watching Qianye with gazes of ridicule as they awaited their capture. In any case, they would be going in from the front and walking out from the back. Qianye said with a frown, Seize them and send them to Blackflow City. With that, he tossed a bag into the majors hands. Go drink with the brothers afterward. The major breathed a sigh of relief. Once these people were in Blackflow City, whatever happened would be Qianyes problem and have nothing to do with them. He grabbed the bag and realized from its contour that there should be both gold and silver coins within. His smile immediately turned even more flattering. What are you all staring at? Go and capture them! the major shouted with a wave of his hand, and this time, he was full of courage. The expeditionary army soldiers in charge of guarding the gates had apparently endured these aristocratic soldiers for quite some time. They responded explosively and swarmed over at once. The mercenaries and adventurers who were watching from the side actually charged over at this point and beat those soldiers up until they were black, blue, and had collapsed onto the ground. It seemed everyone had been holding back their anger all this time. The major instructed, Tie them up well and dispatch two cars to transport them to Sire Qianyes Blackflow City! He arranged everything with great swiftness for fear that it would involve him. The major recalled something after handling the men from the combat squad. He approached Qianye and said in a whisper, Sire Qianye, this lowly one must remind you that these people kept saying that their master is the nephew of a certain duke. You must be careful! Qianye broke into a laughter almost immediately. The soldiers from this squad were simply unrivaled in their bluffing. If their master was indeed the nephew of a duke, it was impossible for him to fall to the ranks of a landowning household. Apparently, they were only using it to scare the ignorant natives of Evernight Continent with extravagant boasting. This commotion had delayed him quite a bit. Qianye walked back to his jeep and suddenly found that a lanky man had stealthily climbed into the vehicle, apparently aiming to fish in troubled waters. Qianye arrived behind him in a flash, lifted him out of the car, and flung him to the ground. The lanky man didnt even get the chance to cry out before he was knocked unconscious. The expeditionary army soldiers immediately recovered their ruthless qualities in dealing with such a thief. They charged over and beat him up before dragging him away like a dead dog. One could see with a single glance that Qianyes jeep was a high-grade vehicle, not to mention it was flying the expeditionary army flag. How could any ordinary person dare to touch it? That lanky man was simply too bold. Qianye shook his head in secret. The chaos in the county capital had far surpassed his expectations. After finally entering the city, Qianye followed the majors directions to the place where military contributions were being tallied. The tallying area was set up within a three-storied building beside the central plaza in order to make it convenient for people of all trades to turn in their proof items and register contributions. The bloody battle had just begun, but the number of people registering had far exceeded expectations. The plaza was full of human heads, and the venue could even be considered rather crowded. Feeling that it was inconceivable, he turned to ask the major accompanying him on the car, So many people have made contributions? It hasnt been long since the bloody battle began, has it? The major replied with a laugh, In truth, many people find it hard to believe that the rewards are so generous, so they go out to fight a couple of random battles and hurry here to exchange points after obtaining some stock. This will also serve to confirm that the rewards are true. Qianye nodded since this was indeed natural human behavior and continued driving forward. But his car was stopped at a certain intersection. A dozen or so soldiers had blocked the entire road, and judging from their uniforms, they should be a certain aristocratic familys private army. A strong, burly man banged Qianyes door and shouted, Get down! Qianye frowned. Whats the matter? Are you here to register for military contributions? Take the items out and let us see! Qianye replied coldly, Who are you people? Why must I show you anything? The burly man was immediately enraged and shouted with his gun drawn, Take it out if I tell you to. Why are you speaking so much nonsense? Are you looking to die? At this time, a middle-aged man walked over and held down the burly mans gun. Dont be rash. Were here to do business, not to fight. The middle-aged mans gaze was sharp. He swept his gaze over Qianye and said, Brother, if you want to pass through this street to register for military contributions, you must give us half the goods according to the rules. This is a passage fee as well as the price for your protection. Qianye immediately understood. It turned out that these people had taken a fancy to the incomparably generous bounty and were actually exploiting the people coming to register their contributions. This place was only a couple of steps away from the registration area. How dare they set up such a grandiose blockade? Qianye found it rather inconceivable and shot a glance at the major beside him. As though knowing what Qianye wanted to ask, the officer revealed a wry smile and said in a soft voice, Sire, its the same whichever road you take The major hadnt even finished speaking when the middle-aged man sneered. Take another road? Stop dreaming! Since youve already come, then you must pass through here! You must leave half of your things even if you turn back now. Qianye was expressionless. He pointed toward the expeditionary army flag and said indifferently, Were from the expeditionary army. The middle-aged man laughed. Its because of that flag and your uniform that we demand only half. Others must pay two-thirds. Qianye asked with a smile, What gives you the right? The burly man beside him pointed to the insignia on his chest and said, The Wang family, appointed Count Xiaoshang by imperial decree. This gives me the right! A regional count was neither big nor small and could be considered a middle-ranked aristocratic family, a major character to those on the Evernight continent. However, they had run over to Trinity River County to exploit military contributions. What unsightly table manners! Qianye realized something after seeing how the major was hesitant to speak and was instead shooting him meaningful glancesit seemed there was a story behind this so-called Count Xiaoshan''s private army. He alighted and walked over to the middle-aged man with a smile. Brother, arent your demands a bit too much? Chapter 401: Wrong and Righ The middle-aged man flicked the butt of his cigarette away and revealed an evil grin. The empires rewards this time are too generous. Youll get scalded by this fortune if you keep it in hand! Youll be able to get your fair share with Count Xiaoshan watching over you. Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, the fun is over if you lose your life. While speaking, the middle-aged man suddenly peered through the car windows and found two large, fully-stuffed bags sitting on the back seat. Most people coming to register military contributions had only one or two items on them. When had they ever seen two large bags stuffed full of them? The middle-aged man immediately felt overwhelmed. His voice trembled as he asked, Are all of these military contributions? Correct, Qianye replied calmly. It was as though he had never seen major beside him casting him meaningful glances. The middle-aged man quietly signaled the men beside him before approaching Qianye with a face full of smiles. Since this is the case, we can negotiate. It was at this time that a gust of chilly wind approached from behind Qianyes back. The figure of a man had suddenly emerged therein, and the dagger in his hand thrust ruthlessly at Qianyes waist. The dagger was just about to enter his flesh when it suddenly froze mid-air and the assassins face turned pale. That was because the Twin Flowers were already aimed toward his face and the muzzle was almost pressed against his mouth. Dont The assailant begged for mercy with a trembling voice. Goodbye, Qianye said indifferently as he pulled on the trigger. Boom! The assassins brain exploded into a shower of blood. The middle-aged mans expression shifted rapidly. The man was just about to move when another handgun appeared in Qianyes hand and was already pressed against his forehead. The middle-aged mans expression turned gloomy as he repeatedly said, Were Count Xiaoshans men. Youre dead if you dare touch us! The Twin Flowers rumbled once again. Qianye had no intention to even let him finish speaking. Charge together. Kill! The private army soldiers came to only at this point and some of the more violent soldiers immediately pounced toward Qianye. Qianye performed a small sidestep, skillfully traversed the two incoming fists, and put away the Twin Flowers in a leisurely manner. Following which, East Peak left its sheath and swept across in a dull fashion. Several of the soldiers leading the charge were cut into two along with their weapons. Such ruthless methods finally managed to intimidate the habitually arrogant private soldiers. They shouted with their weapons tightly in hand, but none dared actually approach. Qianye shot them an indifferent glance and was just about to return to the car. However, the commotion had alerted the soldiers at the imperial registration station. A lieutenant colonel ran over with a dozen or so fully-equipped imperial soldiers in tow. The lieutenant colonel arrived just in time to see the corpses strewn all over the floor. Immediately infuriated, he shouted toward Qianye, You dare stir up trouble and commit murder at an imperial office?! Men, seize him! The imperial soldiers rushed toward Qianye immediately. In terms of combat strength, these people were inferior to Count Xiaoshans private soldiers, but they were clad in imperial regular army uniformsthis represented a completely different identity. Touching them was akin to acting against the prestige of the imperial regular army. Qianye said to the lieutenant colonel with a frosty voice, Are you blind? What did you say?! The lieutenant colonel was infuriated. But his eyes turned blurry before he could reactQianye had somehow arrived before him and smacked the man in the face with a certain object in his hand. The lieutenant colonel was whipped into a spin and spat out several teeth. However, Qianye grabbed his shoulder and prevented him from falling down. The man recovered from his dizziness with great difficulty and was just about to spew out abuses when a certain object appeared in front of his eyes. It was the same thing he had been slapped with just now. Take a good look at what this is. Qianyes voice was, just as before, flat and devoid of fluctuations, but it sounded like a sudden clap of thunder in the lieutenant colonels ears. The left half of the mans face had swollen up like a pigs head, and his left eye could no longer see due to the congestion of blood. He tried hard to observe the steel token with his only functioning eye and was drenched in cold sweat at the sight of the word Zhao carved in its center. Which Zhao clan? The lieutenant colonel wanted to slap himself after blurting these words out. The style and patterns upon the token were of noble make. Although Zhao was a big surname, there werent a lot of nobles among themhe was seven parts sure that the token belonged to the one he did not wish to hear. The lieutenant colonel turned to glance at Qianyes jeep and saw the expeditionary army flag depicting a crossed flintlock and bloody bayonet. However, a name that caused his entire body to shiver escaped from Qianyes mouth. The Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan. The imperial regular army soldiers had drawn their weapons at Qianye after seeing their officer suffer. But now, their expressions were also visibly different. The lieutenant colonels attitude shifted rapidly. He assumed a completely different countenance and said shamelessly, Please wait a moment while this lowly officer handles some official matters, sire. It wont delay you for long. His face had already turned frosty by the time he turned back toward Count Xiaoshans private soldiers. As expected of someone born of the imperial military, his change in attitude was rapid. The lieutenant colonel pointed toward the private soldiers and shouted with surging killing intent, Seize these scoundrels immediately! Kill whoever resists! A sincere smile was plastered onto the lieutenant colonels face as he turned back. Did you come to turn in military contributions, sire? Please follow this lowly officer in and let the youngsters handle your car. Qianye made no comment and only gazed at the lieutenant colonel with narrowed eyesthis man was producing a smile as radiant as the spring wind with his half-swollen face. Qianye nodded and followed the lieutenant colonel toward the registration area. Only then did the man manage to breathe a sigh of relief and wipe away the cold sweat on his neck. The registration area was rather lively with close to a hundred adventurers lining up to register their contributions. The officer brought Qianye through the main hall and directly to the third floor. His unctuous behavior shocked everyone in the hall for a moment. After seating Qianye and instructing someone to deliver tea, the lieutenant colonel gave Qianye a brief introduction of the rules related to the registration process while they waited for the soldiers to carry his proof of contribution up. Qianye already knew the publicized rules; the ones being explained were the unwritten ones. The nominal commander of this military contribution registration office was a certain colonel from the imperial military. Qian Liu was the lineal son of a marquis and a man of high stature. He didnt dare come to the county capital to assume office since, after all, this place was under the Iron Curtain. He hid himself far away while leaving everything here to the lieutenant colonels management. Count Xiaoshan was, in truth, in league with this Marquis Wuan whose scope of profit this registration office fell within. The lieutenant colonels words were vague, but Qianye understood the implications. There was no emotion on Qianyes countenance after the introduction, but there seemed to be no anger either. Only at this point did the lieutenant colonel manage to breathe a sigh of relief. He asked carefully while wiping off his cold sweat, Sire Qianye, how do you want to deal with those who offended you? Just handle it how you should, Qianye replied calmly. The lieutenant colonel immediately summoned an aide and whispered some instructions. He then performed a beheading gesture. The aide nodded and left swiftly. The lieutenant colonel returned to Qianyes side and said with a smile, Please rest assured, sire, everything will be handled efficiently. There wont be such a case here in the future. Qianye sighed lightly and said, This is your area of jurisdiction, so just do what should be done. I wont meddle in your business as long as I dont see Count Xiaoshans men again next time. Please rest assured, you definitely wont! Why are those fellows so slow? Ill go and rush them! After placating Qianye, the lieutenant colonel discovered that his subordinates hadnt yet brought up Qianyes proof of contribution. He glanced about and decided he might as well run over to deal with it personally. Qianye walked over to one of the windows along the corridor where he could see the main hall below. Perhaps the superior officers loved the feeling of looking down on the others, especially those who had clambered up from below. The adventurers in the hall were full of smiles as they walked over to the point exchange list on the other side of the hall after receiving their vouchers. These people were badly exploited before being able to stand here, but there wasnt the slightest trace of indignation in their expressions. Qianye shook his head secretly after recalling that the extortions and blockades werent limited to this place. Similar things were happening everywhereit was useless to stop them or defend against them. Even outside of the bloody battle period, the various departments of the expeditionary army would still more or less intercept the contributions and supplies. Meanwhile, the lieutenant colonels change in attitude toward him was only born of a contrast in benefits behind each party. Count Xiaoshans men wanting to touch Qianye had, in truth, encroached upon the Zhao clans benefits. Since they were in the wrong, it was only natural that they were kicked out. Even though Qianye hadnt revealed his identity in advance, it remained that Count Xiaoshans men were blind and handled matters inappropriately. This was the standard for determining who was right and wrong. But although Qianye could ask to have Count Xiaoshans men killed, he couldnt change the entire game as breaking the rules would offend all the aristocratic families in the same league. It was at this time that the doors to the main hall were suddenly opened amidst great clamor and in charged a squad of soldiers. They pushed away the queueing adventurers with great arrogance and shouted, Make way! Everyone move aside! Our familys young master is here to turn in contributions! A young man, escorted by ten or so soldiers, walked into the hall with his head held high. He proceeded to smash a rather large werewolf head onto the counter and shouted, This one! The adventurers in the hall burst into a commotion after seeing the werewolf head. No small number of people cried out in surprise, A viscount! Thats the head of a werewolf viscount! The well-dressed young man was extremely content. He knocked lightly on the counter and said to the charming female officers inside, Please help me register this werewolf viscount under Li familys Count Qingyi of the Clearsky County on Transcendent Continent. The adventurers glances toward the well-dressed youth was already a mixture of fear and respect. To them, a dark race viscount was a major character, from whom it would be impossible for them to escape with their lives. Now that a werewolf viscount head was being placed on the counter, everyone felt that it was like a dream. Qianye activated his Eye of Truth from above. He scanned the well-dressed youth and found that he was a new champion who had just reached rank ten. But his origin power wasnt very pureunless he encountered some kind of fortune, chances of him reaching the sky in the future wasnt very high. Killing a werewolf viscount at the same level would be rather difficult with this persons combat strength. It seemed his luck wasnt bad. The lieutenant colonel pushed open the door at this point, followed by several soldiers carrying the two large bags. The lieutenant colonels gaze, as he looked toward Qianye, was now even more reverent. The mans eyes had almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the two bags just now. Regardless of whether these items were collected by Qianye alone or not, it was easy to judge Qianyes strength and status merely from how the Zhao clan allowed him to roam the wilderness with so much loot. The lieutenant colonel congratulated himself on handling Count Xiaoshans blind soldiers with ample decisiveness and efficiency. After the soldiers put down the load, the lieutenant colonel charged over to the door and shouted, All registration staff, come up immediately! Pause all registrations down there! At this moment, the well-dressed young man was chatting away quite happily with the female officers. He was momentarily astonished after hearing this order and shouted toward the upper floor with a clear voice, Why must you pause the procedure? Do you know that Im from the Li Family of the Transcendent Continents Clear Sky County? The lieutenant colonel replied impatiently, Its no use whichever family youre from! Dont make this daddy wait! The numerous female officers flew toward the third floor like startled birds, leaving the well-dressed young man and his ten or so subordinates in the main hall. Chapter 402: Cashing-In Contributions Chapter 402: Cashing-In Contributions [V5C109 C A Distance Within Reach] One of the soldiers was immediately furious. Young Master! Theyre clearly looking down on our Li family! Shall we The well-dressed youth clad in Chinese clothing stopped the man from producing more fierce language. He then sneered, You lot, follow me. Lets see who this person is and just what level of contribution he has accomplished. How dare they make me wait here! At this moment, in the large office on the third floor, seven or eight female officers were unpacking and sorting the various types of proofs of contribution. Three more of them were in charge of appraisal and registrationthe difficult ones were evaluated by the lieutenant colonel himself. Piles of vampiric fangs, werewolf ears, arachne heads, and servspider poison glands appeared on the floor. Most of these items appeared sinister and were covered in dried blood. But to these female officers, everything they touched was a pile of gold coinstheir expressions and movements were exceptionally gentle. Even their lovers might not receive better treatment. They would also steal glances at Qianye from time to time, their expressions flush with an explicable charm and allure. Qianye sat to one side, slowly sipping his tea. He completely ignored the female officers small movements and proceeded to ponder his own matters. The lieutenant colonel arrived beside Qianye and said with a flattering 90-degree bow, Sire, weve already finished the initial inventory. Those at the viscount grade have all been placed there. Please take a look if we missed anything? At this moment, the lieutenant colonel had moved his desk to the center of the room, and all of the viscount level proofs of contribution had been placed upon it. The pile filled up the entire table, and the five black arachne eggs were exceptionally eye-catching. As for the items below the level of viscount, they had to make do with lying on the floor. Qianye scanned through them and saw that the number viscount grade items were more or less correct. Correct. Then Ill begin the settling. Just a moment. Theres one more. Qianye called back the lieutenant colonel, produced an arachnid crystal the size of a human head, and passed it over to him. The lieutenant colonels heart was immediately shaken after seeing the size, color, and luster of this arachnid crystal. This, could this be It was at this time that the door was pushed open and the youth in Chinese apparel entered. Im Li Pei of the Transcendent Continent. Im lacking in talents, but I do hope to see which outstanding character requires the entire registration office to serve him? His speech came to a stop midway as though someone had clutched his throat with great ferocity. Li Peis eyes fell upon the desk at the center of the room and could no longer move away from it at all. The vampiric fangs with their jade-like luster, the erect werewolf ears, and the colorful arachnid crystals therein almost blinded his eyes. This was especially true of the five black spider eggsthey made Li Peis breathing become incomparably difficult and even his heart had almost stopped beating. These were all viscount-grade arachne eggs and of exuberant vitality no less. Just what kind of arachne castle would one have to overturn in order to obtain five such eggs in one go? In any case, it couldnt possibly be a third-rank viscounts stronghold. Li Pei was forced to go all out just to kill that third-rank werewolf viscount and had paid with the lives of ten-odd subordinates before finally achieving victory. He had never imagined what kind of scene it would be to raid a viscounts lair. Li Pei moved his gaze away with great difficulty only to see the giant arachnid crystal in Qianyes handhis eyes were immediately stuck once again. He could be considered rather knowledgeable as he said with a trembling voice, A first-rank viscount arachnid crystal! Below the level of count, the arachnid crystals were all sparkling and translucentthey had to be categorized in terms of size. Ordinary third-rank viscount arachnid crystals were slightly smaller than the size of a fist, but this one was almost as large as a human head. It undoubtedly belonged to a first-rank viscount, and a superior one at that. Qianye shot Li Pei a glance and said indifferently, Just a lucky convenience. Li Peis heart thumped several times with great ferocity and could no longer speak. Quite frankly, a first-rank arachne viscount could easily decimate two or three squads like Li Peis. Even if the other party was badly wounded, charging such an enemy would only result in his death instead of convenience. Additionally, the five spider eggs were a clear indication that he had raided the lair of a first-rank viscount. Li Pei wouldnt dare to take such an advantage even if it presented itself. Qianye finally looked up at Li Pei as though he were waiting for the latter to continue. Li Pei only felt that Qianyes gaze resembled two incinerating beams, scorching his body painfully from head to toe. I this Li Pei wanted to utter some conventional niceties, but his mouth had gone dry and words failed to form. In the end, he simply gritted his teeth and left. Any amount of prestige and pride would only be a joke before this room full of dazzling spoilslingering would only add to his humiliation. Qianye lowered his gaze and continued sipping his tea. He was once again deep in his own thoughts and seemed to have no intention of making things difficult for that young aristocrat. The adventurers waiting in the hall saw Li Pei coming down and leaving hurriedly with an ashen face. How could they not know that he had kicked a steel plate? As such, they couldnt help but become curious about the identity of the person upstairs. The lieutenant colonel received the arachnid crystal with trembling hands. A beam of magnificent radiance shone into his eyes, almost causing him to drop the dazzling item. The arachnid crystal and eggs were acceptable on their own, but the implications became much deeper once they were placed together. After carefully passing the arachnid crystal to one of his staff, the lieutenant colonel arrived beside Qianye and asked, Sire, how should we register your military contributions? The Zhao clan was a massive entity. The military register in the lieutenant colonels hands showed more than ten combat squads of various sizes from the Zhao clan taking part in this battle. Apart from their three dukes sending out a unit each, a fair number of branch families had also organized their own combat squads. In order to facilitate the distribution of certain special rewards, the military contributions had to be applied to specific units. Qianye replied, Duke You, Zhao Yuying. Understood, Ill handle this immediately! The lieutenant colonels attitude was even more respectful. This was the Zhao clans core tier! The lieutenant colonel had no idea how Qianye, as a high-ranking officer of the expeditionary army, had gained such a connection. But this person was apparently a core character since he was trusted enough to be allowed to deal with such an enormous amount of military contributionshis future prospects were surely immeasurable. At this time, the military contribution numbers had been processed, and a tall, attractive female officer read it out loud, One first-rank viscount, one second-rank viscount, twenty third-rank viscounts, and 130 warriors of various ranks below the viscount level. Is there any mistake, sire? Although everyone had expected this much, the final numbers still shook everyone. These numbers would soon transform into a vast amount of resources, rows of high-grade armaments, and crates of black crystals. It could be said that the sum of all contributions received during the past ten-odd days of this offices operation didnt exceed this single transaction. The lieutenant colonel confirmed the numbers several times before registering them into the military contribution voucher, a palm-sized silver plate engraved with origin arrays. According to his convention, the handler of military contributions would more or less glean some profits from it. Qianye understood this etiquette and hinted that the lieutenant colonel could pick up the odd numbers. But this fortune was simply too dangerous. The lieutenant colonel declined righteously, claiming he was completely selfless and different from Count Xiaoshans men. Qianye only laughed without further comment. After concluding the procedures, the lieutenant colonel asked while rubbing his hands, Do you want to save the contributions for now or exchange them for resources? After a moment of silence, Qianye asked for a pen and paper. He then wrote down a list and handed it to the lieutenant colonel, saying, Cash it in according to this list. The list included four grade-five guns, four grade-four guns, thirty sets of grade-two standard combat armor, and large amounts of physical origin grenades. The remainder were all converted to cultivation-use black crystals. This list would likely clear out half of the rewards in the warehouse in one go. The lieutenant colonel ordered his men to retrieve the materials and asked solicitously, Do you need any escorts? Seeing Qianye shake his head, the lieutenant colonel slapped his forehead and said, Im so stupid! Who would actually dare target you? Isnt it equal to delivering themselves up? Moments later, Qianye drove away from the military contribution registration office, his jeep packed full with equipmentthe value was enough to make people go crazy. Even Qianye himself found it somewhat surreal. The empire was truly generous this time around, but comparatively, Qianye was much more interested in the Zhao clans rewards. The items rewarded to the young scions of the major clans were the truly good stuff. After Qianye left, a mithril card with records of his military contributions arrived upon a high-speed messenger airship which flew toward the expeditionary army headquarters at top speed. The mithril card had arrived at its destination before half a day had passed. At this moment, an extremely large origin array had been set up within the headquarters which took up almost the entirety of their largest meeting room. Four out of the six kinetic towers at the headquarters were supplying energy for its operation. Apart from this, the origin arrays core required black crystals to supply additional energy. The mithril card, after passing through several checks, was inserted into a specialized slot. The numbers within flowed out torrentially and poured into the origin array. The big conference room at the headquarters had already been modified. The array projected a screen, upon which was displayed a series of contribution numbers. The contribution stats for the entire bloody battle would be collected and analyzed at the headquarters before getting transferred via high-speed airship to the empires Eastern, Western, and Transcendent Continents at set intervals. Even the faraway imperial capital would receive these numbers after one days delay. Similar screens were present not only at the expeditionary army headquarters but also at the four major clans. It was just that the data acquirement and maintenance costs had to be paid for by themselves. This was an enormous expense, but unexpectedly, the empire had opened its coffers and offered to pay for half of these costs. Thus, it reached the point where many middle-ranked and even the more powerful lower-ranked aristocratic families could now afford it. The main conference hall at the expeditionary army headquarters had a duplex design. Presently, there were several people standing on the second floor, watching the constantly changing numbers on the screen. These people included Duke Ding, Duke Wei, and the expeditionary army commander-in-chief, Marshal Luo Mingji, as well as the two deputy commanders-in-chief, Xiao Liongshi and Yang Shuo. All of them were illustrious characters. If the dark races were to see these characters here, they might mobilize all their forces overseeing the bloody battle immediately. At this moment, the list was moving constantly, and every change would display the relevant information on the large map which occupied an entire wall, showing where exactly the contribution originated from. Duke Wei observed briefly and said with deep implications, Some days ago, there were still some unknown characters rising to power, but the ones ranked at the fore are all major aristocratic families in the end. This goes to show that the nobility is, without a doubt, the true backbone of the empire. Duke Ding also nodded. It is indeed so. The empire is fine without the Imperial Family, but not one day can it go by without the clans. Heh, heh. Chapter 403: Rankings Lis Chapter 403: Rankings List [V5C110 C A Distance Within Reach] The expressions of the top three expeditionary army leaders shifted ever so slightly after hearing this. The empire is fine without the Imperial Familysuch words could be considered rebellious. But Duke Ding and Duke Wei were both related to the Imperial Family by blood, so it sounded like modesty coming from their mouths. However, pondering the implications behind their words was enough to make one shudder. Xiao Lingshi was the first to speak after the three shot each other a glance, Surely, Duke Ding jests. Even though Ive always been posted on Evernight and come from a humble family, theres not one day in which Im not fully aware of my identity as a citizen of the empire who serves His Majesty. The other deputy commander-in-chief followed up with a faint smile, General Xiaos words are spot on. Even the four major clans are only His Majestys subjects. As officials, even they must abide strictly by their responsibilities, to speak nothing of a small aristocratic family like mine. The two dukes have spoken too seriously. Duke Ding stroked his beard with a smile and said warmly, The two generals have spoken well! Let us check the list. Some changes seem to be taking place. Duke Wei scanned the screen and praised at once, The empire is truly producing a lot of talents. All of the top-ten are actually from aristocratic families, and four of them are even medium-ranked ones. None from the four major clans and the imperial family have entered the rankings. Yang Shuos forehead was covered in traces of sweathe was, after all, still a bit young. His Highfence Yang family was on the rankings at this moment, and it was even ranked third. The two dukes words, from a while ago up until now, contained deep implications. Any careless mistake in his words mightve brought about a disaster. The expeditionary army commander-in-chief, Marshal Luo Mingji, remained silent with his eyes lowered and didnt seem awake. Meanwhile, Xiao Lingshi was completely relaxed. Yang Shuo knew that he had to be the one to continue Duke Weis words. He gritted his teeth and said, The Imperial Family and the four major clans are the cornerstones of the empire who have always planned well before taking action. Ordinary clans are not a match for them. Moreover, the number of participants from the four clans arent small according to the register. It must be that they havent found the opportunity to establish contributions after entering the Iron Curtain. The rankings at this phase cannot be taken too seriously. The two dukes glanced at each other and nodded with a faint smile. Only then did Yang Shuo manage to secretly loosen his tightened right fistthere were faint traces of moisture on his palms. Xiao Lingshi said from the side, But judging from the timeline, its about time the clans start reporting their contributions. The rankings suddenly changed at this moment as though it were reacting to his words. The golden-clawed flying serpent representing the empire and the emblems representing the four clans released bright light as they started entering the rankings. Among them, the Song clan made triumphant progress and actually charged to the top of the rankings with close to 100,000 points. Only the Zhao clan was showing some decline and actually failed to enter the top-ten. This startled everyone present. This spectacle was also playing out in every part of the country, appearing before the heads and elders of each family. The imperial palace apartments. Far opposite the Weiyang Palace, within the Jiaofang Hall, a beautiful lady in Chinese-style clothing and bundled hair sat high atop the phoenix seat. Before her, two people were holding a black-veined metallic origin array. They stood there with great respect and didnt dare to lift their heads at all. The incomparably complicated patterns on the origin array flickered on and off as it projected a screen, upon which was displayed the rankings list of the bloody battle. Moreover, the shocking part was that the rankings here were in sync with the changes taking place at the expeditionary army headquarters. Knowledgeable people would know that the power and influence behind such methods were inevitably significant, and the expenditure involved didnt stop at enormous. But to this otherworldly beauty atop the phoenix seat, money was merely a number. An imperceivable smile emerged on her face as she watched the rankings. She asked indifferently, How come the Zhao clan is doing so badly even at the start? There was an impressive looking man standing below the phoenix seat. With sword-like brows and starry eyes, his aura was extraordinary. At this moment, the man replied with a faint smile, The most outstanding among the Zhao clans younger generation are Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying. Zhao Ruoxi cant be counted among them. Originally, Zhao Yuying was more suited to join this bloody battle, but I heard she was injured by Nangong Xiaofengs ambush, after which she crippled him in revenge. This matter has caused the Zhao clan and Nangong family to break off all relations. Zhao Yuying probably wont be able to go into battle on the short term, but we still cant underestimate the Zhao clan. Zhao Jundu is known as the number one character among the younger generation. Hell definitely put on an astonishing performance once he joins the battle. Mister Yan, hasnt the Song clan been declining for a while now? How come theyre so fierce? Mister Yan replied disdainfully, The Song clan has a deficit in manpower with no one among the younger generation capable of playing a leading role. They give absolutely no cause for worry. However, the centipede has yet to be completely vanquished. The Song clan is known for their vast wealth, and what theyre least lacking in is money. They likely showered money from their eaves to recruit a large number of soldiers to enter the Iron Curtain. These mottled squads will become useless when the true dark race experts go into battle. The young lady nodded. In truth, her eyes had never left the Zhao clan even though the swallow cloud family crest had already fallen out of the top ten. It was at this time that a shocking change came over the rankings as the Zhao clans points suddenly climbed with great ferocity. Their points rose over twice as high and were now only a couple hundred points away from the third place Zhang clan. The young lady on the phoenix seat was momentarily startled. She actually stood up and asked, Whats going on? Mister Yans expression was grave. It must be Zhao Jundu reporting his military contributions. Judging from the increase in points, this person is indeed worthy of his name. Hes truly capable. The young lady sat down slowly. After regaining her calm, she said with a sweet smile, Thats a good thing. Bring this news to Imperial Consort Zhao, and also send her the fire crystal bracelets we obtained today as a congratulatory gift. Mister Yan was somewhat surprised and stole a glance at the young lady atop the phoenix seat. A shiver ran through his heart after seeing her face full of delight as though she were truly feeling happy for Imperial Consort Zhao. Within the Zhao clans elder assembly, the twenty elders were all silent with grave expressions. The screen at the center was clearly displaying their military contributions in this bloody battlethe Zhao clans position hadnt entered the top ten yet. This kind of ranking pressed down heavily upon the hearts of the numerous elders and made it difficult for them to breathe. None of the Zhao clans three dukes were present at this moment, but their trusted aides were in attendance. The origin array used in the elder assembly naturally couldnt compare to the one at the Jiaofang Hall. It depended on the data stored in the mithril cards which had to be transported via cross-continent airships. It would normally take up to two days to see the newest numbers. At this moment, an elder couldnt help but ask, Has Zhao Jundu gone into battle yet? Another elder said after some thought, It should be three days now since Zhao Jundus squad went into battle. Its probably not time for him to report contributions yet. Someone snorted on the spot and said coldly, The matter is of such importance and we received news so early. But Zhao Jundu just has to procrastinate until the last day before setting out! Great! The three major clans are advancing hand in hand, while our Zhao clan has fallen far behind. How will other people think? How will they see us?! Sometimes, I wonder if he still has the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan in his eyes. Duke Chengen is quite capable in teaching his sons. There were only two in the elders assembly from the Duke Chengen lineage. At this moment, they were full of anger but endured the provocation without saying anything. These matters need to be planned ahead. Lets add to the rewards and dispatch more units! An elder from the Duke Chengen lineage finally spoke, Dispatch more squads? Where will the money come from? We might as well shift some of the Fire Beacon Corps funds. Theres been no big movement from the rebel army anyway. The previous elder stood up immediately and said furiously, That won''t do! However, the elders at the scene glanced at each other with most of them seconding this motion. According to normal procedure, they were to decide this matter by vote. At this moment, the two elders from the Duke Chengen lineage had realized something was wrong, but it was already too late. The matter had been decided. A unit like the Fire Beacon Corps was considered a buffer military force of the empire. In truth, it was half a private army belonging to Duke Chengen, Zhao Weihuang, but two-thirds of its military expenditure came from the Zhao clans common account. The elder assemblys suggestion was equal to reducing Zhao Weihuangs power in the near future. The numbers on the screen hadnt changed by the time the elders dispersed. The Song clan, on the other hand, was in great jubilation. Many people were spreading the news with pride and satisfaction. The Song clans old ancestor, Duchess An, was holding a private banquet within the Enlightenment Manor, and those in attendance were all elders of the clan. The atmosphere at the banquet was rather heavy. Clan Lord Song Zhongnian spoke first, Old Ancestor, is our Song clans current triumphant progress a bit too excessive? Knowledgeable people might be making certain assumptions. The old ancestor said slowly, There are no outsiders here, so its fine to speak clearly. Our Song clan has been on the decline for too long. Its no secret that were strong on the outside but withering within, and theres simply no need to hide this fact. How will we have room for hiding strategies when even going all out wont be enough for us in this bloody battle? Rather than worry about this and that, why dont you fork out your personal stash and form a couple more units? Perhaps itll allow our Song clan to look somewhat better. Expressions of shame immediately appeared on those who were present. Song Zining, that child its been quite some time since Ive heard any news of him. Who knows what hes doing? Duchess An brought up another topic. All the Song clan elders glanced at each other, but it was Song Zhongnian who spoke in the end. Zining hasnt returned to the clan in the recent period, but the routine matters assigned to him are operating normally. I heard hes set his mind on Evernight Continent. He bought a number of mines, and, oh, hes also invested in a certain mercenary corps. Although Grand Elder Song Zhongcheng had been relieved of his post, there was still a seat for him in such clan banquets. At this time, he could no longer endure. What willfulness! What good resources can there be in that abandoned land? Things have reached such a state. Why isnt he forming a squad to join the bloody battle? And hes even playing investments! The old ancestor said thoughtfully, Has he not returned since the grand examination? Yes. The elders felt something was amiss after replying. The old ancestor no longer pressed this topic. What about his marriage. Hows the progress? Song Zhongnian said, Ive discussed this matter with the elders several times. That engagement isnt a good match for Song Zinings identity and ability. That Ye family girl isnt suitable. Recently, Im prepared to discuss this matter anew. We should cancel the engagement. The grand elder said with a glare, That wont do! Its a confirmed engagement, and the other party has made no major mistake. If we terminate the engagement so suddenly, where will our Song clans prestige go? Moreover, even if the Ye familys second daughter isnt suitable, dont they have other girls in their family? At this point, the atmosphere at the banquet became progressively heavier. The old ancestor waved her hand and said, Enough about this matter. Lets eat. Up until the end of the feast, no one brought up the matter of Song Zinings return to the clan to take part in the bloody battle. It was as though they had all forgotten about it. Song Zicheng followed Song Zhongnian out of the manor gates and heaved a deep sigh in his heart as he watched the somewhat aged figure of his grandfathers back. He was the only person of the younger generation who had been allowed a seat at the banquet as an exception. It was just that with so many paternal and ancestor level elders present, it wasnt his place to say anything. Chapter 404: News From Afar Qianyes return to Blackflow was fairly peaceful. The occasional combat unit he met along the way would cautiously keep its distance from him after seeing the expeditionary army insignia. It would seem that the county capital where all kinds of nobility had gathered was the true place of chaos within this region. Qianye distributed the guns and armaments soon after arriving at Darkflame Headquarters. All high-ranking officers received a set of new gear, greatly increasing their survivability in battle. He had just finished taking inventory and storing the remaining resources when he received news of the Ningyuan Group caravans arrival. Qianye immediately hurried over to check on the situation since the motorcade was of extraordinary value. The caravan was comprised of dozens of heavy trucks, a scale even somewhat larger than what Qianye had previously anticipated. Duan Hao was currently instructing the workers to move the crates down. These crates were fairly heavy and required fighter level officers to help out in order to unload them safely. There was actually a specialized crane truck in the motorcade for the transfer and assembly of large kinetic tower components. Although the one being transported this time was only a small kinetic tower, the core boiler alone had taken up the entire cargo trucks capacity. The larger kinetic towers could no longer be transported by trucks. They would instead have to depend on medium to large cargo airships. Apart from the components of the kinetic tower, the remainder were all uniform crates. Qianye arrived beside the crates and knocked on one of them. Whats inside? Open it up. Lets see. This is good stuff! Duan Hao grinned. He personally tore the cover off from one of the crates to reveal several dark-green steel plates within. Qianye retrieved one of the rectangular steel plates and found that they were mostly one square meter in area and two fingers thick. However, they were unexpectedly quite light in the handapparently, the interior structure was either hollow or honeycomb. There were ports on each side of the steel plate seemingly for joining them together. Plate armor? Modular Stronghold Plate Armor. Goddamit, I had to memorize it for ten or so times before I managed to remember it. Reportedly, these goods are of the latest designone can connect them together to immediately set up a defensive structure, even in the wilderness. In sufficient numbers, even building a city isnt a problem. Qianye quickly understood the logic behind it and was immediately jubilated. A dozen-odd trucks fully loaded with such plate armor modules was enough to build a defensive structure capable of housing a reinforced regiment. Additionally, they could also construct temporary defensive structures atop the city walls by linking them together. With this batch of plate armor, Blackflow Citys defenses were now even more solid. Well done! This is yours. Qianye was in a great mood as he produced a grade-five origin gun and tossed it to Duan Hao. Duan Hao gave it a once over after catching the weapon and was greatly astonished. T-This is a grade-five gun? Correct! I only ran a few errands. How can I accept such a valuable gift? Qianye patted Duan Haos shoulder with a smile. This is an advance payment. Your mission is to hold the city and survive. Itll be yours once the bloody battle is over. Holding the gun case with both hands, even a forthright man like Duan Hao was at a temporary loss for words. Qianye said, Zining handed you over to me. Apparently, hes very pleased and confident about you. I also feel the same. So my true demand from you is only this one thing. You must survive until the battle ends. There are more units that need your leadership in the future. Understood, sire! Qianye only smiled before he turned to leave. After returning to his residence, Qianye inspected the items in his backpack and Andruils Mysterious Realm, listing out the supplies he needed to replenish for his next battle. He spied that count-grade spider egg and couldnt help but recall a certain matter. Qianye had inadvertently touched it with his injured hand while stowing away the spoils of war after his fight with Viscount Porter. At that time, he discovered that the egg could actually absorb his blood energy, followed by an evident increase in its vitality and survival time. He tested out the other spider eggs and found that they werent capable of this. Qianye was already feeling that he had too many contribution points, so he didnt present the count-grade egg. In any case, such an item had no lack of outflow channelsit was sure to be a hot-sale even in the upper-continent auction houses. He pondered for a moment then once again spread out paper and pen to write a letter to Song Zining, asking him for the best way to deal with the spider egg. Afterward, he planned to cultivate for a couple of days and adjust himself to his peak condition before heading out into battle once again. Time flowed out gradually and so did the bloody battle continue. The rankings at the expeditionary army headquarters were changing constantly, but the pattern had gradually stabilized. The imperial family and the four major clans displayed their powerful foundationstheir rankings climbed at a steady pace and stood within the top-ten all along. Moreover, they gradually distanced themselves from those ranked behind them. There were also five or six high-ranking aristocratic families who managed to stay hot on their trails, revealing the capacity of their clans for the first time and raising numerous eyebrows. But behind the gradually climbing contribution numbers on the rankings, the casualty numbers were climbing at an equally swift pace. After two days of rest, Qianye once again headed out into battle on his own. His luck this time wasnt as good as the last. After half a month of hunting, he only managed to kill two viscounts and dozens of cannon fodder. In the end, he even came close to falling into a trap laid down by a dark race hunting expedition. He fought several arduous battles before he finally managed to break through the siege and return to Blackflow City. At this moment, Qianye, full of bloodstains and injuries, was riding a worn-out motorcycle which he had seized on the way. It was at this time that a series of cannon shots suddenly rang out from within Blackflow Cityit was the sound of a gun salute. The seven shots indicated that a rather important person had passed away. Qianye asked the soldier on gate duty, Whats going on? The Darkflame soldier said with a sigh, It should be Viscount Du Fangjues funeral. Reportedly, his combat squad encountered a powerful dark race hunting party and was completely wiped out. Only one person managed to escape. Qianye nodded with an inexplicably heavy heart. The cruelty of the bloody battle was being revealed little by little. After returning to Darkflame headquarters and treating his injuries, Qianye received two unexpected visitors. One of them was Li Pei whom he had met the other day, accompanied by a middle-aged man who projected natural dignity and power. His aura was as grave as it was profoundhe, quite shockingly, was a count-level expert. Immediately after seeing Qianye, Li Pei greeted him with great enthusiasm. Sire Qianye, this little brother was wracked with shame after the incident that day. Hence, after finding out your whereabouts with great difficulty, I was determined to pay you a formal visit. With that, he introduced the middle-aged man beside him. This is my clan-uncle Li Duanhe. Qianye greeted them and couldnt help but observe Li Duanhe a couple of times. Your esteemed uncle possesses such a high cultivation. Will it be fine? Under Qianyes Eye of Truth, Li Duanhe had four origin power vortices in his body and was already a rank-thirteen champion. This was already above the accepted safety standards. Li Duanhe was finally moved. Sire Qianyes perception is akin to a torch. It is truly astonishing. But theres no need to worry about me. Even if I do use my rank-thirteen origin power, it will only be for a blink of an eye as long as I utilize thunderous methods. Sky Demon must be busy dealing with the top characters from the two factions at this moment. How will he have the time to deal with such small matters? Qianye nodded and no longer said anything else. He knew nothing about the Clear Sky Li Family of the Transcendent Continent. Naturally, he wouldnt go too deep into their matters. Li Pei said with cupped hands, I was greatly inspired after seeing how Sire Qianye developed Blackflow Citys impregnable defenses and have decided to move our squads base of operations here. Ill probably be bothering you in the future. Qianye replied with a smile, Young Noble Li is too polite. Li Pei clearly wished to befriend Qianye, and it was also quite beneficial to Blackflow City if he were to move his squads base of operations here. They chatted briefly for a moment before Li Pei excused himself. Qianye saw the Li family uncle and nephew out of the office building and watched them leave the Darkflame camp. Li Pei was clearly full of mettle after his recent catch, and it looked as if he would go hunting again before long. However, there was a faint, lingering shadow in Qianyes heart. These warrior squads who had arrived from all directions were entering the wilderness one after anotherjust how many of them would return safe and sound? The bloody battle was different from ordinary battles. There was no telling what one would encounter at the next moment. All tactics and strategies were rendered useless, and only absolutely strength held the greatest significance. Qianye once again entered isolation during the three days that followed in order to refine the essence blood he had absorbed during his previous excursion. At the same time, he had Nangong Xiaoniao construct a simple cultivation array with which he converted the black crystals he had obtained from the military contributions to aid in his cultivation. This cultivation array was rather special. Qianye had Nangong Xiaoniao exclude the origin power conversion components, causing the power drawn out from the black crystals to be mostly darkness origin power. No matter how precise the human cultivation arrays, there was always over fifty percent loss in power during the conversion. But it just so happened that Qianye was lacking even more darkness origin power compared to daybreak. Naturally, he wasnt willing to allow so much waste. Nangong Xiaoniao was naturally quite puzzled about such an array, but she was very clever and asked not a single question about it. Three days passed by in a flash, and Qianye had almost used up all of the black crystals he had obtained from the military contributions. It was once again time to go into battle. Qianye received Song Zinings reply as he exited isolation. The letter claimed that the arachne egg was extremely useful, and he would soon dispatch someone to fetch it. Additionally, Song Zining also mentioned that a merchant caravan would soon set out toward Blackflow City, and its scale was even bigger than the previous one. However, he made no mention of what it was transporting and only said that Qianye would know when the time came. Qianye was somewhat suspicious because Blackflow City wasnt lacking in anything at the moment. This was especially true after he decided to temporarily relocate the stronghold materials for Silverflow Fjord for city defensesBlackflow Citys fortifications were as solid as a native imperial city. What else would they need? But Song Zining had never done meaningless things. Since he was keeping Qianye in suspense, then he must have his own thoughts about this matter. Qianye put away the letter, packed up his luggage, and left Blackflow City once again for his third round of hunting. Far in the distance at this moment, Song Zining was sitting in his study drawing and writing repeatedly on paper. He had been editing contents of this paper from morning to eveningeven delaying lunch in the processbefore it was considered done. Song Zining stood up and gazed outside the window just in time to see the setting sun. The lofty firmament clear of wind and clouds was precisely a rare occasion of good weather. This place, compared to the Iron Curtain, was like contrasting the heaven and earth. Song Zining simply sauntered out of the room and headed toward the garden. Not long before he had left, there was a light knock as Ye Mulan called out from outside the door, Zining, your tea is ready. Receiving no reply, she pushed open the study door lightly. The door was unlocked and opened with a single push. Ye Mulan walked into the room and was startled after finding no one within. Suddenly, her heart stirred as she caught a glimpse of the papers on the tableshe quietly walked over and started examining them. Chapter 405: Conspiracy It was actually a list of goods. Numerous goods were to be dispatched from various areas and converge into a caravan which would then continue its shipment. The items on the list actually included black crystals, mithril, and other strategic resources that could only be obtained through special channels. There was also a large batch of grade two to three origin armaments enough to equip a regular division! Although Song Zining was indifferent toward her during the past year, Ye Mulan had wielded some authority before. The immensity of the lists value shocked her out of her witsit was actually enough to cancel out several years of Ningyuan Groups profits. As she continued flipping through the pages, she found that the destination was, just as she had anticipated, Blackflow City. Ye Mulan wasnt a stranger to Blackflow City because for the past year, Song Zining had invested almost everything there. Was he going to convert all of his assets into arms and have them delivered to Blackflow? She was very clear that there was only one reason for this: Qianye! Countless thoughts tangled up immediately within Ye Mulans heart. Even she herself was surprised at her own calmness amidst all this confusion. Her hand didnt even tremble for a moment or leave any traces on the list. She carefully replaced the paper. She meticulously examined it for a while and corrected its position before withdrawing from the study, closing the door behind her. Afterward, she flipped her hand and sent the chinaware on the tray crashing onto the floor. Then, with a raised voice, she proceeded to summon the two maids on duty to clean up the mess while she herself returned to brew a new pot of tea. When Ye Mulan returned with a new pot of tea, Song Zining had returned from the courtyard and was sitting on the desk. That list had long since disappeared. Zining, heres your tea. Ye Mulan poured the steaming jade-green tea and said in a gentle voice, This is the years new tea from Mount Jun, and the water is also collected from a mountain spring there. The taste is excellent since they complement each other very well. Song Zining took a sip, offered some praise, and then asked Ye Mulan to put the teapot down. You go and rest first. I want to read a while longer. However, Ye Mulan didnt move. Instead, she drummed up her courage and said, Zining, the bloody battle has begun and the clan requires people. Why dont we go back? Its not a good long-term plan to stay here all the time! Song Zining smiled indifferently and said while pointing beneath his feet, The Ningyuan Group is my own foundation. This is the true long-term plan. Why would I go back to the clan? Ye Mulan replied hurriedly, But wont this be like letting others take the clan lord position? Theres already my elder brother above me. Zining, you cant say it like that. Everyone knows that none of your brothers of the same generation can surpass you in terms of talent. Song Zicheng only has the advantage of age. You might take a step forward in the next assessment as long as you continue trying hard. The clan lords position isnt necessarily out of reach! Song Zining, however, wore an indifferent expression. He waved his hand and said, Theres no need to say more. I have no interest in the clan lords position. Just let my brother have it. Zining! Song Zinings face turned cold. This is not a matter for you to speak out of turn. Leave! He had rarely, if ever, spoke with a harsh voice, but his countenance at this moment was solemnan invisible suppressive might suffused the area and made it difficult to breathe. Ye Mulan bit her lips lightly and lowered her head in silence. After a moment, she turned around and left the study with a soft Yes. Song Zining continued reading his book as though nothing had happened. It was as though there were ten thousand taels of gold and jade-like beauties within it. After nightfall, Ye Mulan quietly left the residence. After roaming through half the town, she walked briskly into a dark alleyway and knocked on a small door. The small door opened to reveal a beautiful face withinit was actually Ye Muwei. Ye Mulan entered swiftly, locked the door behind her, and peered cautiously at the street through the observation hole. Only after confirming that everything was normal did she follow Ye Muwei into the room. Xiaolan, Ive been waiting for so long. Youve finally arrived. Do you have any news? Ye Muwei asked eagerly as the two sat down. I do have news, but I wonder if you two can take it. Does it have to do with that brat? Very much so. Ye Muwei said, Liyu has recently made a lot of powerful friends. There are quite a few on that side too. So rest assured, we can digest any kind of news. Very well then. Ye Mulans eyes were cold. Recently, the Ningyuan Group will be dispatching a caravan to Blackflow City. I want to make sure that the motorcade never reaches Blackflow City. Is this caravan very important? It includes the entirety of Song Zinings fortune. You tell me, Ye Mulan replied. This time, it was Ye Muweis turn to be astonished. Xiaolan, were only seeking revenge on Qianye, but youre hurting Song Zining instead! Ye Mulan gritted her teeth. I know! But Song Zining is actually unwilling to fight for the clan lords position. Hes also been dragging our marriage out. What use do I have for him?! He where has he placed me? All of these for Qiqis male pet! Ye Muwei was surprised. Ye Mulan took a deep breath and calmed down her emotions. Hence, not only will I harm him, but I also want to kill him! He wont ever be able to climb back up if something happens to this caravan. Ye Muwei patted the ladys shoulder to comfort her. Rest assured, Gu Liyu will definitely find a way to devour him no matter how many guards he dispatches. Good! Ye Mulan nodded. Then, she added, I want half the share after everything is over. Let me discuss this matter with Liyu, Ye Muwei said awkwardly, the escorts for such a high-value caravan wont be weak. You know that soldiers and channels all need money to operate. Four parts at least. Thats my bottom line! Ye Mulan was adamant. Ye Muwei observed Ye Mulan for a moment and said with a sigh, Youre right. Us women have to grasp some things in our hands to feel reassured. None of the men in this world are dependable. Ill talk to Liyu about this. Ye Mulans expression was frosty as she described the route and stops of the caravan to Ye Muwei before leaving in a hurry. After the room door was properly closed, a cabinet on the wall suddenly openedit was actually a secret door. Gu Liyu walked out from within and said with a cold smile, Your sister is truly ruthless, greedy, and stupid. She has nothing apart from her somewhat presentable face. Humph! She dares dream of swallowing half of Song Zinings properties. Liyu, what shall we do? Are you confident? Ye Muwei said with a worried frown. This is related to the Song clan. Why dont we stay away from it? Gu Liyu snorted and said with a cold voice, So what if its the Song clan? Not to mention the fact that their clan is already in a sharp decline, with the commotion he caused at the examination last time, its not even certain if their clansmen will chase after the assailant or hit him while hes down should something happen to him. The smile on Ye Muweis face clearly froze. Liyu, dont tell me youre trying to take Xiaolan? Gi Liyu laughed loudly and said, Two sister-flowers growing from the same stem is everyones dream! He softened his tone after seeing Ye Muweis forced smile. Im only kidding, Xiaowei. I wont ever mistreat you. After exiting Blackflow City, Qianye passed Silverflow Fjord and traversed Count Stukas land as he pushed deeper into dark race territory. The blood battle regions on the western side were now more or less clearCount Stukas borders formed the battle line across wherein the dark race and the imperial warriors were doing their utmost to kill one another. Qianyes position at this moment was equivalent to having snuck behind enemy lines. It was an extremely dangerous endeavor since he could easily fall into a helpless and isolated situation once he had been compromised. But Qianye was very familiar with the surroundingsan advantage the aristocratic soldiers couldnt compare toand this allowed him to calmly traverse the dark race territory. At this moment, he was traveling through a desolate and primitive forest. There wasnt a single racial settlement here, only native wild beasts. Even dark race patrols werent willing to come to such a place. Qianye warped through the treetops as though he were flying, his feet never touching the ground. This method left the least number of traces and kept him out of the way of frenzied wild beasts. But as he marched on, Qianye suddenly heard a faint clamor coming from the side. His heart stirred as he halted his steps and listened intently for a moment before heading toward the source of the noise. Moments later, he arrived close to the origin of the sounds. It was an open space within the forest where a dozen-odd profusely sweating werewolves were digging a hole. A big pit over ten square meters in area and over a meter in depth had already appeared in the center of this clearing. A number of vampires stood to one side with folded arms, looking on and rebuking the werewolves from time to time. Qianyes eyes were suffused with a sparkling blue hue as he scanned the dark race members in the clearing. He found that the most powerful vampire was only rank-seven. Qianye edged closer. At this time, he noticed that there was a pile of ten or so corpses occupying a certain corner of the open space. He felt he had seen these people somewhere. There were two human heads and a pile of ears beside the corpses, likely items to serve as proof of their military contributions. A number of low-ranking vampires were currently taking inventory and packing the ears into a box. Moreover, the container appeared rather luxurious and was apparently treated with quite a bit of importance. As the heads were being moved, Qianye caught a glimpse of their faces and was momentarily shocked. It was actually Li Pei and his clan uncle! Qianye had just parted ways with them a while ago. Who wouldve thought his combat squad wouldve been wiped out during this short period? It seemed none of them managed to escape since even the rank-thirteen uncle had fallen in battle here. Qianyes heart couldnt help but tremble. One had to know that it wasnt easy to surround and kill a rank-thirteen champion in an ordinary chance encounter unless the disparity in strength was too great or one party decided to fight to the death. But judging from the traces at the scene, there werent any signs that Sky Demons clone had been alarmed which meant that the battle hadnt taken too long. That being said, just what degree of combat strength did the assailant have to be in order to slaughter Li Peis entire group of experts? This area was extremely dangerous! Qianye immediately retracted his aura and pulled back little by little. He was very patient and put covering his tracks above all else. It was at this time that a series of footsteps rang out from the opposite forest as a tall vampire warrior emerged and arrived in the clearing. Clad in a magnificent heavy armor, he had two handguns at his waist and a two-handed greatsword as his melee weapon, a rarity among vampires. There was a dark golden datura flower on his chestit seemed he was a soldier from the ancient Monroe clan. Chapter 406: The Rambler Rose Fores Chapter 406: The Rambler Rose Forest [V5C113 C A Distance Within Reach] Lingering blood energy aggregated around this vampire warriors body. Even Qianye dared not underestimate him although he hadnt yet reached the first-rank viscount level. A viscount of the twelve ancient clans couldnt be mentioned on the same terms as those on Evernight Continent. The combat strength of an ordinary rank-two viscount from the Monroe clan was likely superior to Count Stuka. Should he ambush this vampire viscount? Qianye hesitated for a moment. The distance was still within range of the Twin Flowers. As long as he succeeded in the ambush, he was six parts confident that he could annihilate everyone at the scene. However, this viscount alone wasnt capable of exterminating Li Peis squad no matter how much his fighting prowess surpassed his rank. There must be other Monroe clan experts lurking nearby. In the end, Qianye decided to retreat quietly. At this moment, he was crawling on the ground like a gecko as he pulled backward. But he hadnt gone very far when a vampire warrior in the clearing suddenly sniffed hard and turned toward where Qianye was before. Enemy! Qianye was astonished. This vampire warrior was only rank-five. How did the latter even find him? He had no time to think too much at the moment. He shot up from the ground like a bolt of lightning and charged forward instead of retreating. The twin guns rumbled as he fired a volley at the vampire viscount who was already beginning to move after hearing the warning. The vampire reacted immediately as expected. The broadsword behind his back appeared in his hand as though by magic and drew out numerous sanguineous circles of light that actually dispersed the origin bullets blasting through the air. Qianye soared into the air as he shot out from the forest. The Twin Flowers had been returned to their sheath by the time East Peak descended before the vampire viscount. Half of the viscounts face was hidden beneath the magnificent armor revealing only a pair of sharp, blood-colored eyes. With a wave of his hand, the werewolves and low-ranking vampire warriors in the clearing pulled back to form a perimeter. The two at the scene confronted each other for a moment before the vampire viscount said in a deep voice, Third-rank viscount of the Monroe clan, Durant. Dying under my blade is your honor. Qianye spoke not a single word and only raised East Peak. Taste my Rambler Rose Forest! The broadsword seemed to have lost all weight as it dragged out a garish red radiance which snaked through the air like the gently blooming petals of the rambler rose. Qianye raised his blade and returned a horizontal blow. The two weapons intersected amidst a loud soundthe immense impact sent both warriors staggering backward. The colliding origin power suffused the area and formed a brief, miniature tempest which caught the nearby dark race warriors off-guard. Many were sent flying and two among them even starting coughing up blood, badly injured by the impact. Only at this point did they realize the ferocity of this battle and widened the perimeter somewhat. Qianye took a couple of steps back before he managed to stabilize himself, his hands feeling somewhat numb. Durant took two more steps backward compared to Qianye and the hands on his blade were completely pale. He had come out somewhat short when they had crossed swords earlier. Human, state your name. I admit that you have the qualifications to make me remember you. I make it a habit not to tell dead people my name, Qianye replied. Ill know once you die under my blade! Qianyes eyes suddenly fell upon Durants hand, where a fine trickle of fresh blood was flowing out from his sleeves. Regardless of whether the injuries came from the Twin Flowers, the sword strike just now, or even his earlier battle with Li Peis squad, a small injury like this was enough to change the situation in an evenly matched battle. Qianyes sword stance shifted. His killing intent was retracted, and he became as steady as Mount Tai. Although Durants expression was hidden beneath the armor, the gleam in his eyes immediately became concentrated. He charged toward Qianye with large strides and hacked down on Qianyes head with the broadsword. The split second that his sword stance was established formed an illusion of rambler roses bursting into bloom by the thousands. However, East Peak struck upward with a simple flick and pierced right through the thicket of rambler roses to block the broadsword. A small origin power explosion emerged where the two swords crossed one another, shattering all the phantom roses. This sword strike accompanied by myriad phenomena was fended off just like that. Durant roared furiously as he performed a rotating step. The broadsword spun around and swung toward Qianyes waist. At the same time, hundreds of rambler roses shot out and blasted toward him. The roses were formed of transformed blood energy and would inflict true damage once struck. Even though the damage caused by each flower was limited, being struck by hundreds of them at the same time was more or less equal to being blasted by an origin cannon. The Rambler Fireflow was one of Monroe clans sword techniques. Countless human experts had fallen under this move throughout the centuries. Qianye pressed down with East Peak, shooting out origin power in all directions and blowing away the flying roses. Meanwhile, East Peaks sharp edge slapped accurately on the incoming broadsword, causing it to dip down and nearly plant itself into the ground. Durant was greatly astonished and couldnt help but take several steps back, drawing a deep gulch on the ground. There was deep apprehension within his gaze, and the hands with which he held his blade trembled ever so slightly. That unassuming sword was heavy beyond expectation, and that human was also exceptionally strong. His sword stances were simple and plain, but he was able to pierce through the rambler forests blade intent every time and block his sword technique. Just who are you? Are you from the Great Qins four major clans? Durant inquired. Qianye was in no mood to speak and simply strode forth with his sword raised. This vampire viscount was fairly young and would surely become a big threat to the humans once he had matured. It was best to kill off such enemies before they had risen to powerthere was no room for mercy. Durants eyes turned cold. Its fine even if you dont say it. As long as you operate in this region, my master will catch you sooner or later. At that time, death is your only option! Qianyes heart was shaken as he recalled the expert who had killed Li Pei and his uncle. Durants expression was proud as he continued, My master is from an ancient clan, the most renowned genius in the world of Evernight! You wont last a single move before my master. Qianyes eyes narrowed. All the more reason for me to kill you. East Peak whistled as it slashed down at the mans head. With a furious shout, Durant drew some runes in the air with his left hand, whereupon lingering blood energy emerged around him, accompanied by a progressive growth in momentum. The viscount blocked East Peak with a swing of his sword. Qianyes hands went numb as East Peak shot upward uncontrollably. The power behind Durants defensive strike had actually grown by 30% all of a sudden. This made it difficult for Qianye to suppress the opponent with pure strength. Qianye sensed his surrounding shift during that brief moment of bewildermentthere was faint blood energy everywhere, and countless rambler roses had broken through the ground to sprout, bud, and burst into bloom. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a sea of rambler roses. Qianye frowned and took a step back, stepping on a number of plants that had reached his feet. However, the gently swaying sprigs scratched his calf. The petals were unexpectedly as sharp as blades and managed to cut through Qianes trousers and combat boots, leaving numerous fine wounds. A domain? Qianyes brows were locked together, and he no longer moved. These unremarkable flower petals were able to cut his skin despite the toughness of his physique. It was obvious that everything within this domain was a materialization of the other partys origin power. Die within the sea of rambler roses! A top-grade domain like this is surely worthy of your identity. Durant walked toward Qianye with his blade raised. The flowers would part and make way for him wherever his steps fell. Qianye evaded the incoming blade edge with a sidestep, sustaining a number of new injuries on his legs. Additionally, a slight tingling sensation was felt from the cutsit would seem that the rambler roses formed of blood energy were poisonous. Qianye frowned ever so slightly upon realizing that Durants domain not only strengthened himself but also restricted the opponents movements. It was truly thorny in every sense of the word. Durant took two more steps before coming to a sudden halt and gazing at Qianye in bewilderment. The East Peak in Qianyes hand was pointed toward the ground, and its sharp edge was shrouded in black mistthis aura actually made Durants heart beat wildly. He instinctively wanted to escape. While Durant was hesitating, East Peak swung upward in a diagonal swing! Nirvanic Rend! In that instant, the central region of the rambler rose sea was shattered as a faint sword intent immediately arrived before Durant. The latter once again displayed his powerful capabilities at this moment of danger. Countless rambler roses flew up and assembled over his body, forming a shield which protected him within. But the rosy armor was shattered in a single strike. The sword intent fell upon Durants body after a mere moment and proceeded to cut open his protective blood energy and heavy armor. Finally, it left a deep cut on his body before dispersing. The domain was shattered with a boom, and the sea of rambler roses vanished without a trace. Durant staggered backward and only managed to remain standing by planting his broadsword into the ground. His entire body was trembling as he glanced down at the wound on his chest. His chest wouldve been split open if only that sword strike had been slightly more powerful or if his armor were slightly inferior. Qianyes face immediately turned bloodless and pale after swinging out that Nirvanic Rend. The technique was incredibly powerful, but its consumption was also significant. Even at this point, he would reach exhaustion after three strikes. Qianye regained his breath in the blink of an eye and was just about to release a second strike when a sudden premonition arose in his heart. He turned his head slightly and, through the corner of his eyes, saw a flash of light in the distance. It was actually an origin bullet tearing through the air! The ambusher was clearly an expert sniper seeing as how this shot came without any warning at all. Qianye no longer had the time to evade. He forcefully twisted his body and faced the sniper round with his chest. At the same time, a vampire sniper rifle appeared in his hand with which he blasted toward the gunmans location. Qianye fell to the ground as though he had been struck by lightning but soon clambered up nonchalantly. This immediately stunned the dark race warriors nearby who had been eying him with dangerous gazes. How was this person completely fine after taking a sniper round to the chest? Such a situation could only appear on major characters at or above the level of a count. Qianyes scanned everyone at the scene with a gaze as cold as ice. After seeing that no one was approaching, he let out a snort and walked into the forest. After running through the forest for a short while, Qianyes body swayed abruptly and almost fell to the ground. He held onto a large tree to prevent himself from collapsing, but he could no longer endure the pressure in his chest as he coughed out a large mouthful of fresh blood. He could no longer care about his extreme exhaustion as he fled rapidly into the distance. Meanwhile, Durant suddenly came to and shouted loudly, Hes injured. Give chase! The group of vampire warriors, as though woken up from their reverie, began charging into the forest amidst rallying cries. Just as Durant was about to chase after Qianye, a cold voice rang out beside his ears, A group of trash! Durant trembled all over as he glanced back at the tall and graceful figure. He bowed hastily and greeted, Master! Youve come. Twilight walked out from the forest and arrived where Qianye was shot. She bent down to pick something up and raised it to her eyes with an interested gaze. Durant arrived beside Twilight. Master, well chase him down now. I shant return without seeing his corpse! The chances are slim at best, and youre not his match either, Twilight said indifferently. Durants expression appeared unresigned, but he didnt dare retort. He could only clench his teeth and say, Yes, master! But in the end, he couldnt resist asking, Master, why didnt you seize that brat since youve arrived? Its impossible for him to resist you. I wasnt the one who shot him. Twilight tossed the item in her hand and caught it once more. Chapter 407: Plo Chapter 407: Plot [V5C114 C A Distance Within Reach] Durant was astonished after hearing this. Although there were no regional divisions in the bloody battle, who else would dare interfere with the Monroe clans prey knowing that their clan was hunting in this area? Twilight flicked her finger with a smile and tossed Schiller the small item. Dont worry, that brats troubles are only beginning. Those looking to kill him are humans. Schiller received the item and observed it carefully. It turned out to be a deformed piece of metal which produced a burning sensation in his hand. A wisp of blood energy immediately appeared on his palm and isolated the metallic surface. The sniper round Qianye was shot with contained mithril elements within. Only human physical bullets would add mithril to their bullets, while dark races usually added heavy lead or black titanium. But there was a trace of darkness origin power lingering around the bullet. Although it was extremely weak, it couldnt escape Durants senses. The viscount said regretfully, That brat is very powerful. Its such a pity to have him die in anothers hand. Twilight replied indifferently, Thats because youre all too weak and couldnt handle that combat squad, forcing me to take action. Now, Im being targeted by a terrifying human expert. Shes lurking nearby and observing me. If I move against that brat and fail to kill him in one blow, shell take advantage of the opportunity to kill me as I make a second move. Do you want me dead? Ah! This subordinate doesnt dare! Durant was immediately alarmed and felt somewhat ashamed. But he was also suspicious about how an expert capable of killing Twilight would be able to move at will under the Iron Curtain. Twilight saw through his thoughts and said, That person is so powerful that shes not completely defenseless even against Sky Demons avatar. Naturally, shell draw the Iron Curtains attention once she fights, but it''s not too far from the border of the Iron Curtain. As long as the battle is kept short, its possible for her to escape even if Sky Demons avatar appears. Durant drew in a breath of cold air and glanced instinctively at his surroundings. A character capable of resisting a couple of blows from Sky Demons avatar could kill him with a flip of her palm. Such a person was lurking around here, yet he had not even sensed the slightest of traces. Master, then what shall we do right now? Do we inform the clan to have them search and kill this person? Twilight said without much care, No need. She cant do anything to me as long as I stay vigilant and refrain from fighting. Otherwise, shell be done in by Sky Demons avatar before she can kill me. Being able to pin her here without doing anything is greatly beneficial to our battle situation. Enough, clean up this place. Lets leave. Durant quickly ordered his subordinates to bury the bodies, pack the proof of contribution into boxes, and clean up the scene. Before leaving, Twilight shot a glance toward where Qianye had escaped and whispered softly with a playful smile, Dont you die. Otherwise, I might just feel a bit sad. On a peak one thousand meters away, a young girl sat in a daze, hugging a sniper rifle even longer than herself. The wind was strong at such heights and it was fairly cold, but all she wore was a thin white skirt. Her arms and legs were left uncovered as though she were oblivious to the chill. She seemed lost in thought and made no movement even as the winds blew past and lifted her long hair, causing a lock of black silken threads to fall off and scatter to the winds. A long trickle of blood had appeared on her cheek which gradually produced a number of sanguineous pearls. The girl reached out to touch her face and placed her hand before her eyes, her fingertips stained with a garish red. Her expression was somewhat disappointed as Qianyes figure emerged in her eyes. Back then, he had turned around and flown backward after being struck by the sniper round. It was during this process that a sniper rifle, clearly of vampire make, had appeared in his hand. The muzzle lit up in the blink of an eye, followed by a progressively enlarging origin bullet which eventually filled her entire pupils! Fine drops of sweat had appeared unknowingly upon her nose as the young girl awoke, shivering, from her reverie. It was at this time that a quiet voice rang out beside her ears. Kongzhao, where are you? Come and meet me. Bai Kongzhao quickly disassembled the sniper rifles stock and frame before carrying it on her back. Such a large gun didnt really affect her movementsshe was like a spirited pather moving nimbly through the mountainous land. She descended the peak in the blink of an eye and vanished into the forest. Moments later, Bai Kongzhao arrived at an ancient tree beneath which stood a lady clad in a wide-sleeved robeBai Aotu. Bai Aotu shot a glance at the sniper rifle on the young girls back. The sniper rifle was clearly bigger than a human firearm and its style was dark and magnificent, but it was also a tad more sinister than weapons of vampire make. This demonkin custom-made sniper rifle was much rarer than a vampires. Bai Aotus brows rose slightly. You robbed it? At this moment, Bai Kongzhao was like an obedient and timid little lass as she replied in a gentle voice, I was lucky enough to have found a dying demonkin, so the item fell into my hands. Its yours if you want. It was a mystery what Bai Aotu was thinking. Moments later, she asked with a sigh, Is it good to use? Bai Kongzhao nodded in due honesty. Your body doesnt reject darkness origin power. Your original cultivation method is also fairly rare and not at all inferior to our Bai clans core arts in terms of cultivation speed. But I must still warn you that youll transform completely and fall to Evernight if your darkness origin power completely suppresses daybreak. I understand. Ill always be a human, Bai Kongzhao replied. Bai Aotu sighed. You may hunt freely during the following period. The Iron Curtain might be hell for others, but its the best hunting ground for you. But remember not to be too indulgent, moreover, do not kill people on our side unless absolutely necessary. Bai Kongzhao lowered her head and said softly, Ill try to control myself. Very well, Im leaving now. Bai Kongzhao looked up in astonishment, and this time, the fright on her face was genuine. Where are you going? Bai Aotu pointed at the dark sky above her head and said, That fellow has already noticed me, so I cant stay long. But Ill teach that vampire woman a lesson before I leave. Ill be keeping her bedridden for some time. At least, by then, you wont have to worry about her in the days that follow. With that, Bai Aotu rubbed the young girls head and left. Her steps werent fast and seemed as though she were walking normally. However, in the blink of an eye, she had already vanished into the depths of the forest. Bai Kongzhao stood without the slightest of movements, still maintaining her previous obedient attitude. But at an angle where no one could see, an odd smile had emerged on her pink, petal-like lips. She looked up after a while and sniffed hard before choosing a direction to advance. The strange thing was that Qianye was now in that very direction. Qianye stood leaning against a large tree. He pulled open the clothes in front of his chest and was just about to check his injuries when his movements came to a sudden halt. He listened with tilted ears and heard a subtle, almost imperceptible rustling from the forestsomeone was fast approaching. Qianye circled behind the tree with a side step and stood there with his back against the trunk. A number of figures were speeding through the woods with incredible agility. Qianye stood as silent and unmoving as a stone sculpture until, all of a sudden, East Peak swept out horizontally. One of the shadows which happened to be passing the ancient tree was immediately cut through the waist. Qianye had rushed behind another figure during the split second that the other figures slowed down. East Peak pierced through one of the figures back and emerged from the chest. Only one of the pursuers was a werewolf and the rest were all vampires, known for their natural alacrity and high speed. Meanwhile, Qianye had to reserve his strength to deal with the person trying to snipe him from the dark. Under such circumstances, he was actually unable to throw these dark race soldiers off his trail. Two of their companions had died at this moment, but the remaining vampire warriors showed no fear as each and every one of them pounced toward Qianye with great ferocity and courage. Qianye swung East Peak left and right in a seemingly random manner, but each strike was as heavy as a mountain. These vampire warriors couldnt take even one blow and most of them were cut in half along with their weapons. Over half of the ten or so dark race warriors were killed within moments. Qianye paid extra attention to the vampire who had discovered his movements from far away because he wanted to know the reason. One had to know that even a dark race viscount could hardly detect Qianyes presence when he was exerting his full effort to hide. This vampire was only a knight, yet he was able to pinpoint his position accuratelyit was as though his perception had transformed just like the vicious beasts. He was a middle-aged vampire who had probably lived for several hundred years, and yet only possessed that much strength. He was probably a minor character at the bottom of the Monroe clan. He hadnt displayed any outstanding qualities during the battle, either. A simple slap on the back with Qianyes blade broke several of his bones and completely immobilized him. Qianye walked over to the knight and pointed East Peak at his chest. How did you discover me? Soldiers of the Monroe clan will not yield. Kill me! Qianye sneered. Not talking? I have lots of ways to make you speak, dripping mithril into your veins for instance. What say you? The vampire knight was shocked. His expression changed completely as he blurted out, Y-You demon! Qianye continued, I can also make a small opening on your chest and drip molten mithril into it. This method isnt bad either. Liquid mithril would burn and char the vessels in a vampires body wherever it traveled. Meanwhile, molten mithril dripped onto a vampires chest would produce long-lasting damage, preventing them from ever condensing a blood core. The most terrifying part was that the vampire would survive for a long time if the dosage was controlled well. This was one of the tortures vampires feared the most. Many of these methods were invented by humans, but a number of them were vampire masterpieces. Coming from Red Scorpion, Qianye had no shortage of contact with various dark race members and had naturally received professional education about how to torture them. Seeing the vampires shifting expression, Qianye knew that the time was just about right and that he only needed one final push. He produced a mithril bullet and removed its tip. Origin power ignited in his hand, softening the bullet amidst a flow of silvery light. I-Ill talk! The blood knight finally broke down under the pressure. Qianye didnt stop his movements. Speak, Im listening. Its like this The blood knight had just begun to speak when Qianye felt that something was off. It was as though the surroundings had changed at this moment. The shift couldnt be described with words, and it wasnt even a part of ones body being stimulatedit seemed to only exist in ones senses. But Qianye, who had often walked the fine line between life and death, moved. He shifted sideways out of instinct and glanced back. Soon afterward, the abnormal sensation seemed to have materialized as a faint chill arose from behind his back. Chapter 408: A Lifelong Enemy Part 1 Bai Kongzhao appeared behind Qianye like a specterthe combat knife in her hand, flashing with jet-black radiance, thrust ruthlessly toward Qianyes lower back. Qianye, with his quick reflexes, had originally evaded this stab but Bai Kongzhao seemed to have anticipated his maneuver. Her blade made a sharp turn midway and continued its trajectory toward Qianyes waist. The edge was incomparably precise and aimed directly between the bones. Pfft! Qianyes tenacious body became fairly weak in the face of this attack as the blades tip entered his back! Bai Kongzhaos skirt danced in the wind. Apparently, she had exerted her full strength, yet her movements were still silent and undetectable. Qianye couldnt detect even a shred of origin power fluctuation from her body and was only able to confirm where he was struck after the blade entered his body. At the moment of danger, Qianyes expression was as gloomy as still water. He reached out to grab the sharp edge of the combat knife, momentarily preventing it from piercing deeper. His right hand performed a simple horizontal slash and hacked at Bai Kongzhaos waist. The girls eyes flickered as she glanced at the incoming East Peak. She wore a vacant expression as though she had no idea how to deal with the attackthe sword was too fast, too heavyher only choices were to pull back or endure the blow. Bai Kongzhao suddenly pulled back her blade with all her might. The combat knife left Qianyes body and, at the same time, left a bone-deep gash on his palm. After drawing her combat knife, Bai Kongzhao immediately performed a backflip and evaded East Peak by a wide margin. A blue light suddenly emerged in Qianyes eyes at that moment. Bai Kongzhaos body immediately fell down with a muffled groan. Meanwhile, East Peaks angle shifted ever so slightly and struck her like a shadow chasing after its caster. The young girl was sent flying through the air like a kite with its strings cut. Qianye frowned slightly and went after her in large strides. He knew that Bai Kongzhao seemed to be struck flying but was, in fact, using the force of the blow to retreat. The strike just now couldnt be considered a heavy blow at all. As expected, the young girl had gotten up with a flip of her body. She stared fixedly at Qianye with flickering wolf-like eyes, and her lips opened slightly as if she wanted to say something. But Qianye had no interest in listening to her speak. East Peak hacked down from overhead, poised to cut her mercilessly into two halves. Bai Kongzhaos expression turned extremely awkward. She raised her blade horizontally against East Peak and borrowed the force to roll to one side, effectively evading the slash seemingly backed by a thousand tons of force. Qianye raised East Peak and swung out once again, his brows locked in a frown. Under his Eye of Truth, the origin power trajectories around Bai Kongzhao were transforming continuously. This proved that she had no fixed technique, and all of her moves were produced depending on Qianyes movements. The problem was that the trajectories were shifting too fast, and the ones she chose to materialize in the end were those with the least openings. It was truly difficult to catch her. At this moment, Qianye had truly experienced Bai Kongzhaos incomparable talents in combat. The only fortunate part was that her origin power was quite mediocre; she was only rank-eight at the moment. Since he had no way to gain the upper hand in terms of combat techniques, Qianye simply raised East Peak and launched a flurry of sweeps, slashes, flicks, and slaps. All of them were basic sword techniques he had used repeatedly, but every strike was incomparably heavy and sought victory through force. At this moment, although there were still openings in Qianyes sword strikes, they were extremely few in number. Moreover, each strike was so fierce and heavy that Bai Kongzhao simply didnt dare to meet them head-on. Even if she did find any openings, it was impossible to take advantage of them because merely blocking and borrowing the momentum of the blow was already taking great effort. The two fought an intense battle without pause. At this moment, Qianyes attacks were like a bear, and every slam was enough to break bones and tendons. Meanwhile, Bai Kongzhaos movements were incomparably agile like a panther. But Qianye was already badly injured, and it was disadvantageous for him to be tangled on. Moreover, he was all alone while it was unclear whether Bai Kongzhao had reinforcements. Suddenly, one of Qianyes strikes went too heavy. Bai Kongzhao took advantage of this opportunity to press down with a wave of her blade, sending East Peak piercing into the ground. The girl soared into the air and actually stepped onto East Peak before lunging at Qianyes chest with the combat knife in her hand. Qianye had no time to change his move. His only choice at the moment was to abandon the blade and retreat or receive the blow with a less vital part of his body. Unexpectedly, Qianye actually made no effort to retreat and his body didnt so much as sway. He received the blades edge directly with his chest. At the same time, his pupils turned an unfathomable azure which pierced Bai Kongzhaos eyes. An invisible hand passed through all obstacles and grabbed at the young girls heart. Bai Kongzhao realized that Qianye was looking to exchange injuries. Without further thought, she clenched her teeth and continued forth. She endured the intense twitching pain in her chest as she steadily pushed the combat knife in her hand into Qianyes chest. However, the blade was oddly sluggish in entering Qianyes body. Bai Kongzhao cried out involuntarily as she recalled how Qianye had escaped so quickly despite taking a sniper round to the chest. It was obvious that he had a chestguard of excellent quality! Bai Kongzhao retreated rapidly after the miscalculated move. Both her attack and retreat were decisive and efficient, but East Peak was like a coiled dragon arriving through the skies. The young girl had no other choice. She let out a scream and hacked fiercely at East Peaks edge with all her might. This was a contest of pure force without any fancy moves. Qianyes legs sank into the earth as though his body were tens of thousands of tons in weight. Meanwhile, the origin power within his body formed an astonishing tsunami which struck out along East Peak and slammed ruthlessly onto Bai Kongzhaos body. As the forty-nine cycles of the Combatant Formula poured out in an instant, East Peaks common steel-like exterior lit up for a moment, but soon recovered its jet-black appearance. It was as though that force capable of destroying all weapons below grade-five was merely an illusion. Bai Kongzhao had taken a solid blow from this incomparably powerful heavy sword. Her small body was flung away like a lifeless puppet and smashed through several large trees before collapsing to the ground. But she actually managed to bounce back up amidst the cloud of dust and, like a startled rabbit, soon vanished with great haste. Qianye was greatly astonished to see her escape with such alacrity after taking such a heavy blow. It was just that she had spurted out three mouthfuls of fresh blood during that short momentit was apparent that she wasnt having it easy either. Qianye didnt chase after her. He stood silently in place for a moment before spraying out a mouthful of fresh blood. The wound at his waist split open and, likewise, shot out a stream of blood. The Combatant Formula was fierce and incisive, but the price one had to pay was also significant. Qianye had forcefully pushed the formula to its limit of forty-nine cycles despite being heavily injured. Although East Peak was able to handle the washing of the violent tides, his body couldnt endure the backlash, adding injury upon injury. Qianye stood for a while and waited for the violent origin power tides to recede before dressing his wounds simply. He then went over to pick up the combat knife Bai Kongzhao had dropped. The knife was slender, and the blade was no more than three fingers in breadth. However, it was quite heavy in the hand and flickering with a sable radiance. There was a sinister looking beast-head at its crossguard depicted in a characteristic demonkin style. Moreover, the sniper rifle strapped to the girls back was also of demonkin make. Demonkin weapons could be activated with darkness origin power and had no blood-energy-limitations like vampire weapons, but they should only be able to exert about seven parts of their maximum power in human hands. During the battle just now, the demonkin blade had worked unobstructed in the little girl''s hand and was able to exert all of its might. In the final confrontation of origin power, Qianyes Combatant Formula had easily shattered Bai Kongzhaos origin power, however, a mysterious force had dispersed the greater half of the raging tides, thus saving her from death. Regardless of race, an ordinary rank-eight fighter in her place wouldve had all his bones immediately fractured and his innards shatteredneither heavenly monarchs or dark princes could save him. It seemed there were quite a few secrets on Bai Kongzhaos body, and it might not be fewer than Qianyes own. He weighed the demonkin combat knife in his hand and put it away into Andruils Mysterious Realm in passing. He would be able to barely put this grade-five weapon to use in situations where he needed to conceal himself and thus couldnt use East Peak. Otherwise, inferior weapons simply couldnt handle his tyrannical origin power. Qianye walked over to where Bai Kongzhao last fell down and gauged the other partys status of injury. It was unknown whether this assassination attempt was her own idea or the Bai clans intention. If it was the latter, then his situation would be even more dangerous. Qianye cleared the scene and returned to the blood knight. Bai Kongzhao had struck him in passing during the intense battle just now. Although Qianye had interfered in time, one of his legs was still cut off at the knee. Now speak, how did you discover me? Tell me and Ill give you a clean death. The blood knights listless eyes lit up ever so slightly. One day, I suddenly heard a voice in the depths of the Iron Curtain calling out to me. I responded and formed a connection of sorts with the Iron Curtain. Thereafter, I was able to persistently sense the power there. This type of power made me stronger, and my perception range grew wider, allowing me to sense anything within a thousand meters. But now, it''s leaving me and Im in great pain. The blood knight suddenly began to twitch and spasm as though he were in great pain. Qianye realized he couldnt get anything more out of the vampire. As such, he raised East Peak and pierced it through the blood knights heart, effectively ending his suffering. Qianye looked up and found that the sky was a dense lead-grey color, just like his own heart. From the blood knights words just now, he could confirm that it wasnt just the beasts that had been affected by the Iron Curtain. Some of the dark races might also be affected similarly. At present, he had no idea if the humans would encounter such a situation, but he didnt exclude this possibility. The increase in strength after gaining the Iron Curtains power was only secondary to Qianye. What worried him the most was the greatly increased perception because that was a lethal threat to him. Fortunately, he had only seen this blood knight as an example, and this particular threat had been eliminated. But this increased his vigilanceat least, he could no longer sneak deep behind enemy lines as unscrupulously as before. At this moment, the military drugs he had just taken a while ago were starting to take effect, and his injuries were feeling somewhat better. Qianyes spirit had also risen accordingly. He identified the direction and headed back toward Silverflow Fjord. He hadnt gone very far when a sense of alarm arose in his heart. There was something abnormal in the darkness origin power suffusing forestit was denser in one particular place. Qiane kept on going without batting an eyelid. His steps came to a sudden halt at one point as he drew the Mystic Spider Lily and fired at that place. Bai Kongzhao shot up from the ground like a startled deer and vanished into the forest. During that short maneuver, Qianye noticed that a corner of her short skirt was now torn with blood trickling down her leg. Although this shot wasnt aimed carefully, it still managed to injure her leg. Chapter 409: A Lifelong Enemy Part 2 Chapter 409: Lifelong Enemy (Part 2) [V5C116 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye did not give chase. Instead, he hastened his footsteps and changed his direction, choosing the closest route toward human-controlled territory. It was reasonable to think that Bai Kongzhao had been injured quite badly, but she had sneaked her way back in such a short time. Apparently, her injuries had recovered at an abnormal speed. Moreover, she should already have known that it was impossible for her to finish Qianye off alone, but she simply refused to leave and was waiting around like a gangrene upon the bone. However, Qianye halted his steps once again before he had gone very far. Presently, he was extremely cautious and had True Sight active at all times despite the blood energy consumptionas expected, he found abnormal fluctuations up ahead. A thousand meters ahead, a dozen or so people had sealed off the southeastern path toward human territory and were waiting to ambush him. It was really too convenient how these people had appeared in such a place to set up a blockade. Qianye, with his heavy injuries, couldnt help but become vigilant after connecting them to Bai Kongzhaos movements. The aggregation of origin power in the distance flickered rather obviously as a number of cryptic and tyrannical auras appeared. Although all of them were daybreak origin power, it felt even more dangerous to Qianye. He didnt hesitate very long before pulling back and soon switched to a different direction in order to circle around them. In the distant forest, dozens of warriors were swiftly making their way through the woods. Their equipment were of superior quality, but there was no obvious symbol on their weapons and apparel, making it difficult to discern their allegiance. The leader, a short-bearded man, stopped and suddenly raised his hand. The warriors behind him all came to a halt and dispersed into the forest to assume a guard formation. Bai Kongzhao walked out from the forest in complete silence much like a specter. Many soldiers revealed a sense of dread they themselves couldnt quite comprehend. Most of them had never even seen this girl before, but they were instinctively afraid. The short-bearded captains expression relaxed after seeing Bai Kongzhao. He walked over to meet her and asked, Miss Kongzhao, how did it go? I shot him once and added another stab. Hes badly injured now. The short-bearded captain was full of delight. Ive already ordered my men to set up a blockade, but where is he? Bai Kongzhao reached out a small hand and said, I can bring you to him, but the price will double. Moreover, youll pay up front. The short-bearded captains expression shifted immediately. This isnt what we originally agreed. Hes even more powerful than you guys have imagined. You can chase after him yourself, but I can tell you that you wont ever find him. The captain took a step back to size-up Bai Kongzhao. Have you already communicated with the will of the Iron Curtain?! His voice was trembling ever so slightly as he said this. Hell get away if you keep on blabbering, Bai Kongzhao said without any expression. A sinister-looking soldier behind the short-bearded captain came forward and whispered, Chief, that lass has been badly wounded herself. Why dont we just take her down? In any case, none of the brothers here will utter a word about it. The captains gaze couldnt help but fall on the young girl''s legs. The hem of her skirt was in tatters and almost revealed her entire thigh. There was a striking wound on her exquisite skin where the skin and flesh had been turned inside out, and her calf was stained with dried blood. It was obvious from this just how much blood she had lost. Looking at her fair, well-proportioned leg, the captain suddenly felt his mouth run dry and his adam''s apple rolled up and down for a bit. Behind him, the gazes of the soldiers were just as fiery as they stared fixedly at the girls thigh. All of them were elites who forged their staunch willpower through blood and flames, but, for some reason, they couldnt quite control themselves at this moment. Bai Kongzhaos expression was just as vacant as before as though she had no idea what was going on. At this moment, the captain recalled the numerous legends surrounding this young lady and then remembered her background. He was suddenly drenched in cold sweat and immediately became clear-headed. Without a second thought, he removed the satchel from his waist and tossed it to Bai Kongzhao. This is all the money we first agreed on. The sinister-looking warrior cried out anxiously, Captain! Shut up!!! The captain grabbed the soldiers neck and held it so tight that the man could hardly breathe. He stared into the latters eyes and said word by word, Dont forget, that woman from the Bai clan is still here! I still have women and children back home. I dont want to die for nothing here! But He wanted to say that the Bai family woman had no way to take action, but he sensibly swallowed his words after seeing captains fierce gaze. Bai Kongzhaos misty eyes had turned into an unfathomable darkness as she watched them from the side and couldnt help but let out a regretful sigh. Only afterward did she look down at the satchel and found it filled with a neat stack of black crystals. Not enough. I told you I can lead you to him, but the price will increase. The captain turned back and shouted, Bring out everything you have! The dozens of warriors walked out in a line and handed over the gold coins they had on them. There was also a number of black crystals among them. All the items were placed into the bag in the captains hand, filling it up halfway in the blink of an eye. The captain handed the bag over to Bai Konghzhao and said, Heres the cash. Bai Kongzhao threw the bag into the previous satchel and slung it over her back. Youre smart, but I dont like smart people because Im dumb. The captain, who was three levels higher than Bai Kongzhao in terms of origin power, felt rather uneasy under the young girls gaze. He laughed wryly and said, Smart people live longer. I only wish to survive. Miss, you might not be able to catch up to him if you keep delaying further. I remember his scent and wont lose him no matter what. The young girls voice was clear and gentle, almost as though she were singing softly. But the captain was overcome by greater uneasiness and his thoughts just now were completely dispelled. Bai Kongzhao entered the forest first with the dozens of valiant warriors following behind her at great speed. Beside a pond thousands of meters away, Qianye was leaning on a large tree with his clothes half-undone as he washed his wounds. He had originally intended to endure until he reached the base at Silverflow Fjord, but now it seemed these visitors had no intention of letting him return so easily. The injury at his waist seemed lethal at a glance but actually wasnt so bad. There were traces of black titanium in the demonkin weapon and would delay wound healing in ordinary people. However, Qianye possessed the tyrannical dark golden blood energy which was slowly devouring the harmful substances around the wound. At this rate, his injury would return to its normal healing rate within a day. The wound in front of his chest was the problematic one. The armor Wei Potian had gifted him had been torn into pieces, and it was already cracked after blocking the first sniper round. Afterward, it was split into pieces after being pierced through by Bai Kongzhaos blade, and the broken fragments had stabbed deep into his flesh. Meanwhile, a number of bones on Qianyes chest had been fractured by the impact from the two almost consecutive blows. Such an injury wouldve killed him several times over were it not for the support of his upgraded vampire constitution. Qianye endured the pain as he pulled out the armor fragments from his chest, wrapped the shards in cloth, and put them away into his spatial necklace. This protective armor had saved him thrice. Despite being broken, the materials were still there and could be reforged into another piece of high-quality armor upon his return. Qianye finally produced some clear water to pour over his wounds. He then applied alcohol and medicine to the injuries before sitting down with his back against the tree and heaving a long sigh. His eyelids grew progressively heavier as he fell into a deep sleep. However, he had just closed his eyes when his ears caught a series of subtle footsteps. At the same time, he felt the earth trembling ever so slightly, causing him to immediately become alert. He fell prone to the ground to carefully sense the vibrationsat least a dozen or so people were heading toward him at great speed. These people made no effort to hide their presence. Perhaps it was for speed or maybe it was because they already had a definite target. Qianye leapt up swiftly onto the nearby ancient tree and hid himself amidst the dense foliage. The squad of warriors arrived beside the pond under Bai Kongzhaos leadership. Halt! The entire group stopped in response to a wave of the young girls hand. She scanned the surroundings, and finally, her beautiful little eyebrows locked into a frown as her gaze reached the area beside the pond. The short-bearded captain crouched down beside the pond and reached out to touch the earth beside it. He was here a while ago. He hadnt even finished speaking when Bai Kongzhao screamed, Hes above! The captain was greatly astonished. He looked up instinctively only to find a dozen or so origin grenades falling down from abovehe was immediately shocked out of his wits. All the origin grenades exploded at about the same time and covered an area tens of meters in diameter. The conflagration connected with one another and condensed into a dazzling ball of flame slowly climbing into the sky. The short-bearded captain shot up from the ground as the flowing blaze had recededthe origin barrier around him flickered as he moved to extinguish the flames on his body. He had reacted with extreme speed just now, dropping to the ground and pushing his defenses to the max. That was the only reason he had managed to survive the strongest impact. At this moment, the forest was already in complete disorder. Trees had fallen in disarray, and the ones caught within the blast radius were on fire. Over ten soldiers stood up in succession, but several others were left groaning on the groundthe rest showed no signs of movement. The captain felt a chill run through his heart. Did that ambush just now wipe out over half of his men? Recalling that earth-shattering origin grenade bombardment just now, he realized that it wasnt impossible. But what kind of person would carry so many grenades around? At this point, the captain was alarmed all of a sudden. Where was Qianye? A figure flashed through the corner of his eyes as Qianye appeared from behind a burning tree. Following a step on the tree trunk, his entire body shot out like a cannonball and cut diagonally across the inferno toward Bai Kongzhao. The young girl let out a cry of alarm and turned to run without the slightest intention of resisting. The captain couldnt help but curse in his heart as he reached for the origin gun in his hand. Qianye bounced up once again after landing on the other side. However, the sudden pain at this waist slowed him down, and all of a sudden, the distance was drawn apart. Qianye had no choice but to stand and watch as the girl vanished into the depths of the forest. Qianye turned back immediately without the slightest bit of hesitation, making a beeline for the captain who was charging his gun and taking aim. East Peak performed three thunderous slashes which shattered the mans protective origin power before the fourth decapitated him. The flames had yet to die down. Qianye charged through the blaze and felled one enemy after another. Moments later, no one else was left standing. Qianye gasped leaning on the blade. It took quite the effort to calm down his boiling origin power. The wounds on his chest and back had opened up once again, in addition to the several new ones on his body. Among them, the strike he had received from the dying captain was the fiercestit cut out a bone-deep gash on Qianyes left arm. Qianye walked over to the captains headless corpse and proceeded to flip through it. In the end, he found the Nangong Familys token in the mans pocket. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 410: Fierce Battle Chapter 410: Fierce Battle [V5C117 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianyes heart was shaken. These people were elite soldiers of the Nangong family sent to hunt him down. It was just that he had no idea why Bai Kongzhao would be working together with them. The Nangong family and the Bai clan working together wasnt good news at all. Qianye didnt dare linger for long, so much so that he simply turned and left without bothering to clean the battlefield. He was already short on food and ammunition after this period of huntinghe was already out of grenades and only had a couple of physical origin bullets left. Moreover, the commotion from just now was too great. The giant fireball could be seen from dozens of kilometers away and might draw people over. To the isolated Qianye, anyone could be an enemy. Qianye abandoned his intention to head toward Silverflow Fjord because the base there was too crude and had no experts overseeing it. There was no way it could defend against the Nangong familys combat squad. In a bid to return to Blackflow City, he spent half a day cautiously traversing the fierce war zones where the humans and dark races were fighting. That was his territory and also one of the expeditionary armys foremost nodes in this bloody battle. Even Bai Kongzhao and the Nangong family wouldnt dare launch an open assault on the city. However, Qianye was greatly alarmed after walking out of the war zone borders because he had seen yet another blockade with his True Sight. His heart sankhe had the confidence to sneak past if it were only a simple blockade. However, things were different with Bai Kongzhao in the equation. Qianye hesitated for a moment. Finally, he retreated after deciding that it wasnt worth the risk. This time, he was prepared to cut through the east and foray into a large segment of the Dark Nation territory before entering human territory once again. This path would take him well out of his way, but the good thing about this route was that even the Nangong family and the Bai clan put together wouldnt be able to set up a blockade hundreds of kilometers long. Qianye had just started running when his heart skipped a bit. He looked toward the left to find a bright signal flare shoot up only tens of meters away from his current position. This was a signal to surround and attack! Although he couldnt see the persons origin power reaction, he could tell without thinking that it was Bai Kongzhao who had shot this flare. He didnt run immediately and, instead, stood silently in place, allowing the footsteps in the vicinity to grow denser and denser. Finally, a human figure flickered through the forest as the young girl appeared from behind a tree and gazed suspiciously at Qianyes location. In the end, what she immediately found were the dark muzzles of the Twin Flowers! Qianye pulled the trigger without a moment of hesitationblood immediately burst forth on the girls body accompanied by a wretched scream. With a flip of her body, she quickly hid herself in the woods and disappeared just like that. Qianye secretly complained about how regretful it was. At this moment, he was already like an arrow at the end of its flight and could no longer combine the Twin Flowers into one. But the grade five firepower of the Bloody Datura and the Mystic Spider Lily were more than enough to deal with a rank-eight fighter. His two merciless shots aimed at the head and heart failed to achieve their objective in the face of Bai Kongzhaos terrifying combat instincts. She reflexively twisted her body at virtually the same time the gunshots rang out, evading the headshot and causing the shot aimed at her heart to land on her back instead. This time, Bai Kongzhao was badly injured, but the results were far from what Qianye had imagined. Since the beginning of his martial career at Red Scorpion, Qianye had rarely, if ever, missed in such a fashion. From a different aspect, this also went to show that this young girl was one of Qianyes most terrifying opponents, even though she was lower than Qianye by one rank at present. Qianye didnt linger after Bai Kongzhao had fled. He charged brazenly into the surrounding unit and broke through the siege. What followed was a fight for his life. Along the way, Bai Kongzhao appeared a number of times like a specter but was repelled several times by Qianye. She was also being wounded continuously, and her injuries might not be any lighter than Qianyes own. But this young girls tenacity was extremely terrifyingshe would always evade Qianyes fatal blow by a hair and recover at an astonishing rate, appearing around him again before long. Qianye discovered that even his True Sight could hardly discern Bai Kongzhaos existence at a certain distance. He suddenly recalled how he had misjudged the Monroe clan blood knights rank from hundreds of meters away and only discovered the issue after exchanging blows face to face. At this point, Qianye formed a horrible speculation. Bai Kongzhao mightve gained the power of the Iron Curtain just like that blood knightshe could lock down his location and conceal herself under the Iron Curtain. He immediately modified his strategy since this was the case. He no longer attempted to hide his presence and, instead, started to run at extreme speeds, maintaining a balance between his speed and stamina. Just as he had dealt with the vampire viscount back on the Western Continent, he was planning to rely on his physical advantage to wear down the pursuers. However, Bai Kongzhao was like a lone wolf in the wilderness; both her patience and stamina were terrifying. She remained hot on Qianyes trail and would try to pounce on him from time to time. Although such attempts mostly ended with Qianyes counterattack, she never gave up from the beginning to the end. Any other person wouldve collapsed under her continuous ambushes, but Qianyes own tenacity wasnt weaker than Bai Kongzhaos at all, so much so that even his reactions showed no signs of delay or weariness. Qianye wouldve turned around to kill her if not for the Nangong family soldiers chasing after him. In this aspect, the two of them were quite similar. Perhaps the experience of growing up at the junkyard granted them a similar perseverance. The pursuit continued intermittently for the entire afternoon and continued into the night. Bai Kongzhao was still behind Qianye, but the Nangong family soldiers were starting to fall behind in quick succession. In the end, no more than ten people were able to keep up with Bai Kongzhao, but all of them were pale in the face, and their breaths seemed to be hanging by a thread. It was questionable whether they could even shoot if a battle were to break out. Qianye didn''t have the slightest chance if he had to fight this pursuit unit head-on, but half a day of constant running had totally worn them down. However, Qianye wasnt in good shape either. New wounds were being added to his body constantly, and his origin power was gradually running dry. His movements were growing heavier as he had no time to absorb and replenish his blood energy. Bai Kongzhao remained on his trail like a spirit who didnt know what exhaustion was. There was no telling when she would appear and deliver a fatal blowthis was the greatest pressure. One, two, and three days passed by on the chase. The Nangong familys soldiers had vanished entirely. Their most powerful rank-eleven champion had died one day ago under Qianyes ambush. The champion was completely drained of origin power and could hardly exert half his abilities at that moment. However, Qianye also paid a heavy price in the form of two stabs as the champion launched a dying retaliation. Immediately afterward, Bai Kongzhao had taken the opportunity to launch another ruthless stab that almost pierced right through his body. The young girls continuous strikes were all aimed at his back and legs. In this manner, this fight for life had turned into a game of cat and mouse between Qianye and Bai Kongzhao three days after it all began. The two would exchange roles from time to timethe hunter from a moment ago would instantly become the hunted after a moment of carelessness and a heavy injury. At this point, Qianye had already considered Bai Kongzhao as a great calamity. He would pursue and counterattack whenever the opportunity arose. This young girl was like a sharp blade hanging above his head. It was unknown when death would descend upon him if he couldnt kill her. Two days passed by in a flash. Qianye ran and ran, but finally, he could hold on no longerhe collapsed onto the ground and lay there gasping for breath. His throat had become so dry that it was about to split apart. It felt as though there was a fire burning in it. He grasped Andruils Mysterious Realm and wanted to bring out some water and medicine but, in a burst of extreme pain, he lost the ability to communicate with the spatial necklace. This was also within his expectations. His body was now drained of both origin power and blood energy. Qianye glanced in every direction and saw a small waterhole in the distance. The hole was filled with muddy water, but it was like a sweet spring to one who sought to survive. He immediately crawled over and began to drink in large gulps, finishing every last drop in the blink of an eye. Qianye felt somewhat rejuvenated after drinking. He moved his body against a big tree and stood up with its support. His every movement at this moment brought about stabbing pains throughout his entire body. He had no idea how many wounds he had on him right now, and many of them had already started to fester as he had no time to clean them. The shrubbery on the other side suddenly split open and out came Bai Kongzhao. At this moment, the girls skirt had been ruined beyond recognition and had turned into a rag wrapped around her waist. Her entire body was exposedher slim frame was also covered in wounds, and sinister-looking white bones were exposed in certain places. She could hardly stand at the moment, but the grip on her knife was still powerful, and her clear eyes were gleaming brightly. Qianye, on the other hand, was quite relaxed now. He remained sitting against the tree as he glanced at the young girl. Why do you hate me so much? Bai Kongzhao remained silent for a moment before replying, I cant rest easy as long as youre alive. Ill die in your hands one day. Why? Qianye hadnt expected this reply. Recalling the past, he had at least let her live twice. Intuition. Fair enough of a reason. Qianye stood up with the tree as support and gestured at the girl. Come then. Kill me. At a glance, Qianye no longer had any capacity for combat. A single stab would end this long battle and eliminate her restless nightmare. Bai Kongzhaos hand on her knife grew tighter and tighter as strands of darkness origin power actually seeped out from her fingers. Qianye smiled faintly as his gaze fell on her hand. So you were hiding an ace all along. Since you still have darkness origin power to spare, why arent you attacking? Come. One stab is all it takes. Its just that simple. Bai Kongzhao, on the other hand, was hesitating. Her originally clear eyes were flickering with a wisp of surreptitiousness. The two were only a few meters away. The outcome of such a confrontation would depend on who collapsed or revealed an opening first. The girl was still hesitating. She saw that Qianyes aura was weak, and his entire body was full of openingsonly his eyes were as spirited as before. At this moment, Qianyes body was almost lifeless. The daybreak origin power in his vessels had virtually dried out, and the occasional flickering specks were a telltale sign that the flame of his lamp was only one step away from being snuffed out. Only the depths of his heart was still full of lifethe dark golden blood energy was swimming and floating up very slowly. The wings formed of blood energy spread out little by little, and one of its feathers was emitting a brilliant radiance. Chapter 411: The Living Black Fores Chapter 411: The Living Black Forest [V5C118 C A Distance Within Reach] This was a feather of the Wings of Inception which had fed on a tremendous amount of blood energy. It was a mystery just how powerful it was, but it shouldnt be a problem to wipe out a couple of Bai Kongzhaos with it. The issue lay in whether he could hit her. In the past couple of days, Qianye had launched attacks which he believed would definitely connect, but Bai Kongzhao had always escaped the peril using extremely secretive methods. This time, Qianye was going to wait for Bai Kongzhao to close in before dealing this fatal blow. That would be the time for him to fire the Wings of Inception. But Bai Kongzhao was hesitant and holding at this very juncture, a stark contrast to her previous decisive ruthlessness. She gazed at Qianye with perplexed eyes and finally withdrew into the forest and vanished. Qianye was startled for a moment but later realized that the young girl had chosen to abandon the opportunity before her. Her instincts were indeed unmatched. Qianye also left to continue playing this endless hunting game. The sky above his head was a dense lead grey color. It was as though the Iron Curtain had already become a part of the sky and would never disperse. Qianye staggered forward with no idea where he was. The scenery before him had turned into an intermittent blur, and many parts of his body had lost all senses. Up above was the unchanging Iron Curtain, and glancing around, there were only dense woods in every direction. Qianye had lost his sense of time, and his body was growing increasingly light as though he were floating above the clouds. At times, it felt like he was walking over soft cotton despite having stepped on solid ground. Am I at the limit? A notion suddenly popped up amidst his chaotic thoughts. He stopped in a daze and vaguely felt his shoulder lean on a large tree. Just like that, he rested in a standing posture. He dared not sit down because he knew he would never be able to get up again. Am I going to die? This was his second thought. Death wasnt frightening. He needed only to close his eyes and relax completely to fall into eternal darkness and serenity. During his daze, Qianye seemed to have returned to his youth. It felt as though he were standing upon the chaotic mess of the junkyard. He could almost hear the rumble of engines which, to the children of the junkyard, was like heavenly music. The sound indicated that an airship from the upper continent had arrived with new trash. This refuse was the only means of survival. Qianye suddenly opened his eyes with flames flickering gradually within. I-I cant die yet! He shook his head, somewhat clarifying the scenery around him. He could no longer activate his True Sight and only choose a safe direction with his intuition in which to continue his journey. After a while, Qianye was suddenly startled as he realized that he hadnt seen Bai Kongzhao for a while. According to the previous pattern, the girl shouldve attacked him two or three times already during this period. Could it be that she could no longer hold on and has finally collapsed? Qianye shook his head. Bai Kongzhao clearly had reinforcements and supplies behind her. She wasnt that weak. Since even Qianye had retained enough strength for one last strike, it was only natural for her to make one final attempt. Fighting for several days with neither rest nor sleep had unknowingly allowed the two to understand one another with incomparable clarity. Qianye glanced toward his surroundings in an attempt to find the young girls traces. However, his expression shifted as his vision gained complete clarity. A faint mist had spread throughout the forest at some point, and the trees around him had assumed a completely different form. The trunks were pitch-black, and the branches had become twisted and razor sharp. The scene was indescribably eerie. This is the Black Forest? Qianyes expression was solemn. He had never expected that a thing of the legends would appear before his eyes. So much so that he had no recollection of how he had arrived herehe knew not whether he had walked into the Black Forest or if the original woods had suddenly transformed. There were numerous mysterious legends about the Black Forest. It was just that most rumors were never proven, so much so that it was controversial whether the forest appeared only in the imagination of the dying person or if it really did exist. But now, Qianye was very clearly aware that the scenery around him was true. The mist grew thicker and thicker until the endless array of faintly visible trees and branches had been reduced to a mass of hazy grey. Qianyes field of vision was limited to a couple hundred meters, and it was filled with trees seemingly carved of black stone. A thought arose in his heartBai Kongzhaos failure to appear might have something to do with the Black Forest. Qianye didnt act rashly. He fished out the last blood crystal in his pocket, shattered it, and absorbed the blood energy therein. He spent a moment recovering, then proceeded to observe the surrounding Black Forest with due caution. He might be trapped here forever if he failed to peer into its secrets. His vision was somewhat blurry as Qianye used True Sight once again, but it didnt prevent him from sensing the surging darkness which seemed to have flooded the entire world. At this moment, Bai Kongzhao was standing silently in the distance. She was gazing at the exceedingly dense forest without the slightest of movement, a cape tightly wrapped around her body. Several Nangong family elites were standing beside her, including a short elderly man. The old mans gaze was like lightning as he shot Bai Kongzhao a glance and said in a deep voice, This old man is Nangong Yuanwang. Im sure Miss Kongzhao has heard of my name. Bai Kongzhao replied indifferently, Ive indeed heard of the Nangong familys second elder. Its unexpected for you to arrive here personally. Arent you afraid of Sky Demon discovering you? Nangong Yuanwang let out an amused heh and said proudly, This old man has been cultivating for over thirty years. Wouldnt it have been for nothing if I cant even hide from Sky Demons attention? Bai Kongzhao replied with an "Mm", and continued, Then, is the second elder prepared to take action? Nangong Yuanwang was immediately stoppered up. Despite his conceit, the man was no divine championthere was no way he would dare to go all out under the Iron Curtain. Bai Kongzhaos questioning tone was rather impolite. There was a faint disdain within her words that almost seemed to question his point in coming here without the ability to fight. Nangong Yuanwangs expression shifted between blue and white. This old man received news that Tiancheng has fallen in battle and thus rushed over at full speed. Hes my only son, Miss Bai. Dont you feel that you should give this old man an explanation?! At this point, Nangong Yuanwangs voice had become completely harsh. Bai Kongzhao, on the other hand, seemed to not have heard the threat in his words. Nangong Tiancheng? The captain with the short beard? Exactly! Nangong Yuanwangs expression was full of anger. He died in Qianyes hands. And that was Bai Kongzhaos explanation. Nangong Yuanwang endured his fury and asked, Where is Qianye right now? This old man must flay him! Bai Kongzhao pointed toward the dense forest in front. In that direction. There was an exceedingly dense forest where she was pointing. The leaves on its trees were oddly verdant, dazzling, and almost seemed to be glowing radiantly under the dusky world of the Iron Curtain. For some unknown reason, Nangong Yuanwang actually felt great alarm after seeing this forest. Why does this forest look so peculiar? Bai Kongzhao chuckled softly. Of course, the Black Forest would look different. Nangong Yuanwang was startled. The Black Forest?! Its not as if this old man has never seen the Black Forest before. Why does it look like this? Then how should it look like? Nangong Yuanwangs brows locked into a frown as he glanced at Bai Kongzhao. Then how do you know that this is the Black Forest? Intuition. The girls reply shrouded the old mans countenance in a layer of ashen hue. He wanted to act up but managed to swallow his anger after recalling how Bai Aotu was hanging around the Iron Curtains border. Moving against Bai Kongzhao was tantamount to offending Bai Aotu. Someone beside Nangong Yuanwang said slowly, There are too many legends about the Black Forest, but none of them have been proven. This lowly one is inept but has also experienced the forest once. Both the trees and soil within it are incomparably eerie with no way to understand how it was formed. Apart from that, however, there seems to be nothing especially terrifying about it. This area is still quite a ways from the Black Forest, so why has Miss Kongzhao stopped? Bai Kongzhao replied, That which you have just said is merely the vestige left behind by a dead Black Forest, while the one before us is alive. I do not wish to enter. You lot can go in if youre willing; that person is definitely inside. A live Black Forest? People from the Nangong family were all surprised. Nangong Yuanwangs expression was solemn as he muttered, Since Miss Kongzhao knows so much about the Black Forest, I hope youll accompany us into it. With our forces strength, Im sure we can get through this daunting experience without any accidents. I refuse. Bai Kongzhaos refusal was blunt. A certain person whispered in Nangong Yuanwangs ears. The latter said immediately, The price can be easily discussed if youre willing to enter with us. No. The continuous refusals made Nangong Yuanwangs countenance turn extremely ugly. He had always been a major character in the Nangong family who had the masses at his beck and call. When had he ever suffered such temper? Even if other people couldnt agree to his request, they would always refuse tactfully and seek his forgiveness. But despite this, he had no way to vent his anger because this young girl before him not only possessed a special identity but also boasted peculiar abilities. Of the two hundred-men elite units working with her to hunt down Qianye, one had been wiped out entirely, while the other had been driven to exhaustiononly Bai Kongzhao was able to tangle with Qianye all the way to the end. This kind of accomplishment proved that one shouldnt use ranks to measure this seemingly prepubescent girl before him. Moreover, there had to be a reason why a top-ranking character like the arrogant Bai Aotu would view her with such importance. Bai Kongzhao was adamant about not going into the live Black Forest, so much so that she wasnt even willing to approach it. Nangong Yuanwang was also an old wily fox; he became vigilant and attempted to probe further. Miss Kongzhao, I wonder if you can reveal some details about the dangers of this Black Forest. The young girl shook her head. I dont know either. I just dont want to go. With that, the young girl no longer paid attention to the Nangong family. She simply turned to leave and soon vanished into the mountains like a spirit. Nangong Yuanwangs expression was fluctuating wildly as he suddenly spoke to a warrior beside him, You, bring ten men and scout ahead! Turn back after half an hour. The man immediately turned pale, but he darent go against Nangong Yuanwangs orders. He could only clench his teeth and select ten soldiers who would follow him into this eerie forest full of vitality. As expected, an odd scene played outthe figures of the scouting soldiers gradually disappeared after entering the forest despite clearly being in visible range. These people suddenly vanished right under Nangong Yuanwangs eyes, and he actually couldnt get a lock on their auras even with his strength. The old mans unsightly expression reached its extremes. Right now, all he could do was wait for the soldiers to return at the appointed time. However, everyone had a bad feeling about it. Afterward, Nangong Yuanwang and his group of people fell into an impasse. They waited for a long while without any news whatsoever from those who had gone into the forest. Seeing Nangong Yuanwangs countenance turn anxious, one of his aids said, Elder, there might not be any results even if we wait longer. Why dont we leave some people here to wait for them and head back? You mustnt stay for long under the Iron Curtain. Nangong Yuanwang nodded slowly. Fine, Ill leave first then. Jiancheng, set up an ambush here with half the men. Kill that brat mercilessly once you see him leave the forest. Yucheng, you bring the rest of the men to hunt for some merits in the surrounding area. We came to kill Qianye in passing, but now the cart is before the horse. The aide was clearly relieved at this arrangement. It would be for the best if they could leave this eerie place as soon as possible. Qianye had no idea how long he had been inside the Black Forest. He was leaning on a tree with his eyes closed. The surroundings were so silent that it was terrifying. There wasnt a sound to be heard, not even the rustling of leaves in the wind. However, the prolonged silence gave rise to numerous minute voices. It was as though someone was whispering, as though something was chewing quietly. Chapter 412: Chaotic Entity Part 1 Chapter 412: Chaotic Entity (Part 1) [V5C119 C A Distance Within Reach] All sounds disappeared once Qianye opened his eyes. Apparently, it was just an illusion. The forest was just as silentso silent that one could hear the blood-flow beneath the skin, as well as the sound of ones beating heart. He had undergone training in extreme silence back at Yellow Springs. That was a greatly dangerous class during which many students had gone mad. Qianye knew what he had to do at this moment and, after some thought, decided to try inspecting his body. The blood crystal he had absorbed just now wasnt enough to completely activate his True Sight. But it had revived the dispirited blood energy in his heart, and he was now able to feel his numb body gradually recovering. Pain, both light and severe, marched at Qianye from every corner of his being, but the sensation rejuvenated him insteadthis was the feeling of being alive. Qianyes physical condition, however, was in an extremely bad shape. His injuries were simply too severe; the penetrating wounds alone numbered three. His internal organs had all sustained damage, and even half of his liver had been shattered. His blood-flow at this moment was so slow and viscous that only a small amount would leak out of broken vessels. The blood was suffused with a faint trace of blood energyit was due to their existence that Qianye hadnt bled out all this time and was able to maintain the ability to fight again. This was the ability of the vampiric constitution rune. However, the blood energy in his body was already fairly weak. Once it had dried up completely, the stagnated blood would spurt out instantly, and a major blood loss would ensue. Qianye clenched his teeth and drew out an ordinary blood energy from his heart before mobilizing a strand of daybreak origin power to shatter it. This was equal to a small confrontation within his body. Qianye released a muffled groan as the blood energy dispersed, and his face instantly turned pale. But the scattered blood energy rapidly merged into his blood and injected new life into the withered blood energy around his wounds. Afterward, his bodily functions became obviously activated and moved to restrict the injuries from worsening. This was a secret technique born of the vampiric constitution runeshattering blood energy to repair grievous injuries. In terms of healing effects, this method produced instant effects and was far superior to the human mind arts. Except important areas like the blood core, heart, and brain, all other injuries could be treated no matter how severe they were. The trade-off was that a vampires quality was directly proportionate to the number of blood energy he possessed. Shattering blood energy was tantamount to lowering ones own rank. Qianye drew out yet another ordinary blood energy and shattered it in the same way. After all, he wasnt a vampire and, although he knew the principles, had no knowledge of how to control them completely. He could only use such a clumsy way to disperse them. However, it was as though the blood energy in his body possessed spirituality. After he had shattered two of them, the rest crawled into the depths of his heart and refused to emerge no matter how he tried. Fortunately, the two wisps of blood energy were enough to control his wounds. Presently, the purple blood energy was curled out in its rune without the slightest movement, and only the dark golden blood energy still retained some liveliness. Qianyes perception was seriously impaired within this forest. Not only had he lost all sense of direction, but even his concept of time was fairly vague. He brought out his origin power sundial and found that his lengthy process of recovery had only taken one hour. But Qianye soon discovered that the hands on the sundial werent movingit had apparently stopped functioning. He couldnt help but wonder if the time dial had also failed. This was a rather serious problem because it was the same forest in every direction, and one might spend an entire day walking in circles. Qianye began to observe the surroundings in detail. After his injuries were stabilized, the Eye of Truth also regained some clarity. This time, the Black Forest had gradually removed its disguise and revealed its true nature. This place was similar to other areas on Evernight in that it was suffused with darkness origin power. But while exceptionally active, there were many other things mixed into it. When Qianye noticed those impurities, his previously clouded senses were restored, and a feeling of numbness emerged on his skin. Qianyes heart trembledhe was no stranger to this sensationit was akin to coming into contact with materials like black titanium. This meant that there was extraordinarily powerful radiation within the Black Forest. Qianye stood up slowly and glanced at his surroundings, his True Sight slowly unraveling the secrets of this place. He eventually saw strands of void origin power seep out, scatter and were later neutralizedapparently, this was the source of the radiation. There were many forms of void origin power. Pure and moderate daybreak or darkness origin power could be utilized, but the void origin power appearing here was fairly close to the middle ground between daybreak and evernight. It was oddly violent and warped, bringing only destruction and little benefit. Those below the champion rank couldnt stay long under such a degree of radiation. Only dark race members with their power physiques could hope to linger within. Qianye took a deep breath. Clearly, this violent void origin power was one of the secrets of the Black Forest. It was impossible for this piece of land to suddenly appear on Evernight Continent. It was just that no one knew where its original location was. The vast amount of void origin power was proof of its extraordinary qualitiesand on Evernight, special places meant danger. At this moment, Qianyes sensory faculties had been restored more or less. He sensed the blood energies in his body resisting the radiation but were slowly being consumed in the process. The situation before him was dire, and the surroundings were adverse. He might be drained to death in this peculiar forest if he couldnt think of something quickly. But there were only eerie trees no matter where he looked; there was simply no end to them. Qianye didnt hesitate for long and simply walked forward without spending any extra effort to distinguish the direction. Since even True Sight couldnt find the way, it made little difference how he chose the route. After walking for an unknown length of time, Qianye sensed something peculiar from a certain tree not so far in the distance. His dark golden blood energy also began swimming quicker. At a glance, it was nothing but an ordinary tree in this forest, a black tree with a warped trunk and sharp branches akin to steel brambles. But there seemed to be something different in the Eyes of Truth. Qianye didnt stop his movements and kept on going toward it. Within this perpetually unchanging forest, every little anomaly might be an opportunity to leave. The big tree needed three men to fully wrap their hands around it. It appeared normal from the front, but Qianye was immediately astonished as he walked over to the back. There were a dozen or so holes on the tree. Through the transparent membrane seal, one could see that they were half-filled with turbid fluid, and each held a creature inside. These entities were so grotesquely shaped that Qianye simply couldnt name thema number of tree holes simply contained wriggling pieces of flesh within. This tree looked like the breeding chamber of a mad scientist who had cut off a part from different creatures and stitched them back together randomly. Without waiting for Qianye to decide his next course of action, one of the tree holes broke open, and the creature within charged out amidst a burst of murky liquid. It shot up immediately after falling to the floor and charged at Qianyes face. This spider-like creature had a mouth under its abdomen, lined with dense rows of sharp teeth. It was somewhat similar to a type of sandworm. Against this pouncing odd creature, Qianye simply drew the Scarlet Edge and placed it before him. This resulted in the assailant throwing itself onto the blade and being pierced through. Although the creature appeared sinister, its attack power was merely at the level of a rank five beast. An enemy of this level couldnt hope to do anything against Qianye at all. But the surprising thing was that this indescribable creature actually possessed a surprising amount of essence blood for its build. Moreover, it was filled with surging vitality that was richer and more powerful than ordinary beasts. The vitality was excessively vigorous to the point where it couldnt be controlled. The biology Qianye had learned back at Yellow Spring told him that a creature with such vitality would see its tissues grow rapidly and eventually turn into an abnormal ball of flesh before dying on its own. Similarly, the essence blood flowing into Qianyes body through the Scarlet Edge might be extremely toxic to ordinary vampires. They would erupt with vigorous power after coming into contact with the body and blood vessels, inciting the tissues to grow at lightning speed. But Qianye had discovered something odd. He immediately circulated the Mystery Chapter and gradually formed that great vortex capable of grinding away essence blood. The vortex drew in the abnormally active wisps of essence blood just as it normally would and proceeded to crush them down and convert them to pure darkness origin power. With this darkness origin power supply, the previously immobile purple blood energy finally moved a bit. At the same time, Qianye breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, the entities being gestated within the big tree seemed to have sensed something and started becoming active. Numerous odd monsters broke out in quick successioneven the abnormal pieces of flesh were wriggling with all their might. The creatures didnt attack Qianye and instead began to fight and devour one another. Their strengths were more or less similar to the one from before. Qianye was startled and proceeded to observe the developments in silence. Of the numerous creatures, only one was left in the blink of an eye. Its shape was now somewhat different from when it broke out of the membrane. The creature had expanded to the size of a mountain wolf, but it had three heads and eleven appendages that could be considered legs. It let out a menacing growl at Qianye but didnt attack. On the contrary, it pounced onto the tree and started devouring the creatures still within the tree holes. Soon, it started growing at a visible rate. This process gave the spectator an explicable feeling of discomfort. The odd beasts body was like a boiling cauldron with unknown organs bulging up here and there. However, its strength didnt quite increase after this growth and started losing vitality instead. At this point, Qianye understood that it didnt have long to live. He thus took a step forward and, after easily evading the oncoming attack, pinned the creature to the big tree. The beast emitted sharp screeches as it struggled for dear life. But it had no power to speak of apart from the dense vitality and simply couldnt resist the powerful absorption of the Scarlet Edge. It lost all life in the blink of an eye and stopped moving. Qianye cut open its carcass with a wave of his blade and found that the insides were in complete disorder. Bone-like objects were growing here and there, the organs had fused together with its flesh, and a number of unknown glands had developed together in one place. This was a completely chaotic life form that simply shouldnt appear in this world. But it had provided Qianye with more essence blood than a blood knight. He was already prepared this time and quite calmly absorbed all of the essence blood. He started cultivating immediately afterward and continued until he had completed one full cycle. After gaining a supply of darkness origin power, the purple blood energy finally recovered from its stagnation and started swimming around slowly. Although still quite weak, its revival signified that Qianyes physique had resumed its operation. The recovery might take some time, but at least the immediate peril had passed by. Chapter 413: Chaotic Entity Part 2 Chapter 413: Chaotic Entity (Part 2) [V5C120 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianyes recovery was obviously hastened after the purple blood energys restoration. He walked over to the big tree after a moment of rest and dug out a cavity with the Scarlet Edge, hoping to see what oddities lay within. The trunk wasnt sturdy at allits cut-section was moist, and a viscous liquid quickly began to seep out. Qianye reached out to touch it and found that it was the same fluid from within the holes. But the unusual part was that Qianye could sense violent void origin power from within the liquid. It would appear that this large tree was able to extract void origin power from the earth and supply them to the entities within the tree holes. It was precisely the violent and chaotic nature of the void origin power that had affected the gestated creatures, causing them to transform into such grotesque forms. A process that would require a year or even several years to complete outside had been contracted to the extremes here. Qianye continued on his way after further examination yielded no new discoveries. This time, he would carve a mark on a tree every ten meters or so to prevent himself from getting lost. But Qianye suddenly heard a faint rustling through the air as though something was flying toward him from behind. Every little movement in this quiet forest was magnifiedthe sound seemed to be some distance away, but it was fairly hair-raising in this extreme silence. Qianye immediately confirmed that the sound was true and not his hallucination. He thus flashed behind a big tree and hid himself instantaneously. Moments later, a man actually appeared from the direction he had come from. An inexplicable peculiarity came over Qianye at the sight of a normal man appearing in such a crazy place. The person stopped before a large tree and reached out to touch those meaningless lines. Qianyes heart trembled as he realized this person mustve followed these symbols. His gaze fell upon the mans clothes and equipment but found no indication of his identity from the outside. However, Qianye noticed the insignia of the Nangong family on an exposed corner of his holster as he began to glance at the surroundings after he had finished inspecting the symbol. A Nangong family expert! Qianye took the risk to scan the other party and actually found three origin power vorticeshe was a rank-twelve champion. Qianye might not be able to prevail over this opponent even in his peak state, to speak nothing of his current physical condition. Qianye immediately retracted his aura and slowly backed away. The senses suffered great interference within this forest, so it wouldnt be easy to track him down as long as he could keep his distance. However, he had just taken two steps back when the Nangong family expert turned toward him and shouted, Who goes there?! Come out! Qianye was shocked, but he immediately noticed that the other party was able to follow him through the Black Forest with great accuracy just from the symbols he had left behind. This could no longer be explained as a mere coincidence. Apparently, this fellow had also gained the power of the Iron Curtain. Qianye no longer made any attempt to conceal himself and shot up to flee at full speed. The mans eyes lit up when he saw Qianye. Its you! Haha, it seems coming in here wasnt a complete waste of effort! Still trying to run?! He started running swiftly like an unbridled wild stallion and slowly began to close the gap. Originally, speed wasnt his forte, but Qianye was heavily injured at the moment, and his movements were greatly affected. Brat, you cant escape. I promise to spare your life if you stop now and listen to my instructions! Lets leave this accursed place first. Still not stopping? Do you really think this Master Nangong has no way to deal with you? Hey, youll die if you waste origin power like that! Qianyes heart was resolute no matter how the person behind him threatened or tempted him. He maintained the highest speed he could endure and ran frantically all the way. He suddenly thought of another problem during the chase, and that was whether there were predators in this forest. Just how terrifying would the adult chaotic entities be if their new-borns were already rank five or six. And sound was the best way to sense prey within this incomparably silent forest. As he ran, Qianye saw an intense, almost boiling origin power fluctuation in the distance. He immediately shifted his direction and ran toward it. Presently, the distance between Qianye and that Nangong champion had shrunk to an extremely dangerous pointwhatever that thing in the distance was, it would make little difference compared to falling into hands of the Nangong. Qianye heard a sudden increase in the running footsteps behind him and leapt forward instinctively without a second thought. A rumble ensued just as expected, followed by an origin bullet whizzing past Qianye. The bullet landed on a large tree and produced a bowl-sized defect with muddy fluids pouring out from within. Nangong Jiancheng fired two more shots, but they were duly evaded by Qianye. The man couldnt help but curse loudly, To hell with it! Presently, it would seem he had no other way but to chase all the way to the end. As he was running, Qianye felt the ground beneath his feet turn softhe looked down and found that one of his feet had sunk into the earth. Quite mysteriously, this ordinary-looking soil was actually a mere top layer, and the area below it was actually filled with sludge. Qianye heard a plop behind him. Nangong Jiancheng had sunk almost to his knees before he leapt straight up and extricated himself. The man had also encountered a potholehis was apparently even deeper, and being much less agile compared to Qianye, he had taken a small loss for no good reason. Qianye took advantage of this good opportunity to draw several dozens of meters away. At this moment, the forest floor was already full of muddy holes, and ponds of varying sizes started appearing after a couple hundred meters. Qianye ran with greater caution and started leaping between the intersecting tree roots. Nangong Jiancheng also raised his speed after he had grasped the lay of the land and started closing in on Qianye. At this point, Qianyes breathing suddenly became labored. His chest tightened as he coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood. Its color was exceptionally garish and even dotted with glowing specks of light. He only felt a burst of weakness as his footsteps immediately turned leaden. It was when Qianye had worsened his internal injuries that an ordinary blood energy suddenly emerged from his heart. It dispersed on its own and managed to stabilize the injuries, preventing them from worsening. Qianye gritted his teeth and charged forth as Nangong Jianchengs loud laughter approached quickly from behind. He suddenly felt a gust of wind past at this moment and was immediately startled. Since entering the forest and up until now, the entire world here appeared to be frozeneven the air seemed to be stagnant, to speak nothing of a breeze. Wherever the wind was blowing from might be the exit! However, Qianye soon sensed more than just the wind herethe earth itself was trembling, and a shadow was descending upon them from above. A towering giant beast was soon looking down at Qianye and Nangong Jiancheng. Its head resembled a crocodile, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs. The body below seemed to be constructed from a pile of meat supported on eight irregularly distributed limbs. The monstrosity appeared to be trembling and seemed as though it would crumble at any moment. This massive beast was over ten meters tall when standing. Qianye and Nangong Jiancheng were like two little insects before this enormous entity, likely not even enough for a single mouthful. The two halted their steps in the face of this dangerous situation and didnt dare act rashly. With such a gigantic main body, it would be extremely terrifying even if it didnt have any odd abilities. The impact of ordinary origin guns would only be enough to make it itchperhaps only weapons at the level of Blue Firmament and Mountain Splitter would be able to injure it. The enormous beast was clearly intrigued by the sudden appearance of the two humans. It lowered its massive head, the dozens of eyes upon it moving about individually as it glanced at the two. The monster sniffed a couple of times and afterward decided to abandon Qianye and go for Nangong Jiancheng. What the hell?! Nangong Jiancheng had almost gone mad. Qianye was apparently closer, but the giant beast had decided to ignore him and go for the former instead. Could it be that he was tastier? Qianye, on the other hand, had guessed the reason. Nangong Jiancheng was indeed more appealing in comparison. He had observed the chaotic entities as they devoured each other and found that the most important criterion was having exuberant vitality. Qianye was badly injured and his aura was weak, needing to rely on his remnant blood energy and vampiric constitution just to remain standing. Meanwhile, Nangong Jiancheng was a spirited rank twelve expert with extremely powerful vitality within his body. This, to the chaotic entity, was a peerless delicacy. Qianye naturally wouldnt let such an opportunity pass by. He immediately turned tail and ran. It was just that he hadnt even taken two steps when the earth trembled once again. Surveying the area, he found several holes appearing on the bumpy, uneven ground, and countless chaotic entities of all shapes and sizes were crawling out of them. The giant beast didnt want Qianye, but he was still a big feast to these little ones. Qianye would soon be surrounded. He moved beside a big tree in a flash and stood with his back against it. This way, he could at least block the attacks from behind. An idea suddenly popped up in Qianyes head as he tried releasing a wisp of blood energy. The foremost chaotic entities paused for a moment. Apparently, these beings made of chaotic void origin power were similarly indisposed in the presence of darkness origin power, but they only paused for a moment before gradually pressing on, urged by their hunting instincts. A spider-like entity suddenly shot up and pounced toward Qianyes face at lightning speed. Qianye was able to easily deal with such random attacks. He simply held the Scarlet Edge before him and allowed the spider to impale itself. The Scarlet Edge pierced through the spider in a flash, but Qianyes arm was shaken and even turned slightly numb. The force behind this charging arachnid chaotic entity was extremely powerful, even comparable to a cannon shell. It would have produced a big hole if it had struck the tree trunk. Qianye increased his vigilance. He was just about to cast off the chaotic spider from his blade when a surge of hot essence blood poured in through his blade. Qianye trembled all over as the blood energy in his body bubbled up and almost entered a state of blood boil. Fortunately, he was fully prepared and immediately restrained the feral blood energy. This chaotic spiders essence blood was dense beyond expectations and contained strong vitality. It immediately brought about signs of activation throughout Qianyes body. He had never expected that a mature chaotic entitys essence blood would be so strong that even he could hardly withstand it. Qianye didnt even get the chance to circulate the Mystery Chapter. As though it had sensed danger, the purple blood energy rushed out of its rune and galloped through his blood vessels, continuously releasing specks of purple light. Wherever these purple specks landed, his physical growth would become stable and compact once more. But even the purple blood energy could only delay the activation processthe terrifyingly active vitality was still finding a way out within Qianyes body. But the time it had bought was enough for Qianye to circulate his Mystery Chapter. A giant vortex started revolving slowly like a grinding stone, drawing in and crushing the chaotic spiders essence blood one by one. It was just that the process wasnt as easy as absorbing the new-born chaotic entitys essence blood. A strand or two of overly active essence blood would attempt to struggle free from their shackles. Qianye had no choice but to split his attention and suppress them when needed. He still had to pay attention to his internal battle while fighting outside. This made dealing with the chaotic entities quite a strenuous effort. After evading several attacks in succession, Qianye was finally struck by a calf-sized beast. He was sent flying for tens of meters, demolishing several large trees along the way before finally falling down. This crash wasnt light. The blood energy in Qianyes chest rolled and crashed, almost causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. It was at this time that a large tree trunk fell from the sky and landed right in front of him, smashing an odd beast that was chasing after him into the ground. Chapter 414: The Shot of Inception The odd beast pushed the tree trunk away with its head and immediately leapt back up, but it could no longer stand firm. Qianye grasped this opportunity to charge forth and deliver a fierce stab to the beasts vitals in the neck. These chaotic entities looked like known animals on the surface, but they had been warped and transformed in many areas. It was difficult to say which part was vital, but it made no difference before the vampiric blade since it could drain the creature of its essence blood no matter where it entered from. It happened to be their nemesis. Scalding vitality once again poured in through the Scarlet Edge and almost half-filled Qianyes body before it was refined within the Mystery chapter vortex into darkness origin power. This calf-sized odd beast possessed as much blood as a dark baron. The comfortable warmth flowed upward from Qianyes palm and swiftly coursed through his veins. In the blink of an eye, he had absorbed over half of the beasts essence blood. At this point, Qianye glanced up at the sky from whence came the flying tree trunk and saw the Nangong champion fighting an intense battle with the giant beast. Trees were being broken and toppled one after another amidst shocking explosionscountless branches were shooting out like arrows in every direction. If not for the battle therein shedding light on the giant beasts power, Qianye would have submitted to his urge to clean up all the mature chaotic beasts here before leaving. Their blood might be highly toxic to other people, but they were like walking storehouses of energy to Qianye who cultivated the Mystery chapter. It was at this time that an odd beast whizzed over. Qianye reacted by lowering his body, allowing it to shoot overheadthe beast couldnt control its momentum and crashed into a big tree. With a loud boom, that tree trunk, as thick as a mammoths leg, was broken through the middle and gradually fell down. After evading a series of pounces, Qianye chose a weaker beast and pierced through it at lightning speed. In this manner, Qianye continued his fierce battle with odd beasts of various shapes and sizes, all the while paying attention to the situation on Nangong Jianchengs side. In contrast to Qianyes one-sided slaughter, Nangong Jiancheng was fighting a world-shaking battle. His aura actually rose little by little until it had broken through to the thirteenth rankapparently, he had paid a steep price to activate a secret art at the juncture of life and death. Rank thirteen was the widely-accepted watershed known to attract the attention of Sky Demons avatar, but there seemed to be no abnormal developments even after such a long battle. This forest was indeed odd. Nangong Jianchengs movements were lightning fast. His figure had almost turned into a blur as he roamed continuously around the giant beast, leaving only beams of circular radiance. While dodging the beast, he rained down a frantic torrent of attacks upon its massive body. The colossal beast had produced several tentacles from its body, each dozens of meters long and as thick as a bucket. These fleshy tentacles possessed inexhaustible power as they chased after Nangong Jiancheng and would leave a giant hole on the ground every time they smashed down. It would occasionally uproot trees and use them as weapons to swat at the champion. Nangong Jiancheng suddenly stood still in the air and, retrieving the rifle from his back, fired off three continuous shots. The bullets landed on the giant beasts neck and opened up a big hole therein. Immediately afterward, he produced two origin grenades and hurled them into the defect with incomparable accuracy, causing half of the colossal beasts brain to vanish with an earth-shattering explosion. Nangong Jiancheng had just breathed a sigh of relief when a meat tentacle whipped him several dozen meters away. There, he fell staggering to the ground and immediately spurted out a mouthful of fresh blood. A frightening scene ensued. The flesh around the giant beasts wounds started wriggling and growing back. A dense patch of countless tiny tentacles squirmed about as a new head grew out at a visible rate. It was just that the newly grown part was completely different from before. The giant beast had regenerated completely in the blink of an eye and proceeded to pounce toward Nangong Jiancheng. Nangong Jiancheng was overwhelmed. He quickly switched to his sword and shot out several meters of sword radiance. At this point, he could no longer care about Sky Demons threat and was going all out. Every sword strike would leave large wounds on the beasts massive body that were several meters long and almost one meter deep. But the beast also boasted extremely terrifying regenerative abilities; these injuries would heal and disappear in the blink of an eye. Qianye drew in a breath of cold air as his heart was overcome with the urge to flee. Soon, another doubt surfaced in his mind. Nangong Jiancheng was clearly not the giant beasts match. Why hadnt he escaped? The man had communicated with the will of the Iron Curtain, and the Black Forests interference on his senses was fairly weak. Meanwhile, the lumbering beast was quite slow; it wasnt impossible to escape. Qianye was only bothering to deal with these little beasts in order to absorb essence blood and recover. He also felt that the giant beast wasnt very fast and that he could flee quite easily if things had gone south. However, Nangong Jiancheng was frantically attacking the giant beast like a fool and seemed to have no intention of running away. Qianye felt something wasnt quite right because, judging from how Nangong Jiancheng was going all out, it was only a matter of time before he fell in battle. He finally decided to listen to his own intuition and turned to run without trying to kill more beasts. Those beasts could do nothing to stop Qianye since he was determined to run away. Presently, his body was full of rolling blood energy after having entered a state of blood boil. For a short period, his strength had even surpassed his peak state. Qianye chose a direction opposite from the gigantic beast and began breaking through the encirclement. He evaded the chaotic entities as much as he could but simply crashed through the others with his body and sent them flying. Qianye was by no means inferior to these odd beasts in terms of strength. Qianye ran over a thousand meters in one sprint before slowing down his pace. He was just planning to glance back at the battle situation in the distance when the environs suddenly turned dark. It was unknown when his body had been engulfed by surging black mist, but it felt like a mountain peak was pressing down on him from abovehe immediately found it difficult to advance and even walking had become tedious, to speak nothing of running. A screen of light had arisen not too far in front of him and separated the world into twooutside was the Black Forest, and inside was another realm. Qianye felt the pressure increase as he approached the screen. A domain! Qianye was stunned. He had never expected the giant beast to actually have a domain and such a big one at that! The domains function was fairly specificthat was to add weight and block passage by means of the light screen. It was precisely because it only had a single function that the domain was all the more powerful. Qianye felt as though he had fallen into a swamp, and every step took twice the effort compared to the last. It would be quite difficult to even reach the light screen, let alone break it and escape. He now understood why Nangong Jiancheng didnt run away. Apparently, he had already tried but had failed to escape the giant beasts hunting domain. He could only remain and go all out. A miserable, drawn-out cry was heard from afar; it was Nangong Jianchengs voice. This Nangong family expert was finally no match for the enemy and had met his end in the colossal beasts mouth. Soon afterward, the earth shook as the giant beast moved its enormous body with great effort and lumbered toward Qianye. However, the light screen in front was completely stillthis meant that the hunting domain didnt move along with it. Qianye took a couple of steps back and felt the pressure lessen significantly. It was already negligible by the time he was over a hundred meters from the light screen. Qianye silently grasped the Scarlet Edge in hand and waited in place for the giant beast to arrive. At the same time, he was analyzing its weak points. He could contend with the beast at the center of the domain since Qianye had the speed advantage. However, the beast possessed a massive build and every step would take it over ten meters in distance. Add to that the ten-meter long tentacles, its zone of control was fairly wide. Moreover, the damage he could produce from a distance while roaming would be limited. Meanwhile, the beast boasted extremely terrifying regenerative capabilities and was almost impossible to kill since it could restore itself in the blink of an eye. Qianye, at this moment, was only three parts recovered from his injuries. He was only able to exert near-normal strength because of the blood boil following his absorption of large amounts of essence blood. At this moment, the giant beast that had appeared before Qianye was already different from when it first appeared. It was like a mountain of flesh covered in meaty tentacles and eyes of various sizes growing on his limbs. Nangong Jiancheng had left countless wounds on the monster who had then regenerated rapidly and without order, eventually resulting in the form in front of Qianye. This was the most headache-inducing thing about a chaotic entity. There was simply no telling where its vitals were. This made dealing with massive bodies prohibitively more difficult. The giant beasts movements were indeed sluggish, and it took several minutes before it managed to heave itself over to Qianye. It then lowered its body and extended a number of bucket-sized tentacles with several eyes and nostrils on them. It observed Qianye before sniffing him hard as though checking if this food would be tasty. An idea emerged in Qianyes mind. He retracted his aura with his Bloodline Concealment ability and stood perfectly still. The chaotic entitys standard of measurement was the exuberance of ones vitality and the intensity of his origin power. At this moment, Qianye had pulled back his aura and appeared to be a piece of dead meat in the monsters eyes, not much stronger than a rock. However, the monster still opened its mouth after a moment of hesitation. It stretched out a tongue that was tens of meters long and lined with sharp teeth in order to sweep Qianye in. It would seem that the beast was determined to add a dish to its table no matter how tasteless it was. Qianye let out a sigh as he realized he could no longer get past by a fluke. Out of ammunition and food, the only card he had left to play wasthe Wings of Inception! The moment this notion emerged in Qianyes heart, the pair of tiny wings unfurled, and that mature golden feather erupted with brilliant light. Qianye had no idea how to activate the Wings of Inception, but the golden radiance slowly crept into his surging vessels and shrouded his internal world with its characteristic hue. He seemed to have reached an instinctive enlightenment as he closed his hands together with the index and middle fingers extended toward the giant beast like a gun. The colossal beasts numerous mouths let loose a thunderous roar as though they had sensed danger. All its fleshy tentacles sprung to life and smashed down upon Qianye. At the same time, several openings of various shapes and sizes opened up on its body, from which torrents of incomparably odorous fluids rained down upon Qianye. Unexpectedly, the giant beast was going all out. However, a pair of radiant wings unfurled behind Qianye whose body was now overflowing with golden brilliance. A thin beam of light shot out from his fingertips and pierced through the chaotic giant colossus in the blink of an eye. It continued shooting toward the distant firmament and finally disappeared to god knows where. The heaven and earth suddenly turned still. This shot, fired at this very moment with Qianyes own body as the gun, was, in fact, the first true shot from the Wings of Inception! The radiant wings started to disperse after the shot was fired and left Qianyes entire being on the verge of collapse. He had no strength left to stand, and his weak knees could no longer keep him from falling to the ground. Qianye felt dizzy and only wished he could fall asleep. However, he forced himself to raise his head and stared fixedly at the giant beast. His heart couldnt help but sink as he observed the small, fist-sized hole with his swaying vision. With the monsters regenerative capabilities, that small hole would very soon be restored to its former smoothness despite piercing all the way through. The beast stood frozen as though nothing had happened, and even its raised tentacles remained petrified in the airit was as though time had stagnated therein. Only the many eyes on its body were turning about continuously, revealing extremely terrifying gazes. The little hole on its body didnt recover. Instead, the wound edges became as smooth as a mirror as it transformed into a substance akin to colored glass crystals. It then cracked and shattered into countless pieces which fluttered about in the air before vanishing into nothingness. Soon afterward, the beasts flesh and blood started turning to ash. The wound on its body was expanding rapidly, growing from the size of a fist to that of a bucket, then into a large hole several meters in radius. Moreover, its destroyed flesh failed to grow back outit would seem the giant beasts terrifying regenerative abilities had been rendered ineffective. This was the true might of the Wings of Inception. Chapter 415: Activation Chapter 415: Activation [V5C122 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye soon discovered that not all the flesh in the hole had been blasted into obliviona rather large piece of scarlet meat was still half-floating therein. It would appear that this irregularly pulsing man-sized organ was the giant beasts core, an existence akin to the human heart. The giant beasts core was actually able to block an attack from the Wings of Inception? While Qianye was still in astonishment, the giant beasts lifeless body suddenly began to collapse and fell roaring onto the ground. Although the center of this giant beasts body had been hollowed out, the remainder of its body was colossal. The impact wasnt at all inferior to a collapsing building or a crumbling mountain and quickly drowned Qianye within. Qianye forced himself to leap toward the side, but something struck him hard from behind. He could only feel his surroundings turn dark as he sunk down. By a curious stroke of coincidence, it was actually the giant beast core that had smashed into him. It was unexpectedly heavy, solid, and easily weighed tens of thousands of kilogramsthe force instantly smashed Qianye into the earth. Even Qianyes vampiric constitution couldnt take this blow, and a dozen or so bones were quickly fractured throughout his body amidst cracking sounds. Fortunately, his golden blood energy was incomparably alert. It swam frantically around his chest during this organ-displacing quake and sprayed out specks of golden light which repaired the cracked bones and prevented them from shattering. The giant chaotic beast was eliminated by a single attack from the Wings of Inception. This proved that the strength of its body was just so-so, yet the sturdiness of its core was on a completely different level. However, the dazzled Qianye couldnt think that much, and neither did he realize that cracks were starting to form on the giant beast core pressing down upon him and were spreading out continuously. The numerous cracks shattered at the same time, pouring out countless wisps of essence blood which drowned Qianye from head to toe. The blood was pure, limpid, and bright red, a stark contrast from the bodily fluids ejected by the giant beast. There wasnt any unpleasant odor at all, and on the contrary, there was even a type of fragrance to it. The most terrifying part was the amount of vitality contained within. The essence blood seemed to be sentientit crawled unceasingly over Qianyes body and entered his body through his mouth and nose. The giant beasts vitality was hundreds of times more powerful than the ordinary ones and would crazily activate everything it passed by. Qianyes entire body was currently soaked in this blood. Fleshy bulges and granulations were appearing all over his body, and even his bones were producing spikes which extended in every direction. Before long, Qianye would lose his own consciousness and turn into a second chaotic beast. Qianye was faced with this peril as soon as he woke up from his daze. Only a single color remained amidst the exuberant vitalitya flourishing scarlet. Even the several ordinary blood energy in Qianyes body could no longer control themselves. They devoured the giant beasts essence blood unrestrainedly and began to expand rapidly. The purple blood energy was also in imminent danger as the density of the giant beasts essence blood reached a point where it could induce activation merely from external contact. The purple blood energy thus fled back into its ability rune, still swelling up and shrinking periodically on the verge of activation. Only the dark golden blood energy remained unaffected as it swam around the heart and kept guard on this most important territory. Perhaps in order to prevent its domain from being tainted, the dark golden blood energy became extremely tyrannical. It flushed all of the ordinary blood energy out of the heart and even kicked out the purple blood energy along with its ability rune, not allowing any of them to remain within. Qianyes thoughts were incomparably clear at the most dangerous juncture and werent flustered in the least. He knew that the only path to survival was to whittle away this essence blood. The unwavering will and determination he had cultivated over the years of hardship granted him the power to remain steadfast and not give up easily. He stopped paying attention to the changes to his external body and focused on guarding his last strand of clarity as he slowly circulated the Mystery Chapter. The vortex born of the Mystery Chapter emerged with great difficulty in this world of abnormally dense vitality. It started with an insignificant black dot and began to expand at an extremely slow paceboth its range and speed were less than half the norm. It had also been squeezed into the heart and found it difficult to expand outward. However, the vortex wasnt devoured by the giant beast blood which filled every corner of his being. On the contrary, wisp after wisp of vital blood was drawn in and crushed by the rotating vortex. The impurities were cast out while the remaining essence was drawn into the deep darkness at its center. In the end, wisps of pure darkness origin power would seep out from that sable mass. During the usual refinement process, the origin vortex would treat eight out of ten parts of the essence blood as impurities to crush and discard. The higher the quality of the essence blood, the fewer the impurities contained within. However, impurities made up less than half of the giant beasts core blood. This was astonishing because such quality was comparable to a vampire duke. This made the process of refinement abnormally slow. Only at this point did Qianye manage to free up his perception to check the changes in the other parts of his body. He quickly discovered that the activation of his body could no longer be avoided. After a moment of hesitation, he hardened his heart and abandoned all control over his body, choosing instead to focus his attention on actuating the Mystery Chapter. Qianyes vision turned dark in the blink of an eye as he lost all senses. His head was beginning to activate and grow. At this moment, Qianye could no longer be seen within that pool of fresh blood under the giant beast corpsethere was only a madly growing mass of irregular flesh. This piece of flesh was displaying a terrifying devouring ability. Even the hard substances surrounding the giant beasts core had been torn out to become a part of it. After the core had completely disappeared, that mass of flesh started devouring the giant beasts remaining flesh and blood. Moreover, it started to spread out in every direction like a flowing river and started swallowing everything in its wake. Even the soil wasnt spared, and a hundred meter pit gradually formed in the area as its countless strands stretched out in a radiating pattern. The forest was no longer deathly still as countless beasts of all shapes and sizes scuttled out from unknown places. Their lairs were extremely strange; some were underground, some were in trees, and some were even nested within other odd beasts. These creatures could only tremble as they gazed at the crawling streams of flesh coming toward them. They didnt dare run away at all and were quickly devoured and incorporated. In the Black Forest, large trees fell one after another and vanished. At the core of the mad pile of flesh, there was a pristine independent space surrounded by the giant beasts heart blood. Qianyes heart was hovering within it. The dark golden blood energy was revolving around it and occasionally spilling out specks of golden light to stabilize this space. The vortex of the Mystery Chapter was rotating continuously above his heart, dragging in strands of blood energy and releasing misty wisps of darkness origin power for the dark golden blood energy to absorb. Meanwhile, Qianyes consciousness had entered a wondrous state. It had broken away from his body entirely and was observing the operation of this small space in silence. He could no longer feel his own body but was still able to circulate the Mystery Chapter. At this moment, Qianye had no idea what situation he was in. However, what he could do at this moment was limitedthe only thing he was capable of aside from observation was to wait. An unknown length of time passed by in this manner. Qianye, in his infinite boredom, suddenly recalled a serious issue. The world in front of him was formed of blood energy and darkness origin power. Then where were his daybreak origin power and nodes? The commonest sign of a human who had fallen to Evernight was a suppression of daybreak origin power by darkness. The change would continue to modify and transform the body until the human became a complete dark entity. At the thought of this, Qianyes heart suddenly sank. He mightve been drenched in cold sweat if he were still capable of feeling his physical body. Even at the juncture of life and death, he had never considered the option of transforming into a dark entity in order to extend his life. As though in response, Qinayes consciousness shook violently, and the pristine independent space suddenly transformed. Transparent ripples swept through the nothingness and dragged out a rune of unknown significance. And the scene gradually being revealed behind this rune was actually a realm?! Qianyes vision zoomed in as he exerted effort to see more clearly. What he saw through a transparent screen was a faint scarlet mist with nine specks of light shining brilliantly within. Seven of them formed the shape of an upright ladle with its head raised, while the other two were somewhat darker and located below the handle. Why was this image so familiar? A beam of light flashed through Qianyes consciousness while he was puzzling over this matter. Those were his nine origin nodes! It turned out that the omnipresent scarlet behind the screen wasnt static and was gushing about constantly. Judging from its rhythm and pattern, those were the tides of the Combatant Formula. The transparent runic wave shooting through this space eventually vanished into the distance where Qianyes consciousness could no longer track. Qianye felt an ineffable sense of relief although he couldnt fully comprehend what he had just seen and soon brought his attention back to the present space. Song Zining was sitting in his study thousands of kilometers away, and for some reason, he was feeling restless at the moment. He decided to put down the documents and proceeded to prepare paper and ink with which to draw. People believed he was placing too much emphasis on miscellaneous arts, but no one knew that the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was reliant on breaking the mysteries of the mortal world. The three thousand daos were all interconnectedthat which he had chosen involved seeking the dao via painting and polishing his heart in order to forge ahead. Song Zining paid rapt attention as his pen moved as though it were flying. In the blink of an eye, a rain-drenched mountain range began to take form. Such artistry satisfied even Song Zining himself, but it was at this moment that his hand trembled for no reason. A big drop of ink fell from the brush and quickly tainted the forming landscape. A dark glimmer arose from the fine paper. The glow formed half the veins on a bodhi leaf but failed to produce a complete image. The network of veins collapsed one by one and eventually disappeared. The uneasiness in Song Zinings heart intensified. He slowly put down his brush as he pulled over and rang a bronze bell. Moments later, a thin but spirited old man slowly entered and greeted politely, What instructions does the Seventh Young Master have for me? Teacher, have the caravans left? The old man said, All of them have set out on time. Two of them have already exchanged their goods in secret. The other three will exchange their load at a midway stop after two or three days and hurry over to the designated rendezvous location. Song Zining paced a couple of times within the room and said decisively, A change of plans. Tell the remaining three caravans that they dont need to exchange goods anymore and to head straight to the designated location. The old man was somewhat startled. Seventh Young Master, those three caravans contain fewer goods, but they still make up four parts in total. Without an exchange, the total value of the goods will exceed half. This wont the losses be too great? Some hesitation appeared on Song Zinings countenance, but he still said resolutely after some thought, Ill be leaving soon and might take a while this time. There can be no mishaps regarding that plan, so let the losses be! Just consider it a repayment to the clan for nurturing me. Chapter 416: Viscoun Chapter 416: Viscount [V5C123 C A Distance Within Reach] The old man sighed indignantly. Seventh Young Master has shown such obvious hints, yet those old fogeys from the clan are playing deaf and mute. Song Zhongcheng that bastard is still going on about how the Song clans prestige is important. Humph! The way I see it, hes just causing trouble for you. Hes afraid that youll cast off your shackles and connect yourself to an influential clan, thereby gaining a powerful ally. This building is already about to collapse, whats the use of gaining face? Foolish, truly foolish! Song Zining said with a soft sigh, The heavens have never killed people. Its always people who seek death on their own. At this moment, a strong gust of wind blew open the windows and filled the room with extreme coldness. The gale picked up the papers and threw them about, but Song Zining didnt move in the slightesthis heart, for a moment, was filled with bleakness. Meanwhile, Qianye was still carrying out his long wait. The giant beasts heart blood seemed boundless, and the converted darkness origin power flowed on without end. The purple blood energy was immobile and curled up in one corner of the space. It hadnt the smallest share in the vast amount of darkness origin power produced by the Mystery Chapterall of it was being absorbed by the dark golden blood energy. For some reason, the latter was being extremely despotic. The purple blood energy wanted to partake in some of the darkness origin power as usual but was banished by the dark golden one. The two blood energies engaged in a fierce battle, but the purple lost miserably and was nearly torn and devoured by the golden blood energy. It was badly injured and no longer dared to fight for food. It could only cower into a corner, wait for its rival to have its fill, and then see if there were any leftovers. Meanwhile, both the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception were oddly silent this time. They made no move to fight the golden blood energy who thus proceeded to absorb all of the darkness origin power. After an unknown length of time had passed by, the golden blood energy finally reached a critical point. It began to release streams of blood which attached themselves to Qianyes heart and formed a dark golden blood cocoonthe advancement had begun. Qianye did some calculations and was immediately astonished. The darkness origin power absorbed by the dark golden blood energy was equal to a counts entire store of essence blood. It turned out that an entire vampire count was only enough for the dark golden blood energy to evolve once. If Qianye still had his body, he would surely have felt his brows twitching. In the past, he had only felt that the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness had an astonishing rate of consumption, but now, he had just realized that the true major glutton was the dark golden blood energy. The dark golden blood energy didnt stop absorbing darkness origin power even after forming a cocoon. On the contrary, its absorption rate even increased. Moments later, a wisp of dark golden blood energy stretched out from the cocoon and probed into Qianyes hearta while later, another strand grew out and entered his heart. This was yet another long process. A sudden enlightenment entered Qianyes consciousness as the unceasing stream of darkness origin power from the Mystery Chapter entered the blood cocoon. The dark golden origin power would form a blood core after this stage! This signified Qianyes advancement on the Evernight side as he became a formal third-rank viscountthe corresponding imperial rank was a rank-ten champion. It was just that Qianye could only laugh wryly after seeing the dark golden blood energys consumption rate. It had absorbed yet another counts worth of darkness origin power after forming the cocoon. Adding everything together, it had taken the darkness origin power equivalent of two and a half counts to feed this dark golden blood energyonly then did this forming blood core come into being. With such standards, the next advancement would surely be an unfathomable mission. However, there existed a theorem common to both the Evernight and Daybreak Factionsunder the condition of fixed innate talents, the benefits were directly proportional to the investment. The more terrifying ones talents were, the more difficult it was to achieve a perfect advancement. However, the sturdier ones foundations, the more extensive ones future prospects would be. Qianye still felt rather apprehensive despite knowing this logic, the only reason being the unreasonable consumption levels involved for advancement. Such a drain might be just right for people like Zhao Yuying or Zhao Jundu, but even they shouldnt encounter such a rate of depletion under normal circumstances. The countless dark read threads pierced into his heart and weaved tightly together. The blood energy within the sanguineous cocoon was also in the process of continuous evolution. Qianyes heart was slowly transforming and being strengthened. During this process, he used up yet another two counts worth of essence blood. This continued until the dark golden blood energy finally completed its metamorphosis and broke through the cocoon! At this moment, Qianye could no longer be considered excited because the equivalent of at least five counts in essence blood had been consumed during this entire process. In other words, a total of five Stukas was required for Qianye to condense a blood core and advance to a third-rank viscount. The giant beasts heart blood in the small space had almost been exhausted, and only a thin layer of it remained. Qianye could only sigh emotionally at how exuberant the vitality in the chaotic beasts essence blood wasit was several times superior to ordinary creatures. At this very moment, the blood core had already formed under the right conditions. The countless strands of blood piercing into Qianyes heart didnt disengage after the dark golden blood energy broke out of its cocoon. Instead, it started drawing out fresh blood from within, causing the heart to condense into a small mass of blood. Qianye finally felt relieved after seeing this mass of blood. He had originally thought that the golden blood energy would assimilate it completely into the blood core, which was the case for all vampires. That wouldve dragged the greater half of Qianyes body toward the Evernight faction. Additionally, many human combat arts past the champion rank required the activation of the hearts origin power source. The heart was also an absolute necessity if one wished to become a divine champion in the future. That was why Qianye had been repeatedly commanding the dark golden blood energy to condense a new, separate blood core. It was just that he had no idea whether the blood energy would listen to his order. After all, Qianye never had any real control over it. Fortunately, the golden blood energy was exceptionally obedient. It actually complied with Qianyes demands and formed a new blood core. The sanguineous mass wiggled continuously and continued to absorb darkness origin power. Only when the giant beasts remaining heart blood was reduced to a trickle did a new blood core appear beside his heart. It was just that Qianye couldnt help but become baffled after seeing this new blood core. Is this really my blood core? He had killed no small number of viscounts and seen his fair share of blood cores. He had even seen a marquis back at the Red Scorpion array chamber. At this moment, the newly formed blood core beside his heart was the size of a fist. It was far bigger than that of an ordinary viscount and closer to a first-rank viscounts in terms of size. This was still understandable since, after all, it had absorbed so much essence blood during the advancement; being somewhat stronger than an ordinary viscount was only natural. However, Qianyes blood core wasnt made up of purer flesh and bloodthere were many dark golden crystalline granules embedded within it. Legends described how a vampires blood core would undergo a transformation once he had progressed past the level of a duke and stepped toward that of a grand prince. The blood core would become completely crystallized and turn into what was known as blood amber. This process, however, could only be found in written records since most people would never have the chance to see a grand princes blood core in a lifetime. Vampire grand princes were incomparably powerful. They were only one rank below great monarchs and possessed virtually unlimited lifespans. It wasnt strange at all for them to live thousands of years. Most of those famous vampire grand princes were even older than the empires history. Who could kill such characters and bring out their blood core for a look? Then how was one able to categorize Qianyes current blood core? Half-crystallized? Feeling greatly distressed, Qianye decided he might as well push these problems to the side for now. He had successfully condensed a blood core at the moment, and the most direct benefit it afforded him was the ability to reform his body. Vampires possessed an extremely tenacious vitality and could be reborn as long as their blood core remainedall that was required was to place it within the clans blood pool with some investment in time and resources. That was the reason why one had to destroy the blood core when killing high-ranking vampires. The blood core, after its condensation, started to beat rhythmically like a heart. The dark golden blood energy appeared tired. It dived straight into the blood core and refused to budge. Only at this point did the cowering purple blood energy started to show signs of movement. It swam around the blood core for some time but didnt dare enter. It could only return to the heart with its ability rune in tow and proceed to hibernate therein. When the blood core was first activated, Qianyes consciousness felt as though it had landed on solid ground. It had fallen into the blood core from nothingness. Then, with a single thought from Qianye, the blood core immediately shot out thousands of sanguineous threads which tore through the surrounding space and pierced into the giant beasts remaining flesh and blood. He then began the simultaneous process of absorption and reconstruction. Qianye calmed down and devoted himself to the reconstruction of his body. In the Black Forest, the invasive flesh that was extending in every direction and devouring everything in its wake suddenly halted its advance and became strangely stationary. It started to contract moments later, leaving behind only the corroded, scorched earth. But the soil that had been shaved off by the passing flesh actually started moving as though it were alivethe earth swelled gradually, and the trenches therein soon filled up on their own. After some time, green shoots began to sprout on the ground and started to grow at a visible rate. A grove of tall trees several meters in height had appeared within the short span of a single day. They stopped growing at this point. The withered yellow leaves fell like rain while the branches and trunks gradually turned dark and twisted, slowly transforming into that eerie forest landscape. The flesh and blood that had already covered thousands of meters in diameter were contracting at this moment. Moreover, it was drying up progressively as though its essence was being drained without a pause. In the end, it started to wither from the periphery; the flesh completely shriveled up and eventually transformed into dark grey rocks. After an unknown length of time, Qianye tore open the blood membrane surrounding his body and stood up. The first thing he did after rising was to touch his chest. There, he found more than just a beating heartsomething that wasnt there beforea blood core. Qianye then observed his hands. His limbs had grown more slender, and, much like a work of art, there wasnt a single blemish to be found. If one must point out a defect, it was that his skin was paleso pale that there was a certain morbidness to its beauty. However, these seemingly delicate hands held a disproportionate amount of terrifying power. Qianye glanced at his surroundings and found a broken sword nearby. The blade was brought into his hand with a single summoning gesture. This sword was Nangong Jianchengs weapon. The giant chaotic beast had swallowed the man whole after his death, and even his weapon was corroded with only half the blade remaining. Qianye glanced briefly at the broken sword before wringing it quite casuallythe sharp blade was actually crushed like twisted dough. This kind of strength had far surpassed vampires of the same level and was quite sufficient to tear fine steel apart. Qianye flung what remained of the blade to the ground and then glanced at his own hands. Only afterward did he turn his attention to the surroundings. He was standing at the center of a completely empty space thousands of meters in diameter. There was virtually nothing here apart from a thick layer of odd rocks and the necklace by his feet. It was precisely Andruils Mysterious Realm. As expected of a core treasure left behind by the Black-Winged Monarch, the necklace was completely unharmed. Qianye picked it up and wore it on his neck once more. At this moment, a flickering light nearby caught his attention. He walked over to take a look and found that it was an odd diamond-shaped crystal the size of his palm. Chapter 417: Conflic Chapter 417: Conflict [V5C124 C A Distance Within Reach] The odd thing about this crystal was that it was actually generating void origin power continuously from within. Qianye picked it up and observed it again and again in his handits crystalline body appeared completely natural and showed no signs of having been carved. However, there was a defect on it. Seeing the shape of this defect, Qianye suddenly recalled the odd piece of crystal he had picked up from Viscount Porters treasury. He immediately retrieved it from his spatial necklace and found that its size and shape were a perfect fit for the gap in this rhombus-shaped crystal. As expected, the small crystal fastened itself perfectly upon insertion, and the entire diamond-shaped crystal erupted with intense radiance. Additionally, a formless wave spread out far into the distance and had soon vanished to god knew where. The crystal turned dark and lightless after that initial surge of brilliance. However, under the Eye of Truth, the crystal had grown even more cryptic and profoundperhaps this was its original form. Qianye was unable to figure out anything after studying the crystal for the greater half of the day. As such, he put it back into the spatial necklace so that he could have it appraised by a master later on. Qianye searched through the surroundings once more and finally found the Twin Flowers, but there was no sign of his Scarlet Edge. Apparently, it had been corroded by the giant beasts bodily fluids. One had to know that the dagger was a grade-five vampiric blade and was far above the Twin Flowers in terms of material quality. However, the two revolvers were indeed extraordinary after being modified by the Black-Winged Monarchs remnant willthey were actually unharmed. After such a long time together, Qianye had formed some attachment to the pair of handguns. He couldnt help but become immediately delighted. It was just that their holsters had vanished entirely, so Qianye could only put the weapons into his necklace. He then produced and changed into a set of clothes. After making proper arrangements, Qianye began to glance at his surroundings once more in hopes of finding an exit from this odd forest. He suddenly felt that something was off after a moment of observation. Qianye smashed the earth with his fist. Accompanied by a cloud of dust, the rumbling smash immediately produced a deep pit in the ground which he peered into with the Eye of Truth. However, there was no longer any void origin power seeping out. Only at this point did Qianye realize that the forest no longer felt the samethe dense, eerie vitality permeating the woods had disappeared. The entire forest seemed to have lost its life and turned into a dead zone. There were no more transformations whatsoever. A rueful smile appeared on Qianyes countenance as he recalled how he had entered the Black Forest by accident. Ah, Im already a vampire viscount! At this moment, his emotions were indeed difficult to describe. The various bizarre phenomena brought about by the Black Forest naturally dispersed after its death, and the area was no longer a one way land of death. Qianye checked his position and advanced toward a random direction. The current Black Forest was no longer able to interfere with his perception, so he would surely arrive at its border as long as he kept walking. As for why the Black Forest had suddenly perished, Qianye could only venture some guesses. Perhaps it had something to do with the giant beasts demise or, perhaps, it was another reason altogether. There was no shortage of legends regarding the Black Forest remnants, but never any stories of its secrets being discovered. Qianye saw many more peculiarities along the way. There were humans wrapped up in giant cocoons, and others half swallowed by the trees with the remaining half of their bodies struggling painfully outside. Death came to them in many different forms. There was a giant tree with human faces embedded within it, each of them frozen with painful expressions. They were actually crying, but the tears had crystallized and would forever remain on their faces. It was just that the Black Forest had already died, and these trees had also lost their vitality. Those who had been devoured would remain eternally locked in this moment of painful struggle. All these people who had entered the Black Forest, mistake or otherwise, became nourishment in the end. Even someone as strong as Nangong Jiancheng was no exception. Qianye would occasionally find some items under the trees which he checked one by onethere were Nangong family tokens among the many others which belonged to the aristocratic families. There were even some fairly aged tokens covered in rust and well-weathered parchments. These centuries-old objects proved that the Black Forest had existed for at least three hundred years. At this point, Qianye deduced that yet another Nangong family elite squad had met its end in the Black Forest in order to chase him down. All in all, Qianye estimated that at least over a hundred elites had died in his hands, including two champions and a true expert like Nangong Jiancheng. His enmity with the Nangong family seemed to be growing deeper and deeper. Qianye hastened his steps. He wanted to leave this place quickly and return to Blackflow City. There was an unerasable worry in his heart. Bai Kongzhao was a vicious and merciless person. There was no telling what she would do now that she had failed to assassinate him after that long, thousand-kilometer battle. Additionally, he had no idea if Bai Kongzhaos assault was her own idea or the Bai clans intention. If the Bai clan were really involved, Zhao Yuyings name alone might not be able to ensure Blackflow Citys safety. The matter at hand was urgent, but he would need to get out of this place first. In Blackflow City, Song Hu was sitting in his office and feeling distressed as he faced the heap of official documents. The undercurrents within the city were growing stronger as a continuous stream of unidentified people entered the city. With Song Hus fox-like sense of smell, he had long since noticed that these people hadnt come with good intentions. However, he had no way to deal with them at the moment. Qianye had gone dark after going to battle and had yet to return to this very day. Meanwhile, Zhao Yuying was still recuperating back at the Zhao clan with no way to come over on short notice. At this moment, there wasnt a single expert powerful enough to hold the fort in Blackflow City. There were rumors flowing within the city about how Qianye had fallen in battle at the Dark Nation. They were naturally spread by people with certain intentions, but these fabrications might move peoples hearts if Qianye failed to appear after a long time. The best way to deal with this matter was to engage in battle and shift peoples attention. Song Hu arrived before the map on the wall but still couldnt decide after gazing at it for a long time. He could only let out another sigh. In the end, he was only a division-level chief of staff and had been badly wounded before. It was quite a strain both in terms of strength and strategy for him to deal with the current situation. If he staked everything in one throw and lost, the situation would immediately destabilizethat probably wasnt Qianyes intention when the latter put him in charge of things. It was at this time that the office door was pushed open and a familiar soldier rushed in. Officer, things dont look good. Our men have gotten into a conflict, and many brothers have been killed! Song Hu roared with a cold face, Who did this? Its still those people from the Nangong squad! Song Hu smashed his fist heavily on the table and said hatefully, Its them again! The soldier gritted his teeth and said, Sir, this isnt the first time! Weve already lost a dozen or so brothers to them. So what if we cant win? Lets fight it out with them. Rest assured, none of our brothers are cowards in battle! Since were going to die anyway, dying in battle is better than being vexed to death! Song Hus face twitched hard, but he was hesitant. There were already all kinds of people mixed in within the city, but a large Nangong family combat squad had established themselves here a couple of days ago. The Nangong family was a giant entity to a small border city like Blackflow. They started getting into conflict with the Dark Flame soldiers immediately after their arrival, and every time, there would be a spillage of blood. Later on, they simply started killing people. No matter how elite the Dark Flame soldiers were, they were still commoners who couldnt be compared to the true experts of the Nangong unit. As such, they would be badly defeated in every conflict. A number of officers couldnt take it anymore and brought an entire battalion to demand an explanation. In the end, several hundred soldiers were beaten to the ground following a fierce battle, even leaving a couple of corpses behind. This Nangong unit was comprised of several dozen men, all of them rank eight or nine experts. They didnt go to battle after arriving in Blackflow and simply roamed the city every day to pick fights with Dark Flame troops. Conflicts had broken out every day during this short period under the cold gazes of the various bystanders. Song Hu was also from an aristocratic family and knew the difficulty of this situation. It was useless to report this to the upper echelonsthe self-governing tradition of combat divisions dictated that the weak had no way to protect their own domain. Revealing their own weakness might even cause the other fellows who had always disliked Dark Flame to take advantage of the situation and play some tricks. There were only two ways to deal with this. The best way was, of course, to destroy the opponent. But this method wasnt feasible with both Qianye and Zhao Yuying absent. The second was to swarm out in full force and kill them with a sea of soldiers. There was also a drawback to this strategy because, without an expert to oversee the troops, it would be quite difficult to prevent the Nangong squad from breaking the siege. At that time, the casualties would be heavy and the benefits, little. The gains would hardly make up for the losses. Moreover, experts like Duan Hao and Zhu Wuya were out managing missions at the temporary strategic points. Qianye was also missing deep behind enemy lines. How could he summon them back at such a critical juncture? Song Hu, as a chief of staff, was adept at handling military affairs, but he wasnt decisive enough regarding such major issues. However, the Nangong squad was currently causing a great disturbance within the city. Not only were they causing the citizens to waver, but even the army morale had inevitably become disorganized. While a distressed Song Hu was pondering over what to do, the door was pushed opened and in walked a smiling man. Uncle Hu, long time no see. Why do you look so nervous? Do you not even dare to take such a small action anymore? Song Hus entire body shook as he glanced carefully at the visitor. Both surprised and delighted, he said, Seventh Young Master! Why are you here?! The person who had arrived was indeed Song Zining who said while playing with the fan in his hand, I was feeling quite restless these days, so I came over to take my mind off things and also to take a look at the situation here in passing. How come Im hearing about the Nangong family causing trouble the moment I landed? Song Hu smiled wryly, Its been several days, and over ten of our warriors have died in their hands. But Sire Qianye isnt here, so theres no way to deal with them. Song Zining closed the fan with a pop and retracted his smile. A killing intent emerged on his face as he said, Only a group of jumping clowns. It just so happened that Ive become a champion recently and have nothing else to do. Ill go over and play with them. You just wait for me here. Seventh Young Master! But Song Hu wanted to say something, but Song Zining had already left. Song Hu had worked under Song Zining and knew quite clearly that this young, gentle-looking master only appeared accommodating, but was never one to go back on his words. He felt quite nervous and wanted to explain the many pros and cons to him, but he didnt dare go out since Song Zining had ordered him to stay. He could only pace about Dark Flames main gates like an ant on a hot pan. In the end, Song Zining came strolling back along the wide road leading up to Dark Flames main gates. He couldnt help but break into a laughter after seeing the anxiously awaiting Song Hu on the sentry tower. Go and make some preparations. The Nangong family men will arrive soon afterward, and I have questions for them. Song Hu was astonished at how quickly Song Zining had returned. Had his Seventh Young Master really just gone out to play? Chapter 418: Establishing Migh Chapter 418: Establishing Might [V5C125 C A Distance Within Reach] Moments later, two heavy trucks filled with men from the Nangong squad arrived at Dark Flames gates. It was just that all of them were injured, tightly bound, and there were even some corpses. Only at this point did Song Hu understand that Song Zining wanted him to set up an interrogation room. But he still found it difficult to disguise the shock in his heart no matter how hard he tried. Even if Song Zining were already a champion, he should be a newly advanced one. How then was he able to sweep through the Nangong family troops and capture them all in one go? The interrogation room was set up a while later. It could hardly be called an interrogation chamber and was more like a trial hall. Over thirty Nangong family soldiers and five corpses were brought into the room together with an entire company of the most elite guards whom Song Hu had arranged for Song Zinings safety. It took the largest conference hall at Dark Flame headquarters in order to settle them all in. Only after everything had been arranged appropriately did Song Zining finally appear in the company of several beautiful ladies. He stepped steadily toward the stage and sat down with due calmness as his aides hurriedly delivered tea and fruits. Song Zining looked down from above with a sidelong glance and asked calmly, Who are these bound prisoners? This knowing question quickly infuriated the Nangong family squad. One of the leaders said furiously, Song Zining! Kill me if you want. I, Nangong Kang, am your son if I so much as frown! Why must you humiliate us so? Your Song clan may be powerful, but our Nangong family isnt so easily bullied either! Song Zining only laughed and tossed a slice of fruit into his mouth. I dont think that the Song clan is powerful at all. If it really is powerful, how could it be taken advantage of by you people? Nangong Kangs expression changed. Seventh Young Masters words are incorrect. Weve never offended the Song clan. Song Zining pointed beneath his feet and said with a smile, Its not too late to let you know that I have a share in this place. You people smashed my business and killed my men for no good reason. If this isnt pushing the Song clan around, then what is it? Nangong Kangs expression changed yet again. They had no idea that Song Zining owned a share in Dark Flame. However, the Nangong family had completely shifted to the Imperial Party and even dared offend the Zhao clan, so the Song clan didnt matter all that much. Moreover, as Nangong Kang saw it, Song Zining was only trying to fault them and extort some benefits. He immediately sneered, That is quite the secret, but, just as the Seventh Young Master said, its not too late to know about it now. Since Seventh Young Master has captured us, you can negotiate with the Nangong familyjust state your demands whether you want money or land. Im sure the family will give you a satisfactory reply. Song Zining shook his head with a smile. Why go to all the trouble? Im old now, and my memory isnt so good. As such, I prefer the simplicity of taking revenge on the spot! Song Hu, how many men did we lose? Song Hu replied from the side, Seventeen in total, Young Master. Very well. Ive killed five of them already, so that leaves twelve. Pick any twelve and chop their heads off! Use my blade here. With that, Song Zining removed his sword and tossed it to Song Hu. Despite having experienced his fair share of important matters, Song Hus expression couldnt help but change at this point. Killing twelve soldiers wasnt a big deal for someone of Song Zinings status, but a public execution was a different matterit was tantamount to declaring war on the Nangong family! Song Hu could hardly believe such extreme words would come from the extremely sophisticated Seventh Young Master who had always handled matters with great discretion. But he could only obey since the order had been issued. Song Hu immediately drew the blade and arrived behind the group of Nangong soldierswith its rise and fall, twelve heads rolled to the ground in a flash. Song Hu couldnt care about the blood all over his body. He returned to Song Zinings side and said, Seventh Young Master, the men have been killed. I now return your treasured sword! Song Zining opened his fan with a swoosh and covered his face. He then said while waving his hand, Stay away, stay away! Look at what youve done. Theres blood everywhere. Seeing blood is the one thing Im most afraid of! Song Hu was immediately shocked after hearing this. Meanwhile, the group of maids giggled with their mouths covered. It seemed these little girls taken in by Song Zining werent simple either. At least, they were still quite calm and cheerful while facing this bloody scene. Below them, Nangong Kang was glaring so hard that his eyes were about to tear. He roared furiously, Song Zining, you dare kill my brothers. Therell definitely come a day when I quarter you and turn you to ash! Dont ever think about sleeping soundly as long as Im alive! Song Zining was startled after hearing these words. T-Thats really not good! he said unhurriedly with a terrified expression. Then I can only let you die. At this point, a maple leaf formed of origin power appeared in Song Zinings hand. A sudden shout came through from outside the window. Halt! But Song Zining didnt seem to hear anything. The leaf in his hand shot out at lightning speed and sent Nangong Kangs head flying high into the air. You dare?! The person outside was both angry and surprised. He hadnt expected that Song Zining would take action so decisivelyhe didnt even have time to stop the latter. The french window opened without any wind as a young man walked in. He stared daggers at Song Zining and said word by word, Ive long since heard about a certain Junior Zining from our batch whos brimming with talent. But today, I found that your methods are also extraordinary. Its just that your actions are so ruthless. Do you not wish to leave some leeway for the future? Song Zining laughed in a fairly reserved manner. How can my meager talents compare to Senior Brother? Senior Brother Xu Lang is the number one in Yellow Springs. Please dont mock me. See? Im already scared after seeing blood. How can I be a ruthless person? Xu Lang was stoppered up, and his countenance turned malicious. This Song Zining had so casually ordered to have twelve people beheaded, not to mention he himself had just taken someones head. Yet, he was still claiming that he didnt dare see bloodhis pretentiousness was on a whole new level. Song Zining spread his fan and said, Could it be that Senior Brother is behind these people? Xu Lang had no way to continue this topichow could he fall for such an obvious verbal trap? He snorted coldly and said in a mocking tone, Major clan descendants are indeed different. But I heard junior brothers share in Dark Flame is only a small amount. Is it worth offending the Nangong family for such a minuscule profit? Its best junior brother not take on the role of a scapegoat! The threat in Xu Langs words was obvious, but Song Zining didnt mind it at all. The conflict between clans has always been tangled and complicated. Its not easy for Brother Xu to reach this stage with your commoner background. You shouldnt wade into these muddy waters so easily. Im here right now, but quite understandably, you wont dare take action. Even if Im not your match, I still have brothers, elders, and the many experts raised by the Song clan. These people arent mere freeloaders and will surely retaliate in kind. If Senior Brother wishes to lecture me, I suggest waiting for another five years or so! Xu Langs countenance immediately turned unsightly. He sneered, Major clan descendants are really quite imposing! Do you have no other cards to play apart from ganging up on people? Song Zining laughed heartily at this. He flapped his fan even faster as he said with a laugh, This is the only good thing about being a noble. Itll be a waste not to put it to use. Xu Lang couldnt flip out despite his fury since Song Zining was acting in such a scoundrelly manner, not to mention most of the Nangong familys men were already dead anyway. He immediately said with a frosty demeanor, Well played Zining, this senior brother is much obliged. But you must know that certain other people dont have powerful backgrounds, especially Junior Brother Qianye. He should take great care when going out in the future. Song Zining only chuckled. Is Senior Brother referring to that troublemaker, Qianye? Its fine, you can teach him a good lesson when you next meet him. Ive been displeased with him for a long time now. Xu Lang only snorted and left, knowing that he simply couldnt gain any advantage in a verbal spar. The Dark Flame soldiers in the room all collapsed in succession after Xu Langs departure and only managed to clamber up moments later. The mans presence had exerted a formless suppression in the room, and it took these soldiers everything they had just to remain standing. Now that the pressure had vanished following Xu Langs departure, the men could no longer hold on and collapsed one after another. Only the powerful officers were able to remain unfazed. Song Hu was aghast. This Xu Lang was so young, but his strength was unfathomable. It seemed even Song Zining was at a disadvantage and could only protect himself. He couldnt shield all those soldiers in the hall. Seventh Young Master, what shall we do with the remaining prisoners? Song Zining was still smiling frivolously. He swept his gaze over the Nangong family members below and said, I wanted to keep a couple of them alive to deliver a message to Nangong Yuanbo, but thats no longer necessary since Senior Brother has come. Kill them all! This isnt too appropriate, is it? A shocked Song Hu said cautiously, Seventh Young Master, this method is too ruthless. It wont be good if word gets out. Moreover, killing these people would mean a real war with the Nangong family. Song Zining smiled indifferently. Its not ruthless at all. Im not a softie like Qianye. This time, Ill have those people know that as long as Im here, Dark Flame is a place they wont ever return from. The Nangong family army Song Zining replied calmly, If they dare come, then I dare fight them. Its high time they see my tactical abilities. Seventh Young Masters abilities are naturally top-notch, a maid chimed in from the side. Song Zining laughed loudly and said, Im not being modest. Even Qianye isnt my match when leading troops into battle. Another maid asked curiously, Has the Seventh Young Master ever fought Sire Qianye? Of course, weve never fought a real battle, but Ive rehearsed it several times on the sand table and the results are always the same. What are those results? It wasnt just the maids, even Song Hu and the other Dark Flame warriors were curious at this point. In Song Hus eyes, Song Zining was undoubtedly a heaven-bestowed talent, but he had also found Qianye becoming increasingly unfathomable after an extended period of interaction. It was truly difficult to say who would win in a direct confrontation. Song Zining closed his fan in the face of all those curious gazes and said heroically, Naturally, Im the one with extraordinary skill in leading troops. I marched straight ahead and directly wiped out that troublemakers army. Then Then what? everyone asked in unison. Song Zining clenched his teeth and said, Then that calamity broke into my camp alone and took my head! Within half a day, the corpses of the Nangong family men had been fixed to wooden frames and exposed to the public. All the powers in Blackflow City immediately became quiet and decided to lay low. No one dared make a rash move. Everyone knew some changes were imminent following Qianyes prolonged absence. However, Qianyes departure begot Song Zinings arrival, and the latter was even more difficult to deal with. With Song Zinings current status, he could kill any commoner or landowning household member at his whim. Even the Nangong familys troublemakers had been killed off; what could these ordinary people even do? Chapter 419: Grey Marke Chapter 419: Grey Market [V5C126 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zinings expression was incomparably solemn after all the people had left and he alone remained. He was very clear that Xu Lang was a highly ambitious person, not the kind the Nangong family could easily put to work. There might be someone behind him, or perhaps some other reasonnone of them was a good sign under the present circumstances. Song Zining pondered for quite a while before he managed to discard the distracting thoughts and start preparing for the bitter war. Leading troops wasnt Qianyes forte, so Song Zining was prepared to shoulder this burden alone. But it had been so long since there was any news of that troublemaker. Could he really have encountered some misfortune? Song Zinings brows knitted together involuntarily as he recalled the fuzzy vision he had seen via the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Arta golden spark flickering weakly in a boundless world of darknessholding on, steadfast, and unyielding. Qianye was traversing the Black Forest at this moment. Every leap took him over ten meters forward as he leaped from tree to tree, his feet never touching the ground. It was unknown just how many times faster he had become, but his movements were completely silent. The Black Forest couldnt be considered too large and was only a few hundred kilometers in radius. Qianye was able to arrive swiftly at the forests borders since the powers of spatial distortion were no longer active after its death. Before him was a continuous stretch of rising hills leading up to a majestic mountain range far in the distance which pierced into the clouds. The geography was incomparably complicated with its weaving rivers and deep ravines. But in Qianyes Eye of Truth, he saw that the origin power of this land was much denser than the others and also superior in its purity and liveliness. The dense and vivacious origin power inevitably signified an easier success in cultivation. It also implied that there were even more resources hidden underneath the earth. Add to that the incomparably complicated landscape, this place was a natural battleground. Qianye had no idea at all what this place was. Neither did this place correspond to any place on the war-zone map which he had memorized. It was highly possible that he was deep in the hinterlands of the Dark Nation. He looked up at the sky and found that the Iron Curtain was still there. This proved that he was still within the range of the bloody battle, but that didnt explain much because the Iron Curtain was simply too big. Moreover, it was reportedly expanding little by little in a certain direction. Qianye chose a random direction and walked along the forests edge. Although he had no idea where he was, a deduction from the previous bearing hinted that he was very likely in the Dark Nation territory. It wasnt wrong to be cautious. But this area appeared rather calm. Qianye only saw a small number of conflicts after walking for half a day, a stark contrast from the flaming battle situation around the Blackflow City region. The battles here were all internal battles among dark race members. Qianye had no intention to participate and only circled around them before continuing his journey in silence. Before long, a small, crude town appeared in the extremes of his line of sight. The town wasnt big, and the buildings therein were small and simple, almost like a large settlement. However, the town was thriving despite its small scale with people shuttling through its streets and large clusters of tents pitched outside of its walls. Apparently, there were too many people visiting this place and not enough accommodations. Hence, many of them simply decided to camp outdoors. It was mostly dark race members going in and out of the small town, but, quite unexpectedly, there were many humans too. At this moment, a group of human warriors had appeared from the distant mountain range and were walking toward the little town. The men were strong, well-equipped, and clad in uniform apparelit was quite apparent that they were part of a major family. According to reason, such a group of people appearing in the sights of dark race members signaled the start of a dreadful battle. However, the battle Qianye was expecting did not come to pass. The dark race members only cast them brief glancessome were indifferent, some were cautious, and others were even quite cordial. In the end, that squad entered the small town without the slightest bit of harm. Later on, Qianye saw several more humans leave the place with excitement written all over their faces. It was as though they had just gained huge benefits. Such a scene immediately made Qianye recall the Tulip Bazaar he had visited together with William. It seemed this was also a similar place. Not only had the bloody battle not destroyed this grey area, but had, instead, made it thrive even more. It could only be said that the profits to be gained here were much greater compared to military contributions. After understanding what was going on, Qianye adjusted his clothes and headed toward the small town. He decided to enter the small town as a vampire and take a look around. Trading was only secondaryhis main objective was to find out where he was at the moment. Both humans and dark race members near and far shot Qianye peculiar glances since a loner like him was fairly rare. The so-called safety in the grey zone was only relative. Everyone entering and leaving this place had many valuable things on themtrue safety was dependent on ones own strength. But Qianye would glare back without showing the slightest bit of weakness whenever he sensed someones attention. He was now a newly advanced viscount, and even across the entire Evernight Faction, he could be considered to have stepped into the upper echelons. It would be strange if he were to act meek with such power and status. There were indeed all kinds of people in this little town. There were only two viscount level champions overseeing the Tulip Bazaar back then, but there were more than two viscounts active in this area. Most of them would release their aura after locking eyes with Qianye and leave after a mutual display of might. It could be considered a fairly common way of greeting among strangers in the Dark Nation. Two werewolf guards came up to Qianye as he approached the town gates. Qianye said nothing in response to their interrogation and only released some of his aurathe two werewolf guards were immediately intimidated. The werewolves were full of fear as they took a step back in a gesture of respect. Afterward, they explained the rules of the town quite briefly, mostly pertaining to how private battles were forbidden inside the town and must be taken outside. Qianye decided to take a good look around the grey market since he had already arrived. He had managed to exchange killer weapons like Black Titanium Bullets of Annihilation during his last visit to a grey bazaar. The ammunition proved decisively useful in the many battles that followed. It should be even safer than his last excursion with William now that Qianye had condensed a blood core and could hide his human identity perfectly. What did he have to fear? The clamor rushed at him as he entered the main gates. The little town was exceptionally lively with people everywhere on the streets. The crowd here was comparable to the most flourishing trade street at the imperial capital. The rooms on each side of the street had been modified into shops, the owners of which included both humans and dark race members. Moreover, there seemed to be very few instances of newcomers being cheated or conflicts on the verge of erupting. Everyone was busypeople would arrive hurriedly, quickly strike a deal, and then leave in due haste. Both in the small alleyways and on the big streets, there were people doing business and carrying out transactions everywhere. There was no lack of humans and werewolves walking with their arms around each others shoulder. The scene here was even more exaggerated than at the Tulip Bazaar. Qianye followed the stream of people for a while and arrived before a certain store. The shop was clearly the former home of an aboriginal, the front wall of which had been torn down and the room turned into a storefront. What made Qianye excited was the bizarre insignia upon its signboard which resembled a serpiginous dragon. The empires symbol was a flying serpent, and all family insignias resembling one were somehow related to the imperial family. Qianye couldnt discern whether the picture here was related to the flying serpent, but it did look somewhat similar. When Qianye walked into the store, a middle-aged man behind the counter asked without looking up, Race? Vampire. Rank? A new third-rank viscount. Qianye had never encountered such an odd way of doing business and thus decided to speak honestly. The middle-aged man finally glanced up at Qianye after hearing his rank and gave him a respectful nod. That was all the etiquette he had to offer. He then lowered his head once again and said in a cold tone, Are you looking to deal with humans or other sacred-blood races? Qianye hesitated for a moment before saying, I have a feud with another vampire. Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang are ten blood crystals a pop. One bullet should suffice to kill a third-rank viscount. I have some fine goods from the Song clan if you feel that its still not enough. But I only have one, and it sells for fifteen blood crystals. No haggling. Qianye drew in a breath of cold air. He hadnt expected this unassuming little store would actually have Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang for sale and even be able to bring out the Song clans special model. His amazing feats back at the Song clan examination had only earned him three Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang which later on proved to be life-saving. Seeing Qianyes lack of response, the middle-aged man shot him another glance and said in an apathetic tone, If you dont have the money, we also have mass produced Mithril Bullets of Exorcism at two blood crystals each. We have an ample supply of those, but five is the minimum order. Move along if you cant afford even that much. This store doesnt do small deals. Qianye was already out of supplies and ammunition at the moment. He had exhausted all of his defensive weaponry but had picked up a fair amount of blood crystals and black crystals in the Black Forest. He placed twenty blood crystals on the counter without further hesitation and said, Two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang. The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised and gazed deeply at Qianye before heading into the back of the store. He emerged moments later with an unremarkable wooden box which he duly placed on the counter. He then proceeded to sweep the blood crystals into a cloth bag and put them away. Qianye opened the wooden box and found two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang inside. This unassuming box even contained an isolation array used to retard the bullets attenuation. Qianye was greatly satisfied. He wanted even more, but unfortunately, he didnt have that many blood crystals. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man had already started to drive him out. Move along if you have no money. This daddys time is precious! Even after leaving the store, Qianye still couldnt quite believe that he was able to buy two Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang. He browsed around the streets and exchanged the remaining blood crystals for a number of vampire origin grenades before he was finally satisfied. Qianye was now even more interested in this grey market and decided he might as well take some time here. He looked around and eventually squeezed his way into a rundown but crowded baralehouses were the best place to gather intel regardless of the nation. The bar was so crowded that there was hardly any place to stand. The air was thick with the smell of tobacco, ale, and perfume. Most of the people here were already half drunk when Qianye entered. The bar was a place to indulge oneself, and this one at the grey market was no exception. Many women here was scantily clad, and there were even some who seemed to be wrapped with only strips of cloth, revealing things they should and shouldnt. Three of the four biggest dark races were humanoid in form and thus possessed similar aesthetic standardsonly the arachne were the odd ones out. But there was no way an arachne could squeeze into such a packed bar either, except the one behind the bar counter. Correct, the owner of this small bar named Apocalypse Nightfall was an arachne. Chapter 420: Want to Get me Drunk? Chapter 420: Want to Get me Drunk? [V5C127 C A Distance Within Reach] This arachne was already well advanced in his years. His face was full of creases, and his skin was already lax. However, the advantage of being an arachne was that he could reach all the alcohol on the tall shelf just by turning in place. His movements were nimble despite his agethe customers needed only to shout what they wanted, and the ale would be tossed onto their table. Naturally, they had to pay first. From this alone, it was easy to see that this arachne wasnt simple at all. Otherwise, he wouldnt be able to set up a bar here either. Qianye squeezed over to the bar and tapped lightly on the surface. Give me something strong. The arachne shot Qianye a penetrative glance and said while shrugging his shoulders, Little vampire, be careful about getting drunk. Theres only one outcome if you collapse in such a place. Youll be robbed clean and tossed out of the town. Qianyes smile remained unchanged as he repeated, Give me something strong. The type you specialize in. Very well! Newborns are indeed impetuous. I was the same at your age. The old arachne nagged on while mixing up a brightly colored concoction with dazzling techniques. He then placed the drink in front of Qianye. That thing looked and smelled terrifying. Qianye, with his keen senses, almost sneezed as the inexplicable odor assaulted his senses. Even he was somewhat hesitant at the sight of this mysterious brew. It was at this time that a beautiful woman arrived beside Qianye and said with a smile, Hey little handsome, this drink is the specialty of this place. Itll be quite a regretful if you dont try it. This werewolf lady was fiery hot and quite explicitly dressed. Her amorous gaze was also quite frank and just shy of pressing Qianye down to the floor. Qianye had inherited the innate character of a vampire and wasnt too interested in werewolves. But he still raised the glass and took a small sip. This mouthful of alcohol was like a stream of flames rushing into his stomach which left him dazzled and giddy as though an explosion had just gone off in his brain. He had unexpectedly taken too big a sip. Qianye had never encountered a situation where a single sip of wine had brought him to the verge of collapse. His body, at this moment, was burning uphis brain was muddled, and his thoughts were adrift. He placed his hands before his eyes and found that it was flushed red. Presumably, his face was also in the same state. Many eyes around the bar counter were on Qianye at this moment. Many gazes had turned abnormal after seeing his visibly intoxicated manner. Some were checking his belongings, others were looking at his person. The beautiful womans eyes were glowing as she approached and pushed her bountiful chest on Qianyes arm. Little Handsome, arent you going to buy me a drink? Just one is enough! The voices Qianye could hear were simply fleeting. He nodded. The arachne shook his head as he mixed up a similar drink and put it on the table. The werewolf lady grabbed the cup with eyes full of greed, poised to pour all of it into her mouth. But the glass had just risen from the table when it fell back down with a thud. A hand had reached out from behind and pressed down on the werewolf ladys wrist, forcing it onto the counter. The werewolf lady found, to her surprise and fury, that a young vampire girl with a frosty countenance had appeared behind her. The latter spoke in a cold voice, Scram, slut! A hairy beast like you is not worthy of this sire from our vampire race. The werewolf lady let out a low growl as the fangs in her mouth grew longer, Who are you calling hairy, you lowly thing? The vampire girl refused to budge. Im talking to you! What of it? The werewolf roared and pounced onto the young vampire, pressing her down to the floor. The two rolled about and beat each other up in a full contact struggle. The people around them were intent on stirring up trouble. They watched on the sidelines and cheered the fighters on, but none of them had the intention to intervene. On the contrary, many of them started bettingthere were some who bet on the vampire girl, but there were even more bets on the werewolf lady. Qianye was still taking small sips from the glass, completely oblivious to the things happening behind him. Another female appeared beside him at one pointa young lady. She sat beside him without turning her head and only asked indifferently, Arent you going to buy me a drink? Qianye wanted to nod instinctively, but his whole body jolted after seeing her rare black hair. He only spoke after a moment of silence, Ill accompany you no matter how much you want to drink. The black-haired girl turned to gaze at Qianye with her deep, unfathomable eyes. She suddenly laughed. You want to get me drunk and bring me away? At this moment, Qianyes thoughts were adrift and he replied quite instinctively, If possible, then why not? Even Qianye himself was shocked at the words he had just spokenhe would never have said such things were he sober. A few glasses of wine, and he would turn into a different person. But the black-haired girl, which was exactly Nighteye, wasnt angry and only responded with an indifferent tone. Youre welcome to try. Boss, ten glasses of the usual! Ten glasses! Even in his half intoxicated state, Qianye was shocked and sobered up quite a bit. Many people in the bar who had taken notice also started to cheer and howl. The old arachne revealed a ruminating smile. Without a second word, his hands set to work at lightning speed, and soon, ten colorful decoctions appeared on the counter. Nighteye took a cup and clinked it forcefully against Qianyes own. Come, bottoms up. With that, she raised her head and allowed the flaming liquor to enter her throat. Qianyes countenance turned bitter. He held the glass in both hands and continued to drink in small sips as though he were taking medicine; it took him quite a while to finish it. Jeers rang out around them, and many people raised their middle fingers at Qianye. Nighteye reached out to adjust her hair and raised yet another glass. Come, bottoms up. This small movement exposed her countenance to everyones eyes. The rowdiness in the bar suddenly decreased by half. Their breathing gradually turned coarse as they stared fixedly at Nighteye. Qianye continued to frown with a depressed expression as he slowly finished his second glass. This time, the jeers had lessened quite a bit. The house specialty was extremely strong, and not many here could take two glasses without falling under the table. The bar had turned fairly silent by the time Nighteye raised the third cup. Even the two brawling ladies had stopped and were looking at Nighteye with complicated expressions. Nighteyes features could only be described as perfect, one that should never have appeared in such a place. Meanwhile, Qianye wasnt really inferior either in terms of external appearance. Many people felt that the two sitting there together made quite a good match. Many young men and women were looking at Nighteye. Many were also looking at Qianye. And with that, the fourth cup went down. Nighteyes countenance was no different from the normit was as though she had just drunk four glasses of water. Her eyes had grown more abstruse, however. Qianye, on the other hand, had been swaying since the very first cup and was still wavering right now. But he just wouldnt go down. At this point, even the stupidest person would know something wasnt quite right. The dup was still in the same state after the fifth cup. Nothing had changed. Boss, another ten cups. Nighteyes style was just as ruthless and decisive. But a disruption soon arrived in the form of an extremely burly werewolf. He landed a heavy slap on the counter and stooped down as he said to Nighteye, Miss Vampire, theres no point in drinking with that sissy. Drink with me! I, Wildfang, will satisfy you both at the drinking table and in bed! What do you say? Some of the other vampires drooling over Nighteye were immediately dissatisfied. One of them released his baron-level aura and said in a deep voice, Hairy fellow, the noble vampire race isnt something you can touch! Wildfang stared at the vampire baron and stood up straight with a sinister smile. The werewolf was extremely tall and had almost reached the ceiling after standing up. A wild and tyrannical aura emerged from his body, accompanied by a darkness origin power so intense that it almost seemed tangible. Quite impressively, he was a second-rank viscount. The burly werewolf watched the vampire baron being stifled under the pressure of his aura and said with a sinister smile, This daddy here has played with hundreds of vampire girls and toyed several dozens more to death! Do you have anything to say? Ill tell you in passing that this daddys full name is Wildfang Bloodcrown. That vampire barons face was already quite pale, but his expression changed drastically after hearing the name Bloodcrown; his hands started to tremble slightly. Bloodcrown was a powerful major tribe among the werewolves, only second to the Summit of Peaks. However, the Bloodcrowns were exceedingly radical and preferred the use of military power to solve every problem. It was one of the most aggressive werewolf tribes, and all who hail from it were extremely powerful warriors. Just like the Twelve Ancient Vampire Clans, their strength couldnt be measured just by rank. It was at this time that a middle-aged vampire walked over. He stood in front of the baron and said coldly, Wildfang, hes one of mine. This vampire appeared thin and weak, but the blood energy being released from his body was extremely densehe was also a second-rank viscount. All the vampires in the bar turned pale from the suppression of his superior bloodline. Wildfang focused his gaze and said coldly, Brock, others might fear you, but I certainly don''t. This lass here is mine. Are you going to bring up your noble bloodline again? Brock spoke while staring at Wildfang, My family and yours are just about equal, and its not as if weve never fought either. Why must I compromise? Lets do it like this. Well let her choose. How about it? Wildfang let out a series of sinister laughs and turned to Nighteye with hot air spouting out of his nose. Lass, what do you say? Nighteye raised her hand and splashed the wine onto Wildfangs face. She had only one word to say, and that was Scram." Wildfang laughed instead of getting angry and proceeded to lick the wine on his face with a scarlet tongue. Feisty. I like it! The werewolf then moved his mountain-like body toward Qianye and said, What do you say, brat? Qianyes reply was even more direct. He picked up the wine glass and smashed it onto Wildfangs face! The glass split into several pieces with a loud bang, leaving a mixture of spirit and blood dripping down Wildfangs face. Wildfang was momentarily startled because he had never expected Qianye to smash his face directly. The entire bar fell silent. Youre courting death! With a furious roar, Wildfang swung his fist down on Qianye! Qianye could barely reach the werewolfs shoulder even when standing; the difference between their physiques was simply too great. A swing of Wildfangs fist was sure to badly injure anyone below the level of baron. Qianye raised a single hand amidst a series of gasps and grabbed Wildfangs heavy fist. But contrary to expectations, he wasnt smashed to the floor. His other hand struck out at lightning speed and landed a solid blow on Wildfangs abdomenalmost his entire forearm went into the latters body. Chapter 421: Fear Chapter 421: Fear [V5C128 C A Distance Within Reach] Wildfangs eyes turned round all of a suddenhis mouth couldnt help but open wide as he sprayed out everything he had drunk. The torrential vomitus drenched the onlookers standing behind Qianye. Qianyes right fist shot out and, once again, slammed into Wildfangs abdomen. This time, the werewolf could no longer hold onhis knees went soft, and he fell kneeling onto the floor. Qianye pulled Wildfangs face up by the hair and delivered a ruthless headbutt! Wildfangs face turned into a complete mess amidst cracking sounds. His nose had been beaten into his skull, and a mixture of fresh blood and alcohol splattered out in all directions. The alehouse suddenly fell into a lapse of silence. Everyone knew just how sturdy a werewolfs skull was, but quite unexpectedly, Qianye had beaten Wildfangs face into a pulp with a single headbutt. Qianye was rather caught up in the fight and only discovered the presence of a fishy smell after he had delivered that satisfying headbutt. His face immediately turned pale as he recalled how Wildfang had just vomited a while ago and came quite close to throwing up himself. Qianye reached behind him and rather conveniently discovered a piece of cloth there. A forceful tug of his hand tore the fabric off with which he hurriedly wiped his face clean. It turned out that a young vampire lady was standing behind Qianye. Despite her cold countenance, she was scantily clothed and possessed a plump, fiery figure that was rare among the vampires. Not only was the vampire girl not concerned, but her eyes were even flowing with charm as she twisted her body over toward Qianye. Unfortunately, a bottle of wine exploded on her head before she even managed to approach. The vampire girl momentarily swayed about before falling head-first to the floor. Nighteye snorted deeply behind her as she tossed the broken bottle in her hand to one side. Wildfang had already recovered from his daze during the time it took for Qianye to wipe his face. The werewolves healing powers were indeed terrifying. He had already entered a berserk state, suddenly transforming into his werewolf form. His head crashed right through the ceiling as his body expanded rapidly! Qianye said nothing. He just directly rushed over and threw another punch at Wildfangs abdomen. A shocking scene played out this timeQianye had actually pierced through Wildfangs protective origin power with a single punch, his forearm once again disappearing into the werewolfs body. With Wildfangs strength, no gun below grade-five could blast through his origin power, but now, someone had punched right through it. How could this not shock everyone? This time, Wildfang had nothing to vomit. His eyes, filled with astonishment and disbelief, nearly popped out of their sockets. His knees buckled, and he was once again sent kneeling onto the floor. Qianye reached out to grab Wildfangs hair and pressed down. The werewolfs head smashed right through the bar counter with a boom and fell to the ground, half of it vanishing into the floor. Qianye picked the wolf head up again and smashed it down. Once, twice, thriceevery smash was accompanied by a muffled thudmuch like a drum thundering at the bottom of everyones heart. Wildfang still refused to fall unconscious and continued struggling frantically. Even Qianye found it hard to keep him pressed down. It was at this time that a bottle of wine appeared before Qianyes eyes which he took without a second thought and smashed it ruthlessly onto the werewolfs head. The bottle shattered, but Wildfangs struggling was still as violent. The damage done by the bottle seemed almost negligible against the werewolfs steely head. Nighteye glanced around, and her eyes soon fell upon a pig-iron cask behind the counter. That fellow seemed big and sturdy, and it was also heavy enough. Boss, out of the way! Nighteye pushed the old arachne away and lifted that big wine cask with one hand. Wait! Thats The old arachne was shocked. He tried to stop her, but, alas, it was too lateNighteye had tossed the cask to Qianye. Thank you. Qianye caught the cask and smashed it onto Wildfangs head with a loud bang, immediately flattening the thick cask. Dont mention it, Nighteye replied politely. Werewolf heads were indeed hard. Wildfangs skull still hadnt shattered even after receiving such a heavy blow. However, he stopped moving after struggling a couple of times and was finally out cold. Qianye exhaled deeply and stood up feeling greatly refreshed. He was quite sober now. But it would seem that his problems still hadnt ended. Brock led the group of vampires toward Qianye and said coldly, Brat, you want to leave just like that? Kneel down! A wisp of blood energy carrying some traces of ancient blood rose from Brocks body and rushed violently toward Qianye. The vampire wanted to use his powerful blood energy and superior bloodline power to suppress Qianye into submission. The mutual suppression of bloodlines among vampires were much stronger than that of the other three races. Even if they werent direct line descendants, the superior bloodline would exert an obvious suppression on the inferior one. The greater the difference in rank, the more distinct the suppression would be. For instance, the vampires from a remote region like Evernight might even be rendered helpless when facing a descendant of the Twelve Ancient Clans. The vampires had always been the strictest in terms of hierarchy among the four big races. Brock had discovered when Qianye was fighting against Wildfang that the latters aura was particularly lively, a sign that he had just condensed his blood core. Brock wasnt willing to give up despite having seen Wildfang fall in Qianyes handshe wanted to rely on his advantage in bloodline and rank to directly suppress Qianye. Even if the latter had some background, it would, at most, come to a stalemate. The blood energy in Qianyes body flared up as Brocks blood energy rushed onto himthis, to them, was a direct challenge. In the past, any blood energy bold enough to enter Qianyes body could hardly escape the fate of being torn apart and devoured. Qianye only felt a certain urge within his heart as an inexplicable and tyrannical killing intent surged up. He could no longer endure and retaliated against Brock with a bestial roar! Extremely dense blood energy burst forth from his body. It completely swept Brock away and covered the entire bar. The vampire viscount turned pale. It felt as though a hammer had struck his heart, and he nearly coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood. Brock still managed to remain standing, but the same couldnt be said for the vampires under him. Several vampires collapsed to the floor with a thud, while the weaker ones simply fainted. Qianyes face was full of killing intent as he reached out to pick Brock up and throw him down to the floor. This attack was so powerful that it shook the whole bar and produced a human-shaped hole in the stone floor. With Brocks second-rank viscount strength, his body was even harder than rock. He still hadnt fallen unconscious and was struggling to clamber up, but Qianye placed a foot on his head and stepped down hard, sending Brocks entire head into the stone floor with a boom. Brock could no longer endure such a severe attack and fell unconscious. The violence in Qianyes heart had yet to subside as he scanned the bar with his foot still on Brocks head. It was only then that Qianye realized that only a dozen or so people were still standing. All of these fierce people had been suppressed to the floor by his blood energy eruption. Moreover, this was Qianyes first time using his blood energy to suppress an opponent. The effects were unexpectedly good, and could even be considered inconceivable. Qianyes sobriety increased further when he realized how fortunate it was that the eruption was only from the purple blood energy; the golden one hadnt moved at all. Had the latter erupted, there might not be a single person capable of standing here. In the end, the old arachne broke the silence. You two broke so many of my things. Youd better pay for all of them on top of the price for the wine. Oh right, that iron cask was the base spirit Ive been saving up for decades. Itll also go on your tab. Qianyes expression changed as he groped around his body. All his money had been used to buy equipment. Now, he only had a single piece of blood crystal left on him, and its quality wasnt that great either. Additionally, the alcohol that had leaked out from the cask he had used to smash Wildfang was extremely fragrantit was clearly a premium product one couldnt find just anywhere. It was also impossible for him to take out items from Andruils Mysterious Realm under so many eyes. Qianye turned quite awkward at the moment and asked Nighteye in a whisper, Do you have money? No. Then what do we do? Qianye was somewhat anxious. Run! As decisive as ever, Nighteye started running with Qianye in tow. The two dashed out madly and soon vanished into the night. Hold it!!! Those in the bar who still had other motives immediately gave chase. They had just stepped out, however, when all of them fell to the floor. During their chaotic tumble, these people discovered a thin strand of spider silk winding around their legs. The thread that had held them back was barely visible, and no one knew when it had appeared. However, it was inconceivably sturdy, and not even a viscount could tear it apart. There was only one arachne in the bar. Everyones expression shifted when they glanced at the old fellow. The old arachne, at this moment, was gazing at the direction in which the duo had escaped. He muttered in a voice only audible to himself, Nanas descendant? Nana has a descendant? At this moment, within a certain majestic and spacious palace hall, a young, delicate girlone so beautiful that she seemed not to be of this mortal worldgradually opened her eyes atop the black throne. Her brows were slightly creased as she gazed at the empty space in puzzlement. For a moment just now, it felt as though something had resonated with herthe feeling was distant yet intimate, familiar yet unknown. Qianye and Nighteye ran frantically through the small town and soon reached a fairly deserted corner. There, they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief after finding that no one had caught up to them. The two glanced at each other for a short moment before breaking into a hearty laughter. After a a while, they asked each other at the same time, How did you At this point, both of them paused their words and became silent. Although they had met purely by chance, the reason for coming here was self-evidentit was for the bloody battle. Your blood energy Qianye replied with a smile, My body is already half-vampire, but I remain human. Nighteye laughed. I know. It was just that there were some other things hidden within her smile. The serious topic once again sent the two into a lapse of tacit silence. Nighteye suddenly glanced at Qianye and asked, Did you drink too much? Yes, Qianye replied truthfully. His thoughts were still floating about at this moment, just as they had been since the first cup. Thats good. Nighteyes pupils shone like the stars as she embraced Qianye and sealed his lips. Qianye was astonished and momentarily at a loss what to do. He wasnt lacking in experience, but in front of Nighteye, he was always fraught with worryanxious that he would do something wrong and make her unhappy. Perhaps that was why, at this moment, Qianye was still apprehensive and didnt dare return the embrace. He truly feared that Nighteye would vanish the moment he held her in his arms. Qianye had never felt so afraid before. Chapter 422: Day and Nigh Chapter 422: Day and Night Chapter 422: Day and Night [V5C129 C A Distance Within Reach] Nighteye was never one to do a sloppy job. She began her assault by prying open Qianyes lips almost violently and stretching her tongue inside. With a boom, a certain flame ignited within Qianyes being and almost made him go insane! He could no longer care about other stuff as he reciprocated ferociously like an erupting volcano. Qianye was pressed down to the ground with a loud thud, but he soon flipped over with great force. The sounds of panting beasts suddenly rang out in that corner of the small town, almost like a tremendous quake. A window suddenly opened up not so far away, and a voice akin to a strangled duck shouted, How can people sleep with that ruckus?! An unidentified object flew out from the dark and slammed right through his teeth and into his mouth. The person dragged the hard object out with great difficulty and placed it under the lamplighthis soul almost flew away in shock upon seeing the origin power grenade! Fortunately, the safety hadnt been pulled out. The window closed tightly with a bang and even the lights were put out. There was no longer a single sign of movement thereafter. With that, the quake at the village corner went on. Nighttime was long on Evernight Continent, but no matter how long, dawn would eventually arrive. At this moment, an entire night had passed by, and a faint glow was appearing over the distant horizon. The perpetual dark grey sky under the iron curtain only lightened up slightly and became suffused with an aged white hue. Qianye tossed his body onto the ground, feeling as though it had grown several times heavier than before. He felt his body aching everywhere as he lay there on his back, breathing heavily. He felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, but there was also a deep leaden hue staining this joyful moment, its color very much like the sky above. Nighteye lay beside Qianye, her black hair drenched in sweat and sticking to her forehead. She bunched up her messy hair and slowly propped herself up, but even this small movement caused her to frown with a pained expression. Still painful? Qianye asked cautiously. No kidding! Ive never seen you so fierce in battle! Nighteye rolled her eyes. But its you who asked me to go hard. Of course! How can you be called a man if you dont put in the effort at such a time? Qianyes explanation was stuffed back into his mouth by Nighteyes words. He had no idea how to reply since it sounded wrong no matter how he phrased it. Nighteye glanced up at the sky and calmed down all of a sudden. The dawn is breaking. Her words sounded like nonsense because daytime under the Iron Curtain was fairly dusky, while the nighttime wasnt as dark. There was little difference between night and day. But for some indescribable reason, Qianyes heart ached after hearing these words. Nighteye scanned their surroundings, collected her clothes, and then put them back on one by one. Her calm demeanor made the morning seem like any othernot at all like one who had passed a night of flaming passion and shared the most intimate relationship with a man. Qianye got up in silence and also dressed up. He had many questions and many words he wanted to say to Nighteye, but not a word came out. He was still very much afraid, and this time, he was afraid that the night would really end after that one question. But the night would inevitably pass, and the daybreak would still arrive in the end. Nighteye combed her black hair with her fingers and tied it behind her head in a ponytail. Apart from that, the girl looked exactly as she had when she arrived at the little town. Nothing extraordinary could be sensed about her apart from those deep eyesno origin power, no blood energyshe was just like an ordinary human girl. Qianye wasnt surprised at this. It was the same when he saw her for the very first time. Qianye had already fought countless vampires back then, and yet, he had still failed to discover her identity. Now that Qianye also possessed this Bloodline Concealment ability, he naturally understood that some secret arts and talents could not only blind the eyes, but also deceive the senses. Nighteye glanced at Qianye and said calmly, Its dawn. I should leave now. Me too. Next time... Nighteye paused momentarily, there wont ever be a next time. Her final words were spoken with great calmness and resolution. There wasnt a shred of hesitation, as if those words werent just an ordinary goodbye. Gazing at Nighteyes receding figure, Qianye understood that there would never be a next time. Even if there were opportunities for them to meet again, it would be for the best if they did not. [1] She stood on the side of Evernight, and Qianye belonged to daybreak. This one step distance was akin to an eternal chasm. Great earthquakes may change the lofty mountains and great rivers one day, but no one knew what it would take to extinguish the enmity imprinted into the two factions. Qianyes hands were stained with the blood of innumerable vampires, just as countless human experts had fallen to Nighteye. This vendetta had gone on for a thousand years and would seemingly continue for eternity. Their next reunion would definitely be on the battlefield. So what was the point in meeting? Qianye stood there in silence for an unknown length of time. It was only when night fell anew that he slowly turned to leave the grey market, quickly disappearing into the dark night. This grey market was a trade outpost that had appeared spontaneously under the Iron Curtain, a natural paradise for the wild and adventurous. But its existence was fairly short-lived compared to similar establishments along the border region. Not long after Qianyes departure, the diverse crowd also poured out and eventually scattered in different directions. This grey market existed only for a single week. The place had turned into a battlefield by the time night fell once more. Several units from The Empire and the Dark Nation met one another here. An intense battle ensued which lasted for several days and nights, and the flames of battle ravaged the entire town. Only that little bar known as Apocalypse Nightfall remained standing amidst the rubble, preserving some of the memories from that fateful night. Qianye chose to go south. He had already confirmed that the grey market was located north of human-controlled territory, but was still over two thousand kilometers from Blackflow City. The Iron Curtain stretching into human territory was in the shape of a long arcBlackflow lay in the southwest, while the grey market was to the northeast. Qianye had unwittingly reached such a remote place. The reason for this was naturally the live Black Forest. It not only warped time and space for the creatures that had entered, but its own location was also shifting constantly in relation to the fixed continents. No matter how far, it was manageable as long as he could get a fix on the location. Qianye made preparations to head south and kill his way back into human territory before boarding an airship back to Blackflow City. That was the fastest route. The situation in Blackflow City, at this moment, was on the verge of ignition. Waterfront, a small city not even a hundred kilometers from Blackflow City, had turned into a major army camp. The beasts in the area had been swept clean, and large fleets of airships were landing and taking off in turn. Entire units of soldiers walked out from each airship to unload large numbers of excellent equipmenteverything from heavy cannons to military trucks. Escorting this massive fleet of airships was actually a number of regular-army-grade destroyers. Over three thousand warriors had gathered in Waterfront City, and each of them was a member of the Nangong familys elite private soldiers. There were several other camps around Waterfront City, bustling with an endless stream of mercenaries and adventurers who had set up camp here. Nangong Yuanwang nodded in satisfaction as he watched the airships landing one after another. He asked his aide, How much longer until the assembly completes? Someone beside replied, Elder, the last batch of soldiers will arrive three days later. However, itll take another ten days for all the equipment and resources to be shipped. Nangong Yuanwang placed his hands behind his back. No rush. Its not too late to attack after making sure of everything. Any news from Jiancheng? Another person replied cautiously, Elder, Sire Jiancheng and all the soldiers left behind to set up an ambush have gone missing. That Black Forest has also disappeared completely. My guess is that Sire Jiangcheng mightve entered the Black Forest by accident and lost contact with us. Nangong Yuanwang sighed deeply. His countenance was rather gloomy because Nangong Jiancheng was a great general from his lineage. Their strength would surely suffer now that he had disappeared along with so many elite soldiers, and his position in the family hereafter might also be shaken. But it was too late for regrets. Nangong Yuanwang glanced toward the distant Blackflow City with eyes full of hate. He had long since transferred his wrath onto Blackflow and Dark Flameeven Song Zining and the Song clan had been dragged in. Any changes in Blackflow City? His aides were all hesitant. At last, one of them braced himself and said, No change at all. Nangong Yuanwangs eyes flickered with ferocity. Are our Nangong soldiers corpses still hanging on the city wall? Have the emissaries not returned? That person said with a bitter expression, Elder, the men we sent have returned. But that, Song Zining is fairly arrogant. H-He said Speak! He said those people have committed a grave offense and must be hanged there for a couple more days. Insolence! Nangong Yuanwang was furious. Winds kicked up around him, causing all of his subordinates to sway left and right. One of his trusted aides stabilized his body and said hurriedly, Elder, please calm your anger! That Song Seven is surely seeking his own demise by being so arrogant. But this subordinates believes we shouldnt mobilize just yet. Why dont we Nangong Yuanwang retracted his might and said coldly, Speak! That man approached and said in a hushed tone, This subordinate just received news that the dark races are amassing a big army on the other side, and that their movements are unclear. Doesnt that person have a deep relationship with the other side? If we leak some news, we might be able to draw the dark race army to Blackflow City. At that time, no matter which side emerges victorious, our Nangong army will flatten them as the autumn gale sweeps away fallen leaves. Nangong Yuanwang said with a frown, These dark race members are as ruthless as they are cunning. Even if we leak the news, how can we be sure that theyll move as youve predicted? The aide moved even closer and said in a soft voice, Elder, the one inside Blackflow is the Song clans second in line. Such a character will fetch a significant sum of contribution on the other side. Theres no need to worry about them not taking the bait. Nangong Yuanwang appeared enlightened. This plan is brilliant! Very well, lets do it as you said. Ill record a big contribution under your name if the dark race army attacks Blackflow City. The aide cupped his hands and said, Thank you, elder, for the cultivation. This subordinate has something else to say, but I am not sure whether or not I should speak of it. Nangong Yuanwang was in a great mood. Just say it. Weve lost so many men here. Not only has Sire Xiaofeng been badly injured, but the two sires, Tiancheng and Jiancheng, have also fallen in battle. The source of all this isnt Qianye or Song Zining, but a woman called Nangong Xiaoniao. Nangong Yuanwang snorted loudly. This elder naturally knows about this matter. That Nangong Xiaoniao is good looking, but far from being a kingdom toppling beauty. Moreover, shes the descendant of a distant branch. Whats so good about her? Elder, the clan lord mobilized in full force just for this woman. Not to mention the waste of manpower and resources, the warriors of the family have also suffered significant casualties. Many people are dissatisfied about this matter! Nangong Yuanwang was visibly moved and inquired despite knowing the answer, You mean? [1] West River Moon (by Sima Guang) Her bundled hair hung loose, and her make-up faintly worn. Those threads, like gossamer, were dancing in the green mist. We should not have met again. For reunion begets more yearning, just as love begets more pain. I awoke as the music faded away. The courtyard was empty and the moon was high in the sky. Chapter 423: Caravan Chapter 423: Caravan [V5C130 C A Distance Within Reach] The aide said, Elder, the clan lord position must be filled by someone with virtue and ability. This subordinate believes youre the only one suited for this job! Nangong Yuanwang said after a lengthy silence, That may be the case, but the situation is like a notched arrow. Even if we are to impeach Old Three, it has to wait until the matters here have been settled. Although our current strategy is to urge the tiger to swallow the wolf, we cant just stand by without doing anything. Dispatch some men to Blackflow City and have them keep an eye out for opportunities to exploit. The aide affirmed the order and said toadily, How many battles can that hatchling, Song Zining, have fought? With you personally taking action, everything is easily yours for the taking. Youll return in triumph when the time comes, and everyone throughout the clan will be converted! Nangong Yuanwang felt happy to hear this and couldnt help but smile while stroking his beard. Qianye ran all the way and soon exited the mountainous region to arrive at the border of the war-zone. Hearing the rumble of engines as he was passing a certain valley, Qianye immediately hid his aura and sneaked over. There, he discovered a rather large motorcade advancing slowly along the valley. The caravan consisted of over ten heavy trucks, but there was no way to tell what they were carrying because the goods were tightly covered in tarpaulin wraps. The accompanying combat vehicles numbered close to twenty, even more than the cargo vehicles. The guard force was also fairly sizeable, and the warriors werent weak. Judging merely from the escort strength, it was obvious that the shipment was of extraordinary value. The bloody battle was an incomparably chaotic war-zone where battles could break out at a moments notice. There were no rules or apprehensions here, and neither was it bound by any law. This caravan appearing in the middle of the war-zone was really too bold and risky. Even a robbery from the empires side could be blamed on the dark races. No one would be in the mood to investigate the truth during the bloody battle, and they probably wouldnt find anything even if they did. That was why the caravan was moving quite cautiously despite having three times the usual escort power and choosing the most hidden routes wherever possible. Qianye naturally had no special thoughts about this caravan and didnt want to get involved either. He began to edge back slowly. However, Qianye suddenly felt that the vehicles in the caravan looked somewhat familiar and soon figured things out after a closer inspection. Despite the disguise and removal of insignias, the trucks still retained a lot of their characteristics. Qianye recalled that Song Zinings Ningyuan Heavy Industries had a large batch of such heavy trucks. The model was fairly new and definitely not a common sight in Evernight Continent. But the guards werent from the Ningyuan Group and were split into three different squads, quite possibly mercenaries hired at the last moment. That was why Qianye hadnt recognized them. Qianye didnt approach the secret caravan to avoid misunderstandings. Instead, he continued on his way south. He wasnt traveling very fast because a good part of his attention was inside his bodythe new blood core had entered a state of dormancy after its formation and showed no signs of movement. The vampire blood core was supposed to take over the hearts function completely. Under normal circumstances, it would pulse slowly and drive the flow of blood around the whole body. Qianye had never heard of a hibernating blood corebut then again, he had never seen one with embedded crystalline granules either. Qianye tried to activate the blood core many times along the way and found that the blood core would show some signs of movement when instilled with more origin power. Qianye formed an speculation after many attemptscould it have entered a dormant state because there wasnt enough essence blood during its formation? Qianye could only laugh wryly at the thought of this. The terrifying consumption during the formation of his blood core was already enough to shock him. In the end, this frightening amount was actually not enough and forced the blood core into a hibernating state. The vampire blood core didnt just substitute the heart but was also the source of many powerful abilities. But now, Qianye still had no idea just what power this new blood core had brought him. The only tangible upgrade was the strengthening of his vampiric constitution, which had reached a completely new realm. But it would surely be a let down if that were all, considering the terrifying consumption involved in this process. Qianye walked for a long while and finally reached the border of the Iron Curtain. There was a thread of clear sky far off in the distance. At this point, he had reached the traditional human territorythe dark races were far from being able to fight their way here. The bloody battle was still in its early phases. The Dark Races werent as well prepared and had taken quite a loss during this period. However, the Dark Nations overall strength was far superior to the empires, and the battle would only grow more intense as they continued to pour in the manpower. The tranquility of this region was hence only temporary. Another unit soon appeared over the distant horizon. This squad was made up of a thousand well-equipped men. The dozens of military transport vehicles carrying them, similarly without any insignias, were rumbling toward the war zone. Qianye hid himself in a nearby forest and waited for this unit to pass by. There was definitely an expert overseeing the motorcade. A gaze so sharp that it was almost tangible seemed to pierce through the woods. Qianye only felt a chill flit past his body. He became somewhat alarmed and retracted his blood energy even deeper. That expert scanned the forest a couple of times but, finding nothing abnormal, eventually marched past the forest with the convoy. Qianye emerged from the woods after the squad had left. He gazed at the rolling dust with a frown. In that short moment just now, Qianye had keenly sensed blood energy from that expert. There was no way to hide it from Qianyes True Sight despite the good concealment. Qianye proceeded to observe the convoy attentively and found, to his shock, that there were over a hundred high-ranking vampire warriors hidden within the squad. Such a squad of humans and vampires appearing around the borders was extremely abnormal and hence deserving of extra attention. Judging from their route, they would soon encounter the caravan of mysterious cargo trucks, and that was very likely their objective. Qianye couldnt ignore the mysterious caravan since it was probably related to the Ningyuan Group. With a cold laugh and a surge of killing intent, he began tailing the unit led by the vampire expert and followed them all the way. This mixed squad moved rapidly and soon intercepted the caravan in the hilly regions outside of the valleys exitit seemed they had obtained accurate information about the latters route. Otherwise, they wouldnt have been able to go straight for the target like this. The caravan fell into momentary disarray after seeing the charging attack squad. A middle-aged man in the caravan said with an ashen expression, How can there be interceptors here? Goddammit, weve been betrayed! The people around him wore ugly expressions. It was easy to see that the distant squad was above the caravan in terms of combat strength. The middle-aged man jumped onto the roof and shouted in a loud voice, Dont think about running. Theres no way youll make it. The enemy wont leave survivors! Everyone, prepare for combat. We must fight it out with them! The mercenaries of the caravan could be considered well trained. They were able to mobilize rapidly despite belonging to several different squads. The caravan was protected in the innermost part while the military transports formed an outer defensive perimeter. The middle-aged man opened the cargo compartment on one of the vehiclesit turned out to be a mobile heavy cannon disguised as a cargo truck. A fierce battle ensued in the blink of an eye as the heavy cannons began to rumble. The suppressive sound waves echoing across the battlefield were especially shocking. A large swathe of soldiers would fly out every time the heavy cannon shells landed. Even the high-ranking vampire warriors would be heavily injured or die on the spot after taking a direct hit. At this moment, at the center of the mysterious squad, several figures were standing atop a combat vehicle and gazing at the distant battle. Most of them had pale faces and were clad in magnificent ancient apparel. The rolling sanguineous hue in the depths of their eyes made it clear that they were high-ranking vampires, the leader being a third-rank viscount. Apart from the vampires, there was also a human. At rank-eight, he couldnt be considered powerful, but the two vampire viscounts were fairly polite toward him. Apparently, his identity was special. Listening to the continuous rumble of the heavy cannons and seeing the assault vehicles explode one after another, the middle-aged man nodded slightly and said, Such a heavy escort is several times more than the norm. This caravan should be the real one. It seems the news weve obtained is unmistaken. The leading vampire viscount said with a sinister laugh, Itll be clear once we see the goods. With that, he performed a hand gesture, prompting another vampire viscount to immediately charge out. The latters speed was abnormally fast as he cut through the battlefield and charged into the caravans defensive line. He tore open one of the cargo compartments, picked a random crate, and rushed back at lightning speed, tossing the crate onto the ground upon his return. He had entered and left through the flames of battle as though the caravans defensive perimeter didnt even exist. This scene caused the mercenaries to despair. They could only shout at the top of their lungs and pour out more firepower in order to slightly reduce the terror in their hearts. The crate was duly opened to reveal rows of neatly arranged gun barrels. The human male picked up one of them and observed it in detail before nodding. This is a barrel for grade-two origin guns. Its confirmed, these are the goods. The vampire viscount laughed maliciously and said, Then what are we waiting for? Time to feast! The viscount was just about to give the order when the human said indifferently, Viscount Karsi, please send the news back first. The sire is still waiting to make a decision! Karsi was evidently displeased at being obstructed but still gave some commands accordingly. Moments later, several blood falcons with bright red wing tips soared into the sky and flew swiftly into the distance. Qianye looked up at the blood falcons flying overhead and quietly took note of their direction before continuing his hidden advance toward the battlefield. It was already within sniping range, but Qianye didnt stop there and kept on going forward. It was only when he was within 500 meters that he produced the vampire sniper rifle and fired with a raise of his hand. There was no need to aim too carefully at such a distance since it was impossible for one of Qianyes caliber to miss. The group on the combat vehicle was alarmed, but it was too late to evade. All they could do was activate their defensive abilities. The origin bullet arrived screaming, but the target of this ambush was rather surprising. Quite unexpectedly, it wasnt Viscount Karsi and neither was it that seemingly important human. Instead, it was the vampire viscount who specialized in speed. That vampire viscount let out a muffled groan as his blood energy was blasted open and a fist-sized wound appeared on his leg. Such injuries were nothing to vampires, but his speed would be more or less affected. Qianye strode forward after a successful shot and fired once more. But Karsi was well prepared and sidestepped the bullet. It was just that he had failed to protect his subordinate despite saving himselfa vampire knight behind him was sent flying from the assault vehicle. Qianye fired two more shots along the way, but none of them struck Karsi. The latter utilized the vampire races highly unpredictable movements to the utmost, evading three of Qianyes shots successively on the small car roof. This went to show just how powerful he was. However, Karsi suddenly felt that something wasnt quite right. He glanced back and found that only the human male and another viscount remained. All of his other subordinates had been blown away, their fate unknown. At this moment, Qianye was only dozens of meters away from the assault vehicle. He sprinted once again and arrived before the car like a phantom. East Peaks momentum was comparable to a mountain as it hacked down! Chapter 424: Muddy Waters Chapter 424: Muddy Waters [V5C131 C A Distance Within Reach] Karsi immediately felt his scalp go numb when East Peak appeareda sign of extreme danger. He simply didnt dare to meet the blow head-on and leaped frantically away from the other two. East Peak fell with a crack and directly slashed the assault vehicle into two halves. It was as though it were slicing through tofu. Karsi was shocked out of his wits. Seeing Qianye rush toward him, the viscount drew his sword to block while shouting loudly, Norris, pincer attack! East Peak arrived with incomparable force and twisted Karsis sword out of shape immediately upon arrival. He could hardly ward off the attack in terms of pure strength, to speak nothing of the origin power impact. Moreover, Norris who specialized in speed failed to assist him in time. The vampires movements were as slow as a snail, and he even tripped along the way. Norris glanced at his completely numb left leg, only to discover that the blood flowing out of the wound was actually putrid and dark purple in color. My blood, my blood! Norris was inconsolably terrified. Karsi was barely holding out under the raging torrent of blows. It actually took several dozen exchanges before his sword was completely destroyed and the viscount was pierced through the abdomen. The origin power attached to East Peak suddenly erupted and almost tore Karsi into two. The vampire viscount hadnt died completely at this point, but Qianye didnt have time to deal that final blow. He quickly turned toward the human male who had already fled for some distance. He could clearly see the mans eight origin nodes with his True Sight, which proved that he was only a rank-eight fighter. But for some reason, he gave Qianye a vague feeling of uneasiness. At this moment, the battle ahead was still raging on, and most of the warriors were so invested in the battle that they had no idea what had transpired behind them. But the soldiers cutting off his path werent small in number either. Ten-odd vampire warriors and over a hundred human soldiers reacted by surrounding him from all directions. Qianye ignored the people around him and thrust directly toward that human male. There were no fancy moves in this strike, but it was fast and hard enough. The best way to deal with such mysterious opponents was to use raw strength to overpower them. However, this blow capable of defeating a viscount didnt faze the man at all. He pressed down on his waist and immediately conjured a faint red barrier which protected him within. Qianye only felt as though he had struck an extremely big rubber ball; most of the force was dispersed and failed to reach the target. This sword strike akin to wind and thunder actually failed to break that energy barrier and only blasted it away. Qianye was a bit surprised. A defensive treasure capable of blocking a sword strike containing eight parts of his full force should be fairly valuable. It seemed the other partys identity wasnt ordinary. But why was a person of such status so mediocre in strength, and why were there no expert bodyguards accompanying him? His heart trembledfollowing his will, a scarlet origin power barrier emerged around his body to reinforce his origin power defenses. It was at this moment that a person among the ordinary soldiers surrounding him erupted with power and charged toward Qianye. A rapier several meters long and only a finger in width appeared in the mans hand as he thrust it at Qianyes back. The rapier was as thin as a needle. It broke through Qianyes origin defenses in one strike and pierced into his back. Even the constitution stronger than a vampire count was rendered helpless in the face of this rapier embodying the extremes of power. As the blade entered his body, Qianye instinctively twisted his body to avoid vitals and, at the same time, fired at his assailant. A ding rang out in Qianyes body as the thin rapier shot past the heart and struck the blood core! That faint sound was precisely the sound of the blade puncturing the heart and stinging the dormant blood core. The ambushing expert wasnt expecting Qianye to react so quickly. With a muffled groan, the man was struck by the Mystic Spider Lily, producing a messy, bowl-sized hole on his chest. A shot at such a close distance had barely managed to break the other partys defenses. The man wasnt anxious at all even under the current circumstances. He proceeded to pull out his blade with great force and caused the rapier to exit Qianyes body like a venomous snake. Afterward, he flashed away. Qianyes blood core finally woke up after being damaged. It was beginning to pulsate. Thump Thump The dull sound was like a beating war drum and almost suppressed the beat of his heart. Qianye didnt lose his mobility like other vampires after his blood core was injured. On the contrary, he grew ever more ferocious like a wounded beast. At this moment, an uncontrollable killing intent surged within his heart, and he couldnt help but let out a furious roar! The blood core started boiling and almost burst into flames. All of the crystalline fragments lit up as countless strands of blood shot out from within. At this moment, a layer of faint red appeared on Qianyes body as hundreds of sanguineous threads shot out and pierced through every warrior within a dozen or so meters. The ambushing expert was the most miserable, having been pierced through by tens of bloody lines. The heavily injured Karsi and Norris werent able to escape the calamity either and were struck by ten threads each. The remaining high-ranking vampire soldiers all suffered several attacks, while the ordinary human soldiers were only pierced by one. The bloody lines retracted immediately after their emergence, their ends stained with the scarlet color of blood. After their return, the blood energy in Qianyes body shot up to its peak and immediately started to boil. The blood core repaired itself at an unbelievable rate, and the physical injury on his body also closed up rapidly. It regenerated in the blink of an eye until only a faint scar was left behindand even that was gone after some time. That experts face was pale, and his aura extremely weak. He looked down at his body only to find ten-odd bloody spots which, compared to the wound from the origin gun, were negligibly small. However, the injuries didnt seem simple at all. Nine of them were on his nine origin nodes, while his heart and two champion vortices were pierced by numerous bloody threads. At this moment, the greater half of his vitality had been robbed, and his origin vortices, destroyed. The man raised a finger at Qianye and said in a trembling voice, You you He could no longer speak at this point and suddenly collapsed to the floor, his vitality extinguished. No one knew just what it was that he wanted to say. Like a toppling domino, the experts collapse was quickly followed by the petrified men around him; all of them had lost their vitality. In the blink of an eye, no one was left standing around Qianye. The distant man inside the protective barrier turned pale as he stared at Qianye like he would a ghost. He had managed to avoid that calamity just now because of his distance. Seeing Qianyes gaze turn toward him, the man finally lost his composurehe let out a fearful cry and turned to flee. But how could Qianye let such a pivotal character escape? He immediately chased after him with great speed and progressively shortened the distance between them. Save me! the man screamed while running. Qianye became vigilant and paid extra attention to his surroundings to avoid ambushes. However, his speed never decreased. A military transport charged over from the side at a great speed, aiming for Qianye. The ferocity in his heart hadnt receded at this moment, and he couldnt suppress the killing intent upon seeing the vehicle that didnt know life from death. He let out a thunderous shout and actually crashed right into it. Boom! Qianyes body was pushed back several meters, and his legs dug deep into the ground, forming two deep trenches. Meanwhile, the transport was sent flying and spun several times in the air before crashing to the ground. Qianye strode forth in large strides and slashed right through the car. Fresh blood immediately gushed out amidst the torn metal and formed a bloody mist after mixing with the gushing steam. Apparently, the people inside didnt survive. Dealing with the military transport didnt take long. He started running once again and soon arrived behind the man, slapping him to the ground with a swing of East Peak. The barrier was quite strong and managed to block East Peak once again. The man wasnt injured at all despite falling to the ground. This time, Qianye was prepared. He brandished East Peak and started hacking at the barrier in a leisurely manner. This kind of external origin barrier required an energy supply and would naturally vanish once the stored energy had been depleted. The man cried out anxiously, Stop! Lets talk nicely! Stay your hand first! After several slashes, the barrier was fluctuating intensely and appeared to be on the verge of shattering. The helpless man withdrew his barrier and gradually stood up with his hands raised. Have your men cease fire and surrender, Qianye said coldly. With East Peak against his neck, the man had no choice but to obey. Cease fire! Everyone stop fighting and drop your weapons! The gunshots soon grew sparse and finally stopped. Apparently, this mans position was quite high since his orders were immediately executed. Even the surviving vampires didnt resist and threw down their weapons obediently. The captain of the caravan rushed over after a while and was startled upon seeing Qianye. That was because the latter was still wearing a tactical mask at this moment which blocked out most of his facial features. However, he quickly understood that Qianye didnt want to show his face. He bowed deeply and said, This lowly one is Song Yinian. Many thanks to this Young Noble for saving us. Otherwise, all our goods wouldve been lost here along with several hundred lives. I wonder if Young Noble is willing to expose your name? I will definitely visit you upon my return and express my deep gratitude! Where is this caravan from? Qianye inquired. Song Yinian hesitated for a moment before speaking with a wry laugh, This route was supposed to be top-secret, but we were unexpectedly intercepted here. It would seem that we were sold out long ago. Let it be we are from the Ningyuan Heavy Industries, and these three mercenary squads were hired as supplementary escorts. As expected, this caravan was from the Ningyuan Group. It seemed Qianye had made the right choice by intervening. But he still felt rather doubtful, and hence he inquired further. Song Yinian was only a middle-rank character in Ningyuan Heavy Industries and had only been following orders this time. All he knew was that he had to deliver these goods to the designated cargo distribution center and nothing about the route after that. He didnt even know what he was transporting before they were robbed. Seeing that Song Yinian couldnt explain anything clearly, Qianye instructed him to arrange an empty cargo truck and bring the captured man inside. Qianye threw the man to the ground after closing the compartment doors and said coldly, Tell me everything you know. I would advise against making me use my usual methods. No one has ever succeeded in keeping their lips sealed in my hands. This man appeared to be in his thirties with fair skin and slender eyes. He was fairly calm now that his initial panic had passedhe clambered up to pat his clothes and proceeded to sit down cross-legged. He said calmly, I see that you charged in midway and have no idea how deep the waters run. With a powerful cultivation at a young age, your future prospects are indeed promising. You must, by all means, avoid wading into these muddy waters. Otherwise, youll regret it very quickly. Qianye replied indifferently, Youll have to explain to me just how deep these waters are. The man said proudly, Youre already in deep trouble for those vampires you killed outside. Those are important characters from the Twelve Ancient Clans. Theyll surely never let you off. But if you swear allegiance to me, I can help you suppress this matter. What say you? If their identities are really so shocking, can you even suppress them? Facing Qianyes doubtful gaze, the man said, Of course, I can. Im surnamed Li. Young Noble, you should know what that means, right? Chapter 425: Plo Chapter 425: Plot [V5C132 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye pondered for a moment but wasnt able to recall immediately which top-grade noble family was surnamed Li. Li was a big surname common among both nobility and commoners. For instance, Li Pei, who had unfortunately fallen in the Bloody Battle along with his sect uncle, was from the Green Sky Li Family of the Transcendent Continent was also a Li. But the two reports delivered by Lone Ghost proved themselves useful at this time. Qianye probed, It seems the present empress is also surnamed Li? That mans voice immediately rose higher. Indeed! This lowly one is Li Xu. We can be good friends in the future. Qianye suddenly laughed. The Jingtang Li is the Empresss family. How can such a stately clan be working together with the vampires? Why would such a family rob such a small caravan? Li Xus expression shifted as he said furiously, What do you know? Its not just this caravan. Immediately after saying this, Li Xu realized his indiscretion and stopped talking. He then stared fixedly at Qianye and said, Young Noble is such a young genius. It will be a waste of talent for you to work under me. Ill recommend you upward upon my return. With your ability and the support of my clan, it wont be too difficult to soar into the skyeven becoming the empresss helper is not impossible. As for the cooperation with the vampires, I would suggest Young Noble to forget about it for the time being. This is a subject best avoided, and not something you should know for now. This Li Xu was indeed good at talking. He was sensible, reasonable, and sounded rather sincere when talking about important matters. Qianye really mightve been persuaded if he were a person with no connections whatsoever. Do you have anything else to say? Qianye asked as he produced a small leather bag and proceeded to open it, revealing a dozen or so delicate tools within. Li Xus eyelids twitched after seeing the neatly arranged tools. These are torture equipment used specifically by the elite corps! Qianye was somewhat startled because not many people could recognize these things. It seemed Li Xus identity was indeed as he had said. During the half an hour that followed, Li Xu confessed to everything after just a bit of torture. It turned out that the target of their robbery was a large-scale caravan carrying enough equipment to outfit a regular army division, and Song Yinians group was only one of the sub-caravans. However, the caravan wasnt the main objective of the person behind Li Xu. They had larger plans, and this robbery was only a small part of the big picture. But Li Xus knowledge was limited. The reason for choosing this target, for instance, and the so-called big plot behind the scene was beyond his knowledge. Li Xu only explained that the current partnership involved the Jingtang Li Clan and a major power on the dark race side. Reportedly, the ancient clan had dispatched a person, and he was an expert of extremely high status. However, Li Xu wasnt clear as to who that person actually was and only knew that the vampires referred to her as the princess. Li Xus position in the Jingtang Li clan was actually quite mediocre, and he only managed to climb his way up by relying on the kingdom-toppling beauty that was his sister. Listening up to this point, Qianye knew that he could get nothing more out of the man. But the address Monroe Princess made it difficult for him to breatheit was like a large stone pressing down upon his chest. Li Xu stole a glance at Qianye while the latter was deep in thought. He smiled cautiously and said, Young Noble, this lowly one has told you everything he knows. Can you perhaps let me go now? I still have some meager savings on me, and theyre all yours as long as you spare my life. Qianye paid him no heed and was still lost in his own thoughts. The present empresss family colluding with an ancient vampire clan was, no doubt, an alarming development. Perhaps such matters werent limited to the empresss familythe other major human powers with connections to the dark races probably werent few in number either. This was the first time he had discovered just how deep the undercurrents below the Iron Curtain were. In the midst of all this, Qianye and Dark Flame could easily be torn to shreds if they were the slightest bit careless. Sir? Li Xu asked cautiously. Only then did Qianye come to. He glanced at the man and said indifferently, Wont people arrive to kill me very soon if I let you go? Li Xus eyelids twitched as he forced a smile. Impossible. Sire, you jest. He hadnt even finished speaking when his sentence was cut short. With a raise of his hand, Qianye had run a blade through the mans heart. Despite his reserved manners, this person was cunning and had a sister who was an imperial concubine. Releasing him would only bring endless troubles. Qianye had no intention to leave Song Zining a troublesome enemy. Li Xu wasnt strong, but the fortune he was carrying was nothing to scoff at. The ten-odd black crystals he was carrying added a small fortune to Qianyes empty purse. None of the mans equipment sparked Qianyes interest, except that defensive ribbonnot only was it capable of blocking a heavy blow from East Peak, but it could also be recharged and reused. It was even rarer than the high-ranking defensive tools Qianye had seen back at the Song clan. But the thing was also quite problematic. It would be quite troublesome if the item was recognized by someone. The Li family wasnt famous in the empire, but they were definitely not simple. Otherwise, how could they push out the Zhao clans daughter to ascend the empresss position? One had to know that it took more than just good looks to secure this seat. Qianye walked out of the cargo compartment after storing the defensive ribbon into Andruils Mysterious Realm. Song Yinian immediately came over and said, Young Noble, the battlefield has been cleaned up, and all the important captives are gathered over there. Do you want to go and take a look? Qianye nodded and followed Song Yinian over. A number of vampire corpses lay in a nearby open space, and all of them were high-ranking vampires above the knight level. Qianye searched the corpses briefly and found an engraved token on Karsis body. It was an item commonly used to represent the owners status among the dark race nobility. It was just that the flower carved upon it was as elegant as an angels bugle, yet at its stalk was a depiction of hellish thorns. Qianye felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart. Datura, the flower of terror, was the insignia of the Monroe clan. Qianye wasnt afraid of the Monroe clan. It wasnt as though he had never killed descendants from the Twelve Ancient Clans before. However, the insignia inevitably reminded him of the same design he had seen on Nighteyes weapon and clothes. Moreover, there was no telling whether or not she knew this Karsi. As Qianye and Nighteyes strength gradually increased, their paths were bound to gradually intersect at one pointbut that intersection would likely be on the battlefield. These people didnt have a lot of things that interested Qianye. The only thing he needed at the moment was a vampiric blade. Karsi was born of the Monroe clan, while the other viscount, Norris, hailed from a small family. The vampiric blades on them were both grade-five, but Karsis weapon was much higher in quality. But after seeing the eye-catching datura symbol, Qianye opted for Norriss instead. Song Yinian waited patiently on one side and came over only after Qianye had finished his business. He shot a glance at the nearby vehicle and asked with a whisper, Young Noble, how is that person? Hes dead, Qianye replied indifferently. Song Yinians expression changed slightly but soon recovered his composure. Then how should we deal with him? Qianye pondered for a moment and said, This person has a great background. Itll be for the best if we act as though he has never appeared. Do you understand? Song Yinian was a sly man. He immediately replied, Understood! Ill clean up all the traces and make sure the men dont speak irresponsibly. Qianye nodded. He didnt stay for long and left quickly. Song Yinian watched Qianye disappear from his vision before turning back. A trusted aide approached and asked, Sire, what shall we do with those captives? Theyre quite troublesome! Murderous intent flashed past Song Yinians face. He chopped his hand through the air, indicating that they should all be killed. Qianye changed his route slightly and headed toward the designated cargo distribution center. Song Yinians caravan was only a small part, which meant that this caravan was much bigger, and the goods they were carrying might even be the entirety of Ningyuan Heavy Industrys fortune. If there were any mishaps, Song Zinings many years of hard work would go down the drain. Moreover, Song Yinian was intercepted at such a secret route. This meant that the other rendezvous points were no longer a secret. But while Qianye was running, he felt his blood cores pulsations grow sluggish. He was soon overcome by an unstoppable sleepiness, and his eyelids felt as though they were a thousand tons in weight. This is bad! Qianye suddenly cried out in his mind. He recalled that hibernation was a means to accelerate regeneration for the dark races. Qianye was ambushed by Li Xus subordinate, and his blood core was injured. This awoke a terrifying ability which killed everyone in the vicinity and used their essence blood to repair the wound. Apparently, the blood core had decided that it needed to stay dormant to facilitate recovery. This was really not the time for sleeping, but the weariness was different from pain in that it greatly impaired his willpower. Moreover, as his second heart, the blood cores effect on his body was rather significant. He simply couldnt resist the urge to sleep. He had no choice but to find an isolated place as quickly as possiblethere, he lay down and fell asleep immediately. At this moment, the blood falcons released by Viscount Karsi had traversed hundreds of kilometers to arrive above a dense forest. There was a camp in the middle of the woods, but it was well-disguised and noticeable only after approaching. The specially trained blood falcons descended one after another after recognizing their trainers aura. The message they had brought were also removed by specialized staff and sent into the large, central tent. There, several people were discussing official matters. A short-bearded middle-aged man scanned the secret message and said, Viscount Karsi sent word that the goods on his side are real. Everyones expressions relaxed slightly. Another person spoke at this point, Since the goods on that route are real, then the others naturally wont be fake, either. Presently, three caravans have arrived at the rendezvous point, and the remaining one isnt far off. I think we should make our move immediately, lest more troubles arise. Another person said with a frown, I think we should investigate more. That Song Zining is notoriously crafty. There must be something wrong if things are going so smoothly for us. The previous man sneered, Colonel Gu, its because of your suspicions that weve taken the time to intercept that last caravan. This has already caused quite the delay. Now, you still think its not appropriate? There are so many big shots here with heaps of important things waiting for their attention. When was it the turn of a small colonel like you to give orders? Ill drive you out if you keep being long-winded! The person being reprimanded was Gu Liyu. As an imperial army colonel being rebuked so mercilessly, the mans face was shifting between white and blueand inexplicably ugly. However, he could only maintain his silence. It was just as that other person had said. Everyone standing here came from shocking backgrounds, and only he was from a landowning household. Not to mention a colonel, they wouldnt treat him well even if he were a brigadier general. Gu Liyus previous insistence had led to Viscount Karsi and Zhao Xu being mobilized to rob one of the caravans. They would see if that caravan was real before deciding on the follow-up plans. Now that it had been proven that Gu Liyus judgment was incorrect, these aristocratic descendants naturally wouldnt give him any face. Their stance remained the same despite knowing he had some background support. Which shocking character from a major clan didnt have some thugs like Gu Liyu? Chapter 426: On the Verge Chapter 426: On the Verge [V5C133 C A Distance Within Reach] At this moment, the middle-aged man had finished reading the secret message. He said while stroking his short beard, The other party has sent word that the princess will only stay here for one day and not a second more. With the princess taking action, it''s useless no matter how many reinforcements the Song clan arranges. This matter is settled. Well take action as soon as the princess arrives tonight. Gu Liyu opened his mouth but couldnt say anything since a thousand reasons wouldnt be enough to make them listen. His background was humble, but his heart was proud and arrogant. He snorted coldly and left the tent without turning back. Naturally, the expressions of those in the tent turned rather unsightly. An energetic youth sneered, A hired thug thinks hes really something. Itll be more appropriate if that Song clan member were standing here! These words werent spoken softly, and it was enough for Gu Liyu to hear clearly. His expression immediately turned more solemn. Blackflow City, Dark Flame headquarters. Song Zining was sitting in the study while contemplating in silence when a series of clamor came through from outside the window and broke his tranquility. At this moment, people were rushing through the city in disorder. The fifty-thousand-strong dark race army was already within a hundred kilometers and would arrive within a single day. Although most of them were cannon fodder, it was hardly something a single division could handle. Blackflow City had never engaged in a battle of this scale since its founding. A big army was pressing down upon them. Most of the adventurers and mercenaries in the city wanted to escape after receiving the news because only death awaited them once the city was breached. However, Song Zining had issued an order in advance to close the main gates and disallow all forms of entry or exit. With the battle close at hand, he naturally wouldnt give the dark race spies any opportunity to send information. Song Zinings response wasnt slow, but people were still anxious. Add to that the transfer of Dark Flame soldiers everywhere to bolster city defenses, the entire city was in a state of constant agitation and flowing rumors. Additionally, there were hearsays that the dark race army was here for Song Zining, and that they would retreat if he were handed over. This rumor spread rapidly throughout the city. Under normal circumstances, Song Zinings status was enough to deter anyone from having thoughts about him. But danger was imminent with the big dark race army bearing down upon them. Even if the Song clan were to retaliate for handing Song Zining over, that was a matter for the future. If they didnt, however, the entire population would be butchered once the city had been breached. The rumors started like a prairie fire and spread in the blink of an eye. Eventually, people stopped bothering to check whether the contents were true as their hearts became increasingly unstable and restless. The adventurers and mercenaries in the city started to clash with Dark Flame soldiers, and the conflict eventually turned into violence. Song Zining was sitting silently in the study just as before. Beyond the walls, he could faintly hear the chaotic ruckus of the city. However, he seemed completely oblivious to everything as he sat completely still. His brows were locked in a slight frown, and no one knew where his thoughts were. After a long while, he got up and poured himself a cup of tea from the long table. At this moment, a knock came from the door and in walked Duan Hao. Seventh Young Master, weve already found the dozen or so people who were spreading rumors. As expected, they are all deeply connected to the Nangong family. But there are several others that we cant confirm at the moment. Ive already dispatched men to keep an eye on them. What do you think we should do? The strategic point Duan Hao was in charge of was the closest to Blackflow City. He hadnt expected to encounter such a situation soon after being summoned back. Song Zining held the glazed porcelain cup in his hand and allowed the fragrance to fully seep out. He then finished the tea slowly before speaking in an indifferent manner, Since youve found them, just kill them all. Duan Hao was momentarily stunned. Seventh Young Master, this isnt very appropriate, is it? Some among them havent been confirmed as the mastermind. Song Zining said calmly, Extreme times call for extreme measures. Its no longer important whether or not theyre behind this matter. Peoples hearts are unstable at the moment. Not to mention hoping for their strength in battle, must I divert my attention to guard my back? Moreover, ten thousand lives will be lost once the city really falls. Dont you understand such a simple logic? Duan Hao had followed Song Zining for many years before coming to Dark Flame and understood this seventh young masters temperament quite well. He knew the angrier the latter was in his heart, the calmer he was on the surface. Merely from Song Zinings countenance that was as tranquil as still water, one could see that he was already extremely angry. Duan Hao immediately bowed with a rueful smile and left to attend to the matters at hand. Moments later in a downtown area of Blackflow City, a thin young man was captured by several ruthless Dark Flame soldiers and pressed to the ground. The man wasnt in much of a panic and, on the contrary, even began to cry loudly, What right do you have to capture me? Is there still law and order here? An officer sneered, Deluding the people with lies is a sure way to seek death. Rest easy and be on your way! The man finally realized things werent looking good when the officer drew his handgun. He shouted while struggling with all his might, Do you know who this daddy here is? Im from the Nangong familys direct line. A lowly commoner like you dares move against me? Ill kill your entire family! The officer pulled the trigger with a cold laugh, and a large caliber bullet immediately blasted half of the mans head apart. Several of the spectators immediately began to edge back quietly. Such a scene played out in ten-odd locations throughout the city. Everyone quickly saw the danger, and those whispering idlers immediately lost the greater half of their zeal. Song Zining watched the execution scene from one of Dark Flames lookout towers, then instructed Song Hu who was standing behind him, Set up a banquet today and invite every leading character in the city over. Give an invitation to anyone with strength, regardless of status. Song Hu was quite adept at such matters and handled it perfectly. By evening, several dozen men had already gathered in Dark Flames main hall and taken their seats. It could be said that people from all trades had been crammed into a single hall. There were aristocrat representatives, leaders of squads that had come for the bloody battle, as well as mercenary corps leaders. There were even two leaders from Blackflows underground organizations. The two so-called leaders were, in fact, ruffian bosses who had no right to step into Dark Flames gates under normal circumstances. But despite their lowly status, they were like the shadow of the city and grasped no small number of hidden information channels. Thus, Song Zining had invited them over with some coercion. The statuses of the dozens of people at the table were extremely different, and it would normally be impossible for them to gather together. Now that they were all present at once, there was a certain degree of awkwardness among them. Only when everyone had arrived did Song Zining appear to take his seat. He was wearing Chinese robes on his body, a frivolous smile on his face, and was waving his fan in a leisurely manner. Behind him was an entire row of delicate and sweet-looking maids whose emergence served as a merciless eye-opener for most of the Evernight natives. Song Zining raised his wine cup toward everyone and said with a smile, Since everyone came to grant me this rare honor, this young master will drink first as a sign of respect! With that, he emptied his cup and the guests reciprocated in succession. Two more toasts were offered afterward. With three cups of wine in their stomachs, the atmosphere at the banquet gradually became more relaxed and warm. However, some people revealed disdainful expressions. They were all born of aristocracy and viewed Song Zining as an insincere hedonist. A while ago, a lot of news had spread of his brilliance and might, but apparently, it was someones flattery. Two rounds of dishes followed the three cups of wine as those beautiful maids shuttled back and forth within the crowd. Song Zining saw that the time was just right. Only then did he rise to perform a polite bow and said with a smile, This young master hails from the Song clan. Im sure everyone already knows of this. These big clans all boil down to two things: one is that they find safety in numbers, and the other is that they like face and hold grudges. It wasnt easy for this young master to come to Blackflow City. Itll certainly be embarrassing if I were to run with my tail between my legs. So, I must hold this city at all costs. I also hope everyone will do their utmost to help. After a short pause, Song Zinings smile grew even more resplendent as he said word by word, If Blackflow City falls, the day of the breach is the day everyone here dies. At that time, regardless of whether youve accepted money from the Zhang clan, the Li clan, or the Nangong clan, youll have no life left to spend it. For a short moment, the entire hall was so silent that one could hear a needle drop to the floor, but it was immediately followed by a commotion. No one had expected Song Zining to actually say such things. Such a direct, undisguised threat was tantamount to shedding all pretenses and leaving no leeway at all. Everyone was shocked and angry in equal measures. Someone cried out, Song Zining, is your Song clan so tyrannical? Song Zining replied with a laugh, My Song clan is indeed tyrannical. Does this sir have a problem with that? In fact, I can be even more tyrannical. Do you want to see? The person was exasperated with cold sweat dripping down his forehead. What else could be more tyrannical apart from murdering him on the spot? Song Zining glanced at everyone in turn, and everywhere his gaze passed, people would lower their heads. The handful of aristocratic descendants among them couldnt compare at all to Song Zining in terms of status. Regardless of sincerity, they still lowered their heads because anyone with half a brain wouldnt want to stick out at this time. But with so many people here, there was bound to be an unusual person. A small voice broke the suppressive silence. The Song clan handles things in such a despotic manner. Arent you afraid of the damage to its reputation once its known? Song Zining covered his mouth with the fan and chuckled. You took so much of the Nangongs money and plan to sell out Blackflow City entirely. Now, youre worried about the Song clans reputation? Dont you find that odd? That persons expression immediately shifted, and he replied with some difficulty, The Song Seventh Young Master jests. He hadnt even finished speaking when the maid nearby produced a dagger and, in a flash of cold light, sent his head flying into the air! The slash was so fast that the mans body was left in its sitting posture. A fountain of fresh blood gushed out and drenched the guests from head to toe. A single drop of blood flew far enough to land on Song Zinings face. His smile, as gentle as spring water, immediately dazzled everyone like infernal flames. The banquet went on until late at night before it was dispersed. Everyone only found out after leaving that the dark race army had already arrived outside the city and was preparing for a siege. After reaching this stage, the peoples hearts grew calmer instead. There was still hope of escaping before the dark race armys arrival, but now, leaving would only mean death. The four major dark races each had their own specialty, but none of them were weak in terms of speed. A running contest against them in the wilderness was a surefire way to seek death. The human races advantage had always been their machines and solid city defenses. Defensive preparations in Blackflow City had already been completed. All of the important defensive structures had been heavily garrisoned and were standing off against the opposing dark race army. The battle could break out at a moments notice. When Song Hu arrived hurriedly at the study, Song Zining was practicing calligraphy with great interest. A long piece of fine paper hung from atop the wall all the way to the floor. His elbow moved with great fluidity as he inked the words upon the paperevery stroke felt as though the clang of swords, and sabers would emerge from within. Seventh Young Master, the dark race army is moving. Theyll attack in one hour at most. Song Zining responded with an oh and slowly put down his brush. Its about time. Men, help me don my armor! Chapter 427: Attack and Defense Chapter 427: Attack and Defense Chapter 427: Attack and Defense [V5C134 C A Distance Within Reach] A number of maids entered with a set of grey black-silver armor and helped Song Zining change into it. Moments later, he had donned a set of heavy armor instead of his usual wide-sleeved ancient apparel. He looked exceptionally handsome although his elegant countenance and mild temperament made him appear somewhat weak. A maid offered him a brocade case from which Song Zining produced a black silver mask. The sinister demonic face carved upon it was vivid, lifelike, and clearly the work of a master. Song Zining slowly donned the mask which concealed all of his expressions. At this moment, the kindness and elegance on him had disappeared. It was as though a primordial divine soldier had been unsheathed, one who had drunk the blood of countless enemies. The entire room turned cold from the overflowing murderous intent. Moments later, Song Zining climbed the city gate tower. There, he had his men arrange a seat and sat upright looking down at the besieging army. Soon, the dark race army had completed its preparations. A mournful yet vigorous bugle rang out as countless cannon fodder charged toward Blackflow City, raising the curtains on this siege. Normally, the dark races would start off with a feint to test out the citys defenses and military strength. However, everyone on the city wall was shocked upon seeing the enemys earth-shattering formation and momentum. The so-called fifty-thousand strong army might destroy them in one go even if they were only probing. Only Song Zining sat without movement, his face hidden beneath that black silver mask. No one could see his expressions clearly. Only when the tide of cannon fodder arrived below the city wall did Song Zining raise his hand and waved it forward through the air. His talented attendants immediately performed a gesture and issued the first command. On the cannon tower in Blackflow City, the four stronghold cannons had already been checked and tuned. After receiving the order, the dozens of powerful cannoneers waiting in formation rotated one side of the giant turntable amidst loud work chants. The cannon tower shook violently and emitted a world-shaking rumble. A cannon shell hundreds of kilograms in weight escaped the chamber amidst dazzling flames and shot toward the distance. The entire segment of the city wall seemed to sway for a moment. Several thunderous roars erupted at the same time on the Blackflow City walls, followed by four giant fireballs rising amidst the dark race tide. All cannon fodder within dozens of meters were sent flying, and even the arachne mixed into the formation werent spared as their massive bodies were lifted high into the air! Moreover, the dark race warriors closer to the center of the explosion were completely decimated without even broken arms or limbs remaining. After the flames died down, four empty patches had appeared in the dark race tide that filled the land. Moreover, they connected together to form a line and almost cut the entire black tide in the middle. But this scene passed by in an instant because the number of the dark race cannon fodder was simply too great. The dark tide behind rushed over and quickly drowned out the black and white dividing lines. However, another four rumbles followed very quickly and, once again, left four empty areas amidst the enemy ranks. Oh? Not bad! Song Zining was slightly moved. The firepower of the four defensive stronghold cannons had been raised no less than 100% in Nangong Xiaoniaos hands. They werent inferior at all even when compared against small cannons of the newest model. The four giant cannons might even be more powerful If not for the limited capacity of Blackflow Citys kinetic towers. Three volleys were fired in the blink of an eye. The men on the cannon tower started to move; three groups of people rotated the turntable continuously as gushing steam covered the entire tower. However, these well-trained men knew what they had to do despite the low visibility. Dozens of cannoneers tugged on the chains and hoisted a set of three cannon rounds, which they duly loaded into the open chamber. Immediately afterward, the stronghold cannons ammunition chamber was shut, and its armor closed up once again. Under the drive of mechanical power, the cannon was restored to its original position, and its muzzle slowly rose up. Outside of Blackflow City, the army of cannon fodder had crashed violently into the walls like a black tidal wave and kicked up a huge upward splash. Those little specks forming the sea-spray were actually individual dark race soldiers. They flew straight for the top of the city wall, with some leaping up with inhuman agility, and others being tossed up by their comrades. The cannon fodder came from every race, but all of them had sharp claws capable of piercing into ordinary stone bricks. Hence, the city wall wasnt too big of an obstacle for them. However, steel armor plates had been installed along the top segment of Blackflows city walls, and those were impervious to sharp claws. As such, most of the cannon fodder could no longer find a foothold after reaching this point and slid back down one after another. The frantic climbing momentum of the black tide was momentarily stemmed. Meanwhile, the climbing cannon fodder were surrounded and killed by the large force Song Zining had long since set up. At this time, the stronghold cannons that had completed their reloading started to fire once again, producing more empty spaces within the black tide. Having lost the advantage on both sides, the attacking momentum of the dark race army slowed down quite a bit. In the dark race army, a young demonkin clad in magnificent armor said furiously, Didnt you say the city defenses in Evernight are like a pulp? Does this defense look like a pulp to you? Dont you dare tell me those stronghold cannons are scrap weapons! Even those in the upper continent human cities only have that much firepower! A certain arachne replied, Sire Luther, our reports show that the stronghold cannons in there are models from over a century ago. Moreover, theyve been in use for several decades. Luther sneered, You still have the audacity to mention intelligence? Which of us has joined the continental battlefield before? Spiel, is a trash like you questioning my judgment? Anger flashed across the arachnes face, but he suppressed it and lowered his head. I do not dare. Luther, however, had no intention of suppressing his anger and continued rudely, Dont dare? Why did you glare at me just now? It seems your tribe has survived too long! The arachne were inherently violent. Spiel, at this moment, could no longer suppress his anger and said with a low growl, Luther! Were both first-rank viscounts. Do you think Im afraid of you? The corners of Luthers lips formed a cold smile as he scanned the high-ranking experts around him. First-rank viscount? Does rank hold any meaning for things with lowly bloodlines? This is the first and last time Ill put up with this kind of behavior. From now on, whoever dares provoke me the slightest will have their tribes wiped out. Do I make myself clear? There were ten odd experts around Luther wearing furious expressions. However, no one stepped out to challenge him. They all knew that Luther not only possessed tremendous influence, but his personal accomplishments on the upper continents were also extremely glorious. Even Spiel had to lower his head unwillingly. Luther said coldly, Take your tribe and attack the city. Ill forgive your offense if youre still alive after the city is breached. In the face of Luthers terrifying imposingness, Spiel no longer expressed any doubt or provocation, choosing instead to withdraw in silence. Moments later, numerous arachne appeared on the battlefield. Their leader was five meters tall, clad in heavy armor, and seemingly impervious to the hail of bullets and shells as he charged toward Song Zinings tower in large strides. The sprint was extremely violent and fiercehe ran almost in a straight line, ignoring all his own soldiers in the way. The cannon fodder in his wake were either sent flying or mowed down. This arachne arrived below the city tower in the blink of an eye and let out a roar which pierced into the skies. He then used his hammer which weighed several tons to pound at the door. The earth seemed to tremble for a moment, and the entire tower swayed vigorously. A large dent immediately appeared on the plate-reinforced gate as the steam-operated tracks on each side shot up, completely deformed. Even the city gates reinforced with two meters of armor couldnt withstand this blow. The arachnes appearance sent the Blackflow City defenders into a momentary chaos. Song Zining finally got up at this point, during which his maids offered him a long spear they had prepared beforehand. He slowly strode forward after receiving it, a hazy glow emerging on his silver armor and veined patterns flashing along his spear. The weapons bronze color suddenly faded away to reveal its original appearancea material akin to gold and jade. He walked out of the tower in three steps and arrived above the heavy armored arachne. Immediately afterward, he dropped down like a meteor and smashed ruthlessly onto the enemy. Song Zining was almost negligibly small compared to the arachnes massive body, but the momentum of his descent seemed to weigh ten thousand tons. The arachnes limbs gave way as soon as Song Zinings feet stomped down. The giant spider was actually pressed onto the ground with a loud boom, kicking up a dust cloud several meters tall. The dark race soldiers nearby who didnt have time to dodge were crushed into meat paste by the falling arachne. Song Zining raised his spear and pierced it right into the arachnid body all the way to its hilt. Both the arachnes sturdy body and his heavy armor were as soft as tofu before this one strike. And despite its incomparably powerful vitality, the arachne showed not the slightest sign of movement after it was run through. Blood gushed out in all directions as Song Zining calmly removed his spear and rose into the air. The air thirty meters around him was permeated with the bleakness of autumn and filled with a rain of fallen leaves. Bloody light flashed across the charging cannon fodder soldiers, turning them into countless pieces of flesh scattered across the ground. Song Zining produced a square napkin and wiped the blood off of his spear before leaping back into the city wall at a leisurely pace. The place where he had stood before had long since turned into a land of death, and, even among the remains, not many were whole. After returning to the tower, Song Zining suddenly turned back and shot a glance at the dark race army. In that direction stood the arachne Spielhis countenance was ashen after seeing the most valiant warrior under his banner slaughtered without even a chance to retaliate. The sinister-looking black silver mask stirred an ineffable fear in Spiel as their eyes met. That kind of shuddering feeling was even stronger than when he was facing Luther. A mournful bugle rang out once more, signaling the retreat of the black tide and the end of the first wave of attacks. During the days that followed, the dark race army kept Blackflow City surrounded on all sides and would launch attacks on the city several times each day. Song Zining finally displayed his leadership abilitiesthe watertight city defenses sent Luther back in defeat no matter what tactics he employed. At the same time, the Song clan seventh young master also revealed his iron-blooded nature. All who failed to exert themselves in battle, those harboring evil intentions, or those colluding with the Nangong family were investigated and put to death on the spot. As such, the city fell into a state of unprecedented peace while the fight outside raged on like flames. After failing to take down the city, Luthers original rage transformed into calmness. He understood that he had finally met his match. He continuously mobilized and wore-in the fifty-thousand-strong allied army under his commandhe attacked the city continuously every day, maintaining pressure on the city and waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. However, Song Zining was like the most precise of machines. There was no opening or mistake, no matter how great the pressure or how long the battle. The battle grew more and more remarkable as the two parties, one on the offense and the other on defense, employed their respective strategies. The countless demonstrations of classic offensive and defensive tactics between the two forces gradually attracted the attention of numerous parties. Countless heavens proud sons had demonstrated their emerging talents since the onset of the Iron Curtain. The quiet, previously unheard of Song clan seventh young master thus rose to fame like the morning star. At this moment, in a deserted mountainous forest, Qianye was curled up under the roots of a dead tree and sleeping soundly. A wild wolf walked out of the woods quietly and began to sniff his way over to him. Chapter 428: Enigma Chapter 428: Enigma [V5C135 C A Distance Within Reach] The wild wolf slowed down its pace dozens of meters away from Qianyes shelter and let out a series of low growls as though it were hesitating. However, the normal azure of the wolfs eye was currently suffused with a layer of dark red, and its aura was also much more violentapparently, it had been affected by the Iron Curtain. The feral wolf pounced violently toward Qianye, unable to endure its hunger and thirst for blood. A sudden change occurred at this point. Tens of negligibly thin bloody threads suddenly shot out from Qianyes body and pierced through the wolf. The bloody threads withdrew immediately after they were shot out, but only one of them carried a red color on its end. Apparently, this feral wolf was already quite short on vitality. The wolf fell to the ground with a plop, never to move again. Soon, dozens of vicious beast bodies lay around Qianye in an odd circular shape. The remains of snakes, scorpions, and insects, on the other hand, were innumerable. On this grassy piece of land, there was no creature with life around Qianye. Qianye finally moved after an unknown length of time and slowly opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the small patch of grey sky visible through the branches as his senses flowed toward every direction like flowing water. In that short moment, he had already taken in the entire scenery within a hundred meters. Qianyes eyes became suffused with a ripple blue color that was even deeper than before. When True Sight was really opened, the world in his eyes changed once again and switched to an origin power aspect. But this time, he could see more things than beforethe origin power flow and distribution were even more detailed than before. Moreover, there were some fuzzy things in the air which he couldnt see quite clearly. Qianye did his best to clarify what those shadows were, but his visual powers had already reached their limit. The harder he tried, the blurrier they became. After a momentary daze, Qianye suddenly thought of something. How come I fell asleep? He immediately woke up in astonishment and sat up straight. He was shocked to find the dense stack of beast and insect bodies around him because their deaths were clearly related to him. Qianye collected his thoughts and immediately began to inspect his own body. His blood core was floating quietly beside his heart and would pulse every once in a while. The trauma it had received last time left no scars, and there were runes swimming in and out of the core without any restriction. Qianye could recognize his Bloodline Concealment and eye ability runes, but there were two new ones which he didnt. He touched them with his consciousness and immediately understood the power they contained. One of them was True Sight, but the ability had grown even stronger. The other one was fairly specialit was completely integrated into the blood core. The ability represented by this rune was Life Plunder. It was the ability he had obtained at his advancement to the viscount realm. Once activated, Life Plunder would shoot out hundreds of invisible blood threads at nearby life forms and collect their vitality to complement his own. This power attack was both attack and defense in one move. Qianye had already experienced its might when he first activated it. Even ordinary viscounts wouldnt be able to block the focused attack of numerous blood threads. As Qianye grew stronger and stronger, the number, might, and range of his sanguineous threads would increase. Life Plunder was effective against crowds, but it wasnt without limits. Once used, the blood core would need to rest for at least a day before enough energy would be restored for another activation. Additionally, Life Plunder couldnt be used with allies in the vicinity since it couldnt differentiate between friend and foe. Otherwise, all of them would be wiped out. Now, Qianye knew how those corpses came to be. Most of the dark race bloodline talents were extremely aggressive, and this world was one where the strong devoured the weak. The degree of Life Plunders might and ferocity was rare even across the entire Evernight faction. Now, this was a power fitting of a top-grade bloodline. Qianye stood up and gradually moved his body. His body was like a rusted machine after so many days of sleep; even the simplest of movements were somewhat shaky. But after a moment of activity, Qianye immediately discovered that every cell in his body contained power akin to a volcano, waiting to break out at a moments notice. He tried taking a step forward but almost tripped over. He subconsciously reached out to prop himself against a large tree, but the tree immediately collapsed as though it were completely rotten inside. Qianye was deeply astonished after discovering that his limb movements were extremely uncoordinated. He realized that the reconstruction of his body following the blood cores activation could be considered truly complete only at this point. Knowing that it was useless to rush, he simply assumed a combat stance and began practicing the Military Combat Arts right there in the forest. Qianyes body could be considered much more mobile after a set of punches and kicksat least, he was no longer staggering when he walked. He simply repeated the combat arts time and again in order to acclimatize to his new body. Qianye finally grasped control of his body after a dozen or so sets. He brought out East Peak and performed the basic sword techniques repeatedly. After several hours of exercise, Qianye finally reached complete adaptation. He brought out an origin sundial to check the time and direction before deciding to continue toward his original destination. Many days had passed by, and it might already be too late even if he were to arrive. However, he still wanted to go and see because he felt something about this entire business was fishy. Hundreds of kilometers of complicated landscape was only a couple of days journey for the current Qianye. He arrived at the designated location one day later. The caravans assembly point was also within a hidden valley. All that Qianye saw upon his arrival was a field of carnage with corpses strewn across the ground and not a living soul in sight. Even though he had long since understood this outcome, he still felt furious after witnessing this scene. What surprised him was that the scene wasnt cleared away or destroyed. One could see that the caravan assembling here contained over a hundred trucks, and the guard force numbered in the hundreds. But now, all of the guards and mercenaries had turned into corpses. Qianye saw little traces about the valleymost of the caravan staff and soldiers had fallen with a surprised expression. It seemed they didnt even have the chance to retaliate. Qianye frowned as he shuttled through the scene of battle. His gaze eventually fell upon a certain mercenary corpsethis person was an expert while he was still alive, but his expression was frozen in the pain and terror of that moment before his death. Qianye walked over and examined the mercenary. From the traces of origin power left in his origin nodes, he was likely a rank-nine fighter before his death. Such a person would be a baron on the other side and could already be considered a high-ranking noble, albeit barely. He was very likely the leader of this guard squad, but his expression was as though he had suffered extreme terror and shock before his death. Just what couldve made such a veteran soldier lose his composure on the battlefield? Qianye cut open his clothes and checked his body but found not the slightest bit of injury. He pondered for a moment before activating his Eye of Truth, whereupon he found vague signs of darkness origin power accumulation around the heart. Qianye cut open the mans chest with a swing of his dagger. There, he found that the heart had been reduced to a clump of meat pastethe organ seemed to have been crushed and thoroughly fragmented by some immense force. This power caused Qianyes heart to beat faster because it was similar to his own eye ability. It was able to penetrate surface defenses and directly attack important organs like the heart or blood core. Directly crushing a rank-nine warriors heart meant that the assailants control of this power was much better than Qianyes own. Qianye checked a number of other corpses and found that basically all corpses rank eight and above died of a crushed heart. After the post-mortem, Qianyes gaze fell upon the cargo trucks. He suddenly realized where the feeling of peculiarity had come froma large number of undamaged cargo trucks had been abandoned here. These vehicles were rare goods on Evernight Continent, and there was no reason to leave them here. Unless, of course, they found it too troublesome to remodel the cars and were afraid of them being recognized later on. In truth, there were so many grey channels on Evernight Continent. What was this bit of trouble in the face of a fortune? Moreover, they might not want the cars, but what about the goods on them? Qianye leaped onto a truck, retrieved a crate, and opened it. It was filled with black stonea common fuel ore and the most abundant mineral on Evernight Continent. It was so common that even ordinary civilians could afford them, and so cheap that no one was willing to excavate the smaller ore veins anymore. The upper continents mined black stone ore mainly for the accompanying black crystals and other rare minerals. This caravan, from its trucks to its guard squads, could only be considered grand. So, why was it shipping black stone? Qianye flipped the crate over and poured out all of its contents but still found nothing special. The entire crate was only filled with black stone. Qianye opened several other crates and found that they were all filled with black stone. There was no need to check further because all of them were surely filled with the same orethat was why they had been abandoned here. Qianye checked his surroundings and silently calculated the scale of this caravan. Then, using Song Yinians caravan as a reference, he found that at least half of the entire caravan was filled with black stone. This meant that Ningyuan Heavy Industrys losses had been decreased by half. At this point, Qianye had also found that something was off. Song Zining had always handled business in a watertight manner. A huge shipment of black stones being used to fill the numbers indicated that this was a trap he had set for someone else. But the proportion was really quite steepignoring the others, Song Yinians caravan was actually carrying a genuine load of origin guns. Just who was Song Zining planning to deal with? And which expert was capable of bursting the hearts of so many experts? Nighteyes figure popped up in Qianyes heart, but he suppressed the notion instinctively. He could only identify her as part of the Monroe clan from the insignia on her clothes. Apart from that, he knew nothing about herand he didnt want to know more, either. There were no familiar faces among the corpses. Song Yinians group wasnt present eitherhe probably wouldnt come here to throw his life away unless he was excessively dumb. But the man shouldve informed his comrades after encountering a setback. Judging from the scene here, however, the warning had no effect at all. There were many suspicions in Qianyes heart, but there was no way to solve them before meeting Song Zining. Having finished his inspection of the battlefield, Qianye prepared to leave the place. The implications of this case were simply too greatamong those he knew, not only the vampire Monroe clan but even the empresss family was involved. Qianye had no idea where Song Zining was, but he felt a vague sense of uneasiness. He had yet to leave when sounds of a confrontation were heard up ahead; it was a standoff between two parties. One of them was made up of several dozen men. Their apparel was mixed, but it was clear that they consisted of people from the Song clan, the expeditionary army, and mercenaries. Meanwhile, the other party only had ten or so people, a uniform Bai clan combat squad. Chapter 429: War Zone Chapter 429: War Zone [V5C136 C A Distance Within Reach] A beardless, middle-aged man from the Song clan was shouting with an angry expression, I come on orders of the Song clan elder assembly to conduct official business! Friends, why are you blocking the way? Im quite familiar with your Bai familys attendant Bai Lu. Bai Lu? The Bai clan squads leader sneered, The Bai clan has thousands of such attendants. Who knows which one of them is your so-called Bai Lu? This region is now the Bai clans war zone, and no one is allowed entry without permission. This applies even if a heavenly monarch arrives. The middle-aged mans expression sank. Brother, your words arent giving our Song clan face. Let me remind you, an important caravan from the Song clan has encountered an accident up ahead. How come the Bai clan has sealed the area immediately after this happened? Unless perhaps youre related to this matter? The Bai clan leader laughed loudly and said with a smile, Stop trying to frame this daddy! Your Song clans misfortune has nothing to do with our Bai clan. Do you think you can shift the blame just by flapping your mouth? Let me tell you, this daddy here is definitely going to block this road. Go and report this to anyone you want. Start fighting if youre dissatisfied. Walk over this daddys corpse! The Song clan middle-aged man was completely livid. He retorted furiously with a wave of his sleeve, A stately clan member speaking like a bandit! Thats still better than your Song clan cowards who can only yap and not dare take action! These words quickly infuriated the Song clan group, but they could only suppress their anger no matter how indignant they were. Not to mention a fight, no one even dared talk back. In this bloody battle, the direct subordinates of the major clans understood each others situation quite clearly, and it was inevitable that the dispatched private soldiers would be differentiated by power. The Zhao clans units were the most elite, but the Bai clans men were also powerful. Although they couldnt compare to the Zhao in terms of combat strength, their victories were numerous. Comparatively, the Zhang clan didnt quite shinethey were quite mediocre both in number and quality. But no one dared belittle them, especially when it was rumored that the newly ascended heavenly monarch Zhang Boqian had come to Evernight to oversee matters. It was enough to extinguish most of the thoughts certain parties were entertaining. The Song clan squads were the greatest in quantity, but the percentage of mercenaries was also the biggest. No small part of the teams was assembled on short notice, and the members were mostly mercenaries and adventurers. Such a mixture of good and bad men naturally wasnt as cohesive during crucial moments as the private soldiers nurtured by the clans. The Bai clan seemed to have fewer men in this confrontation, but they might not lose if a fight were to break out. Moreover, Qianye had already noticed that the Song clan people were timid and had no will to fightthey wouldnt be wasting so many words otherwise. Things had become a stalemate at this point. The Song clan middle-aged man eventually spoke some harsh words and left with his team. Apparently, they looked somewhat dejected. The Bai clan men, on the other hand, broke into hearty laughter without giving them any face and didnt forget to add some sarcastic remarks. The squad moved forward along its patrol route after forcing the Song clan unit away. However, they hadnt gone far when the leader sensed something oddthe surroundings were a bit too quiet. Halt and stay alert! The captain issued such an order, but his eyes immediately widened after turning back. Only half of his men remained, and it was a mystery when the other seven or eight had vanished. Even the ones standing were wearing lifeless expressions and seemed completely unresponsive to the captains orders. A large bead of sweat rolled down the captains forehead, but he managed to calm down with some difficulty. He shouted, You lot, whats the matter? Didnt you hear what I just said? They cant hear anymore. Those soldiers suddenly went limp and fell down gradually, revealing Qianyes figure behind the squad. Astonished, the captain drew his gun with a swoosh and aimed it at Qianye. Who are you? You actually dare touch our Bai clans squad? Are you tired of living? Bai clan? Heh, I happen to be looking for people from the Bai clan. With a slight move of his hand and a series of afterimages, the origin gun in the captains hand mysteriously appeared in Qianyes grasp. The man did his utmost to pull the trigger but only managed to press empty aironly at this point did he realize that there was nothing in his hands. What speed! The captain drew in a breath of cold air. Before the captain could even react, Qianye had lifted him up by the neck and smashed him into a giant tree. Only a muffled groan was heard as the captains body disappeared into the tree. The two men were over ten meters away from the tree just now, but Qianye had carried him over in a single step. Merely bumping into the tree would be quite damaging at such a speed, not to mention being directly smashed in. The captain couldnt endure this impact despite possessing the power of a rank-nine fighter and being only one step away from becoming a champion. He coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood as dozens of bones fractured throughout his body. Why are the Bai clan people here? Who had arrived? Tell me everything you know, and I might let you live. The captain was embedded within the tree and couldnt move at all. He let out a heh after hearing these words and shot a mouthful of blood at Qianyes face. Kill me if you have the guts. Its useless to try and get words out of me. If I die here, the experts of the clan will naturally avenge me. At that time, your entire family will die a gruesome death. The men will be cut up and fed to the dogs, while the women will be sold to the black brothels and played to death. Qianye dodged, and his brows rose slightly as he said with a cold voice, Youre unexpectedly quite tenacious. But unyielding people only tend to die a slower death in my hands. Since you hate me so much, then Ill let you continue for a while longer. With that, Qianye reached out to pat the captains body a couple of times, causing the mans face to immediately turn red. He shouted frantically, You shattered all my origin nodes! Youll die a horrible death! Qianye casually snapped off a piece of wood, rammed it into the captains mouth to stop his crazed swearing, and then left. But he didnt go very far. Instead, he found a lush, ancient tree and leapt into its crown where he waited in hiding for more Bai clan people to arrive. This little squad had a fixed patrol path. There would surely be people coming to investigate now that the entire unit had gone missing. It was fine even if the new arrival was too strong and Qianye couldnt take action against them. This captains origin nodes had all been shattered, and he would probably live only another day or soit was useless even if they rescued him. As expected, another Bai clan unit appeared about an hour later. This squad contained about twenty men, and the leader was a champion. His rapid steps came to a sudden halt as he glanced toward the crown of an ancient tree. That was where Qianye had been hiding a moment ago, but the tree was completely empty when the champion glanced over and there wasnt the slightest bit of movement. You two, go over there and check. You three, climb up that tree and search for clues. That champion didnt let go of the abnormal sensation and assigned several soldiers to fan out toward every direction. The climbers returned very soon and naturally had nothing valuable to report. Only a soldier who specialized in smell reported that there was a peculiar odor on the treetop, but he couldnt tell what it was. The champions expression turned serious. This information was worthless because any bird couldve left behind a smell, but there had been a faint uneasiness in his heart since the very beginning. He felt that there was something odd about that tree top. At this moment, the champion realized that the soldiers he had sent forward hadnt reported back. He immediately turned back with a solemn expression and said, Prepare for combat! Upon turning back, however, he realized that most of the soldiers behind him had collapsed, and the ones still standing followed suit as a shadow flickered around them. After dealing with these soldiers, Qianye appeared beside the champion like a ghost and delivered a palm strike. The man was actually quite fast with his reaction as he raised a shield to meet Qianyes blow. Qianyes eyes were a deep blue at this moment. The champions movements in his eyes were significantly slower, and his flow of origin power was completely visible, along with the hundreds of openings all over his body. Moreover, even if there werent any openings, Qianye was quite confident that he could produce some in melee combat. But Qianye was too lazy to use any special moves against this weak champion with a shaky foundation. His hand didnt deviate at all and slammed right into the shield, poised to suppress the enemy with his peerless strength. The champions legs gave way as he fell kneeling to the ground with blood spurting out of his mouth. His shield arm was still raised high above his headit wasnt that he didnt want to put it down, but that his body was already petrified and couldnt move at all. Qianyes left hand turned into a fist, from which a slender finger flicked out. The air was suddenly filled with the crisp sound of thunder as several indiscernible air-shots flew toward the other Bai clan warriors who had come running from the side. The soldiers were all wiped out without exception, leaving only the champion. Qianye stood firmly before the man and reached out to pat his shoulder. Now, answer my questions and I might just let you live. The mans face was initially full of dread, but he became much calmer instead after discovering that all of his men were dead. A faint hope for survival appeared within his eyes. It turned out that Qian Bo was an expert with neither background nor status who had submitted to the Bai clan along the way. Being able to break through to the champion rank was already a heaven-defying fortune. He wasnt as loyal to the Bai clan as the previous captain. Qianye hadnt even threatened the man when he spilled all the beans and told him everything he knew. Very soon, Qianye heard a rather unexpected name. Bai Longjia? Hes here? Qianye was a bit startled. With Bai Longjias rate of advancement, he was probably past the Iron Curtains safe line by now. General Bai will take charge of military affairs in this war zone. That was an order we received just a while ago. War zone? Qianye frowned ever so slightly. It is, indeed, a war zone, and it was designated very recently. Moments later, Qianye let Qian Bo leave after realizing that there was nothing more he could glean from the man. Just as Qianye had expected, the champion didnt return toward the Bai clan base but instead headed in the opposite direction, apparently to escape punishment. With his strength, he could easily find another powerful backing on the upper continents and live a comfortable life. The present situation had grown even more complicated. The Bai clan had set up a war zone at this exact time, and they had even transferred Bai Longjia over. It was unknown whether this was on the imperial militarys orders or the Bai clans own movement. Regardless of that, a mere Ningyuan Heavy Industries caravan was definitely not enough to pique their interest. Chapter 430: News Chapter 430: News [V5C137 C A Distance Within Reach] The waters were muddy enough with the Monroe clan and the empresss family, but now there was another Bai clan. Qianye had no idea what they were scheming, but he certainly had no wish to be a part of it. It was just that he had been hunted by Bai Kongzhao over thousands of kilometers and he wasnt one to stay silent after being bulliedthese two Bai clan squads can be considered a tiny bit of interest taken in advance. But Qianyes heart sank when he heard Bai Longjias name and recalled Wei Potian saying this person knew about his possession of blood energy. Presently, Qianye was confident that he could hide the fact with the Combatant Formula and Bloodline ConcealmentBai Longjia had also let him off back then. That being case, Qianye decided to refrain from making this matter any bigger. After some calculations, he realized that his hunting expedition had gone on for too long and couldnt help but wonder about the situation in Blackflow City. Qianye quickly figured out the direction and soon left the Bai clan war zone and Iron Curtain far behind. Bai Longjia appeared at the scene before half a days time had passed. At this moment, not only were his eyes occasionally releasing a lightning-like radiance but the aura around him had also retracted entirelyit was almost non-existent. His temperament no longer possessed the blade-like sharpness from back then and had instead become deeply profound. Although this area was close to the Iron Curtains borders, Sky Demons avatar could appear at any moment. Bai Longjia being able to stand under the curtain with his high cultivation attracted gazes of admiration and envy from the surrounding Bai clan soldiers. Bai Longjia checked the corpses one by one, not sparing even the most ordinary of warriors. Over an hour had passed by the time he had finished examining everyone. He finally arrived before the captain whod been embedded into the big tree and stood there silently for quite a while. This captain had long since perished, but there was still some lingering vitality in his eyes. The man loosened that last breath he had been hanging onto as Qianye left, unable to endure any longer. Bai Longjia pondered for a moment before peering deep into the captains pupils, lightning blossoming gradually within his own eyes. With that, he spied a certain figure in the depths of those lifeless pupils. The figure was somewhat blurry, but it was clearly a human. At least his basic attributes had no dark race aura to them. That person was fairly young and, despite the tactical mask, his handsome qualities were visible through his silhouette and posture. Bai Longjia observed for a while before shaking his head in secret. The assailant was exceptionally cautious and had kept the mask on all along. Moreover, the shadow was really too fuzzy to be of any help. After a moment of silence, Bai Longjia asked, Has Qian Bo returned? Captain Qian is missing. He didnt leave any items or messages at the scene either. Bai Longjia said coldly, Hes likely divulged our Bai clans secrets and doesnt dare return for fear of being punished. Men, issue a wanted notice for Qian Bo. Yes, sir! His aide responded. General Bai, have you found the murderer? Bai Longjia glanced at the corpse embedded within the three and said indifferently, Whats the use even if I find him? I cant take action under the Iron Curtain, and you lot will only be throwing away your lives even if you catch up to him. Unless my sister comes over, we can only wait until the Iron Curtain ends. The aide was startled momentarily because he hadnt expected Bai Longjia to assess this person so highly. He asked after a moment of hesitation, Then, shall we have Miss Bai Konghzao take a look? Bai Longjia immediately sneered, Her? Well have to thank the heavens if she doesnt make more enemies for the Bai clan. The aide lowered his head and didnt dare say anything else. Seeing that Bai Longjia had no other instructions for him, the man left to oversee the cleanup of the scene and collect the remains. Meanwhile, Bai Longjia remained motionless in front of the captains corpse for a long while. Qianye, at this moment, had already left the Iron Curtain and entered human territory. His aim was to reach a city with an airship port. The land he was on belonged to the Sky River County and the closest traffic hub city was the county capital. He was unexpectedly able to buy a second-hand motorcycle from a passing merchant caravan which allowed him to hurry toward his destination at lightning speed. Only then did Qianye knew the definite timeit turned out that he had slept for an entire five days. But from the clues he had found in the valley, he wouldnt have arrived in time to help the Ningyuan Heavy Industries caravan even if he hadnt slept at all. Moreover, the caravan seemed to be a trap of some sort, and he mightve ruined Song Zinings arrangements if he had really taken action. The walls of Sky River City soon appeared in his vision. The defenses here were reinforced due to its proximity to the Iron Curtain, but the overall atmosphere in the city was much calmer. Qianye didnt go to the airship port directly. Instead, he went around the city to collect the latest news and replenish his supplies. The Ningyuan Heavy Industrys matter was tainted with oddities. After finding out the identities of those involved, Qianye couldnt help but worry about Song Zinings situation even if the entire business were a set-up. But he simply had no idea where his friend was. As the city closest to the scene, there would surely be some news here about major incidents in the vicinity. Qianye passed by a certain side street and noticed an unremarkable little tavern at the corner. Home of Hunters! This immediately evoked countless memories. The Hunters Home was undoubtedly one of the best places to start if it was news he wanted. Qianye pushed open the tavern doors and walked in. The establishment wasnt very big, but the main hall, which also served as the lounge, was pretty big. A dozen or so hunters were sitting around the few tables on the side, drinking and chatting. Several among them were bandaged and their injuries had yet to healit was apparent that they had just returned from the wilderness. The hunters topic of discussion naturally involved the popular bloody battle. They were either boasting their accomplishments or discussing the contributions they had just exchanged. The rewards in this bloody battle were indeed quite generous and they were open to everyone. It would seem these hunters had gained quite the profit. Contrary to mercenaries, most hunters focused on killing dark race members and possessed higher combat strength. All eyes fell upon Qianye as he walked into the tavern. A number of them started whistling as they gazed at the exceptionally beautiful youth. Qianye ignored them and headed straight for the counter. There, he produced a vampiric fang and placed it on the counter. I want some supplies and news. The entire tavern was filled with gasps as the fang was brought out. The hunters all had fairly good eyesight and immediately realized that the fang belonged to a blood esquirethat was not an enemy ordinary hunters could deal with. In any case, it was not a problem for such a person to beat up ten of them. The expression of the middle-aged man behind the counter shifted ever so slightly. He calmly put away the vampiric fang and gestured to the apprentice behind him to retrieve the goods from the storeroom. He then asked Qianye, News from which field? The most recent, and the most important. The middle-aged man nodded as he passed over some papers. Qianye was startled the moment he started reading. The papers recorded some of the most important events that had taken place in the recent period. The most eye-catching piece of news was that the empire had, for some reason, decided to officially announce the bloody battle score rankings and update it once a month. Even one as insensitive as Qianye knew that the rankings would immediately produce big waves throughout all levels of the empire. There was bound to be something deeper behind this act. Announcing the scores of the major clan to the public was tantamount to letting everyone see the relative superiority between them. The bloody battle was limited to those below the count level. But no matter the excuse, a low ranking would at least prove that the clans offspring were lacking and that their foundations were empty. This no longer had anything to do with tactics and trickery, but the prestige of the aristocratic clans. The word prestige was incomparably important to the major clans. On the short term, it would affect the number and quality of the people joining them whereas, in the long run, it would affect the balance of power and distribution of benefits. A grand, high-ranking clan failing to perform as expected would immediately draw the attention of ambitious people. After all, aristocracy and titles werent just empty nominationsespecially those of the direct brancheach signified thousands of kilometers of land, boundless wealth, and even influence in court. This was especially true for clans with feuds. They were even less willing to lose out to their rivals. The various major families actually had their own rankings in the peoples eyes, and it would greatly damage their fame once a significant deviation was seen. Thus after the publication of rankings, the aristocratic clans could no longer hold back just to save face. Even if they wanted to save their powerful hidden aces, they would still have to keep up appearances quite proactively. Under such situations, establishing ones might would become the more viable option. It was just as Zhao Yuying had told Qianyethe Zhao clan planned to prove their power in this bloody battle and intimidate the petty thieves. Qianye continued reading and found the latest version of the rankings, listed up to the one-hundredth rank. These rankings were quite unexpected. The Song clan was still leading the board but was merely a few thousand points ahead of the Bai clan in the second placeonly a few hundred warriors in difference. The four major clans and the imperial family were all in the top-ten, but the Zhang and Zhao were ranked pretty low at seventh and ninth respectively. Qianyes heart leapt slightly when he recalled the points he had handed in. Judging from the numbers, it seemed his contributions made up one-fourth of the clans score. Without that portion, the Zhao clan mightve dropped out of the top-ten by now. As one of the four major clans, they couldnt let themselves drop out of the top-ten no matter how much they wished to conceal their strength. Did something happen on Zhao Jundus side? Among the other aristocracy, the Kong family had emerged as a new power and secured the third place with the Nangong family following close behind. Qianyes gaze became more focused as he flipped through the other pages. The waters of the imperial upper echelon were truly muddy. Registering his contributions under Zhao Yuyings name was only to help her realize her wishQianye had no interest in the Zhao clans rankings. The contents of the next page immediately shocked him out of his wits because most of it was related to Blackflow City. News from such a small border city reaching this place across thousands of kilometers meant that something big had happened. Qianye read the first line and couldnt help but sigh in relief. Song Zining was actually back in Blackflow. During the outset of the bloody battle, fights between the humans and dark races would mostly take place in the wilderness. The battle at Blackflow City was the first large-scale battle between the two armies. Moreover, it was incomparably brilliant. Information regarding the generals from each side, First-Rank Demonkin Viscount Luther and Song Zining, the seventh young master of the Song clan, were being dug up continuously. Qianye had no time to ponder why Song Zining was in Blackflow City during the Ningyuan caravans mishap asthe information that followed made it difficult for him to contain his angerthe results of the recent battles and the comparison between their current military strengths. Chapter 431: Return Journey Chapter 431: Return Journey Chapter 431: Return Journey [V5C138 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zinings accomplishments could be considered glorious. He had beheaded numerous dark race viscounts throughout this campaign. However, such accomplishments weren''t normal because Evernight wasnt an upper continentthere was little sense in capturing a city here. How could a small city like Blackflow with its scarce resources attract such a large army? The dark races intentions were easy to read. Luthers meticulous tactics made clear his intentions to capture the general alive. That was because there was no absolute advantage on the battlefield, and capturing a champion was even more difficult than killing him. Meanwhile, in the eyes of the dark race upper echelons, anyone not an expert was cannon fodder. They wouldnt flinch no matter the casualty. That which had stirred the most enthusiastic discussions in his latest battle was his guard squad. Despite consisting entirely of ladies, its combat strength wasnt at all inferior to those of imperial generals. But what Qianye saw behind these alluring rumors was an incomparable danger because this meant that Song Zinings hidden aces were being flipped one after another. Luther was currently receiving a constant stream of reinforcements. His forces after the series of major battles were growing stronger instead of weakening. On the contrary, there was neither reinforcement nor replenishment for Song Zining no matter how many dark race experts he killed. Both supply and manpower would decrease after each battle. He would surely lose after a certain period no matter how skilled he was in military operations. Qianye was more astonished than he was angry at this point. As an important vanguard of Trinity River County in this bloody battle, Blackflow City shouldve received reinforcements unless it was taken down in one go. Ignoring the faraway forces, there were still several divisions in Trinity River County, and it was impossible for them to not know the consequences of Blackflow Citys demise. Otherwise, they wouldnt have offered up a fully equipped battalion each beforehand. So, why were they holding back their troops now that Blackflow was in dire straits? Most of the expeditionary army divisions were local tyrants. They might be somewhat inferior in fighting power, but they werent fools. It was impossible for them to not understand the principles of mutual dependency. Moreover, Song Zinings combat strength was so powerfulas long as there were reinforcements, the dark race army would have no choice but to weigh the consequences of being attacked on two sides. There was no way they could calmly maintain a siege for over ten days. Taking a step back, the Song clan also had combat squads entering the Iron Curtain. There was no way they would ignore him under such circumstances since Song Zining was the second heir in name. If by some chance he were to be captured by the dark races, the Song clans prestige would take a huge hit regardless of the reason. However, Blackflow City simply had no reinforcements. The apprentice returned with a large tactical backpack which the middle-aged man placed beside Qianye. This is the best set of wilderness gear we have, replete with supplies, tools, and ammunition. Do you want to exchange something else with the remaining quota? Qianye looked up from the paper and said, This news. I want more details on it. The middle-aged mans expression changed after a glance. Whatever is left of the quota will go to you, Qianye said. I want to know why Blackflow City didnt get reinforcements. The middle-aged man wrote something on the exchange ledger and said with a smile, This news is quite well-known in private channels. In truth, you couldve obtained the information quite easily over there. Despite that, I cant return the items to you. The remaining quota was still an extraordinary amount, an unexpected fortune for the man. After that, the middle-aged man told Qianye everything he knew and even offered his personal opinion. It turned out that the Nangong familys regular division was already quite close to Blackflow City. Moreover, they had completely locked down all passages there and had spread word that anyone who dared to reinforce Blackflow would be considered an enemy. The expeditionary army divisions didnt dare move under the Nangong familys threat. But in truth, it was useless even if they did mobilize because the Nangong familys regular division contained countless experts. Several expeditionary army divisions working together might not even be able to beat them, not to mention the fact that the old monster, Nangong Yuanwang, was overseeing this operation. Although an expert so close to the level of divine-champion couldnt take action under the Iron Curtain, his fame was enough to deter everyone from stroking the proverbial tigers whiskers. Even if the generals from the expeditionary headquarters were to arrive personally, they would still have to weigh the pros and cons. Qianyes expression was devoid of joy after listening to the news. However, his blood core began to pulse slowly. Ba-dump! Everyone in the tavern heard the sound akin to a desolate war drum and felt as though a giant stone were pressing down on their heartseven their breathing halted for a second. A hunters wine glass exploded violently and drenched him in alcohol. However, he simply sat there without the slightest of movementsthe entire Home of Hunters became deathly still for a moment. Qianye took a deep breath and calmed down his blood cores pulsation, gradually dispersing the invisible pressure inside the tavern. All the hunters soon recovered mobility but none of them dared move. Their hands were trembling lightly but uncontrollably. It was Qianye who broke the stillness. Does the Song clan not know about the Nangong familys conducts? Song clan? The middle-aged man was the first to recover. He revealed a disdainful expression after hearing the name. Those cowards only know how to hire people like us to form combat squads and help them earn contributions. Their first place is supplemented by risking peoples lives. Its already been some time since the Nangong family started doing this, but theres been no movement at all from the Song clans side. At this point, a hunter couldnt help but cut in, Ive never heard about the Song clan producing any outstanding men throughout the years. Only this seventh young master is a true hero. Now, hes fighting a bitter battle in Blackflow City and cut off from the rear by the Nangong family, but the Song clan isnt even farting. How is that fitting of a major clan? Another hunter chimed in, Agreed! I heard this seventh young master just became a champion a while ago, but he has already beheaded several viscounts from the other side. Hes sure to become at least a supreme champion in the future, right? The hunters began speaking up one after another. They discussed their disdain of the Song clan without any pretense. Qianye listened in silence for a while before placing the stack of papers in his hand onto the counter. He then thanked the middle-aged man and left with the tactical backpack in tow. His movements as he put down the paper was exceptionally gentle. It was as though he were touching a tender flower petal and afraid he would destroy it. A number of keen people who were paying attention to his movements immediately stoppered up, their eyes full of puzzlement. Qianye pushed open the doors and left. A gust of wind blew in from the half-open entrance, drowning the lounge in a grave chill and causing everyone to shiver. The counter suddenly disintegrated into countless fine dust granules as the gale blew past and the papers fluttered gently to the floor. The tavern fell into a lapse of momentary silence as sweat poured out from the hunters foreheads. T-This how did such a fierce man appear in such a small place? One of the hunters forced a laugh. The middle-aged man saw, in his ledger, that a machine gun had been checked out. He muttered softly with a complicated expression, It looks like the Nangong family is in trouble. There was a three-storied building beside the gates to the Sky River County Capital. The place was incomparably bustling with a steady stream of people going in and out. Most people who wished to take an airship to other places had to buy tickets and register here. Qianye walked briskly through the stream of people, using some force to part the crowd and clear the path. Some impatient people wanted to curse out loud. For some reason, however, they felt a chill in their hearts at the sight of Qianyes frail figure which forced the profanities back down their throats. Qianye quickly made his way to the front and scanned the counters. He found an empty little table at the innermost part with several small airships listed above. He walked over and knocked on the counter. I want an airship capable of leaving immediately. A thin, shrewd-looking man behind the counter raised his brows. Reserving an airship? That wont be cheap! Where are you going? Blackflow City. The thin man was shocked out of his wits and replied hurriedly, No! Definitely not going there! Qianye frowned slightly. Why? Not only is that place under the Iron Curtain, but its also a war zone! Wont we be courting death? Moreover, the Nangong family has issued a notice that all airships heading to Blackflow must land at their base. Otherwise, theyll attack immediately upon entry. Ill add more money. These words held a different weight and immediately turned the thin mans expression into one of hesitation. His gaze darted toward the surroundings as he asked in a hushed tone, How much? Three times. Not enough. I need at least seven times the price to find someone brave enough for this endeavor. Deal. The thin man moved closer and told him an address. Go there at midnight with enough money. Someone will be there to make arrangements for you. Qianye nodded and was prepared to leave. At this moment, a small person covered in a cloak from head to toe asked hurriedly, Are there any airships to Blackflow City? Qianye was somewhat astonished. He hadnt expected anyone would want to go to Blackflow City at such a time. But he paid no heed and simply walked out on his own. He could vaguely hear the two bickering behind him, their voices growing louder and louder. Midnight quickly arrived, and Qianye headed toward the appointed location. The streets were silent, deserted, and became progressively narrower as he walked on. The buildings on each side grew more dilapidated, and the streets were covered in sewage and trash. He had apparently reached the borders of the city slums, a place where crooks and honest folk were almost indifferentiable. After walking past two lanes, the street gradually turned into a small alley. Qianye came to a sudden stop as a petite figure rushed out from the side to stop his way. Are you going to Blackflow City? Can you bring me along? Qianye frowned. Who are you? And Im not going to Blackflow either. The backside of this persons thick cloak was bulging outhe was clearly hiding a rather big gun inside. Hearing Qianyes immediate denial, the person was somewhat anxious and cried out, I clearly heard you reserving an airship to Blackflow. Qianyes expression sank, and his eyes were now suffused with killing intent. The more you know about certain things, the more likely you are to lose your life. No, I wasnt intending to eavesdrop on your secrets! I only wanted to go to Blackflow. Qianye suddenly leaned backward at this moment as a flying knife whizzed past him and shot straight into the wall of the opposite house. This blade was thrown with a fair bit of force, and might even pierce through regular army armor. Qianye glanced toward the source of this projectile and found several sinister-looking men walking out of the shadows. Brat, are you the one looking to join the liveliness in Blackflow City? Who are you? Qianyes voice was cold. Chapter 432: The Bizarre Girl Chapter 432: The Bizarre Girl [V5C139 C A Distance Within Reach] A young man with long, multicolored hair laughed nastily and said, You dont need to know who this daddy is. You only need to know that most people trying to get into the muddy waters of Blackflow City are already dead. Heads like yours are worth a pretty penny at the Nangong family. Qianyes expression turned much calmer after hearing the Nangong familys name. Does this mean someone has sold you information about us? There are simply too many cooperative people in this line of work. Youre not the only thing being sold, either. The young man hadnt even finished speaking when a burly man beside him said, Boss, why waste so many words? Just take him down directly. We can still make it in time for a midnight snack! The men spread out with their weapons drawn and slowly surrounded Qianye. These people were dressed like scoundrels, but their equipment was pretty good. One of their shields even had an origin array on it, a premium armament available only to the regular army corps. Qianye took a step forward to appear before the young leader and threw a kick at his stomach. The move appeared calm, but was as fierce was an erupting volcano. The man flew out like a cannon shell and smashed through several houses before falling to the ground. His body was completely deformed and his fate, unknown. Afterward, Qianye reached out and grabbed the burly mans shotgun. The man didnt even see how his weapon was snatched before a mass of pellets exploded in his face and sent him flying. Gunshots rumbled as Qianye fired continuously and felled all the hoodlums one by one, not even sparing the ones trying to run away. He had no plans to figure out the identities of such people who were willing to sell their lives for the Nangong family. He wouldnt show them any mercy, either, and planned to kill as many of them that appeared before him. Qianye casually threw the shotgun away after spending all the bullets in a flash. It was at this moment that he heard a gun being loaded behind him and turned around rather unhurriedly. With the firing speed of the foes gun, he knew this runaway would die in his hands the moment he pulled the trigger. A small figure pounced forward like a panther at this moment. It smashed the man behind the head with a black object and immediately sent him sprawling onto the ground. The person collapsed with a deformed head, twitched a couple of times, and then stopped moving. The one who had finished off this thug was the little fellow who had been pestering Qianye to take him to Blackflow City. She had taken her hood off at this moment, revealing a young girl with short, brown hair. Her face was rather delicate and pretty, while her pair of dark eyes were full of spirit. It was just that there was a large patch of grease on her face, covering up most of her beauty. Qianyes gaze fell upon her right hand, in which she grasped a giant hammer. The weapon was gradually adjusting itself at this moment and would leak wisps of steam from time to time. It was actually a kinetic hammer, and a rather heavy one at that. The girl had used this blunt weapon to take down the thug who was trying to ambush Qianye. Being able to use such a kinetic hammer proved that there was much power hidden within her petite frame. The girl raised her head and said, I just helped you. Now you can take me along, right? Let me tell you beforehand that I have no money whatsoever. The young girl felt a sudden chill and couldnt help but shrink before Qianyes azure-suffused eyes. In his true sight, Qianye saw that the girl had lit up six origin nodes. However, her origin power flow was rather peculiar in many places, especially on the left half of her body. It was completely different from ordinary people, but also inherently distinct from the dark races. He was momentarily shocked as his attention shifted to her limbs. This little girl actually had numerous mechanical parts implanted into her body, all driven by origin arrays. This was especially true of her left arm which was almost half-flesh half-machine. That was precisely why she could use that shocking kinetic hammer. Qianye nodded after seeing that this peculiar girl wasnt weak in terms of combat strength. Theres more trouble coming. I wont have time to take care of you. The young girl puffed out her chest and said boldly, Dont worry, Ill protect you! Qianye shrugged and continued onward. The two arrived at the depths of the small alleyway, passed through a side street, and arrived before an unremarkable little courtyard. The night was deep, and the silent streets were devoid of all human shadows. Qianye glanced at the surroundings and confirmed that he had arrived at the correct place before kicking the doors open. There were two ferocious-looking muscular men behind the gates at this moment, leaning against the walls in a bored manner. Seeing the courtyard doors being kicked open all of a sudden, the men subconsciously drew their weapons and took aim. Their vision blurred for a moment, and they soon found themselves lifted up by Qianyeone in each hand. Immediately afterward, they were smashed into the wall and lost consciousness. Qianye headed into the room after throwing away the two guards. The commotion in the courtyard had apparently alarmed those inside as several burly men rushed out from within. Qianye moved at lightning speed as he picked them up and slammed them into the wall before casually tossing the unconscious victims behind. He went up to the second floor and felled yet another batch of guards. Finally, he kicked open a door to reveal a magnificent room within. Qianye walked into the room that was obviously out of place in this neighborhood. With a sudden swipe of his hands, the shotgun belonging to a man hiding behind the door fell into his grasp. The man tried to draw his dagger, but was blasted out of the room by a backward shot from Qianyethe latter didnt even turn back. Qianye didnt stop there. He advanced in large strides and arrived before a desk at the end of the room. There, he aimed the still-smoking gun at the wizened middle-aged man behind the table. I want an airship to Blackflow City, Qianye said clearly. To Blackflow City? Thats impossible! the thin man cried out instinctively. This prompted the shotgun muzzle to press right against his forehead, the residual heat there causing his skin to burn and sizzle. Its really impossible! If I send you to Blackflow City and the Nangong family finds out about this, I, my brothers, and our families will all die! the thin man cried out desperately. Qianyes hand waved toward his back and pointed his gun at the assassin who had rushed out from a secret door to his left. The assassin didnt even manage to take aim when blood spurted out of his head, and his body was blasted flying into the still-open secret door. Qianye pulled the forestock back with a click, pushing a new round into the chamber. He then aimed the gun at the thin mans head and said, Disobey and youll die immediately. The same goes for everyone in the courtyard. The Nangong family has issued a lockdown order. Its useless even if you kill me. The thin man was trembling. Besides, we have no pilot capable of flying past their blockade. Qianye said indifferently, As long as you give me an airship The bizarre young girl suddenly cut in at this point. I have a way! She activated her kinetic hammer and smashed down on the thin mans foot! The heavy mallet immediately crushed all the bones and turned his foot into a puddle of flesh. Ah! The thin man had just started to cry out in misery when his mouth was plugged by an oil-stained rag. He struggled desperately in his agony, but the young girl was exceptionally strong and used a single arm to keep him firmly pressed on the chair. The thin man could bear it no longer when he saw the girl raise her kinetic hammer toward his other foot. He let out a series of muffled sounds in an urgent bid to speak. The thin man said immediately after the gag was removed, The airship is in the storehouse of the Shamrock Manor outside the city! This is the activation key! Hey, thanks! Qianye said as he took the keys and headed outside. The girl was startled. She whacked the thin man behind the head and knocked him out before catching up to Qianye. What do we do if hes lying? Qianye shot her a glance and said with a smile, Then we come back and kill him. Whos going to just sit and wait? the girl mumbled to herself, apparently quite skeptical of Qianyes decision. The two left the city in due haste and soon arrived at the Shamrock Manor. This unfrequented manor was home to an excessively large warehouse. Qianye pulled open the doors after easily dealing with the guards, revealing the old-fashioned airship within. The sounds of machines broke the silence of the night as the storehouse roof opened to each side under the draw of numerous thick chains. Qianye and the young girl jumped into the airship and arrived at the cockpit. The airship activation key was shaped like a mechanical box with several metallic rods inside. The girl stared fixedly at the box in Qianyes hand and asked, This is the key? Of course. With that, he inserted the box into the control panel, the metallic rods fitting snugly into the sockets therein. As Qianye activated the origin array inside the box, the metallic rods started spinning at a preset rate and direction. This, in turn, operated the machinery inside the console. The origin arrays on the control panel lit up one after another as the engine produced a deep rumble and spat out large masses of steam. Soon, the shaking on the airship grew stronger and stronger. The airship rose into the air moments later. It rotated itself above the manor, settled on a direction, and flew away swiftly. In the control room, the young girl seemed fairly curious about everything as she examined and fiddled around with everything. So this is the airship control room? This is the first time Ive seen one, but its unlike what I heard before. Why is it so rundown? Ah, this must be the control for the side wing. A rod driver? Theyre still using such an old system? Theres not even an assistive origin array! Qianye couldnt help but smile as he adjusted the airships direction. This airship is a hundred-year-old antique, and it mustve been designed even earlier. This is Evernight and not the upper continents. Its already good enough that it can fly. The girl was somewhat dissatisfied. But isnt it said that the empires technology is the best? In the end, I entered an airship control room for the first time only to see these things! At this point, Qianye had already finished adjusting the directions at this point and locked the steering mechanism. Now that he was free, he glanced at the young girl and said calmly, Now, its time to tell me why youre going to Blackflow City. Qianyes voice was suffused with killing intent because there were numerous suspicious points about this young girl. Qianye only needed to throw her out of the airship if it was confirmed that she had bad intentions. A thousand-meter fall would no doubt result in her death. The young girls face turned a bit pale after sensing Qianyes murderous intent. However, she wasnt intimidated as Qianye had expected. Instead, she scuttled into a corner of the control room like a startled beast and curled up therein. She wasnt cowering in fear and seemed poised to erupt at any moment to injure someone. The young girls performance intrigued Qianye even more because this wasnt a normal persons reaction. Only old veterans who had stepped over mountains of corpses and seas of blood would act in such a mannereven when facing an enemy they had no hope of winning against, they would still find a way to hurt them badly. As Qianye observed the young girl, his obsidian eyes once again turned into a deep oceanic azure. The young girl shivered uncontrollably for a moment. She then stared at Qianye and said slowly, I want to go and fight. Chapter 433: Highbeard Chapter 433: Highbeard [V5C140 C A Distance Within Reach] Fight? That''s it? Qianye found the young girls reply rather incredulous. Was this lively and elegant little girl a war fanatic? Of course its because of that! I can earn contributions by fighting, and contributions mean money. Ive already asked clearly, there are no limitations in the exchange of contributions. That means youre not from the empire, right? Qianye inquired. The girl was startled and a dangerous gleam flashed through her eyes. Qianye leaned back on the control panel with his arms folded. Enough. Put down that gun under your cloak. Its useless against me. You cant kill me even if I stand here and let you blast me. The girl hesitated for a moment before pulling a handgun out from the cloak and putting it on the floor. The weapon looked like a handgun, but it was many times larger than an ordinary modelthe muzzle alone was the size of a fist. The thickness of the barrel caused Qianyes brows to twitch. For some reason, it reminded him of Zhao Yuyings Mountain Splitter. If this huge guns firepower was proportionate to its size, Qianye suspected the recoil might even break her little wrist. I had no intention to shoot you. I-I was merely a bit scared just now. I havent even paid you for bringing me to Blackflow City! The little girl tried her best to explain. Qianye shrugged. Okay, thats not important. But, are you really going to earn contributions in battle? The bloody battlefield is huge, so why did you choose Blackflow? Because theres a huge battle there. Thats the only battlefield that suits me. Qianyes brows rose slightly. Where are you from? You sound like youve fought many battles before. The little girl hesitated for a moment. Im a Highbeard, and Im seventeen this year. I started joining battles at the age of ten. Thats when all Highbeard warriors become qualified warriors. Highbeard? The name sounded somewhat familiar. Suddenly recalling something, Qianye asked in astonishment, The tribe that specializes in producing warriors? The young girl replied, Us Highbeards are all natural warriors, and we live for battle. We have no fixed home. Where there is war is where we live. Qianye smiled. But I heard that almost all Highbeards belong to the rebel army, while I belong to the imperial army. Thats because the imperial army pays too little. Moreover, they always send us to our deaths. Were warriors, not cannon fodder! the little girl retorted. You claim to be a Highbeard. Prove it to me. After a moment of hesitation, the girl slowly removed her cloak and opened up her shirt to reveal the tactical vest inside. Her skin was brown, soft, and glossythe most eye-catching, however, were the numerous silver lines on her skin which looked like the runes of an origin array. Moreover, her left arm was half-machine-half-flesh. The components had sunk deep into her skin and become a part of her body. It was likely due to these machines that she was able to exhibit a strength disproportionate to her physique and brandish that hundred-kilogram-hammer. That was also the reason why she was able to use that powerful hand-cannon. As expected! Qianye felt relieved. Y-You dont think were monsters, do you? the girl asked apprehensively. No, I dont. Ive heard of the Highbeards before although Ive never seen one in person. Then, tell me your name. Qianye signaled her to put her clothes back on and cover up her astonishing modified physique. My names Blackmoon, the youngest rank-three hybrid warrior in the tribe! Im telling you, Im super powerful! The little girl puffed her chest out in a proud manner. Highbeard was an unusual tribe whose members were mostly natural warriors or machinists. Their numbers were small, and they roamed the various continents. They were famed for their hybrid warriors, powerful soldiers born from merging their bodies with origin power machinery. The Highbeard tribe was far ahead of the Qin Empire in this aspect. The empire had also engaged in many years of hybridization experiments. However, rank-two was the furthest they were able to reach before the subjects would pass away, unable to endure the drastic changes to their body. The Highbeard clans most celebrated hybrid warriors could reach rank-five. They were almost like metallic giants that were capable of walking and thinkingpure machines of war. The empire reached an initial conclusion after many years of experimenting; the Highbeard tribes hybridization technology was related to their special innate constitution. To reach that strength, the empire would require warriors with the potential to become rank-thirteen champions or higher, effectively defeating the entire purpose of hybridization. Qianye had seen this conclusion back at Red Scorpion, but he wasnt authorized to read the details. Blackmoon had reached rank-three hybrid and rank-six origin power at such a tender age. She was truly a rare specimen. Qianye believed her explanation after seeing that she was indeed a Highbeard. It seemed Blackmoon really was here for the military contribution rewards. Who wouldve thought the effects of this bloody battle would grow so progressively? It was like a giant whirlpool whose outer border was already beginning to involve the other continents and tribes. What will you do if you meet other Highbeards on the battlefield? Fight them, of course. Killing an opponent with all ones might is the highest form of respect for the opponent, Blackmoon replied matter-of-factly. Qianye was somewhat speechless. The Highbeards were, indeed, as the legends claimed, a tribe with fairly special and crazy beliefs. The airship flew through the dark night. The rhythmic hum of the engine no longer felt noisy after some time. Blackmoon seemed to know no tiredness during the entire night of air travelshe climbed up and down the airship repeatedly and explored every place she could open. She even climbed up to the aerostatic balloon for quite a while to examine it. Qianye stood quietly in front of the control panel and didnt move at all for several hours. All he did was adjust the direction and altitude occasionally. How can you stand alone for so long? Blackmoon appeared beside Qianye many times and asked curiously. This overactive little fellow couldnt understand at all why Qianye could remain immobile for so long and not even shift his standing posture. He would only respond with a smile every time and provided no answer to her question. Qianye felt that he had become much calmer since condensing the blood coreexactly the calmness of a person waiting to see the vast world opening up before him. Evernight, under the Iron Curtain, was filled with blade flashes and sword shadows. A small city in the north, however, was just as peaceful as before. It served as a transit hub for most of the imperial army corps and was also the command center of the Empires Twin Paragons. It was probably the safest place in human territory. Daytime was fairly short on Evernight Continent even outside of the Iron Curtain. The suns beams were already leaning low at three in the afternoon, as though it would disappear below the horizon the very next moment. Lin Xitang was walking slowly along a limestone street in the city, accompanied only by a trusted aide. He liked to travel the distance between his residence and the command center on foot. There were more armored soldiers in the city than there were ordinary citizens, and they would occasionally stop to perform a salute. Suddenly, everyone glanced up at the sky as a long white cloud shot past half the city and landed toward the southit almost looked like the contrail left behind by a high-speed airship. There was only one person who would dare cross the sky above the small city in such an ostentatious manner, and that was Zhang Boqian. Lin Xitang retracted his gaze and continued toward his residence. His aide, quite fittingly named Shi Yan, followed the marshal in complete silence and uttered not a single word. [1] The marshals residence was actually a small barracks set up in a battlefield operations layout. The two largest tents at the center belonged to Lin Xitang and Zhang Boqian. Beyond them were the living quarters of the Northern Legion and the Thunder Calvary. At the outermost area were the residences of the other high-ranking officers whose legions had come to take part in the bloody battle. Lin Xitang arrived in front of his door, but his outstretched hand suddenly froze midair as the door opened on its own. He was stunned for a moment as he gazed at the man clad in formal imperial attire with complicated decorations. Youre finally back. With Zhang Boqians usual temperament, he would never wear such multi-layered formal clothing. He had left Evernight several days ago for the upper continent. Could he have gone to attend the court assembly? Zhang Boqians countenance was gloomy as his tall, handsome figure stood towering like an indomitable mountain peak, emitting an incomparably heavy sense of pressure. His sharp, phoenix eyes peered straight into Lin Xitangs pupils as he said in a cold voice, Whats the meaning of this?! With that, he hurled a certain item at the latters face. Lin Xitang was startled. The item stopped 30 centimeters away from him without waiting for him to reach out and grab it. It was actually a stack of documents, but the format was different from those in general use. It was a thrice-folded parchment paper with an origin power glow flashing over it from time to time. It was a memorial used specifically by the empires ministers, and the origin array stamped upon it was actually an origin seal signifying the writers identity. Lin Xitang was familiar with governmental affairs and was able to identify the insignias of several aristocratic families and imperial ministries. This was proof that the memorial was anything but ordinaryit shouldnt have appeared here at all. Even if the contents involved things that needed to be carried out, only a copy should be issued, while the original should remain sealed within the court archives. Lin Xitang reached out and collected the memorial into his hand. Without even opening it yet, he inquired in a mutter, You brought this out from the imperial court? Zhang Boqian broke into an angry laugh. Lin Xitang, these are all memorials impeaching you in the imperial court. Lin Xitang replied calmly, Impeachment? Isnt that normal? The journey from the son of a first-rank count to his current position had made him countless enemies and was filled with storms of blood. An impeachment in the imperial court could be considered the most honorable of attacks. Zhang Boqian said sharply, An overwhelming number of your core Imperial Party members are accusing you of embezzling military contributions, accepting bribes at every level, harassing the order of the bloody battle, and forming a clique to repel outsiders. Is that normal? Lin Xitang had already seen that the insignias belonged to the departments headed by the new nobility and clans close to the imperial family. He remained silent for a moment before replying indifferently, The imperial court has always been full of divisions and alliances. Its all a matter of profit. The only one Im loyal to is the emperor. Zhan Boqians attitude was frosty. Although the Jintang Li family isnt in this memorial, a lot of their relatives and in-laws are present. Lin Xitangs brows rose ever so slightly, unsure why Zhang Boqian would bring up the present empresss family. He then heard Zhang Boqian ask, Was it your idea or His Majestys to confer me the title of Prince Green Sun? Lin Xitang remained silent. He replied grudgingly after a while, Does it make a difference? Zhang Boqian being conferred the title Prince Green Sun naturally wasnt due to a lack of new words. The Green Sun Zhang was an incomparably illustrious clan with four dukes. However, Zhang Boqian had always been engrossed in the martial arts and seldom took part in the clans day to day affairs. The Duke Dan lineage he had descended from wasnt in charge, either. Zhang Boqian winning a prince title would no doubt impact the power balance within the clan. The imperial court conferring him the title, Green Sun, the symbol of the Zhang clan, most certainly aggravated this conflict. At the very least, it would become a rather subtle problem as to whether Prince Green Sun or the current clan lord, Duke Hui, would represent the Zhang clan in the upcoming triennial grand sacrificial ceremony. The imperial courts intentions were none other than to cause trouble for the number one clan who had just produced a new Heavenly Monarch. A period of internal strife was unavoidable even though the entire Zhang clan could clearly see this overt plot. Zhang Boqian laughed coldly. There was no difference at first. What did you think I went to the capital for? Did you know that woman from the Pepper Palace wants to bestow me a marriage? ... [1] Shi Yan = Stone Speech Chapter 434: The Oriole Scheme [V5C141 C A Distance Within Reach] Lin Xitangs indifferent expression finally changed into one of distinct astonishment. Empress Li? How can she have the authority to do so? Heavenly monarchs were characters at the top of the empire. Even the emperor himself didnt have much control over them, not to mention an intermediary from the imperial haremthe status was honorable but held little actual power. But Lin Xitang was extremely sharp. After some thought, he associated this matter with recent developments and soon figured out the entire process. Zhang Boqians first wife passed away early without any children, and his life as a soldier left him with only a bastard son of mediocre talents. He himself was also quite indifferent to producing offspring. The Zhang clan was already prepared to choose a successor from among his nephews from the Duke Dan lineage, as was conventional for nobility. The Li family had their eyes on this pointthey planned to split the number one clan and rope in this newly ascended heavenly monarch while the imperial court and the aristocratic clans were engaged in a power struggle. Their ambitions werent small, and their expenditure was just as steep. If the empresss family managed to form an alliance with the new heavenly monarch on top of their operations throughout the years, the Li family might actually gain the most out of this imperial storm. Things were already quite clear at this point; a dissected Song clan might not be enough to win the heavenly monarchs favor, so they resorted to proving their determination by attacking his political rival. And that was how the recent attempts at impeachment came about at the imperial court. Perhaps that wasnt the full extent of it, either. Lin Xitang lowered his gaze and fiddled with the memorials in his hand. He had naturally noticed that Zhang Boqian wasnt referring to a mere Li family, but instead that revered person up above. Both of them belonged to the imperial party under present circumstancesbut was it Empress Li trying to seize authority from his hands or was the emperor planning to change the minister in power after shifting the structure of the imperial court? Thinking up to this point, Lin Xitang glanced at Zhang Boqians expression and chuckled. The Li family is a pretty good move. A harshness flashed through Zhang Boqians eyes. Lin Xitang merely said, I originally thought the Song clan was engaging in an internal purge. So it was actually the Li familys proof of allegiance to you. Lin Xitang, I dont want to know what kind of chess board youre setting up with this bloody battle, but even if you can calculate the heavens mysteries, you cant surmise peoples hearts. Be careful or youll become the proverbial mantis that stalks the cicada or the hunting dog stewed before the rabbit dies. Theres always a winner and a loser in chess, and the derivation of heavens mysteries is but choosing the one closest to reality among the countless variations. Who can set the outcome in stone right at the opening move? If I really encounter some mishap... at this point, Lin Xitang chuckled carelessly as he glanced up at Zhang Boqian, ... We can be considered comrades of many years. Can I entrust my wife and children to you? Thump! The entire world seemed to pulse for a moment. It was as though an invisible object had suddenly precipitated in the air, filling the entire room with an oppressive chill. Zhang Boqians voice turned extremely frosty and was accompanied by a biting murderous intent. If you die, Ill slaughter every member of the Lin family with my own hands. Thats also fine. They enjoyed the glory born of my success, so its only natural that they suffer the consequences of my failure. Lin Xitangs expression was calm. This was the difference between ordinary aristocratic families and a major clan. The Lin familys prosperity was linked to Lin Xitang alone. There were no sufficiently outstanding talents among his nephews and relatives to inherit his influence. Moreover, the Lin family had only ascended from count to marquis for one generation and didnt have sufficient alliances in terms of friends or in-laws. The entire family would immediately fall into decline once Lin Xitang was gone. Meanwhile, the major clans had thousands of years of inheritance, deep accumulations, and flourishing branches. Even if one of their branches were to be uprooted entirely, it wouldnt damage the main trunk. Even if the main trunk was chopped down, the deeply entrenched side-branches would grow back into a giant tree once the time was right. Zhang Boqians eyes were profound as he left in large strides. The moment he turned around and brushed his sleeves, it was as though thunder had emerged from a clear skythe sound shook everything within fifty kilometers! This was the heaven and earth echoing the heavenly monarchs wrath. Lin Xitang stood silently for a moment before walking toward his desk. There, he found a circular stone the size of two fists. It was flat on the top and bottom with little holes on its surface in addition to the stony patternsit seemed to have been washed by an irregular flow of water for many years. His gaze became focused. He sat down slowly and proceeded to observe the stone for quite a while before putting it down. The stony patterns suddenly flickered as countless beautiful lines emerged upon it, and the stone opened up from the side with a crisp click. It was actually a cleverly designed box. There was a mass of clear, white radiance within, rippling like mist and emitting a weak but unmistakable aura of void origin power. The azure lotus at its center was slowly unfolding its petals as though it had woken up from a deep slumber. Marine Lotus. This was a plant found only within the great vortex. Dark race records stated that this flower had miraculous effects in composing the spirit and condensing the soul. It was said that when the flower was in bloom, it could repair the damaged souls of nearby living beings. Although the topic of souls was too fleeting for humans, it was still an extremely rare main ingredient used to produce superior medicines capable of aiding the champion advancement process. It was also a necessary ingredient for restorative medicines used by those above the champion level. This beautiful and treasured plant grew in the perilous depths where even experts darent venture. Its bloom and withering would only last a split second before completing its entire life-cycle. As such, the Marine Lotuses people collected were all wilted petals and stems that had condensed into jade. Even though some people were fortunate enough to personally witness the flower blooming, it was impossible to take away without heaven-defying methods. Only Zhang Boqian, who possessed the ability to traverse entire continents in a single rush, was capable of bringing back a live Marine Lotus. Numerous wisps of white mist rose from the lotus petals and curled around Lin Xitangs fingers, entering through his skin and traveling along his blood vessels. An indistinct fragrance assaulted the senses as the origin power in the surroundings seemingly came alive. It almost blurred out the demarcation between darkness and daybreak, causing the entire world to come together as one. The azure lotus had blossomed to its fullest extent at this moment. Afterward, its colors faded into translucency, and inch by inch, it became frozen at its most beautiful moment. Lin Xitang leaned back into his chair, his hand pressing on his eyes and covering up his expression. Actually, Zhang Boqian had gotten one thing wrongthe heavenly dao had its own rules and the choice was to either go along with it or go against it. Hence, the only thing that could be calculated in this world was the human heart. At another unremarkable corner of Evernight Continent, there was an airship jolting through the skies and heading due west. Long-distance flights were fairly dull. Having visited every corner of the airship, Blackmoon had nothing more to do than return to Qianyes side and accompany him in his daze. Qianye finally spoke after an unknown length of time, I might have to engage in a battle before heading to Blackflow City. You should wait for me on the periphery. A battle? With whom? Blackmoons eyes twinkled at the mention of a battle, much like a cat spying a fish. Qianye laughed. That battle wont be easy. The enemy is the Nangong familys private army. The Nangong family? The people trying to intercept you? To be precise, a couple of bastards and their backers. Theyre a high-ranking aristocratic family of the Qin Empire. Sounds powerful. Blackmoons eyes twinkled continuously. They are indeed very powerful. Pay 500 gold coins in advance. If I fall in battle, youll have to pay 500 more. Moreover, 200 for every rank-nine warrior, 100 for every rank-eight, so on and so forth, reduce by half for every rank. We can make a deal now if you agree. Blackmoons words were spoken with utmost familiarity. She mustve said them countless times. Im speaking of imperial gold coins! Fine. Qianye replied quite decisively. Now, it was Blackmoons turn to be astonished. You agreed just like that? Why not? Arent you going to haggle? Dont you think I might be bluffing? It seemed Blackmoon was already prepared for a negotiation. The misjudgment almost caused her face to wrinkle up with inexplicable awkwardness. I think the price is reasonable. Wait, you come and control the airship. I need to go out to meet a guest. With that, Qianye lifted Blackmoon up, placed her in front of the control desk, and left the bridge. Through the window, one could see an airship flying swiftly toward them, its signal lamp flickering as it sent out messages continuously. With a gasp, Blackmoon quickly picked up the communications handbook beside the control desk and flipped to the page she had an impression of. Only then did she understand the meaning of the signalsland and accept inspection. The distant airship wasnt big, but it was much faster than their antique airship, and the insignia on the airships body was especially eye-catching. Blackmoon fished out a stained sheet of paper from her clothes. Dozens of clans insignias were recorded upon it, marked with peculiar Highbeard characters. Nangong family? Blackmoon cried out softly. Her dark eyes showed no signs of nervousness. On the contrary, she seemed to be full of excitement. It was at this time that Qianyes figure flashed past the cabin windows carrying a sniper rifle on his back which could only be described as enormous. He was climbing along the outer walls onto the roof of the airship. Blackmoons thoughts couldnt help but freeze for a moment after seeing this. Even though she had also climbed onto the roof before, it was only an exploratory excursion. The airship was currently flying thousands of meters above the groundthe airflow was ferocious, and the chill cut deep into the boneseven she was nearly blown away despite the mechanical assistance. What was Qianye trying to do? Could he be planning to shoot from up there? Even as a Highbeard, Blackmoon felt Qianyes current notion was crazy. The other airship was obviously a military model. Apparently, they could no longer hold back after failing to receive any response to the lamp signals. Their gun muzzles flickered as a volley of shots swept toward the old airship. But the incoming barrage missed by miles since the distance between them was considerable and both ships were swaying violently through the fierce winds. Spewing obscenities, Blackmoon moved a heavy machine gun from the cabin, set it up through the cabin windows, and began firing at the other ship. Her feet seemed to be nailed on the cabin floor without the slightest bit of movementeven the powerful recoil from the machine gun was negated by her mechanical power. The muzzle was locked firmly onto the opposite airship. The young girls firing skills were clearly better than the other side. After emptying a box of ammo, at least a dozen or so shots had found their mark over the distance of a thousand meters. However, only a series of sparks appeared on the airships surface as the bullets were deflected by the ships armor. None of them were able to penetrate it. Even though the other party was only a small military patrol ship, it was outfitted with protective armor and not something a heavy machine gun could handle. It was at this time that a loud rumble erupted right above Blackmoons head, jolting the entire airship. A fiery streak traversed the night sky and struck the other airship amidst a small ball of dazzling flames. Immediately afterward, she saw a large chunk of the propeller fly off, and the airship began spinning uncontrollably. Blackmoons mouth fell wide open; she was so astonished that she couldnt say anything. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 435: Assault Fire Chapter 435: Assault Fire [V5C142 C A Distance Within Reach] One had to know that the two airships were shaking violently. Not even the best Highbeard sharpshooter was capable of hitting a critical part in one shot under such circumstances. Only a legendary sniper might be capable of such a feat. Qianye held onto the airship balloon with one hand and fired with the other. He shook his head after seeing the results and appeared fairly disappointed. He was aiming for the control room at first, but a strong gust of wind blew in just as he pulled the trigger. This caused the entire airship to swerve slightly, and his shot struck the propeller instead. Qianye aimed anew amidst the fierce gale. Those below the champion rank simply couldnt stand on the airship roofeven ordinary champions would find their movements greatly restricted. But such an environment was negligible for Qianye who had activated his blood core. He aimed once more at the patrol ships bridge, and this time, his eyes were suffused with an azure glow. In his True Sight, the patrol ships movements slowed down, and the squalls revealed their trajectories. With a slight shift of Qianyes right hand, the sniper crosshairs landed above the bridges side. He then pulled the trigger! Another blazing streak tore through the night sky. The strong wind jolted the patrol ship, causing it to rise upward for a split second. The bullet that shouldve missed struck right through the control room windows, blasting half of the commanders head apart and shattering the steering mechanism. Qianye was greatly satisfied with this shot. He glanced at the patrol ship that had lost control and proceeded to climb back into the cabin. Blackmoons expression was somewhat complicated as she gazed at Qianye. Youre so awesome. Even the rank-four hybrid warriors from the clan might not be your match. Rank-four hybrid? What level does that correspond to? Qianye asked casually while sorting out the descent cable. Our rank-four hybrid warriors can contend against dark race counts and defeat their first-rank viscounts. Oh, am I that powerful? Yes, you are. Hybrid warriors see an exponential increase in strength with every advancement. Thats interesting. Qianye glanced at Blackmoon in astonishment; what he was amazed at wasnt the strength of a hybrid warrior but Blackmoons discernment. This young girl had casually estimated Qianyes true combat strength. That wasnt something that could be written off as coincidence. Qianye brought out the map and pointed to a certain location. Drive the airship to this place after ten minutes. Ill be waiting for you there. What if I encounter another patrol ship? Blackmoon inquired. Find a way to lose them, or at least hold out until I get back. With that, Qianye opened the cabin doors, threw out the descent cable, and watched it fall into the bottomless night. The biting cold air immediately flowed in once the cabin doors were thrown open. The wind was so strong that ordinary people would find it difficult to even speak. But Blackmoon raised her voice and shouted, What are you going to do? Below us is the Nangong familys base of operations. Im going to give them a small present. With that, Qianye leaped out of the cabin door, shooting through the night and toward the ground. Blackmoon poked her head out of the door and glanced down at the earth hidden beneath the blanket of darknessapart from some vague lights, everything was shrouded in boundless gloom. She donned a pair of special goggles from her backpack and quickly zoomed-in by turning the adjustment knob. There were two neat rows of barracks on the ground, and several airships were parked to one side. It was unexpectedly an airship base. At this moment, there were two battleships with all their lights on. Many soldiers were moving around the airships and preparing them for take-off. Within moments, these battleships would be ready to fly into battle and capture that antique airship. Qianye descended rapidly through the sky. He grabbed onto the cable as it flew past him, retarding his momentum and also swinging him back up. He let go of the rope as he reached the highest point and shot down like a comethe was still hundreds of meters from the ground at this point! Many Nangong family soldiers saw the airship whistling past and the human figure hanging below it. They were dumbfounded when Qianye let go of the descent cable and fell diagonally toward one of their military patrol ships. With a loud boom, the human cannonball, Qianye, smashed right through the roof of the patrol boat and crashed into the cabin like a comet. Under Qianyes feet, several of the airship staff who failed to escape in time were crushed to death under the metallic frame and chunks of steel. At the cabin doors, the survivors who had managed to avoid the first wave of calamity were staring with wide eyes as Qianye stood up nonchalantlythey could hardly believe their eyes. After coming to, they turned to run with a loud cry. Qianye wasnt interested in chasing after these small soldiers. He kicked open the cabin doors and entered the control room. He was quite familiar with the layout here and knew at a glance that this was a light patrol ship. Moreover, it was the newest model invented within the last thirty years. These ships were currently in service within the army and were rare on Evernight Continent. Qianye produced two grenades, placed them on the control panel, and crashed his way out of the side window. Behind him, the control room was filled with flames which poured out several meters through the windows. The newer the airship model, the more complex the control system. There was no way for this airship to fly on the short term after having its control room destroyed. Qianye turned around and headed toward the next patrol airship that was about to take off. His steps appeared slow but were actually swifthe reached the next airship in just a couple of steps, and small explosions rang out continuously through the night soon after. The soldiers who had wanted to stop him collapsed mysteriously to the ground without even Qianye raising his hand. The footsteps of the charging Nangong family soldiers faltered after witnessing this scene from afar. This young man was like a demonic godhe had appeared all of a sudden, and all those who approached him met their ends without knowing how or why. Qianye boarded the second patrol ship in the blink of an eye and leapt out once again from the cabin windows. This patrol ships control room also burst out in raging flames. Several warriors rushed out from the side at this moment and charged toward Qianye while firing. They were seasoned and ruthless, clearly the elites of the private army. Under their leadership, the previously cowed soldiers began to form an encirclement. Qianye had no intention to avoid the fight and rushed straight toward the incoming group. He walked calmly through the hail of bulletshis gait seemed relaxed, but his body would flicker at every step as he evaded most of the attacking bullets. He simply took the ones he couldnt evade head-on, that was except those fired from high-grade origin guns. Ordinary bullets would simply bounce off Qianyes skin on their own, and even large caliber bullets would only leave a red mark. He could capture almost all of the soldiers movements with his True Sight. He could see their numerous trajectories weaving together and would evade the most powerful origin bullets with a slight shift of his footwork. Qianyes five fingers flicked out in turn, shooting out numerous air bullets amidst soft, thunderous sounds. The soldiers within dozens of meters fell backward with bloody holes on their throats and foreheads. Qianyes surroundings were emptied within moments as none of the Nangong family private soldiers dared approach him. Two grenades appeared in his hands, which he weighed briefly before hurling toward a distant airship. The several hundred meters of distance was normally well out of grenade range, but the two explosives actually screamed through the air at an abnormal speed. Their trajectories were almost horizontal, and it seemed striking the airship wasnt a problem. You dare! A tall figure appeared in front of Qianye with a loud roar. The two grenades were also destroyed mid-air by the incomparably fierce origin power. The flames on the nearby airships had yet to die out. Set off by the blaze, the mans figure was like a mountain as he walked toward Qianye step by step. This persons appearance shrouded Qianye in a hazy mist, causing his origin power circulation to turn stagnant and his origin nodes to dim down by quite a bit. This was the Nangong familys famous domain, Origins End. All origin power would be suppressed within this domain with the exception of the Nangong familys special arts. Although claiming to end all origin power was a bit exaggerated, it was still a first-rate domain in terms of power. You actually dare act so atrociously in front of me, Nangong Xiaoyue. You sure have guts He didnt even manage to finish his words before his eyes suddenly went wide! Countless cracks akin to dense spider webs suddenly appeared on the earth beneath Qianyes feet as a visible wave extended in every direction. With a soft clatter, the domain power restricting Qianyes body was forcefully shattered. His figure flickered and arrived before Nangong Xiaoyue with a single step! You! Nangong Xiaoyue was astonished. The origin power on Qianyes body was presently dim and had clearly been suppressed by the domain. However, he had forcibly thrown off the bindings without using any secret techniques, relying only on his incomparably tyrannical force. It was simply unimaginable! Nangong Xiaoyue had no time to ponder on this. He let out a sudden shout and brandished his hand like a blade, drawing out a huge crescent moon through the air which slashed toward Qianye. But Qianye seemed to have transformed into a mirage in the breezehis figure flitted past Nangong Xiaoyue and appeared dozens of meters behind him. Qianye turned back slowly, allowing the fresh blood to drip down from his fingertips. In a flash, his digits were free of blood and just as clean as before. Nangong Xiaoyue was frozen on the spot. He slowly looked down, with incredulous eyes, at the five bloody holes over his heart. Even the armor that was capable of stopping a blast from a grade-four origin gun was penetrated. His Origins End shattered with a bang. At that very moment, Nangong Xiaoyue knew he hadnt seen wrongQianye definitely wasnt a champion yet, and his origin power had clearly been restricted. But the latter was able to shatter his domain and pierce his heart merely by relying on that incomparably powerful body. The entire airship port fell into silence as Qianye flicked the last drop of blood off of his fingers. The warriors were all petrifiedit was a mystery whether they were intimidated or if they were waiting for Nangong Xiaoyues fate. It was at this time that a mountainous suppressive might covered the entire landing zone. An aged but thunderous voice rang out, Who dares cause chaos here? An old man dressed in green robes and a tall coronet walked out from the darkness. Despite his slightly-built stature, he took up everyones everyones field of vision the moment he appeared. [1] At this very moment, a strong gale kicked up around Qianye and pressed down upon him like a mountain. It seemed as though the entire world had come alive to pressure him from all directions. Qianyes legs trembled slightly and his bones creaked and groanedit was as though a mountain was on his back, trying to force him to the ground. Being able to restrain Qianye to this point with just his aura meant that this was definitely the second elder of the Nangong family, Nangong Yuanwang. [1] Not the coronets used by European nobility. The kind of little hats Chinese officials wear. Chapter 436: Heavenly Migh Chapter 436: Heavenly Might [V5C143 C A Distance Within Reach] Nangong Yuanwangs expression was shrouded in an austere and baleful intent. Even the Nangong familys rank-ten champion couldnt endure the pressure and had long since knelt on the ground. Although the young man before him possessed abnormally condensed origin power, it was clear that he had yet to form an origin vortex and step into the champion realm. But unexpectedly, he was able to stand straight without falling. This left Nangong Yuanwangan illustrious decades old expertwithout any face. This person couldnt be left alive! Killing intent flashed through Nangong Yuanwangs eyes as he extinguished all thoughts of capturing the person alive. Without further hesitation, he raised his right fist and attacked from afar. The howling of the wind in the vicinity changed slightly as his fist shot out. It was as though the origin power of heaven and earth was gathering on Nangong Yuanwangs fista head-sized ball of green light blasted at Qianye. Qianye noticed that the ball of radiance was formed from countless beams of green light despite being hundreds of meters away. Although the brilliance was formed from origin power, it was almost tangible and possessed astonishing might. The green light ball arrived before Qianye at lightning speed. However, Qianye wasnt forced to retreat as people had expected. Instead, he took a step forward, lowered his back, and shot a fist toward the incoming green light. His entire body was suffused with intense sanguineous brilliance as he moved to meet Nangong Yuanwangs blow head-on! A dazzling ball of light lit up the entire airship port. Even Nangong Yuanwang had to squint his eyes and couldnt see clearly behind the light. The intense radiance shifted from white to green. Countless green threads soon fanned out in every direction and enveloped half the airship port. These green light threads possessed extremely terrifying cutting power. Whether it was the human body, armor, or even origin guns and blades, it flitted over everything without the slightest bit of hindrance. Even the thick hull armor of the military battleships was filled with deep interweaving scars. The hundreds of elite Nangong private soldiers were petrified on the spot, their final expression of terror frozen on their faces. Moments later, they collapsed like sand castles and shattered into hundreds of fragmentseven their weapons were no exception. Thus, a green, fan-shaped land of death appeared on the airship port. However, there was one person still standing at the tip of the fan! Nangong Yuanwangs pupils contracted rapidly, and his right fist somewhat trembled. He could hardly believe his eyes; he gazed fixedly over yonder with long green beams shooting out of them. Qianye stood straight and tall, his face, fist, and body covered in interlacing lines of blood where the green light had cut him. However, his eyes were glowing as blue as the vast, bottomless ocean. Qianye finally moved as he gathered his fist slowlythis movement caused his tactical jacket to fall apart piece by piece. The green light threads had cut it into dozens of pieces. Nangong Yuanwang let out a long internal sigh, and his gaze eased up quite a bit. No matter who that brat was, it was impossible for him to block his ultimate move: Green Sky Severance. Even though Nangong Yuanwang could only utilize an equivalent of rank-twelve in origin power at the moment, ordinary young experts like Nangong Xiaoyue werent capable of contending against him at all. However, Nangong Yuanwangs eyes immediately twitched after seeing Qianye actually draw his right fist back; he didnt shatter into pieces halfway as the former had expected. Qianyes entire body seemed completely unimpeded by the injury, so much so that he was even revealing a mocking, cold smile. The bloody lines all over his body were beginning to produce some drops of blood, but he didnt continue to bleed out. Instead, the bloody injuries were even fading away gradually. Not just Nangong Yuanwang, but all the fortunate Nangong survivors couldnt believe their eyes. Could this person have really taken on Nangong Yuanwangs earth-shattering attack? A muffled rumble rang out like thunder at this moment as a pillar of fire shot into the sky behind Qianye. A military battleship behind him had been struck by the Green Sky Severance, and the damage had finally extended to the fuel chamber, causing it to explode. Qianyes earlocks flew wildly within the scorching winds and raging flames. With eyes as cold as ice, he pointed a finger toward Nangong Yuanwang from afar. Facing such provocation, an absolutely furious Nangong Yuanwang roared thunderously, Junior, you are too arrogant! I must blast you to death here and let you understand the meaning of heavenly might! With that, he raised his hand, and his aura shot up immediately. At this moment, the entire heaven and earth suddenly quieted down. All sounds were lost, and even the dancing flames seemed to have been frozen in place as an indescribable feeling suddenly assaulted everyones hearts. From Nangong Yuanwang and Qianye all the way to ordinary technicians, everyone felt an ineffable entity open its eyes and gaze toward them. Everyone looked up at the sky simultaneously. An incomparably large vortex had appeared in the grey Iron Curtain at some point which actually covered hundreds of kilometers. A single amber-colored eye slowly opened at the center of the maelstrom and gazed at the ant-like existences below. The eye was entirely amber in color and possessed neither pupil or whites. However, its frosty contempt for all living beings was a fact known to all. Nangong Yuanwangs expression changed drastically. He let out an odd cry as his figure vanished abruptly, and in his place was now a dozen or so Nangong family private soldiers. The men were in a daze as they gazed at each other, bewildered as to how they had appeared therein. While they were at a loss, the eye in the sky had already gazed toward them. The soldiers suddenly exploded and turned into a lingering bloody mist which soon faded into nothingness. It was as though the ten-odd elite soldiers never existed in the first place. Qianyes eyes contracted after witnessing this scene. He was astonished by the might of the heaven and earth, but also amazed by Nangong Yuanwangs unfathomable tricks. He was actually able to switch places with a dozen private soldiers at the moment of life and death. He really wouldnt be able to fight head-on against this celebrated old monster if it werent for the Iron Curtain. Nangong Yuanwang, at this moment, was standing among the dumbstruck private soldiers. His face was pale, his hands were trembling continuously, and his eyes were filled with terror. Born to nobility with outstanding talents, the journey toward his current superior status had been a smooth sail. It was only at this moment in the presence of Sky Demon that he realized what it meant by all life akin to ants. He hadnt the slightest intention to resist and could only do his utmost to retract his aura, hoping to be taken as an ordinary soldier. The eye in the sky turned about and almost seemed somewhat hesitant. In the end, it slowly dispersed. Sky Demon departed like the receding tides, rumbling into the distance. Qianye was also gazing at the sky with a complicated expression. Now that was peerless heavenly might! With Sky Demon gone, Nangong Yuanwang once again resumed his supreme demeanor. He waved his long sleeves with a snort, producing an invisible wave of origin power which pushed the soldiers away haphazardly and cleared a large area for him. Nangong Yuanwang walked out from the shadows and immediately saw Qianye glancing at him with an expression of mockery. His old face burned up rather uncomfortably in both humiliation and anger. Junior, you dare make fun of this old man?! Nangong Yuanwang gnashed his teeth, his hair and beard flying wildly. Wind and thunder kicked up in the vicinity as he raised his right hand. Just from the power involved, it was easy to say that this move was even more terrifying than the Green Sky Severance from just now. However, Nangong Yuanwangs raised hand was slow to come down. Qianye, with a cold smile, was using his eyes to point at the grey sky of the Iron Curtain. Nangong Yuanwang once again sensed that fluctuation that made him tremble uncontrollablyhow could he dare act rashly? Nangong Yuanwang was livid. In the end, his right hand fell forcefully but without the slightest trace of origin power. Instead, he roared loudly, Brats, take him down and tear him to shreds! The warriors around them glanced at each other and took quite a while to realize that the elder was ordering them to charge. They hesitated momentarily, but military laws were just as stringent in private armies; how could it allow them to shrink back in the face of adversary? With several high-ranking officers shouting out orders and leading the charge, the large squad started marching forth with resounding steps. Thousands of Nangong soldiers charged at Qianye like a tidal wave. All kinds of bullets, cannon shells, and origin shots converged into a stream of flames which poured over torrentially. Qianye turned and ran out of the airship port with a sneer, followed by a dark swarm of private soldiers chasing after him strenuously. The rumble of an engine approached swiftly through the night sky as an airship broke through the clouds and shot past. Blackmoon immediately turned on the steering after Qianye had leapt up and caught the descent cable. The airship climbed swiftly and swaggered off into the dark night, leaving the Nangong family soldiers dumbstruck on the ground. At this moment, several spiritual intents traversed the mountains and rivers to land on the Iron Curtain above Nangong Yuanwangs head, only dispersing after quite a while. At the expeditionary army headquarters, two long men in wide-sleeved robes were playing chess. They were the two dukes sent by the empire to oversee the military contribution rankings, Duke Ding and Duke Wei. They were the major characters who had stood as top officials for many years. The game had gone on for quite some time, but there were still a couple dozens of pieces on the board. Duke Wei was holding a white piece in his hand but didnt play it for a long time. He glanced out the window and said, Sky Demon has been angered again, and thats quite odd. Judging from the position, its happening at the Nangong familys region. But with so many bloody examples before him, how can Nangong Yuanwang lose his cool like that? Duke Ding held the advantage on the board at this moment, and it seemed he had already planned things out in advance. Im afraid someone has forced Nangong Yuanwang to show his hand. Duken Wei laughed with an unfathomable expression. That old Nangongs character is only so-so, but he really does have some powerful tricks up his sleeve. Even we might have to exert ourselves somewhat if we want to take care of him. This person is quite interesting to be able to force Nangong Yuanwang into attracting Sky Demons attention. Duke Ding nodded. True. With his level, he can only utilize the power of a rank-twelve champion under the Iron Curtain. But considering his experience and realm, even rank fourteen champions arent his match. That person is indeed somewhat interesting. Duke Wei Suddenly said, Have you heard about what happened in the imperial court? This question was somewhat brainless because Duke Ding clearly knew what he was referring to. That person has been impeached too many times, but His Majesty has always let him off lightly. But its not the same this time Duke Wei wanted to say something, but he suddenly paused to play the chess piece in his hand. Duke Ding pinched a black chess piece with great calmness and placed it on the board with a bang. Why care about other people? It''s good enough for us to know where we should stand. Youre right. The two dukes pondered deeply as the chessboard once again fell into a stalemate. Thousands of miles away, there was a camp set up between a river and a mountain. It wasnt a large base, but there were soldiers going in and out continuously. All of them were busysome were patrolling cautiously, while others were drawing water and cooking rice. From the tents in the camp to their armory and weaponry, the entire unit was well-equipped almost to the point of extravagance. In the central tent, Zhao Jundu was deep in thought as propped himself on the table and gazed at the map. Chapter 437: Lurking Wolves Chapter 437: Lurking Wolves [V5C144 C A Distance Within Reach] There was also a burly, stern-looking man standing within the tent. He said, Young Master, its been several days since weve had any harvests. This situation isnt right! Were already in the hinterlands of the Dark Nation, but we cant even find half a dark bastard after searching for so long. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, Thats normal. We have at least five or six other groups acting alongside us. The dark races arent morons. Wholl come to throw their lives away? Wont our rankings turn ugly if this goes on? A worried expression flashed across the burly mans face, but it immediately turned into fierceness. Why dont we take a walk and drive away those flies? Zhao Jundu looked up. Drive away? Under Zhao Jundus scrutiny, the burly mans face turned more and more unnatural. At last, he scratched his head and said in an embarrassed manner, Some lives will inevitably be lost. Were already deep in dark race territory, so some casualties should be normal. Ahaha haha! There was no humor on Zhao Jundus face as he asked thoughtfully, How many days has it been since we lost contact with those behind? The burly man gave it some thought and replied in surprise, Its been seven days now! Seven days wasnt short, but it wasnt long, either. There were wolves lurking everywhere under the Iron Curtain. Even champion-level scouts might not be able to keep the rear channel flowing smoothly. Although their squad wasnt lacking in supplies just yet, they had lost contact with the outside world. They were no different from a blinded beastevery step was fraught with danger. Zhao Jundu touched the crystal disk in his pocket and said softly, Seven days too long. The burly man grinned with frosty killing intent. Young Master, you know that I, Zhao Kuang, am a coarse person. But I simply refuse to believe these flies buzzing around us are just a coincidence! Two Bai clan squads, two Nangong squads, and two more from other families. As I see it, these people didnt come for military contributions. They came for you. Zhao Jundu laughed indifferently. Thats normal too. Zhao Kuang said with a gloomy expression. Young Master, these people are too insolent. Theyre not putting our Zhao clan in their eyes at all! They probably wont know the immensity of heaven and earth if we dont teach them a lesson. Let me go out and slaughter a dozen of them first. No need, Zhao Jundu pointed to a point on the map and said, well pack up tomorrow and go to this place. Zhao Kuang looked on blankly, Isnt that the hunting ground of that Nangong brat? Zhao Jundu said calmly, There are no boundary stones on the ground. Wherever, I, Zhao Jundu goes is where the Zhao clans hunting ground is. Zhao Kuangs eyes were suffused with a ferocious glow. I understand! Zhao Jundus entourage packed up and left at dawn the next day. They had just passed through a valley region when dozens of warriors jumped out from the forest ahead and blocked their path. A man in his thirties with a neatly trimmed beard walked over. Zhao Fourth Young Master, how did you find the mood to visit our Nangong familys hunting grounds? Zhao Kuang took a step forward and shouted, From now on, this is our Zhao clans hunting ground. You can take your men and scram. The man was furious and said coldly, Zhao Fourth Young Master, Whats the meaning of this? Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, What he said is also my opinion. The man laughed loudly. I, Nangong Yuncheng, have never seen such an insolent fellow! What? Are you going to resort to force if I refuse to leave? That is indeed my intention. Nangong Yuncheng was startled, but anger rushed up immediately afterward. He said while gnashing his teeth, Zhao Jundu! Even if youre the empires number one genius, youre not even a champion at this point. Im already a rank-eleven champion which puts an entire two realms between us! Humph, genius? I was also a genius among the nobility several years ago! Did you think youre the only genius among so many aristocratic families and clans? If youre truly intent on fighting, Ill just have to experience how powerful your Blue Firmament is! Zhao Kuang was furious, and thunderclaps rang out as his hands formed into fists. However, an invisible origin power swept past from beside him and rooted him in place; he couldnt even take one step forward. Meanwhile, Zhao Jundu slowly walked forward and stood about ten meters away from Nangong Yuncheng. A smile hung on the corners of his lips, but his eyes were full of frost and devoid of all humor. Nangong Yuncheng drew his twin blades subconsciously and assumed a combat stance. The man only came to see the truth after his hands were upon the cold sword hiltshis weapons were already drawn, while Zhao Jundu hadnt even done anythingdidnt this mean he was afraid of the other party? Nangong Yuncheng simply let out a loud shout. Dark currents immediately surged in the vicinity as he activated the Origins End domain. Zhao Jundo finally raised his hand and clasped it in the air. Omniscient Seal, rise! With Zhao Fourths clear, penetrative shout, eight streams of violet flames rushed to the skies and locked Nangong Yuncheng within. At almost the same time, each of them began to exude dense violet qi which spread out like a curtain and enveloped an area dozens of meters in radius. It was impossible to see what had transpired within. This was a contest of domains, and apparently, the Omniscient Seal had overwhelmed the Origins End. Zhao Jundu strode forward, his figure flickering as he entered the formation in one step and left in another. But there was now a human head in his grasp. Before me, all geniuses are merely jokes. Behind him, the scenery within the domain became clear as the eight violet pillars of flame shattered and the violet qi dispersed. Nangong Yunchengs headless body was actually still standing with his blade in hand, but it gradually fell down after a moment. That illustrious Blue Firmament had been strapped to Zhao Jundus back this whole time, and he didnt even use it. The Nangong family warriors stood frozen on the spot with distorted expressions and were slaughtered by the Zhao clan warriors swarming over them. Next stop, Bai clan. Outside of Blackflow City, Qianye was standing atop a mountain peak and gazing into the distance. He could see Blackflows silhouette, but most of it had been covered up by the rolling smoke. The sounds of cannons and war-cries reached even that distant peak. The battle was in full swing at this moment, and several segments of the city wall were ablaze. The dark race warriors and Dark Flame soldiers were fighting desperatelyevery meter of the city wall had been taken and retaken several times. So this is Blackflow City? There is indeed a war! But it looks like the defense is in dire straits! Blackmoon spoke. Even Blackmoon could see the problem here; how could Qianye not know? Despite the anxiety in his heart, his expression was as calm as still water and didnt betray any of his thoughts. Qianye surveyed the entire battlefield and suddenly turned his gaze to a certain direction. Blackmoon followed Qianyes line of sight and saw a group of dark race soldiers appearing from that direction and rushing toward the battlefield. At this point, Blackmoon felt things were far from encouraging. Whats going on? Why doesnt Blackflow have any reinforcements? There will be no reinforcements. Then how are we going to fight this war? A vexed Blackmoon scratched her hair as she gazed at the distant city embroiled in the flames of war. Qianye said calmly, Its not an easy fight, but one that we have to fight nonetheless. Youve seen the battle situation. Its not too late to go back now. Anger flashed across Blackmoons face. A Highbeards word is worth its weight in gold. Were not scheming like you imperials. Since Ive already accepted your advance payment, how can I leave without even fighting? What face will I have left to meet my tribe and its warriors if I do such a thing? In short, Im definitely fighting this war! Remember to send my payment if I fall in battle. My fathers waiting for that cash to save someones life. The words made Qianye glance at Blackmoon in astonishment. Throughout the empire and even among the imperial clans, the number of people with such an attitude was dwindling. Qianye finally nodded and said, Rest assured, Ill deliver it. Blackmoon appeared puzzled after observing the flow of the battle for a while. Why isnt Blackflow city trying to break through the siege or sending couriers out? From their location, they could see that the dark race army was separated into numerous camps which had Blackflow City tightly surrounded. There were gaps between each camp, but considering the dark races superior agility, those trying to charge through them would be quickly surrounded. A large squad couldnt escape, but there was enough leeway there for a small unit of experts to leave. But after a long period of observation, not a single expert was seen charging out from the city. Qianye gazed at the blazing Blackflow City and gradually understood Song Zinings notion. An opening! Seeing most of the dark race squads being mobilized, Blackmoon shot up and wanted to charge toward the city. Under the chaotic circumstances, there was a good chance she might be able to charge through the assault lines and rush into the city. Hold it. Qianye held her back. Blackmoon jumped a couple of times but only managed to bounce about in place. This surprised her quite a bit because she was assisted by mechanical power, and ordinary champions werent her match in terms of pure strength. But in the end, Qianyes tug had rendered her completely immobile as though she were tied to a mountain. Arent we charging in now? No yet, rush into the city when I make my move. Arent you going into Blackflow City? Blackmoon inquired. No, I want to pay the dark race commander a visit, Qianye replied calmly. Youre crazy! Blackmoon finally understood what Qianye was planning and couldnt help but gasp in astonishment. At this very moment, Song Zining was sitting atop the city gate tower like a carved statue. He had already cut down several dark race viscounts since the beginning of the great battle, and that sinister demonic mask had become the nightmare of many a dark race warrior. Song Zining paid no heed to the dark race armys torrential offensive. His gaze was patrolling through the army beneath the walls as though he was searching for something. Luther knew Song Zining was looking for him. This demonkin general was standing amidst the great army at the moment, and his guards had also changed into ordinary warrior uniforms. At a glance, the place looked just like an ordinary captains station and nothing like the command center of the entire dark race army. The armys attack patterns would change as commands were issued one after another, and Song Zining was surveying all of these minute details. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up as he shot a glance toward Luthers area! Luther felt a burning stab of pain as Song Zinings gaze swept over him! Chapter 438: Breaking Formation Chapter 438: Breaking Formation [V5C145 C A Distance Within Reach] Luther was shocked and overcome by an ineffable dejection. This wasnt the first time Song Zining had found him from among the tens of thousands of soldiers. This was proof that the Song Seventh Young Master on the wall was a level higher than him in terms of commanding troops. Additionally, Luther clearly understood what Song Zining was planning. Song Zing was sitting quite casually atop the gate tower, but the grasp on his spear tightened subconsciously. Although he was quite decisive in leading troops, there was still some hesitation at this moment because he wasnt entirely confident. The outcome would be unimaginable should he fail. It was at this time that a pair of gentle and beautiful hands covered the back of Song Zinings hand. A young girl standing beside him said in a gentle voice, Young Master, taking the enemy generals head amidst tens of thousands of soldiers is something only a brute would do. Why should you take this risk? You only need to stand firm, and these people before you will no longer be your match after a couple of years. Song Zining said slowly, Youre right, but its so infuriating! The young girl chuckled. How can everything go as one wishes? Young Masters fame will surely shake the world after this battle and fill those filthy lowlifes with regret. Isnt that enough? Song Zining exhaled deeply as the killing intent in his eyes receded. The hand on his spear also relaxed gradually. Those lowlifes, heh, heh. Song Zining chuckled twice before becoming completely silent. His serene gaze focused toward the depths of the Iron Curtain. It had been fourteen days since the siege, but there was no news of Qianye at all. Luther was immediately disappointed after seeing no action atop the walls, but he was also somewhat relieved. From all these days of fighting, he knew Song Zining rarely made a move but was like a thunderous tempest once he took action. Moreover, it seemed the other party wished to charge into the army and fight it out with him. Judging from how Song Zining had led his troops, it was clear that he wasnt a reckless person. This also meant that the man was at least five to six parts certain of killing himthis thought made Luther fairly uncomfortable. The battle situation at this moment was like riding on the proverbial tiger and impossible to stop. The truth had proven that the information Luther had received before the battle was inaccurate; this Song Seventh Young Master was a veteran at leading troops and definitely not a hedonist who knew nothing about martial arts. But it was impossible to retreat since they had mobilized on all fronts, and he would have to wait until the battle was over before settling things with those who had tipped him off. It was just that, as a cautious person, he couldnt help but hesitate while making various decisions. It was during Luthers moment of internal strife that a frosty intent washed over him from the top of his head and traveled deep into his heart. His entire body went ice cold during that moment as a frigid killing intent locked firmly onto him! Luther turned back abruptly and found a figure charging straight toward him with the speed of a specterthe warriors he passed by were completely unresponsive. Only the occasional officer would notice something wrong, but they couldnt catch up to him at all. Judging from his intentions, this person was launching a solitary suicide attack! Luther was immediately overwhelmed by the perilous situation. He simply had no idea how this person had found him. Song Zining had traced him from the subtle clues of his troop movements, but Luther refused to believe there were two god-like strategists in a small place like Blackflow. On the other hand, Luthers main army wasnt empty despite eight parts of his forces besieging the city. He had hundreds of personal guards, thousands of cannon fodder, and Luther himself was a first-rank viscount. Counts couldnt take action under the Iron Curtain, either. This person actually dared to charge into his central army alonewas he looking to hasten his own demise? As a veteran commander, Luther quickly calmed down and pointed at Qianye. Surround and kill him! The great army moved his response to his command. The cannon fodder charged out in front, while the elites moved out diagonally to flank him. Half of Luthers personal guards also mobilized, and they quickly split into three small groups, seeking to deliver a fatal blow. Each stratum of the dark race army moved in an orderly fashion in response to Luthers command. An elite strategist would notice how capable this demonkin viscount was in his troop management. It was just that Luthers aides were somewhat puzzled as to why the whole army had been mobilized for a single assailant as though they were dealing with an entire commando unit. Qianye had only charged halfway when bullets fell toward him like rain. He lowered his body, raised a heavy shield, and charged on amidst the barrage. A series of sparks flew off from the heavy shield, sending shrapnel and pieces of the shields alloy flying off in all directions. However, Qianyes speed didnt slow down in the slightest. Hundreds of meters passed by in a flash, and Qianye had already crashed into Luthers central army. Muffled thuds rang out continuously as cannon fodder were sent flying in his wake. Qianye soon flung out the badly damaged shieldthe piece of metal flew out with an extremely sharp whistle, producing a scene of carnage for dozens of meters before falling to the ground. Even the two blood esquires who wanted to intercept it with their swords were forced away. An incisive scar immediately appeared within the neat dark race formation. Next, Qianye slashed out horizontally with East Peak and rent the ten-odd cannon fodder in front of him into two halves. As the sword winds blew past, a ten-meter-long passage lined by corpses appeared before him. Qianye strode forward ten meters at a time and crashed through the group of cannon fodder once again. East Peak transformed into a soaring serpentit swung wide and far, accompanied by myriad phenomena. Blood would spill wherever this blade fell. Qianye was like an incomparably sharp wedge. No matter how dense Luthers troops were, they couldnt stop him from nailing all the way in. He had pierced through all the cannon fodder in the blink of an eye. Luthers countenance was ashen, and his hand was already on the hilt of his sword. However, he endured the urge and only raised his right hand to form a fist, then pointed at Qianye. This was the order for the regular army to charge. The regular soldiers following behind the cannon fodder began to charge and attack Qianye. Under the sudden pressure, Qianye let out a long whistleEast Peaks momentum became even more incisive, and its might increased by half. Every swing of his sword was accompanied by a fierce ambiance akin to a tsunami or a landslide. The regular warriors were massacred without even managing to slow down the persons steps. Luther was overwhelmed with shock and heartache. He couldnt help but want to draw his sword and charge forth, but he managed to hold himself back forcibly. Qianyes strategy was fulfilling but also involved an extreme amount of consumption; he would be completely exhausted after a while. Luther was secretly amazed at Qianyes sword techniques and power. He wasnt willing to take the brunt of the attack while the other party was at the peak of his momentum. He had always been a genius commander, but he wasnt a peerless expert. It was the role of a famed general to use his subordinates to deplete the enemys origin power, then move forth to end his life. Upon the tower, Song Zining shot up from his seat with eyes full of joy. However, the delight was soon replaced by a strong sense of worry. He grabbed his spear without a second thought and leapt off the tower, transforming into a silver streak of light which whistled toward the enemys main army. Young Master! The young girl failed to stop Song Zining in time and could only stomp her feet on the spot. She then drew a pair of daggers and jumped down the tower to chase after Song Zining. Atop the city wall, Song Hu was shocked out of his wits. He turned around and hurriedly shouted out commands, Stronghold cannons, prepare to fire at positions three and seven! Reserve squad, prepare to descend the walls! All defensive structures, cover the Young Master! Song Zining flew dozens of meters before landing on the ground and was duly surrounded by numerous enemies. A shake of his spear kicked up whistling winds akin to the disorderly arrival of powerful cavalrydozens of flames embellished with flickering silvery light shot out in every direction. The soldiers around him fell like collapsed wheat amidst a sea of blood, and no one was left standing within a radius of several meters. The Song Seventh Young Master ignored the myriad soldiers around him as he charged toward Luthers main army amidst a display of fireworks. A petite figure was following Song Zining from behind. It leapt here and there, felling several enemies with every blow. The large commotion naturally alarmed Luther who glanced back and immediately cried out in distress. This Song Seventh Young Master had to choose this very moment to kill his way over and play the solitary horseman breaking the army. But then again, how could Song Zining have endured his siege for so long with a much weaker army if he couldnt even grasp such an opportunity? Despite Song Zining charging over with the momentum of a rainbow, Luther only pointed toward Qianye after weighing the pros and cons. His personal guards finally launched their attacks and increased the pressure on Qianye. A muffled thud akin to the sound of a war drum reverberated throughout the battlefield. Even the blood in Luthers body was stirred by this sound, and just as he was overcome by astonishment, he heard a second beat of the drum. Luther suddenly realized that it was actually the sound of a vampires pulsating blood core. But such a resonance could hardly be seen even on a high-ranking count. Just who was this person?! A layer of bloody radiance emerged around Qianyes body as he vanished in a flash. It was during that split second that an indescribable chill of desolation and austerity washed over a wide area. This was the dignity of a superior entity looking down on the mundane existences, a rulers indifference toward plebiansvampires, werewolves, arachne, and even Luther himself became distracted for a moment. The vampires were affected the most. Wherever the aura passed, all vampires trembled, and some even collapsed to the ground. Qianye retracted his blood energy immediately after releasing it. East Peak rose and cut down several of Luthers personal guards in a flash, leaving no room for resistance. By the time the dark race warriors came to, Qianyes blood energy had reappeared to petrify all enemies within a ten-meter radius around him. Bloodline suppression? Luther was suddenly dumbstruck. This surprised him more than Qianye slaughtering his men with the strength of a count or even a marquis. Luthers bloodline belonged to an ancient inheritance. The vampire bloodlines capable of affecting even him could be calculated on one hand. Suspicions arose in Luthers heart as he shouted, Who are you?! Qianye only shot him a glance full of enmity and killing intent, but had no intention of speaking. It was during this moment that more personal guards fell under East Peak. The vertical eye on Luthers forehead finally opened. However, he immediately felt as though he were hallucinatingthe heavy sword of carnage was actually driven by daybreak origin power! But then what was that intense dark golden blood energy on his body? While Luthers thoughts were wandering, Qianye had passed through most of the central army and wasnt far from where the former was standing. More than half of his elites had fallen, and a third of his personal guards had suffered casualties. Cannon fodder wasnt worth much money, but these elites and personal guards were solid losses. This made Luther feel incomparably distressed. Heartaches aside, Luther saw that Qianyes reserves of blood energy and origin power were mostly drained. Gritting his teeth, he ordered his last ten guards to charge and kill Qianye on the spot! A wisp of black mist appeared on Luthers body and transformed into a giant two-headed python. He then proceeded to watch Qianye coldly. Whether the other party really possessed a superior bloodline or a secret technique, Luther wasnt willing to battle him rashly even if his combat strength was above Qianye. He would wait for Qianye to weaken himself after charging through his personal guards then deliver the fatal blow. Seeing the personal guards surround him like a pack of wolves, Qianyes eyes flashed with murderous intent. A dark golden hue emerged in the depths of his eyes as hundreds of sanguineous threads shot out from his body and pierced through all the enemies! The vicinity was immediately emptied and Luther was right in front of him. There was no longer any obstruction between the two. Meanwhile, Qianyes exhausted blood energy and origin power rose gradually, recovering half his reserves in the blink of an eye. Life Plunder! Only on the battlefield could one truly bring out the terrifying powers of this innate ability. Chapter 439: Beheading the General Chapter 439: Beheading the General [V5C146 C A Distance Within Reach] Luthers expression was extremely solemn as he slowly drew his sword. The vertical eye at his forehead swiveled for a bit as black mist curled up around him, taking the form of a winged fish with sinister spikes all over its bodythat was the Jeruson clans innate totem. He focused his gaze on Qianye and said slowly, Youre an opponent worthy of me taking seriously. State your family name! But Qianye wasnt going to waste words. His eyes turned azure upon activation of his eye abilitya sharp pain wracked Luthers origin furnace, causing him to tremble momentarily. Grasping this opening, East Peak slashed down in the form of a distant Nirvanic Rend. Qianye produced one killing move after another and denied Luther any opportunity to catch his breath. Luthers expression transformed once again. As he grasped his left hand in the air, the totem behind him spat out a stream of black mist which quickly condensed into a dazzling hexagonal shield seemingly made of black crystal. The crystal shield and Nirvanic Rend were both destroyed with a loud boom. The resultant shockwaves sent the nearby dark race warriors into disarray, and the weaker ones, flying. No one was left standing within thirty meters around Qianye and Luther. The two combatants were both shocked. This was the first time since learning Nirvanic Rend that Qianye had failed to land a slash. Meanwhile, Luther was even more amazed. This Sable Bulwark was his familys peerless secret technique capable of blocking all attacks at the same level. It was this art that allowed Luthers Jeruson clan a place among the many experts of the demonkin race. Now, however, his Sable Bulwark was actually shattered by a single strikethis proved he was far from capable of stopping that strike with his own combat strength. On the battlefield, myriad changes could occur in the blink of an eye. How could there be any time to hesitate? Despite the astonishment, Qianye had seen through Luthers darkness origin power flow with his True Sight. He immediately took a step forward and slashed down with all his might, instinctively choosing to use brute force. The shrill whistle as East Peak swung out shook Luthers heart. This hiss was different from the thunderous sound produced by the addition of simple origin power to the attackit was born of the strikes excessive force and speed. Luther couldnt think of a better method to fend off this attack. He conjured the Sable Bulwark once more with a loud cry and managed to block East Peak at the last moment. Fine cracks appeared on the shield amidst cracking sounds, but fortunately, it didnt shatter this time. Luther had just managed to breathe when two more heavy blows landed on the shield; it was as though two mountain peaks had smashed into it. Luthers left arm turned numb. He had no choice but to place his sword behind the shield and only managed to endure the series of blows by using both hands. Qianye was also at a loss. He hadnt imagined Luther would manage to block three consecutive strikes so easily. But what of it? Roaring, he swung East Peak continuously in a mad flurry of slashes. He would go for the openings when there was any or simply bash the shield when there wasnt! Luther couldnt use any technique at all under the rumbling barrage and could only rely on the Sable Bulwark to resist. He was being smashed left and right into a state of utter misery. The shield shattered, formed, and then shattered againthis went on countless times. He wouldve been slashed countless times were it not for his secret technique having reached the great success realm, allowing him to reform the shield in a flash. In Luthers eyes, Qianyes moves were full of openings and lacked any sort of skill or aesthetic. If only he were free to move, he could bring out at least three or four secret techniques that could heavily injure the other party. However, Qianye simply wouldnt listen to reason at all. The demonkin viscount possessed a noble bloodline and knew many a secret technique. But he couldnt even catch a single breath, let alone retaliate. Luther prayed that Qianye would exhaust himself or his subordinates would rush over and deal a heavy blow to him. But the surroundings had been cleared away by Qianyes Life Plunder, and the origin power radiating from their clash could easily injure anyone below the champion rank. Who would dare approach? Qianye suddenly paused his torrential blows and raised East Peak over his head, followed immediately by three consecutive heavy blows. Crack! The Sable Bulwark immediately shattered, causing Luther to cry out inwardly in distress. He could no longer care about his numb, aching body as he formed yet another Sable Bulwark. But the shield had just taken form when Luther felt a chill behind him and lost control of the origin power throughout his body. He discovered a spear tip through the corner of his eyes as it pierced right through his chest! Incomparably berserk daybreak origin power stampeded through this body in the blink of an eye. The vertical eye on Luthers forehead shot out dazzling light as excessively dense darkness origin power gushed out from the wound on his chest. It took the form of a sinister winged fish that opened its maw and let out a mournful scream. However, raging flames ignited from the spear tip at this moment. The blazing streams tangled around Luthers darkness origin power at lightning speed, resulting in miniature origin storms. Song Seven Luther hadnt even finished his words when East Peak arrived like a dragonfly skipping across the water surface and sent his head flying into the air. Luthers headless body fell down to reveal a spear made of an unknown material that was neither metal nor jade. Just as Luther was struggling to block Qianyes frantic attacks, Song Zining had grasped the opportunity to hurl his spear across hundreds of meters. The weapon pierced the demonkins vital origin power convergence pointthe origin furnace. The dark race warriors were left in a daze, but the scene became incomparably chaotic immediately afterward. Some of the soldiers, mostly those from Luthers main unit, resorted to launching suicidal attacks without a care for their lives. With their general dead, it was impossible for them to live after returning. Hence, they would rather let loose and die in battle. Meanwhile, the cannon fodder and the allied squads from the other races had no idea what to do, and some of them had even begun to scatter. The entire battlefield had turned into a huge boiling pot. Meanwhile, Luthers murderer stood leaning on his sword, but not a single soldier dared approach him. In addition to him killing his way into the main army alone, that Life Plunder of his had robbed everyone of their galls. Although Qianye was completely surrounded, no one was willing to step forth and throw away their lives. Even the survivors among Luthers aides chose to charge toward Blackflow City in a bid to drag a couple more humans down with them. Qianye, save me! Qianye was alarmed as Song Zinings sharp cry arrived from a distance. He glanced over and saw Song Zining unarmed, surrounded, and in a rather miserable state. That heroic posture from just now as he charged straight into the enemys central army was nowhere to be found. There was another petite figure around Song Zining. She was fairly ruthless despite her frail appearancetwo blades danced around her like flowing light as she cut down one dark race warrior after another. In critical moments, even Song Zining had to move out of her way to evade her daggers. Sword raised and roaring loudly, Qianye had charged out thirty meters at first, slapping away everyone in his path with a swing of his sword. But his eyes twitched after seeing Song Zinings sorry figure dodging here and there. Qianye thus sheathed East Peak and stood there to watch the scenery instead of going forward. Qianye, you bastard! I put myself in peril to save you! Y-You, do you even count as a brother?! An exasperated Song Zining cursed while stomping his foot. Feeling that his voice was too soft, he simply took off his mask later on and began shouting loudly. Qianye yawned as he glanced left and right as though he were looking for a place to rest. Despite his harmless expression, the dark race soldiers would scatter frantically wherever his gaze fell, lest they catch his attention. Song Zining immediately became spirited and started blaming Qianye, Just look at you, pretending to be all innocent and virtuous! Several blades rushed toward the back of Song Zinings head the moment he stopped dodging. He was rather furious at being disturbed while berating Qianye. A sword miraculously appeared in his grasp following a backward wave of his hand. The blade drew a series of afterimages amidst a hail of countless dancing leaves, immediately killing everyone behind him. His actions were as light as a feather and involved neither smoke nor flames. The eyes of the twin-blade girl immediately lit up. Now, this was the Song Seventh Young Master everyone kneweven a slaughter was performed with such poetic grace. Song Zining was startled after that sword strike because he knew he had exposed himself. No matter how thick his face was, he couldnt help but burn up slightly under Qianyes bright, limpid gaze. The two glanced at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter. They walked over with quick steps and hugged each other. Song Zining released his hand and sized Qianye up from head to toe. Where in the world did you run off to? You didnt return after such a long time. I even thought you were done in. I was that close to being finished off. Qianye laughed. Who under the Iron Curtain is capable of that? Now, youre able to kill a famous demonkin viscount without even batting an eye. Thats no ordinary level of ferocity! Song Zinings expression was doubtful. Qianye laughed wryly. How can it be that effortless? That demonkin isnt easy to deal with. Without Song Zinings spear, Qianye would have to pay a steep price even if he won in the end. The conversation hadnt even ended when Qianyes blood and qi surged abruptly. Unable to suppress it any longer, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. How could he be entirely unharmed while suppressing Luther with that frantic assault? Song Zining didnt show the slightest concern after seeing Qianye cough blood. On the contrary, he laughed cheerfully with an expression of schadenfreude. Who told you to show off like that. Now youre coughing blood, arent you? Haha, I know you have more blood down there. Dont hold back now. Cough it all out! After hearing such words, Qianye couldnt help but glare angrily at Song Zining. His blood and qi had already begun calming down, but the agitation almost caused him to spray out another mouthful. Song Zining chuckled with his mouth covered and secretly spat out two mouthfuls of fresh blood onto his handkerchief. The square cloth then vanished into his sleeve with a flick of his fingers. On the surface, the Song Seventh Young Master was just as spirited and outstanding as before. It was just that his countenance, as elegant as the spring water, had taken on a slight shade of scarlet. Qianye snorted, and his eyes narrowed. He reached out and slapped Song Zining behind the back and repeated the latters words ad verbatim, Dont hold back now. Cough it all out! This palm strike had just the right amount of force behind it. Song Zining could no longer hold back his injuries and spat out a stream of dark purple blood. This caused his face to turn pale, but he felt much more at ease and his aura gradually strengthened. Song Zining stared fixedly at Qianye and said while gnashing his teeth, Wheres that mouthful of blood? Stop hiding. Out with it! Qianye shrugged and replied with a radiant smile, Theres no more! Impossible! Song Zining cried out with an incredulous expression. Even a stately champion like this young master coughed up three mouthfuls of blood. Whos going to believe that a mere rank-nine soldier only coughed up a single mouthful of blood after charging into the main army and killing Luther? Youll go through hell if you plan on keeping up appearances. Cough it out quickly or youll worsen your internal injuries! Theres really none. Seriously? Song Zining was still skeptical. Really. The strength of Qianyes physique, as well as his recovery rate, had far surpassed Song Zinings expectations. Although the origin power recoil from attacking Luther had caused some serious injuries, he had already recovered a bit during this short period. A mouthful of stagnant blood was the limit. Song Zining was glancing at Qianye from different angles as though he were searching for that mouthful of blood. At this moment, the twin-blade girl cried out loudly from afar, You two, save me! Qianye was startled as he glanced over to see the girl completely surrounded by enemies and bathed in blood. He thus strode forth in a bid to rescue her. Unexpectedly, Song Zining pulled Qianye back and said indifferently, Dont bother, she Chapter 440: Promise Chapter 440: Promise [V5C147 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining had only finished half his words when he felt an inconceivable force on his hands and his entire body. While latched onto Qianyes arm, he was dragged along through the air. Qianye dashed dozens of meters and arrived beside the young girl in an instant. A horizontal sweep from East Peak immediately cut several werewolves into two while the subsequent downward whack crushed two more vampires. With that, the young girls siege was broken with relative ease. Eh? Qianye suddenly felt as though he had overlooked something. He glanced back and was faced with Song Zinings furious glarethe latter was still grasping his arm firmly, but his body seemed to have been dragged across the ground. Zining, um Qianye didnt know what to say, so he just acted dumb. Song Zining clambered up and patted the dust off his black silver armor with a snort, his expression furious. Savage! Barbarian! Youve been led astray by that Wei clan boar! How am I supposed to fight you in the future? The twin-bladed girl broke into a laughter without the slightest bit of desperation in her demeanor. Qianye glanced at her in surprise. Only then did he realize that she wasnt injured at all and that the blood on her body belonged to others. Song Zinings expression turned serious as he made introductions. Miss Nanhua is my erm female friend one of them at least. Actually, its not easy for me to defeat her if she goes all out. Qianye couldnt help but view this maid-like young girl in a different light. Qianye had clearly witnessed Song Zinings combat strength. A person even he couldnt defeat easily wasnt one to be trifled with. It was just that Qianye felt Song Zinings tone of voice to be somewhat odd. At this moment, the battle had already entered its final stages, and the routed soldiers were starting to scatter after Luthers main forces were wiped out. The Dark Flame defenders charged out of the gates under the cover of the cannons to give chase. However, there was still a fair number of elites among them, and most of those belonging to certain tribes or regions formed their own unitstheir general fighting power was still significant although they werent led by dark race champions. The small units thus retreated gradually while fighting back, inflicting numerous casualties among the Dark Flame pursuers. At this moment, both sides were engaged in a chaotic battle with everyone fighting tooth and nail. The large cannons on the city walls had stopped shooting to avoid friendly fire. The timbre of origin guns on the battlefield became exceptionally conspicuous after the cannons stopped rumbling. On the other end of the battlefield, the image of an odd beast appeared in the air and charged toward an unremarkable, petite figure. The creature possessed deer antlers and five hook-like claws. That was the innate skill totem of a demonkin! There was actually a second demonkin on the battlefield besides Luther. That little figure charged forward, her cape unfurling like a flag in the wind as she spat out a one-meter long streak of flames. The rumble of her gun was like rolling thunder as it reverberated through the battlefield. Qianyes eyesight was extremely sharp. He glanced back and immediately saw the fist-sized bullet emerge from the muzzle at inconceivable speeds. He instinctively sensed the astonishing firepower of the shot. That small figure was, in fact, Blackmoon. A single shot from her pushed that demonkin warrior two steps back from dozens of meters away, his origin barrier fluctuating wildly. The beast-image in the air was also swaying violently as the momentum of his assault became stagnant. Boom! Boom! Boom! Blackmoon reloaded at lightning speed and fired continuously, repeatedly pushing the demonkin back. His origin defenses soon shattered, and a terrifying bloody hole appeared on his body. The innate totem in the air had also dispersed. Blackmoon rushed toward the demonkin warrior''s body, cut off his head, and hung it at her waist. These movements were incomparably smooth and well-practiced. There were ten-odd soldiers under that demonkins command, but they were all intimidated by Blackmoons vicious methods and didnt dare go forward. This girl had blasted a rank-eight demonkins origin barrier apart and killed him in one shot. This went to show that the firepower of her gun was already close to grade-eight. However, gunpowder armaments were advantageous in that they could fire continuously as long as one had enough ammunition. The weapon was a handgun to her, but it was actually more like a human hand-cannon; the recoil was naturally quite powerful. Under the champion rank, only mechanized hybrid bodies like hers could withstand such a force. After collecting the rank-eight demonkin, Blackmoon hopped into the group of enemies and began hunting down high-ranking warriors among the routed enemies. She didnt even bother to spare those below rank-five a second glance. This little girl was like a wolf on the battlefield and was both agile and deadly despite her small frame. Song Zining had also noticed Blackmoon. A Highbeard warrior? Qianye nodded. Correct. Blackmoon is a friend I met along the way whos come to earn some military contributions in Blackflow City. Song Zining gazed at the girl for a while as though to assess her. Almost all the Highbeards are on the rebel armys side. Ive had quite a lot of dealings with them, and theyre indeed quite difficult to tangle with. It seems this Blackmoon is a high-ranking warrior among her clan. Although their traditions dictate that they should be loyal to the employer, its really best to be more careful. Rest assured, Ill keep an eye on her, said Nanhua. Qianye nodded in consent. With the strength Nanhua exhibited just now, she indeed had the capability to suppress Blackmoon somewhat. The battle situation at this moment had been decided. Only Luthers main squad was completely routed and wiped out, but the demonkin viscounts death had deprived the other camps of upstream command. Hence, all of them chose to retreat. Blackflow City erupted in jubilation after the last of the dark race army disappeared into the distance. Having been isolated since the beginning of the siege, no one believed this small border city would be able to escape being leveled. This great, unexpected victory seemed like an otherworldly outcome to the military masses of the city. Let''s go, well talk more over wine. Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulder and left the cleanup of the battlefield to the Dark Flame officers. Song Zining and Qianye sat down in the study after returning to the city. Song Zining completely relaxed when the both of them were alone. Gone was his usual showy demeanor and the murderous spirit he exuded with his mask on. He sat down with a manner as calm and tranquil as the deep waters. His comportment was perfectly harmonious, and each of his movements was akin to shifting clouds and flowing water. Qianye sat across from Song Zining. He was the complete opposite of the latter, his body exuding natural valiance and tyrannyit was as though he would shatter any and all obstructions with a strike of his blade. Song Zining observed Qianye for a while and said while shaking his head, Youre indeed different from before. It seems youve had some extraordinary profits during this Iron Curtain bloody battle. Qianye laughed wryly after recalling his experiences in the Black Forest. Ive formed a blood core. Song Zining wasnt as surprised as Qianye had expected and seemed, instead, to be expecting this development. He tapped lightly on the table and produced a transparent leaf with prominent veins which floated toward Qianye. Do you mind letting me take a look? Qianye activated his blood energy and pointed onto the leaf. Both of them trembled ever so slightly as a mottled, chaotic light flashed through the air. Bewildered, Song Zining dispersed the leaf with a wave of his hand. Thats odd. Having no clan insignia in your body means that you were never infected. Why is it that even the Song Clan Ancient Scroll failed to refine these blood energies? On the contrary, they even formed a blood core. He pondered for a moment then asked, But I noticed youre still activating the Combatant Formula when using this heavy sword? Qianye extended his right hand with a nod. With a light whoosh, the scarlet origin power glow of the Combatant Formula emerged from his arms. Song Zining laughed after some thought, Then its fine. Who can cut open your body to find that blood core? By the time you become a champion, its fine even if you use some darkness origin power in your attacks. Its just that the Combatant Formula might not be able to help you cross the champion barrier He hesitated for a moment and continued, The Zhao clans secret arts can be considered one of the best among the major clans. Maybe you should consider There wasnt a shred of ease on Qianyes dark countenance. He suddenly cut Song Zining short and said, Zining, promise me one thing. Song Zinings demeanor changed abruptly, and he nodded solemnly without even asking what Qianye wanted to say. I promise that Ill kill you with all my might if theres a vampire capable of suppressing your will with their origin blood. I wont let you live like a zombie. Qianye exhaled deeply with an expression of relief. Song Zining inquired, You were completely off the grid these days. What exactly did you encounter? Could it also be the Nangong family? At this point, Song Zinings voice turned cold and was filled with undisguised killing intent. Qianye said after a moment of silence, Ive dragged you down this time. At this moment, he was already aware that it was likely the Nangong family who had blocked Song Zining in Blackflow City. According to the present circumstances, their target shouldve been him instead. Song Zining broke into a laughter. Theres no need for such words between brothers. I wouldnt have come here to fight a disadvantageous war if I were afraid of trouble. Moreover, my own troubles arent any less than yours. Do you mean to say I shouldnt burden you in the future? Qianye also laughed. Fine then. The ones hunting me down are Bai Kongzhao and the Nangong family, but Ive finished off most of the Nangong familys men. Song Zinings gaze focused. Bai Kongzhao? Ive heard of this person. But do her actions represent the Bai clan? I dont know either. Qianye shook his head. Song Zining got up and paced a couple of times around the study. What plans do you have? I wont let Bai Kongzhao off, but Im not sure about the Bai clans attitude toward this matter. Song Zining became silent for a while. Even he had to think carefully in the face of a gigantic entity like the Bai clan. He spoke only after a while, There are many experts among the Bai clans elder generation, but they lack a supreme expert to oversee them. Although they have three divine champions, two of them are already one foot in the grave and havent come out for a long time. Bai Aotus authority has grown progressively stronger in the recent decade. After all, shes the one with the highest chance of becoming a divine champion. Song Zining said after a pause, Bai Aotus character is extremely tyrannical and overbearing, and Bai Kongzhao was personally recruited into the clan by her. Well definitely clash with Bai Aotu if we kill Bai Kongzhao, and thus a battle with the Bai clan is inevitable. Qianye nodded and replied indifferently, I understand now. The two spoke in a relaxed manner as though their opponent wasnt a major clan but a landowning household instead. Chapter 441: Resistance Chapter 441: Resistance [V5C148 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining said, Theres no hurry to this matter since we have to think of the long term. First the Nangong, then the Bai clanthats the sequence. And the Nangong family has an entire division of soldiers nearby. They wanted to take over this battle line after Blackflows fall and thereby justify all their actions. But now that Blackflow Citys siege has been broken, well have to face their desperate move. Qianye sneered, Theyll need to reorganize for at least half a month even if they want to trouble us. With that, Qianye recounted his ambush on the Nangong familys base. Song Zining couldnt help but laugh out loud. Well done! It can be said that the Nangong family went for wool but came home shorn. Among the high-ranking aristocratic families, the quality of their Xiao and Cheng-named disciples can be considered quite good. Now that they had taken such losses, itll be quite some time before they can catch their breath. But Song Zining was also somewhat baffled. How come the Nangong familys methods are so crude and direct? Its completely unlike Nangong Yuanbos usual treacherous style. It was Qianyes turn to frown at this point. Did something happen on your side? I encountered a Ningyuan Group caravan being ambushed thousands of kilometers away at the Sky River County. Moreover, why has the Song clan not made any statements up to this day? Even if their individual squads cant match the Nangong private army, this matter is no longer a private conflict. The empire wouldnt watch two clans go to war under the Iron Curtain, would it? Song Zining muttered to himself after listening to Qianyes recount of his run-in with the Ningyuan caravan. Bai clan? The empresss family? An undisguisable expression of weariness appeared on his countenance as he leaned back on the chair. He remained silent for a moment before speaking with a smile, Im not sure how to tell you about this entire matter. In truth, I had no plans to defend Blackflow City to the bitter end. I wouldve broken through the siege on my own if things turned unsalvageable, bringing Nangong Xiaoniao along at most. The reason I didnt order her Red Scorpion members to join the battle was so that they could guard her on the way out. But regardless of the circumstances, Im not going to rely on the Song clans power again. Qianye was somewhat startled. He glanced at Song Zinings expression and recalled the things he had set up in the recent months. Does that mean youve decided to leave the Song clan entirely? Song Zining laughed bitterly and said, Yes, that Ningyuan Heavy Industries caravan is my last contribution to the family, an attempt at digging out those disloyal fellows who were colluding with outsiders. As for whether the caravan can survive, it wont affect the results of the general plan. Those with errant ambitions would surely have been exposed by now, but judging from the present circumstances, it would appear that the cleaning process didnt go all that well. Do you think theyd fail to deal with such a small thing if they really put their minds to it? Qianye said, Communication with the outside world must be quite complicated at this moment. We can have that Zhou Caiguang from Lone Ghost to deliver information to us. Then well know the situation. Song Zining said indifferently, He cant inquire about things within the clan. As for the others, its no longer important. However, Qianye noticed a trace of discouragement from Song Zinings tone of voice. The Song clans failure to rush to Blackflow Citys rescue could be considered a form of neglect, even if they had encountered some kind of trouble. The Nangong familys domineering attitude was entirely born of the Song clans silence. The situation mightve been completely different if the Song clan were just a little bit unyielding. Perhaps Song Zining had never expected reinforcements from his family, however, anyone would feel as though being cut by a sharp blade when ignored in this manner. Qianye didnt know how he should console Song Zining. As such, he got up to the wine cabinet, brought out two glasses of wine, and passed one to the latter. Song Zining withdrew most of his depressed mood in a short while. He received the glass and swirled it in his hand, gazing at the bizarre glow of the liquid as it hung onto the walls. He then raised his glass at Qianye with a smile and finished it in one gulp. Qianye, dont worry too much. Im now free. Isnt that great? At this point, Song Zinings eyes lit up as he said with a smile, The military contributions gained from the dark races outside the city will surely allow Dark Flame to advance in the expeditionary army. Do you want to assemble another field division for fun or upgrade the Blackflow defensive region? I dont have that big an ambition at the moment. As long as youre sitting on this seat, people around you will force you to have ambitions even if you dont. Song Zining chuckled. Qianye also laughed as he took small sips from his wine glass. As the two chatted intermittently, they could vaguely hear the jubilant cheers from the city outside. Many people were moving in and out of the Song clans Culvert Jade Courtyard at this moment. Numerous servants had cleaned every corner of the placethe large courtyard was filled with the colors of spring, and the air was suffused with a gentle warmth. Strands of daybreak origin power flowed out from the imitation mountains, pillars, and even the shrubbery. Taking in just one breath would uplift ones spirit. In terms of origin power density, the cultivation chambers of the smaller clans could hardly compare. The servants and maids were all cautious, fearful of making the slightest bit of mistake. Today, the routine elder assembly would convene herewith the old ancestor in isolated meditation, it could be said that all the important characters of the Song clan would be gathering in this courtyard. Within the Hall of Honesty to the north of the courtyard, dozens of elders had been engaged in discussion for over half a day, covering a dozen-odd topics regarding the clan. Song Zhongnians expression was solemn and devoid of all joy, while the former grand elder Song Zhongcheng was sitting across him with a face full of smiles. The latter was apparently quite pleased with himself and showed not a shred of gloominess at being removed from the grand elder position. Next up, lets discuss the expenses of the sixth branch. Song Zhongcheng hadnt even finished speaking when Song Zhongnians gloomy voice cut him short, We should be discussing how to rescue Song Zining! Hes been trapped in Blackflow City for over half a month now! Song Zhongcheng let out a cough and said unhurriedly, Blackflow City is a dangerous location thats already been surrounded by the dark race army. We only have a couple of squads nearby, and thats not enough of a force at all. This old man has already ordered them to break through the defensive lines at all costs and reinforce Zining, but their repeated attempts during this half a month have failed, inflicting great losses with little progress. Sigh! Actually, the Clan Lord shouldnt worry too much. Its not a problem for Zining to break through the encirclement with his abilities. At this point, Song Zhongcheng shot a glance at another elder who immediately said, All elders, this Blackflow City isnt our Song clans area, and there are no Song clan combat squads in it. Dont forget that Blackflow Citys contributions in this bloody battle are recorded in the Zhao clans name. As I see it, saving Zining and saving Blackflow are two different things. All the elders agreed in succession the moment these words were spoken. Song Zhongnians expression was ashenhe snorted heavily but was helpless to do anything. All the combat squads outside Blackflow City were under Song Zhongchengs control. They only acted for show and exerted no real effort in this matter. As the clan lord, Song Zhongnian couldnt do anything about it either. Song Zhongnian said with a snort, Then lets discuss how Ye Mulan, Ye Muwei, and the three people from our clan colluded with the enemy and caused our Song clan caravans annihilation. This matter has been investigated thoroughly, and, with such concrete evidence, these people should be beheaded! What say all the elders? Song Zhongcheng stroked his beard and said, That is the Ningyuan Heavy Industrys caravan and not our Song clans. Zining has long since intended to separate himself, so how can we discuss his property as our Song clans? Hence, I think the two Ye family sisters collusion with the enemy requires further discussion. Moreover, this matter involves too many things and contains too many suspicious points. This old man thinks we should investigate in greater detail. We might as well delay this matter and continue at next months elder assembly. Anger flashed across Song Zhongnians face as he shouted, Song Zhongcheng, you keep evading this matter in order to prevent Zinings engagement from being canceled! Do you think I dont know what youre planning?! The smile on Song Zhongchengs face remained unchanged. This is only an opinion born of my experience and wisdom. Im not saying we wont discuss this matter. We merely need to discuss further. Why is the Clan Lord so angry? Song Zhongnians face was ashen. This wont do, we shall discuss this matter now! Elders, do not be negligent! At this point, Song Zhongnians tone of voice was entirely harsh. Song Zhongchengs expression had also changed. He snorted and said coldly, You cant dictate the entire elder assembly! The handling of this matter must gain the approval of all the elders. Seeing how things were turning out, the elders spoke up one after another. However, most of them only wanted to play the peacemaker, and those standing on the Clan Lord Song Zhongnians side were not dominant. Although Song Zhongnian held the position of clan lord, it was actually the old ancestor who truly decided everything. All major businesses required the old ancestors nod of approval before execution. As such, Song Zhongnians authority was quite limited, and the two branches were actually equal in influence before Song Zhongcheng was stripped off of his position. The old ancestor suddenly announced that she would go into secluded meditation during these troubled times. Moreover, she ordered that no one must disturb her no matter how important the matter was. This wasnt a good sign in the eyes of many people. There were rumors secretly spreading that the old ancestor had actually gone into a death meditation in order to seek an extension to her life. If she failed in this ordeal, she would either die or lose a significant portion of her cultivation. Although Song Zhongcheng had lost his position as the grand elder, his influence was yet to be diminished. Having operated the elder assembly for so many years, his status there was still robust, and the two were evenly matched in certain matters. Seeing the two gradually shed all pretenses, many elders began whispering in hushed tones. This Song Sevens engagement had turned into a matter of enormous proportions. Duke Wei had announced a while ago that he would be selecting a partner for his beloved daughter, Lil Xin, immediately causing a commotion among the talented youths of the empire. Duke Weis authority was like the midday sun, and Lil Xin was a good looking lady who enjoyed his favor. Marrying her would be an instant elevation to the grooms statusfew were untempted, even among the outstanding lineal scions of the four major clans. Song Zhongcheng had also proposed a marriage to Duke Wei on behalf of Song Zian. Song Zian might be able to turn the tides and claim the successor position if he could pull off this marriage. As such, the former grand elder had pulled out all the stops and gone all out. Song Zhongnians original intention was also to release Song Zining of his engagement and pursue Due Weis daughter. After all, Duke Wei had praised Song Zining more than once during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt. Moreover, Song Zining was widely known for his accomplishments and elegance, an inherent lady-killer. At this moment, Song Zinings engagement had become the key factor and also the reason why Song Zongcheng was resisting this matter with all his might. It could be considered a victory for him if he could drag this matter out until selection day. Chapter 442: Parting on Bad Terms [V5C149 C A Distance Within Reach] The elder assembly dispersed on bad terms without any results. Naturally, no one objected to Song Zhongnians branch increasing the combat squads dispatched to Evernight Continent, but it was impossible to mobilize the Song clans private army. But everyone knew that most of these so-called Iron Curtain units were hired locallyit was fine to exchange some contributions for their lives, but breaking the Blackflow City siege was impossible. The sky was already dark by the time the elders walked out of the hall in twos or threes. Song Zhongcheng was accompanied by six or seven elders, all of whom were his close friends. He cupped his hands all around and said, Its all thanks to your help this time. There definitely wont be a shortage of benefits for everyone if my business succeeds. One of the elders replied with a laugh, Brother Zhongcheng is too polite. Weve known each other for decades. Theres no need to mention such a slight effort on our part. Another elder chimed in, Allow me to congratulate you in advance for welcoming Miss Lil Xin into the household. The next clan lords position isnt so certain now! The other elders agreed. Song Zhongcheng stroked his beard and said complacently, The marriage selection is close at hand, so Zian has to be well-prepared. Well have to trouble Elder Hu and Brother Zhongming for everything. The two elders in question replied hurriedly, Its what we should do. Another elder looked around and said with a laugh after finding that Song Zhongnian still hadnt come out from the hall, Little Sevens talents are indeed astonishing, but its a pity that his luck has never been good. I think he might not get through this ordeal in Blackflow City. Song Zhongcheng smiled. The clan lords position remains unclear. Even if we dont do anything do you think his branch is all that unified? Actually, its also fine to dissolve Little Sevens engagement. In any case, hell have become a defeated general after the Blackflow City battle. His reputation wont be that great anymore. The elders nodded in quick succession. In truth, they were already scared witless after reading the reports on the dangerous situation in Blackflow City. It was already a big surprise that Song Zining could hold out for so long. At this time, Song Zhongnian finally walked out from the hall accompanied by three or four elders, a group far inferior to Song Zhongchengs in number. Seeing Song Zhongchengs pleased demeanor, Song Zhongnian snorted loudly and left the courtyard in large strides. At this moment, an elder sighed. Its unfortunate how short-sighted Zhongcheng is. He really thinks he can win this marriage by suppressing Zining. How can a mere Song Zian win that position? Zichengs chances might be better. The elders all sighed. After gaining the first place with great dominance in the exams, Song Zicheng successfully sought the hand of Princess Rongyang of the imperial clan; their marriage date would soon be announced. That was also the reason why the grand elders lineage was so blatant regarding this matter and couldnt even care about other people trampling over the Song clans face. There was simply no time left to go in circles. Song Zhongnian said slowly, Let it be. Its unfortunate that Zining is not fated for this. The elders all glanced at each other but couldnt find any words to say. Song Zining had displayed his outstanding qualities in recent years, and all those battles under Blackflow City had pushed his name to the peak. He was the best among the Song clans younger generation both in terms of talent and martial ability, so much so that some people had begun comparing him to the geniuses of other major clans. This had never happened before. Such a genius-level character splitting off to establish his own organization was undoubtedly a big loss for the Song clan. In the end, Song Zhongnian decided to help him dissolve his engagement and represent the Song clan in proposing a marriage to Duke Wei. This was not only to have Song Zining remain, but also for the future of the clan. It was just that Song Zhongnian had never expected such resistance from the elder assemblyeven those who usually refrained from offending anyone were suddenly standing on Song Zhonchengs side. The latters popularity and influence werent enough to produce such a change. Song Zhongnian and the elders were all supreme characters. With their shrewdness, how could they not know why this matter had reached such a stage? How could it be just Song Zian who didnt wish for Song Zinings return? There were others who would feel threatened if this dragon among men were to continue rising in the Song clan. At the thought of this, Song Zhongnians face turned weary as though he had aged ten years in an instant. He could only shrug as he stepped out of the courtyard doors. Suddenly, a gust of wind assaulted them head-on, nearly causing the two elders to the west of the road to stagger. Song Zhongnian glanced over with a frown. Zhongxing, what are you in such a rush for? Moreover, look at the time! You arrived only after the assembly ended The person who had arrived was precisely the clan lords younger brother, Song Zhongxing. He had always been a short-tempered man who spoke frankly. He would usually still give his own brother some face, but now, he only rolled his eyes and said, Whats the point in attending this broken assembly? Havent you come back empty-handed once again? Seeing that the former grand elders group had emerged from the courtyard and was watching them argue, the moody Song Zhongnian replied immediately in displeasure, Zhongxing Song Zhongxiang, however, didnt have the patience to listen to his brothers lecture. He cut the latter short and said with a cold voice, Brother, you dont need to worry anymore. The situation in Blackflow City has been resolved. Silence descended upon the small lane outside of the Culvert Jade Courtyard. It was so quiet that one could hear the leaves rustling in the wind. However, the stillness was soon followed by a great clap of thunder as Song Zhongxing spoke in a tone of joyous mockery, Zining charged into the army of ten thousand and took down the commanding general, beheading him in front of his troops. The dark race army was completely routed. Haha, our Song clans Fueled Fire Spear once rivaled the Bai clans Feathercloud Art on the battlefield. Today, it has regained its former glory in Zinings hands. Everyone, arent you all delighted? The expressions of all the elders were indescribable with all kinds of colors presentit was as though they had opened a dye shop. Song Zinings fame would surely soar like the midday sun after this battle, likely enough to elevate him to the same level as the handful of major clan geniuses. However, such a person was destined to never become the Song clans future pillar. The clans movements as they avoided battle during this period could hardly be hidden from the other aristocratic entities. Having reached such an outcome after all their scheming, the Song clan would definitely become the laughingstock of the entire empire. Song Zhongxing tossed out yet another big bolt of thunder. Oh, and by the way, I actually came to beg for forgiveness today. Song Zhongnians heart, at this moment, was filled with a plethora of emotions. He hadnt even recovered from the previous shock when he heard Song Zhongxing say, I went to check the prison just now and happened to see the two Ye family whores trying to break out of prison. I was careless and accidentally killed them. It looks like we must push this case onto the Ye family. I refuse to believe that they have no idea what the two sisters are doing. Song Zhongnian hadnt even said anything when the grand elder Song Zhongcheng roared loudly, Song Zhongxing, you committed murder to silence people! Song Zhongxing laughed. What? Does the grand elder think I should stand there and allow them to kill me? Only two landowning family women. Big brother, isnt your prejudice too obvious? If one didnt know any better, everyone would think your daughters-in-law just died. Song Zhongcheng was so angry that he couldnt find words to say. The finger he was pointing toward Song Zhongxing trembled continuously. Song Zhongxing was still an important expert of the Song clan despite the fact that his temper was loathed by everyone. Even if Song Zhongcheng wanted to teach him a lesson, it would only end with a drawn-out battle since the two were roughly comparable in strength. Song Zhongxing scanned everyones faces with a mocking gaze and waltzed away with a Heh. As night fell upon the great land, Blackflow City welcomed its first truly peaceful night in quite a while. Calling it silent was hardly viable since the entire city was brightly lit. Dark Flame soldiers were scattered throughout the battlefield, cleaning up and collecting the spoils of war. Within Blackflow, a small portion of the city had turned into rubble. Although the dark race army had retreated, the bloody battle was yet to be over. They naturally had to make the best of this time to repair the defensive structures. Not to mention the others, three out of the four stronghold cannons had broken down after operating at overload for all this time. They had to be repaired immediately. Qianye and Song Zining were standing atop the gate tower and gazing at the scene in and around the city. Both of them were slightly tipsy. Song Zining sighed. How many years has it been since we met at the Yellow Springs? Qianye was also moved by the changes that had taken place in their lives. Qianye, have you considered what path youll take in the future? Qianye shook his head. I have it easy since Ive always been alone, and can come and go as I please. You, on the other hand, will be in quite a bit of trouble after this battle. Song Zining appeared unconcerned. To hell with it, I dont fear such small troubles. If things go out of hand, I can always leave with Nanhua for a continent outside of the empire. Ill just live a carefree life as a royal son-in-law. You? Ill be damned if you can hold back your desires. Qianye mocked without reservations. Qianye learnt from Song Zining that Nanhua was actually the princess of a small, external continent country called Solemnity. Solemnity was a tiny nation even smaller than some of the larger imperial counties, and it could be considered one of the empires vassal states. They had mobilized in full force for this bloody battle and its bountiful rewards since this was a rare opportunity to gain large batches of imperial equipment. Meanwhile, Nanhua had another thoughtthat was to get to know the accomplished and handsome youths of the empire. Later on, she met Song Zining. Qianye only had one assessment for Nanhua: Youve met the wrong person. But Solemnitys customs were quite open-minded, and the people there werent as rigidly stratified as the imperial clans. Nanhua didnt mind Song Zinings so-called engagement at all. In fact, this princess might even be hoping that he didnt have such a celebrated surname. Song Zining only laughed mischievously at Qianyes mockery. When do you plan to visit Nangong Xiaoniao? Qianye was immediately at a loss for words. Song Zining didnt pursue this topic further after gaining the verbal high-ground. He merely asked, What do you plan to do afterward? Qianye replied, I need to rest for a couple of days. Afterward, Ill go play with those Nangong people. Unknowingly, his words already contained faint traces of tyranny. Qianyes body was full of internal injuries after the battle with Luther and required urgent recuperation. But he had also gained vast amounts of essence blood when he used Life Plunder toward the end of his charge. All those who had surrounded him at the time were Luthers personal guards, and none of them were weak. In that instant, he was filled with vitality to the verge of bursting. Such a large amount of essence blood required immediate digestion. Qianye excused himself without further delay and left Song Zining hanging on the City Tower, drinking in the wind. He quickly arranged a quiet room and entered secluded cultivation after ordering that he was not to be disturbed unless it was an important matter. Although he had sustained a lot of injuries in the battle, they were fortunately not too serious. Most of them came from the backlash while he was launching frantic attacks at Luther. The injuries on his body surface werent alarming, but the internal organs were a bit problematic. Qianye sat down in the isolated room and slowly activated his blood core. He didnt know many secret arts, and the only one with healing powers was the Yin familys Nurturing Rain Art. But compared to the strength he currently possessed, both the speed and effect of the Nurturing Rain Art were mediocre at best. It was probably faster to use blood energy for healing. The blood core began to pulse in a moment and its rate gradually increased. The hibernating blood energies also showed signs of activity, and his injuries would start to heal wherever they passed. Most of his surface injuries were gone in a mere half a nights time. The night was still young at this moment. Qianye circulated the Song Clan Ancient Scroll and began digesting the massive amounts of essence vitality in this body. One day and night passed in a single meditation session. His digestion speed was much faster than before. All of the vital essence blood turned into darkness origin power, which was then absorbed by the dark golden and purple blood energies. Quite surprisingly, both the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness were lying low without competing for the darkness origin power. By the time the final bit of darkness origin power was absorbed by the dark golden blood energy, a warm current suddenly gushed out from his chest and spread to his entire body in the blink of an eye. It was inexplicably comfortable. He hurriedly looked inside in astonishment and found that some specks of golden light had flowed out of his blood core at some point. These radiant blobs would make his entire body feel warm and comfortable wherever they went, and his vitality seemed to be growing all the more exuberant. The specks were great in number, and would gradually fade away after traveling through the bloodstream for some time. Qianye focused on one of them and his vision quickly zoomed in down to the smallest detail. He saw that the golden specks werent made of pure light. There was an incomparably small granule at its center, surrounded by diffuse golden mist akin to a burning flame. The granule grew smaller and smaller as the combustion continued until it eventually disappeared. At the sight of this, Qianye was slightly shaken as he thought of a certain possibility. Chapter 443: Auric Flame Blood [V5C150 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye once again shifted his attention to the blood core. It was pulsing slowly just as before, the crystals on its surface reflecting an intermittent brilliance with every contraction. The world within the blood core was revealed layer by layer as his True Sight zoomed in. Qianye saw that a drop of golden blood had appeared at some point within the depths of the blood core. It hovered in the air alight with a faint golden flame. When his blood flowed into this chamber, it would bring away specks of golden light from this drop of golden blood and transport them to various parts of his body. Qianye could feel his body growing stronger little by little as the golden specks continued to circulate. Although the degree of strengthening was almost negligible, his constitution and strength were improving constantly. Moreover, it was a permanent upgrade that would grow to an impressive level over a long time. A term emerged in Qianyes mind when he saw the burning drop of golden blood. Auric flame blood! The auric flame blood would be born in a vampires blood core upon his ascension to the rank of marquis. The energy contained within every speck of golden light it released was hundreds of times richer than that of fresh blood, and with their presence, ones origin power condensation and regeneration would increase by a significant margin. Among two combatants with equal strength, the one who possessed the auric flame blood would easily emerge victorious over the one without. This was also the reason why a vampires rank and bloodline allowed them to exert overwhelming dominance over those inferior to them. According to legend, those mighty marquis whose strength were above all other marquis had already transformed all the blood in their body to auric flame blood. Such vampires were different from others down to their innate vitality and could be considered a different form altogether. They already possessed a thread of hope to assail the threshold of a duke. The dark race feudal ranks matched their strengths. They would escape the ranks of cannon fodder starting from the rank of esquire, and becoming a viscount was a sign that they had crossed into the realm of true experts. The rank of marquis was when they would touch the borders of the pyramid''s summit. However, the suppression exerted by a high-ranking dark race member on a low-ranking one was more obvious than the stratification of human champions. The benefits of Qianye forming the auric flame blood at the viscount rank were quite easy to see. Qianye was happy about his increase in strength, but he couldnt describe the feelings in his heart after recalling the origin of his blood energy. Moreover, despite the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, there was no telling when he would lose balance now that his dark side had advanced by leaps and bounds. He wasnt willing to pay the price of falling into darkness even if he could obtain greater power. Qianye thought of something at this point. With the auric flame bloods strengthening effects on his constitution, he might be able to withstand more impact from the origin power tides than beforeat least theoretically. That being the case, just how far would he be able to advance with the Combatant Formula? Qianye had already cultivated the Combatant Formula to forty-nine cycles. Such a progress was only exceeded by Zhang Boqian within the century. But it was already quite difficult for Qianye to reach this stage, and he even had a feeling back then that the next stage of the Combatant Formula would produce a drastic transformation. As such, he didnt dare take the next step forward. But now that Qianye had condensed a blood core and produced the auric flame blood, his body strength now rivaled that of a dark race count. In addition, there was an urgent need to balance the darkness and daybreak origin powers in his body. This produced in him the will to advance once more. Qianye calmed himself down, adjusting his physical and mental status to the optimal state as he gradually circulated the Combatant Formula. The activation of the Combatant Formula had already become second nature to him after cultivating it all this time, and the origin power tides quickly reached twenty without any extra effort on his part. That was the cornerstone that allowed him to join the Red Scorpions. Recalling the past, it felt as though he were already worlds apart at the moment. Qianye suddenly sensed a minute difference amidst the momentous tides poised to sweep away the entire world. In the past, there would always be some stagnant areas around his chest and abdomen. This time, however, it traveled unobstructed like a level-road, and it was as though the turbulent areas had never even existed. His mind fluctuated ever so slightly but calmed down once again afterward. The Combatant Formula surged along his blood vessels like a rotating wheel as unending strands of origin power gushed out from his nine nodes. They all came together within the sea of origin power formed by the Combatant Formula and actuated the superposition of the tides. Thirty, then forty cycles passed by in the blink of an eye. Qianye was easily withstanding the impact of the tides capable of ripping a human champion to shreds. Qianyes body began to tremble only after reaching the forty-fifth cyclehe was finally feeling some pressure. At this moment, he let go of all distracting thoughts, and there was neither grief nor joy as he continued to stack the origin tides atop each other, all the way up to the forty-eighth cycle. At this moment, the blood core finally reacted to the increased pressure and started to pulse. The auric flame blood being discharged from the blood core also increased accordingly and replaced the ordinary blood energy of the past in protecting his organs from damage. Qianye passed the forty-eighth cycle with relative ease and finally reached the peak of the Combatant Formulas forty-ninth cycle. At this very moment, the origin power within his body was majestic and finally took on the charm of an early origin sea. Many layers of tides rushed on the surface of the sea and finally accumulated into giant waves that reached the skiesthe peaks of these waves almost touched the firmament. Suddenly, Qianye sensed that the area above the sea of origin power wasnt just empty space, but an invisible dome-shaped barrier. It blocked the giant tides and prevented them from pushing higher. When he reached the forty-ninth cycle last time, Qianyes attention was focused on resisting the massive force of the giant tide and protecting himself from lethal damage. He was able to sense the existence of the formless barrier only after the auric flame blood afforded him the ability to endure the force of the giant tides. Could that be the limit of the Combatant Formula? Qianye reached a revelation. But Zhang Boqian had used himself to prove that the forty-ninth cycle wasnt the Combatant Formulas limit. As Qianye circulated the Combatant Formula, the giant tides surged into the sky and crashed into the barrier above. The tides were shattered, but the towering barrier remained steadfast. The impact of the waves crashing into the firmament was tremendousthe defenses provided by the auric flame blood were crushed, leaving countless injuries of all sizes on his internal organs. Qianyes face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. However, Qianye was delighted instead of becoming alarmed because he had noticed the firmament waver negligibly during that violent impact. Qianye wasn''t anxious to forge ahead. He controlled the tides and reduced them layer by layer until they returned to their origin node, then pushed them back to forty-nine cycles moments later. After going past the forty-ninth cycle, Qianye controlled the giant wave and struck the barrier once again with great ferocity! This time, he was well-prepared. His blood core pulsed as it produced a continuous stream of golden radiance, causing almost half his blood to be suffused with raging flames. The backlash from the attack on the barrier was violent, but Qianye was able to resist it with only his face turning pale. The minute damages within his body were healing at a visible rate due to his vampire constitution and powerful regenerative ability. Qianye didnt rush onto the next attack but instead allowed the tides to recede and his injuries to recover. He began the next cycle only after his injuries had more or less healed. This cycle repeated time and again. Qianye was immersed in the cultivation of the Combatant Formula and had long since forgotten the time and date. Blackflow City was only peaceful for one day and night after the end of the big battle. It became lively very quickly as all kinds of people representing the various powers came pouring in. Messengers, representatives, and even people from their families appeared in person. Song Zining stepped out of the study and had just sent off a group of guests when several more approached him. This one is Wang Shanxing, son of Count Jushan. Ive come especially to call upon the Seventh Young Noble. Song Zining nodded with a smile and replied, Ive met Uncle Wang once when I was young and received quite a few martial arts pointers from him. Do come in and have a seat. How is Uncle doing lately? My father is in good health. Wang Shanxing followed Song Zining back into the study and exchanged some routine pleasantries before asking with an anxious expression, Seventh Young Nobles name has shaken the entire empire after your display of divine might in this battle. I was wondering if you can transfer some of the military contributions from this battle? Song Zining replied with an unchanging smile, We havent finished checking the contributions at this moment and might need a couple more days. Its fine to transfer some contributions, but there are a thousand repairs waiting to be done in this small place of mine. We still need to plan out the required resources. Its still a tad bit too early to discuss this matter. Wang Shanxing attempted to persuade further, making numerous promises and issuing all kinds of lists. But he was helpless as Song Zining rejected all of them, citing that the time wasnt right. Fortunately, Song Zining didnt refuse outright which left them with some leeway to act. After the departure of Count Jushans son, the brother of Viscount Dingbian from the Xingjing area paid a visit. And the discussion was, once again, the matter of contribution transfer. Meanwhile, there were two more groups waiting outside. Song Zining met seven or eight groups of people that day alone, and all of them had come for military contributions. At least five viscounts had fallen in this battle, including the first-ranked viscount Luther. Almost a hundred warriors below the baron rank were killed, and others eligible for contribution numbered in the thousands. Casualties among the cannon fodder were innumerable. It could be said that this was the biggest single batch of military contribution under the Iron Curtain. The contributions basically belonged to Song Zining and the Dark Flame independent division. However, a division couldnt be reformed into an army corps after one major battle, and it was debatable whether the other border cities were worth investment and expansion. As such, it would be an absolute waste to cash in this batch of contributions for resources and gold coins. Everyone clearly understood this simple logic. Those with good information channels had long since understood the siege of Blackflow City quite clearly. Naturally, they also knew that Song Zining had more or less left the Song clan to establish his own. Hence, the clan these military contributions would fall under became a topic of emphasis. Military contributions became a hot resource since the empire publicized the bloody battle rankings. This was especially true for a large lump sum like the one in question since it could directly affect the sequence of those in the top-ten rankings. How could it not be coveted? The representative powers around Blackflow City were the fastest to act. They werent expecting to obtain all of the contributions, but just half of it would be superior to their best squads desperate efforts. The visitors up until now were mostly minor powers, but it was likely that many high-ranking clans would come knocking on the doors before long. Song Zining was naturally in no rush to make a deal and only listened on no matter what kind of requests or conditions they proposed. After Qianye went into isolation, Song Zining reverted to his carefree demeanor as the wanton and flowery seventh young master. It was just that no one knew what he was thinking beneath that enchanting smile. The superficial peace didnt last very long as a special unit appeared outside of Blackflow City after a mere two days. Chapter 444: Malice [V5C151 C A Distance Within Reach] This unit was extremely well-equipped. Despite being only one battalion in scale, they were accompanied by over ten military trucks and several mobile heavy cannons. All of the foot-soldiers were on armored transport vehicles. There were actually two airships accompany this unit. They were only low-grade gunships but, as in-service war vessels, their firepower was far superior to the old airships usually found on Evernight Continent. Their rate of advancement was so abnormally fast that the sentry on the city walls could already see them before the remote scouts outside of Blackflow City were able to relay the warning. A Dark Flame sentry suddenly cried out in alarm after seeing the eye-catching Nangong family flag through his binoculars. This unit stopped a thousand meters away from Blackflow City and assembled assumed formation. They set up their mobile heavy artillery and raised the muzzles toward the city. The sentry had someone report to the superiors while keeping watch through his binoculars. Suddenly, he saw one of the cannons light up. The soldiers expression quickly turned to one of despair as he was soon devoured by the smoke and deafening blasts. At this moment, the spectator could see how the heavy cannons roared in unison, sending flaming streaks over the city walls. The shells then struck each other in the air with incomparable accuracy and exploded in pairs. This bombardment which resembled a gun-salute shouldve have ended at that, but sudden changes occurred all of a sudden. The segment of the city wall below the explosion split open tumultuously, slowly dragging a sentry tower along with it. The few warriors on top were flung away and left hanging on the nearby walls amidst miserable wails. The others, however, were directly buried under the collapsed masonry. An ear-piercing alarm rang out over the city as large squads of Dark Flame soldiers charged out of the barracks and headed for their posts. The soldiers who had survived the last battle had already become iron-blooded veterans and fighting had become an instinct flowing throw their veins. That unit stopped firing after the initial salvo. Hold it! Do not fire! Atop the Blackflow City walls, a certain major cried out while pressing the down the soldiers guns one by one. A petty officer roared back at the officer, What are you doing? Didnt you see how many brothers have died? Did we survive those dark race bastards just to die in imperial hands? The officers expression was solemn. Apparently, he was also suppressing the flames of his anger. Thats the Nangong familys army. If we open fire, itll be war with the Nangong family. This isnt a matter we can decide! The petty officer was spewing flames out of his eyes but, despite his wrath, he understood that the major was right. Those cannon shots seemed like a form of greeting aimed at bringing Blackflow City down a notchit was just that a bloody accident became involved unexpectedly. In the Nangong family unit, a mysterious looking man lowered his binoculars and said with a cold, scheming smile, It seems that Song Zinings leadership is just so-so. An aide beside immediately replied, How can he compare to our Nangong familys elites with his meager ability? The man waved a finger forward. Since weve sent our greetings, its time to go knocking on their doors. With that, he and the aide boarded a command vehicle which drove toward Blackflow City. A number of vehicles wanted to follow but were stopped with a wave of his hand. The Dark Flame major became even more cautious after seeing the command vehicle leave the main army and make for their gates. Their heavy weaponry in their hands could deal with a heavy combat vehicle, but not the experts within this car. A resounding voice suddenly rang out behind him just as the major was hesitating whether to fire a warning shot. Let them in. A steam whistle emitted a short cry as clouds of rolling steam surged out and the newly-repaired city gates rolled toward the sides. The jeep drove straight in without the slightest bit of hesitation. A man resembling an iron tower stood right in the middle of the citys main road with his hands behind his back. His gaze was like a blade as he stared at the oncoming jeep, but the vehicle continued roaring straight toward the man! The man on the road neither moved nor changed his expression. It was as though he didnt even put the charging jeep in his eyes. The jeep slowed down abruptly amidst sounds of screeching brakes and finally came to a jolting stop at the very last moment. But the cars bumper still pressed against the mans body with a muffled thud. A flash of pallor flitted across the latters face which quickly faded away. The command vehicle doors opened and out walked the secretive man. He glanced at the man blocking the road and said with a nod of approval, A fierce general actually exists in such a desolate place! How should I address you? Duan Hao. The mysterious man nodded. This seat is Nangong Zhen, and Ive come to call upon the Seventh Young Noble. The man clearly came with evil intentions but his speech and manners were polite, a full display of his noble demeanor. Duan Hoas brows jumped ever so slightly. Seventh Young Master is already waiting. Please follow me. Additionally, your car may only drive up to this point. Thats fine, Ill follow you for this trip. Nangong Zhen made no motion to argue. He ordered his aide to alight, and the two men followed Duan Hao toward the Dark Flame headquarters. Along the way, Nangong Zhen suddenly said, Duan Hao, this seat thinks youre a rare talent. Why dont you follow me back to Transcendent Continent? The ten thousand elites under my command are yours to pick, and I guarantee to make you a landed gentry as long as you make enough contributions. Duan Hao laughed out loud. Im a crude person and cant do much other than fight. Moreover, Ive long since sold this rotten life to the Seventh Young Master. The aide beside them said with a gloomy expression and a cold voice, With your meager strength, its already an honor to be invited by the sire! Dont Nangong Zhen raised his hand with a frown, stopping the aide from speaking on. Duan Hao, on the other hand, smiled sinisterly at the aide. The aide actually felt an ineffable chill and couldnt help but tremble momentarily. Duan Hao was currently rank-eight. Although a faint glow had appeared on this ninth-node, he still wasnt a rank-nine fighter. But that rare tyrannical momentum surrounding him was akin to one who had killed his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The aide was immediately cowed upon confrontation and overcome by an uncontrollable will to retreat. Nangong Zhen was even more displeased after seeing this and snorted heavily. He was quite clear that this aide wouldve died without a doubt if he had met Duan Hao on the battlefield. That was also why he was so impressed with Duan Hao. What kind of character would Song Zining be if even a subordinate was like this? Moreover, Blackflow had another mysterious city lord called Qianye. It was rumored that Song Zining had charged into the central army and behead the enemy commander. But the Nangong familys scouts observing the battle had clearly reported that it was Qianye who had charged into the army alone and taken Luthers head, thus breaking the siege. It was just that this person stopped appearing afterwardclearly, his injuries werent lightthe perfect opportunity to settle old scores. Nangong Zhens expression turned grave at the thought of this but only slightlyhis pride wasnt reduced at all. Accompanying Duan Hao on this stretch of the road was lowering himself out of respect for the mans talents and humbling himself to make acquaintances. Song Zining stood before the study window gazing at the group walking up Dark Flames main road. So, its Nangong Zhen? Interesting. Nangong Zhen made his name quite some time ago commanding armies outside, mainly fighting against the other races. He recently joined the elder assembly to become one of the Nangong familys youngest elders. Behind Song Zining, Song Hu was reporting the shot fired by the Nangong army upon their arrival. Song Zinings expression was just as carefree and unfettered. Nangong Zhen walked into the study after a short while, shot Song Zining a deep glance without any greetings and sat down imposingly as though he were the owner of this place. Absolutely furious, Song Hu and Duan Hao stepped forward in order to berate the man. However, a stare from Nangong Zhen sent a mountainous pressure down upon their bodiesthe two found it difficult to breathe and their bones began to creak and groan. Duan Hao and Song Hu were high established high-ranking officers, but they were a far cry for an expert like Nangong Zhen in terms of strength. How can you be so rude to Sire Nangong? With that, Song Zining waved his hand and indicated Duan Hao and Song Hu to retreat. The pressure upon them also gradually faded away. Song Zinings expression was just as before and didnt seem to mind Nangong Zhens discourtesy at all. He brushed away his wide sleeve and sat down calmly across the guest, completely ignoring the near-tangible sharpness of the latters gaze. A trace of astonishment flashed through Nangong Zhens eyes. Hearsay is indeed inferior to meeting in person. Seventh Young Noble is indeed a young hero. Its no wonder youre able to win the battle of Blackflow City. Song Zining said with a smile, Its just luck. I really dont deserve Sir Nangongs praise. I wonder what brings you here? Nangong Zhen didnt reply and only asked, Wheres the lord of your esteemed city? Song Zining raised his brows and pointed beneath his feet. This humble one is enough to decide everything on this land. He was suddenly alarmed while saying thisQianyes isolated cultivation couldnt be kept a secret. What was Nangong Zhen planning? Nangong Zhen snorted heavily and banged on the armest. That Qianye killed so many disciples from our Nangong clan. Does he think he can just hide away in isolated cultivation? Have him come out and receive his death! At the last word, Nangong Zhens expression was severe and his origin power erupted with a boom. A sudden, violent storm swept through the study and sent all the bookcases and chairs flying, causing them to shatter upon the walls. Song Hu was sent flying and crashed into the wall with blood spurting out of his mouth. Duan Hao roared loudly as he did his utmost to resist, but he was still pushed back under the pressure, leaving deep footprints on the ground. Even the aide Nangong Zhen had brought along was pale and retreated continuously until he managed to stabilize himself against the wall. Only Song Zining remained calmly seated in the study, but his clothes were flying in the wind. The only intact pieces of furniture within the room were the chairs under Song Zining and Nangong Zhen. Song Zinings expression turned as gloomy as still water. Nangong Zhen! This land is under the Iron Curtain! Everyone will suffer if youre not careful! So what? Nangong Zhen let out a sinister laugh as he continued to increase his origin power. Half the wall between the study and the small plaza outside collapsed with a loud rumble as Song Hu, Duan Hao, and Nangong Zhens aide were swept away. Meanwhile, a vortex of qi started to form within the room. At this moment, the atmosphere throughout the entire Blackflow City became stifling. Ripples flashed through the unchanging grey sky like a lake into which someone had thrown a rock. These nearly-negligible waves, however, didnt calm down completely. It felt as though the sky had sunk down a bit and was continuing to descend. An enormous and inexplicable aura was brewing above, and it caused everyone to shiver. Only experts at a certain level would be able to sense the aura sense this world-changing aura of terror. Most ordinary people sensed nothing, but they suddenly became jittery as though an explosive voice was roaring in their hearts, unable to calm down. Song Zining was both alarmed and angered because he had already understood Nangong Zhens intentions at this point. Apparently, he had already heard that Qianye was in isolated cultivation to treat his injuries. This was a time when he shouldnt be agitated. The man had run over here to draw upon Sky Demons aura and agitate the whole of Blackflow City in a bid to heavily injure Qianye. Sky Demons aura will was far-reaching under the Iron Curtainthe stronger the expert, the more they more deeply they would sense it. This was not something a mere wall could isolate. Once agitated by Sky Demons aura, Qianye might suffer injuries to his spirit and even damage his foundations, stripping him of all future development. Nangong Zhens method could be considered extremely malicious. Nangong Zhen sneered as he sat straight like a pillar and deftly maintained his origin power at the threshold. It was just enough for Sky Demons aura to sweep past the city but not enough to attract his terrifying gaze. Chapter 445: Breaking Through [V5C152 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining suddenly stood up and, without hesitation, burst forth with origin power. The study was immediately filled with a rain of falling leaves. Nangong Zhens Origins End Domain didnt affect him much. Moreover, there was no violent scene during the collision of the two domains. While Nangong Zhen was in doubt, he suddenly realized that Song Zinings flexible, vine-like origin power had wrapped around his own, causing it to increase uncontrollably! The rotation of the Iron Curtain above accelerated all of a sudden as the indescribably enormous will of Sky Demon paced back and forth therein. It seemed he would cast his gaze toward Blackflow City at any moment. Nangong Zhen shouted loudly, Youre mad! Song Zining said word by word, If you dont withdraw, then we shall perish together, and youll be the first to die! Nangong Zhens expression changed several times before he finally withdrew his origin power. Only then did he feel a layer of moisture on his back and realized he was unknowingly drenched in cold sweat. He had just arrived on Evernight and had yet to experience Sky Demons power. Although Nangong Yuanwang and the others had given him quite a bit of information on the death of certain unfortunate experts, the conceited Nangong Zhen felt those rumors to be somewhat exaggerated. Only now after coming into contact with Sky Demons aura did he realize the terror involved. Despite his usual calmness, Nangong Zhen couldnt help but lose his composure after sensing Sky Demons aura just now. Under such formidable pressure, Sky Demon didnt even need to send his avatara mere gaze could make Nangong Zhen explode. As Nangong Zhen withdrew his origin power, the circulation on the Iron Curtain slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Sky Demons aura which encompassed hundreds of kilometers also receded gradually, returning Blackflow to its normal state. Within the isolated room, Qianye was circulating the Combatant Formula. He had lost count of how many times he had charged at the barrier. The formless firmament was extremely sturdy. Even the impact from forty-nine waves of the Combatant Formula could hardly produce a crack upon it. But Qianye refused to back down because he had sensed that the barrier was no longer invulnerable like before and was starting to waver. This added to Qianyes confidence. He threw away all distracting thoughts and repeatedly activated the Combatant Formula, all the while paying rapt attention to every little change. Judging from how the firmament barrier was wavering, he surmised that three isolated cultivations, each lasting seven days, would be enough to blast this barrier apart and push the Combatant Formula into a new realm. However, at the critical juncture, Qianye sudden felt the entire world start shaking as if there were a major upheaval. In a faraway place that seemed more like another world, an indescribably massive aura descended from the sky, arriving almost instantly and filling the entire world with its presence. Qianyes blood core and heart were agitated and started to pulse madly seemingly in an attempt to prevent his will from shattering under the terrifying aura. Fortunately, that terrifying aura only swept past for an instant and vanished toward the other end of the world. This aura gave Qianye a feeling of familiarity. Was that Sky Demon? He didnt have time to ponder from whence the extremely dangerous change had stemmed from when he saw that the previously indomitable barrier was now filled with cracks due to the impact from Sky Demons aura. This was a true, unexpected surprise! However, Qianye immediately discovered that the cracks there were gradually starting to heal as the terrifying aura receded. Qianye was alarmed! How could he let such a good opportunity to slip away? He immediately activated the Combatant Formula and began throwing the tides at the firmament one after another, regardless of the cost. The barrier was already wavering before this, and now, the series of repeated shocks suddenly brought about a sharp crack! The sound felt like a heavenly note as it resonated in Qianyes ear. He saw a small piece of the barrier fall from the firmament and disappear into the void. This small defect was almost negligible compared to the vast dome, but it was, in fact, the herald of the Combatant Formulas rebirth. It was at this moment that Sky Demons aura rose once again from afar and swept through all obstructions with a merciless chill like a majestic river suspended from the nine heavens. Qianyes will was like a small fish swimming in the long rivereven a small spray was enough to fling him into the sky, to speak nothing of resisting the great billows. Nangong Zhens idea wasnt wrong. Before the Sky Demons aura, even a cultivating Divine Champion would be strained if he was caught off-guard. However, the dark golden blood energy scuttled out from the blood core at the critical moment. The little Wings of Inception fluttered as it blocked most of Sky Demons aura with the accompanying barrier of light. Meanwhile, the Book of Darkness also appeared at this moment and produced a black light barrier with which to deter the remainder. As expected of Andruils core inheritances, the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness were actually able to stand up to Sky Demons aura. Although the two of them were contending against an extremely small portion of Sky Demons will, it was already an astonishing feat. With the protection afforded to him by the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness, Qianye clenched his teeth and decided to grasp this wonderful opportunity. He activated the Combatant Formula to strike at the barrier which was already cracking under the pressure of Sky Demons aura. Fragments fell like rain as the once indomitable barrier was filled with holes in the blink of an eye and teetering on the brink of collapse. The defects on the firmament revealed a corner of another worldan unfathomable emptiness. Qianyes world didnt calm down even as Sky Demons aura vanished once again. The lacerations in the sky seemed to have lost the ability to self-repair, allowing strands of suffocating auras to descend from the void and into the origin sea below. These auras were inexplicably large, cold, and unsympatheticsomewhat similar to Sky Demons, but were even more ancient and majestic. It seemed as though they were born together with the universe and have always existed alongside it. The boundless perpetuity shook Qianyes heart and almost caused it to stop beating. His will suddenly became a minute speck of dust in the vast expanse of this world, but it was also incomparably sturdy and bright. The radiance from the Wings of Inception and the Book of Darkness converged around him to form a mixture of dark and light. Meanwhile, the Combatant Formula tide he had just used to assail the barrier had gradually receded, and a giant vortex was revolving slowly down below. Countless runes were flickering on and off upon the inner wallsupon closer inspection, one could see that they belonged to the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Mystery and Glory chapters. A greatly astonished Qianye watched the scene before him unfold, a certain thought appearing in his mind out of nowhere. Could it be the aura of the great dao? At the same time, both Nangong Zhen and Song Zining felt something as they glanced toward the direction of Qianyes location. Nangong Zhens expression changed rapidly, his heart wracked with bewilderment. Sky Demons will had clearly retreated, but he could still feel a certain aura that filled him with trepidation. It was as though a beast hidden within the depths of Blackflow City was about to awaken. Song Zining retracted his gaze and said coldly, Did Sir Nangong come to Blackflow City alone just to establish your might? Do you really think you can leave this city alive? Nangong Zhen was stoppered up and only managed to emit a heavy snort because Song Zinings strength had far surpassed his expectations. Had he known that the latter was actually capable of resisting his Origins End to this degree, he most certainly wouldnt have come into Blackflow City alone. Before this, Nangong Zhen believed that the Song clans secret arts were only so-so. Song Zining was also quite young and had just entered the champion rankhow strong could he be? At his level, a battle between experts could no longer be won by stacking human lives against him. He was confident in escaping even if he were surrounded. But now, Song Zinings odd secret art alone made it impossible for him to charge out of Blackflow without alarming Sky Demon. Nangong Zhen sighed in his heart as he recalled the aim of this trip. He forced a smile and said, I was only joking just now. Theres no need to keep it on your mind. This seat came to deliver a joyous business for Seventh Young Noble. Now, we can discuss things properly. A joyous matter? Sir Nangongs negotiation methods are truly new. Fine, lets hear it. Song Zinings expression was unfathomable as he raised his hand to stop the Dark Flame soldiers who were about to charge in. He gestured Duan Hao to enter and had Song Hu remain outside to obstruct Nangong Zhens aide. Nangong Zhen ignored the mockery in Song Zinings words and said, The conflict between us has caused no small amount of losses to both sides. If this goes on, the matter will definitely become a joke to the other clans. Moreover, we had no idea that Seventh Young Nobles interests were involved when this conflict began. Nangong Zhen paused momentarily at this point. To be precise, they hadnt expected Song Zinings reaction would be so intense, and neither had they realized that this person was so difficult to push around. Song Zining lowered his gaze without replying. Nangong Zhen continued, In truth, not everyone in our Nangong family agrees with Nangong Yuanbos methods. Its indeed unwise to initiate such a dispute for a woman. His clan lord position might be shaken before long. Song Zining only reacted at this point and nodded in response to the reasonable words. But he still suspected that Nangong Xiaoniao had other secrets on her. Otherwise, Nangong Yuanbo wasnt lacking in womenwhy would he offend giant entities like Red Scorpion and the Zhao clan just for her? Nangong Zhen continued, I come representing our elder assembly to negotiate a ceasefire with Seventh Young Noble. At the same time, well also stop our attempts to hunt down Qianye. A chill flashed through Song Zinings eyes at this point. Sir Nangongs actions just dont seem so sincere! Nangong Zhen remained composed. Does Seventh Young Master know how many of our familys scions died in Qianyes hands? Those are all ranked core descendants. Moreover, I wasnt looking to take his life. Its just a small joke, and the results will be as the heavens will it. What will Seventh Young Noble have done if you were in my shoes? Song Zining lapsed into silence once again. His right hand behind his back relaxed slightly but clasped tightly once again. Moreover, to show our sincerity, well also give you the name of an important character in the Song clan. He paid us a large sum of money to have you remain in Blackflow City forever. He also divulged a lot of information about you. Im sure such a person would interest you, right? Song Zining replied indifferently, This person must be extremely important to you. Are you going to sell him to me just like that? Chapter 446: From Tide to Vortex [V5C153 C A Distance Within Reach] Nangong Zhen laughed loudly with a mocking expression. Hes important but not essential. In uglier words, with the Song clans current integrity, I can buy as many such people as I want as long as Im willing to pay. Why wouldnt I sell him to Seventh Young Noble for a good price? Duan Hao was furious and wouldve charged up to fight it out with the man had Song Zining not stopped him. Having come from the Song clan, Duan Hao could hardly endure such humiliation. In the end, the Yishui Nangong family was but a high-ranking aristocratic family and nominally one level lower than the Song clan. Song Zining inhaled deeply then said with a sigh, Quite skilled you are to make me lose my smile. Nangong Zhen said with a smile, What is face compared to ones life and profits? In truth, he had never believed that the Song clan would throw their prestige onto the floor and allow the Nangong to trample all over them. Since Sir Nangong has such sincerity, what do you hope to obtain here? Nangong Zhen said in a serious voice, Simple. Our Nangong family mobilized a division of soldiers and contributed to the battle by guarding the defense line behind Blackflow City. We want eight parts of the current military contributions! Eight parts? Damn your mothers nonsense! Duan Hao cursed loudly. He had fought bravely during this entire bloodbath and lost a fair portion of his brothers in order to obtain this heavy share of contribution. Now that Nangong Zhen was asking for eight parts of it, this brave, hot-tempered general could no longer endure and not even Song Zining could keep him in check. Nangong Zhen didnt spare Duan Hao a single glance and only spoke to Song Zining. Eight parts, not a bit less. Song Zinings expression sank. No wonder the Nangong family could even let go of the losses to their core descendantsit turned out that they had their eyes on this. If he agreed to this deal, the Nangong familys interception of Blackflows reinforcements would be painted as a defensive assistance on top of gaining them a large sum of military contributions, sufficient to push them to the top of the rankings. The inside story would be covered up lightly at that point, and even Red Scorpion and the Zhao clan wouldnt be able to trouble them. Song Zining chuckled. Eight parts of this military contribution is enough to equip four regular divisions with just the empires rewards alone. Isnt the Nangong family afraid of hurting their appetite? Nangong Zhen said indifferently, That we wont trouble you with. What if I dont agree? Then perhaps our Nangong army will have to take charge of Blackflow Citys defenses. This was an undisguised threat. Dark Flame had fought an extensive battle with Luther and suffered extensive casualties. Meanwhile, the Nangong familys division was honing themselves for a big push and also had many experts overseeing them. Dark Flame would truly struggle to defend if they were to launch an assault. No matter how proficient Song Zining was in commanding troops, even the cleverest of wives couldnt cook without rice. Song Zining sneered, Sire Nangong is quite heroic. Youre even prepared to offend the expeditionary army to the very end. The only one Im offending is Xiao Lingshi. The expeditionary army has more than just one deputy-commanders-in-chief, Nangong Zhen said in a meaningful tone. Moreover, the Iron Curtain wont remain forever. All emotions disappeared from Song Zinings eyes; they were calm without a single ripple within. It seemed Nangong Zhen had already grasped a fair bit of inside information. Song Zining watched Nangong Zhen momentarily with narrowed eyes and said calmly, Since that is the case, I shall welcome the Nangong army in Blackflow City. Ill also get to observe Sir Nangongs commanding skills in passing. Nangong Zhen was startled, and his expression sank immediately afterward. Apparently, he had never expected Song Zining to refuse him immediately. I shall definitely let you experience it. You werent even born when this seat started leading troops. Song Zining paid him no further heed and said loudly, See the guest off! Duan Hao immediately took a step forward and said with a sinister grin, Sir Nangong, this way! Nangong Zhen let out a series of cold laughs. Very well, lets see how long you can hold out! Just as he was leaving, Song Zining suddenly spoke, Sir Nangong, if you greet us again just as you did when you arrived, our stronghold cannons might also misfire. Nangong Zhens expression turned ashen. Blackflows stronghold cannons had performed brilliantly during the war and made Luther suffer quite a bit. Who wouldve thought these rickety old things would possess such might? If the four of them were to fire at the same time, Nangong Zhen wasnt confident he could block them all without suffering any damage. The regiment he had brought would surely suffer great casualties. Nangong Zhen didnt even bother with the pleasantries and left with a wave of his sleeves. Just as Nangong Zhens figure disappeared outside of Dark Flame headquarters, even the cautious Song Hu asked, Seventh Young Master, why dont we give them a few blasts and seek revenge for our brothers? Song Zining shook his head and said, No rush, well collect both principal and interest sooner or later. Everything can wait until Qianye exits seclusion. With that, he rushed toward Qianyes cultivation chamber after leaving the two with some brief instructions. Sky Demons aura had twice flitted above Blackflow City just now, and it was unknown how Qianye was faring. Nangong Zhen wasnt willing to linger and exited the city quickly after finding his command vehicle. Now that he had the opportunity, the aide asked in a whisper, Sire, didnt Elder Yuanwang tell us to negotiate for four parts of their military contributions? Nangong Zhen snorted. How can four parts be enough? This seat wants two parts, and there are others we need to share with. But Doesnt matter. Song Zining will have to deliver the contributions with both hands as long as we cut off all external communication from Blackflow City. The Song clan didnt even make an appearance during the siege, to speak nothing of the present situation. As for Red Scorpion, they wont meddle in other peoples business as long as we dont touch that woman. Zhao Yuying heh she doesnt have the right to represent the Zhao clan. His voice hadnt even ended when Nangong Zhen suddenly glanced back after sensing something. In his perception, a beam of origin power rushed up into the sky from Blackflow city and actually pierced straight into the grey dome of the Iron curtain. Within that split second, this origin power pillar was connected to the heaven and earth! The biting chill of a murderous intent poured out instantly in every direction. What is that? Nangong Zhen couldnt help but become overwhelmed. With his experience, he had an indistinct feeling that this was a worldly phenomenon produced during a breakthrough. But just what level of breakthrough could have induced a phenomenon of such scale? Nangong Zhens expression was as gloomy as it could be. He spoke only several moments later, Lets go. Even his previous thoughts about firing a few shots before leaving had vanished. Many powerful characters in Blackflow City sensed this vision, and all of them were bewildered. Only Song Zining was greatly delighted because the origin power had arisen from the direction of Qianyes isolation chamber. But his expression immediately changed as the Iron Curtain started revolving anew and Sky Demons aura returned. Song Zining shot toward Qianyes seclusion area at full speed, a glazed barrier emerging faintly around him. Three Thousand Flying Leaves Artone leaf to prophesy, and another to blind the eyesright now, he only hoped he could get there in time! At this moment, Qianyes initial shock upon seeing the shattered firmament barrier had passed, and he was sitting cross-legged on the ground in silence to facilitate his cultivation. Origin power cascaded down from the void like a waterfall and poured into his sea of origin powerevery second, every minute was now comparable to days of bitter effort. There were no longer enormous waves upon the sea of origin power, and the entire sea was revolving slowly to form a large vortex. The whirlpool looked serene but actually contained a world-shaking might which had far surpassed the giant wave of the Combatant Formulas forty-ninth cycle. It seemed capable of sweeping in and crushing everything. Boundless origin power poured through from the void, rushed into the sea of origin power, and was quickly assimilated by the vortex. After the Combatant Formula surpassed the forty-ninth cycle to break through the sky barrier, the giant wave turned into a whirlpool of extreme absorptive powera testament to the heavenly law that everything will move in the opposite direction after reaching an extreme. Afterward, a certain art appeared naturally in Qianyes consciousness: Profound Combatant Formula. This was precisely the cultivation art for the Combatant Formula past its fiftieth cycle. It contained a mere couple hundred words and was fairly simple, but the Combatant Formula at this stage was already approaching the realm of naturality and no longer required too many tricks. It would gradually approach a supreme status just by circulating in accordance to the rules. Qianye read through the couple hundred words of the art in an instant and mumbled with a soft sigh, So, thats how it is. The founding Great Qin Emperor had found enlightenment to this art while drifting through the overflowing blood and sorrow of the battlefield. The Combatant Formulas circulation was actually emulating the great momentum of the heaven and earth. Just from this concept alone, it could be considered peerless among the extensive range of arts in the empire. But how many people could stand abreast with the Great Ancestor and his extreme talents? The later cultivators only managed to copy the form but lost the spirit, thus failing to revive the Combatant Formulas past glory. It was during the era where the Great Ancestor started developing the empire that he contributed this art to the war for survival against the dark races in a bid to bring out more of the human races potential. The Ancestor made some modifications to the Combatant Formula at this point. The first part was the basic formula widely known in the army, while the cultivation method past the fiftieth cycle was hidden in the void via a shocking method. If there was anyone capable of breaking through the fiftieth cycle barriergoing from tide to maelstroman origin pillar would shoot into the void and conjoin the heaven and earth. This would actuate the advanced Combatant Formula and grant him the inheritance. It wasnt that the original Combatant Formula couldnt advance to the champion rank, but few could withstand the extreme pressure of that great origin power vortex past the fiftieth cycle. Qianye might have suffered heavy injuries from the pressure had he not formed his blood core and Auric Flame Blood. Ordinary cultivators couldnt even surpass the soldier king threshold at the thirtieth cycle, to speak nothing of turning tide to vortex at the fiftieth and controlling that maelstrom to assault the champion rank. But Qianye realized that this Profound Combatant Formula wasnt complete. The pressure of the great sea vortex was too powerful and placed unbelievable demand on the cultivators bodyit would be extremely difficult to take a single step forward. Perhaps that was why Zhang Boqian and King Wuwei stopped cultivating it after the fiftieth cycle. How could the might of the heaven and earth be so easy to obtain? Sky Demons mysterious aura once again appeared from the outer realm. Qianyes heart trembled as he quickly withdrew the Combatant Formula. The origin power pillar gradually dispersed, and the defect in the void filled up on its own. Sky Demons will roamed about on the Iron Curtain but gradually left after finding nothing. At the same moment, Qianye suddenly noticed a familiar aura envelop the isolation chamber. The faint pressure and obstruction felt as though someone had opened up a domain. Afterward, a fallen leaf floated gently in front of Qianye. Qianyes thoughts were still lingering on the moment where the tide had transformed into the great sea vortex, pondering the memorable profundities therein. He couldnt help but laugh after seeing Song Zinings symbolic leafhe flicked it with his finger before withdrawing his origin power and walking toward the door. A muffled groan unexpectedly came through from the other side. Qianye pulled open the door just in time to see Song Zining stagger with a pale expression. What happened? Qianye asked. During that single moment, Song Zining felt as though a boundless ocean pressed down upon him at full force! The domain of the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art wavered and almost couldnt hold on. Song Zining recovered swiftly, but the intent and aura of that single flick almost made him feel as though he were hallucinating. Song Zinings expression fluctuated wildly. In the end, he grabbed Qianye by the collar and asked furiously, What art is that? The Combatant Formula. Song Zining laughed coldly, Who are you trying to fool? Its indeed the Combatant Formula at the fiftieth cycle. Youre still denying?! Wait a min did you say fiftieth?! Qianye nodded. I just broke through. Song Zining drew in a breath of cold air. Fiftieth cycle! Doesnt this mean youre already on par with Marshal Zhang back in the day? At this point, Qianye let out a frustrated sigh. Actually, I just cant figure out how Marshal Zhang broke through the fiftieth cycle barrier back then. The true Combatant Formula lies past that point. Song Zining said while gnashing his teeth, What I want to know more is how you broke through?! Stop spouting nonsense and speak up! Do you still need to consolidate your realm? If you dont, then get out there and earn some military contributions. Itll be a waste if I dont use such a good thug. Chapter 447: Kill Our Way There [V5C154 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye reached out to pat Song Zinings shoulder and laughed, If were going, then we must go together! Sufferings must be shared. The two joked around for a bit before Qianye asked, What happened just now? Sky Demons aura suddenly appeared and almost made me suffer. Song Zinings voice turned cold. What other than the trash from the Nangong family? He then recounted what had happened just now. Qianye nodded and asked calmly, What are your plans? What do think we should do? Song Zining asked back. Qianye said with killing intent flashing through his eyes, Lets just kill our way over there now. Song Zining broke into a laughter. How simple and violent. I like it! But there are many major characters watching that place. Us brothers have neither power nor influence at the moment. We might have to wrap a cloth around us if were going to play with his mother. Haha! Qianye glared at him and said, Ill give you half a days time to prepare the loincloth! Song Zining said with great confidence, Ive already made ample preparations. We can leave right away. Moments later, a motorcade drove out from the freshly destroyed gate. This vehicles comprising this seven-truck convoy had eye-catching Dark Flame and expeditionary army insignias painted upon them. The seven heavy trucks advanced in a single file, their engines rumbling, and their tall vertical exhausts puffing out black smoke. The eight man-sized wheels on each car rose and fell as they climbed over various types of rugged terrain, akin to colossal beasts of burden slowly traversing the desolate land. These Primordial Beast trucks belonged to a model currently in-service in the imperial regular army, and a was rare sight on Evernight Continent. There shouldnt be any at all in a remote place like Blackflow. Song Zining had only brought along some when he stationed himself here. Hence, one could easily tell that Dark Flame was here after seeing these massive entities. The cab of the Primordial Beast was fairly spacious with two rows of seats. One could stuff in a dozen or so men during critical times. Within the lead vehicle, Qianye was holding onto the steering wheel and clumsily operating this five-meter-tall steel beast. Following a violent jolt, Qianye couldnt help but slap the steering wheel and say, Its been so long since Ive driven such a car. Its truly hard to get used to. Take it slowly. Here have a cigarette to raise your spirits. Song Zining, on the other hand, seemed to be in a good mood as he lit a cigarette and passed it to Qianye. The smoke soon filled the cab. Nanhua, who was sitting on the back row, sniffed hard and asked, Why does this cigarette smell so odd? This is high-quality, military-use stimulant, Song Zining replied with a laugh. Nanhua was still puzzled. Are stimulants still useful to you guys? Moreover, the dose is so small. Its just nostalgia, Qianye replied. At this time, there was a tap from the roof, followed by Blackmoons voice. Stimulants? Give me one. Song Zining grabbed a cigarette and flicked it upward from the window. Blackmoon grabbed it with a half-machine hand and lit the smoke by shooting out a thin stream of flames from her fingers. She then inhaled deeply and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Military stimulants were no longer effective for Qianye and Song Zining, but the effects for her were quite evident. Blackmoon sat atop the truck, bundled up in her thick, dark capeand beside her was a large-caliber machine cannon. They motorcade passed not a single person during the entire hour of driving through the wilderness. The Nangong family had locked down the entire area and forbidden anyone from entering or leaving. A heavily-guarded sentry post appeared at the end of the road with a small army camp beside it. The silhouette of a city also emerged over the horizon. That was the Nangong familys main base camp, one of the important nodes they had been using to lock down Blackflow City. Qianye shifted the steering wheel and drove the Primordial Beast straight toward the sentry. Halt! Halt! An officer blocking the road fired several shots into the air while the soldiers behind him were also aiming at the convoy. Qianye didnt reduce his speed at all and only stepped on the brakes at the last moment. The eight wheels of the Primordial Beast stopped moving with a shrill screech, the massive inertia leaving deep grooves on the road. The valves on each side of the car spat out large clouds of steam which almost shrouded the entire vehicle. The Primordial Beast stopped just short of the barrier. The officer had long since jumped to the side in fright and was steamed in every sense of the word. Blackmoon was still sitting atop the car as steady as a mountain despite the violent deceleration. This was a complete defiance of the laws of physics. Qianye pushed the door open and flicked the half-smoked cigarette to the ground before leaping down from the cab high above. The officer, wet and miserable, made his way out of the steam cloud. Upon seeing Qianye, he spat out the words Ill slaughter you! in a mixture of rage and humiliation before smashing the butt of his gun at Qianyes face! This blow was quite forceful, enough to shatter all the bones in an ordinary persons face and leave him barely alive if not dead. Qianyes hand moved ever so slightlyno one knew how, but the officers wrist was caught in his grasp and rendered completely immobile. You really do want to kill me. Qianyes voice contained a trace of mockery. The officer exerted himself several times, but his hand wouldnt budge at all. Shocked and angry, the man roared, You bastards from Blackflow City dare charge our checkpoint? Let go or this daddy will kill you all! Song Zining walked over with a smile and said, Resorting to violence? Why go to all the trouble? Let me help you! With that, Song Zining grabbed the officers hand and twisted it into a weird angle before giving it a forceful pinch. This caused the muzzle to spit out flames and leave a bullet mark on the Primordial Beast. You really do want to kill us! Then I wont be polite anymore. Song Zining repeated Qianyes words, but his tone was entirely different. He twisted the officers hand to aim the gun at his face before pulling on the trigger. The officer collapsed with a face full of shock. The soldiers at the checkpoint couldnt believe their eyes and quickly fell into chaos. Leaves suddenly appeared around Song Zining and flew out in all directions. A terrifying laceration would open up on the body wherever the fallen leaves streaked past, and all the soldiers near him collapsed in the blink of an eye. Qianye drew the Bloody Datura and fired at the two sentry towers, the origin bullet shredding the structural armor with relative ease and igniting the gunpowder within. Two balls of flame shot up with a boom and sent the sharpshooters in the tower flying. At this time, the continuous sound of an autocannon rang out as Blackmoon started firing madly from atop the roof of the truck. Every bullet seemed to have grown an eye in Blackmoons hand as they blasted the soldiers away one after another. Even those behind cover were struck in the head by her shots. Gunfire rang out like thunder as the Nangong family soldiers were mowed down in droves. The battle was almost over by the time Nanhua jumped out of the caran entire company had been killed, while a small number of them fled toward the city. Qianye paid the escapees no heed since these ordinary soldiers were all the same to him. What he needed to do was wait for the big fish from the Nangong family. Their group boarded the truck once again and drove through the checkpoint toward the Trinity River County Capital. The commotion here had alarmed the distant city, and soldiers were moving out from their barracks. Moments later, an airship flew rapidly toward the motorcade. Only one?! Blackmoon mumbled in apparent dissatisfaction. Qianye stomped down on the brakes and pulled on a special red lever. The Primordial Beast panted to a stop, and the rear compartment opened to reveal a long, sinister double-barreled cannon. It was exceptionally long, twice as thick as an ordinary auto-cannon, and relied on the Primordial Beasts kinetic power for its operation. Blackmoon jumped behind the cannon and began operating it with both her hands and feet. With a blast of steam from its base, the cannon rose rapidly and aimed toward the incoming airship. The vessels employed by the Nangong family were military battleships, and even the smallest of their patrol boats werent easy to contend with from the ground. But one simply couldnt compare Qianye and Song Zining to ordinary champions. Qianye played around with the Twin Flowers before combining them into one. With the reinforcement of the Wings of Inception, the Twin Flower was easily capable of tearing through the gun ships armor. Song Zining produced a long spear from the cab. If needed, a hurl of his spear could send a champion flying hundreds of meters away. A patrol gunship was an easy target within its range. As for Nanhua, she could only climb onto the roof and pick up the autocannon Blackmoon had thrown away. But it was clear from her clumsy movements that her aim wouldnt be too accurate. Moreover, that little autocannon couldnt do much against an airship. The Primordial Beasts behind also stopped one after another. Three of them had been installed with high-caliber autocannons, but they were all inferior to the one in Blackmoons hand in terms of range and borethat one was personally modified by Nangong Xiaoniao and embodied her simple and violent style. Qianye gazed at the oncoming patrol airship and said regretfully, What a pity that only one came. Song Zining said, Looks like youre quite confident in Blackmoon. I, on the other hand, think we might be in trouble if two more airships arrive. Dont underestimate that girl. Were not that proficient in operating things like autocannons, Qianye replied. Perhaps because it had never been threatened, the patrol airship flew quite low and was no more than 200 meters high. Additionally, it was flying straight toward the convoy. What surprised Qianye and Song Zining was that Blackmoon had already opened fire while the airship was still thousands of meters away. The muffled roar as the giant cannon opened fire was exceptionally intimidating, and the entire Primordial Beast shook from the impact. The first salvo brushed right past the airship. The shock threw the operators into a fluster as they rushed to perform evasive maneuvers. Blackmoon paused momentarily and made new adjustments before stomping down on the trigger paddle once again. This time, the bright shells drew out streams of flames and struck the airship fiercely like a blazing whip. Despite the distance, Qianye and Song Zining saw several components and large pieces of the airships skin flying off continuously. As one of Blackmoons shots peeled off a propeller, Song Zining finally shrugged and said indignantly, I must admit Im not Miss Highbeards match in this. Qianye holstered his Twin Flowers and patted Song Zinings shoulder. Dont worry, the main dish is still waiting for you! Nangong Zhen is all yours. Song Zining was immediately upset. Why not Nangong Yuanwang? Your physique is too bad. You cant take a single hit from him. Qianye didnt leave any face for Song Zining. Chapter 448: Overture of Tumul t [V5C155 C A Distance Within Reach] Blackmoon was still firing aggressively, and the patrol gunship was on the verge of collapse despite its best efforts to evade. Flames were spurting out in many places accompanied by dense smoke. Eventually, the vessel lost control and started spinning in the air as a large piece of steel fell off. Nanhua stood up urgently and started strafing when she saw that the airship was about to crash without her managing to land a single hit. It was just that no one knew where her bullets went across such a long distance. Finally, the flaming patrol gunship could no longer hold on and fell crashing into the ground. A violent explosion ensued, sending dense rolling smoke into the air. The two airships behind had only flown halfway when they witnessed this scene. The vessels were so shocked that they turned around immediately without bothering to ascendif Blackmoon could finish off a patrol gunship a thousand meters away, she could just as easily destroy one a thousand meters in the air. Looks like the fun is over, Song Zining shrugged and shouted while raising his spear, well deal with the remaining two according to the plan! The six Primordial Beasts behind them started up once again and drove toward the county capital. The three cannons werent retracted, and their muzzles only turned toward each side, seemingly waiting for the next victim. Dust clouds rose above the distant military camp as their gates opened after a period of chaos. Out drove dozens of combat vehicles and hundreds of armored military transports which surged toward the Dark Flame convoy like a flood of steel. Ignoring the Nangong army, Qianye circulated his origin power and shouted at the top of his voice, Nangong Yuanwang, Nangong Zhen, get out here! Dont just send your subordinates to their deaths! This shout rumbled like rolling thunder which, despite the distance, reverberated in all of the Nangong mens ears. Nangong Zhen, who was resting silently within the command vehicle, opened his eyes ever so slightly. A flash of imperceivable graveness flashed through his eyesthat distant shout actually made him feel a faint sense of peril. But with his identity, Nangong Zhen had no choice but to respond to such an open challenge. He immediately sneered, Theres no need to trouble the Second Elder to deal with a group of juniors. With this seat taking action, its more than enough to deal with you lot! He didnt raise his voice, but his voice traveled toward Qianye with incomparable clarity. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances after hearing this. They had come to a tacit understanding. Song Zining glanced back at Nanhua and said, You stall those two champions in a while. Duan Haos unit will provide support. Nanhua wanted to complain at first, but for some reason, she nodded in agreement. Song Zining then gestured toward Blackmoon and pointed toward the incoming sea of Nangong soldiers. Blackmoon nodded seriously and rubbed her fingers in a money-counting gesture. Money was Song Zinings forte, yet he couldnt help but become startled after seeing this Highbeard lasss skilled gesture and solemn expression. But the Seventh Young Master was rich and his style was carefreehe only feared women wouldnt speak money with him. Everything was negotiable as long as they were willing to name a price. Song Zining immediately agreed without any hesitation. His forthright attitude caused Blackmoons eyes to light up. Nangong Zhen flew up into the sky when the armies were a couple hundred meters apart and looked down at the speeding Dark Flame convoy. His eyes swept over Qianye and Song Zining like lightning. Qianye immediately felt as though he had been seen through once he came in touch with that gaze. He was shaken as he realized that these celebrated old veterans possessed true skill. However, Nangong Zhens shock far surpassed Qianyes own. This was the first time he had personally laid eyes on the much spoken of Blackflow City Lord. The other partys nine origin nodes were clearly visible as he activated his origin powerthis proved that the young man who had inflicted so many casualties on their familys combat unit was actually not a champion. This was even more astonishing than failing to see through his rank or discovering a secret art! While not yet a champion, he was able to penetrate the central army and kill the First-Rank Viscount Luther. While not yet a champion, he was able to survive a blow from Nangong Yuanwang and then swagger off. Such a person would, without a doubt, rise meteorically after stepping into the champion realm. Now that Qianye and the Nangong family had formed a deep enmity, they had no intention to let Qianye go unharmed despite their original terms. The most lenient they could be was crippling his cultivation. However, Nangong Zhen narrowed his eyes as a killing intent rose in his heart. Qianye had risen to power on his own in a desolate land like Evernight and possessed no family background. The Nangong family would never sleep soundly again if he were to throw away everything and fight them to the death. His eyes turned toward Song Zining with growing frostiness. He secretly speculated that this kid wasnt easy to deal with either, and they had already offended him to the utmost with the battle of Blackflow City. Although killing him would bring trouble, it should be fine to cripple him in one blow and prevent future troubles. Nangong Zhen was entertaining malicious thoughts when Song Zining called out from afar, Sir Nangong, we meet again so soon. How can such a major character like you have so much time to enjoy our remote countryside sceneries? Nangong Zhen pointed toward the ruined sentry post and said coldly, Whats the meaning of this? Can Seventh Young Noble explain a bit? Song Zining chuckled lightly and said frivolously, Nothing much, these fellows dont understand the rules and actually fired at my ride. How can I allow such insensible people to work under Sir Nangong? Thatll be a humiliation to you. Thats why I took charge and reprimanded them a bit. Qianye was prepared to start a massacre. However, he couldnt help but fall between laughter and tears after hearing Song Zinings shameless words. Nangong Zhens expression turned ashen as he said repeatedly, Good, good! Song Zining, I shall discipline you in your elders stead today. You truly do not know the immensity of heaven and earth! Why is Sir Nangong so perturbed over a few dead dogs? Moreover, you must have forgotten that the land beneath your feet belongs to Blackflow City. Who can say anything about me killing some people on my own land? In fact, its your Nangong family who blocked my lines of communication and hunted down my brother. How come no ones speaking out about that? At this point in the conversation, Song Zinings smile suddenly disappeared as he said coldly, Discipline me for my elders? Are you worthy of it? The words were spoken with great clarity and spread far and wide like the chime of metal and stone. The thousands of Nangong soldiers heard them very clearly. Nangong Zhen could no longer keep calm at this point. He shouted furiously, Wild junior! I shall destroy you today! He donned a finger-sleeve seemingly made of gold or bronze and charged over like a bolt of lightning. The man threw out a fist from a hundred meters away, the force from which completely enveloped Qianye, Song Zining, and Nanhua. The fist was quite loud, but Qianye sneered secretly after scanning it with his True Sight. Nangong Zhen was really too arrogant in dispersing his force so thin at such a distance. Qianye and Song Zining were well-coordinated. Qianye immediately understood after seeing Song Zinings glance and quickly held back his attack. Song Zining shouted loudly. The runes on his spear flickered as he drew a stream of flaming specks through the air and flicked the point toward Nangong Zhens fistit was as though fire beacons had lit up in all directions amidst the charge of myriad cavalry. The spear possessed great might. Not only did it destroy the incoming fist intent, but also reduced the force going toward Qianye significantly. The latter stood behind and only blocked horizontally with a still-sheathed East Peak to neutralize all of the remaining force. It took Nanhua much more effort. She was pushed back repeatedly as her twin blades collided with the fist-force and her small face turned much paler. She was originally fearless and was even blaming Song Zining and Qianye for not bringing her along for the confrontation against the Nangong family elders. Only after the clash did she realize that this wasnt a battle she could take part in. Song Zining was an exceptionNanhua knew that this seemingly hedonistic aristocrat was actually quite unfathomable. However, Qianyes strength had far surpassed her expectations, and she couldnt help but shoot him a glance. Despite having seen him behead Luther, she was subconsciously unconvinced and believed that most of the work was done by Song Zinings spear. Only after the present comparison did she understand that Qianyes victory was no cheap trick. Nangong Zhen felt humiliated after his fist strike failed to produce results, but he also became much calmer at heart. With their current performance, Nangong Zhen was confident that he could take them down within a hundred moves without alarming Sky Demon. He let out a low growl and pounced toward Song Zining at lightning speed. Among the three, Nangong Zhen was the most apprehensive of this Song clan seventh young master. It was just that a wisp of doubt flashed through Nangong Zhens heart. Just how did Qianye escape from Nangong Yuanwangs hands with such mediocre combat strength? Nangong Zhen was so fast that he had already arrived before Song Zining and thrown a fist toward the latters chest just as that thought flashed pasthis glimmering fist intent condensed like a pillar and blasted out like an origin cannon shell. Fallen leaves danced around Song Zining as his spear thrice shot forth at lightning speed. Flame streaks weaved through the air and just barely blocked the force behind Nangong Zhens fist. Murderous intent suffused Nangong Zhens countenance upon seeing Song Zining capable of defending head-on against the momentum of his fist. He withdrew the Origins End with a snort. This familial secret art was apparently ineffective against Song Zining, but he had more than one domain. Nangong Zhen stepped forward with green mist flashing around his body, and a lush forest suddenly emerged in a hundred-meter radius around him. Within moments, Song Zinings domain was dispersed and suppressed. The man took another step forward and punched out once more. The force within these fist-strikes was as condensed as a pillar, and the radiance produced was almost tangible. He held back no longer as the clear intention to kill rose deep within his heart. Song Zining quickly withdrew dozens of meters while firing off a flurry of countless spear afterimages. But no matter how far he retreated, Nangong Zhen would follow, his fists like a torrent of raging waves. Qianye had also entered the fray. East Peak slashed repeatedly at Nangong Zhen with the momentum of a mountain-splitting axe. His footwork matched the mans own and wasnt even half a step late. Nangong Zhen had long since reached a state of complete harmony in his cultivationslashing on his origin power barrier was akin to weakening his fist-power. Within moments, Nangong Zhen, Qianye, and Song Zining had taken their battle hundreds of meters away. Nanhua remained in place and moved to intercept the two Nangong family champions who were about to follow suit. Twin blades dancing, she swept the both of them into her own domain. The two champions opened up their own domains, but Nanhuas was exceptionally powerful and didnt lose out at all despite fighting two against one. She was exceptionally fast, nimble, and able to handle the two enemies with ease. But it was also quite difficult for her to inflict any meaningful damage. Immediately afterward, the timber of origin guns rang outthe remaining experts of the Nangong clan wanted to rush over but were pinned down by Duan Haos unit. They began firing at range since both sides were quite distant, and it would require at least three or four sprints to reach melee range. At this moment, the continuous rumble of an abnormally loud cannon drowned out all the sounds on the battlefield. Blackmoon had finally found the chance to start sweeping with the autocannon that had been modified by Nangong Xiaoniao. Chapter 449: Tumul t [V5C156 C A Distance Within Reach] The Nangong combat vehicles hundreds of meters away were struck with sparks flying out in all directions. Those with thinner armor couldnt take a single barrage and would go up in flames after a couple of rounds. A continuous line of fire was ignited from one side of the Nangong defense line and quickly spread all the way to the other. The Nangong family experts tangled up with Duan Haos unit simply had no time to react. In the end, they only managed to stop the rounds heading toward the command vehicle and the mobile artillery around it. None among the dozens of armored transports and combat vehicles at the van survived, and countless soldiers were blasted into the air. After a wild salvo, the autocannon in Blackmoons hand clicked loudlyit turned out that she had used up all the ammunition. Blackmoon immediately jumped down from the gunners seat and escaped into the distance. She had just left when the Nangong familys retaliatory cannon fire arrived, blasting apart the Primordial Beast along with the heavy autocannon on top. The Nangong familys casualties in this artillery battle were quite significant. Nangong Zhen who had been paying attention to the battle turned ashen, and his brows knitted tightly together. He was in the process of chasing after Song Zining with a mad flurry of attacks, but the latters spear was unexpectedly tenacious despite flickering like a candle in the wind and wouldnt go down no matter what he did. Moreover, the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Domain would pop up from time to timeapparently, it was never completely suppressed since the beginning. This indicated that Song Zinings domain was far superior to Nangong Zhens Evergreen Domain at the same realm. Qianye had been moving alongside Nangong Zhen all this time and restricted a third of his combat strength at the very least. Coldness suddenly flashed through Nangong Zhens eyes as he turned to launch an explosive punch at Qianye. The power behind this blow was even greater than when he was pursuing Song Zining! Die, Junior! Nangong Zhen didnt just let out a simple roar but actually spat out a wisp of origin power which blasted toward Qianyes chest in a bid to kill him in one blow. However, Nangong Zhen hadnt expected Qianye to remain so calm in the face of his abrupt ambushthe latter seemed to have neither the intention to retreat nor to evade. He slashed at the incoming fist instead, poised to meet the attack head-on! Nangong Zhens heart sank as East Peak appeared with a world-splitting momentum. Their origin powers were the first to connect before the collision of the fist and sword. The two origin powers tangled together with an explosive rumblea continuous cycle of growth and annihilation ensued which transformed into flames, lightning, wind, and thunder. They were actually evenly matched! Nangong Zhen was shocked out of his wits. He hurriedly poured more strength into his fist, allowing it to pierce through the elements and smash heavily on East Peaks edge. Clang! The resonance of clashing metal echoed throughout the battlefield. Song Zining, who was the closest to them, was pushed back a dozen or so meters with the greater half of the leaves around him destroyed. In the distance, the actions of Nanhua and the two Nangong champions paused for a split second, only continuing their battle after the moment of absent-mindedness. To the side, Blackmoon was running frantically and gunning down the enemies behind. However, the sudden impact threw her headfirst onto the ground, and it took her quite some effort before she managed to clamber up in misery. Since even these experts were affected, one could imagine how much worse it was for ordinary soldiers. The all-elite Dark Flame unit only suffered violent falls, but many Nangong soldiers collapsed with blood flowing out of their mouths and noses, never to get up again. Nangong Zhen stood tall without the slightest movement and only stared at Qianye with cold eyes. The latter slid back ten meters but appeared relatively calm and only stretched his body before pointing East Peak at Nangong Zhen again. Nangong Zhens thoughts revolved at lightning speed. He had originally thought he would be able to smash East Peak to bits with a single fist. Unexpectedly, the unassuming blade was completely unharmed and even left a deep groove on his glove. Meanwhile, the origin power he had spat toward Qianyes chesta power capable of piercing through a high-level fighterevoked no response from him at all. This fist embodied the full extent of Nangong Zhens rank-suppressed power. Any more than that and he wouldve broken the limit and attracted the attention of Sky Demons will. While Nangong Zhen was hesitating, Qianye had already started activating his origin power, and it was gradually speeding up. A boundless vortex appeared over his sea of origin power, and this vast, omnipresent power grew ever more distinct with the stirring of the Profound Combatant Formula. East Peak trembled and droned along with the gyration of the ocean vortexit was like a screaming gale, a bestial roar. Nangong Zhen was shocked to find the aura on Qianyes body growing more and more bizarre. It seemed as though he were facing not a human, but instead the heaven, earth, and oceans. This feeling made him tremble ever so slightly. What Nangong Zhen couldnt afford to ignore was Song Zinings predatory gaze. The latters spear arts would unfold in a torrential attack momentum and increase in power with every blowthere was no easy way to unravel the assault apart from suppressing it with absolute powerthat was the reason why the Song clans Fueled-Fire Spear was famous throughout the world for an entire millennium. The corners of Qianyes lips moved at this moment, and a smile actually appeared therein. His smile, amidst the vast energy of the heaven and earth, contained a hint of mysticism. East Peaks screams became more and more resonant. The words that actually escaped Qianyes lips was: Playtimes over. Nangong Zhen didnt immediately understand what those words meantor it might be better to say that he was instinctively denying the literal meaning. But at that very moment, Nangong Zhen saw a blinding light erupt from Qianyes eyes as his entire being vanished into thin air. Only a vast body of water remained in front of Nangong Zhena slowly revolving ocean. East Peak appeared in front of Nangong Zhen immediately after it was raisedits speed had simply exceeded the limits of perception. Shocked out of his wits, Nangong Zhe raised his fists with all his might and struck East Peaks incoming edge. However, a boundless pressure was soon transmitted through his fists and made Nangong Zhen feel as though he were holding up a real ocean! The confrontation between blade and fist sent Nangong Zhen flying a dozen or so meters away. After landing, he slid another dozen steps backward before coming to a roaring stop. Qianye also slid back ten meters where he stabilized himself by thrusting East Peak into the ground before spitting out a mouthful of blood. Nangong Zhen relaxed after seeing Qianye cough up blood and also sprayed out a mouthful himself. This exchange was simply too fast. Song Zining had just assumed a thrusting stance with his spear when the two were already a hundred meters apart. Nangong Zhens face twitched furiously as he charged toward Qianye in large strides, every step taking him ten meters forward. However, he had just taken two steps when he came to a sudden halt without advancing further. That was because Qianyes eyes had opened once again and that gaze gave Nangong Zhen a clear premonition that, should he take so much as a step forward, East Peak would appear before him once again with the momentum of the mountains and seas. At this moment, the Nangong familys youngest elder was already feeling the impulse to kill Qianye in one blow by exceeding the Iron Curtains limit. He would then try to escape the pursuit of Sky Demons will. Many experts had already learned some tricks to fool Sky Demons will. However, no method was absolutely safefailure would lead to a pursuit from Sky Demons will or even its avatar. No one below the divine champion level would survive. It was just that, deep down, he was still a bit hesitant and finally abandoned the thought with some regret. He didnt believe this war was worth risking his life for. Moreover, as the youngest Nangong family elder, his brilliant journey had only just begun. However, a sudden muffled thunder rang out beyond the Iron Curtain and shook everyone to the core. Even experts like Nangong Zhen were momentarily shaken. Immediately afterward, Sky Demons omnipresent will emerged once again and rapidly condensed above everyoneapparently, the threshold of its descent had been reached during this short moment. Nangong Zhen couldnt help but cry out in shock. How did he attract Sky Demons aura merely by thinking about breaking the restriction? Could it be that Sky Demons abilities were so great that he could read peoples minds under the Iron Curtain? But he soon discovered that the aura wasnt converging on him. Although the aura was spread across hundreds of kilometers, Nangong Zhens keen perception allowed him to notice even a hundred-meter deviation. Nangong Zhens pupils contracted rapidly as he glanced over. Sky Demons aura was actually converging upon Qianye! How could it be Qianye attracting Sky Demons aura? Nangong Zhens heart was wracked with doubt, shock, incredulity, and a plethora of emotions. Since the start of the battle, he had always been calculating whether or not he would attract Sky Demons attention. He never expected that the one to invite Sky Demons will would actually be Qianye. This was an absolute mockery. Qianye shot the Iron Curtain a glance but seemed to have no intention of retracting his own aura. He continued pushing the vortex on his sea of origin power and caused it to revolve faster. The pressure on East Peak rose continuously, and its cries grew ever more sonorous. Song Zining looked over at Qianye with resolution in his eyes. The leaves around him turned transparent as he raised his hand, leaving only the flickering patterns to indicate that he hadnt withdrawn his domain. Lunatics! Youre all crazy! Nanhua couldnt help but cry out loudly. At this moment, Sky Demons aura had already reached the critical point. A giant eye emerged upon the Iron Curtain as the incomparably terrifying will of Sky Demon finally descended, scanning the earth with its cold gaze. It was at this time that Qianye took a step forward and appeared dozens of meters away. A deep pit appeared noiselessly where he had been standing. All the soil, sand, and rocks there had vanishedit was as though they had never existed. The frosty, glacier-like will of Sky Demon spread out toward every direction but was unresponsive as it flitted past Qianye. Song Zining immediately revealed an expression of joy while Qianye waved a fist through the air. Their bet was correct! Although the Profound Combatant Formula had attracted Sky Demons will, Qianyes daybreak origin power hadnt yet crossed over the champion threshold, and he was merely a third-rank viscount in terms of darkness origin power. As such, Sky Demons will naturally overlooked him, so much so that Song Zining didnt even need to use the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art to fool it. The giant eye in the sky spun around and swept its gaze over the entire battlefield. Both Dark Flame and Nangong soldiers clearly felt the colossal entitys contempt and cruelty. Meanwhile, the one trembling the most under the cold gaze of its will was Nangong Zhen. Qianye and Song Zining glanced at one another before striding forth with a sudden shout. East Peak swept out with the force of an overturned ocean and arrived at Nangong Zhens lower back. Nangong Zhen cursed loudly in his heart. Even though he had suppressed his rank with a secret art, he wasnt quite confident in getting away with it under Sky Demons direct gaze. How would he dare to receive this blow? All he could do was retreat rapidly for hundreds of meters. Chapter 450: Andante of Tumul t [V5C157 C A Distance Within Reach] However, Qianyes speed had far surpassed Nangong Zhens expectations. The former covered a hundred meters in but a few steps and clung to him like a lingering shadow. This time, the heavy sword East Peak was fairly slow. It would only slash out once in a while, but every slash was like a tsunamiNangong Zhen simply didnt dare to take them head-on. On the other side, Song Zining was moving swiftly with his spear raised. He was like a clear wind blowing through the desolate land, free of all secular bindings. He moved diagonally to obstruct Nangong Zhens path from behind in a bid to prevent the latters return to the base. Nangong Zhen was indescribably distressed, but the large eye above just wouldnt disperse, and its cold will was scanning the land repeatedly. How could he dare to let loose and fight the two at full strength? Who knew when he might accidentally produce half a strand of origin power exceeding the limit? Nangong Zhen felt himself facing a deep, boundless ocean swirling with undercurrents, one in which a tempest was seemingly about to form, but the raging waves of peril were yet to come. His Evergreen Domain was incomparably frail before this deep ocean. It seemed as though it would shatter in a single charge without being able to hinder Qianyes advancing steps. It was at this moment that countless flower petals appeared around Nangong Zhen and fell like rain. The Evergreen Domain suddenly froze and then started to break down like a damaged mirror surfacethe lush vegetation wilted immediately and was shattered by the spinning blade-like flower petals. Nangong Zhens movements stagnated for just a split second, but Qianyes East Peak had already reached him during that short moment. Qianyes eyes were as blue as the ocean. He sent the blade forth with incomparable concentration as though his two hands on the sword contained boundless weight. Nangong Zhen could no longer evade. He let out an earth-shattering roar and threw both fists out, but only managed to barely deflect the blades edge after countless blows. He himself lightly flew back hundreds of meters away and immediately turned to flee upon landing. The giant eye in the sky finally turned to gaze at Nangong Zhen who immediately spat out fresh blood with a miserable cry. However, he didnt slow down in the least and eventually disappeared into the wildernessbut not before roaring loudly from afar, Song brat! You better not land in my hands in the future! Doubt flashed through the giant eye as it scanned the battlefield once more, but it eventually faded into the Iron Curtain after finding nothing. Qianye stood silently with his sword in hand and his eyes lowered. Moments later, he spat out a mouthful of incomparably bright blood stained with little specks of gold. Song Zining walked over in a leisurely manner. Are you okay? Qianye waved his hand after spitting out a mouthful of blood. Im fine, its just the backlash from the overly violent force. Just a light injury. The Profound Combatant Formula is indeed tyrannical. Only an inhuman person like you might be able to cultivate it, Song Zining said with a shrug. Its rather unfortunate that the bastard ran away. How can he be a Nangong elder if we can kill him just like that? But Im sure that fellow wont dare to cause us any more trouble under the Iron Curtain. At this point, Song Zining laughed ruefully. That fellow apparently hates me more than you. Thats not fair! Who told you to be so treacherous? Qianye said with a smile, leaving Song Zining no face at all. Thats called intelligent fighting. Song Zining always managed to find a suitable adjective for himself. But it couldnt be considered an exaggeration this time. Nangong Zhen was guarded against Song Zinings ambush at the interception point but never expected this newly ascended champions domain to be so widethe latter had actually activated the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art to contend with Nangong Zhens Evergreen Domain way before he had gotten into position. This forcibly dragged down Nangong Zhens speed. How could even half a surprise be allowed in a battle of this level? Nangong Zhen had no choice but to clash with Qianye after faltering and was no longer able to fully control his energy at the juncture of life and death. He touched Sky Demons restriction ever so slightly and invited some of its attention. It was merely a quick glance to Sky Demon, but it was undoubtedly a heavy injury for Nangong Zhen. He might have died on the spot had he used just a little bit more origin power at that time. That was exactly why Nangong Zhen was exceptionally hateful of Song Zinings sinister sneak attackeven more so than Qianyes. The conflict on the other side of the battlefield was at its fiercest. Dark Flame and the Nangong private army had resumed their battle while the three were fighting. Sky Demons will was only a fleeting sensation to these ordinary soldiers. The biggest threat was still before themthe moment they stopped firing, the rain of bullets from the other side would tear them apart. But, no matter how fierce, the battle there was only for decoration. How could the two Nangong champions dare remain after Nangong Zhen escaped? They slightly pushed Nanhua back with simultaneous attacks before turning to run. Moreover, they only dared run in the opposite direction of Song Zining and Qianye; they didnt even dare return to base. Seeing the major characters all gone, the morale of the Nangong Soldiers immediately plummeted. Qianye ran toward the battlefield in large strides. The bullets raining toward him were all deflected by his origin defenses, and the occasional autocannon shell that did manage to pierce through was already like an arrow at the end of its flightthey could do nothing at all against his present physique. After rushing past a burning combat vehicle, Qianye reached into the flames with his bare hands and removed a millstone-sized wheel which he weighed in his hand before hurling with great ferocity. The steel wheel emitted an intimidating scream as it flew hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye and sliced open an enemy combat vehicle! Qianye stood beside the broken vehicle and tore out the flaming fellows parts, turning the larger wheels and gears into long-range projectiles. Their might immediately reached a whole new level with the addition of the Profound Combatant Formula, and they werent at all inferior to cannon shells in penetrating power. In the end, Qianye threw out an entire turret and half-smashed one of the Nangong familys primary tanks. This kind of violent and inefficient method was apparently quite effective against ordinary soldiers. The Nangong squads morale finally collapsed, and they began to retreat. But as well-trained elites, they managed to retain order even in an extremely unfavorable situation. They split into small squads and set up a string of defensive lines to guard the main force during its retreat. Qianye wasnt interested in slaughtering these low-ranking soldiers. Moreover, they had a more important objective. Accompanied by a soaring momentum, a certain figure was charging over from the distant city at lightning speed, and this experts aura far exceeded that of Nangong Zhen. Qianye wasnt a stranger to this auraone could even say he was deeply acquainted. This person was indeed one of the top characters of the Nangong family, their second elder, Nangong Yuanwang. Qianye stood in place until Nangong Yuanwang arrived within a hundred meters before saying, I thought Elder Yuanwang would be meditating deep underground now that Sky Demons will has appeared. What are you here for? Are you looking to die? Nangong Yuanwangs face turned ashen upon hearing such words of blatant mockery. He said coldly, Qianye, are you intent on offending our Nangong family to the very end? Qianye chuckled indifferently. Im deeply indebted to the Nangong family for its attentive reception. Wouldnt I be letting down your kind intentions if I didnt retaliate in kind? Nangong Yuanwang sneered, Even if we allow you to act so wantonly at the moment, the Iron Curtain will disperse one day! Did you not think about the future before doing such a thing? At that time, this old man will definitely take your dog life even if you hide away to the ends of the world! Qianye replied calmly, Im here right now. Why wait so long if you want it? Nangong Yuanwangs eyelids twitched as he roared, What do you mean? The origin power in Qianyes body escalated slowly. Simple. The Iron Curtain is still here at the moment, and under it, I can at least drag you down with me. Nangong Yuanwang spoke no more. He waved both hands in quick succession and shot several blobs of green light at Qianye. Qianyes eyes grew brighter and brighter as he slashed out continuously, breaking the green balls of light one after another. Countless green threads burst out, but most of them would vanish into thin air a couple of meters from Qianye. It was as though there was a giant vortex devouring everything in silence. A number of luminous beams managed to pierce through his defenses and land on his body, but they only managed to burn through his external clothing. They couldnt even split open his combat armor, much less test the tenacity of his body. Nangong Yuanwangs pupils contracted in astonishmentQianye had easily deflected the Green Skyrender that almost badly wounded him only a couple of days ago. Nangong Yuanwang naturally dared not utilize as much power as he did that day, but it was evident that Qianye had achieved a major breakthrough to be able to render his ultimate move completely ineffective. Qianye took a step forward with sword in hand but then proceeded to stand there in silence. Nangong Yuanwangs eyes turned even graver after seeing Qianyes movements. He had realized from this step that Qianyes speed under the Iron Curtain wasnt slower than him at all, even a little bit faster. That didnt bode well! This meant that a slight carelessness would lead to him being entangled with Qianye. Mutual destruction would ensue if Sky Demons will was attracted at that time. Nangong Yuanwang was somewhat dissatisfied. He pointed at Qianye from afar and shot out a beam of green light which formed a mysterious array around Qianyes body. The beams head and tail locked together to form a circle of light which suddenly contracted toward the center, binding Qianye at the waist like a pincer. The Nangong familys Origins End, in this second elders hands, was able to take on many wondrous forms. The band of green light materialized and pressed down upon the scarlet origin power radiance on Qianyes arms, firmly restraining him. Meanwhile, East Peaks luster had also grown much dimmer, and it was now like a piece of scrap metal. Seeing this allowed Nangong Yuanwangs brows to relax slightly. However, the sound of roaring ocean tides reverberated around Qianye all of a sudden. The light ring around Qianye shook violently as though it were being battered by a raging tempest and began to break apart, inch by inch, under the terrifying pressure. Countless green light-fragments soon filled the air, each of them reflecting Nangong Yuanwangs livid countenance. The second elder suddenly waved his wide sleeve and sprayed out a beam of green light in a different direction. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the beam was made up of countless green strands of light shuttling back and forth like a swimming fish. These green threads were another form of the Green Skyrender, and the energy contained within wasnt something a fighter could easily endure. They swam out over a distance of hundreds of meters, effectively setting up a barrier in its wake. Qianye and Song Zining naturally didnt fear this degree of blockade, but people like Duan Hao and Blackmoon would undoubtedly die if they were to charge through. Nangong Yuanwang had completely blocked off Dark Flames pursuit of the Nangong family army with this single move. He didnt try anything else, either, apart from maintaining this barrier. He confronted Qianye for a moment and then withdrew slowly after his soldiers had left the battlefield. Qianye neither moved nor gave chase, and only looked on with a cold smile. A feeling of uneasiness emerged in the depths of Nangong Yuanwangs heart, but he couldnt pinpoint the concrete reason. He could only convene together with his family squad despite the lingering doubt. Deep that night, Nangong Yuanwang finally understood what it was. Chapter 451: Echoes of Tumul t [V5C158 C A Distance Within Reach] Deep that night, flames suddenly surged into the sky from the airship port, and the explosions therein awoke the garrisoned troops in the entire city. Raging flame pillars soared toward the firmament and, from a distance, looked as though blazing tongues were lapping at the low-lying Iron Curtain. Nangong Yuanwang hadnt yet fallen asleep. He was quietly reading a book in his study when the flames rushed up from the airship port. At this moment, the greater half of the airship port had been engulfed in flames, and the ignited airships were exploding one after another. Nangong Yuanwangs vision grew dark upon witnessing this scenehe realized that the airship fuel storage had been ignited. Even he could do nothing to save this kind of conflagrationthe airship port was sure to be destroyed, and along with it the greater half of the Nangong familys airship fleet. But the fuel chamber was one of the most important and heavily-guarded areas. Moreover, there were numerous fire protection mechanisms. How could it be so easily ignited? Although the flames were raging wildly at the moment, it hasnt been very long since their eruptionthe arsonist couldnt have gone very far. Nangong Yuanwangs eyes were like lightning as he scanned the entire area, quickly locking onto a certain figure heading into the wilderness. It was Qianye! Nangong Yuanwang was overcome by a certain urge. He shot out and managed to intercept Qianye in the blink of an eye. The latter wasnt anxious at all. He gazed straight at Nangong Yuanwang with a substantial little vortex of origin power condensing in his left hand. What? Has Elder Nangong decided to engage in a proper battle with me? Nangong Yuanwangs expression fluctuated wildly as his eyes landed on the vortex in Qianyes left hand, but he remained in complete silence. He had clearly sensed from that little maelstrom an aura capable of drawing Sky Demons attention. Qianye waited momentarily, but after receiving no response from the elder, he said with a chuckle, Ill be leaving now if Elder Nangong doesnt want to fight. Ill visit you again after a while. Nangong Yuanwang didnt move at all even after Qianye had gone far away. Nangong Yuanwang was born with great status, power, and even had a thread of hope for assailing the divine champion rank. He was one of those characters at the very top. The death of his only son was the greatest setback he had suffered in recent years. But he had long since laid down his bloodlinehis grandsons and daughters were still young, but they were much more talented than their father and were sure to accomplish much within the decade. Meanwhile, Qianye was a poor little brat born on Evernight Continent. He had only obtained this little cityworth even less than an upper continent villageby relying on the younger generation of the Song and Zhao clans. Qianye was no different from an impoverished beggar in Nangong Yuanwangs eyes. How could he be willing to die together with such a person? But the situation had reached a stalemate. Qianyes words made it clear that he was going to return and launch repeated sneak attacks just like this one. Without an effective way to stop him, the Nangong familys entire division would be devoured piece by piece, not to mention the other Nangong family units under the Iron Curtain in addition to this private army. Much like a statue, Nangong Yuanwang remained silent and immobile under the Iron Curtain. Qianye arrived safely in Blackflow City as dawn broke, just in time to have breakfast with Song Zining. Song Zining offered a definite assertion after listening to how Qianye had destroyed most of the Nangong family divisions airships. Nangong Yuanwang will withdraw within three days! Lets hope that is the case. Its meaningless to deal with these ordinary people. Qianye rapidly destroyed the big pile of food as he spoke. Song Zining shook his head. Thats not the right attitude. Disaster will follow if we allow this private army to retreat safely or shift to other war zones. At this point, Song Zining halted his actions and fell into silence. Judging from his demeanor, Qianye understood that Song Zining was plotting something to prevent the entire Nangong division from leaving Evernight Continent. Qianye was no expert in such matters, so he just left it to Song Zining and continued eating. Qianye, what are you going to do next? Song Zining asked after some thought. Qianye had already made plans for this. The Combat Formula requires nurturing in war, so Im going to continue with the bloody battle. I can stabilize my realm while bringing back some contributions. Oh right, if you have no special use for those contributions, register a portion of it under the Zhao clans name. I promised to help Yuying procure some contributions. Naturally, the benefits from the Zhao clan will be yours. Yuying? Thats no problem! Song Zining agreed readily. As Song Zining had expected, the Nangong family division uprooted their camp and retreated before three days had passed, opening up the passage to the depths of the Trinity River County. Nangong Yuanwang retreated all the way outside of the Iron Curtain before reorganizing his troops since only there would they be free of Qianyes sneak attacks. As for Nangong Zhen who had escaped with grave injuries, he would probably need a fairly long period to recover. Nangong Yuanwang didnt plot anything against Qianye after pulling out of the Iron Curtain. This surprised many people, but it was well within Song Zinings expectations. The confrontation between Qianye, Nangong Zhen, and Nangong Yuanwang proved to them that Qianyes combat strength was sufficient for him to move unhindered throughout the Iron Curtain. The private army was able to retreat in peace with Nangong Yuanwang holding the fort, but there were many other Nangong squads and youngsters fighting on the battlefields. It would surely turn into a one-sided slaughter if a cornered Qianye specifically went after those units. If such a scenario played outeven though the Iron Curtain would inevitably disperse one daythe Nangong family could very well forget about accomplishing anything in this bloody battle. More importantly, the loss of young descendants would stunt the next twenty years of their clans development. In truth, the Nangong family was already showing signs of weariness on the bloody battle rankings due to the heavy casualties they had suffered while hunting down Qianye. This was truly unbearable for the powerful Nangong family. Moreover, there were rumors about them spreading throughout the upper echelons of the empire. Even those from the Imperial Party were starting to criticize them, questioning their strength and denouncing their previous conducts against the Song clan. Increasing pressure thus fell upon the clan lord, Nangong Yuanbo. The frontline commander, Nangong Yuanwang, also suffered quite a bit of criticism as people believed him incapable of holding things together. In the end, the enmity between Qianye and the Nangong family was actually due to a girl who had been expelled from the clan; this reason felt unacceptable to most of the elder assembly members. Between killing Qianye to preserve a bit of their prestige and stabilizing their bloody battle accomplishments while safeguarding their younger generations growththe priorities were obvious. Moreover, there were great changes recently in the general situation between daybreak and evernight. Things were vastly different compared to the outset. More and more dark races from various major continents had arrived to take part in the bloody battle, sending a continuous stream of their young geniuses into the Iron Curtain. The pressure on the empire had thus risen sharply, and the dark races had already begun to occupy the high ground in most of the regions. They even managed to expel the imperial squads completely from certain war zones. These changes could be directly observed from certain publicized numbers. Since the periodic publication of the military contribution rankings, people noticed that the total contribution growth was slowing down at each interval. Meanwhile, away from public eyes, the casualty numbers in each family were on a steady risesome familiar names had started to appear on the list of the fallen. The role of the hunter and the hunted was gradually shifting. Not long after the Nangong private army had withdrawn, Qianye left Blackflow City and headed toward the Dark Nation to continue his own hunting expedition. This time, however, his hit-list contained the Nangong family and Bai Kongzhao in addition to the dark races. The latest edition of the military contribution rankings was published just as Qianye vanished beyond the dark race borders. The Zhao clans rankings had finally changed, jumping with great difficulty from rank nine to rank seven. This could be considered humiliating for an entity like the Zhao clan. At the outset, they could still use the excuse of preparation and the late dispatch of elites to explain the rankings. However, they had no way to explain this meager rank at this point since even Zhao Jundu had gone into battle for quite some time. At this moment, the atmosphere was more than gloomy in the Zhao Manor of West Pole City, and no one even dared take a deep breathit was as though a storm was just around the corner. The arrival of two clan warriors broke the silence. They ran at full speed, completely disregarding the rules about how they should travel inside the manor. They later split up to deliver the urgent reports to the studies of Duke You and Duke Yan respectively. Duke Yan scanned the letter hurriedly, and his countenance soon turned ashen as he slapped the document onto the table. Duke You, on the other hand, read repeatedly and in great detail before crushing the urgent report into fine powder. His expression was so somber that it might very well start dripping water. The two reports actually contained the same content, the casualty list of clan descendants. However, this list was longso long that the two dukes immediately lost their composure. On the border of the Western Continent, a heaven-shaking roar suddenly rang out from the main camp of the Fire Beacon Corps! Duke Chengen, Zhao Weihuang, the current Zhao clan lord, banged violently on the table, turning the paper to shreds along with the sturdy steel wood table beneath. But his anger hadnt yet subsided at this point, and he started throwing whatever he saw. Everything in the study was shattered in the blink of an eye, and even that jade bottle he had been playing with for thirty years didnt survive. All of the generals and staff officers of the corps were alarmed by this development and rushed over in a hurry. But how would they dare enter after hearing the thunderous ruckus within? They didnt even dare whisper and only shot meaningful glances amongst themselves. Zhao Weihuangs roars echoed within the study, Four main branch combat squads all wiped out! Seventeen lineal descendants and fifteen side branch descendants all dead in battle! Theyve gone too far! Do they really think I dont dare to kill?! The generals remained silent and dared not make a sound. All of Zhao Weihuangs subordinates were fierce generals who lived on the battlefield, but even they could figure out that the meaning behind those words wasnt simple. Such political struggles directly involved the imperial courtnot something they could just take part in. The door made of starry-sky wood was kicked flying with a bang. It drew a whistling arc through the air and fell onto the barracks on the other side of the drill grounds. Zhao Weihuang walked out in large strides and shouted, Issue my command. Follow me back to Qin Continent! This duke wants to see if our battle-hardened Fire Beacon Corps is stronger or if their private armies can fight better! Chapter 452: Competition [V5C159 C A Distance Within Reach] All the generals were shocked. Even those fierce generals who knew nothing but war understood this was greatly inappropriate. They stopped Zhao Weihuang in a hurry and did their best to dissuade him. Lord Duke, you must not! Lord Duke, please reconsider! The generals barely managed to hold back the furious Zhao Weihuang by working together frantically. It was fine no matter what Zhao Weihuang did on the Western Continent, but crossing over to the Qin continent with an army was tantamount to rebellion. It wouldnt do even if he was only attacking those aristocratic families. After his anger had subsided, Zhao Weihuang also understood that his methods werent feasible. But he still couldnt swallow his anger no matter whathe immediately picked up a paper, wrote down several names, and tossed it to the generals. Go and investigate! Dig up information on all members, organizations, and estates belonging to these families on the Western Continent. I want them all wiped out within seven days! This duke must strike their names off from this place. The generals glanced at one another. It was an unwritten rule that the enmity born in the bloody battle stays in the bloody battle. It was also a general rule for similar imperial operations of the past. Even the number one Green Sun Zhang clan only swallowed their anger after suffering huge losses in the Song clans hands back theneven Zhang Boqian didnt stir up trouble after becoming the fifth heavenly monarch. Presently, Zhao Weihuangs actions were equal to breaking this unwritten rule, and an unending flow of disputes would surely follow once this example had been set. But this was nothing compared to marching on the Qin continent. As such, the generals accepted their orders and left to attend to them. The anger on Zhao Weihuangs countenance faded slightly and turned to gloominess as he paced about the wrecked study with his hands behind his back. The Fire Beacon Corps actions would soon enter those peoples ears before long and should at least make them slightly more apprehensive. Imperial Party! A furious Zhao Weihuang uttered these words through clenched teeth, green veins popping on the back of his hand. There were many new nobles in the Imperial Party who had risen without any background. They were eager to accomplish, and their methods were cruel, extreme, and unpredictable. The major clans still considered their manner and prestige at the very least; they were fairly cautious and rarely burned their bridges or went to the extremes. But these new nobles and their henchmen were differenttheir policy was to seek fortune amidst danger. As the bloody battle went on, the descendants invested into it from each family steadily increased. Three out of Zhao Weihuangs four sons were already on the bloody battlefield, the only exception being the eldest Zhao Junxiao who had already surpassed the origin power limits. The second son, Zhao Junhongwho had just reached the champion rank less than a month agohad also led his squad into the Iron Curtain in a hurry. Zhao Weihuang, in spite of his anger, couldnt help but feel some worry. In a complex region of alternating mountains and rivers within the Dark Nation, a fierce battle had been raging on for many days. Nearly twenty combat units had gathered in this insignificant area to form an incomparably chaotic situation. Battles were raging not only between the dark races and the imperial forces, but also among themselves, and the cruelty of these internal conflicts even exceeded the faction battles. After several days of chaotic battle, some of the dark race tribal units had started to form an encirclement, blocking off the important passages surrounding the battlefield. What surprised the dark races was that the infighting among the imperials was growing more and more intense despite the unfavorable situation. They were fighting with such ardor that they had even pushed the dark races to the side. Ten-odd Zhao clan warriors were recuperating within a hidden cave halfway up a mountain. Most of them were injured, while two were immobile and unconsciousit was unknown whether they were dead or alive. The atmosphere in the cave was fairly oppressive. Some of the Zhao clan warriors were treating their injuries, some with lighter wounds were cultivating, while others were maintaining their armamentsit seemed they had just experienced a bitter fight. However, the warriors in the group were likely elite veterans of a hundred wars. They knew exactly how to preserve their strength despite the disadvantageous situation. A well-equipped warrior was crouching at the entrance of the cave with his sniper rifle aimed at the distant forest, the scope of which was darting between the trees, valleys, and hills. He suddenly noticed an abnormal movement in the forest and immediately shifted his aim there. As expected, a group of soldiers walked out from the amidst the trees. Clearly relaxed after seeing their leader, the vigilant sniper turned back and said, Fourth Young Master as returned. It was exactly Zhao Jundu who had walked out from the forest. A fair length of time had passed since he joined the battle, and his appearance was now quite different from the outset. The black hair usually maintained by a famous dresser was now extremely short, having been shave casually with a combat knife; his handsome, almost flawless face was now covered with thick camouflage paint. The robe on his body was in tatters, revealing the damaged, black armor underneath. There were blade cuts all over his body along with several unhealed injuries. A strand of fresh blood trickled down from his arms and hands and flowed out of his sleeveeven the Blue Firmament in his hand was stained with blood. The Zhao Jundu before the bloody battle could be considered cold, detached, and transcendent, but the current him seemed to have returned to the human world and was suffused with the frosty intent of murder. Only those eyes were as clear and bright as before. Zhao Jundu was holding a human head in his hand with blood dripping down occasionally from the cut surface of its neck. The persons eyes were wide open, his expression frozen in that last moment of extreme shock. Meanwhile, there were a dozen-odd Zhao clan soldiers behind Zhao Jundu. It was just that all of them were injured and most of them seriously sothere were even two men with missing arms and legs. Zhao Jundu walked toward the cave but halted his steps before he had traveled very far. Violet flames erupted from his eyes as he gazed coldly toward the front. The muzzle of the Blue Firmament was also raised slightly and started flickering with origin power. The scenery in front of Zhao Jundu suddenly distorted as a woman in wide-sleeved robes appeared out of thin air. A flash of lightning flickered through the heaven and earth the moment she opened her eyes, illuminating the miserable mountains and rivers for an instant! The veteran Zhao clan warriors lost all color as they recognized the ladys identity! She was the Bai clans hope and the empires celebrated legend, Bai Aotu. Her hands were folded within her sleeves as she glanced at the head in Zhao Jundus hand with a frown, Were you the one who killed Bai Huiyu? Zhao Jundu replied coldly, Correct! This is the only fate for a mere rank-eleven champion who dares attack my Zhao clan. Bai Aotus indifference remained unchanged as though the eldest son of the clans third branch was but an insignificant character. Then how about the Bai clans three units? A total of 96 men have all been killed, Zhao Jundus tone was calm, its a pity I didnt see that slut Bai Kongzhao. Otherwise, I wouldve killed her too and resolved the enmity from the Blackflow side. Bai Aotu finally raised her eyes and gazed at Zhao Jundu. She then said with a cold voice, Zhao Fourth Young Nobles killing intent is quite heavy. Zhao Jundu pointed toward his men and said calmly, Only these people remain out of the hundred men from my Zhao clans three combat squads. There would be none left if I didnt have any killing intent. Does the Bai clan eldest miss have any objections? Bai Aotu was suffused with a cold killing intent as she said slowly, What if I do? Zhao Jundu pointed the Blue Firmament upward and sneered, What does it matter if you have any objections under the Iron Curtain? You dont dare kill me, and you cant, either! These words reflected Zhao Jundus pride and aggressiveness as the number one younger generation genius of the empire. But Bai Aotu wasnt enraged after hearing this. Instead, she said with a chuckle, No matter what the reason is for killing you, the Zhao clan will surely gather all of their elites and fight it out to the death with my Bai clan. But thats not the reason I dont dare move against you at the moment. Bai Aotu continued without waiting for Zhao Jundu to speak, Perhaps people will blame me for allowing such infighting to occur with the enemythe dark racesright before us. Wasnt this aggrieving friends to gladden the enemy? But these short-sighted people are those who can only cling to morality because they have no power to change the situation. They make no contributions whatsoever while blaming others unscrupulously when things dont go their way. What kind of person am I? Why would I need to pay attention to the criticism of these scoundrels? I need only to kill with one fist whoever dares comment in front of me! As I see it, the Iron Curtain bloody battle is merely a childs game. In order to deal a grievous blow to the dark raceskilling a hundred so-called young geniuses cant match up to destroying a single marquis. Everything that happens under the Iron Curtain is insignificant and will do nothing to change the bigger picture. Even if our Bai clans behavior is inappropriate and causes great losses for the empire, I alone can easily make up for it elsewhere. Theres no need to fuss over little things in this childrens game. I, Bai Aotu, alone am enough for the Bai clan! These words were an undoubted display of Bai Aotus heart. She was actually thinking to imitate Lin Xitang and Zhang Boqian in single-handedly shouldering an entire generation of the familys foundations. Even someone as arrogant as Zhao Jundu couldnt help but turn silent and see her in a new light. Bai Aotu gazed deeply at Zhao Jundu and said, Its true that I dont dare kill you right now. Its not out of fear for the Zhao clans retaliation, but because your fame as the number one younger generation genius of the empire follows your merits. You are not yet mature at this point, and itll injure my dao heart if you die in my hands. The time of our big battle is when we are at the same realm. Zhao Jundu, do not make me wait too long. Zhao Jundus expression of pride had been withdrawn, and there was a trace of respect in his eyes. But he couldnt help but break out in a laughter after hearing Bai Aotus last words. My cultivation today is bright, consummate, and flawless. My West Pole Violet Qi has reached the greater success stage, and the straight path to divine champion is already open before me. How can you be my match if you and I are at the same realm? Bai Aotu smiled brightly and said, Thats yet to be decided. Speculation without a fight is only artificial. Very well, we shall fight in the future. But what of the present? Since Bai Aotu had made an appearance, it was clear that she had a reason. She quickly replied without much thought, The thing everyones fighting for is in your hands, right? Give it to me and well end this case here. I shall not interfere no matter what the other Bai clan members do from here on out. But you must also promise not to slaughter those who did nothing to offend you. Zhao Jundu nodded. Fine. He tossed Bai Huiyus head to the ground nonchalantly and produced a thumb-sized crystal from his pocket. It was shockingly similar to the void origin crystal in Qianyes hands, except this one was much smaller. Zhao Jundu sent the crystal flying toward Bai Aotu with a flick of his fingers. The latter took and examined the item thoroughly before nodding. It is indeed a void crystal. Very good. She put away the void crystal and turned to leave. Her figure turned blurrier with each step, and she soon vanished completely after several strides. Chapter 453: Extreme Violet Yields Azure [V5C160 C A Distance Within Reach] Bai Aotus unfathomable methods as she came and went struck a chill in the hearts of the Zhao clan spectators. But their eyes burned fiercely when they glanced toward Zhao Jundu. The danger during that short confrontation just now was no less than a life and death situation. A single inappropriate response wouldve led to a mortal showdown between the two. In truth, Bai Aotus domineering great dao of solitude and Zhao Jundus indomitable regal dao had already confronted one another. How could it be a mere battle of empty words? As for Bai Huiyus head, it was now half submerged in the mud, and no one was even paying it any attention. The soldiers from the cave had rushed over at this moment, and their champion-rank leader asked, Fourth Young Master, the dark races have probably completed the encirclement. What do we do now? We break through and return to the Zhao clan. Zhao Jundus words were extremely simple, but it surprised everyone quite a bit. Return to the Zhao clan? That champion couldnt help but repeat. With Zhao Jundus temperament, he likely wouldnt return to reorganize his forces until he had gained enough contributions. Moreover, the withdrawal this time was to the Zhao clans frontline base outside of the Iron Curtain. But their clan had encountered a misfortune this time aroundthree of the Zhao clans direct line combat squads had been surrounded and almost wiped out by the numerous families led by the Bai clan. In the end, it was Zhao Jundu who received the news and broke through the siege on his own to rescue the dozen or so stragglers. Bring news to the Zhao clan after breaking through the siege, and have them prepare the Marrow Cleansing Pool. Im advancing to the champion realm, Zhao Jundu said indifferently. Oh and by the way, dont forget to spread news of the Bai clan obtaining the void crystal. Champion?! Everyone from the Zhao clan was astonished. Zhao Jundu had been delaying his advancement for several years. In the end, he had unexpectedly made up his mind to go aheadbut, was this an appropriate time? A layer of frost appeared in Zhao Jundus eyes as he said, It wont take long. I must see if theres anyone I cant kill under the Iron Curtain afterward! The Zhao clan warriors glanced at each other, knowing that their fourth young master was truly furious and prepared to slaughter. The Bai clan and the alliance of several aristocratic families couldnt hold Zhao Jundu, and neither could the dark races outside. The characteristic hue of the Blue Firmament lit up the leaden Iron Curtain with the brilliant colors of death. Half a day later, Zhao Jundu led the Zhao clan warriors through the heavy siege and swaggered off, leaving the ground in his wake littered with corpses. Once out of the Iron Curtain, he immediately boarded the awaiting high-speed battleship back to the Western Continent. This scene, spread far and wide by people with malicious intentions, invited various discussions. Many rumors spoke of how Zhao Jundu had abandoned the bloody battle and returned to the Western Continent because he couldnt bear the losses. This led many to believe that Zhao Jundu was nothing out of the ordinary and that he couldnt live up to his fame in the face of actual difficulties. But Zhao Jundu didnt care about these baseless words at all. The only thing he did on his way backapart from reading the bloody battle reportswas cultivate. Zhao Jundus potential ascension to the champion rank was a major event for the entire Zhao clan. The news shook the entire residence; both Duke You and Yan postponed all their current matters to oversee the preparations. One day later, Zhao Weihuang also rushed all the way back from the Fire Beacon headquarters, and the first thing he did after returning was to test whether the Marrow Cleansing Pool was well prepared. Zhao Jundu had already suppressed and consolidated his cultivation for six years. Whether or not it was worth it would be made clear once he broke out of the cocoon and became a butterfly. Everything from top to bottom had already been prepared by the time Zhao Jundu returned to West Pole City. His mother, Princess Gaoyi, spared no expense to invite four inner-court specialists in order to set up a major array, lest the heaven and earth grow agitated and the overly powerful darkness origin power affects his advancement. Apart from this, one of the Zhao clans divine champions, Duke You, Zhao Xuanji, would personally oversee the Marrow Cleansing Pool and protect him during the entire process. Such a lineup wasnt at all inferior to when Zhao Xuanji broke through to divine champion back in the day. Zhao Jundu rested for three days after returning to the residence. He would enter the Marrow Cleansing Pond only when his mental state was at its best. At dawn on the third day, Zhao Jundu was reading as usual when the study doors were pushed open and in walked a windswept Zhao Junhong. Second Brother, how come youve returned? Zhao Junhong said with a rueful smile, How can I not rush back after hearing of your ascension? Zhao Jundu said with a frown, But didnt you just enter the Dark Nation hinterlands? Charging out like this should be quite dangerous. Zhao Junhong said with an unconcerned laugh, Your second brothers talents are limited and cant fight any famous battles, but not making any mistakes is something I can do. Zhao Jundu shook his head with a sigh but didnt say anything. Zhao Junhongs temperament had grown more proper and earnest after the Profound Heaven Spring Hunt that year, and this change was also reflected in his military strategies. Although he wasnt capable of extreme flexibility and unpredictable changes like Song Zining, he was steadfast, composed, and as imposing as a mountain peak, leaving little if any openings to exploit. The only way to take down such an enemy was to devour him head-on with military superiority. However, Zhao Junhongs Silver Sword Finger was one of the top three most powerful techniques in the Zhao clan. It certainly wasnt that easy to deal with. Zhao Junhong asked directly, Didnt you say youll need one more year for your origin power purity to reach perfection? How come youve changed your mind? Theres no need to be hidebound by convention. The heavenly dao shifts with time, and so has the current political situation. That small gap can be made up for later on. Ill be able to rampage through the Iron Curtain as long as I advance to the champion rank! This bloody battle is an important matter involving our Zhao clans fame and fortune. Zhao Junhong didnt know how to dissuade his brother after hearing this. Zhao Jundu remained silent for a while before saying, I wonder how Qianyes doing? Why is it Song Zining defending Blackflow City alone all this time? That slut Bai Kongzhao has clearly arrived on the western side. Could it be that Qianye hasnt gone back, or Zhao Junhong said, Speaking of this, theres some good news to be shared. The siege of Blackflow City has been broken. Song Zining utterly defeated the dark race coalition, and even the Nangong family private army has withdrawn from the Iron Curtain. According to my information, the expert who pushed back the Nangong together with him should be Qianye. Zhao Jundus brows rose then knitted together slightly. If Qianye is going to ascend to the champion rank, its best he also returns to the Marrow Cleansing Pond. Zhao Junhong laughed wryly and patted Zhao Jundus shoulder. Dont think about that for now. Your ascension is much more important. With your contributions and mine, its not difficult to secure him a quota in the pond. Zhao Jundu nodded. Since the time had arrived, he stopped chatting and followed his attendants toward the Marrow Cleansing Pond. That afternoon, leaden clouds covered the Western Continent as heavy rains poured everywhereonly the skies above the Zhao clan residence were clear and windless. The Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond was similar to the Song clans cultivation chambers. It was just that their methods were different. The Song clan cultivation chambers used kinetic towers and origin aggregation arrays to provide the user with intense origin power, while the Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond was filled with origin distillate. The latter could be viewed as liquid daybreak origin power with many rare medicines to aid the absorption processits value could easily be imagined. Even a direct descendant like Zhao Junhong would need to be sufficiently talented and accumulate enough points to gain one to three opportunities. Without sufficient talent, even lineal descendants werent qualified. Only those who had contributed greatly to the clan might be granted one opportunity. All the major characters were gathered in the courtyard outside as Zhao Jundu entered the Marrow Cleansing Pond, submerged himself, and began cultivating. They were all waiting silently for the moment of his advancement. Those with outstanding talents would produce various phenomena during advancement once communication was established between the origin power of the heaven and earth. One could estimate the ascending champions quality and potential by the scale and shape of the phenomena. In the so-called aggregating qi to form a vortex, the origin vortex was also differentiated into different levelsthe purer ones origin power, the more outstanding it would be. The lowest grade origin vortex was as thin as mist, and after that was dew, then all the way to a rain of origin power. One would be considered a top genius if he could produce drops of liquid origin power after forming a vortex. At this moment, all three of the Zhao clans dukes were present within the Immortal Manor in the Fortune Courtyard. They were all waiting for the magnificent scene that would soon follow. It could be said that the Zhao clans future for the next century was largely pinned on Zhao Jundu alone. Those who could enter the Fortune Courtyard at such an important time were important characters at the elder level, while the juniors and less important members could only wait outside. Those who were qualified to come have already arrived since witnessing an advancement phenomenon was also a rare opportunity for cultivators to comprehend the origin power of the heaven and earth. An ordinary champion wasnt worth a mention, but it was said that a talent like Zhao Jundu possessed a high chance of inciting the innate origin powers of the world. If one could take this opportunity to comprehend them, it was possible to raise their lifetime cultivation by two to three ranks. It was just that some were delighted, while certain others were worriedthe expression on Zhao Fengleis face was somewhat forced. Ascension within the Marrow Cleansing Pond would normally take seven to ten days or even more. The three Zhao clan dukes and all the elders were waiting with great patience. However, Zhao Jundu had just entered for one hour when thunderbolts suddenly crackled through the clear skies. An indescribably boundless aura swept out like ripples and soon filled the entire Fortune Courtyard. The three dukes immediately turned silent within the Immortal Manor. Their eyes shone as they stared fixedly at the distant Marrow Cleansing Pond, knowing that the phenomena were about to arrive. Being much younger than the other two dukes, Zhao Weihuangs heart was filled with concern. He couldnt help but mumble with an anxious expression, How can it be so fast? It was at this time that a giant explosion erupted and seemingly robbed the world of all sound. Eight streams of violet qi shot into the air and positioned themselves in eight directionsan impressive sign of greater success in the West Pole Violet Qis domain, the Omniscient Seal. The eight streams of violet qi were extremely rich and almost seemed like eight pillars cast from violet plasma. There was a rosy light flowing inside accompanied by various propitious visionsauspicious beasts and treasured avians were born and destroyed one after another. The scene could only be described as a myriad of phenomena. Seeing the intense, lustrous, and almost translucent violet hue, Duke You, Zhao Xuanji, couldnt help but sing praises while slapping the table. How wonderful! The maturity of Jundus West Pole Violet Qi might be lacking just a little, but its purity has already reached great heights. Even this duke was no better back in the day. Weihuang, this accomplishment has already surpassed you. Duke Yan also nodded repeatedly with a delighted expression. The eight streams of violet qi meant that Zhao Jundus future ascension to the divine champion rank was already a certainty. Zhao Weihuangs face was suffused with joy. He didnt even mind Duke Yous faint ridicule and only gazed fiercely at the eight violet pillars. At this moment, the phenomena on the Marrow Cleansing Pond transformed yet again. The clear skies suddenly turned dark as the void emerged, pouring down torrents of origin power onto the Marrow Cleansing Pond. These origin powers were stained by the eight streams of violet qi and quickly took on a dense purple hue as they spread toward the eight directions. A sea of violet rippled out from above the pond, but the eight towering pillars, like Ocean Suppressing Needles, remained unmoving amidst the great waves. [1] Even the experienced Zhao Xuanji couldnt help but lose his composure. This phenomenon is no small matter However, the visions didnt end with thisthe origin power pouring down from the void was unending like a waterfall while the violet qi beneath grew more and more vigorous. The violet hue, in the end, was so intense that it turned black. It was as though the void were hanging upside down. The entire Fortune Courtyard trembled thrice as the violet chroma reached its extreme, and a thin beam of azure qi emerged and shot several dozen meters into the air! The moment this azure qi appeared, the entire Fortune Courtyard was awash with a faint sense of emptiness and spirituality which relaxed everyones hearts. Everyone previously dazed by the might of heaven and earth sobered up quite a bit. Extreme Violet Yields Azure! The three Zhao clan dukes all stood up reflexively, and the faces of several reclusive supreme elders were filled with shock. There were even some who rubbed their eyes. Even in the entire empire, the West Pole Violet Qi was a top-grade secret art. However, the violet qi it produced was still somewhat different from the ultimate source of daybreak origin power. But records described how ones origin power would return to the origins after cultivating this art to the extremes and give birth to a strand of azure qi. The legendary Venus Dawn was a different means to achieve this same outcome and was also incomparably close to the ultimate source of origin power! Zhao Jundus formation of this azure qi meant that he had a chance to touch upon the ultimate source of daybreak origin power during his lifetime, thereby advancing to the rank of heavenly monarch. [1] This is a rarely used name for the Sun Wukongs weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruyi_Jingu_Bang Chapter 454: A Conflict of Martial Dao [V5C161 C A Distance Within Reach] The worldly phenomena only dispersed at twilight. Meanwhile, a pillar of water half the height of a man suddenly shot out from the Marrow Cleansing PondZhao Jundu was actually about to leave isolation! The three dukes and supreme elders of the Zhao clan were moved yet again. Was he about to complete his advancement in just half a day? Duke You Zhao Xuanjis brows twitched. He was planning to perform a voice transmissiontelling Zhao Jundu to stay calm and that consolidating his realm was importantwhen his eyes froze and his voice vanished. An ancient-style robe hanging on the nearby sago palm tree flew up and went into the pillar of surging water. Soon afterward, Zhao Jundu slowly walked up along the jade stairs, the three origin vortices in his body shining alternately. He had actually crossed over rank-ten and rank-eleven in half a day to stand as a rank-twelve champion! This legendary advancement wasnt forced in the least. The power of Zhao Jundus three origin vortices was pure to the extreme, and his qi had condensed into liquid. But that wasnt all; true experts like Zhao Xuanji could see that the circulating origin distillate was extremely viscousmuch like an emulsionand suffused with a faint trace of azure. This time, the Zhao clan elders were shaken once more. Such a quality of daybreak origin power would hardly appear in several hundred years, even for a millennia-old clan like the Zhao. Before reaching the champion rank, Zhao Jundu could only be treated as a young genius no matter how accomplished he washe couldnt be considered a true expert. Geniuses were common, while true experts were rare. This was the same for both factions across the twenty-seven continents. After crossing this step, Zhao Jundu would join the ranks of the true experts and even has hopes of challenging the heavenly monarch rank. It could be considered a complete metamorphosis. The expressions of the various elders and Zhao Weihuang became complicated. Before, they had Zhao Ruoxi, and now they had Zhao Jundu. Even if Zhao Weihuang wasnt talented, his branch would still enjoy at least hundreds of glorious years and subsequently transform the Duke Chengen title into a hereditary one. It would seem the Zhao clans three-duke structure was now set in stone. Even if Zhao Jundu would never cross the heavenly monarch threshold in the future, he could easily gain another title as long as he was a superior divine champion. The Zhao clan, then, would have four dukes and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Green Sun Zhang clan in terms of power. Zhao Jundu didnt stay long after his ascension. He left for the front lines on Evernight Continent the very next day. In response to the elders urging him to stay, he only replied that the bloody flames of battle make for the best training grounds, and that the heads of his enemies were the best congratulatory gifts. Even Zhao Weihuang was at an immediate loss for words. All he could do was assign more elite generals to fight on Evernight. Zhao Jundus ascension naturally couldnt be kept a secret. The news was spread throughout the empire in the blink of an eye and became the focus of recent discussions. It was just that the Zhao clans situation under the Iron Curtain didnt change immediatelythey were still standing alone against one major clan and various families. This one clan referred to the Zhang clan, and the various houses were the aristocratic families. The latters composition was complicatedthere were clans among them, and there was no shortage of imperial party members either. The Zhang clan was fairly low-key throughout the entire bloody battle, but they encountered the least resistance all this time since everyone knew Zhang Boqian had come to Evernight Continent. They only focused on fighting the dark races within their war zone. However, the Zhang and Bai clans had shared a good relationship over many generations, so it was inevitable that the former would help out in battle. No one knew how or why, but in the end, the Zhang clan was also dragged into the great maelstrom of civil war. The Green Sun Zhang Clan was the accepted number one clan in terms of strength. Now that they were clashing with the Zhao clan, the situation largely became focused around them. Presently, the two clans were in a deadlock with each side occasionally misfiring. Originally, the four clans, with their entangled relationships, kept one another in check. At the moment, the Zhang and Bai clans shared a close relationship, while the Song and Zhao clans had always had dealings with one another. The Song clan, however, seemed to care only for itself at the moment with their wanton mercenary squads focusing solely on contribution points. Meanwhile, the prideful Zhao clan wasnt willing to lower itself to ask the weakest Song clan for help either. The Song clan was still in the lead at this point in the bloody battle, but that was because they had gone all out at the very beginning and gained too much of an advantage. It was extremely difficult to score contributions at this pointa month of bitter fighting now could hardly match a weeks yield of the pastand with the various clans and families confronting one another, it wasnt easy to make up for the gap. But discerning people could see that the Song clans fall from first place was only a matter of time. Moreover, they would never be able to come back once they had yielded the position. Actually, there was more ridicule than praise for the Song clans first-place rank throughout the empire. It was fine for a middle or lower rank aristocratic family to utilize such tricks, but for a stately major clan to do so was an inevitable invitation of contempt and even revealed their internal weakness in the process. Moreover, it was the Song clan playing a series of odd moves. For instance, during the battle of Blackflow City, they had actually allowed the Nangong family to block off Trinity River County and left the highly talented Song Zining to defend the dangerous city alone. There was no way for them to explain themselves no matter the argument. With discussions were taking place throughout the empire, the suggestion of breaking ones own fence was inevitably brought up. Zhang Boqian had only one comment: Merchants are all scoundrels. On the contrary, the Zhao clan fought on bravely despite the disadvantageous position and was slowly climbing in rank, a clear indication of the thousand-year-old clans fighting spirit. The other clans had more or less revealed their hidden aces in the bloody battle. Some among them were able to awe the masses with a single feat, while others were proven weak despite their powerful appearance. The most discussed household, in truth, was still the Nangong family. The Yishui Nangong Family had been growing in strength over the recent yearsthey suppressed the middle and lower ranking aristocratic families, and hardly backed down even against the major clans. In the eyes of outsiders, they had even suppressed the Song clan in this bloody battle so much so that the latter didnt dare retaliate. It could be said that they were highly impressive. But that wasnt the case on the contribution rankings. The Nangong was still among the top-ranks at the outset and their position was quite high, however, they began to slide down over time and had contributed almost nothing in the last two months. This reached a point where they were kicked out of the top-ten, inciting countless debates and discussionsall types of mockery and derision were a given. The Nangong family was incomparably stifled from top to bottom. The clan lord and elders were stomping in fury, but they couldnt think of a way out despite their anger. The most disastrous losses were all related to hunting Qianye down, involving their true elites and a number of young experts with bright futures. Moreover, the casualties came at the beginning of the bloody battle when it was the easiest to gain contributions. With that, the difference grew by quite a wide margin. Nangong Yuanwangs main objective in leading the army into Trinity River County was naturally not the tiny Blackflow City. It was a taboo to slaughter a human city during the bloody battle, and the Nangong clan, no matter how arrogant they were, wouldnt take real action. Their real target was the fifty thousand strong army the other side had thrown out. Unexpectedly, Song Zining had made a sudden appearance to lead Dark Flame in defense of that isolated city. He had fought the most classical of battles since the beginning of the bloody battle and actually deprived Nangong Yuanwang of all benefits. An entire division of elites was thus held back at Trinity River county without gaining a single contribution. Later on, Qianye returned with great momentum, heavily injured Nangong Zhen, and pushed back Nangong Yuanwang along with the entire private army. With so much of the Nangong familys strength exhausted on a single Qianye, it was only natural that they would be kicked off the rankings. This matter wasnt clear to outsiders, but the bloody battle, like all wars, was only judged by the outcome and not by the process. In the end, it was naturally the Nangong clan lord who was considered incompetent. The crime of not fighting was still a crime. Several days passed by in a flash, and it was time for a new rankings announcement when Qianye returned from the Dark Nation. The current rankings shocked all parties as the Zhao clans position took a big leap forward from seventh to fourth. This kind of progression was rarely seen even during the outset of the bloody battle. Some people quickly attributed this progress to Zhao Jundus advancement, but even that wasnt enough to explain things. That was because, considering the traveling times, Zhao Jundu had only returned to the Iron Curtain for a couple of days. How many could he have killed during this time? That was unless the dark races had gathered another big army for him to kill. Moreover, some well-informed people revealed that the Zhao clans forces had taken heavy casualties during this time. Upon his arrival, Zhao Jundu had pulled the greater half of the men out of the Iron Curtain to reorganize, while he himself entered with a small unit. In the end, inquiries from many sources revealed a shocking piece of newsnine parts of the Zhao clans contribution growth had come from the Trinity River County. This also meant that Song Zining had actually registered all of the Blackflow City contributions under Zhao Yuyings name! The various aristocratic families were discussing this matter spiritedly. Great waves similarly rose within the Song clanmany elders were bitter and rebuked Song Zining as an ungrateful traitor. Some were so furious that they suggested striking Song Zinings name from the register and expelling him from the clan. This instigation naturally couldnt get pass Song Zhongnian. The clan lords group immediately questioned what the Song clan units stationed nearby were doing when Song Zining was defending the city alone. If there was to be a discussion about punishments, the clan descendants in charge of those groups should also be severely penalized. Moreover, due to the intentional delay at a certain elder assembly, Song Zining was never included in the bloody battle name list. He didnt have a Song clan token and naturally couldnt submit contributions in their name. Who was to take responsibility for that? As such, the elders quarreled incessantly until their faces were red and their necks were swollen, but no conclusion was reached. But such a situation could be considered quite common in the Song clan elder assembly. It was already quite good if two out of ten quarrels yielded any results. Qianye, also puzzled by Song Zinings actions, went to see him immediately after returning to Blackflow City. He had originally thought that recording Luthers death under Zhao Yuyings name was the limit and never expected that Song Zining would deliver everything in one go. Song Zining was drawing in the study when Qianye found him. There were inky mountains and rivers beneath his brush, with misty rain flowing through the air in countless forms. Even someone who knew so little about art could sense how extraordinary this piece of creative work was. Seeing Qianye walk through the threshold, Song Zining withdrew his brush without the slightest bit of a pause. It was as though he had drawn that final stroke just as Qianye took that last step. He pointed toward the half-finished painting with a smile and said, What do you see from this painting of mine? Qianye had already sensed some profound mysteries from the movements of Song Zinings brush during his entry. He duly walked over to the painting and began to analyze it in detail. But Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was famous for being unfathomable and was known to contain the mysteries of the great dao. After his ascension to the champion rank, the realm of this art had reached a new level and actually contained a faint trace of the great dao. It was still an extraordinary feat despite it being the most superficial of superficial knowledgethe great dao was unique to divine champions, and not something just anyone could utilize. Qianye, being inept in arts, was already at a disadvantage. Moreover, he wasnt a big fan of too many variations, and this pushed him away even more. As such, Song Zinings half-finished Empty Mountains Spiritual Rain painting brought him only headache upon headache. Even with the Eye of Truth, his vision was only filled with confusing origin power lines akin to cotton wads. However, Qianyes martial dao was poised to break formations and behead generals with the suppressive tyranny of the mountains and seasthere was no need for him to spend time on these empty tricks. Failing to see anything even with his True Sight, Qianye grabbed the paper and ripped Song Zinings proud work to shreds, turning whatever great dao mysteries within into dust. Song Zining was flabbergasted and couldnt help but become angered. He cried out in exasperation, You! You barbarian! Youre no different from that wild boar! Qianye blinked innocently as the azure in his eyes receded, and their obsidian-like clarity returned. His fathers branch in the Zhao clan had always produced handsome children, while he had also gained many vampire characteristics from his blood energycalling him a barbarian wasnt fitting at all, and a boar was even further from the truth. Song Zining gradually calmed down after glaring at Qianye for a while and eventually let out a sigh. He was, in truth, proposing a problem by questioning Qianye about the painting. The subject was a difference in martial dao between two people. Qianye probably wasnt quite clear regarding Song Zinings intentions and simply destroyed the setting. Song Zining had clearly lost this round. Naturally, if they were to trade actual blows, Song Zining could hardly take Qianye head-on. The latter had awakened auric gold blood and could circulate the incomparably tyrannical Profound Combatant Formula. Any number of fallen leaves would only be swept into nothingness under that great vortex. Song Zinings only opportunity then would be to use the unfathomable Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art to avoid the brunt of the damage and take on a defensive stance. He would have to protect himself and make sure he wasnt defeated before seeking another opportunity to strike back. Qianye then asked about the matter of military contributions. Song Zining only replied with a mysterious smile, Lets talk about that later. Now, accompany me to meet a guest first. Ive made this person wait for nearly two hours. Chapter 455: Bottom Line [V5C162 C A Distance Within Reach] Only after following Song Zining into the living room and undergoing an introduction did Qianye discover that this old man who had been left alone for half a day was an elder from the Song clan. The man had steeped the pot of tea so many times that the beverage was almost as clear as water. The Song clan elders held greater authority compared to those from other clans, and this was especially true while Duchess An was in isolation. With little actual power in the hands of the clan lord, every elder had the ability to influence clan affairs. This elder named Song Qisi was a character from Duchess Ans generation. He was even higher than Song Zhongnian in terms of seniority, and three entire generations above Song Ziningthe latter had to respectfully address the man as great granduncle. Even the two nephew generation followers he had brought along were two generations older than Song Zining, and all of them were main branch descendants. But Qianye felt the scene to be somewhat peculiar, so much so that he couldnt help but want to laugh. Song Zining wasnt lacking at all in manners and treated them with the utmost respect. In truth, he had left this great-grand-uncle here for so long and run off to paint in the study. Judging from the progress of that painting, there really was no telling how long this old man would have to wait if it wasnt for Qianyes timely return. Moreover, there werent any other refreshments apart from a few pots of tea. This level of etiquette was rather interesting. Qianye had guessed Song Zinings thoughts but refrained from revealing them. He duly seated himself to observe the developments in silence. Zining! Its not Great Granduncle wanting to blame you, but your handling of this matter is truly inappropriate! How can the young forget their roots and forget gratitude like so? The old man immediately let loose a barrage of rebukes. Song Qisi was at least over eighty years old. With his age and seniority, it couldnt be considered excessive for him to lecture Song Zining. However, Qianye frowned slightly on the side after discovering that Song Qisis origin power was a mere rank twelve or thirteen. Considering all the years he had lived and the resources of the Song clan, his strength could be considered extremely mediocre. The Song clan was, after all, one of the four major clans and likewise a thousand-year-old lineage. Even if their bloodline wasnt comparable to the Zhang and Zhao clans who had risen along with the empire, it shouldnt be inferior to a high-ranking aristocratic family at all. Talented descendants like Song Zining were present in every generation, but whether or not they could mature was a completely different matter. Qianye understood the Song clan descendants more clearly after joining the Song clans decennial examination. Apart from a rare few like Song Zining, the other Song clan scions lived like princesthey lacked the assiduous will to advance and sought profit above all others. Their strengths were maintained at an acceptable level by relying on secret arts and vast amounts of resources. Their true combat strength, however, was vastly inferior and could be considered unworthy for a stately major clan. Qianye felt that even he could easily take down someone of Song Qisis strength. He truly wondered where the man got the confidence to reprimand Song Zining. Could he be relying on the Song clans might? But what might was there to speak of regarding the present Song clan? Song Qisi and his group noticed Qianyes unusual expression. That wasnt a problem either because Qianye didnt feel the need to hide anything. But a man standing beside Song Qisi was immediately angered. How dare a mere fighter make faces while a Song clan elder is delivering words of admonishment! Youre simply asking for a slap! His words hadnt even ended when the man really swung his palm at Qianyes face! It wasnt just Qianye who was surprised at this point; even Song Zining was dumbfounded. That person was a rank-eleven descendant of the main branch and was a two entire generations Qianyes senior. According to the strict hierarchy within the clan, it was quite common to rebuke or strike a younger generation descendant or subordinate. But this wasnt the Song clan. Only a bang was heard. The one sent flying was naturally the assailant, and he even sprayed out a dozen or so teeth in the process. Qianyes slap wasnt light at all! Afterward, his hand reached out and pressed down in the airthe man was suddenly swatted to the floor like a fly and passed out after coughing a mouthful of blood. Qianye was startled with his hand still frozen in the air as though he couldnt believe the outcome. He glanced toward Song Zining and asked doubtfully, Hes so weak! Are you sure hes a Song clan champion? Song Zining covered his face with his fan as though he couldnt bear to watch and sighed Its not that hes weak. Its you! Did you really need to use your whatchamacallit arts for a mere slap? Qianye was suddenly enlightened. Ah! It was habitual. He had always nurtured his martial arts in battle and passed most of his post-advancement consolidation periods in combatthis time was no exception either. He had completely integrated the Profound Combatant Formula into his combat instincts and could activate it at a mere thought. He didnt even think it through after being attacked and simply launched a retaliatory slap out of instinct. But Qianye broke into a frown once again. He still felt that this person was too weakso weak that he couldnt bear to look straight at him. Not only was the man incomparable to the same-ranked champions of the Nangong family, but even the more powerful dark race knights might be more powerful than him. Song Qisi and his other nephew were astonished since they had never experienced such a situation before and managed to recover from their shock and fury only after a good while. The former shot up and roared, Brat, how dare you act atrociously on our Song clans domain?! This old man will slap Song Qisi hadnt even finished his words when a fan unfolded to block his line of sight, filling it with the scene of court ladies taking a spring trip. Song Qisis old face turned bright red as he stared fixedly at the depiction of a certain lady. The painting was drawn in great detailthe girls moved like the wind with their clothes fluttering in a life-like fashion. But, that wasnt the issue just yet. The first important point was that the ladies wore very little, revealing large parts of their spring scenery; it was more like a bath scene than a spring trip. The second key point was that a young lotus-faced girl depicted therein was identical to one of Song Qisis great-great-granddaughters. Song Qisi clearly understood at this point that his most beloved great-great-granddaughter had some inexplicable relationship with Song Zining. The old man had hoped to send her into the royal palace to seek future prospects, but now, this painting was proof that his painstaking efforts had been for naught. Y=You Song Qisi pointed at Song Zining. He was so angry that he couldnt find the words. Song Zining folded the fan and pointed at Qianye with a spurious smile. Great Granduncle, I introduced this Sire Qianye just now as the deputy division commander of Dark Flame Independent Division, but you still dont know that hes the actual city lord of Blackflow. My business here is only to give him some support. Song Qisi was skeptical after hearing this, but his gaze flickered somewhat. Previously, the Song clan wasnt quite sure of Song Zinings business situation outside. They had only learned of his investment in Blackflow City during Ye Mulans case, and the fact that he had a share in the city was only proved when Song Zining himself stated it as a reason for his open conflict with the Nangong family. The Song clan had naturally made inquiries before. The current dispatch division commander of Blackflow Citys expeditionary army was Zhao Yuying of the Zhao clan, but it was a common thing in the empire to register certain properties under a major clan scions name for conveniences sake. Just the fact that neither the Zhao clan nor Zhao Yuying had appeared during the siege of Blackflow City was proof enough that this detail wasnt important at all. Song Qisi naturally thought the same and it was showing on his face. Song Zining shot him another glance and said with a smile, Great Granduncle, Sire Qianye just killed a powerful dark race general a while ago, the first-rank viscount Luther, and is still lacking in his sense of priorities. Please dont take it to heart. Song Qisis face twitched involuntarily and knew not whether to laugh or to cry. He had understood the meaning behind Song Zinings wordssince the other party was able to behead even a first-rank viscount, wouldnt he be able to kill an old fogey in a couple of moves? On a deeper level of consideration, those with combat strength surpassing their levels were mostly major clan scions. What exactly was this Qianyes background? Song Qisis hand was raised halfway, prepared to teach Qianye a lesson with a flip of his hands. He did eventually flip his hand but didnt dare teach any lessons at all. But he was also a smart old man. His expression changed as he shouted at the other follower, What are you staring for? Drag your cousin out! Well punish him later after our return! The man was startled but didnt dare disobeyhe quickly carried his unconscious cousin and left. Song Qisi was already full of smiles by the time he turned back. As expected of a young hero and a talented good friend of our Zining. Qianye could only gasp in amazement at the rapid change in attitude as both sides sat down once more and began the chat anew. This time, Song Qisi behaved much bette. He knew quite clearly that neither Song Zining nor Qianye respected him in the least. As such, he no longer dared play the elder card and proceeded to explain his intentions directly. He had taken this trip, not out of impulse, but as an actual representative of the elder assembly. The elder assemblys decision was mainly made up of two notions, and the first was to severely rebuke and lecture Song Zining for registering Blackflow Citys contributions under the Zhao clans name and punish him accordingly. Qianyes expression turned peculiar once again. He hadnt heard wrongthe Song clan elder assembly had indeed taken steps to punish Song Zining. His successor rank would be lowered by three positions, all clan affairs withdrawn, and allowances reduced for one year. Moreover, his Song-clan-related personal assets would be frozen until the end of his punishment. The allowance reduction was negligible. His successor position wasnt important either since Song Zinings ambitions lay elsewhere. But the frozen assets werent a small numberit encompassed a mine and two large factories situated in Song clan territory. Fortunately, however, Ningyuan Heavy Industries wasnt very dependent on the Song clan, and he had just moved a part of his industries to Evernight Continent a while ago. Otherwise, judging from the present situation, most of his officially owned estates would be confiscated on top of all the Song-clan-related assets. Qianye saw that his good friend remain unmoved, but he clearly sensed the gloominess behind the latters calm demeanor. This Yellow-Spring schoolmate wasnt an easily-bullied philanthropist. It was just that even the unconstrained Song Zining found it difficult to break the constraints of blood relationships. As though he had sensed Qianyes gaze, Song Zining looked up with a smile and shook his head lightly. Qianye understood his meaning. The Song clan had long since crossed Song Zinings bottomline, and he definitely wasnt one to resign himself to destruction. It was just that Song Qisi hadnt finished his words as yet, and he still wanted to see where the Song clans bottomline was. The old man had enjoyed power for far too long. He failed to notice the odd expressions of the two and continued speaking with great assurance. The second wish of the Song clan elder assembly was for the Song clan to formally establish the Blackflow war zone and have Song Zining continue leading Dark Flame. All contributions from the Blackflow War Zone were to be recorded under the Song clans nameprivate transfers were not allowed. Moreover, the three combat squads in the area would be incorporated into his forces, and their previous leaders were to aid Song Zining in commanding military affairs. Aid? Song Zining repeated with a cold smile. Chapter 456: Extremes of Progress [V5C163 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Qisis brows jumped as he finally discovered something wrong with the ambiance. He said with an apologetic smile, These people have fought quite well in the past, and the troops under their command are the elites of our Song Clan. Theyve accumulated quite a bit of contribution already. Moreover, they''re all from your uncles generation. Zining, youre still quite young after all, and one must rely on experience when marching armies into battle. With their assistance, you can ignore the unimportant matters related to the actual army formations and concentrate on advancing your cultivation. Isnt that even better? Song Zining said nothing after listening to these words. He only waved his fan constantly, causing those scantily-clad ladies, especially Song Qisis great-great-granddaughter, to flash past the old man repeatedly. Song Qisis smile became more and more forced, but he couldnt drop his smile or avert his gaze yet. Song Zining spoke only after a moment of silence, And if I dont agree, my branch of the family will be punished, is that right? Song Qisi laughed dryly and said, We naturally dont dare to treat the clan lord disrespectfully. Its also fine if Little Seven doesnt want to join the battle. Well only reduce family allowances according to the rules. Its not a big deal. Even Qianye understood what would happen should Song Zining refuse. The elder assembly wouldnt touch Clan Lord Song Zhongnian, but Song Zinings father would be implicated. An allowance reduction didnt sound like much, but the reduction could be ten percent or it could very well be ninety percent. Song Zinings mother passed early, and his father was a man of frail constitution who rarely left the depths of the Enlightenment manor. Now that Duchess An was in isolation, it could be said that he had lost his protection. Daily life under another persons roof was the most troublesomethere was no telling what would happen. This method was truly ruthless. But if Song Zining dared go back at this time, he might not have the freedom to return. He would be punished for a year at least, and it might even involve isolated reflection. What did the clan lord say? Song Zining suddenly asked. Song Qisi replied, The clan lord is naturally unwilling, but since the elder assembly has decided thus, Song Zhongnian can only agree. This is also our familys rule. The last words were spoken with great righteousness and power. Song Zining suddenly let out a lonely smile. The clan lord hasnt exercised veto-power this year, has he? Song Qisi laughed. Why would he need to take it that far for such a small matter? The man had instinctively sensed that things werent doing so well. Song Zhongnian was Song Zinings grandfather. There was definitely something out of the ordinary since Song Zining was addressing him as clan lord. Song Zining nodded with a tired expression and said, Great Granduncle, youve all made a mistake. This Blackflow City isnt mine, but Qianyes. Youll have to talk to him if you have any suggestions. This Song Qisi wasnt expecting such a situation. He glanced toward Qianye but didnt know what to say. Blackflow City wasnt worth anything. The true value was with Dark Flame. However, status and identity were the most important in the eyes of Song Qisi and the clan elders. Qianye was a mere Evernight civilian and still a person of low social status despite his status as a high-ranking expeditionary army officer. There was no way to bring him into public view without a noble title. That was why the Song clan had never considered this person before. Their only worry was Zhao Yuying, but the Zhao clan was too busy dealing with its own problems in this bloody battle, and they had never even mobilized Dark Flame before. This went to show that they didnt care about this mercenary corps at all. Why then shouldnt the Song clan make use of it? Song Qisi became secretly apprehensive after seeing Qianye. This was born of a habitual line of thought that it was impossible for ordinary civilians to possess combat strength exceeding their rank. In truth, this Song clan elder was somewhat angry with Song Zining. His actions and words today had more or less realized the allegations of disobedience. In the old mans eyes, the elder assembly was indeed insightful and farsighted in claiming that Song Zining was not worth nurturing. What use was a disloyal descendant? Hence, after Song Zining pushed everything onto Qianye, the first thought Song Qisi had was that the former wanted to haggle. It was just that he needed to do some calculations before naming the price. Song Zinings expression had returned to normal at this point, seemingly free of any worry. Qianye, however, had been listening from the side and knew that he must be feeling uncomfortable. As the Song clan lord, Song Zhongnian possessed at least two or three chances to exercise veto power, but he wasnt willing to use it for this matter. Regardless of the reasons, he was still planning to let Song Zining suffer this grievance. Qianye stood up slowly without waiting for Song Qisi to finish mulling over his choice of words and walked over to Song Zinings side. There, he placed a hand on Song Zinings shoulder and said coldly, I built Dark Flame alone, and this city is mine through and through. Zinings investment will naturally secure him a share of profits, but I have no intention of working with the Song clan. Anger flashed through the depths of Song Qisis eyes. Throughout the many years of handling matters, he had rarely, if ever, encountered a situation where he was declined before he had even spoken. He squeezed out a smile after some thought and said, What future does this desolate land have? The present bloody battle is a great opportunity to gain merit. If you hand over Dark Flame, our Song clan will give you a background. This old man will find you a branch family and grant you the surname Song. This will be the foundation for your future noble title. Qianye was speechless. He simply couldnt understand the reasoning of these Song clan people. He couldnt help but break into a laugh before saying, Song clans employment strategy is truly eye-opening. Ive heard about how your esteemed clan values only the direct lines and restrains the branches. I fear your Song clan surname isnt worth that much. The Song clans problem wasnt a secret throughout the empire, and it was also a frequent topic of gossip. But nobles naturally wouldnt expose things so unceremoniously like Qianye. Song Qisi flew into a humiliated rate. Not worth much?! But even if you approach the Zhao clan, that Zhao Yuying wont grant you their clan surname and identity! The Zhao clan was the proudest among the major clansit was the only family that refused to intermarry with landowning households, let alone bring someone of a different surname into their clan. Qianye laughed. You may leave now. From now on, this place doesnt welcome people from the Song Clan. Additionally, the area 500 kilometers from Blackflow City belongs to my war zone. I dont want to see any Song clan squads showing up here. Otherwise, I wont guarantee their safety. Song Qisi was both shocked and angered. He shot up from his seat and roared, Whats the meaning of this? Qianye said coldly, My intentions are clear. I do not welcome Song clan people on my land. Theres no telling what will happen if your combat squads so much as take one step into the area. I might accidentally kill them if my mood is sour. You! Song Qisi was so angry that his fingers were trembling, but he couldnt find any words to retort. He wanted to spit out some fierce words but was also afraid that Qianye would suddenly attack him. His nephew was still unconscious outside. In the end, he waved his sleeve and said furiously, You barbaric plebian! Qianye laughed coldly as he summoned some Dark Flame officers and ordered them to send Song Qisis entourage out of the city, politely escorting them all the way to the borders of the Blackflow War Zone. This action was no different from expelling them, an immediate realization of Qianyes previous words about not allowing Song clan members on his land. Song Qisi was so angry that his vision grew dim, but no one really cared about his wrath. After dealing with these matters, Qianye turned to Song Zining and said, Your Song clan members insult lines are all the same. Song Zining leaned back into the chair and sighed. The Zhang clan is powerful, the Zhao clan is noble, but what does our Song clan have? We are lacking in martial prowess, so all we can do is discuss reason through literature and make up complicated rules as a display of our power. After such a long time, those old men have turned into coarse, uneducated characters who are even less honorable than ourselves. Qianye glared at Song Zining and said, Arent you the same?! Song Zining became more spirited as he opened his fan and laughed. Youre inferior to me in every aspect of the four arts. What are you if not a barbarian? Qianye only replied with a snort, It seems I have to let you taste true barbarism. With that, he raised his right arm and flexed his wrists. Song Zinings eyelids twitched, and his smile immediately turned unnatural. He had no wish to taste the might of the tyrannical Profound Combatant Formula. Qianye suddenly said, Let me go back with you to the Song clan and see how uncle is doing. Song Zinings face couldnt help but turn gloomy, and he spoke only after a good while of silence, Wont we be playing right into their hands? The Enlightenment Manor is my great grandmothers isolation site. Its even more difficult to enter than the Song clans primary residence. Song Qisi had made the elder assemblys forceful intentions quite clear. It was still fine if Song Zining remained outside, but walking into the trap was the worst of strategies. Those old men certainly wouldnt hold back. Qianye frowned as though he wanted to say something, but Song Zining said, I have some channels inside the clan. Let me probe a bit before deciding. Now you see just how many people are after our military contributions, dont you? The Song clan is only one of them. The longer we hold this piece of fat meat, the more visitors there will be. Its better to just use it up quickly. Qianye nodded, moved by the same thought. Song Zining suddenly shifted the topic of conversation. How goes your cultivation? Hows your origin power purity? Qianye had quickly opened up all of his nine nodes, and all that was left was to accumulate and purify origin power. His cultivation speed was already a dozen times faster than others because of the Combatant Formula. However, the strength of Qianyes constitution afforded him a much greater origin power capacity, thus requiring him to spend greater effort to reach advancement. But Song Zining estimated that Qianye had already reached the final juncture before the champion rank. Otherwise, he wouldnt have returned in such a short time. Hearing Song Zinings question, Qianye stretched his hand and shot out a beam of origin power. The beam lit up the entire room with its scorching brilliance and caused a sharp rise in temperatureit was as though a small sun had formed on the tip of his fingers. An autumn leaf floated past Song Zining to filter out the powerful light and heat. Song Zining was completely shocked when he was finally able to see the shape of Qianyes origin power. He shot up from his chair and gasped. Origin Distillation?! He hadnt seen wrongthat which had shot out from Qianyes fingertip was a tangible line of liquid. This was a sign that his origin power had been condensed to the extreme and subsequently liquefied. How can this be? It shouldnt be possible to reach this level even with the Glory Chapter. Song Zining was greatly surprised. Qianye withdrew his origin power and said, It wasnt possible at first, but I discovered that I can temper it once more with the Glory Chapter after reaching a bottleneck, so I tried it out. Song Zining did some calculation and said in amazement, Re-temper? Then just how much origin power would you need to advance?! Dont forget that I have the Profound Combatant Formula. Only when Qianye actually cultivated with the Profound Combatant Formula did he realize just how powerful this art was. It relied on the pressure of the great sea vortex to crack open the void and draw upon the endless void origin power therein. This alone increased his cultivation speed to many times that of the forty-ninth cycle Combatant Formula. Additionally, void origin power was inherently different from the natural origin power of the world. Ordinary daybreak origin power would be reduced to a tenth after being purified by the Glory Chapter, but two portions of void origin power would yield one portion of pure origin power. Qianye had thus refined all the origin power in his body once more and liquefied them. He was now at the extremes of progress, the last juncture before the champion rank. In terms of origin power purity, he was equal to the major clan geniuses who had suppressed their ranks before ascending to the champion level. His return to Blackflow was to find a suitable place to undergo isolated cultivation and formally advance to the champion rank. Song Zining laughed loudly after listening to Qianyes words. Just in time then! Take a look at this! He fished out a jade tablet from his pocket and passed it to Qianye. Chapter 457: Incubation Chapter 457: Hatching [V5C164 C A Distance Within Reach] That jade tablet was sparkling, translucent, and as thin as a cicadas wing. However, it was also incomparably sturdy. The detailed golden patterns covering its four sides werent just decorations. They were actual origin array lines used to protect the jade tablet from damage. The cost of the array alone was worth thousands of gold coins. On the other hand, this jade tablet was carved so thin yet was capable of sustaining the array. Its material was definitely worth more than a thousand gold coins. There was a line of large, straight words at the very center of the tablet: Fortune Courtyard, Marrow Cleansing Pond. Qianye examined the object repeatedly and couldnt help but ask, Whats this? Song Zining laughed, The right to use the Marrow Cleansing Pond once in exchange for military contributions. Marrow Cleansing Pond?! Qianye was startled. Zhao Yuying had mentioned before that it was best for him to advance in the Marrow Cleansing Pond, but he didnt put that to heart. It was of secondary importance where his advancement would take place, but this meant that he would have to go to the Zhao clan. Song Zining knew what Qianye was thinking. He patted the latters shoulder and said, Youll have to face this matter sooner or later. The one-year agreement between you and Zhao Jundu is also fast approaching. Hes fighting in the Evernight bloody battle, so its quite likely that hell visit you. Since youll have to go there once anyway, why not perform your advancement in passing? The Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond is by no means inferior to the Song Clans Sky Grade Cultivation Chamber. It might even be more suitable for your present situation. But Qianye stopped midway through a wry laugh. Song Zining said with a smile, No buts! If you think you owe me for the contributions, then youll pay for the wine from here on out. But I must have girls to accompany me. Qianyes heart, at this moment, was wracked with myriad emotions, and he didnt know what to say. At this point, his gaze suddenly froze as though he had sensed something and soon realized that the abnormal feeling was coming from Andruils Mysterious Realm. He had little reservations in front of Song Zining. Thus, he proceeded to scan the space and immediately found the source of alarm. Song Zining sensed Qianyes odd expression and couldnt help but say, Its just some girls. Do you really need to be so distressed about such an expenditure? Qianye, you can be considered the owner of a home and business now. You must learn to enjoy life! Qianye was too lazy to retort and only said, Do you remember the count-level arachne egg I told you about? Song Zining quickly recalled the matter. At first, he had planned to have someone pick it up from Qianye and send it to an affiliated research facility. However, Qianye went missing soon afterward, and he himself was surrounded by the dark race army. The matter was thus delayed. Arachne eggs had a limited survival time after leaving the magma-filled incubation chamber; that egg shouldve died completely after such a long time. Song Zining muttered, A dead arachne egg isnt worth any money. The couple of gold coins we can get for it wont even cover travel expenses. Lets just fry and eat it. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. It was fine even if the egg was made into a scramble since expired arachne eggs were usually served as raw materials for ordinary recovery medicine. That arachne egg isnt dead yet. I unexpectedly discovered that it can absorb my blood energy to retain its vitality. Song Zinings expression turned solemn. With a flick of his finger, an autumn gale filled the room amidst a swirl of fallen leaves. It absorbed your blood energy? Seeing that the room had been enveloped in Song Zinings domain, Qianye simply took out the spider egg from Andruils Mysterious Realm. Song Zinings brows couldnt help but jump as he watched the lustrous black arachne egg appear in Qianyes hand. Qianye didnt make any special effort to hide it since the two were inside Song Zinings domain. The latter could clearly sense the space around Qianyes necklace distort momentarily. A muffled heartbeat reverberated throughout the room as the arachne egg appeared. It was like the beating of a war drum. If Song Zining had been present to see the egg back at Black Nest, he wouldve noticed that it had grown one circle smaller than before, and that the green veins forming the natural array upon it had turned into a dark golden color. Song Zining was somewhat startled. What intense vitality! Is Stuka even that powerful? Qianye replied, Its aura was weak when I obtained it, almost as if its congenitally deficient. Ive been instilling blood energy into it at regular intervals since finding out that it can maintain its vitality. Just like that, it grew stronger over time and even seems to have undergone a transformation. I remember the patterns on the shell were green when I first found it. A transformation? Song Zining frowned. He was no expert in biological technology, and neither was Qianye. The knowledge they possessed regarding the dark races was limited to where their vitals were and how to kill them the quickest. Song Zining stared at the egg seriously for a good while. If the transformation was indeed born of Qianyes blood energy, then they couldnt let just anyone take it for research. Otherwise, it might reveal Qianyes secrets. However, Song Zining felt something special about this transformed count-grade arachne egg which prevented him from suggesting its immediate destruction. Song Zining fished through the air to grab a couple of fallen leaves. He then arranged them in front of him to perform a simple divination. How is it? Although the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was a divination art, Qianye had rarely seen Song Zining perform it in earnest. But from another perspective, it was clear that Song Zining had no clue since he had even brought out such a method. After observing the shape of the leaves in front of him, Song Zining glanced at Qianye with a fairly odd expression. Baffled by Song Zinings gaze, Qianye glared back and said furiously, Stop acting all mysterious. Just say it! Song Zining dispersed the leaves with a wave of his hand. He had only performed this divination on a whim but had reached a truly unexpected result. This little thing seems to be linked deeply to both you and I. Its truly odd. Why dont we just eat it? That way, any and all karma we have with it will be resolved in a couple of days. Be serious! Qianye was completely puzzled. Song Zining wore a serious expression and spoke with an aged tone, Fine, let this young master display his talents and broaden your barbarian horizons! Perhaps this will save you from acting like that Wei family boar and thinking about solving everything with a slap. The evil Qianye flicked at a fallen leaf and said, Anything that can be solved with a single slap can''t be important. Why the trouble? Why dont I try slapping your domain? Song Zining was momentarily petrified. The Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was a marriage of three thousand great daos and was unrestricted by any attribute. Merely from how he had repelled a special domain like the Nangong family''s Origins End, one could see what good skill can overcome a thousand-kilogram force meant. However, there was also another saying that went tricks are useless in the face of absolute power. The great sea vortex of Qianyes Profound Combatant Formula had the power to crush the world and shatter the void. Under its suppression, it was likely that Qianye would be able to disperse the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Arts domain with a single slap. Song Zining would be restrained in every aspect if his strength was lacking even a little bit. With a sigh, Song Zining no longer paid Qianye any attention and proceeded to fish out a palm-sized square box from his robe. As his hand brushed over the cover, a hazy green light flickered over the previously empty surface to form the words: Three Thousand Great Daos. The square box floated exactly one inch above Song Zinings palm. The lid flew open with a click to reveal the countless gears and machinery within. The pinions began to turn under the activation of Song Zinings origin power, raising the octagonal array plate hidden within the box. Song Zining respired deeply. As he opened his mouth, a single floating leaf shot toward the array plate and landed at its center. There were tens of thousands of meticulously carved runes on the array plate and countless thread-like grooves connecting them all together. The hundreds of runeseach only as big as a brush tiplit up on the plate just as the leaf landed and formed a miniature array. Qianye activated the Eye of Truth and saw that countless strands of origin power were about to bind Song Zining, himself, and the arachne egg together, while the remaining strands stretched into the void. But the dozen-odd strands of origin power had just touched Qianyes body when they trembled violently, and the great half of them immediately shattered. Following which, the Book of Darkness appeared in the depths of Qianyes consciousness and completely wiped out the remainder. He hadnt made any effort at all to circulate his origin power, but his body had sensed the danger out of instinct and moved on its own to eliminate it. Meanwhile, the leaf on the array plate suddenly fluctuated between light and shadow to reveal the shape of an arachne egg, followed by the appearance of a boundless deep ocean with a giant maelstrom at its center. Soon afterward, a shadow emerged from the ocean to devour the entire imagery before vanishing just like that. Song Zinings face turned pale as he turned toward Qianye and said, I knew it! This young master always fails when the divination is related to you! Qianye felt that his charge was baffling to say the least. He couldnt help but ask, Does that mean you can correctly divine things that arent related to me? At least three out of ten! Song Zining spoke with great confidence. Qianye gave it some thought before coming to a realization. From what you said, wouldnt it be better for us to toss a coin instead? At least well get half of it right. How can my divination art of the three thousand daos be compared to tossing gold coins?! Song Zining retorted while putting away the square box. Qianye dismissed the words with a laugh since he was merely joking before. In truth, after seeing the strands of origin power with his Eye of Truth, Qianye knew that Song Zinings secret art was full of profound secretsit was indeed extraordinary. The divinations failure was perhaps due to a lack of power. It might also be due to the connection of Qianyes Profound Combatant Formula and Book of Darkness to the great powers of the world and the secrets of Evernighthow could it be so easily fathomed? After putting away the square box, Song Zininghalf-curious and half-helplessproceeded to gaze at the arachne egg with his hand on his forehead. He tapped the egg with his fan and said, What do you say we do with this little thing? Dont tell me we really should fry it? At this point, there was no telling what kind of transformation this arachne egg would undergo. There was a possibility that Qianyes secret would be revealed if they brought it into public eyes just like that. However, a live count-grade egg was a rare commodityeven if they didnt hand it over to the imperial military for resources, they could still sell it at the auction house for an exorbitant price. It would be such a pity to destroy it just like that. Pop, pop, pop! Song Zining knocked thrice on the egg with his fan. It was just a subconscious action he performed in his mental distress. Qianye suddenly shouted, Stop! Youve broken it! How can it be? Song Zining was stunned. The light tapping just now likely wouldnt even break a chicken egg. It would be a joke to try and shatter the steely count-grade egg with that force. But beneath Song Zinings fan, a small crack had appeared on the smooth, black-ceramic-like eggshell! Song Zining was startled and, without much thought, reached out to lift the egg up for a detailed examination. A sudden crisp sound was heard as the shallow crack lines grew deeper and longer, quickly extending across the greater half of the shells surface. Following which, a series of popping sounds emerged as the arachne egg cracked open. A tiny hand reached out and groped about in the air before grabbing the border of the eggshell with great force. A fair little face stretched out from the egg with its damp golden locks hanging down from the forehead. It was actually a little girl! She batted her long lashes a couple of times, Song Zinings face clearly reflected on her ash-green feline eyes. She tilted her head with a naive and confused expression before opening her little mouth and crying out with a childish voice, Mama! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 458: Zhuji [V5C165 C A Distance Within Reach] This tender voice was like a sudden clap of thunder. It shocked both Qianye and Song Zining so much that one could even hear a needle drop to the floor. Qianye was the first to break into a laughter. Pfft hahaha Song Zinings expression was petrified. His hands trembled and slipped, dropping the arachne egg straight to the floor. Yi-ya! The little girl uttered some unintelligible syllables, but her actions were completely contrary to her cute voice. She tore away the remaining shells as though they were sheets of paper, scuttled out, and shot toward Song Zining at lightning speed. Song Zining simply had no time to react before his jacket was grabbed by a pair of little white hands. Below her beautiful, palm-sized countenance was a lustrous black-ceramic-like arachne body. Her eight limbs were still somewhat weak and kept slipping on Song Zinings body. She managed to stabilize her foothold only after taking a couple of steps. Qianyes heart was shaken after seeing this tiny human-faced arachne. Most arachne would be in their spiderling form at birth and needed to undergo several metamorphoses before gaining a half-human body. It was a process of continuous strengthening, and they would only be able to assume human form above the viscount level. This little arachne, however, was already in half-human form at birth and could be considered a rare genius among the arachne. Meanwhile, Song Zining had come to at this point. His countenance was ashen and even a bit distorted, especially since Qianye was swaying back and forth as he guffawed at the formers situationthere was no indication of him stopping either. Song Zining glared furiously at Qianye as he brushed away the little arachne clinging onto him and threw it to the floor. The little arachnes ash-green eyes were full of bewilderment. She opened her little mouth but no sound emerged. Instead, a stream of green gas was sprayed onto Song Zining. Song Zining was caught off guard by the head-on spurt. His head and face were suffused with green smoke as a numb sensation extended toward his entire body. He was drawing back at the moment, and his right leg had just taken half a step when he discovered that he could no longer move. Song Zining had actually been poisoned! Quite unexpectedly, this extremely terrifying toxin was capable of immobilizing him. The little arachne did its best to hang onto Song Zining with its little hands and limbs flopping about. At the same time, an elaborate spider web formed midair and came right down on Song Zinings face, wrapping him up until he couldnt so much as budge. Shooting webs was an arachnes inherent hunting skill, but the ability to form webs out of origin power would usually emerge only at the viscount level. The little arachne was finally satisfied after binding Song Zining firmly and proceeded to push her head into his chest. Qianye, who had been enjoying the show from the side, jumped up in alarm, but he was too late. Qianye cried out Oh shit internally as he recalled how Stuka was famed for his poison, and that even Zhao Yuying had to avoid facing it head-on. Qianye rushed over and grabbed the little girl by the back of her neck so that she couldnt move and injected a strand of blood energy into her body. Qianyes blood energy was an intense poison to the dark races. It was quite possible that this little spider had already bitten into Song Zinings skin and injected the toxin. Qianyes aim in using his blood energy was to force the little arachne to utilize her poison for self-preservation and give her less time to infect Song Zining. Quite unexpectedly, the blood energy vanished instantly after crossing overlike a stone dropping into the ocean. Qianyes heart sank, and he could no longer bother to be mercifulhe immediately activated the purple and dark golden blood energies and shot one strand each into her body. The purple blood energy was born of Count Nanas superior bloodline, while the dark golden blood energys rank was a mystery. The little spider finally reacted after these two blood energies were injected and promptly fell off Song Zining. Qianye loosened his grip, threw her to the side, and grabbed a hold of the swaying Song Zining. The little arachne fell to the floor with a plop. Her limbs moved a couple of times as she quickly clambered up; it was as though nothing had happened at all. However, she was swaying around like a drunkardshe stood up, fell down, and stood up again. That beautiful little face was flushed, and her golden curls were bouncing up and down along with her head movements, her large, ash-green eyes misty and unfocused. Qianye held the rigid Song Zining up but had no idea where to start treating him. His blood energy was indeed capable of dealing with blood and spider poison, but he had never tested whether it could treat a poisoned human. Just as Qianye was hesitating, Song Zining erupted with origin power and vomited a mass of green gas. Only then did he barely manage to stand straight. His head was also covered in spider webs. Goddamit! This is so humiliating! The seventh young master spewed out a rarely heard string of profanities as he carefully picked off the webs. Arachne webs were different from ordinary ones. They were as hard as a steel alloyif one were to pull it off directly, there was a good chance he would tear off his own skin in the process. Song Zining could only clean up obediently no matter how angry he was. Qianye said in surprise, Youre fine? What can happen to this young master? That toxin was only for paralysis. Only then did Qianye realize that the little arachne wasnt actually trying to poison Song Zining. She only acted out of instinct after seeing him pull away. The two couldnt help but glance at one another after taking a look at the little arachne. A white cocoon had appeared and wrapped the little arachne up to her neck. Her little mouth was spraying out large masses of origin power which then turned into sheets of spider webs which added to the cocoon. She was completely enveloped from head to toe in the blink of an eye. Qianye pointed at the cocoon and asked, Whats going on? Its your fault of course. How should I know? Ive never raised an arachne before. Didnt she call you mama? Who will know if not you? Qianyes single sentence almost caused Song Zining to choke. His expression quickly turned into one of indignance, and he even had the urge to fight it out with Qianye. The two suddenly calmed down as they glanced at the cocoon brimming with intense vitality. Song Zining spoke only moments later, Its highly possible that shes your descendant. What do we do with this little fellow now? Qianye was flabbergasted. In addition to natural procreation, vampires can produce descendants by means of the embrace and bloodline devouring. A superior vampire can grant an inferior one his origin blood, thereby suppressing, absorbing, and assimilating his original bloodline. Injecting the arachne egg with your blood energy mightve produced the same effects. But the embrace can only be given to those of the same race or humans and half-vampires. Ive never heard of it converting members of another race, but it might not be completely impossible either. Qianye did not reply immediately. The vitality within the cocoon grew denser and denser as the sound of a powerful heartbeat emerged once againapparently, the small arachne would break out of the cocoon very soon. Therefore, it was time to make a decision. Qianye suddenly let out a sigh and shrugged with a rueful smile. Song Zining understood Qianyes thoughts. He finished picking off the last strand of web from his arm and patted Qianyes shoulder. Dont worry. Shes your descendant, so shell obey you unconditionally. That is the law of the vampire race. Qianye mumbled, But to raise a kid why dont you continue being her mama?! Qianyes suggestion brought a layer of darkness over Song Zinings face. It was at this time that a ripping sound emerged as a hole was torn through the cocoon, and the little girl clambered out from the within. This time, she was completely covered in slime and a thin layer of translucent membrane which eventually came loose as she struggled to move her limbs. In the end, it was left in place and one could still see a vague outline of an arachne body inside it. But at this moment, she was a little human girl through and through. Qianye and Song Zining glanced at one another, each sensing the astonishment of the other. This little arachne had completed a metamorphosis right after birth and even possessed a true human form. She would definitely be a celebrated genius in the arachne population no matter what. Even a powerful viscount like Brahms couldnt leave his arachne body completely due to his bloodline problems. The little girl started crawling instinctively toward Song Zining. Half-way through, she rose unsteadily and tottered on. However, she came to a sudden halt and looked up at Qianye. Her little face was filled with bewilderment as she tilted her head and glanced repeatedly between Qianye and Song Ziningshe simply couldnt make up her mind. Song Zining seemed to have found a redeeming light amidst the darkness and was almost crying tears of joy. He immediately pointed at Qianye and said, Your mama is over there. Go! Nonsense! But she grew up drinking your milk! Its blood energy! Theres no inherent difference. Qianye, go! Qianye took a resolute step backward, Absolutely not! Song Zining laughed coldly. Stop trying to run away! You produced this mess, so you better take responsibility! Watch my secret art! With that, countless fallen leaves appeared around Qianye, with each blade exerting a fair amount of pulling force. He was actually planning to lift Qianye over to the young girl. Humph! Without any extra words, origin power screamed out around Qianyes body to form a giant sea vortex which swept away all the floating leaves. At the same time, a hand pressed toward Song Zining, sending the entire maelstrom crashing onto him. The impact sent the latter staggering and caused him to fall on his butt right in front of the little girl. Qianye circulated his Bloodline Concealment and withdrew his aura completely. He then scuttled behind Song Zining with lightning-fast movements, grabbed the little girl, and stuffed her into his arms. The little girl rubbed her cheeks against Song Zinings chest as she looked up at him. Unable to sense Qianyes blood energy, her memories from before the transformation finally gained the upper hand. She pounced into Song Zinings arms and cried, Mama! Soon afterward, she let out a little yawn and fell into a deep sleep. Seeing that the danger had passed, Qianye finally breathed a long sigh and retracted his origin power. As Song Zining lifted the girl up, the remaining leaves floating in the air fell down one by one to form strands of hazy green light on her body and dispersed only after a while. Song Zining remained silent for some time before lifting the little girl in front of Qianye. Dont you think she looks like you? No! Song Zining said patiently, Cant you feel that bloodline connection? Absolutely not! Seeing that Qianye was unwilling to step into these muddy waters, Song Zining helplessly explained the results of the test he had performed just now. She has the Bloodline Concealment ability. Without deliberate testing, even an ordinary champion wouldnt be able to identify her race when probing with origin power. There are many mixed-bloods on Evernight Continent. As long as she doesnt use arachne specific abilities like the spider web, its fine even if her darkness origin power is a bit dense. You must guide her slowly later on! Qianye was startled. A subtle feeling arose in the depths of his heart as he gazed at that fair little face. Why dont you name her? Song Zining let out a nasty laugh. She certainly doesnt belong to Stukas family anymore in terms of bloodline. Qianye was determined not to continue along this topic. He gave it some thought and said, Zhuji? Thats good. Song Zining seemed to have accepted his fate. He held the little girl in his arms as he discussed with Qianye how they should cover up this little accident. Qianye suddenly recalled a certain matter toward the end of their discussion. He happened to see that almost-forgotten box nearby as he was fishing out the count-grade egg from Andruils Mysterious Space. He had wanted to show it to Song Zining at first. Do you recognize this thing? Qianye produced the box with a palm-sized rhomboid crystal within. Note: About the name Zhuji, the word means Zhu Princess/ Lady Zhu. This Zhu is a surname character, but its pronunciation is identical to the word spider. Its also worth noting that this word is pronounced Hime in Japanese. Chapter 459: Return Journey [V5C166 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining glanced over and instantly gasped in astonishment. A void crystal! And such a big one at that! Void crystal? Qianye recalled that the item was indeed generating a continuous stream of void energy when he picked it up. Song Zining took the item for a look. His gaze paused upon the filled defect and said, What is this? An inlay? Qianye gave him a brief summary of how he had found a small piece of crystal in Viscount Porters castle and then an entire piece in the Black Forest. Song Zining nodded. Im not too sure either. Its best we call Nangong Xiaoniao over to take a look. Shes the real expert. Song Zining tidied up the room somewhat and cleared away some of the traces that needed to be concealed. He then summoned his aides and maids, instructing them to settle the sleeping little girl and summon Nangong Xiaoniao. Song Zining and Qianyes version of the story depicted Zhuji as an orphan from a wiped-out human settlement whom Qianye had picked up on his hunting expedition. However, Song Zining couldnt help but feel depressed after seeing the expressions of his followers and maids. The reason was a rather clumsy one, but why did no one guess that it was Qianyes misdeed? What was with those we-understand-you-don''t-need-to-explain looks?! Qianye was naturally about to split his sides in laughter. Nangong Xiaoniao entered hastily moments later, blushing hard upon seeing Qianye again after so long. They hadnt even exchanged greetings when her eyes fell upon the item on the table, which caused her to immediately cry out, A void-crystal! And one of premium quality too! Nangong Xiaoniao pounced over, grabbed the dim crystal, and studied it in great detail before putting it back down unwillingly. What is this thing used for? Qianye inquired. This is the highest grade kinetic energy source currently known to man! Nangong Xiaoniao replied. Only after a round of detailed explanation from her did Qianye understand that a void-crystal was like an item connected to a natural node in the voidactuated by a suitable array, it was capable of providing an unending stream of void origin power. However, this material wasnt produced in mines or in fixed regions. It would only appear under extreme conditions and was thus exceedingly rare. One could only chance upon it and not seek it. The most important use for void crystal in the empire was the construction of battleship kinetic furnaces. A small, finger-sized void crystal was enough to drive an entire destroyer. The one Qianye had obtained was inconceivably large and easily capable of powering the empires largest Skyfire-grade carriers. Up to this point, the empire had a very limited fleet of super battleships, only a dozen or so of them. Such rarity wasnt because they didnt have the technology or wealth, but because they didnt have enough void crystals to build origin furnaces. With such a large piece of void crystal, the empire would be able to add another battleship to their arsenal. Qianye had seen a battleship of the imperial regular army back then when the noble ladies followed Wei Potian to Blackflow Cityit was as though an entire street block was floating in the air, and that wasnt even a Skyfire-Grade battleship. But after receiving confirmation from Nangong Xiaoniao, Qianye felt a bit distressed in addition to the joy of picking up a treasure. One had to know that it was one of the most important strategic resources and would be quite difficult to handle. It wasnt something just anyone could possess. Song Zining glanced at Qianye and understood what he was thinking. Ill think of a way to deal with this thing. What followed was a period of great peace. The bloody battle raged on under the Iron Curtain and one could glimpse at its intensity and bloodiness via the information obtained from Lone Ghost and the expeditionary army headquarters. However, the recuperating Blackflow City was like a haven with a multitude of people shuttling in and out in perfect order. Qianye was still quite hesitant about the Zhao clan. He wasnt afraid of danger, but it was likely an instinctive rejection of the truth regarding his past. Song Zining didnt persuade him again and instead focused his attention on preparing Dark Flame for war. He was planning to take advantage of this Iron Curtain to sweep past Dark Nation borders, at least flattening the regions adjacent to Blackflow. This would also serve to consolidate the fruits of Qianyes western expedition. Zhuji began her life of eating and sleeping like a normal human childno one could find anything abnormal about her. But her habit of clinging onto Song Zining and calling him mama still remainedthis distressed the seventh young master to no end. Only when facing Qianye would she act differently from other children, seemingly afraid and obedient. Three to four oclock that day. The grey firmament above remained the very same as lights lit up in the city as usual. Qianye was walking through the streets of Blackflow and observing the city that belonged to him. In front of him was a construction site located across two street blocks. Large steam pipes rumbled as they transmitted kinetic energy to power the machines even bigger than the nearby buildings. Countless workers were working on the scaffolding. Whether it was the repair of the walls or the reconstruction work, all projects were already nearing their end. Before long, all damage Blackflow had suffered would become a flipped page in its local history. This was Evernight, a dark and barren land with an incomparably tenacious will to live. Qianye stood atop the web of interweaving steam pipes as he looked down at the lights in the greater half of the city. He then turned around to gaze at the boundless wilderness outside of the city walls. Suddenly alarmed, he looked down at a certain section of the street. There amidst the bustling crowd was a young man looking up at him. Qianye watched the familiar face and suddenly fell into a daze. The Profound Heavenly Spring Hunt that had taken place one continent away seemed just like yesterdaybut it also felt as though a century had passed. The person flew into the air and walked over to Qianye step by step. His light-colored hair had been blown forward and was hanging on his handsome countenance. Qianye, long time no see. Qianye replied after a moment of silence, Zhao Second Young Noble. Zhao Junhongs temperament had transformed greatly compared to during the Profound Heaven Spring Hunthis unbridled arrogance was now completely hidden beneath a calm expression. He was clad in an ordinary warriors attire, and the Silver Winged Fantasy behind him was hidden beneath his hooded cloak. Apart from his straight and elegant figure, he was no different from the busy soldiers walking along the streets. Zhao Junhong sized Qianye up from head to toe and said with a laugh, The appointment for our rematch has passed, but it seems Im only falling farther and farther behind you. Qianyes tense body suddenly relaxed as he revealed a faint smile. If Second Young Noble is interested, I can keep you company. Zhao Junhongs dark, somewhat-purple eyes lit up with an eager glint. But soon afterward, he said with some regret, The Iron Curtains bloody battle was supposed to be a good opportunity for us to fight side by side and compare, but unfortunately, Yuying is waiting for you on Western Continent. She has long since sent word that if you dont go, shell come over personally to catch you. Yuying? Has her injury healed? Not yet, would she be staying at home so obediently otherwise? Zhao Junhong hesitated slightly before saying warmly, Fourth Brother is leading all the combat squads in this bloody battle and cant leave. So, Ill be guiding you to the Western Continent instead. Qianye was silent once again. Isnt it windy up there? A voice rang out from the side, accompanied by the cute babbling voice of a child. Song Zining was standing on the street and gazing at them with a smile. The little girl, Zhuji, was clinging tightly onto his right arm like a koala. Qianye only learnt on their way to Dark Flame headquarters that Zhao Junhong had come alone without any followers or guards. The Zhao clans situation in the bloody battle was quite tense. Zhao Junhong arriving alone and under disguise was in order to not alarm certain people and cause unnecessary trouble. Additionally, it turned out that Zhao Yuying wasnt at the West Pole Manor but had already arrived at an airship transit town on the edge of the Western Continent. Qianye understood that Zhao Yuying had interrupted her treatment to welcome him. If he kept on delaying this matter, she might really come over to Evernight and drag him back to the Zhao clan. Some matters were still unavoidable in the end. Qianye started packing his luggage as soon as he got back to Dark Flame headquarters. In truth, there wasnt much that he needed. Zhao Junhong wanted to keep his arrival a secret, so he stayed in Qianyes room the entire time. The two didnt chat muchin truth, they were tactfully avoiding a certain topic. Qianye suddenly spoke after he had finished cleaning the Twin Flowers. Zhao Fourth Young Noble said he has a piece of crystal left behind by my mother. Jundu has told Father everything about this matter when he returned to the clan for his advancement. So, when you go back this time, Father will be there to hand you that item. The father Zhao Junhong spoke of was naturally Duke Chengen, Zhao Weihuangwho was also Qianyes father. Qianye turned silent. Zhao Junhong said softly, Back then, Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and I were all in school. Only Jundu was left at home, so he was especially close to you, but perhaps you no longer remember. He didnt witness that incident personally when it happened, but the impact it had on him was great. The knot in his heart was never resolved through all these years. However, the actual situation is fairly complicated. We failed to find out all the ins and outs despite trying for many years. At this point, many of those who had taken part in this matter are already gone. Ill let Father tell you about the actual details, but what he can tell you is also quite limited. Why is that? Qianye finally spoke. Thats because Father was fighting the rebel army tens of thousands of miles away when the matter happened. When he rushed back after receiving the news, everything was already too late. Listening up to this point, Qianyes heart relaxed inexplicably, and the room once again fell into silence. Qianyes voice finally emerged after a while. Lets set out tomorrow if thats fine with you. The journey was set for dawn the next day. Very few people in Dark Flame knew of Qianyes journey, but Nangong Xiaoniao was one of them. She walked Qianye all the way to the airships door, and many a time she wanted to speak but hesitated. Even as the doors to the airship were closed, she still hadnt managed to speak whatever it was that she wanted to convey. The engine rumbled as the aged airship rose into the air and flew into the vast skies. Nangong Xiaoniao stood in place and only turned away slowly after the airship had disappeared entirely. No one knew when, but a considerable amount of sadness had crept up on her child-like face. Song Zining invited Nangong Xiaoniao to the study soon after Qianye had left. Sit. This time, Song Zining was quite amiable and not as cold as before. Ill just stand here. Nangong Xiaoniao, on the other hand, was quite indifferent. Apparently, she couldnt easily forget how Song Zining had persuaded her to leave last time. Chapter 460: Going Home [V5C167 C A Distance Within Reach] Song Zining laughed and said calmly, Dont be nervous. I dont have any more intention to bring you away from Qianye. But since the Nangong family has been temporarily pushed back, I felt it was time to have a good talk with youabout why Nangong Yuanbo is so interested in you. Nangong Xiaoniaos face turned beet red as she replied furiously, Isnt it clear enough? M-My childhood incident you all know about it already. Why are you asking me again? No, not that reason, Song Zining shook his head and continued, with Nangong Yuanbos identity and status, what kind of woman cant he have? As a clan lord, he didnt hesitate to offend the Zhao clan, the expeditionary army, and Red Scorpion at the same time. Do you really think hell do that just for your body? If Nangong Yuanbo were such a person, he would have never become the clan lord in the first place. A barely noticeable wisp of anxiety flashed through Nangong Xiaoniaos eyes. Song Zining leant forward while staring into her eyes and asked word by word, Nangong Xiaoniao, just how much are you hiding from us? No, none! Nangong Xiaoniao was frantic. She couldnt help but lower her head under Song Zinings sharp gaze and couldnt look at at all. Song Zining said in a serious tone, I dont want to help you, but I have to help Qianye. Hes already in deep trouble because of you, and it might bring him even greater danger if you keep hiding these things from us. You dont think the Iron Curtain will be here forever, do you? What will he do once the Iron Curtain disappears? Nangong Xiaoniao crossed her little hands in front of her, trembling and hesitant. I''ll only know how to prevent the disaster if you tell me the reason. Otherwise, itll be too late once the Iron Curtain disappears. I dont want Qianye to be ignorant about what hes fighting for when all the experts of the Nangong family descend upon him. Nangong Xiaoniaos face turned pale, but she finally shook her head and said, I have no secrets. Id better return to Red Scorpion if youre not willing to have me here. Song Zining sighed. You can stay as long as you want, but do take care. Nangong Xiaoniao wanted to say something but seemed hesitant. In the end, she just left. Song Zining walked slowly over to the wall and gazed at the war zone map for quite a while. He then reached out and drew a line over it, passing through the human territory borders into the Dark Nation and all the way over the border of the continent. After passing through the void was another continent and another nation before finally reaching neutral territory. It wasnt the first time Qianye had ridden an airship, but he was still shaken every time he saw the earth flit pass beneath his feet. The old airship let out a deafening roar as the entire cabin trembledit was as though the vessel would fall apart at any moment with no comfort to speak of. Cabins that have been used for a long time would always have a peculiar odor to them, an inexplicable mixture of body odor, tobacco, and alcohol. A series of rolling smoke emerged from one side of the airship''s rear and dragged out a long trail behind it. The occasional gust of wind from behind would blow some of the dense smoke into the cabin, and the odor would linger on the passengers for a long time before dispersing. They avoided public air routes for this journey and didnt use Zhao clan vessels either. Instead, they went via a private route just as Qianye had when he went to the Western Continent last time. This time, however, Qianye and Zhao Junhong occupied the two best rooms on the airship. The vessel was carrying dozens of other people, and all their destinations were other continents. Qianye threw himself onto the bedding. He wanted to rest, but he just couldnt calm down as countless thoughts ran chaotically through his mind. He simply opened his eyes and stared at the mottled ceiling without the slightest bit of movement. The airship passed over mountains, oceans, and open land to finally arrive at an airship port tens of times larger than the previous. At a glance, one could see a dozen-odd airships in the airsome rushing in and others traveling into the distance. There was no shortage of military battleships and large-scale military transports among them. After each transport airship landed, the cabin doors would open and large squads of soldiers would march out from within. Just from this airship port, one could see that the empires war machine had already started running. Zhao Junhong brought Qianye to a high-grade but unlabeled small airship, ready for immediate takeoff. Their speed gradually increased as several origin sails opened up. The ship finally leaped into the void between the continents, heading for the Western Continent. One day later, the airship landed at an airship port on the borders of the Western Continent where it would quickly resupply before flying anew. Zhao Junhong would be turning back to the Evernight battlefield from this point. The vessel body had barely touched the ground when the urgent sound of the cabin doors being pulled open was heard and Zhao Yuying walked in with large strides. How have you been?! Little Five, did you miss mommy? Qianye received a fairly typical greeting from Zhao Yuying upon meeting her, as well as a violent hug. This Qianye didnt know how to respond to such a greeting. Fortunately, Zhao Yuying didnt need him to reply either. She turned to Zhao Junhong and gave him a powerful slap on the back. Second Brother, how come youve broken through again just after a few days? Zhao Junhong was well prepared. He took a side-step toward the cabin doors and said with a laugh, My martial prowess is just so-so. I cant catch up to you no matter how many times I advance. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuying glared at him with wide eyes and said furiously, Zhao Junhong! Stop trying to expose my weakness in such a roundabout way! I only lost a couple of tabletop strategy games against you, and thats because this mommy was careless, alright?! Zhao Junhong smiled. I was only fortunate. If that were a real battle, you can naturally break through the central army, and the situation really might be different. Zhao Yuying was immediately satisfied and said, As long as you understand! Apparently, she hadnt discerned the meaning in Zhao Junghons words at all. Since he already knew Zhao Yuying would break into the central army, how could he, with his solid commanding skills, not make any preparations? Zhao Junhong didnt argue, either. He only nodded at Qianye and said, Im relieved now that Yuying is here to accompany you. Let us part here. Ill be returning to Evernight. Zhao Second Young Noble Qianye paused for a moment. Take care. Zhao Junhong smiled faintly. The Iron Curtain is merely a game. We brothers will meet again outside of it after you advance to the champion rank. Qianye watched as Zhao Junhong left with a plethora of feelings in his heart. The latter hadnt brought up the matter of the Iron Curtain very often during their limited interactions during this period. He also stated that neither he nor Zhao Jundu had the intention to officially recruit Qianye into the Zhao clan combat unit despite his many contributions under Zhao Yuyings name. At noon two days later, Qianye and Zhao Yuying stood before the main gates of the West Pole Manor. The Zhao clan residence was like a small city, and its main gate was no different from a city gatethe tower therein was fifty meters tall and a hundred meters wide. Above the red doors studded with copper spikes were the words Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan. Every character spanned several square meters, with strokes of silver and hooks of gold, filled with myriad variations. Qianye and Zhao Yuying alighted at the residence gates and got into a vehicle for in-residence use. Once they had gotten onto the car, Zhao Yuying waved her hand in a carefree manner and said, Have someone send a letter to Duke Chengen! But afternoon is when uncle sorts through military affairs so he might not have the time. You should come to my place first. And just like that, the car started up without waiting for Qianye to speak. The vehicle half-spun through the plaza before rushing toward the Duke You Residence on the eastern side. Meanwhile, the two followers standing beside their transit point were completely ignored by everyone. Zhao Yuying didnt even spare them a glance, and Qianye naturally didnt know that they were actually subordinates from the Duke Chengen Residence. After passing two streets in succession, a group of cheerful young descendants walked out from the side, and judging from their clothes, they were all lineal scions. A young man at their center looked up and saw Zhao Yuying on the car. He immediately became excited and walked over hurriedly while calling out in a loud voice, Yuying! Youve returned to the residence? Zhao Yuyings relationship with this young man seemed quite good, and she was also in a great mood today. She instructed the driver to stop and got down the car. The young man walked over swiftly until he was standing before Zhao Yuying; his movement techniques were quite impressive. Tall, handsome, and radiant, it would seem he had also inherited the characteristics of the Zhao clan bloodline. Additionally, his smile was sincere and carefree. Yuying, why did you run out when your injuries havent healed yet? A good friend of mine brought some boiling dragon powder, and it has great effects in treating origin power damage. I was thinking about how to hand it to you when you appeared. Ill have someone send it over in a while! Zhao Yuying laughed. Its not good for you if my injuries heal fast! Werent you miserable enough last time? Do you want to get beaten up by me again? The young man immediately felt a bit awkward, but he laughed loudly and said, Do I give up fighting just because I cant beat you and Jundu? Its merely being beaten up, nothing too big. Moreover, you might not beat me in terms of strategy. His eyes turned toward Qianye in a fairly casual glance, but he was slightly astonished after seeing Qianyes excessively handsome appearance. He immediately asked with a smile, Yuying, is this your friend? This persons discourse was fitting for the occasion, and his temperament was extraordinary. Qianye had a good impression of him, but he could sense a wisp of cautiousness in the other partys question. It was a mystery just what Zhao Yuying was thinking when she placed a hand on Qianyes shoulder and said, Hes my best friend! The last two words were stressed quite a bit. The young mans smile became unnatural at that moment, but he still retained his elegance. Yuyings friend is my friend. Welcome to the Zhao clan. Where are you two headed? Qianye has just arrived, and there isnt a place for him yet. So hell live at my place for the time being. These words evoked peculiar expressions with everyone in the surrounding. Zhao Yuying waved her hand at the young man as though she didnt see any of it and said, Well be leaving first. Lets compete again once my injuries are healed! Naturally. The young man watched them leave with a smile, and his face only turned gloomy after they disappeared around the corner. A person nearby who had been deep in thought suddenly spoke, Young Master Zhuxiu, weve never seen Miss Yuying bring anyone to stay at her residence! Zhao Zhuxius expression changed several times. In the end, he instructed, Go and investigate who he is. Theres no need to do anything, though, just send the information to Zhao Fenglei. Even if I have to engage in a confrontation, itll have to wait after I break through. Young Master is wise. Zhao Zhuxiu snorted as he glared fiercely at the Duke You residence before leaving together with the group. The Zhao residence was large, but news traveled extremely fast. Duke You was reading a book in his study when a long-time follower knocked on the door and entered. He then spoke into Duke Yous ears, following which, the latters expression revealed a mixture of joy and worry. He pondered for quite a while before saying, Yuying and QianyeIts fine if Qianye really is the kid from back then. Master, but what do we do for the time being? There is no shortage of lowly slaves who like to gossip. Duke You laughed loudly. Doesnt matter, let them say what they want. In any case, the headache is on Duke Chengen, not us! Within the Duke Yan residence, Zhao Fenglei started stomping around as he roared, What did you say? Zhao Yuying brought a man to live in her residence?! The follower trembled in fear. Y-Yes. This lowly one saw it personally. Bang! Zhao Fenglei slapped the man. You saw them personally. How could you just let them go like that?! The subordinate spoke repeatedly, This lowly one is incapable. Im guilty! Im guilty! In truth, Zhao Yuyings notoriety was well known throughout the residence. Not to mention a small follower like him, even Zhao Fenglei himself might not dare say anything if he were present. Zhao Yuying would not hesitate to attack anyone. In another corner of the Zhao clan residence, there was a little building situated amidst the rocky mountains and lush vegetation. There was also a pond of jade-colored water with strands of clear mist floating up continuously, but it would spread no further than the courtyard walls. One would feel his spirit become clear and invigorated just by staying here for a while. This was due to a massive origin array beneath the courtyard transforming pure daybreak origin power for those within the courtyard to use. There was a small building near the courtyard gates in which lived an elderly old woman who was currently dozing off. This Dawn Courtyard was a famous place within the Zhao clan residence, but it was also a forbidden area. Not only outsiders but even family descendants had to hand over an invitation token before gaining access. Zhao Ruoxi was sitting alone near the window on the second floor and yawning lazily. A maid beside her said, Youg miss seems to be in better spirit these days! Really? Zhao Ruoxi smiled lightly, but there was a faint trace of bitterness within her expression. She exhaled a lengthy sigh in self-deprecation and said, Im only less worn out today, but that can already be considered spirited. A person like me must be pretty rare, right? The maid replied hurriedly, Thats not true! Those ordinary people are also born with tiring fates. How can they compare to you? Youre destined to be a major character who will go down in the annals of history! Zhao Ruoxi sighed. You know, I would rather be like an ordinary person. I want to be free to visit everywhere. Zhao Ruoxi suddenly asked after a moment of silence, Tell me the truth. Has the recent medicine dose increased? The maid was somewhat flustered, but in the end, she had no other choice. She bit her lower lip and said softly, Only a two-part increase. As I thought. Zhao Ruoxi laughed wryly. She reached out to take the mirror on the table and glanced at her own reflection within. Is there anything new in the residence? Tell me about them. The maid felt that it was a good opportunity to change the topic and spoke hurriedly with a smile, There is indeed something interesting! On Duke Yous side, Miss Zhao Yuying has just returned and has reportedly brought a man back to live in her residence. We were just saying how the Duke You and Yan residences are about to be lively! So many young masters are seeking Miss Yuyings hand in marriage. Zhao Ruoxi was indeed interested. Sister Yuying has never fancied any men before. Just what kind of person is he? Its said that hes extremely handsome and even comparable to Young Master Jundu. Ah, right, many of my sisters say that his looks dont lose out even when compared to those vampires and demonkin! His name is also quite tasteful. Hes called Qianye, but no one knows his surname. Bang! The mirror in Zhao Ruoxis hands fell to the floor and shattered. Chapter 461: The Past Part 1 Chapter 461: The Past (Part 1) [V5C168 C A Distance Within Reach] Did you say that persons name is Qianye? Zhao Ruoxis voice was trembling slightly. Yes, Young Miss. Why? Whats wrong? The maid was badly shocked. Zhao Ruoxi grabbed her and asked with a glare, The man Yuying brought back is living at her residence? The maid felt that something was wrong and replied with a trembling voice, Y-Yes. Zhao Ruoxi slowly let go. A layer of frost emerged on her countenance as she suddenly turned and left. Young Miss, Young Miss! Where are you going? The maid chased after her frantically, but as soon as she exited the room, she saw Zhao Ruoxi floating up toward the third floor instead of going down. The maid was shocked out of her wits at this point and ran up after her. At the moment, the maids speed was as swift as a galloping horseapparently, she wasnt ordinary either. However, she simply couldnt close the gap between her and Zhao Ruoxi no matter how hard she tried. She could only watch as the latters figure disappeared past the third-floor corridor. Zhao Ruoxi suddenly came to a stop on the third floor. The old granny who had been asleep in the house suddenly appeared before her to block the way. Granny Shi, why do you block my way? The old lady replied slowly, Its currently the Young Misss afternoon nap time. Why are you not resting? I cant sleep, so Im going out for a walk. Granna Shi smiled kindly and said, Its good to take your mind off things, but you dont need to bring the Red Spider Lily along for a walk, do you? Zhao Ruoxis expression remained unchanged. Its a part of me. I wont feel easy without it near me. Is that so? Granny Shi revealed a knowing smile but decided not to continue pressing this issue. Young Miss, please take your medicine and take a short nap. Isnt it better to take a stroll after youre feeling better? This old woman wont stop you once youve rested well. Zhao Ruoxi took a deep breath. Her chest heaved up and down as the frostiness on her face melted somewhat. Fine, Ill go take a nap, then Ill go for a stroll. Granny Shi nodded in praise. Young Miss, your body is the most important. You mustn''t be angry! Zhao Ruoxi suddenly moved her hand forward from behind her backit was actually the Red Spider Lily in her grasp! Granny Shi was shocked out of her wits, and even her breathing stagnated for a moment. She suddenly glanced back, but the door behind her was clearly locked tighthow then did the gun reach Zhao Ruoxis hands? The famed magnum spun nimbly in Zhao Ruoxis hands before vanishing into thin air. This time, Granny Shi didnt need to look back to tell that the Red Spider Lily had returned onto the gun rack in the study behind her. A faint smile appeared on Zhao Ruoxis face as she said, Granny Shi, the Red Spider Lily is a part of me. I can take it at any time and place. No one can stop me. Granny Shis expression transformed several times before she finally felt relieved and said, Its good that the Young Miss can think this way. Otherwise, this old woman will be in a difficult position. Zhao Ruoxi went down and returned to her room. Granny Shi sighed in relief only after seeing the girl descend. That short encounter had caused her to break out in cold sweat. After returning to the room, Zhao Ruoxi found a medicine bowl on the table and within it was a steaming deep-colored decoction. She picked up the bowl and finished it in one gulp in spite of its scalding heat before placing it back on the table with a bang. I merely didnt want to make it difficult for you. Zhao Ruoxi lay on her bed and gazed quietly at the ceiling. The night gradually hung lower and lower. The entire afternoon passed by in peace. Qianye sat quietly in the eastern side-room of Zhao Yuyings courtyardonly he knew clearly just how much he was being affected. Dinner was also laid out in Zhao Yuyings small courtyard. She had called for a table full of food and wine, but Qianye only moved his chopsticks a couple of times because he didnt have the appetite. Duke Chengen, Zhao Weihuang, had sent word that they would guide Qianye over after dinner. Qianye could hardly swallow the food, but Zhao Yuyings appetite was especially good. She cleaned up all the dishes alone, which, in total, was enough to stuff several burly men to the point of them passing out. Time passed with great difficulty until, at last, the appointed hour arrived, and the car that had come to pick up Qianye stopped in front of the courtyard doors. Qianye boarded the vehicle in the company of Zhao Weihuangs aides and, passing through several streets, soon arrived at the Duke Chengen residence. Qianye was led through many rooms and halls until he reached a magnificent hall. This building somewhat resembled a sacrificial ground, but it was also akin to a martial practice field. It was extremely wide with little to no furniture and lit by millstone-sized lamps hanging down from the tall ceiling. The light sources actually consisted of arm-sized candles which cast eerie shadows across the entire chamber. A man as straight as a mountain stood at its center with his back facing the door. He was cleaning a three-meter-long sword under the candlelight. The blades edge was actually covered by a sheen of garish red, its color almost as dark as blood. The aides left quietly after sending Qianye in and duly closed the doors. The man slowly turned around to reveal a surprisingly clear and handsome face that was almost unfitting of his aggressive temperament. Upon careful inspection, however, one would see that his brows were as sharp as swords. A single glance from him made Qianye feel some pain on his faceit felt as though he had been stabbed by a sharp sword intent. The man started speaking with a slow but clear voice that resembled the echo of a cauldron, To think that I, Zhao Weihuang, at the present age of forty-nine, have achieved the title of the empires Duke Chengen. I rule the Zhao clan with the hundred-thousand-strong Fire Beacon Corps under my command, and I have fought hundreds of battles. How can such success come from Gaoyi alone? People say that Im all brawns and no brain, that I can charge into the enemy lines but have no sense of strategy. But how can those plebeians know the aspirations and great dao in my heart? My great dao is the 3 meter Green Edge in my hand, with which I seek only the power to split a mountain with each strikesince I can block a million soldiers in one slash, why would I need to scheme? Zhao Weihuang tossed the sword in his hand toward Qianye who then caught it subconsciously. Only then did he realize just how long this blade was. It was actually even taller than himself by a head. Just holding onto it sent a ghastly chill into his body as though he had experienced nine winters, and its sharpness was a rarity in the present world. Zhao Weihuangs shout reverberated loudly, Will you be able to cut me down if we are at the same level? Qianye was shaken as all the origin power in his body resonated continuously with this one shout, and the great sea vortex formed in an instant. Without pondering, he replied with a deep voice, Why cant I? Zhao Weihuang glanced at Qianye with a gaze as sharp as a blade. After a while, he suddenly broke into a loud laughter and said, Now thats Zhao Weihuangs son! Good, very good! Qianye looked down at the sword and wiped down the blade with his finger. The sheen of scarlet upon it actually rippled mysteriously. Qianye tossed it lightly and watched as the blade half-sank into the earth without a sound. It was as though the sword had cut into tofu. He could imagine just how much of a killer weapon this sword would be on the battlefield. Qianye looked up once again and gazed straight into Zhao Weihuangs eyes. But I dont feel that youre my father. Zhao Weihuangs eyes were suddenly filled with killing intent which pressed down upon Qianye with earth-shattering momentum. Qianye stared back at him without any movement, so much so that there wasnt even a flicker in his eyes as he faced the duke. Suddenly, Zhao Weihuang retracted his killing intent and his gaze turned gentle. He sighed heavily and said, I know. Surely, you must be brooding about the matter from back then. Qianye said after a moment of silence, In truth, Im neither concerned nor begrudged because I dont have a single memory of those matters. That which I have suffered and experienced, including how I am able to stand here today, are the only things meaningful to me. Zhao Weihuangs gaze froze as an almost pained expression flashed through his eyes. In truth, the matter back then was only the beginning of Qianyes ordeals and not the end. Zhao Weihuang did not know what Qianye had experienced through these years. However, he could easily imagine just how difficult it wouldve been to rise to power in the abandoned land, and the fragmented recounts Zhao Jundu had given him were enough to peep into this childs wandering plight. Qianyes seemingly light words had, in truth, cut a deep chasm between the father and son. I only want to know who and where my mother is. Zhao Weihuang became absent-minded as he said with a bitter expression, I dont know either. Qianyes gaze turned harsh. You dont know? I truly do not know. Zhao Weihuang let out a long sigh as he sank into the memories of the past, flashbacks he didnt even dare recall for the past ten-odd yearsnot even when he was alone. Back then, the young Zhao Weihuang had already revealed extraordinary talent and gained some fame in the family. His father, the younger brother of Duke You, was even more of a heaven-bestowed talent, and his accumulated contributions gained him the title of Duke Xuanyuan. One could see just how capable he was. Duke Xuanyuans title wasnt hereditary, but his brilliant talents and ability werent at all inferior to the two dukes, You and Yan. Meanwhile, Zhao Weihuang was of stately comportment and had great future prospects. In the end, he gained Princess Gaoyis hand in marriage. The imperial family wedding ceremony was complicated to say the least, and there was still one year until the appointed date. Zhao Weihuang wasnt willing to be left out, so he took to touring the world in search of victory, challenging experts everywhere. It was common practice for major clan scions to go about tempering themselves in pursuit of improvement and experience. It was during this journey that Zhao Weihuang met a woman, an ordinary young lady who had no outstanding qualities apart from her gentle and peaceful temperament. She was truly beyond mediocre compared to the brilliance and luster of the noble ladies. A woman with only rank-three origin power was worlds apart from Zhao Weihaunga newly advanced championin terms of strength. The latter recalled with great difficulty the first time the two of them had decided to travel together as companions. It seemed to be a desolate and dangerous area with only a single path, and the two were traveling in the same direction. That was the only reason. She encountered danger repeatedly along the way, and it was always Zhao Weihuang who had saved her. He was even wounded badly because of it. But Zhao Weihuang discovered that he wasnt the least impatient and, in times of peace, even hoped that these days could last longer. Regardless of the situation, it seemed as though her spirit was always wandering in another world and calmly looking at the reality before her. It seemed as though nothing could cause her to feel fear or cower even if the earth and mountains were to split open. She seemed just like a bystander who had nothing to do with everything happening around her. But a fluctuation finally appeared in her eyes when the injured Zhao Weihuang pushed her to the other side of the ravine and turned back to cut down that natural stone bridge, effectively blocking the pursuing beast horde within the dangerous area. Everything happened naturally after the two escaped the danger zone. Embracing a woman wasnt a big deal to the young and carefree Zhao Weihuang. She was, after all, just a woman without any status. He had already gone through dozens of women before the age of eighteen, whether it was at school or while having fun with friends. But this time, it was just as natural as a first embrace. Zhao Weihuang actually abandoned his quest and settled down with her in a remote, quiet, and beautiful little town. He didnt bring out his backpack full of gold coins, nor did he reveal his cultivation. The two of them built a life with their bare hands. Zhao Weihuang found a job as a guard and would occasionally escort goods between the nearby towns for some extra money. Meanwhile, the lady did all the cooking and housework at home. The two lived in the most ordinary of little homes and enjoyed the most ordinary of days. Even up until now, Zhao Weihuang couldnt say why he did so. Perhaps he was attracted by her mysterious and cryptic temperament, or perhaps it was those ordinary days where he worked from dawn to dusk that made him feel a sense of internal comfort and serenity. Or, it might be that he never knew the reason at all. Just like that, the calm and peaceful days went by for half a year just like a gentle dream. But Zhao Weihuang began to feel restless for he knew he was about to wake up. His wedding with Princess Gaoyi was fast approaching, and he would have no choice but to return. There was that one moment where Zhao Weihuang had considered passing his entire life in this manner, but he knew it wasnt possible. It was normal for clan scions to lose contact while training outside. The Zhao clan had their own secret arts to determine whether he was dead or alive and to track him down. It was while Zhao Weihuang was at his wit''s end that he foundupon returning home after relinquishing his job one daya table full of hot dishes just as before. However, that woman had already left. Chapter 462: The Past Part 2 Chapter 462: The Past (Part 2) [V5C169 C A Distance Within Reach] Everything in the house was left in place, and only she was gone. The only thing missing in the house was a piece of crystal, and that wasnt any valuable item eitherit was a gift Zhao Weihuang had bought for her using his first salary. It was also his only gift to her. Zhao Weihuang wasnt surprised. He issued a greeting just as though she were still at home and sat down to have dinner. He then recounted the interesting things that had happened in town just as he normally would. Her usual seat was empty, but Zhao Weihuang kept on talking to an empty chair. At this moment, the doors burst open and a group of Zhao clan warriors rushed in. The leader was an old manhe was Duke Xuanyuans trusted subordinate and someone who had watched Zhao Weihuang grow up. All of them sighed in relief when they saw Zhao Weihuang. With the marriage drawing ever closer, Duke Xuanyuan had finally decided to the clan''s utilize secret arts and was able to find him as expected. Uncle Wu, please go out first. Ill go back with you after my meal, Zhao Weihuang spoke calmly, but his tone left no room for disobedience. And that was the very first time this man, who would later ascend to the Zhao clan lords position, had exhibited the dignity of a leader. Zhao Weihuang cleaned up the utensils after his meal. He then left the house, as well as that small town. His life returned to the right track in the days that followed. Zhao Weihuang successfully married Princess Gaoyi and established a formal residence in the Zhao clan. At the same time, he received permission to form the Fire Beacon Corps and won a series of continuous victories outside. The Northwestern Fire Beacon Corps achieved great fame outside, while inside the family, he gained four children in quick succession. All of them possessed outstanding talent, especially the fourth son, Zhao Jundu. During the talent assessment at one month of age, he had produced overflowing visions as brilliant as the midday suna rarely seen superior grade talent. As the scion of a major clan, Zhao Weihuang seemed to possess everything. Power, achievements, children, and a bright future ahead. That was until one year, the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan and the Dark Nation once again fell into a total war. On his way to You Tongguans rescue, Zhao Weihuang was caught in an expected battle with the dark races and only managed to secure a narrow victory. Quite unfortunately, a small human town became the battlefield, and almost the entire settlement had been reduced to rubble by the end of the battle. It was there that Zhao Weihuang saw her once again. When she raised her head, a tall figure in martial attire was reflected in her indifferent eyesit was as though the ten years of separation never existed. There was seemingly no difference at all apart from the fact that she was already rank eight. The same aura, the same joythe same captivation. However, she had vanished once again when Zhao Weihuang woke up the next day. It was as though everything was just a dream. With the military situation on the frontlines in a critical state, Zhao Weihuang could only leave some aides to search for her while he himself pressed on toward the conflict. Naturally, they returned empty-handed; perhaps she wasnt even a resident of the small town and only a passer-by. With how big the world was, it was simply impossible to find this lady who called herself Yeji even with the Zhao clans influence. Just when Zhao Weihuang was about to push this chance encounter back into the depths of his memory, a person appeared at the Zhao clan with a baby, asking to meet Zhao Weihuang by name. That was an extremely ordinary old woman. Apart from handing Zhao Weihaung the baby, she also left a piece of crystal. Popular accessories in the empire were made of gold, silver, or gems. Crystal was rare, but this piece of crystal was so common in quality that it would be a slight embarrassment to display at the Zhao clan. However, Zhao Weihuang immediately recognized it as the crystal he had bought back then with his very first salary. The craftsmanship of the crystal was just as clumsy. The only astonishing thing was the picture on it which was actually made up of two ancient runespeak characters. It was rumored that the genesis of these ancient runes took place even before the birth of the dark races, and that it was related to the deepest source of the great dao. Even the dark race experts could hardly comprehend a couple of them, but Zhao Weihuang naturally understood the meaning of the two runespeak characters. That was: Qianye. According to the old woman, she was entrusted by a terminally ill woman to return the child to his father. Up to this point, Zhao Weihuang still wasnt clear as to what was going on. But after following the old lady to the last known town where the woman had stayed, he failed to find her remains in the common tomb where outsiders were buried. The old ladys identity was investigated countless times after that, but she was just an ordinary civilian of the Zhao clans territoryher family had been living here for several generations. She only felt compassion at the moment and decided to fulfill the womans dying wish. There was no suspicious clue to be found at all. Zhao Weihuang finally gave up and accepted this truth. However, the young and naive Zhao Weihuang didnt remember to cover up his movements. The news quickly reached the pregnant Princess Gaoyi, causing her to fall into great illness, and Zhao Ruoxi was born prematurely due to the effects of the natal qi. Zhao Weihuang sighed at this point, and it seemed as though he had aged by ten years. He said only moments later, The matter that year was truly nature toying with men. Qianyes expression was calm, but his heart was wracked with great fluctuations. From the Drinking Horse Yin Family to the Highland Song Clan, he had seen no small number of internal chaos and didnt have a shred of good impression regarding those so-called major clans. But hearing such a story straight from this mans mouth, the resentment and injustice he had harbored for his old injury gradually receded. All kinds of feelings welled up in Zhao Weihuangs heart as he stared at the young man standing before him like an unmoving mountain peak. The so-called imperial bloodline wasnt just a noble status. It also signified strong abilities and immense potential. The reason for Princess Gaoyis high position in the imperial family before marriage was because of the purity of her imperial bloodline. The previous emperor had passed for twenty years, but she was still able to mobilize a part of the imperial familys resources and also had a fair bit of influence in the imperial clan. This went to show just how brilliant she was back then. Qianyes appearance caused her to lose prestige. It was fine if that were the end of it because which major clan scion didnt have a messy past? But not only did Zhao Weihuang not hide this matter, he had even announced his affection for that unnamed woman. This action was like a ruthless slap to Princess Gaoyis face, and it tore apart the spousal relationship they had maintained for over a decade. However, Qianyes bloodline and talent assessment was like a backhand slap following the frontal oneand that slap was even harder than before. Qianye, who wasnt even a year old, was not only a Zhao clan descendant but also an owner of an innate origin crystal! The energy produced by the origin crystal would grow and multiply without end. Those in possession would be blessed with an unending flow of vitality and would slowly recover to the peak state no matter how severe the injury. This was the best kind of supplement for battle and cultivation. Although it wasnt the most powerful of offensive abilities, the appearance of an origin crystal signified a straight path to the divine champion rank. Such talent was comparable to Zhao Jundu. All the Zhao clan elders turned silent after learning of Qianyes talents, and no one spoke up anymore against his return to the family. Fortunately, Zhao Weihuang could be considered somewhat clear-headed at this point. He immediately issued a silencing order and prevented this news from leaking out. In the end, only the highest echelons of the Zhao clan knew of this matter. Meanwhile, Princess Gaoyi was busy taking care of the newborn Zhao Ruoxi and seemed not to know. She neither cared nor asked about Qianye after assigning him everything befitting of a Zhao clan bastardeverything was calm and quiet. The serenity of the Zhao residence was finally broken by a great change after two years. The matter came suddenly. The time was near new year, and the rebel army of the Western Continent had revolted once again. Zhao Weihuang returned to the frontlines to oversee the general situation, while Princess Gaoyi led the children to the imperial capital to attend the new year banquet. Zhao Ruoxi had never left the Western Continent before due to her weak constitution, and this was her first time visiting the imperial palace. It was during this new year banquet that something happened which shook the entire empireRed Spider Lily, the Grand Magnum that had been silent for many years, recognized a master. Everyone remembered that the master of the Red Spider Lily for the current generation was Zhao Ruoxi of the Zhao clan. But what people did not know was that Zhao Ruoxi fell ill that night right after the Grand Magnum recognized its master. The imperial family experts had to pay an enormous price to stabilize her condition. It turned out that Zhao Ruoxis constitution was too weak, and her lifespan wasnt that long. She was unable to withstand the great power which came from her fusion with the Red Spider Lilys vital soul. Zhao Weihuang stopped again at that moment. Qianye exhaled deeply at this point because he had figured out the greater half of the story. So, the origin theft was like that. That means the origin crystal is in Fifth Little Sisters body? Zhao Weihuang nodded seriously. Qianye wasn''t distressed or gloomy. The frost on his calm, almost detached countenance gradually melted away as he said, This ending it cant be considered too bad. You Zhao Weihuang didnt know what to say after seeing Qianyes attitude. Qianye said calmly, There was probably no choice since I was the bastard. In large families, the status of a bastard wasnt even as high as some of the larger branch families. Moreover, what price wouldnt they pay to save Zhao Ruoxi under the situation? Not to mention Princess Gaoyi and the imperial family, even the Zhao clans elders would have made the same decision. But there was still a final question. What happened after that? How did he appear in a dumpster on Evernight Continent? Zhao Weihuang wasnt able to give him an answer. Back then, Zhao Weihuang had rushed back from the frontlines after hearing news of the Red Spider Lilys recognition and Zhao Ruoxis illness. But the die had been castQianyes origin crystal had been removed the day before. A big fight ensued between Zhao Weihuang and Princess Gaoyi. Who knew a murder would take place in Qianyes little courtyard while Zhao Weihuang was rushing over to Princess Gaoyis residence. Many unidentified experts invaded the building and inflicted great casualties upon the guards. When the Zhao clan people arrived, not only had the intruders all died, but they had also destroyed their own remains. According to the survivors, the assailants aim was to kill Qianye. Just when they were almost unable to hold out, an expert clad in Zhao clan guard uniform charged in and killed most of the intruders. He then picked up Qianye and escaped. Half of the Zhao clan had been alerted of the intrusion at that time, and the outer defensive lines were mobilized. But that person actually charged through the several defensive formations and injured a dozen or so Zhao clan experts along the way. Even two rank-twelve champions attacking together failed to drag him down for long. In the end, that person finally escaped the encirclement, but not without receiving heavy injuries himself. An investigation afterward revealed that the person who had kidnapped Qianye was indeed a subordinate of the Zhao clan, an external expert who had joined the Zhao clan for several years. Among the younger generation experts, he was ranked toward the top in terms of combat strength. This result, however, baffled everyone because this person had nothing to do with Zhao Weihuangs branch before. The Zhao clan proceeded to lock down every street and searched through the entire city but no one could find his traces. There was no more information after that. Qianye couldnt help but become surprised at this pointthis was even more astonishing than Princess Gaoyi trying to finish him off completely. Zhao Weihuang sighed in his heart. Apart from the servants and guards in charge of Qianye, Zhao Jundu was the person closest to Qianye. Chapter 463: The Past Part 3 Chapter 463: The Past (Part 3) [V5C170 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Jundu was only five years back then when he accidentally witnessed his infant brother in a heavily injured state and his parents fighting. The young boy wasnt able to figure out the gist of matters, but, when he came to, his brother was already nowhere to be found. Zhao Weihuang let out yet another long sigh after recalling the night long discussion he had with Zhao Jundu before his departure. Qianye, on the other hand, was filled with inexplicably complicated emotions when he glanced at Zhao Weihuang again. There were too many doubtful points regarding the matter of the past, but, to him, all of those were minor details he no longer wanted to know. Where is that crystal my mother left? Can you give it to me? Qianye asked. This was one of the reasons he had returned to the Zhao clan. Zhao Weihuang pondered for a moment before producing the crystal from his chest pocket. Qianyes hand was even trembling a bit when he received the object. The crystals quality was ordinary and its craftsmanship was coarse. The drawing was quite different from those normally seen, but he immediately understood the meaning after laying hands on itthe ancient runes upon it indeed represented his name. Qianye put the crystal fragment away with great care. This was perhaps the only connection he had with the mother he had never seen before. After recounting the story of the past, there was little left to say between the two men. Zhao Weihuangs eyes gradually turned sharp as he recovered the posture of a leader who had long held the fate of many in his hands. He scanned Qianye from head to toe and suddenly tossed his sword over. Qianye caught the blade out of reflex. This sword is called Slaughter, and it has accompanied me in battle for eighteen whole years. It has cut down countless enemies and drunk so much blood that the blades edge has gradually developed a sanguineous hue. It can be considered a greater success when blood flows wherever the blade pointsit can then be considered a divine weapon. I see that youre somewhat capable, so Ill gift to you. Qianye was astonished. This weapon called Slaughter could actually develop itself over time and was undoubtedly a rare weapon. This blade having followed Zhao Weihuang for eighteen years meant that it had been nurtured for the same length of time. Just what kind of character was the Northwestern General Zhao Weihaung? The Fire Beacon Corps had been fighting non-stop since its founding. Throughout the eighteen years, the sanguineous glow on the blade had grown increasingly brilliant. Its killing intent retracted, and there was even a gentle aura about it. It was seemingly not far off from the greater success stage. A divine weapon like this was invaluable and not something money could buy. Yet, Zhao Weihuang had casually tossed it to Qianye as though it were an ordinary origin sword. Qianye flicked the blade with his finger and listened as the sword emitted a continuous humthe blades tip was shrouded in a hazy sanguineous mist. His basic sword technique had been refined by the Book of Darkness. As an expert in swordplay, he naturally couldnt stop sighing in admiration at the three-meter sword. But he still passed Slaughter back to Zhao Weihuang. This sword is not a very good fit for my martial dao. I already have the heavy-sword East Peak. It isnt as good a blade as Slaughter, but its more suitable for me. Zhao Weihuang was startled upon hearing his words. East Peak? Song clans East Peak?! Qianye hadnt expected Zhao Weihuang to actually know his bladeit was quite the marvel. With the latters status, he probably wouldnt even put a grade seven or eight weapon in his eyes, not to mention East Peaka weapon from an external storehouse that any descendant could choose. For instance, Slaughter was a grade-eight weapon in terms of imperial classification, and it would become grade-nine after greater successonly one grade below the Ten Grand Magnums. There was nothing left to hide since the conversation had reached this point. Qianye thus recounted the process by which he had obtained East Peak. Zhao Weihuangs eyes lit up as he said, Did you say Elder Lu? Then, there shouldnt be a mistake. Go and bring East Peak for me to see. He summoned an aide and had him retrieve the sword from Zhao Yuyings residence as per Qianyes instructions. After the aide left, Zhao Weihuang beckoned at the air, bringing Slaughter into his hand with a sharp cry. Immediately afterwards, he performed a slash at lightning speed and cut down at Qianye! The sword intent engulfed half the hall and Qianye simply had no time to evade. He only felt a wisp of intense power travel down from this forehead and past his entire body. The clothes in front of his chest were suddenly cut apart and even the essence gold chainmail underneath was divided into two. However, there wasnt the slightest bit of damage to his skin. One could see from this single strike that Zhao Weihuang was already at the very peak both in terms of accuracy and might. His perfect body was revealed after his clothes were cut open. There was a faint luster to his incomparably exquisite skinit was just that he was excessively pale. Zhao Weihuang was surprised to find that there was no scar and his brows rose as he put down the sword in his hand. Jundu said that your hidden injuries hadnt healed, but it seems you have encountered other fortunes. Not only have you recovered but your constitution has even reached such a degree. Its quite the rare case. Zhao Weihuangs eyes flashed with delight. I was at first worried that the Combatant Formula would have caused too much damage to your body and that it wont be enough to suppress the might of the qi vortex even if you change to the Zhao clans secret arts. But apparently, theres no such problem. Qianye was drenched in cold sweat after being caught off guard. It was fortunate that he had placed a lot of focus on concealment after forming his blood core. At this moment, not only was his Bloodline Concealment completely activated, but the Auric Gold Blood had also sunk to the depths of his vessels. The Book of Darkness And Wings of Inception had even formed barriers of lightone gold and one darkto envelope his blood core layer by layer, preventing it from being detected. Zhao Weihuang only used an ordinary origin power scan despite being a divine champion. This, fortunately, allowed Qianye to escape his eyes. Qianye immediately spoke, I dont need to change cultivation arts anymore. Zhao Weihuang frowned. Its not that the Combatant Formula cant bring you through the advancement, but the shearing forces of the condensed vortex will even surpass the level a grade thirteen or fourteen champion can withstand. Your constitution right now is quite good, but, in consideration of your future development, its best not to take this risk. Qianye said stubbornly, Ive already cultivated the Song clans secret art with that he condensed a small mass of origin power in his handmuch like a big drop of water. Zhao Weihuang immediately recognized that Qianyes origin power had liquefied and reached the extremes of development. He gazed absent-mindedly for a moment before saying, Song Clans secret arts? Could it be that the seventh young noble of the Highland Song clan gave it to you? Qianye nodded. Zhao Weihuang went silent for a moment. The Zhao and Song clan secret arts were roughly the same in terms of their levels. Even if the Zhao arts were superior, the difference would be fairly limited. And the most important point when considering a cultivation art is how suitable it was for the cultivator. Since Qianye had been able to cultivate this art to such a degree, it was proof enough that the art was most suited for himas such, there was no need to cultivate a new one. At this moment, the aide who had gone to fetch East Peak entered with a knock and delivered the blade. Zhao Weihuang picked up East Peak and weighed it in his hand before nodded to himself. He carefully studied the blades edge and even used Slaughter to slash at it. Even with the latters sharpness, Zhao Weihuangs slash left only a barely noticeable mark on East Peak. If this were a real battle, it could be said that East Peak possessed the ability to contend against Slaughter for a short while. This is the one. This East Peak indeed comes from Old Lu, and it could be said that this is the final product of his career. It can be considered fate that you were able to obtain this sword. Qianye was fairly astonished after hearing Zhao Weihuang give such a high assessment. In his eyes, there was really nothing special about East Peak apart from the special material of the blade, its sturdiness, and weight. Song Zining had fiddled with it several times and was also of the same opinion. It was just that Qianye was fairly used to it now after such a long period. Moreover, the Book of Darkness had refined Nirvanic Rend with East Peak as the foundation. Now that Qianyes physique was fairly powerful and he had produced the auric flame blood, any other weapon felt too light in his hands. What good points does this East Peak have apart from being heavy and hard? Qianye couldnt help but ask. Zhao Weihuang flicked the edge of the blade and said, Its not entirely correct to say that this blade is Old Lus final product because he didnt quite finish it. More accurately, the sword is only a half-finished product. Half-finished product? Zhao Weihuang understood Qianyes suspicions and said, Me and Old Lu are old acquaintances, and Ive heard him mention his intentions regarding East Peak back then. The swords original intention was to draw upon the great momentum of the mountains and seas to defeat the wielders enemies without any fancy tricks. Just from the name, East Peak, one can see just how grand his aspirations were. Back then, Old Lu had an odd piece of metal originating from the extracontinental void, which he soaked in the fresh blood of a void beast and spent several years just to produce East Peaks body. But I heard Old Lu thereafter failed to find a suitable material to perfect East Peak. Only after seeing this sword did I know that the rumors were indeed true. Qianye hadnt expected East Peak to actually have such a story behind it, but that was only normal. After obtaining this sword, Qianye felt that its might far surpassed his expectations, but he hadnt expected the blade to have such an extraordinary background. Zhao Weihuang tested out a few stances with East Peak and said, Since you already have East Peak, its normal that youre not used to Slaughter. But a matter impossible for Old Lu doesnt mean that its impossible for our Zhao clan. I happen to have some Heavenly Dew Silver in my hand. Ill hand it to the Crafts Manor tomorrow and have the smiths think of a way to incorporate them into East Peak. It should be able to raise East Peaks might by one grade. Its just that the swords weight will increase greatly. Can you handle it? Qianye pondered for a moment and replied, I can use anything below five tons with ease. Good, leave East Peak here. Well only know how long the reforging will take after the craftsmen take a look. Ill leave first now if the clan lord has no further instructions. Jundu has already ordered people to clean up his Ketu Violet Courtyard for you before he left. Qianye gave it some thought. I guess its better not to keep moving around all the time. I want to return to Evernight Continent after my ascension. The military affairs there are in a critical state. Zhao Weihuang sighed as he watched Qianyes receding figure. Qianye was respectful and courteous towards him but never called him father. After leaving Zhao Weihuangs Martial Hall, Qianye walked out of the Duke Chengen residence in the accompany of two aides. He had just stepped through the doors when he encountered several dozen people who seemed to have been waiting for some time. A white-bearded old man stepped forward and said with a somewhat squeaky voice, Is this Young Noble Qianye before me? Qianye was somewhat startled as he replied, That is me. What seems to be the matter? The old man replied with a smile, Youve finally appeared, Young Noble. Our princess wishes to see you. Please follow this lowly one for a while if Young Noble doesnt have any other matters! Princess? Qianyes pupils shrunk. It is indeed Princess Gaoyi. Zhao Weihuangs aides shot each other a glance. One of them stepped forth and whispered in Qianyes ears, confirming the other partys identity. However, he said nothing more apart from that. Qianyes countenance turned cold as he said calmly, Then Ill trouble you to lead the way. Its no trouble. Please follow this lowly one. The old man turned walked ahead while the group of followers separated into two lines and, intentionally or otherwise, placed Qianye between them. Qianye sneered secretly as he calmly followed them. One of Zhao Weihuangs two followers followed along while the other went back inside. Princess Gaoyis Lucid Calm Palace could be considered quite far from the Martial Hall and took a fair bit of time to arrive on foot. Qianye paused slightly on the plaza before the palace hall. Glancing over, he could see that the Lucid Calm Palace was completely different from the other buildings in the palace. The maids here were also different in both the uniform they wore and their bearing. Moreover, it was clear that the servants moving about busily had all be castratedthis was a rule enforced only in the imperial palace. The old man announced their arrival before leading Qianye into the palace hall. Chapter 464: Gaoyi [V5C171 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye entered the main hall with calm steps and found the building to be completely empty. Before long, he saw a lady in traditional Chinese apparel walk out of the rear chamber and took her seat upon the phoenix chair. Without waiting for Qianye to perform any ceremonies, the lady raised her hand and said, This isnt the imperial palace, so theres no need to observe so many rules. Sit. Her voice was fairly gentle and pleasing to the ears, but it was also suffused with an imposingness that disallowed all disobedience. With that, Princess Gaoyi gestured toward a chair to the side. The flickering lights in the hall were reflected on her long, glistening nail cover as she waved her hand. Qianye, after seeing this, felt a slight pain as though his eyes had been stabbed. In his daze, it felt as though the luminous origin lamps had conjured a layer of bloody hue. An odd notion emerged in his mind as he wondered if it were these hands that had held the blade that cut open his chest. Princess Gaoyi took good care of her health and looks. At a glance, she didnt even seem thirty years of age. Her countenance was like a painting, possessing a rare beauty as well as great temperament and grace. Even the gaze with which she observed Qianye was as gentle as water, and one simply couldnt discern any other intention at all. The more this was so, the more Qianyes heart shook. Additionally, he had noticed that the princesss skin was somewhat pale, and her face was suffused with undisguisable exhaustion. Princess Gaoyi said slowly, Qianye, I heard you took part in the bloody battle and earned no small amount of military contributions for our Zhao clan. Im fairly curious about the situation under the Iron Curtain. Will you perhaps indulge me? Qianye calmed himself and said, The Iron Curtain seems like nothing but a black cloud pressing down on our headsone that refuses to dispersebut in truth, its an incomparably vast domain. As such, one asked while the other answered, and they chatted as though it were part of their daily lives. Princess Gaoyi mostly asked Qianye about the phases of his lifewhere he had lived, about the local customs, and the people he had met. She asked whether he had built a family, and about how he had met Zhao Junhong, Zhao Jundu, and Zhao Yuying. These were all minor details of his life. She made no mention at all about the truly important subjects like his cultivation arts, his rank, strength, and background. Naturally, she didnt utter a single word about the matters of the past. After chatting for a while, Princess Gaoyi suddenly spoke, A good weapon is essential for the sons and husbands of the clan to achieve great things on the battlefield. I heard that you have a heavy sword that requires incorporation with Heavenly Dew Silver in order to become complete. It just so happened that I brought some with me from the imperial capital back in the day but have never found a use for them throughout the years. Using it here will be perfect. Ill have someone send it over to you tomorrow. Although its not much, it should be barely enough for a single refinement. It goes without saying that itll be even better if you can supplement some more. Thank you, Princess. Qianye rose from his seat to express his gratitude, but a frosty intent emerged within his heart. He believed that, with Zhao Weihuangs strength, no one couldve eavesdropped on their conversation. However, the matters instructed by Zhao Weihuang had already reached the princesss ears in the blink of an eye. Apparently, she hadnt loosened her grasp on the Duke Chengen Residence despite having lived in a side courtyard for many years. Princess Gaoyi smiled faintly and waved her hand. Theres no need to offer thanks for such a small matter. Junhong and Jundu have been missing you all this time. Although you missed the opportunity to meet the two brothers on your return this time, Im sure theyll be very happy. It was at this moment that the old man who had escorted Qianye here rushed into the hall. He approached the princess and said in a soft voice, Princess, Young Miss is outside and wishes to meet you! Princess Gaoyi sighed. Why is this child up so late? What does she want with me so urgently? Im also quite tired now. I shall retire after a few words with her. At this point, Princess Gaoyiintentionally or otherwisecast a glance at Qianye. There wasnt any meaning in this gaze, and it couldnt be considered very sharp. However, Qianye was shaken and some cold sweat emerged on his palm. This wasnt fear but an instinctive alarm in response to danger. Princess Gaoyi didnt retain him when Qianye rose and excused himselfshe only sent some of her subordinates to accompany him. Qianye felt as though he had shed a heavy burden after stepping out of Lucid Calm Palace and let out a sudden sigh. He was unknowingly drenched in cold sweat once again. Within Lucid Calm Palace, Princess Gaoyi sat straight with neither joy nor sorrow on her countenance. Little Xi, why have you come here so late at night instead of resting? Dont you know the condition of your own body? Zhao Ruoxi revealed an innocent smile and said coquettishly, I was bored, so Ive come to visit mother. Princess Gaoyi smiled spuriously. Maybe youre not here to see me, but to check if Lucid Calm Palace truly is a land of no return? Zhao Ruoxi was petrified and spoke with some effort, You jest. Princess Gaoyi said indifferently, You must know that Im your mother. Do you think your little thoughts can escape my notice? Moreover, being close to the Red Spider Lily will drain your spiritual power. Dont hide it in your skirt if theres no need. Zhao Ruoxis expression changed and gradually became more obstinate instead. Mother, you should know why I have it on me. Princess Gaoyi gazed at Zhao Ruoxi and sighed after a while. What kind of major incident can there be in the Zhao clan residence that will require the Red Spider Lily? That will be for the best. Ill take my leave then. Zhao Ruoxi thus performed a curtsey and left Lucid Calm Palace. Princess Gaoyi sat on the phoenix seat for a long time, gazing at the tall ceramic floor-lamp rack which resembled a treasured tree. She muttered to herself after a long time, Kids are always like that when they grow up. Its the same for this one, and no different for the other. Qianye soon returned to Zhao Yuyings home, a courtyard at the northeastern side of the Duke You Residence. There was only a porch between this place and the external wall. There was also a solitary door which made passage quite easy. Qianye happened to see a number of doctors leaving upon his return to the Mountain Splitter Courtyard. Zhao Yuying required treatment at fixed intervalsnot only had she suffered internal injuries, but even her origin vortex had been badly damaged. Such a condition required gradual recuperation and had to be made up for with painstaking effort. Zhao Yuying was sitting beside the table with a bitter expression when Qianye entered the room, gazing at the dozen or so bowls on it. The vessels were filled with the medicines she needed to take, and it seemed they didnt taste that good at all. Otherwise, this Zhao clan miss wouldnt be looking so miserable. Seeing Qianye, Zhao Yuying tossed him a letter and said, Its Jundus letter! Read it first while I deal with these things. Zhao Yuying picked up a bowl of medicine and finished it in one gulp as though she were calmly facing death itself. Her face shifted red and blue as the medicine went in her throatit was an inexplicably brilliant expression. She then picked up the second one without waiting for the effects to die out. Qianye couldnt help but shake his head after witnessing this scene from the side. The gloominess in his heart was also reduced by quite a bit. He was startled to find a rather thick stack of letters as he opened the envelope and hence sat down on the sofa before reading through them in detail. The letter started off with large segments of cultivation insights. Zhao Jundu knew he trained in the Combatant Formula, so he enumerated several Zhao clan arts that might be suitable for Qianye. He also said that Zhao Weihuang would personally help Qianye pick a cultivation art, but he still enumerated the pros and cons of each art in great detail. Qianye wasnt impatient at all even though there was no need for him to switch cultivation arts. He read through them carefully word by word. In the letter, Zhao Jundu repeatedly warned Qianye that the Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond was different from ordinary cultivation grounds. He explained how the great array under the Fortune Courtyard could compact ones origin power, and that it could take Qianyes origin power to new heights regardless of its purity, advising Qianye not to waste this opportunity no matter what. Zhao Jundu had just advanced to the champion rank and even formed three vortices in one go. He listed, in great details, the process and matters to pay attention to during the advancement and even about the special situations one might encounter. Even though different arts had different ways of controlling the origin tides, there were still certain areas that were interconnected. Qianye was deeply moved after reading the mail. The letter was pretty longso long that it was even a bit long-winded. But Zhao Jundu was as cold as ice in Qianyes impression, a person who could hardly be bothered to speak with ordinary people. It was a mystery how he had found the time to write such a long letter during the bloody battle. Zhao Yuying had also finished her medicine by the time Qianye finished reading the letter. She immediately went over to the cabinet and fished out a bottle of wine before taking a big swig. This cleared her spirits and improved her countenance quite a bit. Qianye was speechless as he watched her. You should be prohibited from alcohol after taking these drugs, right? Zhao Yuying shrugged. Its not a big deal. Its better for this mommy to die if she cant drink even a mouthful of wine. What did Little Four write about? The letter is so thick. Let me see! Qianye passed the letter to Zhao Yuying who scanned it briefly while clicking her tongue. I never expected Little Four to be so long-winded. Hes almost like a woman. Did the Marrow Cleansing Pond damage his brain? Qianye had never bought Zhao Yuyings shocking words, and she was also used to his lack of response. She recalled something after criticizing Zhao Jundu and said, Oh right, dont hold back when you go into the Marrow Cleansing Pond the day after tomorrow. Just take in as much as you can. Origin Distillate is pretty hard to come by, and itll only be a waste if one doesnt use it. Qianye felt that it was somewhat inappropriate. Since the distillate is rare, shouldnt I stop after advancing? Origin power will grow after gradual cultivation. Moreover, Ill still need to consolidate my realm. Zhao Yuying glared at him and said, Just use it when youre allowed to. What are you babbling on about?! Dont you know how wretched those old fogeys are? Song Zinings contributions were actually enough to use the pond twice, but they refused adamantly, citing how the Marrow Cleansing Pond was too important to allow outsiders in. They finally allowed one usage after this mommy nearly burned their houses down. Even then, they still deducted Jundus points for this! Since those old men are so heartless, theres no need for us to be polite with them. This mommy will teach you a lesson if we cant earn back the capital! Facing a Zhao Yuying filled with killing intent, Qianye could only agree. In truth, there was another reason for Zhao Yuyings anger. The Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing pond wasnt open to outsiders. She had listed Qianye as her subordinate at first, but that wasnt enough to consider him a Zhao clan member. In the end, she could only alarm Zhao Jundu and have him register Qianye under his secondary residence. Only then did he gain the right to use the pond. Qianye had just come back from meeting Zhao Weihuang. Zhao Yuying wasnt quite adept at reading body language and couldnt tell what was wrong with Qianyes expression. However, she still held back from telling him about the struggle for his identity out of instinct. Qianye refrained from going outdoors thereafter and only went to meet Zhao Weihuang one more time. He cultivated in the Mountain Splitter Courtyard day in and day out, adjusting his mind and body to their optimal states as he waited for the opening of the Marrow Cleansing Pond. Chapter 465: Dispute [V5C172 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Yuying accompanied Qianye to the Marrow Cleansing Pond at dawn, but unexpectedly encountered Zhao Xiuzhu and Zhao Fenglei at the entrance to Fortunate Courtyard. Zhao Yuying naturally wasnt polite toward Zhao Fenglei. She rolled her eyes and said, What are you here for? Could it be that youre here for another try? Have you accumulated enough points? Zhao Fenglei stared at Qianye with flames spewing out of his eyes. However, with so many people present here, he had to retain his elegance and manners as Duke Yans eldest grandson. He couldnt act as unbridled as Zhao Yuying. That being said, although Zhao Yuying didnt have the slightest air of a noble lady and was always spewing profanities, no one had been able to find fault with her in moral and conduct, not to mention she was also powerful in battle. Thus, these little quirks were merely written off as quirks. How could Qianye leave any face for Zhao Fenglei after seeing his hostile gaze? He glared straight back without even bothering to disguise his austere killing intent. Zhao Fenglei was furious and couldnt help but say, I really do want to see what this lowly commoner you guys paid such a high price for will amount to. Going into the pond and failing to produce any strange phenomena, now, that would be quite the embarrassment. Zhao Yuying sneered, Thats still better than a certain someone who doesnt dare go into battle and has no points for the Marrow Cleansing Pond at all. These words struck Zhao Fenglei where it hurt the most. His countenance was suffused with a green hue, and he became so angry that his face grew somewhat contorted. Dont forget that theres an engagement between us! Unexpectedly, Zhao Yuying waved her hand as though she didnt give a damn. Its no use unless this mommy here agrees. At this point, Zhao Yuying suddenly approached Zhao Fenglei and said in a whisper, It wont be your turn even if this mommy is gang-r*ped. You!!! Zhao Fenglei almost went mad with anger. He pointed at Zhao Yuying but couldnt find the words to say. Zhao Yuying had suppressed her voice, but it was enough for everyone nearby to hear. It could be assumed that this news would spread to every corner of the Zhao clan before long. Zhao Yuying was well known for shooting her mouth off, and it wouldnt come as a big surprise to anyone. Only Zhao Fenglei would turn into a laughingstock. Zhao Xiuzhu, on the side, couldnt help but wear a smile. Zhao Yuying glared at him and asked unceremoniously, What are you grinning about? Zhao Xiuzhu, on the other hand, was still smiling as he replied, I felt that I shouldnt be staying out of matters during these troubled times, so I decided to end my origin power purification in advance and breakthrough to the champion rank. These days, I was fortunately able to produce the phenomenon of violet qi pillars dividing the north and south. Sigh, although it can be considered passable, Im far, far behind Jundu. These words seemed humble, but in truth, he was quite pleased with himself. Such a phenomenon was probably only second to Zhao Jundu among all the descendants who cultivated the West Pole Violet Qi. Zhao Yuyings cultivation art was a different school and couldnt be compared directly, but they were probably not too far off, judging from the quality of his visual phenomena. Zhao Yuying only nodded at his self-praise before pouring it out through the other ear. She reached out to pat Qianyes shoulder and said, Its your turn. Remember to make it lively, lest this mommy loses face. Qianye nodded. But how could he guarantee something like a visual phenomenon? Zhao Yuying dragged an old man in attendants clothing and whispered something. Then, she returned and said softly, I just asked. Only Jundu and Xiuzhu have used the Marrow Cleansing Pond in the recent period. Jundu used up a third, and that idiot Zhao Xiuzhus consumption is negligible. More than half of the origin distillate remains, so you dont need to hold back. Use it all up! Its one of Zhao Fengleis cousins after your turn. Let him wait! Qianye only laughed. Zhao Yuying was merely speaking vicious wordsan over-intake of external origin power could cause his body to burst apart. Qianye clearly remembered what had happened in the Song clans sky grade cultivation chamber. Add to that the fact that his origin power requirements would grow exponentially at each advancement, it shouldn''t be a problem to surpass Zhao Xiuzhu. The bell rang at this point, indicating that the time was nigh. A number of stewards from the Fortune Courtyard led Qianye through two doors to arrive just outside the pond. The stewards explained how to use the pond and things to pay attention to. Then, they had him remove all his clothes and accessories. The articles were placed in a designated location where a specialized staff would keep watch. The value of the origin distillate within the Marrow Cleansing Pond couldnt be calculated in gold coins. This could be considered a way of preventing people from smuggling the distillate away. Qianye pushed open the simple wooden door before him and entered a small, exquisite courtyard. In the middle of this compound was a pond cut out from stones of various colors. Several gemstone steps led into its deep, jade-green waters. The contents of the pond were rolling about as though it were boiling. The water surface was suffused with a lingering mist, as if there were stacking layers of clouds upon it that rose past the banks by quite a bit. However, not a strand of mist seeped out of the pond as though there was an invisible wall holding them in. Qianye activated the Eyes of Truth and found that the mist was actually made up of dense, tangible origin power, while the pond was filled with a liquefied form. Qianye took a deep breath at the side of the pond and felt the origin power in his body become much more active. He moved forward along the steps and entered the pond. He then relaxed his body and lay down, slowing sinking to the bottom of the pond. The water wasnt hot at all, but Qianye could feel waves of scalding pain on his skin as though red-hot steel nails were piercing his skin continuously. This little pain was nothing to Qianyehe quickly pulled back his concentration and slowly circulated his origin power according to the chant the stewards had provided him. As the origin power started to flow within his vessels, Qianye soon felt a deep force continuously drawing upon the origin power from his nodes and aggregating them in his chest. Strands of origin power began to revolve and gradually took the form of a fledgling vortex. This was the Zhao clans secret art tailored for use in the Marrow Cleansing pond. It was capable of raising the chances of a successful advancement. This was where the foundations of a major clan lay. The vortex had just taken shape when the origin distillate in the pond turned into a scalding hot stream which gushed in through his nodes, mixed with his origin power and rushed toward the newly formed origin vortex in his chest. Qianyes accumulations were extremely deep. Not only was his origin power capacity several times larger than ordinary rank-nine warriors, but each and every drop of it was also pure to the extreme. He was at the end of all progress. However, this was only the first step. His origin power vortex had to grow continuously all the way to its limit before reaching the most critical momentthat was where the essence of the Marrow Cleansing Pond lay. But the stage of condensing qi into a vortex was exceptionally slow and long. No matter how much origin power poured in, he was like a bottomless hole capable of devouring everything clean. Meanwhile, there seemed to be very little change in the vortex. It would expand every so slightly only after a long time. Qianye was in no rush, either; he was neither arrogant nor impatient. He entered a state of emptiness and forgot about the flow of time. Within the Fortune Courtyard, Zhao Yuying had climbed up to the third floor of the building. This place was usually reserved for the elders of the clan. However, those old men had no interest in watching Qianye ascendonly the younger generation paid him attention. In truth, all the young descendants in the clan were fairly curious about Qianye. Zhao Jundu had caused quite a stir back then when he announced that he would take in an adopted brother. His authority grew exponentially after advancing to the champion rank, and even the clan elders were no longer willing to go against his will regarding this small matter. As such, it could be considered settled. Because of this, it was only natural that everyone wanted to know just what was so special about Qianye that even Zhao Jundu had to view him favorably. It was just that most Zhao clan descendants were too proud to admit that they were inferior to Qianye without even fighting him. They didnt feel that he would produce any visual phenomena, either. No visions meant that there was nothing to comprehend, and attending the ritual would be a pure waste of time. Only Zhao Fenglei and Zhao Xiuzhu had a different idea; they were looking to shame Qianye ruthlessly in front of Zhao Yuying. Zhao Yuying didnt hold back at all. She climbed right up to the third floor and occupied the central table, even ordering people to deliver wine and dishes. There, she drank and ate with great gusto while reading a secret volume. Qianyes ascension might take a couple of days or even longer, and it was inevitable that she would be bored. However, Zhao Yuying was determined to sit here personally and watch from the beginning to the end, lest certain people play tricks during Qianyes advancement. Zhao Yuying was feeling quite carefree and leisurely, but the others couldnt enjoy such treatment. Zhao Fenglei and Zhao Xiuzhu duly seated themselves on the second floor. They werent willing to meet Zhao Yuying on the third floor just yet because that would truly be seeking awkwardness. The early phases of advancement for normal people were mostly calm and uneventful. Having nothing better to do, Zhao Xiuzhu asked Zhao Fenglei, Cousin, I heard youve met Qianye before. Do you think this person has any chance of winning Yuyings affection? Zhao Fenglei shot up from his seat and asked furiously, What do you mean? Zhao Xiuzhu wasnt afraid at all as he replied with a smile, I just feel that this Qianye might shock everyone with a single brilliant feat. Who knows? Zhao Fenglei sneered, Hes just a kid Old Four picked up from some unknown place. An overnight rise to fame? This is simply not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. Yuying is just temporarily muddled. Shell come to herself sooner or later. Zhao Xiuzhu laughed radiantly after hearing this. Although no one could say it out loud, many people were already making guesses in secret. For someone with Zhao Jundus temperament to view Qianye as his brother, maybe he really might have some Zhao clan blood. But the clan rules were strict, and it wasnt so easy for external descendants to return to their ancestry. There were also talks about how Duke Chengen and Princess Gaoyi had met Qianye personallynow, that was thought-provoking. Even if people had an axe to grind, it would be unwise to act rashly without fully understanding the truth. Zhao Fenglei was resentful upon seeing Zhao Xiuzhus expression. However, Zhao Xiuzhu was the grandson of Duke Yans third brother. Although the latter was inferior to him in status, the visual phenomena produced during his ascension proved that he was still above Zhao Fenglei in terms of talent. It was a certainty that Zhao Xiuzhus future status would riseeven if it probably wouldnt exceed Zhao Fenglei, he wasnt someone the latter could casually lecture, either. Zhao Xiuzhu naturally knew when to stop. The two were of the same branch, closely related, and also had the same enemies. There was no way they would start an internal fight in Fortune Courtyard. It was at this time that some footsteps rang out from the stairs, and it was actually Zhao Ruoxi who appeared. The two immediately stood up and greeted her at the same time. But Zhao Ruoxi only shot them a glance and continued onto the third floor without even bothering to smile. This Zhao Fengleis face was red, and he was so angry that he couldnt speak. As the eldest grandson of Duke Yan, his status in the clan was extremely high. Throughout the residence, how many people dared not give him any face? Unfortunately, however, the two ladies on the third floor belonged to that group. Zhao Fenglei still dared to talk back at Zhao Yuying, but he didnt even have the confidence to retort in front of Zhao Ruoxi. Seriously speaking, Zhao Ruoxi, with her Red Spider Lily, was already comparable to all the elders in status. Her position was quite aloof in front of the younger generationeven Zhao Jundu couldnt surpass her before his ascension. Zhao Ruoxi ran up to the third floor as though she were riding on the clouds and sat down across Zhao Yuying. She then proceeded to give the latter an extremely ill-willed glare. Zhao Yuying was quite surprised. She had rarely had dealings with Zhao Ruoxi although she was quite close to Zhao Junhong and Zhao Jundu, not to mention they were also quite different in their temperaments. Seeing Zhao Ruoxis torrential momentum, Zhao Yuying simply couldnt recall when she had ever offended the young girl. Whats going on? Did I provoke you in some way? Zhao Ruoxi said with a cold voice, When Qianye comes out, hell move to my place from yours. Zhao Yuyings expression sank as she replied coldly, Isnt it Jundus residence that he should be moving to? Are you trying to order me about? Zhao Yuying reached out and instantly brought Mountain Splitter into her hand. She had actually brought this hand-cannon of extreme firepower along. It would seem she had come well-prepared, and Mountain Splitter would fire immediately at anyone who so much as tried to do anything to Qianye. Unexpectedly, Zhao Ruoxi also placed her little hand on the table, and in her grasp was the Red Spider Lily. Zhao Yuyings eyelids twitched as an uncontrollable chill rushed up from the bottom of her heart and her entire body froze up. She couldnt move at all! The Red Spider Lily was a Grand Magnum of the present age, while Zhao Yuying was in an injured state. After being locked down by its killing intent, she only felt her surroundings freeze up as she lost the ability to resist. Youre mad! Zhao Yuying had never expected Zhao Ruoxi would really use the Red Spider Lily. This was the Zhao clan! A blast from this gun would turn not only Zhao Yuying but also the entire building into dust. Chapter 466: Daybreak Once More [V5C173 C A Distance Within Reach] Let Qianye move out, Zhao Ruoxi said word by word. Zhao Yuyings character was completely fearless, and she wasnt willing to express weakness even when completely suppressed. She immediately sneered, You want to threaten this mommy? Dream on! Zhao Ruoxis eyes flickered with surprising killing intent. It was at this time that an incomparably cold murderous spirit broke through the Red Spider Lilys Nether River domain. The three-meter long Slaughter cut across the table to separate Zhao Ruoxi and Zhao Yuying. Duke Chengen! Father! The person who had arrived on the third floor was indeed Duke Chengen, Zhao Weihuang. With his strength and Slaughters power as a divine weapon of the generation, the Red Spider Lily was temporarily suppressed. Naturally, part of the reason was that Zhao Ruoxi hadnt activated the weapon with all her might. Zhao Ruoxi was greatly astonished after seeing Zhao Weihuang appear. How come youre here? Mother She suddenly stopped because the past shouldnt be spoken of in public. Otherwise, Zhao Ruoxi wouldnt have hesitated until today to appear beside Qianye, either. Zhao Yuying was similarly surprised. She knew that Qianye was Zhao Weihuangs bastard son, but Duke Chengens appearance made their relationship clear. The more he cared about Qianye, the uglier Princess Gaoyis countenance would be. Zhao Weihuang, on the other hand, didnt seem very concerned. He only said no matter before sitting down at the central table. Zhao Yuying and Zhao Ruoxi shot hateful glances at each other before taking their individual seats. The two could no longer fight with Zhao Weihuang present. Moreover, it was even more inappropriate to bring up the reason for their quarrel. Zhao Weihuang laughed loudly when he saw the table full of food and drinks. He placed Slaughter on the table, still unsheathed, and proceeded to pour himself a drink. Yuying, you really know how to enjoy life. Not only did you pick a good place, but you even prepared wine and dishes to go with it. Zhao Yuying was somewhat embarrassed. This mommI mean I wasnt expecting you to arrive. The third floor was usually reserved for the elders, but there was really no harm in letting some daring descendants like Zhao Yuying to use it occasionally behind their backs. However, things were a bit awkward now with Duke Chengens arrival. It was at this time that Duke Yous voice came from the staircase, Yuying was only helping me reserve a seat. This time, even Zhao Weihuang stood up in astonishment. In terms of seniority, he was one generation Duke Yous junior. It was just that the two were both dukes, and the former was clan lord, so they never observed familial etiquette in publiconly imperial laws. Zhao Xuanji slowly climbed up the stairs. His gaze paused slightly on Slaughter and Red Spider Lily upon the table, then smiled as though he had realized something. It seems youre in good spirits, Weihuang. Youre even planning to liven things up with a sword-dance. Zhao Weihuang laughed loudly as he returned Slaughter to its scabbard and put it to one side. He then offered Duke You a seat before glaring at Zhao Ruoxi and shouting, Why havent you put away the Red Spider Lily? This gun isnt for you to play with. Zhao Ruoxi holstered her gun unwillingly and sat brooding in silence. She wasnt quite willing to give face even with two dukes, including her father, present. Zhao Xuanji sat down beside Zhao Weihuang and asked, Did Yuying cause any trouble? Zhao Yuying was immediately dissatisfied and said angrily, Nonsense! This mommy is so kind and virtuous. Zhao Yuying knew immediately that she had spoken inappropriatelyshe quickly halted her words and shrunk back. Zhao Xuanji had gained fame for several decades and enjoyed great prestige. Even Zhao Yuying didnt dare to be too unrestrained in front of him. This mommy would very likely result in several months of allowance reduction. What brings Duke You to the Fortune Courtyard. Could it be Zhao Weihuang didnt finish his words. Zhao Xuanji only said, I think Duke Yan is about to arrive too. His voice hadnt even ended when Duke Yans voice rang out, It seems Xuanji understands me the most. At this point, all three dukes of the Zhao clan were present. After Duke Yan took a seat, Zhao Weihuang shot an inquiring glance at the two dukes. The Dukes You and Yan glanced at one another, but it was Duke you who replied, There are no outsiders here, so its fine to say it. Weihuang, you also know how much Jundu insisted on this matter. Moreover, Qianyes identity is also special. So, us old men wanted to take this opportunity to see just how much potential this child has. If theres a chance he can be brought up, we dont mind contributing some strength to protect him. Duke Yan nodded. Xuanji is right. Our Zhao clans fate for the next hundred years rests solely on Jundus shoulders. The matter from back then was probably premeditated by those people, and we failed to guard against them at that time. But itll be a huge joke if we still cant protect our familys child after so many years. A sternness flashed through Zhao Weihuangs eyes as he said with a smile, Lets see then! The three dukes thus sat there, as lofty as a mountain peak, as deep as the abyss. With the three dukes present, the two young girls could only accompany them obediently. It was nothing special for Zhao Ruoxi. She was normally so quiet that her presence was hardly discernibleit wasnt a problem for her to sit for an entire day. For Zhao Yuying, however, it was complete torment as she really wasnt one to sit still. If not for Qianyes advancement, she would have never sat down to guard this place. Now that everyone before her was a senior, she had to maintain a basic sitting disposition, and that was inexplicably distressing for her. Only a while had passed yet Zhao Yuying was already twisting and turning in her seat. She felt awkward throughout her entire body and wanted nothing more than to poke herself with a blade for a couple of timesmaybe that would make her feel more comfortable. An evening passed in this manner and dusk gradually approached. There was still no signs of movement from the Marrow Cleansing Pond, but the three dukes sat as firm as Mount Tai. Several waves of people approached the Fortune Courtyard quietly but left just as stealthily after finding the three dukes present. Zhao Fenglei and Zhao Xiuzhu had already sat for quite some time. They couldnt leave now that the three dukes had suddenly arrived, or they would be labeled as impatient by the seniors above. The others didnt even enter this small building and that was as it should bewhat was there to see in the advancement of a secondary residence disciple? Those who came must have a reason for doing so. How could their actions escape the notice of the three dukes? The trio exchanged knowing glances but didnt say anything unnecessary. At this moment, in the Fortune Courtyard, several attendants were running back and forth, their heads drenched in sweat. One of them ran over to the steward and said in a whisper, Sire, somethings not right! The speed of origin distillate consumption is oddly fast. This is only the first day, and hes already used up a portion of it. At this rate, it wont even last another two days. The steward was shaken. Have you checked everything? Our brothers have just checked everything thoroughly. Theres no problem! Weve checked every corner. Could it be The steward immediately cut the attendant short, Nonsense! We watched him as he entered. How can it be? Making irresponsible remarks while the three dukes are up there, do you not want to live anymore? The steward shrunk back in shock, but he still retorted in dissatisfaction, But the consumption is too great. Thats almost the same rate as Young Master Jundu! Hes taken in so much, yet theres not even a visual phenomenon. The steward suddenly drew in a breath of cold air. This means that the phenomena will be quite extreme when they do appear! It was at this moment that the attendant was dumbstruck as he gazed at the steward''s feet. The latter glanced down in puzzlement and found that a scarlet hue had appeared at some point. It was flowing over the ground like water and had already submerged his feet. The steward was greatly astonished and jumped up reflexively. The scarlet color gradually spread outward like a tide, and nothing including the trees, shrubs, and rocks could stop it. The steward landed back on his feet and stepped right into the waves of light, but there wasnt the slightest ripple. At this point, he suddenly understood what was going on. He quickly glanced toward the Marrow Cleansing Pond and whispered, A visual phenomenon! The attendant saw the continuously expanding flow of light and said in a daze, T-This radius is almost equal to Young Master Jundu''s. The old steward, who had been guarding the pond for many years, had a complicated expression on his face. The radius is comparable, but the quality is somewhat inferior. However, this is just the beginning! At this moment, three peerless tyrannical intents swept over the Marrow Cleansing Pond. The three dukes atop the building had noticed the phenomenon. The scarlet flow of light spread out to cover the entire Fortune Courtyard before stopping its advance. At the second floor window, Zhao Xiuzhus expression was solemn, but he was still able to keep his composure. He said with an indifferent expression, The quantity is there, but the quality isnt. It can barely be included in the superior class. Zhao Fenglei, on the other hand, was gnashing his teeth and simply couldnt disguise his resentment. Even if it was lacking in quality, the quantity alone was enough to suppress him with much to spare. The three dukes on the third floor remained unmoved as they watched on. Zhao Yuying, on the other hand, leapt out of her seat and cheered. She placed a foot on the chair and cried out, This visual phenomenon isnt bad at all. Its even catching up to Little Fours in terms of radius! Zhao Ruoxi was also overjoyed, but her little face immediately sank after seeing Zhao Yuyings cheerful demeanor. One of her hands slowly crept toward the Red Spider Lily. Duke You shot Zhao Yuying a glance and said, Look at yourself, so coarse and impatient! Sit down this instant! The depth of origin power Qianye had displayed just now was indeed above the average, but it still wasnt enough to get into their discerning eyes. After reaching a higher level, the purity of ones origin power was much more important than its depth and quantity. Moreover, it would directly impact ones future potential after crossing over to the champion rank. At this moment, Zhao Fenglei snorted loudly and couldnt resist saying, Its just a greater amount of origin power. Whats the use of that without any special abilities?! His voice was raised, but it wasnt that loud because he feared the people on the third floor. However, those upstairs were all extraordinary individuals, and they heard everything quite clearly. The expressions of the three dukes remained unchanged like an ancient well. In truth, what Zhao Fenglei said wasnt wrong. A vast store of origin power was perhaps an asset to ordinary champions, but it could only graze the superior rank in a major clan like the Zhao. The flow of scarlet had already stopped expanding within the Fortune Courtyard, and it was slightly smaller than Zhao Jundus. However, the flow of light suddenly moved on its own and began to form numerous ripples as specks of golden light emerged throughout its sphere. At a glance, it looked as though countless stars were extending into the distance. The three dukes were moved at the same time! Zhao Weihuang shot up from his seat, barely able to disguise the joy in his heart. He cried out involuntarily, Venus Dawn! It really is Venus Dawn! Dawn brings light but when Venus appears, all becomes brilliant. At this moment, the golden lights increased progressively and formed a sea of stars which floated above the Fortune Courtyard. Later on, streams of golden light would even emerge from amidst the scarlet glow. Duke Yans eyes flickered with astonishment as he nodded. True! The prismatic lights of daybreak as Venus moves the stars. It truly is Venus Dawn! Chapter 467: Reaching for the Heavens [V5C174 C A Distance Within Reach] Zhao Weihuang, at this moment, noticed that he had lost his composure. He duly returned to his seat but couldnt wipe the grin off his face. The dukes You and Yan also nodded repeatedly. With their status and authority in the Zhao clan, it was only natural that they would hear things ordinary people wouldnt. For instance, how this Venus Dawn was the reason Zhao Junhong had once lost in Qianyes hands. Venus Dawn was considered an origin power closest to the ultimate source of daybreak. It was powerful because of its purity. Although it possessed no special offensive abilities on its own, it wasnt restricted by any attribute, either. Judging from Qianyes visual phenomena, it was already sufficient to pour the Zhao clans resources into raising him. It was just that the two dukes felt some regret after recalling the matters of the past. Qianyes potential would be even greater if he wasnt capturedbut the past was gone, and there was no way to change it. Moreover, the choice between the master of the Red Spider Lily and a future divine champion wasnt just about talent and strength. There was also the general situation and bigger picture to consider. The atmosphere within the Immortal Manor grew more relaxed after the visual phenomena appeared. The three dukes began to chat and laugh. The things they talked about were the major events of the world and the instability of the imperial court which seemed unrelated to the issue at present. However, they had already reached a tacit agreement on the many things hidden within their seemingly light-hearted conversation. At this moment, the specks of golden light hadnt recededon the contrary, they were growing higher and higher. First, they reached ones waist and gradually rose to the treetops. Suddenly, a type of profound accumulation spread throughout the entire Fortune Courtyard as though a mountain rain was about to fall. The night sky, at first, was clear as far as the eye could see, but no one knew when dark clouds had suddenly appeared. They gathered from every direction and covered up the entire firmament in the blink of an eyeit was as though the canopy of the sky was about to drop down. Starlight fell like rain as the sky almost toppled over. The hue of the scarlet flow also turned deeper as waves started to form upon it. Each wave grew higher than the next, akin to the deep sea before a tempest. The great waves raged like the tides as a vortex appeared in the blink of an eye. A sudden clap of thunder rang out! An inexplicable pressure tore the void apart and formed patches of darkness in the sky. Thereafter, boundless void energy poured down like a waterfall and into the deep sea below! An immeasurable amount of void origin power poured into the great sea every secondit was enough to cause an ordinary champion to explode. The old steward and the attendant were both petrified on the spot as they stared up at the giant interweaving lacerations in the void. Everyone was so busy gazing at this apocalypse-like scene that not one person noticed how the origin distillate within the Marrow Cleansing pond was decreasing rapidlyall its reserves had already been exhausted. At the bottom of the Marrow Cleansing Pond, Qianye sat with his eyes tightly closed and his chest heaving up and down. He could hear a faint pulsation akin to the beating of a primordial drum as the origin power poured down from the void and entered the origin vortex in his chest. At the core of this origin vortex was the deepest of darkness capable of devouring everything. Even influx of such a vast amount of void origin power and Marrow-Cleansing origin distillate was only able to produce a slow expansion. Within the Fortune Courtyard, a speck of radiance suddenly emerged at the center of the great sea vortexa resplendent piece of golden-colored crystal floating on the water surface. After the first, there was a second, then a third, and this went on endlessly. In an instant, the countless crystals shot out from the vortex core and flew around each other. It was as though a great path had been paved from a river of stars, connecting the heaven and earth! The brilliant might caused the entire world to grow dim in comparison, and all life lost their voices. The three Zhao clan dukes atop the Immortal Manor gazed at the visual phenomena with bated breaths. The vision came swiftly and left just as fast. It blossomed like a night-blooming-cactus and vanished immediately afterward. The several attendants in Fortune Courtyard were rubbing their eyes, unsure whether they had just seen a heavenly vision or if it was just an illusion. The Immortal Manor was completely silent. Moments later, Zhao Weihuang asked with a frown, What was that vision just now? Is it good or bad? At this moment, Zhao Weihuang was also at a loss because such a phenomenon had never been described in the Zhao clan records. Duke Yan said, The Pivotal Perception ability of the great array under the Marrow Cleansing Pond is born of the same source as Lin Xitangs Art of Heavens Mystery. Its ability to induce visual phenomena and judge ones potential is naturally not inferior to his own. I heard Qianye has never cultivated our Zhao clan secret arts, then its not surprising for him to produce an unprecedented phenomenon. At this moment, Duke You let out a long sigh and said slowly, Such a grand vision, such a heavenly path! This childs future is boundless! Boundless! Zhao Weihuang felt worry instead of joy after hearing Duke Yous assessment. He said with a frown, This matter might not be a good thing for Qianye. Duke You Zhao Xuanjis voice turned void as he said word by word, Issue a silencing order. Todays matter must not be spoken of. Otherwise, even lineal children and grandchildren shall not be spared from execution! As for the stewards and attendants of Fortune Courtyard, we shall them send all away. Zhao Yuying and Zhao Ruoxi felt a chill in their hearts. They knew the actual meaning behind Duke Yous seemingly played-down word send away. That even lineal descendants shall be executed wasnt a joke, either. Zhao Xuanji possessed extreme killing intent during his youth, and his methods were always ruthless. However, he rarely used such harsh words as he grew older throughout the yearsbut once spoken, they would be carried out without fail. Zhao Weihuangs frown remained knitted as he laughed wryly. This is treating the symptoms and not the cause. Dealing with those attendants and stewards would make it even more conspicuous. Duke Yan laughed calmly and said, Its nothing so serious. If something really does happen, well adopt the appropriate measures for the situation. Our Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan and the empire are of the same age. Even if all life and death obstacles come at us, theres no telling who will be the one destroyed. Well then, since this matter has ended, us two old fellows will leave first. You go and welcome Qianye. The two dukes figures flickered as they vanished from the Immortal Manor. Zhao Yuying and Zhao Ruoxi glanced at one another before following Zhao Weihuang down the building and toward the Marrow Cleansing Pond to wait for Qianyes emergence. As for Zhao Fenglei and Zhao Xiuzhu, Duke Yan would naturally be in charge of restraining them. Qianye slowly opened his eyes within the Marrow Cleansing pond and discovered himself lying naked at the bottom of the pond. Surprisingly, the entire pool had been drainedthe occasional drop of origin distillate would fall from the circulation pipe and down onto the bottom of the empty pond. Qianye couldnt help but become startled. He only noticed moments later that he had absorbed all of the origin distillate within the Marrow Cleansing Pond. But Zhao Yuying had told him before that Zhao Jundu used only a third during his advancement. How come he still felt a bit unsatiated even after draining it all? Just now during the advancement, he had indeed felt that the origin distillate wasnt quite enough. Immediately afterward, he looked into his body and found that an origin vortex had replaced his nine origin nodes and was rotating slowly but continuously. His origin vortex was formed from intense origin distillatethe completely liquefied form of origin power. Qianye flipped over, sat up, and duly exited the Marrow Cleansing Pond. Naturally, there were attendants waiting to return him his clothes and personal belongings as well as to help him get properly dressed. After passing through two doors, Qianye saw Zhao Weihuang standing before him. Zhao Weihuangs eyes narrowed upon seeing Qianye. There was actually a slight feeling of pressure. Qianye had only just advanced to the champion rank but could already make him feel some pressure. Even this negligible degree could be considered quite inconceivable. Zhao Weihuangs eyes were like lightning as he scanned Qianye from head to toe. He was astonished as he quickly realized that the latter had formed only one vortex. At the same time, he was also somewhat disappointed. Zhao Jundu became a third-rank champion upon his advancement. After inciting such a terrifying phenomenon, Qianye normally shouldve reached rank two at the very least. Yet in the end, he had only produced a single vortexa mere rank ten. But when his perception landed on Qianyes origin vortex, Zhao Weihuang immediately sensed that the latters origin power was completely liquefied. Moreover, there were crystalline granules oscillating within it. Even Zhao Weihaung, someone who had been in a high position for such a long time and seen many capable and distinguished experts, was shaken. These shocking crystals were formed from liquefied origin power which had been condensed to the next level. Even after personally witnessing the visual phenomenon just now, Zhao Weihuang had never imagined that Qianye wouldve touched the threshold of origin crystallization. Origin crystallization was the prerequisite for a divine champion. Even Qianye himself hadnt imagined such an accomplishment. The origin power in his entire body had reached the extremes of purity after being thoroughly refined twice by the Glory Chapter. Add to that the aid of the Marrow Cleansing Pond, he was finally able to take the vital step forward. Zhao Weihuang was more worried than delighted as he watched Qianye. He let out a light sigh and asked, Do you feel any discomfort? Everythings fine. Thats good then. Rest well for a couple of days, and dont over-cultivate. With that, Zhao Weihuang prepared to leave. But he turned back after recalling something, East Peak has reached the Crafts Manor. You can go and observe the forging process if you have nothing to do. It might be beneficial to your future. Upon seeing Qianye nod in response, Zhao Weihuang turned to leave without saying anything else. After he had walked a fair distance, Zhao Ruoxi emerged from the vegetation beside the road and followed him from behind. She had shrunk back at the very last moment and didnt let Qianye see her. Zhao Weihuang kept walking on for a while before glancing at Zhao Ruoxi. Youre willing to follow me now? Zhao Ruoxi ignored the overtone in his words and asked directly, Do you have any secret arts that can conceal ones cultivation? What for? Zhao Weihuang frowned. To give Qianye. Didnt you all just say Qianyes talents will bring him danger if exposed? Zhao Weihuang looked pensive, but he still shook his head in the end. This matter cant be hidden from people with intentions. Moreover, I see that his martial dao is a path of breaking through everything with strength, seeking the profound in simplicity and walking straight ahead. Hes not suited to hiding about. Besides, which expert of the present generation didnt kill countless powerful enemies and walk out from amidst blood and flames? Even I, your father, had to go through several near-death experiences in order to get to where I am today. Zhao Ruoxi remained silent, and no one knew what she was thinking. It was just that the grasp on her Red Spider Lily tightened. News spread fast via bribery. Before long, the entire Zhao residence knew that Qianye had encountered a setback during his advancement. Even the attendants of the Fortune Courtyard were dismissed and were, after a couple of days, dispatched to remote family branches. Additionally, Qianye was actually found to possess the top-ranking talent, Venus Dawn, and managed to advance to the champion rank despite the twists and turns. However, he was only rank-ten. This news explained why Zhao Jundu cared so much about this Qianye. But the Zhao clan bloodline was excellent, and there was no shortage of rank-skippers among the descendants qualified to enter the Marrow Cleansing Pond. Apart from Duke Chengens fourth young master, almost all of them would reach rank-eleven at least. This was also true for half of Duke Yan and Yous scions. Although the Venus Dawn talent was rare, the inability to convert it into true combat strength was rather unconvincing to the masses. Ignoring all the matters that would follow, Qianye was now only rank-ten and this caused many a young disciple to extinguish thoughts of seeking him out for a fight. Some of the more radical ones expressed disdain, claiming that a commoner was still a commonerpossessing talent but completely useless. They were resentful that he had taken up a quota for nothing. But although Zhao Jundu was leading troops outside at the moment, Qianye had that fiend Zhao Yuying near him. Hence, no one was willing to provoke him despite their dissatisfaction. What surprised everyone was that Zhao Fenglei, who had been very interested in Qianye all this time, was suddenly lacking in enthusiasm. He would find a reason to leave whenever a similar topic popped up, and no one dared inquire further after seeing his gloomy expression. The happenings within the Fortune Courtyard were limited to a small circle of peopleat least for the time being. As such, Qianyes days in the Mountain Splitter Courtyard was unexpectedly peaceful and leisurely. On Evernight Continent, however, a tempest was brewing. Things seemed unchanged, but in truth, the gradually expanding or shrinking borders of the Iron Curtain had finally settled down. The observers from the imperial military confirmed this several times before announcing this shocking information. Everyone knew that this signified the arrival of a great change. The little town acting as the empires frontline command center became fairly busy. From noon onward, legions of soldiers and all types of heavy weaponry rolled out continuously. Very soon, the greater half of the town became quite empty. The high-ranking officer residences located around the small barracks to the north of the city became mostly deserted. Li Xitang walked out from the central tent in a hurry with several generals and a dozen or so personal guards behind him. His rushed footsteps came to a sudden halt as he glanced over at the heroic man in martial attire standing in the middle of the main road leading out of the camp. Lin Xitang maintained his composure, but his expression sank ever so slightly. Zhang Boqian had already spoken without waiting for the former to say anything, Youre entering the Iron Curtain. The five short words didnt constitute a question but rather, a fact. Zhang Boqians pair of phoenix eyes were deep and profound. His entire body exuded a suppressive might like the dark clouds pressing down upon the city, so much so that even the weather changed slightly in one part of the sky. Leaden clouds appeared out of thin air and blotted out the rarely seen clear-skies. It seemed as though they were pressing continuously down upon the great earth, making it difficult for people to breathe. Chapter 468: Opposition [V5C175 C A Distance Within Reach] The ten-odd aides were the first to crumble under the suppressive might and were forced to retreat. These were all veterans of a hundred wars, but they didnt have the slightest ability to resist at this moment. The foreheads of the two Northern Legion generals were drenched in sweat, but they still managed to stand their ground. The remaining six champions with golden-cloud-lined uniforms belonged to the Thunder Cavalry of the Imperial Guard. They suddenly moved and assumed their positions around Lin Xitang in a protective formation. It was just that they were well-aware just how futile their actions were. Zhang Boqian wouldnt even need to make a move himselfhis domain alone was enough to take their lives. A flash of lightning passed through Zhang Boqians eyes. It was as though the heaven and earth would be flipped over the very next moment. Lin Xitangs calm voice broke the stifling atmosphere, Your Excellency, whats the meaning of this? Even my Green Sun Zhang Clan has entered the fray under the Iron Curtain. We should let the juniors let loose and fight their way to fame. Theres no need for you to interfere. Lin Xitang stood silently without a single fluctuation in his clear eyes. What is Your Excellency talking about? I was assigned by His Majesty to take full charge of the bloody battle. Training the youths is only one of the reasons. The resources under the Iron Curtain must not fall into the dark races hands. Zhang Boqian mocked, The army has been searching for those void crystals for a long time, hasnt it? Its not only under the Iron Curtain that these things can be found. Theyve currently been split between the Empire and the Evernight Council in a three to seven ratiothats the extent of it. What results do you hope to gain with people scheming and dragging each other down even before the battle begins? He paused for a moment before laughing coldly, As for the item Sky Demon is looking for, itll appear on its own after the Iron Curtain is drawn. What are you planning to do inside? Lin Xitang sighed lightly as though he didnt want to argue. Then what is Your Excellencys opinion? Zhang Boqian sneered, Since youre here to oversee the bloody battle, then just sit tight and oversee it. Well talk about other things when the Iron Curtain opens. Lin Xitang remained silent for a moment before saying, As you wish then. Under the Iron Curtain on Evernight Continent, a human combat squad was resting at the foot of a thousand-meter stone mountain. It seemed the leader wasnt even thirtyhis figure was frail, and his aura was mediocrelikely just a rank seven or eight fighter. But those soldiers with extraordinary strength and imposing killing intent were extremely respectful toward him. A champion-level scout brought him the latest news as soon as he arrived at the camp. Li Ruis expression changed as he read the letter and sighed only after pondering for quite a while, Regarding many matters in this world, man proposes but god disposes. This means that Lin Xitang wont be able to enter before the Iron Curtain opens up. The scout said, Prince Green Sun suspects that Lin Xitang will deal with the clans himself, so he wants to block the marshal in the frontline camp. Even though His Majesty dispatched the Thunder Cavalry to accompany Lin Xitang, if Prince Green Sun is willful and really starts turning violent Li Rui naturally understood those unspoken words. He thus nodded helplessly. Zhang Boqian was never one to speak reason. He and Lin Xitang had been political enemies for so many years. In the past, they were restricted by the fact that both were officials of the same palace. But since Zhang Boqian ascended to become a heavenly monarch, even the prestige of the Thunder Cavalry probably wouldnt be of any use. Li Rui was keenly aware of the situationhe would have also abandoned everything decisively were he in Lin Xitangs shoes, even if he had a thousand schemes. Li Rui secretly cried out in regrethe had really wanted to see if the Li familys Star Sifter Array could destroy the Art of Heavens Mystery! They had been setting this up since the beginning of the bloody battle. They had operated with utmost care and meticulousness to bring the chessboard to this state and were only waiting for Lin Xitang to step within range. Now, however, everything had gone to waste. What does my elder brother think? asked Li Rui. The champion scout replied, My Master and Mister Yan both feel that their attempts to recruit Prince Green Sun last time havent failed completely. Perhaps it is an issue of methods. As long as we have a common enemy, theres no need for Prince Green Sun to support us entirely. Its fine as long as his attitude leans toward us a bit. Li Rui sighed. This matter is of great importance and requires gradual planning. The most pressing matter is to find a middle-man capable of talking to Prince Green Sun. It was a great development for them that Zhang Boqian was willing to stand out and oppose Lin Xitang in public, but mutual communication was a big problem. Zhang Boqian had always kept to himself and didnt even bring a single follower during this trip to Evernight Continent. Naturally, there was no way to deliver information into his hands. This accident arising from many factors caused Li Ruis murderous plot to lose its function entirely. The champion scout listened and memorized all the things Li Rui had said before excusing himself. Li Rui himself headed toward the cave where he was resting. In a corner of the cave lay a complicated machine, an origin array flickering upon the opened worktable. A wisp of intertwined blue and black seeped out from his palm and washed over the array like water, causing the flickering lights to go out one after another. Li Rui proceeded to take the machine apart piece by piece after the array had stopped operating completely. In the depths of the Dark Nation on the other end of the Iron Curtain, there was a majestic castle standing atop a mountain range. There was a wide french window in its top-floor study through which one could see the land thousand miles out as though it were underfoot. But the most eye-catching was the sky where a clear demarcating line had cut the firmament into two. One side of it was covered in deep darkness akin to an ancient yet magnificent curtain, while the other side was a lofty azure. A small band of stars akin to a gem-studded belt traversed the skies. A black-haired man stood gazing out of the window. He possessed a pair of sapphire eyes and seemed deathly cold when he wasnt smiling. A knock was heard from the door as a count entered and went down to his knees a dozen or so steps near the man. This was a gesture of utmost reverence for the vampire race. The man didnt reveal a suppressive might as was normal for most of the supreme vampires who held the fate of many others in his hand. However, no matter how gentle his expression, the count didnt dare raise his head even a little bit. That was because he had come with fairly bad news. The count said in a hoarse voice, Your Excellency Lord Habs, we received news from the human side that the original operation to ambush and kill Marshal Lin Xitang three days later has been canceled. The plan has failed. The current lord of the fifth-ranked Sperger clan, Grand Duke Habs, didnt fly into a rage as the count had expected. This revered excellency had remained on Evernight Continent for over ten days for this operation. He only raised his brows with an Oh?. Go tell my beloved human friends that they have slipped up too many times in this bloody battle. The matter regarding the death of Demonkin Viscount Luther from the Jeruson clan has yet to be settled. We should take the time to think carefully about compensation before our next operation! At this point, Habs suddenly recalled something. How goes the marriage between Faras and the Monroe Princess? The count shrunk back even more as he replied in a trembling voice, Still negotiating But he also knew that this matter had dragged on for a long time. The grand duke wasnt going to be very happy with this reply. However, the count was extremely lucky today. Habs waved his hand dismissively and said, No matter, the Monroes have always failed to see the situation clearly. The Evernight council is making preparations to deal with Sky Demon and have thrown in a great number of chips. The Monroe clan will be begging to join us when that supreme existence wakes up. You may go now. Supreme existence! Just who could make a grand duke refer to him like so? The astonished count was drenched in cold sweat as he withdrew respectfully. Habs continued gazing out of the window. He muttered to himself while surveying the depths of the Iron Curtain, Lin, your empress family is spending such an enormous price to kill you. Then what difference is there between your race and us descendants of sacred blood? Night had fallen on the Western Continent, and there was a chill in the wind. Those who were still on the road would subconsciously draw their clothes tighter in order to resist the late-winter cold. The atmosphere within the Lucid Calm Palace was as warm as the radiant spring. The pre-set origin array provided a steady stream of warmth, and faint streams of steam would gush out from the corners and behind the pillars to prevent the hall from drying out. Princess Gaoyi was resting somewhat languidly on the couch, and there was a violet gold handwarmer in her arms despite the warmth in the hall. The warmer was exquisitely made, and its surface had been brightly polishedapparently, it was a toy she had played with for many years. Although she lived like a princess every day, it was clear that her face was abnormally pale, and the fingertips rubbing on the hand-warmer were as cold as before. This was an old disease no number of hand-warmers could remedy. The old man whom Qianye had met before was leaning over beside the couch, recounting in detail the things that had taken place in Fortune Courtyard. Princess Gaoyis brows rose when she heard Duke Yous assessment, A grand vision, a path to the heavens, but her expression quickly returned to normal. Such a major development only caused her to be moved slightly. After listening to everything, Princess Gaoyi said calmly, My husband has been worried for many years. He should feel reassured now that Qianye possesses such an accomplishment. A wisp of worry flashed across the old mans face. But it seems the imperial son-in-law hasnt completely let go of the matters back then, and theres no telling what Qianye thinks of it, either. Princess Gaoyi laughed, The choice back then was made to save Xiers life and I am her mother. Theres no way I can escape this implication. But so what? Its enough that Xier is finally able to grow up safe and sound. The old mans eyes were someone moist. He cast his gaze downward before speaking in a hushed voice, I fear that the person behind the matter back then wont leave things like this. Shouldnt you inform the imperial son-in-law? Princes Gaoyi replied indifferently, If my husband believes me, hell naturally be able to see the clues. If he doesnt The atmosphere in the room became tense, and the old man only looked down in silence. The warmth from the origin array rolled through the hall but that which passed over the skin was a chill from the heart. Princess Gaoyi spoke only after a short while, That woman probably never imagined that she would gain nothing at all after all the scheming. In the end, she couldnt even send the lowest of concubines into the family throughout the years. Her petal-like lips curled up slightly as a faint trace of delight emerged on her distant expression. The Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan is a thousand-year clan established together with the empire, not something an upstart family like hers formed from marriage can compete with! The old man said after some thought, Princess, this old servant has something absurd to say. Princess Gaoyis expression calmed down and sighed. Elder Attendant, youre someone who has watched me grow up. You can say anything. The old man suppressed his voice and said, This servant thinks Princess should take Young Noble Qianye under your name. Even with her powers of concentration, the princess nearly dropped the handwarmer after hearing these words. She pondered deeply and then gradually collected herself before saying, A bastard son cant be added to the ancestral registry. Moreover, the imperial son-in-law happens to be clan lord at the moment, which means that even if his bastard son is added to the Zhao clan family register, the matter would have to be reported to the Imperial Court. The entire process is fairly troublesome. Chapter 469: Forging [V5C176 C A Distance Within Reach] The old man replied, Its precisely because things arent easy that you should share the burden with the imperial son-in-law. The empire is presently going through troubled times, and it will be more difficult for Young Master Qianye to return to his ancestry than before. After all, we have left the imperial capital for many years, and theres no one reliable left at the noble ancestry archives. Anyone looking to stir up havoc can easily make his move during the bloodline talent assessment and once again destroy Young Master Qianyes foundation. The imperial son-in-law probably hasnt brought up the matter of Qianyes return to ancestry because of this. Princess Gaoyi nodded. Indeed. The maternal family inspection wont be easy to pass, either. There are so many eyes fixated on husbands clan lord position. Blood relations are strict, and a foster son cannot inherit noble titles. However, theres still a lot of room for maneuver, and it''s still a much more respectable position than a normal aristocratic descendant. It wont be a problem to seek a noble title as long as Young Master Qianye accumulates enough military contributions. In this way, there will be a path for him to advance and make up for his lacking identity. Princess Gaoyi pondered for a moment before saying, This matter involves too many things. I must listen to husbands opinion. Moreover She didnt continue speaking. The old man continued after stealing a glance at the princesss expression, As this old servant sees it, in addition to the two young masters Junhong and Jundus brotherly affection for Qianye, the young miss also seems to be quite fond of him. Its understandable that she recalls him warmly since, after all, his origin crystal saved her life. Back then, husband only went out just once Princess Gaoyi sighed and said in a lonely tone of voice, Lets do it this way, well have Husband prepare everything else for him. I still have some Dark Crystal Threads in my personal storage. Deliver a bundle of it to the Crafts Manor and have them add it to that East Peak. It should raise the weapon by half a grade. Moreover, you should pay some attention these days and see what he might need. This old servant understands. Ill go and handle it. The old man hesitated for a while before speaking cautiously, With the Young Miss in her current physical condition, it seems most of the future burdens will fall on Young Master Jundus shoulder despite the other Young Masters outstanding talents. Itll be a good thing if he has another brother to support him, moreover, its someone he, himself, selected. Princess Gaoyi only waved her hand without saying anything. The old man glanced back as he was leaving through the palace doors and saw the brightly lit origin lamps in the hall outlining a blurry, unmoving figure. After Qianye had rested for two days in the Mountain Splitter Courtyard, the Crafts Manor dispatched a report saying that East Peak has completed the first round of tempering and was about to undergo an important forging process. Qianye decided to observe the forging process as per Zhao Weihuangs instructions, and with Zhao Yuyings penchant for seeking liveliness, she was naturally rearing to tag along. Qianye had originally thought that this so-called Crafts Manor was a place similar to a workshophe thought they would specialize in the traditional hand-made production of exquisite superior armaments. He had never expected that after he had gotten on, the car would drive out of the Zhao clan gates and deep into the mountains along the winding road. It was clear that this mountain road was specially constructed to accommodate four heavy trucks at the same time. Qianye saw no small number of trucks shuttling back and forth along the way. Just from the carrying capacity of these trucks, one could see the amount of resources circulating through the Crafts Manor each day. Qianye was somewhat surprised to see many heavy trucks loaded with black stones. It was quite unimaginable that the Zhao Can Crafts Manor would actually need to use Black Stones as an energy source. Many similar facilities in the major clans have already abandoned the use of Black Stones and had switched to Black Crystals instead. Some of the more extravagant places would even use void-crystals. For instance, the Song clans sky-grade workshop which worked specifically for the lineal descendants and higher-ups of the clan was powered entirely by a kinetic furnace constructed around a void-crystal core. Now, that was high-end. Black stone was considered a commoners power source among the major clans of the empire. Thus, they drove for several dozen kilometers along the mountain road before turning around a mountain pass. Appearing before them at this point was a giant natural rock, on one side of which was carved the words: Crafts Manor. As they went on, the view before Qianye suddenly opened up. Only then did he understand that this so-called Crafts Manor actually took up an entire valley and could even be considered a city. The guards at the entrance of the valley checked the proof of passage seriously before an attendant boarded the vehicle to guide the way. This Crafts Manor was replete with main roads, small alleys, plazas, and street blocksit could already be considered a city. Who knew how long it would take to find the right place if not for the guide. There was a kinetic tower at each corner of the Crafts Manor, each almost a hundred meters tall. Their silvery grey metal walls glittered under the sunlight as white steam from poured out continuously into the sky. Qianye couldnt help but compare this scene to the cities he had seen. There was no need to discuss Blackflow with its single kinetic tower; the difference between the two was like that of a grown man and a child. Only a county capital like Darkblood was barely comparable. After seeing the four kinetic towers, Qianye realized why he had seen so many black stone trucks along the way. The jeep advanced along the road, driving past the tall, lofty buildings and the occasional loaded trucks. The rumble of machinery in the valley was deafening. The steam and smoke from the combustion of black stone mixed together to form a giant pillar of smoke extending into the sky. The Crafts Manor was like an incomparably large steel beastit continuously devoured metal and black stones, then spat out all types of armaments. The last time Qianye was shaken by a similar scene was when he first arrived on the Qin Continent many years ago. Back then, he was just a young boy who knew not where his future lay. They went all the way into the depths of the Crafts Manor and arrived before a giant structure thousands of meters in radius. The attendant introduced things along the way, Young Noble Qianye, this place is the core area of the Crafts Manor. Your East Peaks material is special and requires the use of the Kuafu Press here in order to incorporate the Heavenly Dew Silver into it. Miss Yuyings Mountain Splitter and Young Master Jundus Blue Firmament were also forged here. [1] Qianye and Zhao Yuying followed the attendant through two sets of doors and into an incomparably large hall. At the center stood a giant pressit was nearly a hundred meters in height with its four supporting pillars stretching all the way to the roof and each of its components as tall as a person. Before this steel-castle-like machine, the working craftsmen resembled little ants as they climbed up and down upon it. Countless coiling pipelines stretched out from the press and went to every direction. A series of rumbles rang out at this moment. Qianye watched as the incomparably large machine rose up slowly to reveal the press-bed below. Several craftsmen jumped rapidly onto the press-bed and proceeded to paint East Peak carefully with liquid silver. This silvery fluid was Heavenly Dew Silver, and just a small can of it was inconceivably heavy. A palm-sized container actually required two strong men to move around. Qianye scanned them with his True Sight and found that the two strong men were rank-eight fighters, and the three craftsmen painting his sword were unexpectedly champions. Moments later, the heavy silver had been painted. The craftsmen applied another thick layer of unknown material atop the heavy silver, placed East Peak in its mold, and arranged it atop the press-bed. The craftsmen and workers all jumped down and stood outside of the red indicator line as an ear-piercing bell echoed through the hall. After the bell rang three times, the press spewed out a large cloud of steam as the ram descended and smashed heavily onto the press bed. The movement seemed slow but its actual speed was extremely fast. The massive machine trembled and along with it the earth and the great hallit could be considered a huge quake. After the ram rose up, the craftsmen jumped onto the press-bed to pry East Peak out of the mold. They then applied the paint and coating material before switching out a brand new mold; this process was repeated several times. Silver stripes gradually appeared on the blades body as layer upon layer of heavy silver seeped into East Peak. During the gap, the attendants took the time to briefly explain to Qianye the principles and functions of the press. The force produced during the rams descent was in the tens of thousands of tons. Even with Qianyes current strength, he would be flattened a meat patty in the blink of an eye if he were to stand on the press bed. Nothing could stop such pressure even if it were to descend slowly. Since succeeding in the cultivation of the Profound Combatant Formula, his attacks were growing stronger by the day, while his dexterity was in gradual decline. Qianye seemed to have gained a vague comprehension as he watched this indefensible ten-thousand-ton pressthe more he gazed, the more engrossed he became. East Peak showed subtle changes under the pressure as the Heavenly Dew Silver blended continuously into the sword. After a while, the can of Heavenly Dew Silver had been used up, and the craftsmen opened up yet another one. Qianye noticed a special insignia on the seal of the silver can, one he recalled seeing at Princess Gaoyis Lucid Calm Palace. He turned toward the preparation area and found three cans of heavy silver, all of them labeled with the princesss insignia. This Heavenly Dew Silver was so heavy and also able to mend East Peak. Its material nature was wondrous and apparently priceless. Judging from the present situation, Princess Gaoyis contribution far surpassed that of Zhao Weihuang. This value of this gift was indeed quite high. When Princess Gaoyi mentioned the Heavenly Dew Silver, Qianye hadnt thought that it would be such an amount. What was the reason for this generous gift? Qianye had already guessed it vaguely. Zhao Yuying had also noticed the insignias. She immediately patted Qianyes shoulder and said, It seems those things are from Princess Gaoyi. Will you use them? Qianye took a deep breath and said calmly, Of course I will. Why wouldnt I? Zhao Yuying shrugged but didnt say anything. She only continued to accompany Qianye in watching the forge work. Another can of heavy silver was emptied in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, several batches of craftsmen had already been swapped out as even champions would be drained of origin power after operating the press for three or four times. The workers and strongmen were just about to open up a new can of heavy silver when a feminine voice suddenly came through from the side. Qianye glanced back and saw the elder attendant who had led the way that day walking over quickly with several eunuchs in tow. One of the eunuchs presented a circular tube wrapped in golden silk as the elder attendant reached out. The old man greeted Qianye and said with a smile, Young Master Qianye, the princess ordered this old servant to deliver a bundle of Dark Crystal Thread. Adding this material into the weapon can increase its might. Dark Crystal Thread?! Zhao Yuying was greatly astonished. It is indeed Dark Crystal Thread. He opened the tube and carefully pulled out several hair-like crystal threads, flickering with a faint golden glow. These crystal threads were so thin that it looked like they would break in the breeze. Meanwhile, the elder attendants senile appearance was an inevitable cause for worrythe threads seemed as though they would break into several segments should his hand tremble even slightly. The Dark Crystal Thread was a natural medium for the transport of origin power. Any weapon would be able to better accommodate origin power and gain greater power after assimilating them. This bundle of Dark Crystal Thread was even more valuable than the Heavenly Dew Silver. Zhao Yuying shot a glance at Qianye and said meaningfully, The swords price is no longer cheap. Qianye laughed. It has a price, and so do I. Zhao Yuying shrugged. As long as you understand. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kua_Fu Hydraulic Press Jargon: https://beckwoodpress.com/articles/hydraulic-press-terminology/ Chapter 470: A Distance Within Reach [V5C177 C A Distance Within Reach] Qianye bowed toward the elder attendant and said, Ill trouble you to thank the Princess for me. The elder attendants expression was respectful as he nodded with a smile. He then performed a grasping motion in the air, whereupon East Peak flew out from the mold on the press bed and landed in his hand. It took several strong men a great deal of effort to lift East Peak from the mold, but this process was as easy as drinking a cup of water for this elder attendant. The elder attendant placed a strand of Dark Crystal Thread on East Peaks blade and circulated a secret art, producing a strand of tangible blue flames on his fingertip. The Dark Crystal thread merged into East Peak as he rubbed the blaze along the materialit was incomparably wondrous. Afterward, the elder attendant followed the same method to incorporate the Dark Crystal Threads into East Peak one by one. By the time the last strand was completed, his face had turned pale and his aura was fairly weak. Such a marvelous secret art naturally involved a great deal of consumption. Even with the elder attendants unfathomable strength, his vitality was greatly drained after performing the art several times. Glancing at the current East Peak, there were many faint silver stripes akin to watery ripples. If one were to keep staring without turning away, he might just be able to make out a number of thin golden lines among them running all the way from the hilt to its tip. The elder attendant handed East Peak to the strong men in order to continue the Heavenly Dew Silver Incorporation. He himself saluted Qianye and said, The matter has been completed. This old servant should report back, so I wont be accompanying Young Master Qianye any longer. Take care. Qianye was also warm and polite for this entire time. After sending off the elder attendant, the press resumed its world-shaking rumbles anew as it continued incorporating the remaining heavy silver into East Peak. The sword also started to change somewhat amidst the repeated forging. Its original attributes were being reinforced continuously, and it was becoming even more indestructible. Qianye felt that he had indeed benefitted after watching the forging process for half a day, but there was no longer a need for him to keep on watching. The rumble of the giant press was still echoing in his ears even after he left the factory doors. The strong men and workers around the press had to wear protective earmuffs; only the champion-level craftsmen could do without them. The accompanying attendant began introducing the history of the Crafts Manor and the origins of this masterpiece among steam machinery. After hundreds of years of blood-soaked struggles in pioneering new territory, the Zhao clan gradually established itself on the Western Continent and started expanding. It was then that they spent half of the clans wealth and several years of construction work to build this press. Then with this machine as the core, they gradually established the Crafts Manor which grew to its present state over two hundred years of development. This giant press had undergone several major modifications, and its performance was several times greater than when it was first designedit was almost like a new steel beast. With this press, they were able to process materials they had never been able to or could only rely on high-ranking champions to do so. For instance, the barrels of Mountain Splitter and Blue Firmamentnot only could the Zhao clan produce them on their own, but they could even mass produce them if they had enough materials. For a high-grade origin gun, these were core components only second to the origin array in terms of importance. The Zhao clan was able to use them to trade for high-grade origin arrays. Thus, the core descendants of the Zhao clan had never lacked a suitable weapon. For instance, young geniuses like Zhao Yuying and Zhao Junghong were already using weapons up to grade six or seven, abreast with the armaments of an imperial regular army corps commander. If someone from the clan was carrying a grade-five weapon, that wasnt because the Zhao clan couldn''t provide for him, but because he couldnt use a better weapon just yet. This press also had an additional important function, and that was to produce the core components for airships. Each airship structural component was several meters long and some of the larger ones could stretch over ten meters. Those forged as a single piece possessed higher holistic performance than the substitute products put together from smaller parts. As such, the Zhao clans airships were famous in the empire. Not only would they use it themselves, but they would also take on a large number of orders from the imperial military. From this, one could see the difference between the various major clans. The Song clans sky grade workshop had several master craftsmen working for them, solely focusing on origin weapons and armaments grade-eight and above. They would even produce grade-nine firearms from time to time. They produced only a small number of exquisite products in pursuit of the high-end route. The Zhao clan invested a great deal on the Crafts Manor. Apart from that impressive Kuafu Press, there were several other giant machines each weighing over ten thousand tons. In this manner, they were able to produce a continuous stream of air battleships, combat vehicles, and even fortress components to bolster the Zhao clans core martial strength. The Zhao clan private armys equipment standards and combat strength were second to none in the empire. With the power of a single clan, they were able to defend against the dark race army up front, the rebel army at the back, and were even able to take territories from the dark races. It could be said that these accomplishments couldnt be separated from the establishment of the Crafts Manor. East Peaks forging process required a total of three days. Presently, Qianye had already understood the basic significance of this ten-thousand-ton press. Occupying it for three working days was an extremely rare opportunity, and the price involved was difficult to calculate. The Zhao clans craftsmen were capable of using this press to reforge East Peak and incorporate the Heavenly Dew Silver into it, raising its strength significantly. From another aspect, this ability was out of the ordinarythe person who had thought of this method must be a master-level character whose skills were not inferior to Elder Lu. Qianye thought about a certain possibility while listening to the attendants introduction. If one day the Zhao clans craftsmen were able to combine traditional hand-crafted perfection with industrial mass-productionreplacing masters with machinesthey would be able to produce a steady stream of weapons grade-six and above. It would no longer be a dream for everyone to have such a weapon. But Qianye soon shook his head with a smile because this notion wasnt practical at all. Ignoring where the high-grade raw materials would come from, there first had to be people capable of using these high-grade weapons even if they were produced. A shot from the most ordinary of grade-six guns could drain warriors below the champion rank of all origin power. Qianye only understood Zhao Weihuangs intentions after returning from the Crafts Manor. This journey gave him benefits on the martial dao, but more importantly, he was able to see the craftsmen themselves and the industrial foundations of a major clan that had risen along with the empire. It was one of the pillars preventing the big building that was the Zhao clan from falling apart. The other pillar was the continuous stream of talented people. That which Zhao Weihuang allowed Qianye to see was the core secret of the Zhao clan; it was also the operating mechanism of the clans generation. This broadening of experience and knowledge might not have any noticeable use at the present, but it might take Qianye farther in the future. Upon his return, Qianye was immediately informed that Zhao Weihuang wished to see him. The meeting this time was within a quiet and ancient-style room. Beyond the open door was a pool of jade-green water with brocaded carps shuttling through the aquatic plants. They would occasionally swim close to the door where one could easily scoop them up with a stretch of a hand. Zhao Weihuang was wearing a dark, wide-sleeved robe as he sat behind a set of tea brewing utensils. The afternoon sun passed over him and cast his outline onto the floor, drawing out some ancient elegance from his tyrannical image. Zhao Weihuang sipped a mouthful of tea after Qianye sat down. Has your champion realm solidified? Qianye nodded. Its stable now. Right, your origin power attribute is Venus Dawn, and you have also reached the border of origin crystallization. How can it not be stable? At this point, Zhao Weihuang glanced at Qianye and said, Brat, you actually drained the entire store of origin distillate. You used up a lot more than Jundu did. Now, the Marrow Cleansing Pond will be unusable for the next three months at least! I, your father, have received no small number of complaints from all the branches! Zhao Weihuang wore a proud and satisfied expression despite saying this. The ingredients of the origin distillate were all extremely rare. Even with the Zhao clans reserves and foundation, it would take at least two or three months for them to brew a new pond. The explanation given at the moment was that Qianye had encountered an accident in the Marrow Cleansing Pond, and even the origin distillate was wiped out because of it. However, this didnt reduce Zhao Weihuangs satisfaction in the slightest while receiving complaints. Being able to devour such a large amount of origin distillate was also an ability on its own. Any other person wouldve exploded several times over. Qianye also found it hard to describe the sensation. He had already been told of the visual phenomena he had produced during the advancement and what order the three dukes had issued. He cleared away all distracting thoughts and said, Really? But I thought it wasnt quite enough back then. It wouldve been better if there was a bit more. Humph, the nerve of you. Do you think origin distillate is water? Do you think theres as much as you want? The amount you used up is enough to produce ten champions! Zhao Weihuang glared at Qianye, but there wasnt any sign of rebuke in his smile. As expected, he laughed out loud afterward and said, My sons are indeed outstanding. Just two of them is enough to drain the entire Marrow Cleansing Pond, haha! Just let those fellows whine and complain. Lets see them bear two equally awesome ones! Heh heh, Haha! Qianye sat silently on the side drinking tea, the high-land tea harvested at the end of the windy season emitting its characteristic dry fragrance. Zhao Weihuang continued his enjoyment and satisfaction for a while before saying, You should continue polishing your origin power and forge ahead continuously from now on. Do you have any plans? Im not sure about the growth of your Song clan art. Do you want me to find you another Zhao clan cultivation art to try out? Qianye replied, No need, this one is the most suitable for me at the moment. I plan to return to Evernight Continent after East Peak has been forged. Zhao Weihuang gave it some thought, then said, Thats good, too. Seeing as how your origin power has already liquefied even before the advancement, the level of that secret art must be pretty high. The Song clan is also a thousand-year clan. Its just that Zhao Weihuang didnt continue. Jundu doesnt want you to join the Zhao clan combat squad. But if you want to head back into the bloody battle, Ill assign a specialized squad for you. Well select the core members from the Fire Beacon Corps. Qianyes eyes gazed down at the teacup in his hand. He had long since heard about how many of the Zhao clans squads had been wiped out under the Iron Curtain. Zhao Junhong had avoided discussing this matter even though he had accompanied Qianye to the Western Continent, but Zhao Yuying wasnt one to hide her thoughts. Hence, he learned quite a lot of things in recent days. He said calmly, I dont need a squad. Im fine alone. Zhao Weihuangs eyes narrowed as he scolded Qianye with a laugh, What is wrong with you little bastards? Its the same with Jundu. Back then, he charged alone into the encirclement formed by half a dozen aristocratic families. Qianye took a deep breath. These words coming from Zhao Weihuangs mouth confirmed certain rumors. Is the Fourth Young Master alright? That was before his advancement, right? At the mention of this, Zhao Weihuangs expression turned gloomy. He said with a frosty tone, Jundu was badly wounded, but our Zhao clan sons have always lived a life on the battlefield. A little injury means nothing! Its just that those despicable people are ambushing our Zhao clan instead of fighting the dark races. We were unprepared at first and received great losses. Not to mention servants and side-branches, even our lineal descendants have fallen in large numbers. Jundus early ascension is so that he can return to the Iron Curtain and avenge the deaths of our Zhao clan scions! Qianyes lowered eyes flashed with faint killing intent, but his tone was undisturbed. So the Fourth Young Master advanced early. Wont that affect his future? Zhao Weihuang sighed. Jundu produced an Extremes of Violet Yields Azure phenomenon and his future is boundless. Its just that his advancement was early by a year, and his origin power purity was just a little bit short of perfection. Effects there certainly will be, but the extent of it isnt easy to guess. Afterward, Zhao Weihuang laughed while slapping the table. But Jundus military contributions soared after returning to the Iron Curtain. Moreover, he was able to let those bastards see that our Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan isnt so easily bullied! Qianyes thoughts were aroused by Zhao Weihuangs words. For a moment, all sorts of feelings welled up in response to the words Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan. These days, he had also come to understand some of the Zhao clans history. This thousand-year-clan had produced talents in every generation, and its fame had always been like the midday sun. But all the clan scions would join the battlefield after coming of age. They were born in a guarded homeland but usually died wrapped in horsehideall in order to open up a safe part of the sky for the clan and its civilians. This brilliant major clan born along with the empire was famed for its outstanding bloodline, but flowing within their bones was, in fact, a stream of extremely valiant blood. Qianyes expression remained unchanged as he said, Can I have a copy of the bloody battle reports? Zhao Weihuang frowned. What are you going to do? Qianye said calmly, I want to see just how capable these people are to challenge the Fourth Young Master instead of fighting the dark races. Zhao Weihuang pondered for a moment before saying, So be it. Ill have someone send it over to you. Just do what you want without restraints. You have your father to prop up the sky even if it comes tumbling down! Qianye nodded and stood up. Then, Ill leave after three days. After Qianye left, Zhao Weihuang clicked his tongue and mumbled, Dammit, this little brat has my exact same temperament. So obstinate! Haha, as expected of my offspring! Three days passed by in a flash and the day arrived for him to leave. Qianye had long since packed his luggage. He took a car toward the Zhao clan airship port where a high-speed vessel was already waiting for him. It was still Zhao Yuying who sent him off. No one else appeared, which was just what he wanted. Qianye had seen, heard, and felt too many things in the Zhao clan this time, and he still couldnt calm down. After one journey forth and one journey back, Qianye had gained a crystal fragment and an inscribed token representing his authority in the Zhao clan. The token could be used in any Zhao clan estate to allocate resources and military strength, and its privileges were only one level below that of Zhao Junhong. Qianye had wanted to refuse it at first, but Zhao Yuying persuaded him to keep it. The token was authority in and of itself, but it also signified a responsibility. On the battlefield of life and death, the Zhao clan had always allocated resources in favor of the strongone had to produce results that matched the resources utilized. He suddenly recalled the token he had forgotten in a certain corner of Andruils Mysterious Realm. That was the one Zhao Jundu had stuffed into his hands when they had first met on the Silentflame Steppes. It hadnt been too long since then, but the countless things that had happened in between made it feel like it was half a lifetime ago. Zhao Yuying sent Qianye all the way to the airship doors and gazed deeply into his eyes. She grasped Qianyes shoulders and shook them as she said, This time when you go back, kill them mercilessly. Kill all those bastards for this mommy and dont leave a single one behind! Qianye said helplessly, Thats not too good, is it? Whos going to fight the dark races if I kill them all? Zhao Yuying clenched her teeth and said, This mommy knows! But dont you feel that those bastards are even more hateful than the dark races? Qianye patted Zhao Yuying hard. Rest assured, those who have moved against us can forget about running away if I ever encounter them. I want to see just where they can run to under the Iron Curtain. Zhao Yuying praised, Now thats more like a man! Go first. Ill get there very soon! Qianye couldnt help but say, Be obedient and recuperate well. There are lots of opportunities to fight in the future. Zhao Yuying glared at him and said, Oh? Now youve learned to lecture your sister?! Qianye sensed something just as he was about to board the airship and looked up into the distance. An ordinary-looking jeep had appeared in that direction at some point, and a man in full military attire and a pair of dark sunglasses was leaning on the car with a cigar in his mouth. Although the combat shades covered up half of his facial features, Qianye was able to recognize Zhao Weihuang at a single glance. However, his gaze was attracted by a young girl beside him. That clear, elegant face and almost ephemeral temperament immediately stirred two segments of Qianyes memory. Their adventure in the valley and meeting back in Lighthouse Town rushed out from his heart. It was herthat young girl! But why would she appear here of all places? Sensing Qianyes abnormality, Zhao Yuying followed his gaze and saw Zhao Weihuang and Zhao Ruoxi. Beside the jeep, Zhao Weihuang flicked the extinguished cigar on the ground and stomped it a couple of times. Its time for us to leave. Zhao Ruoxi pulled the door open and gazed once at Qianye before boarding the vehicle. Zhao Weihuang raised his hand to perform a gesture toward Qianye, then boarded the car and drove away. That hand gesture was the imperial armys military order to kill. From a distance, Qianye could still see the smile and faint trace of pride on Zhao Weihuangs face. The jeep sped into the distance and soon disappeared from sight. Who is that girl? Qianye asked. Zhao Yuying replied, You mean the one beside the Clan Lord? Thats Zhao Ruoxi. Shes Zhao Ruoxi? Of course, theres no mistaking it. But this mommy doesnt like her one bit. She has no other ability apart from being able to use that Red Spider Lily. After saying that, Zhao Yuying felt somewhat embarrassed. She sheepishly added, Actually, being able to use the Red Spider Lily is also an ability. At least, this mommy cant beat her right now. But so what? This mommy still doesnt like her! After speaking so much in one go, Zhao Yuying recalled that Zhao Ruoxi was still Qianyes sister no matter what. It wasnt too appropriate for her to badmouth the latter. Qianye had already suppressed the waves in his heart at that moment. No matter, Ive only heard about her but never seen her before. So, shes Zhao Ruoxi. At this moment, the airship had already finished its preparation and was waiting to fly. Qianye entered the cabin after the two of them said farewell once more and took a window seat. As expected of a military use high-speed vessel, the airship only shook once before soaring into the air and ascending rapidly; it was fast and stable. The ground scenery through the cabin window grew smaller and smaller. It was the same for the Zhao clan residence in the distance. The many people and matters he had encountered during this periodZhao Weihuang, Zhao Ruoxi, Zhao Yuying, Princess Gaoyi, even Zhao Fenglei, and Zhao Xiuzhuhe had left everything far behind. The airship turned in the air and began its acceleration after adjusting the direction. Finally, the Zhao clan residence was out of sight. Qianye withdrew his gaze and leaned back into the chair, thinking about certain things in silence. So it turned out that she was Zhao Ruoxi... The airship traversed the mountains, over the land, and across the sea as it flew toward the eternal night. Chapter 471: Developments Under The Iron Curtain [V6C1 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] With the passage of the gradually alternating days and nights, the airship arrived at Weiyang City on Evernight Continent. This secondary hub connecting the empire and Evernight Continent was just as bustling as before. Qianye didnt linger very long this time and only stopped to send Song Zining a letter from the nearest Ningyuan Group branch. The airship proceeded toward the Iron Curtain after a brief stop to resupply. Its destination wasnt Blackflow City, but instead the Zhao clans base in the bloody battle. Qianye replenished his supplies here before returning to the Iron Curtain to join the perilous Zhao clan war zone. Qianye was resting on the airship with his eyes closed. He didnt even move a little bit. The airship was of exceptional performance, and one could hardly feel any turbulence in the fine weather. He could even cultivate here were it not for the Profound Combatant Formula causing too much ruckus during its practice. The void origin power Qianye would draw in would affect the airships flight. The captain entered the cabin mid-flight to report that they were only a couple hundred kilometers from the destination and that they would arrive in less than two hours. Qianye nodded in acknowledgment. This was the final leg of the journey. It was a smooth ride without any accidents along the way. Naturally, the biggest reason was due to the Zhao clan insignia on the airship. Attacking the Zhao clan airship outside of the Iron Curtain was basically suicide. The entire vessel shook violently just as the captain was about to return to the control room and Qianye was gradually closing his eyes again. Qianye grabbed ahold of the handrail at lightning speed and managed to fix himself to the cabin wall. The captain, however, was quite unfortunate. He was thrown so hard onto the floor that he was bleeding from his head. Qianye didnt bother to go and support the captain since it was merely a superficial wound and nothing important. He shot over the windows to gaze out and was immediately shocked. It turned out that a large area of black clouds had appeared in the previous clear skies at one point and was rolling over continuously like boiling water. And behind the black clouds, the familiar aura of Sky Demon was gushing out incessantly. Qianye was truly astonished. As someone who had taken part in the bloody battle for a long time, how could he not recognize that the cloud above his head was the familiar Iron Curtain? But the army had clearly announced that the Iron Curtain had already stabilized! Moreover, they were at least hundreds of kilometers from the original location of the Iron Curtain. However, the Iron Curtain in the sky was not only expanding rapidly, but Sky Demons will was also flitting repeatedly through heaven and earth. Before this terrifying might comparable to the world itself, even someone as powerful as Qianye found it difficult to endure the pressureeven moving was difficult. And this was only because Sky Demon hadnt taken notice. There would be no way to move at all after being locked onto by his will. Qianyes blood ran cold. He had come into contact with Sky Demons will before on the battlefield. Compared to the present situation, however, it felt like the previous case was caused by an instinctive reaction and not Sky Demons actual will. If one were to say that Sky Demon was asleep back then, now he was awake and starting to become active. It was at this moment that an incomparably frosty will descended upon the cabin and spread to every corner of the vessel. Qianye felt as though he had been washed over by the coldest subzero waters of the ocean. His fingers lost all sensation in the blink of an eye as he fell kneeling onto the floor. There was nothing capable of stopping this frosty will as it permeated Qianye all the way into his being. But a dim black barrier shot out from the Book of Darkness at the most dangerous moment and enveloped his blood core, blood energy, and Wings of Inception, isolating them from the prying of the cold will. Sky Demons will descended in a flash and left just as abruptly. It was like an invisible wave of coldness sweeping through every nook and cranny of the world. Qianyes senses gradually recovered after the departure of Sky Demons will, and he got up slowly. But the jolting of the airship grew more intense at this moment. Even its route had changed, and it was beginning to dive toward the ground. Qianye immediately realized that the pilots mustve been stunned by Sky Demons will and lost the ability to move. He dragged the immobilized captain lying on the floor beside him and rushed through the cabin doors toward the control room. As expected, the pilots were all paralyzed and twitching on the floor. Some even had blood flowing out of their mouths and noses, their vitality growing weaker by the minute. Qianye darted to the console and began operating the control lever. He first increased the thrust and pulled the airship to level before shouting, Guide the direction. We must leave this place! The captain knew that they were at a critical juncture. He got up with all his strength and began correcting the bearing while telling Qianye how to operate the airship. The airship was finally restored to level flight after descending several hundred meters and gradually began to pull up. A big ball of flames rose up at the end of their vision. It was a large airship that had crashed to the ground and gone up in flames. It seemed Sky Demon was looking for something and was mainly examining airships flying at high altitudes. The airships were bound to crash without someone as strong as Qianye on board. The captain had flown back and forth many times between the Iron Curtain and the Western Continent. He glanced out of the window and said with a fairly solemn expression, How did the Iron Curtain get here all of a sudden? No idea. Qianyes emotions were rather heavy at this time. There were many friends under the Iron Curtain whom he knew and was worried about. Just what couldve happened in the depths of the Iron Curtain for such a drastic change to appear with Sky Demon? But one could easily imagine how much the people under the Iron Curtain would be affected if it was already so bad on this side. Qianye steered the airship to a gradual descent and flew toward their destination at an altitude of several hundred meters. He saw two more burning airship wrecks along the way. On the ground, there was a motorcade rendered immobile in the middle of the road. There were also two cars that had rushed off the wayside and had flipped over in the wildernessseveral figures were strewn around the crash site, their fates unknown. Qianye didnt stop. He flew at full speed with the control level steadily in his grasp and finally arrived at the Zhao clan forward base. The base was built in a small town. It was well-connected in terms of transportation, and there was no difficult terrain nearby which made it easy for people to pass in and out of the Iron Curtain. But at this moment, Qianye saw the distant town in chaos. He landed the airship in an open space outside of the town and headed toward it. The town was in great confusion with people everywhere either collapsed or gasping while leaning against the walls. Those who were able to move were mostly running about while carrying those who had been wounded by the impact of Sky Demons will to the hospital. The lightly wounded were left in place. Qianye had to spend some effort to find the person in charge of the base amidst the chaos. He requisitioned a jeep, a suit of the latest military uniform, as well as a batch of ammunition and supplies before driving off into the wilderness. There was disorder everywhere throughout the battlefield. All low-ranking warriors had collapsed to the ground when Sky Demons will swept through. Only titled experts were still able to move about. It was fine when a battle was not taking place, but swathes of soldiers would fall on both sides in certain battlefields where the confrontation was fierce, and the first reaction of those who had come to was to plunge their swords into the closest enemy. Countless people died tragically during a short period of time. In a certain valley, dozens of warriors who had been locked in an arduous battle all collapsed. Even the two champions who had been engrossed in the fight could barely remain standing as they faced off against one another. On one side of the battle were Zhao clan warriors, while the other was a mixed group made up of several combat squads, their numbers twice that of the Zhao clans men. That Zhao clan champion pushed his heavy sword into the ground and sneered as he stared fixedly at the opponent, Bai Huicong, youre not this daddys opponent. You can wait for your death after I recover first! A peculiar smile emerged on the Bai clan champions face. Zhao Youpin, youll indeed recover faster than me, but whats the use? At that moment, a small figure suddenly jumped out from the crowd and pounced at the Zhao clan champions back. A broad dagger was plunged deeply into his back, all the way to its hilt! The Zhao clan warrior roared wildly. He wanted to erupt with a final burst of power, but his qi vortex was seemingly frozen; even his entire body was paralyzed and immobile. He turned back with great difficulty only to see a beautiful little face. Bai Kongzhao! How can you even move? Youre clearly not even a champion His words hadnt even ended when the bloody froth from below obstructed his throat. Bai Kongzhao leaped about like a sprite. The dagger in her hand rose and fell continuously, taking a Zhao clan life with each descent. Zhao Youpins glaring eyes were almost torn apart, but Bai Kongzhao had already cut off his vitality. He could only glare with wide opened eyes as he gradually collapsed. Bai Kongzhao seemed to feel nothing as she faced all the Zhao clan warriors bitter gazes. There was actually an earnest and focused look on her beautiful little face as she reaped their lives one after another with great coldness and efficiency. All of the Zhao clan warriors on the battlefield were turned into corpses in the blink of an eye. Even Bai Huicong couldnt help but feel apprehensive as he watched Bai Kongzhao. Scanning her surroundings and finding no more enemies, Bai Kongzhao finally stopped her work. Her little face was flushed, and her breathing was rapidapparently, she was tired. Bai Kongzhao walked over to Bai Huicong and said, You lot continue forward. Ill follow from nearby. Yes, Miss Kongzhao. As a champion, Bai Huicongs position in the clan wasnt low, but he was exceptionally respectful at this moment. Bai Kongzhao stood in front of Bai Huicong and casually rummaged through his body. She fished out a white towel with which she cleaned the blood on her dagger. She also found a box of origin bullets which she looked through before putting it away into her pocket. Afterward, she removed Bai Huicongs sniper rifle, slung it over her shoulders, and finally turned to leave. Bai Huicong breathed out a long held-in breath only after her petite figure vanished into the forest. He was actually drenched in cold sweat, and his body was incomparably limp and painful from head to toe. When Bai Kongzhaos hands crept over him just now, he felt as though two lethal vipers were roaming all over him. He didnt dare move recklessly even as she plundered all his items. Bai Huicong was worried those cold, smooth little hands would turn into lethal weapons in a flash if he somehow offended her. The Bai clan warriors all clambered up one after another, all of them pale in the face. They had never been afraid of taking part in arduous battles, but Bai Kongzhaos massacre just now had shocked them out of their wits. Everyone alive will get up and clean up the battlefield. We leave in half an hour! Bai Huicong shouted. He then shot a glance at the other surviving squads and said coldly, All of you will follow me. No one is allowed to leave from this point onward. Or else The remaining words neednt be spoken. After seeing Bai Kongzhaos massacre, they all understood the outcome of disobeying the Bai clan. After half an hour, the combat squads from numerous families quickly rallied and marched toward the direction where Bai Kongzhao had left. This so-called sweeping the battlefield was only picking up supplies and ammunition. That was because, in Bai Kongzhaos eyes, there was no need to waste time hiding the corpse of an already dead person. Deep within the Dark Nation, Zhao Jundu was traveling with a gun in hand. His steps came to an abrupt halt as he snorted lightly, a trickle of fresh blood streaming down the corner of his mouth. He reached out to wipe it and observed the blood on his fingertips before gazing at the Iron Curtain in the sky. I never thought I would still receive a minor injury. How about you? Are you still alive? How would I dare perish first when even the famous Zhao clan fourth young noble was only lightly wounded? A specter-like figure emerged from the woods. It was actually Twilight. The two were only ten meters apart, and, to them, an attack at this distance could be considered instantaneous. Chapter 472: Each Taking What he Needs [V6C2 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhao Jundus finger on the Blue Firmament was rubbing lightly against the trigger. Youre powerful, but you cant stop me. Twilight smiled and said, You came so deep behind enemy lines. Arent you afraid that Ill lay an ambush to surround and kill you? Zhao Jundu sneered, No ambush can surround me under the Iron Curtain. Youre welcome to try if youre not afraid of your race members dying. Under the Iron Curtain A wisp of helplessness flashed through Twilights eyeseyes almost capable of drawing out a persons soul. Her voice turned softer and deeper as she spoke, You also know that this is only because were under the Iron Curtain. Without it, you might not be my match. Is that so? Zhao Jundu didnt express his opinion. Twilight frowned slightly and said, Go back then. Youve done enough. Too many people from every race have died in your hands. If you continue forward, some people will stop you even if they have to pay the price. Dont think Sky Demons will is matchless. Our sacred blooded descendants arent lacking at all in experts capable of blocking Sky Demons avatar. Move, Zhao Jundus answer was fairly simple. Impossible. Twilight was abnormally resolute. The wind in the vicinity suddenly stopped as the two stood in confrontation. A falling leaf froze in the air as though time itself had stopped flowing. Zhao Jundu was known as the number one expert among the Qin Empires younger generation. He had erupted in one day after many years of accumulation and was unbeaten since he had returned to the Iron Curtain. Countless souls had been reaped under his Blue Firmament. Twilight wasnt just a well-known figure among the younger generation of the vampire race, but a celebrated genius in the entirety of the Dark Nation. Her strength had long since reached an outstanding realm, and she had the right to oversee an area under the Iron Curtain. She had fought repeatedly with Zhao Jundu for many days, but neither could deal with the other. But previously, they were both sounding each other out and had never exerted their full strength. Zhao Jundu had pushed deep into the Dark Nation on his own and was already thousands of kilometers in. His main objective was to kill the experts of the dark race. Meanwhile, Twilight had just reached the count rank and had no choice but to be careful about her movements under the Iron Curtain. Her previous actions had all been fairly restricted. She wouldnt intervene at all when Zhao Jundu was dealing with the werewolves or arachne, but would always appear when he encountered vampires. At this moment, however, Twilight had clearly stated that this was her bottom line and that she would fight him to the death should he cross it. This was the first time the two top geniuses from each faction were meeting head-on under the Iron Curtain. Having come so far, Zhao Jundu apparently wouldnt turn back just because of a threat. His finger tapping lightly and repeatedly on the Blue Firmament moved faster and faster. It was at this time that Twilight spoke, Dont you think there will be people looking to take advantage of us if we die fighting here? Zhao Jundu snorted but didnt reply. Twilight wasnt angered as she knew his temperament. She only pursed her plump lips before saying, As I see it, your Zhao clans main enemies are on the empires side. Why are you pursuing us relentlessly without seeking them out to settle the scores? When will your human race learn to see the bigger picture? One must first sweep away external enemies before cleaning up the inside dangers, Zhao Jundu finally spoke. Twilight had long since expected Zhao Jundus reply. Thats easy to do. I cant speak for the other races, but Ill withdraw all my people and move to another war zone. What do you say? Zhao Jundu raised his eyebrows. He then pointed at an eye-catching mountain peak diagonally behind him and said, East of that mountain peak is my Zhao clan war zone. Your men must not step into it. I wont go farther if you can do that. Twilight frowned. Thats not possible. Your war zone is too broad. I wont be able to explain things if I pull back that far. We will draw the border 250 kilometers east of this mountain, or else theres nothing more to discuss. Zhao Jundus expression remained unchanged. 250 kilometers is fine too, but Ill add another condition. Tell me the names of the people who contacted your side in secret to hunt down my Zhao clan warriors. Twilight chuckled, This must be the real reason Fourth Young Noble came so far in, right? Correct, Zhao Jundu admitted it openly. Those names are worth a lot of money. Your conditions arent enough. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, I helped you kill no small number of opponents along the way. Oh, thats right! Then its a deal. Twilight flicked her fingers with a smile, shooting out a stream of blood which turned into several names in the air. Zhao Jundu scanned the names, committed them to memory, and then left without another word. Wait a minute, Twilight called out to him with a flowing gaze. Is the Fourth Young Noble leaving just like that? I feel that we might be able to cooperate even more. Zhao Jundu said coldly, I never make deals with the dark races. This isnt a deal. Its just each side taking what they need. I can shift my men to specific war zones after I pull them back. Ill also send you information on certain people. In return, if the Fourth Young Master encounters themwhether they be demonkin, arachne, werewolf, or even vampiresIm sure you wont let them leave alive, right? Not interested, Zhao Jundu said indifferently. Twilight smiled spuriously. Then, how about Qianye? Dont you care about him? Ive heard no small number of things about him! Zhao Jundu finally turned back. There was a sharp killing intent on his beautiful but frosty countenance. You sure know a lot. Twilight met his gaze without backing down. Her deep, seductive laughter was almost like the sirens of legends, capable of causing men to lose their way. Things I know will only increase. Your human race has no lack of smart people hoping to take advantage of us. What say you? If you agree to my conditions, I wont do anything to Qianye when I meet him in the future. Well discuss this later. Zhao Jundu left only these cold words and left. It was at this time that the Iron Curtain in the sky rippled violently. The clouds dispersed in the blink of an eye to reveal a deep starry sky. The two stared blankly at the long-lost sky and only came to after a moment. The Iron Curtain in this area had actually disappeared! The Iron Curtain was Sky Demons domain. Its disappearance meant that his domain no longer covered this area and that his will wouldnt appear here. This also meant that the restrictions on combat strength had all disappeared. All types of implicit hints flashed through Zhao Jundu and Twilight''s minds. The atmosphere suddenly became extremely mysterious as they glanced at one another. Twilight spoke slowly, My rank seems to be one level higher than yours. A difference in level has no meaning to me. Twilight broke into a laugh, a very dangerous laugh no less. But were the same type of people. So, ranks do play a role, and a very big one at that! Perhaps. Zhao Jundus expression didnt fluctuate in the least as he lifted the Blue Firmament slowly. Meanwhile, two beautiful daggers appeared in Twilights hands. The light in the mountain wilderness suddenly grew dim as a deep grey color spread out in every direction, poised to devour everything. At this moment a beam of green light tore apart the ashen hue and shot into the sky! The grey mist and green radiance dispersed in the blink of an eye as Zhao Jundu and Twilight appeared once again. It was just that the two had exchanged positions with their backs against one another. Zhao Jundu coughed violently as a fair amount of bloody froth rushed out from his mouth and nose. However, his hand on the Blue Firmament was just as still as before. Twilights voice was as pleasant as ever. What do you think about my previous proposal? Deal, Zhao Jundu said coldly, then he hoisted his gun up and left. He passed Twilight with due calmness, their shoulders almost brushing against one another. Her fingers moved ever so slightly as though she would make a move, however, she still refrained from doing so in the end and only watched as Zhao Jundu left. Twilights beautiful face suddenly turned pale after Zhao Jundus departure. A streak of scarlet blood slowly emerged on her smooth, exquisite neck. The bloody line was extremely thin, and the cut surface was so smooth that the sides fit almost perfectly together. However, the wound was extremely deep and had cut through almost a third of Twilights neck. Twilight stood completely still as a bloody mist bubbled up around her. The sanguineous line on the side of her neck gradually turned dim before disappearing. The wound was thoroughly healed by virtue of the vampire races powerful regenerative ability. Twilight was able to move only at this point. Otherwise, even a small vibration wouldve caused a torrent of blood to gush out of her severed main artery. She stood silently for quite a while, her gaze flickering indefinitely as she chuckled to herself, This outcome isnt so bad! I wasnt going to kill Qianye anyway, at least not now. Heh, heh. Zhao Jundu, who had already gone quite some distance away, paused his steps to look up at the sky. Leaden clouds were aggregating from every direction to reform the Iron Curtain anew. The gloominess of the sky was reflected on his face. The change, however, had already occurred. From now on, the Iron Curtain was no longer a constant existence; it could disappear suddenly at any moment. Supreme experts like Twilight would be able to utilize their full powers once the restrictive powers of the Iron Curtain were gone. It would be disastrous for Qianye if he were to encounter her at such a time. Zhao Jundu hastened his steps and vanished between the mountain ranges. Less than half of the surviving dark race forces remained after Twilight pulled back her forces from the area they had agreed upon. This allowed Zhao Jundu to turn his attention to internal enemies. It was actually quite ironicthose who had incited Zhao Jundus true desire to kill wasnt the dark race, but instead the humans. The Zhao clan held the Western Continent and was quite a distance away from the territories of the other imperial clans. Their usual enemies were the dark races and rebel armies. They had never gotten embroiled in the several instances of civil strife that had occurred in the empire. As such, Zhao Jundu had always felt that the dark races were foolish when he heard about how they were halting the war with them due to civil conflicts. How could they ignore a major enemy like the empire and fight bitterly within their own faction? This would only allow the empire to grow larger and larger. But today, he had gotten a taste of it. As he watched the Zhao clan warriors fall under the muzzles of their own countrymen, the flames of fury in his heart burned even brighter than when he was facing the dark aces. Qianye, who had been fighting continuously since childhood, had gone through so much more than Zhao Jundu. He had also experienced much more of such rage, so much so that he was no longer angry when encountering these matters. He would only retaliate. The vehicle he had received from the Zhao clan was already drained of fuel and abandoned on the roadside. Qianye was presently running swiftly and silently through the wilderness like a wild beast. He was headed straight into the depths of the Dark Nation. The Zhao clans intelligence regarding the bloody battle was fully granted to Qianye. He had seen the distribution of war zones and gotten a vague idea of every Zhao clan units area of activity or destruction. Qianye headed south along the intersection of the Zhao clan war zone and the Dark Nation borders. This area was the most chaotic and was a place where anything could happen. Qianye had chosen this route just to try his luck. His luck could be considered quite good. Before long, he encountered several Bai clan warriors running frantically from two ferocious arachne. Chapter 473: Waver [V6C2 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The two baron-rank arachne were like two lumps of military contributions in front of Qianyes eyes. He sped up all of a sudden and charged over, grazing past the Bai clan soldiers as he crashed into the arachne. The muffled sound of impact almost covered up the resultant screams as the arachne Qianye had collided with was sent flying. It landed on the ground with a thud and collapsed with its eight limbs distorted into various unnatural shapes. Qianye took a step forward and quickly arrived beside the other one. He had merely leaned in with his shoulders, but the sturdy arachne body was badly shaken. All of its internal organs shattered, and the arachne grew limp like a loaf of freshly baked bread. At the same time, the vampiric blade in his hands was plunged into the vitals on its abdomen. Qianyes hands paused for a moment before pulling out the vampiric blade. He then walked over to the other arachne lying on the ground and stabbed it. Only then did he glance over at the Bai clan warriors. These people were standing nearby. Not only did they have no intention to come over and help, but were even on extreme alert after seeing Qianye slaughter the two arachne with relative ease. They were constantly sizing up the Zhao clan insignia on Qianyes battle armor. It was likely that they wouldve escaped long ago if they werent completely spent. Their exhaustion set in after catching their breaths, and they could no longer even move. The major clan war zones usually overlapped with one another and would change frequently according to the circumstances. It wasnt surprising for a clans combat squad to appear in anothers war zone. But the Bai, Nangong, Kong, and other clans appearing in the Zhao clan warzone wasnt a negligible matter. Qianye had long since understood the present circumstances from the Zhao clans reports. Qianye knew what was going on after seeing the Bai clan warriors in such a state and wasnt in a rush, either. He finished draining the arachnes essence blood before drawing the vampiric blade out with a shake of his hands. Afterward, he walked toward the other party. Throw all your weapons to the ground or Ill send you off to accompany the two arachne, Qianye said coldly. The Bai clan warriors glanced at one another, but the origin guns were still grasped firmly in their hands, their muzzles aimed at Qianye. Qianye laughed coldly as he flicked a finger. An air bullet shot out with a thunderous explosion and pierced through the head of the strongest warrior. That persons face was full of astonishment as he fell backward. The others were both shocked and furious. One of them shouted, You dare kill our Bai clans people His words hadnt even ended when another thunderous blast rang out and a hole appeared on his forehead. He then fell backward just like the person before. The remaining two were shocked out of their wits. They quickly threw down their origin guns and began to remove the other pieces of equipment on their body. Qianyes eyes scanned between the two men and asked, Where is Bai Kongzhao? A lanky Bai clan warrior paused his hands and drummed up the courage to speak. How can people like us know Miss Kongzhaos whereabouts? Qianye glanced at his flickering eyes before turning coldly to the other Bai clan warrior. How about you? The other person was just about to speak when he heard a clap of thunder as his companions body toppled over with a bloody hole on the forehead. The warrior momentarily lost his voicethe dagger he was removing slipped out of his hands and fell onto his foot. Qianye said indifferently, I dont have time to listen to lies. Answer the question or die. Its fine if you dont want to say it. I believe youre not the only Bai clan squad in the area. The man replied with a trembling voice, The last time we saw Miss Kongzhao was three days ago. She usually appears only when theres a battle. We really dont know where she normally goes! Qianye narrowed his eyes and continued, How did you fall into such a state? I dont know what happened, but Miss Kongzhao stopped appearing for several days straight. Our group grew smaller and smaller as we fought on, this place The man swallowed hard and glanced nervously at the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan insignia on Qianyes shoulder. We didnt have enough supplies since this isnt our war zone. In the end, we suddenly encountered a powerful arachne squad and were scattered. Now, only these few people remain from our group. Qianye said, Bring out your war map and mark out all the places where Bai Kongzhao has appeared in the recent month. The man crouched down and fished out a war map from the tactical backpack he had thrown down earlier. His hand was shaking slightly as he duly marked out the time and places. Apparently, both Bai Konghzao and the clan were a great pressure to him. However, with death so close at hand, he finally chose to provide the information obediently. Qianye took the map and asked him quite a few details to confirm that he wasnt lying. Finally, he said, You can leave now. You better not let me find you in the Zhao clan war zone if you want to live a while longer. The man left in a hurry, while Qianye continued observing the map in his hands. A cold killing intent emerged in the depths of his eyes as the areas where Bai Kongzhao had appeared before were slowly outlined in his mind. He crushed the map into shreds with a twist of his fingers, locked onto a certain direction, and soon vanished into the woods. Qianye ran hundreds of kilometers in one day and night, experiencing several battles, big and small, along the way. Most of them were related to the dark races, and only once did he encounter two human squads fighting one another. The Zhao clan wasnt among them, however. In all of these battles, Qianye had always intervened with great force and killed his way into the battle with a peerless momentum. He would immediately kill off the strongest dark race member, then he would finish off all the dark race members before turning back to subdue the human squad. When he encountered the two human squads locked in a civil confrontation, Qianye beat up the two leaders black and blue before proceeding to question them. What he primarily sought was Bai Kongzhaos whereabouts and the situation between the Zhao clan and other combat squads. However, the news he obtained all seemed to indicate that the last time Bai Kongzhao had appeared was three days ago. The fights she had taken part in included battles against the dark races, the Zhao clan, and even some third parties. Regardless of who her enemies were, they would end up completely wiped out. She had no habit of leaving survivors. Qianye had traveled hundreds of kilometers and passed through a small part of the Zhao clans northwestern war zone, but he still hadnt managed to track down Bai Kongzhaos whereabouts. The information he obtained was shockingly uniformshe seemed to have vanished into thin air three days ago and had never appeared since. Qianye halted his steps as the sky lightened up once more, his brows locked in a frown. An inexplicable notion welled up in his heart. His intuition told him that Bai Kongzhao mustve sensed his arrival and had thus hidden herself. She might have even gone far away by now. As for how Bai Kongzhao had discovered his return to the Iron Curtain, that was a mystery. Perhaps this was a result of her communication with the will of the Iron Curtain, or perhaps it was by some kind of instinct. There were many inconceivable aspects about this demonic little girl. Her combat capabilities and instincts were unimaginably sharp. During their past battles, Qianye clearly held the upper hand in terms of combat strength but always found it difficult to suppress her. She had always managed to slip away with all kinds of outrageous ticks. Since it was possible that Bai Kongzhao had already left this war zone, Qianye decided not to spend time looking for her and, instead, turned around to hunt the other family units in the war zone. He fought across the region, expelling two aristocratic combat squads, destroying one each of the Bai and Nangong clan units, and rescuing a Zhao clan squad that had fallen into a perilous situation. In the series of major battles, none of the combat units from the various families had the ability to fight back against Qianye. Those who resisted or refused to disarm were all killed without mercy. Qianye instructed the surviving Zhao clan warriors to escort the captives back to the forward base. As for whether the Zhao clan would kill them or demand ransom, that wasnt something Qianye was concerned about. The Iron Curtain became unstable during this period, and the overall battle situation had also reached a white-hot phase. On both the dark races side and the empires, the only ones left on the battlefield at this moment were elites refined through blood and flames. As such, the battles became extremely cruel, and every victory was won with a bloody price. Qianye and Zhao Jundu both operated on their own amidst the tangled and complicated circumstances. The trajectories of their movement werent always limited to the Zhao clan war zone. They would frequently kill their way beyond the borders, even penetrating deep into the Dark Nation or other war zones. However, they actually never encountered one another. Their fearless rampage under the Iron Curtain was akin to dropping two big rocks into the pool. Numerous ripples spread out in all directions and soon affected the vast battlefield. On a certain mountaintop, Zhao Jundu was sitting alone on a rock with Blue Firmament in his arms. His battle armor had been torn in many places, but the warrior attire inside remained undamaged, stained only by traces of gunpowder. His sitting position was solemn, and his back was as straight as a javelin. His handsome face was suffused with a frosty expression as he gazed silently at the boundless wilderness beneath his feet. A fair and alluring figure appeared from the distant valley. Zhao Jundu broke into a frown but stood where he was without any movement. Twilights shadow approached rapidly like a wisp of smoke and was soon standing on the mountaintop. She didnt mind Zhao Jundus visible annoyance at all. She walked over to him on her own and said with a smile, Ive discovered the Zhang clan operating on the other end of the battlefield. Ill send people to harvest them very soon. In return, I want you to kill the powerful vampire operating in area c13. Zhao Jundu said coldly, I really dont want to see you. Twilight laughed enticingly, This kind of transaction isnt bad at all. I do not make deals with the dark races! Zhao Jundu interrupted her. Twilights smile grew even more joyous. Weve already cooperated before, and that counts as a deal! Many aristocratic families from your human race are secretly making such deals. If you dont work with me, wont you be facing enemies on both sides? Zhao Fourth Young Noble, even though youre noble and brave, youll only be able to keep yourself safe under these circumstances. You probably cant help others, right? Oh right, I saw Qianye twice recently. Zhao Jundu remained silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, I absolutely will not be threatened. This isnt a threat. Im just telling you what you gained from me, and one must always repay for what he has gained. The deal between us doesnt hurt our interests, nor does it affect the bigger picture, right? Twilight explained patiently. The bloody battle goes on, and we are still killing our enemies. It could even be said that the number of enemies who died in our hands is greater than that of our opponents. The only thing we need to do during this war is to snatch some profit from the hands of our adversaries and put them into our pockets. Zhao Jundu stood up slowly. What you say seems to be very reasonable, but I have my own principles. Our contact will end here. There will be a fight the next time we meet! There was a certain chill to Twilights demeanor, but her smile possessed a bewitching allure. I truly admire Zhao Fourth Young Nobles resolution. But Im afraid you still dont know that I happen to know Qianyes most recent route of activity. Zhao Jundu stared at Twilight for a while with a deep violet in his eyes. He then said with a difficult sigh, Qianye has to grow on his own. I cant protect him forever. Moreover, you might not be able to kill him either under the Iron Curtain. What if I add a condition to look after him occasionally? Now that I think about it, Qianye really is a beautiful boy. His temperament is also quite similar to Fourth Young Noble! Twilight smiled. Perception was her forte, and she could often see through even the most subtle changes in the human heart. Her voice grew extremely soft as though she were a witch chanting a hypnotizing spell. Fourth Young Master, you wavered just now! Chapter 474: The Human Hear t [V6C4 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Regaining something after losing it, then losing it againwhat kind of feeling would that be? Zhao Jundu suddenly raised his head, his hesitation completely gone. At the moment, his expression was clear and sharp. He said word by word, I refuse to be threatened! If you dare touch Qianye, I will chase you down and kill you along with your clan even if you hide on Twilight Continent for the rest of your lives. Twilight only laughed. Zhao Fourth Young Noble sure is confident. Zhao Jundu sneered, Youll not be my match in one year. After five years, you wont even be able to escape if you meet me. Twilights smile froze but quickly recovered. Fine, whatever Fourth Young Noble says. My talents may not be as good as yours, but there are people with equal or even greater talents among our sacred-blooded descendants. Ignoring the other clans for now, that vampire in c13 shares my bloodline, and shes a primo. Primo. Zhao Jundus eyes turned sharp for a single moment as he sized Twilight up. Dont look at me. My primogenitor blood runs much thinner than hers. At most, I can be considered a half-primo, Twilight said with a smile. Shes one rank lower than me, but in terms of combat strength, Im not really confident about killing her. You see, this war zone isnt safe even if I look on without doing anything. Zhao Jundu shot Twilight a cold, silent glance before leaving with Blue Firmament on his shoulders. Twilights smile became increasingly resplendent as she watched the figure of his receding back. There wasnt a single trace of displeasure denoting her miscalculation. Twilight didnt have to successfully persuade Zhao Jundu, eitherit was enough to let him know of this news. The human heart was a fickle soil. One needed only to plant a small seed to see it grow into an enormous tree one day. Far in the distance, Qianye had ascended a certain mountain peak and was scanning the valley below with his falcon-sharp eyes. This place lay in the depts of the Bai clan war zone, far away from the Zhao clan. Qianye had encountered two Bai clan squads along the way, both of which he duly routed and destroyed. But contrary to expectations, he had never encountered any true Bai clan experts all this time. He didnt find any traces of Bai Kongzhao, either. Bai clan recently dispatched a rank-eleven champion to intercept him, but Qianye inflicted heavy injuries on the man in just a few moves. There was no way he couldve escaped, but Qianye lost the mood to chase him down after seeing the familiar insignia on his imperial army uniform. Qianyes present location was the last stop on his predetermined route. There was nothing he could do if the Bai clan experts werent appearing even when someone had fought his way deep into their territory. As for Bai Kongzhao, Qianye had actually given up on hunting her down. Trying to assassinate someone with uncanny instincts like her on this vast battlefield was no different from finding a needle in a haystack. Qianye didnt have the slightest intention of hiding his presence as he stood on the battlefield. He wanted his enemies to see him and come knocking on the doorthat way, he could save time trailing them. No one from the Bai clan came, but instead, he saw a familiar figure. Her movements were abnormally agile, almost like a specter. She was only at the border of the woods below the mountain when she emerged, but had reached Qianye in the blink of an eye. Twilight? Qianye recognized her with a single glancethat beautiful, eerie, and powerful vampire lady. Im really happy that you still remember me. Qianye sighed somewhat grudgingly and said, But Im not happy to see you. Why is that? Twilight was apparently quite curious. Her pair of cold, amorous eyes were gleaming brightly. Qianye slowly drew East Peak from his back and said calmly, Because I might not be able to beat you, and I have other things to do. Fighting with you is a big waste of time. We havent met for only a while, but your tone of voice seems to have hardened! Twilight teased, but she didnt come as close to Qianye as she did when they had first met. This actually proved that, contrary to her demeanor, she didnt have that strong of a grasp on the situation. Qianye was clearly three entire levels inferior to her. Regardless of the faction, it wasnt easy to make up for such a large gap with tricks or talents. But for some reason, that sword-wielding youth standing before her was like an abyssal pond, an unmoving mountain peakshe could sense great danger from him. Twilight reached out to comb through her hair. This movement caused her chest to bounce a couple of times, inadvertently displaying the assets that were capable of looking down on most of the ladies in the world. Qianyes gaze was on her hands, but the scope of his vision always included her chestit was just that his focus wasnt on the source of the womans allure but, instead, at the location of her blood core. Twilight pursed her plump lips and smiled charmingly without the slightest trace of displeasure. Qianyes obsidian eyes were as clear as ever, but a deep azure emerged in the depths of his pupils. At this moment, Twilights blood core was already in his vision, and he would be able to decide the best moment to take action once she made an abnormal move. Actually, you dont need to be so tense. I told you before that therell be a reward if you grow stronger, and you didnt disappoint me. So much so that even I have no confidence in killing you under the Iron Curtain. Such a man is worth rewarding, so Ive come today bearing a little gift. With that, Twilight reached out and opened up her five slender fingers, revealing a mass of light on her palm. That mass of light outlined the appearance of a young girl, and it was none other than Bai Kongzhao. I heard youre looking for this little fellow, are you not? Where is she? Qianye did nothing to disguise his killing intent. However, he was somewhat shaken at the same time because this mysterious womans ability to gather information was simply too efficient. There was only one explanationthere were people working with her on the human side, and that person was of high status and authority. Otherwise, she wouldnt have gotten this information so quickly and accurately. Shes appeared in area a3. Twilight was referring to the empires war zone division numbers, which only served to reinforce Qianyes guess even further. Zone a3 wasnt too far from this place, but it was quite a ways from the Zhao clan war zone. They were basically in two different directions. Why should I trust you? Twilight said indifferently, You have no choice. You can never find her on your own, can you? Qianye replied honestly, That is true, but this reward seems a bit too odd. Theres no reward without service. Dont tell me youre helping me just because Ive grown stronger. Of course not! We both have our own standpoints in this bloody battle. Its just that our interests align in this single aspect. That little bastard, I think shes called Bai Kongzhao, has already killed a fair number of elites from my clan. Her combat instincts are too strong and will definitely become a source of trouble should she mature. I believe you also understand this very well. Qianye was naturally very clear about Bai Kongzhaos cunning and ruthlessness. His advancement on the martial dao of breaking through everything with force, apart from coincidence and destiny, also had a little bit to do with Bai Kongzhao. If Qianye went all out at this moment, he would be able to exert the great sea vortexs shearing force with every movement, enveloping the area all around him. Bai Kongzhao would have no gap to exploit regardless of how keen her intuitions wereshe would only be able to face him head-on or retreat. Zhao Jundus gun technique True Strike was also the nemesis of people like Bai Kongzhao. But True Strike was an extremely rare and powerful ability, and only a handful of people throughout the empire were able to comprehend this art. Twilight possessed great strength while specializing in speed and concealment. Although she couldnt restrain Bai Kongzhao, just from the suppression of their level-gap, she had no need to fear her, either. However, the three of them were geniuses of the generation from each faction. How could any other young scion be Bai Kongzhaos match? One simply couldnt make a single mistake when fighting against her, otherwise, she would grasp that opportunity to strike back. It was precisely because Qianye had recognized this fact that he had made killing Bai Kongzhao his first priority after returning to the Iron Curtain. He and Bai Kongzhao had formed a vendetta against one another, but she was extremely adept at making use of the circumstances. Both her exploitation of the Nangong family and the massacre of entire enemy squads during the chaos of civil conflict served to prove one factthis person would surely harm the people around them if she wasnt removed early. For instance, Zhao Yuyings combat style would be completely restrained against her. Bai Kongzhao would pose a mortal threat to Qianyes friends and subordinates once she became a champion. Thus, Qianye was ready to jump in even though he knew Twilight might be setting up a trap for him. He felt that no trap would be able to bind him as long as the Iron Curtain remained. This was especially true against the dark races because Qianye possessed a natural bloodline advantage over them in addition to the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance. Qianye pondered for a while before saying, Fine, I believe you this once. A radiant smile blossomed on Twilights countenance as she blew him a kiss. This smile couldve been more direct if you were the same as when we first met. To Qianye, this was no doubt a fairly high praise. This was tantamount to her admitting that she could no longer approach him carelessly. Twilight turned to leave, while Qianye himself headed toward the a3 war zone. But this time, in order to hasten his journey, Qianye no longer charged ahead like before. He activated Bloodline Concealment after his descent and disappeared into the vast forests. Twilight, who was floating through the distant forest, suddenly halted her steps. Qianye had vanished from her perception just now and could no longer be traced. She stood quietly for a momentno one knew what she was pondering. Moments later, she turned and left without making a further attempt to follow Qianye. Scarlet was originally a small human town on the borders of Evernight Continent. Those operating here were mostly scavengers, exiled mercenaries, and adventurers who dreamed of easy money. This little town, needless to say, was extremely run-down. By imperial standards, even the mainland slum houses were much better than this place. The only thing worthy of praise in this settlement was the tall and sturdy stone wall. At least, it was capable of blocking out vicious beasts and dark race cannon fodder. As for formal dark race soldiers, they would never visit such a remote and run-down place. But this presentable wall could only be considered a hindrance in Bai Longjias eyes. That was because the first order he had issued after arriving here was to have it demolished. Scarlets position was close to the frontline and had thus been chosen as the Bai clans third forward base. Every forward base corresponded to a war zone, and this one was being personally overseen by him. With the Bai clans strength, constructing a forward base was naturally an easy matter. A dozen or so airships arrived at Scarlet the day after Bai Longjia chose the town and delivered an entire construction squad along with their large machinery. Before ten days had passed, Scarlet was already looking like a military base model. The airship port had been leveled, and the framework had been completed for the storehouse, barracks, and airship hangars as resources poured in continuously from behind. They were even about to build a mobile kinetic tower to provide the energy requirements of the entire base. Bai Longjia stood still within the command room, staring at the sand table while several staff officers nearby adjusted the indicators according to the latest reports. The sand tables coverage area was the entirety of the bloody battle. Chapter 475: God of Death [V6C5 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Although Bai Longjias talents werent as brilliant as Bai Aotu, it was still a first-class gift. He had also joined the army at a young age and grew up in the Broken-Winged Angels, a talented soldier capable of both charging on the front lines as well as leading troops. He was deeply valued by the Bai clan. Although it wasnt apparent on the surface, the Bai clan had long since made preparations for this bloody battle with Bai Longjia managing military affairs in secret. He focused only on commanding the battles against the dark races, and hardly paid any attention to harassing the other families. At most, he would assign some squads to cooperate with Bai Aotu whenever she sent word. Bai Longjia treated this bloody battle with great importance. The elders in the clan had promised before the battle that should he perform remarkably here, they would fully support him for his advancement in the Broken-Winged Angels. This would allow him to contest the first deputy corps commander position. Barring a major blunder of some sort, the person holding this position was almost certain to be the next corps commander. His present combat strength had already reached official standards. What he lacked were accumulated military contributions and connections. Only by becoming the deputy commander of one of the empires ten greatest elite corps could he be considered to have crossed the threshold to the upper echelons of the of the imperial military. Bai Longjia observed the sand table with a solemn expression. He could see by means of the small flags therein that over twelve Zhao clan squads were in action. This number was far smaller than the Song clans sixty or so squads, but they were greatly superior in terms of individual combat strength. Now that the Iron Curtain was unstable, the situation around this bloody battle could change drastically at a moments notice. Bai Longjia had already decided to put this new war zone into operation with the greatest speed because, in addition to the four units already operating in the area, there were six more squads that had been outfitted and would arrive the next few days. At the same time, there were over ten units undergoing preparations and would be able to join the battlefield not long afterwards. Before long, this new war zone would be populated with over half of the Bai clans army. However, Bai Longjias ambitions didnt stop here. He had borrowed resources from the clan and utilized his connections in the army to expand his combat squads. In the end, they were almost catching up to the Song clan. With the Song clan squads combat strength and the support of the Broken-Winged Angels, Bai Longjia was prepared to kick the Song clan off in the shortest time and occupy the first place on the military contribution rankings. This would serve to prove the Bai clans foundations and his ability to lead troops. Bai Longjia had lofty ambitions akin to a rainbow, but things in this world rarely went as one planned. The latest reports were updated one by one as the staff officer moved the indicators about. Bai Longjia suddenly discovered that out of the three squads he had dispatched to the Zhao clan war zone, one had been routed, and the other had gone completely missing, which meant that it had been wiped out. The only surviving unit was at the border region and still moving outward. Apparently, it was fortunate enough to survive because of its remote location. This was a serious blow to them. Bai Longjias eyes erupted with a bright gleam as he said, Wait a minute, whats going on over there? The affairs in that war zone werent Bai Longjias responsibility, but he knew why these three units had been dispatched across the border. It wasnt to hunt dark races, but instead to restrict and suppress the Zhao clan. Moreover, these three units were the finest the Bai clan had to offer in terms of combat strengthnow, they had been badly damaged, and the actual losses would surely exceed the numbers on paper. In addition to the three Bai clan units, there was also a Zhang clan unit and many others from other aristocratic families. In total, there were over ten units worth of soldiers operating there, almost equal in number to the Zhao clans own troops. The most important part was that they had reportedly reached a mutual understanding with the dark races. The other faction would supposedly attack the Zhao clan in full force while working together with the other armies. Although Bai Longjia was instinctively against working with the dark races, it wasnt within his authority to interfere with these affairs. From what he knew, even Bai Aotu wasnt the true commander there. There was some other person engineering the entire war. But in any case, the three dispatched forces were all elites and descendants of the Bai clan. Now that most of them had been lost, even Bai Longjia felt his heart ache. The staff officer couldnt answer Bai Longjias inquiry because there were no details on the report. The information from that side was like this all alongonly results and no details. Bai Longjia broke into a frown as he recalled a certain matter. What are Zhao Jundus movements? Now, this information was something they had. The staff officer replied, The latest reports state that Zhao Jundu went deep into dark race territory some time ago and only reappeared recently. These are his last known coordinates before he went into the Dark Nation. The staff officer pointed out Zhao Jundus location on the sand table as well as the area from which he entered the Dark Nation. But all of the officers lost their voices after the locations were pointed out. Bai Longjias heart jumped violently. He could see on the sand table that Zhao Jundu had traveled more or less in a straight line. He set out from the Zhao clan war zone and cut straight into the Dark Nation. All units in his path had disappeared, including a Bai clan squad. Zhao Jundu stayed in the Dark Nation for ten days or so, and the report for this period was blank. However, Bai Longjia discovered something abnormal with the situation between the two factions in that area. The vampires in that war zone retreated after Zhao Jundus reappearance? If I remember correctly, the vampires should be the main force in that area, Bai Longjia asked. Yes, the vampires from the twelve ancient clans all disappeared. Some reports say that theyve retreated back to the Dark Nation. The truth was more or less unveiled after piecing the reports together. The dark races would only yield to the strong. It was impossible for them to retreat unless Zhao Jundu had inflicted enough damage on them, or it could even be that they could no longer bear the losses. It was just that this truth made Bai Longjia go silent for a while. He then said with a sigh, Hes a god of death! The atmosphere in the command room became extremely oppressive. Moments later, Bai Longjia broke the silence to continue asking, How about Bai Kongzhao? Where is she operating? The staff office pointed to the sand table and said, The most recent information we received was ten days ago. She appeared in this area to join a battle. Theres no more information on her thereafter. Bai Kongzhaos movements have always been unfathomable, and from time to time, even Bai Aotu couldnt grasp her whereabouts. Bai Longjia had already gotten used to this. Looking at her area of operation, the girl had completely skirted around Zhao Jundus assault path into the Dark Nation. Even Bai Longjia couldnt help but admire her for this. The staff officer continued updating the sand table after the Zhao clan war zone report had been analyzed. Bai Longjias eyes turned austere as he said, Wait a minute, why is there an empty area here? Another blank area had appeared on the sand table from which there were no reports. Moreover, several of their allied combat squads had also vanished completely. Even a dumb person would understand what this meant. An unstoppable expert had likely charged in all the way, sweeping through everything in his wake. All obstacles in his way had been casually eliminated. Bai Longjias expression was heavy as he shouted, Didnt we send General Liu over there? The staff officers didnt dare reply. General Lius name was Liu Xiangyun, a brigadier general from Broken-Winged Angel and Bai Longjias subordinate. Bai Longjia had somewhat abused the authority of his position for this bloody battle and mobilized several subordinates and comrades from Broken-Winged Angel. With both imperial contributions and bountiful Bai clan rewards to earn, these people were naturally quite happy to take part in this battle. Liu Xiangyun had already been gone for several days and shouldve returned long ago. It was at this time that footsteps rang out outside of the war room. A guard rushed in and said hurriedly, General Liu has just returned to camp, and hes badly injured. What? Bring me over to him! Bai Longjia shot up and followed the guard in a hurry. An extremely pale Liu Xiangyun was lying on the bed in the medical department with several doctors working busily around him. But judging from their anxious demeanor, they were somewhat helpless. Bai Longjia became furious after seeing this. Whats going on? Liu Xiangyuns aura was faint, but he was still spirited. Seeing Bai Longjia enter, he said with a slight nod, Dont worry, its nothing majorjust an injured qi vortex. Ill be fine after a couple of months rest. Sigh, weve met a true expert. Fortunately, he didnt want to kill me. Otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to return. Bai Longjia revealed a cold intent as he asked with a cold voice, Who is this person? Liu Xianyun replied, A human. I couldnt last ten moves against him. Even until the end, I was never able to make him draw that heavy sword on his back. Bai Longjia frowned. That powerful? Liu Xiangyun was a rank-eleven champion, but a general of Broken-Winged Angel inevitably possessed superior combat strength surpassing his level. Even Bai Longjias combat strength after his rank-suppression under the Iron Curtain was only one level higher than the formers. Liu Xiangyun laughed wryly, This person uses military combat techniques, but his every punch is backed by world-shaking might. I simply couldnt fend him off. As I see it, no one else under the Iron Curtain might be able to contend against him. After saying these words, Liu Xiangyun grew visibly weaker. Bai Longjia patted the latters hand and said, You rest well now. Describe this persons appearance for me tomorrow. I want to see just what kind of person would be so bold as to hurt people from our Bai clan! Liu Xiangyun hesitated for a moment before saying, I saw the Zhao clans insignia on his body. Bai Longjias frown grew even deeper. Zhao clan? But isnt Zhao Jundu in his own war zone? Liu Xiangyun shook his head. Its not Zhao Jundu. That person had a tactical mask on all the time, but I have a feeling that hes not very old. Bai Longjias expression sank somewhat because this reply was even worse. The Zhao clan had produced yet another unbeatable young expert in addition to Zhao Jundu. After listening to Liu Xiangyuns description, Bai Longjia couldnt help but recall the figure who had, one month ago, wiped out a Bai clan patrol squad near the Trinity River War Zone. Bai Longjias platinum pupils contracted slowly. Then, he said slowly, Old Liu, rest well. Ill take action tomorrow and find this man personally. Liu Xiangyun hesitated for a while before finally saying, General, forgive my frank words. Under the Iron Curtain, you Liu Xiangyuns words were never concluded, but Bai Longjia had already understood his meaning. The two were comrades who knew each other through and through. Apparently, Liu Xiangyun wasnt too optimistic about this trip. It was at this time that another staff officer ran over hurriedly. He approached Bai Longjia and said in a whisper, General, we received some news just now. Weve lost contact with the settlement on Dragonthorn Mountain. Theres also no information on the entire combat unit stationed there. Bai Longjia almost immediately connected the locations of Dragonthorn Mountain and the other missing combat units, forming an almost straight line which passed through the entire war zone and pointed toward zone A3. Bai Longjia calmed down instead after seeing things had developed to this point. The killing intent in his platinum eyes was gradually retracted, and he began pondering with a frown on his face. Liu Xiangyun had been in the army for a long time and naturally knew the significance of Dragonthorn Mountains fall. He forced himself to sit up and said, Longjia, since hes from the Zhao clan, its possible that hell come for revenge. You must make preparations in advance. Chapter 476: Turning the Tables Bai Longjia nodded with a solemn demeanor. Bai Longjia was very clear as to their recent suppression of the Zhao clan, to which he had also expressed a strong objection. But this was a major affair related to both the Zhang and Bai clans. How could there be any leeway for questioning? In truth, Bai Longjias voice had only traveled as far as Bai Aotuit wasnt even conveyed to the elders of the Bai clan. Earlier on, the Zhao clan was indeed caught unprepared and lost a third of their combat squads. Many clan descendants also fell in battle. However, Zhao Jundu had broken through the siege alone at the northwestern war zone and rescued the remaining survivors. This was like a big slap to all the aristocratic families faces. Afterward, Zhao Jundu suddenly left Evernight, and when he returned to the Iron Curtain, he was already a champion whom no one could contend with. This brazen thousand-mile assault and the retreat of the dark race ancient clans proved that no one was his match under the Iron Curtain, whether they were from the empire or Evernight. A single Zhao Jundu had turned the tables around the Zhao clan war zone in less than a month. The elders from every party, including the person who had been orchestrating things behind the curtains, were likely in extreme distress right now. They probably knew not what to do. Meanwhile, Zhao Jundus identity was specialhe was virtually the next clan lord. Even the Zhao clan wouldnt have anything to say if one could beat him fair and square. But if he were murdered in a plot, the enraged Zhao clan would likely retaliate with full force. Moreover, Zhao Jundu had already proven during this ten days in the Dark Nation that traps were useless against him under the Iron Curtain. Under such circumstances, the experts overseeing the bloody battle whose levels exceeded the restriction couldnt move against Zhao Jundu. General Zhao Gongchengwhom the Zhao clan had dispatched after their second regroupwas eyeing everyone from outside the Iron Curtain. The fuse of civil war would be ignited once things went past the bottom line. The Zhao clan was a magnificent clan with flourishing military might. It would be an absolute disaster if they were to ignore all consequences and start murdering the younger generation of every family. Should things deteriorate to such a point, even those behind the curtains would be powerless to clean up the mess. Bai Longjia sighed internally as he thought of this. A single Zhao Jundu was already troublesome enough, and now, the Zhao clan had actually produced another genius. Moreover, from Liu Xiangyuns description, this persons combat strength might not be inferior to Zhao Jundu. Bai Longjia calmed down entirely and instructed, Issue my command, all combat squads are to retreat to base. The units planned to set out will standby for further orders. Send out all our scouts to search for traces of that combat squad. I want to see corpses even if they are all dead. Liu Xiangyun sighed in relief as he lay back on the bed. Bai Longjia indeed possessed the manners of a famed general. He was capable of judging the situation and didnt lose his calm for a single moment. His strategy was to contract and consolidate the defensive lines on all fronts, almost giving up on all the strategic points in the war zone. It was a wise move and a necessary oneat least until there was a powerful expert to hold the fort. Facts had proven that spreading their forces was seeking death before this person. But who would come to restrict this emergent expert? Bai Longjias first thought was Bai Aotu, but then he shook his head. Her responsibilities were too great. She not only had to stabilize the situation in all of the Bai clan war zones but also needed to threaten the dark race experts at the same time. Moreover, her combat strength exceeded the limits, and there was a risk of attracting Sky Demons avatar if she were to take action. Bai Longjia wasnt willing to let her take this risk no matter how powerful she was or how accurate her origin power control. This place wasnt the Iron Curtain border. Once Sky Demons avatar had been attracted, she would either die or be heavily injured. But Bai Longjia couldnt think of any other suitable candidate, either. He himself was already past the limit and couldnt control his power as well as Bai Aotu. It was basically impossible for him to make a move. As for the so-called young geniuses from the various major clans, only a handful of those who had passed the limit dared enter the Iron Curtain, and the combat strength of those who had not were easily imaginable. Meanwhile, the Zhang clans attitude was ambiguous and would likely avoid stepping into these muddy waters. Liu Xiangyun saw Bai Longjias dilemma and said after some thought, General, this matter has already surpassed the scope of your abilities. Why dont you report it and let those people worry? After all, this is something they stirred up. Bai Longjia nodded after a moment of silence. Very well. Being forced to defend was a great discomfort to the proud Bai Longjia. But since this person was from the Zhao clan, it was only natural that he would attack the Bai clan combat squads in retaliation. Moreover, Liu Xiangyun had made it very clear that this person had refrained from finishing him off after seeing his Broken-Winged Angel rankthis made Bai Longjia quite rueful. Bai Longjia believed that it definitely wasnt out of fear for the Broken-Winged Angels that this person had let Liu Xiangyun go. He didnt have any suitable countermeasures at the moment, either. He could only observe the reports while contracting his defensive lines. At the same time, he sent people to investigate when the Zhao clan had produced such a young expert. However, all of this meant that he had to forget about earning military contributions for this month. In his distress, Bai Longjia suddenly felt that it was ridiculous. He had always laughed at the dark races for their cruel infighting. But now, how were their actions any different? Bai Longjia couldnt help but let out a stifled sigh at the thought of this. His thoughts were only on killing the dark races. The many things taking place at the moment were actually against his will. There were many other people feeling similarly depressed in recent days, but their ambitions were vastly different from Bai Longjias. At this moment, there were two documents on Nangong Yuanwangs desk. The thinner one was the statistics for military contributions, while the thicker stack was the casualty list. The latter wasnt that thick, but it became quite hefty after adding the battle descriptions and compensations for the remaining family. Nangong Yuanwang was naturally clear that they had lost a third of their current forces in less than a month. This degree of loss had dragged troop morale to its lowest. Some squads were even seen avoiding battles, so much so that one unit that had run into Zhao Jundu immediately surrendered without any resistance. Dealing with Zhao Jundu had already become a big problem for the commanders of the various aristocratic families. The widely-accepted solution was to have experts above the level restriction like Bai Aotu or even Nangong Yuanwang take the field and restrict Zhao Jundu. It was just that Nangong Yuanwang wasnt willing to accept this mission after experiencing Sky Demons attention that one time. Moreover, General Zhao Gongcheng was looking on from the side. As a proud member of the Zhao clan, he simply wouldnt enter the Iron Curtain and was only there to suppress the dark races guardian experts. However, he might not just sit idly by if people at the level of Bai Aotu or Nangong Yuanwang moved openly against the Zhao clan descendants. Even though Nangong Yuanwang was only one step away from the divine champion level, he really didnt want to fight with Zhao Gongcheng outside of the Iron Curtain. On top of all this suffering, there was Qianye. Nangong Yuanwang didnt just have a deep impression of Qianyethe latter was almost like a thorn in the old mans heart. He knew Qianye had returned the moment he glanced at the descriptions in the report. Moreover, he was now a champion. Qianye and Zhao Jundu possessed similar fighting styles. They both liked to act alone and would frequently launch long-distance assaults. They were extremely fierce and tyrannical. Their ruckus aside, the Nangong familys squads were scattered in many areas, and the battle situation was in complete shambles. With the Iron Curtain undergoing changes, the bloody battle might be coming to an end anytime soon. Both factions were already fighting a total war on a smaller scale, and the scale of troops being mobilized was growing larger and larger. Battles for cities and territories were erupting one after another. The empires side evolved from individual hunters to group expeditionsnow, they usually required several squads working together in order to win. How was the Nangong family going to snatch contributions in a battle situation where everyone was fighting for their own? Nangong Yuanwang smashed the table with a loud bang, sending ripples out in all directions which destroyed the greater half of the study. The alarmed guards rushed in to protect him but were met with a furious roar, Scram! As such, everyone scattered like animals, not daring to remain. Nangong Yuanwangs temper was becoming more and more violent in the recent days. He had a history of killing people at every turn, so who would dare stay behind to seek death? Soon, only Nangong Yuanwangs frowning figure remained amidst the rubble. No matter how he pondered, there seemed to be no better idea than to have the rear lines form more squads and replenish their military strength. As for the direction of the new forces... Nangong Yuanwangs gaze wandered around the map and landed on a place further out. He was subconsciously trying to avoid the two murderous stars, Zhao Jundu and Qianye. At this moment, the many of those who had received the latest reports were first shocked then furious before finally becoming helpless and pensive. The soaring casualty numbers had completely surpassed the bottom line they had in mind, but they had no way to deal with it. The culprits for all of this were Qianye and Zhao Jundu. Very soon, Qianyes information had also reached these people along with the enmity he had formed with the Nangong family at Blackflow City. They soon discovered that they had no way to deal with Qianye, eitherjust as they couldnt handle Zhao Jundu. Any force that had moved against the Zhao clan would be completely wiped out the moment they encountered Zhao Jundu. Every appearance of the Blue Firmament would result in an area-of-effect massacre with rarely any survivors. Comparatively, the ones who encountered Qianye fared much betteralthough they were all defeated, those willing to give up resistance were left as captives. The lord of an inferior aristocratic family burst out in rage after reading the report. He crushed the paper into fine powder and said furiously, Two juniors actually dare act so insolently! Do they still have the empire and its laws in their eyes? They actually dare act so brazenly! His roar was like thunder which caused the surrounding aides to fall into fearful silence. The Widefield Liu Family had attached itself to the Bai clan and invested five combat squads. Their rewards were bountiful at firstsome descendants even broke through in battle and their futures looked bright. That was until Zhao Jundu and Qianye charged over across long distances. The Liu family squads didnt know when to retreat and, in the end, four out of their five squads were completely wiped out. It could be considered a great calamity for their family. After roaring for a while, the clan lord instructed, Prepare an airship for Scarlet. Sire Bai Longjia has just garrisoned there. Hell definitely be able to seek justice for us! The aide believed the same and immediately left to handle matters, his movements extremely efficient. Similar scenes were playing out in several places. Many people gradually noticed that the latest military contribution rankings were about to undergo drastic changes. At this moment, Qianye had no idea about the great waves emerging in the rear, and he couldn''t have cared less even if he did. He arrived atop a mountain and gazed into the distance. Beyond this mountain region was zone a3 where Bai Kongzhao was rumored to be operating in. At the same time, a3 was a border region in the bloody battle. It was an area rampant with dark race members who had gained a foothold here. Qianye had yet to go all out in a satisfying massacre since his advancement to the champion rank. The reason he was willing to listen to Twilights report and try his luck here was because he had his eyes on the dark race settlement in this area. He was planning to clear the entire area in passing and try to comprehend his domain powers in a bloody battle. Qianye leaped down from the hill and traversed the woodland with unchanging speed, heading straight toward the northwest. He had traveled for the greater part of the day when his ears suddenly twitched slightly. He heard indistinct wolf howls in the distant mountains. Several dark figures were leaping through the forest and fast approaching. Qianye halted his steps and, with a calm expression, allowed the werewolves to surround him completely. Chapter 477: Oceanic Power [V6C7 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] All of them appeared in werewolf combat form. Each and every one of them possessed powerful auras, and the leader seemed to have experienced the passage of many years. Their most striking characteristic was the line of silver fur running down the center of their backs. For some reason, the purple blood energy along with its ability rune vibrated all of a sudden. This sensation felt as though they were crying out in joy after seeing a feast. Qianye felt himself enter a state of blood boil for the first time in a long while. One of the werewolves sniffed the air. His eyes turned red as he roared, He has the smell of a vampire on him! The other werewolves agreed one by one and emitted continuous howls. Correct! Its indeed that kind of smell! I-Its a bit similar to that woman! Eat him up! The werewolf leader raised his hand to silence the furious howls. He then stared fixedly at Qianye and asked, This is our Silverback Tribes war zone. How dare a stinking vampire enter? Silverback? I heard all of you have been wiped out by Nana. Qianyes words enraged all the werewolves. The leader let out a long howl toward the sky before hacking down on Qianye with his battle-axe. Indistinct fluctuations suddenly appeared around Qianye. All the werewolves felt an invisible pressure fall upon themit was as though a mountain had appeared on their backs. This was true tangible pressure. The werewolf leader stopped mid-swing as he had no choice but to resist the pressure with all his might. He could no longer continue hacking. Since even he was in such a state, it was naturally much worse for the others. All their bones began to creak and groan as they were crushed under the immense pressure. All of them fell limp to the ground one by one, their bodies completely deformed. Qianye drew his vampiric blade and stabbed into the heart of the werewolf in front of him, withdrawing it only after a while. The Silverback werewolf who had been drained of all essence blood fell headfirst onto the ground. The bones in his body snapped continuously as the carcass flattened down in front Qianyes eyes. Qianye slowly withdrew his origin power and shook his head. This was the fledgling form of his domain, but Qianye could only release a boundless suppressive force and had no control over its intensity. Just like how he had accidentally crushed all of the Silverbacks just now. This was a domain derived from the Profound Combatant Formula. The first step was only to force out a boundless deep ocean, yet it had already surpassed the limits of his control. Qianye reckoned that if he truly formed a great maelstrom, the pressure and shearing forces might even tear himself apart. Qianye put away his vampiric blade and pressed onward. Before long, a silver-haired youth with blue eyes appeared before him. This person was fairly tall and well built. His bare upper body accentuated his perfect physique and seemed to be brimming with explosive strength. The young man raised his head and looked down at Qianye from an angle. He then pointed at himself and said, Zarah, one of the ten silver-haired warriors of the tribe. Was it you who killed my tribesmen just now? Seeing this werewolf youth with pride and bravery written all over his face, Qianye didnt know how to respond. Perhaps in a tribe with a long history like the Silverbacks, it was indeed an outstanding achievement for him to reach third-rank viscount at such a young age. He was also quite confident in defeating all those at the same realm. Since Qianye was also a third-rank viscount, it was the way of a true warrior for him to come and challenge the former alone. It was just that pride and valiance would only turn into ignorant stupidity before Qianye. East Peak didnt even leave its sheath as he pointed at the enemy from afar. Vague ocean waves immediately appeared around Zarah. The werewolf felt as though an entire ocean was pressing down upon him, a force so heavy that even the joints in his legs were creaking and groaning. Zarahs body wavered slightly, but he immediately stabilized himself, the hairs on his mane flying in the air. But all of the muscles in his body were tremblingit would seem he had already exerted his full power. But this brave werewolf warrior let out an unyielding roar as the flames of darkness origin power burned brightly on his body. But Qianye wasnt about to give him the opportunity. He arrived before Zarah in just one step and slapped the werewolf on the shoulder with East Peak. The sounds of breaking bones rang out beneath the sword, along with Zharahs loud cries. He could no longer hold onhis knees went weak, and he fell to the ground. With a flip of his hand, Qianye plunged the vampiric blade into his back. Moments later, Qianye withdrew the blade and continued his journey. The once valiant Silverback warriors quickly became dried bones on the battlefield. Qianye crossed over mountain ridges, traversed the woods, and leaped over rivers. He heard something snap beneath his foot as he arrived on a grassland by the woods. Qianye looked down and found that an odd green spider the size of a childs fist had been stomped flat. He halted his advance and glanced over. To his astonishment, countless green spiders had appeared around him at some point. They crawled rapidly through the bushes and swarmed toward Qianye like a tide. Prairie Wolf Spiders! These spiders were extremely aggressive, and their poison was powerful. Some of them were natural inhabitants of the prairie, but most of them had appeared in the form of servspiders. At this moment, there were tens of thousands of Prairie Wolf Spiders on the grassland with more appearing continuously from the forest. Even a high-ranking warrior would be in trouble once he had been bitten. But using wolfspiders to deal with Qianye was a bad idea. With a single thought, an almost invisible wave of blood rippled outward and extended for several dozens meters before diminishing. Meanwhile, all the wolf spiders in its wake were left with their bellies toward the sky and died completely after moving their limbs a couple of times. Qianye walked toward the forest at the end of the grassland. Another ripple of blood flashed out as the next wave of wolf spiders reached him. The Wolf Spiders around him were swept clean yet again. A furious howl came from the forest, Youre a vampire? Then why would you massacre our soldiers? An arachne of tremendous build walked out from the forest. His upper body was in human form, while his lower body was an arachnes. He was even one size larger than Brahms. In his right hand was a giant axe even taller than Qianye, and in his left was an automatic origin gun. One could see his terrifying strength just from those two incomparably large weapons. There were a dozen or so large servspiders beside him, and all of them seemed to be rank seven or eight. Add to that the endless wolf spiders of all sizes, the enemy lineup was already a sizeable force on the bloody battlefield. I am Badenburg. Today, I shall The arachne only managed to speak halfway. Qianye appeared before him with a single leap and smashed down with East Peak. Badenberg instinctively started spraying bullets from his rotating origin machine gun, but the hail of origin bullets all flitted past Qianye. He roared loudly and waved his battle-axe at East Peak as the heavy sword swung down onto him. However, the arachne, along with his battle-axe, was pounded flat amidst a series of snapping sounds. Great ocean waves once again emerged around Qianye, pressing all of the charging servspiders to the ground. Some of the weaker ones were even killed outright. The wolf spiders of varying sizes burst into blobs of meat paste. Qianye walked around with his vampiric blade and stabbed to death all the servspiders hanging on their last breaths. At last, he stabbed the blade into Badenbergs arachnid nucleus. Qianye passed through the forest moments later. He arrived at the valley on the other side and continued traveling along his predetermined path. Qianye was intercepted many times in the days that followedArachne Viscount Ford and Sandton, Lambier and Doug from the ancient vampire clans, and even the young demonkin genius Prince from the famed Jeruson clanall of these names were symbolic of status and power in the Dark Nation. They were even a cause for fear. But now, all of them had turned into military contributions for Qianye. Moreover, they werent able to obstruct his advancement in the slightest. All this time, East Peak never got the chance to leave its sheath completely. Qianye was invincible once his oceanic powers were unleashed. He would occasionally meet a relatively powerful opponent, but they were also turned into meat paste with a smash from East Peak. Several days passed by in this manner. Qianye had already swept through the greater half of zone a3 but never saw any traces of Bai Kongzhao. Presently, there was a vampire castle standing before him. This was the first time Qianye was confronted with a choiceto take a detour or to go straight ahead. The castle seemed abundant in decorations and lacking in defenses. Perhaps they had neglected heavy defenses due to the fact that this area was deep in the Dark Nation hinterlands and the complex geography made it difficult for big armies to arrive. At this moment, there were several long flags hanging on the walls outside the castle, revealing all types of beautiful and complicated decorations as the breeze rustled by. The largest flag hanging at the highest point depicted a violet datura flower in full bloom. This served to announce that this castle was under the control of the Monroe clan, one of the twelve ancient vampire clans. The feudal ranks represented by these flags signified that there were at least hundreds of high-ranking dark race warriors garrisoned in the territory. The surrounding hundreds of kilometers would remain under this castles control as long as it remained standing. This castle also happened to be in Qianyes predetermined route, and he would need to take a long way around to avoid it. Qianye didnt hesitate for very long. He glanced up at the leaden sky before walking straight toward the castle. In the castle conference hall, a handsome vampire youth was sitting atop the throne as he looked down on everyone with an inexplicable arrogance on his countenance. There were several rows of warriors standing in the hall. They were mainly made up of vampires, but the other races combined made up close to half the total headcount. There was no lack of titled experts on the front row, and at least several people whose auras were stronger than the youth on the throne. This vampire youth was a rank-two viscount. Although he wasnt the strongest in the hall, he was incomparably arrogant and showed not the slightest trace of respect for the experts standing below him. This included a first rank viscount from the same Monroe clan. He was roaring furiously at this moment, causing his voice to reverberate throughout the great hall and even leak out into the castle corridors. A bunch of useless people! You have so many men yet you cant even stop a mere human, and so many of ours were killed instead. What will it take for you to finish him off? How many people must we dispatch? Are ten viscounts enough? How about twenty? Do you not feel ashamed to say that you have sacred blood flowing in your veins? Hes a mere rank-ten human, equal to a third rank viscount! You cant even kill a third-rank viscount! And these are sacred-blooded experts? Geniuses? How much prestige does our Monroe clan have left? How much?! His roars echoed incessantly. The youth became more and more agitated, so much so that he pointed at the experts below him and berated them one by one. Among the dark races, rank was only an alternate expression of ones strength. Each and every expert had grown up through cruel fights, and there was no lack of violent characters among them. Many people turned livid at the moment, and the eyes with which they glanced at the youth became suffused with a cruel bloodthirst. However, they gradually retracted their animosity and lowered their heads when their gazes fell on the eye-catching violet datura insignia on the youths formal attire. Chapter 478: Here I Am [V6C8 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] This flower was incomparably beautiful, but this extremely bloodthirsty flower of terror also symbolized statusa power in the face of which there was no room for disobedience. Furthermore, there was an old man with a profound aura standing beside the youths throne. He was only an ordinary count, but he was also a true count of the Monroe clan, unlike the youth who had only returned to the clan because he had awakened his bloodline during his growth process. The vampire youths face became increasingly flushed as he became more and more riled up. Fury and excitement mixed together, reaching the extremes in the blink of an eye. He leapt out of his seat, pointed at the sky, and sent his hysterical voice ringing throughout the castle. Who? Who will take this lowly humans head for me? Who will go and defend the Monroe clans ten thousand years of ancient glory? Go! All of you will go. Find that human! Find him and kill him!!! As if in deep response to his words, the earth began to shake and explosions rumbled in the distance. The entire castle was trembling as dust and stones fell continuously from the ceiling. The change was so sudden that the entire hall was immediately silenced. People glanced at their surroundings in hopes of finding from whence the transformation had arisen. The vampire youths hands were still raised in the air, but his expression became frozeneven his mouth was still open in its previous shape. An inexplicable haze and pressure quietly pervaded the air. The heavy doors at the castle entrance flew off from its tracks and crashed onto the floor. The several warriors pressed under the metallic structure had long since gone silentonly a stream of flowing blood from underneath extended outward. Qianye calmly walked into the castle with East Peak on his shoulders. He then said slowly, Theres no need for that. Im already here. At the same time, cannon fodder from the dark race combat squads charged clamorously into the castle courtyard which was wide enough to accommodate several horse carriages. Meanwhile, those charging down from the castle stairs were the true dark race soldiers. They arrived like a black tide and swarmed toward Qianye in many layers. Far off in the distance, a certain figure was traversing the mountains and rivers like a bolt of tempestuous lightning. It was traveling at an inconceivable speed. Its movements were domineering, with every step of its feet producing a big depression on the ground. However, its movements in the air were extremely smooth and would cover dozens of meters with every stretch of its straight torso. It was almost like a bird gliding through the air. It would cross over any and all obstruction without the slightest bit of hesitation, even bounding over hundred-meter precipices in a single leap. His route was in an absolute straight line, and at the end of it was the castle Qianye had just stepped into. He had just stepped onto a mountaintop when he came to a sudden stop. The transition from extreme action to utter stillness flowed naturally as though the development was what it shouldve been all along. There was an isolated mountain standing before him, and upon it stood a graceful figure. She was shrouded in faint mist, but that didnt affect her charm at allon the contrary, it even added a touch of mystery to her allure. The blonde mans blue eyes were profound as he spoke with a deep voice, Twilight. Twilight responded with a faint smile and called out softly, William. William slowly loosened his collar and laughed protractedly. Are you trying to stop me? Twilight chuckled charmingly as she replied, No, I just want to chat. Williams expression blossomed with a radiant and sincere smile. I don''t talk to old, ugly women. Twilights smile froze momentarily and only returned to its original state after some contortions. Immediately afterward, she made a grabbing gesture in the air and said, But I like plucking the fur off of big dogs! Big dog was a derogatory term the vampires used to call the werewolves, but William wasnt angered. On the contrary, he revealed a pondering expression as he looked up at the Iron Curtain above. Both he and Twilight had surpassed the limits of the Iron Curtain. It would surely be an arduous battle with their powers restricted, and there was no telling when the battle would end. Twilight excelled in speed, so the battle could drag out for an indefinite length of time should she entangle him in a protracted fight. There was a firm resolution in Williams eyes when he looked back at Twilight. Twilight felt somewhat flustered as she forced out the words, William, what are you doing? Dont be impetuous! Step aside! With that, William let out a long howl and raised his power abruptly. He rushed past the restriction boundary and showed no signs of stopping. You! Twilight was shocked out of her wits. She had been operating under the Iron Curtain for a long time. How could she not know Sky Demons terror? Moreover, why would William go so far as to seek mutual destruction even if he knew that she was scheming something? However, William didnt stop at all. His power rushed up to the count-rank and was still climbing! Twilights last hopes of getting through by a fluke had disappeared. Her own strength was inferior to William. She would be badly injured, if not killed outright, should she allow William to open up his full combat strength while hers was kept restricted. A flash of hatred flickered through her eyes as she bit her lower lip and pounced toward William. The distance of a hundred meters was crossed in an instant, and her dagger was already at Williams chest. A simple, unadorned twin pistol had appeared in Williams grasp at some point. The muzzle flickered with brilliance as it blasted twice at Twilight on the brink of this incoming crisis. Twilights hair almost stood on end when the series of profound light patterns emerged at the muzzle! The timbre of the gun was like thunder and not inferior at all to that of a heavy cannon. The mountain peak under Williams feet was filled with cracks as his feet sank into the rocks no less sturdy than metal alloy. This went to show just how powerful those two shots were. Two blobs of green light vanished into the mountaintop where Twilight had been standing before and erupted in an earth-shattering explosion. Rocks, broken trees, and soil flew out in all directions as the entire mountain top was shaved off. However, Twilights figure vanished just as the origin bullet arrived close to her. The next moment, she was already behind William! Her left hand turned into a claw which thrust straight down, drawing five bloody streaks on Williams back. But this degree of injury was nothing to William. He waved his gun backward and shot out a beam of condensed light which turned into a blade radiance as it slashed past Twilights body! Twilights figure was cut through the waist, but it distorted a couple of times before vanishing into wisps of black smoke. Apparently, it was just an illusion. Twilight appeared several dozen meters away and stood in the air, her face somewhat pale. Several strands of hair in front of her forehead had been cut and was slowly floating down. It would seem Williams attack just now hadnt missed entirely and still managed to make her suffer slightly. This all-out attack gave the two a good understanding of the others combat strength. All vampires excelled in speed, but Twilight had pushed this attribute to a brilliant extremeshe was almost able to teleport during the short moment of her eruption. Meanwhile, Twilights domain had the effect of confusing the opponents senses. Together, her abilities were mysterious and unpredictable. However, werewolves werent too far off either in terms of speed. They were proficient in melee battles, so it went without saying that speed was an important link in their strategy. William also specialized in alacrityhe might not be as swift as Twilight for short distance movements, but his strength and physique were far above the vampire lady. The two sides each had their own advantages, and it would be difficult to decide on their relative superiority on the short term unless they used their trump cards. Moreover, Twilight shockingly found that William might already have advanced to the mighty count rank. This would place her in a disadvantage. Just when Twilight was hesitating, the peace in the sky was torn asunder as leaden clouds billowed and the Iron Curtain bubbled about. Sky Demons peerless and frigid intent descended all of a sudden, and a gigantic eye was slowly forming in the sky. Twilights expression changed drastically, but how could she run away so easily with William around? Even she might find it difficult to escape this tribulation once the eye was completely opened. William suddenly let out a long howl and leaped forward. A flash of intense radiance erupted from his body as he transformed midair into a giant wolf. His speed increased abruptly, covering a great distance in the blink of an eye. Sky Demons will swept over Williams giant wolf form, however, it only paused slightly before letting him go and turning toward Twilight! Twilight was dumbfounded. She suddenly came to and recalled how void existences like Sky Demon were exceptionally lenient toward the various beast races, paying little attention to them even if they were evidently past the level restriction. It was just that there were very little native beasts who grew past rank-ten on Evernight Continent. Everyone had overlooked this loophole. Meanwhile, it was rumored that William of the Summit of Peaks possessed an exceptionally powerful bloodline and had awakened an ancient blood never seen in a thousand years. It turned out that Williams combat form was actually an enormous ancient wolf capable of deceiving Sky Demon. For a moment, Twilight couldnt help but become dazed at Williams shamelessness. But how could she have the luxury to be stunned? At the juncture of life and death, a brooch on her chest burst apart, and a drop of translucent ruby-red blood emerged from within. The drop of blood transformed into a bloody mist which enveloped Twilight inside. Immediately afterward, a sinister looking beast appeared therein. This hundred-meter-tall giant beast howled toward the sky and leapt straight at the giant pupil, crashing violently into Sky Demons gaze! The giant beast was blasted apart, and the mass of bloody mist vanished into nothingness. However, it was indeed powerful, so powerful that it actually blocked Sky Demons gaze for a moment. Only when the mist was completely dispersed did Sky Demons gaze continue forward and fall upon Twilights body. The figure left standing in place distorted momentarily before disappearing. Her main body had taken this opportunity to escape, thus avoiding the search by Sky Demons will. It was just that the quality of the blood collected within the brooch was almost at the origin blood level. After transforming into the giant beast, its might was equal to an attack from a mighty marquis. It was a life-saving measure for Twilight and undoubtedly an item of extreme value. It could be said that half of her entire fortune was in this blood brooch. Now, however, she had no choice but to use up her trump card in order to escape. Moments later, Twilights figure appeared in a distant forest and glanced at the giant eye still hanging in the distant sky. Her face was pale, and the terror in her eyes had yet to fade away. A person with senses as sharp as hers would be much more sensitive to Sky Demons suppressive might. The situation just now was a brush with death. Had the sanguineous giant beast failed to block Sky Demons vision, the one turning into nothingness would be her. But Twilight couldnt help but feel the pain after recalling the value of this brooch. She gazed at the direction in which William had run away with the flames of fury burning in her eyes. But there was no way to deal with Williams cheat-like methods under the Iron Curtain since Twilight couldnt use the various restrictive measures in her arsenal. William didnt even need to waste any effort should they meet again. He only needed to attract Sky Demons will and run away in his giant wolf formbut Twilight had no second brooch. Twilight suddenly broke into a frown after calming down. Somethings not right! Why is William here instead of looking after his war zone? Could the Summit of Peaks be up to something? At this moment, William was in the form of a giant wolf. With nothing more to fear, he raised his speed time and time again, turning into a flash of silver lightning which tore through the sky. Back in the castle, Qianye was walking toward the main staircase with East Peak in his grasp. The cannon fodder and dark race warriors swarmed around him, and the guards on the high ground had also come to and were firing continuously. As the many different attacks were just about to approach his body, an enormous oceanic wave emerged beside Qianye to cover the entire castle courtyard. The ground beneath his feet cracked open, and the fissures spread rapidly in every direction. Every dark race warrior in his domain was immediately pressed to the ground, even the werewolves and arachne, with their superior physiques, were no exception. The incoming origin bullets were all deflected and sputtered into the ground around him. Some stray bullets even entered the group of dark race warriors. A kinetic pipeline on the borders of the courtyard was twisted apart by the pressure of the oceanic power. Large amounts of steam were spewed into the courtyard in the blink of an eye, shrouding it in waves of white. The high-temperature steam scalded a fair number of cannon fodder, producing a mixture of miserable cries and the shrill scream of servspiders. The steamy courtyard seemed like an immortal dawn, but the stench of blood within was growing increasingly dense. Qianye walked out calmly, climbed the stairs with brisk steps, and arrived before the magnificent doors. There he paused for a moment before stepping into the castles main hall. The vampire youth stood dazed upon the throne. Disbelief was written all over his face as he watched Qianye walk over calmly. He came to after Qianye entered the great hall, but his first order wasnt to surround and kill. Instead, he asked the elder beside him, Dont we have many soldiers outside? Chapter 479: Destruction [V6C9 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The vampire elder who had worn a calm expression this entire time became fairly seriousit was as though a great enemy was upon them. He replied, Theyre done for. What?! Impossible, we have so many people outside! the vampire youth cried loudly. His fingers were almost twitching as his hand pressed on the gorgeous scabbard and vampiric blade at his waist. Qianye noticed the vampire youth only after he withdrew his gaze from the old count. His eyes paused slightly on the Monroe clan insignia. Are you the leader here? The vampire youth raised his head and said, Correct! Im from the ancient Monroe His words hadnt even ended when Qianye cut him short. Its enough for me to know that youre the leader. Your name means nothing. With that, Qianye grasped East Peak by the handle and drew it slowly. This weaponmade by Old Lu and tempered by the greatest technology from the Song and Zhao clansfinally revealed its splendor once again. The dark race experts in the entire hall were greatly astonished and vigilant. They felt pressure as grave as the mountains and as vast as the seas emerge from this human before them. No one dared obstruct him carelessly because it would surely be earth-shattering no matter where he attacked. But Qianye remained still without any movement, and only his body leaned forward ever so slightly as he threw a horizontal slash at the vampire youth on the throne. The old vampires eyes erupted with a spiritual gleam. Young Master, be careful! He rushed toward the vampire youth and thrust a fine rapier into the air in front of him. There was nothing at first in the rapiers direction, but a barely visible ripple suddenly appeared and headed straight for the throne with unreduced momentum. The old mans attack struck the ripples at the very last moment. An intense bloody light erupted all of a sudden and dyed the hall scarlet! During this short moment, all the dark race experts in the hall felt their spirits trembling as though they had fallen into a sea of blood. By the time the sanguineous radiance had receded from everyones eyes, they saw the old Monroe count flying back to the vampire youths side. But even then, he was unable to stand firm and had to take continuous steps backward. The old mans thin hands trembled continuously as the rapier in his hand crumbled piece by piece like a pile of scrap metal. The vampire youth stood before the throne while staring blankly at Qianye, his hand stretched forward as though he wanted to catch something. His eyes were somewhat in a daze as he muttered, You cant kill me. My youngest sister is the princess His body staggered at this moment and split into two halveshis lower body was still standing in place as the upper half slid onto the floor. The throne made of metal alloy emitted a snapping sound as a cut surface appeared on the tall backrest. Then, it gradually slid to the side and crashed onto the floor with a boom. Qianye shook his hand lightly. East Peaks blade tip trembled with a resonant hum as it was lowered toward the floor. Nirvanic Rend! This Nirvanic Rend from East Peak was backed by the power of a half-crystallized champion. Although it didnt produce any shocking phenomena to draw upon the heaven and earth, it was matchless, concise, and indefensibly sharp. No one beneath the Iron Curtain could block this sword strike. There were over ten titled dark race experts in the castle hall. Among them were numerous viscounts, even two first-rank viscountsone werewolf and one vampire. But Qianye ignored all of them and walked on toward the throne. The Monroe elder pointed a finger at Qianye and shouted sternly, The Young Master is dead! No one will live if we cant kill this person! He cant unleash that attack repeatedly. Charge together! Kill him! The dark race experts in the hall were jolted awake and started to charge over in succession. All kinds of abilities blasted at Qianye in the form of origin beams. Qianye had reached the middle of the hall at this point. A scarlet origin power radiance appeared around him as he held East Peak in both hands and, going down on one knee, thrust it deep into the ground. The scarlet brilliance grew ever more vigorous with specks of golden starlight floating within. They rotated continuously around Qianye and started to expand outward at a rapid pace. It soon filled the greater half of the hall as though a small asteroid belt was descending upon Evernight from the top of the world. Every single attack landing on these golden specks was continuously dispersed. Many stars vanished in this manner, but an even greater amount of them would emerge afterward. Venus Dawn! The Monroe counts expression changed immediately as he saw through the origins of the golden starlight. He raised his trembling hands with great difficulty, drew the dead youths sword, and slashed thrice at Qianye through the air. At the same time, he shouted loudly, Kill him! Anyone who kills him will earn great contributions. Council-grade contributions! A council-grade contribution meant that the Evernight Council would appear to reward this person for his contributions. Hence, the eyes of everyone in the hall became bloodshot after hearing these words. They did their utmost to break through the starry light and Qianye. But they didn''t notice that a blue light had emerged in the depths of Qianyes eyes. He was cold, merciless, and showed not the slightest trace of emotional fluctuation. Countless bloody threads emerged quietly from Qianyes body and filled the entire hall in the blink of an eye. The dark race warriors surrounding him were completely penetrated. Life Plunder! This terrifying ability had appeared once again, but the current sanguineous threads were greatly superior both in terms of number and penetrance. Almost no one in the hall had the ability to resist. Only the first-rank werewolf viscount, with his outstanding strength, managed to cut down the greater half of the threads shooting at him. However, he was still pierced through by several bloody lines and one had even gone through his abdomen. The Monroe count beside the collapsed throne managed to block almost all of the bloody threads except the one piercing through his left arm. The old count let out a loud cry when Qianye retracted the sanguineous threads. His face went deathly pale as his aura immediately deteriorated. He made a prompt decision at that time and escaped by crashing through the wall behind him, running through all the walls and rooms in his wake. He didnt even dare glance back. There was only one person standing after the countless bloody threads returned to Qianyes body. It was the first-rank viscount werewolf. He had already transformed into werewolf combat form, so his face wasnt discernibleonly his large mouth opened and closed a couple of times. It was as though he wanted to say something, but his voice just wouldnt come out. The werewolf began staggering step by step toward the main doors. It looked like he was planning to run away, but his speed was even slower than an ordinary old man. Qianye was still in his kneeling position with the sword in the ground. He remained still and completely ignored the werewolf struggling toward the door. At this moment, the essence blood in his body had reached an unprecedented degree of fullness; it felt as though another drop would cause his body to explode. The blood core was pulsing rapidly, barely able to accommodate the massive amount of essence blood brought in by Life Plunder. At the same time, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was circulating rapidly. The deep dark vortex had already expanded to its limit as it drew in and crushed the incoming essence blood to turn them into drops of darkness origin power. Although Qianyes circulation of two chapters had increased several times after his ascension, devouring massive amounts of essence blood from several viscounts left him with a feeling of indigestion. But he could refine the greater half of it after some rest. With Qianye remaining still at the center of the main hall and the castle doors within arms reach, the werewolf almost seemed to have found a ray of hope. Flames lit up in his eyes and even his steps grew somewhat faster. However, he could no longer hold on just as he was about to force himself over the threshold. He fell head first to the floor and could no longer get up again. Qianye was still motionless. He activated the Mystery Chapter with all his might in order to digest the essence blood continuously. Conquering this castle meant that he had basically penetrated the entire zone a3 and very few dark race warriors would remain in this war zone. Although he still hadnt found Bai Kongzhaos whereabouts, it could be considered an accomplished objective for Qianye. Qianyes body finally moved just as the castle bells tolled nine times. It was already deep into the night when he slowly opened his eyes. A tiny pair of golden wings flickered briefly in the depths of his eyes. A feather had once again condensed upon the Wings of Inception. This also meant that he could now fire yet another Shot of Inception. With it, Qianye no longer needed to fear anyone under the Iron Curtain. His eyes were as deep and blue as the ocean on the eve of a storm. Its luster retracted gradually as he stood up and waved East Peak outward, aiming the blades point diagonally toward the ground in a guarding stance. He then spoke calmly, Show yourself since youve already come. A sigh emerged from outside the castles main doors. It passed through the courtyard and the hall to seemingly ring beside ones ears. The day and night were only different shades of grey under the Iron Curtain, but there was moonlight pouring down onto the courtyard at this moment. It was like a mass of hazy silver light comparable to flowing water. It also resembled a bewildering mist creeping over the tall wall, the broken gate, the blood-stained earth, and the pile of corpses. A tall, heroic-looking blonde youth walked out from the mist and headed straight for the castle hall. The silvery mist resembling moonlight retracted with him as the center and eventually vanished. William passed through the dark race warrior corpses. He would occasionally stop to flip over a number of werewolf corpses and check on them before continuing forward. At the doors to the main hall, William lifted up that werewolf viscount and stared on vacantly. He sighed moments later and said, Viscount Olaf, I remember him as a truly valiant warrior. I never expected to see him hereand in such a manner. Qianye glanced at William. I promised to take care of the werewolves when possible, but I never promised to not retaliate when theyre throwing themselves at me. William looked up with a hint of dejection in his eyes. I know, I only felt that he shouldnt have appeared here. Just a few years ago, Olaf was stubborn to the point of stupidity, but at the very least, he still followed the ancient traditions of the werewolves. That is not to compromise in the face of a generational vendetta. Williams words vaguely revealed some of the dark races secrets. Qianye understood him without the need to explain. The enmity between the werewolves and vampires was no less than their animosity with the humans. Olaf appearing in the Monroe castle to work for the enemy served as indirect proof that the situation around many werewolf tribes wasnt looking very optimistic. Moreover, these werewolves werent natives of the chaotic Evernight Continent but dark race nobles from the upper continents. William stood up after reaching out to close Olafs still-open eyes. He then glanced toward the main hall and said in a meaningful tone, I had originally thought that I might be too late to retrieve your corpse, or perhaps more optimistically, catch you running away with heavy injuries. I would have never imagined the outcome would be like this. Did you finish off all these people? Qianye said calmly, There seems to be no one else here. Williams eyes scanned the great hall and fell upon the collapsed throne on the platform. His brows rose as he pointed at the vampire youths corpse and said, There should at least be a guardian around that notoriously arrogant trash, right? Yes, there was a third-rank count, but he escaped. Williams eyes were no longer as unfathomable as before. His blue-grey eyes almost seemed to be flowing with light as he sized Qianye up from head to toe. You can already defeat a third-rank count? Thats a genuine Monroe count were talking about. Qianye didnt reply and only gazed intently at William. Under his Eye of Truth, Williams origin power tendency was like a mass of burning darkness. Qianye was somewhat shaken because this signified that William was at least three ranks higher than him. But the origin power outside of his body was visible. Qianye noticed that Williams origin power was seeping out of his body, expanding and contracting rhythmically around him. This was a combat-ready state in which he could launch an attack at a moments notice. Chapter 480: For One Battle [V6C10 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] William shrugged after seeing Qianye remain silent. Very well then! Since you were able to kill so many people, its not unimaginable for you to beat a third-rank viscount. But ... Regardless of the reason, you killed Olaf. Williams voice suddenly became cold and gloomy. And I am born of the Summit of Peaks. We must fight now that Ive seen this! Evernight and Daybreak are eternal enemies. Qianye nodded without much surprise. He raised East Peak slowly and said, True, Daybreak and Evernight will always be enemies. Yes, remember these words! Williams aura rose continuously and reached the Iron Curtains limits in the blink of an eye. This was the first time Qianye was confronting William head-on. Although William had released his domain and suppressive might back on the Western Continent to prevent him from running away, but he couldnt feel any excessive danger back then. Only now on the eve of their true battle did Qianye come to appreciate Williams terrifying strength. His vigor while standing there was not much greater than Nangong Zhen or the Monroe count. After all, the power these restricted experts could exert under the Iron Curtain was limited. However, the pressure brought about by William was many times more powerful than the Monroe count, far from a level Nangong Zhen could ever reach, and even Nangong Yuanwang was a tad bit inferior compared to it. Under the Eye of Truth, Qianye could see darkness origin power flowing along Williams body surface with miniature explosions occurring continuously. Apparently, his power would erupt in a terrifying manner the moment he attacked. The darkness origin power in his vision was all muddled even though Qianye knew William might attack at any moment. The latter actually revealed no offensive intent and thus had no openings to grasp. Among all the enemies Qianye had met up until this point, those at Williams standards could be counted on one hand. Perhaps even Twilight was slightly inferior. Qianyes expression was solemn without the slightest hope of getting through this by luck. He respired thrice and circulated all the origin power in his body. His blood core also began to pulse as auric flame blood flowed through his vessels, filling every corner of his body with explosive power. A pair of illusory golden wings unfurled behind him. His Shot of Inception was ready for activation and could launch a fatal blow at a moments notice. Preserving ones strength in the face of a great enemy like William was equal to courting death. Qianye would be easily slaughtered once the shot had missed, but he wouldnt be able to run away either after being defeated by an enemy who was three-ranks higher than him. The moment the Shot of Inception was readied, Williams body shook, and the image of a giant golden wolf glimpsed behind him. However, it was quickly suppressed. In that instant, Williams intuition for danger had almost forced out his innate talent form. Williams strict expression became exceptionally grave, and even his exposed killing intent had been retracted. His pair of blue-grey eyes were filled with serious concentration. From that point onward, he was treating Qianye as a great enemy worthy of respectone that he needed to confront with full force. William drew his old twin-barreled handgun then stretched out his left hand to don a pair of similarly plain bronze-colored gloves. He thus began encircling Qianye with slow steps. Qianye, on the other hand, didnt move at all. East Peak was pointed at the ground without even the slightest vibration, and only a scarlet origin radiance was flowing along the blade like water. One stationary and the other mobilethe two thus confronted one another. The atmosphere in the castle hall grew increasingly oppressive. After a while, this pressure gradually became tangible. The corpses strewn across the place began to move. Many decorative objects were vibrating slightly, while some even became twisted and deformed. The pressure grew more and more intense. The pipelines in the walls burst open with crackling sounds, spewing out large amounts of steam. The entire great hall became a sea of hazy white through which one could hardly see anything. Such high-temperature steam could almost scald a person, but Qianye and William felt nothing as they continued their standoff. A rumble suddenly came through from behind the castle as the kinetic tower gradually collapsed amidst the explosion. The excessive leakage of steam had finally caused the delicate operations of the kinetic tower to go past its tolerance, and the long overloaded parts broke apart one by one. Qianye and William remained just as beforeone stationary and the other mobile. None of them had released their domains up to this point. Qianyes domain power was simply too powerful. He could barely activate it with his current strength, let alone perform exquisite transformations. Using it to deal with an enemy like William might cause the attack to backfire. William, on the other hand, had apparently reached a certain level in controlling his power and didnt need to keep the domain active at all times. It was fine to deploy and expand the domain at the critical juncture. Using it early would just be a waste of energy. Even without releasing their domains, the confrontation between the two was already causing the castle to totter on the verge of collapse. Finally, William halted his steps and slowly raised his gun toward Qianyes chest. The great hall was suddenly filled with green light as two origin bullets shot out at the same time. Boom! A massive rumble engulfed the entire castle or perhaps even the entire mountaintop. The wall on the other side crumbled completely to reveal the machine room behind it. The large-scale transmission machines were absolutely deformed and unrecognizable with various components shooting out in all directions. A corner of the grey sky was revealed amidst the utterly chaotic scene. This centuries-old castle was actually blasted through in one shot. William stood silently at the center of the hall. Both gun barrels were somewhat red, a testament that the two shots had been fired at full power. But the space in front of him was completely emptythe shots had missed. The moment the blast rang out, a rotating origin array appeared below Qianyes feet as he shot into the air. This was the ability Qianye had gained after his ascension to the champion rank: Origin Vault. A sudden gust of wind was transmitted from above Williams head. He looked up only to see a giant pinionwhich two men could wrap their arms aroundflying toward him at high speed. William pulled back instantly and allowed the gear, with its terrifying momentum, to pass by. Qianye had jumped onto the ten-meter-tall steam clock. There he was, grabbing the gears and hurling them out, the pinions screaming sharply as they flew toward William. William had just evaded one when all kinds of parts and gears swarm toward him. He was smashed until he was scuttling up and down in misery. In the end, Qianye pried off the clock arm and shot it out like a javelin! William discovered that he had been pushed into a corner of the hall after stepping back continuously. He would soon fall into a passive position if he kept on drawing back. He had no choice but to raise his gun and blast the clock arm to pieces, but this exhausted the origin bullet he had just condensed. This was the opportunity Qianye had been waiting for. He leapt off and floated down like a falling leaf as East Peak finally slashed at William through the air! This strike was as light as a feather and just as quiet. Williams expression changed drastically. He unleashed an explosive shout as the image of a golden wolf, several meters tall, emerged behind him. At this moment, William could no longer withhold his strength and finally utilized his domain. The faint ripples of Nirvanic Rend emerged in front of William, but its incoming momentum had become much slower like a ripple upon a reef and even began to change directions. The giant wolf suddenly opened its mouth as if to roar, and clawed out to shatter the Nirvanic Rend. The ripples of Nirvanic Rend shattered into countless pieces and shot in every direction. Everything they struck was punched in, be it the walls, pillars, pipelines, steel frames, or even machine components. The entire castle building shook and half of it slowly toppled over. Shattered rocks were flying everywhere all of a sudden. William and Qianye rushed out from amidst the rubble and rose into the air, standing off against one another from the distance. The two sides exchanged blows only for a short moment, but this was enough to destroy half a castle. In the end, they were, quite surprisingly, an even match. William pushed his twin-barreled pistol into his pocket and stretched his neck. I have to admit that this outcome is far beyond my expectations. You still have unused trump cards, dont you? Arent you the same? Qianye didnt deny it. William suddenly retracted his domain and said, It seems thats all we can do under the Iron Curtain. Lets stop here! Not fighting anymore? Qianye was somewhat startled. Williams radiant smile was restored as he said, I told you just now, its just a battle. I didnt say we have to fight to the death. Now I have a good reason for appearing here. I can explain things perfectly! Qianye couldnt help but say, Didnt you say Daybreak and Evernight are eternal enemies? Thats not wrong! War is a matter of two factions. Its indeed related to you and I, but that doesnt apply to every situation. Williams magnanimous laughter almost sounded a bit scoundrelly to Qianye. Qianye glared at him for a while, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He returned East Peak to its sheath and asked, How come youre here? William waved his big hands and said, I heard about a Monroe settlement here, so I ran over to flip it over. Its that simple? Its just that simple, William replied assertively. Didnt you say you were going to seek justice for Viscount Olaf? William said disdainfully, Olaf? This traitor to the Sacred Mountain is actually willing to serve the Monroes. Hes lucky enough that he didnt die in my hands. Qianye frowned. Then why did you say all those things to me? William chuckled mischievously. Would you have fought me seriously if I didnt? My hands started to itch after seeing you finish off everyone in the castle. Heh, heh, heehee! Qianye was angered speechless after hearing this reason. William wasnt lenient at all when he had attacked just now, especially with that twin-barreled pistol. That was a bona fide count level killing weapon, and even Qianyes body wouldve been gravely injured if he were struck by it. He was already very close to using the Shot of Inception and mightve used it if William had pressured him just a bit further. It was just that William hadnt revealed his trump card, and Qianye also felt he might not win even if he had used it. From his unsightly expression, William realized Qianye was quite furious. He scratched his head in an embarrassed manner and said, That umm the fight just now was quite satisfying, wasnt it? Hehe! But that chuckle sounded incomparably stiff. Qianye had no intention of accepting his hehe. He narrowed his eyes, then glanced at East Peak in his hand, sensing the residual power therein. It looked like he really wanted to repeat this entire process. Finding his trick ineffective, William blinked his blue-grey eyes and adopted an honest expression. He then flew toward Qianye and said mysteriously, Didnt you notice something wrong with the Iron Curtain recently? Chapter 481: Invincible [V6C11 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Despite knowing that William was trying to change the subject, Qianyes attention was still drawn. Why? I received news that those old fellows from the Evernight Council already know what Sky Demon is searching for. Theyve just made up their mind to take action and snatch it. This news was so significant that Qianye could hardly believe it for a moment. This should belong to the highest level of council secrets, and William being privy to such information spoke volumes about this counts status in the realm of darkness. However, why would he tell Qianye such important news? Qianye didnt believe that it was merely due to the friendship between them. He frowned and said without mincing words, Why would you give me such important news? Arent you afraid that Ill leak it back to the empire? William chuckled. Weve made a deal before, that you take care of the descendants of Marquis Ross. The present results are much better than Ive expected. You have to know that Ross is only a branch of the Monroe clan, and there were a lot of Monroe main branch members in this castle today. Qianye raised his eyebrows suspiciously. Why is my intuition telling me that your words cant be trusted at all? William seemed as if he had been shot. He waved his hands and looked like he wanted to say something but retracted his exaggerated expression upon seeing Qianyes darkening face. Alright, stop overthinking things. Its only a matter of time before this news is made public, so whats the harm in telling you a bit earlier? Do you think the Evernight Council can keep the empires heavenly monarchs in the dark once they make a move? But its best for minor characters like us to steer clear once those big shots start moving. Otherwise, we wont be able to take it even if its just a shockwave. Ah, right! William suddenly thought of a matter and said solemnly to Qianye, You should leave this region as soon as possible. Theres a dangerous vampire overseer in this area, a woman called Twilight. You should stay as far away from her as possible. If you really need to attack, then dont hold back in the least. Shes an extremely dangerous woman whos killed several of my good brothers. Qianyes heart was jolted. Twilight? Since thats the case, why not kill her? William laughed wryly. How can it be so simple? That woman is extremely crafty and excels in speed. Im not confident in tying her down in the wild even without the Iron Curtains restrictions. Moreover At this point, William hesitated for a moment before continuing in a self-deprecating tone, Moreover, both our identities are special. Once the assassination fails and she escapes, itll lead to an all-out racial war between the vampires and the werewolves. With the werewolves present situation, its best for us to avoid such a war if we can. Even William of the Summit of Peaks was emotionally moved like so. This allowed Qianye to appreciate the werewolves suboptimal circumstances in the Evernight faction. William waved his hands forcefully as if trying to shake away the unhappy thoughts. Enough on that. These things are meaningless. You, on the other hand, have stirred up quite a lot of trouble. This fellows status in the family isnt low at all despite his ineptitude. Ive killed more than one vampire from the twelve clans. Its nothing to add one more, Qianye replied indifferently. William gave it some thought, then nodded. He stopped speaking of this matter and only asked, So what are your plans now? Im going back to rest and resupply, replied Qianye. That was only one reason, however. The information William had given him was of extreme importance. He needed to inform his friends immediately and have them make preparations to face it. Qianye wasnt clear about Sky Demons strength. From Zhao Yuyings initial description, it was like a terrifying existence which surpassed the peak experts of both factions. Now that the Evernight Council was looking to contend with Sky Demon and rob its treasure, it was proof enough that they were confident in stopping the latters main body. At that time, the Iron Curtain would be useless even if it was still there. Without ample preparations, the young geniuses operating under the Iron Curtainlike Zhao Jundu, Song Zining, and himselfwould be in grave danger. William breathed a sigh of relief after discovering that Qianye had no intention to go further in. He glanced at Qianyes tight grip on the sword and said with a whistle, Theres no need to be so tense. Qianye laughed but didnt relax his hand. William didnt mind, either. He only waved at Qianye and walked away. Qianye didnt linger for long. He only cleaned up the battlefield briefly before leaving swiftly. Before long, news of the dark races loss in zone a3 spread throughout the bloody battlefield and astonished both factions. The name Qianye finally rose to the surface and was soon known by the clans and nobility. His long-distance assault had penetrated an entire dark-race controlled region and killed countless powerful enemies, cementing his invincibility under the Iron Curtain. All the major families including the Bai, Song, and Nangong clan treated Qianye with the same strategy as they would Zhao Jundu. They privately instructed their forces not to provoke Qianye and to retreat immediately once they encountered him. At this point, Qianye had already returned to the Zhao clan base and passed the news onto the overseer General Zhao Gongcheng while also catching up on the latest news and exchanging military contributions. His accomplishments hadnt been reflected in the latest military report just yet. Blackflow City, on the other hand, had once again become a hot topic, barring the news about how matchless Zhao Jundu was as he shouldered the entire Zhao clan war zone. Song Zining wasnt willing to be left alone after Qianye headed toward the Zhao clan. After a wave of reorganization and expansion, he led Dark Flame out of Blackflow City and started sweeping through the surrounding areas. Contrary to Zhao Jundus solitary rampage, the Song Seventh Young Master was followed by a large army as he marched into the Dark Nation in a grand manner. Once Dark Flame started moving, the dark races naturally had to respond accordingly. No matter how matchless an expert was, he still had to return after killing his targets. But wherever the human army went, the regions in its wake would change owners. Thus, the dark race side had to continuously dispatch forces to open up a theater of war on the vast lands west of Blackflow City. In the end, Song Zining proved that his victory in Blackflow City wasnt a fluke. His strategies seemed to be guided by the gods as he triumphed in every battle, utterly routing great armies several times bigger than his own. First, it was the native nobles of Evernight, then the higher bigwigs who had come from the distant continents. Even generals of significant originsthose on the same level as Demonkin Viscount Luther who was beheaded outside Blackflow Citytook the field one by one, but were all defeated in Song Zinings hands. Those famed generals were originally quite arrogant and conceited due to their status and were disdainful toward winning by overwhelming numbers, but after being defeated one after another, they had no choice but to admit that ordinary generals like them were far from being a match for Song Zinings leadership. But Song Zining suddenly retreated just as the dark race was mobilizing a great number of soldiers and experts from various places to surround and kill the isolated Dark Flame army. As if he had predicted everything, Song Zining withdrew the Dark Flame army to a strategic location between two mountains and entrenched it there. The dark race scouts on the battlefield actually had no idea how these humans, with their meager speed, had run so far in such a short time. The pursuing dark race army arrived to find Song Zinings army hunkered down in a strategic terrain, throwing them into a difficult dilemma. In the end, they didnt dare attack despite their large numbers and could only retreat unwillingly. With this retreat, the vast land stretching hundreds of kilometers between Blackflow and Song Zining fell in the hands of the empire. Up to this point, Song Zining had led an army over hundreds of kilometers and won thirty battles in one month. He had conquered another territory almost the size of Trinity River County. Such a military contribution immediately shook the empire, so much so that some people believed Song Zining had the potential to become a military god of the generation just like Lin Xitang. His fame for the moment wasnt below that of Zhao Jundu. What Song Zining gained following this campaign werent limited to fame alone; it was also accompanied by extreme profits. He had led a great army to open up a new county and slaughter the dark races by the tens of thousands. This batch of military contributions was far bigger than those of Qianye and Zhao Jundu who had been fighting on their own. It was big enough to bring about a change to the contribution rankings. Should the Song clan obtain such a military god, their weak situation would be overturned, and there would be hope of a resurgence. All information related to Song Zining was immediately dug up by the various major clans. But astonishingly, they found out that Song Zining had long since fallen out with the Song clans elder assembly, and his personal assets had reportedly been frozen. It was no different from being expelled. As such, the Song clan became the empires laughingstock yet again. Qianye was happy for Song Zining after seeing the reports, but he also couldnt help but worry. He immediately wrote a long letter to his friend detailing the Evernight Councils possible movements and advising Song Zining to return to Blackflow. Since they could take down a county this time, they could do it again another time. But once the Iron Curtain opened up, it would be disastrous for Dark Flame without an expert to oversee them. It was unknown just what kind of characters the Evernight Council would dispatch. After all, ten thousand expeditionary army soldiers were only ants before them. After concluding his lengthy correspondence, Qianye replenished his ammunition and supplies before setting out once again on his own. He was planning to clear away the hidden dangers in the Zhao clan war zone as soon as possible and return to Blackflow City. During this trip, Qianye planned to meet Zhao Jundu and take down several major settlements between the Zhao clan war zone and the dark race territory. The dark race combat squads would surely be driven away without the support of these bases. Even if some experts were able to push deeper in, the impact wouldnt be too great. This would stabilize the Zhao clan war zone and also earn them another batch of contributions during the last phases of the bloody battle. Even if the Iron Curtain were to disappear, Qianye and Zhao Jundu could calmly retreat if they worked together. The latest military report detailing Song Zinings accomplishments arrived on imperial lands soon after Qianyes departure. However, not everyone was happy about Song Zinings meteoric rise. The atmosphere throughout the entire Song clan was fairly odd recently. Both young masters and the elders alike refused to talk about affairs related to the bloody battleit was as though the nearly one hundred combat squads the Song clan had invested didnt even exist. The subordinates, however, whispered quietly about certain elders smashing their tables and other young masters venting their anger on the servants. However, there was always an end to deceiving oneself. The empire was shaken once again when the latest military contribution rankings were announced. The Song clan, which had been at the top for a long time, was finally kicked off the throne. Meanwhile, the Zhao clans rank skyrocketed, jumping several positions to take the top spot in one go. This time, the contributions turned in by the Zhao clan were equal to the combination of all the clans ranked second to ninth! The significance of this number was extraordinaryit indicated that the Zhao clan alone represented half the nations power. There were also incidental factors in the rankings shiftfor instance, apart from the Song and Yin clans, the contributions earned by the others had all fallen sharply. This was especially true of the Nangong family, which gained next to nothing. People from the upper echelons were very clear as to the reason behind this drastic decrease. However, an analysis of the Zhao clans contributions showed that the largest sum came from Song Zining, followed by Qianye and Zhao Jundu. Moreover, the combination of points from all the other combat squads couldnt match either one of the three. Song Zinings explanation was that the Zhao clan had offered the highest price. These words caused the attitudes of the various families toward Song Zining to change rapidly, and they began inquiring about the possibility of buying from him. Since even the Zhao clan could buy contributions from him, what was stopping everyone else from doing the same? Chapter 482: Queen of The Nigh t [V6C12 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The various clans also received a delightful piece of information. It would seem that the rich and overbearing Song clan couldnt lower their stance to acquire contributions from Song Ziningthis was just what the other families were hoping for. They didnt want the price to be raised by a clan so destitute that money was the only thing they had left. With so many people seeking to buy contributions, there were naturally people who thought of investing in this future martial god. Some suggested putting their combat squads under Song Zinings command to have them fight alongside Dark Flame and split the contributions according to performance. All kinds of generous conditions were proposed. Song Zinings attitude toward these suggestions was extremely good; he didnt refuse anyone at all. Soon, a dozen or so combat squads had appeared in Blackflow City with more on the way. At this moment, Qianye had already entered the Zhao clan war zone and was making his final pit stop at a transit base. He was immediately relieved after receiving this news. Song Zining had struck two birds in one stone by tying the various aristocratic families to his chariot. His safety levels had been raised significantly, be it against the dark race army in front or the Nangong family at his back. As such, Qianye was finally able to shed his worries as he traced Zhao Jundus route of advancement, stepping onto a new expeditionary path. News considered good to Qianye might not make everyone else happy, and the Far East Wei Clan heir who had been guarding the Everwinter Stronghold alone was one of them. He would fly into a rage every time he received news of Song Zining. Later on, the entire fortress could hear their young master spewing profanities. Damn his grandma, what the hell?! If this general were on Evernight Continent, thered be no room for that sissy to gain so much attention! At the mention of his hated rival, Wei Potian couldnt help but send the table flying with a stomp. The war between the Far East Province and the dark races had been going on for over a year. Even for such a big event like the Iron Curtain, the Wei clan had only dispatched two token units to Evernight. Naturally, the whole empire knew about the battle situation in the Far East Province, and none of the other families moved to disrupt them. Meanwhile, Wei Potian had gone through the baptism of countless battles and broken through to the champion rank. Not only did he rack up military contributions, but he was also promoted to a brigadier general in Broken-Winged Angel. This meant that, after the war in Far East Province, he would have the authority to lead an independent army corps, albeit an ordinary one. Just like that, Wei Potian was tied down with the important duty of defending Everwinter Stronghold while Song Zining was flexing his muscles on Evernight. This was the most important strategic point in the Jade Gate Pass which connected the Far East Province to the dark race territories. After a protracted and evenly matched contest, the dark race army had made no progress at all in the Far East Province. This spring after the ice had melted, the Wei clan started fighting back with the support of the empire. Everwinter Stronghold thus became the most important point on the frontlines for the transfer of soldiers and supplies. Strictly speaking, Wei Potians performance during this period was quite good. The dark race army had besieged the stronghold several times but was ultimately defeated by Wei Potian every time. When the stronghold wall had been blasted open, Wei Potian stood guard at the defect and fended off the alternative attacks from five viscount level experts. Finally, the dark races were forced to retreat with their tails between their legs. Such an accomplishment would be something to write about under normal circumstances, however, the times were special, and all eyes throughout the empire were on the Iron Curtain battles. The bloody battle up to this point had been true to its nameit had turned into a total war with special rules between the two factions, one which affected the hearts of people throughout the empire. Under the Iron Curtain, every military deed would be magnified. Thus, Song Zinings brilliance grew as bright as the midday sun, while the Wei clan heirs meager achievements went unmentioned. It was fine if it were any other person. For instance, the clan young master cared little no matter how dazzling Zhao Jundu was, but it just had to be Song Zining who was enjoying such limelight. Wei Potian recalled the many things of the past and immediately felt that he had fallen behind. Even when drinking together in the future, he wouldnt have the face to force Song Zining to chug until he falls dead! At the thought of this, Wei Potian had the urge to charge out with his army and raid the dark race army a couple of times. However, his Thousand Mountains specialized in defense and was somewhat lacking for breaking through enemy ranks. At this point, General Wei could only sigh while looking at the sky and lament about being unable to do anything. He was inherently barred from roles that would put one in the limelight. Evernight Continent, the deepest parts of the Dark Nation. A withered, slightly-built elder was standing atop a ten-thousand-meter mountain peak. He looked just like an ordinary old man at a glance, and even his clothes were only a bit better than a commoner. However, there were a large number of dark race experts standing behind him. Every one of them possessed a powerful aura, yet they were all wearing respectful expressions. The old man looked into the distance, his gaze traversing thousands of kilometers into the Iron Curtain. Almost the entire Iron Curtain was within his field of vision, and even that forbidden zone at the center was vaguely visible. The old man gazed on silently for an unknown length of time before saying slowly, The time is about right. All the dark race experts behind watched the old man with rapt attention and bated breaths, afraid that they would miss a single small detail. One had to know that the old mans every word, every particular syllable, tone, or even an implicit action would affect the structure of the entire Evernight Council. The old mans words came to an abrupt stop as he seemingly pondered over a difficult decision. Moments later, he raised his left hand and pointed at the sky above. It looks like we need to invite that person over. All of the dark race experts were astonished upon seeing the old mans gesture. The surprise was then followed by deep terror as they lowered their heads in reverence. The old man swept his gaze over them. You may return. Prepare well for the upcoming war. It wont be on a small scale like it is now. The group of experts responded in the affirmative, then rose and flew away in all directions. Only the old man was left alone on the isolated peak, standing off against Sky Demon. In the depths of Twilight Continent, numerous vampires had gathered in a certain valley which was, for the most part, a forbidden ground. The dozen or so vampires at the front row were of varying appearances. Most of them already had grizzled hair, but every other detail from head to toe was dressed to perfection. Even a cufflink would have to be the masterpiece of a famed craftsman and possessed hundreds of years of history in order to be considered worthy. Shockingly, all of these vampires were at the level of vice-duke and above. There were even two grand dukes among them. In an age where most princes were in a long slumber, these grand dukes held the highest level of authority among the vampires. There were different emblems sparkling on their collarsa snake wrapped around a rose, a castle amidst brambles, a crown of flames, a bugle of death, and so onseven out of the Twelve Ancient Clans were actually present. Here, even a virtuous marquis could only stand at the back row. They had to keep their heads slightly lowered at this moment despite controlling vast lands normally. As for the counts, they didnt even have the right to enter this valley. The valley was completely silent except for the sound of the wind. So many vampire major characters had gathered here, but none of them uttered a sound. It was as though they were waiting for something. The silence was finally broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. Two figures appeared at the entrance to the valley and walked in with constant, measured footsteps. The atmosphere in the valley changed suddenly after their appearance. The auras of many vampire bigwigs were suppressed by these two shadows. The space surrounding these figures was slightly distorted, blurring their image and making it impossible to see their appearances clearly. This was due to their excessive strength affecting the stability of the space around them. All the vampires, including the grand dukes, edged back one after the other, clearing a path that led to the very center of the valley. A marquis in the outer rim trembled all of a sudden as he stared at one of the figures and said in a trembling voice, Lightless Monarch! His voice was just a mumble, but it attracted the attention of the figure on the left who paused slightly to glance back at him. Immediately afterward, a deep, magnetic voice echoed in the minds of all the vampires. Ah, Julio. Its you, that little brat. You were but a young baron when we met back then. Youve actually become a mighty marquis now. In order to reward your efforts, Ill give you an opportunity to challenge me three hundred years from now. Many eyes fell upon Juliosome of jealousy, and others of schadenfreudeit was impossible to describe all those expressions one by one. It was at this time that the grand duke from the Perth clan walked out from the crowd to welcome the Lightless Monarch and the other figure who had never revealed his face. Honorable Lightless Monarch and Your Respected Highness, please follow me. The ceremony has been prepared. The Lightless Monarch nodded and headed toward the center of the valley with his companion. In the air therein was a mass of constantly rolling darkness. The grand duke took the lead and jumped into the darkness. The Lightless Monarch and the other mysterious character followed suit and soon vanished. They reappeared in a certain mysterious space the next moment. Here, there was no sky, no earth, only up, down, left, and right. There was only boundless darkness in every direction. The misty darkness floating everywhere in this space was actually darkness energyone so intense that it was almost tangible. Ten-odd chains stretched out from the emptiness and connected to an ancient wooden coffin floating in the air. The chains and coffin were made of the same material. They were covered in wooden patterns that glowed with a metallic luster, accompanied by an aura of the long years. There were ancient, blood-colored runes pulsing intermittently around it. After arriving within this mysterious space, the figures of the Lightless Monarch and the other mysterious person were no longer distorted. The latters true appearance was revealedhe was demonkin taller than the Lightless Monarch by half a head. His two eyes were shut tight, but a slender third eye with pure, golden pupils was open on his forehead. The golden vertical eye was a symbol of Demonkin royaltyhe was just as calm and at ease even beside the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, the primogenitor of the Dracula clan. He was able to stand with him on equal footing with this bigwig from a clan ranked fourth among the Twelve Ancient Vampire Clans. But this member of the demonkin royalty placed his hand on his chest and performed a salutation after arriving below the coffin, an expression of sufficient respect and modesty. O great Queen of the Night. We apologize for disturbing your long slumber. But now, the Evernight Council requires your power. Chapter 483: Return [V6C13 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The demonkin stood still after speaking thus, patiently awaiting a response. Moments later, a boundless suppressive might escaped from the coffin. It was as though an entire world had awoken to look down upon the three lowly life forms below. The grand duke of the Perth clan immediately went down on one knee. The Lightless Monarchs face grew even paler. The two large rings on his index and ring fingers suddenly knocked against one another to produce a light clack. That member of demonkin royalty remained in place and bowed slightly, his vertical eye flowing with shifting brilliance. The space behind his body was somewhat distorted, as though something was raring to charge out. Even his innate totem was about to appearthis went to show that he was using his full strength and not having as easy a time as he seemed. The impact on Medanzo was beyond expectation. He and the Queen of the Night were both born of the same long bloodline, so the effects of her suppressive might upon him were exceptionally profound. What does the council want with me? The queens voice was distant and slightly hoarse, but it was inexplicably pleasant to the ears and almost seemed to resonate with the deepest parts of ones origin power. The demonkin spoke respectfully, Sky Demon has descended upon Evernight Continent once more. The council has confirmed that it is searching for the ancient essence of the void colossus primal chaos. As such, the council has decided to contest with full force. Only you can obstruct Sky Demon and allow us to obtain the primordial essence. That thing is useless to me, but my descendants might need them. I want three parts. The demonkins expression immediately became quite awkward. In the end, he clenched his teeth and said, That wont be a problem! Seeing the demonkin agree in a fairly straightforward manner, the suppressive might within the space lessened a bit. The Queen of the Nights voice rang out once more, My beloved Medanzo, it would seem we havent met for several hundred years. Have you prepared everything needed for my awakening? The Lightless Monarch had completely recovered his calm. He nodded politely and said, Revered Lilith, everything has been prepared. Well done. Moreover, put all these expenses on the councils tab. The demonkins face couldnt help but turn pale after hearing this. But he broke into a rueful smile immediately afterward because he didnt dare say anything against her. The price needed to awaken the Queen of the Night, Lilith, from her long slumber, wasnt just any kind of exorbitant sum. However, this headache was best left for those major characters in the council. After the matter was settled, their vision turned into a blur before they were back in the valley. The chains within the mysterious space started to rattle, and the ancient bindings around the coffin broke apart and fell off one by one. A slender, pale hand with nails as dark as the night stretched out from the boiling bloodit was extremely eye-catching. The part most upsetting to the eyes was that this almost perfect hand was actually missing a pinky. Considering the regenerative abilities of the vampires, such a defect shouldnt have remained. But it was there, there on the body of a great dark monarch who stood at the pinnacle of power. This hand grabbed the borders of the coffin, and an inexplicable woman gradually sat up from the blood. At this very moment, countless vampires from Twilight Continent above to Evernight Continent below felt their hearts throb. On each and every continent, the true powerhouses who stood at the summit of all living beingsbe they from Evernight, Daybreak, or neutral factionsall heard a soft but distant sigh seemingly transmitted over through antiquity. That was Lilith, the Queen of the Night, announcing her return. A small town in the northern part of human-territory. There was still alternating day and night beyond the Iron Curtain, and the afternoon was when sunlight was at its brightest. Lin Xitang was sitting in this study and going over some documents. The sunlight coming in through the long french-window flowed over his shoulders and lit up his dazzling silver hair. Lin Xitang closed the heavy folder and added it to the stack of already-read documents on the left side of his desk. He then proceeded to open the next one; this thick document was the latest battle report. His hand froze all of a sudden as the paper emitted an almost ear-piercing rustle. A person standing on the western balcony turned back in alarm. Lin Xitangs expression as he gazed at the report was calm and emotionless, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. However, from the number of military affairs he had to process each day, one could say that he had been lingering on this page for too long. Zhang Boqian walked over and took that military report directly from Lin Xitangs hands. He browsed through it rapidly and said with an indifferent voice, Song Zining? Not bad, the Fueled Fire Spear didnt fall to the bottom after all. As for the Zhao clan, they are indeed producing heroes in every generation. This Qianye is truly a rare genius to have accomplishments on par with Zhao Jundu despite being born of a secondary residence. Perhaps he will become a pillar of the empire ten years later. Lin Xitang spoke not a single word. He stood up slowly and strolled to the other end of the desk wherein lay a fairly old wooden box. He didnt open the cover and only reached out to touch the firm but crude patterns upon it. It was at this time that their expressions changed slightly. What on Evernight couldve alarmed these two experts of the empire at the same time? Zhang Boqians aura soared abruptly into the skies. Lightning and thunder emerged in the clear skies above the small town, the rumble traveling hundreds of kilometers away. A giant cloud formed out of thin air and pressed down upon the walls, revolving slowly as it enveloped the entire town. Lin Xitangs response was quite bad. His face turned pale and his fingers slipped, almost sweeping the wooden box onto the floor. He staggered back unsteadily and had to grab the table to prevent himself from falling over. Zhang Boqians phoenix eyes flared up with battle intent as he looked up through the long window. His gaze pierced the tall skies and seemed to traverse a million miles toward that certain place in the distance. Frowning, Lin Xitang walked over to the table with brisk steps where he opened up a blank military order. Zhang Boqian held down the brush in his hand and asked coldly, What happened just now? The cloud mass above the town was still rotating; Zhang Boqian still hadnt retracted his aura. Backlash. Lin Xitang knew he couldnt hide it. Zhang Boqian, stirred by the aura emitted by the Queen of the Night, had deployed his domain just now. This happened to help Lin Xitang block out most of the backlash from the Art of Heavens Mystery. Zhang Boqians expression sank. Are you looking to die? You even dare to scry Lilith! Lin Xitang didnt say anything, but he sighed deeply in his heart. He was scrying Song Zining and Qianye just now when the fates were unexpectedly thrown into chaos. Moreover, he wasnt a heavenly monarchaccording to reason, the message announcing the Queen of the Nights return shouldnt have reached him at all. However, Liliths aura had suddenly appeared for some reason, and the two superimposed matters almost caused a backlash. Seeing Lin Xitang remain silent, Zhang Boqian laughed coldly and said, Try not to court death so often, will you? You havent fulfilled your promise to me. You should know what will happen if something goes wrong. Nighteye, who was running swiftly through the northwestern wilderness of the dark race territory, halted her steps and fell to her knees, screaming in pain with her head between her hands. She seemed to hear a sigh, followed by boundless pain which almost split her head apart. Fortunately, the agony left just as suddenly as it had appeared. She gasped fiercely and felt weak all of a sudden. Several vampires who were running along with her were caught unprepared. They rushed out for quite a distance before realizing the change and hurrying back. Your Majesty, whats wrong? Nighteye stood up. Im fine. Lets continue. The vampires here were all viscounts. They could only obey Nighteyes commands and follow her forward with due swiftness. On the other side of the mountain range, far in the distance, a beam of green light surged into the sky. It pierced right through the grey Iron Curtain to stir up layer upon layer of ripples throughout the sky. The vampires were shocked upon seeing this might. Someone cried out involuntarily, Blue Firmament! Its Zhao Jundu! Zhao Jundus fame wasnt limited to the empire. In truth, it was even more resounding among the dark races. Earlier on, there were many dissatisfied young geniuses who had gone to challenge and kill this so-called number one genius of the empire. To the dark race members who worshipped absolute strength, there was no better way to prove themselves. However, none of those who went to challenge Zhao Jundu returned, regardless of who they were. The entire world of darkness was shaken after he successfully launched a long-range assault into the Dark Nation and went back completely fine. After that, no one else dared challenge him again under the Iron Curtain. No one knew who Zhao Jundu was fighting on the other side of the mountain. Nighteye immediately said, Lets go and take a look. A vampire viscount barred Nighteyes path and said hurriedly, Your Majesty! Thats Zhao Jundu over there! Nighteye frowned. So? An older viscount decided to speak indirectly, Your Majesty, I heard that Zhao Jundu is already equal in power to a first-rank viscount of the sacred blood. This persons name rings across the entire human empire and is someone with true ability. Although Your Majesty does not fear him, its not wise to attack him all of a sudden. You are, after all, losing out in terms of origin power rank. Nighteye glanced over in the direction of the battle and said coldly, I dont feel anything unwise about this. Some of the other viscounts were fairly anxious, but they didnt actually dare block Nighteyes way. They could only dissuade her continuously, Your Majesty, you have the potential to surpass the prince-level and is our Monroe clans greatest safeguard. Even if you wish to kill Zhao Jundu, why rush? Wont it be the same two years later? Its fine. I only want to take a look. With that, Nighteyes figure flashed past them and shot straight toward the battlefield. The viscounts were shocked out of their wits and followed along in a hurry. Should something happen to Nighteye, bodyguards like them would be executed without exception. When Nighteye arrived at the summit, she saw two figures locked in an all-out battle in the plains below. In Zhao Jundus right hand was the Blue Firmament, and in his left was the short Blue River Edge. His expression was calm as the eight streams of violet qi flickered in and out of existence around him. Apparently, his domain had reached a level of perfection. A figure was moving so quickly around Zhao Jundu that it couldnt be seen clearlyonly countless afterimages were left behind in various positions. This person was running around Zhao Jundu at lightning speed, the black sword in his hand whistling mournfully as he slashed at Zhao Jundu like a tempestuous rainstorm. The shadow launched dozens if not hundreds of attacks at Zhao Jundu every second. Meanwhile, the latter would only counterattack occasionally with the Blue River Edge or a shot from the Blue Firmament. But every retaliatory strike would force the other party into a miserable situation. Under the Omniscient Seal, only small scattered flashes of red remained of the other persons domain; it couldnt even take form. Moreover, his movements would suddenly slow down whenever the eight streaks of violet appeared. At such moments, the Blue River Edge would always appear before him with the utmost mastery and timing. Moreover, whenever the Blue Firmament rumbled, a vast swathe of green water would pour down and envelope the places where he would reappear, making it impossible for him to evade. Nighteye had immediately figured out that Zhao Jundu had the complete advantage in a battle of domains. He had thrown the opponent into complete disarray, and victory was only a matter of time. At this moment, the Omniscient Seal emerged once again to drag that person down, allowing Nighteye and her followers to clearly see the man fighting against Zhao Jundu. Everyones expression changed, and a viscount whispered, His Excellency Faras? Chapter 484: No Return [V6C14 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Nighteye frowned as her expression immediately turned dark. Faras had always been pressuring Nighteye to partner with him and produce descendants with an even more powerful bloodline. Nighteye had joined the bloody battle in order to escape Faras harassment, but she hadnt expected the latter to be so persistent as to chase after her into the war zone. But why was he suddenly fighting with Zhao Jundu? Zhao Jundu was finding the battle progressively easier as he pressured Faras into a miserable situation. Despite the latters superior speed, it was extremely difficult for him to escape the domains range. Moreover, the Blue Firmament, with its thousand-meter range, would be waiting for him even if he could. It was a big taboo to turn ones back at such an enemy. This was Zhao Jundus true formidable quality. Once he had locked down an enemy, even escaping was a difficult endeavor. Faras was extremely depressed and couldnt help but let out a long frustrated howl. Dammit! I wouldve killed you countless times if not for this Iron Curtain! Zhao Jundus hands flickered with brilliance as the Blue River Edge left yet another wound on the enemy. He replied coldly, You can talk about that after you leave this place alive. Despite being fairly weak, youre still a primo. You wont be allowed to leave this place alive. Faras flew into a rage. His rank was even higher than Twilightan entire two levels above Zhao Jundu. However, he couldnt exert his full power because of the Iron Curtain and was instead being beaten into a wretched state. But he still possessed a count-grade physique and defense, and his movement arts and speed were also top-notch. He had never taken a square blow from the Blue Firmament since the beginning, and all he had received were minor injuries. Zhao Jundu was in no hurry, either. He utilized the Omniscient Seal with superb skill, restricting Farass movements at every critical juncture and continuously adding injuries to his body. An accumulation of light injuries would gradually accumulate into a serious one. Zhao Jundu was clearly whittling away and killing him. If one were to consider Zhao Jundus impression in the hearts of dark race experts as tyrannical, then the current battle was one of incomparable splendor. Faras became more and more astonished as he fought on. He felt his body slowly growing heavier despite its powerful regenerative abilities. Zhao Jundu, dont go too far! Well just have to die together if you force me into a corner and make me attract Sky Demons will. Zhao Jundu sneered, Go ahead and try. Drawing Sky Demons attention will only expedite your death. Faras became more hesitant instead after seeing Zhao Jundus attitude. Up until this point in the bloody battle, it wasnt impossible to deal with Sky Demons will or even his avatar. By virtue of the lessons paid for with the lives of many experts, geniuses from every faction with excessive rank or combat strengthat least all those who dared enter the Iron Curtainwould possess methods to deceive or even resist Sky Demons will. Some people were even confident in preserving their lives under the gaze of Sky Demons will, the only difference being the price they had to pay. For instance, William and Twilight also possessed such methods. Although Faras also possessed a trick to resist Sky Demons will, he was already fairly injured at this moment. There was a good chance that he would be killed by an all-out attack from Zhao Jundu the moment Sky Demons will locked onto him. What then? Zhao Jundu was known as the number one genius in the empire. Since he dared enter the Dark Nation alone under the Iron Curtain, how could he not have methods to protect himself from Sky Demons will? How otherwise would he dare launch such long-range assaults at every turn? Numerous thoughts flashed through Farass heart during that split second, and he quickly lost the courage to draw out Sky Demons will or raise his combat strength. Nighteye observed the entire scene from the distance and couldnt help but curse, Moron! A viscount inquired cautiously, Your Majesty, should we He didnt finish his words. According to reason, with the relationship between Nighteye and Faras, it was inexcusable for them to ignore his lethal plight. Moreover, it wasnt advisable for the Monroe clan to offend the Sperger clan with their present circumstances. But the opponent was, after all, the famous Zhao Jundu. It was up for debate whether this risk was worth taking. Nighteyes creased brows didnt relax. Where is his entourage? With Farass status and temperament, he couldnt have come alone to this region bordering the Zhao clan. Judging from the battle, it didnt look like they were exterminated by Zhao Jundu, either. Could it be that he was hiding a way out? The battle between Zhao Jundu and Faras was extremely intensehow could there be any room for hesitation? The eight streams of violet qi soared into the sky and locked Faras down for a split second. It was during that short moment that Zhao Jundu blasted him with the Blue Firmament. An azure brilliance struck Faras square in the back, producing a big hole therein. Faras shrieked in misery as he was flung onto the distant ground. He was shocked out of his witshe wanted to clamber up but fell back down whenever he tried. He was a vampire count and a primo, yet he could hardly climb back up after taking a full hit from the Blue Firmament. Zhao Jundu wasnt one to leave space for the enemy to catch his breath once he had gone in for the kill. Blue Firmament rose once again and began charging up to deal an additional fatal blow. It was at this time that his heart was suddenly overcome with a feeling of danger. Zhao Jundu immediately abandoned the shot and stepped back. A blazing blood-colored origin bullet flew through the air and brushed right past the tip of Zhao Jundus nose. If he were just a split second late in stepping back, this shot wouldve connected with his head. Zhao Jundu glanced back to see Nighteyes figure gradually appear a thousand meters away and was fast approaching. She was holding an enormous black sniper rifle decorated with dark-golden patterns. Nighteyes movements seemed slow, but every step took her dozens of meters forward. The numerous Monroe viscounts behind her were running with all their might but were left farther and farther behind. After taking several steps forward, the sniper rifle in her hand flashed with a sanguineous light. It was yet another silent shot. Zhao Jundu took one step to the side, effectively evading this shot. However, his expression was fairly serious. He had never been in this situation even when fighting against Faras. If not for Nighteyes shot, he simply wouldnt have sensed her existence. Moreover, the sniper rifle in her hand was clearly extraordinaryits might was tremendous, yet it was completely silent. Such an enemy was extremely dangerous on the battlefield. Zhao Jundu had just taken half a step when his origin power seemed to boil up, and it felt as though something had exploded in his brain. He was assaulted by an excruciating pain! Zhao Jundus vision went dark, and for a split second, all he could see was the pair of blood-red eyes far off in the distance. Eye Ability! The juncture of life or death drew out the abilities he had gained through blood and flames. He didnt panic at all. Violet heavenly flames ignited within his eyes as his origin power was circulated to the extreme. The violet qi around him transitioned into a faint azure hue which momentarily isolated him from Nighteyes gaze and suppressed the boiling origin power in one go. At the same time, he raised Blue River Edge in front of his body. Only a loud sound was heard before the blades splendor was restrained, and the blood-colored bullet landed right upon it. Zhao Jundus entire body shook as he took several steps back, a streak of blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth. He gazed intently at Nighteye and said with a frosty voice, Another primo. Very well, you will stay too! Astonishment flashed across Nighteyes pupils. She hadnt expected the combined attack from her sniper rifle and eye ability to be blocked by Zhao Jundu. Since his fight with Faras, Zhao Jundu hadnt revealed the slightest of openings. His combat techniques were virtually perfect and flawless. Zhao Jundu had just finished speaking when he charged straight at Nighteye, but he didnt forget to fire at Faras along the way. Faras, who had been flung to the ground a while ago, had just caught his breath. He was actually extremely vigilant. He never let down his guard despite seeing Nighteye snipe Zhao Jundu. Now that an origin bullet was flying toward him, he let out a loud cry and rolled away with all his might. Even so, he was struck by the shockwave and, once again, sent flying into the distance. Zhao Jundu sped up abruptly and drew a jade green brilliance through the air with the Blue River Edge. A crescent-shaped radiance flew straight toward Nighteye! The latter made no attempt to evade. She tossed the sniper rifle to one side and drew her bladeat the same time, Zhao Jundus image was reflected within her eyes! Zhao Jundu let out a muffled groan as he arrived before Nighteye with azure qi surging all over his body. The eight streams of azure qi condensed into pillars which descended through the air and locked her in place. Despite being further empowered, the Omniscient seal wasnt able to maintain an advantage. Ferocious beasts formed of blood energy rampaged through the domain, continuously smashing the azure pillars apart. However, the qi would condense anew immediately after being destroyed. The two clashed fiercely for a short moment before pulling apart to confront one another from afar. Up until this point, the viscounts from the Monroe clan hadnt yet arrived at the battlefieldthis went to show just how swift the exchange was. Zhao Jundu slung the Blue Firmament behind him and rubbed a finger along his Blue River Edge. Countless streaks of azure light condensed upon the blade and began expanding. Soon, the weapon transformed into a two-meter sword. The frosty baleful intent upon the formed blade was almost tangible, almost as if it had received the sacrifice of a thousand lives. Zhao Jundu held the sword in both hands and fixed his gaze upon it. When he glanced back at Nighteye, the violet heavenly flames in his eyes had already been extinguished, replaced by emotionless darkness as lightless as the abyss. He said with an indifferent voice, Though both primos, youre too powerful. If I dont kill you today, theres no telling how many humans will die in your hands. Zhao Jundus blade pressed down slowly and pointed at Nighteye from the distance. Origin power surged around his body as his soaring azure qi pierced through the firmament. Even the Iron Curtain had to give way ever so slightly. The momentum of this strike startled the heavens and caused the earth to weep. It was a fatal blow in one strike. In the distance, Faras had just managed to sit up from the ground when he saw Zhao Jundus sword stance. His expression turned even uglier than when he received an injury. He had just realized that Zhao Jundu had beaten him half to death without even deploying his full power. Although the Iron Curtain had played a part in this, the disparity in strength between them was simply too obvious. Nighteye calmed down and gazed fixedly at Zhao Jundu. The latter could clearly see his figure reflected in her eyes, but he couldnt sense the slightest trace of danger. That was true dangera danger even he couldnt sense. This strengthened Zhao Jundus resolution to kill Nighteye, so much so that he could even let the wounded Faras be for now. Zhao Jundus combat skills were perfect and brilliant, however, Nighteyes eye abilities didnt need any openings. Perhaps it could be said that she was able to produce an opening in anyone; it was even more dangerous than powerful divine weapons. If even he came so close to being trapped, how would others fare when they encountered her? As such, Zhao Jundu decided to utilize his secret arts and put all of his power behind a single blow. This sword strike was called No Returnthe stricken shall live, while the remainder shall fall. Chapter 485: Gathering [V6C15 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The Monroe viscounts finally arrived at this point, but they stopped several dozen meters away and didnt dare come closer. From this distance, they could already feel the suppressive might of Nighteye and Zhao Jundus domains rushing at their faces like sharp blades. They wouldve been torn to shreds if they had taken another step forward. Faras finally found an opportunity. He quietly clambered up, produced a crystal bottle from his pocket, and poured the single drop of blood within into his mouth. His face was immediately flushed red as if it were burning, but his blood energy recovered by half in an instant. However, Faras didnt join the battle immediately. He cautiously approached the twos domains and formed a pincer formation in relation to Nighteyes position. There he stopped and glared fixedly at Zhao Jundu, his expression livid. Zhao Jundu and Nighteye were still confronting one another, and neither of the two gave him the time of day. Faras wasnt a useless person, but his luck was just too bad to have encountered Zhao Jundu. At this moment, he had already realized that Zhao Jundus potential sword strike was an indefensible killing move. But such a powerful attack had to come with a price. The very moment he swung his blade, an exploitable opportunity would surely appear in that perfect, gapless stance. If Faras were to join the battle at that point, there was a good chance he could cut down Zhao Jundu on the spot. Personally killing the Qin Empires number one genius! Such an achievement truly caused one to drool. However, all things would, after all, come with a price, and behind this alluring benefit lay great risk. It was fine if Zhao Jundus slash went for Nighteye, but if it were to land on Faras, he would be slaughtered on the spot. No one would be able to save him. It was during this subtle moment that a chuckle was heard, and Twilight appeared like a wisp of smoke. She glanced at the scene before her figure drifted toward the back to block Zhao Jundus path of retreat, effectively forming an encirclement with Nighteye and Faras. Before Nighteye and Faras could even respond, a sudden change came over Zhao Jundus unmoving azure pillars at the same time that Twilight appeared. Its colors dimmed down abruptly and converged with the grey Iron Curtain as though watercolor blending into the canvas. Twilight''s expression immediately turned gloomyshe had clearly sensed Zhao Jundu splitting off a part of his qi to lock onto her despite the extremely unfavorable situation! This also meant that, although Zhao Jundu was staring at Nighteye, the earth-shattering attack could land on any one of the three. Under such circumstances, Zhao Jundu would fall into grave danger immediately upon launching this attack. However, the target of his attack would have no chance to survive, either. Moreover, with Zhao Jundus combat strength, his counterattacks on the verge of death would surely attract Sky Demons will. At that time, both Twilight and Faras would become easy targets. Twilight had already exhausted her life-saving measure and didnt dare guarantee that she would be lucky enough to escape again. An idea emerged in her mind at which point she suddenly said, Sister Nighteye, you leave first. Your bloodline is much more powerful than ours. You must not fall here! Faras was shaken after hearing this. He gazed deeply at Nighteye with a complicated expression but didnt say anything. Ignoring the purity of Twilights lineage, there was also relative superiority between primos due to the different bloodlines they had awakened. There were five great monarchs among the second generation primogenitors, so it was only natural that Nighteye who inherited the Black Winged Monarchs bloodline was stronger than Faras, the inheritor of Prince Firecrown Samael. Nighteye looked up and shot Twilight and Faras a glance. The two felt their breaths tighten under Nighteyes unfathomably powerful eye abilityanyones heart would leap before her gaze. Zhao Jundu didnt take the opportunity to attack while Nighteye was looking away, and, instead, he began increasing his energy. Did you all think youve got me cornered? The azure qi pillars that had almost merged into the Iron Curtain gradually appeared, and their colors were now even more abstruse. According to reason, Zhao Jundu had long since surpassed Sky Demons limits. However, a patch of the Iron Curtain had been forcibly scattered, and Sky Demons will had yet to appear. Everyone was alarmed and realized they had underestimated Zhao Jundu yet again. Faras suddenly flashed backward and withdrew over a hundred meters away before letting out a shrill whistle. Responses echoed far in the distance as a dozen or so shadows weaved through the air, arriving on the battlefield in a flash. Merely judging from their speed, it was obvious that these were titled vampire experts. They spread out with a swoosh in response to Farass signal and formed a fan-shaped defensive line, effectively surrounding Zhao Jundu and blocking behind them. Only then did Faras reveal a sinister smile. How high is my status? How could I have risked danger alone without leaving a way out? Twilight cursed inwardly after seeing the situation, but there was nothing she could do. Zhao Jundu had already locked onto her the moment she appeared and showed no signs of slackening regardless of the situation. Faras could retreat, but she didnt dare take even a single step back. Otherwise, Zhao Jundus earth-shattering strike would land on her body. Zhao Jundus momentum had fully formed at this moment. That single slash was undodgeable and indefensiblewherein fell his will, his blade would surely strike. The situation fell into a deadlock. Zhao Jundu was surrounded in an incomparably adverse situation, but no one dared take action in the face of that undischarged killing move. Nighteyes gaze returned to Zhao Jundu once more, her expression as calm as the lake on a windless day. Comparatively, the expressions of Faras and Twilight were fluctuating somewhatit was as though they were calculating something. No one knew how long this stalemate would last, but whoever moved first would be the one to die. Faras was apparently more relaxed. He truly enjoyed the feeling of having the situation under his control, so much so that he lit up an aged cigar before raising his hand to issue the attack order. The deadlock would be broken once Faras men took action. As for how many of these subordinates would die, it was a negligible loss compared to the merits of killing Zhao Jundu. But his hand hadnt even come down when a cough rang out beside everyones ears. A tall figure appeared over the distant horizon. That persons cough had actually crossed such a distance and yet it had struck all the vampires below the viscount-rank like thunder, causing them to tremble uncontrollably. Even the weaker ones among the viscounts turned pale for a split second. This person crossed great distances with every step and arrived on the battlefield in just a couple of strides, stopping a hundred meters away from the ongoing battle. He was a tall, imposing elder dressed in a black imperial military uniform lined with gold. Although advanced in his years, he stood tall and straight, and was filled with a vigorous charmone could easily see that he mustve been a handsome man during his youth. He stood at a distance with his hands behind his back and swept his lightning-sharp gaze over the vampires. There was a cold smile on his face. Possessing the best grasp of military intelligence, Twilights expression shifted immediately. Zhao Gongcheng! How come youre here? The person who had arrived was precisely General Zhao Gongcheng, Zhao clans overseer under the Iron Curtain. He laughed coldly after hearing Twilights words, then said, Why cant this old man be here? Did you think only the vampires are capable? Zhao Gongcheng was a dauntless and seasoned general of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan who enjoyed some fame even in the Dark Nation. Even with the restrictions of the Iron Curtain in place, Twilight wasnt willing to fight him head-on at all. Zhao Gongcheng suddenly turned to gaze at the distance. A protracted whistle soon emerged from that direction, tearing through clouds and stones alike as it came rolling over. This was undoubtedly an open display of its might. The earth trembled slightly as though it were resonating with that roar of incomparable might. Zhao Gongchengs expression turned serious as he snorted and proceeded to walk over to Zhao Jundu. Twilights eyes turned toward Faras and beckoned him. Following a moment of hesitation, the latter ordered several of his subordinates to interfere. He knew none of them could block the old man, but they couldnt let Zhao Jundu and Zhao Gongcheng rendezvous, either. Killing intent emerged in Zhao Gongchengs eyes as that distant howl finally arrived before him. All he saw was Williams flying golden hair and the raging flames of darkness around his body before the soaring murderous intent swept over like a flood. Zhao Gongcheng broke into a frown and crossed dozens of meters in a single backward step to block Williams path. Apparently, he saw William as the greatest enemy. William arrived with torrential momentum and rushed straight into the battlefield without the slightest scruple. Only then did he stop in front of everyone. Great! Ah... Eh?! Williams soaring momentum suddenly froze after seeing the people who were present. His face was full of astonishment, and he couldnt help but scratch his head as he looked left and right. Twilight suddenly cried out, William, those two are important experts of the empire, council-level contributions! Lets work together. You hold back that old man first. Well kill the other one here, and then come over to help you! Williams expression was peculiar as he shot Zhao Jundu a glance. Killing intent emerged on Zhao Gongchengs countenance. You can try. Prepare to move! Twilight shot Faras a meaningful glance. The situation at this moment was extremely complicated, and no one knew what else would happen if they dragged this on. But Faras didnt even see Twilights gesture. He was facing the north and gazing over with an astonished expression. He didnt even notice that the cigar in his mouth had fallen to the ground. The extremes of his vision were still pervaded by the eternal darkness of the Iron Curtain. At this moment, however, the horizon was stained by a faint scarlet with countless golden stars rising up from within. It was like the first light of daybreak connecting the sky to the great earth. Soon afterward, the stars began stretching over toward them. Starlight formed continuously to the front, yet the ones at the back lingered on for a long time. It was like a river of golden stars flowing straight toward the battlefield at a high speed, and it wasnt slower than William at all. Venus Dawn! Faras spat out the name with great difficulty. The river of stars arrived in the blink of an eye, whereupon Qianye stepped out from the boundless starlight to appear before everyone. Qianye was somewhat startled to see so many people actually present on the battlefield. He exchanged a deep gaze with Nighteye as his eyes swept over her. Their glance lasted for but a brief moment before they both looked away. Qianye slowly drew East Peak and shook its edge lightly before walking over to the surrounded Zhao Jundu. Twilight and several of Faras subordinate viscounts were in front of him, but none of these obstructions could enter Qianyes eyes. His footsteps were firm and grave. Every step would produce an origin array beneath his foot, sending a protracted shock through the earth. Twilights brows were locked in a frown as she shot the vampire viscounts beside her a glance. The two third-rank viscounts shot out from each side and engaged Qianye in a pincer formation while shouting, Halt, lowly human! Qianye didnt reply; he didnt even spare them a glance. Only the tides of a great ocean emerged vaguely around him. The two vampire viscounts froze mid-charge as though they had crashed into an invisible wall. Their faces turned purplish, and their expressions, lifeless. Then, their bodies started to bend under the unbearable pressure as their knees fell to the ground. Qianye didnt stop at all amidst the oceanic might and simply passed through the kneeling viscounts toward Twilight. Faint mist started rolling around Twilights body and quickly condensed into a milky white color. For a moment, her figure was about to vanish from its place, but the mist was immediately dispersed after coming into contact with Qianyes ocean tides. This meant that Twilight had been utterly crushed in a battle of domains. She bit her lower lip and cried out, William! Chapter 486: Compelling Migh t [V6C16 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhao Gongcheng and William were standing off against one another on the edge of the battlefield. The latter laughed out loud after hearing those words, Im holding down this old man right now! But hes powerful, really powerful. Once he makes a move, Im cant guarantee that Ill be able to obstruct him. Its quite probable that hell fire a couple of rounds at you people. Everyone had a weird feeling after these words were spoken. Zhao Gongchengs power was unquestionable, but they were under the Iron Curtain, and the two were currently in a deadlock. It was too unreasonable to say that he couldnt obstruct the enemy. He was almost reminding Zhao Gongcheng that he wouldnt fight for real and that the latter could do whatever he wanted. He was almost announcing that he was going to throw this match. But Zhao Gongcheng had experienced hundreds of battles and faced all kinds of schemes. His expression turned even more austere, and he focused his full attention on dealing with William after hearing those words. Merely from the momentum with which William had entered the scene, it was obvious that he was the strongest Evernight expert here. How could he be easily trusted? William naturally sensed the changes in Zhao Gongchengs aura; his expression froze at the unexpected outcome. Apparently frustrated and angry, William revealed a mouthful of cold, snow-white teeth as he snarled at Twilight, How dare you order me? Pureblood of the Monroe clan, remember to observe proper respect before you surpass me in rank. Moreover, you should forget about your little laughable schemes. You should be thinking about how to leave this place alive first! With that, his exaggerated smile was withdrawn, and his greyish-blue eyes were filled with merciless frost. Twilights expression was beyond unsightly. She hadnt expected William to flip out at such a juncture and even threaten her so brazenly. Although William was more powerful than her as an individual, the vampires had always looked down on the werewolves. Meanwhile, Qianye ignored everything happening around him and kept on walking toward Zhao Jundu at a constant speed. Twilights expression transformed several times as she watched Qianye approach step by step. She knew that the odd heavy sword in the latters grasp would descend upon her once those tidal waves enveloped her. And she actually had a strong premonition that she couldnt take this blow even though the other party was only a rank-ten human champion. She herself felt that this premonition was absurdcould it be that the power of Qianyes attack had already caught up to Zhao Jundus? The battle fell once more into a subtle situation. Regardless of their ability to restrain one another, the superior fighting power from both sides still had the ability to incite Sky Demons will. In truth, with so many experts present who were past the restricted rank, a chaotic battle might directly attract Sky Demons avatar. At this moment, however, Twilights greatest fear was William. Earlier on, William had clearly arrived in anger. Twilight had done so many things behind peoples backs that she wasnt sure whether or not she was the target. At present, rather than saying William was restraining Zhao Gongcheng, it would be more accurate to say that the latter was restraining him. The chances of him making a move against the vampires were greater compared to the humans. Qianye finally looked straight at Twilight with a faint trace of ridicule on his face. However, his feet didnt pause in the slightest. The rolling tides arrived before her chest! Twilight clenched her teeth unwillingly before erupting with blood energy, decisively raising it close to the Iron Curtains tolerance threshold as she retreated in a flash. Her figure vanished and reformed hundreds of meters away. Only then did she cry out, Lets leave! Nighteye and Faras pulled back at the same time. Qianye had already arrived beside Zhao Jundu at this point and was standing alongside him as he watched Nighteye, Twilight, and Faras retreat in different directions. The vampires had always enjoyed the advantage of speed, and all three of them specialized further in this attribute. In the blink of an eye, their figures had almost vanished over the horizon. Zhao Jundu retracted his sword radiance and said indifferently, That Twilight is one of the few dark race members who likes to play petty schemes. Its quite a pity that we didnt get to kill her this time. You have to be careful when you meet her in the future. As for the primo from the Monroe clan, her eye abilities are extremely terrifying, but I can see that you need not fear such a skill despite your fledgling domain. Qianye nodded. It was at this time that a small ruby hidden within the nearby grassland burst apart, shooting out a faint strand of blood energy from within. Twilights voice echoed in Qianyes ears once that blood energy emerged. Little Qianye, that fellow is called Faras, and hes intent on becoming Sister Nighteyes man. He came all the way here just to chase after her and might even force her to go back and marry him! Oh right, hes also a primo. Finally, remember that you owe me one! Qianyes expression immediately grew heavy, and killing intent emerged within his eyes. But he glanced about and found nothing out of the ordinary with the other people. This ruby was apparently something Twilight had thrown down before leaving, and it was a mystery what methods she had used to have only Qianye hear that message. It would seem that her domain, despite being fairly weak, had other unfathomable uses. It was just that Faras escaped too quickly. He retreated with all his might once Twilight had made her move, and had even abandoned his subordinates to their fates. Intentionally or otherwise, Twilight had delivered this warning only after everyone had left. Qianye suddenly turned back toward William. At this moment, William was the only dark race member left on the battlefield. However, he was in no rush to leave and didnt pay much attention to Zhao Gongcheng who was eyeing him like prey. He only beamed radiantly at Qianye. Qianye was momentarily speechless as he weighed the still-unsheathed East Peak in his hands. William immediately shot backward after seeing Qianyes movements. Oh my! I came to the wrong place by accident! The three abandoned men glanced at one another, but neither Zhao Jundu nor Zhao Gongcheng seemed to have any intention of chasing after him. This werewolf counts strength was unfathomable. The suppressive might of his combat form alone was far superior to Faras. From this, one could easily tell how impractical it was to try killing him under the Iron Curtain. Moreover, Williams actions since he had appeared were quite weird. After careful thought, it seemed that he wasnt an ally to those vampires at all and might even be enemies. Zhao Jundu glanced at Qianye and asked, You know him? Qianye replied, Ive seen him before. William of the Summit of Peaks, most likely a mighty count. It was apparent that Zhao Jundu knew this name. His expression turned somewhat somber as he said, So its him. I heard William already possesses such strength even before maturity. The imperial militarys assessments state that he may grow up to become the Nana of the werewolf race. Qianye was dazed by this information. Immature? It wasnt quite noticeable on the surface, but his temperament indeed resembled a kid. However, the dark races external appearances were less often related to their age and more often to their strength. Most of them had their lifetime peak-potential decided at birth by the power and purity of their bloodlines. The four major dark races would all go through long childhood, adolescence, and middle ages. Their powers would develop the fastest during childhood, gradually stabilize throughout adolescence and middle age, and then slowly decline thereafter. Demonkin and vampires possessed secret arts to delay their aging process. This was also the reason why the two races had always maintained the top positions on the Evernight side. For instance, the method employed by the vampires was hibernation. Zhao Jundu spoke up at this point and broke Qianyes reverie, Lets go. Qianye pondered for a moment before saying, You guys leave first. Ill catch up soon. Zhao Jundu sensed Qianyes killing intent and immediately understood his intentions. He said with a frown, Are you going after Twilight or the two primos? That primo from the Perth clan. Zhao Gongcheng said at this point, This strategy isnt quite appropriate. That primo doesnt have any powerful abilities, but he still holds the advantage in rank. Neither you nor Jundu can exert your full power under the Iron Curtain, so itll be fairly difficult to kill him. Even Jundu had to start off by agitating him into a head-on battle and use his domain to whittle away at the opponents strength before injuring him. Moreover, Qianye, you havent acquired the Omniscient Seal. This old man feels that your domain can easily injure him but can hardly make him stay. Zhao Gongchengs words were pertinent. Qianye replied with a nod, Many thanks for the generals reminder, but I have a personal feud with him. Since Ive encountered him, then I must teach him a lesson even if I cant kill him. Zhao Gongchengs brows locked into a frown and seemed as though he wanted to further dissuade Qianye. As he saw it, there was a pretty wide gap between Qianye and Faras. Prince Samaels bloodline wasnt as powerful as those of the second-generation primogenitors, but he was still a primogenitor nonethelesshis primo couldnt be overly weak. Since he couldnt be killed, there was no point in giving him such a lesson. Zhao Gongcheng was naturally informed of Qianyes true identity since he was the overseer of the bloody battle. He didnt wish for the latter to take such a risk. Qianye, your talents are superb and will certainly become a supporting pillar of the empire one day. As I see it, this primos temperament is far inferior to you and Zhao Jundu. He wont be a problem in the future. Qianye nodded in response, but Zhao Jundu butted in without waiting for the former to speak, Qianye, go if you want to! Changes are coming to the Iron Curtain. Were already assembling the units and will withdraw in turn within the next few days. Go quickly and return fast! Qianye felt that it was still Zhao Jundu who understood him better. He responded in the affirmative and turned to leave. Zhao Gongcheng was somewhat astonished as he watched Qianyes rapidly accelerating figure. Qianye was using the simplest extreme running method. Despite lacking the astonishing momentum he had exhibited during his appearance, one could see that he wasnt slower than vampires of the same level. This would be reflected in his combat strength and allow him to cancel out the vampires innate speed advantage. Only then did Zhao Gongcheng feel relieved. Eldest Brother said Qianyes potential is excellent and that his future is boundless. It is indeed the case! The eldest brother he was speaking of was the most senior character among the Xuan-character generation, Duke You Zhao Xuanji. [1] Zhao Jundu said calmly, His martial dao is simple, pure, and solely follows his heart. That being the case, we should just let him go if he wants to challenge that primo. I have a feeling that as long as he can catch up, that primo will die in Qianyes hands. Zhao Jundus words were also a form of explanation to Zhao Gongcheng as to why he had interrupted and overruled his suggestion. Zhao Gongcheng actually didnt mind it at all. The two thus left the battlefield soon afterward. Qianye chased after Faras for an entire night and another half a day. Only by noon on the second day did he find a temporary vampire camp with three viscounts within, all were Farass bodyguards from back then. Qianye didnt need to launch a sneak attack against third-rank viscounts like them. An origin array emerged under his foot as he used Origin Vault to traverse a hundred meters and land squarely in their camp. The suppression of his oceanic force froze the three viscounts stiff, then a slap with East Peak knocked them all down. Qianye drew his vampiric blade and poked one of the viscounts in the face. Where is Faras? The viscount was fairly strong-willed. He sneered, Seeking death in Sire Farass hands? Where is Faras? Qianye repeated. Do it. I shant bow to a lowly human! With that, the viscount closed his eyes. Note: About the title, a literal translation would mean Might of no Battle which, I believe, stems from Tsun-Zus art of war where it is stated that The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. The title is probably referring to a might so overwhelming that it subdued all enemies without a fight. [1] Chinese families usually name children of the same generation with a uniform character. Chapter 487: Homecoming [V6C17 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting]** Qianye didnt spend any more time on this. He plunged the vampiric blade into his blood core, withdrew it after a while, and moved onto the next one. That vampire suddenly leapt up from the ground and charged straight toward Qianye. The two vampiric fangs in his mouth looked exceptionally sinister. He made no attempt at defense, opting instead to erupt with full force and bite Qianye even if he had to die. In truth, humans past the champion level couldnt be easily infected or become blood thralls. This vampires final struggle was because he knew he wasnt Qianyes match at all and simply wanted to cause him some trouble with the toxin. Qianye sneered as he threw his fist into the vampires mouth, causing several of the viscounts teeth to fly off with a loud snap. Surprisingly, the two vampiric fangs couldnt pierce Qianyes skin at all and were snapped instead. Having their fangs broken was one of the most painful ordeals a vampire could go through. The vampire screamed at the top of his lungs as he rolled around in agony. Qianye stepped onto him and pushed the vampiric blade gently into his body and blood core. Only a single vampire remained. This one was fairly timid. He didnt even wait for Qianyes interrogation before spilling everything. It turned out that Faras wasnt a piece of meat on the cutting board. As a primo, he had various secret arts at his disposal. Presently, he had abandoned his guards and left on his own after sensing the approach of an inexplicable danger. Qianye had caught up to the three viscounts here because they were the slowest of the lot. Meanwhile, Faras was quite likely thousands of kilometers away, already deep into Dark Nation territory. Qianye had never imagined that the stately primo of an ancient clan would be so cowardly and timid. But according to Zhao Gongcheng, Faras was clearly lacking in combat experience to such an extent that this mighty count was actually trapped by Zhao Junduwho was two ranks below him. He had nearly died under the Iron Curtain on Evernight Continent. But now that Faras had already escaped, Qianye had no other choice than to give up chasing after him. With a flick of his hands, the vampiric blade stabbed into the last vampires core. Y-You said you wouldnt kill me! The vampires eyes went wide as he looked down at the blade in his chest, his fingers clawing at Qianyes hand. However, his body quickly grew limp as his essence blood leaked out. I didnt promise you that, Qianye replied indifferently. Qianye left after collecting proof of contribution from the three viscounts and ran toward human territory. At this moment, in the distant Dark Nation, Faras expression was unsightly as he stared at Nighteye who had appeared in his path. The latter looked coldly at him, imprinting his figure within her eyes. Scram back to your clan and stop pestering me. Otherwise, Ill kill you right now! Faras forced out a smile and said, Without our help, is your Monroe clan going to face the Perth clan alone? The Queen of the Night has awakened, you know. You need not worry about that. Scram! Farass breathing sped up as he roared, Do you think the Monroe clan will protect you? Without the Black Winged Monarch, how are those old fogeys going to disobey the will of the Queen of the Night? They will surely use you as a bargaining chip in order to maintain the clans status. Otherwise, how would I have gotten the chance to propose this marriage? If you dont marry me, are you willing to marry that holy son? Nighteye replied indifferently, I will marry no one. Faras sneered, Thats impossible! You wont be able to maintain your bloodline alone. Thats my business. With that, Nighteye stepped forward and brushed past Farass shoulder. Go, dont let me see you ever again. Faras gazed blankly at Nighteyes receding figure. Suddenly, he shouted out loud, Why?! I was willing to give everything to obtain you, including my family name! I begged His excellency Habsburg for a long time before he agreed to support me because this would very likely lead to opposing the Queen of the Night. Why cant I obtain you even so? Why?! Nighteye was slightly startled. All along, only Faras had expressed his intense desire while the attitudes of the Sperger clan elders were unknown. That was why the Monroe clan still had no idea to this day that Habsburg himself had expressed his consent. This wouldve become a fairly important counterweight. Grand Duke Habsburg was one of the most brilliant geniuses of the Evernight Faction and might advance to the prince-rank within three decades. Moreover, he hadnt even reached middle-age. Such a young prince was rare even in the entirety of the dark races history. However, that wasnt all. Rumor had it that he could advance further, even surpassing the second generation primogenitor, Prince Samael. At that time, the long river of sacred blood would gain yet another Great Monarch. That was the reason why they were confident enough to accept the Black-Winged Monarchs primo. But that was meaningless to Nighteye. She pondered for a moment and said calmly, For either you or anyone else, its too late. Faras was dumbfounded and only came to understand moments later. He roared at the top of his lungs, Who is it? Tell me and I shall kill him! As long as its not the holy son, I will kill him! But Nighteye didnt linger. Her figure sped into the distance and vanished into the boundless night. Faras stood there in a daze. He suddenly recalled how he had no thoughts of taking action from the moment Nighteye appeared up until her departure. It was true that the Iron Curtains limitations were in place and he was also wounded, but it wasnt enough to explain why he had lost the will to fight. The present Nighteye was different from last time. Faras felt that he could no longer see through her although she had only increased one rank during this time to become a second-rank viscount. There was still a large gap between her and a mighty count like him. Faras was puzzled as he gazed in Nighteyes direction, his heart filled with a strong sense of unwillingness. You cant escape. Youll fall into the holy sons hands sooner or later! His cries reverberated throughout the wilderness, but no one knew whether or not Nighteye could hear it. At this moment, Nighteye seemed to have merged into the night as she sped noiselessly through the darkness. There was a faintly discernible figure in the road aheadit was Twilight. She couldnt shake Nighteye off no matter how quickly she ran. On the contrary, the distance between them was slowly growing smaller. Twilight suddenly halted her steps and said while gazing at the fast approaching Nighteye, Sister, youre chasing after me so relentlessly. Could it be that you have no intention of letting me go? Nighteye said coldly, You know very clearly what youve been doing all this time! Twilight broke into an exaggerated laugh, then shrugged as though she were completely innocent. I didnt do anything. I only wanted to see that person, Qianye! He does look quite good and is also quite powerful. Moreover, hes becoming more and more powerful. To be honest, I think I like him too. Im thinking about how to give him the embrace! Do whatever you want. Twilight was startled by the unexpected reply. She chuckled only after a while and said, Since you say so, then Ill go ahead with it. But, what will you do if I succeed? Nighteye replied indifferently, Ill kill you first, then Ill kill him. Twilight broke into a laugh. Kill me? Is that even possible? Nighteye remained silent and only gazed coldly at Twilight. Twilight sensed an inexplicable pressure after laughing for a while. She gradually stopped her guffawing and said with a serious expression, Fine, enough with the nonsense. What do you think of my conditions? Since youve already refused Faras, you shouldnt be dumb enough to refuse me, right? You must know that very few among the sacred-blooded descendants can stand up to the holy sons pressure. Nighteye stared deeply into her eyes and said, I wont agree to Faras offer, and I wont accept yours, either. If you speak of this matter again, dont blame me for being impolite. With that, Nighteye left, leaving Twilight in a daze. After a while, she shouted at the formers receding figure, Dont tell me youre going to follow the holy son? Nighteye didnt bother to reply as she traveled straight into the distance. Her frail and lonesome figure traveled farther and farther away through the nighttime wilderness, gradually vanishing over the distant horizon. Qianye was also running through the wilderness. It had been quite some time since he had encountered anyone. Now that the Zhao clan had withdrawn all of its squads, the dark races and the other aristocratic families had no reason to stay, either. Qianye had always maintained good outdoor combat habits and used his True Sight to scan the surroundings intermittently. However, he found not a single sign of life within a thousand meters of him all along the way. The Iron Curtain had covered the land for quite some time now, and the two factions scope of battle stretched tens of thousands of kilometers. It affected the entire border region between the Dark Nation and human territories, producing large expanses of charred land therein. Apart from well-defended cities like Blackflow, the other scattered settlements had long since been relocated or destroyed. There were also numerous native beasts that had been affected by the Iron Curtain. They frantically attacked everyone they encountered, be it dark race or human. But no matter how much they had mutated, these beasts still werent a match for the experts of the two factions, and they were virtually wiped out during the first month of the bloody battle. Presently, the world under the Iron Curtain had become a desolate silence. The scars of war could be seen everywhere along with sinister white bones and charred, lifeless vegetation. Qianye climbed up from a valley and onto a stretching mountain ridge. A wide panorama opened up before him as he reached the highest point. The land in front of him was the border of the Iron Curtain. The half-grey, half-clear sky was clearly reflected on the great river winding through the plains. The sky beyond the Iron Curtain was so clear that one could see beams of sunlight pouring down from the border and onto the river surface. The waves were clear and crystalline with faint golden specks within, almost like a different world from the dark stillness behind him. A small city stood upon the river bank. It was quite lively with the passage of man, vehicles, and the occasional airship rising overhead. In the distance, one could see groups of buildings resembling scattered villages and towns. However, most of these buildings were different from the ones normally seen on Evernight Continent in that they resembled military barracks. That was the forward base of the aristocratic families. One of the Zhao clans northern war zone forward bases was also located among them. Qianyes brows relaxed as he sped up his footsteps and rushed straight down the hill. The tall grey walls of the city grew clearer within his vision after passing through a small thicket. Qianye suddenly looked up as if he had sensed something and saw a tall straight figure standing up ahead. Zhao Jundu smiled at him and said, Qianye, welcome back! The sharp, spirited countenance of the empires number one young genius was akin to the melting of the early snow and was as radiant as a sparkling glacier. Qianye felt something trickle within his heart. It was his dark but tenacious life. The countless battles, the many life or death situations, the seas of blood, the raging flamesone after the other, he had walked through them, and one after the other, they had faded away. He suddenly felt with unprecedented clarity that the past was indeed in the past. Either pain or joy, regardless of poverty or fortune, whether banal or exhilarating, be it darkness or daybreakeverything belonged to his past. It was unique and unchangeable. Only the future lay in his own hands, uninfluenced by others. Qianye hastened his steps to meet Zhao Jundus open arms, and the two brothers finally embraced each other anew after many years of separation. Chapter 488: Childhood Education [V6C18 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The air was filled with the intense fragrance of wine and roasting meat, the latter originating from the racks fixed above the crackling bonfire. There were people wrestling nearby, and the spectators would occasionally erupt in loud cheers. The coarse and clamorous scene of army celebration was quite similar everywhere. Qianye lay in the luxuriant crown of a large tree with his hands behind his head, gazing at the deep night sky and the Gemini- constellation which had taken up a good chunk of the firmament. After such a long time under the Iron Curtain, even the scarlet moon would feel like an old acquaintance. Zhao Jundus figure suddenly appeared through the branches and sat down beside him. Are you trying to avoid the liquor or are you evading the fights? A little of both, Qianye replied honestly. There was a wisp of helplessness in his expression. He had just realized how famous he was among the Zhao clan combat squads. The Zhao clan was a war-like entity. These valiant private soldiers who had survived after several months of fighting in the bloody battle were all veterans of a hundred wars. Since there was usually no status discrimination during such occasions, Qianye was able to feel the overwhelming passion of the Swallow Cloud cavalry. After overturning a companys worth of soldiers in wrestling and drinking with half the crowd, Qianye finally gave up and ran away into the tree. The units will rest and reorganize for five days, then well make further plans according to the situation of the Iron Curtain and the emperors orders, Zhao Jundu continued, so what are your plans? Im going back to Blackflow to take a look. The Iron Curtain might be drawn open any day. I fear the Nangong family wont take such a huge loss lying down. If its Song Zining you''re worried about, its unnecessary. The Nangong family is arrogant, but theyre not idiots. They won''t try to kill Song Zining brazenly with all the attention he''s been receiving recently. Elsewise, any chance of them being promoted to a major clan in the future will be forfeit. Qianye shook his head and said, Its me the Nangong family hates. Zhao Jundu frowned. Nangong Xiaofengs attack on Zhao Yuying hasnt been resolved between Duke You and the Nangong family. If they dare come to you, Ill surely let them know that its not their turn to take advantage of the Zhao clan, with or without the Iron Curtain. Qianye realized at this point that Zhao Jundu knew a fair bit about his enmity with the Nangong family. Zhao Yuying seemed not to have mentioned Nangong Xiaoniaos matter, but Qianye had no intention of having the Zhao clan take action for him, either. I can deal with this matter myself. Zhao Jundus solemn expression didnt relax. The empire has certain rules. Matters in the bloody battle must stay in the bloody battle. Every family follows this law on the surface, but an open enemy is easier to deal with than a stab in the back. Since this matter began with Yuying, its only natural that our Zhao clan steps forth. Qianye gave it some thought before saying, I also have a private debt to settle with them. Some things cant be measured in profit. With his level of intelligence, Zhao Jundu was easily able to discern Qianyes implication. The diplomacy between clans has always been about the pros and conseven someone of Zhao Yuyings status was only a bargaining chip on the negotiation table. The only difference was the value. But what wouldve happened to Blackflow City had Song Zining not struggled against all odds to produce a miracle? Although they had won a great victory, in the end, Qianye wasnt about to forget the Nangong familys actions. Moreover, he wanted to put an end to this enmity in his own way. The two quieted down. The atmosphere on the distant drill grounds was almost aboil, but only some notes of merriment managed to pass through the exuberant leaves, forming a contrast with the calm silence of this little world. Zhao Jundu spoke all of a sudden, Actually, I disliked you the most when I was young. A startled Qianye glanced back at him. Zhao Jundus flawless countenance was almost glowing. The first time I saw my mother crying secretly behind everyones backs, I knew it was because of you. You were sitting beside the window back then. A small boy not much bigger than the flower vase. I pushed you onto the bed and we struggled for a long time. I pushed you down when you sat up, but you would simply get up again. You were so stupid that you didnt even know how to cry. And you didnt speak at all until you were two. Father saw me visiting your courtyard all the time and thought I liked you a lot. The first wet nurse who took care of you was quite lazy and often didnt dry your hair off completely after a bath. One day, you caught a cold and became feverish. Your face was flushed and hot, but you didnt cry. You only said, It hurts. Zhao Jundus words were intermittent and barely formed a complete story. It was almost as if he were talking to himself. His gaze was fairly calm. He stared into the air as though he could see therein the river of time flowing in reverse. Qianye listened patiently. That was also his life despite him having no recollection of it. The wind whistled through the land of Evernight, and the rustle of leaves grew increasingly loud. Zhao Jundus lonely voice became more and more fragmented until it stopped completely at one point. Qianye left quietly at dawn and returned to Blackflow City. He could hardly remember the jubilant and clamorous city before him. It was ten at night when he returned, but the city gates were open to admit the long line of people and vehicles waiting to pay up and enter. The interior of the city was brightly lit, and he could vaguely hear the fervent clamor of people speaking and even some music. The Dark Flame officer at the gate recognized Qianye as he squeezed through the crowd and immediately performed a salute. Sire Qianye, youve returned! He then pushed open a path for Qianye through the people. After stepping into the city, Qianye was so startled by the scene before him that he almost forgot to question the Dark Flame officer beside him. The crowd on the main street leading to the west gate could only be described as jostling. There were numerous stalls selling all kinds of things on each side of the road. There was even a dancer twirling in the middle of the street. Qianye was dumbfounded for a moment. He looked up at the sky and found the gloomy Iron Curtain still covering them like a tent. If not for that, he wouldve completely forgotten that Blackflow was still within the scope of the bloody battle. Whats going on? The Hidden Springs Merchant Group is here! Theyll stay here for three days! The Dark Flame officers voice contained a wisp of undisguisable excitement. Life on Evernight Continent was mostly dull and uninteresting. Since its founding, Blackflow was only a third-rate city located near the borders. The visiting merchant caravans were mostly those that focused on practicality. Merchants carrying luxury goods were rarely ever seen, to speak nothing of a top-ranked merchant group like Hidden Springs. Hidden Springs? That was where Lil Seven, Lil Nine, and the late Seventeen all came from. Qianye felt a faint stabbing pain in his head. Soon afterward, Qianye recalled that it wasnt just once or twice that Song Zining had persuaded him to visit a major city and watch the Hidden Spring Merchant Groups performanceand also to buy some quality goods in passing. It was just that Qianye had always refused him. It never occurred to him that Song Zining would actually be able to invite Hidden Springs over to Blackflow. The bloody battle hadnt even ended yet! Qianyes countenance turned dark as he glanced at the bustling street in front of him. How come there are so many people in the city? It turned out that the people visiting the city grew exponentially after Song Zining accepted the aristocratic family combat squads. These were all true noble scions from the upper continents. Even though life in wartime was simple, the goods Blackflow could provide were apparently too coarse and scanty. These aristocratic descendants naturally werent lacking in money, and Song Zining had his own way of solving this problem. As such, all kinds of merchant groups arrived in Blackflow to do business, and the stream of people only grew larger. The liveliness was pushed to its very peak when the Hidden Springs Merchant Group, roaming the various continents, announced that they would be holding a three-day performance in Blackflow City. Endless crowds rushed over from the neighboring Trinity River County and other places, even though Blackflow City was located under the Iron Curtain. He thought about the dark race army stationed only a couple hundred kilometers away in the 87th mountain region and then glanced at the incomparably lively street block before him. Qianye didnt know what to say because this place didnt resemble a frontline warzone at all! Qianye sighed in relief after entering the gates of the Dark Flame headquarters. Everything here was still fairly normal and in order. The sentry tower was heavily guarded, and the cold gleam of gun muzzles flashed occasionally along the highest points on the wall. At the doors to the main building complex, Qianye encountered Song Hu who had just finished dealing with the military affairs for the day. He then headed over to find Song Zining after discovering that the latter was in the small drill ground adjacent to the armaments storage. But Qianye had a weird feeling as he was walking over. It was very rare to see Song Zining cultivating in earnest. Reportedly, his martial dao was born of his comprehension in painting and calligraphy. He rarely even visited the virtual combat facility, let alone practice firearms on the drill grounds. The small drill ground was located in front of an auxiliary airship garage to the north of the armaments storage. It was reserved specifically for high-ranking Dark Flame officials to practice in the open. The small field was brightly lit with origin lamps, and the large doors to the warehouse were wide open. There was a small tow-vehicle parked beside the entrance with all kinds of melee weapons and firearms upon it. There was a recliner in front of the car made of a rare type of wood, and the craftsmanship was fairly intricate. The smooth curvatures of its design gave one the feeling that it would be quite comfortable to lie down upon it. Qianye could already recognize from a distance that the person dozing off on the chair was Song Zining. He was completely dumbfounded. Naturally, there was another person practicing weaponry on the drill ground. There was a mass of white light rotating therein, a melee weapon resembling the long-handled sabers frequently used in frontline charges. Qianye watched as the white light spun, slashed, and cut. Although the moves were simple, they were incomparably smooth and able to move heavy objects with relative ease. Apparently, the wielder was extremely suited to this type of heavy weapon. But why was the white lights position so low? At this moment, the white radiance receded to reveal a small figure. The long blade, on the other hand, flew through the air and landed neatly in the tow-vehicle with various weapons on it. No crashing sound was produced at all. Qianye gazed dumbfounded at the little figure as a peculiar thought emerged in his mind. Wasnt there something seriously wrong with Zhujis childhood education? Zhuji stood in place as she stroked her somewhat curly hair and straightened her ancient-style skirt. Then, she shot toward Song Zining like a cannonball, climbed onto his knees with great familiarity, and sat down properly upon him. Song Zining moved a bit and slowly opened his eyes. A smile of unclear implications appeared on his face as he looked at Zhuji who was sitting so elegantly on his legs as though she were at a banquet. Afterward, he turned toward Qianye and said with a smile, Youve returned? Chapter 489: Great Changes [V6C19 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Moments later, Qianye and Song Zining sat down in the study. Too many things had happened lately, be it in the Iron Curtain, the empire, or Blackflow City. The two had experienced a fair share of things and would likely require over an hour to catch up . Song Zinings situation was pretty good. He had even gotten in touch with the werewolves Qianye had subdued on his western expedition. The Sharp Fang Tribe was affected by the bloody battle, and only a third of its former population remained. In the end, they had no choice but to leave their ancestral land, Green Peak Mountain. The werewolf viscount Brudo became much more vigilant after his setback with Qianye last time. He had kept his forces concentrated within his core territory and didnt quite get swept into the bloody battle. This left him with a fair bit of military strength. They also took in the remnants of the Sharp Fang Tribe. Qianye remembered William after hearing this news and couldnt help but sigh inside his heart. Although Song Zining was back in Blackflow City at the moment, he had set up numerous defensive positions in all of the regions he had swept through. After the bloody battle had ended and the dark races from the upper continents had left, those places would be incorporated into the Blackflow war zone sooner or later. At the same time, the humans would eventually start to flock overpeople like those merchants on the streets, adventurers, and all kinds of people seeking survival. Perhaps one or several new cities would pop up over the next few years. However, this meant that the living space for the dark races would contract. The general situation would change very little even if Qianye tacitly allowed them to stay in his territory. This was the essence of the war between daybreak and evernight. Land resources were a deciding factor in the survival and development of a race. But what Song Zining was more interested in was the profits brought about by the war. According to him, resources and people signified more trade opportunities which would only multiply as the population grew. As such, a neutral region would be a fairly good development strategy. Qianye felt dazzled as Song Zining blurted out a string of numbers. According to him, the income from the imperial rewards and those offered by the aristocratic families were just about equal to the Ningyuan Groups profits, the recent transactions they had grasped the opportunity to engage in. Qianye laughed as he recalled the Song clan. He also came to understand why that enormous family would slowly reach its current state. The profits from trade were simply too vastso vast that people started to forget what the cornerstone of business was. They forgot that goods came from resources, that justice was born of strength, and furthermore, that the opposite might not hold true. Comparatively, Qianyes gains from the bloody battle were simple. They were all rare materials he had obtained from the Zhao clan, with no shortage of rare medicines required for a champions cultivation. But unexpectedly, Song Zining told him that he had no use for them because he had never used supplementary medicines to advance in rank. Qianye was quite surprised. There was no such thing as cultivation medicines when the humans awoke origin power thousands of years ago. However, throughout the long passage of time, medicines and machines used to bolster ones combat strength had almost become second nature. At this point, Song Zining asked, Did you find any other cultivation arts in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll apart from the Mystery and Glory Chapters? Qianye replied, There are four or five more chapters, but I simply cant find the origin power routes and nodes mentioned in there. Oh? How come? Qianye recalled the origin power circulation and control methods he had seen in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Later on, he simply produced the jade booklet and activated them one by one for Song Zining to see. Qianye suddenly discovered that the activated secrets within the scroll had increased. He stared puzzled at the jade leaflet for a while before looking up at Song Zining. I remember you telling me that only those who have awakened Venus Dawn can cultivate the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Song Zining flipped through the words on the jade leaflet in great detail, then said without looking up, Isnt that exactly what your talent is? Qianye was stunned. He opened his mouth a bit but actually had no idea how to respond. The initial Venus Dawn was an imitation arising from the golden blood energy, but the latter had been refined by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Although he didnt see his own visual phenomena back at the Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond, the talent inspection array and the Zhao clans divine champion experts all concluded that it was Venus Dawn. Were they all mistaken? Even he himself wasnt too sure at this point. But back then, you said that you had a master calculate Song Zining broke into a laugh and pointed at himself with great satisfaction. Isnt yours truly worthy of being called a master?! You mean, you Qianye was completely dumbfounded. It was already past midnight when Qianye and Song Zining left the study. Song Zining didnt rest immediately upon returning to his room. He leaned on the bed for a good while, seemingly deep in thought, as he tossed a jade tablet up and down in his hand. The tablets color was rather dim and looked ordinary on the surface. But on careful observation, one would find that its splendor was contracted within and that it was no ordinary item. Surprisingly it was made of the same material as the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. The jade tablet was tossed up once again, and this time, it flew so high that it was almost touching the ceiling. It began disintegrating on its way back down and shattered into motes of lustrous brilliance, which then vanished into Song Zinings palm. The room was immersed in the colors of the night and devoid of any light source. However, a certain radiance flickered several times during this split second. The light specks in Song Zinings palm had more or less disappeared, but what remained of them were still reflected upon his handsome face and outlined his gentle silhouette. Presently, a new origin vortex had appeared in Song Zinings body. He was now rank-eleven. The days that followed were a rare respite for Qianye, that was except for the overly clamorous streets outside of the base. In the end, he still couldnt escape being dragged over to watch Hidden Springs performance. He did, however, manage to refuse the beautiful escorts Song Zining had so graciously offered him. Qianye was feeling somewhat restless early this morning. He felt as though something was about to happen, and this sensation persisted into the evening. Finally, he decided to leave the city and take a look, also checking on the dark race armys movements along the way. Song Zining didnt protest. He also had this feeling, but he was quite certain that the abnormality wasnt with the dark race army. After leaving the city, Qianye began running through the wilderness and into the depths of the Iron Curtain. However, something made him stop dead on his tracks. He looked down at the earth beneath his feet. Nothing seemed out of place at a glance, but the soil was suddenly moving about everywhere. The countless insects and rodents that had survived the war scuttled out of hiding. They climbed to the surface and were running about in complete disarray. In the depths of the earth, a certain indistinct vibration was expanding outwards continuously. This vibration was extremely weak, so weak that Qianye might have overlooked it had he not concentrated his perception. But when he tried to sense it, the earth shook violently and all the blood in his body almost froze up! The moment that his consciousness came in contact with this vibration, Qianye seemed to have touched an incomparably vast will. It was cold, apathetic and ruthless, seemingly belonging to an entity that had existed for countless eons. Before it, Qianye was even less significant than a tiny ant, and the difference between them was like a drop of water compared to the ocean. This vast oceanic will didnt react at all to Qianyes touch. Perhaps it was too big or maybe Qianye was just too insignificant. Qianyes blood core and heart began to jump wildly. He immediately withdrew his perception, no longer daring to probe this odd vibration from the depths of the earth. This brief moment of contact had drained Qianye greatly and consumed almost all of the essence blood he had in store. Qianye was shocked. If his perception wasnt wrong, this meant that there was an earth-shattering secret hidden in the depths of the Evernight continent. This was perhaps the true reason behind Sky Demons appearance and the deployment of the Iron Curtaina means to announce his territorial claim over Evernight. However, the contact from just now had clearly proven that this secret wasnt something a person at Qianyes level could pry into. That ancient will alone could crush him into pieces upon contact. It would, at the very least, require a divine champion to withstand that ancient will. If one were looking to truly confront it, perhaps only peerless existences like a heavenly monarch or a great dark monarch would have this right. But why had that ancient will manifested at this moment? Qianye shuddered in his heart as he looked up at the sky. He shockingly saw the all-encompassing Iron Curtain waning like the receding tides. It was being reborn in certain areas but most of it had vanished. The starry sky was gradually connecting together to form a single expanse. Qianye watched in a daze. He could hardly believe everything he was seeing. Had the Iron Curtain actually disappeared? This signaled the fall of the curtains over the several-month-long bloody battle, which had claimed countless lives from both factions. But upon deeper thought, it probably wasnt as simple as one would think. The Iron Curtain was Sky Demons domainretracting it perhaps meant that he had already found what he had been looking for. But according to the news William had leaked, the big shots of the Evernight Council probably wouldnt allow Sky Demon to take that item away so easily. Since the top experts from the evernight side were taking action, those from the human race wouldnt sit by and watch, either. They would surely think of a way to interfere. That being said, wouldn''t the dissipation of the Iron Curtain mean that the experts of the two factions had begun fighting Sky Demon? There was no need for tangible pressure; this thought alone was stifling enough. At this moment, the ground beneath Qianyes feet finally started to tremble with increasing intensity. One could actually see the ground billowing! At the same time, countless cracks extended through the earth and seemingly split the wilderness into numerous unrelated regions. The chasms weaved and warped through the land, growing progressively longer and wider. An ear-splitting rumble erupted a thousand meters in front of Qianye as a segment of the land was suddenly raised. It shot straight upward for several hundred meters before coming to a stop. Just like that, a precipitous cliff appeared before Qianye. Magma burst out from the cracks in the ground and shot a thousand meters into the air before gradually falling down. Large clouds of smoke surged into the air and covered up a small part of the sky. Qianye spread his luminous wings and leapt up, rising high into the sky to look down at the land below. The entire Evernight Continentall the way to the extremes of his visionwas quaking. The numerous cracks were like terrifying injuries scattered in every direction. Some of them were already thousands of meters wide, hundreds of kilometers long, and so deep that one couldnt see the bottom. Qianye saw some dark race cities split in two with earthen flames gushing out from within. Meanwhile, flaming clouds gradually appeared up high, replacing the Iron Curtain in enveloping the skies of Evernight. The flare dyed the entire land with an apocalyptic red hue which shattered the darkness of the night. Beams of origin power surged from the depths of the void and passed over Qianye as they rushed into the distance. The origin power fluctuations in Qianyes body actually formed a resonance with the Profound Combatant Formula which began circulating on its own. He wiped away the cold sweat on his hands but did nothing to stop it. Instead, he attached his consciousness onto it in a bid to follow the Profound Combat Formulas rhythm and take control. Chapter 490: Earth-shattering Battle [V6C20 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A barrier resembling a hazy glass suddenly appeared before Qianye. As he circulated his Profound Combatant Formula, it seemed as though an invisible hand was wiping the mist away to reveal the void realm behind. It was so boundlessly vast that his minuscule consciousness might be devoured at any moment. Qianyes will was like a small boat in the midst of the raging waves. From time to time, he would be tossed upon the waves or pressed into the depths. Those surging tides of origin power were hundreds of meters tall and immeasurably vast. Moreover, no one knew where their origin. The fluctuations in the depths of the void had already affected the Evernight Continent. A blood-colored opening had appeared in the sky through which ferocious void origin power was pouring in continuously. Immediately after entering the world of Evernight, the origin power ignited into raging flames which flowed down like an infernal waterfall. The thousand-meter stream of flowing fire wasnt extinguished after falling to the ground and, instead, stretched out in every direction. The openings in the sky increased in number as though the world was sustaining numerous injuries. The flaming waterfalls fell from the sky and transformed the world into a purgatory. Qianye was beside himself as he watched the apocalyptic scene in a daze. Who could withstand such a great calamity between heaven and earth? A notion emerged in Qianyes heart. Could this be a scene produced by the battle between Sky Demon and the dark monarchs of Evernight? Time seemed to be moving very slowly, yet it also felt like a mere moment. The origin tides in the void eventually calmed down, the tears in the sky gradually restored themselves, and the earth also stopped trembling. After the void origin power vanished, the heavenly flames on the ground were also extinguished one after another. Looking down from the sky, however, one could still see that charred fissure, a standing monument of the pain Evernight Continent had just suffered. A layer of deep leaden color emerged and swept over from the distant sky. That was a familiar sight Qianye had beheld countless timesthe Iron Curtain. However, the reappearance of the Iron Curtain this time contained an extraordinary significance. Could it be that the great dark monarchs had been defeated? The Iron Curtain had just swept through half the sky when an incomparably resplendent star lit up far far away. It then exploded abruptly and disintegrated into dozens of brilliant specks which flew off in every direction. Most of the lights vanished as soon as they emerged, while the remainder only dispersed after traveling for quite some time. Whenever one of them vanished, Qianye could sense an extremely tyrannical aura flicker and disappear. While these auras were different from one another, they were inconceivably powerful. Meanwhile, Qianye was still in a wondrous state brought about by the Profound Combatant Formulas contact with the void. Moreover, he was tens of thousands of kilometers away. Even so, he could actually feel the sharp sting! In the end, only several streaks of light remained. They flew far across the distance and disappeared over certain areas of the Evernight Continent. After which, radiant splendor poured out from the distant star to shoot off in all directions. The peculiar energy was capable of traversing tens of thousands of kilometers, aweing everyone in sight. However, Qianye clearly sensed that this wasnt a true vision, but a certain type of beckoning. The brilliance was calling upon all the experts of the world and leaving a vision within their consciousness. At this time, Qianyes body shuddered as the Profound Combatant Formula slowly ground to a halt, and the faintly discernible corner of the void completely receded from his consciousness. Qianye retracted the luminous wings that were starting to grow dim and gradually fell back onto the ground. There was a certain revelation in his heartthe star he had just seen was likely the object Sky Demon sought. For some reason, it had shattered into numerous fragments, many of which disappeared along the way as peerless experts moved to retrieve them. As for why the star had shattered, it was likely the result of that earth-shattering battle. Wait! There were several of them that hadnt yet been retrieved! Qianye suddenly recalled how several beams of light werent collected by anyone up until the point where they vanished over a certain place. The Iron Curtain spread quickly across the sky and dark clouds rolled over thunderously. Behind the Iron Curtain, Sky Demons will once again swept over the heaven and earth. But this time, Qianye could clearly sense an inexplicable wrath within it. Sky Demons will swept over Qianye, ignoring him and moving rapidly into the distance. Quite shockingly, it was actually moving toward the direction where the final pieces of light had vanished. Qianye pondered for a moment before turning back along the road from which he had come. No matter what that light was, it held no significance to the current Qianye. Since even he could see where the lights had vanished, it must be the same for all the experts observing this battle. Moreover, he knew he wasnt even qualified to approach a battleground belonging to the level of great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs. Although Blackflow City was thousands of kilometers away, Qianye wasnt quite sure how widespread the effects of that battle were. As Qianye ran back through the wilderness at top-speed, he found all the places in the wake of those shockwaves had turned into lands of disaster, and even the rivers had changed course. However, most people wouldnt know that the center of this battlefield was already tranquil, and one could see the distant firmament through the huge gaping hole above. It was as though that piece of defective Iron Curtain could never be repaired. The land beneath had also vanished completely, and a bottomless giant vortex was slowly revolving therein. Precipitous cliffs surrounded the vortex, but there was no dark mist swirling at its bottom. There were even motes of starlight flickering at the centerit was as though the void were hanging upside down here, and no one knew just how deep it was. There were dozens of figures standing in the air on each side. These shadows were as insignificant as pebbles before this peculiar phenomenon of the heaven and earth. However, their auras were like precipitous cliffs and dense peaks capable of connecting the heaven and earth. Even that bottomless vortex didnt seem like an impassable chasm to them. Those were the experts of the empire and Evernight. They stood on different sides with a clear line drawn between them. On the Evernight side, the greatest in number were the vampires. Although there were only three demonkin, the auras hidden beneath those wizard robes were among the most powerful present. On the empires side, Lin Xitang and Luo Mingjis military uniforms were the most eye-catching. And judging from the positions they had taken up, the experts beside them were probably on the same level too. The great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs were absent from both factions. Apparently, they had left to recuperate after Sky Demon was repelled. Luo Mingji gazed attentively at the bottomless maelstrom with a frown. An aura of the void is coming from the other end. Might this be a tunnel for spatial transition? Duke Weis aura was somewhat exhausted after releasing the Myriad Heavens Art three times. This is the place of burial chosen by the void colossus itself, so its inevitable that there are defenses within. Its quite likely a natural void channel, but the aura within is simply too violent. My perception was only able to go five hundred meters in before becoming obscured by the turbulence within. I have no idea whats on the other side. All eyes fell upon the silent Lin Xitang. The latter said unhurriedly, It looks like a prismatic turbulence. All the experts were visibly moved after these words were spoken. Prismatic Turbulence was the most dangerous natural phenomenon of the void. Most intercontinental airships encountering it would meet a disastrous fate. During the great battle in which Lin Xitang had risen to the peak of his fame, he had led the Northern Legion to a successful landfall through this violent natural phenomenon, consequently rescuing the imperial army from a crushing defeat. But if this truly were a prismatic turbulence, it was quite likely a defense mechanism left behind by the void colossus, and the other end of this channel had to be connected to a certain area in the void. The remains of primal chaos that had suddenly vanished during the earth-shattering battle just now were likely there, along with the fragments of primordial essence that had fallen in. At this moment, a champion from the empire stationed at the periphery flew over and said with a bow, Sires, the Evernight side sent word that Grand Duke Habsburg wishes to exchange information with Grand Marshal Lin Xitang. They believe the vortex to be a prismatic turbulence. The imperial experts exchanged glances before looking over at the experts on the other side. A dark-haired vampire was approaching together with several others of his kind. He then came to a stop on the invisible line between the two factions. Lin Xitang pondered momentarily before saying, Ill go and listen to what they have to say. Luo Mingji, Duke Wei, and the other experts nodded. Under such circumstances, cooperation between the two sides was the fastest way to solve this problem. Sky Demon might return at any moment and with greater momentum. If they couldnt figure out the situation quickly and form a countermeasure, it was quite likely that they would have to return empty-handed. Lin Xitangs figure flickered a couple of times and appeared a hundred meters from Grand Duke Habsburg. This was also the safe distance between divine champions. Grand Duke Habsburg still had several years before entering what would be considered middle-age for vampires, however, he didnt quite maintain an overly youthful appearance. In truth, although this celebrated dark race genius could be considered handsome, his looks werent exactly outstanding by vampire standards. Those seeing him for the first time might not have thought this seemingly ordinary vampire was the famous clan lord of the Sperger clan. The vampire followers immediately stepped back several hundred meters when Habsburg raised his hand. He himself suddenly walked forward and arrived ten meters away from Lin Xitang. The latter watched him calmly without any movement. Habsburg bowed slightly and said with a smile, Marshal Lin Xitang, its been several years since our last parting. Lin Xitang reciprocated the gesture and replied indifferently, Your Excellency Grand Duke, that means things have been relatively peaceful between the empire and Evernight. Habsburgs smile grew deeper. Is there no other topic of conversation between us apart from war? Lin Xitang pointed at the bottomless maelstrom underneath. This is a type of prismatic turbulence. The other side of this passage likely connects to a certain place in the void. If it is indeed the cemetery void colossus designed as his resting place, it should be on solid land. It may be a meteorite fragment, a natural enclave, or even a minor realm. This so-called minor realm was a fragment of a fallen world, and the reason behind their formation remained a mystery to this very day. They would exist as an independent entity within the void and might even be governed by different laws. At present, the minor realms from each faction could only be passed down by almighty ancient beings. Apart from the dark races Black-Winged Monarch Andruil, there had not been a second person in the recent millennium capable of creating them. Even the demonkin who possessed the highest origin power technology in the world could only maintain and operate these realms. They were incapable of constructing new ones. If it was a minor realm on the other end, there was no telling what kind of price they would have to pay in order to enter and figure out the rules. Habsburg shook his head and said with a smile, Its not a minor realm, but its not much better, either. We think that it might be the notorious wind tunnel. This time, Lin Xitang couldnt help but break into a frown. The wind tunnel was a natural danger zone located in the void between the middle and lower continents. He nodded and said, Thank you for the information, Your Excellency. Someone from our side will go down to scout the way. Lets discuss further after the situation becomes clear. Habsburg chuckled when he saw Lin Xitang bringing the conversation to a close. Lin, Im more certain than ever of one thing after seeing you today. That little scheme those idiots set up to kill you a while back was probably also a trap for you to kill me. Chapter 491: Flaming Crown [V6C21 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Lin Xitang didnt reply to this question. The hunter and the hunted on the battlefield may switch positions anytime. This isnt worth mentioning, is it? Habsburg nodded. Thats true. Talking about those idiots is a waste of time. He smiled with a sigh. Lin, your methods against our dark races are truly ruthless, but youre even more ruthless toward yourself. I remember the last time you set up a trap to kill me was when you exterminated the Evernight Councils Lost Paradise No. 3 Laboratory. The bait back then was one of your sons. I heard he unfortunately died. Lin Xitangs calm expression suddenly collapsed. A look of pain or otherwise flashed through his clear, deep eyes. His voice was as deep as a whisper, War signifies sacrifice for everyone, including myself. With that, he seemed to have nothing more to say to Habsburg. He simply turned around and left. Lin Habsburg extended his right arm as he called out. There wasnt a shred of origin power fluctuation in the air, but a strand of silver hair beside Lin Xitangs ears was blown up by the wind. Suddenly, the surroundings alternated between light and dark. The distant skies suddenly turned a deep blue, covered by a widespread nebula. This degree of concentration could only be found in the star zones closest to the top of the world. The astronomical phenomenon disappeared in the blink of an eye before the firmament reverted to its original state. However, people from the two different factions standing on opposite sides of the vortex became anxious because none of them was a stranger to the visions that had appeared moments ago. It was Li Xitangs domain, Celestial Stream. All eyes fell upon the two but quickly turned to puzzlement. They had no idea why Habsburg remained motionless, while Lin Xitang had deployed his domain. It didnt seem like the two had gotten into conflict, either. Habsburg seemed completely unaware of the changes and only gazed at Lin Xitangs moving silver hair. Beneath the snow-white hair, there were several faint grey strands emitting a lifeless aura of death. Your injury never healed. Youll die within ten years if you cant advance to the heavenly monarch rank. Lin Xitang had already returned to his usual calm at this point. He stood sideways and said calmly without looking back at Habsburg, Ten years isnt short for humans. We can do a lot of things. Habsburg smiled as he flipped his extended palm over to reveal a mass of scarlet light. Ill give this to you. That was a drop of blood so indescribably red that it was almost dazzling. It seemed to have accumulated the most intense of vitality but was surrounded by a layer of bubbling sable mist.Upon careful examination, however, one would find that the mist was actually made up of dark flames! That which I control is the darkest flames in the world. Whether its on Daybreak or Evernight, theres no one capable of extinguishing it completely. Thats why the only one who can heal you is me. Lin Xitang finally shot Habsburg a glance. No need. I have no plans to suggest any conditions. I know, but still no need. I guessed you would say so, but it still feels uncomfortable to hear in person. Lin Xitang turned, took a step, and appeared a dozen or so meters away. But before he could take a second step, he heard a sigh beside his ear, followed by a vast suppressive might spreading out in all directions. The pressure had no enmity or killing intent, but it was magnificent and ancientit was as though it had undergone the tempering of countless years. Lin, my rank is already a prince, its just that I havent been crowned just yet. As calm as he was, even Lin Xitang was shaken by this news. He turned around abruptly and saw the radiance from that drop of bloodpreviously confined to Habsburgs palmslowly expanding outward. Under the illumination of the bloody light, Habsburgs countenance became shrouded in a layer of austerity. An incomparably powerful aura inundated the sky above the vortex, pierced into the sky, and shot toward the depths of the distant world. Countless flames emerged from the air and, like a waterfall, washed over Habsburg from head to toe. The scene was fairly similar to the dark baptism every dark race member would undergo when they came of age. It was just that above the baptism wasnt darkness origin distillate, but instead, raging black flames centered around a drop of blood. The flowing flames grew increasingly dense. Habsburgs figure became unclear under the intersecting black and red hue. Only his silent and restrained countenance was faintly discernible. Suddenly, the flowing flames swept upward to form a flaming crown which gradually landed on the black hair of the Sperger Clan Lord! Habsburgs eyes gradually opened. His blood energy was as intense as a surging river of blood. At this moment, all of the ranked vampires heard a certain calling from the depths of their bloodline. Most of them were still unclear as to its significance and could only feel the jubilation of the long river of sacred blood. Those characters at the level of duke and above stood up solemnly, a uniform imagery projected within their consciousness. Within the long river of sacred bloodthe artery of darkness and the source of all vampiresa fifth blood imprint lit up anew. It was a burning crown. The experts from the empires side approached rapidly once Habsburg released that suppressive might. But they immediately halted their steps because, as experts of similar rank, they were able to sense that the other party had no battle intent. A fight might actually break out if they approached suddenly. Moreover, Lin Xitang was too close to the center of the suppressive might. He would be the one to bear the brunt of the impact if the two sides were to clash. Duke Wei said tartly, This is the coronation of a prince? He was the eldest within this group, yet even he wasnt too certain. The humans understanding of the vampires was the deepest among the dark races. However, a prince coronation was more or less a legend, even within the vampire community. A hoarse voice akin to chafing metal rang out as an elderly human divine champion spoke, The vampires are only displaying their might, and Marshal Lin isnt in danger. We shouldnt approach for now. As Lin Xitangs colleague over the many years, Luo Mingji was somewhat hesitant. Why The hoarse divine champion said, The vampires arent just demonstrating their might to us. The ones most distressed over the appearance of a vampire crown prince is probably the dark races themselves, especially the demonkin. Look at those three grand wizards from the Evernight Council. I daresay theyre no happier than us. Luo Mingji glanced over at the other side. The dark race warriors of the vampire race had all gotten down on one knee to express their submission and respect for the prince in front of them. The werewolves and arachne were gathered together but, at least, maintained an attitude of sufficient respect. The three demonkin wizards figures swayed a bit. It seemed they had been whispering to one another just a while ago. One of them hurriedly pulled back on the cloak that had dropped down below his ear. This small movement was enough to prove the imperial divine champions words. What does the crowning of a prince entail? Luo Mingjis question was also what the other experts wanted to know. A prince was a special position in the dark world. They were yet to be called great dark monarchs but possessed at least one special ability at that level. For instance, ordinary divine champions werent a match for demonkin princes. Dark princes were just as rare as the great dark monarchs. Vampire princes were also pretty scarce, and most of them were in hibernation. At the very least, there hadnt been a crowned prince in the thousand years that humans had risen to power. Among the twelve ancient vampire clans, the Sperger clans grand duke had not only advanced to a prince, but he was also crowned directly. This was no less significant than the appearance of a fifth heavenly monarch in the Qin Empire. Not only would this affect the power balance between Evernight and the empire, but it would also cause an even bigger stir among the four great races and Evernight Council. A crowned prince can contend with a great dark monarch. Lin Xitangs voice was clear and calm. His figure flickered into being before everyone. This information caused all the expressions of all the experts to grow solemn. As for its effects, the news cant be hidden for long, so we''ll know within a couple of days, Lin Xitang turned toward the hoarse divine champion and said, we should immediately send someone into the bottomless vortex to scout the situation and come up with a follow up plan before the Evernight Council expresses their stance. What does Provincial Governor Li think? Just as Marshal Lin said. Provincial Governor Li Fangqing nodded in agreement. He was in charge of the military police and was dispatched to Evernight Continent after the bloody battle to perform an inspection. Lin Xitang had asked for his opinion since he was at the scene, but he had no intention to give out orders since the formers strategies were the top among all marshals. At this moment, Qianye, who had been running through the wilderness, felt his heart start racing. He had just halted his steps when his entire body trembled, and the Wings of Inception suddenly unfurled on their own. Golden wings of light rushed out from his back and stretched out to their greatest extent. The Book of Darkness also emerged in the depths of his consciousness, stood up, and flipped open. Qianye only felt his vision grow dark and the wilderness around him disappear. His consciousness had fallen into a certain space. The massive Book of Darkness lay before him, enshrouded in a thick layer of sanguineous light akin to a flowing river. He saw a drop of blood form in the air and fall into the river, stirring up circular ripples across the water surface and forming thirteen seals in its wake. However, Qianye soon found something wrong because only twelve seals were formed in the endthere was only an empty defect above the thirteenth position. His consciousness swept over the seals and found those images were extremely clear. It was as though they were right there before his eyes. He could clearly see the meaning behind those incomparably abstruse lines. The first one was a slowly blooming rose with a golden serpent head reaching out from the stamenthe brightest of them all. The second was a datura flower with a different color in each layer of its unfolding petals. The third was a peacock with golden flames burning upon its green wings. The fourth was a magnificent castle with an ancient aura, and the thorns growing upon its walls spitting out little black flowers. The fifth was a mass of burning flames outlining the shape of a crown. At this moment, Qianye suddenly discovered that the twelve seals werent all lit up. Half of them were dark and lightless, meanwhile, the fifth seal was gradually lighting up before his eyes. The ripples upon the sanguineous river had yet to calm down, and the undulations on the water surface grew more and more intense. Qianye had a peculiar feeling that this river was alive, and it was cheering in jubilation. The moment he came into contact with the will of the sanguineous river, Qianye suddenly realized what the scene before him signified. That was the origin of all vampires, the very first drop of blood that was the source of all vampire bloodlines. The ripples from its fall condensed thirteen seals, forming the same number of second-generation primogenitors who then went on to found the corresponding ancient vampire branches. At this moment, the fiery crown seal had lit up completely and was emitting a beckon which seemed to have come from antiquity. The dozens of incomparably powerful wills along the sanguineous river began resonating and soon formed a raging tide poised to engulf the entire world. Qianyes consciousness was suddenly pushed out by this unparalleled tide of blood. The color of blood in his eyes hadnt entirely receded when he opened his eyes in a daze. Then the figure of a person appeared. Song Zining was watching him from dozens of meters away, his expression solemn. Chapter 492: Heaven’s Mirror [V6C22 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye was startled to see the unfamiliar expression on Song Zinings face. He then discovered himself floating in the air with his domain completely unleashed below him. The great ocean waves were surging about like the raging tides and even the earth was undulating. There were layers of sanguineous light upon the ocean surface amidst the rosy clouds and mist, almost like the ebbing tides of the bloody river from his consciousness. The great sea and sanguineous mist were stuck close together, yet they were as clear as night and day without the slightest intersectionnot unlike the difference between Daybreak and Evernight. Song Zinings austere expression gradually lost all emotion. His usual smiling demeanor was almost as cold as a mirror. There seemed to be nothing reflected there apart from the world before him. Qianye saw himself in Song Zinings eyes. The domain formed of great ocean waves werent tangible, but a powerful origin fluctuation that distorted the air caused his line of vision to fluctuate along with it. Qianye was standing atop the waves, enshrouded in a surging mist of blood, and his Wings of Inception were folded in a protective stance. Thump! Qianyes blood core suddenly pulsed like the beating of a war drum. Song Zining started moving and walked over one step at a time. Qianye didnt sense Song Zining unleash his domain or circulate his origin power, but he could no longer track the latters position after a couple of steps. Qianye didnt move at all, and very soon, Song Zining had stepped into the range of those great ocean waves. However, Qianye couldnt feel anything out of the ordinary within his domain. It was as though the person who had walked in didnt even exist. But a change occurred as Song Zining continued forward into the bloody mist. A barrier akin to colored glass rose up around him with leaves flying about from within. In the short distance between its point of emergence and where it curled into the ground, the barrier evolved into a realm of thriving and withering, of life and death. Qianye took a deep breath as he descended to the ground. Along with his movements, the oceanic domain, the Wings of Inception, and the bloody mist all dispersed one after another. The glass barrier grew even more distinct after their disappearance. It was like a treasured banner over ten meters in diameter locking Qianye and Song Zining tightly within. Zining. Song Zining watched Qianye in silence as the coldness in his eyes gradually faded away. Qianye. By the time that spring-water-like warmth had returned to his eyes, the glass barrier around him also disappeared silently. Qianye looked up to watch the final specks of dispersing light and said, Your domain seems different from before. This is the true domain of the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. After reaching a higher realm, different cultivators will choose one from among the three thousand great daos to walk along and reach three thousand different domains. Song Zining smiled. This domain is called the Heavens Mirror. My heart is as transparent as glass and unstained by mortal desires. Qianye listened to Song Zinings expert words and felt something wasnt quite right. He couldnt help but say, Free from mortal desires? But you have so many women around you. Why do I feel that youve chosen the opposite path? Song Zining didnt seem ashamed at all. On the contrary, he said with great confidence, Experiencing worldly affairs is the way to be free of myriad laws, and every drop of rouge is akin to sharping ones dao stone. I told you not to hang out too much with that Wei clan boar. Now, you cant even understand such a simple profundity. Qianye shot him a sidelong glance. How come youre here? Hows Blackflow City? The Iron Curtain has been drawn, and the world is undergoing changes. Even a border area like Blackflow has felt the tremors, but only a couple of poorly built buildings crumbled, Song Zining said with a smile. I ran out after you and found you here. But you He shrugged. Qianye recalled the scene that had taken place within his world of consciousness and couldnt help but turn silent. He had never considered himself a vampire because there were also humans who had obtained the power of darkness. This was especially true on Evernight Continent where demon hunters and roteaters with pure darkness origin power were still battling against the dark races. But what was that just now? Why did he sense the calling of the vampire bloodline river? Song Zining patted his shoulder and said, Qianye, Ive always wanted to tell you that strength belongs to no specific faction. As long as were strong enough, we will be able to control the power and not become its puppet. Im very happy that you were still lucid just now. Qianye nodded solemnly. Atop the tallest mountain range on Twilight Continent, within the most ancient of the Perth clans castles. All of the clans important characters above the level of marquis were presently gathered here. Even the biggest and most historic hall within the castle seemed somewhat crowded at this point. Just from this fact, it went to show just how powerful and rich this ancient clan was. The superior vampires were conversing in hushed tones. There was no lack of people among them who hadnt seen each other for centuries. Meanwhile, the coronation of the Sperger clan lord, Habsburg, which shook the entire river of sacred blood, was also a topic of endless discussion. It was at this moment that an indefensible suppressive might descended quietly upon the people. A projection appeared on the high throne at the end of the hall. Even though no one could see the figure clearly, all the vampires knew she was the bloodline fountainhead of all those presentthe Queen of the Night, Lilith. Everyone became silent as they placed their hands upon their chest and fell on one knee, a ceremony of utmost reverence. No one was talking any longer, and even the sounds of breathing were no longer present. Silence was the greatest form of respect in the queens presence. Lilith gently raised her hand after a while. Only then did everyone dare to stand up. This was the first time after Liliths awakening that she had convened the clan''s upper echelons. Her index finger tapped lightly on the handrest. No one knew what she was pondering about, but none dared make a sound, lest they interrupt her thoughts. Moments later, Lilith finally spoke, How are the Monroes doing? A duke in charge of intelligence said respectfully, The Monroe clans development was steady throughout the years. The Black-Winged Monarch never appeared again after he went missing, but there were recent clues as to his hidden treasure which alarmed a group of people. We also dispatched people to search for it, but in the end The duke continuously recounted the things that had transpired in recent years. He spoke so fast that even the marquises could hardly catch up. But this was not a problem at all for the Queen of the Night. Liliths awakening was an extremely rare occasion, and her time was indescribably precious. Naturally, everything had to be arranged at the fastest possible speed. Lilith only sat silently, and no one knew whether or not she was listening. Suddenly, her tapping finger stopped mid-air, and at this moment, the duke immediately paused his narration. You said that the Monroe clan has a descendant whos awakened Andruils bloodline? The duke immediately replied, Yes, her name is Nighteye. She was originally the descendant of a small branch family. Later on, she was found to be a primo of fairly pure blood. Lilith listened until the end, then said slowly, Primo, is it? What ability did she awaken? According to the present information, we believe she should be the owner of the Eye of Destruction. Its just that she hasnt manifested it just yet. Eye of Destruction? There was a fluctuation in Liliths voice. The temperature in the hall fell sharply as killing intent pervaded the air. Even dukes couldn''t help but tremble under this frosty killing intent, almost falling to their knees along with the other members of the clan. Since the Eye of Destruction has appeared, where is the Eye of Control? That dukes face turned pale. It was fairly difficult for him to stand still under Liliths killing intent. He forced himself to speak with a steady voice, Weve already searched carefully, but up until this day, there are no other clan descendants who have awakened the Eye of Control. Lilith remained silent for quite some time before her cold voice spread out throughout the great hall. Have Nighteye come see me. Some of those in the hall were immediately delighted after hearing these words. Among them, a young vampire seemed to have made up his mind. His face was full of determination as he took a step forward with a deep bow and said with a clear voice, Your Revered Majesty, can you spare some of your time to listen to my suggestion? Liliths brows broke into a frown. The grand duke beside her quickly said, This is Edward. Hes awakened your bloodline and has been appointed by the council as the Holy Son of our sacred blooded race. This almost meant that this young vampire was Liliths primo. The councils conferment of this title was apparently a gesture of goodwill toward her, recognizing her as the most honored in the entire vampire race. Edward, who had been standing far below the throne, felt his face flush red upon hearing this. He was clearly proud and excited. He was never one to lose his cool under normal circumstances, but today was just too special. Lilith wasnt just the Perth clans primogenitor, but also the most supreme existence for the entire vampire race. In a thousand years, there was only one person who dared challenge her authority, and that was the Black-Winged Monarch Andruil. But even that legendary character never confronted the Queen of the Night directly. If Edward could obtain a single word of praise from Lilith, it would be a supreme honor for him. This was especially true since he had awakened her bloodline. However, Edward didnt hear Liliths praise as he had hoped. On the contrary, the Queen of the Night snorted coldly, When did we ever need the council to get involved with our sacred-blood descendants? All of those present belonged to different generations of Liliths bloodline. Her ire immediately caused the vampires in the hall to tremble uncontrollably. But Liliths gaze still fell upon Edwards face as she said indifferently, What suggestions do you have? Speak. Edward tried hard to calm down his boiling blood energy and said as calmly as he could, This suggestion is also related to Nighteye. Your Majesty is the second drop in the river of sacred blood, and in the recent millennium, only the Black Winged Monarchs blood remains unthreatened by you. In the entire vampire race, the blood flowing in my veins is the strongest and purest of your bloodline. Meanwhile, Nighteye possesses the Eye of Destruction, which proves that her bloodline is extremely pure. Hence, my idea is for me to combine with Nighteye. An offspring from this reunion might be integrated with our bloodline and become an exceptionally powerful descendant. The Holy Son had been carrying out this plan for a long time, but the Monroe clans power at the moment was also quite significant. Not only did Nighteye herself refuse resolutely, but the Sperger clan had also interfered. As such, he hadnt yet succeeded amidst the many obstructions. On the other hand, the Perth clan was sufficiently old and powerful. Consequently, there were also many factions within it, and not every person hoped to see the Holy Son grow powerful. Presently, those from the other factions could hardly sit still after hearing the Holy Son describe his plans before Lilith. Chapter 493: Blood Seal [V6C23 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Once Lilith gave the nod, the Monroe clan who had lost the Black-Winged Monarch would have no way to defy the will of the Queen of the Night. They would surely deliver Nighteye obediently and, at most, the Perth clan would only have to reimburse them according to the rules. The Holy Son had just finished speaking when a duke asked in a deep voice, What if your offsprings dont awaken a powerful bloodline? That was also a possibility. The vampires bloodline inheritance had always been an unsolved riddle. Even some princes with sufficient strength to traverse the void would sometimes produce no experts among their offsprings. On the contrary, some bloodlines that were considered incomparably thin and some families that had been passed down for countless generations could also awaken a powerful bloodline out of nowhere. Nighteye was the best example. The Holy Son was quite confident in the face of this dukes question. If there are no powerful offsprings in a hundred years, Ill absorb her bloodline directly. With Her Majesty Liliths bloodline, I can certainly suppress the Black-Winged Monarchs. At that time, Ill have gained her bloodline powers and take another step toward becoming the next prince! Many dukes and Honored Marquises exchanged glances in the dark. Many people were visibly moved. The Holy Sons plan was indeed possible. It was just that not everyone could walk such a path. Nighteye was an extremely pure primo of the Black-Winged Monarch. Everyone here, even grand dukes, would most likely have their blood cores destroyed by Andruils origin blood should they absorb her bloodlinetheir blood would turn to pus. Presently, only the Holy Son possessed the right and confidence to rob Nighteye of her bloodline power. At this point, no one voiced their dissent any longer. Everyone was waiting for Liliths decision. Lilith said calmly, Youre not looking to produce a powerful offspring but to rob her bloodline. You plan to use it to trace the first drop of blood and finally ignite a blood seal. Am I wrong? These words shocked everyone at the scene. The Queen of the Night had mentioned two keywords: the first drop of blood and blood seal. Any one of them would shake a vampire to the core. That was a deep-seated reverence from ones bloodline. The vampire races first drop of blood was an old legend. The secrets around it, the true vampire primogenitor, had already disappeared within the deluge of time. The primogenitors people knew of, including Lilith herself, were only the second generation. Seeking the first drop of blood was the very reason for every vampires existence and the direction of their cultivation. The closer one was to the source, the purer their bloodline and the greater their strength. Lilith, as the second drop of blood, possessed indescribable power. Meanwhile, each blood seal represented a second generation primogenitor, the origin of the ancient clans. However, some mysterious changes seemed to have taken place in the Sacred River of Blood throughout the long years. Firstly, the thirteenth primogenitor, along with his entire clan, had vanished from peoples memories. Even Lilith, who was of the same position, couldnt tell what exactly had happened. Next, no one had been able to reignite the blood seals after they had faded away with their respective primogenitors death! The inability to reignite blood seals was a matter more important than the missing thirteenth primogenitorthis signified that the river of sacred blood was gradually losing its power with the passage of time. Although the change was extremely slow, it might affect the entire vampire races survival after tens of thousands of years, just like how those characters who once stood at the apex of the dark world completely vanished within the ancient history clans. From this, one could see that the Holy Sons ambitions were indeed lofty and unimaginably grand. Before Habsburgs coronation, igniting a blood seal was only a potential path and people might even ridicule his ambitions in secret. However, he had reignited the flaming crown and announced to all of the sacred blooded descendantseven the entire world of darknessthat the river of blood was still powerful! Edward observed the queen respectfully with flames burning within his young eyes. Speaking of his intentions before Lilith was a gamble with everything on the line. If he succeeded in gaining Liliths support, the Perth clan would surely produce a powerful prince. The most attractive prospect was that he might be able to replace the Black-Winged Monarch one day and ignite the blood seal of the flower of terror. This thought alone was enough to stifle everyone. Lilith didnt look at the Holy Son, and, instead, her gaze swept over all the high-ranking vampires in the hall. She then raised her right hand and slowly conjured a drop of blood on the tip of her finger. This was just an ordinary drop of blood with nothing out of the ordinary. However, after appearing in Liliths hands, the ordinary became extraordinary. All vampires in the hallfrom the dukes and the Holy Son to the ranked pure-bloodsgazed at the drop of blood in a bid to discover the profundities within. It possessed an active vitality characteristic of the vampire race. It was flushed with the hue of abundant life and possessed a flawless, consummate form. No matter how one looked at it, it was a standard drop of vampire blood. However, the vitality within this drop of blood began to expand, and the energy contained within increased rapidly. It grew from a newborn to a knight, a viscount, a marquis, then to a duke and grand dukein the end, this drop of blood completely solidified and turned into a flawless ruby. But contained within its small frame was a terrifying power sufficient to blow this entire castle into the air. It was a princes blood! In Liliths hand, this drop of blood had completed the entire journey from an ordinary vampire to a prince. It had also reached the endpoint of evolution. Even a grand duke had no clear idea about the path ahead. The primogenitors had perhaps already found a path since they possessed powers stronger than a prince. The few whom the darkness and sacred blood had favored the most throughout myriad years had probably found the path, too, allowing them to obtain the strength of a great dark monarch. But since antiquity, none of them would speak about the paths they had taken. Even the descendants they had personally embraced were unable to inherit this information through inheritance. There seemed to be a certain mysterious power obstructing them from divulging these secrets. Lilith had shown everyone this drop of blood, but everyone, including the Holy Son, wore baffled expressions. They were unclear as to hidden meaning within the Queen of the Nights actions. Liliths reaction was fairly calm, neither furious nor disappointed. She simply put away the drop of blood and fell into deep thought. Moments later, she asked, What is Nighteye doing now? The Holy Son wanted to reply but was forced to withdraw unwillingly as the duke in charge of intelligence glared at him. Many vampires exchanged glances. Before the Queen of the Night, it was best to present the most objective truth obediently. It was pure madness to try and mislead her just because she had been in deep slumber for a long time. The council is currently recruiting experts. Theyre preparing to explore the bottomless vortex left behind at the center of the Evernight battlefield and plunder the ancient essence. Nighteye has signed up for this. The council attaches great importance to this matter, but they seem to be hesitant about the roster for the first batch. We also have an emissary there; Ill make immediate arrangements if you wish to see her. We might still make it. Liliths voice seemed to have gained an ineffable quality. She said slowly, Seize the ancient essence? Shes planning to use this merit to buy her freedom from the council. These words caused everyones expressions to turn unnatural. Lilith''s expression was unchanged. In fact, even the dukes couldnt see her appearance clearly and had no idea if her expression had changed. Since that is the case, tell the council to promise her freedom if she successfully retrieves the ancient essence. Tell them that it is my will. The Holy Sons expression shifted drastically after hearing Liliths words, but there was nothing he could do. No one could question the queen once she had made a decision. The duke in charge of intelligence was fairly loyal to his post. He added, Theres another small matter that might perhaps interest you. A while ago, the Sperger clans primo was also seeking Nighteyes hand in marriage. Lilith replied without any hesitation, The Young Habsburg. He indeed possesses the power to express his will. The duke immediately bowed without further words. People from the Holy Sons party were all wearing helpless expressions. The Queen of the Nights stance and how she had addressed Prince Habsburg went to show that she had placed the other party at a position where they could talk on the same level. This also meant that she recognized his grasp of the authority formerly belonging to the second-generation progenitor Prince Samael. At this point, the higher echelons on the Perth clan were very clear on how they should treat that young prince from now on. The geographical change on Evernight Continent brought about by that shocking battle gradually settled down. The bottomless vortex that was several hundred kilometers wide also revealed different sceneries. The prismatic turbulence was gradually weakening. The council and the empire had both dispatched people to investigate and discovered that it was a giant, marine-trench-like valley below. It was thousands of kilometers deep, probably due to the spatial distortion within the area. The dense darkness of the vortex had lessened a fair bit, vaguely exposing the blade-like tips of the stone forest below. In recent days, the council and the empire had mostly kept to their own side and minded their own business. They had reached a subtle state of balance. Nighteye stood at the edge of a cliff as she gazed at the rolling clouds, seemingly thinking about something. At this moment, a vampire count arrived in a hurry. Your Majesty, I have some news. Good news or bad news? Nighteye asked. That Monroe count hesitated for a bit before saying, Bad news. Speak. Weve just received news that Viscount Aaron has fallen in battle. Im sorry, Your Majesty. Nighteye turned around like the wind. What did you say? Aaron? Which Viscount Aaron? Your brother, Second-Rank Viscount Aaron. These words snuffed out Nighteyes last hopes. She gradually calmed down and asked, Who killed him? Do you have clues? Yes, Your Majesty. This matter was of great importance, so we used a scene recall ability. These are fragments of the scene Viscount Aaron saw before his death. The vampire count produced a red ruby and activated it by injecting blood energy. Soon afterward, the stone started to project a series of images. Chapter 494: As Strong as a Lie [V6C24 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The scene wasnt very clear and was frequently warped. However, one could see that Aaron was standing before the throne. He was waving his hands about like a deranged man and shouting at the top of his lungs, Capture him and bring him before me. No need. Here I am. Qianyes figure soon appeared as he entered the great hall, drew East Peak, and slashed at Aaron from afar! The scene ended abruptly at this point. Nighteye made no movement and continued staring at the lightless ruby in a daze. There was neither anger nor sadness on her faceher expression was seemingly frozen. Your Majesty? the shocked count called out cautiously. Nighteye came to only after a while. Have you confirmed the authenticity of the image? What happened afterward? My apologies, Your Majesty, we were only able to recall the images up to this point. However, weve investigated the scene and Viscount Aarons body. The outcome is indeed that, what you just saw is the truth. Nighteye regained her calm. That means it is indeed this person who killed Aaron? Yes, and weve also confirmed his identity. His name is Qianye. He originally held office at the expeditionary army and is the city lord of Blackflow City. It would seem he joined the Zhao clan during the bloody battle, or, at the very least, hes working together with them. At the mention of Blackflow City, the counts expression became somewhat unnatural. For the dark race warriors who had taken part in the recent battles on Evernight, Blackflow City had become a fairly inauspicious name. First, Wei Bainian had forced the dark race army to change routes during the war for the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure. Later on, Song Zining had routed the dark race alliance army alone under the Iron Curtain. Furthermore, people discovered that one of the two rising stars of the empire rampaging through the Iron Curtain was actually also from Blackflow City. Qianye, Nighteye muttered softly. The counts expression was one of worry. He was clear how close Aaron and Nighteye were. It could be said that Aarons position in the Monroe clan was solely due to Nighteyes unconditional support. Now that Aaron had been killed all of a suddennot to mention the pressure Nighteye and the Monroe clan had been suffering from all sideshe was worried that this princess would resort to something foolish. He persuaded indirectly, Your Majesty, this person cannot be underestimated at all. Especially under the Iron Curtain, he might be even more dangerous than Zhao Jundu. Theres no hurry to seek revenge. We will surely be able to make him repay with blood after the Iron curtain disperses. Nighteye slowly closed her eyes. I understand. The counts mood didnt quite relax. During the past month, Qianye had used the corpses of countless dark race geniuses to prove just how terrifying he was. The Monroe clans forces deployed to that castle werent weak at all, and they also had the terrain advantage. In the end, Qianye had called upon them and wiped them all out. Only the guardian third-rank count managed to escape. At this point in the bloody battle, the dark race had long since studied Qianye and Zhao Jundu. Qianyes level was inferior to Zhao Jundu, and his combat techniques werent as impenetrable, either. However, the might of his attacks were extremely powerful, a person who walked the path of complete head-on dominance. There was really no way to deal with this kind of power under the Iron Curtain. Even dark race experts who exceeded the rank-limit could hardly endure a frontal assault. As such, Qianye and Zhao Jundu had their own strong points. Anyone below the level of count would surely die after encountering Zhao Jundu. Even escape would be difficult without a secret art. Meanwhile, experts above the count level werent willing to bump into Qianye, either, because his strength was simply too depressing to the beholder. Nighteye was the most powerful genius of the Monroe clans current generation. Her developments within the few years of her return made all her elders proud. She was also the bargaining chip for an extremely important deal, so the Monroe clan wasnt willing to see her injured in a clash with Qianye. Moreover, Blackflow City was like a cursed place to the dark races. Even the count himself didnt want to approach that city. Nighteye sighed lightly. You may withdraw if theres nothing else to report. Dozens of dark race experts were standing silently some distance behind her. At this moment, all of them approached after seeing her gesture. There were vampires among them and also members of other races. Only a couple of them wore the Monroe clans insignia on their robes, while the rest were direct subordinates of the Evernight Council. The count standing in front of Nighteye said anxiously, Your Majesty, wont you reconsider? The council isnt forcing you to enter. The situation inside the bottomless vortex is unclear and incomparably dangerous. With your status, theres no need to take this risk at all. Let those of lowly blood go. No matter who obtains the ancient essence, youll have a chance to receive it in the end. At the very least, they can scout the road ahead. Nighteye didnt reply and only shook her head. Then, she jumped down and vanished into the swirling black mist. Her dark race followers also jumped down. The last member to enter with a datura flower insignia on his collar said softly as he passed by, This time, its only a scouting mission. Well return after passing through the prismatic turbulence. If the clan wants to dissuade Her Majesty, they have one more chance. The count could only smile wryly at this point as he thought about which elders he should call over. Blackflow City was just as before, and the atmosphere of jubilation hadnt been reduced by much. The shocking waves thousands of kilometers away seemed to have strengthened the peoples will to enjoy the present. The Iron Curtains reappearance signified that they might not be able to live until the sun rose each passing day. What then was more important than living life to its fullest? Qianye stood atop the Dark Flame sentry tower, gazing down at the city beneath his feet. After witnessing the great battle that had left the continent with a huge scar, he came to a deeper understanding of how frail and insignificant most living beings were. The joy and laughter before his eyes might turn into a sea of flames and ashes at the very next moment, just like that dark race city engulfed by earthen flames. The drill grounds were somewhat empty since Dark Flame soldiers had long since completed their daytime training. The squad left behind was in charge of weapon experiments, but the sounds they were producing made it seem as though an entire division was practicing. On the grounds, a small figure was running, leaping, ducking, and rolling. However, these dazzling movements didnt affect her shooting at all. Bullets flew out from every possible angle and landed on the targets around hernone of them missed. A group of technicians and craftsmen were busy. Among them, demonkin Percys appearance was the most eye-catching. Nangong Xiaoniao was also among them. Her long ponytail would fly behind her as she ran around amidst the arrays and equipment, outlining a graceful arc through the air. The rumbling of guns and explosions came to a sudden stop as resounding applause rang out from the field. All the craftsmen and warriors were cheering. Apparently, they had achieved an important breakthrough with the experiment from just now. Nangong Xiaoniao rushed into the field and toward the Highbeard girl, Black Moon. The two then hugged each other while cheering excitedly. Qianyes mood was exceptionally calm as he watched everything happening before him. At this moment, he also saw his own world of consciousness. The tides of the Combatant Formula were raging below, surging bravely forward without rest, while the misty clouds slowly revolved along an inexplicably profound route in the sanguineous skies above. Daybreak and Evernight, the two extremes of this world were revolving as though they had been in the same state for countless years, magnificent and tranquil, one existing alongside the other. Something stirred within Qianyes heart. At this moment, he seemed to be hearing the voice of the world. The long, ancient voice seemingly echoed right beside his earcryptic and profound, yet incomparably familiar at the same time. He turned around to find Song Zining climbing up the stairs. This Song Seventh Young Masters posture had grown increasingly transcendent after his successful cultivation of the Heavens Mirror. Among the aristocratic family squads stationed within the city, there was a fair number of noble ladies with both status and ability who favored him greatly. Whether it was his character or temperament, they found him perfect and simply couldnt find any fault at all. Even his separation from the Song clan had become a merit. Song Zining had long since experienced a period of building a business from the ground up. This proved that he had the ability to establish a family estate of his own. If he were still in the Song clan, he wouldve become a popular candidate to inherit the clan lord position, then it would be impossible for these noble ladies to reach him. His present state was the best. Song Zining would act like a pristine young master free of mortal attachments in front of people while continuing to traverse worldly affairs and polish his glass heart in private. Qianye had questioned him about this matter. He especially disapproved of him wasting so much time on his appearance and apparel. However, Song Zining replied that this was an era where people were judged by strength, but even more so by face. Hence, external appearances were incomparably important. He said that if one day, he paid no more attention to fashion, then it would mean his heart was more or less dead. Qianye had no idea how to argue against Song Zinings preposterous arguments. He simply accepted everything and let the latter do as he pleased. Song Zining arrived as though he were walking on air; even his gait seemed to be afloat. He arrived before Qianye in the blink of an eye. Any news? Qianye inquired. The great changes a couple of days ago were indeed caused by a battle between Sky Demon and the experts of the two factions. The Evernight side has awakened the Queen of the Night, Lilith, and sent two more great monarchs into battle. On the empires side, the leader of the Heavenly Monarchs, the Pointer Monarch, and Marshal Zhang Boqian also participated. The battle involved an area tens of thousands of kilometers wide. Had it not ended with extreme swiftness, the entirety of Evernight Continent might be in danger. At this point, even someone as calm as Song Zining couldnt help but take a deep breath, unable to disguise the intense fascination in his eyes. Qianye was greatly astonished after hearing the Queen of the Nights name. Lilith wasnt just an ordinary great monarch. She had been the number one expert among the vampires for ten thousand years, so much so that some dark race members believed she was the number one character in the world of darkness. Even the proud and mysterious demonkin maintained a level of respect for her. Now that the Evernight Council had even awakened such a character, it would seem they were intent on winning. Just what is it that the Sky Demon seeks? Qianye had personally witnessed that star being shattered and couldnt help but feel curious. Chapter 495: The Evernight Council [V6C25 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Song Zining replied, Its the ancient essence of the void colossus, Chaos, a virtually immortal being capable of living for millions of years. One can imagine how terrifying of a force it is. As for what a chaos void colossus is, even the Evernight Faction has very little records, to speak nothing of the empires meager knowledge. But other void chaos beast remains have been excavated before on certain continents, and every single one of them is an extremely powerful resource. For cultivators above the divine champion level, it is a path to heaven. In terms of armaments, it is required as a raw material for void forts, heavenly flame battleships, weapons above grade ten, and even grand magnums. Their current channel of information was the intelligence dispatched from the expeditionary army, information brokers like Lone Ghost, and Song Zinings contacts among the nobility. They were able to scratch the surface at most. But just these fragments were enough for one to understand why the bloody battle had led up to this great final battle, even surpassing the war for the Black-Winged Monarchs treasure. Qianye finally understood why the two factions were looking to seize this object at all costs. The Evernight side had even awakened the Queen of the Night. There was no need to talk about how steep a price they had paid. On the empire side, the Pointer Monarch was recognized as the current leader of the Heavenly Monarchs. The day he became a heavenly monarch, the man pointed toward the stars hanging in the southern sky. To the Southern Dipper in the sky, the Pointer doth ask the way. This became a sign of the empires prosperity at the time and also gave him the title, Pointer Monarch. The Pointer Monarch was one who had gone through three dynasties, but he hadnt appeared in public eyes for over three decades. Some say he had been cultivating an earth-shattering art in isolation, while others claim that he had been following the 23rd generation emperors footsteps toward the summit of this world. Throughout the many years, the only thing people could ascertain was the fact that he hadnt yet fallen. The price to have him make an appearance probably wasnt too far off from the dark races. Even with such a powerful lineup and the two factions working together, they werent able to gain the upper hand. They only managed to break the void colossus essence apart, causing it to shoot out in all directions. Most of the fragments fell into Sky Demons hands, while the dark races and the empire gained some each. From this, it was obvious just how powerful Sky Demon was. Now that the Iron Curtain had descended once again, it was clear that Sky Demon wasnt about to give up and was still intent on collecting all of the essence fragments. Qianye said with a frown, Then I guess the upcoming battles arent for people of our level. Song Zining said after a moment of hesitation, I received some secret information. The geography of the continent was transformed after the great battle, and the ancient essence fragment fell into a bottomless abyss. The empire and the Evernight Council will send people in to investigate. Due to the interference of the void turbulence, all who enter will have their origin power dispersed. Its not accurate to say all of ones origin power because the dispersal is being measured by standard units. As such, the empire is looking to dispatch experts with combat strength exceeding their level. Qianye had a premonition about the words that would follow. As expected, Song Zining continued while looking at him, Zhao Jundu is among them. Qianye didnt say anything. He gazed toward the large drill ground where the smiths were already dissembling their equipment. Everyone was still immersed in the jubilation of the successful experiment. Song Zining looked over, and his gaze paused on Nangong Xiaoniao. Oh, right. Theres also someone else you may know in that group, Xu Lang. Qianyes gaze went blank for a moment. The name sounded familiar, but he couldnt recall who it was. The first senior brother from our batch to graduate from Yellow Springs. Heh, heh, Song Zinings laughter was frosty, he currently holds a position in Red Scorpion as a brigadier general of the Stinger Camp, a fairly dazzling genius. Youre probably more familiar with the internal structure of the Red Scorpions, so you can probably guess his status and strength. Qianye glanced back at Song Zining in surprise. The names Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion had both popped up here, and he might even be a former classmate. Various fragmented names from Yellow Springs emerged in his mind. It seemed as though a corner of his concealed past was about to be revealed under the sun. Qianye tried hard to bring his emotions under control and pushed the heavy name back into the depths of his memories. He listened attentively about how Xu Lang had appeared in Blackflow for a short while and nodded. It would seem that this senior brother was somehow related to the Nangong family. Meanwhile, Xu Lang was also a present Red-Scorpion Officercould there be a relationship between him and Nangong Xiaoniao? Zining, are there any other Nangong families apart from the Yishui Nangong? Song Zining pondered for a while. Might be some of the more humble families. Why? He suddenly recalled a past matter. You asked about a lady surnamed Nangong last time. What was her name? Nangong Yuqing, Qinaye replied, someone asked me to find her or her descendants. Ive inquired through all available channels, but still havent managed to find anything. Perhaps its difficult for outsiders to find out the interior matters of the aristocracy. Song Zining replied after some thought, I understand. Ill take note of this matter. Qianye nodded and then fell silent once more. Song Zining said after a while, An area five hundred kilometers around the bottomless vortex has been locked down. If you want to go there, its best you visit the Zhao clan base first. Everything is more convenient with their name. Qianye didnt answer for quite some time. Later, he said tartly, Lets just wait for more information from the imperial military. At present, Sky Demon clearly hadnt given up on the remaining essence fragments, and the council didnt seem like it would let things be either. That meant the empire was sure to interfere. It was just a matter of what price they were willing to pay. Members of the major clans and elite corps had already entered, so they would surely recruit outside help if they wanted to expand the scale of this operation. With Blackflow Citys position in the expeditionary army, they would surely be in the first batch to receive information, if not the very first. The wind and clouds were surging on Evernight Continent, and a certain ancient upper continent wasnt so calm, too. Today was an important day for the Evernight Council. The most majestic building at the center of the councila thousand meter-tall palace hallslowly opened its doors. These doors were two hundred and seventy meters tall but had no machines driving them. It took two honored marquises behind each door pushing with all their strength for them to slowly open. The Eternal Hall was where the entire council convened, but its members would usually enter from the side entrance under normal circumstances. Only extremely important ceremonies or the arrival of an extremely important character would warrant the opening of its main doors. They had remained closed for almost a hundred years now. The night sky above the great hall was eternal and unchanging. It was said that the seven giants who had formed the council worked together to modify the heaven and earth, causing the sky to become an eternal night. Presently, only four of the seven founding magnates remained, yet the sky above the Eternal Hall was still unchanging. In the world of Evernight, the hall and its land were among the greatest miracles. A bolt of blood-colored lightning descended through the night sky. It fell from the firmament and all the way down to the earth, forming a great sanguineous scar in the air. The number of lightning bolts grew exponentially and, very soon, formed a forest of blood-red lightning within a hundred-meter radius. The countless bolts of dense lightning were akin to a living creature. They condensed and encircled one another to form the outline of a spatial door. A bloody hue fluctuated within as a woman with black hair and black skirt walked out. All beings seemingly missed a heartbeat the moment she appeared in this world. This was an indescribable womaneven if one were standing before her, it would be hard for him to say whether he had seen her or not. Almost no one could remember her appearance, or even say whether she was beautiful or ugly. She was clearly there, but looking at her felt like staring into empty space. However, after closing ones eye, her image would remain imprinted deep in one''s soul, never to be forgotten again. This lady was the only one who had left no memory of her appearance in this world, not even a painting. Even major characters with great powers only remembered her flowing black hair and that everlasting black skirt. She was the Queen of the Night, Lilith. Several steps made of blood appeared before her, paving a path toward the doors of the Eternal Hall. Lilith went down step by step, her every stride seemingly treading upon the heartbeats of all creation. The world was completely silent for everlasting silence was the highest form of respect for the queen. She arrived before the doors to the Eternal Hall and gazed quietly above the door. The seven totems symbols there formed a circle, each representing an ancient founding clan of the Evernight Council. It was just that the clan behind one of those totems had vanished forever and two more were already extremely weak, barely struggling to survive on a remote continent. The peerless honor of founding the Evernight Council had long since left them and would likely never return. She sighed softly after quite a while and proceeded to enter the Eternal Hall. The hall itself was a thousand meters tall with the roof measuring over eight hundred meters from the floor at its tallest point. Presently, there were only a couple hundred seats in this hall capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people. Naturally, it looked fairly empty. The seats in the hall were all floating in the air. There were over two hundred seats at the lowest level belonging to the ordinary members of the council. On the next level positioned far away from one another in a circle were another 50 seatsthe seats of the senior council members. There were less than ten seats above them. These seats were different from the lower ones in that there was a platform under each of them several square meters wide, adding to their grandeur. The Evernight Council Lord and the other big shots were seated here. The council lords seat only had a bigger platform compared to the others. But that wasnt the highest level just yet. There were seven mountain peaks above them with corresponding totem insignias carved on them. These seven mountains represented the seven large founding clans, but at present, there were only four with seatsthe other three summits were completely empty. Not all council seats were full. In truth, only half of them were occupied, and some of the occupants on the highest level werent true bodies but projections instead. All council members stood up when Lilith entered the Eternal Hall. They placed their hands on the chest and lowered their heads in a gesture of respect. Without any special movements, she rose into the air and arrived before a throne on one of the seven peaks. Her gaze swept through the entire hall before she slowly took her seat. Chapter 496: Doubts of Yesteryear [V6C26 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Among the four peaks with seats on them, only two were occupied. The figures were all projectionstheir actual bodies werent there, but the images looked no different than their corporeal forms. Lilith had also attended the council via projection while she was in hibernation, an indication that she still existed. These people were existences on the same level as Lilith, but they all stood halfway up to greet her. This movement wasnt submission but an expression of gratitude. They were thankful for Liliths awakening and her obstruction of Sky Demon. This allowed the Evernight Faction to obtain ten odd ancient essence fragments. In the distant future, these items would produce nearly ten duke-level experts or the same number of strategic armaments. The council members all sat down some time after Lilith had taken her seat. This session of the Evernight Council thus began. Among the seven mountain peaks, four of them corresponded to the vampire, demonkin, arachne, and werewolf racesthe present day four major races. However, the werewolf seat was currently empty. This wasnt because the werewolves were absent, but because there was no monarch among them capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lilith. The council discussions commenced. First up was the aftermath on Evernight Continent. The bottomless vortex left behind from the battle had been named Giants Repose, and after several investigations, they had confirmed that this was the void colossus second burial ground. Beyond the prismatic turbulence was a boundless stretch of stone forests and ravines leading toward an unknown place. The second piece of information was related to Imperial Marshal Lin Xitang. Both he and Evernight Council Prophet Weber had performed calculations regarding the Giants Repose but gained nothing from it. However, the council received secret intelligence that Lin Xitang had returned to the empire in secret, reportedly due to the relapse of an old injury. This news immediately incited heated debates. Many believed Lin Xitang was trying to trick them and that the empire had discovered something. Follow-up reports from within the Great Qin Empire were able to prove this statement. Lin Xitangs movements were now unclear, but there were unusual movements at the imperial capital. First, the 108 diviners raised by the empire were summoned to the imperial capital, then the royal guard began gathering a large number of death row prisoners from the surrounding provinces. This was supposedly in preparation for the empires triennial ceremony, but those with discerning eyes could see that this was a prelude to the empires highest level sacrificial prophecy. After a session of intense discussions, the council decided to have Prophet Weber continue his predictions while also mobilizing several experts proficient in prophetic arts to work together toward a deduction of the Giants Repose. The Queen of the Night sat atop her high throne. Her eyes were a profound color of blood akin to a boundless sanguine ocean. She only remained silent because all the discussions going on below, even the possibility of a total-war, were completely insignificant to her and not even worth her attention. Only when the council members began discussing the distribution of the ancient essence fragments did Lilith speak, I require two pieces. The Queen of the Nights sudden words plunged the entire council hall into silence. The council speaker stood up to address the queen and said, Itll be as you say. With that, he waved his hand and struck out two pieces of ancient essence fragments from the discussion listthey were now considered inexistent. The discussion then continued for the distribution of the remainder among the various clans. Every ancient essence fragment signified the birth of a duke-level expert, a power capable of founding a medium-scaled clan; even those powerhouses couldnt ignore such a massive profit. As the debates grew more and more intense, the undertable deals also increased in frequency. Lilith ignored everything going on before her. Her will had long since passed through the distant space and appeared in the depths of Evernight Continent, within an ancient vampire castle. Habsburg was seated in a rather spacious chair, facing the Evernight Continent outside of his french window. His expression moved slightly as he stood up with due elegance and bowed toward a corner of the study. Welcome, Your Majesty. The figure of a dark-haired woman in dark robes was condensed out of thin air. She raised her hand in equal reciprocation. Although it was just a projected image that had appeared here, it seemed as though a certain ceremony had just been completedone signifying a second-generation primogenitors approval and recognition. This meeting was fairly short. With their strengths, there was naturally no existence capable of obtaining the slightest information on them. When Countess Waverly knocked and entered, Habsburg was still in his seat, facing the vast lands of Evernight Continent. It was as though that revered guest just now had never appeared before. He didnt look back, but the smiling countess walked over to the young prince with brisk steps. The rustling of her skirt produced beautiful sounds as her arms reached out to embrace Habsburgs shoulders. Countess Waverly sported golden-brown hair and a pair of pure, jade-like eyes. Even among the entire vampire race, she was a famed beauty. My beloved highness, have you finally decided to return to Twilight Continent tomorrow? Thats wonderful. This Evernight countryside is really too boring! The countess voice was just as lively as her temperament and as melodious as the nightingales of the whispering woods. Habsburg didnt refuse her intimate actions and only asked, Any news? The Evernight Council is holding a general assembly, and I happen to know one of their topics of discussion. At this point, Countess Waverly said with some regret, If Your Highness had returned to the upper continent two days ago, you might have even made it in time for the meeting. Your position this time is enough to enter the inner circle! The Countess eyes sparkled brightly. It was as though she had seen delicious blood or beautiful jewels. The inner circle of the council was a position every dark race member looked up to, the seat of those council powerhouses. All of them possessed might above the level of a prince and were the true core executives of the council. Each and every one of their words, gestures, and decisions could cause great waves in the world of Evernight. Prince Habsburg, after his coronation, naturally possessed the right to take a seat among them. This wasnt just a boost to the Sperger clans status; it would likely affect the vampire races right to speak in the world of darkness. Habsburgs response was fairly calm, A topic? What new topic can there be apart from the battle against Sky Demon? Its related to the prophecy of Giants Repose. Both the councils Master Weber and the empires Marshal have failed. It has been said that Lin Xitang was even forced to return to the empire because of an old wound acting up. Countess Waverly chuckled while covering her mouth. Everyones guessing whether this matter is true or if the humans are up to certain schemes, whether the council will fight or continue the truce. A knock was heard from the study doors at this moment as a capable-looking virtuous count walked in. He had been Habsburgs close attendant for nearly a hundred years. Although his rank wasnt too high, he was an expert in handling various matters and was thus placed in an important position. After entering, he said to Habsburg, This piece of news is indeed true. Marshal Lin Xitang has indeed returned to the empire. He didnt go to the Northern Legion and instead headed for the imperial capital. Habsburg laughed unexpectedly. The demonkin have always been proud of their prophetic techniques and wont be willing to lose to a human. Those old fellows from the council probably decided to go all out in deducing the secrets of Giants Repose, right? A bewildered Countess Waverly blinked her jadeite eyes. Habsburgs attitude was so undisguised that anyone could see the schadenfreude in his demeanor. She asked curiously, Beloved Highness, could it be that you think this is the empires scheme? Are they planning to waste the councils prophetic powers? Her delicate arms had been caressing Habsburg''s chest and arms this whole time. The young prince suddenly let out a meaningful laugh and reached out to press the countess hands. This simple movement caused the countess to become completely immobile. Her beautiful eyes were suffused with puzzlement and terroreven her ability to speak had been robbed at this moment. Habsburg said calmly, How did you leak the news of my ascension to princehood? Countess Waverlys eyes erupted with extreme alarm. She wanted to turn her gaze toward Virtuous Count Lennard behind her, but she couldnt move her head in the slightest. Habsburg had actually advanced to the level of prince since before the bloody battle, but he had kept it under the wraps. Only the people closest to him knew of itone was his mistress, Countess Waverly, while the other was his attendant, Lennard. Habsburg seemed to have no intention of giving her any chance to explain. No need to look at Lennard. Hes my descendant. The countess finally lost all hope. Everyone knew Habsburg only had pure-blooded progeny and no origin blood descendants. That was because it took 80 to 100 years to condense a drop of duke-level origin blood. Habsburg was fairly young and also in his growing phase. It was understandable why he hadnt wasted any origin blood to produce a descendant. Who wouldve thought his strength would be so terrifyingly formidable? He actually possessed a descendant close to reaching the marquis rank and was still able to become a crowned prince before reaching middle age. The countess soft body lay across Habsburgs thighs just as she had done so countless times in the past. But, at this moment, there was a blob of bloody radiance floating in the air above. At the same time, there were countless strands of blood being drawn out from her back and flowing continuously into the light. Her jade-like eyes were completely filled with dread and madness. Having ones blood energy drained alive was the slowest and cruelest sentence for a vampire. Lennard asked, Was she working for the council? Habsburg said dismissively, Quite likely. Her body has been tampered with, so I cant glean much from her memories. But thats not a big problem, either. Our sacred-blooded race only has a handful of old enemies. But you were forced to be crowned earlier The timing couldnt have been better. It just so happened that Lilith had awoken from her slumber, and I possessed the right to talk to her. Habsburg smiled. In truth, I must thank the council. I wouldnt have had this opportunity if they hadnt paid such a colossal price. Lennard opened up the file in his hand. Ive already arranged for the re-investigation of the Lost Paradise No. 3 Laboratory. Habsburg replied, Keep an eye on this matter personally. He hesitated for a moment before saying, Theres something not quite right about Lin Xitangs reaction when I mentioned this matter to him. Perhaps we were fooled back then and someone else had borrowed the empires hand to cause damage. This also means that the things weve hidden in the Evernight Councils laboratory have been perceived. Lennard nodded with a solemn expression. Habsburg stood up and allowed Countess Waverlys lifeless body to slide down to the floor. The blood energy in the air turned into a ruby-like blood crystal the size of a fist. That was a count-grade vampires complete essence. With a casual wave of his hand, the crystal flew into Lennards grasp. What will Lin Xitangs expression be like if he discovers that we never found his sons body when we cleaned up the battlefield back then? Habsburg had personally gone over back then after the battle at that small town had ended. He remembered clearly that the name tag which belonged to Lin Qianye was left hanging on what remained of a young mans hand. Few of the soldiers bodies were left intact after that cruel battle. The imperial identity tags were fairly difficult to destroy even with origin flames or water. After every battle, regardless of victory or defeat, the empire would always request the other side to return these name tags so that the fallen soldiers could receive a proper burial. This was a convention. The dark races had complicated feelings toward the race they had raised as livestock for a thousand years. However, they still learned to respect human traditions as the empire gradually became stronger. Chapter 497: Ascension Stairway [V6C27 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The winds of change blew across Evernight Continent in the days that followed. The short-lived balance around Giants Repose was thoroughly shattered as the Evernight Council issued a mobilization notice. The great dark race army marched toward the surrounding regions and started driving away the humans. Naturally, the empire wouldnt sit stilltroops were transferred from the surrounding areas as numerous battles broke out against the dark race alliance army. After a number of victories and defeats on both sides, the situation gradually fell into a stalemate. The experts from each side fought continuously within a thousand-kilometer area, some seeking to drive the enemy away, while others looking to impede them. The two factions secretly dispatched small elite squads into the Giants Repose while, at the same time, trying to kill the other factions units. Meanwhile, Sky Demon was apparently unwilling to let go of the last fragments of ancient essence. It came back even stronger while the two factions were locked in battle and covered the Giants Repose with the Iron Curtain. At the same time, it released avatars and launched attacks against experts from both sides. In the end, it became a melee between three parties. It was at this time that something happened at the Evernight Council. The attempted prophecy they had actuated with great momentum encountered a severe setback. It turned out that the power below the Giants Repose capable of dispersing the experts origin power wasnt a wind tunnel at allit was actually the chaos void colossus remnant will! That tremendous existence had fallen millions of years ago, however, it not only formed an immortal essence, but even its will remained perpetual and unextinguished. The master prophets of Evernight all suffered badly after coming into contact with the void colossus will. Grandmaster Weber was grievously injured and would require decades to recover. Nearly half of the experts were directly killed by the backlash, while the remainder were also greatly harmed. The Evernight factions scrying power had suffered a heavy blow, allowing the empire to quickly overtake them. This wasnt a trivial matter because it meant that, in future comprehensive operations, the empire could easily interfere with the dark factions scrying. Meanwhile, the latter would need to pay a higher price in order to interfere with the empires. But the Evernight Council wasnt completely without gains. They obtained two important pieces of information. The first was that the prismatic turbulence above Giants Repose was indeed of some other origin. There was a passage in the unknown depths of the stone forest and valleys. Although the world beyond this channel was dangerous, it might not necessarily be lethal. The second was that the effects of the void colossus will on experts indeed followed the wind tunnels principles. It would form a suppression on experts according to their standard rank. This meant that high-ranking experts had a greater chance of dying, while those whose ranks were too low would be completely devoured by the colossus will. The Evernight Council immediately fell into a dilemma. The ancient essence was indeed a desirable commodity, but there was no telling what kind of dangerous land awaited them beyond the channel. They might have to recalculate their losses and gains should the expedition lose too great a number of high-ranking experts. The results of this calculation quickly spread among the higher echelons of the Evernight world, and naturally, also to the empires side. There was no shortage of people in the Evernight Faction looking to make deals with the empire. At the same time, countless eyes from the Evernight side were on the empires movements. At this point, some were already suspecting whether Lin Xitangs secret return to the empire was a scheme to damage Evernights scrying powers. However, some abnormal clues had also surfaced on the empires side. The 108 diviners all entered the Heavens Mystery Pavilion after arriving at the imperial capital, never to appear again. Afterward, all kinds of rare birds, ferocious beasts, and the transferred death row prisoners were sent into the pavilion. None of them returned. The Heavens Mystery Pavilion, located on the mountain behind the imperial capital, was like a gigantic beast with its bloody maw opened wide. It devoured all flesh and life without rest. The Heavens Mystery Pavilion opened its doors only after seven days. A plainly dressed Lin Xitang walked out with a jade scroll in his hand and passed it to an inner attendant who had been standing in wait for a full seven days. That inner attendant was old beyond recognition. His eyelids were dropping down as though he would fall asleep at any given moment. But when he saw Lin Xitang, a spiritual gleam flashed through this eyes, seemingly lighting up the entire pavilion for a split second. Seeing Lin Xitang pass the jade scroll to him, the old attendant patted away the dust on his body. He then stretched out a pair of aged, spot-covered hands and received the item with great caution. How should I handle it? Lin Xitang appeared completely transcendent at this moment. Even his voice was ephemeral as though it had fluttered down from the clouds. Merely present it to His Majesty without fail. The attendant replied, Rest assured, Marshal Lin, this old servant understands. You should take a rest first. Lin Xitang added, This road may be dangerous. Attendant Zhao should be careful. Attendant Zhao replied slowly, Rest assured, Marshal Lin, this servant has been traveling this road for several decades. There shouldnt be a problem. Lin Xitang nodded and walked down the stairs on his own. His figure seemed rather ephemeral as the wind swept through his silver hair. It felt as though he would be gone with the wind at the very next moment. Attendant Zhao also descended the stairs after Lin Xitang had left and boarded a black sedan. The vehicle drove off with a squad of imperial guards leading the way. The car entered the imperial capital main road then took two more turns into a fairly narrow street. Attendant Zhao was seated in the middle of the rear seat with both hands still on the jade scroll and his eyes closed. Attendant Zhaos ears twitched slightly as soon as the vehicle entered the street. He slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. A guard captain on the jeep taking point was visibly shaken. He suddenly drew his gun and shouted, Somethings wrong! Its too quiet! Sound the alarm and charge over! His words hadnt even ended when his entire body froze, and a bloody hole appeared on his forehead. The bullet shot through his skull and the throat of the guard behind him. Apparently, the assailant was an expert sniper. The driver turned the steering wheel in shock, causing the jeep to skid into a horizontal position. Another shot flew over, pierced the vehicle armor, and went right through the drivers head. The imperial guards alighted one after the other amidst the ear-piercing alarm and, with the car as cover, began firing back at the dark-robed assailants on the rooftops. These guards were all elites, but apparently, there were experts among the assassins. That sniper rifle also possessed terrifying firepower, killing most targets with a single shot and taking out the officers one by one. It was at this time that Attendant Zhao lowered the glass windows. The car he was riding on was first-rate, and the glass could withstand blasts from grade-five firearms. Opening the window at this moment was undoubtedly a suicidal endeavor. As expected, a sniper round whistled over just as Attendant Zhaos forehead was revealed over the half-lowered window. The old attendant raised his hand. His movements were fairly slow, but a pinch of his fingers actually caught the bullet right in front of his forehead. This sniper round was quite different from the ones normally seen. The palm-length bullet head was slender but sufficiently heavy, almost like a crossbow bolt, and its piercing ability was extremely powerful. The vehicle armor on the jeep at the front was pierced through like a sheet of paper. The bullet was just like heated cheese in the attendants hand. It was kneaded into a ball with a rub of his fingers and fell onto the ground outside of the car. The dozen or so black-robed men glanced at one another as they erupted with powerful aurasit turned out that they were experts of medium noble rank at the very least! They charged toward Attendant Zhaos car in quick succession. The other black-robed soldiers were fighting in a suicidal fashion. They fired with all their might without bothering to take cover and kept the imperial guards firmly suppressed. Attendant Zhao calmly opened the doors and arranged his sleeves before walking out of the car. He had the jade scroll in one hand and drew a short, jade-hilted dagger with the other as he confronted the charging black-robed men. Attendant Zhao took short steps amidst the siege, weaving back and forth abruptly within inches. The dagger in his hand would draw a splash of blood whenever it flashed past. Even the count-ranked leader fell at the attendants feet after suffering three more blows. The jade scroll was still firmly held in his hand. He sneered, A group of black-blooded bastards dare behave so atrociously at the imperial capital! With their leader dead, the remaining assassins werent much of a threat and were quickly killed off by the city guards who had just arrived. The initial assessment of their bodies revealed that there were dark race members and rebels among them. This was the standard lineup in the countless assassinations that had happened at the imperial capital. Attendant Zhao only laughed coldly at this outcome. If it werent for Lin Xitangs preemptive warning, he would have hardly believed anyone would be brave or foolish enough to perform an ambush at the imperial capital and attempt to seize the prophecy. Immediately afterward, Attendant Zhao entered the imperial palace and immediately sought an audience at the Qiantian Hall. The Heaven Hall was where the present emperor handled governmental affairs outside of the imperial assembly. At this moment, the high platform within the hall was enshrouded with lingering dark-green vapors, and the platform, desk, and throne were all hidden behind it. Everything was hazy and barely discernible. There was a man sitting upon the throne. His facial features were similarly obscured by the mist. Attendant Zhao arrived swiftly below the platform, where he raised the jade scroll in both hands, saying, Your Majesty, the item sent by Marshal Lin is here. There were no movements from the man on the platform. The green mist almost seemed sentient. A strand of it split off and spiraled out in the shape of a hand which took away the jade scroll. The man didnt open it up immediately. He only asked, How is Marshal Lin doing? The Marshal is fine. Hes gone back to rest now, Attendant Zhao replied with a bow. This old servant, on the other hand, encountered a small disturbance on my way back to the palace. The man listened to the recount before calmly instructing, Order the imperial guard to kill everyone living on that street. Theres no need for a trial. Attendant Zhao pondered for a moment. This old servant saw a house with the Fenyang family crest on it. Marquis Fenyang naturally wouldnt live in that area. It was likely a side family or a concubines house. That man said nothing. Attendant Zhao understood his meaning. He bowed once again and said on his own, None of the residents came out to help us back then. This old servant understands. Ill issue your orders immediately. The battle back then had involved heavy origin firearms. It wouldnt have been possible to set up such a quiet ambush without the residents facilitating them. Slaughtering everyone living on that street would involve almost a thousand lives, but a lack of trial meant that the scope of investigation wouldnt increase. Imperial laws were strict, but they had never passed collective punishments before. After investigations had yielded the perpetrator, that person would be fully responsible for the crime. The Fenyang family would probably not interfere even if that branch was innocent. Attendant Zhao withdrew quietly after seeing that the emperor had nothing else to instruct. Only then did the man atop the platform slowly unfurl the jade scroll. Eight words gradually appeared on the smooth jade surface: Land of seven provinces, a stairway to ascension. Even the supreme Great Qin Emperor felt his hands tremble after seeing these words. Chapter 498: Battle of National Fate [V6C28 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Only the emperor knew that Lin Xitangs return to the capital was mere pretense. After returning from the battle with Sky Demon, the Pointer Monarch confessed that they simply had no chance at obtaining the ancient essence had Lilith not obstructed Sky Demon. This went to show just how powerful the Queen of the Night was. She was still unchallengeable. When Sky Demons main body left Evernight Continent for the void, the Council recruited numerous experts and brought along the Grand Magnum, Blessing of Darkness, to challenge it. The group was led by Lilith, an ancestor of the demonkin Masefield family, and Crassus of the Eternal Flame. At this point, the empire had actually decided to contract their defensive lines and continue lying low. They only interfered with the ancient essence operation around Giants Repose to prevent them from easily obtaining the fragments. Lin Xitangs plan after his return indeed proved effective. Those proud Evernight Council big-shots invested their full scrying powers and incurred huge losses against the void colossus will. However, Lin Xitang suddenly changed his mind after hearing of the Evernight Council''s results. He quickly entered the Heavens Mystery Pavilion and arrived at the same shocking conclusion. Against the will of the heavens, one can only sigh that all living things are too insignificant to make assumptions. The other side of the Giants Repose was actually the Ascension Stairway! Lin Xitang was able to catch a glimpse of the other end of Giants Repose via a thread of heavens mystery. It was a continent floating upon the void, and one could even see a certain upper continent near it. That floating continent wasnt very big, but it was a rare land capable of accommodating life. Moreover, its position was close to several upper continents, a strategic point the empire had always yearned for. It turned out that the so-called Ascension Stairwaythe omen of the empires resurgencewas here. On the second day, the empire introduced a formal reply to the war around Giants Repose of Evernight Continenta full-scale war. The lords of the major clans and aristocratic families were summoned in succession, and the transfer of regular army corps proceeded with greater frequency. The true motive of this war was still a secret kept within the core circle of the empire, but the mobilization of troops spread like wildfire among the 300 provinces of the empire. As troubled times arise on the eve of resurgence, the decade of peace shall come to an end. The Evernight Council reacted swiftly to the empires war movements and mobilized all their spy channels in an attempt to figure out Lin Xitangs deductions. At the same time, the Lightless Monarch Medanzo and the Arachne Warlord Noxus continued to invest great military power toward Giants Repose. On the empires side, Duke Greensun Zhang Boqian held the military authority for Evernight Continent. As such, Evernight held the two versus one advantage against the empire. This was the most common situation in warsEvernight held the upper-hand, but it wasnt overwhelming. That was because surrounding and killing a Heavenly Monarch level expert was beyond difficult. This was especially true for Zhang Boqian who possessed the special ability to cross the skies in an instant. He could run away calmly even if he was no match. Apart from that, the two great monarchs werent just there to deal with Zhang Boqian. They also served to restrict one another. Otherwise, the werewolves would most likely suffer in Medanzos presence, while the vampires casualties would increase if Noxus were to appear alone. The outcome was more or less the same with any other great dark monarch, perhaps even worse. The situation might be even more chaotic if more great monarchs were added to the mix. Blackflow was among the first expeditionary army cities to receive a mobilization order. Along with it came a full share of military supplies and funds. This was a clear message that the Giants Repose would soon turn into a battlefield for an all-out war between the empire and the Evernight Council. Qianye started packing things in his room. As expected, the scope of recruitment for those entering the Giants Repose was indeed expanded after the empire announced the total war. Qianye had decided to sign up for it, but Song Zining seemed to have no intention of participating. After the two had concluded their discussion of military arrangements for Blackflow and Dark Flame, Song Zining said in an enigmatic tone, Qianye, go without worries. There is a fortune you must seek, while I have my battles to fight. He leaned back in a languid demeanor. Zhuji was sitting obediently on his lap with one of her little hands grabbing onto his wide sleeve. Qianye shot him a suspicious glance. You didnt do any scrying, did you? Its said that divination arts demand a significant price from the performer. The Evernight Council took grave losses this time. Are you sure youre alright? Song Zining smiled. Firstly, I never calculate the fate of the nation. Secondly, I never go against heavens will. I only check the fortune of those around me, so whats there to worry? Those fellows have simply enjoyed a high position for far too long. Theyve long since forgotten how unpredictable the might of the heavens is, and dont know when to back off. Whos to blame if they seek their own death? It was just that no one knew who the term fellows encompassed. Qianye was already used to his ambiguity. Qianye didnt linger about after seeing that all matters had been well-arranged. He picked up his tactical backpack, boarded an airship, and left. Song Zining watched Qianye leave with Zhuji in his arms, and only looked down after the airship turned into a black dot. He then lowered his head with a smile as gentle as the spring water. You see? Your sire is a human. If you dont learn to act like one, he wont want you anymore. Should any other person hear his words, they would find it fairly odd because Song Zining had used an ancient word. The term specifically referred to the progenitor of an origin blood descendant. Zhujis little face revealed a mature dejection. She suddenly turned her head around and buried her face in Song Zinings chest. Qianye was welcomed by a busy scene upon arriving at the Zhao clan base. Virtually everyone was rushing about, and every corner of the base was undergoing construction. The western wall had expanded quite a bit after the demolition and reconstruction. Moreover, there was a large scale airship portseveral times larger than beforeunder renovation. Qianye was astonished. This was clearly a sign that the Zhao clan was about to transfer its main army over. Could it be that the war had already escalated to such a degree? The Zhao clan had their own battles to fight on the Western Continent, and their borders werent peaceful at all. Despite that, they were actually going to transfer their main army here! The guards at the gates apparently recognized Qianye. They quickly ran over and performed a salute. Young Master Qianye, the elder duke wishes for you to go and see him immediately upon arrival. Elder duke? Qianye was slightly shaken. He was even more astonished after finding that the one waiting for him was actually Duke You. Along the way, he saw some familiar faces among the busy soldiers running about their duties. After seeing Qianye, they quickly made way and saluted him, their words full of respect. One could see that their reverence for Qianye came from the depths of their hearts and had even reached the point of idolization. Very soon, Qianye arrived at the command center at the core of the camp and followed his guide into a certain guest room. There, at the center of the room, was an old man standing as straight as a pine tree with his hands behind his back. He was observing the sand table in complete silence. Qianye went in and stood silently without interrupting the old mans thoughts. He had never seen this old man before, but he could actually feel a faint stifling sensation in the latters presence. Even his origin power circulation had been suppressed and turned somewhat sluggish. This was no small matter. Qianyes origin power purity had already reached the level of crystallization, not to mention his Venus Dawn was one of the three top origin power types. But there were signs of it being suppressed as he stood behind this old man. This could only prove one pointthis elderly mans cultivation was far above Qianyes. Among the experts he had seen throughout his entire life, even Nangong Yuanwang was inferior to this duke. The old man didnt move and neither did Qianye. A fair length of time passed by in this manner before the old man finally turned around. He sized Qianye up with a nod and praised, You possess this level of combat strength at such a tender age and, whats more, a rare, calm temperament. Ive heard about your achievements before, but gossip often tends to be exaggerated and shouldnt be trusted completely. After seeing you today, however, I find that you are even above those rumors. How rare, how rare. The old man pointed at the chair beside him. Sit. After taking his seat, the old man said slowly, This duke is Zhao Xuanji. Elder Duke. Qianye bowed in salutation. His stay at the Zhao clan had been fairly rushed and spent mostly in Zhao Yuyings Mountain Splitter Courtyard. He never saw the elder generation of the Zhao clan. After meeting this time, Qianye came to a clear understanding of how unfathomable Duke You washe might even be above Zhao Weihuang. But why had the number one expert of the Zhao clan suddenly arrived on Evernight Continent instead of overseeing the Western Continent? As though he had guessed Qianyes question, Zhao Xuanji replied, Since youve already come, you ought to know some things about the general situation on Evernight Continent. In truth, the circumstances are even graver than outsiders believe. For some reason, Song Zinings words as he was about to leave emerged in his mind. He thus proceeded to pay detailed attention to Duke Yous words. Zhao Xuanji said, The battle with Sky Demon was for the ancient essence of the void colossus. This matter is known to all. The empire mobilizing in full force is also supposedly to seize those fragments of ancient essence. The object has already shattered, but even a small shard contained the profundities of heaven and earth. Fated individuals can take advantage of it to eliminate the bottleneck before the divine champion level and forge a path toward ascension. This time, the generosity of the empires recruitment terms are unprecedented, so much so that everyone will be allowed to keep a single shard they have obtained for personal use. There is no need to hand it over. Qianye nodded. Even he was moved by these terms. The ancient essence fragment was a divine item for cultivation and also a strategic resource. There was no method to obtain them barring special periods and circumstances. Once one had obtained the fragments, the rewards would be significant whether they were left for personal use or handed over to the empire. The humans could use the fragments to achieve the divine champion level and the dark races, a duke. Moreover, the latter commonly lived longer than humans and their inheritances were mostly reliant on bloodlines. A duke was already capable of establishing a clan on his own, so how could such power be easily given up? This went to show that Giants Repose was sure to become a scene of bloody massacre. However, he had also noticed the hidden intent in Duke Yous words. As expected, Zhao Xuanji continued, Youre no outsider, so we should let you know some things about the actual secret behind this battle. You must be curious about why this duke is here. The truth is that theres a different world behind Giants Repose, related to several hundred years of our Great Qins national fate, and the empire has decided to go all out and take it. This duke is here to lead the great army and restrict the Evernight sides power. An arduous battle cant be avoided should the need arise. Qianye couldnt help but feel astonished. The empire had risen for a mere thousand yearswhat concept was several hundred? Zhao Xuanji had sketched this matter in light shades, but Qianye could hear the dense aura of murder in his words. A battle that would be overseen by the number one expert of the Zhao clanhow could such a battle be small? Since even the Zhao clan was moving in this manner, the other clans naturally wouldnt be too different. It would seem the entire empire was mobilizing in full force. Qianye asked, Where is the Fourth Young Master? Jundu entered Giants Repose with the first batch. He returned two days ago but went back in yesterday night. This time, it should take longer. Chapter 499: Giant’s Repose [V6C29 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes heart was heavy. If the war truly escalated to a national level, not only would the conflict become protracted, but the Giants Reposealong with the world behind itwould also turn into a fierce battlefield where the dark races and the humans would fight to their deaths. At this moment, Zhao Xuanji added, This time, its not just Jundu entering the Giants Repose. The eldest, Junyi, has also been summoned. The second and third of the siblings are still recovering from the injuries sustained during the bloody battle, so theyll remain to fight on the surface. Duke You listed several more names. Qianye knew not who they were, but they were probably outstanding descendants capable of standing alongside Zhao Jundu. In the end, Zhao Xuanji added, Yuyings injuries will be completely healed in ten days. Shell also head in at that time. Unable to hold back any longer, Qianye finally asked, I heard that the Giants Repose will suppress the powers of everyone entering it. Now that were going in with full force, what if something happens? Zhao Xuanji said proudly, Firstly, a fortune like the ancient essence has come into being and the matter is also related to centuries of the empires fate. How can our Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan shrink back? Moreover, the journey is indeed perilous, but not a situation of certain death. Under the void colossus suppression, the gap between the strong and the weak will grow closer. If one doesnt even dare take this risk, how can he forge ahead? How can such a person support the Zhao clan in the future? Qianye took a deep breath in solemn veneration. At this point, he had come to understand Zhao Yuyings words about how Zhao clan scions had to fight their way to power. Having stood for a thousand years, the Zhao clan indeed possessed certain original characteristics. Even geniuses with a background advantage like Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying had to join the battle, to speak nothing of the others. Even if they were to fall in Giants Repose, some others would emerge to distinguish themselves. With such a fierce war-like family tradition, those with talent would always have a way up. With all family members being seasoned veterans, there was no need to worry about the clan not thriving. Zhao Xuanji gazed at Qianye and said in a serious tone, Im telling you all of these so that you can understand the overall situation and think it over clearly. I feel that I shouldnt force you to join the battle especially because I know your lifes experiences. Experts like you with rank-surpassing combat strength hold the advantage under the void colossus will, but it still remains that those above the champion level can also enter. Their remaining power after suppression might still be above yours. Moreover, according to the information Jundu sent back, some special abilities and strengthening equipment were unaffected by the suppression. Such enemies will be fairly difficult to deal with when encountered. Qianye listened to everything in silence. He then said without any hesitation, Im going to battle. Zhao Xuanji didnt agree immediately. In addition to its treacherous nature, this fight is also fairly different from the bloody battle. Our present information is only limited to the outer rim of Giants Repose. No one currently knows what dangers lie at the center nor what the land of national fortune looks like. You have to be clear about all these things. Qianye replied, I understand. Zhao Xunaji nodded. Very well then, this duke will make arrangements to send you to Giants Repose. This duke will also head there when the main army arrives. At that time, we might even see some old enemies from the Evernight Council. Heh, heh. Qianye didnt linger on. He left after saying his farewells and headed over to the military supplies depot to replenish his supplies. He went over to the airship port and boarded the awaiting high-speed airship. Moments later, the airship slowly took to the air and left in the blink of an eye. Qianye sat within the cabin with his eyes closed and his mind deep in thought. The information provided by Duke You was extremely important. Past the champion level, many people would know one or more secret arts enabling them to erupt with combat strength for a short period. It was fine with viscount level experts because he wasnt afraid of them no matter how they erupted, but if it were a count, marquis, or even a duke using such secret arts to restore their normal power, even a short moment of recovery wasnt something Qianye could handle. The airship used only half a days time to arrive at the borders of Giants Repose, where the empire had already established a large base. There were also three other bases around it serving as protection. Qianyes eyes were momentarily frozen despite having seen special elite corps headquarters like that of Red Scorpion. He also sighed at the scene before him. The empires fully-mobilized troops were able to build a fully-functional base of such scale within three days. One had to know that this was Evernight Continent and not the empires native lands. This went to show the empires determination and expenditure. Just the transport of construction materials alone would require the use of two regular airship fleets. Reportedly, the Evernight Councils base on the other side of the valley was even greater in both scale and numbers. Large batches of dark race experts were hurrying over day and night from the upper continents, and the two factions had even fought several times in the void. Before entering Giants Repose, Qianye was summoned to the war room along with a dozen other talents from the empire. He was the youngest among them and his level was also the lowest; this naturally raised eyebrows among the others. However, those capable of entering this place werent superficial people, and no one revealed expressions of discrimination. The group didnt have to wait very long before an imperial brigadier general walked into the war room. He scanned everyone with a sharp gaze and said with a powerful voice, Im sure everyone is already clear to how important this battle is. This campaign can even be considered a battle of resurgence for the empire. Ill forego the superfluous words and only convey the empires promise to you: as long as you can seize a fragment of ancient essence, whether you leave it for yourself or offer up, the empire will fulfill one of your wishes. The rewards include amnesties and viscount-level noble titles. Naturally, if youre willing to offer the fragment to the empire, the rewards will be even greater. You might even be able to obtain inherited noble titles! Everyone, rest assured, the empires rewards will be more generous than the value of the ancient essence! Everyones shoulders were shaking after hearing these words. Many were besides themselves with joy. After the briefing, Qianye set out toward the Giants Repose with those people. Even though Qianye had personally witnessed the battle against Sky Demon, he was still overwhelmed by the grandeur of the heaven and earth as he stood at the border of Giants Repose. He was barely able to make out the other side despite his superior vision. There, he saw a continuous stretch of dark-race style buildings that made up their base. The valley was so deep that the bottom wasnt visible at all. The prismatic turbulence had already grown quite thin and was revolving around an area of several hundred kilometers like the mountaintop clouds. It gave one the illusion of standing on the edge of the continent. Qianye didnt have much time for emotions. Before the brigadier general could even finish introducing the information gained from the previous groups, Qianye vaulted a hundred meters out with a single leap and vanished into the cloudy mists below. The imperial brigadier general leading the group was flabbergasted. Moments later, he turned toward the group and said, Everyone, you shouldnt do that. Climb down along the cliff-side. Thats the safer way. Qianye seemed to be falling straight down within the prismatic turbulence. In truth, he had activated his True Sight and found a gap in the raging vortex he could push through. He made small, constant adjustments to his posture as he descended without any mishap. He noticed the cloudy mists grow thinner and almost transparent toward the end of his traversal. He was just about to finish his journey safely when his vision grew dark all of a sudden. It was as though a tremendous will was gradually awakening, and its perception had landed on Qianyes body. Qianye only felt his body grow heavy as though he were carrying a thousand-ton rock on his back, and even his origin power circulation was no longer smooth. His rate of descent increased as he fell straight down like a stone. This terrifyingly large will gave Qianye a feeling of great familiarity. He suddenly recalled what it was! That was the vast will he had come into contact with during the battle involving Sky Demon. It turned out to be the remnant will of the void colossus, Chaos. Fortunately, it only brushed over Qianye like before and simply didnt take notice of him at all. But Qianye had to exert his full power just to handle this short pause. The Profound Combatant Formula in his body gradually swirled up with daybreak origin power tides of extreme purity as it arduously resisted the heavy pressure. Only when the void colossus will completely turned away did Qianye manage to breathe a sigh of relief. His body erupted with blood energy and the auric flame blood rushed out to resist the all-encompassing pressure together with the daybreak origin power. The weight on his body was thus reduced significantly. A pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianyes back after a moment of further descent. The weight on his body further decreased with less than a third remaining. At this moment, Qianye was able to start perceiving his surroundings, albeit barely. Above him was the revolving, vortex-like prismatic turbulence, but the rippling black mist was growing farther and farther away from him. It was as though he had fallen into a vast land of fogeverything around him was hazy, and he could barely see anything. His eyes quickly turned blue, but the Eye of Truth could only probe a dozen or so meters away. Moreover, there was nothing but empty space within its range. Qianye was stunned for a moment. However, he decided that he might as well increase his speed of descent since he could control it. He hugged himself, fully spread out his wings, and shot head-first into the depths like a cannonball. Before long, Qianye felt something wasnt quite right. His speed of descent was extremely fast, and he had already descended ten thousand meters. However, he simply couldnt see any signs of an approaching valley floor. Qianye wasnt flustered. He stopped and waited in place for a moment. He would surely be able to sense if anyone else from his side had jumped down. Qianye counted his own breath in silence but still couldnt sense any origin power fluctuation after half an hour. His heart sank slightly. He pondered for a moment then started to fly in a circle with his previous position as the center, expanding outward gradually. But it was still a vast hazy world even after expanding to a thousand meters in radius; there was nothing at all. Qianye, at this moment, seemed to have landed in another world filled with nothing but a boundless field of haziness. Fortunately, he could still feel the weight. The constant feeling of pressure upon him confirmed that he was still within the range of the void colossus will. As such, he continued rushing toward the bottom of the valley. This time, he didnt waste much time before seemingly shooting through an invisible membrane. All of a sudden, his perception was no longer limited to a small area and could be extended outward again. Once again, there was air, earth, and sky. Earth?! Qianye suddenly realized that the ground was actually less than ten meters away from him! At such a short distance, Qianye simply couldnt respond in time no matter how swift his reactions were. He shot headfirst into the ground and smashed out a huge pit. This crash wasnt light at all. Qianye lay on the ground for quite a while before slowly clambering up. Fortunately, he had a vampire constitution and his body was fairly strong. Even if he were to crash into a boulder, the one shattering would be the latter. After crashing into that soft, grassy hillock, he was only dizzy for a while. The soil and grass, however, were completely uprooted and flew off in all directions. Qianye withdrew his Wings of Inception, patted the soil off of his body, and climbed out of the big pit. He then stood on solid ground as he glanced at the surroundings. His landing site was a small, gently-sloping hillock covered in a layer of lush, green grass. The scenery from the top was quite spectacular, allowing one to survey all of the surrounding lands. The two sides of the hillock were connected to a boundless grassy plain, whereas on one side was a dense woods, and the other, a forest of tall stone pillars. Qianyes gaze was captivated by this stone forest. He activated his supernatural eyes once again and discovered a strange mountain faintly discernible in the far distance. Ten precipitous peaks stood like writing brushestall, straight, and tidy. It could be said that the scene was impressive. But Qianyes heart was soon shaken because, upon closer inspection, it was not a mountain peak at all. It was clearly the spine of an unknown colossal beast. Chapter 500: Opportunity [V6C30 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] On the side of Giants Repose controlled by the Evernight Council, there were experts from various dark races entering in turn. A certain werewolf count hugged his family members one by one, whispered something to a viscount of the council and, with a long howl, leapt off the cliff in his werewolf form. Nighteye looked down at the prismatic turbulence from atop a stony cliff jutting half a dozen meters outward. A dozen or so armed guardians adorned with the councils insignia were standing behind her. None of the dark race experts on the side enjoyed such a luxurious lineup, even those who were of a much higher level. The highest number of council experts behind them was three, and some didnt even have any. The presence of a direct subordinate expert meant that this person had received the recognition of the Evernight Council. The two factions had already figured out the rules after a wave of exploration. A primo like Nighteye who possessed an extremely powerful eye ability was simply made for this. Naturally, the council valued her greatly, and there were even some major characters who had their eyes on her. This was evident by the number of guardians around her; the number had exceeded the sum of everyone elses. Nighteye finally awoke from her reverie after standing for a fair length of time and took a step forward. Those council guardians also started moving at this point. Meanwhile, those elders wearing the Monroe family crest were wearing pained expressionstheir lips moved as though they wanted to say something. It was at this time that a hoarse voice arrived from afar, Please wait, Your Majesty Nighteye! A black dot appeared over the horizon and flew over from above the clouds. The visitor was extremely fast and arrived at the cliffside in a flash, landing softly in front of Nighteye. It was a tall vampire with a pale, slender face. The corners of his eyes and mouth hung down sharply, forming an expression of cruelty and pride. Greetings, Your Majesty. He bowed so deeply that his upper body was almost parallel to the ground. Nighteye frowned after seeing the Perth clan insignia on him. Whats the matter? Standing before her was a marquis, one who could be considered an important character even on Twilight Continent. His calling upon Nighteye specifically at this moment caused the Monroe clan elders to feel anything but assured. That marquis gazed deeply at Nighteye before pulling out an odd, cruel smile. My name is Yuri, and I come representing the Holy Son. His Majesty the Holy Son wishes to know your thoughts on that matter. Nighteyes expression sank. She was just about to speak when Yuri interrupted her with a waving finger. Please dont be in a rush to refuse. His Majesty proposes a new condition. If youre willing to accept his kind intentions, hell guarantee you a shard of ancient essence. With that, your chances of becoming a prince in the future will increase exponentially. An ancient essence fragment! The Monroe clan elders glanced at one another, unable to disguise their astonishment. Even if they managed to seize all of the remaining fragments in Giants Repose, the number of ancient essence fragments wouldnt exceed twenty, and the vampires would share no more than six. The Monroe clans situation was special, so it was likely that they wouldnt even get a single fragment. Now, the Holy Son was actually willing to take out a fragment. That was likely his own share. The sincerity was definitely there. Yuri continued, Additionally, the Holy Son promises that you can retain your Monroe clan identity. Theres no need to join the Perth clan. Even if you become a magnificent prince in the future, youll be a prince of the Monroe clan. Lastly, the descendants produced by you and the Holy Son may be distributed between the Perth and Monroe clans alternately. The Monroe clan vampires were all moved after hearing this. This was especially true for the last two terms because it was of great significance to the Monroe clan. Regardless of whether Nighteye became a prince or a grand duke, she would still remain with the Monroe clan. This wasnt just a simple nominal affiliation but also involved the entire string of asset allocations. This meant that the Monroe clan could still retain their top-three position among the vampire clans. Upon deeper thought, this was a strong signal that the Perth clan would give up attacking the Monroe clan. With the Queen of the Night awake, there was no vampire capable of defying her will. If Lilith were to attack recklessly, it wasnt impossible for her to eliminate the entire Monroe clan. On the contrary, the pure-blooded descendants produced from this union had become relatively unimportant. All of the Monroe vampires thus looked toward Nighteye, the anticipation in their eyes fairly evident. This was simply good fortune falling into their laps. The Perth clan wasnt pressuring the Monroe clan like before during Lilith''s awakening and had, instead, relaxed their conditions significantly. These terms could be considered quite generous even if one were to ignore the old enmity between Lilith and the Black-Winged Monarch and think of it in terms of an ordinary marriage offer. However, Nighteye replied instantaneously and without any hesitation, I refuse. Yuri was fairly surprised, and his smiling face became frozen immediately. He gazed at Nighteye moments later and said, Then, I wish you good luck. I also wish your family good luck. I heard Viscount Aaron just encountered a misfortune. He wont be the last. Nighteyes face turned pale, and her fingers were trembling slightly. However, she returned the stare without shrinking back and said word by word, I also wish His Majesty and his relatives good luck! A brutal glint flashed through Yuris eyes with blood boiling in their depths. It seemed as though he would attack at any moment. This short-tempered and violent marquis was known for his cruel methods. Even some of the gentler vampires couldnt handle his ways. But he still retracted his blood energy at the very end. He bowed toward Nighteye, withdrew slowly, and flew away. All of the Monroe vampires wore anxious expressions. Nighteyes refusal of the Perth clans offer meant that their Monroe clans situation would become even more difficult. An elder with white hair and beard laughed wryly as he whispered, Your Majesty, why didnt you agree? Why should I agree? The conditions they have set forth are already quite generous. Its very beneficial for our Monroe clan. Nighteye let out a mocking laugh. It is indeed good for the Monroe clan. Moreover, you people wont have to sell yourselves, right? The somewhat awkward elder explained, This way, Your Majesty wont have to risk your life in the Giants Repose! According to the latest news, a third of those who have entered are dead. Nighteye said word by word, Id rather die in Giants Repose than agree! The elders expression turned rather unsightly. Even if not out of consideration for our familys prince, wont you do it for Count Claus and your other relatives? Nighteye clenched her fist until her fingertips turned slightly blue. She suddenly let out a sigh and said, Do you know the first thing Ill do if I agree to the Holy Sons offer? Pray tell. The Monroe elder had clearly not thought about this problem. Ill have all of you killed without exception! You people are not worthy of being the Black-Winged Monarchs descendants. Youre not worthy of the Monroe clan insignia. The elder was momentarily dazed. If Nighteye really did propose such a term, the Holy Son definitely had the power to make it a reality. After all, the Perth clan was already attacking the Monroe clan continuously to begin with. The Holy Sons generous conditions were there to move Nighteye, so it was no problem to kill some people. What do you think? Do you still want me to agree? Nighteye sneered. The Monroe clan vampires were at a loss for words as their expressions grew increasingly distressed. The others present revealed expressions of disdain. In any case, the Monroe clan was still the number two ancient clan. However, their display regarding this matter had been fairly weak since the very beginning. The dark races worshipped the strong and revered power. Naturally, they were full of disdain for them. Yuri had just left when a fluctuation suddenly appeared in the air. Soon afterward, the space therein became distorted as an imposing old man stepped out from within. His most eye-catching trait was a ruby scepter embedded in the left side of his face. The moment he appeared, everyone below cried out in alarm, His Excellency, Darkus! Darkus, known as the scepter of blood, was in charge of the Perth clans external affairs. He had always represented the Perth clan in handling relationships with the other clans or even the other races. He was also the Perth clans spokesperson in the Evernight Council. That was why, despite being a duke, he was the number one authoritative figure in the clan below the prince rank. Everyone immediately performed their salutations after his arrival; even Nighteye had to bow in respect. Darkus was the embodiment of the Perth clan in the outside world. The reverence was not only toward him but also to his clan. Darkus landed slowly, stood in front of Nighteye, and gazed at this young vampire who had recently risen to fame. In his eyes, Nighteye was merely a young girl who had just come of age. However, the bloodline power in her body shook Darkuss blood core ever so slightly. This wasnt related to the magnitude of ones power but its level. Nighteye? That is me. A peculiar glint flashed through Darkus eyes, but he spoke slowly without a change in expression, Her Majesty, the most honored Lilith, has spoken. She promises your freedom and to never get involved in your matters if you can bring back an ancient essence fragment from Giants Repose. Are you willing? Nighteye trembled as she looked at Darkus with incredulity. The main reason the Monroe clan had expressed weakness regarding her matter was due to the Holy Son using Liliths name to suppress them. Moreover, the veteran Evernight Council members from the Monroe clan knew that the council would likely awaken the Queen of the Night after confirming what Sky Demon was after. That was because, in the entirety of the Evernight world, only Lilith could restrain Sky Demon. Now, the Queen of the Night had actually promised not to get involved. This meant that the Monroe clan only had the Holy Sons faction to deal with. This was vastly different from going against the entire Perth clan. Darkus leaned forward and said softly, Her Majesty wont get involved at all. Do you understand? Nighteyes pupils became increasingly bright as she replied, I understand. Ill definitely obtain the ancient essence. Very good. I believe Her Majesty will be willing to hear of this. With that, Darkus rose into the air and stepped right into the void. The Iron Curtain in the sky fluctuated slightly as a frosty intent swept over Darkus, but it was quickly dispersed by his Blood Energy. Nighteye had no more hesitations as she walked over to the edge of the cliff and leapt into the clouds. Far in the distance, Twilight emerged from the shadows and gazed toward where Nighteye had disappeared. There was a complicated expression as she let out a barely discernible sigh before vanishing once again. Chapter 501: Kuanglan [V6C31 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] On the other side of the Giants Repose, the experts from the empire were climbing down one after the other. At one of the furthest corners, Xu Lang, clad in a full set of armor, was performing a final equipment check. This was his second time going down, so he was much calmer than the others. He then produced a sheet of paper from his pocket and opened it up slowly. That was a name list. First on it was Zhao Jundu, and second was Qianye. There were also numerous young experts from the empire listed below themthey were all elites who had already entered Giants Repose. Xu Lang scanned the names from bottom to the top with battle intent slowly igniting in his eyes. He crushed the paper into fine powder, walked over to the cliff, and leapt into the cloudy mists. Qin Continent, Imperial Capital, just as the evening lanterns were being lit around the bedchamber of the Pepper Palace. Numerous palace maids were walking in a line and lighting up the infant-arm-sized candles. The magnificent hall was flowing with light and shadows amidst the flickering candle flamesalmost like a dream realm. There was a brocade couch behind the glass bead curtains, upon which lay a lady. Her untied raven hair wound over her left shoulder like flowing clouds and fell all the way to the floor. Her sitting figure alone constituted a beautiful scenery, her brilliance undimmed by the luxurious ornaments all around her. But there was a faint expression of worry upon that countenance of otherworldly beauty. There was a large white cat on her knees, its pair of rolling golden eyes following the palace maids as they moved about. The felines fur was as white as snow, but the ladys hands were even fairer. Her fingersseemingly capable of touching the soulwas stroking the cat lightly. The spectator could almost feel her hands tickling the heart and would want nothing more than to dig it out to scratch. Her eyes were lowered as she gazed at the large cat on her knees. It was as though nothing in the world could catch her attention. The cat stretched lazily and rubbed its head against her hand, whereafter it closed its eyes in comfort. There were candleholders of varying designs in every corner of the bedchamber. The palace maids spent quite some time to finish lighting up all of them. The entire process was completely silent. It was so calm that even the cats purr was fairly resounding. That was because everyone knew that this painting-like figure loved silence and feared clamor. There was only one reason why no one had any objections to the magnificence and complicated rules of the Pepper Palaceshe was Empress Li, mistress of the imperial harem. The sky was gradually turning dark, but the bedchamber was flooded with brilliance and as light as day. Being able to illuminate the room with such an ancient tool to the point where one couldnt find a single shadow went to show just how elaborately the lamps were designed. This was also one of her anxieties. She couldnt stand the darkness. At this moment, some delicate footsteps were heard from outside of the hall. An elderly inner attendant walked straight over to the curtain with delicate footstepsit was as though he were treading upon water. At this point, he said with a squeaky mosquito-like voice, Empress, Teacher Yan seeks an audience. Empress Li finally raised her head and glanced at the attendant. Only Teacher Yan? That inner attendants forehead became drenched in cold sweat. He fell kneeling onto the floor and replied with a trembling voice, A-Also Young Noble Kuanglan has come. This old servant wasnt trying to hide this matter intentionally. The truth is, Young Noble Kuanglan said he would have my head if I dared speak half a word! Empress Li chuckled. Does that mean youre not afraid of me taking your head? The inner attendant kowtowed immediately. This servant has always been loyal and devoted. As kindhearted as you are, Im sure you wont take my head. Empress Li broke into laughter. You? Loyal and devoted? Scram and remember to summon all of them. Moments later, Teacher Yan and a young man walked into the palace halls. It was just that Teacher Yan, who had always been calm and unflustered, appeared rather helpless and awkward today. He had his head lowered and didnt dare meet the empress gaze. Empress Li didnt look at the young man beside him and only asked Teacher Yan in a gentle voice, Teacher Yan, its already night time. What is so important that you have come to call upon me in such a rush? This question caused Teacher Yan to hem and haw, unable to find his words for the moment. The young man beside him laughed at this moment. I forced him to bring me here. Its not his fault. How would he dare to not listen to me? All the light in the hall was seemingly attracted to him the moment he spoke. He was half a head taller than Teacher Yan with long limbs and slender digits. He possessed a beautiful and almost seductive countenance, especially his pair of soul-seizing eyes. They were almost identical to Empress Lis. However, Empress Lis eyes were filled with many layers of bewildering mist, while his pupils were suffused with cold, sharp sword intent. Speaking in terms of appearance, this youth could contend with Zhao Jundu. It was just that Zhao Jundus appearance was an elegant and solemn beauty akin to the great mountains and rivers. Meanwhile, this person was like a demon capable of moving a ten-thousand-year-old entity. Empress Li frowned slightly and said with great displeasure, Lan, are you threatening other peoples families again? Teacher Yan is an extremely important person. Havent I told you before not to cause trouble? Are you not going to listen to my words anymore? These words caused Teacher Yan to feel both thankful and ashamed. Li Kuanglan, on the other hand, didnt seem to mind at all and only revealed a radiant smile that shamed the candles in the hall. Whats so serious about this? I only frightened him a bit. Its not like I actually did anything. Sister, I know my limits. But if hes not tactful, I cant be blamed for whatever happens. Empress Li sighed somewhat helplessly. Since youre here to see me now, then speak. What do you want again? Let me tell you beforehand, though. You can forget about anything related to the Evernight Continent. The young man, however, said with a laugh, Sister, youre so great. Im preparing to take a trip to Giants Repose. Empress Li felt a headache. She rubbed her temples and sighed. What are you going to do there? Thats a dangerous war zone. Even Marshal Lin was bedridden from the backlash after scrying about that place. His Majesty has even opened up the emperors medicine store to treat him. You think you can rampage through it with your meager abilities? Heh, heh, divination abilities are just cheap tricks. Good and bad luck can also be reversed by strength. Marshal Zhang Boqian has said that one need only march straight ahead on the great dao. I, Li Kuanglan, like these words better. Moreover, with opportunities arising amidst the unrest, our Jingtang Li Clan should also take action. Otherwise, the people of the world will think the only heroes in our vast empire are people like Zhao Jundu and Song Zining. Empress Li remained silent for a long time. What does Teacher Yan think? Teacher Yan smiled wryly. I think Young Noble Kuanglan will surely go even without your consent. Why dont you give Kuanglan that sword to increase his chances? Empress Li sighed. This empress will surely get a share of this ancient essence. Lan, why must you do this. Kuanglans eyes were as sharp as a blades edge. Thats only one share. Ill get more by fighting for it in person, and its also more meaningful. Evernight Continent, the depths of Giants Repose. Under Qianyes extraordinary vision, the distant stone forest and grand peak revealed their true nature. The spine of that unknown beast was excessively large with each joint extending into the skies. They were even taller than the stone forest and easily gave one the impression that they were grand peaks. Qianye drew a breath of cold air. If even the joints were so large, how enormous would this giant beast have been when it was alive? Those with such a gigantic frame could only roam the void because a single step might crumble the continents and the firmament, causing void origin power to leak onto the continents and incite large-scale disasters. Glancing at the stone forest from afar, Qianye suddenly noticed a light flicker for a short moment. That was the ancient essence fragment he had seen before! At this moment, Qianye could already feel some of the ancient essences aura because of the close distance. Just the mere aura of it was already able to set Qianyes origin power adrift. It was as though he had reached a certain realization, and a corner of the veil covering the world had been lifted to reveal small bits of profundity related to the grand origins. Qianye took a deep breath and suppressed the astonishment in his heart. Just an aura already possessed such miraculous effects. How wondrous would it be if he were to really obtain a fragment? It was no wonder that even Sky Demon was taking action to seize it. At this moment, a blaze flickered in the distance as a comet fell from the skies and a tyrannical aura erupted the moment it landed on the ground. It then weakened immediately afterward and vanished from Qianyes perception. He only saw a pillar of flames rise in the distance and was then extinguished. This was likely an expert from the Evernight side entering this realm. It was just that his luck and strength werent very good. He had failed to resist the impact and pressure of the colossus will and had thus fallen after igniting his final origin power. Judging from the auric flame blood that had erupted at the very end, it was likely a marquis level expert at the very least, a noble capable of ruling over a dominion in the vast Dark Nation. He had fallen here at this moment without the chance to even approach the ancient essence. This gave Qianye a renewed awareness regarding the perils of this land. He was surprised once again after thinking about this realm. He glanced up and actually saw a deep starry sky with giant shadows moving about slowly at the extremes of his vision. Surprisingly, this place wasnt an independent space and was, instead, a complete land mass floating in the void like the twenty-seven continents. Could it be that his leap had actually taken him through the Giants Repose and directly to the land behind it!? Qianye thought about his journey through the mist but gained nothing from it. As such, he collected his astonished thoughts and started observing his surroundings. From here on out, the intelligence gained from the two factions was no longer of use; he had to gradually explore on his own. Qianye thus activated the Eye of Truth. He spent some time scanning the environs and confirmed that the scenery in the sky wasnt just a distorted illusion. This place was indeed a landmass in the void, and judging from the shape of the small asteroid belts in his vision, he speculated that the size of this place was far smaller than that of a continent. It could only be called a large island. There were countless such places in the void between continents. However, most of them couldnt support life because of their small size. Meanwhile, perhaps due to the presence of the void colossus will, there was both flora and fauna on this landmass, at least as far as Qianye could see. It was just that the void colossus omnipresent will would indiscriminately attack all intelligent lifeforms on this landmass. It would take more than just an ordinary genius to survive here. The marquis who had just passed away before Qianyes eyes had used his own life to prove this point. Before this void colossus, the so-called genius experts of the two factions were simply a joke. Since even a dark marquis had arrived, there was bound to be others who had entered. There might even be people already investigating the stone forest. Qianye thus hastened his steps and hurried forth without further delay. Chapter 502: Sprinting Hunter [V6C32 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The journey that followed became fairly protracted. At the outset, Qianye could see the stone forest just by standing atop a hill. In truth, it took him several days to arrive. This was, in part, due to his power being suppressed and his speed, greatly reduced. It could also be attributed to his disordered perception. Qianye had already noticed the abnormality of this world from the very first day. Perhaps time itself had been affected by the suppression of the void colossus will. Even with the Eye of Truth, he could only expand his visual field, but the distorted perception was unavoidable. Many distant objects appeared quite close, but the true distance was far beyond his expectations. From this, it was obvious that this floating landmass was much larger than he had initially anticipated. At this moment, Qianye had finally arrived before the stone forest. He reached out to touch one of the stone pillars and confirm that he had truly arrived. Then, he leapt up to the top of the pillar and found a foothold from which to observe the surroundings. Unsurprisingly, he discovered that this forest of stone pillars was much bigger than he had seen from afar. There was no end as far as the eye could see. The colossal skeleton was still far off in the remote distance. It seemed as though several days of running hadnt reduced the gap at all. The deep breath Qianye took atop the stone pillar felt like a mouthful of fire. The world was, in fact, very cold, and the frigid winds cut right to the bone. Only at this point did Qianye finally discover why people believed this place to be the wind tunnel. That was the near-tangible remnant will of the void colossusone would take in a small amount of it with every breath. The suppression of the colossus will was fairly special in that it contained a wisp of illusory power. People here would have to circulate origin power at all times to resist it, lest their perception becomes blurry. It was as though time and space had mixed into a formless mass that would fuse and devour ones consciousness at any moment. Each breath felt like flames even with the resistance of circulating origin power, taking quite the effort to stave off the burning sensation. This was the true nature of the dangers here. Those entering had simply no way to resist the will without sufficient rank and would be devoured immediately. Those with sufficient rank would need to expend the standard amount of origin power to suppress the scorching sensation, but a mere moment of slackening would result in a failure to resist the void colossus will. The origin power throughout his body would be completely ignited, and the person would be burned to ashes. Qianye had seen an immolated marquis fall to the ground soon after he had entered this realm. That was how he had fallen. But after several days of adjustment, Qianye had already acclimatized to the colossus suppression. To him, this was only a matter of reduction in available origin power and an increase in basal consumption. Qianye was just about to jump down from the stone pillar when he suddenly noticed a cloud of smoke surging over from the distance. It seemed like something was running toward him. He quickly activated Bloodline Concealment and retracted his aura, hiding himself perfectly. After the dust cloud approached, one could see that it was a horde of charging beasts. This type of wild horse had two curved horns on their heads and uneven bone spurs over their shoulder blades. They were tall, large, and looked to be full of power as they galloped, every leap taking them a dozen or so meters away. This group of strange beasts charged into the stone forest in the blink of an eye and ran toward its depths. An idea popped up in Qianyes mind. He leapt down from the stone pillar and landed soundlessly on the last beast, whereupon he grabbed ahold of its curved horn and plunged his vampiric blade through its shoulder. The creature wanted to cry out in pain but Qianye had choked its vocal organs, preventing it from making a sound. Afterward, the animal slowly fell limp to the ground as the blade drained all of its essence blood. The beast pack in front charged on without knowing that one of their companions had fallen behind. Qianye dragged the creature into a relatively deserted area. This was the first large animal he had seen since coming into this realm. He had found few lifeforms apart from strange plants and oddly-shaped insects, none of which seemed palatable. But fortunately, Andruils Mysterious Realm was still effective, and he was able to survive on the supplies inside. Qianye found a space between two stone pillars where he could gain shelter from the wind. There, he lit a fire and began roasting the beast meat. He had prepared well for this trip and even brought some condiments which produced an immediate fragrance after they were sprinkled over the meat. Having lived off military supplies for several days, Qianyes appetite at this moment was extraordinarily good. He finished nearly half the beast in one sitting before he was fully sated. Qianye cleaned up the scene briefly before heading deeper into the stone forest. He then looped back via a longer route and concealed himself atop a nearby stone pillar. Qianye became fairly patient after gaining an initial understanding of how vast this unknown continent was. He was now prepared to engage in a long-term exploration. As for the ancient essence fragments, it seemed like they were mobile because it was no longer at the same place when Qianye saw the light a second time. Moreover, he couldnt sense it anymore after entering the stone forest. Qianye didnt have to wait very long before a werewolf flew over at great speed. The werewolf leapt over with great agility in his combat form and arrived at the place where Qianye had been roasting meat. The vigilant werewolf first circled around the place, then approached cautiously to sniff the slab of roasted meat on the ground. Only afterward did he grab the food and began eating ravenously. Apparently, he was starved. This world was sparse in both flora and fauna. Moreover, most plants had a metallic appearance. This signified a lack of food for both humans and the dark races, something Qianye had already experienced. Although he sympathized with them, it didnt mean that he would let this werewolf go. Qianye drew the Mystic Spider Lily, installed a silencer, and took aim at the werewolf. A light pfft rang out as blood spurted out from the werewolfs leg; a fist-sized wound had appeared therein. This shot wasnt lethal, but it had destroyed the werewolfs ability to escape. The werewolf roared in agony and was just about to turn around when he was shot on the other leg, then each of his arms as well. Qianye only jumped down from the pillar at this point and appeared before the werewolf. He walked over to the victim and pressed the scorching muzzle to his temple. The werewolfs eyes were filled with terror as he nodded continuously. Qianye gained little from the interrogation that followed. The werewolf came from a small tribe and was the vassal of an arachne count. He himself was a baron equal in power to a rank nine fighter from the empire. He was separated from his companions soon after entering Giants Repose and had failed to find so much as a shadow after several days of searching. Even he himself had little idea how he had passed through the ten-thousand-mile Giants Repose. The werewolf only remembered how he had slipped while passing through a certain crevice, whereafter he fell through boundless clouds and mists to arrive at the stone forest. Qianye referred to the process by which he had arrived here and couldnt help but frown. It would seem that many parts of the space in Giants Repose was distorted. This meant that some people might not find their way here even after prolonged investigations, but it was possible for others to accidentally fall in. That being said, those who had come in groups were likely to be dispersed. The werewolf had received two orders from the Evernight Council. The first was to search for the ancient essence fragments, and the second was to explore the lay of the land. They were to draft a map along the way and kill as many imperial people as they could. No longer able to get anything else out of the werewolf, Qianye pressed him to the ground and plunged the vampiric blade into his heart. The essence blood from the baron was almost two times the amount from ordinary dark race members of the same rank. Apparently, those capable of moving unobstructed in this world were people with strength well above their peers. Qianye fished out an emblem from the werewolfs body. The depiction upon ita giant running wolfwas fairly well-known. It represented the Sprinting Hunter Mercenary Corps. This dark race mercenary band operated on the dark race side and was comparable to elite corps of the empire like Broken-Winged Angels and Red Scorpion. The Sprinting Hunters were mostly made up of werewolf soldiers, but the leader was an arachne marquis. Qianye had fought with them before during his time in Red Scorpion and knew how difficult it was to tangle with them. But here, a Sprinting Hunter baron, a high-ranking colonel, was no different from cannon fodder. This werewolf was still quite young and likely a well-known genius in his world. But he had fallen here in the end. Qianye stood up to gaze at the deep night sky and breathed the scorching air deeply. He then collected his thoughts and made for the void colossus skeleton. Meanwhile on the surface, an area hundreds of kilometers around Giants Repose had turned into an unstoppable battle. Having rallied their forces to a certain degree, the Evernight Council and the empire waged their first major battle one fateful afternoon. Each side had deployed over a hundred thousand soldiers to kill the other. The battle lines were locked in a zig-zag pattern and fluctuating wildly at every moment. Even a middle-ranked champion was in danger of falling amidst the chaos. But not only did Song Zining take part, but he had also gained significant fame after two battles. The seventh young master hadnt mobilized dark flame across thousands of kilometers. Instead, he had borrowed his fame from the battle of Blackflow City to assume command of the armies of a middle and two lower-ranking aristocratic families. He deployed their experts from the bloody battle for group combat tactics and roamed the battlefield in search of opportunities. Song Zining was never one to fight zealouslyhe would launch a single attack then leave regardless of success or failure. After several fights, people found to their astonishment that the best opportunities would always appear around this seventh young noble. Whether it was a tired, half-routed division or a completely unprotected minor unitall of them would be devoured by his forces. There was only one time where he clashed against an organized dark race army that locked in battle against an elite division of the imperial regular army. Song Zining had appeared right behind the dark race army to launch a sudden ambush. He broke into the center of the army and worked with the imperial experts to kill the enemy general, thus winning a great victory. There were many such examples. The Song clan seventh young noble weaved through the great chaos of the battlefield like a fish in the water, always managing to gain advantages along the way. But whenever the dark races transferred a great force to wipe him out once and for all, Song Zining would disappear as though he had known in advance. The dark race experts could no longer sit still after several repeats of similar incidents and wanted to finish off Song Zining. However, the empires experts were also quite strong in number and they naturally wouldnt watch from the sidelines. Everyone took action to obstruct the attack. Thus, the armies of each faction launched continuous attacks around Song Zinings unit and several intense battles erupted between them. Several weeks later, both factions had accrued heavy casualties; the cannon fodder squads had mostly died off, and only the elites among elites remained. Under such circumstances, Song Zinings little army made up of men from several minor aristocratic families became quite the thorn in peoples eyes. But he just had to go deep behind enemy lines to harass them again. It almost seemed as though he had been surrounded by several fierce dark race divisions. Even the Arachne Warlord Darkus prestige would be threatened if they couldnt eliminate this little counterfeit army. However, the route of Song Zinings unit was never constant, denying his enemies even the smallest of terrain advantages. Song Zining was surrounded once again near the imperial borders after an entire day and night of pursuit. Chapter 503: Each Other’s Troubles [V6C33 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] No one expected Song Zining to meet the great army head-on and choose the strongest point to break through the encirclement, the battle line of a first-rank arachne viscount. He donned the silver demon mask once again in this battle and charged at the van of the army. His spear made of mysterious metal was brandished with full forcehis figure was akin to a dragon, and his every strike was like lightning as he killed his way into the enemy central army and brought his entire unit through the siege. After breaking the siege, Song Zining turned back to act as the rear guard. His black-silver armor had turned scarlet. His robes were drenched in blood, and there was no telling whether it was his own or the enemies. In the end, his mask was even damaged in several areas, a clear indication of just how dangerous the battle was. Song Zining propped himself up on the spear and stood in silence. Before him was half a divisions worth of disorderly dark-race pursuers, and behind him were a dozen human experts who refused to leave along with their main force. He was gazing straight ahead, but the dense horde of dark race soldiers wasnt in his eyes. It seemed as if he was waiting for something. The charging dark race warriors came to a sudden halt hundreds of meters away and split apart like a tidal wave, whereupon a vampire count walked out from within. This was an expert capable of overseeing a segment of the battlefield, a testament to how much the dark races had invested for intercepting Song Zining. Surrender and perhaps youll receive the honor of the revered princes embrace. Otherwise, your life will end on our blood feast table, the count spoke thus. There was a small flaming crown insignia on his collar, which meant that he was a member of the Sperger clans powerful primogenitor branch. Song Zining responded by slowly lifting the point of his spear, and the area around him several meters in radius was suddenly pervaded by the chill of autumn and fluttering leaves. Every blade of leaf flickered with a sharp glint akin to a blades edge. It was as though he didnt mind at all that the other party was a mighty count three entire levels above him. Whether it was in Evernight or Daybreak, such a level gap was likely enough to render many attacks and defenses ineffective. Intense blood energy boiled up around the count and gradually took the form of many a fierce beast. They were roaring and galloping as though they would materialize at the very next moment. Suddenly, the drawn, melodious hum of a blade rang out as an austere sword intent surged into the skies. It was as though a divine weapon had left its sheath. No one knew when, but a certain figure had appeared on the western edge of the battlefield, one with bones seemingly made of sword intent, and muscles akin to white jade. His set of sapphire blue battle-robes was extremely dazzling, much like the sky or the vast oceans. The vampire counts pale eyes hung down ever so slightly to form a grave expression. This persons manner was incomparably ostentatious, and he was a rank-thirteen human champion. Although one level below him, the count could feel a pressure of extreme danger coming from the man. The stalemate lasted for a mere wink before the count let out a shrill cry and withdrew his rolling blood energy. His figure quickly vanished like mist and reappeared in the midst of the dark race army, then the next moment, he was already hundreds of meters away. The counts sudden withdrawal prompted the dark army to retreat. However, the sword hum reverberated loudly through the area at this moment, much like the dense sound of raindrops during a rainstorm. The dark race soldiers in its wake were cut through the waist like reaped paddy, and blood eventually flowed like rivers. That blue-robed youth withdrew his sword stance and watched with a blood-thirsty smile as the routed dark race army fled in disorder. Only afterward did he turn back to size up Song Zining. The banner of the imperial army reinforcements appeared on the horizon at this moment. Song Zining met the persons gaze and nodded in acknowledgement. However, he never withdrew his domain or loosened his grip on the spear. The young man broke into a laugh as he sheathed that lustrous sword seemingly carved from crystal. Ive always believed that those who learn divination arts are sneaky people. Youre somewhat different, though. You actually dare charge the enemy lines with those ragtag soldiers in tow. Now thats quite rare. These ambiguous words sounded both like praise and depreciation. Song Zining only replied indifferently, Its always been a fact that the brave will win in a confrontation between enemies. Divination is no exception to this rule, either. The blue-robed youth laughed louder, his voice clear and somewhat deep. But you seem to have the leisure to gaze to the south even while running about through the siege. Song Zinings eyes turned cold. He had long since sensed an expert from the Daybreak side following him in the recent days, but the latter wouldnt reveal himself regardless of the situation. As expected, it was this blue-robed youth. That was why Song Zining hadnt relaxed his vigilance although it seemed like this person had appeared to help. Its probably Giants Repose in that direction, and I happen to be headed there. Do you have any important people inside? Tell me, the blue-robed youth watched Song Zining intently and spat out these words in a frivolous tone, so that I can kill them. But Song Zining didnt show any reaction at all. Even his fingers on the spear didnt move one bit. With his countenance hidden behind the mask, his eyes became completely devoid of emotion. His gaze shifted from the blue-robed youths face to his collar, then onto his peculiar sword. The young man seemed not to mind Song Zinings impolite gaze at all. He looked toward the approaching reinforcements and said with some surprise, Since its actually people from the Green Sun Zhang clan, Ill be taking my leave first. But the Song Seventh Young Noble is quite different from the legends. Truly interesting! The young mans figure moved several dozen meters away with a flash of blue light. The reinforcement army arrived at this moment, and it was, as expected, the Zhang clan private army. The leader was a thirty-year-old rank-twelve champion. The man ran over promptly and revealed a sincere smile after finding that Song Ziningas well the dozen-odd experts who stayed behind to act as the rear-guardwere all fine. He greeted Song Zining and then glanced over at the blue-robed youth. Who is that? What a powerful sword art! That sword strike from just now had filled the skies with its baleful aura, and even those far away could see the whirlwind of blood. Song Zining replied calmly, Jingtang Li Clan, Li Kuanglan. The Zhang clan champions smile was immediately frozen, and his expression became rather unnatural. No one knew whether he was reacting to the family name or if he had heard of this young mans name. He then said, Seventh Young Noble, your squad has already reached the safe zone. You can rest and reorganize at the E3 base. Moreover, that place isnt far from Marshal Zhangs frontline command center. He wishes to see you. Song Zining slowly removed his mask and said with a smile, I naturally obey. Before leaving, Song Zining glanced back at the empty, overcast wilderness. The dark race army had already retreated completely, and that blue-robed youth was nowhere to be seen. News of Zhang Boqian summoning Song Zining spread fairly quickly. This sent a strong signal because Zhang Boqian wasnt one to posture. Him willing to meet Song Zining meant that he approved of this new talent. It also signified that he had excluded Song Zining from his clans enmity with the Song clan. Everyone felt that Song Zinings luck was pretty good, but the involved parties probably had different opinions. In an isolated corner and away from public eyes, Song Zining was speaking to himself. Qianye, youve brought me such a big problem, so I guess we can call it even with the troubles Im about to bring you. The situation at the edge of Giants Repose was fairly calm compared to the war taking place hundreds of kilometers around it. The Evernight Council and the empire had both dispatched numerous experts into it. Hence, no one was lingering around it apart from some surveillance personnel. A frail figure with fluttering shoulder-length hair appeared beside a hidden cliffside. It was the long-lost Bai Kongzhao. At this moment, her white dress was badly tattered, and her skin was dotted with injuries. There was a thick bandage around her abdomen, the edges of which were somewhat soiled from the blood seeping out continuously. It would seem that she hadnt been having an easy time during this period. However, her eyes were just as clear and sharpit was as though nothing could make her lose spirit. The beautiful dagger in her left hand hadnt yet lost its sharpness and looked to be the product of a famous craftsman. No one knew how this demonkin-style dagger had fallen into her hands, but one could easily guess that the process wasnt a happy one. Bai Kongzhao gazed at the rolling clouds in the valley and jumped down without any hesitation. Bai Aotus shadow appeared far in the distance just as her small figure vanished into the misty clouds. Bai Aotu gazed in the direction of that precipitous cliff with a frown. Just now, she had sensed a somewhat familiar aura there, but it had vanished in a flash and never reappeared. She reinforced her perception but still gained nothing. This wasnt her specialty, moreover, the interference of the prismatic turbulence below was extremely obvious. But Bai Aotu wasnt about to let something like this bother her. She no longer paid that aura any attention and proceeded to walk forward calmly, her hands hidden within her sleeves and her feet seemingly treading on water. She arrived at the cliffs edge in the blink of an eye and leapt right down without further delay. In the Bai clan encampment on Evernight Continent, Bai Longjia was busy assembling the combat squads from the bloody battle. He was extremely busy, building casualty lists, processing compensation to the grieving families, and counting up military contributions. Bai Aotu was neither willing nor capable of performing such tasks. However, Bai Longjia had led troops for many years in the Broken Winged Angels and knew very well that these seemingly trivial matters were, in fact, of great importance. It could be said that a units morale was mostly dependent on these minor details. Bai Longjia had no choice but to take on this responsibility since Bai Aotu wasnt willing to do it, not to mention the Bai clan was short on manpower. Presently, the bloody battle had already come to an end and all kinds of military affairs were piling up like mountains. Bai Longjia was so busy that he had lost track of day and night. It was at this moment that a subordinate came to deliver a letter from Bai Aotu. There was only a single line upon it that read, Heading into Giants Repose. Dont miss me. Bai Longjia was unable to speak for a long time after reading the letter. In the end, he slapped the paper onto the table with an ashen expression. He was furious because of Bai Aotu, a rare happening for someone like Bai Longjia who admired his sister greatly. It was fine that Bai Aotu had been acting on her own in the past since she could be considered a young genius back then. But in recent years, her strength had risen sharply, and she had made rapid progress on the martial dao. She was already one of the core powers of the Bai clan, and, judging from her age and future prospects, it was almost a certainty that she would become the number one expert of the clan in the future. Entering Giants Repose meant that there was a chance she could die, and that would have an unimaginable impact on the Bai clan. However, she had never allowed Bai Longjia to question her behavior. The conflict between the Bai and Zhao clans had already surfaced after the bloody battle. It was the most critical moment where they had to decide how to deal with the aftermath. Bai Aotu played a key role in several of the Bai clans development plans. All of those projects would fall into disorder now that she had run off to Giants Repose,. After he had calmed down, Bai Longjia placed the letter back into the envelope and resealed it with great care. He then summoned a follower and instructed, Deliver this to the elder assembly at the greatest speed! The follower had followed Bai Longjia for many years and was able to sense the urgency in his unusual tone of voice. He shot off immediately, and, moments later, a high-speed airship rose from the base and flew toward the upper continent. Bai Longjia pushed all trivial affairs to one side and proceeded to open a classified folder. He then flipped through the documents one by one and started making detailed notes. There was no telling when Bai Aotu would return, so these plans had to be completely redrafted. Unknowingly, day turned to night, and night turned to day. Bai Longjia had been bent over his desk for an entire day and night, only drinking some water in between. However, the folder was now filled with tiny dense wordsthe entire project had been redrafted. Even someone of Bai Longjias strength felt quite exhausted at this moment. However, he felt fairly satisfied after looking at the thick dossier as it was the culmination of his recent years of experience in military and politics. It would surely draw a lot of reaction at the elder assembly. Chapter 504: Strange Tree [V6C34 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Not only were distances farther than usual on this void landmass, but even the concept of time was quite blurry. The human perception simply couldnt sense the flow of time, and the trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars werent the same as on the other continents. The origin-powered field clock was still running, but with the void colossus will pervading every part of this world, there was no telling whether the surrounding origin power it relied on for operation was normal. Twice did Qianye encounter dark race warriors in the days that followed, all of whom he easily dealt with. The second batch consisted of five opponents who had formed a small unit, and although there was a viscount among them, they were still wiped out with a bit of effort. Qianye noticed that the true problems had just begun. Apparently, the experts investigating Giants Repose on the Evernight Continent had begun entering this world in succession. The suppression and distorted perception brought about by the void colossus will had reached an extent where it would even affect ones combat methods. To Qianye, however, this was a minor problem he could easily adapt to. The distorted perception was directly reflected in ones vision and hearing. Everything heard and seen here was slightly different from the real world. Under such circumstances, long-distance sniping was no longer a practical method. It wasn''t just Qianye. The dark race experts from the Evernight side had also discovered this rule. People from both factions would charge into melee combat once they were a couple hundred meters from one another. By the time Qianye saw three vampires appearing across from him, the other party had also discovered him. These three vampires had long sniper rifles strapped onto their backs, but they had given up using them. Instead, they drew their swords and pistol to charge at Qianye under the cover of the landscape. A silver-grey sniper rifle appeared in Qianyes hand, with which he aimed at one of the enemies. The three vampires were sneering. The one who had been aimed at didnt even bother to evade and merely kept on charging. A muffled gun-shot reverberated through the air above the stone forest, and that vampire was sent flying backward as though he had been struck by a giant hammer. There was a big, gaping hole on his chest, and the greater half of his arm had been blasted away, leaving only a small strip of flesh connected to his body. This shot immediately stunned the remaining two vampires. They were all expert snipers, and they had tried on more than one occasion to shoot at opponents from the empire. But their accuracy would fall drastically once they were over a hundred meters, and it was virtually impossible to hit targets over two hundred. The two parties were over three hundred meters apart when Qianye managed to hit one of them. Was this just coincidence? The sniper rifle in Qianyes hand rumbled once again during that moment of hesitation. The grade-six weapons massive firepower directly blasted a vampires head apart. The third vampire was shocked out of his wits after seeing Qianye take aim at him. He immediately turned tail and ran, unable to care about the corpses of his companions. A single sprint took him a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He couldnt help but glance back as the gun rumbled once again, just in time to see an origin bullet flying out from Qianyes gun muzzle. The projectile was way off-target as it flew along an erratic trajectory. However, this queer trajectory still led to the vampires back at the very end, and the bullet instantly shattered his blood core. The blue tint in Qianyes eyes dispersed after killing the last opponent. His True Sight was useful beyond imagination in this world of distorted perception. The Eye of Truth had gradually regained its powers after Qianye had acclimatized to the pressure of the void colossus will. Presently, he could grasp a true vision of 500 meters in battle. After checking the three vampires bodies, Qianye unexpectedly discovered that they were all people from the Monroe clan. And judging from their insignias, one of them was of a fairly high position. It was just that they were too self-confident and hadnt expected that Qianye would be able to shoot within a range of 500 meters. For some reason, seeing the Monroe soldiers gave Qianye a faint sense of discomfort. Qianye then collected the spoils and was fairly satisfied by the pureblood vampire youths sniper rifle. It was also a grade-six sniper rifle, but it was of a somewhat higher quality than the Zhao clans product, and its firepower was also greater. Qianye continued into the depths of the stone forest and toward the beast spine still jutting into the skies far off in the distance. It felt as though he hadn''t gotten closer to it at all, but Qianye was used to it by now. He couldnt tell how far away the spine was even with his True Sight. In the days that followed, Qianye encountered two beast hordes one after the other. One of them was the twin-horned sword bone horses, while the other was made up of dozens of lion-like beasts. It was just that, with origin power equal to a rank-nine fighter, their strength was far beyond that of a lion. The dozens of vicious beasts provided Qianye with an abundance of essence blood, so he simply took a day off to convert all of them with the Mystery Chapter before continuing his advance. After the accumulation during this period, the Wings of Inception had begun to form the outline of yet another feather. It would seem that the second Shot of Inception would appear after a couple more times of essence blood conversion. One could never have too many of a weapon like the Shot of Inception. As such, Qianye had no intention of tampering with the darkness origin power distributionthe Wings of Inception consumed more than half, and the Book of Darkness took up most of the remainder, leaving only a small amount for the blood energies. The world itself was fairly barren, but the creatures possessed abundant essence blood, several times that of their counterparts on the continents. The scenery before Qianyes eyes changed all of a sudden as he walked further on. It was as though he had suddenly reached a different world. The ground was no longer the sandy soil of the stone forest. Instead, it was now covered in a thick layer of dark purple material with bright orange spots upon them. Walking on it felt like treading on a living being as it wiggled constantly. Qianye knelt down and stabbed it lightly with his dagger, carving a hole on the thick layer of purple. A translucent yellow oil immediately seeped out from the opening, and the cut edges of the wound squirmed like a small, open mouth. The scene was somewhat hair-raising. Qianye gathered some of the oil with his dagger and gave it a sniff. Then, he reached out a finger and let some of it stick to his skin. He wasnt afraid that the material would be poisonous because he already possessed auric flame blood in his veins which afforded him immunity to most toxins. He felt nothing out of the ordinary after touching the substance, so he tried putting some into his mouth. His test revealed that apart from the fishy taste, this material was completely edible and contained extremely high amounts of energy. According to an ordinary persons consumption rate, a small ladle was enough for an entire day of activity. Qianye thrust his blade into the soft purple material again and cut open an even deeper wound. As expected, the yellowish oily substance seeped out in large amounts and eventually glued the wound shut. Qianye breathed a sigh of relief because food had been scarce along the journey after he had fallen into this world. He had supplies in Andruils Mysterious Realm, but it was a limited amount. With the ground full of soft purple material before him, there was no longer a need to worry about food. It was simply inexhaustible. But what was this soft purple material and why was it here? There was a faint mist rising continuously from the dark purple sludge, through which ones perception could only reach ten meters. Qianye activated his True Sight and found that his vision had been constrained. He could only see about three hundred meters ahead. However, the discrepancy in distance was enough to give Qianye a powerful edge in mid to long distance sniping. The vast, unchanging purple ground finally saw some change after a fair distance of travel. A forest appeared in the distance, which, upon closer inspection, was filled with an array of strange plant life. Growing here were huge trees of a similar color to the grounddark-purple with orange spotsand with giant spherical crowns shaped like beehives. Each of these peculiar trees was a hundred meters tall, and the beehive sphere on top was at least dozens of meters in radius. They were covered in a dark-purple meshwork filled with an eerie spectrum of red, orange, and yellows substances. After arriving at this place, Qianye immediately retracted his aura, hid behind a large tree, and observed the surroundings in detail. Only after finding no signs of other creatures did Qianye reach out to touch the tree beside him. The tree trunk was rather sturdy and actually produced a metallic echo when knocked upon with the dagger. Sparks flew off when he tried sawing the tree with the serrations on the back of the dagger, but only some faint white marks were left behind on the tree trunk. It was unknown just what material the trees were made of, but their sturdiness had already surpassed metal alloy. He thought of something after sensing the vibrations produced from sawing the tree trunk. He activated his origin power and once again knocked on the tree trunk with the dagger. As expected, he sensed the vibrations traveling upward along the tree trunk. Qianye activated his True Sight and once again circulated his origin power. He placed a hand on the tree trunk and then banged on the tree with his other fist. The heavy blow caused the entire tree to tremble ceaselessly. Meanwhile, in his True Sight, the inside of the tree was raging with vibrations akin to tidal waves. The giant tree actually possessed origin power? This discovery astonished Qianye. As such, he smashed the tree once more and once again caused it to tremble. Qianye soon gained a basic understanding of the trees internal structure from his True Sights perception of the vibratory waves. There were hundreds of channels inside the tree, and they were capable of transporting origin power just like the vessels of an origin cultivator. Although the origin power within the tree was quite thin, Qianye was able to sense that all of it was in liquid form. In terms of form, it could be considered an origin distillate that had been diluted hundreds of times. However, it was nevertheless still an origin distillate, and this alone made the tree shockingly valuable. Moreover, there were honeycomb-like compartments in the spherical crown of the tree, and a number of them seemed to be gestating something! Chapter 505: Comrades [V6C35 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye didnt rush up to the treetop. Instead, he produced East Peak and instilled energy into it. The sword was quickly suffused with a faint scarlet splendor and several silver lines glimmered upon the blade. East Peaks might had increased significantly after incorporating the Heavenly Dew Silver and Dark Thread Crystals. It had long since surpassed the standards of an ordinary grade-seven weapon. The trunk of this peculiar tree was sturdy, but it wasnt at the level of a vehicle plate armor. How could it block East Peaks slash? With just a slight effort from Qianye, East Peak had made a deep gash in the tree-trunk. The tree shook briefly as though it were crying out in agony, and ripples spread out rapidly from the dark purple sludge around the roots. The scene was incomparably eerie. It looked as though this big tree, including the dark purple substance covering the entire forest, was alive. However, with his True Sight, Qianye was able to see that the flow of origin power within was disrupted by the cut, and the circulatory system inside was in chaos. That was the reason for the resultant scene. The trees root system extended fairly wide, and the origin power waves were being transmitted along it to produce the many ripples. A white fluid with a light fragrance oozed out from the gap, emitting strands of origin power in the process. Qianye stuck a finger into the liquid and brought it into his mouth for a taste. As expected, it was origin distillate! It was just that the attribute of this natural origin distillate leaned toward void origin power. It fell between Evernight and Daybreak with some bias toward the dark side. Compared to the Marrow Cleansing Pond of the Zhao clan, this kind of natural origin distillate would require the addition of numerous ingredients and an array of refinements in order to remove the darkness origin power. Only then could it be utilized by Daybreak Cultivators. However, it was already quite shocking even in its present state. Even a peak major clan like the Zhao clan required three months to brew a Marrow Cleansing Pond. This meant that the origin distillate produced by a single tree was likely worth several thousand gold coins. Moreover, the forest here was boundlessly vast with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of such trees. This forest alone was worth the empire fighting this war. Qianye sighed emotionally. This was only a small area of this landmass. There might be even more regions with treasures hidden within them. It was no wonder that the Evernight Council and the empire could never tire of exploring and conquering new continents. The clan and family lords who possessed skill and strategic foresight would also choose to pioneer new frontiers despite the great risk and inevitable sacrifices. New territories meant greater resources, and greater resources meant faster development. That was how the human race had gained space and managed to survive in this world covered in darkness. At this moment, Qianye suddenly discovered that the transmitted wave had disappeared at a certain point. Someones here! Qianye immediately activated his True Sight and glanced over in the direction of the altered vibratory waves. There he saw a shadow flicker and disappear. That figure was extremely fast and even Qianye couldnt capture its tracks. He immediately drew East Peak, withdrew his aura, and walked over in the direction where the shadow had disappeared. That silhouette never appeared again in Qianyes vision and seemed to have left for the next target. Qianye sniffed a bloody odor just as he was about to arrive where the shadow had flickered. He hastened his steps and flitted across the dark purple substance without stirring up a single wave. Qianye was startled as he circled past a large tree where he discovered several corpses in Zhao clan uniform. Qianye recognized most of these Zhao clan experts. All of them were elites from the bloody battle who had been dispatched to investigate this land. Now, they had all died here before they had even reached the core region. His expression changed slightly, and it felt as though his internal organs had been doused with cold water. He calmed himself down first without checking the corpses. Instead, he activated his Eye of Truth to scan the surrounding ground and trees one after the other. There were strangely few traces of combat left behind at the scene. However, there was no sign of the Blue Firmament or West Pole Violet Qi, which meant that Zhao Jundu wasnt with them. Qianye exhaled lightly as his tense nerves relaxed somewhat. He then knelt down and flipped over the corpse beside his feet, whereupon his expression darkened. Not only had he seen this person before, but he had also gotten acquainted with him under the Iron Curtain. Qianye had once rescued a Zhao clan squad after returning to the Iron Curtain. Back then, the unit was in a precarious situation. As a champion, this person had the power to escape, but he fought on relentlessly against a force many times his own until Qianye arrived. It was because of this contribution that he was recognized by the family, who decided to pour resources into nurturing him. He didnt die even while completely surrounded under the Iron Curtain. Who wouldve thought he would fall in this eerie forest? He was still so young, yet all of his dreams were now gone with the wind. Qianyes felt an inexplicable weight in his heart like a stone dragging down on it. The cruel bloody battle under the Iron Curtain had polished a batch of elite warriors and also made it easier to acknowledge those fighting alongside each other. Despite the short period of interaction, Qianye had recognized those Zhao clan warriors he had fought alongside with as comrades. Comrade: the weight of this word was even above a friend. Qianye ran his hand over the body, then opened up the battle armor to examine the wound. There was only one lethal point on the side of the neck, an extremely clean-cut blade wound. The stab was quick, steady, and cut right through his cervical spine to kill him with a single blow. It would seem this warrior, named Zhao Shizhong, had encountered an unparalleled opponent. But the problem was that his stab had gone in too easily without giving Zhao Shizhong an opportunity to defend. That was the only way such a wound couldve been inflicted. However, Qianye knew the mans combat strength fairly well. Between the ranks of dark viscount and count, only someone at the level of Zhao Jundu utilizing his Omniscient Seal domain would be able to kill him instantly in this manner. Qianye himself was confident about killing Zhao Shizhong, but not with such a wound or in such a clean manner. It was so clean that there werent even traces of a struggle. Could the Zhao clan have encountered a major character above the level of marquis? Qianye stretched out a finger and pressed on the mans throat, then gradually moved downward. Strands of origin power shot out from his fingertips and entered Zhao Shizhongs body. Qianye sensed an abnormality as his finger moved over the corpses chest. He pressed down lightly and found the skin below his fingers sink briefly without bouncing back up, thus forming a cavity. This cavity was larger and deeper than those normally formed on corpses. Moreover, it wasnt caused by a loss of muscle elasticity because even the chest bones had caved in. The force behind Qianyes fingers wasnt strong, and it was certainly not enough to push the chest wall in. Apparently, the skeleton of the corpse was exceptionally brittle for some reason. Qianye pondered for a moment, then said while clenching his teeth, My apologies, Brother. He drew his military knife and cut open the corpses chest to inspect the internal organs. The organs exposed after dissecting the chest had all been shattered, and some of them had even turned into formless mush. It was clear that Zhao Shizhong had suffered a secret attack. There was no injury on the surface, but the internal organs had all been destroyed. That was why he had lost the ability to resist and suffered a lethal stab. In truth, that stab had only severed his last opportunity at struggling. His vitality had already come to an end when his organs were crushed. As a champion, there were no blind spots to his origin defenses, only its strength differed. However, just what kind of attack was able to pierce through a rank-twelve champions defenses to destroy his internal organs? Qianyes heart skipped a beat as a bad premonition came over him. He recalled that his own Eye Ability: Control was such a power. Eye Ability: Control was able to ignore origin defenses and directly affect the other partys internal organs. However, Qianye had tried it before and found that the power of control wasnt powerful enough to immediately destroy the opponents vital organs. He usually employed this ability to produce openings and thus lead the tempo of the battle. But Zhao Shizhongs killer had directly wrecked most of his organs through his elite champion defenses. This destructive power was so much more powerful than Control. Qianye exhaled deeply as a faint sense of unrest suffused his heart, but there was also something in his subconscious mind instinctively preventing him from looking deeper into this. He inspected the remaining corpses and discovered that all of them had died in the same manner. Only the lower level warriors were left with intact organs, killed from the outside in by an obviously powerful opponent. The bloody corpses thrown away here had begun eliciting a reaction from the sludge. The substance absorbed the blood continuously like loose sand, and the parts that had absorbed enough blood were squirming about, gradually climbing higher and extending upward along the body. Before long, the soil would cover up the corpse completely. Qianye frowned as the scene before his eyes gave him a feeling of great discomfort. He recalled his experiences in the Black Forest and felt that this eerie substance might also be able to devour flesh to use as nutrients. He slashed open the sludge to move all the corpses to another place. There, he poured fuel upon them and set them ablaze. He would rather have his old comrades burn to ashes than see them drown in this sludge. Qianye stood beside the fire and watched as the flames raged on. The sludge, apparently afraid of the fire, shifted toward the surroundings. The parts that came in contact with the blaze caught on fire but didnt burn too fiercely. After a moment of standing beside the fire, Qianye headed deeper into the stone forest in the direction where the mysterious figure had vanished. At this moment, he was no longer in the mood to explore the secrets of these mysterious trees and only wanted to catch up to the person related to the death of the Zhao clan soldiers. The raging flames had already become quite blurry when Qianye glanced from several dozen meters away. After advancing further again, he could no longer see the raging pillar of flames without using his True Sight. From this, it was obvious that the constraints on perception were especially powerful in these woods. Qianye had also wanted to draw enemies over with the flames since his True Sight range was clearly longer than the other people. If someone did approach, he would be the first to discover the enemy and launch a lethal attack. But now, it seemed the effects werent so goodeven igniting the giant tree would only allow people within a hundred meters to see the flames. Qianye traversed the forest at a constant speed while observing the surrounding movements. Hundreds of meters away, a pair of eyes was observing Qianye through a specialized scope, and the center of those bat-shaped crosshairs had been following his head around this entire time. However, no gunshots rang out even as Qianye left the scopes range. Nighteye was hidden in the crown of a distant tree, her aura completely blending into the surroundings. She had a sniper rifle of exquisite craftsmanship in her arms, through which she was observing the surrounding area. She slowly got up a while after Qianyes departure, then disassembled and put away her sniper rifle. The scenery beside her became slightly distorted as the silhouette of a demonkin appeared. The vertical eye on his forehead was emitting a faint green light as he shot Nighteye a suspicious glance. Didnt you find anything? Why do I feel some abnormal origin power fluctuations there? You can go and take a look if you have doubts, Nighteye replied with a similar coldness. That demonkin frowned slightly, then said, Your Majesty, I meant no offense. Although I have the Unshrouding Eye, I am far from being your match. Thats why I am here as support and to protect you. Nighteye didnt comment on this matter. You may withdraw. Chapter 506: Ambush [V6C36 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] That demonkin brought out a sheepskin scroll and outlined a segment of the land with just a few strokes. With that, the map in his hand became slightly enriched. After drafting the local geography, he studied it for a while before pointing to a certain location. We should be here. Lets move ahead one kilometer and observe again. A barely discernible glint flashed through Nighteyes pupils as she nodded in silence and followed the demonkin. The direction they were headed in was precisely where Qianye had gone toward. In this strange, vast land, there was no telling just how many soldiers were cautiously searching for enemies. On one hand, they had to resist the omnipresent suppression of the void colossus will, while on the other, they had to wrestle with the distorted perception. It was arduous, to say the least. Qianye was relatively at ease and his movements had gradually sped up. He was able to firmly lock onto his direction and advance toward the colossal skeleton even in a forest where everything seemed the same. After circling around a certain large tree, Qianyes ears twitched ever so slightly as he caught a series of extremely light footsteps. He immediately stood with his back against the tree and glanced toward where the footsteps had originated from. Hundreds of meters away, a vampire viscount had appeared through the mist. He held a sword with both hands, the tip of which was pointed toward the ground as he calmly walked forward step by step. This was a stance in which he could brandish his sword and attack at any given moment. Apparently, this viscount was no ordinary character. He didnt bother to hide his movements but instead chose to maintain a combat stance at all times. This was confidence, a firm belief that he could easily kill or retreat even when encountering a powerful enemy. The widespread purple substance was fairly special, and one could hardly avoid making sounds while walking over them. One would need to maintain flight form in order to advance quietly. However, most champions would emit obvious origin power fluctuations during flight, and the consumption was also too great. This second-rank viscounts choice wasnt wrong. The only issue was that he had encountered Qianye. Qianye had already set up his sniper rifle at this point. He had perfectly hidden his aura with Bloodline Concealment as he placed the crosshairs steadily over the viscounts blood core. In truth, Bloodline Concealment wasnt a necessity in such an environment because the viscount would need to come within a hundred meters in order to discover Qianye. It was just that Qianye had gotten used to being cautious. Moreover, he could vaguely sense a pair of eyes upon him from time to time. Qianyes fingers had started tugging on the trigger when he noticed a datura flower on the vampires collarthe Monroe clans insignia. The emblem was somewhat glaring as it reflected in his eyes. Qianyes hesitation lasted only a split second. He quickly drove away the distractions in his mind and pulled the trigger. The Mithril Bullet of Exorcism drew a blinding silver flash through the air as it flew toward the viscount. That vampire viscount was indeed expecting an attack, but not one from a sniper. He swung his sword out of instinct as the silver flash appeared in his eyes and actually managed to hit the sniper round mid-air. The instant reaction proved that his combat arts had reached an extremely high realm. However, the great firepower behind the sniper round caused him to take several steps back and his hand to go numb. The viscounts expression shifted after that abhorrent silver color appeared clearly in his vision. Had this shot connected, he wouldve been gravely injured if not killed. The most frightening point, however, was that he couldnt sense the enemy at all! The only thing he could do was judge the enemys location form the bullets trajectory. But what good would that do? The assailant had surely left his original position during this short period. The blood energy around the vampire viscount grew denser, and a faint image of the datura flower appeared within. He had pushed all of his remaining power to the limits. Another flash of silver appeared at this point, but just as the viscount was about to slash at the bullet, the pressure upon his body grew drastically and almost pressed him onto his knees. Domain! The viscount cried out frantically in his heart. But how could anyone deploy a domain under the standard level suppression of this accursed place? Even he, Armas, one of the Ten Dread Daturas who had possessed a domain since knighthood, couldnt produce a complete domain here. Not only was the suppression of this particular domain substantial, but it also felt as though it had never been weakened by the colossus will. Armas was unable to resist this pressure even after pushing his blood energy to the limits. He could only watch with wide-open eyes as the Mithril Bullet of Exorcism blasted onto his body. Amras flew out a dozen or so meters amidst wretched cries and crashed into a large tree. He fell decrepit onto the ground and never rose again. He hadnt just suffered the daybreak energy explosion of the exorcism bullet, but also the strand the blood energy Qianye had instilled into it. It took Armas everything he had just to resist the erosion of the blood energy, and even raising his hand became strenuous. Qianyes figure appeared from within the mist and walked over quietly to the vampires side. Armas stared fixedly at Qianye as he ceased his struggle with a smile of relief. I didnt expect it to be you, Zhao Qianye, one of the empires twin stars. Its not unjust for me to die in your hands. Just do it, its very simple, but you wont get any information out of me. Qianye remained silent for a moment. Do you have anything to say? Armas laughed ruefully and said, I do have a question. Why was there blood energy on your Mirthril Bullet of Exorcism? But then again, you probably wont tell me anyway. Lets end it here! You were a respectable opponent. Godspeed! Qianyes East Peak pierced into Armas chest and destroyed his blood core. Armas was indeed an expert. Although he was incomparable to factional geniuses like Zhao Jundu and Nighteye, he was still a first-rate expert. If it werent for the suppression of the void colossus will, Qianye would have to fight an arduous battle in order to kill him. Against such an opponent, Qianye decided to help him preserve a warriors dignityhe neither absorbed the vampires essence blood nor pulled out his fangs as proof of contribution. Qianye thus left and quickly vanished into the hazy mist. Meanwhile, Armas body was left leaning against the large tree as the surrounding purple substance gradually extended over, attracted by the presence of flesh and blood. Qianyes thoughts werent calm as he continued deeper in. The conversation with Armas just now was short but informative. The other twin star of the empire was naturally Zhao Jundu, and this term made evident the Evernight factions assessment of them. It could be considered a worthy evaluation since Qianye and Zhao Jundu had rampaged through the Iron Curtain and achieved peerless military success. However, that term Zhao Qianye made it clear that his relationship with the Zhao clan was beyond close and that even the Evernight side had already heard about it. But he shouldve expected this situation long ago since Zhao Jundu had registered Qianyes name under his secondary residence. It was just that he had quietly erased the Zhao surname from his heart. The fierce, war-like Zhao clan and their outstanding descendants were an honor to fight alongside. But compared to the extravagant Zhao Residence on the Western Continent, the tiny Blackflow City felt more like home to him. Qianye encountered several waves of enemies as he pushed deeper and deeper ineven a count. But the advantage of his True Sight was evident, and that huge third-rank arachne count was hardly agile. Qianye badly injured him with a single Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang and proceeded to suppress his lackeys with the momentum of a great ocean. East Peak swept across and immediately slashed through the arachnes waist. Being severed from his arachnid body was a lethal blow even for a count. With the count eradicated, the remaining barons couldnt even release their domains and were directly killed by Qianyes oceanic power. The survivors were all put down with one slash each. Qianye took a break after finishing off this group and collecting the essence blood as well as the spoils of war. When he had just arrived in Blackflow City, Arachne Viscount Brahms was a tremendous entity Qianye could hardly look up at. The arachne mightve turned Blackflow into rubble had it not been for the top-grade defenses of Wei Bainians Thousand Mountain. Today, however, Qianye could already fight head-on against an arachne count. Of course, he had also taken advantage of the suppression of the void colossus will in order to accomplish this. Among the four great dark races, the arachnes essence blood was of the lowest purity but the highest in quantity. These opponents filled Qianyes essence blood stores by more than half. Presently, Qianye reckoned that his body could accommodate an amount of essence blood equal to that of a virtuous count. In this land filled with danger, every bit of strength might be a life-saving measure at the critical moment. Hence, Qianye was in no rush to go furtherinstead, he found a hidden place to circulate his Mystery Chapter and refine all of the essence blood before going on. This time, the refinement process took an entire day. The greater half of the darkness origin power was absorbed by the Wings of Inception, while the remainder were split evenly between the Book of Darkness and the dark golden blood energy. The scope of his auric gold blood expanded slightly once more after absorbing the darkness origin power. Qianye would advance to become a second-rank viscount by the time the auric gold blood had been distributed throughout his trunk, and a first-rank viscount when they had covered his limbs. The experts from various parties operating in this vast forest had increased progressively when Qianye resumed his advancement. No matter how they had passed through Giants Repose to enter this world, they would all arrive at locations surrounding this region. Moreover, everyone could see the giant skeleton in the distance, no matter how distant they were. Nighteye and that demonkin traversed the forest like specters. As time went by, their accomplishments also increased continuously. That demonkin wasnt a nobody. He was a genius expert from the Dark Abyss called Eden and his rank was that of a mighty count. Dark Abyss, Masefield, and Jeruson were all famous demonkin families that produced countless experts. One could hardly underestimate someone considered a genius in such a clan. His Unshrouding Eye was an excessively powerful ability capable of seeing through many types of concealment, not to mention he could use origin power to amplify its penetration effect. That was the reason why Eden had been dispatched directly by the Evernight Council to accompany Nighteye all along her journey. His real mission was to protect her; supporting her was only secondary. The results of their battles in this peculiar world were just as the Evernight Council had predicted. Although the scope of his Unshrouding Eye wasnt as great as Nighteyes, it was still two times that of ordinary people. Being specialists in concealment and camouflage, their combined powers were extremely sharp and gapless in the present environment. They would be able to escape calmly even if they were to encounter a true expert. Eden halted his advancing steps all of a sudden and gestured toward the left side that he was in charge of. Nighteye turned about quickly and approached rapidly at the same pace. Faintly discernible silhouettes appeared before them in the blink of an eye. Three soldiers had made a temporary camp under the tree. One of them stood guard, the other one was dressing his wounds, while the third was cultivating in a cross-legged posture in a bid to recover origin power. The three had split their roles according to reason. They seemed relaxed, but the entire area around the camp had been covered by two of the soldiers without any dead angles. The true gap in their surveillance was because of Nighteye and Edens excessively long visual range. Eden gestured toward Nighteye, removed the origin gun from his back, and took aim at the vigilant warrior. Seeing that the soldier wasnt aware of anything, a smile appeared on Edens face as he slowly pulled on the trigger. It was during the split second before the shot that Nighteye suddenly reached out and pressed down on Edens gun muzzle. Chapter 507: Another Deal [V6C37 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Eden was astonished, but fortunately, his reaction was fast, and he didnt fire accidentally. He glanced at Nighteye and performed a questioning gesture, to which Nighteye responded by pointing at her own collar, then beckoning him to retreat and go around. Eden glanced at the three soldiers suspiciously. Two of them were wearing eye-catching Swallow Cloud Cavalry shoulder armor. Eden was no stranger to the Zhao clan insignia. There were also emblems on their battle armor, but those Eden didnt quite recognize. However, he didnt feel that it was important either because it only went to show that their families were just so-so. At the very least, they werent strong enough for Eden to remember. Eden was hesitant because he didnt feel that it was a big deal to kill the Zhao clan soldiers. However, he didnt insist as Nighteye gestured once more. After all, Nighteye was still the nominal leader of this expedition. Moreover, his rank being higher than Nighteye was only temporary because the bloodline of a primo like Nighteye was even higher than his own. Moreover, she had awakened just recently and was in her rapid growth phase. She would catch up to him before long. As for resources, someone who had received the councils attention couldnt be lacking in this regard. The two left quietly, leaving the three camping soldiers with no idea they had just experienced a brush with death. After traveling a fair distance, Eden couldnt help but ask, Why did we withdraw? Those are Zhao clan people. Eden was even more puzzled. I know theyre from the Zhao clan and not of a low status, either. But doesnt that mean we should kill them? Dont you feel that weve killed too many Zhao clan soldiers lately? So what? The Zhao clan is one of the empires four major clans and a great enemy of ours. This is a great opportunity to weaken them. Didnt your brother Viscount Aaron also die in that Zhao Qianyes hands? A barely discernible hint of pain flashed through Nighteyes pupils at the mention of Aaron, but she soon recovered her indifference and went on in silence. Eden noticed that he had spoken out of turn. Im very sorry. Nighteye sighed. As a scion of the Monroe clan, dying in battle is the best way to return to the River of Sacred Blood. I agree. Nighteye pulled herself together after a period of silent running. Didnt you notice that the number of people were encountering has increased lately? It looks like were already close to the core area. The empires twin stars are both with the Zhao clan, so well surely meet them at the colossus skeleton. Isnt it better if we dont have to fight them first? Eden seemed to have understood and said with a nod, Its indeed so! Its best if we let those arachne and werewolves take the front line. If needed, the other clans of my race are also fine. Qianye and Zhao Jundu had accumulated shocking military achievements. There was no telling how high their combat strength would be in this world where origin power was being suppressed, but one could easily guess that they were much more powerful than ordinary people. Even with the rank advantage, Eden wasnt willing to fight head-on against them unless it was necessary. It was naturally the best if other people could serve as cannon-fodder and whittle away at their strength. At this point, Eden seemed to have understood Nighteyes intentions. Qianye and Zhao Jundu would surely discover something amiss if they killed too many of the Zhao clan soldiers, and they would likely be confronted first at the colossus skeleton. As for what Eden was truly thinking, no one knew. As such, the two continued their exploration journey, hunting imperial experts and cautiously exchanging information with the other Evernight exploration teams. When encountering the occasional lieutenant-general-level experts, they would take advantage of their visual range and concealment advantages to evade them. An entire day passed by in this manner, and even the geniuses of the Evernight faction eventually started to feel tired. Hence, they both agreed to take a break, one keeping watch, while the other rested. Nighteye? It was originally Edens turn to rest, but it would seem he was unable to sleep due to certain worries. Nighteye asked without looking back, What is it? I heard about some activity from the Holy Sons side and all of them are targeted at you. This time, theyve mobilized all of their powers and seem determined to succeed. I know. Nighteyes tone was calm. It was as though this were a trifling matter of little significance The information I obtained is that Her Majesty Lilith only said that you are free to choose your own path if you managed to obtain an ancient essence fragment. She said she won''t interfere, but that doesnt mean that others from the Perth clan, or even the other clans, wont take action. The Holy sons movement this time is an attempt to make you submit before anyone else does. I know. And this strange realm is the best place to do it. This time, Nighteye didnt reply and only remained silent. Eden sighed. My words may be a bit too blunt and I hope you dont take it to heart. Frankly speaking, Im not too optimistic about you escaping Edwards grasp. Ive known him for hundreds of years, and I understand his character quite well. Edward never does anything without assurance. Now that hes gone all in, Im sure hes fully confident about success. What about you? How are you prepared to deal with him? I have my own ways, Nighteye replied indifferently. You do? Eden laughed helplessly. Weve fought side by side for so many days, so Ive come to understand you a little bit at least. Moreover, Ive seen all of your information after the council assigned me to this mission. You wouldnt be saying this if you really had a way out. Youd be retaliating against Edward instead. Nighteye simply gazed on at the mist in silence. Eden sighed once more and said, Im sure you already know my intentions at this point. Id like to extend you an invitation on behalf of the Dark Abyss. Youre welcome to join us if youre willing or if you have no other choice. The Dark Abyss will shelter you. We can assume the pressure even if it comes from the Queen of the Night herself. Nighteye laughed self-deprecatingly. Am I that valuable? Is this the will of the Dark Abyss or the council? At least it has been approved by that excellency atop the sacred mountain. Edens words surprised Nighteye who shot a quick glance upward. A supreme existence atop one of the seven sacred peaks stood at the very pinnacle of the dark race. She asked after a moment of silence, What do you want from me? Marriage? No, we want you to provide us with a drop of origin blood every ten years for three hundred years. Nighteye laughed. Thats an unbelievably relaxed demand. A single drop every ten years would affect Nighteyes advancement greatly, but not to the point where she couldnt move forward. Considering the long life-span of a high-ranking vampire, three hundred years was only enough to reach middle age. Judging from Nighteyes post-awakening advancement rate, it was still possible for her to reach the prince rank. However, all hopes of a coronation would be severed. But becoming a crowned prince or even igniting a blood seal on the River of Sacred Blood was easier said than done. Just how many brilliant geniuses had appeared from the Twelve Ancient Clans throughout the hundreds of years? There was no lack of those with a bloodline purity equal to that of Nighteyes. But what came of them in the end? Countless geniuses became mediocre at the terminus of their maturity, and few ever achieved the grand duke status. The only one who had ignited a blood seal in a thousand years was Habsburg. That was why the price Nighteye had to pay for this deal was only an ephemeral hope, so the price couldnt be considered steep. As for what they were looking to do with the origin blood, that really wasnt important. The uses of a vampires origin blood were vast. The power of blood, in and of itself, had the special effect of actuating ones vitality. They could be made into various types of life-saving measures that were suitable for all races. Moreover, one drop of origin blood every ten years wasnt enough to produce a descendant, so Nighteye didnt need to worry about her bloodline being tampered with. Ill consider it, Nighteye replied. As for whether her words were sincere or if she was merely offering a polite response, only she herself would know. Eden said with a nod, The situation might be worse than you thought. As far as I know, many ancient beings are starting to think about certain prospects after His Majesty Habsburg ignited the blood seal. And among all the awakened primos, your primogenitor origin blood is the closest to the blood seal. At this point, Eden spoke no more because he believed Nighteye had already understood. His origin power had recovered, so he rose and continued the journey with Nighteye. The two of them were able to lock onto the colossus skeleton with great clarity, but they were no longer in a rush to go over after figuring out the rules of this mysterious world. On the contrary, they availed themselves to the advantageous terrain to kill more imperial enemies. As such, their path of advancement wound left, right, and even looped backward as they swept through the surrounding area and gradually approached the core area of the colossus skeleton. After another half a day, Nighteye suddenly hastened her steps and ran over to a distant tree. Knowing that her vision was better than his own and that she had likely discovered something, Eden immediately followed suit while paying attention to the flanks. Nighteye arrived below the giant tree. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary here, but she frowned silently as she ran her hand over the trunk. Eden also walked over and shot a glance at the tree trunk. He then tapped lightly upon it and said, There are traces of battle here. These minute abrasions are likely due to an attack. With that, Eden scraped off a small piece of dried stain and observed it on his fingers. Vampire. And its from your Monroe bloodline. Nighteye drew her sword. A sanguineous light emerged upon the blade as she slashed open the purple substance below the tree. As she flicked the sludge apart, the bloody radiance on her sword shot out in all directions like a sentient being and began eroding the cut edges continuously. The blood energy shot out by Nighteye seemed exceptionally powerful. It quickly eroded the substance and revealed an empty area beneath the tree. There was a dense array of pores in the soil from which the purple substance was gushing out. Currently, the blood energy had cleared the sludge away and was seeping in along the pores. Edens expression was complicated. He had tried using demonic energy to erode the substance, but the effects were a far cry from Nighteyes blood energy. The demonkins demonic energy, especially the Deep Abyss clans demonic energy, had always been known for their corrosive properties. However, even someone of Edens caliber could barely handle this purple substance since the latter seemed to possess significant resistance and devouring properties against all types of energy. However, Nighteyes blood energy seemed completely unaffected by the substance as it swept through everything in its path, refusing to stop until they had been completely exhausted. Eden saw it clearly. This wasnt a difference in their origin power quantity, but instead, a gap between their intrinsic quality. This kind of mysterious substance was like a natural testing stonebefore it, the superiority of ones origin power quality would become evident at a glance. Even a marquis or a duke, no matter how powerful they were, might not be able to exert any meaningful effect on the purple substance if their bloodlines were mottled and far from the grand origin. Their blood energies might even be devoured instead. No corpse was revealed after the substance disappeared. Even the bones had been completely dissolved in a short time, to speak nothing of the flesh. However, some indestructible items would always be left behind. For instance, some small objects made of metal or other rare materials, including their clan insignia. Nighteyes expression changed as she picked up the insignia. The emblem, which served as proof of identity for just a handful of outstanding characters in the clan, was made of a special material. She flipped it over and saw the name engraved at the back. Finally, she said with a soft sigh, Its Armas. Chapter 508: The Silhouette Through the Scope [V6C38 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Armas? This is truly unfortunate. Armas was one of the elites who had been sent by the Monroe clan to support Nighteye. Although he was only a second-rank viscount, his sword arts were extremely powerful and greatly suited for operating under the suppression of the colossus will. However, all groups were dispersed once they entered this world from Giants Repose. It was just that Eden and Nighteye were located quite close, and were thus able to meet up on the second day. They had been taking their time to roam the surrounding areas without rushing toward the colossus remains because they wanted to rendezvous with their teammates. They would be qualified to seize the ancient essence fragment only after accumulating a certain amount of military strength. Unexpectedly, Armas had fallen here without even a corpse remaining. Eden quickly observed the surroundingsbeing able to finish Armas off without signs of an intense battle proved that the opponent was powerful. It might even be one of the empires twin stars, and Eden didnt wish to bump into them at all before reaching the ancient essence fragment. Nighteye collected Armas items without a word and continued onward. Meanwhile, Qianye was also roaming the area, and an increasing number of dark race members had died in his wake as he gradually approached the colossus remains. The closer he came to the inner circle, the more dangerous things became, and the greater his chances of encountering the other factions experts. Qianye hadnt seen Zhao Jundu yet up to this point. He had, however, bumped into a couple of experts from the imperial noble families. But Qianye liked to move alone so he merely got in touch for a simple exchange of intelligence and parted ways with them. It was at this time that Qianyes ears moved ever so slightly. He quickly leapt onto the closest tree and glanced into the distance, from whence came a long, resounding howl. This wolf howl had come from at least a kilometer away. This was nothing in the outside world where even the sound of an ordinary beast howling to the moon could travel several kilometers. However, it was truly out of the ordinary in a world protected of the colossus will. A howl reaching over a kilometer in range despite the suppression proved how powerful this werewolf was. Qianyes expression turned odd because he seemed to recognize this sound. Was that... William? Apparently, he was in a fierce battle with someone nearby and had unleashed such a roar at the height of his battle intent. Qianye hesitated for a moment but still made his way toward the direction of that howl. However, he maintained a state of bloodline concealment throughout the journey and seemed to have no intention of letting either party discover him. Qianye had always felt a good impression toward Williams attitude. Since sharing food with him in that unknown cave in the wilderness, William had treated him more like a friend and less like an enemy. Regardless of his true intentions, it was a fact that he had helped Qianye several times. Thus, he could hardly ignore the werewolfs kindness despite his natural vigilance against the dark races. But William was still a werewolf who belonged to the Evernight faction, so they would naturally be on opposite sides if they were to meet under the present circumstances. One kilometer wasnt far at all, but it became a rather long trek with his perception limited to within a couple hundred meters. As he arrived near the scene, Qianye saw the ground virtually overturned and a dozen or so giant trees leaning at odd angles. The fight had already ended and William was nowhere to be seen. What surprised Qianye was that Williams enemy was neither an imperial soldier or a vampire. Instead, they were peculiar men the size of a three-year-old child. They possessed large eyes, small limbs, wrinkled brown skin, and were wielding wooden stakes in their hands. There were dozens of such small corpses, and most of them had traces of claws or bites upon them. Qianyes eyes froze at this point. Had William been fighting in his werewolf combat form? Qianye had never seen Williams true combat form at this point. There was only that one time on the Western Continent where the latter had changed into a giant wolf to intercept him. The transformation then had doubled his suppressive might, a testament to how powerful his combat form was. This also meant that these odd little men were definitely not as simple as they seemed on the surface. Qianye drew East Peak and stabbed one of the corpses on the ground. Qianye was surprised to find that there was actually some resistance at the tip before it went into the body. East Peak, at this point, had reached a whole new level after being reforged at the Zhao clan. It was just a casual stab, but the sword almost failing to pierce through went to show just how shocking their natural defenses were. He picked up one of the short wooden spears and observed it carefully, whereupon an almond-like smell of bitterness wafted into his nose. As soon as he had inhaled this smell, Qianye felt a constant sting on his skin, and the hand holding the spear turned somewhat numb. Clearly, this was poisonand an unfathomable venom at that. Basically, Qianyes present constitution and auric flame blood afforded him immunity to most toxins. Even the special anti-vampire poisons used by the empire were ineffective on him. Who wouldve thought that this unassuming short spear in front of him was actually carrying such a terrifying poison? No wonder William had revealed his combat form. He needed to wipe out these little men with reinforced speed, lest he got stabbed by their poisoned spears. This was also an indirect proof that even Williams count-level defenses werent completely invincible against their attacks. Qianye learned nothing more after a period of research. He was no biological specialist, so he could only judge the combat strength and style of these little men from his past experience. This yielded limited results. Qianye picked up a couple of those spears, wrapped them tightly with beast skin, and placed them into Andruils Mysterious Realm for later research. These corpses would soon be devoured and disintegrated by the purple substance, never to appear again. The forest seemed unchanged, but the appearance of these little creatures proved that this world was much more dangerous than they had previously anticipated. Moreover, where had they even come from? Qianye suddenly recalled the beehive-like structure in the crowns of those large trees and that there were certain things being gestated in them. A puzzled Qianye continued his investigation. Moreover, he kept his True Sight active at all times and didnt dare relax. Judging from the clues at the scene, William had clearly been ambushed and attacked from all sides by those little men. After advancing for some time, Qianye suddenly noticed a certain part of the ground substance bulging up abnormally. He rapidly rushed over and slashed it open with East Peak. This time, Qianye had added blood energy to the blades edge, preventing the cut edges from repairing themselves. The blood energy eroded swiftly through the substance and revealed two partially-devoured corpses underneath. Their identities could still be discerned because the ornaments on them were mostly intact. Both of them were aristocratic family expertsone was from the Kong family, and the other was from a certain middle-ranked family. The flesh on their chests had been eroded quite a bit. Qianye flicked an air bullet which quickly broke through their damaged chest bones and revealed their internal organs. As expected, their internal organs had all been shattered. Qianyes gaze became solemn, knowing that he was already closing in on this mysterious opponent. Judging from the state of those corpses, it had been less than two hours since that persons departure. Two hours was enough to go quite far, but not to the point where he couldnt catch up. Qianye flipped through the dead mans backpack and fished out two boxes of exorcism bullets, then left with hastened steps. About an hour later, Qianye poked his head out from behind a large tree-trunk. He seemed to have discovered an abnormality in the crown of a tree at the extremes of his vision. Qianye shrunk back behind the tree and climbed upward with the trunk as cover. He then climbed into the spherical treetop and slowly peered out. He moved with such caution that the treetop wasnt swaying at all. That opponents ability was simply too strange, so Qianye wasnt willing to let them gain the initiative. The best way to deal with this kind of opponent was to snipe from stealth and not give the opponent any opportunity to use their abilities. There was indeed something strange about the treetop across from him. Qianye couldnt see anything, but his True Sight had outlined the hazy silhouette of a hiding person. The long sniper rifle stretched out inch by inch from beneath Qianye. The weapon had been covered with a layer of purple substance for camouflage, but even moving it into firing position took him several minutes. Qianye was fairly patient, an attribute he had gained after experiencing countless battles. At this moment, the distance between the two parties had reached the limit of Qianyes vision. He was still fairly cautious even though he had never encountered an enemy who could see farther than him. The Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang in his rifle chamber would strike the target as soon as he could confirm that the other party was a dark race expert. By then, the enemy would be gravely injured if not dead. Qianye slowly adjusted the scope. Finally, the image of a treetop came into view. At the center of his crosshair was a deep, serene rifle scope! It was a scope decorated fully with a vampire flair and aimed right at Qianye. There was no need for a second glanceQianye knew that the opponents crosshairs were also on his scope. Qianye held his breath! He knew not whether he had been discovered or if the other party just happened to be aiming in this direction. For an ordinary person, the only thing in his scope should be a patch of hazy white mist. However, Qianye knew she also possessed superior vision. He never saw her face clearly, but merely from that pony-tail and raven-black hairjust from that hazy silhouettehe knew it had to be Nighteye, that person most deeply entangled with his life. But, had she also seen him? Qianye didnt move. His line of vision passed through the two crosshairs to reach Nighteye. However, that was only an illusion. He couldnt see Nighteyes eyes, just as Nighteye couldnt see his. The crosshairs acted as a bridge for one to see the other, yet they also became a wall preventing them from true eye-contact. After recognizing Nighteye, Qianye realized that the mysterious opponent he had been chasing after was her. Only her eye ability would possess such powers of penetration capable of piercing the defenses of ordinary champions. Crack! A light sound shattered the silence of the forest. It turned out that Qianye had unknowingly exerted enough force to break the solid bark of that tree. Fortunately, no ordinary person could catch this minuscule sound at such a distance. However, the scenery around Nighteye fluctuated ever so slightlyQianye immediately realized there was someone beside her. Chapter 509: Unexpected Meeting [V6C39 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The person beside Nighteye possessed inferior visual range compared to Qianye, but his skill in camouflage was clearly superior. This person had melded into his surroundings. If not for Qianyes True Sight capturing a minute change in origin power, it would truly have been difficult to discover his existence. With such a person partnered to Nighteye, it was no wonder that even those old veterans had no way to defend. Eden stopped moving after adjusting his position. He discovered nothing else apart from a vague sensation born of his intuition. Nighteye was in charge of that direction, and her vision was much greater than his own. Since even she was showing no reaction, then it was likely nothing. Qianye only glanced at Eden through the corner of his eyes. The focus of his vision had always been on Nighteye. Qianye suddenly felt a stifling sensation in his chest as his body gradually turned colder and his heart wracked with an ineffable confusion. He was like a guilty kid standing before his elders. What the grown-ups thought was a minor matter was perhaps the end of the world in the childs heart. Just like Qianye at the moment, he felt his entire world was slowly but surely sinking into the deepest darkness. One corpse after another flashed past Qianyes eyesZhao clan soldiers, experts from other aristocratic families, and those iron-blooded warriors of the various army corps. And it wasnt just people of the empire; those Evernight experts who had died in Qianyes hands also appeared in his vision, especially the vampires of the Monroe clan. The datura flowers they wore stung his eyes so. Those gunshots reverberated in his ears, and the tremor as his blade entered their bodies felt just as clear to him. Qianye recalled, with great clarity, each and every Evernight expert who had fallen to his sword. But whether it was for Nighteye or Qianye, every battle, every bit of military contribution, pushed them further from one another. They pushed each other to a distance where they could no longer hold hands as they did in the beginning. The crosshairs of Qianyes scope was still on Nighteyes own. He needed only to pull the trigger and that origin-infused Bullet of Extreme Yang would blast through her scope and through her eyeeven a marquis would be gravely wounded by this shot. Moreover, Qianye could even activate Heavy Caliber and Accurate Shooting to raise the projectiles firepower. Qianyes finger on the trigger was bloodlessly pale, not unlike that of a lifeless corpse. The finger was trembling slightly, a situation unbecoming for a superior marksman like him. At some point, Zhao Shizhong, the dead Zhao clan warriors, those from the other aristocratic families, Red Scorpion, and those teammates from the 131st Battalion with whom he had fought side by side all appeared around him. Their gazes as they looked down at him from behind pierced through him like red-hot iron nails. Fire! Pull that trigger! Kill her! Now! Those voices echoed in Qianyes ears. In his dazzled state, he seemed to have returned to his time in Red Scorpion. That was the final battle where his captain had sent Qianye out through the siege, then turned back to meet the tide of blood-thralls and dark race warriors. The scene of his heroic figure as it was drowned by the dark tide had carved itself deep in Qianyes heart. At this very moment, Qianye realized the gravity of Williams words. Daybreak and Evernight are eternal enemies. The trigger in Qianyes hand was as heavy as lead, and tugging upon it felt like hauling a mountain. He almost couldnt control his breathing and heartbeat as he clenched his teeth and pulled on the trigger little by little. At the other end of the scope, Nighteye was completely still and hidden, her crosshairs still upon Qianye. The wind had stopped, and all sounds had vanished. The slowly moving trigger was the only thing left to testify that this world was still alive. Amidst the unbearable suffocation, Qianye suddenly banged his head on the tree trunk, allowing the chipped bark to prick him. At this point, the trigger had returned to its original position, and his hand no longer possessed the strength to tug on it again. What seemed like ages passed in this manner before Qianye slowly raised his head, retreated down the back of that tree, and left. During the entire process, he didnt glance even once at the other side and thus had no idea whether she was still there. However, Nighteye was still there, and she was just as silent. Whether it was her person or her sniper rifle, there was not the slightest of movement. This also meant that she was still gazing at that place where Qianye had stayed. What she saw through the scope, however, was a mystery. Another good while passed by in this manner. Finally, Eden could no longer resist nudging at Nighteye. The latter seemed exceptionally sluggish and only turned back after Eden had pushed her a couple of times. Eden performed a gesture to move and whispered, There should be no more prey here, lets go to another area. ...Got it. Eden shot Nighteye a puzzled glancehe felt that there was something odd about Nighteye, but as for what exactly it was, he couldnt say. And trying to venture a guess from her eternally frozen countenance was beyond difficult. Qianyes figure appeared once again after they had left. He slowly ascended the treetop where Nighteye and Eden had been hiding in and proceeded to observe the interwoven branches underfoot. With both Nighteye and Eden being specialists in camouflage, how could there be any clues left behind? If Qianye had not seen Nighteye through his scope with absolute certainty, he would probably find it quite difficult to ascertain whether or not she had really been here. Moments later, Qianye left the treetop with a light sigh and vanished into the hazy mist. ... In this world suffused with the void colossus will, the experts of the two factions soon began encountering and killing one another. The battles on the surface around Giants Repose were still ongoing. The two factions initiated a second major battle after Song Zinings successful break-out. The long-silent Sky Demon suddenly sent seven avatars to rush toward the defensive lines of the two factions. An entire seven Sky Demon avatars! These avatars attacked indiscriminately. Not to mention those ordinary champions of the division level, even the leaders overseeing the war zone could hardly obstruct them. This development exceeded both factions expectations. The two sides immediately toned down their battles and even called a ceasefire in many areas. Later on, they saw Sky Demons avatars gather in one place and jump into Giant''s Repose. Now, the situation had become fairly complicated. Without a clear outcome from the battle between Sky Demon and the Queen of the Nights party, there was no way to judge the demons movements after the descent of its avatars. During the short exchange, both camps discovered that the descended avatars possessed at least the strength of a marquis. But no one could tell whether or not they could erupt with greater power or if they possessed any special abilities when attacking together. Sky Demon was a void lifeform with special attributes, and its avatars had naturally inherited its characteristics. Even a dark duke or an imperial divine champion might fall under the coordinated attacks of its seven avatars. Moreover, Sky Demon itself was a type of void colossus, and no one knew whether or not its avatars were subject to the suppression of the other colossus remnant will, or to what extent. At this moment, Sky Demon became the greatest enemy for both factions. As such, the two factions pulled back in mutual understanding and once again assumed their positions on each side of Giants Repose. For Evernight, every ancient essence fragment would help them produce a duke or a duke-level strategic weapon. Risking a present duke for a chance at producing another duke was certainly not worth it for them. On the empire side, the higher-ups all knew that this was a battle for their national fate. Although they werent clear as to their exact objective, they were quite certain that it wasnt the ancient essence fragments. Naturally, they wouldnt mobilize their divine champions to take this risk. As such, the thousand kilometers around Giants Repose reached a state of subtle balance. The frontline command center of Prince Green Sun, Zhang Boqian, was situated at the highest point of a stretching hill, the empires camps spreading out in many layers beneath his feet. Weapons and flags filled the ends of ones vision, and there was no lack of aristocratic private armies among them. The quality of their elite soldiers and gear were evenly matched with that of the imperial regular army, so much so that some of those famed clans might even be superior. This was also a reflection of the Great Qin Empires present power distribution. A champion of the Zhang clan led the way for Song Zining as they passed through several camps and headed for the big tent at the summit of the hill. Song Zinings step paused ever so slightly as they stepped through the tent doors. Zhang Muyi gave him an understanding pat on the shoulder and said, The enmity of the previous generation has nothing to do with you. Marshal Boqian isnt one to take it out on the younger generation. Zhang Muyis words were a clear reassurance. Song Zining turned to smile at him, but his gaze secretly swept over the eastern barracks in the process. In addition to Zhang Boqians lineal branch Ironclad Legion, the Thunderous Cavalry of the Imperial Guard was also present in this command center. Moreover, their numbers were actually no less than that of the Ironclad Legion and could be considered a full mobilization. In truth, any martial law enforcement unit accompanying a heavenly monarch could only serve to keep up appearances. What then was the Thunderous Cavalry doing here? Were they here to represent the imperial court, or were they here to protect someone? Zhang Muyi stopped in front of a certain door. It was fairly quiet here; not only were there no soldiers and officers moving about, but even the guards were absent. He pointed at the main camp up front formed by several tents linked together and said, Brother Zining should enter alone. Ill wait for you outside. Song Zining nodded and walked in. The decoration inside the large tent was fairly simple. To the left was a solid sand-table, on the right was a conference table for twenty people, and upon the wall was a large map. This was apparently a war room, but there was no one here at the moment. A certain feeling emerged in Song Zinings heart. He stepped through the door on the other end of the tent and reached a courtyard. There was an imposing figure standing below a tree. Song Zining glanced over and saw a deep void filled with lightning and the grandeur of the heaven and earth itself. He collected his thoughts and bowed. Song Zining of the Highland Song Clan greets His Excellency Prince Green Sun. Afterward, he heard Zhang Boqian speak in an indifferent tone, Go in. Someones waiting to meet you. Song Zining revealed an astonished expression. However, he didnt ask further and only walked through the door behind Zhang Boqian. His surprise grew even deeper after seeing the person inside. Marshal Xitang! There was a silver-haired man sitting beside the window, the legendary Lin Xitang who was supposedly bed-ridden at the imperial capital. He was clad in plain-colored clothes which contrasted with his pale, almost-translucent complexion. However, as his eternally calm eyes shifted over, it seemed as though that frailty was nothing but an illusion. In recent years, the Ningyuan group had risen rapidly through the Northern Legions suppliers list, especially in the business of firearm origin arrays. Moreover, the company had almost reached the legions core circle after joining the so-called Operation Divine Silence. But, whether it was coincidence or otherwise, this was the first time the owner, Song Zining, had met Lin Xitang. Chapter 510: The Distance Between Daybreak and Evernigh t [V6C40 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Lin Xitang beckoned Song Zining to sit down. After the two exchanged a couple of words, Lin Xitang asked, Is the Ningyuan Group your private industry? Yes, Song Zining replied. I heard your heavy machinery plants and a number of other estates around the Mercy County are in trouble. I can help you deal with them if you so wish. Song Zining didnt reply immediately. Instead, he pondered for a while before saying helplessly, The ancestral clan is, after all, where I was born. So, lets just consider those worldly possessions as payment for raising me. Both his tone and expression were rather relaxed. It would seem he hadnt taken the property confiscations to heart at all. It was as though he had never considered the possibility that Lin Xitangs words just now were a subtle promise. Had Song Zining taken this opportunity to break free from the Song clan, he would not only regain all of his personal estates, but he would also receive a share of resources fitting of his inheritor rank. Taking it one step further wasnt impossible, either. Song Zining then made his intentions clearer. A couple of friends and I have built a small base on Evernight Continent. It is rather insignificant compared to the major clans, but at least, theres no one to hold us back. Lin Xitang withdrew his gaze with a smile. Blackflow is indeed a land of miracles. Song Zining said calmly, The city lord, Qianye, and I both graduated from Yellow Springs. Five years as a classmate, and two as a partner. Two years, Lin Xitangs expression was stirred, thats truly rare. Martial Xitang, you probably know how perilous the test is without taking those partner points. Song Zinings expression turned warmer. I have already learned divination back then. Although my meager abilities werent enough to peer into heavens mysteries, it was quite easy to observe a persons heart. No thought could escape me even if that person doesnt put it into action. But Qianye never wavered, not even once, no matter how desperate the situation, or how easy the opportunity. Even I might not be able to be able to remain without a single thought. It was I who proposed that we split up after two years of being partners. Myriad life and the three thousand daos only await to be proven, and I didnt want a friends blood on my hand. Song Zining smiled lightly. Ive likely incurred your ridicule by showing such weakness as a Yellow Springs graduate. Lin Xitang listened in silence, then said, The Yellow Springs Camp follows the law of natural selection. Its the right outcome that you two were able to walk out of it alive. I heard Qianye is now working for the Zhao clan? Song Zining replied with a smile, That can also be considered fate. A mole house of the Ningyuan Group in charge of the Serene South County encountered some trouble. I was in a dangerous situation back then, so I could only ask Qianye to help me. After the delivery, he got into a conflict with some of the Zhao clan people, which, in turn, alerted the fourth young noble of the Zhao clan. But unexpectedly, the fourth young noble took an interest in him instead. Song Zining said with a laugh, This brat has always been quite lucky. Lin Xitang smiled faintly after listening to Song Zining. This mole house referred to the double-identity trade channel. Lin Xitang was even clearer than Song Zining regarding the rebel army affairs in Serene South. It was just that such an insignificant matter would only be in the form of a brief summary by the time it had reached him. Their conversation ended soon afterward. There was an undisguisable exhaustion on Lin Xitangs countenance by the time Song Zining excused himself. From this, one could see that the rumors of him suffering a divination backlash werent totally unfounded. Zhang Boqian was standing there when Song Zining returned to the courtyardeven his posture was unchanged. Zhang Boqian looked at Song Zining from head to toe as the latter went over to say farewell. You can also seek Muyi If you have any troubles in the future. This promise held great weight. Song Zining exhaled deeply after walking out of the main doors of the central camp and quickly realized his robe was entirely drenched in sweat. He didnt put up appearances after seeing Zhang Muyi and said with a wry smile, Marshal Zhang is indeed awe-inspiring. Zhang Muyi replied sympathetically, We still feel the pressure despite frequently receiving Marshal Boqians guidance. He then placed a hand on Song Zinings shoulder and said, Come, lets go for a drink! Its on me! Song Zining agreed with a laugh. His greatest profit this time was Zhang Boqians word. The Zhang clans expression of goodwill afforded him benefits from many aspects. As for the other matter, that was Qianyes battlefield, and no one could fight it for him. Lin Xitang wasnt resting when Zhang Boqian walked into the study. Instead, he had gotten up and was gazing out of the window. Zhang Boqian glanced at him and asked, You saw Song Zining but didnt manage to solve the problem? Lin Xitang laughed. Song Zinings words were all true, and his reactions were all genuine. Even the sentiments he revealed werent a pretense. But, I still didnt get all the answers, especially the most important part. Why dont you meet that Zhao Qianye directly? Lin Xitang shook his head. No need. Whether or not it really is him, theres no benefit in being related to me at this time. Zhang Boqian looked at the marshal for a moment. In truth, I also want to know who exactly it was that made you suffer such a setback and even forced you to endure it. Outsiders think its political, but you and I both know the matter with Red Scorpion had nothing to do with me. Ive been shouldering this blame for long enough. Im really not used to such injustice. Lin Xitang spoke slowly, That was my fault and no one elses. Lets leave all grudges and gratitude until the end of this war of national fate. At this moment, Qianye was still on his endless exploration journey through the forest covered in purple substance. A vampire viscount flew out and crashed into a tree trunk before collapsing onto the ground. He struggled to clamber up but froze in place immediately after turning overEast Peak was already upon his neck. Qianye looked intently at the viscount and asked word by word, Ill let you die swiftly if you tell me what I want to know. If you dont know or are unwilling to talk, then Ill cut out half of your blood core and toss it over there. The vampire revealed a struggling expression. He then said with a rueful smile, Since its death all the same, why shouldnt I retain some dignity? A damaged blood core was the most serious of injuries to a vampire. Having half of it cut out was a damage they would never recover from; it was certain death. However, their powerful vampire life force would allow them to continue living for a fairly long period and thus extending their torture. Qianye, with his keen senses, noticed the vampires desire to live. Its fine if you wish to survive. Ill stab your blood core and leave you to your fate. Just dont let our men see you. The vampires eyes lit up with hope, but his heart was wracked with hesitation. There was hope of survival even if the blood core was stabbed through. As long as he avoided battle and received a drop of origin blood, he could still recover from his injuries. This would lower his combat strength slightly, but nothing was more important than survival. He finally nodded and said, I hail from the Lakins clan, and my mission here is Qianye finished listening to his short introduction, then asked, What do you know about the princess of the Monroe clan? Who is with her? You mean Her Majesty Nighteye? I dont know much about her, but I heard some things lately Qianye finished listening to him and asked a couple more questions. Then, seeing that there was no more new content to be heard, Qianye touched the vampires chest lightly with the tip of East Peaks blade. The vampire viscount cried out loudly and fell limp to the ground with an expression of agony. Qianye indeed left without killing him, but even so, this viscount was bound to die. Although his injury could be healed with a single drop of origin blood, who would run into him in this accursed place and even give him a drop of origin blood? Seeing Qianye leave, the vampire clambered up with great difficulty and staggered toward the exterior. Although the road back was incomparably long, there was at least more hope there. Half a day later, East Peak tore through the air like a soaring serpent as it nailed a demonkin to a large tree. Qianye walked out from the mist and arrived before the victim. Answer my questions and I might let you go. Pah! You think a noble son of darkness will submit to you? The demonkin started spitting at Qianye. Qianye dodged by moving his head sideways, grabbed East Peak by the hilt, and yanked hard. This movement left the demonkin crying out in misery. But this wasnt the end yet. Qianye circulated his origin power and poured it into the blade along the crystal threads. The origin power of Venus Dawn clashed with the demonkins innate demonic qi, resulting in a series of soft explosions! The demonkins wretched cries immediately grew by an octave, quickly reaching a point where he was screaming his lungs out. He didnt even manage to hold out for a minute before passing out with his head hanging to one side. Qianyes daybreak origin power had undergone refinement by the Glory Chapter. It was pure and extremely close to Daybreak. After entering the demonkins body, it was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil. How could that demonkin endure? Qianye waited quietly for the demonkin to wake up and continued the same steps from above. The demonkin was no longer so stubborn after several repetitions and proceeded to answer Qianyes questions. Barring Her Majesty Nighteye, Count Eden is the next most proficient in camouflage. The count hails from the famed demonkin clan, Dark Abyss, and a genius whose fame shook the world a hundred years ago. Apart from camouflage, he also possesses the ability to corrode enemies. That is, after all, the Dark Abyss most proficient bloodline power. This demonkin spoke in great detail. Qianye had interrogated several batches of experts from the Evernight faction in recent days and finally confirmed that the Monroe Princess was Nighteye along with some other relevant information. However, core intelligence like the Holy Sons objectives, preparations, and movements were a mystery even to Nighteye. The others naturally didnt understand. But knowing this much was quite enough. Even if he knew more, what then? Qianye himself had already lost count of how many Monroe clan descendants he had killed. Perhaps there were Nighteyes friends and family among them. The distance between Evernight and Daybreak was an insurmountable chasm. Perhaps only a temporary neutral territory like that small trading town could afford them a fleeting intersection in their paths. Their next meeting might end with a bullet flying over from Nighteyes gun, or perhaps her terrifying eye ability would pierce his origin defenses to crush his heart and blood core. Qianye was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable loneliness. He pulled out East Peak and didnt even bother to deal the dying demonkin a finishing blow. In any case, death was only a matter of time for the latter after being scorched by Qianyes pure daybreak origin power. Not long after Qianye had left, the demonkin who was originally on his last breath suddenly became spirited. The vertical eye on his forehead opened up as an odd, black toad appeared therein. The toad opened its mouth and poured down a torrent of origin power upon his head. The demonkins aura immediately grew stronger, and a part of his injuries quickly recovered. He glanced toward Qianye with eyes full of hate, but there was also undisguisable terror mixed in. He didnt dare seek Qianye for revenge no matter how proud he wasall he could do was glare. The colossus remains were no longer something he could vie for, so he simply turned about and prepared to leave. The demonkin was immediately startled as he turned abouta young girl had appeared there at some point. Chapter 511: A Woman’s Honor [V6C41 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The girl was barefoot and wearing a tattered skirt with unhealed injuries on her legs and arms. She possessed exquisite facial features and a pair of vacant but ethereal eyes. She was just like a helpless little creature at a glance. But the demonkins intuitions were screaming! Moreover, this young girl wasnt even a champion yet. The little girl had a giant, sinister looking blade in her hand that was grossly disproportionate to her body, and was carrying a backpack half a head taller than her. There were all kinds of weapons stuffed within the bulging pack with many parts sticking out of itguns, blades, and even an axe. Merely seeing this bag of weapons made ones hair stand on end. The demonkin forcibly calmed himself down and asked, Who are you? As a noble son of darkness, his attitude at the moment could be considered quite good. Although the girl wasnt a champion, he had been beaten to half-death just now and only managed to move normally after utilizing a secret art. The girls voice was soft, gentle, and ephemeral, akin to music drifting over from afar. Im called Bai Kongzhao. I dare say you didnt want to hear this name. The demonkin was completely shaken. It was just as she had saidit was one of those names he was most unwilling to hear at the moment. Those who had left the deepest impression on the dark races during the bloody battle included the twin stars of the Empire, Qianye and Zhao Jundu, Song Zining, and then Bai Kongzhao. She was notorious for the savagery with which she had killed people despite being of a lower level. In the eyes of the dark race scions, this little girl was a demon through and through. The demonkin circulated his origin power in desperation and pounced at Bai Kongzhao. The demonkin had less than a third of his usual strength at this moment. The girl only sidestepped the attack as the giant blade in her hand flickered and slashed off a part of the demonkins calf! The demonkin cried out in misery as he fell to the ground, and the unhealed wound on his chest opened up once more. Bai Kongzhao dragged the blade, dripping with blood, as she approached the demonkin. I forgot to tell you that no matter what you do, you''ll eventually fulfill my wishes. Y-You, what are you doing? the demonkin cried out in alarm. He had already surrendered once to Qianye, so the second time was much easier for him. Bai Kongzhao stepped forward and stepped onto the demonkins wound as though it were an accident. The pain almost caused him to fall unconscious. She pulled back her foot after the demonkin had screamed for a good while, then said, I want your family''s secret cultivation art. Secret cultivation art? The girls demand came as a surprise. But, not to mention a human, even the other dark races couldnt utilize demonkin cultivation arts. Moreover, every clans art was closely related to its bloodline ability and family totemthey were inheritances passed down through the myriad years. The effects would be greatly reduced even if another demonkin clan was to cultivate it. For instance, a Masefield scion cultivating the Jeruson clans secret arts would not be able to produce the special effects of the bloodline totem. These secret arts were the key difference between famed demonkin families and commoners. However, they were less secretive about them due to the harsh restrictions involved. Even if these arts were leaked, without the appropriate bloodline, it would take the cultivator twice the effort to obtain half the results. As for others studying it for a method to counter them, that was even more of a joke. The demonkin believed themselves to be the sons of darknesstheir totemic powers stemmed from the laws of the world, and their powers were stratified by strength. How could the laws of the world be broken? Who could shatter the entire world? Bai Kongzhao was clearly a human, so what would she want with their cultivation art? However, that wasnt a problem the demonkin had to consider. What he needed to do was distance himself from the blade in the girls hands. Hence, he quickly revealed his clans cultivation arts. Bai Kongzhao asked him a couple of questions and then had him repeat the art once more. This went on several times until she had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the secret art. Then, Bai Kongzhao brought the blade slashing past him with a shake of her handthe demonkins head flew into the air immediately. You lied to me! a wretched demonkin head cried out those final words. Bai Kongzhao smiled innocently. Who told you to trust a woman? The head fell onto the purple substance with a dull thud. He wanted to say something, but nothing but air came from his throat. The blood that had sprayed onto the substance seemingly awakened a demonic creature. The surrounding substance became active and quickly extended over to envelope him. Twilights voice suddenly emerged as Bai Kongzhao was bending down to search the demonkins headless body. I agree with these words. Bai Kongzhaos body tensed up somewhat but quickly eased up again. She didnt stand up. Instead, she turned back to face Twilight in a crouched posture, like a dangerous beast that would go wild at any moment. The environment here was Twilights home ground. There was no way to tell if the mist lingering around her originated from her body or the surroundings. Twilight revealed a charming smile as she glanced at Bai Kongzhao. Actually, we have the same views and even the same enemies, so its somewhat of a pity to kill you. But Twilights words hadnt even ended when Bai Kongzhao shot a glance toward the formers back with a terrified expression. Twilight laughed coldly and had no intention to glance back at all. Please stop these childish tricks! Both of us can be considered geniuses, so do maintain a fitting level of dignity. But Bai Kongzhaos expression was still one of terror. It was as though she didnt hear Twilight at all, and neither did she take into consideration the fact that she might be attacked the moment she moved. In this manner, she leapt out all of a sudden and ran away like a little creature. Twilight would lose track of the girl completely if she allowed the latter to put a couple hundred kilometers between them. How could Twilight let Bai Kongzhao escape? While following and observing the latter under the Iron Curtain, she realized that in terms of pure assassination abilities, the danger posed by this girl wasnt too far off from Zhao Jundu. Twilight took a step forward and rushed out several dozen meters as she gave chase. However, a great sense of alarm emerged in her heart as she flitted past Bai Kongzhaos previous location. She immediately changed her direction and flashed away horizontally. The substance on the ground bulged up and spat out a pillar of flames so powerful that even Twilight was flung away. The impact sent her crashing into a large tree before bouncing back. Twilight staggered as she landed on the ground and almost failed to gain a steady footing. She was both shocked and furious as she glanced toward the area in question. The place had been scorched black, and even the widespread purple substance was no longer present around the deep, newly-formed pit. Judging from the explosive power, Bai Kongzhao seemed to have hidden seven or eight vampire origin grenades and ignited them at the same time. Even Twilights eyesight failed to see when Bai Kongzhao had hidden those grenades. She thought back in detail and realized that the girl mustve hidden them just as she approached the corpse and Twilight appeared. There was a blind spot in Twilights vision where it was obstructed by Bai Kongzhaos body, so she had failed to see the latters small movements. Twilight glanced at the surroundings, but how could she find Bai Kongzhao? The girl had long since vanished into the white mist. She stomped in hatred as she realized how she had underestimated this young girlshe was as venomous as a snake yet as agile as a fox. She was just about to give chase when a tyrannical wolf howl emerged from the front. As old rivals under the Iron Curtain, Twilight had a deep impression of Williams voice. She immediately realized that he was fighting with someone, and that the battle was extremely fierce. But they werent under the Iron Curtain at the moment, and Twilight had no wish to bump into him without the curtains restrictions. She had no choice but to halt her steps after calculating the location and direction. Consider yourself lucky! Ill let you off this time, but the one in front of you is William. Lets see if you can deal with that stupid dog. Even several Bai Kongzhaos added together wasnt a match for William in terms of combat strength. However, her deceiving appearance, her malicious heart, and instinctive combat style made her an extremely troublesome opponent. The one taking a loss might even be William if the two were to run into one another. Twilights imaginations were quickly filled with scenes of William being tricked repeatedly. She couldnt help but want to go after them, but in the end, she still halted her steps with a wry smile. William was a principled werewolf, and his excessive persistence sometimes made him look stupid. But the most terrible part was that his principles happened to include a certain clause, and that was to not listen to anything Twilight had to say. He would only decide whether or not to fight her depending on his mood. Normally, he would fight her when he was in a sour mood to let off steam. He would also fight her when he was in a good mood just to celebrate. Twilight had always wanted to talk to William and perhaps change this terrible situation. In truth, the Monroe clan had always been moderate in their external policies. This was especially true in recent years with all the trouble from both within and outside the clanthey had no wish to go to war with a power like the Summit of Peaks without any profit involved. But even Twilight herself had no idea wherein lay the problem. Whenever she tried to initiate a conversation, things would always end with a fight. Moreover, it so happened that Williams combat strength was inversely proportional to his brains, and it would never end well for Twilight in a confrontation. After suffering several times, Twilight changed her strategy and made William go around in circles with her schemes. There was one time when she almost pushed him into dire straits, but William erupted with unexpected strength and passed through the ordeal unharmed. From then on, William would almost always attack Twilight on sight. Last time, he tricked Twilight under the Iron Curtain without the slightest bit of hesitation, causing her to waste a life-saving trump card. Some vampires had said before that William was not stupid at all; he was merely too lazy to think. They claimed that it would be a terrifying matter once a serious enmity had been developed. Twilight had naturally heard such words, but she instinctively refused to accept that a werewolf could be intelligent. At present, however, Twilight wasnt willing to run into William. Sometimes, a stubborn yet extremely powerful fellow like William truly made one feel helpless. Twilight gazed deeply in the direction of the howl before turning to leave. She hadnt gone very far when a blue light flashed past the corner of her eyes. She immediately glanced back in alarm, only to find that the blue light was coming through from a thousand meters away. Twilight was shocked out of her wits! That blue glow was a peerlessly sharp sword radiance. However, the current environment was filled with hazy mist. Just how powerful was this brilliance to have extended over a thousand meters? Twilights expression shifted rapidly. She realized the moment she saw this sword radiance that she wouldnt be able to block it at all. If it were to strike her head-on, she would be gravely injured if not killed outright. This sword radiance was emitting unmistakeable daybreak origin power fluctuations. Apparently, a certain human expert had arrived, and Twilight was certainly not willing to run into him, either. She immediately switched to another direction and moved away rapidly. A thousand meters away, where the sword light had originated, an arachne count was staggering backward while covering the wound on his left shoulder. His countenance was suffused with alarm, anger, and deep apprehension. He hadnt even managed to assume arachne-form when he suffered a sword strike that took off his entire left arm and shaved off half his shoulder. His injuries were grave to say the least. Li Kuanglan walked out with gradual steps from the opposite side, his charming gaze fixed upon the arachne. He wore a spurious smile, but the sharp sword intent in his eyes was even more vigorous than the blade in his hands. The edges of that aqua-blue sword were almost translucent like crystal. Chapter 512: Aboriginals [V6C42 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The arachne count glanced at Li Kuanglan and then at the sword in his hand, unable to decide which one of them was more terrifying. He used whatever remained of his darkness origin power to force out his arachne form, then asked in a husky voice, Y-You, just who are you? You only need to remember me as Kuanglan. The arachne count thought hard but couldnt recall which godly person he was. Young Noble Kuanglan? Ive never heard of the empire producing such a top character. Kuanglan smiled faintly, almost illuminating the mountainous woods with his radiance. He rubbed the blade in his hands as he said, Simple, all those who know my name are already dead. Just like you will soon be. These words were still lingering in his ears when the arachne count saw a dazzling blue light flash out from Kuanglans blade, whereafter he lost all senses as a head flew high up into the sky. The sturdy arachnid body and powerful defenses were akin to thin sheets of paper before this crystalline blade. At the last moment of his life, he seemed to hear Young Noble Kuanglan say, Cutting down a count-level expert is not a dishonor to my Cold Moons Embrace, albeit barely. Li Kuanglan didnt even spare a glance at the things the count had left behind, apparently too lazy to even pick them up. He sheathed the sword and glanced in the direction of the wolf howl with battle intent raging in his eyes. Now this is interesting! He walked away in seemingly unhurried strides but vanished into the white mist in the blink of an eye. Heroes and formidable characters from all walks of life were converging toward the center of the forest. The clashes between one another also became more prevalent. Qianye didnt rush into the forest center. He simply roamed the periphery for several days and observed the experts from the two camps. He didnt hunt down the dark races deliberately during this period. Instead, he turned his blade on the beast hordes and killed two entire packs within a short time. These native beasts possessed abnormally abundant essence blood, and with this replenishment, Qianye finally managed to light up the second feather on the Wings of Inception. There was currently a feather on each wing, and both of them seemed more spirited than before, appearing more vivid and no longer illusory. Although Qianye could only fire a single Shot of Inception with his current origin power capacity, a day of recuperation would allow him to attack again. This increased his chances of survival when faced with unexpectedly powerful enemies. Qianye walked toward the center of the forest after sufficient preparation. The woods at this moment were deathly still, and only the continuous sound of squirming purple substance could be heard. Qianye walked passed one tree after another rather uneventfully. Assumably, all those experts who could sense Qianye had already entered the central region. But several hundred meters away, Nighteyes scope followed Qianye silently until his figure had left her vision. She put away her sniper rifle and said to Eden, Nothing here, lets go. Eden nodded. The time is just about right. We should also be entering the central region now. Nighteye packed up her equipment and followed Eden away. Some distance away, just beyond the duos vision, Qianye was leaning against a tree with his head slightly raised, seemingly deep in thought. However, his gaze was directed toward the direction in which Nighteye had left. He heaved a lonely sigh after Nighteyes departure and continued into the depths of the central forest. The experts from all sides considered the void colossus remains as the final battlefield. The colossus remnant will was the strongest here, and the restrictions suffered were also the most evident. And the greater the suppression, the larger the disparity between genius and mediocritythe level gap, on the contrary, wasnt so important here. Thus, in the eyes of these proud experts, this was the one true place to test their genius qualities. Those with inferior strength didnt even have the right to enter this place. Fighting in a place like this was akin to dancing on a blades edge. A single misstep and one would either fall in battle or become overwhelmed by the void colossus willall origin power in the body would ignite, and the person would turn into a pile of ashes. Qianye walked for an entire day before he finally passed through the forest and arrived at the central region wherein lay the colossus skeleton. Qianye was stunned the moment he stepped out of the forest. Appearing before him was a majestic mountain range extending far beyond his vision, stretching unto god knows where. He had prepared himself mentally along this endless journey, but after arriving and basking in the full view of the colossal skeleton, he realized that there were no words to adequately describe his astonishment. Qianyes perceptions recovered immediately after walking out of the forest. The sudden expansion of his vision actually made him a bit uncomfortable, and it took quite some effort to readjust. The stretching mountain range filled his vision entirely, making it feel as though he were standing atop a landmass with nothing but mountains. In truth, however, that was only a segment of the void colossus spine. The mountain was lined with caves of all sizes which seemed to be interconnected from all sides to form a maze-like layout. Qianye saw some figure flashing past the caves, and it was clear that some of them were the ashen-skinned midgets he had seen in the forest. These little fellows were petite but exceptionally dangerous. Their poisoned spears alone formed a sufficient source of distress. Meanwhile, there were other creatures locked in battle with the midgets, and some were even hunting the little men down. At this point, the void colossus lost ancient essence appeared once again, and that innate feeling of beckoning was even stronger than before. With his extraordinary visual range restored, Qianye glanced into the distance and found several groups of people within his sights. Each of these groups belonged to opposing factions, but now, they were in a peculiar state of balance and harmony. Apparently, it had been some time since their arrival because a number of them had even set up camp. Qianye pondered along the way as he walked over toward the imperial experts. The group, which consisted of rank twelve to thirteen experts, seemed rather delighted upon seeing Qianye. In this strange, dangerous landand with the dark race experts eyeing them from nearbyevery addition to their numbers was a source of strength. There were four people in the camp, two leading champions of the Kong clan and two more from minor aristocratic families. The older of the Kong clans champions revealed an astonished expression as he saw the Swallow Cloud Cavalry insignia on Qianyes uniform and sized up the heavy sword on his back. Young Noble Qianye of the Zhao clan? After seeing Qianye nod, the champions were all delighted, and their expressions grew even friendlier. Here, a character like Qianye would be able to display combat strength far above his level. There had been some friction between the Kong and Zhao clans under the Iron Curtain, but in this terrifying land, it was naturally more important to work together against the surrounding enemies. From them, Qianye learned more about the situation of the arriving imperial experts. He later asked, Why have you all stopped here? Why arent you going in? The Kong family champion smiled wryly. You too mustve sensed that the ancient essence fragment is just within. Do you see those caves? The entire mountain is an eroded cave, and its simply a natural maze inside. On top of the inconvenient terrain, those odd aboriginals living in them are quite powerful, and their numbers are endless. We attempted to explore the caves the very day that we arrived here. In the end, we were surrounded by all kinds of beasts and savages before we had gotten very far. We killed countless enemies after an entire day and night of fighting, but it felt as though their numbers had never decreased! At last, we had no choice but to charge outside with all our might and managed to escape with our lives. However, two of our companions never made it out. Qianye trembled as he shot a glance at the cave. The Kong family expert wasnt weak at all, yet even they were pushed into such a corner and lost two men. From this, it was obvious just how dangerous the mountain was. Another person spoke, We occasionally see beast hordes and midget tribes entering the mountain in groups, and it doesnt seem like they normally live here. Were they attracted by the ancient essence? Everyone already had some suspicions regarding this, but all expressions grew unsightly now that it had been mentioned. If this guess were true, they would need to kill an endless number of aboriginals in order to seize the ancient essence. Additionally, the experts from the Evernight faction werent just for show. The situation was even worse than Qianye had expected. The Kong family champion laughed wryly and said, Those setting camp outside have more or less suffered some losses in the mountain, and the newcomers were warned not to rush in. The two sides here are in a deadlock as they wait for more people to catch up from behind. Entering in greater numbers, regardless of the faction, would serve to lessen the pressure from those aboriginals. Qianye nodded. This was indeed a good idea. Afterward, Qianye stayed temporarily in the four-man camp. He covered himself in a tactical cape and sat down at a certain corner of the camp, resting and waiting in silence. During this period of one day and night, Qianye sensed several wisps of consciousness belonging to experts from both factions. However, they quickly moved along when he retracted his aura and didnt respond to the probe. Apparently, they were merely checking the situation and bore no hostilityat least for the moment. In the face of the pressure from the aboriginals, the hostilities between the two factions came to a tacit pause. The time to kill each other would arrive only after seeing the ancient essence fragment. Two days passed by in this manner, and the two camps had each gathered a sizeable force. In the distance, an arachne marquis from the Evernight faction rose first and marched toward that mountain range formed of the colossus bones. He was like the first domino piece. A chain reaction broke out in a flash as the experts from both factions stood up in quick succession and began making for the mountain range at their own pace. Qianye suppressed a certain feeling of agitation. He had encountered a number of Zhao clan soldiers during this period, but apart from the two champions, the remaining fighters had no way to linger around this mountain range no matter how strong they were. They could only wait outside for follow-up information. However, these people hadnt seen Zhao Jundu, either. Qianye took a deep breath, cleared away the distractions in his mind, and adjusted his body to its optimal state. He then stood upstill wrapped in his tactical cloakand headed toward the mountain range at a steady pace, neither in the lead nor dropping behind. There, he chose a random, silent-looking cave and walked into the mountain. The entire mountain was aboil as countless battles erupted. With so many experts attacking at the same time, the pressure from the aboriginals had indeed lessened quite a bit. There were only a couple of hairless dog-like creatures in the cave Qianye had picked and two more at the end of the curved tunnel. Those ashen-skinned dogs were about to leave at first but turned back barking upon Qianyes arrival. Chapter 513: Chance Encounter [V6C43 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Several grey dogs rushed over, but Qianye didnt take this level of attack seriously at all. A swing of his East Peak was all it took to send them crashing into the cave wall. The entire tunnel shook slightly as the ashen canines fell down one by one, never to rise again. Qianye frowned briefly. The sword strike just now had been controlled with extreme precisionhe had intended to incapacitate the entire pack with one move, but he hadnt expected that nearly half of the origin power on his blade would be absorbed by the dogs ugly, wrinkly skin. This weakened the force of his attack by a fair bit, and he only managed to kill a single grey dog, while the others were only injured. Qianye switched to a different method. He launched a series of stabs, and this time, he retained the origin power within the blade to boost its sharpness. The attack this time was indeed more effective. The dogs fell one after the other, but a small amount of origin power was still absorbed. Qianye checked the corpses briefly and confirmed that their weird, wrinkly grey skin possessed the ability to absorb origin power. This was detrimental to those experts who habitually utilized origin power to strengthen their attacks. No wonder William had transformed into his combat form while dealing with those midgets. He was using his sharp claws and pure speed to kill those aboriginals because attacks and weapons that relied on origin power werent very effective. A group of midgets charged out as Qianye passed a segment of the cave. He quickly drew the Bloody Datura and fired immediately. Qianye had used a shrapnel round for this shot because there was simply no room for evasion in this narrow tunnel. Most of the midgets fell within the blast radius, but the shot only managed to kill two of them. The rest struggled for a moment before clambering up one after another. Qianye quietly switched to the Mystic Spider Lily and fired once again. This time, the shot was supplemented by an illusory effect of the greatest magnitude. The effects seemed better this time around as several midgets fell into confusion, pain, or madness. However, they recovered soon afterward. It would seem that the effect of origin guns was fairly limited against these aboriginals. The main issue was that a fair portion of the explosive force had been absorbed by their odd skin. The best way to deal with them was to use sharp or piercing melee weapons that were not too reliant on origin power. Qianye drew out his East Peak, and then swung it once more while circulating his oceanic force. The effects of this strike were both good and badthe midgets were highly resistant to the oceanic power, but were helpless against East Peaks weight and sharpness. Qianye was able to swat several of them to death with its weight alone. A group made up of a dozen or so midgets was swatted to death in three strikes, thus gaining him an effective countermeasure. He went deeper in and arrived at a naturally formed hall after a thousand or so meters. This cave, a hundred meters in radius and several meters in height, was quite grand with its hanging stalactites. Water from an unknown source flowed down along its length and pattered down to the floor. There were numerous stalagmites extending upward from the ground with little ponds of all sizes between them. There was a dark underground stream emerging from the center of the cave and winding toward the other end. This place was simply a natural habitat for those aboriginals. The moment Qianye stepped into the hall, he noticed at least a dozen figures flit past to hide in the various corners and shadows. They werent afraid at all and were only waiting for the correct opportunity to attack. Qianye hadnt seen a single docile creature since his arrival in this strange worldeven the herbivorous blade-horned horses were extremely ferocious. Qianye activated his Bloodline Concealment, retracted his aura, and advanced with the aid of the shadows. Qianye had already discovered during the past encounters that most of the aboriginals here relied on their perception of origin power in order to sense their surroundings. Hence, the creatures lost their target once Qianye activated his Bloodline Concealment. They were stunned for a moment before some of them soon walked out and began searching for traces of the invader. But these predators soon turned into prey as a massive crocodile-like creature rushed out from one of the holes in the ground. It bit one of the aboriginal creatures into two, then proceeded to gobble it up. The cave-hall was thrown into disarray at the crocodiles appearance, and the aboriginal creatures started fleeing in all directions. Qianye was moved after seeing this rank-twelve wild beast and almost couldnt resist taking action. These native creatures possessed exceptionally dense essence blood. This big fellow was likely comparable to three or four third-rank counts, an amount sufficient to upgrade Qianyes blood core. He might even become a second-rank viscount after killing this beast! But Qianye still held back because the beasts in this accursed world were clearly stronger than experts from outside. Moreover, Qianye couldnt concentrate on fighting this underground crocodile with so many Evernight experts around. The crocodile devoured several other creatures at lightning speed before crawling back into its burrow, apparently satisfied. Qianye couldnt help but feel a chill as he glanced at the bottomless hole. More importantly, there was more than just one such hole in this hall. Qianye circled around the holes with great caution, doing his best to prevent the other wild beasts from discovering him as he made his way to the other side of the hall. He discovered a powerful origin power fluctuation in front of him at this moment, whereupon he halted his steps and hid inside a rocky crevice. Most wild beasts in this world sought their prey by identifying origin power. Now that this newcomer was utilizing a substantial amount of origin power in combat, he would soon be attacked on all sides. One part of the cave wall was blasted open with a loud boom as two dark race viscounts rushed into the hall. Both the werewolf and arachne were in their combat forms and seemed to be in a fairly miserable situation. They had probably blasted the wall open with an origin grenade because the arachnes large body was badly suited for movement through narrow tunnels. Now, however, these two viscounts were like the sun amidst the darkness. Their incomparably dazzling presence quickly attracted the attention of all the fierce beasts in the hall. After stabilizing their footing, the duo suddenly realized that before them was a dense horde of various creatures. There were at least a dozen species in this thousand-strong beast horde. After realizing their situation, even the ferocious werewolf couldnt help but edge back with a terrified expression. Soon afterward, their pursuers arrived through the tunnel behind them. Hundreds of grey-skinned midgets poured into the hall like water from an opened sluice. They charged at the werewolf and arachne, letting out sharp, chaotic cries and waving the primitive yet lethal weapons in their hands. It would seem that the two had run out of luck. Certain death awaited them, and Qianye had no intention of sharing their burden. As such, he retracted his aura and slowly made his way out from his hiding place. He moved slowly along the outer rim in an attempt to circle around toward the other end of the hall and push further in. The deadlock lasted less than a minute before a fierce battle broke out. As expected of Evernight elites, the arachne and werewolf possessed great fighting power. They erupted with their full power in the desperate situation, bringing out the full extent of their bloodline talents. Swathes of beasts and grey men fell under their blade. However, there were simply too many beasts of all shapes and sizes. Moreover, the grey-skinned midgets kept swarming in through the broken wall regardless of how many were killed. Arachne and werewolf would surely come to exhaustion at one point no matter how fierce they were. At that time, they would be torn to shreds. The great hall fell into chaos amidst the screams of the midgets, the howls of the wild beasts, and the war cries of the arachne and werewolf. There were also mournful wails and miserable screams mixed in from time to time. It was utterly clamorous. This was rather advantageous for Qianye who was looking to extricate himself from this mess. He hastened his steps as he moved along the cave wall. As he advanced, Qianye suddenly caught an origin power fluctuation behind an ordinary looking wall! This fluctuation was extremely weak, and he might not have caught it if he hadnt been maintaining his True Sight. Moreover, at less than two meters from him, the fluctuation was simply too close! Without a second thought, Qianye brought East Peak up with both hands and thrust toward the source of the fluctuation. The strike was performed in a hurry, but Qianyes attainments with the basic sword techniques had almost reached perfection. As he assumed a stance akin to wind and thunder, all the silver patterns lit up upon the blade and several illusory golden lines erupted with a faint glow. The cave wall was like tofu against East Peak which pierced through it in one strike. Qianye felt that he had stabbed something, but the gushing origin power suddenly vanished like a stone falling into the ocean. Soon afterward, he heard a soft gasp of astonishment. The cave wall shattered under the raging origin power and crumbled into countless stony fragments, revealing the path behind it. A blue-robed Li Kuanglan stood there holding the tip of East Peak with one hand while gazing at Qianye in astonishment. Oh crap, Ive accidentally stabbed a human. Qianyes eyes were wide as he, too, stood in a daze. The other partys origin power was incomparably cryptic even under True Sight, and Qianye had failed to identify it in his rush just now. He was now able to see clearly that it belonged to daybreak which meant that the blue-robed young man was likely an expert from the empires side. Being able to catch East Peak in one hand proved that he wasnt a mediocre person at all. There was a thin layer of frost on his hand which isolated it from the blades edge, but the small trick aside, there was no doubt that he was extremely powerful. The atmosphere was fairly subtle as the two locked eyes for a split second. Just as Li Kuanglan was about to raise his aura, Qianye drew East Peak from Li Kuanglans grasp with a flick of his hand. The timing of this retraction was extremely clever, and just as Li Kuanglan was starting to increase his power, the blade broke away from his grasp in one movement. My apologies, it was unintentional. Qianye offered a brief apology, tossed a bottle of medicine to the man, and left in due haste. In such a chaotic situation, the threat posed by humans was no less than that of the dark races. Qianye understood this very well after experiencing the bloody battle under the Iron Curtain. Qianye had no wish to seek the company of an unidentified powerful expert like Li Kuanglan. Li Kuanglan caught the medicine reflexively and only looked down at his hand after Qianye had left. A faint red line had appeared on his white, jade-like hand. That strike from East Peak had managed to injure his hand after all. A Zhao clan member? Interesting! Li Kuanglan glanced at the champion-grade recovery medicine and chuckled. Chapter 514: Injury [V6C44 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] At this moment, the arachne in the hall was at the end of his strength. He had just stopped moving when countless midgets swarmed over him like a grey tide. The arachne viscounts massive body was torn and devoured instantly, leaving only some sinister looking white bones. Some of the wild beasts were still unsatisfied and turned to the arachnes skeleton with their shocking biting power. The arachnes bony frame, that was even harder than steel, was bitten off piece by piece and devoured. The werewolf was still fighting, but his once blazing darkness origin power had grown fairly dimhe probably wasnt going to last very long, either. There wasnt a noticeable reduction in the number of wild beasts and aboriginal midgets. Some of the wild beasts that didnt make it inside started turning their attention toward the other passages. They were especially restless after failing to share the last prey. They soon discovered Li Kuanglan and surged toward him like a roaring grey tide. Courting death! Li Kuanglans eyes revealed killing intent, but the cold smile on his lips never faded away. The Cold Moons Embrace in his hands flickered into sight then quickly vanished. A wave of frost rushed out amidst a flash of blue radiance and enveloped a small part of the cave-hall. The wolves charging at the very front were covered in a thin layer of frost and petrified mid-leap. Their bodies flew almost ten meters through the air before falling to the ground in the same posture as when they had touched the frost qi of the Cold Moons Embrace. Several grey wolves crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces. And it wasnt just themthe beast tide behind them was also frozen in the same manner. The numerous beasts slid forward under the inertia and shattered as they crashed into one another. Within that split second, everything touched by the frost qi of Cold Moons Embraceexcept some of the largest beastswas completely frozen through. Their bodies became incomparably brittle and shattered upon touch. Even those several meter long ferocious beasts with a lions head and six legs slowed down to a crawl and finally succumbed to the frost qi, turning into an unmoving ice sculpture. Half of the fierce beasts wreaking havoc in the hall had been eliminated by Li Kuanglan. However, he was apparently unsatisfied as he broke into a serious frown. His original intention was to wipe out all life in the hall, but the aboriginals and beasts possessed exceptional resistance. The might of his sword strike was much lower than he had expected. He discovered that his origin power in frost-qi form had deteriorated over ten times quicker than usual after leaving the blade. It was as though the suppression of the void colossus remnant will even affected the might of combat arts. Li Kuanglans eyebrows rose. Cold Moons Embrace shot out once again to end all life in the hall, including the dying werewolf viscount. Everything was indiscriminately turned to ice. He glanced around at the countless passages in and around the hall before leaving in Qianyes direction. However, his pursuit was destined to be unfruitful because Qianye had long since made several turns within the maze and progressed into its depths. With the latters ability to restrain his aura and conceal his tracks, even old veterans familiar with mountainous terrains wouldnt be able to find him, let alone Li Kuanglan. Qianye was running quickly along a narrow but mildly sloped passage when his ears moved ever so slightly. He immediately withdrew his aura and entered a small cave only large enough for himself. After a span of several breaths, the tunnel along which he had been walking became suffused with the stench of blood as a group of giant lizard-like beasts with thick scales rushed past. Their heavy footsteps caused even the mountainous ground to trembleone could imagine just how powerful a collision with them would be. Such armored lizards were only rank-eight or nine on their own, but they were apparently unaffected by the void colossus suppression. They were like siege tanks in large packs, their strength greatly magnified within these narrow tunnels. This pack of armored lizards was almost a hundred strong, and it took quite a while for them to run past. Qianye waited for a while before climbing out of the small cave and walking back toward where these lizards had appeared. It was a byway which he had passed on his way forward. After taking a turn, he came to a fork in the road, then another, and another. Qianye simply picked one at random without much hesitation and arrived moments later at a rather small cave-hall. Qianye had just stepped into it when he sensed a sinister gaze fall upon himselfit felt as though there was water flowing past his body, but that was merely an illusion. In truth, most of his concealment and withdrawn aura had been removed at a single glance. No greater than a hundred meters away, Edens vertical eye was shooting out a faint green light as it locked onto Qianye. Beside him, Nighteye turned the dark muzzle of her sniper rifle toward him. An ambush! Qianyes first reaction was to move away from his original position and roll toward the side. In his True Sight, there were two indistinct masses of darkness origin power within the hazy gloom of the hall. One of them was extremely familiar, and despite the shapelessness of the origin power masses, Qianye could outline her silhouette in his heart countless times over. As he stood in an unprecedented daze, Qianye heard Eden roar, Fire! Nighteye was seemingly shocked. Her entire body trembled slightly as the sniper rifle rumbled. The origin bullet flew out amidst a hazy glow of blood and tore through the short distance toward Qianyes forehead. The latter felt his brain go blank for a moment, but his well-honed combat instincts kicked in as the threat of death arrived close at hand and his body did its utmost to assume an evasive stance. The blast echoed through the cave. Qianye flew backward uncontrollably as though he had been struck by a giant hammer and crashed into the cave wall. His head was spinning, and his shattered consciousness could barely gather itself immediately. All he could see in his eyes were fragments of mottled colors amidst the distorted world. The hand of death was reaching for him. Qianye suddenly woke up on the verge of life and death. All illusions vanished, leaving only a single shadow rushing toward him with great speed and killing intent. Qianye leapt up and dived into the nearest cave, tossing two origin grenades behind him as he left. Eden had already rushed to the cave entrance at this point, and he couldnt help but sneer upon seeing the grenades. He swept out his legs in a bid to kick the explosives back to whence they had come. Such a trick would only impede weak soldiersusing it against someone with the Unshrouding Eye was a grave mistake. However, Qianye turned back to glare at Eden at this point, and the latter saw his own silhouette reflected within those deep blue eyes! All of a sudden, his origin furnace spasmed as though it had been pierced by an invisible needle. The pain thereinan agony unbearable for a demonkincaused his entire body to tremble. His feet barely managed to hit one of the grenades, kicking it a couple of meters away, while the other one fell right under his feet. He was standing at the dead center of an origin grenade explosion! Eden roared in fury as he curled himself into a bundle and did his utmost to protect himself with darkness origin power. Two deafening blasts rang out in quick succession. The grenades power was magnified several times within the small space of the tunnel. The daybreak origin power shockwaves, flames, and shrapnels washed over Eden, pushing him several dozen meters back and toward the wall. Edens curled up body suddenly stretched out just as he was about to hit the wall. His feet tapped lightly upon the cave wall and landed nimbly on the ground, his movements natural and relaxed. Apparently, the close explosion of two origin grenades didnt inflict any major injuries upon him. It was just that his origin defenses couldnt block out the smoke, and Edens face was covered in stony fragments with alternating areas of white and black. A large hole had also appeared on his combat robes, revealing the black armor within. A corner of Eden''s armor on the back had been torn as a shrapnel cut through and nailed itself in his body. Eden let out a cold snort, and his entire body became suffused with demonic qi which rapidly eroded the shrapnel. To the demonkin, this demonic qi that was capable of eroding even metal possessed miraculous healing properties. The flesh around the small wound grew back at great speed, and soon, it had healed completely without even leaving a scar. However, Edens countenance was somewhat pale, and his aura had grown a bit weaker. It would seem that utilizing his demonic qi for healing in this restricted world posed quite a burden on him. Edens face was full of anger after being reduced to such an embarrassing state by two grenades. Daybreak origin grenades had always been inferior to vampire grenades of the same grade. In that persons hands, however, both the landing point and timing were spot on, allowing it to exhibit its greatest power. That tunnel had already collapsed. It wasnt much of a problem for Eden to clear the stones away, but that person had reacted with such speed even against an enemy ambush. It was more than likely that he had already run off. Eden abandoned the useless endeavor and, instead, turned to Nighteye with a sigh, You were somewhat slow to fire just now. Nighteye was expressionless as she lowered the sniper rifle and began loading it slowly. Only afterward did she look up at Eden with her deep, bottomless eyes. Eden gleaned nothing from those bottomless abysses, but her slow movements made one feel that something was indeed amiss. Whats wrong with you? Nighteye took aim once more, and by the time the gun was lowered, she had already recovered her usual demeanor. I was thinking about something just now. Thinking about something in battle? But as clever as he was, Eden did not continue pressing the matter. If Nighteye didnt want to elaborate, there would really be no outcome even if he were to force the issue. Eden glanced in the direction where Qianye had escaped and said regretfully, Hes an extremely powerful imperial expert, a pity that he got away. But Im guessing he wont have long to live after taking that kind of bullet. Lets go, we cant stay here any longer. We should keep moving inward. Nighteye followed Eden in silence. She had always been one of few words and Eden really didnt mind that. He kept his Unshrouding Eye open at all times since it possessed the ability to eliminate concealment. It was especially useful in this kind of complex geography where enemies might be hiding in every corner. Qianye ran swiftly along the passage and arrived at a down-sloping cave a thousand meters away. The cave was directed downward with no wild beasts moving in or out of it. After finding a small natural stone-room here, Qianye quickly made some arrangements at the entrance before moving himself inside. There, he sat down heaving with his back against the wall. Qianye swallowed two pills in succession and sat for a while to recover his stamina. Afterward, he tore open his collar and opened up the armor underneath. The battle robes issued to core descendants of the Zhao clan were made up of threaded essence gold, but the blow from just now had punched a sinister hole in the chest armor that was capable of withstanding a blast from a grade-five weapon. Nighteyes sniper rifle wasnt just grade-six; it also contained special effects like armor-piercing and penetration, so its might was exceptionally great at a 100-meter distance. Not only did it shoot through Qianyes battle robes, but it also tore open his origin defenses with relative ease. Chapter 515: Pain [V6C45 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Presently, the right side of Qianyes entire body was so numb that he couldnt feel its presence at all. In terms of a gunshot wound, this situation could be considered very bad because it signified the presence of an added effect. He pried open his chest guard with great effort and looked down at the bullet hole in his right shoulder area. He simply couldnt see the bullet anymore because the wound had swollen up significantly and closed up the opening. Moreover, the flesh around his injury had turned dark and the skin, almost translucent. Seemingly sentient strands of black energy could be seen moving about underneath. It was a ghastly sight to behold. Qianye couldnt help but laugh wryly after seeing the state of his injury. That was a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, one of the most powerful weapons the dark races had against the experts of the empire. This bullet was one of the foremost causes of death among imperial champion-level experts. In a battle below the level of marquis, few experts would possess guns above grade-seven, the exception being those with innate talents in firearms. The Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation was the ultimate weapon at this levelits destructive potential against people of the Daybreak Faction was even slightly greater than the effects of the empires Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang. It was roughly equal to the Song clans special ammunition. Without immediate treatment, champions rank-twelve and below would either die or have their combat strength affected for life. The victims were almost sure to be crippled because it was a major injury that would burn off the origin vortex. The moment she saw him, the sniper rifles crosshairs were placed right over his forehead. Qianye sat leaning on the cave wall without rushing to clean his wounds. He looked up at the ceiling of the cave, plucked out a little fluorescent grass from between the crevice, and began chewing on its stem. It was pungent, tart, and slightly numbing. Apparently, even the vegetation in this odd cavern was poisonous, and it wasnt mild, either. However, Qianye just kept on chewing with his eyes on the ceiling. In truth, he wasnt thinking about anything. Or rather, he didnt dare to think, too afraid to put any notions in his empty mind. But even without thinking, he could still feel the agony from the bottom of his heart. He wasnt willing to think about it, but the scene kept flashing past his eyes repeatedly. He was discovered by the strange ability of the demonkins third eye, and immediately afterward, the latter yelled, fire before rushing straight at him. The sniper rifle in Nighteyes hands rumbled at almost the same time. Origin bullets were extremely difficult to evade at this distance, and more importantly, Qianye was in a daze at that time. It was his combat instincts that had saved him yet again. It could even be considered miraculous that he managed to evade his vitals. But what of it? It was a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, so it was a lethal blow wherever the bullet landed. This shot had pierced through his defenses and also his heart. That night at the small trading town felt just like yesterday. He could still remember how that old arachne behind the counter had been smiling spuriously, egging him on in secret. He recalled her flaming passion and the warmth that could scorch everything! Was everything just a dream? No, it wasnt. It was, in fact, the truth, but one that had already passed. It was like an ephemeral illusion which had vanished under the rising sun. At this moment, the bullet in his chest erupted with a burning sensation. It was like a beast awakened from deep slumber, reminding Qianye with its roar that the world in his senses was incomparably real. Qianye finally shifted his attention to the wound on his chest and inspected his body. As expected, his daybreak origin power was standing off tenaciously against the black titanium, but its radiance had grown as dim as the twilight. Meanwhile, the Wings of Inception were beating restlessly. With every flap, it sent out a gold-suffused mass of blood energy which traversed the daybreak tide with great difficulty. The blood energy entering the near-lifeless body was like a small blade of grass poking out amidst a barren land. The seemingly minuscule effort served to revive a sense of pain in his numbed body. Qianye drew his dagger and cut open the putrid flesh around his wound. He performed another horizontal slash and pushed the tip of the dagger deeper, whereupon it came into contact with the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. Qianye twisted his wrist and dug out the bullet along with the surrounding bone, flesh, and blood. The ruthlessness of his actions made it seem like the body wasnt even his own. He couldnt help but sigh lightly at this point despite his staunch willpower, and his forehead was drenched in cold sweat. Gasping deeply, he leaned on the stone wall as he brought the bulletembedded within a bone fragmentup for inspection. Even bringing the projectile close would produce a slight tingling in his eyes and skin. It was as though countless tiny particles were shooting at him. A smile of mysterious implications slowly appeared on his face as he flicked the bullet toward the wall acrosshe no longer wished to see this item. It was a premium Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, boasting much greater titanium content and firepower compared to the ordinary versions he had bought before. Moreover, it should be considered quite fortunate that his armor, origin defense, and sturdy body had jammed the bullet, preventing it from exploding completely. Presently, only a third of its black titanium content had entered his body. Qianye looked over his injury, then began shaving off the necrotic flesh with his vampiric blade, going all the way until his bones became visible. His chest bone had also been seared black and dotted with numerous necrotic spots, which Qianye proceeded to scrape off one by one. He was drenched in cold sweat after completing this arduous process, and his body felt extremely weak. Qianye leaned back and more or less collapsed upon the ground where he was baptized in agony as his chest heaved along with the fresh wounds. But at this point, he felt that the pain was extremely comforting. The burning sensation in his body didnt lessen after removing the bullet and continued to flow from the injury toward his four limbs. This wasnt a misperception, but the actual flow of the permeated black titanium as it spread within his body. The most important thing after being shot by a black titanium bullet wasnt the size of the wound because the amount that had seeped into the body was lethal enough for most people. Such a life-extinguishing substance would devastate all life wherever it flowed. Ordinary people didnt even need to touch it; merely standing beside unsealed black titanium for some time was enough to extinguish their life force. Human champions could struggle for a week or more, but it was completely meaningless because no amount of medicines could neutralize the substance, not to mention the suppressive effect of daybreak origin power wasnt quite sufficient. Additionally, all contaminated organs and body parts would suffer irreversible destruction. As such, most people would choose to detonate their origin vortex to stop the spread of black titanium within the body, exchanging survival for a lasting impairment in combat strength. However, even doing so couldnt restrain the injury every time. In the battles of the past, no small number of imperial experts had chosen to end their lives or die along with the enemy after failing to bring their injuries under control. Few were willing to suffer the protracted pain and watch helplessly as their bodies were destroyed inch by inch. Qianye laughed self-deprecatingly. The empire also possessed similar weapons in their arsenal, and the Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang was one of them. There were even stronger types of special ammunition, however, these weapons were extremely difficult to produce, and as such, they were tightly controlled by the imperial family and major clans. Qianye had often seen how dark race members struck by Mithril Bullets of Annihilation or Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang would die in great agonyand no small number of those bullets was fired from his gun. Their injuries would be charred black as though they had been scorched by raging flames. Right now, it was Qianyes turn to taste this pain. The most painful part of this ordeal was the knowledge that she had personally fired that special black titanium bullet, and how the bullet had come for his forehead as it flew out of the muzzle. He couldnt help but think that he wouldnt be in such pain had the projectile found its mark. Are you still unreconciled? Qianye laughed in self-deprecation as he recalled how he had evaded the bullet instinctively. He produced a cigar, applied a drop of military stimulant onto it, and inhaled deeply. He didnt care at all if his actions would attract enemies. The familiar taste pulled Qianye back to his days at Lighthouse Town. Back then, he had been struggling against the torment of the blood poison every day. In truth, Qianyes situation back then was even more desperate, but he had lived on with great tenacity just for that tiny bit of hope. Qianye smoked in silence, watching as the sparks gradually reduced the cigar to ashes. Thump. Qianye banged the back of his head against the cave wall! This immediately punched a cavity in the solid rock behind him and caused the entire wall to crack. Blood flowed down the back of his neck and covered him with a velvety warmth. However, a flame had reignited in the depths of his eyes. He watched as the flaming glow burn the cigar to the very end and die around his fingers. The pain on his bodyjust like that special stimulantafforded him greater clarity. He might have lost a woman, but he still had friends, a brother who was as close as family, and even blood relations of unknown closeness. There was more than one person on Evernight Continent waiting for him to return safely. Intermittent footsteps emerged from the tunnel outside, and Qianye could clearly hear the sounds of uneven breathing. It would seem that the smoke had managed to attract a wild beast. It was a land beast the size of a boar that was sniffing its way toward the stone chamber. It had just felt a sense of alarm when Qianye suddenly hoisted the hundred-kilogram body into the air and bit into its throat! The rolling wave of fresh blood entered Qianyes stomach and filled it with a bloody tartness. It had been a long time since he had resorted to this primitive method of blood absorption. Perhaps that was why the bloodthirst and brutality of his ancient bloodline had awakened. Qianyes blood surged as the hot blood of that first bite entered his abdomen and his blood core pulsed with great power. He had actually entered a state of immediate blood boil! A wisp of auric flame blood rushed out from his blood core and rushed toward every corner of his body, alleviating the burning sensation brought about by the black titanium and retarding its spread. Black titanium possessed extreme destructive potential against Daybreak life forms, but its effects were vastly inferior against creatures of Evernight. Qianyes auric flame blood could be ranked fairly high even in the entirety of the Evernight Faction. At this moment, it was using his body as the battlefield to kill off the black titanium, continuously but gradually devouring this unwelcome intruder. Chapter 516: Battle Line [V6C46 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] That fierce beast containedwithin its body of a mere hundred kilogramsan amount of blood several times that of other land beasts. The sanguine liquid poured continuously into Qianyes abdomen, whereafter it was absorbed by his body in its blood-boil state and transformed into abundant blood energy. The energy converged into his blood core which then pumped out strands of auric flame blood. In the blink of an eye, not a drop of blood was left for him to absorb. Only then did he manage to restrain his severe bloodthirst. Qianye tossed the withered beast corpse to the side. That violent and primitive suction of blood also served to vent the depression in his chest. He stood in a momentary daze before checking his injuries once more. His injuries had healed several times faster during the blood-boil state. New granulation tissue was growing rapidly on that terrifying wound he had carved on his chest, and the defect had mostly closed up. He fished out a roll of bandage from Andruils Mysterious Realm and bound up his wound, then moved his arm around to confirm that his movements werent being affected. The black titanium in his body had dwindled and lost the ability to spread after what remained of it was mutually consumed by the auric flame blood. However, a stubborn portion still remained within his body and would need to be cleared away gradually, but it was just a matter of time. The price was a complete expenditure of his blood energy, but sources of blood energy were everywhere in this world of hidden dangers. Qianye also discovered that the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception seemed to possess intelligence. They would restrict their absorption of blood energy when his body was in danger and refrain from competing with the blood core. This meant that he could refill his blood energy stores after killing a couple of wild beast hordes. Qianye noticed the Wings of Inception while inspecting his bodythis sentient, potential Grand Magnum was flapping its wings at this moment. The two fully-formed feathers upon it were vivid and life-like down to its fine barbs. Soon, Qianye had finished dressing his wound. He then clothed himself properly and put all kinds of equipment in easily reachable pockets before leaving his temporary shelter. The caverns within the mountain opened up in all directions like a giant maze, and enemies could appear from any direction. Even Eden with his Unshrouding Eye had long since withdrawn his pride as he advanced slowly and with due vigilance. They were merely exploring a segment of spine left behind by a void colossus who had died countless years ago. The void colossus entire skeleton was surely beyond the limits of ones vision if even a single segment of its spine was so big. It mightve been as big as a complete void landmass when it was alive. How majestic an entity was this? The remnant will left behind by the colossus was even able to suppress countless experts. If the void colossus was a mammoth, the people of the two factions werent even ants. Perhaps everyone added together would barely be equal to one of the ants limbs. Just a corner about the truth of this world was already so shocking. The geniuses of the two factions found, to their shock, that the power they worshipped, strove, and yearned for was nothing before this void colossus. Eden felt as though he had returned to being a rookie. He was just as cautious and indecisive back when he had just made his debut on the battlefield. A black shadow suddenly flickered past the end of the tunnel, but there was nothing there when he glanced over with the Unshrouding Eye. Eden gestured toward Nighteye and whispered, Wait for my signal. Shoot to kill as soon as I designate the target, no matter what it is. However, that which Eden received was not Nighteyes reply but a cold gun muzzle instead. The sniper rifle in Nighteyes hand was pressed against the back of Edens head, its trigger half drawn. A single tremble of her finger would result in a blast. A head-shot at such a close distance would kill Eden in a single shot regardless of the type of origin bullet. Even the absence of a physical bullet wouldnt change the outcome. What are you doing?! Eden was frozen with extreme shock. Do not attempt to order me around next time. I will kill you if this happens again! Nighteye spoke word by word. Her undisguised killing intent made it clear that she wasnt joking at all. Eden simply couldnt make sense of the matter. This isnt ordering you, its cooperation! Havent we always worked together like this since entering Giants Repose? Well only get far by cooperating in what each of us do best. Dont forget, those imperial experts arent the only ones, Sky Demons avatars are here, too! Do not attempt to command me, Nighteye repeated once more. Fine, fine, I get it. Eden raised his hand and said with a wry laugh. He already understood Nighteyes temper. This contemplating lady was, in fact, extremely obstinate. There was surely no more room for negotiation on something she had repeated twice. Nighteye slowly lowered her sniper rifle. As the two began their advance once more, an enraged Eden kicked the cave wall and mumbled, Now, how are we going to fight this battle? Nighteye only pretended not to hear. Time passed by slowly as experts from various parties gradually pushed into the cavern. The deeper one went, however, the greater their chances of running into a member of the other faction. At the same time, the aboriginals and wild beasts there were even more powerful. Outside of Giants repose, both factions were pouring in a steady stream of people. The ones entering Giants Repose at the moment were experts who had been transferred over from various lands and those who werent available earlier on. The tacit deadlock was still being maintained despite both factions deploying massive forcessmall frictions occurred every day, but no major battles took place. The time for the final battle wouldnt arrive as long as Sky Demons avatars stood intact, and the ancient essence fragment remains unobtained. A majestic castle had been erected upon the mountainous terrain on the Evernight-controlled region. A structure that shouldve taken at least half a year to build was finished in less than half a monththis went to show that a great number of high-ranking soldiers was involved in the construction. However, to the tens of thousands of dark race soldiers stationed on the battlefront, it was an honor to be able to participate in the construction of this castle dedicated to Warlord Noxus and Lightless Monarch Medanzo. That was to be the encampment of the two great monarchs. Adding the mountain elevation, the castles main building stood hundreds of meters above Giants Repose. In the main hall on the top floor, Noxus and Medanzo were standing side by side, gazing at the enormous crevice below. In truth, both Giants Repose and the dark race battlefront, which stretched hundreds of kilometers, was far beyond the limits of an ordinary persons vision. However, the great monarchs possessed such terrifying power that they could see everything at a glance. Even the empires defensive lines couldnt escape their eyes. Naturally, the empires overseer, Zhang Boqian, could also see the dark race battlefront. An area at the center of the imperial encampment was hidden in a patch of hazy white mist through which even the two great monarchs couldnt see. A prolonged gaze would reveal a speck of light in the depths of this smokey haze, one that even Noxus and Medanzo werent willing to look straight at. That was Zhang Boqians residence at the center of the white misty clouds. Only a heavenly monarch would have the power to isolate a great dark monarchs vision. That extremely dazzling daybreak radiance seen by Noxus and Medanzo was Zhang Boqians grand origin power which had reached the heavenly monarch realm. The Evernight faction had been using every means at their disposal to inquire, to no avail, about the battle in which Zhang Boqian had ascended to the heavenly monarch realm. Presently, the two dark monarchs had personally witnessed the quality of the youngest ever heavenly monarchs daybreak grand origin. That was a light that could dazzle even them. The top floor wherein stood two great dark monarchs was thousands of square kilometers wide, over a dozen meters tall, and beautifully designed. Their energy outflow would produce intense fluctuations in their surroundings, and while standing together, their power would interweave, causing space to warp and distort. Those below the level of marquis simply couldnt approach. Arachne Warlord Noxus human form was an entire head shorter than Lightless Monarch Medanzo. His countenance was clear, virtuous, and intelligent, much like those scholars at the imperial library who buried themselves in books all daynot a single sign of viciousness or cruelty could be found. Noxus was the first to break the silence. The empire has brought in yet another reinforced regiment. The four battleships in charge of logistics hadnt gone back, either. Medanzo pondered for a moment, then said, That means the human airship force is no longer weaker than ours. They are still inferior, though, in terms of ground forces and experts. Noxus sneered, Inferior? Thats perhaps true regarding experts, but I dont feel that their ground forces are at a disadvantage at all. We hold the upper hand on paper, but do you really think thirty percent is that big? Dont forget that the other side has produced young generals like Song Zining. The human advantage has always been in strategy, and their armies frequently mobilize in unison to coordinate with one another. What about us? We have bigger numbers, but how many tribes actually obey orders and cooperate with one another? In the face of Noxus criticism, the dark races nominal high commander Medanzo broke into a muffled laugh, Youre right! I also believe we need to centralize the authority. Lets do it this way, from tomorrow on, the Dark Hunters will join the Windwalker Legion and remain under their command. What say you? Noxuss expression changed slightly. The Dark Hunters was the most elite arachne unit. Their numbers were small, but their fighting power was significant, and they were capable of adapting to all kinds of terrain. It could be considered one of the few trump cards in Noxus hands. Less than ten people in the entire arachne race had the right to mobilize them. Medanzo looking to seize control of the Dark Hunters struck a nerve within Noxus. The latter snorted deeply. The Windwalker Legion is just an ordinary corps that cant even be considered elite. What qualification do they have to command the Dark Hunters? The reverse is a better choice! Why not have them join the fifth army corps? Medanzo looked down at Noxus with a nefarious smile and said, Why dont we have the Dark Hunters and the Windwalker Legion fight in an isolated battlefield? Whoever wins gains the right to command. A sharp glint flashed through Noxus eyes as he said word by word, Lightless Monarch Medanzo, with all due respect, are you trying to incite a war with the arachne at such a time? Chapter 517: A New Danger [V6C47 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] How would I ever dare?! Medanzos smile was inexplicably fake. Its true that the Queen of the Night has awakened, but well definitely accompany your race if things are taken too far. The arachne are not werewolves! Noxus refused to back down and didnt hold back his words at all. Medanzo stared at Noxus for a while, then turned back toward Giants Repose as though nothing had happened. The Windwalker Legion was one of the most famous vampire corps. It consisted mainly of the fourth-ranked Dracula clan, and the ninth-ranked Mammon clan, but those from other clans were also recruited. The issue lay in the fact that the Windwalker Legion was a large unit with over ten thousand regular members, while the Dark Hunters was a special unit with less than a hundred men. Pitting them against one another in a sealed battlefield would naturally result in the Dark Hunters being wiped out amidst the sea of enemy soldiers. Medanzos attempt at seizing control over the Dark Hunters seemed like a jest, but how could existences who had reached their level crack senseless jokes. Their every word contained deep implications. Should Noxus make an inappropriate reply, Medanzo might really turn the jest into reality and really seize control of the Dark Hunters. Noxus dropped the topic after seeing that Medanzo wasnt pushing this matter any further, albeit with a gloomy expression. Medanzo spoke all of a sudden, The humans are mobilizing too many soldiers! Two-thirds of the current forces is enough if theyre only looking to confront us and split the profits proportionately like before. The current scale is already enough to fight a head-on battle with us. Noxus sneered, Oh they can for sure, but they might not necessarily win. Dont forget they only have Zhang Boqian, while theres both you and me on our side. What? Has Zhang Boqians previous visit to the Twilight Continent scared the revered Lightless Monarch Medanzo? Extremely dense blood energy surged from Medanzos body as he turned to stare at Noxus with an incisive gaze. Not only had Zhang Boqian charged into the Twilight Continent alone back then and caused a great ruckus, but he had also charged back out through the encirclement, injuring several people along the way. This matter was like a ruthless slap on the face for the vampires. The Twelve Ancient Clans almost became the laughingstock of the entire Evernight faction. This was especially true of Medanzos Dracula clan which was situated in Zhang Boqians path; their casualties were abnormally high. Two of their dukes received heavy injuries in quick succession and were forced to hibernate in the Blood Pond for survival, while another virtuous count perished in battle. Medanzo was exploring the void back then. Everything was over by the time he had rushed back after receiving the news. This remained a regretful matter for him ever since. Medanzo was naturally furious now that the old scars were being peeled mercilessly. However, the two peak characters of Evernight withdrew their power after a momentary stand-off. They hadnt met for many years now and, after an initial probe, still felt apprehensive of one another. Both of them felt that there was no need to go all out with daggers drawn. On the ground below, a newly arrived group of several dozen soldiers attracted their attention. They immediately figured out the groups composition with a sweep of their consciousness. That was a powerful combat squad led by the Perth clans Holy Son Edward, two marquises, and five counts. Their destination was Giants Repose. In the eyes of outsiders, Edwards every movement represented Liliths will. His arrival on Evernight Continent and personally entering Giants Repose thus attracted Noxus attention. With Holy Son Edward''s high status, there was simply no need for him to take this risk. He would surely advance to the duke rank as long as he lived on. This was the most appropriate path for him to take. Moreover, the Queen of the Night had received five Ancient Essence Fragments, and such an item had no additional effect when used repeatedly on a single person. Is Edward here on Liliths command? Noxus thought. The arachne warlord couldnt be blamed for thinking this. Edwards authority in the Perth clan was equal to a duke, and even a prince could hardly mobilize him. Only Lilith could make him bend his head in submission. Noxus gaze gradually turned cold as it fell upon Giants Repose. Could it be that there were other unknown secrets in there apart from the ancient essence fragments? Meanwhile, Medanzos eyes moved back to the white mist at the center of the imperial defensive lines. He showed little interest after learning of Edwards identity and was only puzzled over why the empire was focusing so much manpower here. Was it only to maintain strategic balance at the battle of Giants Repose? The Evernight Councils scrying abilities had suffered greatly, so they could only rely on reports to judge the general situation. Unfortunately, it was much more difficult to receive military intelligence during a state of war. He might be able to figure out the empires intentions if only he could know how many and which divine champions had arrived. But Medanzo felt much calmer after confirming that Zhang Boqian was here alone.The Eternal Flame and the Queen of the Night were still searching for Sky Demon to engage in a decisive battle, so the empire would have no choice but to maintain sufficient military power in the void as a deterrence. They shouldnt be able to spare more people to aid Zhang Boqian. Medanzo shot a disdainful glance at Noxus. The arachne could be considered great soldiers on the battlefields, but they werent even as good as werewolves in strategic maneuvers. At least, those big dogs could be dispatched to gather some intelligence. A worm-like creature was boring out of the ground in a certain dark, damp cave. It was several meters wide, and just the part above the ground was a dozen meters long. There was no telling just how long it was beneath the ground. It possessed neither eye nor nose, only a large mouth filled with sharp teeth at the top of its head and several dozen feelers with which to sense its surroundings. The large, slow worm seemed harmless at a glance, but Qianye had seen it more than once and knew that this was a terrifying grade-twelve creature. Its delicate-looking skin was, in fact, extremely sturdy and possessed miraculous effects in absorbing origin power. Qianye had tried blasting it with an origin grenade, but the explosion only left a small wound the size of a table. An injury of this size was more or less negligible compared to its gigantic build. The giant worm searched for its prey in vain but soon gave up after its endeavor turned out fruitless. Just as it was about to shrink back into its burrow, Qianye leapt down silently from the roof. His hands were both on East Peak which fell promptly upon the Giant Worms body. The heavy sword pierced right through the creatures body and nailed itself into the ground. The giant worm struggled with all its might, kicking up huge shockwaves in the vicinity with shattered rocks flying out in all directions. However, most of its body was still under the ground with no way to rush out all of a sudden. And the more it struggled, the greater its damage. Qianye kept East Peak in a steady grip with one hand as he drew a vampiric blade with the other. He then stabbed ruthlessly into the giant writhing body and absorbed its essence blood frantically. The struggle lasted for well over ten minutes before the worm gradually weakened, and it took half an hour before it lost all signs of life. Qianye was drenched in sweat as he pulled out East Peak and the vampiric blade. He simply sat down beside the giant worm carcass, lit up a cigar, and finished it in silence. Only then did he rise up and vanish into the depths of the dark cavern. Killing the giant worm provided Qianye with vast amounts of essence blood which, in addition to his accumulations in recent days, sufficed to replenish all of the blood energy he had lost. What he needed to do now was to find a secluded place to cultivate, convert the essence blood, and completely heal his injury. However, Qianye just couldnt wipe away that desolation in his heart. The wounds on the body had healed, but the stubborn injury in his heart was still dripping with blood. The battles around the void colossus skeleton had reached a climax. Meanwhile, the troops outside of the skeleton were already beginning to enter the forest area. They were astonished by the peculiar forest at first, but they gradually acclimatized. It was just that some of them felt restless and kept on glancing at those beehive-like treetops. They couldnt shake off the feeling that there was something there. However, the intelligence gained from the first batch of people stated that these spherical trees looked odd but were actually harmless. The greatest danger within this forest was the enemy faction because, in this world of warped perceptions, those with special abilities could easily kill their opponents. Even so, those squirming spherical bodies still made ones hair stand on end. These people had no idea that those treetops were silent when the first group had passed through. A group of arachne soldiers led by a second-rank viscount was traversing the forest. While running hastily, they looked up toward a certain place on the treetop. Those spherical treetops were vibrating greatly. The orange parts were bulging up all over as though something was struggling to break out of it. The scene was enough to instill great alarm in ones heart. The arachne viscount suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and kept on going forward. It was at this time that a small silhouette leapt out from the treetop and fell to the ground with a loud cry. The arachne viscount immediately lifted his arachnid abdomen and shot out a spiderweb to engulf the little thing. Only then did he see clearly that it was a grey-skinned midget less than one meter tall. It was incomparably ugly with creases all over its body and saliva flowing out of its mouth as it struggled loudly within the web. The arachnes sharp web produced several cuts on the midgets skin, but the creature still managed to tear it apart one strand after the other. Later on, the midget simply knelt down and started chewing on it. Its dripping saliva actually eroded the spider web in a puff of white smoke and broke it. The arachne viscounts expression was one of shock. He waved his hand violently and shouted, Forward march, double time! But the surface of the treetops broke apart rapidly, spewing out those little men. They clambered up immediately after falling to the ground and rushed for this group of arachne. An arduous battle ensued. The arachne finally managed to finish off several dozen midgets at the price of two fallen comrades. The bodily fluids of these grey-skinned little men contained a fierce poison. Even the arachne, who were fairly resistant to poison, couldnt hold out after being bitten. Meanwhile, the arachne poison had an evidently reduced effect and only served to slow down their movements. The arachne viscounts face was ashen. He had never expected these weak little lifeforms to be so difficult to handle. His elite subordinates hadnt died in a battle with humans, but in the hands of these queer life forms instead. He suddenly looked up after hearing something. His countenance was immediately overcome by shock! Dozens of treetops in the vicinity started to shake as more little men sprayed out. A tide of grey madness formed in the blink of an eye and completely drowned out this group of arachne. Similar scenes were playing out continuously in other parts of the forest. The beehive-like structures on those treetops had all opened up. However, most of them were now completely empty as the creatures within broke out of their shells. Chapter 518: Difference [V6C48 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye walked slowly through a certain part of the cavern, dragging East Peak along behind him and carving a deep mark on the ground. He wasnt going very fast, but the demonkin in front simply couldnt shake off his close pursuit. The demonkin suddenly tripped and rolled over several times. He clambered up as quickly as he could, but Qianye was already standing before him at that time. The mans gaze was full of dread and fear. The third eye on his forehead was tightly shut with blood flowing out continuouslyhe had most likely been blinded. I-Im a descendant of a famed clan. My family wont let you off if you dare kill me. The noble This demonkin didnt manage to utter his clan name before Qianyes vampiric blade pierced into his chest. His mouth opened wide and his trembling hands grabbed onto the dagger hilt, hoping to prevent it from pushing deeper in. However, Qianyes hand was as steady as a mountain and completely immovable. The victim finally passed away amidst extreme pain and terror. Qianye waited a while before pulling out the vampiric blade. He then turned toward a cave on the side and said, Come out. There was only one exit to that cave. The person inside came out knowing that it was no longer possible to hide. It was a young vampire girl with short hair. The girl did her utmost to stare fixedly at Qianye, but the trembling hands on her sword betrayed her emotions. Qianye shot her a glance. A baron actually dares to come here to join the liveliness? M-My level may be low, but Im The vampire girl had just finished speaking when Qianye cut her short, Wait a minute. The girl watched in astonishment as Qianye walked over to her and removed something from her collar. Okay, you can continue. I-I The girl stammered, not knowing what to say. Since Qianye could so easily remove an object from her collar, it meant that he could just as easily slit her throat. But she was filled completely with an unknown sense of dread during this process. Her entire body was as stiff as a rock, and she couldnt even lift her hands. All she could do was watch as Qianye removed her family insignia. Qianye sniffed lightly and asked, You have a cigarette? Yes, I do. What she brought out werent just cigarettes but cigars of the highest quality. From her appearance, it was truly difficult to tell that she actually liked such things. Qianye fished one out, pinched off the end, and gave it a sniff. He then said with an approving nod, Truly a high-quality item. You have a light? The vampire girl trembled as she brought out a dedicated lighter and passed it to Qianye. The latter lit up the cigar and inhaled deeply, only breathing it out after a while. I was wrong, this is premium quality. The girl forced out a smile and said, It should be. Qianye nodded. Im in a good mood, you may leave now. This is not a place for you. Then Ill be going now. The girl glanced at Qianye once before rushing away, afraid that he would change his mind. Hey! The exit is that way! Qianyes voice spooked the girl so badly that she almost tripped over a stalactite. She quickly turned toward the direction Qianye was pointing to and soon vanished into the maze-like passages. Qianye inhaled once more as he opened his left hand, in which sat a bronze-cast datura flower. However, only a mass of copper waste remained when he clenched his hand and opened it once again. Qianye dropped the bronze ball with a flip of his hand and continued his journey into the depths of the cavern. The passage before him was exceptionally deep, and the far end was covered in complete darkness. There was no light, and it also seemed like there was no road. Qianyes steps were firm as he moved on and gradually merged into the darkness. The vampire girl kept on running, passing one cave after the other. She was too flustered to stop and observe her surroundings. Forks appeared repeatedly in the road ahead, and all of them looked exactly the same. The geography seemed to be leading up at one point then down at another. After a while, she no longer had any idea which one would lead to the exterior. Moreover, what made her even more terrified was the feeling that something in the darkness had been following her all along. She even felt a chilly wind on the back of her neck as though something was blowing on it. She ran faster and faster before suddenly turning around. As expected, there was someone behind her! It was a human male. He didnt look too old at a glance and possessed a handsome but gloomy countenance. His eyes gradually narrowed as he gazed at the girl. The young girls heart beat faster and faster. It felt as though a venomous snake were breathing down her neck. She collected her thoughts and gripped her sword tightly. The fine sword, now pointed at the man, trembled constantly and emitted a buzzing sound. This was a brilliant sword technique with almost no openings. The mans pupils constricted ever so slightly as he watched on. That person didnt approach further. He watched the girl like a cat watching a mouse and said, Arent you afraid of me? The young girl regained her courage after a deep breath. Im not! The man found her reaction surprising. He pondered for a while and asked, Then why were you so afraid of that person who took your cigar? Hes different, the girl replied honestly. Facing Qianye felt as though she had met a natural predator. Her entire body was frozen stiff, and she didnt even dare move a single finger. Although she also felt an unbearable pressure from this young man before her, she could still go all-out against him and at least die a true warriors death. That was the difference. This reply seemed to have infuriated the young man. He drew his dagger with a cold smile and said, The biggest difference between me and him is that he let you go and I will turn you into a corpse. Remember my name, Xu Lang, as you go to hell! Xu Lang attacked as quick as lightning and hacked down at the vampire girls head. The army dagger in his hand, barely half a meter long, descended with the weight of a giant hammer. The vampire girl swung her blade up to block at the critical moment. The trembling blade tip dispersed some of Xu Langs origin power and actually managed to parry his slash. Both her sword technique and her reaction time had reached a high standard, and the only thing lacking was her combat experience. She would surely become an expert in time as long as she remained alive. The parry surprised Xu Lang quite a bit. He could no longer remember when it was that a rank-nine soldier had last blocked his strike. Since becoming a champion, there had been very few rank-nine warriors capable of fending off a single blow from him. Presently, he had already ascended again and was very close to reaching rank-thirteen. However, the girl failed to block a second blow, and her origin defenses were shattered by the enormous power. Xu Lang sent her sword flying with a flick of his dagger and pressed the edge against her neck. But he wasnt the least happy, and the darkness on his countenance grew even heavier as he stared at the girl. His eyes were filled with scarlet threads as he reached a near-berserk state. I wouldnt have left any regrets during my champion advancement if it werent for my poverty. Nor would I have failed to kill a mere baron in one blow! I wouldve left Zhao Jundu in the dust if only I couldve used the Marrow Cleansing Pond! Xu Langs deranged voice reverberated through the tunnels. His trembling blade scraped the girls skin, causing fresh blood to flow down her white neck. Xu Langs face flushed red after seeing the blood. He was both angry and excited, and his voice also turned hysterical. Perhaps the joy of being able to throttle yet another young genius to death in this uninhabited place caused him to let go of all pretenses. He poured out all the things he had kept in his mind for so long. It was fine to chat with a dead person anyway. When I visited the Zhao clan to borrow their Marrow Cleansing Pond back then, I was prepared to accept any and all conditions! But they refused me without even bothering to find an excuse. Those old fellows will pay for their arrogance sooner or later! The day I, Xu Lang, become a supreme character of the martial dao, is the day the Zhao clan disappears from the empire! The vampire girl was no longer afraid at this point as she glanced at Xu Lang with an expression of pity and mockery. It turns out that youre just a coward. What did you say?! Xu Langs eyes almost spat out flames. I said youre a coward, and youre still dreaming about competing with that person from just now? Xu Lang suddenly broke into a twisted laugh. Fine, Ill let you understand how this coward will treat you. Xu Lang whispered into the girls ear, Ill flay your skin, punch a dozen holes in your blood core, and then put it back in place. Do you understand? The young girl couldnt help but shudder because that was extreme torture for a vampire. A repeatedly punctured blood core would no longer healnot even the blood pond could help. Moreover, putting the core back into place would allow it to reconnect and maintain vitality, extending the vampires suffering from the flayed skin. She wouldnt even be able to commit suicide. Torture methods targeted at vampires mostly made use of their powerful regenerative abilities to extend the period of agony. The vampire girl didnt beg for mercy despite her fear. She only said one word, The Monroe wont let you go. Is that so? Xu Lang laughed once again. He had recovered his refined demeanor at this moment, at least on the surface. He dragged the young girl away to find an isolated cave for the torture. There was still time before the final battle, and he had no intention of crossing swords with all the experts in advance. Hiding in the shadows to deliver a decisive blowthat was Xu Langs style. He had just passed by a fork in the road when Xu Lang felt a peculiarity in the environment. A wisp of black light shone onto his body, destroying his state of concealment and weakening his protective origin power. Greatly shocked, he flashed behind the vampire girl and used her to block the sable beam. Eden walked out from a dark corner, his vertical eye flashing with dark light. Leave her and scram! It seems this fellow is important to you. Xu Langs grip turned even tighter. Eden sneered. Shes just a vampire and not even a viscount. What importance can she have? Its just that killing you is a matter of time, so I dont mind letting you live a while longer. Xu Lang replied coldly, Is that so? Kill me? Id love to see you try. His gaze fell behind Eden, wherein stood a lady with jet black hair and eyes. Xu Lang had only then discovered her presence. His expression turned to one of shock after seeing her appearance and the golden datura insignia on her collar. Monroe Princess! Xu Lang had planned to fight it out if it were Eden alone since cross-level battles were second nature to him. However, it would be suicide with Nighteye added to the equation. The man glared at Eden for a while and shouted, Very well, shes yours. He pushed the vampire girl over, performed some distractive movements, and flashed into one of the tunnels behind him in a state of concealment. But a surging chill emerged at the end of that tunnel, and the walls became filled with blue frost. Chapter 519: The Final Momen t [V6C49 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Kuanglan walked out calmly in a cloud of frosty mist. Retreating without a battle? Youve thrown away our empires face. Now that Ive arrived, the two over there can forget about leaving. Eden grabbed the staggering vampire girl and pushed her behind him. He then pointed toward a tunnel on the side and indicated for her to leave first. He then said with a laugh, You despicable and treacherous humans havent grown much in power over the millennium, but your bragging abilities seem to have made quite a lot of progress. I, Eden of the Dark Abyss, am right here. How do you plan on making me stay? Li Kuanglan slowly drew his sword. The cavern was immediately suffused with a deep chill the moment that translucent crystalline edge appeared, causing the temperature to plummet. The cave walls became covered in icicles in the blink of an eye. Eden lost his calm at the sight of this sword. A grade-eight sword! Weapons at grade-eight were so powerful that they would evidently affect their surroundings. The frost energy in this blade was akin to the tidesits vast area of effect and power made it seem like a domain unto itself. Apparently, it was a product at the pinnacle of grade-eight. Eden and Nighteye would find this blade difficult to deal with even if it were in Xu Langs hands. Li Kuanglan was not only superior to the latter in terms of origin power, but his cultivation arts also complimented the sword quite well. It was capable of bringing out the weapons full might. Eden took a step forward, blocked Nighteye behind him, and said, Ill obstruct him and you look for an opening to attack him. Run first if you have the chance. Li Kuanglan saw all of their movements. He shook Cold Moons Embrace and said, You wish to escape?! Im afraid it wont be that easy! At this moment, the frost energy had extended in all directions and frozen everything within several hundred meters. Everyone found, to their astonishment, that not only did they have to resist the frost within this area, but even circulating their origin power had become difficult. Difficult origin power activation would affect ones speed, making it difficult for Eden and Nighteye to escape. It was clear from how this frost energy was actually able to affect origin power circulation that the effects werent from Cold Moons Embrace aloneLi Kuanglans own domain was also in play. Edens expression turned solemn. It would take a rare genius level character to utilize domains in this accursed place. Off with your heads! Cold Moon Embrace swept out in a crescent arc, shooting several ribbons of aqua-blue radiance toward Nighteye and Eden. These light ribbons condensed from frost energy were incomparably beautiful. They left cuts on everything they passed, and cut through several centimeters of stone like tofu. Eden let out a loud cry as the air several dozen meters around him became suffused with black mist. A fierce contest ensued as it came into contact with the frost energy, and the two powers eroded one another amidst sizzling noises. Only a part of the aqua-blue brilliance was canceled out before it flooded in and tore apart the black mist. It then pressed on with undeterred momentum and arrived before Eden in the blink of an eye. The latter was greatly alarmed because he had never imagined that he would lose so quickly in a contest of domains. He was caught completely off-guard and could only activate his origin defenses to defend against the onslaught of the blue light. It was at this time that Li Kuanglan felt a sharp pain in his chest. His origin power fell into chaos, and the blue radiance attacking Eden actually lost control. Li Kuanglan roared loudly and erupted with origin power. The frost energy overflowed like a hazy mist and suppressed the abnormality in his body. At the same time, he raised Cold Moons Embrace to his forehead. A dark origin bullet tore through the air like a specter. It made not the slightest of sounds and even the origin power around it was indistinct. Li Kuanglans mightve overlooked this lethal attack had it not been for his domain enveloping the entire area. The round bullet flew toward the almost translucent edge of Cold Moons Embrace and split into two even before coming into actual contact. The remnant halves of the projectile flew out to either side of Li Kuanglans face and punched into the cave wall. Li Kuanglan lowered his sword gradually with a sharp glint in his eyes. This is an eye ability? Marvelous! Now thats someone worthy of being my opponent. But youre too weak right now. Leave and we shall fight again when youve matured. But Im only letting you go this once, you can only blame your bad fortune if you run into me again! Shes the princess of the Monroe clan. You cant let her go! Xu Lang cried out from behind. Scram! I dont need you to tell me what to do! Li Kuanglan didnt leave Xu Lang any face, and neither did he pay any heed to the latters uniform and Red Scorpion insignia. Xu Langs expression turned ashen and roared furiously, This is war! Not one of your little games! If you dont kill her now, who knows how many imperial soldiers will die during her growth? Theres no mercy in war! Li Kuanglan replied coldly, What do you know about true war? The outcome of this war is currently decided in a confrontation between the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs. In the future, it will hinge upon the sword in my hand. As long as I can further sharpen my blade, any number of cannon fodder like you is worth sacrificing. Xu Lang shouted, Who are you?! How dare you speak such words?! Presently, he was a general in Red Scorpion and a respected character in the imperial army. When had he ever suffered such treatment? Even the arrogant clan descendants wouldnt criticize an elite corps general to his face. That was because doing so would end up offending not just a single officer but the entire military. Li Kuanglan shot him a glance and broke into a laugh. Youd naturally know if you were capable enough. I can tell that youve been muddling along since you dont even know who I am. You still dare to run your mouth here? This young noble is in a good mood after encountering a future opponent, so Ill spare you today. Now scram! Youll find out who I am after advancing a couple more ranks. Xu Lang wasnt expecting such a response. His face soon turned from one of anger into terror. Li Kuanglans words werent without reason. Xu Lang had only touched the outer border of the military circle. Compared to the understanding of the noble clans, his knowledge was merely at the level of an outsider. There were many deeper things he didnt quite know, especially when it came to the imperial family. This thought served to reduce his wrath as he stood there pondering his options. Li Kuanglan paid no more heed to him and glanced back at the other sideEden was preparing to leave, but Nighteye remained motionless. He said with a frown, Why arent you leaving? This young noble might change his mind after a while. At this time, a fishy wind arose from a distant tunnel. The blood energy therein was so intense that it was nauseating. This blood energy was filled with the stench of death and decay, a stark contrast from Nighteyes which was fragrant, sweet, and full of vitality. It could even be said that they were polar opposites. A raspy voice echoed from the direction of the blood energy. Its no use even if you change your mind. Now lets see if you yourself can leave! The blood energy grew denser and denser until the rolling tides of blood came into view. It clashed fiercely with Li Kuanlgans frost energy, and the two began consuming one another. A domain battle had broken out even before the newcomer had revealed himself. The outcome was more or less a draw. Li Kuanglans combination of domain and sword energy held a slight advantage. However, the blood energy covered a greater area and turned the tables in terms of quantity. Marquis Yuri walked out from amidst the rolling tides. The sword intent in Li Kuanglans eyes grew brighter after seeing the rose and snake insignia on his collar. A marquis of the Perth clan couldnt be underestimated, regardless of the situation. The sword intent on Li Kuanglans body surged boundlessly as he became one with the sword, turning into a murderous weapon of tangible coldness. In a showdown between experts at their level, everything in their domains would be destroyed indiscriminately. Both Eden and Xu Lang released their own domains as they retreated quickly amidst the collision of blood and sword energies. Although their domains were destroyed immediately after taking form, the moment of obstruction allowed them to escape successfully. A fierce battle erupted abruptly but also ended in a flash. Frost and blood energies pervaded every corner of the cavern within a hundred-meter radius. During the moment shorter than a blink, both domains constantly broke down, repaired themselves, shattered, then restored themselves again. This went on several times. Li Kuanglan and Yuri were fighting arduously at the center of the domain, but nothing could be seen clearly apart from the destruction and rebirth of the red and blue energies. Nighteye stood silently at the border of their colliding domains. Dense blood energy lined with faint golden threads rippled around her body. Although her domain was only enough to cover the area she had been standing in, it stood unyieldingly against the onslaught of the red and blue energies. Within the domain was a fierce lion-like beast with several ribbons flying wildly behind its head. This beast formed of blood energy seemed quite spiritual. It darted around like a bolt of lightning, slashing apart the blood energy and sword intent that managed to invade her domain. Li Kuanglan and Yuri separated from their fierce battle. The former shot a glance at Yuri, then sheathed Cold Moons Embrace, and left with a heavy snort. Xu Lang, who had been watching from a distance, also left after seeing that there was nothing he could do. Yuri remained standing in place, but the arrogant expression he had worn during his appearance was gone, replaced by a serious countenance. His face became much more relaxed after Li Kuanglans figure vanished into the distant tunnel. A clear winner wasnt decided in the battle just now. Both of them felt rather apprehensive of the other, so they decided to stop fighting and go their own ways. The relationship between the factional experts had undergone some subtle changes under the looming shadow of Sky Demons avatars and vicious aboriginals. They no longer sought to kill each other at all costs and would also try to reduce meaningless losses when evenly matched. Eden breathed a sigh of relief after Li Kuanglan had left. However, he kept his eye on Yuri as he walked over to Nighteye. Apparently, he hadnt relaxed his vigilance at all. Yuri glance at Eden and said, Your Excellency Eden, I have something to say to Her Majesty Nighteye. Itll be best if you step back. Eden had no intention of leaving. On the contrary, I think I need to listen to what you have to say. Moreover, my presence might prevent certain accidents from happening. Yuri stared fixedly at Eden with a bloody murderous intent leaking out from his eyes. The former hadnt withdrawn his domain at this moment, and, although he hadnt launched a direct attack, the pressure was enough to cause Edens expression to shift slightly. Yet, the latter remained standing in place despite the great effort involved. Yuris momentum suddenly relaxed as his killing intent dissipated. I come representing the Queen of the Night and the Holy Son. Are you still intent on listening? The will of the Queen of the Night isnt necessarily useful against my Dark Abyss, Eden replied. Yuris smile became eerily distorted. The same can be said for you. The Dark Abyss or even the will of that revered person on the sacred mountain might not necessarily be useful against our sacred blooded race. Edens expression sank. As a pureblood demonkin born of a famed clan, he had never put the other races in his mind. Were it not for this strange world and the council mission at hand, he mightve fallen out with Yuri despite his strength. Nighteye stopped Eden and said, Your Excellency Yuri, you probably werent on the Giants Repose roster. So, pray tell, what is the Holy Sons message? Chapter 520: Bloody Presen t [V6C50 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Very smart, no wonder you have the Holy Sons constant attention and Her Majesty Liliths favor. Yuris smile felt sinister no matter how amiable he was. His Majesty Edward asked me to tell you that hell be entering Giants Repose very soon and that you still have time to reconsider his offer. The time is twenty-four hours. Nighteye replied immediately, Theres no need to think it over, I refuse. Yuri sized Nighteye up with narrowed eyes like a butcher would his prey and bowed deeply. I hope you dont regret it. His Majesty Edward has prepared a special present for you and its something worth looking forward to. Yuri fell back all the way until the end of the tunnel before turning to leave. That exaggerated etiquette of his left one under grave pressure. Eden spoke after a fair length of silence, Your Majesty Nighteye, I hope youll consider my previous offer. Ill contact the overseeing elder outside once you agree. Itll be useless even if Edward himself arrives. Nighteye didnt refuse immediately this time and only stood with her head lowered. Finally, she said with a barely discernible sigh, No, thank you, Your Excellency Eden. Dont use honorifics with me in the future. Very well, Eden. I wish to be alone for a while, so lets part ways here. Eden was startled. But He stopped speaking after seeing Nighteye wave her hand. The latter gazed into his eyes and shook her head slowly. She then left and vanished into the darkness of the cavern. Quite a while after her departure, Eden fell kneeling to the ground as though he had lost all strength and smashed the sturdy rock with his fist. The battles in the depths of Giants Repose grew fiercer by the day, and the rumbles of battle could be heard at all times. Enemies lurked in every corner. The beasts and aboriginals no longer appeared in swarms, but those that did appear were abnormally powerful and difficult to handle. These creatures were exempt from the suppression and possessed high resistance against origin power attacks from either faction. But no matter how powerful the wild beasts were, they were a far cry from the factional experts in terms of tricks, techniques, and killing experience. As such, the battles mostly ended with the wild beasts suffering defeat. The path to the core region, on the contrary, became the smoothest leg of the journey. But the good fortune ended before long. What caught up to them from behind werent the promised reinforcements but an endless tide of wild beasts. There was only a fine line between heaven and hell. There was alternating day and night in this suppressed world, but only endless bloody nights remained in these interweaving caverns. All experts were struggling to kill the inexhaustible wave of beasts and aboriginals. The fangs of the reaper were everywhere without a single respite to be foundall they could do was kill repeatedly. The experts of Evernight and the empire were fighting back to back for the very first time, setting aside factional differences in the face of death. But not everyone had truly let go of the enmity. Many a time, the comrade from just now would turn into an enemy even before the beasts had been killed off. The beast tide receded after what seemed like an endless period, and almost everyone was left in utter exhaustion. The extreme silence within the deformed cavern was terrifying and broken only by the occasional sound of dripping water. There were still beasts running past the nearby tunnels from time to time, but all of them avoided this area subconsciously. It was perhaps due to the intense stench of blood hanging in the air or possibly by virtue of their instincts. There was a tiny flame pulsing in the depths of the cavern. Qianye was smoking with his back against the cave wall. Little over a day had passed since he was injured by the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, and the wound was no longer seeping blood. However, the other places on his body were in a far worse condition. The military uniform on his body was no different from a ragged loincloth, one from which he could wring out blood. The battle armor inside was full of scratches, but fortunately, there was no lethal damage. The most eye-catching was that badly mangled wound on his thigh. East Peak had been casually tossed aside randomly. The bladetainted by neither dust nor bloodwas now suffused with a layer of dark red, likely by virtue of excessive exposure to blood. There was a beast head rolling around under his military boot. It was the size of a bulls head with its lidless single eye wide open. One could see, under the faint light from Qianyes cigarette, that the entire cave floor was littered with beast corpses, and some were even stacked atop one another. The mere sight was enough to make one shudder. The heat of the tobacco lingered around Qianyes lips, and the blood within his body was almost aboil. Life Plunder was indeed a peerless killer weapon while fighting against the beast tide. But despite the overflowing essence blood, Qianye was in no mood to operate the Mystery Chapter at the moment. After that bout of extreme massacre, Qianye only wanted to sit quietly without thinking and watch the smoke rise from his cigarette. However, the blood energy in his body initiated a state of blood boil on their own and began absorbing the essence blood via the most primitive of methods. The energy flowed little by little through his veins to repair the wounded organs and flesh. The flame finally burned out. Qianye threw the cigarette stub away, picked East Peak up and headed toward the depths of the tunnel. At the center of a different cave-hall, Nighteye was scanning her surroundings. The hall here was exceptionally wide, but no beast had appeared heresomething was fairly abnormal. Nighteye simply stood there as though she were waiting for something. A resounding clap echoed through the wide hall as a man dressed in black formal attire entered. The insignia on his collar depicted a bloody rose with a small golden snake at its stamen. He wore a black mask which exposed only his sharp chin underneath. Beloved Nighteye, youre just as beautiful as the half-moon. Truly makes it difficult for one to control himself. Nighteye shot him a glance and said coldly, Your Majesty Edward, Im humbled by your praise. Edward opened his arms and said with an exaggerated tone, Believe me when I say that Ive prepared a present for you. Itll definitely surprise you! I look forward to it. Edward pondered for a moment. He then raised his hand but paused halfway and asked, Before I hand you this precious gift, I wish to know what your thoughts are on my offer. I refuse. Nighteye had always been concise with her words. Oh! Truly sad! Edward pointed toward his chest and sighed deeply. He then said with a snap of his fingers, Darling, you leave me with no choice but to give you that present. Footsteps rang out in the passage beside them as two rows of vampire elites walked into the hall with a certain man in tow. That person appeared extremely weak and was unable to walk on his own. He was being half-carried and half-dragged by two vampire warriors. His drooping head was covered in a black helmet, and his face couldnt be seen clearly. Edward walked over to the man and removed the helmet. Nighteye gasped in shock despite her best efforts to remain calm. That was Count Klaus, Nighteyes father! Edward! Nighteyes voice was full of anger and even somewhat shrill. Edward removed his own mask to reveal a handsome countenance characteristic of the vampire race. It was just that there was a hint of madness in his brilliant, ruby-like eyes. He extended an arm toward Nighteye and said, Beloved, what do you think of this present? Nighteyes chest heaved fiercely, and it took her great effort just to calm down. What do you want? Edward kept on smiling just as before. Youre very clear as to what I want. Ah, no matter, Im very patient and respectful toward my companion. I. Want. You. To. Marry. Me. This isnt Nighteye hadnt finished speaking when Edward cut her short. My dear, do not refuse me in such a hurry. Thatll hurt my feelings. Ah, I understand. It must be that this present isnt sincere enough. Lets do it this way, Ill decorate the gift a little bit, just a bit. With that Edward pried open Klaus mouth and shot a strand of blood energy into his throat. Agitated by the energy, Klaus roared like a beast, revealed his vampiric fangs, and bit down on Edwards finger. However, the latters pale hands were as solid as a metal alloy that had been refined countless times. Klaus fangs simply couldnt punch through the skin. Edward pinched one of the fangs with his finger and exerted some force, shattering the front half of the fang with a loud crack. Klaus emitted a cry of incomparable agony as his body spasmed in pain. He then fell unconscious moments later. An injured fang was one of the greatest torments for a vampire. Even the expressions of the Perth clan members turned unnatural after seeing this. All vampires could sympathize with this pain. Edward, however, had no intention of letting Klaus off so easily. His fingers grabbed onto the remaining portion of the fang and said indifferently, Dear, have you finished considering? Im looking forward to this little modification! Nighteyes body was trembling. Suddenly, her eyes erupted with a sanguineous light and Edwards figure appeared within her pupils. The latter turned pale all of a sudden. The blood energy on his body erupted with great ferocity and formed a pillar of surging blood energy which almost reached the ceiling. Nighteye emitted a muffled groan and staggered backward with her eyes shut, a stream of blood trickling down the corner of her eye. Two streaks of fresh blood flowed down from Edwards nose as he gradually scattered the pillar of blood energy. He produced a handkerchief to wipe his face. The madness in his eyes increased after seeing the bright red stain on the white cloth. Nighteye forced herself to open her eyes. At this moment, there were countless tears and bloody strands in her near-perfect eyes. Only her pupils remained just as deep and abstruse as before. Edward didnt touch the clearly wounded Nighteye. Instead, he pried open Klaus mouth anew and used his blood energy to draw out the latters vampiric fang, which he then pinched lightly with his fingers. My beloved, you must know that your attitude is very important to me. The results will be completely different if youre willing to cooperate. Thats why I dont want to force you unless absolutely necessary. But my patience is limited, and its almost at the very end now. Can you give me a final answer before I shatter these fangs? Yes or no? The pain from the wound roused Klaus from his coma. He saw Nighteye in his daze and immediately became sober. Leave quickly, dont mind me! he shouted at the top of his lungs. Nighteyes face was filled with unbearable agony. She clenched her teeth and said, The Monroe wont let you off! Edward broke into a laugh. He patted Klaus drooping head and said, For whom? Him? A rural noble from Evernight Continent? Hehe, haha! Edward suddenly stopped laughing and said coldly, Dear, this joke isnt funny. Now, reply! Nighteye glanced at Klaus who was struggling in great pain. She closed her eyes with a pained expression and said lightly, I It was at this time that a gunshot rumbled through the cavern, and a beam of black light pierced through Klaus chest with the momentum of a thunderbolt. That was an extremely powerful origin bullet, one which immediately reduced the counts blood core to nothingness. Freed of his torment, Klaus expression relaxed as he looked up at Nighteye with his remaining strength. He couldnt produce any sound, but one could still read his last word from the shape of his lips. Go! Eden rushed out from the darkness and fired a frantic volley of bullets toward Edward. At the same time, his domain pushed toward the Perth clan warriors. He rushed past Nighteye and left a single word, Run! Chapter 521: Brief Encounter But Nighteyes reaction was sluggish after experiencing such drastic developments. She didnt even have the time to cry, and only looked at Eden without knowing what to do. Eden roared, Go! They wont dare kill me as long as you escape! Nighteye shot a deep glance at the demonkin. She then clenched her teeth and rushed into one of the maze-like passages behind her, quickly becoming one with the darkness after activating bloodline concealment. Eden was assigned to her directly by the Evernight Council and was also an important character from the Dark Abyss. Even someone of Edwards status would have to think twice before moving against himbut that was on the premise that Nighteye could escape. Should the latter fall into Edwards hands, however, he would no longer have anything to fear because dead men tell no tales. In the cavern hall, Edward roared in extreme fury as he watched Nighteye disappear. At this moment, the Perth clan soldiers couldnt even look up under the suppression of Edens domain. The higher ranking expertstwo counts and a marquiswere standing behind the group and couldnt push through immediately. The three immediately took action upon hearing Edwards roar. One of the counts knocked the crowd away and made a beeline for Eden. The domain seemed to have little effect on him. The count focused his attention upon Edens origin bullets, poised to complete this sprint with as little damage as possible. However, the hail of bullets made sharp turns in the air, at least half of them converging on the counts body. The impact blasted his badly mangled body away and even exposed his blood core. The attacks came fairly close to killing him. Although no vampire was willing to admit it, this was the difference between a vampire count and that of a famed demonkin clan. The other marquis and count had gone around the disorderly crowd and toward the other end of the hall in an attempt to chase after Nighteye. However, they were frozen in place after seeing the might of Edens focus fire. Not many in the room could withstand such an onslaught while being suppressed by the colossus willeven that marquis didnt dare make an attempt. Edwards expression turned ashen. He could no longer afford to wait for his subordinates to drain Edens ammunition. He leapt up, shrouded in near-tangible blood energy, and charged into the black domain filled with both true and illusory origin bullets. Edward, as a Holy Son, was indeed powerful. A full eruption of his blood energy materialized countless avians and beasts which promptly engaged the sentient black energy in Edens domain. The black mist which had originally enveloped half the hall was quickly weakened. Although Eden did his utmost to twist the majority of bullets toward Edward, the projectiles barely managed to shoot through his protective blood energy. The remaining momentum was only sufficient to tear his clothes and leave a superficial wound. A peculiar smile of mockery appeared on Edens face as Edwards hand was just about to grab his shoulder. He held onto his gun with the left hand while his right fist shot toward Edwards claw. But just as the two were about to make contact, Eden opened his right hand to reveal a black prism-shaped crystal. It was merely the size of a finger with strands of black energy rolling about within. Upon closer inspection, however, one would find that those were actually black flames! Edwards eyes went wide as he cried out in alarm, Youve gone mad!!! He abruptly retracted his hand and leaned his upper body backward, almost losing his balance in the process. Edward used every ounce of strength to stop his charge and shift sideways, but it was too late. The black crystal shot out from Edens hand, and the black flames within were jolted awake. The drifting wisps of flame condensed first into an ember, then burst out violently. The transparent crystal fell apart amidst an eruption of garish prismatic colors, and the black flames spilled out over a ten-meter radius around them. These flamesakin to mist and muslinwere inexplicably odd. They draped over Edward, who hadnt yet escaped the area, and covered the right half of his body. This caused him to discard all semblance of dignity and emit a mournful wailthe pain was clearly excruciating. The blood energy gushing out from Edwards body condensed around him like a pillar. However, the defensive measured seemed completely ineffective and even intensified the immolation like adding fuel to fire. Yet he had no choice but to continue quenching his thirst with proverbial poison because he simply couldnt afford to let the flames touch his body. The Perth clan soldiers nearby who had touched the black flame fell down silently and curled up into a charred mass. They didnt even have the chance to cry out. A first-rank viscount struggled to release his blood energy, but the scarlet defensive barrier flickered out of existence. Soon, raging flames poured out of his nose and mouth, followed by his entire body. Apparently, he could no longer endure the suppression of the void colossus after being gravely injured by the black flameshis origin power had ignited. Origin flames! Wrath of the Abyss! The Perth clan marquis standing close to the cave wall recognized the origin of the black flames. He was so shocked that he pulled back a fair distance from the gauze-like black fire. This origin flame, known as the Wrath of the Abyss, was specific to the demonkin race. Reportedly, it was born from nothingness and capable of scorching an experts soul. Disregarding these legends, the truth was that it was a special type of flame fueled by origin power, the bane of all experts with formidable stores of energy. In theory, it was somewhat similar to the void colossus suppression. This flame was extremely precious even for a famed Demonkin clan. How could touching it be so easy? Regardless of whether there were other factors in play, even the Holy Son Edward didnt dare touch too much of it. He could only put his life on the line and attempt to neutralize the Wrath of the Abyss with his blood energy. The Wrath of the Abyss would die quickly without any origin power to burn. The hall quieted down moments later, but that first-rank viscount had been reduced to ashes and several other warriors had turned into charcoal. Edward clambered up with great difficulty. The great half of his expensive robe had been destroyed, with black marks left behind in many places where the Wrath of the Abyss had touched him. He walked over to Eden and lifted the demonkin up with one hand. His eyes were nearly spewing flames as he growled like a wild beast and his vampiric fangs stretched out. Edens situation was even worse than Edwards. He had collapsed on the ground with the greater half of his body burnt black and couldnt even struggle when Edward lifted him up. Even so, he gazed at the latter and broke into a hearty laugh. Edward endured his thirst for blood and finally retracted his fangs. Its quite the miracle that you werent burned to death. Eden laughed hoarsely. Thats the special privilege afforded to a son of darkness. Are you not afraid of death? Edward said through gritted teeth, but he knew he had asked a dumb question. Edward mightve possibly escaped had the Wrath of the Abyss not expanded to the point where Eden himself was swept in. The latter had used himself as bait, and it was a miracle that he hadnt died. Edward found it rather difficult to deal with such an opponent. He stared fixedly at Eden for a moment before tossing him onto the ground. Then he issued an order without looking back, Nighteye couldnt have run far with that injury, split up and go after her. She must be captured alive! The remaining dozen or so Perth clan vampires responded in unison and charged into the tunnel where Nighteye had vanished. The marquis didnt leave with the pack and instead walked over to Edwards side. Your Majesty, since weve already arrived, the first priority should be to deal with Sky Demons avatar. Shall I stay behind? No! You give chase and Ill deal with Sky Demons avatar. Itll be enough of an explanation for those Evernight geezers as long as we kill one. The marquis expression turned serious. He knew that Edward had already made up his mind but still made an attempt at persuasion. Your Majesty, you wont need to use that item if I stay behind. Moreover, there are also profits to be gained from Sky Demons avatar Edward shook his head slowly. Nothing is as important as Nighteye! The marquis no longer insisted on his plan. He only bowed slightly and ran into the darkness on the other side of the hall. Edward fished out a small crystal box with a neat row of ruby-like origin blood crystals within. He took out one of the four crystals and swallowed it promptly. Moments later, his blood energy was rapidly strengthened and his wounds were healed. Edward glanced back at Eden just as he was about to leave. After a moment of hesitation, he tossed the latter an origin blood crystal and said coldly, Dont let me see you again. Eden flipped over and caught the incoming origin blood crystal with great difficulty. He swallowed it and began to rest with closed eyes. At this moment, Qianye was walking along a seemingly endless cavern. Here, even the origin sundial and compass seemed to have lost their function. Just like the surviving experts of both factions, he was depending on instinct and the occasional reaction to the ancient essence fragment to confirm his direction forward. Qianye heard the rumble of an origin gun as he turned into a certain tunnel accompanied by an intense blood energy fluctuation. He paused momentarily, but even a combination of his perception and Eye of Truth failed to detect any signs of another race. Apparently, two groups of vampires were killing one another. Qianye felt curious because one of those auras felt somewhat familiar. His heart filled with dread, he retracted his aura and sneaked over. It was in a fairly small cave that he saw two figures locked in a fierce battle and moving so fast that their silhouettes appeared illusory. The entire cave, a hundred meters in radius and a dozen or so in height, was their battlefield. They even ran along the walls and hung from the roof as they fought. The vampire races terrifying agility, speed, and combat arts were being deployed without restraint. The combatants were both masters of their craft. Qianyes eyes froze because one of them was so familiar that her figure would appear in his consciousness even without lookingit was Nighteye! He had just stepped through the edge of the tunnel when the outcome of that battle became evident. Nighteye emitted a muffled groan as a spurt of red and gold gushed out from her shoulder. Her opponent also flew back uncontrollably and came to a stop only after crashing into the cave wall. For a while, that person couldnt even stand straight. Nighteye turned and fled without the slightest pause. It seemed her injuries werent light at all. She had rushed past within ten meters of Qianye but actually failed to discover him hiding in the shadows. Chapter 522: Chase [V6C52 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The vampire fighting with Nighteye was a first-rank viscount. He was indeed higher than Nighteye by one rank and the latter was wounded, but being able to chase after her all the way and even injure her meant that he was a genius whose combat strength surpassed his rank. Seconds later, the viscount clambered up and glanced at his surroundings. Then, with a cold laugh, he ran into one of the tunnels without delay. It was likely that he knew a tracking art and could clearly judge Nighteyes movements. At the first fork in the tunnel, he rushed straight into the tunnel via which Nighteye had left. The viscount had just rushed past a group of stalactites when a sense of alarm overwhelmed his heart and he immediately halted his steps! Before him, East Peak had appeared in utter silence and sealed his path forward. Had he been slightly slower to react, he wouldve rushed head-first into that jet black heavy sword. The viscount, drenched in cold sweat, slowly turned his head. Only then did he see the young human and the hand holding East Peak. He was vigilant and focused at this moment but didnt dare make a single move. The other party having arrived so close without his notice proved that he was extremely powerful. Qianye sized the vampire up from head to toe, his gaze pausing slightly on the collar insignia. Why is the Perth clan hunting down the Monroe clan? It seems you know quite a lot about us sacred-blooded scions! Then you should know that, no matter who you are, the Queen of the Nights business isnt something you humans can interfere with. Now let me go and Ill pretend this never happened! Qianye broke into a laugh. I have zero interest in your internal strife, rest assured The vampire viscount sighed quietly in relief. He felt, for some reason, an inexplicable pressure coming from this young human, so much so that he couldnt even rally himself for a surprise attack. It was certainly for the best now that Qianye didnt want to interfere. But Qianyes words that followed were: Im only interested in killing you. A tremendous pressure descended upon the viscount as though the ocean were weighing down upon him. The wounded vampire could even hear the vague rush of ocean waves as his legs gave in, and he nearly fell kneeling onto the ground. A faint whistle rang out as East Peak fell from above! The Perth clan viscount raised his sword with both hands in a frantic attempt to intercept the incoming blade. His sword, clearly an extraordinary item, remained intact even after the clash. However, the immense pressure exerted by East Peak wasnt something the vampire could resist. Both man and blade were smashed down, completely deforming the viscounts sword as well as his head. Qianye plunged his vampiric blade into the viscounts blood core, thoroughly ending his life. He searched through the dead viscounts body and found some origin grenades, crystal currency, and even a drop of origin blood. Although its quality was only mediocre, it was still a valuable item nonetheless. Qianye put everything away and followed the path Nighteye had taken. The latter was indeed fast. Her remnant aura had already grown so faint during this short period that Qianye mightve lost her if not for his True Sight. It was fortunate that he had ended the battle quickly without wasting much time on the Perth clan viscount. Qianye began to frown after a while. Judging from the newest traces along the way, Nighteyes speed was gradually decreasing, a clear sign that her injuries were acting up. However, that didnt mean she could be easily caught up with. Nighteye intentionally passed through the territories of powerful beasts. Qianye mightve been stopped midway if it werent for him possessing the same Bloodline Concealment ability which allowed him to move past without alarming them. This was akin to walking on the razors edge because everyone would slip up at one point. Nighteye was fighting a powerful wild beast when Qianye caught up to her. Apparently, she had been discovered. It was a massive lizard-like creature with a thick shell on its back which moved with great agility despite its enormous body and used its long tongue to attack. Nighteye changed directions with extreme speed and grasped the opportunity to release a volley of shots. However, her bullets had their trajectories shifted and flew toward the creatures shell. She managed to remove several scales, but it was nothing but a scratch to the meter-thick shell. It turned out that this rank-fifteen beast was able to exert a distortion field around its body and deflect incoming attacks. It could almost be considered an unconventional domain. Moreover, its shellas thick as the plate armor installed upon the city wallsmade it even more difficult to handle. Moreover, its tongue could shoot out hundreds of meters at lightning speed and was extremely sturdy. Nighteye slashed at it several times but only managed to leave a number of negligible wounds while she herself was almost stabbed numerous times. Qianye knew at a glance that Nighteye wasnt a match for this beast even in her peak state. His own combat style, on the other hand, happened to restrain such heavily armored creatures. But even so, the outcome was uncertain because the level disparity between them was simply too great. It was at this time that the giant beasts tongue suddenly warped toward a strange anglerolling back and switching from a stab to a whip. This time, Nighteye was caught completely off-guard and struck squarely in the back. She was flung out like a cannonball and crashed violently into a cave wall, nearly sinking into it. Qianye hesitated no longer. The Twin Flowers appeared in a flash and merged into one as the golden wings behind him unfurled to the extreme. It was actually a golden feather that shot out from the muzzle! Shot of Inception! All sound and light within ten thousand meters were snuffed out and drained by the shot. Every living being felt an ineffable restlessness. It was as though they had heard the opening of deaths doors, yet it also felt like they had harkened to the blessings of heaven. That was an inexplicable experience. All combatants engaged in fierce battles within ten thousand meters became absent-minded for a split second. William, in his giant wolf form, staggered and missed his mark, biting into the coarse stone pillar in front of him and snapping it in half. The imperial lieutenant general who was fighting with him stared on with an odd expression. That stone pillar was so thick that it would take at least two men to wrap their arms around it. Williams wolf form was only the size of a wild wolfone that could be found anywhere on Evernight Continentyet he was able to bite through such a thick stone pillar. This imperial lieutenant general was a shrewd veteran. He immediately turned and fled while William was busy spitting out the stone pieces in his mouth. His actions could be considered decisive and efficient. By the time William had finished cleaning the debris from his mouth, his opponent had long since vanished. He was momentarily dazed at the sudden development and soon let out an unhappy roar. In another direction, Bai Aotus accurate fist-strike halted midway, and that misty Sky Demon avatar on the other side also came to a standstill. This resulted in Bai Aotus fist barely grazing the latters body. However, the momentum of that strike continued forward and punched a hole through the cave wall. The defect was at least dozens of meters deep, and its edges were as smooth as a mirror. Sky Demons avatar twisted around in a weird manner, much like a person turning to glance at that hole. The distortion suddenly intensified as it scattered and reformed into a wisp of smoke which then shot into the defect produced by Bai Aotus fist strike and vanished in the blink of an eye. Bai Aotu was also startled. She hadnt expected that the Sky Demon avatar, which she had chased down so brazenly, would escape at this point. But her reactions were as quick as lightning. Her left hand rose and blasted another wave of fist energy into the cavity, eliciting an indistinct cry of misery from its depths. It would seem that the strike had found its mark. However, Bai Aotu wasnt happy at all. Even though the avatar had been badly wounded, the fact remained that she had allowed it to escape. Bai Aotus expression was frosty as she glanced toward a different direction. If there was a way to catch a birds eye view of the entire cavern, one would see that she was looking in Qianyes direction. She would have certainly struck the avatar and gravely injured it if not for that bizarre moment of palpitation. Her loaded left hand would then force it to remain here for eternity. Now, the avatar had escaped successfully and it wouldnt be so careless the next time. Bai Aotu pondered for a moment but still couldnt figure out what that palpitation was about. Moreover, there was a hint of power in it that caused her to feel apprehensive. As bold as she was, Bai Aotu decided against going in that direction in the end. In a different battlefield, another one of Sky Demons avatars, as well as Zhao Jundu who was facing it, slowed down ever so slightly. The avatar recovered first and immediately pulled back in a bid to leave the place. It had never once managed to extricate itself since the beginning of the battle. That blue light blade in Zhao Jundus hands filled it with dread, and it was unwilling to so much as touch it. But just as the avatar was stepping back, the once calm environment began to surge with violet energy. Two pillars of violet flamethe top parts suffused with a tinge of azureappeared behind its back. The Sky Demon avatar didnt have enough time to react and crashed right into them, screaming wretchedly as it was burned between the interlocking pillars. It would seem that Zhao Jundus violet qi was able to deal exceptional damage to Sky Demons avatar. Even the black mist that formed its body was ignited by the violet flame pillars. Arrows of black mist shot out in every direction as the Sky Demon avatar screamed and struggled. The violet flame pillars were immediately punched full of holes, and the entire landscape was on the verge of collapse. But at this moment, a wave of blue radiance washed over like a collapsing wall and enveloped the avatar. The avatars screams increased by an octave. A black figure half its original size shot out from the blue light and vanished into the depths of the tunnel. A pale Zhao Jundu remained standing in place as his face became abnormally flushed for a split second. He was ambushed by the avatar while exploring the cavern, but Zhao Jundus combat technique was known for being almost flawlessthere wasnt a single advantage to take. The only problem was that the Sky Demon avatar managed to retain its full combat strength in this suppressed world, and the level difference between the two was too great. Disadvantaged as he was, Zhao Jundu fought calmly and without a single opening. His recovery was even quicker than Sky Demons avatar when that throbbing sensation arrived. He immediately availed himself to the opportunity and used the Omniscient Seal to heavily injure the avatar. However, chasing it down or destroying it was beyond his power. A light flickered in Zhao Jundus eyes as he looked toward the source of that throbbing sensationno one knew what was going through his mind. Moments later, he turned around and chose a path far away from the source. Meanwhile, in the cave where Nighteye was attacked by the giant beast, Qianye was flung backward. The Twin Flowers turned dim and became shrouded in a layer of haziness. The feather of inception turned into a beam of golden light which shot through the giant creature like an indiscriminate arrow. The shell Nighteye was helpless against could do nothing at all to block the assault. The giant beasts body began to swell up, soon reaching a point where there were cracks all over its body and countless beams of light were shooting out from between the breached skin. Soon afterward, a circle of golden light spread out silently and washed over the entire cavern. Chapter 523: The First Drop of Origin Blood [V6C53 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The beast roared within the golden light as the ceiling of the cave cracked apart and pieces of rock fell like rain. Even the walls had been split openmany old passages were blocked up, while new gaps opened through the shifting walls. An unconscious Nighteye fell out from the wall, crashed into the golden wave of light, and was flung away. Qianye was shocked out of his wits. He used his last bit of strength to rush over and caught Nighteye just as she was about to fall into a broken stone pillar. Then, the two collapsed onto the ground. Qianye lay facing upward and gasped like a fish out of water. It felt as though his lungs were on fire and the air was burning. His vision was blurry, and it felt as though his body had disconnected from his consciousnesshe couldnt even feel his limbs, to speak nothing of moving. The quaking finally passed by, and the giant beast lying beneath the rubble had completely lost all signs of life. Even its tenacious body seemed to have shriveled up. At this moment, Qianye could no longer find an ounce of strength. All of his origin power and blood energy had been drained clean by the Shot of Inception. The might of this attack had increased yet again compared to when he had used it in the Black Forest, but the drain on his origin power and blood energy was also terrifying. Even with Qianyes current strength, he was completely drained in the blink of an eye. However, the most dangerous moment had just arrived. The colossus will had never been more distinct. That was a tremendous existence transcending the entire continent. It felt as though the entire sky had come crashing down upon Qianye. Before the void colossus will, each and every individual consciousness was like a grain of sand being gravitated toward its vastness. Once assimilated, Qianye would forever cease to exist. At this moment, Qianyes emotions were exceptionally mild, free of all love, hate, blame, and enmity. He felt a certain comprehension flow into his heart as he gazed at that different world in the voidthe meaning of existence, the importance of power, and the significance of all the glimmer he had seen through the darkness. As the all-devouring void was gradually stained with darkness, those glimmering lights were the only existences that refused to be snuffed out. Qianye could even sense a gentle warmth. Although life was bitter and unfair at the outside, he had also gained many precious things through the hardship. The will to live was born of the things one possessed, and the pursuit of power was so that one could protect them. It was at this moment that the Book of Darkness appeared and opened of its own volition. Strands of origin power spread out from the pages, containing both darkness and daybreak. The two extreme attributes were entirely different from one another, yet miraculously harmoniousjust like that moment at dawn where the eye of daybreak would open upon the dark night. The book of darkness emitted a deep, abstruse fluctuation which isolated the void colossus will and protected the consciousness flickering like a candle in the wind. Qianyes entire body was like an arid farmland absorbing every bit of rain and dew with an insatiable appetite. Very soon, his blood core began pulsing anew and pumped out several strands of auric flame blood. The ground was also rippling with the tides of the Combatant Formula. Only at this point did Qianye recover the ability to move. The cave was completely silent. Qianye turned around with great difficulty and found Nighteye still unconscious in his arms. During the critical moment just now, Qianye had fallen down while shielding her in his embrace. He couldnt see her faceonly the beating of her heart and the rise and fall of her body as she respired. He could sense that she was still alive. Qianye gradually clambered up, taking care not to jolt Nighteye too much. He shifted himself toward an intact wall and propped his exhausted body upon it before examining Nighteyes condition. Her brows were locked tightly together even while unconscious. Apparently, she was still suffering. Her aura was in chaos, and there were traces of fresh blood from her eyes trailing down her somewhat dazzling skin. It was a painful sight to behold. Qianye reached out and gently wiped off the stains from the corner of her eyes. The blood was bright red and still somewhat warm. Her snow-white skin appeared from below wherever his fingers passed. The lack of an injury meant that all the blood had flowed out from her eyes. Qianyes trembling hands grew weak all of a sudden. He didnt quite dare continue the inspection out of fear that he would see those injuries. He had walked a bloody path through Yellow Springs and Red Scorpionnot a day passed by where he wasnt embroiled in the flames of war and experiencing bloody spectacles. However, Qianye was still afraid at this moment. After a moment of pause, Qianyes hands moved downward to inspect her body. All the problems on Nighteyes body became evident in his True Sight. She had broken several ribs when she was whipped into the cave wall. There were also some abrasions, scars, and some shallow blade wounds. They were likely caused during the chase or perhaps when she was struck by the energy wave from the Shot of Inception. These were all minor injuries. Even broken ribs and damaged internal organs would only require a couple days of recuperation for a vampire. Her most serious injury, however, was on the blood core. Her blood core was currently very unstable and beating erratically. Qianye sensed abnormally dense levels of vitality therein, and with his True Sight, he could see strands of garish blood seeping out continuously from the surface. This wasnt a good thing. It was a sign that the blood core had been heavily damaged and could no longer contain the origin blood within. Add to that the injuries to her eyes, it was clear that she had just faced an extremely powerful enemy and suffered a backlash from her eye ability. It was the same situation back when Qianye had met Zhao Jundu on the Silentflame Steppes. It was just that Zhao Jundu had held back intentionally, so Qianye wasnt badly injured. But that wasnt the case for Nighteye. Her present condition made it clear that her foundations had been injured. Without timely intervention, not only would she suffer a slow death from the damage to her blood core, but her eyes would also be permanently damaged, leading to a loss of her eye abilities. Qianyes hands were as cold as ice, and his movements were somewhat rigid as he slowly tidied Nighteyes clothes. He then produced the origin blood crystal he had obtained from the Perth clan viscount and poured it into Nighteyes mouth. Nighteyes face immediately regained some color after the origin blood entered her mouth, and her knitted brows relaxed slightly, apparently relieved of her suffering. Some hope was ignited in Qianyes heart. He placed a hand on Nighteyes chest and sensed that wisp of origin blood seeping into her veins. There, it erupted with vitality in a bid to awaken the innate regenerative abilities in her body. However, it was like pouring a glass of water into a lake. The tiny ripples produced therein were quickly drowned out. The injured blood core was still beating with great difficulty, every contraction causing some vibrant blood to seep out along with a wisp of her vitality. Qianye forced himself to calm down as he rummaged through Andruils Mysterious Realm. He fished out a dozen or so blood crystals and crushed them one by one, sending the blood energy stored within them into Nighteyes body. But what could mere blood crystals do when even origin blood couldnt reverse her injuries? Qianye slumped down helplessly and buried his face into Nighteyes hair. If even origin blood was useless, the only effective measure left was the blood pond. But there was no telling how long it would take to even walk out of this mountainous void colossus skeleton, to speak nothing of the vast lands beyond it. How was she to get back to Evernight? In his restlessness, Qianye glanced up at the giant beast corpse lying beneath the rubble. He carefully removed Nighteye from his knees and walked over with his vampiric dagger drawn. He felt rolling waves of essence blood pour into his body as the blade sunk in. Although the Shot of Inception had destroyed most of the beasts origin power, the remaining essence blood was still fairly abundant. The warmth and satiation brought about by the absorption calmed Qianyes troubled heart. He didnt activate the Mystery Chapter, allowing the dark golden and purple blood energies to devour the essence blood in the most primitive way. A sudden notion rose from the depths of his mindit didnt belong to his memories, but it felt true. Qianye was somewhat startled. He instinctively grabbed onto those fragments and pulled them out from his consciousness. It was as though he had opened up a certain valve, and the gushing sanguineous flood almost sent him reeling. There was something in Qianyes consciousness by the time he had sobered upsomething that could be considered an inheritance. Qianyes thoughts and emotions were in utter chaos at this moment. He knew without any explanation that this was a memory from the River of Blood, the source of all vampires, as it flowed through the currents of time. He had witnessed it once during Sky Demons battle. A dazed Qianye was jolted awake by a certain fragrant scent. He quickly turned back and saw Nighteyes chest heaving rapidly. The aura of her breath was gradually burning up, and the fragrance was being emitted from it. This wasnt a good sign. Apparently, her injuries were worsening so quickly that her body was attempting to enter hibernation. She could still restrain her injuries consciously when awake, however, a prolonged period of coma would break the balance of self-recovery, causing all her hidden injuries to erupt at the same time. Hence, the body would initiate a state of hibernation in order to protect itself. This was a natural method of healing for a vampire. But without external aid, such a hibernation might stretch hundreds or even thousands of years. Qianye walked over to Nighteye and knelt down beside her. He picked up her hands and clasped them in front of her chestthey were just as pale, just as cold. It would be prohibitively difficult to rouse her in such an injured state, and it was likely that her injuries would worsen once awakened. The best external healing force, with the exception of a blood pond, was origin bloodone which belonged to a higher, more powerful bloodline. The most suitable vampire at the scene was perhaps Qianye himself. Qianye stared fixedly at Nighteyes beautiful face, and for the first time, his resolute eyes turned blood-red while fully conscious. His pupils were like rubies of the highest quality, sparkling, translucent, and without the slightest bit of impurity. His blood core was emitting a powerful and muffled pulsation, every beat seemingly pounding on the heart of this world. The entire cavern was once again suffused with a trembling hum as a drop of origin blood condensed at the center of his blood core. It was garish, spirited, and full of vitality. Moreover, there was a golden crystal floating at its center. That was Qianyes origin blood, his very first. The knowledge he had gained from the River of Blood was vast, but it was largely fragmented. He had obtained the method to condense the blood but didnt know how to extract it. But that wasnt important because every problem had a primitive solution to it. Qianye first reached out to gently touch Nighteyes face. Afterward, he removed his clothes and armor to reveal a muscular upper body. Qianye then drew his dagger and plunged it into his chest. Chapter 524: Pursuers [V6C54 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The sharp blade tore through his skin, piercing right into his chest and cutting his blood core open before finally stopping at its center. A drop of blood with a golden crystal at its core flowed out along the shining blade and fell into Nighteyes mouth. The blood energy around Nighteye immediately grew dense and even formed a faint layer of red mist over her body suffused with specks of golden light. Nighteyes breathing gradually stabilized after a while, and the frightening scent disappeared. Qianye inspected her once again and heaved a sigh after seeing that her blood core was, following a significant replenishment of power, already beginning to heal. He glanced around and found an isolated space behind a newly formed gap in the wall. One would need to pass through the great hall and a half-obstructed passage in order to reach it. Qianye tried to pick Nighteye up, but his face turned pale and his legs gave in before he could even stand up. He planted an elbow to the ground to prevent himself from falling onto Nighteye. He used the other hand to try propping up his body but almost collapsed onto the ground. The body he would always have full control of, even under extreme conditions, felt rather unfamiliar today. It had grown excessively weak. This was the outcome of a heavily injured blood core. Qianye took a deep breath and waited for the sudden lightheadedness to pass. This movement caused the wound on his chest to burst open, staining his undone jacket in blood. Qianye coughed hard a couple of times and spat out a good amount of bloody froth as he pressed on the wound with his hand. The dark golden and purple blood energies in his body seemed to have sensed the trauma. They jumped out of their runes and swam around the blood core, spitting out wisps of vitality in a bid to restore the tear on its surface. Qianye felt slightly better after a while, and the bleeding on his chest had stopped. However, the wound to his blood core wouldnt heal so easily. He stood up little by little and moved Nighteye into that hidden space. He laid her down flat in a comfortable position and wiped off the dirt on her face. He gazed at her in silence for a while before picking up East Peak and moving back toward the hall with great difficulty. Qianye found a dark corner within the serene hall and sat down with his back against the wall. He rummaged through Andruils Mysterious Realm and fished out a box of cigarettes. He cut it open with his military knife, added some strong military-use stimulants, and lit it up. His hands trembled uncontrollably. Even these simple movements were fairly difficult to perform because his weakness hadnt completely faded away. Presently, Qianye had realized the pain of a wounded blood core. It felt as though he were falling helplessly into a bottomless hole. Qianye brought the cigarette to his mouth and inhaled deeply. A sharp heat poured into his lungs and made him cough several times, but the excessive amount of stimulants immediately lifted his spirits. A Perth clan viscount was running along the maze-like passages. He would stop time and again to observe the traces on the wall and ground. He seemed excited as Nigtheyes tracks increased in number. This meant that her injuries were worsening and that he was closing in on her position. Nighteye had been badly wounded by Edward. He would already have caught up if not for her ability to pass undetected through the territories of powerful beasts. Being an expert in stealth, the viscount had left the other experts of his race in the dust and, despite his mediocre strength, caught up alone. He couldnt help but reveal a cruel grin when he thought about how a great contribution would soon to fall into his lap. Bang! The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground shocked the viscount out of his wits. That was because he actually hadnt sensed any signs of life at the end of the tunnel. His reactions werent slow at all as he halted his steps urgently and dashed into the shadow behind a stone pillar. He then glanced toward the end of the tunnel after hiding himself well. The area in front was just as dark as the other underground tunnels with only a type of unknown fungus emitting a faint fluorescence. The light was so faint that it made little difference from pitch darkness. Even the vampire viscount, with his innate night vision, found it difficult to see the end of the tunnel clearly. There was a heavy sword planted at the center of the tunnel and behind it stood a person. At this distance, the viscount could barely make out the silhouette of a man, but he couldnt see what race he belonged to. The viscount had maintained stealth the entire way and had immediately hidden after being alarmed by the sound. According to reason, the other party shouldnt have found himself, and his appearance here was likely just a coincidence. But this tunnel was the end of a winding road, and judging from the distribution of the fluorescent mushrooms, it was a cave hall beyond. This also meant that he had to pass through in order to catch up to Nighteye. The viscount didnt want to invite extra problems for himself, but it would seem he had no other choice. He calculated the distance, drew his handgun, and gradually instilled it with origin power. Qianye lit up a cigarette at the end of the tunnel and said after inhaling deeply, Stop hiding, I saw you since ages ago. The vampire viscount was momentarily shocked. The other party was speaking in the common language and was likely a human, judging from his accent and word choices. But he shouldnt have been found out since vampires had greater perception methods in dark environments and their sensory range was also much wider. The handgun was no longer an effective means now that his movements had been compromised. The viscount simply walked out of the shadows with his sword drawn and returned his gun to the holster. I wanted to let you die quickly at first, but you decided against it yourself. So, dont blame me for being cruel. Ill give you a chance, answer truthfully. A vampire girl with black hair and eyes passed by here just now. Have you seen her? Qianye didnt assume a combat stance even after seeing the viscount approaching fast. He pointed behind while smoking and said, You mean Nighteye? Shes just over there. The viscount was delighted. Really? How far? Hows her condition? The vampire spewed out a series of questions, but he noticed something was amiss when he saw Qianyes spurious smile. Youre a human! How did you know her name? What do you know? Qianye inhaled once more. I also know that you dont need to know all that. The viscounts expression sank as he said coldly, I also think that your last cigarette is taking too long. Oh, you mean this cigarette? It has a lot of uses. Qianye revealed a pure smile. The viscounts heart was overwhelmed with a sense of alarm as the faint sounds of crashing waves filled his ears and an inexplicably tremendous pressure descended upon him. With a loud cry, the blood energy around him flickered out of existence and his knees fell to the floor. Qianye raised East Peak with one hand. Then, within the viscounts terrified gaze, he saw a sword falling onto his head and cleaving him into two. The sword continued its descent and sunk deep into the ground. Qianye didnt pull it back out, either. He simply let go of the hilt and arrived beside the corpse with his vampiric blade drawn. Unfortunately, the accurate sword strike had slashed the viscounts blood core into two. He would be able to absorb a third of the essence blood at most no matter how quickly he acted. Qianye shrugged and reminded himself to make some modifications to his sword stance in the future. Even so, this essence blood still alleviated his weakness quite a bit, allowing the dark golden and purple blood energiesthat had started slowing down from the overconsumptionto catch their breath. However, he was quite a ways from reaching a state of blood boil. The cigarette flame in his fingers reached the end at this moment. Qianye flicked away the butt and lit up another one as he leaned on the wall. Each cigarette was a dose of stimulant, keeping his exhausted body in a combat-ready state. A sudden, raspy voice arrived through the hallway. What horrible table manners, which clan descendant are you? The voice appeared unexpectedly. Its distance was difficult to gauge, and there was no person in sight. However, Qianye didnt look surprised at allit was as though he had long since noticed this person hiding on the sidelines. He was just as calm and collected. Holding the cigarette in his left hand, he spun the vampiric blade around his right hand before returning it to its sheath. He then placed his right hand on East Peak without lifting it up. Its good enough that theres food in this accursed place. Who cares about table manners? A stern-looking old man walked out from the shadows. His apparel was spotless despite the long period of combat, and every jeweled button was brightly polished. This was an old-fashioned vampire. The Perth clan insignia on his collar was built of colored gems, clearly the work of a master craftsman. He looked at Qianye with an eye of disdain, but there was also a hint of apprehension within. The vampire elder had arrived at just about the same time as that viscount, but the latter naturally couldnt sense him. He had intended to let the viscount go up first and test the waters, but he had never expected him to be cut down in one strike. He had no time to even lend a hand. The more the count looked, the more puzzled he became. He had thought at first that Qianye was a human because his sword strike was clearly powered by daybreak origin power. But next, he saw Qianye absorb the viscounts essence blood with his vampiric blade. He almost thought his perceptions had been warped by this world, but Qianyes reply confirmed that he had seen correctly. Then there was only one possibility left. The other party was a halfbreed between a vampire and a humanhe had awoken his sacred bloodline, but his daybreak origin power hadnt been swallowed up just yet. This conjecture increased the disdain in the vampire counts eyes because halfbreeds had little roles in the vampire society. They might possess some strange abilities, but they were destined never to break through to the rank of count and above. Im Count Robinson of the Perth clan. Who are you and what is your relationship with Nighteye? Hand her over and Ill grant you a swift death. Qianye broke into a laugh. The Perth clan people sure love muttering to themselves. I never joke. Robinsons expression was frosty. I dont like playing around, either. Tell me where Nighteye is, or else No need for that, make your move! Fury flashed across Robinsons expression. He produced a scarlet rapier which, with a shake of his hand, began to tremble and emit a resounding chorus. Qianye smiled as he slowly drew out East Peak and raised its unassuming edge, each movement backed by a might as condensed as the mountains. An ineffable palpitation emerged once again in Robinsons heart. He had always been a prudent person and was famous for his intuition. Feeling something odd, he glanced at Qianyes expression and noticed something hidden within that smile. It seemed as though he was pleased about something. Robinson immediately halted his steps and stared fixedly at Qianye. Youre injured. Qianye laughed radiantly. Anyone can see that. Robinsons brows locked into a frown as he sneered, It looks like you want me to attack immediately because youll be collapsing on your own after a while. Then lets wait it out. Qianye was calm and collected. This, on the contrary, made Robinson lose his confidence. He looked on suspiciously, hesitant on whether he should retreat or advance. In truth, he wanted to stall for time. Just as he was pondering over what to do, a chill arose from behind Robinsons back. It was as though a line of ice was climbing up along his spine, all to the way to the back of his head. For a moment, he could hardly tell whether it was a real chill or an illusion born of killing intent. Robinson turned rapidly and shot a backward glance. Chapter 525: Challenge [V6C55 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A blue clothed figure appeared on the other end of the passageproud and cold like snow falling upon lone mountain peak. Youre quite smart, he didnt want to wait at first. But youre also quite unlucky because Ive arrived, said Li Kuanglan. Who are you? Robinsons expression was solemn. He had never heard of such a character on the empires side. A clear expert like Li Kuanglan shouldve been well-known among the dark races. Li Kuanglan had no intention of replying. His eyes swept past the count and fell upon Qianye. I never forgot about how you wounded my hand last time. Im really looking forward to this attack, so dont waste it on rubbish like him. Robinson was furious for he had never suffered such a humiliation before. Ill have you know that Im from one of the oldest sacred-blooded clans I know, I know... Perth clan, right? I might take it seriously if your Holy Son or a marquis comes, but a fellow without much potential like you is trash in my eyes. Robinson spoke no more. He shook his sword and walked over toward Li Kuanglan in large strides. This was a humiliation to his clan name, a dishonor which he must wash clean with blood. Li Kuanglan raised Cold Moons Embrace. Ripples surged upon its edge as a cloud of light blue frost shot toward Robinson. A flood of blood energy boiled upon the latters sword as he roared and charged at the frost energy. The splendid red deluge was immediately frozen upon contact. The formless blood energy actually transformed into icicles and quickly fell down in sheets. Robinsons expression was pale, and the red in his eyes had grown indiscernibly faint. Half his body was covered in white mist which immediately condensed into a thin layer of ice. His blood energy was more or less wiped out during the exchange just now, and even his main body had suffered grave injuries. It was a complete defeat. Li Kuanglan laughed in the face of Robinsons dismal expression. He seemed reserved but was, in fact, full of arrogance. I havent even gone all out! Robinson found it difficult to even speak. You! If it wasnt for that sword Sword? Li Kuanglan waved Cold Moons Embrace about. You cant afford this sword even if you pour out your entire familys wealth which means youre still trash. Otherwise, why didnt you bring a better weapon to fight with me? Robinson glared furiously. He moved his legs forward with great difficulty in a bid to fight it out with Li Kuanglan, but he could only let out a miserable cry just after the first step. Sanguineous flames erupted out from his arms and legs as his blood energy ignited. The colossus... will Robinson hadnt even finished when he fell to the ground in the form of a bloody torch. Li Kuanglan glanced over at Qianye with an enigmatic smile. Youre Qianye of the Zhao clan, right? Its our turn now. Qianye frowned slightly as he sized up this unfathomable opponent. He was extremely handsome, and the lack of a soldierly flair, he made up for with his charm. His smile was akin to rippling water, almost as if it could speak and drag ones soul away. But one would find, upon closer inspection, that there was no smile in his eyes. The rolling brilliance therein werent ripples but sword intent and murderous will. Youre from the empire? Qianye inquired. Naturally. Qianyes frown locked even tighter. Now isnt the time for us to fight each other, dont you think? Its not too late to fight after we leave. You intend to deal with the dark races first? Li Kuanglan broke into a laugh. Such words can only deceive idiots. There is no lack of infighting on either side at any given time. Enough with the nonsense. I, Li Kuanglan, will fight you today whether you like it or not! Qianye said no more. He simply grabbed East Peak in both hands and raised it slowly, lighting up all the silver patterns in the process. Li Kuanglans sword intent proved that his character was just as stubborn as his martial path. Such a person would hardly change his mind once it was made up. Li Kuanglan frowned as he watched the restrained origin power upon the blade. The tip of his sword swayed briefly as a tin beam of blue light shot toward East Peaks edge. Ding! It was as though two divine weapons had traded blows. East Peak trembled incessantly amidst a surge of scarlet origin power and drifting golden radiance. Qianye was greatly astonished. The attack just now was extremely fast, and the tyrannical frost energy nearly shattered East Peaks origin power. Li Kuanglans frost attribute was slightly inferior to Venus Dawn, but the quantity was overwhelming. A mere probe had nearly caused Qianye to drop his sword. Li Kuanglan frowned. Youre indeed wounded and quite seriously at that. How are we to play if you can only launch a couple of sword strikes? Qianyes face was expressionless, but in his heart, he was rather curious about Li Kuanglans identity. Gauging his current status in a single ranged attack was no small matter. Apart from possessing an ability similar to True Sight, it was also likely that his rank was extremely high. Li Kuanglans frown relaxed soon afterward. Oh well, I wont take too much of an advantage. Lets begin! With that, he slashed at Qianyes throat from afarhe wasnt the least concerned about the latters response. Cold Moons Embrace had barely moved when a blue sword radiance arrived before Qianye. This strike was just too fast. Even Qianye, despite his speed and reaction, didnt have time to evade. He relied on his basic sword techniques and the instincts he had honed through many life and death battles to barely parry the blue light coming for his throat. The blue light shattered with a ding. It was just a small piece of ice, but it shook Qianye from head to toe and sent him staggering backward. A thin layer of frost emerged on his body, but unlike Robinson, they were all broken down by a jolt of his body. It was as though he had been covered in snowflakes. This wasnt just a competition of origin power, but rather, it involved him breaking through the icy shackles with his powerful physique. Li Kuanglans eyes lit up. Interesting! Cold Moons Embrace was swung several times in the blink of an eye, each slash as quick as lightning. Blue light filled Qianyes eyes as the sword energy arrived before him. No number of sword techniques and predictions would be effective against such a frequency of attack. Qianye simply closed his eyeshe stopped looking at the dazzling radiance and relied solely on his instincts to deflect them. East Peak waved back and forth in Qianyes hand in a rather awkward and disorderly manner. But as it happened, he managed to block all of the incoming sword energy. Excellent swordplay! Li Kuanglan praised. He advanced with his sword raised, each step taking him ten meters forward, and soon had his blade at Qianyes nose. This move was virtually indefensible. Qianye had East Peak tightly in his grasp but had no way to compete against Li Kuanglan in speed. He simply ignored the incoming stab and swung East Peak at the mans waist. This was a move that would end in mutual destruction. Li Kuanglan would stab through Qianyes head, but he himself would be slashed through the waist. Li Kuanglan suddenly let go of Cold Moons Embrace and swatted East Peak with his hand. This caused the lightless heavy sword to swerve to one side as though it had been pressed down by a great force. His movements were as agile as lightning, as smooth as the flowing rivers and clouds. His hand, after launching the palm strike, resumed its grip on the thrusting sword. It was as if the blade had never paused its advance. Qianye exerted power from his wrist and, borrowing from the momentum of Li Kuanglans palm, sent East Peak toward the ground. There, he swung the blade sideways toward the latter. Li Kuanglans legs might not remain should East Peak so much as graze them. After weighing the pros and cons, Li Kuanglan had no choice but to take a step back and evade the incoming sword. But how could he be pushed back so easily? He reached out to guide Cold Moons Embrace amidst the shifting footwork. The blue sword of ice left his hand once again, this time, spinning through the air and slashing toward the back of Qianyes head. At the same time, he tread forth once again after evading East Peak and attacked Qianye with his bare hands. At this moment, Li Kuanglan and Cold Moons embrace were like two coordinated experts attacking Qianye together from different directions. Qianye paid no heed to the icy blade falling upon him. Instead of pulling back, he threw himself at Li Kuanglan and exchanged a dozen or so moves before sidestepping the assault from behind. Along the way, Qianye folded his hand backward and moved East Peak into a horizontal parry. It was as though he had eyes on the back of his head. Li Kuanglan didnt relax at all and immediately went after Qianye. He tapped Cold Moons Embrace lightly just as his silhouette was flashing past and actually sent the sword toward Qianye in a spinning slash. This was a battle Qianye had never experienced. Li Kuanglan and Cold Moons Embrace would split off from time to time, the latter spending more time out of its owners grasp than within. But no matter how he touched Cold Moons Embracebe it with his fingers, shoulders, or even his sleevesit would always slash at Qianye from unimaginable angles as though it had gained sentience. At this moment, man and sword had transformed into two separate entities. They surrounded Qianye and attacked him from all sides, effectively suppressing his space for variation and evasion. Qianye responded steadily, attacking and retreating naturally within the small space. He wanted to knock down Cold Moons Embrace on several occasions, but the movements of this man and sword were simply too fast and too bizarre. He was never able to form a complete counterattack. Perhaps Li Kuanglan was even slightly inferior to Zhao Jundu in terms of technique. He had yet to reach a state of consummation like the latter, but he was simply too fast and his crystal sword, too sharp. His origin power was also very deep, and its attribute was strange, to say the least. Qianye could hardly make use of the openings even after finding themthus, his openings were no longer openings. The two exchanged hundreds if not thousands of blows in the span of a breath. A plethora of secret combat arts blossomed like flowers in Li Kuanglans hands. The constant display was almost stifling. Qianyes combat style was relatively coarse and unadorned. All he used were variations of the military combat techniques and basic sword arts. Most of the time, they couldnt even be considered techniques because he seemed to be blocking and punching randomly. However, this seemingly clumsy method managed to block all of Li Kuanglans attacks, albeit barely. Even when there were times he couldnt block, he would use a mutually destructive move to force Li Kuanglan into defense. At the height of their battle, Li Kuanglan and his sword were like two masses of blue light which revolved around Qianye, their torrential assault akin to the endless flow of the Yangtze River. Qianye, on the other hand, stood tall and unmoving like a mighty boulder in white-water. Great swordplay! This move is excellent! How interesting! Li Kuanglan praised repeatedly. After reaching a point of intoxication in battle, Li Kuanglan flashed back and stood ten meters away. He gazed at Qianye in a leisurely manner, without even a drop of sweat on his forehead. Qianye, however, was panting heavily, his face pale and his aura much weaker than before. Li Kuanglan suddenly asked, Why do you look like you just damaged your foundations? Qianye remained silent. He stared fixedly at Li Kuanglan as he placed a hand on the heavy sword sticking into the ground at an incline. This was the most terrifying enemy he had ever encountered. Even Zhao Jundu might be inferior to him because of the difference in rank and weapon, yet he was only about Zhao Yuyings age. Chapter 526: A Great Favor [V6C56 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Kuanglan spoke while shaking his headit seemed like he was talking to Qianye, but it also seemed like he was muttering to himself, Youre too wounded and weak, its not interesting to kill you now. Youll be a good opponent after a couple of years. Ill let you have this, cultivate it well. Ill come to find you after a year. If youre still not my match at that time, you might as well die under Cold Moons Embrace! With that, Li Kuanglan flicked over an object which Qianye duly caught. He was quickly astonished after seeing what it was. It was a tube carved from a whole piece of jasper, and upon it was the depiction of a phoenix perching on a parasol treeclearly the work of a master. There were four ancient words below it: Stillwater Rebirth. The legendary Stillwater was so weak that it couldnt even keep a feather afloat, but it was exceedingly clean and could purify every form of defilement. The content of the tube naturally wasnt this legendary material, but it made little difference to the people. The object in the tube, named after the legendary Stillwater, was one of the empires few sacred medicines. It possessed the miraculous power to regenerate flesh from bones and repair ones martial dao foundations. And due to a special requirement in its production, it was said that the Jingtang Li Clans inherent talent was necessary to concoct it. Even the imperial family couldnt duplicate it. Only a small number of this Li clan secret medicine was produced each year. Qianye flipped the tube over and, as expected, found a familiar clan insignia at its base. A similar crest could be found on a certain belt-shaped defensive tool in his spatial necklace. The original owner of that belt, Li Xu, had worked together with the vampires to attack the Ningyuan Group caravan. Qianye couldnt help but frown when he recalled how this young man had announced himself as Li Kuanglan. He would have to be a lineal descendant of the Jingtang Li Clan to be able to bring out such a priceless item. Li Kuanglan observed all of Qianyes movements, then said, I heard youre friends with Song Zining? Qianye was just thinking about the caravan Song Zining had used as bait when Li Kuanglan brought up the latters name. Qianye looked up cautiously at Li Kuanglan, his expression solemn. Li Kuanglan seemed to find Qianyes reaction amusing. I saw him before I came here. Speaking of which, hes only rank eleven and his combat strength is slightly inferior to you. But he actually dares lead a thousand ragtag soldiers deep behind enemy lines and has the ability to charge back out afterward. He was only surrounded after arriving close to the imperial defensive lines. Qianyes expression was extremely cold at this point. The short period of interaction has allowed him to understand this blue-robed youths temperament slightly. His words proved that he had likely watched with folded hands as Song Zining fought an arduous battle. Moreover, the Jingtang Li Clan had taken part in robbing the Ningyuan Group caravan back thenwas that just a coincidence? Li Kuanglan broke into a laugh. Now youre truly filled with killing intent! You have to know that this accursed place is no different from the Iron Curtain. There are no consequences to killing anyone. When I met Song Zining, he was already spent and surrounded by a Perth clan count. I clearly helped him out of a predicament, but he never lowered his guard against me. Qianyes expression relaxed slightly upon hearing this. It was just that he didnt understand at all what Li Kuanglans intentions were. Qianye was completely exhausted at the momentif Li Kuanglan had evil intentions, he needed only to attack in full force to cut him down. But the man had given him a priceless medicine instead. If he had no malice, then why did he drag the conversation over to Song Zining? What deeper meaning was there to all the stealthy actions taken by the Jingtang Li Clan? Qianye sighed lightly, no longer willing to continue this odd conversation. He waved the Stillwater in his hand and asked directly, Why? This little bottle was, in fact, incomparably heavy. It was worth countless times more than the entire Blackflow City. Li Kuanglan laughed, I told Song Zining that Ill be going down to kill you, but now Ive changed my mind. Qianye asked with a frown, Why? These two questions naturally represented different meanings, but no one knew whether or not Li Kuanglan had caught on to it. I require people to accompany me partway as I ascend on the path of the sword and to serve as a grinding stone for my blade. Stillwater Rebirth is indeed scarce, but that depends on who it is used for. Id rather use it to prepare some grinding stones for myself rather than let those trash collect it. And you happen to be someone qualified. Qianyes expression recovered its calm. But its still too valuable. Li Kuanglans smile grew somewhat mysterious. There are two more reasons. Firstly, someone told me that this item will be of great use here and that it would benefit me greatly. I feel that now is the time he had spoken of. Secondly, since you know how precious this Stillwater is, then you must know that this is me saving your life, so doconsider it a favor owed. That favor will have been repaid if you die in my hands one day. Qianye stared at Li Kuanglan for a while before putting the Stillwater away. Very well. The latter was somewhat surprised at his straightforwardness and the interest in his eyes grew even deeper. You and Song Zining are quite different from how the rumors make you out to be. Qianye did not reply. Li Kuanglan did not continue on this topic after seeing Qianyes silence. Stand aside, Ill be going now. Qianye stood in place and pointed at the side tunnel behind Li Kuanglan. Go another way. But this road is the shortest, Im not a fan of detours. Li Kuanglans expression was cold. Take another road, this one isnt convenient. Qianye remained unmoved. I wont need to take another road if I cut you down, will I? Thats right. Qianyes hand on East Peak was just as firm as when the two had first met. The staredown lasted for a while before Li Kuanglan spoke slowly, Theres something at the end of this path, correct? Qianye stood firm, his expression unchanged. Li Kuanglan gazed intently at Qianye in a bid to see through him and find the secret at the end of this tunnel. His sudden laughter was unexpectedly suffused with a bit of craftiness. ... Or perhaps its someone? The question fell upon him all of a sudden. He and the Perth clan count had already ended the topic about Nighteye when Li Kuanglan arrived. But that barely discernible fluctuation in the depths of his eyes failed to escape Li Kuanglan who had achieved great success in the sword dao. A well-prepared smile emerged upon his lips as he stretched out two fingers. Then, you owe me two favors. Qianye clenched his teeth and nodded slowly. Li Kuanglan laughed loudly as he picked a random fork in the road and left. His laughter was still reverberating through the halls even after he had gone far away. Qianye felt his body covered in cold sweat after Li Kuanglans departure. It felt like he was on the verge of collapse. The confrontation just now looked easy, but it was fraught with grave peril. Li Kuanglan was simply too powerful, and the only thing Qianye had was the Shot of Inception. However, the other party was as quick as a thunderbolt. It was a major problem whether or not the shot would hit. Qianye fished out the Stillwater and found it rather heavy in his hand. This item was incomparably valuable regardless of Li Kuanglans true intentions. At this moment, at least, Qianye didnt feel that two favors were enough to trade for this medicine. He looked, in a daze, at the intricate carvings on the tube before opening the cap and swallowing the contents. It felt as though he had been drenched in sweet nectarhe almost heard a buzz in his ears as fine rain drizzled within his body. Even his flesh felt like it was opening up to bask in the illusory grace. The daybreak tides that had reached rock-bottom rose up once more and were flowing gently like a deluge of spring rain. His nourished flesh was like the new earth after a harsh winter; each and every muscle fiber was regenerating. This wondrous state seemed to persist for a long while, but it also felt like a fleeting instant. When Qianye opened his eyes, the greater half of his injuries had been healed, and even the lingering black titanium had been eliminated. Only the injury to his blood core was unhealed. The effects of Stillwater Rebirth were indeed miraculous. The two favors he owed Li Kuanglan were simply too great. Qianye shook his head as he picked East Peak up and returned to the great hall where Nighteye was sleeping. He walked over to her side, knelt down, and watched her in silence. It was as though he wanted to carve that perfect countenance into the depths of his heart. Moments later, Qianye opened her collar and cut a small hole over the position of her blood core. A stream of golden flames erupted as the pure Venus Dawn came into contact with her blood energy! However, this cauterized the flesh around the injury and effectively sealed it. Nighteyes brows locked into a frown. Apparently, it was fairly painful to have her wounds closed via a collision between daybreak and darkness origin powers, but she didnt wake up. It seemed no amount of clamor could rouse her after the initial repair of her blood core. Qianye sensed the situation within Nighteyes body and found that it was just as he had guessed. That drop of origin blood wasnt enough to completely heal her blood core. It had saved her life, but without an energy supplement like the blood pond, she wasnt even certain to regain her present strength. Perhaps her entire lifes progress might halt here. Qianye was unexpectedly calm as he reached out and stroked her cheek. Nighteye was asleep, but Qianye could almost sense her thoughts. That pain in her chest wasnt the only reason for the lingering darkness in her expression. She was an extremely proud woman with countless aspirations, but all of her hopes had been destroyed so suddenly. Qianye knew she would surely take her life rather than spend what remained of it in mediocrity. Qianyes blood core pulsed as another drop of origin blood formed within it. This time, a river of blood seemingly appeared within those boundless memories and flitted past like a bird skimming over the water. A drop of newly condensed blood appeared at Qianyes fingertips. Qianye dripped it into the wound on Nighteyes chest. A wisp of golden flame leapt up therein but was extinguished soon afterward, leaving a layer of amber-like substance which sealed the wound. Nighteyes breathing grew rapid, and her body temperature shot up as though she were lying in raging flames. Her skin turned red as she tossed, turned, and finally let out a loud cry. The cry was accompanied by a spurt of blood! Immediately afterward, Qianye heard a low but powerful sound beating steadily like an ancient drum. The sound of her beating blood core! Qianye was delighted as he listened to the beat and sensed Nighteyes blood energy soaring rapidly. This drop of origin blood was surprisingly effective, and her blood cores regeneration had increased several times over. Qianye stepped out of the small rocky compartment and sat down in the main hall, waiting silently with East Peak in his arms. Time quickly passed by. The sounds of fighting came through from time to time, but there were no more uninvited guests. After one day and night, Qianye noticed that Nighteyes breathing had calmed down and the beating of her blood core gradually eased up. As if he had sensed something, Qianye stood up and walked over to the stone room. He merely observed from afar, but the Eye of Truth told him that Nighteyes injuries had fully healed and that she would wake up any time. At this point, Qianye turned around calmly, picked up East Peak, and slowly left this cavern hall. He didnt look back at all on his way out. Chapter 527: Endless Battle [V6C57 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Nighteye slowly opened her eyes and gazed blankly at the cavern roof for a while. But then recalling the matters that had led up to her loss of consciousness, she leapt up in alarm and glanced cautiously at her surroundings. She immediately found herself halfway in the air, then fell back down, unable to control her body. Nighteye instinctively reached out to support her falling body just as she was about to hit the ground. However, the rock-solid ground seemed to have become incomparably soft. Her hands actually sunk right in and formed two deep holes in the ground. Startled, Nighteye tried moving each part of her body as she stood up. Only then did she notice that the unbearable tingling everywhere on her body wasnt the pain from her heavy injuries but the sensation of her bodily tissues regenerating rapidly. Her blood core was beating with great power and without the slightest sign of injury. Nighteye was startled. Where were her injuries? Where were those injuries that made her so dejected that she wanted to die? She had run away with all her might simply because she didnt want Edward to get his way so easily. But she knew that she would hardly ever recover. However, after repeated inspections, she found her body better than ever. Her blood core was even stronger than it was before the injury, and it seemed as if many parts of her body had been remodeledmany of her bodily functions had been upgraded substantially. This could be considered a miracle. One had to know that Nighteye had already soaked in the Monroe clans blood pond after awakening the primogenitors bloodline, and her body had long since received a holistic upgrade. She had only obtained the identity of a princess after completely activating her bloodline. How could such a body be upgraded again? Just what had happened while she was unconscious? Nighteye found, to her astonishment, that a dark golden blood energy had appeared at some point in her pool of golden origin blood. For a moment, this auracertainly not from the Perth clancaused her entire body to turn cold. Only a vampire expert above the duke level would be able to invade her primo bloodline. Had a certain clan taken advantage of the chaos? She glanced around at a loss but found that the surroundings, apart from the occasional drop of water, were completely silent. Nighteye took a couple of steps toward the broken wall and saw the disorderly cave-hall. Although some of the walls and passages and changed, that giant beast corpse at the center proved that it was still the battlefield where she had fallen unconscious. Nighteye collected her thoughts and once again observed the abnormality in her blood core. This time, she discovered that the foreign dark golden blood energy was existing harmoniously with her own, showing no signs of one devouring the otherit was as though they were born of the same origin. The golden blood energy would make way as the latter slowly roamed about. It was like a king inspecting his subjects and soldiers. Nighteye was greatly astonished. The golden blood energy was her primogenitor bloodline, the foundation of her status as a princess. Now, this foreign blood energy was actually forcing it to make way. This meant that the grand origin of this blood energy was even higher than a primo of the Black-Winged Monarch. It wasnt the Perth clans blood energy, either, so where had it come from? It was as though something major had happened while she was asleep. Nighteye tried hard to recall, but her memories were all blank. After a moment of thought, she concluded that she had entered a brief state of hibernation due to her heavy injuries. Hibernation to heal injuries was the deepest form of sleep for a vampirethey simply couldnt be roused, nor would they sense the situation of the outside world. Nighteye walked over to the corpse of the giant beast. The enormous creature was now less than half its size after being drained of all its essence blood. She found the charred wound where an unknown power had dealt it a lethal blow and also where the vampiric blade had absorbed its essence blood. But the more she saw, the more baffled she became. The vampiric blade was naturally from someone of the same race, yet she couldnt tell which clans secret art had dealt that lethal attack. After scanning it several times over in great curiosity, Nighteye couldnt even tell which faction the power belonged to. She stood dazed for a while before the void colossus all-encompassing will woke her up. She had little time for hesitations in this strange world fraught with danger. Nighteye pondered while exercising her arms and legsshe needed to adapt to her new state as quickly as possible. She suddenly paused at one point and looked down at her chest. Most of her buttons had been undone to reveal a patch of snowy white skin. That was precisely where her blood core was. Her skin was just as white and soft as before, but Nighteye still felt that something wasnt quite right. She placed her hand on her chest and found her blood core pulsing faster and her heart inexplicably flustered. It was as though as though something very important was moving away from her. Her mind went completely blank, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. But she still couldnt figure out what it was that she had lost. Nighteye stood silently for a moment before she finally managed to calm her emotions and tidy up her clothes. She condensed a mirror before her with blood energy and observed herself. Only then did she realize that her face was fairly clean, without the slightest bit of dirt and blood that would usually remain from a fierce battle. It felt as though a warm, gentle hand had wiped off the dust and grime. She sighed lightly and shattered the sanguineous mirror, along with that beautiful figure within. Then, she chose a random path and started walking toward the depths of the cavern. Perhaps due to her chaotic emotions, Nighteye only checked the cave-hall and didnt discover the two corpses lying in the adjacent passage. At a point several hundred meters away, Qianye was walking through a passage with East Peak in tow. The blade, as heavy as a mountain, carved a deep groove in the ground, and Qianye, who was dragging it along, looked like a snail shouldering that mountain. Qianyes condition was neither good nor bad. Stillwater Rebirth had healed the greater half of the injuries he had accumulated in the recent days, but this was only at a physical level. The Profound Combatant Formula couldnt absorb void origin power within this special world, but with the formula and his Venus Dawn, he neednt worry about the lack of daybreak origin power. But after losing two drops of origin blood, his blood core had almost stopped beating, and the blood energies had returned to their runes to hibernate. No one knew when they would recover. Meanwhile, the colossus pressure meant that his combat strength would fall drastically. Qianye walked forward steadily. He would be greatly disadvantaged if he were to head to the core region of the colossal skeleton in his current state, but he had no intention to back out at this stage. There was really no telling if the way back was safer than forward. Up until now, Qianye had seen countless experts both from Evernight and the empire, but he hadnt received news of Zhao Jundu at all. Another thing that worried him was the news he had received from Li Kuanglan. Presently, Qianye had understood what Song Zining meant by saying you have your fortunes to seek and I have my battles to fight. Now that Song Zining was fighting on the surface, how could he give up on his battlefield so easily? In a cave a thousand meters away, Eden was sitting with his back against the stone wall. Half of his body was so badly charred that the sight was almost unbearable. But his aura was rather calm, and, at least, he was in no immediate danger. He had only lost the ability to fight. A second-ranked viscount from the Perth clan was sitting across from him. He was glaring at Eden with a stern expression, clearly unhappy about the present situation. This viscount was summoned back by Edward to protect and keep an eye on Eden. This was quite a troublesome chore. Moreover, Edens attack just now had killed several of their clansmen. Yet, not only was he unable to kill this demonkin, but he also had to prevent the passing beasts from eating him up. How could the viscount be in a good mood? Eden, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked around momentarily. He then cast his gaze upon the viscount and laughed. Do you think Edward has already found the ancient essence fragment by now? The vampires expression sank. Shut up! Eden spoke on his own, You vampires think youre so noble when, in truth, you cant be farther from the councils core. Judging from your reaction, it would seem even Edward hasnt told you about the true uses of the ancient essence. The vampire was furious at first, but these words alarmed him. Does that mean you know? Eden replied, I hail from the Dark Abyss and I also hold office in the council. How can I not know? But I dont need to hide it from you, either, because it wont be a secret much longer. The ancient essence can help us dark scions jump to the duke rank, the main reason being the void colossus remnant soul fragment. It allows us to comprehend the profundities of the void energy and take a critical step forward. That I know. Eden smiled mysteriously. But what you dont know is that simply watching the essence from the side would also grant great benefits. What?! The viscount shot out of his seat. Eden mocked. Theres more. Apart from the ancient essence fragments, dont forget that Sky Demon is also a void colossus. Killing his avatars would bring about great benefits. Otherwise, why would the marquises from both factions come to this place and even shoulder the burden of killing Sky Demons avatars? Doesnt it feel like the avatars are even more important than the ancient essence fragment? Thats because taking part in such battles would afford the same chances of upgrading ones comprehension. The viscounts expression was twisted and green veins were pulsing all over his neck, apparently at his limits. He seemed to have understood that Edward leaving him here to watch Eden meant that he wasnt thought of very highlyhe would have no share at all in the truly good stuff. The vampire viscount picked Eden up by the collar and shouted, Youre lying! Eden looked disdainfully at him and said, Do I need to? The viscount was petrified, and his silent face was flushed red. There was really no meaning in using such easily verifiable information to sow dissension. Moreover, Eden and Edward were pretty close before this fall-out, both of them being characters of equal status. Under normal circumstances, this viscount wouldnt even have the chance to curry favor with Eden. However, Edens expression changed all of a sudden. He seemed extremely astonished and stared fixedly behind the viscount as though he had seen a ghost. That vampire viscount wasnt young, and he was a veteran with ample combat experience, either. He thought at first that it was Eden tricking him into turning around, but after some thought, he realized that Eden couldnt even stand up on his own. How could he attack? Soon, the viscount heard a tapping sound in his ears. He quickly pushed Eden to the side and quickly assumed a combat stance. He turned back just in time to see a fist-sized silver grenade flying toward him. Daybreak flashbang! Such a thought flitted through his mind as a ball of white light erupted in front of him. The viscount was immediately blinded, and it felt like countless burning needles were piercing into his eyes. He broke out in a miserable scream as he rolled about with his eyes covered. Bai Konghzao appeared like a specter, but she didnt approach the viscount. Instead, she fished out a certain object and tossed it over. The screaming viscount suddenly leapt up and, with a flash of his vampiric blade, cut the incoming object into two. Chapter 528: Sky Demon’s Avatar [V6C58 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The item Bai Kongzhao had tossed out was a silver can. After it was cut open, a shower of milky-white fluid rushed out amidst a dense surge of daybreak origin power. Upon closer inspection, it was actually liquid mithril, and its concentration wasnt low at all. The vampire viscount was fast to react, but he couldnt open his eyes at the moment. He was drenched from head to toe, and his body immediately burst into flames, his flesh corroded in large patches. This time, he was truly crying out in misery. After being pushed away, Eden had been sitting with his back against the stone wall and watching with folded arms. At this moment, he opened his mouth and blew out a wisp of black energy. The viscount was still rolling about on the ground, but the black energy shot straight into where his blood core was. It immediately burnt a large hole amidst sizzling sounds and penetrated all the way to his backthe blood core was naturally decimated in the process. That was a trump card Eden had kept until the very end. Edens aura withered a fair bit after shooting out the black energy. He glanced at Bai Kongzhao and said with a wry laugh, Youre Bai Kongzhao, I assume. Curse it, I never expected to meet you in the end. If youre going to kill me, then make it fast because you wont be getting any information out of yours truly. If you torture me, then Ill simply end my own life. Bai Kongzhao didnt move at all after throwing that silver can. She gazed blankly at the viscount with those ethereal eyes until Eden spoke to her. Only then did she ask incredulously, Am I that terrifying? What do you think? Eden replied. Bai Kongzhao pondered for a moment, then nodded. Makes sense I guess, everyone around me seems to be apprehensive. Why didnt you use that last attack on me? Do you really hate him more than you hate me? Eden broke into a laugh. Sometimes, racial enmity leaves a deeper impression than factional differences. Bai Kongzhao nodded seriously as though she had understood. But why do I get the feeling that you used it on him because you thought it wouldnt work on me? I knew I cant hide it. A flash of astonishment emerged in Edens eyes as he admitted with a laugh. Bai Kongzhao thought about it for a while. She then walked over to rummage through the viscounts badly damaged body and found a drop of origin blood. Afterward, she dragged her shockingly large backpack over, fished out a couple of decorated bronze boxes, and tossed everything to Eden. Edens expression froze. He was no stranger to the patterns on the boxes because all of them belonged to the major demonkin clans and families. Naturally, they contained the best of demonkin medicines within them. This time, even the well-composed Eden revealed an astonished expression, but he only pondered for a while before swallowing the origin blood and medicines. The demonkin medicines were indeed extremely effective. Moments later, Edens complexion regained some of its color, and the charred crust on his right hand crumbled after a few movements. He glanced over at Bai Kongzhao and asked, What do you want? I want the ancient essence fragment. Youll help me. Eden said after some thought, I can only say Ill try my best. Fair enough. Eden was somewhat puzzled after seeing Bai Kongzhaos clear-cut actions. Arent you afraid that Ill turn hostile after I recover and kill you immediately? With these medicines and some time, Ill quickly recover most of my strength. Bai Kongzhao wore an innocent expression, but her reply made Eden feel an uncontrollable chill. You can do that, but you wont be able to kill me. And as long as I survive, Ill haunt you forever, she paused for a moment, then said with a naive tone of voice, and youre not that dumb. Eden laughed. It is indeed so. Very well, I agree to help you. Theres no need to swear an oath to my totem. Bai Kongzhao pointed to the large back full of weapons behind her and said, Take your pick and help me carry it later on. Eden opened the bag and found a large variety of weapons withinhis eyelids twitched briefly at the sheer numbers. Just how many people had died in the hands of this innocent-looking little demon? He broke into a frown after noticing that most of them were characteristic demonkin weapons and couldnt help but glance up at Bai Kongzhao. The latter looked back at him with her head tilted, her eyes just as dreamy and ethereal. The two silently gazed at each other for a good while before Eden lowered his head to continue his inspection. Moments later, he had a double-barreled handgun in his grasp as he hoisted the bag and walked over toward a certain tunnel. Bai Kongzhao followed from behind. Her frail, specter-like figure gave one the feeling that she had been miserable and lonely since birth. It was the last leg of the journey. Experts from all sides were already close to the deepest parts of the underground world, and danger levels were at their peak. The last part of this journey was apparently going to be dark and long. Qianye stood up slowly beside an arachne corpse. This spider was huge and one could tell at a glance that he was fairly powerful, but he had died in Qianyes hands nonetheless. In this underground cavern, the arachnes massive build that was made to raise their fighting power became a hindrance instead. All of its essence blood had become Qianyes, but the process of conversion had become quite slow. After losing two consecutive drops of origin blood, the purple blood energy became completely dormant within its ability rune, and the dark golden blood energy was moving at a much slower pace. The unsightly wound on his blood core was still there, and, without the nourishment of the auric flame blood, Qianye had to spend lengthy periods to escape his exhaustion and weariness. However, Qianye was no longer depressed at this moment. On the contrary, he was more resolute than ever. He produced a dose of stimulant and, without bothering to drip it into a cigarette, injected all of it directly into his vein. The overdose of stimulants felt as though every corner of his being was bathed in flames. Origin power gushed out continuously from his energy vortex along with a sense of high pleasure. This moment afforded Qianye an illusion of omnipotence. But Qianyes obsidian eyes maintained a state of constant clarity even while his body was immersed in the pleasure brought about by the drug, staring fixedly at the other end of the tunnel. Judging from experience, the pitch darkness ahead led to the end of a passage, and there should be no forks in the road ahead. In Qianyes eyes, however, the rolling darkness almost seemed to be alive. Qianye thrust East Peak into the ground and drew his Twin Flowers. Then, he loaded an extreme yang bullet before taking aim at the darkness. A muffled laugh rang out as a black mist broke away from the darkness and flowed over toward him. Its shape was changing constantlysometimes a human, and sometimes a beastbut that peerless, tyrannical aura remained constant no matter how it transformed. A terrifying suppressive might enveloped Qianye from a fair distance. Qianyes knee joints emitted a crisp sound as his legs gave way. He almost fell to his knees, but he gritted his teeth and, little by little, stood up against the pressure. Merely from this terrifying pressure and familiar aura, Qianye knew that the wiggling darkness in front of him was Sky Demons avatar. Meeting an avatar under such circumstances could be considered horrible luck. In fact, with the exception of a handful of experts from each side, everyone else could only blame their bad luck for running into Sky Demons avatar. After standing straight, Qianye was thinking about fighting it out with the avatar when an unfamiliar voice rang out inside his consciousness. Submit to me, be my slave, and I shall grant you power and eternal life! Was this Sky Demons voice? Qianye was startled. This was his first time coming into contact with Sky Demons sentient will. Even under such perilous circumstances, Qianye still managed to recall how that traitorous will had enticed him back when he was exploring Andruils hidden depository. Did they think power and eternal life were at the pinnacle of ones pursuits? This Qianye seemed hesitant. Sky Demons avatar seemed somewhat impatient. It strengthened its suppressive might and roared, Kneel, or die! Qianye suddenly drew his gun at lightning speed. A pair of wings unfurled behind his back and filled the passage with a golden brilliance! Sensing extreme danger, Sky Demons avatar released a shrill cry and dark mist bellowed around him, poised to devour space itself. But the golden feather shot into the darkness with a trail of beautiful flames. It then turned into countless specks of golden light and merged into the black mist that was Sky Demons avatar. At almost the same time, Sky Demons avatar burst into flames from the inside out and transformed into an incomparably scorching ball of flames. Qianye thrust East Peak into the ground in front of him and hid behind it. Then, gripping it tightly, he sent whatever remained of his daybreak origin power into the blade. East Peak droned and trembled as it emitted a faint glow which shielded Qianye just before the rolling deluge of flames washed over him. The stream of flames sunk ever so slightly under the suppression of the oceanic power, however, the domain he had gone all-out to release was quickly destroyed in the flames, and the glow on East Peak lasted but a short second before shattering. All he could do was rely on the broad blade to provide what little protection it could afford. As if it had sensed the incoming danger, the Book of Darkness silently activated and formed a flickering barrier of light around Qianye. His silhouette grew warped, blurry, and it was almost as though he didnt exist on this plane. The torrent of flames produced from the combustion of Sky Demons avatar split itself into two and converged again behind the barrier of light without the slightest pause. One would be inclined to believe that the flames were completely unaffected had he not seen it with his own eyes. The combustion of Sky Demons avatar was naturally fierce, but it ended just as quicklythe entire process lasted mere moments. Qianye looked up slowly after the last wisp of flame had died out. The complex tunnels around him had completely disappeared, replaced by a large hall hundreds of meters wide. Qianye was standing at the center of this hall, and just in front of him was where Sky Demons avatar had combusted. The entire hallbe it the floor, walls, or ceilinghad been transformed into a sheet of crystal. The flames born of Sky Demons avatar actually burned a large space in the void colossus skeleton. One had to know that these caverns and stalactites had never been completely destroyed despite the battles between all these experts. From this, it was obvious just how terrifying Sky Demons avatar was before its death. Qianye felt secretly relieved at how lucky he was. Had he not made the prompt decision to use up that last Shot of Inception, he probably wouldnt have lasted a single move against the avatar. Moreover, due to his silent blood core, his darkness origin power was one level lower than his daybreak energy. The Shot of Inception had actually left him that portion of daybreak origin power during its charge, otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to unleash his domain, either. Qianye wiped the cold sweat off his brows. He still couldnt grasp the principles of the Shot of Inception very clearly, and only felt that his luck was pretty good. Judging from the scene in front of him, it would seem that the Shot of Inception was particularly damaging to Sky Demons avatarafter all, it had even managed to ignite the latter from the inside out. Now, this was an interesting discovery. Who knew if Andruil had designed the Wings of Inception specifically to deal with the void colossi? Qianye was propped up on East Peak, gasping for breath, when he suddenly discovered something shining where Sky Demon had died. He dragged himself over and picked up an irregularly shaped black crystal. Chapter 529: Ancient Essence [V6C59 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The crystal was fairly hot to the touch. The surface was dusky, but it could be rubbed away like the embers in a dying flame. Qianye glanced at the surroundings and concluded that this crystal was something left behind from Sky Demons avatar. Ignoring everything else for the moment, the mere fact that it could survive the flaming torrent proved that it was extraordinary. He carefully wiped away the ashes and found that it was surprisingly soft. However, a light pinch proved that it was incomparably sharp and quickly cut through his skin. Qianyes body, at this stage, was nothing to scoff at. Cutting through his skin might not be easier than slicing a metal sheet, but this soft, scorching piece of crystal was able to accomplish this with relative ease. Immediately afterward, it transformed into a stream of flames which drilled right into the opening. Qianye was shocked out of his wits. At the same time, an unprecedented pain rushed from his palm toward his heart, and the agony knocked him out on the spot. Qianye woke up again from the pain after an unknown length of time. He couldnt help but curl up into a ball, trembling uncontrollably. He forced his eyes open, but the world was a blur to himit was as though a cloud of light and shadow were roaming about in his vision. Moreover, he had lost all sensation, so much so that he couldnt figure out if he was lying on the ground or floating in the air. Puzzled, Qianye tried his utmost to clear his vision, but the patches of light and dark broke up into numerous smaller ones with even greater color variations. The rapid transition sent him reeling. He closed his eyes to compose himself, and the scene around him gradually came into view when he opened them once again. He was still in the same world, but the feeling it gave Qianye was drastically differenteverything in his vision had turned rather illusory. It felt as though he could tear away their external appearance with a bit of effort and reveal their true nature. But no matter how hard he tried, that was as far as he could go. The next step was simply impossible. Qianye suddenly realized what he was seeing. The scenery before him was similar to his True Sight, that was to say, a sight that could see the flow of origin power. It was just that, this time, the scene laid out before him wasnt an ordinary world. At the same time, an unfamiliar memory appeared in Qianyes consciousness. The numerous flickering scenes appeared one after the other. Those were fragments of Sky Demons memories, the scenes from within the void. In Sky Demons memories, the void was somewhat different from how the humans understood it. It wasnt an expanse of nothingness, but a turbulent flow of void origin power instead. These currents were invisible to the naked eye, and only a small part of them would run into one another, colliding and exploding in the process. Most of them followed their own trajectories despite appearing rather chaotic at first glance. If one were to push through these paths, they would serve as a safe route for travel. Sky Demons ability to teleport tens of thousands of kilometers away was born of this principle. After Qianye figured this out, he found that these scenes werent merely visual. There were actually some tactile sensations, which he was able to sense by virtue of his foundations in the Profound Combatant Formula. Although minuscule, it was like a key which threw open the doors to the void world. All of Qianyes senses slowly recovered. He grabbed ahold of East Peaks hilt and stood up against the will of his exhausted, aching limbs. It seemed that this odd, warm crystal was a relic left behind after the death of Sky Demons avatar. And because it was a part of Sky Demon itself, one could use it to peer into the secrets held by that powerful existence. This was an object similar to the ancient essence fragment. Sky Demon was clearly inferior to the ancient void colossus, but to the experts limited to either daybreak or darkness since birth, its strength, memory, and comprehension of the world were all invaluable knowledge. It was no wonder that those marquis-level reinforcements had reached a tacit agreement to focus on the avatars as their primary targets. It turned out that fighting with these alien entities would yield great benefits. In truth, both factions had restricted this secret within a certain scope because they were afraid that young experts with insufficient strength would seek the avatars and throw away their lives. Qianyes case was a complete accident. If not for his Shot of Inceptions restraining effect on the Sky Demon avatar, there was really no telling whether or not he wouldve escaped alive. After assimilating the crystal, Qianye recalled that his True Sight was fairly similar to Sky Demons vision. If he could raise it by a couple more levels, he might just be able to see or perhaps even comprehend the world in Sky Demons memories. That being said, it would seem that both the Eye of Truth and Wings of Inception were powerful tools created to control the void world. Only then did Qianye realize the true value of Andruils inheritancethe Black-Winged Monarchs treasure was originally prepared for an expert above the duke level. Qianye checked the surroundings before leaving the area in due haste. The Shot of Inception and the avatars subsequent combustion were simply too conspicuous and had likely drawn a fair amount of attention. No one knew how these people would react. Qianye was worried that the aura of his Wings of Inception would be recognized by the dark races, especially the vampires. For now, it was still quite safe as long as he didnt run into a count-level expert. Close by, Bai Aotu only shot a single glance in the direction before rushing forward. There was a mass of black mist fleeing at full speed in front of her. The color of this avatar was much fainter than the one Qianye had encountered. Apparently, it had suffered grievous injuries. Zhao Jundu was sitting atop a mountain-sized beast with Blue Firmament in his arms. A crystal the size of a human head was emitting a dense mist upon his palm. As it gradually decreased in size, Zhao Jundus aura slowly grew deeper and more mysterious. Edwards face was ashen as he ran through the seemingly endless cavern passages, killing every living being in his wakeeven experts of the Evernight faction were not an exception. Xu Lang slowly appeared in the shadows of a certain tunnel. An expression of pain and hesitation appeared on his face as he looked toward the dark depths. The waves of beckoning therein proved that the ancient essence fragment was close by, an irresistible allure to all experts who had come into this strange world. But the experts of both factions were all closing in on the central region, and a great battle over the essence was inevitable. Xu Lang was very clear that his strength was only middling amidst the crowd of marquis-level experts, and that his chances of victory were fairly slim. Moreover, there were reasons why he had entered Giants Repose with the first batch. Xu Lang had already touched the edges of the empires upper echelons. Although it was merely the outer rim, he had indeed reached higher class. During this short period, he had seen a completely different nature of power, wealth, and status. It could be said that his life had entered a completely different phase the moment he stepped into that circle. All of it would be gone if he were to die here. Xu Lang was finally hesitant after facing all of these thoughts. Would it be worth betting a wonderful life and future for a measly chance at victory? After repeated deliberations, he decided to remain in the shadows. There was still a chance even without making an appearance. He might be able to take advantage of the wounded experts after they win the ancient essence. There was no lack of people with the same thought in both factions. Only a small number walked unhesitantly into the depths of the cavern. As he walked on and on, Qianye suddenly raised his head in alarm and gazed into the distance. He could sense an extremely powerful fluctuation through the solid wall actually resonating with a certain part of his body. Then, a wave of intense grief washed over him. These emotions of sorrowbrought about by the dissipation of an ancient objectinvoked a mysterious fluctuation in him which, once again, resonated with three more locations. These emotions didnt belong to Qianye but were instead shreds of remnant will left behind by Sky Demons avatar. Apparently, Sky Demon avatars had also been killed in those locations. At this moment, Qianye mysteriously became aware that five out of seven avatars had dispersed. Qianye appeared thoughtfulif the avatars all left behind remnant wills and they were all assimilated, wouldnt it mean that using the powers one had comprehended from the avatar would alert all the others? But this wasnt necessarily a bad thing. Those who could kill an avatar, regardless of the methods used, were true geniuses of each faction. Even if they did not boast unparalleled talents, they certainly possessed unmatched luck. Such a person would surely seek the highest levels of power, a path much longer than the one today. Their true battles lay in the future, so they likely wouldnt fight to the death unless it was necessary. Judging from the relative positions Qianye had just sensed, it was clear that everyone had the same thought. Qianye pondered as he walked on and, in the absence of any abnormal sensations, happened to step into a giant natural cave. The world in front of him went alight as a radiance as bright as the sun descended from abovethe shining light made it difficult to even open ones eyes. Startled, Qianye squinted his eyes and looked up. Had it not been for the absence of any dangerous sensations, he wouldve been inclined to back out immediately. There, at the center of the cave ceiling, was an irregularly shaped piece of crystal. That was precisely the source of that warm, sunshine-like brilliance. Qianye found his thoughts speeding up as the light showered onto him and the strands of void origin power flowed into his body. It was inexplicably comfortable. The ancient essence! Qianye hadnt expected himself to suddenly run into an ancient essence fragment. There was no reaction at all in the surroundings. It was as though his arrival had activated it. Qianye leapt up to grab at the ancient essence. His vigilance, at this moment, had been cranked up to the extreme. In truth, this jump was only a test. Having absorbed the embers of Sky Demons avatar, Qianye knew that such essences werent easy to collect. The energy contained within them was tremendous, to say the least, and accompanied by a strong impact from the will of its main body. Those with insufficient strength would not only fail to obtain the essence but also suffer a backlash. Even for those who were powerful enough, a rash assimilation would result in a brief period of complete defenselessness, and that couldnt be more dangerous in this underground world where enemies might be lurking in every corner. A click resounded in Qianyes ears before he had even grasped the energy movements of this ancient essence fragment. At the same time, he felt the origin power around him turn chaotic, the telltale sign of a sneak attack. Shaken, Qianye immediately circulated his origin power and halted his ascending momentum, freezing himself midair. A sanguineous origin bullet brushed past Qianyes forehead and blasted into the ceiling near the ancient essence fragment. The glow of the resultant explosion caused even the sun-like radiance to flicker slightly, a clear proof of its power. Qianye turned about mid-air and landed firmly toward the visitor. An old vampire was standing nearby. He wore a treacherous countenance, a meticulously groomed beard, and the purple datura flower on his collar flickered under the light of the ancient essence fragment. Both his hands on the pistol were shrouded in lingering blood energy, and judging from the density, he was likely a count. The Monroe count spoke first, Go, imperial boy. Youre still young and there are many opportunities for you in the future, this ancient essence fragment isnt for you. Chapter 530: That Troublesome Love [V6C60 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye didnt reply. He drew East Peak, beckoned the count, and simply stood there in silence. He was bathed in the light of the ancient essence fragment and could absorb the void origin power from within to replenish his stamina. The vampire count would surely lose in a protracted fight. As expected, the counts expression sank. Youre courting death. He fired off a shot at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye, the bullet arriving before Qianye within a split second. Qianye was able to clearly make out the trajectory with his True Sight since this vampire count had no special skills in marksmanship. He evaded the shot just by leaning to the side. Swordsmanship was the counts true talenta wisp of incisive blood energy followed the shot, accompanied by the cold flash of a blades edge. Qianye felt a cold sensation sweep past his forearm, followed by a subtle pain. That was sword energy! He pulled back a dozen meters in an instant, borrowing the momentum to swing East Peak diagonally. The sounds of a dozen clashing swords coalesced into one. Good swordsmanship! The counts expression turned even more sinister. He sniffed briefly all of a sudden and reached for the swords edge. The vampire counts all-out attack had cut through Qianyes skin, and a drop of blood was hanging upon the blades tip. This red, almost-animated drop of blood was emitting a fantastic fragrance that caused all the blood energy in his body to turn restless. The count raised the sword to his mouth and slowly licked the blood clean with his long tongue. His eyes turned red as he praised, Great taste! Qianye couldnt help but frown. The Monroes werent the strongest among the primogenitor clans, but this counts bloodthirsty expression was no different from that of a vampire on the eve of a blood feast. The vampire count thrust his sword into the ground and produced an exquisite vampiric blade from his chest pocket. The copper bat-wing crossguard upon it had been polished until it was shiny, and its corners, rounded. Apparently, it possessed a long history or perhaps even a family heirloom. The count slowly revealed his vampiric fangs and said, Brat, I should be making you into a descendant, but unfortunately, your blood tastes too good. I really dont want to miss such a feast! Layers of origin patterns appeared as he rubbed his fingers slowly over the vampiric blade edge. The vampires red eyes were overflowing with excitement. He particularly enjoyed a humans fear before becoming his food, but Qianye was abnormally calm and didnt seem startled at all. This dealt a serious blow to his appetite. The vampire count growled and pounced at Qianye with great speed. The latter slashed out with a backward step, shifting East Peak into the counts inevitable path at the exact moment. But the count had no intention of taking a different route. He swatted East Peak away with a swing of his hand and, at the expense of a bone-deep wound on his palm, managed to plunge his vampiric blade into Qianyes abdomen. The vampire count immediately entered a state of blood boil as the hot essence blood flowed into his body. The supreme pleasure caused him to let out an uncontrollable moan. However, at this moment, a vampiric edge appeared in Qianyes grasp. It pierced straight into the counts chest and through his blood core. The latter looked down at the blade which had sunk down to its hilt, thoroughly puzzled as to how his defenses had grown so fragile that even an inferior human champion could pierce through it. The blood flowing out of his wound was black and putrid as though it had been rotting for several days. You your blood The count finally understood, but it was too late. His strength leaked out like flowing water, and his entire body fell limp onto the ground. Qianye let go of the vampire without drawing blood through his vampiric blade. He slowly pulled the counts dagger from his abdomen and threw it onto the ground. He then removed the badly damaged inner armor and bandaged his wounds tightly. After doing all of that, Qianye looked toward a certain direction and said, Come out. Nighteye walked out of the darkness and glanced at the corpse on the ground. Yet another from my clan has died in your hands. Qianye replied indifferently, We were enemies to begin with. I kill vampires, you kill imperial soldiers. Isnt it why we enter the battlefield? Nighteyes expression was somewhat blank. Youre right, I killed many Zhao clan people. Isnt that right, Zhao Qianye? My name is Qianye. Surnames hold no meaning. Nighteye took a deep breath and gazed at Qianye with eyes full of resolution. Whether or not your surname is important, youre still an imperial. As long as you live, theres no telling how many of my clansmen will die under your blade! Qianye laughed casually. So? Nighteye said word by word, So, I must kill you here! Your glory, stained with the blood of our sacred-blooded scions, shall end today! There was some helplessness in Qianyes smile as though he were reminiscing about something. Are you going to fight to the end with me so soon? That fateful night wasnt so long ago. There was no emotion on Nighteyes countenance. That night means nothing. All living beings will mate, and that is merely instinct. And I remember telling you not to run into me on the battlefield. Yes, I said the same. Qianye was fairly emotional. Then, he heard yet another familiar phrase. Nighteye said, Evernight and Daybreak are eternal enemies. Theres no other outcome! Qianye glanced at Nighteye with a sigh and saw his figure reflected within her eyes. His vision grew dark as a wave of excruciating pain wracked his entire body. Qianye reacted immediately by activating Eye Ability: Control. He saw her face turn slightly pale as the figure in her eyes warped and disappeared. Qianyes retaliation was far weaker than Nighteyes, but it unexpectedly interrupted her eye ability. Qianye rolled away and flashed behind a stone pillar. His silhouette had just vanished into the shadows when an origin bullet blasted a hole at his previous location. Qianye pressed his back against the cold cave-wall and looked at where the bullet had landed. He could smell black titanium from the residual smoke. Although this wasnt a Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, these high-grade origin bullets were also infused with black titanium to raise its destructive power against humans. Qianye pressed a hand onto his blood cores position as a wave of intense pain came through from his chest. The price of resisting Nighteyes Eye of Destruction was significant, draining whatever was left of his blood energy. The wound on his blood core was badly shaken and opened up slightly. Nighteye stood in silence without the slightest bit of aura leaking out of her body. There was no way to lock onto her with the exception of direct vision. Guns drawn, her figure flickered through the smoke and rushed toward the pillar behind which Qianye had been hiding. However, the place was completely empty. There were some drops of blood where he had been hiding along with a spinning grenade. Daybreak Flashbang! Nighteye was more than familiar with this anti-vampire weapon, but it was too late to evade. A mass of dazzling light erupted in the hall. For a moment, everything turned into a blurry field of white light. When the light finally dispersed, Nighteye was kneeling on the ground with her hands crossed in front of her face to block the intense light. Without opening her eyes, she swung her right hand backward and fired thrice in quick succession. A certain silhouette nearby shook and broke into several pieces. Nighteye leaped up and glanced over in alarm, only to find that it was a slender, human-shaped stalactite. Meanwhile, Qianyes aura had completely vanished, and no one knew where he had hidden himself. A dense color of blood emerged in her eyes as she scanned the entire hall, her muzzle closely following her gaze. However, following a sudden click, a mass of light erupted once more from the pile of shattered rocks! Qianye had actually hidden a flashbang within that stalactite. The light arrived too sudden, and Nighteye was a split second too late in closing her eyes. She let out a light groan and couldnt help but raise her right hand to shield her eyes. But during this process, her left hand swung to the side and fired three more shots. She finally heard Qianyes groan amidst the gunshots. After her regaining consciousness, Nighteyes eye ability and perception seemed to have upgraded. Qianyes aura was completely restrained and difficult to capture, but East Peak hadnt calmed down completely from the previous battleNighteye had traced the minuscule origin power upon it to judge Qianyes position. The latter ran along the cave wall at lightning speed and fired several rounds from his Mystic Spider Lily. Nighteyes figure was almost a blur as she flashed continuously with her eyes closed. Even so, every bullet seemed to brush past her clothes. Apparently, Qianyes marksmanship had reached the level of a master. Such a pursuit lasted only a split secondNighteyes vision was adversely affected by the flashbang and her perception was slightly off, causing one of her steps to fall behind. A flower of blood blossomed on her calf as she was struck. The wound was neither large nor deep, however, the pain was several times that of an ordinary gun. Even Nighteye, with her staunch character, couldnt help but let out a miserable scream. This was one of Mystic Spider Lilys special abilities which weakened the enemy by magnifying pain and forming illusions. With great decisiveness, Nighteye hurled a grenade between the two of them. The explosion and powerful origin shockwaves disrupted all perception, causing them to lose track of each other. This firefight was extremely ruthless. Whether it was in terms of weapons used or the arts deployed, the two had already reached the extremes of their combat abilities. A slight miscalculation would result in heavy injuries. Qianye exhaled deeply inside a natural gap between the cave ceiling. His breath immediately suffused the surroundings with a fragrance. It was rather similar to the one Nighteye had emitted when her blood core was wounded, but his scent was much deeper. Without the need to look, Qianye knew that the wound on his blood core had opened up a bit more. He had been shot twice, and a tingling sensation was spreading out continuously from his wounds. That was a sign of spreading Black Titanium. Although it was only a tiny amount compared to the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation, Qianye had no more auric flame blood to neutralize it, as such, its effects were similar to that of a slow poison. Qianye gasped deeply and continuously, counting down in his mind. He leapt out of his hiding place at the count of ten and tossed a grenade amidst rapid movements. Chapter 531: That Unyielding Love [V6C61 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The flash and subsequent explosion filled the entire cave, turning the entire world into a blinding haze of white. Only the sounds of continuous gunshot and explosions could be heard. Qianye and Nighteye moved rapidly within this hellish environment, their bullets flying through the smoke as though they had eyes of their own. At this point, both parties were fighting with their instincts. The slightly weaker one would be torn apart by the torrential attacks of the other. The two quickly sought their own hiding places after the intense battle. They rested with their backs to the rock wall, waiting for the next opportunity. Qianye and Nighteye discovered each others positions as the continuous explosions died down. It turned out that they were leaning against each side of a giant rock. Sounds of clicking metal rang out at the same time as the two began reloading and changing equipment at the same time. At this point, under the suppression of the colossus will, their remaining strength was only enough for one decisive battle. Moments later, the cave became quiet once again and all noise disappeared. Only the ancient essence on the ceiling would sprinkle down a silent yet mysterious brilliance upon the two of them. At this moment, as though connected in mind, Nighteye and Qianye rushed out at the same time and saw one another. There was less than ten meters between the two, more or less the thickness of this giant rock. This short distance, however, was like a bottomless chasm of fate, built upon factional differences and enmity. It almost seemed uncrossable. Qianye gazed at her, and she stared at him. Each appeared in the others eyesthey were both as calm as a waveless lake surface, and only their reflected images formed an endless channel. Qianye was naked from the waist up with a bloody patch expanding rapidly on that bandage around his abdomen. There was only East Peak in his hands, but this heavy sword had only truly awakened during the fierce battle. The blades edge pulsed with radiance, and one would feel a mountainous pressure just by looking at it. Meanwhile, Nighteye had also abandoned her blade and handguns, leaving only that sniper rifle in her grasp. This astonishingly long rifle wasnt a melee weapon, but at this distance, it would produce a shocking effect if she could just land a hit. There would be no second shot. At several meters distance, Qianye could feel a faint prickling sensation on his skin. That was the powerful radiation characteristic of Black Titanium. Apparently, Nighteyes sniper rifle was loaded with a reinforced Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation. Qianye closed his eyes and sensed the aura of death rushing straight at him. When he opened them once more, there was no more emotion, only a cold, deathly azure. Nighteyes figure was still there, but it was only a black and white silhouette. Come, one last round to decide life or death, Qianye stated simply. The one to die will be you. Nighteye slowly raised her sniper rifle and aimed at Qianyes forehead. The latter felt the skin on his forehead twitch, caused by the stimulation of a powerful killing intent. There were countless lines dancing about in Qianyes True Sight, all of them converging back on that lethal point on his forehead. It was just like Zhao Jundus True Strike. Apparently, Nighteye had activated a certain secret art which served to automatically calibrate the shot once fired. This also meant that the final destination of that bullet was his forehead no matter how he dodged. The only way to survive was to deploy a defensive energy stronger than the firepower of this bullet. But defending was the last thing Qianye wanted to do right now. East Peak let out a clear hum as he shook his wrist. The blade rose into the air and froze above Qianyes head. The still blade increased in momentum as the sound of ocean tides echoed around him. Qianye felt his own consciousness rising continuously, so much so that it felt like he had broken through the barriers of the world and flown into the void. Sky Demons memory fragment finally merged into his body at the juncture of life and death to become a part of his very being. As his understanding of void origin power gradually increased, Qianyes momentum also became extensive and profound. The great ocean waves roared louder and louder, gradually forming the sound of the tides. Qianyes left hand rose slowly. He grabbed the hilt with both hands and remained motionless with his eyes closed. This sword strike, once launched, would possess the might of the mountains and seas! The cavern was completely silent. All life had gone into hiding under the powerful aura of the two combatantseven the origin power in the surroundings had stopped flowing. Only the ancient essence fragment was sprinkling light, warmth, and void origin power. It suddenly pulsed and let out crackling noises, much like a spark falling onto a pile of firewood. This noise broke the silence and affected the aura of the two. Nighteyes pupils lit up as she pulled hard on the trigger. Meanwhile, Qianye let out a thunderous roar as he stepped forward and hacked down on Nighteyes'' head! This strike couldnt be considered fast, but it was so powerful that dodging was difficult and evasion was near impossible. The muzzle of Nighteyes rifle quickly approached Qianyes forehead. And the trigger finally reached the end! The world turned silent once again, and even East Peak was frozen mid-swing. The only sound echoing through the cavern was a light click, the sound of an empty gun. A fair length of time passed by, but the gunshot Qianye had been expecting never came. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw Nighteye looking back at him with a vacant expression. Fire! Why arent you firing?! Qianye roared in anger. Nighteyes gun-hand trembled, and a pitch-black bullet slipped out onto the ground. That was the bullet, the source of deadly threat Qianye had sensed before. She had kept it in her hand all along, while the chamber of the rifle was empty. Qianye felt a wave of dizziness as exhaustion washed over him. East Peak, which had been frozen mid-air, fell with a loud bang and pierced deep into the ground. Inexplicable anger and fear welled up in Qianyes heart. He grabbed Nighteyes collar, dragged her toward him, and shouted at the top of his lungs, What the hell are you doing? Are you courting death? Nighteyes voice was just as calm. Arent you the same? Qianye wanted to retort, but Nighteye pushed herself into his arms and sealed his mouth with her own. At this very moment, both of their minds were blank. They separated briefly after an unknown length of time, gasping deeply like fish that had been washed ashore. Their eyes darted about, afraid to look straight at one another. Only their arms were locked tightly togetherso tight that it was almost stifling. At last, Nighteye spoke, Why didnt you slash down? Why didnt you load that bullet? At this point, there was no longer a need to speak. The choice they had made at the juncture of life and death was clear proof of their feelings. Ah! Nighteye suddenly pulled away ,but a startled Qianye reached out and drew her back into his arms. Nighteye glared at Qianye and said, Stop fooling around! We still havent finished the important business! She stood up, leapt toward the ceiling, and snatched the ancient essence fragment before returning to Qianyes side. Absorb it, now! Qianye caught the fragment subconsciously. However, he glanced at Nighteye without any movement. Without waiting for him to say anything, Nighteye said, Dont look at me, my condition right now is much better than it looks. This thing is useless to me now. Qianye gave it some thought and reckoned that was the case. Qianye had already noticed while he was healing Nighteye that her blood energy rank was extremely high. Moreover, the conferment of the princess title involved stringent rules. Only scions with the potential to reach the prince rank were addressed as such. Nighteyes bloodline was already quite powerful. Now that she had been healed with two drops of origin blood from Qianye, she was certain to reach the duke rank in the future. This piece of ancient essence would only be gilding the lily. Qianye hesitated for a while. I dont really need it, either, but my brother can use it. But Nighteye reached out and covered Qianyes mouth, preventing him from speaking on. She looked into his eyes and said seriously, I seized this ancient essence fragment, so its mine. Are you going to fight me for it? Qianye shook his head. Thats it! So its mine and whatever I say, counts. You will absorb it, now! Immediately! Nighteye was seriousa sense of pressure and even killing intent began to appear around her. Qianye pushed her hand away and said helplessly, I really feel that it wont be able to exert its full effects on me. The Profound Combatant Formula and the ember from Sky Demons avatar had brought him knowledge. Meanwhile, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was vast and unfathomable, capable of breaking through most ordinary bottlenecks in cultivation. Song Zinings reminder that night had helped him find a new chapter, most likely the path beyond the Mystery and Glory chapters. He hadnt even found the time to cultivate and assimilate these things, so adding the ancient essence fragment had little meaning. However, Nighteye wouldnt back down. She looked into his eyes and said word by word, Qianye, Im a woman, and youre the only one in my eyes. I dont give a damn about brothers or friends. Since this ancient essence fragment is mine, Ill only let you use it. If you dont, then Ill destroy it now! At this point, Qianye raised his hands in defeat. Okay, okay. Ill use it, alright? Nighteye didnt relax at all. She pushed the essence into Qianyes hand and said, Use it now, Ill keep guard. Nighteye got up toward the weapons she had dropped and fully equipped herself once again. She hoisted her sniper rifle once more and, this time, actually loaded the Black Titanium Bullet of Annihilation into the chamber. Qianye raised the ancient essence fragment with both hands, sensing its fluctuations and gradually adjusting his body to it. From his experience with absorbing the ember of Sky Demons avatar, he knew that a clear head was critical to maintaining consciousness during the influx of great power. Chapter 532: Side by Side [V6C62 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A cry of astonishment rang out at this moment. Ancient essence! Qianye and Nighteye both glanced over, stunned, as Xu Lang walked out from the shadows and appeared at the entrance to the cave. Xu Lang could hardly avert his gaze from the ancient essence fragment in Qianyes hands, nor could he disguise the longing and greed any longer. The two didnt move at all, but Nighteyes sniper rifle shifted ever so slightly. Now, it looked like she was aiming at Qianye. Xu Lang retracted his gaze with great difficulty and scanned the situation within the cave. The messy cave and lingering embers were proof that a fierce battle had taken place here. Glancing at Qianyes injuries, he could see an aura of black titanium from two of his wounds, and the bandage around his abdomen was seeping blood. Xu Lang drew his combat knife and said in a deep voice, So, youre Zhao Qianye of the Zhao clan? From now on, youre under my command. Bring that ancient essence fragment over and work with me to kill that Monroe Princess. Ill report your contributions when we return to the empire. Qianye also sized up this young man in imperial uniform from head to toe. He had seen his fair share of the expression on the other partys facefrom the street gangs of Darkblood City to the aristocratic clans near the bloody battle contribution exchange point. Avarice, in the face of great fortune, had devoured all intelligence and bottom lines. They were willing to try any method of reasoning. He couldnt help but laugh. Why does this superiors command sound so different from the ones I received before coming down here? Xu Langs expression sank as he said coldly, As an imperial general, Im naturally authorized to command on site. Are you refusing orders? Qianye simply didnt believe the ancient essence fragment would enter the imperial storehouse after landing in Xu Langs hands. That was quite the clumsy excuse. He stood up slowly with one hand on the essence and the other on East Peak. The strong reign in this place. The thing you want is here, come and take it if you want. Xu Lang narrowed his eyes. Zhao Qianye, youre betraying the empire! Qianye broke into a laugh. Empire? Do you dare say that outside? There were quite a few people looking to snatch things from the Zhao clan. It looks like youre one of them. Ill remember you. Xu Langs expression grew even gloomier, and his aura rose continuously as he walked over to Qianye. All the more reason to not let you go, not that I had that intention, to begin with. Who are you? Qianye was somewhat curious as he scanned the Red Scorpion insignia on the mans uniform. A dying man doesnt need to know my name, Xu Lang replied. He glanced at Nighteye midway and said, Monroe Princess, youre quite badly wounded too, it seems? Theres still time to leave now, else the next to die will be you. Nighteyes gaze flickered. The wound on her thigh was emitting a smell of fresh blood and seemed to be recovering at a very slow pace. She shot Qianye a glance, gauged Xu Langs dense, almost-tangible origin power, then slowly retreated to the side. Xu Lang laughed loudly as he walked toward Qianye in large strides. The dagger in his hand trembled continuously, emitting a frosty drone. But his next step hadnt even fallen when an excruciating pain emerged in his chest, almost causing him to stumble and fall. Xu Langs reaction wasnt slow, either. He managed to barely stabilize himself by erupting with full origin power and stabbing his blade into the ground. Even so, his mouth was already filled with the stench of blood. The man reacted instantlythe combat instincts he had honed over the years allowed him to leap away and evade the follow-up attack. However, his heart spasmed inexplicably just as he was exerting strength to jump into the air. This pain wasnt as bad as the previous episode, but it caused his movements to deviate and his strength to fall short. An odd whistling sound echoed within the cavern. Qianye stepped forward after activating his eye ability and swept East Peak across Xu Langs waist. The latter cried loudly and attempted to block with his military knife, but since he was in the air at the moment, he had nowhere to exert his strength. A large chunk of Xu Langs dagger was chipped off while he himself was sent flying away. Qianye didnt have much origin power left after the fierce battle with Nighteye, but no ordinary person could take a combination of East Peaks power and his own. Xu Lang straightened himself mid-air, fell abruptly, and landed on his feet. However, his soul almost flew away when he glanced back and saw Qianye and Nighteye with their twin guns aimed at him. The gun muzzles flashed as they released a fierce barrage at him! Dodging bullets was a mandatory skill learnt by all imperial soldiers. Xu Lang immediately judged the bullet trajectories and took a step sideways, prepared to take one shot in order to evade the rest. But an odd pain appeared again in his heart just as he was taking the step. He still failed to suppress his bodys reflexes despite having experienced this once, and his footstep slowed down ever so slightly. This minute difference caused Xu Lang to take an extra hit. Meanwhile, that origin bullet suffused with black energy made a sharp turn through the air and blasted into Xu Langs body. That was an origin bullet instilled with black titanium! In truth, Xu Langs judgment when he showed himself wasnt wrong. Qianye and Nighteye were both something of a spent force, and the bullets they had shot out were ordinary in firepower. But Xu Langs defenses were instantly shattered after taking three successive hitsespecially the bullet infused with black titanium, which caused him to feel a chill all over his body. He made a prompt decision to dive into a tunnel and escape. The gunshots continued to rumble. Qianye and Nighteye stood side by side as they fired a second barrage into the tunnel. Soon, a roar of pain emerged from the other end of the tunnelapparently, Xu Lang had been struck. Zhao Qianye! Youre colluding with the vampires, the empire will not let you go! Xu Lang cried out hatefully, his voice trailing off into the distance. Nighteye glanced at Qianye. Will it be any trouble? Qianye holstered the Twin Flowers and said, No matter, its uncertain which one of us will be causing trouble for the other after returning to the empire. The two glanced at one another. That feeling of mutual understanding as they fought side by side was indeed fascinating. Qianye had also discovered the differences between their eye abilities. Nighteyes eye ability possessed great destructive power and could shoot through defensesits power, however, would gradually weaken after the penetration. Moreover, its activation consumed a significant amount of energy and required time to activate. Meanwhile, Qianyes Eye Ability: Control was much weaker in terms of attack power. However, its origin penetration was above Nighteyes, its energy consumption was small, and its activation, fast. Qianye had used the ability two times within the few seconds of their battle with Xu Lang. Both of them affected his movements at the most critical junctures and led to his quick defeat. Perhaps that was the true usage of the Eye Ability: Control. Qianye no longer delayed after this matter had passed and, under Nighteyes protection, began absorbing the ancient essence fragment. The process was fairly smooth this time, perhaps due to his experience in absorbing Sky Demons remnant crystal. A fair portion of the void colossus impact was canceled out by Sky Demons memories. When Qianye came to, he discovered that his external injuries had disappeared, and the greater part of his blood core injury had healed. A finger-sized crystal had grown out of the wound and sealed it. This crystal was integrated into the blood core. However, its nature was different from the blood core and crystalline granules withinit was, however, similar to the ancient essence fragment. Qianye observed it for quite a while but still couldnt figure out if it was a part of his blood core. Only at the prince rank would vampire blood cores crystallize and turn into amber. Qianye had never seen a blood amber, but he knew, from the memories he had obtained from the River of Blood, that this didnt look like one. Qianye put this matter to rest and began inspecting the state of origin power within his body. The ancient essence fragment contained vast amounts of void origin power. It split into two after entering his body and began replenishing both daybreak origin power and blood energy at the same time. The energy contained within the fragment was tremendous. A single cycle of meditation had brought Qianyes origin power and blood energy back to their peak states, while the remainder were absorbed by the Book of Darkness. This mysterious book was like a bottomless abyss, capable of accommodating any amount of energy. The ancient runes upon it appeared once again after the ancient essence fragment was completely absorbed. Qianye opened his eyes and saw Nighteye sitting nearby with her sniper rifle in her arms, her expression calm, relaxed, and even looked somewhat happy. Qianye finally inquired about the issue that had been lingering in his heart, Why were you seeking death at first? Is this related to the Perth clan? Then how about you? Why didnt you attack? Nighteye replied. Qianye sat in a kneeling position and pulled Nighteye until she was facing himtheir eyes locked and no longer running away from one another. Youre very clear why I did that, now answer my question. Nighteye sighed lightly and said, Its indeed related to the Perth clan. Afterward, she recounted everything. Qianyes eyes were filled with sharp killing intent as he listened to how the Holy Son Edward had used various methods to pressure Nighteye. His hand on Nighteyes shoulder gripped tighter. Nighteye caressed Qianyes face with a sigh. Dont be rash. Neither of us is a match for Edward at the moment, not to mention he has the Perth clan behind him and Her Majesty Lilith. Qianye nodded. How about the Monroe? They cant ignore this, can they? Such a thing wouldnt happen if the Black-Winged Monarch was still here. But things are different since everyone knows Lilith hates Andruil with a passion. Now that shes awakened from her long slumber, the entire vampire race will submit to her will, and the Monroe clan is no exception. The only one who could go against her in the past several thousand years was the Black-Winged Monarch. So, theyll hand you over? Nighteye nodded in silence. What are your plans now? A lost expression appeared on Nighteyes face. I dont know. Father has also returning is no longer an option. Perhaps Ill go to the neutral region. Qianye recalled Nighteyes words and caught a certain key point. There might be a chance if you hand the council an ancient essence fragment, right? Finally, Nighteye couldnt hold back under Qianyes brilliant gaze. You could say that. Lilith promised to return my freedom if I can bring back an ancient essence fragment. Then why did you give it to me?! Qianye was upset. Dont you understand? Lilith only said she wont interfere, she wont care whatever Edward does. At this point, bitterness appeared in Nighteyes pupils. I dont plan to return even if the Monroe clan can protect me. Theres really no one who cares about me apart from my father. Those relatives of mine, all they want is to make use of my status to scheme for profits. Qianye drew Nighteye into his arms and stroked her soft, black hair. He said only after a while, Come with me! Chapter 533: Return [V6C63 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The empire? Thats impossible! Im a scion of sacred blood. Nighteyes pupils went wide. Qianye was already quite clear. He said slowly, Evernight isnt the empire proper. We wont go to the core, human-controlled areas and instead live in the border regions. There are a lot of hybrids there, as well as humans who possess darkness origin power. No one will know youre a vampire as long as you hide your blood energy and not go all out. What will I do every day if I dont fight? Qianye looked into Nighteyes pupils and said with a smile, Ill go and fight, you wait for me at home. But... Nighteye wanted to argue, but after seeing Qianyes gaze and hearing such words, she felt herself melting and at a loss for words. She buried her face in Qianyes chest and said softly, Have you thought this through? No secret can be kept forever. Well surely be discovered one day, and youll be dragged into this mess when that time comes. If were found out, then Ill take you even further away. The world is so big, and there are twenty-seven continents in total. There must be a place for us to live. Nighteye was silent for a long while. Then, she said longingly, What kind of life will it be? Qianye asked with a laugh, Can you cook and wash? Nighteye gave it some thought and said with some uncertainty, Im guessing our food preferences should be more or less the same? Qianye broke into a laugh, and Nighteye jabbed at Qianye after she came to. Qianye tightened his arms around her and kissed her forehead lightly. Ill definitely protect you. I believe you. The two remained in each others arms for a moment before setting out on their search for a path upward. They were prepared to leave this underground cavern world. Intense origin fluctuations would come through occasionally from the depths of the cavern, sometimes shaking the entire tunnel. Apparently, the true experts were going all out in battle. There was one thing in common about the places where these intense fluctuations had come fromthere was a mysterious will beckoning all life toward it. Qianye knew clearly that it was the aura of the ancient essence fragment, especially after having seen it shatter during that great battle. He was drenched in cold sweat upon realizing how lucky they had been just now. For some reason, the ancient essence fragment they had encountered was never truly activated and its aura didnt spread very far. As such, it didnt quite alarm anyone except for Xu Lang who happened to be nearby. Otherwise, their chances of victory would be slim at best even if they were to work together at their peak states. Qianye and Nighteye both had the ability to conceal their bloodlines. They retracted their auras and passed through several wild beast territories without encountering any danger. They did encounter experts from Evernight and the empire from time to time, however, these people were eager to participate in the battles deeper in. Add to that the fact that they couldnt sense anything special on the duo, most of them would simply pass by without incident. The journey back was much faster than the journey in. They started encountering some straggling beasts after reaching the surface, but dealing with them was a cakewalk for Qianye and Nighteye. Finally, on a certain moonlit night, they left the mountain range formed by the void colossus skeleton. That odd forest was just as silent as before. The dark purple substance on the ground was no different, eitherit was soft when stepped upon, but that was the extent of it. There werent any abnormal signs to be found. However, Qianye and Nighteye both knew that it was only a facade. Countless corpses had turned into nutrients under this purple substance and ultimately become a part of it. Qianye and Nighteye maintained a hundred meters distance between them and took point in turns. At this distance, they could keep each other in sight and also discover enemies through the dense suppression of this forest. Meanwhile, the enemies would likely only find one of them, allowing the other to deal a fatal blow from the flank. Qianye was walking ahead when he looked up at a distant tree. The spherical treetop was broken in many areas. Some had already grown back, but many of the honeycomb-like structures were open, and whatever was growing inside them, gone. The two glanced at one another as they recalled the wave of fierce beasts and aboriginals that had caught up to them halfway into the cavern. A strange, sinister feeling came over them when they looked back at this forest. Despite the stifling sensation, their journey through this misty forest was fairly peaceful as they no longer encountered any beasts or aboriginals. Furthermore, with their visual range, the two were able to circle around the occasional low-level scouting party they came across. Qianye even recognized a couple of descendants from one of the Zhao clans vessel families, with whom he had interacted before and obtained some new information regarding the two factions. Days later, they passed through the woods and walked out of the stone forest. Qianye climbed onto high ground and observed the surroundings. Three flags immediately appeared in his visiontwo of them belonging to the Evernight Council, and the third, to the empirewith a base of operations below each flag. Although Qianye had already received news of this, he was still astonished by how these long stretches of defensive structures had appeared in such a short time. It turned out that there were void tunnels in the depths of Giants Repose on Evernight Continent, but because this was a floating continent, these tunnels were more or less one way. Experts apart from heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs had no way to return on their own. As such, the two factions began constructing bases after figuring out the spatial characteristics, the Evernight faction constantly maintaining a 2:1 advantage over the empire. Qianye checked the surroundings and found a fairly concealed area. There, he produced some clothes for Nighteye to change into. She was now clad in a hooded cape and warriors attire common among aristocratic family attendantseven her sword and guns were swapped out for imperial made armaments. Bloody bandages covered her arm, legs, and two areas of her face. After pulling the hood over her head, only her dark hair and eyes could be seen. And it just so happened that these features were fairly common among the people of the empire. The fully-constructed base of operations, with its flying flag, was somewhat calm and cheerless compared to the large-scale constructions going on around it. There were dozens of imperial soldiers standing guard in front of the main gates and numerous high-speed airships parked in the airship port behind them. The lazy soldiers around the gates became vigilant as Qianye and Nighteye approached. Weapons were quickly aimed at the two while the multi-barreled auto-cannons on the walls also turned toward them. Halt! Who goes there? the guard shouted from afar. Qianye produced the identity token provided by the military upon his departure. He then pointed toward the Swallow Cloud Cavalry insignia on his shoulder and said, Zhao clan, Qianye. In the recent days, the base had taken in a fair number of experts scattered within the bewildering forestsome were too injured to continue fighting, while others had retreated soon after entering the cavern. As such, the guard didnt find their arrival very strange. He asked casually while receiving the identity token and Zhao clan insignia for inspection, Does Young Noble Qianye intend to go back immediately or wait for the Zhao clan combat squads return? Qianye replied, Ive accomplished my mission and Im also wounded. So Ill be returning immediately. The soldiers were astonished after hearing Qianyes words, but no one inquired further into it. That word, mission accomplished, wasnt something that could be spoken so casually. To experts like Qianye who had been recruited to enter Giants Repose, this so-called mission accomplished meant that he had either obtained an ancient essence fragment or killed a Sky Demon avatar. Either one of them was a great military contribution and involved highly classified information. The guards here had naturally received strict orders regarding this. The guard finished his inspections quickly and said, General Hu is in charge of these matters, you can go and meet him directly. With that, he looked at Nighteye and asked, Is this your attendant? Yes. Qianye nodded. Then, he asked without batting an eyelid, Has anyone else from the Zhao clan returned? The guard replied, The eldest young noble and his attendants came to resupply a couple of days ago but left soon afterward. The Zhao clan eldest young noble was Zhao Junyi, the eldest of the four siblings. Before coming here, Qianye had heard Duke You mention that Zhao Junyi and Zhao Jundu had entered Giants Repose together. Qianye was slightly relieved to discover that the Zhao clan people weren''t all aggressive warmongers and that their movements were strategically planned. Although he hadnt heard any news of Zhao Jundu along the way, he knew that the latter should be safe from how the clan had divided the roles. The guard returned Qianyes identity token with both hands and had one of the guards bring Qianye and Nighteye to meet the person in charge of the base. He was a Brigadier General of the imperial regular army surnamed Hu. The man was fairly mild in his manners and handled all the necessary procedures rather quickly. He, of course, understood that a character on the recruitment list like Qianye was an outstanding genius of the generation. Since the latter had walked out alive, it meant that his future was boundlessthe general naturally didnt want to leave a bad impression. An hour later, a high-speed airship was ready for take-off, and the brigadier general personally saw them onto the airship. The airship rose into the air and shot into a massive vortex, vanishing therein. That was the void tunnel leading to Giants Repose on Evernight Continent. Qianyes perceptions were restored after a brief wave of dizziness. The airship rushed out of Giants Repose and landed at the border of the ravine. It then turned back after Qianye and Nighteye had disembarked. After the airship disappeared into the ravine, Qianye asked Nighteye, Have you memorized the place? Nighteye nodded. They had agreed to rendezvous in a secluded valley outside of Blackflow City. Very well, wait for me there. Ill arrange everything. With that, Qianye hugged her tightly and let her go. He watched until her figure vanished into the wilderness before heading toward the imperial camp. Qianye couldnt help but feel astonished as he gazed at the endless battlefront before him. The empire hadnt finished assembling their forces when he entered Giants Repose. He had more or less guessed the scale of this war from how big the Zhao clan forward base was, but seeing it personally allowed him to feel the empires determination to take action. It was just that the battle for the ancient essence fragments was near its end. So when was this battle of national fate Duke You had been talking about going to take place? The imperial base stretched along a series of hills, replete with layer upon layer of ramparts, cannon towers, watchtowers, and plated walls. It was just like a fortified city. Qianye submitted his proof of identity at the gates and was duly led toward the Zhao clan camp. The Zhao clan had mobilized a large batch of their private army, overseen by Duke You Zhao Xuanji himself. As an army that was both strong and revered, their camp was located close to Zhang Boqians command barracks, a testament to their celebrated status. Chapter 534: Afterword [V6C64 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye was greeted with the intense smell of gunpowder as he entered the Zhao clan camp. Everywhere, there were soldiers performing drills or changing guard duty. The various military vehicles parked in the open had traces of recent fighting, and countless technicians were working on and around them. Qianye had noticed a certain detailat least half of the camp in front of him was made up of light-armored mobile barracks. Additionally, the military engineers were in the process of converting the rest of the field army tents into mobile barracks. Qianye turned toward the other private army encampments nearby and found the situation to be more or less the same. War was inherently akin to burning money, and these semi-permanent defensive structures cost significantly more than temporary ones. It seemed not only did they expect the war to last fairly long, but they would also continue to garrison here some time afterward. This meant that the empire mightve changed its policy of not garrisoning the regular army on Evernight Continent. Qianyes heart was full of doubt as he followed the solder leading him into the core area of the Zhao clan camp. The circle of tents in front were the residences of Duke You and the other high-ranking Zhao clan leaders. They looked rather plain and unadorned from the outside, almost the same as an ordinary barracks. Duke You was handling some official documents when Qianye knocked and entered. There was a tall pile of already-processed documents to his right, and an entire two stacks of documents to his left. Zhao Xuanji put down the pen and glanced at Qianye. A happy expression appeared in his eyes as he stood up and said, Its good that youre back safely. It looks like your journey this time went smoothly. Qianye performed a salutation and said, I have indeed gained some rewards. I was fortunate enough to accomplish a mission but was wounded in the process. I was in dire straights at the time and I never found the eldest and fourth young masters, either. So, I had no choice but to come back first... An astonished Zhao Xuanji walked out from behind the desk and beckoned Qianye to sit down. You completed a mission? I killed a Sky Demon avatar. This was the answer Qianye had prepared. Even the duke who had experienced countless winds and waves throughout his life couldnt help but become startled. The main objective of the empires recruitment of experts to enter Giants Repose was to explore the area and kill those from the Evernight faction. They were guaranteed contributions as long as they came back with relevant intelligence. That was why Duke You was already quite happy to see Qianye return safely. As for the two missions, one could still try his luck in finding an ancient essence fragment, but killing Sky Demons avatars was the job of those marquis level experts who had gone in later. Zhao Xunji said with a serious expression, This matter is extremely important. Can you confirm it? Qianye replied calmly, I wouldnt lie about such an important matter. Zhao Xuanjis expression relaxed as he nodded. Its not that I dont believe you. I only ask because killing a Sky Demon avatar would be quite difficult for you. Do you have any proof? Sky Demons avatar left behind a scorching crystal after it died. I didnt know what it was, so I accidentally absorbed it. Zhao Xuanji asked in concern, You absorbed it? What did you feel? Was there any discomfort? I felt rather unwell during the absorption process, but after that, my perception toward void origin power increased greatly. I also saw some memory scenes, most likely related to Sky Demon. Regarding this, Qianye spoke the truth. Even the subtle Zhao Xuanji was visibly moved after hearing this. You actually obtained Sky Demons memories? T-Thats a perfect absorption! Good, very good! Qianye focused his mind to search for Sky Demons remnant will within his body. Soon, a mysterious fluctuation spread out from his bodyvast, distant, and suffused with the sorrow of the vicissitudes. Zhao Xuanji suddenly waved his hand. Strands of sharp origin power shot out from his fingers and pierced into the vital points on Qianyes body. The five origin powers were of different attributes. Three of them were purely daybreak, but one was a dark purple energy which actually contained neutral origin power. The last one was true void origin powerit was formless and invisible, yet it was the most powerful, even more so than the remaining four combined. The five wisps of origin power shot out at lightning speed and without the slightest of warning signs. Qianye only noticed something was wrong when the sharp energy reached his body. He reacted almost instinctively by lowering his elbow to meet the incoming void origin power. As for the other four, he could only rely on his body to defend against them. A sound akin to muffled thunder echoed within the room as Qianye flew backward along with the sofa, his face flushed red. Four large holes had appeared on his combat robes to reveal the red skin underneath. Qianye seemed quite miserable, but the truth was that he had broken down the lethal void origin power. Zhao Xuanji had held back with his sudden attack, but even so, it would be quite shocking if people were to know that these four finger strikes hadnt torn through his skin. Zhao Xuanji nodded in delight and couldnt help but offer praises. Not bad, not bad at all! Being able to figure out the finger with true power behind it means that your perception of void origin power is extremely sharp. With this kind of awareness, youll get twice the results for half the effort. The aura you imitated just now was Sky Demons, right? Qianye nodded. Then theres no problem. Those who have completed a mission in Giants Repose must go and meet Grand Marshal Zhang Boqian for a final confirmation. Marshal Zhang has taken part in the battle against Sky Demon, so he can confirm it just from that aura. Meet Zhang Boqian? Qianyes heart skipped a beat, and it took him some effort to maintain his calm. Could the Bloodline Concealment hide his secrets from the eyes of a heavenly monarch? Moreover, the current Qianye possessed not only blood energy but also had condensed a blood core. There was no way to explain this with mixed darkness origin power. Zhao Xuanji spoke again while Qianye was deep in thought, Actually, its not important whether you killed the avatar on your own or you happened to encounter a badly wounded one. The most important thing is the comprehension you received during the battle and the perfect assimilation of the essence. This is a rare opportunity that hardly comes by even in a hundred battles. Qianye remained silent because he knew what Zhao Xuanji would say next. As expected, the duke said with a solemn expression, Qianye, since you have this fortune, our Zhao clan will nurture you without holding back. As long as you serve wholeheartedly, the clan will provide all the resources you need before the divine champion rank! Qianye glanced at Duke You and said in a deep voice, Ill try my best. This wasnt an answer Duke You expected. He couldnt help but sigh. Qianye, I know you may still be holding a grudge for what happened back then. Its not too appropriate for me to talk about Weihuangs familial matters, but youre such a superior candidate both in terms of talent and character, so this duke will speak a bit. Qianye, blood always runs thicker than water. This familial relationship cant ever be broken. Moreover, Zhao Weihuang wasnt wrong back then. Qianye remained silent because Duke Yous opinion would align with most peopleonly he himself knew that it wasnt so. He had completely put down his grievance after coming to know the reason for his origin theft. Meanwhile, he had gained certain things in his difficult life that were more important than familial relationshipspeople he would live or die witha lover, brothers, and comrades. Qianye didnt want to explain much. Duke, that may be the principle, but everything needs time. No matter what, I will try my best. Of this, you can rest assured. Zhao Xuanji laughed happily. That is indeed the case. You dont need to rush, either, just let nature take its course. Oh right, Weihuang is careless in nature and usually forgets everything once he starts fighting. You can also come to me if you cant find him in a hurry. This duke is still able to handle some minor matters. Qianye sighed in his heart after hearing this. He could only say, Thank you, Duke. Zhao Xuanji waved his hand. Theres no need to thank me. You earned everything by bathing yourself in blood. The duke didnt detain him much longer and ordered some men to lead Qianye away to rest. Qianye received a single room in the officers barracks. There, he requested some food, pen, and paper to start writing his battle report. The world under the void colossus suppressionits geography, flora, fauna, weather, and its effect on foreign individualsevery bit of intelligence was crucial to the empire. After filling up three papers, Qianye started feeling somewhat restless. He couldnt help but feel afraid when he thought about his meeting with Marshal Zhang Boqian the following day. The person he was most worried about was Nighteye who would be waiting for him, all alone, outside Blackflow City. If he failed to return after a long period, what would she think? What would she do? But Qianye couldnt let other people send a message. Even if he could send a message, what would he say? There was no way to foretell what would happen on the morrow. Qianyes heart was in chaos when a guard outside called out loudly, Young Master Qianye, General Song Zining seeks a meeting! Zining?! Qianye stood up, recalling what Li Kuanglan had said in the cavern. Had Song Zining really come to fight at Giants Repose? When did he become a general? Qianye pushed the door open and, as expected, found Song Zining standing outside. He was clad in a black and gold generals uniform which added a martial tone to his handsome countenance. There were two beautiful female officers beside him, and both were majors with impressive figures. The Seventh Young Noble never changes. He still had beauties beside him even in the imperial camp. Qianye was startled as he looked at Song Zining. Thats an imperial army uniform. Song Zining smiled. I hold a temporary position in the imperial military, so its only natural I wear their uniform. But when did you join the imperial army? Song Zining broke into a laugh. Its only a temporary post. Im helping Marshal Zhang Boqian do some odd jobs, and this identity facilitates things. Thats why the marshal gave me this uniform. He was given a brigadier general rank and staff-officer status after a casual request? Qianye was speechless. The latter shot a glance at the two female officers beside Song Zining and said, Zining, you arrived at a good time. I happen to have something to talk to you about. Song Zining said with a smile, I also have some things to say to you. He then slapped the two girls on the butt and said, You two go back and rest first, I wish to talk to my brother here. The two female officers glanced coldly at Song Zining, then shot flaming glares at Qianye. It seemed as though they wanted nothing more than to devour Qianye on the spot. Afterward, they left unwillingly along with the Zhao clan soldier who had led them here. Speechless at their bold actions, Qianye glanced at Song Zining in puzzlement. The latter had always been a romantic, but this was a real battlefield and an army under Zhang Boqians control. How could such characters appear here? Seeing Qianyes gaze, Song Zining explained with a shrug, This has nothing to do with me. They were already in the army when I joined, and I only got to know them later on. Actually, theyre both from aristocratic families, and their backgrounds are quite impressive. They only joined the army to get to know some young heroes and settle a major life event. Are you interested? Ill ask them out tonight if you have any ideas. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 535: Shouldering [V6C65 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye waved his hand helplessly. He was too lazy to retort because Song Zining would always find a way to lead the conversation in weird directions. How did Marshal Boqian allow them into the camp? Song Zining broke into a laugh. Marshal Boqian is also human, and the leader of the first-ranked Zhang clan at that. Letting them into the army was a negligible matter, yet it could earn the support of the families behind them. Why should he not do it? Qianye stared on blankly. Song Zining knew what Qianye was thinking. He patted the latters shoulder and said, Dont be fooled by the rumors. Marshal Boqian has always charged head-first into battle without scheming because he never needed to. He is strong enough to mow down everything in his way, but how could he have surpassed countless experts of the generation and become a heavenly monarch if he is only a brute? Dont try to act smart and play tricks when you meet him tomorrow. Qianye had understood somewhat. Song Zining had likely rushed over because he had gotten word of the upcoming meeting with Zhang Boqian and was afraid of Qianyes identity being exposed. But how was he to hide his secret in front of a heavenly monarch? Qianye laughed wryly. Its useless even if I did, right? There was a serious expression on Song Zinings face because he had no good method, either. At first, he was hoping Qianye could report heavy injuries and only turn in his token, but this path was no longer feasible now that Duke You had already seen Qianye. Qianye said slowly, In truth, I have half each of daybreak and darkness origin power in my body. The daybreak portion is even somewhat bigger. Marshal Boqian cant convict me from that as long as I dont reveal my blood core, right? Despite saying that, both of them knew things werent that simple. Song Zining had seen Zhang Boqian before and was very clear about his earth-shattering pressure. However, what he was most worried about was a different person. Qianye, do you know who I met the last time Marshal Boqian summoned me? Qianye was visibly moved when Song Zining spoke Lin Xitangs name, and his thoughts were thrown into chaos. He remained in a daze for quite some time after listening to Song Zinings recount before saying, Then, will I see him this time? Song Zining shook his head. Theres no telling if hell appear or not. The empires official statement claims that Marshal Lin is recuperating at the imperial capital. His arrival here is top-secret, and even someone at Duke Yous level wouldnt know. Qianye calmed down as he thought about the matter all around. Zining, you were summoned by Marshal Zhang but actually met Marshal Lin. This means he suspects that I never died in that Red Scorpion operation. He wants to confirm my identity through you. At this point, Qianye let out a soft sigh and said seriously, Actually, this isnt a big secret at all. You didnt have to take this risk. Song Zining didnt lie to Lin Xitang. He only played a small trick and avoided giving away a definite confirmation. Such a method was extremely dangerous before a character like Lin Xitang because the strength difference between them was too significant. There was no such thing as a fair conversation. Song Zining only laughed because he knew Qianye would understand his intentions. The latter was pure and frank, but certainly not dumb. His perception at the critical juncture was fairly sharp and would always cut right to the key points. In truth, Im a bit puzzled why he didnt summon you directly. Qianye scratched his head and asked, Zining, do you think he knew I was from the Zhao clan back then? The room became silent. There were too many possibilities behind his question that would cause one to tremble after being quietly drawn in. It was Qianye who broke the silence first. Well, what will be will be, well know everything tomorrow. Oh, and one more thing, I met Li Kuanglan in Giants Repose and he especially mentioned your meeting on the battlefield. The feeling I get from him I have no idea if hes friend or foe. But his sword dao is indeed powerful, and Im not his match right now. Where did this Li Kuanglan pop up from? Why havent we heard of him at all if hes so powerful? Did he harm you when you two met? Li Kuanglan? You met him? What happened exactly, tell me in detail! Seeing Song Zining so serious, Qianye recounted the process of his meeting with Li Kuanglan, including the matter about Stillwater Rebirth. Song Zinings brows were locked tightly at first but actually loosened up after listening to Qianyes story. He then broke into a mischievous laugh and put his arms over Qianyes shoulder. Youre so capable, Stillwater Rebirth is a priceless treasure. You actually accepted such a precious gift from a lady. How do you plan to repay this favor in the future? By devoting your heart to her? Lady?! Qianye stared at Song Zining with an astonished expression. He never saw any semblance of a lady on Li Kuanglan. Song Zining waved his finger and said with a smile, Very few know of this matter, but Li Kuanglan is the youngest daughter of the current imperial father-in-law, probably twenty years apart from the eldest. Qianyes mouth fell open but didnt know what to say. Song Zinings expression was radiant as he spoke on, Shes indeed a bit older than you, but thats not important. An older principal wife is more capable of holding formation. Dont worry, I dont have any life or death feud with the Jingtang Li Family. They mightve had other plans during that incident with the caravan, and my damage was only collateral. This little upset definitely wont affect your relationship. Qianye could no longer listen on. He shut Song Zinings noisy mouth with one hand and said in a distressed manner, Why do you drag anything and everything toward a nonsensical direction. Moreover I already have a woman. He hesitated for a while before briefly describing his matter with Nighteye. Song Zining was visibly moved. He jumped out of his seat and cried out, What?! You call her Nighteye, isnt that the Monroe Princess? Qianye nodded. Thats her. Song Zining took in a breath of cold air. You want to bring back the Monroe clan princess?! Are you mad? There was an unprecedented resolution in his eyes as he said, Theres no lack of dark races living in the empire, especially vampires. Song Zinings expression had turned extremely solemn. Apparently quite restless, he stood up and paced about the room continuously. Those are either slaves or expendable small fries. Thats why the empire doesnt bother with them. But how can it be the same for the Monroe Princess? Once people know of her existence, who knows how many people will be tempted to seize her? Have you ever thought about what youll do once youre found out? Ill take her to a neutral zone if worse comes to worst. Song Zining suddenly stopped in front of Qianye and looked straight into his eyes. Do you remember that I promised to kill you personally if you ever become a vampire slave? Qianye faced Song Zinings stern expression and said, Of course I do, but Im very much sober right now. Im not under control or being manipulated in any way. The two stared at each other silently for a good while. Song Zining began spewing out a string of profanities, something he rarely, if ever, did. Damn your grandma, youre not being controlled by blood energy and your brain isnt damaged, yet you actually want to do something like this. What is this if not madness? He suddenly grabbed Qianyes collar and said through clenched teeth, Damn it, dont tell me this is true love! Qianye gave it some thought and said, That seems to be the case. Song Zining shook Qianyes collar repeatedly with an exasperated expression and almost shouted into his face, You go and fight those dark race sons of b*tches all day, and then you come back and tell me youre in love with a vampire?! You and the Monroe princess, the primo of one of the thirteen vampire primogenitors, are in love? T-This, how should I say it? Its too damn cool! Isnt this something I should be doing? Erm, right, right Huh?! Qianye was feeling quite depressed at first because he would also find it difficult to accept if it were someone else. He was completely stunned after hearing the last two words, even though he was quite familiar with Song Zinings unusual temperament. Qianye suddenly recalled that they were in the middle of the Zhao clan camp. All the garrisoned soldiers had probably heard Song Zinings dreadful, almost deafening shout just now. This was no small matter! Song Zining seemed rather pleased as he snapped a finger, causing a faint banner-like wall of light to flicker around them. Several floating leaves appeared in the air and revolved around his fingers before disappearing toward the corners of the room. This young master has long since laid down a domain. No more than five people in this camp can listen in on my words! Doesnt that mean there are still five people? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Song Zining glared at him and said, Those people have too many things to pay attention to. How can they be in the mood to eavesdrop on us? He suddenly adopted a serious expression and released Qianyes collar. Are you sure youre going to abandon your brothers and friends in the empire for a woman, even if shes a vampire? Qianye tried to explain, Im not abandoning anyone. Didnt you say that us brothers will build a big neutral nation? Song Zining said furiously, I didnt say that just so you can elope with a woman! Song Zining resumed his smile without waiting for Qianyes reply. He then dragged Qianye close by the collar and said with a laugh, But thats a completely different matter if its the Monroe princess. Not to mention going to the neutral zone, even building a nation on the Twilight Continent will be worth it. Well done! As expected of my chosen friend! Qianye was between laughter and tears in the face of Song Zinings shifting attitude. He wanted to explain that he was forced by the circumstances and that Nighteye had no other way out. But he was stoppered yet again before he could speak. Qianye, were brothers regardless. You cant take all the benefits for yourself. Doesnt the Monroe princess have some outstanding sisters? You have to introduce me to them! Qianye couldnt believe his ears. His head was spinning at this moment, and he replied instinctively, Theres one younger sister, I think, the names Twilight. Her bloodline is also pretty good, but shes already a count Song Zining flapped his fan open and waved it a couple of times. I like it! Qianye massaged his forehead. Even he had no idea why Song Zining had dragged the topic to such an odd place. He continued helplessly, Listen to me first, that Twilight is extremely cunning and ruthless. She even tried to lay a trap for Zhao Jundu during the last bloody battle. The seventh young noble didnt mind this at all. When have I ever been afraid of danger? Qianye was speechless. He only felt his breath stuck uncomfortably in his chest. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 536: Meeting [V6C66 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Song Zinings flippant smile disappeared. Have you decided? Qianye sighed in his heart and nodded firmly. Song Zining also calmed down at this point. After some thought, he shot Qianye a glance filled with unclear implications and laughed. Qianye, youve grown up. It seemed Song Zining had already thought about the matters that would follow. Without waiting for Qianye to say anything, he said, As the princess of the Monroe clan, Nighteyes basic information is definitely within the empires records, including her portrait. Most people on Evernight Continent have no access to these reports, but the situation at present is special. There are too many imperial experts here, so she cant appear directly. Song Zining pointed to himself with his fan. I need about three or four days to make some arrangements. The battle here just ended, so itll be some time before they can start another one. This gives me some free time. Ill take a couple of days off to accompany you back to Blackflow City. When do you plan to return? Qianye was somewhat hesitant. Zining, just tell me the relevant contacts. This matter is too dangerous, you shouldnt take part. He had indeed wanted to ask Song Zining for a method that would allow Nighteye to live permanently in human lands, but he didnt want to get him involved directly since it was a forbidden matter. Song Zining sneered, You still know what danger is?! He paused for a while, then continued, The imperial laws are strict, but it doesnt convict people associated with the offender. Rest assured, Ill be able to extricate myself if something happens. Song Zinings words stoppered Qianye. He was too familiar with Song Ziningthat expression and tone made it clear that he was really angry. Song Zining regained his calm as he glanced at Qianyes bewildered and painful expression. You still have to get through that meeting with Marshal Boqian, no one can help you with that. If everything goes smoothly, Ill be waiting for you in Blackflow City five days from now. Qianye nodded slowly. Song Zining said, Its settled then. Ill be going now, I still need to apply for a leave. He turned back before stepping toward the door and said, Were still brothers, regardless. If something comes up, well naturally shoulder it together. With that, Song Zining pushed the door opened and left. Qianye sat in a daze for a fairly long time as the night crept to every corner of the unlit room. The sounds outside the window eventually died down until only the wind remained. Soaked in the darkness, Qianye calmed down at one point and entered a state of meditation required for cultivation. He didnt control anything intentionally and merely allowed the Glory and Mystery chapters to operate slowly in tandem. Only at this point did Qinaye discover the profundity withinthese two chapters could both refine the remnant energy from the void colossus essence. The Mystery chapter produced darkness origin power, while the Glory chapter produced daybreak origin power. As for tomorrow, it could only be left to fate. The entire night passed by in cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, it was dawn. The curtain of the night was still hanging high in the skies of Evernight Continent. However, the imperial camp was already full of noise as the soldiers rose for their morning drill. Two Zhao clan guards were already waiting outside by the time Qianye had finished washing and walked out of the room. He followed them onto a car which soon drove toward Zhang Boqians command camp atop the hill. The vehicle had just passed the camp gates when Qianye felt a weight on his body. It was as though a curtain were hanging down from above and isolating the camp from the outside world. Qianye was startled because this domain was somewhat similar to Sky Demons Iron Curtain. It didnt cover tens of thousands of kilometers, but its sealing properties were likely superior. Qianye tried releasing his perception toward the invisible barrier but found that it was immediately repelledthere was no chance at all for retaliation. Like a bird in a cage, even his consciousness couldnt fly out, and this feeling made him extremely uncomfortable. The pressure on him was also gradually increasing. It had grown from being barely discernible to the weight of a giant rock. Qianye looked toward the central tent in shock. If all of this had come from Zhang Boqian, then this legendary imperial characters might was truly as deep and profound as the oceans. Merely standing in his domainone which only served for isolation and scanningwas stifling. At this moment, the car jolted to a stop. Qianye followed everyone down, and he saw a door in front of him. This place was clearly more peaceful than the rest of the campthe guards were pretty sparse, and there were no ordinary soldiers among those moving about. All the officers hurried along the way without stopping to talk. Qianye glanced at the surroundings and found that the soldiers who had accompanied him on the car were completely fine. It seemed as if they couldnt even sense the powerful pressure. The officer leading their group was a colonel from the imperial army staff office. After noticing Qianyes pale expression and sweating forehead, he asked in concern, Young Noble Qianye, are your injuries still unhealed? Ill bring you to the infirmary after your meeting with the marshal. The military has moved an entire laboratory over here, so the quality of medical care should be better than the various clans. Qianye waved his hand and said weakly, Im fine, Im just a bit nervous since its my first time meeting Marshal Boqian. Thats only natural! Ive been in the army for over a decade, but I can only catch glances of the marshal from afar. Im simply not qualified to meet him face to face! At this point, the colonels expression was full of yearning. Qianye was the only one in their group who would meet Zhang Boqian; everyone else seemed rather envious. Qianye forced a smile but didnt continue the topic. The guards behind this door were all from Zhang Boqians Ironclad Legion. The colonel had to remain here after completing the handover procedure with the guards, while someone within would lead them toward their respective destinations. Qianye noticed that the two people who had come to lead them in were both champions. As expected, their uniforms were lined with rolling cloud patterns which he had heard of but never seen. They were the imperial guard, the Thunderous Cavalry. It grew increasingly quiet as they went deeper in; there were no more people moving about the area. Qianye finally arrived before a large tent, to which the silent Thunder Cavalry gestured. Qianye took a deep breath and stepped into the tent through the open right-side door. The interior was quite spacious at a glance. This was a domed tent frequently used as the command center for imperial field army corps and could easily fit forty to fifty people. At this moment, there was a desk at the center currently occupied by a person and a tall lamp behind him. Illumination was still necessary at nine o''clock in the morning on Evernight continent. A fierce origin flame burned within the lamp, flooding the desk area with light and causing a shadow to flicker upon the mans face. Despite him sitting, one could see the imposing outline of his figure. His hair, loose over his shoulders, painted a character so unrestrained that it hardly looked like he was in the army. However, that soldierly aura rushing at ones face was tainted with the faint smell of blood. He was gazing at the golden cup in his hand, thinking about something. A name popped up in Qianyes mind the moment he saw him: Zhang Boqian! Without announcing Qianye, the Thunderous Cavalry guard went back to stand with his comrades in silence. Startled, Qianye walked over and stood ten meters away from Zhang Boqian. The man seemed to not have noticed the movement before his eyes and kept on gazing into the cup without so much as a movement. Qianye could only stand there quietly. But as he stood there, the pressure on him gradually increased, and even his flow of origin power turned sluggish. At this moment, he was like a person who had fallen into the water but had no power to struggle. All he could do was sink slowly into the despairing embrace of the dark ocean floor. Qianye finally moved. He glanced toward the Thunder Cavalry guards standing at the corner of the room, but all of them were standing ramrod straight without the slightest of abnormalities. Meanwhile, Qianye was finding it difficult to even breathe. The pressure on his body was so heavy that he could almost hear his bones creak and groan. Could it be that the Thunderous Cavalry were so strong that they could ignore the pressure of Prince Greensuns domain? However, Qianye knew that was impossible. His breathing grew increasingly urgent, and his entire body was drenched in sweat. A large bead of sweat fell from his forehead and fell to the ground with a light rap. The silence in the tent was thus broken. Zhang Boqian finally looked up and cast his gaze upon Qianye. Theyre fine because they simply cannot sense my domain. You, on the other hand, were able to sense it and even hold out to this point. It can be considered a rare case. The pressure on Qianyes body was drained as Zhang Boqian began to speak. He couldnt help but heave a sigh of relief, much like a fish back in the water. As Zhang Boqian gazed at Qianye, his eyes were unfathomable and without the slightest of fluctuations. Qianye felt that he could hide nothing before these two pupilsit was as though his entire being was transparent and all his secrets were being brought to light. Qianye could only stand solemnly and wait for the fateful judgment. Zhang Boqian put down the golden cup in his hand and pondered deeply. Moments later, he said, You indeed killed Sky Demons avatar, quite the moldable talent. Men! A Thunderous Cavalry guard arrived beside him and asked, What orders does the marshal have? Check what reward he deserves. The Thunderous Cavalry guard was quite adept in military affairs. He replied immediately, Killing Sky Demons avatar will reward either a custom-made grade-seven origin firearm and a set of corresponding ammunition, a grade-six named melee weapon produced by a master, or a set of grade-six battle armor produced by the imperial family workshop. The list he could pick from was quite long, but Qianye cut him short, Can I leave this military contribution for later use? The Thunderous Cavalry guard was startled. The reward list this time is unprecedented and contains no small number of premium products, even some equipment used by the Imperial Guard. This isnt something normally seen. Qianye nodded. I thank your good intentions, sir, but I hope to record this for later use. At this point, Zhang Boqian said indifferently, Then its settled, you may withdraw. Since even Zhang Boqian had spoken thus, the Thunderous Cavalry guard could only return to his previous position with an immediate salute. Qianye was led back out by the same two guards who had led him in. Qianye could hardly believe what had happened as the heavy door and the colonel came into view. He had actually walked out just like that? Qianye knew Zhang Boqian had seen through all of his secrets, but the latter had allowed him to leave safely without saying anything. Was there a plot in all this? But Qianye quickly denied this outrageous thought. Just what kind of person was Zhang Boqian? Why would he need to play tricks on him? The mans temperament had always been devoid of convolutions. He would promote those he liked, and slap those he didnt to death. How could he be an exception? But what was going on right now? Zhang Boqian clearly paid Qianye attention, otherwise, he wouldnt have spent so much time on him. Qianyes doubts as he left were even stronger than when he had arrived, so much so that he suspected whether Zhang Boqian had seen through everything. There was also a small knot in his hearthe didnt know whether he was relieved or disappointed that he didnt get to meet that person. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 537: Epilogue of Giant’s Repose [V6C67 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhang Boqian stood up as Qianyes car left the external camp gates and walked through a side door. Lin Xitang was standing in the open passageway with his back against a cast-iron rack, looking at the ground without much focus. As Zhang Boqian arrived before Lin Xitang, his gaze fell upon the grey hue under the latters silver hair. He asked slowly, Dont you want to meet him? Its good for things to end here. This outcome isnt bad. Why did you go to the dumpster on Evernight Continent back then? It was by chance. Then what about later on? Lin Xitang looked up in a daze. Zhang Boqians expression was indifferent, but his eyes were resolute. Apparently, he wasnt about to let this matter drop without a clear answer. Lin Xitang couldnt help but laugh. The matters later on are, of course, not just chance. How can there be so much coincidence? Zhang Boqian was somewhat angry as he said with a deep voice, Lin Xitang, you should be clearer than me as to which matters you should and shouldnt meddle in. Dont think that your divination art can read everyone. Wasnt that last lesson with the Queen of the Night not enough? Are you looking for even more enemies? Lin Xitang remained silent for a moment, then said softly, I was indeed wrong in this matter, but its over now. Zhang Boqians anger subsided as he looked on. So, it turns out you also have selfish motives. Lin Xitang smiled helplessly without any comment. At this moment, the light and shadows around them flickered briefly as the origin lamps in the corridor were extinguished in succession. The sunlight showering down from the courtyard swept away part of the dark corner and cast a shadow over another. It was dawn over Evernight Continent. Qianye felt extremely tired after returning to the Zhao clan camp and wanted nothing more than to take a long nap. Meeting and exchanging a few words with Zhang Boqian felt even more tiring than a battle against a powerful enemy. The exhaustion was comparable to the Shot of Inception. But Qianye had too many things he needed to do. He only went back to his room and washed his face with cold water before calling upon Zhao Xuanji. The latter was sitting behind a tall stack of documents just as beforethere seemed to be no end to those papers. Qianye had heard a fair number of rumors about Duke You during this period and understood that he was a person who attended to every detail personally. Qianye recounted his meeting with Zhang Boqian briefly. Zhao Xuanji appeared quite happy with how things had gone and immediately offered words of encouragement. The marshal wasnt one to do something as senseless as making one wait in vain; his willingness to spend this much time proved that he had taken notice of Qianye. This would be greatly beneficial to Qianyes future. Qianye could only laugh wryly. He said immediately after Zhao Xuanji had finished speaking, Duke, I plan to return to Blackflow City for a while if there arent any major events in the near future. Zhao Xuanji asked with a frown, Right now? How about your injuries? Theyre no longer a hindrance, Qianye replied, I heard military airships cant be used for private business, so Ill just take the land route. Zhao Xuanjis frown relaxed slightly as he inquired, Oh right, why did you save up the contributions? The rewards this time contain quite a lot of premium quality equipment. For instance, their custom-made grade-seven guns are better than the ones produced by the Zhao clan. It shouldnt be too far off from Jundus Blue Firmament. Qianye had long since prepared an answer to this question. I already have a good weapon. Moreover, my origin power is soaring rapidly these days, and I should be able to use grade-eight weapons sooner or later. I thought its better to save up the contributions and request a grade-eight item later on. Zhao Xuanji nodded. Its not a bad thing for young people to aim higher. Very well, you may go but remember to be back in ten days no matter what. Qianye nodded. He then visited the quartermaster for an off-road vehicle and left the imperial army camp for Blackflow City. While Qianye was speeding across the endless wilderness, the fierce battles in the cavern world of Giants Repose were coming to an end. Bai Aotu stepped over an arachne marquis body to retrieve an ancient essence fragment from the cave wall and tossed it into a special bag. Stored within a different compartment in the bag was a crystal left behind by Sky Demons avatar. The waves of heat it was emitting could even ignite black stone, but the bag was made of a special material which remained unaffected by the heat and could even block out external probes. At this moment, there were no more enemies around as Bai Aotu retraced her path. She sensed several tyrannical auras near the edges of her perception range, and they had also discovered her. However, they were apprehensive of her power, and as such, everyone simply went their own way. One of those powerful auras deteriorated sharply after everyone had left. Within a certain cavern, Eden was drenched in sweat as he sat down slowly. For a while, he didnt even have the strength to stand up. Across from him, Bai Kongzhao was gazing intently at the ancient essence fragment in her hands. Both Eden and Bai Kongzhao felt quite comfortable as they basked in the gentle light pouring out from it. Eden asked after catching his breath, Where did you find that medicine? It can actually let me feign a marquis aura. This is a bit too tyrannical. This kind of medicine arouses ones potential at the expense of vitality. You can imitate the aura of a marquis because youre a count. This kind of life-saving item isnt rare in the slums. Life-saving? Eden was puzzled. He simply couldnt figure out how this violent drug with severe side-effects could be used to save lives. Bai Kongzhao glanced at him and said matter-of-factly, Of course, its a life-saving medicine. People in the slums have neither good weapons, cultivation arts, nor bloodline powers. They can only fight with their lives on the line. Thats why, to them, this medicine is a life-saver in emergency situations. No matter how great the side-effects are, thats a matter that can be left for later. Eden hadnt expected this kind of reply. He asked after a moment of silence, Where are these slums that you speak of? Bai Kongzhao recited a couple of areas. Eden had a vague impression of only one place, an underground market in dark race territory. The poor civilians living there were mostly dark race members and a small number of mix-breed humans. You grew up in such a place? No, the place where I grew up is even worse, but She didnt finish her sentence. Eden possessed the basic tact and manners of a famed demonkin clan. Fine, I wont ask anymore. What do you plan to do now that youve gotten what you want? My words still stand, do it quickly if youre taking my life. Bai Kongzhao shot a glance at Eden, but the focus of her gaze clearly wasnt upon him. Instead, it fell far away in the unknown distance. She came to after a long while and said, I want your clans secret art. Impossible, Eden refused immediately. Bai Kongzhao stood up and walked toward Eden. However, that which arrived wasnt the slaughter he had been expecting but instead half an ancient essence fragment. She had somehow split the ancient essence into two, and the piece she had tossed to Eden was even slightly bigger than the one in her hand. Eden caught the object and cast a puzzled glance at Bai Kongzhao. This isnt like you at all. Bai Kongzhao waved the ancient essence fragment in her hand. I only need this much. With that, she stuffed the fragment into her backpack and walked away into the tunnel leading outside. Eden shouted at Bai Kongzhaos receding figure, Hey! We can only be considered even, dont think I owe you a favor! Bai Kongzhao raised a middle finger without looking back. So garrulous, not like a man at all. You! Eden felt stifled. Perhaps Bai Kongzhao didnt need any more of the ancient essence, but this fragment was extremely important to Eden. With this fragment, he would be able to recover completely from the wounds he had received during his battle with Edward. Even his bloodline foundations might take a leap forward. Eden glanced at the place where Bai Kongzhao had disappeared. Then, his emotions became rather complicated when he recalled the giant backpack filled with demonkin weapons. In a different area, Edwards face was completely ashen. He had two Sky Demon crystals in his hand as he smashed a fist into the stone wall. This venting strike immediately left a ten-meter hole in the wall and nearly forced out a new passage. But he was quite clear that any amount of anger was useless. Nighteye had likely escaped at this moment and even mightve left Giants Repose. Meanwhile, he had failed to find even a single ancient essence fragment. Sky Demons avatar, on the other hand, he encountered twice, but their crystals were completely useless to him. The only thing he could do with them was to reward his subordinates. But in Edwards heart, all of his subordinates combined wasnt half as important as himself. As such, gaining two Sky Demon crystals was no different from returning empty-handed. Eden!!! Edward uttered a name through gritted teeth. If it werent for Eden, how could he have fallen to this state? He wouldve forced Nighteye into submission already. Edward grew increasingly furious as he thought about it, but a chill emerged in his heart at the same time. Others might not know, but Edward clearly saw the frost in Liliths eyes when she heard that it was the council who had bestowed him the title of Holy Sonher gaze had almost frozen his soul. Dragging an ancient essence fragment in her left hand, Li Kuanglan pointed Cold Moons Embrace at the enemies in fronttwo werewolves and an arachneand said in a carefree tone, You lot, come at me if you want this thing. Stop being so cowardly! The ones confronting Li Kuanglan were counts and, at least on the surface, on par with her in terms of strength. However, they felt a vague sense of fear and actually didnt dare go forward. Li Kuanglan and Cold Moons Embrace had killed their way to fame during the last part of the journey. All who had fallen under the crystal edge were famous experts of the various races. These three dark counts didnt feel confident at all despite holding the advantage in terms of numbers. Li Kuanglan wasnt going to wait, though. She simply charged over toward them with a powerful chill erupting around her body. The arachne count finally let out a loud roar. He quickly retreated with the two werewolves in tow and soon vanished into the maze-like tunnels. Li Kuanglan let out a long, domineering laugh and swaggered out with the ancient essence fragment behind her. In a different tunnel, Zhao Jundu was walking steadily with Blue Firmament strapped to his back. He wasnt working together with the Zhao clan squad during this operation, and few people from both factions had ever encountered him. At this moment, there wasnt a single emotion on Zhao Jundus frosty yet handsome countenance. It was as though nothing in the world was related to him and battles were merely battles. No one knew his actual accomplishments. The only proof he had was a crystal from Sky Demons avatar in his backpack. In the majestic castle at the center of the Evernight Council battle line, Lightless Monarch Medanzo let out a heavy snort. His fury sent the blood and qi of all the dark race soldiers in the camp into turmoil and caused their origin power to scatter. It was inexplicably uncomfortable. The weaker soldiers and cannon fodder collapsed in droves, some of them never to rise again. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 538: Risk [V6C68 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The door was pushed open at this time, and in came Noxus. Eyes narrowed, he stared at the silhouette of Medanzos tall back and sneered, This war is going badly, to say the least. I really must see how youre planning to explain this to the council. Medanzo snorted and replied coldly, Why would I need to explain anything to a group of trash? Dont forget that you also have half the commanding authority here. Noxus let out a sinister laugh. But you hold the highest commanding authority in name. After all, one simply cannot sully the honor of the Queen of the Night. This battle result will probably make Her Majesty Lilith rather... unhappy, dont you think? If I were you, I might head over and pit myself against that Zhang Boqian and see just how capable that newly promoted heavenly monarch is. Medanzos expression was gloomy, but he refused to comment. How could he not see the instigation in Noxus words? But there was hardly any way for him to retort. He really mightve fought it out with Zhang Boqian if it wasnt for Noxus eyeing him. However, Medanzo knew that if he were to become gravely injured at this point, Noxus wouldnt mind sending him into a long hibernation in the blood pond. In the eyes of these experts who had lived for millennia, the so-called bigger picture wasnt a balance in power or a contest of heroism. To these dark monarchs, the biggest aim was to stay alive and deal a fatal blow to the other at the slightest opportunity. Medanzo and Noxus had clashed countless times since the beginning of the battle at Giants Repose, but neither could do anything to the other. Meanwhile in the imperial camp, Zhang Boqian, who was resting on the couch, suddenly opened his eyes. Those little fellows have done pretty well! He got up to dress and disappeared outside of the quiet room. The courtyard of the main tent was different from when Song Zining had visited back then. The dense leaves of the eucalyptus seemed to have grown even more luxuriant within a short ten days, its numerous aerial root standing out oddly in the dry climate of Evernight Continent. From afar, it looked like a hanging curtain was hiding the tents from view until only the hatchways were visible on the domed roofs. However, after stepping through it, one would find a completely different scene. The hundred-meter open space was actually filled with a pool of rippling blue water and lingering curls of milky-white steam. This area was clearly warmer and more humid than the outside, forming an inexplicable scene of elegance. Apparently, this was a large origin array. There was a small pavilion at the center big enough for only a table and four lamps. Lin Xitang was sitting on one side of it and pondering deeply with a chess piece in his hand, his haira mixture of grey and silverhanging loose behind him. Across him was a kind-looking man in his fifties with a square face, big ears, and a chubby build. From the outside, this person looked more like a merchant from the continent than a soldier. Gu Tuohai was two years Lin Xitangs senior, but the traces of age on his facial features were much deeper. Zhang Boqian appeared in the pavilion with a flicker. He shot a glance at the chessboard before picking up a black piece from Gu Tuohais chess box and slamming it into a large, white-dominant area of the board. The placement of this piece would produce a fierce melee clash no matter how Lin Xitang were to respond. The latter let out a long sigh and returned his white piece to the box. This again You were never my match yet you always have to disrupt the game... not to mention never by the rules, either. So what if you get an extra turn? Youll still lose in the end. Zhang Boqian replied indifferently, An extra turn might not turn the tables, but itll eventually come after snatching two or three. Your strategies are admittedly quite excellent, but not everyone will play by your rules. Now youve grown so bold that youre getting involved with Lilith. Are you looking to die? Zhang Boqian was talking to Lin Xitang, but Gu Tuohai was the one feeling most awkward at this moment. He said with a cough, Prince Greensun, I have naturally attempted to dissuade this matter, but how can Xitang be willing to listen to me? Zhang Boqian shot a glance at Gu Tuohai. Doctor Gu, the reason His Majesty had you move the entire Reed Formation over here is to heal his injuries, correct? Not to kill him. Patients should recuperate quietly and not get involved in other things. Youre a doctor. Must I remind you about such common knowledge? Gu Tuohais face turned red but said nothing. Zhang Boqians tone was calm but suffused with killing intent. This Prince Greensun wasnt one to listen to reason. Arguing with him was akin to courting deatha meaningless death. No matter how strong this Gu Tuohai character was, he certainly didnt want to die. Moreover, he didnt really approve of Lin Xitangs risky move, either. Lin Xitang sighed. Boqian, I was the one who suggested this plan, so its only natural that I execute it. This battle is related to our nations fate, so its fine for one to do a bit more. Zhang Boqian said coldly, Youre not the only one who knows divination in this empire. Since its related to the national fate, you should let those bastards sharing your authority come to the front lines. Dont tell me you want to take all the credit on your own? Lin Xitang could only laugh wryly at Zhang Boqians sarcastic words. He then diverted the topic and said, You must have something to say when you came over. Zhang Boqians expression relaxed a bit at the mention of proper business. Those young fellows have done pretty well this time. Lin Xitang stood up with a smile and said, Thats great news! How many moldable talents did you find? Bai Aotu has paved a straight path to the divine champion level, itll only be a matter of time afterward. Zhao Jundu indeed lives up to his name. My nephew, Munian, is a bit inferior to those two, but still managed not to sully the family name. Zhang Boqian listed the names of a few more from other aristocratic families, then said, Additionally, Li Kuanglan also gave me a delightful surprise. Lin Xitangs expression was somewhat complicated. That person is definitely not bad. How about Song Zining? Hes fought several fierce battles under your banner. Zhang Boqian said indifferently, Hes smart but too scheming, always looking to make use of others to succeed. Just like you, hell encounter great obstructions along the path to the top. Youre wrong about this. Song Zining and I are completely different. Lin Xitang shook his head. Boqian, sooner or later, youll suffer for underestimating the power of divination. Zhang Boqian sneered. Itll be a small loss at most. My retaliation at that time will be that persons demise. Their debates regarding this matter had never yielded any results. Lin Xitang spoke no more about this and only said, This matter will be much easier since the young ones have performed beyond expectation, so the opportunity to mobilize is right before us. Ill make the necessary preparations first. Then, Ill have to trouble Brother Tuohai to send me back to the imperial capital. Not a problem. Gu Tuohai couldnt help but sigh upon seeing how half of Lin Xitangs silver hair had lost their luster. The latter didnt mind, however, and simply returned to his room after exchanging farewells. Gu Tuohai was also about to leave, but his body was suddenly frozen, bound by a powerful, formless force. Zhang Boqians eyes were on the blue water and curling mist as he asked flatly, Any changes at the imperial capital that I should know of? Gu Tuohais expression shifted slightly, and he couldnt help but look in the direction where Lin Xitang had left. He knew not how Zhang Boqian had figured out that Lin Xitang was hiding some things from him. Gu Tuohai hesitated for a moment, then said, Three of Lin Xitangs body doubles have died at the capital. Zhang Boqian was unexpectedly calm. Does His Majesty not care? Gu Tuohai laughed wryly. No one can dissuade Xitang on something hes decided. When has His Majesty ever managed to outtalk him? Zhang Boqian snorted coldly. What is the actual situation with his injury? Is there really no way to recover from the darkness origin flames of the flaming crown? The darkness origin flame can chill one to the bone when it acts up, but in truth, its existence has always been canceling out a part of the backlash from the reverse divination. Reverse?! Zhang Boqian seemed to have understood Gu Tuohais unspoken implication. Is there any other method to remedy it? Gu Tuohai hesitated for a long while before whispering, That there is, but all of them are forbidden techniques. Zhang Boqian stood silently with his arms behind him. The so-called forbidden is a rule laid down by humans. If others can create rules, so can I! Gu Tuohai said after a moment of silence, Prince Greensun, please consider it carefully. Zhang Boqian, with a wave of his hand, released Gu Tuohai from his bindings. The pale man immediately turned to leave but turned back after taking a couple of steps. Xitang wont be willing. Zhang Boqians tone caused one to tremble. He might not have a choice in this matter. Qianye was driving rapidly through the wildness and toward Blackflow City. The journey was fairly peaceful, and oftentimes, there wasnt a single person around. The occasional hunters and dark race stragglers would avoid him after seeing the imperial regular army insignia on his car. The empire and Evernight Council were confronting one another at this moment. Experts were as abundant as the clouds and champions as numerous as the rain. No oneno matter how greedy or ruthlesswould dare to make a move against the regular armies of the two factions. As such, Qianye arrived at the rendezvous point after several days. It was a desolate valley surrounded by complex geography and several tunnels weaving in and out, all of which made for an extremely suitable hiding place. Qianye parked the jeep at the entrance and walked into the valley on foot. At the center of the valley was a small stream which snaked dozens of kilometers before merging into a larger river. Nighteye was sitting on its bank and fishing with some makeshift equipment. However, her thoughts clearly werent on the line. She didnt move at all despite large fish biting several times, allowing the creatures to escape the hook and swim toward freedom. Qianye sat down beside her. What are you thinking about? This place is very similar to where I lived when I was young. There was a similar valley near my fathers castle where I loved to play. After I grew up, most of my combat training was also done in that valley, Nighteye spoke calmly. Qianye reached out and pulled Nighteye into his arms. Past is past, we should be thinking about living a new life. In the near future, well definitely make that so-called Holy Son pay a steep price! Nighteye nodded, but her expression betrayed her skepticism. Qianye didnt continue either because such things were better executed once one was strong enough. There was no practical meaning in spouting fierce words. Nighteye leaned her head in Qianyes arms and closed her eyes. Say, do you think I can live in the empire? You definitely can. Okay, Ill try. But will you get tired after seeing me every day? Impossible, Qianye said with a smile. Nighteye spoke no more, and the valley regained its silence. After a long while, Qianye patted Nighteye lightly and said, Time to go, I have a friend waiting for us! Thats my good brother, you can look for him if youre in trouble and Im not around. Nighteye said with a smile, Ill follow you from now on. What trouble can there be? The two walked out of the valley and, after half a days drive, arrived at a small town outside of Blackflow City. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 539: Mask [V6C69 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Fighting had never ceased around Blackflow City since the beginning of the bloody battle. Most of the small towns had been abandoned since the residents had moved to fortified cities. Those that were still inhabited had, in truth, become grey markets or bases for adventurers, mercenaries, and hunters. The small town appearing before Qianye had been reduced to rubble. Most of the buildings therein had been burned down, and only a couple remained intact. There was a scarlet flag fluttering from a certain rooftopit was decorated with a sinister-looking human head that was half flesh and half bones. This flag was a sign of war, normally used by adventurers or mercenary groups to announce their territory and deter the approach of any other power. Those who dared raise such a flag under present circumstances were probably not easy to mess with. Qianye frowned upon seeing the half-skull flag. He signaled an approach request with his headlamps and drove slowly into the town plaza. The journey was fairly quiet. There wasnt even a mouse in the rubble, and no sentries appeared to block their way, either. However, Qianyes sniper senses caught many cautious eyes lurking in the shadows. He and Nighteye soon alighted and knocked on the door of a fairly unscathed building. The doors opened and out walked Song Zining. The seventh young noble was dressed like an adventurer and looked surprisingly kick-ass with bullets, knives, and guns of all sizes strapped to his body. It was a stark contrast to his usual refined temperament. The first word he said after seeing Qianye was, Youre late. Qianye looked at the origin sundial and said, Its only five minutes. Late is late, even if its just one minute. Come in, everythings been prepared. Song Zining beckoned Qianye and Nighteye into the building, then locked the door behind them. The interior was a decently-sized living room, complete with a fireplace and furniture. The original owner of this building mustve lived a rather comfortable life. Nighteye and Qianye were both clad in hunter apparel. The former observed the surroundings after entering before removing her hood and protective goggles. She then flung her black hair back and tied it into a ponytail. Song Zining stood to the side and watched Nighteye in silence. No one knew what he was thinking. After Qianye and Nighteye had removed their cloaks, he said, Is this Her Majesty the Monroe Princess? Nighteye turned to gaze at him with deep, unfathomable eyes. Song Zinings line of sight was drawn in by the boundless depths therein, and his entire body felt as though it had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Trembling, he took a step back with hazy green origin power flickering around his body and leaves fluttering about like rain. Only then did he manage to extricate himself. Nighteyes complexion turned pale for a split second but quickly recovered. Qianye noticed something was amiss. He took an immediate step forward and raised East Peak between the two of them, breaking the formless traction. Both Song Zining and Nighteyes abilities were ethereal, profound, and mysterious. No one knew whose aura had moved first, but it had quickly escalated to an unintended exchange of blows. Song Zinings expression was somewhat stern as he glanced at Nighteye, and he intentionally avoided meeting her gaze. Nighteye, on the other hand, lowered her eyes and no longer looked at Song Zining. The latter shot Qianye a deep glance and said, Go in, everything has been prepared. I believe itll help the two of you in the future. The room inside had been modified and the dining table at the center had been made into a worktable. It was filled with tools and drugs of all descriptions, the greater half of which Qianye didnt recognize. There was a comfortable chair near the window wherein sat an old man. He was fat, short, and fairly ugly. He was currently resting with his eyes closed and, at the same time, moving his fingers in a certain mysterious rhythm. This is Master Lu Ju, a true expert in the field of disguise. Being able to invite him here is our fortune. Song Zining performed an introduction. Lu Ju spoke after hearing Song Zinings words, Its indeed your fortune! If it wasnt for the fact that I have some use for the subjects special status, how can a little fish like you be worth my time? Although most talented people were more or less eccentric, this masters words seemed to specialize in making people unhappy. Qianyes brows twitched, but he said with a nod, Many thanks, sir. Lu Ju snorted and said while rocking his crossed legs, What a stiff thank you! Qianye and Nighteye both frowned upon hearing this. Song Zining walked up at this point and pulled Qianye behind him. This brother of mine isnt good with words, but hes extremely powerful in battle. He recently slaughtered a dozen or so Evernight nobles, so the killing intent is rather thick around him. Sire, I hope youll undertake this task with full effort. Ill surely compensate you well. Lu Ju snorted in a show of arrogance before standing up slowly. However, Qianyes sharp eyes noticed how the mans face had twitched slightly upon hearing of the dozen slaughtered Evernight nobles. Lu Ju walked over to Nighteye and sized her up from head to toe. Is this the one? Indeed, Song Zining replied. Very well, sit down here and dont move. Nighteye took her seat as instructed. Lu Ju then took her hand and used a golden needle to pierce her finger. However, this prick actually failed to break her skin! Lu Ju was visibly moved but soon recollected his thoughts and swapped out the needle for a finger-sized one. The point of the needle was actually a slanting edgethis was more of a chisel than a needle. Qianyes expression shifted, and he wanted to speak out. However, Song Zining seemed to have anticipated this and quickly pressed him back. Lu Jus hands were trembling slightly from the exertion before he managed to cut open Nighteyes skin with this tool and a drop of round blood appeared on the tip of the needle. He carefully placed the blood into a long test tube and watched the changes with bated breath. The test tube was filled with a transparent fluid. A red hue immediately spread out as her blood fell in, growing more and more intense. In the end, the entire test tube turned into a garish red and then began to boil. Some gold appeared gradually during the boiling process, and the entire fluid turned golden moments later. Lu Ju was trembling in excitement as he gazed at the golden blood. Primogenitor blood! True primogenitors blood! Qianye was somewhat puzzled at the mans excitement. At this time, Song Zining explained from the side, Master Lu Jus ancestors once possessed a vampire bloodline, but it has more or less been diluted at his generation. Qianye came to a realization. It turned out that Lu Ju was a mix breed. But judging from how the vampire bloodline had been swallowed up by his human lineage, one could conclude that his ancestor wasnt of a particularly powerful stock. Whether it was in Evernight or in the empire, mixed breeds belonged to the lowest tier in society. Lu Ju poured the contents of the test tube into a metallic vat on the ground. He then picked off a dozen or so medicines from the rack and poured them in. Finally, the fluid turned transparent like water, its contents completely obliterated. After everything was done Lu Ju walked over to a different basin of liquid, soaked his hands into it, and started washing them with the utmost care. He wore an expression of great concentration as he scrubbed even the fingernail gaps. It was as though he were performing a certain ceremony. Lu Ju raised his hands only after a good while. No one knew what liquid he was washing in, but after leaving the basin, his hands more or less dried off without having to wipe them. He bowed toward Nighteye and said, Your Majesty please close your eyes, Ill be offending you slightly. The mans former rudeness and arrogance were nowhere to be seen, and he was as reverent as an ordinary vampire serving a superior. Startled, Qianye glanced at Song Zining, but the latter was acting as if he had predicted everything beforehand. Nighteye closed her eyes. Lu Jus hands flitted across her face and head like the wind. Those coarse fingers were abnormally agile as they pressed over her skull bone positions. Lu Ju produced a drawing board after withdrawing his hands and began drawing a portrait with loud strokes. He presented the image to Nighteye and said respectfully, This is the appearance I can change you into, are you satisfied? Qianye also saw the portrait. The person in it possessed a similar facial outline but looked like a completely different person. Even Qianye could hardly recognize her. Lu Ju had used just a couple of strokes to draw something so vivid, graceful, and lifelike. He wasnt the least inferior to Song Zining in this regard. Nighteye looked at the picture attentively and made a fair number of suggestions. Lu Ju complied with all of them and produced a dozen or so drafts before he received Nighteyes nod of approval. It would seem that any woman would split hairs when it came to appearance, regardless of status and situation. Afterward, Lu Ju explained to Qianye and Nighteye what he was about to do. It turned out that Lu Ju would produce a mask in accordance with the portrait. The special part about it was that this mask was actually alive, operated by origin power, and would last for several years. This kind of mask could hardly be described with the words realistic. As long as one didnt run into an expert above the divine champion level, ordinary secret arts and probes simply couldnt see through Lu Jus mask. The mask would be sensed as living flesh and a part of Nighteyes body. This method qualified him as a master of disguise. Qianye had no idea where Song Zining had found this Lu Ju, but he knew that the price probably wasnt small. Moreover, the compensations involved were usually special. Your Majesty, please lie down on the worktable. Youll feel some pain in a while, do you need anesthetics? No need, Nighteye replied. Nighteye soon lay down on the worktable, beside which Lu Ju had arranged hundreds of small knives in neat rows. The latter opened his icebox, carefully produced a thin flap of skin, and placed it on Nighteyes face. Seeing that Lu Ju was beginning to work his craft, Song Zining dragged Qianye outside so as to not disturb the process. The two stood in front of the fireplace. There, Song Zining passed Qianye a cigarette and lit one himself. Qianye had rarely seen him smoke and couldnt help but ask, Something worrying you? A bit. Song Zining exhaled deeply. What about? Is it related to me? Song Zining laughed wryly. What else? Dont you know how much trouble youve stirred up? Qianye replied after a moment of silence, I know. You clearly do not! Song Zining resumed his silence after roaring at Qianye. The latter didnt speak and only gazed at the burning cigarette in his hand. Song Zining finished smoking the entire cigarette before saying, Ive investigated that Monroe princess and received a lot of alarming information. Being conferred the title of princess meant that shes awakened Andruils bloodline. The Black-Winged Monarch and the Queen of the Night, Lilith, didnt have a good relationship in the past. Moreover, its said that the Perth clan Holy Son, Edward, is hell-bent on having her as his partner. He certainly won''t let this matter rest now that shes run away with you. And this isnt even the most terrible part. The crux of the matter is that the Queen of the Night is awake. Qianye sighed. I know. Song Zining grabbed Qianyes collar and said in furious but suppressed voice, You know?! And you still brought her back?! Do you think you can hide from the Holy Son and the Queen of the Night just because youre on Evernight Continent? What do you want to do now? Head into the imperial hinterlands? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 540: An Ordinary Life [V6C70 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye slapped Song Zinings hand away and roared, Of course not! If we go into the imperial hinterlands, there wont be any chance to escape once her identity is compromised. I know itll be troublesome with her around, but I just cant let her marry that goddamned Holy Son! If we cant find a footing on Evernight, Ill take her to the neutral lands. If that Holy Son comes chasing, Ill just fight to the death with him. Song Zining gazed deeply at Qianye and sighed. Actually, theres another news that I never managed to figure out. Before the battle at Giants Repose, the Queen of the Night personally decreed that she would promise Nighteye her freedom if she can bring back an ancient essence fragment. But now shes here with you. Qianye was sent into a daze as he thought back to the ancient essence fragment and recalled how Nighteye had forced him to absorb it. Song Zining noticed the change in Qianyes expression but didnt continue this topic. Those are problems from the outside, but there are also troubles within the empire. I just received news from the expeditionary army that someone in the military is investigating you. Red Scorpion? Qianyes gaze turned cold. Red Scorpion was a wound in the depths of his heart, a bloody scar in his memories. Song Zining said, But theres no need to worry for the time being since the identity I prepared for you back then should still be effective. They wont find anything important for now, but if they dig hard enough and with enough effort, theyll eventually find something wrong with that identity. Some killing intent immediately appeared in Qianyes eyes. The investigation will eventually lead to you and I if they are intent on getting to the bottom of this. Song Zining tapped lightly on the windowsill and said, This young master will play with them when the time comes. But Qianye, you have to recall who youve offended that might be investigating you from within the military. Qianye gave it some thought. As a matter of fact, he only had true enmity with the Dong family, Gu Liyu, and Xu Lang. Song Zining nodded after obtaining the three names and spoke no more. The two stood side by side in front of the window and lapsed into a moment of silence. Moments later, Song Zining said slowly, Qianye, were brothers. Ill always share your troubles no matter how great they are. Qianye didnt know how to reply for the moment and merely nodded in response. The operation went on for well over an hour before Lu Ju opened the door and said weakly, Its done. Within the room, Nighteye was turning left and right in front of the mirror, seemingly unaccustomed to the complete stranger in the reflection. She touched her face, but it didnt feel like a mask at all. The most magical part was that the mask also possessed a sense of touch no different from her own skin. Her hair had been dyed and now had a slightly different colorthere was now an amber luster within her black hair. Even Song Zining and Qianye were startled when she turned around. They wouldve mistaken her for a different person if it wasnt for the similar aura. Nighteye quickly retracted her aura and entered a state of Bloodline Concealment. Her blood energy vanished completely, leaving her with only the aura of an ordinary person. In this state, even Qianye would find it difficult to recognize her on the spot. Lu Ju arrived with a basin of clear water and said, The mask can be taken off by soaking your face in water. Nighteye dipped her face in water as instructed, and, moments later, a sheet of skin peeled off from her face. There were a dozen or so fine, hair-like tentacles underneath the mask, floating about like a jellyfish. Nighteye then picked up the mask and placed it once again on her face. Her facial features became distorted, then grew clearer as the tendrils gradually pierced into her skin. The entire process was nothing short of magical. What surprised Qianye the most after listening to Lu Jus introduction was how these tentacles could pierce into her skin and provide sensation. One had to know that Nighteyes body was only slightly inferior to Qianyes in terms of tenacity. Lu Ju even had to use a chisel-like needle in order to prick her finger and retrieve a drop of blood. The latter had integrated her blood into the mask. This facilitated its graft by allowing Nighteyes body to recognize it as a part of her bloodline. Just from this, it was clear that Lu Jus fame as a master was well-deserved. One could only imagine the price Song Zining had to pay in order to recruit his services. Lu Ju walked around Nighteye several times and said continuously, Perfect, this is true perfection! This is the masterpiece of a lifetime. Who can see through my masks from now on? Qianye approached Song Zining and whispered, Dont tell me this Master Lu Ju specializes in making masks for vampires? Song Zining replied softly, Youre right. Hes an expert in making masks for vampires, the quality is far better than with humans and demonkin. Qianye gazed at Lu Ju with complicated emotions. This old man making masks for the vampires was, needless to say, a way to infiltrate the empire. Killing this fellow would prevent many a vampire from sneaking in. But how could he take action after the man had just helped Nighteye craft a mask? Song Zining seemed to have understood Qianyes dilemma. There are many people like him. Kill one and another will take his place. Moreover, we owe Master Lu Ju for helping us this time. Qianye, I think youve been fighting so much that your brain is no longer clear. Lu Ju packed up his tools and walked out with an old leather trunk. Song Zining said with a laugh, Master Lu, Ive already prepared an airship for you in Blackflow City. You can set out immediately. Someone will come and pick you up once you arrive on Transcendent Continent. Rest assured, everything has been arranged for you. Lu Ju nodded, his fat face full of smiles. There should be no problem if its the Seventh Young Nobles arrangement. Haha! Song Zining opened the door and said, This way, Master Lu! Lu Ju didnt move and, instead, said reverently, No! You first, Your Majesty! Nighteye had long since become accustomed to moving at the forefront. However, she didnt move this time. Instead, she stood beside Qianye and allowed him to take the lead. Qianye was still looking left and right when she nudged him lightly from the back. Only then did he follow out. Lu Ju was dumbfounded and only came to after quite a while. Qianye had never left much of an impression on him since the very beginning, but quite unexpectedly, this supreme vampire princess was actually prioritizing him. The group boarded their respective off-road vehicles and drove back to Blackflow City. After an uneventful journey back, Lu Ju naturally boarded the airship Song Zining had arranged for him, while Nighteye followed Qianye back home. Qianyes residence was quite simple at first. It was an ordinary house beside the Dark Flame command center with crude interior decorations. Qianye was always out fighting and rarely stayed for long periods in Blackflow City, as such, he didnt quite care about the quality of his lodgings. But that wasnt Song Zinings style. During the couple of days that he had returned in advance, Song Zining had already ordered his men to clear out a secluded little house for Qianye to live. There were several large trees around it to offer shade and a small pond in the courtyard which added a touch of poetry. A wide living room greeted them as they stepped through the main doors. High-quality smokeless black stones crackled within the fireplace. The blaze therein washed the entire room with a warm light but without any undesirable smell. There were a circular sofa and a table at the center of the room, complete with a thick rug underneath. There were also some fruits and a couple of books arranged on the short table. The strong ambiance of a cozy life filled their senses. Apparently, Song Zining had put quite a bit of effort into it. There were all kinds of utensils in the kitchen, and the pantry was full of ingredients. Nighteyes expression lit up, and even Qianye couldnt help but want to show off some cooking skills. It was already dinner time at this moment. Nighteye immediately said, Ill make dinner. Together. Qianye smiled. The two removed their combat uniforms and entered the kitchen, laughing heartily from time to time as they recounted the interesting things in their lives. Nighteye was proficient with twin blades, but the kitchen knife looked rather clumsy in her hands. That large fish in her left hand also kept slipping about and seemed even more difficult to tackle than the most terrifying of enemies. Nighteye seemed to have no clue as to what she was doing and more or less ruined the fish in just a few cuts, nearly hurting her own hand in the process. Her hand, however, was sturdier than the bladethe cut only left a white mark on her skin, while a large piece of the kitchen knife was chipped off. Qianye broke into a laugh after seeing her work. He took the kitchen knife from Nighteyes hands and picked up one of the fish pieces. The knife seemed to have come to life in Qianyes hands. As the blade danced about, slices of paper-thin fish fell down onto the plate like a pile of snow. In the end, only a clean fishbone remained in Qianyes hands. Nighteye was flabbergasted. Qianye knocked on her forehead with a laugh. Whats wrong? Nighteye was still a young lady at heart, so her face was filled with excitement and anticipation. You can cook? Have you forgotten where we first met? Nighteye replied without a second thought, An extremely run-down bar, and one of horrible taste at that. Why? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He knocked Nighteyes forehead once again and said, Hey, thats my bar. And whats that about the bad taste?! Its really horrible! Dinner was completed amidst their laughtera number of imperial style side-dishes and a bowl of soup. Qianye brought out a bottle of wine and poured a cup for each of them. The two sat down across the table and smiled as their eyes met. The table of food was finished in an instant. However, Nighteye was still hungry and looking at Qianye with eyes full of anticipation. In the end, Qianye gave up and ran to the kitchen to make more food. Perfectly content, Nighteye sunk into the sofa after eating her fill. With a light kick, she pushed Qianye toward the kitchen to do the dishes. Moments later, Qianye walked back into the living room after cleaning up and saw Nighteye engrossed in a book. Qianye hadnt yet flipped through the books on the tea-table since returning home. As such, he walked over to the sofa and asked, What are you reading? Nighteye didnt reply. She turned back, pulled Qianye down by the neck, and kissed him. This ignited the entire living room like a torch tossed into the ammunition storage. Qianye picked Nighteye up, no longer able to hold back all the recent emotions that had been suppressed by anxiety. Nighteye also flipped about smoothly and crossed her legs around Qianyes waist. He then employed a peerless movement technique which somehow brought them to the main bedroom in just a couple of steps. There, he pressed her violently onto the bed! The gentle night breeze was a bit chilly, but the small house was spewing fire from its windows. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 541: The Clouds of War [V6C71 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The volcano gradually stopped erupting after quite a while. The two lay side by side on the bed, completely exhausted after the countless battles. Nighteye lay in Qianyes arms, her eyes warm and gentle as she traced a finger along Qianyes muscular chest. The moon was hanging high up in the sky. Its light washed over the swaying leaves, through the window and upon them. Everything was exceptionally calm and comforting. Qianye felt an indescribable sense of peace and relaxation. His eyes felt leaden as sleep crept upon him, and soon, he fell into dreamland. Nighteye seemed rather alert. She called out lightly, Qianye. Yes? We have a home now, right? Of course. Okay. Qianye could no longer hold on and fell into deep sleep. Nighteye had a smile on her face. Her hands were placed behind her head as she shifted into a more comfortable position. There, she lay in silent contemplation. Evernight Continent was still dark during the morning hours of the empire as a number of upper continents were blocking out the suns rays. One could see the glow of dawn only over the distant horizon. However, daily life in human territory followed the imperial capitals timeline. Hence, the seventh young noble was already here to visit at this time. Nighteye was the first to come down and let Song Zining through the door. The latter was accompanied by Nanhua. Nighteye had already donned Lu Jus mask and retracted her aura, so she looked no different from an ordinary young girl at a glance. Unable to disguise her curiosity, Nanhua stared at Nighteye from every angle. She shared a close relationship with Song Zining. She also had some understanding of Qianye after fighting shoulder to shoulder with him in battle, but the more she learned, the more mysterious she found him to be. Qianyes combat strength was rising by leaps and bounds, and it felt like he would advance to entirely new levels every once in a while. Even Song Zining, whom she both admired and adored, was slightly inferior. On the other hand, Qianyes appearance had a hint of vampiric handsomeness to itthe combination of strength and gentleness would put most of those so-called beauties to shame. Qianye seemed almost perfect apart from being weak in speech and socializing. Oftentimes, she felt curious about the type of girl such a person would keep beside him. Nanhua herself had a number of outstanding sisters. She had talked to Song Zining about bringing them over to hang out with Qianye, but her request was denied. It would seem that Qianye already had someone on his mind. So, she was quite curious as to what kind of extraordinary lady this person would be. Now that Qianye had returned and brought a young girl to live with him, it would be weird if Nanhua wasnt curious. As such, she immediately followed Song Zining after hearing the latter would eat breakfast at Qianyes place. Nanhuas curiosity increased all the more after seeing Nighteye. From her aura, this girl with black hair and eyes seemed rather limited in her combat strength, at most rank eight or nine. The majority of people in the empire were destined never to break through to the champion rank, and rank nine could be considered their peakbut Qianye was no ordinary person. In this world where strength was most revered, those who could stand beside rising stars like Qianye and Song Zining were either of impressive status or they had to be equally strong. Otherwise, they would always feel like a mismatch. Nighteyes current appearance was merely pretty and agreeable. After all, their original intention was to be as low-key as possible. An astonishing countenance at the level of her original features would only attract meaningless problems. But there was actually an odd temperament around her. Her eyes were calm, deep, and seemed as though they could contain the entire world. Nanhua straightened her sitting posturefor some reason, she felt inferior and ineffably nervous. There was a whole bunch of questions in her mind, but she couldnt even express a single one. Song Zining, on the other hand, was rather at ease; it was as though he had walked into his own house. He was soon talking to Nighteye with great familiarity, discussing the recent major events in the empire. Nanhua found this conversation rather odd because Song Zining had only ever talked about poetry and romance with beautiful ladies. With his talents in art and proficiency in all forms of revelry, he could naturally hold a splendid conversation with just about anyone. Now, however, he was actually talking about national and military matters. Among them, he talked in great detail about the recent war at Giants Repose, especially the battles he had personally commanded. A copy of this conversation could be mistaken for a military intelligence report. Moreover, what puzzled Nanhua was that Song Zining and Nighteye were talking like equal peers or comrades. This wasnt how the seventh young noble usually treated women. Qianye walked down the stairs at this point. Song Zining immediately shouted, Qianye, go make breakfast. Were all starving! Astonished, Qianye glared hard at Song Zining and said, Didnt you bring a whole team of chefs over? Why are you here for breakfast so early in the morning? Song Zining said matter-of-factly, How can those chefs cook as well as you? Do the chores, quick! Qianye wasnt about to give in. Youve never eaten my food before, how would you know if its good or not? I smelled the dinner you were making last night, but I held back for the entire night and came running only in the morning. Thats already being quite considerate! Enough, go to where you belong and dont disturb the serious business here. Song Zining got up while speaking and pushed Qianye into the kitchen. Qianye suddenly thought of something and cried out, Wait a minute! Whats that about smelling our food last night? Where there are trees, therell be leaves. With that, Song Zining closed the kitchen door and locked Qianye inside. Moments later, the latter had produced a bountiful breakfast. It was just that his glare toward Song Zining was sharp and contained a hint of killing intent. But how could Song Zining be afraid of him? He merely ignored everything. Smelling the fragrance, Nanhua immediately jumped out of the sofa in joy and rushed into the kitchen. Song Zining followed closely behind and took his place at the table to await the upcoming battle. The four swept the table clean like a tempest, even Nighteye wasnt reserved at all. Their attacks were strong and ruthless, leaving those slightly slower with no food to grab. Song Zining could no longer escape his misfortune after the meal as Qianye dragged him into the kitchen to do the dishes. Only Nighteye and Nanhua were left chatting in the living room. The two men who had stormed through the bloody battle werent having such an easy time with the dishes. Song Zining said while working, Qianye, what are your plans from here on out? Continue accumulating military contributions? Yes, I heard one can exchange an amnesty order with enough contributions. Song Zining naturally understood why Qianye wanted this order. Then, will you continue fighting for the Zhao clan? I havent thought that through. Depends on the situation and opportunities I guess. Duke You asked me to return in ten days. Song Zining hesitated for a while. If you really want contributions, I have an immediate opportunity. I just received news that the empire is preparing for a great battle against the Evernight Council in Giants Repose. Qianye was astonished. A major battle, what else is there to fight for? To seize the entrance to Giants Repose. Havent you gone there before? Whats it like inside? Qianye said while recalling things, Theres a void tunnel at the bottom of Giants Repose that connects to another world. It looks like a floating continent in the void. The place is quite large, but the environment there is special. Theres a forest where trees grow saturated with origin distillate. I wonder if the empire is looking to seize that? Song Zining shook his head. Im not very clear about that. I only know that the battle is related to that floating continent. Moreover, the level of participants is really high. He put down the bowl in his hand and looked toward Qianye with a frown. The contributions in this battle are quite bountiful, but itll also be very dangerous. I dont recommend taking part in it. Qianye said calmly, Ive given it a lot of thought, but I need enough contributions to get an amnesty order. Otherwise, I wont be able to rest easy since its related to Nighteyes safety. I have to continue fighting no matter what. Song Zining fell into a lapse of silence. Amnesty order But he didnt continue speaking and merely said with a nod, Very well then, well return to the imperial camp two days later. Take care of yourself, dont die. Qianye glanced at the living room and said, Dont worry. The present moment was a short interval between major battles. The investigation in Giants Repose had yet to end, and the people from both sides hadnt returned. The two factions needed some time to assess the results of their exploration and the value of that passage into Giants Repose. As such, the battlefield was more or less calm for the time being. The Evernight side had begun retreating in succession. According to usual practice, the battle below Giants Repose had more or less ended now that the ancient essence fragments had been split. As for the territory, the Evernight Continent was too barren for a longer-term occupation. It was scarcer in both darkness and daybreak origin power compared to the upper continents and was usually used by the two factions as a temporary battleground. However, the empires movements were the exact opposite. The atmosphere wasnt relaxed when Qianye and Song Zining returned to the imperial camp. The entire camp was suffused with an austere atmosphere with new troops coming in continuously and an airship war fleet was approaching from the distance. After taking in this scene, Qianye understood that Song Zining was correct. The empire had no intention of retreating and, on the contrary, was pouring in more troops in preparation for a major battle. Qianye was also somewhat doubtful. The empire was currently at an advantage and reinforcements were on the way, but the battles werent exactly decided by ordinary soldiers. Especially in a battle overseen by heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs, the outcome of the conflict would likely be decided by a fight between experts. Presently, the other side had Medanzo and Noxus. No matter how outstanding Zhang Boqian was, the chances of a newly ascended heavenly monarch winning against two enemies werent so great. Moreover, the war this time was a bit special. Although the Queen of the Night and the Eternal Flame were fighting Sky Demon in the void, they could still be considered part of this battle. Even if Zhang Boqian could win against the two great dark monarchs, what could he do when the Queen of the Night returned from the void? Even Song Zining wasnt clear about this point, but he had a different opinion. Since the empire had invested so heavily here, they were likely well-prepared. As for what that hidden ace was, that was the highest of state secrets. After returning to the imperial camp, Song Zining headed to the staff office, while Qianye returned to the Zhao clan camp. The latter discovered that the Zhao clan had also transferred troops over from the Western Continent. Apparently, the empire was intent on winning this battle. In that majestic castle on the other side of Giants Repose, Medanzo and Noxus had set aside their prejudices. They were standing side by side, gazing at the imperial camp. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 542: Vanguard [V6C72 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The humans are amassing troops and their ground forces already hold the advantage. Just what are they planning to do? Are they really planning to fight an all-out war? Noxus said. Medanzo replied slowly, Perhaps theyve discovered something in Giants Repose. If thats the case, we should stop our retreat and summon back our troops. Medanzo shook his head. Let those who have retreated be since the first batch has almost reached the higher continents by now. And we still have a fair number of troops on our hands. What game can these people play with the two of us here? Even if they have some schemes up their sleeves, Her Majesty Lilith will rush over immediately. Noxus expression was gloomy. Humans have always been cunning. They have naturally prepared for anything we can think of. I fear Her Majesty wont be able to arrive in time when something happens. Medanzo sneered, All schemes will crumble before the power of the Queen of the Night. Noxus sighed with deep implications. Thats not a certainty! Medanzos expression sank, but he didnt flare up and only looked at Noxus coldly. All familiar people would know that the Lightless Monarch was truly angry. However, it would seem his anger couldnt intimidate Noxus. The arachne warlord remained unmoved and kept on gazing contemplatively at the imperial camp. Two small black airships were ready for takeoff at an imperial airship port reserved solely for high-ranking officers. They were rather small in size, but the sleek outline and metallic-looking sails made them look rather outstanding. Furthermore, the cloud atlas insignias upon them proved their status as warships of the Thunderous Cavalry. At this moment, the entire airship port and its surrounding areas were in a state of high alert, guarded only by members of the Thunderous Cavalry. Even Zhang Boqians Ironclad Legion wasnt allowed entry. Lin Xitang walked out from the passage connecting to the main tent. He was clad in wide-sleeved robes with silver hair dancing in the wind. There was something transcendent and ethereal about him. Gu Tuohai boarded the airship with Lin Xitang and stood together with him beside the cabin windows. Meanwhile, Zhang Boqian was nowhere to be seen. The airship slowly took to the skies with great stability. As the airship ascended, one could gradually see the entirety of the imperial camp, Giants Repose, and even the vague outline of the Evernight camp on the other side. Gu Tuohai sighed with a worried expression. I hope everything goes smoothly and that there are no more disruptive factors. Lin Xitang smiled. It is an overt plot this time. Even if theyve made a guess, they definitely wont believe it. At that time, theyll surely fall into my trap and the empire will seize control of the political situation. Gu Tuohai didnt seem so happy and said with the same miserable look, Even if that is the case, your trap wont be able to kill her. There will be a time when she breaks out. Lin Xitang was apparently quite confident. By the time she breaks out, it will be too late. Gu Tuohai stomped his feet. Urgh! Thats not what Im saying. Wont you be affected once she breaks through? No need to keep these small matters to heart. Gu Tuohai glared at him. How is getting involved with the Queen of the Night a small matter? Lin Xitang smiled without replying. The airship continued its ascent and soon sped away into the distance. Qianye was standing in the Zhao clan camp at that time, about to meet Zhao Xuanji. He suddenly looked up and saw two airships take to the air from Zhang Boqians command camp. With his eyesight as a long-range sniper, he was able to barely make out the cloud atlas insignia on them. Qianye was slightly moved at heart. Others may think that the Thunderous Cavalry around Prince Green Suns main tent only represented the imperial court, but Song Zining had met Lin Xitang there. The imperial guard was here to protect the marshal. Qianye sighed inwardly at the thought of that person, but he kept moving forth and followed the guard into Zhao Xuanjis tent. Zhao Xuanji stood up upon seeing Qianye. How went your business? Everything has been handled, so Ive returned to report back in. Zhao Xuanji nodded. You returned at the right time, I have a matter I cant quite decide on. Our Zhao clan private army, in addition to an airship fleet, is ten thousand strong at the moment. All airship fleets are placed under imperial command, so well ignore that for now. The remaining forces are split into thousand-man battalions of three types, namely vanguard, field, motorized. Currently, Jundu is in charge of a motorized battalion and Junhong leads a fields battalion. Im heading five battalions myself, but there are currently three battalions without a suitable leader. I was wondering if you wish to wield one of them? Qianye didnt give an immediate reply and asked instead, Why do we have to advance with the army this time? Tactics on a major battle were different from smaller operations. Normally, wars involving greater than ten thousand soldiers would be strictly differentiated into fights between experts and troops. Champions like Zhao Jundu and Qianyewho possessed long-range sniping abilities and overwhelming personal combat strengthwould usually roam the battlefield independently, seeking opportunities to assist the assault, behead the enemy leaders, or even to produce openings for more powerful experts. This is the best way to utilize their strength. Moreover, only talented generals such as Zhao Junhong and Song Zining knew how to lead soldiers. Since even Zhao Jundu was keeping a battalion by his side, this campaign was apparently different from the norm. Good question, this battle is indeed unlike the usual ones. Zhao Xuanji walked over to the military map on the wall and drew an advancement path with his fingers. Qianye was immediately astonished because the imperial vanguard was to charge straight into the Evernight Councils main camp! As you can see, the target this time is precisely the Evernight Councils main camp. The imperial army will mobilize in full-force and shant stop until the dark race army has been driven out of Giants Repose. Both sides will invest all the soldiers they have into this battle and the level of danger will be much higher than before. Marshal Boqian will also join the battle. Assigning troops to each of you serves firstly to strengthen our army and also to protect you from accidents. Qianye came to an understanding after listening to Zhao Xuanjis explanation. Staying in the army would prevent them from running into duke-level experts who could easily kill them in passing. In a war of this scale, the chaotic situation could change in the blink of an eye. Anything could happen with experts from both sides roaming everywhere. Even talented young geniuses like them might encounter a tragic death since their levels werent sufficientand a dead expert would become nothing more than a fond memory. Qianye pondered for a moment and said, Im willing to lead a vanguard battalion. It was Zhao Xuanjis turn to be startled. Vanguard? Are you sure? The vanguard will be assigned the important task of charging the enemy defenses. It was the most bitter, tiring, and dangerous position in the army. In addition to the true elites, the vanguard battalion would normally be formed of penalized soldiers and sometimes even cannon fodder. Usually, the generals in charge of the vanguard battalions were either those lacking in background and advancement potential, or battle-crazed opportunists who had their eyes on the crowning contribution, seeking a rise to fame in one battle. Qianye, at present, was already considered a core candidate for the clan to groom. It was somewhat inappropriate for him to join the vanguard. Zhao Xuanji pondered for a while and said, Qianye, your combat style is indeed suitable for charging the enemy camp. However, you have to look into the future. This duke feels that a field battalion will be more fitting. Your sniping abilities also make you a good candidate for the motorized battalion. I wish to join the vanguard, please allow me! Qianye clasped his hands and bowed. Zhao Xuanjis brows knitted tightly and only relaxed after a long while. So be it, the young are indeed impulsive, and I cant stop you by force anyway. This duke will allow it since you made such a request yourself. From now on, youre allowed to enter the Zhao clans armory and withdraw whatever you need. The battle will start any time now, be prepared. Thank you, Duke! Qianye left to prepare after expressing his gratitude. The Zhao clan was indeed a major clan with deep foundations. The temporary armory set up in the camp wasnt small at all, and there was no small number of high-quality grade-six guns within. Qianye picked a grade-six sniper rifle, a grade-six assault rifle, and a multi-purpose military knife. He then picked out a grade-five armor and relevant ammunition before leaving the armory. At this moment, Qianye was armed to the teeth and his equipment from head to toe was several hundred kilograms in weight. But Qianye walked back to his own room without the slightest hint of hindrance. The Zhao clan soldiers who had carried the equipment out for him were dumbstruck. After using East Peak habitually, Qianye didnt mind this bit of weight at all. Not long after he had returned, Qianye received the official assignment order to the vanguard battalion. This time, the Zhao clan private army had two vanguard battalions, each made up of a thousand men. One of them would be led by Qianye, while the other would be under the command of a champion from the Zhao clans side branch. Qianye went forth to his assigned vanguard battalion after receiving the order. The vanguard battalion barracks were located together in a certain corner of the Zhao clan camp. A jeep carried Qianye all the way to the camp gates, where he hopped off and headed toward the camp. Even from the outside, Qianye could hear the exceptional clamor withinincessant shouts, laughter, and cursesit would seem the soldiers within were performing their drills. The major who had driven him here poked his head out of the car and said, Sire Qianye, this is the place. Good luck! With that, the major drove away. His words clearly had a different implication, but Qianye didnt take it to heart. He walked toward the barracks and presented Zhao Xuanjis military order. The two guards gazed at Qianye with peculiar expressions and even a hint of schadenfreude. One of them quickly led Qianye inside, but their respect was simply too artificial and insincere. Qianye followed the guard in and saw two bare-chested warriors were wrestling in a small, sand-filled wrestling ring in a corner of the drill grounds. The two fighters locked in battle possessed impressive combat strength, and their techniques were as polished as they were fiercequite likely a high-grade secret art of the Zhao clan. The hundred or so warriors around them were cheering loudly and even placing bets. There was a burly man beside the wrestling ring and the stubble on his face was like a bed of iron nails. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched the match with great interest. The burly man sensed Qianyes approach and glanced up with an austere expression. Qianyes brows knitted together, puzzled as to why this burly man was so hostile. His temperament had clearly changed only after recognizing who Qianye was. Most of the Zhao clan private army was transferred later from the Western Continent, but there were several hundred veterans among them who had joined the bloody battle. Qianye believed that those who had fought under the Iron Curtain wouldnt be so hostile against him for no apparent reason. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 543: Suppression [V6C73 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye had seen no small number of factional conflicts in the army, so he immediately decided to respond with indifference. He walked over to the wrestling ring and proceeded to spectate in silence. The winner quickly became evident. One of them activated a secret art, rapidly increasing his strength and gaining an overwhelming advantage. He pinned the opponent to the ground in the blink of an eye. However, his mighty state lasted a mere minute before turning incomparably weak. The spectators immediately broke into a clamor. Some were furious, while others were delighted as they began settling the moneyone had to honor his bets. In the blink of an eye, another two men began rolling their sleeves for the next fight. Qianye finally spoke at this point, We stop here. Everyone from the vanguard battalion, assemble on the drill grounds! Qianyes voice wasnt loud but it reverberated throughout the entire barracks. Even those in the living quarters could hear him clearly. Everyone was visibly moved because this was no trifling feat. Some unbridled soldiers glanced at Qianye coldly and asked, Who are you? Qianyes eyes swept over all the soldiers of the vanguard battalion. Im the newly appointed commander of the first vanguard battalion. What? Does no one here recognize me? Not even one? Everyone looked away subconsciously wherever his gaze fell. Since Qianye had remembered them, they were likely veterans from the bloody battle. They could still play dumb before he asked, but they couldnt just pretend to not know now that the question was on the table. The situation instantly became frosty, and the drill grounds became deathly silent. No one replied, and no one assembled. Qianye didnt seem to be in a rush, either. He even lit up a cigarette and began smoking in silence. It looked as though he was thinking of something. However, prolonged silence instilled greater anxiety in everyones hearts. Those who had come from the Western Continent had only heard the rumors, but the veterans of the bloody battle knew this god of murder very well. It was just that the situation before them was the Zhao clans internal business, and to these descendants and mercenaries, Qianye was the real outsider. At this moment, Qianye listed his possible opponents in the Zhao clan. Up until this point, the only person he had openly offended was Zhao Fenglei, and, perhaps, people from the Duke Yan lineage. However, the enemies in the dark werent a certainty. Zhao Weihuang had risen from the side branch to claim the clan lord position, and now, Zhao Jundu was rampaging through all adversitythis alone was enough to gain them countless enemies. Qianye was registered under their branch, and without any special status like Zhao Junhong, it was no wonder he would be discriminated against. Moreover, the major clans had never lacked internal conflicts. Perhaps Qianye had never offended anyone, but merely taking up a slot in Zhao Jundus secondary residence had inadvertently blocked off many a persons futures. This was reason enough to form a deep enmity. Qianye suddenly felt a bit frustrated. He had no interest at all in schemes and political struggles. He requested to be assigned to the vanguard because he wanted more contributions and to reduce the Zhao clan soldiers casualties in the most dangerous areas. Someone was looking to stir up trouble with a war at hand, and this filled Qianye with disgust. A simple and naive notion appeared in Qianyes mind. He wanted to exchange his military contributions for an amnesty order as soon as possible so that Nighteye could leave safely if her vampire identity was one day exposed. The cigarette in his hand was finished in the blink of an eye, but still, no one responded. Qianye flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it with his foot. I will ask again, is there no one here from the vanguard battalion? This was a shedding of all pretenses, no longer a situation ordinary soldiers could handle. The imposing man across the wrestling ring finally spoke, Young Noble Qianye, all the brothers originally from the first vanguard battalion have applied to join the second battalion. Its only normal that theres no one here to reply. Qianyes eyes finally fell on the man and sized him up from head to toe. Who are you? The man replied, My name is Zhao Guanwei. Ive been fighting on the frontlines on the Western Continent. Ive fought many wars against the rebel army and the dark races, and Ive also seen some counts and whatnot. Fortunately, I managed to keep my life. I never had the time to participate in the so-called bloody battle since its just a battlefield for the young to polish themselves. I only came to experience Evernight Continent after the empire mobilized its forces. Zhao Guanweis words were quite polite but actually implied that the bloody battle was, due to the level restrictions, a childs game and not a true battle. Qianyes expression sank as he looked coldly at Zhao Guanwei. He decided not to give him any more face. Qianye had experienced numerous life and death situations in the bloody battle. Comrades and brothers had fallen in droves as the Zhao clan suffered great casualties. It was a battle led by the younger generations of the two factions, a conflict befitting of its name. The level of cruelty involved was no less than the frontlines of the imperial army. Those experiences, those people who had been laid to eternal rest, how could they suffer Zhao Guanweis humiliation? Qianye exhaled deeply and said with a finger pointed at Zhao Guanwei, The main point of the army is to be able to charge and kill enemies. We shall talk with our fists, whoever loses shall scram out of the camp. I want to see what makes a rank-eleven champion confident enough to block my way! Zhao Guanwei was momentarily astonished because he had never expected Qianye to be so direct. After listening to Qianyes words, he laughed furiously and said, Very well, since a rank-eleven champion is not qualified, Ill see what a rank-ten like you can do! With that, he walked over in large strides and stood firmly ten meters away from Qianye, flexing his wrists. Your daddy wont take advantage of you, Ill be using these bare hands to teach you a lesson. Use whatever weapon you have! Zhao Guanwei folded his sleeves to reveal two alloy armguards. The armor was fairly thick and heavy, with several sharp barbs sticking out from them. They could be used as weapons as well as shields. He apparently favored close-quarter combat, and most of his skills were likely related to these armguards. Qianye couldnt bother to argue who was trying to gain an advantage. With a sheathed East Peak in hand, he arrived before Zhao Guanwei in a single step. Qianye pierced East Peak into the ground before Zhao Guanwei, sheath and all. This simple movement produced a thunderous sound which reverberated throughout the entire drill ground. All the vanguard soldiers at the fore were sent stumbling under the suppression of this oceanic might and collapsed in droves. Only the most valiant of experts remained standing, but snapping out of the shock, they too pulled back with pale faces. Zhao Guanwei, who had suffered the brunt of this attack, went red in the face, his bones creaking and groaning. He could barely stand and didnt even have the power to move his hands. The other soldiers only suffered the peripheral shockwaves, while over half of the power was focused on Zhao Guanweis body. One could easily imagine the pressure he was under. Qianye had held nothing back with this attack and was rather surprised to see Zhao Guanwei still standing. With a push of his hand, however, East Peak began falling toward the man like a heavenly pillar. Faint claps of thunder resounded in the air when the blade moved. Following an idea that had popped up, Qianye added a wisp of void origin power into East Peak which dramatically increased the might of this push. Zhao Guanwei was visibly moved. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and attempted to block East Peak as though his life depended on it. However, it only served to slow down the unstoppable descent of the blade. Zhao Guanwei roared thrice, each shout causing his face to flush red, but he still failed to block East Peak. His knees made crackling sounds as he finally fell kneeling onto the ground, no longer able to endure. His hands, at the moment, hung limp and powerless to his sides. This suppressive move looked simple, but Qianye had actually activated the relic from Sky Demons avatar and utilized some of the origin power techniques he had gained from the ancient essence fragment, greatly increasing his power. Not only did he press Zhao Guanwei firmly to the ground, but he also destroyed his origin defenses. Qianye stopped East Peak mid-air with a flick of his hands. Then, a segment of the blade moved out of its sheath and pressed firmly against the side of Zhao Guanweis neck. A slight movement could chop the mans head off. How was it? Qianye asked indifferently. Zhao Guanweis expression was dismal. He had never expected such a rapid and miserable loss. His mouth moved several times before he clenched his teeth and said, I lost! Very good! Qianye put East Peak away and said, Since youve lost, then pack up your bags and scram. As for where youll go, talk to the duke yourself. Its none of my business. Zhao Guanwei clambered up and finally spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared hatefully at Qianye and said, Great, well see what you can do! He shouted at the vanguard battalion soldiers in the vicinity, Brothers who are willing to follow me, lets go. If this place wont keep us, there are surely other places we can go to! Qianyes expression remained unchanged as he allowed Zhao Guanwei to finish speaking. Then, East Peak moved at lightning speed and tapped lightly on his abdomen before pulling back. The blade shot out like a bolt of lightning but was as heavy as a bolt of lightning when it was pulled back. This light tap left Zhao Guanwei hugging his abdomen with a dumb expression. Then, he gradually fell kneeling and curled up into a ball without the power to even cry out. Trying to incite a mutiny? Youre courting death! Qianye sneered as he looked up at the soldiers. There were a number of people who had stepped out when Zhao Guanwei issued the call to action. They all turned pale as Qianye scanned their faces one by one. Battalions defying orders to form their own groups, this is the first time Ive come to know just how lax the Zhao clans military management is. Qianyes words caused everyone to turn even paler. Zhao clans military management was extremely strict and orders had to be obeyed without questions. Zhao Guanwei dared provoke Qianye in the guise of a friendly match because he had accumulated countless contributions in addition to a strong backing. The others had no such confidence. They might not even be able to keep their lives if Qianye were to continue. These people were drenched in sweat when Qianyes eyes moved away from them. It felt as though they had escaped from death itself. Whoever dares take a single step out of the vanguard battalion without my orders will be charged with desertion and killed on the spot. The entire scene turned silenteven the high-ranking officers had their heads lowered. Qianyes battle with Zhao Guanwei was an establishment of his mighta demonstration of his powerbut the two sentences after that proved that he was not completely ignorant about running an army. Defying orders and desertion in war werent just major crimes. To private soldiers of the major clans, it might even involve their families. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 544: Direction [V6C74 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Seeing no one defying his orders, Qianyes gaze fell back on Zhao Guanwei. The man was flung high into the air with a flick of his blade, crashing outside the battalion gates and coughing up several mouthfuls of blood. Qianye paid him no more heed. He turned back to the soldiers and said, The entire unit will assemble. Those who fail to arrive on time will be punished according to military law. Once the order was issued, an officer blew two short and one long bursts from his whistle, a sign of urgency. The camp was aboil as the warriors rushed out from their respective barracks and poured into the drill grounds, instantly forming two neat square formations. The quality of the Zhao clans private army could be seen from the speed of their assemblythey were even faster than the imperial regular army. Qianye nodded when the troops had assembled and casually picked a young soldier to lead him to the main tent, leaving the two battalions on the drill grounds with no orders. According to military law, these soldiers couldnt leave without any order, and neither could they move about. All they could do was to stand silently in the drill grounds. Qianye seemed to have forgotten the two battalions after going into the tent and did not issue any order thereafter. It was soon late in the night, and the soldiers had stood there for nearly ten hours. Although the strong Zhao clan warriors were far from tired, it was inevitable that their hearts would be filled with frustration and restlessness. However, they knew that this was Qianyes punishment for defying orders. It was quite possible that they would have to stand until dawn. It was at this time that several of Zhao Xuanjis personal guards entered the camp and came straight into the main tent. Duke You orders you to meet him immediately. Qianye put down the map in his hand and followed the soldiers to meet Zhao Xuanji. At this moment, the duke wasnt working on military affairs as usual but fiddling with a set of complicated tea instruments. He gestured for Qianye to sit down upon his arrival and placed a cup of tea before him. Then, he himself picked up a cup of tea and began tasting it in earnest. The tent was so quiet that one could hear the drop of a needle. Duke You did not speak, and neither did Qianye. The two of them just sat there in silence. Zhao Xuanji took an entire half an hour to finish this cup of tea. Then, he put the cup down lightly and looked up at Qianye. Guanwei is a fierce general whos joined the battlefield since his adulthood. Hes remained on the Western Continent frontlines for ten years, killed countless enemies, and accumulated many contributions. Many of the vanguard battalion soldiers are his old subordinates. Its normal for you to be at odds with him, but why the need to beat him up so badly and kick him out of the vanguard battalion? Qianye replied indifferently, I wouldnt have been wounded any less had I lost, nor would I be able to remain in the vanguard battalion. The war is right in front of our eyes. I hate people like him who try to take advantage of the times to pick fights. Since he proactively sought trouble, I have no reason to show mercy. I dont care who the mastermind is. Zhao Xuanji laughed. You dont think its Duke Yans idea, do you? Qianye replied, Theres really no need for this if it were you or Duke Yan. You could have justblocked me from leading the troops. Zhao Xuanji hadnt expected Qianye to be so direct. He looked on blankly but then shook his head with a laugh. Then, he heard Qianye continue, I only want to accumulate military contributions, I have no interest in knowing who the orchestrator is. Zhao Xuanji pondered for a while before saying with a smile, Fine then, this matter shall end here. Ill have some men teach those little fellows from Duke Yans residence a lesson. Things wont end so easily if they stir up trouble again. As for Guanwei, he perhaps does have some selfish motives, but he certainly wont make mistakes regarding important matters. If this dukes guess is correct, it should be due to some past favors. That will be for the best. Qianyes tone was indifferent, neither angry nor thankful. Zhao Xuanji said, The current Zhao clan descendants dont know your identity. It''s inevitable that they would be resentful after seeing the preferential treatment you''re receiving. But not knowing has its advantages since it can lessen other untoward matters. Qianye, this duke has something on his mind. I hope you can tell me the truth. Please ask, Duke. Zhao Xuanji spoke, What exactly are you pursuing with the Zhao clan? Qianye responded with a question. What is the purpose of the dukes question? Zhao Xuanji didnt pretend, either. Our Zhao clan grooms its disciples according to their abilities and aspirations, both in the choice of secret arts and the direction of their development. On one hand, it serves to prevent one from walking down the wrong path, while on the other, it avoids wasting clan resources. Youve missed the best period to build a foundation, but with your talents and Zhao Jundus care for you, you will definitely play a role in the Zhao clans future. Your ambitions for the future are related to how we nurture you today. Qianye couldnt help but feel moved after hearing this. Zhao Xuanjis intentions were more sincere than simply piling up resources on him. At this point, the duke poured himself another cup to allow Qianye time to think. Our Zhao clan youths are full of heroic talents, but only Zhao Jundu and you are a cut above the rest. Even Yuying is slightly inferior. The Zhao clan will likely belong to you two brothers ten years down the road. This duke must mention, however, that due to your birth status, the clan lords position will surely fall to Zhao Jundu. Qianyes brows twitched. Truth be told, I have never thought that far, and neither do I seek power within the Zhao clan. For now, all I want is to accumulate military contribution. Zhao Xuanji found this fairly surprising and said with raised eyebrows, Contributions? It seems you seek a reward from the empire. No matter what it is, why not tell me right now? There isnt a lot this duke cant do. Qianye laughed wryly. Thats for the future, and it might not actually happen. So, its a bit too early to speak of it at the moment. Zhao Xuanji didnt force the matter. Fine then, make sure you know your own limits. Feel free to speak your thoughts regarding the war, Ill help you as much as I can. Many thanks for the dukes kind intentions. Qianye excused himself after performing a salute. A middle-aged man walked out from the curtain behind Zhao Xuanji. His face was fair, well-groomed, and appeared rather scholarly. Zhao Xuanji, however, stood up respectfully to welcome him. Teacher Yan, what do you think of this child? This Teacher Yan said contemplatively, This child is calm in the face of events and remains composed even before you. Hes really not simple both in terms of strength and temperament; hell surely become an outstanding character in the future. However, there are too many secrets on him, and he must be used with caution before knowing more. Zhao Xuanji shook his head. Its not completely so, I feel that this child is someone who cares about relationships. The first time he fought for the Zhao clan was because of his friendship with Zhao Yuying. All this time, he has sought neither status nor power from the Zhao clan. Teacher Yan replied, That is the main reason why the clans restraints on him are weak. One has to know that, since antiquity, only blood relationship is the key to loyalty. Zhao Xuanji sighed. This matter cant be forced. Let us see as we go. Oh right, how goes the situation on that side? Teacher Yan said with an embarrassed sigh, I feel ashamed, but that side refuses to leak anything at all. I schemed for many days but found no opportunity to plant any spies or gain any information. That brother of mine is so much more capable in this aspect. Im sorry to say that Ive failed the dukes request. Zhao Xuanji didnt seem to mind. This is nothing, Teacher Yan is a genius in other areas. This duke still has much to rely on you in the future! Teacher Yan was both regretful and touched. He sighed deeply and said, My little brother betrayed our ancestral teachings and submitted to the other side. Im also partially responsible for this, sigh! I can only hope hell see the light soon and not fall deeper in. Zhao Xuanji nodded. This matter cant be rushed. We can only make gradual plans and hope he returns quickly. How about the military strategy in the past couple of days? A general outline has been formed and only some finer details remain to be hammered out within Marshal Boqians office. Ill let you see it early tomorrow morning. Good, then Ill leave Teacher Yan to your business. Zhao Xuanji returned to his desk after the man excused himself. He casually picked up a document and began reading it in detail. He looked as though he was fully concentrated on his work, but in truth, there was a small voice ringing in his ears. Reporting to the Duke, the younger Mister Yan is under heavy guard on the other side, and recently, they dispatched twice the number of men to protect him. We simply couldnt find the chance to take action. I suspect someone from our side has leaked information. It cant be that coincidental otherwise. This voice was actually a wisp of origin power sent directly into Zhao Xuanjis ears. Even someone sitting directly across from him wouldnt be able to hear. The duke flipped through the documents and issued an order without a single movement of his lips. Continue scouting. Take immediate action once theres an opportunity. Kill him without fail! After that, Zhao Xuanji added coldly, At all costs! This subordinate understands! The origin power fluctuation gradually faded away, along with the voice hidden within. The tent grew silent once more as though nothing had happened. At this moment, Qianye had returned to the vanguard battalion where he finally issued an order for the soldiers to return to their quarters and rest. With the great battle before them, it was fairly important to keep the soldiers in top shape. The disciplinary action would stop here. It was already close to midnight by the time Qianye issued this order. At this time, two visitors arrived at the vanguard battalion. Apparently, most of the Zhao clan soldiers recognized these two, and even several of the officers were visibly moved. One of them was Zhao Jundus aide who had brought Qianye a chest full of both common and secret medicines, while the other was Zhao Junhong himself. He didnt seem to have any business in particular. He merely sat for a while in Qianyes tent and chatted with him over a cup of tea before taking his leave. Qianye still wasnt sure of their purpose up to this point, but he felt a warmth in his heart amidst the wry laughter. Duke You naturally learned of this matter soon afterward, but the guard withdrew quietly after seeing no reaction from Zhao Xuanji. The imperial main camp grew quiet in the days that followed and no more airship fleets arrived. The storm was soon to arrive. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 545: War [V6C75 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye was sitting quietly and cultivating the Profound Combatant Formula as a formless origin vortex revolved slowly behind him. It was as though the extreme pressure had ripped the void open and strands of void origin power were pouring into the maelstrom for Qianye to absorb. As he was cultivating, the void shuddered violently and grew extremely unstable. The influx of origin power grew increasingly violent as more and more fractures appeared. The once stable vortex was now fluctuating wildly. Affected by the turbulence, a pale Qianye let out a muffled groan with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Qianye was fairly shocked at this point. He quickly stopped the Profound Combatant Formula and managed to calm down only after all of his origin power had been retracted. The Profound Combatant Formula was so powerful that a single accident would result in immediate injury when mild, and foundational damage when severe. Qianye stood up in bewilderment, unable to understand why these sudden changes had occurred. A sudden thought stirred in him as he opened his True Sight and glanced toward Zhang Boqians main camp. In his True Sight, he could see a mass of intense light in that direction. Zhang Boqians origin radiance was like the midday sun, and wherever it fell was his domain. At this very moment, however, Qianye actually saw two suns, and the new one was even stronger than Zhang Boqians. Startled, Qianye hurriedly retracted his True Sight. He didnt dare cast another glance at the command center. Qianye didnt dare look again regardless of whether his True Sight could be discovered or not. Those two masses of light were so intense that he mightve been scorched blind had he continued looking for a couple more seconds. Qianye had avoided spying on other people in this imperial camp where experts were as numerous as the clouds. It was only because he had suffered agitation during cultivation and was nearly wounded that he traced the source back to the command center. In the end, he had discovered something truly shocking. The new origin radiance was even more powerful than Zhang Boqian. No doubt anotherheavenly monarch had arrived. It was said that a heavenly monarchs might could cover thousands of kilometers, but only today did Qianye personally experience a power that was even capable of stirring up the void. No longer daring to circulate the Profound Combatant Formula, he merely sat in silence to adjust himself and gradually calm down his surging blood. In the central command tent, a tall, thin man with brows growing down to his cheeks suddenly opened his eyes and glanced toward Qianyes location. Boqian, your army is truly filled with concealed talents. Zhang Boqian didnt seem to mind it at all. That little fellow is indeed a bit talented, even Im quite surprised. Marshal Lin Xitang also gave him a good evaluation. The long-browed elder said, Oh? At first, I felt that this little fellows origin power is a bit strange, as if tainted by a certain shadow. But since Lin Xitang has already seen him, then I guess he should be quite alright. These children might be able to replace us old bones when they grow up. Zhang Boqian laughed indifferently. The Pointer Monarch honors them too much. The old man only replied with a laugh, Since Ive already arrived, shall we begin? My arrival cant be hidden for very long. My thoughts exactly. With that, Zhang Boqian stood up to summon a general and instructed, Issue my command, all units will move out as planned. The entire army will attack! The old general trembled as he responded in affirmation before leaving in due haste. Moments later, the long, desolate blare of a bugle resounded throughout the entire imperial camp. The long peaceful camp immediately jumped into action as assembly commands were issued in every division. The well-prepared army mobilized with great speedthe first unit had left camp before an hour had passed, followed by a great tide that was the main army. They moved along the edges of Giants Repose and circled around it like a torrent of steel poised to assault the Evernight main camp. A dense fleet of airships took to the air soon after the main army had moved out and, like dark clouds, blotted out the entire sky. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were charging forth on a magnificent scale. Zhang Boqian and the long-browed elder were in the air, observing all movement within a thousand-meter radius. The former was standing with his hands behind his back. His eyes were profound, and the roar of landslides and tsunamis could be heard between his breaths. The surrounding origin power fluctuated with the rhythm of his breath, and the affected area was gradually expanding outward. The long-browed old man was calm and collected, but he couldnt help but sigh emotionally as he watched the airship fleet in the sky and the snaking army on the ground. The last time this monarch witnessed such a scene was over a decade ago. Time sure flies, our generation has turned into old men in the blink of an eye. The empire is the realm of the young, but this monarch will still feel overwhelmed with emotions even if I see such a lineup thirty years later. Zhang Boqian replied with a laugh, Your Excellency has led many generations of troops, what kind of lineup have you not seen before? Come to think of it, my first battle back then was also under your command. Oh look, old friends have arrived. A black cloud and a bloody mist rose up at the same time from the Evernight front lines, traversing the ravine with great momentum as they rolled toward the imperial camp. The old man laughed unfathomably. Boqian, it looks like they really dont think much of you. Zhang Boqian didnt reveal any killing intent after hearing this. On the contrary, the smile on his face grew even wider as his deep, void-like eyes flickered with lightning. The old man added, Since theyre already coming to us, why dont we go and welcome the guests? Agreed! The bloody mist and black cloud were the embodiment of Medanzo and Noxus domains. The two were as gloomy as still water as they flew out at full speed, arriving at the center of the ravine in the blink of an eye. However, two men suddenly appeared in the air in front of them and blocked their paththe latter group had arrived first despite setting out late. One of them was Zhang Boqianthe two dark monarchs were already expecting himbut they were visibly moved after seeing the long-browed elder. Pointer Monarch! Why are you here? Pointer Monarch laughed kindly. Why cant this monarch be here? Shouldnt you be in the outer void? Medanzo said with a stern voice. I dont think I need to report my whereabouts to the Lightless Monarch, the Pointer Monarch replied with a smile. The expressions of Medanzo and Noxus were fluctuating rapidly. According to reason, the imperial heavenly monarchs should be at the void borders to prevent the Queen of the Night and the Eternal Flame from ambushing imperial lands. Now that the Pointer Monarch was here, could it mean that an accident had occurred on Liliths side? This notion flashed through both Medanzo and Noxus hearts, but their reactions were vastly different. Medanzo was both shocked and furious. After all, the status of the vampires would fall precipitously should something happen to the Queen of the Night. One needed only to look at the werewolves to know what fate would await them after losing a seat on the sacred mountain. Meanwhile, Noxus expression was much more complicated. He couldnt quite ascertain things from Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarchs expressions. If Lilith really had encountered an accident, it would be good news for the arachne. The vampires had firmly suppressed the arachne for tens of thousands of years. Even if Liliths problem wasnt enough to lose her that seat on the sacred mountain, it would be great news for them if she couldnt appear for a long time. It wasnt as simple as a difference in honor and dignity between the two races, but it also involved land, resources, and special privileges. But all of this had to be left for later as the war at present had to be fought first. Medanzo and Noxus shot each other a glance before flying high up into the air, followed closely by Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarch. The four supreme experts flew higher and higher until they vanished above the skies. A battle between people at their level was too powerful, and the affected range was too vast. It might cause irreversible damage to the land if they were to go all out in battle. One could see the seriousness of such an outcome from how the battle with Sky Demon changed a vast area of land on Evernight Continent. As such, the experts from each faction would head into the void for an all-out battle. Unlike the void colossi, they had descendants and relatives on the continentfighting there would benefit no one. Medanzo and Noxus were now at a disadvantage after the sudden appearance of the Pointer Monarch, the most powerful human expert at present. It wasnt a problem for the two dark monarchs to escapethey would be slightly injured at most. But they were quite clear that the imperial troops on the ground held the absolute advantage and that the Evernight Councils army was in precarious position. Meanwhile, on the ground. Qianye was in a jeep, watching as the scenery on each side passed by him. Following close behind the command-vehicle was a convoy made up of dozens of transport trucks. For some reason, the duke didnt assign another commander after the incident with Zhao Guanwei. Currently, Qianye had well over a thousand soldiers from two battalions under his command. The soldiers and officers of the vanguard battalion recovered their elite qualities after the appearance of Zhao Jundus aide and Zhao Junhong. There were no more problems thereafter. No one caused any problem for Qianye at all, not even other battalions or the logistics sector where conflicts could easily occur. Qianye recalled that clumsy provocation and Duke Yous high evaluation of Zhao Guanwei. He had a vague feeling that the person behind the scene wasnt just trying to push him out. It was quite likely that he was also trying to target Zhao Jundu. At this point, Qianye shook his head and cleared away those distracting thoughts. He instead focused his attention on the operation at hand and did his best to memorize each and every detail. He had received instructions for this operation just as he was about to leave. It detailed the order of mobilization, the routes of advancement, designated positions, and targets. The most important thing at present was the war. This time, the imperial army had turned out in full strength, leaving behind only the craftsmen, logistics team, and less than ten thousand soldiers. The rest were all charging majestically toward the Evernight main camp. According to the plan in his hand, the imperial army would circle around the entire valley that was Giants Repose, and fall into formation outside of the Evernight main camp. Afterward, they would launch an all-out attack on the following day. The Zhao clan private army was in the second part of the line-up and would be in charge of defense upon arrival. He was to block any counterattacks from the Evernight army first and launch an attack later on. At this moment, a flash of light appeared outside the window, followed by rumbling explosions. Qianye cranked open the window and glanced out to find a large ball of fire in the air. It fell into the bottomless ravine, exploding continuously and shooting out fragmented debris in all directions. That was a burning airship, but the flames on it were so intense that he couldnt see which faction it belonged to. The destruction of this vessel seemed to have opened up the gates of disaster as balls of flame lit up repeatedly in the sky. One airship after another caught on fire, burned up, and either exploded or came crashing down. The airspace above Giants Repose had turned into a killing zone with an unending stream of vessels from both sides charging into the fierce battle. Qianye focused his gaze from a distance and was finally able to make out the destroyed vessels affiliationit was an Evernight battleship. For every imperial airship destroyed, two would fall from the Evernight faction. This was the first time Qianye had experienced a war of such scale. For a moment, he was deeply shaken. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 546: Vanguard [V6C76 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The empire had thrived for thousands of years, but its most successful area was with large mechanized weapons, even surpassing the Evernight faction both in terms of city defenses and airship warfare. The empire held a particular advantage in terms of single-airship firepower. Hence, the Evernight side had to depend on their advantage in the number of experts to fill this gap. However, the two great monarchs from the Evernight side hadnt appeared during this battle, and the less powerful experts were soon dominated by the well-prepared empire. The Evernight airship fleet thus suffered grievous losses. A couple of hours into the battle, the Evernight side had lost one entire airship fleet, but even then, airships from both sides continued to pour in. They werent completely unpreparedthey had two sub-fleets hidden in a distant base to serve as reserve units. What they didnt expect was that the empire would have a hidden ace in the form of three sub-fleets parked out in the void. The troops on the ground were still charging forth. Qianye soon closed the window and looked straight ahead, collecting his thoughts. Rolling smoke and dust rose over the horizon. That was the thirty-thousand strong vanguard unit of the regular army, half composed of imperial soldiers, and the remainder occupied by Zhang clan private soldiers. Zhang Boqian, as the commander-in-chief of this operation, had assigned his own private army to the vanguard unit. Even the clans who held a grudge against the Zhang clan couldnt help but admire his dedication. Qianye passed an order for the entire battalion to maintain formation and pay attention to their distance from the main army vanguard and adjacent units. Afterward, he lit a cigarette and allowed himself to enter a complete state of rest. Constant rumbling explosions came from above, but Qianye still managed to relax his spirit, slow down his thoughts, and eventually enter dreamlandhe had actually fallen asleep in such a situation. After an unknown length of time, an intense rumble woke Qianye up followed by the shrill sound of a descending cannon shell. However, the round failed to complete its mission as a sniper atop the jeep fired several rounds in succession and caused it to ignite mid-air. The explosion took place several hundred meters from the ground, yet the vehicle was badly shaken and its windows shattered. From this, one could see how great its firepower was. Qianye tidied his hair which had been messed up by the shockwave. Then, with a light tap on his seat, he flipped out of the window with great agility and arrived on the roof to observe the surroundings. A series of shrill whistles filled the sky as a torrent of cannon shells fell toward Qianyes vehicle. Issue my command, perform independent evasive maneuvers! A senior officer immediately stood up and waved the relevant command flags. The motorcade behind them immediately spread out and, at the same time, spat out tongues of flames from their roofs. The constant flashes of origin power moved forth like a large net to intercept the descending shells. Black plumes of smoke exploded in the air amidst deafening rumbles as the heavy-cannon shells were blasted apart one after another. There was also a fair number that managed to break through the interception fire, leaving deep pits on the ground wherever they landed. A military transport made a sharp turn but still failed to evade the incoming shell. It was struck directly and transformed into a ball of flames. The soldiers within were flung out in all directions like broken dolls. Only a small number of officers managed to extricate themselves, while the rest were completely disfigured. Qianye broke into a frown. A single shot had taken the lives of dozens of elite soldiers, and even among the vehicles that hadnt been struck, there were casualties sustained from stray bullets during the evasion process. But less than a hundred had died while passing through the artillery blockade. This could already be considered an exemplary performance, unquestionable proof of the Zhao clan private armys quality. Qianye stood firmly on the roof of the car with a scarlet origin glow flickering around him; he would reach out to intercept the falling cannon shells from time to time. Seeing his actions, the other powerful vanguard battalion officers also leapt onto the roof and activated their origin defenses to protect the advancing motorcade. Qianye glanced far into the distance and saw balls of light rising up at the extremes of his vision. The vanguard unit had spread out at the designated point and formed a temporary line of defense from which they were fighting against the Evernight army. The Evernight side had invested a great number of troops in their defensive line, much more than the empire had in the vanguard. Apparently, they wanted to push the frontline back before the Imperials had gained a foothold. Qianye immediately issued an order after seeing this. Full speed ahead! The jeep engine roared frantically as it sped forward over the rugged wasteland. The vanguard battalion cars all accelerated after seeing the command vehicle speed up and whizzed toward the frontlines. Qianye leapt off the jeep several kilometers away from the battlefield and charged forward at full speed. Upon seeing this, the communications officer on the jeep grabbed the flare gun and fired a signal flare in Qianyes direction. The bullet swayed upward and drew out a blue line through the sky. All qualified imperial soldiers would know that this was a signal flare used specifically by the Zhao clan. The vanguard battalions cars stopped thousands of meters away from the battlefield. All warriors alighted and ran toward their designated positions in a staggered formation. The cannon fire in the air grew so dense that even the earth was trembling. The deafening explosions rumbled continuously as bomb craters appeared left and right. Soldiers of the Zhao clan vanguard battalion were veterans of many battles. They leapt from one crater to another, using the transformed landscape to hide themselves during the advance. Some soldiers would be flung away from time to time, but most of them merely fell to the ground and managed to scramble up soon afterward. These veteran soldiers possessed great individual fighting power and were equipped with high-quality armoreven the cover bombing couldnt pose a great threat to them. They were mostly left with light wounds unless the shell fell right beside them. At the foremost, Qianye had already charged into the imperial vanguard unit. One of the Zhang clan generals was startled when he saw the Zhao clan insignia on Qianyes uniform. You guys came so fast! Qianye had no time to reply as East Peak flashed out to block in front of the general''s chest. A large ball of origin flame exploded on the blade, tainted with strands of black energyit was a powerful sniper round. The Zhang clan general lost all color. Had Qianye not blocked that shot for him, it was likely that the bullet wouldve pierced through his armor and opened a large hole on his chest. The general had no time to thank Qianye under the urgent situation. He grabbed the assault rifle nearby and, with two bursts, made a sieve out of the distant vampire. Only after pressing the trigger did he have the time to express his gratitude. Thanks, brother! Qianye said with a wave of his hand, No need, we drink after the fight! Qianye didnt linger around at all and sped toward a group of charging arachne. The oceanic power pressed half the arachne onto the ground as he took their captains head with a sweep of East Peak. Qianye rushed time and again into the most dangerous of places. Each time, he would arrive in the enemys midst with unparalleled speed, suppress them with his oceanic might, and take the head of their most powerful expert. He killed with incredible speed and defeated numerous dark race units in the blink of an eye. The stress on the defensive line was immediately eased up. At this moment, the Zhao clan vanguard battalion arrived at the scene in quick succession and moved toward Qianye in formation. Qianye drew his Twin Flowers and downed several dark race soldiers in front of him. He then turned back and roared, Form a defensive perimeter here. Front row, assist in the attack. Back row, deploy defenses! He had just given the order when a sense of alarm arose in his heart. Immediately afterward, a vampire origin grenade appeared at his feet, seemingly out of nowhere. Qianye was sent flying from the intense explosion and soon crashed onto the distant ground due to East Peaks weight. For a moment, Qianye could only hear the explosion ringing in his ears and see stars in his eyes. The blood energy and origin power in his body were in turmoil. That wasnt just an ordinary origin grenade, but one with the ability to disrupt daybreak origin power. As powerful as his body was, he could hardly clamber up on the spot. Qianye soon felt someone dragging him backward. Several Zhao clan soldiers had appeared around him and were firing with all their might to cover their retreat. Then, another vampire hand grenade exploded. It didnt have any added effect like the previous one but managed to land squarely in the midst of the soldiers. The warriors evaded with all their might but failed to escape completely from the blast radius. The great half of them fell in an instant with only one managing to clamber up and fire back. Qianye only saw things up to this point before he was dragged into a bomb crater. Soon, he felt a slight pain at his neck as though he had been bitten by a bug. The potential attack to his vital area activated all of Qianyes instinctive defenses. He immediately became sober and sat up with his handgun pointing forward. Beside Qianye was a young soldier. He was already a major in the army despite his tender facial features. At this moment, he had a syringe in his hand and was looking at the bent needle in a daze. This was the Zhao clans specialized life-saving medicine, one with the combined effects of healing, stimulation, and blood restoration. Its effects were much better than those issued by the imperial regular army. Even within the Zhao clan private army, only officers and special units like the vanguard battalion would receive a quota. The medicine was specially designed for critical situations. Its needle was constructed from the same alloy used to make origin gun barrels and possessed the ability to pierce through standard armor. This saved time during emergencies by removing the need for a proper injection site to deliver the medicine. What caused the youth to be flabbergasted was that the needle bent out of shape after sticking into Qianyes bare skin, leaving nothing more than a red spot. Seeing what had transpired, Qianye took the medicine from the major, pinched off the needle, and swallowed the contents in one gulp. Lets go! With that, he leapt out of the crater. Qianye held the Bloody Datura in one hand and East Peak in the other. At the same time, he activated his Bloodline Concealment and began roaming through the battlefield under the cover of the thick smoke. He ignored several good opportunities for an ambush because the most important mission right now was to find the stealthy enemy who had tossed that grenade. That person was too dangerous. He managed to launch a successful sneak attack even under Qianyes sharp senses. The empire would suffer greater casualties if he couldnt deal with this person as soon as possible. Before long, a grenade appeared nearby as though it had floated up from underwater. The blast sent two imperial lieutenants flying into the air along with several soldiers and effectively silenced the heavy machine gun they were operating. During this short moment, Qianye caught a ripple-like origin power trajectory in his True Sight. Apparently, that was the origin power which had delivered the grenade to its designated location. However, the source of this trajectory was filled with mist, and no life-form could be sensed therein. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 547: Behind the Curtains on the Front Lines [V6C77 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye didnt hesitate in the least despite failing to sense anything there. He produced several grenades and hurled them out at full force. The explosives crossed several hundred meters in the blink of an eye and blasted into the dense cloud of smoke like a cannon shell. A cry of alarm emerged from the mist, followed by the appearance of a silhouette trying to escape the blastbut it was one step too late. Moreover, Qianyes grenades fell in a particular pattern which locked down a ten-meter area around the person. The shockwaves from the consecutive explosions swept the person back in. Only a miserable cry was heard before the figure rushed back out, covered in flames from head to toe. But his movements faltered after taking two steps out as an origin bullet tore through the air and took away half his head. Qianye blew on the smoking-hot barrel and walked over to the corpse. It was a demonkin. The remaining half of his head was still frozen in an expression of pain and astonishment, apparently unable to believe that he would be discovered. As a mere baron, he was neither powerful nor pivotal in a factional war of this scale. But a number of his sinister abilities held destructive potential when coupled with powerful grenades, and this far surpassed his own strength. Had the dark races been less particular about bloodlines and personal combat strengthif they had only made an exception and assigned him a number of super-powerful black titanium grenadesthe casualties on the empires side would be unimaginable. Qianye couldnt bother to search the body. He fired swiftly from the Bloody Datura and killed off all threatening enemies in the vicinity. This handgun in Qianyes grasp had actually fired from the range of an assault rifle, and many of the dead dark race soldiers didnt even know where the bullets had come from. Those killed by Qianye were all core enemy experts, middle-ranking officers of the Evernight army. And with these people dead, the troops under them fell into immediate chaos. It was at this time that a fierce hail of bullets swept over these low-ranking soldiers and cannon fodder, mowing them down row by row. The stronger ones were then surrounded and killed by the vanguard battalion soldiers. Before long, the tables had turned in the area Qianye was in charge of. The dark race warriors in the area had been routed and were fleeing in scattered groups. Qianye glanced at the surroundings and found no enemy in sight. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he felt something off with his shoulder. He reached for the source of discomfort and found two bullets there. Only then did he look down and discover that he had been struck several times. Some of the bullets had been blocked by his armor and origin defenses, but a couple of others had left wounds of varying degrees on his body. These were merely surface injuries, so Qianye paid them no heed. He simply injected a dose of stimulants and rushed toward another part of the battlefield to beat up the dark race squads there. A shrill whistle echoed through the air just when Qianye was considering whether he should charge into the enemy camp. He looked up and, with his superior vision, saw a dozen or so black dots approaching from the sky. Heavy cannon shells! But these shells had come from the empires side and were headed for the middle of the Evernight army. These were the empires heavy cannons! Since even the heavy artillery corps had arrived, it was likely that the elite cavalry was already flanking the enemy. Qianye became spirited. The morale of the imperial soldiers also rose dramatically, and some even cheered with open arms. Meanwhile, fear and chaos descended among the dark race units that had been pushed back several times by Qianye. Qianye grasped this short-lived opportunity. He raised his sword and shouted Follow me! as he charged headfirst into the dark race formation. His oceanic power and Nirvanic Rend quickly produced a wide empty space in front of him. The vanguard battalion soldiers were dauntless veterans to begin with. Seeing how powerful Qianyes single assault was, many of them found their blood boiling as they followed Qianye into the dark race formation. Origin guns werent satisfying enough in a melee fight since they had to be charged up. Many people discarded their assault rifles and charged in with daggers drawn. The Zhao clan private army assumed their own formation in battle, and Qianye grew accustomed to their tempo after pushing several hundred meters in. He now focused only on charging ahead and left the other sides in their hands. Thus, their vanguard battalion charged through the tempest and rampaged through the dark race army. They inflicted heavy casualties among the dark races, and rolling waves of blood would flow wherever they wentno one could stop them. In just a short while, Qianye had led the army to a point where he could no longer see the other imperial soldiers. He glanced about and found himself deep within the enemy formation, just a short distance away from breaking through the entire enemy ranks. However, empty areas were likely to draw the concentrated fire of the Evernight camps cannons. As such, Qianye killed his way through the encirclement and led the vanguard battalion back to the imperial formation. This excursion was like walking through an uninhabited land. Before Qianye, all of the dark race armys formations fell apart and descended into chaos. This quickly eased the pressure on the imperial frontlines. Whistles rang through the air yet again from the dozens of imperial heavy cannons. At this moment, a rain of fire fell from the sky as the imperial airships arrived. These airships had finished off their opponents and rushed over to provide support for the ground troops. The imperial defensive line had solidified, and their heavy artillery was pounding down on the Evernight side. Finally, the signal to retreat emerged from the enemy camp. The dark race soldiers pulled back from their front lines in misery, suffering attacks from the heavy cannons and airships along the way. Although their experts were fine, the low-ranking soldiers and cannon fodder suffered grievous casualtiesthe latter had been wiped out almost entirely. The Evernight faction had used over half of their forces in this battle. Over a hundred thousand dark race soldiers swarmed over the vanguard in a bid to defeat them before they could gain a foothold. The Zhao clan private army and the other major clan armies added together numbered less than fifty thousand, yet they had managed to stem the tide of the dark race assault and last out until the main imperial army had been completely deployed. With the loss of this battle, the Evernight main camp was bound to fall. That majestic but hastily-built castle wasnt a military stronghold. It looked grand, but the defenses in many areas werent well constructed. After ample preparations, the imperial main army would charge into the Evernight camp and wrest control of Giants Repose in one go. Qianye didnt charge after them blindly after hearing their retreat signal. He looked back and found that the casualties of the vanguard battalion werent very significant. Everyone was in high spirits, but many of them were wounded and low on origin power. The vanguard battalion had never stopped fighting since arriving on the battlefield. Not only had they destroyed the enemies in their own defensive zone, but they had also finished off many enemies from the neighboring ones. Their contributions could be considered rather splendid. Qianye raised a hand to stop the muscleheads who wanted to give chase. He then glanced toward the Evernight main camp and said, Vanguard battalion, return to the defensive lines and remain on alert! No one leaves without my order! Military orders had to be obeyed without question. The soldiers thus moved toward the imperial vanguard unit, found their own battle positions, and began constructing defensive structures there. Qianyes mission, as well as that of the imperial vanguard unit, was to arrive first on the battlefield and establish a defensive line there. This would facilitate the deployment of the arriving army. It could be said that they had already over-fulfilled their duty. A premature advance would greatly increase their casualty rates. Qianye suppressed his somewhat restless mood and waited patiently in the defensive line. He longed to do battle, but his grasp of the bigger picture wasnt lacking at all. He knew that the defensive line was critical to the safety of the arriving imperial army and couldnt be lost. In a battle where each side was fielding hundreds of thousands of men, killing a couple more soldiers on ones own had little impact on the war as a whole. The imperial main army soon arrived, and the various types of combat vehicles and heavy cannons moved into position. The military engineers who arrived last began constructing temporary camps immediately upon their arrival. However, they had just laid down the framework when Zhang Boqians voice reverberated throughout the battlefield. What are those camps for? Attack immediately! The temporary commanders and generals were all startled. But naturally, no one dared to go against Zhang Boqians personal orders. They immediately split up to dispatch their respective troopsthe bugle sounded as military orders moved down the various ranks and eventually reached the soldiers. Song Zining looked rather unremarkable in the imperial army since a brigadier general was nothing amidst the sea of general epaulets in the staff office. However, his authority wasnt one to be trifled with. There was a sand table in front of him with the designation of each unit marked out upon it. At this moment, a staff officer handed Song Zining a military order he had just written. The latter ran his eyes over it and pondered slightly before moving the unit designations on the sand table. The assistants nearby immediately recorded Song Zinings moves, which were then converted to military orders for dispatch. After the generals had confirmed the attack targets and troops to accept the mission, the corresponding order would arrive in the hands of Song Zinings group. The latter would then dissect the mission to confirm the order and details of each squad. There were five such sand tables in the staff office headquarters, which meant that Song Zining held the concrete power to mobilize one-fifth of the forces. Although the direction and target of these units had already been determined, there were many small things that needed some work. At this moment, Song Zining made a few casual moves and switched Qianyes unit to the second echelon. It would be his turn to attack only after the Evernight camps outer perimeter had been broken through. Although the military contributions on the surface would be a bit less, the Zhao clan warriors would gain precious time to catch their breaths and more or less recover some strength. These were only detailed adjustments, and it was well-justified because Qianyes vanguard battalion had just completed an assault. The entire staff office was so busy that they seemed to be flying about, and thus no one noticed this small detail. Song Zining revealed an implicative smile after seeing the military order being sent out. His gaze then fell upon the Nangong familys designations. He reached out and placed them in a gap on the frontlines. The assistants nearby recorded these changes and drafted a military order for Song Zining to check. The latter scanned it briefly as usual before nodding in confirmation. Thus, the order was finally issued. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 548: An Unavoidable Game [V6C78 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The empires fledgling camp was bustling with activity as squads of soldiers rushed out from the grounds and set out toward their designated targets. Behind them was a half-constructed camp with all its paused construction machinery. The Nangong family had dispatched an entire division into battle. Despite the large numbers, their soldiers couldnt be considered elite. This was quite abnormal for the Nangong family who had always wanted to compete with the four major clans. In truth, the Nangong family was set back significantly after the bloody battle with their losses grossly outweighing the profits. They had no choice but to lay low and preserve their young descendants. The two elders in charge couldnt help but smile at one another after receiving the order. They felt quite fortunate because they had also been eyeing that space in the defensive line. The military power there was quite weak, and the land around it was even more so. Although there was little in terms of cover, it would allow them to deploy forces with greater ease. The Evernight main camp was nothing more than a temporary base. Moreover, the dark races planning had always been inferior... Can''t wait until tomorrow to see more? Want to show your support? Clickto be a sponsor and get additional chapters ahead of time!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 549: Attack [V6C79 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] At this moment, the Evernight main camp was covered in raging flames, and their battle line was shrinking rapidly toward the center. The units charging at the foremost were only a couple hundred meters away from the majestic castle. Some of the long-range snipers could already hit the castle at this range. Qianye was already closing in on the castle as he led the Zhao clan vanguard battalion in a rapid charge. The assault along the way was exceptionally smooth and proceeded without so much as a decent trace of resistance. But Qianye saw at least three imperial units along the way that had clearly gone through arduous battlesfallen soldiers were strewn across the ground and the survivors, completely exhausted. Coincidence or otherwise, the squads charging in front of Qianye happened to lose their fighting capacity just below the castle. With no time to linger, Qianye kept on marching until he was three hundred meters from the castle. Only then did he command his soldiers to assume combat positions and prepare for the assault. All important enemy sites were marked clearly on the military orders issued to individual commanders. Among them, the castle where the great dark monarchs were stationed served as the command center of the entire Evernight camp. A complete victory would be achieved only after taking this fort. A strong urge to charge out emerged in Qianyes heart as he gazed at the abysmal castle and the dark mist surrounding it. He was just about to step forward when he recalled the thousands of soldiers behind him. Without the support of someone like him, the vanguard soldiers of the two battalions would be slaughtered should they encounter an Evernight expert. The Evernight army had suffered grave casualties up to this point, so all those who had survived were inevitably powerful experts. Qianye decided to observe once more and wait for a good opportunity. It was at this time that another thousand-man squad charged out from the side. The soldiers had Zhang clan insignias on their uniforms, and their leader was the champion whom Qianye had saved during the previous battle. The Zhang clan general was delighted upon seeing Qianye. He arrived beside Qianye under cover of the landscape and said, What a coincidence, I have never expected to run into you here! I didnt get the chance to thank you properly back then, my name is Zhang Shiduo. Im Qianye. Qianye shook the mans hand. Zhang Shiduo shot a glance at the castle standing against the night sky. This place wont be easy to attack. Shall we go together? Okay. Zhang Shiduo was just about to speak when a sudden whistling sound emerged from up front. The bullet almost grazed past his scalp after he had lowered his head. Zhang Shiduo jumped up halfway and fired a burst of bullets toward the wall, whereupon a sharpshooter fell down with a miserable cry. The man crouched down once more and spewed out a series of curses before resuming their detailed discussion of the assault. Brother Qianye, it looks like the brothers under your command are proficient in close quarter combat. I have more snipers in my group. How about this? Well provide cover fire first while you go and take down that position over there. Then, my men will scale the building. See that tower over there? As long as I can get there, Ill be able to suppress a good portion of the black bastards in the castle. Zhang Shiduo was nearly forty and possessed enough combat experience to form a solid plan in the blink of an eye. He was a rank-twelve champion proficient in mid-range sniping and could use an assault rifle to exert the effectiveness of a heavy cannon. If he were allowed to reach a high vantage point, it would surely affect the entire battlefield. Qianye shot a glance at the northwestern sentry tower and, with his True Sight, saw a dark shadowy mass. Apparently, it was an extraordinary expert. Qianye pondered for a while and said, Theres an expert in the sentry tower, but it doesnt matter. Ill go and finish him. Expert? Zhang Shiduo opened up an ammo box, produced three Extreme Yang Bullets, and loaded all of them into his assault rifle. He said while patting the gun, No need to risk your life, just force him out. He cant dodge my bullets within a hundred meters. Qianye glanced at the assault rifle and couldnt help but feel a bit pained. Three Extreme Yang Bullets? Isnt that too wasteful? Its just a third-rank count. Zhang Shiduo laughed heartily. Brother, youre still young. Bullets are there for ones use, itll be a true waste if you die without shooting them. With that, he patted Qianye hard on the back and said, Remember, draw him out. Dont risk your life. Qianye smiled. At this point, some other imperial squads were arriving little by little with some choosing to circle around the castle instead. Fierce cannon fire had broken out on the eastern side of the fortress. A certain squad had apparently started fighting without waiting for all members to arrive, eager for contributions. Qianye listened intently to the sounds of battle. Zhang Shiduo was also paying attention. What a fierce battle. Theyve charged onto the walls just like that! The timbre of the origin guns was especially clear in Qianyes ears, so much so that they had suppressed all the other sounds on the battlefield, including the heavy artillery fire. Zhang Shiduo, as a rank-twelve champion, couldnt discern the sound produced by void origin power. Qianye, on the other hand, was especially sensitive to it after absorbing Sky Demons embers and the ancient essence fragment. Someone capable of using void origin power in a casual firefight was apparently no ordinary expert. But the worst part was that they were all users of darkness origin power, and needless to say, they were experts from the Evernight side. Qianye sighed. Theyre about to lose. Zhang Shiduo was startled. Lose? How can it be so fast? His words hadnt even ended when the sounds of fighting died down on the other side of the castle. Apparently, the soldiers who had climbed up onto the walls had encountered terrible fates. A mysterious atmosphere descended on the battlefield as the stirring imperial squads became cautious. Killing intent flashed in Qianyes eyes. He was just about to stand up when Zhang Shiduo grabbed ahold of him. The latter shook his head and said, Wait for fire-support. Fire-support? Qianye had never experienced a large scale battle before, but he decided to wait a while since Zhang Shiduo had said so. Before long, the loud whistle of heavy cannon shells broke the silence around the castle. Continuous explosions echoed in the sky as the shells were intercepted and ignited mid-air. The imperial cannons didnt stop, however, just because of this minor setback. They fired with even greater ferocity, and toward the end, hundreds of them even began firing in a volley. It seemed the artillery squads had moved their short-range cannons over to be able to muster such a bombardment. Explosions filled the air as numerous airships arrived over the castle for an aerial bombardment. It was at this time that a network of fire appeared in the sky and flew past one of the airships at great speed. That airship spat out tongues of flame, and very soon, it ignited into a ball of fire which fell slowly toward the ground. Several burning men jumped down from the airship. Their sharp screams echoed through the skies but quickly reached abrupt ends. The airships wreckage crashed head-first to the ground amidst a series of loud explosions. Another net of fire appeared over the castle and shot toward another battleship at unbelievable speeds. This ship met the same fate. The imperial airships turned back upon seeing the impossible situation, but the fire net appeared once again to ignite the slowest airship in the fleet. Only afterward did it return to silence. The flaming nets didnt look like gun or cannon fire. It was likely the secret art deployed by a certain expert. It was exceptionally powerful, and even a battle airship couldnt block a single strike from it. If this flaming net were to descend upon Qianyes squad, it was quite likely that less than ten people out of the two combined battalions would survive. This was proof of Zhang Shiduos veteran experience. Qianyes entire force wouldve been wiped out had he attacked rashly just now and ran into that flaming net. A single attack capable of destroying a battleships defenses meant that the user was likely a mighty marquis at least. There was no way to kill such an expert with a swarm of ordinary soldiers. Without a powerful expert to restrict him, that person might be able to retreat calmly after performing a massacre. Qianye grasped East Peak tightly with a frown on his face. The expert in the castle was indeed powerful, but pack hunting tactics were important on a battlefield. Although Qianye wasnt his match, he was confident enough to participate in a joint attack. Zhang Shiduo pulled Qianye back once more. Dont be rash, there are experts in the army in charge of dealing with them. Qianye suppressed his battle intent and continued waiting. The imperial heavy cannons were now firing with greater ferocity, almost pouring their wrath into the barrage. The defending army in the castle was clearly beginning to feel some strain. It was at this time that the fiery net appeared once again. It didnt move but simply froze in the air, protecting half the castle underneath. The cannon shells would be ignited as soon as they passed through the net. Less than a tenth shot through from the edges, but they were intercepted with relative ease. Even so, the imperial heavy cannons fired continuously for an entire quarter of an hour in a bid to exhaust that experts power. The cannon fire came to a sudden stop just as everyone, including Qianye, was starting to wonder if it would ever end. Soon afterward, the sound of a bugleone representing the order to launch an all-out attackreverberated throughout the battlefield. After hearing the signal to attack, a restless Qianye immediately jumped out from behind cover and made a beeline for the castle like a specter. Zhang Shiduo also rose and fired several tracer rounds from a special handgun. Beams of light struck the sentry tower as well as a number of dark firing points on the wall. These shots served as a target marker. The Zhang clan warriors immediately opened fire, sending countless streams of fire toward the designated locations with shocking accuracy. Some of those firing points were immediately silenced, while the others were suppressed. Seeing the opportunity, the soldiers of the Zhao clan vanguard battalion charged toward the castle. They didnt just sprint blindly over but crisscrossed through cover while maintaining heavy firepower. Qianye rushed for the sentry tower. His target was the hidden expert upon it. Qianye no longer hid his aura after arriving near the castle and locked firmly onto the opponent. The sentry tower was filled with rolling waves of darkness. The shadowy figure sitting within the darkness opened its amber eyes and muttered in a raspy voice, A little rank-ten bastard? How bold! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 550: Assailing the Castle [V6C80 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The shadowy figure in the sentry tower slowly stood up. He grabbed the longsword leaning on the chair and moved up the stairs to intercept Qianye at the top of the tower. However, an inexplicable sense of extreme danger welled up in his heart. He suddenly glanced sideways, and there, he saw a layer of green bulging up from the surface of the wall. Time seemed to slow down as an azure origin bullet tore through the sentry tower and flew straight toward him. This bullet appeared without the slightest of warning signs, almost as though it had materialized out of thin air. A perilous notion emerged in the shadows mindhe knew he couldnt evade this bullet no matter what. In the end, he managed to suppress these thoughts through sheer willpower and moved his body with every bit of strength he could muster. He shifted his vitals out of the way but couldnt evade the shot completely. The greater half of his thigh was blown away amidst his miserable cries. However, the sense of danger grew even more intense. Enduring the pain, he leapt up with his remaining foot and shot through the roof of the sentry tower. But when he glanced upward, all he could see was the incoming East Peak! Qianye swung horizontally and cut the shadow into two. He was somewhat startled by the easy victory and couldnt quite figure out why this count would deliver his head up like this. Only when he saw the missing leg did Qianye realize that someone had already made a move before him. He looked in every direction but couldnt find the person who had lent him a hand. Equal measures of admiration and cautiousness lingered in his hearthe hadnt sensed that origin bullet even with his sharp senses and True Sight. Apparently, it was a special firearm ability. In the shadows far away, Zhao Jundu lowered the Blue Firmament and made a forward gesture. A dozen or so elite soldiers appeared from the darkness and quickly followed Zhao Jundu toward the back of the castle. At this moment, Zhang Shiduo had discovered that things hadnt gone quite as planned. He jumped onto the tower and couldnt help but become a bit startled after seeing the vampire counts corpse. He quickly gave Qianye a big thumbs up. After losing the defenses of this sentry tower, the area below soon became a melee battleground for imperial and dark race warriors. Seeing the urgency of the battle situation, Zhang Shiduo quickly set up his assault rifle and said to Qianye, Draw any powerful enemies you meet out into the open. Ill deal with them! Okay! Qianye agreed, leapt down the sentry tower, and sped toward the depths of the castle. He ordered the vanguard battalion to occupy the wall and sentry towers first. Then, they were to take control of the castle periphery and push in gradually. Ordinary soldiers played little role in the battles inside the castle. They would only be slaughtered should they run into a true Evernight expert. Zhang Shiduo rubbed his stubble after hearing Qianyes arrangements, feeling that this youths combat style was rather novel. He quickly ordered his own squad to cooperate with the Zhao clans vanguard battalionthis combination of melee assault and long-range firepower left no room for suspense in this segment of the battlefront. Qianye arrived deep in the castle grounds and before the tiered main building. The castle was constructed along the mountain slope and consisted of over ten layers from top to bottom. Additionally, the interior of the entire mountain had been hollowed out and turned into a complex maze of tunnels. This majestic castle was no doubt the work of a master, one who had perfectly combined vampire and arachne architectural styles. Judging from its scale, it could only be bigger than Zhang Boqians central command camp; furthermore, it was built from scratch within ten-odd days. Just from the speed of its construction, one could see just how many experts were assigned to its construction. The battle within the castle was abnormally arduous and far surpassed Qianyes expectations. Fights had broken out in every room and every corner of this city-sized castle. There was conflict in all of its passages and streets, staining them with the blood of experts. Since stepping into the castle, Qianye felt that there was simply no end to the enemies. Bullets would fly out from every unexpected corner, and enemies would fall one after another before him. However, the battles seemed to go on perpetually. Qianye kicked open the door and rushed into a certain room. The place was surprisingly free of traps and enemy ambushes, the first ever since his arrival here. He immediately felt like the luckiest person on earth. From the intricate furnishings, it was likely that the room belonged to a vampire noble. There was a pot of soup on the kitchen stove which was still warm to the touch. There was a painting in the study depicting a group of vampires riding through the snowy woods, drawn in a frosty art style characteristic to vampires. One of them was clad in a viscounts attire and wore a rather gentle expression that was different from his cold peers. It would seem that this small room was the viscounts residence. Experts were as abundant as the clouds in this castle of the two great dark monarchs, and even a viscount could only occupy a small room. Qianye searched the place once and sat down at the study desk to flip through some of the books. Most of them were about history and literature, studies that were popular among vampire nobles. But Qianye came across two translated imperial books. One was a history book, while the other was a tragic story about two star-crossed lovers who couldnt be together due to familial enmities and about how, in the end, they sacrificed themselves in the name of love. Qianye slowly put the book down and felt somewhat different when he looked at the room once more. He could see that the owner of this room loved his daily activities and had made this place his home. Judging from the daily necessities, there was also a female owner here. It was just that no one knew whether or not she was obligated to join the battlefield. But virtually all dark race members were soldiers, and even some of the older children might be valiant warriors. This vampire lady might not be an exception. In truth, it wasnt that Qianye hadnt witnessed such scenes before. However, he never had the time to pay attention to these things, and his hatred for the dark races obscured his vision. Perhaps due to Nighteye or otherwise, he could now see certain things he never could before. Qianyes exhausted body recovered some origin power after a moment of rest. He stood up and returned to the door. This brief respite had endedthe battles had to continue, and the killing must go on. Qianye suddenly retracted his aura at the door and stepped sideways. The room door was shattered by a heavy axe which planted itself in the ground. The werewolf soldier lost his balance after missing his target and almost stumbled into the room. Qianye slapped his back with East Peak and pressed him firmly onto the ground before plunging a vampiric blade into the werewolfs back. The werewolf gradually weakened as the rolling waves of hot blood threw Qianye into a state of blood boil and his stamina recovered rapidly. Qianye withdrew the blade and wiped it on the dead body. He suddenly thought of something and flipped the werewolf soldier over to reveal a young, handsome face. By Evernight standards, someone with this level of combat strength at such a young age possessed great future prospects. Otherwise, he wouldnt have appeared in the two dark monarchs castle. This warriors career had just begun when it was ended abruptly by Qianye. Qianye stood up slowly. His expression and emotions had calmed down once again as he pushed all of these thoughts to the back of his head. After walking out of the room, he once again became that peerless god of death who had rampaged through the bloody battle. The constant battles that followed soon drained Qianye of his origin power. He thus charged into a nearby room to catch his breath, however, his eyes froze up at this point. There was another door inside which likely lead to the main bedroom. The aura of fresh blood was seeping out from the cracks in the door, and from a single whiff, he could tell that it was human blood. Qianye collected his remaining origin power and opened the door violently. The spectacle caused all of his blood to rush to his head! There were a dozen-odd imperial corpses in the room, some of which had died recently. These corpses had been bitten and mutilated until only the bones remained. This room was a miniature blood feast. Qianye also saw some Zhao clan insignias among the remains. From the traces left behind in the room, it was clear that this blood feast was being held to vent anger and not to sate ones appetite. Qianye stood silently for a while. Then, he produced an incendiary grenade, buried it under the pile of corpses, and closed the door. Raging flames flew out behind him as he left, turning the place into a scene right out of hell. It was at this time that he felt a massive impact from the side which sent him flying several meters away. Qianye leapt up almost immediately, darted into a nearby tunnel, and hid himself behind a weapons rack. He felt a scorching pain on his shoulder, and his hand was drenched with blood when he reached out to touch the injury. He was in no rush to treat his woundshe tossed out another incendiary grenade first and produced a sea of flames to deter any pursuers. Only then did he began inspecting himself. He had been shot just now, and this origin bullet possessed massive firepower. It blasted right through his armor, tore open his tenacious flesh, and badly mangled his flesh. Even some of his bones at the site of injury had been shattered. Fortunately, this bullet had been specially constructed to favor firepower and contained no black titanium. Otherwise, Qianye would be in deep trouble right now. The shot came so silently that Qianye hadnt sensed it up until it came into contact with his body. It would seem that other perceptive abilities were ineffective against the dangerhe would need to activate True Sight. However, the entire battlefield was filled with narrow passageways and experts fighting everywhere. Add to that the constant origin power interference from the surroundings, it would be beyond difficult to trace the assailant unless he attacked again. This was certainly a special ability and one that was extremely dangerous on the battlefield. Qianye recalled that the demonkin who had died in his hands also possessed a similar ability, allowing him to transport grenades stealthily. Qianye naturally possessed the ability to deal with him in a one-on-one fight, but it was a different story amidst the confusion of the battlefield. Qianye thought long and hard. Just what kind of ability could hide origin grenades and bullets from his perception? From his experience with the previous demonkin, he had a vague feeling that it had something to do with void origin power. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 551: Counter-Kill [V6C81 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Demonkin were known as sons of darkness, the favored children of this world. They were inherently more sensitive to void origin power compared to the other races, and had an easier time ascending to higher ranks. It was just that this race couldnt proliferate quite as easily. Their low reproductive power and long maturation periods were the only things stopping them from taking over the world of Evernight. Qianye felt as though he had grasped something at this point. He produced an origin bullet and tried instilling a wisp of void origin power into it. As expected, the projectile became barely discernible after the power seeped in. Qianye pressed the origin bullet into the chamber because what he knew at the moment was enough. He would mull over the details after the battle. He recalled the fragment of Sky Demons memory and had a feeling that this ability would reappear in his hands one day. On the other hand, Qianye also gained the ability to deal with such power after proving his theory. Qianye activated his True Sight to glance at his surroundings as he sensed an incisive killing intent behind his back. His expression turned austerethere were six masses of dense darkness origin power scattered about within a hundred meters of him, all viscount-rank experts at the least, and even two counts. It was a trap! The locations where he had engaged in melee battles flashed through his mind one by one. Qianye quickly realized that he had fallen into the dark race experts encirclement. But he had already experienced countless desperate situations. He calmed down immediately and reached habitually into his pocket for a stimulant. However, he found that his pockets were actually empty, and there werent any suitable medicines in Andruils Mysterious Realm, either. Only at this point did Qianye realize that he had used up all of his medicines and stimulants. This went to show just how fierce the battles had been. He was out of supplies, but this filled Qianye with greater battle intent. He gradually activated his void origin power and instilled some of it into East Peak. Under conscious observation, Qianye could feel the Dark Thread Crystals expand, absorb, and recover. It filled him with a mysterious sensationit was as though East Peak had come alive and was breathing. Afterward, East Peaks existence grew much fainter in Qianyes perception. Its power was barely at the level of a rank-nine fighters even after he had instilled the greatest extent of origin power. In its current state, East Peaks tremendous might was likely to be overlooked in hand to hand combat. Qianye suddenly erupted with power after completing his activation and pierced his sword into the ceiling. The stone board was extremely brittle against East Peak and was pierced through in one blow. Qianye shot straight upward like a rocket, traversing three floors and appearing in front of an arachne viscount. There, he launched a horizontal strike at its massive body. The arachne had already transformed into its half-spider combat form at this pointits second-rank viscount aura was deep and profound. He stared on at the broken ground with an astonished expression and at the shadowy figure which soon rushed out from it. The arachne could hardly evade in the face of the sudden development and simply swung his battle-axe in an attempt to block this blow from East Peak. The arachnes entire body shook violently as the weapons collided. Qianye appeared as light and flexible as a feather, but this sword blow carried the weight of a mountain! The arachne viscount only heard an ear-piercing whistle before his battle-axe was bent out of shape. The sounds of shattered bones emerged from his arms as his elbow joint moved to an abnormal angle. East Peak arced through the air and slashed down, cutting through two of the arachnes limbs in the process. Qianye was in no rush to finish the enemy off. Instead, he activated his oceanic power and quickly suppressed the surroundings. The arachne collapsed to the ground, hardly able to endure the pressure with his limbs cut off. Qianye raised East Peak from the ground, and as the blade landed, the arachne viscounts head flew high into the air. Only at this point did Qianye move close and plunged the vampiric blade into his body. The waves of fresh essence blood raised his spirits. All of this happened in an instant. In his True Sight, Qianye could see that most of the origin power masses within a hundred meters were approaching this place. But it was already too latethe dust had settled over the battle here. Qianye actuated his origin power and rapidly expanded his domain, causing the Oceanic Might to grow incomparably heavy. Even the sturdy castle structures began to sway under the pressure and large cracks appeared in the ceiling in the blink of an eye. A large stone slab soon fell to the floor with a loud boom. The castle architecture in a ten-meter radius around Qianye began to collapse. Curses and cries of surprise rang out as those who had lost their hiding places jumped out from the rubble. The entire roof fell through with a rumble, revealing the dense ink-colored sky of Evernight. Instead of retreating, Qianye shot through the roof and leaped into the air. Several figures in the surrounding rubble followed him up into the air and launched simultaneous attacks. Their grasp of timing wasnt lacking at all. The collapse just now only delayed their steps ever so slightly. As veterans of countless battles, these dark race experts managed to quickly regain their calm. The weakest among them were viscounts, while the leader was a demonkin count. With Qianyes current strength, it would be difficult for him to even escape, much less contend against them. The demonkin counts figure flickered and his vertical eye erupted with a mysterious light as he lunged at Qianye. A giant starry-eyed python also materialized above him and sprayed out a stream of black energy. The demonkins expression was sinister because this black energy could exert a paralysis effect without even covering up the target up completely. What the count didnt quite understand was why Qianye would give up his advantage and jump into the air. He was simply asking to be encircled. It was during this time of urgency that three crisp gunshots rang out in the night sky. Several bright lines tore through the darkness like flaming whips and struck the three viscounts to the lower left side of Qianye. The three dark viscounts cried in misery. Two of them covered themselves in blood energy and finally managed to suppress the flames of the refined silver bullet. However, the last third-rank viscount was slightly inferior. The fire on his body burned with increasing ferocity until he fell into the rubble in the form of a flaming ball. Zhang Shiduo had noticed the dangerous situation from atop the sentry tower and produced an opening for Qianye with three consecutive shots. Qianye, who had just evaded the black energy in the air, let out a secret sigh. After all, he and Zhang Shiduo werent that familiar. Their level of cooperation couldnt be that great. In truth, Qianye had hoped Zhang Shiduo would focus all three shots on the demonkin count and gravely injure the strongest enemy. As for the others, Qianye didnt care much about them at all since he could finish them all off mid-air. In other words, Qianye simply had no intention of running away. Instead, he wanted to take this opportunity to counterattack. Qianye had no time to care about the missed opportunity. He quickly moved East Peak to block the counts attack, then drew the Twin Flowersa pair of luminous wings unfurled behind him as the handguns blasted the python totem into oblivion. Zhang Shiduos expression changed immediately upon seeing that Qianye hadnt retreated from the opening and was instead exchanging blows with the count. He could do nothing more at this point. Ordinary champions could only produce one shot at this level of firepower before needing to recover. The three consecutive shorts just now was born of Zhang Shiduos special ability, which meant that it was already his limit. He wouldnt be able to fire another shot at the viscount level for another fifteen minutes. However, the fierce battle around him forced him to stop thinking too much. The sentry tower he was on was an extremely important vantage point, and the dark race warriors werent willing to give it up. At this moment, a new wave of attacks had broken out below. The melee and ranged warriors of the Zhang and Zhao clans were fighting for their position, inch by inch. Zhang Shiduo couldnt help but curse, Goddammit, that Zhao clan brat! Then, he picked up a heavy hand-cannon and began hammering a dark race squad that was attempting to climb the tower. In the air, Qianye and the demonkin count were already entangled in melee combat, and the surrounding viscounts were beginning to grow restless now that the distant sniper was silent. They had just pounced toward Qianye when they heard the sound of great ocean waves crashing down upon them. A heavy pressure descended from the sky and made it difficult for them to even remain in the air. During their momentary pause, Qianyes eyes locked onto the demonkin count and let out a furious roar. He swung East Peak down without any semblance of defense, seemingly poised to end the battle in mutual destruction. The demonkin was shocked out of his wits. He had already realized that East Peak was no ordinary sword and that there was no way his body could endure a straight blow. He was of noble status and held the advantage in battle. Why would he want to go down with the enemy? It wasnt worth it even if he could trade a blow for this humans head. The count had no choice but to withdraw the sword aimed at Qianyes ribs and block East Peak with his full power. However, the counts figure appeared in Qianyes eyes as their blades met. The demonkin felt an abrupt pain in his chest which effectively weakened the power he was able to exert. An earth-shattering pressure passed through his sword as he was sent flying like a cannonball and crashed into the rubble. Qianyes Oceanic Might weakened as he chased after the count, allowing the other viscounts to regain their mobility. These experienced warriors rushed toward the ruins in a bid to launch a pincer attack after realizing that Qianyes combat strength was inferior to the demonkin count. He possessed exceptional single-target attack power but wouldnt last long in a drawn-out siege. However, they had just begun moving when the air was filled with a frosty blue and everything became covered in a layer of ice. Both the demonkin and vampire viscounts found their weapons frozen. Black mist and blood energy erupted momentarily as they did their utmost to expel the blue air. Li Kuanglans resonant voice rang out behind them, You lot, where do you think youre going? The numerous viscounts turned back through the chill, but their movements had slowed down several times over. They saw Li Kuanglan stepping through the air and a subsequent blue splendor sweeping over from her. The aqua blue radiance arrived noiselessly and as ephemeral as a dream. However, a sense of extreme danger welled up in their heartsan instinctive reaction to a life and death crisis. Some immediately activated their life-saving secret arts without the slightest bit of hesitation, while others prepared their final abilities. As expected of people close to the great dark monarchs, these viscounts were able to make rapid decisions at the moment of life and death. It was at this critical moment that a green light appeared in the air and shot through the frost energy like a fish in the water. All the dark race viscounts felt as though a needle was piercing into their foreheads when the green energy appeared. Their bodies trembled, and all their secret arts were interrupted midway. This moment of hesitation was lethal. The frost sword energy flitted past silently and froze all of the viscountstheir movements, their expressions, everything came to a standstill as ice covered their bodies. The newly formed ice sculptures then collapsed into the rubble one after another. There was no joy on Li Kuanglans face despite having killed several viscounts in one slash. On the contrary, she looked toward the distant sky with a stern expression. Zhao Jundu stepped through the air with the exceptionally eye-catching Blue Firmament in his hands. Li Kuanglan glared daggers at Zhao Jundu. Who asked you to interfere! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 552: The River of Blood Appears Again [V6C82 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Violet flames flickered in Zhao Jundus eyes as he met Li Kuanglans gaze. I didnt want to, either, but I was worried some of them would escape your sloppy attack. Li Kuanglans eyes turned even harsher. These trash were merely struggling at deaths door, not enough to escape this young masters hands. Theres really no need for you to take the trouble. Zhao Jundu stood in the air with no immediate intention of leaving. He asked in a seemingly careless manner, Is that so? I wonder which of them Young Noble Kuanglan intended to kill first? Of course the two demonkin, Li Kuanglan replied without hesitation. Zhao Jundu was rather surprised. Oh, Young Noble Kuanglan is so vigorous. Youre even willing to sustain some injuries, I take it? Both of them saw very clearly how the two demonkin viscounts were attempting to activate a secret technique. They were trying to escape in the direction where Qianye and the demonkin count were fighting. The other three vampires, on the other hand, intended to counterattack and force Li Kuanglan to yield a way out. They were ready to ignite their blood cores if they had no way of escaping, trading their lives for a heavy blow to the enemy. If Li Kuanglan intended to kill the demonkin, she would have to take on the attacks of the three vampires. The formers origin power level far surpassed that of his opponents, but shelike all other human championsdid not specialize in defense. Even after taking the high-grade armor and origin defenses into consideration, she could hardly avoid injuries in the face of the three viscounts final attacks. Only after hearing Zhao Jundu did Li Kuanglan realize the problem in her words just now. She laughed loudly a couple of times and said, Just who do you think this young noble is? How can a couple of vampires injure me? At first, Li Kuanglan thought her forced situation would elicit mockery from Zhao Jundu. She could hardly believe her ears when the latter nodded and said, I guess thats true. For a moment, Li Kuanglan was at a loss for words, and the two stood facing each other in silence. Both of them were top figures among the younger generation of the empire, known not only for their prowess in combat, but also for their sharpness and intelligence. After the short lapse of silence, both of them noticed something off about the otherit seemed none of them had the intention to leave. Zhao Jundu was the first to speak. The enemy is running rampant in the castle. Please feel free to join the other battles. Li Kuanglan said with a hearty laugh, This place has a commanding view over the entire place. This young noble wishes to observe the battle situation. On the other hand, why is the Zhao Fourth Young Noble wasting time here? At this point, both of them glanced at the rubble. As heaven-bestowed geniuses, they quickly caught onto one anothers intentions despite the subtlety of their movements. There was a seemingly bottomless hole in the rubble. No one knew just how many floors Qianye and the demonkin count had punched through, and the berserk origin power in the depths of the hole made it impossible to probe the situation. Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan had heard about each other for a long time. They didnt quite think the other party would go so far as to launch a sneak attack, but neither was willing to leave their back open to the other given the current relationship between the Zhao and Li clans. Thus, the situation fell into an impasse. Zhao Jundus tone turned cold. Young Noble Kuanglan, Ill be frank. Qianye is from the Zhao clan, so Im going down to take a look. Its inappropriate for you to remain here, please leave. Li Kuanglan said with a cold laugh, Qianye never sold himself to the Zhao clan. When did he become one of yours? Any price you can offer, this young noble can match. Moreover, I insist on enjoying the scenery here. What can you do about it? Zhao Jundus expression sank as the Jade Rivers edge extended outward. A chill filled the air around Li Kuanglan and gradually condensed into frost patterns. At this moment, Qianye and the demonkin count were fighting in the depths of the castle. Amidst the rubble, East Peak could hardly exert its full strength, and the demonkins sword had also become more or less a burden. Despite still holding onto their weapons, both parties were actually fighting with punches and kicks for the most part. The demonkin couldnt help but complain after a few exchanges. Every part of Qianyes body was as hard as steel. Every blowbe it a shoulder-bash, head-butt, elbow strike, or knee attackfelt as though he had bumped into a mountain. The demonkin count was soon seeing stars. The bones in his body were cracking loudly, and one of his little fingers had been bent outward. The demonkin count was clear that his weakness was the opponents strong point, but he had no way to turn the situation around. He couldnt find the opportunity to extricate himself from Qianyes torrential melee attacks, and their domains were also equally matched. The count felt as though he were in the depths of the ocean. It took him quite the effort just to stay afloat in the face of this massive downward pressure. It was impossible for him to rise into the air and put a distance between them. The demonkin watched as his defenses weaken and start to fall apart. In his despair, the demonkin opened his vertical pupil once more, but this time, his golden eye was filled with traces of blood. The starry-eyed python emerged again and spat out a mouthful of thick black energy which enclosed Qianye within. The demonkin turned pale after this black energy appeared. Wrinkles extended all over his face as though he had aged hundreds of years in an instant. His aura had also grown incomparably feeble. There was a mad sense of elation in his eyes as he stared at the squirming black energy. This was the essence of his entire lifes cultivation, a power akin to the sting of a honeybee. He himself was not far from death after launching this extremely powerful attack. Even an expert three levels higher than him would turn into a skeleton in just a few minutes. The demonkin propped himself up and looked on with wide eyes. He had to watch Qianye turn into a corpse before passing away. The black energy began squirming violently all of a sudden as several beams of dark golden light shot out. They revolved around the black energy like sharp blades and produced a series of openings on it. Fresh blood flowed out from the demonkins vertical pupil and quickly flowed into his eyeshe could hardly believe what he was seeing in the scarlet world. That black energy, the accumulation of his lifes talents, was actually a type of special origin power just like the dark golden light. This implied that his demonic qi had failed utterly in a contest of origin power. In the entire human camp, only a handful of the most powerful legendary bloodlines was capable of this. A pair of hands appeared through the black energy and tore it into two! That mass of squirming black energy let out a miserable cry as though it was sentient, and the demonkins body also began to tremble, seemingly suffering the same agony. Qianyes robes were in tatters as he walked out of the demonic qiseveral large holes had appeared on his armor, revealing the badly mangled flesh underneath. But after winning the contest of origin power, these were merely superficial wounds that would heal in no time. As expected, a dark golden light emerged around Qianyes body. The dense golden mist around his injuries washed off the remnant demonic qi completely, and his bone-deep wounds began growing back rapidly. There was no way this kind of regeneration would appear on a human. The demon trembled as he pointed at the dark golden light. You, youre not human! Vampire, primo!!! You despicable Only at this point did the demonkin count discover that the dark golden light wasnt daybreak origin powerit was blood energy! A type of blood energy he had never heard of before. Its quality was so high that it could easily crush his innate demonic qi. Being powers from the same side, the resistance of demonic qi to blood energy was even stronger than that of daybreak attributes. The demonkins loud voice came to a screeching halt as Qianye took a step forward and plunged his vampiric blade into the formers origin furnace. The counts expression was full of shock, hatred, and unwillingness, but he could no longer produce a single sound. The color in his eyes gradually dimmed. At this moment, inky blood dripped down from his vertical pupil as he passed away. A drop of essence blood flowed through the vampiric blade. This drop of blood was so heavy that Qianye could almost feel his vampiric blade sink downward. It felt as though a drop of burning quicksilver had entered his body, causing his blood to boil wherever it passed. Even the dark golden blood energy became incomparably excited and immediately entered a state of blood boil. Qianye opened his mouth to spit out the impure air in his chest, but he actually spat out a fireball instead! Qianye felt as though every corner of his body was burning. That drop of essence blood from the count had dissolved in the raging blood and merged into his flesh. Qianyes blood core began pulsing under its stimulation. Wisps of golden blood poured out continuously and spread throughout his body. An unbearable sensation of numbness emerged suddenly from his blood core. It was as though something was about to sprout from the earth after the heavy rain. Qianye focused his consciousness into his body and saw new crystals being formed continuously in the depths of his blood core. The blood core itself, as well as the crystalline granules embedded on it, were also growing larger and had expanded by a third at the very least. The ancient essence fragment which was blocking the outlet had shrunk slightly. Apparently, a part of it had been absorbed by the blood core. The scorching sensation in Qianyes body slowly calmed down after the blood cores growth drew to a close. He moved his body around and found himself full of explosive strength. A casual swipe of his hand immediately snapped off a sturdy stone slab as though it were tofu, which he then crushed into fine powder between his fingers. Moreover, he hadnt exerted strength consciously during this entire process. Ba-dump! The abrupt systole of the blood core sent Qianye into a dazehis consciousness seeped into a familiar space, and the River of Blood appeared before his eyes. Accompanied by a wisp of profound power, countless inheritances and knowledge poured into his mind with tidal momentum. Above the ruins, the expressions of Li Kuanglan and Zhao Jundu transformed drastically as they looked up at the sky. It was as though a mysterious doorway had opened above the firmament and in the void with an inexplicably ancient aura of grim savagery pouring down from it. This aura caused even people like them to tremble. It was cold, powerful, and stained with the passage of millions of years. At this moment, on the distant Twilight continent, the glass in Habsburgs hand suddenly shattered, and the scarlet wine within splashed onto his exquisitely crafted clothes. Something like this happening to Prince Habsburg of the Flaming Crown went to show just how shocked he was. The hall fell into a deathly silence as all eyes fell onto Habsburg. The brief fluctuation in Flaming Crowns blood energy was like an invisible storm which almost stifled the guests in the hall. There was a prestigious vampire elder in the group closest to Habsburg. Although only a marquis, he was a family attendant who had watched the prince grow up. Amidst the solemn atmosphere, only he dared take two steps forward before asking, Your Majesty, what is the matter? Habsburg glanced around and saw everyone looking at him. He pondered for a moment and then said, I dont know if this is good news or bad news. I sensed the aura of the River of Blood just now, but it remains a mystery who actually activated the power of the sacred river. The hall erupted in immediate clamor! [1] Now this is a tricky one. The literal translation is feel free to do what you want, but its clear here that Zhao Jundu is asking Li Kuanglan to leave in an overly polite manner. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 553: Inheritance of the River of Blood [V6C83 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The River of Blood was the fount of the vampire races power. However, it had started falling into a gradual silence at some point, especially in the thousand years that the humans had risen to power. Even the awakening of a primo could hardly produce any ripples on the Sacred River. This was an extremely dangerous sign because, if the river were to fall into a slumber, the entire vampire race would suffer a gradual decrease in power. Although high-ranking vampires couldnt see any obvious effects on the short term, the core characters of the race had already noticed some clues. For instance, the Queen of the Nights hibernation periods were growing longer and longer. Habsburgs successful ignition of the Flaming Crown blood seal shook the entire world of darkness. The ripples of this incident had only just begun, and there were many undercurrents not only among the vampires but even in the Evernight Council. It was during this subtle period that the river of blood was actually activated again. The Sacred River breaking its silence was good news to the entire vampire race. Moreover, those who had been recognized by the river would usually become a grand duke at least. However, there was some risk in this for the Sperger clan because it would be terrible if this person were from an enemy clan. This was what Habsburg meant by good news and bad news. Some keen people noticed that none of the dukes had noticed the Sacred Rivers resonance this time, and even Prince Habsburg couldnt discern this persons identity. This was usually impossible. Just who was this person? It was at this time that many people thought of a certain personEdward of the Perth clan. If one were to ask who among the vampires had the greatest chance of gaining the recognition of the River of Blood, then the answer could only be the Holy Son who had inherited Liliths bloodline. The Perths had occupied the first place among the clans for ten thousand yearsit wasnt good news for the others if they were to produce yet another grand duke. The hall gradually lapsed into silence as more and more people thought of this point. Habsburg spoke again at this point, his deep voice reverberating in everyones blood core like the toll of a bell, Regardless of who gained the recognition of the River of Blood, it means that the river is awakening, and this is good news for all scions of sacred blood. We have no reason to be afraid, whichever clan that person is from! Habsburg had always worn a mild demeanor in front of others, but his deep, magnetic voice tonight had stirred the bloodlines of everyone present. All gazes were filled with passion. A duke walked out from the group and rushed to the throne in large strides. There, he knelt down on one knee with his head lowered and his hand on his chest. Your Majesty Habsburg, the Zorma clans bloodline is at your command! The vampires in the hall were shocked because this was a ceremony reserved for great dark monarchs. Even if this duke had wanted to express his loyalty, it was still somewhat excessive. Habsburgs expression was calm. He had actually accepted the gesture! Those qualified to attend this banquet were all important characters from the Sperger clan and its allies. Well-known experts from vassal and branch clans had also been invited. Many people realized, upon witnessing this spectacle, that this young, low-key prince was about to reveal his splendor from tonight onward. Vampire elders who had a thousand years of experience felt a vague notion arise in their hearts. Could Habsburgs acceptance of this gesture mean that his potential hadnt reached its end? In their wildest imaginations, they wondered if the Flaming Crown could hope for their first ever great dark monarch? These thoughts caused their bloodwhich had been frozen by the erosion of the vicissitudesto boil anew. Habsburg remained on the throne for a while even after the guests had dispersed. Then, his figure flickered and vanished into thin air, soon reappearing in another part of the castle. The sky of Twilight Continent was exceptionally beautiful. The intersection of the night sky and the continent wasnt pitch darkness but a mixture of dark green, gold, and violet. The moon was gradually rising through their midst, leaving behind a trail of bright colors as it climbed into the sky. Habsburg stood in silence as he gazed at the void millions of kilometers away. His perception had increased sharply during the brief moment of his resonance with the Sacred River. During this time, he discovered that only a mirage remained of his vague reaction to the darkness origin flame. That wisp of darkness origin flame was an old injury he had given to the imperial marshal, Lin Xitang. But this abnormal reaction wasnt because Lin Xitangs wound had healed, otherwise, there wouldnt be an illusory projection left behind. There was currently a significant rank-gap between him and Lin Xitang, and not much could escape his senses. The only exception was an all-out use of his heavens mystery. During that short moment, Habsburg came into contact with the vast power that was obstructing his senses. It was a supreme might capable of drawing upon the stars, a profundity even great dark monarchs couldnt exceed. Just what was Lin Xitang doing? A bad premonition came over Habsburg as he thought of the fierce battle on Evernight Continent. But whatever the empires plan was, it was already too late to do anythingthat great power capable of blinding his senses had already taken form. In the void outside of Evernight Continent, large tempests of origin power had covered up thousands of kilometers of the sky. The Lightless Monarchs expression changed as he glanced subconsciously toward the distance. It was during this split second of distraction that a fine beam of starlight arrived from an unknown distance and stabbed at his forehead. Greatly alarmed, Medanzo flashed sideways with blood energy pouring out around his body and barely managed to dodge this beam of starlight. The beam was so powerful that it easily pierced through Medanzos blood energy, destroying all that it passed by. A giant hole had soon appeared in the sanguineous cloud. This blood energy was the power of Medanzos grand origin and could hardly recover once destroyed. He would need to gradually restore them through cultivation in the future. How could it be a simple matter to destroy the blood energy born of Medanzos grand origin? The starlight practically brushed past Medanzos body and left a small hole on his swallowtail coat. The monarchs expression was beyond unsightly. It looked as though he wasnt injured, but in truth, his losses were in the destroyed blood energy. An old man with long, floating brows walked out from the void. Medanzo, you actually dare become distracted while fighting me. Isnt that a bit too conceited? That blow just now is probably worth a decade of cultivation. Medanzo broke into a laugh. The River of Blood suddenly awakened just now and caused me to become distracted. This means one more from our race has gained the power of the Sacred River. A grand duke at the very least is about to appear, or perhaps even a prince. Pointer Fogey, are you still happy about that little advantage just now? The Pointer Monarchs expression was solemn because if Medanzos words were true, it wouldnt be as simple as the vampires gaining a grand duke. Among all the dark races, humans and vampires were considered natural enemies because low-level vampires and blood-thralls consumed humans as food. In comparison, there was no such natural hostility with the other three major races. The River of Blood turning silent was merely a conjecture since humans knew next to nothing about it. Even in the Evernight Council, only those in the inner circle and the powerhouses on the sacred mountains could sense the changes. The two consecutive resonations of the River of Blood proved that the source of all vampire bloodlines was very much still active. Just like how the empire had produced numerous talents during its resurgence, the River of Blood would bring about a comprehensive increase in the vampire races overall strength. But someone of the Pointer Monarchs status wasnt so easily affected. He immediately pushed his worries aside and said with an indifferent smile, The River of Blood is a thing for the future. Sending you into hibernation for three hundred years will do for now. Medanzos expression turned frosty. That depends on whether you have that ability! The battle in the void resumed once more. Meanwhile, in the sky above the Evernight castle, Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan had also reached the end of their patience. Zhao Jundus aura was already suffused with killing intent when Li Kuanglan suggested, Lets go down together, Ill go first and you follow. Fine, Zhao Jundu replied without any hesitation. Cold Moons Embrace lit up in Li Kuanglans hand. She was just about to charge into the ruins when the chaotic aura below transformed sharply. A dark golden beam of light pierced through the rubble and shot straight into the sky, resonating with the unfathomable aura of the River of Blood. Fortunately, Li Kuanglan reacted quickly and managed to halt her movements. That beam of dark golden light brushed past her forehead and severed a few strands of her hair in complete silence. Even someone like Li Kuanglan who had experienced the wind and waves of this world was drenched in cold sweat. Everything happened so suddenly that she didnt have the time to discern what that light was. Zhao Jundus expression shifted ever so slightly. The dark golden light had appeared without the slightest bit of warninghe neither sensed its approach nor learned of its nature. He shot a glance at Li Kuanglan before walking past her and leaping down into the ruins. The latters expression was solemn as she jumped down after Zhao Jundu. The likelihood of an extraordinary expert in the depths of the ruins prompted the two to put their personal dispute and familial enmities aside. At this moment, in the depths of the ruins, Qianyes consciousness had just exited the River of Blood. The countless memory fragments in his mind caused him to feel dizzy. Things were different from when he had seen the River of Blood via the Book of Darkness. The contents of the current memory fragments contained the inheritance and knowledge of the vampire race. Many of them were discordant with the common knowledge Qianye knew. One mysterious piece of information caught his mind especially. Amidst the countless inheritances in the shape of scarlet blood drops, only one was dark golden in color. Upon contact, this drop of blood immediately transformed into numerous pieces of information which merged into his consciousness. This was an ancient vampire rank system, one that was quite different from the one Qianye knew. For instance, in this system, the auric flame blood was a characteristic of the viscount grade. Only those who possessed auric flame blood could be considered true vampire nobles. Without it, one couldnt cross the threshold of higher ranks regardless of blood energy levels. As for counts, all the blood in their body had to be in the form of auric flame blood, and marquises were required to have a fully-crystallized blood core. This system was of a much higher level, especially regarding the differences in the quality of blood energy. According to this classification, most of the vampire viscounts and counts Qianye had seen in the past werent even nobles. They were merely upstarts with some authority and status. Even according to this strict ranking, Qianye had become a second-rank viscount after absorbing the demonkins essence blood and was only one step away from becoming a first-rank. One drop of demonkin essence blood was actually enough for him to cross one major rank. This was no small matter! Qianye had never killed such a high-ranking demonkin before. He wasnt quite sure if this was just a coincidence or if all demonkin essence blood had such great effects for vampires. If that were the case, the relationship between vampires and demonkin had just gotten that much more interesting. It was definitely not as simple as things seemed on the surface. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 554: An Exchange of Favors [V6C84 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] While pondering, Qianye put away his vampiric edge and performed a quick search through the demonkin counts body. In the end, he removed an object similar to a family crest and gave it a brief look. Painted upon it was a dark swamp with an odd tree growing in the middle. Qianye had never seen this picture before. However, the demonkin have always been a mysterious bunch. With the exception of those widely-known clans, the others stuck to their ancestral lands and rarely made contact with the outside world. He collected only this emblem since he found nothing else of interest. It was at this time that Qianye sensed something. He reached out to grab East Peak and stabbed the demonkins origin furnace. The blow crushed the flesh around the origin furnace and wiped away all traces of the essence blood loss. Qianye breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized the two incoming auras as Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan. He suppressed his already receding blood energy into his blood core and circulated the Profound Combatant Formula. Very soon, a dense flow of daybreak origin power washed through all of his vessels. Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan appeared before Qianye in the blink of an eye. Both of them were astonished upon seeing the demonkin counts corpse lying on the ground. As geniuses of the martial path, they quickly guessed the flow of the battle after glancing at the traces of battle in the vicinity. Zhao Jundus expression once again turned indifferent as he gave Qianye a nod. Li Kuanglan, on the other hand, sized Qianye up from head to toe. Her gaze turned increasingly sharp and became suffused with an aqua blue color. The battle intent in them was unmistakable. Zhao Jundus expression turned cold as he took a step forward and put Qianye behind him. What are you doing? Li Kuanglan laughed loudly. This fellow owes me two favors and has to fight to the death with me in the future. This young noble requires such grinding stones on my path forward. I thought I would need to wait several more years, but it seems he can give me a small surprise even now. Now, Im itching to have a go. Zhao Jundu said coldly, Since Young Noble Kuanglan needs grinding stones, what do you think about me? Just so-so, Ki Kuanglan answered unceremoniously, a fight with you wont help my martial path at all. Zhao Jundu broke into a frown. He had to admit that Li Kuanglans idea was reasonable. The two of them were actually quite similar on the martial pathboth of them sought perfection in terms of combat arts and paid particular attention to origin power control. It was just that Zhao Jundus path focused on purity and perseverance, while Li Kuanglan sought destructive potential. Qianye was completely different from the two of them. As one leading the charge and overpowering all obstacles in his wake, he was definitely a better sparring candidate. It was at this time that Qianye spoke, I indeed owe him two favors. I wont shy away from this showdown. Zhao Jundu raised his hand at Qianye in a rare moment of anger. You, shut up! He then looked at Li Kuanglan and said word by word, Count those two favors on me and cancel that battle. Wait a minute Qianye wanted to protest, but a mass of violet mist appeared under his feet. His body was immediately restricted, making it impossible for him to even speak. The violet mist trembled a couple of times as Qianye struggled with the might of a tidal wave. However, its color quickly grew deeper and transformed into a bleak azure. This time, Qianye couldnt move anymore. Li Kuanglan watched the scene with a spurious smile and said calmly, Two favors from the Zhao clan fourth young noble is too much. Then its settled, said Zhao Jundu. Li Kuanglan tidied up her loose hair and said in a lazy tone, I have no need for two favors, but one feels like a loss to me. If you really want to take his place in his matter, I want to add another condition. Pray tell. All in all, I met Qianye because of Song Zining, we have a deal if he also owes me a favor. Song Zining? Zhao Jundus eyes narrowed. The chill around him grew denser as he nodded. Thats fine. Will he agree? Li Kuanglan couldnt help but feel a bit curious at Zhao Jundus clear-cut answer. Qianye and Song Zining were good friends from what he had heard, but there was little relationship between the Zhao and Song clans. If he hadnt heard wrong, this dazzling Zhao clan fourth young master wasnt a big fan of the carefree Song Zining. How then was he going to persuade Song Zining? Zhao Jundu said coldly, He has no choice. The corners of Li Kuanglans eyes twitched ever so slightly. Fine then Qianye, who had been standing on one side, could no longer endure. His Oceanic Might activated and, accompanied by a loud boom, shattered together with the Omniscient Seal. Qianye shouted immediately after escaping the bindings, Thats not fine! Both domains had shattered at the same time. Even so, surprise flashed through Li Kuanglans eyes upon seeing Qianye escape Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal. She suddenly said to Zhao Jundu, Then its settled. Zhao Jundu replied immediately, Okay. As he was speaking, he reached out to rub Qianyes temples. This massage-like action was actually accompanied by a tyrannical power which once again silenced Qianye. At this very moment in the imperial camp, Song Zining was sneezing constantly just as he was about to put on his black silver mask. His expression was stern as he broke into a round of cursing, Goddamit! Whos scheming against this young master?! In the depths of the ruins, Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan each had their own thoughts. Just like that, an agreement was reached amidst Qianyes protests. The two, who had just struck a deal, grew silent as they glanced at one another and then at Qianyes depressed expression. Qianye had also stopped speaking. He knew Zhao Jundus character and that it was useless no matter what he said at this point. All he could do was to find Li Kuanglan in secret afterward. Zhao Jundu was the first to break the silence. Qianye, did you kill that demonkin? Qianye had long since prepared an answer. He replied calmly, Yes, he was destined to lose a melee fight in such a narrow space. This explanation was fairly reasonable, and it also fit well with their observations. Most demonkin werent power-types. Their physical strength was, just like all dark races, somewhat stronger than a human of the same rank, but the gap was rather limited. Their main advantage lay in the use of various innate talents. Additionally, Qianyes strength and martial path made him a terrifying opponent during the short moment of his eruption. The less space for maneuver there was, the more focused the damage would be. Having fallen into such an environment with no way to extricate himself, it would be a wonder if the demonkin hadnt encountered misfortune. Did you discover any powerful enemies in the vicinity? Li Kuanglan inquired. She was still highly suspicious about that golden beam of light. Qianye replied, There was a dark count nearby when I was encircled, but he never made an appearance. This was clearly not the answer Li Kuanglan wanted. Zhao Jundu said decisively, No time for all that. Since we were fortunate enough to run into each other, lets move together from here on out. Li Kuanglan smiled as she carved a rough sketch of the castle on the wall with her sword energy. The main building is over there, we can get in by opening up a path to the right. Zhao Jundus us clearly didnt include Li Kuanglan. He shot a glance at the blue-robed youth but decided not to bother arguing with her. He simply raised his hand, drew a path on the sketch with a flash of violet energy, and said, Fine, each of us will scout one path and advance at the same time. The other two will move to assist when one encounters a powerful enemy Li Kuanglan nodded. Lets kill our way to the top floor as quickly as possible, theres a marquis there. The fiery net used to intercept the airships was his doing, but he should be quite exhausted by now. We might be able to swallow this big fish with the three of us working together. Lets go, others might take the credit if were late. The three formed a temporary unit with Zhao Jundu taking point, Li Kuanglan in the middle, and Qianye bringing up the rear. With that, they rushed out of the ruins and charged toward the main castle building. Such a lineup could be considered invincible on the battlefield. The trio quickly became well-coordinated after a couple of fights. Once in battle, Zhao Jundu would use his Omniscient Seal to restrain the enemy while Li Kuanglan followed up with her sword strikes. Truly powerful enemies who managed to survive Li Kuanglans blows would encounter Qianyes East Peak. No matter how many experts there were on the Evernight side, even the squads led by virtuous counts would be slaughtered without exception. The three rampaged through the battlefield and made straight for the castle roof. There, they finally met their opponent after climbing the final stairway. It was a lanky vampire elder with perfectly groomed snow-white hair. His face was rather long with an extremely chiseled facial outline that left a strong impression. There were frills on his shirt and a small Z embroidered on his black bow-tie. He stood before the great hall on the top floor with a gentle smile on his face. He didnt seem like someone who had come to fight to the death but instead resembled a courteous person welcoming old friends. Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglans expressions changed upon seeing this vampire. The latter slowly tightened her grip on Cold Moons Embrace and said, Julio. Julio revealed a smile and said gently, For an opponent whom Ive never met before to remember my name under such circumstances, I am truly overjoyed. This is a great honor. Oh, I mightve made a mistake, Ive probably met one of you before. Julio glanced at Qianye with a contemplative expression, but apparently, he couldnt recall anything in the end. Shaking his head in self-deprecation, he said, Even my memory has deteriorated, it would seem I need to return to the blood pond for a nap. Li Kuanglan sneered, I dont think that will be necessary. I think its better you return to the River of Blood. Julio nodded pensively. Thats not a bad idea, either. Zhao Jundu spoke at this point, Its meaningless to stall for time. Julio broke into a laugh. Stalling? No, my young friends. Its indeed meaningless to do so. Neither the Lightless Monarch nor Noxus will be coming to our rescue. Everyone in this camp has been abandoned from the moment your most powerful heavenly monarch joined the battle and the Queen of the Night did not appear. Zhao Jundu said with a frown, Then why not make way? We will not stop you if you leave now. Li Kuanglan didnt show any signs of protest, either. They were very clear that a dark race marquis was one matter, and that a mighty marquis was another altogether. Meanwhile, existences like Julio and Nana were on a completely different level. Even if Julio had exhausted most of his blood energy during the aerial defenses, he could still take one of them down with him during the final struggle. Jiulio revealed neither joy nor anger upon hearing this. On the contrary, he let out a long sigh and said slowly, We will always encounter battles like this where we cant give up despite knowing the outcome. This is the fate of a warrior, the inescapable destiny of a sacred-blooded scion. The trio shot each other a glance. They knew that a battle was imminent, and it was clear from Julios tone that he was determined to die in battle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 555: Shoulder to Shoulder Battle [V6C85 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye took a step forward and arrived in front of Julio. He was half a stride ahead of Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan. Qianye, come back. Zhao Jundu held his Blue Sky Edge horizontally. A meter-long azure glow materialized to block Qianyes way. Qianye pressed the blade lightly with his hand and said, This is the most optimal combat position for me. This actually made senseif only the level-disparity wasnt that great, and if only the opponent wasnt Julio. Qianyes defenses were the strongest out of the three. Add to that his Oceanic Domain and East Peaks heavy sword characteristics, he was the best candidate to fight the enemy head-on. But presently, no one believed him to be capable of receiving an all-out blow from Julio. Zhao Jundus hand on the blade didnt move at all. The green radiance therein flickered as he said in a deep voice, Move back. Li Kuanglan said with raised eyebrows, You must know that I dont have any more Stillwater Rebirths. Take it easy, if you die this time, its over. Qianye nodded. I know. He slowly raised East Peak as the Profound Combatant Formula circulated inside his body. In a few breaths time, faint sounds of thunderous tides emerged around him. Clap, clap, clap. Julio applauded. Not bad, you have talent and guts. Now, even I cant bear to kill you immediately. Qianye replied calmly, Im afraid you might not be able to. Julio removed his gloves. Is that so? Im worried about that, too. It was at this time that violet flames ignited around Zhao Jundu, and eight pillars of fire began revolving close to his body. An illusory shadow of Julio appeared to the right of Zhao Jundu. It reached out to claw at the latter but gradually retracted its hand and disappeared after touching the pillars. It was really just a shadow because Julio was still standing in place as if he had never moved at all. Li Kuanglan was currently standing to the right of Zhao Jundu. Her expression shifted slightly because she simply hadnt sensed the attack. It was fortunate that the assault was aimed at Zhao Jundu. If the target were her, she definitely wouldnt be as calm. Deceptions! Li Kuanglan snorted coldly as Cold Moons embrace flew up and shot an aqua blue beam of light at Julios forehead. This sword strike was as quick as it was straightforward, so much so that one couldnt see any special abilities in it. To Li Kuanglans path of the sword, the smaller the movement at launch, the greater the might of her attack. Julio only raised a right hand in front of him, seemingly poised to block the sword energy with his body. But just as the blue radiance was about to arrive, the marquis hand immediately turned transparent and faded away. The blue sword energy flew around Julio as though it had lost its target and finally shot into the wall beside him. Julios right hand then appeared anew as though nothing had happened. Li Kuanglans expression transformed once more. This time, she had finally seen that Julios maneuver wasnt a secret art. He had simply drawn her sword energy away by means of an amazing combat art. This sounded easy, but in truth, those with an inferior strength and combat arts might even lose their lives in the process. However, Julio had performed it so effortlessly. It seemed as easy as shaking water off of ones hand. Only Qianye hadnt moved since the very beginning. It was not that he didnt want to but that he couldnt. A wisp of Julios blood energy had locked onto him from afar and would shoot into his heart at the first sight of an opening. Qianye had a strange feeling that Julio was focusing the greater part of his attention on him, and this made it difficult for him to rush into action. Beads of sweat appeared on Qianyes forehead under the immense pressure. This was strange because his strength was the lowest of the three. Julio had no good reason to focus so much attention on him unless he knew about the Shot of Inception. But Qianye hadnt exposed himself even in front of a high-ranking divine champion like Duke You. He didnt believe Julio could see through his secret. Julio was also looking at Qianye, but there were no clues to be found in the vampires eyes. The stalemate lasted mere moments before eight flaming pillars suddenly appeared around Julio. The flames immediately turned azure after their appearance and caused all origin fluctuations within a hundred meters to turn stagnant. Everyone found it momentarily difficult to circulate their origin power, but the sensation soon receded. This was Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal. He was able to exercise such precise control over it that Qianye and Li Kuanglan were exempt from its disturbance despite being in the area of effect. Li Kuanglan couldnt help but sigh after her origin power regained its flow. At her level on the martial path, she was very clear what this meant. Most domains couldnt differentiate friend and foe. That was why a fight between high-level experts was difficult to supplement with numbers. Normally, only experts above the level of divine champion possessed the power and control to minimize their domains effects on allies. But Zhao Jundu could already do this at rank-twelve. He was truly deserving of his fame as the empires number one in the younger generation. The appearance of the Omniscient Seal reduced the mysterious ambiance around Julio, and his movements were no longer as unfathomable. Li Kuanglan trod forth with Cold Moons Embrace glowing in her hand. But this time, she was no longer shooting frost qi. She had opted to maximize her advantage by concentrating power on the sword edge as she moved about and slashed at Julio like a raging tempest. Qianye finally made his move. Roaring, he raised East Peak high up and slashed down without any fancy moves! The sword descended on Julios current position. Qianye cared not whether the target would evadehe only delivered an all-out strike free of distracting thoughts. East Peak fell noiselessly, and the greater part of the blade pierced into the stone floor as though it were tofu. As expected, that sword strike didnt find its target, but Julio couldnt flicker and reappear in his original position as he had before. Instead, he was forced to take two steps back in order to evade the strike. This was the first time Julio had stepped backward since the battle had begun. He finally revealed an astonished expression, his gaze on Qianye tinged with admiration and regret. Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan became spirited after seeing Julio retreat, and their attacks grew all the more violent. The Omniscient Seals range didnt change at all, but Zhao Jundu pulled back all of a sudden. He stood at the threshold of the corridor with the Blue Firmament in hand and took aim at Julio. The vampires expression changed slightly, and the skin on his forehead began twitching. His figure flickered several times, but his forehead was still tingling. He simply couldnt shake off that pin-prick sensation. Julio recognized this as the sensation of being locked onto. What surprised him, however, was the fact that he couldnt extricate himself regardless of the evasion or secret arts used. A name popped up in his heart: True Shot. True Shot was a skill both factions could possess, and its might was inversely proportional to the chances of it appearing. The most terrifying part of True Shot was that its firepower would increase depending on the shooters strength. Julio recognized the Blue Firmament in Zhao Jundus hands. He wasnt willing to take on this shot at all, regardless of the type of bullet in the chamber. However, evading a powerful skill like True Shot was easier said than done. Naturally, True Shot wasnt completely indefensible. As long as Julio maintained high-speed movement, some minor deviations would appear in Zhao Jundus lock on him. This was enough to evade the vitals. But high-speed movements under the suppression of the Omniscient seal involved significant blood energy expenditure. Even a marquis wouldnt be able to hold out for long. The best way to deal with Blue Firmament was to charge into a melee battle, but Li Kuanglan and Qianye wouldnt give him such an opportunity. Li Kuanglan pushed her speed to the limits until she was practically flying around Julio. Streaks of blue splendor poured out from Cold Moons Embrace and spiraled around the vampire marquis. Qianyes attacks, on the other hand, were bold and powerful. East Peak was as heavy as a mountain and every slash from it would always force Julio to move about. One could still trace him while he was moving. He was, on the contrary, more elusive while standing in place. In this manner, Qianye, Zhao Jundu, and Li Kuanglan attacked in perfect coordinationrestraining, attacking, and seeking the opportunity to deal the final blow. For a while, the two parties were evenly matched and none of them could deal with the other. Qianye and Li Kuanglan hadnt used their own domains. On one hand, it was to avoid a conflict in origin power, while on the other, it was because Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal was able to restrict Julio the most. With the marquis unimaginable speed and unfathomable arts, the trio probably wouldnt last long if there was no suppression at all. Zhao Jundu never joined the battle, but the drain from constantly maintaining the domain didnt lose out to that of Qianye and Li Kuanglan at all. But everyone knew that this situation was only temporary because more imperial reinforcements would arrive as time went on. Julio would likely fall in battle if he didnt break out of the siege right now. But the vampire seemed completely calm with no sign of anxiety or fear. It was almost as though time wasnt on the empires side. Qianye became increasingly suspicious as he fought on, but he didnt dare split his attention to anything else. Julio had been defending all the time, but it would be terrifying if he were to find an opening and launch a counterattack. The highest-ranked among them, Li Kuanglan, was four levels below the marquis. They might not be able to take a single blow from Julio unscathed, even if his attack was merely a spent force. Finally, Julio seemed to have decided that the Omniscient Seal was too much of a restraint. Following a low growl, blood energy suffused a hundred-meter radius around him and began to fight back against Zhao Jundus azure energy. In a clash between two domains, the azure energy held the upper hand, but the blood energy was far greater in quantity. The azure glow barely held out for fifteen minutes before growing thinner and thinner. Soon, the Omniscient Seal arrived on the verge of collapse. Qianye let out an explosive shout as the oceanic vortex formed within him. The tyrannical force of his Oceanic Might poured out onto the battlefield, shattering both the Omniscient Seal and Julios blood energy domain. The oceanic vortex lasted a mere moment after destroying the two other domains before it, too, dispersed. Qianyes complexion immediately turned palethe energy consumption from fighting a domain battle beyond his rank was simply too great. The three domains had just vanished when an icy blue frost immediately covered the scene, and Julios newly increased speed grew stagnant once more. Li Kuanglan had taken action at the precise moment and used her own domain to once again restrain Julio. The timing was perfect. Zhao Jundu finally made his move as Julios movements slowed down briefly. Blue Firmament rumbled as an azure trajectory appeared through the air. The bullet practically arrived at Julios chest after leaving the chamber! Despite Julios rapid reaction and evasion, he only managed to barely move his vitals out of the way. He let out a muffled groan as blood sprayed out from his shoulder. Zhao Jundus aura fell after this shot, but he lifted Blue Firmament once more and took aim at Julios blood core. The battle once again fell into a deadlock. At this moment, all of them had noticed the gunfire outside of the castle had grown sparse, and the artillery had more or less stopped firing. There were sounds of imperial squads quickly approaching from the distance. All of a sudden, the wall behind Julio collapsed backwarddoor and allrevealing an empty hall. Numerous deep fissures had appeared on the floor, and the nearby walls were filled with cracks. The entire building seemed to be on the verge of collapse following their fierce battle. Meanwhile, a petite figure was standing in the distant wilderness of Evernight Continent. There were hundreds of corpses lying around her, and judging from their clothing, they were all imperial soldiers. There were several generals among them and even a lieutenant general. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 556: Glancer of Fates [V6C86 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The only bright color on her pale body was her red lips which formed an odd contrast with her frail appearance. There was blood dripping down her fingers. Her aura was calm, not at all like someone who had just experienced a fierce battle. However, there was anxiety written all over her face, and the billowing of her robes in the wind seemed to outline her loneliness. Several figures appeared over the distant horizon and zoomed over at great speeds. Merely from their agility, one could see just how powerful they were. Even so, their running stature appeared somewhat frantic. The girls expression turned even more worried, but she forced herself to remain in place until those people arrived before her. Those who had arrived were all vampires. Judging from their insignias, they were all from the twelve ancient clans, but there wasnt a single person from the Lightless Monarchs Dracula clan. This was clearly out of the ordinary since this battle was being overseen by Medanzo and Noxus. According to convention, their direct lines should be the main force here. The vampires revealed fearful expressions as they arrived in front of the young girl and saw the surrounding scenery. They all fell to one knee and said respectfully, Greetings, Your Excellency Nana. Nanas worried expression grew deeper. Wheres Julio? The leader among the vampires said hesitantly, Sir Julio stayed back to guard our retreat. He asked us to tell you not to wait. Hell leave the battlefield on his own and meet you on Twilight Continent. That wasnt the plan, why did he have to stay back? Nana asked. The vampire replied, Its probably because the Monroe clans squad was left behind as rearguard Nanas expression turned resolute as she glanced toward Giants Repose. You leave first, Im going to look for him. Your Excellency, you mustn''t. The Evernight camp has fallen. Their frontlines were already attacking the castle when we pulled back, and even our dukes have left the battlefield. The human divine champions are surely heading toward the main camp. Youll be walking right into their hands if you go now! Move! All the vampires were pushed away with a jolt of her blood energy. The leader gritted his teeth as he blocked Nanas path and shouted, Sir Julio will definitely charge out. The Lightless Monarch can return to save him no matter how many imperial experts there are. You must not go! Nana sneered, Lightless Monarch? Any other monarch will surely return to save their men, but him? Humph! Meanwhile, Julio Nana didnt continue because she understood Julio all too well. He wouldnt leave the battlefield until the very last moment. That vampire blocked Nanas path once again. Your Excellency, you must return with us. This is Sir Julios will, as well as that Majestys! No one can order me! Scram! Nanas shout erupted with the full force of her superior bloodline. All of the vampires fell limp to the ground and could only watch as she ran toward Giants Repose. The vampires looked at one another. One of them said with a wry smile, How are we going to explain this? Whats wrong with Nana? An older vampire sighed. You lot dont know, but Her Excellency Nana was drifting about the outside world when she was young. She had almost died when Sir Julio found her during a patrol mission. He was the one who saved her and raised her. Nana returned to the Mammon clan only after awakening her bloodline. All the vampires knew Julio and Nana shared a good relationship and always worked together. But none of them knew there was such a story behind them. Although Nanas strength had gradually surpassed Julios in recent years, it seemed she still considered him her father at heart. The wind on the Evernight Continent was different from Twilight Continent. It was desolate, cold, and contained a constant chill that would seep into ones heart. This caused the running Nana to tighten her clothes subconsciously. The words Julio had spoken to her before setting out on this expedition emerged in her mind: The flames of hope have been ignited in our hands. We mustn''t let it die. It was then that Julio made her stay back in the reserve army and barred her from joining the exploration party. Nana didnt quite understand it back then because there shouldnt be any danger at all in this battle. How could Evernight lose with the Queen of the Night on their side? Moreover, even if there was danger, divine champions and marshals were the only ones who could pose a threat to them. What was there to fear? But she decided not to force the issue so as to set Julio at ease. Who wouldve thought a great battle would erupt once more just as the races were beginning to retreat? Things took a drastic turn for the worse, and even the Evernight main camp had fallen to the humans. Nana suddenly realized that Julio mustve stopped her from joining the battle because he had a certain premonition. Nana ran faster and faster, but her heart grew colder and colder. Julio had a mysterious ability which only a handful of top characters from his bloodline knew of. This outstanding marquis possessed the ability to listen to fate. Since he was a young viscount, he would often see fragments of the future through the dense mist. At the same time, Julio was a man of great intelligence and would often be able to deduce the future through these fragments. He wasnt a diviner or a prophet, but one who could glance at fate. Nana knew Julio was never happy because he could see fate but had no power to change it. Julios periods of happiness had been short-lived ever since discovering the awakened Nighteye on Evernight Continent. Later on, he grew more and more despondent. Nana had never understood why Julio was in low spirits, but on this cold, wintery night, she seemed to have understood a bit. She suddenly trembled as a chill scuttled out from her blood core and froze every inch of her vesselsshe suddenly realized that Julio wasnt coming back. Nighteyes blood relatives were all dead. As the one who had guided Nighteyes awakening, all connections related to her would disappear with his death. No one else would be able to find her. No one knew that Nana and Julio had discovered Nighteye together. Julio hadnt mentioned her name at all when he brought Nighteye back to the Monroe clan. Back then, Nana had thought that Julio didnt want to share the merits of discovering a primo. His strength growth had stagnated back then and would need to rely on the ancient blood pond in order to advance. Nana didnt mind this at all. She was still very young and far from the peak of her life. Her strength was already growing by leaps and bounds without relying on external powers. Even if that werent the case, she would still be willing to give it to Julio. Now, she finally understood that Julio had kept her behind the curtain because he had foreseen this day. Nighteyes sudden disappearance shook the entire vampire race. According to what Nana knew, there was a storm brewing among several clans, including the Monroe, poised to target the Perth clan. It was just that the Queen of the Night had always been tyrannical and proud. How could she lower her head under this pressure? At this moment, Nana was filled with hate for Nighteye. She couldnt understand what was so important about this primo that Julio had to sacrifice himself just to hide her traces. Vague fluctuations of origin power arrived from the distance. Nana immediately knew that those were shockwaves produced from a battle between experts. The distance they had covered proved just how powerful the combatants were. Although she couldnt discern their aura from such a distance, who else could it be except Julio since all the Evernight dukes had retreated already? Nana sprinted toward the battlefield at lightning speed, completely ignoring the expenditure of blood energy. In the Evernight central camp, the top floor of the castle had turned into an even ground. Even the great hall from which the two great dark monarchs used to observe battles wasnt spared. Julio stood amidst the rubble with an unfathomable smile on his face. He was still standing straight despite being wounded all over. Seven or eight imperial experts had surrounded Julio with Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan as their leaders. Qianye had retreated to the outer rim at this point. He stood there with his sword pointed at the ground, staring at Julio in complete stillness. Qianye had pulled back to catch his breath after launching a round of frantic attacks. An increasing number of top imperial experts arrived as more and more battles were won outsidesoon, the battle had turned into a siege. But for some reason, Julio had no intention of running away. One of the imperial experts flew up from below in a bid to launch a sneak attack from behind. However, Julio immediately turned around to face him. His speed was so fast that it seemed as though he had been facing that direction all along. Zhao Jundus eyes lit up. The raging pillars of violet flame turned azure, increasing the restriction on Julio by two times. However, it was too lateJulio tapped lightly on the experts forehead before returning to his original position. The victims expression froze as he took a few shaky steps forward. Then, a cloud of blood erupted from the back of his head. Li Kuanglans expression was livid. Trash! Always failing! This expert, a rank-fifteen champion, was a veteran general from the Jingtang Li Clan. The man had acted rashly in order to seize merits but was completely helpless before the wounded Julio. His head exploding was equal to giving Li Kuanglan a slap. Zhao Jundus expression wasnt any better. His Omniscient Seal was effective, but it was still broken through at the critical juncture. This was due to a disparity in rank, not something that could be easily remedied. But Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan were well-experienced in battle. They quickly calmed their emotions and began searching for openings once more. Julio seemed to be ignoring all the experts around him. He only looked up into the sky with his hand on his chest, his mouth opening and closing as though he were uttering something. Qianye felt something peculiar in his chest. Without a second thought, he raised East Peak and hacked down at the air in front of him. A scarlet beam of sanguineous light flew through the air, flickered around Qianyes sword, and shot into his chest. This beam possessed immense penetrative power. It shot right through his armor, tore through his skin, and drilled into his body. Just as before, the imperial experts only saw who Julio had attacked after the strike had connected. Everyone was surprised because they had seen the might of Qianyes heavy sword. No one at the scene was confident about taking it head-on, not to mention breaking through its momentum. It was quite likely that no one here could defend against this strike. Mighty Marquis Julio couldnt be underestimated no matter how heavy his injuries were. The six imperial corpses on the top-floor served as ample testament. Zhao Jundus expression changed sharply as he released the charged-up shot without waiting for a suitable opening. Julio seemed to have overdrafted his power just now, so much so that he was one step too slow. Ultimately, the marquis failed to flash away and suffered a square shot. Zhao Jundu didnt follow up after the shot, neither did he look back at the results of the battle. He charged over immediately and stood in front of Qianye. Unexpectedly, Li Kuanglan also let go of the opening and was looking back at the two. Qianyes situation was much better than everyone had expected. He was pushed several steps back by the sanguineous beam but managed to gain his footing by thrusting East Peak into the ground. He remained gasping for a moment before looking up and gesturing that he was alright. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 557: Julio’s Fate [V6C87 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Everyone felt surprised because, up until this point, Julios attacks had always killed in one hit. The imperial experts felt spirited because this signified that the marquis was almost exhausted. Qianyes gaze, however, was completely different. Only he knew that this bloody brilliance was extremely weak in damage despite its great penetrative powers. It even seemed to contain a drop of fresh blood within. Julios blood energy was helpless before the dark golden blood energy and was devoured in the blink of an eye. Most of the blood energy Qianye had spent on contending against the demonkin counts demonic qi was quickly restored. Was that a drop of origin blood? Qianye was rather puzzled at this point. Theoretically, origin blood was just as toxic to humans as black titanium, but the erosion wasnt completely irreversible. On the other hand, vampires could only condense so many drops of origin blood in their lifetimethat was the source of their power and bloodline inheritance. In terms of value, it was thousands of times greater than black titanium. No one had heard of vampires using origin blood to launch attacks. In truth, this drop of blood looked more like a probe. If Qianye didnt have blood energy or if his blood energy was inferior to Julios, he would be in much greater trouble. Qianye couldnt understand. This was the first time he had run into this illustrious vampire marquis, so why would Julio sound him out with blood energy? The imperial experts launched successive attacks after Julio was wounded by Zhao Jundus shot, but most of them returned empty-handed. Only Li Kuanglans sword barely struck the man. Blood energy rushed out violently around Julio. It poured out of Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal and continued expanding outward, causing all the experts to step back. Everyone had to fall back ten meters before barely managing to block the erosion. Qianye stepped forth with his sword raised and was just about to use his Oceanic Vortex to resist when a frowning Zhao Jundu pulled him backward. He glanced back after having his unformed momentum dispersed and saw that Zhao Jundus face had lost even more color compared to when his domain was broken. It was at this time that a beam of peerless killing intent descended from above and enveloped the entire battlefield. Julios body trembled as he looked down at his chest where a large cavity had appeared out of nowhere. The defect penetrated all the way to the back, and the blood core that shouldve been there had vanished. Outside of the ruins, a white-robed lady with an austere expression descended slowly from the sky. Bai clan, Bai Aotu. Her incomparably tyrannical punch had shot through Julios chest from afar and destroyed his blood core. Julio didnt seem sad at all in the face of sure death. His eyes werent on his killer, either. Instead, he looked up at the sky with open arms as though he wanted to embrace something. At this moment, it seemed as though Julios gaze had penetrated this world and reached the end of the voida world perhaps no one knew about. Julios eyes gradually dimmed as his body collapsed slowly. His body spat out a fierce sanguineous flame at the moment of its demise. The ignition of all the remaining blood energy produced a raging blaze which rendered the body to ashes. There wasnt a trace to be found. This famous marquis, who could even overwhelm some veteran dukes, had finally met his end here. However, most of the imperial experts surrounding Julio werent happy at all. They were filled with a type of inexplicable emptiness. Julio had explained his fame with his action during this arduous battle. He had held out until the very end under Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal, Li Kuanglans sword strikes, and Qianyes heavy blows, in addition to the siege of imperial experts. He hadnt made a single mistake up until the very end where his blood energy was completely exhausted. Julio had proved, with his life, what perfection meant in combat. It could be said that he had once again won the respect of his enemies. But such a person had actually died to such an attack. Bai Aotus fist smashed Julios final defenses and crushed this mighty marquis. This sullied the dignity of Julios deathnot a fitting end to his final battle. Qianye felt disappointed and frustrated as he watched the last of the ashes being blown away. Many experts turned to Bai Aotu in anger. They had just experienced a fierce battle, so their killing intent was at the peakeven someone as notorious as Bai Aotu didnt seem as terrifying right now. One of the generals shouted, Bai Aotu, whats the meaning of this. Are you trying to steal merits? Many people turned livid at this point. They had struggled on the verge of life and death, losing many comrades in the process. Bai Aotu, however, had appeared at the last moment and took Julios life in one blow. No one could believe she wasnt trying to rob them of merit. A mocking expression appeared on Bai Aotus face. Do I need this meager contribution? Go and share it among yourselves. I only lent a hand because you people cant seem to finish it. These words offended everyone at the scene. Li Kuanglan had never suffered such treatment before. Her expression turned frosty as she said, We can deal with this even if you dont appear. It makes no difference, so stop meddling next time! Bai Aotu shot Li Kuanglan a glance filled with undisguised killing intent, but the latter had no fear of her. What? You want to kill me? I bet you dont have the guts for that. Its not the Bai clans turn to overpower the empire. Bai Aotu stared at Li Kuanglan with an indifferent expression. I have no use for empty statuses, and nobility isnt reason enough to bind me. If only you werent an opponent worth looking forward to, what does it matter if I kill you now? If youre not satisfied, we can fight once were both at the divine champion realm. Its meaningless to bully you now. Li Kuanglan was startled for a moment, but she replied immediately with narrowed eyes, Fine, we shall fight it out when the day comes! You think youre the only genius in the empire? Then thats settled, Bai Aotu replied. Li Kuanglan turned toward Zhao Jundu. What say you? The latter replied indifferently, Not interested. Not interested? Why? Li Kuanglan clearly found the answer surprising. Zhaos hand remained firmly on Qianye as he said apathetically, None of you are my match after I become a divine champion, so it makes no difference whether or not we fight. In my eyes, there are only two geniuses in the empire at present, and one of them is me. Li Kuanglan was already finding his words annoying, but she couldnt resist the urge to ask, Whos the other one? It cant be me, can it? This... ahahaha this is a bit embarrassing! Who wouldve thought an icy demon like you can be cute too, sometimes. Sorry, but the other genius is also from my Zhao clan. Li Kuanglans smile was immediately frozen, and she couldnt help but spew out a series of profanities. Damn your grandpa! The second one is also in your Zhao clan? Wait a minute, don''t tell me its this little fellow? Seeing Li Kuanglan glance over at him, Qianye immediately called out, Its not me! Li Kuanglan said furiously, Damn you, who else is there but you! All eyes fell upon Qianye in a flash, filling him with the urge to curse too. It was at this time that a rush of blood energy appeared in the distance. Its intensity and sharpness were far above that of Julio. Julio!!! The blood energy arrived rapidly accompanied by a sharp cry, parting the imperial army wherever it passed. No one could block its path. The visitor seemed to have sensed something after the shout. The small figure within the blood energy trembled and soon began to chant in a deep, mellow voice. Large swathes of imperial soldiers fell as the mournful tune ended, and a large empty space appeared around her. One of the military officers shouted at the top of his lungs, Its Nana! Full retreat! Full Retreat! Do not approach her! Snipe her from afar, afar! This was the most appropriate response to deal with Nana. Numbers were meaningless against her because her song was the most terrifying killer weapon. However, long-range sniping wasnt quite effective against this agile vampire, eitherunless it was an ability like Zhao Jundus True Shot. Nanas notoriety was far above Julios, but the empire had received no news about her participation in this battle. Her sudden appearance was destined to change the battle once more. Bai Aotus expression changed rapidly. Her ordinary demeanor erupted with a brilliance one could hardly look straight at. Now this is the kind of contribution I need. With that, she left to meet Nana in battle with her robes fluttering in the wind. None of the imperial experts followed along when Bai Aotu charged out. It wasnt merely because she had offended everyone, but because she had announced that she was going to fight Nana. Anyone who interfered would become her enemy. Nana and Bai Aotu were soon standing off against one another. The formers eyes were filled with rolling blood energy as though they were made of sanguineous rubies. Wheres Julio?! Bai Aotu replied calmly, Hes dead, I smashed his blood core just now. If you had come ten minutes earlier, you wouldve seen how he had died. The blood energy in Nanas eyes turned a deep violet as she let out a shrill cry, Then you will die!!! Nana rushed out in the blink of an eye. One could hardly make out her figureit was as though she had become briefly invisible. Bai Aotu also moved at the same time, meeting the enemy head-on without any evasive movements. Time seemed to have paused the moment the combatants came into contact, then resumed a moment later as they flitted past one another. Apart from a handful of people, none of the spectators saw their exchange clearly. Nana turned around like a cloud in the wind and left at inconceivable speeds. Li Kuanglans expression changed upon seeing that Nanas speed was actually above her own. The formers speed advantage would surely be suppressed if the two were to engage in battle. Zhao Jundu shook his head as he put down his Blue Firmament. Although the battlefield was within firing range, the battle had ended too quickly for him to fire. Several powerful daybreak origin auras were zooming over from the distant horizon. Those were the imperial divine champions who had just finished their battles. This is just a small lesson. I, Nana, of the Mammon clan will make you pay! You will all regret your actions this day! Nanas voice reverberated throughout the battlefield as her figure vanished into the vast night sky. She paved a path of blood as she left, killing thousands more imperial soldiers who hadnt yet made it to a safe distance in time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 558: Undeserved Calamity [V6C88 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Bai Aotu stood silently in place without giving chase. Her body jolted fiercely as Nanas voice arrived from the distance and spat out a mouthful of fresh bloodher face had lost all color. She didnt linger, either, and turned to leave soon afterward. Many imperial soldiers were puzzled as they watched her receding figure, wondering who had won the exchange just now. Nanas retreat dropped the curtains on this great battle. With the fall of the Evernight primary camp, the dark race experts withdrew, and Giants Repose finally fell into imperial hands. The follow-up squads from the empire soon entered the camp and began the clean-up operations, while those who had been fighting through the night like Qianye returned to base to rest. Qianye followed Zhao Jundu as he gathered the clan soldiers back to base, but they parted ways there. The battle had just ended, and Zhao Jundu was already exhausted. He only told Qianye to rest well before heading off into isolation. Qianye, however, didnt cultivate. He lay on the bed gazing at the roof as he replayed the battle bit by bit. This was the first time he had joined a battle of such scale. Many of the developments during the battle were things he had never actually seen before. The clans widely accepted as the most powerfulthe Zhang and the Zhao clanhad charged at the forefront during the assault on the Evernight camp. Regardless of how the Song clan had performed during the bloody battle, their private army was still fitting of a major clan during this campaign. The high-ranking aristocratic families were below the clans in terms of military power and the missions they had to undertake, but they were still far above the other lower-ranking nobility. One could see the empires policy from the military arrangements in battle. That was to maintain a direct relationship between status, authority, and responsibility. Those with higher status would have to take on more critical duties and responsibilities. Personal combat strength was the focus of the bloody battle and the exploration of Giants Repose. There would be small squads at most. The situation was mostly about taking advantage of opportunities and interfering with one another. But the all-out factional war observed the rules of the empire that had existed since its founding. Perhaps it could be said that Marshal Zhang Boqian had decided to adhere to them. The four clans forming the spearhead wasnt the empires attempt at weakening the clans. In truth, most of the empires regular army and elite corps were under the command of the imperial court. The imperial army corps and their experts had joined one after another during this battletheir losses were far above that of the four major clans. Hence, in the eyes of the empire, this was a form of fairness. After figuring this out, Qianye was full of admiration for the founding ancestor of the empire who had laid down this rule. The imperial clans dauntless spirit was evident behind this rulethey had the confidence that they would not lose their supreme status no matter how many losses they had suffered in this battle of national fate. In truth, the imperial clan had produced countless heroes, and there was never a weak and incapable emperor. This was especially true of the Martial Emperor who had ushered in a flourishing era. He was almost the great ancestors equal both in scholarly and martial achievements. During the thousand years after the War of Daybreak, the imperial clan had never fallen amidst the great wind and waves. At this time, someone outside the tent called out to him, Young Noble Qianye, your documents have arrived. Only then did Qianye recall how he had asked a subordinate officer to find some documents on the empires military system. He had only fought in small skirmishes before, but now that he was looking to earn military contributions, he would have to engage in a fair number of major battles. He really needed to familiarize himself with the empires military system. Following Qianyes invitation, a young captain entered with a thick stack of documents which he duly placed on the table. He then performed a respectful salute before withdrawing. Qianye remembered this captains face. He was one of the soldiers who had responded when Zhao Guanwei wanted to draw people away. But his attitude had changed completely after a fierce battle. Only a hundred or so vanguard soldiers had died during the assault on the Evernight main camp This was less than a third of the usual losses. Qianye had led the entire assault at the forefront and even participated in the final castle raid. His tangible accomplishments in combat won the respect of all the soldiers in the vanguard battalion. After sending the captain away, Qianye sat down in the tent and began going through the military regulations one after the other. He had gained a substantial understanding of the military system after reading through these laws. After reading through several books, the tent curtain was pulled open, and Li Kuanglan walked in without so much as a greeting. Qianye was startled upon seeing her. How come youre in the Zhao clan camp? They let you in? Qianye knew Li Kuanglan was from the Jingtang Li Clan. The current empress family was currently in a fierce conflict with the Zhao clan and very close to shedding all pretenses. It was quite inconceivable for Li Kuanglan to enter the camp without alarming Duke You. Li Kuanglan said without a care, This young noble snuck in. This isnt too appropriate is it? Qianye felt rather awkward. So what? All the powerful people are in isolated cultivation and the rest wont discover me. Eh? What are you reading? With that, Li Kuanglan picked up a couple of the books and flipped through them. She then said in astonishment, Whats the point in reading these boring things? Its not like theyll increase your fighting power. Oh right, why arent you cultivating? This question wasnt easy to answer. Qianyes blood energy had advanced during the battle and once again surpassed his daybreak origin power rank. He could no longer continue advancing his darkness powers. On the other hand, his Profound Combatant Formula required the absorption of void origin power. Zhang Boqian and the other unknown heavenly monarch would surely cause turbulence in the void during their return. He had learned his lesson last time, so he naturally wouldnt make the same mistake before finding a way to prevent this. Seeing Li Kuanglans curious expression, Qianye gave the matter some thought and figured he had nothing to hide regarding his daybreak cultivation. My cultivation art absorbs void origin power, so I dont dare cultivate right now. The turbulence during Marshal Zhang Boqians return will affect me significantly. Li Kuanglan was shocked. You can already absorb void origin power?! It seems Zhao Jundu wasnt lying. Goddammit! Qianye could no longer hold back. Miss Kuanglan, your constant cursing might damage your image. Li Kuanglan said in astonishment, How did you know? Qianye naturally wouldnt sell Song Zining out. With your identity, therell surely be people who know. Li Kuanglan gave it some thought and found that it was quite reasonable. Many people at the level of Zhao Jundu and Bai Aotu should know of this. It was just that they didnt want to point it out. Li Kuanglan immediately felt awkward after her identity was exposed and somewhat toned down her wild manners. She sized Qianye up from head to toe and said, Will I be unable to defeat you once you become a divine champion? How could Qianye speak the truth regarding this? He immediately replied, How can that be? Im not even sure if I will become one. Li Kuanglan was all smiles as she patted Qianyes shoulder and said, Now thats what Im talking about! I wanted to fight you after hearing Zhao Jundus words, but Ill let it slide since you make me so happy. Qianye felt cold sweat appearing on his forehead. It wasnt for fear of fighting with Li Kuanglan but her style. One had to know that this was the Zhao clan camp. Not only did Li Kuanglan sneak in, but she was also looking for a fightthis was a sure way to produce great waves. With her character, a small matter would eventually become a big issue. There was really no telling how many people she would implicate. Qianye decided to go along with her to prevent trouble. Indeed, indeed, with young noble Kuanglans status, theres no way youll fuss over minor matters, right? Lets talk about exchanging pointers in the future. Its not too convenient here, so I think you should go back first. Li Kuanglan waved her hand in a carefree manner. Whats with that respectful address? Just call me Kuanglan. Ill be leaving now. She didnt linger at all after saying that and quickly opened the tent curtain to leave. What she didnt expect to see was Zhao Jundu standing right outside, looking at her with cold eyes. Even the habitually unrestrained Li Kuanglan was shocked out of her wits. Y-You, how come youre here? Her voice contained a trace of guilt. Zhao Jundu said coldly, The Zhao clan isnt big, but its not a place anyone can just come and go. Li Kuanglan snorted and retorted unwillingly, Fine, youre so awesome, alright? This young noble will leave right away. Hold it. Zhao Jundu held her back. Li Kuanglan halted her steps with a chill on her face. What? Does the Zhao fourth young noble intend to teach me a lesson? Qianye walked out of the tent after hearing the commotion and couldnt help but hold his palm to his face after seeing the tense situation. These two were both proud and arrogant fellows who wouldnt yield at all. Add to that the background enmity between the Zhao and Li clans, it was quite likely that they would start fighting after a couple more words. He really wanted to go back into the tent and pretend he didnt see them, but in the end, he decided to butt in, Young Noble Kuanglan was here to see me for a chat, its nothing important. Zhao Jundu looked at Qianye and sighed. He pulled the latter back with an unquestionable demeanor and scolded him, What do you know?! He then turned toward Li Kuanglan and said with a deep voice, Young Noble Kuanglan, you and I both know what your identity is, but Qianye doesnt. If some slanderous lies surface for some reason, a small family like ours cant withstand the flames of that bigshots fury. The smile on Li Kuanglans face became rather forced, but she gathered her emotions and said, Whats the big deal? Is there a need to make it so serious? Zhao Jundus expression was solemn as his beautiful countenance became so cold that it could almost injure people. If Qianye suffers from this, Ill make sure that a good number of your people pay the price. Li Kuanglan raised her hand and said, Fine, I understand. Ill be leaving now. She suddenly said just as she was about to turn around, Zhao Jundu, your weakness is too obvious. If thats the case, I really dont want to wait until you become a divine champion. Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, You and I both seek consummate perfection in our combat arts. However, do you really think a weakness is an opening? Is there a difference? Li Kuanglan raised her brows in curiosity. She broke into a sudden frown as though she were pondering something, and then left without a single word. Zhao Jundu sighed in relief as he watched her receding figure. I owe you two favors, dont hesitate to speak up if you have anything you need. Li Kuanglan didnt look back. She only raised a finger and said, You owe me one and Song Zining owes me one. Oh right, what does he have to say about that? Dont worry. There was no hesitation at all in Zhao Jundus reply. Okay, I believe you. With that, Li Kuanglans figure disappeared with a flash. Zhao Jundu stood there for a moment before turning back to glare at Qianye. Behave in the future and dont provoke everyone! I cant watch over you every day. Qianye only felt that he had been struck by an undeserved calamity. It was clearly Li Kuanglan who had sought him outwhen had he ever provoked anyone? The Zhao clan and the empress family are at odds, but I think Li Kuanglan isnt so bad. Was there really a need to take things so far? Zhao Jundu glared at him and said, What do you know? All in all, Li Kuanglan is trouble incarnate. Stay away from her. Period. Im going to find Song Zining. What for? Qianye wanted to say something about how they had exchanged favors without his consent, but Zhao Jundu didnt give him the opportunity. Im going to demand a favor from him. The latter vanished with a flicker of violet energy as soon as he had said these words. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 559: Scheme [V6C89 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye took a couple of steps after him but Zhao Jundu was nowhere to be found. Only then did he discover that he didnt quite know where Song Zinings tent was in this new camp. He couldnt help but scratch his head as he went over to Duke Yous aide-de-camp to inquire about the staff offices location. Zhao Jundu was much faster. A flash of violet energy flitted through the camp and soon arrived before the central command camp. Moments later, he found Song Zining in a separate tent within the staff office area. Song Zining was standing before the desk, composing a painting of a fierce tiger under the moon. The last brush stroke fell just as Zhao Jundu entered the room. He glanced at the serious looking Zhao Jundu and said, I knew a bad guest would come today. Speak, what do you want? I want a favor from you to give to Li Kuanglan. Zhao Jundu got right to the point. Song Zinings expression turned beyond ugly. Cant you demand something else? Does it have to be her? It must be her. Absolutely not! Its not like you dont know her identity. Song Zining refused decisively. Zhao Jundu flexed his fingers and said, Im not here to negotiate. Im only here to inform you. Song Zining sneered, You want to attack? Do it, I wont even fight back. This is the central command area. Youll also get into trouble if you kill me. Zhao Jundus eyes were suffused with frost as he thrust a finger at Song Zinings throat. The latter didnt evade at all, so much so that he didnt even activate his origin defenses. Zhao Jundus finger barely stopped at Song Zinings throat and produced a small red dot therein. Just a slight forward push would have punched a hole through his throat. Anger flashed through Zhao Jundus eyes as he said, I never expected the stately Song clan seventh young noble to actually be so shameless. Song Zining broke into a laugh. Likewise, likewise. So the Zhao Fourth Young Noble also has times where he cant quite force people to do things. Speaking of which, its quite the honor to be able to act shamelessly before you. You must give Li Kuanglan this favor. Song Zining smiled calmly. I dont even know how much this favor of mine is worth, but why havent you given her one? I have. An Ah escaped Song Zinings lips as he clearly wasnt expecting this. He retracted his frivolous attitude and said with a serious expression, You do know how much trouble this will be, don''t you? And you still dare gift her a favor? Naturally, you and I arent the same. Your name is clean, but the same cant be said of my reputation. How will I dare get involved in this trouble? Zhao Jundu said, It was Qianye who owed her these favors at first. Song Zinings expression shifted. Qianye?! What did Li Kuanglan originally want? Why did he ask you to shoulder it for him? Zhao Jundu discerned some clues from these words. Do you know how Qianye came to owe her these favors? Song Zining laughed wryly. Qianye used a bottle of her Stillwater Rebirth while exploring Giants Repose. I would have never expected Li Kuanglan to make such a blatant demand. There probably arent a lot of things that would strike her fancy. Zhao Jundu broke into a frown as he briefly recounted the exchange of favors. Song Zinings expression suddenly became mysterious as he muttered, Its not a problem if its just a life and death battle Zhao Jundu cut the latter short without the slightest bit of hesitation. No, Qianye mustnt get involved with the Jingtang Li Clan. The two stared at each other for a good while before Song Zining finally sighed. Since thats the case, then Ill agree. Zhao Jundu nodded and turned to leave. Wait a minute, Song Zining stopped him, my favor has to be worth something, right? Arent you going to give me any benefits at all? Zhao Jundu didnt even look back. Is the dignified Seventh Young Noble asking for money? Song Zining said indignantly, Why cant I? I still have a family to feed. Zhao Jundu didnt slow down his footsteps at all. He just pretended not to hear anything. Song Zining chuckled. Looks like Qianyes status in the Zhao clan is just so-so. Rather than have him live a sneaky life why not return him to me? Zhao Jundu glanced back with a cold glint in his eyes. Song Zining seemed to not have noticed the frosty killing intent. He simply opened his folding fan with a swoosh and closed it back after a couple of flaps. My meager properties might not be impressive in your eyes, but Qianye is still half an owner here. It should be much better than being someones restricted vassal... His words hadnt even ended when a violent gale blew into his face. A muffled bang rang out as Song Zining was struck in the abdomen and flung out of the tent. Zhao Jundu was startled because he knew how much force he had applied. He had attacked rapidly and withdrawn the force just as fastit was enough to inflict pain, but not to the extent of blowing the victim flying. Such a development wasnt possible even if Song Zining didnt use his defenses. Zhao Jundu stepped out of the tent with a frown. The commotion wasnt that great, but it wasnt non-existent, either. There were occasional passers-by in the distance, but none of them stopped to look. However, there were four or five high-ranking Zhang clan officers, two of whom Zhao Jundu knew personally. Zhang Muyi roared furiously as he helped Song Zining up. Who dares fight in the command center?! He was shocked into silence as he glanced back at the person walking out of the tent. A handsome and spirited major general reacted much faster than Zhang Muyi. He had already taken a step forward before Zhao Jundu had even exited the tent, blocking Song Zining as well as his comrades behind. Brother Jundu. Zhao Jundu reciprocated the gesture. Brother Munian. This person was the leader of the Zhang clans younger generation, Zhang Munian. Although not as celebrated as Bai Aotu and Zhao Jundu, he was still the central pillar of the family. Zhang Munian glanced back at Song Zinings sorry figure and inquired in a puzzled tone, Was there some misunderstanding between you two? Zhao Jundu immediately realized that he had fallen into Song Zinings scheme. Zhang Munian wasnt one to meddle in other peoples affairs, much less that of the Zhao and Song clans. However, his current tone made clear his intentions to mediate this matter, meaning that Song Zining had a certain level of importance before him. It would seem that the rumors were truethis seventh young noble had not only entered Zhang Boqians command but also gained the recognition of the Zhang clans younger generation. Even Zhao Jundu had to acknowledge the mans expertise in the ways of the world. The reason behind this scheme today was very clear. Almost all of Song Zinings military contributions during the bloody battle had gone to the Zhao clan. Although it was under the pretext of a deal, there were definitely some who were in doubt of his stance. Now that he was in open conflict with Zhao Jundu in the presence of the Zhang clans core descendants like Zhang Munian and Zhang Muyi, all of his previous connections to the Zhao clan would be wiped away. Meanwhile, Song Zinings breakaway from the Song clan was already an open secret among the upper echelons of the empire. As a capable young expert with no affiliation, he would likely receive much more attention from the Zhang clan thereafter. Zhao Jundu sneered in his heart. Song Zinings favor was indeed difficult to secure. Despite his ire, he could only sigh in admiration at the latters opportunistic move. Zhao Jundu didnt immediately respond to Zhang Munians question but stared intently at Song Zining instead. Song Zining smiled wryly and said, Its just a private matter, nothing important. Zhang Munian turned toward Zhao Jundu and said, Since thats the case, I hope brother Jundu can, for the sake of my humble self, accept Song Zinings apology. Zhao Jundu scanned Song Zining coldly. Fine, were even now. Song Zining had achieved his objective and heard the implication in Zhao Jundus words. But even then, he didnt reveal a single opening and merely stood up with his eyes lowered. Zhang Munians expression grew even more relaxed upon seeing Zhao Jundus unexpectedly accommodating attitude. The two were old acquaintances, so they naturally proceeded to exchange pleasantries. At this moment, a certain person rushed in from outside the camp. Zhao Jundu and Song Zining recognized Qianyes silhouette from afar and couldnt help but glance at one another. Song Zining shrugged and said with a resigned tone, Ill explain it to him. With Qianyes appearance, Song Zining quickly realized that this so-called exchange of favors was done against Qianyes will. Since he had already taken advantage of Zhao Jundu, he might as well play the good guy until the end. Foregoing how Song Zining explained matters to Qianye, the imperial army commenced a cleanup operation throughout the entire battlefield in the days that followed and began building temporary defensive measures in preparation for a counterattack. The entire army was extremely busy. People at Qianyes level, on the other hand, had nothing to do for several days except recuperate. He would be able to check his contributions after the battlefield had been cleaned up and the casualties confirmed. Something actually puzzled Qianye quite a bit. The empire had paid a steep price to conquer the Evernight camp, so according to reason, they should be building solid defenses here to seek long-term entrenchment. But all Qianye saw were temporary structures, which made it clear that the empire had no intention of staying here for long. Even Song Zining, with his position in the staff office, hadnt heard anything about the policies of those Zhang clan bigshots. Qianye didnt understand it, but he had no desire to get to the bottom of things, either. His current mission was to start cultivating his daybreak origin power as soon as possible in order to maintain a balance between the two sides. In the void outside of Evernight Continent, a long rainbow stretched across half the continent and fell into an ancient castle atop Mount White. This place was a millennia-old castle located in the depths of the Dark Nation. The human race didnt even have written records of that ancient era. The passage of time had left unerasable traces on the old castle but still hadnt managed to cause its collapse. On the contrary, it grew increasingly grand due to the expansion and renovations carried out by the successive generation of vampires. The main building of the castle was a long complex of interconnected buildings covering the highest peak of the mountain, and it was connected to the four lesser complexes on the surrounding mountaintops via archways and airships. Every archway spanned thousands of meters over the bottomless ravine below, supported entirely by massive air-battleships which never moved the whole year round. From a distance, it looked nothing short of a miracle. There was a passage on top of the main complex which stretched hundreds of meters toward a moderately-sized plaza. Both structures, however, were floating above the deep abyss without any airship support. There were dozens of vivid statues around the plazas periphery, and presently, there was an airship approaching it slowly. This plaza was surprisingly an airship anchorage. It was just that the port here was thousands of meters in the air. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 560: Unverifiable News [V6C90 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The mooring airship was a small but dignified vessel whose walls were decorated with relief images and exaggerated decorationseven its sails had complex pleated edges. It was an extreme embodiment of the vampire races extravagance and love of magnificence. Carved upon the ship was the depiction of a great dipper array, the insignia of the sixth vampire clan, the Reagan clan. Moreover, the gold-lined violet color signified that the passenger upon it was a duke. The airship had just landed and opened its doors when a bloody light suddenly appeared over the distant clouds and descended rapidly like a falling star. A wild wind kicked up over the plaza, the atmosphere was thrown into chaos, and even the sky seemed to darken for a split second. The just-stabilized airship was tossed up by the gale and flung hundreds of meters away. Several people were tossed out of the open cabin doors and fell into the dark abyss amidst dismal screams. A faintly discernible silhouette flew out from the airship to catch the crew that had fallen out. He then arrived above the plaza. Who was trying to make things difficult for me? that person said in a deep, thunderous voice. The tempest on the plaza receded, and the blood color at its core dispersed, revealing Medanzos figure. Its me. What? Are you trying to fight me for this space, Skadi? Skadi, the fifth duke of the Reagan clan, was shocked out of his wits. He immediately drew back and offered his greetings, So, its His Majesty Medanzo! Please forgive my offense! Medanzo might not be the most powerful among the vampires, but his wrath and vengeance was notorious on Twilight Continent and even in the Evernight Council. But this time, Medanzo merely waved his hands and didnt make things very difficult for Skadi. Skadi withdrew to the edge of the plaza and put his clansmen down there. Moreover, he signaled the airship not to approach. He simply stood in place waiting silently for Medanzo to leave first. Medanzo didnt step away immediately and, instead, looked up at the ancient insignia above the castle. There was a sanguineous full-moon against the backdrop of the River of Blood. That was the common emblem representing the vampire race. The bloody moon represented the first drop of blood, the source of all the vampire clans. Below this emblem were the insignias of the twelve ancient vampire clans. No other vampire clan had the honor of being listed alongside them, no matter how powerful they were. This was the Castle of Mount White, the biggest vampire main camp on Evernight Continent. It was also a base of operations jointly owned by all vampires. Medanzos eyes fell on the rose and snake insignia at the fore before moving along one by one until the Dracula clans thorned castle at the fourth place. His gaze lingered the longest upon the Monroe clans flower of terror. Medanzo then walked forward. His expression sank as his eyes swept over the statues on the floating plaza. The Lightless Monarchs mood would turn sour every time he came to this place. Those carvings were the vampire princes of each generation. Many of their past deeds had faded into history along with the lost memories of their second generation primogenitors. Only their sculptures and nameplates remained, protected by these ancient runic arrays. But merely their existence here proved that they had once experienced glory because not every prince was qualified to have his sculpture raised on this plaza. Each and every one of them was the pride of the heavens, and they were people whose might was recognized by all clans, including their enemies. There were only two sculptures of living vampire princes. One was naturally the Queen of the Night, but the other wasnt Medanzosit was the Azure King Renault. In truth, Renaults position used to be occupied by the statue of the Black-Winged Monarch Andruil hundreds of years ago. His statue was eventually replaced due to the monarchs irreconcilable fall-out with the Queen of the Night and his prolonged absence. Thus, strictly speaking, this statue wasnt sufficient to stand side by side with that of Liliths. Even so, Medanzo wasnt able to have his own sculpture placed on this plaza, neither would there be a place for him here in the foreseeable future. Medanzos face was overcast as he entered Mount White Castle without sparing another glance at those statues. The vampires he met along the way respectfully stood aside and made way for him. Medanzo may not be the strongest monarch, but he was one people couldnt afford to offend. The great dark monarch walked all the way to the central hall in the main complex. There, he sat down on the iron throne which symbolized supreme authority and felt his mood improve somewhat. There were no other vampire monarchs at Mount White Castle right now, otherwise, he might not necessarily be able to take this seat. At this moment, news of the Lightless Monarchs arrival had spread throughout the entire castle. The high-ranking vampires here arrived in quick succession to seek an audience. Medanzos expression quickly improved after seeing the dozen or so vampires in the great hall. All the vampires, except those from the Dracula clan, withdrew when he waved his hand. Medanzo waited until only his men were left within the hall. What are the casualties for the battle on Evernight Continent? A marquis replied, Your Majesty, weve only completed an initial casualty count. The detailed numbers will require a couple more days. According to our calculations, Evernight lost over half the troops. Two-thirds of the nobles above viscount rank managed to escape in the end, but Mighty Marquis Julio fell in battle. Her Majesty Nana charged-in to rescue him but was heavily wounded. Currently, her whereabouts are unknown. Medanzo shot to his feet. Julio died in battle?! The lights in the entire hall dimmed down as blood energy raged about like the tides. All those below the marquis-rank felt their blood churning. They could hardly remain on their feet as they personally experienced the Lightless Monarchs shock and wrath. As the focus of Medanzos attention, the marquis delivering the report was deeply affected by the blood energy. For a brief moment, he could hardly even speak. Medanzo soon noticed his loss of composure. He slowly withdrew his blood energy and asked with a snort, How did Julio die? The marquis spoke with great effort, Some people personally witnessed the marquis being surrounded by imperial experts and had his blood core shattered in the end. Her Majesty Nana wanted to save him, but it was already too late when she arrived. As for why Marquis Julio chose to fight to the death this He couldnt say anything more. Back then, a demonkin had hidden himself outside of the Evernight camp and witnessed the entire battle. However, the divine champions of the Great Qin Empire were fighting against the dark race dukes outside of the battlefield. Those leading the ground forces were, at most, lieutenant generals. How had Julio failed to escape under such a disparity in strength? Medanzos expression was gloomy. Who saw it? Bring him here! The marquis replied with an uncomfortable expression, This Your Majesty Medanzo cut the man short without waiting for him to finish, I really cannot understand how you can let the witness go without proper interrogation. The marquis voice was evidently softer as he said, Your Majesty, the one who saw Julios final battle is Count Eden of the Evernight Council. He hails from the Dark Abyss and holds considerable status in their clan. Well encounter quite a lot of problems if we interrogate him just like that. The Marquis spoke with tact, but everyone, including Medanzo, knew what he meant. The famous Dark Abyss was a massive entity whose strength was even above the Dracula clan. Moreover, they also had a great monarch watching over them. Even Medanzo wasnt willing to offend such a clan for no good reason. Medanzo realized that he had some recollection of this count. Eden? That little demonkin who obtained an ancient essence fragment? Yes, Your Majesty, the count said cautiously. Its indeed that lucky fellow, but what he obtained was only half an ancient essence fragment. Our Twilight, on the other hand, obtained a complete piece. Medanzo felt frustrated all of a sudden. When did Twilight become ours? The marquis spoke softly, She can become ours as long as youre willing. Medanzos eyes narrowed. What do you mean? Ive had some contact with Twilight before, and shes willing to join you. Naturally, she requires a small compensation. Medanzo said coldly, She contacted you of her own accord? This caused the marquis to break into cold sweat. He hurriedly fell on one knee and said, She really came to find me on her own. Please forgive me! Medanzo, quite unexpectedly, didnt flip out. He pondered for a while and said, Shes very smart and I dont like smart people. However, I also want a descendant with some brains. Agree to all her demands. I will also grant her a drop of origin blood as an additional reward. These words caused the entire hall to be alarmed. Some of them immediately objected, even at the risk of angering Medanzo. The Lightless Monarch could only produce one drop of origin blood every one hundred years. If he gave Twilight this drop of blood, the successors who had been waiting painstakingly for almost a hundred years would have to wait yet another century. Medanzo sat in silence until the sounds in the hall had died down. I gave you all a whole three minutes to express your opinions. Now, who else still wants to talk? The great hall went completely silent. At this point, everyone had come to understand that Medanzo had already made his decision and no one would be able to change his mind. This time, Medanzo waited ten whole minutes, and the great hall was plunged into ten minutes of silence. Seeing that no one was speaking, he looked toward the previous marquis. Tell Twilight of my decision. I believe shell choose wisely. The marquis bowed. As you command. Medanzo became silent once more. The entire hall was also deathly still since no one dared disturb the monarchs thoughts. He spoke again only after a good while, Did anyone else apart from Eden see how Julio died? I dont think so, Your Majesty. Eden has a special ability, and his rank is a count. Its said that his actual strength is even greater. That was why he could remain there without being discovered. Other people dont have this ability. Eden Medanzos eyes narrowed in silence. The marquis grew increasingly astonished because, judging from Medanzos demeanor, it looked like he wasnt about to give up on interrogating Eden. If that were to happen, the results would be extremely serious. After weighing the matter back and forth, Medanzo finally said, Forget about Eden. You lot, investigate in detail who Julio was in touch with recently. Thats all, you may leave. The Dracula clan vampires sighed in relief as they withdrew one after the other. Only that marquis remained. Your Majesty, are we investigating his movements and contacts to Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 561: Eye of the Storm [V6C91 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] This marquis was Medanzos trusted aide and also his descendant. Hence, Medanzo told him bluntly, Julio was the only connection to Nighteye. Now that hes dead, theres no way to lock onto her whereabouts for the short term. You must go and investigate who he came in contact with before his death. Perhaps we can find a substitute medium in him. I allow you to use every method at your disposal. Nighteye? The Monroe Princess? Is she so important that we need to mobilize such resources? Medanzo snorted, Her importance is beyond your imagination. Dont ask why because thats not something you should know. Go now and get the job done! Yes, Your Majesty! The marquis left the main hall after performing a salutation, his heart filled with unease. He was very clear that this order would produce great waves because everyone ranked below Count Eden was within the investigation range. The marquis was very worried that Medanzo would expand the range if they failed to find any cluesafter all, at that time, it would no longer just be an internal affair of the vampires. But this great dark monarchs will had always been firm and unshakeable. Only Medanzo was left in the hall at this moment. The Lightless Monarchs domain gradually spread out and plunged the entire hall into rolling waves of darkness. The death of a mighty marquis wasnt a small matter since it involved the distribution of his territories, but that was usually the extent of it. Julio, however, was simply too specialeven more so in this period. It could be said that he was irreplaceable. Julio possessed the ability to glance into the workings of fate and was also the person who had discovered Nighteyes awakened primo bloodline. He was the one and only medium who could find Nighteye via secret arts. With his death, Nighteyes whereabouts would be shrouded in mystery. Medanzo was preparing to seize Julio after this battle and use every secret art at his disposal to search for Nighteyes whereabouts. Under the suppression of Medanzos power as a second generation primogenitor, even dying wouldnt be an option for Julionot until he had fulfilled his duty as a medium. Names appeared in the dark monarchs mind one after the other, but they were all rejected. Most of the famous prophets on the Evernight side had fallen for the empires trick before the battle at Giants Repose and ended up badly wounded. They would require a long period of recuperation. The remainder werent quite capable enough. The few who possessed the ability were of extraordinary status, and most of them from famed demonkin clanseven Medanzo couldnt force them. Nighteyes bloodline was simply too powerful. She was a primo of the Black-Winged Monarch, one with a mysterious connection to Andruil. The most terrifying thing was that Andruil had vanished for so long, yet his seal on the River of Blood had never died out entirelyit only dimmed. Nighteye was merely a primo in the past no matter how much of a genius she was. But with Habsburgs ignition of the Flaming Crown seal and the reactivation of the River of Blood, the significance of a primo who had awakened the pure bloodline of a second generation primogenitor became grossly different. This was even more so to Medanzo. The Lightless Monarch whispered in the dark hall, Ill definitely find you, wherever you are. The imperial army rested for several days straight. Qianye used this opportunity to fully refine the origin blood he had obtained from the demonkin count and Julio. Any additional free time went to studying the memory fragments he had obtained from the River of Blood. However, he still couldnt understand why the vampire marquis had shot out that drop of origin blood even after completely refining all of itthere seemed to be nothing special about it. A brief period of peace fell upon Giants Repose, but the same couldnt be said for a certain corner of the void. This so-called void wasnt complete nothingness. In addition to the floating continents and celestial bodies, there were all kinds of impurities and energies moving about randomly within it. For instance, there was a void storm thousands of square kilometers wide between the upper and middle continents, spinning rapidly in the shape of a funnel. The frantic movement of energy had even materialized in the form of serpentine lightning bolts that would flash through space from time to time. It was as though the void was being torn apart, reconnected, and torn again. The silhouette standing outside of the vortex seemed extremely minuscule compared to that terrifying entity. It seemed as though it would be crushed any moment by the thunderstorm. Habsburg had stood here for an unknown length of time. Both his looks and aura looked mediocre at a glanceonly his eyes were filled with a sanguineous mist, like a raging river running through it. There was an extremely calm location in the eye of the storm wherein an airship, hundreds of meters long, was hovering. There were no insignias on the vessel, but its design and the many cannons sticking out in every direction like sharp thorns indicated that it was a Great Qin battleship. Moreover, it was a high-end model that had never been used before on the battlefield. Habsburg walked forward slowly. The storm capable of tearing entire continents apart was nothing more than a curtain before him. He passed through with relative ease without even stirring up any reaction. After entering the eye of the storm, he discovered that the tranquil space here had actually been frozen, and that the void storm was actually rotating in place. This abnormal phenomenon confirmed Habsburgs conjectureregardless of whether it was man-made or natural, the empire was definitely making use of it. As for the application, it was to affect the void turbulence and cause subsequent chaos in the nearby space. Habsburg was no expert in this field, and he wasnt too clear about the principle behind it. But he knew that the Queen of the Night and the Eternal Flame were fighting Sky Demon several thousand kilometers away. This was likely the reason why the Evernight coalition had lost the battle at Giants Repose. The turbulence here had cut off the transmission of information, preventing the Queen of the Night from rushing back in time to help them. Habsburg continued toward the imperial airship after passing through the storm. There was a powerful consciousness constantly scanning this space, but Habsburg had no intention to hide his presence, either. He simply allowed the origin fluctuations to sweep over his body. Two of the empires heavenly monarchs had appeared on Evernight Continent, while the other two were guarding the borders. The most powerful aura on the airship belonged to a high-ranking divine champion. A divine champion was merely a divine champion no matter how powerful he was. Meanwhile, the sinister-looking cannons on the airship were no different from toys to Habsburg. He stood in the void, waiting in silence. After a fair length of time, a figure suddenly appeared within several hundred meters and walked over as if he were treading on level ground. The silver-haired man was dressed in long robes, wide sleeves, and it looked as though he were riding the wind. Only upon closer inspection could one see that most of his hair had become a lifeless grey color. Habsburg spoke, You cant injure me even if you self-destruct. That flame of darkness in your old wound contains my origin blood. The power within should be enough to mitigate most of the power from your self-destruction. Even someone as calm as Lin Xitang couldnt help but halt his steps in a startle. Prince, you seem to have come too late. The battle at Giants Repose has concluded, and this storm eye has no more use. Habsburg replied, My name isnt on the list in the war. I only came to verify my guess. Lin Xitang replied, The war hasnt ended yet. Habsburg broke into a laugh. So what? There is indeed an important war for me, but it has nothing to do with the conflict between the empire and the council. Its the Holy War. Lin Xitang frowned. This so-called Holy War was an internal conflict among the dark races. The empire had also received some news about the waves surfacing among them, but it wasnt to the point where a civil war would break out. This situation wasnt necessarily a good thing for the empire. The dark race civil wars normally afforded the empire some time to recover and strengthen itself, but this time, the empire had mobilized with the determination to win. This might cause the dark world to unite against a common enemy and pour all of their enmity onto the empire. Lin Xitang said, It''s meaningless to talk about this. There might be people from the empire willing to ally with you, but Ill never be one of them. Habsburg shrugged. Marshal Lin, never say never. Have you never thought about why the humans look so much like vampires and demonkin? Even the ancient races of the sacred mountain, the werewolves and the arachne, require great power in order to transform. But humans possess this supreme form since birth despite a mere 1200 years of their civilization. Lin Xitangs expression sank. People from both factions had raised this obvious issue before, but no clues had been found even after extensive research. Everyone had a different theory with no substantial proof to back them up. Is there even an answer to this question? Habsburg replied, There is no answer, but there are coincidences. He didnt continue. Lin Xitang understood that Habsburg wouldnt divulge the most important parts of the information without an alliance. He pondered for a moment and said, Did you come here just to say these things? Habsburg suddenly glanced back. A hole appeared on the tempest wall and through it came a bolt of lightning. That was a small, single-passenger boat with dazzling runes flickering around it. Habsburg''s silhouette vanished and reappeared above the storm in the form of a sanguineous mass of flames. He shook his head with a laugh, and despite the distance, his voice echoed in everyones ears. Marshal Lin, youre truly a genius among geniuses to be able to use my origin flame to resist the backlash from your divination arts. But this method will only whittle away at your spiritual power, and that isnt something so easily repaired in this darkness-filled world. Zhang Boqian put away his spatial boat and arrived beside Lin Xitang. He abruptly turned around after hearing those words and gazed sharply at Habsburg. The latter bowed slightly and said, Marshal Lin, nothing in the world is eternal. Perhaps there will come a day where we can fight against a common enemy. With that, the young prince vanished silently in the same manner as when he had appeared. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 562: Classified [V6C92 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The imperial camp at Giants Repose gradually calmed down as time went on. It looked like so on the surface, but the battle-ready state in the base was never lifted. It seemed the empire wasnt about to bring in more troops, but they had no plans to withdraw the current army and nobility, either. Additionally, no one knew that Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarch had secretly returned to Giants Repose. The two entered Giants Repose directly. That pressure capable of throwing one onto a distant continent was nothing before the heavenly monarchs. The pervasive white mist couldnt obstruct them, either. After traversing the white mist for a while, the Pointer Monarch pointed toward a certain direction and said, I think what were looking for is in that direction. Good, lets go and take a look. The two turned and flew along the mountain peaks in the middle of the ravine at a steady pace. With their strength, they shouldnt be that slow even with the void colossus suppression. The Pointer Monarch apparently had the strength to spare. He was flying slowly as though he were strolling through the garden and enjoying the scenery. Zhang Boqians impatience was already evident in his expression. His attitude didnt change in the least because of the Pointer Monarchs status. The Pointer Monarch didnt turn back, but hardly anything could escape his perception at his level of strength. Zhang Boqians expression was no exception. Seeing the marshals deepening impatience, the Pointer Monarch broke into a laugh. Boqian, Noxus wouldnt have escaped if you werent in such a rush. The vampire monarchs were the most difficult to kill, hence, the Pointer Monarch and Zhang Boqian had actually planned to surround and kill Noxus first. But that thousand-year-old arachne somehow discovered it, and in spite of his status, he actually ran away even before the winner was evident. Zhang Boqian used his special ability to chase him into the depths of the void but came back empty-handed in the end. Zhang Boqian didnt react very strongly after hearing the Pointer Monarchs words. Thats nothing important. He wont escape so easily next time. His words were extremely arrogant, but those who really knew Zhang Boqian would understand that they werent just baseless claims. Zhang Boqian had shown astonishing talent on the martial path since he was just a champion. Those who had fought with him frequently found that he would always find ways to restrain them in subsequent rematches. It was just that the more powerful he became, the fewer enemies there were around him. Most times, he would only need to suppress his enemies with origin power. The Pointer Monarch said with a smile, Boqian, Im not blaming you. I was also the same when I was young. I favored using the quickest, most direct methods to finish off the enemy. Only at this age did I realize that there are too many things in this world that are worth observing and too many profundities worth exploring. Even in enemies, there are many things we should learn and ponder on. Zhang Boqian said calmly, Thank you for your guidance, but this is my temperament and I cant seem to change even after so many years. I guess things are different for each phase of life. Right now, I like finishing opponents off on the spot and cant force myself to do otherwise. The Pointer Monarch nodded. Its indeed difficult to force a change. The two finally stopped before a steep cliff with a deep crevice running along the precipice. Upon closer inspection, the peak beneath their feet was actually the fossilized remains of a colossal beast. One could barely make out the silhouette of its skeleton from between the gap. Wave after wave of the void colossus consciousness was flowing out from this skeleton. It would seem that the power pervading the entire Giants Repose originated here. Thank you, Your Excellency. Zhang Boqian knew that their easy journey was actually due to the Pointer Monarchs efforts. Not to mention any other person, even Zhang Boqian himself wouldnt be able to find the true source of the colossus'' will with such ease. The Pointer Monarch said with a smile, It was a small effort. It was both easy and difficult at the same time. Zhang Boqian frowned as he studied the skeleton that was hundreds of meters long. Is this the skeleton of the void colossus? It certainly doesnt look like it. It was common knowledge that the strength of a void colossi was proportional to its size. Even though the consciousness was unmistakably coming from this skeleton, Zhang Boqian found it hard to believe that a small void colossus would possess such a terrifying power capable of blanketing the entire continent. The Pointer Monarch smiled in silence. He merely stretched a finger out and shot a wisp of unassuming white energy which duly struck the skeletal cliff. This energy was only as thick as a finger, but the struck precipice fell apart like an avalanche along with several hundred meters of the skeleton. Everything turned into flowing sand and trickled down to the earth. In the blink of an eye, the entire bony frame had turned into a pile of sand flowing down into the ravine below. A round stone covered in blueish-grey lines emerged from the midst of the shifting dirt. It was from within that the void colossus consciousness arose. Even someone of Zhang Boqians courage and insight couldnt help but draw in a breath of cold air. He flew over to the stone and reached out to touch it. Is this the void colossus eye? The Pointer Monarchs smile was gone. I would assume so, but according to legends, the void colossus Chaos possessed hundreds of them. The two fell into complete silence. Apparently, the skeleton before them was merely a clone of the void colossus which had inherited a single eye. Even so, the remnant will within was enough to lock down the entire Giants Repose and maintain this passage toward the void landmass. It was hard to imagine just how powerful it was alive. At this moment, the two heavenly monarchs were puzzled. Did the void colossus Chaos really belong to this world? Are we bringing this back? Zhang Boqian inquired. The Pointer Monarch pondered for a moment. Bringing it back might not be a good thing for the empire. Lets just destroy it as planned and let Chaos will return to its main body. Its better we dont invite more trouble during these difficult times. Zhang Boqian glanced pensively at his feet. The Pointer Monarch sighed upon seeing this. The main skeleton of the legendary Chaos lies at the core of Evernight Continent. But judging from the result of the children''s investigation, just a few segments of its spine can already lock down an area the size of seven provinces. From this, we can see just how powerless we are to approach it. Old fellows like us have no hope of exploring it in our lifetime. You might have a chance of investigating it if you can progress further. With that, the Pointer Monarch raised his right hand, but Zhang Boqian stopped him. Let me. The formers brows rose. Arent you afraid of being stained by its tyrannical karmic aura? The void colossus was so powerful that even its will couldnt be erased after millions of years. There was no telling how many traces it had left behind in the depths of the void. An expert destroying its remnant-will might invoke a mysterious resonance of memory. Should this expert, while exploring the void, approach certain locations containing traces of the void colossus, he would likely encounter great danger or even suffer unexpected backlashes. Zhang Boqian said indifferently, Ill be in charge of the empires wars during this period. It cant do anything to me as long as I dont venture too far into the void. The Pointer Monarch didnt insist. Since thats the case, then do it. The round stone immediately turned to dust following a light slap from Zhang Boqian. The sky was suddenly filled with leaden clouds, and the atmosphere turned dark grey. Countless beams of grey light flew out from the pulverized stone accompanied by colossal roars. The beams encircled Zhang Boqian with furious growls as though they were trying to remember his aura. In the end, they shot down into the ravine and vanished into the ground. Zhang Boqian stood calmly. He didnt bother to employ any defensive measures against the remnant will. The Pointer Monarch sighed upon seeing this. They arent wrong about you, Boqian. Youre indeed the empires hope for resurgence. Your boldness alone puts us old fellows to shame. Zhang Boqian remained indifferent to both praise and criticism. An entire half a day went by before the void colossus consciousness dispersed completely and returned to its main body in the depths of the continent. The ravine of Giants Repose appeared the same as before. Only those entering the mist would know that the passage toward the void landmass had disappeared. It was no longer possible to cross over from Evernight Continent and visit the strange stone formations, forests, and underground caverns. The passages demise formally drew the curtains on the empires military affairs. Several days later, Qianye finally received an order to appear at the command center. Marshal Zhang Boqian would personally appraise his contributions and issue the rewards. Prince Greensuns so-called appraisal was but a formality as the contributions had long since been audited. But the opportunity to meet the grand marshal and receive rewards was, in and of itself, indicative of his great individual contributions. Song Zining made a rare appearance at Qianyes tent that night. The two sat down for a moment in idle chatter before a flowing light appeared within the tent, along with numerous blades of ephemeral leaves. Song Zining had laid down his domain and isolated external perceptions. But this time, the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art had just taken shape when Qianye sensed a faintly discernible fluctuation penetrate the glass-dome of this domain and quietly envelope the tent. This fluctuation was extremely obscure. Had Qianye not absorbed the void colossus essence and made rapid progress in his sensitivity to void origin power, he very likely wouldnt have sensed its existence. Just from this, Qianye knew that the source of this fluctuation was at least a character at the same level as Zhao Xuanji. Only a divine champion would be able to utilize void origin power to such a degree. Song Zining winked meaningfully at Qianye, indicating that he had also sensed the abnormality. The former then spoke in a mysterious voice, Qianye, what Im going to tell you is the classified information of the highest grade that I received from a covert channel. You cannot tell anyone no matter what. Rest assured. Qianye knew that Song Zining was posturing, but that serious expression made him want to chuckle. Song Zining rolled his eyes at him while speaking in a relaxed tone, Very well then. I heard that the empire is about to initiate a major battle, and their target is the void landmass you just explored. Reportedly, this is the true battle of national fate. Battle of national fate? Qianye was astonished because Zhao Xuanji had mentioned this before the battle at Giants Repose. It seemed Song Zining wasnt just messing with the eavesdropper after all. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 563: Trap [V6C93 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye had been to the core region of the void landmass and also knew the value that floating continent held. The forest producing origin distillate alone was enough to incite a war. Even so, he didnt feel that this landmass was worth the empire going all-out for. Just like many of the soldiers on the frontline, Qianye became increasingly aware of the Evernight factions power as his own strength increased. At times, he even wondered if the empire could really win this war. The answer to this problem was quite simplethey couldntat least not under the current circumstances. If one were to view the Great Qin Empire as a race, then it would be roughly equal to the arachne and werewolves on the other side. It would surely be wiped out if the races of the Evernight Council were to work together. It was just that, for the people at the highest echelons, the balance of power and their sense of priority wasnt just simple mathematics. The dispute between the seven sacred-mountain seats of the Evernight Council had gone on for tens of thousands of years. Presently, only three supreme beings and four major races remained, but their feud had only grown deeper with no end in sight. Comparatively, the empires emergence could barely even count as a rising threat. In the past thousand years, the Evernight side had often used the empire to weaken their opponents movements. The empire, on the other hand, had beat them at their own game by inciting hatred between the dark races and thriving within these political gaps. And that was how the nation had developed to its present stage. However, the Great Qin was currently going all out. It was difficult to say whether the other side would put aside all differences and unify against a common enemy. If that were the case, the empire might very well lose its main territory. Qianyes first reaction was just like most people. He felt that the empire should continue its proven strategy of limiting the war to certain regions, especially since both regular and aristocratic armies needed to recuperate after the battle at Giants Repose. The upper echelons, however, seemed to be considering things from a different angle. Qianye couldnt discuss this matter in-depth, either, now that the walls had proverbial ears in them. Song Zining added, This is a good opportunity if you want to earn military contributions. Ill do my best to help you secure a position, but you have to be prepared because strength is still the priority in the army. Qianye nodded. Dont worry, I understand. Song Zining laughed. Theres nothing to worry about when it comes to you. Oh, and one more thing, guess whos the other Heavenly Monarch who fought together with Marshal Boqian. This piqued Qianyes curiosity because he really didnt know. From the intensity of the origin glow in his True Sight, however, this expert seemed to be even more powerful than Zhang Boqian. Who is it? Song Zining replied, The Pointer Monarch. Pointer Monarch! Qianye was astonished. It was actually the number one heavenly monarch of the empire! No wonder the dark monarchs were defeated so quickly. Inasmuch as Qianye could remember, the Pointer Monarch hadnt taken part in any recent battles. His existence was mostly used to restrain the top experts of the Evernight faction. Reportedly, only the Pointer Monarch could contend against them. You mustve heard many things about his excellency, but theres definitely one thing you dont know. Do you want to hear? Song Zining said mysteriously. What is that? Human heavenly monarchs were the idols of all young warriors, and Qianye was no exception. He was naturally very interested in their news. This Song Zining opened his fan with a smile but didnt speak immediately. Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarch were playing chess in the central command tent. It was currently Zhang Boqians turn to play, but he only held the white piece in the air without putting it down. Across the board, the Pointer Monarchs brows twitched ever so slightly. Zhang Boqian had remained in this position for a quarter hour now. Even someone of the Pointer Monarchs mental tranquility felt that the latter was taking a bit too long, especially since he knew Zhang Boqian wasnt thinking about his next move. Song Zining could no longer maintain the suspense after seeing Qianye cracking his knuckles with a menacing expression. The Pointer Monarch has a granddaughter about to come of age at the end of this year. This is a good opportunity, I heard his excellency loves this granddaughter a lot. No military contribution is out of reach if you can marry her. You can retire half a decade early! Qianye was astonished. He had never expected that Song Zinings principle of life-changing dowries applied to even the Pointer Monarchs granddaughter. Meanwhile, in the main tent. Zhang Boqians expression became somewhat awkward. His right hand fell unconsciously and dropped the white piece at some random position. The Pointer Monarch shook his head and scolded with a smile, This little bastard is quite crafty. I heard his divination style is similar to Xitangs back in the day. He mustve calculated that Im listening in on their conversation, yet he still dares to play tricks on me. Quite bold, I say. Boqian, your army is truly a place of hidden talents. This was the second time the Pointer Monarch had spoken these words, but Zhang Boqian simply acted as though he hadnt noticed the different implications. Song Zining has the protection of his divination arts, but that other kid seemed to have noticed something. His energy fluctuated a little bit when my perception entered the domain. The Pointer Monarch muttered, Now thats interesting. If hes already so accomplished in void origin power at this level, his future attainments will be boundless. At this point, the Pointer Monarch broke into a laugh as if he had realized something. We seem to have fallen for their trick! We have retracted our perception after being found out, but now that I think about it, their earlier conversation is probably just to coax us. The conversation afterward is likely their actual topic. Despite saying that, the Pointer Monarch didnt release his perception again. People of their status could hardly continue eavesdropping after being discoveredit was too embarrassing. Zhang Boqians focus returned to the chessboard. How important can the childrens matters be? Thats not necessarily true. Which of us didnt go through their age? For instance, you also did quite a lot of big things before you were even thirty. Back in the tent, Qianyes expression and tense body relaxed. Song Zining also seemed to be feeling better as he said with a smile, I already know whos listening on us. Its not a big issue. Now, back to important matters. With that, his expression turned serious. Do you remember I told you about someone investigating you? Yes, what of it? Qianyes heart tightened slightly, but he actually wasnt that nervous. He felt that the only thing he couldnt let people know was his half-vampiric constitution. With his increase in strength, it had become prohibitively difficult for people to figure out any cluesunless someone were to cut him open and see the blood core. Song Zining seemed to have understood Qianyes thoughts. Its not that simple. I had utilized some of that wild boars family resources to prepare an identity for you back theneven your supposed fellow villagers were arranged seamlessly. But the other party has invested sufficient resources this time and actually sent someone to investigate locally. This time, Qianye knew things werent normal. A fake was a fake. No matter how perfect the disguise, a gap would definitely appear with enough digging. He began to ponder who would be so interested in him. There were even more suspicious aspects in his recent relationship with the Zhao clanwhy would this person do things the hard way? Song Zinings expression darkened. Ive already sent someone to investigate just who is curious enough to dig past the Song and Wei families lines. He had crafted Qianyes history with great finesse, putting Qianye under the Song clans vassal branch while registering his birthplace as a small border town under the Far East Provinces control. This also meant that the person flipping through these documents would alert both clans at the same time. Even with such a deterrent measure, the other party had still chosen to continue the investigation. Qianye sensed something strange in Song Zining but just couldnt put his finger on it. He glanced up at the latter and said, Then that person you sent All of them are veterans, theres nothing to worry about their skill and loyalty. I also instructed them to should the chance arise At this point, Song Zining made a slaughtering gesture. Qianye said with a frown, Since the other party already knows they will alarm both you and the Wei clan, wont they be well-prepared? Perhaps your men wont be able to handle everything. Song Zining was somewhat alarmed. This, I didnt think of. He stood up and paced about the tent for a dozen or so times before saying, If thats really the case, the other party isnt just targeting you, theyre also targeting me. I might need to take this trip personally. That means I wont make it back in time for the battle of national fate. This war is a good opportunity for both you and I. Is there a need to abandon it? Qianye objected. Song Zining had already revealed his leadership talents and obtained a position of power as a military staff officer. If he continued displaying his skills, there was a good chance his temporary post might become a permanent one. Not many in the empire could achieve this at his age. Song Zining shook his head. The opponent this time has bad intentions. Ive already investigated many times before but failed to even find a general direction. Im worried he will take advantage of this war to stir up something to harm us. Im prepared to go over personally and finish him off once I find him. We must nip the problem at the bud. Qianye finally ascertained what was wrong with Song Zinings impatience. As such, he stood up and put a hand on the latters shoulder, preventing him from pacing about. In response to Song Zinings questioning glance, Qianye said, Zining, have you thought about whether the other party is trying to lure you over? Song Zining looked on blankly. Qianye continued, You said you couldnt find any clues. Does that mean youve already tried your divination arts? Song Zining nodded with a serious expression. If you failed to capture the person but obtained some important clues, will you continue your divination with it as a medium? Song Zinings expression changed sharply and revealed some disappointment. Qianye said, I dont know much about divination, but I do know that using it on overly powerful existences will result in a backlash. If those clues you find lead to a certain major character and the other party happens to sense it via a secret art... he probably wont hold back under such unknown circumstances. At that time, the true enemies wont even need to take action to injure you. Song Zining exhaled deeply while knocking on his head. Youre right, this is probably the route I wouldve taken. The scenario you mentioned have never occurred to me, this is very abnormal. Zining, you were overly anxious just now. Qianye suddenly thought of something. Is the other party already disrupting you? Quite likely. Song Zining had quickly recovered after discovering the abnormality. He rubbed his chin and said, This matter is getting more and more interesting. Just who is the other party? Laying down such an intricate scheme for me what an honor. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 564: The Invisible Hand [V6C94 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Who was their enemy? Qianye naturally had no answer to this question. Song Zining pondered for a while and said, If, for some reason, I require a more powerful fighting power, can I ask Nighteye? Her combat strength will definitely be helpful. Absolutely not, Qianye replied decisively. Song Zinings expression was just as before. It was as though this refusal wasnt a matter worth mentioning. Very well, I understand. I was asking just in case. Dont hesitate to call me if you need help. Itll be very dangerous if Nighteyes identity is revealed. Im afraid itll be dangerous all the same. It shouldnt be a problem as long as we find a good opportunity and act efficiently. The biggest problem for Qianye while fighting in the empire was that he couldnt use powerful moves like Life Plunder. The Shot of Inception, on the other hand, wasnt quite discernible in terms of aura. But even so, he would still need to weigh things carefully before using it. Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion specialized in concealment and assassination arts. Even though there might be changes in their style on the battlefield, they had never abandoned these skills. Song Zining only laughed. Lets play it by ear. Okay, Ill be leaving now; any longer and those two will become curious. Were not at the level where we can grab their attention, are we? Qianye asked, puzzled. Our combat strength is naturally not enough, but an isolating barrier popping up in their perception range is a different matter. They might actually spare us an extra glance. Naturally, they wont pay us much attention as long as we arent involved in spying, intelligence, or matters related to the imperial court. Qianye could no longer feel that vague fluctuation after Song Zinings departure. It would seem the latters guess was quite close to the mark. Meanwhile, Song Zining exhaled deeply after leaving Qianyes tent and rubbed his temples. His expression was still mild and gentle, but his indifferent eyes gave away some of his worries. Song Zining had recovered from his uncharacteristic state of anxiety following Qianyes reminder. After that, he thought a bit deeper about this matter. The schools of divination in the empire could be counted on ones handsthey were even rarer than high-ranking champions. The person behind the curtains had utilized this fact to set him up. This method was simply too vile. Unless they had scried Qianye first and actually failed! It would seem that they had figured something out along the way and wanted to produce an opening. The night was calm. Qianye didnt cultivate that night and only went on with comprehending the memory fragments from the River of Blood. With increased understanding of this inherited knowledge, his utilization of blood energy also improved. The focus of this study at the moment was how to withdraw and hide his blood energy, and it so happened that there was knowledge in the inheritance pertaining to this. These methods were used by the vampires of ancient times to approach their prey and hide from powerful predators. The secret arts he had obtained from the inheritance were similar to Bloodline Concealment. After cultivating it to the end, he would be able to control his blood energies at a deeper level and even disguise his blood core. But on the other hand, perhaps due to their era, these techniques werent as detailed as Bloodline Concealment. They were slightly inferior in terms of technical skill. But after comparing the two, Qianye felt that the inheritance from the River of Blood was clearly more powerful. If he could even hide his blood core, what else could be used to detect the presence of his blood energy? Bloodline Concealment, on the other hand, seemed to be making up for its lack of power with finesse. Bloodline Concealment might be better at his current stage, but it might not be able to hide all of his blood energy after he had advanced to the Marquis or Duke ranks. The inherited secret art would be quite useful at that time. Qianye tried using a secret art to retract his blood energy but discovered that only the ones on the surface were drawn into the depths of his vessels; that was all he could muster. But the effects were better when the two were used together. He pondered back and forth but decided to use only Bloodline Concealment in front of Zhang Boqian. It hadnt been too long since their last meetingif it was effective back then, it should be effective this time, too. The night went by in this manner. At dawn the next day, the Evernight Continent was still shrouded in darkness when the desolate bugle resounded throughout the base and woke the entire camp from their deep sleep. Soon, several blares of different lengths emerged, summoning the generals of each barracks to the command center. Close to a hundred command vehicles rushed toward the central camp. These vehicles had emblems of the imperial army or the aristocratic clans painted on them in a display of glory. There were several from the Zhao clan who would receive rewards today, but only Qianye was on the command vehicle with Duke You, while the others followed behind in a single car. As for Zhao Jundu, he had his own private car and guard squad. Qianye felt numerous fiery gazes upon him when he boarded the vehicle. The Zhao clan motorcade thus drove out of the barracks and toward the command center. He encountered numerous aristocratic and military convoys along the way. From this, he was able to see the difference between them. Most of the aristocratic motorcades werent nearly as big as the Zhao clans, and some of the smaller ones only had one car. This signified that none of their people were qualified for awards. As such, only their clan lord or captain had come to attend the ceremony. Upon seeing the Zhao clan motorcade, most of the other vehicles slowed down and moved to the side in a display of courtesy. Zhao Xuanji smiled while stroking his beard. Qianye, their etiquette wasnt because of this dukes rank or out of consideration for the Zhao clans power. It mostly stems from the Swallow Cloud Zhao clans contributions in this war. You also have a share in this. An inexplicable sensation slowly arose in Qianyes heart as he looked at the cars giving way to them. The majestic gates of the command center were already in sight when a motorcade rushed out from a branch road. This convoy had no intention of stopping and didnt even reduce their speed when passing by. They even sped up in order to get ahead of the Zhao clan. Even Qianye was somewhat upset, to speak nothing of the Zhao clan warriors. That motorcade belonged to the Everpeace Bai Clan. The Bai clans position had always been behind the Zhao clan, but everyone knew they were never satisfied and had been trying hard every year to surpass the latter. But overall, there werent any other outstanding young descendants apart from Bai Aotu. They did have Bai Longjia. Due to his steady mindset, the major characters of the clan believed that he might be able to mature slowly. In the eyes of the Zhao clan, however, he was just about at the level of Zhao Junhong and even slightly inferior to Zhao Yuying. There was no way he could catch up to geniuses like Zhao Jundu and Qianye. The Zhao and Bai clans had never been harmonious, and this time, they had planted the seeds of new hostility during the bloody battle. Even though it was said that the enmity under the Iron Curtain would remain therein, the smell of gunpowder between the two clans only seemed to grow more and more intense each day. Internal strife was naturally impossible during the battle at Giants Repose. But, all this time, the two families who held adjacent war zones had been competingintentionally or otherwisein military contributions. Bai Aotu killing Julio at the last moment of the castle assault was also to establish dominance before Zhao Jundu and Li Kuanglan. That being the case, how could the Zhao clan be willing to make way for the Bai clans motorcade? The road toward the command center wasnt very wide and could barely accommodate two convoys traveling side by side. With the two sides striving to get ahead, the collisions between the two motorcades grew in frequency, and the people gradually lost control of their temper. At this time, a jeep rushed up from behind and drove alongside Zhao Xuanjis vehicle. The other car window was lowered to reveal an old, kind-looking face with half-greyed hair. The elder smiled with great sincerity upon seeing Zhao Xuanji and greeted with narrowed eyes, Brother Xuanji, long time no see. Zhao Xuanji reciprocated in a similar tone, Brother Songnian, didnt we just meet at Duke Dings birthday last year? A wisp of green flashed past Bai Songnians face. Is that so? Oh my, my age is getting the best of my memory. I even forgot about that. How have you been doing? Just as before, not that great but not so bad, either. Its good enough if I dont get angered to death by the younger generation. Which of the youngsters is giving Brother Xuanji a headache? Dont tell me its that lass Yuying, haha! Bai Songnian laughed heartily, then added, Speaking of which, Yuying isnt young anymore. Wont you think about my suggestion? My familys Longzhan has made great progress in recent years and might barely be considered a match for Yuying. It was Zhao Xuanjis turn to wear a darkened expression. No rush, Yuying has a bright future ahead of her. The future needs time to come. After all, Yuying is still a bit young. Not to mention her, even our Bai Aotu has encountered so much wind and rain. If not for her good fortune, she mightve fallen halfway. Bai Songnians insinuating words flaunted Bai Aotus success while hinting that the Zhao clans geniuses might fall halfway. It could be considered rather malicious. The words struck Zhao Xuanjis nerve. The Zhao clan was too proud during the bloody battle and lost numerous young descendants due to their lack of preparation. There was no telling how many more would have died if not for Zhao Jundu and Qianyes incomparable momentum. And the Bai clan was clearly one of the perpetrators. Zhao Xuanjis expression was unsightly. He clearly knew that Bai Songnian was deliberately provoking him, but there was nothing he could do in this verbal spar. The Zhao clan had produced numerous talents with more than just one divine champion in every generation. However, it just so happened that the current thirty-year-old generation was slightly weaker than the rest. There really wasnt anyone they could bring out to compete against Bai Aotu. Zhao Jundus absolute combat strength might not catch up to Bai Aotu, eitherat least before he reaches the divine champion realm. Zhao Xuanji snorted and said responded slowly, The younger generation have their own fate. Theres really no need for us, old people, to worry. That being said, why is Brother Songnian in such a rush? Bai Songnian said with a smile, Its of course for the rewards. I hope to get there early and grab a good seat so that I can watch all the talented kids from every family. Oh right, Brother Xuanji, is the kid beside you that Qianye whos so famous recently? Seeing Bai Songnian glancing at himself, Qianye said with a bow, I am indeed Qianye. Bai Songnian sized him up from head to toe with eyes as sharp as needles, hoping to see through him. However, Qianye had long since prepared for thisthe origin power in his body surged with a trace of void energy and locked Bai Songnians gaze outside of his body. The latters perception couldnt even gain an inch of ground.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 565: Ceremony Part 1 Chapter 565: Ceremony (Part 1) [V6C95 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The startled Bai Songnian revealed an expression of clear astonishment. He had never imagined that a youngster would be able to block his discerning gaze so nonchalantly. He might be able to pierce through Qianyes origin defenses with greater effort, but he was a character on the same level as Zhao Xuanjiit would be too shameless for someone of his status to try again after failing the first time. Moreover, Zhao Xuanji was casting a gaze of ill-intent at him. Was he supposed to explain to this old rival that he had failed to see through a youngster in one try? As one who had experienced numerous winds and waves, Bai Songnian quickly recovered from his loss of composure. A smile reappeared on his face as he nodded. Indeed extraordinary and deserving of the Zhao clans courtesy. Youre too kind. Qianyes brows rose slightly as he accepted this tentative complement. His attitude was neither servile nor overbearing. The Bai and Zhao clan motorcades arrived side by side at the command center and parked in the open space outside of the gates. All vehicles apart from those of Zhao Xuanji and Bai Songnian had to stop hereeven Zhao Jundu and Bai Aotu werent exceptions. A high platform had been constructed in the largest drill grounds at the command center. The atmosphere was solemn with Ironclad Guards standing around the area in large numbers. Powerful aristocratic leaders like Zhao Xuanji naturally sat at the center of the platform, while the lesser nobility and leaders of second-rate army corps were seated at the periphery. The others could only sit within the drill grounds, but Qianye and the others had seats in front of the platform. There was an area there marked out according to the rankings of the nobility. Zhang Boqians seat on the platform was empty, but even so, no one in the field dared cause a clamor. Most of the familiar clans would only exchange greetings at most, with hardly anyone engaging in lengthy discussions. Apart from that, the only thing to do was wait silently for the ceremony to begin. Qianye stood for some time within the Zhao clan lineup before he heard the long cry of a bugle horn. The bold melody reverberated throughout the camp for a good while before receding. The three bugle calls followed by three drumbeats shook the hearts of everyone presentit was as though a boundless might had descended upon them. Qianye looked up at the stage after sensing something. There, he saw that a heroic man had suddenly appeared in the central seat. The man was merely sitting there, but Qianye felt as though there was a tall mountain peak rushing at himhe could hardly breathe for a short moment. Zhang Boqian spoke as the drums had faded away. From the bloody battle to the end of the campaign at Giants Repose, it can be said that the empire had stood united against the enemy and made great contributions. Since its foundation, our Great Qin Empire has always rewarded contributors generously. Today, this monarch will award the meritorious soldiers in His Majestys stead, so that they can be viewed as the role models of every army. Zhang Boqians voice wasnt that clear and resounding, but it washed over the entire imperial camp and rang clearly in everyones ears. Moreover, his voice wasnt limited to the imperial campit grew sharper and sharper as it spread out in all directions, ending in a rumbling thunder far in the distance. In the wilderness outside of the camp, dozens of figures popped out from under the ground and within the grass. They rolled about on the ground in great agony, blood flowing out of their noses and mouths until their last breath. These were spies the Evernight side had left to collect intelligence. They were well-hidden at first, but who wouldve thought they would lose their lives in this manner? At this moment, an Ironclad Legion soldier delivered a tray with a large bowl of strong wine on it. There were other people shuttling between the soldiers on and below the platform, distributing wine to everyone. Zhang Boqian stood up and raised his bowl. Its said that a general conquers at the expense of myriad lives. Our glory today was actually bought using the fresh blood of countless comrades. Before we proceed with the bestowments, I would like to drink with all of you as an offering for the departed. The audience was solemn as they followed Zhang Boqians ritual and emptied the bowl of strong wine. The bowl of alcohol felt like fire as it entered Qianyes stomach. During his momentary daze, the faces of past comrades crept into his blurry vision. For a brief moment, his entire being was filled with a bleak chill that caused him to sigh. With that, Zhang Boqian returned to his seat and a champion beside him delivered a list of names. Zhang Boqian scanned the list and said with a nod, The awards this time will tally up the contributions from the bloody battle, Giants Repose, and for storming the Evernight main camp. What does everyone think about this? No one expressed any objectionneither those on the stage nor the ones below. Not all of the aristocratic descendants had taken part in three battles. This arrangement was inevitably disadvantageous to some, but they couldnt find the reason to object since those who had fought in every battle faced the greatest risk. Moreover, it was certain that the emperor had read about this arrangement already. Even if there were some who wanted to object, they wouldnt dare voice their opinion on such an occasion. Zhang Boqian waited for a while, but the scene remained deathly silent. He then said, First place, Bai clans Bai Aotu. First-class merit. These words caused the Bai clan to break into thunderous applause. On the stage, Bai Songnians eyes had narrowed into a straight line. He cupped his hands in every direction to accept everyones congratulations. The Bai clans grandeur at this moment was peerless. A first-class merit required one to kill an honored marquis. However, these characters were more or less the most powerful dark race leaders on the battleground. None of the other sides main generals had fallen in the three battles, so it was likely that Bai Aotu had accumulated merit by killing at least two marquis-level dark race experts and other enemies of the same level. Even so, it was enough to look down on the entire army. The empires awards were generous, to say the least. She could exchange a grade-eight origin firearm or some other reward of similar value. Bai Aotu was, as before, dressed in plain, white clothes. She took firm steps onto the platform and received an inscribed jade tablet from Zhang Boqian. This token was proof of her contributions and could be used at the imperial armory to exchange for items. The Bai Aotu in Qianyes expression was someone who could hardly be moved unless the earth and sky were to fall apart. But her hands were trembling slightly as she stood in front of Zhang Boqian to receive the tablet. Apparently, she was beside herself at this moment. This surprised everyone on and below the stage, including Qianye. Bai Aotus loss of composure lasted for but a short moment. Her eyes quickly regained their clarity, and a tyrannical vigor rose again around her body. It was just that this power appeared rather weak in front of Zhang Boqian, much like a small tree before a majestic peak. Even so, the major characters on the stage nodded in quick succession. Bai Songnian looked all the more pleased and seemed unable to keep his mouth closed. As a heavenly monarch, Zhang Boqians suppressive might was shocking even if he was simply standing there without any deliberate action. Being able to release ones vigor in front of himeven just a wisp of itwas no easy feat. Bai Aotus future prospects had been widely proclaimed by the Bai clan. This display of strength before the army and clans caused Bai Songnians expression to be filled with radiance. Naturally, not everyone was praising Bai Aotu. Some of the clans that didnt get along with them exchanged meaningful glances. It was considered bad manners to forcefully release ones power in front of a superior experta narrow-minded individual would have already been offended by her. No matter what people above and below the stage were calculating, Zhang Boqians expression remained the same. There was neither anger nor praise. It was as though Bai Aotu was no different from any other soldier in the drill grounds. Zhang Boqian said with a nod, You must serve the empire more in the future. A short speech of encouragement was customary after bestowing the award. Zhang Boqians words only followed tradition without any additional praise. This inevitably caused Bai Songnian to feel some disappointment. But he calmed down after some thought because this was Zhang Boqians natural dispositionhe never showed favor toward anyone. Someone duly led Bai Aotu back after she had put away the jade tablet. Afterward, Zhang Boqian announced, Second place, Zhao clans Zhao Jundu. First-class merit. This announcement immediately kicked up a great clamor. Zhao Jundu truly rose to fame toward the end of the bloody battle, and his ascension to the champion rank was only a couple of months ago. Due to the presence of the Iron Curtain, the participants in the bloody battle were mostly below the count rank. As such, the contributions were limited no matter how many of them he killed. There were indeed marquises operating in Giants Repose, but it wasnt possible for Zhao Jundu to kill these opponents at rank-twelve. Although everyone admitted that Zhao Jundu was extraordinarily talented, he was still too young, and his origin power rank was limited. Many people couldnt believe that he was in the rankings at all, much less ranked second. The empires first-class merit required one to kill an honored marquis. In order for Zhao Jundu to obtain this contribution, he mustve used sheer numbers to meet this requirement. Such a large number of kills proved that those at the same level might not even last a couple of moves against Zhao Jundu. Hearing his name being called, Zhao Jundu stood up calmly and adjusted his clothes before walking onto the stage. Soon, he was standing before Zhang Boqian. Zhao Jundus pose raised a hubbub of whispers upon and below the stage. This illustrious Zhao clan fourth young master had rarely appeared in public since his level-suppression five years ago. Hence, very few had ever seen him in person. All eyes lit up after seeing him personally. Both Zhao Jundus appearance and temperament were beyond outstanding. Be it his allies from the Zhao clan or his enemies, everyone offered silent praise. They felt that his bearing alone was deserving of his title as the number one character among the younger generation. Zhao Jundu, however, was frowning as he stood in front of Zhang Boqian. He could feel an invisible pressure upon him which made it difficult to even breathe, not to mention speak. Zhang Boqian wasnt deliberately containing his power today. Just the vigor overflowing naturally from him was enough to make Zhao Jundu feel a certain pressure. It was as though a mountain was falling slowly onto his back. Zhao Jundus origin power became fully activated on its own, poised to resist at all costs. His body trembled all of a sudden as a wisp of azure energy rushed into the sky and condensed therein, receding only after quite a while. All those seated nearby were veteran experts with great insight. Someone immediately praised, What a powerful azure energy! Zhang Boqian gave Zhao Jundu an extra glance and said with a slight nod, Good foundations, keep up the good work. Do not be arrogant or become distracted by material gains, always maintain an unmoving heart. Zhao Jundus expression shifted slightly as he performed a military salute. Thank you for your instructions, Your Majesty. Zhang Boqian spoke no more and simply handed the jade tablet to Zhao Jundu. The words first-rank were inscribed on the tablet. It was just that the golden characters were lined with a silver border, to differentiate it from a true first-rank merit. Zhang Boqian only spoke a couple of extra words, but this caused everyones expression to change quite a bit.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 566: Ceremony Part 2 Chapter 566: Ceremony (Part 2) [V6C96 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhang Boqian didnt say much to Bai Aotu even though she was first placethe difference in treatment was clear. Moreover, the azure energy which had shot out from Zhao Jundu was the legendary Extreme Violet Yields Azure. He was even one level higher than Bai Aotu in terms of origin power purity. The audience offered their congratulations upon seeing Zhao Jundu receive Zhang Boqians favor. Zhao Xuanji calmly returned the gesture without any excessive delight. This caused Bai Songnians smile to turn a bit unnatural. Everyone began noticing that the two people activating their aura in front of Zhang Boqian was no coincidence. It was likely a public test from Prince Greensun. The recipients would naturally feel Zhang Boqians might when standing in front of him. Dealing with such a power was reliant not only on ones origin power cultivation but also his talents. This so-called talent wasnt an intangible topic of discussionit involved ones origin power attribute, purity, and various innate abilities. Ones cultivation and future potential would be forced out by the heavenly monarchs might. There was simply no way to fake it. After Zhao Jundu had returned to his seat, people began paying more attention to the recipients that would come afterward. There were over a hundred candidates this time, but no more than twenty would go on stage to receive the rewards. Zhang Boqian shot the list a glance and said with a constant expression, Third place, Zhao clans Qianye. Second-class Merit. The entire scene fell silent for a moment, and then broke into an uproar. No one had imagined that the third place would also come from the Zhao clan, much less a rank-ten champion. All those paying attention to the rising stars of the empire would know how Qianye had risen to fame during the bloody battle, but when all was said and done, he was only rank ten. His feats made sense under the limitations of the Iron Curtain, but it was already fortunate enough for him to return alive from Giants Reposehow could he have made so many contributions? In battles throughout history with a focus on individual fighting powerlike the Iron Curtain battle and Giants Repose explorationthe lowest rank qualifying for receiving a reward on stage was usually twelve. After all, the so-called killing enemies above ones level had its limits. One capable of killing an enemy three levels higher could be considered a genius among geniuses. For instance, Zhao Jundus domain during the final battle was able to restrain a rank-seventeen mighty marquis. This was enough to become a legend. Moreover, there were no shortcuts to life and death on the battlefield. No matter how talented a person or how profound his combat arts were, it was impossible to last long without enough origin power. Even the chances of running away were slim. Qianyes reward was justifiable if it was only for the bloody battle, but it wasnt at all possible after adding in the exploration of Giants Repose and the final battle. But not only was Qianye invited onto the stage, he was also ranked third. The empires second-class merit required one to kill a marquis. As a rank-ten champion, it was naturally impossible for Qianye to do that. This meant that he had accumulated enough contribution points just like Zhao Jundu. The rank of enemies he could kill was even lower than Zhao Jundus. It mustve been a terrifying number of kills. A certain persons countenance shifted after performing a detailed calculation. Some others recalled that Qianye mightve obtained something in Giants Repose. Whether it was obtaining an ancient essence fragment or killing a Sky Demon avatar, people simply couldnt believe it. Even if everything could be attributed to luck, that, in and of itself, was also one of his strengths. Qianyes heart couldnt help but skip a few beats even though it wasnt the first time he had come before Zhang Boqian. At this moment, Prince Greensuns gaze was deep, clear, and unexpectedly mild. However, Qianye felt as though he were completely naked and was being seen through from inside outit was inexplicably uncomfortable. Soon, just like Bai Aotu and Zhao Jundu, Qianye felt the invisible pressure around Zhang Boqian. It was even more pronounced than his first meeting with the marshal. He felt the pressure on his body growing heavier and heavier until all of his bones were creaking and groaning. In the blink of an eye, his blood was surging, and his face was flushed redhe was coming close to coughing up blood. Unexpectedly, the darkness power deep within Qianyes body couldnt move in the least. It was as though they were terrified by Zhang Boqians vigor. Both the dark golden blood energy and the Book of Darkness remained dormant, and even his blood core was in a state of deathly stillness. In his astonishment, Qianye didnt know whether he should be celebrating his escape from being found out. But if this were to continue, he would very likely collapse under the might of this heavenly monarch. It was at this moment that the origin vortex in his chest sped up its rotation, and the countless crystalline granules therein dissolved into the stagnant origin tides. Qianye trembled as his origin power began to boil, and it felt as though his face and body were being branded. His body was soon covered from head to toe in scarlet origin fire, and within the blaze were specks of pulsing golden starlight. Venus Dawn! someone gasped. Bai Songnian glanced at Zhao Xuanji with an odd expression, but the latters countenance was as still as an old well. Even Bai Songnian was reacting in this manner, to speak nothing of the others who were seeing this for the first time. Everyone felt that their horizons had been broadened, and that this trip wasnt a waste. It was no secret that Qianye possessed Venus Dawn. It was also because of this that the Zhao clan had given him such preferential treatment. But hearing of it was one matter, and seeing it personally was another entirely. Only after witnessing the scene with their own eyes did the masses acknowledge Qianyes talents and potential. At this point, the top-three awards had already been decided. Although the Zhao clan hadnt taken the top position, it had occupied both second and third places. Moreover, both the recipients had displayed outstanding talents that were even superior to Bai Aotus by a small margin. It could be said that the Zhao clan had still suppressed the Bai clan in this fierce contest. Zhang Boqians eyes rested on Qianye for quite some time. He nodded moments later and said, Not bad, but you have to try harder in the future. You must know that origin power is the source of myriad power. Being too low is never a good thing. These, too, were words of encouragement. They were far off from the ones Zhao Jundu had received, but they could be considered favorable compared to Bai Aotus. To be able to converse with Zhang Boqian, even if he was just stating Qianyes shortcomings, was proof of the latters extraordinary qualities. It could be said that Qianye had taken half a step past the threshold of a divine champion. A genius with great potential who was even younger than Zhao Jundu! Moreover, Qianye was reportedly a member of Zhao Jundus secondary residence, but he never moved into the clan. This meant that he was still an external general who wasnt tied permanently to the Zhao clan. The major characters of the aristocratic families began shooting sparks from their eyes. Even if Qianye couldnt become a divine champion in the future, he was enough to become the biggest fighting force in their clans. Most of them began calculating what kind of methods they should employ and what kind of investments they should make in order to make Qianye switch allegiances. The Zhao clan lords daughters would never marry into a landowning household, much less a civilian. This was a tradition people had always renounced. But this gave the other aristocratic families some space to maneuver. However, not everyone had thoughts of appreciation. There were some who had lowered their eyes in order to hide their killing intent. Despite all that, Zhao Xuanji remained calm as though he couldnt sense the undercurrents flowing all around him. Qianye received the jade token and noticed that it was a little bit smaller than the first-class merit. After him, seventeen other people ascended the stage one by one to receive the award. It was just that Zhang Boqian said nothing much to themeveryone was told to serve the empire better in the future. Twenty awards had been given out after a while. Zhang Boqian looked about and said in a deep voice, The empire had stood for thousands of years and fought countless battles. Our forebears had fought the dark races for every inch of the four continents. There were seven major clans during the empires founding and nine at its most prosperous era, but today, were left with only four. The path of the strong is never constant. The rewards today will become the foundation of tomorrow. I hope everyone can rely on these rewards to pioneer new territory and become nobility! The entire army felt its blood boiling after hearing Zhang Boqian say these words. The rallying cheers spread out like a tsunami and echoed throughout the lands of Evernight. The Zhao clans fame had once again shaken the empire during this ceremony. Anyone hearing about this had to say that they were all well deserving of their name. As for the Bai clan, everyone felt that they were still inferior to the Zhao clan. For some reason, Li Kuanglans name wasnt on this list. Qianye thought about it and figured out she wasnt willing to appear in public. The latter was proud and unrestrained but not hateful. Qianye couldnt figure out why Zhao Jundu and Song Zining were avoiding her like the plague. As expected of the leader of the four major clans, the Zhang clan had four people in the top-twenty, exceeding the Zhao both in number and points. This list was a vague display of the strength of each clan and family. The Zhang and Zhao clans were still able to look down on the world, followed closely by the Bai clan. The Song clans weakness was exceptionally pronounced. Only one made it onto the stage at the end of the list. Moreover, that person was a son-in-law from a side branch and not of lineal descent. As for Song Zining, he didnt enter Giants Repose during the exploration, and later on, he was mostly handling military affairs at the command center. Although there was surely a reward for him, he gained no fame in terms of individual contributions. Those who had seen the seventh young noble on the front lines found it to be a pity. However, with Song Zinings attainments in the divination arts, it wasnt impossible for him to be promoted via other means. After the conferment, Zhang Boqian issued a command, ordering the entire army to retreat from Evernight Continent over the next three days. The army was to return to the mainland, while the aristocratic private armies would resume their former posts. With that, the entire army became busy as the soldiers began packing up all the armaments and camping equipment. The activity never stopped from dawn to dusk. It was a proverbial scene of weapons being stowed away and horses, set free. Qianye remained alone in his tent for an entire day. He held the jade token in his hand with firmly knitted brows. Song Zining had revealed that the battle at Giants Repose was only the prologue to the battle of national fate. The campaign for the flying continent was the true battle. This caused Qianye to feel restless. This so-called battle of national fate would be on a completely different scale compared to the limited battles from before. Just like their assault on the Evernight main camp this time, rolling steel would flow as the great army moved. There was no individual action here. One could only move forward continuously until death or exhaustion. With Qianyes current rank, it was too early for him to rampage through the battlefieldeven Zhao Jundu could barely count as capable. Anything could happen in the chaos of the army, and even a hero might be done in by a nameless enemy grunt. It was just that Qianye needed to accumulate contribution points, and there was no better opportunity than this. He became determined at the thought of this and immediately summoned a guard to accompany him to the command center.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 567: Armed to the Teeth [V6C97 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye arrived smoothly at the command tent after stating his identity. There, he turned right after entering and advanced straight ahead to arrive at a series of warehouses. These warehouses formed a separate camp of its own and were guarded by the Thunderous Cavalry as well as Zhang Boqians private army. Qianye leapt down from the jeep and shot a glance at the warning sign hanging at the gates. There were large, scarlet words on the board that said: Warehouse Area. Trespassers shall be beheaded. An officer walked out upon seeing Qianyes approach and proceeded to size him up briefly. Then, the mans expression changed all of a sudden as he said, beaming, General Qianye, what brings you to the armory? Qianye had received the rank of brigadier general after the awards ceremony but wasnt attached to any army corps just yet. This was done according to conventionthe elites from aristocratic private armies could hold an office in the imperial military and enjoy resources from both sides. Although Qianyes brigadier general status was still lacking in official documents, this officer was apparently quite discerning and simply wouldnt stop addressing Qianye as general. Im looking to exchange contributions. That wont be a problem. Ill bring you to see General Han. Moments later, the officer led Qianye to the office of Armory Manager Han Dezhong. Qianye didnt engage in lengthy conversations here. He placed the jade tablet directly on the desk and explained his intentions. Han Dezhong was muttering irresolutely to himself when his aide cut in, General, the army is on the eve of withdrawing, and all of the armaments in the storage have been sealed. Its not convenient to bring them out again. Qianyes heart sank upon hearing this. The rewards for this battle were different from the norm with a fair number of rare items on the list. It was just that Qianye had been planning to save up for an amnesty order, so he didnt consider them. He hesitated a bit after his discussion with Song Zining before finally deciding to exchange the accumulated contributions for a set of powerful weapons that would aid his massacre in the battle of national fate. He hadnt expected the armory to have finished packing up when there was clearly one day left before the designated departure time. Moreover, those superior rewards had to be stored and maintained with special meanshow could they be mixed with those ordinary armaments? This aide was either exceptionally afraid of trouble or seeking to cause trouble for Qianye. Qianyes expression sank ever so slightly as his eyes grew sharp. He had encountered his fair share of hardships and besiegements during the bloody battleprobably more humans had died in his hands than the dark races. Equipped with such experiences, Qianye was no longer one to be taken advantage of so easily. Moreover, he had the Zhao clan behind him so no one could bully him even if he made a scene. Han Dezhong scanned Qianyes face and felt his heart tremble upon seeing the latters expression. He immediately turned back and shouted, What the hell are you saying? A military reward is no small matter! Bring the contribution booklet over. No matter what General Qianye selects, you will bring it to him even if you have to open up a sealed crate! The aide was startled, as though he hadnt expected Han Dezhong to flip out in such a manner. He shot Qianye an angry glare before leaving the tent to retrieve the exchange catalog. This aide was in his early thirties, and despite being a colonel, he didnt seem to have much respect for Han Dezhong. This was rather surprising to Qianye. After the man had left, Han Dezhong smiled wryly at Qianye and said, Im truly sorry to have let you witness this sorry joke. As a person of humble birth holding an unimportant post, I can hardly keep those clan scions in check. Qianye appeared thoughtful but didnt reveal anything. Which clan is that colonel from? Hes surnamed Bai. Qianye nodded as he came to understand why this person had wanted to make things difficult for him. This was actually a small matter because there was little the man could do apart from adopting a hostile attitude. He didnt have the power to deny Qianye from exchanging his contribution. Moments later, the man returned with a stack of documents and placed it on the table. Qianye wasnt interested in the ordinary rewards at all, so he just picked up the first-rate reward list. In truth, Qianye had already seen this booklet and had a general idea of the things listed in it. Qianye had more or less formed a plan after flipping through it once more. His second-class merit could obtain a standard grade-seven weapon or resources of similar value. Moreover, Qianye had contribution points from killing Sky Demons avatar. Adding everything together would allow him to obtain a special grade-seven firearm. This wasnt a small reward at all because even Zhao Jundus Blue Firmament and Zhao Yuyings Mountain Splitter were only standard grade-seven weapons, albeit the best in their grade. Those from ordinary low-ranking aristocratic families might not be able to touch a grade-seven weapon in their life. Moreover, those without the right connections would never find such a weapon even if they had the money. Qianye gave the booklet a once-over and came to a conclusion. He had Han Dezhong confirm his registered contribution points and then pointed at a picture on the last page of the catalog. I want this one. Han Dezhong was puzzled. You really want this? Qianyes choice was a grade-seven sniper rifle named Thunderbolt. This weapon was known for its massive firepower and rangeits might wasnt far off from a grade-eight weapon when fired at full charge with the addition of the sharpshooters skills. The problem was that this weapon was merely a sniper rifle with no other special abilities. It had no other merits apart from its firepower and range. At the grade-seven level, the weapons foundational arrays were powerful enough to add numerous special abilities. Not to mention premium weapons like Blue Firmament and Mountain Splitter, even those produced by the empires master craftsmen had many performed plans one could choose from. For instance, the skill Windrider could increase the marksmans movement speed by several times, allowing him to run at least several kilometers before wearing off. It was a valuable asset to snipers for escape and changing positions. Some sniper rifles allowed the marksman to retract his aura. The effects were similar to Bloodline Concealment, albeit not as complete. These abilities were just examples out of the many others. Special firearms like these were used to reinforce a snipers strength or to make up for his weakness. One had to know that cultivation would become more and more difficult at higher ranks, and most people who had reached this level were at the end of their progress. As such, they needed to complement their weaknesses with the addition of different origin arrays. Qianye replied, Yes, I want this. Han Dezhong made no more attempt at dissuasion after seeing Qianyes insistence. There are indeed a couple of Thunderbolts in the armory, so I can dispense it right away. If you want other special models, however, you really might have to wait a while. With that, Han Dezhong ordered the aide to retrieve the weapon. Qianye felt quite peaceful after the aide left begrudgingly. Qianye had half of his contribution points left after picking a Thunderbolt. He slipped over to the combat armor page and picked a set of special grade-five armor called Iron Wall. This armors design was already mature. Its unique feature, compared to the ordinary version, was a significant increase in defense at the expense of a twofold weight increase. However, its thickness remained the same. Even using East Peak was a cakewalk for Qianyes constitution and strength, much less this Iron Wall. Han Dezhongs eyelids couldnt help but twitch after seeing Qianye pick this armorafter all, it wasnt fit for a sniper at all. It could be considered a piece of heavy armor even for guerilla soldiers or close-combat assault teams. It was simply too heavy for a sniper. But considering the case with Thunderbolt just a while ago, he decided not to say anything. What Qianye liked was the Iron Walls defensive powers. With such an armor on him, he was practically impervious to sporadic attacks under grade six. He still had points left even after picking Thunderbolt and Iron Wall. Hence, he exchanged a set of handgun attachments capable of increasing firepower by twenty percent. The Twin Flowers firepower was indeed falling behind compared to Qianyes constant progress in origin power and blood energy. It was just that these guns had been personally modified by Andruil to hold the Wings of Inception, so there might be more secrets hidden within. He couldnt throw them away no matter what. The Twin Flowers were grade-five firearms, but its firepower was at grade six after combining them into one and using the Wings of Inception. Installing this attachment would boost its firepower to the peak of grade-six and close to grade-seven. Its basic output could be considered sufficient as a defensive weapon in battle. The items Qianye wanted werent overly rare or custom-made; most of them were in stock. Han Dezhong didnt drag things out, either. He immediately produced all the reward items and handed them to Qianye. Qianye had cleared out his contributions by the time he had left the armory, but it could be said that he was now armed to the teeth. Another day passed by, and the time arrived for the entire army to withdraw. Countless airships rose from the imperial main camp following the call of a lingering bugle. They assumed formation at different altitudes in the air and, afterward, left one after another. At a glance, the air was filled with hundreds of airships, and it was as though the entire sky was fully packed. Even for many old veterans from the regular army, it was the first time they had witnessed such a powerful scene. The first batch of airships would carry the imperial regular army back to their garrisons. Unexpectedly, even more airships took to the air after the departure of the first batch. These were the war vessels of the aristocratic clans and families, poised to return the private armies to their homelands. The aristocracy was far superior to the imperial regular army both in the scale or number of airships. The last to take flight were the clumsy cargo airships. These vessels were even greater in number, and when they rose into the air, it was as though the entire sky was filled with the shadows of those behemoth vessels. The rumbles of their engines spread far and wide like rolling thunder, causing the valley of Giants Repose to tremble unceasingly. These cargo airships were all carrying heavy goods and a great deal of spoils which the Evernight army had left during their hurried retreat. This logistics fleet looked spectacular but actually possessed no fighting power. These big fellows would easily become live targets if they were to encounter an enemy war fleet. Even so, they were being escorted by a disproportionately small fleet with no rearguard. If the Evernight side were to launch a sneak-attack from the rear, they would surely be able to produce great results. However, not even a shadow appeared from the Evernight faction up until the cargo fleet vanished over the horizon. Qianye knew it wasnt that the imperial fleet had no rear guard. There was actually one person at the very endit was Prince Greensun, Marshal Zhang Boqian.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 568: Going Home [V6C98 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The battle here had ended, but Qianye didnt plan to return to the Western Continent with the Zhao clan. Blackflow and Dark Flame were his foundation, and he also had Nighteye there. Qianye was worried he would have to explain a lot when he went to say his farewells to Zhao Jundu. Quite unexpectedly, the usually headstrong Zhao Jundu didnt object this time. Qianye even obtained some secret information about the Zhao clan from him. It turned out that only the descendants who had performed the great sacrificial ceremony could be considered a true core member. They had to leave a wisp of their bloodline aura at the ancestral array, allowing the family to know should some ill fate befall them outside. Additionally, it would allow the clan to find their whereabouts via a secret art. Qianyes heart skipped a beat upon hearing this secret. He quickly understood how the Zhao clan had found Zhao Weihuang and Yejis hiding place. Then, he realized another problemthat ancestral array could record and trace ones bloodline aura, but what if it had other functions? Zhao Jundu had only granted Qianye protection as his subordinate. At first, he had no intention of making the latter fight in the Zhao clans name despite the clans dangerous position on the rankings. Perhaps it wasnt because of Qianyes combat strength but because Zhao Jundu had made some guessesmaybe he was worried about something? He then thought about Duke Yous implicative actions, be it his undisguised praise in public or his mentionintentionally or otherwiseof how Qianye didnt have the right to inherit the clan lord position. Qianye, who wasnt quite fond of these complicated human affairs, could only laugh ruefully. Qianye wiped away the complicated thoughts in his mind as the imperial fleet moved further away. He hopped onto the jeep behind him, started the engine, and began driving toward Blackflow City. Evernight Continent was fairly calm now that the recent battles had ended, and Qianye enjoyed an uneventful journey on his way back to Blackflow City. Although signs of war could be found everywhere throughout the city, most of the broken defenses had already been repaired, and the city interior was bustling with activity. The crowds everywhere could be attributed to the two hundred thousand people who had stuffed themselves into a city made for half that number. Located within the Iron Curtain, Blackflow became an important hub during the early phases of the bloody battle as large batches of mercenaries and hunters made this city their frontline supply base. When the organized armies arrived during the later stages, the residents of the surrounding towns and villages had no choice but to flock into the city in search of safe harbor. Blackflow had gained quite the reputation following Song Zinings siege defense and expansion battles. In the end, no more dark races were willing to throw their lives away here, and this increased the number of people seeking refuge in Blackflow City. All kinds of traveling merchants were thus attracted to the city, and the market here became even more prosperous. For some reason, Song Zining refused almost no oneall those willing to pay taxes were allowed into the city. Fortunately, he had made ample preparations and stocked up on a large supply of grains. Otherwise, it wouldve been quite difficult to last through the final leg of the bloody battle. There were craftsmen working all over the city walls when Qianye arrived. They didnt just repair and reinforce the walls, but had also raised two cannon platforms big enough to hold stronghold cannons. All of the original stronghold cannons in Blackflow had been modified by Nangong Xiaoniao, allowing the cannon-fire to cover all sides of the city. Now, with the addition of two such cannons, the city defenses would increase sharply. If that demonkin Viscount Luther were to attack again right now, his army would likely suffer great losses under the barrage of these stronghold cannons. As Qianye drove into the city, he found that the city guards werent sloppy at all. They stopped him according to the rules, despite the Imperial Regular Army insignia on his vehicle, and only let him pass after seeing clearly that it was Qianye in the drivers seat. The streets of Blackflow City were clamorous. Song Zining had drawn in dozens of trade companies back then, and as of the moment, the entire city was a dazzling lineup of signs. The number of major trading companies had increased by severalfold. Just on the main street alone, there were half a dozen storefronts that were undergoing renovation and would soon be open for business. Law and order were well-maintained despite the liveliness. Everyone, be it the unrestrained mercenary hunters or the arrogant aristocratic descendants, would reveal reverent expressions upon seeing the Dark Flame patrolsno one dared clash with them. This was the fruit of Song Zinings efforts. The seventh young noble had curbed all unrest with an iron fist during the bloody battle and even beheaded several Nangong family scions. Toward the end, no one dared risk their lives to test his methods out. Although most human settlements outside had been destroyed, Blackflow could no longer be considered a single city. The empire and Evernight were tied in the bloody battle, but things in the Blackflow Region werent the same. Song Zining had won every battle during the initial phase while Qianye rampaged across several dark nation warzones later on. At this point, no one from the Evernight side was willing to come over to this area. Meanwhile, the greater part of Count Stukas territory adjacent to the Blackflow war front had already fallen into Dark Flames handseven the arachne counts castle had been occupied. They had only three viscount territories left, and each of them was cut off from the other. These territories were only able to hold onto their sovereignty because Dark Flame had been stretched too thin and there wasnt enough military power to spend on these lands. Seeing the recruiting posters pinned on each side of the main road, Qianye knew Song Zinings ambitions hadnt reached their end. Otherwise, why would he need to recruit so urgently after the war had ended? Dark Flame would have no part in the empires next battle as it would take place on the floating landmass. Neither Qianye nor Song Zining had the money to transport the three-divisions worth of Dark Flame soldiers there. The entire city had more or less turned into a large construction site, but the headquarters was still the same. Qianye turned past a street block and saw the majestic Dark Flame buildings come into view. However, he didnt head in that direction and instead drove straight home. There were some changes in the courtyard compared to the last time. The most eye-catching was the appearance of a large tree whose leaves had covered up most of the courtyard, producing an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere. Nighteye was sitting in the courtyard with a book in her hand and a plate of fruits beside her. Nighteye looked up with a smile as Qianye sat down at the table. Youre back? Yes, Im home. Nighteye laughed. Its good to have you back, Ill make dinner. Qianye replied hurriedly, Its better I do it! Nighteye glared fiercely at Qianye and snorted. However, she still followed Qianye into the kitchen in the end. This vampire lady was shockingly untalented in the kitchen. Even with the same ingredients and methods, the things she made were simply different. Qianye had already given up teaching her since no amount of practice seemed effective. He would just do it himself as long as he had the time. Qianye asked while sorting out the ingredients, Why is there a new tree in the courtyard? Qianye had developed a certain suspicion toward leaves due to Song Zinings increasing proficiency with the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. He would always feel numerous eyes lurking among the branches. Nighteye replied nonchalantly, Young Noble Song Zining asked someone to bring it over, saying it would help block out the sun and clean the air. So, I just had someone plant it in the courtyard. Qianye was surprised. Zining sent it over? Yes, what of it? Qianye asked in alarm, Did you feel anything off these days? Nighteye gave it serious thought but shook her head afterward. No. Then, did you feel like someones staring at you in the dark when you go out? This time, Nighteye said with a nod, Yes. Qianye clenched his teeth and roared furiously, It looks like this brat is looking for a beating! Nighteye seemed puzzled. What are you talking about? Qianye felt something wasnt quite right, so he asked in greater detail, Whos peeking at you? Nighteye replied without much thought, Nangong Xiaoniao. [1] Ah? Its her? This answer surprised Qianye. Yes, shes come over to peek at me several times, but I didnt pay her any attention. One night, she even snuck into my room. This Qianye didnt know what to say. Nangong Xiaoniao was a genius in origin arrays but more or less a klutz in other matters. I dont know what she wanted, either. I paid her no attention and only watched in silence. But Nighteye couldnt help but chuckle, she actually wanted to climb in through the small ventilation window. She managed to squeeze half her body in, but became stuck midway. At this point, Qianye recalled Nangong Xiaoniaos massive chest. Climbing through the hatchway was indeed going to be difficult with such a figure. Then? Qianye asked curiously. Nighteye looked at Qianye with a spurious smile and said, Of course, I had to help her down. It was quite a difficult endeavor. She even popped three buttons in the process. Qianye felt an alarming premonition in his head. Why was it exactly three buttons? But Qianye had experienced numerous crises throughout this life. His expression didnt change in the least as he inquired, Oh, what then? Nothing. She wouldnt say anything no matter what I asked. Her face was so red that even I wanted to take a bite at her! This was indeed Nangong Xiaoniaos temperament. Thinking about her distress at that moment, it was already quite fortunate that she didnt pass out. At first, Qianye thought this topic would end herehe knew Nangong Xiaoniao couldnt cause a big fuss. With her temperament, she would only be bullied after landing in Nighteyes hands. As for what Nighteye did after thatwhether she had taught the girl a lesson or let her goQianye neither cared nor wanted to know. Almost all the higher-ups in Dark Flame knew of Nangong Xiaoniaos crush on Qianye, and the less such matters were mentioned the better. But Nighteye hadnt finished yet. That window was really too small and her skin was accidentally scratched when I was helping her down. Come to think of it, the smell of her blood is somewhat unusual. Qianye couldnt help but feel anxious. He touched Nighteyes black hair and asked, Are you feeling any thirst? Nighteye glared at him and said in a resentful tone, Do you think Im one of those with impure blood? Those whove awakened a primogenitor bloodline will never feel any thirst. Apart from during important ceremonies, we dont drink any blood, either. Blood without origin power is useless no matter how much we drink, and the taste isnt good, either. Qianye sighed in relief. Although he had come to know some of these things from the inheritance of the River of Blood, he was still somewhat worried about Nighteye. He only felt relieved after hearing her say all of this in person. It wasnt impossible even if Nighteye did need to drink bloodthere was no lack of bandits and robbers on the Evernight Continent as well as captives and death-row prisoners. However, as Qianye saw it, those powerful creatures like mutant beasts, werewolves, and arachne were able to provide a greater amount of essence blood compared to humans. Moreover, their blood contained more high-quality origin power. It was just that intelligent races all possessed a certain thing called belief. It had taken root in the heart since youth and practically become a part of ones life. Qianye had mentioned indirectly that he could find a way to procure some essence blood from werewolves, arachne, or powerful beasts. To his surprise, Nighteye reacted fiercely and almost fell out with Qianye. To her, being tainted by werewolf blood was like a great humiliation. Seeing Nighteyes reaction, Qianye made the wise decision of avoiding this matter. Later on, he left to take part in the war. Now that they had reunited, he recalled how Nighteye hadnt absorbed essence blood for quite a while. Qianye was still a bit worried even though she felt no thirst for fresh blood. The dark races had their own methods of cultivation, but plundering was the fastest way to make progressthis was especially true for the vampires and arachne. Comparatively, the demonkin resembled humans in that cultivation was more important than hunting. Qianye asked her several questions and only felt relieved after confirming that she would be alright for the time being. At this moment, Nighteye said, That Nangong Xiaoniao is a bit strange, you have to be careful.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 569: Lot in Life [V6C99 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Why is that? Qianye was puzzled. As he saw it, it wasnt easy to find a creature more harmless than this clumsy fellow. I picked up the scent of an ancient vampire in her blood. Although very faint, she definitely has an ancient vampire bloodline. What? Really? Qianye was shocked. I couldnt have been wrong. Nighteye was serious. Qianyes expression sank as he fell into silence. Nangong Xiaoniao was born in the Nangong family, and her ancestors were also lineal descendants. How could a vampire bloodline have appeared? It was fine if her bloodline was thin, but that wasnt the casethere was, after all, a chance she could awaken. By that time, Nangong Xiaoniao would gradually turn into a vampire. After all, human bloodlines were inherently weaker and would usually face defeat in such a struggle. Qianye had been fighting with the vampires for ten-odd years. It had also been several years since he himself had obtained blood energyit could be said that he was extremely clear about its power. At the thought of this, his heart was once again thrown into turmoil. A human with mixed vampire blood like Nangong Xiaoniao would be put to death immediately after being discovered. But the girl had always been giving her all for Blackflow City. If not for her, Song Zining might not have had such an easy time defending the city. In addition, it was more than likely that she was ignorant of her own condition. Under such circumstances, how would Qianye treat her according to the law? From a different perspective, Qianye himself possessed blood energy and had even formed a blood core. Moreover, he had a vampire primo beside him and the princess of the Monroe clan at that. Nighteye watched him in silence. No one knew what she was thinking. Qianye sighed. Who else knows about this? Nighteye shook her head. Probably no one else. Qianye sighed in relief and nodded. Thats good. Dont tell anyone else. A wisp of delight appeared in the primos eyes. However, she didnt allow Qianye to notice it and merely nodded in response. But Qianyes eyes remained locked in a frown. A vampire bloodline was a lethal danger regardless of its thickness. Fortunately, it seemed her bloodline was extremely thin, else Qianye shouldve sensed it during their long period of interaction. Nighteye hesitated for a while and said, Qianye, Xiaoniaos matter isnt that simple. I sensed a little bit of primogenitor aura from her. What? Qianye was shocked. This astonishment was even greater than when he was informed of Xiaoniaos vampire bloodline. Any matter or person related to a primogenitor could only mean great trouble. Qianye calmed himself down and asked, Do you know which primogenitor? Nighteye nodded. Its our Monroe clan primogenitor, Black-Winged Monarch Andruil. Although the aura in Xiaoniaos blood is extremely thin, Im sure that Im not mistaken. Andruil? Nangong? A flash of lightning tore through Qianyes mind. He suddenly recalled how Andruil had wanted him to find Nangong Yuqings descendant back when he had obtained the monarchs inheritance. Back then, Qianye had investigated the Nangong familys history but found no one by the name of Nangong Yuqing. Afterward, Qianye asked Song Zining for help, but the latter also returned empty-handed. Hence, Qianye came to the conclusion that this person wasnt related to the Nangong family or that she was someone from a very distant branch. The Nangong family had existed for many generations and had hundreds of thousands of branch descendants. How was he to find her among them? As such, Qianye paid this matter little heed later on; he would naturally find traces of her if he was destined to. But he had never ever expected that she would be related to Nangong Xiaoniao. Qianye pondered for a long while. In the end, he felt that he needed to talk to Nangong Xiaoniao about this matter. As such, he explained his intentions to Nighteye and left to call upon the young girl. Nangong Xiaoniao was in her workshop when Qianye found her, fully focused on installing an intricate piece of machinery. There were dozens of parts lying around her despite the assembled component being even smaller than a thumb. Qianye brought Nangong Xiaoniao out of her working trance with a cough. Qianye, y-youre back Nangong Xiaoniao stammered. She was already anxious after seeing Qianye. What are you working on? Qianye wasnt in a rush to get down to business since this matter was simply too significant. He was afraid the girl wouldnt be able to accept it all of a sudden. Im installing a control core. It can integrate many operations, and will sharply decrease preparation time for the stronghold cannons. Nangong Xiaoniao quickly regained normalcy at the mention of her profession. Even Qianye, who only had a superficial knowledge of these things, could tell just how intricate the component in her hand was. Not bad! Qianye offered his heartfelt praise. Ah, t-thank you. Nangong Xiaoniao was, again, at a loss for words. Qianye sat down across Nangong Xiaoniao and said slowly, Xiaoniao, I have something important to tell you. Is it about you and Sister Nighteye? I already know. You dont need to tell me anymore! Nangong Xiaoniao cried out, almost as if she were venting her feelings. She then lowered her head and refused to look at Qianye. Qianye was startled. He then said with a sigh, Its not about that. Its about you. Me? Whats up with me? Nangong Xiaoniao was surprised. Qianye hesitated for a while but finally decided to get to the point. Xiaoniao, do you have a vampire bloodline? Nangong Xiaoniao trembled all over before gradually looking up to meet Qianyes gaze. At this moment, she was unexpectedly calm. So you already know? Is that why you dont like me? This has nothing to do with liking you or not. So it seems you already know about it. Nangong Xiaoniaon nodded. Actually, this matter is no secret in the Nangong family. My family wouldnt have deteriorated to such a state if it wasnt for this. At this point, Nangong Xiaoniao revealed a dismal smile and said, Since you already know, are you planning to kill me or drive me away? Neither. Qianye shook his head. Is there a woman called Nangong Yuqing in your ancestry? Nangong Xiaoniao gasped. How did you know? Qianye knew he had guessed correctly after seeing Xiaoniaos reaction. It was just that Nangong Xiaoniao was also born of the Nangong familys main branch. Why then couldnt he search for Nangong Yuqings data? Nangong Xiaoniao managed to calm down moments later. Thereafter, she hid nothing from Qianye and told him everything he asked. Nangong Yuqing was a genius of the younger generation during her childhood. The Nangong family, during that period, was only a middle-ranked aristocratic family. Their power and influence back then were far from todays, but Clan Lord Nangong CanghaiNangong Yuqings grandfatherwas a man of great ambitions. Despite her young age, Nangong Yuqing was not only talented in the martial path but also extremely beautiful. As such, Nangong Canghai had the thought of marrying her into the imperial family. It was just that Nangong Yuqing went out to experience the world when she was fifteen and vanished thereaftereven the clan experts accompanying her were nowhere to be found. The Nangong family had used everything at their disposal to search for her but produced no results in the end. Nangong Yuqing made no contact for many years. When she returned to the family many years later, there were already two children at her side. This matter was a great humiliation to the Nangong family, but Nangong Yuqing refused to reveal the father no matter how she was interrogated. Nangong Canghai, in his anger, was prepared to put the two children to death. Just as he was about to take action, he found that the two children were of great talent and possessed powerful vampire bloodlines. This put Nangong Canghai in a difficult position. In the end, though, he decided to let them live. He imprisoned them in a forbidden ground and studied them. Nangong Yuqing was also captured, and a gag order was issued throughout the clan. No one was allowed to talk about matters relating to her. Ten years passed by in the blink of an eye. Nangong Yuqing had more or less been forgotten, and her children had grown up. Eventually, they began to produce offspring under the control of the family. However, the vampire bloodline grew thinner and thinner with each generation until it almost disappeared by the third. Nangong Canghai had reached the end of his life at that point. As such, he released the offspring of the two children and placed them under the care of a distant branch familyup until present times. My ancestor is the elder brother of the two children. Im the only one left of my generation. Only at this point did Qianye understand why he couldnt find any information about Nangong Yuqing in the Nangong familys documents. It turned out that they had erased all traces of her since a long time ago and treated her as deceased. However, something in Nangong Xiaoniaos words caught Qianyes attention. What research was Nangong Canghai doing? Nangong Xiaoniao clenched her teeth and said, He wanted to find a way to combine humans and vampires! Qianye was astonished. Blood thralls were the most common type of combination, while the other was to receive the embrace. The vampire bloodline had the advantage in both of them and would eventually assimilate the human one. Just as Andruil had told Qianye back then, the growing primogenitor bloodline would, sooner or later, devour his human genealogy. Presently, Qianye had a rough understanding of the reason behind this. It was because the vampire bloodlines power was far above the human counterpart. A human might be able to maintain his intelligence after obtaining a drop of essence blood via the embrace, but he would still turn into a vampire in the end. Hes mad! Nangong Xiaoniao shook her head. No, hes not. What he wanted wasnt powerful warriors but the vampires life. Qianyes expression turned odd. He wanted immortality? Even dukes couldnt remain immortal. The latter part of a vampires long life was spent mostly in hibernation. If they didnt count the years spent in hibernation, their lifespan wasnt that much longer than that of the arachne and werewolves. There was no shortage of people looking to extend their life by utilizing vampire bloodlines. Nangong Canghai definitely wasnt the first, nor would he be the last. Looking back at history, it would seem that his gambit inevitably failed in the end. Nangong Yuqings two children were able to retain their ego despite possessing a vampire bloodline. At a glance, it looked like a perfect bloodline fusion, but unfortunately, these children didnt live any longer than ordinary humans, and their vampire bloodline also grew thinner and thinner in their descendants. All signs indicated the fact that their fathers bloodline power wasnt strong. Perhaps he was just a low-ranking vampire? But Qianye felt inexplicably odd after listening to this. If the Black-Winged Monarch Andruils bloodline wasnt powerful, then how many other powerful bloodlines were there?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 570: Trifles [V6C100 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] It was just that too long a time had passed. The truth had vanished into the river of time, never to surface again. To Qianye, Nangong Xiaoniao was Nangong Yuqings descendant, and that was enough. He could finally complete the Black-Winged Monarchs request. Xiaoniao, these things are for you. With that, he brought out two boxes and placed them on the table. Are these presents for me? Nangong Xiaoniao opened the first box and cried out in surprise, Grade-seven gun!!! The presents Andruil had left Nangong Yuqing were naturally the best items of the grade. In terms of individual quality, it was right up there with Zhao Jundus Blue Firmament. However, the weapon was too advanced for Nangong Xiaoniao. A rookie like her who wasnt even a champion had no way to use it. Not to mention using it to kill her enemies, a single shot might drain all of her origin power and leave her with injuries. Nangong Xiaoniao, as someone from the Red Scorpion, understood this principle quite well. Hence, she felt rather awkward after the initial surprise and delight. Possessing a great weapon but being powerless to use it was the most painful experience for every soldier. She then opened up the second box and found two grade-six daggers inside. She could already tellfrom the flowing radiance of the origin array on the bladesthat they were good weapons. Unfortunately, however, Nangong Xiaoniaos level was still too low to make use of them. Dont rush, theres more. Qianye avoided explaining the source of these items or whether Nangong Xiaoniao could use them at all. He placed two more metallic boxes on the table. One could tell, at a glance, that they were made of high-grade materials. Nangong Xiaoniaos hands trembled as she opened the boxes. She gasped softly once more after seeing the contents. As a genius level character in the field of machines, she could naturally see how special the craftsmanship of the mithril bullets was. Moreover, they were very likely designed for the grade-seven gun. If she could study them in detail, her own skills in building firearms would take a leap forward. Additionally, there was a box full of liquid mithril. Such a commodity could be used to barter in the high-end material market, and its value alone was enough to buy Dark Flame. Nangong Xianiao was very familiar with the market prices and immediately converted the value into mechanical and high-grade origin array components. The total was enough to build a grade-eight sniper rifle, even with a bit of wastage factored in. Among origin guns at the same level, those with a bigger frame would naturally consume more materials. Only a machine gun would consume more materials than a sniper rifle. But machine guns were extremely rare among origin firearms, and the reason was simplenot many people had enough origin power to fire an origin machine-gun. Nangong Xiaoniao looked up. Do you want me to make you a grade-eight gun? Grade-eight? Of course not. These things are all for you. Even if you can build a grade-eight gun, itll be for you to use. For m-me? Nangong Xiaoniaos little mouth fell open. She simply didnt know what to say. Its yours, Qianye stressed. But No buts. These things belong to you, dont think about anything else. Qianye had considered everything before coming to see Nangong Xiaoniao. In the end, he felt it was best not to tell her the origin of these items. Black-Winged Monarchs Identity was too sensitive. Be it in the Evernight Faction or on the Daybreak side, it was enough to attract the attention of major characters. The current Nangong Xiaoniao could hardly keep herself safe, and Qianye didnt have the power to protect her, either. Nangong Xiaoniao had always listened to Qianye obediently, and this time was no exception. Qianye pondered for a while before reminding her, Do not let anyone see these things. If you need to exchange them for materials, ask Song Hu to do it via separate channels. Qianye only felt relieved after Nangong Xiaoniao agreed. She was currently in Blackflow, a region that was more or less Qianyes private territoryeven the expeditionary army had to keep their orders in moderation. Following Song Zinings painstaking development, Dark Flame had also become the largest force in the Trinity River County. Anyone wishing to extend their reach into the area would have to calculate their losses first. Qianye still felt a hint of worry before leaving. Did anyone in Red Scorpion or the Nangong family ever mention your life and bloodline? No, why? Nangong Xiaoniao was puzzled. I see, thats good. Its nothing. Qianye gave her some more warnings before returning home. But something kept weighing on his mind, and he didnt even have much appetite for dinner. Nighteye observed all of this and asked, Is there something on your mind? Qianye nodded. I have a feeling that this matter isnt as simple as it seems. For instance, why did Nangong Yuanbo act that way despite his status, and why did those people behind Red Scorpion treat her so favorably? Moreover, her talent in machines and origin arrays is so terrifying that one can hardly use common sense to explain it. Nighteye said with a smile, Youre overthinking it. Xiaoniaos bloodline is so thin that only I can discover it. Youve interacted with her for such a long time, but you didnt discover it, either. Moreover, Black-Winged Monarchs bloodline isnt only about power. There can be countless variations. For instance, the Bloodline Concealment ability should more or less appear in her. I was also wounded and bleeding when I met you back then, but you didnt realize I was a vampire. I hope that is the case. Qianye sighed, but there was still a shadow in his heart. Qianyes time in Blackflow City was short. According to the information from Song Zining, the empire was secretly mobilizing soldiers from the elite corps, major clans, and high-ranking aristocracy. Before long, this momentum would spread to the middle and lower-ranking aristocratic families, and after which, it would evolve into an all-out movement. Although Qianyes merits from the many battles werent enough to gain him a noble rank, his military rank had already reached the brigadier general level. He would be notified with the second batch, at the latest. Hence, he would have to seize the moment to spend more time with Nighteye as well as reform Dark Flame, train personnel, and set up defenses. Blackflow Citys defensive region had expanded nearly ten times toward the west, adding an area more or less the size of a county to its territory. This land contained complex geography and inhospitable environments wherein a fair number of dark race tribes was concealedthis included the tribe of Werewolf Viscount Brudo. Although the werewolves had submitted to Qianye, they still couldnt appear openly in human territory. Otherwise, hunters and mercenaries would swarm over like sharks drawn to blood. The troublesome part was that most of this land belonged to the arachne count Stuka. This also meant that there were very few humans living here apart from slaves and livestock. But there were also advantages to this. The mineral veins here could be considered quite abundant, and there seemed to be other undiscovered resources, too. According to Zhao Yuyings projection, there was a valuable iron crystal vein here. However, the war had just ended in the region. What Qianye needed to do most right now was consolidate the lands defenses. He needed to fortify the strategic points Song Zining had found and garrison troops there. Only then would he be able to digest the expanding warzone. He had no choice but to push back the mining operations. Dark Flame had contributed greatly during this period, and the rewards from the empire alone were enough to last them the next year. As the core base of operations of the region, Blackflow City also needed to expand. This was Song Zinings forte. He had left detailed plans for the citys expansion before going back to the empire. This plan would expand the citys area twofold and accommodate up to two hundred thousand residents. The defense system was designed personally by Nangong Xiaoniao. She had given up the traditional method of fighting from the walls in favor of a highly mobile system consisting of powerful defensive firepower centered around the stronghold cannons. There was really no need to expound on the advantages of this system. It was just that the cons were also quite evidentthe cost. Powerful motorized firepower involved a lot of money for both installation and maintenance. Such a budget was simply impossible for ordinary expeditionary army divisions. There was a popular saying in the expeditionary army that went, Cannon shells cost more than human lives. Blackflow was only able to maintain such an extravagant system with the support of Song Zinings Ningyuan Group and the military rewards earned by Qianye. But there were, of course, two sides to everythingthe large military budget also brought about an unexpected benefit to the city. The mercenaries and hunters had always possessed keen eyes, and many of them intentionally moved their bases to Blackflow City after seeing the defenses here. That was also the reason why the city was growing more prosperous by the day, and with it, Dark Flames coffers. These mercenaries and hunters were exceptionally unrestrained in their spendings since they had no idea where they would die tomorrow. All in all, the current Blackflow City was already developing vigorously despite the scars left by the war. Some of the old residents of Evernight Continent were already comparing Blackflow to the ancient city of Darkblood. A new Blackflow would appear in front of Qianye before long, but he would probably be on another battlefield at that time. Apart from normal development, Qianye also discovered some special arrangements Song Zining had left behind. This seventh young master had gathered the most experienced of Qianyes long-term followersincluding Duan Hao, Lil Seven, and Lil Nineto form a team that could almost be described as extravagant. This squad wasnt very big, but it was definitely well-equipped. Moreover, its fighting-power was even greater than that of the imperial regular army. Song Zining had even prepared two airships for them. Although a bit old, the vessels were still capable of transporting this unit hundreds of kilometers in one day. Such a group was similar to the elite corps of the imperial army system. Qianye had always been puzzled as per its uses. At least in the current phase, it was more important to digest the tenfold expansion of land in the Blackflow region. Qianye knew he was vastly inferior to Song Zining in terms of training soldiers. The latter mustve had other intentions. As such, he made no further inquiries after observing its name and equipment list. The next couple of days went by in a busy but simple manner. Only after taking over Dark Flame and Blackflow City did Qianye realize that the mercenary band business he had believed to be so troublesome wasnt even worth a mention. Presently, the stack of documents being delivered to his desk each day numbered in the hundreds. Just looking through them alone took up a good chunk of his time, to speak nothing of making decisions. Qianye was already feeling quite distressed after just a few days. He was also filled with admiration for Song Zining who could handle all these things in an orderly fashion. There was only one thing he didnt quite understandthis seventh young master hadnt sacrificed his time with women at all and would even be seen writing or drawing from time to time. How then did he manage to finish all of these trifles?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 571: New Battles [V6C101 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Fortunately, Song Zining had also established an efficient management system. Song Hu and Duan Hao were both adept in general affairs. Those who had been following Qianye like Lil Seven, Lil Nine, and bloodline seedlings like the Wu Shiying siblings were also maturing by the daythey had a perfect command of their duties. All of this saved Qianye from too much embarrassment. The days of peace didnt last very long. An imperial emissary soon arrived to deliver the recruitment notice. Qianyes name wasnt in the military departments register since he was still registered in the expeditionary army system and hadnt officially joined the Zhao clan private army. As such, the recruitment order was of a voluntary type. The recruitment offered a fair degree of freedomshould Qianye choose to go, he would have the freedom to choose a warzone to fight in. He would also be allowed to join any of the major army corps, or join an aristocratic private army to fight in their name. Presently, the geography of the void landmass had been more or less ascertained and divided into seven warzones. Moreover, these areas were currently unoccupied. According to imperial tradition, a third of all the land conquered and held onto until the end of the war would become the pioneers property. A new, empty territory was a highly attractive prospect for any aristocratic family. One had to know that opening up new territory was at the top of military contributions. Toward the end of this war, new aristocratic families might spring up, landowning households could be promoted to aristocracy, and even a major clan might emerge. To those with ambitions, this seven-province-wide void landmass was a stairway to heaven. Qianye was already well-prepared by the time he received the recruitment order. He had already made ample preparations in Blackflow City and had nothing left to worry about. As such, he boarded a military airship with the emissary that very evening. The airship didnt travel straight toward imperial territory. It made several stops and detours to pick up other people on Evernight Continent before heading into the void. There were seven passengers on the airship including Qianye, each and every one of them possessing profound auras. These people had also received similar recruitment orders since they didnt belong to any aristocratic clan or regular army corps. Two of them were reportedly from the expeditionary army, but Qianye had never heard of their names before. Even their garrisoned warzones sounded rather unfamiliar. The atmosphere inside the airship was gloomy, not unlike the lull before the storm. No one in the cabin exchanged pleasantries and only scanned each other with sharp gazes from time to time. It couldnt be seen on Qianyes face, but Qianye was secretly on-alert since stepping through the cabin doors. He could smell, from these people, an aura similar to his ownit was the strong scent of slaughter. There was actually a rank-fifteen champion among them. Solely in terms of origin power-level, he was already at the level of a lieutenant general, right up there with the vice-commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army. In a barren land like Evernight Continent, a champion was enough to lead a division and act as the pillar of a city or warzone. Surprisingly, there were so many unknown experts here. This went to show that the expeditionary army and the local landowning classes werent as weak as they seemed. This discovery caused Qianye to become more vigilant. The airship flew several days amidst the stifling atmosphere, traversing the remote void and finally arriving at the imperial mainland. Qianye walked out of the airship into an incomparably bustling world where the roar of engines almost drowned out all the other sounds. There were dozens of airships around him with soldiers currently moving in and out of them. In the distant sky, hundreds of war vessels were shuttling about. Get off! Stop tarrying! A lieutenant colonel howled from the ground, waving his hand frantically at Qianyes group. The man was using his maximum volume since, otherwise, his voice wouldve been drowned out by the engine sounds. Qianye was rather understanding of this fact and didnt mind the lack of manners. He simply walked over to the designated location to report in. But not everyone was as easygoing. The one who had come out from behind Qianye was a rank-twelve champion, a rank capable of leading two army corps in the expeditionary army. That person stood in front of the lieutenant colonel with narrowed eyes and glared at the latters throat with a cold, venomous gaze. It was as though his hand would pierce into those green veins at a moments notice. But the lieutenant colonel wasnt afraid at all, and there was even a hint of disdainful provocation in his eyes. He spat loudly and sneered, What? You wish to attack me? Youre welcome to try! That champion flew into a rage, and even his expression grew rather twisted. He produced a wisp of origin power from his fingertips amidst the sizzling sound of corrosive venom. However, he decided against taking action in the end and only shot a fierce glance at the military emblem on the soldiers chest. The lieutenant colonel had no intention of stopping at all. He spat again, and this time, it almost hit the other partys glistening shoes. So you do have some sense! Your entire family will die without a burial if you dare touch me! The champions face was livid as he glared deeply at the lieutenant colonel and left in large strides. The latters rank wasnt high, and his combat strength was also mediocre. But his identity was quite sensitive since he was an officer in the employ of the imperial military. No matter how powerful people like Qianye were, there would always be reasons as to why they were hiding on Evernight Continent. Qianye had neither the intention of getting himself involved nor did he want to watch the liveliness. He simply walked away on his own to the report-in area reserved for generals. There were only a handful of people there, so Qianyes turn arrived very quickly. The plump lieutenant colonel behind the desk flipped through the register for quite a while after Qianye reported his recruitment number. He eventually found Qianyes data with some difficulty and scanned through it briefly. Then, he shot up from his desk and asked in a delighted voice, Youre General Qianye? It is I. The lieutenant colonel was all smiles as he said, Shiduo is my brother! Hes mentioned more than once about how you saved him on Evernight Continent. Please tell me if theres anything you need during your stay here, our Zhang clan does have some say here. Qianye was somewhat startled. This lieutenant colonel was clearly not so young and already looked to be about fifty years old. If he hadnt broken through the champion rank at this point, there was very little hope for it afterward. It would also appear that he was clear about his situation. Just from the clear outline of this belly, it was quite clear that he had already given up on cultivation. Who wouldve thought that valiant Zhang Shiduo would have such a brother? And their age difference wasnt small. either. Regardless, Qianye naturally wouldnt refuse a friendly gesture. With the war looming over the horizon, every bit of helpeven if it was just providing informationwas a good thing to have. That lieutenant colonel introduced himself as Zhang Shiming. He had served the imperial military for over twenty years. His combat strength was mediocre and his future was limited, but his Zhang clan background and tactful personality opened many doors. Zhang Shiming recalled, after talking for a good while, that he hadnt finished his main business. He quickly registered Qianyes information and passed him a booklet, as well as an identity token. Afterward, he brought out a simple map of the camp and said, General, your residence is here. Qianye checked the location and found that the generals residences were in a fairly good location. The barracks was built around a small lake, and there was also a forest to the side. Thank you. Qianye put the things away and left for his own barracks. The dormitorys location was quite good, with a wide view and the gleaming lake surface just outside the window. But as this was a military camp, the facilities inside werent luxurious at alleverything was limited to the bare necessities. Qianye had never paid much heed to these things since he would only be here for a couple of days. He would have to go to war as soon as he was assigned to a mission. Qianye put down his small luggage. All the miscellaneous items apart from East Peak and Thunderbolt had been packed into a single tactical backpack. Naturally, his real stash of rations was in Andruils Mysterious Realm, and it was enough to last him an entire month out in the wild. Afterward, Qianye opened the small booklet and began reading in detail. This pamphlet was printed quite recently and contained the map of the void landmass. Although a lot of the details were missing, the main regions had all been drawn in. It was easy to accomplish this. Expansion and exploration on the void landmass never stopped even after the imperial army withdrew from Giants Repose. Later on, they had dispatched a number of small elite squads to scout out the land. This rough map was the fruit of the reconnaissance units extensive efforts and sacrifice; the casualty rate among them was as high as thirty percent. The empire had destroyed the tunnel connecting Giants Repose to the void landmass, so the only way to get there was via airship. The pressure sapping constantly at the experts origin power vanished after Prince Greensun destroyed the remnant will of the Void Colossus Chaos. Now, airships could finally land on it. The floating continent was located between the upper and middle continents, closer to imperial lands. The Dark Nation continents were quite a distance away. This also meant that the empire held a distinct advantage in landing airships on it. At this point, Qianye suddenly realized the reason behind the capture of Giants Repose and why the empire was so interested in the strange world behind it. All of his questions were answered at this moment. It would seem the well-prepared empire had gained the upper-hand over the Evernight Council with its apparently inferior information system. Their bases on the floating continent were destined to be lost after the destruction of the tunnel behind Giants Repose. The gap in airship technology between the Evernight Council and the empire wasnt that big to begin with. Evernights four major races emphasized on training experts for warwhen needed, the vampires would produce blood thralls and the arachne would use their servspiders. As for demonkin, they rarely ever amassed soldiers. Werewolves, on the other hand, would appear in the form of tribes. Under such situations, the dark races paid little attention to low-ranking warriors. They were even less inclined to invest resources on large machinery used specifically to assemble these inferior fighting forces. Qianye flipped to the next section of the booklet. Their objective this time was to clean out the aboriginal lifeforms on the floating continent and defend against dark race attacks. Apart from the border defenses forces, all of the other imperial army corps would take turns to ascend this continent and join the war. At the same time, the major clans had been assigned corresponding primary attack positions in order to maximize combat strengththe four major clans would be responsible for one warzone each. Several other aristocratic families, like the Nangong, would be assigned together to one warzone. As for the other aristocracy, they would be allowed to choose whichever warzone they wanted. Qianye put down the booklet slowly and walked to the other side of the room. There, he saw a hundred-meter long airship descending slowly at the extremes of his vision. Mountains of supplies had piled up beside the airship port, and even the endless, snaking motorcade couldnt quite ship them away on time. The massive airship was the empires largest Roc-class airship that could transport thousands of soldiers in a single run. And there were seven or eight more of such vessels circling in the air, awaiting their turn to land.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 572: Old Friends Reunite [V6C102 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] This place was Yuanshui, a small city at the borders of the empire. Presently, it had been modified into a massive frontline base that was almost as large as the one at Giants Repose. There were three such cities to Qianyes knowledgethe imperial army would set out from each of these cities and march toward the void landmass via three different routes. Additionally, there were countless more armies rushing over from the imperial hinterlands. No one knew how many of these soldiers would return after this war. Qianyes ears twitched just as his thoughts were wandering about. He noticed some barely discernible footsteps approaching rapidly. This persons movement skills were fairly good and managed to merge his steps into the natural sounds of the wind and waves. He might not have discovered it if his vampire constitution and senses hadnt been heightened following successive upgrades. The footsteps were very fast and soon arrived outside the door. Qianye broke into a frown as he sensed some danger from it. Now, this wasnt a common occurrenceit signified that the person outside possessed exceptional strength. Countless notions appeared in Qianyes mind. He went through all of his enemies one by one, but none of them should have the guts to attack him in the imperial camp. Qianye moved toward the door like a feather and waited in silence. The visitors origin power erupted violently, and the door was shattered with a boom as the person crashed in! Qianye reacted instantly, raising a sheathed East Peak and slapping down on the intruders back. The air in the room turned stagnant as East Peak movedit was as though the space here had been frozen solid. This door-crasher growled as he sensed the danger. A bright yellow light burst out from him, within which was projected the vague silhouette of numerous mountain ranges. It felt as though East Peak had pressed down on a firm, slippery object that just wouldnt transmit external force. Then came a powerful rebound force, poised to push East Peak to the side. As a veteran of many battles, combat had more or less become an instinct for Qianye. He exerted greater force after discovering the abnormal sensation in his hands. Origin power poured into the blade like a raging tidal wave. Qianyes origin power was several times greater than his peers and he also had trained in the Profound Combatant Formula; hence, these tides were extremely fierce and tyrannical. The exertion caused the intruder to let out an odd cry as his origin defenses tottered on the verge of collapse and the mountains in the yellow radiance shattered. Qianye suddenly pulled back after seeing that the other party could no longer hold out and his origin defenses were about to crumble. Potian, youre growing bolder by the day. You actually smashed my door. That person swayed about for a while before regaining his footing. It was none other than Wei Potian. He was wearing the standard general uniform made of black and gold. It was just that his shoulder guard was decorated with the emblem of the Far East Wei Clan. How did you discover me? Wei Potians face was a bit pale, but he wasnt in too bad of a condition. After all, Qianye had held back and didnt smash open his Thousand Mountains on the spot. Youre like an elephant when you run. How hard can it be to sense you? Qianye replied unceremoniously. Wei Potian scratched his head with a puzzled expression. Thats impossible! Not many people can discover me when I hide myself, not even on the battlefield. Not many means there are still people who can. Thats not right! Those who can sense me are usually three ranks higher. Thats a count-level character at least. Wei Potian pondered hard. Actually, Wei Potians concealment ability was quite good. They were currently in a silent lake-side camp. If this situation were to occur on the battlefield, it wouldnt be so easy to discover his movements. Qianye had never imagined that this wild boar who would usually thrash about with his Thousand Mountains had actually learned to launch sneak attacks. Wei Potians brainstorming yielded no results. True to his character, he quickly stopped investing too much mental effort. His expression turned into one of satisfaction as he laughed out loud. Hows that? My Thousand Mountains improved, didnt it? This time, you couldnt break it! He laughed a couple of times, but upon seeing Qianyes spurious smile, his boisterous haha shrunk into a heh heh, and then trailed off. In the end, Wei Potian said furiously, Y-You, held back? Not a lot, Qianye spoke the truth. Not a lot means you still did! Goddammit! Wei Potians content quickly turned into depression. Qianye gave it some thought and said seriously, Your Thousand Mountains really did improve a lot. But Wei Potian didnt cheer up. No matter how much it improves, I just cant compare to you. Qianyes words werent just to comfort Wei Potian. This time, Wei Potians Thousand Mountains was no longer just firm but also contained some flexibility. This would increase his defensive power dramatically, even against the same level of origin power. Moreover, Wei Potians rank had increased to eleven and was one rank higher than Qianyes. If it wasnt for Qianyes greater improvements, he really might not be able to break through the Thousand Mountains. Their topic of conversation changed after an exchange of greetings. Qianye and Wei Potian were happy to be reunited, but Qianye also found it strange. Is the Wei clan required to take part? Has the war ended in Far East Province? Of course not, but the situation has stabilized, and theres no difference whether or not Im there. I dont want to stay locked up in there for too long and die of boredom! That little gigolo Song Seven is living the life. He goes everywhere he wants each day. This daddy is here to experience what it feels like to charge at the head of the army and rampage through a thousand miles. Qianye couldnt help but laugh after hearing this. The Far East warfront was at the border, so the battles were mostly fought around the forts. And with Wei Potians arts and talents, he was destined to fight at a defense region. It sounded like the heir of Marquis Bowang wasnt too satisfied with this lot and wanted to change the situation. Wei Potian was speaking heroically, but both of them knew it wasnt that simple. Song Zinings accomplishments involved outstanding strategy and a fair degree of luck. It just so happened that this luck was always on the side of Song Zining and his Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. The same, however, couldnt be said of Wei Potian. This was also why Wei Potian was indignant. Qianyes expression was solemn. Theyre even recruiting troops from the Far East Wei Clan. Is this battle that important? Far East is but a single province, but this void landmass is a battle of national fate, so of course, its different. Moreover, weve fought those black blooded bastards for over a year but never gained the advantage. Maybe theyll also need to transfer troops over when the war here picks up the pace. Qianye nodded. It would seem the situation in other parts of the empire were more or less the same. Wei Potian whisked out a map and spread it out on the table. He then pointed to a point on the map and asked, Qianye, which warzone are you going to this time? Are you still with the Zhao clan? No, Ill choose to hunt independently. Wei Potian whistled. Ambitious! I like that. Ill go with you after making arrangements for my troops. Qianye said with a smile, Im fine with that, but are you sure you can leave your private army? Wei Potian raised his hands. Why not? Uncle Bainian is the real leader. I may be a good soldier, but a good general I am not. Ive never seen you admitting to being inferior, especially in leading troops. Wei Potian shrugged. Thats just to prevent Song Seven from stepping over my head. Now Ive joined the battlefield, and for such a long time, too. Theres no room for boasting in that accursed place. Talking big will lead to death, and thats not very high on my wishlist. I dont want my subordinates to die, either, so I keep my boasting limited. Losing to Song Seven is really nothing. That brat is annoying, but theres really no shortage of people who are even more hateful. With that, Wei Potian knocked on the map and said, Our Wei clans warzone is there! Qianye glanced at the location. Land of Frost? Thats not a good place. It was the only highland on the floating continent covered in frost year round. In addition to the adverse weather conditions, the empire hadnt found any valuable resources there, either. However, Wei Potian had a different opinion. Youre wrong, this place is a great place. The most uncomfortable places on the battlefield are where youll encounter the least enemies. Im fine either way, but thatll allow many of my subordinate brothers to survive. Enough with these things. Ill come find you after I settle down in the Land of Frost. Not a problem. With that, Qianye pointed on the map and said, Ill be operating around these parts during the early phases. The area he had pointed out was the strange forest covered in purple substance. Later on, the empire named it Misty Woods. The value of the natural origin distillate in Misty Woods hadnt yet been determined, but the empire had already noticed its dangers. Even with the information provided by the experts who had explored this place during the search for ancient essence fragments, the exploration teams who had arrived later on were still wiped out in this area. This kind of place makes me really uncomfortable, Wei Potian said with a frown. He hated the place since, without Qianyes True Sight, his visual range was no different from an ordinary expert. But to Qianye, this was the most favorable environment. Qianye hadnt encountered anyone during the previous exploration of Giants Repose with a longer visual range. Nighteye was the only exception. Moreover, the empires investigation revealed that the Misty Forest was much bigger than the area Qianye had passed through. It was probably distributed around the underground world formed of the void colossus spine. All in all, one would have to pass through this area in order to get to the central region. There was no need to worry about the lack of battles here. Wei Potian mumbled and complained for a while, but gave up after seeing Qianye remain unmoved. It would seem that the latter had no intention of changing his destination. The geography of the void landmass was complicated. There were deserts, wastelands, forests, prairies, and mountain ranges. Moreover, they had also found a giant underground river flowing through the entire continent. The empire had divided the floating landmass into seven regions depending on the geography and natural paths. Under such circumstances, there was no way the empire could lock down the entire landmass and keep the dark races out. The strategic focus of this operation wasnt to prevent them from landing but to reduce their strength with a fleet battle in the void, and then fight a territorial battle with them on land. The aim was to bleed the dark races repeatedly until they were forced to abandon this land. This strategy signified the coming of a protracted war. Wei Potian suddenly recalled something. He moved toward Qianye and said in a hushed tone, My old man said this war might last quite a while, so ammunition will be in short supply toward the end. I got my hands on two crates of mithril bullets, you can have one. No need. Ive already made preparations. Only then did Wei Potian notice the sniper rifle and armor lying in the room. His eyes lit up immediately. Thunderbolt? Iron Wall? You actually have such good items?! Did the Zhao clan give them to you? Their treatment isn''t bad, I must say. Wei Potian had said thus because neither Thunderbolt nor Iron Wall was something ordinary experts could buy. Even his armaments, as the heir of the Wei clan, were only a bit better. Qianye said with a smile, I exchanged them with military contributions, but the Zhao clan does treat me quite well. I received a lot of resources from them. Wei Potian nodded. Then I wont insist anymore. Heh, heh! Major clans are always richer than us aristocratic families. Its fine to let them fork out a bit more. Wei Potian recalled something at this point. Oh, right. Whos coming from the Zhao clan this time? Is that troublemaker Zhao Yuying here? His words hadnt even ended when a loud voice echoed outside the door. Whos so concerned about this mommy? Are you looking for a beating?Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 573: Battle in the Void [V6C103 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Yuying? Qianye was delighted to hear this voice. Wei Potians expression, on the other hand, wasnt too good. His words just now clearly werent leading to anything good. It could be said that his luck was extremely bad to have been caught red-handed like this. Zhao Yuying entered in large strides with the eye-catching Mountain Splitter on her back. Despite walking energetically, her aura was well-contained, and her footsteps, silent. Qianye was worried at first because she hadnt appeared on the battlefield at Giants Repose. Now it would seem that she had not only healed after the long recuperation, but her strength had also increased. Wei Potian revealed an embarrassed smile upon seeing Zhao Yuying and began shifting his feet toward the window. Apparently, he was planning an escape route. However, Zhao Yuying aimed that terrifying cannon toward the window and shouted, Where do you think youre going? Get back here! Wei Potians expression rapidly fluctuated. He wasnt too confident about taking a blast from Mountain Splitter at such a short distance. All he could do was obey and move back to the center of the room. Qianyes eyelids twitched as he hurriedly stepped in front of Wei Potian. With Zhao Yuyings character, it was quite possible that she would open fire. Even though a blast from Mountain Splitter wasnt enough to heavily injure Wei Potian, it would most certainly destroy this residence. Zhao Yuying rolled her eyes at Qianye as she put down her cannon. Youre always playing the good guy! Qianye sighed in relief and quickly changed the topic. Yuying, why are you still lugging that thing around in the military camp? Were in a state of war right now, and battles can break out anytime. Its more convenient to keep it near me, Zhao Yuying spoke with righteous confidence, but the two men were drenched in cold sweatready to fight anytime in the imperial main camp? Who was she going to fight? At that point, Qianye recalled that the Zhao clan camp wasnt in this camp and asked curiously, Isnt the Zhao clan supposed to set out from Suyang City? How come youre here? Zhao Yuying sat down at the table and said while glaring at Qianye, Its possible that well have to fight the Evernight fleet before landing on the floating continent. A battle in the void is no joke, and youve never fought one before. What if youre done in by someone? So, I came over with a battleship. You should just stick with me when the time comes. Wei Potian butted in. Just one? Why dont you travel with our Wei familys fleet? We can take care of each other. This time, Zhao Yuying accepted the gesture without much resistance. Despite her odd temperament, she was quite serious in such matters. The three discussed their upcoming plan before leaving to make final preparations. The Wei family fleet was in the second batch that would set out two days later. Zhao Yuyings airship was more or less her private vessel, so it was arranged in the rear. The time for departure arrived in the blink of an eye. Having finished all of his preparations, Qianye boarded the airship with Zhao Yuying. Moments later, the bold call of a bugle echoed through the skies. Numerous imperial high-speed airships spread out in all directions to guard the skies above Yuanshui, followed soon by the primary battleships. The massive, dark vessels took to the air as though there was no weight on them. This was the empires third fleet, in charge of escorting the giant landing crafts toward the floating continent. The entire fleet assumed formation in the air, changed directions, and flew into the depths of the void. Only then was it time for the landing fleet to ascend. The landing fleet was made up of nearly a thousand airships of different types. At this moment, they were like a flock of zooming birdscountless in numbers and of all shapes and sizes. They rose up and assembled in different parts of the sky. Two imperial regular army corps set out from Yuanshui City, along with two high-ranking aristocratic families and a dozen or so smaller ones. There were many more landowning households and independent experts of unknown affiliation. There was a certain degree of order among the main army corps, but the same couldnt be said for the aristocracy. All kinds of airships were flying about chaotically and gathered into an uproarious mass. The third imperial fleet seemed to have expected this. They especially left a small patrol squad to guide and assemble these aristocratic families in different air regions. Even so, half a day had passed before they began flying toward the third fleet in formation. Zhao Yuyings airship was a highspeed corvette, an upgrade of the standard model the Zhao clan was building for the empire. Its performance was much better than airships of the same grade. Qianye knew the journey was long. He remained in his own cabin after boarding the airship, cultivating and adjusting his condition to its peak. Zhao Yuying had also discarded her disorganized style and was seizing the moment to cultivate. One day and one night passed in flight. The landing fleets formation had loosened into a long snake, and some of the aristocratic families were even struggling to keep up with the others. Qianye was cultivating when the ships alarms rang out. He suddenly opened his eyes, shot up, and grabbed Thunderbolt. Only then did he remember that he was still in the void and that Thunderbolt was useless here. Hence, Qianye put the sniper rifle down and ran toward the bridge. Zhao Yuying was already in the captains room at the moment, gazing intently into the distance. Whats going on? Qianye inquired. An Evernight ambush squadron, Zhao Yuying replied in a hurry. Through the windows, Qianye could see the distant fleet of sinister-looking Evernight ships. Their bodies were round with long frames sticking out in each direction, making them look like spiders from a distance. The most eye-catching were the sharp spikes on their bodies. These thorns werent just used to scare peopletheir function was to tear apart the enemy airship in a close quarter fight. One would know at a glance that the fleet belonged to the arachne. Their airship technology was only a bit better than the werewolves, but they were durable and cheap to construct. The arachne ambush squadron was made up of dozens of airships. They sped up abruptly as the two fleets came into each others view and spread out toward the imperial landing vessels. Although the two sides were disproportionate in numbers, the imperial side consisted mostly of transport airships with no firepower. There was only a small number of true escort battleships. Some of the landowning households had used cargo airships as a stopgap measure, causing them to lag behind the primary fleet and the entire formation to stretch longer. Zhao Yuying stared at an arachne battleship zooming in from the front and shouted, That one, follow it! That arachne warship was over twice as large as their corvette, but the fearless Zhao Yuying ordered the captain to give chase. Through the windows, one could see the imperial escort ships advancing one after another, leaving only a few to guard the landing party. The Zhao clans corvette held the obvious performance advantage, leaving the other imperial airships in the dust and closing in on the arachne fleet. Very soon, it was a mere thousand meters away. The corvette shook violently at this moment as it shot out a two-meter-long metallic crossbow boltthe projectile glowed with a sinister hue as it flew toward the arachne warship. The arachne warships eight trestles quickly lit up with origin power and, with a couple of swift movements, dragged the massive airship into a sharp turn to dodge the arrow. From a distance, this giant airship was as agile and life-like as an arachne warrior. The corvette fired once more under Zhao Yuyings command, but it grazed past the arachne airship. Useless! Zhao Yuying smashed the helm with her fist. The arachne warship seemed to have realized the Zhao clan corvettes power. It decided not to engage the ship on its tail and, instead, leverage its agility to maintain a constant distance between them. It soon charged into a group of landing vessels belonging to low and middle-ranked aristocratic families. This squadron consisted of a dozen-odd cargo airships of varying models, and only a couple of which were lightly armed. The arachne battleship rushed up barbarically and passed through the obstruction of the armed airships after taking a few hits. It swerved around and crashed fiercely into a transport airship, and then moved on without slowing down. Those sharp barbs were like blades and produced several long defects on the transport airships. A row of cannons stretched out from the arachne battleships side. A volley of shots struck the damaged areas on the transport ship, causing a series of wild explosions inside. Seeing the spray of raging flames, even an amateur like Qianye understood that the transport was done for. A spring of the arachne airships eight legs sent the airship flying toward the next transport. The transports spread out to evade but they were simply too slow to get away from the pursuit. Trash! A group of rubbish! Zhao Yuying was furious. Her corvette had already fired four or five ballista rounds, but most of them were dodged. Only one of them connected and left minor damage on the arachne battleship. The explosion of every transport ship signified the deaths of hundreds of soldiers. A flying champion might be saved after rushing out of the airship, but the other soldiers would fall into the void along with the burning vessel. The one in charge of this arachne battleship was apparently an expert. It darted about with great alacrity and would always dodge the attacks from behind at the last moment. It seemed to have no intention of getting tangled up with Zhao Yuyings corvette. Qianye observed the arachne battleship carefully and discovered that there were origin arrays at the ends of its limbs. They would push the battleship in a different direction every time ripples of light appeared around them. From a distance, it looked very much like a large spider treading over water. On several occasions, Zhao Yuying wanted to man the cannons herself, however, the captain might not necessarily be able to catch up to the arachne warship without her instructions. Zhao Yuyings eyes were sharp and she had ample experience in this field, allowing her to project the opponents movements from very subtle changes. Qianye observed for a while and discovered that the Zhao clan corvettes speed, braking power, and firepower were well above the arachne battleship, but was less agile. The situation on the battlefield at this moment had become rather chaotic. There were burning airships everywhere and transports flying off in all directions, the perfect time for these arachne airships to shine. Qianye formed an idea after getting the knack of things. He walked over to Zhao Yuying and said, You pilot, Ill man the cannons. Zhao Yuyings eyes lit up. Okay! You lot, take Qianye to the cannons! As Qianye disappeared through the gangway leading to the cannon platform, the captain said in a soft voice, Miss, young noble Qianye has never used a ship cannon before, has he? Is this appropriate? Zhao Yuying sneered, Even if he misses every shot, it cant be any worse than you trash! The captains face turned red and no longer dared say anything. It actually wasnt that the Zhao clan warriors werent capable. It was just that the one controlling the arachne battleship was a true expert. Such a person was more than capable of driving a regular army battleship if he were on the empires side.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 574: Bai t [V6C104 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye scuttled into the cannon turret and took the place of the previous operator. Afterward, he quickly learned the operation under the instruction of the latter. The corvettes ballista wasnt too complicatedthe difficulty lay in the fact that the ballista bolt wasnt too fast in its initial phase. The long travel time gave the opponent sufficient time to evade. The arachne had been using this weakness to dodge the projectile time and again. But the giant ballista cannon required little in terms of origin array and gunpowder, while offering higher range than a normal origin cannon. Hence, it was the weapon of choice for high-speed vessels like this corvette. Qianye moved the control stick after learning the ropes. The massive cannon turret turned accordingly and pointed toward the nearby arachne battleship. Young Noble Qianye... The cannoneer beside him was stunned after seeing Qianye move the turret with his own strength. The turret was several tons in weight and required origin arrays to aid in its movement. The cannoneers movements were slower because he had to first activate the arrays then adjust the direction. That was also the reason why it was difficult to aim at the agile arachne airship. But Qianye had actually moved the turret with brute strength to the shock of everyone around him. In Qianyes hands, this heavy turret was just like an ordinary cannon on the city wall. Its turning speed was several times faster than the norm. He then took aim with bated breath and stomped on the pedal. The entire ship shook violently a ballista bolt flew out once more! The cannoneers around Qianye adopted weird expressions after it was fired. That was because Qianyes aim wasnt just a little bit off; it was dozens of meters away from the arachne battleship. That arachne battleship wouldnt even need to adjust its course because the projectile wasnt going to hit. As expected, the arachne battleship moved slightly to the left but quickly returned to its previous course without moving toward the ballista bolt. The cannoneers and reloaders went silent. They were all descendants from Zhao Yuyings main branch, so none of them dared say anything out of consideration from Qianye and Zhao Yuyings status. Qianye didnt seem to think there was anything wrong with his aim. He stomped again on the pedal as soon as the reloader had installed a new bolt. This time, his aim was slightly betterthe projectile flew past the arachne battleship from above. Although the vessel was shocked out of its wits, the bolt was still a dozen or so meters from hitting. Qianye, seemingly oblivious to his bad marksmanship, took aim once more. At the bridge, Zhao Yuying cried out excitedly, Well done! This shocked the captain quite a bit. Zhao Yuying turned to him and roared, What are you gazing at? Speed up! The captain raised their acceleration to the max out of reflex, but there were still doubts in his heart. The arachne battleships flexibility was far above the corvettes. Increasing their speed would only make it easier for the former to shake them off. This had happened several times already. But the captain soon found that their distance from the arachne battleship was decreasing rapidly. The cannoneers and reloaders around Qianye had also noticed what had happened. It turned out that Qianyes poorly aimed ballista bolts were always aimed toward where the arachne battleship was about to go. The arachne battleship seemed to have become anxious. Its two following turns became extremely evident, and it was forced back in each attempt. Presently, it was almost flying in a straight line. The deciding factor in a straight line was pure speed. This oddly shaped arachne battleship was far from being the Zhao clan corvettes match. In the blink of an eye, the two airships had come within five hundred meters of one another! They were so close that Zhao Yuying had the impulse to rush out with Mountain Splitter and blast the enemy ship. Qianye finally aimed straight this time and fired another bolt which struck the arachne battleships wing. The main body of the ship was intact, but one of its limbs was shattered and the one adjacent became immobile. This cannon shot caused the arachne battleship to lose some alacrity, much like a spider that had lost a limb. However, the effect wasnt too pronounced. Qianye fired yet again. The project that seemed like it would miss at first actually connected as the arachne battleship swerved to evade an airship wreck. This time, it blasted away two more limbs, and the worst part was that the three damaged limbs were all on the same side. The arachne battleship became slow, clumsy, and unstable. Qianye was no longer required for dealing with this crippled enemy. The Zhao clans well-trained crew were perfectly sufficient for the job. The corvette simply flew around the arachne warship continuously, peppering the arachne battleship with all kinds of weapon and cannon fire. At the same time, it evaded the enemys counterattack with great agility. Qianye fired once more from the ballista and destroyed several of the arachne battleships side cannons, drastically decreasing its firepower. And hence, the arachne battleships fate was sealed. Even so, arachne vessel armors were known for their sturdiness and durability. The vessel endured for quite a while under the Zhao clan ships bombardment before finally exploding. The corvette circled the wreckage once to confirm that all of the passengers were dead before turning toward a different fight. After the initial chaos, the escorts left behind by the imperial third fleet finally reacted. They formed squadrons of threes that worked together to finish off the arachne ambushers. The compatibility of imperial ship classes, their combat strategy, and superior training became evident as the arachne assailants were destroyed one after the other. The arachne could no longer endure after losing half their fleet and began to retreat. However, it was no easy matter to pull back at this point. Many of the aristocratic fleet escorts were powerful high-speed battleships that were even faster than the enemy. The battle finally came to a close after a series of pursuit battles and the destruction of the four battleships the arachne had left as rearguard. Qianye remained seated inside the primary turret. He had destroyed two and badly damaged one arachne battleships in this fight. For someone operating the guns for his first time, it could be considered quite a glorious achievement. But Qianye wasnt that happy as his eyes fell outside the cabin window. Embedded there was a piece of twisted steel that had nearly pierced the cabin. Half of the steel plate had been charred black from the flames, and there was even a broken, similarly charred arachne limb stuck to it. That steel plate was likely embedded in the armor plate outside of the cannon tower and had come extremely close to piercing through. If that had actually happened, Qianye, who was inside the turret, would be in grave danger. With the speed and velocity at which the metal plate had flown over, Qianye would need to use East Peak in order to have a chance at blocking it. He wouldve been gravely injured otherwise. But there was only enough space in the turret for a single operator, and it wasnt even possible to stand. Where would he get the space to swing East Peak? The scale of this battle couldnt be considered too great, but it had allowed Qianye to truly experience its dangers and cruelty first hand. A single person was too weak and, more often than not, helpless in the face of those origin cannons and giant ballistae. Another difference between land and airship combat was the casualty rate. Ordinary soldiers had no way to survive in the void once the airship had exploded. The fate of champion-level experts, on the other hand, depended on their luck. Those arachne airships, for instance, had at least a viscount-level expert overseeing them. But this ambush was squad was clearly outnumberedno matter how much individual fighting power they possessed, they were still surrounded by enemies in every direction. There was no way for them to receive reinforcements after the destruction of their battleships. Qianye had seen at least three or four dark race experts jump out from the destroyed airships. But where were they to run amidst the imperial fleet? In the end, they were slaughtered one after the other. No arachne could last under the bombardment of the ballistae made specifically to pierce thick airship armor. They were blasted into pieces no matter how sturdy their bodies were. Only characters at the divine champion level could control the flow of battle on their own. Most champions would be considered fortunate if they could preserve their lives. No matter how skilled Zhao Yuyings piloting skills and no matter how good Qianyes aim were, all they could do was tangle with a couple of airships. The effect on the battle as a whole was almost negligible. It was inside this turret that Qianye first experienced just how minuscule a single persons power was in the vast void. After the battle ended, the transport fleet cleaned up briefly before setting out again on the remainder of the journey, leaving an array of floating debris in the void. The empire had lost dozens of transport vessels during this cruel battle. Nearly ten thousand soldiers on them were forever laid to rest without ever reaching their intended battlefield. Half of the lost airships belonged to low-ranking aristocratic families and the remainder to landowning households and commoner families. Even so, the losses in personnel were true and real. The arachne losses werent anything to scoff at, either. In the end, that elite squadron lost over half of its members, a casualty ratio that could be considered grave. Moreover, the commander of the first airship Qianye destroyed was not at all below Zhao Yuying in terms of control and skill. Qianye walked out of the turret and returned the position to its original operator. He then walked up to the bridge and gazed out. At the ends of his vision, he could see the Wei clans fleet advancing rapidly. The Wei clan was one of the two high-ranking aristocratic families in the fleet, but the size of their fleet was only ranked fourth in the armada. Far East Province was still in a state of war, so they had to leave enough airships there to safeguard the land. But the Wei clan fleets formation was well-organized despite their small numbers. Apparently, they were all well-trained elites. Both their airships and transports were at the same grade as those currently in use by the regular army. In the battle just now, the arachne immediately made the wise decision to avoid this piece of hard bone. On the other side, the airships carrying soldiers from the mid to low ranking aristocratic families and landowning households were much less presentable. They didnt possess that faint killing intent, either. It would seem this period of fierce battle in the Far East Province had brought the Wei clan more than just lossesit had also baptized their soldiers in the flames of war. It was no wonder why some insightful people would give up their comfortable lives in the interior of the continents to pioneer new land in war-torn places. Just like that, the massive landing fleet marched on through the silent void. Equipped with the experience of a previous ambush, the imperial landing fleet lowered their overall speed and maintained a tight formation. And after paying the price of blood, even the most arrogant and unrestrained of warriors came to understand the cruelty of the void battlefield. As such, they obediently followed the instructions of the guide vessels from the third imperial fleet and no longer acted on their own. The third imperial fleet didnt dispatch additional escort vessels even after this battle. That terrifying main armada was nowhere to be found. On the bridge, Zhao Yuying handed the work to the captain and arrived beside Qianye. Great work! Next time, Ill feel assured to let you go alone. Qianye laughed wryly. Its not like Im a kid. Zha Yuying glared at him and said, Back then, this mommy has even seen you butt-naked. At the mention of this topic no one knew was true or not, Qianye could only raise his hands in defeat. Fine, fine, whatever you say goes. Zhao Yuying lit up a cigarette, and then tossed one to Qianye. What were you thinking about? Isnt smoking prohibited on the airship? Zhao Yuying looked at him disdainfully. Who cares? This mommy is the boss here. Can other people smoke, then? They dont dare! Whoever dares smoke, this mommy will break his leg. That is unless he can beat me. Qianye looked over at Zhao Yuying and saw a righteous look on her face. Apparently, she found nothing wrong with her double-standard rules. All she knew was that others couldnt use her as an example. Yuying, why isnt the escort being increased even though we suffered an ambush? The void was incomparably vast, not to mention the place they were headed to was a newly discovered floating continent. Their current flight route wasnt even a fixed path, so encountering the dark races here was too much of a coincidence. It was clear that the Evernight side had locked onto this landing fleet and there were more battles to come. Zhao Yuying spat out a ring of smoke and watched it rise into the air. She then patted Qianyes shoulder and said, Dont think about it. There wont be any reinforcements. Qianye frowned. But with the current escort strength, just one more arachne fleet is enough to inflict grave losses. Zhao Yuying sneered, So what? You think those major characters up there care about such little losses? To be honest, most of the people in this fleet are nothing more than cannon fodder. We cant rely on them to conquer the floating continent. Even people like you and I... we may be part of the core fighting power, but were not yet the deciding force. Qianyes brows locked even tighter. He understood Zhao Yuyings implications, and it wasnt that he didnt know this logic. However, it was truly uncomfortable to know that so many well-trained soldiers were being abandoned just like that. Zhao Yuying said after seeing Qianyes expression, Half of the key to winning this war lies with the floating continent. The bosses of those imperial fleets are probably eager to finish off the main Evernight armada. Its of no importance to them even if the entire landing fleet is lost because, as long as the enemy armada is gone, the floating continent will fall into imperial hands sooner or later. This entire landing fleet is a bait?! Qianye felt that it was inconceivable. One had to know that this was an army made up of tens of thousands of soldiers. Theres nothing impossible about this. How can this be called a battle of national fate if the bait isnt big enough? Zhao Yuying laughed coldly. Qianye gradually calmed down and sighed. If you and I were in their shoes, well probably make the same decision, wont we? Zhao Yuying looked outside the window and said calmly, The day you do such things without speaking about it is the day you grow up. Qianyes heartbeat sped up ever so slightly as a figure with silver hair appeared before his eyes. Now that he was beginning to see more and more imperial reports from various routes, he would always look subconsciously for news of that person. Qianye didnt really know what he was looking for, but his heart would tighten whenever he saw news about the man missing from various events due to injuries. Qianye sighed after a moment of pondering. Im probably not suited for leading armies. My place is probably on the frontlines, charging into the enemy. Zhao Yuyings expression became gloomy as though she had recalled something. No one wants to be the general, but someone always has to sit in that position. And those at the top arent necessarily happy, either. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 575: Boarding [V6C105 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes emotional stir sent the two into a lapse of silence. The massive landing fleet crawled on through the void. Several ambushes appeared along the way, but the assailants were mostly small squadrons and their fighting power couldnt compare to the first arachne fleet. Even so, the series of assaults caused the landing fleet to lose a dozen or so airships. Again, thousands of soldiers were put to eternal sleep in the cold void. However, the Evernight sides losses were even worse than the empiresthis reached a point where no more ambush squadrons appeared toward the last day. The journey appeared fairly long. Even the high-speed corvette Qianye was on had been refueled when the floating continent finally appeared in the extremes of his vision. Gazing over from the bridge, the void landmass, at the moment, was nothing more than a speck of light the size of a fingernail. In truth, it was a large continent of seven provinces. Even though the continent had already come into vision, it still took the landing fleet half a days time to approach it. Specks of fire could be seen occasionally in the distant darkness of the void. Qianye learned from Zhao Yuying that the imperial fleet was fighting the Evernight Councils allied fleet, and that each burst of light signified the explosion of a battleship. Only the explosions of large battleships could be seen over such distances. The destruction of lighter vessels could only be seen by people like Qianye who possessed extraordinary vision. Even so, Qianye had seen over a dozen fireballs within a short period of time. It would seem that the battle situation in the distance was exceptionally fierce. At this moment, the imperial guide airship issued a light signal. An alarm immediately rang out on the corvette as the captain roared in his hoarse voice, All hands to battle stations! Were going to charge through the warzone and perform a forced landing! The corvette immediately broke into a clamor as the resting crew jumped up and ran to their posts. At the bridge, Zhao Yuying arrived beside the captain and stood there gazing into the distant void. Meanwhile, Qianye left the bridge and headed toward the turret where he belonged. Like a flock of startled birds, the barely organized imperial landing fleet quickly dispersed and darted toward the floating continent. At this moment, almost all of the transport ships were accelerating at the fastest speed possible. This made evident the performance levels of each shipthe ones at the fore were more or less able to catch up with the guide ships, while those lagging at the rear were no different from sluggish cargo vessels. In truth, most of them really were cargo ships that had been slightly modified. The turrets view window had undergone simple repairs, but the tear above was still there. Through the window, Qianye could see numerous Evernight airships swarm over like sharks drawn to blood. There were many imperial battleships following this group of sharks, but they werent in a rush to obstruct the enemies. They merely roamed around the periphery instead, launching fierce attacks from time to time. The imperial landing fleet immediately became a chaotic mess. The transport captains steered away with all their might to avoid the incoming swarm of bloodthirsty enemies, all the while cursing at the imperial fleet. Some desperate transports released large clouds of steam in an attempt to hide their tracks. However, things in the void were different from the continents. How effective could a steam cloud be amidst the vast emptiness? Zhao Yuying, on the other hand, wasnt one to stand around and watch the liveliness. The corvette spun around lightly, locked onto a vampire battleship, and charged right over. That vampire battleship was slender, elegant, and almost one and a half times the length of the Zhao clan shipapparently, it was a destroyer class vessel. Even so, Zhao Yuying still engaged it without the slightest worry. She kept teaching Qianye how serious fleet battles were, but she was the craziest one on the battlefield. Thousands of meters away, the vampire destroyers twin cannon turrets rumbled at the same time and fired two rocket-sized ballista bolts. Moreover, the shots were fired from the left and right, slightly restricting the corvettes evasive maneuvers. Just this method alone proved that the operator of the enemy ship wasnt simple. Additionally, the vampire destroyer was still approaching rapidly. The corvette was now in a precarious situation against an enemy that outclassed it in both armor and firepower. The vampire destroyer could even board them because the enemy captain, as well as their warriors, held the level advantage. However, this Zhao clan corvette happened to be an exception. With both Qianye and Zhao Yuying present, even the crew of a cruiser or battleship would find it difficult to hold the advantage. The corvette deftly evaded the enemy volley, but this maneuver unwittingly brought the two vessels closer. Meanwhile, the vampire destroyer sped up deliberately after stopping its primary cannons, clearly about to board. Qianye aimed several times at the destroyers critical points, but knowing Zhao Yuyings intentions, he had no choice but to hold back. A couple of shots werent enough to destroy the opponent, but it might anger them and cause them to stop trying to capture the vessel. After a brief chase, the corvette was locked onto by the vampire destroyers anchor guns. Numerous grappling hooks flew out soon afterwardthe steel cables tightened with a buzz as the destroyer pulled the corvette in and bound the vessel to itself. All of a sudden, a sword pierced through the cabin door where the two ships were connected. The blade then circled around the door and practically sawed it off. The thick, sturdy cabin doors flew out and fell to the floor with a loud boom. An arrogant-looking vampire elder appeared at the cabin door, a viscount as denoted by the decorations on his uniform. He was followed by ten vampire warriors equipped with heavy armor and axes. In this narrow space, each of them looked like a fortress made of steel. The vampire viscount laughed coldly after boarding. I might let you live as slaves in my castle if you lay down your weapons and surrender immediately. Otherwise He hadnt even finished speaking when his eyes suddenly went wide! Zhao Yuying suddenly walked out from a passage and raised Mountain Splitter to his chest. At this moment, the brilliance gathering at the cannons muzzle even caused his blood core to tremble! Zhao Yuyings movements werent fast, but the vampire viscount still couldnt react in time. He watched as the cannon shell, suffused with an aura of death, emerge from the muzzle in a flash of light. He wanted to run but it felt as though his legs were submerged in a swamp. He lifted one leg with great difficulty, but the projectile had reached his chest before he could even put it down. With a loud boom, a gaping hole appeared on the cabin wall as well as on the vampires body. Zhao Yuying didnt hold back at all and only stopped after firing several rounds in one go. When the origin tempest dispersed, one could see that the boarding point on the corvette had more or less been blasted apart. The damage on the destroyer was even more terrifyingit looked as if it had taken a blast from a cruiser. Amidst the rubble, the vampire viscounts upper body had disappeared and several corpses were scattered around him. These vampire assault warriors simply had no way of enduring the might of Mountain Splitter, especially since the hand cannons damage was greatly amplified in this enclosed space. Inside the vampire destroyer, the captain was sitting with a glass of red wine in hand and gazing at another battlefield. The current boarding procedure was but a negligible matter to him. A corvettes captain would, according to his experience, be a rank-nine fighter at most. The person he had sent was his aide, a third-rank viscount from a family with a long history. The latter was even accompanied by six high-ranking warriors who specialized in melee combat. How could they not win? When the abrupt explosion took place, it was far beyond the captains imaginations. Under the fierce swinging, the wine in his glass spilled out and stained his intricately crafted suit. Goddammit! He stood up while cursing furiously, curious as to what had just happened. But then he walked over to the window and almost fainted when he saw the massive hole in the airships side. He soon came to and roared, Rider, that trash. What the hell is he doing?! With a defect of this degree, it would be lucky if they could return to Twilight Continent in one piece, much less do battle. It turned out that capturing an imperial corvette had destroyed the captains dreams of harvesting military honors and great riches. W-Whats going on? The vampire captains hands couldnt help but tremble, so much so that he didnt even notice the wine was spilling onto his body. It was at this time that Qianyes voice arrived from behind him. Simple, you provoked someone you cant afford to. Who goes there?! The vampire captain turned around just in time to see the window in front shatter as a slender figure walked into the bridge as though he had trod through the void. The metallic goblet fell to the floor with a clang as the captains hands trembled uncontrollably. That was a shiver coming from the depths of his blood corefor a brief moment, the captain felt as though he had seen a prince. Qianye stood silently in front of the captain, the floor beside him littered with corpses. Even the captain himself had no idea how his subordinates had collapsed. Qianyes eyes grew increasingly mysterious as he gazed at the captainmuch like a bottomless abyss. The blood and qi of this vampire was completely visible to him, and there was simply no secret to speak of. A second-rank viscount. Qianye felt that the hadnt faced a second-rank viscount seriously since the bloody battle. You should address me as excellency. Call me Your Excellency Phillips. Dear Mr. Phillips, a mere second-rank viscount has no right to call himself an excellency, at least not in front of me. Phillips was furious. Youre insulting the dignity of an ancient clan! Ancient clan? Too bad youre not from the twelve. Phillips drew his sword with a clang. Ill use your blood to wash away your rudeness!Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 576: Requisition [V6C106 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Pity? This feeling of being pitied made Phillips extremely uncomfortable. He pounced toward Qianye with a low growl, aiming for the latters chest with his blade. However, he had just taken a step out when he noticed strands of dark golden mist rising up around Qianye. Philips eyes immediately went wide in shock because, in his eyes, this wasnt a mist at all. It was blood energya dark golden blood energy of unknown rank! Philips blood core had more or less stopped beating at this moment. His instincts from the depths of his bloodline told him that the level of this dark golden blood energy was far beyond his imagination. It looked, on the surface, as though Phillips movements had paused only slightly, but this momentary lapse was enough to threaten his life. Phillips did his best to activate the blood energy on his body and fight back against Qianye. However, a nearly-indefensible pressure fell upon his body and made it difficult for him to even move. Soon, East Peak flew over and pierced through his chest with relative ease, effectively destroying his blood core. With the fall of its two viscounts, this destroyer lost the ability to resist and was slaughtered in the blink of an eye. The Zhao clan warriors on the corvette hacked off the anchoring cables one by one and set their vessel free. This vampire destroyer was so badly damaged that it would hardly be of any use in the battle to come. Hence, Zhao Yuying had abandoned it decisively. She would decide later when the battles in the region were overif it should be left as space junk or if it should be towed back and scavenged. Qianye returned to the corvette and watched the destroyer drift away. The Zhao clan vessel had also suffered considerable damage and was no longer suitable for combateven a war-monger like Zhao Yuying understood this. She ordered the ship to turn about and fly toward the floating continent. At this moment, more and more airships from the Evernight side were coming into view. A fierce battle broke out around the empires massive landing fleet with vessels going up in flames every minute. The corvette swung wildly amidst the shockwaves as metallic fragments from unknown locations pounded on their hull, some even piercing through the armor. But in the end, the corvetteby virtue of its high performance and Zhao Yuyings skillsmanaged to evade several waves of opponents looking to take advantage of the situation. After teaching these people a lesson they wouldnt easily forget, the corvette successfully traversed the firing line and rushed into the floating continent. The Zhao clan vessel staggered toward an imperial airship port and more or less smashed to the ground. The impact sent pieces of hull-armor flying off in every direction, nearly smashing a maintenance vehicle. A number of imperial technicians rushed over as Qianye and Zhao Yuying walked out. A brigadier general clicked his tongue while looking at the battered hull. You guys are quite lucky to have come back alive! How did the battle go? We destroyed a vampire destroyer and some other small fries, Zhao Yuying said in a carefree manner. The brigadier general wasnt all that powerful, but he had served in the army for many years. His expression shifted immediately since he knew the weight of Zhao Yuyings words. The man then asked while knocking on a piece of the corvettes nearly-detached armor. This isnt easy at all, how did you destroy it? Zhao Yuying shrugged. Easy! They wanted to board our ship, but I finished off the boarding team and Qianye killed the captain. The end. The brigadier general couldnt close his mouth for quite a while. They actually wanted to board your ship? What a bunch of unlucky fellows. But the brigadier general appeared puzzled when his gaze fell upon Qianye. He was very clear that a vampire destroyer captain would be a third-rank viscount at the very least. How had Qianye finished off the captain on his own? It looked like the job was pretty clean, too, judging from his current appearance. The brigadier general had formed an initial evaluation of Qianye and Zhao Yuyings strength. Hs attitude immediately became much more respectful as he asked, What are your plans after this? Zhao Yuying looked up at the fierce battles in the sky and asked Qianye, Interested in harvesting some more contribution points? Qianye shrugged. Why not? But our corvette here looks like it needs serious repairs. Zhao Yuyings eyes fell upon a readied imperial destroyer and said, Well use that one! The brigadier general was shocked out of his wits. That wont do! That one is the third fleets reserve team. It might have to enter the battlefield at a moments notice! Zhao Yuying produced a set of documents from her pocket and stuffed it into the generals hands. I hereby requisition this ship for the Zhao clan. Heres the order. The brigadier general scanned the papers and found that it was indeed a writ of requisition. He smiled wryly and was just about to say something when Zhao Yuying cut him short. The battle is already in this state. Whats the point of a reserve force?! But please wait a while. The brigadier general was anxious upon seeing Zhao Yuying walk toward the destroyer. He followed in a hurry in a bid to block her way. Qianye happened to pass by the man at this moment. As such, he reached out and patted the mans shoulder with a smile. Its settled, then. The brigadier general remained frozen in place without so much as a movement. He could only watch as Qianye and Zhao Yuying walk over with the Zhao clan crew in tow and took control of the destroyer. The brigadier general finally let out a muffled groan as the airship took to the skies. He staggered back with a flushed face and nearly stumbled to the ground. Shocked out of their wits, the soldiers nearby ran over to help him up. The brigadier general panted deeply for a while before calming down his boiling origin power. He then muttered with overwhelmed emotions, So powerful! His eyes were already full of fear and trepidation when he looked up again at the leaving destroyer. Qianyes casual pat just now had sent a wisp of origin power into the mans body. This sent the latters origin power into a boil and tormented him for a fairly long time. It was destroyed by the brigadier general in the very end, but this process cost the latter ten times the origin power. Just this contrast alone allowed the brigadier general to realize that their strengths were on completely different levels despite having the same military rank. It would be extremely easy for Qianye to kill him if he wanted to. This brigadier general was from the third imperial fleet. The officers from the airship fleets had eyes on their heads and always viewed the land army corps with disdain. They werent interested in the elites of the major clans, either. But in the face of Qianyes suppressive power, he finally knew what it was to fear and respect. An officer nearby asked while looking at the vanishing airship, Now what do we do? The brigadier general turned gloomy as he glanced at the requisition order in his hand. We can only hope that they can earn enough contributions to shut the superiors up. Otherwise, theyre going to have a big problem on their hands. The officers looked over at the requisition order with complicated expressions. There were several types of requisition orders in the empire, and most of them were used by the army to forcefully acquire resources and supplies in urgent situations. But the one Zhao Yuying had handed him was the most special typeit was one which allowed the Zhao clan to requisition resources, equipment, and personnel from the imperial army. The one in Zhao Yuyings hands represented medium authority, just enough to conscript a destroyer. Such orders naturally didnt exist in abundance. Those that did were strictly controlled in the hands of major clans and the top few aristocratic families. In the past, these orders were used by the imperial court to rope in and reward the major clans. After all, the regular army corps were all forces belonging to the imperial court, at least in name. But the use of these orders would always result in great dissent from the relevant army corps, not to mention that the current requisition target was an airship fleet whose status wasnt at all inferior to the elite corps. The destroyer flew into the skies and quickly vanished from everyones vision. Many officers on the ground couldnt help but shake their heads. But at this moment, a large cruiser arrived in a shaky descent. There were several broken parts on the ship spewing out flames. Prepare for rescue! the brigadier general shouted with narrowed eyes, and then rushed toward the cruise with his subordinates in tow. On the tower of the airship port, a general with an imposing demeanor was standing before the window with an ashen yet cryptic expression. This old lieutenant general was the vice-commander-in-chief of the third fleet, the one in charge of this specific airspace. His expression shifted abruptly as the glanced back and shouted, Why has No. 36 launched? I dont recall ordering it into battle! His subordinate darted away quickly and soon returned with news. He placed a piece of document in front of the general and said, No. 36 has been requisitioned by the Zhao clan and forced into the air. Their aim is very likely to take part in the battle. Yang Li banged the window with his fist and roared furiously, Mischief! This is real mischief! He grabbed the requisition order and nearly tore it apart in his fury. However, he suppressed his anger after giving it some thought. He looked at the document and suddenly broke out into cold laughter. These clans are really getting out of hand. They actually dare extend their hands into our third fleet. Someone! An aide immediately stepped forward. What orders do you have sir? Pack this carefully and send it over to General Lu. The aides expression became serious. Yes sir, Ill deliver it without fail. Yang Li sent the aide away with a wave of his hand. Then, he stared fixedly toward the void with frosty eyes. At this moment in the void, Zhao Yuying was standing in the bridge and scanning the vast space for potential targets. Meanwhile, Qianye had entered the turret and was operating it with great familiarity. Imperial destroyers were each outfitted with two ballistae and one high-power origin cannon as the main weapon. There were also a number of auxiliary weapons. This was a bit troublesome for Qianye since there was simply no way for him to operate two ballistae at the same time. Hence, no matter how accurate he was, the power he could add was rather limitedand this was only a destroyer. This would be even more pronounced on a battleship. The might of a single person was truly minuscule in a true fleet battle. The destroyer made a sharp turn in the air and locked onto an arachne battleship. Zhao Yuyings timing was spot on because that arachne battleship couldnt see their approach. It had just destroyed a transport, and its line of vision was blocked out by the flame. Qianye naturally wouldnt miss such an opportunity. He fired three consecutive shots at the greatest speed, two of which found their mark and blasted away the arachne airships steering limbs. Zhao Yuying also grasped this opening to lock firmly onto the crippled enemy. At this point, there was no longer a need for great aim as the cannoneers simply poured out their maximum firepower onto the enemy ship. Before long, the arachne destroyer was in flamesit gradually sunk down, and then stopped moving in the void. Zhao Yuying ordered the ship to stop firing and speed up. Their ship flew past the arachne battleship and sped into the distance.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 577: Accomplishmen t [V6C107 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye glanced at the burning arachne battleship as they passed by, but until the very end, he found no one climbing out from within. Apparently, the crew had all died inside. Qianye moved about restlessly as a sense of uncomfortable helplessness arose in his heart. A force made up of an arachne viscount and hundreds of elites couldnt be considered weak at all on a ground battlefieldone would need to spend some time in order to finish them off. Such a force had currently perished in the blink of an eye, and he hadnt even seen what they looked like. Qianye quickly recollected his thoughts and turned toward a different direction. Zhao Yuyings control of the ship was extremely decisive. She began accelerating madly just as a squadron of three Evernight battleships appeared in the distance. If she hadnt accelerated in advance, it was quite likely that they wouldve been surrounded already. Zhao Yuying circled far around the enemy and charged diagonally into an area populated with imperial airships. Even so, the three Evernight battleships were still on their tail. Qianye turned the turret around and aimed at the enemy from afar, observing their movements all the while. Two out of the three battleships were vampire models, while the third was an arachne type. Among them, the arachne airships movements were the most erratic. However, the arachne battleship left an intense trail of origin power in Qianyes True Sight and slowly painted a clear picture of its movements. Qianye stomped down on the foot pedal all of a sudden, sending a three-meter-long ballista bolt flying into the void. It was just that the projectiles landing point was an empty voidthere was nothing there at all. Its proximity to the arachne battleship was only relative. This blast surprised even Zhao Yuying. She muttered to herself, Did he misfire? However, that arachne battleship made a sudden leap and actually moved into the bolts trajectory! The giant metallic bolt easily punched through the battleships armor and drilled right into its core region. Afterward, the origin arrays on the bolt started to flicker, ultimately ending in a shocking explosion. The arachne battleship was merely of the corvette classits speed was immediately reduced after being struck by Qianye. Much like a wounded beast in the chaotic battlefield, it was soon locked onto. Qianyes shot seemed to have alerted the other two vampire destroyers. The two ships lowered their speed at almost the same time and soon left to seek other targets. The imperial destroyer wasnt battle-crazed. It only kept on flying forward and quickly increased the distance between them. The intense airship battles continued for an entire day before coming to a stop. The vessel was full of injuries when Zhao Yuying ordered the ship to descend, but owing to its powerful armor, the imperial battleship hadnt suffered too great a damage. Zhao Yuying and Qianye walked down from the destroyer together. The former grabbed Qianyes shoulder and laughed, Little Five, it looks like we should really build an airship for you. All we need to install is a single high-output cannon. Hearing this, the Zhao clan staff behind them were filled with embarrassment and admiration. The imperial officer in charge of recording contributions had already rushed over. Everyone, including the original captain of the airship, was tongue-tied and their expressions transformed rapidly. They kept stealing glances at Qianye from time to time. During this fierce battle, this destroyer alone had destroyed or crippled two Evernight cruisers and three corvettes. This accomplishment could be considered quite glorious. Meanwhile, the ships own damages were almost negligibleit would be able to fly once more after some repairs. In addition to Zhao Yuyings piloting skills, Qianyes cannon skills had also reached great heights. He was only in charge of a single turret, but his hit rate was almost three out of four. Additionally, most of the kills were achieved in Qianyes hands. He had even set a record of firing three times in a row against the last opponent. At dawn the next day, the horizon had only lit up slightly when the third fleet vice commander-in-chief arrived at the command tower. The battle had already ended at this point, and the airship port was filled with all kinds of battleships, transports, and soldiers who had just disembarked. The scene was one of utter disorder with in-repair and refueling vehicles everywhere. Seeing this scene, Yang Li couldnt help but snort loudly. This caused the temperature in the room to fall by several degrees. A military officer who had followed Yang Li for a long time reported, General, those are all airships belonging to the aristocratic families. They simply park wherever they want regardless of what we say. Yang Lis expression turned dark as he said with a snort, These bloodsuckers are like insects latching onto the empire! He didnt finish the sentence, but his aides all knew the meaning. Yang Li was born from a humble family and had to climb all the way through the ranks to where he was now. He had always believed the major clans to be more bugs than pillars of the empire. It could be said that he detested the clans greatly. At this moment, Yang Li thought of something. Wheres the No. 36 that was conscripted yesterday? Hows it doing? The officer flipped through the records and said, It has returned from battle yesterday with light damages. Its expected to be redeployed after simple repairs. This is No. 36s contribution status. Yang Li saw clear hesitation in the officers eyes. He immediately glared at the man and shouted, Give me that. Whats there to hide? The officer could only pass the register over. Yang Li snatched the document and scanned it briefly before his expression transformed drastically. He then flipped it back and forth several times before handing it back to the officer. The latter said hurriedly, Ive already checked with the crew, the contributions are in order. Yang Li snorted deeply and tossed the register onto the table. Lucky bastards, let them be then. How about General Lu? Yang Li pondered for a moment before saying, Send their contribution report to him. General Lu doesnt like people hiding things. An officer stepped out to perform the task. Another person asked after he had left, General, if we do that, wont we have failed to grasp their weak point? They used a requisition order, so theres no weak point to begin with. But theyre making a big mistake if they think they can do whatever they want just because of their accomplishments. This is a battlefield where massive armies are converging. Its all too easy for a handful of headstrong fellows to encounter an accident, Yang Li said calmly. There was an airship base not too far from the port. Despite being built very recently, it was large, well-equipped, and almost like a small city. This was the temporary base of the imperial third fleet, and also the primary base for this entire war. At this moment in a building at the center of this base, there was a short, middle-aged general with short hair enjoying his breakfast at the dining table. Compared to his general rank, this breakfast was simply too crude and not much better than that of the lower-ranking officers. He consumed his food at a steady rate while listening to the aides report, but he paused ever so slightly as the report arrived at No. 36s accomplishments. The clever aide stopped his report for fear of interrupting the generals thoughts. Moments later, the general stuffed the potato that had been hanging in the air for some time into his mouth. Nice fighting, but this makes me hate them even more. Continue. The aide sighed in relief as he flipped over to the next page and continued reading. He was also a man of humble birth. Although working for the commander-in-chief of the third fleet was a promising future with unique opportunities, he was constantly walking on thin ice. At this moment, Qianye and Zhao Yuying had left the airship port to report-in to the imperial main camp nearby. With Zhao Yuyings identity and status, she was able to procure a batch of military vehicles to transport herself, Qianye, and the accompanying Zhao clan soldiers to the imperial main camp. Along the way, Zhao Yuying asked again, Qianye, are you really not following me? Qianye shook his head. Individual hunting suits me better. Zhao Yuying said with a frown, This isnt the bloody battle or Giants Repose. This is a real war with no limits, do you understand? You might encounter marquises or even dukes in a battle of such scale. Even I will have to run in such circumstances, not to mention you. Operating with the army will reduce your opportunities a bit, but itll be much safer. This was the umpteenth time Zhao Yuying had taken great pains to dissuade Qianye, so he had no choice but to tell the truth, I dont need safety, I need more contributions. Why? What do you need them for? For some reason, Qianye felt uneasy whenever the topic of contributions was brought up. It felt as though something bad was about to happen, and this caused his expression to become unnatural. Zhao Yuying, of course, wouldnt let go of this and kept on pressing the question. I need military contributions, the more the better. I have a feeling itll be useful to me later on. Zhao Yuying glared at Qianye. Military contributions are only to exchange for wealth and status. What other use is there? What do you need that the Zhao clan cant give? A noble rank might be difficult, but theres still room for maneuver. Moreover, youve been in enough battles to know that dead soldiers dont get any contributions. Qianye could only raise his hands in defeat against Zhao Yuyings verbal siege. Fine, fine, I know. Ill come find you once I encounter any danger. Is that alright? Zhao Yuying accepted his response reluctantly, but couldnt help but lecture him some more, Little Five, even Little Four is operating obediently with the main force. You have to know that hes much stronger than you. Qianye nodded in agreement. Just like that, the jeep finally drove into the imperial main camp amidst Zhao Yuyings non-stop talking. Qianye parted ways with Zhao Yuying near the barracks. The empire had different arrangements for independent hunters. Under the guidance of a female major, Qianye arrived at a large tent filled with all kinds of resources. A number of officers were working busily behind a temporary workbench. A lieutenant colonel picked up the register and asked, General Qianye? Thats me. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 578: Lobbying [V6C108 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] With a nod, the lieutenant colonel placed two bagsone big and one smallon the counter. You have chosen to engage in independent hunting. These are your supplies as per imperial military regulations. They have also been adjusted according to your requests. In addition to food, water, and standard supplies, you also have twenty sniper rounds and fifty handgun rounds. Id like to remind you, however, that these bullets contain only a minimal amount of mithril. Dont pin your hopes on these bullets when fighting against major Evernight experts. Qianye nodded to express he had understood. The lieutenant colonel pointed toward the small package and said, This here contains standard medicines and stimulants provided for free. You can apply separately if you require goods of better quality or greater numbers, we still have enough supplies in store. It goes without saying that youll have to pay. Both imperial currency and military contributions are accepted. Afterward, the lieutenant colonel gave Qianye some basic information. The vanguard squad that had been hiding nearby landed right after the empire destroyed the passage in Giants Repose. This caught the Evernight people unprepared and dealt a more or less destructive blow to their base. The empire quickly gained the initiative and proceeded to construct bases in six of the seven provinces. Meanwhile, the dark races quickly dispatched duke-level fighting powers to hold their remnant of a base and take control of that war zone. However, their location was pretty bad and surrounded by three imperial warzones. It would be for the best if Qianye could collect evidence of his kills during the hunting process. However, it was also fine if the battle was too intense and he couldnt find the time. The empire would compare the numbers with their spies and decide his contributions. This rule was a rule known among all veterans, and Qianye was also familiar with it. Additionally, as an expert engaging in independent hunts, Qianye could move freely through the warzones and return to the base anytime to rest and resupply. But at that point, all supplies will have to be paid for or exchanged with contribution points. Qianye listened impatiently to the end, and was just about to excuse himself when the lieutenant colonel said in a whisper, General Qianye, do you have any special warzone youre interested in? Qianye noticed the implications in the mans words. I dont understand very well. Is there any other difference apart from the geography? The officer was all smiles as he said, Of course there is! And its not small, either. You know that all those brave enough to choose independent hunting are true experts. Currently, all the major clans in charge of their own warzones have announced special terms for those willing to operate in their warzone. This includes the imperial court. In truth, this was equivalent to an additional bonus. This was the first time Qianye had heard about such an opportunity, so he was fairly interested. Which clans have announced such conditions? Seeing that the topic had piqued Qianyes interest, the lieutenant colonel immediately became spirited. Its not too convenient to speak here. General Qianye, please come with me, well talk somewhere else. Qianye nodded and followed the lieutenant colonel to a secluded little tent. The man brought out a notebook and flipped to one of the pages. The ones with special conditions are the imperial clan, the Bai clan, the Song clan, and the Li family. A total of five war zones. The Li family? The lieutenant colonel pointed upward and said in a suppressed voice, Its indeed the Li clan of the current empress. Theyve invested greatly this time. Qianyes brows rose sharply. Is that so? Can you tell me more? The lieutenant colonel replied, The Li clan has allied with several other aristocratic families to take down the most dangerous Misty Wood. Any confirmed kill within the Li clan warzone will be awarded resources of equal value to the contribution. Additionally, if the accumulated contributions reach the count level, the Li family will award an additional batch of count-grade resources. Qianye was somewhat moved at this point. This meant that killing a count in the Misty Wood was equal to killing three counts. It was indeed an attractive deal that would pique the interest of many, but it went without saying that greater rewards also came with greater risk. The Misty Wood was a place hated by most experts. A mist capable of locking ones perception was indeed nauseating. Qianye asked calmly, What about the other families? The lieutenant colonel snuck a peek at Qianye but became disappointed upon seeing the indifference. But he still drummed up his spirit and explained, The conditions set forth by the other families arent bad, either. For instance, the Song clan will offer a set remuneration each month in addition to the one hundred percent bonus. The pay will depend on the persons origin power level. The Song clans warzone was called the Full Moon Plains. Half of this place was flat plains, while the other half was filled with mountainous geography. The environment here was relatively better than the Misty Wood. The most attractive part of the deal was still the monthly payment since just hanging out on the battlefield would earn them money. This meant a lot to experts seeking survival. Qianye at first felt that the Song clan was just being lazy, but after some thought, he realized that having enough experts in their warzone was, in and of itself, a form of deterrence. Moreover, these experts would still have to fight once the dark races arrived at the Full Moon Plains. Otherwise, what was the point of them being here? In this manner, the Song clan would be able to obtain a sizeable territory on this floating continent as long as they could hold onto Full Moon Plains. The geography of this place wasnt advantageous for the defender, however, everything had its pros and cons. The lay of the land here was easier for future development. Qianye couldnt help but shake his head at the thought of this. The Song clan had never lacked money, but using it to attract experts all the time wasnt a proper plan for the long term. At least, their own experts would become unknowingly suppressed and the clan descendants would gradually lose their bloodlust. The lieutenant colonel continued with his introduction. The offers from the other families were more or less the same apart from the Bai clan offering their full range of battle armors. The Bai clan was known throughout the empire for producing high-quality armor. With two out of the empires three primary silken gold mines under their control, the clans silken gold armors were always in high demand. One couldnt buy it with money alone. The imperial clans offer was relatively simplea twofold increase in contribution points. However, this was the hardest part of all because contribution points could be directly exchanged for resources in the imperial treasury. Only the imperial court could make such an offer. Other families were only able to hand out rewards of equal value. Naturally, this made no difference if one didnt require special equipment from the imperial armory. Most of those choosing to work for the imperial court werent eyeing resources but connections. Likely due to Lin Xitangs influence, the current emperors promotion of talents focused little on status. For instance, there was no lack of experts from side branches and small families in the Thunderous Cavalry, even commoners and those from landowning families. With great enough performance and contribution, that honored person might even bring him under his wingthis meant so much more than intentionally seeking protection. The offers from every family had been laid out on the table. Qianye pondered in silence, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons in his heart. The lieutenant colonel observed Qianyes expression, then said with a cough, General Qianye, why not listen to my opinion if you dont mind. Qianye smiled at the man and said, Nothing could be better. Pray tell. It would seem this person had played lobbyist many times alreadythe only question was for which family. The lieutenant colonel paused for a moment before saying, General Qianye, Ive heard much about your accomplishments, theyre truly admirable. In my opinion, were fighting to kill enemies of the empire regardless of the location. Why not just pick the warzone offering the most resources? Only with enough resources can you obtain better equipment and progress further in this war. For survival, if nothing else. Youre right. Which family do you recommend? The lieutenant colonel spoke with great confidence, The Misty Wood is the best battlefield! A sharp glint flashed briefly through the depths of Qianyes eyes. Almost no one knew of his advantage in the Misty Wood. Nighteye should be the only one whos most clear about this. How then did this lieutenant colonel find out? The man seemed to have sensed Qianyes momentary killing intent. He immediately broke into a shiver and said hurriedly, General Qianye! I have no other intentions. Qianye gazed at him in silence, waiting for an answer. This brief moment caused the lieutenant colonel to become drenched in cold sweat. He said with a wry smile, Sire, youre right. Ive sided with the Li clan and received benefits from them. But its because of this connection and my current position that I know the Li clans sincerity is the deepest. At least, they had made the biggest bet out of everyone, so theres no fear of them holding back their power. Qianye nodded secretly. A place like the Misty Wood wasnt something just anyone could swallow. In fact, it made more sense if the imperial clan, Zhang clan, or Zhao clan wanted this warzone. The lieutenant colonel wiped away some cold sweat after feeling the pressure lessen. General Qianye, the Misty Wood is indeed dangerous, but from a different perspective, the most dangerous place is also the safest. I heard youre matchless in melee combat, isnt Misty Wood the best place for you to show your skills? Qianye chuckled. Matchless in melee? The nerve of you, I dont want to hear any more about this. But it looks like youre quite attentive toward me! The lieutenant colonel laughed along. This little ones position is all about collecting and organizing information. This is within my scope of duty. The mans tone had grown several times more humble than the outset. Apparently, he had suffered quite the scare. But this lieutenant colonel was no slouch, either, to actually be able to sense Qianyes emergent killing intent. Qianye said in an unperturbed manner, The most dangerous place is also the safest, huh? These words are best left to deceive rookies. Sincerity, however, is a pretty good reason. Anything else there? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 579: Contrac t [V6C109 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The lieutenant colonel was immediately delighted. If youre willing to go, I can guarantee that the Li family will offer another portion of remuneration to your satisfaction. Additionally, your pay and supplies will be carried out at the level of a lieutenant general! Lieutenant general? Qianye broke into a laugh. Thats quite the honor. Im only a brigadier general after all. At this point, Qianye had already realized that this lobbyist was working according to a priority list, one containing the independent experts the Li clan wanted to recruit. Whether the rank of lieutenant general was official or just nominal, one would need to reach rank fourteen at least. But Qianyes current origin power was only at rank tenthe Li familys treatment could be considered a sufficient display of respect. The lieutenant general immediately replied, Everyone knows ranks are just numbers. Only the Song clan is dumb enough to offer payments according to level. But the Song clan warzone is indeed not bad, Qianye said while looking at the map, where are the dark races now? According to the latest report, they may appear anywhere. Weve already won the battle in the void, but at this point, the lieutenant general paused sightly before continuing, the imperial fleet suffered too great of a loss. It could even be considered a miserable loss. According to what I know, the current imperial fleet no longer has the power to lock them in outer space. All they can do right now is escort our landing fleets and weaken the enemy as much as possible with disruptive ambushes. Qianye nodded. This outcome was well within expectations, or perhaps even a bit better than most people had surmised. The empires airship fleet was known to be better than the Evernight sides overall, but the advantage wasnt that evidentit was at most a slight upper hand. Presently, the Evernight Council was already on high alert. The fierce sky battle yesterday was only the beginning of this war. Their main army would soon arrive in an unending stream. The war has already begun. What is your decision? the lieutenant colonel asked cautiously. Qianye pondered for a moment. What else can the Li family offer me? The lieutenant colonel said in a delighted tone, Please wait a while. Ill go and bring a clan elder here to negotiate face to face. Qianyes eyes narrowedit turned out that this person was from the Jingtang Li Family after all. The lieutenant colonel felt a wisp of frosty qi sweep past his neck as he was about to exit the tent. However, Qianye wasnt about to do anything at such a time. He simply sat down and began flipping through the most recent battle reports. Before long, a brigadier general with completely white hair walked into the tent. He saluted Qianye upon entering and said, My name is Li Yanshou, a humble elder of the Li family. I also hold office in the imperial army logistics department. General Qianye is highly promising despite your age. It will be our Li familys fortune if youre willing to operate and hunt in the Misty Wood. Qianye smile faintly. The Misty Wood isnt a good place, the environment is much more suited for the dark races. Li Yanshou replied calmly, It is indeed so. That is why our Li clan is also bringing out sufficient sincerity. In addition to the common bounty offered to everyone, well also provide you with a monthly remuneration of two thousand gold coins or resources of equal value. These conditions were similar to the Song clans, and the aim was to bind experts to their warzone. Judging from these numbers, the Jingtang Li Clan was treating Qianye as they would an expert three levels higher. It could be said that their respectful attitude was impeccable. It was just that Qianye had a mysterious sensation after recalling the relationship between the Zhao clan and the Li family. Perhaps his thoughts were reflected on his face. Li Yanshou added, Moreover, once you accumulate a marquis-worth of contributions, well hand out an additional bonus equaling that of a count. Finally, some of the Li familys medicines that arent available to outsiders will be provided to you. I believe everything is negotiable apart from one item. Qianye asked with a smile, How about Stillwater Rebirth? Brows raised, Li Yanshou paused for a good while before saying, I was referring to that one. But if you really want it, its not out of the question after youve accumulated a marquis-worth of contributions. Qianye nodded. It would be fairly suspicious if Li Yanshou had agreed on the spot. His hesitation raised the trustworthiness. With such conditions, Im afraid your clan wont have much left to gain. Li Yanshou stroked his beard with a smile. Our Li clan will have made a profit if we can hold Misty Wood. The little profit at present doesnt count for much. You also know that the post-war evaluation and land allotment will be decided according to each clans contributions. This is a true pioneering of new land. Qianye said with a smile, Since thats the case, I have a condition. Li Yanshou listened with a serious expression. I want half my earnings in Misty Wood, including the Li familys rewards, to be paid in military contributions. Moreover, they must be recorded under my own name and not the Li familys. The smile on Li Yanshous face immediately disappeared. He stared deeply at Qianye and said word by word, General Qianye, if we cannot report these contributions under the Li familys name, it means that our clan will take a big loss in the post-war assessments. This will be a disadvantage to us during the land allotment process. Qianye had no intention of giving in. Holding Misty Wood is the greatest contribution, others arent important. Li Yanshou stared intently at Qianye, and the latter looked back without backing down. After a period of deadlock, Li Yanshou said, Our Jingtang Li Family isnt so short-sighted as to break our promises. Regardless of your background, as long as you join our warzone, youll receive a level of respect befitting a guest elder of our Li family. All benefits will go to you even if the contributions are under the Li familys name, this I can perfectly promise. You dont need to worry about this. How can we establish ourselves in the empire if we dont even have this level of trustworthiness! Qianyes expression was solemn. He didnt feign ignorance, either, regarding the implications within the mans words. If I accept the Li clans monthly remuneration, I naturally wont leave your warzone, either. Li Yanshous facial muscles twitched in an unnatural manner. He said after a long while, We can only record the part youve earned yourself under your name. Otherwise, well be losing too much in terms of contributions. Qianye said calmly, Then, what about that bonus after accumulating a marquis-worth of contributions? Li Yanshou remained silent for a while. General Qianye, our Li clan has made so many concessions. Shouldnt you be expressing some sincerity? Qianye replied, This is what you ought to do. I can promise Ill earn at least a mighty marquis-worth of contributions. Li Yanshous expression shifted slightly. He then said after a momentary pause, General Qianye indeed lives up to his name. Since youre so confident, this old man will agree to these conditions on behalf of the Li family. Both parties had reached a general agreement at this point. The lieutenant colonel soon appeared with a contract which he placed in front of Qianye. Apparently, it had been prepared beforehand as well. Qianye looked through the clauses in great detail before signing his name on the contract. Li Yanshous expression returned to normal after seeing Qianye pen down his name and gradually became delighted. Soon, the lieutenant colonel arrived with an additional batch of ammunition and handed it to Qianyethis could be considered an advance payment. This time, they were no longer standard issue ammunition but true Mithril Bullets of Exorcism. There were a full thirty rounds, proving that the Li clan was indeed offering Qianye resources worthy of a guest elder. Next up, both parties hammered out the finer details. The war wasnt too urgent at this point, so Qianye planned to recuperate for a couple of days. He intended to adjust himself to his peak state before heading toward Misty Wood on the Li clans airship. Qianye returned to his tent after both parties had come to an agreement. There were still some doubts regarding the Li clans abnormal solicitation, but he didnt dwell on it too much. The Misty Wood was the war zone he had already selected on his own. This paper contract was only there to maximize his profits. As for other problems, that which must come would come eventually. The scenery on the floating continent was vastly different from Evernight Continent. The weather here was quite similar to the imperial mainland, just a bit on the colder side. However, the sky was remarkably clear, and the sun showered the continent with radiant light, bringing life to every corner of the land. The void landmass after the disappearance of Giants Repose was rather charming. Qianye, however, wasnt in the mood to enjoy all of this. He was fully invested in cultivating because every little bit of increased strength was important on the eve of war. However, it was just past noon when a crisp voice was heard outside of Qianyes tent, disrupting his energy flow and effectively bringing him out of his cultivation state. Standing outside of the tent was a major of the Li clan who said hurriedly upon seeing Qianye, The dark races launched a sneak attack on Misty Wood an hour ago. Currently, the battle situation and the size of enemy forces arent clear. Please head over to the base and consider joining the battle when needed. Qianye had long since made preparations for this. He didnt delay this time and simply ran toward the airship with this major. Along the way, Qianye saw a fair number of airships scrambling into the air and flying off in every direction. The major noticed Qianyes gaze. The dark races attacked more than one place. There were landing forces in every war zone. Additionally, there seem to be reinforcements arriving at their forward base. Where is our airship squadron? Theyre still fighting against the Evernight fleet in the void, we dont know yet what the situation is. In truth, judging from how the dark races were already landing, it would seem that the imperial fleet wasnt doing too good up there. The airship wasnt too far away, so Qianye hastened his steps and hopped onto the ramp. There were already five or six people sitting inside the plane, and judging from their apparel, it was clear that they were experts like Qianye who had been recruited by the Li family. All eyes fell upon him when he arrived at the cabin door. Among them, some were probing and some were observing, while others were provoking or revealing their might. There was even a gaze filled with killing intent. Qianye glared back unceremoniously and found a thin man with a cold expression at a corner of the cabin. He was clad in a camouflage suit without any military ranks or affiliation insignia. The mans appearance was very ordinary. The most eye-catching was his strangely vertical eyes. He grinned and cursed at Qianye soundlessly. Qianyes expression turned cold and his eyes, a deep blue. The snake-like mans origin fluctuations had nowhere to hide under Qianyes True Sight. His rank was thirteen, an expert equal to a count on the Evernight sideno wonder he was so arrogant. But Qianye had no recollection of this mans face and was puzzled as to why he was so hostile. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 580: Entering the Fores t [V6C110 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The man stared into Qianyes blue eyes and felt as though he had been plunged into icy water. His faint yellow hair stood on end as he shot up from his seat. He stared fixedly at Qianye and screamed, What are you looking at?! Qianye sneered, What are you shouting for? The sinister looking man was furious. Youre courting death! Qianyes hand was on East Peak, and his eyes were filled with an austere killing intent. He had scanned the enemy with his unrestrained True Sight and found that there was nothing to fear. The fellow was three ranks higher than himself, but his origin power wasnt at all that consolidated. Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, the Li family expert in charge of the airship stood up to smooth things over. Everyone is about to become comrades on the same battlefield. A little bit of enmity shouldnt be kept to mind in the face of a greater enemy! The sinister man thus found an opportunity to back down. He retracted his origin power and said with a snort, I really dont know how a little brigadier general can be so high and mighty. Qianye smiled faintly. If you keep provoking me, youll find out how a brigadier general will kill you. The evil-looking man shot up once more, but the Li family expert pulled him back in a hurry. He then spoke privately with the man for a good while before finally managing to push him back to his seat. At this moment, the airship shook momentarily as it took to the skies and flew toward the battlefield. The atmosphere inside the craft gradually became stifling. Qianye had no intention of fighting against imperial experts before the great war, so he turned away and sat down in an empty seat. Beside Qianye was a woman seemingly in her thirties. She possessed fairly good looks, but the dense smell of blood around her served to remind everyone that she wasnt one to be provoked. Qianye glanced at her and asked, Can you tell me who that idiot just now is? The lady looked deeply into his eyes and said, If Im not wrong, you should be Qianye, right? That fellow is called Du Li. I dont know where he popped out from, but it looks like the Li family plans to have him lead a mechanized combat squad. Heh, heh, hes truly an idiot to provoke you upon sight. It wasnt just this ladys gaze that had fallen on Qianyes body. Many who heard his name turned toward him with subtle expressions. Qianye was one of the fastest rising stars of the empire, however, his name back then was tied to the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan. One could call them the Zhao clans twin stars instead of the empires. Now, however, he had appeared on the Li clans battleship, and judging from how the Li family steward had chosen to dissuade Du Li, it would seem they attached great importance to him. Hes a rank-thirteen expert, you know, almost a lieutenant general. Qianye shrugged in a natural manner, almost as though he hadnt noticed all the gazes on him. Whats so great about rank-thirteen? I heard there are true dark counts in your kill records. Actually, its just a lowest-ranked count. Everyone nearby felt the urge to beat Qianye up after hearing him make light of the matter. Even for an imperial warrior of the same level, achieving such a record was something to be proud of. In truth, most people who heard about this didnt quite believe Qianye could kill a dark count on his own. But one of the sources of this news was the Li familysomeone from the clan was reportedly present during the kill. And the tense relationship between the Li and Zhao clans served only to increase the reliability of this news. On the other end of the cabin, Du Li and another warrior were conversing with the Li clan officer. The mans expression transformed rapidlyapparently, he was being told of Qianyes origins and past accomplishments. But he didnt seem apprehensive at all, and neither did he seem to have any intention of apologizing. He only cast occasional cold glances at Qianye. The high-speed airship flew for nearly two hours and finally arrived at the base at the borders of Misty Wood. This base was constructed through the joint efforts of the Li family and a number of high-ranking aristocratic families. There were three such bases in the Misty Wood, but this one was the largest of them all. After the airship landed near the outskirts, Qianye exited first and observed the surroundings. What he saw was a temporary camp capable of accommodating ten thousand men. The soldiers who had arrived earlier were frantically setting up a new barracks that would hold yet another ten thousand soldiers. Additionally, there was a giant transport parked on one side of the airship port and a dozen or so high-ranking warriors unloading a large metallic component from it. Qianye immediately recognized it as a key kinetic tower component. It would seem the Li family, with its great ambitions, was actually about to build a kinetic tower here. Apparently, they had considered this place as their own territory and wished to build a permanent base. The Misty Wood was only a thousand meters away. There were hundreds of soldiers grouped into numerous patrol squads, shuttling in and out of the forest. There were even more soldiers building defensive positions behind them, while traces of battle were becoming evident toward the front. Qianye walked down the ramp and asked the awaiting officer, Has the dark race appeared? Yes, a small group rushed out just now and has been destroyed. But the group is made up of arachne, vampires, and werewolves. The officer appeared worried. It wasnt just Qianyeall of the other independent experts had serious expressions on their faces. Regardless of the size of the dark race force, the simultaneous appearance of multiple racesespecially the werewolves and vampiresmeant that there was a powerful character or force leading them. That was the only way to suppress the tension between the races. Do you know their affiliation? Qianye inquired. We dont know yet, those dark race soldiers have no insignias on their bodies. Qianye nodded and glanced toward Misty Wood. Give me a portion of water and rations. Im going in right away. The officer was surprised. Right now? Do you not need to rest? No need. The officers orders were to fulfill the wishes of these independent experts as much as possible. He was also ordered not to interfere with their movements without explicit orders. As such, the man asked no more and immediately sent two nearby soldiers off to make the arrangements. Qianye walked over to the barracks area, strolling through a temporary road while observing the nearby construction work. The Li family camp was only starting to take shape. It was far from the majesty of the third imperial fleets base camp, but the basic arrangements were already visible. The camp didnt just have an airship base but also facilities for repairs and maintenance. Additionally, there were four foundational structures for large anti-aircraft cannons. Just from the construction of this base, one could tell that there were a fair number of talents in the Li family. Even Qianye couldnt find any problems. Right after Qianye passed through the barracks area, two soldiers ran over carrying a backpack half the size of a man. These are the supplies you requested. Theres enough food, water, and supplies to last ten days. Qianye took the bag and shot a glance at the Misty Wood. Have your men cover me. Yes, general. A voice rang out from behind just as Qianye was going to pass through the battlefront and enter the Misty Wood. Wait a minute. Qianye looked back and found that lady with whom he had chatted briefly on the airship. She moved like the wind and arrived beside Qianye in a couple of steps. There, she glanced implicatively at Qianyes Thunderbolt and said, Im Zhu Huan, a rank-eleven warrior specializing in melee combat. What do you say we work together? I feel that we can coordinate quite well. Qianye shook his head without even thinking. No, I like operating alone. Zhu Huan said, Perhaps you might need someone to watch your back. Her words had a hidden meaning to them. Qianye looked up in Du Lis direction and said calmly, I have eyes in the back of my head. Most of those who try to approach me from the back became corpses. Zhu Huan frowned. The lady had her own sense of pride and thus no longer insisted on working together. She only said good luck before turning to leave. But Qianye pointed a finger at Du Li and said, You, on the other hand, should be careful of that person. Your plan to work with me might have offended him. Zhu Huan sneered, Im not afraid of him. His eyes are a bit strange, Qianye reminded. Thank you. Qianye nodded and ended the conversation here. He then turned toward the Misty Wood and soon vanished into the dense mist. Du Li glanced in Qianyes direction after the latter had disappeared, his eyes full of hatred and killing intent. At this moment, there was only a rank-ten champion following him. With Qianye and Zhu Huans lead, the other experts all chose their own paths. This destroyed Du Lis hopes of gathering everyone into a combat squad. Returning to the Misty Wood, Qianye felt that the restrictions on his perceptions had weakened by quite a bit. Perhaps the disappearance of the void colossus will had lessened the suppression here. Even so, his perception range was still limited to five hundred meters, and this was due to the various vampire-ability increases that came with his ascension to rank-two viscount. His True Sight had also received a corresponding upgrade. But a five-hundred-meter range was quite enough amidst the complicated geography of the forest. There was almost no firing line that spanned five hundred meters anyway. Qianye judged that a human expert of the same level would possess a perception range of ninety meters, and the dark races, around one hundred. Qianye still held a massive advantage in the Misty Wood. He didnt linger about near the border but charged directly into the depths of the forest. He ran non-stop for several kilometers and made sure no one was on his tracks before putting all his supplies into Andruils Mysterious Realm. Then, he rearranged his gear and brought himself to an optimal combat state. Qianye soon activated Bloodline Concealment and gradually melded into the mist. He then made his way forward patiently. Before long, he heard the sounds of breaking tree branches. This was abnormal within the Misty Wood. The forest was covered in purple substance, so walking on it made almost no sound. Moreover, those giant, hundred-meter trees had almost no branches on them. This sound could only have come from a person brushing past something while moving through the woods. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 581: Emergence [V6C111 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes steps were soundless as he sneaked toward the source of the sound. He stopped moving when he was three to four hundred meters from his objective and glanced about at this surroundings. There, he picked a tree and slowly climbed onto it, slowly poking his head out at the top. His suspicion came as no surprise since that sound could very well be a trap. Qianye activated True Sight and saw the mist gradually thin out along his line of sight. The silhouette of a temporary dark race base came into view several hundred meters away. The many shadows moving about in the camp consisted of dozens of warriors, and there was indeed a mixture of arachne, werewolves, and vampires. The arachne were few in number, but there were seven or eight giant servspiders, recognizable from their greenish-grey colors. The one with somewhat shorter limbs was a type of forest spider. It would seem the dark races had invested greatly into this projectthey were using forest spiders as a supplementary vehicle to send the werewolves and vampires into battle. It was just that this Misty Wood wasnt an ordinary forest at all. Even though the disappearance of the void colossus will allowed ordinary soldiers and servspiders to enter the forest, the purple ground substance was still a significant source of trouble for them. Moreover, places with perception interference like Misty Wood contained a type of natural pressure. The servspiders were clearly restless. The sound Qianye had heard just now was an arachne clawing at a tree in agitation. The servspider only calmed down when an arachne inside the camp shouted sternly. At this moment, a worried-looking vampire walked over and exchanged a couple of words with the arachne. The vampire baron gazed up at the hundred-meter trees around them, his expression growing heavier as he stared at the elliptic treetops. He finally waved his hand and shouted, Stop resting and pack up camp. Were leaving this accursed place. All the dark race warriors looked at the vampire baron in astonishment. They had gone through an arduous march and were just about to camp and rest. Moreover, they werent even quite sure of the direction. Where were they supposed to go? The barons expression grew heavy all of a sudden. He reached for the handgun at his waist, but his head exploded into a bloody mist before he could draw his weapon. Soon afterward, a crisp thunderous sound arrived from afar. All the dark race warriors leapt up in a split second. Some of the werewolves sped toward the source of the gunshot sound while others climbed onto the treetops in an attempt to find the enemy from high-ground. The only two arachne among them began flanking the tree, emitting a series of cries and instructing the servspiders to use their large bodies to form a barrier up front. As for the vampires, they covered each others advance as they moved toward Qianye. Qianye had no intention to change positions. Thunderbolt roared continuously in his hand, blasting one dark race soldier after the other into corpse fragments. Thunderbolts massive firepower could even injure a viscount in one round. It was simply an overkill to use it on these blood knights. The lucky survivors rushed out a hundred or so meters, but they were stunned after failing to find traces of the enemy after checking every tree. Thunderbolts cries never stopped, and each roar would signal the loss of a life. For a moment, neither the ferocious werewolves nor the sinister vampires understood where the enemy was hiding. Insofar as they knew, even the powerful demonkin snipers would only have about a hundred meters of range in the Misty Wood. But sniper rounds were still flying in from the thick mist ahead of them. Each shot would take down at least one of them no matter how they dodged or sidestepped the projectiles. Facing a sniper with a range of more than two hundred meters was pure suicide in the Misty Wood. As the two arachne who had stayed behind in the camp fell down one after the other, the remaining dark race soldiers discovered that all those above rank six in their midst had been killed off. With only low-ranking soldiers remaining, they were quite likely to be killed even if they could surround the sniper. The soldiers instantly stopped hesitating and began to scatter in all directions. Qianye sighed upon seeing the enemies running away in different directions. He put Thunderbolt away, drew his vampiric blade, and started chasing them down one by one. Even though Qianyes speed and vision were far superior, he still lost track of the remainder after hunting down seven or eight of them. He gave up on chasing them down and, instead, traced his steps back to the battlefield to clean up and collect proof of contributions. Afterward, Qianye quietly erased his traces and continued into the depths of the Misty Wood. As for the corpses, they would turn into nutrition for the entire forest. Qianye subconsciously chose to go in the direction where the last werewolf had vanished from his line of sight. He thought of something along the way. This dark race squad seemed to be fairly experiencedthey managed to prevent themselves from being wiped out even after losing their high-ranking warriors. Clearly, they were the elite of the elite. Although these well-trained soldiers werent very high in level, they definitely werent expendable cannon fodder, either. They might even hold leading positions in a couple of bases. At the thought of this, Qianye raised his speed to the max and focused on differentiating the faint traces the enemy had left behind. The environment in Misty Wood was special. That purple substance could devour everything, so there wouldnt be any tracks left behind after a while. Qianye shot through the woods like a cheetah. He had run over ten kilometers when he suddenly saw a werewolf warrior lying still beneath a large tree. Oh crap, Qianye cried out in his heart. The werewolf had already died, his neck mangled by some unknown beast. Qianye had no more time to switch targets, which meant that this trail had come to a dead end. The werewolf had just lost its life. Its fresh blood dripped down constantly and converged into a scarlet flow upon the ground. The surrounding purple substance, agitated by the blood, began squirming and climbing onto the werewolfs limbs. Before long, it would digest the werewolf completelyeven the hardest of metals was only a matter of time. Qianye cursed his misfortune as he took a couple of steps to the side, evading the squirming substance and glancing around at his surroundings. He arrived very quickly but hadnt heard anyone or anything moving within 100 meters. The fellow that had torn the werewolfs throat was likely still hiding nearby. It was at this time that the mist behind Qianye billowed and a grey shadow jumped out from within. It slashed toward Qianye with a speed so fast that it felt like a gust of wind in ones face. Qianye moved slightly to the side and blocked the attacking shadow with his left hand. The latter attacked viciously and bit down on the arm with shocking force. Qianye was wearing the Iron Wall armor and its accompanying armguard, but the latter was already creaking loudly. It mightve been deformed had Qianye not circulated his origin power immediately. The shadow was a wolf-like mutant beast with long limbs and dark grey fur all over its body. This creature could merge perfectly into the environs of the Misty Wood. Its bite was strong enough to leave fang marks on metal alloy and snap ordinary steel. It was no wonder that even a werewolf warriors strong body couldnt resist the attack and had its throat bitten through. But being able to bite through a metal rod didnt mean it could bite through Qianyes arm. With his constitution as a high-ranking vampire and the addition of his origin defenses, Qianye would only suffer some broken skin even without armor. Qianye didnt recall seeing such a creature the last time he entered the maze cavern. It was faster, better at hiding, and deadlier than the ones he had seen beforeeven an arachne below the viscount level might not be able to resist its biting power. Had such creatures appeared in great numbers during the last battle, the casualty rates of the two factions wouldve been even higher. Qianye reached out and grabbed its neck accurately and strangled it with great force, crushing all the bones therein. However, the beasts life force was exceptionally tenacious. Its jaws on Qianyes arm didnt loosen until its skull was completely crushed. Looking at the two rows of deep fang marks on his arm guard, Qianye named this creature shadowhound. He drew his vampiric blade and plunged it into the beasts body. Immediately, a wisp of peculiar cold essence blood flowed into his body. Although the quantity of energy within this essence blood wasnt large, the quality was comparable to that of a dark viscount. It was just that the cold aura in its essence blood was a type of poisonordinary vampires absorbing it would suffer a bout of serious sickness. Qianye wasnt affected because the Song Clan Ancient Scroll could refine essence blood containing darkness energy and purify it in the process. Qianye tossed the shadowhound corpse to the ground and watched the purple substance devour it. His heart was filled with a gloomy shadow. This shadowhound was only at the level of an esquire, but here in Misty Wood, its overall combat strength was equal to that of a werewolf baron. Its essence blood was at the level of a knight. This also meant that its combat strength was far above that of its rank. This battle would become more arduous than expected if the aboriginals in the central cavern began exhibiting such changes. Qianye continued forward for a while before coming to a sudden stop. He reached out to knock on the large tree near him, sending ripples outward continuously and, at the same time, forming a clear image in his mind. There was a peculiar, quick vibration in the treetop resembling a rapidly beating heart. Qianye leapt onto a treetop and cut open the bark with his vampiric blade, revealing the lifeforms inside those septate, beehive-like compartments. Their bodies were still in their embryonic forms, but their hearts had developed completely. The contrast made them exceptionally eye-catching. The problem was that these embryos evidently belonged to different races. Some were midgets whom Qianye had seen, some were creatures like the shadowhound, and others looked like bugsbut no one knew what they would turn into after emerging from their cocoons. This odd scene caused Qianye to inhale deeply, his hand dropping involuntarily in the process. The sharp blade produced a gash in the bark that was even bigger and deeper. The tree below let out a sharp howl as though it were in pain! The sound transmitted far and wide, causing the fluids in the tree trunks to roll and boil. The half-developed embryos all melted, and the air was soon filled with the scent of decay. Qianye felt a spell of dizziness come over him. The smell actually contained a powerful poison, but it was quickly neutralized by the auric flame blood in his body. In response to the trees cries, a dozen or so nearby trees began trembling and let out roars of unknown significance. In Qianyes True Sight, he could see vast amounts of energy pouring into the tree trunks. The dozens of energy fluctuations therein grew stronger and stronger until they condensed numerous silhouettes within. Apparently, those terrifying creatures were about to emerge from their cocoons.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 582: Rescue Part 1 Chapter 582: Rescue (Part 1) [V6C112 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye immediately jumped off the tree. There, he circulated Bloodline Concealment and vanished from the dangerous area like a spirit. Not long after Qianye had left, one of the giant treetops burst open and shot out dozens of mutant beastsamong them were shadowhounds and ten-odd midgets. These creatures began searching for the enemy immediately after landing, but Qianye had long since left. How could there be any traces of him? Afterward, one tree after another opened up and sprayed out creatures. In the blink of an eye, thousands of fierce beasts and midgets had appeared and began searching through an area several kilometers in radius. Far in the distance, Qianye was leaning on the trunk of a large tree. A fair length of extreme running had likely taken him out of harm''s way, so he made a decisive stop and began catching his breath. Maintaining ones stamina was the foremost priority in this dangerous land. The surroundingsbe it the eerie giant trees or the all-encompassing purple substancewere calm. This proved that his Bloodline Concealment was effective in hiding him from this dangerous forest. Even so, it remained that this forest was becoming increasingly dangerous. With these aboriginals around, ordinary soldiers entering the area would simply be committing suicide. Even the imperial regular army was no exception. Ordinary warriors were no match for hundreds of mutant beasts in an environment with less than ten meters of visual range. Even Qianye might not be able to retreat safely if he were to go deeper in. Qianyes heart felt heavy upon thinking about the independent hunters who had come with him. But this matter had its pros and cons because the forest was just as perilous for the dark races. Observing the trend of past battles, the dark races would hold the advantage in the early and middle phases of a skirmish. Hence, this situation was comparatively more advantageous for the empire. Qianye ate and drank afterward, then took a short nap in a treetop before setting out again. He spent great effort to adjust his route and finally arrived at the south-western edge of the Misty Wood. He planned to cut through here and enter the Full Moon Plains in the other side. That was the Song clan warzone. There was no way Song Zining would be operating with the Song clan. However, Qianye had never been to the Full Moon Plains before, so he wanted to explore and take a look at the Song clans strength. This war was sure to go on for a long time. He had to take control of the situation as much as possible earlier on, at least for the area he was operating in. Several days passed by in a flash. Qianye had traveled hundreds of kilometers in the Misty Wood and annihilated two dark race scouting parties along the way. He had also killed off hundreds of mutant beasts and aboriginal midgets. Comparatively, it felt like the latter were giving Qianye a far harder time than the dark races. But this was merely an illusion. The true difficulties would arrive when the true dark race experts had entered the battlefield. Qianye had also encountered three groups of imperial experts. Perhaps they, too, had discovered the fangs of this forest; all of them were advancing in groups of three to five. They did not possess Qianyes visual range and thus couldnt discover his traces. Qianye had no intention of contacting them, either. Qianye finally walked out of the Misty Wood at noon that day. Appearing before his eyes was a billowing hill region blanketed in green trees. The river far in the distance looked like a sapphire necklace strung around the mountains. From a distance, it was nothing less than a beautiful painting of the mortal world. The Song clan really knew how to pick a good location. Beyond the hilly region was a flatland covered in a cushion of green grass that seemed to expand toward the horizon. But in Qianyes eyes, there was nothing of merit in the Full Moon Plains apart from the good scenery. According to the information at hand, there were no strategic resources to speak of and neither was it an important defensive position. However, everyone knew that this floating continent would be embroiled in the flames of war for many years to come. Even if the empire could win this single battle, the Evernight faction wouldnt easily admit defeat. And there was really no telling what kind of deals were going on behind the scenes regarding the distribution of the seven regions. Qianye climbed a hilltop and glanced about at his surroundings. The view here was open and expansive. Add to that his superior vision of one thousand two hundred meters, Qianye managed to take in the entire geography around him. The Song clan was building defensive structures around a hilltop. The location was well thought-out and could easily exert control over a ten-kilometer area. Additionally, several other hill-tops were also undergoing construction, and judging from the shape of the structures, they seemed to be sentry towers. Hence, a defensive line was gradually taking shape. Judging from the completed defensive points of this pace, they were likely made to defend against attacks from the Misty Wood. Meanwhile, two airships were patrolling the entire warzone from the air. It would seem the Song clan had made ample preparations. After all, they had the money to spare. Even if they couldnt produce talented people, they would still be able to gain an advantage by hiring more. Qianye brought out his map and found his current position. From there, he advanced along the forest border toward the Northeast and soon arrived at the Bai clan region after several hundred kilometers. The area here was adjacent to the dark race forward base and warzone, making it a dangerous zone. Qianye gave it some thought after closing the map and finally decided to spend a couple of days at the Bai clan war zone. He wanted to take a look since it wasnt too far off, and he wouldnt mind getting his revenge if he happened to run into Bai Kongzhao along the way. The Bai clan war zone was an elevated desert land with several valleys stretching across it. The deepest among them fell over a thousand meters down and looked like a number of wounds stretching across the ground. The geography of this highland was fairly complicated. The numerous valleys split the highland into numerous areas and made transportation extremely difficult. Some were so wide that the only way across was via airship. The region was scarcely suited for habitation, but the initial surveys revealed rare mineral veins in the depths of the ravines. Judging from the lay of the land, extraction was likely going to be quite troublesome. But to the Bai clan who made a living off of producing high-end armors, these veins would no doubt serve as wings for the proverbial tiger. The stretch of land between the Song and Bai clans was fairly quiet. Qianye didnt encounter any scouting parties during the two days he had spent covering this distance. When he walked out from the Misty Wood once more, a steep incline filled with stones and gravel appeared before him. The slope stretched dozens of kilometers and gradually climbed over a thousand meters high. Qianye didnt dare act recklessly. He climbed the incline slowly and soon arrived at the peak where the view before him expanded rapidly. A desolate aura rushed at his face as a boundless desert appeared before him, decorated with tall peaks piercing thousands of kilometers into the sky. The sudden expansion of vision caused Qianye to hold his breath. It was at this time that a dark shadow flitted past the ground, accompanied by a deep rumbling from above. Qianye looked up and saw, a thousand meters in the sky, a gigantic airship emerging from the clouds. It was a giant vessel hundreds of meters in length, and its backside was unfolded in many places as though it were made up of many leavesthe shape was as beautiful as it was peculiar. Such shapes and colors usually signified that it was a vampire vessel. Moreover, its size and beauty were almost stiflingquite likely the battleship of a major character. Perhaps it was an honored marquis or even a duke. Qianye was shaken at heart. He immediately fell to the ground and hid in the shadows of a giant rock. To an expert of that level, the distance of a thousand meters was hardly an obstruction. Moreover, Qianye had no way to deal with that gigantic vehicle up in the air. It would be meaningless to resist once he was found out. A large group of airships appeared through the clouds after the gigantic airship had passed by. Their density was enough to blot out a part of the sky! This was a fleet made up of hundreds of battleships. The outer-rim was made up of vampire battleships of all shapes and sizes, protecting the hundred-odd spherical transports in the center. Qianye had seen this type of transport many times on the battlefield. They looked clumsy and ugly on the outside, but would immediately spit out a barracks worth of dark race soldiers once landed. This kind of arachne transport-class was called woodland beast, a vessel that was both reliable and cheap to produce. The most terrifying aspect was its transport capacity which far outshone the empires airships. Close to a hundred landing vessels meant that a force tens of thousands strong was about to land. Such a massive force appearing directly in the middle of their land meant that the Bai clan was in for quite the misfortune. Goddammit, what is the imperial fleet doing?! Qianye couldnt help but curse out loud. He watched the terrifying fleet fly past with an ugly expression. He couldnt make up his mind whether he should join the battle alongside the Bai clan. This fleet was, for the most part, intact which meant that it had suffered little obstruction in the void. Against such a fighting power, it wouldnt make a lot of difference even if he rushed over. Just as he was hesitating, the dark race airships flew overhead and landed not far away. At this moment, dozens of airships from the Bai clan scrambled into the air and rushed toward the enemy fleet despite the adverse odds. Several of the Bai clans vessels fell from the sky upon first contact. The remainder advanced against the hail of cannon shots in a bid to push past the line of fire and reach those clumsy airships. Any soldier with some experience would understand that tens of thousands of enemy soldiers would emerge if these airships were allowed to land. These Bai clan airships had no intention of returning alive and simply rammed into the transports when the situation was dire. Dozens of brilliant fireballs appeared in the sky. An airship that had charged into the midst of the Evernight fleet was exceptionally nimble. It opened up large holes on the enemy transports with great accuracy but soon burst into flames amidst the concentrated defensive fire. Even so, it adjusted its course and crashed straight into a transport ship. Accompanied by a violent explosion, the woodland beast fell down into the canyon below and broke into pieces along the way. Qianye stared intently at the dazzling light. He almost seemed to be able to see the captain stand up in the fierce blaze and change the ships trajectory with due calmness. In silence, he briefly organized his gear before darting toward the battlefield. At this moment, the only thing in Qianyes heart was the battle in front of him. Nothing else was more important.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 583: Rescue Part 2 Chapter 583: Rescue (Part 2) [V6C113 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Several kilometers were covered in the blink of an eye. The battle in the air had already ended at this point with hardly any of the Bai clan airships remaining. The ground was covered in black charred pits and the burning ruins of airships. The casualties on the Evernight side were minimal with a loss of forty-odd transports, little more than a third of their entire group. Ten thousand soldiers had been reduced to ashes before they could even land. In front of them was a half-constructed Bai clan stronghold. Numerous streams of flames shot out from the turrets and lashed at the enemies in the sky like blazing whips. The large Evernight battleships had all retreated into the air and out of the turrets reach. Additionally, there were seven or eight smaller high-speed airships looping about at low altitudes, pouring shells into the stronghold while evading defensive fire. A small vampire battleship made a sudden mistake during evasion and was struck by one of the flaming streams. The impact caused it to shake violently and tumble dozens of times through the air. How could the flaming stream let slip such a good opportunity? It chased the vessel down and struck it several times over, finally causing it to explode. The violent origin power explosion kicked up powerful winds in the air, and one could almost smell the gunpowder from afar. The other vampire airships scattered like startled birds and flew high into the sky, effectively evading the range of defensive fire. At this moment, the massive vampire airship slowly arrived above the stronghold, and its hull opened up to reveal a black cannon. Quite unexpectedly, this vessel only had one air-to-ground weapon, but its muzzle was shockingly largealmost, in and of itself, as big as a regular battleship. The patterns on the vampire battleship lit up one after another and waves of light ripped toward the heavy cannon like tidal waves. The radiance at the muzzle grew brighter and brighter until finally, a mass of light several meters in diameter shot out and fell onto the camp below. Qianye stared at the light in a daze. He could hardly believe that this was an origin shell fired from a battleship. The origin cannons and shells installed on regular warships were only about a meter in size. The kinetic power consumption of the cannons would climb with the increase in caliber until the ship could no longer withstand the load. The shells descent was so slow that it seemed rather unreal, almost as if one could reach out and pluck it from the sky. Even without using True Sight, Qianye could see that the air around the shell was warped and distortedone could imagine how powerful it was. A coarse voice resounded in the Bai clan stronghold and rang out like thunder, Focus all fire on that cannon shell, ignore everything else! Several turrets adjusted their aim and fired at the terrifying origin shell with all their might. Judging from the intensity of the flaming streams, it seemed the cannoneers no longer cared about overloading their weapons. They knew, simply from the momentum of this cannon round, that it had to be stopped from hitting the stronghold at all costs. The origin shell was rapidly weakened and grew smaller and smaller until it finally exploded with a loud bang several dozen meters from the ground. Even so, the impact overturned numerous barracks, and the resultant heat waves ignited the wooden materials and ammunition in the air. The shell had been successfully detonated in advance. Although it had caused a certain degree of damage to the stronghold, it was still within acceptable range. But before the Bai clan soldiers could heave a sigh of relief, an earth-shattering rumble emerged from the borders of the stronghold, and a pillar of flames erupted from one of the turrets. Several cannon operators were also thrown into the air and transformed into balls of flame. The turret could no longer withstand the load, and its origin array had self-detonated. The vampire airship in the sky began preparing for a new round of attacks. After several minutes of charging up, another cannon shell fell down sluggishly. This time, it wasnt just the cannon turrets, but even the experts were taking action. All kinds of origin bullets and beams flew into the sky to chip away at the nightmarish projectile. There were no additional losses when the shell exploded this time, but no one could muster a smile. Qianye had already discovered that the stronghold turrets were all teetering on the verge of collapse, and the experts had also exhausted much of their origin power. The next defensive wave would surely be even more difficult. At this moment, a wave of horrified gasps rang out in the stronghold. The vampire warship in the air was actually charging its cannon once more and preparing to fire anew! Qianyes heart sank to the bottom. He finally understood why this massive vampire warship only had one origin cannon. This powerful cannon was actually able to fire continuously! Finally, the vampire warship shook violently as it fired at the stronghold below. This final shot also distorted and deformed the muzzleit had apparently been ruined and could no longer fire. What Qianye could see, those in the Bai clan fortress could see the same. Morale soared as the defensive turrets fired at the incoming shell like there was no tomorrow. The defensive turrets in the stronghold also blew up one after the other after the last shell was detonated mid-air. In the end, only two of them remained barely functional, and the experts in the stronghold had also consumed most of their origin power. The vampire airship didnt leave right away. It hovered above the battlefield looking down at the ground. A crisp bugle call rang out through the wilderness and was soon drowned out by loud roars. Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!! The lookout pointed outside the wall and shouted at the top of his lungs. While the entire stronghold was busy dealing with the vampire warship, the surviving transport vessels had landed outside the stronghold and released tens of thousands of dark race soldiers. The true elites were still assembling the troops at the back, while the worthless cannon fodder rolled over the earth like a tidal wave. Tens of thousands of cannon fodder formed the first wave which crashed into the Bai clan stronghold. After three rounds of bombardment, most of the Bai clans current defenses had been destroyed, and they had lost many cannon turrets. The walls alone were hardly enough to defend against the dark race warriors who could jump several meters in one leap. Qianye climbed atop a tall slope and observed the battle ahead. The wave of cannon-fodder charging at the Bai clan stronghold was rather different from the ones of the past. There were actually many low-ranking warriors mixed in within them, including werewolves, vampires, and arachne. After a moment, Qianyes austere expression turned even colder. Judging from the method of their advancement, the cannon-fodder werent being used to hide elites but as true expendable resources. All veterans with sufficient experience knew what this meant. The Bai clan soldiers on the walls fired with all their might. Rows of bullets and origin shells shot out and cleared out a large area in the tide, but the enemy numbers were simply too great. The death of a few hundred had very little overall effect. Several hundred soldiers jumped into the air as the grey tide crashed fiercely into the stronghold. The large servspiders rammed violently into the walls. Their potential had been awakened by a secret art during the charge, sharply increasing their strength and causing them to feel no fear in the face of danger. The Bai clan soldiers were, of course, familiar with the destructive potential of these spiders. The high-ranking officers focused their fire at them and reduced their numbers by half during the first charge. But the remaining servspiders rammed forward brainlessly, each leaving depressions on the embedded armor plates. Then, with a couple of pulls, the steel plates came off one after the other. Without the protection of the steel plates, the walls became extremely fragile before these awakened servspiders. A couple of rounds of ramming soon caused the framed wall to collapse entirely. Several defects soon appeared in the stronghold walls, through which the cannon fodder swarmed in immediately. But just as they thought they would be able to engage the human soldiers in melee combat, the dark races discovered yet another wall inside. The ground shook and steam machinery rumbled as numerous steel plates descended to seal the doors shut. Thousands of Bai clan soldiers appeared on the walls and took aim at the dark race warriors. Additionally, some of the soldiers on the front wall also turned back to form a pincer stance. Atop one of the stronghold towers, Bai Longjia pointed his sword forward and shouted, Fire! Countless black holes appeared on the ground between the two walls and spat out raging flames. The short space between the two walls was soon turned into a purgatory. Meanwhile, the soldiers on the outer wall fired with all their might, mowing down the burning dark race soldiers one after the other. At this point, the regular dark race army had finished assembling outside the wall and was charging at the wall from a dozen or so directions. An impressive number of cannon fodder still remained even after being caught unaware and suffering severe casualties. The commanding dark race nobles were able to assemble a new assault wave without spending too much time. Smoke and flowing blood filled the outer wall of the stronghold as the Bai clan warriors fell to overwhelming enemy numbers. The battle quickly escalated and small battles were taking place in every corner of the battlefield. The occasional dark race squad would manage to charge into the interior but were then surrounded and destroyed by the Bai clan soldiers. The vampire airships in the air werent willing to be left out, either, and began lowering their altitude to bombard the stronghold. The Bai clan experts retaliated constantlytheir large bore origin sniper rifles and special armor-piercing rounds were able to threaten the corvettes. There were even a couple of handheld cannon rounds mixed in. These were big weapons capable of piercing through a small to medium sized airship. Soon, the vampire warships no longer dared to come too close. The flames of battle spread quickly into the interior of the fortifications. The tidal wave of dark race soldiers pushed in and began fighting the Bai clan soldiers on every road and in every room. There were only a couple thousand Bai clan soldiers inside the strongholdthey were greatly disadvantaged in terms of numbers. On the other hand, there was no telling how many powerful experts were overseeing the battle from the vampire warship. Hence, they didnt hold the advantage, either, in terms of experts. Despite the impending crisis, a calm Bai Longjia was still issuing commands from the tower, using what motorized troops he could muster to fill the gaps in the defensive line. The entire Bai clan apparently had great faith in Bai Longjia as they completed their assignments to the letter. Each and every defensive line grew shaky as time went on, but quite miraculously, none of them had collapsed just yet. At this point, the dark races had to pay a steep price for every forward step, and their casualty rates began to soar. However, the order to attack was still being issued one after another, and the expressionless Evernight overseers urged wave after wave of soldiers toward the front lines. At this moment, the Bai clan stronghold was like a bloodthirsty meat-grinder, crushing the soldiers of both sides to pieces. A wisp of anxiety had appeared in Bai Longjias eyes, but his face remained unflustered as he continued to issue commands. The experts from both sides hadnt entered the battlefield just yet, so there was no final showdown. But the cannon fodder and ordinary soldiers couldnt decide the final outcome no matter how grave the casualties were. At this moment, an old vampire was sitting with his back against the throne, gazing at the images being transmitted via the origin array. This wizened elders face was dark and gloomy, almost as though he were a zombie that had climbed out of the grave. All of a sudden, those lifeless and turbid eyes suddenly focused on a point on the battlefield. He then raised a skeleton-like arm and tapped lightly in the air, enlarging the image on that part of the battlefield.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 584: Rescue Part 3 Chapter 584: Rescue (Part 3) [V6C114 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The vampires finger landed toward the rear of the dark race formation. In front was the broken outer wall of the stronghold through which numerous dark race soldiers were squeezing in. A steady rain of origin bullets, grenades, and cannon shells were flying out from within the stronghold to mow the enemy soldiers down but could hardly slow down their charging momentum. Within the chaotic crowds, there was an unassuming figure marching along with the dark race army. He was a bit more nimble than the surrounding warriors and managed to gain a speed advantage after traveling several hundred metersbut that was the extent of it. From the surface, he looked to be a vampire blood knight. If one had to point out something wrong with him, it was the fact that the dark race soldiers around him were all falling down for no good reason. The vampire elder watched him intently for a while before adjusting the image to display the distribution of origin power. Hence, a flickering red light appeared on the knights body, the representation of blood energy. Its quality wasnt that good, either, and more or less the same as others of the same rank. The vampire elders brows locked even tighter. That blood knights squad was already approaching the Bai clan outer walls. The entire display was filled with dazzling lights and origin explosions with a multitude of dark race soldiers either charging, dodging, or falling downhe could hardly make out anything else amidst the chaos. The elder pondered as he moved his fingers and switched the scene to another corner of the battlefield. Here, a beautiful human girl had just scuttled out of the rubble and arrived behind two werewolves. There was an exceptionally broad cleaver in her hand with which she swung casually and cut open the necks of the two werewolves. This swing was delivered with monstrous speed. The two charging werewolves couldn''t even react in time and only discovered that they had been attacked after their necks had been cut through. But the grave injury to their vitals caused them to collapse to the ground, spasming helplessly as their blood flowed out. The damage caused by this strike was unsalvageable, but it wasnt enough to kill immediately, either. The key issue here was that the girl wasnt even trying to make them suffer more. She was only conserving as much energy as possible. The inertia of the large cleaver didnt end there. It completed its remaining trajectory arc in the air and spun the girls frail body along with it, projecting a direct view of her face on the image. The vampire elders eyes couldnt help but contract. This young human girl was considered beautiful, even by vampire standards. However, her methods actually caused him to feel a faint chill in his heart. The old vampires fingers brushed past her image, eliciting a faint white glow from the girls body. However, there were strands of black energy mixed in within. The milky white glow was naturally daybreak origin power, and that was a normal thingthe strange thing was the black energy. The old vampire had recognized it as demonic energy of the demonkin. How could it appear on her body? Was this yet another mixed-breed? It was at this time that the old man seemed to think of something and moved the image back to the strange blood knight from a while ago. The latter was just leaping over a wide patch of ruins, but he seemed unable to control his momentum upon landing and crashed into an arachne. The half-human spider was actually sent staggering backward from the impact. The arachnes human half spun around and glared at the blood knight, but he didnt rage. He kept silent because he understood, from the collision just now, that the latter was much stronger than himself. The blood knight ignored everything and simply rushed toward the outer wall. The arachne was just about to take a step forward when his movements turned sluggish all of a sudden. He swayed unsteadily for a while and finally collapsed, never to get up again. At this point, the vampire elder could no longer remain silent. He waved a hand and said in a raspy voice, Tell Russel to bring that strange child to me. A vampire count nearby bowed with the utmost respect. As you command. The elder spoke no more and only continued to observe the blood knight. In the battlefield, Qianye had made his way to the frontlines and his ears were filled with shouts and explosions. He moved close to the backside of a high-ranking vampire warrior and tapped lightly on his back. An extremely sharp origin power cut through the latters armor and skin. The attack left an indiscernible wound and, at the same time, injected a wisp of purple blood energy into it. The area between the outer and inner stronghold walls was a land of death. The air above was covered in a hail of bullets while swords clashed upon the ground. That high-ranking vampire warrior sensed Qianyes aura but paid little attention to a small collision from a comrade before pouncing toward a nearby Bai clan soldier. But as he activated his blood energy, his entire body trembled and slowly collapsed to the ground. Qianye was just about to approach a werewolf in the same pattern when a sense of uneasiness arose in his heart. He turned back all of a sudden and saw a vampire expert in black armor flying rapidly toward him. His blood energy was almost aboil and dotted with flickering specks of golden fire. Auric flame blood! His sparse golden stars were a far cry from Qianyes own, but the presence of auric flame blood was a telltale sign that the transformation had begun. The actual combat strength of this incoming vampire count was well above his rank. Qianye was confident in dealing with ordinary counts, but he wasnt so sure about an expert with auric flame blood. He stopped trying to hide his tracks and darted forward diagonally, soon turning into a blurry shadow. However, that vampire count quickly adjusted his direction and made a beeline for Qianye. Be it the dark race soldiers or Bai clan warriors, everyone along the way was sent staggering back by the impact. At this point, Qianye realized that he had been compromised, although he couldnt figure out just how the other party had discovered him amidst the chaos of battle. But he had already crossed the battlefield according to plan and would be able to enter the Bai clan battlefront in just a few steps. Qianye scanned the battle situation around him, adjusted his steps, and flashed behind a broken wall in the ruins. The vampire count sneered upon seeing this. He raised his speed abruptly and charged toward Qianye. He ignored everything along the waynot to mention broken walls and rubble, even intact buildings were crashed through. The sudden appearance of a vampire count drew the attention of the Bai clan with several snipers atop the stronghold turning their aim toward him. Atop the tower, Bai Longjia looked down at the count and then glanced around him as though he had recalled something. The Bai clan general issued no special orders and simply allowed the vampire to charge toward the frontlines. Russel charged toward the place where Qianye had disappeared and erupted with blood energy, destroying the entire patch of rubble. Stone and metal fragments flew out in all directions, prompting the soldiers of both factions to run for their lives. But Russel didnt relax at all, and the blood energy around him grew even denser. As expected, a sword flew toward him right through the dust cloud. It was an unassuming heavy blade. There were faintly discernible origin patterns on its body which meant that it was no ordinary swordbut that was the extent of it. Those origin patterns acted like receptacles for origin power but showed no signs of erupting with great might. A shield appeared in Russels grasp with a swing of his left hand, with which he sought to block East Peaks assault. The mans build was far bigger than that of ordinary vampires, and his shield was as tall as an ordinary person. A slight shift was enough to defend his frontside completely. The vampire count wasnt on pure defensehe crashed forward as the shield appeared, poised to knock Qianye over with absolute force. Countless negligent opponents had been wounded by Russels heavy first strike, which exceeded the power of an arachne. Qianye made no motion to evade. The Dark Thread Crystals on his blade flowed with increasing speed and power. He let out an abrupt roar before slashing down at the center of the giant shield! This blade was a perfect coordination between his origin power and powerful constitutionthe damage was unprecedented. An ear-piercing metallic screech resounded as the blade and shield came into contact. A faint ring of origin power rippled outward and spread to all directions. All the soldiers within several dozen meters, who had failed to escape in time, fell to the ground. They covered their ears in agony as fresh blood flowed out from between their fingers. Russels body was greatly shaken. His face became bright scarlet, and he couldnt help but take two steps back. Qianyes blood energy also welled up as he, too, took two steps backward. They were actually an even match! Extremely shocked, Russel revealed half a face from behind the shield and stared fixedly at Qianye. Having received orders to intercept Qianye, he naturally understood that the other party was abnormal. That was why he hadnt held back at all with his attacks. But he had never imagined that the other party would be able to fight on equal grounds against him. For creatures of either camp, strength was often directly proportional to body size. Russel possessed extraordinary talenthis strength was no weaker than an arachne of the same level, and his physique was also much bigger than ordinary vampires. This person before him wasnt short, but his build was clearly quite frail. Could this mean that his origin power level was far superior? Russel shook his head inwardly and refuted this possibility. The origin power instilled within the attack just now was of the void attribute. Although its factional affinity was unclear, he could say with certainty that the other party was only at the viscount rank. At this moment, Qianye wasnt as calm as he seemed on the surface. He stood with the blade as support and did his utmost to hide the slight trembling of his hands. That exchange just now was one of those rare occasions in which he had failed to overwhelm the opponent with force. The only reason Qianye hadnt taken a loss was because he had accumulated his power in advance and East Peak was superior to the mans giant shield. It was an advantage in weapons. Qianyes blood core was beating wildly in his chest. Almost all his blood transformed into a stream of golden flames, transporting great power to every inch of his body. The intense numbness brought about by the collision vanished and new power gushed out continuously. Qianye sensed his power rising. At the same time, he could sense every inch of his body and every little minute detail was under his control. This kind of sensation was quite wondrous and almost intoxicating. Russels simple crash had actually caused Qianyes auric flame blood to increase in level. It was now quite close to filling his entire body. At that stage, upgrading to a first-rank viscount would only be a matter of time. But after the current fight, Qianye knew he wasnt this counts match. He might have a chance if he could land a Shot of Inception, but that would draw a lot of unwanted attention in such a battlefieldespecially that of the giant warship above. You Russel opened his mouth slowly as a flash of doubt ran through his mind.Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 585: Pincer [V6C115 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] With Qianyes auric flame blood rising drastically at such a close distance, even his Bloodline Concealment couldnt completely suppress his overflowing aura. Russel was, after all, a mighty count. It was only natural that he would sense something fishy. Qianye quickly caught his breath and pulled back as though he were gliding on water. He had flashed away several dozen meters in a couple of steps. Russels eyes flickered with a sharp sanguineous glint as he gave chase. He sneered upon seeing Qianye enter yet another ruined building and proceeded to charge straight over, poised to destroy the rubble just like before. A ghost-like figure flew in through the window just as Qianye turned to move behind a broken wallthe two almost collided. He was truly shocked because he hadnt sensed the other partys aura at all, so much so that he subconsciously wanted to ignore the shadow that had just flitted past. This caused his speed to slow down by a small margin. The girl in front of him clearly hadnt sensed Qianye, either. His auric flame blood had already calmed down at this moment and Bloodline Concealment had once again covered up his untoward aura. Qianyes expression changed slightly as a clear countenance was reflected in his eyes. Bai Kongzhao hadnt expected to meet Qianye here, either. Her movements actually slowed down a bit, and her face was overcome with astonishment. Even her mouth couldnt close tight due to the surprise. Before Qianye could decide whether or not to finish her off in passing, a tyrannical momentum pressed down and sent debris flying in every direction. Nothing could be seen clearly in the dust. The force from Russels charge had destroyed the half-broken building even before his arrival. Bai Kongzhaos figure became hidden in the dust, but Qianye saw her look toward Russel with eyes full of hunger just before vanishing. It was the look of a traveler seeing hot food after walking through the desert for many days. Is she looking to ambush me or that fellow? A thought emerged in Qianyes mind. With that mountainous force bearing down upon him, Qianye had no choice but to erase all distracting thoughts and face Russel once more. This time, he no longer fought head-on against the latter. His sword strikes were like the wind as he hacked repeatedly at the large shield, shifting rapidly between light and heavy blows. At the same time, he was also retreating. Russel began feeling incomparably awkward before longhis giant shield couldnt exert any force, and there was nowhere to utilize his great strength. All he could do was press forward with the attack and give Qianye no gap to escape. Russel charged straight through all the obstacles along the way. Right in front was a pile of debris. The building there had collapsed thoroughly, and there wasnt even a broken wall left behind, only half a pillar. Qianye leaped upward just as Russels giant shield arrived. However, his body suddenly became as light as a feather and drifted a dozen meters away along with the surging origin tides. Russel was once again overcome by the discomfort of having his force misdirected. But he was already starting to adaptthe movements with which he retracted his shield were growing stable, and his gait was almost unaffected. He proceeded to deliver a kick and shattered the broken pillar into many fragments. However, he discovered something wrong after performing the kick. Looking down, he found an opening on his alloy combat boots with fresh blood flowing out of it. The wound was so deep that even white bones were visible. Russel strode forward out of habit, but a heart-wrenching pain welled up from his foot at this point. He let out a painful howl as his right leg went limp, and he fell on one knee. But Russel possessed ample combat experience. He didnt relax his guard even under such an abrupt situation and immediately felt something wrong. He raised the giant shield in front of him and swung his greatsword toward his back. Bai Kongzhao crouched down just as Russels greatsword swung past her spine and slashed off half of her long, dancing hair. The air was suddenly filled with countless strands of hair. But the sword in the girls hand continued forward at a peculiar angle and drilled into the gap between Russels armor, leaving a moderately-sized wound on his back. Bai Kongzhao then used both her hands and legs to retreat like a crawling bug, the tip of the sword was now stained with blood. The wound on Russels foot was also her handiwork. The vampire turned back and stared fixedly at Bai Kongzhao with flames spewing out of his eyes. A dazzling sanguineous light welled out from his eyes and stabbed at Bai Kongzhaos pupils. Marionette! This used to be a deviant art used by high-ranking vampires to control experts from their vassal families. Even if it couldnt completely take control of anothers mind, it would still inflict unbearable pain and terror. However, after the War of Daybreak, this kind of art gradually disappeared and became an innate skill for a small number of high-ranking vampires. Bai Kongzhaos face only revealed a brief flash of surprise after being struck squarely byMarionette. Afterward, she ran away even faster and soon vanished into the rubble. She was actually unaffected by the skill! Russel was startled for a brief moment. This innate skill was one of his aces for dealing with the Daybreak faction. He wouldnt have used it on a rank ten human if he wasnt on guard against her fighting techniques. But it had actually failed? During the moment of his distraction, the giant shield in his hand trembled violently and almost flew out of his grasp. Fortunately, he reacted fast and quickly brought it back under control. Qianye was already attacking from the front. East Peak swung about in a full arc and smashed fiercely onto the shield. This time, the sound of impact was exceptionally deep, and the destructive power was just as terrifying. All debris in a ten-meter radius flew into the air and broke down into powder. Qianyes strike this time was delivered horizontally. Russels ankle had just been injured, so he couldnt quite take the brunt of this blow and was pushed back several meters. A light flashed in Qianyes eyes upon seeing that he had swept the latter back. He quickly charged forth and crashed right into the vampire counts shield. This time, the attack was effective beyond expectation. Russels posture wasnt quite right and his center of gravity, unstable. In an instant, he was sent staggering backward by the barbaric impact. Russel had just taken two steps back when he suddenly recalled something and cried out in alarm! Without wasting even a moment to think, he moved the giant shield behind him to block the vitals therein. As expected, the large shield was just in place when it began shaking in Russels hands amidst a series of dense rapping sounds. It was unknown how many attacks he had suffered at that moment. Qianye took several steps backward at the end of his attack momentum before managing to dissolve the violent impact. When he had regained his footing, East Peak was pointing toward the ground, and the patterns were lighting up one by one, poised to launch the next killer attack. On the other side, Bai Kongzhao rushed forward, kicked at the shield with both feet, and flipped away. She landed a dozen or so meters away, staring at Russelwho was curled up behind his shieldlike a tasty delicacy. Atop the tower, Bai Longjia had been paying attention to this battle all along. He waved his right hand and shouted, Fire! Several gunshots rang out at almost the same time as the order. High-caliber sniper rounds traversed the battlefield and exploded on Russels body. His heavy armor could hardly defend against these armor-piercing sniper rounds, which duly opened up several large holes on his body. Russels bloody energy churned and raged as a hazy bronze hue appeared on the giant shield. He was still quite calm despite the ambush. He rapidly moved away while remaining on guard against Qianye and Bai Kongzhao. At the same time, his eyes flitted across the battlefield and noticed that a number of Bai clan warriors were closing in. A feeling of danger welled up in Russels heart. Roaring, he smashed the ground with his fist and sent numerous sanguineous waves rippling outward. Dozens of fierce beasts of varying shapes and sizes took form from the blood energy and pounced toward the nearby Bai clan warriors. A blood leopard with long hair on its back flashed past a Bai clan soldier at great speeds. Swaying unsteadily, the latter dropped his gun and grabbed his throat with every ounce of his strength, desperate to stop the gushing fresh blood. His eyes were full of shock, up until he gradually collapsed. Meanwhile, the leopard had already darted toward another soldier and bitten the back of his neck. The tens of beasts formed of blood energy rampaged everywhere. In the blink of an eye, they had taken the greater part of the surrounding soldiers lives. Russels domain appeared fairly well-developed and suited for large scale battlefields. Qianye, who had been waiting for an opportunity all along, made his move after seeing Russel release his domain. A beam of silent sword energy shot toward Russel. Nirvanic Rend! Qianye had been practicing the Nirvanic Rend for many days. His present attack didnt contain a shred of worldly, aura and even the sword energy itself was barely discernible. However, the origin power consumed was almost one and a half times that of the past. One could imagine how powerful this attack was. Russel was currently operating his domain while evading sniper fire. At this moment, he suddenly felt the approach of mortal peril, but he had no time to move his shield. All he could do was shrink back on one knee and cover the vital areas on his head with his arms. Powerful blood energy erupted over his body as his domain became almost tangible. It was as though a blood pond several meters in diameter had appeared here. Without any warning, the blood energy domain was split into two. Several blood beasts didnt have the time to evade and were similarly sliced into two, turning back into blood energy which merged into the domain. Russel slowly lowered his arms. He heard a light clang as his armguard split into two and fell to the ground. There was now a cut on each of his arms, as thin as red threads and hardly visible to the naked eye. But Russels current movement caused the injury to burst open and reveal a terrifying bone-deep cut. This sword-strike had only cut through half of the bones in Russels arms. Qianye was greatly surprised that it couldnt even cut down the arms entirely, but he thought of something upon seeing the metallic glint on Russels bones. The domain was also slashed open with a single strike. It recovered almost instantly, but the blood energy was now much thinner, and several of the beasts had vanished entirely. Deploying a domain on the battlefield had its pros and cons. The bad thing was that ones origin power would be quickly depleted if the domain was targeted by enemy experts. Russels blood beast domain wasnt of a low level, and he had never expected Qianye to slash it open in one strikethis had led to his grave injuries. Following Bai Longjias orders, several Bai clan experts arrived and attacked Russel at the same time. Although this transfer had rapidly increased the pressure on other defensive lines, Bai Longjia had already realized that this Russel was no ordinary character. Against such an overwhelming enemy force, the fall of this stronghold was only a matter of time. Killing this blood count would allow them to recoup some of the losses. In the sky, ripples finally appeared in the vampire elders seemingly dead eyes. Have Russel return. That little fellow might take action if this goes on. At this moment, a dark room appeared in the image in front of him. There were explosions and flashes visible outside the window while dust and mortar dropped down constantly from the roof. There was a simple wooden chair at the center of the room, and upon it sat a woman in white clothes. Her eyes were lowered as though the raging battles outside had nothing to do with her. This woman was Bai Aotu. In the image, the light in her hands was growing brighter and brighter. Apparently, she was already gathering energy and couldnt wait to attack. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 586: Long Battle [V6C116 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The count nearby issued the command before returning to the elders side. He shot a glance at the image and appeared somewhat surprised. Isnt this the Everpeace Bai Clans Bai Aotu? Does she dare attack knowing full well that youre here? The vampire elder squeezed out a shiver-inducing smile. To these little fellows, Im probably just a name in their history books. After all, living humans who had interacted with me can be counted on one hand. The vampire count sneered, These short-lived humans still dare contend against our sacred-blooded race! The vampire elder appeared lost in thought for a moment. Humans theyre a weird race. Their short lives arent even enough for our kids to mature, but their top experts are no less powerful than ourselves. How could the eternal darkness allow such beings to exist? I truly do not understand. The old man said emotionally, Not to mention me, those supreme excellencies or even Her Majesty might not be clear about their secrets. The count had clearly never heard such words before. He stared blankly for a moment before blurting out, Thats impossible, right? The old man broke into a laugh. He didnt pay particular heed to the counts somewhat disrespectful words and only stared at Bai Aotu. Shes already extremely powerful despite being just a kid. She might be able to escape even if I attack personally, especially in this rocky terrain. The Everpeace Bai Clans most outstanding scion will surely have some life-saving treasures on her. The count said meaningfully, You wont let her escape if she does attack Russel, will you? The old man chuckled. Russel for Bai Aotu? That is quite the bargain. The counts expression froze and turned pale. The old man had clearly understood his meaning, but the tone of his reply caused the former to shiver. The old man let out a sudden sigh. But I wont use Russel to trade, and neither will I use you. The count was puzzled. He said nothing despite his astonishment and only bowed deeply at the old man. The elder reached out to move the imagery, switching through many places on the battlefield. At this moment, in the stronghold on the ground, Russel had already received his orders. He retracted his domain, hoisted his shield, and began edging back slowly. At this moment, thousands of dark race soldiers behind him had been driven toward the Bai clan battlefront in a suicidal attackseveral dark race warriors were falling every single second. The Bai clan losses were relatively smaller due to the cover of their defensive structures. However, they were also bleeding little by little. The already brittle defensive lines began wavering in the wind and rain. The only reason the army morale hadnt collapsed already was because they were completely surrounded and had no other path of retreat. During the retreat, Russel placed his defensive focus upon Qianye while sparing a bit of extra attention for Bai Kongzhao. As for the other Bai clan warriors, none of them could enter his eyes. Qianye didnt chase after him, either. The vampire counts level and defenses were both superior to him, and he also possessed auric flame blood. Had this battle continued, it would only become a drawn-out stalemate despite the Bai clans fire-support. Qianyes East Peak had struck out many times at full-force but only managed to leave some marks on the mans giant shield. At present at least, there was no way to break it apart. A Bai clan officer arrived hurriedly after Russel had fallen back into the dark race army. Qianye exchanged a couple of words with him before diving back into the dark race army, a tide of blood accompanying him wherever he went. Bai Aotu suddenly stood up within that small, dark room. She clenched her fists as her flickering gaze pierced through the wall toward Russels direction. But in the end, she didnt take action and merely let the man retreat back to the rear lines. She had a vague feeling that a pair of eyes were staring at her and that this existence would take action the moment she moved. She had been holding back since the beginning of the battle because she was waiting for the commander aboard the vampire warship to appear. Only a battle between experts could decide the final outcome of the battle. Bai Aotu loosened her fist and finally sat down on the wooden chair with closed eyes. She had to wait because that was the only thing she could do. The killing continued along the stronghold walls. The blood there had accumulated into countless streams which crawled over the gravel. More and more soldiers fell down and corpses began to pile up. Qianye no longer remembered how many lives he had taken. Eventually, East Peak, which had always been like an extension of his own arm, grew heavier and heavier. Swinging it began to take more and more effort. Most of the time, he would drag the blade on the ground while using the vampiric blade to kill the enemy soldiers. He would only use the heavy blade when encountering powerful enemies. A werewolf leaped high into the sky and pounced onto Qianye. The massive impact caused him to fall to the ground. One man and one wolf tumbled several times on the ground before Qianye managed to push him away and clamber up. The vampiric blade in Qianyes hand had pierced into the lunging werewolfs heart inches before contact. And while rolling on the ground, the werewolfs massive body helped him block out the dark race line of fire. The only problem was that the wolfs blood had splashed all over Qianyes face, and his vision was now filled with a hazy red. Qianye wiped his face with all his might and gradually regained clarity of vision. Unknowingly, there were only three Bai clan soldiers left in the vicinity. There was an entire reinforced company here when he joined the battle. Qianye took a step back in order to evade a burning metallic frame that was falling down, nearly tripping over something in the process. He looked down and found that it was a werewolf body, and that dark red fur looked rather familiar to himit was a werewolf who had died to his sword awhile ago. There was more than just one corpse around him. The stacked carcasses of the dark race and Bai clan soldiers almost filled the battlefield. Qianye couldnt help but let out a couple of coughs as a sweet, fishy smell welled up from his throat. It was a sign of complete physical exhaustion, something he hadnt felt for a very long time. His origin power hadnt hit rock bottom, but his physical body had been overdrafted since most of his kills were against ordinary dark race soldiers. Toward the end, he was more or less holding this segment of the defensive line on his own. The fights were fairly mechanicalhe would kill an enemy in one strike then move onto the next. Qianye knew he couldnt retreat because once he had taken a step back, the enemy forces would charge in through this line and bypass a large part of the defensive line. Even more lives would need to be sacrificed in order to stopper this hole. It was just like how things were going on in the other segments of the strongholds defensive line. Qianye exhaled lightly with a wry smile. He then felled a charging cannon fodder before observing the situation in his surroundings. He was too close to the Bai clan defensive line to use Life Plunder. In truth, with the shadow of that giant warship looming over him, Qianye didnt even dare use his vampiric blade to draw blood. He could only absorb a small amount of blood energy under the cover of close quarter combat, but this was far from enough. He simply couldnt meet the requirements for a state of blood boil. All he could rely on at this point apart from his vampiric constitution were the few doses of military-use stimulants he had left. On the western side of the battlefield, Bai Longjia had just swooped down from the tower to kill two dark race viscounts. Immediately afterward, he rose and flew back onto the command tower. There was a pair of snow white wings flapping slowly behind him and blood dripping down from his platinum gloves. At this point in the battle, the Bai clan had no more mobile forces left and even the general himself had to enter the battle. Bai Longjia paused ever so slightly as he stepped into the tower. He cast his gaze toward the giant warship in the sky and then at Qianyes battlefield. After gazing there for a moment, he beckoned his personal guards and pointed at Qianye. You three, reinforce that area with a small squad. The guards affirmed the command and sped down the tower, leaving very few figures on the lonely tower. Someone nearby said hesitantly, Second Young Master, you need to leave some men near you. Without bothering to comment, Bai Longjia gazed at the distant Qianye and asked, Did the reports from below say hes that Qianye from the Zhao clan? He claims to be Qianye, but the insignia on his uniform is fromthe Jingtang Li Clan. Bai Longjia stared blankly at the guard captain and saw that the other party was equally puzzled. The Zhao clan warzone wasnt adjacent to the Desert Valley, so it was surprising for Qianye to appear here. It did make some sense if he had arrived from the Jingtang Li Clans Misty Wood. After a short break, the dark race soldiers launched yet another wave of attacks. Hence, Bai Longjia could no longer afford to be distracted and proceeded to assume control of the battle once more. Qianye had just stabbed a stimulant into his leg when a charging battle cry rang out from the front. He couldnt help but mumble some profanities and raise his spirits. He killed off several dark race soldiers in succession and managed to push back the advancing troops. General Qianye, were coming! Qianye looked back and found that his so-called reinforcements only included three people with decent fighting power. Moreover, they were all wounded. However, they were different from the other soldiers in that they were wearing the decorations of the Broken-Winged Angels in addition to Bai clan insignias. They were probably Bai Longjias personal guards. Upon seeing them, Qianye realized how grave the Bai clans situation was. Even the commanders personal guards had been dispatchedthis meant that Bai Longjia really had no more manpower. But with the Bai clans foundations, why had no reinforcements arrived even at this point? The dark race landing force would need to be colossal for the other Bai clan strongholds to be under similar attacks. No matter how secretive their hidden aces were, it should be time to bring them out. These thoughts spun through Qianyes heart, but he didnt ask about them. He simply pointed toward the front and shouted, Follow me, well go do those bastards in! On the verge of life and death, a single follow me was best able to lift the soldiers spirits. The Bai clan soldiers around him responded with a loud roar as they charged into the enemy formation behind Qianye, starting a fierce massacre. The dark races also knew fear and exhaustion. Wherever he went, Qianye was followed by a rain of blood, along with flying limbs and flesh. At this moment, he was even more terrifying than a giant warbeast. The troops were finally overcome by fear and receded like the tide. The commanding officers shouts had no effect at all apart from revealing his position. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers and, without fear of wasting origin power, blasted that officers head off. And hence, the dark race assault was once again pushed back. He retreated into the inner walls of the stronghold and found a space where he could put down his feet. There, he leaned on a surviving wall and found some respite. It was at this time that a lingering metallic frame crashed downward, and Bai Kongzhao walked out from behind. She was now less than ten meters from Qianye. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 587: A Bitter Stop [V6C117 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The girl appeared rather miserable with numerous wounds of all sizes over her body. Her white dress had been dyed a dark purplethere was no telling how much of that blood was her enemies and how much her own. Bai Kongzhao was also startled upon seeing Qianye. This time, her deep eyes were not filled with the excitement and killing intent, only exhaustion. Just like Qianye at the moment, she was simply tired of all the killing. This was the first time Qianye had seen Bai Kongzhao in this state. However, her expression was still a bit awkward to the vigilant Qianye. He shook slightly as he drew East Peak from the ground, his image reflected upon the blade. He looked rather fine at a glance, that was apart from the blood stains, soot and naturally, some minor wounds. Qianye frowned slightly. He had seen many of this girls expressions but in truth, all of them were merely a facade. In Qianyes eyes, she was a machine made solely for the purpose of killingher expressions and emotions were all a means to this end. Other than that, there was only emptiness and solitude within that beautiful, fragile shell. But at this moment, there were some changes in Bai Kongzhao. That subtle but odd expression seemed to contain a shred of human emotion. A deep azure filled Qianyes eyes as he openly scanned Bai Kongzhaos body. Under his True Sight, he saw an origin vortex spinning slowly in the girls body, but surprisingly, there were strands of black energy mixed in with the white. Dark energy was supposed to be absolutely incompatible with daybreak energy, but the two existed harmoniously in her. Qianye couldnt help but feel shocked upon seeing this. Song Zining had investigated Bai Kongzhao before. The Bai clans assessment of this girl was that, despite her unmatched talents in combat, it would be prohibitively difficult for her to cross the champion threshold due to her innate constitution. Hence, Bai Kongzhao was expected to become a talented assassin and a sharp killing blade but hardly an expert capable of assuming great responsibilities. But during this short period, Bai Kongzhao had advanced to the rank of champion. Her upgrade was even faster than Qianye. He looked down at East Peak and casually turned the blade around, producing a blurry image of the girl upon it. This was the first time he had felt a killing intent without any sense of threat. Qianye actually wasnt afraid of danger, and the only ones capable of moving him were friends. Bai Kongzhao sized Qianye up as she dragged the disproportionately long sword on the groundit looked as though she could hardly bear the burden. That sword was an arachne weapon of excellent craftsmanship and materials, a grade six weapon at least. However, the edge was now lined with nicks and a part of its edge was even missing. Just by looking at this blade, one can imagine how many dark race soldiers had died in her hands. There were no changes in hershe was still that girl accompanied by death and murder. The only difference was that her targets this time were the dark races. Qianye suddenly noticed a familiar fluctuation from Bai Kongzhaos body, a type of mysterious resonance. A brief exploration revealed that the resonance originated from his undigested void essence. Qianye immediately understood how Bai Kongzhao had passed through her bottleneck and risen sharply in power. The girl seemed to have lost her usual sensitivity to danger and simply remained in place without any movement. She carefully observed Qianye from head to toe before her gaze finally arrived on the vampiric dagger in his hand. Qianye noticed this. A high-ranking vampiric blade was also a powerful weapon that was hard to come by. Humans could hardly bring out its full power, but it was still quite normal for people to switch melee weapons several times during such an intense battle. A random vampiric edge wasnt inferior to the standard military knife. The key difference was that the vampiric abilitywhile a mere decoration to humanscould be put to its full use in Qianyes hands. Although Qianye didnt dare absorb blood openly under the eyes of the masses, a small amount of essence blood would still enter his body after killing so many enemies. Bai Kongzhaos expression was rather oddhad she discovered something? Qianye couldnt help but frown secretly. Bai Kongzhaos black energy was also suspicious and surely of unorthodox origins. He couldnt point out what exactly was wrong, but it was still a type of darkness origin power. The two gazed silently at one another before Bai Kongzhao edged back slowly. Her long sword carved a deep scar in the ground as she moved step by step toward the eastern defensive line. Qianye leaned on the wall with his eyes closed, waiting for the next wave of attackers. The seconds turned to minutes as the clock ticked on, but the battlefield was silent. The stronghold suffered no more enemy assaults. The old man on the vampire airship remained silent for a long while. Finally, he said, Pull back and set up camp. We''ll see how things go tomorrow. Pull back? The vampire count was astonished. Why would they retreat when the stronghold was just within reach. The old man replied indifferently, If the Bai clan people arent dumb, theyll give up their stronghold obediently. Why must I waste more of our peoples lives? But... The count didnt know what to say. They were going to spit out the fat piece of meat that was already in their mouth, and this feeling was inexplicably awkward. The old man had no intention of explaining. He merely closed his eyes and buried himself into the throne. Not daring to speak more, the count bowed and left to carry out his orders. The consolidated dark race army did not launch another tidal wave of attacks on the stronghold. Instead, they retreated in an orderly manner, much like the tides in the deep ocean. Bai Longjia heaved a sigh of relief on the tower and performed a gesture representing the order to remain on standby. The orderlies ran toward every corner of the stronghold and commanded all squads not to act on their own. Even though the dark race army had retreated, the Bai clan forces had been more or less crippled. They simply had no ability to pursue and attack. Bai Longjias chest was filled with a stifling sensation after the long inhalation, and all of a sudden, he spat out the mouthful of blood. His aides were greatly alarmed and hurried over to help him. Bai Longjia composed himself and waved his hand. Im fine. Invite Qianye over, and my sister too. Then, he proceeded to issue more orders for the reorganization of troops and the repair of defenses. Moments later, Qianye arrived in one of the few intact buildings in the stronghold. He sat there in silence, looking at Bai Longjia who was sitting across from him. Bai Aotu, on the other hand, occupied an entire couch at the other end of the room and was resting with her eyes closed. Bai Longjia was just about to speak when he began coughing fiercely, calming down only after a good while. He looked at Qianye with a wry smile and said, Ive been busy with administrative jobs throughout the years and my cultivation hasnt improved at all. I was wounded in a single battle today, what an embarrassment. Qianye met Bai Longjias complicated gaze with his calm, limpid obsidian eyes. The deepest impression he had of Bai Longjia was in Darkblood City. Back then, the man had faced two dark race experts of the same levela human-faced arachne and Williamto buy time for the rookies of Broken-Winged Angel to escape. Qianye smiled faintly, Thats not true. General Bai is a skilled veteran in commanding troops. Your presence in this battle is superior to that of a general. Bai Longjia shook his head. Thats what the textbooks say. Troop control may turn small battles around, but the general situation calls for powerful experts to oversee the situation. Otherwise, any number of experts can only delay the inevitable. The Bai clan might not have been able to hold out until the end if Bai Aotu hadnt been present to keep that expert in the giant warship in check. Even then, the war situation wouldve crumbled if that expert had launched a reckless attack and Bai Aotu couldnt block him. At this point, Bai Aotu finally opened her eyes and said coldly, Longjia, you should delegate some of the responsibilities in your hand. You still need to spend some time cultivating. What does your current combat strength even amount to? Youll never be the commander of the Broken-Winged Angels at this rate. Bai Longjia said helplessly, Sis, I wouldnt have taken them up at all if I could delegate. Its your own choice. Bai Aotu closed her eyes again and spoke no more. Bai Longjia turned to Qianye and said with a smile, Qianye, I really must thank you for holding down an entire defensive line. Otherwise, our losses wouldve been even more miserable. With that, he stood up and bowed deeply at the latter. Qianye was startled. He moved out of the gestures way and said, It was just a coincidence. Im here to hunt independently and was just walking about to familiarize myself with the lay of the land when the vampire fleet appeared. Bai Longjia still finished his salutation before sitting down. Qianyes words were calm, but Bai Longjia knew clearly that it was virtually a suicide to join the battle against such a large fleetbut Qianye had still arrived regardless. Not only had he restrained a high-ranking fighting force like count Russel, but also kept guard over an entire defensive line. This kind of contribution couldnt be judged merely by the number of enemies killed. Bai Longjia pondered for a moment and said, I still have to express my gratitude for lending our Bai clan a hand in the face of such perils. Please tell me if you have anything you need. Ill do everything in my authority to accomplish it. Bai Aotu opened her eyes at this point. Her gaze was akin to bolts of electricity and actually produced a faint stabbing pain on Qianyes body. It hadnt been that long since they had last met, but it would seem this lady had grown stronger yet again. By Aotu was somewhat moved when she saw Qianye sitting calmly without even a shift in expression. All the grievances between you and the Bai clan will be wiped away. Well see what happens in the future. Qianye knew Bai Aotu was referring to the bloody battle. He was still unclear whether or not the Bai clan had a hand in Bai Kongzhaos collusion with the Nangong family, but he had certainly killed no small number of Bai clan experts when he fought for the Zhao clan during the latter part of the bloody battle. With Zhao Jundus identity and status, no one would dare seek revenge against him in public, but an expert of unclear affiliation like Qianye could easily become a target to take it out on. But her words still contained a shade of threat at the very end. The past would be let go, but new matters were still up for discussion. Forming new enmity on the battlefield was still a possibility. Qianye didnt take this warning to mind. He only smiled indifferently and said, Thats fine. We shall talk about the future when the time comes. How could Bai Aotu not know the meaning in Qianyes words? She stood up with a snort and left on her own. Bai Longjia rubbed his forehead while explaining, Even my sister cant settle the enmity between the Zhao and Bai clans. Qianye replied, The Zhao clans standpoint has nothing to do with me. Bai Longjia scanned the Jingtang Li emblem on Qianyes shoulder but didnt inquire about it. Instead, he explained his plans, The current state of battle has already exceeded my expectations. After a reorganization, Ill issue an order for all troops to retreat in half a day. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 588: Reward Beyond Expectation [V6C118 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye raised his brows. Youre not keeping this stronghold? Bai Longjia replied while shaking his head, We cant hold it. That expert in the central warship is unfathomable. He might even be a glorious marquis. The only reason he didnt join the battle was because he couldnt ascertain the real situation. My sister had remained hidden and countered his probes with her suppressive might. But this wont work a second time. He added, The dark race army is now regrouping after a steep loss of their elites in the first assault. Its precisely the best time for a retreat. Otherwise, theres no telling how many of the current survivors will get back alive. It turned out that none of the Bai clans experts apart from Bai Aotu and another elder were in the vicinity. The current disparity in forces was too great. If the one in the airship was a duke, even Bai Aotu and the elder together wouldnt be able to win. Moreover, most of the Bai clans garrisoned troops had fallen and the sub-fleet stationed here had been practically wiped out. Such a loss could be considered grave even for the Bai clan. It would no longer be limited to a single warzone if this went oneven the empires foundations might be shaken. Bai Longjia didnt mince words in front of Qianye. He said bluntly, Well lose this territory if the Zhao clan suddenly attacks us at this time and we cant stop their airships. Qianye only smiled without commenting on this matter since he had little interest in the civil conflicts on the empire. The Bai clan shouldve expected themselves to be in equal peril one day when they took action against the younger generation of the beleaguered Zhao clan. Bai Longjia sighed in his heart as he changed the topic of conversation, asking Qianye if he was willing to fight alongside the Bai clan. If the latter were to agree, he would double the normal recruitment terms. Qianye was startled. General Bai, thats four times the military contributions. Arent you afraid Ill empty your coffers? Bai Longjia replied without any hesitation, Youre worth the price. Qianyes combat strength was far above his rank and capable of supporting an entire battlefront. His contribution to the battle as a whole couldnt be calculated just by kill count. Qianye became briefly absent-minded as he recalled a long-forgotten matter. When he had first met Bai Longjia was during the recruitment in Xiangyang City. Their disparity in status back then was so great that Qianye only managed to glance at that elite-corps bigshot from afar. He could hardly even remember what Bai Longjia looked like. The only thing he remembered was the comment the man had written on his file. But those things were no longer important. But regardless of how he viewed the Bai clan, his agreement with the Li clan came first. He had no intentions of breaching the contract and thus wouldnt stay behind. Bai Longjia noticed that Qianye wasnt quite interested in the terms he had offered and also realized that it wasnt an issue of money. Its best you leave with us when we retreat. The dark race army this time is composed of mixed races. And judging from the scale, there should be at least six or seven experts above the count level. Itll be dangerous for you to travel alone. Everyone knew that a mixed dark race alliance would usually contain more experts. Qianye hesitated for a while but didnt refuse immediately. Bai Longjia was speaking of normal circumstances, but Qianye could mix into the dark race army with Bloodline Concealment. It wasnt too hard for him to break out of the siege. Bai Longjia didnt push the matter after seeing that Qianye was weighing his options. He summoned an officer and made some brief inquiries before turning back to Qianye. How about we convert your contributions to this defensive battle first? Well refer to the Bai clans current recruitment terms for independent experts and sum up the contributions as a virtuous count. Tell us whatever you needweapons, medicines, or other resources. Virtuous count? That was a first-rank count. The rewards somewhat exceeded Qianyes expectations. Qianye had no plans to decline, though. He pointed at the tattered Iron Wall on his body and said, I heard the Bai clans armor craftsmanship is the best in the empire. If possible, please get me a new set of armor. No problem. If Im not wrong, the one youre wearing is the empires standard Iron Wall armor, right? But thats a heavy armor. Qianye stretched out his hands and flipped it over to reveal an arm full of scratches and bite marks. The most eye-catching were the deep fang-marks near his elbow that had almost pierced through the armor. It wouldve gone through if not for the heavy armor, Qianye replied. Even Bai Longjia couldnt help but inhale deeply upon seeing the state of this armor. He turned to an officer and said, Bring the set of armor in my tent. The officer was startled. General, but thats your spare armor! Bai Longjia shot the man a cold glare. The officer left immediately, without daring to say anything. Only then did he turn back to Qianye and said, Our builds are more or less the same. You should be able to wear my armor. That one is so heavy that I cant last long in battle wearing it. It should be a better fit for you since you can fight for so long wearing Iron Wall. Moments later, the officer returned with a box and opened it to reveal a set of silvery-white armor. This battle armor appeared rather light, tight-fitting and resembled a light armor through and through. It could even be worn underneath ones robes. The armor was made up of countless tiny leaflets akin to dragon scales, each filled with intricate veined patterns and faint golden speckles amidst the silver. Qianye could tell from a glance that the armor had silken essence gold incorporated into it. There was a beast-head relief on the front of the armor and a dazzling pair of folded wings at the back. Add to that its bright silver color, one would see the bearer even amidst an army of ten thousand. Qianye picked the armor up from the box and weighed it in his hand. It was heavier than Iron Wall, and this was only a chestguard. Wouldnt the entire set reach a thousand kilograms? Only then did Qianye realize why Bai Longjia wasnt quite willing to don it. Every movement made in this armor would drain ones strength. It would only prove cumbersome except in perilous situations like charging the enemy lines. Bai Longjia said from the side, This armor is called Young Dragon, and it was custom-made for me at first. Certain materials were added in the pursuit of better defense which unexpectedly caused it to weigh too much. Although it includes a weight-reducing array, activating it also requires one to spend origin power. Isnt this too valuable? Qianye frowned. Young Dragon was a grade-six masterpiece whose performance wasnt that far off from a grade-seven standard armorsome of its functions and effects were even superior. This set of armor could already trade for a standard grade-eight origin gun. In terms of value, it had far surpassed Qianyes contribution points. Bai Longjia waved his hands. Ill need to break through to rank-fifteen at least in order to wear this armor. My recent cultivation is too slow because of the miscellaneous responsibilities in my hands. Itll just be a waste in my hands. If you dont feel comfortable, you can take it as a favor you owe to the Bai clan. I hope you can lend us a hand in times of peril. This was asking Qianye to fight for them again. Qianye broke into a laugh. The Bai clan is the Bai clan, you are you. These things are two different matters. Ill definitely do my best if you ever need help. I can also help the Bai clan if the enemies involved are from the dark races. Bai Longjia couldnt help but laugh wryly. Time was of the essence at this moment since the Bai clan was about to retreat, so Qianye didnt delay the matter and simply changed into Young Dragon. The sparkling silver colors gave him a feeling of inexplicable awkwardness. How was he to hunt with such a shiny get up? Everyone would be able to see him from far away, and no amount of Bloodline Concealment would help. Qianye immediately asked the quartermaster for some paint and dyed the armor an unassuming grey. Only then was he barely satisfied. The Bai clan stronghold was busy but orderly. Within just a couple of hours, all preparations to clear out had been made. From this, one could see the quality of the Bai clan units and Bai Longjias management. In the end, Qianye decided to retreat along with the Bai clan private army. He owed Bai Longjia a small favor after taking his Young Dragon. At dusk, what remained of the Bai clan army finally began to retreat, leaving the ruined stronghold behind along with a large batch of unnecessary supplies. Most of their ten thousand soldiers had fallen or suffered injuriesonly over a thousand were left when they left the stronghold. Some of the commanders were dissatisfied at first. They wanted to defend the stronghold and wait for the Bai clan to send troops over. However, they received news, during their retreat, of another sizeable landing party heading toward them at full speed. No one voiced their opinion after hearing this. If they were to cling onto the stronghold, not to mention a single Bai Aotu, even all the elders of the Bai clan working together would only result in death. That Bai clan elder, called Bai Tianfeng, revealed an unsightly expression upon seeing this piece of intelligence. What is that imperial fleet doing?! They even let two landing parties descend intact. Whats the use of having them around? Qianye also had the same doubts. Glancing around, he saw most of those nearby were also quite discontent. Even Bai Longjia had a gloomy expression. Their anger was more or less justified. The combination of two landing parties meant that a dark race force ten thousand strong would amass in Desert Valley. Moreover, there were at least two glorious marquises leading them. If unfortunate, it might be two dukes instead. The war had just begun, but the dark races had already mobilized such a large force. This proved that they were determined to obtain the Desert Valley. These two landing parties were likely just the vanguards, and a stream of armies would follow for sure. Whether it was by strategic planning or sheer luck, Bai Longjias decision to retreat was the correct one. Under these circumstances, the Bai clan had fallen into an awkward state. There was no way they could reclaim Desert Valley with their own strength. As such, they would surely be at a disadvantage during the distribution of territories later on. The atmosphere around the retreating army became stifling. Qianye sat silently within the central force. His mood was somewhat better since he saw neither Bai Kongzhao nor Bai Aotu. They finally encountered the Bai clan reception party after half a days travel. The Bai clans warzone was close to the Song clans, and there was a common forward base at their border. However, the base was within Song clan territory, so it brought the Bai clan a lot of inconveniences. Qianye had no good impression of the latter. Neither did he want to know why these two clans were sharing a base despite their friction in the bloody battle. Since they had arrived in a safe area, Qianye bade farewell to Bai Longjia without even entering the base to resupply. Bai Longjia understood that he couldnt stop Qianye, so he sent him off personally. Just as Qianye was about the leave, the former asked, Did you see Potian recently? Hes also come to join the battle this time. Qianye smiled. I traveled with the Wei clan fleet during the landing phase. Bai Longjia nodded but said nothing else. Qianye headed toward the southwest after leaving the Bai clan squad. The Desert Valley area was vast. It would seem that the dark race army had confirmed their attack target well beforehand because there werent any patrols or scouts at all except around strategic points. Qianye then ran back into the Misty Woods without encountering any obstructions. Surprisingly, Qianye felt a sense of safety after his senses were restricted to within a couple hundred meters. This forest was a natural battleground for him. Qianye found a random tree to sit beneath and brought out a map. He looked through it for a moment before his brows became knitted together. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 589: Dismissal of Authority [V6C119 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The empire had used every scheme at its disposal to seize the initiative on the void landmass, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain this advantage. The imperial capital, tens of thousands of kilometers away, wasnt quite peaceful, either. A storm had risen in the imperial court regarding the organization of military and administrative affairs. Within a short period, many years of accumulated corruption, fake contributions, and supply embezzlement were exposed, and the supposedly nefarious feudal lords of lands big and small were swept clean. The major clans restrained their own descendants while looking on with folded arms. The present emperors maternal family was hardly prominent, and the empress clan had been replaced many times. This major movethe first since his ascension to the thronewas undoubtedly just to consolidate his power. Centralizing in the name of resurgence wasnt quite plausible. The cause became righteous enough only by borrowing the momentum of national fate. Today was yet another court assembly. A solemn array of retainers, generals, and nobles were standing in neat rows within the Rising Cloud Hall. The aristocracy here was comprised entirely of dukes and clan lords, all of them serious, calm, and majestic. There were many new faces among the government officials of the cabinet and generals of the military department. Although positioned closer to the rear, the sharp determination of those new powers in their forties was fairly eye-catching. Additionally, there was another common characteristicthey werent of high birth status. Many of them came from aristocratic side branches or even commoner families. Despite being an imperial marshal, Zhang Boqian wasnt in the generals lineup. Instead, the manclad in a gold and black prince clothingstood at the head of the aristocratic group. As a heavenly monarch, Zhang Boqian was above all the other feudal lords. The other four heavenly monarchs had long since retired from military affairs and naturally wouldnt appear in imperial court, either. It was only natural that he occupied the leading position for the aristocracy. There was another just like him who wasnt standing with the generalsthat empty leading position in the civil officers lineup belonged to Lin Xitang. The marshal hadnt appeared for several court assemblies in a row due to an exacerbation of old injuries. However, from all the new faces that had appeared in Rising Cloud Hall, it was obvious that the trusted confidant of the emperor was only absent from court but not from governmental affairs. As the discussions in court went on one after the other, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly stagnant. Some of those who were sensitive to politics and statecraft had begun to sense that something wasnt quite right. The results of all the discussions todayinvolving civil, military, defensive, and territorial issuesappeared to be following a certain policy: ancestral law. This principle wasnt wrong in and of itself. The imperial court and the major clans had ruled the land together since the founding of the Great Qin Empire. The empire had prospered because they had laid down laws to govern their own areas and stabilize their own positions. But time inevitably eroded the human heart and whittled away at their integrity. No matter how good a legal code was, it was no different from being lawless if one couldnt follow it. Subjects who had pioneered new territory during the founding of the empire could shelter three generations of descendants. The law also stated that both aristocratic descendants and commoners would receive equal rewards for their accomplishments. But as for how practical this rule was, everyone in the hall had different opinions of it. This, however, wasnt the focus of this assembly. Heavenly monarchs have never led armies. According to this convention, we should begin reforming the empires command zones. A young inspector closed the thick report in his hands after reading the last sentence. Rising Cloud Hall was plunged into complete silence. All the suggestions in court today seemed to be reaffirming the ancestral law. And those words at the end were directed at Prince Greensun, Imperial Marshal Zhang Boqian. The tradition of heavenly monarchs not leading armies began during the founding era of the empire when the founders half-brother, Prince Whiteriver, gave up his military rights after ascending to the heavenly monarch rank. Since then, it became conventional for heavenly monarchs to oversee wars but not get involved in individual military affairs. It was just that, during the Martial Emperors resurgence era, a sixty-year cycle was usually required for a human expert to reach the heavenly monarch rank. Moreover, administrative duties would interfere with cultivation. Hence, those with the potential to become a heavenly monarch would rarely take up duties in court. This tradition had also been more or less forgotten. In truth, compared to the heavenly monarch not leading the army, it was the redistribution of command zones that caught everyones attention. That was a substantial redistribution of power. The current imperial army command zones corresponded to the ten present marshals of the empire. A marshal was currently the highest military office in power and had power over the regional armys recruitment, training, deployment, and resource allocation. That was more or less equal to the rights granted to the aristocracy. That was also why a clan lord couldnt serve as a marshal at the same time. Meanwhile, the inspector, who had just thrown out this huge bomb, seemed completely oblivious as to the waves his report would kick up. He turned around without fear and faced Zhang Boqians cold gaze head-on. All eyes in the Rising Cloud Hall fell upon the two. The right-envoy of the cabinet inspectorate, Fang Qingkong, was in his early forties and could be considered rather young amidst the nobles in the hall. However, his voice and future prospects were completely irrelevant to his appearance. This person looked refined and mild on the outside, but his methods were sharp and cruel. Even the military police were afraid of him. After joining the inspectorate, he had made a controversial announcement that he was going to serve as Marshal Lins rabid hound. But such a person had survived for seven years and had even risen from a minor position to the third-in-power at the inspectorate. There might be more people after his life than Li Xitangs. Zhang Boqian shot Fang Qingkong a glance before looking away as if he hadnt seen anything. Its fine if you want my marshals seal, but have Lin Xitang come and take it himself. The entire Rising Cloud Hall was deathly still. Even the sounds of breathing were barely discernible. Everyone knew Zhang Boqians character very well and that his reply would be shocking. But no one had expected him to agree so easily to such an important matter. The marshal had never feigned civility. If he said it was fine, then it was fine. For a moment, no one knew what kind of expression to wearbe it those who had chosen to stay out of this matter, those who wanted to take advantage of the situation, or those who had planned to pick a side. Fang Qingkong reacted quickly. What will we have left to do if Marshal Lin attends to everything personally? Zhan Boqian replied indifferently, Youre not qualified to even court death. At this time, the voice of the emperor emerged from the mist behind the heavy curtain and reverberated throughout Rising Cloud Hall. The cabinet shall submit a written report of todays discussions. Undecided matters shall be negotiated by the cabinet, military, and imperial clan. Assembly dismissed. The officials performed their ritual bows and left amidst the tolling bell. Only at this point did they split into small groups and began discussing in private. The twin pillars of the empire had different political standpoints since stepping into the imperial court. And their differences only grew deeper and deeper after Zhang Boqian was conferred the title of princethings had eventually reached the climax during the bloody battle. Many officials were clear that Zhang Boqian had no special orders when he arrived on Evernight Continent and was only there to restrain the imperial clans obvious intentions. Hence, Lin Xitang was also dragged over to Evernight. The situation broke down at that point and the imperial clan became dividedone of them even betrayed Lin Xitang. If not for the appearance of Giants Repose drawing the courts attention to faction conflicts, there was no telling how things wouldve developed. Most people had guessed that Li Xitang would retaliate once he was free to do so. But no one had expected him to push Zhang Boqian into a corner by suggesting to remove the latter from office. Upon deeper consideration, however, this matter was likely to receive little external obstruction. As usual, the Zhang clan had monopolized everything in the war at Giants Repose. Hence, even those aristocratic families on their side wouldnt want to see the clan grow in power. At most, they would remain neutral. As for the redistribution of command zones Fang Qingkong had suggested, this matter would have to be carried out sooner or later. Because the war against the Evernight faction was sure to be a drawn-out battle, the empires defense system would also need to be adjusted accordingly. But to bring up this matter together with Zhang Boqians dismissal was indeed an admirable move. Fang Qingkongs personality was indeed disgraceful, but how he had faced Zhang Boqian today was enough to impress many top powers. Duke Wei sighed emotionally before Duke You, Is the Art of Heavens Mystery that miraculous? Li Xitang has always been an excellent judge of character. How rare is it for such a talented person to be so loyal. He then thought of something. Sigh, how unfortunate! That child from the Song clan is walking closer and closer to the Zhang clan. Duke You knew that Duke Wei liked Song Zining even before the latter had gained fame. When all of Blackflow Citys contribution points went to the Zhao clan, he had even made roundabout inquires as to whether they were looking to recruit the young man. But Song Zining had risen too quickly and his separation from the Song clan caught everyone unprepared. There were also rumors that Zhao Jundu wasnt on good terms with him. By the time everyone else had woken up from the confusing news, Song Zining was already holding a commanding position in Zhang Boqians administrative department. Recruiting him right now was no longer possible with simple benefits or threats. At the mention of Song Zining, Duke You Zhao Xuanji thought of Qianye. The secret report he had received that morning made him thoroughly depressed. So what about geniuses? The Zhao clan had never lacked them. But looking at Zhao Weihuangs sons and daughtersnone of them spared one from worry. At this moment, in the faraway Zhao clan camp, a secret report with the same contents had been placed upon the meeting table. Seated on the top of the table was the eldest among the Zhao siblings, Zhao Junyi. He was the one who resembled Zhao Weihuang the most. He had been living in the army since his coming of age, and his bearing was very much that of a soldier. He glanced at his two younger brothers before holding his gaze on Zhao Jundu. Whats going on? Why is Qianyes name on the Jingtang Li Familys guest officer list? The one who replied was actually Zhao Junhong. He flipped through a number of secret reports on the table and replied calmly, Qianye is an excellent sniper who possesses superior visual range, so the geography of Misty Wood suits his skills perfectly. Moreover, hes ranked so far up among the guest officers. The Li family mustve given him much greater rewards than the norm. Zhao Junyi frowned deeply. His second brothers reasoning was all fine and well for any other independent expert, but it was comical when applied to Qianye. Zhao Junyi himself had never met this half-brother beforeneither was there anything to like or dislike. But it was different for Zhao Jundu who had stirred up great winds and waves in the clan for Qianye. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 590: Fading Note [V6C120 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhao Junyi was somewhat annoyed. He was supposed to be performing the final checks on the airship at this moment and then taking off after two hours. He had rushed back in a hurry after seeing the newest intelligence. As the recognized future leader of the Fire Beacon Corps, his trip this time was only to escort the Zhao clan transports. He would return to guard the Zhao clan territory for the remainder of the national war. Zhao Junyi glanced at his origin sundial and said, Old Two, stop beating around the bush. Do you two think father is so far that he wont come to this floating continent? Zhao Junhong smiled wryly. He was just about to reply when Zhao Jundu stood up and said coldly, Qianye can do whatever he wants to do. Ill take responsibility for everything if father asks. With that, he got up and left the tent. Zhao Junyis expression sank. He slammed the table and said, Zhao Guanweis matter hasnt even been settled yet. Why is Old Four covering this Qianye? Zhao Guanweis matter seemed to have ended at that time. However, it stirred up quite a lot of trouble within the clan and badly affected Duke Chengens lineage. Back then, Qianye had badly injured the man and kicked him out of the camp. This caused quite a bit of backlash in the clan regardless of the reason behind his actions. In the end, it was because Zhao Guanweis relationships were deep. Although his bloodline was far removed from the three dukes lineages, he was still a bona fide Zhao clan descendant. He had trained and cultivated the Zhao clans arts since youth and joined the private army after coming of age, accumulating many contributions in battle. Add to that his upstanding and frank personality, he was rather popular among the various branches of the clan. Someone like Zhao Guanwei would always be a dependable cornerstone of the mid to lower tier forces in any branch. He was also a target of recruitment for many parties, and the Duke Chengen branch attached a fair bit of importance to this person. But now, not only had they failed to recruit him, but the two parties had even become hostile. Zhao Junhong actually calmed down and resumed his normal expression. Zhao Guanwei has always maintained a good reputation. But since he was willing to ignore the bigger picture and stir up trouble for Qianye on the frontlines, it shows that he has already been bought by the people from Duke Yans side. Even if its because of an owed favor as the rumors say, that favor mustve been fairly big. We had no chance of roping him in from the start. Zhao Junyis expression relaxed. Zhao Junhong laughed. In the end, Qianye only served as a shield for fourth brother. His reaction was great, even I might not be able to do better if I were there. Qianyes methods appeared drastic, but in truth, the two sides had already become antagonistic the moment Zhao Guanwei stepped out. Conciliation wouldve had no effect on him anyway. It would only serve to encourage the other Zhao clan soldiers to take chances. Only a thunderous response could suppress all adversary with military might. Zhao Junyi himself was a leader of armies and knew the pros and cons in this matter. His expression finally eased as he muttered, The clan elders will surely ask about Qianye fighting for the Li clan. Have you two prepared a response? Brother, dont worry. Who can find fault with the explanation I gave previously? If theyre so capable, why dont they recognize little brother officially? Moreover, its unsure what those elders are planning. There are already people outside investigating Qianyes movements during the years he was missing. Zhao Junyis brows jumped up with a peculiar expression. It looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitant. Zhao Junhong sneered, Do you know what our uncle Duke You said to Qianye after the matter with Zhao Guanwei? First, he told Qianye that the Zhao clan would belong to Jundu and him after ten years. The second part was that due to Qianyes birth status, the clan lords position would only belong to Jundu. Uncle really thinks so highly of us brothers. At least, Duke Yans side isnt showing any signs of giving up. Zhao Junyis brows knitted tightly. These words sounded like a man placing high hopes on the younger generation, but it was actually planting the seeds of conflict between brothers. Did Qianye tell you all of this? Someone who would pass on these words wasnt quite simple, either. It was unknown what Zhao Junhong was thinking. He simply shook his head and said, No. Zhao Junhong didnt offer further explanation. The one who had passed the message was Song Zining. He himself felt Qianye trusted Song Zining too much. No wonder Zhao Jundu wanted to beat the latter up upon sight. But the Song seventh young noble was indeed intelligent. It just so happened that this well-known trickster loved stirring up strenuous and unrewarding incidents between the brothers. Zhao Junyi gave it some thought and said, Let it be. Fourth brother must have his own plans regarding Qianye, so well leave it at that. The present situation is rather complicated both inside and outside of the clan, and its best if he can stay outside for the time being. Ill talk to father when I return to the Western Continent. Zhao Junhong asked all of a sudden, Brother, has the family never received any news of Qianye in the past ten years? Zhao Junyi paused for a long while without replying. Zhao Junhong continued, Qianyes martial path stems from Yellow Springs. That isnt a place just anyone can enter, but we cant seem to find out who sent him in. How many people are there in the empire that even we cant touch? Qianye was trained in Yellow Springs, so there was no way his origin theft wouldve escaped the instructors eyes. The powers behind Yellow Spring were tangled and complicated. How could such a major discovery be silent from both the Zhao clans friends and foes? Zhao Junyi tapped on the table with his fingers and said after a long while, Its been said that Marshal Lin Xitangs foster son is a Yellow Springs graduate, but he died less than a year after joining the army. He paused for a moment. I dont think Qianye has brought this matter up on his own, has he? Since fourth brother doesnt even want to get him involved in the internal disputes of the clan, why the need to unearth the past? Lin Xitang?! Zhao Junhong lowered his eyes to hide the wisp of frostiness within. He then said with a nod, Thats true. At this moment, Lin Xitang was seated in a jeep at the imperial capital, gazing absentmindedly at the omnipresent white outside the window. The four seasons here were fairly clear cut. It was presently winter time, and the snowfall had been rather heavy since noon, pressing down upon the roadside trees until they were on the verge of collapse. Fang Qingkong was kneeling on one knee beside the seat and hadnt moved since boarding the vehiclehe wouldnt make a single sound if Lin Xitang did not speak. The marshals ceremonial motorcade slowly drove on and arrived before a set of majestic kinetic towers. This was merely the energy center of a certain street block, yet it was almost as large as a medium-sized city. Apparently, the residents here were of extraordinary status. Lin Xitang said gently, Qingkong, you shouldnt have done that. Dissolving Zhang Boqians office was a proposal. It shouldve been personally submitted to court by Lin Xitang, but he hadnt made it to the recent court sessions due to an exacerbation of his injuries. Fang Qingkong made no excuse and only lowered his body even more. Lin Xitang sighed. Youre only one step away from becoming a divine champion. If you can step through this threshold, your future wont be limited to just being an inspector. Becoming a duke or a minister isnt out of the question. How many people have been stopped here due to limited talents? You, on the other hand, have a good chance of breaking through within two years. Why would you provoke Prince Greensun at such a time? Fang Qingkongs methods had always been vicious, and it was entirely due to his strength that he was able to survive up until now. He was trained in the Northern Legions reconnaissance battalion, but no one had ever imagined that a suicide warrior specializing in assassination would be able to reach the threshold of a divine champion. No wonder even someone like Lin Xitang, who had met so many geniuses, was full of regret. Fang Qingkong said softly, Someone has to do the dangerous things, and it shouldnt always be you. Lin Xitang only said one sentence, Qingkong, dont let this happen again. Fang Qingkong replied, Yes. Lin Xitangs expression was indifferent. If you feel indignant, go back to the army and accumulate more contributions for a couple of years. You might even be able to fight for a commanders position. To be honest, its a waste of your talents to be working as an inspector. Fang Qingkongs face paled. Qingkong wont ever do it again. Please dont transfer me away. The car trembled slightly and came to a stop. There was a majestic building at the end of the road with green roof tiles, black eaves, and a sign that said Greensun. The style was an imitation of the ancestors handwritingan inscription gifted to the first Prince Greensun form the founding emperor. Lin Xitang left the car and his followers outside and walked up the stairs on his own. The Greensun Manor guards apparently recognized the marshal and had already received orders. They only performed salutations upon seeing himno one stood forward. Lin Xitang looked up to check the direction before heading deeper into the building, passing through many doors along the way. Eventually, the view before him widened as he arrived at the edge of a drill grounds. There wasnt a single person along the corridors. In the drill grounds, however, a mass of sword radiance was glowing even more brightly than the reflection of the heavy snow. The sword energy therein forced the snow to remain suspended in the air, yet there was no sound at allonly the faint rustle of the powdery snow. As the sword radiance receded, an ancient-looking black blade appeared at the center of the grounds. The Zhang clans Sword Rain Formation, Fading Notes. Zhang Boqian returned to the corridor where a table, wine, and cup had been prepared. There was a cup full of golden spirit, but he didnt touch it. Instead, he picked up the jar and poured the contents into his mouth. A good part of the alcohol spilled out, and the air was soon filled with a rich aroma. Lin Xitang walked over to pick up the cup and took a sip. A stream of burning flames fell into his chest. Zhang Boqian placed a seal the size of an infants fist on the table. The jade green object was carved in the most ordinary of square shapes, but the origin arrays that formed the seal patterns represented the will of one of the highest military authorities in the Great Qin Empire. Zhang Boqian pushed the seal toward Lin Xitang. His attitude was fairly casual as though this were just an ordinary seal. Lin Xitangs expression froze for a short while. After a brief pause, he produced a palm-sized box and handed it to Zhang Boqian. The latter didnt open the box just yet and only flipped it in his hands. It was so silent that only the sound of falling snow could be heard. Lin Xitang broke this stillness and said, This is the Omen of Fortune you asked for. Omen of Fortune was a type of divination art. Reportedly, the diviner would draw upon the power of the stars to form various diagrams on a jade known as Fortune to divine the seekers questions. Additionally, the diviner wasnt privy to the seekers question. This divination process was beyond mysterious, so much so that it was considered a form of entertainment instead of a traditional divination art. The jade box suddenly broke down into fine powder in Zhang Boqians hands, which then vanished without a trace as they spread into the air. Lin Xitangs perpetually calm countenance was filled with astonishment. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 591: A Difficult Opening [V6C121 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Thats not the type of fate I want. Zhang Boqian flicked the jade seal with a raise of his hand, causing it to fly up and land in Lin Xitangs grasp. Boqian! Youre in such a rush to consolidate power, as if youre worrying there isnt enough time. But even the war of national fate wont last ten years. What exactly are you planning? Lin Xitang was startled. Zhang Boqian didnt wait for him to reply. What you really want to control isnt the imperial army but the void continent, right? But this time, I wont let you have your way. With that, he left in large strides. Lin Xitang remained in place. Finally, there was a slight shift in his expression. Over half an hour later, Zhang Boqian was back in his room, reading through the latest reports. He walked over to the map of the floating continent and pondered for a long while. Both the military and Zhang clans military intelligence proved that the empires situation on the void continent wasnt looking great. The Evernight council had reacted swiftly after taking a number of major losses at Giants Repose and poured in large forces. Meanwhile, the empire would need to do a lot of adjustments before they could muster more reinforcements. A personal guard entered after knocking and delivered a metal box that had been sealed shut. News from the Black Market. Zhang Boqian nodded in response and waited until the guard had left before tearing the box open. Inside was a translucent piece of circular crystal. Crystal media were commonly used by the dark races, but then again, forbidden life-prolonging arts were mostly from the Evernight faction. Zhang Boqian instilled a wisp of void origin power into it. A drop of fresh blood slowly condensed upon the surface of the crystal and quickly transformed into a black flamethe blaze surprisingly contained the aura of the Sperger clans current lord. It was interesting how an unassuming reward he had instructed his men to post on the black market had actually received such a valuable response. His brows trembled ever so slightly as he recalled the spiritual mending Habsburg had mentioned in the Eye of the Storm. It would seem he wasnt speaking without prior thought. This vampire prince was probably not as low-key as he seemed on the surface. His antennae seemed to stretch quite far into human territory. What then were his intentions in revealing his strength? The projection gradually vanished, and the crystal soon regained its lustrous clarity. Zhang Boqian pinched the crystal and instilled a drop of daybreak origin power into it. The crystal shattered to formed a prismatic bubble, and at the same time, a piece of hidden information shot out. That was a consciousness from Prince Habsburg himself. Lin Qianye is still alive. The void continent, tens of thousands of kilometers away. Qianye had no idea that he had become the focus of attention for those near and far. Gazing at the map of the void landmass and studying the latest battle situations, he was overcome by the feeling that the empires situation wasnt great. Desert Valley was adjacent to the dark races Crimson Fjord. Now they were amassing a large force in order to push the Bai clan out of Desert Valley for good and link their two warzones together. The two zones were also connected to the Misty Wood, but Qianye wasnt willing to explore the Crimson Fjord without concrete information on enemy activity. It would be bad if he were to run into an Evernight expert. Qianyes gaze fell upon an area to the west of the Crimson Fjord. There was a giant lake there, named Blacklight Lake by the empire. The body of water stretched hundreds of kilometers and was practically an inland sea. The area around it was the Blacklight warzone. This Blacklight warzone was the Zhang clans garrison. Locations closer to the Crimson Fjord were naturally more dangerous. As the number one clan of the empire, the Zhang clans boldness was extraordinary. They immediately picked Blacklight warzone and proceeded to monitor the Evernight factions activities from there. Although the Crimson Fjord was currently occupied by the Evernight faction, it was also included in the distribution of imperial warzones. The place was personally headed by the Imperial Court, a testament to its determination to take down the place. The empires initial plan to force the dark races into a single warzone appeared optimistic overall. But the quick fall of Desert Valley allowed Qianye to realize that the war might even be more arduous than he had imagined. Qianye operated in the Misty Wood during the several days that followed, killing three dark race scouting parties. But even adding all of that was merely equal to two baronsit could be said that his harvest was quite poor. Half a month passed by with nothing much to do. Qianye decided to head back to the Li clan base to report in. On the other hand, he could also withdraw his salary and supplies. The Li clan base had completely transformed when he arrived. The entire camp was now surrounded by a ten-meter wall with cannon turrets erected every hundred or so meters. The two giant towers behind the camp surprised Qianye even more. The Li clan had actually constructed two kinetic towers of the city-grade. Now, this was a steep investment. It also proved their determination to claim this territory for the clan. Qianye proved his identity at the gates and entered. This base was built to accommodate five regular divisions, a total of 75,000 soldiers. It was more or less a small city. There were several areas in the base where the construction work was still ongoing. At a glance, however, the armories, defensive structures, vehicle plant, and airship port all seemed fairly lofty. Qianye stopped beside a map erected near the main road and noticed that the entire base was well-organized and designed as a military fortress. He quietly memorized the locations of some open facilities before heading straight for the briefing tent at the side of the camp. This was where the Li clan issued intelligence, missions, and rewards. Beside the briefing tent was the armory which had been stocked with mountains of resources. Most of the rewards could be withdrawn directly from this warehouse, but it went without saying that the most premium items werent stored here. Those would need to be shipped over from the main continent. There were several large halls in front of the briefing tent, corresponding to different levels of experts. Qianye walked past the two tents for sub-champion level hunters and entered the third one. This mission hall was much smaller than the other two, but the decoration was more lavish. There was a small bar at a corner of the tent, served by peerless beauties. The drinking men therein could hardly move their eyes away from those lightly swaying hips. From time to time, someone would stuff some coins into the ladies bosoms or grab them gently from behind. Qianye only scanned the bar briefly before walking further into the hall. The place was separated into many small rooms which offered excellent privacy. Qianye walked into one of the empty rooms. The decoration inside was simple and graceful. Behind the desk across from Qianye sat a female officer in the prime of her life, her customized uniform bringing out the best of her figure. Her eyes lit up as Qianye entered. She stood up to lead Qianye to his seat and asked, How can I be of service to you? Qianye placed his identity tablet on the table. Im Qianye, here to submit contributions and check for new intelligence. The officers eyes grew even brighter after seeing a generals golden sword insignia. She stood up and fished out a small booklet from the shelf behind her. She then leaned toward Qianye and said in a gentle voice, This is the latest battle report, one of the highest level. You can read it here but you cant take it away. The words were spoken very slowly, and from Qianyes angle, he could already see the entirety of her chest. Despite having seen many beauties, Qianye couldnt help but secretly praise her fiery figureonly Nangong Xiaoniao might be able to surpass her. Qianye only smiled faintly in the face of this obvious hint and picked up the intelligence booklet. In the past, he wouldnt have minded a casual romance to wipe away the fatigue of a long battle. But now, Qianye only had Nighteye in his heartthat lady who was quietly waiting for him to return home. The female officer wasnt discouraged at the lack of response and simply sat back with a dignified attitude. Apparently, she was looking to take Qianye down by playing hot and cold. Qianye seemed completely oblivious to the female officers fighting spirit as he scanned the report. His expression turned serious after flipping through a few pages. The battle in the void had been growing in cruelty and intensity as the Evernight Council dispatched their fleets continuously. Connecting all of the battle reports together, one could see that the imperial fleet had somehow lost their initiative and had been forced to consolidate their troops for a showdown against the Evernight main fleet. Such battles had broken out dozens of times during this half-month period and both sides had suffered losses. The empire was holding the overall advantage, but the shocking death toll proved that it was a close victory at best. At this moment, the empires primary airship fleet was already struggling to handle the enemy assaults. They simply couldnt spare the forces to deal with enemy landing parties. That was also the reason why the two landing squads that had appeared in Desert Valley were completely intact. It was just that the imperial airship fleets loss of control in the void had caused the ground battles to become incomparably difficult. The Bai clan suffered the brunt of the impact. They hadnt even gained a stable foothold when they were uprooted by overwhelming enemy forces. The damage wasnt limited to the fortress in which Qianye had foughtthe other forward base in the warzone didnt last long, either. Presently, the Bai clan had completely withdrawn from the Desert Valley. The neighboring Blacklight Lake didnt have it easy, either. Three landing squads had arrived there in the recent period. Add to that the tens of thousands of soldiers dispatched from Crimson Fjord, the enemy forces in Blacklight Warzone now numbered fifty thousand. The Zhang clan was powerful, but even they had already suffered tens of thousands in casualty since the beginning of these arduous battles. As expected of the empires number one clan, they were able to hold out fearlessly in the face of an enemy force several times stronger. However, the Evernight Council had mobilized a force far exceeding everyones expectationseven the Zhang clan might lose Blacklight Warzone if a fundamental reversal didnt come soon. Qianyes expression grew even more serious as he flipped on. The overall report was that the empire was being suppressed in half of the territories they had initially occupied, and the Evernight sides reinforcements were showing no signs of stopping. At this point, the scale of dark race forces on the void continent was fairly close to the empires. Even Qianye knew that the empire would need at least a month of mobilization and logistic preparation in order to provide more reinforcementsand that was on the premise that there were soldiers left to send without affecting mainland defense. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 592: Ineffable Enmity [V6C122 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye was deep in thought after putting down the battle reports. One could see the characteristics of each major clan from the current situation. The Zhang clan was just as tyrannical as before, taking the sole lead in the Blacklight warzone without seeking any help from the other aristocracy. The Bai clan, too, aimed for the skies by seeking to dominate Desert Valley on its own. It too didnt invite the other nobility to form alliances, only opting to offer high bounties to independent experts like Qianye. However, the Evernight factions offensive was much fiercer than anyone had expected. Even the Zhang clan could barely stabilize the situation. The Bai clan was even worsethey had effectively lost their frontline fortress in a single battle. Comparatively, the Song clan was hidden behind the Bai clan. They continued recruiting on a large scale, apparently seeking to pave the way to a new territory with gold coins. The Zhao clans course of action was thought-provoking. It was a rare occasion in which they didnt compete with the Bai clan. Not only did they pass on a strategically positioned warzone like Desert Valley that was rich in mineral resources, but also chose to settle in one of the most remote warzones. At the same time, they were just as arrogant and aloof, inviting only a number of powerful aristocratic families to garrison therein. The Yin family and Wei clan were among them. Additionally, the Zhao clan was in no rush to push further in after landing. Instead, they began constructing three large fortresses in a tight formation and seemed to be adopting a defensive stance. As for the imperial court, they shouldered the most difficult of warzones, the central underground maze region and the Crimson Fjord where the dark race base was located. Their ambitions were just as great. The situation at the Jingtang Li Clans warzone was complicated. The Misty Woods entire scope was actually shaped like a loop which encircled the central underground maze region and was thus adjacent to almost all the warzones. The unique environment made it difficult to deploy large armies here. However, it was a haven for expert hunters. Additionally, the empress family revealed their lofty ambitions once again by inviting a great number of aristocratic families and experts, turning almost no one away. The power they had concentrated had, at least on paper, surpassed the Zhao, Bai, and Song clansonly inferior to the Zhang clan and imperial court. Qianye felt fairly anxious after observing the current situation. Pessimistically speaking, the Blacklight Warzone would eventually fall should the dark races keep up this momentum. With little terrain advantage to rely on, the Full Moon Plains wouldnt last long, either. In the end, the entire imperial army might be pushed back to the Zhao clan warzone and thereafter enter a war of attrition. The Misty Wood, on the other hand, was a natural battleground for experts. The battles there might actually go on until the very end. Sighing lightly, Qianye returned the report to the female officer and asked, Where do I exchange contributions? Please follow me. The lady led Qianye toward an area at the back where several officers were seated at the entrance of a warehouse. They were in charge of registering and submitting proof of contribution. The rules regarding the inspection of contributions was a familiar process. Qianye didnt say much and only passed his backpack over. Within it were objects for identity verification like vampiric fangs and identity insignias. His contributions had been tallied up after a while, and the person in charge passed Qianye a list saying, A total of six barons worth of contribution points. Please take a look and see if its correct. Qianye waved his hand and said, No need. Thats more or less all of it. The batch he had submitted was his harvest in the Misty Wood, most of them were kills he had racked up when he had just arrived on the floating continent. Compared to the raging battles in the other warzones, the Misty Wood appeared exceptionally calm. Qianye only encountered two patrol squads and no other decent combat squads. Do you wish to deposit our points or exchange them right away? According to the rules, if you exchange now, you can exchange for materials at the rate of two fourth-class merits. Qianye had long since formed an answer. Convert all of them to Mithril Bullets of Exorcism, half between sniper and handgun rounds. No problem. The warehouse was just behind the contribution registration room and ammunition wasnt an overly valuable resource. Four boxes of mithril bullets soon appeared in front of Qianye, a total of ten sniper and twelve handgun rounds. Qianye was fairly satisfied after checking the inventory. The Mithril Bullets of Exorcism provided by the Li family were fairly high in qualitythey were at least twenty percent more expensive than the ones provided by the empire. Just this alone would equate to a twenty percent rise in contribution points. It would seem the Li family was prepared to do something big. He was just about to pack things up when a sinister voice rang out from behind, Oh, if it isnt Sire Qianye? You mustve had a great harvest! Why dont you widen my horizons? Qianye didnt need to turn back to know that it was Du Li. At this moment, Du Li was walking into the contribution exchange area with a couple of others. The men behind him possessed deep auras corresponding to three or four origin vortices. Du Lis cultivation wasnt that bad, either, but judging from how he was walking along the side, it was obvious that his position wasnt that high. Qianye hadnt seen any of the others aside from the man, but that wasnt strange, either. With how wide and populous the empire was, there was no telling how many powerful independent experts there were. It was just that this group was powerful enough to raise eyebrows. Du Li broke into a laugh as his gaze fell upon the ammunition box. Oh, Sire Qianye, am I seeing things? Are these refined silver bullets? Mithril and Refined Silver wasnt on the same level at allone could differentiate between the two at a glance. How could anyone make a mistake? Qianye remained calm as he placed the bullets into his bag and glanced over at Du Li. Do I need to teach you how to tell bullets apart? Du Lis smile froze and was soon consumed by a surge of fury. He sneered, Qianye, Im trying to give you some face here. How can you have the cheek to exchange a mere fourth-rate merit? Everyone is from the same warzone, so you should scram if you dont have the skills. Stop wasting your days here. We dont need useless people! Qianyes eyes swept past these people, paying special attention to their bulging backpacksit would seem their harvest was extraordinary. These five people had formed a group and were operating together. After seeing what was going on, Qianye shot Du Li a glance and said, How I fight is none of your business. Du Lis face turned green. He could no longer hold back and proceeded to block Qianyes path with his gun drawn. They were so close that their noses were almost touching. Killing intent was practically gushing out of Du Lis eyes. Qianye, on the other hand, was rather calm and had a smile on his face. On closer inspection, however, one would find a frosty intent hidden within the smile. Qianye said indifferently, Are you looking to die? Blood gushed up Du Lis face. He was just about to flip out when a large burly man from his group dragged him back. Du Li was on par with that burly man in terms of origin power rank, yet he was being hauled around like a helpless little chicken. That burly man wasnt quite prominent at first among the five. Qianye glanced over at this point and felt his vision being filled with a bright radianceit was as though a bright bolt of lightning had flashed past. Even the spectators nearby were almost blinded and had to take a couple of steps back. Qianye remained in place without the slightest change in his expression. Only his eyes flowed with a blue light akin to the deep seas, but the hue quickly receded without forming any seasprays. The burly man was somewhat surprised, and his gaze became serious. He sized Qianye up from head to toe before saying, Isnt it somewhat inexcusable for someone of your combat strength to gain only this much? Qianye glanced back at the burly man. The latters heart trembled, and for some reason, he felt as though he had been seen through entirely. At this point, the blue in Qianyes eyes receded. Its my business how I fight. You just mind your own business. Killing intent flickered in the mans eyes. Fine! You be careful if we ever meet on the battlefield. Same to you. Qianye left after offering the same warning. Intentionally or otherwise, he shot Du Li a glance as he passed by. The latter watched Qianyes figure depart, feeling weird from head to toe. Then, he suddenly realized that Qianyes gaze was akin to looking at a dead man. Di Li began stomping about in anger after realizing this, but he shrunk back obediently as the burly man looked over. After leaving the exchange area, Qianye recalled the locations of the open facilities and proceeded toward a certain corner of the camp. This area was clearly different from the other parts. The atmosphere here was much more relaxed and clamorous. Not only were there bars and inns, but there was even a brothel and an arena. Apparently, it was provided for guest experts to relax. Qianye walked in with confident steps and ordered a bottle of wine. There, he began drinking slowly as he waited for sundownnight time was when he would go out to battle once more. He hadnt sat very long when a lady appeared in front of him. It was Zhu Huan. I heard you provoked Lu Sha. Why? Zhu Huan inquired. Lu Sha, whos that? Qianye hadnt heard of this name before. You dont know him? Oh, I understand now. It must be Du Li stirring things up in the middle! Zhu Huan slapped the table. Oh? Who is that? Someone Zhu Huan had mentioned so seriously had to be skilled, but Qianyes tone was still quite indifferent. Lu Sha has been famous for a long time. He was already a notorious mercenary and bounty hunter decades ago, known for being vengeful. At one point, he had hunted down a target for four whole months just because of a small trade argument and killed off all of his family members. At this point, Zhu Huans eyes were full of fear. She grabbed Qianyes glass and emptied it. Work with me. We might have a chance at killing him if we work together. Qianye ordered another bottle with a smile and poured a glass for Zhu Huan. Theres no rush for that. Tell me more about this Lu Sha. Zhu Huan didnt hesitate to explain the entire situation. Lu Sha was the burly man Qianye had met just now. His operation area was fairly wide, and he had left his tracks behind in many a warzone, but he visited Evernight Continent quite often. According to Zhu Huan, Lu Sha was a typical bounty hunter and independent mercenarycold-blooded, cruel, and very strong. There were even cases of him killing above his level. The worst part was that Lu Sha wasnt alone but had a squad he had been working together with for over ten years. This unit had even beheaded counts during this period. One had to know that count-rank casualties werent high except in large battles or other special circumstances. At such a level, winning against one didnt equate to killing one. Du Li was also a member, but he was just an ordinary one. Be it from past accomplishments or Du Lis attitude from just now, it was clear that Lu Shas combat strength was far above what it seemed on the surface. Zhu Huan stalked for a long while but found Qianye still as calm as ever. His eyes were somewhat cloudy from the alcohol and seemed like he wasnt paying attention to all of this. She stared blankly for a moment, and then banged fiercely on the table. Do you know what youre doing? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 593: Hidden Worries [V6C123 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The bang attracted the attention of everyone in the bar. Zhu Huan stood up and shouted, What are you all looking at? Go back to your own drinks! Her shout was exceptionally effective in causing everyone to turn away. Such a scene caused Qianye to turn slightly serious, and a wisp of curiosity emerged in his limpid, obsidian eyes. It looks like theyre afraid of you? Zhu Huan replied curtly, Theyll be afraid of you, too, if you bring back the head of a second-rank viscount. Do you still think Im not worthy of fighting alongside you? Qianye was somewhat surprised. It wasnt too easy for a rank-twelve human to kill a second-rank viscount in the unfavorable environment of Misty Wood. Zhu Huan was indeed incredible to be able to bring back the head of a second-rank viscount. But he still shook his head. Im used to fighting alone. Zhu Huan had nothing to say at this point. She only glared at Qianye with eyes full of fury, but quite surprisingly, did not flip out. Then what are you wasting time here for? Waiting. Waiting for dusk. Zhu Huan felt baffled. What are for? To hunt. Hunting in the dark? You Zhu Huan was about to go insane. Most of the dark races possessed night vision and thus held the advantage in night battles. Even an experienced hunter like her wouldnt choose to fight at night. Qianye only smiled without replying. Zhu Huan gave it some thought and said, Is it to guard against those people? Qianye still didnt reply. It was fine if she chose to explain it that way. He finished his wine in one gulp and said, Its dark now. Time for me to leave. Zhu Huan gazed at Qianyes receding figure. She stood up as though she wanted to say something but sat back down in the end. The sun was located at the very summit of this world, and it wasnt every day that one could see it on this floating landmass. The rhythm of day and night, though, was no different from other continents. Atop the base wall, Du Li exhaled deeply and turned back. Boss, are we going to let him leave just like that? Lu Sha stood there like a statue with his arms crossed. Only after a long while did he speak in a deep voice, This Qianye might contend with us at the top of the leaderboards. Du Li was evidently stunned as he blurted out, Him? That little rank-ten bastard? This is a real war with no level restrictions. This person isnt easy to deal with, and I heard his relationship with the Zhao clan is quite deep. Do not provoke him casually in the future. Do I make myself clear? Lu Sha glared at Du Li at this point, causing the latter to shrink back. Du Li said hesitantly, The Li familys reward for the first place is that item. Does the brat really have the ability to fight us for it? Every one of us is three levels higher than him! He wasnt quite satisfied after thinking about it. Why would the Zhao clans people come here? Why would the Li family offer him such a high salary? Qianye was ranked shockingly high on the Li clans recruitment list. His rank-ten level was indeed quite offending to the eyes compared to the bountiful rewards offered to him. Du Li was surely not the only one who was dissatisfied. It was just that those who had survived long enough to enjoy such accomplishments werent stupid. None of them was willing to provoke someone with such a complicated background for no reason. Lu Sha remained silent for a moment. Nothing is certain in this world, but he wont live long if he dares fight us for Stillwater Rebirth. Qianye was walking through the dark night at a leisurely pace. He had long since noticed several gazes on him when he stepped into the forest. Qianye wasnt thinking too much when he chose Misty Wood, but he decided to accept the offer in passing since the Li clan was so keenhe could just wait and see what would unfold later on. Qianye had been worrying about how Song Zining was supposedly disrupted by a divination art and wanted to draw some of the bad currents onto himself if he could. Now, there really were some fish caught in a direct hook. Compared to the fiery battlefield of the void continent, Du Li, Lu Sha, and Zhu Huan couldnt even be considered a small wave. Qianyes eyes were on the starry skies of Evernight. Only those dazzling names from the dark nation could enter his sights. The Misty Wood seemed perpetually unchanging. Even after an intense battle had leveled a thousand-meter area, the purple substance would soon blanket the land once more. Those destroyed trees would grow back anew in the span of a few days and once again thrive hundreds of meters in the air. Presently, the shoot of a newborn tree was just rearing its head from the ground substance in front of Qianye. It looked very much like a bamboo shoot. The ground within a hundred-meter radius was wiggling amidst the sound of flowing water. Qianye knelt down and placed his hand on the substance, constantly releasing his perception. That kind of energy-rich origin distillate was flowing beneath the substance, gushing over from the surrounding trees. The sprout grew taller and taller at a rate visible to the naked eye, and before long, it was several meters tall. At this rate, a new giant gree would appear before three days had passed. At that time. This entire forest area would return to its usual state, and the traces of battle would vanish entirely. Qianye retracted his aura and stopped breathing entirely, maintaining a state of perfect stealth. Only in this state would the Misty Wood ignore him, and only then would he be able to see the growth of this tree. After watching for a moment, Qianye released some of his aura and allowed the forest to sense his presence. An odd scene appeared at this point. That madly climbing tree stopped its growth, but the origin distillate under the purple substance was still gushing over. This caused the basal substance to bulge high up like a huge balloon and bury the new shoot. Such a change came as a surprise to Qianye. At first, he had thought he knew everything there was to know about the Misty Woodhe would have never expected to encounter such a scene. It would seem that this floating continent was still hiding a lot of secrets despite the absence of the void colossus will. Qianyes surprise hadnt even ended when he sensed something wrong behind him. He thus made a sideways dive and flashed ten meters away. Several spears whistled over and nailed themselves where Qianye was just now. Dozens of little midgets were charging over amidst loud cries and began hurling spears at Qianye when they arrived within a hundred meters. Qianye didnt care about a handful of midgets. The key was how they had appeared without any prior warning. Sensing something, Qianye looked up at a couple of trees in the distancethey were rustling constantly as one midget after the other climbed out to charge at him. Qianye made an immediate decision to flee, activating Bloodline Concealment at the same time. He would soon be surrounded by hundreds of these little creatures if he hadnt run away. At that point, he would be in a precarious situation no matter how skilled he was in combat. Qianye threw his pursuers off entirely after running a dozen or so kilometers. The midgets and beasts circled around the area several times before finally giving up. Qianye felt relieved after confirming the safety of his surroundings. He checked a giant tree and made sure that there was no abnormal activity before climbing onto the lowest branch. He had run at high-speed while maintaining Bloodline Concealment and full awareness of his surroundings. The consumption involved in this short ten-kilometer journey was almost equal to a battle. Qianye produced a stimulant and stabbed it into his arm. In a land where enemies were lurking in every corner, he needed to be at peak combat strength at all times. However, Qianye couldnt help but frown after the stimulants entered his body. The one he had used was a standard military-use stimulant which could recover about ten percent of an ordinary champions origin power. Qianyes, on the other hand, was already so dense that it was starting to crystallize. In terms of quantity, he was four or five times superior to his peers. A single dose would only restore two to three percent, but that was still better than nothing. He still had stimulants exchanged from the Li family in Andruils Mysterious Realmthey could restore twice the amount at twice the rate. However, the four times efficiency came with a price tag that was sixteen times more expensive. Moreover, they were frequently out of stock. Ordinary stimulants were already useless to Qianye, and even the high-efficacy ones had limited effect on him. They only provided a slightly better effect than him circulating his Profound Combatant Formula. But Misty Wood was filled with dangers and certainly not a good place for cultivation. The only choice left for him was to absorb blood energy. Although Qianye hadnt absorbed blood energy intentionally during the major battle at the Bai clan, he still had imbibed a large amount amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. One could see from this how killing and devouring was the fastest route for the dark races to raise their power. If he could refine the essence blood, his auric flame blood would spread throughout his entire body and allow him to become a first-rank viscount. And this was a first-rank viscount by ancient standards. But Qianye did not dare because the Song Clan Ancient Scroll emphasized the balance between yin and yang, between movement and stillness. The true meaning was that one would need to maintain the balance between daybreak and evernight. Otherwise, the outcome would be unimaginable if an imbalance were to occur. Currently, Qianye was only one step away from becoming a first-rank viscount, but his daybreak power remained at rank-ten. The difference between the two was well over a level, and the effects of this discrepancy were also becoming evident. Recently, it seemed as though he had returned to the time when he was just infected by black blood. He would feel inexplicably fidgety at timesit was as though a fierce beast was raging in his chest, and the only way to calm it down was to kill. Massacre even brought about a faint sense of euphoria. And this wasnt a good sign. His advancement rate actually made sense because his origin power capacity after each level was much greater than that of ordinary people. His origin vortex had even crystallized after becoming a champion, adding much to his consumption. He had been fighting one major battle after the next since the beginning of the bloody battle. Even though he had obtained the Profound Combatant Formula, Qianye never had the time to sit down and cultivate it. All of this had led to his current situation. However, what worried Qianye the most wasnt the loss of balance or the resultant destruction of his body. Qianye was able to pry into some of the vampire races bloodline secrets after obtaining the knowledge fragments from the River of Blood. Only then did he discover that Andruils words might be coming true. Regardless of where his dark golden energy had come from, it was gradually stepping along the path Andruil had laid out. The dark golden blood energys power and purity were even superior to a primo like Nighteye. He might actually awaken a primogenitor bloodline if it were to develop to the end. At that point, his human bloodline would be overwhelmed, and he would finally turn into a pure-blooded vampire. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 594: Storm Pearl [V6C124 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes daybreak talents had suffered greatly after the theft of his origin crystal. Lin Xitang had evaluated him comprehensivelyhis inherent talents were first-rate but dropped to fourth-rate after taking his body into account. Presently, all the hidden injuries in his body had been healed, and his talents were widely believed to be Venus Dawn. Qianye himself had always been doubtful, however. He had no confidence that such a Venus Dawn could defy the assimilation of his primogenitor bloodline. The only method Qianye could think of was to raise his daybreak origin power as much as possible and use it to suppress the darkness. Optimally, the former should be one level higher than the latter to be free from the influence. This meant that he would have to find a way to use up the present store of essence blood instead of assimilating it. Fortunately, the Wings of Inception and Book of Darkness were both major consumers. It was just that their usual source was the essence produced from the Mystery Chapter. Qianye had no idea whether they could directly absorb essence blood. Qianye tried to establish a connection with the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception in his consciousness. Then, he split the essence blood in his body into two parts and channeled it toward them. The Wings of Inception immediately devoured half of the essence blood like a whale swallowing the river. Its current feathers materialized even further as a new one began to form. The Book of Darkness, on the other hand, was much slower. It absorbed the essence blood strand by strand as though it were picking out the best parts. Qianye was in no rush, either, and waited patiently. An entire hour passed by before the Book of Darkness managed to absorb the remaining half of the essence blood. Qianye opened his mouth and shot out a stream of dense black energy, almost comparable to a splash of black ink. It actually sizzled and eroded the purple substance after landing, and soon, even the ground underneath had come into view. It didnt end therethe scope of this black mists corrosion continued to expand, turning everything it touched into a pool of black. A large pittwo meters deep and several meters in radiusappeared before Qianye in the blink of an eye. This corrosive power was twice as powerful as that of the impure toxins usually expelled after cultivation. This alarmed him quite a bit. One had to know that this purple substance wasnt so simple since it possessed powerful corrosive properties of its own. Apart from some extremely rare metals, there was virtually nothing it couldnt devour. It went without saying that its natural resistance to erosion was also powerful. But now, it was completely helpless against Qianyes black energy, and a large area of substance was destroyed in mere moments. The black energy was born of the Book of Darkness. The essence blood he had provided the book came from thousands of dark race warriors of differing levelsit was nothing less than a mish-mash of blood. Moreover, it hadnt been purified by the Mystery Chapter. In the end, the Book of Darkness turned out to be quite picky and continuously spat out the impurities during the absorption process. At times, the book would even remove half of a low-grade essence blood in the form of impurities. But Qianye had never imagined that this black mist of condensed impurities was so toxic. Judging from its present destructive power, even an Evernight count would be badly wounded if struck. Beads of sweat appeared at the tip of his nose after recalling how the black energy had stayed in his body for an entire hour. He suddenly thought of somethingcould he have gained a killing move? If he could store the black energy for a period of time and shoot it out during battle, even a high-ranking dark race expert might suffer if caught unprepared. Qianye soon discarded this attractive thought, though. The reason being that such a toxin was no different from a ticking time bomb. If for some reason Qianye lost control of it, even his vampiric constitution might not be able to endure the corrosion, and he would melt into a puddle of black liquid just like the purple substance. He shook his head and continued observing the situation inside his body. The Wings of Inception wasnt as picky as the Book of Darkness, and neither did it care whether the incoming essence was pure or mixed. It accepted and devoured all the essence blood thrown at it. The wings on the dark golden blood energy became more vivid, and a third feather was starting to form. A little bit more essence blood, and he would be able to form the third Shot of Inception, which would equate to three lifesavers in the battles to come. After temporarily getting rid of the excess essence blood, Qianye placed his attention back to the Book of Darkness. He wondered if there would be any changes to the book after absorbing so much essence blood. The Book of Darkness trembled slightly as his consciousness arrived and gradually flipped open. In the southern territory of the imperial mainland, a magnificent city stood near the coastits name was Waterfront City. A great number of sails stood towering over the harbor, and a steady stream of airships was shuttling about the four airship ports to its side. There was an independent district to the southwest of Waterfront City. This dazzling and inexplicably luxurious section of the city was occupied by a continuous array of mansions. At this moment, several people were seated around a table in a peaceful courtyard, enjoying the tea and scenery. However, there seemed to be a hidden storm brewing around them. A man in his thirties placed his cup down and said in a deep voice, Things dont look good over on the void continent. The Evernight Councils reaction was faster and fiercer than anticipated. Fifth brother, your current office is with the imperial fleet, right? How is the situation there? Across him was a man of similar age. He was tall and strong, but his countenance was stained with traces of hardship that made him look even older than his elder brother. At this moment, he said with a grave expression, My sixth fleet was originally the reserve force among the reserve forces. We arent at full strength at all and only have one-third of the troops and ships stated on paper. But I just received orders to transfer capable personnel, form a sub-fleet, and head toward the floating continent battlefield. Everyones expression shifted. The calm and handsome leader muttered, Even Old Fives fleet is being mobilized. That means the war on the floating continent is doing quite badly and that the news of the main force suffering grave losses is true. We should also prepare accordingly. Someone to his left said, Has Eldest Sister sent any news? The leader shook his head. The imperial harem cannot interfere in politics, even the empress cant pry into state secrets. Moreover, there are eyes and ears everywhere in the palace, and our previous move against Lin Xitang has alerted them. Its best for her to avoid arousing suspicion at such a time, lest someone gets ahold on her. With that, he glanced at everyone and said proudly, Besides, our Jingtang Li Clan has so many talents, and our fortune is improving by the day. Why would we need to trouble the eldest sister? Although the battle on the void continent is bound to be difficult, its a good chance for us to break the deadlock and take a step forward. As long as we do well here, the status of major clan isnt out of reach! This person was the Li clans current lord, Marquis Wanghai, Li Tianshi. The man was only in his forties and still full of youth and vigor. Being able to sit here in this courtyard also meant that he was a core member of the Li clan. At a glance, these people were all in their thirties and fortiesLi Tianshi could be considered the eldest here. A scene like this wasnt common in aristocratic families. The main executives of the aristocracy were mostly made up of people from two generations. It was already quite rare for someone to become a clan lord before fifty. There was usually no lack of people in their sixties, seventies, or even some centenarians. Song clans Song Zhongnian, for instance, was actually the nominal clan lord, but most of the rights were still in Duchess Ans hands. If one were to discuss this matter in earnest, Zhao clans Zhao Weihuang was considered a young expert because he was less than fifty years old. Even so, he was still a couple of years older than Li Tianshi. In addition, the Zhao clans authority had to be shared between Duke Yan and Duke You, so the clan lords power was clearly weaker. Even Zhang Boqian had inherited the title of Duke Dan only several years after he became a marshaleven so, he was notorious for ignoring common administrative affairs. As such, a family like the Jingtang Li Clan was indeed rare in the empire. These people sitting in the courtyard possessed different temperaments. They were all handsome and elegant. The Jingtang Li Family was prominent in neither politics nor military before becoming the empress family. In truth, only the upper echelon nobility knew that this family was famed for its divination arts and one of the most ancient inheritances. Their descendants were slightly different in that they possessed a somewhat transcendent demeanor about them. Perhaps it could be said that this was why the Li family had thrived amidst the outstanding people since antiquity. Li Cunjian, who was in charge of the 6th Fleet, felt inspired by the clan lords words. However, he laughed wryly and said, Eldest Brother, you have a point there, but the void continent isnt so easy to conquer. That Misty Wood weve occupied is connected to many major battlefields. Itll surely turn into the main stage for experts during the latter parts of the war. Li Tianshis expression was unchanged. He said calmly, It doesnt matter, we can depend on independent hunters to calm the situation during the early and late stages. Our family will take over during the late phase. Well surely be able to hold out through these difficult situations. At this moment, someone else sighed. These outsiders arent just arrogant, the resources theyre consuming is also significant. Its only been one month, but the numbers are already quite sizeable. At this rate, our family coffers will be emptied in half a year. Li Tianshi also seemed quite distressed at the mention of this. He sighed. Spending all this money is still better than paying with the lives of our Li clan descendants. The number of experts willing to join our Li clan is less than expected even though we offered such a high reward. Li Cunjian cut in, A place like Misty Wood isnt for normal people. If it were me, Id rather go and dig around the central maze instead of staying in that accursed place. Thats true. Everyone here possessed impressive strength and naturally had the same thoughts. Li Tianshi pondered for a moment. Since thats the case, we should pay even more attention! Well offer an additional choice in the three-monthly prize offered to the top-ranked expert. Put the Storm Pearl up for grabs in addition to the Stillwater Rebirth. The same goes for the next three months! Storm Pearl! Li Cunjian blurted out. Our clan managed to refine only twelve of them in the past ten years, and we only have three of them left. Are we really going to take two and put them on the rankings? Why not? Li Tianshis eyes lit up with an eerie glow. Stillwater Rebirth is used to save lives and has no immediate effect on those independent experts. Holding onto it will inevitably cause a calamity one day. The Storm Pearl, however, is different. It can break any bottleneck below the divine champion level and raise ones cultivation rank. Who wouldnt desire it? Moreover, there are too many people in the clan seeking the Storm Pearl. Well be offending people no matter who we choose to give it to. Why dont we just release it like this? Those who want it can fight for it on the rankings! Thatll save us a lot of trouble. Li Tainshis tone contained a trace of unhappiness. It would seem being pressured from all sides wasnt a good feeling. Everyone glanced at each other, and even the usually extreme Li Cunjian didnt know what to say. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 595: Refinemen t [V6C125 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Everyone at the scene trembled at the thought. Releasing these two Storm Pearls would definitely cause a huge wave. They would surely be able to attract countless experts, but whether or not the Li clan could control the ensuing chaos was a different matter. Someone brought up the subject again after a fair moment of silence. At first, we needed two more years to collect the rare ingredients for this batch of Storm Pearls. It was only because of His Majestys need that the imperial warehouse supplied us with them. He paused for a while and said in a probing manner, Eldest Brother, I also heard that this was on Lin Xitangs advice? Li Tianshi shot him a glance. Yes, the Storm Pearls are involved in the changes to the floating continent. But it''s enough that you know, do not speak of it. Lin Xitang doesnt need to use such a material object to deal with our Li family. Dont overthink things. That person was still doubtful. The War of National Fate isnt looking good. Since Lin Xitang was injured during the battle at Giants Repose, could it be that his divination arts arent accurate? No one responded to these words. Everyone had different thoughts reflected on their faces. Li Tianshis bearing was calm and unperturbed. This man, Lin Xitang, you can dislike him all you want, but you can never underestimate him. Moreover, battles have always been influenced by timing, numbers, factional fortune, and the influence of peak characters. Be it Evernight or Great Qin, who would dare speak of being accurate? That person opened his mouth but downed a cup of tea after realizing that he had no words to say. After a pause, Li Tianshi continued, Even if there are no changes to the floating continent, what does our Li family have to lose? The Storm Pearl can increase the rank of any cultivator below the divine champion level by one. Just this effect alone is enough to make people covetous. Someone sighed in dissatisfaction. But we spent so much effort on them. Are we going to give it away just like that? If two Storm Pearls can get us the Misty Wood, then its not a loss. This is the key to our upgrade to a major clan. As someone leading armies, Li Cunjian was fairly clear to this fact. Soon afterward, he sneered, Even if those outsiders can obtain such a treasure, they would need to be alive to use it. Everyone suddenly realized something. Li Tianshi said, Its settled then. Oh right, call back Little Nine and give him a new identity and name. Have him go to the floating continent to contest for contributions. Call Qingyun back? Li Tianshi nodded. Yes, his talents are inferior, and his hopes of becoming a divine champion are slim. He might be able to take that last step with the help of the Storm Pearl. I cant openly favor him, but giving him such an opportunity is justified. With this fortune and future luck, he might just be able to cross over that threshold. Everyone glanced at each other and nodded slowly. High-ranking aristocratic families had the ability to restrain divine champions, but in order to upgrade to a true major clan, they would need a real divine champion to hold the fort. The Li family had already made preparations for this. But things arent constant among the aristocracythe danger of falling down in times of weakness was always looming over the horizon. With the Song clans awkward situation serving as an example, everyone knew that there was no such thing as too many opportunities for their scions. Li Tianshis arrangement of hitting many birds with one stone was naturally good. It was just that snatching food from a pack of wolves wasnt that easy. Even after success, the path to becoming a divine champion was long and hard. Li Qingyun was, since his youth, intelligent and loved martial arts. He would learn and master every technique almost instantly. His temperament was brutal, his killing intent was strong, and his attacks, always unrestrained. At the same time, he was even a bit stronger than Li Kuanglan. His weakness, however, was his inferior talents, and even the Li clan couldnt find a secret medicine capable of transforming him completely. Hence, his case had always been considered a matter of regret. Li Tianshi scanned everyone, and after seeing no objections, he said, Then everything is settled. Start spreading the news. Everyones expressions turned serious as they affirmed the instructions. They knew that a storm would ensue before long. Li Tianshi remained motionless after everyone had left. Only when a man in his forties entered the courtyard did he stand up and bring him into the study. Within that elegantly decorated room, there was a person arranging a chessboard on his own. The man was clad in simple clothing and appeared to be in his twenties at a glance. Upon careful observation, however, one would find that he wasnt as young as he seemed on the surface. Li Tianshi greeted, Brother-in-law. He then turned toward his follower. All the intelligence has been gathered, yes? Report directly. The follower opened the document folder in his hand and said, Theres been progress in all of the matters Elder Rui has instructed us to investigate. As the matter wasnt too complicated and the follower was also a talented individual, the report was delivered clearly in just a short while. This means Lin Xitang has indeed left the imperial capital during the battle at Giants Repose. Li Ruis eyes fell upon the chessboard as he calmly placed another piece. He went to the Greensun Manor yesterday? How bold. What is the marquis opinion? Li Tianshi sat formally and looked down at his hands on his knee. Its improper for us to cause any more disturbances during the war of national fate. The waves around the floating continent will only increase. Li Rui laughed as he threw the two white pieces in his hand into the box. Winds and waves arent a problem. How can there be a tidal wave without a storm? Never mind, leave the struggle between orthodoxies to us old fellows. You youngsters focus on expanding outward! Have you made preparations for the redistribution of military zones? Li Tianshi replied, Uncle Fangqing has been transferred to the war department. With the addition of a couple of other people, our participation in the army leadership will be quite expansive. His Majestys imperial guards will also recruit two lieutenant generals from our family. Unfortunately, things happened too fast, and we didnt have the time to produce any marshal candidates. The redistribution of military zones wasnt just about removing a couple of marshals. There would be drastic changes from the military to regional administration. General Li Fangqing was the Jingtang Li Familys highest-ranking member in the military world. He was currently the local commander in charge of the military police. This was a position of great power, but in the end, those managing internal affairs were inferior to the generals overseeing large warzones. Li Rui said, Our familys roots in the army are too thin. We might not be able to obtain stable military authority even if we expose our divine champion power two years in advance. Its great that we were able to obtain more active offices, but we must pick the right people to enter the imperial guard. He gave it some thought and said, Im rather concerned about your siblings, especially Lil Lan. Li Tianshis calm expression suddenly shifted, and his brows couldnt help but knit together. Li Rui looked up at his expression and said, Even you dont know how Lil Lan became related to those two little fellows? Li Tianshi smiled wryly. Little sister probably met Zhao Jundu while exploring the central cave in Giants Repose. Song Zining, on the other hand, has always been moving with the main army, and he had remained in Prince Greensuns command center later on. If she had really gone to the Zhang clans camp theres no way we wouldnt know that. Li Rui also revealed a helpless expression. Shes really been spoiled! That was what he said, but one could hardly hear any blame in his words. Li Tianshis smile turned even more rueful. Their little sister was a child their father had gotten at an old age and had thus received much of the elders affection. All the siblings, including Empress Li, had pampered her like they would, a daughter. However, she had always been cold and detached despite her intelligence and great talents, eventually growing up to become such a person. They truly had no one else to blame for this. But this matter was simply too delicateit was fine if nothing happened, but it would be difficult to handle once something had come up. Lil Lan is causing too much trouble this time. Youd better keep an eye on her, said Li Rui. We can ignore Song Zining, but that Zhao Jundu is a different matter. Hes the son of the eldest Princess, someone younger by an entire generation. Moreover, during the fight for orthodoxies back then, Duke Xuanyuan, Zhao Xuanyun, supported the Eastern Tranquility Tower in contending with us, causing both sides to suffer. This led to that nobody Lin Xitangs meteoric rise. The orthodoxy is our Li clans foundation. Theres no reconciliation between us and the Zhao clan. Li Tianshis expression froze. He hadnt expected Li Rui to take a childs mischief so seriously. He gave it some thought before asking, I heard that the alliance the elders were trying to form with Prince Greensun didnt go very well. What happened after that? Li Rui frowned upon hearing this. His Excellency Zhang refuses to comment. He neither agrees nor refuses. Ill discuss this matter with the empress when I visit the imperial capital this time. Li Tianshi lowered his gaze in contemplation. Li Rui stood up and said, Ill set out tonight. He didnt leave via the main doors but went into the bedroom instead. There, he moved a hanging flower pot, and following which, the bookcase moved away to reveal a dark passage. Before going in, Li Rui suddenly turned back and said, Marquis, youre a man of great skill and strategy, one most fitting to lead our family to power. But sometimes, you shouldnt act on emotions. Li Tianshi sat in place for a long while. The aide beside him also remained seated as straight as a pillar. Zhi Jie, is Lil Lan still in isolated cultivation? Yes, it has been said that the Young Miss has gained some insights on the path to combat perfection. This time, shes going to remain in isolation until she fully comprehends that Hidden Snow Stance. Presently, most of the family servants only knew that the clan lord had a young brother. This aide knew because he was the son of Li Tianshis wet nurse and had been following him since a young age. He could hardly change his address after all this time. Li Tianshi asked again, What exactly is Marshal Lins situation? The follower replied, There were rumors a while ago about him being injured during the divination of Giants Repose, but thats false information released by the Northern Manor. There really is something wrong with his body, but the situation is unclear. Li Tianshi nodded and dismissed the aide. He sat there for quite a while after the aide left before walking over to the window, his gaze traversing all obstructions to land on the mountain and sea. The Jingtan Li Clans divination art was an ancient inheritance comparable to the long history of the four major clans. Despite being set back quite badly during the battle of orthodoxies back then, the clan remained a colossal entity and was an honored guest to many an imperial clan member and nobility. However, every entity had its strengths and weaknesses. The Li clans overall strength had always been lingering around the top tier of the aristocratic families. They were still a fair distance away from upgrading to the status of a major clan. Although the two factions had been fighting constantly, the empire had been internally peaceful for quite some time, so it wasnt that easy for the Li family to pioneer new territory. If they were to follow normal procedures, the family would hardly be able to take that next step in Li Tianshis entire lifetime. Li Tianshi laughed all of a sudden. A flame flickered in his eyes as he muttered to himself, Those with influence but no power will always rely on others. How can I allow myself to be restrained so? War of national fate? Heh! The spread of news in the empire was both fast and slow. Usually, it would take months for things at the border to reach the imperial capital, but big news would spread throughout the major clans in a single day. Before a single day had passed, the Storm Pearls appearance on the Li clan ranking awards had reached the desks of every clan lord. Numerous undercurrents started flowing immediately. Qianye, who was on the distant floating continent, had no idea what this so-called Storm Pearl was. Even if he did, he wouldnt pay too much attention to it. This Storm Pearl could upgrade ones talent potential below the divine champion rank, but it was useless for Qianye. He cultivated the Song Clan Ancient Scroll which was poles apart from the orthodox principlesthere wasnt any bottleneck to speak of. The only thing he needed to do was maintain the balance until the two parts had reached the apex and then proceed to explore the primal chaos realm mentioned in the outlines. Additionally, what Qianye wanted from this war werent resources but purely contribution points. At this moment, Qianye was paying rapt attention as he opened the Book of Darkness. Beneath the thick cover was a familiar list of contents. The same words were written upon it: Refinement. The table of contents flipped over in response to Qianyes consciousness. There, the mass of rolling darkness turned into human figures demonstrating swordplay. Qianye was beyond familiar with this move. It was one of his killing movesNirvanic Rend. However, the Nirvanic Rend at this moment was no longer the same as before. It had become much clearer, and there was a sharp sword intent rushing at his face. This meant that the move had been further perfected, and its might had grown significantly. Qianye seemed to have understood something and tried flipping the page over. As expected, a new page had appeared after Nirvanic Rend. There was also a sword-wielding figure here, holding the blade with both hands and dealing one strike in each of the eight directions around it. This move was much simpler compared to Nirvanic Rend. However, the concept of the blade wasnt normal. It was simple and unadorned yet dignified. Every blow possessed a might capable of splitting the skies and parting the oceans. That suppressive pressure rushing out at his face caused Qianye to feel stifled! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 596: Sweeping Calm [V6C126 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye focused his mind and finally recovered from the suppressive might of the sword. As the sword stance condensed within the Book of Darkness, its basic arts also appeared within Qianyes consciousness. He promptly memorized its moves and patterns of force application, then began pondering a different issuethe profundities of the Book of Darkness. It was when Qianye was practicing the basic sword stances that the Nirvanic Rend had appeared. At that time, his foundations were stable but had no powerful combat art inheritances. He had East Peak in hand but no mighty killing move. Hence, the Book of Darkness had condensed Nirvanic Rend from hundreds of basic sword stances, forming a move that best suited Qianye and East Peak. This move would surely be weaker in any other persons hand. A new move had appeared at the moment and it was clearly made for group combat. Connecting this to the most recent experiences, Qianye came to the conclusion that his recent lethal battle against the dark racein addition to being hunted down by fierce beasts and midgetshad triggered the Book of Darkness to produce this killing move. This sword strike was similar to Nirvanic Rend in that its momentum was massive. One could see at a glance that it was made solely for East Peaklighter swords would never be able to produce such a powerful attack. However, there were many unclear parts in this newly refined move. Qianye pondered the move repeatedly and compared it to the cultivation process of Nirvanic Rend, finally realizing that the sword arts produced by the Book of Darkness werent perfect. Its overall power was more or less equal to a major clans secret arts. An inheritance of this level couldnt be considered excessively valuable since it was available to all lineal scions and other important descendants. There was a higher level of core inheritance above this. For instance, Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal was one of the Zhao clans core inheritances, and its power was clearly superior to the arts refined by the Book of Darkness. But arts like Nirvanic Rend produced by the book had a fair amount of room to grow. This required Qianyes constant cultivation and comprehension to bring it up step by step. Presently, Nirvanic Rends might had grown significantly compared to the outset and was edging closer to the level of those secret major-clan arts. After pondering about this, Qianye came to a general understanding of the requirements involved in the Book of Darkness refinement process. It required not only essence blood but also a trigger. At the same time, there was also an upper limit. Nirvanic Rend wouldnt have been sparked If he hadnt practiced the basic sword moves. If he hadnt engaged enemies in a large scale battle, the current move wouldnt have become available. He would need to analyze this new-found power in depth to reach a state of perfect comprehension. This meant that the Book of Darkness was only giving Qianye a pointer at the critical juncture. This result greatly discounted from the books perceived uses, but it was still extremely important nonetheless. The secret arts of the major clans came mostly from the first awakening of daybreak origin power and had gone through 1200 years of polishing. If Qianye had to fumble about on his own, who knew how long it would take for him to figure out a move like Nirvanic rend? Qianye pushed his emotional thoughts away and began studying the new sword technique. This move slashed in the eight directionsboth its technique and origin power circulation methods were fairly concise. The key lay in its outstanding power and surging aggression. Runic words had emerged on the Book of Darkness during Nirvanic Rends birth, but there was nothing this time. Perhaps it was due to the lack of essence blood or some other reason. Qianye pondered for a while. Lets call it Sweeping Warno, lets name it Sweeping Silence. War and Order, just one words difference had changed the concept entirely. It felt as though merely coming up with the name improved ones comprehension by a level. Moments later, he had grasped the basics of Sweeping Silence. As such, he got up to try out the new move. With East Peak in hand, Qianye focused his mind, calmed his energy, and slashed straight forward with a sudden shout! The origin power in Qianyes body discharged abruptly like flowing water. East Peak grew several times heaviermoving it was almost like carrying a small mountain. This single strike drained a good chunk of Qianyes origin power. The second strike lashed out toward his left front side. At this point, half of his origin power had been depleted. He barely managed to finish half of the third swing when East Peak sank down and pierced diagonally into the ground and the sword momentum dispersed like clouds in the wind. Qianye had long since known that Sweeping Silence wouldnt be that easy but the results still astonished him greatly. There were eight strikes in Sweeping Silence to cover every direction without leaving any openings. A single strike to erase all lifethat was the true meaning of Sweeping Silence. Ignoring its power, for now, the consumption was truly shocking. Even someone with Qianyes cultivation could barely produce three swings? Qianye heard a series of pitter-patter at this moment. He immediately looked over and found the source of this sound. To the front and left of him, the purple substance within a ten-meter radius had been blanketed in a layer of grey, its original vitality nowhere to be found. A large swathe of purple substance began to transform into a deathly ashen hue with countless minute cracks appearing on the surface. Soon afterward, the affected substance turned into a puff of smoke and scattered into the air, revealing the naked soil beneath. The ground didnt recover either. Traces of dense sword intent weaved through the groundeven a mouse might be cut into ten-pieces if struck. There was a giant tree ten meters in front of Qianye. Its branches trembled constantly amidst life-like cries of mournful agony. By the time Qianye looked over, a grey line had already appeared on its body. It stretched out rapidly, and soon, turned into a wide grey belt. Afterward, this belt broke apart and shattered into countless air-borne fragments which slowly fluttered down. The giant tree trembled with greater intensity as though it were in great pain. The giant trees nearby also began to shake and scream. Qianye was still in a daze when he suddenly thought of something. He quickly looked up at the treetops and found the lifeforms there struggling with all their might, on the verge of breaking out of the membranes. Moreover, it wasnt just the giant tree. All the other trees nearby were also in the same state. This scene was inexplicably eerie and caused Qianye to sweat profusely. Before he could make a decision, the surrounding treetops opened up, sending thousands of midgets and beasts raining down. How would Qianye dare to stay after seeing this? He immediately picked up East Peak and fled as the thousands of creatures chased after him like a rolling tidal wave. Qianye ran with every ounce of strength he could muster, no longer caring about hiding his aura. His main reason for cultivating the Sweeping Calm was to deal with such situations. But now, he couldnt even calm a single directionall he could do was run for his life. He had expended his daybreak origin power at the moment, but he still had his blood energy. Add to that his ancient first-rank viscount constitution and speed, he was able to flee like the wind. He finally managed to throw off the pursuers after an unknown length of time. But he didnt dare act too recklessly. He kept on running for several dozen kilometers after the sounds behind him had vanished before stopping to rest. Qianye leaned upon a giant tree and finally managed to catch his breath, his heart still beating fast as he recalled the tidal wave of beasts. He then glanced around at the giant trees nearby and was overcome by odd emotions. Qianye hadnt stayed in Misty Wood for very long during his last excursion into Giants Repose. He had passed through quickly and arrived at the central caverns. As far as Qianye could remember, he had fought a couple of battles in this place and also damaged the giant trees during the process. However, the giant trees showed no reaction back then. For some reason, the forest produced a large wave of creatures only when all the experts had entered the cavern maze. These creatures poured into the underground caverns and caused the two factions to suffer severe casualties. Qianye rested for a while and stood up after recovering a fair amount of origin power. Then, he reached out to knock on the tree beside him. Just as before, there wasnt the slightest reaction and the peculiar tree top was also excessively quiet. If Qianye hadnt witnessed it many times, he would find it hard to believe these treetops were actually gestating so many creatures. Qianye circled the giant tree a couple of times as a notion gradually formed in his heart. No matter what had caused this forest to become so dangerous, he could make use of it. If even he himself had to run so miserably from the tide of creatures, his opponents among the dark races and the empire would naturally find it pretty difficult to handle. Additionally, they probably didnt have Qianyes speed and skills like Bloodline Concealmentif he could manipulate the forest well, this place would become their grave. Qianye had lost track of his bearings after the frantic run and had no idea where he was. But the Misty Wood was circular in shape, so he would surely find a way out as long as he kept going in one direction. At that point, he could use the outside geography to find out where he was. Qianye advanced in a certain direction. After half a day, he suddenly heard faint sounds coming from up ahead. He quickly halted his steps, retracted his aura, and approached the source under cover of the giant trees. Everyones perception within the Misty Wood was grossly limited. Being able to hear sounds meant that the other party was within a thousand meters. Qianyes senses indeed far surpassed that of ordinary experts, but he didnt dare act carelessly as this was a war of national fate. There were experts everywhere, and there should be no lack of those possessing secret arts or special talents in this regard. After moving close to a hundred meters forward, a row of silhouettes finally appeared in his True Sight. These figures were moving in a strict arrangement with their steps falling in tandem. They were actually in battle formation amidst such a densely forested area. Several dozen wolves roamed the area around the central squad. Upon closer inspection, those were werewolves in combat state, standing guard on the periphery. A number of large arachne brought up the rear of the formation, followed by a dozen or so woodland spiders loaded with cargo. Rustling sounds echoed through the forest. Qianye looked down and found a fist-sized spiderling crawling past his feet and into the distance. These spiderlings were the eyes and ears of the arachne and were frequently employed as scouts on the battlefield. But Qianye, who had activated Bloodline Concealment, was no different from a lifeless tree or rock to them. That spiderling was only the first. Tens of thousands of critters swarmed over in a dense formation and moved forward along with the army. Qianye stood still and quietly gauged this squads numbers. It was a force of close to a thousand soldiers. It was perhaps not too great in terms of numbers but the members were all soldiers of the dark race regular army and its core was made up of vampire warriors. Such a force would be accompanied by tens of thousands of cannon fodder on the battlefield. Back when Luther had attacked Blackflow City, his force was more or less the same. Moreover, the combat strength of Luthers main squad might even be slightly inferior to the one here. Without a need for further assessment, Qianye knew that this bone was too difficult to chew on. Moreover, a disciplined force like this surely possessed great fighting power, likely on par with elite imperial corps like Red Scorpion and Broken-Winged Angels. Qianye made no movement. Only when the entire force had passed by did he lift his leg and stomp the last spiderling to death. The dozen or so spiderlings around him sensed something wrong and immediately became restless. They began moving about in all directions, but they couldnt sense anything even when crawling over Qianyes feet. By the time Qianye moved his foot away, the spider had already turned into meat paste and its fluids had fallen onto the purple substance. This immediately stirred up a reaction and the purple substance began to wiggle as it absorbed the spiderlings blood. However, the other spiders didnt stir up a reaction. Now, this wasnt normal. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 597: Interception [V6C127 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye had already discovered during the last war that this world, especially this forest, was hostile to all outside life-forms. Back then, it was expressed more evidently in the form of the void colossus suppression. The suppression had vanished at the moment, but ordinary creatures still couldnt survive in this forest. For instance, an ordinary beast would collapse from exhaustion after a while and become nutrition for the forest. However, the servspiders raised by the arachne appeared to be unaffected, and that was peculiar. Qianye hadnt seen these palm-sized scouting servspiders before during the last war. Now that a large number of such low-level spiders had appeared, it was clear that the dark races had already figured out some of the secrets of Misty Wood and managed to dissolve a part of the forests hostility. If this guess were true, it would mean that Misty Wood was no longer a fair battlefieldit was leaning toward the dark races. In other words, the dark races had obtained the initiative in adapting to the forest. From the point of practical combat, being able to use servspiders meant that the dark races would have an edge in terms of preparedness. Qianye sighed to himself; this wasnt good news at all. Qianyes superior vision was his greatest advantage in Misty Wood. Otherwise, he wouldnt have chosen this hostile landscape as his battlefield. If he were to lose this advantage, the only thing left for him would be an arduous battle. The servspiders would expand the dark races perception range, but at least for now, it would seem the warriors themselves hadnt received any buffs. Qianye waited in silence for a while. Only after the squad had vanished entirely did he calculate the distance and circle around to its front. There, he found a good sniping position to wait in ambush. He brought out Thunderbolt and proceeded to push a mithril bullet into the chamber. As expected, the squad soon appeared through the distant mist. Qianye waited patiently. At less than five hundred meters, he didnt even need to aim and merely relied on True Sight to lock onto a vampire at the center of the squad. Judging from the intensity of his blood energy, he was likely a third-rank viscount. Although he wasnt the leader of this squad, he was at least the commander of the vampire soldiers. Qianye held his breath and activated Heavy Caliber and Accurate Shooting. Only when the bullet was enshrouded in a layer of origin power did he pull the trigger. The thunderous timber of the sniper rifle broke the pervasive silence of the Misty Wood and spread to half the squad. The vampire had just activated his blood energy and was trying to figure out where the danger was coming from when a large hole appeared on his headalmost half his brain had been blasted away. Qianye cursed inwardly. Although the shot had struck directly, the vampire viscounts instinctive evasion had caused his vampiric fang to be blasted to pieces. Viscount-grade fangs didnt just serve as proof of contribution but were also of great value in and of themselves. Despite all of that, his movements didnt slow down in the slightest. He loaded a new bullet and took aim at the arachne at the back who was evidently taller than his peers. Another gunshot rang out. The arachne baron could hardly believe what had happened as it glanced down at the gaping hole in its chest and gradually collapsed. The arachnes heavy armor had been pierced through by a single mithril bullet. Qianye pushed in yet another round and moved the muzzle slightly before flames spat out from the muzzle yet again. This time, an arachne that was attempting to assemble the troops fell down in response. Thunderbolt rang out time and again. Qianye had fired ten rounds in the blink of an eye, felling a high-ranking warrior with every shot. Only at this point did the dark races manage to confirm Qianyes position. It wasnt because they were slow to react, but because the servspiders remained unresponsive to Qianye. The warriors'' senses were in chaos within the Misty Wood as most of them could only sense within a hundred metersthe gunshots sounded to them like they were coming from every direction. But this squad was indeed well-trained. They began retaliating immediately after figuring out the trajectory of the incoming bullets. Countless origin bullets whistled through the air, forming streams of fiery light which badly damaged the treetop Qianye was hiding in. Many of the chambers were destroyed with dark yellow fluids flowing out from within. But the dark races attacks didnt trigger any response from the giant trees. There werent any beasts or midgets in the broken chambers, either. While cursing at the forests preferential treatment, Qianye fired two more rounds and killed the two werewolf knights charging at the front. Only after that did he descend calmly and run into the depths of the forest. Just a single assault had dealt massive damage to the dark race. Qianyes initial targets were all top-ranked warriors, including a third-rank viscount and a knight at the lowest. Although the ordinary warriors were unharmed for the moment, the death of most of their middle-ranking officers would inevitably lower their overall fighting power. Qianye ran at a steady pace, allowing the pursuers to gradually catch up to him. At the foremost were dozens of werewolves, followed closely by vampires. Qianye looked back with a cold smile. It wasnt surprising that the werewolves made up the bulk of his pursuers since the bewildering forest affected vision and hearing more than it did the sense of smell. The only problem was that the forest would devour everything, so the smell would only linger for a while. During a pursuit, however, the undispersed scent would become a guiding lamp, and this was the werewolves specialty. Comparatively, the vampires were a bit slower and thus gradually fell behind. Qianye stopped all of a sudden and faced the incoming werewolves with the Twin Flowers in hand. The dozens of werewolves were in their combat forms. Their eyes turned red, and their howls pierced through the mist as they suddenly discovered Qianye right in front of them! They didnt have the time for careful thought and merely pounced at Qianye out of instinct. A continuous stream of gunshots rang out through the Misty Wood. The different timbers of Mystic Spider Lily and Bloody Datura weaved together to form a beautiful melody of death. Using these two grade-five handguns wasnt much of a burden for the current Qianye. He moved as quick as lightning. Lock, load, and fireeverything happened in one smooth flow. One could hardly see the movement of his hands through the hail of bullets. The charging werewolf elites fell in droves, all of them struck in the vitals, and were either dead or gravely injured. Even the fierce and bloodthirsty werewolves couldnt help but fall into chaos at this point, and their charge was disrupted momentarily. Qianye quickly put away his guns, tossed out several vampire grenades, and left. The continuous explosions obstructed the pursuers behind him. By the time the smoke had dispersed, Qianye was already nowhere to be found. Collapsed werewolves lay strewn across the ground. Most of the dead had fallen to gunshots, while the remainder were mostly injured by shockwaves from the grenades. A vampire baron walked over at this point. His expression was one of blatant disgust as he flipped the injured werewolves over with his sword to check their wounds. Moments later, the inspection was completed. The vampire baron removed his blood-stained gloves in silence and tossed them onto the face of the dark brown werewolf at his feet. Leave them all here. The injured werewolves snarled furiously. The surviving werewolves werent satisfied, either, and began encircling him. The baron wasnt lenient at all. His sword flew up all of a sudden and stabbed at the hearts of the two closest werewolves, grinding them to pieces with a twist of his hand. He then scanned the surviving werewolves with cold eyes and said, Who else wants to die? The survivors were already few in number, and their leader had also been killed by Qianye. At this moment, all they could do was edge away from these vampires and howl in discontent. The gravely injured were abandoned and would soon become nutrients for the forest. With their injuries, they could hardly control the leakage of origin power, and they would soon be drained by the forest. This wasnt a problem one could solve with bandages. If they werent left behind, a portion of their group would need to split off and escort them out of the forest. Otherwise, death was the only outcome for them. Clean up the battlefield and set out immediately. You all should know the outcome if we dont arrive at the destination by noon! the vampire baron shouted thus and turned back toward the main squad with his subordinates. Qianye hadnt gone very far and soon arrived near this squad once more. He was going to chew this hard bone bite by bite. Compared to the forest, such an elite squad would be able to display several times more fighting power if allowed onto the battlefield. Qianye didnt climb onto a tree this time and merely hid behind the giant trunk. This deprived him of visual advantage but would allow him to leave the battlefield much faster. Their high-ranking officers were dead anyway, so the only thing left to do was whittle away at their strength. Qianyes movements were slow, gentle, and contained an odd cadence within. Even though he was gradually activating Thunderbolts origin array, the origin power aura only lingered around him and didnt seep outward. This trick also stemmed from his Bloodline Concealment, allowing his weapon to also remain obscure. The mithril bullet gradually heated up as origin power surged within the array. Very soon, the accumulated power had reached a critical point. A thunderous rumble echoed once more through the woods as the mithril bullet left the chamber. This time, the vampire baron at the center of the squad hadnt even heard the sound when his head burst into a bloody mist. Qianye felt a similar pain at the loss of two more vampiric fangs. He pressed another bullet into the chamber and got ready to strike another target. This time, it was an arachne knight, but there wasnt much aiming to do against such a huge target. Thunderbolt swayed ever so slightly as the crosshairs locked firmly onto the arachnes nucleus. Arachne below the viscount level didnt possess fully developed nuclei. Accordingly, their defenses were also far weaker than one with a mature nucleus. Qianyes shot would badly injure the arachne as long as it could pierce through the heavy armor. And being injured in Misty Wood meant death. A sense of extreme danger welled up in Qianyes heart as the mithril bullet left the muzzle. He immediately leapt sideways without pondering deeper. However, his body had just started to move when a force akin a sledgehammer-blow struck his back. His entire body was flung out, and he couldnt help but spray out a mouthful of blood in the air. This blood was bright red and actually contained golden specks of light within it. The dense vitality immediately caused the surrounding purple substance to grow restless. Qianyes heart sank because he had actually spat out auric flame blood! It would seem his injury was grave. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 598: Shadowy Pursui t [V6C128 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye fell to the ground with a plop. However, he had no time to pay attention to the pain at his back as he flashed behind a different tree with a flip of his body. His figure had just disappeared when yet another bullet chased after him and struck the tree, producing a meter-wide hole therein. A giant tree that would take several men to wrap their arms around was almost pierced through. The firepower of this shot caused Qianye to shiver. It was quite fortunate that his reactions were fast enoughthe situation wouldve been dire if he were struck directly. Qianye rolled backward under the cover of the giant tree and switched locations a couple more times before stopping to observe his injuries. The firepower behind this shot was so powerful that even Young Dragon had been pierced through, producing a bowl-sized opening where it had struck. If it were still Iron Wall on his body, the shot mightve injured his heart already. Qianye felt his back burning as though several red-hot nails were piercing into him. Apparently, there was black titanium in this bullet, and the amount was also quite significant. Qianye gritted his teeth as he broke several syringes and poured the contents onto the wound. At the same time, he injected four stimulants into his neck where the medicinal effects would appear the fastest. After doing all that, Qianye listened to the dark races movements briefly and tossed out several origin grenades. Two of them were hurled toward where the sneak attack had come from, while the remainder made for the rest of the dark race squad. The violent explosions sent the dark race warriors into chaos, and a woodland spider was even blasted into the air. Those trying to evade and those attempting to pursue crashed into one another, resulting in a scene of utter confusion. An explosion also occurred in the direction of the assailant, but there wasnt even a trace of that person at that location. Instead, a figure appeared on another side of the battlefield. That person lowered his sniper rifle with an unsightly expression and uttered, Crap! The grenade explosions hadnt reached him in the slightest, but his vision was now full of blood energy, flames, and flowing origin powereverything was in chaos. Meanwhile, Qianyes silhouette and aura had long since vanished. He leapt up and flitted across the purple substance at unimaginable speeds. In the blink of an eye, he had circled around the disorderly squad to arrive at Qianyes location. However, all he could see now was a field of hazy mist without a single living being. It was at this time that he suddenly noticed a familiar shadow flash past the corner of his eye. He turned back abruptly only to see the silhouette traverse the chaotic battlefield and vanish into the distance. All the while, the surrounding dark race soldiers remained oblivious to his presence. He instinctively recognized this shadow as the target of his assassination and took aim at lightning speed. However, he could no longer see anything in his scoped vision. Only a faint trail of origin power remained, and even that was dispersing rapidly amidst the chaotic environment. He didnt fire blindly, opting instead to relax his trigger finger and slowly lower the gun. Under a hood behind the scope was a countenance no less handsome than that of a vampire. This was precisely the demonkin count whom Qianye had met briefly on the battlefield. You wont escape. Eden looked down at the rifle in his hand. It was a firearm crafted in pure demonkin fashionodd yet beautiful, sinister yet elegant. There were exquisite arrays carved onto the two-meter-long rifle, and some of its components were already priceless in terms of materials, let alone the rifle itself. Edens expression was somewhat odd as he glanced at his beloved gun. Even this cant kill you? Just who are you? The grade-seven rifle in Edens hand was called Shadow Carol, a weapon that could be considered famous in the Dark Abyss. This guns history could be traced back a thousand years. Every time a change of owners had taken place, a demonkin grandmaster would perform adjustments on the weapon according to the talents of the new owner. In terms of firepower, it was well above Zhao Jundus Blue Firmament. Eden was able to fully control its might only after becoming a mighty count. That direct hit just now shouldve killed any human champion below rank fourteen on the spot, but not only had the other party survived, he even had the power to counterattack and run away. This kind of defensive power was even greater than Eden himself. The demonkin collected his thoughts and raised his right hand. Several hazy figures appeared around him in the blink of an eye. Chase him down and kill him. Edens command was clear. Those figures bowed and stepped back into the omnipresent shadows of the Misty Wood. Eden didnt follow them. Instead, he proceeded to observe the surroundings little by little, not letting even the most minute of details escape his eyes. He soon arrived at an empty spot where Qianye had spat out the mouthful of blood. The purple substance on the ground was squirming fiercely. Eden had witnessed such a scene many times, and couldnt be clearer about the corrosive and devouring characteristics of the substance. Blood that had landed on it would be swallowed clean in the span of a few breaths, and the billowing of the substance meant that the blood contained an abundance of origin power. On the one hand, it proved how powerful Qianye was, while on the other, it went to show that he had been badly injured. Eden observed briefly and was just about to leave when a sudden notion occurred to himhis steps came to a halt and his eyes widened as they returned to the squirming purple substance. Instead of weakening, the billowing of the substance grew increasingly violent. In the end, the rolling waves expanded to several meters in radius. There was little chance Qianye wouldve sprayed blood over such a wide area, even if he was badly injured. The intensity was the greatest at the center, but the substance gradually fell instead of rising up, almost revealing the soil beneath. The ground substance wasnt devouring the blood. On the contrary, it was being corroded. Eden was immediately alarmed. The Evernight faction, especially the demonkin clans, had long since studied the Misty Wood. There were only a handful of reasons this phenomenon could occur, and the most likely scenario was that Qianyes blood contained substances with even greater corrosive properties than the purple substance. It was because Eden understood the principle that he found it hard to believe what was happening. The Dark Abyss where Eden grew up specialized in corrosive and poisonous energy, and he himself was an outstanding young member of the clan. Even so, his own corrosive energy was inferior to that of the purple substance. How then had a human achieved this? There was another possibilitythe quality of origin power in Qianyes blood was so high that the purple ground substance couldnt devour it, and all it could do was neutralize it on the spot. In this scenario, the large scope of billowing ground substance signified that several dozen times the amount was being exhausted to eliminate Qianyes blood. Wouldnt that mean this fellow was a genius of the generation? An eerie flame flickered through Edens eyes. This was all the more reason not to let the other party escape, but he wasnt in such a rush to hunt Qianye down just yet. He paced about for a brief moment and shouted, Men! A faint shadow appeared nearby and bowed. I await your command. I remember this is the Li familys warzone, right? Find a way to contact that person and tell him to kill the fellow from just now. Tell him that, as long as he does this job well, the things he desire wont be a problem. The figure bowed respectfully and faded away into the mist. Eden looked up at the sky and sighed. Dying to ones own people is no fitting end for a warrior. So youd better die obediently under my blade. Dozens of kilometers away, Qianye was running at full speed, changing his forward route from time to time. Hazy silhouettes kept appearing around Qianye which attacked his vitals with grey beams of light. These shadows almost seemed to appear out of thin air with no set pattern. Their attacks were as quick as they were ruthless, forcing even Qianye into a miserable state as he was struck from time to time. A shadow appeared once more at Qianyes backside, and the grey light in its hand stabbed at Qianyes wound. This attack was extremely crafty and ruthless. Qianye didnt have the time to evade and merely used his vampiric blade to press the powerful attack downward, causing it to land on his waist. The grey lights true form was revealed as a dagger of unremarkable design. But the blade actually cut open Young Dragon and left a wound on Qianyes body. Although the injury to his skin was merely the length of a finger, it went to show that the other party had the strength to harm him. These eerie shadows were actually able to keep up with Qianye at his full speed. It was true that the latter had been injured, but these shadows couldnt be underestimated, either. After a brief moment of running, a cold gleam appeared in Qianyes eyes as he came to an abrupt halt. The four shadows reacted instantly and stopped at the same time, quickly forming an encirclement around him. However, the extreme inertia also brought their figures out of concealment. Four, huh? Qianye scanned the scene with eyes like lightning. He had already formed a general idea. The four silhouettes pounced at him without the slightest hesitation, their daggers all aimed at Qianyes vitals. The latter brought East Peak into his grasp with a backhand motion and unleashed a loud roar. With both hands on the blade, he brandished it like a mountain peak and launched three consecutive strikes. Sweeping Calm! To be precise, his attack could only cover three directions. However, the four shadows couldnt move a single inch after East Peak appearedit was as though a mountain were bearing down upon them. Three shadowy figures were cut into six parts where the three strikes landed. Having escaped a direct blow, the fourth silhouette finally managed to throw himself at Qianye, its dagger aimed at Qianyes back. However, the latter made no attempt to evade and allowed the blade to connect. The dagger was extremely sharp and managed to pierce through Young Dragon once more. Additionally, this blow had come straight for him at full force. The tip of the blade sunk into his flesh, and eventually, half the blade, too. But Young Dragon was a heavy armor made for Bai Longjia himself and thus possessed fairly powerful defenses. At this point, the shadow found that he no longer had the strength to push the blade inneither could he pull it back out. Qianye grabbed ahold of the figure with his left hand and dragged it into his embrace. At the same time, he grabbed East Peak with his right hand and placed the edge upon the shadows neck. Then, a light press of the blade sent its head flying away. Qianye also kicked the body away to prevent any final counterattacks. The battle began quickly and ended just as fast. In the blink of an eye, the four shadows had become corpses at Qianyes feet. Qianye wasnt feeling too great, either. He momentarily gasped for breath before removing the blade in his back, sending a stream of black blood gushing out from the wound. Qianye made no attempt to stop the blood immediately. He merely watched until the grey fluid had flowed out completely and the blood had turned red. Only then did he close the wound and stop the flow of blood. At this time, the hazy corpses were gradually becoming clearer. Qianye was surprised because this situation wasnt common even among the dark races. No matter how strong an expert was, they would lose their concealment abilities upon death, thus revealing their original forms. These eerie figures had been cut down by Sweeping Calm or beheaded, yet their energy was taking so long to disperse. Apparently, their strength wasnt mediocre at all. Qianye crouched down to inspect them and, as expected, found some remnant demonic origin power. This proved that these shadows were all demonkin. There werent any insignias on them, but judging from the coordinated attack just now, they were very likely from the same clan. These eerie shadows were clearly trained as hidden killers and shared great teamwork be it in terms of tracking or assassination. Qianye had to pay a steep price in order to kill all of them in one go. His origin power was on the verge of exhaustion. At the moment, he had no more hidden aces to play except the Shot of Inception, and his newly obtained Young Dragon was already half-destroyed. The real powerful expert hadnt caught up to him just yet, but he probably wasnt too far off. Qianye didnt have much time to think before the ground substance beneath his feet began to tremble. He cried out in his mind as he suddenly recalled a problemthe giant trees in the vicinity were all trembling, and the treetops were bulging up. It would seem the creatures inside would break out any second. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 599: Malice of the Fores t [V6C129 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Only then did Qianye remember that using Sweeping Calm in the forest would elicit a powerful reaction. He could no longer care about anything elsehe grabbed the shadowy figures dagger, cut off a segment of its robe, and fled promptly. It could be said that Qianye had escaped even faster this time. The dozen or so aboriginal midgets lost their target upon landing on the ground. They proceeded to roam the area numerous times but eventually dispersed after making no progress. Qianye ran for several kilometers in one sprint and only managed to breathe a sigh of relief after finding no one on his tail. Thereafter, he reduced his speed and left at a steady pace. The area had just calmed down when Eden appeared at the scene. He observed the nearby treetops cautiously, and then examined the four demonkin corpses with an expression of lament. These shadowy warriors possessed great combat strength and were adept in hunting and assassinations, a rare resource even for a major clan like the Dark Abyss. Their birth and bloodline belonged to a small demonkin tribe. Their reproduction was scarce, and not all of their descendants were born with talents for stealth. Additionally, the costs for grooming and equipping them was phenomenal. Edens potential had increased greatly after absorbing a part of the void essence in Giants Repose, increasing his status and importance in the clan. He was already a mighty count at this point. At such a rank, he was bound to occupy an important position in the future as long as he didnt fall in battle. Hence, the clan had specially assigned four shadow guards to him for this battle. Who wouldve thought all of them would be wiped out in one go? The purple substance on the ground was fluctuating gently like a breeze caressing the lake. Eden knew the insatiable substance had smelled the scent of blood and was preparing to devour the corpses. He immediately moved forward to study how the shadowy figures had died, hoping to find a way to restrain Qianye next time. However, Eden had just taken a step forward when plopping sounds rang out around him. Countless midgets and beasts were breaking through the membranes on the treetopsmany a pair of red eyes were glaring at him. Eden glanced about at his surroundings and found numerous giant trees were all swaying about. He was greatly astonished to find that the once-calm forest was now filled with killing intent. Although he had no fear for these beasts and savages, he couldnt quite deal with so many at the same time. There were already hundreds of them in his vision, and many more were still jumping out from the treetops. He would probably be surrounded if he didnt leave right now. Just the beasts and natives alone couldnt get into Edens sightwhat he really feared was Qianye. From what the demonkins had discovered about the forest, Eden quickly realized that the reactions of the purple substance and trees had been delayed. He couldnt confirm whether Qianye had played some trick here. Things would get rather interesting if the other party was hiding in ambush. Austere killing intent flickered in Edens eyes when he recalled how Qianye had caused such a great damage with a standard sniper rifle. There was a limit to what a mass-produced weapon could do, no matter how high its gradethe exceptional accomplishment could only be attributed to the snipers strength. Human sniper techniques had always been a great danger to the dark races. The damage inflicted by a powerful sniper in battle might even exceed an army squad. Eden reaffirmed his resolution to kill this enemy at all costs, but the only choice he had at this moment was to retreat. He could do nothing but watch as the purple substance engulfed the four shadowguards. He didnt even have the time to retrieve the equipment from the other three corpses. Qianye didnt turn back and attempt a surprise attack. His condition at the moment was fairly bad, and he was in no shape for further battle. His daybreak origin power had bottomed out, and his blood energy was fully engaged in resisting the corrosive properties of the black titanium. He might not even have the power to fire a Shot of Inception should he encounter another powerful enemy. Qianye stopped after running about a hundred kilometers and found a safe place to rest. He leaned back after sitting down. However, the moment he did, he couldn''t help but bounce forward with a muffled groanthe pain from accidentally pressing the wound on his back was extraordinary. Even after a good while, the wound on his back had healed only slightly as the remnant black titanium was impeding the regenerative process. The auric flame blood had stopped the black titanium from spreading further in and was slowly neutralizing the destructive energy within it. However, it would still require some time for the injury to heal. Qianye slowly removed his armor and rejoiced unconsciously as he observed the large hole at its back, as well as the dozen-odd blade marks. If it hadnt been for Young Dragons extraordinary defenses, he really wouldve fallen in the hands of those shadows. Qianye pondered for a moment before producing a box of ammunition from Andruils Mysterious Realm. This was old stock from long ago that had been sitting in a corner all this time. It was fortunate that he hadnt thrown it away. Qianye removed all the gunpowder from the ammunition and sprinkled it on the wound. Then, he struck the two metallic casings together at high speed, igniting a meter-tall blaze on his back. Even with his level of tenacity, Qianye couldnt help but let out a groan. The flames went out in a flash, but the flesh around his wound was already charred black. Qianye then fished out his vampiric blade and proceeded to carve out the burnt parts, causing a great amount of fresh blood to seep out of the injury. At this moment, the necrotic flesh around the black titanium-corroded areas had been cleaned out, and the regenerative capabilities of his flesh restored. The blood stopped flowing in the blink of an eye and new granulation tissue emerged as the wound gradually closed up. Qianye exhaled deeply after cleaning the wound on his back, feeling completely drained. Beads of sweat were dripping down from his forehead as though he had just walked out of the water. There were several other stab wounds at his back, but those werent as important. The smaller injuries would recover naturally after the bleeding from his main injury had been staunched. Qianye brought out the dagger he had picked up from one of the grey corpses and examined it. The blade was built in a straight design and could be used to stab opponents with great penetrative power. The material also contained black titaniumthe amount was too small to have any effect on Qianye, but it would still affect the healing process more or less. Additionally, the dagger was made of precious materials and its quality could marginally qualify as a grade-six weapon. Add to that the black titanium within, its price should be fairly highthe sales value in the market should equal a grade-seven origin gun. Weapons containing black titanium were at least 1.5 times more valuable in the imperial black markets, far surpassing mithril-containing weapons. This seemed odd at a glance since black titanium was used to deal with daybreak life forms, but this price was quite logical after some thought since there was no lack of in-fighting among the humans. Moreover, black titanium was produced entirely within dark race territory and could be considered one of the rarest materials. The grey robe appeared simple at a glance, but in truth, it was filled with origin arrays. Fabrics capable of housing origin arrays were already expensive, to begin with, and those arrays were extremely rare ones that could improve stealth and restrict ones aura. The value of this grey robe was likely even greater than the dagger. These shadowguards were already far above Qianye in terms of equipment and also possessed powerful abilities. It was no wonder they had managed to force Qianye into a miserable state. It was just that their luck was quite bad to have encountered Sweeping Calm. The demonkin race, as a whole, was mediocre in defense. Moreover, these shadowguards had raised their concealment and assassination abilities to the extreme, leaving much to want in terms of head-on confrontation. Qianyes heavy armor and sword happened to counter them quite well. Qianye could still feel vague spells of pain from his back as though he had pulled on something. A tingling sensation would appear from deep within his bones from time to time, provoking an urge to scratch it. This was a sign of his injuries healing at a rapid rate. In order to divert his attention, Qianye thought back to the entire process of the battle just now, and his brows gradually became knitted together. Numerous signs pointed toward the fact that the assailant was fairly close to Qianye in terms of concealment and sniping abilities. Moreover, the other partys patience in waiting for the perfect opportunity was frightening. Judging from the distance of the shot and the ineffectiveness of Qianyes counterattack, it could be concluded that the difference in visual range between them was fairly limited. The Misty Wood had become that much more dangerous with such an enemy around. Fortunately, the enemy hadnt caught up to him along with the four shadowy figures. Qianye could judge the other partys strength from the information at hand. From how the assailant had produced two consecutive shots of such firepower, he had to be a demonkin count at the very leasteven if he was completely drained after the attack. Qianye trembled at the thought of this. The demonkin possessed greater combat strength than warriors of the other races at the same rank. It definitely wasnt a good thing to be targeted by one. Attempting to use the Profound Combatant Formula to absorb void origin power was also problematic. Ignoring whether or not the forest would react, it would also be courting death if a powerful dark race expert sensed the fluctuations in void origin power. Qianye only had a limited number of drugs and stimulants in stock. Moreover, their effects were gradually diminishing with his increased strength. Qianye couldnt help but sigh in secret. It would be great if he could devour daybreak origin power like he could, darkness. But he soon broke into a laugh. The Profound Combatant Formula was already a top-grade art in terms of cultivation speed. Add to that the purification powers of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, it could be said that there was barely any weak point in his cultivationyet here he was, being greedy for more. Qianye inhaled deeply and calmed down his restless emotions to cultivate. The Combatant Formula wouldnt be noticeable as long as he didnt exceed the fifty-cycle threshold. Although it was much slower, a night of cultivation should help him recover his origin power. It was at this time that a faint silhouette suddenly emerged beside Qianye as a small, purple snake shot up from the ground to bite Qianyes hand. With Qianyes attention elsewhere, the serpent managed to succeed in its ambush. But how could he let the assailant go after taking such a loss? He quickly caught the creature with a flip of his hands. The little snake struggled with all its might, squirming about from head to toe and biting Qianyes hand once more. However, the latters hand had been enforced with blood energy at this pointit was shrouded in a faint golden glow and even harder than steel. There was simply no way for the little critter to bite through. Qianye was somewhat startled as he felt a sudden numbness at his wrist. Looking down, he saw a red dot there where the snake had broken through his skin on the first bite. This numbing sensation was no stranger to Qianye. It was a sign of being poisoned. Auric flame blood circulated in response to Qianyes will and burned the greater part of the toxins beneath his skin. The remainder was condensed into a drop of translucent liquid and expelled from the breakage. What surprised Qianye was how this little serpent had produced such an extremely powerful venom. He had never seen snakes before in Misty Wood. This little creature was as quick as lighting and equipped with powerful venom. Although rather weak on its own, even a rank fourteen human expert might have to retreat if thousands were to swarm over at the same time. Otherwise, the results would be disastrous if bitten a couple of times with no time to expel the poison. This wasnt a good thing for humans because the dark races were much more resistant to poison. The demonkin, with their demonic energy, were even more impervious to toxins. Their poison resistance was only slightly inferior to Qianye. The malice of this forest is really becoming more and more evident. Qianye couldnt help but frown. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 600: Ambush Part 1 Chapter 600: Ambush (Part 1) [V6C130 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The changes to the Misty Wood werent advantageous to humans. The dark races were much better at resisting poisons, and the demonkin had demonic energy which rendered them impervious to toxins. Add to that the special environment in the Misty Wood, the humans were obviously handicapped here. Qianye glanced over at the snake. It was entirely purple and resembled the ground substance down to its irregular shades. One could hardly detect it crawling over the ground, much less Qianye who wasnt paying particular attention. This creature wasnt among the species recorded during the last exploration. Qianye couldnt recall anything similar either in his memories. Apparently, it was something produced by the Misty Wood. The serpent was so small that dozens if not hundreds of them could be gestated in a single chamber. It wasnt impossible for tens of thousands of them to appear from a single giant tree. Qianye squished the snake to death, tossed it onto the ground, and watched it get devoured by the purple substance. His heart grew heavier and heavier with worry. The wound on his hand didnt need any treatment. It began closing up on its own and was completely healed after a while. In terms of regeneration, his vampire constitution and auric flame blood were far superior to an ordinary human body. Qianye scanned his arm unintentionally and was suddenly alarmed, Poison? Wait a minute! He suddenly remembered something else at the mention of poison. He looked back at the giant tree he was leaning on and slashed it open with his military knife. The tree sap began flowing out in a steady stream. Qianye cupped the clear fluid with his hands and drank it in one gulp. There was a faint, almond-like bitterness to it, but in it was also a hint of fresh sweetness. A wisp of origin power emerged as the sap entered his stomach, spreading slowly toward every part of his body before being absorbed into the origin vortexthe entire process was inexplicably soothing. The gash in the tree grew back after leaking several mouthfuls of sap, but this amount was already equal to a high-efficacy stimulant. This meant that a couple of jars of this sap could replace an entire nights cultivation. In addition to its special geographical position on the floating continent, this was also one of the reasons why the Misty Wood was so valuable. The sap of these terrifying giant trees could be absorbed directly like diluted origin distillate. It was just that the imperial research departments analysis had found that there was a mild toxin within it. Although the low content meant that it would need to accumulate for some time before the effects become evident, there was no direct antidote for it in either faction. Present studies also showed that human experts below the divine champion level couldnt expel this poison with their origin power. The effective origin rank in the Evernight faction, however, was unknown. These results meant that ordinary people imbibing this sap would result in a continuous build-up of toxin within the body, and the eventual flare-up of which could be life-threatening. It was no easy matter to dissect an unknown toxin. The Li clans intentions to occupy the Misty Wood was perhaps because they were confident in their familys medicinal development, and that they could unravel this toxin. At that time, the entire Misty Wood would become a boundless storehouse of origin distillate. Qianye, on the other hand, wasnt worried about the toxin. He could feel the liquid break down into origin power after entering his body, and countless minuscule flames would flicker upon it after coming into contact with his auric flame blood. The origin power entering his vortex would become purer after the toxins had been eliminated by the auric flame blood. Just to be safe, Qianye cut the tree only once and used a canteen to catch the sap, and only when it had closed up did he cut once more. Then, he would finish each canteen after it had been filled. The purification effects of the auric flame blood became more evident this time, likely due to the larger amount of intake. All impurities and toxins had been swept clean, leaving only pure origin power. The giant tree began healing at greater speeds after repeating this process several times. Qianye understood that the sap loss had reached the tolerance thresholdhundreds if not thousands of beasts would appear if he kept on draining the sap. But there was no shortage of trees here that he could switch to. Qianye glanced up and felt that the endless stretch of forest had turned into a field of giant supplements. This nourishment was extraordinary. An hour later, Qianye rose and left after his origin power was restored. This time, he chose to head back. That dark race expert who could control the shadowguards was too dangerous. Now that he had solved the problem of restoring his origin power, Qianye had no intention of letting the other party walk out of the forest in one piece. Meanwhile, Edenin the form of a shadowwas moving quietly past the giant trees. He would circle around the tree at times, while floating over the branches during others. Two dark race squads were advancing rapidly nearby, and one of them was the one Qianye had ambushed. It had suffered heavy casualties but was still continuing its advance after reorganization. Meanwhile, Eden roamed the periphery like a hunter. Qianye didnt appear again, either. They were two-thirds of the way to their destination, but Edens mood didnt improve in the slightest. The four dead shadowguards pressed upon his heart like four giant rocksthe shot had clearly struck the other targets vitals, so why hadnt he died? The latter had even killed four of his powerful subordinates. Even in the Evernight faction, he was confident that his shot could injure a marquis. It wasnt good news for them if the empire had dispatched a marquis-level expert to hunt in the forest. But marquises of either faction were all well-known figures whose movements were closely watched. Even count-rank experts with extraordinary strength were well-recorded. Eden continued escorting the army forward amidst the doubt and uneasiness. For a moment, he had wanted to send news back and seek assistance from the experts of the clan. But he had just lost four shadowguards without gaining any detailed information on the enemy. The internal competition among the demonkin was fierce. Hailing from an orthodox lineage and possessing great talents, Edens position in the Dark Abyss had climbed sharply after obtaining the void essence. As his power and resources increased, so did the number of his opponents. Eden walked on and on but came to a sudden halt before a translucent line. Just one step further and he wouldve stepped onto it. It was a thread belonging to an arachne, but just a single thread could hardly capture anything. It was just that the function of this trap was highly abnormal. The abrupt reduction in speed caused fluctuations to appear around Edens silhouette, revealing some traces of his position. Oh crap! Eden was greatly alarmed and even his hair stood on end. A speck of light tore through the air from afar. Judging from its silver body and the lights surrounding it, Eden knew that this was a Mithril Bullet of Exorcism with added special effects. This shot was so sudden that Eden didnt have the time to evadeall he could do was twist his body frantically. A handgun appeared in his grasp at the same time, which he fired promptly in the direction of the attack. The sniper round arrived in the blink of an eye. Eden let out a muffled groan as blood splashed from his shoulder and his entire body flew several meters backward. He gritted his teeth through the intense pain while rolling behind a giant tree. There, he fished out a medicine tube and sprayed it onto his injury, effectively stopping the flow of fresh blood. Eden once again entered a state of concealment and rushed out from behind the tree. The Misty Wood was entirely silent and almost as if nothing had happenedonly the lingering timbre of a gun echoed through the trees. The two squads a few kilometers away were completely oblivious to the incident and kept marching on. Eden gritted his teeth and moved in the direction of the assault like a ghost. Moments later, he found the location where Qianye had been hiding. The purple substance there was still squirming. This meant that his counterattack had connected and drawn blood. Hes injured, too? A sharp glint appeared in Edens eyes. Fine, Ill play a game of attrition with you! Eden examined the surrounding areas but, of course, found nothing. He wasnt disappointed at this, either, and only went after the main army in due haste. This squad was on its way to take part in a joint operation and was thus carrying a fair amount of special supplies, including medicines for use by experts above the viscount level. There were also specially trained medical staff among them. An hour later, a fully treated Eden once again left the squad to search and hunt. At this point, imperial forces only appeared sporadically within the Misty Wood without any mobile bases. Moreover, there were no supply bases in this area due to its proximity to dark race controlled territory. Unlike Eden who had the support of an entire squad, Qianye seemed to be acting on his own without any troops or partners. However, this clear advantage didnt give Eden much assurance. The two exchanges orchestrated by each of them proved one pointthe gap between the two was minimal be it in terms of concealment abilities or destructive power. Neither could kill the other for a while. This made trading blows a viable option. This strategy was naturally risky, but Eden had never been one to fear taking risks. In the depths of the Misty Wood, Qianye stopped to rest after confirming that he had thrown Eden off his tail. There was also a gunshot wound on his shoulder he needed to clean. He heaved a sigh of relief after removing his shoulder-guard and picking out the black bullet inside the wound. He didnt throw the bullet away but, instead, put it away inside a radiation-proof box. This bullet also contained a fair amount of black titanium. This projectile likely wasnt cheapnothing containing black titanium was. Qianye wanted to bring it back because this amount of black titanium could be exchanged for several mithril bullets or one extreme yang bullet. After cleaning his wounds, Qianye shook his head with a wry smile. It would seem that the expert had grown more wary of sneak attacks after the death of the four shadowguards. In addition to the extreme defenses of his armor, the weapons he had used were also quite extravagant. It was still within acceptable range for a grade-seven sniper to blast through heavy armor, but for a casual blast from a handgun to penetrate Young Dragon, what grade would it need to be? It might even be at grade eight. This confirmed Qianyes guess about the dark race experts level. The other party was definitely a count and very likely one with combat strength exceeding his level. Unfortunately, the other party wasnt entirely revealed even after being injured. The intelligence openly provided by the empire wasnt that detailed, either. It was just that each and every one of the assailants bullets contained black titaniumthat was really too sickening. He was practically spraying out crates and crates of gold coins. Being struck by such a bullet was an ordeal even for Qianyes vampiric constitution. Any other human champion wouldve been finished by now. Qianye had finally experienced the extravagance of a demonkin major clan. Even the empires richest Song clan dwarfed in comparison. The young masters of the Song clan possessed limited cultivation levels. They couldnt use a grade-seven gun even if they could afford it since a single shot would drain them completely. Encountering such an enemy was truly an upsetting development. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 601: Ambush Part 2 Chapter 601: Ambush (Part 2) [V6C131 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye fished out a large water bottle from Andruils space and poured the spring-water-like sap into his mouth. The injury on his shoulder quickly closed up and began to heal. Moments laterhis wounds gone and his origin power restored to its peak stateQianye ran back without the slightest hesitation. Edens all-out attack couldnt kill Qianye, but similarly, Qianyes sniping had a limited effect on Eden. The key reason was still the fact that Thunderbolt was greatly inferior to Edens extraordinary sniper rifle. But Qianye had a planif he couldnt kill in one shot, then all he needed was to strike a couple more times. In other words, Qianye was looking to exchange blows with the other party. As the battles on the floating continent grew in ferocity, Evernight Continent enjoyed a rare moment of tranquilityfew, if any, skirmishes took place. The two factions had always been fighting to and fro on that abandoned land, but the recent years have seen the least peace of all time. It all started with Andruils treasure, and then the bloody battle and Giants Repose. Armies of millions had gathered on the continent toward the end, far surpassing the scale of a local battle. The Evernight Continent of today had merely returned to its previous routine. The hunters lucky enough to have survived the wars could now explore the wilderness in relative safety. There were still a fair amount of valuable resources to be found around the battlefields. As such, large numbers of scavengers swarmed over every corner of the wilderness like ants. Some of the braver ones even snuck into the ruins of the Evernight main camp. Blackflow City was no longer as bustling as it was during the war. The hyena-like mercenaries had all but left, for without battles, there were fewer opportunities for riches. However, development projects had been launched in the new territories pioneered by the Dark Flame independent battalion. With Blackflow City acting as the main base and frontline transit hub, there were still many opportunities for business. The scale of Dark Flame had changed drastically compared to the past. Their numbers had surpassed thirty thousand following several expansions, and its core warriors had all been baptized by the flames of war. The headquarters had also been expanded time and again, gradually becoming a city within the city. Naturally, only twelve thousand soldiers were recorded in the expeditionary armys registers. There was a small, elegant courtyard in a secluded corner of the headquarters. This was Qianyes residence, currently occupied by Nighteye alone. It was currently a rare moment where one could see the sunshine. The beams waved through the leaves and lit up the courtyard with flickering golden spots. Nighteye was reading a book in the courtyard with a warm pot of tea sitting on the small table beside her. She was dressed simply in a shirt, trousers, and a pair of comfortable low-heeled shoes. The disguised mask was still upon her face, hiding her true appearance. Even so, there was still a natural grace about herit didnt quite register upon first glance but would attract everyones eyes after some time. A knock suddenly echoed from the outside, and soon, Song Zining walked in and sat down across from Nighteye. The latter only glanced up once at him before looking back at her book. Weren''t you supposed to be at the front lines? It makes no difference. The next phase of this war is a loss either way. Nighteye glanced toward him with a frown. Song Zinings demeanor was one of thoughtlessnesshe couldnt be less concerned about the country or its people. He waved his fan about and said unhurriedly, Blackflow City is the real family property. We earned all the money here with our own hands. Is there even a need to discuss which one is more important? I heard your commander-in-chief this time isnt so easily fooled. You mean His Majesty Prince Greensun? I didnt try to fool him. Whatever he asks, I reply truthfully. Moreover, my rank is just nominal, no one even recruited me. Its not too late to join the battle after making ample arrangements here. All recent battles are bound to be lost anyway. Wouldnt I be staining my undefeated name if I go now? Song Zining made no attempt to disguise his smile. At this moment, he glimpsed at the leather cover of the book in Nighteyes hands. Imperial History? Youre actually reading this. Looks like youre looking to stay for a while in the empire? Nighteye nodded. Song Zining looked over at the teapot nearby. He produced a can of tea-leaves with a flip of his hand and said, This is great stuff. Yours truly spent quite a lot of effort to get it. But it cant be stored for very long and is best consumed as soon as possible. Nighteye glanced at the can. You didnt come over just to deliver a gift, did you? Song Zinings smile didnt disappear even after being called out. He promptly acted on the opportunity without a shred of embarrassment. I indeed have a request. If I encounter some trouble in the future, I hope you can help me out once. Nighteye looked up at Song Zining. Her eyes were completely unfathomableSong Zining shivered at the sight of his own figure within them, and his smile grew rather unnatural. Nighteye stared at him momentarily before lowering her gaze once more. That, I can promise you. What else? Song Zining felt greatly relieved after Nighteyes gaze left his body. He leaned forward in a relaxed manner and said, There''s something else thats very important. I heard Your Majesty has a sister called Twilight? C-Can you introduce her to me? Nighteye was fairly astonished. Are you serious? Of course! Seeing Song Zining full of confidence, Nighteye didnt know what to say. She remained silent for a while before saying, Shell definitely join the war on the floating continent. There, youll get the opportunity to make her acquaintance. However this opportunity might not be very safe. Rest assured, I wont do anything to her. Shes definitely safe! Song Zining smiled while flapping his fan. Nighteye was speechless. Im more worried about you. Shes just a vampire lady. How can yours truly fail to conquer her? The seventh young masters fan danced swiftly. Nighteye merely chuckledshe had no special feeling toward the term vampire lady. Song Zining laughed awkwardly for a moment before quickly putting away his frivolous demeanor. Okay, Ill leave you to your reading. Im off to attend to other matters. Nighteye finished her current chapter after Song Zining left before looking over at the can of tea leaves on the table. This can was made from specialized materials, metallic on the outside while the interior was coated with jade. The contents couldnt be pried upon with ones perception. A receptacle capable of isolating the senses was also capable of preserving the aura within. It was fairly suitable for holding top-grade tea leaves. Nighteyes slender fingers ran over the can and popped open the lid. However, there were no tea-leaves inside. Instead, it was filled with ruby-like crystals. A tinge of blood flashed through her eyes upon seeing the high-grade essence bloodshe had been starved for too long. Moments later, Song Zining sat down in his office at the Dark Flame headquarters. The sun was flowing in through the window, imparting a hint of warmth to the entire room. Song Zining sat in silence, seemingly thinking of something. He shook his head moments later and muttered, Qianye, this bastard only knows how to bring me trouble! Let it be, this young master has been practicing the ancient art, Jasper Heart, of late. Ill start by practicing it on you two and reluctantly calculate your fortunes. He placed an old wooden box on the table and spread out both his hands. All of a sudden, a layer of hazy green light flowed past his palms. The lid opened up as though an invisible hand were controlling it, revealing three jade slivers within. All of them were glistening with an intense jadeite hue, but their corners were round and smoothwho knew how many masters these items had seen? Song Zining waited until the origin glow on his hands had faded away before bringing out the three jade slivers. His gaze flickered as he tossed the slivers onto the table, but just as he was about to read their positions, one of the jade slivers broke into two! Song Zining was dazed momentarily, but then he let out a sudden groan as blood streamed out of his nostrils. His countenance was pale as he wiped away the traces of blood in silence. A knock came from the door at this moment. Enter. Song Zinings voice had recovered its calm, and the blood-stained handkerchief was now pressed beneath his palm. The visitor was Song Hu. He walked over in brisk steps and placed a suitcase onto the table. Seventh Young Master, I think you need to take a look at this. Even the usually unflustered Song Hu was trembling as he placed the object down. One could see just how important it was. Song Zining rose and opened the case. What came into view was an entire suitcase full of black-colored stones, dotted with sparkling crystals upon them. Song Zinings eyes constricted as he said, Is this neutral crystal iron ore? Yes, Young Master. This ore could be refined into crystal iron of different attributes, and its most important use was in the production of gun-barrels for firearms above grade four. Where did you find this? On the border of the werewolves former territory. Theres a black stone mine there which our men had dug through. This crystal iron mine was found below. Is this the black stone mine Yuying specifically mentioned? Yes. Song Zining got up and paced about in silent contemplation. Back then, Zhao Yuying had investigated the ore veins here in great detail and pointed out several potential locations where there might be special accompanying ore veins. Song Zining finally found some free time after Qianye left for the floating continent. On one hand, he needed to stabilize Blackflows territories, so he dispatched large patrol units to kill the roaming dark race soldiers. He was completely merciless toward these troublemaking mercenaries. On the other hand, he sent people to the places Zhao Yuying had mentioned and had them perform extensive surveys. Now, the investment had finally paid off. This new crystal iron ore vein was over a hundred meters below the black stone ore vein, and they had to drill through a thick rock layer before finally discovering it. Judging from the samples here, the quality was superbit was likely a rare, high-grade ore vein. Moments later, Song Zining finally came to a firm decision. Issue an immediate order. Organize people to extract the ore at full force. Also, restructure Dark Flames forces and send a division of troops to guard it. Ill arrange a new batch of equipment for this division. Seventh Young Master, wont everyone notice if we do this? Song Zining said firmly, Cant care about that much. Do it as quietly as possible, but its a race against time. We wont need to be afraid of anyone if we can produce another regular division. Back in the Misty Wood, Qianye had lost track of time. He was currently holding his breath and slowly moving the barrel of his gun toward a giant tree at the edges of his vision. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary there, but in his True Sight, he could make out a wisp of faintly discernible darkness origin power. Is it left or right this time? Qianye pondered in secret. The muzzle shifted a couple of times before finally pointing to the left. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 602: Ambush Part 3 Chapter 602: Ambush (Part 3) [V6C132 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Boom! Thunderbolt lived up to its nameevery shot rumbled like a bolt of thunder. Within the scope, the left side of that giant tree exploded violently. A large defect was produced therein as the bullet pierced through the tree and flew into the mist. A black shadow flickered on the right side of the tree and vanished into the mist. Damn, I picked wrong again. Qianye couldnt help but curse as he put Thunderbolt away. There was no need for a second glance. Qianye could confirm that the fleeing shadow was that dark race assassin. This miscalculation had sent them back to square onethings would, once again, be decided by who discovered the other party first. The two had been entangled for several days, continuously switching roles between hunter and prey. However, neither could deal with the other. Qianye had realized by now how dangerous this opponent really was. All in all, Qianye held a slight advantage. He would sometimes discover that Eden had gone to great lengths to set up traps, using his followers as bait. That one time, Qianye was forced to pay a steep price after killing the other partys subordinates and was badly wounded. Believing he would have the advantage from there on out, Eden left the main force and chased after Qianye. However, he had never imagined that Qianye would be back at his peak state after a single nighthe was nearly killed in an ambush. For several days now, neither of them had been able to escape the other. Eden escorted the two dark race squads to the edges of Misty Wood but did not follow them out. The mobilization of dark race forces was yet to be completed, and there would be several more squads taking this path in the days to come. He couldnt allow Qianye to massacre everyone unscrupulously, otherwise, the loss of elites here would surpass that of an open battle. Eden staying was exactly what Qianye wanted. The dark race forces gathering this time had far exceeded his expectations. It would be a one-sided massacre on the battlefield if an expert like Eden were to hunt alongside an organized force. The Li family independent expertsat least the ones Qianye had seenwouldnt even be able to run after encountering Eden. Just like that, the two of them kept each other in check as they tried to kill one another. Unwittingly, they had already come to understand each other very well. Qianyes visual range extended farther than Edens, and although this range was only fifty meters or so, it afforded him an undeniable advantage. Moreover, Qianyes physical defenses and recovery were much better. However, Eden had his own advantages toohis concealment abilities were superior to Qianyes while his hunting skill was about equal to Qianyes. In the end, it was that heavy sniper rifle, Carol of Shadows, that gave him the edge. Although Qianye had barely survived a single shot from it, he certainly wasnt looking forward to another round. Yet another short exchange ended up being fruitless. Qianye fled immediately after missing a shot. He circled around after running several kilometers and slowly approached the origin location. It was at this time that a small dark race squad appeared in the vicinity. It was made up of about a hundred men, mostly arachne and werewolves. This was a standard combat squad. It was quite common to see werewolves and arachne forming teams on the battlefield. The arachne were Qianyes favorite prey, even more so than vampires. These gigantic creatures were like living targets for a long-range sniper. The leader was an arachne baron, a fairly valuable target. The tank-like arachne had a greater impact on the battlefield compared to werewolves of the same rank. This target was quite attractive to Qianye because he could finish it in one shot. At a distance of five hundred meters, Qianye hardly needed to activate any special abilities to penetrate its heavy armor and kill it immediately. But was this really an ordinary squad? Qianye didnt pull the trigger even after the last servspider vanished from his sight. He was waiting, waiting for a more valuable targetEden. What arrived though wasnt Eden himself but his bullet. Qianye immediately leapt ten meters away from his location upon sensing the danger. The tree he had been hiding behind was blasted open by a black bullet, which duly chased after him without any reduction in momentum. This projectile had clearly been bolstered with a special effect. Its firepower was far greater than the past shots and made straight for its target even after piercing through the tree. It was just that Qianyes body sunk down all of a sudden from the air, leaving its original trajectory and escaping the lethal shot. Upon landing, he made no attempt to search for Eden and simply sped toward a random direction. After a lengthy battle, both sides had come to understand each other quite well. Qianye knew he would find nothing if he had rushed overperhaps what awaited him would be a second ambush. Qianye felt a slight pain on his arm as he was running. He looked down and found that a large splinter had lodged itself in one of the old defects in his armor, producing a shallow break on his skin. I guess thats a small victory for you. Qianye easily removed the splinter. This kind of injury was a little more than a mosquito bite, and it would heal on its own without any dressing. After Qianye vanished into the Misty Wood, a distortion appeared up on one of the nearby trees as Edens figure appeared. He didnt give chase immediately and, instead, sat down on the spot. There, he fished out a black crystal bottle and took a mouthful of its contents before his paper-pale face regained some color. This was a medicine for demonic energy recovery. A single bottle could restore Edens demonic energy to its peak state in a matter of minutesa life-saving measure if you will. Naturally, the price of such items had always been proportional to their efficacy. Eden had never imagined he would encounter such a difficult opponent. He had used up most of his recovery medicines. This type of special drug couldnt be obtained via ordinary military supplies; he would need to return to the clan or apply to the Evernight Council. But he couldnt spare its usage because Qianyes recovery speed was shocking. Had he not seen it for himself, Eden would hardly be inclined to believe a human could regenerate so quickly. Things might take a turn for the worse if he couldnt restore his demonic energy accordingly. The role of hunter and prey might switch at any time. Since that first fateful shot, they had chased each other continuously for over ten days and ten nights. Eden could rely on secret arts and medicines to restore his demonic energy, but there was hardly any way to recover from the physical and mental drain. He wanted nothing more than to hug his gun and sleep for a couple of days. After putting away the crystal bottle, Eden glanced back at the depths of the forest. He had a vague feeling that Qianye had already circled back and was approaching from that direction. As the sense of danger intensified, Eden couldnt help but curse loudly, Goddammit, does this fellow not know fatigue? The reply came in the form of a thunderous gunshot. Eden descended with a back-flip, planning to roll behind a giant tree to the southeast upon landing. However, it turned out that his luck wasnt great. He felt a burning pain to his leg, followed closely by the scent of burning flesh. Mithril! Eden immediately activated a secret art to seal the wound and then fled in due haste. This time, he fell into a precarious situation as he was hunted down for an entire half-day. In the end, he barely managed to escape by taking advantage of a beast horde erupting from the giant treetops. Eden threw himself onto the purple substance after a successful escapehe didnt want to move a single finger. At this moment, his hair was in disarray and his combat attire was beyond ragged. The demeanor fitting of a demonkin scion was nowhere to be found. Eden flipped over and gazed at that odd, intertwining tree trunk, as well as the perpetual mist in the air above. Even though his vision was twice better than his peers at the same level, he still couldnt see the guiding stars located at the top of this world. Breathing heavily, he reached into his pocket to caress a piece of crystal and the simple figure carved upon it. Eden didnt need to use his eyes to envision that figurecold, proud, and perfect. If anyone were to see the depiction on the crystal, they would find that it was the portrait of a young lady. It was Nighteye. No, I cant fall here. Ill die! There there are too many things I need to do. Eden gritted his teeth as he sat up and glanced at the charred injury on his leg. Then, he rose and limped away. Black smoke appeared around him before fading away along with his figure. Qianye walked out of the mist moments later. In his azure-suffused eyes, a wisp of black energy emerged to indicate Edens direction of departure. He can still run? Qianye was quite surprised. He understood Eden just as well as the latter did him. He knew that the latter had been badly injured during the pursuit and had surmised that he would collapse around this place. How did he still have the strength to run? Qianye hesitated for a while but decided not to give chase immediately. Instead, he sat down to catch his breath and restore some of his stamina. Qianye wasnt quite worried about running out of origin power, but the long period of high-pressure hunting and sniping had taken a toll on his physical stamina, and there was no effective shortcut to restore the latter. Qianyes shot just now was an all-out attack. He had activated the full extent of his True Sight and added every special effect at his disposal into the attack. He had wanted to kill Eden in one strike. Quite unexpectedly, however, the results still deviated somewhat from Qianyes calculations. The dark hue between the trees quickly faded away as Edens demonic energy was devoured by the forest. Qianye tracked Eden down for a while but had to give up after finding no more clues. Qianye was naturally regretfula victory couldnt have been closer, but Eden had escaped in the end. Valuable targets like Eden were beyond rare. He was clearly from a famed demonkin clan, and his rank should be between a mighty-count and a virtuous-count. Such a character would usually be surrounded by a great number of guards with only a few ever appearing solo. After losing this opportunity, Qianye would likely not encounter such a prey for a long time. He couldnt help but shake his head as he gazed at the mist hanging between the large trees. It was time to return to base. Eden had probably lost interest in fighting to the death with him after receiving this grievous injury. He was almost certain to retreat from this battlefield. The Misty Wood was just like before, but the two parties had made use of the environment to its limit during their many days of battle. Presently, Qianye could make use of even the most minute of changes in the surroundings. Qianyes return journey was rather quick. He traversed hundreds of kilometers in a little more than a day and appeared outside of the Li clan base. If one were to connect his trails, it could be seen that his route was perfectly straight. Compared to when he had left, the Li clan base was even more bustling. The camp-grounds that were still under construction last time had been put to use. However, yet a new barracks was under construction to accommodate the influx of more people. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 603: Return to Camp [V6C133 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye was covered in dust, and nothing more than rags were left of his combat robes. His armor wasnt any better, and that was only because Young Dragons materials were sufficiently robust. The grey paint Qianye had applied had peeled off in many areas, revealing the silvery white underneaththe mottled color was no different from the wall of an old house. There was a routine checkpoint set up before the barracks area to verify the identity of the visitors. While waiting, Qianye discovered that the designation number of the guards there had changed. Perhaps they had been transferred away or their squad had some other use for them. Either way, it wasnt a good thing for ordinary soldiers. There was no better position than a base guard during times of war. Following the short line forward, he suddenly noticed some bullet holes and shrapnel marks on the walls. Traces of battle could still be seen although a good part of the wall had been repaired and repainted. Was there a dark race attack? Qianye inquired. A veteran replied, It was last week, several dozen vampires and arachne launched a raid. Their firepower was rather fierce. Just look at those walls, they were just rebuilt. Even the camp walls were demolished? Qianyes heart sank. The Li familys construction standards were on the level of a military city. It wasnt just the superior heightthese walls would be fairly difficult to demolish without the use of siege weaponry or, perhaps in this case, high-ranking dark race experts. How are the casualties? The veteran sighed. Over two hundred men died. Most of them were ordinary soldiers. The company in charge of guarding this barracks was virtually wiped out the moment the attack began. How about the generals? At the mention of this, the old veteran smiled helplessly. A number of them came, but what was the use? Reportedly, there were at least two counts on the other side. Qianye figured out the situation after a brief chat. It was a brief dark race raid. The assault team wasnt big, but their combat strength was exceptional. There were two squads moving through the camp gates when the enemy arrived, resulting in confusion and heavy losses. The dark race forces retreated after a single wave, but not before killing a Li family brigadier general who had come to help. Afterward, they pulled back into the Misty Wood and disappeared. No wonder new turrets and watchtowers had been placed around the camp gates. Qianye looked up at the new equipment, but truth be told, the ten-meter-tall weaponry offered him no greater peace of mind. They were little more than decorations to targets beyond their visual range. They were mostly there to provide comfort to the lower-ranking warriors. At this moment, the young guards picked up their pace under the urging of the old veteran and quickly completed Qianyes inspection. The latter didnt inquire further and only entered the base. The old guards gaze followed Qianyes receding figure until it disappeared into the base. Only then did he look away with a sigh. The young guard beside him was rather curious. Old Liu, youve never been so careful around those major generals. How come youve changed this time? Im telling you, you wouldve been promoted to a staff officer by now if it wasnt for your bad temper. Why would you need to watch the gate with us rookies? That Old Liu glared at him and spat, Those major generals are nothing. There isnt even a designation number on their empty rank emblems. Who knows how they snaked their way in. But that one just now isnt the same, hes definitely a fierce character! Dont be fooled by his brigadier general rank. Hell make short work of those major generals in a real fight. How is that possible? The young guard was skeptical. Qianyes emblem was a true military rank, but that emblem depicting a bloodstained bayonet and flintlock was too unfamiliar. The young guard couldnt recall any imperial corps with that emblem. Did you notice how unusual his armor was? Those nicks and gaps had a blue glow to them. That kind of alloy is a premium item only generals can use. Just think about what kind of person he is, to be wearing such armor? And what kind of enemy would it take to badly damage such an armor? That being said, hes practically uninjured. What kind of strength is that? The young guard was in a daze. Hes really that powerful? The old veteran snorted, As I see it, those arrogant so-called generals wont even get through his armor. Off in the distance, Qianye had no idea that a part of his strength had been gauged just from the glint on the cut edges of his tattered Young Dragon. What greeted him as he walked through the barracks gates was a scene of wreckage and the hundreds of military engineers at work. However, the scene of destruction was simply too vast, covering two entire street blocks. The chore of clearing it up would take several more days. After seeing the traces of this battle, Qianye understood that the old veteran just now wasnt exaggerating. It had to be a count at leastand definitely not one like Stuka whose combat strength was at the very bottomto be able to cause such destruction. The dark races even reached this place? Qianye once again sensed the seriousness of the situation. He then thought about the batch of elites Eden was escorting. It was clear that the dark races were planning something big in the Misty Wood. The entire Misty Wood would fall into dark race hands if the Li clan base were uprooted. At that time, the central cavernous maze would naturally become Evernight territory, and the only area under complete imperial control would be the Zhao clan warzone. Qianye passed through the barracks and paused briefly in front of the new signboard to memorize the layout of the base. Then, he headed over to the contribution exchange area. The road along the way was bustling with activity and packed with all kinds of military vehicles. It would seem that the Li family was clear about their situation and had responded rapidly by summoning a steady stream of preformed army corps. The area for independent hunters was still the same, but Qianye saw a fair number of new faces there. It would seem the Li family was recruiting experts with all their might. Qianye had no opinion about these potential competitors. More manpower meant that they could share some of the pressure from the dark races. His fight with the young demonkin expert proved one thingimperial contribution points werent that easy to earn. Every point came at the risk of ones head. The inner hall was full at the moment, and there were even some people queueing up in the waiting area. Qianyes turn came only after a good while. Qianye felt a gaze from behind as he entered the room, even eliciting from him a mild tingling pain. But he paid little attention to this and only closed the door, effectively isolating the stare. The Li familys generous bounty had attracted many experts from the four corners of the empire. No one knew how many powerful experts had hidden themselves among these people. In the hall, a number of people were walking out after concluding their business. A youth with prominent eyebrows couldnt help but pause briefly when he saw Qianyes figure disappear beyond the door. Someone beside him detected the abnormality. Young Master, whats the matter? The young man frowned. Go and investigate who that person is. Theres a familiar smell on his body, perhaps he has the thing I want. Oh, and dont make a big fuss. That person looked at the room, memorized the door number, and said, Rest assured, Young Master, Ill bring you the results after you finish lunch. The young man nodded and left with his entourage. His words werent loud, and the hall was full of clamor, so no one noticed this interlude. After entering the single room, Qianye saw a female officer in her thirties. Capable and astute, she finished registering several documents in a flash before turning toward Qianye. Sorry for the wait, theres been too much work recently. How can I help you? Qianye replied, I want the latest intelligence, especially the Evernight factions movements in Misty Wood. I also wish to register some contribution points, including high-grade equipment. Equipment? Can I take a look? With that, the female officer brought out two folders containing the most recent intelligence and placed it in front of Qianye. Qianye opened the document and said while flipping through it, That wont do, the item is fairly special and your origin power is insufficient. You might be injured if you touch it. The officers eyes flickered. Dont tell me its a black titanium weapon? Qianye was startled. He hadnt expected this female officer to know that much. But he had already planned to sell the shadowguard daggers to the Li family, so there was nothing to hide. Indeed. The weapons quality is very high, its best you dont touch it. After confirming her guess, the female officer stood up and said respectfully, An item of that grade is beyond my authority to register. Please wait a while, Ill invite General Weishi over. That female officer moved like the wind and soon returned with a capable-looking middle-aged man. Qianye had seen this person. Li Weishi was born of the Li family and his extraordinary ability brought him all the way to the general position. But with his origin power level and side-branch origins, that was likely the limit unless he could break through once more. Li Weishi was full of smiles as he entered. He greeted Qianye passionately and whispered, I heard you have some good stuff? After Qianye nodded, Li Weishi immediately sent the female officer away and locked the door. Qianye brought out and opened a box made for isolating radiation, revealing the two daggers within. Umbral Edge?! Li Weishis voice trembled. He had apparently recognized the origins of the two blades in Qianyes possession. Qianye shot Li Weishi a glance after the latter cried out the name of the demonkin shadows daggers. This meant that the demonkin assailants identity was more or less in reach. Qianye pushed the box toward Li Weishi. An origin glow had already lit up on the latters body when the blades were revealed. The glow of the barrier wasnt quite stable, howeverthe surface in contact with the daggers was clearly rippling. Li Weishi was delighted as he picked up the dagger and ran a finger over it. A layer of black smoke emerged from his fingertips. Its indeed high-purity black titanium! Good blade! Li Weishi placed the daggers back into the box and closed the lid reluctantly. General Qianye, these two items require further assessment to confirm their detailed value. Its not me making things difficult for you. The value is just too high, So the matter must be dealt with cautiously. The confirmation and dispatch will take some time. This request was within reason. Qianye said with a nod, Then, convert them to imperial military contributions and register them under my name. That wont be a problem. Li Weishi was full of smiles as he formed an origin power seal on the metallic box. Then, he summoned his subordinate outside the door and carefully ordered him to deliver the blades to the armory. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 604: New Missions [V6C134 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye paid no further attention to Li Weishis movements and continued flipping through the reports. The exchange and registration of contributions was an important issue. No matter how valuable or pure the two black titanium daggers were, they couldnt compare to the Li familys prestige. It was unlikely that they would play any tricks here, especially when they were in such desperate need of manpower. General Qianye, is there anything else you need? Li Weishi turned back enthusiastically. Qianye flipped over a page and arrived at the sketch of a certain demonkin with his name and rank listed on the side. Moreover, the depiction was rather blurry. Eden of the Dark Abyss. Count. Five-star swordbearer of the Evernight Councils Dark Sun. Qianye looked at this drawingthe rank in the data was a bit lower, and the sniper rifle here wasnt quite the same as the one that had attacked him in the Misty Wood. However, the mans standing posture, as well as the style and decorations on his sniper rifle was inexplicably similar. The most important part was that his movements were depicted with great vividnessalmost as though the artist had seen the demonkin beforeyet his facial features had been blurred. This spoke volumes of the other partys powerful concealment abilities. General Li, is there any further intelligence regarding this demonkin? Li Weishi shot a glance at the picture and replied immediately, Yes, there is. This demonkin is quite the character. Ill go and get the data. Li Weishi walked in moments later and placed a sheet of paper in front of Qianye. This intelligence isnt cheap at all, but well provide it for free on account of the two blades. That demonkin fellow youre interested in is rather famous in the Dark Abyss, and hes still a young man by their standards. He serves the Evernight Council as a member of Dark Sun. That shows just how outstanding he is. Oh, and he reportedly obtained a portion of void essence during the last battle, so its very likely that hes grown even more powerful in the recent period. Qianye nodded as he examined the document. There was a clear portrait of him in this report, which itself seemed like a file set up for important dark race characters. It recorded Edens family background, bloodline, and previous posts, but the contents were very vague. What Qianye wanted to know were things like his rank, innate talents, and combat specialization, none of which was provided here. Li Weishis explanation contained much more information than the document. Hence, Qianye put the file down and proceeded to listen to the man. In truth, this Eden has indeed grown more powerful. One of our combat squads encountered him in the forest a while ago, and a great battle ensued. The results were disastrous. Reportedly, he specializes in sniping but isnt weak at all in melee combat, either. That surviving champion suspects that his visual range is significantly longer than ordinary people but has no grasp on how much. Li Weishi shook his head. Its fine if its just a visual range advantage, but if he has an edge in all senses, this accursed Misty Wood will become his home ground. In that case, we might have to ask the imperial army to send someone to suppress him. Qianye knew that this wasnt quite feasible. Considering the unstable situation in every part of the floating continent, they would have to pay a steep price in order to request help from the imperial military. At the very least, their contribution points would be reduced significantly. The Li family would probably choose to trade human lives for this enemy. Qianye asked, How long ago was that. Twelve days ago. Qianye did some calculations and found that it was probably soon after Eden entered the Misty Wood. The timeline fit rather well. He gave it some thought and said, This persons strength is almost at the level of a virtuous count, and he uses a heavy sniper rifle thats at least grade seven. Both his sniper rifle and handgun have the ability to pierce through defenses and heavy armor. His vision in the Misty Wood is at least two times longer than an ordinary person. As for his other senses, it is unclear. Li Weishis expression grew darka dark race expert roaming the Li clan warzone was a big problem. Suddenly noticing something, he asked, Youve encountered him? Qianye nodded lightly. Li Weishi was astonished, and the way he looked at Qianye immediately changed. He, of course, knew that Qianye was powerful, but he didnt believe Qianye would be a match for such an enemy. But now, the two had indeed run into one another, and Qianye not only returned in one piece but was also free of any grievous injury. Li Weishi felt that the Li familys assessment of Qianye should be raised yet again. The general immediately inquired about Edens weaponry. Qianye naturally hadnt seen the handguns external appearance, but the eye-catching sniper rifle wasnt hard to describe. Li Weishis expression transformed time and again as he tapped into his memory. Carol of Shadows! Its a famed gun? Qianye was curious because all famed demonkin and vampire armaments had a long history to them. Their bearers, of course, werent ordinary people, either. Li Weishis attitude toward Qianye was now respectful on top of being cordial. The information you brought back is fairly important! I must go and adjust the recent warning levels. You can call on me directly if you have need of high-level intelligence in the future! Qianye returned Edens records to Li Weishi and watched him leave in a hurry. Umbral Edge, Carol of Shadowsit would seem this demonkin called Eden wasnt a minor character, but the Li familys understanding of the mysterious demonkin was also quite thorough! However, there was still no detailed intelligence about his innate talents and abilitiesafter all, it wasnt so easy to obtain information regarding these weapons, either. They even had a clear sketch of his face. Qianye suddenly felt as though he had seen this countenance somewhere, but he couldnt quite remember where. At this moment, several sharp gazes landed on Qianye as he stepped out of the door. Qianye collected his thoughts and glanced back at them, but those people seemed to have no intention of retracting their fiery stares. The temperature in the room fell slightly and the clamor faded awayeveryone had sensed the abnormality in the atmosphere. The two parties gazed at one another but took no action, eventually going on to mind their own businesses. It was like the first meeting between two fierce beasts where they would probe one another cautiously. Among them, there was a smiling chubby baldhead who gave Qianye exceptional pressure. Qianye concluded his exchange and resupply business in due haste. He had just left the area when a female officer arrived and said, General Qianye, the clan has just issued a new mission. Please follow me, an elder will explain it to you personally. Mission? Yes, its not compulsory, but there will be an extra payment for completing it. Additionally, the family will set up a contributions ranking starting from this month. There will be extra rewards for those who have accumulated a high amount of contributions. Qianye frowned after hearing this. In truth, both the imperial army and the major clans would issue certain missions to outsiders during drawn-out wars, using steep remunerations to attract experts capable of completing them. These missions were usually quite dangerous or required certain special abilities to complete. Of course, it was also possible that they were only trying to reduce enemy numbers and lessen the pressure on the warzone. Qianye had no special opinion about the mission as he had seen many such recruitments during his time as a hunter on Evernight Continent. However, something like the contribution rankings would only spell trouble. Qianye was soon brought to a conference room in the warehouse area. There were a number of experts sitting here, including Lu Sha whom he had met last time. Qianye picked a random seat and proceeded to wait with his eyes closed. During the several minutes of waiting, Qianye sensed a number of gazes sweep past his body. Most of them were merely trying to examine him just as he would, the others. However, there was one containing a trace of malice lingering around Qianyes vitals. A cold smile appeared on Qianyes lips. East Peak shot up all of a sudden and pressed violently toward a burly man in the distance. The latter couldnt even react before the sheathed blade arrived at his face. Whatre you The burly man only managed to finish half his sentence before he was stoppered. He crossed his arms in a desperate attempt to block East Peak, but the pressure from that heavy sword was akin to a toppling jade mountain. The burly man felt as though he had braced himself against a boulder instead of a sword. The chair below the burly man shattered, and he himself was pressed flat on the floor and began sinking in inch by inch. The mans arms creaked and groaned, but the pressure suddenly dispersed just as his bones were about to shatter. East Peak returned to Qianyes side with the lithe grace of a fallen leaf. Qianyes eyes never opened from the beginning to the end, and even his posture didnt change much. Everything happened so fast that most of the people in the room couldnt even react in time. The small number of people who hadnt paid much attention to Qianye were now looking up. Qianye cared little about everyones reaction. His eyes were still closed as he said indifferently, I have a bad temper, so keep your eyes to yourself. I wouldve dug them out if we were on the battlefield. The room fell silent as Qianyes words seemed to be directed at everyone in the room. Those who had the right to sit here were mostly unyielding characters. However, they were also experts who had experienced hundreds of battles and quickly realized how strong Qianye wasthis rank-eleven hulk of man had failed to block a single move, to speak nothing of retaliation. An advantage in words meant nothing in the face of absolute power. Furious and too ashamed to remain in the room, the burly man simply clambered up and left. However, there was an old man standing at the door at that point. Scram! the man roared as he charged straight ahead. This time, it was as though he had crashed straight into an iron wallthe entirety of his origin power crashed back into him. The burly man was sent into an immediate daze and began seeing stars. He swayed about for a few moments before slowly collapsing to the ground. The old man walked slowly into the conference room and, with a wave of his walking stick, swept the burly man to a corner of the room like a pile of trash. Why the rush to leave since youve already come? This old man is Li Tianquan and I do some miscellaneous tasks for the Li family. All expressions turned serious upon hearing his name. This was a Li clan elder whom the outside world was familiar with, and one of the few characters from the older generation who held great authority. Li Tianquan wasnt sloppy at all. Announcing his name spared him the trouble of greeting everyone, and he immediately proceeded to deliver the missions. Most of these assignments were related to hunting certain targets, with the only difference being a slight increase in rewards for hunting dark race warriors below viscount rank. Additionally, there was an increase in the scope and prices regarding the acquisition of various resources and spoils of war. Having worked before in the army, Qianye knew just by looking at these missions that the Li familys frontline situation wasnt too great. If not for the urgency of the situation, no one would list killing ordinary warriors as a mission objective. The acquisition of resources and spoils of war was likely a strategy of supporting war with war as the Li family, with its sizeable workshops, could recycle and reuse them. The several new workshops on the other side of the camp were likely constructed to this end. A number of special missions on the next page, however, intrigued Qianye quite a bit. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 605: To War Once More [V6C135 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The Li family had drawn out several areas on the frontline for defensive missions. Rewards would be dispatched for keeping the number of dark race forces passing through the designated area below a certain threshold. Moreover, these missions would adopt a weekly cycle, which only made the offers more attractive. Upon seeing these mission parameters, Qianye recalled the organized combat squad Eden was escorting. Such arrangements meant that the Li family had also discovered the dark races transport route and methods. But judging from the mission patterns, it would seem that the Li family planned to rely on independent experts to open the battle instead of investing large numbers from their private army. The independent experts at the scene hadnt received first-hand intelligence like Qianye, but they werent fools, either. Everyone knew that a mission with such bountiful rewards involved great risks. It had never been easy to earn money from the aristocracy. For a moment, there were no replies at all in the hall. Li Tianquan didnt seem to mind this development. He said with a smile, The first-place on the contribution rankings three months from now will be allowed to choose either Stillwater Rebirth or Storm Pearl as his reward. Storm Pearl? Whats that? Many people, just like Qianye, had never even heard of the name. But judging from how the Li family had placed it on equal value with Stillwater Rebirth, it should be an item of great value. Seeing everyones puzzled looks, Li Tianquan said calmly, Its main purpose is to raise the talents of any expert below the divine champion level by one grade and remove any bottlenecks. Clamor erupted within the room as numerous unfamiliar origin power auras surged into the air, quickly turning into killing intent. Most of the other people here were seasoned experts who had more or less reached their cultivation bottlenecks. They were destined to remain there unless they encountered special opportunities. With their ranks, it wasnt difficult for them to gain an important position in a minor family in the interior continents. Who would be willing to give up their peaceful days and risk their lives here if they didnt need to chase after that faint hope for a breakthrough? Lu Sha was the same. He had been stuck at rank fourteen for many years now. Although there was still some hope for his advancement, there had been no signs at all of his sixth origin vortex taking shape. That so-called glimmer of hope was incomparably minuscule. Li Tianquan appeared satisfied at everyones reaction. Although breaking through bottlenecks is great, it is but one of the uses of the Storm Pearl. Our Li family has some talent with divination. After observing the recent situation, we feel that this item might have other important uses. Even if you cant use it yourself, theres a good chance you can trade it for exorbitant prices. With that, a smiling Li Tianquan glanced over at a number of people here, including Qianye. These were people who hadnt reacted strongly after hearing the effects of the Storm Pearl. Most experts were still affected by the surprise brought about by the Storm Pearlsome of them might or might not have noticed Li Tianquans small movements. However, the latter had already turned around and left, without giving everyone the opportunity to raise questions. Only a Li family champion stayed behind to register the missions. The room became silent as everyone glanced at one another under the tense atmosphere. People had already heard rumors of the Li family offering Stillwater Rebirth as the first prize, but it was little more than a valuable commodity for those without a special need for it. They would have to think twice whether or not it was worth risking their lives for. But things were no longer the same with the appearance of the Storm Pearl. People didnt pay much attention to that mysterious use Li Tianquan was talking about, but no one here could say that they wouldnt ever hit a bottleneck before reaching the divine champion level. One of them suddenly stood up and pointed at the map the Li clan champion had just hung on the wall. I want this defensive region! Everyone came to at this point. They quickly realized that picking a good defensive region quickly was the best way to collect contribution points. With how vast the battlefield was, they might not even encounter any dark race soldiers at all if they were fortunate enough. Besides, they could just hide if the enemy was too powerful. At most, they would fail the mission. There wasnt anything to lose. As clever people, everyone swarmed over to pick a defensive region. The Li family had arranged ten regions of different sizes and locations with their corresponding contribution points listed beside them. Everyone picked regions outside of or at the borders of Misty Wood, despite their slightly lower contribution points. Qianye gave it some thought, and then picked up a brush and drew a circle on one of the designated regionsone that was deep within Misty Wood. Qianye wasnt familiar with those independent experts, and neither did he have the intention of making their acquaintance. He simply accepted the mission and left. The remaining experts began discussing in hushed tones after his departure. Yet another one whos not afraid of death. He actually picked the Misty Wood! One of them seemed to know the details. Someone else asked, Brother, what do you think is going on? Everyone had already picked a defensive region, so the man didnt keep the listeners in suspense. Reportedly, those black-blooded bastards have already unraveled a part of the Misty Woods secrets. Thats why casualties in this place have been very high recently. Do you understand now? Very soon, this damned forest will become the dark races home ground! Everyones expression turned apprehensive. As veterans of a hundred wars, each and every one of them understood what this signified. The Li familys money is becoming harder and harder to earn. Someone sighed. Days later, an airship landed at the airship port. This vessel was about the size of a medium escort vessel and fairly ordinary looking. There were several rusted and broken areas that hadnt been repaired. It was a mystery how the airship had even arrived in one piece. The people inside, however, seemed perfectly fine and made a beeline for the main base camp as soon as they had alighted. One of them was entirely concealed under a cloak, just like any random hunter. He walked all the way into the central camp where outsiders werent allowed and then into Li Tianquans office. Only there did he remove the hood and proceeded to observe the elegant furnishings therein. It was as though this place were his own house. He picked up a jade artifact and examined it briefly before going over to fiddle with another vase. The door opened at this point and in came Li Tianquan. The latter was immediately startled upon seeing this person. The man was in his thirties and fairly ordinary looking, so much so that he could blend into the bustling city crowds almost immediately. He possessed short brows and small eyes. His greyish pupils had neither killing intent nor any radiance in them. His build was on the shorter side with contours no different from an ordinary person. All in all, this man was beyond ordinaryone would find such people everywhere among the lower-class society of the empire. The person was nonchalant upon seeing Li Tianquan. He duly put down the vase and picked up a teapot from the desk. Tossing the object up and down in his hands, he said with a spurious smile, Second Elder, you tidied up this place quite well! If I wasnt so sober right now, I would''ve thought Id entered the palace. This teapot was Li Tianquans most beloved item. As a work of Master Tongzhi, the pot had seen hundreds of years of history and had long since gone out of production. One could count this artisans surviving works on one hand. Li Tianquans heart spasmed continuously as he watched the teapot bounce up and down. However, he resisted the urge to flip out and said, Young Master Qingyun, how come youre here? I came to take a look at the mission status, and also check in passing if everyone in the base is doing their job. Li Tianquan was somewhat astonished. Li Qingyuns temperament was indeed odd, but he wasnt one to create unnecessary troubles. The nature of this trip seemed to be somewhat of an inspection, so why hadnt he heard anything about this? I wonder whose idea this is? Eldest Brother, not the elder assembly. Does Second Elder have a different opinion? I dont dare. Li Tianquan clenched his teeth. Fine then. Li Qingyun placed the teapot back on the table, allowing the second elder a measure of relief. Li Tianquan produced a map from the cabinet and unfurled it on the table. This map was much more detailed than the version provided to external experts. There were dozens of areas on it arranged in a circular pattern, effectively protecting the Li family base from afar. There were names and dates marked down on most of the areas, signifying that someone had accepted the mission. Some areas had an eye-catching black star upon them to show that an important dark race character had appeared before. Li Qingyuns expression relaxed after seeing these. He flipped through the recent military contribution records but found no dazzling characters. Eldest brother has already put forward two batches of rewards, why are there no decent people in the list? There are a few. That Qianye, known together with Zhao Jundu as the twin stars of the empire during the bloody battle, is also on the guest warrior list. Qianye? That one from the Zhao clan? Li Qingyun raised his brows but didnt comment further. He flipped through the records and arrived on Qianyes page. Thats all? Li Tianquan smiled. The bloody battle was a special situation after all. How can it be the same here? No matter how talented he is, hes only rank ten at the moment. Its already quite good that hes alive after entering Misty Wood a couple of times. Li Tianquans evaluation was fairly pertinent. Since the beginning of the war, the Li clan had lost no less independent experts than the other major clans. This was especially true in the recent ten or so days where the dark races had started transporting troops through the Misty Woodeven the Li clan base had suffered the impact. Some disappointment flashed across Li Qingyuns face. Just rank ten? And I thought Id found an interesting opponent. Li Tianquans gaze flickered as he said calmly, It wont be hard for Young Master Qingyun to find opponents. News of the Storm Pearl has been released, so every major clan will send their people over before long. Such a giant bait will surely hook them in. Qianye noticed some changes after returning to the Misty wood. The forests hostility seemed to be increasing continuously, but in Qianyes eyes, these terrifying giant trees were endless sources of medicinal distillate. Qianye cut open the bark of a giant tree and filled a bottle with sap. He then found a quiet place to drink it all up and proceeded to extract origin power via the Glory Chapter. Moments later, the sap turned into pure daybreak origin power under the effects of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll and entered the origin vortex. At this time, Qianye felt a swelling sensation in his chest as though a huge lump had appeared therein. However, everything was normal when he looked down. This was a sign that his origin vortex was reaching its limits and could no longer accommodate any more origin power. The next step was to open up a second origin vortex in order to keep up with his growing origin power. Qianye would reach rank-eleven pretty soon. It was only a single level advancement, but Qianyes origin power was so dense that it was already forming crystalline granules. The addition of a new origin vortex would increase his energy capacity to several times than that of an ordinary champion. Qianye was in no rush since his advancement was sure to occur naturally at this point. He pressed on into the depths of Misty Wood where his defensive region was. Qianyes trip this time lasted a full twenty hours. He paused quite often and cultivated whenever there was a safe area. After drinking countless bottles of tree sap, a new fledgling vortex was beginning to take shape and was on the verge of completion. The Misty Wood was the same as beforethose seemingly quiet giant trees, the odd-colored ground substance, and the constant, disruptive mist. Even with ten or so days of combat experience here, Qianye still needed to use special origin equipment to adjust his route from time to time. Otherwise, he would gradually lose his bearing. He came to a sudden stop. This time, he didnt need any aid to feel the increasing sense of danger. That cant be Qianye, who had been traveling and cultivating at the same time, felt rather unhappy at being disturbed. He drew the Twin Flowers and fired continuously into the mist. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 606: Obstinate Enemy [V6C136 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A dense rain of bullets flew over, however, a surge of demonic energy actually emerged from the forest and flushed away the projectiles. Thereafter appeared a silhouette with a long sniper rifle strapped to his back. Its you?! The two spoke at the same time. Although their languages were different, it didnt deter them from understanding one anothers words and emotions. Qianyes joy regarding his imminent breakthrough had been wiped away entirely. Meanwhile, that pained expression on Edens face revealed his gloomy mood. The many days of sleepless battles had long since become an endless torture for the two opponents. Qianye simply picked a random defensive region from the vast Misty Wood, and it was quite a distance from their last battlefield, too. There was a dagger in Edens right hand, while his left hand was shrouded in black demonic energy. At a glance, the latter almost looked like a round shield. There were two obvious bullet marks on his chest plate, but the bullets hadnt penetrated his armor. Apparently, his hurriedly activated defenses had blocked the attacks from the Bloody Datura and Mystic Spider Lily. Moreover, he was prepared to counterattack at melee range. The demonkins so-called frail constitution was only relative to the other dark races. It didnt mean a human could easily take advantage of it. Many demonkin were also quite powerful in melee battles by virtue of their odd but powerful abilitiesthese skills werent any less troublesome than human secret arts. Dark Abyss was one of the famed demonkin clans. The corrosive power of their primary talents had inflicted distress upon countless enemies on the battlefield. Sometimes, a cloud of demonic energy would mow down a swathe of enemies. Moreover, it also served to diminish some of the special effects produced by human champions. Eden was an important character in the Dark Abyss and the Evernight Council. What he relied upon wasnt just his outstanding bloodline and his inborn talentshe was just as remarkable in melee combat. The ambush this time had come at a fairly short distance, no longer within optimal sniping range. Since the other party couldnt even blast through his defenses, Eden decided to eliminate the enemy at melee range instead of using a roundabout method. This course of action couldnt be more correct. In truth, the only problem was that he had encountered Qianye this time. Qianyes gaze fell upon Edens blade. The latters expression shifted yet again, almost as if the dagger was suddenly heating up in his hand. The reason was simple. Melee battles might not be Edens weak point, but against Qianye with his heavy sword and armor, weak had become a gross understatement. The two had only ever engaged in a single meaningful close-quarter battle. Back then, Eden was nearly hacked into two along with his blade. From then on, he had made it his top priority to stay away from Qianyes melee range. But now, they had arrived at an awkward distance. The two glanced at one another but neither made the first move. Qianye was movedthis was the first time he had seen Eden clearly in full view. His first reaction was that the Li familys sketch was about 80% accurate, and then a sense of familiarity emerged once again. He felt as though he had seen this demonkin somewhere. Eden made the prompt decision to flee. Qianye, of course, wouldnt let such an enemy escape so easily. It was almost like they had gone back to several days ago. The two once again started their unending entanglement. Perhaps an evenly matched opponent was the best grinding stone. Both parties felt that the other was becoming more and more troublesome. Every battle was incomparably perilousa slight mistake would leave each combatant with a new injury. Although Eden could hardly retaliate in melee combat, he could now block a couple of blows from Qianye. This was a stark contrast from the first exchange where he was almost killed. This difference was enough to give him some space to maneuver and extricate himself from melee range. But similarly, Edens hiding abilities were no longer as effective as before. It was becoming difficult to maintain an optimal firing distance for the Carol of Shadows. Several times he had been discovered by Qianye even before he could pull the trigger. What ensued was a frantic tempest of counterattacks, effectively turning the hunter into the hunted. Several days went by in this fashion. Qianye was starting to feel fatigued in both body and spirit. His aura was also growing empty, and he needed to rely on the Glory Chapter even after drinking the giant tree sap. Otherwise, the absorption would be reduced drastically. But a battle could break out at any momenta few minutes of cultivation time had become an extravagant activity. Moreover, there were significant risks involved. Qianye was just planning to take a break when he suddenly turned back and saw Eden not so far away. This was also a side-effect of their prolonged conflict. The safe distance between them was shrinking day by daythey would usually discover each other at the same time, and at a distance that was neither fit for sniping or melee combat. For Qianye, he couldnt break Edens defenses without merging the Twin Flowers. However, the time it would take to combine the guns was enough for Eden to escape. Edens handgun, on the other hand, did possess enough firepower, but that powerful heavy sword would descend upon him should he fail to injure the other party sufficiently. This encounter was no different. Qianye had in his hand a piece of dried meat, a part of the empires standard field rations. Eden was holding onto a bottle of medicine and had just finished applying the contents to half of his wounds. The demonkin scions external appearance was even more miserable than Qianye. There were dark circles around his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken. Moreover, there were several bleeding wounds on his body that hadnt yet healed. The two didnt move immediately and proceeded to standoff in silence. Pfft! Qianye spat out the remaining meat in his mouth. Eden poured the remaining medicine onto his wounds and placed a hand on his handgun. Qianye was often more cautious of those handguns than that ridiculously shaped sniper rifle. In Edens eyes, there was a sense of great danger emerging from Qianyes body. It was as though a primordial beast were hiding within. Qianye had also noticed how the safe distance between them was shrinking constantly. This meant that both of them were walking on the razors edgethe competition was no longer just about strategy and techniques, but also involved a great deal of luck. And the latter was the most unreliable of resources on the battlefield. Qianye pondered briefly whether or not he should just use the Shot of Inception and finish off this powerful enemy. However, Edens abilities were growing endlessly, especially the ability to extricate himself from being targeted and flee at great speeds. Qianye wasnt quite confident that he could strike Eden squarely, at which point he would be at the mercy of the enemy. Both sides were apprehensive. After a while, they retreated at the same time and faded into the mist. Since neither was confident about their chances, it was best to restart the round and see who would become the hunter. Their combat styles had changed unknowingly. They were no longer going all out with their lives on the line but patiently probing each other from afar. Both of them would retreat after missing a shot. Their combat skills were also being tempered on the verge of life and death. Presently, any small movement by one of them would be promptly detected and countered by the other. They were like brilliant chess players. They kept sounding out their opponents repeatedly but produced no killing moves. They simply couldnt find the right opportunity, and neither would they give one to their opponents. The end result was the exhaustion of stamina without any serious injuries. Perhaps they themselves hadnt quite noticed how their combat skills were improving by leaps and bounds. Their battle, at this point, could already be called a form of art. Qianye had gradually formed a strategywhat he had to do in order to finish Eden off was to pay the price to approach melee range, and then end the game with a Nirvanic Rend. This price, however, was bound to be a grievous injury. But Eden was no slouch, either. He definitely wouldnt give Qianye this opportunity. Not long after retreating, Qianye rushed back toward the battlefield. This time, he made no attempt at concealing his aura, making himself a prime target for Eden and his heavy sniper. Qianye believed that Eden wouldnt let such an attractive target pass by. It was indeed extremely enticing. Eden hesitated several times but finally decided to take action. He knew that this was a trap, and he had no intention of going too deep. He didnt expect to kill Qianye in one shot, eitherit was enough if he could injure the other party and tip the scales slightly in his favor. Although he didnt want to admit it, Eden knew that they were no longer evenly matched, and this only worsened after he was injured. Qianyes defenses were ridiculously powerful, and his regenerative abilities were almost unbelievable. If this were to go on, he would have to either admit defeat and retreat, or become the loser in this blood-letting strategy. Blood sprayed out from Qianyes body following the crisp rumble of a gunshot, the impact throwing his entire body back by a meter. But Qianye neither rushed forward as Eden had expected, nor did he draw East Peak. Instead, the Twin Flowers appeared in his hand and merged into one. An area of crystalline ripples appeared on Qianyes palms. There were vaguely enchanting flowers pulsing in and out of view, seemingly on the verge of blooming. A sense of extreme danger emerged in Edens heart. What he saw wasnt the beautiful scene of the merging Twin Flowers, but instead, the aura in Qianyes body awakening like a primordial beast. Eden couldnt care about anything else and fled immediately with a loud hiss. He erupted with power and pushed his speed to the extremes, covering a thousand meters in the blink of an eye. He was virtually flying at this point, leaving behind billowing waves of demonic energy. A beam of light appeared silently on his trail. Nothing in the way could stop it, be it the giant trees, the purple substance, or the misteverything vanished quietly, just like the shrinking demonic energy. The light quickly devoured the demonic energy trail, but Edens fleeing figure deviated slightly at this point. The light brushed past his body in silence and produced a hole in the giant tree trunk up front. Even so, Eden didnt manage to evade the entirety of the attack. The armor on his arm was completely destroyed, and a large patch of his flesh was charred black. The dark area soon turned into a greyish white powder which quickly scattered in the wind. A large part of his arm had actually been shaved off, even revealing the bones. Eden howled loudly as his demonic energy erupted yet again. The threads of energy shot toward the front where they formed a hexagonal tunnel of sorts. This peculiar tunnel completely ignored the trees and branches in the vicinity, as though it had appeared in a different dimension altogether. Eden moved twice as fast after stepping into this tunnel and soon vanished into the distance. When Qianye arrived, all he saw were a few strands of undispersed demonic energy. Demonic Traversal! Goddammit! Qianye halted his steps hatefully. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 607: Demonic Traversal [V6C137 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Demonic Traversal was an ability exclusive to the demonkin. It formed a special passage with demonic energy, within which the demonkins speed would increase dramatically, allowing him to move over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye. It was indeed a unique life-saving measure. This skill was powerful but rareQianye himself had only heard of it but never witnessed it personally. Unexpectedly, Eden possessed this ability and even used it to escape the Shot of Inception. Qianye compared the ability to Spatial Flash, the ability he had inherited from Andruil yet still couldnt use to this day. He couldnt help but feel that he needed to be more cautious of demonkin special abilities. Spatial Flash was a direct crossing through space, while Demonic Traversal was a spatial tunnel which ignored the environment. Both of them were profound abilities that touched upon the principles of void origin power and space. Even though Qianye had seen the entire process of Demonic Traversals emergence and activation, there were still many parts he didnt quite understand. He couldnt find an immediate way to interrupt this skill, either. However, such a powerful ability would surely involve significant levels of consumption. With his current injuries, Eden would surely need to withdraw from the battlefield and recuperate for some time. Qianye himself wasnt feeling great, either. In addition to missing the Shot of Inception, his origin power and blood energy were also at rock bottom. He didnt dare chase after Eden at this point. Moreover, he needed to find a place to recuperate, lest other people take advantage of the situation. Qianye sighed. The more he battled the dark races and encountered an increasing number of high-ranking experts, the more he realized how vast this world was and how minuscule his own existence. He wondered where the pinnacle of strength was and what the scenery was like at the apex. He had just turned about when a crisp sound emerged from within his bodyit was as though something had just shattered. In the blink of an eye, Qianyes perception of the surrounding origin power became much clearer, and what remained of this origin power was cheering in jubilation. It felt as though his every breath was capable of devouring the origin power in the surrounding air. Qianye examined his own body and, as expected, found a new origin vortex taking shape. This new fellow was rather frail compared to the first full vortex, only a little more than a swirling mist. However, origin power several times its volume was pouring into it, much like rivers flowing into the sea. This small vortex was seemingly connected to a boundless oceanit simply devoured everything thrown at it. It would seem that the fierce battle with Eden just now had shattered that last barrier and paved the way for the condensation of a new origin vortex. Qianye had finally taken that last step and reached rank-eleven with his daybreak origin power. It was something he knew would come, but that didnt stop him from feeling delighted. Eh? Qianye took a couple of steps back and, to his great surprise, found the giant Carol of Shadows lying on the ground. There was also a tactical backpack about ten steps away, onto which the purple ground substance was already creeping. Qianye rushed over to pick up the weapon and backpack before they had been swallowed up. Apparently, Eden had offloaded all of his equipment before entering Demonic Traversal. Qianye couldnt help but admire Edens sharpnesshad he been just a little bit hesitant, he wouldnt have escaped the Shot of Inception. At that point, not to mention equipment, even his head wouldve been left behind. Qianye picked up the Carol of Shadows and examined it thoroughly inside out before trying it out. This weapon was clearly demonkin specific since its activation mainly required demonic energy. Although other types of darkness origin power like blood energy could also activate it, the firepower would be greatly reduced. But this sniper rifle was more powerful than Thunderbolt even after this discount. After all, Thunderbolt was merely a grade-six standard weapon of the imperial army. It was significantly inferior to the demonkin masterpiece at the peak of grade-seven. One could sell the Carol of Shadows barrel and buy several Thunderbolts. Qianyes mood improved greatly after picking up the sniper rifle. At least its not a complete loss. Qianye tried using both the dark golden and purple blood energies. In a surge of inspiration, he also instilled his daybreak origin power into the gun. Not only did the patterns on the gun light up, but the radiance was also fairly bright. It was just that the temperature rose sharply all of a sudden, turning the weapon into a piece of red-hot metal seemingly on the verge of explosion. Shocked out of his wits, Qianye quickly pulled back his power. Demonkin origin arrays were indeed extraordinary. Ordinary dark race guns were only difficult to activate with daybreak origin power, but this famed demonkin weapon actually contained a self-destruct mechanism. Qianye wondered if the array could be remodeled. Eden would probably be absolutely furious if he knew how Qianye was messing around with his gun. The Carol of Shadows was made specifically for demonkin use. Using any other darkness origin power to activate it would reduce its firepower and increase its consumption. If possible, Eden was more than willing to redeem this sniper rifle with Scarlet Moonlight, a vampire sniper rifle at the peak of grade seven. He would even throw in two boxes of black titanium sniper rounds. Qianye was naturally unconcerned about Edens emotions. A different question emerged in his mind as he glanced at the Carol of Shadows. Perhaps due to the differences in origin array, factional attributes were more evident in weapons of a higher grade. This was especially true for the weapons produced by the demonkin, a race widely accepted as possessing the highest array technology. So, how come there wasnt any factional limitation with the legendary Grand Magnums? Then, what was the medium for activating the grand magnums if not origin power with attributes? Was it void origin power? What was the path he would need to take in order to fully release the power of the Wings of Inception? Qianye couldnt continue these thoughts since he was in a dangerous area. He stowed the Carol of Shadows into Andruils space and opened up the tactical backpack. Eden really didnt disappoint Qianyethe items inside, while sparse in number, were of great quality and value. Two scopes of different sizes that could reveal origin power attributes, two boxes of black titanium sniper rounds, and four boxes of ordinary sniper rounds. Additionally, there was also a spare handgun barrel. The box containing the black titanium bullets wasnt very big. Judging from its external appearance, it likely held three rounds. Qianye felt waves of stabbing pain on his face when he opened itit was clear how high the black titanium content was. Qianye glanced at them briefly and found that the bullets were a translucent black with swirling black gas within. He closed the lid quickly even though he wasnt afraid of its effects. Qianye had guessed why Eden was here in the Misty Wood. These sniper rounds contained several times more black titanium and were suited to dealing with human experts above the marquis level, which was, to say, major characters like generals. They would even prove quite troublesome for divine champions. Eden himself was quite powerful. His specializations in concealment, sniping, and long-range vision made it possible for him to kill a human general. However, he wouldve never imagined that his premium equipment would fall into Qianyes hands in the end. Those armor-piercing rounds were fairly ordinary, but that was only in relation to the six black titanium bulletsthey were still items Qianye couldnt quite afford. In terms of value, a single shot was akin to igniting a grade-four origin gun; only someone like Eden would use such ammunition. Qianye loathed Edens extravagance during their fierce battle, but now, he felt how good it would be if the other party were even richer than this. Qianyes killing intent diminished for a brief moment. He felt that it might be better to rob the man and let him go, rather than killing him outright. That way, he would be back with more top-grade equipment during their next battle. But Qianyes smile vanished after a while. That was only a random thoughttrying to fatten a sheep on the battlefield was a surefire way to invite disaster. Only wilderness hunters would play such a dangerous game. He put away all of the equipment and medicines into Andruils space. Then, he counted the time and realized that his defensive mission for the week had been completedit was time to go back and receive his pay. Qianyes entanglement with Eden had mostly occurred within his area. Knowing Qianyes destructive potential, the latter had purposely kept the dark race squads away from their deaths. Qianye had also cut down all the small scouting parties that had wandered in, so his record here wasnt bad at all. Tallying contributions was something better done early than late. As such, Qianye set out on his return journey. Meanwhile, in the Desert Valley. A new dark race fortress had appeared where the Bai clans base once was. At this moment, a hundred-meter transport ship was slowly descending from above. This vessel was fairly peculiar in appearance and looked much like an ugly box with protruding corners. This went against common knowledge. Among the dark races, the vampires and demonkin were known for their love of beauty. Anything related to them, from buildings to weapons, was known for their elegance and beauty. Even the imperial nobility paled in comparison. Eden appeared over the horizon just in time to see this colossal vessel descend. It didnt land at the airship port but instead lowered itself at an odd angle into an empty space beside the city. After landing, the transport ships exterior opened up layer by layer, revealing several preconstructed buildings within. It turned out that the airships walls were all convertible. Then, the four corners of the airship stretched upward and stopped only after reaching a height of several hundred meters. The protective plates at the top then opened up to reveal numerous dark cannons. Four anti-air sentry towers thus appeared in the blink of an eye. Hundreds of arachne warriors scuttled about, removing the heavy ship parts with the help of their servspiders. Afterward, these heavy plates were installed on the nearby fortress walls. There was only a framework at first, but it immediately became a sturdy fortification once the airship plates were installed. A new fortified structure rose up in the area as the giant airship was gradually and continuously broken down into its components. Soon, yet another giant airship appeared in the air and landed in the empty space on the other side of the fortress. At this rate, a new fortress would be completed in the blink of an eye, and it was even bigger than the one the Bai clan had constructed from before. There were tens of thousands of slaves and laborers inside the fortress. A similar number of cannon fodder were also being urged to complete some of the detailed jobs. Even though the building hadnt yet been completed, its style was already fairly evident. It was part-demonkin-part-vampire, with the former being dominant. A small squad ran over immediately after Edens arrival. The captain immediately recognized him. Your Excellency Eden, what happened? Eden said in a cold voice, Stop blabbering and take me over for treatment! The captain trembled all over. Yes, sir! He drove the other warriors off the car, invited Eden onto the vehicle, and drove rapidly toward the first-aid area. On the way, they passed by another jeep coming from the other side of the road. The driver and passenger seats were occupied by a demonkin and vampire respectively. There were two beautiful vampire ladies giggling at the back, their bodies almost stuck to the two up front. The dark races discipline on the battlefield was far inferior to humans, and they were more or less free when there were no battles to fight. Naturally, the prerequisite to freedom was that one had to be strong enough. When the two vehicles passed by, that demonkin suddenly cried out in an exaggerated manner, Hey, isnt that Eden? How come youre in such a bad shape? Is this really the Eden I know? Haha, it looks like your arm is broken, will you even survive? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 608: The Art of War [V6C138 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Eden patted the captains shoulder, signaling him to stop the car. Then, he turned back and said coldly, Im alive and well, at least Im doing much better than you. That demonkin sneered, But your arm is wasted! You call that well? Very well, well just pretend youre fine. How is your contribution status? How many major characters did you finish off? Eden was momentarily frozen. He actually had other objectives during this excursion, but a fierce battle had ensued after encountering Qianyehe had very nearly lost his life. If one were to discuss contributions, he had indeed nothing to show. Of course, the demonkin on the other side knew that Eden had encountered a human expert. His questions were deliberate. He laughed loudly and continued poking merciless fun at the latter. It looks like Sir Edens contribution this time is not being killed, haha! Edens expression darkened. Narcis! Just wait for me to recuperate. Ill be waiting in the arena to teach you how not to get beaten to death. Narcis eyes narrowed. Fine with me, thats just what I want! Im very willing to lose to you in the arena. Thatll probably add some shades of honor to the glory of the Dark Abyss. But how long do you need me to wait? Ten days? Twenty days? Two days is enough. Very well, two days it is then. Narcis made no more provocations and simply drove away. After driving for a while, the vampire youth beside Narcis asked, There are many variables in the arena, are you confident? Narcis appeared rather relaxed. Ive fought Eden many times in the arena, and its usually my victory. Moreover, I have just awakened a new totemic ability. Itll be just right to try it out on him. Ill let those old fellows understand that only our Masefield is the number one clan! Eden encountered no other trouble after this brief interlude and promptly received medical treatment. He had been on guard against Qianyes peculiar attack back then. Not only did he activate Demonic Traversal but also used every defensive method at his disposal. Although his wounds looked frightening, the damage was only physicalthere were no hidden injuries to his origin power and bloodline. He should be fine after a day of rest. A majestic castle had been constructed at the center of the fortress. The hexagonal main building was well over a hundred meters in height, capable of looking down on the entire fortress. The roof of the building had been opened up entirely to form a gigantic, fully-furnished office. If there were an Evernight historian present here, he would find that the decorative weapons and armors here were all named, signifying the legends and history behind them. There was an old man in black robes standing in front of the window with a metallic tablet in his hand. The origin arrays on this item were currently projecting a chaotic ball of shifting light. This ball of light held no special meaning in the eyes of an ordinary personthey were nothing more than a chaotic weave of radiant lines. In the eyes of this old demonkin, however, every line was filled with great significance. The information within was flowing too fast for an ordinary eye to discern. The ball of light flickered for a moment before fading away. The old man placed the metallic tablet back onto the table and fell into silent contemplation. The sphere of light had transmitted the battle reports from the floating continent during the past few minutes, including the most recent major incidents. Men. His deep voice hadnt yet faded away when two demonkin experts walked in, ready to receive their orders. The old man hesitated for a while before asking, What is Eden doing? Why does he have no contribution points at all? One of the demonkin noticed the dissatisfaction in the old mans voice and quickly began reporting Edens most recent movements. Additionally, Young Master Eden has arranged for a fight in the arena with Narcis of the Masefield clan. He encountered an evenly matched human expert, did he? Thats not a bad thing. He does need this kind of tempering. The old mans expression relaxed somewhat. Moreover, he knows how to use this kind of method to set the opponent back and redeem his fame. I guess hes not a disappointment after all. Tell him Ill visit the arena the day after tomorrow. The two demonkin excused themselves with a bow. At dusk on the third day, the arena was filled to the brim. Reportedly, even some true powerhouses had arrived to watch the match. This wasnt just a battle between Eden and Narcisit was also a clash between the Dark Abyss and the Masefield clan. Narcis was clad in an armor of black and violet; in his grasp was a long, double-edged pike. Eden brought no special equipment. He wore the Dark Abyss traditional black armor and was equipped with twin blades. The toll of a bell echoed, signifying the start of the battle. Eden shot toward the opponent like a black arrow, determined to start off with a strong exchange of blows. Narcis was infuriated at this disdainful action. His pike flickered through the air like a dark violet snake and shot toward Edens origin furnacea killing move right off the bat. However, the latters momentum remained unchanged. With a latch and a twist of his twin blades, the halberd rose uncontrollably into the air. Eden, at this point, was only a few meters away from Narcis. One moment, he was dealing with the halberd, but in the next, he was already blasting Narcis with a torrent of attacks. Incomparably sharp blade intent rushed at the latters faceit was as though they would cut into his flesh the next instant. How the Narcis was both shocked and furious. A beam of violet demonic energy shot promptly into the air, forming a totemic image resembling a giant scorpion. The scorpion had just taken form and raised its stinger when it was swept away and crushed by Edens tempestuous assault. It didnt even have the time to reveal its might. The dual-bladed halberd flew into the air and landed at the other end of the arena. Edens twin blades pressed hard against Narcis neck, pressing him down and allowing him no room for retaliation. Narcis quivered as he snapped out of the shock and noticed Edens intentions. His face turned pale as he roared, Y-You! Dont even think about it! Is that so? Edens smile appeared callous and cruel. His twin blades pressed down without hesitation, sinking little by little into Narcis flesh. The blades would eventually cut off his head if the latter did not kneel. Edens voice echoed clearly in Narcis mind. Do not forget that we are in a life and death battle, and this is the Dark Abyss territory. What does it matter if I kill you? Nothing but an expensive compensation. Dont worry, though. Ill take good care of Isabella after your death. Despite how busy I am, Ill make sure theres always a male scent on her bed. Isabella will never follow you! Narcis roared. Eden was just as frosty. Is that so? Without you, how long can a little tribal girl remain aloof? Shell follow me obediently after a month at most. I wont even need to use any tricks. Of course, youll be a corpse by then, so you cant bet with me. Narcis was livid. The blades were as cold as a ten-thousand-year-old glacier, pressing down constantly and causing fresh blood to flow down his neck. In the end, his knees weakened and fell hard onto the floor. Upon the platform reserved for major characters, some were satisfied, some were sighing, while others were furious. Eden put away his twin blades and left without sparing Narcis a single glance. A demonkin expert stopped him at the exit and said, Your Excellency, Elder Preston wishes to see you. Eden followed the man in silence and, moments later, arrived at the top floor of the castle. That demonkin elder was standing before the window, gazing hard at the boundless sky. Edens mouth moved a couple of times before finally calling out, Father. The old man turned around in evident delight. I dont know what happened a while back, nor do I care. But your combat techniques have improved by leaps and bounds. In terms of combat arts, youre already approaching the elder-level. This means that your comprehension of demonic energy has finally touched the borders of the grand origin. Now, thats a power befitting a son of darkness! Those who cannot reach this level have no right to receive its blessings. Edens face was lowered and his expression, hidden. The old man continued as though he didnt see anything. You did well this time, all your losses will be shouldered by the clan. Since youve lost the Carol of Shadows, well grant you Tribute of the Abyss. Eden was astonished. He said after a moment of hesitation, It might be difficult for me to use the Tribute of the Abyss right now. It might be now, but youll get used to it very soon. This old man arrived in front of Eden and patted his shoulders. With the potential youve shown, its not difficult at all for you to reach the Marquis rank, but my expectations for you will go well beyond that. Do you understand? Eden lowered his head. I understand. The old man nodded and allowed Eden to withdraw. Even after closing the door, Edens heart was filled with the details of his exchange with Narcis. An opponent with whom he was evenly matched before had fallen so easily under his blade. Moreover, the latter had reportedly awakened a new totemic ability. Eden felt everything was a bit surreal. How had his combat arts improved to such a realm in one short month? But Prestons attitude proved everything because Eden knew his fathers temperament very well. The man had never offered such praise in the past century, no matter what he achieved, not even when he was selected to be a member of Dark Sun out of tens of thousands of people. However, another shadow emerged in his heart. Just how powerful was that person who had forced him to flee with a broken arm? Edens joy vanished in the blink of an eye and turned into coldness. Meanwhile, everything was peaceful on Qianyes return journey. It was just that a small problem would pop up in his head from time to time. Why had Eden appeared in that particular region of Misty Wood? Judging from his gear, Qianye had thought he was here to assassinate high-ranking human champions. However, he felt that something was off after giving it some thoughtwith Edens identity and the dark races usual style, he should be accompanied by a squad. Qianye was already very familiar with the process of registering contributions. Qianye was one of the earliest independent experts the Li family had recruited, so all the registration staff recognized him. While confirming his registration, Qianye was shocked when he saw the mission distribution map on the wall. He reached out to point at the map and asked, Whats the situation on the Bai clan fortress side? The logistics officer looked up at the map and said, What else? The Bai clan has been driven out. I heard the black-blooded bastards have built a new base there and the group that attacked us came from that fortress. The Bai clan people are truly useless. Qianye paid no heed to the officers continuous complaints. The Li clans extravagant expenditure in recruiting experts was proving effective. Their contribution points were climbing steadily, and they even managed to repel a number of dark race assaults. As such, they became a dazzling force among the empires weakening forces. It was inevitable that the winners would become overbearing. Naturally, their people held a disapproving mindset regarding the four major clans. The Bai clans loss at the Desert Valley was so fast and embarrassing that it had become a hot topic of discussion. As for the Song clan, they had long since become the target of many an ambitious high-ranking aristocratic family. The Li family wasnt even interested in discussing them. Qianye listened absent-mindedly to the officers explanation of recent developments while looking carefully at the map. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 609: Calm Before the Storm [V6C139 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye paid extra attention to the densely packed labels denoting the temporary sentries and supply bases from each faction. Such locations were the first to change with the flow of the battle. It almost seemed like the information from different time-frames had come together. However, Qianye still managed to discover that the dark races setting out from the Bai clan fortress would have to pass through his designated area in order to reach the central caverns. Going around wasnt impossible, but there were some areas nearby where new beast tides had erupted, as well as a supply base being contested by the two warring factions. Given that Eden hadnt foreseen that he would encounter Qianye here, it was only natural that he would choose this route. Did this mean that Eden was headed to the central caverns? According to the empires publicized intelligence, the central caverns held no valuable resources and was even more dangerous. The empire had formed teams to explore the caverns after the disappearance of the void colossus will. These people discovered several new species of beasts in the depths of the cavern, none of which had been reported before by the previous batch of experts. Those of the highest level among these creatures posed a threat even to lieutenant generals. All in all, apart from its central location on the void continent, it was an area with no special value. Qianye didnt doubt the accuracy of this report because the imperial court hadnt invested a lot of forces there despite claiming it symbolically. The empire still had no idea how the beasts inside were proliferatingthere seemed to be no end to them no matter how many were killed. Ordinary squads entering the caverns would soon suffer grave casualties and be wiped out by the fierce beasts. But the battle with Eden had proven that the dark races understanding of the void continent was different from the empiresthey seemed to understand more in certain mysterious fields. And from a different perspective, there might be other unknown secrets here since the Void Colossus Chaos had chosen this continent as his burial ground. Qianye didnt continue very far down this line of thought, though. These were all speculations without a shred of proof to them. He didnt feel that it was appropriate for him to discuss these matters with the Li family people. At this moment, the quartermaster had already finished the registration process. The review process wasnt complicatedthe Li family had a supervision system to evaluate the progress of these missions. Among them, some of the casualty reports and special intelligence came from the Evernight side. The accuracy of a double verification was fairly high and usually free from dispute. The quartermaster checked the new performance evaluation handbook recently issued by the Li family. He then marked excellent under Qianyes name and said, The defense has been recorded. You have completed one week currently. Do you have anything else you wish to turn in? Others? Hmm... no. Qianye shook his head. He had the Carol of Shadows, but only a fool would trade such a weapon in. No? Heh, heh, lucky fellow! The quartermasters expression was somewhat odd. Qianye understood what he was thinking. Under the present situation, the dark races garrisoned in Crimson Fjord had been using the Misty Wood as a transport route. Normally, even people from the forest border would encounter some battles, and battles meant spoils. Most experts who had completed their defensive missions would have some proof of contributions to turn inthe more they submitted, the more intense their battles mustve been. Qianye, on the other hand, had been assessed as excellent for this mission but had nothing in his hands. This naturally meant that no dark race forces had passed through the area and that he had gained a bountiful reward with relative ease. Qianye couldnt be bothered to explain, and neither did he care about other people misunderstanding. There was no telling how many of the Li clans experts in the surrounding areas wouldve died if Qianye hadnt bumped into Eden and kept him entangled there. The Li familys supervision staff might later obtain information from the Evernight side, but a mere logistics officer like this person probably had no access to it. Qianye heard someone shouting in the distance just as he was about to walk out of the registration area. What did you say? A dog-sh*t rank-ten brigadier generals basic salary is even higher than your daddy here? Is your Li family blind? This mans voice was fairly resounding, and his origin power was deep. A single roar of his not only reverberated in the hallway but also spread out pretty far. Qianye frowned because the combination of rank ten and basic salary could only be referring to him. The terms offered to him by Li Yanshou were indeed generous. In truth, the entire first batch including Du Li and Zhu Huan enjoyed better rewards. But the influx of experts into the Li family warzone had increased sharply following the announcement of the contribution rankings and the offer of Stillwater Rebirth and Storm Pearl. It was only natural that those arriving later wouldnt receive the same treatment. The Li family had played this to their advantage. Although they needed to recruit a large number of independent experts, they didnt blindly increase individual rewards and instead relied on an incentive mechanism to achieve their objective. The Li family seemed to have invested a priceless reward on the surface, but the numbers were no longer that ridiculous after taking into account the number of new independent experts. They might not have been able to recruit so many experts if the only thing on the offer was increased gold coins. Even so, each persons basic terms were supposed to be highly confidential. There was indeed a guest warrior list earlier on and Qianyes name was ranked pretty high on it. It was also very likely the source of Du Lis incomprehensible hostility. But now, the documents related to the participating experts had formed a thick stack and could hardly fit in a single volume. How come someone was targeting him at such a time? Qianye paused his steps. He had a sudden urge to look over but merely shook his head in the end. He had no intention of dealing with a brute who had been incited by someone else. It was better to wait for the mastermind to show himself before deciding on a course of action. Since he had accepted the Li clans recruitment, he had no fear of such troubles. As such, Qianye continued toward his next destination, the workshop area. Young Dragon had been badly damaged in these two battles. Its origin arrays had been destroyed and required repairs. Additionally, the chestguard Wei Potian had gifted him had always been left inside Andruils realm, the silken essence gold in it was also a top-notch material. The workshop area was vast and made up of a dozen or so large factories. All of them were connected together to share the workload. Just the energy source of this workshop zone required two large kinetic towers. One could see that the Li family was prepared to stay here for the long term and develop this place into a lasting base of operations. Their current set up made it easy to transform the base into a central provincial city in the future. Someone approached Qianye as soon as he walked into the armor section. The young man greeted him enthusiastically after seeing the brigadier general stars on Qianyes uniform, How can I be of service? Qianye pointed at the alloy box in his hand and said, I have a damaged combat gear that needs repairs. That wont be a problem, please follow me. Sir, youre rather fortunate because today happens to be Master Zhus duty. The young man brought Qianye to a workshop inside the factory and knocked on the door. Master Zhu, theres a general who needs his armor repaired. An impatient sound erupted from behind the door, Do you need to call on me for something so trivial as repairing armors? This daddy is busy! See if my disciples have time to work on it. The young man was momentarily embarrassed after being refused at the door. He then made another attempt. Master, this person is a general, wont you at least take a look? Scram! The reply was fairly clear-cut. Qianye spoke up at this time, My armor is a bit special, I fear your disciples wont be able to handle it. How damn special can it be?! It would seem this master was used to hearing such descriptions and had no intention of being polite. Qianye didnt get the time to study Young Dragons craftsmanship and material back then, but he knew one of the main materials used in its production. Its made of blue steel. Blue steel?! Pssh!!! A gush of steam emerged from below as the door slid gradually toward the side. A rush of heat emerged amidst the flickering glow of flamesthis place was practically a forge. The flames inside the workshop furnace were roaring, and a small pot of metallic liquid was boiling on top of it, spitting out prismatic colors from time to time. That Master Zhu wasnt exactly tall but possessed wide shoulders and a sturdy build. Presently, he seemed no longer in the mood to pay any attention to that pot of liquid metal. The man rushed over and immediately threw out a barrage of questions. Where is that armor? Was it made by the Bai clan? Qianye didnt find Mater Zhus reaction strange. What surprised him was how the man had mentioned the Bai clan right off the bat. Its indeed a Bai clan product, but how did you know? Master Zhu replied impatiently, Can it be more obvious?! Blue steel is an alloy invented by the Bai clan. Although the formula has already been publicized, the production of some of the most important elements is in the Bai clans hands. They are the only ones who have complete mastery over blue steel even after so many years. Blue steel produced by any other source is evidently inferior. Qianye passed the armor box over and said, Its indeed a Bai clan product. Quick, let me see! Master Zhu grabbed the box. He didnt seem that strained by the incomparably heavy case, either. He opened up the box with one hand and retrieved the damaged armor from within. He gasped as his eyes fell upon an engraving on a certain corner of the armor, Bai Songhe! Qianye had no recollection of this name, so he inquired casually about it. In the end, Master Zhu glared at him and scolded, Do you not even know Master Bai? Hes a true master in the armor field. I, Zhu Ruhuo, am nothing compared to Master Bai. Zhu Ruhuo took out each piece of Young Dragon at the door, holding them as he would a precious treasure. He only looked straight at Qianye after examining the entire set of armor, but his expression at this moment seemed much kinder than before. Qianye asked, Can it be repaired? Zhu Ruhuo put the armor back into the case with due care. He continued staring at each veined pattern, line, and defectas though this charred, mottled, dark-silver armor was the most beautiful thing on earth. Zhu Ruhuo came to only after Qianye repeated the question. Of course, but Ill need time. How long? Ten days, no, I mean three months! The young man who had brought Qianye here seemed like he wanted to say something. Qianye knew what was going on even without him saying anythingclearly, this Master Zhu was looking to figure out Bai Songhes forging techniques instead of repairing the armor. Qianye wasnt angry, however. He merely said, I only have one day. How can that be enough?! I wont even have time to take a look! Qianyes expression was static. If you cant, Ill just look for someone in the Bai clan. Zhu Ruhuo opened his mouth but no words came out. He then revealed everything after a while. Judging from the damage it has sustained, the origin array can only be restored to 80% of its previous effectiveness even if you go back to the Bai clan. One day isnt enough for you to get there and back. Qianye laughed. Do you mean the weight-reduction array? Thats not important, just repair the defensive array well. Zhu Ruhuo looked over the armor in detail and muttered, A days timeframe is rather tight, but I might be able to do it if I ignore the auxiliary array. Come back tomorrow at this time! Consider yourself lucky, brat. I happen to have two pieces of blue steel on my hands. For the sake of this armor, Ill only charge you for the material and not the other supplementary components. But I have a condition, you can only send the armor to me for repairs in the future. This came as a delightful surprise to Qianye. He thus agreed to Master Zhus terms and left the workshop area. The day that followed was a time of rare leisure for him. He slept soundly for the entire night, and the next day, there was actually no continuation to that loud voice from the exchange area. However, storms were always preceded by such lulls. At noon the second day, Qianye felt so bored that he went to replenish his field supplies and headed over to the exchange area to check on the status of the two Umbral Edges. Humans rarely used black titanium weapons directly. Most of them would find a way to extract the black titanium and utilize it for other applications. The assessment and extraction would happen at the same time. More unfamiliar faces had appeared in the area. It seemed the Li familys recruitment momentum never lost its momentum. Moreover, the complications between personnel only increased along with the influx of new experts. Qianye saw several small squads of three to five. These people were dressed simply, but it was difficult to hide their gear and style. It would be rather fishy if these people were experts living off of bounties. The work efficiency here was pretty high. Qianye learned that the spoils he had obtained last time had already been registered. However, he frowned upon checking the contribution points under his name. One of them was a third-rate merit, more or less equal to killing a first-rank viscount. The contribution points were a bit less but that was within reason. Qianye had been fighting continuously with Eden both times, so he had no time to hunt. He only managed to cut down a couple of unfortunate enemies who appeared in his path. Later on, there werent even any scouting parties coming his way. However, the points awarded for the two Umbral Edges was outrageously low. Although Qianye didnt quite know the actual black titanium content of the two daggers, he still remembered their purity. He reckoned they would net him at least a third-rate merit. Add to that the extra reward for obtaining special weapons, these two daggers should be worth a superior third-rate merit at least. Can I see the details? The numbers seem to be wrong. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 610: Duel Part 1 Chapter 610: Duel (Part 1) [V6C140 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The logistics officer sounded rather surprised. Of course, but the contribution points are routinely checked by specialists. There shouldnt be any mistakes. He stood up and retrieved a booklet from atop the shelf. He then flipped through it on the table and produced all the details regarding enemies killed, missions completed, and items traded-in. Qianye didnt check the other parts and only picked up the items paper and saw that the record was for two melee weapons. The contribution for them was standard fourth-rate merit. This number discrepancy was too great. There was no change in Qianyes expression as he pointed at the submitted weaponry section. Whats going on here? The officer scanned it briefly and said with a frown, Whats wrong with that? Did you not trade-in two weapons? Those are the contribution points rewarded to you. Are you sure? Qianye smiled coldly. The logistics officer was unhappy. He pointed forcefully at the book and said, Our Jingtang Li Family has always maintained our reputation! You better consider your own status if you want to cause trouble here. Scram now! There are people waiting behind you! Qianye smiled. What did you say? I said, scram... The officer hadnt even finished his words when he was kicked right in the stomach. He was flung backward, shooting right through the wall behind him and landing in the warehouse. The sudden development caused the entire exchange area to fall into silence. Moments later, a few of the Li family warriors snapped out of their daze. They pushed the people away and rushed over to the scene with their guns pointed at Qianye. Qianye calmly took a seat and said, Bring Li Weishi over. Moreover, dont point your guns at me or something bad will happen. The soldiers glanced at one another and dispatched one of their men in due haste. Qianye simply sat there in silence, but the temperature in the surroundings fell sharply. One of the soldiers began to shiver. He subconsciously lowered his muzzle a bit and also shifted the front sight away from Qianye. The other soldiers followed suit. Some people poked their heads out of the rooms nearby, but none of them came over to inquire. At this moment, there were some experts who hadnt yet left the exchange area. It would seem they had stayed behind to observe the developments. What happened? Looks like his contributions have been stolen. How can such a thing happen? Many experts had serious expressions on their faces. Disputes regarding contribution points werent rarefrom minor quarrels between individuals and squads to major conflicts between combat units and army corps, all kinds of problems could arise. However, the situation between independent experts and aristocracy was different. They werent servants or vassals, so they had no part in the usual benefits offered by the clan. They were risking life and limb on the battlefield just for those points and rewards. No one would be willing to come back and find their remuneration denied. This was something everyone dreaded. The Li familys reputation was fairly good. Although they werent entirely free of disputes, they were still able to deal with them quickly. This was the first time something this big had happened. As such, everyone was merely observing and whispering amongst themselves. Qianyes ears trembled slightly as he caught a certain conversation. Ha, I knew hed make a big fuss. That makes things much easier. We now have a lot of ways to deal with him. The voice was very soft,but Qianyes senses had increased sharply after absorbing the void essence and Sky Demons embers. Add to that his prolonged training in the suppressed environments of the Misty Wood, his perception had now reached a whole new level. He heard this malicious yet familiar voice very clearly. Qianye turned around immediately and gazed over to the source of the sound. There, he saw two people looking over at him with a hint of Schadenfreude. One was Du Li, and the other was a middle-aged man wearing a Li-family insignia. Du Li was fairly alarmed after seeing Qianye look over at them. Afterward, his expression grew fierce as he performed a slaughtering gesture at Qianye. The latter was completely indifferent to Du Lis provocation and simply looked past the man. He did, however, glance at the middle-aged man from the Li family. Clearly feeling uneasy, the man let out a dry cough and left the exchange area. Moments later, Li Weishi arrived in a hurry. He first sent the soldiers surrounding Qianye away and then said in a hushed voice, I was going to explain this matter to you personally, but you found out before I had a chance. Qianye raised his brows and shot a glance at the hole in the warehouse wall. His attack wasnt very powerful, but that unfortunate officer had to be carried away by the other Li family soldiers. Li Weishi was drenched in cold sweat. He said with a wry smile, That person doesnt know whats going on. Please follow me, this place isnt suitable. Qianye nodded. Judging from Li Weishis tone and manner, it was unlikely that the officer just now was entirely ignorant. But since the former was so polite, Qianye decided to listen to his explanation and not cause more trouble. Qianye had just stood up when a burly man blocked his path. He stared intently at Qianye and said, Are you that rank-ten brigadier general with the best pay? He pronounced the words rank-ten pretty loudly and caused many people to look over. Everyone wore strange expressions because this news had been circulating for quite some time. To independent experts, their price wasnt just about moneyit also signified their status. A gross unfairness was more or less like a slap to their faces. Qianye finally locked eyes with the burly man standing in his way. If he didnt remember wrong, this was the fellow who was shouting at the exchange area a couple of days ago. He possessed a sturdy, muscular build which strained his combat attire. His chest was covered in black hair, and his every pore seemed to be emanating an aura of danger. Qianye shot a glance at Li Weishi, and then turned back to the burly man. What does my pay have to do with you? The man took a step forward and stared at Qianye with great ferocity. What are you implying!? This burly man was rank-eleven, and he was usually the winner against many of his peers. He thus felt that he had no reason to back down. Qianye sneered, What I mean is, you dont have the qualifications! His words hadnt even ended when the sound of ocean tides filled the exchange area. Apart from a handful of experts, everyone began to stagger under the great pressure. The Li familys ordinary soldiers all fell to the ground. The burly man in front of Qianye was flushed red. His knees creaked and groaned as though they would fall to the ground any moment. He was hanging on by sheer willpower. Qianyes control over his domain had improved after his advancement. How could this muscular man hold out when most of the pressure from the Ocean Vortex was focused upon him? Qianye lifted the man up by the neck before finally dispersing his domain power. The man felt as though a steel hoop were tightening around his neck. He couldnt even breathe, his chest was on the verge of exploding, and his face was so red that it might start dripping blood. He desperately attempted to activate his origin power, but no matter how hard he tried, the usually formidable strength in his veins seemed to have become powerlessit was immediately and unreasonably shattered upon coming into contact with Qianyes origin power. With no origin power to use, the burly man could only try to push Qianyes hands away. But his deathbed struggle couldnt move Qianye at all. Everything happened so fast that Li Weishi himself wasnt spared. He took two steps backward and had just stabled his footing when he saw the burly man in Qianyes grasp. He cried out hurriedly, General Qianye, lets just talk things out! Qianye shook the burly man in his hands like a dead chicken and said, The one who doesnt want to talk nice is this person, isnt it? He swept his gaze over the experts who were still standing and added, Sometimes, rank means nothing. The expressions of those experts changed rapidly. However, after seeing that man struggling in Qianyes hand like a fish out of water, their countenances returned to normal and they quickly averted their gazes. Qianye glanced over at Du Li and said coldly, Du Li, do you not plan to collect your dog? I dont mind cleaning it up if you dont want it. Du Li was trying to evade eye-contact at first, but there was nothing he could do since Qianye had called him out by name. He gritted his teeth and walked over to Qianye, Speak your terms. Simple, fight me in the arena. Let me vent my anger. Qianyes tone was calm. Du Lis expression turned livid. Vent? Are you saying youre sure to win? Qianye smiled indifferently. Oh, afraid now? I guess thats a given since Im already rank-eleven. Du Lis expression shifted yet again, but the situation at present prevented him from saying no. If he were to withdraw from this challenge, he would never be able to raise his head again in this community. Fine then, dont you regret it! Im telling you, Im not some nameless pawn! People nearby could discern the implications in Du Lis words because Lu Shas group was indeed well known. His words had already betrayed his weakness, but many experts still felt apprehensive because a pack of wolves was always more dangerous than a single wolf on the battlefield. Li Weishi felt helpless. He lowered his voice and said, General Qianye, itll be best if you dont blow this matter up. They have a major character behind them. Major character? Oh, do tell me more about it after I finish this fight. Qianyes words blocked all of Li Weishis intended words. He glanced at Qianyes expression and sighed secretly, but he gave up on dissuading him. Such news traveled extremely fast. There were already quite a lot of spectators by the time Qianye had Du Li arrived at the arena, and many others were still rushing over. Ten minutes remained until the battle, but there were already people taking their seats on the high platform. It would seem this duel had alarmed the entire base. Qianye sat down at the side of the arena with his eyes closed. He neither moved nor engaged in any other form of preparation. Du Li, on the other hand, appeared restlesshe kept performing a set of special movements, drawing upon his body and activating his origin power. Qianye suddenly opened his eyes as a certain group appeared on the platform and met the gaze of a young man therein. That man appeared rather mediocre apart from the pair of bright, slender eyes. His demeanor was calm and admittedly quite amiable as he smiled at Qianye. The glint in Qinayes eyes receded. He simply nodded and closed his eyes once more. The guard behind the young man approached and whispered, Young Master Qingyun, do you need his data? Li Qingyun rubbed his chin. That person is quite interesting. Lets see his information. The guard acted in due haste and soon returned to hand a number of folders to Li Qingyun. Li Qingyun scanned the document and said to a middle-aged general nearby, Heh, heh, so this is Qianye. Second Elder, are you really going to act that fast and establish your might with one of the empires twin stars? Our Li family is currently in the midst of recruiting talents, dont you think this course of action is rather inappropriate? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 611: Duel Part 2 Chapter 611: Duel (Part 2) [V6C141 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The middle-aged general was Li Tianquans trusted aide. He wasnt very happy after hearing Li Qingyuns unduly frank words, but he couldnt act out, either. He said with a disdainful snort, What twin stars of the empire? How can a childs game like the bloody battle be taken seriously? Li Qingyun smiled. He wont be a kid after a couple of years. You can say what you want here, but who dares say that in front of Zhao Jundu? The middle-aged man was lividhe, of course, did not dare speak to Zhao Jundu in this manner. Not to mention the latters background and future potential, he was currently capable of using his domain to contend with a marquis five levels above him. How many people would dare challenge him? Seeing that the battle was already about to begin, Li Qingyun asked, Is Second Elder not coming? I think this battle is worth watching. The general said disapprovingly, Whats interesting about a fight between these inferior fellows? Its enough with me here. Theres no need for the second elder to come personally. Li Qingyun sized him up from head to toe and chuckled. His expression was fairly amicable, but the middle-aged general quickly became awkward. Li Qingyuns meaning was quite clearhe wasnt qualified. However, the general was still a Li family member. He couldnt be clearer about the barbarism and cruelty beneath Li Qingyuns common external appearance. One mustnt be fooled by his bearing and tone because he might just attack and draw blood the very next moment. The middle-aged general suppressed his anger, pretending not to see the disdain in Li Qingyuns eyes. Soon, Lu Shas group also arrived among the spectators. Arms folded, the man watched Qianye with a gloomy expressionmuch like a fierce beast on the verge of turning violent. The others werent that quiet. The group arrived in a boisterous manner, spouting indirect insults in local dialect but later escalated to profanities. Hearing these directly addressed vulgarities, Qianye finally opened his eyes and beckoned toward the group. If any of you want to fight, come up one by one after this fight. We shall fight to the death, how about it? The voices on the other side became silent as those people glanced at one another with uneasy expressions. Perhaps they didnt quite put Qianye in their eyes before, but everyone understood after he restrained the burly man from the exchange area in one move. None of them were very confident about fighting Qianye. They knew they could easily win a fight against the burly man, but such a clean victory was almost impossible. Qianyes challenge at the moment was already giving them the advantage of a tag battlethe only thing left was to attack at the same time. These mercenaries were vicious and manipulating in nature, but it was simply too embarrassing to gang up on Qianye under the eyes of so many. Lu Sha only spoke up at this point, You lot shut up. If you have so much strength, use it on the battlefield. With that, he strode over and took his seat. The group stopped talking, albeit resentfully and found their own seats around Lu Sha. This was an expression of their weakness, but it afforded them their only way out. Qianye paid no more heed to Lu Shas group. He walked into the arena with the bugle call and planted East Peak into the ground. The arena floor was built of coarse rocks, but a casual thrust sent his unassuming heavy sword half a meter into the groundalmost as though he were cutting through tofu. Qianyes appearance on the stage stirred up a round of discussions. It turned out that he had brought no other weapon apart from East Peak, so much so that he wasnt even wearing any armor. He was clad in ordinary combat attire, the defensive stats of which was virtually non-existent. Du Li also walked into the arena. Compared to the sparsely equipped Qianye, it could be said that the former was armed to the teeth. He had a halberd with three square blades in his left hand, a double-barreled handgun at his waist, and an origin bow strung to his back. There were also daggers strapped to his thigh and back. There was even an origin grenade hanging below his chestguard. The bugle call rang out once more to signal the start of the battle. Du Li stared at Qianye with strands of blood popping up in his eyes, and said in a sinister tone, Qianye, your daddy here has been tolerating you for a long time! Ive hated you since I first set eyes on you. You robbed me of the limelight, you robbed me of my contributions, now you want to rob me of my position? Come, Ill let you see how different a fight to the death is from your fancy duels! Du Li screamed thus as he charged at Qianye, his halberd whistling toward the latters heart. The halberd had barely moved when a meter-long green radiance shot out from its tipit was clear that Du Li had gone all out with the first move. The radiance flashed out with great momentum, but Qianye showed no signs of movement even as it approached his chest. It seemed as though the attack would draw blood in the very first bout! The audience was watching with bated breaths, but their vision blurred all of a suddenit looked as though Qianye had moved, but it also felt as though he hadnt. The torrential attack from the spear shifted away and pierced into empty space, almost as though Du Li had stopped the attack at the last moment. However, everyone knew that wasnt possible. Du Lis charging momentum hadnt stopped when the spear missed its mark. He shouldve had the strength remaining to switch to another move, but there was an unexpected force drawing him in from the front, forcing him to continue his charge toward Qianye. Qianye was unmoved, almost as though nothing had happened just now. He only took half a step forward and leaned in ever so slightly. There was suddenly a muffled thudDu Li was sent flying and only managed to find his footing after staggering several steps back. The arena turned silent all of a sudden because no one had imagined this outcome. Li Qingyun was tapping on the armrest. His finger froze for a short moment before continuing its original rhythm. Du Lis face was drenched in blood and his head was in a dazehe had no idea what had just happened or what he had crashed into. He wiped away the blood and found Qianye still standing in place. It seemed as though the latter hadnt even moved a finger. East Peak was also sitting where it was at the very beginning, entirely unused. Du Li gritted his teeththe stench of blood sent him into a state of ferocity, a stark difference from his cautious attitude when he took the stage. He tossed the halberd away, drew his two daggers, and pounced at Qianye with lightning speed. He unleashed a tempestuous flurry of attacks upon closing in, his twin blades transforming into masses of light which flew around Qianye incessantly. Those below the champion level couldnt even keep up with his movements. This round of wild attacks revealed Du Lis true strength. They were extremely vicious and accurate, short but deadly. If this were on the battlefield, the enemy would likely fall into a perilous situation after being suppressed by such attacks. Even people more powerful than Du Li might suffer if they were caught unaware. However, the spectators once again felt their vision turn blurry. The edges of Qianyes figure became fuzzy as though there were many superimposed projections of him. Many people rubbed their eyes, while others became alert and quickly reinforced their vision with origin power. Only then did they realize that nothing was wrong with their vision. Qianyes movements were simply too fast and minutethere wasnt a bit of wasted distance. This left afterimages in the eyes of the less powerful. At this moment, Qianye was paying attention to the battle before him. It would seem that there were some deviations to his senses. On the one hand, he felt that Du Lis attacks should be fairly powerful. He recalled that this strangely hostile fellow wasnt a complete idiot; at least his strength was worthy of his rank. But at this moment, Du Lis attacks were slow and full of openings despite their great momentum. Qianye didnt even need to use his military combat arts. All he needed to do was smack the opponent at his weak point, and the entire attack would break down. Qianye took a sudden step forward and somewhat passed through the storm of blades. He merely leaned into the enemy and raised an elbow before the man was sent flying backward once more. An idea occurred to Qianye as he watched Du Li moving away. Amidst the boundless knowledge he had received from the River of Blood, a certain rune emerged on the water surface. An almost invisible red thread shot out from beneath his feet. It stretched dozens of meters in the blink of an eye and overtook Du Li who was still flying through the air. Qianye then slid forward as though being pulled by an invisible force, leaving numerous afterimages in different stances. He caught up to Du Li in a single step and pushed him into the ground by the back of his neck before standing up. Those after images had appeared at almost the same time and vanished within moments of each other. The greater part of Du Lis body had sunk into the rocky arena floor, where he remained motionless. No one knew whether he was alive or dead. Qianye stood silently as though he were pondering about something. Meanwhile, the entire arena was silentthere wasnt a single cheer, shout, or curse. It was as though everyone was afraid of disturbing this young man. Li Qingyuns finger paused for a long while before coming down onto the armrest. He was more delighted than surprised as he sighed. What skill, what skill! I wont be lonely anymore! With that, he stood up and left without even glancing back at Qianye. One of the experts following him unintentionally looked over at the chair. The entire seatfrom armrest to backwas filled with countless cracks, but somehow, it was holding its original shape without crumbling. Moments later, the arena was still completely silent. People didnt know whether they should cheer, shout, or react differently. The warriors here had all experienced many battles, but they had never witnessed such an exchange. Every detail made them suspect what they had just seen. In truth, Du Li had made a fair bit of name for himself be it in terms of contributions or duels. He had won a lot of spars among those of the same level, proving once more the strength of Lu Shas group. However, the battle just now involved no intense clash between origin powers, neither was there a contest between blades. The spectators hadn''t even seen their techniques clearly when the battle ended. Qianye finally woke up from his reverie. He shot a glance at the man embedded in the floor and said to the dazed judge, Send all of his equipment to me. Lu Sha stood up all of a sudden and shouted, Qianye, dont go too far! Isnt this a common rule? Qianye looked up at Lu Sha and said indifferently, Of course, the rules can also be changed by those with bigger fists. If you think Im going too far, come down here and fight to the death with me. Lu Shas expression was gloomy. Qianye had defeated Du Li too easilyespecially that last movement technique felt like he had walked through the air. It was true that champions could fly, but how powerful must one be to be able to step through the air and maneuver at will? At the thought of this, Lu Sha took a deep breath and stood firmly in place, suppressing that intense desire to challenge Qianye to a fight. Qianye didnt force him, either. You can challenge me anytime before I walk out of the door. With that, he walked out of the ring with East Peak in tow. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 612: Negotiation [V6C142 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Lu Shas legs were nailed firmly to the floor until Qianyes figure gradually disappeared. His face spasmed a couple of times, but he didnt issue a challenge until the very end. As a mercenary and a bounty hunter, Du Lis equipment represented over half of his entire fortune. He wouldnt be able to recover from this loss for several years if Qianye were to take them all away. Moreover, his combat strength would also weaken. But Lu Sha, at this point, understood that he would suffer even greater losses if he accepted the duel. Qianye paused slightly as he walked down from the ring. The spectators were still dispersing at the momentthe gazes upon him, both friendly and hostile, were filled with cautiousness. He gazed around at his surroundings but couldnt find Li Weishis figure at all. As such, Qianye decided not to wait anymore and simply headed on toward his living quarters. His clean victory here seemed to have messed up the masterminds calculations. Now that Li Weishis original pretext had become void, who would be the next one to step in? On his way back, Qianye threw his dispute with the Li family to the back of his head. His current thoughts were occupied by the new ability he had succeeded in activating just now. This was the very first time he had been able to use Spatial Flash with his own power. After seeing Edens Demonic Traversal, Qianye kept thinking about that powerful ability which had brought him away from Adruils inheritance realm. Today, an inheritance rune containing knowledge about spatial powers had suddenly appeared in the River of Blood. This allowed him to activate the power of Spatial Flash. His trajectory at the moment was still visible and the range wasnt very long, but after growing stronger, he would one day be able to move through space at will. Qianye couldnt help but chuckle after recalling the battle with Du Li. Had his combat arts reached such a level? It would seem the battle with Eden wasnt completely without rewardsthis kind of benefit was much more useful than contribution points. In the end, Qianye only had one thoughtbetween him and Zhao Jundu, who would win in a contest of combat techniques? At this time, two Li family warriors were barring Qianyes path forward. They said respectfully, General Qianye, Elder Li Tianquan wishes for you to see him. Qianye was somewhat surprised after hearing this name. He knew Li Tianquan was the Li familys highest-ranking supervisor in this base. Now that such a character had appeared directly, he would likely obtain some answers regarding his suspicions. Li Tianquans office door was fairly stylish with dark golden motifs set against the light red family colorstruly an exquisite piece of work. Such a product could only have been produced in the empire. It would seem that these doors had been shipped over from the mainland. If even the door was so, what else need be said about the interior? Qianye had been to the offices of Duke Chengen and Duke You back at the Zhao clan, but even so, he couldnt help but feel astonished at the extravagance here. One could see that most of the decorations here were old antiques. Moreover, they werent just oldthey also possessed historical significance. But this wasnt too odd though because the Li family had risen to power with medicines and divination arts. Any one of them, if well managed, would bring in vast amounts of wealth. The beautiful clerk who brought Qianye into the room reported in a pleasant voice, Second Elder, General Qianye has arrived. Li Tianquan was behind his desk at the moment, reading through a thick stack of documents. He didnt look up after hearing the announcement and merely pointed a finger at the seat in front of him. Sit. Li Tianquan kept on reading after Qianye had taken his seatit was as thoughthe documents were so important that they needed to be completed the very next minute. However, picking this time to work on urgent tasks was clearly a show of power. Qianye remained calmly seated, and even his eyes did not wander. In truth, he was continuing the line of thought that was previously disrupted by the Li clan soldiers and thinking about Zhao Jundus techniques. Roughly a quarter hour later, Li Tianquan looked up and glanced at Qianye. What he saw, to his surprise, was the latter sitting there with his thoughts on a mental journey somewhere else. He snorted coldly and said, General Qianye, youre making things very difficult for me. Qianye returned his attention to Li Tianquan only at this moment. Oh? About the fight today, I was the one who was provoked first, there were many people at the scene who saw this. Moreover, I refrained from taking his life for the sake of the Li family. Where did I make things difficult for you? Could it be that even the Li family has to back down against the person behind Du Li and Lu Sha? Li Tianquan could barely control his expression. He had never imagined Qianyes temperament would be so different from the reportsthis silent young man who usually kept to himself was actually so sharp with his words. But how could Li Tianquan be led astray by this topic? He slapped a stack of documents in front of Qianye and said, General Qianye, please dont divert the topic. Take a look at this first. Qianye flipped through the records and saw that they were all complaints, mainly about the mismatch between his terms and strength. Those complaints, genuine or otherwise, claimed that a brigadier general enjoying such terms was fishy regardless of the reason. Qianye only read a few lines before pushing the documents back with due calmness. This contract was signed between me and the Li family. Does it have anything to do with outsiders? At this point, Qianye said with a chuckle, Moreover, those fellows wont dare speak out again from now on, at least not to my face. Li Tianquans expression sank after receiving yet another unconventional reply. Qianye, the Li family has treated you with respect, but dont think for once that this old man is easily fooled. With that, he brought out yet another set of documents and banged it on the table. How will you explain this? Qianye picked it up and saw that it was his contribution records, the monthly contributions rankings, and rewards list. Qianye was below average on the rankings, but on the rewards list, he was ranked third due to his basic salary. I dont see any problems here. Qianye pushed the documents back. He had an idea what Li Tianquan was trying to do. The old man sneered, You received so many resources from the Li family, so you really should be making an acceptable level of contributions, don''t you think? Youve only earned a meager number of contribution points since the battles began. If you cant give me a satisfactory explanation, judging from last months results, the lightest judgment would be a dereliction of duty. It wont be excessive to say that youre avoiding battle. Qianye pondered for a moment. Li Tianquans excuse in pressuring him was reasonable but not entirely solid. The contract he had signed with the Li family had a clause regarding guaranteed contribution points. Even if they wanted to look into his contribution amount just after the war had begun, he could still argue from this point. But Qianye was too lazy to dispute. Since Li Tianquan was grasping his fault here, he had surely prepared other excuses. It was better to listen to his actual objective. As such, he said, Elder Li, did you not know that I completed the last defensive area mission? As for the low contribution points, its because Ive been fighting with the Demonkin Count Eden from the Dark Abyss. Li Tianquan sneered, Ill naturally send people to confirm the defensive mission. Wheres the proof? Do you want me to believe that a rank-ten, fine, rank-eleven champion can fight a demonkin count for half a month? Heh, heh. There wasnt a need for further words. That heh, heh at the very end was enough to explain Li Tianquans attitude. The demonkins combat strength was conventionally higher than their peers from other races. It wasnt excessive for a count born of a famed demonkin clan to possess combat strength one level above his rank. This meant that Li Tianquan refused to believe Qianyes explanation. Proof? Qianye wasnt angered by the disdain on Li Tianquans face. On the contrary, he said with a smile, Where are the two Umbral Edges I traded in last time? Those weapons belong to the Shadowguards of the Dark Abyss. Dont tell me the Jingtang Li Family cant even obtain such basic intelligence? Li Tianquans emotions vanished from his countenance, leaving only a layer of coldness. He picked up a teapot and fiddled around with it while saying, Qianye, speak the truth. How did you obtain this contract? Whos the middleman? What benefits did he get from you? Our Li familys rules are absolute, we wont let anyone destroy it. As long as you tell me everything, this old man will reward you in secret. Of course, we have to lower your terms on paper in order to appease everyone. Qianye was rather surprised at this. In the end, it turned out that Li Tianquan was doing this for internal conflict? Although there were many doubtful points in this, Li Tianquan was clearly using him to establish his might. On the one hand, it would set back his opponent in the family, while on the other, it would improve his reputation with the independent experts. Qianye was one of the two stars of the empire. Not many experts would dare provoke him openly even if they were dissatisfiedthey probably didnt even have that notion anymore after witnessing his swift victory in the arena. If Li Tianquan could suppress Qianye, he naturally wouldve subdued the others. This afforded him endless benefits in supervising this growing body of independent experts. But Qianye had no intention at all of becoming a stepping stone. You dont need to take such a roundabout action if you wanted to breach the contract. Li Tianquans countenance fell as he shouted, Qianye! Do you think this old man has no way to restrict you?! Qianyes expression also turned gloomy upon hearing this undisguised threat. Elder Li, there are no idiots here. Just speak frankly. Fine. Li Tianquan brought out another document and placed it in front of Qianye. Sign this and well forget about the bribery. Qianye picked up and scanned the document. It was a new mercenary contract which halved his current remuneration and removed all extra rewards. In addition to that, there were many new obligations. For instance, the Li family would have the right to assign him mandatory missions. The duration was five years, during which he would not be able to work for any other power. This was no longer an independent expert contract. The unconditional assignment clause was enough to make him a vassal of the family. A cold mocking smile appeared on Qianyes lips. He tore the contract up in front of Li Tianquan and slapped the pieces onto the table. Elder Li, you have to be very clear. It was the Li family who begged me to come. At most, Ill just leave. Li Tianquan had never imagined Qianye would shed all pretenses like so. Qianye, this is the Li familys domain. Do you think you can do as you wish? Do you really think this old man cant wipe you out? Li Tianquan was absolutely furious as he said those last words, and his voice grew as loud as rolling thunder. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 613: Lesson [V6C143 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] This shout came abruptly and was extremely tyrannical. A wisp of origin power shot out of Li Tianquans mouth and flew toward Qianye. The latter felt his ears ringing and his vision turned black. His entire body was trembling and even his organs had suffered the impact, especially the two origin vortices. The newly formed one was spun about rapidly and even showing signs of imminent dispersal. But Qianyes reaction came about naturally. The greater part of the incoming origin power was negated by his powerful constitution. The auric gold blood inside revolved continuously, crushing and incinerating the invasive origin power in the blink of an eye. Li Tianquans expression was awkward after seeing that Qianye merely went pale and didnt even cough up blood. Qianye recovered right away. His eyes were filled with killing intent as he placed a hand on the Twin Flowers. Elder Li, are you trying to kill me? Li Tianquan shot a glance at the Twin Flowers. You would be a corpse by now if this old man wanted to kill you. Do you think your little gun can break through my skin? This is only teaching you a lesson. You have to know that our Jingtang Li Family is not a place for you to be impudent. Qianye sneered, Thats quite the lesson. You were aiming straight for my origin vortex. Why dont we go to the military police for analysis? Lets see which armys disciplinary action would strike at a soldiers foundations. Li Tianquan realized that Qianye wasnt about to back down and was instead becoming even tougher. He said in a gloomy tone, General Qianye is indeed too young. This is the frontline and this old man is the supervisor here, so I have the right to act as I see fit. So what if you file a complaint? Do you think the military will believe you without any evidence? Qianye narrowed his eyes. The militarys attitude isnt important. There are other people interested in your familys handling of rewards. The two locked gazes and the atmosphere in the room almost froze up entirely. Everyone was well aware that other people meant the independent experts who were here for the rewards. Their judgment of matters required no proof. Since they could call Qianyes payment into question just from rumors, they would likewise be worried about their own rewards not being honored. It wasnt quite possible that the Li family was targeting Qianye alone. After a while, Li Tianquan put the teapot he had been fiddling with on the table. His expression also relaxed somewhat as he said, Since youre unwilling to admit to your mistake, our Li family isnt that unreasonable, either. Ill give you one more month. Your terms will remain as before during this period, but dont blame me if you cant get into the top three during this time. Not only will we cancel your contract and dock all your contribution points, but the rewards already issued will also be reclaimed as compensation. What say you? Qianye sneered, Elder Li is truly calculative! But what if I manage it? If you can do it, then this old man will take it upon himself to add thirty percent to your rewards. If you can take the first place three months later, Ill give you both the Storm Pearl and Stillwater Rebirth. Qianye was startled after hearing this. He quickly realized that Li Tianquan was so generous because he simply didnt believe in Qianye completing these conditions. Qianye replied, Since Elder Li has such high hopes for me, then I wont leave in such a rush. Ill be staying two more months to reap the contribution points. Stillwater Rebirth is quite useful for me. Li Tianquan laughed, Youre quite confident. Qianye did not comment. He soon got up and said with a cold smile, Then its settled, I hope Elder Li wont go back on his words. Li Tianquan hadnt even finished his I never go back on my words when Qianye banged the door in his face. He was so angry that green veins were popping up on his face. The bookshelf beside Li Tianquan rotated after Qianye left and out walked a young man. Glancing in the direction of Qianyes departure, he said with a frown, This brat is so arrogant. Why didnt you cripple him, Second Elder? Li Tianquan shook his head slowly. This childs background is too complicated. Itll indeed be troublesome if he stirs up trouble here. The young man said disapprovingly. Even his relationship with the Zhao clan isnt clear. Why else would he run over to the Misty Wood? It''s probably because he cant stay with them. Li Tianquan said cautiously, This childs objective is unclear. Lets let him stay for a couple of months. Theres no way he can turn things around entirely. Moreover, theres no other place like the Misty Wood. Itll be hard to track him down after he leaves this place. The young man broke into a frown. Finally, he said, I hope Elder Li doesnt forget our deal, and left. Li Tianquan sat down slowly after the man left. His hands grabbed the armrest subconsciously as he recalled the matters from just now. The old man no longer concealed his emotions as there was no one left around him. He clenched his teeth in anger with green veins popping up on his face. This was his true nature, a far cry from the well-controlled demeanor he had maintained in front of the young man and Qianye. The short exchange with Qianye just now had made him extremely uneasy. It was as though a large blade was hanging right above his neck. In his sixty years of life, he had never experienced a situation that had gone so awry. Qianyes identity was complicated and his motives were unclear. Li Tianquan had no plans to get himself involved in this type of trouble. He only wanted to inflict a hidden injury on Qianyeone could easily imagine the eventual fate of a lone, injured person amidst the encircling wolves. After seeing Qianye, he had found the urge to deal the killing blow more than just once. However, a certain premonition of danger kept lingering around him. As a family proficient in the divination arts, their members, even those who werent prophets, enjoyed a sharper premonition than ordinary people. This sense of danger prevented the cautious Li Tianquan from acting out. Now that he thought about it, that sense of danger became even clearerthis caused his hair to stand on end. Li Tianquan was greatly astonished because this sense of menace was even capable of causing his heart to waver. He immediately focused on suppressing his apprehension. He thought back to the details of that moment but still couldnt find anything abnormalall that was left was the repeated scene of Qianye putting his hands on his revolver. What damn use can a grade-five gun have? Li Tianquan was puzzled. Although his roar back then hadnt achieved its desired effect, he was able to sound out Qianyes true strength via it. It was roughly between rank thirteen and fourteen. This kind of combat strength was no less powerful than martial geniuses like Li Qingyun and Li Kuanglan, and only slightly inferior to Zhao Jundu. It was just that the ability to fight against people of a higher level was only useful during mid to lower levels. After reaching the end of ones potential with successive upgrades, the more important factors were technique, experience, secret arts, and even luck. Around the divine champion level, rank suppression was akin to an insurmountable moat. Li Tianquan had been at rank-seventeen for a long timehe wouldn''t be entirely helpless even against an old monster like Nangong Yuanwang. With a basic level of only rank eleven, Qianye would be totally suppressed if a fight were to break out between them. So where did that sense of danger come from? Li Tianquan gave it some thought and decided that he would dedicate more time to the divination arts, lest his plans get disrupted again in the future. Qianye heaved a sigh after walking out of the camp. It felt as though there was a huge rock pressing down on his chestit was incredibly uncomfortable. He wasnt afraid of this matter, but it was indeed nauseating. It was beyond Qianyes expectations, however, that Li Tianquan didnt attack him at the very end. He had his hands on the Twin Flowers this entire time and could hardly resist the urge to go back and blast the man with the Shot of Inception. Qianye sneered secretly as he recalled his confrontation with Li Tianquan. He was already prepared to just walk away. At most, he would lose the few things that had been confiscated. But now, he planned to stay and take first place three months laterhe wanted to see how Li Tianquan would handle things at that point. The Storm Pearl had never been offered to the public before, but Stillwater Rebirth was an item with a definite price tag. Even a clan elder like Li Tianquan would have his heart broken to take out a Stillwater Rebirth from the family warehouse. There was a pair of eyes paying rapt attention to the main road leading out of the camp. Seeing Qianye walk out of the camp, that person immediately came back to report. Li Qingyuns expression didnt change after listening and simply kept on tapping the armrest. He suddenly asked, About the information from the workshop, his armor is from the Bai clan? Yes, and its the work of Bai Songhe no less, the follower continued in a whisper, Old Bais pieces are all well known. It wont be hard to find the source. Li Qingyun smiled, Bai clan, Zhao clan, haha, I havent seen such an interesting person in a long time. Does Second Elder know about this? The follower replied, Even if he didnt before, hell probably find out this afternoon. Li Qingyun laughed once again. Dont tell me that old bastard really embezzled someone elses items? The follower felt somewhat uneasy. Ninth Young Master, shall we Li Qingyuns smile disappeared and his expression turned indifferent. Lets just watch from the sidelines. Second Elder is indeed selfish, but he isnt stupid. Contribution points are a different matter, but this armor, he wont dare touch. He paused for a moment and then said with a smile, Although I am curious if Zhao Jundu will come out of the Zhao clan war zone for this, that really isnt the way to seek humiliation. The one beside him was Li Qingyuns trusted aide, but even he didnt dare continue this topic. Seeing that Li Qingyun had nothing else to say, he excused himself after a while. Qianye had long since sensed the eyes on him when he walked out of the main camp, but such things werent unusual for him. He paid it no heed and simply walked on. A certain person charged out from the side at this point, seemingly hurrying forward with his head lowered. It also looked like he was lost in thought and didnt notice Qianye. That person wasnt weak at allhe promptly sensed someone on the road ahead but seemed to have no intention of stopping or moving away. Instead, he spat out some profanities and sped up. Qianye also happened to be in a bad mood, so he immediately halted his steps and waited for that person to come crashing in. A muffled thud rang out as a flash of origin power lit up the camp doors. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 614: Hunting [V6C144 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye stood calmly in place without the slightest of movements. The man who had crashed into him took several steps back before managing to find his footing. His vision turned blurry and some fresh blood seeped out of his mouth. This full-force collision felt as though he had crashed into a mountain, the complete rebound of force inflicting heavy injuries upon him. You dare bump into me? This daddy will kill you... That man looked up and rubbed his eyes. The profanities he was spitting out stopped midway as Qianyes face came into view. He immediately bowed down with an awkward laugh and apologized repeatedly, Sire, Qianye! This little one didnt know it was you. He edged back while speaking and then turned to flee. Qianye remembered this person. He was a lone hunter from the Transcendent Continent, rank-eleven in origin power. Qianye felt better after seeing the other party turn deferent and flee in defeat. It would seem the series of actions he had taken to establish his mightespecially beating up Du Liwas fairly effective. The top seats of the aristocracy might not put this in their eyes, but these mercenaries and bounty hunters who licked blood from the blade on a daily basis would only submit to the strong. On the way back, Qianye bumped into someone unexpected, Du Li. At this moment, the man was half lying in the back seat of a jeep, his face as pale as a ghost and his breathing irregular. The jeep had come from the direction of the military hospital. It would seem Du Li had just completed his treatment, but his injuries were clearly not light seeing as how he needed a car to drive him back. Du Li became quite tense when Qianye intercepted the car with a raise of his hand. He moved toward the other side subconsciously while staring at Qianye. Y-You, what are you trying to do? Weve already fought. Nothing, I just wanted to see if youre doing okay. I didnt go too hard on you back then. Qianye smiled. Du Li squeezed out a smile, one that was even uglier than weeping. Im quite well. How was that well? He had received a bunch of internal wounds when Qianye smashed him into the floor. Although it wasnt enough to take his life, he would have to suffer for quite a while. Qianye nodded in response and asked indifferently, Where are my spoils? Du Lis expression shifted, but this time, it was clearly due to the physical pain. He said through gritted teeth, I gave all of my belongings to the Li family people and asked for them to be handed to you. I followed all the rules! I was just asking. Qianye left with a smile. Qianye cultivated for an entire night and day after returning to his residence. There, he purified the origin power he hadnt yet refined with the Glory Chapter. At this point, Young Dragon had also been repaired. As such, Qianye collected his equipment and left the base once again. No one knew whether it was a twist of fate or just pure coincidence. On the third day after entering Misty Wood, Qianye felt something in his heart while gazing at the mist in front of himhe knew he had encountered Eden yet again. The Misty Wood was such a vast place. The battlefront between the two factions was incomparably long, now stretching thousands of kilometers after the connection of four warzones. Yet, these two had actually met again. However, neither of them attacked right away. They only stood in silent confrontation with the Misty Wood between them. Qianye knew that Eden had also found him. Up to this day, he still had no idea how the latter had been able to discover him. The same applied to Eden. Qianye raised Thunderbolt but lowered it again after a moment of hesitation. He had already locked onto Edens location, but their reaction speed was enough to dodge a shot from around a hundred meters, to speak nothing of several hundred. The only way was to catch the other party unaware. This shot would surely miss and once again initiate a battle with no definite end in sight. Tangling with Eden came with great benefits despite the loss in contributions. At the very least, wrestling along the fine line between life and death improved Qianyes combat strength significantly. There were even new revelations which became evident in his fight with Du Li. Solely in terms of daybreak origin power, Du Lis cultivation actually lived up to his rank. His origin power capacity was even greater than Qianyes, but this minor advantage didnt help him at all in battle. Qianye had beaten the man until he had no ability to retaliateto be exact, he didnt even manage to block a single attack. However, the benefits werent without any sequelae. Qianye recalled the contract and two ranking papers Li Tianquan had brought out. He was naturally unwilling to withdraw for no reason amidst the criticisms. He decided to have a go at the rankings since he had no way around this matter anyway. Moreover, he was determined to take first place. Qianye didnt care much about politics, but he wasnt ignorant about it. He had a vague feeling that Li Tianquans reason for targeting him so wantonlyin addition to someone pressuring him from behindwas that the Li familys war situation was going too smoothly. They had exceeded their targets for contribution points with low casualty rates, and all of this was credited to Li Tianquan, further solidifying his position. At least half of this was through Qianyes efforts. He knew best how terrifying an expert with superior visual range and stealth proficiency was in this Misty Wood. If he were to keep fighting against Eden here, he would have no opportunity at all on the rankings. What if Qianye shook his head. He didnt continue thinking along this line, but he didnt attack, either. It was as though they had reached a tacit understanding. Eden made no move without any action from Qianye, but he was definitely still in the area. Eden touched the Abyssal Tribute in his hand as his fathers words echoed in his ears. Tempering your combat strength is a good thing, but your current results in battle are unacceptable. I wont be able to speak out for you in the next elder conference if you dont produce good results in the next battle. Although I hope my direct descendant can obtain a higher candidates position, taking that seat without sufficient strength is just courting death. Eden was greatly concerned about the elder conference at the Dark Abyss where the successors positions would be discussed every three years. The elders would form a standard cut-off point according to the performance of all peers and remove those who contributed below that point from the successors list. This would shrink the pool of successors and allow resources to be focused on nurturing the remaining experts. At this point, Eden was only ranked in the upper-middle among all the candidates. He was in a fairly dangerous region where he could be kicked out of the list at any moment. This was, of course, related to his young age and Elder Prestons hands-off method with his descendants. But regardless of the reason, the successor cut-off point wouldnt be reduced for anyone. The floating continent was the only place where he could harvest enough contribution points before the conference. All the others in the list, apart from the first-ranked successor, had joined this battle, and Eden had unfortunately fallen to the bottom during this period of time. Rage flickered in Edens eyes at the thought of this and threads of blood spread out continuously therein. If it wasnt for the prolonged entanglement with Qianye, how could his arch-enemies have trampled over him? For a moment, Eden had the urge to blast Qianye with the Abyssal Tribute and snatch back the Carol of Shadows in passing. But his rationality stopped the finger on the trigger. Eden knew very well that the opponent was outrageously powerful and growing at a rapid pace. He had chased down Qianye during the first battle and nearly took the latters life. In the last battle, however, it was Eden running for his life. The circumstances back then were unusual, and Eden was quite sure that the other party couldnt fire that inconceivably powerful shot at will. Despite all that and no matter how much he was loath to admit, the other partys progress was indeed superior to his own. This was a miracle often enjoyed by the frail human race. Those short-lived creatures would develop at a rapid pace during their brief lifespan. Even the gods of darkness couldnt tell them the reason for this. Eden slowly lowered his Abyssal Tribute and, after one last glance at Qianyes direction, left toward another. Qianye was somewhat surprised, but he had no intention of stopping the man. The Misty Wood was definitely big enough to hold the both of them. After Eden disappeared, Qianye picked up his Thunderbolt and headed in the direction of the central caverns. He knew that things were different this time. The two of them might not start fighting even if they were to meet again on the battlefield. When they do engage in their next battle, it would likely be a fight to the death. After being freed of Eden, Qianyes fortune instantly took a turn for the better. He ran into a small dark race squad not long afterward. This squad was well-equipped and consisted of over five hundred soldiers of mixed races. It was an elite hunting unit of the Evernight Faction, targeting small imperial parties and independent experts. The leader was a third-rank arachne viscount. This was a reasonable lineupthose special scouts with over two hundred meters of visual range at the center prevented rank twelve or thirteen human experts from taking action. Only experienced hunters above rank-fourteen would be able to chew on this hard bone. Even then, they would have to plan everything out carefully. But such rules were useless against Qianye. He had already locked onto the arachne viscount from five-hundred meters away. By the time Thunderbolts timber reached the dark race soldiers ears, that viscounts waist had been blasted open. Its upper body had been largely disjointed from the impact, and only a small part remained connected to its trunk. The arachnes vitality was so powerful that it hadnt yet died even after such an injury and might actually recover with timely intervention. However, Qianyes shot was intentionalalthough the arachne wasnt dead yet, it had been deprived of all fighting power. Afterward, Qianye put the Thunderbolt away and rushed over. He roamed about within a hundred meters of this squad, firing continuously with his Twin Flowers and killing all high-ranking warriors. The separated revolvers possessed greater firing speed and minimal consumption, greatly suitable for dealing with such a situation. Even if he couldnt kill some of them on the spot, it was enough to disable them temporarily. One baron, three knights, and several esquires fell under the continuous bombardment. Qianye remained hidden within the mist all this time, denying them the opportunity to retaliate. That baron was a fierce character strong enough to challenge a viscount, yet he collapsed to the ground after taking three shots and could no longer clamber up. The entire squads fighting capabilities collapsed within moments, and only at this point did Qianye draw East Peak and charge into the fray. With a flicker of his silhouette, he had arrived in the midst of the dark race warriors using Spatial Flash. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 615: Mutation [V6C145 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Just as Qianyes figure flickered into existence, his face turned pale and East Peak sunk downward in his hand. He couldnt help but laugh self-deprecatinglyhe had been so eager to try the technique out that he had forgotten all about its terrifying consumption. The Spatial Flash invented by Andruil required one to be at the marquis-level to activate, and the one Qianye had comprehended was a toned down version of it. Using it at a slightly longer range almost drained him of all blood energy. The dark race warriors were in chaos after suddenly losing track of the enemys movements. They came to moments later only to find that Qianye was somehow standing in their midst. Despite their astonishment, all the dark race warriors glared over at him with cruelty and bloodthirst in their eyes. As they saw it, this human was walking to his death. But just as they were about to raise their blades and spears, they felt their bodies grow extremely heavy as the roar of crashing tides echoed in their ears. Everyones vision turned blurry, filled by a weave of countless red threads. Only a dozen or so dark race warriors remained standing around Qianye after the oceanic suppression and Life Plunder. It wasnt because these people were strong, but because they were luckythe limited threads from Life Plunder hadnt stabbed into them. At the center of the battlefield, Qianye took a deep breath before his figure flickered past the survivors, killing them one by one. In the blink of an eye, there was no one left on the entire battlefield. Qianye left out a light sigh as his face flushed red and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His blood was aboil with vitality and suffused with specks of burning golden light. This batch of dark race soldiers was made up of elites, and the essence blood in them was much greater than ordinary soldiers of the same rank, some even twice as abundant. That arachne viscounts essence blood was almost equal in quantity to a first-rank viscount. Apparently, they were soldiers with outstanding talents and promising future prospects. Unfortunately, however, they encountered Qianye and were duly laid to rest within the Misty Wood. Life Plunder couldnt distinguish friend from foe, nor could it take the level of threat into account. It would seek out targets with the greatest vitality within its range and attack them. That was why a fair part of the threads had latched onto the arachne viscount. The other barons, knights, and even esquires who were struck lost the ability to escape or retaliate. All they could do was watch as the sanguineous thread entered their body and robbed them of their essence blood. It was precisely due to this reason that even Qianye would sometimes find it hard to endure if the absorbed essence blood was too abundant. This caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood, one full of vitality and essence. He felt a bit more comfortable afterward, but his body still felt somewhat bloated like a filled balloon. He looked down to observe himself, but there were no noticeable changes. That sensation of fullness was merely an illusion. After a while, a part of the essence blood was distributed to various parts of his body, while the rest was absorbed by the Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception. The feeling of discomfort thus faded away naturally. Qianye cleaned up the battlefield in due haste. Killing such a squad came with abundant profitsthe contribution points alone had surpassed last months total. Apart from that, the elite squads equipment and supplies were much better than ordinary units. After flipping through them, Qianye wanted nothing more than to take all the gear away. But even Andruils Mysterious Realm couldnt fit so many things. He first collected proof of contribution, and after that, he only picked up things that didnt take much space like ammunition and blood crystals. As for weapons, he only packed up the ones belonging to soldiers above the knight level. Armors took up too much space, so Qianye only removed the arachne viscounts armor and helmet. Although they could hardly be used by humans, the materials alone had substantial recycling-value and thus warranted a space within Andruils realm. After spending quite a bit of effort here and just as he was about to leave, Qianye suddenly turned back and found a sprout poking out from the purple substance. Moreover, it was growing taller at a visible rate. This giant tree sapling reached the height of a person in the blink of an eye and was growing twice as fast as the one he had seen before. The odd thing was that the crown of this tree was actually scarlet red and contained specks of gold. Qianye felt a chill shoot up to his head because this tree was growing out from where he had spat out the mouthful of essence blood. After seeing this eerie giant tree, how could he dare let it mature? He neither had the scientific spirit nor the curiosity to know what the fully grown tree would look like. To Qianye, the current Misty Wood was already dangerous and troublesome enough. He leapt up on the spot and swung East Peak horizontally, cutting the young tree through the middle. Where the blade fell, Qianye could feel that the tree trunk was much sturdier than ordinary giant trees. If it were to grow as tall as the other giant trees, Qianye wasnt sure if he could cut it in one hit. After the young tree was cut down, it let out a blood-curdling scream of anguish followed by a fountain of blood spraying out from the cut end. Qianye was astonished as he stared at the cut tree trunk. For a moment, he couldnt quite tell if this thing was ultimately a plant or a living creature. The saplings cry spread far and wide, instantly awakening all the giant trees in the vicinity. Their tree trunks began squirming, and the chambers bulged up continuously. It was clear that the fierce beasts and midgets within were about to break out at any moment. Qianye glanced about at his surroundings and found that the range of activation was exceptionally wideeven the trees at the end of his vision were swaying. Qianye felt as though he had been plunged into cold water. How would he dare linger here? He simply turned tail and ran at full speed. Even someone with Qianyes speed couldnt escape entirely and was still surrounded by the beasts. Fortunately, he was already at the edge of the beast tide. After pressing a swathe of beasts down with his oceanic pressure, Qianye finally charged out of the encirclement by relying on his sharp blade and thick armor. After extricating himself from the beast tide, Qianye activated Bloodline Concealment and various other concealment abilities at great cost. He then ran out hundreds of kilometers without daring to rest. Even when he finally managed to sit down under a giant tree, he still felt somewhat fearful after recalling that boundless, omnipresent beast tide. Checking his surroundings briefly and finding that it was fairly safe, Qianye leaned back against a giant tree and began circulating the Mystery Chapter to refine the essence blood. It had been some time since he last cultivated it. Now that his daybreak origin power had reached rank-eleven, it was finally time to upgrade his suppressed blood energy. Large amounts of essence blood were drawn into the vortex by the chapter. There, they were crushed, purified, and transformed into darkness origin power which would then be absorbed by his blood core. The blood core would pulse strongly after each absorption and pump out a drop of auric flame blood. Qianye paid rapt attention to his internal environment and saw that the auric flame blood in his vessels was growing denser. It had already spread to most parts of his body with only the most peripheral capillaries remaining, and there wasnt much ordinary blood left throughout his body. By the time the entirety of his circulation had transformed into auric flame blood, Qianye wouldve reached the peak of the viscount rank. Of course, that was according to the ancient standards stated in the River of Blood. The night passed by fairly quickly. Qianye ended his cultivation and stood up once again after all of the essence blood had been converted. He was in great spirits, and his entire body was full of strength and vitality. He once again checked his equipment and resources before leaving his temporary resting place to continue his hunt. In the days that followed, Qianye encountered several dark race scouts and hunting parties. At times, he would encounter two in a single day. The continuous high-intensity battles caused Qianyes store of ammunition to dwindle like snow under the raging sun. Very soon, he was completely out of supplies. On the other hand, his contribution points and spoils of war were increasing at a rapid pace. Currently, he was no longer interested in knights weapons and only picked up those above the baron level. As for that set of arachne armor, he had no choice but to sacrifice it to make space for other valuable spoilsnow in its place was a complete set of demonkin light armor. This was the first time Qianye felt that Andruils realm was too small and how great it would be if it were twice as large. However, even a space ten times as large wouldnt be able to fit all the spoils. Only Qianye was capable of engaging in such a high-efficiency slaughter. The oceanic might and Life Plunder combined could be considered a godly area of effect weapon. Once activated, he could clear out an area ten or so meters in radius. Most of the dark races operational units in the Misty Wood consisted of roughly a hundred soldiers. This happened to be the best applicable range for Qianyes strategyall of them were virtually annihilated in a single blow. This time, Qianyes contributions had multiplied by several times before ten days had passed. Barring an abrupt change in harvesting rates, Qianye reckoned he would be in the top three by now and climbing to the first place was only a matter of time. It went without saying that the environment of the Misty Wood played a vital role in his accomplishments. Outside of the woods where the senses were less suppressed, Qianye would have to spend quite a bit more effort in order to exterminate the dark races high-ranking warriors. His recovery advantage wouldnt be that evident, either. The most important issue was still the aftermath. The traces left behind by Life Plunder were best hidden from the higher-ups of the dark races, and it just so happened that the purple ground substance in the Misty Wood would swallow them all up. Qianye soon discovered that the closer he was to the central caverns, the higher the chances of encountering more powerful dark race forces. Sometimes, he would even encounter targets who were so powerful that he had to retreat quietly. Qianye suspected that the dark races were planning to enter the cavern maze on a large scale. Who knew what secrets lay within? While Qianye was pushing steadily toward the central caverns, a group of Li clan warriors had set up a temporary camp to rest. Within a fine tenet at the center of the camp, a young man in his twenties was frowning as he looked at the map in his hand. This was a map of the Misty Wood. In this world covered in purple substance and giant trees, every direction was the same to the naked eye. The Li family had tried many methods to prevent getting lost. In the end, they found that the most effective way was to install plates engraved with different numbers on the giant trees and use those numbers to calculate their coordinates. The young man bore the arrogance of an aristocrat, but there was also a lingering seriousness about him. At this moment, an old general with white hair who was standing beside him said, Young Master need not worry. This unfavorable phase is likely temporary. How can things always go as smooth as last month? Theres definitely a place for you in the top three of the rankings. These words did nothing to relax the youths expression. The latter only said with a sigh, Whats the use of top-three? I still wont be able to surpass Brother Qingyun. I, Li Jingzhan, am also a hero of the generation, yet I still have to make way for him. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 616: Changes [V6C146 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] At this moment, the old general said, Young Master Jingzhan, Young Noble Qingyuns power is outstanding, but he hasnt secured victory just yet. Otherwise, why wouldnt the family just give him the Storm Pearl directly? Whats the point of setting up these rankings? Its surely because theyre worried about public outrage. Moreover, the combat squads dispatched by the various clans will be arriving in a few days. The profits this time have moved many people, and with how big the empire is, there are hidden tigers and dragons everywhere. Who knows which expert would jump into the fray? Young Master, muddy waters are a good thing. As I see it, we need to try hard in harvesting contributions and not go back so soon. That way, our contributions wont be publicly known. Thatll only drag things out a bit, whats the use? Li Jingzhan was apparently vexed. There might be some changes if we drag it out for a bit. For instance, if Young Noble is really interested and has accumulated enough contributions, we could consider switching allegiance to the third branch. Why would we need to stay suppressed under the second? Li Jingzhans expression transformed radically. In the end, he said through gritted teeth, Fine, lets do it that way! It was at this time that a clamor arose outside of the tent. Li Jingzhan looked up and shouted, Whats with the ruckus? Scandalous! A personal guard rushed into the tent despite Li Jingzhans angry glare and cried, Young Master, things dont look good. Theres a beast tide charging over! Li Jingzhan shot up and delivered a prompt slap. Whats so big about a beast tide? Ive killed no small number of them, havent I? Set up the autocannons and slaughter them. Li Jingzhan had brought hundreds of elites from the Li family private army. He had come well-prepared with ample firepower and ammunition. The combat strength of this unit had long since been proven in battle. They had annihilated three dark race hunting sub-parties in the past monthat least in terms of head-count, these sub-parties werent inferior to Li Jingzhans group. As for beasts and midgets, their main threat lay in their numbers and indefensible poison. Organized elite troops were the nemesis of these creaturesas long as there was sufficient ammunition, large bore autocannons could practically mow them down. In order to deal with these beast hordes, Li Jingzhan had brought six high-speed autocannons and vast amounts of ammunition. In the past month, the storm of metal spewed out by these cannons had killed at least several thousand midgets and beasts. Li Jingzhan heard the familiar rumble of the autocannons. As far as he could remember, the stream of flames would mow down large swathes of beasts as though they were grass. However, the personal guard didnt back down even after being struck. He kept on shouting, Young Master, its not the same this time! Run quickly! He hadnt even finished speaking when his expression froze. Afterward, he looked down to find a spear tip poking through his chest. It was a wooden stake, the most common type found throughout Misty Wood. After birth, the midgets would cut down the leaves and branches of the giant tree and sharpen them into wooden spears. Afterward, they would use a mixture of their own saliva and some unknown plant juice to coat the stake in poison. And thus the powerful poison that brought both factions no end of trouble was born. Li Jingzhans eyelids twitched as he glanced at the spear tip, and his brain went completely blank. He was very clear about this personal guards strength and was also familiar with the grade of his armor. Even Li Jingzhan himself would need to attack seriously in order to pierce this guards armor, but now, it had been pierced through by a wooden spear right in front of him. In his memory, the spears thrown out by these midgets could barely cut through the chainmail of his guards. They were far from being capable of penetrating the entire body. A whistle rang out at this point as another spear shot toward Li Jingzhan. The latter responded at lightning speed, immediately drawing his sword and cutting the projectile into two. But just this movement caused the sword to tremble and emit a low drone. The strength behind the spear was so powerful that Li Jingzhan swayed slightly backward. Both shocked and furious, the man slashed the tent open and rushed out. In a short moment, the entire camp was already in ruins. Many soldiers had been nailed to the ground by the incoming spears. Some of the stakes had pierced right through their shields and into their chests. The air was filled with whistling sounds as numerous spears flew in from the distant woods and landed in the camp. One beast after another charged out from the mist with several human figures moving in their midst. W-What are those things?! Li Jingzhan was shocked as he looked at the incoming beasts and aboriginals. These native entities retained their familiar appearance, but they were no longer midgets. They had grown to twice their previous height and were now comparable to a young human. There were numerous red veined patterns on their bodies with golden specks mixed in. Moreover, those that possessed more golden specks were evidently more powerful. The beasts had also grown larger than before and also possessed the same pattern of red veins and golden spots. Their speed, strength, and build all saw a sharp increaseeven the autocannons could only produce bloody holes on them, a far cry from the past where they would be blasted into a bloody mess. Ten meters away, a boar-shaped mutant beast was charging against the hail of bullets, and it only died after taking a dozen shots from the autocannons. This Li Jingzhans hands and feet turned cold. He was truly at a loss about what to do. The beasts and midgets charging over werent exactly great in numberonly several hundred in total. However, their combat strength had undergone a complete transformation and was enough to drown their entire squad. At this moment, the old general dragged Li Jingzhan away and fled in the opposite direction of the beasts. No, let me go. My soldiers are still in the camp. Li Jingzhan struggled. Theyre lost, Young Master. You must live today in order to make a strong comeback in the future! The old general allowed no explanation as he towed Li Jingzhan away. Before long, the clamorous camp became deathly silent. Meanwhile, a human squad was advancing silently along the borders of the Misty Wood. Judging from their direction, they were traversing the Misty Wood and headed for the Song clan warzone. The group was mostly composed of Li family private soldiers with a mixture of mercenaries and adventurers among them. There was a big, fierce-looking man at the center of the group. His lightning eyes, from time to time, scanned the identical forest on either side. A middle-aged man with a fair complexion laughed after seeing this. Sire Li is too cautious. This area is fairly peaceful, and the dark races rarely if ever appear here. Even if they do, they wont have an expert overseeing them. If they really dare appear before us, theyll just be offering more contributions to you. The burly mans expression relaxed slightly. That might be the case, but we cant be careless. I heard theres a demonkin count operating in the area. The middle-aged man sneered, Those are just rumors. Besides, our troop strength is no longer comparable to the past. Even the two counts who attacked our base never dared to appear again. Its been so long since the beginning of this conflict. If there really is some kind of expert, how can those youngsters from the family return safely every time? As I see it, the dark race fellow in charge of this area must be a useless slacker, count or not. Hes probably not worth mentioning. The burly man said with a smile, You have a point there... He had just finished half his sentence when the middle-aged man fell backward and half his head flew into the air. Even someone of the burly mans strength couldnt help but become startled. He then came to, drew his gun, and roared, Enemy attack! Just after shouting thus, his entire body flew out as though he had been struck by an invisible hammer. When he crashed to the ground, the armor on his chest had been shattered, and the flesh there, badly mangled. The burly man clambered up, but before he could celebrate how the thick armor had allowed his heart to remain intact, he discovered something wrong. He looked down at the blood flowing out of his injury and saw that they were black. Moreover, his origin power was being drained at a rapid pace. Black titanium! This name emerged in the mans thoughts. Immediately afterward, he saw a calm and elegant figure traversing the many-layers of defense set up by the soldiers. Wherever that silhouette passed by, all the warriors thereregardless of their rank and combat strengthwould freeze up and gradually fall down, The burly mans vision was turning blurry. He could no longer see clearly how the veteran warriors under his command had died. The shadow arrived before him in the blink of an eye. The man struggled indignantly. Who are you? The man uncovered his hood to reveal a handsome countenance that did not belong to the human race. His lips moved slightly into a mocking smile as he said, Im that useless slacker you guys were talking about, Eden of the Dark Abyss. This name formed the burly mans final memory. ... The Li clan base was recently becoming livelier by the day with squads from various aristocratic clans and families surging into the base. These competing units were each more well-equipped and powerful than the next. The leaders were all core characters of the aristocracy, and they only had one objective herethe Storm Pearl. Before their departure, their family heads had ordered them to obtain one at all costs. In the several days that followed, Li Tianquan was completely occupied with work. He was troubled but delighted because, from his past experience in managing such major activities, he could tell that his authority in the elder assembly would definitely take a step forward. Moreover, the Li family was the host this time around, and the Storm Pearl was their property, so all the other aristocratic families were fairly deferent toward him. Li Tianquan was up in the clouds these days and had almost forgotten his position. The arriving aristocratic family combat squads all required lodging, food, and suppliesthese administrative arrangements kept Li Tianquan frantically busy. Fortunately, these squads didnt stay very long and would head into the Misty Wood after a brief period of organization. And only after most of them had entered the forest did Li Qingyun bring his own squad into the woods. The true struggle for the contribution rankings had just begun. No matter how experienced the independent hunters were, they were hardly a match for the well-trained private armies of the aristocratic families. Even Qianye could only take a detour whenever he encountered a thousand-strong armyat most, he would be able to harass them with sneak attacks. But this kind of attack wasnt helpful for accumulating contributions, and the reason was simple, there was no way to collect proof of contribution even after killing the targets. However, most of the combat squads dispatched by the aristocratic families were made up of their core forces. A group of five-hundred soldiers could easily digest such an enemy squad. Little over a month remained until the three-month deadline, but the various aristocratic families, including the Li clan, didnt really care about the independent experts currently occupying the top of the board. Only the Zhang and Zhao didnt send a combat squad to the Misty Wood. These two clans have always upheld their status and would never take part in such private contests. Moreover, the war was in a critical stage. The Zhang clan had managed to hold out for a fairly long time, but they were pretty much spent at this point. Reportedly, they were being pushed back with every skirmish, and most of their warzones had fallen into enemy hands. It was said that the Zhao clan had disregarded their past enmity and dispatched a motorized unit to the Blacklight warzone to reinforce the Zhang clan. Those two colossal powers had their eyes on the main battlefield, not even sparing a glance for the things taking place here. Li Tianquan was naturally dissatisfied. He felt that the two clans were too arrogant and didnt put the empress clan in their eyes. However, his status wasnt high enough to express his dissent for them. The clan lord and Marquis Seagazer, Li Tianshi, made no comment on the complaint he had submitted about this matter. This became a small knot in the midst of his happiness. At dawn this day, Li Tianquan had the rare leisure to brew a pot of good tea as he began looking through the recent battle reports. He had just turned a single page when he heard an urgent knock on the door. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 617: Contribution Overload [V6C147 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Tianquans expression sank as he shouted, Whats with the ruckus! The female clerk who had come in replied fearfully, Young Master Jingzhan has just returned to base. Hes badly wounded and unconscious. Li Tianquan shot to his feet in great alarm. How did that happen? Didnt he bring an entire unit of elites? What were they doing? Young Master Jingzhans troops have been wiped out entirely. General Hong suffered grave injuries in order to bring him back. Where is he? Take me to him! Li Tianquan said urgently. Elder, theres another news The clerk was hesitant. Speak quickly! Li Tianquan shouted impatiently. We just received news that the squad transporting resources to the Song clan have encountered an accident, only a few people managed to escape. What?! Li Tianquan was shocked out of his wits. He grabbed the clerks hand and said, That squad was being overseen by Li Ke, wasnt it? Where is he? Take me to him! According to the survivors, hes already fallen in battle. Li Tianquans vision darkened and his body swayed unsteadily. He supported himself on the table and collected his thoughts before asking, He fell in battle? Yes, the escapees witnessed Sire Li Ke being beheaded. Li Tianquans expression went pale and he could even smell some blood in his throat. Li Ke was one of the few core powers of the Li family. He was both strong and clever, a true general who could shoulder great responsibility. He would have already reached an important position if only he werent born from a side branch. Most importantly, Li Ke was an important fighting force for Li Tianquans branch. The mans death was a huge loss to the latter. Li Tianquan forced himself to remain calm. How could someone of Li Kes strength be slaughtered so easily? Who is the enemy? How many of them were there? The clerk lowered her voice. The enemy only consisted of ten or so men. They rushed straight for the commander and won the battle in one stroke. The leader is a demonkin, and it was him who had injured the general first before beheading him. This demonkin calls himself Eden of the Dark Abyss. Demonkin count... Eden Li Tianquan recited the familiar name. He suddenly recalled Qianyes recount about fighting a demonkin count for the greater part of the last month. What was that counts name again? Li Tianquan tried hard to remember, but he just couldnt recall it in his frustration. Back then, he simply didnt believe Qianye would be able to keep a demonkin count occupied. He was even less inclined to believe that the area had been free of passing dark race squads due to the fight between Qianye and the demonkin. His heart burned in rage as he thought about how Li Ke had died yet half of his subordinates had run back. Issue my order! Seize the escapees and put them to death on account of desertion and harming the general! The clerk was shocked out of her wits upon hearing this order. No longer caring about the rebuke she might receive, she said hurriedly, Elder, shouldnt we investigate clearly before convicting them? She spoke rather tactfully, but Li Tianquan quickly realized his mistake. Putting hundreds of soldiers to deatheven if they really were deserterswas a huge matter. Even the second elder didnt have this authority. It would have to go through the elder assembly or be approved by the clan lord. That was true in principle, but without any place to vent, the flames in Li Tianquans heart burned even more violently. In the end, he diverted all of his anger onto Qianye. Little animal, you mustve set the demonkin on us! Otherwise, Li Ke wouldnt die such a miserable death! However, he could only keep these thoughts to himself. Li Tianquan took a deep breath and recovered an elders dignity. Where are the escapees? Bring me to them. Additionally, bring all of that demonkins information to my office, dont miss a single thing! Li Tianquan left in a hurry, stirring up quite a lot of waves in the base. The Li family had never suffered such severe casualties before since the beginning of this war. They had lost a great general and hundreds of private soldiers in a single day. Although the death of mercenaries wasnt a big issue, the Li family would still have to fork out considerable compensation to their families. Otherwise, who would be willing to risk their lives for the Li family? Li Tianquans hatred for Qianye grew along with the casualties. He knew full well that he was merely taking it out on the latter, but he couldnt control himself. What Li Tianquan didnt know was that his theory was, for once, correct. These losses were only the beginning. Bad news rolled in almost every day in the period that followed. The weaker squads were destroyed immediately, while even the stronger ones were occasionally attacked. Most of the casualties were related to a single name: Eden. Only at this point did the people truly understand how terrifying this demonkin count was. Especially within the Misty Wood, there was virtually no way to deal with him. As the person in charge, Li Tianquan convened several meetings to analyze the battle reports and research strategies to counter Eden. The reports regarding the latter were fairly complete, but the more they analyzed him, the more they felt that only experts at rank fifteen, sixteen, or perhaps even higher, would be a match for this demonkin. But in the Misty Wood, a pure increase in origin power rank didnt equate to an extension in perception range unless they possessed special sensory talents. According to current reports, Edens visual range was over four hundred meters, a number which only gave rise to more despair. The meeting inevitably fell into an impasse. Could it be that the only way to deal with this demonkin count was to invite a divine champion to take action? This wasnt a good idea at all because if a human divine-champion were to oversee the Misty Wood, the Evernight side would dispatch dukes in response. The battle would then escalate prematurely with neither side being well-prepared. While the Li familys base was in utter chaos, Qianye had completely yet another hunting session. Unlike Eden, the squads that encountered Qianye rarely had any survivors. He only attacked squads with a hundred or so people, harvesting nutrients both for himself and the purple substance. His current expedition had lasted half a month and Andruils realm was now full to the brim. After doing some math, he reckoned that his current contributions were enough to exchange for a standard second-rate merit, which should be equal to killing a mighty count. It was definitely time to go back. He finished his last cigarette in silence and tossed the butt onto the body of a werewolf at his feet. Then, he began walking in the direction of the base. Back on Evernight Continent, outside of Blackflow City. A convoy was approaching from the distance. There were only five cargo trucks in this motorcade surrounded by over twenty escort vehicles. The guard officer at the city gates had long since noticed the Dark Flame insignia on the vehicles but still performed a strict inspection process nonetheless. It just so happened that the gate captain was familiar with one of the captains on the convoy. He couldnt help but point at the cargo trucks and ask, Whats in there is so important that we need an entire regiment to escort it? The captain waved his hand and said in a hushed tone, Quiet! It was sent over from Wolf City. I dont know whats in the car, either. The higherups wont allow anyone to discuss these goods. Reportedly, only Chief Duan knows whats in there apart from the werewolves. The guard was alarmed. Is Chief Duan in the convoy? Of course! The chief himself is overseeing this. Do you understand now? Duan Hao was a veteran whom Song Zining had brought over from the Ningyuan Group and could be considered the most direct of subordinates. He had also received a great deal of resources and grooming from Song Zining. Duan Hao had also gained much from the continuous fights during the Bloody Battle. The life and death situations back then allowed him to break through several successive bottlenecks and become a champion. This almost made him the number one expert in Dark Flame below Song Zining and Qianye. Duan Haos talents were fairly limited, and the farthest he could reach might be rank eleven or twelve. However, champions born from the battlefield usually possessed combat strength far greater than their ranks. The convoy this time was actually being escorted by Duan Hao personally. From this, one could see just how important it was. The gate captain didnt dare ask more. He completed the inspection in due haste and let the motorcade in. The convoy only remained in the city for half an hour before heading toward the airship port. Moments later, a high-speed airship took to the skies and left rapidly. An officer in the guard tower put down his binoculars and gazed pensively at the fading airship. Then he recorded something on a piece of paper which he then hid away carefully. It was soon night and the end of this officers duty. He didnt return to the barracks after the change of guards and, instead, headed toward the bustling business district. Lone low-ranking officers like him werent rare in Dark Flame. When they werent on duty, most of them would go out to find some entertainment instead of staying in the dorms This officer hesitated for a while before heading into a small bar. There he sat down in a corner, ordered a bottle of wine, and began drinking slowly. Before long, a charming lady came to sit across in front of him. She shot a glance at the brand of wine and said, Wont you buy a round for me? I like this wine. The officer sighed as he held the ladys hand, which she pulled back with a frown. This unassuming action left a small sheet of paper in her hands. Moments later, the two parted unhappily after failing to negotiate a price. The lady lingered in the bar for a while but soon left in boredom. She observed the surroundings carefully before heading to a small inn nearby. There she entered a small room on the second floor and passed the paper to a man in his thirties. The man possessed clean facial features and an elegant temperament which seemed rather out of place in the clamorous, crude but lively Evernight Continent. He opened the paper under the lamplight and read every word in great detail. Not daring to disturb him, the lady just sat nearby without anything to do. The sound of rumbling machinery outside the window was constant, and the air was suffused with the smell of rust and steam. There was no way to keep that disgusting smell out even with the window tightly closed. The womans brows knitted tightly as she wrinkled her nose with an unhappy expression. The man glanced over after reading the paper. Theres no helping it. Now that were here, all we can do is endure the inconveniences. Cant we switch to another place? This place is too close to the kinetic tower, the woman complained. Blackflow Citys kinetic tower utilized black stone as fuel, a model that had been discontinued on the mainland since over a hundred years ago. A report about its loud noise, constant steam leakage, and low energy conversion efficiency could fill an entire document. But the good thing about it was that it wasnt a picky eater. Even the lowest quality of black stones would make it move, and it was also very durable. For instance, this big machine less than a hundred meters away from the inn had exceeded its lifespan for god knows how many years. But it was still running, and from the looks of things, it should keep running for many more years to comethe only things required were frequent repairs and maintenance. This kinetic tower was responsible for powering the old city section. The one Song Zining had built with his own money was naturally safe within Dark Flame walls. Its kinetic output was used solely to power the base and city defenses. The area around the kinetic tower naturally became a slum. The lowest rung of Blackflows commoner society and the inferior mercenaries didnt quite mind this environment. Only here would they be able to afford the food and rent. In truth, most of the cities in third or fourth-rate defensive regions were at the level of Blackflow Citys kinetic tower area. That was the true living standards of the abandoned land. The man burned the paper and pondered for a moment. This is the second batch this month. Hmm... Wolf City Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 618: Robbery [V6C148 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The man fished out a map. The markings upon it were extremely detailed, much more so than the expeditionary armys version and only slightly inferior to those of Dark Flames high-ranking officers. He glanced toward Blackflow Citys northwestthere were several new mines in the newly annexed region, all of them black stone, copper, and iron mines. These minerals werent worth much, and just the transportation costs to the major human cities on Evernight Continent far exceeded their value. The man mumbled, Mine mine dont tell me theyve found some rare ore vein near Wolf City? This is big news! The woman sighed after hearing this. Unfortunately, one can only enter and not leave the Wolf City. Only direct subordinate forces of Dark Flame are allowed free movement. I havent yet managed to rope in people from those squads. Do you want to mobilize those moles? The man smiled. Theres no need for that. Theres more than one way to find out just what theyre shipping. You run back and tell those big shots to keep an eye on the airships leaving Blackflow City, especially the high-speed ones. Theyll know what to do. Two days later, at Dark Flame headquarters. Song Zining was listening calmly to Song Hus report. Young Master, weve gone through two sweeps, but the spies from other powers keep increasing. Even if we do another round of cleaning, Im afraid it won''t be easy to wipe out those mice. Song Zining nodded. Let them be, just guard the core area well. Its not like we can kick every suspicious person out of the city. Well ignore them as long as they behave. With Dark Flames rapid expansion, it was inevitable that they would recruit large numbers of lower-ranking mercenaries and adventurers. These fellows would usually become ruffians and scoundrels whenever they were back in the city, but one couldnt deny that they were fairly strong. With some training, they would become qualified soldiers who could be sent directly to the battlefield. After numerous battles, the current Dark Flame had recruited over ten thousand mercenaries and adventurers in total. The other powers had naturally planted several spies among them, a common move among the aristocracy. Normally, these people were only useful for collecting information and wouldnt take things too far. Song Zinings policy was to either scatter these people and assign them to unimportant guard and patrol positions or concentrate them in training. As for the critical city defenses and the newly constructed Wolf City, all of them were garrisoned by Dark Flame veterans. The new Wolf City constructed on Count Stukas territory was even more tightly sealed. No mercenary or trade convoy was allowed to approachsimply crossing the cordon was considered a challenge. Song Hu reported a number of other everyday affairs, to which Song Zining only nodded. He was supposed to be fairly relaxed at this moment, but his expression turned somewhat odd all of a sudden. Song Hu soon understood the reasona little girl appeared behind Song Zining, where she grabbed ahold of his hair and climbed nimbly onto his head. There, she lay down like a cat that had found its litter. Song Hu tried his best not to chuckle. He pretended not to see Zhuji as he continued his reports. But Song Zining was no longer in the mood to listenhe grabbed Zhuji off of his head, pressed her onto his lap, and spanked her once with his folding fan. How many times have I told you not to climb onto my head! Zhuji moved her limbs about and turned to Song Zining with a wronged expression. Mama. Song Hu sprayed out the mouthful of tea he had just sipped. Song Zinings expression turned dark as he covered Zhujis little mouth with his hand. However, he pulled back almost immediately with a loud cry of painthere was now a neat row of distinct tooth-marks on his hand. Song Zinings expression was, for the lack of a better word, marvelous. He had already circulated origin power to protect his hand, but it was still bitten through. This wasnt the first time this had happened, either. Moreover, Zhuji was always precise with her bite. No matter how much origin power Song Zining used for defense, she would always go through it in one bite and leave tooth-marks on his hand. However, she would never actually puncture his skin and make him bleed. At this point, it was clear that serious discussions could no longer continue. Song Zining cut the conversation short and asked, When will the next batch leave? It should be three days later. Three days... I cant wait that long. The military has dispatched a formal transfer order, and I must head to the void continent battlefield tomorrow. Youll be in charge of the goods from now on. Remember, be very careful. After giving him several reminders, Song Zining allowed Song Hu to withdraw. Then, he picked up Zhuji, put her on the table, and spanked her several times with his fan. That attitude of yours never changes! After the round of beating, a helpless Song Zining found Zhuji enjoying the activity with her eyes closed. He hadnt held back at all with the disciplinary action just now, and the force was more than enough to break an adult mans leg. Yet this strength was little more than a massage to Zhuji. Song Zining wiped the sweat off his brows and tapped Zhuji on the head with his fan. I must say, youre nothing like a baby arachne! My strikes just now were enough to break even a grown arachnes limbs. Zhu Ji looked back at Song Zining with wide, vacant eyes. She simply had no idea what an arachne was. Song Zining could only laugh wryly. Zhuji had shed her shell once upon birth, and just a while ago, she had undergone yet another metamorphosis, raising her physical attributes to the next level. The former was already at a loss about how he should evaluate her. However, Zhujis intelligence growth wasnt obvious. She was still like a three-year-old human child and had awakened neither races traits or inheritances. Song Zining boarded a high-speed personal airship at dawn the second day. His only luggage apart from his weapons was Zhuji. At present, no one below the champion rank could handle the little girl. Only a handful of people like Nanhua could suppress her back in Dark Flame. Zhujis growth had far surpassed common sensesuch speed of awakening was unheard of, even among dark race members in their maturation phase. The most worrying part was that her intelligence wasnt maturing according to her strength. Song Zining couldnt foretell what kind of racial inheritance and memory she would obtain after her final awakening. Naturally, he didnt dare leave her in Blackflow City. The seventh young noble had secretly cursed Qianye countless times for washing his hands off of this matter. Another two days later, yet another airship left Blackflow City and flew toward the interior of the Evernight Continent. In the bridge, a wizened-looking captain was nervously observing the surrounding airspace. The young assistant beside him said with a smile, Weve run this route for too many times, and nothings ever happened before. What do you know? When has Evernight ever been peaceful? the old captain scolded. The assistant wasnt quite convinced. Its already a miracle if those bandits can get their hands on an airship. How will they dare approach our warship with their rundown vessels? Not to mention them, even three or four of the expeditionary armys hundred-year-old models arent our match. The old captain remained unmoved and kept on observing the airspace. The assistant glanced over at the fully equipped Dark Flame officer and asked in a whisper, Uncle Liu, what exactly do you think were shipping? Why are there so many escorts? The old captain glared at him. Have you forgotten Seventh Young Masters rules? Stop asking about things you shouldnt know. The assistant left mumbling in embarrassment. It was at this time that an officer sudden shouted, This is bad! Were being followed! The old captains expression turned serious as he rushed over to the cabin windows to observe. Several airships were rushing out from the clouds nearby and approaching rapidly. It was clear that these vessels were hostile. Merely judging from their speed, the people in the bridge knew they couldnt escape. The enemy airship at the van was long and slender with two flaps on each side akin to swaying fins. Surprisingly, this vessel was one of the empires cutting-edge destroyers. The captains expression was stern as he shouted, Battle stations! B-But... The assistants expression immediately turned ashen. He hadnt even finished speaking when the airship gradually turned about under the captains control and took aim at the attacking fleet. Moments later, the entire sky was filled with dense, rolling smoke as the airship bearing Dark Flames insignia fell burning to the ground. Its wreckage was scattered everywhere. The highspeed destroyer descended slowly and from it walked out a man in his thirties. Looking over at the two black cavities on his airship, he sighed. They actually caused such damage with that broken ship of theirs. I really wish to meet this enemy. But he shook his head after glancing at the wreckage before his eyes. No one from the Dark Flame side had emerged during the exchange, which meant that there were no champions on board. With the vessel in such shape, there was no way the people inside couldve survived. The man pointed forward and said, Search the ship carefully, dont let anything suspicious slip by! A hundred soldiers poured out of the airship and spread out into the battlefield to inspect the wreckage. These soldiers possessed powerful auras and their movements were well-coordinated, but there was no military insignia on their armor. Clearly, they were trying to hide their identity from other people. After a while, a certain officer arrived before that man. General, we found this. Six large crates were being carried over from behind the officer. These crates didnt look very big, but they were, in fact, extremely heavy. Six high-ranking warriors were required to move a single box. The crates themselves were made of high-quality alloy which allowed them to survive the airship crash. It was just that their surfaces were now uneven and somewhat deformed. The man walked over with his dagger drawn, circulated his origin power, and hacked off one of the locks. He then opened one of the crates to check the contents but closed the lid with a gasp immediately afterward. General, whats inside? An officer nearby was curious. You dont need to know. Enough, our mission has been accomplished. Load all the crates onto the airship and clean up the battlefield. Were leaving. That night, a number of people were sitting around a table inside a secret chamber. All of them were staring at a piece of ore with burning eyes. A long while later, a young man exhaled deeply and said, Such high-quality crystal iron ore is indeed rare. Crystal iron only forms under high temperature and pressure in environments abundant in origin power. Normally speaking, the higher the quality, the greater the reserves in the ore vein. This mine is extraordinary, to say the least! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 619: Wealth Moves Hearts [V6C149 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A middle-aged man nearby was studying every detail of the ore with a magnifying glass. Not just that, the formation of crystal iron ore might be accompanied by other rare minerals. Look at these yellow spots. If Im not wrong, this is terran gold. All eyes burned up upon hearing this name. Terran gold was an ore which appeared alongside other ores without a set patternthere was no way to figure out which ore vein would produce it. Its addition to an alloy would significantly raise the quality of the end product, and it was also a common material used in origin armaments at grade six. At grade seven and above, it becomes a necessity. However, the production of terran gold was sparse with all known mines being divided up by the giants of each faction. If this ore vein contained terran gold, just a finger-sized piece was enough to build a basic grade-eight weapon. I was wondering why the Ningyuan group accepted so many orders for top-grade weaponry. It turns out that theyve obtained a vein of crystal iron ore. We wouldn''t have discovered this secret if we werent asked to keep an eye on Blackflow City. This ore vein is likely within the Blackflow warzone, very likely around the locked-down Wolf City. Shall we take action, right away? The old man sitting at the center had said nothing since the beginning. At this point, he said slowly, We cant attack just like that. Song Zining has already secured a seat in Prince Greensuns advisory group, but thats likely because of his proficiency in currying favor. I heard Zhao Jundu had caused trouble for him before, and it was Zhang Munian who had stepped in to smooth things out. One has to know that the latter is Prince Greensuns nephew! Well have nothing to argue with if we attack rashly and somehow offended his excellency. This plan is impossible. The youngest person in the room was anxious. Its such a large vein of crystal iron ore! Dont tell me we can only look on helplessly as it falls into the brats hands? Even if even if Ultimately, he didnt dare say it out loud, no matter how brave he was. It was at this time that the middle-aged man put down the magnifying glass. He then said with a smile, Elder Shi is only saying we cant step in personally. In other words, we cant let other people know its us; there must be no evidence leading back to ourselves. But that isnt too hard, either. This accursed Evernight Continent maybe lacking in everything else but definitely not in bandits and mercenaries. The young man was startled. How are we going to use those useless mercenaries? The middle-aged man smiled. Theyre indeed useless, but our men arent. Moreover, we can recruit more of those who arent trash. The young man came to a sudden realization. At this time, the old man said, We can leak some of this information to the expeditionary army headquarters. Those old bastards are all carrion vultures. They have no reason to let such a big piece of meat go. But wont we have to share the crystal iron mine then? The old man laughed calmly. This piece of meat is too big for us to swallow on our own. Well still have to split some of it either way. In truth, its fine to share ownership of the mine on the condition that the products can only be sold to us. The middle-aged man praised, Wonderful plan! Those expeditionary army people are veterans at robbery. A certain person in the group seemed hesitant. Those expeditionary army big shots are wily old foxes. I fear they wont dare touch someone related to Prince Greensun. The old man said with a laugh, Wealth moves the heart. Evernight Continent is a place outside of the law, and theyve been local emperors for so long. Why wouldnt they dare? Moreover, even if they want to sit by and do nothing what if theres evidence already pointing toward them? Do you think theyll come down for a slice of the pie or wash themselves of it? Everyone was enlightened. Their gaze toward the old man was full of admiration and enthusiasm. Qianye turned many gazes upon returning to base. The base had grown livelier once more with an endless stream of combat squads moving through the entrance. The base in the distance was still in the process of expanding, almost as if there would never be enough space and facility for everyone. The arrival of forces from the major aristocratic families caused the in-camp population to almost double. This increased basic demands by several times. The noisy crowd actually quieted down after seeing Qianye approach. This momentary change was fairly noticeable. Some didnt recognize Qianye, but they could still feel the sharp killing intent rushing at their faces. Qianye calmly accepted their gazes as he walked into the base in large strides. Even more gazes fell upon Qianyes backthe box there was as tall as its owner, but the burden seemed not to affect him in the least. Hence, people couldnt quite guess what was within it. Only when Qianye had passed by did everyone feel their bodies lighten, almost as though an invisible boulder had been lifted. Many true experts were overwhelmed. What a powerful killing intent! Just how many people has he killed? The ambiance around the gates was soon restored, and the brief pause from just now was soon drowned out by the flow of people. Many people subconsciously chose to avoid topics related to Qianye. The flow of people in the base was too great. Qianye couldnt quite adapt to the situation on the main roads because he would subconsciously analyze the peoples openings and vitals as soon as they approached him. This had become a reflexive habit for the past half a month. He could no longer recall how many times he had killed his way into the dark race armies. There were enemies in every direction with countless blades, daggers, and origin bullets coming for him every second. Later on, combat and counterattack gradually became a part of his instincts. Every casual attack from him was as simple as it was lethal, cutting down even the most powerful of enemies in one strike. However, this habit was now proving a bit troublesome. At this moment, there were a dozen or so aristocratic families stationed in the base, and there was no shortage of experts among them. Although Qianye was focusing his full attention toward the front, he would naturally react once he had found an opening on someone else. The more powerful the targets cultivation, the more evident his reaction. Those veteran champions came close to activating their full combat powers out of reflex, feeling as though a prehistoric beast had locked onto them. Qianye discovered that something wasnt quite right after walking a hundred metershe began hiding his power and did his utmost to ignore the incoming crowd. Only in this manner did he manage to avoid causing a disturbance. Qianye soon arrived at the exchange area where he headed toward an empty counter. The logistics officer there looked up and cried out involuntarily, Its you? That plump face caused Qianye to frown slightly. What an unpleasant coincidence! This person was the officer whom Qianye had knocked over last time. His expression was fairly wretched, and it would seem that his displeasure didnt just appear after seeing Qianye. He was probably in a bad mood to begin with. Qianye got straight to the point. I wish to exchange contribution points, and these are the supplies I need. Ill be leaving right away. Right away? The logistics officers countenance transformed into a less unsightly version as he picked up the list and inquired. Normally, even squads of experts would need to recuperate for some time. The environments of the accursed Misty Wood made people feel stifled even without doing battle. Yes, immediately, Qianye replied. The officer shrugged. It seems youre trying quite hard for the rankings. Let me offer you a warning: the waters here are deep. Youd better not get involved without sufficient background. Understood, thank you. The officer shot up from his seat after glancing at the list. So many?! His loud voice attracted a lot of gazes. There were a dozen or so half-open reception counters in the area, and most of them were currently occupied. Qianye nodded in confirmation. Yes, I need these. Thats not considered a lot. T-This isnt a lot? Are you planning to behead a count on your own? The officer laughed wryly. The numbers on the military supply list Qianye had passed him were simply too big. For instance, he needed a hundred Mithril Bullets of Exorcism from every type and five hundred standard mithril containing handgun bullets. As for Thunderbolt rounds, he needed thirty of them, five of which had to be Refined Silver Bullets of Extreme Yang. The demand for an entire aristocratic family squad wasnt that much higher than him. The main issue was that Qianye was alone. The logistics officer couldnt help but ask again, Umm Sire Qianye, are you sure you need that much ammunition? The officer was fairly tactful in his words. High-grade origin guns imposed a significant drain on the users origin power. Even champions at rank thirteen might not use that many bullets in a dozen battles. As the officer saw it, Qianye could use this stock for half a year. Qianye didnt offer any explanation and merely replied with a smile, Yes, I want that much. The logistics officer wiped the sweat off his forehead. These numbers are beyond my authority. Ill need to report this matter to a superior officer and gain his approval. Please wait a while. Qianye nodded and proceeded to sit down quietly. Moments later, the logistics officer returned with a thin colonel. The latter asked after sizing Qianye up from head to toe, Youre Qianye? Qianye replied with a frown as the mans tone was apparently quite rude, I am, whats the matter? The colonels smile was somber. General Qianyes ammunition request is rather significant. However, our Li familys armory is well-stocked and its not as if we cant provide this amount. But how are you going to pay for this batch of ammunition? Gold coins, weapons, or contribution points? Qianye gave it some thought before replying, Contributions. The value of this batch of ammunition was nothing to scoff at. Qianye didnt have that many gold coins on him. Moreover, he hadnt received a satisfactory explanation regarding the two Umbral Edges last time. It was only natural that he wouldnt put more high-end weapons into the Li familys hands. In any case, there were so many aristocratic families in the base and none of them were lacking in wealth. He could just find a couple of random families to sell all his equipment. The colonel was disappointed after hearing this response because, without gold coins passing through his hands, he would no longer have the opportunity to shave off some benefits. The colonel gestured for the logistics officer to bring the registration book. He then flipped through the pages and said, General Qianye, the contribution points under your name isnt enough to pay for the ammunition. Qianye replied, Contributions? Oh, I have some here. With that, he lifted the box beside him and banged it onto the table. The counter made of hardwood actually cracked open from the impact. From this, one could see how heavy the box was! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 620: Contribution Conflic t [V6C150 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] T-This The logistics office walked up and opened the box. In the end, the contents poured out with a crash and almost buried him. So many! How come theres so many!!! the logistics officer exclaimed as he struggled free. He had just seen what it was that had crashed onto his body. They were vampiric fangs, werewolf skins with totemic tattoos, demonkin heads, arachne nuclei, etc. All of them were things that could serve as proof of contribution. Of course, a good part of them were military insignias representing the dark race combat squads. Just like imperial soldiers, high-ranking dark race warriors possessed tokens of identity. These insignias were highly durable and wouldnt be completely destroyed in most cases, hence their value as proof of contribution. Especially in large-scale wars, it wasnt a great idea to go around carving heads and body parts after eliminating every squad. What shocked everyone was the sheer number of these insignias. There were so many of them that the logistics officers calves were buried in themthere should be thousands of them at the very least. Even for an all-out war, this was an outstanding number. One had to know that only regular army soldiers possessed insignias. These troops were the core of the organized armies and would always be accompanied by numerous rookies and cannon fodder. On the Evernight side, a standard ten-thousand-strong army consisted of little over a thousand regular soldiers. Even if the troops passing through the Misty Wood were all elites, they would still be accompanied by cannon-fodder and ordinary soldiers. They might not number in the tens of thousands, but such a squad was more than enough to beat most aristocratic combat squads. Moreover, one could see a fair number of high-grade insignias in this small mountain, not to mention spoils representing dark race nobility like their vampiric fangs. The colonel was shocked out of his wits after witnessing this scene. He calmed himself down with great difficulty and shot a glance at Qianye. His expression seemed rather complicated, but the evil in his eyes grew even more intense. The colonel kicked the logistics officer and shouted, Stop staring, get all free personnel here and start counting! The logistics officer snapped out of his reverie and bolted away. He returned with a dozen or so men after a brief moment. These people were quite familiar with the registration process, yet it still took over an hour of concentrated effort. Finally, the proofs of contribution were all counted and filled into the register. Qianye would check on them from time to time and was quite satisfied to find no big discrepancy in the appraisal. These were all skilled staffdespite the occasional fluctuation in grade, there werent any obvious errors like a viscount fang being appraised as a barons. The colonel watched on with his hands folded and his back leaning on the wall, his eyes flickering with malice. His expression changed evidently as he picked up the register and gave it a glance. The final numbers had far exceeded his expectations. This meant that Qianyes targets were all high-ranked experts and not cannon fodder. The colonel suddenly fished out a pen and drew a line across the column containing the insignias Qianye had collected. Owing to the sheer number of emblems Qianye had submitted, this column represented almost half of his total contribution points. These contributions are temporarily on hold. The colonel ordered as he passed the book back. The logistics officers expression froze up, but he actually said nothing on the spot. Hold it! Qianye reached out and held the booklet. Why are these contributions not counted? Why? Do you need to ask why? The colonel sneered. He sized Qianye up from head to toe with an unfriendly expression. A cold intent emerged in Qianyes eyes. Of course I must ask. The colonel said in a relaxed tone, Your insignias add up to a thousand-strong squad at least. Dont tell me you won them all on your own? Perhaps you picked them up from somewhere? Maybe these insignias arent authentic at all. We must investigate this matter thoroughly before issuing your contributions. At this point, the colonel laughed coldly. The empires contributions are a serious matter. They are only rewarded to warriors who fight for the empire with their lives on the line, not something just anyone can falsify! Qianye pointed slowly at the ground. This is the Misty Wood, you know. Do you dare say that one more time? The colonel froze up. So what if its the Misty Wood? The identity insignias of the regular armies werent easy to forge. Moreover, the main use of such objects is to count casualties on the front lines, so there wasnt a need to forge them, either. And the Misty Wood was no ordinary battleground because the purple substance would swallow everything clean after a while. Even high-grade weapons werent an exception, to speak nothing of an alloy plate. There was no possibility of picking anything up. There was no way the colonel had thought this through since he was only spouting a random excuse. Qianye said calmly, Do you also not count other peoples insignias? The question was intentional. In fact, there were two aristocratic families submitting insignias for registration. The process there was naturally quite smooth. The colonel was furious. I suspect your insignias are suspicious. Are you deaf? Did you not hear me? Qianye replied slowly, That means, the Li family is planning to embezzle these insignias and contribution points? Qianyes words caused the entire exchange area to turn silent. He hadnt raised his voice, and his tone was also quite calm. However, his voice echoed clearly in everyones ears. The colonel was shocked. The flames of rage surged up as he shouted, What are you doing? Are you trying to incite trouble? Qianyes expression remained unchanged, and his tone was just as calm. Youre not counting these insignias. Does this mean the Li family is looking to embezzle them? This time, Qianyes voice was filled with origin power. The windows surrounding the exchange area shattered, and his voice traveled far across the base. Countless gazes were drawn toward this place and people began crowding near the exchange area. These words were just too sensitive. Up to this point in the war, the expansion of dark race forces had far surpassed the empires expectations, and they would soon enter a phase involving organized armies. There was a fundamental difference between a single viscount and a viscount leading a hundred elites. If insignias werent being counted, whats the point in fighting? Moreover, a large number of insignias was more convincing as proof of contribution compared to submitting proof for a small number of experts. This proved that an elite squad of the Evernight army had been wiped out, and its value far exceeded the death of disorganized warriors with empty titles. The bigger the crowd, the angrier the colonel became. His finger trembled as he pointed at Qianye. Y-You, are you mad?! Im telling you, nothing good will come out of blowing things up. This daddy here will find someone to kill you! Qianye looked on with cold eyes. He was about to speak again, and this time, his origin power was rippling outward with great momentumapparently, the entire base would hear him this time. The colonels expression grew pale. He suddenly cried out, Robbery at the exchange area, seize him! It would seem his authority was quite high normally. Despite the chaos, several soldiers nearby responded to his call and moved toward Qianye. The colonel himself took several steps back. He secretly drew his handgun and stared intently at Qianye with a sinister expression, waiting for the latter to attack. Qianye could be easily framed once he had killed or injured one of the guardseven killing him on the spot wasnt out of the question. In the off chance that Qianye didnt resist, the colonel had plans to bring him into an isolated cell where he would be forced to confess to whatever the latter wished. The colonel was looking forward to Qianyes gunshot because that would give him ample reason to pull the trigger. There was a high-caliber black-titanium bullet in his handgun. The target would surely be crippled, if not dead outright. Qianye remained still as the guards rushed over. His gaze was firmly on the colonel, looking at him as he would, a dead person. A sudden shout emerged from outside at this critical moment. Hold it! This roar was infused with intense origin power and came surging in like thunder. Even the frames of the shattered windows werent sparedall of them rattled, cracked, and fell down. For a moment, even those with high cultivation felt their heads spinning. The Li family soldiers naturally couldnt endure the impact. They were sent into immediate disarray and almost collapsed to the ground. Soon, a figure rushed in between Qianye and the guards. The guards had barely regained their footing when they saw, to their great shock, the person who had just arrived. Elder Steward! The one who had arrived was Li Weishi. He had never offended anyone during normal times. Who wouldve thought a single shout from him possessed so much power. The man hadnt given Qianye a satisfactory explanation last time, but he didnt seem to have any bad intentions, either. Qianye said with a smile, Youre pretty fast. Li Weishi laughed wryly, I ran over with all my might after hearing your voice. Things wouldve gotten serious if I had gotten here just a bit later. Qianye glanced around and said calmly, Its not that small now, either. Li Weishis turned pale after checking his surroundings. There were several aristocratic family combat squads in the exchange area looking over thoughtfully and with interest. There were many people rushing over from outside, and even the entrance had become fully congested. Li Weishis forehead was drenched in cold sweat. He bowed hurriedly toward the crowd and said, It was just a small misunderstanding just now. Please give our Li family some face and disperse here. The audience broke into spirited chatterthey seemed to have no intention of meddling, but it would seem they werent planning on leaving, either. Speaking frankly, many among the aristocracy were attendants and lineal scions of great status. These people had no need to give the Li family excessive respect. Li Weishi saw that the situation wasnt quite right. He observed the scene thoroughly and then pointed at the small mountain of insignias. Theyre all yours? Indeed. Astonishment flashed through Li Weishis eye, but he soon calmed himself and shouted at the colonel, Li Ji, whats going on? The colonel said with a cold smile, He collected so many insignias in such a short period. Of course, I have to investigate things thoroughly. Who knows where he picked them up from... His words hadnt even ended when Li Weishi slapped the man with a bang. This attack was so fast and powerful that it sent the colonel into a daze. The man held his face with a blank expression. Y-You, you dare hit me?! Li Weishi shouted with a stern voice, Youve thrown away the Li familys prestige entirely! Scram immediately! Pack up your things and return immediately to the family. You wont get away so easily the next time I see you! After the reprimand, Li Weishis anger subsided, but his voice remained stern. Do you think the second elder will protect you still? Even he will have to face consequences if this matter blows up. The colonel was livid. He glared fiercely at Li Weishi and said through gritted teeth, You, just you wait. This matter wont end here. Ill definitely play with you once I get back! Li Weishi sneered, Anytime. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 621: Suppressed [V6C151 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The colonel hurriedly left because continuing this conversation would only result in his humiliation. He glared at Qianye in rage and was surprised to find that Qianye was also examining him in due seriousness. What the hell are you looking at? The colonel lashed out. Qianye said with a smile, Nothing much, just memorizing that face of yours. These words were spoken calmly, but everyone understood the meaning within. Killing one another was, of course, impossible in the Li family base. However, Li Jis outlook didnt look too great if they were to meet again in the wilderness or on the battlefield. The colonel quickly turned pale, and he gripped his handgun even tighter as he hurried away. Judging from the direction, however, he seemed to be headed straight for the main camp, clearly to call upon the second elder. Li Weishi glanced askance at the colonels receding figure with obvious killing intent in his eyes. Afterward, he turned about and asked, Have General Qianyes contribution points been counted? The dumbstruck logistics officer broke into a sweat. Its been completed. We only need General Qianye to confirm! Qianye signed the booklet immediately since he had nothing to dispute after adding the insignias back into the sum. Only at this point did Li Weishi have the time to glance at the results. The numbers there startled him to no endit was almost as though his eyes had gone blurry. Qianye had actually collected an inferior first-rate merit during the most recent hunt. This contribution was equal to killing a mighty marquis of the Evernight faction. Qianye naturally had no way to kill a character of such a level, but it was exactly because he had accumulated kills to such an extent that Li Weishi was even more astonished. Li Weishi had naturally seen Qianyes information and remembered quite well that the latter had accumulated a second-rate merit during the bloody battle. That was already a terrifying number, yet this time, he had harvested a first-rate merit in less than a month! The man was clear as to what this meantit was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter. It could be said that the iron curtain battle had exaggerated the accomplishments of those geniuses who were unmatched among their peers. However, there was no such advantage in the Misty Wood. At the thought of this, Li Weishis back was drenched in cold sweat. He felt relieved that he had acted quickly just now and handled things decisively. Otherwise, even the defensive forces of this base wouldnt be able to capture him if they had broken out in hostilities. Qianye would definitely be able to break out of the encirclement and the situation thereafter would be unsalvageable. Moreover, none of this was taking into account his complicated background. Li Weishis attitude became even more polite after seeing direct proof of Qianyes combat strength. Under his supervision, the entire registration process was completed smoothly. The crowd nearby also dispersed gradually since there was nothing more to see. There were, however, a few who stayed behind in an attempt to rope Qianye into their combat squads. That box wasnt merely proof of Qianyes contributions. It was also a testimony of Qianyes ferocity in harvesting accomplishments. Any group capable of recruiting him would likely be undefeatable on the rankings. Soon, someone came forth through the crowd and said, General Qianye, would you be interested in joining our Yuanyin Lu Family? Although our Lu family is only a lower rank aristocratic family, were willing to support you with the entire strength of our family. Anything is negotiable as long as you can help us take first place on the rankings! Moreover, our family has a pair of sisters only sixteen years of age and at the prime of their youth. We can offer them to you. Eh? General, dont go General! Li Weishi acted promptly and dragged Qianye out of the crowd. Qianye noticed at this point that he had misjudged Li Weishi. This branch family member appeared fairly mediocre and his origin power seemed have reached the end of its potential, however, its purity was far above the standard. Even those at the same level would be easily pushed to the side with a light nudge. In terms of purity, the man was already comparable to people at Zhao Jundus level. Li Weishi ran about with Qianye in tow and finally managed to escape the aristocratic families. The man panted a couple of times after reaching a quiet place and said with a wry smile, Brother Qianye, our Li family has indeed wronged you this time. Please dont take it to heart. How about this? You go back and rest first, and Ill bring the things to you personally at night. Additionally, Id also like to drink with you as an apology. Qianye said with a smile, Its nothing major. Id bet the second elder ordered him to cause trouble for me. Li Weishi sighed indignantly. Li Tianquans branch is acting unscrupulously in their quest for power! Now that things have escalated to this point, I wont let them go so easily. The matter today has harmed our Li familys clean reputation. If I can manipulate things correctly, I might be able to kick Li Tianquan back to the family. Qianye shook his head. No rush, I have a bet with the second elder. If I can take the first place on the rankings, both the Stillwater Rebirth and Cloud Pearl will be mine. Li Weishi said with a nod, I heard about that too. Li Tianquan was so intent on driving you away that he has made this matter rather well-known. He hopes, by doing this, to prove how arrogant and ignorant you are. Heh, heh, Qianye, you dont need to take a bet made in anger so seriously! At this point, he seemed to recall something all of a sudden. Y-You dont tell me youre seriously going for the top rank? Qianye only smiled. Li Weishi was somewhat stunned, and his intended response trailed off into an awkward laugh. Although he had lost a fair bit of authority after Li Tianquans arrival, something as major as the contribution rankings couldnt be hidden from him. The contributions Qianye had brought back were indeed significant, so much so that he was a large margin ahead of the others. There were some squads that still hadnt returned just yet, but most of the others were already back for supplies, including two of the Li clans units. The contributions these people had submitted were a far cry from Qianyesit was already quite good if they could squeeze out a second-rate merit. However, these complete squads were at least several dozens strong. How could the contributions harvested by entire squads be less than Qianye alone? The deadline was forty days away, but Qianye could go back to do battle all the same. If his performance was just as crazy on his next return... Li Weishi trembled. He didnt dare continue the thought, but the possibility still emerged in his mind. Could it be that Qianye would really take the first place on the boards? The notion was indeed outrageous. Even a slim chance was shocking because one had to know that Qianye was but a single person. Li Weishi maintained his smile as he accompanied Qianye to his residence. After which, he left with many thoughts in his mind. At dusk, Li Weishi arrived as promised with a heavy box of ammunition in tow. He was also accompanied by a number of other aristocratic family members. One could tell from his expression that he wasnt that willing to bring these people over, yet it seemed he couldnt refuse them outright, either. Those people had come to buy dark race weapons from Qianye. They had witnessed the ruckus at the exchange area during the daytime and naturally realized that Qianye had only turned in proof of contribution and no weapons. Seeing as how he could bring out so many insignias, it was quite likely that he would have some high-grade goods in hand, no matter how difficult they were to carry. After hearing of their intentions, Qianye brought out a number of daggers without hesitation. Among them were two Umbral Edges, three vampiric blades, and a knifeall of them were more or less equal in quality. The guests were fairly satisfied since the items were fairly high-grade despite the small number. Moreover, they were good items of vampire and demonkin make. It was reasonable that Qianye couldnt carry too many weapons back on his own. These people didnt linger around after the deal was struck and promptly excused themselves after reaching an agreement regarding future purchases. Qianye gained a small fortune after selling the weapons, with tens of thousands of gold coins in his wallet. Li Weishi had wanted to speak when Qianye promised to give these people priority in selling dark race weapons, but he chose to remain silent after recalling the two Umbral Edges. Qianye was quite satisfied with how appropriate Li Weishi was in his behavior, and the two exchanged some basic pleasantries before Qianye saw the man out. Qianye didnt remain in the base for very long. He didnt even stay the night before leaving the base and once again vanishing into the Misty Wood. It was deep into the night, but the lights in Li Tianquans office were still glowing brightly. He was pacing about in his room amidst the fragments of torn paper and shattered chinaware. He had shattered several of his beloved porcelain items in a fit of anger. However, this did little to reduce the fury in his heart. If anything, the heartache intensified his wrath even more. That colonel called Li Ji was from his wifes branch of the clan and the two lineages were closely related. This person was usually quite handy, but he had failed so bad this time and actually stirred up such a big fuss. The Li familys contribution rankings were under great scrutiny this time as it involved the Storm Pearl and Stillwater Rebirth. Who would dare play tricks under such a situation? His promise with Qianye was already pushing it. Yet, this Li Ji had actually attempted to cross off Qianyes contributions. The man had likely acted after observing Li Tianquans intentions, and it could be considered his merit if done in a clever manner. However, things would be practically unsalvageable if they were blown out of proportions. Speaking frankly, it was also because of Qianyes shocking accomplishments. If the Li family dared bully such an expert today, there was no telling which aristocratic family they would take advantage of tomorrow. Although it was a fact that the Li family didnt think much of the other nobility, this wasnt something one could just put out in the open. These aristocratic families shared complicated relationships due to their marital and lineal relationships. It wasnt difficult at all for them to spread the word about this matter. At that time, public clamor would override the truth, and there was no telling how much of these rumors would reach the clan lords ears. At the thought of this, Li Tianquan secretly rejoiced about Li Weishis appropriate handling of the matter. Otherwise, if the two sides were to break into a fight, their Li familys reputation would hit rock bottom even if they could successfully capture Qianye. At that point, his status as second elder wouldve reached the end. Li Tianquan was both relieved and furious. He snorted loudly and exclaimed, This little animal again! He became increasingly furious as he thought about it. How dare this Qianye be so bold as to cause such a clamor? Does he think Li Tianquan is so easily taken advantage of? Men. Li Tianquan had regained his calm and was back behind the desk when the timid clerk walked in. Clean up this place and bring those people over. The young clerks face went slightly pale. She was apparently quite apprehensive as she reconfirmed the order. D-Do you mean those people? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 622: Invitation [V6C152 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Tianquan responded impatiently, Of course! Be quick about it! Yes, sir. The clerk was clearly trembling as she left. It would seem she wasnt quite willing to come into contact with these people. Qianye didnt go very far after leaving the base. He promptly went to a blind spot where no one could observe him and placed the box of ammunition into Andruils realm while producing two crates from within. He then coated the containers with a layer of tree sap and hid them in one of the tree-trunks. The giant trees sap would fool the forest into thinking that the box was a part of the tree, effectively preventing it from devouring the latter. This was something Qianye discovered accidentally. It was just that this kind of preservation wouldnt last very long since the sap was only effective for a couple of days. After setting things up, Qianye checked the time and hurried back to the Li family. This time, he stopped at the borders of the Misty Wood where he could make out a dozen or so people under the hazy sky, seemingly waiting for something. Qianye observed briefly before walking out of the Misty Wood and toward these people. The leader of this group was a chubby middle-aged man, whose eyes lit up upon seeing Qianye. He quickly stepped forward and said fervently, General Qianye is indeed trustworthy and prompt. Haha, I cant say it feels good to wait in this damned place. Qianye didnt exchange pleasantries with the man and only said, Follow me. He brought the group in a circle through the Misty Wood for half an hour before finally arriving beneath the tree where he had prepared the crates. Qianye leapt onto the treetop, retrieved the crates, and placed them in front of the chubby man. The mans anxious eyes lit up as he opened the container. Unable to contain his joy, the chubby man rubbed his hand and said repeatedly, Good, good! All great stuff! Although the highest rank Qianye had killed this time was only a first-rank viscount, all of them were Evernight faction elites with no lack of famed clan scions among them. He couldnt collect all of their equipment, so the ones he did bring back were the cream of the crop. The chubby middle-aged man picked up a vampiric blade and appraised it carefully. This craftsmanship and material, I havent seen such goods in a long time. Look at these patterns, everyone, its not something youll find just anywhere. This vampiric blade should be from the Lakins family, and quite likely from its main branch, too. Just these decorative motifs alone will raise its price by thirty percent! In Qianyes eyes, a vampiric edge was only differentiated by material and qualitythose decorations looked all the same to him. Qianye also came to admire the man quite a bit. Mister Lu has good taste. The chubby middle-aged man laughed. Our Yuanyin Lu Family has been doing this business for centuries. Its merely an inherited ability to make a living, nothing compared to the big things you do, Brother Qianye! Have you considered my offer from yesterday? Our Lu family is in need of a core pillar of support like you. As long as youre willing to come to us, not only will we betroth the clan lords daughter to you, but well also throw in the two sisters I mentioned yesterday as concubines. Qianye was somewhat astonished. Arent those sisters one of your elders granddaughters? So what if they are? This is a serious matter related to the next hundred years of the clans growth, not to mention that a concubine marriage cant even be considered a sacrifice. If there are any other girls you like in our family, theyll be included as concubines, too. Qianye broke into a laugh. All the aristocratic families he had met were of the same viewthey were willing to sacrifice anything or anyone for their clans. Of course, the ones to be ceded were usually the less important members and branch families. The true top-seats were always waiting to enjoy the fruits of these sacrifices. This time, the Lu family was even willing to let go of their elders granddaughtersthis was truly a big investment. The Lu family is very kind, but is all of this worth it just for first place on the rankings? Qianye wasnt too sure about the actual effects of the Storm Pearl, but even if it was worth more than Stillwater Rebirth, there had to be some limit to it. Otherwise, how could it have been put up for grabs? The ownership of such treasures was usually decided behind the curtains following brief clashes between powerhouses. There was hardly any news of them under normal circumstances. The Lu family, regardless of its strength, was also a part of the aristocratic lineup. It also possessed hundreds of years of accumulation despite only being a lower-ranked family. Qianye felt that it was a bit too excessive for them to promise a wife and accompanying concubines just to recruit a commoner of unknown origins. The middle-aged man replied with a laugh, The rankings mean nothing to us. Were only here to join in on the fun and see if theres any profit we can gain from it. The main point for us is to do business. Stillwater Rebirth is fine, but the Storm Pearl is simply too much for us, we have no intention of taking it. Theres no way to keep such a thing safe even if we can snatch it. Its a different story for General Qianye, though! The chubby mans eyes shone brightly as he sized Qianye up from head to toe, almost as though he were appraising a rare object. A chill ran down Qianyes spinehe had a feeling the other party wouldve pounced over if he werent apprehensive of Qianyes strength. Despite that, the chubby man continued examining Qianye thoroughly as though he were appreciating a treasure under a magnifying glass. General Qianye, marriage is but the root of self-preservation. If youre willing to work sincerely for our family, youll not only receive the same treatment as our lineal descendants, but youll also be able to enter the elder assembly depending on your accomplishments. Your next generation will inherit your rights, and after three generations, their status will be no different from the Lu family scions. They can even strive for the clan lords position. It wasnt rare for the aristocracy to recruit experts by letting them join the family, but sons-in-law would, at most, be allowed to establish a branch family. It was impossible for them to join the contest for the clan lord position. The Vastnorth Zhang Clan was of the same roots as the Greensun Zhang Clan. This was the reason why they had separated themselves from the main family back in the year. The Lu familys willingness to make such a promise to Qianye was a great display of their sincerity. But Qianye shook his head in the end. The matter is too far ahead, lets discuss this later. The middle-aged man wasnt annoyed at the polite refusal, and neither did he give up. Indeed theres no rush, please take your time to think about it for a while. Do visit our Lu family if the opportunity arises and meet our clan lords daughter, as well as the other sisters. Perhaps you might change your mind at that point. The mans subordinates didnt stand idly by while the two were chatting away. Led by three elderly stewards, they took out the items one by one and appraised them. These people seemed extremely familiar with the work and were very likely the backbone of the family business. After the prices had been approved by Qianye, they registered the weapons and packed them up once more. The equipment were in a huge mess since he had never tidied them up after getting his hands on them. The stewards felt great pain at the sight of this. They cleaned and maintained each piece with care before packing them into specialized boxes. Qianye looked over them briefly, but he no longer paid them much attention after finding that the prices offered were quite fair. The middle-aged man spoke quite a bit in an attempt to persuade Qianye, but he changed the topic promptly after seeing that the latter had no intention to yield. Sire Qianye, if youre satisfied with our cooperation this time, I wonder if youd consider selling future goods to us too? I guarantee the price will be fair and there shall be no slip-ups unlike the Li family. This chubby man was quite shamelessQianye quickly went from brother to sire now that he had something to request. Qianye gave it some thought and nodded. He felt that it would be convenient for him to have a fixed channel through which to dump his spoils of war. Moments later, the equipment had all been checked and Qianye emerged tens of thousands of gold coins richer than before. Naturally, the Lu family man paid him in high-purity black crystals. Otherwise, just the bulk of these gold coins would be quite significant. After the conclusion of the deal, Qianye pointed them back in the direction of the base while he himself left for the woods. After the Qianyes silhouette vanished, the chubby man broke out in cold sweat and could hardly stand still. One of his followers came to support him and asked in a whisper, Master, are we just going to let him go? A large part of the Lu familys underground business involved the trade of dark race weapons, with companies on every major content. Devouring other underground businesses wasnt a rare occurrence for them. This subordinate used to be a bandit before he was subdued by the Lu family and could be considered a fierce character who had taken many lives. The man was quite covetous since tens of thousands of gold coins was a couple of months work for an entire trade caravan. However, his question only brought him a slap. The fatty shouted, Did you get kicked in the head by a mule? Didnt you ever stop to think if you, Liu Laosan, can afford to offend someone who can bring out that many weapons? Not to mention were in the Misty Wood, he only needs one hand to deal with ten of you even if we were outside of the forest. Liu Laosan was startled upon hearing this. He asked while covering his slapped cheek with one hand, Master, do you mean he robbed all these weapons by himself? How is that even possible? Is he even human? The chubby man from the Lu family sneered, Didnt you see? Even the Li family cant deal with him. Otherwise, how can it be our turn to get this deal? The Lu family had bought these equipment at a price twenty percent higher than the Li familys. However, some of the special equipment couldve been converted to contribution points with the latter, so it was hard to say who had profited off of this deal. The followers remained quiet in fear. There were some who had the same thoughts as Liu Laosan, but the notion had been dispelled entirely at this point. The middle-aged man shouted, Stop thinking about other stuff, lets move out. Be wary on the road or itll be your own fault if you get slaughtered by those black-blooded bastards! The subordinates began packing up to leave. Everyone was excited and their steps were brisk after thinking about their bonuses for this bountiful harvest. The Lu family squad gradually walked away, but no one actually noticed Qianye standing on a treetop a couple hundred meters away. He heard the interesting conversation and couldnt help but smilethis Lu fatty was a smart person, and it might be possible to work more with him in the future. Qianye leapt up and glided through the woods like a bird, and when he gradually landed, it was on the branch of another giant tree. There, he tapped his feet lightly and flew yet again into the distance. The Bai clans old castle had been reconstructed completely into a dark race fortress. Within the majestic main building, Elder Preston of the Dark Abyss was reading a thick stack of battle reports with a stern expression. His subordinate forces had suffered great casualtiesover a thousand regular soldiers had fallen and even a number of his clan members. One had to know that the Dark Abyss was a famed demonkin clan, and the core descendants they had brought outside to train were barons at least. It wasnt difficult for a baron from a famed clan to kill ordinary third-rank viscounts. Moreover, their demonkin secret arts shouldve allowed them to escape with their lives in the face of an unbeatable enemy. But now, there were three sets of casualty reports. This meant that three clan members had forever returned to the deepest dark. The demonkin couldnt procreate very easily, however, every clan member with superior bloodline possessed great potential. There werent many instances of such casualties in the most recent decade, even in all-out battles against the empire. He tossed the death reports to one side and picked up another list. This was a document on Edens contributions. Preston finally revealed a smile after seeing the solid record. Eden had grown valiant following humiliation and had almost caught up to his brothers in less than a month. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 623: Abnormal Traces [V6C153 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] But this small happiness wasnt enough to lighten his worries. Prestons brows furrowed as he once again picked up a battle report. His many years of experience and the intuition the demonkin were so proud of told him that there was something hidden within this reportsomething that warranted his full attention. Qianye almost forgot the flow of time in the dozen or so days that followed. His life strayed little from searching, hunting, cleaning up the battlefield, and then cultivating to restore his origin power. These details rotated continuously as though they would never end. Add to that the fact that all of this was happening in the uniform environment of the Misty Wood, the stifling sensation almost made one go crazy. Qianye never slept and only used cultivation to substitute for rest. The endless supply of origin distillate in the Misty Wood afforded him boundless growth in origin power for as long as he could keep digesting it. And the battlesbe it against dark races or fierce beastsbrought him vast amounts of blood energy. After suffering a couple of times, Qianye was fairly careful in using Life Plunder. At least, he no longer made the earlier mistake of using Life Plunder after arriving in the midst of a group with Spatial Flashthe amount of essence blood drawn from a hundred elites brought him to the verge of bursting. The other reason Qianye didnt sleep was because his eyes would be filled with images of the dark race combat squads the moment he closed his eyes. He saw countless swords and spears rushing at him while the sounds of gunshot and slaughter echoed in his ears. Only by keeping his eyes open could he extricate himself from these illusions. Yet, once he opened his eyes, all he could see was a scene of unchanging giant tree and mistthat was even more depressing. Time went by in this fashion, and the soldiers in the Misty Wood only grew in number. It was as though there was no end to them. Moreover, the number of powerful experts had also increased. Qianye even encountered two fellows on the same level as Eden. He had no choice but to retreat after a short exchange because the enemy reinforcements had arrived. At one point, he was fortunate enough to encounter a small patrol squad of a couple dozen soldiers. Qianye naturally helped himself to them without holding back. The baron-level captains shield caught Qianyes attention as he was cleaning up the battlefield. This shield had actually blocked a stab from his vampiric edge. Apparently, it was made of extraordinary materials. One had to know that the vampiric blade Qianye had been using was so sharp that it could pierce through most heavy shields. Qianye didnt spend too long sweeping the battlefield and duly placed the shield into Andruils realm. Just after raising his hand, he was startled to find that Andruils realm was now full. Time to go back. A notion emerged in Qianyes mind. How many days has it been since I came out? The moment this query emerged, Qianye knew that something was wrong with him. It would seem the unending battles, the unchanging forest, and the otherwise silent ambiance had unknowingly placed too much pressure on him. This phenomenon was quite common among soldiers, especially veteran warriors who had been fighting year round on the front lines. It was also quite easy to deal with it. All one had to do was leave the battlefield for a while and get some rest. Returning home, for instance, was a good way to recover from this state. Qianye decided to leave after discovering his problem. The road back to the base was much longer than he had anticipated. It would seem he had unknowingly ventured deep into the Misty Wood and was quite close to the central caverns. The forest was just as monotonous, but Qianye noticed a small black dot on the branch of a giant tree hundreds of meters away. At this distance, ordinary people simply couldnt see this nail-sized dot of black and red. However, Qianyes superior vision could clearly tell that it was a half-dry drop of blood. Seeing blood in the Misty Wood was proof that a battle had taken place not long ago. Otherwise, the blood wouldve been broken down by the mist even before it could dry out. Qianye retracted his aura and faded into the mist before gradually approaching the area. He had encountered several battles during his time in the forest, but he would only lend a hand if the empires side was in danger and leave quietly in any other situation. It was fine if there wasnt a contribution ranking to consider, but now, he might be mistaken for stealing contribution points if he were to jump into battle. Moreover, Qianye wasnt too keen on dealing with these aristocratic families anyway. He moved like the wind and soon arrived near the giant tree, where traces of a recent battle appeared before his eyes. The scene here was bitter with corpses strewn about everywhere and hundreds of soldiers left dead from each faction. Judging from their apparel, there were viscount grade experts from both factions who had fallen here. It was likely an encounter between an aristocratic family squad and a small subunit from the Evernight side. However, the two sides had fought a desperate battle ending in mutual destruction. At the very least, Qianye didnt find any traces of a large force in the vicinity. It would seem there were very few survivors since there wasnt anyone to clean up the corpses of those high-ranking experts. Qianye didnt rush into the battlefield and remained in his hidden state, deep in thought. The situation before him wasnt normal. The empire and Evernight were indeed irreconcilable, but it was another matter if this hatred was brought onto individual people. Normally, parties in a random encounter would start to retreat once a certain level of losses had been incurred; very rarely would they fight to the last man. After all, the battle in the Misty Wood was a battle of attrition and not a key battle in some major war. There was no need to fight to the last man. One side would be wiped-out only when the disparity between the two parties was too great. If Qianye were the commander, he would choose to lead the squad into breaking out of the encirclement, and then seek another opportunity later. Creating an advantage, an ambush, or fighting again under better circumstances was something a qualified general would do. Qianye circled around the battlefield and, as expected, found many fishy places. There were many corpses here that had collapsed outward. It seemed as though they were running away when they were killed off one by one. Expressions of extreme terror were plastered across their dead faces. Old veterans of the battlefield would rarely reveal such expressions even when encountering a deadly situation. The weirdest part was that these abnormal corpses consisted of both imperial and Evernight soldiers. There were two werewolves who had died in a fairly miserable stateone of them had its entire spine pulled out of the body. Qianye frowned as he glanced back at the battlefield and found many corpses that had been dismembered. This was especially evident with the few viscounts from the Evernight side and one of the human champions. The corpses had been cut up into several pieces and were connected only by a bit of skin which served to barely maintain their shape. There was something wrong with this battle! It wasnt that both parties had fought to their deaths. It looked more like they had been attacking someone together but were wiped out instead. Just what kind of power would force the two factions to team up? There was only one answer in the Misty Wood. It was a mutant beast birthed by the forest. The beasts and midgets of the past were significant in number and possessed powerful attacks. However, they were usually quite weak and a single champion could cut down large swathes of them. It was just that the midgets were extremely fast and their spears were poisonous. Even champions could hardly hold out after a couple of stabs. However, there were no signs of a beast tide on this battlefield at all. If these two units had really encountered beasts, they should be fairly few in number. It might even be a single powerful beast. Judging from the battlefield, the duration of the battle wasnt very long. Qianye estimated that even he wouldnt be able to outdo this assailant in a fight against two hundred people. This meant that this beasts combat strength wasnt inferior to his own. This wasnt good news at all. According to reason, even if the forest could produce such powerful beasts, the number should be fairly low. But time and again, this void continent had broken everything that was reasonable. Qianye maintained his hidden state and remained on the periphery of the battlefield. He had no intention of rushing into the battlefield to collect spoils of war. Excessive greed before fully understanding the situation was akin to courting death. Moreover, with the passage of time, he found something out of place on the battlefield. The entire place was littered with corpses and there was blood flowing everywhere. Yet, the response of the ground substance was exceptionally slow. After a while, the restless purple substance stretched out in every direction and absorbed all the blood. After seeing this, Qianye became even more patient and cautious. A quarter hour passed by before the purple substance finally moved toward the corpses. Only at this point did Qianye feel relieved and began moving toward the battlefield. The wounds on the corpses were helpful in determining the power of this unknown foe. Qianye had just taken a couple of steps forward when he felt a chill creep up from his legs. He jumped up without a second thought and barely escaped the large cleaver flitting past his previous position. He wouldve lost both limbs if he had been just a little bit slower. Qianyes constitution was much stronger than an ordinary person, but that cleaver seemed quite sinister even from its outward appearance and was poised to cut right through him. The cleaver was grasped single-handedly in a white, tender hand. Soon, a familiar silhouette scuttled out from beneath the corpses and followed up with another slash into the air. A naive, innocent countenance was reflected in Qianyes eyesit was Bai Kongzhao again! This odd girl was like a ghost that just wouldnt pass on. It felt like one would run into her everywhere. Qianye was in the air when he discovered that the angle of that slash was extremely cleverit was bound to make him suffer whether he attempted to evade or retaliate. The best way was to attempt a close evasion, but there was a big chance that he would be injured. A minor flesh wound didnt seem like much, but Qianye had fought Bai Kongzhao countless times. He knew very well that she was the most dangerous of wolves. Even large prey would eventually fall after accumulating many small injuries. However, Qianye was no longer the same as before. After seeing through Bai Kongzhao, he immediately swung his arm onto the back of the cleaver. As expected, Bai Kongzhaos cleaver shifted to a different angle, ready to receive Qianyes incoming arm with the sharp edge. With a sharp clack, Young Dragons armguard was actually cut open with the ease of cleaving through rotten wood. This cleavers sharpness was unimaginable! When the blade cut through the armor and into Qianyes arm, he finally realized that the sharpness of the blade was only one aspect. The origin power attached to it was fairly oddthe combination of hardness and sharpness raised the might of this attack more than twofold. However, this was but a small mishap. Qianye erupted with sudden speed, and his arm vanished from under the edge. His palm seemed to emerge through the void as he grabbed the cleaver and made a sharp turn. Borrowing the momentum of this movement, his vampiric blade flickered toward the girls abdomen. Bai Kongzhaos expression paled, but on the verge of life and death, she once again revealed her incomparably powerful survival instincts. She abandoned her cleaver decisively and retreated without the slightest bit of hesitation. Qianyes vampiric blade hadnt managed to stab very deep when she broke free of it. Qianye sneered as he glanced over at the fleeing Bai Kongzhao. A thread of virtually indiscernible blood stretched forward and quickly arrived behind the girl. However, Qianyes entire body was sent reeling the moment he activated Spatial Flash. His blood energy and origin power were aboil as though he were in a void tempest, causing him to lose control entirely. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 624: Enemy in the Woods [V6C154 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye staggered and spat out a mouthful of blood. There was golden brilliance burning in it, accompanied by floating crystalline granules and strands of black energy. This wasnt just auric flame bloodit also contained a fair amount of crystallized daybreak origin power and a mixture of black energy from unknown sources. But this mouthful of blood ejected the fierce impact in Qianyes body. He felt much better after the expulsion, and his boiling origin power and blood energy gradually calmed down. Gazing at the vast, misty forest, Qianye gave up on chasing after Bai Kongzhao. During this ambush, Qianye had only sensed Bai Kongzhao only when the latter launched her attack. It was evident that this young girl had the ability to conceal her presence in this eerie forest, and it wasnt inferior to his own. Even her vision was probably comparable to his. At this moment, Qianyes body was once again sent into turmoil and another mouthful of blood sprayed out. Even his internal organs were showing some signs of damage. Qianye was greatly astonished. At first, he thought his excessive cultivation in the recent days had left behind some sequelae, but now, it would seem that there were other reasons. He quickly suppressed the abnormality in his body and left in due haste. Only after reaching a safe place did he dare stop to inspect his condition. Qianye was astonished after finding out what was wrong. The blood energy and daybreak origin power in his body were rejecting a peculiar wisp of essence bloodBai Kongzhaos blood. Qianye had gotten so used to killing these days that he would habitually draw blood whenever he used his vampiric blade. Hence, a small part of Bai Kongzhaos essence blood had flowed into his body through the vampiric blade. The real problem was with this essence blood. All the essence blood Qianye had absorbed in the pastregardless of race and specieswould be crushed by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Even if they werent completely refined on the spot, there had never been a problem due to the suppression of the dark golden and purple blood energies. Qianye almost couldnt tell whether the blood was from a human, a dark race member, or a beast. However, Bai Kongzhaos essence blood was different. The aura it gave off was like a flaming starboth his daybreak origin power and dark golden energy would erupt upon contact and lose control entirely. It was as though they were going all out in an attempt to destroy the power being emitted from that essence blood. However, the dark golden blood energy and venus dawn that used to firmly suppress darkness and daybreak origin power respectively could hardly exert their power now. They were never able to destroy the few wisps of weak aura, and on the contrary, their reaction increased in intensity until the blood energy and daybreak origin power started conflicting in Qianyes body. The most powerful blood energy was the dark golden one. It was at the same level as his daybreak origin power which appeared in the form of Venus Dawn. The two of them were the top powers of each attribute, so the destruction caused by the clash between them was extremely violent. It inflicted injuries on him almost immediately. Qianye had never imagined such a scenario. He exerted great effort to lock down a strand of the Bai Kongzhaos essence blood with his Eye of Truth and scanned it repeatedly. He discovered that the contents were fairly oddit was like a cocktail of many different origin powers with an attribute that fell between daybreak and Evernight. Moreover, it was the exact opposite of pure and more like a collection of impurities and toxins. Even the impurities the Book of Darkness had spat out when it was first fed with essence blood seemed a bit purer than her origin power. This also meant that Qianye absorbing her essence blood was akin to devouring a strong poison comparable to Black Titanium. There was naturally a solution once the root of the problem was known. Qianye chose the crudest and simplest method, spitting out yet another mouthful of blood and expelling Bai Kongzhaos remaining aura along with it. This added more injuries to his wounded body, but this type of simple damage was easier to recover from. He would be fine after half a day. He couldnt help but feel a tad curious about how Bai Kongzhao had cultivated such an origin power. Not only did her body not collapse, but she even broke through her bottleneck and stepped into the champion rank. Qianye continued back to the base after recovery. He believed the girl, with her bestial instincts, wouldnt appear before him again. Bai Kongzhao wouldnt even be able to escape once she had been locked onto by Spatial Flash. The journey wasnt too peaceful. Qianye encountered two more battles in less than half a day, but he passed quietly by since the empires side had the advantage in both of them. Worry surfaced in his heart, however, because the strength and frequency of Evernight attacks were clearly increasing. It would seem that they had made much progress in the void and in open battles, allowing for more forces to enter the Misty Wood. The environment here wasnt suited for large battles since a stretched battlefront could be easily whittled down by an expert with superior range. A thousand-man squad was already the limit. But the area was located around the central caverns, and the neighboring warzones were all strategic points that had to be contested. Presently, the Evernight side was employing a large number of small squads to bleed the empire and finally suppress the Li family. As expected, Qianye encountered the third battle before half a day had passed. This time, the battleground was less than ten kilometers away from the baseit could be said that the enemy was almost at the doorstep. When Qianye arrived, the empire was being beaten back and the situation was dire. The human combat squad had only a couple dozen men left and were barely holding out under the cover of the giant trees. Meanwhile, there were hundreds of dark race soldiers forming a loose encirclement around them. The formation was fairly neat, and the soldiers were attacking one wave after the other. The encirclement existed only on three sides and the fourth was almost empty, yet the beleaguered soldiers seemed to have no intention of breaking through from that point. Clearly, there was a great danger in that direction. His guess was soon proven as a series of brief gunshots arrived from that direction. A human soldier was sent flying and his body was torn apart in the air. Qianye was shaken. It was actually a rare origin machine gun! Few people were willing to use origin machine guns because the consumption rate was outrageous. But one had to admit that the burst of destructive power from an origin machine gun was indeed overwhelmingeven handheld cannons were somewhat inferior. That fellow using the origin machine gun was quite brutal, throwing his enemies into the air with a whip of fire and lashing them into pieces. His origin power seemed bottomless. He had already torn three soldiers apart, yet he seemed to have no intention of stopping. The survivors werent weak at all but simply had no chance in the face of such an opponent. The only difference was how long they could struggle against him. Qianye knew he had to do something about this. He thus circled around the battlefield and sneaked toward the gunman. Very soon, the target came into viewa tall and sturdy-looking werewolf with a terrifying machine gun as big as a small tree-trunk. He was firing on his feet, spitting out streams of flames from the gun muzzle. From the firing distance, one could see that this fellows visual range was over four hundred meters, only slightly inferior to Eden. An expert like this was undoubtedly terrifying in the Misty Wood. Qianye produced Thunderbolt and, without the slightest hesitation, pressed a Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang into it. A gunshot rang out like rolling thunder and echoed through the thick mist. However, the timbre faded extremely fast and could hardly be discerned after several hundred meters. The refined silver bullet tore through the air and blasted the targets body apart. Not to mention a werewolf count, even an arachne count wouldnt be able to take a refined silver bullet loaded with auxiliary abilities. If this shot could hit a vital area, there was no doubt that the werewolf would be gravely injured. And there was virtually no difference between injured and dead when fighting against Qianye in the Misty Wood, However, the werewolfs brown hairs all stood on end when the bullet was several dozens meters from him. His eyes immediately turned bloodshot as he turned toward the incoming projectile. Tens of meters would take no more than a brief moment for a powerful sniper round. The werewolf count let out a loud roar as black-green origin flames leapt up around his body and actually pushed the mist apart. Then, he threw a fist straight at the incoming bullet! It was as though a small, golden sun had risen in the Misty Wood. The fierce daybreak origin power was akin to rolling waves of fire which washed over the werewolfs body. The strong, near-liquefied origin power produced green fumes upon contact and even burst into flames. The werewolfs bare body was quickly charred black and large patches of his origin power were also extinguished. The werewolf was in so much pain that he let out an earth-shattering roar. Qianye could hear him clearly despite being five hundred meters away. Qianyes expression was cold. He loaded a second Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang and fired right from the hip. He knew that the first round had failed to injure that count and that the wound to his arm was merely surface damage. The second shot was fired so quickly that the werewolf had no time to evadeneither was he expecting it. He threw the origin machine gun away and crossed his arms in front of his chest in a bid to resist the incoming attack. Yet another golden sun erupted. This time, the intense flames of daybreak origin power were more focused and even nearing white-point as they spilled over the counts body. The werewolfs armguards shattered, and his entire body was pushed back several meters by the blast. His legs dug two deep trenches in the purple substance, revealing the deep brown soil underneath. The werewolf count was in full combat stance. There were golden flames of daybreak origin power flickering upon his brown fur, yet he didnt make a single soundonly the fangs extending out of his mouth made known the fury in his heart. Qianye was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen someone shatter a refined silver bullet with his fist and block a shot with his body. In terms of constitution alone, this werewolf was simply too strong, far stronger than any dark race count Qianye had seen before. Not to mention demonkin and vampires, even arachne counts like Stuka who possessed an innate advantage in terms of physique were grossly inferior. Perhaps only William of the Summit of Peaks would be comparable. However, Qianye noticed that the enemys left arm had been twisted into an unnatural angle. Clearly, the bones there had shattered. Without the slightest hesitation, Qianye fished out yet another Refined Bullet of Extreme Yang and loaded it into Thunderbolt. If the enemy wouldnt go down in two shots, then he could just fire three or four times until the enemys defenses had been broken. The werewolf stared intently in Qianyes direction before howling at the sky. With a single movement of his hand, the origin machine gun that had fallen to the ground returned to his grasp. Afterward, he simply turned away and disappeared quickly into the mist. Following his howl, the attacking dark race soldiers also receded like the tides. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 625: Assassination [V6C155 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes expression was serious, but he had no intention of giving chase. Although he had badly injured the werewolf count, the other party was unexpectedly powerful and had retreated with great decisiveness. He was also very fast. There was a large number of dark race soldiers remaining, and all of them were still capable of fighting. Moreover, there was bound to be a welcoming party in that direction. Especially that origin machine gun in the werewolf counts hand, it was a premium item above grade-seven. Qianye wouldnt meet such a weapon head-on unless he was crazy. He shrugged, somewhat regretful that a large batch of contribution points had escaped right under his nose. This mighty count was surely a famed character in the Evernight world. Killing such a person would net him great rewards, but it also went without saying that his status on the Evernight side was the same. After confirming that all the enemies had retreated, Qianye walked over to the routed squad and inquired, Is everyone alright? The leader was a man barely in his thirties. His cultivation rank was rank twelve, and his strength was more or less in the same range. The damage to his tattered armor and clothes could hardly conceal the exquisite quality of their makeit was clear that the man was an aristocratic scion. He stepped toward Qianye while wiping away the blood on his face. Still alive, but as you can see, the situation isnt good at all. We had a hundred and twenty men when we set out. In the end, we were chased back all the way until they finally managed to surround us here. We have His expression grew even uglier after glancing back at the battlefield. Sixteen left. This number made him so indignant that he couldnt speak for a while. He only came to when one of his aides nudged him from behind, after which he said apologetically, Im Kong Fangyuan of the Kong family. I havent asked for this benefactor''s esteemed name. We will definitely express our sincere thanks after returning to base. Im called Qianye. Kong Fangyuan was startled. Then his face became full of smiles as he said, So, its General Qianye! Ive long since heard of your accomplishments. Now, after personally seeing it, your combat strength is far stronger than the legends make it out to be. Kong Fangyuan asked after the pleasantries, Hows that wolf? Is he dead? I shot him twice but he still escaped. Kong Fangyuans expression was one of lingering trepidation. Escaped? This sigh that means endless trouble later on. Qianye nodded with a similarly solemn expression. There might not be another opportunity like this if they were to meet again on the battlefield. No one would want to run into him since he might even be more dangerous than Eden. Edens combat experience could be considered quite extensive among the famed clan scions, but this werewolf count clearly lived and breathed battle. At this point, the human warriors emerged from hiding and began cleaning up the battlefield and treating the wounded. At the same time, they gathered the bodies of the dead and removed some keepsakes from them. The Misty Wood was a natural grave. At this point, most imperial soldiers had accepted the fate of being devoured by the purple substance after their death. After all, most combat squads werent capable of bringing their dead back to the base. The living were mostly injured, and a number of them critically so. Meanwhile, there were over forty corpses in total, and there was no way to reassemble the remains of the unfortunate ones torn apart by the origin machine gun. Qianye noticed a couple of familiar faces among the living. It was actually Lu Shas group. All of them were badly injured, and one of them had even turned into a corpse. Seeing Qianye frown, Kong Fangyuan glanced back along Qianyes line of sight and suddenly realized what the matter was. General Lu is under our Kong familys employ for this war. I might not have held out until now without them, nor would I be able to see General Qianye. Qianye looked away without making any comment. Disregarding past resentments, Lu Shas combat strength was indeed extraordinary. Moreover, he was well-experienced on the battlefield, especially group combat. Kong Fangyuan had great foresight and charisma, but hiring this group most likely involved a substantial amount of money. They couldnt remain in place for long since no one knew when the dark race would return. Although Qianye had wounded the werewolf count, there was more than just one group in the Misty Wood. Everyone could feel the pressure caused by the recent increase in Evernight forces. In the end, both Qianye and Kong Fangyuan personally joined the cleaning and collection process. Qianye bent down and picked up a headits face was no longer recognizable and there was no telling where the body was. There was a chain underneath the head, the charred portions of which the purple substance had started to envelop. Qianye grabbed the necklace and dragged it out of the wiggling substance. That was a silver photo locket that could be opened up, and there was a photo of a beautiful lady inside. This lovedestined never to bear fruitfelt somewhat heavy in Qianyes hand. Qianye gave the necklace to a junior captain of the Kong family. The latter said while receiving the necklace, This is Xiaolei, a pretty good fellow. I thought he would be able to inherit my position later on, but now There were simply too many of these cases; there were already a dozen of them here. These minuscule people led their own personal lives, lives in which they were the main characters. Their death meant the collapse of entire worlds. At this moment, Kong Fangyuan began urging everyone to hasten their movements. They would have to leave in five minutes at most. There wasnt enough time to clean up all the corpses. All they could do was put them in a more dignified position so that they could rest easy. Kong Fangyuan appeared quite calm on the surface, but he was actually scared out of his wits. He didnt want to linger a moment longer. Qianye glanced about, but in the end, he placed that head together with the other corpses, allowing the young man to rest together with his comrades. Afterward, Qianye planned to say goodbye to Kong Fangyuan and excuse himself. Although they were going back to base all the same, Qianye was more accustomed to operating alone. He had just gotten up when he sensed someone approach and pat his shoulder. At the same time, that person called out, Qianye. The voice as unfamiliar, but it seemed to contain a type of cadence which calmed the mind and released tense emotions. Qianye suddenly felt a cold sensation at his back just as he was turning arounda blade pierced quietly through his armor and into his back. Qianye turned back to find a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He was someone from Lu Shas group, the most unassuming one. His presence was so faint that Qianye might not have recognized it if he werent standing here. At this moment, there was astonishment written all over the mans face. Seeing Qianye look back, he grabbed Qianyes shoulder with one hand and attempted to push the knife in with the other, poised to bury the blade up to its hilt. Why? Qianyes voice was cold. The man relaxed somewhat after feeling his dagger reach the enda sinister expression soon appeared on his face. A major character has offered a big bounty for your life. Its just that simple. If you want to blame something, then blame it on how you offended people you shouldnt have! He pulled the dagger out somewhat, twisted the blade to a different angle, and thrust it back in. Qianyes expression paled as he let out a muffled groan. The man frowned. What a thick armor! But you still have to die. Young Dragon was fairly strong. The man wanted to stab from a different angle, but the rotation was rather limited. Even so, he was quite sure that the injury was enough to threaten the targets life. That was it? He almost couldnt believe how smooth things had gone. Even his breathing became hurried after thinking about the massive rewards he had been promised. Kong Fangyuan couldnt react immediately. He stared on blankly for a moment before shouting, What the hell are you doing?! Lu Sha took a step forward and blocked Kong Fangyuans path. Young Master Kong, this is the will of a major character, I suggest you overlook this matter. Otherwise, your Kong family wont handle it if that person gets angry. The Kong family was also an old aristocratic family. There werent a lot of families who could restrain them. Kong Fangyuans heart sank as these names flashed through his mind. His face grew stern as he shouted, I dont give a damn. Qianye saved all of us so I will not allow you to treat him this way. Move! Lu Sha didnt step aside, however. Young Master Kong, if youre intent on being stubborn, us brothers will have to offend you and send you on your way. Kong Fangyuans expression was furious. You dare?! Lu Sha only smiled without replying, but the answer was written clearly on his face. Kong Fangyuan felt a sudden chill come over to him. Lu Shas group was cruel, ruthless, and powerfulthis, he had seen along the way. His core subordinate fighting force had suffered grave casualties during the chase and could no longer suppress these evil wolves. Kong Fangyuan struggled back and forth. The order to open fire lingered at the tip of his tongue for a long while but never escaped his lips until the very end. Lu Sha let out an evil laugh as he took a couple of steps back, his hand still on his dagger. He then turned around and roared, Kill him quickly, what are you waiting for? But only an interrupted sound emerged from behind him. Boss, save me! Lu Sha was greatly astonished to find his brotherwho shouldve had Qianye under controlwas now in a perilous situation. Qianye had half turned around to grab the mans wrist and was moving to choke him with the other hand. In order to avoid the desperate retaliation, that person had no choice but to loosen Qianyes shoulder and block the hand reaching for his throat. The two thus entered a contest of strength. That stab to the back was supposed to be lethal. Moreover, it should be fairly difficult for Qianye to exert strength in his half-turned posture. Under such circumstances, he shouldve been at a disadvantage even with a desperate counterattack. Even Lu Sha himself would rather ignite the origin grenades on his body and take the assailant down instead of counterattacking. However, Qianyes hand was firmly approaching the opponents throat. Meanwhile, the latters hands were trembling continuously. Two of his fingers were somewhat splayed outward, an indication that he couldnt quite hold on to the dagger after being gripped by Qianye. At this moment, the person contending against Qianye was feeling extremely bitter. He was actually an assassinhis place was to launch an all-out attack from the shadows. Qianye had never sensed the incoming danger both during the approach and the attack. This proved just how powerful his talents were. He was quite capable of eliminating a sniper on the battlefield, but he was no warriora close-up struggle wasnt his forte. The situation at hand was rather perilous because Qianyes strength was unimaginable. In his eyes, even an arachne count couldnt be any stronger. That hand moving toward his throat seemed as though it was being driven by a steam enginethe force behind it was almost indefensible. He activated his origin power with all his might and could almost feel his origin vortex groaning from the overdraft. However, that hand was only slowed down slightly. His blade-hand had lost all sensation, and the bones therein were emitting loud cracklesit was the sound of his bones shattering under the pressure. He could hardly even talk at this point because he was completely suppressed by the incoming force. He feared that this breath would very likely be his last. Once Qianyes hand reached his throat, those neck bones of his would shatter like chinaware. He couldnt understand. According to his experience, anyone who had suffered two stabs like this would be powerless to even struggle. At this moment, the intense pain from his wrist had reached his arm, and he could no longer feel his palms. The hilt of the blade was still in his hand, but he had no strength to control it. Stop! Seeing that something wasnt quite right, Lu Sha roared and charged over immediately. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 626: Conclusion [V6C156 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye suddenly lifted the assassin and switched places with him, effectively blocking Lu Sha with the latters body. The moment of this switch was so well-timed that Lu Sha had no choice but to halt his charge. The man felt his eyes go blurry as the two switched places, almost as though countless red threads had filled his vision. Afterward, his brothers vitality faded rapidly and soon became indiscernible. Qianyes hand successfully latched onto the assassins throat and crushed his neck bones. You dare?! Lu Shas eyes were bloodshot. He released an earth-shattering howl of anger as he pounced over to Qianye, throwing a punch straight at his chest. At the same time, origin power gushed out of the ground all around Qianye and formed dozens of sharp, interweaving thorns, effectively creating a zone of death. Lu Shas domain, Inferno of Thorns, was a combination of both attack and restraint. Although it couldnt deal a dazzling fatal blow, it was incomparably functional in battle. Qianye moved back with great agility as the thorns broke out of the groundhe escaped the domain in just a few steps. Dozens of thorns brushed past Qianye, but none of them managed to strike him. Lu Shas expression was serious. His brother who had carried out the assassination was holding an extremely rare armor-piercing weapon. It was impossible for Qianye not to be injured since even a heavy armor like Young Dragon had been pierced through, and he could also see that Qianyes aura was gradually weakening. Even so, Qianye still managed to extricate himself from the Inferno of Thorns with great ease. This caused Lu Sha to hesitate ever so slightly. He didnt know whether he should set up another Inferno of Thorns because the attack was stationary after activation. The origin power wouldve been for naught if Qianye were to dodge it again. Quite unexpectedly, Qianye didnt flee after escaping from the domain, and neither did he draw his sword. Instead, he tossed out several grenades and produced an explosion between the two, temporarily preventing Lu Sha from moving out. Afterward, Qianye suddenly glanced back at the approaching Du Li with a spurious smile. The latter had circled over to Qianyes back the moment Lu Sha attacked, prepared to deal a fierce blow. He had never expected that Lu Shas domain wouldnt even be able to hold Qianye down for a moment. Moreover, Qianye had sensed him approaching despite being in a precarious situationit was as though he had eyes at the back of his head. Qianyes pair of obsidian eyes were akin to deep, bottomless darkness. Looking at them for prolonged periods would reveal countless undercurrents of danger within them. The key was that Qianyes current expression was exactly the same as when he took down Du Li in the arena back then. At that time, the latter had been utterly defeated. Moreover, he still had no idea how he had lost up until the very end. He had woken up from the countless nightmares plagued by those bottomless eyes. That battle had become a demon in his heart. It was as though the past had reappeared before his eyes at this moment. Du Li froze up entirely and could do nothing but watch as a sword appeared in Qianyes hands. The man woke up from his reverie only when the blade was raised up high, whereupon he let out a shrill scream and fled immediately! Du Lis horrible performance surprised Qianye. He was too lazy to determine whether Du Li was pretending to be weak or if he was too weak to stand a single blow. A blue glow appeared in Qianyes eyes. Du Li, who had just started running, tripped violently and staggered forward. Eye of Control! This delay was sufficiently fatal with East Peak following suit from behind his back. Then, Qianye put away his blade and turned toward Lu Sha who had just walked out from the grenade explosion. Du Li was still running frantically. He had covered hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye and had almost escaped everyones field of vision. He almost seemed to be oblivious about the big dent in his back armor. After taking several steps further, he spurted out a mouthful of blood containing pieces of shattered organs, swayed about, and then collapsed to the ground. Du Li! Lu Sha was still one step too late despite crossing through the grenade explosion. He was glaring so hard that his eyes were almost torn apart. He drew his sword, moved toward Qianye in large strides, and slashed down. A circular ripple appeared in the ground substance beneath their feet and spread out for dozens of meters as East Peak shot up to block Lu Shas blade. Qianye took several steps back before East Peak shot up yet again and aimed at Lu Sha. The latter wasnt feeling so great, either, after the forceful exchange just nowhe had also taken several steps back before managing to stabilize himself. He could hardly hide the shock on his face. Lu Sha had long since known that Qianye had only two origin vortices and was much inferior to himself. However, he had actually failed to gain an advantage in the direct, head-on collision just now. Lu Shas eyes flared with killing intent as he pounced forward again without hesitation. This time, he attacked without holding back at all. Qianye was still young and had boundless potential, while he was sure to reach a bottleneck sooner or later. Now that the two parties had broken out in a life and death battle, he might not have another chance if he failed to make use of this opportunity. East Peak turned about in Qianyes palm, and the sword tip formed a crescent-shaped arc. The blade almost seemed weightless as he met Lu Sha in battle. A storm kicked up with the two combatants at the center, sweeping over hundreds of meters in distance. The trees affected by the ripples swayed continuously, and even the sacs on the treetops were beginning to react. Apparently, the midgets and beasts therein were on the verge of breaking out. Even though Qianyes combat arts were nearing perfection at this point, he still felt the pressure on East Peak growing increasingly heavy. As expected of a true expert who had been famous for nearly twenty years, Lu Shas combat arts were simple and down-to-earth. There were very little variations, but his powerful blows would always come for the enemys weakest point. Moreover, he himself revealed very little openings. Lu Shas combat techniques were tempered through countless life and death encounters. Every swing of his blade was as heavy as a sledgehammer. An opponent like this was truly difficult to handlehis origin power was abundant, his strength was ample, and his speed, agile. Although he wasnt at the top in each attribute, he didnt have any weaknesses, either. Vast amounts of origin power crashed, swept, and exploded in this fierce battle, pushing the other people hundreds of meters away. There was simply no way for them to take part. Kong Fangyuan was drenched in cold sweat despite being well-guarded by the loyal guards from his main branch. He had never imagined that Lu Sha was actually hiding his true strength. Only now did he start to regret not listening to his clan uncles dissuasion. Hiring someone like Lu Sha was simply too dangerous. Even his entire squad at full power might not be the mans match. If it wasnt for the werewolf count chasing them down all the way without giving them time to breathe, this group mightve turned the tables on them and become the masters instead. Qianye also far exceeded his expectations. As expected of someone who had been offered the best terms in the Li family, he was able to fight so fiercely even after an ambush. During the intense battle, Qianye and Lu Sha pulled away all of a sudden and faced each other from ten meters away. Kong Fangyuans eyes twitched hard because there were thorns and brambles throughout the battlefield. It would seem Lu Sha had tried his utmost, while Qianyes domain had never appeared since the very beginning. Judging from the situation, it looked like Lu Sha was being suppressed. However, Qianye didnt care about the thorns in his hasty retreat. Kong Fangyuan saw a sharp thorn tear through Qianyes leg guard and leave a cut on his calf. Kong Fangyuan knew very well how powerful Lu Shas thorns were. They had even cut through an arachne viscounts legs during one of the previous battles, but it left only a small cut on Qianye. There wasnt even any blood. A fountain of blood poured out of the wound on Qianyes back as they stood in confrontation, gushing several meters outward. The color of the blood contained a tinge of abnormal green to it. Lu Sha finally smiled as he sneered, It would seem my brother didnt die for nothing. Youre indeed difficult to deal with, but you will go down today to accompany my brothers! To kill them all over again? Lu Shas eyes narrowed. You cant control the damage anymore. I can exhaust you to death in another quarter hour. If you have any last words, say them quickly. Maybe Ill help you if Im in a good mood. Qianye replied indifferently, Unfortunately, Im not in the mood to listen to yours, though. Goodbye. Lu Sha had been guarded against a big move from Qianye. Startled upon seeing the latter throw East Peak to the ground and draw his twin handguns, he couldnt help but say, You think Ill let you finish charging your gun? The two were but ten meters awaythis was a distance he could cover in one sprint and also within the range of his domain and origin power. It was a situation least suited for firearms because most people wouldn''t even have the time to charge up. Much of Qianyes information had been dug up as he rose to fame. For instance, his rise to power on the Evernight Continent was as a long-range sniper. However, a sniper required distance to bring out his full power. That was also why Lu Sha was willing to completely offend the Kong family and finish Qianye off here. Lu Sha realized something from how Qianye had sniped that werewolf count. Once this opportunity was missed, it would be fairly difficult to even find Qianye in this accursed environment. Even if they could chase him down, the damage caused by a super long range sniper was unbearable. Lu Sha had no idea why Qianye would commit such a mistake, but he was never one to let go of the enemys foolishness. The origin vortices in Lu Shas body revolved at its highest speed as a deep, almost-tangible origin power rushed out from his arms. A scarlet mist suffused with golden specks rose up around Qianye and turned increasingly brilliant. The glow filled everyones vision in the blink of an eye, preventing them from seeing anything else! At the same time, a pair of luminous wings spread out behind Qianye as he merged the two guns into one. A spot of light lit up at the muzzle, and it actually stifled both conflicting origin powers in the field for a split second. The light scattered moments later, and everyone finally regained their sense of vision. Lu Shas face was filled with horror as he looked down at the round hole on his chest. The defect was merely the size of a fist and went straight through his back. One could see the flesh and organs within his body, but there was nothing where his heart was supposed to be. Those remaining organs were still moving, but there was no longer any life force in them. They were only maintaining their form and wiggling due to the inertia. Gradually, these moving organs turned ashen white and broke down into a pile of powder in front of Lu Sha. The latter struggled briefly, but this caused a cloud of ashen mist to erupt from the holethis dust was what remained of his heart. Lu Sha looked up and stared intently at Qianye. You cant escape. Ill be waiting for you down there. Qianye put away the Twin Flowers and watched Lu Sha in silence. The man hadnt even finished speaking when he slowly fell down, never to move again. He hadnt underestimated his enemywith the power he had mustered at the very end, even a shot from a grade-seven gun, fired by someone at his level, would only be able to break his defenses at most. Unfortunately, though, he was facing the Shot of Inception. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 627: Buying Life [V6C157 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye walked slowly toward Lu Shas corpse and slashed down all of a sudden, effectively removing that wide-eyed head. Kong Fangyuan couldnt help but cry out as the mans head flew into the air. He was, after all, a lineal young master of the Kong family. Although he was experienced in his own right, he had rarely seen such killing methods. After the cry, Kong Fangyuan felt his chest burn up uncomfortably, almost as though he had been holding his breath underwater for a long time. He exhaled deeply and took another deep breath before feeling somewhat better. It turned out that he had been holding his breath since the Shot of Inception had appeared. A powerful aristocratic scion like him could sense just how terrifying the shots destructive power was. In the end, he was petrified on the spot and came to only just now. Then, the other soldiers of the Kong family regained their wits and glanced at Qianye with expressions of alarm. The forest was suddenly silent, so silent that it was stifling. The surviving Kong family soldiers surrounded Kong Fangyuan subconsciously. After all, Lu Shas group was under the Kong familys employ. Now that they had died in Qianyes hand, there was no telling if the latter would consider them accomplices and finish them off. Although the Kong family soldiers hadnt joined the attack when Qianye was ambushed, they didnt try to save him, either. They merely stood watching on the side. Qianye didnt even look at the people from the Kong family. He produced a first-aid medicine from his pocket and sprayed it onto his wound, before injecting a shot of stimulant into his neck. Qianye looked up at Kong Fangyuan only after dealing with his injuries. Kong Fangyuans heart trembled upon seeing the lack of expression in Qianyes eyes. He said helplessly, All of this is a misunderstanding! Misunderstanding? Qianye repeated the question while looking at the man with a wooden expression. Beads of sweat rolled off Kong Fangyuans forehead. It was already quite an ordeal for him to maintain a smile and prevent his voice from going off-key. It is, of course, a misunderstanding. Our Kong family has no enmity toward you. A young soldier behind Kong Fangyuan was indignant. He took a step forward and shouted, What our familys young master says is naturally the truth. Dont forget that our Kong family isnt easy to provoke, either. He had just started speaking when an old veteran covered his mouth and dragged him to the side. Afterward, he said something to the young man with a serious expression. That young soldiers face was red, and he was clearly dissatisfied. However, he said nothing more after receiving strict orders to stop speaking. Kong Fangyuan let out a sigh of relief at this pointhe was feeling quite indignant despite the humble attitude just now. Then, he noticed all the dead and wounded people behind him. Finally, he realized how few those capable of fighting were. How would he dare to play things hard? With Qianyes accomplishments in the Misty Wood, he wasnt afraid of being surrounded at all. That was ignoring Qianyes earth-shattering attack from just now. Kong Fangyuan knew that he couldnt evade this powerful shot even with his many guards. At a time like this, the Kong familys name was completely useless. Qianye only needed to finish them off entirely, and all traces of the deed would vanish before long. Who would know it was he who did it? Kong Fangyuan was quite practical in this area. No amount of prestige was as important as survival. Qianye remained silent for a while before speaking, You say you have no bad intentions. Wheres your sincerity? Sincerity Ah! Yes, sincerity! Kong Fangyuan slapped his forehead in sudden realization. He said nothing more and immediately removed the gun from his waist. He handed the weapon to Qianye with both hands and said, This is my personal firearm. Its name is Misty Cold. The craftsmanship is not bad and theres a story behind it as well. The gun has always been a treasure of our Kong family, and I only managed to obtain it two years ago because of a great contribution to the clan. Its just that my strength is insufficient to use Misty Cold freely. I saw just now that generals twin revolvers are just a bit lacking. Treasures need to be held by worthy heroes, so I would like to gift this gun to you, hoping itll help strengthen your might! I hope the general wont forget our Kong family in the future, even if you dont remember me. These words were spoken with great sincerity, almost as though they came from the very depths of his being. Qianye mightve believed them had he not been standing here all this time. These aristocratic scions were indeed extraordinary in certain aspects. Everything they say seemed like the truth, and even Qianyes Eye of Truth couldnt discern their authenticity. Misty Cold was built in a simple yet elegant single-barrel design. The flowing clouds decorating the guns body were marvelous, clearly the work of a master. The guns shape was similar to the Red Spider Lily, but it looked somewhat more ephemeral. Of course, that was just a comparison of external appearanceMisty Cold had nothing on the Red Spider Lily when it came to the intrinsic spirit. One was a weapon at the peak of grade seven, while the other was a Grand Magnum of the generation. There was nothing to compare between them. Arrays had already developed to the point where there were all kinds of origin powered firearms; moreover, their complexity was only increasing by the day. However, the most primitive single-barrel gun had never fallen into disuse since simplicity allowed for greater upgrade potential. Hence, there was no lack of famed guns left in the world, and most of them possessed formidable special powers. As Kong Fangyuans beloved weapon, this Misty Cold was naturally special. In addition to its extraordinary artistic value, a shot from it would engulf the surrounding thirty-meters in surging cloudsthe scene was extremely romantic, almost as though the shooter were standing in a dreamy immortal realm. This wasnt just for decoration, though. In truth, these clouds could suppress all origin power within its range. This was a powerful weapon in group combat and seemed to be extremely effective in clearing away minor enemy troops. However, its true use was domain suppression. The clouds produced by this gun was highly damaging to domains. If two combatants of the same realm were to cross swords, the one holding Misty Cold would gain a considerable advantage. Kong Fangyuan bringing this weapon out was a huge sacrificehe was buying his life. Qianye took Misty Cold and played around with the gun before putting it away. It was a good gun indeed. The weapon itself was at the peak of grade seven, but its special ability was worth even more. At full force, Qianyes Oceanic Vortex would break down enemy domains that were even slightly inferior. Misty Cold thus held little meaning for him. Moreover, the Twin Flowers was a set of weapons personally modified by Andruil, and there might be other secrets hidden within them. Just the fact that this gun could bear the Shot of Inception without sustaining damage was worth looking into. Qianye had no intention of switching them out. These things, Qianye naturally wouldnt tell Kong Fangyuan. Even if he couldnt use it personally, he could give it to other people. Qianye felt that the gun was fairly suited for Song Zining. This seventh young master was always quite specific about grace, regardless of time and place. This might be one of the reasons why Song Zining couldnt beat Qianye in recent yearsmore often than not, he was wiping the floor before he could finish posturing. Qianye could imagine Song Zining waving his fan in one hand and holding Misty Cold in the other. Winds and clouds would stir around him, filling the area with an ephemeral ambiance. Who knows, maybe Song Zinings origin power would even increase if there was a group of beauties cheering him on at that time. Ah, it would be even more interesting if Wei Potian was in that scene. With him as an antagonist, it would set off the seventh young masters godly elegance even more. At the thought of this, an odd notion appeared in Qianyes mind. Would Song Zining drag Wei Potian into battle just because of this? Unbeknownst to Qianye, Song Zining was on an airship far away. He was reading a battle report and analyzing all the names there one by one. He had just reached Wei Potians page. The Wei-clan heir had produced great results during this time. At least, it was enough for his name to appear on the report. Comparatively, Qianyes report was missing from the imperial militarys records because he was hunting for the Li clan as an independent expert. Song Zining opened and closed his folding fan repeatedly, seemingly deep in thought. Mm, this fellow has some redeeming qualities after all. Hes managed to train his Thousand Mountain to a stage where it possesses both form and soul. Its rather eye-catching when he uses it. This young masters Three Thousand Flying Leaves domain has great sceneries, and Im only lacking a decorative mountain. Qianye had no idea that his random guess was spot on, and neither did he know that Song Zining had even deeper plans. This wild boar has thick skin, so itll be great to have him block dangerous attacks at the front. Song Zinings thoughts were full of evil intentions. In the Misty Wood, Kong Fangyuan sighed in relief after seeing Qianye accept Misty Cold. The muscles on his face were no longer as tense. Things were still negotiable as long as Qianye was willing to take the itemat the very least, his life was ensured. As expected of an aristocratic scion, he immediately struck while the iron was hot. I wonder if General Qianye has any other instructions? Qianye searched the remains of Lu Shas group Instead of replying. However, he found nothing of value on them, nor did he find any proof that a major character was trying to kill him. It was easy to imagine that such information wouldnt exist on paper. Qianye pondered for a moment before coming to a conclusion. He already had a good idea of who it was behind this assassination and might still be able to find some clues back at the base. As long as he could confirm who the target was, it was up to him how to seek revengeproof wasnt all that important. Qianye pointed at the corpses of Lu Shas men and asked, Would Young Master Kong be interested in their gear? Kong Fangyuan was startled for a moment. Yes, of course! Kong Fangyuan understood after some thought that Qianye wanted to toss the weapons to him. Perhaps it wasnt convenient for him to deal with the equipment, or maybe he just wasnt in the mood to do so. Qianyes own gear wasnt lacking. Young Dragon and East Peak were extraordinary items, so he probably wasnt interested in Lu Shas belongings. This much was clear from Qianyes indifference toward Misty Cold. The fact that these items couldnt impress Qianye didnt mean they were inferior. The entire fortune of these lone experts was in their equipment, which were all grade six to grade seven. After all, they needed to be alive in order to spend the money they earn. There was really nothing special about the grade seven ones, but some of the grade six items were premium goods with special abilities. The latter might prove to be powerful weapons when used correctly in the battlefield and were thus more useful than ordinary grade-seven gear. Kong Fangyuan himself couldnt use them, but it was very well suited for the elite experts under him. So, he immediately agreed to it. There was also a different reason for thisKong Fangyuan knew that Misty Cold wasnt enough to buy his life since Qianye could take the weapon all the same after killing him. Now, things were just about right after taking these items in. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 628: Discussing Contributions Again [V6C158 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Kong Fangyuan thought quite highly of himself and refused to believe that his life could be measured with money. However, it had always been an unwritten rule for thousands of years that aristocratic descendants of every grade had a value attached to them. This consensus allowed the human aristocracy to preserve their strength despite the in-fighting and prevent relationships from openly deteriorating despite the civil strife. Naturally, this was up until the point where the enmity could be controlled. Kong Fangyuan knew his own status and approximate value. A Misty Cold plus a sum of money was indeed enough to express his sincerity. Qianye didnt know this rule, but he felt Kong Fangyuan was showing enough good faith. He might form an actual feud with the Kong family if he continued squeezing him. In any case, there was no major hostility between the two of thema minor punishment like this was enough. Without the need for Kong Fangyuans instructions, some of his subordinates stripped Lu Shas group and proceeded to appraise the equipment one by one. As per Kong Fangyuans instructions, the price they offered was more than just fairit was roughly thirty percent above market price. On his own, it wouldve been considered quite good if Qianye could sell them for eighty percent of the market price. The fifty percent discrepancy was the extra money paid for the mans life. Qianye had no complaints about this arrangement. All in all, Kong Fangyuan owed him two lives, so it was fine to let him bleed a bit. All of these came down to tens of thousands of gold coins for the equipment on Lu Shas group. Kong Fangyuan hadnt brought that much cash since he was here to hunt. Pooling together everything he and his subordinates had at the moment, the man paid half of this amount on the spot with black crystals and special ammunition. The other half was promised in the form of a letter of debt, which he penned personally. A part of the remainder would be paid in the form of a feudal industry while the rest Qianye could withdraw from any Kong family estate. This move was quite clever and well thought out as it would increase Qianyes ties to the Kong family. These dealings would also make it convenient to develop a good relationship with him, hence owing money wasnt a bad thing as long as they didnt renege on the promise. Qianye was now a valuable target worth roping in, and failing that, they could still request his help in certain matters. Qianye paid no heed to Kong Fangyuans intentions. The latters handling of matters was considered fair and sincere, and any future relationship would only provide him with extra connections. Qianyes spatial necklace had been filled to the brim with spoils, and he currently needed the means to dump themthe Yuanyin Lu Family alone wasnt quite enough. Moreover, Qianye didnt want to put his trust in a single family. As for those sisters they had mentioned, Qianye wasnt interested at all since he already had Nighteye. After concluding the deal on good terms, Qianye said his farewells and walked into the forest. The Kong family managed to breathe a sigh of relief only after he was goneeveryone was drenched in cold sweat. Qianyes steps faltered after distancing himself from everyone and confirming that he wasnt being followed. He nearly fell to the ground as the wound at his back opened up and blood sprayed out like an arrow. The injuries on Qianyes body werent as light as they seemed to be. The stab to his back was fairly serious because the assassin had poured all of his origin power into Qianyes body, a force similar to igniting an origin grenade. It was that mans killing move. Indiscernible yet extremely powerful, any ordinary champion wouldve had his organs shattered in a single stab. Even if they didnt die on the spot, they would hardly have any strength left to retaliate. However, Qianye possessed a vampire''s constitution which afforded him much greater strength in every part of his body. Solely in terms of physique, it could be said that he was no longer human. That final Shot of Inception had added injuries on top of injuries and deprived Qianye of the ability to continue fighting. It was just that Qianye was just as calm as before. Not only did he apply medicine to his injuries in front of the Kong family entourage, but he also stayed behind to check the corpses and even went on to negotiate with Kong Fangyuan. All this time, he seemed to be quite calm and showed no signs of urgency, leading the Kong family members to believe that Qianyes wound was stable. After leaving them, the healing of Qianyes wounds was only a matter of time. With the wild beasts and tree sap in the Misty Wood, there was a virtually endless supply of both essence blood and origin distillate. It was only natural to recover quickly under such circumstanceshe was completely fine after one day and night. Qianye set out on his return journey immediately after his injuries had been dealt with. This time, he was prepared to have a good talk with this major character. The flow of people through the Li family base gates was just as bustling. It was just that there was a fair number of injured soldiers among them, a testament to the escalating cruelty of the war. Qianye saw an opening near the airship port used specifically to store the coffins of fallen soldiers. The wooden caskets sat silently on the empty grounds, awaiting their turn to return to the empire. There were almost a thousand coffins in the area, and the scene was inexplicably lonely and somber. After running into the Kong family combat squad, Qianye understood that even aristocratic units wouldnt be able to bring back all of their dead. This also applied to the private armiesthey would even have to leave the corpses of main family scions if the situation was too dire. A thousand caskets here meant that ten times this number had died in the Misty Wood. Qianye was somewhat startled to find that the war had unknowingly escalated to such a state. After experiencing numerous unpleasant situations during the exchange of contribution points, Qianye went straight to Li Weishi and brought him along for the process. Li Weishi smiled along the way and said, Actually, you dont need to worry. The clan lord sent people over to teach the second elder a firm lesson after that matter blew up. Hes much more reserved in his actions right now. At the very least, he wont make the same mistake again since it would give the clan lord a good excuse to strip him of his status. Qianye nodded, however, he knew that Li Tianquan must hate him to the bone for this and the Li familys overall impression of him wouldnt be that great, either. They had admonished the second elder mainly because the huge fuss had affected the Li familys prestige, but not because they were remorseful about how Qianye was treated. In other words, Li Tianquan was punished for bad management and not for being unjust. Qianye didnt point out the details behind this matter and only followed Li Weishi to the contribution exchange area. There, he once again slammed that man-sized box onto the ground and drew everyones immediate attention. People crowded over with a swoosh, some even ignoring their own exchange business. Li Weishi laughed wryly upon seeing the situation. Brother Qianye, do we really need to be so high-profile? His initial idea was to bring Qianye into the internal area and find an isolated room to count the contribution points. Who wouldve thought Qianye would stop in the public exchange area. Its fine. Qianye was nonchalant. Li Weishi couldnt say much after seeing Qianyes insistence and had no other choice but to summon a number of logistics officers. Qianyes trunk was extremely heavy, and no one knew how much proof of contribution he had stuffed inside. It was better to have more hands on site than not. Countless proof of contribution burst out as the box was openedthere was virtually every kind one could think of. A dozen-odd officers spent an hour counting them, and the rechecking process took just as long. After working well past noon, everything was finally completed and registered into the books. Li Weishi glanced at the booklet and almost jumped off his seat. T-This how is this possible? Too little? Qianye inquired. Li Weishis face twitched somewhat. Little? Its too much! Did you pillage a mighty counts castle? More or less. Li Weishi almost wanted to cough up blood at Qianyes reply. He felt that it was impossible for Qianye to raid a counts lair no matter how powerful he was. Even if he was indeed capable of this, there werent any strongholds in the Misty Wood for him to raid. But the words first-rate merit written on the registration booklet were as clear as day. They were deeply imprinted into his heart and simply wouldnt go away. What kind of person could kill his way to a first-rate merit in such a short time? The dark races werent sheep waiting to be slaughtered. On the contrary, they were even fiercer than leopards and tigerscountless imperial experts hunting for contribution points had fallen in their hands. Li Weishi held an important position in the Li family and was thus privy to a fair amount of secret intelligence. Throughout the empires latest round of battlesincluding those under the Iron Curtainfirst place Bai Aotu had obtained a standard first-rate merit, and second place Zhao Jundu, an inferior first-rate merit. Thinking about how Qianye had actually accumulated enough for a standard first-rate merit, it could be considered terrifying. Li Weishis heart trembled. At first, he thought he had been overestimating Qianye, but now it would seem that he had actually been underestimating him. There was a reason to everythingno matter how Qianye had obtained these contributions, it meant that he had the ability to suppress most of the other aristocratic families in the Misty Wood on his own. Judging from this, Qianye had already reached Zhao Jundus level, and he was bound to reach the divine champion rank in the future. Li Weishi hands slipped at the thought of this, and the registry fell onto the table with a bang. He came to after a while and said self-deprecatingly, How embarrassing, I was actually shocked. But the surrounding crowd was actually drowned in absolute silence. All of them stared fixedly at the booklet with complicated emotions. The words first-rate merit had been revealed to everyone when the book fell just now. Countless eyes fell upon Qianye, but this time, only a few of them were gazes of jealousy. The rest were all expressions of apprehension and contemplation. The current situation was different from before. With the arrival of numerous imperial aristocratic families, the dark race side had also increased their troop strength. The difficulty of harvesting contribution points had increased countless times compared to when the base was first established. It mightve been possible that Qianyes previous inferior first-rate merit involved some loopholes, but this time, his contributions were simply too great. Everyone felt embarrassed after comparing their own to his. Qianye was an independent hunter who didnt belong to any aristocratic family. Even though he wore an army generals rank, there was no actual affiliation. All the aristocratic family members were wary of such experts who acted on their own and possessed great combat strength. People werent willing to offend these people because they were free of restrictions and could do anything once they were desperate. The aristocracy involved many families and industries, and there were sure to be less defended places. The problems involved werent small once they were targeted by an independent expert. Ordinary clan scions might dare challenge Zhao Jundu because the latter had the Zhao clan behind him. His support was also his binding; he couldnt just kill anyone without good reason. Things were different for someone like Qianye. There was no telling if or when he would start a massacre following a brief conflict. That was the type of person the aristocracy feared the most. Those capable of coming here with their combat squads were the core members of their respective families. These people simply exchanged a couple of glances before radiant smiles appeared on their countenance.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 629: Trade [V6C159 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes combat strength had long since exceeded the scope of the aristocracys control. Ordinary families would need to mobilize in full force and plan an ambush in order to kill him. Moreover, Qianyes accomplishments and data proved that long-distance raids were his forte. Such an expert might still escape despite being hunted by many experts. Failing to kill him was akin to sowing the seeds of destructiona lower-ranked aristocratic family might just disappear under the constant assassinations and ambushes that would follow. As such, the aristocratic combat squads present quickly assumed a friendly standpoint. Even if they couldnt rope him in, it was important that they didnt offend him. Qianye glanced at Li Weishi with a smile. Oh? Even Elder Supervisor Li has such a moment? Li Weishi smiled wryly. Its not the first time since I met you. What are your plans now? Qianye replied, With Supervisor Li here, I wont trouble myself with these matters. I have some time, so Ill be visiting some people. Li Weishi nodded. Thats fine, leave the things here to me. Qianye said goodbye and left the contribution exchange area. Li Weishi was someone who had seen countless winds and waves throughout his life. How could he lose his composure to such an extent that he would drop the register on the floor? It was done deliberately to let all the aristocratic families see how much contribution points Qianye had harvested. This would serve as proof and effectively deter Li Tianquan from tampering with the numbers. This wasnt a small favor at all, and Qianye remembered this well. His opinion of the Li family was thus dividedhe decided it best to consider each of them individually and not lump everyone together. Many people followed Qianye as he walked out of the exchange area. Some of the more reserved people invited him to pay a short visit to their family camps, while the impatient ones stated their offers right on the street. Qianye neither refused nor accepted any of these offers. He only told them that he would remain in the base for a few days and that they should discuss things slowly. This was something he had learned from Song Zining. He was a rare commodity at the moment, so there was no harm in putting things off for later. These aristocratic families were sure to keep raising the price tag. Even if Qianye had no intention to accept their recruitment, there was really no harm in understanding his own worth. Qianye went over to the main hall to check the latest battle reports and listen to the experts chatter before heading toward the main camp. At this moment, Li Tianquan was preparing a pot of good tea. For some reason, however, he felt restless and kept making mistakes in his fire control. The tea produced in the end seemed no different from his usual batch but the taste was actually inferior, and this slight difference tasted extremely bad to Li Tianquan. He picked up the teapot in his frustration and wanted to smash it against the wall. However, his hand froze halfway in the airhe had tossed countless teapots this month, and the one in his hand was the only good pot he had left. He would have nothing left to use if he broke this one. Li Tianquan suppressed the surging blood in his heart and gradually lowered his hand. At this moment, there came a knock on the door, followed by the gentle voice of a female clerk. Elder, Qianye wishes to meet you. Bang! The teapot fell to the ground and shattered. Qianye didnt wait for a response. He simply walked in on his own and smiled indifferently after seeing the shattered teapot on the ground. Elder Li seems to be in a bad mood? Li Tianquan could no longer conceal his impatience. He said with a cold snort, How can this old man be in a good mood after seeing you? Qianye pulled a chair over and took his seat. But my mood is pretty good when I see you. Li Tianquans expression sank, but he didnt flip out immediately. Instead, he turned to the clerk and said, You leave first and close the door. No one is to enter without my order. The clerk had an odd expression on her face. The second elder liked things neat and tidy, but now there were pieces of broken chinaware all over the floor. It was rare for him to leave such a mess uncleaned. But the lady knew her place and understood that this wasnt something she should be curious about. She thus left obediently and closed the door to the room. Li Tianquan returned to his desk and calmly took his seat. What business does General Qianye have with this old man? Qianye looked straight at Li Tianquan. Lu Sha is dead. Li Tianquans entire body jolted as he lost his composure entirely. He remained silent for a long while before asking, How did he die? I killed them, not a single one escaped. Li Tianquan broke into a laugh. What does this have to do with me? Qianye sneered, They attacked me because a certain major character wanted my life. Li Tianquans expression remained unchanged. He said while stroking his beard, Thats also normal. They were a group of fugitives to begin with. They wont take action without benefits. Qianye decided not to argue against Li Tianquan since he was trying so hard to wash his hands of this matter. Then, Ill excuse myself. The elder was startled. Did you come here just to tell me this? Elder Li is an intelligent person, so I felt that telling you this much was enough. But since Elder Li wants a clear answer, Ill just speak frankly. Who do you think is more powerful? Me or Lu Shas group? Li Tianquans expression was livid. Whats the meaning of this? Are you trying to threaten me? Qianye replied calmly, Lu Shas group died in my hands. Whatever they can do, I can do so much better. Dont forget that they were a group of three, whereas I am on my own. Li Tianquans expression turned downcast and his robes fluttered about without any wind. Do you think youre my match with that puny cultivation of yours? Qianye laughed coldly. I might not be at the moment, but its not that easy for you to kill me, either. Your current cultivation and status are rather high, so I cant touch you for the moment. But youll surely slip up one dayyou still need to eat and rest after all. It just so happens that I know some sniping. It might take three years, five years, or even a decade, but unless you stop appearing in public from now on, Ill definitely find the opportunity. Li Tianquans expression was terribly dark. It would indeed be a thorny problem if he were targeted by someone like Qianye. At this point, Qianye said indifferently, Even if you hole up in your house and never come out, you still have family members. Li Tianquan was both shocked and furious. He leapt out of his seat and shouted, You dare?! Qianye looked straight at Li Tianquan without shrinking back. Since you want my life, why wouldnt I dare? Li Tianquan stared intently at Qianye with origin power surging throughout his body. The six vortices were as dazzling as miniature suns. Qianye remained seated as before. He only had two origin vortices and their glow was somewhat weaker than the old mans. Yet under the great pressure, they still remained unextinguished, so much so that they didnt even sway. Li Tianquans expression shifted rapidly between fury and hesitation. He couldnt make up his mind, but it seemed he would attack at any moment. Qianye, on the other hand, was sitting calmlyclearly, he had already made preparations to fight. But Li Tianquan was, after all, someone of high status. He quickly regained his calm and went straight to the point. Are you so confident that you can escape from my hands? Moreover, what if you do escape? Do you think the Li family will let you off if you touch my family? You will be hunted down and killed even if you run into the void! This was the way the aristocracy did things. If their descendants were killed by a commoner or an independent character, they would hunt the assailant down with full force and not stop until they had captured this person, either alive or as a corpse. Some were cruel enough to involve the targets family members and would vow to wipe out their entire lineage. Such methods were naturally effective in deterring a fair part of the solitary experts. However, Qianye wasnt moved by this. Thats a possibility, of course, but its unsure how many of your offspring will remain alive at that time. Moreover, such a matter will surely spread far and wide. How much of your Li familys prestige will remain? The Li family might not let me off, but how much better will your fate be? At the very least, youll lose your family and your status. Li Tianquans expression was beyond unsightly. His handling of Qianyes case wasnt appropriate at all. It was fine if he could keep things under control, but the Li familys reputation would hit rock-bottom if it were to blow up. As the source of all this, Li Tianquan would definitely be held responsible. Not only would his authority be revoked, but it was also quite likely that he himself would be sent to the battlefield. There, he would fight unto his death as a final contribution to the family. It was easy to climb to a high position, but coming back down was hard. For someone like him, losing power was even more uncomfortable than losing his life. Even if the clan lord was lenient enough to let him live out his old age, it would be a life no different from death. With such an outcome, it was no different from mutual destruction even if Qianye was hunted down by the Li family. Li Tianquan was naturally indignant. He was a character of such high status, and in his eyes, Qianyes life was completely worthless. How could he be willing to go down together with the latter? Li Tianquan finally calmed himself and said, What do you want? Speak openly. Qianye said with a smile, Lu Shas group was professional if nothing else and paid with their lives in order to complete this mission. Hence, although Im still very much alive, you should still pay them. Ill reluctantly receive this payment in their stead. Li Tianquan was dumbfounded as he had never expected Qianye to make such a demand. His first thought was about how brazen this Qianye was to seek remuneration after killing Lu Shas group, but then again, he felt that things were easier if all Qianye wanted was money. Just as Li Tianquan was thinking, Qianye added, Oh right, Lu Shas group sacrificed themselves in the line of duty. According to the rules of the trade, you have to pay gratuity. Li Tianquan had just recovered his calm when these words caused a fishy smell to well up in his throathe almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Qianye! Dont go too far! Qianyes expression turned cold. You know what Lu Shas group would do if they were alive and had not received their money. Not to mention trading blood for money is a great deal for Elder Li. Money spent can be earned again, people like us should value our lives more. Li Tianquan was livid. In the end, he clenched his teeth and said, I can give you the money, but this matter ends here! Qianye smiled radiantly. This matter ends here. These words were spoken with great stress. He believed Li Tianquan would understand his intention. The elder stood up and moved a painting on the wall behind him. He then tapped a couple of times on the wall to open up a secret door. Li Tianquan took out a suitcase and said through gritted teeth, Its all here. Qianye opened the case and found pieces of high-purity black crystals arranged in neat stacks. A rough estimate of their value would be sixty to seventy thousand gold coins. Even selling the equipment on Lu Shas group didnt fetch as much money. A single deal was equal to their groups entire fortuneno wonder these people were willing to offend the Kong family in order to kill him. Thanks! Qianye closed the box and patted it a couple of times before making for the door. He turned back just before leaving, almost as though he had just remembered something. Oh right, Elder Li, I almost forgot to tell you that I brought back quite a lot of contribution points this time. You should make sufficient preparations in advance, lest you fail to honor our wager and ruin the Li familys reputation. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 630: Merits [V6C160 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Tianquans expression turned pale after Qianye left, and a bad feeling arose in his heart. The Storm Pearl was a limited object, of which there wasnt a single extra stock. There were still reserves of Stillwater Rebirth in the clan, but Li Tianquan would need to inform the family in advance. How could he take one out just like that? The second elder sat dazed for a moment before he shot up and summoned the clerk. Fetch the contributions register, immediately! However, the female clerk was already holding a booklet. She said with a strange expression, Elder, the logistics department just delivered a report about an abnormality in contributions. Please take a look. Li Tianquan grabbed the register and flipped it open. His countenance turned deathly white upon reaching Qianyes page. Unable to calm his surging emotions, he let out a muffled groan and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. By the time Qianye returned to his residence, the suitcase in his hand had long since become an empty container, which he tossed to a random corner. The huge volume of black crystals had gone into Andruils space as that was the single safest place at hand. Qianye didnt remain long in his room and, instead, visited the Yinyuan Lu Familys compound. It just so happened that the middle-aged man from last time was also there. He rushed out immediately upon seeing Qianye, his loud voice arriving first before the person. Brother Qianye, youve finally come! Have you thought about it? Im telling you, those sisters are top-grade. You must bring them into your room at all costs, you definitely wont regret it. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. This fattys voice was so loud that everyone in the courtyard could hear him. Many youngsters immediately looked over with unfriendly expressions. Apparently, they had long since admired these two beauties. But the Lu family wasnt an important aristocratic family, and their power was fairly limited. Not to mention Zhao Jundu, their descendants were much inferior even compared to Zhao Junhong. Hence, these youths could only look on with expressions of pain and envy, yet no one rushed up to court death. Qianye accompanied the fatty into the courtyard. Didnt you say theyre one of your elders granddaughters? Arent you afraid youll become enemies with him by handing the girls out like presents? The fatty laughed loudly. That old man has been hoping to climb higher by relying on these two granddaughters. He even hopes to split off and form a new branch. How can I let him do as he wishes? Ive been arguing with him for several decades already, so an additional problem or two is nothing to us. Besides, hed be more than happy that I deliver his two precious granddaughters to you! Qianye remembered that the man had introduced himself last time as Lu Zhongyou. He was also a so-called elder of the family and held an important position. After finding their seats in the room, Lu Zhongyou asked with a fervent tone, Brother Qianye, do you have new goods already? Lu Zhongyou was delighted to see Qianyes nod. It hasnt even been a month! But thats not a problem. Ive made ample preparations and transferred all the funds I can. A bit more than last time. Lu Zhongyou gasped. Even more? Although the batch of goods they had received from Qianye wasnt that big, the quality was extremely highit was almost equal to half a year of their familys trade volume in terms of value. Lu Zhongyou thus made a steep investment by transferring all available resources over, but that wasnt entirely to buy from Qianye. They were also looking to do business with the other families. After all, there would be similar spoils of wars with the return of every combat squad. As long as the price was fair, they were willing to convert the things they couldnt use to gold coins or other resources. But he had never imagined Qianye would obtain another batch of goods in around one months time. Lu Zhongyou wiped the sweat off of his brows, both shocked and delighted at heart. How do we collect? Wait for me at the same place tonight, Ill take you to the goods, Qianye replied. Tonight? Lu Zhongyous expression shifted slightly. Going into the Misty Wood at night wasnt an idea he was too fond of. In that accursed place, one could hardly see ten meters ahead in the day time, much less in the night. It was no different from being blind. Qianye glanced at the time. Yes, tonight. We set out in three hours. From their previous experience, Lu Zhongyou guessed Qianye was still storing gear like last time. They indeed needed to rush if that were the case because no container could last very long in the Misty Wood. A chest truly capable of withstanding the corrosion of the ground substance would be even more expensive than the weapons inside. Lu Zhongyou made up his mind. Tonight it is then! At night, Qianye met up with the Lu family people outside of the base and accompanied them to the place where he had hidden the equipment. Everything went smoothly since they had worked together before, and the pouch full of black crystals which Lu Zhongyou had prepared beforehand entered Qianyes wallet. Lu Zhongyou couldnt stop smiling on his way back. With this transaction, he could ensure well over a year of the Lu familys supply of goods. At this moment, his mind was full of thoughts about how many new stores he could open up, as well as how much of the profits he could share. He was thinking whether his earnings were enough to buy some new properties where he could settle those peevish little demonesses. Qianye, at present, had over two hundred thousand in gold coins and black crystals, half of them coming from Lu Shas groupthe spoils, their payment, and death gratuity. Even with Li Tianquans status and power, this amount was almost half of his entire lifes savings. How could the elder have so much money on him? It was quite likely that a substantial part of the money he had coughed up was from the bases operational budget. He would have to go through the trouble of filling up the gap afterward, but that wasnt of Qianyes concern. Qianye calculated his profits on the way back. He was currently holding a standard first-rate merit. With the addition of the bonus offered by the Li family, it would become a superior merit with enough to spare. A superior merit of the empire required one to kill an honored marquis or the corresponding number of enemies. This was the highest merit one could achieve by means of accumulation. Above that was the sky merit. Conventionally, one would need to kill a duke to obtain a sky merit, and it couldnt be accumulated. The true meaning of this so-called sky merit was to capture the enemy in one fell swoop and shake the heavens. The fall of any duke was a big thingthe rewards involved were also enough to make one go crazy. Reportedly, the empire had built a special treasure-house to hold the rewards given out to people with a sky merit. This treasury was designed by the founding emperor himself, with the successive emperors enriching its stock. There were already countless treasures inside. Sky merit wasnt something those below the divine champion rank could touch. Accumulating a superior merit was already the highest summit an imperial general could reach. In accordance with usual procedures, Qianye could request a promotion without waiting for this war to end and join the ranks of the regular army. In light of his contributions and accomplishments, it was possible for Qianye to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant general as an exception and serve in the military department. He could also join an army corps or take up office in certain warzones. However, Qianye would only receive a secondary position since he was neither raised in the army nor proficient in strategy. Even so, this could be considered an instant success since he would have formally reached the upper echelons of the imperial military. To others, this was a path to the heavenseven people like Zhao Yuying and Bai Aotu wouldnt abandon this opportunity. With the support of their clans, they would soon be able to control an army corps once their combat strengths had caught up. With clever manipulation, this army corps would gradually become their own private forceat the very least, it would become a foundation for building ones own army in the future. A classic example of this was Zhao Weihuangs Fire Beacon Corps. Perhaps only people like Zhao Junduwho had their sights on becoming a heavenly monarch since the very beginningwould pay so little heed to leading an army corps. The path to the heavens for other people was an infernal road to Qianye. How could a key military position be granted without investigating the recipients background? This query was an important process that would be controlled directly by the militaryeven the four major clans could hardly interfere. A mishap was bound to happen after a thorough investigation since Qianye had countless secrets on him, and that was to say nothing of Nighteye. After arriving at the base, Qianye suddenly noticed a commotion at the gates. A beam of flowing light shot out from the forest borders and arrived outside the base. It didnt stop there, however, and seemed like it was poised to jump over the gates. Qianye saw this from a distance and thought, Things are about to get messy. As expected, the dozens of defensive towers in the base lit up at the same time. They shot out beams of snaking electricity, which duly weaved together to cover the base in a net of light. This was a protective barrier which served both as a defensive measure and to restrict aerial movements, a system usually deployed in major imperial cities on the main continent. Flight was forbidden over the base apart from specially labeled airships. It was common knowledge that all entry and exit was via the main gates, but the person driving the light seemed to have forgotten about the barrier in his hurry. By the time the barrier had risen, the beam of flowing light could no longer hold back its momentum. That person shouted furiously, Open! The light sped up like a burning comet and crashed straight into the barrier. Ripples appeared on the screen of light, which began fluctuating with great intensity. At this moment, several kinetic towers in the base emitted sharp whistles and spat out rolling clouds of steam. The power output increased abruptly in order to calm down the almost-collapsing barrier. A pained roar was transmitted from the light as it bounced back and collapsed onto the ground in front of the base. It was a man drenched in blood and with wounds all over his body. He was clearly putting his life on the line by hurrying in such a manner. He clambered up soon after landing, and at that time, Qianye saw that he was holding a person in his arms. The figure was fairly petite and likely a woman. Beams of light rose up from the base as numerous silhouettes arrived at lightning speed. All of them were Li family experts in charge of guarding the base. The experts were startled upon seeing the man. Brother Liu! What happened? That man didnt reply. Lil Zhen! Save her, please! An expert of the Li family immediately issued an order. Let them pass quickly! Have the hospital make preparations to save Brother Liu and Madam Liu. That expert surnamed Liu breathed a sigh of relief, but his head fell limp before he could express his thanks. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 631: Collapse [V6C161 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Brother Liu! General Liu! The experts of the Li family examined him carefully, but then they looked at each other and shook their heads. Qianye saw everything from nearby. He simply didnt know how to describe the feeling in his heart. The man who had collapsed was above Lu Sha in terms of combat strength and yet he was injured to such a degree. He might not have died at the gates if he hadnt rushed back so desperately. Qianye looked to the side and saw a group of people waiting to enter the base. This group contained over thirty peopleall of them were wounded and half had to be carried back. A young warrior was sitting on a hand cart and gazing into the distance. His body was covered in bandages, and one of his legs was missing. Ordinary soldiers couldnt afford the treatment for such an injury, not even those in the aristocratic private armies. His entire life was destined to be accompanied by crutches. The guards at the gate were checking those seeking entry in great detail, and not even the wounded were an exception. No amount of injury could stir any fluctuation in their eyes. Qianye knew that it wasnt because these soldiers were cold-blooded, but because they had witnessed this scene so many times that they had become numb to it. Qianye stood outside the base for a while, but he only saw squads on the return and none going out. This was a stark contrast to the endless stream of departing squads when the aristocratic families had started flocking to this base. Seeing this, Qianye felt a faint gloominess emerge in his heart. He didnt return to his residence after returning to the base but went to the merchant district instead. Now that there were a lot of aristocratic families in the base, the demand for trade was naturally high. The Li family was quite adept in this regardthey drew out an area in the base for different parties to do business. Probably due to the war, business inside the trade district was quite sparse. There were more soldiers here selling items than those coming to browse the wares. Qianye strolled through random stalls, occasionally picking up some items to see. Many different things were on sale in the trade districtfrom weapons and ammunition to various kinds of mutant beast organs, one could find almost everything here. One of them was even selling the sapling of a giant tree. It was just that Qianye had seen how these trees developed and thus immediately knew that it was fake. Under normal circumstances, many independent experts would sell their spoils here. The problem was that Qianye had so many spoils on him that no one could devour the entire batch. It was much easier to sell it in one batch to the Lu family who dealt primarily in dark race weapons. Qianye left the trade district with a barrel of tree sap in his backpack. This item was everywhere in the foresta huge barrel cost only a thousand gold coins, and half of that value was attributed to the barrel. Not just any container could hold this tree sap. The tree sap wasnt sold as origin distillate on the market, but instead as a natural poison. Moreover, it was poison for use against humans. Everyone was stunned after seeing Qianye buy a barrel of it and quickly adopted expressions of tacit understanding. After returning to his residence, Qianye put down the item and went to the bar instead of cultivating. He was planning to have a drink and relax his tense nerves. The bar was packed to the brim. The powerful bass seemed to be beating on the peoples hearts and causing their blood to boil. This bar was one of the many bars in the base. As the war took a turn for the worse, the bars business became more and more lively. Many people found excuses to drink: surviving, about to die soon, or to enjoy the present. Qianye pushed himself past a bandaged soldier and several almost-naked ladies to arrive at the bar. There, he tossed a gold coin onto the bar and said, Give me something strong, anything. The man at the bar shot Qianye a deep glance before picking up the gold coin and placing a cup on the bar. Then, he added over half a dozen types of strong alcohol, poured some unknown white liquid into it, and placed it in front of Qianye. Qianye didnt drink it immediately. He sniffed it a bit and said, So much stimulants? The man behind the counter shrugged. Cant help it. Too many brothers have died these days, and this is the only way to make them feel a bit better. Even for a bar running on the Li clan territory, the stimulants used here werent of good quality. This white liquid was the lowest grade of stimulants which contained a fair bit of impurities. That was actually the reason why it was addictive and excitatory. It was just that the euphoria brought about by the impurities had no healing effects. The amount of stimulants in this cup was enough to make an ordinary person collapse. To Qianye, however, it was only enough to give him a floating sensation which was just right for relaxing the soul and ones emotions. Qianye raised his glass and finished the drink in one gulp. Then he placed the cup and another coin onto the counter. One more. An almost unnatural redness came over Qianyes face following two glasses of alcohol. The clamor around him drifted away and became less distinct. This was the kind of feeling he wanted. It was at this time that the entire bar quieted down, and the contrast in volume almost made people feel that the music had stopped. The silence only lasted for a short moment before the clamor exploded once more. The sudden eruption of voices was almost deafening! Everyone was shouting. There was no telling if their expressions were of excitement or terror, but they were definitely fierce. The tipsy Qianye only caught a couple of keywords amidst the loud cries: The Zhang clan has lost. Everyone in the cafe rushed out, leaving only Qianye and the man behind the counter. Even the servers had vanished. The bartender continued washing his cups as though it was the only thing he knew in the world. Qianye finished the drink and sighed. This war isnt going to be easy. It never was, the man replied. At this moment, Qianye recalled the empires definition of this warthe war of national fate. There was no telling how many people were having the same thought. The Zhang clan was like the midday sun since Zhang Boqian reached the pinnacle and obtained the title of Prince Greensun. They had never lost a single open battle. Even the Evernight Council couldnt gain the upper hand despite awakening the Queen of the Night. The empire had held the upper hand since the bloody battle and the fight for void essences. How could the Zhang clan have lost? It was almost as though the empire would never lose with Prince Greensun in the field and Marshal Lin doing the planning. Qianye suddenly stood up and walked out of the bar. The base was in utter chaos. There were people running about on the streets. Everyone only had one topic to discuss, and that was how the Zhang clan had lost. An alarm suddenly went off amidst the chaos, and a vigorous sound enveloped the entire base under the support of origin power. Maintain order, do not panic! The latest report will be announced very soon. Everyone, please exercise restraint! Those who sow disorder intentionally will be executed without exception! Several Li family experts flew into the air with their origin power released unrestrainedly. People eventually calmed down under their repeated warnings and were now waiting for the latest battle report. The Li family didnt make everyone wait for long. Moments later, several dozen soldiers arrived and began posting the reports in visible places within the base. At the same time, Li Tianquan appeared above the base and said, This old man is Li Tianquan! Everyone, please remain calm. Our Li family base will not disassemble. The contribution rankings will go on as usual, and all rewards will be issued according to their original agreements. These words calmed everyone down a fair bit. Qianye recalled the geography of the floating continent. The Zhang clans defeat opened up the Zhao clan behind it. On the other side was the Song clan, but everyone knew they wouldnt last very long. The Evernight armys main forces were focused on the Zhang clans side with less than a third posted toward the Song clan and Li family. Even so, the Song clan was fighting a bitter battle and its fall was only a matter of time. With the Zhang clan defeated and the Song clan soon to follow, only the Zhao clan warzone remained of the empires foundations. There simply wasnt any leeway left. The Li clan was still able to hold out because of the contribution rankings and the fact that armies couldnt be deployed in the Misty Wood. But with the Zhang and Song clan both gone, the Li family base would be left hanging alone and suffer attacks from three sides. At that time, the Li family would also have to retreat toward the Zhao clan if they couldnt stand the pressure. That was the cause of the previous chaos. Listening to Li Tianquans words, however, it would seem the Li family was intent on entrenching themselves in the Misty Wood and fighting to the death here. This relieved many people, but there were also some who didnt feel quite confident. Who knew if the Li family was speaking the truth or just placating them? The battle reports were posted in due haste and one of them wasnt too far from Qianye. The content of the report was fairly concise. It explained that the dark races had been continuously increasing in number. It stated that the Zhang clan had abandoned their fortress after a month of continuous siege and were retreating to the Zhao clan warzone to regroup. Qianye squeezed out of the crowd after looking at the report and duly headed toward his residence. He passed by a hurriedly walking person on the way, but the latter soon turned back with a surprised expression and called out to Qianye. Li Weishi had a worried expression on his face and seemed somewhat startled after seeing Qianyes countenance. General Qianye, are you leaving? Qianye nodded. Its about time. Li Weishi sighed. Thats good, too. With the Zhang clan gone, the war here wont be easy to fight. You better hurry if youre going back to the mainland. Theres a cargo ship heading back tomorrow. Ill go and talk to them and see if they can make space for you. Im not going back to the empire, only changing warzones. Li Weishi was immediately startled. Changing warzones? Theres nowhere left right now, only the Zhao clan. In truth, the Song clan warzone was still intact. However, the Full Moon Plains were too difficult to defend, and the Song clans strength was bottom among the four major clans. Even those peak aristocratic families could beat them. So in everyones eyes, the Full Moon Plains were already as good as lost. Youre really going to the Zhao clan? Li Weishi couldnt help but ask after seeing Qianye remain silent. Qianye nodded. Astonished, Li Weishi put in great effort to dissuade him. Going to the Zhao clan now is like heading to your death. Why not just remain here if you want to fight? At least theres the Misty Wood to shield you here and the dark races wont go all out with their attacks. Theres a lot of room for action. Additionally, its only one week from the contribution rankings. Youre in the lead right now, but others might flip the tables. Its working for the empire all the same wherever you are. Qianye only smiled in response to Li Weishis persuasion and went back to his room. The man sighed deeply, his mood inexplicably gloomy. At this moment, two jeepspainted in the colors of the Count of Giantfields Yun familywere whistling toward the airship port. The cars were fully packed and carrying only simple luggage; apparently, the people on them were prepared to retreat. The news had just been released and yet many people were already wavering. The well-informed responded rapidly and had even finished packing because those who were late might not be able to leave. No matter how useless Li Tianquan was, he at least knew that the airship ports were under his control. Seeing the Count of Giantfields entourage leaving, Li Weishi sighed with a wry smile. Everyones smart! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 632: Forced Summon [V6C162 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] There was a wide region between the Zhao and Bai clan warzone. The geography therein was diverse with hills, intersecting valleys, and towering stone forests. There were rivers flowing through these ravines, but the rapid flow and shallow reefs made even the most seasoned swimmers feel apprehensive about going in. This vast area was a natural battleground. The complicated landform made transportation difficult, and even the most versatile of trucks couldnt get through. That was why neither the Zhao nor Zhang clans had built major strongholds here. There were only small fortifications. At this moment, there was a unit moving toward the Zhao clan along the simple road on the valley floor. The squad was made up of several hundred people, yet there were only a dozen or so trucks among them, mostly filled with heavy equipment and wounded people. Hence, most of the soldiers could only advance on foot. Many of the walking soldiers were also covered in bandages, some with blood seeping out of them. Almost every vehicle was littered with bullet holesthe most unfortunate one had no roof over the drivers compartment and only had half a bonnet left. A good jolt would cause the truck to spit out large amounts of steam, causing the people to wonder when the car would break down entirely. The trucks and warriors wore the insignia of the Zhang clan. Apparently, they had just withdrawn from the frontlines. Although it looked like they had just experienced a bitter fight, the troops still maintained a basic marching formation and there were no signs of low morale. Under the officers orders, a truck and dozens of soldiers split off from the main unit. They began constructing defensive structures on a nearby hill, while the main army kept marching forward. Everything was executed in an orderly fashion. These details made it clear that the Zhang clan private army was manned by elites, even though it wasnt all that famous. After traveling another ten kilometers, dozens of people split off again to build a defensive sentry while the rest kept moving forward. A small mountain appeared over the horizon with the vague outline of a castle atop it. The Zhang clan officer picked up the binoculars and brought the castle into clear view. This wasnt a small settlement but a fort capable of holding thousands. There were several military flags flying atop its walls, and the officers expression finally relaxed a bit after seeing the words Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan on one of them. He sighed deeply and ordered, Send word back to the general immediately. Tell him that weve reached the Zhao clan warzone. The captain beside him disembarked from the command vehicle, retrieved a motorcycle from the back compartment, and drove back along the same way. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared over the end of the visible road in a cloud of dust. At this moment, in the nearby fortress, there were seven to eight generals squeezed into a small conference room. Apart from the two from the imperial regular army, the rest were all wearing the colors of the Zhao clan or the Fire Beacon Corps. This didnt lower the deterrent effect, howeverif anything, the pressure was rising. Everyone knew that the fighting power of the Zhao clan and the Fire Beacon Corps was above even the imperial regular army. Positioned between the two parties was a lieutenant general with graying hair. At this moment, he was staring at the map on the table with a deep frown. To his left and right were young, stern-looking menthey looked to be barely in their thirties but were already wearing the stars of a major general. Of the generals in the room, there were actually two more below thirty years of age, and one brigadier general among them was only twenty-three. The remainder were also in their thirties with rarely anyone over forty. Only the two major generals belonging to the imperial regular army were around fifty years of age. Their gazes toward the contemplating lieutenant general were full of reverence. Zhao Zhuoyan, the Fourth Young Master of the Duke Yan Lineage, had been on the battlefield since he was sixteen. To date, he has over twenty years of campaign experience with little if any losses throughout his career. It was just that his style had always been reliable and as steady as a rockdefinitely not as eye-catching as Zhao Weihuangs tempestuous approach to things. But be it in terms of combat strength or accomplishments, Zhao Zhuoyan wasnt one to be trifled with. Him being in charge of the Zhao clan warzone on the floating continent was a testament to his abilities. Although Zhao Zhuoyan wasnt that famous, many in the imperial army knew of him. They were also clear that he was the most headache-inducing of opponents. The two imperial officers scanned the other Zhao clan generals, their gazes lingering quite a while on the major general to the left of Zhao Zhuoyan. Then they looked at one another and saw deep apprehension in each others eyes. Zhao Junhong was one of the Zhao clans four young nobles and could be considered one who had made a name since a young age. His fame wouldnt just stop there if it wasnt for Zhao Jundu being too dazzling. What surprised everyone was that Zhao Junhongs combat strength had kept up with his outstanding commanding abilities. He had broken through continuously and was actually rank-twelve at the moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Jundu. The one sitting next to him was Zhao Junsu. He was just in his twenties yet was already a brigadier general. The four young nobles of the Zhao clan were all champions at this point. They had grown from being protected by the clan to people who could shoulder great responsibilities. On the other side was Zhao Fenglei. Although he was a fair bit older, that was only compared to Zhao Junhong and Zhao Junsu. Regardless, he was also a major general at this point and had a place among the young experts of the imperial army. The Zhao clan still possessed Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, and Zhao Yuying who more or less made up the core power of the clan in this generation. And that was the Zhao clansaying they were a clan of many talents was a gross understatement. At this moment, the silent Zhao Zhuoyan finally looked up at everyone around him. Rescuing the Zhang clan involves our nations fate. I believe theres no need for me to explain this. We will use Junhongs strategy for this battle. Failure is not an option! Any squad that slips up will be punished according to military law. There shall be no tolerance! Shaken by Zhao Zhuoyans stern voice, everyone expressed assent in loud voices. On the map, one could see nine fortresses in the vast area between the Zhang and Zhao clan warzones, vaguely sectioning the battlefield into nine parts. Zhao Zhuoyan spoke, Now that the Zhang clan has been defeated, the dark races certainly wont stop here. Their main army is on the chase and theyll likely advance by splitting into different routes. These nine fortresses are importantwe must delay the dark race army as much as we can and allow time for the Zhang clan to retreat into our defensive zone. Apart from the three first-line strongholds, the others must hold out for three days. I will organize reinforcements to provide support three days later. All eyes fell upon the nine fortresses. Even those who werent familiar with military affairs would know how difficult it must be to hold the dark race army with these hastily built fortifications. It was a lethal mission, to say the least. Seeing everyones serious expression, Zhao Junhong said with a radiant smile, This battle isnt entirely hopeless. To the dark race army, chasing the Zhang clan is more important than uprooting tiny fortresses. As long as we can withstand the first wave of attacks, the opponents will only leave a small restraining squad and shift the main army away to continue their chase. The two imperial generals nodded with relieved expressions. These nine fortresses were of the utmost importance to this operation. Zhao Zhuoyan looked around and said, Generals, you may choose which fortresses you want. Everyone frowned and fell into silent contemplation. Choosing a fortress depended not only on oneself but also on the generals nearby. In a fierce battle, a successful defense would depend on how well neighboring strongholds could work together and cover each others backs. The three first-line fortresses would meet the enemy first and thus required two generals assigned to them. After accomplishing their mission, the first-line defense forces would retreat to the second-line strongholds and join them, and so on and so forth. It was at this time that Zhao Junsu stood up and was just about to point at the first-line strongholds. Zhao Zhuoyan didnt wait for him to speak before saying, Junsu, you will defend stronghold number seven. Zhao Junsu was startled. Why? Number seven was on the third line of defense, closest to the Zhao clan base. It was also where the pressure was the lightest of all. Although there would surely be flanking dark race squads, their strength was far inferior to the main army in pursuit of the Zhang clan forces. Zhao Zhuoyan said with a serious expression, This is war, not a childs game. Youre not strong enough to hold the first-line fortress. Zhao Junsu was livid and somewhat indignant, but Zhao Zhuoyans authority was absolute. The former couldnt go against an issued order in public. Thus, he had no choice but to sit down with a gloomy expression. Following Zhao Junsus first move, a number of other generals started picking their defensive positions. Zhao Zhuoyan would guard the central point on his own, facilitating his coordination with the surrounding areas. Zhao Junhong, Zhao Fenglei, and the two imperial major generals picked the first-line fortresses. It was at this time that Zhao Fenglei spoke up, No matter what arrangements we make, the entire defensive line is still quite frail. We dont have enough hands! Zhao Zhuoyan replied calmly, Zhao Yuying will arrive tomorrow with two generals from the clan. Zhao Fenglei shook his head. Even with Yuying, its still far from enough. How could Zhao Zhuoyan not see what even Zhao Fenglei could? He said with a slow sigh, Theres no other option. The dark race army is vast, and even the Zhang clan has been defeated. How can there be any easy fights? The imperial fleets in the void are also locked in a bitter confrontation with the enemy. Well only be able to breathe easy when they manage to win and stop the dark races from sending more troops in. What if they lost? The possibility occurred to more than one person, but they didnt want to continue thinking about this. The defeat of the imperial fleets would bring about the eventual annihilation of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the void continentperhaps only a handful of aristocratic disciples and powerful people might escape. Zhao Fenglei suddenly said, This war is important, yet our Zhao clan hasnt been putting all of its power to use. These words drew all attention onto him. Zhao Zhuoyans expression remained unchanged and no one could really tell what he was thinking. What makes you say that? Zhao Fenglei sighed. Have you all forgotten about Qianye? Zhao Zhuoyan frowned slightly but said nothing. Zhao Fenglei continued, With Qianye and Zhao Jundu disrupting the dark races from the outside, their army will be distracted from an all-out siege on the strongholds. Our defensive pressure will also decrease a fair bit. Zhao Zhuoyans brows rose slightly, but he sighed in the end. Qianye chose to be an independent hunter and is now fighting in the Li family warzone. He is, after all, not our Zhao clan member and he does not hold office in our army, either. I have no authority to transfer him. Zhao Fenglei sneered. How is he not our Zhao clan member? Hes registered to our fourth young masters secondary residence. Besides, were struggling with our lives on the line here while hes fighting for his own rewards over there. Isnt that too inexcusable? I think desperate times call for desperate measures. For the bigger picture, I suggest we issue a conscription order and command him to return immediately! Zhao Junhong shot up from his seat and roared, You cant! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 633: Sacrifice [V6C163 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Why not? Zhao Fenglei retorted. Zhao Junhong glared at him before turning to Zhao Zhuoyan. Everyone knows that Qianye is already at the top of the Li family rankings and the competition is drawing to a close. The moment at present is the most critical. If Qianye can keep on killing and hold the leading position, were talking about a Storm Pearl and a Stillwater Rebirth! Everyone in the room drew in cold breaths. Even without considering its hidden effects, the one known to everyone was enough to make everyone go crazy for it. Not to mention becoming a divine champion, who here would dare say they could cultivate to rank-seventeen? A complicated expression flashed through Zhao Fengleis eyes. No matter how good the thing is, thats just Qianyes own profit. What does it have to do with our Zhao clan or the bigger picture? For the bigger picture, for the entire Zhao clan, is it not proper for Qianye to make a small sacrifice? Zhao Junhongs chest heaved slightly, but he managed to maintain his calm. General Zhuoyan has spoken, Qianye isnt our clan member and we have no authority over him. What reason do we have to make this sacrifice? Zhao Fenglei chuckled spuriously. He looked at Zhao Junhong and said in a drawn-out voice, This Qianye is he really not from our Zhao clan? Heh, heh, people from the Duke Chengen Residence indeed look after each other, the rumors arent wrong. But whats so special about this Qianye that your branch favors him so much? Zhao Junhongs expression gradually turned cold and his gaze, increasingly sharphe was waiting for Zhao Fenglei to say the important words. It would seem the latter had caught wind of certain things. There was no telling how much he knew about Qianyes true identity. If he dared speak carelessly, Zhao Junhong would have sufficient reason to seize him on the spot. But Zhao Fenglei stopped there with a crafty glint flickering in his eyes. He didnt continue down this path and, instead, said frivolously, Besides, its just a mere Storm Pearl Zhong Junhong could hold it no longer. He banged the table all of a sudden and roared, A mere Storm Pearl?! Not to mention the fact that its a priceless treasure, have you in your thirty years of life ever earned one? You dont even have the ability, so what gives you the right to boast shamelessly here? The harsh words drowned the conference room in silence. No one had expected the calm and gentle Zhao Junhong to speak without leaving any face. Moreover, it was against Zhao Fenglei, Duke Yans hope and future successor. Zhao Fenglei was flabbergasted. His blood and qi surged inside himhe could hardly believe what he had just heard. The two imperial generals glanced at one another before sitting straight up and gazing motionlessly at the table in front of them. It was as though there was a stunning beauty or a peerless weapon therein. This was the Zhao clans family affair, and the ones in confrontation were two of the most influential people in their younger generationbeing dragged into an undeserved calamity was the last thing they wanted. Zhao Fenglei came to only after a while. He pointed at Zhao Junhong and almost couldnt form his words. You! You, you actually said such things to me? Do you still have our Duke Yan Residence in your eyes? Have you no consideration of our Duke Yan Residences prestige?! Zhao Zhuoyans expression wasnt good at all. He was, after all, Duke Yans son and the commander-in-chief of the void continent war. Zhao Junhongs words also made him lose face. Zho Junhong only sneered, Did you care about the Duke Chengen Residence just now? Besides, if even someone of your ability becomes Duke Yan, I still have no need to give you any face! These words were resolute and decisiveZhao Fenglei was absolutely livid and couldnt even speak. He only repeated the words, Good, good! Remember your words well! If it were anyone else, Zhao Fenglei wouldve long since issued a challenge because he would have to beat the opponent up in order to vent his anger. Even if he went too far with his attacks or used an underhanded move, he could use his status to suppress everything. However, Zhao Junhong was no ordinary person. The latters position a couple of years ago was inferior to Zhao Fenglei, but he had risen meteorically in both military affairs and combat strength during recent years. His status was now slightly above Zhao Fengleis. This was what Zhao Fenglei hated the most because many of his dominant methods were now useless. Zhao Zhuoyan let out a cough and said in a deep voice, Enough, what a scandal! Havent you two lost enough of the Zhao clans face? Zhao Junhong snorted and sat down slowly. Zhao Fenglei also went back to his seathe seemed angry, but he was actually relieved at the chance to exit the stage. Zhao Zhuoyan looked at Zhao Junhong and said, Junhong, this battle is indeed important. This isnt about letting go of past enmity, but can you perhaps tell Qianye to come and reinforce us? If he returns, our chances of success will increase by twenty percent. As the commander of the army, Zhao Zhuoyan felt quite tempted by Zhao Fengleis suggestion. He was the commander in name when, in truth, he was merely in charge of the actual battlethere was Duke You Zhao Xuanji overseeing the operation as a whole. He might be replaced anytime if the battles didnt go smoothly. Zhao Junhong merely sneered. My words still stand. Bring out a Storm Pearl if you want to summon Qianye. Otherwise, I wont get involved and dont even think about asking me to send word. As for pressing him into service, heh, heh, try it if you dare! Zhao Zhuoyans expression was ugly, but he said nothing. Zhao Fenglei, on the other hand, was furious. He banged on the table and roared, Your Duke Chengen lineage is full of selfish people who cant see the bigger picture! It was the same with Princess Gaoyi back then, and today, it is no different with the young generation. Are you going to take responsibility if the battle situation crumbles? Zhao Zhuoyan immediately shouted, Silence! How dare you spout nonsense about the princess?! Zhao Fenglei repeatedly said yes but then added, I was only indignant about the injustice. Back then, Duke Yans son, Zhao Zhuofeng, had also sought Princess Gaoyis hand in marriage, but the results were as everyone knew it. Zhao Weihuang married the princess and finally founded the Duke Chengen lineage. That was the reason why the Duke Yan Residence and the Duke Chengen Residence had always been at odds. Zhao Junhongs expression was as gloomy as a cold river. Although he was young, he had been leading great armies for a long time. At this moment, he steeled his expression with an austere dignity and said, Speaking of the battle, humph! The battle situation wont deteriorate if everyone here has the will to fight to the death and doesnt think about fleeing midway. As for how our Duke Chengen lineage does things, its not Zhao Fengleis turn to offer criticism. Seeing Zhao Junhongs unyielding attitude, Zhao Zhuoyan heaved a sigh and made to drop this subject. All the other generals had nothing to say, either. Many people recalled how the Duke Chengen lineage still had Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxithe two siblings were simply too dazzling, so much so that people had subconsciously stopped thinking of them as people from the younger generation. Zhao Fenglei was unsatisfied. Since Junhong is so confident about this battle, Ill drop the matter of pressing Qianye into service. I take back my words. However, for the bigger picture, I suggest we still send a letter to Qianye and describe the situation here. Lets see if hes willing to come back of his own accord. Hows that? Zhao Junhongs eyes were filled with killing intent. It seemed as though he was about to stand up, but he resumed his seat in the end. Zhao Fengleis words seemed very reasonable and contained no trace of coercion. However, Zhao Junhong knew Qianyes characterthe latter would discard everything at hand and return once he received such a letter. Zhao Fengleis scheme was extremely clever. It could be said that he had grasped Qianyes weakness and disallowed Zhao Junhong from acting up. It would be too excessive if the latter were to oppose even this. Then its settled. The meeting came to an end with Zhao Zhuoyans announcement. Zhao Junsu was seething as he exited the conference room with Zhao Junhong. Among the four young masters, he was the most easily angered and always the one who couldnt keep his calm. Second Brother, Zhao Fenglei is really intolerable! But it looks like he understands Qianye too much. This isnt quite right! Zhao Junhong was surprised upon hearing this and suspicions emerged in his heart. Zhao Fenglei had no relationship with Qianye, except that one conflicthow could he grasp Qianyes character so well? Could there be someone behind him giving him pointers? Once the suspicions arose, they were difficult to erase. Meanwhile, Qianye was running at a constant speed through the forest. All of a sudden, a wide panorama opened up before him and his visual range extended rapidly. It turned out that, unknowingly, he was already out of the Misty Wood. Qianye looked around and saw nothing but a continuous string of mountain ranges. He could hardly tell where he was. It would seem that his course had more or less deviated after running through half the Misty Wood in two days. However, everything was easy after coming out of the Misty Wood. With such a wide visual field, he was sure he would find a Zhang or Zhao clan unit very soon. After Qianye left, the Li clan base was in utter chaos. Not to mention catching an airship, there wasnt even an exhaust pipe left in the base since all of them had taken off. Some of the aristocratic combat squads had come with their own airships and were now transporting their important characters to the rear lines. Meanwhile, the Li familys own airships had also scrambled to avoid being hijacked. The other aristocratic families might not dare to rob the Li family of their airships, but the latter had their share of undisciplined scionsthese people might do anything in order to save their lives. Li Tianquan had ordered the airships to guard the airspace over the base as a precaution against these descendants. The confusion was only temporary, though. Everything went back to normal after those major characters and noble young masters were gone. The hunting and killing went on just as usual. After all, these side branch disciples, mercenaries, and hunters who sought a living on the battlefield were destined not to leave this place. Even if they wanted to leave, there was no airship for them to use. Qianye called on the familiar Lu family, but Lu Zhongyou refused resolutely after hearing that he wanted to go to the Zhao clan warzone. Qianye couldnt find any other airship, either, so he simply left the base and traversed the forest on foot. Qianye was just trying to discern the direction after walking out of the Misty Wood when he heard a miserable scream. Soon, a familiar, tender figure was reflected in his eyes, moving like lightning as she leapt through the rocks and crevices. There would be a scream every time she landedthe victims, judging from the sound, were werewolves and vampires. Qianyes pupils constricted as he recognized that girl engaging in a mad slaughter. It was Bai Kongzhao! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 634: Running to the Battlefield Part 1 Chapter 634: Running to the Battlefield (Part 1) [V6C164 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye crouched down and used the crevices to approach like a specter. Perhaps because she was immersed in the killing, Bai Kongzhao didnt seem to notice Qianyes approach. Her opponents werent only limited to the dark racesthere was also a small group of imperial experts at the center of the battlefield. As she passed by one of the colonels, the girls agile hands landed lightly on his neck. This action, as gentle as a lovers caress, actually plucked off the mans head in the blink of an eye. The entire process lasted but a moment, and the imperial colonel simply had no time to react. He hadnt even noticed Bai Kongzhaos approach and was busy firing at the dark races. Close to a hundred dark race soldiers had occupied the periphery, half-surrounding the twenty-some imperial soldiers at the center and blanketing them with fierce gunfire. However, lives were taken indiscriminately with Bai Kongzhaos sudden appearancebe it friend or foe, dark race or imperial, they were all cut down in droves. No life was allowed to exist around her. It was as though she had no particular motive and was just here for the massacre. Qianye inhaled deeply and brought out the Carol of Shadows for the first time. He pressed a black titanium bullet into the chamber and slowly instilled some blood energy. The Carol of Shadows gradually began to react and awaken from its slumber. The dark jade-green patterns on its body lit up, but its barrel remained akin to the bottomless depthsa color so dark that it almost seemed sentient. Delighted to find that his blood energy was effective, Qianye sped up the installation and completely activated the Carol of Shadows. After the activation, Qianye felt that the rifles body became a part of his own limb. He could even increase his perception range by releasing it via the gun. He closed his eyes, yet he could see everything within 100 meters by virtue of the Carol of Shadows. Qianye came to realize that the Carol of Shadows played a part in why Eden was able to match the Eye of Truths visual range inside the Misty Wood. Although both were grade-seven firearms, the Thunderbolt was simply not at the same level compared to the Carol of Shadows. As a mass-produced imperial weapon, the former had no special abilities and only relied on its great firepower to barely count as a grade-seven gun. Moreover, it had many shortcomings. For instance, its loud rumble was how the name came to be. On the battlefield, the sniper would have to move after each shot because even the roar of artillery couldnt hide the sound of the Thunderbolt. Qianye had once experienced the firepower of the Carol of Shadows with his own body. He knew that it was far above the Thunderbolt and at the peak of grade-seven. It was just that Qianye couldnt draw out its full power with his blood energy, but even that was enough to deal with Bai Kongzhao. The young girl was famous for her terrifying instincts and talent in murder, not her strong constitution. Qianyes perception reached out from the Carol of Shadows, and the moment it touched the young girl, Qianye pulled the trigger! The Carol of Shadows let out a deep, eerie rumble, not unlike the chant of a chorus. As though it were shrouded in shadows, the bullet was blurry and barely discernible as it flew toward the girls back. This sudden attack was launched from less than eight hundred meters away. The moment the bullet left the chamber, Qianye knew that it was over for Bai Kongzhao. For a split second, Qianye felt a certain emptiness and reluctance in his heart. Bai Kongzhaos effect on the battlefield was no less than Qianyes. If only she was willing to fight for the empire, she would surely become a supporting pillar of the nation one day. Unfortunately, she had always killed for no good reason with little discrimination between friend and foe. She was no different from a lunatic, one who couldnt be left alive no matter what. Qianyes reluctance was just like a bubble, which burst in the blink of an eye. He was just about to put the Carol of Shadows away when he was suddenly startled. At deaths door, Bai Kongzhao actually sensed the incoming peril and turned toward Qianye. At the same time, her body twisted with all its might and folded at a strange angle. A shower of blood burst out from her shoulder, half of which, at this moment, was already nowhere to be seen. The little girl was flung over ten meters away and fell to the ground like a broken doll. The girl bounced up immediately after landing and sped away immediately. Her speed seemed unaffected in the least. Qianye was dumbfounded as he watched Bai Kongzhao disappear from his vision. He didnt give chase because he couldnt catch up at such a distance. Moreover, Bai Kongzhaos concealment abilities were one of the best Qianye had ever seen. She could just hide randomly within this complicated landscape, and the latter would hardly be able to find her. Qianye shook his head as he put away the Carol of Shadows. That sniper round just now contained black titanium. Even though she didnt die on the spot, there wasnt much time left for her to live. The scourge was finally gone, yet Qianye didnt feel much relief. He collected his thoughts in due haste and rushed into the battlefield. He rushed straight into the group of dark race soldiers with his Twin Flowers rumbling continuously. Qianyes marksmanship had also increased along with his combat artsevery shot from the Twin Flowers struck the enemys vitals. Every crack was accompanied by the fall of a dark race soldier, regardless of their level. An extremely angry arachne baron charged at Qianye while waving his war axe. But the latter didnt even look at him before shooting backward. The baron fell on his back while spraying bloody mist from his mouthneither the powerful body nor heavy armor could stop a bullet in the mouth. The Bloody Daturas strengthened firepower immediately shattered the lower part of the arachne barons face. Qianye raised his left hand and followed up with another shot. This attack landed at the exact same spot, blowing away whatever was left of the arachnes brains. As the most powerful expert in the squad, the baron was the only one whom Qianye needed two shots to kill, more or less preserving his status as an expert. The arachne barons death destroyed the morale of all the other dark races. They left a dozen or so men to bring up the rear while all the others fell into a retreat. Qianye sneered. He planned to circle around the rearguard and hunt down the escapees before coming back to deal with the former, just like how he had done countless times in the Misty Wood. No one could escape from Qianyes hands. However, the remaining dark race soldiers were all prepared to die. After seeing that they couldnt hold Qianye, they began going after the surviving imperial soldiers in a suicidal manner. In the blink of an eye, several imperial soldiers fell under their crazed attacks. Qianye sighed as he had no choice but to turn back and assist the human squad. Otherwise, there would be less than ten of them left by the time he had returned from his hunt. With Qianyes return, all the dark race soldiers met the same end no matter how fierce they wereall were blasted to death in one shot. In the blink of an eye, he had wiped out all of the soldiers who had stayed behind and gone on to chase the escapees. Moments later, Qianye killed two of the fleeing squads and began chasing after the third. There were two more small units he had to let go because they had fled too far. The current unit was entirely made up of werewolves. At this moment, they were running swiftly in their wolverine forms, yet the distance between them was shrinking rapidly because Qianye was much faster. The enemy came into range of the Twin Flowers within mere moments. Qianye raised his right hand and aimed the Mystic Spider Lily at one of the fleeing werewolves. Once struck, the illusion of pain from this shot would also affect nearby werewolves and disrupt their speed. An abrupt sense of warning emerged in Qianyes heart just as he was about to pull the trigger, and he dived forward without a second thought. A bullet whistled over and struck Qianyes back diagonally! Young Dragons backplate caved in immediately. Moreover, the bullet tore the armor connections and sent it flying into the distance. Qianye spun through the air due to the massive kinetic force and then slammed onto the ground, shattering a giant rock in the process. Qianye immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. However, he performed a quick roll and assumed a half kneeling positionat this point, the Carol of Shadows was already in his hand, pointing in the direction of the assault. Bai Kongzhao was standing behind a huge rock, gazing blankly in disbelief. A shot she had believed to be a certain hit had actually deviated. Her right arm hung limply to the side, and her shoulder was wrapped tightly with a piece of her dress. In her slightly trembling left hand was a sniper rifle much taller than her self. One could easily imagine the price she would have to pay for operating with one hand a sniper rifle that was capable of blasting Qianye away. If she wasnt already a champion, the recoil from this gun wouldve crushed her left shoulder. Qianyes pupils constricted somewhathe noticed that the sniper rifle in Bai Kongzhaos hand was exceptionally large and its body, as elegant as it was sinister. Shockingly, it was a firearm of demonkin make. The tall, slender demonkin favored such two-meter long rifles. Seeing that Qianye could still stand, Bai Kongzhao fled like a startled rabbit with that huge gun in tow. Soon, she had vanished among the rocks. Qianye didnt give chase because he didnt have that ability. His body had just suffered a powerful impact and even the organs that had been strengthened by his vampiric constitution were slightly out of place. This kind of shock wasnt much to Qianye, but intense movements would damage his innards further and inflict heavy injuries. Qianye stood up slowly and put the Carol of Shadows into Andruils realm before inspecting his body. The true damage was in the organs, but with his regenerative powers, all he needed was half a days rest. Apart from that, there were only surface injuries that required no special attention. It was just that Young Dragon was completely deformed, and wearing it was too uncomfortable. Qianye had no choice but to take off his chest plate. Perhaps out of fear that she wouldnt be able to kill Qianye, Bai Kongzhao had used a kinetic round instead of an armor piercing round. She sought to use the latters powerful impact to damage the opponent, an effective method against heavily armored opponents. Even against a combat vehicle with specially reinforced armor, the passengers inside would die from the impact once struck. Had this shot landed on any other human champion with heavy armor, his body wouldve turned to mush even if the armor remained intact. Qianye sighed as he looked at the large segment missing on the armor. It was really uncertain if the armor could be repaired again. If not for this Young Dragon, Qianye wouldve fallen into mortal danger on several occasionshe mightve fallen during his first exchange with Eden. But now after suffering continuous damage, this battle armor had more or less reached the end of its life. Even after repairs, its defensive power might not be as good as before. Any further damage and it would need to be sent back to the furnace to be reforged. At this time, a sudden thought came over Qianye. That huge sniper rifle in Bai Kongzhaos hand seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Where did she get it from? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 635: Running to the Battlefield Part 2 Chapter 635: Running to the Battlefield (Part 2) [V6C165 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] At the very least, she didnt have that cumbersome demonkin firearm when she was slaughtering people a while ago. Perhaps she had hidden it somewhere nearby and taken it out just now. The other possibility was that she had a spatial item just like Qianye. This wasnt good news at all. At least in battle, the variables would increase boundlessly. An uncomfortable feeling arose in Qianyes heartthere were too many surprises to this Bai Kongzhao. Qianye returned to the previous battlefield since the surviving dark race soldiers had already fled too far. The captain of the survivors limped over and bowed deeply at Qianye. Thank you, General, for saving our lives! If you need us in the future, our entire Lifelight Ji Family will not refuse! Qianye accepted the mans gratitude with a nod. Where is this place? Whats the situation up ahead? The man surnamed Ji said bitterly, Our family was fighting alongside the Zhang clan at first and managed to construct Dusk City. But there were simply too many of those black-blooded bastards! They actually assembled an army of two hundred thousand to besiege us. We went from sixty thousand men to forty thousand, and then soon there was only around twenty thousand left. Seeing that we can no longer hold on, the general and Duke Wei allowed smaller families to leave for the Zhao clan territory first. The general will lead the Zhang clan army into a retreat at an opportune moment. Qianyes expression changed. He was also trained in the army, so he knew very well how cruel this return journey was going to be with a dominant army on their tails. The general this man spoke of was the empires current General of Ambitious Might, Zhang Junshu. He was the second son of the Zhang clan lord, and by seniority, Zhang Boqians cousin. The Zhang clans current might could be attributed to Prince Greensun, but its stable position as the top major clan for the past 30 years was half due to this General of Ambitious Might. The defeat at Dusk City was already a decided outcome. Zhang Junshu allowed the smaller families to flee while he himself held the rear. This was putting himself in a dangerous position. Hence, everyone ranked below the man surnamed Ji was full of gratitude at the mention of the general. The Lifelight Ji Family could hardly be considered an aristocratic family. It was merely one of the more powerful ones among the landowning households. Mustering over a hundred elites for the void continent battle could be considered full mobilization for them. If all of these people were to die, the Ji family would hardly be able to rise again from the setback. They would need several generations of talents in order to restore their strength. Zhang Junshus decision prevented these small landowning households from being wiped out, but the price for this would have to be paid by the Zhang clan. Qianye was silent. Although the imperial laws prioritized those with authority and rank, it had always been the major clans who held the rear on the battlefield while the smaller families retreated first. In the recent millennium, however, this rule was gradually fading away as the aristocracy fought and schemed against one another. Everyone was shifting their problems onto other people. The bloody battle was a prime example of this. The Zhang clan might be tyrannical in its actions and have problems here and there, but at the most important juncture of the war of national fate, they still followed the traditions laid down during the founding of the empire. This alone was worthy of respect. Qianye then inquired about Bai Kongzhaos attack. The mans expression turned fierce as he said through gritted teeth, Who knows whats wrong with that lunatic?! She just popped out of nowhere and started killing indiscriminately. I heard this has happened many times already, but there are very few survivors when she attacks, and that slut Bai Aotu keeps protecting her with all her might. Theres never a definite answer to this. Who wouldve thought we would run into her today. We would be corpses already if we werent lucky enough to meet General Qianye. At this point, he was feeling pained, apprehensive, and fortunate. It was like gaining a second lease on life to have escaped alive from Bai Kongzhaos hands. Qianye asked a couple more questions and realized that he was at the border of the Zhang and Zhao clan warzones. Not too far in the southeast was the designated location where the Zhao clan would cover the Zhang clans retreat. Reportedly, the Zhao clan was already building fortifications there to impede the dark race army step by step. But the Zhang clan would have to depend on itself between Dusk City to the designated area. Qianye quickly came to a decision. He said to the man surnamed Ji, Leave all your extra ammunition with me. The man was astonished. Y-Youre going to Qianye didnt reply and only pointed in the northwest directionthat was where the Zhang clan was fighting. The man felt hot blood rush to his head. Ill go with you! However, Qianye only shook his head in silence. The man immediately understood without Qianye having to point it out for him. That wasnt a battlefield he could go to. Moments later, a lone Qianye headed toward the north, toward that battlefield of blood and fire. At this moment, far to the north, the Zhang clan army was surging toward the south. It was a massive deluge of steel and iron, consisting of combat vehicles of all shapes and sizes. The black smoke and steam merged together to form an odd smog of black and white which shrouded the entire motorcade within. Less than a hundred meters above the convoy were dozens of airships flying slowly forward at the same speed as the land forces. At the bridge of the central airship, Zhang Junshu was standing before the windows and gazing at the receding silhouette of Dusk City. This super fortress was built through the combined, all-out efforts of the Zhang clan and many other aristocratic families and could accommodate a hundred thousand soldiers. Currently, it had fallen into a sea of fire with pillars of dense smoke curling up into the sky. One could see everything from dozens of kilometers away. With Zhang Junshus eyesight, he could even see many black specks of different sizes dancing around the sea of flames. Those were the dark race airships doing their utmost to curb the flames. The Zhang clan warzone possessed complicated landforms. The lake area close to the Misty Wood was relatively flat and only filled with sand dunes. The part stretching toward the Zhao clan warzone saw a sudden rise in elevation with winding shores, rapids filled with gravel, and a mountain range along the snowy line akin to a flying hawk. As such, there was only one way down south and its entrance was blocked by Dusk City. The elevation difference in other regions was too great, and there were even places with active glaciersnot at all suitable for marching large armies. This path seemed to have been formed countless years ago by glacial flow from the land of frost. On the two sides were steep cliffs hundreds if not thousands of meters tall which snaked to the south for hundreds of kilometers. The narrowest points were only a thousand meters wide, but the widest borders were tens of thousands of meters apart. Such a glacier would be considered majestic even on a vast continent, but they were not completely unheard of. It was just that this floating continent was merely the size of seven provinces. A glacial remnant of such scale was rather out of place here. It was so long that it looked like the entire Land of Frost had been toppled over. The bottom of this glacier today was rather flat and many places had been obviously reconstructed with origin arrays. As the frantic Zhang clan army traveled within their range, even the clumsiest of their trucks would see increased speeds. This served to increase overall troop movement speeds by thirty percent. The army resumed its normal state after passing through several kilometers of this array zone. Afterward, explosions occurred successively on the route they had left behind. Countless rocks and giant pits blocked the smooth road once more. At this moment on the other side of Dusk City, the hundred thousand strong dark race army could only stand and watch the sea of flames, unable to approach in the slightest. Hundreds of different airships shuttled back and forth over Dusk City, spraying large clouds of grey powder into the flames in a bid to control the conflagration. However, a hundred vessels seemed rather weak before this burning fortress. They could hardly do anything against the raging fire even after a long while. Outside of the flames, tens of thousands of dark race soldiers were closing in on the ground, extinguishing the flames in front of them little by little. However, every tree branch and every piece of stone in this city seemed to be on fire. Their forward progress was extremely slow, and it would probably take at least a couple of days for them to extinguish all the flames in the city. An airship appeared over the horizon at this moment, and the eight appendages on its side proved that its master was an arachne. This terribly fast warship arrived before Dusk City within moments and landed slowly. Along with this vessel came an invisible pressurebe it the dark race soldiers standing in formation or those extinguishing the flames, no one could withstand it. The sudden collapse of a large number of soldiers sent the formation into chaos. Numerous bugles rang out which duly signaled the army to disperse in the four directions, having them move away from the pressure zone and clearing an area for the airship to land. However, the warship only hovered hundreds of meters above the ground as a dignified voice echoed throughout the area, Why are you not advancing? Its already been half a day of delay. Dozens of vampires from the dark race army rose into the air. There was an elder among them whose hair had turned completely gray and the wrinkles on his face, comparable to the mountains and valleys. He could no longer retain a youthful exterior. Apparently, his long life as a vampire was already nearing its end. However, the blood energy surrounding him was so intense that it was almost tangibleit was as though rolling waves of blood were lingering around him. He did nothing to hide his terrifying strength as a glorious marquis. A single step forward would take him through the threshold of a duke. Those were the people truly in control of the Evernight faction. But the old marquis blood energy was suddenly restrained and began contracting rapidly as he approached the airship. In the end, only a thin layer of it barely remained on his body. At this moment, he was several hundred meters away from the airship. What little remained of his blood energy would be pushed into his body if he were to go within a hundred meters. The dozens of vampires surrounding the old marquis had long since fallen behind. They couldnt even go within a thousand meters. The pressure might send them falling to the ground if they pushed any closer. This was the most realistic difference between them and the Arachne Grand Duke Ardak, the Weaver of Nightmares. The old marquis spoke, Your Excellency Ardak, weve been doing our utmost to put out the flames, but Ardak cut the marquis short unceremoniously, No buts! I only see you fellows buzzing about like headless flies while a hundred thousand soldiers sit around with nothing to do. Why not go around the two sides of the city or blast a path through the center. The old marquis replied, All available airships have joined the extinguishing effort since we need to preserve Dusk City as much as we can. But the crafty humans seemed to be prepared for this. Its almost like the entire citys foundations were laid with black stone. Its truly difficult to control once the flames have broken out. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 636: Duke Wei’s Choice [V6C166 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The impatient arachne duke cut the old marquis short. I dont care what difficulties you have. Right now, I only want to know how long it''ll take before you can go through. At least a day. One day?! Ardaks thunderous roar covered an area of ten kilometers. Several of the weakest vampire experts simply couldnt withstand the pressure of the dukes wrath. They were immediately knocked unconscious and fell from the sky. Ardak didnt even spare those falling vampires a glance. One day is enough for those human bugs to crawl into another warzone! You have one hour! You must open a passage within one hour! But, we need the city intact. Intact? Whose stupid order is that? The old marquis replied, Its Her Majestys will. Ardak suddenly fell silent. Without any prefixes, this Her Majesty spoken of by the vampires could mean only one personthe Queen of the Night, Lilith. Moments later, Ardak said coldly, I heard your queen has encountered an accident and is soon going into a deep slumber. Do you think her orders can control me at such a time? The old marquis was extremely unyielding in this matter. Her Majesty has not yet gone into a deep slumber. Additionally, no matter what state shes in, the Queen of the Night is not someone you can comment on so casually. The arachne duke snorted but didnt continue making things difficult for the old man. He might perhaps be able to criticize Lilith a bit if he could step into the monarch realmbut that was the extent of it. After all, the arachne werent demonkin. Even that person on the sacred mountain of the Evernight Council wouldnt easily get into a conflict with the Queen of the Night. Seeing the situation at hand, Ardak realized that he couldnt easily command this hundred-thousand-strong army led mostly by vampires. Going back to the main camp for a transfer of authority would also take the greater part of the daythe enemy wouldve escaped by that time. Whos in charge of the imperial forces? Ardak inquired. The old marquis explained without hiding anything, The commander is the General of Ambitious Might, Zhang Junshu, and the overseer should be Duke Wei. There was suddenly a fluctuation in Ardaks voice. Duke Wei? Hes also here? The old marquis replied, Yes, Duke Wei intercepted us personally during our last assault. That was how the imperial army managed to immolate the entire city. Ive fought him before, so I cant be mistaken. Ardak remained silent for a while. Then, he broke into a laugh which shook several more vampires out of the air. Good, very good! Ill have to see how much that brat has grown in these years! A person appeared in front of the vampire marquis amidst the laughter. Three meters tall and clad in iron-grey robes, the duke looked down on all the vampires like a giant. There were several rings on the three fingers of his left hand, and the egg-sized gems on them were extremely dazzling. The gazes of several vampires fell uncontrollably onto the rings, soon falling deeper and deeperit was almost as though their souls were being drawn in. The old marquis quickly expanded his blood energy and engulfed the dazed subordinates. Do not look at the grand dukes hand! Ardak finally looked straight at the old marquis. Youre old but still quite good. The creases on the latters face grew deeper as he said with a wry smile, Thank you for the praise. Ardak gazed in the direction where the imperial forces had escaped. He let out a sudden howl and flew into the distance in due haste, all the while accompanied by thunderous rumbles. In the blink of an eye, Ardaks body expanded to become a giant ten-meter spider with a metallic glow flickering around his body. The tips of his eight limbs shot out countless threads which weaved together to form a silk road over the burning Dusk City. Ardaks massive spider body flickered continuously, each flash taking him a thousand meters away. In mere moments, he had disappeared at the extremes of ones vision. Only at this point did the silk road gradually disperse. A shrill voice suddenly rang out from the warship, Grand Duke, how about the warship?! Ardaks response floated over from the horizon. Too slow. Just follow me at your own pace! The massive warship climbed slowly and merged into the clouds. Then, it traversed the surging flames and chased after Ardaks last known direction. A count nearby spoke after the arachne grand dukes airship had vanished from their view. A single ship chasing after them? The humans are probably well-prepared for this. Their airship fleet isnt that weak. The marquis expression remained unchanged. His Excellency Ardak has great accumulations, how can we compare to him? He can build another after losing his ride, but itll take us a couple of decades to recover from the loss of our fleet. That count revealed a sinister smile. The arachne dukes ship naturally wasnt on the same level as ordinary warships, especially since it was much larger than standard vessels. The cost of that single ship was equal to half a vampire fleet. Duke Wei finally played the chess piece he had been mulling over and ended the game. Then, he said calmly, An old friend is coming. Ill go meet him. Zhang Junshu gazed into the distance. Although he couldnt see anything, he could feel a tremendous power rising over the horizonit was as though a tempest was brewing therein. Duke, your status is of great importance. You should be careful about everything. Why not just stay in the army? Zhang Junshu made no effort to hide the worry in his heart. As an expert only one step away from the divine champion rank, he could tell that the rapidly approaching aura was even stronger than Duke Wei himself. The latter stroked his beard and said, Junshu, none of us dukes got our titles through inheritance. You have to remember that killing on the battlefield is the role of our generation. Duke Zhang Junshu wanted to dissuade further. Duke Wei raised his hand and said, Speak no more. Besides, its not as if Ill die without a doubt. Dont diminish the might of an imperial soldier in front of all our troops. With that, Duke Wei brushed his sleeves and rose into the air, soon appearing in the sky outside of the airship. His elegant figure seemed to be walking calmly through the air, but soon he had disappeared over the horizon. The dense clouds in the sky hung lower and lower until it was almost pressing onto the airship. Zhang Junshu remained silent, seemingly lost in contemplation. Moments later, a clap of thunder resounded over the horizon. The distant explosion arrived in the blink of an eye, flooding the atmosphere with the rumble of rolling thunder. No other sound could prevail! Many of the weaker soldiers began seeing stars. Their limbs went limb, and some of them almost fell off the military transports. Fortunately, there were old veterans assigned to each truck who were still able to move despite the sudden thunder. These men quickly grabbed those who were about to fall and pulled them back into the car at the nick of time. After the thunder had passed, even the earth began to tremble and wind speeds increased several-fold. The airstream kicked up sand and gravel which struck vehicles and passengers alike. The small stones would even leave red spots after striking ones skin. The airship fleet swayed wildly in the turbulence. Some of the smaller ones were tossed about like a raft in the raging sea, looking as if they would capsize at any moment. Even the largest cargo ships could hardly stabilize themselves amidst the constant rocking. Fortunately, the Zhang clan forces were all elites, and the captains were all true experts in their trade. They didnt panic even under such disastrous conditions and did their all to control the airships balance. Zhang Junshu issued an immediate order after seeing that the situation wasnt quite right. The smaller airships broke away from the fleet and rose rapidly into the air, allowing them greater space to maneuver. The gale in the skies never stopped, and the tremors in the earth came wave after wave, flipping numerous trucks into the air. At such a time, even the old rank four veterans could only grab onto the carriage to avoid being thrown out of the car. Once outside, they would be swept up by the hurricane-like airflow and flung away. A yellowish glow began flickering from the central airship at this point. Numerous runes appeared to form the faint outline of a barrier which quickly enveloped the entire warship, isolating it from the devastating winds. Zhang Junshu gazed at the distant skies, his expression as dark as the gloomy skies. Those at the bridge had gone through hundreds of battle, but even so, they couldnt help but become apprehensive after seeing the earth-shattering developments. A major general asked, General, this could it be Zhang Junshu sighed deeply. Youre right, the duke is already fighting the enemy. Everyones expression changed. Those who could stand beside Zhang Junshu at this moment were all important generals of the Zhang clan and the empire. All of them had experienced fighting in great wars, and most of them had seen battles between divine champions. They were even more astonished because Duke Wei had only taken action a couple of times despite overseeing the army for so long. One had to know that even the dukes all-out attack probably wouldnt produce such power. If this world-shaking change wasnt caused by Duke Wei, it was naturally due to the enemy. From this, one could guess that Duke Wei wasnt just at a disadvantagehe was very likely in a precarious situation. Zhang Junshus clenched fist relaxed and then tightened once more with crackling sounds. Ordinary soldiers were useless in a battle between divine champions. Just the shockwave from the impact was enough to kill an entire squad, not to mention those below the champion rank couldn''t even approach once an experts domain had been deployed. Even if the entire army were to go forth and provide assistance, the result would be a close victory at best. The duke might be able to escape, but it would be game over once all the experts in the Zhang clan private army had fallen. This elite private army of a hundred thousand elites was half under Zhang Junshus command. At present, there was less than twenty thousand of them remaining. These people were the final batch. If they could be brought back and new soldiers were added to the framework, another elite army could be built in half a year. But there would be nothing left if they were all used up here. Duke Wei would rather fight Ardak alone without Zhang Junshus assistance because he knew that this squad and its experts were the foundation of the Zhang clan. Once lost, the damage would be significant. Moreover, if the duke were to fall here while protecting the Zhang clans lifeline, the entire Greensun Zhang Clan and perhaps even Prince Greensun himself would do their utmost to protect Duke Weis descendants. This was a difficult decision to make, but that was exactly Duke Weis choice. Zhang Junshu banged his fist hard on the table and roared, Go and help the brothers on the ground. We must make haste! The faster we leave, the sooner the duke can escape the battlefield! All the generals responded and charged out. It was just that the phenomena in the distance pressured heavily upon everyones hearts. This was a clash between two absolute powers, and Duke Wei was the one to intercept proactively. The chances of his escape were slim at best. It was at this time that a colonel charged into the bridge. The peripheral airships have discovered an unidentified vessel approaching. Its suspected to be the warship of the Arachne Grand Duke Ardak! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 637: Trap [V6C167 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhang Junshu turned back all of a sudden. Really? The colonel affirmed, Our brothers have memorized the pictures well, we can recognize it even if the ship turns to ash! Zhang Junshu inquired again, How many warships? Just one! A cold glint appeared in the generals eyes. Good! A grand dukes airship is almost as valuable as a fleet. Issue the order! Remove the disguises and attack in full force. We shall make that airship stay as revenge for our duke... At this point, Zhang Junshus voice tapered off, but everyone nearby understood his intentions. Their eyes were filled with tears when they roared in unison, Yes, Sir! The Zhang clan ground forces pressed ahead while its entire fleet turned toward the north. Ardaks airship was flying through the dense northern clouds at great speed. Countless giant spider webs would flicker in and out of existence around the vessel, allowing its eight long limbs to glide upon the illusory threads. It was akin to a gigantic spider charging toward its prey at lightning speed. A lanky arachne stood at the bridge, observing the projection of the imperial fleet in the air in front of him. Judging from the direction of the imperial fleet, he knew they were targeting him. The arachne marquis said with a shrill laugh, Theyre trying to contend with the dukes airship with a mere patrol warship and a group of rubbish vessels? Ha, even their cargo ships have charged out. Have they resigned themselves to their fate? Hehe, Haha! A young viscount chimed in, True. This subordinate has been in the army for so many years, yet Ive never seen cargo ships that dare charge at a warship. Could it be that theyve made some breakthrough and developed some powerful weapon? Huh? T-Those cargo ships As the imperial fleet approached rapidly in the projection, its flagship and escort vessels began to change shape while the smaller patrol airships and transports spread out toward the periphery. This left the three old cargo ships in a prominent central position. These ships accelerated continuously, not only catching up but even overtaking the flagship later on. This wasnt the speed of a cargo ship at all! The captain marquis took a step forward and stared fixedly at the transforming imperial fleet. A highspeed warship charged out from both sides of their formation, leading a small squad of gunships each to cut off the arachne warships path of retreat. The marquis scanned the two sides briefly before his gaze fell upon the three cargo ships. The imagery before his eyes suddenly flickered as beams of runic light filled his vision. After the light receded, numerous minute explosions occurred on the cargo ships outer shells which fell off layer by layer, gradually revealing the solemn contents within. The arachne battleships command room turned silenteven the captain was dumbfounded, and the only manifestation of his emotions was his trembling fingers. An entire three battleships! Each and every one of them was a war vessel capable of supporting a sub-fleet! The three battleships along with Zhang Junshus flagship was a force capable of contending with an organized combat fleet. Warships of the Evernight dukes were mostly at a level above battleships. They held an obvious edge when fighting against a single imperial battleship but would usually be disadvantaged against two. Against three, however, it was already quite good if they didnt lose immediately. Moreover, the arachne airship had rushed in on its own without any escort ships nearby. Their most powerful expert wasnt on the ship, either. One could easily imagine their fate after being surrounded by a fleet. The arachne marquis realized a lot of things when the three battleships appeared at the same time, including why the imperial fleet in outer space had performed so badly with openings everywhere. He understood why they could barely maintain the situation and wasnt willing to engage in a showdown with the Evernight fleet. Those crafty humans had actually hidden three battleships here, not revealing them even after their land forces were beaten back. Apparently, this was to lure the Evernight airships in and destroy them all in one fell swoop. The imperial fleet was barely sufficient in overall strength since the outset. Now that they had diverted three battleships away, their combat strength had naturally weakened. Being able to hold out without being routed proved that their commander was a great general. He had indeed realized the truth, but no one would feel good after running straight into a trap. The viscount beside him also came to a realization. These damned humans! Their target was never the ground fortress but our fleet! As long as the empire could deal heavy damage to the Evernight fleet, they would be able to reestablish dominance in the void and lock down the continent. At that time, the dark race army on the void landmass would be deprived of support, while reinforcements and supplies would flow in continuously from the empire. The dark race army stationed on the land would eventually be wiped out. The viscount was sharp and possessed great strategic insight. Unfortunately, they were in dire straits at this moment and the marquis mood was beyond bad. He grabbed the viscounts throat after hearing the analysis and roared, Why didnt you say that earlier? Its nothing more than rubbish now! An abrupt earth-shattering rumble caused the entire warship to sway violently and the lights in the bridge to flicker on and off. The warship had been hit, and the damage wasnt small. It was very likely a shot from the enemy vessels main cannon. The marquis expression was hideous. An abrupt force from his hand sent a mist of blood spraying onto the control stationhe had actually torn the viscount apart! After venting his anger, the marquis issued three consecutive orders, Turn, accelerate, and retreat! It was just that he understood quite well that the third order might never come to fruition. In the imperial fleet, Zhang Junshus furious roars were heard by the entire fleet. Kill that spider! For the empire! All of the imperial fleet cannons fired in the blink of an eye. Countless beams of resplendent flames erupted upon the almost thousand-meter long airship as the high-power ballista bolts rushed into the airship, almost like a school of fish returning to the sea. On a distant mountaintop, Qianye was observing this rare scene while shielding his eyes from the flying gravel. What a spectacular sight! Qianye sighed. This kind of aerial battle was so rare that he had never even seen one before. He felt that it was somewhat of a pity that he could only observe from afar. Ordinary people might not be able to see anything through the tempest, but Qianyes Eye of Truth could make out the distant situation via the patterns of origin power distribution. What he saw, however, was only the outline and not the details. A battle not inferior to those in the void had erupted thousands of meters in the air. Countless origin power waves weaved together and filled the firmament with the aura of death. An airship akin to a giant whale was maneuvering through the air, surrounded by dozens of warships of different sizes. They cruised about like a group of sharks and would go in for a bite whenever an opportunity presented itself. Meanwhile, outside of Qianyes visual range, the Zhang clan army was advancing with great difficulty. They moved little by little through the wind and dust, edging toward their final base of operations. The environment made it difficult to march quickly, but this was doubly true for the dark races who relied solely on their own strong bodies. They hadnt planned ahead like the empire or prepared heavy transports for troops. These vehicles couldnt compete with the dark races in short sprints, but over hundreds of kilometers and especially under the interference of bad weather, the latter couldnt compare to the tireless trucks that needed nothing but ample fuel. Hence, the Zhang clan soldiers were hoping that the storm would continue. The longer this tempest lasted, the more distance they could cover ahead of the pursuers. Far off in a different direction was the heart of this tempest. Both the daybreak and darkness origin powers there were in an extremely violent state. The constant clashes and explosions destabilized the sky, causing deep gashes to appear from time to time. These void crevices were hundreds of meters long and could destroy almost anything. Void origin power would gush in like the tide whenever they appeared. The floating landmass was just like the larger continents. Void origin power couldnt exist in a stable state within the internal space close to the ground. Much like adding cold water to burning oil, a terrifying storm would ensue once the two came into contact. Even with the Eye of Truth, Qianye could only see countless wisps of chaotic origin power. The transformations occurring each moment were so rapid that even his perception couldnt grasp them. He couldnt judge the situation of the battle at all. All he could distinguish was that two divine-champion-level experts were engaging in a fierce battle and that the daybreak origin power side was at a disadvantage. The latter was like a candle in the wind that would be extinguished at any second. Qianye was secretly worried, but he quickly suppressed the thought. A battle of that level wasnt something he could get involved with. Qianye glanced once more at the routed Zhang clan army and could already feel some powerful dark auras moving in their general direction. Apparently, the burning city could only block the main dark race army but not their pursuing experts. These experts naturally wouldnt dare mount a frontal assault, especially since the Zhang clans main force was being escorted by an airship fleet. However, they would harass the retreating party constantly and decrease their forward momentum. Naturally, these powerful fellows wouldnt miss the opportunity to attack the airships, either, should the chance arise. In a large-scale battle, the most important deciding factor, apart from divine-champion-level experts, was the ability to control the flow of combat. The Zhang clan army was like a giant elephant which, despite its size, was wounded and bleeding. The blood along the way seemed to have attracted a pack of evil wolveswhether or not these wolves could be driven away would decide if this giant elephant would reach its destination. That was Qianyes battlefield. It was just that there were few imperial experts who could arrive in time to hunt these wolves. The majority of independent experts were gathered in the Misty Wood, but the dark races had been reinforcing the region constantly in recent months. It would be rather difficult for these experts to pass through the forest in a hurry. Meanwhile, the pack of wolves was coming together and their numbers had far surpassed that of the hunters, so much so that they could even drown out the latter. Qianye put the damaged Young Dragon into Andruils realm and changed into a set of light armor to facilitate his stealth and hunting. He adjusted his combat apparel, put away East Peak which he had been using to stabilize himself in the tempest, and leapt off the mountain peak. Within the tempest, Qianye drifted upward instead of falling down. He was like a small boat amidst the billowing waves. This was a tempest induced by origin power, and hence its paths werent random like natural storms. Qianye could discern the routes of surging origin power to judge their path and adjust his own flight trajectory accordingly. He drew a curved and crooked tract through the air as he flew forward, parallel to the Zhang clan army. Just as Qianye was borrowing the power of the tempest to fly, a strong throbbing sensation arose in his heart. The violent storms weakened without a warning. It was like a sea full of giant waves turning calm during a squall. Instead, an enormous vortex appeared at the center of the sea, bringing with it a boundless terror that far surpassed the raging waves from before. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 638: Mortal Emperor [V6C168 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] After losing the power of the tempest, Qianye fell straight down like a stone in the water. At this moment, his palpitation intensified and his entire body froze uphe actually couldnt move! Any other person mightve been knocked out under the earth-shattering suppressive might. This wasnt related to strength. It was akin to how myriad beasts would be overcome by fear when meeting the beast king. However, Qianyes body only froze up for a few seconds before the dark golden blood energy and Venus Dawn were awakened at the same time. His blood core began pulsating with great power, pumping the auric flame blood to every part of his body. His two origin vortices also spun rapidly in a bid to spray out a steady stream of crystal-infused daybreak origin power. Bang! The flexible armor on Qianyes body was torn to pieces and his combat robes, reduced to tatters. However, the golden blood energy was roaming throughout his body amidst the strands of surging sunlight-like origin power. This forcibly shattered the suppressive might binding his body. Qianye spat out a mouthful of blood the moment this invisible pressure was broken. This mouthful of auric flame blood was mixed with countless crystalline granules. The auric flame blood ignited after coming into contact with the daybreak origin power crystals, quickly turning into a mass of flames which shot into the sky. Qianye immediately felt relaxed after spitting out blood, and the mountainous pressure upon him disappeared. In truth, the pressure was still there, but Qianyes rolling blood energy and origin power had isolated him from it. The pressure could no longer affect him. Under the sweeping invisible pressureperhaps in order to deal with the immediate mortal perilthe dark golden blood energy and Venus Dawn were actually showing signs of merging together. They seemed to be working together to resist the formless suppression. Qianye flipped about and landed lightly on his feet. He suddenly thought of something and glanced far into the sky. All he saw was a beam of white light coming in from the distance and speeding toward the horizon. It crossed the firmament all of a sudden and vanished into the center of the storm. That was precisely where the Arachne Grand Duke and Duke Wei were engaging in battle. Everything in the path of that white light, be it the dense clouds or flying debris, would shift to the side. The scene was akin to commoners retreating frantically upon seeing the emperor. They werent destroyed but merely pushed back to make way for the beam of light. This formed a natural realm around the path of this radiance. Qianye was both puzzled and shaken as he observed this scene which defied all common sense. Qianye was also helpless before this supreme majesty which seemed to be on par with the heaven and earth themselves. If he were in the path of this light, there was no doubt that he would also be pushed back involuntarily. The only reason Qianye was able to break through the restriction was because he was far away from the source and needed only to deal with the remnant waves. Even so, he had to activate the entirety of his blood energy and origin power in order to break free. A sudden clap of thunder assaulted the world. The tremendous sound wave became the only sound left in this realm. As the sonic waves arrived, Qianye was sent into a stunned daze despite the attenuation offered by his blood energy and origin power. Blood trickled down from his mouth and nose. Qianye staggered back but remained on his feet. He couldnt quite tell whether that was a clap of thunder or the roar of the Evernight expert inside the tempest. Qianye was both shocked and delighted because that roar was filled with pain and anguish, hysterical even. Apparently, that expert had been gravely wounded. Could that white light be...? Qianye suddenly recalled a legend about the imperial family. At this moment, there was a lone boat floating on the distant horizon. With an azure body and black tent, it looked no different from any ordinary vessel. Yet, the naturally elegant contour gave away its extraordinary qualities. The storm had reached where it was, yet the lonely boat wasnt affected in the slightest. The flying gravel and sand couldnt land on it, either. Once close by, they would circle around the boat, reconverge behind, and continue their original trajectoryit was incomparably mysterious. It was as though this lone boat didnt belong to this world. It remained untouched by the storm and undiscerned by the people. There were several people on this boat. The one standing at the foremost was a young man with a dignified countenance. He was holding an astonishingly long origin gun which was aimed at the center of the tempest. The white beam of light just now was fired from it. That origin rifle was over two meters long with the vivid relief of a flying serpent, the emblem of the Great Qin imperial family, coiled around it. However, the diagram therein was different from those widely-known in the common world. The flying serpent on the firearm had nine large scales on its back and none on any other part of its body. Five out of the nine scales each displayed a human figuresome glaring furiously, some in deep thought, others inherently dignifiedeveryone had a different bearing, but all of them possessed facial features somewhat similar to the young man holding the gun. The white light had already receded at this point, but the young man remained stationary. It was as though the river of time had stopped flowing. After a moment of silence, a middle-aged man with a long beard sighed. Repelling all evil and revered by myriad life! Such might is indeed worthy of the name Mortal Emperor! The young man had a smile on his lips. All of this is due to the all-out efforts of the ancestors. Another old man spoke, The past emperors efforts indeed formed the foundation of this Mortal Emperor. However, the fourteenth prince is actually able to activate it at such a young age. This is truly rare throughout history. One day in the future, the person to appear on the sixth scale is very likely to be your highness. Everyone was shaken by these words, and a dazzling light shone in the fourteenth princes eyes. Only the emperor had the right to wield Mortal Emperor and use his grand origin power to nurture it. The implications in the elders words were self-evident. But the glint in the fourteenth princes eyes quickly receded, his gaze becoming as gentle and peaceful as before. I only barely activated Mortal Emperor by a lucky fluke. How can I dare compare myself to the ancient ancestors? Please make no more mention of leaving my imprint on the flying serpent. The old man didnt quite agree, however. He stroked his beard and said with a laugh, Everything will happen naturally when the conditions are right. Those with intentions will know even if we dont mention it. Moreover, your highness launched an attack at the critical moment and saved Duke Weis life. Such a contribution cannot be suppressed. Being modest alone isnt enough during this important war of national fate, one must forge ahead with boldness and vigor. The fourteenth prince laughed wryly. Ignoring the future for now, todays deed was only possible because of Marshal Lins planning and the protection of everyone here. How can I boast about it like so? Mortal Emperor started to tremble just as the group was going back and forth with their modest arguments. The flying serpent''s eyes, which hadnt opened even during the shot into the tempest, blinked slowly and proceeded to stare at a point on the ground below. Soon, boundless imperial might surged up from the serpentine body and formed an illusory image of a large snake overlooking the earth below. It was full of combat intent and poised to engage in a fight to the death, almost as though it had encountered its arch nemesis. Mortal Emperors unusual change alarmed everyone on the boat. However, none of them had witnessed such a scene before and knew not what they should do. The fourteenth prince let out a sudden cry the moment the serpent opened its eyesall he could feel was his origin power being drained. He had already expended the greater part of his origin power when he activated Mortal Emperor a while ago. Now that he was being drained once more, it felt as though his origin vortices were about to be dragged out of his body. Who could withstand this? Soon after crying out, his vision darkened and he fell down unconscious. Mortal Emperor lost its source of origin power after the fourteenth princes collapse. Soon, the giant flying serpent in the air let out an indignant roar as it gradually dispersed. Greatly shocked, the people on the boat quickly lifted the fourteenth prince to examine his condition. They felt somewhat relieved after finding out that he had fallen unconscious due to over-exhaustion. Such an injury was an incurable disease to an ordinary person, but the imperial family possessed both capable people and spiritual medicines. It wouldnt be too hard to heal the prince. The bearded middle-aged man wore a deeply concerned expression. Just now, Mortal Emperor seemed to be confronting something. Everyones expressions changed. Mortal Emperor was one of the ten Grand Magnums of the generation. Its firepower had been increasing little by little with the successive upgrades by the emperors. Although the imperial family hadnt announced it openly, many people privately believed that this firearm was the most powerful in the world. The old man was the leader of this group. He pondered for a while and said, With His Majesty unconscious, theres no one capable of using the Mortal Emperor. We shouldnt remain here for long, let us leave. No one voiced their dissent. As such, the boat made an agile turn and vanished over the horizon in a flashit was almost as though the vessel had never appeared here. At this moment, Qianye was standing amidst the boundless rocky wasteland, his luminous wings spread out behind him as he gazed at where the flying serpent had appeared before. Qianye had sensed an indescribably powerful suppressive might just now. The difference from before was that this might contained an intent to do battle and kill. Moreover, it was directly targeted at Qianye. Although he couldnt see the illusory image of the flying serpent in the air, Qianye could feel a primordial giant creature staring at him. This wasnt a contest of levels at all. The aftershock from the suppressive might nearly injured Qianye a while ago. Now that he was being directly targeted, the formless suppression shattered his origin power and blood energy, sending him paralyzed to the ground. It was at this time that the hiding Wings of Inception unfurled behind him. A faint radiance engulfed Qianye and actually resisted the invisible monstrosity in the air. The contest lasted mere moments before the suppressive might in the air dispersed, followed by an angry roar full of discontent. The voice was akin to rolling thunder. What was going on? The series of events was too much for Qianye to take in at once, but the inexplicable change in the Wings of Inception gave him a faint idea. He didnt get the time to ponder in detail before a large shadow appeared in the air and came whistling down toward him. Shocked out of his wits, Qianye flashed over ten meters to the side. The black shadow smashed into the ground with a loud bang, sending dust and gravel flying everywhere. The object carved out a shallow pit in the ground. After the dust had settled, Qianye found a huge arachne lying inside the hole. Judging from its sizeable frame and powerful darkness origin power, it was at least a count. It was just that there was something wrong with the arachne. It had completely reverted to its spider body with its eight stiff limbs moving about randomly. It simply couldnt clamber up because the darkness origin power in its entire body was in chaos. It looked up at Qianye and gasped uncontrollably. Y-You, how can you still move? These words reminded Qianye. He recalled how he had nearly lost the ability to move when the suppressive might descended upon him. The arachne before him didnt have auric flame blood, Venus Dawn, nor the Wings of Inception. Hence, it had lost the ability to move and fallen straight down beside Qianye. Qianyes expression became somewhat abnormal as he looked at the arachne count who had just fallen down from the sky. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 639: Forward [V6C169 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The arachne counts expression became weird as he realized the situation. Immediately putting on an act despite his fears, he shouted, Y-You, come over if you dare! He struggled with all his might in a bid to gain some combat distance but was entirely numb and powerless. Mortal Emperors remnant power was still hanging in the air at this point. The spider moved its eight limbs about, clambering up briefly, and then falling back down again. Not to mention running away, he couldnt even stand up straight. Qianye produced his vampiric blade with a flip of his hand, but then he also picked up East Peak, feeling that it was better to play it safe. When Qianye removed his vampiric blade from the arachnes back moments later, the entirety of the latters essence blood had become his. He walked around the corpse and removed its equipment and backpack, duly stuffing them into Andruils space and sighing in relief. This was the easiest count he had ever killed throughout his life. The deed ended with just the vampiric blade without having to use East Peak at all. The kill was easy, and the rewards were bountiful. At the count level, ones internal and external armors were all extraordinary items. The arachnes armor, which usually specialized in defense, wasnt too far off from Young Dragon. Even if it didnt quite fit Qianye at the moment, he could recycle the materials for a small fortune. The other items included an origin hand-cannon, several handguns, and a battleaxe, which took up a good part of Andruils space. After collecting the spoils, a thought occurred to Qianye while sensing the remnant suppressive might in the air. If even an arachne count couldnt resist this power, didnt this mean that the other lower-ranked dark race warriors would hardly survive? This was clearly the best moment to deal a good blow to the forces chasing after the Zhang clan. Qianyes spirits rose immediately. He shot out like a bolt of lightning and began searching the surrounding areas. The tempest hadnt died out yet, but Qianye relied on East Peaks weight to remain unaffected by the storm. This search yielded great resultswithin moments, Qianye had picked up five viscounts of various ranks. Unfortunately, he didnt encounter another count until the end. Counts were much stronger than viscountsit could be assumed that they wouldve recovered by now even if they were stunned at the outset. That one arachne was simply too unlucky to have fallen right beside Qianye. There was really no one to blame for such a misfortune. By the time the storm had settled and the remnant suppression in the air had receded, Qianye had gained much without any effort. At this point, Qianye had already confirmed the doubt inside his heart. It was likely an imperial family member who had attacked using the Mortal Emperor, one of the ten grand magnums. This legendary gun was different from the Red Spider Lily in that it wasnt known for its destructive power, but rather the suppressive might capable of subduing all life. The Red Spider Lily was a gun capable of shattering ones soul, while the Mortal Emperor was a holy weapon for group combat. There were very few in the empire capable of activating the Mortal Emperor, and there were even fewer known instances of its attack compared to the Red Spider Lily. The title revered by all life was naturally an exaggeration. But the attack today had engulfed the heaven and earth with such suppression that even a count was deprived of all fighting power. Such an awe-inspiring might wasnt really too far off from the words revered by all life. It was just that the Mortal Emperor had a weaknessits suppression couldnt discriminate between friend and foe, forcing all those with weak cultivation in its area of effect to prostrate. Qianye couldnt help but think of something after the remote confrontation between the Wings of Inception and the Mortal Emperor. All this time, he hadnt used the Wings of Inception very often. Recently, he had been saving it for use as a killing move with the Shot of Inception. As for augmenting a guns firepower with the Wings of Inception, normal firearms couldnt withstand this power at all, while the Twin Flowers attracted too much attention. However, Qianye found a renewed interest in the Wings of Inception after seeing the Mortal Emperors abyssal might. He wanted to know what the final version of the Black-Winged Monarchs masterpiece would look like. The only problem was that nurturing the Wings of Inception required vast amounts of essence blood and origin power. There was no telling how many years it would take to see any results. Qianye rose into the air and glanced at his surroundings. He saw the cloud of dust covering the distant horizon. Apparently, the Zhang clan was still pushing ahead through the valley floor without ever stopping. They had clearly prepared for this by seating all the soldiers on heavy transportsthe people might be affected by the Mortal Emperor, but the heavy trucks and airships were not. The advancement would continue as long as the machines were still in running condition. Even after scanning the area with his True Sight, Qianye couldnt find any dark race activity within his field of vision. That single attack from the Mortal Emperor had not only injured that Evernight expert, but also intimidated most of the dark race soldiers. Apart from the few unlucky fellows that had fallen into Qianyes hands, the rest were still hesitant and panicked. They were chasing after the Zhang clan army to hunt, but now, it was possible that they would become the prey instead. It was only natural that they wouldnt poke their heads out before figuring out the situation. This period was extremely precious for the Zhang clan as it afforded them some time to cover more distance. It was just that the time procured wasnt that great. In every factional battle, the higher powers of the empire and Evernight basically kept each other in check. Now that the empire had utilized the Mortal Emperor, the Evernight Council wouldnt just sit idly by. They might have other experts at the same level rushing over to the scene. At that point, the dark race experts who had chosen to go into temporary hiding would realize the situation and continue their pursuit. Those who dared to intercept the Zhang clan were apparently experts in the field who possessed various methods of concealment. At least when they werent moving, Qianyes Eye of Truth couldnt find their whereabouts. Qianye landed and soon found a good hiding place. There, he retracted his aura and began refining the recently obtained essence blood in preparation for the upcoming battle. Within the Zhang clan flagship, Zhang Junshu stood solemnly before Duke Wei, and behind him, all the Zhang clan generals were present in a single file. Everyone was standing silently. Duke Weis demeanor was scholarly and calm. It was just that he seemed slightly dispirited and dark flames flickered from time to time in his eye. Zhang Junshu suddenly performed a military salute and said, Junshu wont ever forget your grace in this lifetime. The entire Zhang clan will also etch what you did today into our memories! With Zhang Junshus cultivation level, he could naturally see that Duke Weis injuries were extremely severe despite the lack of external wounds. There was so much darkness origin power rampaging throughout his body that one could see it in his eyes. This was a damage to his foundationseven if he could fully recover one day, there was no longer any hope for him to advance any further. For a character like Duke Wei, how could he not have the desire to progress? But a heart full of lofty aspirations had been reduced to dust after todays battle. Duke Wei smiled naturally. These are small matters, why all the fuss? Prince Greensun is the empires treasure. A small sacrifice on my part doesnt count for much. Besides, not only did I return with my life, but even my cultivation is intact. What else can this duke ask for? You, on the other hand, must be careful. I probably wont be of much help on the road ahead. Zhang Junshu said in a deep voice, Rest assured, even if the Zhang clan cant make it to the end, we will make those black bloods pay several times the price! At this moment, a bearded general under Zhang Junshu chimed in, Humph! We can definitely finish this journey if those Zhao clan people had a greater sense for the bigger picture and sent their men to provide support. Zhang Junshu roared, Shut up! When was it your turn to criticize strategy in front of Duke Wei?! I wouldve punished you according to military law if not for the upcoming battle! The bearded man mumbled, This general said nothing wrong. Those Zhao clan people really know how to blow their own trumpet, but they picked the warzone furthest from action after coming to the floating continent. Weve been fighting for our lives on the front line and have lost so many brothers. Yet, theres still no reinforcement in sight. The bearded general was clearly dissatisfied, and the other generals also wore expressions of discontent. In truth, this matter was quite simplethe Zhang clan had always been the first among the four major clans and the Zhao, second. It was only natural that the members of the two clans didnt like one another. Zhang Junshu shot Duke Wei a glance and sighed. These fierce bastards only know how to charge the enemy and are quite shallow when it comes to strategy and statecraft. Weve humiliated ourselves in front of you. With that, Zhang Junshu roared, A group of useless bastards, you know so little except for fighting and killing. No one listened when I asked you to read up on strategy. Scram! Go and reflect on what you did wrong! With the way you people are, youll lose even your pants against the Zhao clan people. Zhang Junshus authority in the army was absolute. Seeing him truly furious, all the generals under him no longer dared retort and withdrew in fear. After the generals were dismissed, Zhang Junshu said with a wry smile, What a joke weve made you watch. Duke Wei sighed. Actually, they are not to blame. Even I would never have foreseen todays situation. The Zhao clan chose that place much earlier on, which means they have long since foreseen our disadvantage in the early battles. Thus, they have focused on building up the rear instead of rushing into battle. The one who made this strategic decision must be a person of great talents! Its fine if the person is Duke You, but I fear there might be someone else. That would mean every generation of the Swallow Cloud Zhao Clan is producing great talents, and their rise will be inevitable. Zhang Junshus expression changed slightly after thinking about this. He couldnt help but lower his voice and inquire, Duke, could it be that even Boqian didnt expect this to happen? To every member of the Zhang clan, Prince Greensun was an omnipotent character who made no mistakes. The marshal had picked the Zhang clan warzone personally. Now that they had been beaten back by the dark races, didnt this mean that Zhang Boqian had lost to the Zhao clan in terms of strategy? Duke Wei seemed to have guessed the mans thoughts. General, youre overthinking it. Its very likely that the prince doesnt care much about this momentary setback. Defeating the opposing great dark monarch is the bigger picture! Zhang Junshu became optimistic and agreed repeatedly. As the routed Zhang clan army crawled on through the bottom of the valley, dozens of squads split off to both sides to intercept the harassing dark race experts. It was just that they were relatively weak compared to the enemy hiding around themit was likely that these small combat squads would never return. The chilly wind whistled across the boundless wasteland and through the valley. Qianye slowly opened his eyes inside a serene cave and spat out an arrow of black energy. At this moment, he had more or less refined the essence blood inside his body and auric flame blood filled all his bones and limbs. He was at the very peak and only one step away from a breakthrough. At this moment, a gust of cold wind rushed into the cave, carrying a mournful cry from the distance. Has it begun? Qianye checked the time and walked out of the cave. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 640: Reunion [V6C170 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The mountain winds rushed at Qianyes face as he walked out of the cave. The breeze contained an eerie chill along with the faint scent of blood and gunpowder. He glanced over and found that the flames of war had ignited everywherethe land was filled with lingering smoke as rumbling sounds echoed continuously in the ears. At the end of his vision, a tall peak shook a couple of times before its gradual collapse. The impact filled the air with dust and blotted out half the sky. Further out was the valley in which the Zhang clan was advancing. Countless black dots were approaching rapidly from over the horizon. There were individual experts as well as extremely fast airships. However, these smaller vessels appeared sporadically with no organized formation, leaving immediately after dropping off combat squads. They simply didnt dare approach the Zhang clans primary fleet. The human side seemed relatively frail compared to the enemies rushing over like a swarm of bees. Qianye leapt up and approached the closest battlefield in due haste. It was a hilly region where a group of human warriors was holed up on a rocky mountain, frantically resisting the dark races attack. Hundreds of dark race warriors had surrounded the peak while launching fierce attacks. There were thirty or so people halfway up the mountain, including a second-rank viscount who was observing the summit battle with his hands behind his back. There were only twenty or so human soldiers. Be it in terms of cultivation or number, they were far inferior to their adversary, but they made up for this with great coordination and teamwork. Apparently, they were well-experienced in organized combat. The ten at the front, wielding swords and shields, locked down the incoming dark race soldiers. Those at the back were raining bullets into the enemy group with no regard for their origin power consumption. Dark race soldiers were mowed down one after another. This small squad was actually halting the advance of a force many times their size. Despite the bad situation, the overseeing viscount was in no rush to take action. He had also concentrated most baron and knight level experts around him instead of having them charge at the peak. Otherwise, the situation on the mountain wouldnt be in a deadlock like this. He glanced toward the sky from time to time as though he was waiting for something. A thousand meters away, Qianye was crouching behind a pile of rocks with his crosshairs locked onto the viscount. After realizing that the latter was waiting for something, Qianye decided to wait and see what they were planning. After a while, the defense atop the mountain started to falter. The dark races casualties were also increasing gradually. That viscount laughed coldly and said, It seems the humans will not waste their ammunition for such trash. In that case, we have no need to keep them alive. Lets go! The viscount let out a long howlhis body swelled up rapidly and his black fur grew longer. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into his werewolf combat form with a bloodthirsty glint in his gaze. However, his long howl soon came to an abrupt halt. His body was violently jolted forward and nearly fell to the ground. At this point, everyone saw a cloud of blood and flesh bursting out of his back. Having lost the support of his now-broken neck, the werewolfs head hung down limply. None of the werewolf viscounts subordinates had come to even after he was gravely wounded. During the moment that they were petrified, the heads of two more barons suddenly burst open, and then the knights also fell down one after the other. Only at this point did the lucky survivors hear gunshots in the distance. However, the timbre of a sniper rifle wasnt that distinct amidst the battles taking place everywhere. Qianye put away the Thunderbolt, checked the battlefield once more, and left. With the leader killed and over half the experts cleared out, the dark race squad fell into chaos. Even if the people atop the hill couldnt win, it wouldnt be a problem for them to escape. The dark race force in the area was too big. Qianye had no intention of spending too much origin power on soldiers beneath the champion level. Qianye was just picking out his next battlefield when he suddenly turned around and stared toward a certain point in the east. He had sensed there an extremely familiar origin power fluctuation. He arched his body and shot through the rocky mountain terrain like a beast, approaching the location under the cover of the landscape. Moments later, Qianye climbed atop a hill and looked down at the battlefield below. There was a natural valley between two hills. The topography here was complicated with rocks jutting into the sky and numerous caves along the cliffsides, a natural battleground through and through. This place was supposed to be a barren land with only a few weather-resistant shrubs. However, a verdant oasis seemed to have appeared right in the middle of the battlefield. The landscape was splendid with numerous ancient trees reaching into the sky and their falling leaves spinning about. There was even a rainbow peeking through the foliage from time to time, nothing short of a paradise on earth. There was a clear spring glistening under the sunlight at the center of the oasis, beside which stood a decorative rock. If one had to point out something out of place in this scenery, it would be this yellowish rock. There werent any carved lines or exquisite pores on it, and it was no different from a stone one would find anywhere. Yet, it stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the beauty of this almost fantastical ambiance. The oasis in the barren lands was exceptionally distinct, making it near impossible for people to overlook it. That yellow rock was the most eye-catching of all, especially since it was moving about instead of standing still. Qianye knew at a glance that the leaders of the two armies were locked in a battle of domains. It was just that the projection of such life-like visual phenomena was extremely rare. This so-called battle of domains meant that the two parties were fighting for control over the origin power in the environment. They were drawing upon the power of the world for their own use, empowering their bodies and attacking their opponents. However, visual phenomena would emerge when the origin powers controlled by each combatant came into conflict. This was a scene formed of different domains. But what was with this oasis? It was simply too realistic! Could it be that those waves and grasses possessed offensive capabilities? Qianye had a faint guess about what was going on after seeing the numerous leaves. His eyes turned blue as he glanced back at the oasis. The Eye of Truth swept away the domains interference on his senses, allowing him to see the entire battlefield clearly. Hundreds of soldiers were risking life and limb to kill one another on the battlefieldmost of them were dark race warriors with less than a hundred humans present. Where the battle was the fiercest, ten viscounts had four human champions surrounded. One of the four possessed a jade-like countenance, a highly refined temperament, and his robes fluttered in the wind as he waved the folding fan in his hand. Quite shockingly, it was the Song clans seventh young noble. However, he was equipped with neither armor nor weapon at this moment. He didnt have his silver mask on, either. He was playing about with his fan, opening and closing it lightly as though he was enjoying the scenery on a spring hike. How was this like a life and death battle at all? Beside Song Zining, a tall and sturdy youth was roaring loudly. His every action was full of vigor and made up of significant movements. He alone had seven or eight of the viscounts tied down, and two among them were even at rank two. He was truly dauntless. He had long since fallen into a disadvantage against the multitude of enemies, howling in pain whenever he received the occasional wound. Despite the cries, however, the fellow would jump back into the fray and continue entangling the enemies. Who else could this thrashing fellow be if not Wei Potian? The other two human champions were only rank-eleven, yet they could each intercept a third-rank viscount and enter a deadlock. There was a viscount on the other side who hadnt yet entered the battlefield and was, instead, confronting Song Zining across the battlefield. But Qianye immediately discovered that the viscount wasnt standing idle. His expression at the moment was serious, and the blood energy around him was almost aboil as he engaged in a desperate struggle of domains against Song Zining. All manners of beasts rushed out from his blood energy and pounced at Song Zining, but those vicious beasts would immediately sink into the central pond after appearing. The blood beasts seemed to not know how to swim. They struggled with all their might after falling in, but their ultimate fate was to sink into the waters, never to appear again. Qianye couldnt help but feel surprised at this point. How could beasts formed of blood drown? The pond that was supposed to be illusory was actually drowning creatures? This scene went against all common sense! Qianye stopped thinking about it soon afterward. The situation below was fairly urgent. There was no telling how long Song Zining and Wei Potian had been trapped there. They looked like they could still hold on, but the situation was beyond perilous. The duos origin power glow, in his True Sight, was already fairly dim. That was an early sign of exhaustion, which meant that they might collapse at any moment. Qianye had no time to think about how these two long-time rivals had fallen into such a situation. He produced the Carol of Shadowsa pair of luminous wings spread out behind him as a golden luster coated the long sniper rifle. He aimed briefly and pulled the trigger. The Carol of Shadows trembled ferociously, and the barrel jumped up from the recoil despite Qianyes powerful arm strength. A mass of faintly visible light shot out from the muzzle, passed through an opening in Song Zinings domain, and struck the back of a viscount. Song Zining, who was walking on the grassy fields at this moment, found his expression shifting rapidly. He gripped his folding fan so hard that he nearly broke it. He had clearly sensed a mass of extremely powerful darkness origin power blast into his domain. Both the timing and position of the shot was just rightit entered via a small opening in his domain without being impeded in the slightest. It was a true expert! Song Zinings hair stood on end. He discarded his folding fan and spun about like a blade to evade the vampire viscount with whom he was fighting. Then, with a wave of his hand, he brought the silver spear box lying nearby into his grasp. The spear box would open up just by pressing a button. However, in the eyes of true experts, that brief moment of retrieval was enough to kill him several times over. On the verge of life and death, Song Zinings forehead was drenched in cold sweat. He gripped the spear box tightly as origin power seeped out of his body and caused the high-quality alloy to break apart. That spear made of a mysterious material was now in his hand. However, the origin bullet had already crossed the greater part of the domain. Song Zining broke out in cold sweat as he sensed the aura of darkness origin power close at hand. He inhaled deeply and was just about to ignite his origin power when his breath came to an abrupt stop. He watched as the origin bullet passed by him in an arc and struck the back of a viscount. That werewolf was just launching fierce attacks around Wei Potian when his upper body exploded all of a sudden. A shower of blood poured down toward Wei Potian. Song Zinings thoughts spun about like lightning as he pointed a finger forward with a second thought. The near-perfect domain suddenly became full of openings. As expected, another faintly discernible bullet arrived through one of the openings and tore another dark viscount into two halves. After being reinforced by the Wings of Inception, the Carol of Shadows firepower was comparable to a grade-eight firearm. How could a mere third-rank viscount withstand a shot from it? At this moment, the dark races also realized that something was wrong. The vampire viscount contending with Song Zining was both shocked and furious. Retreat! He took the lead in leaving Song Zinings domain and fled. No ordinary sniper was capable of reaping a third-rank viscount in one shot under two clashing domains. Such destructive potential should belong to a count at the very least. The viscount had already used up over half of his energy against Song Zining. How would he dare to stay and become the third target? However, he had just rushed out of the domain when he saw a certain person blocking his path. The vampire viscount revealed a violent expression after realizing how young this person was. Scram! he shouted while accelerating and soon crashed straight into the human. Qianye made no attempt at evasion. He only strode forward and clashed squarely with the incoming enemy. A muffled bang ensued. The vampire viscount staggered backward several steps, his vision filled with dancing stars. Following the pure collision devoid of fancy moves, not only did Qianye not retreat but even took a step forward. A swing of East Peak sent the viscounts head flying into the sky. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 641: Picturesque Vista [V6C171 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] With the leader dead, the remaining warriors became less of a match. The first-rank viscount fleeing Song Zinings domain didnt mean that the others could extricate themselves as easily. In the short moment that they were thrashing about like headless flies, Qianye had already charged into Song Zinings domain. He brandished his blade like the wind and cleaved vampire and werewolf alike with a single slash each. In the blink of an eye, he had killed off all the viscounts Wei Potian had been holding off. Qianye, you Song Zining was just about to speak with a stunned expression when Wei Potian cut him short, Stop blabbering and start saving people. The battle was still ongoing both within the domain and outside. Many of the lower-ranked dark race warriors couldnt see the situation inside the domain and were still surrounding and attacking the humans. Song Zining immediately expanded his domain and isolated the battlefield. Following which, Qianye and Wei Potian killed off all the remaining enemies, not leaving a single one behind. But their kills added together couldnt catch up to Song Zining. His Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art Domain was extremely effective at killing cannon fodder. Those flying leaves were akin to butchers knives, capable of drawing life with a mere brush. The subordinates naturally took over after the general situation was settled. Only then did Qianye find the time to ask, How come you two are here? Song Zining glared at him angrily and said, What? Are you the only one allowed to come? Wei Potian glared furiously at him and said, Damn his grandma! If not for this damned strategists lies, why would this daddy run over here to suffer? Qianye was startled. It would seem that these two fellows were still at odds, but Song Zining wasnt too happy with him, either, and he had no idea why. Qianye wasnt too reserved in front of these two brothers. What I meant is, why are you two together? And, Zining, what did I do to offend you? Wei Potian spat loudly and stomped the ground. Qianye, dont pay him any attention. This fellow is just jealous! He couldnt kill that viscount after fighting for half a day, but you lopped off his head immediately. Itd be odd if this narrow-minded bastard doesnt feel depressed! Working with him is the last thing Id do if he hadnt tricked me. Wei Potian was clearly furious. He wouldve attacked immediately if it were any other day, but he only glared at Song Zining for now. The Wei Potian of today already possessed the calm bearing of a great general and was no longer the impatient brat from before. Qianye was still unclear why these two were together, but he soon figured it out after asking a couple more questions. It turned out that Song Zining had called upon Wei Potian on the very day the Zhang clans defeat was announced. After an extravagantly embellished analysis of the situation, he pointed out that the Zhang clans successful retreat to the Zhao clan warzone was extremely important for the war as a whole and stated that he just had to take part in this crucial point in the war. It was just that, despite the spirit, he was too weak to carry it out. He was willing to let go of all past enmity at this important juncture and work together with Wei Potian to snipe down the dark race pursuers, hence protecting the Zhang clans retreating army. Wei Potian had led troops for many years and immediately realized that Song Zinings words made sense. Although he wasnt that happy with the latter, he had to admit that this little pimp was great at strategy and that the two of them would complement each others weaknesses in battle. As such, he finally agreed. Wei Potian always acted with great decisiveness. He immediately transferred two hundred elites and drove a high-speed airship right into the middle of the battlefield. They came at just the right time and ran straight into the pursuit parties. They had started fighting immediately upon landing and had gone through several battles in a row. From Wei Potians badly damaged armor, the wounds of all sizes all over his body, and the group of less than a hundred Wei clan warriors, Qianye could tell just now fierce the battles had been. Over half of the Wei clans soldiers had died in less than a day. No wonder Wei Potians mood was so sour. Wei Potian seemed to have guessed Qianyes thoughts. He snorted coldly and said, People die in battle. I came here fully aware that I might not ever return, and my brothers arent afraid of dying, either. But if this fellow had explained things clearly and given me half a days time to prepare, far fewer of my men wouldve died. Just ask him what the hell is wrong with his accursed domain! Song Zining was mumbling beside them, Speed is a crucial asset in war, how can we wait for half a day? But after hearing the words domain, he immediately looked away with an awkward expression. Then, he began waving his fan as though he were enjoying the scenery. Qianye immediately realized that something was wrong. Zining, whats wrong with your domain? Qianye hadnt discovered anything wrong with Song Zinings domain. He only felt that it had become increasingly lifelike, and it was even capable of insulating perception. He simply couldnt understand why Wei Potian was so angry because the domain was almost miraculous. Wei Potian snorted, Ask that gigolo! At this point, Song Zining could no longer pretend to be gazing at the scenery. He let out a dry cough and said nonchalantly, Its nothing big. Its just that, umm, I needed a decorative mountain in my domain so I had him fill in temporarily. Afterward, I complained a bit because that rock looks so worn-out. Wei Potian turned back in abrupt fury. What the hell do you expect? This daddy wont bicker with you on the battlefield, but your accursed domain didnt even do a farts worth of damage back then. How many of my brothers died because of you?! Qianye was surprised at this point. Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art Domain was mysterious, unfathomable, and filled with myriad transformations. Every leaf in the domain was known to be able to killhow could it be so weak? Solely in terms of domains, the Song seventh young master was at the peak of the empires younger generation; it wasnt that much weaker than Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal. Song Zining said in an embarrassed manner, This is a long story. He pulled Qianye over to the side and explained in a whisper. Only then did Qianye realize that Song Zinings ambitions were too great, planning to forge an illusory world of myriad visual phenomena. If he had succeeded in this path, a boundless, vivid realm would appear around him at a single thought, and further advancement would allow for these illusions to become reality. At that point, the domain would be filled with mysterious principlesdrowning enemies with a glass of water or setting them ablazehe would be able to transform heaven and earth with a single thought. It was a near heaven-defying method. It was just that this path was too difficult. Qianye could imagine that there was no way to produce such a level of domain without reaching the heavenly monarch level. Even at that level, the chances werent that great. Succeeding in such a domain was probably even harder than becoming a heavenly monarch. As expected of someone who had claimed to be an observer of the great dao and the future since back at the Yellow Springs, his ambitions were at the very end of the road, way beyond a heavenly monarch. This kind of aspiration made Qianye, who had to calculate every bit of essence blood and origin power, feel ashamed. At this point, Wei Potian, who was eavesdropping from the side, could no longer hold back. Dog shit illusory world and myriad changes! All of this is just a backdrop to impress girls and set up his grandeur. This gigolo only has women in his eyes, how can there be any bullshit great dao and mysterious principles! Qianye was startled as Song Zining stamped his feet and said, Ahhh! Brother Wei, you and I can be considered comrades who have fought side by side. Is there a need to bare everything? What nerve! If you hadnt been doing all those weird things, your domain wouldnt have been this weak and fewer of my brothers wouldve died! Qianye finally realized what was going on as the quarrel continued. Song Zinings cultivation had soared rapidly in the recent period, reaching rank-twelve and obtaining a new level of comprehension in his Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art. However, the seventh young master didnt choose to increase the destructive potential of his domain and instead chose to derive the true world. As Wei Potian saw it, this kind of fancy illusory effect was entirely useless. During the half a day of battles, it was indeed true that Song Zining could trap the enemy easily but had no power to kill them. For instance, he had trapped the strongest enemythe first-rank viscountduring this battle but was powerless to do anything more. All the actual killing was left to Wei Potians subordinates. Wei Potian, on the other hand, felt that Song Zining shouldve been able to defeat a first-rank viscount immediately. Yet, they were in a prolonged deadlock after the deployment of their individual domains. If Qianye hadnt arrived when he did, Wei Potian would probably have succumbed under the beleaguerment. At that point, Song Zinings fate wouldnt be any better. After figuring things out, Qianye still couldnt tell who was right or wrong. He could only pat Wei Potians shoulder and say, Let it be, Zining has also tried his best. Besides, his domain can interfere with enemy perception and will probably prove useful in the future. Were still on the battlefield right now, lets continue this discussion after the war. Wei Potian had nothing left to say after Qianye consoled him so. All he did was glare hard at Song Zining. Seeing that the current storm had passed by, Song Zining came over and sized Qianye up from head to toe, from left to right. Qianye was suspicious after being looked all over. What are you doing? Song Zining flapped his fan a couple of times. Qianye, if I didnt see wrong, you just knocked that viscount back, right? Yes, whats the matter? Song Zining retrieved his fan. Whats the matter? Whats the matter?!?! Thats a first-rank viscount were talking about! And you just sent him flying? Vampires boasted a much stronger constitution than humans of the same level. Be it in strength or speed, they were far above the human race. However, Qianyes blood energy had also reached the level of a first-rank viscount. Moreover, it was according to ancient standards. How could an ordinary first-rank viscount be his match? Hence, a direct collision had sent the opponent flying immediately. That vampire viscount had never imagined he would fail to bump Qianye away. In the end, he was caught unprepared and beheaded. Song Zining knew Qianye was a vampire, but his constitution which came from the purple blood energy was a deeper secret. Qianye made no further explanation and only said, Isnt it normal to send him flying? How can that be normal? It was Wei Potian who joined the conversation. He had also clashed with this viscount before but was almost sent flying instead. Naturally, he knew how powerful this opponent was. Comparatively, Qianyes strength was simply inhuman. The latter felt somewhat troubled and was just about to find an excuse when he heard a sharp whistle above him. He looked up only to find a small airship rush out of the clouds and drop unsteadily toward the ground. Song Zinings eyes were sharp. He observed the airship model and cried out, Not good! Thats a Zhao clan airship! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 642: Enemy [V6C172 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Lets go check! Qianye rushed toward the fallen airship immediately. That airship was swaying about unsteadily while spouting dense smoke and flames. Qianye arrived first on a hill and saw another airship rush out of the clouds with the autocannons on either side of its hull roaring constantly. Countless shells formed two flaming whips which lashed at the Zhao clan airship repeatedly. A figure jumped out of the latter vessel when it was several dozen meters from the ground. Upon landing, this person rolled sideways to reduce the impact and stopped in a half-kneeling position. There was a shockingly large origin cannon under her arm, the muzzle of which was aimed at the airship in pursuit. Boom! A mysterious blue light flew out from the cannon and struck the airship almost immediately. The firepower of this blast was astonishingit actually penetrated the airship and sent blue flames spewing out of the other end of the vessel. The Evernight airship began spinning about as though it were drunk. Soon, dense smoke began gushing out of the vessel, followed by several flaming dark race warriors jumping out from within. However, the ship was still several hundred meters from the ground. They fell straight down like stones in water, bounced a couple of times, then stopped moving. At this moment, the cabin doors were kicked open as a tall man flew out from within. His entire body was on fire but the surging origin power around his body soon extinguished the blaze. The blood energy around him leapt up like flames as he looked down at the people on the ground! Sh*t! Qianye cried out in secret. He had immediately figured out that the man in the air was a second-rank count, a formidable opponent through and through. The one on the ground was a lady, her ponytail dancing in the air as the shockwaves from the ships explosion rushed at her. Strands of hair brushed past her face, but she didnt blink at allshe quickly locked onto the opponent and fired yet another round! That vampire count was like a demon as his figure flickered through the air, duly evading the incoming shell. Qianye had already taken out the Thunderbolt, but he put it back down after considering the circumstances. Chances of the shot being dodged were quite high as the distance was already close to the maximum range of the sniper rifle. As someone who had killed no small number of Evernight experts, Qianye quickly formed a strategy. He approached the battlefield rapidly in a bid to outflank the count before he became more vigilant. However, Wei Potian let out a frantic roar and rushed out before Qianye could put his plans into action. Yuying! Song Zining also cried out in alarm as he rushed out, spear in hand. Their charge caused the vampire count to turn back immediately, alerting him of the groups presence. Qianye could only give up on his plans for an ambush and rush into a head-on fight. He had long since noticed that the woman who had escaped from the airship was Zhao Yuying. She could easily hold out for a length of time even against a second-rank count, but that Wei Potian just had to rush out like an angry bull. Even the normally calm Song Zining was following suitthis truly puzzled Qianye. There were battles taking place everywhere in this area, and the entire scene was as chaotic as it could be. Seeing Wei Potian charge forward with Song Zining on his tail, Qianye intentionally lagged behind to guard their backs. One had to know that Qianye couldnt be the only sniper in such a placethe vampires and demonkin both possessed talents in this field. Zhao Yuying wasnt distracted at all. She kept her focus on the count in the sky in a bid to lock him down. Meanwhile, the count sped toward her in an erratic pattern. Wei Potian screamed at the top of his lungs, Hey, hairless old bat, come at Grandpa Wei if you dare! See how Ill smash you into bat pie! That count shot Wei Potian a cold glance. However, he didnt quite fall for his taunt and only kept on charging toward Zhao Yuying. Wei Potian bellowed loudly. There was nothing he could do since speed wasnt his forte. He wouldnt be able to intercept the count on time, no matter how hard he tried. At this moment, Song Zining, despite starting off late, easily overtook Wei Potian and shot toward the vampire count. He was moving so fast that he looked almost like a beam of silvery light. Wei Potian was greatly worried. Youre courting death with that speed! Song Zining paid no attention and continued at his full speed, not even bothering to release his domain. If that count were to attack Zhao Yuying first, it was very likely that he would receive a heavy blow from behind. An inexplicable sense of danger arose in Qianyes heart. Be careful! he called out immediately after observing the surroundings. A silver shadow was charging over from a thousand meters away and making a straight line toward Song Zining! The incoming assailant had hidden himself so well that even Qianye hadnt discovered his traces. It was just that the former could no longer conceal his presence during the attack, allowing Qianye to sense him. In the blink of an eye, Wei Potian changed directions and arrived between Song Zining and the silver light. Origin power surged around him, materializing into numerous mountain peaks and blocking the enemy. The silver shadow crashed right into Wei Potian. The mountainous projections collapsed with a resounding thump and Wei Potian was sent flying dozens of meters away. However, the latter managed to clamber up immediately after landing. Origin power gushed out once more, and the many mountain peaks were soon reformed. He stared at the opponent with all due seriousness because he knew he had met a powerful enemy. A tall, soldierly man appeared as the dust and origin radiance settled on the battlefield. William! Qianye called out in astonishment. The silvery shadow that had just arrived was William. No wonder it was so powerful and nearly broke apart Wei Potians Thousand Mountains. Seeing who it was, Qianye slowly drew East Peak and walked toward the enemy. Although he had worked together with this werewolf count before, that was a personal, under-the-table deal. Moreover, they were now on the floating continent where the two factions were in an all-out war. He had no choice but to set aside their past relationship. William seemed somewhat helpless after seeing Qianye. He arched his body slightly and removed a silver shield from his back with one hand while a heavy battle-axe appeared in the other. Werewolves were most proficient in melee combat. Although Qianyes combat arts had improved significantly in recent days, he didnt dare underestimate William. At the very least, Qianye still had no grasp on how powerful Williams actual combat strength was. Hence, he didnt attack and simply held the sword across his chest in a defensive posture. He knew that the key to this battle lay in him keeping William occupied, while Zhao Yuying, Song Zining, and Wei Potian worked together to kill that vampire count. Afterward, they could come back and help him drive William away. The latter didnt attack, either, and only stared on like a tiger watching his prey. No one knew what he was thinking or waiting for. The battle on the other side raged on while the two of them were in a deadlock. The vampire count charging at Zhao Yuying didnt quite expect that the latter would throw herself at him instead of evading. She used that heavy handheld cannon like an iron rod and smashed it toward his head! This attack looked nothing more than a move from a local thug, but it came completely unexpected to the count. Seeing Zhao Yuyings aggressive attack, he flashed sideways out of reflex. Who wouldve thought Zhao Yuying would refuse to let go? The hand-cannon spun sideways and swung once more at his waist. She proceeded to launch a flurry of violent attacks both physically and verbally. Chasing after this mommy, eh? Break my airship, will you?! Old bat, this mommy isnt surnamed Zhao if I dont beat you to a pulp! The vampire count was both furious and shocked. He had never expected this beautiful lady to attack like a hoodlum and was thus momentarily disadvantaged. Song Zining and Wei Potian arrived at this point, and under the trios combined attacks, the count could find no more chance to retaliate. The vampire count would soon be defeated just as Qianye had anticipated. However, the latter didnt dare to be careless because William was mysterious, powerful, and possessed the ability to turn the tables on his own. Qianye couldnt see a shred of worry or anxiety in the werewolfs eyes, and on the contrary, it seemed like he had everything under control. Qianye suddenly thought of a possibilitydid he have other reinforcements or a hidden ace? It was at this time that Qianye felt the origin power to his right side fluctuate slightly. He immediately jumped backward as a sniper round whistled right past him. After missing the first shot, another bullet flew out from the distance and made straight for the airborne Qianyethe timing of this shot was extremely clever. Unable to dodge, Qianye raised East Peak horizontally and deflected the incoming sniper round. The relentless assassin fired several more shots, each and every one of them aimed at his vitals. However, Qianye had already landed and gained much more space to maneuver. His body swayed ever so slightly, suddenly stepping forward and backward as he narrowly evaded the origin bullets. How is this possible?! The assailants figure appeared in the distance as she cried out in disbelief. Her shots were indeed at a masters level, but Qianye was already guarded against her. Moreover, he could see and deduce the bullet trajectories with his Eye of Truth. It was only natural that he would evade them easily. Realizing that she was helpless against Qianye, the assassin rushed over and shouted in a stern voice, William! Why are you not attacking? Are you trying to defect? William shrugged helplessly. Hey, this isnt a simple opponent. How can I attack carelessly? William! If you dont attack right now, Ill report this matter to the duke when we return. Even if the Summit of Peaks can protect you, those two tribes will definitely die! Williams expression changed slightly as he walked over with a sigh. Qianye had already recognized the distant sniper as Twilight. In his memories, however, the vampire ladys strength was far inferior to Williams. How come her position at the moment seemed to be higher? Qianye thought of something at this point. Thats Twilight, isnt it? I remember her strength is nothing to write home about. How come shes riding on your head now? William seemed to have lost all enthusiasm. He waved his large hand and said, Lets not talk about those annoying things. Come, Qianye, its been a while. Lets fight! Let me see how strong youve become. William was just about to attack when the scenery in front of him transformedthere was suddenly a lush, giant tree blocking his path to Qianye. How could there be a tree in this accursed place? During that moment of surprise, William suddenly lost track of Qianye. Meanwhile, Qianye saw several large trees and shrubs appear around him and immediately realized that it was Song Zinings domain. At this time, he heard the latters voice echo beside his ears, Lets go! Soon, Qianye felt an invisible power leading him to a certain direction. Qianye followed this guiding force, knowing full well that it was the power of Song Zinings domain. The invisible energy shifted repeatedly and along with it, Qianyes direction of movement. The cooperation between the two gradually came close to perfection. Qianye ran several hundred meters in the blink of an eye and soon the scene in front of him transformed back to a desolate landscape. Song Zining appeared from behind a giant rock, with Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian in tow. With everyone accounted for, Song Zining said, Follow me, quick! He actually started running toward the Zhang clan army. Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian also followed closely. Qianye looked back and saw a verdant forest sticking out from the surroundings like a sore thumbwith the vampire count and William still trapped inside. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 643: Counterattack [V6C173 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] With the help of Song Zinings domain, Qianye and the others managed to assemble and escape toward the Zhang clan army. The battlefield was absolutely chaotic at this momentwith the successive arrival of the dark race elites, one could run into an enemy at any given moment. Flying through the air under such circumstances was nothing short of suicidal, so all they could do was run on the ground. As for the Wei familys private soldiers, Song Zining had already ordered them to find an advantageous position to defend and await reinforcements. After running for a fair distance, Song Zinings face became abnormally flushed as he spat out a mouthful of blood. My domain has been destroyed. Wei Potian looked straight into Song Zinings eyes and said unwillingly, Your domain has some uses after all. Qianye, however, felt that it was much more than just a bit useful. Being able to trap so many powerful enemies on its own after the operator had fled was simply unbelievable. If one were to claim Qianyes Oceanic Might as the extreme of destructive might, then Song Zinings domain was the apex of ingenuity. The two had developed in very different directions and was thus difficult to compare. The common quality was that they were at the pinnacle among experts of the same level. Several figures came rushing over from the distance. In addition to the vampire count, Twilight, and William, there were several other viscount-grade experts. Additionally, two high-speed airships emerged from the clouds and began charging at them. However, Song Zinings domain had put several thousand meters between the two parties. Both he and Zhao Yuying specialized in speed. Wei Potian was the slowest of the bunch, but Qianye quietly gave him a lift from behind, allowing him to remain on Song Zinings tail. The distance thus increased gradually. Seeing that the four were about to escape, that vampire count unleashed a shrill howl and actually rose into the air. He flew forward at great speeds, quickly closing the gap between them. Song Zinings expression changed. Hes courting death! Lets speed up. Qianye, stop helping him secretly. Take Wei Potian and run! Qianye nodded as he finally unleashed the entirety of his great power. Darting about through the mountainous terrain, he covered ten meters with every step and was soon far off into the distance. Song Zining remembered to unleash his domain only after a momentary daze. A strong wind kicked up around him and Zhao Yuying, pushing the two forward and increasing their speed by twenty percent. Although he couldnt beat the vampire counts flying speed, the difference was quite slim and the latter couldnt catch up so easily. Qianye, on the other hand, was simply too fast. He had completely suppressed Song Zinings domain, and the distance between them was only growing larger and largertwo hundred meters, five hundred meters, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand. A dead leaf flew past Qianyes eyes and out of it came Song Zinings flustered voice. Qianye! Dont run that fast or well really lose him! Startled, Qianye quickly slowed down his footsteps and waited for Song Zining and Zhao Yuying to catch up. Then, they maintained a hundred meters of distance from one another. Strong winds surrounded the duoit would seem they were at their limits because none of them had the breath to speak. No more flying messenger leaves appeared, either. The distance between the escapees and the pursuers gradually shortened. The vampire counts eyes were bloodshot and his blood energy was aboil, leaving a stream of rolling red clouds as he flew through the sky. The two parties passed over several hills and ran dozens of kilometers. Soon, the Zhang clans frigates could be seen over the distant horizon. It was at this time that one of the warships suddenly spun about and flew over. Its speed was abnormally fast and soon arrived within several kilometers of Qianyes group. Afterward, the entire vessel trembled as it shot out a giant arrow suffused with dark-green radiance! The arrow was two meters long and as quick as lightning. The recoil from the shot jolted the airship and caused its speed to decrease drasticallyone could see just how powerful it was! Qianyes pupils constricted. He had immediately sensed that this giant ballista was extraordinary and that its true weight far exceeded its appearance. The vampire count was shocked out of his wits upon seeing the huge projectile coming straight at him. He screamed oddly and made an all-out attempt to sidestep the attack. However, the ballista bolt made a turn, locked back onto the count, and blasted onto him! Following a miserable scream, the vampire count exploded into a cloud of bloody mist. The giant ballista bolt also erupted with dazzling silvery brilliance. This light caused the mist to produce clouds of black smoke as though it had been splashed with strong acid. A pained scream emerged once again from the sanguineous mist as a red gaseous mass shot out of the silvery light and flew into the distance. Qianye immediately saw through the gas with his True Sight and found that it was actually hiding the counts blood core. The count was indeed difficult to deal with and seemed to possess an abundance of secret arts. He was able to flee even after being blasted until only his blood core was left. No wonder Zhao Yuying was hunted down. He mightve really escaped if he were up against any other opponent. Then, he might be able to reform a new body at the blood pond. He could only blame his bad fortune for meeting Qianye and his True Sight. The latter lifted the Thunderbolt, locked onto the blood core after a brief aim, and blasted it to smithereens. The airship circled about to confirm the outcome before flying back to join the fleet. The blood cores destruction was marked by an immediate rain of scarlet, which dyed a large area of the desolate land. Watching the splattering blood droplets, Qianye couldnt help but ask, Yuying, what exactly did you do that made him hate you so much? He was hell-bent on killing you even at the cost of his life. Zhao Yuying shrugged. This mommy didnt do much. I just destroyed all of the other transport and supply vessels in his sub-fleet. At this point, Zhao Yuying rubbed her chin pensively and said, By the looks of it, his entire family mustve been on those transports. I mightve wiped them all out in one fell swoop. Thats very possible, Song Zining chimed in. He said while clapping his hands, Okay, we should rest a while first. We still have to go back and help those Wei clan soldiers. Someones going to fight it out with me if more of them die. Wei Potians expression was solemn. It was rare to see him not in a rush to argue with Song Zining. It looks like we wont have that chance. That werewolf alone might be beyond our power. The seriousness in Wei Potians voice was evident. It was clear that he treated those men seriously, but there were experts converging upon them. Even after finishing off the count, they were still no match for the hunting party. William alone was completely unfathomable. After a period of fighting alongside one another, Wei Potian understood Song Zining and Zhao Yuying quite well. He knew that they might not win against William even when working together, not to mention there was also Twilight and her powerful subordinates. No one knew how many more dark race experts were on their way. Wei Potian knew that the outcome would be dire once they had been surrounded. At this moment, Qianye patted Wei Potians shoulder and said, Ill keep the werewolf busy, Ill count on you guys for the others. Impossible, Wei Potian cried out reflexively. It wasnt just Wei Potian, both Song Zining and Zhao Yuying were also looking at Qianye. The clash just now was brief, but they had all realized just how terrifying William was. In a one-on-one battle, only Song Zining might have a chance at escaping because of his domain. Qianye raised a hand, stopping Zhao Yuying who was just about to speak. What Zining said is true, now is not the time to hide our powers. Rest assured, just leave the werewolf to me and deal with the other people. Song Zining knew that now was not the time to drag things on. He made a prompt decision and said, Very well, lets do it your way. The four turned around and charged back into the fray. William was running across the land at a leisurely pace. It didnt seem like he was on the battlefield at all. On the contrary, it looked like he was stretching his limbs under the radiant afternoon sun. Twilights expression was ashen as she ran along in silence. There were vampire warriors appearing frequently behind them, forming a wide arc to outflank the targets. She turned to William and said with a harsh tone, Theyll reach the fleet if this goes on! Why arent you chasing?! William said lazily, Hmm? Im not running any slower than you are, though. Twilight ground her teeth in ire. One could easily see that William wasnt trying hard at all. She, on the other hand, was already at her limits. The only way left to go faster was to fly into the air, but she really didnt want to court death in a sniper-infested place like this. With a livid expression, Twilight began thinking about how she should report William after the battle. She just had to make him feel some pain. Williams expression changed as he suddenly reduced his speed. Twilight, who was lost in her own thoughts, quickly shot ahead. She turned back and shouted with a furious expression, What now?! Williams steps gradually came to a halt, after which he proceeded to stare forward with a serious expression. Only then did Twilight realize that a dense mist had appeared in front and cut off the road ahead. Qianye walked out slowly from the mist. William, I really didnt want to meet you under such circumstances. William scratched his head and sighed. Me neither, but what can we do? This is unavoidable. Qianye replied, Since we cant avoid it, then lets get down to business. Williams eyes lit up after some thought. Youre right, its time to try fighting you. Weve never had a proper battle before. Twilights expression transformed rapidly. She was used to being the focus of all attention, but now, these two men were actually ignoring her. It was just that Twilight, for some reason, felt something inexplicable in Qianyeit was actually a vague feeling of trepidation. Hence, she decided to endure the humiliation and allow them to fight it out. Everything else could be decided after seeing how strong Qianye was. William was fairly straightforward. He rushed toward Qianye in large strides and immediately threw a punch at his chest. Qianyes expression was serious. He reached out with both hands and leaned sideways, effectively locking Williams fist. The two thus entered a deadlock. Twilight, who was watching from the side, nearly spat out blood. What the heck was this? Williams punch was neither fast nor powerful; there wasnt even any origin power. It was no different from an ordinary person who didnt know how to fight. Qianyes defense was also beyond common and couldnt even be considered a basic self-defense technique. Any random dark race warrior could leave Qianye in the dust in terms of aggressiveness and might. How was this a battle between the two top young experts of each faction? As it happened, the two were displaying an abundance of expressionsWilliams face was flushed red as though he was using all of his strength, and Qianyes expression was one of solemn concentration. It was almost as though that attack to his chest was a peerless divine art requiring his full power to defend against. Did they have to act so blatantly?! It almost seemed as though they were afraid of not being found out. So powerful! William just had to cry out as he retreated to the side. By the looks of it, he had already fought enough. Qianye was also shameless. He actually said in a serious tone, You too. Judging from his expression, it almost looked like those words came from the bottom of his heart. In her anger, Twilight felt all the blood rush to her head and even her vision went dark. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 644: Indictmen t [V6C174 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] William, will you fight or not?! Twilight screamed. The werewolf shrugged. Didnt I just fight? The vampire viscounts nearby all glanced at one another with odd expressions. They had never expected someone of Williams status to act so shamelessly. Twilight seemed to have a grasp on Williams weakness and could yell orders at him, but the same couldnt be said for the others. Williams position among the werewolves was extremely high, and his status in the entirety of the Evernight world was also on the rise. A mere vampire viscount offending him might die without even knowing howthere was already a fair amount of vampire blood on Williams hands. These viscounts werent from the Monroe clan and had no obligation to risk life and limb for Twilight. They simply stood by to watch the joke. Twilights face was so pale that even her lips were gradually losing color. This was a sign of her reaching the extremes of fury. She suddenly switched to a bewitching smile and said in a gentle voice, William, please kill him. Not uttering menacing words was her true threat. It was a command with no room for negotiation. Unexpectedly, William simply wouldnt acknowledge her. I cant do it, you can try if you want. Twilight took a deep breath and sneered. Fine, Ill do it. Ill be rooting for you. William actually retreated to one side, ready to watch the show. Twilight quickly calmed herself down since getting worked up before the battle was a major taboo. There was no longer an ounce of anger in her when she turned back to Qianye. However, her calmness was thoroughly broken by a few words from Qianye. Youre not my match. Twilight couldnt help but sneer. Have you forgotten how you were toyed with? Williams eyes lit up instantly. He stared fixedly at Qianyewritten all over his face was the fierce determination to clarify what this toying was all about. The other viscounts, however, were unconcerned. A vampire could have, in her long life, as many lovers as there were stars in the sky. Twilight was still young and just coming of age by vampire standards, but it wasnt all that strange for her to have something going on with an outstanding man from a different race. Who wouldve thought Qianyes reply was: Then all I can say is that youre improving too slowly. Twilight was so angry that she was trembling. She was immensely proud of her talent, and it was indeed something that couldnt be questioned. In the entire vampire race, perhaps only Nighteye and Edward possessed a better bloodline. At most, there would be a couple others who were on the same level. Even then, Nighteyes was a bloodline that had awakened much later on. Who wouldve thought a widely accepted genius of the vampire race and Evernight world would actually be questioned for her slow improvement? Twilight suddenly decided to capture Qianye and give him the embrace instead of killing him. That way, she would be able to torture and humiliate him to her hearts content for many years to come. That was the only way to vent her anger. For some reason, this notion grew ever more intense after taking root and became almost unstoppable. Twilight wasnt in a rush to attack. Instead, she opened the zipper in front of her chest and revealed a significant part of her cleavage. Ill treat you well after we go back. Youll definitely not forget it for the rest of your life. Two swords left their sheaths with a clang and appeared in Twilights grasp. She then walked over to Qianye, the tall heels on her boots producing metallic sounds along the way. However, she only managed to take one step forward and could no longer take another. Qianye had East Peak pierced into the ground with his hands resting on the hilt, while his calm gaze shifted toward Twilight. Twilight suddenly flashed several meters away to evade Qianyes eyes, but the latter looked over once more. The vampire girls expression shifted yet again as she lowered her body to avoid that sweeping gaze. She struck her swords into the ground and used the force to retreat backward. Qianyes gaze arrived at her previous position, and he seemed slightly surprised to find Twilight missing. He looked up and soon found that the latter was now ten meters away. At this moment, dozens of meters separated Qianye and the fairly awkward looking Twilight. This distance was already enough for firearms, but she had already drawn her swords, a clear indication that she was going to teach Qianye a beautiful lesson in melee combat. Now that she hadnt even managed to launch a single sword strike, how could she be so shameless as to open fire? One had to know that Qianye hadnt moved at all. His gaze alone had forced her to scuttle about and pull back dozens of meters. Twilight soon discovered that there was no safe place within a hundred meters as Qianyes abstruse eyes looked over at her once again. Within moments, Twilight felt like she had fallen into an icy abyss, almost as though she had been discovered by her archnemesis. She leapt into the air with a scream and switched directions several times in quick succession. However, Qianyes gaze would follow her wherever she went. Twilight suddenly flipped backward and retreated several dozen meters, landing over a hundred meters away this time. Afterward, she fled immediately without looking back and soon vanished into the hills. The viscounts stared on blankly and only came to after a good while. Twilight had actually fled? She had actually escaped after Qianye glanced at her a couple of times? They almost couldnt believe their eyes. William, on the other hand, was much faster to react. He pointed a finger at Qianye and said in a heroic manner, Come, I am your opponent. William remained in place despite his imposing words. Qianye turned back with a serious expression and waited cautiously for the werewolf to make the first move. In any case, he had three people on his side which was more than enough to deal with the vampire viscounts. The vampires saw Qianye and William in a deadlocked confrontation with neither making the first move. Before they could realize what was going on, the scenery before them changed to that of a different worldall of them had been swept into Song Zinings domain. Within the domain, Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian were like tigers charging into a flock of sheep, mowing down all the enemies as though they were chopping vegetables. Afterward, Song Zining retracted his domain and faced William with a serious expression. Song Seven, why arent you trapping that fellow with your domain? We can go up and do him in! Zhao Yuying stared at William with a fierce expression. Song Zining shook his head. My domain cant trap him. William glanced at the group a couple of times and exclaimed as though he had just remembered something, Oh my, its time for dinner, I must go back to eat. The good thing about joining the councils squad is that the food is really not bad! Qianye pointed at the collapsed viscounts and said, Theres one alive over there, are you going to ignore him? William revealed a radiant smile. What does their fate have to do with me? Its Twilight who chose to flee and leave them to their deaths. At this point, William smiled meaningfully at Qianye. Perhaps others might not have noticed it, but in Williams eyes, there was a barely discernible thread of blood extending to wherever Qianyes gaze fell. Twilight was frantically avoiding this sanguineous line, not daring to let it touch her at all. The beam still caught her in the end, which was why she had fled regardless of everything. Williams description of her fleeing the battle was fairly evil because, in truth, she could be considered to have fought a big battle against Qianye. Seeing that William wasnt concerned about Twilights subordinates, Qianye only waved his hand and said, Okay then, go back and eat well. Eat one more portion in my stead. William said with a brilliant smile, Sure, Ill pack some food for you the next time we meet. Qianye shook his head immediately. No, its best we dont meet again. Cold bastard. William sighed. He then turned to leave in a lonesome manner. Zhao Yuying and the others were drenched in cold sweat and only managed to sigh in relief after he had left. The scene was inundated with faint pressure when William was around. This kept them in a tense, pre-battle state all this time. It was hard to maintain such a state for very longZhao Yuying and Wei Potian mightve lost control and attacked if William were to make more idle chatter. Wei Potian wiped the sweat off of his brows. Qianye, what was that just now. Did you guys really fight? Qianye nodded seriously. Twilight is powerful, but William is so much stronger. Zhao Yuying snorted. Powerful my a*s! This mommy doesnt see anything great about him. Ahh! She was walking over to Qianye at first, poised to grab and interrogate him about recent events. However, the ground gave way about ten meters from Qianye. She had actually stepped onto empty air! Zhao Yuying was caught unprepared and fell head-first toward the ground. She reacted quickly, releasing her origin power downward and using the resultant force to rise into the air. However, she had just unleashed her power when a cloud of dust exploded underneath and enveloped her completely. Zhao Yuying let out an astonished cry, but she kept on flying upward and finally left the range of the dust cloud. It was just that she was now covered in dirt. She wiped away the grime on her face and began checking for signs of an enemy assault. However, she was completely stunned when she looked down. A large pit, several meters deep, had appeared around Qianye. That crater stretched out several dozen meters with Qianye at its center. Only the area below his feet remained intact, which made it seem as though a stone platform had been erected inside the pit. This was a mountainous region with hard rocks beneath the ground. The group had passed by here a while ago and was very sure that the ground was solid. How could such a large pit have appeared? Zhao Yuying realized things after a momentary daze. Was this... left behind during your exchange with William? Qianye nodded. Yes. Whats unfortunate is that Twilight escaped. He was apparently quite regretful of this. Zhao Yuying was speechless. Qianye and Williams fight looked entirely silent on the surface, but the overflowing shockwaves had actually reduced such a large area of rocks into powder. Just how powerful were these two fellows? After some thought, the smile on Zhao Yuyings face became unnatural. I might not be able to win against you anymore. Hows that possible? Youre more powerful than everyone. Qianye laughed. Nonsense! This mommy knows herself, at least. Zhao Yuying snapped back. Despite saying that, the smile on her face actually revealed her thoughts. Lets go, we need to save Potians men. Leave the discussions for later, said Qianye. Knowing full well that time was of the essence, the three quickly cleaned up the battlefield and left. Within a faraway valley was a temporary dark race camp. The base was quite big with numerous dark race experts moving in and out at all times. Upon returning, Twilight ignored everyone and remained locked inside her room. It was just that the frequent sounds of things being smashed could be heard from within. As it happened, an insensitive person knocked on the door at this point. Scram, dont disturb me! Twilight shouted furiously without opening the door. However, the person outside didnt leave. Your Excellency Twilight, the marquis wishes to see you. Someone has accused you of fleeing without a fight and leaving numerous powerful subordinates to a meaningless death. Twilight opened the door violently. Who? I will kill him! That would be Sir William. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 645: Ambushed [V6C175 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Moments later, Twilight walked out of the marquis chamber with an ashen expression. The meeting just now couldnt be considered a happy one because she was scolded immediately after entering the chamber. Although the marquis didnt really convict her of desertion, he didnt let her off that easily, either. She was held responsible for the men who went with her but never returned, and would have her contributions docked accordingly. In the end, the marquis told her that he wouldve thrown her in the dungeon if not for her value somewhat exceeding that of the viscounts added together. Half of this summons was occupied by rebuke and the remaining half with humiliation, leaving no face at all for Twilight. The latter was born of the Monroe clan, but this identity was useless in front of a demonkin marquis who, himself, hailed from a famed clan. Twilight returned to her room afterward and locked herself inside. This matter soon spread throughout the camp and became a hot topic of discussion. In the world of darkness where strength was most revered, fleeing from battle was certainly a bad reputation to have. Moreover, many people were secretly delighted to see powerful experts facing problems. It was just that they didnt dare express it openly and only dared gossip behind her back. After all, the marquis was the only one who could firmly suppress Twilight. At dinner time, William appeared outside of the mess hall in a leisurely manner. He had never been late to a meal before. Judging from his messy, golden hair and vacant expression, it was clear that he had been napping until now and hadnt even woken up completely. It was his instincts that had dragged his body to the mess hall. He hadnt entered the doors when Twilights cold voice emerged from behind, Follow me. Williams body jolted as he sobered up. He refused without even looking back, No. Twilight gritted her teeth. Bullsh*t! Are you coming or not? William replied immediately, Not going, its dinner time. It was just that his imposingness had grown a bit weaker while saying so. Twilight said coldly, Youve crossed my bottom line. Its fine if youre not going, but I might do something out of anger. William smiled wryly and scratched his head with a sigh. In the end, he followed Twilight to her residence. The latter locked the doors and sat down. After a moment of silence, she said, William, are you trying to shed all pretenses? William threw himself into the sofa and shrugged. I was just teasing you. Isnt dealing with superior characters your specialty? This isnt a big matter anyway. It should be fine after explaining things a bit, right? Who knew things would turn out this way? Twilight stared at William in silence. William suddenly sat straight and said in a hushed, curious voice, I heard you didnt explain anything to the marquis and admitted to all accusations. Why take this trouble? What does that have to do with you? Twilights voice rose subconsciously. William laughed, What I meant is, are the secrets of Spatial Flash that important? These words exploded in Twilights ears like thunder. She shot out of her seat and blurted out, How did you know? There are no small number of records about it at the Summit of Peaks, William replied. Twilights expression fluctuated several times as she slowly resumed her seat. This is indeed a secret, but the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance is simply too ephemeral. No one can say who will obtain it. Hence, the value of this secret is much greater than the lives of your two tribes. If you stir up trouble again, Ill kill them immediately. Williams smile disappeared and his expression turned solemn. Ill have no more apprehensions if you kill them. Sooner or later, I will kill you! You can only pray that you cultivate quickly enough, or perhaps that you can run fast enough. Even the Summit of Peaks cant protect you if you kill me. Twilight laughed. William shrugged and said frivolously, So? Youre already dead by that time. Twilights expression froze. William wasnt wrong. Even if they could wipe out William''s entire tribe in retribution, what was the point if she was dead? In Twilights eyes, she was the most important. Not to mention a single William, she wouldnt be willing even if the entire Summit of Peaks were buried with her. Williams words struck right at her weakness. The two fell into an immediate deadlock since both had their own apprehensions. Moments later, Twilight said slowly, Youve nearly broken through the limits of my patience this time. William acknowledged her words. It was just that his lazy demeanor didnt quite express any sincerity. She said coldly, Kill Qianye the next time you see him. If you keep holding back, dont blame me for not putting up with you. I might not kill the entire tribe, but what can you do if I kill a couple of them? This time, it was Williams turn to turn silent. After a while, he said, Let me give you some advice. There are contributions to be reaped everywhere, why must you embarrass yourself? That exchange I had with him back then was a real battle. Twilight was momentarily astonished. She wanted to ask more about it, but William had already left. She sat in a daze, recalling her brief exchange with Qianye. Williams words had confirmed the guess she had back then. Those red threads were a characteristic feature of Spatial Flash. Once touched, Spatial Flash would activate and Qianye would appear behind her in the blink of an eyean earth-shattering attack would then follow. Since Qianye was capable of exchanging a head-on blow against William, then it was very possible that Twilight wouldnt be able to withstand a single move from him. But why would Qianye know Spatial Flash? Twilight sat restlessly. She wished to capture Qianye and interrogate him but wasnt too confident in being able to do so. Presently, she had also lost the courage to fight him head-on. If what William said was the truth, then Qianyes attack wasnt one Twilight could block. Since she couldnt block the attack, the only method left was to evade. However, against Qianye and his Spatial Flash, constant evasion was nothing more than a joke. Why would Qianye know Spatial Flash? This question repeated in her heart. At this point, Qianye had already broken through several dark race interceptions and successfully reached the Wei clan private soldiers. This batch of warriors was indeed made up of elite troopsthey had been able to hold out until now under the overwhelming siege. The combat strength they had displayed was far above their ranks on paper. There were less than a hundred soldiers left of the Wei clan army when Qianyes group arrived. Meanwhile, the dark race soldiers before them had paid several times this price in casualties. Qianye brought the surviving Wei clan soldiers away and slowly closed in on the Zhang clan army under the cover of the night. According to Song Zinings strategy, they would have to retreat into the range of the Zhang clan fleet once things didnt go well. That fleet was their greatest guarantee for reaching the Zhao clan warzone and the greatest deterrent against the dark race experts. The giant ballista that had killed the vampire count, Qianye had neither seen nor even heard of before. It would seem that the Zhang clan and the empire hadnt been idle all these yearsthey had secretly invented quite a few good items. Borrowing the deterrent power of the fleet, the squad would turn toward the southwest and enter the Zhao clans first-line fortifications. There, they would bolster the defenses and guard the area tightly. Only when the dark race army arrived and things were looking dire would they retreat to the next line of fortresses. They would have to drag the dark race army down with the layered defenses and sniping to allow the Zhang clan army to retreat into the Zhao clan base. According to Song Zinings predictions, the path toward the fleet should be an easy journey. With William and Twilight pushed back, the dark races here had no powerful experts they could bring out. Even if someone came, they wouldnt be Qianyes match. The only way to stop the four people here was to transfer a large number of experts and surround them. However, such a transfer would take quite a lot of time. The Wei clans private soldiers had received a great boost in speed from Song Zinings domain, not leaving any chance for the dark races to call for reinforcements. The earlier part of the journey was indeed as smooth as Song Zining had predicted. Qianye took point alone and broke through several obstructions along the way. The numerous viscount leaders, be they arachne or werewolves, fell under Qianyes Spatial Flash and East Peaks slash. They couldnt even take a single strike and were slaughtered immediately. Once the leaders were dead, the dark race squads usually became inferior to the human ones. Soon, they were killed to the point of scattering in all directions. On the land, Qianye led the Wei clan private army like a sharp blade, cutting apart the dark races defensive lines with unstoppable momentum. In just under two hours, they had traveled dozens of kilometers and destroyed several defensive lines. At this point, Qianye started to feel somewhat strained and tired. An inexplicable sensation arose in his heart just as he was killing yet another arachne viscount. In truth, his instincts werent really ringing any alarms. He only felt something wrong in the flow of origin power but couldnt quite point out where or what was wrong. While Qianye was dazed, the nearby Wei Potian suddenly let out a loud roar. The Thousand Mountains erupted violently and covered a ten-meter area around him with illusory peaks. He took a swift step forward and blocked Qianyes backside. Wei Potians entire body trembled as the mountains crumbled one after another. The technique famed for its great defensive prowess had been destroyed in an instant, while he himself was thrown backward amidst a gush of blood. Qianye suddenly turned around to see a speck of light glittering in the distance. An origin bullet wrapped in dark energy was flying over at great speeds. Qianye had quickly judged the target, but all he had the time to do was shout, Careful! Song Zining and Zhao Yuying were both embroiled in a fierce battle at this point. They felt a chill in their hearts after hearing Qianyes cry. They only sensed the incoming danger at that point and looked over at the flying bullet. Zhao Yuying pounced forward without a thought and rolled onto the ground with the enemy in front of her. One could see from this how experienced she was in battle and war. Her instinctive movement was correct and rapidly executed. Song Zining stared blankly for a brief moment as the enemy in front of him was blown apart and a slender origin bullet charged out through the flesh and blood. At this point, he could no longer dodge. The enemys strategy was extremely sinister. The shot struck their own men before attacking the enemyit was practically indefensible. However, this Song seventh young master was a character with many outstanding methods. He could no longer evade and his domain had no effect on the bullet, but at the moment of imminent peril, the folding fan which he carried at all times suddenly flew out and spread open in front of him. The folding fan was shattered with a ferocious bang, and the impact sent Song Zining flying backward, his clothes torn and his face full of blood. However, he managed to clamber up after falling to the ground and was apparently uninjured. It was just that he glanced at the pieces of the folding fan in deep heartache. Only at this point did the rumbling gunshot arrive. Qianyes expression was gloomy as his body flickered out of existence and appeared hundreds of meters away. His shadow flickered several times over the span of a thousand meters, leaving lingering afterimages along the way. He was almost as fast as an origin bullet! Qianye pushed Spatial Flash to its limits with no attempt at hiding its power. He was truly furious. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 646: Chase [V6C176 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Two shadows rushed out of the ground to intercept Qianye halfway through his charge. One of them had miscalculated Qianyes speed and missed the attack. The other one was fairly experienced. He actually managed to pinpoint Qianyes location in an instant and blocked the path from up front. Qianye was absolutely furious to find that someone had actually dared block his pathintentionally or otherwise. Qianye shouted with a deep voice, Courting death! East Peak rose up and slashed horizontally! This strike was unleashed from a fair distance. That vampire viscount revealed a cold smile and seemed to have no intention of dodging the empty attack. Clearly, he didnt have Qianyes distant sword strike in his eyes. However, his vision blurred all of a sudden as Qianyes figure faded and reappeared right in front of him. East Peaks swing was no longer an empty attack but a true killing move. The blade swept past, cutting both vampire and sword into two. Qianye then sped away without even sparing a second glance for the divided corpse. The vampires upper body was able to hover in the air for a moment. He seemed to be muttering some unintelligible words as he watched the lower part of his body falling to the ground. After a while, his upper body also dropped toward the ground. A first-rank viscounts powerful life force meant that he wouldnt lose his life for a while. But even if he were rescued and regenerated in the blood pond, all he would retain was his lifehis strength would fall drastically. To a true Evernight expert, this fate was perhaps even worse than death. Even after his body had fallen to the ground and his exquisite face was buried in the soil, that vampire viscount was still mumbling, How could this happen? He was proficient in many kinds of secret arts. Especially against combat arts like Nirvanic Rend, he could evade or destroy the strike at will. He shouldve been able to take it head on, eventhe only cost shouldve been some injuries. Who wouldve thought Qianye would arrive in front of him in the blink of an eye? How could a distant attack compare to East Peaks consolidated power? Just like that, a first-rank viscount with great future potential was cut down into the soil. The other person looking to intercept Qianye was also a first-rank vampire viscount. He stood dumbstruck and trembling as he watched Qianyes receding figure. If only he was more exquisite in his combat arts, he mightve been able to intercept Qianye accurately. If that had happened, there would be two first-rank viscounts on the ground instead of one. He suddenly felt that being weak wasnt so bad after all. Qianye paid no attention to the other enemy at all. He could kill a mere first-rank viscount any timesooner or later made no difference. The important matter was to catch up to the sniper. That persons attack came without the slightest of warning and even Qianye was completely unaware of it. This showed that the assailants sniping skills were already above Edens. Moreover, Qianye hadnt managed to lock onto this person up until this point. He was merely chasing after the target from the vague traces of leftover origin power fluctuation. The slightest of delays would likely throw him off. Such an enemy had to be killed off early or there would be endless troubles later on. The two shots had injured Wei Potian and Song Zining, and this angered Qianye even more than when he himself was shot. Moreover, the first blast was clearly aimed for him. Wei Potian had sensed it for some reason and had taken the bullet for him at the critical moment. The fleeing assailant seemed to have sensed Qianyes pursuit. The persons aura became more cryptic and the routes taken grew more twisted. Qianye felt quite strained and almost lost the target on several occasions. He had no choice but to slow down a bit, lest he charges past the target. During the game of cat and mouse, Qianye gradually formed a vague idea of who this assassin might be. Throughout his life, Bai Kongzhao was the only one who had ever forced him into such arduous chases. He had come fairly close to catching her on several occasions in the past, but she would always escape narrowly for various reasons. This time, Qianye was determined to remove this scourge even at the expense of exposing his Spatial Flash. Bai Kongzhao seemed to know that a great disaster was upon her. She suddenly raised her speedthis would inevitably leave more traces, but it would also make things difficult for Qianye. A single slip-up would allow her to throw Qianye off. However, Qianye spared no blood energy for this chase. As soon as he had a feeling that he was about to be thrown off, he would immediately use Spatial Flash to intercept her from the front. Just like that, Qianye gradually forced Bai Kongzhao to circle back. Qianyes eyes were filled with an ice-cold blue color, knowing that this was the beginning of the end of Bai Kongzhao. She was no longer able to increase the distance between them and would be locked onto sooner or later. Qianye was determined to use Spatial Flash immediately upon discovering Bai Kongzhao, rushing to her side and unleashing a Sweeping Calm. At that time, East Peaks omnipresent edge would kill her no matter how she tried to evade. At most, she would be able to launch a desperate final attack. Qianye was prepared to receive that attack and deny her any opportunity to escape. His entire body, at this moment, was already filled with auric flame blood and no weaker than an ancient-clan count. Bai Kongzhao would be able to injure him at most, but it was really too difficult for her to kill him. Qianye grew more patient at this point. He circled rapidly around Bai Kongzhao and, little by little, tightened the noose around her neck. Experienced hunters always exercised greater caution because a cornered prey was the fiercest. All of a sudden, a base camp appeared over the distant horizon. All camps appearing at this juncture were merely temporary basesthe problem lay in the fact that this base wasnt small at all. Moreover, it was of human make. Qianyes heart was filled with a sense of alarm. He immediately sped toward the base, in a bid to get between it and Bai Kongzhao. As expected, the girl also started sprinting and made a beeline for the camp, even foregoing her concealment. Even after such a long hunt, this was the first time Qianye had seen her frail figure. She was incredibly swift as she drifted toward the camp like a wisp of smoke. Qianyes heart sank. Under an all-out eruption, Bai Kongzhaos speed increased sharply to several times her normal pace. She had gone all out in an effort to throw Qianye off her tail. Qianye immediately activated Spatial Flash. When his figure reappeared, he had closed the gap between them. Bai Kongzhao was fast, but Spatial Flash could be considered matchless in short sprints. Qianye was bound to catch up to her before she could run into the camp. It was at this time that soaring energy erupted from the basemuch like the awakening of a primordial beast, a pair of blood-thirsty eyes locked onto Qianye. The latter was greatly alarmed. He immediately halted his charge and instilled all the origin power he could muster into East Peak. At this moment, a fist shot out from the middle of the camp. The fist was slender, bony, and of a sickly pale color. The bony joints were so distinct that they looked like a carved sculpture, almost unrealistically so. The fist was surreal both in Qianyes mind and in reality. The base was several thousand meters away from Qianye, but his vision was filled with this single fist. He couldnt even see the owner. This fist rose up gently and came drifting over. From the moment of its appearance, it had locked onto Qianyes chest. The fist-intent was clear and undisguised, intent on letting the target know of its arrival and that it was undodgeablethis overbearingness was beyond rare. The majestic attack traversed the mountains and land, carrying with it a grand momentum and boundless power. It was actually seeking to crush everything in its path. Qianye knew that the other party would follow up with another attack even if he were to dodge; the only way was to use Spatial Flash. However, the fists area of effect was too large and Qianye had just learned the art. He still needed to use sanguineous threads to guide his movements instead of truly stepping through thin air. Even if he could escape the enemys lock-on with Spatial Flash, he wouldve lost any initiative he mightve had. At the juncture of life and death, Qianye calmed down all of his emotions and discarded all thoughts of running awaythere was no astonishment, no anger, no confusion. His body landed firmly on the ground as he raised East Peak into the sky! The sword trembled lightly a couple of times as his incomplete Sweeping Calm slashed out. At this moment, the several blades combined into one and, under the pressure of this great enemy before him, unleashed the most powerful sword strike of his life. This strike sought no variations whatsoeveronly pure destructive might! The fist duly arrived, completely ignoring East Peak and making for Qianyes chest with no attempt at evasion. Then, it collided with East Peaks attack. That moment, Qianye felt as though he had slashed at a mountain, a mountain crashing into him at great speeds. Boom! Qianyes vision grew dark, and the world spun around him as he was sent flying backward. In the end, that fist never managed to hit its target and only froze in the air. Soon, a woman dressed in wide-sleeved robes appeared in the air. It almost seemed like the fist and the lady were two separate entities. Bai Aotu! She frowned slightly as she looked at her fist. A blood scar had appeared therein, which soon tore open to reveal the flesh within and then the bones. Then, it left a deep cut extending halfway through the four finger bones before stopping. Her bones were actually suffused with faint azure color. The jasper-like hue was a stark difference from those of ordinary people. Her frown grew even deeper after observing the wound on her hand. It was almost as though she couldnt understand why her fist couldnt hit its target. She seemed to recall Qianye only at this point and looked over. The latter had flown out a hundred meters before landing on the ground. There, he slid back over a dozen meters before stopping. Observing his body briefly, Qianye discovered that most of the bones in his body had been injured. There were more than ten fractures, and his organs had been torn in several places. His only consolation was that his crystal-filled blood core was fairly resilient and only slightly damaged. Qianye coughed a couple of times, which exacerbated the damage to his internal organs. He would spit out a large mass of bloody froth with each cough. He couldnt help but laugh wryly in his hearthe had been gravely injured in a single strike with no ability whatsoever to retaliate. East Peak had fallen to his side and was stuck tilted in the soil. Qianye supported himself on the hilt and stood up slowly. As expected, its you. Bai Aotus countenance was expressionless. Naturally, but its quite odd that my fist couldnt kill you. It seems you have a lot of secrets. Qianye stared intently at Bai Aotu while leaning on his sword. He then broke into a sudden laugh and said, You want to kill me? Not that much, actually, all I need is another punch if I want to do it. Bai Aotu was very calm. It was almost as though she was talking about something that didnt concern her at all. At this moment, Zhao Yuyings voice rang out in the distance, Qianye! She rushed over and was surprised to see his chest and clothes drenched in blood. What happened? Who injured you? Without waiting for Qianye, Bai Aotu replied, That would be me. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 647: Opposition [V6C177 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhao Yuying was completely fearless against the notorious Bai Aotu. Bai Aotu, are you a rabid dog? Must you bite everyone on sight? Bai Aotus face was expressionless. He dares trespass on our base. Im in the right even if I kill him. He escaped with his life now, but he wont be that lucky next time. Zhao Yuying was startled. Whats going on? Its Bai Kongzhao who injured Potian and Zining. She escaped to this place. At this point, Qianye looked up at Bai Aotu and sneered, No wonder she fled here, she knew there would be help. At this time, a light breeze kicked up around them as Song Zining approached from the distance. His clothes were torn and the wounds on his body hadnt been dressed. The two deep cuts on his face made his handsome face look somewhat sinister. Zhao Yuying nodded. Got it, let me handle things. With that, Zhao Yuying pointed at the hovering Bai Aotu and shouted, Bai Aotu, hand over Bai Kongzhao! The matter of you injuring Qianye wont end here. Therell be someone to discuss this matter with you. Bai Aotus lips revealed a faint smile of mockery. Hand over Kongzhao? For what? Zhao Yuyings expression sank. She injured the heir of the Far East Marquis Wei and Song Zining. Are you still trying to protect her? Can you afford to protect her? Bai Aotu sneered, A mere Wei clan heir, what if hes injured or even if hes dead? Theres not one person in the entire Wei clan who is my match. If thats all you have to say, then you can leave now. Bai Aotu glanced at Song Zining. Song Seven, how are you going to suppress me? With the Song clan? The threat and mockery in these words were so undisguised that even someone of Song Zinings calibre felt his expression change. However, he soon revealed a gentle smile and said with cupped fists, How can I use such a big entity like the Song clan? A small matter like this doesnt require outside help. Ill deal with it slowly, in my own way. Everything will be dealt with sooner or later. Bai Aotu noticed the determination in his words. She finally looked at him and said with a nod, Not relying on the clan, now thats rare. Very well, Ill be waiting for you. Come find me anytime. These words caused Zhao Yuyings expression to turn unsightly. Bai Aotu was mocking her for relying on the Zhao clan to suppress her. However, she was a bold character who had been playing this game for many years. How could she be frozen here? Bai Aotu, you alone cant handle the matter of Qianyes injuries! If you wont hand her over, then stand aside. This mommy will search herself! Bai Aotus calm face finally showed some anger. I do want to see how I wont be able to handle it. Is that so? Then you can try if you dare. With that Zhao Yuying walked toward the camp in large strides. Bai Aotus face turned cold. If you dare trespass upon our base, then I will not hesitate to kill you! Zhao Yuying laughed loudly. Spare me the nonsense, these are just leftover excuses. Do it, if you have the skills. Then well see if our Zhao clan will speak reason or destroy your Bai clan immediately. Zhao Yuyings identity was special. If Bai Aotu were to kill her, Duke You Zhao Xuanji would personally hunt down Bai Aotu. Moreover, the Zhao clan had always been famed for their fights against foreign enemies, not to mention Zhao Weihuang held a large army under his command. Once this matter was known, the Fire Beacon Corps would arrive on the Bai clan territory within a matter of days. It was just as Zhao Yuying had said, the major clans couldnt care less about such a far-fetched excuse. However, Bai Aotus eyes narrowed and were actually filled with killing intent. This woman had always been a crazy character. She hadnt held back at all against Qianye, and now, she was about to attack Zhao Yuying. Somewhat surprised, Qianye quickly dragged Zhao Yuying behind him. He then released East Peak and drew the Twin Flowers. If they were to go all-out right now, he still had a Shot of Inception that he could use. Although the attack wouldnt be enough to kill Bai Aotu, it could still inflict grave injuries on her, allowing the others to escape with their lives. Song Zining grabbed Zhao Yuying and said, Dont be rash. Zhao Yuying said furiously, That slut Bai Kongzhao is hiding inside. I must go and see! Qianye shook his head. Shes most definitely escaped. You wont find anything even if you search the place. Zhao Yuying was about to speak again, but Qianye stopped her. He then turned to Bai Aotu and said, I shall remember that punch. From today on, we have a death-feud between us. Do you still intend to let me go? Bai Aotu sneered, I have too many people seeking revenge against me. I really dont mind one more. You can seek me out anytime, but at that point, things wont just end with a single punch. Qianye smiled faintly. I might accidentally injure people while hunting Bai Kongzhao in the future. Your Bai clan people had best stay away from her. Bai Aotus brows knitted together. I will have your life if you dare touch a single person from the Bai clan! Humph! If not for the war at hand, you people can forget about leaving. Is that so? Qianye stared deeply into Bai Aotus eyes. No longer bothering to spar verbally, he simply turned and left. Song Zining followed silently from behind. A highly discontent Zhao Yuying, however, raised a middle finger at Bai Aotu before leaving. The latter had her eyes closed as though she hadnt seen anything. The three left in silence, each with their own thoughts. Zhao Yuying soon realized that Qianye wasnt moving very fast. She asked in a hurry, Qianye, are you really injured? Qianye smiled wryly. I have over a dozen broken bones. Bai Aotu didnt hold back at all with that punch. Zhao Yuying was greatly astonished. She pounced over and began checking Qianye from head to toe. The latters entire body was riddled with wounds at this moment, and her careless groping caused him to let out a painful groan and nearly collapse. The former was shocked out of her wits, immediately realizing how serious Qianyes injuries were. Qianye propped himself to his feet and said, Im fine. The damage looks serious, but theres nothing lethal. Ill be fine in less than three days. Zhao Yuying felt relieved after hearing this. Soon, she began cursing Bai Aotu through clenched teeth. Qianye sighed. Yuying, you cant act that way again, no matter what. Song Zining chimed in, Whats the point in betting yourself against a thirty-year-old woman? Shes completely nuts. Even ten Bai Aotus wont be enough compensation if you were injured. Both of them had noticed that Zhao Yuying was taunting Bai Aotu intentionally. If she had attacked, whether she killed Zhao Yuying or injured her, Duke You and the entire Zhao clan wouldnt take this lying down. They would mobilize the entire clan to suppress her and force the Bai clan to give an explanation. The aim of their advice was the same, but there was a stark difference in speaking skills. Song Zinings words made Zhao Yuying beam. She glared fiercely at Qianye and said, You must learn from Song Seven! You have no idea how to make your sister happy! The heavy atmosphere lightened up after this. Song Zining asked, Qianye, what are your plans? Qianye had been thinking about this all the while. Bai Kongzhao must be killed. If the Bai clan people wish to stop me, then I will kill them together. As for Bai Aotu, I will find her in a couple of years to settle the score. But thats my own matter, I do not wish to drag others into it. Song Zining made no comment. Sister Yuying, what about you? Zhao Yuying ground her teeth. This mommy cant wait that long! Since that crazy Bai Aotu actually went against the rules and dared to attack Qianye, we have no need to hold back against her. Be it an ambush or joint-attack, everythings fair game as long as we can kill her! Song Zining praised, I understand that feeling! But, what about now? Zhao Yuying glared at him. Stop it with the boot-licking. Youre too young to be wooing this mommy. For now, well use whatever method we can, of course. You dont have any clan resources to use at the moment. Even if you can, the Song clan cant suppress the Bai clan. Our Zhao clan isnt the same, however. She injured Qianye, so the Bai clan must give the Zhao clan an explanation. Soon, Ill personally have grandpa talk to the Bai clan. I dont believe Bai Aotu will dare separate herself from the Bai clan for this. If she does, though, Ill definitely have someone kill her! Song Zining looked over at Qianye with a frown. Qianyes public identity might not be enough, but this is a viable method; the Bai clan will keep Bai Aotu at bay for a while at least. Song Zining reached for his waist at this point, wanting to open his folding fan and strike a pose of elegance and intelligence. However, there was nothing there. Only then did he recall that his life-saving fan had been destroyed during Bai Kongzhaos ambush and began gnashing his teeth in anger. He discarded all semblance of elegance and said, Bai Aotu has offended no small number of people throughout the years. There have also been a lot of incidents regarding Bai Kongzhao. There are a lot of people who want to see Bai Aotu dead. Her crazed actions betray her desperation, and it shows that she can only rely on her unscrupulousness to control the situation. So, we might as well give her a push from behind. Sometimes, a single straw is all it takes to break the camels back. Zhao Yuying said with a frown, Elaborate. Song Zining smiled. Its quite simple, frankly. We dont need to hide the things that happened today. We can just let it spread. Zhao Yuying pondered with locked brows and gradually came to understand the reasoning. Youre saying that our Zhao clan should lead everyone in this suppression? Song Zining nodded. Thats right. It''ll be a costly victory at best with just the Zhao clan alone, and there might even be people gloating over this. But if we borrow the power of the crowd and have the Zhao clan lead the charge, itll hurt the Bai clans foundations. Even lofty mountains will eventually succumb to repeated erosions. Qianye realized everything only at this point. It turned out that Song Zining wasnt targeting Bai Aotu, but the Bai clan itself. This fellow had always been ruthless, and now, that fan had really made him hostile. After some thought, Zhao Yuying felt that the plan was feasible. Well do it your way, then. The three were no longer fit for battle at this point, and Zhao Yuying was carrying Qianye on her back. After some discussion with Song Zining, they went back to rendezvous with Wei Potian and headed straight for the Zhang clan fleet. Zhao Yuying utilized her status to find a place on one of the warships, where they settled Qianye and Wei Potian in. The four of them together could be considered a powerful lineup on the current battlefield, with enough power to kill even a dark race count. But now, three of them had been wounded and Wei Potians injuries were especially severe. This abnormal situation caught the attention of many people. Zhao Yuying was never good at hiding things, so she revealed everything after some inquiries. In the blink of an eye, the entire Zhang clan fleet came to know that the Bai clan was actually causing internal strife and how they had incapacitated several powerful warriors at such a critical juncture. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 648: The Bigger Picture [V6C178 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Bad news always traveled exceptionally fast. Before a day had passed, this news had spread throughout the void continent. Bai Aotus movements this time were simply too blatant, actually provoking the Zhao clan, the Song clan, and the Wei clan at the same time. Moreover, she seemed to be heading toward irreparable damage in a truly unusual trend. In the past, Bai Aotu was only tyrannical and not insaneat the very least, she was still reasonable. The matter this time had blown up so big that she might not be able to handle it alone. Many conspiracy theorists became excited and began guessing what major movement the Bai clan was going to come up with. There might even be an upheaval in the empire. There was a small but strong fortress on the western border of the Zhao clan warzone. Void turbulences would occur from time to time in this place since it wasnt too far from the edge of the void continent. According to reason, it wasnt a place suitable for large scale battles at all. But right now, the Zhao clan warzone and the Li family base in the Misty Wood were the only places where the empire could dig in for defense. The dark races were apparently clear about this point. Dark race experts had appeared frequently around the Zhao clan area during this period, infiltrating, scouting, and trying to find a weakness in local defenses. The zones proximity to the edge of the continent made it optimal for small airships to fly in. Hence, dark race activity was exceptionally high here. A blaring siren rang out from the top of the fort. A motorcycle had appeared on the distant wasteland. It made a rapid beeline for the base, dragging a long, serpentine cloud of dust behind it. The guards on the turrets immediately turned the ballistae and loaded them with homing bolts made to deal with experts. One who could ride a bike at such speeds wasnt an ordinary expert at all. Ordinary people might die from the vibrations even if they didnt fall to their deaths. The two anti-air rapid-fire cannons also lowered their muzzles toward the incoming rider. One of the guard officers was observing the potential intruder through his binoculars. He raised a hand to silence the alarm and shouted, Fourth Young Master is back! With that, the ballistae and rapid-fire cannons resumed their original defensive positions without the slightest lapse in vigilance. From this, one could see how well-trained the Zhao clan private army was. The bike galloped forward amidst loud roars, smashing through the remains of an airship with a loud boom. It shot out through the dust and metallic fragments, circled about, and soon came to a screeching halt in front of the fortress gates. Zhao Jundu, clad in azure armor, jumped off the gigantic motorcycle and tossed two werewolf heads to the approaching subordinate. Take care of these and submit them together at the end of the month. After that warrior left in due haste, several more experts came running over and pushed the motorcycle into the fortress. This massive thing was several tons in weight and was impossible to move without several people working together. Zhao Jundu asked while walking into the fortress, Any news recently? The lieutenant colonel in charge of intelligence replied, Fourth Young Master, there is indeed news about Miss Yuying and General Qianye. Zhao Jundus brows rose up. Go on! The soldier summarized the incident between Bai Aotu and Qianyes group. Zhao Jundus calm expression gradually disappeared, replaced entirely by an icy chill. The fortress wasnt very big, so Zhao Jundu soon reached his office and sat down behind the desk. The lieutenant colonel was well prepared since she knew that the situation was special. The officer quickly produced two sets of documents and placed them on the table. These are reports on the injuries of General Qianye and the Wei clan heir. Zhao Jundu looked over them in detail, especially Qianyes. This report was penned by a military doctor of the Zhang clan fleet and sent directly to the Zhao clan. Zhao Jundu put the report down slowly and said, This injury, humph! It seems Bai Aotu didnt hold back at all. The lieutenant colonel was somewhat surprised. The Zhao clan armys traditions had always encouraged officers to speak directly, so the lieutenant colonel expressed her doubts immediately, If Bai Aotu hadnt held back, wouldnt General Qianye have died there? Zhao Jundu shot her a glance. Having nothing to hide in front of his trusted aide, he said with a cold laugh, Everyones underestimating Qianye. With his current strength, its not surprising for him to take a hit from Bai Aotu. The lieutenant colonel was astonished at how highly Zhao Jundu evaluated Qianye. Bai Aotus strength had risen meteorically in recent years, allowing her to kill experts above her level as though she were cutting vegetables. She was known as the number one character under the divine champion rank. She probably couldnt sweep through every opponent under the divine champion rank just yet, but those who could contend against her were all well-known experts in their forties and fifties. How could they throw away their reputation and fight a bloody battle with her just for this title? Moreover, they might not win for certain even if they did, and their good names would be ruined at that point. Even so, it was enough to show just how strong Bai Aotu was at this moment. Qianye could actually take a blow from her without dying. Didnt this mean that his combat strength wasnt too far off from her? One had to know that he was even one year younger than Zhao Jundu. At the thought of this, the lieutenant colonel felt somewhat restless at heart. Zhao Jundu kept his eyes lowered, paying hardly any attention to the officers thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he said, Before I came here, both dukes and my father told me that the war is related to our national fate and that everything should be for the bigger picture. Ha! What bigger picture? How am I supposed to take the bigger picture into consideration when there are people completely ignoring it? The shocked officer said hurriedly, Young Master, dont be rash! The bigger picture is still the most important. Moreover, its not suitable for you to argue with Bai Aotu at the moment. Zhao Jundu laughed at the tactful wording of her message. Youre thinking that Im not Bai Aotus match at the moment, right? I know that very well. Shes ten years older than me, and this gap isnt something that can be bridged within a couple of years. The lieutenant colonel had just sighed in relief when Zhao Jundu spoke, Bring me a letter of challenge! The officer was anxious now. You just said youre not suited to fight her at the moment! Zhao Jundu said with a faint smile, Not now, three years later I will fight her to the death. Shes ten years older than me, so even if she doesnt cultivate for the next three years, she would still have a seven-year lead. If she doesnt even dare to accept this challenge, then she can kiss her title goodbye. The terms of this challenge might be even more upsetting to her than being killed. Young Master, isnt three years too early? Zhao Jundu said indifferently, Why would it be called a life and death battle if theres no risk? Just write as I say. Yes, sir. The lieutenant colonel rushed away, leaving Zhao Jundu to gaze out of the window on his own. Staring toward the ends of the wilderness where the sky met the earth, he chuckled to himself, I must see what the true greater picture is to you people. Is it Bai Aotu or me, a potential heavenly monarch? A majestic fortress had long since been erected in the central region of the Zhao clan warzone. The clan had begun its construction since the very first day they landed on the void continent, and the work was still ongoing to this day. The fortress was far larger than the Li family base in both its scale and surface area. The base could accommodate hundreds of thousands of soldiers and had over ten high-grade kinetic towers. This was more like a city than a fortress. The stronghold was named Indomitable, a clear display of the Zhao clans lofty aspirations. Indomitable wasnt a lone city. There were ten interdependent fortresses of all sizes built around it, all of them connected to Indomitable via underground tunnels. Moreover, they were equipped with emergency energy pipelines that would allow them to borrow Indomitables power grid when necessary. The entire defensive system could be considered near invulnerable. It was a mystery whether they were truly far-sighted or if there were other reasons, but the stronghold was built to a scale of five hundred thousand soldiers. Moreover, it wasnt an entirely military structurethere were numerous areas suitable for residential use and even an expensive landscape garden in the central region, replete with mountains and rivers. There was also an origin array for controlling the weather. The temperature was mostly controlled by the super-heated steam and icy water running through the pipelines, but even so, the cost of such a construction project was likely quite significant. This was doubly true when everything had to be built during such a short time-span. There were only ten villas in this core region, each with their own beautiful sceneries. Only four of these residences had been occupied at the moment, namely the imperial family, the Zhang clan, the Song clan, and the Zhao clan themselves. The possession of these villas was very detailed. There was no need to explain about the imperial family and the Zhang clantheir strength was far above the other aristocracy, so it was only natural that they each held one villa. The Zhao clan, being the owner, had long since occupied a serene area surrounded by mountains and rivers. As for the Song clan, the reason they were able to move in so soon was due to their fortune. They had squeezed their way in by offering Zhao Xuanji a price he simply couldnt refuse. All the major clans would definitely go all out in situations like this since it was a display of status and identity. At this moment, in a small building close to the lake, Zhao Ruoxi sat leaning against the window. She had her chin on the windowsill as she gazed at the green waters with a bored expression. Young Miss, its time for your medicine. Zhao Ruoxis ears moved slightly upon hearing Uncle Wangs voice, but her body remained stationary. Uncle Wang repeated the words patiently, Young Miss, its time for your medicine. I know, I know! Zhao Ruoxi got up lazily and mumbled in dissatisfaction. This medicine is so disgusting. Am I not in possession of endless power? Why must I take such drugs? The medicines are beneficial in digesting this endless power. Moreover, it will protect the young miss body and reduce the injuries when you fire the Red Spider Lily. Uncle Wang had lost count of how many times he had spoken these words. Put it on the table first. Zhao Ruoxi looked dejected, but then loud cracking sounds emerged in front of her. Uncle Wang placed the medicines onto the table and turned back to check what was going on. There, he saw Zhao Ruoxi cracking nuts on the windowsill with the butt of an ancient-looking gun. The calm Uncle Wang couldnt help but feel his eyelids twitch a couple of times. Wasnt that exquisite looking handgun the Red Spider Lily? Uncle Wang resisted the urge to rub his eyes. He calmed himself down and looked once more before confirming that the Zhao clan young miss was indeed using a grand magnum to crack pine nuts. This national treasure was being used to smash nuts? Not to mention nuts, the Red Spider Lily couldnt be damaged even if one were to smash rocks with it. Even so, this filled Uncle Wangs heart with an inexplicable sensation, and he couldnt help but let out a long sigh. Zhao Ruoxi finished smashing a handful of nuts before arriving at the table. There, she stared at the steaming medicinal stew as she popped the nuts, one after the other, into her mouth. It was clear from that tight frown on her little face that she already knew no number of nuts could overpower the taste of the medicine. At this moment, Uncle Wang said, Something happened recently that might interest the Young Miss. Qianye clashed with the Bai clan a while ago and was wounded by Bai Aotu. Uncle Wang hadnt even finished when Zhao Ruoxi shot out of her seat and clenched her fist tightly. Bai Aotu?! Shes courting death! Uncle Wang coughed lightly. Young Miss, the entire process was like this... Zhao Ruoxi was simply unable to listen. She clenched her teeth and said, Wheres Bai Aotu, right now? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 649: More Than One Madman [V6C179 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] No matter how calm Uncle Wang was, he could no longer remain indifferent at this point. All he could do, though, was dissuade her, Young Miss, you mustnt be impetuous regarding this matter. Zhao Ruoxis eyes were filled with an ominous glint. I cant? Then when can I be impetuous? Just tell me where Bai Aotu is. This Uncle Wang wore a helpless expression. He didnt want to say, but then he saw Zhao Ruoxi waving the Red Spider Lily about. He knew he couldnt stop her if the lass wanted to escape. In the entire city, perhaps only Duke You could intercept her. Uncle Wang had to say, This is a long story, the details arent that simple. Next up, he described the entire sequence of events to her. Moreover, he sorted out the entire story and explained all the pros and cons very clearly. He spoke in great detail since this matter was quite important to the entire Zhao clan. After investing a whole lot of words, Uncle Wang said, So, this matter arose from Bai Kongzhao alone. As for Bai Aotu, perhaps she was just protecting her subordinate without knowing what she had done. All of the aristocracy is doing such things, the only difference is the degree. Uncle Wang, are you trying to dissuade me from seeking Bai Aotu out? Do you think I cant win? Uncle Wang sighed. Young Miss, this is not how you use a national treasure. Moreover, were currently at an important period. The entire warzone requires you and the Red Spider Lily. Besides, its best if you dont use the weapon if you dont need to, its not good for your body. So what if its a national treasure? Its mine now that its in my hands, Ill use it however I want! Tell those old fellows for me, Bai Aotu isnt the only madman in this world! Uncle Wang was shocked out of his wits. He suddenly reached forth to grab the girl. He had clearly caught Zhao Ruoxis wrist, but all of a sudden, only a red spider lily remained in his hand. This flower of the netherworld faded away in an instant and actually became an open pine nut in Uncle Wangs palm. Uncle Wang stood frozen for a short moment before heaving a deep sigh. He leapt right out the window and shot away at great speeds. He knew where Zhao Ruoxi was going, but he wasnt too sure if he could catch up to her. At this moment, Qianye finally opened his eyes within the cultivation chamber of an airship. He had just finished a segment of training. His current cultivation was mainly for the purpose of healing his injuries as the damage to his origin power was minimal. The most important part was that his origin vortices at the moment were in a semi-crystalline state, filled with small crystal granules. Origin power in this state was countless times more resistant to external damage. Bai Aotus punch was enough to shatter an ordinary cultivators origin vortex and destroy his foundations, but it inflicted little damage on Qianye. The true damage was focused on his physical body. However, with his blood core intact and auric flame blood flowing throughout his body, he would fully recover in three days. He really wasnt lying to Zhao Yuying when he stated his recovery period. It was just that this step required large food intake to supplement his nutrition and energy. Qianye thus left the cultivation chamber and went to the kitchen. There, he devoured several portions of food before heading over to visit Wei Potian. The Wei clan heir was lying on the bed, bandaged from head to toe. There were several layers of wound dressing at his waist. Qianye sat beside the bed and pressed lightly on the bandage out of habit. Does it still hurt? Wie Potian squealed like a butchered pig, and then said furiously, Of course it hurts!!! Cant you be more gentle? Moreover, this is the seventh time youve come to visit me! Qianye slapped his forehead after recalling that it was his seventh time here. He was healing while cultivatingafter a forty-minute cultivation session, he would eat a large meal to supplement his energy expenditure and then visit Wei Potian. Every time he came, he would subconsciously pat Wei Potians injuries and ask how he was doing. In other words, he would come and torment the latter every hour. Wei Potian sized Qianye up from head to toe. He couldnt help but sigh. Your strength has increased again. It seems youre about to recover from your injuries, right? Damn, what kind of body is that? Your injuries were clearly worse than my own. How come youre jumping about after just a day when this daddy still has to lie here obediently?! Youre missing a large chunk of flesh and several ribs. How is that not serious? Just lie there for me. Youll need a week of rest, more or less. Wei Potian was dissatisfied. I shouldve learned some of the Yin familys secret arts. That should help me recover faster. That will delay the progress of your Thousand Mountains. That shot wouldve taken your life if your defense was just a bit weaker. Wei Potian lay back down and said, Ah, I feel so bored. This accursed ship doesnt even have one beautiful nurse or doctor. In fact, theres no one attractive at all. Qianye broke into a laugh. When did you become Song Zining? Wei Potian rolled his eyes. Yours truly is also a man, and every man likes beautiful ladies. Speaking of which, is that gigolo fine? To be honest, I no longer hate him that much after seeing those two scars on his face. Qianye broke his reverie once more. You know Zining, Im sure hell spend a small fortune to remove those scars. You can forget about that. Wei Potian sighed, and then suddenly became silent. Moments later, he said, Qianye, are you willing to let this matter be? Qianye replied slowly after a moment of silence, If youre speaking about Bai Kongzhao, Ill kill her sooner or later. Shell have a harder time escaping as time goes on. As for Bai Aotu, its only a matter of time before I catch up to her. If its just to kill her, I dont really need to wait until I can fight against her fair and square. However, Ive been thinking if I should do that in the face of a powerful enemy. Wei Potian fell into a rare period of contemplation after hearing this. Later on, he exhaled deeply and said through gritted teeth, I want nothing more than to beat her up right away! It was just that one could hardly have that chance without reaching the divine champion level. By the time Qianye reached the divine champion level, Bai Aotu mightve taken the next step forward. As for Wei Potian, it was truly beyond difficult for him to reach the divine champion. He probably had no hope of beating up Bai Aotu in this lifetime. Seeing Qianyes gloomy expression, Wei Potian broke into a laugh. Its fine, Qianye, dont put this small matter to heart. The people of the empire will be the judge of whos right or wrong in this matter! Our Wei clan has always pioneered new territories for the empirethe countless men who died on the battlefield cannot be humiliated like so. Countless other aristocratic families will be spooked if the Bai clan doesnt give us a satisfactory explanation. This ordeal isnt that easy to pass. Qianyes expression relaxed into a faint smile. It was just that the smile was somewhat forced and looked even uglier than a weeping face. Wei Potian said in a carefree manner, I told you its fine! Im only missing some flesh, itll grow back in a couple of days. You dont think this heir has no money for treatment, do you? Wei Potian made it sound easy, but things werent that simple. That shot had removed most of the flesh at his waist, almost a third of it in fact. This kind of injury would make him weak for a period of time even after it had healed. You rest well, Im going out for a walk. Wait! Qianye, dont tell me youre going to come here and smack me again after an hour? This daddy will die from the torture instead of the gunshot! Qianye pretended to swing his hand again, eliciting a weird cry from Wei Potian. Only then did he say with a laugh, Dont worry, my injuries are more or less healed. Theres no need to cultivate anymore today. Qianye walked along the corridor after leaving the sickroom, deep in his own thoughts. This was a high-speed transport ship in charge of logistics and supplies. The vessel was massive, and the internal walkways were fairly wide. It wasnt a problem for four or five people to walk side by side. In fact, this corridor could allow a small truck to pass through. Hence, Qianye subconsciously ignored the person who had appeared up ahead since the two were on different sides of the wide corridor. But Qianye had just taken a few steps forward when he discovered that his path ahead was being blocked. That person had, for some reason, shifted his path. Qianye was still trembling faintly as he made to calm the fluctuating blood energy and origin power in his body. He was at the extremes of fury and had trouble controlling himself. At the moment, he would find it difficult to control the flames of his fury whenever he saw Wei Potians injury. Qianye stepped sideways reflexively to evade the incoming person, but the man mirrored his action and blocked the path once more. At this point, Qianye finally realized that the man in front was here to cause trouble for him. All of a sudden, Qianyes felt livelier. A troublemaker had appeared just when he needed to vent his anger. The tall, burly man asked, Youre Qianye? Qianye spoke not a single word. His eyes fell upon the mans brigadier general rank and Bai clan insignias. Seeing Qianye silent, the person sneered, How is someone like you worthy of being in conflict with Miss Aotu? Shes already being quite merciful by not killing you in one punch. Yet, you actually dare to frame her?! Are the Zhao clans dogs so lowly? Today, I, Bai He hadnt even finished his words when Qianye suddenly looked up. The gaze struck like lightning and actually elicited a sharp pain in the mans eyes! Just as he was about to shift his eyes away, the latter felt something akin to an iron hoop tightening around his neck. The force actually made it impossible for him to breathe! He looked down to find that Qianye had taken him by the neck and was gradually raising him into the air. The latter hadnt locked down his origin power, but the strength in his hands was outrageous. The pure physical strength had shattered his origin defenses and was causing his neck bones to crackle, almost as though they would crack at any moment. Although he could still move at will, the only thing this Bai clan brigadier general could manage was to try pulling away Qianyes fingers, lest his neck really gets crushed. However, those five fingers wouldnt budge at all no matter how hard he tried, and his face was gradually turning purple. His eyes were full of astonishment, but he couldnt utter any words. As someone born of the Bai clan, his eyesight was sharphe could see that Qianye hadnt used any origin power at all. The latter had managed to render him completely helpless with physical strength alone. What kind of monster was this? Qianye walked toward the end of the corridor in large strides, kicked open the emergency door, and hurled the fellow out of the ship. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 650: Come out and Accept Your Death! [V6C180 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] At this moment, the captains voice rang out from behind Qianye, This... whats going on? The captain ran over to the windows. The airship was only a hundred or so meters from the ground. This height wasnt enough to kill an imperial brigadier general. That Bai clan man had crashed into the ground and was now clambering to stand up. With his origin power cultivation, he really shouldnt have fallen so miserably. It would seem Qianye had done something to make him fall straight down. The captain heaved a sigh of relief and said helplessly, General, was there really a need to do this? Such a conflict will only benefit the dark races. Qianye said indifferently, I really have no interest in bullying the young fellows before dealing with Bai Aotu, but I wont take things lying down if some insensitive fellows rush out in front of me. This captain was also a brigadier general. He was of the Zhang clan, so his stance in this conflict was neutral. However, he naturally leaned toward the Zhao clan since the latter was providing them with full support. He knew that the Bai clan brigadier general wouldnt return to the airship after such humiliation, and in fact, he felt that it was better that way. At least, there wouldnt be another conflictbeing caught in the middle wasnt easy. It was at this time that the airship trembled all of a sudden. One could see, through the open doors, two high-speed airships splitting off into the distance. The captain shook his head and sighed. Two more places needing reinforcements. The frequency is pretty high today. Dammit, things wouldnt be so bad if the Bai clan people hadnt caused such trouble! At first, Qianyes group of four and the Wei clan private soldiers made up a fairly powerful force on the battlefield. While William was sitting the fight out, they were able to drive Twilight away and kill off all of her subordinates. It was only natural that they would sweep through virtually every other dark race squad in their way. After all, marquis level characters wouldnt join such petty battles. But now, Qianye and Wei Potian were badly wounded, and Song Zining was also injured. The only one in their group who could fight was Zhao Yuying. The lack of high-end fighting power suddenly increased the pressure on the Zhang clan fleet. That much was evident from the number of fire-support mobilizations. In truth, Song Zinings injuries werent that serious. It was just that the seventh young master had his own thoughts in this matter, holing up in his room and pretending to recuperate. According to him, how could he stress the Bai clans tyrannical behavior if his injuries werent serious? Moreover, despite his light injuries, the two wounds on his face seemed quite terrifying. At a glance, he almost seemed to be in a worse condition compared to Wei Potian. However, Song Zining didnt remain idle, either. He had served in the Zhang clans advisor department before and was familiar with people from every level of the army. After hearing that he had been injured, many generals and leaders rushed over to visit him. Very soon, Song Zinings room was buzzing with activity and guests. He had already explained the process of their battle over ten times in just half a day, and he did not forget to curse the Bai clan every time he did so. Qianye closed the cabin doors after the high-speed warships had left. How long will it take to reach the Zhao clan defensive region? How urgent are things? The captain wore a worried expression. This segment of the journey isnt that important. After reaching the Zhao clans fortification area, however, the fleet will need to return for supplies. The dark race army shouldve caught up already at that point. That would be the most critical period. Qianye nodded. I see, Ill go and get some rest then. You need to recuperate well with your injuries. Ill have someone send some medicines over in a while. Qianye returned to his chambers and continued cultivating to accelerate his recovery. The truly difficult battles would follow after reaching the fortress region. The transport airship swayed continuously, and the faint sounds of rumbling explosions could be heard from the outside. The warships in charge of fire-support were up to their ears in work since every late support meant the destruction of a combat squad. At such a time, Qianye could only hide in the cultivation chamber to heal his injuries. This only added to his loathing of Bai Aotu. Meanwhile, in the Bai clan camp, Bai Kongzhao was sitting across from Bai Aotu. Didnt you say you wont trouble Qianye anymore? Whats going on this time? Bai Kongzhao was just as slender as before, but she seemed slightly taller. Her messy, long hair was curled and slightly withered. Her skin was sickly pale and almost translucent, vaguely revealing the green veins underneath. Her face and hands were filled with numerous small wounds. Some had almost healed, but a fair number of them were new. Only her pair of eyes were filled with unchanging mysteriousness and beauty. After hearing Bai Aotus words, the young girl replied, I wasnt targeting Qianye this time, I was trying to kill Song Zining. I saw an opportunity, so I took it. Song Zining? Bai Aotu frowned. Is he that powerful? No one understood Bai Kongzhaos combat and survival instincts better than her. If this girl said there was an opportunity, it meant that the target had zero chance of escaping her fatal blow. There had only been one exception all this time, and that was Qianye. However, Bai Aotu had just seen Song Zining and knew that he had only suffered some flesh wounds. This meant that Bai Kongzhao had failed completely. The latter said after some thought, Hes much more powerful than I anticipated, and he also had a life-saving fan. In terms of value, that fan should be equal to his second life. It can be said that Ive already killed him once. Bai Aotu nodded in agreement. Such life-saving treasures were extremely rare, and it wasnt excessive to say that they were pricelessthere would be huge waves whenever one of them was produced. The empire had once paid half an elite corps in order to obtain a life-saving treasure capable of stopping a divine champions attack. Hence, Bai Kongzhaos attack was equal to having killed half a Song Zining. The young girl said, Moreover, Qianye is so much more powerful than I expected. His chase stopped me from firing another shot. If you werent here, I dont think I couldve escaped. Ill avoid him in the future and not give him a chance to capture me. Bai Aotu frowned in silence. She only spoke moments later, Kongzhao, youre still a human when all is said and done. Why are you doing this? For survival and for the empire. Oh? Bai Aotus lightning gaze stabbed at Bai Kongzhao. The latter faced her calmly without any intention of backing away. Whats the specific reason? Bai Kongzhao placed an ordinary looking crystal in front of Bai Aotu. The latters eyesight wasnt something an ordinary person could compare to. She said in shock, An origin crystal fragment? The crystal fragment was actually hiding an origin power comparable to the raging seas, along with exuberant vitality. It was just that the origin power attribute lay between darkness and daybreak. Its uses were limited in the eyes of normal people. A complete origin crystal possessed more than just vast amounts of origin powerit contained innate abilities. Usually, such skills were extremely powerful and could raise ones combat strength from the foundation up. It went without saying that the one in Bai Kongzhaos possession did not contain any innate abilities, only an early framework of it. If Bai Kongzhao was successful in her future cultivation, she would be able to develop a powerful ability of her own. Bai Kongzhao pointed at the origin crystal fragment and said, This is the downpayment for killing Song Zining. An origin crystal fragment was actually a mere deposit? Bai Aotu picked up the crystal and observed it in detail. Then, seeming to have realized something, she said, Could this be the kind of power you need? The girl nodded. They have two more fragments and will give them to me once I kill Song Zining. With these three fragments, I can become stronger and also keep on living. Bai Aotu let out a rare sigh. Who are they? I dont know the true mastermind behind this. All I know is that theyre from the Song clan. Bai Aotu sneered. Song clan! Theyre still doing this at such a time. It looks like theres no longer any cure for their stupidity. Fine, you said youre doing this for the empire, whats with that? Bai Aotu inquired. I know some people on the Evernight side. Theyre willing to provide me an opportunity to kill one of their counts as long as I kill Song Zining. Theres also this. With that, Bai Kongzhao placed a sniper rifle in front of her, along with a rectangular rod made of blue metal. Bai Aotus expression changed slightly. This is a demonkin sniper rifle and likely one from a famed clan. This piece of metal... is this a heart of serene blue? Yes, this is a heart of serene blue that the dark races delivered. If I kill Song Zining, theyll process this into an origin gun core to replace the one in here. Bai Aotu picked up the sniper rifle and studied it repeatedly. Her gaze lingered for a fair length of time on a line of decorated text depicting the weapons name and the artisans signature. Any weapon with such a signature was a premium product above grade-seven. Bai Aotu put down the rifle and said, Then itll become a grade-eight gun, can you use it? I can manage if I get the remaining origin crystals. The tent fell into silence. Bai Aotu watched the young girl for a long while before sighing lightly. The girl sat quietly with a somewhat vacant expression, almost as though she didnt know what to do or what she had done wrong. Perhaps her heart was extremely complicated, or maybe it was truly simple, so simple that all she knew was to survive and become stronger. Her only reason for becoming stronger was to survive. Bai Aotu didnt know what to say. In the end, she said slowly, These things will bring you a lot of trouble, keep them to a minimum in the future. I cant be there to help you shoulder your problems every time. Youll have to rely on yourself in the future. Eh?! Bai Kongzhao seemed not to understand. Bai Aotu didnt continue the conversation. She merely waved her hand and said, Go now, itll be too late if you dont leave quickly. Bai Kongzhao was just about to say something when she jumped up like a startled cat and suddenly turned around. Then, she grabbed the sniper rifle and origin crystal, rushed out of the tent, and soon disappeared from sight. However, she didnt forget to salute Bai Aotu before leaving. The latter sat quietly with renewed calmness. It was at this moment that a delightful sound resounded throughout the Bai clan camp. Bai Aotu, get out here and accept your death! This voice was full of anger, yet it was inexplicably pleasant to the ears. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 651: Hunting [V6C181 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Bai Aotu stood up slowly and walked out of the tent. At this point, the entire base was already in an uproar. The Bai clan champions had rushed out of their tents to see who was so bold as to issue challenges in Bai clan territory. They were surprised to find a young girl hovering in the air. Her countenance was suffused with an ephemeral beauty that made ones heart ache. She was wearing a long dress, as was usual for noble ladies. She wore very little in terms of ornaments, but what truly shone was the grand-master level craftsmanship of her attire. For a moment, the many valiant soldiers couldnt believe their eyes. It was actually a young girl who had kicked down their door? There wasnt a shred of origin power on her body. Not to mention origin vortices, there wasnt even an origin node. But how could someone without origin power hover in the air? Many people recalled how vampires and demonkin used certain methods to reverse their age. For instance, the Queen of the Night would appear in the human world as a young girl. Perhaps this person was the same? However, most of the champions in the Bai clan were well-informed. Two of them who had recognized Zhao Ruoxi performed salutations and said, So, its the Young Miss of Duke Chengen paying us a visit. As the current owner of the Red Spider Lily, Zhao Ruoxis identity in the empire was special and not at all inferior to a duke. The Bai clan champions had to greet her courteously first and foremost. She paid no attention to the two brigadier generals and merely kept her radiant eyes on Bai Aotu. Bai Aotu had long since figured out that it was Zhao Ruoxi, and her heart sank upon seeing the latter in such a state. She knew things werent going to end well. As expected, Zhao Ruoxi had no intention to speak to her at all. She simply raised the Red Spider Lily and took aim at Bai Aotu. Red spider lilies bloomed in front of the latter, forming a mysterious connection which had seemingly locked onto her. Whether Bai Aotu chose to dodge or flee, she would never be able to escape the attack from the Red Spider Lily. All she could do was forcibly resist the blow. Bai Aotu had never imagined Zhao Ruoxi would attack on sight and without so much as a word. She herself was unbridled and impetuous, but she wasnt really crazy. Her expression changed drastically, and her figure flickered about continuously in an attempt to break the Red Spider Lilys aim. However, she stopped evading almost as soon as she had begun. Just a brief test showed her that she couldnt escape the Red Spider Lily. Back then, even the Evernight Council Member, Ge Shitu, had to flee with grievous injuries, not to mention Bai Aotu who wasnt even a divine champion. Additionally, Bai Aotu saw that red spider lilies were blooming throughout the base, decorating the entire camp as though it were a land of fantasy. The scenery was beautiful, but that was a weapon of murder. If Bai Aotu were to evade, the brunt of Red Spider Lilys power would fall onto the soldiers in the camp. Although the weapon didnt specialize in area-of-effect damage, there weren''t any true experts in the Bai clan base. The shot would likely wipe out the hundreds of soldiers who were still in the camp. Anger washed over Bai Aotus face. Such malice at a young age! Zhao Ruoxis lips rose into a sweet smile. Anyone can criticize me, but you cannot. Just try evading and see if you can manage it. Its fine even if you can, Ill fire again after wiping out your men. Bai Aotu sneered. You dont dare to actually fire. Her words hadnt even trailed off when her expression underwent a drastic shift. The red spider lilies around her began to wilt. At the same time, it seemed as though a floodgate had been opened inside her body. Her vitality gushed out into the void and was soon devoured by the violent origin powers therein. In a flash, Bai Aotu was both shocked and furious. She had never imagined Zhao Ruoxi would really fire. Even someone as arrogant and unbridled as she was felt helpless as the red spider lilies started to wither. The Red Spider Lilys attack was mysterious, unfathomable, and indefensible. Even an Evernight Council member had suffered badly in its hands, to speak nothing of Bai Aotu. The moment the other shore flowers started to wilt, a loud roar echoed throughout the skies, Dont! Immediately afterward, a gigantic hand covered up Bai Aotu along with the entire base. Within the colossal origin power projection, the rate with which the flowers withered was greatly delayed. However, they were withering still and every wilting petal produced a large defect in the hand. More than half of the flowers remained, yet the hand was already on the verge of collapse. Just as the Bai clan was about to suffer grave losses, a snort suddenly appeared in the air. A shower of origin arrows rained down, striking all the flowers and effectively destroying them. Soon, all the red spider lilies had disappeared. Only then did the Red Spider Lilys attack pass by. But the Bai clan soldiers had all been affectedtheir faces were pale and their auras, empty. Many of them could no longer stand firm and fell limp onto the ground. Even Bai Aotu felt some instability in her origin power. A stout old man appeared in the air. His originally amiable face appeared flustered and exasperated at this moment. He hovered in front of Zhao Ruoxi and said, The Red Spider Lily is a national treasure. How can you use it for private reasons?! You Even someone of his subtlety couldnt find the right words to describe the present situation. One could see from this just how angry he was. Zhao Ruoxis hands were trembling. Attacking with the Red Spider Lily had exhausted most of her origin power, but she bit hard into her bleeding lips, unwilling to pass out. She wasnt paying the slightest attention to what the old man was saying. She merely stared at Bai Aotu and raised the trembling Red Spider Lily once more. The last bit of color on her face disappeared, and her vitality was like a candle in the wind as more red spider lilies appeared in the vicinity. She was actually going to fire again! A sigh rang out behind Zhao Ruoxi as a hand reached out and pressed on the Red Spider Lily. Uncle Wang appeared behind her and said, Young Miss, you cant use the Red Spider Lily again today. The guns radiance actually retracted under Uncle Wangs grasp, and the other shore flowers vanished before they had been fully formed. But Zhao Ruoxi struggled with all her might. Dont stop me! I must kill that bitch from the Bai clan! Ill kill whoever tries to stop me! Uncle Wang looked as though his heart was aching. Young Miss, you cant use it again today. If you really must, it makes no difference if we come back tomorrow. The old man across them was startled. This... Old Wang, although youre with the Zhao clan now, you should still recognize past friendships, right? Uncle Wang pretended not to hear those words. He took the gun from Zhao Ruoxis hands and put it away into its box. Then, he opened up a thick blanket and wrapped it around the girl. The latter was still struggling, but she was just an ordinary girl without the Red Spider Lily. How could she escape Uncle Wangs grasp? Zhao Ruoxi was dissatisfied. She glared at the old man and shouted, I know hes a Bai clan elder. The old man looked awkward. Im not just an elder, this duke is He couldnt even finish his words when Zhao Ruoxi looked up and shouted, Hes far from capable of stopping my Red Spider Lily! Your Majesty Prince Greensun, dont tell me youre working with the Bai clan to suppress our Zhao clan?! Immediately after these words were spoken, the entire world came to a frozen stop. No one could move! Zhao Boqians metallic voice rang out from the sky, The Red Spider Lily is not yours, and this is not how it should be used. Many Bai clan warriors realized what had just happened. It turned out that Prince Greensun had wiped out all the other shore flowers with his ephemeral attack. Whats in my hands is mine! Zhao Ruoxi had no intention of speaking reason. Zhang Boqian didnt show himself and only said, If you keep causing trouble, Ill ask Weihuang to take you back to the Western Continent. Zhao Ruoxis momentum weakened. She had no intention of going back now that she was on the void continent. Moreover, her father was the only one she had ever been afraid of. She said with a shifting glint in her eyes, Your Majesty, youre going to protect the Bai clan, is that it? Zhang Boqian said with a snort, Young brat, you want to trap me with words? This matter today shall end here, your two clans can deal with this matter afterward. Theres just one thing of importance, we are fighting a war of national fate, and this monarch is in charge here. I will not be polite to whoever affects the war as a whole! At that time, no one will be able to protect you lot. The world was no longer frozen after these words were spoken. Everyone knew that Prince Greensun had left. The Bai clan elder glanced over at Zhao Ruoxi and Uncle Wang with a sigh. Fortunately, nothing happened today. Lets stop this matter here, what say you? As it should be. Uncle Wang nodded and left with Zhao Ruoxi. Wait! Zhao Ruoxi called out to Uncle Wang. The Bai clan people were apprehensive, not knowing what she was going to do. Just now, she had opened fire immediately without so much as a word. Everyone was clear that she was someone who would do just about anything. Zhao Ruoxi paid no attention to those people. This void continent isnt fun. Tomorrow, Ill go out hunting! Uncle Wang replied calmly, Young Miss, what do you wish to hunt? Zhao Ruoxi uttered a name through gritted teeth, Of course its that slut, Bai Kongzhao! This servant understands. Zhao Ruoxi added, This Young Miss is in a bad mood. When Im in a bad mood, my aim goes way off. I might accidentally injure whoever appears near my prey! With that, she left together with Uncle Wang. The Bai clan soldiers looked at one another, not knowing what to say. Accidentally injure? Among the Ten Grand Magnums, the Red Spider Lily was the only one that couldnt injure anyone accidentally. The old man gazed at Zhao Ruoxis receding figure and said to Bai Aotu, Follow me, I have something to ask you. This fat old man was actually the current Bai clan lords cousin and the one who had inherited the Duke Ning position, Bai Songhe. Be it in terms of cultivation or status, he was on the same level as the two dukes of the Zhao clan. Now that he had spoken, Bai Aotu had no choice but to follow him into the main tent. Bai Songhe took the central chair without offering Bai Aotu a seat. His smile disappeared, replaced by an awe-inspiring presence, as he said, Speak, how far are you going to go for this Bai Kongzhao? Bai Aotu said with a frown, I just wounded Qianye. So what if she has personal affairs with him? Nonsense! Bai Songhe slapped a stack of documents on to the table. That Qianyes identity is not that simple! This duke has long since received information that hes actually Duke Chengens illegitimate son. This intelligence was issued long ago, dont you ever look at them? Bai Aotu was startled. Even then, hes just a bastard. Besides, Ive never been interested in these trivial clan affairs. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 652: Trade Pieces [V6C182 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] You cannot support the entire Bai clan before becoming a divine champion! Even if you do, the Bai clan cannot escape us old fellows! So, you should think more about the clan even if youre not interested in its affairs! Bai Songhe said furiously. Bai Aotu sat expressionlessly and in silence. However, anyone could see that she wasnt really listening to the old mans words at all. Bai Songhe was helpless against her. He forced himself to suppress his anger and asked, Did you tell Bai Kongzhao about those things? Of course not. Bai Songhe nodded and his expression eased up a bit. That is the foundation of our Bai clans continued existence. No one must know about it apart from a small number of people. Just let Kongzhaos matter be. Since you say she has extraordinarily rare combat talents, then it wont be a problem for her to escape Zhao Ruoxis hunt. A young miss like her will tire of the game after a couple of days. Bai Aotu replied indifferently, Kongzhao doesnt need my help to begin with. Bai Songhe said with a nod, Thatll be for the best. This period is the most important since several major businesses have reached the critical juncture. Try to avoid trouble as much as you can. As for those who dare threaten our Bai family, well show them sooner or later! Bai Aotu asked, I heard the Zhao clan is allying with a group of aristocratic families to suppress us? Bai Songhe glared at her. What a rare sight for you to care about the clan. The Zhao clans movements are faster than you think. Reportedly, they have already submitted this matter to the imperial court. They will band together to indict us. Humph! Is it urgent? This matter is neither big nor small. How can anything be trivial in court? But at least we can drag this out for several months before an outcome is reached. Bai Aotu nodded. Clearly, she wasnt interested in further discussion. Bai Songhe sighed and, before leaving, reminded her several times to not cause trouble. It was at this time that a follower rushed over with an urgent report for the two. Bai Songhe was astonished after opening the letter. Zhao Jundu wishes to engage in a life and death battle with you in three years!? This this is also because of Qianye!? Bai Aotus expression was solemn. Bai Songhe remained speechless for a long time. Then, he left the tent with a long sigh. This matter was already out of his control. The fierce reactions of Zhao Ruoxi and Zhao Jundu meant that an all-out war between the Bai and Zhao clan was not far away. Especially Zhao Jundus challenge, it was meant to force himself and Bai Aotu into a corner. Regardless of the outcome of that battle, the two clans would most likely fall into an all-out conflict. Bai Songhe said nothing because, at this point, the Bai clan wasn''t yet prepared for this. Meanwhile, Qianye was roused by a gentle bell within the cultivation room. He gradually stopped his Profound Combatant Formula and walked out. There, he found two soldiers waiting for him. General Qianye, we will be arriving in ten minutes. Qianye nodded and duly returned to his room to collect his luggage and weapons. At this point, the ship trembled, and the roar of engines increased sharply as the rear cabin doors opened. The transport ship at the moment was hovering several meters from the ground without landing. There was a gentle slope below leading to a fortress on the nearby hilltop, one of the three first-line strongholds of the Zhao clan. Almost a hundred soldiers jumped down from the transport ship and began marching toward the fort. Qianye also leapt out and landed firmly on the ground. The vessel didnt linger even for a moment. It took to the air with a loud whistle and had soon receded into the distance. Song Zining followed Qianye from behind, towing a military backpack almost as tall as he was. Just how had he gotten so many things during this period? Qianye was somewhat curious because he remembered Song Zining was empty-handed when he boarded the ship. What are those? Qianye couldnt help but ask. Supplies for the fort defense, mostly ammunition and food. Qianye was astonished. We have to prepare food? Song Zining rolled his eyes. If only I wasnt out of space, I even planned to take some water. Did you think the following battle will be that easy? Why else would the Zhao clan fellows build three defensive lines? Theyre not idiots. Qianye nodded in agreement. It wasnt that he had underestimated the difficulty of this battle, but because he had already stocked up on supplies within Andruils Realm. He wouldnt skimp on this preparation even if he had to sacrifice space for spoils. The two had just started toward the fortress when violent explosions rang out far in the distance. The transport ship that had just left burst into flames and suddenly lost some altitude. Several high-speed airships rushed out of the clouds at this point. Although they were only a tenth in size compared to the massive transport, their attacks were extremely powerful. Cannon shells and ballista bolts rained down on the transportit was like a whale surrounded by a school of sharks. Qianye was greatly alarmed. Potian is still on the ship! Wei Potians recovery was far inferior to Qianyes; he would need to rest for at least a week. As such, it was arranged for him to return to the rear lines with the transport. Who wouldve thought the dark race pursuers would arrive so quickly? They actually appeared before the imperial transport could leave. Qianye started running toward the battlefield immediately, but Song Zining pulled him back. That wild boar is very lucky, he wont die that easily. Moreover, the Zhang clan isnt completely unprepared. Dont be rash, lets wait and see first! Flames erupted continuously on the transport ship and its outer layer gradually came off. However, only half of it was due to the dark race attacks, while the other half was removed voluntarily. After shedding its shell, the transports speed increased by a level. Moreover, there were numerous cannons and giant ballistae hidden under the shell. In an instant, the transport turned into a fierce, spiked beast. Its surging firepower suppressed the enemy ships until they could hardly breathe, taking down two high-speed warships in the blink of an eye. The remaining dark race vessels were like startled animals, quickly distancing themselves from the transport that had revealed its sinister side. The transport wasnt too eager to battle, either. It simply left with a much greater speed than when it came. Only then did Qianye feel relieved. Song Zining said, See? Those major characters up there arent that easy to deal with. They have been waiting for this day. The Zhang clan armys retreat was actually a bait to draw the dark race experts to their deaths. But our casualties arent small at all. Qianye felt that the death toll on both sides was more or less the same during this retreat. Of course, Qianye had no idea that the Zhang clan had destroyed a grand dukes airship by using hidden battleships. Song Zining replied, Our casualties are mostly limited to ordinary soldiers with little future potential. The Evernight side has been losing elites with great future prospects. This trading of pieces is a gambit, and the advantage we win right now will only become evident after several years. Qianye was speechless and could only let out a sigh. This kind of exchange was simply too cruel. Too many soldiers had died in front of Qianye in this short, two-day period. All of them were people full of life, yet they were being played as chess pieces in the hands of the bigshots. The bitterness of the trade pieces was on full display along the Zhang clans bloody retreat path. Song Zining said with a soft sigh, I didnt quite understand in the past, but I realized a bit after following Marshal Zhang for a while. In truth, this kind of trade has been going on since a thousand years ago. The reason the empire was able to get this far is due to the successive generations of trade-pieces constantly accumulating these small advantages for us. It is indeed cruel, but it is also necessary. The two chatted while walking. Just as they were about to enter the fortress, Qianye turned back suddenly as though he had sensed something. They saw, over the distant horizon, a massive dark cloud surging over in their direction. Qianyes powerful eyesight had already discerned that it wasnt a dark cloud but a horde of dark race airships. The thousand Evernight airships blotted out the sun as they swarmed over. Even someone of Qianyes calm couldnt help but waver upon seeing a fleet of such scale. Song Zining also lost his calm and blurted out, How come there are so many?! He had held back from the next sentence, but some insensitive person from among the soldiers cried out, Has the imperial fleet been defeated? At that moment, terror washed over the imperial soldiers. If the imperial fleet had been defeated in the void, it meant that none of them would be able to return to the imperial mainland. All they could do was fight to the death on this void continent. Qianye was just about to say something after seeing the chaos spread among the soldiers, but someone beat him to it. A man jumped onto a rock and roared, Whats with the panicking!? If the fleet has really been defeated, all we need to think about is giving those black-blooded bastards a good beating! This was a burly man with a thick beard and several scars on his face. Apparently, he had gone to hell and back several times. He tore open his shirt to reveal a hairy chest and the crisscross of scars upon it. As long as those bastards dare come, we will just do them in! I welcome anyone who will stand with me. I speak no empty words, but I promise you this! If we cant walk out of the battlefield alive, then Ill be the one to die at the foremost! The burly man didnt say much and half of his speech was occupied by war cries. However, every word struck the soldiers hearts. In a flash, morale took a turn for the better as an increasing number of soldiers started shouting together with him. In Qianyes eyes, this burly man was a new champion. His only origin vortex was dim and his origin power, sparse and impure. Apparently, there was no hope for him to ascend. It was already his lifes fortune to be able to form a single vortex. But such people were the true warriors on the battlefield with combat strength far exceeding their cultivation. They were the pillars of the army capable of shouldering the most arduous of battlefields. Qianye sighed in his heart. Zining, are such people also chess pieces for trading? Song Zining revealed a bitter smile. The best of its kind, in fact. If I were the commander-in-chief, I wouldnt hesitate to push him out for a trade at the critical juncture. Qianye could only remain silent. He glanced over at the approaching Evernight fleet and hastened his steps toward the fortress. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 653: Fierce Battle [V6C183 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The Evernight fleet blotted out the skies as they swarmed over at speeds that far exceeded expectations. Qianye had just entered the fortress along with the other reinforcement troops when the dark races high-speed assault airships arrived nearby. Qianye leapt onto the fortress wall, produced Thunderbolt, and took aim at a vessel. It was just that the sniper rifles range was limited and its firepower would diminish at long distances. Hence, Qianye could only wait for the enemy airship to approach. It was at this time that the kinetic tower inside the fortress let out a loud whistle. The shrill cry represented a forceful release of steam, and it was even trembling as it operated in an overloaded state. The rapid-fire cannons and giant ballistae within the turrets roared loudly as a dozen or so projectiles interweaved in the sky, firmly protecting the airspace above the fortress. The dark race assault airship was struck repeatedly by the fiery whips, causing balls of flame to burst out upon its body. Some of the airships parts would come loose amidst the rumbling explosions and fly out in all directions. Very soon, two assault airships began rolling about under the barrage of fire and fell burning to the ground. There, they crashed into the hills with violent explosions. More assault vessels were roaming about the fortress in search of an attack opportunity. However, the anti-air defenses were exceptionally fierce. The rapid-fire guns spat out an endless stream of metal and flames which danced violently in the air. Meanwhile, the four giant ballistae were like cold-blooded killers. They would fire a single bolt from time to time and strike down the vessels beyond the cannons range. These giant ballistae possessed terrifying firepower and had homing capabilities. Basically, every bolt would destroy an assault airship. Seeing the crates of bolts stacked beside the ballistae, Song Zining couldnt help but praise, The Zhao clan is really going all out this time! These homing bolts cost a small fortune. Even our Ningyuan Heavy Industries cant produce them. He hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye suddenly reached out and pressed him to the ground. He also slapped the ground at the same time, sending out shockwaves in all directions and causing the soldiers in a ten-meter radius to fall down. At this time, a peculiar shrill whistle rang out in the sky, and a dozen or so high-caliber autocannon rounds grazed past their heads. These shots carved out large craters and kicked up clouds of stone dust. Song Zining looked up to find an assault airship fly past above them. It had actually broken through the defensive fire and arrived in the air above the fortress. The several autocannons below the vessel fired with all their might, raining bullets onto the soldiers inside the fortress. If not for Qianyes quick reaction, the string of shots just now wouldve landed on Song Zinings body. The seventh young master didnt put these high-caliber autocannon rounds in his eyes, but it would be quite the painful experience. He might even suffer some light injuries if he was unfortunate. To ordinary soldiers, however, these autocannon rounds were rather terrifying. Qianye had toppled most of the soldiers nearby and saved them from the strafe, but those standing further away werent so lucky. A rank-one soldier was immediately torn in half with blood and gore flying everywhere. Qianye had already lifted the Thunderbolt and locked onto one of the autocannons sticking out of the vessel. However, he later put down the rifle without firing. As expected, a giant ballista on one of the turrets turned around and fired. The large bolt drew a beautiful arc in the air before shooting into the rear-end of the airship. This caused the latter to roll out for over a hundred meters before bursting into a ball of flames. The fortress was in chaos at this point. The new soldiers who had just arrived encountered a fierce battle before receiving any defensive assignments. Qianye leapt onto high-ground and started shouting loudly, sending the vacant soldiers to their defensive positions or to help the wounded. Numerous champions were doing the same thing, and that bearded man from before was one of them. The Zhao clan had spared no resource in the fortress anti-air defenses. The density of firepower here was several times that of the most powerful fortress Qianye had ever seen. Such a deployment was enough to cover a medium-sized city, but the Zhao clan had stuffed it into a temporary, thousand-man fortress. The dark races clearly hadnt expected the firepower in the fortress to be so fierce. Their assault airships suffered heavy casualties in a short period as one vessel after another burst into flames and fell off the skies. After losing over half their forces, the remaining airships could no longer hold out and had to flee the fortress. Qianyes heart sank somewhat as he climbed onto the city wall and gazed far into the distance. This fortress was at the center of the first defensive line. He could see the Zhang clan army snaking away from within a nearby valley. Even with the dark race army only a few kilometers away, their marching speed remained the samethey neither sped up nor fell into confusion. The army was like a precise piece of machinery rumbling away toward a faraway land. At this moment, the dark race fleet was gradually pushing closer. After suffering heavy casualties to their assault force, the fleet sent over ten warships toward the fortress. The vessels this time were different from the small, agile assault vessels which measured no more than thirty meters from bow to sternthey were all large, hundred-meter-long warships. They were mostly of the corvette class by imperial standards, with two belonging to the destroyer class. The defensive firepower of the fortress was somewhat insufficient against these warships. Even the giant ballistae that seemed capable of destroying everything just now needed three strikes to destroy the foremost corvette. Just as the Evernight fleet was about to arrive above the fort, an attack group split out from the main fleet, circled around the fortress and went after the Zhang clan army. The current retreating forces of the Zhang clan were no longer protected by an airship fleet. It was at this moment that an imperial fleet rushed out from the dark clouds in the sky. This group wasnt very big, but it was made up of elite, high-speed warships. The vessels ignored the battle around the Zhao clan fort and, instead, made a beeline for the Evernight main fleet. The Evernight fleet looked massive, but in truth, most of them were transport and supply vessels. They were bound to suffer heavy casualties if the imperial squadron was allowed into their formation. The commander of the Evernight fleet wasnt a simpleton, either. On the one hand, he mobilized warships to intercept the incoming force, intent on stalling them at all costs. Meanwhile, he summoned back the sub-fleet chasing after the Zhang clan and ordered the transports to scatter. Within moments, the large fleet had spread out into several parts, each handling their own tasks in an orderly fashion. However, the elite imperial assault force rushed straight into the heart of the Evernight fleet. It stabbed into the enemy force like a ferocious wedge and began stirring them up from the inside. Immediately, hundreds of warships broke into an all-out battle less than a thousand meters from the ground. The scene was unbearably chaoticone transport after another burst into flames, and some even exploded on the spot. At the critical juncture, all the dark race transport ships opened their cabin doors and poured the soldiers out, regardless of the altitude. Some transports even started dumping soldiers several hundred meters from the ground. High-ranking soldiers might not die at such a height, but the less powerful ones, including the cannon fodder, would perish without a doubt. Ruthless! Song Zining exclaimed. Although the Evernight fleets actions inflicted great casualties upon their troops, the effects were instant. In a short moment, the transports had dumped all of their passengers and left the battlefield. These empty transports had no more value to the imperial assault force. The latter wasnt made up of air to ground gunships, so they had no effective way to wipe out the soldiers blanketing the ground below them. At most, they would strafe through them with autocannons when the opportunity arose. The imperial squadron commander was a decisive man. He immediately assembled the airships, paid a steep price to tear open a passage at the rear of the Evernight fleet, and retreated at full speed. This aerial battle was as bitter as it was briefboth sides lost hundreds of airships in a short period, and the stretching hills below were dotted with smoking wrecks. The abrupt attack caused the Evernight fleet to suffer dearly, the greatest loss being the dozens of fully-loaded transports that had exploded mid-air. Tens of thousands of soldiers and cannon fodder had lost their lives without ever reaching the ground. The hilly wilderness below was full of dark race soldiers. Everything was in chaosthe dumping left wounded soldiers everywhere, with no shortage of corpses among them. In total, the dark race had lost over forty thousand soldiers, an entire twenty percent of the forces they had deployed here. However, most of the dead soldiers were cannon fodder, and the casualty rate among high-ranking soldiers wasnt that high. Hence, the decline in their fighting power wasnt as significant as one would expect. Right after the first imperial fleet had left, the next appeared through the clouds. This one didnt jump into the fray, however, and only wandered around the periphery. Apparently, they were looking to harass and delay the enemy airships. Of course, they wouldnt mind going in for a bite should the opportunity arise. The Evernight fleet wasnt careless at all. The commander split off several small airships and a segment of the troops on the ground, approximately ten thousand in number, and ordered them to assault the fortress. He paid no attention to the designation of these soldiers or whether they were properly equipped. On the other hand, the Evernight forces mobilized all available high-speed warships to confront the imperial fleet from a distance. As for the other soldiers, they were ordered to reorganize their ranks. Just like that, the chaotic battlefield miraculously began showing some signs of order. The imperial fleet didnt launch an attack. The void fleet was a crucial domain related to the fate of the entire battle and couldnt afford to suffer rash damage. Looking at the dark race soldiers swarming over, Song Zining let out a deep sigh. This battle wont be easy. Its too late for regrets since were already here. With that, Qianye picked up a multi-barreled machine gun and opened fire. The gatling gun roared loudly as it spat out a hail of bullets into the enemy forces from a thousand meters away. The soldiers on the defensive line were startledwasnt he firing from too far away? Although the gatling guns maximum range was indeed a thousand meters, how was one able to aim at such a distance? However, Qianye didnt care about all that. The dark race soldiers in the distance fell down in droves as his guns screamed on. Just how high was his accuracy!? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 654: Wear Down [V6C184 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Upon detailed observation, Qianyes accomplishment wasnt as glorious as it seemed because those he had mowed down were mostly worthless cannon fodder; the damage was fairly limited against regular soldiers. As for those high-ranking warriors, they werent the least hindered even if they were struck from such a distance. But Qianye kept on strafing, mostly targeting the cannon fodder. The gatling gun in his hand swayed from side to side, and this movement seemed to give each bullet its own accurate trajectory toward the target. Such a divine shooting skill was being used to deal with cannon fodder? But the true veteran soldiers soon realized what was going on. The cannon fodder werent valuable at all and, at most, could be used to deal with civilians and ordinary people. Their only fate was to be slaughtered after rushing into the fortress and encountering the elite guards there. However, high-ranking dark race warriors would hide among the cannon fodder in search of opportunities to launch a lethal blow. Sweeping away the cannon fodder was equal to mowing down the wild grass, their favorite hiding place. This greatly reduced the threat they could pose. The old veterans immediately followed suit, picking up machine guns or high-caliber sniper rifles and firing at the incoming cannon fodder. The other soldiers didnt think too much but were quite adept at imitating the seniors. Gunshots rang out atop the fortress wall as a hail of bullets poured down onto the dark race squads. On Qianyes side, even seven or eight veterans added together couldnt catch up to his kill count. These people soon realized just how terrifying Qianyes marksmanship was. The dark race cannon fodder fell in droves. There were thousands of corpses behind them by the time they had reached the walls. A bitter struggle of attack and defense ensued as the foremost warrior came into contact with the walls. The gatling gun barrels were red hot due to the continuous fire and almost unusable now. Even then, there were still a number of soldiers beside Qianye providing him with ammunition. Seeing that the dark races had arrived below the city walls, Qianye tossed the machine gun to one side and kicked open a crate of grenades. He removed the safety pins at lightning speed and, with a sweep of his origin power, sent them scattering down the walls. Boom! Shrapnel flew out in all directions, covering almost every angle below the walls and sending the dark race soldiers reeling. A rank-five werewolf warrior lunged at Qianye, but his body was full of injuries and several pieces of shrapnel could be seen stuck beneath his fur. Although these grenades were primarily for use against cannon fodder, the condensed explosion increased their firepower exponentially. Even a high-ranking warrior was seriously injured. The werewolf warrior bared his sharp fangs and bit fiercely at Qianyes neck. Against such a primitive attack, the latter didnt even need to look at the target. He simply drew his vampiric blade and stabbed at the werewolfs heart. The werewolfs corpse fell down the wall with a thud. Qianye didnt bother to draw out the vampiric blade and simply left it in place. At this moment, two more dark race warriors jumped onto the walls. It was just that Qianye had arrived in front of them before they could even find their footing, and a cold gleam flashed in his hands as two vampiric blades entered the invaders chests. For a moment, the dark race warriors outside were all shaken and hesitant to advance. Qianye wasnt in a rush, either. He jumped down into the fort, retrieved his vampiric blade from the werewolfs corpse, and duly sheathed it. Then, he leapt back onto the wall and retrieved the other daggers one by one. Only after doing all that did Qianye gaze out into the distance. The defensive line beneath him was filled with dark race corpses. After tossing down the remains of the three high-ranking warriors, Qianye actually had no more enemies to deal with. In truth, the three high-ranking warriors and the hundreds of soldiers under them made up a complete combat unit. The cannon fodder made up the bulk of the forces and low-ranking warriors served as the framework of the army, while the high-ranking ones searched for opportunities to kill important enemy characters. The tactic seemed coarse, but it was very practical. Moreover, in the hearts of most Evernight leaders, there was really no need for more complicated strategies. The outcome of the battle would be decided by the expertsthat was the perpetual rule since antiquity. At this moment, Qianye had naturally become the core of a defensive line stretching dozens of meters. In response to his instructions, the soldiers hurriedly brought a new gatling gun and several crates of hand grenades onto the wall. Moreover, some soldiers put the daggers they had collected beside him, and there was no shortage of vampiric blades among them. Qianye set up the gatling gun and began firing madly. In the blink of an eye, he had half-disabled another combat squad charging toward him. Immediately afterward, he used two crates of hand grenades to clean the floor before fighting the high-ranking warriors. Regardless of their race or level, these enemies couldnt even evade in front of Qianye and were stabbed one after the other with his vampiric blades. It works that way too? On the neighboring battlefront, Song Zining was dumbfounded as he watched Qianye quietly stab the enemies vitals with the vampiric blades, and then pick them back up unhurriedly. He almost couldnt believe his eyes. He knew Qianyes biggest secret. Most imperial generals liked to keep vampiric blades on them merely because they were sharp and beautiful. In Qianyes hands, however, these blades were able to exhibit their full power! This also meant that Qianye was collecting essence blood, and he was doing so right under the eyes of all the imperial soldiers. It was precisely because he was doing it so openly that no one suspected him. Even so, Qianyes actions were extremely risky, and only Song Zining knew why he was doing it. Qianye had figured out that this battle was going to be incomparably arduous. That was why he was measuring every ounce of strength like a miser and grasping any chance at replenishment. At this moment, an abnormality occurred in the battle situation in front of Song Zining. Several hundred dark race soldiers under the wall began wandering about like headless flies. These dark race soldiers didnt respond to attacks and were intent on killing one another. The seventh young master was standing elegantly on the fort wall and even had the leisure to wave his folding fan. This fan was a new one, no longer that priceless life-saving treasure. He looked carefree and calm. The dark race soldiers below were trapped in his domain and looked all too easy to kill. However, Song Zinings origin power was also being drained continuously. Moreover, in terms of effectiveness, it wasnt at all superior to Qianyes carpet bombing. Qianye shot a glance at Song Zining, and he couldnt help but feel both annoyed and amused to see him posturing in a leisurely manner. Suddenly, he let out a loud roar, Careful! This shout, backed by the power of Qianyes Oceanic Vortex, jolted Song Zining. The latter was also quite outstanding. He immediately sensed the incoming danger and bent sideways like a broken willow, his feet still firmly planted on the ground. With a loud boom, a fist-sized bullet flew over and brushed past him. This shot arrived all of a sudden and without prior warning signs. Just from the caliber, one could already see how powerful it was. Song Zining was drenched in cold sweat because he knew he would be injured on the spot if the projectile had found its mark. The marksman was merely a couple hundred meters away from Song Zining. However, he immediately merged into the dark race horde after firing. It would seem that his concealment skills were quite extraordinary. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Song Zinings wall-top posturing was simply asking to be shot. Fortunately, he was also a decisive person. He immediately pulled away his white robes to reveal the combat attire underneath. He also tossed the fan to one side and blended into the group of imperial soldiers. The sniper who had fired at Song Zining just now was a viscount at the very least. That shot was apparently quite costly and could be considered a waste even against an officer. Now that Song Zining had hidden himself among the soldiers, that person could no longer fire again. Qianye sighed at the assassins foolishness. That person would be found out sooner or later under Song Zinings domain. If he didnt fire now, there would no longer be another chance, and that was unless he stayed far away from the walls. However, Qianye understood the dark races quite well. The competition and infighting between them could only be worse than those amongst humans. How could these fellows resist the temptation to approach the fort? Qianye decided to help Song Zining out. With a wave of his hand, a crate of grenades flew over to Song Zinings defensive line and carpeted a ten-meter area in explosions. This cleared out the entire area and left the few high-ranking warriors sticking out like sore thumbs. The seventh young master excelled in beating enemies when they were down. He immediately made an appearance and took a step forward. With a light wave of his hands, several floating leaves flickered past the enemy soldiers and slit open their throats. At this moment, a sudden roar echoed through the dark race army, closely followed by the call of a bugle. What followed was a drastic change in the attacking party. Countless dark race soldiers and cannon fodder flooded toward Qianye and Song Zinings defensive line. The assassins hiding within the troops no longer conserved their origin power, either. Sniper rounds started flying toward the two at every moment. There were even assault airships flying in at low-altitudes, immediately putting more strain on the barely sufficient aerial defense. This all-out attack deprived Qianye and Song Zining of any gap for conversation. The enemy was attacking madly. Song Zining could no longer conserve his power. His domain was deployed in full force, turning a hundred-meter area around him into a land of death. However, the dark race soldiers kept pouring in without any regard for their lives. Even someone of Song Zinings finesse couldnt kill that many enemies in a short time. In the blink of an eye, there were hundreds of dark race soldiers inside his domain, but the problem was that his domain could only trap and not kill. Song Zining knew he was in trouble. He didnt even get the time to withdraw his domain before numerous beams of darkness origin power erupted from below. One domain after the other landed on Song Zinings own, the sudden collision kicking up a tempest of origin power which soon burst out in all directions. Song Zinings domain held out for a while but was soon crushed amidst the tempest. He immediately turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood, badly injured from the forceful destruction of his domain. The dark race soldiers beneath the walls were also swaying unsteadily. They had also suffered grave casualties from the tempest, and several viscounts had to be dragged away from the battlefield. They had worked together to destroy Song Zinings domain, but they were also badly wounded in the process and could no longer fight. However, the dark races held an absolute advantage. Why would they be afraid of a trade when they could replace the lost viscounts with ten new ones? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 655: Slaughter and Harves t [V6C185 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Seeing Song Zining retreat with injuries, Qianye made a prompt decision to leap into the swarm of dark races below the wall. The might of his Oceanic Vortex erupted in full force, eliciting miserable cries from the dark race soldiers within a several dozen meters radius. The low-ranking soldiers were immediately crushed to the ground. The cannon fodder were deformed and perished quickly under the great pressure. Finally, the high-ranking warriors were able to struggle for a bit, but they could only hold out for a couple of moments. Only ranked experts could resist the power of Qianyes Oceanic Vortex, albeit barely. Just like that, the three relatively calm viscounts became evident in their midst. Qianye stepped forth and slashed out thrice with East Peak, each strike in a different direction. And everywhere his blade fell, a viscount would fallthere was no escaping his strike no matter how they struggled or dodged. Qianye immediately grew weaker after the three strikes. He wasnt overzealous for battle, either, and simply jumped back into the fort. That which Qianye had used was the sword art he had comprehended, Sweeping Calm. The move was simply too tyrannical, and up until this point, Qianye could only unleash three strikes. He was still a long way from calming the eight directions. After going all-out just now, Qianye felt an emptiness inside him as he returned to the fortresshe had already exhausted most of his origin power. But Qianyes slaughter of the three viscounts had intimidated the dark race army below the walls. No one dared give chase when he returned to the walls. Qianye stood atop the fort and gazed coldly at the enemies. Countless dark race warriors were intimidated by his aura and actually didnt dare approach the fortress. As such,an odd, empty space appeared below the walls. At this point, a cold but majestic voice echoed through the land, A bunch of useless trash! Ill give you one hour to take that fortress or else everyone will be put to death. The voice was cold and mechanical without the slightest of emotions. His tone was incomparably natural even when he was talking about putting a ten-thousand strong army to death. Who knew how many similar orders he had issued in the past? However, the backbone of the fortress defense force was made up of Zhao clan elites. Among them were a fair number of officers brought in from the Fire Beacon Corps. These people had fought countless battles against the dark races, so how could mere words scare them? The dark race warships attacking from the skies were struck repeatedly. Two corvettes burst into flames at almost the same time and fell to the ground. That voice snorted deeply in anger. Soon afterward, a beam of prismatic light shot out from the command vessel and traversed thousands of meters toward the fortress. At this moment, another clear voice rang out in the sky. Attacking the juniors? What skill! Come, come, come, Zhang Xuandao is looking forward to a battle! These words hadnt even ended when a figure rushed out of the imperial fleet and into the clouds. A green figure also flew out from the Evernight fleet and followed suit. Dark clouds suddenly billowed in the skies as the two divine champions began fighting. Now that even the general was in action, the subordinate experts didnt dare remain indifferent. They immediately pressed their armies on and launched a fierce attack. They also split off an army to circle around the fortress and chase the retreating Zhang clan forces. Qianye had just caught his breath when the dark races once again swarmed over like tides. Moreover, this time, they were extremely fierce and attacking with reckless abandon. Right from the start, origin bullets, cannon shells, and ballistae poured onto the wall like rain. In the blink of an eye, the soldiers beside Qianye had fallen in droves. Qianye had just raised a heavy shield when he heard sounds akin to rain striking banana leavesthe density of bullets was almost unbelievable. Even someone of Qianyes strength could feel his hands trembling somewhat. He stretched out a leg and flicked a crate of hand grenades. His free hand then blurred into countless afterimages as he removed the safety pins. The dozens of explosives froze for a split second in the air before they were sent flying with a single wave. The grenades exploded in the air, sending a rain of shrapnel pouring into the soldiers below. This effectively mowed down large swathes of enemies. Grenade! Qianye roared. Two Zhao clan veterans immediately rushed over with two crates of explosives and placed them in Qianyes reach. Afterward, they ran back to fetch more. However, they were only halfway when a stream of bullets sent them flying off the wall, never to rise again. The battle was extremely intense at this stage. Qianye watched the soldiers beside him fall one by one as he tossed out crate after crate of grenades. Every time those nets of firepower flickered into existence, a small area would be cleared out in the dark race army. At first, the ranked officers and high-ranking soldiers would attempt to block Qianyes grenades. However, there were simply too many grenades exploding at the same time. They gave up on intercepting them after a couple of tries. At the height of the battle, Qianye reached back for grenades but found nothing. There were only empty crates around him, and there werent any soldiers, either. He was the only one left defending this stretch of the wall. He gave up defending the segment at this point, and with a quick roll, he soon vanished behind the fortress walls. Following his retreat, dozens of high-ranking dark race warriors rushed onto the wall, prepared to charge into the fortress. But they felt a chill run through their vitals before they could take the next step, and soon, their vitality began flowing out rapidly. Several of the stronger warriors looked back with difficulty. Only then did they realize that Qianye had appeared amongst them at one point. The sword in his hand looked rather slow but had actually stabbed through their vitals in the blink of an eye. The dark race warriors who had charged up the walls thus lost their lives. Qianye swung the sword sideways and swept the petrified corpses down the wall. Then, he looked around at the surroundings. A dozen or so airships were roaming about in the skies. Most of them were small, agile vessels since the bigger ones had been called back to tangle with the imperial fleet. The fortress guns were extremely fierce in firepower. Two turrets had been destroyed already, but the defensive fire remained stable due to the all-out activation of the hidden rapid-fire cannons and ballistae. Several flaming whips formed a flaming net which struck repeatedly at the Evernight warships. At this moment, the fortress had been surrounded by the dark race army. Most of the walls had been breached, and the enemy soldiers were pouring inside like tides. However, the Zhao clan defense forces were well-experienced in war. The fortress walls were merely the first line of defense. The fortress itself was like a giant maze. After entering it, the dark race invaders found themselves under attack from all sides. Zhao clan soldiers would appear from every door, every window, and every rooftop. Even with a natural advantage in terms of physique, the high-ranking dark race soldiers couldnt handle the beleaguerment. Their casualties began stacking up rapidly. The wall under Qianye and Song Zinings guard were one of the few segments that hadnt been broken through. The soldiers around them were fighting and slowly retreating toward the two. At this moment Song Zining had already jumped into the fray. The spear in his hands shuttled about like a silver dragon, spitting out a faint glow from its tip. The attacks were so sharp that none of the high-ranking warriors could take a single hit. Even those swept by the rear end would find their bodies cut open. The ranked warriors had it easier, but they still couldnt block an all-out thrust from him. Song Zining was surrounded by countless floating leaves. Most of them were illusions, but a couple of them would turn into sharp blades from time to time and reap the enemies lives. Song Zinings smile was nowhere to be seen, and his expression was as calm as still water. He slaughtered with all his heart, the silver spear and domain complementing one another flawlessly. It seemed like Song Zinings killing efficiency was much greater than Qianye''s, but he had already used up all his killing moves. Even his domain was only deployed in its most basic form in order to reduce consumption. At the same time, it was also to prevent the dark race experts launching a focused attack on his domain. Meanwhile, Qianye looked somewhat miserable. In fact, that was the case since the very beginning. He had mostly relied on grenades and various gunpowder weapons to defend against the incoming enemies. He had only expended origin power when he was killing the three viscounts, while most of the time, he merely relied on his powerful physique to kill enemies. Hence, his strength had been well conserved. Seeing the dark races gain momentum, Song Zining finally ordered the soldiers around him to retreat into the fortress interior, while he remained to guard the rear. A river of blood flowed below his spear as he entrenched himself at every step of his gradual retreat. The path leading to the fortress walls was filled with dark race corpses after Song Zining had passed through. The battle was at its fiercest when Song Zining suddenly felt the pressure on him decrease sharply. The soldiers in front of him fell down one after another. He looked back and saw Qianye on a certain high ground, the gatling gun in his hand spitting out tongues of flame and clearing out a large area in front of Song Zining. Song Zining immediately retreated into a small alley and brought his subordinates toward a cannon turret. The cannon turrets and kinetic towers in the fortress were the most important areas, and the defenses were exceptionally powerful. They were more or less a fortress within the fortress. The Zhao clan defenders had set up powerful units to guard these nodes. Song Zining was naturally clear about all this, so he went to support one of them immediately after retreating from the wall. With the fortress wall lost, the pressure on the defense side increased exponentially. Qianye was already half-mad with all the fighting. The entire fortress was his battlefield, and anything could become his weapon. He appeared unpredictably here and there; from east to west. When the great army assembled and charged into the fortress, Qianye threw caution to the wind and used his Oceanic Vortex and Life Plunder to clear out an entire area. Meanwhile, Spatial Flash and Sweeping Calm became the nightmare of every Evernight expert. Even a first-rank viscount would be killed on the spot without enough time to react. Within moments, the casualty rates skyrocketed among the dark races. If there were any statistical reports at this time, the numbers would be enough to shock the commander. The dark race experts finally became more vigilant after the repeated deaths. They no longer dared to attack wantonly and, instead, paid rapt attention to their surroundings. They would suddenly turn back to guard against Qianyes sudden appearance. The experts were pivotal in the assault. Once they became apprehensive, the entire dark race momentum started to fall. At this point, Song Zining was standing atop one of the turrets and looking down at the entire fortress. However, Qianye was already insane and was simply fighting by instinct. He had long since stopped contacting Song Zining, and the latter couldnt find him, either, as he flashed about the battlefield. Although he couldnt find Qianye, Song Zining couldnt help but draw in a breath of cold air after seeing all the corpses appearing out of nowhere on the battlefield. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 656: Retrea t [V6C186 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The battle was fierce beyond expectations since the very beginning. Even Qianye himself had never expected himself to fight to such a degree. At a glance, there were dark races everywhere and their war cries filled the ears. East Peak didnt need any intricate movesevery raise and slash was guaranteed to reap something. Additionally, the space available for Spatial Flash was also shrinking rapidly. That wasnt a big problem, though, because he didnt really have much blood energy left to use it. Attacks came from all directions, including overhead. The cannon turrets in the fortress fell one after the other, and the surviving assault warships finally gained the opening to attack the ground forces. However, it was really hard for them to find any targets at this point because the fortress was already filled with dark race soldiers. All they could do was focus on the remaining turrets. The successive use of Spatial Flash had gradually drained Qianyes blood energy. Although his vampiric blade and Life Plunder brought in large amounts of essence blood, he had no time to refine them. All he could do was allow the blood core to digest them little by little to replenish his lossesit was utterly inadequate. Qianyes combat style changed after sensing his body weakening. He pounced directly into the midst of the enemy, plunged East Peak into the ground, and proceeded to engage in a melee brawl. His body swayed hard upon impact, much like a reed in the wind. Every collision would give him the force to head toward another target. Only when encountering ranked enemies would he draw East Peak and kill them with peerless momentum. Just like that, he kept on killing and killing. Several batches of enemies had switched out around him, but he simply refused to collapse. A werewolf viscount spotted a potential opening in this. Hence, he mixed in with the low-ranking warriors and approached Qianye to launch a sneak attack. But he never expected Qianyes domain to erupt at that point, pressing the nearby low-ranking warriors into the ground. Immediately afterward, East Peak swept horizontally and cut that lone viscount right through the waist. This attacked caused the dark race morale to crumble. The call of a bugle arrived from the distance, beckoning the tide of dark race soldiers to recede from the fort. The airships in the sky also turned away. Most of them were already burning and would likely crash if they kept on fighting. This was the first time the dark race army had halted their attacks since the beginning of the battle. Qianye turned back and saw Song Zining waving at him from atop a cannon turret. He thus warped about and borrowed the force to flip himself onto the turret. Qianye was currently forced to conserve his stamina, even with small movements like this. There was still an intact rapid-fire cannon and a giant ballista atop the turret, firmly guarded by dozens of soldiers. Song Zining was leaning on the ballista at the moment. He had removed his armor to reveal a messy wound on his leg, where a piece of an exploding assault airship had pierced into it and almost stabbed right through. Seeing Qianye appear, Song Zining called out to him with a weak smile, Qianye, come help me. Remember to be gentle, you must be gentle, AH!!! He hadnt even finished when Qianye grabbed the splinter and dragged it out. He had applied a vibratory force to the piece of metal which effectively destroyed the flesh stuck on it. This facilitated the extraction and prevented any further damage. Despite that, the process was so painful that it made Song Zining go pale. At this moment, there were already stimulants and medicines delivered to them. Qianye helped Song Zining dress his wounds and ended everything with a couple of stimulant shots. There were no longer any military doctors around as the last of them had just fallen in battle. All they could do was help each other deal with injuries. In addition to his legs, there were over a dozen wounds of all shapes and sizes on Song Zinings body. The robes inside were all stained red as he removed his protective armor. These injuries looked quite terrifying, but every veteran knew how to handle them. Qianye flipped Song Zining over and slashed open his combat robes, revealing the bloody mess on his back. Endure it a bit. The words hadnt even trailed off when Qianye quickly pulled out two pieces of shrapnel from Song Zinings back. The latter was caught off-guard and couldnt help but let out a miserable cry. The seventh young master wasnt as fragile as other aristocratic scions and was fairly capable of enduring pain. However, Qianyes attack was so fast that he simply had no time to mentally prepare himself. Qianye paused briefly before extracting yet another one, and this time, Song Zining made no sound. He exhaled deeply only afterward and said, It feels like were back in Yellow Springs, but back then, it was me taking care of you. Speaking of which, you were really weak back then! Qianye snorted as he grabbed ahold of the last piece of shrapnel. Your alcohol tolerance was also quite bad back then. I wonder who it was that drank too much and was bound naked in the drill grounds after the military instructor found out. This was one of Song Zinings few black spots in history. Moreover, it seemed the shadow it left behind in his heart wasnt small. He quickly lost his calm and cried out, You better forget this matter as soon as possible! Thats going to be quite hard. Qianyes replies had always been short and concise. Song Zining was embarrassed and furious. Qianye, Im warning you. This seventh young master isnt easy to provoke!!! The largest shrapnel in Song Zinings back was suddenly pulled out amidst more wretched cries. How long have we been fighting? Qianye asked casually. He had been fighting in a half-mad state just now and had long since forgotten the time. Song Zining gave it some thought and said, Three hours, give or take. The first wave lasted three hours? Qianye sighed. This far exceeded his expectations. This also proved just how mad the dark race offensive was. If it wasnt for the heavy casualties to their viscount grade core fighting force, the dark race army might continue fighting until the entire fortress had been destroyed. Qianye looked back at the fortress below and saw nothing but ruins. The wall was all but destroyed with no potential for temporary repairs. A large part of the stronghold had become a frightening mix of corpses and rubble. There were a number of Zhao clan soldiers among them searching for survivors. No one cleaned up the battlefield because the lucky survivors were taking this precious time to rest and wait for the next wave of attacks. Qianye had formed a general idea with just a glance. He lowered his voice and asked, Our casualty rate should be over half, right? Song Zining nodded and replied in a similar tone. Its sixty percent to be precise. We wont be able to survive the next wave at this rate. What do we do? Qianye inquired. The situation was so bad and even Song Zining had been wounded so gravely. Qianye alone couldnt hold the entire fortress. Song Zining wasnt in a panic. We do need a change of plans. Ive requested reinforcements from the rear, support should arrive soon. Qianye nodded as he sped up his movements, removing several other pieces of metal from Song Zinings back in one go. The latter couldnt help but let out a cry despite his endurance. Qianye, you remember this! His cries were soon drowned out in the sharp whistles and violent explosions occurring in the sky. Several assault airships were rushing over under the guidance of two corvettes, drawing the curtains of battle once more. On the ground, the reorganized dark race army arrived like the rolling waves. The entire fortress was soon drowned by the dark race tide. Qianye patted Song Zining to indicate that he was done. Afterward, he jumped off the cannon turret and smashed into the dark race horde like a boulder. Everyone around him collapsed in an instant. The slaughter had begun once more. This time, the dark race assault was even more violent. This time, viscount grade experts operated in groups. After pushing Qianye back, they began uprooting the cannon turrets in the fortress. The new tactic was apparently quite effectivetwo turrets were destroyed in the blink of an eye and the situation became extremely perilous for the humans. However, this wave of attacks had just rolled out when a peculiar whistle echoed in the sky, and numerous high-speed imperial airships appeared on the battlefield. They possessed great firepower and managed to destroy over half of the Evernight assault airships in a single volley. The remainder could only flee in desperation. The dozens of cannons on these warships bombarded the ground ferociously and soon paved a pathway of corpses. The airships moved rapidly and soon arrived in the air above the fortress. One of them quickly descended and hovered above the fortress. Another high-speed transport quickly opened its hatch and released numerous mini-airships from within. These small vessels looked rather crude and could barely fly straight. Some of them even swayed about and crashed to the ground. Once on the ground, the dark races swarmed over in an attempt to capture it. However, these airships erupted in an earth-shattering explosion just as they were tightly surrounded by dark race soldiers! Blood, flesh, and limbs flew everywhere as numerous flaming balls arose on the battlefield, later turning into rolling smoke. After the explosion calmed down, numerous spaces had been cleared out on the battlefieldthousands of dark race soldiers had been turned to ash. After witnessing this scene, the dark race soldiers who were about to rush toward the remaining small airships were frightened. They didnt dare approach and only shot at them from afar. The warships hovering in the air opened up their doors and threw down dozens of cables. The Zhao clan soldiers on the turrets climbed up the cables rapidly and in an orderly fashion. In the blink of an eye, all the warriors on the turrets had more or less boarded the shipthey even had the leisure to load those expensive ballistae onto the ships. Song Zining boarded the warship at last and shouted, Qianye, quick! Qianye scaled a cannon turret from the outside, leapt out dozens of meters, and grabbed onto a cable. With some more effort, he was soon standing inside the airship. The airships quickly left the battlefield, leaving only a single airship to bring up the rear. Moments later, that powerful airship crashed, burning, into the Evernight army below. The explosion that followed was tremendous. Even though the ship was minimally staffed, there were at least dozens of people on them. These soldiers were aware that they were destined to fall, but they still charged at the enemy without a second thought. The airship was completely silent, including Qianye and Song Zining. Everyone was gazing at the ball of fire receding into the distance. The retreat this time was extremely efficient. It was as though the surviving defenders had been snatched back from the bloody maw of the dark race army. At almost seventy percent, the casualty rate among the ordinary soldiers was fairly high. However, the force of officers and champions was largely intact. Most importantly, the two most important people in the fortress had returned safely. In the eyes of the upper echelon, this was called basically no loss in fighting-power and could be considered a victory for the defense force. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 657: Evernight Rankings [V6C187 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The dark race armys attack was exceptionally fierce. According to the original plan, the first line fortress had to hold out for one day at least. In the end, they were forced to withdraw to the second line within a matter of hours. However, due to Qianyes presence, the defense forces were able to kill numerous enemies. The death toll among ranked nobles, especially, was far beyond expectations and caused a huge setback to the dark race army. The two defensive line fortresses werent too far. Amidst the silence, the high-speed warships soon arrived at the central second-line fortress. Here, they unloaded the soldiers and experts still capable of fighting, along with the ballistae they had retrieved from the front lines. At first, Song Zining was supposed to retreat to the rear along with the wounded, but he insisted on staying and actually assumed the post of defense-force captain. This wasnt a good office to hold at such a time because the highest officer in the fortress would have to hold fast until the very end. He would only be able to withdraw after the retreat order had been issued. There were several other major generals, but he was the only one who had experience working under Zhang Boqian. Just like that, he obtained this fiery position. The last fortress had fallen too quickly, and the retreat was also fairly decisive. Hence, the Zhang clan army had only just passed through when Qianye arrived here. Standing on the fortress walls and watching the leaving Zhang clan army, Qianye sighed. Can we really win the war on this void continent? We definitely will. There was no hesitation in Song Zinings reply. Why is that? Qianye wasnt sure where Song Zining got his confidence from. At least up to this point, the empire was being beaten back repeatedly. The Song clan being driven from its territory was just a matter of time. The situation in the void was also extremely dire. Reportedly, the imperial fleet no longer dared to engage in a showdown with the enemy. How was one able to win under such circumstances? Song Zining pointed above. With Marshal Lins strategy and Marshal Zhang overseeing things, how can we ever lose? Qianye was somewhat astonished. He spoke only after a while, I never expected you to be so confident in them. This can be considered idolization, even? Song Zining admitted with a shrug, I guess. Qianye looked carefully at Song Zining, hardly able to believe his worship. At this moment, several combat squads ran out of the fortress and began burying some things in the ground. Qianye inquired, What are they burying? Mines, I ordered them to. Qianye was momentarily speechless. This was an ancient weapon which dated back thousands of years ago. Presently, they could only be found in desolate places like Evernight Continent and only in its most remote battlefields. Song Zining only smiled in the face of Qianyes doubts. I thought of this after seeing you use hand grenades to good effect. They can be considered giant mines. Song Zining ordered one of his men to bring over his so-called mine. It was called that, but it was actually a contraption made of cannon rounds, hand grenades, and a detonator. The firepower looked quite impressive, and moreover, they were buried in a dense array outside the fort walls, one every ten meters or so. Song Zining returned that mine to the soldier and said to Qianye, Not everyone can toss grenades like you. At least, this young master cant. So we have to find this kind of dumb method. Fortunately, the Zhao clan is well-stocked; even cannon-rounds and hand grenades are in ample supply. They delivered a literal boat-load of them once I brought it up. Qianye understood after seeing this mine that Song Zining was imitating his method of killing large swathes of low-ranking warriors to reveal the high-ranking enemy. If the latter happened to be standing at the center of the explosion, his fate would be similar to being blasted by a heavy cannon. The enemy casualty rate was sure to rise sharply. At this moment, the dark race army was flowing through the valleys and hills like the tides. The three first-line fortresses were like charred pieces of stone washed away in the deluge. The pressure on Qianye and Song Zinings fortress was the greatest, yet they were the last to fall. The dark races had also suffered grave losses in taking down that fortress, probably greater than the other two combined. After arriving at the second-line fortress, Qianye and Song Zining only enjoyed a couple of hours of peace before the dark race army came charging once more. The battle was exceptionally arduous, almost unprecedentedly so. Even with the willpower Qianye had gained from Yellow Springs, he felt himself somewhat shaken by the endless slaughter. Qianye was besieged from all sides soon after the battle had begundark race soldiers were everywhere as far as the eye could see. Murder had more or less become an instinct at this point. Qianyes brain had already stopped thinkinghe found himself dodging, blocking, attacking, and killing purely by reflex. It felt like there was no end to the fighting. After an unknown length of time, Qianye suddenly felt the pressure around him ease up and the dark race soldiers around him become sparse. At this moment, he looked toward the sudden sound of rumbling engines and saw two familiar imperial airships circling in the air. Their hatches slowly opened and several cables were dropped down. Only at this point did Qianye come to. Was it time to retreat again? Glancing around him, there was nothing left but rubble. The buildings in the fortress had been destroyed, and there were corpses everywhere. There was no way to differentiate between the mixed remains of the dark races and imperial soldiers. The warship, just as before, suppressed the dark races with its fierce firepower while the survivors quickly boarded the vessel. A familiar figure appeared near the hatchZhao Yuying was kneeling near the door and firing with reckless abandon. She spared no origin power as she rained explosives onto the high-ranking warriors the airship had missed. As the fortress commander, Song Zining followed tradition and boarded the ship with the last batch. He appeared quite strained when grabbing the cables. The clean combat robes he had changed into before were now stained with blood. Apparently, he had gained several new injuries. Qianye also began approaching the warship while killing the enemies that had slipped through along the way. He couldnt help but frown after seeing Song Zining climbing the cable with great difficulty. For those on the Evernight side, Song Zining was the best kind of sniper target. The moment this thought emerged in his mind, Qianye saw a flickering light through the corner of his eyes. Qianye realized instantaneously that this was a sniper roundone sporting extreme firepower. In a split second, Qianyes blood core expanded to its limits and shrank. This intense fluctuation shot vast amounts of blood energy into his circulation, and surging power burst out from every small corner of his body! With a loud bang, the ground beneath his feet cracked and sank, forming a huge pit in the blink of an eye. Qianye shot into the air like a cannon shell, crashing into a cannon tower and speeding up further from the impact before flying toward Song Zining. On the warship, Zhao Yuying had also seen the incoming sniper round. She put down her hand cannon and reached out to pull on Song Zinings cable. However, she was some distance away and couldnt make it no matter what. Song Zining had also sensed the incoming danger, but he was devoid of strength at the moment. He simply had no strength left to defend against the shot since holding on to the cable was already taking everything he had. The seventh young master was still able to smile on the verge of death. He raised his right hand with some effortapparently, he was going to wave at Zhao Yuying, or perhaps he wanted to wipe away the dirt on his face, so as to die with some dignity. Time seemed to stop for a brief moment before suddenly returning to normal. Qianye suddenly appeared behind Song Zining, allowing the sniper round to strike him squarely in the back. The massive force which ensued caused the two to collide. Qianye grabbed onto a cable with one hand while catching Song Zining with the other. Then, with a loud roar, he erupted with every ounce of strength he had and rushed into the cabin. Zhao Yuying picked up her hand cannon and fired several rounds toward the source of this attack, firmly suppressing that terrifying sniper. Having accomplished the rescue mission, the airship rose into the air, closed its doors, and left. A mound of dirt gradually arched up amidst the rocks outside the fortress as a vampire count appeared through the soil. With an angry snort, he shook off the dirt and gravel from his body as he gazed at the receding airship. As a true powerhouse, he had been hiding in the shadows since the beginning of the battle and never took action. Everything was for that perfect opportunity just now. Who wouldve thought that the certain kill would be foiled by Qianye? On the Evernight bounty rankings, Song Zinings position among the younger generation targets was only below Zhao Jundu. In the eyes of the Evernight Council members, this young man who possessed great personal strength, as well as outstanding leadership talents, was ranked far above Qianye. None of them wished to see another character like Lin Xitang appear in the empire. Just one was already enough to make them suffer deeply. As for Qianye, he was momentarily quite resplendent during the bloody battle, but the bigshots felt that his resources and potential were both limited. The bounties for many of the major clan scions were ranked above him, not to mention those promising princes and princesses from the imperial family. This was a shot he had been charging up for a long time, and it was also his unique ability. After firing such a powerful shot, he would be unable to battle for many days to come. He was naturally quite upset that the shot had missed its intended target and struck Qianye instead. After all, Song Zinings bounty was high enough to move everyones hearts, while Qianyes was less than a third of it. However, he couldnt help but shiver after recalling Qianyes lightning-fast movements and demon-like aura. He had a vague feeling that killing Qianye wasnt so bad, either, because if he were to encounter Qianye face-to-face on the battlefield, there really was no telling who would win. At this point, he couldnt help but curse the useless people from the Evernight Council for their erroneous intelligence on Qianye and the subsequent low bounty. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 658: Just Like Before [V6C188 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The airship sped away, leaving the fortress drenched in raging flames. Within the cabin, Qianye put Song Zining down without a word. The latter seemed to be in great spirits after his brush with death. He said with a laugh, It would seem this young master is quite lucky. I receive help from distinguished people wherever I go. But Qianye didnt respond to his corny joke and, instead, slumped gradually to the floor. Song Zining didnt seem to mind, however. Have you collapsed from exhaustion? But he pounced over anxiously after seeing Qianye unresponsive. Hey, whats wrong? Zhao Yuying appeared behind Song Zining and grabbed his shoulders. Hell really die if you keep shaking him. Song Zining forced himself to calm down and let go of Qianye. Watching Zhao Yuying lift Qianye up, he asked, Whats wrong with him? Zhao Yuyings expression was solemn and evidently distressed. She reached out several times to touch Qianyes back but pulled back midway. She struggled a couple of times but seemed unable to muster the courage. She finally exhaled deeply and said to Song Zining, Qianye took that shot for you. Come here and check his back! Song Zinings vision darkened. He had just realized that he had forgotten where that lethal shot had actually gone. That bullet carried might akin to the oceans and was no weaker than an attack from a marquis. How could an expert capable of firing such a shot ever miss? Song Zining was much more decisive than Zhao Yuying in such situations. He clenched his teeth, slowly flipped Qianye over, and exposed his back. There was a bowl-sized injury on Qianyes back. It didnt look that big at a glance, but it was so deep that even his spine was visible. Moreover, half of his backbone had been eroded! Normally, such an injury wasnt hopeless for a true expert. However, the flesh and blood around Qianyes wound were showing no signs of regeneration. This made Song Zining feel as though his heart had fallen into an icy cavern. He was very clear just how powerful Qianyes vampiric constitution and regenerative abilities were. These wounds should be growing back at a visible rate under normal circumstances, and yet they were completely motionless at the moment. To Song Zining, this was even more terrifying than a normal humans gory wound being eroded by blood energy. This meant that Qianyes body was currently losing vitality. As expected, clear fluid began seeping out from the wound, and the naked flesh gradually turned an eerie pale color. This, as far as Song Zining could remember, was the sign of a superior vampire nearing his death. How could it be so easy to take an all-out attack from a powerful vampire count? At this point, Song Zining suddenly calmed down. He glanced meaningfully at Zhao Yuying before carrying Qianye into one of the rooms. She followed him in, puzzled as to what Song Zining wanted to do. She had sensed something dangerous in the latters eyes just now. After putting Qianye down, Song Zining walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, effectively blocking Zhao Yuyings line of vision. Then, he scanned the wide cabin of the airship. There were Zhao clan soldiers wherever his eyes landed. Most of them were soldiers who had defended the second-line fortress with him, and some were warriors from the first who had retreated to the second. Most of them were injured. Some were lying down and others were sitting, but all of them were silenteven the injured ones held back their groans. After glancing around at the blood-soaked soldiers who had fought alongside him, Song Zining let out a sudden sigh; he still couldnt bear to do it. As such, he turned back into the room and closed the door. Song Zining pulled back his left sleeve under Zhao Yuyings bewildered gaze. The two fingers on his right hand streaked over his left wrist, immediately producing a deep wound and a gush of blood! Zhao Yuying was shocked out of her wits and came fairly close to crying out. She stared at Song Zining with wide eyes, unable to understand his self-harming action. Song Zining also looked up at her with a complicated expression. Zhao Yuying suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She actually felt a sense of extreme danger from Song Zining, and the feeling was almost lethal! Song Zining wasnt in good condition at the moment. He had been completely drained in the two consecutive defense battles, and his entire body was riddled with wounds. Normally speaking, Zhao Yuying could knock him out with a single finger at the moment. Even at his peak, Song Zining wasnt really her match. But now, Zhao Yuying could actually feel an illusion of mortal peril. Song Zining only shot her a single glance before looking back down. He placed his wrist over Qianyes wound, letting the blood gush down into it. His blood was a deep scarletthere was a faint mist rising around it and was accompanied by a relaxing fragrance. Zhao Yuying was astonished to find that Song Zining had instilled his blood with origin power! His current state was extremely weak. Instilling origin power like this was clearly overdrafting his vitality. The hot blood filled with origin power immediately formed a small pool over Qianyes wound. The pale flesh around it soon gained some color after being soaked in the sanguineous liquid. Song Zinings left hand remained fixed in the air. Fresh blood gushed out from his wrist like spring water and poured onto Qianyes body. The flow was so fast that, in the blink of an eye, Song Zinings face became pale and his lips began to lose color. In no time, a small basins worth of blood had been cast into Qianyes wound. The pale flesh became flushed with color, but the pond of blood didnt expand. All of the new blood had actually been absorbed. Qianye moved ever so slightly; that lifeless body had finally gained a wisp of vitality. As a knowledgeable person, Zhao Yuying understood everything at a glance. She gasped. Qianye, he he Song Zining looked up at her and said indifferently, Everything that has happened to him, he never had a choice in anything. In my eyes, Qianye will always be a human. He will always be Song Zinings good brother. The shock was so great that Zhao Yuying was dazed for a moment. She had finally realized the reason for Song Zinings strange killing intent. Humans and dark races were ultimately irreconcilable. The first reaction of an imperial soldier upon seeing a tainted human would be to kill him. If Zhao Yuying were to show any abnormal movements, Song Zining wouldve fought her with everything he had. Zhao Yuying was exceptionally intelligent. How could someone capable of reaching such a position at her age be dumb? She had guessed the cause and effect in the blink of an eye. She suddenly reached out to grab Song Zinings wrist and sealed the wound on it. This movement was as quick as lightning. The raging origin power quickly overpowered Song Zinings body and immobilized him. The latter, despite being prepared, couldnt evade the move and was quickly apprehended. All that he had planned was instantly destroyed. Zhao Yuying dragged Song Zining away and stretched out her own hand. With a slight shake, she tore open her own wrist, sending an arrow of blood into Qianyes wound. Her blood was different from Song Zinings. Mist rose straight up from the fluid and shot toward the ceiling like a cloud. The origin power within it was far superior to a top-grade origin distillate, not something Song Zinings could compare to. Zhao Yuyings origin power cultivation was above Song Zinings to begin with. Moreover, she had conserved her strength and was at her peak state. As such, the origin power in her blood was several times richer. Qianyes entire body jolted when her blood entered the wound. The necrotic flesh quickly sloughed off, and new tissue pushed out from underneath, almost as though they were hungry for more of her blood. Song Zining was struggling with all his might, but he quickly calmed down after seeing this. Zhao Yuyings blood poured out like a pillar. She turned back to Song Zining in dissatisfaction and said, In my heart, Qianye will always be the Lil Five I held in my arms back then. And you! You want to fight me with your meager strength? This wont end here, see how Ill deal with you afterward! Song Zining quickly switched to a resplendent smile and began fawning on her. Sister Yuying is so valiant and powerful, how can I ever compare? Zhao Yuying suppressed the boot-licking with a snort and looked back at Qianye. At this moment, Qianyes entire body was trembling fiercely, and the flesh around his wound was already growing back. It was at this time that loud thumps, akin to the beating of a drum, echoed throughout the airship cabinQianyes blood core was beating once again. With his blood core revived, Qianye soon regained his vitality, and the large transfusion he had received from Song Zining and Zhao Yuying sent him into a state of blood-boil. The flesh around his wounds grew back at a stunning rate; even the damaged bones were being repaired. Qianye let out a groan as he slowly regained his consciousness. Its enough. Song Zining signaled Zhao Yuying to close the wound on her wrist. Zhao Yuying had lost over half her total blood in a short period. If this went on, even someone of her strength would be in mortal danger. Qianye opened his eyes. After regaining consciousness, he was surprised to find himself in a state of intense blood-boil. He remembered being gravely wounded before losing consciousness, and even his blood core had lost its vitality. What was going on? Qianye saw Song Zining and Zhao Yuying as he struggled to stand up. He understood what had happened after noticing the wounds on their wrists and just how pale their faces were. Qianye suddenly felt something rolling about in his throat. He wanted to say something, but no words escaped his lips. Zhao Yuyings expression stiffened. This mommy doesnt know anything, and I dont want to listen to boring things, either. Look for someone else if you want to discuss anything. See you! Qianye looked at Song Zining in surprise. The seventh young master said elegantly, This young master is badly injured and exhausted in both mind and body. Its just the right time to find a couple of beauties and discuss the principles of life and the profundities of the great dao. Dont come and disturb me if you have nothing important. With that, the two left without giving Qianye any opportunity to speak. You two Gazing at their receding backs, Qianye didnt quite know what to say. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 659: Dilemma [V6C189 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Within the airship, Zhao Yuying and Song Zining sat down in a secluded room. The smile on her face disappeared as soon as the doors were closed. Her expression was gloomy, and there was inconcealable killing intent in her voice. When did it happen? Who did it? Song Zining sighed softly. I guess it can be considered an accident. As for the cause of this mishap, no one really knows, not even Qianye himself. Of course, at the very root of it all is what the Zhao clan did to him. Zhao Yuying snorted. The matters of his childhood have already been solved, but whats with that accident you mentioned? Song Zining quickly recounted how Red Scorpion had been ambushed and wiped out. Zhao Yuying had no idea what to say after listeningall she could do was heave a long sigh. As an imperial soldier, it was only right and proper to fight on the battlefield. Even someone of noble birth like Zhao Yuying, who was only inferior to the princes and princesses, had to risk life and limb in war. Since the founding of the empire, the noble scions had always been on the first line of the bloodbaths. If not for the foundations built upon the bones of previous ancestors, how could humans have risen amidst the beleaguerment of the dark races? How could they have founded an empire on Evernight Continent and walked forward step by step until today? Since Qianye had joined the Red Scorpion, it was only natural that he would go into battle. The two factions had been fighting for well over a thousand years, and no tactic was excessive between them. Cases of people falling into traps and being surrounded were as common as there were stars in the skies. Zhao Yuying had also heard about that battle, but that was too long ago. It was no longer possible for her to perform an in-depth analysis as to the reason. Even if she could, it was quite possibly just a case of being ensnared and losing the battle. The stifling sensation in Zhao Yuyings heart didnt disappear even after knowing the reason. On the contrary, it felt worse. Qianye had been using some secret art to conceal his vampire bloodline, but accidents were bound to happen in the long run. It was fortunate that she and Song Zining were around this time. What would he do if it were any other person? People of the empire knew of only one approach against vampires... The more she thought, the more vexed she became. She suddenly glared at Song Zining and said, When you were saving Lil Five just now, were you thinking of killing me if I get in the way? Song Zining was shocked out of his wits as a gust of malice rushed into his face. He quickly made to explain, Everything is for Qianye. But Zhao Yuying clearly hadnt grasped the focus of this conversation. Her eyes lit up brighter and brighter as she stared at him. You think you can finish off this mommy here? Only then did Song Zining feel something wrong. Of course not! Sister Yuying, listen to my explanation. Dont be violent! How could Zhao Yuying be willing to listen? She had already pounced over at that point. Song Zinings wretched cries reverberated in the room, and then spread far and wide. The highspeed airship flew rapidly and soon arrived at the third-line fortress. There, it hovered about momentarily and unloaded hundreds of soldiers before flying back toward the Zhao clan. In the fortress below, Zhao Fenglei rushed out of the main building and gazed at the receding airship with a gloomy expression. He grabbed a nearby soldier and shouted, Wheres Yuying? Wasnt she on the airship? That soldier who had just come down from the warship replied, Miss Yuying has been injured and can no longer fight. Shes gone back with the airship. Zhao Fenglei was startled. Injured? How can she be injured? According to their original plan, Zhao Yuying was supposed to support the second-line fortress and come back to defend the last fortress. It could be said that she was quite safe before the defensive battle. Zhao Fenglei had pulled a lot of strings behind the scenes in order to make this happen. The other reason was for the opportunity to fight side by side with her. How could that soldier have an answer to this question? Zhao Fenglei felt frustrated and couldnt resist venting his anger. Useless! That soldiers face turned red and his tightened fists trembled ever so slightly. This was a warrior who had taken part in the entirety of the second defensive battle. It could be said that he had gone through hell and back. Now that they had arrived at the third fortress, they were about to go through yet another perilous battle. These soldiers, from any perspective, could be considered iron-blooded loyalists. Yet, they were being insulted like so for no good reason. How was he to endure it? However, Zhao Fenglei was Duke Yans descendant, and as such, it wasnt appropriate for him to retort. For a moment, all the Zhao clan soldiers nearby became restless; everyone felt deeply for the soldier. Zhao Fenglei woke up after seeing the reactions of the nearby soldiers. He clearly understood that he had gone too far just now. But he had always been obstinate and proudhe simply couldnt bring himself to apologize to a soldier in front of so many people. As such, he turned around and went back into the main building with a snort. At this moment, Qianye, Song Zining, and Zhao Yuying were cultivating on the airship. Qianye had activated a state of blood boil and repaired his body, but his blood energy and origin power had hit rock bottom. Zhao Yuying and Song Zining were both in an injured state due to an excessive loss of blood. They needed to grasp this time to recover. The former looked fine, but because the blood used to treat Qianye was instilled with origin power, she was more or less drained at the moment. She was in no state to fight and had no choice but to retreat with the airship. Moments later, Qianye completed his cultivation and walked out of the cabin room. There was no essence blood for him on board, and the Profound Combatant Formula was so forceful that it would surely interfere with the airships flight. Hence, he had nothing much to do after recovering some origin power. Qianye saw Song Zining waiting outside when he opened the doors. Zining? Why arent you recovering? Song Zining replied, Theyre just minor injuries, its not urgent. I have something to say to you. Qianye frowned. Whats so important you would have to put off your healing? Do you think I dont know how bad our injuries are? Song Zining had already been injured during the fortress defense battle. Now that he had lost large amounts of blood and origin power, his condition could only be worse than Qianye''s. However, he said with a serious expression, Lets go in first. After Qianye had locked the door, Song Zining sat down on his own with sweat on his forehead. Qianye was deeply surprised. This is? Due to fright. Song Zining smiled wryly. He calmed himself down and continued, Fortunately, its Yuying whos nearby. If it were anyone else, I would have no choice but to attack. As for what would happen afterward, even I have no idea. Yuying knows now? How can she not after giving you half her blood? Its fortunate that her feelings for you are special, and she didnt even hesitate one bit. Even a real sister cant be any better. Qianye sighed lightly. If not for the sincerity of Zhao Yuying, Jundu, Junhong, and Ruoxi, how could he be willing to forget the past and return to the Zhao clan? Song Zining was somewhat restless in his seat, so he simply sat up and paced about in the room. Ive been thinking back and forth just now. The more I think, the more I get the feeling that the two battles youve fought were completely abnormal. Thats not the way a human fights at all! Qianye sighed. Thats the most efficient and sustainable fighting method. If I kill a couple more enemies, some of my brothers wont have to die. Song Zining raised his voice all of a sudden. Nonsense! Do you think there are no other knowledgeable people? Those champions who have been fighting with the vampires since a young age will surely recognize that classical combat style frequently used by high-ranking vampires. What if there are people with bad intentions among them? What do we do if someone happens to figure you out? Qianye could only smile wryly. How can I think so much at the juncture of life and death? Besides, if I hadnt used my vampire powers, you wouldve died long ago. That shot wouldve torn you into two if it had connected. You! This formed a knot of anger in Song Zinings heart. Moments later, he was still helpless and could only say, In any case, you have to minimize your use of vampiric powers in the future, just in case. Ive killed so many dark races. Will anyone suspect me just from my style? There are only Zhao clan soldiers around in these few battles. Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when he was interrupted by Song Zining. Zhao clan soldiers? Let me tell you the truth. Regarding your case, I never even trusted Zhao Yuying until just now, let alone other people! Qianye opened his mouth but had nothing to retort. Song Zinings expression was solemn. Qianye, dont blame me for being wordy. I know from my experience throughout the years that anything bad can and will happen. Theres no such thing as being too cautious regarding your case. Qianye frowned. Dont tell me I have to sit by and watch my brother fall in battle? Song Zining pointed at himself and said loudly, Youre also my brother! What do I do after your identity is compromised? How about Nighteye? How about Yuying? Have you thought about them at all? If you are being hunted by the empire, should we stop them? Qianye was dumbfounded once more. Think hard on this! Song Zining left with these words. ... Blackflow City was bustling with activity. Everyone was moving about outside during this rare sunny afternoon, filling the city with considerable liveliness. The small courtyard in a corner of the Dark Flame headquarters was a rare haven of serenity. Nighteye was sitting in the yard, seemingly engrossed in the book she was holding. The suns rays almost seemed to produce a faint halo as they fell upon a corner of her forehead. At this moment, a knock on the gates disrupted the silence therein. Nighteye got up to open the gates and was quite surprised to see the visitor. Nanhua? Didnt you leave with Song Zining? It was Song Zinings main female companion for the recent period. She said with a smile, I heard hes going to fight a huge battle this time. Ill only be causing trouble for him if I go. Its better to just wait for him here since hell surely return. Nanhuas words revealed a bit of bitterness. Who in this big city didnt know how much of a playboy the seventh young master was? He was surrounded by ladies wherever he went. Her current status brought her more pity than admiration. Nighteye chuckled. I was so surprised that I forgot to invite you in. Come in and have a seat. It just so happened that we have some good tea. With that, Nighteye picked up an exquisite teapot and poured a cup for the guest. The jade-green beverage drew a green arc from the spout and into the cup. Nighteyes steady hands kept the stream connected between the two containers. Nanhua suddenly exclaimed while watching Nighteye, Youre so beautiful! Eh? Nighteye looked up, somewhat puzzled. She had been wearing the mask all this time. In terms of beauty, it could only be said that she was in the upper-middle range, a far cry from the superior level. Nanhua stared at Nighteye with a mesmerized expression and mumbled, The feeling you give me, is so, so beautiful. Nighteye observed herself and confirmed that she hadnt activated any ability for charming humans. In fact, she had never used such skills before and was rather surprised at why Nanhua would say so. What she didnt know was thatduring this period in which she was pretty much just reading in peacethis feeling of serenity and her own imperious aura had merged into the elegance of a true supreme vampire. She had no need to rely on appearances because her every little action was naturally magnificent. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 660: Surprise [V6C190 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Nighteye herself hadnt noticed this. With her temperament, she wouldnt pay it much attention even if she did. She truly enjoyed these days of peace, and the only thing that made her restless was her concern for Qianye. However, such longing and worry were the most fascinating parts of life. Nighteye merely smiled after hearing Nanhuas praise but didnt take it very seriously. Meanwhile, she kept on talking with the latter. Nanhua was quite the chatterbox. She discussed anything and everything while giggling from time to time. Apparently, she was quite the spritely little girl. It was just that she was born arrogant, and a place like Blackflow City, to her, was inferior even to a frontier strongholdit was practically inhospitable. The citizens of the city, including the hunters and mercenaries who made a living here, were commoners who had nothing to do with her. The only reason she was living here was Song Zining. She was naturally quite delighted, now that she had found someone she could chat with. As they continued their conversation, Nanhua suddenly said, Do you know? Not just in Blackflow City but the entire county, the only ones I look up to are Zining, Qianye, and now, you. I dont feel like talking to any other person! Nighteye also knew, by now, that Nanhua was the princess of a remote vassal nation. These countries were attached to the empire in name but actually functioned independently. Such countries were usually located around warring regions, where the empire used them as fences to buffer the dark race onslaught. Hence, although they werent exactly revered, they werent inferior to imperial aristocratic families in terms of strength. One could imagine how prideful Nanhua had been back in her country. Such words were more or less the highest praise she could offer to another person. Yet, Nighteye merely smiled. That was all. Back in the vampire race, her status was supreme and only second to the Holy Son Edward. In terms of bloodline potential, she wasnt inferior to the latter at all. It was widely accepted that the Queen of the Nights bloodline was stronger than the Black-Winged Monarchs, but the purity of Edwards awakened bloodline was fairly limited. Meanwhile, Nighteye had been accepted as possessing the Black-Winged Monarchs complete bloodline. Nighteyes potential was relatively better. To compare, only a few princes, princesses, and other top-ranking characters of great status and talent, like Zhao Jundu and Song Zining, had the right to be discussed alongside her. For the princess of a small vassal nation to meet Nighteye, it would depend on the latters mood. But Nighteye had long since left these things behind. Her current identity was Qianyes woman, a young lady looking forward to a peaceful and ordinary life. Nanhua said after a while, Zining is quite concerned about you. He especially sent word a while ago, asking me to check if youre doing well. He actually asks quite often about you and the majority of his letters are talking about you. Nighteye hadnt noticed the peculiarity in Nanhuas voice. She merely asked, Oh, Zining wrote? Any news about Qianye? I heard hes really awesome. His achievements are so glorious that he has suppressed most of the veteran experts. Nanhuas eyes lit up at the mention of Qianye, but they were soon filled with complicated emotions after seeing Nighteyes expression. He isnt injured, is he? Nighteyes concern clearly wasnt his contributions. I didnt hear anything about that, but dont worry, Qianyes so powerful that even Zining admires him so much. What can ever happen to him? You have to worry about something else, though! At this point, Nanhua covered her mouth and giggled oddly. Nighteye was puzzled. What must I worry about? Nanhua said with a smile, Of course, you have to worry about others taking away your Qianye! There seem to be quite a lot of people who fancy him recently. Ah! Nighteye was somewhat surprised. The thought had never crossed her mind. However, she soon replied with a smile, Isnt it good if people like him? But Qianye wont change. Nanhua said, You seem quite confident. Ah, but you do have the right to be confident. I cant think of anyone else who is a good match for him. Nanhua talked for quite a while before finally leaving. After returning to her residence, her maid delivered yet another letter from Song Zining. The contents of the message inquired about Nighteye as usual. This caused a shadow to descend upon Nanhuas countenance. However, Nanhua couldnt help but get a certain subtle feeling after thinking about Qianye. Whether he was in Blackflow City or anywhere else, Song Zining would always be a dazzling existence. But when standing beside Qianye, people like Nanhua could feel that the latter was like an iceberg. Only a small part was revealed on the water surface, while the portion below was completely unfathomable. Moreover, that visible tip alone was only slightly dimmer than Song Zining. Nanhua couldnt help but feel a certain apprehension when she was in front of Qianye. Meanwhile, Song Zining was pacing about restlessly in the airship cabin. With how fast the airship was, they would arrive at their destination in half an hour. Yet, this short period was already making him impatient. Song Zining sat down at this desk and began writing a letter, the opening of which was once again Nighteyes condition. But after writing a couple of words, he tore the paper with a rueful laugh. That was because he had just sent a letter a while ago. Writing another one would allow people with intentions to guess his thoughts. However, the unrest in his heart grew in intensity. He thus ignored his injuries and began calculating the heavenly mysteries. Despite the obvious signs of uneasiness, the divination of the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art returned completely hazy without any particular direction. They were on the void continent where the two factions were fighting fiercely both on the ground and in the void. And behind the curtains, the diviners from both factions were fighting in a distant, invisible battlefield. There was chaos everywhere around the floating continent and throughout the void. Even Lin Xitang himself might not be able to produce results without serious preparation, to say nothing of a wounded Song Zining. The other outcome was the decrease in the experts instinctive sensitivity to danger. Song Zining respired deeply, forcing himself to calm down and rearrange his thoughts. After serious contemplation, he still couldn''t find what was wrong. He also realized that he had lost his calm from being over concerned. It was precisely because he knew how important Nighteye was to Qianye, and just how sensitive her identity was, that he had lost his usual level-headedness. The entire airship jolted as they began decelerating amidst the loud roar of the engines. Knowing that they had arrived at their destination, Song Zining calmed himself down, adjusted his appearance, and walked out of the cabin unhurriedly. Regardless of the situation, the seventh young master had to be perfect in public. Qianye also walked out of his room after noticing the deceleration. The warship had stopped at a relay base at the borders of the Zhao clan territory. Here, they would unload the wounded and return to support the fortresses with fresh troops and supplies. Qianye was greeted by a busy scene after walking out of the airship. A group of soldiers approached the warship in an orderly formation, while the rest awaited the arrival of other vessels. Resources were piled up into small mountains beside the airship port with dozens of trucks shuttling back and forth to load them. A few high-ranking officers simply picked up some of the supplies that were left behind and carried them onto the airship. There was someone waiting to guide Qianye to his room and to get a physical checkup. Qianye was considered heavily injured at the moment, but, in truth, most of his wounds had healed. He was only deficient in blood energy and origin power. Hence, Qianye canceled the infirmary visit and only requested a cultivation chamber to recover his origin power. That officer left swiftly to make the necessary arrangements. A jeep whistled past at this moment with Song Zining and Zhao Yuying waving at him from within. Unlike Qianye, these two needed to lie obediently in the hospital for a couple of days. At this moment, Zhao Yuyings aura was weak and her face, pale. The weakness she had been suppressing all this time had finally started showing. Even she couldnt endure losing all her origin power and half her blood in one go. Qianye felt as though something had crashed into his heart. By the time he came to and was just about to wave back, the jeep had already gone pretty far. The Zhao clan people moved with great speed and efficiency. The cultivation chamber had been prepared before half an hour had passed. Qianye followed the officer through half the base and finally arrived at the training area. He had just gone through the gates when an orderly ran over and hurriedly saluted Qianye. General Qianye, the fortress has fallen! General Zhao Junfang wants you to join the strategy meeting! Qianye was astonished and could hardly believe his ears. Fallen? The last line? It is indeed the last line fortress. Qianye cried out, Impossible! Its only been such a short time! It had been less than three hours since their retreat from the second line fortress. They were traveling by air, while the dark race army was marching on foot. They would need to spend over an hour on the road. This meant that the third line fortresses had only lasted an hour or so even if the dark race army had marched forward without regrouping and launched an immediate attack. In response to Qianyes doubt, the orderly said assuredly, The report isnt wrong! Please join the meeting immediately! Qianye followed the orderly to the main building, his misgivings growing ever more intense along the way. Disregarding all other factors, Qianye was well aware just what kind of accomplishments he had accrued in the last two defensive battles. He had gone all out with the killing, slaughtering more high-ranking dark race warriors and superior experts than every other person combined. To be entirely frank, Qianye had single-handedly doubled the dark race armys losses. With such losses, even a dukes army would be in pain right now. It was impossible to claim that their fighting power hadnt decreased at all. On the other hand, the Zhao clans third-line defensive force was the most powerful. With the bolstered defensive force and the attacking party being weaker than anticipated, it shouldnt have been a problem for them to hold out for a day at least. How could they have fallen in one hour? The Zhang clan army simply didnt have the time to cover much distance and was still in a perilous situation. After arriving at the meeting room, Qianye saw that Zhao Yuying and Song Zining had both arrived. Additionally, there were a couple of other imperial generals. The person in charge was a lieutenant general with white hair. Qianye recognized him as the base commander, Zhao Junfang. The man was from the Fire Beacon Corps, one who had assisted Zhao Weihuang closely for many years. He was extremely well-known, even in the Fire Beacon Corps where so many talents were assembled. At this moment, he was reading a battle report with an ashen expression. Moments later, he banged the report onto the table and roared, A useless brat who only knows how to discuss war on paper! Disrupting our Zhao clans important matters! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 661: Dare You Fight? [V6C191 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] After the generals had looked over the report, some were furious, some were shocked, and others were puzzled. Qianye was filled with lingering doubts after reading it. The report stated that the central fortress lasted a mere half an hour before the defensive line was torn apart by the dark race army. The loss of the central defensive line was so fast that the Zhao clan didnt have sufficient time to dispatch airship support. When the battlefront collapsed, the airships that were supposed to provide support were still landing at the rear base with Qianye and the others on board. The loss of the central fortress immediately caused the pressure on the two sides to increase sharply. They remained steadfast despite being surrounded on all sides, up until the Zhao clans urgently dispatched airships arrived to rescue them. However, this hurried retreat operation wasnt as safe as the last two. Four out of the six mobilized warships were actually shot down. Only two barely managed to make it back in one piece. In just a short while, casualty rates among the two side-fortresses had reached well over half the total with most survivors being heavily injured. Their valor was the only thing that had kept them hanging on until the end. An intense smell of blood seemed to be gushing out of this short battle report. After a brief moment of silence, Zhao Yuying inquired, How many people came back from the central fortress? This question was like a giant rock that shattered the awkward silence, touching upon a topic no one wanted to discuss. After experiencing two defense battles, Qianye was very clear that retreating from a crumbling defensive line without air support was merely a daydream. The central defense force had surely been wiped out. It was just that Qianye couldnt understand how such a large force couldve been defeated so quickly. Zhao Yuying, who was originally supposed to join the defense forces, was suddenly injured. However, she had assigned numerous champions of equal combat strength in order to supplement the fortress defenses, all of them valiant generals under the command of Duke You. Meanwhile, Zhao Fenglei was also being supported by several of Duke Yans powerful experts. At least on paper, the defense force led by Qianye and Song Zining paled in comparison to their lineup. Zhao Junfang stood with his hands behind his back and no expression on his face. He waited for quite a while before replying, Most of the defense forces have fallen. Zhao Yuying stood up. Most? That means some of them managed to escape? She was concerned about this matter because most of the defense forces there were men from the Duke You Residence. Moreover, there was an elder who had taken care of her since she was a kid. Zhao Junfangs voice was solemn, and every word he spoke pounded upon the hearts of the audience. A total of seven people escaped, Zhao Fenglei and six others from the Duke Yan Residence. Everyone with access to secret intelligence revealed different expressions. They all knew the central fortress defense force lineup. The Duke Yan Residence had dispatched a total of six champions, a total of seven together with Zhao Fenglei. Zhao Yuyings voice trembled. How about people from our Duke You Residence? Zhao Junfang shook his head. No news. Everyone knew that he was just being tactful because the absence of news here was the worst kind of news. How could a handful of champions escape from deep within the enemy army? Zhao Yuying cried out, How did those people from the Duke Yan Residence escape!? Zhao Junfangs brows locked into a frown. That, I dont know either. One of the generals sneered, Its not hard to guess. They mustve hidden a high-speed airship in the fortress and escaped quickly as soon as they saw the enemy troop strength. The words escaped were stressed quite deeply. Zhao Junfang roared, This is a serious matter, do not make wild guesses. That general was from the Duke You lineage. He wasnt afraid of Zhao Junfang and continued with a cold laugh, If my guess is correct, then the origins of this airship and how it got into the fortress without any records these things really need to be addressed. Conventionally, airships were a strategic weaponany mobilization or transfer required the approval of the regional commander. At the very least, a report had to be submitted regarding its movements. With a small, high-speed airship in the fortress, anyone could tell that it was the commanding officers escape route. How could the soldiers have the morale to fight to the death? The presence of such an unregistered airship proved that there was a slip-up among the higher echelons of the Zhao clan. To be precise, the Duke Chengen Lineage which Zhao Junfang represented couldnt escape responsibility. Hence, that general from the Duke You Lineage wasnt polite at all. After all, their branch had suffered the greatest losses. After hearing this, Zhao Yuying calmed down and simply sat there in silence. Everyone familiar with her would know that she was the most dangerous in this state. Her temporary silence meant that an earth-shattering explosion would soon follow. In the face of such a grave matter, Zhao Junfang had no choice but to suppress his anger and explain, Whether or not theres an unregistered airship remains to be investigated. However, I can guarantee with my forty years of military contributions that our Duke Chengen lineage wasnt aware of this. Since Zhao Junfang had spoken thus, that general had nothing more to say. He simply returned to his seat with a snort. Zhao Junfang scanned all the generals in the room. We have an important matter at hand. We must not let the dark race army take one step past this fortress. This battle is related to the Zhao clans entire war strategy, so we must ask you to fight with everything you have. Most of the people here were lineal descendants. The only unrelated ones, Qianye and Song Zining, were also deeply related to the clanthey naturally wouldnt shirk away at such a critical time. Zhao Junfang appeared thankful after seeing no one object. He said with a wave of his hand, It would seem many of you are still injured. Ill open up our strategic resource storage and dispatch the reserve medicines. It should be of some help. Everyone became more spirited after hearing this. The Zhao clans secret medicines were naturally rare premium goods. A good part of them was obtained directly from the Li family and couldnt be found on the market. With these medicines in hand, their survival rate would increase by thirty percent at the very least. Now that morale was high, Zhao Junfang waved his large hands and shouted, Since thats the case, everyone should go back and rest. At dawn tomorrow, we shall fight to the death with the dark races! It was at this time that everyone felt the room tremble ever so slightly. The vibrations grew increasingly evident, and soon, even ordinary soldiers could feel it. What exactly was making the main building shake so hard? The more impatient generals rushed over to the windows and saw a massive shadow fly past. They looked up in astonishment to find a warship flying past the fortress, followed by a dozen or so large transports. Only at this point did the blaring alarm ring out in the fortress. Some of the generals quickly confirmed that the vessels belonged to the Zhao clan, but this fleet had never appeared in the reports and no one knew where they were from. Just as the generals were bewildered about what to do, the door to the conference room swung open and in walked Zhao Jundu. No need to assemble. Zhao Junfang was surprised. Why? Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, Too slow, Ill personally lead the army into battle and meet the dark race army at dusk. Ill beat them into a retreat. Zhao Junfang was shocked even more. Fourth Young Master, this isnt it too sudden? Your safety is more important than a temporary win or loss! Zhao Junfang spoke quite tactfully. One of the other generals from the Duke Chengen lineage was much more straightforward. Fourth Young Masters future is boundless. Youre a future pillar of the empire! Why would you take such a risk for the Zhang clans routed army? Its not worth it! The other generals also spoke words of dissuasion. Even the generals from the Duke You lineage echoed their sentiments. Everyone was worried that Zhao Jundu wouldnt be able to handle the numerous experts of the dark races. After all, Zhao Jundu was still young and his cultivation was far from having reached its peak. Zhao Jundus eyes swept across the generals. Are you worried that I wont be a match for the enemies? Well, of course not. Its just that Zhao Junfang didnt know how to word his concerns, but he was intent on stopping Zhao Jundu. The fourth young master wasnt just the hope of the Duke Chengen lineage but also the entire Zhao clanperhaps even the future pillar of the empire. Zhao Jundu suddenly broke into a laugh. You think I dont dare fight just because I might not be a match? While the generals were looking at one another wondering what to say, Zhao Jundu pointed at Qianye and said, Qianye, follow me into battle! Qianye replied without a thought, Very well. Song Zining jumped up and said furiously, Are you crazy!? Qianye has been wounded so badly, how can he enter the battlefield? Zhao Jundu shot Song Zining a glance and said, You come too. Song Zining seemed quite unhappy. This young master has his own plans, I dont need you to give me instructions! Besides, we arent the same. This matter is Zhao Jundu suddenly appeared beside Song Zining and placed a hand on his shoulder. Violet light flickered in his eyes as he suppressed Song Zinings sentence halfway. Then thats settled. A serious Song Zining struggled with all his might, but he was still quite weak at the moment. How could he be a match for Zhao Jundu? Compared to when they had met at the Song clan many years ago, the present Zhao clan fourth young masters actions no longer contained a trace of mortal aura. The Omniscient Seal revealed no visual phenomena as it suppressed Song Zining with a single thought. Most of the generals didnt even notice that Zhao Jundu had used the seal. No matter how Song Zining struggled, he couldn''t escape Zhao Jundus grasp, nor could he speak a single word. Zhao Jundu didnt allow him to explain anything, either, and simply dragged him away. Song Zining was furious because Zhao Jundus method was clearly aimed at destroying his elegant image. How could he possibly endure this? Whether he could bear it or not, he had no other choice before the unreasonable Zhao Jundu. Zhao Yuying suddenly stood up. How about me? Zhao Jundu shot her a glance and said, You rest here. Youll be causing trouble even if you come with me. Zhao Yuying wasnt afraid of Zhao Jundu at all. She broke out in sudden anger and said, When has this mommy ever caused trouble?! Hey Lil Four, make things clear before you go! But Zhao Jundu had already stepped through the doors with Qianye and Song Zining in tow, only leaving behind a violet flame to seal the door. No matter how agitated she was, it remained that Zhao Yuying was currently quite weak. How could she break Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal? She was naturally sealed behind the door, stamping her feet and spewing threatsbut what good would that ever do? It was twilight in the blink of an eye. Zhao Jundu had finished organizing his troops, and the dark race army had appeared on the distant horizon. Watching the black outline surging over like the tides, Zhao Jundu glanced at Qianye and asked, Dare you fight this battle? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 662: Strike at The Sharpest Poin t [V6C192 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Dare you fight this battle? In the face of this question, before the incoming black tidean army tens of times their ownQianye felt a surging feeling in his chest. He simply drew East Peak and thrust it into the ground in front of him! The heavy sword entered the ground and towered like a mountain! Very Good! Zhao Jundu let out a drawn laugh. He raised his hand toward the enemy central army and said, Ill open a path for you! With that, he removed Blue Firmament from his back. A layer of azure radiance lit up on the gun as his aura surged wildly. In the blink of an eye, he had shot beyond rank-twelve and was showing no signs of stopping. Fourth Young Master! Young Master, please reconsider! You must not! Zhao Jundus volcanic aura elicited gasps of astonishment from around him. The shocked generals attempted to dissuade him but were quickly stopped by a ring of violet flames. All they could do was watch Zhao Jundus aura rise unhindered. At this point, Even Song Zining couldnt keep his calm. Are you crazy? This will affect your future foundations! However, Zhao Jundu replied calmly, Heavenly Monarch is too far away, while the enemies are right before us! But No buts! If I dont dare go all-out in battle just for some pure origin power, whats the use of it? Zhao Jundus voice was clear and sonorous, much like the ring of a gong. The Blue Firmament in his hand grew brighter and brighter until a boundless blue sky began to materialize in the firmament above him! Everyone lost their voice after seeing this shocking visual phenomenon. Any form of dissuasion was already too late at this point. The dark race army seemed unaffected by this and simply kept marching on. Tens of thousands of cannon fodder and low-ranking warriors charged madly at the van. They had already lost their intelligence and sense of fear, and neither did they value their bodies. The only thing left in them was killing intent and blood-thirst. Zhao Jundus hand was unbelievably steady as his finger pulled back on the trigger. A werewolf at the foremost crossed a thousand meters like a bolt of lightning and swiped his claws at Zhao Jundu. In his bloodshot eyes, those sharp claws would tear the latter apart. However, his eyes were suddenly filled with a boundless blue light and nothing else. The blue light gushed forward like a great river, extending thousands of meters with Zhao Jundu as its source. It traversed the dark race army and headed straight for the core of the incoming army. Heaven and earth turned silent, and it was almost as though all sound had ceasedthere was only a deluge of blue light in everyone''s eyes. Only when the brilliance slowly faded away did the countless frozen dark race soldiers come into view. They were in their charging postures as if they had been fixated within that moment and time had stopped flowing. All these petrified soldiers fell down silently at the exact same moment. A broad, open road had actually appeared amidst the vast sea that was the dark race army. Only then did everyone understand what he meant when he said let me open up a path for you. Everyone held their breath for a brief moment. The Blue Firmament suddenly broke down into ashes and was scattered in the wind. This famed weapon that had accompanied Zhao Jundu throughout his life could no longer endure its owners power, reaching its end in the most resplendent manner possible. Qianyes voice rang out amidst the silence. My turn. Before everyone could react, Qianye had already charged out at extreme speeds. He was like a bolt of lightning charging down the path Zhao Jundu had paved for him and straight into the heart of the enemy forces. Qianyes speed was so fast that the dark race army couldnt respond on time. Only when Qianye was halfway did the two sides come together, effectively sealing the passage and trapping Qianye inside. However, Qianye neither lingered about nor changed directions. He actually continued killing his way straight into the central army. At this moment, Qianyes entire body had transformed into a weapon. Any part of his body would produce a killing blow after coming in contact with the enemy. Later on, he raised East Peak and slashed down with earth-shattering momentum. There were no variations; only peerless strength which cleared the path thirty meters ahead of him. Seeing this barbaric and tyrannical blow, the virtuous demonkin count who was sitting calmly in the central army shot to his feet. He then pointed at Qianye and let out a shrill cry. Those solemn-looking personal guards in the central army began to move out. They charged ferociously at Qianye like a wave of flowing darkness. Qianye didnt avoid the black-armored personal guards and simply met them head-on, both man and sword charging into their midst. Countless threads of blood flickered briefly around him as he rushed out of the black squad. Most of the personal guards turned sluggish and began to stagger as though they were drunk. A small number of them looked about, baffled, as though they had no idea what had just happened. They couldnt find any trace of Qianye, either. The demonkin counts eyes went wide open with bewilderment. Within that brief moment just now, Qianyes almost empty aura saw a sudden and dramatic increaseLife Plunder was just that tyrannical. Seeing Qianye reach his peak state once more, the count had no choice but to leave his seat and charge at the incoming enemy. At this moment, massive amounts of blood energy were rolling inside his body with nowhere to go. It almost felt like his body was swelling up without limits and would soon burst at the seams. When the count charged over, a terrifying aura locked Qianye down and prevented him from leaking his blood energy. Under pressure from both within and outside, Qianyes blood core began to pulse strongly, pumping auric flame blood to every part of his body. Qianyes auric flame blood was already distributed throughout his body, to begin with. Now, the last few gates had been flushed down, causing the auric flame blood to merge together and suddenly ignite! A loud explosion rang in Qianyes ears as an inexplicable surge of strength gushed out from every corner of his body. In the deepest parts of the void, a vortex appeared in the legendary River of Blood as countless bits of knowledge rushed into Qianyes soul like a raging waterfall. This was an indescribable sensationit was as though he could grasp everything in the palm of his hand or shatter the worldly barriers with his strength. This was the power of an ancient count! A thread of faintly discernible blood appeared in the air, extending from Qianyes feet to the demonkin count and going thrice around him. During the moment of the rivers awakening, the demonkin count felt an unrestrainable sense of terror grip his hearthe almost couldnt control himself. Meanwhile, Qianye, who was several dozen meters away, flickered out of existence and suddenly appeared in front of him! Within moments, Qianye flew thrice around the demonkin count and rose into the air as though he were completely weightless. He performed an agile spinning slash and landed on the ground dozens of meters away. His movements in the air were graceful and quick, but his landing was extremely heavy. With a muffled boom, the ground beneath his feet sank into a huge pit. The demonkin count let out an incomparably mournful wail as his body split into four partsfresh blood soon sprayed high into the air. The scion of a famed demonkin clan and the vanguard commander of the dark race army, Virtuous Count Aurelius Caesar Truman, thus fell in battle. Everything happened too quickly, so much so that most people could only look on with their mouths wide open. One had to know that the enemy was a demonkin virtuous countwhich was, to say, a first-rank count. He was actually killed just like that!? The only one who made any movement was Song Zining. Face ashen, he drew the sword of a nearby Zhao clan warrior and rushed forward. However, just as he was passing by Zhao Jundu, the latter reached out and locked him in place. What are you doing!? I must go and save Qianye! Song Zining shouted. Zhao Jundu replied, Qianye does not need to be rescued. Besides, youll die if you go now. Its my business if I die, nothing to do with you! Move away! Zhao Jundu watched Song Zining with a spurious smile. Dont tell me the stately Song clan seventh young master, the empires future god of war, is such an impetuous fellow. The dark races had recovered from their initial shock while the two men were speaking and gradually started closing in on Qianye. However, owing to the intimidation he had exerted by killing a virtuous count in one move, none of them launched the first attack. Song Zining was both anxious and furious. Zhao Four! Im not from your Zhao clan, you cant control me. Let me go! Zhao Jundu smiled vaguely with a purple glow in his eyes. The Omniscient Seal had completely immobilized Song Zining. It was at this time that a giant pillar of darkness rose over the distant horizon. It soon turned into a violent tornado connecting the heaven and earth. Many people cried out secretly. Despite numerous dark race experts being pinned down, there was actually a duke-level expert overseeing this pursuit operation! The distant aura wasnt at the stage where it could shake the heaven and earthperhaps he was merely a vice-duke. However, a vice-duke was also a duke. At the center of the dark race army, Qianye stood up and gazed at that terrifying cyclone pressing down toward him. Then he glanced back and saw Zhao Jundu and Song Zining. Qianye turned back and took a deep breath. A faint layer of golden flames suddenly appeared on East Peak as he raised his blade and walked straight toward the dark tornado, completely ignoring the massive army in the way. Song Zining cried out loudly, Qianye, come back!!! His clear voice spread far and wide. Not only did it cover the entire battlefield, but even the distant duke could hear him. However, Qianye neither turned back nor slowed down his footsteps. No one could escape from a dukethe only way out was for someone to fight him head-on and keep him occupied. Qianye knew that Zhao Jundu and Song Zining were behind him. That was why he chose to meet that all-destructive vortex head-on. Song Zining became silent. Darkness flowed within his body as he prepared to activate a secret art. The raging violet flames flickering around him began showing signs of being extinguished. At this point, streams of azure flames shot up from each direction. This served to stabilize the tottering flames somewhat, but they still remained fluctuating. Being able to force the azure flames out of Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal and force the empowered seal into instability spoke volumes about Song Zinings strength. Looking at the figure of Qianyes back, Zhao Jundus eyes were filled with a mysterious glint; no one could measure his thoughts at the moment. He suddenly reached out to pat Song Zinings shoulder and said, Hell be fine. The sky behind the army suddenly dimmed down. The raging netherworld river emerged in the darkness with red spider lilies blossoming and wilting within its waters. The tornado of darkness let out an exasperated roar, Red Spider Lily! You actually brought the Red Spider Lily! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 663: Just Beyond the Door [V6C193 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] In the face of the netherworld river and flowers, the unwilling dark tornado hesitated for a brief moment, and then retreated over the horizon. He couldnt find, in him, the determination to challenge the Red Spider Lily that had severely wounded Ge Shitu. With the dark duke gone and its vanguard commander killed, the dark race army morale ultimately collapsed and their forces began to retreat. However, the tens of thousands of cannon fodder and low-ranking warriors had already been incited into a state of bloodlust. These soldiers were urged toward the Zhao clan formation instead of running back. Without the support of high-ranking experts, no amount of cannon fodder could escape the fate of being slaughtered by the Zhao clans well-trained troops. In just a brief moment, the charging cannon fodder and low-ranking warriors had all fallenthey didnt even reach the formation. But this obstruction allowed the dark race army to pull back completely and begin its gradual retreat. Zhao Jundu didnt chase after them, either. In his eyes, clearing these soldiers out was only a matter of time, no matter how many of them there were. Song Zining only regained his freedom at this point. So youve already prepared the Red Spider Lily as backup. You really wanted to see me become a laughingstock, didnt you? Zhao Jundu said unhurriedly, Ruoxi just used the Red Spider Lily a while ago. She doesnt have the power to use it again. Song Zining was astonished. It turned out that Zhao Jundu was bluffing all along. If that dark duke had thrown caution to the wind and stood up to the challenge, wouldnt it be terrible? Zhao Jundu paid no more attention to Song Zining and simply walked up to the front of the army to meet the returning Qianye. The latter felt his heart skip a beat, almost as though he had been seen through from head to toe. He halted his steps in astonishment and stood several meters away from Zhao Jundu. Conventionally, Qianyes contribution of charging into the central army and slaying the enemy commander was above Zhao Jundus. However, the latter, as the commander, didnt offer him any praise; he didnt even say anything. Only a wisp of violet energy flickered in his eyes as he nodded at Qianye and turned back to the army. With a deep frown, Qianye followed Zhao Jundu back to the camp. Withdraw the troops and summon the airships. After issuing these orders, Zhao Jundu sat firmly with his eyes closed. He spoke no more, almost as though he had fallen asleep. The Zhao clan soldiers were puzzled as to why Zhao Jundu was like this. Could it be that Qianyes slaughter of the enemy commander wasnt efficient enough? But Qianye had cut down that virtuous count in one blow, so how much cleaner could it be? Even if Qianye could cut down two counts in one blow, there werent any more of them for him to kill. However, Zhao Jundus prestige in the army was significant and no one dared interrupt his silence. Song Zining dragged Qianye to one side, flapping his fan continuously with one hand and doing something in his sleeve with the other. Every repetition would increase his aura by a bit. Qianye frowned upon seeing this. With his keen eyesight, he had naturally realized that Song Zining was using a certain secret art to activate his origin power and combat strength. But the battle had already concluded; why would he need to raise his combat strength in such an expensive manner? Song Zining moved extremely fast. Before Qianye could stop him, he had already finished his secret art and reached his peak state. The silhouettes of the warships appeared over the distant horizon, and soon, they had arrived above the Zhao clan army. Several vessels slowly lowered themselves and loaded the three thousand Zhao clan warriors on the ground. Song Zining followed Qianye onto the ship, picked a random room, and sat down with his eyes closed. Qianye sat down beside him, still puzzled about why he was activating his origin power even now. At this time, Zhao Jundu walked past the door while patrolling the ship. He shot a glance inside and said as though he could read Qianyes mind, Hes afraid Ill suppress him again. With that, Zhao Jundu left in a leisurely manner, leaving behind a fuming Song Zining. After all of the warriors had been loaded, the warship slowly took to the air and flew back to base. The dark races had destroyed the Zhang clan fortress and chased their army across thousands of kilometers. Countless battles big and small had broken out along the way, even destroying the nine fortresses the Zhao clan had built so painstakingly. However, the sharp assault was thwarted by Zhao Jundu, and the war machine came to a screeching halt. This long-distance chase had finally come to an enda phase of it at least. Zhao Jundus fame rose once more following this battle, edging one step closer to the apex. When the distant Zhang Boqian heard about his words heavenly monarch is too far off, while the enemy is right in front of us, the marshal said, The heavenly monarch realm is just beyond the door. The empire was sent into an uproar following this evaluation. If Zhao Jundu could achieve the heavenly monarch rank and the Pointer King hadnt fallen at that point, the empire would have six heavenly monarchs at the same time. Retracing history, the last time the empire possessed such an impressive lineup was during the founding war. Back then, led by the founding emperor, the seven heavenly monarchs ushered in a dazzling era. They opened up the land of daybreak in the darkness of Evernight, laying down a thousand years of foundation for the empire. Would the empire see a second resurgence after the Martial Emperor? To speak nothing of his combat strength, Zhao Jundus breadth of mind during that last battle had left all the other heroes in the dust. One simply couldnt compare him at the same level. Additionally, Zhao Ruoxi had arrived from the west with Red Spider Lily in hand and had scared a duke away without even firing a single shot. Her splendor wasnt inferior at all to Zhao Jundu. It was just that no one knew why Zhao Ruoxi was capable of firing the Red Spider Lily and could only attribute it to her innate talent. Hence, she had never been used as a comparison to other young geniusesit was simply impossible to do so. Perhaps because Zhao Jundu and Zhao Ruoxi were too resplendent, not many people mentioned Qianye. However, those who had personally witnessed him break into the enemy central army couldnt understand just how he had slaughtered the enemy commander. The process of moving around the target thrice and ending him with a single slash was too unimaginable. No one could figure out how to praise him even if they wanted to. In the blink of an eye, those paying extra attention noticed something. The three who had orchestrated this reversalZhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, and Qianyewere all from the younger generation of the Duke Chengen lineage. Meanwhile, Zhao Junhong had long since revealed his talents in leading armies. Unknowingly, the Duke Chengen branchs youngsters could already uphold great responsibilities and alter the flow of the battle in this war of national fate. How could they even be described as youths anymore? If not for Prince Greensun of the Zhang clan being at the peak of his power, the Duke Chengen lineage would become the number one among the nobility. They might even be able to produce a fourth duke in the clan. It was a well-known fact in the empire that the Zhao clan produced geniuses and heroes in every generation. However, the current generation was simply too outrageous. Some people could no longer sit still. Storms were brewing among the upper echelons on the empire, but it was completely unrelated to the soldiers returning from the faraway battle. It was just that the atmosphere on the airship was fairly odd, even though they were returning in triumph. Zhao Jundu had spent this entire time in his room, sitting silently with his eyes closed. He wasnt cultivating, either, and no one knew what exactly he was thinking. Song Zining was just as silent. The origin power in his body surged at full power as though he were readying himself for a big battle. One thing in common between them was that neither spoke to Qianye. Qianye would be cultivating calmly if things were as before. However, he had broken through to the count realm in battle and connected with the River of Blood. The moment he calmed down, his brain would be filled with knowledge pertaining to the ancient vampire inheritances. The information was so expansive that his brain felt like it was about to explodehow was he to cultivate? According to his past experience, he would need several days in order to store the inherited information and slowly digest them. This short flight thus became a fairly long excursion. The airship reached base in half a days time, where it stopped briefly to resupply before flying toward the Zhao clans base of operations on the floating continent, the city of Indomitable. Indomitables airship port was of massive scale, capable of allowing several airships to land and take-off at the same time. The sizeable fleet finished landing in just two batches. After walking out of the airship, Qianye saw several combat-vehicles in the vicinity, along with hundreds of solemn-looking soldiers. However, there wasnt such a scene near other airships. They were clearly here to protect something or someone. But who on this airshipbe it Qianye himself, Song Zining, or Zhao Jundurequired such protection? An officer wearing an eye-catching Li clan insignia walked down from one of the combat vehicles. With a shiny, silver box in hand, he walked briskly over to Qianye and performed a salute. General Qianye! The brigadier general seemed both nervous and excited as he stood before Qianye. He raised the box toward Qianye and said in a loud voice, General, your Storm Pearl! Qianye was startled. Although it hadnt been very long, so many things had happened that it felt like an eternity. He had already forgotten the matter of the Storm Pearl almost entirely. This Storm Pearl, Qianye remembered, was highly significant to the Li family. Whoever owned the Storm Pearl would have a profound impact on the Li familys safety. Qianye had gone to battle on his own, fighting throughout the Misty Wood and crushing all of the aristocratic families beneath his feet to reach the top of the leaderboard. The Li family had external experts among them, as well as those born of humble origins. The status of these people was the lowest in the family, almost like foundation stones. Now, all of them saw hope in Qianye, realizing that even commoners could achieve great things and suppress the nobility. Later on, Qianyes upbringing was also spread among the people. Countless commoners felt their fighting spirit reignited after hearing that he was an orphan who had grown up in the dumpster. That brigadier general was also of humble origins, one who had fought his way from a foot soldier all the way up to a generals rank. Hence, he was also rather excited upon meeting Qianye. Taking possession of the case, Qianye suddenly discovered a problem. He asked awkwardly, This just what is this Storm Pearl used for? That brigadier general couldnt give him an answer. General, you will be informed when the time is right. For now, I only know that the time isnt too far off. That brigadier general respected Qianye, but they were still on the Zhao clan territory. The Zhao had never liked the Li family since Empress Li had reached her current position by stepping on the imperial concubine Zhao. A well-informed general said in a peculiar tone, Is this pearl genuine or fake? In any case, weve never seen one. No one would know even if your Li family has switched it out. Another general laughed. Even if they had swapped it, they still sent some kind of pearl over, didn''t they? Its much better than just confiscating it. The brigadier general from the Li family felt quite awkward. He wanted to retort but couldnt find the right words. He was aware of certain secrets and knew that many people had indeed wanted to confiscate the pearl. When all was said and done, the leaderboards were in the Li familys hands. It was a simple matter if they wanted to tamper the numbers. Anything was better than having the prize go to the Zhao clan. The number of people with this idea wasnt few. Naturally, these people all had aristocratic backgrounds. After all, some of the combat squads werent too far behind Qianye on the rankingsa couple of tricks would allow them to pocket the Storm Pearl. However, during these delicate times, the Li family lord announced that no one shall make any form of modification to the rankings, effectively curbing any and all disputes. The brigadier general had nothing to say since he knew of all these things. At this point, Song Zining said with a cold laugh, Since the fourth young master has spoken already, who would dare touch his things? Zhao Jundus figure froze for a moment. He turned toward Song Zining and said through gritted teeth, So noisy, it looks like suppressing you wasnt enough! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 664: So Dumb, Its Cute Chapter 664: So Dumb, It''s Cute [V6C194 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The Li family brigadier general left hurriedly after handing Qianye the Storm Pearl. Although no one knew what the pearls real function was, it was common knowledge that the object was a priceless treasure. Qianye simply passed the Storm Pearl to Zhao Jundu for safekeeping since he had no time to keep watch every day. It could be assumed that no one in the clan would dare steal the fourth young masters things. After handling the affairs related to the pearl, a lieutenant colonel arrived to lead Qianye to his residence. Qianyes assigned lodging was quite close to the area reserved for the aristocracy. The environment was beautiful, secluded, and was entirely free from the ambiance of war. Walking through the gates, Qianye realized that it was an independent courtyard with a high-grade cultivation chamber attached to it. In the military-focused city of Indomitable, this kind of treatment was clearly above that of a brigadier general and almost at the level of a lieutenant general. After looking through the courtyard, Qianye asked, Are you sure this place is for me? I am. General Qianye has made great contributions, so this kind of treatment is only right and proper. Someone will arrive to adjust the cultivation chamber array for you very soon. Youll be able to use it by nightfall. Additionally, theres a manual in your room on Indomitable and its functions. There are also men posted outside of the courtyard, simply call for them if theres anything you need. Ill excuse myself now if theres nothing else. After the lieutenant colonel had left, Qianye sat down in front of the window with his eyes closed and began to rest. He wasnt in a big rush to cultivate at the moment. The most pressing issue was to digest the knowledge he had gained from the river of blood and meditate over his latest battle experiences. Qianye had a strong suspicion in his heart that the demonkin count was deeply affected by the river of blood. The latter was so apprehensive that his reactions had slowed down significantly, allowing Qianye to kill him in one move. Otherwise, he would have to use all of his trump cards, including the Shot of Inception, in order to finish off the opponent. Qianye was bewildered about something. If the River of Blood could intimidate the demonkin like so, how had this race with no evident advantage in manpower or top-experts managed to suppress the vampires and occupy the top position in the Evernight world? From the two times he had come into contact with the River of Blood, he could tell that the vampire race would exist as long as the River of Blood remained. Herein lay the problemwhat exactly was the River of Blood? Just where was it? How was it guiding the vampires and their inheritances? Why was the gap between the present-day vampire ranks and the ancient ones so large? No one could give him an answer to these questions. Perhaps Nighteye might be able to, but Qianye didnt want to remind her of the past or arouse any memories related to the vampire race. It would be for the best if she could live on in the empire as a peaceful, ordinary lady. The reason Qianye was fighting so hard was because he wanted to use his contributions to build a safe harbor for her. Status, power, ranksthese things werent important at all for Qianye. However, he would fight for them if they could ensure him a peaceful life. At the thought of Nighteye, Qianyes heart couldnt help but skip a bit. He spread out a sheet of paper in a bid to write a letter to her, but he didnt really know what to say after picking up the pen. The paper was by no means big, but it seemed impossible to fill no matter how many words he spoke. Qianye picked up the pen and dropped it again countless times, but couldnt leave a single word on the paper. At this moment, the thin pen felt countless times heavier than East Peak, and even holding it was quite exhausting. After a fair period of torment, Qianye clenched his teeth and emptied his mind. He decided he would write anything that came to mind. The battle is finally over, and I can take a short break. Life here is fairly simple with almost no changes day to day. But the place Im staying right now is quite nice. Theres a pond of clear water under the bright sunlight. I should bring you here to see. He could no longer stop once he had begun, and very soon, he had unknowingly filled seven to eight sheets of paper with his correspondence. Only after using up all the paper did Qianye realize he had written too much. There was no mention of the war in the letter; only the little day-to-day matters and things he had heard or seen. Qianye folded the thick stack of letters and barely managed to stuff it into the envelope. Then, he rang the bell beneath the table and summoned an orderly to deliver the letter. A tall, elegant female lieutenant entered the room. Seeing the envelope that was close to bursting at the seams, she was first surprised and then broke into an audible chuckle. Qianye said in a slightly awkward manner, This Ill trouble you to deliver this. Its a bit heavy. The lieutenant suppressed her giggle as she made to receive the envelope from Qianyes hands. Looking at Qianyes odd expression, she couldnt help but smile. General! Qianye replied vacantly, Whats the matter? You need to let go! Only then did Qianye realize that he had been grabbing onto the envelope. Without him letting go, even several champions wouldnt be able to pry the letter away from him, to say nothing of a lieutenant. Qianye released his grip hurriedly. The short moment of fluster caused the lady to giggle endlessly. The lieutenant raised the letter in her hands and said, General, please rest assured. Ill definitely have it delivered safely. Qianye nodded and watched as she left through the door. After closing the door, he let out a long sigh and realized he was drenched in sweat. This was his first letter to Nighteye. From picking up the pen to having it sent, the entire process was rather difficult. It was even more arduous than killing a virtuous count, and perhaps even as tiring as killing a marquis. After taking the effort to calm down the irregular beating of his blood core, Qianye suddenly recalled that the female officer from just now was too powerful for a lieutenant. But after some thought, he couldnt quite recall how high her cultivation was. Was it rank three, six, or possibly even rank-eight? After this thought, Qianye found, to his surprise, that he actually hadnt seen through her strengththis wasnt normal at all. As the owner of the Eye of Truth, Qianyes eyesight wasnt something ordinary people could compare to, even when he wasnt channeling its powers. Being able to escape Qianyes perception meant that this female officer possessed secret arts superior to the core scions of a superior aristocratic family. But Qianye felt more relieved after further thought. This was Indomitable, the core of the Zhao clans forces, and also the empires final base of operations on the floating continent. It was only natural for the Zhao clan to have hidden agents distributed among the personnel. This female officer must be such an agent who had been transferred in from some other place. With how big the Zhao clan was, it was normal for Qianye not to know her. After walking out of the courtyard, that lieutenant was greeted by a man dressed in imperial uniform but without any clan insignias. She passed the letter in her hand to the man and said, Deliver this letter to the intended address. Do this personally and without fail. The person performed a salutation. Understood, I will handle it appropriately. The lady nodded. Be on your way then, dont delay. That man stepped back and vanished in the blink of an eye. His movement arts were as eerie as they were agile. Despite his strength, he was incomparably respectful toward the female officer and actually didnt dare turn around in front of her. This champions strength was outstanding, but the lady didnt put him in her eyes at all and merely kept on thinking about her own matters. Soon, she broke into a charming smile, and the distant frost on her face came melting down. Hes so different from what the documents say! Hes so dumb, its cute! The dark race main army paused its chase after the vanguard forces suffered a major setback. At this moment, the Zhang clan army had already reached the Zhao clan lands. The enemy could no longer catch up even if they wanted to. The dark army had sustained this pursuit for over a long distance with neither rest nor reorganizationno race, no matter how strong, could handle such exhaustion. Naturally, they didnt want to run into the Zhao clans long-entrenched fortifications. Hence, they simply pulled back from the barren region and began regrouping their forces. Their next arrival would be an all-out battle with the Zhao clan. This gave the Zhao clan''s defensive region a rare period of calmness. The floating continent also saw a short respite from the ongoing flames of war. At this moment, the Zhao clans defensive region was the empires only intact warzone. Half of the Song clans Full Moon Plains had been occupied, and the Li clan was struggling to hold onto the Misty Wood. Presently, Eden had already become everyones nightmare. His accomplishments amounted to half of all human losses in the Misty Wood. Any combat squad running into him, no matter from which family it was, was bound to suffer a disaster. Since the imperial aristocratic families were forming combat squads, Edenas the scion of a famed demonkin clanwasnt lacking in subordinates, either. He now led a group of close to a hundred elite soldiers in the Misty Wood. Not to mention his absolute visual range advantage, he could even take out isolated aristocratic combat squads in head-to-head combat. He was individually powerful and backed by a famed clan. There was nothing the Li clan could do against this kind of near-flawless existence. Only at this point did the people from the Li clan remember the advantages of having Qianye around. The others were able to enjoy an easy hunt because Qianye had been keeping that demonkin busy. Perhaps the most distressed person in the entire base was Elder Li Tianquan. Casualty rates among the aristocracy were rising by the day, so much so that some of the forces were wavering about whether or not they should continue this fight. No matter how bountiful the Li familys rewards were, there was no point if the elites of their respective families were all dead. As for the Storm Pearl, it was indeed a priceless treasure, but there was only one in each phase. Only the few families at the top of the pyramid stood any chance. There was only one person like Qianye, and even then, it was later revealed that he had the support of the Zhao clan. As such, many aristocratic family combat squads began considering a retreat. This wasnt less alarming to Li Tianquan than a bolt of lighting out of the blue. He was privy to the core secrets of the family and understood what these aristocratic families, who had come for their leaderboard, meant to them. Without these forces holding the fort, how could the Li clan defend such a large warzone on their own? Once they had lost the warzone, the Li family would have no choice but to retreat to the Zhao clan warzone like the Zhang and Bai clans. On one hand, it was expected for guests to follow the wishes of the host. On the other hand, the Zhao clans fighting power was largely intact, and it would be all too easy for them to deal with these routed aristocratic forces. Hence, all the aristocratic families would look to the Zhao clan to lead. The others were fine, but the Li family had fallen out with the Zhao clan during the fight for the empress position. Handing control over to the Zhao clan was the last thing they wanted to do. Moreover, whether or not they could hold the Misty Wood was related to a hundred years of their Li clans prosperity and decline. If they could defend it until the end, the Li clan would become an aristocratic family that had managed to protect every inch of their land, just like the Zhao. This also meant that they would be second, if not first, in terms of contribution and rewards. At that point, they would have reached the threshold of a major clan. If the Misty Wood was lost, Li Tianquans elder position would come to a definite end, regardless of the familys future. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 665: Reading Until Dawn [V6C195 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Thus, Edens existence caused a much greater headache for Li Tianquan than for any other aristocratic family. It could be said that the contribution rankings would soon scatter in the winds if this scourge wasnt removed. Even if they could hold out with the Storm Pearl for now, they wouldnt be able to reach the very end. The true reason the Li family had brought out two Storm Pearls was to attract imperial experts to fight for them. The Li familys current lineup wasnt enough to cover a battlefield as large as the Misty Wood. Two Storm Pearls was nothing if they could obtain the Misty Wood. What treasure could compare to the familys chance at being promoted to a major clan? This was the Li familys hundred-year plan. Li Tianquan would be condemned throughout history if things were ruined by his hands. Moreover, there was no telling when things would go south. Even now, there were already people secretly moving to impeach him. He had never imagined that such a good battle situation would be ruined by a single Eden. But what could he do? Li Tianquan knew his own abilitieseven if he took the field personally, it would probably end with him being killed by Eden. Edens advantage in the Misty Wood was simply too great. The aristocratic families had proven this fact with a mountain of corpses. Edens vision in the forest was at least four to five hundred meters, a range sufficient to throw everyone into despair. The more he felt distressed about Eden, the more he hated Qianye. How could things have deteriorated to such a state if the latter were still here to confront Eden? At the thought of this, Li Tianquan couldnt help but curse, Little animal who cant see the bigger picture! Then, he threw the teapot in his hand to the floor. A maid entered silently, cleaned the room, and left just as quietly. Recently, Li Tianquan would smash a couple of teapots each day, and almost everyone around him had gotten used to it. Li Tianquans mood improved quite a bit after smashing a teapot. He had switched to using cheaper teapots now so that he wouldnt feel a heartache every time. But of course, the problem remained unsolved despite the destruction of chinaware. Regarding the release of the Storm Pearl, he was going to confiscate Qianyes reward at first. That would save him the trouble of modifying the leaderboards. The reason he had prepared was that Qianye had left the warzone in advance. This reasoning was somewhat forced because Qianye had only left a few days ahead of time. Besides, even if he did leave early, his position on the ranking couldn''t be broken. Those ranked below him risked life and limb during the last week and fought with everything they had. However, none of them managed to shake Qianyes place. This also meant that the results were the same even if Qianye allowed them to run free for an extra week. One had to remember that Qianye was fighting with Eden during the earlier phases. Although there were many people with the same thought, there was also a substantial number of people who were against him. These people were clear that the current Li clan couldnt even deal with Edenhow were they going to handle Qianye? Just as the arguments were at their peak, Zhao Jundu suddenly sent word to the Li clan: If you dont cough up the Storm Pearl, Ill come and get it with my army! These words left not the slightest leeway nor face for the Li family. The Li family from top to bottom was in turmoil. Zhao Jundu was merely a kid in the eyes of many eldershow dare he act so arrogant? How could his words represent the Zhao clan? Some people immediately cried out, Were the empress clan, why must we fear a fight with the Zhao? In truth, even Li Tianquan looked down upon those who shouted the loudest. If a battle were to break out, these people would be among the first to run. Not to mention other things, how many of them had actually joined the battlefield after all this time on the floating continent? At this moment, the Li family lord suddenly announced that the Storm Pearl must be handed to Qianye without delay. Moreover, he had used his yearly veto-power to bypass the elder assembly and finalize this order. Criticisms immediately echoed throughout the family. Many old fellows cried bitterly and banged their heads on the wall to express their shame for the clan lords decision. As expected, the noisiest ones were the ones who had never fought. Most of the people who had been in the Misty Wood kept their silence because only they knew the meaning behind those cold numbers depicting Qianyes contribution points. It wasnt just his unfathomable combat strengthit implied just how many imperial lives were preserved because of him. Before long, however, Zhao Jundu fought that earth-shattering battle and Zhang Boqians evaluation of him was spread throughout the empire. The Li familys criticisms all disappeared, and all those who had been crying and cursing out loud seemed to have forgotten about all that they had done. Li Tianquan had another problem on his hands. He had once announced that he would add Stillwater Rebirth to Qianyes prize if he could take first place on the rankings. This matter caused a huge ruckus, so everyone knew about it. Li Tianquan really couldnt renege on his words right now. But the problem was, where was he going to find a Stillwater Rebirth? A divine life-saving medicine like Stillwater Rebirth was naturally priceless during times of war. The Li familys current stock already had owners to them, and even the ones under production had been reserved. How could there be any extra portions for Li Tianquan to gamble? The only way Li Tianquan could think of right now was to compensate Qianye with something of equal value. However, even his entire familys fortune wasnt enough for a Stillwater Rebirth. This worry was enough for him to smash a dozen more teapots. Compared to the floating continent, the chaos of the Evernight Continent felt like a holy land. It was so calm that one would hardly be able to adapt. It was afternoon, the sunniest time of the day on Evernight Continent. Nighteye was in the courtyard reading a book when her brows suddenly creased together. She glanced at the gates. A light knock came from the door at that moment. The rhythmic tap was neither too fast nor too slow, and merely maintained a constant frequency. After some thought, Nighteye got up to open the doors. There, she saw a man in his thirties, clad in an imperial military uniform devoid of military ranks or insignia. Nighteye had never seen him before, but unrelated personnel werent allowed in the Dark Flame Headquarters. This man looked calm on the surface, but he was like a raging volcano inside. His origin power surged wildly, and his gaze was practically overflowing with killing intent. A single meeting told Nighteye he was someone who had walked through seas of blood and mountains of corpses, the most dangerous kind of person. Moreover, she couldnt see through this mans strength at all, only that he was a champion. Nighteyes eye ability leaned toward slaughter and was a bit different from Qianyes Eye of Truth that could see through the world. Hers was somewhat lacking in the perception department. But Nighteye was dazed for only a moment. She immediately said with a smile, Do you need anything? The man was also startled upon seeing Nighteye, almost as though he hadnt expected to see this ordinary looking girl with no origin power. He asked in uncertainty, Is this General Qianyes residence? Yes, it is. But Qianye isnt home. The man sighed in relief. Thats great, I come bearing a letter from General Qianye. With that, he very carefully produced Qianyes letter from his pocket. He seemed afraid of causing even the slightest damage to it. After receiving the letter, Nighteye smiled upon recognizing Qianyes writing on the envelope. Its written by Qianye, thank you! Do you want to sit for a while? The man exhaled. No, thank you. I must report back. With that, he bowed deeply at Nighteye and left. In the blink of an eye, he had made a turn around the corner and vanished. Nanhua arrived hurriedly at that moment, brushing past that man along the way. She actually shivered as though she had sensed something, but by the time she had come to, the man had already disappeared. Nanhua stood at the courtyard gates and asked, Did that man come to see you? Nighteye nodded. Qianye wrote me a letter, and that man brought it to me. Delivering a letter!? Such a person delivering a letter? This isnt this too extravagant?! Nanhua found it unbelievable. She felt that the mans strength was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean. Nighteye said indifferently, I dont know. The letter was written by Qianye, and thats enough for me. Nanhua said, Qianyes writing? That bastard finally writes you a letter. How many months has it been!? Nighteye smiled faintly. The battles over there mustve come to a pause. He wont be telling me all this if hes busy fighting every day. Nanhua sighed lightly. Hes afraid youll be worried about him? How blissful! Nighteye accepted these words with a calm nod. Then I wont disturb you anymore. You take your time reading the letter. This is the first time Ive seen one that thick. Nanhua left with a chuckle. Nighteye returned to her room, opened the letter, and began reading through it in detail. The letter was about the special places Qianye had visited recently. After describing the place in detail, he would always add I should bring you here to see. Perhaps he himself hadnt noticed it, but these words were the most repeated in the entire letter. The letter was like a stack of clumsy travel notes. It sounded like his footsteps had covered every corner of the floating continent, and that he wanted to bring her to see all the pause-worthy places. Just like that, she kept on reading and reading, revealing a knowing smile from time to time. She read until the sun had set, the lanterns were lit, the stars filled the sky, and up until the first rays of dawn broke through the horizon. By the time the light dawn washed over the Evernight Continent, that man had returned to the floating continent and was standing before the mysterious woman. I managed not to disgrace your command. He was looking quite miserable at this momenthis uniform was torn in many places, and there was an evident scratch mark on his face. Clearly, traveling back and forth between the void landmass and Evernight continent was extremely arduous. As though she hadnt seen his condition, the female lieutenant merely nodded and said, You may leave. The man bowed respectfully, exited the room, and locked the doors behind him. He didnt leave immediately and, instead, stared vacantly at the closed doors. Only after a long while did he breathe a long sigh and vanish into the darkness. This door had never opened for him, and it never would. Inside the room, the lady sat silently before a thick stack of documents. It was a mystery what she was thinking. The information in front of her was only related to two people: Qianye and Li Kuanglan. Her finger brushed over Li Kuanglans name as she whispered, Ive returned. Come fight me again, let me see how youll win this time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 666: Wait For my Arrival [V6C196 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] In the depths of the void, a magnificent vampire warship warped silently away, heading toward the barely discernible floating continent in the distance. In front of the cabin windows stood a thin man. He was tightly wrapped in a beautiful black robe, almost as though he was afraid of the chill. A dozen or so vampires of extraordinary bearing stood in his company. They wore, on their collars, insignias depicting a snake coiling around a golden rose. This was the emblem of the number one vampire clan, the Perth clan, and also the symbol of the Queen of the Night. One among them was as stout as a steel tower. This vampire of extraordinary build took a step forward and said, Holy Son, well be arriving at the floating continent soon but are we really going against the Evernight Councils orders? The man at the window turned about slowly, revealing his deathly pale countenance and the sanguineous flames burning in the depths of his sunken eyes. Judging from his facial features and frame, he was very likely the vampire Holy Son, Edward. Compared to the past, however, he had become evidently emaciated and was nothing more than skin and bones right now. Moreover, he was trembling uncontrollably. Even though Edward looked frail enough to be blown down by the wind, a flash of bloody lightning seemed to flicker through the void when he turned about. Many of the vampires took an involuntary step back and only the strongest ones could barely remain in place. Ignore those old fools. Theyve lived for far too long, and they no longer have any guts. Edwards voice was hoarse and grating to the ears. That burly man said, But youre still undergoing punishment. You wont be able to exert your full strength. Edward let out a hoarse laugh. Zhao Jundus cultivation is weaker than me to begin with. In my current state, we can be considered barely equal. If I dont even have the courage to fight a weak human on equal grounds, how can we be considered a sacred race? How can I be considered a Holy Son? The vampire races pride and aloofness were notorious throughout Evernight. After hearing these words, all the vampire experts at the scene saw their eyes turn a bloody color and almost entered a state of bloodboil. Eh? One of the vampires pointed outside the window and exclaimed, W-What is that?! In the direction he was pointing at, there was a warship so slender that it looked like a willow leaf. Its silhouette was elegant despite the lack of ornaments. It traversed the void in utter silence. If it wasnt for everyone being experts here, they mightve thought the airship wasnt moving at all. This specter-like airship would flicker occasionally, shifting its bearing every time it did so and moving a set distance forward. A short distance one could see in the void was actually rather far. The important part was that this airship''s peculiar movement reminded all the vampires of a certain legend gathering dust in their memories. Could it be that airship? The viscounts voice was trembling. No one made fun of him because even the Holy Son Edward found his breathing labored. A certain count broke the silence later on. He said slowly, Theres only one airship that moves in this manner, and that airships owner has never changed before. Edward finally spoke, his voice tinged with undisguisable bitterness. Yes, its the Demoness from the Masefield clan. Wasnt it rumored that shes been slumbering in the depths of the void? Dont forget the other legend. It has been said that her awakening means shes broken through the demonkins sky gate. These words silenced the entire ship. Those capable of standing here were the core powers of the vampire race and were privy to many secrets unbeknownst to outsiders. They were also aware of what the sky gate, the final bottleneck of the demonkin, signified. At this time, there was a similar thought going back and forth through their hearts. Could it be that, after a thousand years, the demonkin race was about to produce a new great dark monarch? Even though this great monarch was a thing of the distant future, it was enough to topple the Evernight Councils power distribution. Besides, the Demoness had always been shrouded in legends. It wasnt entirely impossible for her to add a seat to the highest echelons of the council. Such a possibility, no matter how small, was enough to shake the entire world of Evernight. That was because it could produce a fundamental subversion in the councils thousand-year-old lineup. Regarding her legends, no one had doubted that she would awaken in the end, but no one expected it to happen so quickly, either! The period from the beginning of the rumors to her awakening was less than a decade. Ten years was only a brief moment in the long lives of the dark races. An invisible gaze was projected at them from the distant airship. In that split second, all the vampires felt as though an icy wave had washed over them. Even their blood cores froze for a moment. Edward was, after all, the Holy Son of the vampire racehe suddenly erupted into a mist of purple blood which enveloped all the vampires and resisted the invisible tide. However, his blood energy fluctuated violently and its color quickly dimmed down. Apparently, he was quickly being drained and wouldnt be able to hold out for very long. Fortunately, the icy tide left just as quickly as it had arrived. It vanished in the blink of an eye without leaving the slightest of traces. Only the pale faces and trembling bodies of the vampires remained as proof of its existence. Edward recovered his humanoid form and stood in silence, his expression extremely solemn. An unyielding viscount said in anger, Unforgivable! She actually attacked us for no good reason. Your Majesty, let me take the warship and fight it out with her. You go back first and avenge me after your penalty is over! Everyone echoed his sentiments, determined to fight to the death. That sudden attack just now was quite shameful for them. As members of the number one Perth clan, how could they endure such humiliation? They couldnt allow the Queen of the Nights prestige to fall below that of the Demonkin. However, Edward wasnt angered; on the contrary, he only gazed out of the window in a daze. He only sighed moments later. That wasnt an attack, she only shot us a glance. A glance? All the vampire experts were speechless. This was a level they simply couldnt touch. Even the fiercest of them no longer dared to mention a fight to the death. Fighting to the death and throwing away ones life were two different things. They didnt even have the right to fight a proper battle against her. Edward shook his head. Her strength isnt as great as you think. Its just that let it be, you lot wont understand anyway. There weren''t any ordinary people among those standing here. They all understood the meaning in Edwards comment. Regarding the person on that faraway spectral ship, the weaker she currently was, the more terrifying she would be. The spectral ship kept moving along its original trajectory toward the floating continent. The interior of the warship was filled with primal chaos. Intense darkness suffused the entire area, shrouding everything in sable. The black hue wasnt an illusion, eitherit was a genuine existence formed of extremely pure darkness origin power. The entire airship interior was filled with darkness origin power. A sudden mechanical voice rang out therein, Young Miss, the vampire race Holy Son, Edward, is on your list. Do you want to go and fight him? A shadow emerged from the depths of the darkness, rather hazy and seemingly condensed from darkness origin power. However, the vague outline of her silhouette was enough to make people feel parched. She moved as though she were levitating and slowly landed in front of the cabin windows. Edward is suffering from a blood ignition penalty, not worth our time at all. That place is where I must go. Her fingers pointed to the void continent. The voice conversing with her was mechanical yet gentle and warm. What exactly is there? The future heavenly monarch of the human race. Its worth taking a look even if the humans are just blowing their own trumpets, right? Their race rarely talks big. She remained silent for a while and said, Additionally, I have a feeling that my true, destined nemesis is there. How surprising, are you referring to that future heavenly monarch? Maybe yes, maybe not. This was the first time since her awakening that she couldnt confirm something related to her. Just like that, the spectral ship flickered on toward the floating continent. The members on duty had all arrived at the great hall of the Evernight Council. Those who couldnt come were represented by projections. The meeting today was exceptionally important, and there was only one topicthe possibility of a sixth human heavenly monarch. The dozens of top characters from Evernight were discussing this matter. A storm of origin power swept through the hall as countless powerful intents conversed in the darkness. They couldnt be blamed for their loss of composure because everything that had happened recently was simply too shocking. The last time humans enjoyed such glory, the Great Qin Empire was born. Even with one less heavenly monarch, it would be the second coming of the Martial Ancestor if one of the six proved himself an outstanding character. Although the Pointer Monarch was the strongest human expert in name, he was gradually aging and had no hope of advancement. Originally, Zhao Jundu wasnt powerful enough to enter the sight of these Evernight bigshots. However, his performance throughout this period was simply too perfect. He had managed to lay low whenever he should and take action wherever it was warranted. At a glance, it looked like his actions then would affect his future foundations, but if he didnt even dare do battle at such a critical juncture, what was the use of all that pure origin power? That which Zhao Jundu had displayed was true perfection; even his breadth of mind was just as impressive. It was harder to evaluate such a person. The Evernight bigshots argued back and forth but found themselves unable to reach a conclusion regarding Zhao Jundus future prospects. Would he barely reach the heavenly monarch stage? Was he destined to surpass Zhang Boqian? Or would he fail to advance altogether? There was no clear verdict since every theory had its own merits and supporters. Gradually, a certain voice, likely belonging to a duke-level expert, started to gain ground. That was to forcibly kill Zhao Jundu and effectively nip the danger at its bud. Most supporters of this plan were those who believed Zhao Jundus accomplishments wouldnt be inferior to Zhang Boqian. There were also those who opposed this. The empire was vast, its citizens were as abundant as sand, and geniuses kept popping up from every layer of society. How were they going to kill them every day? Just as the arguments were at their peak, a cold voice suddenly rang out amongst them, Have you not considered the possibility of Lin Xitang becoming a heavenly monarch? These words silenced the entire hall. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 667: Dark Currents [V6C197 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Everyone looked toward this voice and saw the newly ascended princethe one who had ignited a seal in the River of BloodHabsburg of the Flaming Crown. His position in the council had risen by leaps and bounds after igniting the seal. However, he spoke so rarely that people had almost forgotten his existence. But he had actually spoken such astonishing words during the meeting. Many people knew that Habsburg had dealings with Lin Xitang before. They immediately began wondering whether he knew something. At the level of a council member, no one would speak lies so easily. In addition to strength, reputation was also something valued by the true bigshots. A white-haired elder spoke only after a while, We indeed cannot exclude such a possibility, but we need to verify it. Everyone fell into silence at this point. Verify? How were they to verify this? In the recent twenty years, the empires Twin Paragons had always been at the forefront of the factional conflict. Since Lin Xitangs rise to fame, the Evernight Council had lost count of how many times they had suffered in the mans hands. Be it in terms of scheming, war, or divination, countless characters from the council had taken the field but failed to gain an advantage. Comparatively, they were more willing to fight Zhang Boqian. One could still fight a satisfying battle against Prince Greensun, but it was hard to fight against Lin Xitang even if they wanted tothey would always suffer losses for baffling reasons. This was the most distressing point for the council members. If they had gone to verify whether or not he had ascended to the heavenly monarch rank, it was more than likely that they would be tricked instead. The odds favored them suffering a loss instead of obtaining key information. At the thought of this, many eyes fell upon Habsburg. This matter was his suggestion, so it was expected for him to handle it. However, Habsburg of the Flaming Crown sat entirely still with no intention of accepting this mission. It was as though someone else had spoken those words just now. The Arachne Warlord Noxus, who was presiding over the meeting, knocked on the table after a moment of inexplicable silence. We shall return to the original topic, do we need to carry out preventive measures regarding Zhao Jundu? Heated debates arose once more, with one group insisting that they couldnt allow the humans to do as they wished, while the other arguing that the dignity of the councils bigshots had to be maintained. Attempting to assassinate a young genius was simply too low a move; was the Evernight Council so afraid of the empire? Even if the humans really produced another Martial Ancestor, the councils three dictators were enough to suppress him. As the arguments reached the fiercest point, someone sneered, Were arguing back and forth here, but it looks like those little fellows can no longer sit still. Quite a few of them shouldve run off to the floating continent, right? There are indeed seven or eight of them headed there, likely to challenge Zhao Jundu. At this moment, an arachne duke sneered at the demonkin grand duke sitting across from him. To challenge Zhao Jundu? Thats not all, is it? The Demoness of your race suddenly awakened at such a time. What exactly does that mean? I thought I heard that the void was her home ground. The families who had juniors headed to the void continent became apprehensive. Their thoughts turned about quicklythey began contacting their subordinates outside of the council, seeking to confirm news of their juniors. The major races within the Evernight faction had been in conflict for over ten thousand years; it could be said that nothing was going too far for them. The Masefield Demoness advantage in the void was matchless, and even stronger experts would usually lose to her there. If she were to hide in the void and ambush some of the young experts who were on their way to the void continent, she could bring about a generational death for their families. Those who dared to challenge Zhao Jundu at this point were the most prominent geniuses of the Evernight factions younger generation. If they were killed, there might not be any other opponent for her for the next couple of decades. This wasnt a blind guess. The demonkin races intention to control the Evernight world had been growing increasingly evident in recent centuries. It was just that the enmity between the races was simply too deep for any chance at cooperation. For instance, the werewolves and vampires would never work together against the demonkin. The vampires and the arachne looked harmonious, but things werent as simple as they looked on the surface. There were all kinds of battles going on behind the scenes, each attempting to bring the other party down a notch. All of them were hoping to take second place first before challenging the first. The Masefield grand duke laughed in the face of the arachnes criticism. We really dont need to scheme in order to kill the two spiderlings from your family. The arachne duke was furious. He shot up from his seat and shouted, Does that mean you really intend to attack? The demonkin wasnt shaken by this. Im not sure about other things, but I do know that your little spiders arent worth her time. This was undisguised disdain. Apparently, he didnt even view these arachne scions as worthwhile opponentsthey lacked even the qualifications to be potential rivals. The arachne duke secretly sighed in relief because his two descendants indeed lacked the ability to fight back against the Masefield Demoness. Judging from the pride the demonkin had formed over ten thousand years, they certainly wouldnt attack the arachne scions after saying so. The debates continued from dawn until dusk but no consensus was reached. None of the races were willing to give in regarding such important matters. It wasnt uncommon for the arguments to go on for several days. There was nervousness amidst the tranquility in Indomitable. Airships came and went every day, moving vast amounts of resources and troops into the stronghold. The Zhang clan had claimed its territory in the inner circle of the city and started building dedicated fortresses outside. Soon, the other aristocratic families followed suitthey tacitly acknowledged the Zhao clans leading position as they began constructing all kinds of facilities nearby. Even the Li family had picked an area inside the city to construct a courtyard. It was just that they didnt build independent fortresses outside the city, a firm display of their determination to hold the Misty Wood. Indomitable was transforming with each passing day as the fortifications outside of the city rose steadily. All the families made steep investments, utilizing large numbers of airships and even mobilizing experts for the construction project. At this rate, a new cluster of fortresses would appear in a matter of days. The inner region of Indomitable was relatively quiet. This was where the highest ranking officers and aristocracy lived, and the facilities here had long since been constructed. Early in the night, Qianye entered the cultivation chamber as usual and activated the origin array, prepared to begin his cultivation for the day. Before long, the room was suffused with white mist that almost dripped on ones hands. This wasnt steam but the daybreak origin power condensed by the array. The aggregation of origin power on the void continent was much quicker than on the main continents. However, the energy here was contaminated with a fair amount of void origin powerit couldnt be absorbed directly and had to be refined via special arrays. Such a refinement array was fairly expensive and only available for a handful of important people. If Qianyes treatment was still at the brigadier general grade, he wouldnt be able to use this chamber at all. After taking his seat in the chamber, Qianye began circulating the Profound Combatant Formula. It had been several months since he had the time to cultivate at ease. He could supply his origin power requirements with tree sap back in the Misty Wood, but his daybreak origin power cultivation had stagnated after leaving it. Just like the days prior, an origin vortex would gradually form and expand as he circulated the Profound Combatant Formula. The suction force produced therein would draw upon the origin power in the vicinity. Within the cultivation chamber, the mist formed of daybreak origin power started to spin and was gradually absorbed into his body. Moments later, the white mist in the chamber grew sparse as the newly formed origin power was continuously absorbed into his body. It wasnt enough for use at all. At this moment, a colonel in the control room shot up from his seat and exclaimed, Why is it like this again? All eyes moved instantly toward him. On the projection in front of him was a simplified diagram of the entire inner city. There were close to a hundred light spots, each one representing an origin array. This number was the result of many years of accumulation since even the Zhao clan could only produce a number of them each year. A small number of them were provided by the imperial clan and other aristocratic families. Since they were a precious strategic resource, the Zhao clan had included supplementary arrays during their installation to measure their condition at all times. At the moment, most of the nodes on the projection were blue, indicating that they were normal. A small number of them were different shades of yellow which indicated that these arrays were converting origin power at close to full capacity. However, there was one node that was bright red and flickering continuouslythis signified that the origin array was overloaded and might suffer damage. All the officers in the room crowded over after seeing this. How can this be? Just how many people did they stuff inside? All origin arrays had an upper limit to their operation, but they should have no problem serving an expert at the rank of lieutenant general or even higher. Only those close to or at the divine champion level could cause them to be overloaded. However, experts at that level were all major characters. They usually possessed their own cultivation facilities and werent likely to use these cultivation chambers. Apart from Duke You Zhao Xuanji, there werent any divine champion level experts either in this area. Duke Yous residence wouldnt be on the surveillance grid, either. Then, who was this person? Who was actually pushing the highest-grade origin array to its limits? The greatest possibility was that some people were secretly sharing this cultivation chamber meant for a single expert above the lieutenant general rank. This was a fairly serious crime because even middle and lower ranking aristocratic families couldnt afford the price of a single array. In the face of his colleagues guess, the colonel responded helplessly, Ive sent people to check a couple of days ago. Theres only one person in there. A single person?! How is that possible? Could that person have come over secretly? Why did we not receive any news? Gasps of astonishment rose and fell in the room. As this was the core region of the Zhao clan, it would be a serious matter if any divine champion level expert were to sneak inside. Someone asked amidst the cries of surprise, Who is this person you speak of? The identity of the residents in each courtyard was supposed to be a secret, and most of the officers in the control room didnt have access to this information. However, that voice seemed to contain a bizarre power, which forced the colonel to reply subconsciously, General Qianye from the Fourth Young Masters residence. Trembling, the colonel suddenly woke up after saying this. Leaking secrets was a major crime especially during these important times, one that could lose him his head. He got up quickly and saw a female lieutenant walking away. Only after she had left through the door did the colonel remember something. Why was there a lieutenant in the control room? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 668: Visitor [V6C198 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The colonel looked around and found his colleagues still in heated discussion, but none of them seemed to have noticed the lieutenant. It was as though this lady had never existed before. This eerie incident left the colonel both terrified and bewildered. Moments later, even he himself could no longer ascertain whether or not this mysterious lieutenant had ever appeared before. Qianye was completely ignorant about what had happened at the control center. At this moment, he was focused on circulating the Profound Combatant Formula and preventing the vortex in his body from its continued expansion. Qianye knew that the origin array buried under the floor was already being overloaded. However, he knew that the array was still a fair distance away from its absolute limit since no origin power flow could escape his True Sight. It looked somewhat dangerous at the moment, but there was no danger of damaging the array at all. The real difficulty lay in the control of the Profound Combatant Formula. The deeper his cultivation, the more he could feel the might of the Profound Combatant Formula. This artderived and perfected by the Martial Ancestorassumed the form of an ocean vortex, drawing upon the origin power of the heaven and earth. Its tyrannical power was beyond imagination. Once Qianye had cultivated it to a profound level, the culmination of his nine origin vortices would be able to tear open the void and allow him to absorb void origin power. Even though Qianye had only condensed two origin vortices, he could drain all the origin power within a hundred meters if he went all outeven the void origin power would be affected. There were several courtyards within this one hundred meter range, occupied by people of no lesser statusthings would be quite problematic if he did that. Once Qianye was closer to the divine champion rank, he would drain all of the origin power within a thousand meters. At that point, he might be the only one in an entire fortress who could cultivate. Qianye had read through many classics and also asked Song Zining to collect informationit was confirmed that he was the only one apart from Zhang Boqian who could cultivate the Profound Combatant Formula. Naturally, the fewer the people who knew about this secret, the better. As such, Qianye had been controlling the formula cautiously and restricting its range within the walls of his courtyard, lest he invites more trouble. However, it was fairly difficult to control such a tyrannical formula. Qianye was investing his full attention, yet it felt like he was holding up an ocean. He didnt dare get distracted at all. During this subtle moment, some ripples formed on the steadily circulating origin vortex. The ripples looked quite small, but they were acting upon an origin vortex capable of tearing through the void. A small deviation could culminate into a major disaster. Qianyes heart shook. He immediately used his full power to stabilize the whirlpool of origin power and barely managed to get through the danger. However, the vortex moved again for some reason and formed an ocean spray. Once was acceptable, but a second episode of the same nature immediately alerted Qianye. He calmly maintained the Profound Combatant Formula but secretly activated his True Sight in the process. No origin power transformation could hide under his True Sight. Qianye soon noticed a barely discernible wisp of origin power appear and point toward the eye of his origin vortex. This origin power was extremely obscure. Qianye wouldnt have noticed it if his perception wasnt several times superior to his peers. This origin power possessed peculiar properties. It pulsed in and out of existence as though it were a part of the void. However, there was a terrifying power contained within it, capable of inducing a faint reaction from Qianyes ocean vortex. It almost seemed to be interested in Qianyes origin vortex, and even circled it a couple of times in a constant attempt to approach it. However, the origin vortex would react whenever this foreign energy closed in, quickly utilizing great power in a bid to crush this unknown origin power. That wisp of origin power would sense the attack every time and run away immediately. Qianye maintained the stability of the oceanic origin vortex and contended patiently with that mysterious origin power. The latter made repeated attempts at probing the heart of the whirlpool. But how could Qianye give it that opportunity? After the two had circled about for a while, that wisp of origin power gradually grasped the rhythm of his origin vortex and began pushing toward the center. However, this was an intentional opening created by Qianye to draw it deeper. He would then destroy this intruder by fully activating the vortex. Just as Qianye was waiting to act, a cold tide arrived from the skies and shot past his body. The arrival of this tide caused the Profound Combatant Formula to escape his control entirely, erupting with full force as though it had just encountered a powerful enemy. With a loud boom, the roof of Qianyes cultivation chamber was pulverized and scattered in all directions. The walls crumbled under the terrifying pressure, which expanded rapidly to the main building and even the courtyard fence, crushing everything in its wake. In the blink of an eye, a shallow pit several dozen meters in area appeared around Qianye. The courtyard he was in had vanished entirely, and only the cultivation chamber foundations were left intact. The effects werent limited to his courtyard alonethe surrounding ones were also caught in the disaster, with most of them left half-destroyed. The commotion was too great. The owners of the surrounding courtyards all flew into the air and were bewildered upon seeing the rubble below. That terrifying destructive pressure had appeared suddenly like a raging tsunami and destroyed everything in its path. Even though the people living in the area were all true experts, this void rending power shook them deeply and even made them apprehensive. This was the core area of the city, and there were innumerable guards stationed here, both secret and otherwise. In a flash, several Zhao clan experts emerged from the darkness and sealed off the scene. Meanwhile, Qianye was sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the rubble. Two Zhao clan experts flew toward Qianye and inquired about the course of events. Their attitude was fairly polite since they had already recognized him. Disregarding his relationship with the Zhao clan, his personal accomplishments alone were enough to demand respect. They didnt dare rush to conclusions. At this moment, Qianye had barely managed to curb the explosive power of the Profound Combatant Formula. He stood up, looked around at the rubble around him, and said awkwardly, I seem to have lost control of my origin power during cultivation. Everyone at the scene was an expert. They had immediately discerned that the source of the problem lay with Qianye. They had, at first, thought that he had lost control while practicing a certain powerful combat art. After hearing that it was actually his cultivation art that had lost control, everyones expression became quite spectacular. What kind of cultivation art could go out of control like this? That tempest of origin power just now was quite withdrawn in its power. It seemed to be limited within a couple dozen meters, but in truth, it was really terrifying. The impact was enough to seriously injure a person if he were caught off-guard. A force capable of rending the voidwhat did this entail? It wasnt an issue of how much origin power, but the level it was at. Many lieutenant generals might have deeper origin power compared to Qianye, but it was impossible for them to tear through the void. In the wake of such a terrifying loss of control, it could be considered light if half of ones bones were fractured. However, they saw Qianye stand up calmly without so much as a wound on his body. This caused everyone to freeze up. The major clans enjoyed a thousand years of inheritance, and no one knew just how many secret arts they possessed. Qianye had risen meteorically in recent years, and the only reason he wasnt so dazzling was because he was somewhat overshadowed by Zhao Jundus brilliance. Any other aristocratic family would surely pour all resources at their disposal into nurturing him. Hence, it wasnt particularly surprising for Qianye to have obtained some secret arts or formulas from the clan. Things seemed more plausible at the thought of this. The peoples gazes became complicated by envy and jealousy. However, to be able to cultivate up to this point, they were all quite aware of their own abilities. Although Qianyes secret art was peerless in might, one could tell at a glance that it wasnt something just anyone could cultivate. If they were to train in it, they might be crushed to a pulp before achieving anything. The Zhao clan experts searched through the rubble and found that the cultivation array under the chamber was fortunately intact. The arrays in the neighboring courtyards werent affected, either. These arrays made for aggregating and refining origin power were the most valuable assets. Comparatively, the courtyard buildings werent even worth mentioning. Thus, the incident passed by just like that. Someone led Qianye to a different courtyard which would be his new residence. The other experts with damaged courtyards couldnt enjoy this kind of preferential treatment. All they could do was live somewhere else until their residences had been repaired. They didnt complain, though, since Zhao Jundu had already spoken of this matter personally. No one was willing to offend the future sixth Heavenly Monarch for such a small issue. After everyone had dispersed, that female lieutenant gradually appeared from the darkness. She stood not too far from the crowd, but no one could discover her presence. She gazed at the destroyed courtyard with a tinge of disappointment and muttered to herself, One who can release but cant control. How can such a person be worth paying attention to? Kuanglan, I hope you dont disappoint me again. However, there was a certain doubt lingering in her heart, and she kept on gazing silently at the remains of the cultivation chamber for a long time. Qianyes expression was dark as he arrived at the new courtyard and sat down inside the cultivation chamber. The tide of frost just now was the true reason he had lost control of the Profound Combatant Formula. However, it was neither visible nor tangible, and even harder to grasp than the wisp of obscure origin powerQianye didnt even know what it was. Since he started cultivating the Profound Combatant Formula, Qianye had known that this was an art developed by the Martial Ancestor. Even the ancestor himself never managed to cultivate it to the end; he was only able to reach the divine champion stage with it. Just who was it that had made the formula lose control? Thus, the night quickly passed by in puzzlement. The same female lieutenant came to deliver a letter at dawn, but she turned to leave after handing him the letter. This time, Qianye discovered that he actually couldnt discern her strength! The first one to hide from Qianyes Eye of Truth was Nighteye. She possessed the primogenitors bloodline, and her Bloodline Concealment was something Qianye knew very well. The next was Song Zining; he couldnt isolate himself from the spying, but he could mislead and disrupt the process. Zhao Jundu, on the other hand, had never concealed his own strength before. He was confident enough to allow everyone to see him clearly. He would let his opponent know that his loss was only right and proper. But this lady actually rendered his Eye of Truth ineffective. Apparently, her secret arts were absolutely shockingthere was no way she could be a mere lieutenant. Qianyes brows rose sharply as he gazed at her receding figure. He realized that the appearance he was seeing might not be real, either. If that were the case, her appearance altering abilities must be truly out of the ordinary. Qianye shut the courtyard doors after her figure had disappeared and opened the letter. There were only a few lines on the paper: The promise of life and death draws near. General, how goes your preparations? I shall visit you shortly and see everything for myself. Li Kuanglan. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 669: Auspiciousness Descends from the Heavens [V6C199 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Li Kuanglan? Qianye immediately recalled that lightning-fast sword of ice, that mirage-like blue robe, and that friend-cum-foe, Li Kuanglan. It was just that Zhao Jundu had already blocked that life and death battle for him, so why was she calling on him now? Qianye actually had no interest at all in a showdown on the eve of such a great battle. He would rather use any extra strength he had against the dark races. Was the enemy assault not serious enough? Even the Zhang clan had been beaten back. On the other hand, a madman like Li Kuanglan might do just about anything. One couldnt speak reason with her. Additionally, with her powerful combat strength and the Li family as support, she had long since gotten used to causing troublealmost nothing could restrain her. It was just that her actions seemed to go against her promise with Zhao Jundu. With the fourth young masters temperament, he might actually bring the army to the Li family to debate this matter. The moment he thought of this, Qianye threw the notion to the back of his head. Zhao Jundu took pretty good care of him, but he couldnt keep relying on this brother for everything. Moreover, Qianyes combat arts had been refined in fire after going through a perilous battle with Eden and not too far off from Zhao Jundu himself. After formally reaching the level of an ancient vampire count, his body was being upgraded by the auric flame blood with each passing day. Hence, he started looking forward to his meeting with Li Kuanglan. Qianye began thinking of something as he put the letter down. Just who was this lieutenant? On the other side of Indomitable, an ashen-faced Song Zining rushed into the Zhao clan camp and made straight for Zhao Jundus central army. At every checkpoint, he only needed to flash his identity token to be allowed through. In truth, the seventh young noble was currently quite famous on the floating continent, if not throughout the world, and most of the Zhao clan soldiers recognized him. The inspections were only formalities born of obligation and duty. He faced obstruction only when he reached Zhao Jundus office. However, Song Zining lifted the female secretary up with a wave of his fan, put her down behind him, and then entered the room. Zhao Jundu was reading a battle report behind his desk. He said without even looking up, Bullying my secretary, what standards! Are you going to take responsibility for her? The standard of your words is really not impressive! Song Zining mocked unceremoniously. Hey, youre doing quite a lousy job with nurturing your temperament. At this rate, your cultivation will drop in a couple of years. Zhao Jundu seemed to be in a good mood. Song Zining noticed that he was indeed too anxious. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and said, Whats with Li Kuanglan? What? Dont pretend you dont know! Why is she here to find Qianye? Zhao Jundu finally looked up calmly and said, Oh youre talking about that. Youre pretty well-informed, arent you? Song Zining replied furiously, Rubbish! She wasnt hiding it at all. Whats so strange about me knowing about it? Dont tell me you dont know. Zhao Jundu smiled indifferently. Of course, I know. But its nothing serious, dont fret about it. Nothing serious my ass! Havent you already settled things with her? Of course I have, but the thing I settled was the life and death battle. I dont care about anything else. Li Kuanglan didnt come here to fight to the death, either. She only wants to swap pointers. Song Zining sneered, Swap pointers? Dont tell me you dont know about her sword arts. More than one person has died swapping pointers with Li Kuanglan. Zhao Jundu leaned onto the chair and looked at Song Zining with a spurious smile. In any case, its fine as long as no one dies. Its fine even if hes beaten black and blue. Speaking of which, its pretty strange for you to be so concerned! Song Zining stared at Zhao Jundu for a long while. His face sank upon seeing that the latter had no intention of giving in. Do as you wish! But if something really happens, dont blame me for what Ill do. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, You probably cant do anything to the Li family with your current power. Song Zining was just about to step outside the door, but he stopped upon hearing these words. He responded slowly, I really dont have a lot of merit, but I do like to hold grudges. With that, he left, banging the door loudly behind him. A frosty smile appeared on Zhao Jundus lips. You dare slam my door? Looks like you dont know how vengeful I am. Men! The female officer entered after hearing his summons. What are your orders? Zhao Jundu replied, Collect a list of all the unmarried girls from our family. Ill handle it immediately. The secretary left, puzzled as to why the fourth young master would want this list. It would seem he was looking to arrange an engagement for a certain young noble? However, the fourth young master had never been interested in such matters. Could it be that he had finally thought it through and was about to start preparing for his succession? Within the office, Zhao Jundu was tapping lightly on the table. He pondered for a moment before breaking into a sudden laugh and muttering to himself, Be obedient or I might just let Yuying marry you! After leaving the Zhao clan camp, Song Zining ran back to his office and summoned his trusted aides for a secret meeting. Soon, these subordinates left in a hurry. An intelligence network thus sprang to life, collecting all information regarding Li Kuanglans visit. The Song Zining of today didnt just hold the status of a Song clan young master. He had long since gained his own agents and influence. Presently, the young geniuses from back then were already capable of wielding great power on their own. Zhao Jundu was publicly recognized as a person who could handle great responsibilities, and Song Zining had also revealed outstanding talents. He was already qualified, albeit barely, to manage the defense of several counties. Qianye wasnt as famous, but judging from how he could slaughter a virtuous count, he was beyond qualified for the lieutenant-general rank. The only issue was that his origin power cultivation was still somewhat lacking. Comparatively, the older Song Zicheng still needed to borrow his status as a Song clan young master to do everything, and he would likely need to continue doing this for many years to come. Song Zining mobilized his information network without the slightest bit of hesitation, but Li Kuanglan had arrived much faster than anticipated. At dusk, a slender and magnificent airship appeared over the horizon and flew rapidly toward Indomitable. Li Kuanglan stood as calm as an ancient well, her hands clasped behind her back as she gazed at the approaching city. The tender maid standing behind her asked, Just who here is worth traveling tens of thousands of kilometers for? You even set aside such important matters. Li Kuanglan replied, You dont understand, I must come. The maid pouted. Even though I dont understand war and statecraft, I can tell whats good and bad. It must be those senseless fellows causing problems again. Li Kuanglan said with a laugh, It is indeed related to those people, but this time, it is I who wanted to come and see a certain person. Who is it that you have to rush over to see? A dumb but interesting fellow. The maids eyes lit up as she cried out, Oh ho ho, this is the first time Ive heard you give such an evaluation. I really must see this person. Li Kuanglans expression instantly turned wooden. Are you looking to die? The maid wasnt afraid of her at all and only kept on giggling. The airship sped forth at full speed and arrived above Indomitable. The other airships patrolling the airspace approached the vessel but returned to their routes after seeing a certain insignia, allowing the airship to fly right above the city. Apparently sensing something, Li Kuanglan leapt head first off the airship and shot toward the city like a comet. Ah! Wait for me! the maid cried out and actually followed suit. She made a couple of turns through the air and flew toward Indomitable. In the courtyard, Qianye was feeling quite restless. He tried to cultivate several times, but he didnt dare activate the Profound Combatant Formula in this state of mind. The reason for him losing control last night hadnt been made clear yet, and he just couldnt get that icy tide out of his mind. Song Zining had told Qianye before that there were countless experts from both sides disrupting the heavenly mysteries of this floating continent. This rendered most divination arts ineffective, and even he himself couldnt calculate anything. For ordinary warriors, it would affect their sensitivity to danger and cause their state of mind to fluctuate. But that was for ordinary soldiershow could it affect those with great willpower like Qianye, Zhao Jundu, or even Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian? Yet for some reason, this abnormal problem had happened to Qianye. This made him restless and even unable to cultivate. After several unfruitful attempts, Qianye had no choice but to leave the cultivation chamber in frustration. Not to mention the great war going on at the moment, the level of his own blood energy had far surpassed his daybreak origin power once again and was in urgent need of balancing. How could he not be frustrated after encountering problems at such a juncture? Qianye returned to his room and produced a box of divination sticks. He quietly circulated his origin power as Song Zining had taught him and threw the tokens onto the table. With his skill in divination, there probably wouldnt be any proper results. He wasnt hoping for anything and was simply doing it to kill time. The inscribed sticks fell onto the table and, quite surprisingly, formed an exceptionally clear symbol. Qianye was startledwhen had his divination skills become that impressive? Could it be that he had some talent in this field? He glanced over at the table and became somber almost immediately. The meaning of the symbol was: Calamity descends from the heavens. Even someone with firm willpower like Qianye felt rather upset after seeing such a result. Qianye raised his hand and was just about to sweep the sticks off the table when a loud noise arose from the courtyard. Soon, the earth began to quake violently, the shockwave kicking up a tempest in the room which threw open all of the doors and windows. Qianye released his origin power reflexively. This shielded an area several meters around him, effectively blocking out the incoming dust and gravel. After the dirt had settled, Qianye saw a slender silhouette standing in his courtyard, with hands clasped behind and a shallow pit beneath the feet. Apparently, this person had just fallen down from the sky. He didnt need to look clearly. Just from those blue robes and that temperament resembling an unsheathed sword, Qianye knew that Li Kuanglan had arrived. So, its you! Li Kuanglan was baffled by his sudden words, but she soon noticed the divination symbol on the table. As a highly intelligent person, she soon realized what was going on. Her face turned livid as she muttered through clenched teeth, Are you saying Im the calamity? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 670: Please Leave [V6C200 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianye glanced at the divination sign, and then at the frosty Li Kuanglan. He realized instantly that he had been seen through and that any explanation would only be in vain. He did try to salvage the situation despite his inexperience. I didnt mean it that way. Yes, it wasnt intentional. You fell down from the sky after all. He wasnt quite aware of the worsening situation and that Li Kuanglans expression was becoming increasingly unsightly. A crisp voice suddenly rang out, What fell from the sky? Another good-looking figure appeared in the courtyard. That maid was a step slower but still made it in time to hear Qianyes last words. Li Kuanglan could no longer hold back. Her sword left its sheath with a clang and shot toward Qianyes throat. Enough with the nonsense! One of us shall die today! The blade flickered like a bolt of lightning even before the shout had ended, denying Qianye any chance of explaining. Its speed was simply inconceivable and exceeded the limits of human perception. Even with Qianyes speed, he could only see a cold gleam in front of him before a chill crept up his neck. Was I struck? He was shocked. A blow to the vitals! How could this strike be so fast? Despite the speed, Qianye later sensed that the force behind it was fairly weak. However, he didnt have time to analyze the attack during that moment of astonishment and only pulled back rapidly. One sword to seal the throat! Li Kuanglan was supposed to be gloating at the moment, but her eyes went wide instead. The girl behind her also let out two continuous gasps of surprise and stared at Qianye as though he were a ghost. Her first cry was because Li Kuanglan had launched that sudden attack. The second one was due to Qianye, and the reason for her astonishment was the same as that of Li Kuanglanthere wasnt a single wound on Qianyes throat, not even a red mark. Li Kuanglan had never intended to kill Qianye. That slash was only intended to leave a fine cut on his neck and make him realize how powerful she was. She had controlled the force extremely well, and it was just enough to break through a rank-twelve champions origin defenses. Although Qianye was only rank-eleven, his combat strength wasnt inferior to an ordinary lieutenant general. This amount of force was just right. She had never imagined that this slash to the throat would fail to even cut through his skin. This outcome was too unexpected. If this were a real life and death battle, Li Kuanglans miscalculation of Qianyes defenses would have resulted in her falling into dire straits. Qianye could easily grasp this opportunity to trade injuries with her. She was indeed outstanding in the sword arts, but the Li family arts had never been known for producing strong physiques. Li Kuanglans expression sank after the initial shock had passed. Well hidden! Take a couple more strikes from me! She threw another strike at Qianyes neck without even finishing her words. The speed of this slash was no longer as outrageous as the first. Instead, it was more abstruse, and the origin power on its edge was more intense, glowing a faint blue. Although Li Kuanglan was merely holding an ordinary sword, the addition of her frost origin power made it extremely sharp. It wasnt a problem for her to easily cut down werewolves and arachne. He could let the first slash be, but Qianyes expression fell with the arrival of a second attack. He took two steps back, grabbed East Peak from the weapon rack, and performed a retaliatory thrust. As soon as Qianye moved, Li Kuanglan followed suit without a second thought and kept her aim upon Qianyes throat. But she had just taken a step forward when her neck tensed up. East Peak had arrived at her throat and was fairly close to touching her skin! Li Kuanglan was shocked out of her wits. Her long hair spread out, tearing the ribbon she was wearing into countless pieces! She circulated her origin power at full capacity and retreated at great speeds. Even then, she was just barely able to dodge that incoming blade. Li Kuanglans expression was rather pale after escaping this calamity, and beads of sweat were faintly discernible on her forehead. The attack was simply too uncanny. She had no idea how it had appeared or how to defend against it. Had it landed on her throat, her entire neck wouldve been blown apart. She still felt somewhat apprehensive after thinking about it. East Peak arrived once again before she had recovered from her shock. After missing the targets throat, Qianye flicked the blade up with a shake of his wrist and went for Li Kuanglans left shoulder. Before the sharp edge had even arrived, the latter could feel her entire body grow heavyit was as though an invisible force was pouring down upon her. Her expression transformed several times. The might of this withdrawn blow was extremely terrifying, and even giant boulders would be pulverized with a light tap of Qianyes blade. Li Kuanglan knew for sure that her origin defenses couldnt take a blow from East Peak. The helpless Li Kuanglan could only retreat and evade the brunt of the attack, and then it took a dozen or so counterattacks to eventually regain her ground. She displayed the full extent of her lightning-fast sword arts, hacking frantically at Qianye before finally managing to suppress him. However, Qianye had both hands on the blade and his full concentration on the battle. Stabbing here and slashing there, his actions looked chaotic and random. Yet, it just so happened that his movements blocked all of Li Kuanglans attacks. He even managed to throw in a counterattack from time to time, forcing Li Kuanglan to take several steps back in each instance. The more they fought, the more Li Kuanglan was shaken. Qianyes disorderly strikes would always land at the most critical momentit was fast when warranted, and slow when required. There was neither any waste in origin power nor any oversight in grasping opportunities. After a moment of fighting, Li Kuanglan suddenly realized that this was an early sign of great success in combat arts. This shook her heart, causing her movements to slow down ever so slightly. How could Qianye let go of this opportunity? East Peak shot straight at her chest almost instantly! This strike wasnt very fast, but it was extremely heavyalmost like a rolling deluge of sand and mud. Li Kuanglan blocked reflexively, but the two blades hadnt even touched one another when her sword began to creak, groan, and bent out of shape. She was greatly astonished, but there was not enough time to retreatall she could do was take the blow head on. However, the true weight of Qianyes strike was only evident in such a head-on exchange! Seeing Li Kuanglan in danger, the maid cried out and charged in from the side, slashing down at East Peak with a dagger in each hand. She only revealed her true strength at this pointshe was a rank-twelve expert. Her blades bounced back upon clashing with East Peak and very nearly flew out of her hands. The maids face turned pale and lost any semblance of color. Yet, East Peak rose up instead of being pushed down. It appeared beside the young girls neck with a flicker and lightly patted her cheeks before pulling back. This strike transitioned rapidly from the extremes of power to the utmost gentleness without the slightest of signs. It was as though the entire process was right and natural. The maid stood there in a daze. She came to only after a while and suddenly broke into a loud wail. Her sobs were fairly loud, but her feet remained nailed to the ground, not daring to move even a bit. Apparently, she was frightened out of her wits. This obstruction caused Qianyes strike to become fruitless. Since the opportunity had been lost, he simply retreated and, with East Peak pointed toward the ground, stood to wait for a new round of attacks. Li Kuanglans expression was livid. She suddenly clenched her teeth and performed that lightning-fast attack once again. However, Qianye was prepared this timeEast Peak rose vertically in front of him and effectively blocked the violent flashes of lightning. The sword radiance came in a steady stream and suppressed Qianyes defenses to within a meter of him. Nonetheless, it just couldn''t break through this final line of defense. It was at this time that a barely discernible wisp of origin power appeared and made for the back of Qianyes neck. Even from a distance, he could feel a vague stabbing pain from the needle-like origin power. Qianye couldnt be more familiar with this origin power; it was the mysterious energy that had deprived him of tranquility last night. And now, this person was ambushing him from the darkness. Although there was no evident malice, such actions were truly hateful and Qianye couldnt help but want to give this person a lesson. After contending with this origin power for half a night, Qianye knew its nature quite wellit was extremely sharp but not so resilient. As such, he acted as though he were ignorant about the new assailant, allowing the origin power to arrive behind his head. Just as it was about to stab into his skin, Qianye suddenly threw his head backward and gave it a headbutt, forcibly shattering that needle-like origin power with his head. A muffled groan came from outside of the courtyard. The sound was pretty soft, but the three here were all experts; even that young maid was a rank-twelve champion. As such, they heard it clearly and realized that someone had launched an ambush. Not only had the attack failed, but the assailant had also suffered in Qianyes hands. Li Kuanglans expression changed immediately after hearing this voice. She suddenly stepped back and said furiously, Who told you to meddle?! A fleeting voice emerged from outside the walls. Its directionand even the gender of its ownerwas difficult to discern. I just wanted to see how much youve grown, but who wouldve thought a certain person would be in such an unsightly state despite the grand entrance. Youve really thrown the Li familys prestige down the drain. These words werent polite at all and left no face for Li Kuanglan. Her expression immediately turned frosty, pale, and almost translucent. This added a tinge of allure to her originally handsome face. Not willing to take this lying down, the latter shouted, He wouldnt be able to act so unbridled if I had the Cold Moons Embrace! The person outside the courtyard broke into a laugh. It was you who insisted on discarding a good weapon in favor of a common sword, just so you could show off your improved techniques. Li Kuanglan was livid and her chest heaved fiercely from the anger. She had been stoppered quite badly, but the same couldnt be said for the discontent maid beside her. The eloquent little lass spoke up immediately, Even so, our familys young noble still managed to hold the upper hand, unlike a certain someone who failed a sneak attack and even suffered from it. You have the cheek to criticize others with such meager skills? That person was dumbfounded for a brief moment but eventually spoke in a cold voice, When was it your place to talk here? The maid wasnt afraid at all and even raised her voice. Oh? Now youre using status to suppress people since you cant argue logically. Im only a servant, I might not understand a lot, but I do know reason. Do tell me if I said anything wrong! The two parties forgot Qianye as they bickered back and forth. The latter could no longer endure this. With a shake of his East Peak, he said, If you two have no intention to fight with me, then please head back now. My place is too small to entertain people like you. Any later and it wont be easy to clean up this mess. His words werent very polite. Li Kuanglan was about to flare up, but she suddenly noticed several figures rise up in the distance, all of them Zhao clan experts. They had finally noticed something wrong here and were coming over to check. Although she wasnt afraid of them, it would be quite troublesome if she were to be entangled here. Hence, she shot Qianye a hateful glance and muttered, Good, very good. Just you wait! She then leapt out of the courtyard and flickered out of view. The maid was a bit slower, yet she didnt forget to make faces at Qianye and was still giggling on her way out. That mysterious person never appeared until the very end, and no one knew when it left. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 671: Aide at The Gates Knock KnockWho''s there?Your aide here.Aide who?Aide hoped you would tell me. [V6C201 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The battle had long since ended by the time the patrolling experts arrived. Due to the high level of combat arts used by both parties, there were very few traces of battle in the courtyard. The baffled Zhao clan experts inspected the place several times over but couldnt discern anything. Toward the end, Qianye couldnt help but say, Everyone, youve been looking for so long, have you found anything? These words were clearly mocking them. The captains face went red as he came up with a vague answer, This were lacking in experience, so we need to examine everything carefully. Additionally, we found no traces of that person you said was hiding outside of the courtyard. Qianye actually understood that mysterious persons ability. That person definitely wouldnt leave any clues behind, at least not any that these Zhao clan people could find. But no one would be in a good mood after being challenged to a fight out of the blue and almost getting slashed at the throat. Seeing that these people were intent on investigating, Qianye could no longer bear it. Everyone, I think you should just let it be. You wont find anything even if you keep looking. The defenses in the core region are truly strict, heh, heh. The experts wore awkward expressions but still checked the scene thoroughly before leaving. Qianye had already told them that the visitor was, in fact, Li Kuanglan, but things involving such characters were beyond their decision-making ability. It would require at least one of Zhao Jundus status to determine how to proceed. These people could only gather as many clues as they could to facilitate the superiors decision. Back in the room, that calamity falls from heaven divination sign was still sitting on the table. Qianye wanted to sweep them all flying with his sword. However, he put the blade down after some thought and put the divination sticks away. After several consecutive interruptions, Qianyes mood was no longer suitable for cultivation. He simply went into the courtyard to recall and carefully analyze the moves he had experienced during his fight with Li Kuanglan. The latters sword strike was simply too fast. Even a spark flying off the flint wasnt enough to describe its speedeven Qianye could only see its radiance flicker once before the blade was in front of his eyes. He would find it difficult to counterattack if Li Kuanglan were to go all out. All he could do was defend passively and prevent himself from falling into a disadvantage, all the while waiting for the opponent to err. The cons of this overly passive strategy were fairly evident. Li Kuanglans attack power seemed unimpressive during their battle, but that was because she was merely using an ordinary sword. Her might would increase several-fold with Cold Moons Embrace in her hands. Qianye wouldnt dare engage in a direct defense at that point; he would have to retreat immediately and search for a different opportunity. Thus at the moment, he was looking for a way to break this technique, else he would have to retreat once Li Kuanglan arrives with her famed sword. He tried out several moves during his analysis, slashing left and right in a fairly clumsy manner. At this moment, a gentle chuckle came through from outside of the courtyard. What ugly sword forms, is this really the one young miss has taken a fancy to? Qianye had long since noticed the two young girls in aristocratic apparel. They were standing on a nearby wall where they could see everything in Qianyes courtyard. It was just that they were standing on someone elses walls. Moreover, Qianyes moves were simply in their nascent stage at the moment, so it was useless even if they saw him. No one would know what he was practicing unless they had seen Li Kuanglans rapid sword. It was fine if they were just looking, but now they were even commenting on him. Moreover, their words were riddlingwhich young miss was it, and when did she start fancying Qianye? These maids were merely rank five or six. Their power might not be low in a middle-ranking aristocratic family, but in Qianyes eyes, this meager strength wasnt impressive at all. At the very least, they were worlds away from being able to see through his sword arts. Such weaklings were actually commenting on him from afarthey were truly a bit lacking in judgment and upbringing. The two girls showed little signs of respect for Qianye. Pointing and sniggering in private, they spent quite a while here before leaving. Qianye shook his head, pushed this small interlude to the back of his mind, and continued analyzing the sword technique. Since Li Kuanglan was from the Li family, her relationship with the Zhao clan couldnt be that great. Unraveling their sword art was of utmost importance right now. Even though it was unlikely for her to kill Qianye, the latters relationship with the Li family wasnt really great, and he would very likely suffer if he ran into other Li family experts who knew this sword art. In truth, Qianye wasnt entirely without a solution. His Oceanic Vortex, the incomplete Sweeping Calm, Spatial Flash, and the Shot of Inceptionall of them could overpower and even heavily injure Li Kuanglan. But using a domain involved twice the effort for half the results and Sweeping Calm was a technique for use in perilous junctures; even Qianye himself couldnt control the strike once it had been unleashed. The last two were both vampire secret arts that couldnt be easily revealed. As such, Qianye had to solve this problem purely in terms of technique. In one of Indomitables small alleyways, Li Kuanglan was walking at a steady pace with that young maid in tow. Her gait looked quite calm at a glance, but her hands were clasped firmly on the hilt of her sword and her fingers were slightly pale. Apparently, she had overexerted herself. Upon reaching the middle of the alley, a slender figure appeared to block the other end of the path. Li Kuanglan had long since known that she would appear. The former sneered as her gaze landed on the persons imperial lieutenant uniform, A stately young miss of the Ji family is actually here pretending to be a lieutenant. Whats the point? The lieutenant replied calmly, Somewhat better than a fellow who refuses to use a divine weapon and was then beaten black and blue. Li Kuanglans eyes narrowed and waves of chill started to drift around her body. You might not win against me even if I dont use Cold Moons Embrace. Besides, the opponent I failed to take down was Qianye and not you. The lieutenants expression turned cold. Since youre so confident, why dont we fight right now? Li Kuanglan hadnt even replied when the maid cut in, Do you have any shame? Our young master has just gotten out of a big battle. Just say it If youre trying to fight a tag-battle, whats the point of being secretive? The lieutenant''s eyes finally landed on the young girl and suddenly turned into an amber color! The maid let out a cry of surprise and hid behind Li Kuanglan. Nonetheless, her movements were a tad too slow, and those amber eyes managed to lock onto her. The lieutenants eyes turned back, and then she said with a smile, I was wondering who it was! So its the Kong familys young miss! You were also a bit famous back then, but you vanished for over half a year. Youd actually run off to the Li family to become their maid. This is truly surprising. Dont tell me the Kong family wants to join the Li family so much that they even gifted their genius daughter away? The maid was livid. T-This is my own business. It has nothing to do with the Kong family! Stop spewing nonsense. Im only playing around, nothing else. Ah okay, I understand. The lieutenant nodded repeatedly. Judging from her expression though, she didnt seem to buy it at all. The indignant maid was stomping her feet and was just about to argue further when she was stopped by Li Kuanglan. The latter said calmly, Lil Xuan, hand this matter to me. Its been a while, I also want to know what shes learned from the old ancestor. The lieutenant smiled spuriously. You really want to fight right now? Why wouldnt I dare?! The lieutenant, though, wasnt in such a hurry to fight. She suddenly changed the topic and said, I find that person quite interesting. Hes actually worth young noble Li traveling tens of thousands of kilometers and putting off such important matters. Youre even willing to offend Zhao Fourth. All of this just for a match? Even I dont dare provoke the man so easily. Dont forget that hes a future Heavenly Monarch. Li Kuanglans expression sank. She shouted, What I do is my business. You dont need to care. The lieutenant kept talking on her own, Speaking of which, Qianye is really so dumb and cute despite his inferior status. His talents arent bad, either. He might not be my match, but hes a bit stronger than you are. Thinking of it that way, he can almost be considered a match for me. What say you? Li Kuanglans replied with a furious expression, Wishful thinking! Hes completely unrelated to you. The lieutenant smiled mysteriously upon hearing this. She looked fixedly at Li Kuanglan and said, Why are you so nervous? I am not! Really? Of course! Enough with the nonsense, are you fighting me or not? The lieutenant stretched lazily and said, Of course not, I have more important things to do. Who has the time to fight with you? Li Kuanglans expression shifted rapidly. What are you up to this time? Nothing, I just recalled that a certain someone doesnt have a personal bodyguard yet. Im going to try getting that position. You! Li Kuanglan uttered through clenched teeth, Do you have nothing better to do? The lieutenant smiled treacherously. What can you do? Oh right, hes almost a lieutenant general now. My current rank is a bit too low. I should change it. With that, she actually tore off her rank insignia and replaced it with a majors. All the while, she made no effort at concealing her actions. Li Kuanglan was dumbfounded. She had actually brought different rank insignias; even an idiot would know she had planned this in advance. Who would be so senseless as to prepare multiple sets of different rank badges? Li Kuanglan took a step forward and looked like she was about to attack. The opponent, though, was much faster, and her figure immediately flickered out of existence. The former glanced about at the entrance of the alleyway, but how could she find any trace of that lady? Li Kuanglan was very clear about her and knew that there was no way she could catch up to that woman in the complex city environment. Meanwhile, Qianye was single-mindedly devoted to practicing the sword. He eventually noticed some slight improvements, and he now had a vague idea how to deal with the Li familys rapid blade. He would be able to make substantial improvements soon at this rate. At that point, he wouldnt be forced to defend passively when fighting Li Kuanglan again. It was at this time that a knock resounded on the door. The sound came suddenly and without the slightest of warning signs. Even Qianye, with his powerful perception, couldnt sense who it was beyond the gates. The knock was clear, but it felt to him that there was no one outside. He couldnt sense any aura at all. Qianye had experienced something like this a while ago. Origin power in full circulation and blood core pulsing, he took a deep breath and quickly brought himself to a battle-ready state. Then he picked up East Peak and opened the courtyard gates. The one standing outside was the female lieutenant. It was just that she had become a major at the moment. She beamed radiantly and said, Imperial army major Ji Tianqing reporting in. From today on, Ill be your personal aide! The sudden news almost stupefied Qianye. How could he allow a person of unknown origins follow him every day? He thus replied calmly, Where are the appointment papers from the military department? Ji Tianqing slapped her forehead. Oh my, I almost forgot about that. She reached into her pocket and fished out an empty appointment paper. Then, she filled it out right in front of him and passed it over. Here! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 672: Nothing to Lose [V6C202 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Even though the scene was rather odd, Qianye still took the assignment letter and looked it over. This was a genuine assignment letter. The patterns on the specialized paper were characteristic to the military departments documents, and the seal therein contained its own origin array that could be easily discerned by experts of any level. He wouldve believed the document to be entirely genuine had he not seen the lady fill it out right in front of him. This this appointment order. What? Could it be fake? Ji Tianqing asked with a puzzled expression, almost as though she had no idea how it had appeared. Qianye truly did not know what to reply. From a certain perspective, the papers were real and immediately effective. However, Qianye simply couldnt think of them as genuine. The annoyance was stuck in his chest without anywhere to vent. This felt even worse than being blasted by Zhao Yuyings cannon. Qianye did learn a few things after mingling with Song Zining for a long time. This I often need to switch battlefields during fights. My aide-de-camp needs to be stronger and someone of a higher rank. Ill accept if the military department has a better-suited candidate. These words were rather artistic. Asking the military to dispatch a new person over sounded simple, but the entire process was quite convoluted and required numerous layers of inspections. Moreover, certain people would definitely poke their noses into such personnel changes. In this manner, Ji Tianqing wouldnt be able to conclude this matter in one month no matter how influential she was. And a month later, she probably wouldnt even know where Qianye had run off to. This was the secret art of delayingdragging things out until things naturally became unfeasible. Just as Qianye was secretly praising himself, he saw Ji Tianqing reveal a mocking smile. So, it turns out that you want someone of a higher rank. Thats easy! With a flip of her hand, a handful of military rank insignias appeared miraculously on her palm. Then, she asked, How about a lieutenant colonel? Colonel? Or would you rather have a brigadier general or major general? With every rank she mentioned, she would fish out the corresponding insignia, going all the way up to a major general. This was Qianyes rank at the moment. A lieutenant general insignia then appeared in her hand, which she dangled in front of his eyes. Qianye smiled ruefully. Am I supposed to be your aide instead? Ill be the aide. Just tell me which rank you want me at, speak quickly! Qianye finally understood that this calamity was hardly avertable. He smiled wryly and said, Just stick to major. Put away those... things. Thats it? Make way then! Ji Tianqing pushed Qianye aside with a satisfied expression and walked into the courtyard. A surprised Qianye followed her as she toured all the rooms here. He watched as the lady picked a room adjacent to his own and tossed her backpack onto the bed. Ill be staying here. Eh live? Of course, your personal aide has to live with you. Why else would it be called personal? Ji Tianqing said matter-of-factly. This its not quite appropriate. Qianye looked rather miserable. He had a feeling things were wrong on so many levels. How so? Qianyes mind was in chaos. He tried his best to sort out his thoughts and said, For one, I dont know your origins. You dont need to. Its enough that I know about you. Such a tyrannical answer choked Qianye half-dead. Yet, he was still struggling. Tianqing, look, you must be from an influential family. Staying with me like this will harm your reputation. Ho! Youre afraid that I wont be able to marry? No... Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when Ji Tianqing slapped his shoulder and said, Rest assured, it wont affect me. Even if I cant marry anymore, I still have you, right? Qianye stood dazed for a while before saying, Sorry, Im already taken. Ji Tianqing looked at him with a spurious smile. You had to think for a long time. Qianye was about to go mad. No! I Enough, theres no need to explain. I totally understand! The lady waved her hand stylishly and brought an end to this topic. Qianye wanted to explain but didnt know what to say. He was startled not because of her words, but because of her pat on the shoulder. To his surprise, he had been caught off-guard and was actually struck. Ji Tianqings background was mysterious, to say the least, with no way to make sure if she was friend or foe. That was why he had kept his guard up this entire time. Yet this lady had managed to slap him on the shoulder under such circumstancesthis wasnt normal at all. Qianye thought back to that move and gradually discovered the profundity within. Her move resembled nature itself and was blended into the heaven and earth. It felt like a falling leaf landing on his body, something that would fall off naturally. Neither his origin power nor blood core showed any signs of reaction because they couldnt sense any threat or enmity. The truth, however, couldnt be further away. That palm couldve transformed into a devastating killing move before landing on his body. The ability to perform a rapid shift in power wasnt rare among experts at this level; even Qianye himself could do it. If Ji Tianqing had harbored malicious intentions, she couldve heavily injured Qianye with that move just now. It wasnt because her origin power cultivation was profound, but because that palm was simply too mysterious and subtle. It was an entire level above Li Kuanglans swift blade and Qianyes Nirvanic Rend or even his Sweeping Calm. Qianye felt a serious headache after seeing that Ji Tianqing had settled in on her own and began sorting out her luggage. He then discovered yet another problem: where did that backpack come from? Moments later, Qianye gave up his futile struggle and watched resignedly as the lady set up her room. Whats odd was that she kept moving her luggage in and out, going so far as to walk around the courtyard while carrying her quilt. She had exhibited an increasing number of peculiar behaviors since their first meeting, but the former had a feeling she wasnt a senseless personall her actions definitely had meaning to them. Hence, that which he couldnt understand, Qianye could only pretend he didnt see. The sanguineous sun was about to set at this moment, dying Indomitable with a layer of golden red. Such beautiful scenery, however, did little to improve the mood of certain people. Two figures were standing on a distant kinetic tower, their clothes fluttering in the wind. Just as before, it was the maid, Kong Xuan, who was extremely gloomy. She said through gritted teeth, Shes actually not out yet! Dont tell me shes going to freeload dinner there? Must she really take advantage even for food? Li Kuanglan simply stood there and watched in complete silence. The distance was significant, but with their strength, they could see even a small ant crawling through the courtyard. She had seen most of what Ji Tianqing had been doing, but the indistinct parts almost seemed as though she had vanished from sight. The duo knew that the woman was demonstrating her powershe was sending a message that they would only be able to see what she wanted them to see. The scarlet of Twilight filled the sky as the silhouettes of two giant celestial bodies began taking shape in the sky. It was dinner time. But dinner hadnt even begun when Kong Xuan became furious. Even her voice was trembling as she said, Whats she doing?! Shes actually carrying a quilt around! Dont tell me shes going to stay there? Shes sorting out her room, Li Kuanglan replied calmly. Does she need to come out into the courtyard for that? Shes doing it for us to see. Whos interested in watching her tidy up her room! Kong Xuan said spitefully. Then she realized what was going on and cried out, Her room? Shes really going to stay there!? That slut!!! Your words mean disrespect to the elder prince, itll be bad if others hear it. Speak of it no more. Li Kuanglans voice was as cold as ice. Fine, I wont say it anymore. But how could the elder prince raise such a cheap person!? How can you be so calm after seeing her so arrogant? Kong Xuan was stomping about in anger. Li Kuanglan gazed toward the distant Ji Tianqing who had come out into the courtyard and was waving at them. This matter is unrelated to us, and theres no need for us to pay attention, either, since there are people wholl obstruct her. Dont forget that Zhao Fourth is here. We dont have the power to stir up trouble in his domain right now. This matter will surely reach his ears. Kong Xuan sighed. Zhao Fourth? His reaction might not be what you expect. A somewhat startled Li Kuanglan replied, Ji Tianqing is acting so unbridled. With how much the fourth young noble favors Qianye, how can he not interfere? If he appears, no one short of the elder prince can force him to give way. Kong Xuan grabbed Li Kuanglan hatefully and tugged firmly at her belt. You mustve gone dumb from practicing the sword so much. What did I say wrong? Li Kuanglan was baffled. Indomitable was constructed entirely by the Zhao clan. Naturally, nothing in the city would escape their eyes. By the time Ji Tianqing finished tidying up her room, the matter had already arrived on Zhao Jundus desk in the form of a report. However, it wasnt because the Zhao clans efficiency was so miraculous. Rather, Ji Tianqing had taken nearly an hour to finish everything, repeatedly airing out all the pillows, quilt, and blankets in the courtyard. Zhao Jundu spent an entire five minutes on the report, reading it over and over again. Song Zining, who was sitting just across from him, spent the five minutes observing the formers expression. Song Zining asked immediately after Zhao Jundu put the report down, What do you think? Zhao Jundu smiled indifferently. Its fine to eat the meat thats been delivered to ones door. What? Song Zining felt that he had misheard. Then, Zhao Jundu added, Even if something happens, the one suffering a loss isnt Qianye. What about morals? Song Zining wanted to say this but swallowed the words back down. He knew he might get a taste of the Omniscient Seal again if he said something wrong. Even so, he couldnt help but mock, Even someone like you can become a heavenly monarch? Zhao Jundu smiled. Why not? Your comprehension of the great dao is lacking! The sun had finally set over the western horizon, and dinner delivery was already on its way. It was at this time that a motorcade rushed quickly through the streets and arrived before Qianyes gates. The convoy was made up entirely of magnificent looking off-road vehicles. Only the nobility could form such a motorcade on the floating continent. A somewhat chubby middle-aged man walked down from among the vehicles. He was accompanied by several attendants and had the look of faint arrogance characteristic to those who had been in power for a long time. We come in the name of Count Peacegranter, to seek a meeting with General Qianye. Its like this, our master has a single daughter whos just turned sixteen this year, a lady of great upbringing, beauty, and rank-three in origin cultivation. Tomorrow night is a wonderful time for a dinner banquet if the general has time for it. This subordinate has prepared everything, and the young miss will also attend. Ah!? The matter was so sudden, and the middle-aged man had spoken very clearly. It was just that Qianye couldnt understand why such a thing would happen to him. Usually, it was Wei Potian or Song Zining who would encounter them. Thinking that Qianye didnt quite understand, the middle-aged man said with a smile, Now that Ive seen you today, I feel that young miss and the general are a good match. You dont need to be in a rush, either. Wait until tomorrow night, and youll find a wonderful fate. Can you repeat that? Ji Tianqing somehow appeared from behind Qianye with a cold smile. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 673: Killing Inten t [V6C203 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Why must I repeat myself? The middle-aged man was puzzled at first, but soon became arrogant when he saw Ji Tianqings rank insignia. And who would you be? Is it the place of a mere major to speak? Which corps are you from? I must report this to Count Peacegranter and make sure you receive ample punishment from your unit! Go ahead! Do it if you have the ability. Im from the 17th Army Corps, the names Li Kuanglan. Remember me well. You must come or else youll be embarrassing Count Peacegranter. Ji Tianqing spoke rapidly. Qianye failed to stop her before she had blurted everything out. The middle-aged man was trembling from anger. He pointed at Ji Tianqing and said, Good, what a bold Li Kuanglan! I wont bicker with you today out of consideration for General Qianye. Just wait and see! Fine, Ill be waiting! Ji Tianqing cried out while stomping her feet. The middle-aged man said angrily, General Qianye, you must control your subordinate well! Qianye had no choice but to reply, This shes my aide, not a subordinate. Whats the difference!? the middle-aged man replied. He then cupped his hands at Qianye and said, General, about tomorrows appointment, I hope youll be present. Qianye said helplessly, Im afraid tomorrow night is not a good time. The fourth young noble requires my presence for a military discussion. The middle-aged man said in surprise, Fourth young noble? Do you mean His Excellency Zhao Jundu? Yes. The middle-aged mans expression became entirely different. Then, general definitely cannot spare the time. Ill come again another day to arrange a different time. How about it? Qianye said with a smile, Ill definitely attend another day. The middle-aged man left in satisfaction. After Qianye closed the courtyard doors, Ji Tianqing sized him up from head to toe and said, How unexpected, you look so honest yet weaved such a smooth lie. Youre a natural at this! Qianye smiled wryly. I only wanted to make him leave. Just who is Count Peacegranter? How come Ive never heard of him before? Ji Tianqing pouted. Me neither! Who knows which tiny place they popped up from. The emergence of such a matter baffled Qianye. Why would this Count Peacegranter suddenly want to arrange a marriage with him? Moreover, the attitude was so urgent and fierythey had even forgone what little bit of aloofness that a noble family should have. Judging from his designation, he should be a regional count at least. Within the departing convoy, the middle-aged mans temper hadnt yet died down. He kept on shouting, Too insolent! A mere major dares to act like this! Is there such a thing as etiquette and law here? My anger wont subside if we dont take down that Li Kuanglan! One of the advisors in the car said after some thought, The 17th army corps main camp is not far from Jingtang. Li Kuanglan, this name sounds quite familiar, could she be related to the Li family? The middle-aged man was surprised, but he refused to accept the possibility. I know a lot of people from the Li family, including a fair number of their young nobles and misses. Ive never heard of such a person before. Shes just an aide, how high can her position be? The people beside him echoed the sentiment. Someone immediately suggested a plan to deal with Li Kuanglan. It was just that everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the 17th army corps and Qianye. Neither the former nor the latter was an entity Count Peacegranter could easily provoke. Within the courtyard, Qianye and Ji Tianqing were seated across one another and drinking tea. One had to admit that Ji Tianqing was truly accomplished in the art of making tea. The beverage she had produced was as clear as water but suffused with a distant fragrance. A sip of it sent Qianye into a vacant daze. He only knew it was delicious but couldnt quite point out how so. An entire pot only yielded two cups, but the finished drinks left a rich aftertaste. Qianye didnt ask how valuable this tea was, lest he invites more emotional distress. After imbibing a cup of tea, Qianye remained silent with his eyes closed. The fragrance was almost tangible and was coursing through his body. Everywhere it went, his origin power in the vicinity would increase in puritythis astonishing tea actually had the effect of refining origin power! It was just that the energy within Qianyes body had already been condensed by the Glory and Mystery chapters, so there wasnt much room for improvement. The miraculous effect of this cup of tea wasnt as powerful as the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, either, so there was little effect on Qianye, if any. Moments later, the tea fragrance dispersed and Qianye opened his eyes. He felt a sudden jolt in his chest as he involuntarily blew out a mouthful of air. This lingering breath condensed in the air and shot out like an arrow. It was extremely pure with specks of gold within it, and actually filled the room with fragrance. This was a characteristic of daybreak origin power that had been purified to the extreme. Ji Tianqings eyes lit up as she stared at Qianye like a monster. Qianyes entire body felt relaxed after exhaling, and his origin power seemed to be even more active than before. Ji Tianqing said, Did you know, those who spit out grey energy after drinking this tea can be considered geniuses with boundless potential, people worthy of all-out grooming. You, you actually spat out a mouthful of Venus Dawn! I really want to cut you open and see what youre made of inside. Qianye was shocked out of his wits. This mysterious fellow possessed astonishing combat strength and endless tricks up her sleeve. She really might do what she said just now. Qianye fiddled with the teacup, the walls of which were as thin as a cicadas wing, and muttered, Tianqing, I dont know who you are and where youre from, and its fine for me not to ask. But cant you let me see your real appearance? Ji Tianqing broke into a laugh. I cant even tell you about my background, much less show you my appearance. I might just scare you because Im too ugly. Just treat me as a little major. How can that be? But, whatever, do as you wish. Qianye stood up and left, shaking his head all the while. He had already thought things through. Ji Tianqings identity was definitely astonishing, and she seemed to be somewhat related to Li Kuanglan. There was no way the Zhao clan and Zhao Jundu wouldnt know about such a person coming to Indomitable. That being said, there should be no problem with her background since they had allowed her to move freely. Qianye simply set this matter aside because the more important matter at hand was to cultivate his combat arts. With the battle poised to resume at any given moment, every minute and every second was a valuable commodity. Qianye walked into the courtyard with East Peak in hand and moved a couple of chairs over to act as obstructions. Then, he focused his attention and power into a gradual thrust. Ji Tianqing was in high spirits after seeing Qianye practicing his sword. She laid out a table in the courtyard, replete with snacks and drinks, and proceeded to watch Qianye train. Her attitude was serious, almost as though she were watching an important play. Qianyes willpower was firm. He naturally paid no attention to the disturbance and merely ignored her existence during his practice. After watching a couple of moves, Ji Tianqings eyes lit up. Youre trying to unravel the Li familys swift blade? This, I like! She was no longer calm at the mention of breaking the Li familys sword arts. She quickly abandoned her food, jumped into the field, and began studying how to unravel the move with Qianye. Ji Tianqing was highly knowledgeable and knew a little bit about every familys secret arts, especially the Jingtang Li Familys secret sword techniques. Moreover, her line of thought was bold, imaginative, and full of clever ideas. With her participation, Qianyes speed of unraveling the technique sped up significantly. At this rate, he would be able to somewhat deal with Li Kuanglans strike within a couple of days. A cold voice arrived from outside the courtyard just as the two were engrossed in their practice. If you have so much time, why not use it against the dark races instead? Qianye glanced over in astonishment and saw Li Kuanglan turning away with a frosty expression. Ji Tianqing added to the confusion by shouting, Dealing with foreign aggression requires internal peace! Better eliminate a scourge like you first! Li Kuanglan was evidently shaken, but she managed to control herself and left without attacking. Qianye sighed internally. Comparatively, Ji Tianqing seemed more of a calamity than Li Kuanglan. It was just that he could only think this and not say it out loud. The night went by analyzing the sword. The sun had just risen when the courtyard doors were kicked open and in walked Zhao Yuying, accompanied by unbridled laughter. The two sword practitioners turned to glance at her at the same time. Zhao Yuyings expression changed rapidly upon seeing Ji Tianqing. How come its you!? Ji Tianqings expression turned odd. She took a step and hid behind Qianye, saying, Youre mistaken, its not me. Who can it be if not you? Ah? Zhao Yuyings mouth was agape as she gazed at the girl who had emerged again from behind Qianye. The latter had transformed into someone else entirely and was now wearing the face of a young, delicate girl. Zhao Yuyings expression was a mixture of puzzlement and delight. Fine, fine, its not you. Qianye, come here. Following his arrival, Zhao Yuying asked Qianye in a whisper, How did you get involved with her? How should I know? She appeared out of nowhere to report in as my aide-de-camp and even wrote up an appointment paper on the spot, Qianye said innocently. Zhao Yuying looked at him with eyes full of sympathy. So its like that! Then this sister cant help you. Take care of yourself! One more thing She lowered her voice once more and said mysteriously, Remember, do not drink with her no matter what! Qianye glanced speechlessly at Zhao Yuying. At such a distance, Ji Tianqing could hear her no matter how much she lowered her voice. It seemed more like she was pushing the two into a drinking competition instead. But Ji Tianqing wasnt a foolhow could she fall for such an obvious trick? After saying this, Zhao Yuying said to Ji Tianqing, Okay, I did not see you, you did not see me. The latter nodded immediately, Of course! See you later! Itll be best if we never meet again! Zhao Yuying mumbled as she left, filling Qianyes heart with a sensation of being abandoned to his fate. Ji Tianqings eyes were filled with a dreadful glow after Zhao Yuying had left. It sounds like your alcohol tolerance is higher than mine? How can that be!? Qianye denied it immediately and decisively. He really didnt want to provoke Ji Tianqing. Regarding alcohol, Qianye had never experienced being completely drunk, but drinking a lot was still uncomfortable. He would usually feel strange after overconsumption and do things he normally wouldnt. However, Ji Tianqing wasnt so easily convinced. She patted Qianyes shoulder and said, We drink tonight! Its settled, call Yuying and the others over as witnesses. I have something I need to do tonight. He grasped at whatever he could despite knowing the futility. With a shake of her left hand, an empty military order appeared in her grasp. Tonights mission is to drink! Do I need to issue a military order? What else could he say? There was nothing he could do except resign himself to fate. It was at this time that Wei Potians voice rang out from outside the courtyard. This fellow was full of vigorhis voice had arrived even before the person had appeared. Qianye! You awake? You have plans tonight? Scrap them even if you do! Come with me and Ill introduce you to some beautiful girls! Hows that? Your brother is wonderful, isnt he? Soon, a killing intent arose in the courtyard. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 674: We Drink Tonight! [V6C204 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Qianyes senses were sharp, but the same couldnt be said for Wei Potian. How could he, in his high spirits, sense the subtle changes in the surrounding? He stepped into the courtyard while laughing loudly. Very quickly, his guffaw came to a screeching halt as he stared at Ji Tianqing with a vacant expression. The lady had never moved from her place, but she did not exist at all in Wei Potians perception. It was still the same even when they were standing face to face. This kind of sensation was almost illusory. Wei Potian rubbed the back of his head. Then, he actually closed his eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again. This time, he didnt just see Ji Tianqing but could also sense her existence perfectly well. Whether it was in his eyes or perception, Ji Tianqing was just an ordinary major with a mediocre foundation. He even suspected she had been promoted as an exception. He rubbed his eyes hard, but this ordinary-looking Ji Tianqing was still standing there just as before. Her appearance was fairly ordinarydelicate and pretty but not exactly beautiful. There wasnt anything outstanding about her cultivation, either. The peculiarity from just now was nowhere to be found. This time, Wei Potian was baffled. Dont tell me Im seeing things? I slept quite well last night. Unable to bear it any longer, Qianye dragged the man into the courtyard and pushed him into a chair. What are you doing here without recuperating obediently? This daddys wounds have healed long ago. How can this little injury hinder me? Its just that my movements arent very smooth yet. It doesnt affect anything. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Even your movements are strained. Go back and recuperate well. Well talk more after a couple of days! Recuperate my ass! Im going to get sick from the boredom. Im going to get moldy if I dont drink. Youre not allowed to go anywhere tonight, you must drink with me. Ill introduce you to some beautiful ladies. Theyve wanted to know you for a long time! And all of them are young misses from aristocratic families! Growing increasingly excited as he spoke, Wei Potian completely ignored Qianyes expression. He grabbed the latters shoulder and said, Heh, heh! This time I can finally let you have a taste of what I went through back then! It was at this time that Ji Tianqing suddenly appeared in Wei Potians vision. Moreover, her existence grew extremely strong and became almost impossible to ignore, immediately grabbing Wei Potians attention. The fellow felt that something was wrong, but had no idea what it was. He said to Qianye, She is... My aide-de-camp dispatched by the military department, Qianye explained thus, hoping Wei Potian would understand the illogical part in all this. Aide? Your aide? A mere major!? Wei Potian threw Qianyes painstaking effort down the drain. Ah, eh? Ji Tianqing smiled harmlessly and even looked a bit wrongedit was almost as though she was frightened of Wei Potian. Qianye sighed in secret and reached for East Peaks hilt. He was prepared to engage in a big fight if he had to, on the off chance that Ji Tianqing suddenly attacked. Qianye already had a fair understanding of her strength after sparring with her for some time. Ji Tianqings most terrifying aspect was her secret artit was both wondrous and extremely powerful. In terms of grade, it was far superior to any inherited art Qianye had ever seen. Qianye might be able to take advantage of his powerful physique to endure a sudden attack from her, but Wei Potian definitely couldnt. Just as Qianye was in an entirely guarded state, Wei Potian suddenly reached out and patted the girls shoulder, saying in a sympathetic voice, How can a little major be this fellows aide? I dont think this is a good position. This bastard fights like theres no tomorrow, you wont survive long if you follow him! Not to mention a major, even a major general like me was nearly killed. His boasting was truly a bit overboard, and Qianye couldnt help but set him back a bit. Arent you still some distance away from being a major general? Wei Potian kept up his big talk. Just one step away, I can cross over anytime. What could Qianye say in the face of Wei Potians heroism when the latter was treating a promotion like eating and drinking? After a heroic speech, the fellow said to Ji Tianqing, This position is simply courting death, you cant stand here for long. How about this? We seem to be fated. You can come to me, and Ill secure a less dangerous post for you in the Wei clans private army. Your origin power is fairly mediocre and sparse, definitely not suited for the front lines. This plot twist was too sudden. Ji Tianqing was momentarily startled and could no longer launch that killing move she had been preparing just now. She suddenly performed a smiling salute and said, Many thanks to the Wei clan heir! How did you know who I am? Wei Potian couldnt figure it out. Youre so famous, who wouldnt know you? Its very normal that you dont know me. Its enough that I know you. Wei Potian scratched his head, feeling that this major was quite cute. He laughed out loud and said, Ah, is this daddy here so famous? Well, thats not impossible. Hehe, Hahahahaha! After the dumb laugh, Wei Potian slapped Qianyes shoulder and said, Enough with the rubbish, we drink tonight! Wait, I have something to do tonight. Its settled! Wei Potian thus swaggered off. After the man left, Ji Tianqing also smacked Qianyes shoulder and said in an unquestionable tone, We drink tonight! Qianye shook his head helplessly. It would seem the nights activity was a calamity he simply couldnt escape. At Indomitables airship port, a rather magnificent looking airship was in a slow descent. There were numerous traces of damage to the vessels body. Apparently, its journey here wasnt all that peaceful. The moment this airship landed, an officer came up and checked the family emblem imprint. After the registration procedure, he said to the middle-aged man who had just walked out of the airship, Is Marquis Smallmountain doing well? If it wasnt for the elder saving me back then, I wouldnt be here today. The middle-aged man replied with a smile, The elderly marquis is doing quite well. Hes been cultivating single-mindedly these days in hopes of breaking through a major bottleneck. Thats why I was sent to escort the young miss in his stead. The Zhao clan officer asked curiously, This is a place of war. Whatever shall we do if something happens to the young miss? The business here is important, so we have to come even despite the perils. The middle-aged man wasnt willing to say anymore. The Zhao clan officer could only let it be although he was still quite curious. Eventually, the middle-aged man and his entourage went on their way and his airship was towed to its parking spot. At this moment, another airship issued a landing signal. The officers eyesight was keen enough to see the family emblem on the vessel. Count Yian? How come hes here too? At this moment, Song Zining was in his office, reading a report with a deep frown on his face. Marquis Smallmountain and Count Yian are also here? What kind of liveliness are they here for? For many years, Marquis Smallmountain had been in secluded training in order to break through to the divine champion rank. He simply paid no heed to the matters of the mundane world. Meanwhile, Count Yian was a regional count who was supposed to be occupied in a fierce war against the dark raceshe couldnt even spare any troops for the void continent battle. It was probably not a coincidence that these two forces had arrived in quick succession. Song Zining flipped through even more reports and saw that a total of nine minor aristocratic families had come to the floating continent, with even more scheduled to arrive in the coming days. The seventh young master studied the information regarding these families over and over before putting the documents back on the table. He muttered to himself with a frown, Could they be here for that? Just who leaked this information? At this moment, a shadow flitted past his window. Yet another airship was descending slowly toward the airship port. Similarly, a shadow spread across Song Zinings heart. The vast wilderness of the floating continent was no longer as desolate as in the past as a large patch of fortresses rose up around Indomitable. Those giant workshops the Zhao clan had set up beforehand played an important role, bringing to life the distinct large-scale production that the Zhao clan was known for. They churned out a steady stream of basic components required for the construction of defensive structures and delivered them to all the construction sites. This gave an exponential boost to their working speed. At present, even the aristocratic families who harbored grudges against the Zhao clan couldnt help but admit that the latter had quite the foresight. While everyone was busy claiming cities and land on the frontlines, they had been constructing fortifications and production lines in the rear. Without these giant workshops, the fortress clusters wouldnt have been completed so quickly. The dark race army contracted to the borders of the wilderness after suffering defeat in Zhao Jundus hands. They retreated almost up to the point where they had started chasing the Zhang clan army and reorganized for several days before advancing once more. Although the great dark race army had begun moving forward, it was still far away from Indomitable. Their small units made up of independent experts, however, had already reached the vicinity to scout and harasssigns of their activity could be found everywhere. A frail, ghost-like figure swept through the undulating landscape of the wilderness. Just as she was running past a yellowed bush, a werewolf suddenly rushed out and bit at her neck! The young girl leaned forward and passed right by the werewolfs bite before sprinting ahead. Meanwhile, the werewolf staggered as though he were drunkhe struggled for a good while before falling to the ground, blood pouring out from below his collapsed body. The girl kept on running as before, but there was a trace of blood on her disproportionately large cleaver. She looked back time and again as she fled, her face full of terror. As she ran on and on, she took a sharp turn around a giant rock and vanished behind it. She appeared, moments later, over a thousand meters away, her shadow so faint that only a patch of haziness remained. There, she changed directions once more and faded away into the distance. The only one who could flee in such an eerie manner was, of course, Bai Kongzhao. At the moment, her face was pale, and her clothes were tattered. The visible portion of her legs was filled with scratches and wounds. Apparently, she had been running in quite a miserable state without any opportunity to rest. That werewolf wasnt the only one in the wilderness. There were quite a few dark race members scattered throughout the area. Those with sharp senses would occasionally sense Bai Kongzhao and quickly reveal their desire to hunt her down. This wasnt normal because Bai Kongzhao would usually emit a faintly discernible aura of terror that intimidated most of the dark races. Now, though, she no longer dared to release her aura of massacre and had no choice but to endure the harassment of the dark races. Apparently, she was so terrified of her assailant that she didnt dare expose even a little bit of her aura, lest she be found out. She was also exhausted and could no longer maintain a perfect state of concealment. Just like that, she snaked haphazardly across the wilderness. Zhao Ruoxis figure suddenly appeared in the wilderness just as Bai Kongzhao disappeared over the horizon. With the Red Spider Lily in her grasp, she was humming a relaxed and delightful tune as she flew at a steady pace. She was flying straight forward at first but soon made a sharp turn toward a different direction. Coincidentally, Bai Kongzhao also changed directions far off in the distance. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 675: The Distance Between Wolf and Dog [V6C205 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] If one were to listen carefully, he would hear that Zhao Ruoxi was singing, Little white sheep, come into my bowl She was like a young lady on a spring tour, floating unobstructed through the wilderness. Red spider lilies would appear and wither one after the other, each of them propelling her forward. Off in the distance, Bai Kongzhao was still running rapidly. Her speed hadnt decreased in the slightest, and her concealment capabilities have been brought out to their extremes. She would sprint at full speed once the environment was suitable and go into concealment when it was easier to leave traces. Her innate talents for flight used to render Qianye helpless, often leaving him with nothing to show after chasing her over long distances. Yet this time, she had met her bane. She couldnt deceive her assailant no matter how she hid or disguised herself, and as soon as she changed directions, Zhao Ruoxi would sense it and give chase accordingly. The latter wasnt fast. The lack of origin power made her physical body inherently weak and unable to withstand the intense fluctuations in speed. However, her chaseunder the support of the Red Spider Lilynever stopped. And once Zhao Ruoxi had locked onto a target, her terrifying intuition would always point her in the right direction, never losing track of the prey. This was an ability born of the netherworld riverall living beings would ultimately return to the embrace of its waters, regardless of their changing fates. At this moment, the wilderness had already become the dark races playground. Numerous dark race experts were hiding in all corners of the plains, waiting for opportunities to pounce at passing humans. Many of them would feel a deep-seated chill in their souls upon seeing the flowery river and instinctively avoid her. However, there were always a couple of them who were not afraid of death. These were existences at the lowest-level among those roaming the wilderness. They simply couldnt experience how terrifying the netherworld flowers were. The last thing they saw as they pounced at Zhao Ruoxi was a withering red spider lilyjust before their lives left them. Even the most berserk of dark race members would sober up in the face of a comrades corpse. As such, a wide area around Zhao Ruoxi became devoid of all dark races. Bai Kongzhao had done everything in her power, but the distance between her and Zhao Ruoxi only inched closer. She was indeed extremely talented in many areas, but she was still a long ways from being able to contend against the Red Spider Lily. Bai Aotus figure suddenly appeared near Zhao Ruoxi, moving alongside her from about ten meters away. The woman was, as usual, clad in a wide-sleeved robe and moving as though she were stepping on water. As her cold eyes glanced over, several dozen red spider lilies appeared around Zhao Ruoxi and blocked the formers line of sight. Meanwhile, Zhao Ruoxis speed also decreased a bit. Eh? Zhao Ruoxi immediately turned toward Bai Aotu, and sparks flew as their gazes collided. Neither was willing to yield to the other. Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Ruoxi raised the Red Spider Lily and took aim at Bai Aotu. With last times precedent, everyone knew that she would fire without the slightest hesitation. Yet, Bai Aotu had no plan to back down. She formed a fist with her right hand and began emitting strands of sharp, needle-like energy. If Zhao Ruoxi were to fire, she would retaliate instead of defending, resulting in a situation of mutual damage. It was at this time that Uncle Wangs silhouette gradually appeared in the air. The moment he emerged, Bai Aotus fist energy took a sharp turn and pointed toward the old man. Bai Aotus expression changed slightly as she realized that this strike, no matter what she did, would only land on Uncle Wangs body. The latter would surely be injured, but Zhao Ruoxis shot would also take a good chunk of her life, if not entirely. Young Miss, please go on with your hunt. This servant will handle things here, said Uncle Wang. Zhao Ruoxi nodded. Okay! Ill go kill that little slut first, and then come back to settle the score with her. Uncle Wang bowed and watched her leave while Bai Aotu stood frozen. She glared at the old man as she realized that she actually couldnt launch an attack. He was clearly nearby, but his existence seemed both real and empty at the same time, shifting several times each moment. Should she attack, her fist would quite likely strike empty air. Just from this alone, Bai Aotu quickly dispelled her contempt and recognized the other party as a powerful enemy. There was no telling how long a fight between them would last. Even if she did win, it would only be a close one, and she would die all the same once Zhao Ruoxi returned. Bai Aotu shouted with a solemn expression, Such ruthlessness, are you really looking to fight our Bai clan? Bai Aotus position in the Bai clan was quite high, and she could even make decisions regarding small-scale wars. However, an all-out war with the Zhao clan wasnt something she could determine. Hence, her words were somewhat reduced in imposingness. Yet, Uncle Wangs reply was also beyond expectations. This servant has received instructions from the fourth young master. I shant hold back from a fight with whoever disrupts the young miss. Bai Aotu was startled, but she quickly sneered, Dont tell me Zhao Jundu can decide the military affairs of the entire clan? The current fourth young master can. Bai Aotu laughed. Are you trying to scare me? Uncle Wang smiled. General Bai is welcome to try if you dont believe me. You must know that some act berserk and others work decisively, but the results arent very different. Bai Aotus fists trembled slightly and her face turned pale. She hesitated for a good while but still couldnt make up her mind in the end. A war between the Zhao and Bai clans would certainly shake the empire, and even the imperial family would have to interfere. Now that the empire was engaging in a war of national fate, this conflict would definitely invite powerful interference and be forced into a quick conclusion. At that point, Bai Aotu would be the source of all hostility, and the Bai clan would hardly be able to protect her, no matter how important her status was. Bai Kongzhao would have no way out of this, either. Moreover, the matter of waging war against the Zhao clan wasnt something she could decide. Zhao Ruoxi had already gone far away during that moment of hesitation. Bai Aotu clenched her teeth and said in a cold voice, Fine! The Zhao clan better remember this, and you too! Uncle Wang replied in a tone befitting of one who had seen through the ways of the world, This old life is worthless. If general wants it, you can take it any time. Even Bai Aotu could do nothing against someone like Uncle Wang. There was no lack of characters like him in the major clans, but none as unfathomable as he was. It really wasnt worth it for a major clan scion like Bai Aotu to pit her life against this kind of warrior who had no fear of death. The former spoke no more and immediately turned to leave. Uncle Wangs figure also faded away once she was gone. A tall, handsome man soon appeared over the distant horizon, one so radiant that he looked like a big boy who had just come into contact with the mortal world. He wore a baffled expression as he gazed at the surroundings and said, Thats strange. How come theres not even a damned shadow? Where did they go? We were clearly supposed to meet up here. This person was precisely William. He gazed over at a short but steep hill and said, Its definitely here. Where are the Blackback and Sharpfang tribes? How come theyre not here yet? And here I was thinking that getting lost and running late were my specialties. Puzzled, William sprinted toward the small hill. He felt increasingly cheerful as he ran, especially since there was no one in the vicinity and he could gallop to his hearts content. He had raised his speed to the extremes, yet he still wasnt entirely satisfied. He simply leapt into the air with a long howl and transformed into a giant wolf, bolting toward the small hill like a flash of lightning. Williams entire body jolted ferociously as he arrived at the bottom of the hill. He forcibly braked his charging momentum, his claws drawing deep trails on the ground as he did so. His mane was practically standing on end as he stared at a netherworld flower that had suddenly appeared in front of him. This flower had appeared out of the blue less than a meter away from Williams nose. At this point, the red spider lily was trembling ever so slightly and was on the verge of withering. However, it froze miraculously at the very last moment as though time itself had stopped around the flower. William made no movement and only stared fixedly at its stamen with bated breath, almost as though he was afraid that the flower would continue wilting. The Red Spider Lilys name was far more resplendent among the dark races than it was in the empire. The main reason for that was because the other shore flowers were the bane of the dark races but slightly weaker against humans born of daybreak origin power. Even someone as strong as William didnt dare act recklessly. At this moment, the werewolfs entire body was in a state of absolute stillnesshis heart had stopped beating, his blood was barely flowing, and even his body temperature had fallen temporarily to match his surroundings. This level of control over the body was truly outstanding, yet he could only freeze the withering of the flowers and not stop it entirely. The deadlock lasted mere seconds but William was already having a hard time hanging on. Large beads of sweat slowly rolled down his nose as the flower in front of him once again started to sway. Moreover, several more spider lilies appeared in the vicinity. While William was crying out in bitterness, a voice full of delight arrived from overhead, What a cute dog! The moment he heard this voice, the werewolf knew that it was an ordinary young girl without a shred of origin power. Oh no! he cried out in his heart. He transitioned from the extremes of stillness to rapid movement in a flash, leaping forward and putting himself between the voice and the netherworld flowers. This movement caused the red spider lilies to wither. His fur stood on end as he let out a low growl, prepared to resist the impact of the flowers with his strong body. Seeing that the flowers were starting to wilt, William subconsciously closed his eyes with a mournful whimper. He was all too clear as to the terror of the red spider liliesthis shot would likely leave him on the verge of death, and even then, he might not be able to save the girl behind him from the impact. However, the frightening spiritual erosion did not appear, and the red spider lilies also disappeared all of a sudden. It was as though none of them had ever appeared in the first place. Soon afterward, William felt his mane being grabbed as a pair of small hands turned his head around. Thus did a small, beautiful face, surrounded by a faint layer of mist, appear in his vision, and those eyes of hers were so clear that it shook his heart. What a cute dog! she said once more. Williams hair stood up as he roared impetuously, Im a wolf! But he quickly realized that he couldnt speak since he was in his giant wolf form; all that came out was a long howl. William was a proud son of heaven who hailed from the Summit of Peakshow could he endure such humiliation? His reputation would be ruined if people were to know of this. William thus decided to burn his boats by changing back to human form and inform the other party of the truth. Just as he was about to do so, however, he suddenly noticed the gorgeous handgun hanging from the little girls waistit was the nightmare of all Evernight citizens, the Red Spider Lily. William quickly realized that this girl was, in fact, the wielder of the grand magnum, Zhao Ruoxi. The roar that had rushed up to his mouth shrank back, and he closed his eyes resignedly. Zhao Ruoxi, on the other hand, seemed to have no intention of letting him go just like that. She pressed his head down and rubbed it with all her might. Then she tugged at his hair while crying, So cute! So cute! It has golden hair! What a nice texture!!! William finally noticed that, despite her lack of origin power, the girls strength was nothing to be trifled with. He hesitated for a while, but after shooting another glance at the Red Spider Lily, he chose to close his eyes and let the girl do as she pleased. It turned out that the distance between a wolf and a dog was a single Red Spider Lily. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 676: The Appointment at Nigh t [V6C206 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhao Ruoxi sighed in satisfaction after ravaging him for quite a while and finally loosened her demonic claws. Williams bright, silky hair was now a puffy mess. He himself looked somewhat withered in spirit and lay quietly on the ground. That little demoness Zhao Ruoxi looked quite pure, but her strength was nothing to scoff at. She suddenly exclaimed in surprise as she remembered to chase after Bai Kongzhao. She flew up into the air, glanced around, and quickly locked onto a certain direction. Then, she said with a frown, Ah, so far already? After escaping Zhao Ruoxis clutches, William clambered up immediately in a bid to escape. However, the girl activated the Red Spider Lily while hovering in the air, causing netherworld flowers to bloom one after another. And, intentionally or otherwise, several of them happened to bloom near William. Seeing the swaying flowers, William had no other choice but to lie down on the ground, whether he was willing or not. Uncle Wang appeared once more. Young Miss, why are you hesitating? Zhao Ruoxi pointed in a certain direction. That little slut is about 500 kilometers in that direction, Im thinking about whether I should give chase or not. William stood up in shock, but the words he wanted to say only appeared in the form of howls and barks. Even if he was howling to the moon, all Zhao Ruoxi would hear was a series of bow-wows. William knew what was in that direction. There was a new major fortress being constructed in there, one which the dark races were planning to use as their frontline base of operations against the Zhao clans fortress cluster. The overseers of such a big operation were all at the marquis level, and there was definitely a vice duke behind them. No matter how powerful Zhao Ruoxi was, she was still reliant on the Red Spider Lilys power. It would be difficult for her to escape if she were surrounded deep within dark race territory. Yet William didnt know how to stop her. He stood up on his hind legs in a rush, bit the hem of Zhao Ruoxis dress, and dragged her back to the ground. Eh? Big doggy, you dont want me to go? The moment he heard this, William felt a strong urge to drill into the ground. Unfortunately, he was a wolf and not an arachnehe had no talent in this regard. Fortunately, Uncle Wang was there to save him at the right moment. Young Miss, dark race activity in the area is quite high according to the latest intelligence. The fourth young master is also too far away for a timely rescue, should you encounter danger there. Zhao Ruoxi gritted her teeth. Do we just let that little slut go? Uncle Wang smiled, Although her talents are quite strange, young miss happens to be her natural predator. She doesnt know that yet, however. You need only return to Indomitable and wait. Shell come back on her own before long. Fine! At that time, Ill definitely kill her many times over! Zhao Ruoxis eyes were frighteningly bright. Uncle Wang nodded. Next time, she wont be able to escape. No, Ive changed my mind. Zhao Ruoxi made a surprising remark. There was a shocking glow on her countenance as she said, Itll be too easy for the Bai clan if I kill the little brat just like that. Only by letting her live will the Bai clan interfere, and only then will I have a reason to use the Red Spider Lily on them. I must kill a couple of batches of Bai clan people before doing that slut in. Only then will I feel better! Young Miss, this will really incite a war between the two clans, Uncle Wang reminded. Zhao Ruoxis little face turned cold. So? Fighting wars is fourth brothers business. William was dumbfounded after hearing this. Zhao Ruoxis attitude was clearly going to drag Zhao Jundu into the water. This evil demoness wouldnt even hesitate to trick her own brother, to speak nothing of other people. William suddenly felt his golden mane tighten. For the first time in his life, he felt that his silver-wolf form was a bit too flashy. Uncle Wang added with a smile, I guess so, the fourth young master will deal with it. Okay, lets go back first. I heard a lot of people will be gathering for a drinking contest tonight. Itll be quite lively. William finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that the demoness was going back. It was time for this unknown giant dog to return to the woods. As such, he quietly turned around and attempted to edge away in a stealthy escape. Then... his mane tightened as Zhao Ruoxi lifted him into the air. Uncle Wang said with a cough, Young miss, this dog Cute, isnt he!? Im grabbing him back for a few days to play. In any case, hes indestructible no matter how I play with him, right doggy? William had no answer, and neither did Zhao Ruoxi need one. She simply grabbed him by the mane and flew back toward Indomitable. Close to dusk, the many lights of Indomitable had sprung to life, painting the city in colors akin to a river of stars. With the war close at hand, this period was the final moment of peace. The cluster of fortresses outside the city was being built day and night, while people in the city indulged in merrymaking. No one dared to claim they would survive the final battle, so all they could do was enjoy the good times while they could. Wei Potians courtyard was brightly lit. A roasting rack had been set up at the center, with a young cow slowly rotating upon it. The fragrance of roasted meat filled the air, and the atmosphere was just right. There was an entire row of barrels leaning against the courtyard walls, all of them filled with strong liquor. Just from these ten barrels of intense spirits, one could see that Wei Potians aspirations werent small at all. He was intent on wiping away the embarrassment he had suffered during the elite corps recruitment. He had lost to Qianye in a fight back then, but he had long since stopped considering it a humiliation. On the contrary, it became an honor for him instead. This was even more so after Qianye slaughtered a virtuous counthow many people dared say they had fought Qianye and lived to tell the tale? Hence, the Wei clan heir had decided to seek his revenge at the drinking table, although this road was just as difficult. There were several beautiful ladies in the courtyard, frolicking and occasionally whispering quietly among themselves. They would steal glances at the gate from time to time with eyes full of anticipation. These girls were all lineal daughters of aristocratic families. Their family backgrounds provided them with a comfortable life but also bound themforming marital connections between influential families was their inherent fate. In their hearts, Qianyes accomplishment of beheading a count on the frontlines couldnt catch up to the other rumor. Reportedly, Qianye was very beautiful, even more so than the Song clans seventh young master. The young ladies were currently as close as sisters, but as the time drew closer, the ambiance between them began to see subtle changes. There were now some sparks flying amidst the laughters and conversations. Wei Potian checked the arrangements in the courtyard once more. He felt an indescribable sense of worry as his eyes landed on the wine barrels. He hesitated a bit but finally summoned his servants and said, Go and get a couple more barrels! The servant was shocked. More? How many? As many as you can muster. Those fellows coming tonight are fierce people! Wei Potian then kicked the dazed servant out of the courtyard. The night was growing deep, and the time for revenge was drawing closer, yet Wei Potians heart grew heavy for some reason. Just as he was staring vacantly, he felt a heavy slap on his shoulder which nearly sent him sprawling into the ground. Ho? Not bad! You actually took a slap from this mommy here. Youve improved! Zhao Yuying appeared out of nowhere and began praising him incessantly. Then, she slapped him again, causing Wei Potians face to change colors. How come youre here? I came after hearing you have drinks here. What? Do you not welcome me? Zhao Yuying said carelessly. Wei Potian whispered, Sis, keep your voice down. There are quite a few people watching us. Zhao Yuying looked back and found a group of young girls in the courtyard, all of whom duly performed their greetings. Greetings, Young Miss Yuying. Zhao Yuying was wild in front of familiar people, but she still had to keep up a lady-like appearance in front of strangers. She returned the gesture and said, Youre all daughters of those counts, right? Yes. The girls introduced their backgrounds in succession, all of them count and marquis families. It was just that the empire was vastthere was no shortage of marquis families and an even greater number of counts. Every family was doing its utmost to expand, resulting in an almost innumerable number of daughters and granddaughters. One could tell just by looking at Zhao Yuying that she wasnt memorizing any of them. Even so, she was the direct descendant of Duke You and also a well-known expert of the Zhao clan. The young ladies were content since it was already an honor that she would return the greeting. After the formalities, Zhao Yuying dragged Wei Potian to the side and asked, What are these brats here for? Theyre here to see Qianye. Marriage? Whats the use of that? Why not just flip Qianye over and get it done with. Zhao Yuyings thinking was indeed unique. Wei Potian smiled wryly. Sis, just think about it, who can beat Qianye right now? Much less flip him over? Even you might not be able to do it. These girls only want to try their luck, what if Qianye likes one of them? Zhao Yuying snorted loudly. Theyre all weak as hell! Even if Qianye agrees, this mommy doesnt! The man in question will be coming soon, so well leave it to him to decide. Today is just the beginning. Just watch, therell be even more in the coming days. Zhao Yuying was puzzled. How come? When did Qianye become such a hot commodity? Wei Potian glanced at her helplessly, too lazy to even explain. Zhao Yuying gave it some thought and also realized the reason later on. It was at this time that the courtyard doors were opened and someone walked in. The servants at the door seemed entirely oblivious to this persons existence. Wei Potians face turned ugly after seeing that the guest was actually Song Zining. Why are you here? I dont ever recall inviting you. Song Zining had gone through countless storms, and his face was as thick as a well when required. How could he trip up at such a small trial? He waved his fan lightly and said with a smile, I heard theres a distinguished gathering here and many friends will be present. How can I not come? Whats more, a certain person cant handle alcohol yet always talks big. He must be trying to avoid me after losing last time. How can I let him off so easily? Of course, I must flip him over once more and let him see my power! Wei Potian was furious. When have I ever lost to you? Hold it right there and make things clear! If not, we can duke it out tonight and settle the dispute in front of everyone! I just dont believe I cant outdrink Qianye and deal with a gigolo like you. Song Zining laughed out loud. Blow! Keep blowing your own horn. Wei Potian was even more furious. He instantly ordered his men to bring wine, completely oblivious to the fact that he was being tricked. With Song Zining and Wei Potian standing together, the young misses to the side saw their eyes light up. The seventh young master was well-known for his good looks and romantic lifestyle. Wei Potian wasnt as exquisite as the former was, but he was masculine, bold, and admirable. The girls looked back and forth between them but couldnt figure out which one was better. It was at this time that a servant cried out in a loud voice, General Qianye has arrived! With a swoosh, all of the girls looked toward the courtyard gates. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 677: Woof [V6C207 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] A fiery scene welcomed Qianye as he walked into the courtyard. The eyes of the noble ladies were practically ablaze, and neither of them showed any intention of concealing their desire for him. If gazes contained literal heat, they couldve refined him by now. Needless to say, Qianyes appearanceinfluenced by his ancient vampire bloodlinewas a level higher than Song Zining. All this time, Qianye had been killing constantly on the battlefield, and the people around him were mostly shaken by his terrifying accomplishments and combat strength. They had naturally overlooked how he looked since that was the most useless thing in warit wasnt as though the enemy would hold back because he was handsome. The attacks would go on all the same, just as they should. However, these noble ladies had lived sheltered lives and had never been to the battlefield. Their cultivation talents were fairly mediocre, with the better ones among them being at rank five or six. Further cultivation would only be for their appearance and lifespan. The higher their origin power cultivation, the longer they would live and the more beautiful they would become. These young girls didnt know much about Qianyes military feats. They knew he was really powerful, but had no concrete idea just how much. Qianyes cultivation and military rank put him among the best in the younger generation but not at the very top. After all, there was a Zhao Jundu above him. Hence, all of this brilliance had less impact on them compared to his pure-blooded vampire looks. The courtyard fell silent. However, Qianye felt a chill from behind himit crept up along his spine like a knife, threatening him openly and barbarically. Ji Tianqing suddenly appeared beside him, almost as though she had always been there. Yet, none of those in the courtyard knew how she had emerged, not even Wei Potian. In a moment, Ji Tianqing became the focus of all gazes. Especially those noble ladies, they simply couldnt understand how this ordinary-looking major would appear here. If she were someone who did odd-jobs, how would she dare to stand beside Qianye? Imperial laws were strict when it came to ranks, and every level had a corresponding etiquette to observe. This is my aide, Major Ji. She was directly appointed by the imperial military. Qianyes introduction was simple and clear-cut. Wei Potian had seen the lady before and thus said, Join us since youve already come! In any case, theres a lot of wine tonight. No one is allowed to leave the courtyard without falling to the ground! Since Wei Potian had spoken thus, the others stopped doubting Ji Tianqings existence. At this point, the young calf had been roasted. The chef began carving the meat, and soon, dish after dish arrived on the table. Barrels of liquor were opened up, and the amber spirits were poured into the glasses on the table. Moments later, with the feast fully prepared, everyone took their seats. Wei Potians face was full of solemn determination as he took the main seat, his eyes locked onto Qianye. This was his single greatest enemy for the night. Qianye looked at the cup in front of him with a miserable expression. The container in front of him was simply too large, no matter how he looked. He reckoned not many people in the empire would want to drink strong liquor with a beer glass. Ji Tianqing took the seat beside Qianye as usual. She seemed quite pleased with her high profile behavior and seemed to have no fear of the murderous gazes cast by the young noble ladies. Song Zining was on Qianyes right. With his position as the seventh young master, no one would fight him for this position if he wanted it. The only one who would dare to do so was Zhao Yuying, but the latter had taken a seat beside Wei Potian, one that was furthest away from Ji Tianqing. The noble ladies all wanted to sit beside Qianye, but they had to keep up their posture under public eyes. During this short moment of delay, Ji Tianqing and Song Zining had actually taken up the best seats to the left and right of him. The thickness of their skin was truly dumbfounding. With everything in order, Wei Potian officially announced that the battle royal had begun. His opening speech was oddly simple, so much so that it could be summed up in two words: Bottoms up! Wei Potian finished the drink in one heroic gulp. Naturally, the others werent willing to be left behindZhao Yuying finished the glass as though she were drinking water. Song Zining drank elegantly, and even the way with which he held the glass was quite specific. Yet, his speed wasnt lacking at all, and the glass was dried in the blink of an eye. Ji Tianqing wasnt in a rush to drink and simply sat there observing Qianye. The latter was sipping the drink with a pained expression, almost as though he were drinking medicine. His face was already flushed after finishing half the glass. At this rate, it seemed like he would more or less collapse after finishing it. A smile emerged on Ji Tianqings face as she raised the glass and finished it immediately. One after the other, the noble ladies followed suit. Drinking was a necessary skill for them, so they had long since received relevant training. Naturally, they wouldnt lag behind at such a time. The true battle began only after the first round. The liquor was truly strong, and Qianye began swaying about after finishing a big glass of it. Unfamiliar people were secretly delighted after seeing this, but the others only felt a headache. This was especially true for Wei Potianhe felt his brows twitching when he recalled his defeat at the tavern. Qianye had been swaying about since the very beginning and kept on swaying all the way until everyone had collapsed. Wei Potian gritted his teeth and was just about to move forward with the courage of a charging general when he saw a beautiful girl walk toward Qianye. Blushing slightly, she looked at him in the eyes and said, My name is Yue Jinrong, and Marquis Smallmountain is my grandfather. Please allow me to toast the general. Ill drink first as a sign of respect! With that, she finished the glass before Qianye could respond, highlighting a trace of heroism amidst her beauty. Good!!! Ill accompany the toast! Wei Potian cried out and dried his glass. The noble ladies cursed Yue Jinrong inwardly for her craftiness. It was quite clear that Qianye couldnt drink and might collapse after this cup. How would he remember who was who after waking up on the morrow? It was quite likely that he would only have some impression of the first one to toast him. Qianye raised his glass. Knowing that he had no choice but to finish it, he gradually swallowed the liquor despite the dizziness and returned to his seat. All the noble ladies eyes brightened upon seeing Qianye upright; they felt that they still had a chance. Everyone rose from their seats with the same thought and nearly bumped into one another. Killing intent appeared in their gazes. Just as they were locked in a stalemate, the banquet was filled with a sudden chill as Li Kuanglans icy voice rang out in the area, Why did no one invite me to the liveliness? She appeared out of the blue, clad in her usual blue robes and wearing an icy expression. The ladies eyes lit up and some even covered their mouths to avoid crying out. Li Kuanglans near-enchanting beauty was even superior to Qianyes. Moreover, her icy attitude brought her attraction to the next level. Wei Potian rubbed his head and said in a vexed tone, You this how can I not invite you if you wanted to come? Ive honestly never heard that you liked to drink! Everyone from the aristocratic inner-circle knew that Li Kuanglan had set her heart on the martial path and tended to ignore everything else. Such a person naturally had no interest in drinking parties and might even be offended if someone were to invite her. Li Kuanglan shot a glance at Qianye and Ji Tianqing. Since even they are willing to drink, this young master has nothing to complain. The wine table is also a battlefield, its not a bad idea to compete using liquor as blades. Ji Tianqings eyes narrowed as her gaze landed on the icy blue blade on Li Kuanglans back. She chuckled. You finally decided to use the good sword? At least youre not entirely stupid. These words brought the young ladies attention to the sword. All of them had good eyesight and could tell that this blade was an extraordinary item. Such a divine weapon highlighted Li Kuanglans qualities even more. Some of the clever ones also discovered that Ji Tianqing wasnt as ordinary as she seemed. Her words proved that she didnt fear Li Kuanglan at all. The latter said nothing. She simply grabbed a barrel and filled three large bowls with the strong liquor, taking one for herself and placing the other two in front of Qianye and Ji Tianqing. The glasses are too small for satisfaction. Use these! Bottoms up! Li Kuanglan raised the bowl and finished her drink without waiting for a reply. Qianye gazed vacantly at the bowl and couldnt help but say, Why must you bring me into a fight between you two? Li Kuanglan snorted. I just dont like you! Ji Tianqing was all smiles as she placed a hand on Qianyes shoulder and leaned in. See? He doesnt like you, so why not destroy him? Its just a bowl of liquor! Just a bowl of liquor!? My ass! Qianye wanted to curse thus, yet he couldnt bring himself to voice it out loud. After all, Li Kuanglan herself had finished the bowl first. His thoughts were already floating about at the moment, so much so that he didnt notice Ji Tianqing leaning onto him entirely. The latters smile froze all of a sudden, and she shot away from Qianye at lightning speed. There was a red spider lily blooming where her hand was just now. Had she continued hugging Qianyes shoulder like so, that shore flower really would have withered on her hands. A beautiful voice filled with killing intent rang out in the air, Keep your claws hidden and dont throw them about carelessly! Ji Tianqings eyes narrowed as she looked up to find the airborne Zhao Ruoxi. The formers pupils contracted slightly and along with them, her killing intent. So its the young miss of the Zhao clan. Why the need for all this? Itll only hurt your elegance. Zhao Ruoxi smiled sweetly. Its good enough that this young miss looks good. Theres no need for elegance, especially when dealing with certain people. Its not like we can eat it anyway. Ji Tianqing froze up momentarily, but she soon came up with a retort, You cant decide beauty from just a brief moment. Who knows if Ill be more beautiful tomorrow? Right? Zhao Ruoxi landed slowly and her smile became even more sinister. Tomorrow is a different matter. I look better tonight and thats enough for me. Ji Tianqings expression darkened. Before she could do anything, however, she felt a sudden chill lock onto the back of her head. Clearly, this was the work of Li Kuanglan, preventing her from changing her appearance. Ji Tianqing knew she couldnt do anything under Li Kuanglans restraint. She could only sit down while gnashing her teeth, her smile nowhere to be found. At this point, Qianye had completely sobered up after seeing Zhao Ruoxi and that silver wolf she was carrying in her hands. He looked again and again, finally confirming that it was indeed William and not a random wolf. Silver wolves were rare, to begin with, and one with a golden mane was virtually unique. This, this is Qianye pointed at William, not knowing what to say. A big dog I found outside. I brought him back because hes so cute, replied Zhao Ruoxi. Big dog!? Qianye couldnt believe his ears. William: Woof! Qianye immediately banged his head on the table. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 678: Chaotic Battle [V6C208 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Fortunately, almost no one noticed Qianye. Zhao Ruoxi was glaring at Ji Tianqing, and the latter was guarded against Li Kuanglan. Meanwhile, Li Kuanglan had to pay attention to Zhao Ruoxi despite keeping Ji Tianqing in check, since the relationship between their families wasnt great. The three fell into a deadlock as they strived to keep each other restrained. The one with the most freedom here was Zhao Ruoxi. Seeing Ji Tianqing turn obedient, she tossed William to the side with a snort and walked over to Song Zining. Move aside! At this point, Song Zining had figured out that something was wrong. He shot a sympathetic glance at Qianye before flashing away toward Wei Potian. The Zhao clan young miss took her seat beside Qianye and raised a glass. Lets drink! Ji Tianqing looked over, raised her glass, and finished it with a smile on her face. Her expression, however, was quite cold as she stared at Zhao Ruoxi. Li Kuanglan also finished her glass and sat down beside Ji Tianqing. The moment she sat down, the latter immediately became more tangible, and that unfathomable sensation around her quickly disappeared. Thereafter, she was just a young girl who truly existed in reality. Ji Tianqings smile grew stiff. She turned around and glanced silently at Li Kuanglan, but the latter only snorted without paying her any heed. Brother Kuanglan, wont you drink a glass? Ji Tianqing provoked. Li Kuanglan naturally wouldnt refuse the toast, quickly rising to the back and forth challenge. Soon, the two had imbibed half a dozen glasses between them. For some reason, Zhao Ruoxi also jumped into the fray and the three began downing the liquor as they would wateractually, one would be hard-pressed to drink water at this rate. At the height of their battle, Li Kuanglan simply stood up, and the other two pushed Qianye aside since he was obstructing their face-off. Wei Potian was badly shaken. He quietly summoned his subordinates and had them secure another batch of spirits. Having experienced first hand what it meant to be fierce, the subordinate ran away swiftly to do his job. Wei Potian sighed in relief only after seeing the increased alcohol stock in the courtyard. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as Song Zinings sarcastic voice arrived, Wasnt the Wei clan heir going to wipe away his past embarrassments? Are you scared already? The flames of battle havent even reached you! After being incited by Song Zining, Wei Potian shouted explosively, With which eye did you see me acting scared? Enough with the nonsense, come! Lets drink! If I let you go today, my surname isnt Wei! Song Zining picked up the glass and emptied it in one go. Im not betting anything. A sure-win bet like that is meaningless! Wei Potian flew into a rage. He sat down in front of the table, filled up a row of glasses, and shouted, Come and drink if you have the guts! Stop acting like a woman! Song Zining hadnt even replied when Zhao Yuying became upset. She sat down and grabbed him over, saying, Speak, whats wrong with being a woman? The three engaged in a meleeZhao Ruoxi, Ji Tianqing, and Li Kuanglanglanced over immediately. The taste of being glared at by these people didnt feel too good. Wei Potian was self-important and arrogant, but he still knew his limits. He understood fairly well that he couldnt defeat any of these ladies in a fight. As such, his heroic spirit vanished on the spot. He raised his glass and said with a smile, Ill punish myself with three glasses of wine! After seeing this outcome, Zhao Ruoxi and the other two reverted their attention to their opponents. Zhao Yuying, though, wasnt about to let Wei Potian off so easily. She grabbed the latter and forced him to drink repeatedly, while Song Zining fanned the flames from the side. Perhaps it was due to the inappropriate flattery or perhaps because Zhao Yuying simply felt that he was annoying, she also dragged him in eventually, thus beginning a chaotic three-way battle. The people in the courtyard were split into two groups, each engaging in a bitter fight. Meanwhile, all the noble ladies were left out of the fun. In the end, these young girls, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, actually jumped into the battles on their own. Things ended with them sprawled across the ground after just a short while. Qianye and William surprisingly left outside of the tempest, at least for the moment. Wei Potian, Song Zining, and Zhao Yuying had all suffered in Qianyes hands, so they avoided him subconsciously. Meanwhile, those on Zhao Ruoxis side all possessed terrifying combat strength. They soon lost interest in the swaying Qianye and proceeded to ignore him, since none of them wanted to knock him out completely. Qianye was all too happy about the respite. He dragged William to the side as though he were playing with the dog and whispered, How come youre here!? William remained unmoved and simply pretended not to understand. William! Dont think I dont know who you are! Qianye exposed the fellow directly. William: Woof! Qianye felt his vision darken. You! Do you feel no shame! Look at yourself! Where is that William who once sought a truce between werewolves and humans? Where did he go? William: Woof! Woof! Woof! Qianye finally lost all hope and felt a certain firm belief crumbling in his heart. It was at this time that a soft body suddenly latched onto him from behind. Qianye was just about to struggle free when he heard Ji Tianqings voice in his ears, Why are you talking to the dog instead of drinking? Qianye was drenched in cold sweat. He turned back and found Ji Tianqings flushed face. Her watery eyes were wandering about but seemed to be in somewhat of a daze. Her appearance had become a bit blurry, and a different face was appearing vaguely in its stead. Apparently, she had drunk too much and wasnt really paying attention to Qianyes odd behavior from just now. This allowed Qianye to sigh in relief. However, he couldnt help but feel pissed at William who was feigning complete ignorance. He suddenly grabbed a bone and brought it to the werewolfs mouth. This time, it was Williams time to be dazed. The wolf growled with a fierce expression, but Qianye wasnt afraid of him at all. He pointed in Zhao Ruoxis direction with one hand while moving the bone closer with the other. William was so furious that his fur was standing on end! But his explosive temper and courage receded after seeing Zhao Ruoxi, who was still drinking with Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing, looking at him curiously. He simply turned around and made to leave. However, Qianye dragged him back by the mane and waved the bone in front of his face, waiting for a chance to stuff it into his mouth. Qianye ultimately underestimated William. The latter suddenly lowered his head and bit Qianyes leg! This bite was extremely powerful with nothing held back, and the sharp fangs actually emitted metallic sounds as they nailed into Qianyes leg. You, you actually!!! Qianye couldnt describe his shock. Ji Tiangqing interfered at the right moment, dragging William by the mane and away from Qianye. She then tossed the dog to a corner of the yard and said to Qianye, Enough playing with the dog, back to proper business! The proper business Ji Tianqing was talking about was drinking. By the time Qianye rejoined the battle, he found that the situation was no longer the same. The people were no longer split into two groups but mixed into one confused lump. Zhao Yuying was forcing Song Zining to drink, and Wei Potian was contending with Li Kuanglan. Meanwhile, Zhao Ruoxi was hunting down everyone in the field and catching whoever she could. Adding Qianye and Ji Tianqing to the mix, the scene became a supreme mess. Surprisingly, a big dog appeared in their drinking battle at one point. William was ultimately not satisfied with being left alone and wanted to flex his drinking muscles. Unfortunately, his abilities were mediocre at best, and those left standing in the courtyard were all fierce people capable of handling several of him at any given time. William was already on his back after a single round, foaming from the mouth and with his limbs facing the sky. Li Kuanglan tossed him into a wine barrel in passing and closed the lid on it. As the battle progressed, Wei Potian, Song Zining, and the others fell down one by one. Qianye only felt the people around him gradually decreasing and the supply of alcohol dwindling. It was now taking considerable effort to find drinks. Time flowed faster as people became drunk. In the blink of an eye, Qianye was standing in the courtyard and glancing vacantly at his surroundings, his opponents nowhere to be seen. He took a step forward and felt something dragging his feet. He found, upon looking down, that it was Wei Potian. The Wei clan heirs body was covered in footprints, and his snores echoed like rolling thunder. Zhao Yuying was resting on the nearby table with Song Zining lying at her feet. On another side, Zhao Ruoxi, Ji Tianqing, and Li Kuanglan were huddled up together atop several noble ladies. It was a mystery who it was that had played such a trick. In terms of evilness, though, Li Kuanglan was the simplest of the three, while the other two were more or less evenly matched. Facing such a situation, Qianye didnt quite know what to do. He was gradually sobering up at the moment and wanted an opponent to go for yet another round. However, intentionally or otherwise, no one in the courtyard would wake up no matter how hard he tried. It was truly lonesome with no one around. All of a sudden, Qianye remembered Nighteye in the distant Blackflow City. Due to her identity, she might not be able to witness such a scene in her lifetime. This also meant that perhaps Nighteye was fated to never come into contact with his circle of friends. Qianye sighed deeply as he raised a glass toward Blackflow City and finished it in silence. At that very moment, Nighteye was reading a book in the courtyard. As if sensing something, she looked to the sky with a warm smile and sipped her tea before turning back to her book. Within the city of Indomitable, Zhao Jundu was sitting on the windowsill and gazing at the dazzling stars. No one knew what he was thinking. A lady clad entirely in black appeared quietly in the room. Young Noble, what are you thinking about? A smile appeared on Zhao Jundus lips. The drinking party there seems to be quite lively. I was thinking if I should go and join them. Ill definitely beat them all if I go now, haha! Then, you should go! Zhao Jundu shook his head. That wont do. There will be a lot of guests tonight. How can I give them an unforgettable welcome if Im not around? You mean Edwards people? Just a piece of trash serving a penalty, you can leave him to me. Zhao Jundu laughed. No, Im waiting for a different person. I cant leave her to you. The lady immediately became curious. Just who is it? Zhao Jundu didnt reply and merely kept gazing at the night sky. At the ends of his vision, there was an exceptionally bright star. That night, the stars in the sky resembled a piece of embroidery. Countless stars fell down onto the floating continent like a meteor shower. Every one of those meteors was a warship. On one of those airships, a young demonkin was standing beside the cabin windows and looking at the approaching landmass, a pale flame flickering within his eyes. A demonkin beside him said, Young master, you must be careful. Its best if you can avoid Zhao Jundu. The young demonkin remained silent for a while before saying, Since Her Highness, the Demoness, has awakened, it wont be my turn to deal with Zhao Jundu. The old fellows have already reached a tacit agreement not to take action for this battle. That being the case, who else should I be afraid of? Young Master, you have to be careful of Edward. Him? Heh, heh Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 679: Land of Joy and Peace [V6C209 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Stars fell like rain, akin to an endless stream of fireworks. The young demonkin on the airship stared at the void continent but did not issue the order to advance. One ship after the other passed by him as they rushed toward the land. However, he remained still all the while, and the demonkin behind him stood just as silently. Finally, one of them lost his cool. Young Master, wont it be too late if we dont go now? There arent a lot of contribution points involved, but there is still a fair amount to be gained. Moreover, I fear that itll be disadvantageous to your cause if you fall behind during the critical moment. The young demonkin smiled. Did you all think the contributions this time will be so easy to obtain? The other demonkin didnt quite agree with this. Apart from Zhao Jundu, who else among the younger generation is your match? Even Zhao Jundu himself is a tad too young right now. He could be considered frightening after several more years, but hes only in his twenties at the moment. The young demonkin shook his head. Youre underestimating the difficulty of this matter. The humans have been contending against the sacred races for so many years and are still expanding. How can they be so simple? One of the demonkin snorted immediately. Its all because of those vampires! If these bloodsuckers hadnt been thinking about replacing us every day, how could humans have reached their current state? Its useless to say these things. Nothing has changed in the past ten thousand years and it wont ever change in the next ten thousand years. The young demonkin pointed to the void continent with a smile. Do you all know why were fighting against the younger generation of the human race? Frowning, the others fell into deep thought. The young demonkin said slowly, Youll know before long so theres no need to hide this. The Great Maelstrom will appear again soon, and this battle will determine half the quota of people heading there. Great Maelstrom?! Half the quota? Whats going on? Why would we use this kind of method to decide the quota? Clamor broke out in the cabin. Seeing how the young demonkin didnt reply, the others also realized that this was a secret they had no right to know. They quickly calmed down and gazed at the distant void continent. Airships of all shapes and sizes flitted past and vanished into the void continent. The atmosphere in Indomitable also became mysterious. The warning lights on the anti-air turrets around the city turned yellow. This meant that their defensive capabilities had been disabled, and it would take a while for them to reboot. Meanwhile, all of the kinetic towers in the city began to rumble. They began pumping out a constant stream of kinetic energy while spewing out large amounts of steam that shrouded the city in vapor. Very soon, the kinetic towers reached a critical state, yet no one knew where the vast amounts of energy had flowed off to. Within the control room, Zhao Jundu was gazing at the night sky with a serious expression. Stars were falling like rain in that direction. A middle-aged brigadier general walked in quickly and performed a salute. Fourth Young Master, all turrets have been shut down and the fortress defense output has been raised to the maximum. Everything has been arranged according to your instructions, but are we really going to do this? Zhao Jundus lips curved up into a good-looking smile. Why shouldnt we? Indomitable is our central military hub. The entire war on the void continent will fall into a precarious situation if we lose it. Wouldnt it be dangerous if we let those dark races into the city and they somehow lose control or cause intentional destruction? Zhao Jundu smiled as he looked down at the sleeping fortress below. How can a fortress be as important as the younger generation of the Evernight faction? Ill just round them all up if they dare break the agreement. So what if the city is ruined or even if the void continent is lost? Ten years later, well be able to gain a firm foothold on a different land, and within a hundred years, well be able to claim a new continent for the empire. At this point, Zhao Jundu turned back and said to the brigadier general, This is the true meaning of the war of national fate! Shaken at heart, the general bowed solemnly and said, This general has learned much. After the brigadier general left, that mysterious, black-robed lady appeared in the room once more. Young Master, everything has been arranged and the first batch of dark races have entered the city. However, people on our side arent in good condition. Shall I wake them up? Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. You mean those drunkards? Let them be. This also proves that were working according to the agreement without any special preparations. The lady remained hesitant. Young Master, theyre really drunk. I fear there will be casualties in case of an ambush. Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, If they let their guard down thinking Indomitable is a land of joy, peace, and revelry, theres nothing to feel sorry about their deaths. This The lady was surprised. Zhao Jundu smiled after suddenly recalling something. Dont underestimate those fellows, they might give us a big surprise. Especially Lil Five, did you all think I was treating him so well just because hes my brother? Eh The lady was hesitant to speak. If you want to say anything, just say it! Zhao Jundu seemed to be in a good mood at the moment. The lady replied softly, We really thought it was just because hes your brother. Zhao Jundus smile froze upon his face. Moments later, he glared at the woman and said, It looks like Ive been treating you lot too well. The woman chuckled with her mouth covered. No way. Qianye was leaning on the wall of Wei Potians courtyard. He had poured himself yet another glass and was drinking his worries away. In truth, he couldnt tell what he was distressed about. It was just that he had a certain inexplicable emotion that was gradually expanding. Glancing at the people strewn across the courtyard floor, he realized he had inadvertently defeated everyone again. Surely, some of them would come to challenge him when they woke up on the morrow. It turned out that being peerless was so lonesome. Qianye broke into a laugh, feeling that it wasnt bad to let loose his mood every once in a while. It was almost as though he could have a taste of the heavenly monarch realm in advance. No, in truth, heavenly monarchs werent peerless. Perhaps only the martial ancestor or the founding ancestor would be able to enjoy this kind of mental state. Who wouldve thought he would be able to garner such achievements in the domain of alcohol instead of on the battlefield? The liquor in the glass was soon gone. The wine no longer had any special taste in Qianyes mouth. Currently, it was only little more than slightly sweetened waterit could neither intoxicate him nor quench his thirst. Qianye suddenly thought about Blackflow City. That was his home, and there was someone there waiting for him to return. Amidst his thoughts, Qianye suddenly looked up and found a blurry silhouette on the wall. He could only make out that the other party was a werewolf as it had melded almost entirely into the shadows. Just from this, one could tell that the intruder was someone proficient in stealth and ambush. The shadow wolf trembled ever so slightly as his gaze landed on Wei Potian, immediately recognizing him as the Wei clan heir. The latters position on the Evernight rankings wasnt low at all, and even comparable to Qianyes own. This wasnt entirely due to his combat strength, but partly because of his status. As the heir of the Far East Wei Clan, Wei Potians identity was much more important. The werewolf looked to the side and, to his shock, found Zhao Yuying. The latter was someone who had made her fame much earlier than Wei Potian, and she was superior to him in both status and combat strength. Now that she was so drunk, this was a golden opportunity granted by the heavens! Bringing Wei Potians head back would gain him fame among the werewolves, and returning with Zhao Yuyings was enough to gain the attention of the Evernight Council bigshots. If he could bring both, it would cause a huge sensation throughout the world of Evernight! The werewolf made a beeline for Zhao Yuying. He naturally wanted to pocket the biggest source of contributions first. It was just that he stopped after taking a single step forward. His head was swimming as he stared at the person lying below the table. How come Song Zining was also here? How was he supposed to calculate the contribution points!? The assassin felt that his brain was not enough to do this calculation. During that moment of hesitation, a number of powerful auras appeared above the courtyard. Oh no! the werewolf cried out in his mind. He had actually forgotten, for a brief moment, that he wasnt the only one who had entered Indomitable. Although he was the luckiest of them all, the others assaulting the city were geniuses of their respective races. There was no lack of characters with sharp senses, and the most terrifying among them could even cover the entirety of Indomitable with their perception. Naturally, it wasnt hard for them to sense that many of the empires young experts were gathered here. Disregarding the racial hostility, these fellows wouldnt hold back at all in fighting for contributions. Moreover, they would harm one another without hesitation should the opportunity arise. The werewolf rushed immediately toward Song Zining at the thought of this. The latter was one of the highest ranked characters and was worth so much more than Zhao Yuying. The assailant had given up on scooping up all the rewards and decided to focus on the single highest bounty. The moment the shadow wolf sprinted forward, all the other Evernight experts in the vicinity also made their move. They had sensed the werewolfs actions and, at the same time, realized the situation within the courtyard. Although they couldnt quite see Song Zining from their angle, they knew that the werewolf wasnt an idiot. Since he was ignoring Wei Potian and Zhao Yuying for someone under the table, it was clear that the target was someone more valuable. These young experts had all grown up amidst battle and slaughter. How could they miss out on such an opportunity? Some of them immediately made for Wei Potian and Zhao Yuying. The two strongest ones charged tacitly toward the table, one headed for Song Zining, while the other intercepted the first werewolf. The two weakest ones, however, pounced at the group of ladies heaped up in the courtyard. None among these girls was on the rankings list, but since they could drink in this courtyard, it could only mean that they were people of some status. Anyone from the major clans was valuable, even the pretty girls. The two young experts consoled themselves in such a manner. Just as they were about to reach the girls, Ji Tianqing opened her eyes all of a sudden. Her gaze was entirely unfathomable, almost like a bottomless abyss. The arachne gazed involuntarily into her eyesin that split second, he felt as though he had fallen into an icy cavern, as though he were a small beast being targeted by its natural predator. An indefensible sense of terror swept through his soul! A sharp cry of misery echoed throughout the entire city of Indomitable, breaking the silence of the night. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 680: Savagery [V6C210 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The scream not only tore apart the silence over Indomitable but also dispelled Ji Tianqings intoxication and blurry vision. After the shock, she found an arachne in its true form, trying desperately to climb over the wall and escape. Ji Tianqing instinctively reached out and grabbed one of the arachnes hind legs and shouted, Little spidey, where do you think youre going? The arachne have always been known for their berserk strength. This particular one didnt sport a massive build, but its body was fully covered in a shiny, black exoskeleton. The arachne of this tribe had always been known for their speed and power. In Ji Tianqings hands, however, it was as weak as a real spider. Ji Tianqing simply picked it up and slammed it into the ground, breaking its arachnid limbs amidst crackling sounds. Then she tossed the disabled creature to the side. After doing this, Ji Tianqing seemed to remember something all of a sudden. She looked down at herself and gasped, My image! She quickly retracted her terrifying aura, and at the same time, her facial features turned illusory as she attempted to hide her countenance. A sudden chill spread through the courtyard at this moment. Li Kuanglan watched her with an expression of ridicule and said, What image do you have left? Cold Moons Embrace left its sheath as soon as she got up, and its edge outlined an aqua blue sword radiance which trapped numerous Evernight experts within its range. The moment the blue light appeared, several dark race experts called out, Cold Moons Embrace, why is this sword here? They didnt know Li Kuanglan, but they most certainly knew her sword. Moreover, any person capable of using this sword undoubtedly knew one of those two terrifying sword techniques. A trap! Many of the Evernight experts had the same thought, and their morale decreased sharply. The very first werewolf to arrive in the courtyard was the fastest. He immediately swiped at Song Zinings neck. With a force that could easily cut through vehicle armor, taking the head of a drunken Song Zining should be as easy as plucking fruit. He had clearly struck the latters neck, but it somehow felt like his claws had sunk into mud. It was fairly difficult to even move his hand. The shadow wolf attacked anxiously, knowing that Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan might turn to him any moment. Yet, no matter how many times he attacked, all he could see was his claw moving forward slowly. It was at this time that the scene in front of him warped and shattered, revealing a badly shorn wooden table and a ground filled with intersecting claw marks. Song Zining was no longer in his original position and was instead standing somewhere nearby with a smile on his face. The shadow wolf understood that everything he had seen just now was just an illusion. Zhao Yuying sat up all of a sudden and roared with fiery eyes, Cant you all let this mommy sleep in peace?! After sobering up, she quickly discovered that the courtyard was full of Evernight experts. Her spirits rose as she stood up to do battle. At this moment, however, all of the Evernight experts suddenly turned about and fled over the walls, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye. The sudden changed caused Zhao Yuyings hot blood to cool down and left her completely dumbfounded. She couldnt decide immediately which Evernight expert to chase since they had run off in different directions. All of them had vanished into the night while she was standing in a daze. Li Kuanglan retracted her blade in a leisurely manner, seemingly quite satisfied after checking the blood hanging on her blade. Zhao Yuying felt an inexplicable discomfort well up within her. Soon, she turned about and saw, in the courtyard, an overturned arachne with its limbs all broken. Being all too familiar with this technique, she lashed out at Ji Tianqing, Youve gone too far! This mommy can bear with you for everything else, but I wont tolerate you taking my opponent! I wont be polite if theres a next time! Ji Tianqing was naturally unfazed by the threat. Perhaps she felt that she had already ruined her image by tearing an arachne apart and didnt quite care anymore. She simply raised a middle finger at Zhao Yuying and said, Ho? No need to be polite with me. Come, repay the debt from last time first and we can talk. Zhao Yuying was immediately stoppered up. Her momentum gradually deflated all the way until it hit rock bottom. Zhao Ruoxi also woke up at this moment. She jumped lithely to her feet and staggered off from atop the noble ladies. Everyone in the courtyard was a genius with eyesight as sharp as lightning; how could they not notice the girl carelessly stepping on all the noble ladies? Two of them were about to wake up but were stomped back into oblivion. Everyone who had some enmity with Zhao Ruoxi felt a chill run down their spine. Ji Tianqings expression wasnt too good, and that sense of triumph over Zhao Yuying had vanished entirely. The Zhao clan young miss lifted her skirt and said while glancing about at the surroundings. Oh, fighting again? Ill leave you guys to it, I wont be joining. With that, she flew up amidst a flurry of illusory red spider lilies and drifted away. At this moment, despite the wind and storms throughout Indomitable, no one dared to provoke Zhao Ruoxi and her other shore flowers. The atmosphere in the courtyard relaxed considerably after she had left. However, killing intent spread out once more as Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan glared at one another. The two snorted at the same time and flew away in different directions. Having already picked their respective targets, Song Zining and Zhao Yuying left to hunt on their own. In a flash, the only ones left were Qianye and the snoring Wei Potian. Qianye was still leaning on the wall and watching everything in silence. It wasnt because he was excessively calm but because he was still a bit tipsy and his reactions were considerably slower. He had wanted to take action when the shadow wolf went for Song Zining and the arachne pounced toward Ji Tianqing, but his body couldnt keep up with his thoughts. In truth, it wasnt completely due to his sluggish reactions. It was largely due to the fact that Qianye didnt feel any danger from all of this. His senses at the moment were quite strangehe felt that Song Zining was an extremely sharp blade that was cleverly hidden, one that would bloody anyone who tried to touch it carelessly. Meanwhile, Ji Tianqing, Zhao Ruoxi, and Li Kuanglan were like live volcanoes that might erupt with a gentle breeze. Anyone approaching them was simply looking to die. Qianye shook his head fiercely in a bid to shake off the intoxication. It was at this time that he noticed a gap in one of the wine barrels, through which a pair of shining eyes was sizing up the surroundings. Hes awake too. Qianye walked over to the barrel and thumped down on the cover, locking William firmly inside the barrel. He wasnt quite satisfied yet after doing this, so he picked up a bone and tossed it into the barrel. Then he sealed the barrel cover shut, leaving a furious William roaring inside. Then, Qianye leapt onto the wall and observed his surroundings with his azure eyes. Under his True Sight, dozens of powerful darkness origin powers lit up throughout the city. He picked a random opponent nearby and flew away in that direction. As he was leaving the courtyard, Qianye vaguely remembered doing something that infuriated a certain someone. However, he could no longer recall the details. Back in the courtyard, Wei Potian finally couldnt stand the clamor. He opened his eyes with a yawn and found the courtyard largely empty. He saw the noble ladies heaped up in a corner of the yard and mostly unharmedthat is apart from the small footprints all over them. There was no one else. Wei Potian held his head with his hands and couldnt help but curse at the head-splitting pain. It was at this time that a loud bang echoed through the courtyard, causing him to jump up in shock. He turned around and saw a large silver dog bursting out of a wine barrel. Wei Potian remembered that it was the dog Zhao Ruoxi had carried over. It was just that the canines silvery fur was stained with liquor and it looked like it had gone through a nightmare. Thinking about how savage those ladies were, Wei Potian was filled with sympathy for the beautiful dog and wanted to comfort it. How to comfort a dog was common knowledge. Naturally, Wei Potian reached out and grabbed a bone. However, the big dog suddenly vanished from his sight. Soon, Wei Potian felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and blacked out. William finally let out a long breath and glanced disdainfully at Wei Potian. He shook his mane and was just about to howl. But he remembered that it wasnt quite right and quickly swallowed it back. The werewolf finally remembered what day it was today. It was the day on which the appointed battle would begin. He was also qualified to join the showdown between the younger generation of the two factions, so he knew that the young experts of the Evernight faction would appear here. He had reached the battlefield on time, but the fashion of his arrival was simply too humiliating. Hence, all he wanted to do was find a way to leave this accursed place. Moreover, after the battle last night, William already knew that the councils information was disastrously outdated. They had grossly underestimated those savage ladies, and even Song Zining and Wei Potian were much stronger than their reports had stated. As for Qianye, it would be an understatement to say that the information on him was excessively discordant. Williams anger flared up at the thought of Wei Potian. He jumped up onto the fellow, stomping on and leaving a flurry of claw marks on him. Only then did he feel slightly better. A stately Summit of Peaks member had been kidnapped by Zhao Ruoxi and bullied twice by Qianye. Now a mere Wei Potian wanted to feed him a bone!? Spewing curses in his heart, William leapt onto the wall and was just about to leave when he heard a weak cry from behind. Sir William, please save me! The werewolf turned around and saw the immobilized arachne in a corner of the courtyard. The arachne was just about to call out again, but it shockingly recalled how it had witnessed the entire process of Williams misery. William changed into his human form. He stared at the arachne and said slowly, I remember you. The Red Tail Tribe died in your hands last year, didnt it? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 681: Grudge [V6C211 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] The arachne was greatly astonished. In his eagerness to seek help, he had completely forgotten about this little grudge. Had he known that William was related to the Red Tail Tribe, he wouldve sent a signal immediately and asked the top experts of their race to save him. Even though he would have to pay a steep price for this, it was much better than losing his life. The arachne exerted force in his abdomen and bounced up from the ground, firing a mass of red light into the sky. But Williams figure flickered and caught the red flare in his palms. Then, he appeared before the arachne with a cold smile and gazed silently at him. You, you cant kill me! This is the rule of this battlefield. Were not allowed to kill one another! The arachne was so flustered that he couldnt even speak clearly. William smiled coldly and said, Who said Im going to kill you? Therell be others to do that for me. Y-You, what are you doing?! William transformed into his werewolf form amidst the arachnes shocked screams. He then bit the spider and flew off into the night sky. The silver wolf ran like a bolt of lightning. He crossed half of Indomitable in the blink of an eye and soon passed by the Zhao clan main camp. Although the flames of battle were spreading everywhere throughout Indomitable, the main camp was shrouded in silence. None of the dark race experts approached the eye of the storm at this point, and William was the first to pass through. Several frosty killing intents rushed into the sky as the latter shot past the camp, akin to giant blades piercing into the sky. However, William made several agile turns in the air and evaded all of them. He then opened his jaws and threw the arachne into the camp below before swaggering off. The arachne unleashed an earth-shattering wail as it fell into the Zhao clan camp, but the cries vanished halfway through. It wasnt just the voice, though, as even his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye. The Zhao clan camp remained as quiet as before, much like a dark whirlpool in the depths of the ocean, silently devouring everything that passed through it. Within the main camp, that mysterious lady stood up and said with a cold voice, Actually daring to pass over Young Masters head, Ill go teach him a lesson! She had just started moving when Zhao Jundu raised his hand to stop her. This much is fine. He was kind enough to deliver contribution points to us, after all. But He was tormented quite ruthlessly. Its fairly normal for him to be resentful, Zhao Jundu said with a smile. The lady didnt insist on the matter and merely asked, What should we do with the arachne? Turn him into raw material, Zhao Jundu replied indifferently. Following this scene, several powerful and mysterious consciousnesses clashed in the skies above Indomitable. However, this exchange wasnt between the empire and Evernight. Amiro! Whats the meaning of this? Youre going against our agreement! Are you planning to go to war with our race? Noxus, William didnt kill your men. Look clearly, he died in the hands of the human race. Even his injuries were inflicted by humans. This consciousness was tremendous and not at all inferior to Noxus. Actually, it was even slightly stronger. The arachne warlord said coldly, Who was it that intercepted the rescue signal? A piece of trash that had its legs broken before even doing anything. Saving him is such a waste. Noxus was petrified because these words were true. According to Evernight Traditions, even if that arachne were rescued, the humiliated Noxus would dispatch him to the most dangerous of battlefields until he was finally dead. However, he felt indignant about conceding to the werewolf just like that. The arachne overlord was just about to continue his argument when the Lightless Monarch Medanzos consciousness appeared and isolated the other two. This is not the time to be fighting. Dont you feel that the outcome of this battle is becoming unpredictable? They were paying attention to the situation at all times and naturally understood what was going on. Although the young experts of the Evernight faction held a clear advantage in terms of numbers, there were three people on the empires side killing them as though they were splitting bamboo. Ji Tianqing killed enemies with her bare hands and moves that couldnt be any more ordinary. However, she was strangely powerful and anyone encountering her would be torn apart. Meanwhile, Li Kuanglan was a different level of extreme. The Cold Moon Embrace in her hand was unbelievably fast. Her opponents would only see a flash of blue before receiving more than a dozen sword strikes. With that extremely sharp blade and her exquisite sword arts, it could be said that she was invincible. They could accept their performancealthough their names werent well known, the empire and Evernight had been fighting for countless years, so these powerhouses could more or less guess their identities. Yet there was one more Qianye, and even these great monarchs couldnt quite see through him. Qianyes combat style was practical, unfanciful, and he was actually using the Military Combat Technique that one could find everywhere. Even his sword arts were mostly made up of basic techniques. Nonetheless, these techniques became boundlessly powerful in Qianyes hands, beating all the enemies black and blue within just a couple of moves. If it wasnt for the fact that the ones participating in this battle were all geniuses with numerous life-saving measures, there was no telling how many people wouldve died in Qianyes hands. A certain consciousness fluctuated in the sky. Hes the one who killed Truman. The great monarchs immediately started to pay more attention to him, but there was a layer of mist on Qianye which prevented them from seeing everything. Noxus let out a cold snort and said, Its a disruption art again! Trying to play such tricks in front of me? Noxus consciousness turned into an invisible spear which shot toward Qianye! Qianye sensed the invisible spear the moment it was shot out. He looked up instantly, his short hair flying about under the stimulation of this dangerous premonition. A tremendous threat of death descended from the sky, and it was a force he simply couldnt contend with! In a flash, Qianye pushed East Peak into the ground, drew the Twin Flowers and took aim at the sky. A deep, ancient and mysterious aura rose quietly from his body and confronted the descending consciousness from afar. At this moment of life and death, the Shot of Inception was the only thing that could afford him a faint chance at survival. Eh? Noxus astonishment had just arisen when a certain consciousness appeared in the air. It blasted the spear of consciousness with tyrannical momentum, immediately shattering it! Noxus let out a muffled groan. Without waiting for the former to speak, Zhang Boqians voice echoed through the air, Noxus, I dont mind sending you on your way if you dare break the rules again. Arent you being too savage?! The council definitely wont let it slide if you dare attack. Zhang Boqian replied calmly, Thats a matter for the future. For the moment, though, Ill make sure you never go home. Additionally, all those in the city can forget about going back too. Noxus vigor weakened by a few notches. He had been utterly defeated in a confrontation of consciousnesses just now. Moreover, Zhang Boqians combat arts had always been peerless and tyrannical, usually deciding victory and defeat in a matter of moments. Noxus might be able to escape from other people, but he would surely die if he were to engage Zhang Boqian. This was the reason Zhang Boqian alone was enough to restrict several dark monarchs in most major wars. On the other hand, it was Noxus who had attacked first and broken the rules. There had been countless instances wherein the two factions had reneged on agreements and incited subsequent hostilities. However, they had to take the location into consideration. Currently, numerous young Evernight experts were deep in enemy territory. If these experts were to fall because of himespecially the Masefield familys Demonessthe Eternal Flame would probably never forgive him even if he was able to escape the place. Amiros voice rang out at this moment. This battle is related to the Great Maelstrom. Let us not interfere since this is a battle between the young ones. Fine, Zhang Boqian replied. The skies once again became silent, while the battles in Indomitable grew ever more intense. At this moment, most of the imperial experts had realized that there was an enemy invasion going on and started joining the battles one after the other. It was just that they werent adequately prepared, and the enemy forces consisted of powerful young experts of the Evernight faction. Casualties started to appear in a short while with people sustaining heavy injuries and even dying in battle. Viewing the battle as a whole, though, the dark races were gradually falling into a disadvantage. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were simply too savage, and Qianye wasnt too far off, either, despite his low profile kills. After his brief standoff against Noxus, no one dared look down on his military combat arts anymore. In addition to the three, Zhao Yuying and Song Zining were also doing remarkable work. They firmly suppressed all the enemy experts at the same level until they almost couldnt retaliate. Meanwhile, Wei Potian who was estimated to cause quite a lot of trouble for the Evernight faction never appeared. Since the dark race experts rushed into Wei Potians little courtyard, it was as though they had poked a hornets nest. Numerous savage monsters were released into their midst and began hunting these experts down in all directions. With the gradual increase in casualties among the Evernight experts, the three great dark monarchs could no longer watch on. Amiro said with a cold smile, At first, it was supposed to be decided with a showdown between the Demoness and Zhao Jundu. But you people just had to interfere and insist on sending people over. How does it feel now? These contributions arent easy to snatch, are they? Medanzo sneered, As the Lord of the Summit of Peaks, not only did you not make any effort, but your men even tried to harm people from our side. You better think about how to explain this to the council. Amiro said indifferently, You better look after your own first. If something happens to Edward, youll have a lot of explaining to do in front of the Queen of the Night. Medanzos heart tightened at the thought of this. Edward was currently undergoing punishment. Although his strength was still a cut above the empires younger generation, things were now different following the appearance of unexpected variables like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing. It would be hard to say who would win if he were to encounter them. Even Qianye might very well cause him to suffer a setback. Even Medanzo himself felt shaken by the ancient aura that had risen during the former''s brief confrontation with Noxus. He spoke no more and turned his attention back to Indomitable, focusing on Edward who was about to enter the battlefield. Within the main camp, Zhao Jundu placed a long, azure gun case onto the table and opened it slowly. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 682: Bloodburn Firesource [V6C212 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Meanwhile, in Indomitable, Qianye had just sent an arachne flying with a swing of his sword. The strength he had applied was just right and not the slightest bit of origin power was wasted. That arachne crashed into the nearby roof, causing the small building to collapse. The spider wanted to clamber up from amidst the ruins, but the space around him became evidently warped, and a powerful pressure caused his movements to turn sluggish. Moreover, several streams of origin flames shot out from the rubble and burned the arachne until he was screaming in agony. All of this was born of the citys defensive arrays. The greater the damage caused to the buildings of the city, the more powerful the retaliation would be. The attacks from these arrays werent lethal to the experts, but they could produce considerable disruption. In a battle between experts, however, even a small gap like this might be life-threatening. After discovering this fact, the experts on each side became oddly cautious and did their best to restrain themselves from damaging Indomitable, even down to its grasses and trees. Just like that, the fights largely became a competition between combat arts. This was clearly disadvantageous for the arachne and werewolf who were used to violent combat. These were human home grounds, so it was unavoidable that they would encounter some fancy tricks that gave the hosts some edge. On the other hand, this was also a means for the empire to protect the city of Indomitable. If the Evernight experts took the opportunity to cause unrestrained destruction in the city, the losses would exceed the gains. What really depressed the Evernight experts was that there were characters like Qianye in the Empire. In terms of strength, he wasnt any weaker than the arachne while his combat arts were exceedingly well-refined. The arachne and werewolves who were less proficient in technique would be sent flying after a few moves and crash into the nearby rooftops. He used this method to weaken his opponents then take advantage of the situation to defeat them. At this moment, that arachne had just managed to stand up with great difficulty. Its arachnid body was full of injuries and charred on the abdomen, producing the scent of roasted meat. Without waiting for him to regain his footing, East Peak slashed through the force field of the defensive array and cut off two of his limbs. The arachne cried in misery as the remaining six limbs lit up with a scarlet glow. Soon, six beams of red light shot into the night sky and beyond. He then rose into the air as if he were being pulled up by six spider webs and quickly vanished into the night sky. This escape was similar to Qianyes Spatial Flash but a tad lower in grade. Its sudden activation left Qianye helpless, and all he could do was stare on blankly as his target fled the battle. In truth, this arachne was extremely powerful, so much so that his tenacity was above Qianyes own. A full-force slash from East Peak only managed to cut off two of his limbs, while the strike would shave off all four limbs on one side of an ordinary arachne. Qianye shook his head and picked a vampire as his new target. Among all the races, it could be said that Qianye was the most familiar with the vampire race. With the knowledge from the River of Blood as foundation, Qianye more or less understood all vampire abilities. Hence, it was less likely for them to be able to flee from him. Qianyes consciousness had just locked onto an opponent when he sensed something else and quickly turned toward a different direction. There, a mass of extremely powerful blood energy was spreading out slowly, imprinting its suppressive might in the minds of all human experts. This was a challenge to all human experts! After the appearance of this blood energy, the disadvantaged Evernight experts rapidly converged on it, almost as though they had found a supporting pillar. Shaken, most of the human experts stopped to look about. This allowed their opponents to extricate themselves and form a new defensive circle below the blood energy. Qianye was no stranger to this blood energy. It belonged to the Vampire Holy Son Edward whom he had once encountered in the central underground caverns. However, Edwards blood energy was oddly weaker than it was back then, and there was a wisp of purplish-black energy hidden in the depths of his blood. The hidden blood energy was beyond peculiar, which seemed to be attached to Edwards own blood energy like a burning flame. The latter was doing its utmost to resist but couldnt save itself from gradually burning away. Without resistance, his blood energy would be completely ignited. Hence, he had no choice but to spend a third of his power to retard the burning blood energy. Many experts with powerful perception discovered Edwards situation and immediately felt that it was a good opportunity. Qianye, on the other hand, recalled an ancient punishment method he had come to know from the River of Blood: Bloodburn. This punishment had to be performed personally by a great dark monarch, using a drop of his own blood as the firesource. The recipient would suffer immense pain and, at the same time, would have to resist the ignition of his blood, lest all his blood energy burst into raging flames. This kind of resistance was mostly effective depending on the quality of the recipients blood energy. Edward dared come to Indomitable in such a state and even challenged the imperial experts. One could easily imagine how outstanding his blood energy and bloodline talents were. There was also a different significance to the Bloodburn punishment. The great monarchs firesource would burn away most of the recipients blood energy, but it would also leave one of greater purity for him. The entire process was similar to the Song Clan Ancient Scroll Qianye was cultivating, but it was more tyrannical and effective. Once the recipient had suffered through the punishment period, all of his blood energy would be refined and his power would reach the next level. Additionally, the great dark monarchs firesource would remain in the recipient''s body after the punishment and become a part of his bloodline. From a certain perspective, this was similar to gaining a bit of the monarchs inheritance. It was unknown which great dark monarch the purple dark energy came from, but judging from Edwards current situation, it should be fairly easy for him to get through this ordeal. Once he had gotten through it, he could very well become a prince and the humans would gain yet another powerful foe. We cant let him return! That was the thought of many a human expert. Everyone surged with battle intent and thought of ganging up on the target. But Edwards blood energy continued to spread out quietly in the sky, almost as though he didnt know that he had become everyones target or perhaps he simply had no fear. Zhao Yuying mumbled something unintelligible as she stuffed a brightly colored shell into her cannon. Song Zining stood beside her while waving his folding fan, each movement causing the scenery around the girl to warp and blur considerably. He had already deployed his domain to protect Zhao Yuying. The origin hand cannon was powerful, but it also involved a great deal of consumption. She would be quite weak in the short moment after firing and thus needed protection. Edward remained immobile even in the face of Zhao Yuyings hand cannon. Someone was even faster than Zhao Yuying. A blue radiance appeared all of a sudden and flew around Edward at unbelievable speeds. Cling-clang sounds spread out everywhere like a drawn-out melody! After the sound had passed, Li Kuanglan appeared in the air several dozen meters away. Cold Moons Embrace was trembling slightly, and the brilliance on its edge had darkened a bit. She looked a bit pale as she stared fixedly at Edward. Apparently, she had sustained slight injuries. Most of the human race experts looked on blankly, unable to understand what was going on. Zhao Yuying and Song Zining, on the other hand, looked quite serious. Qianye broke into a frown as he thrust East Peak into the ground. He had seen it very clearly just nowLi Kuanglan had used her peerless swift blade to launch hundreds of attacks. Edward, covered in a black cape, appeared amidst the blood energy and merely stretched out a single hand. His fingers flicked or tapped at the incoming sword with equal speed, effectively repelling the entirety of Li Kuanglans assault. Compared to the central maze, he was now sporting dark golden fingernails that were several centimeters long. No one knew if these fingernails were natural or a certain kind of weapon, but they could actually contend against the sharpness of Cold Moons Embrace. Ji Tianqing suddenly appeared beside Edward and thrust her hands into the blood energy. The latter snorted as he swung a claw at her, grabbing her two hands with one of his own. The two were in a momentary deadlock, much like a wrestling match, when Ji Tianqing unleashed a sudden shout and her hands jolted sharply. No one knew what powerful secret art she had used but Edward let out a muffled groan and the blood energy around him dissipated almost by half. However, Edwards fingers struck like lightning, tapping several times on her hands. Ji Tianqing retreated several dozen meters with a startled cry and stood off against the Holy Son from a distance, her face as pale as a sheet. Apparently, she wasnt feeling too good. Edward didnt say anything, either, and merely snorted. Blood energy billowed around him, and soon, he had recovered to his peak state. Qianye cried out in secret at the unfortunate turn of events. He had realized that Edward would have no choice but to retreat as long as one could drain his blood energy to the point where it was insufficient to deal with the firesource. Otherwise, he would burst into flames and die immediately. Li Kaunglan had stood aside while Ji Tianqing was attacking and seemed to have no intention of interfering. The latter had also been hiding nearby and didnt launch a pincer attack during Li Kuanglans assault. In the end, both of them ended up slightly inferior to Edward in a confrontation. Although the gap was small, they had no hope of winning. If the two of them had worked together, Edward would be fleeing with heavy injuries by now. But the two of them just had to insist on their principles and werent willing to work together no matter what. This is the battlefield, not the arena! Qianye screamed indignantly in his heart. Qianye had come to accept Song Zinings principles after a prolonged period on the battlefield. As long as one could kill the enemy, any method was fair game. They clearly had the opportunity to work together and finish off the enemy just now, but Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were still thinking about their prestige. This simply left one dumbfounded. But Qianye also knew that he couldnt influence these two arrogant ladies. He could only rely on himself if he wanted to kill Edward. Only Qianye understood how terrifying Edward would be after escaping the blood sentence. After Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan failed to gain the advantage, the human race experts didnt think about anything else and quickly launched a group attack. Countless fireworks lit up around Edward, but the vampires figure flickered about and actually evaded all the attacks. The frightening speed he revealed at this point was even above Li Kuanglans! No wonder he dared to challenge all the human experts on his own. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers after making up his mind to kill Edward with the Shot of Inception. Although it might very well reveal his secret, letting the Holy Son go would bring about the deaths of countless imperial experts in the future. Qianyes friends and brothers might also be among these people. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 683: Afraid of Death [V6C213 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Within the Zhao clan main camp, Zhao Jundu was opening the gun box. He retrieved the weapons body and a deep azure barrel, which he then assembled together. His attitude was calm and collected. The lady beside her said, Must we watch that idiotic vampire act so arrogant? Zhao Jundu laughed. What, are your hands itching now? Whats the point in bullying a sick kid? The woman clearly felt wronged. How is he a kid? Im sure hes over two-hundred years old by now. Why dont you shoot him first and let him know whos boss? Zhao Jundu shook his head. Dont mess around. The one Im waiting for is the Masefield Demoness. If she doesnt take action, I cant, either. Dont let your thoughts stray off, I need you to watch my back when the Demoness comes. The lady whispered, There are so many people in the camp. Im not that important, am I? Zhao Jundu replied calmly, I wont feel at ease with the others. After a moment of silence, she responded with a strong nod. Zhao Jundu continued assembling his gun in a leisurely manner. After locking the barrel in, he sat down toward the window and slowly took aim at the vast night sky. Just as the muzzle was pointed at the night sky, the world underwent an abrupt changeeveryone in the city heard a cold laugh akin to the sound of shattering ice. A certain point in the night sky quickly lit upcountless specks of light converged into a belt of light and, traversing the immeasurable distance, shot toward Zhao Jundu. Wherever the icy radiance passed, space itself would be torn asunder as it drew upon the fierce void origin powers in the vicinity. The icy light thus grew exponentially in power, its power reaching an inconceivable state by the time it had arrived at the sky above Indomitable, almost capable of leveling the entire city! The moment this icy radiance shot through the sky, many experts became absent-minded. They felt that this was an attack from a great dark monarch because utilizing void origin power was a characteristic of their level. At this moment, many experts gazed at the dazzling, almost illusory beam of flowing crystalline radiance. No one could drum up the will to resist this attack, and neither did they know how to. Edwards countenance lost all color. He tightened his cape subconsciously as he gazed at the icy radiance traversing the night sky, his eyes full of bitterness. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan glanced at one another for the first time. Their eyes exchanged numerous thoughts in but a flash, but they still couldnt come up with anything to avert this crisis. Zhao Ruoxi appeared silently on the top of a tall tower. She bit her lips as she raised the Red Spider Lily but just couldnt pull the trigger. An invisible and indefensible force had descended from the sky, restraining both man and gun, preventing them from moving a single inch. Zhang Boqians voice rang out beside her ear, This isnt something you should meddle in. But! Zhao Ruoxi struggled with all her might but still couldnt move or speak. At this moment, Zhao Jundus hair flew about as he rose up and hovered in the air. There, he held his gun with a single hand and faced the incoming icy radiance; there wasnt the slightest bit of fear in him. A world with clear skies and vast land appeared behind him, forming myriad visual phenomena! No!!! The lady in the room screamed her lungs out. She rocketed into the night sky in hopes of blocking Zhao Jundu. The latter merely waved his left hand, immediately shrouding the woman in a layer of green light and effectively locking her mid-air. In the face of this icy crystalline radiancewhich brought with it the might of the heaven and earth itselfZhao Jundu let out a long laugh and said, This attack is naturally peerless! But you can also forget about returning in one piece after I open fire! The gun in Zhao Jundus hand lit up with an azure glow. The brilliance gradually intensified and soon merged together with the visual phenomena behind him. The shot hadnt been fired, but everyone knew that it would be earth-shattering! At this moment, Qianye looked up at the night sky. The flowing crystalline radiance expanded in his eyes and almost filled the entirety of his vision. Qianye was perhapsjust like the monarchs of both factionsone of the very few people who understood just how powerful this flowing crystalline brilliance was. This attack, Zhao Jundu couldnt take it on. Similarly, the Demoness wouldnt be able to handle that single shot Zhao Jundu had been preparing for many days. The moment he understood this point, the blood core in his chest unleashed the most powerful beat since birth. Thump! An intense sound akin to the beat of a drum rang out in everyones ears. It was as though the very first war-drum of the Evernight world had sounded once more. Apart from the most powerful experts, everyones hearts throbbed along with the sound of this drum. The night lost its color, the icy radiance was no longer as dazzling, and the white clouds were also frozen in time. The night turned to day in everyones eyes, simply because of... A pair of slowly unfurling luminous wings. The wings occupied the entire world. People could no longer see anything elseneither Qianye nor the three beams of light that had shot out from his hand. Those were feathers, the three most beautiful and garish feathers in the life of a peacock. The shooting icy radiance fell into an abrupt stagnation, its brilliance weakening time and again until only a small amount of the luminescence remained. Then, it shot forward like a necklace made of stars. For the very first time, Zhao Jundu was stunned and even forgot to open fire. The luminous wings behind Qianye closed up around him, covering his body like a lovers hands. Then, he continued flying into the air like a comet and crashed into the flowing icy radiance. In a split second, the entire sky was filled with stars falling like rain, like tears. Back in Blackflow City, the book A Brief History of the Empire dropped down from Nighteyes hands. She herself fell onto the table, knocking away her favorite tea set, which duly shattered on the ground beside the table. She felt a sudden pain in her heart, an agony so great that she couldnt even breathe. The day turned back to night on the void continent as the luminous wings disappeared. Seemingly in deep sleep, Qianye shot backward and drifted to the ground like a falling leaf. A distant, glacial sigh arrived from beyond the night sky as the Demoness spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. While she was in a daze, gazing at the dissipating sanguineous pearls, her body suddenly began to break down as well. Within Indomitable, Song Zining fell onto his back with blood streaming out of the corner of his mouth. Wei Potian, on the other hand, was still in deep sleep. It was just that his grip tightened on the glass he was holding, and the shattered pieces were piercing into his flesh. Yet, the Wei clan heir was completely unaware of the pillar of blood gushing out therein. Ah!!! Zhao Ruoxi finally cried out and raised her gun into the air. If you dont let go, Ill make sure you never see the Red Spider Lily again. A heavy sigh rang out in some unknown location. Zhao Ruoxi finally obtained her freedom. She raised a middle finger into the air and shouted with all her might, "What nerve! Do you feel no shame calling yourself a prince? In the ends of the void, Zhang Boqian was sitting with his hands on his knees. He sighed once more, but no one heard him. Lin Xitang suddenly appeared in front of him. More than half of his silver hair had turned white. His smile was still capable of overturning all life, but at this moment, it was suffused with a tinge of helplessness. After a long moment of silence, he said, Theyre still young. Theyll understand when they grow up that even heavenly monarchs are afraid of dying. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 684: I Shall Return I t [V7C001 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Knowing that the general outcome had been decided, those consciousnesses on the firmament receded like the tides. The general direction of this battle had been decided, but the details had yet to be carved out. Zhao Jundu didnt check on Qianye. Instead, his gaze fell upon Edward and that azure rifle shifted its aim onto the vampire Holy Son. A serious expression flashed through Edwards eyes as he subconsciously tightened his cloak. That shot was originally prepared for a showdown with the Demoness. How was he supposed to take on such an attack? Edward discovered that his peerless speed was useless before Zhao Jundus gun. He wouldnt be able to evade this shot no matter how he dodged. Only at this point did he recall that terrifying ability of the empires number one geniusTrue Shot. The only way to break True Shot was to flee into the void before the shot was fired, using space itself to break Zhao Jundus lock on him. Edward looked behind him and saw all the young geniuses of Evernight standing behind him. There were vampires among them, as well as demonkin, werewolves, and arachne. Edward, as a marquis, was the only one who could escape with the help of the void. Once he had done so, however, none of the others would be Zhao Jundus match. Not many could even deal with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. Edward pulled his cloak tighter and his eyes burned with sanguineous flames. He stared at Zhao Jundus gun and decided to take the attack head-on instead of running away. Somewhat surprised, the latter asked with a cold smile, Youre actually not running away? Are you so confident about taking a shot from me? Edward laughed wryly. Not at all. But I am, after all, the Holy Son of the vampire race and descendant to the Queen of the Night. How can I flee at such a time? Zhao Jundu pondered for a while before lifting his gun. You may leave. Edward was greatly astonished, but he didnt linger about for long. The Holy Son looked deeply into Zhao Jundus eyes before flying away into the dark night. The other young experts didnt dare remain after he was gone and quickly followed suit. That young demonkin in the depths of the void stood in solemn silence. After a good while, he said, Lets return. All the demonkin behind him were stunned. One of them quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, Young Master, wouldnt this mean an utter defeat for us? Those quotas The young demonkin sighed. Zhao Jundu hasnt fired that shot yet. I have no confidence in taking it on. The demonkin looked at one another. Apparently, they hadnt expected their young master to evaluate Zhao Jundu so highly. An elderly demonkin said in a deep voice, Why not force Edward to waste Zhao Jundus attack? Even the Holy Son cant refuse as long as you take out that command token! The old mans voice was full of malice, yet it moved all the other demonkin and caused them to echo his sentiments. A vampire who had gone through the blood sentence would mean great trouble in the futureit was best to finish him off here and now. The young demonkin revealed a helpless smile. You have all underestimated Zhao Jundu. He definitely wont use that shot on Edward. Hes saving it for me. He knows were here? How can that be? The young demonkin shook his head. Regardless of the method, he surely knows Im here. Let us leave, I cannot accomplish a mission which even Her Majesty the Demoness has failed. Under his command, the warship turned around quietly and left through the void. Zhao Jundu never so much as glanced at the Evernight experts near him. He only stood in the air and continued gazing at a certain direction in the void. Moments later, his aura gradually receded as he returned to the ground. Qianye was currently in a bizarre state. He was floating toward the ground like a falling leaf, almost as though his body were an illusion with neither weight nor substance. Countless people wanted to sense and even touch him, but their perceptions could only find an empty space there. It felt like Qianye simply didnt exist. A number of people among the crowd suddenly moved toward Qianye, but Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan quickly overtook them. At the moment, the two were also somewhat puzzled and couldnt judge Qianyes situation. They couldnt even tell if Qianyes figure here was real. How were they to catch him when they couldnt even sense him? Seeing Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan overtake them, those moving people halted their steps and wanted to move back into the crowd. After observing everything clearly from above, Zhao Jundu suddenly raised his hand and tapped at the air. Beams of azure light flickered past those people, cutting them right through the waist! Their faces were full of shock, bewilderment, terror, and anger, but they couldnt even cry out. All the imperial experts were dumbfounded at the sudden development. Many people realized that these people had evil intentions, but no one had expected Zhao Jundu to be so ruthless and tyrannical in his actions. Moreover, he had no intention of hiding anything, either. Add them to the list of casualties. The fourth young master paid no heed to the peoples expressions. Countless netherworld flowers blossomed below Qianye. Zhao Ruoxi stood in the sea of flowers and gently reached out to catch his falling body. The flowery demarcation conveyed a clear messagethat anyone daring to approach would die. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan looked helplessly at one another before stepping back. Few in the entire base would dare to stand beside the red spider lilies, and their cultivation wasnt at that level just yet. Zhao Jundu, however, descended straight into the flowery sea. Several equinox flowers blossomed around him the moment he moved. However, the unknown azure gun in his hand flickered, shooting out beams of green light and effectively sealing the lilies. Seemingly sensing the change, the Red Spider Lily cried out in Zhao Ruoxis hand, and dozens more flowers appeared in front of Zhao Jundu. As the flowers blossomed, Zhao Jundus movements immediately slowed down and his entire figure became flat. It was as though he had been sealed in a mirror. The rifle in Zhao Jundus hand flashed brilliantly, and the near-tangible azure radiance pushed opened space itself. Zhao Jundus figure became full once more as he jumped out of the warped dimension and appeared in front of Zhao Ruoxi. Nonetheless, this exchange dulled the radiance on his rifle, while the Red Spider Lily remained unchanged. The winner had already been decided in this short moment. Scram! Zhao Ruoxi clenched her teeth and pointed the Red Spider Lily at Zhao Jundus forehead. The latter sighed softly as he pulled the gun away. This isnt how you use a magnum. Its much better than not firing! Zhao Jundu said meaningfully, The enemy isnt limited to the ones that have just escaped. Not firing is the wiser choice. Zhao Ruoxi was clearly puzzled. She didnt understand the meaning behind his words, and at this moment, she didnt want to, either. She only looked down at Qianye, but tears started falling as she did so. Qianye was lying there quietly as though he were in deep sleep. There wasnt a single injury from head to toe, and even the small wounds he had gotten from fighting were gone. It was just that there was no breath, heartbeat, or any signs of life at all. His lustrous skin made him look like an incomparably exquisite but lifeless work of art. Zhao Ruoxi was helpless. In all her young life, she had never encountered or even heard of such a condition. She looked up at Zhao Jundu subconsciously because, as far as she could remember, there was nothing this fourth brother couldnt do. This time, however, she only saw a serious countenance through her blurry tears. The girl was anxious because she had never seen such a solemn expression on Zhao Jundus face. Life, life she muttered to herself. All of a sudden, she drew the vampiric blade at Qianyes waist and thrust it at her own chest. Shocked, Zhao Jundu reached out at lightning speed and caught her wrist. However, her action was just too suddenthe tip of the vampiric blade had already stabbed through her clothes and cut open her skin. What are you doing!? Zhao Jundu roared. Zhao Ruoxi struggled frantically. That origin crystal in my body is his. Hell wake up if I return it to him! Zhao Jundu raised his voice. Thats useless! I dont care!!! Amidst the struggle, several red spider lilies appeared on Zhao Jundus body and sealed his movements for a brief moment. Zhao Ruoxi then snatched the vampiric blade, closed her eyes, and stabbed her chest once more! The blade indeed struck flesh, but Zhao Ruoxi felt no pain, only the sensation of warm, dripping blood. She looked down and found that the dagger had gone through Zhao Jundu''s hand instead of her chest. The latters fingers were tightly closed around the blade that had pierced into his palm, preventing it from moving a single inch. After being weakened by the Red Spider Lily, Zhao Jundus body was almost no different from that of an ordinary person. A fountain of fresh blood was gushing out from the wound and pouring down on Zhao Ruoxis body. A bloodstain was expanding rapidly on her dress. Ruoxi, its really useless. Zhao Jundus voice was gentle. I know but, what should I do? Zhao Ruoxis tears fell like rain and mixed with Zhao Jundus blood. Qianye will be fine. Leave him to me, no one can take him away in front of me. Zhao Jundus voice was soft yet filled with unquestionable resolve. After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Ruoxi nodded and let the blade go. The other shore flowers in the vicinity also disappeared along with the netherworld river. Zhao Jundu removed the vampiric blade from his palm and returned it to the sheath at Qianyes waist. He then turned around and ordered, Send the young miss and Qianye to my place. Make sure no one disturbs them. The moment he stood up, Zhao Jundu was once again the commander, that young genius of the empire who was destined to become a heavenly monarch. He didnt clean the wound on his hand just yet. Instead, he allowed the blood to drip down and watched as it fell to the floor. Moments later, Zhao Jundu said calmly, I heard the Li family owes Qianye a Stillwater Rebirth, and it just so happens that he needs it right now. Send someone to retrieve it. A Zhao clan champion took a step forward. Im willing to undertake this task! Zhao Jundu nodded silently. Swift and fierce, the champion flew straight for the airship port without even waiting for a car. Everyone knew that this journey wouldnt be easy, and Zhao Jundu made no mention of what needed to be done if the Li family were to put off delivering the medicine. The city of Indomitable became solemn all of a sudden. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 685: Path to Heaven [V7C002 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] High up in the void, Lin Xitang was offering words of praise, This child Jundu knows when to advance and retreat. Hes gradually revealing the characteristics of a great general, not bad at all. Zhang Boqian snorted. Protecting his people instead of killing enemies with all his heart, he resembles you quite a bit on this point! Lin Xitang smiled faintly. Will those old fogeys really sit still if he had killed all those little fellows? Its not like you dont understand this. Whats the point of bringing it up? If this spreads, people will think youre narrow-minded. Zhang Boqian only gazed at a certain place in the endless void. Lin Xitang also turned and left without further conversation. At this moment, the dazzling twin paragons of the empire seemed to have forgotten someone, and it seemed more or less intentional. Although the Twin Paragons made no mention of him, news of this battle spread across the empire at unbelievable speeds. Two dukes observing this battle witnessed and confirmed the Demoness icy radiance and Zhao Jundus peerless might. However, the icy radiance was actually broken by Qianye, and the latter had even inflicted injuries on the Demoness. This was inconceivable! Although Qianye did enjoy some fame in the empire, he ultimately couldnt get into the eyes of those major charactersmany people still didnt know who Qianye was. Before long, news arrived from the Evernight side about how the Demoness had nearly died and her body dissipated. She had no choice but to return to the depths of the void to rest and reform her body anew. Meanwhile, Qianye was reportedly alive. It could be said that their battle had ended in a draw. This news sent the empire into an uproar. At this point, the name Qianye truly entered the eyes of the empires highest echelons. Only at this point did people discover that they had no idea what Qianyes primary cultivation art was, and no one knew what secret art those three earth-shattering luminous feathers belonged to. On the same day, a well-groomed elderly man without a single hair on his face was bowing before the Pointer Monarch, who happened to be reading a scroll under a tree. The Pointer Monarch eventually put down the scroll in his hand. Steward Li has no need to be so formal. Youre Empress Lis attendant and I am but an old man, no need to be so polite Steward Li was a slightly chubby man. His forehead was drenched in sweat after hearing these words. He wiped away the perspiration and said with a wry smile, Elder Prince, please dont make fun of me. I was only able to benefit a bit from watching the empress grow up. Im certainly not that capable. The only thing I can boast of is a bit of diligence and devotion. Seeing the eunuch in such a state, the Pointer Monarch stopped putting on airs. What business does Steward Li have? The old man said while bowing deeply, The empress has obtained some information about the battle on the floating continent that she wishes for you to assess. The Pointer Monarchs brows moved slightly. I heard there were quite a few surprises in this battle. Ive been wanting to know more about it, too. Please tell me, Steward Li. The old steward recounted the last battle at Indomitable in great detail. His words were soft but also fast and clear. Moreover, he explained all the fine details without missing a single thing, almost as though he had witnessed everything personally. The Pointer Monarchs expression became serious. He simply got up and paced about the courtyard after hearing how Qianye had broken through the icy radiance with the three luminous feathers, shattered the flowing light with his body, and heavily injured the Demoness with some unknown method. He exhaled deeply after a good while and said, Yet another path to the heavens! What!? The jade plate in Steward Lis hand fell to the ground and shattered. Moments later, a frantic Steward Li finally arrived at Empress Lis residence. A clear voice came through from within the chambers before he had even entered. Uncle Li, why are you in such a hurry? By the time he was standing before the empress, Steward Li was panting and sweating all over. Without waiting to catch his breath, he whispered, Empress, you cant blame me for being so anxious! The elder princes evaluation is a path to the heavens! Empress Li was leaning on the handrest at first and playing with a large snow-white cat, her five fingers even fairer than the creature and almost translucent. After hearing of this, however, she slowly sat up without any change in expression, and that big cat leapt off Empress Lis arms with a pained cry and ran behind the chair. Steward Li kept his head lowered. He shot a glance at the snow-white cat but quickly reverted his gaze to the floor in front of him. This path to the heavens is referring to Qianye? This servant believes so. How are Qianyes injuries? Has he awakened? Steward Li replied hurriedly, This this servant does not know. Qianye was hidden away by Zhao Jundu after that battle, and no one has been allowed near him since. With Zhao Ruoxi watching over him, the place is truly watertight, and no one really knows what his situation is. Empress Li said with a frown, Cant you make a prediction from that icy radiance? Empress, you might not know this, but the Demoness status in the Evernight faction is extremely high. None of our assets on the other side can even approach her. How can they know what kind of art she was using and how powerful it was. This we really cannot deduce it. Empress Li pondered for a moment, her jade-like fingers tapping on the handrest all the while. Seeing this, Steward Li said, If the Empress thinks this Qianye might be harmful, this servant can arrange some people to take advantage of this opportunity. Empress Li woke up from her reverie. She then shook her head and sighed lightly. Im the Empress of Great Qin after all. I have to think more for the empire. Qianye might be a pillar of the empire in the future, so just let him be. We should even give him some help when he really needs it. The steward said in astonishment, But the Zhao clan might very well produce two heavenly monarchs at this rate! Empress Li smiled faintly. So what if they do? They cant flip the empire over even if they do have two heavenly monarchs. As for our Li family, as long as we forge ahead diligently, there will be a day when we become a major clan. Its not as if theres a set limit to the number of major clans. There was much more than four during the empires founding. The steward replied, The Empress is wise! Seeing Empress Li wave at him, the steward excused himself from the palace hall. He seemed to be thinking about something as he walked through the doors, but eventually, he shook his head and left in a hurry. Critical news always traveled faster than anticipated. Somehow, the Pointer Monarchs evaluation of Qianye had spread throughout the empire within a single day. A path to the heavensthese words shook the empire through and through. It was different from Zhao Jundus heavenly monarch realm is just beyond the door in that path to the heavens referred to an inheritance. It meant that the secret art Qianye was cultivating could bring him to the heavenly monarch realm. Although it was a mere possibility, that in and of itself would allow Qianye to establish his own family. If he could develop it well, he might even be able to found a major clan. Just by virtue of this evaluation, Qianye would be able to cross over the major-clan threshold which countless aristocratic families could only dream of. The empire had enjoyed a thousand years of inheritancearts that could bring one to the heavenly monarch realm werent limited to just the imperial family and the four major clans. Many of the high-ranking aristocratic families also possessed them. The only difference was the difficulty level. Nonetheless, Qianye had already proven with this battle that he was fairly capable of such a feat and that he could support an aristocratic clan. Moreover, Qianye was able to contend with a legendary demonkin genius at such a young age. The inheritance in his hand was definitely of extraordinary value. In the blink of an eye, countless gazes were cast upon the city of Indomitable. How could the Zhao clan adopt a nonchalant attitude? That very dawn, Duke You Zhao Xuanji appeared personally at Indomitable to oversee the camp in which Qianye was resting. The Fire Beacon Corps on the Western Continent also made an urgent mobilization. Zhao Weihuang transferred, to the floating continent, two of his four greatest generals along with two of their most powerful legions, all of whom traveled day and night to get there. Such a movement meant that most of the Fire Beacon Corps elites were now concentrated on the floating continent. Not to mention the fact that Zhao Ruoxi and her Red Spider Lily was also nearby. Such a strict defense meant that not even a fly could get close to Qianye. Within the imperial military department, a handsome man in his thirties was seated at his desk, his head in his hands as he listened to the detailed report about the battle at Indomitable. With regards to time, his report was a tad later than that of the imperial family and the empress. However, his intelligence already included the Pointer Monarchs evaluation. One could see from this just how high his position in the military was. He was clad in a lieutenant generals uniform, but his combat strength was merely that of a brigadier general. Holding powerful office without depending on personal strength could only mean two thingshe was either an outstanding strategist or a person of noble birth. From his current position, the former was more likely. After listening to the report, he said, Heh, another heavenly monarch? One clan with two heavenly monarchs, how is the empire going to function like this? Whats the point of centralization? These words were fairly serious. The subordinate delivering the report held his breath, not daring to speak. The man wasnt expecting his subordinate to provide an opinion, either. Qianyes injuries are fairly serious, and the key to his recovery very likely lies with Stillwater Rebirth. The closest portion in stock is with the Li familys Li Tianquan. Send someone to meet the second elder, tell him to resist the Zhao clans pressure and not hand over the medicine. Well give him all the support he needs as long as we dont need to show ourselves in public. Understood. After the subordinate left, this new noble of the imperial military pressed a bell on the table and summoned his aide. Prepare my car, I shall visit the Minister of the Right. It could be said that Li Tianquan was in a state of alternating joy and worry in recent days, so much so that even the worsening battle situation had been thrown to the side. The Misty Wood had almost become the home ground of the Dark Races. The independent hunters under the Li familys employ could no longer survive alone in the forest and had no choice but to form combat squads. This had its own disadvantagesthe price of increased protection was that they encountered more fierce battles. With the daily rise in casualties, the aristocratic families who were eyeing the rankings started to sound a retreatmore than one had transferred their fighting power to Indomitable. The defense system there was obviously more mature, and the accumulated forces of the Zhang, Zhao, and Song clans formed a stable defensive force. But these things had been pushed to the side in Li Tianquans heart, and his head was fully occupied by a single name: Qianye. A faint clinking sound lingered constantly around his office. Li Tianquan looked down to find that the teapot in his hand was jumping about, and the lid was striking the body as it did so. This sound was quite harsh in the old mans ears, as he could tell from the sound that this pot wasnt quite at the premium-quality level. But he had already smashed all the good ones, so only such goods remained available to him. The ringing caused him to become increasingly frustrated, yet he couldnt get rid of it. That was because the shaking had nothing to do with the pot but his hand. Since Li Tianquan found out about the battle at Indomitableabout the outcome of the battle between Qianye and the Demonesshis hands had been shaking uncontrollably so. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 686: Withholding [V7C003 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Li Tianquan had never imagined Qianye would be able to fight to the point where both he and the Demoness were heavily injured. As someone who had worked his way to the second-elder position, the old man was neither stupid nor lacking in background and knowledge. Even though he had never seen the Demoness in person, that couldnt stop him from deducing her combat strength. This Demoness was even capable of forcing Zhao Jundu into a cornerthis wasnt someone Li Tianquan could go up against. Yet Qianye had fought her to the point of mutual injury! Didnt this mean that Qianye could kill Li Tianquan just as easily? The elder couldnt help but tremble when he recalled how he had almost broken into a fight with Qianye. His right hand was trembling not only from terror but also from anxiety and not knowing what to do. The first thought that came to his mind when the news arrived was that he couldn''t let Qianye live! If Qianye were to become powerful in the future, the Li family might not be able to withstand the pressure; they might very well toss him out as a sacrifice and sue for peace. The current Li Tianquan was no longer as bold and fearless as he was in his youth. He now had power, a family, and an extravagant lifethe only thing he didnt have was the courage to fight to the death. That actually was the case for many high-ranking people. It was just that they didnt need to face such difficult circumstances. The old man turned back and glanced at the giant painting on the wall. Behind this drawing was a secret cabinet containing the Stillwater Rebirth. The second elder had spent great effort in order to settle his bet with Qianye, and even then, he was only able to afford it because the Li family had given him a 50% discount. The Li familys public excuse was to uphold their family honor. No one could tell just how much of it was due to Zhao Jundus pressure and because Qianye had slaughtered a virtuous count. At this moment, there was someone from the Zhao clan in the guest room to the left of his officethis person had come to ask for the Stillwater Rebirth. To the right of his office, however, was someone who had come to dissuade him from handing over the medicine. The latters identity was mysterious, but his status was extremely high. This shrewd old man had long since figured out the people behind this man. That lobbyist stated several conditions that moved Li Tianquan deeply. The most important one among them was that the big-shot would support him in the imperial court should he one day seek to establish his own family. Their only request was not to hand over the Stillwater Rebirth. That was the reason Li Tianquan was so torn. He had already realized that even the bigshots in the imperial court were taking action to prevent Qianyes recovery. Didnt this mean that Qianyes status had reached a level of being debated in the imperial court? From the remote contention between the magnates of the imperial court, Li Tianquan could already sniff out the importance of this Stillwater Rebirth. It was very possible that Qianyes survival depended on it. Then, should he hand it over or not? At this very moment, Li Tianquan really wished that the life-saving medicine wasnt in his hand. That way, he wouldnt have to make such a choice deeply related to life and death. It was just that he had no time to meditate on this. A sudden explosion rang out outside, causing the entire office to tremble and dust to shower down from the ceiling. A small piece of splintered wood fell right on top of Li Tianquans head. The old man was furious. Whats going on!? The secretary entered anxiously and said, Elder, that Zhao clan person has started to break things. Hes saying hell tear the whole place down if you dont give him an answer soon. Li Tianquan was absolutely infuriated, but he broke out into laughter instead. Fine, fine. This is simply not putting the Li family in his eyes. Lets go, this old man wishes to see how hell tear down this building in front of me. Before Li Tianquan had even left, the entire building began swaying and astonished cries rang out inside the building. Within the guest room, that Zhao clan general stomped down with a cold smirk on his face. He didnt even bother to look at the Li clan soldiers around him. This strike was akin to a giant beast stomping the groundthe building shook and the walls started to crack, but the floor itself remained completely intact. This was the Zhao clans famous Earthshaker. After training it to a high level, a single stomp could damage all buildings and walls within a hundred meters, while the area right below the wielder remained mostly undamaged. Li Tianquan finally burst through the dust cloud and appeared at the door. What audacity! A mere brigadier general dares act so atrociously here? This old man wouldve killed you in one blow if not out of consideration for the Zhao clan! This matter caused a huge ruckus in the middle of the base. Dozens of spectators had gathered nearby in the blink of an eye and their numbers only kept on growing. The Li family officers had wanted to clear them out at first, but they soon found out that the people who had arrived were elders and stewards of the aristocratic families. Whether or not they could keep the Li family stronghold intact was reliant on their willingness to stay and fight. The single Storm Pearl was gradually losing the ability to court these nobles amidst their heavy casualties. Besides, there was only one storm pearl left, and it wasnt a certainty who would be able to obtain it. As such, the Li family people had to lay low and keep these aristocratic families happy. In the face of a furious Li Tianquan, this Zhao clan warrior laughed fearlessly. This daddy Duan Chengpeng is a coarse man and my cheap life isnt worth anything. Since Ive come here, I have no intention of going back alive! But I want to ask you one thing, where did you get the damn gall to embezzle the life-saving medicine that our Zhao clan is rightfully demanding? Where are your Li familys prestige and trustworthiness? Are they not worth as much as a single Stillwater Rebirth? Li Tianquans face became as dark as a pot. Nonsense! That Stillwater Rebirth isnt in my hands! But he hadnt even finished speaking when Duan Chengpeng cut him short. Haha! Have you no shame? The medicine is clearly in your office. How about we go there now and this daddy will find it for you? Li Tianquan was at a momentary loss for words. He cursed in his heart upon realizing that someone close to him was spying for the Zhao clan. Otherwise, how could this Duan Chengpeng know about such a secret matter? Moreover, this man looked coarse on the outside but was fairly clever and devious. He had acted crude and waited for Li Tianquan to speak out before throwing this information onto the table. This instantly pushed Li Tianquan into a dangerous corner. Under the eyes of so many people, how could Li Tianquan dare to let Duan Chengpeng enter his office and search? Moreover, there was no way he could play tricks under so many eyes. His expression transformed repeatedly, but he remained steadfast with his words. What a joke! This is the Li family! Not to mention a mere brigadier general, even Duke You himself doesnt have the right to search my place! Duan Chengpengs expression turned solemn. Does this mean Elder Li is adamant on withholding the Stillwater Rebirth? Heh heh, the life of our familys General Qianye, Elder Li should be clear as to how important it is! Can you shoulder that responsibility? Li Tianquan hadnt expected Duan Chengpengs words to be so incisive, pinning all the blame on him in a single word. Li Tianquan had more or less understood how much Qianyes life was worth. How would he dare to assume this responsibility? Nonsense! Stillwater Rebirth is our family treasure. How we distribute it is entirely our business. Moreover, General Qianye has been fighting for king and country, this old man has nothing but admiration for him. Why would I want to harm him? Duan Chengpeng sneered. Elder Li, Ill cut the bullshit short. Youre very clear about this matter, delaying is tantamount to conspiring. If you dont hand the medicine over now, its equal to making an enemy out of our Zhao clan. I hope you will think this through because theres no way to reverse this enmity once it has been formed. This vendetta shall last unto death! Li Tianquan glared back. Youre going too far! What if the Zhao clan is powerful? Our Li clan isnt that easy to bully, either. Men! Capture this person! The Li family soldiers looked at one another. They were fairly hesitant but had no choice since it was a direct order. The spectating aristocratic families hadnt expected the situation would deteriorate so quickly. The Zhao clan visitor had left no room at all. It would seem this Stillwater Rebirth was critical for Qianye, and it also went to show that the latter was in a perilous situation. There was actually no dispute as to the owner of this Stillwater Rebirth. Everyone at the scene knew of the bet between Li Tianquan and Qianye. With the second elders position and status, it was only right for him to keep his promises. Now that he was withholding the medicine, it was clear that he had ulterior motives. But this matter involved a conflict between the Zhao clan and the Li family; how could these aristocratic families dare to get involved? Even if they did interfere, the final decision had to be made by their respective clan lords. Hence, everyone simply stood on the sidelines and observed the changes. Seeing the Li family soldiers closing in on him, Duan Chengpeng pounced forth with a laugh, shouting, Today, I shall sacrifice my blood to the flag. The fourth young master will raise this war banner and avenge me another day! Scoundrels, do not forget that the fourth young master has a shot left to fire! Duan Chengpengs cries were followed by thunderous rumbles and whistling winds that echoed throughout the base! The main building trembled amidst the explosions and half-collapsed in the end. When the dust scattered, people saw Li Tianquan standing in the air and looking down at the rubble below, his hands trembling slightly. Duan Chengpeng remained stationary in the rubble, his fate unknown. Li Tianquan couldnt resist taking action at the last moment and heavily injured Duan Chengpeng. However, the man didnt die in the end because the elder didnt dare deliver the final blow. Those with discerning eyes knew that the difference between killing and injuring wasnt that greathe was delaying Qianyes treatment all the same. This was sure to incite the Zhao clans thunderous wrath. With Zhao Jundus character, it could be said that war was inevitable. Yet, people didnt quite understand why things had turned out like this. Li Tianquan was a bit domineering, but he wasnt a stupid person. His behavior was akin to the Li family fully offending the Zhao clan. This wasnt something a mere elder could decide. Many people started to read deeper into this. Capture this arrogant man and lock him up. Li Tianquans voice was calm, but he was fairly nervous at heart. Additionally, he could hardly conceal his trembling despite hiding his hands in his sleeves. With this matter concluded, the aristocratic family members soon dispersed. The Zhao-Li conflict was a matter of great importance, so they had to report this as quickly as possible and seek instructions. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 687: Feelings [V7C004 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Li Tianquans heart still couldnt calm down even as he watched Duan Chengpeng being carried away. On the contrary, he felt himself in a state of greater suspense and restlessness. As such, he got up to meet that mysterious lobbyist. This person was a lean middle-aged man with a meticulously groomed beard. Seeing the old man enter, he put down the jade object he had been fiddling with and said with a smile, Elder Li, why the panic? Li Tianquan gathered his thoughts and said wryly, This matter is simply too serious. How can I calm down? That persons promise wont change, will it? The middle-aged man appeared somewhat unhappy. Elder Li can choose not to believe me since my status and words are insignificant, but that seal I brought cant be faked. Its also something youve verified. Whatever I say is that persons opinion. Moreover, he had personally spoken those words, I neither added nor removed a single letter. Li Tianquan laughed. Thats great, thats great! Please dont blame this old man for being cautious. The Zhao clan people are simply too arrogant and fearless! It would be a major problem if they bring the fight to our doors. The man surnamed Liao paid little heed to this. He merely said while stroking his beard, No matter how insolent the Zhao clan is, they still have to follow certain protocols. This empire is not surnamed Zhao. Yes, yes. Li Tianquan nodded repeatedly, quickly calming down. The middle-aged man shot a glance at him and said indifferently, The sire has long since gained fame throughout the world and his words hold enormous weight. He has already promised thus, yet Elder Li isnt doing his part in a clear-cut manner. This cant be justified, can it? Shocked, Li Tianquan said in a trembling voice, What must this old man do? The middle-aged man said calmly, Simple, Elder Li should hand that Stillwater Rebirth to me. I will then disappear, removing any proof that the medicine was ever in Elder Lis hands. Even if the Zhao clan wishes to blame someone, they cant blame you. Li Tianquan forced a smile. This allow me to think about it. Mister Liaos smile was rather insincere. Youve already reached such a stage, what would you need to think about? Unless Elder Li feels he has a chance to redeem himself with the Zhao clan? But then again, the one who should be anxious right now is you, not me. Establishing a new aristocratic family is no joke; land, residents, resources, and military power, you cant lack any of that. Even that character has only two patches of such land. Do you have any idea just how many people are eyeing them? At this point, Mister Liao cupped his hand, a gesture used when seeing the visitor out. Please take your time to think about it. Li Tianquan said, Thank you for your advice, this old man will give you an answer very soon. Mister Liaos countenance turned gloomy after Li Tianquan left the room. Apparently, he hadnt expected the cat-and-mouse ploy to be ineffective. He cursed the old man for being a spineless buffoon as he pushed open the door and left. Before long, Mister Liao appeared outside the stronghold prison. At this moment, he had changed his appearance and even his original aura had transformed. He produced an order token and waved it in front of the guard. This was an elder-level insignia, so the guard didnt dare block his path as he went in. After entering the dungeon, Mister Liao waited for the prison officer toward whom he made a mysterious finger gesture. The officers expression changed slightly but quickly reverted to normalcy. He called for a prison guard and instructed him to show Mister Liao around the prison chambers. The stronghold prison was deep in the ground. It was simple but firm and well-guarded. Mister Liao remained calm as he walked by each of the prison chambers, pausing occasionally along the way until he came to a special cell. This room was covered in origin arraysit was sturdy, and the arrangement inside was fairly comfortable. Duan Chengpeng lay unconscious on the bed, but there was a faint medicinal aroma around him. Apparently, he had been given treatment and sedatives to aid his recovery. Mister Liao stood there for a moment and casually flicked his finger. A wisp of origin power shot out in the form of a grey needle and disappeared into Duan Chengpengs body. His actions were so well-concealed that the prison guard beside him wasnt aware of what he had just done. Ive seen everything, lets go, he said indifferently, and then followed the guard out. The walk from the secret room to his office wasnt long, but Li Tianquan felt that the journey was simply endless. At this moment, Duan Chengpengs words echoed in his mind, The fourth young master has a shot left to fire! After finally returning to his office, a conflicted Li Tianquan stood gazing at the painting on the wall. Newly established aristocratic families were usually assigned to border areas. As the lord of the land, the family was in charge of defending it. Throughout the thousand years, countless aristocratic families had fallen to the dark races and beast tides before they could gain a proper foothold. The territory offered by that major character was easy to defend and close to an important imperial military ground; reinforcements could arrive within days in critical situations. Moreover, that major character had promised to garrison several battalions of elite soldiers in his land for three years. This would allow Li Tianquan to get through the most difficult period of his endeavor. Such a term was more than just generousit was well thought-out and thorough in every aspect. It was impossible for Li Tianquan not to be moved. There would still be some risks within the three years since these elite battalions might not be able to repel every dark race assault. But which aristocratic clan hadnt risen through dangers of blood and fire? When all was said and done, Li Tianquan was still the second elder of the Li family. How could he shrink back from such an opportunity? It was just that he had a vague feeling that this Mister Liao wasnt as simple as he looked. Why would that major character need to offer land if the only thing at stake was Qianyes life? This piece of territory was highly valuable. Not to mention a Stillwater Rebirth, it wasnt enough even if he were to throw in a Storm Pearl. There was an unwritten rule in the empireif one were to move his family to the border areas to pioneer new ground, his old feuds would have to be set aside temporarily. The vendetta could only be resumed several generations later, after this clan had gained stable footing. This also meant that neither the Li family nor the Zhao clan could pursue him during these years. Otherwise, they might incur the wrath of all the other aristocratic families. That, however, was under normal circumstances. There would always be exceptions to the rule. What if Zhao Jundu were to attack regardless of everything? That character in the imperial court was, after all, in the wrong. Would he be willing to contend against the future Heavenly Monarch for an upstart aristocratic family? Ignoring whether or not that persons authority would last forever, he would still need to think about his descendants even if he did remain in power. Zhao Jundu had broken the rules more than once for Qianye. That was exactly the reason why Li Tianquan couldnt feel relieved. The Stillwater Rebirth in his secret cabinet was like a volcano. Even stepping closer to it made him feel stifled. It was at this time that the office doors were flung open. A stream of cold air rushed in, causing Li Tianquan to shiver uncontrollably. He hadnt even turned around when Li Kuanglans voice rang out behind him, Second elder, why are you so restless? Shocked, Li Tianquan turned around and said with a forced a smile, Nothing, its just a small matter. Why has virtuous nephew arrived all of a sudden? I came to get something, Ill leave right afterward. Li Tianquans expression relaxed a fair bit. What item is so important that you had to come and get it personally? Why didnt you just send someone? Li Kuanglan said indifferently, I wont feel at ease leaving it to others. Oh, just what is it? Dont hesitate if you need my help. Li Kuanglans lips rose slightly into a spurious smile. I do need second elders help, I want the Stillwater Rebirth. Stillwater Rebirth!? Li Tianquan was shocked out of his wits. He took a while to collect his wits before saying, What are you doing? Dont tell me Without waiting for him to finish, Li Kuanglan said, Correct, Im getting it for Qianye. Li Tianquan was first startled and then furious. Kuanglan! Do you know that Qianye will become a great enemy of our Li family? How can we hand him a treasure like Stillwater Rebirth? How can you be so muddle-headed? Li Kuanglans brows rose up as she said in a cold voice, Doesnt this Stillwater Rebirth rightfully belong to him? I only came to pick it up for him. What else does second elder want to say? You Li Tianquan suddenly realized that the other party was no longer addressing him as second uncle but second elder instead. That being the case, he simply adopted a stern expression and said, The circumstances have changed. It is his, no doubt, but I didnt say when I would give it to him. I cant decide such a major issue on my own. We need to wait for a nod from the clan lord and the empress. Li Kuanglan placed her hand on the hilt of Cold Moons Embrace. Not handing it over, eh? Then see how many moves you can last under my sword! Li Tianquan was terrified. His origin power cultivation was far ahead of Li Luanglan, but the latter possessed a divine weapon and was trained in the Li familys most powerful sword arts. He wasnt too confident about a victory if they were to fight. Moreover, Li Kuanglans identity was special. Even if he could beat her, he wouldnt dare injure her. How then was he supposed to fight this battle? Kuanglan, the clan lord and the empress wont let you off for your mischief! Li Tianquan shouted in a stern voice. Li Kuanglan smiled coldly. Ill naturally talk to my sister about it. She understands my feelings quite well, so there''s no need to the trouble the second elder regarding this. Besides, its not certain how long you can remain in your position. Now, move! A line of blue appeared out of thin air, bringing with it a sharp, austere chill as it made for the elders forehead. The attack was extremely abrupt. Li Tianquan activated his origin power in full force and used it to move his body. Only then did he manage to barely evade this strike. However, the blue glow didnt disappearit shot straight into the wall and broke the door to that secret cabinet. Li Kuanglan took a step forward, picked up the Stillwater Rebirth, and put it away. She then left without even glancing at Li Tianquan. The second elder was left stunned. Gazing at the empty secret cabinet, he could feel all his fame, power, and influence leaving him. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 688: Heavenly Mystery [V7C005 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] After a long while, Li Tianquan suddenly thought of something. He rushed out of his office and ordered his men in a hurry, Go to the prison and bring Duan Chengpeng here! It was at this time that one of his aides rushed over. Second Elder, things dont look good! That Duan Chengpeng suddenly Whats wrong with him, speak! Li Tianquan had a feeling that something bad was up. Hes dead. Li Tianquan felt his vision go dark as a sweet scent gushed up from his stomach. Outside of the base, Li Kuanglan had just turned into a streak of blue and was about to speed up when a slender figure appeared to block his path. Where are you rushing off to, Young Noble Kuanglan? that person said calmly. Li Kuanglans expression turned cold. I dont care who you are. Get out of the way or youll die for nothing! The man laughed out loud. I was born of a humble family, and this life of mine isnt worth much, my death certainly wont mean anything to you. Its just that Im fairly learned in tactics and combat arts despite my lack of talent. Im afraid youll have to spend some effort to kill me. Li Kuanglan spoke not a single word. With a shake of her right hand, Cold Moons Embrace appeared in her grasp and several beams of blue light shot toward Mister Liao. The latter raised his sleeves to reveal a sword in each hand. The blades moved like the wind and actually blocked all of the blue beams. Li Kuanglan revealed sharp killing intent as she launched a lightning fast strike that went straight for Mister Liaos forehead! The second exchange told her that the opponent was definitely a powerful enemy. Hence, she launched a rapid attack without the slightest bit of hesitation. This Mister Liao didnt have Edwards ability, but he blocked his vitals with one hand while slashing at Li Kuanglans legs with the other. He made no effort to block the blade radiance of the Cold Moons Embrace. Li Kuanglan was slightly astonished, realizing that this Mister Liao was determined to trade injuries in order to delay her journey. So much so that he wasnt afraid of losing his life in the process. Li Kuanglan naturally wasnt willing to trade injuries with him. As such, she withdrew her strike to block the mans attack and followed up with dozens of wild attacks. Mister Liao met transformation with invariance, defending himself securely with one sword while attacking the enemy with the other. Whenever he fell into a dangerous situation, he would shift toward a stance of mutual injury, effectively blocking the entire series of swift blade strikes. This inadvertently revealed his solid foundation in the sword arts. Her heart filled with concern, Li Kuanglan became increasingly anxious as she fought on. She took a deep breath as frigid energy appeared around her body, poised to unleash a killing move and quickly disable the enemy. It was at this time that Mister Liaos expression changed drastically, and his body made an eerie sideways shift. A small hand appeared out of nowhere and launched a flurry of several claws and slaps. If not for the mysterious mans movement technique, he wouldve been struck by this ambushing hand. Ji Tianqing appeared out of thin air and said to Li Kuanglan, Go, Ill deal with this henchman. The proud Li Kuanglan actually didnt object to this. She shot a glance at Ji Tianqing and said, Ive known you for so many years, but this is the first time youre not annoying. Ji Tianqing chuckled. After helping you once, I can beat you up with a clear conscience when we compete next time. Li Kuanglans eyes twitched briefly. Have you ever won against me before? And you know what, I take those words back. While the two were chatting, Mister Liao launched several frantic attacks, but all of them were duly blocked by Ji Tianqing. All he could do was watch as Li Kuanglan disappeared into the distance. After Li Kuanglan was gone, Ji Tianqings innocent smile disappeared as she sized Mister Liao up from head to toe as a predator would his prey. She then reached into her pocket, seemingly about to fish something out. As someone who knew a lot of secret information, Mister Liao was immediately shocked out of his wits. Now that Ji Tianqing was about to use a weapon, how could he dare stay behind? He immediately turned and fled with a loud cry. Following a cold glint in Ji Tianqings hand, Mister Liao let out a miserable cry and blood sprayed out of his back. However, the man didnt turn back and kept on running at full speed. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished over the vast horizon. Ji Tianqing was a bit astonished, not expecting the cautious man to run without even knowing what she was reaching for. She knew it was already too late to give chase. She muttered to herself with a regretful expression, What a pity! I couldve exchanged him for some good stuff! Back in Indomitable, Zhao Jundu was standing before the window with his rifle beside him, gazing at the vast skies and thinking about something. He had been standing here since Qianye collapsed from his injury and hadnt moved an inch since. That lady appeared behind him and said in a gentle voice, Young Master, you should rest. Zhao Jundu didnt turn back. Its not time yet. Both Duke You and Duke Chengens legions have arrived, havent they? Moreover, Miss Ruoxi is also standing guard. Nothing will happen. Zhao Jundu replied, Im here to observe an outcome. I must see who dares to scheme against Qianye at such a juncture. The woman hesitated for a moment, and then said tactfully, Young Master, you know the current situation and just how broad his implications are. Some people do have unfathomable motives, but theres no need to retaliate immediately. Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. Im not that boorish. Although those people are powerful, I have no need to fear them once I cross over the threshold of heavenly monarch. I can afford to wait, but the same cant be said for them. Puzzled, the woman asked, Since thats the case, why dont you conceal your actions? Zhao Jundu said calmly, Why must I? I must let them know that Zhao Jundu is someone who remembers his grudges. Thats the only way we can make them apprehensive. If they refuse to restrain themselves despite all that After a brief pause, Zhao Jundus voice turned cold. The day I become heavenly monarch is the day I uproot them all! The woman opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but no words came out. Zhao Jundu suddenly took a step back. Surging frost energy poured in from the window as Li Kuanglan stepped in and stood before Zhao Jundu. Here. Li Kuanglan passed a box over, her tone fairly stern. Zhao Jundu asked as he opened the box, Stillwater Rebirth? Yes. Zhao Jundu was about to offer his thanks but Li Kuanglan cut him short, No need, our Li family doesnt owe people. With that, she jumped out through the window and disappeared from sight. She left so fast that it almost looked like she was running away. Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. This fool! He passed the box to the lady and said, Since its here, then let Qianye use it. Itll just be a waste otherwise. The latter found Zhao Jundus tone odd. Young Master, is this medicine not useful for Young Noble Qianye? Zhao Jundu replied, Its better than nothing. Then why did you send people to demand the drug from the Li family? This thing rightfully belongs to Qianye, so we must use it on him. Even if its a waste, thats our Zhao clans business. The lady inquired, Young Master, then Qianyes injuries Zhao Jundu sighed lightly. I dont know what to do either, only that bastard might know something. Who? Song Zining. The woman was rather astonished. Song Zining? That mysterious pretty-boy? What ability does he have? I can destroy him with one hand! Zhao Jundu shook his head. Regarding Qianye, we can only rely on that mysterious fellow. The woman seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but she could only accept since Zhao Jundu had said so. Fine, since that fellow is so important, Ill keep an eye on him and see what hes up to. Okay, go. Zhao Jundu turned back to gaze at the night sky once more. Moments later, the woman came back. Ive already used the Stillwater Rebirth, but But what? Young Noble Qianye seemed to regain some vitality, but its not very distinct. Could it be that the medicine isnt effective? Zhao Jundu had long since expected this. He sighed. Stillwater Rebirth can only do so much. With it, Qianye can at least hold out for a while longer. And theres been no news of Duan Chengpeng all this time. Go and see how hes doing. Yes, Young Master, the lady replied. But rest assured, Young Master, those Li family people dont have the courage to kill a Zhao clan general! Zhao Jundus expression was serious. The Li family naturally doesnt, but what if the assailant is someone else? I wasnt thorough enough with the arrangements regarding this matter. Go and investigate his fate as soon as possible. The lady affirmed the order and asked in a murderous tone, What if someone interferes? Do as you see fit. Understood! The woman seemed to recall something before leaving. Young Master, I went to see Song Zining just now. He has shut himself in his room, performing divinations all day. I have no idea what hes doing, but judging from his expression, its not going all too well. Shall I drag him over and interrogate him about what hes doing? Zhao Jundu gave it some thought before saying, Song Seven likes to play petty tricks, but hes rarely careless regarding important matters. Just leave him be. The woman left the room with a bow and vanished into thin air. In the core region of Indomitable, Song Zining had isolated himself for one day and night within a side residence. He neither ate nor drank, and wouldnt even open the door for Zhao Yuying. At this moment, there werent many divination tokens left on the table as most of them had shattered over time, a clear display of the results. There were also countless tokens flying about in the air, each of them formed from flying leaves. The ones on the table together with the ones in the air formed the complete divination pattern. The floating leaf-tokens were dying and coming back to life. Several of them were breaking down into a shower of light at every given moment while more were being formed out of thin air. Countless invisible currents were surging through the air and crushing the tokens into powder. One could imagine how hard it was to deduce the heavenly mysteries on this floating island. A single mistake and one could end up contending with the likes of Lin Xitang and the Evernight grandmasters. Despite being cautious, Song Zining felt like he was dancing in a forest of blades, his body littered with wounds within mere moments. More and more of the tokens in front of him were being destroyed. He was so close, yet it looked like he was going to fail again. A fierce expression flashed across his face as he coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the tokens. A clap of thunder rang out through the air, and the divination pattern finally took shape. Song Zinings long hair hung in a mess behind him. And, among the strands hanging in front of his eyes, there was a single white-hair that was especially eye-catching. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 689: A Single Lifeline [V7C006 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] The divination had taken form, but Song Zining was left in a daze for some reason. He sighed after a long while. So, this is where the single lifeline lies. Ah Qianye, I hope you dont kill me when you wake up. After sitting for a while, Song Zining got up and reduced the divination tokens to powder before stepping out of the room. His step hadnt even landed when a small mountain of a shadow appeared out of nowhere and crashed right into him. Song Zining was quickly thrown back into the room and fell on his back. That mans steps didnt even falter. He uttered an oh my as he looked into the room and cried out, Zining? How come youre so weak? Song Zining clambered up, feeling as though half the bones in his body had been crushed. Shut up, you wild boar! Dont you know how to knock before coming in? I didnt even get the chance to knock before you were sent flying. Wow, theres so much blood! Wei Potian exclaimed. Only now did he see the bloody spots on Song Zinings chest. The latter finally stood up and arranged his clothes. This is my own blood, nothing to do with you. Wei Potian heaved a sigh of relief. Thats good, thats good. And here I was thinking about why you were so weak. Song Zinings expression changed all of a sudden as he looked at Wei Potian, almost as though he had seen a plate of peerless delicacies. Scared, Wei Potian took a step back and said, W-What are you doing? Song Zinings expression was one of unprecedented solemnity. He suddenly bowed down and said, Potian, I need your help with something. Wei Potian was scared witless. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, Although youre annoying in many places, youre admittedly better than most people. Weve fought side by side in many battles, so just say what you need. Ill do whatever I can. Its a deal then? Why of course! When has this daddy reneged on his words? Thats great. Potian, I heard your Wei clan has many assets in the Evernight faction. I need them. Wei Potian was greatly astonished. He pushed Song Zining away and said decisively, Dont even think about it! Our family spent a hundred years pushing these moles in. I dont have the right to mobilize them, either. Not even my fathers words count without a nod from the elder assembly. Song Zinings expression didnt change. I know, but its not hard to obtain the token of the elder assembly. Your father isnt here on the floating continent, either. As long as it passes from your hand, who can say it wasn''t issued by him? Wei Potian was even more astonished. Y-You want me to forge my fathers order!? And the elder assemblys token, Song Zining added. Are you crazy? Wei Potian sized Song Zining up from head to toe, wanting to see what was wrong with him. However, Song Zinings expression was ice-cold, with nothing especially out of the ordinary. Yet his words made the Wei clan heir want to go mad. Wei Potian grabbed his collar and roared, Do you know what youre saying? Even if I''m willing to abandon this heir position and indulge in your madness, do you know how valuable these spies are? How do you expect me to gamble the Wei clans future? Song Zining slapped Wei Potians hands away and said, Does that mean you might accept? Wei Potian charged about several times like a mad bull and slammed the wall with his fist. Yes! Goddammit, yes! This daddy has beaten you more than a couple of times throughout these years, but I have never really seen you so serious. I know you wont come and beg me if it isnt a life or death situation. But you must tell me what all of this is about? Even if Im tricked, I have to understand whats going on. Song Zining paused for a brief moment before saying, Fine, Ill tell you. This is related to Qianye. I need your spies to help me collect some vital information. Qianye!? Wei Potian was stirred up. Song Zining said while pressing Wei Potians shoulder down, Calm down! You only need to mobilize your spies and collect information. You dont need to take part in anything else. If youre careful, you wont even lose those spies. My ass! How can I be missing in anything related to Qianye!? Do you think this daddy here is someone who doesnt care about his brothers? Song Zining looked at him for a while and sighed, his expression full of austerity. Not letting you in is for your own good. Youll understand later on. Wei Potian was thoroughly puzzled. What exactly are you planning to do? Goddammit, so mysterious and suspenseful! Song Zining shook his head, unwilling to speak further about it. Wei Potian couldnt get any information out of the man at all. In the end, he could only ask, So what information do you need? You have to tell me that at least. I need information on the ancient blood pond. Ancient blood pond? Wei Potian was startled again. By nighttime, the Wei familys secret intelligence system was set into motion. Several classified orders were dispatched to faraway lands via certain channels. This operation utilized almost all of the Wei familys hidden powers, and this immediately attracted the attention of many other aristocratic families. It was just that the Wei clans movements were decisive, rapid, and made use of expendable arrangements that were scrapped after serving their purpose. As such, most aristocratic family investigations came back empty-handed. Meanwhile, Song Zining boarded an airship under the cover of the night and left the void continent silently. Despite his silent departure, there were many eyes on a famed character like him. They had noticed him the moment he stepped onto the airship. This news soon spread to people with specific intentions. A small fortress outside of Indomitable was bustling with activity in the depths of the night. There was a small building inside this fortress that looked rather dark from the outside but was well-illuminated in the interior. Dozens of people were currently busy here, sorting through all kinds of intelligence. If someone familiar with military affairs were present, they would see that numerous young elites of the empire had gathered here. It was just that they werent in their military uniforms. This also meant that the building was actually a headquarters, or to be precise, the headquarters of a certain faction in the military. This base of operations wasnt that well-hidden, but there were no less than ten such intelligence bases scattered around the city, all of them belonging to aristocratic families and court powers. The Zhao clan more or less turned a blind eye to them as long as they didnt cause trouble within the city. Within one of the offices was a military officerhe looked quite handsome, but there was a hint of malice in his expression. At this point, he was reading through the reports one after the other without the slightest hint of tiredness on his face. At this moment, an officer entered and placed a file on his desk. Colonel Gu, this is the report we just received. Please take a look at it. The colonels hands stiffened somewhat as he took the report. He read it over several times, muttering to himself with a serious expression, Song Zinings leaving all of a sudden? Where is he going? What is he doing? He suddenly thought of something after a moment of contemplation. He rushed out of the office, ran upstairs, and tapped lightly on a certain door. Enter A sinister but dignified voice came through from inside. The colonel entered, placed the report on the table, and said respectfully, General, Song Zinings sudden departure must be related to Qianye. Its very possible that hes gone to Evernight Continent. We must strengthen our surveillance over there and even mobilize that person if needs be. The office was crudely decorated, but the man behind the table filled the room with austere killing intent. He was an average-looking man in his thirties without any facial hair, the type that would blend perfectly into a commoner crowd. Perhaps because he wasnt disguising himself, there was a gloomy chill emanating from his entire body, which suffused the air with an intense, almost-tangible aura of death. Everyone staying in the room would find it unbearable after just a short while. The colonel turned somewhat pale after standing there for a while and the color faded from his lips. Intentionally or otherwise, the man behind the desk glanced up at the mans arm and said calmly, Are you sure your judgment isnt due to past grievances? His voice was calm and gentle, but the colonel felt goosebumps all over his body, almost as though he had been licked by a venomous snake. Liyu has never forgotten the enmity, but I wouldnt dare let my personal business affect the job. This has nothing to do with my hatred for him. The man observed the colonel silently until sweat fell like rain from the latters forehead. If thats the case, send Xu Lang to Evernight Continent. You should also go over and help the general. The colonel replied spiritedly, Yes, sir! Liyu, if you do things well and manage to grasp Qianyes weakness or even finish him off, replacing your arm isnt out of the question. Then, you wont be stuck at the threshold of the champion rank. Ill help you arrange a good marital connection after you break through, or if you would prefer, that young miss of the Yin family is also an option. Gu Liyu fell immediately to his knees and even his voice was trembling. Thank you, sir, for granting my wish! Liyu will repay your kindness with his life. That man smiled. Everything is for the empire and the emperor. Go now, Ill send people to inform General Xu and have him meet up with you on Evernight Continent. Additionally, Ill allow you to use some of the resources over there. However, the mission must succeed, understand? His heart trembling, Gu Liyu lowered his head and said, Understood. That''s good, you may go now. After walking out of the office, Gu Liyu was drenched in sweat and nearly collapsed. He had to lean on the wall and catch his breath for a while before recovering. He would feel extreme discomfort every time he went into this office, especially that newly formed arm of histhe aching and numbness was almost like torture. However, in that room lay his long-awaited opportunity to power, nobility, and that girl whom he hated to the bone yet still couldnt forgetYin Qiqi. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 690: Why is it you? [V7C007 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Blackflow City was brightly illuminated in the darkness of the nocturnal Evernight Continent. Perhaps because the two major factions had been focusing their war efforts on the void continent, the dark races close to Blackflow City had long since contracted their waterfront. Not to mention large scale battles, even scouting parties and skirmishes were a rare sight. Things had fallen into a rare calm in the recent months, allowing Blackflow City to prosper and attract streams of people through its doors. A high-speed airship broke through the void and landed straight into Blackflow City. The airship was abnormally fastlike a diving bird, it arrived at the center of the airship port in the blink of an eye. Even the guards could hardly react on time. The officer in charge of the airship port ran over. He was knowledgeable enough to know that this kind of airship wasnt common even in the entirety of the empire. Only the nobility could enjoy such a vessel. By the time he arrived, the airship doors had opened and out came a calm Song Zining. This officer was also from Song Zinings branch. He quickly approached, saying, Seventh Young Master, youre back. Song Zining inquired, Anything out of the ordinary? Everythings normal. Song Zining gave him a nod and headed back into the city. Despite his calm gait, it took him only a few steps to walk out of the airship port and disappear into the city. The officer came to an abrupt halt since he couldnt catch up. He simply couldnt understand why the usually calm seventh young master was in such a rush today. Within a serene courtyard in the Dark Flame Headquarters, Nighteye was sitting quietly just as before. However, instead of a book and a teacup, she was now holding a dagger as thin as a cicadas wing. This vampiric blade was called Crimson, of which there were less than three, even in the entirety of the Monroe clan. And as their former princess, Nighteye had the right to wield one. She had never used the blade since coming to Blackflow City, and this was the first time in many months that the blade had seen the light of day. Nighteye used a white-cloth to gently clean the sharp edge of the blade. A scarlet ripple ran along the sharp surface, almost like the flow of essence blood. At this moment, a gentle, rhythmic tap came from the courtyard gates. Song Zining walked in and was slightly startled upon seeing Nighteye cleaning her blade. She didnt look up at him and merely kept her focus on the weapon. Who injured Qianye? The long explanation Song Zining had prepared for her went up in smoke. He said after a brief moment of silence, The Masefield Demoness. Nighteyes hands trembled slightly for a moment. She then asked calmly, The Demoness has awakened? But why Qianye? Song Zining laughed wryly and had no other choice but to recount everything. After some thought, he added, From what I know, the original plan didnt include Qianye. No one had imagined something like this would happen. Without further words, Nighteye put the cloth down and ran her finger along the blade. The sharp edge brushed quietly past her skin, taking with it a drop of blood and leaving behind a fine red line. The silence in the courtyard was suffocating. Song Zining took a deep breath but couldnt quite relieve this stifling sensation. You arent you going to ask about Qianyes condition? Since it was the Demoness, theres no need to ask. I Song Zining wanted to say something, but he just couldnt bring himself to speak. I know, people who scheme and strategize can fail, too. That is indeed the case, but Song Zining was hesitant again. But what? Nighteye inquired. The seventh young master inhaled deeply. I wanted to say that, planning is for the man, accomplishing it depends on the heavens. If we never scheme, there will be neither mistakes nor accomplishments. Yet, how can we refrain from acting in order to avoid these things? All action is accompanied by a chance of failure. So you mean mistakes are expected, that you people will never be wrong. Song Zining didnt know what to say. He sighed deeply after a while. What do you blame us for? You people knew nothing about the Demoness and yet you let Zhao Jundu meet her in battle? Nighteye didnt continue speaking, but her intentions were clear. If it wasnt for this arrangement, there wouldnt be a final showdown between Qianye and the Demoness. Song Zining was momentarily speechless. He wanted to say that it wasnt his idea, but as one of Zhang Boqians staff officers, he was more or less privy to certain rumors. Perhaps because his words didnt carry enough weight, or maybe he was overconfident in Zhao Jundus ability, Song Zining didnt choose to stop them. In truth, he wasnt very clear about the actual arrangements, either, much less the secret agreements. Nighteye put Crimson back into its sheath and put it away. Finally, she looked up at Song Zining and said, You can now say what you want to say. Under her clear gaze, Song Zining felt that he had never faced such a difficult dilemma before. The words kept rolling about in his throat, but he simply couldnt say them. Nighteye revealed a smile of unknown significanceit was mysterious and beautiful, yet there seemed to be a layer of burning frost underneath it. Qianyes recovery might require the ancient blood pond. What have you prepared for me? Intelligence and support arrangements. Song Zinings voice was gloomy. Intelligence will suffice, but support? Heh, heh. When will I get it? Song Zining produced a sheet of paper with several locations and names on it. These people will provide assistance on Twilight Continent. The method of contact has been listed here. Then, Song Zining fished out a map. He drew a snaking trail upon it and marked out several key points. This was the retreat path he had planned for Nighteye and the places where he had arranged reinforcements. One could see Song Zinings determination from this path. He had mobilized a large number of his undercover assets and was willing to pay any price to help Nighteye throw off her pursuers. Song Zinings gaze was complicated. I think youll understand my intentions, I cannot go with you. I understand. Nighteye cut him short. When? You need to arrive on Twilight Continent in two days. Someone there will provide you with all the necessary information. The airship has been prepared, its the one I arrived on. That means I should set out now. Yes. This word was like a stone. It took Song Zining great effort to cough it up from this throat. Nighteye went into her room and returned with a backpack. It would seem she had already made preparations and packed her things up. Only then did Song Zining notice that Nighteye wasnt clad in her usual dress but, instead, her combat attire. There was no more need to say anything at this point. In silence, Song Zining accompanied Nighteye out of the room and boarded the car with her. Then, just as silently, he saw her onto the airship. The airship quickly took to the skies and shot into the void. In the blink of an eye, it had vanished into the depths of the night sky. Song Zining stood in silence for a long while. This was perhaps the most difficult choice he had made in his lifetime. In the several days that followed, Song Zining shuttled about between the continents, spending most of his time in the void. Whenever he arrived in a certain place, he would meet some people, mobilize some resources, and make some arrangements. With the constant extension of his footsteps, the ripples he was stirring up gradually accumulated into waves, and these waves became great tides by the time it reached the Evernight faction. Within the Evernight world, some families discovered that their surroundings were no longer as peaceful. Some found that their enemies had discovered their weakness, some had secret operations compromised, while others saw their past schemes ineffably leaked. All in all, none of these things were enough to cause any serious harm, but it was indeed sufficient to make things troublesome for them. If one were to connect all of the independent cases together, they formed a vague string that pointed toward Twilight Continent. Naturally, Song Zinings frantic activity couldnt escape those who were paying attention. With every step he took, information regarding his activity would arrive on the desks of those powerful characters. The incidents were indeed complicated, seemingly random and unrelated at a glance. However, these characters had held power for a long time and had seen countless schemes. They knew immediately that there were a fair number of cover-ups among them. Some of the events existed for the sole purpose of misleading them. Knowing was one thing, but analyzing the confusing tangle of clues was another. After seven days, Song Zining once again returned to Blackflow City. This time, he did nothing but sit in front of the window, gazing at that giant shadow in the night sky. At this point, he had done all he could do and the only thing left was to wait for the results. He also knew that no matter how meticulous his preparations or how perfect the reinforcements were, there was one fact he couldnt changethere was nothing he could do to help regarding the most critical link of this endeavor. That was the holy land of the vampire race, the resting place of the Queen of the Night, and the home of the thirteen vampire clans. Reportedly, there were secrets hidden in the deepest parts of the Twilight Continent related to the ancient river of blood and the first drop of blood. Even Zhang Boqian, with his void traversal abilities, hadnt set foot on Liliths domain when he infiltrated the Twilight Continent. Not to mention Song Zining, even Lin Xitang himself was helpless against the deepest, darkest region. In this area which the empire knew nothing about, there were countless ancient vampires in deep slumber. Despite knowing the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, Song Zining knew that he would never be able to return if he were to step into that place. The mission wasnt to throw away ones life but to awaken Qianye. Hence, Song Zining could only pin his hopes on Nighteye. Now that she had set foot on Twilight Continent, the only thing he could do was to pray for her. This feeling of helplessness was truly unpleasant. The current Song Zining envied Wei Potian quite a bit. The simple-minded Wei clan heir had the privilege of being angry when he should, laugh when he wanted, yet he rarely thought about why he was being angry or happy. Life was always easier for those who could think less. At this moment, Nanhua walked in with two glasses and a bottle of wine. Song Zining frowned but said in a gentle voice, Its quite late, why are you not resting? I knew you were in a bad mood, so I came to accompany you for a few glasses. Song Zining was rather surprised, but he knew alcohol was the best solution to his worries. And hence, he picked up the glass. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 691: Still in Love [V7C008 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Unexpectedly, the alcohol tonight suited his taste very well. The seventh young master had never lacked good clothes and wine, but what he liked to drink wasnt the expensive type. It was a kind of cheap, strong alcohol that tasted very similar to the one they had gotten drunk on back at Yellow Springs. It was a mystery how Nanhua had found out Song Zinings tastes, but she had brought such a wine tonight. Song Zining thought about it when he raised the glass, and but his amazing memory registered having mentioned it to her vaguely at one point. He hadnt imagined she would remember it until now. Greatly moved, Song Zining made an exception and didnt send her away. The two thus drank in silence. Perhaps due to the exhaustion and pressure, he revealed a moment of weakness and wanted someone to accompany him for a while. The bottle was soon emptied. Nanhua quietly got another one and put it on the table. She neither spoke nor asked him anything; all she did was accompany him in drinking. As they drank on, a clear drop of water fell into the wine glass. She rubbed her eyes without saying anything and kept on drinking with a smile. In the blink of an eye, several empty bottles had piled up around the two. Despite being quite capable, neither of them was in the mood to resist the alcohol and thus began to drift into intoxication. Song Zining finally spoke in a gloomy voice, Do you know? Ive known Qianye for a long time. He was really dumb and stubborn, but he was also the only one in Yellow Springs I can count on to have my back. Qianye was never smart, never. Hes so stupid that he took a shot for me and almost died because of it. Haha! I wouldve died twice over if that bullet had landed on me. This is the second time in this war that he had almost died. No, perhaps hes already dead. There probably wont be any chance for him to do dumb things again. How terrible would it be if only the intelligent people remained in this world? Song Zining didnt know what or how long he had been speaking. Tiredness came over him in the end and he fell asleep right on the chair. He hadnt slept a wink since going into isolated divination on the floating continent. Nanhua was also staggering as she dragged Song Zining onto the bed and lay him down properly. Then, she curled up on his arm and lay there waiting for sunrise. At dawn, the first rays of light had already fallen upon the main Qin continent while Evernight remained submerged in darkness. According to imperial tradition, it was dawn for the whole empire once the capital sees daybreak. Nanhua, who had been lying still the whole night, clambered up in the darkness and glanced at the man beside her. Song Zining was still asleep. He was simply too tiredfrom his body down to his heart and soul. Moreover, he had made all the arrangements he could before coming back to Blackflow. All that was left was to wait for the results and Nighteyes return. Nanhua bent over and, with eyes full of reluctance, kissed Song Zinings forehead. She then got up resolutely and left, closing the door gently behind her. At this time, Blackflow City was already starting to turn lively with people starting up their morning business. The gas lamps kept the bustling streets as bright as day. Nanhua had changed into ordinary clothing and now resembled a female hunter one would find everywhere in the city. As though attracted by the aroma, she walked into one of the shops that had opened early. There was already someone dressed in a similar manner sitting in one of the corners. Through the unbuttoned leather jacket, one could see pockets of all shapes and sizes, carrying numerous types of firearms and ammunition. It would seem his life hadnt been all that good, judging by how worn his coat was. Then again, that was the case for most hunterswhy else would they remain in this profession? In fact, most patrons of this cheap breakfast shop were suffering some form of frustration. The continuing expansion of Song Zinings mining industry brought about a boom in Blackflow Citys economy. Currently, the income of a Ningyuan Heavy Industry guard had exceeded that of an ordinary hunter. This undoubtedly attracted the lower-level ones because a guard would be provided with standard equipment and the job was mostly safe, a stark contrast to the perilous life of a hunter. Hence, many hunters from the nearby towns came over to Blackflow to try their luck here. This, in turn, increased Blackflow Citys safety in a positive feedback loop. Nanhua was welcomed by several wolf-whistles as she went in. Despite having covered up most of her beauty, her temperament was still head and shoulders above ordinary female hunters. However, many of them shrugged and turned away when she sat down at the corner table. Apparently, the man sitting there was a powerful fellow. That hunter finally looked up, revealing a handsome face with bright, clear eyes. It was just that there was a giant horizontal scar on his face, ruining his handsomeness and making him look rather sinister. Seeing Nanhua sit down, he pushed over a bowl of steaming soup and said, Youve finally arrived. The thick, meaty stew and the small pieces of hard biscuits were enough to fill a burly man with a good appetite. Moreover, it could keep one full for the remainder of the day, hence gaining the love of many a hunter and adventurer. Normally, Nanhua wouldnt even look at such basic food, but now, she picked up one of the broken biscuits and started eating it with the stew. The scarred man said, Long time no see, I never thought we would meet here. What is this if not fate? Nanhuas movements stopped for a moment, and then she said with a self-deprecating laugh. Fate? Ha, perhaps. With that, she swallowed the hard biscuit as though she were venting. Soon, tears started streaming down her face as she ate. The scarred man laughed wryly. It looks like you still love him. Nanhua nodded. Correct, hes been the only one, and my heart hurts all the more right now. The scarred man sighed softly as he patted Nanhuas arm. The latters hand trembled somewhat, but she didnt pull away. However, the scarred hunter didnt go further after seeing this. Instead, he picked up the jug nearby and poured a glass of water for himself, his hand trembling as he did so. Nanahuas eyes landed on the mans left hand. Still not recovered? How can it ever recover? You know how expensive an arm that can both cultivate and grow is, dont you? My role in the army is minuscule, how can I ever afford that? Let it be, its been so long that Ive gotten over it. The scarred man seemed quite carefree. Nanhua retracted her gaze and said, What would you do in my shoes? The hunter smiled. I dont really amount to much so Im satisfied just to get by. If I were you, Id just stay by his side and count the days. Isnt he treating you pretty well right now? Its just that the seventh young masters ambitions are lofty and not something a person like me can compare with. Nanhuas face turned pale. True, the world in his heart isnt limited to just a vassal nation, probably not even a continent. I, I am nothing in his heart, he has so many women around him. Those ladies are but passing smoke and cloud, the seventh young master will probably forget them by the next day. Why must you pay them so much attention? Rest assured, Im quite certain he doesnt like those ordinary women. But Nanhuas face turned even paler and her fingers trembled slightly. You dont understand, its like a slash to my heart whenever a woman appears near him. After such a long time, my heart has been cut into too many pieces to put back together. Besides, he doesnt even have a vassal nation in his eyes, what is one vassal nation princess to him? There are so many princesses in each of them. In fact, Im nothing more than an ordinary woman to him, the type he simply doesnt like. The scarred man sighed. Youre overthinking it. I cant think of any woman more outstanding than you are. I thought so too in the past, but thats no longer the case now. I saw a certain person, a woman who shouldnt even exist in this world. Is she very beautiful? No, not at all, but I knew when I saw her that she doesnt need to be. Theres such a person? The scarred man seemed surprised. Nanhua said nothing and only kept on crying in silence. As though he had understood something, the scarred hunter also stopped asking questions. Nanhua finally stopped her sobbing and said, Ill agree to this, but I also have a condition. What is it? Kill that woman too! The scarred man asked in astonishment, Dont tell me the seventh young master has already laid hands on her? No, and he wont be able to, either. Why is that? Because he simply wont, its Qianyes woman. Oh, Qianye no wonder. The hunters expression shifted at the mention of this name. Nanhua didnt notice the change. She clenched her teeth and said, No one will get what I cant! Ill destroy him, and before that, Ill destroy everything he holds dear. Everything! Her volume rose subconsciously as she spoke. The scarred hunter waved his hand and formed an origin power barrier, which served to contain the sound inside. Seeing him perform such a technique, many of those who had glanced over shivered in fear and no longer dared to look on. They even stopped chatting amongst themselves. The scarred man said to Nanhua, This matter isnt impossible. You know our power, theres little in the empire we cant do. But, you need to tell me everything you know. Fine! Nanhua agreed immediately. Song Zining gradually opened his eyes around noon. Everything that had happened last night was blank in his head. He sat up and was surprised to find that he simply couldnt recall anything. He couldnt help but groan because his head felt heavier than a rock. Song Zining glanced at the surroundings and felt somewhat relieved that he was in his bedroom. It was just that the ineffable intoxication gave him an uneasy feeling. It was at this time that the door opened and in walked Nanhua with a tray of hot breakfast. Apparently, the food was freshly prepared just now. Youre awake? Im just in time then. I made you breakfast, Nanhua said with a smile. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 692: Sincerity [V7C009 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] The days that followed were filled with tranquilityBlackflow was just as lively, and the construction work in Wolf City was coming to an end. The numerous mines there have been completed and were starting to produce large amounts of ore. The number of large transport fleets coming and going from Blackflow City had increased from one a month to three. It turned out that there was more than just black stone near the original Wolf City. They found black crystals and several more ore veins, including rare elements of tactical value and firearms-grade metals used to make powerful alloys. With these resources, they could even set up a workshop to manufacture origin gun barrels. That was exactly what Song Zining had in mind. A steady stream of large machinery had been arriving in Wolf City in recent days, including four kinetic towers. Song Zining had nothing better to do these days except drinking tea, reading books, and examining battle reports. From time to time, he would play a game of chess with Nanhuahe was calm, relaxed, and almost like an immortal. Perhaps due to the relaxed atmosphere, there was a noticeable change to Song Zinings countenance. That handsome face was once again suffused with a lustrous glow. Nanhua accompanied Song Zining almost all the time. She read, played chess, and even trimmed weeds in the courtyard with him. She would enter the kitchen herself during mealtimes, cooking porridge and a number of side dishes. As a princess, her skills in cooking werent exactly great. Yet, this seventh young master who had tasted all the delicacies throughout the empire didnt fuss over it. He would finish everything delightfully and even discuss with her how to make the dishes tastier and the porridge more fragrant. These days, to Nanhua, were like a dream. The girl wanted to speak up many times, but she would change the topic whenever Song Zining asked her. He had encountered such a scene many times as the playboy was always surrounded by beauties. Not to mention having someone to accompany him day and night for such a long period, it was even rare for him to be with a single lady for the whole night. It was well-known among the noble ladies that he liked to sleep alone. Hence, anyone the seventh young master especially favored would become somewhat unnatural, just like Nanhua. Song Zining didnt pay particular attention to her behavior. Several days passed in this manner. Song Zining finally collected his luggage and left for a couple of days, and then returned to Blackflow later to continue waiting. He still didnt feel at ease, so he went to check on all of his arrangements and confirm that all preparations were in order before returning to Blackflow City. With how strict his methods were, he really didnt need to review everything as this only made his secrets more prone to leaking. Even so, Song Zining felt restless for some reason and couldnt help but check everything once more. Nanhua quickly prepared tea and snacks for him when he returned to his residence. Song Zining sat down under a tree and began slowly sipping his tea, yet his mind had long since wandered off to the distant Twilight Continent. What are you thinking about? asked Nanhua. Song Zining smiled. Nothing, but this tea is a little bit over-steeped. Ah, let me brew a new one. Song Zining stopped her and said, No need, this is good enough. Nanhua glanced at him with complicated emotions. She wanted to say something but then hesitated several times. In the end, she only let out a long sigh. Song Zining looked at her with a comforting smile, but his thoughts were all on Twilight Continent. A virtual scene had formed in his mind where Nighteye was rushing out of the dark race territory with vast numbers of pursuers and experts on her tail. As she ran along the designated path, the spies and reinforcements Song Zining had set up would mobilize to obstruct, mislead, or split off the hunters, concealing Nighteyes tracks as she escaped to the border of the continent. There, she would board the prepared high-speed airship and escape Twilight Continent. This scenario had played out hundreds of times in Song Zinings mind. Every detail, down to the movement of each spy and each variable, was carved deep in his heart. It was during these idle thoughts that Song Zining slowly patched up the openings, preparing for and formulating backup plans for all kinds of scenarios. That was the impregnable truth as proved by the future god of strategy. Since his training at Yellow Springs, Song Zining understood that talent was only a stepladder toward the top and that one ultimately had to rely on himself to climb higher. While Evernight Continent was enjoying tranquility and peace, the flames of war had once again ignited on the floating continent. After a long period of reorganization, the dark race army finally marched over the vast wilderness and formally entered the Zhao clan territory. They set up camp a hundred kilometers from Indomitable and began constructing defensive structures to contend against the imperial fortress clusters. As both armies mustered their forces, the combined armed forces in and around Indomitable surpassed the million mark. On the other side of the void continent, the dark race forces were finally free to turn their spearhead toward the Full Moon Plains. They routed the Song clan forces in a single battle and pushed them out of the plains. Moreover, they chased down the retreating forces until what remained of them was driven into Indomitable. At this point on the floating continent, Li familys Misty Wood base was the only other place that was barely hanging on. For some reason, Edens appearance frequency in the recent period fell sharply, allowing the tottering Li family and the aristocracy to breathe a sigh of relief. Yet, the Li family members couldnt smile at all because, judging from Edens past display, his disappearance could only mean one thinghe was about to break through. The original Eden had already forced them to the brink of collapse. Things would only get worse if he were to break through. With war drawing ever closer on the floating continent, the void had long since become a scene of carnage with massive burning airships falling down every day from the sky. In order to secure the supply chain to Indomitable and seal off the dark races reinforcements, the imperial fleet had moved out in full force. Even the first imperial guard fleet had finally moved out to clash against the Evernight Councils own armada, forcing them into a 1:2 exchange on the first battle. Following this heartening news, the other imperial fleets, as well as the combined vessels of the aristocracy, began moving out one after the other. All of them fought battles worthy of the history books and slowly began to tip the scales back in the empires favor. Airship battles were usually followed closely by ground battles. On the verge of a decisive battle, countless reports flew into the imperial capital and split off into three channels, namely the military, the imperial palace, and the coalition of major clans. The torrent of reports flowing into the military department would be sorted out according to their importance level and directed to the various departments in an orderly fashion. However, if someone were to observe the system as a unified whole, they would find that the battle reports from the floating continent werent flowing to the executive departments. Except for the battles taking place in the void, the intelligence regarding them wasnt actually reaching the decision makers. This could only mean one thingin the eyes of those authoritative figures, the battle on the floating continent itself wasnt the most important. The top-floor conference room of the military department was suffused with lingering smoke. The scent resultant from the mixture of tobacco and tea was inexplicably odd. The conference room had thirty seats, but only seven of them were occupied at the moment. The occupants were mostly old menthere was even one who was so old that his skin was covered in age-spots and the smell of decay pervaded the air around him. His eyes were half-closed, and his pupils were as turbid a stagnant lake. It truly made one suspect whether he was conscious at all. But this old man with one foot in the grave was sitting at the very center of the conference hall. There were three central seats in total, and his seat was on the side while the other two were empty. This meant that this elderly person, at the moment, was the core character of this meeting. Upon careful observation, the other six people were also major characters wielding authority over great domains. Together, they could basically decide the direction of the entire military department. There was a thin folder, containing but two pages of text, in front of the seven men. The paper was covered in writings and notes. Just for these two papers, the true major characters of the empire had been engaging in an urgent discussion for an entire day and night. The contents of the document couldnt be simpler. It was just a list of names along with their respective age, gender, cultivation arts, accomplishments, and background. The people spoke up one after the other and each had people they supported. Some of the names had been scratched off, while others have been highlighted. With the increase in highlighted names, the atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly seriousdebates ensued, and there was even one instance of a quarrel. After one quarrel, there was a second and the process quickly expanded, splitting all the major characters into two sides. The arguments sent sparks flying in all directions. Some started throwing out threats of war, but how could the other party be afraid? Neither side was willing to give in, and it seemed like a fight would break out any time soon. It was at this moment that the drowsy old man at the center knocked lightly on the table. The rapping was fairly gentle, but it caused the entire meeting room to quiet down. The two sides, who were on the verge of a fight, sat down while glaring at one another. The old man finally spoke, We have obtained twice the expected quota for the Great Maelstrom. All of this is because those little brats did well. If you people can even quarrel over such a large quota, then wouldnt you need to fight a couple of wars over the previous estimation? The hall remained deathly silent. Moments later, another old man let out a cough. He was fully clad in imperial uniform, but there was no rank insignia on it. This person had been smoking one cigarette after another while the two parties were in a heated argument just now. One could see just how addicted he was to tobacco. He said slowly, The opportunity is rare, and it also happens to coincide with the empires resurgence. Every family wants to take this opportunity to grow and expand so that they can work better for the empire. Theres nothing wrong with this. But the quota is limited, so not everyone can go into the Great Maelstrom. The only right way is for us to see just how sincere the clans and families are.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 693: Stab in the Back [V7C010 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Everyone fell into a state of frowning contemplation. At this point in the discussion, people were actually quite aware of the gap in the quota. The issue lay in the fact that no one knew how many years it would take for the Great Maelstrom to appear again; the last time was several decades ago. Additionally, there were rumors flying about that the Great Maelstrom this time was going to be several times larger than the past. Immediately, all the clans and aristocratic families with enough qualifications began making their move, hell-bent on securing more quotas. These matters could no longer be kept secret after the battle at Indomitable, and many families began taking action after learning of the reason behind the fight. Hence, there were as many parties expressing their sincerity as there were carps in the river. This method definitely wasnt enough to decide the quotas. A dignified, burly man said with a snort, Sincerity? Those who are sincere to me might not be sincere to you. How are we to compare? Itll just be confusing. If we really do use sincerity as the foundation, dont you think some of the aristocratic families need to supplement their sincerity? Several people in the conference room broke into a frown. Just as this person had said, sincerity was a vague concept that was hard to measure. If ones sincerity could be changed, it would add countless more variables to this discussion. Those in the lead naturally didnt want extra issues, but those who had lagged behind wished to turn the tables. Everyones expression was different as they made rapid calculations. There werent many quotas left, so it was time to bring out their hidden aces. The old man scanned everyone again with his turbid eyes. Even though he had one foot in the grave, people were shaken from his gaze. Their expressions transformed drastically, and even some of their chairs started to crack. The environment in the conference room changed immediately. Everyone retracted their daggers-drawn attitude and looked toward the old man. The old mans gaze reminded them that he was a true apical character of the empire. Their authority seemed fairly humble in the presence of the current emperors granduncleone of the two heavenly monarchs of the imperial familythe Longevity Monarch. Longevity Monarch said in a slow, shaky voice, The journey to the Great Maelstrom is only to train divine champions. Is it really so important that you people must push aside the war of national fate? An old man wearing a marshals uniform sneered, War of national fate? Humph, its just Lin Xitangs slogan. Someone of paltry experience poisoning his majesty all the time. Now, the war has deteriorated to such a state and theyre about to be kicked out of the floating continent. What did the empire gain apart from straining its citizens, coffers, and soldiers? The old man sitting across from him said, Marshal Lu, you cant say that. Xitang has proven his skills since youth and has rarely been defeated in so many years. His achievements in the divination arts have reached great heights. The war has just begun, and its too early to judge. Marshal Lu snorted coldly. Who can turn the tables after reaching such a state? The old man across him let out a drawn-out laugh. You, Lu Jun, might not be able to do it, but that doesnt mean Lin Xitang cant. I think it was right before your eyes that Lin Xitang won the war and gained fame on Transcendent Continent, haha! Lu Jun was livid and began seething in fury. Back in the year, he was the army commander for the war on Transcendent Continent. Lin Xitang was fairly young back then, with only an auxiliary division under his name. Yet, he had dared to go into battle with his rabble of an army. He had commanded his troops unpredictably in the several battles that followed, winning every fight as though he were aided by the gods themselves. He managed to hold back a dark race army ten times in size, which allowed the imperial army to reorganize and finally drive the enemy out of Transcendent Continent. That battle established Lin Xitangs reputation as a divine strategist of the empire and paved a straight path to his rank as a marshal. It could be considered the battle in which he had risen to fame. It was just that the more resounding Li Xitangs name was, the uglier it was for Lu Jun. The conference room fell silent once again following a sigh from Longevity Monarch. The war of national fate has received His Majestys recognition, theres no need for further debate. Weve spent too much time on the matter regarding quotas, and it is imperative that we reach a conclusion. In any case, weve already hammered out most of the candidates, and the remaining slots wont really affect the bigger picture. It will be midnight in one hour, and our discussions will stop there. One hour? The time limit was simply too tight. Frowning, Lu Jun made up his mind and said, Regarding the quotas, I have an idea about how we can free up one slot. One slot meant one chance to achieve the divine champion rank. That was the reason why these major characters were gathered here. Everyones eyes fell onto that man. Lu Jun said, We should discuss again the quota of Zhao clans Qianye. Everyone was shocked. That burly man banged the table and said furiously, Nonsense! We have so many quotas today because Qianye risked his life to meet the Demoness head on! Now, you have designs on his quota? Do you have no shame? Is that how a marshal should act? Lu Jun had long since prepared for this question. He retorted with a calm expression, With Qianyes current condition, can he still use that quota? Moreover, the Zhao clan already has Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying, must we give them a third slot? Are you sure? The imposing man roared with a solemn expression, Thats your idea, not mine! This will shake all the heroes of the world. Who will be willing to risk their lives for the empire in the future? Lu Jun laughed. Its not that serious, is it? Qianye cant use that quota anyway. Thats why we need to discuss it again. Besides, one more quota means one more divine champion. Must I say how beneficial itll be for the empire? Duke Yan shouldnt overthink things. At this moment, another old man said while stroking his beard, Theres also a Storm Pearl in that Qianyes hands. This object will absorb void origin power once inside the Great Maelstrom and transform into an origin crystal. In terms of value, it is not below a divine champion at all. But the level and power of the crystal produced depend on who carries it into the Great Maelstrom. With Qianyes current condition, it doesnt look like he has any use for the Storm Pearl. Many people fell into contemplation since the value of an origin crystal was indisputable. A single origin crystal wasnt inferior to a standard divine champion in its worth. Now that Qianye was in a deep coma, it would seem that the owner of this Storm Pearl was again up for discussion. Yan Zheng was furious, but he alone couldnt argue against everyone else. As such, he looked toward the Longevity Monarch, but the old mans eyes were closed and even his head was lowered. No one knew if he was awake, but it was evident that he had no intention of interfering. Zhao Jundu gradually opened his eyes as the first light of dawn appeared over Indomitable. He sat there with his hands on his knees, as firm as an unmovable mountain. That lady appeared behind him and said, Everything has been prepared. From now on, no one will disturb Young Noble Qianye. Zhao Jundu exhaled slowly. What I fear isnt the enemy in the light. The lady was both startled and puzzled. You mean Zhao Jundu didnt give a straight answer. Its about time we receive the news. The lady didnt know what he was talking about. At this moment, a guard walked over and said, Young Master, an urgent report from the military. Zhao Jundu didnt even stand up as he received the urgent report. He didnt open it in a rush either, and merely said, Where is that person from the military? The guard replied, Hes waiting in the hall for Young Masters response. With a nod, Zhao Jundu opened the urgent message and read through it. Despite his improving subtlety, Zhao Jundus expression changed after reading the report, and his killing intent caused the temperature in the room to plummet. The report wasnt long, but Zhao Jundu spent quite a long time to finish reading it. Afterward, he handed the report to the lady and said, Take a look. The woman wasnt as calm. She only shot a glance at it before flying into a rage. Outrageous!!! Zhao Jundu regained his calm and said indifferently, This matter is within expectations, but I hadnt expected them to take things so far. Qianye risked his life to push the Demoness back and bring about a great victory. That was the sole reason we have so many slots! Now Qianye hasnt even died yet, but theyre all in a rush to snatch his quota and Storm Pearl? Do they have no shame? Zhao Jundu shook his head before sighing. Shame, for some people, is as heavy as the mountains. For a handful of others, however, its worth nothing. How can it compare to a quota? The woman said through gritted teeth, Do they really think going into the Great Maelstrom will bring them a divine champion? If it were so easy, wont there be divine champions all over the empire? They wouldnt be worth much at all. Zhao Jundu had calmed down entirely at this point. To some people, its the difference between hope and despair. The woman seemed to have guessed something. She snorted, Only those useless Song Clan people can be so desperate. The Bai clan isnt any better, either, their old fellows won''t live much longer than Duchess An. Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. Making absurd comments about the empire and politics isnt a small crime. The lady sneered. Ill kill whoever dares to report me! Zhao Jundu didnt continue with this topic. Instead, he asked, Is Qianye doing well? Hes stable, no changes at all. Zhao Jundu nodded. All is well then. We wont be getting that quota back, but no one can take away the Storm Pearl. But who will do the infusion? Apparently, she knew some secrets about the Storm Pearl. If he doesnt wake up, then I will. This answer surprised the lady. As someone who knew Zhao Jundus character well, she realized that the young master had made a decision no one could change. All she could do was sigh to herself. How do we respond to the military? Zhao Jundu had long since made preparations. Summon that messenger. Moments later, a brigadier general and a lieutenant stood in front of Zhao Jundu. Dispatching a brigadier general to deliver a letter showed how important this matter was. This officer was one who held office in the military, and his status was much higher than others of the same rank. Before Zhao Jundu, however, no general could put on airs. He bowed respectfully and said, Has General Jundu read the urgent report? No matter what your thoughts are, please instruct me so that I can report back. Zhao Jundu waved the report in his hand. He then rubbed his hands together with a smile, effectively reducing the missive into fine powder! Urgent report? What urgent report? I havent seen it. The brigadier generals head went blank.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 694: Ancient Origin Blood [V7C011 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] General Jundu, please dont joke like this. The brigadier general was drenched in cold sweat. The lieutenant colonel, on the other hand, was full of vigor. Zhao Jundu! Dont think you can do whatever you want just because you have the Zhao clan supporting you! The lieutenant hadnt even finished speaking when the brigadier general dragged him back and reprimanded, Shut up! This is no place for you to speak! Zhao Jundu wasnt grateful, however. He revealed a spurious smile as he said, When have you people heard me joke? Besides, why would I need to rely on the Zhao clan to deal with you little fellows? The brigadier general had sensed the weird atmosphere and dared not say anything despite the taunt. With a bow, he left hurriedly with the lieutenant in tow. After the dazed personnel from the military had left, the woman asked in puzzlement, Those two are just small fries. Its no use making things difficult for them, is it? Of course it is. No matter what reply I give, it means that Ive read the urgent missive. As a member of the empire, I have the duty to obey the order regardless of its dogshit contents. But now, since Ive not read this order, then whatever I do is up to me. Heh heh, if I didnt need them to go and report back, Id even make it so that I never saw them. But this wont bring back Qianyes quota, will it? That is true, but Ill remember whoever tries to swallow Qianyes quota and repay him ten times over in the future. The lady sighed. I wonder when young noble Qianye will wake up. Theres always hope. Hasnt Song Zining made the necessary plans already? At this point, Zhao Jundu stood up with a frown and said, This wont do, his resources are limited, and he doesnt have that many experts to mobilize. It might not be enough even with the Wei clan. You go and investigate what his latest arrangements are and keep watch nearby. Give him a hand when needed, no need to hold back this time! The lady left with a bow. The room quickly turned cold after her departure. For some reason, Duan Chengpengs face appeared in his eyes. By the time this subordinate was sent back, he had already become a cold corpse. Although his expression had been restored, one could still see the extreme anger and unwillingness before his death. Zhao Jundu reached out subconsciously to grab his gun, but there was only empty air therein. Only then did he realize that this new firearm he had yet to name was undergoing nourishment at the moment and not at his side. He silently retracted his hand but couldnt quite suppress the vague anxiety in his heart. It was just that the Li family had stated clearly that they would punish Li Tianquan according to the law and give the Zhao clan a satisfactory answer. At the same time, they had also dispatched experts to investigate and found that Duan Chengpeng was killed by another person. There was both proof and reason to this response, and moreover, Li Kuanglan had also delivered the medicine first. Hence, Zhao Jundu had no choice but to wait patiently for the Li familys next move. Mister Liao had calculated well, but he hadnt expected the Li familyas proficient as they were in medicine and divination artsto see through his arrangements. The familys attitude also far exceeded his expectations. In the depths of the Twilight Continentthat vast region where no human had ever set footstood a tall peak jutting into the clouds. Atop a mountain so straight that it looked to have been carved out with a knife stood a majestic castle. It was somewhat of a miracle even in the Evernight world where experts were as abundant as the clouds. The long years had painted this castle with intense black color, with a hint of shiny gold peeking out on the well-worn corners of the walls and steps. Apparently, this castle was made of metal. In the depths of this fortress, there was a single throne at the end of a giant hall. Moonlight shone in from the stained-glass windows and illuminated the seat, highlighting its singular existence. There was an ancient-looking elder seated upon the thronehe wore a tall crown and his body was as shriveled as a skeleton. Eyes closed and his head propped up on his hand, it almost seemed like he was dozing off. There wasnt a single person within these cold, desolate halls. The tightly shut doors were covered in rust and locked together with chains as thick as a beasts leg. Time itself seemed to be stagnant within this hall, almost as though no power could produce any change therein. Just when it seemed like everything in the chamber was eternal, a quake spread through the hall. The tremors were gentle at first but grew more intense as time went on, causing dust and rust to fall down from the roof. From time to time, the swaying chains would strike against the main doors amidst startling rumbles. The skeleton-like ancient monarch sensed the trembling and slowly opened his eyes. There were no pupils in his eye-sockets, only two pools of turbid blood. He looked down slowly after waking up, and his gaze pierced through every obstacle as it scanned the castle below. He flew into a rage with a single glance, and his roars echoed throughout the entire mountaintop. Blood pond! Who destroyed my blood pond!? He pulled on a chain beside the throne, and an ear-piercing bell echoed throughout the castle. However, there was a sudden cracking sound on the third pull as one of his fingers broke and fell to the floor. Only then did he look down at his hand and realized that he mustve used too much force; even his arms were starting to crack. Only a thin layer of skin and flesh remained. The ancient monarch had no choice but to slow down his movements, lest his shriveled up body receives more injuries. He tried standing up, but his creaking leg bones deprived him of the courage to do so. The man unleashed a long, shrill scream in order to summon his clansmen. Moments later, the chained door began to retract into the walls along a complicated path. This process was both complicated and long, causing the ancient monarch to feel extremely anxious, yet he was helpless to do anything. This step was to ensure that no one could harm the ancient being during his deep slumber and wasnt something that could be skipped. The doors finally opened and several dozen vampires entered while carrying a bronze coffin. The old monarchs tone changed after seeing the container. Thats it? This level of origin blood will take me seven days to recover! The leader of this group, a marquis, fell to one knee. Your Majesty, thats because the ancient blood pond has been destroyed, and the highest-level of origin blood are now gone. This is the only back-up origin blood we have in the castle. Then, why are you all here instead of chasing down the culprit!? Your Majesty, this matter is extremely odd, the timing of the attack was just too perfect. I felt that my top priority wasnt to chase down the invader but to protect your safety. The old monarch began to ponder after his anger subsided. You mean the one who destroyed the blood pond isnt from the other races? Yes, the invader was wounded during the escape and left some blood. The ancient monarch stretched out a shriveled hand. Bring it here! The marquis passed a black cloth stained with drops of blood. The old man sniffed the object briefly, and his voice immediately turned gloomy. This is the scent of the Monroe clan. All the vampires in the hall wore different expressions. It was a fact that the Monroe had been suppressed by the Queen of the Night, but it was still a behemoth to the twelfth-ranked Carlton clan. Moreover, it was rumored that the Queen of the Night was back in deep slumber after the war for the floating continent. This meant that the suppression on the Monroe clan would lighten, giving them greater freedom of movement. The marquis replied, Perhaps its not the Monroe clan. Maybe another clan hired someone with Monroe blood to do it. The ancient monarchs voice was frosty. Someone with a top-grade Monroe bloodline with the ability to sneak into the depths of our castle What level of character do you think this person is? How can someone like that be working for another clan? The marquis couldnt reply. The ancient monarch said in a deep voice, The blood pond has been destroyed, and this matter cant be hidden for long. Since thats the case, we should simply cause a big fuss about it. The Queen of the Night isn''t asleep just yet. The marquis replied, Yes, Your Majesty. Ill make arrangements to go after the culprit and inform the other ancient clans. Do you think we should push back the schedule for two days? Why!? The monarchs tone was somewhat angry again. Your Majesty, your recovery time is a bit longer than usual. Itll be bad if someone were to grasp the time and ambush you during that time. The ancient monarch was a bit surprised. He looked on with narrowed eyes and said after a good while, Send people from our clan for the time being. Afterward, inform all the powers after three days. Three days later, a certain news shook the entire core region of the Twilight Continent. The Carlton familys ancient blood pond had been destroyed, and the ancient origin blood therein, stolen. Before long, all the clans began to react, expressing great anger toward this behavior. It went without saying that the ancient blood ponds were highly important to people beyond the marquis rank. It was the best way to recover when wounded, and it was also the only method to survive at the end of their life-span. Powerful clans like the Perth and the Monroe possessed more than one ancient blood ponds, while the Carlton could only maintain one. Reconstruction would probably require several decades. The clan would weaken significantly during that period, and they wouldnt be much stronger than the big non-ancient clans. Due to the importance of these blood ponds, all the ancient vampire clansincluding the Monroeresponded in a uniform manner, and even dispatched their core members to join the search. Naturally, the Monroe clan denied all the allegations. Just like that, a great net covered the core region of the Twilight Ccontinent and expanded rapidly to cover half of the land. There was a faintly discernible figure moving rapidly across the vast plains of the Twilight Continent. Nighteye kept her body bent among the swaying grasses and shrubbery as she ran into the distance. Her black tight-fitting clothes were torn in many placesher skin under some of them had healed completely, while others were still a bloody mess. Even a person of her constitution could hardly hold on after running continuously for several days, not to mention the several battles along the way. Nighteye simply had no strength left to heal those wounds. Even so, some of the smaller ones had regenerated on their own, a clear indication of how powerful her bloodline was. All of a sudden, her legs went limp and she nearly fell to the ground. Nonetheless, that fiery ancient origin blood in her arms gave her the strength to continue running further away.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 695: The Last Step [V7C012 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] The pursuers were getting closer and closer. Several airships whistled past the distant horizon, carrying soldiers to cut off her forward path. Meanwhile, on the land, numerous vampire squads had spread out like ripples on a lake. A large hunting net had begun to form within just a few days. Despite the primogenitor bloodline that made her peerless in the same realm, Nighteye gradually started to feel the mounting pressure. Soon, a long, narrow valley appeared in front of her. Nighteye became spirited as she recognized one of the important areas Song Zining had mentioned repeatedly. She dived in without a second thought and made straight for the bottom. Several dozen vampires were hot on her trail. Just as they reached the bottom of the ravine, however, the entire area began to tremble. The valley walls actually began to crack and collapse! A shrill sound wave echoed through the air at this point. The vampires, who had just taken flight, fell back to the ground, where they were soon buried by the endless stream of falling rocks and debris. Nighteye had rushed out of the other end of the valley at this point. She looked back at the dust-filled ravine and felt a wave of renewed confidence. In the blink of an eye, she had charged through several blockades. She had lost track of the time and location by this pointall she knew was that she was not far from the borders of the Twilight Continent. Yet, this was where things became increasingly dangerous. It was at this moment that an imposing vampire count appeared in front of her, standing in the midst of several corpses. Apparently, the support team Song Zining had arranged for her had been wiped out on the spot. The count stretched out his hand and said, I want half of the ancient origin blood. Dream on! Clenching her teeth, Nighteye charged in with her swords drawn. Moments later, the vampire count was kneeling on the ground with a shocked expression. Eye of Destruction, Eye of Destruction He mumbled while clutching his chest but soon fell face-first into the dust. The corpses of the counts dozen or so subordinates were also lying around him. A pale Nighteye thrust her blades into the groundshe looked down, grabbed the hilt sticking out from her ribs, and slowly pulled out a dagger. The moment the blade left her body, she couldnt help but let out a muffled groan. The primo shot a glance at the bloodstained dagger in her hand before throwing it away. The thrust had come all too close to piercing her blood core. However, the count failed to deal that final blow before his own blood core was crushed by the Eye of Destruction. Nighteye found some high-grade blood crystals on the count, the contents of which she duly poured into her injury. Then she bound the wound tightly before making her way toward the continents edge. One day and night went by in a flash. The edge of the continent was growing ever closer, but Nighteyes progress was also slowing down. Fights broke out often as vampire warriors rushed out from time to time. Nighteyes consciousness had grown heavyher blood core was groaning from the overload, and all her injuries were starting to sting. The ancient origin blood began to feel scorching hot, emitting an almost irresistible enticement. Nighteye would recover immediately if she could absorb this ancient origin blood. To a gravely injured vampire, this was an inherent allure born of the body and soul. Nighteye touched the ancient origin blood subconsciously. Yet in the end, she pulled her hand back with great willpower and continued dragging her leaden body into the distance. A small village appeared far up ahead. Nighteye remembered that this was the last transition point, wherein lay the last link Song Zining had arranged for her. After this point, his men would escort her on the final leg of the journey to the hidden location and bring her back to the empire via high-speed airship. But Nighteye discovered something wrong with the distant village. It was quiet, so quiet that it looked dead. Such villages on the border of the Twilight Continent were beyond the law, a place where all kinds of people gathered. It wouldnt even be a surprise if there were groups of humans here. There were similar grey areas on every continent. Perhaps the reason for their survival was because they were living gold channels for the higher echelons. Nighteye halted her steps and gazed at the village with a frown. At this moment, a small voice called out from nearby, This way, this way! Nighteye turned around and saw a shabby-looking youth waving at her from behind a tree. Nighteye realized that he was one of Song Zinings men. All the key characters in this operation cultivated a secret art that would respond to a piece of special jewelry on Nighteyes body, allowing both sides to identify one another. Otherwise, with her Bloodline Concealment, there was no way these support teams would be able to sense her arrival. As Nighteye walked over, that youth said anxiously, Somethings happened. Seventh Young Masters plans have been compromised, and our people have been killed. I only survived because I came to meet you outside the area. Go with me, we might just make it if we head straight for the airship port! Nighteye realized that her uneasiness this entire way had finally been confirmed. Unwittingly, a mysterious chill had slowly crept into her heart. She pondered for a while before producing the ancient origin blood and handing it to the youth. Give this to Zining, this is the thing he wants. Go now! The young man was astonished. How about you? Nighteye said indifferently, If we leave together, no one will survive. Remember, this thing in your hand is more important than me. The young man understood the urgency of the situation. As a decisive person, he immediately put away the ancient origin blood and bowed toward Nighteye before flickering out of existence. His silhouette was already several dozen meters away when it reappeared, speeding off into the distance. If not for Nighteyes extraordinary vision, she wouldve lost track of him beyond a hundred meters. The primo turned to the silent village with frosty eyes. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the place apart from the excessive silence, the empty streets, and the lack of any signs of life. Nighteye stopped in front of a short house and gently pushed its doors open. The unlocked door duly opened up, revealing a simple commoners house within. The furnishings were fairly ordinarythere was a werewolf totem in one corner of the room and something was still cooking on the stove, but the flames had long since died out. The werewolf family was sitting at the table, prepared to partake in their simple dinner. Yet time was frozen at this moment, almost as though the werewolves, young and old, had all fallen asleep. Nighteye scanned the place and knew that none of them were alive. Even among the ancient vampire clans, it would take an extremely tyrannical secret art to reap life in an instant. Nighteye didnt enter the house and walked to a different one instead. The houses nearby were all occupied by werewolves, and it would seem all of them had lost their lives in a flash. Nighteye headed toward the center of the village and finally found traces of battle. She picked up a stone club along the way and shook it gently. The stone weapon immediately broke down into a shower of fine dust. It would seem the battle here was short but intense. The affected area wasnt large, but everything in its range was involvedeven a stone club struck by the shockwave was reduced to fine powder. There was no way to disguise traces of such a battle. Nighteye suddenly looked up toward the small square at the center of the village. There were several wooden poles there with corpses strung upon them. This was a common scene in grey areas, but Nighteyes gaze fell upon the corpse of a certain woman. Her skin was slightly dark, but her face was delicate and her figure, slendera lady who was fairly pleasing to the eye. It seemed as though she could erupt with great power at any given moment, but now, she had lost all signs of life. Not even the vampires ancient blood pond could revive her. At this point, Nighteye finally broke into a frown. This woman reminded her of the empires number one genius, Zhao Jundu, whom she had only seen once. Although quite faint, his aura on her couldnt escape Nighteyes notice. A gentle laugh rang out in the village as a well-groomed man walked out. Youve finally arrived. Its fortunate that I didnt have to wait too long. Nighteye couldnt help but take half a step back after seeing this middle-aged man. The feeling he gave off was like a snakecold, moist, slippery, and, at the same time, extremely dangerous. The middle-aged man praised with open arms. Your entire plan was like an art, theres really no word to describe it. In truth, its truly admirable to be able to plan out an escape path on Twilight Continent with such limited resources and time. Just from this scheme alone, one can see that Song Sevens reputation as the next divine strategist isnt undeserved. You see it, dont you? According to the plan, you should already be on an airship back to the empire. A perfect plan indeed! If only I had not appeared Who are you? Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. Im the leader of the fifth central military command, Li Fengshui, and currently a general in rank. I hope my identity is worthy of welcoming Miss Nighteye. [1] Nighteye scanned the surroundings. A dozen or so people had appeared at some point and surrounded her. These people were different in appearance and stance, but they were similarly sinister and powerful. Every one of them gave Nighteye a vague feeling of danger. Why are you waiting for me here? Nighteye inquired. With victory in his grasp, Li Fengshui didnt mind revealing some information. Because youre important. Although I dont know why the seventh young noble would expend so much resources to do this, your identity alone is important enough for us. As for why youre here, we have enough time to chat about it slowly. Nighteye looked at Li Fengshui and sneered, It seems like youre confident about capturing me? Naturally. Li Fengshui revealed a sincere smile that was completely devoid of malice. However, his smile soon froze up as his image was reflected in Nighteyes pupils. The mans eyes quickly became bloodshot, and an odd redness flashed across his face as his heart began beating wildly. He acted immediately, reaching out to grab a nearby subordinate and using him as a shield. It was unknown what kind of secret art he had used, but Li Fengshuis image in Nighteyes pupils suddenly became that of the subordinate. The soldiers face suddenly turned scarlet, and his eyes bulged outapparently, he was suffering great agony and terror. He opened his mouth to spit out a mixture of blood and organ fragments before falling limp. It was clear that he would no longer survive. [1] This Li different from the Li family.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 696: Meaningful Things [V7C013 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Nighteye felt somewhat lightheaded from the massive drain that came with activating the Eye of Destruction. In her current state of near-exhaustion, this came as a great burden. Having failed her last-ditch assault, Nighteye pulled herself together quickly, removed the image in her eyes, and glanced back at Li Fengshui. How could Li Fengshui be where he was before? There was only that military expert whose innards had been crushed. Nighteye had just sensed danger when she suffered a heavy blow to the back. An extremely cold origin power broke apart her faltering blood energy and went straight for her blood core, effectively freezing it in the blink of an eye. The primo staggered for a while but slowly collapsed in the end. Li Fengshui withdrew his right hand from behind her, but his fingers were trembling involuntarily and there was an inconcealable terror in his eyes. As expected of the vampire princess, shes truly powerful. Li Fengshuis voice was somewhat shaky. One of his subordinates said, No matter how powerful she is, didnt she fall in your hands in the end? How could she even have the chance to attack if you werent already injured? This injury Li Fengshuis expression was unnatural as he shot a glance at the hanging corpse of the woman. He then said while shaking his head, Its not that simple. I cant help but feel terrified when thinking back about it. If not for the three backup plans and successful ambush, she might have turned the tables on us. Heh! Who wouldve known the Zhao clan was hiding such an agent? But its you, general, who was one step ahead of them and gained a big victory! Li Fengshui was expressionless. The deciding factor for this battle was intelligence, not strength. It just so happened that strength is the true key to overcoming enemies. Id rather have the strength to overwhelm adversaries than having to resort to intelligence. Im unfortunately lacking in power and will never be able to break through that cultivation bottleneck. He sighed lightly. We cant stay here for long, lets set out. The group thus departed swiftly from the small village. Moments later, silhouettes flickered continuously in the village square as a large number of high-ranking vampires appeared one after another. The leader, a lanky old man, sniffed around and said, She was here just now. She couldnt have gone far, another old man said regretfully. Indeed not far, but we wont make it. A shorter marquis pointed at the night sky where a star was moving rapidly away. These marquis-level characters all possessed shocking eyesight and were able to discern the airship pulling away from the continents borders. Just from its unbelievable takeoff velocity, they knew that there was no way to catch up. A warship of such speed was rare even in the entire Evernight world. So close. The leader was clearly pained. How could she have escaped if the Carltons had spoken up sooner? Heh heh, the Lightless Monarch has probably found a target to vent his anger. The high-ranking vampires didnt have the slightest intention of giving chase and only continued chatting in the village. Outside the floating continent was a large vampire fleet crowded around a massive vessel at its center. This giant airship was twice as large as the empires biggest regular airships and resembled a small castle in its magnificence. This was the Lightless Monarch Medanzos ship, a craft he had spent thirty years to build and upgraded continuously over the millennium. In the Bridge, Medanzo was listening to a subordinates report, his expression transforming drastically throughout the process. Nighteye? S-Shes appeared again? The count replied hurriedly, There should be no mistake. The pursuers have confirmed her identity several times and Bloodline Concealment is an ability exclusive to her. She has also used the Eye of Destruction several times during the interception. Continue. Medanzo had seemingly regained his calm, but he knocked over the golden goblet while reaching out for wine. The cup fell with a clang and sprayed the red liquor all over the floor. In the blink of an eye, all eyes fell upon the rolling goblet for a moment and then moved away. Two vampire maids flashed past them like the wind and had soon cleaned the place spotless. A new receptacle was soon placed at the monarchs side, filled with rich wine. This was a small matter, but how could someone as strong as Medanzo fail to even hold his cup? One could imagine just how shocking this matter was to him. That count continued reporting but placed the focus of the recount on the chase, opting to gloss over all the other major issues. What? They let Nighteye escape!? Medanzo couldnt believe his ears. Soon, an invisible tempest began to brew in the hall. All the vampires felt their blood core beating faster and faster. That counts face was as white as paper. Yes, they were half an hour too late to catch her. Finally, Medanzo could no longer hold back his anger. Half an hour, only half an hour!!! Those useless Carlton people!!! Why did they not release the news sooner? These bastards just had to drag it out for two entire days! A marquis below the throne seemed to have a good relationship with the Carlton clan. He drummed up his courage and said, Your Majesty, with their blood pond destroyed, the Carltons are in their weakest state. Its normal for them to be cautious. Medanzo snorted loudly. Nonsense! How can a mere ancient blood pond be as important as Nighteye! These ignorant bastards have delayed my business! Seeing the monarchs wrath, that marquis no longer dared to say anything. The Lightless Monarch eventually suppressed his roaring anger and said, Does that mean Nighteye has fallen into human hands? From the traces left behind at their departure point, the ones who had brought her away seem to be from the human military. Military? Medanzo frowned at the thorny problem. Even someone of his status couldnt casually provoke such a massive entity. Bringing Nighteye back from the hands of the military was close to impossible. He tapped lightly on the handrest and said after a long silence, Activate our channels over there and contact those people. See if they can find a way to bring Nighteye back. No price is out of the question! Shaken upon realizing Medanzos resolution, the vampires in the hall affirmed his order. In the void, a certain airship had shed its disguise and revealed its true nature as a high-speed vessel. It streaked across the void like a flash of lightning and rapidly left the Twilight Continent. Li Fengshui stood beside the cabin windows, thinking about something. An aide arrived near him with words of flattery. General, you managed to capture the vampire princess this time. Your contributions are surely at the very peak. Perhaps the empire will have a new marshal before long. Li Fengshui said with a smile, The imperial marshal position has always been for divine champions, and this rule has never been broken before. How can the threshold of a divine champion be so easy to cross? If it were that easy, I wouldnt be stuck here for so many years either. The aide wouldnt stop with his toadying, nor was he embarrassed about it. But your service this time isnt ordinary. It should be enough for the imperial family to bestow you that treasure, right? Just one or two drops should be enough to help you break through. Li Fengshui said indifferently, That treasure is extremely limited and only a couple of drops are produced every year. Every drop has been reserved, how can it be my turn? The aide complained, But your contribution this time Li Fengshui said while pointing upward, Those characters up there will definitely take a cut. Besides, all of you have been following me for many years despite your own aspirations. How can I not share the bounty with everyone who risked their lives for todays success? Caught unprepared, the aides voice choked up. General Li Fengshui waved his hand. The warmth in his eyes disappeared and was quickly replaced by a sinister chill. Im not in a rush to cash in this contribution, though. The Monroe Princess value is far greater than you and I can imagine. Whatever the military and his majesty have to offer isnt nearly enough. The aide was started. You mean, you wont hand over the prisoner? But, isnt this a great opportunity to overturn the Zhao clan? Li Fengshui smiled indifferently. What good does it do to overturn the Zhao clan? Well just be helping the Minister of the Right. But your enmity with the Zhao clan Heh heh, how I repay them for that depends on how much theyre willing to pay. The aid nodded in half-understanding. Then, where do we head now? The void continent. The subordinate was shocked out of his wits. Void continent!? Isnt that right under the Zhao clans eyes? Its also under the eyes of the entire empire, Li Fengshui added. I refuse to believe they dare to do anything under public eyes. Humph, the heavenly monarchs will never forgive them for colluding with the vampires! Realizing the situation, the aide praised, General is indeed far-sighted! Li Fengshui said with a laugh, Nighteye should be awake by now. Come, we should go and see her. Nighteye finally woke up after an unknown length of time. The scene that entered her eyes was a cold cabin room with neither furnishings nor decoration. She tried moving about but found that her body had lost all senses, retaining only a weak response. Her blood core was still bound tightly by that frigid origin power. It would beat only once in a long while, just enough to maintain her vitality. She struggled a bit once more but felt a sharp pain coming from her hands. Only then did she discover the two special stakes piercing through her wrists and nailing her firmly to the armrest. These nails arent ordinary items. Not to mention the materials, it takes five years just to make them. Its made of the most premium refined silver, and truth be told, each of them cost as much as a small airship, Li Fengshui said as he pulled a chair over and sat across from Nighteye. Nighteye didnt struggle anymore and merely said, You think quite highly of me. Li Fengshui laughed out loud. No treatment is too excessive for the Monroe Princess. I was quite astonished when I first received the intelligence. Only when I almost died to your Eye of Destruction was I able to confirm that youre the long-missing princess. Who wouldve thought you had hidden yourself in the empire, in that small place on Evernight Continent? Nighteye replied calmly. This is something youll know sooner or later. Theres no meaning in talking about it. Very well! Then well talk about meaningful things. Li Fengshui leaned forward and said word by word, I want Qianyes path to the heavenly monarch realm.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 697: The Chaos Millstone [V7C014 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Path to Heavenly Monarch? Nighteye clearly had no idea what Li Fengshui was saying. The man raised his brows. You dont know? Oh, right perhaps you havent heard about the Pointer Monarchs assessment. Afterward, Li Fengshui recounted the situation at Indomitable and about the Pointer Monarchs evaluation. Then he rubbed his hands and said word by word, So, what I want is that Path to the Heavenly Monarch realm. Nighteye only smiled. Li Fengshui wasnt discouraged, however. Dont say its impossible just yet. You can say that Ive studied Qianyes combat records in great detail. Thats definitely not an accomplishment an ordinary human can produce. Moreover, Qianyes rate of advancement is simply unbelievable, and his combat strength far exceeds his level. In the past, I wouldve believed the empire had produced a true genius, but how can I continue to think so after knowing that the woman beside him is the Monroe Princess? Im really not clear about Qianyes matters. Hes never told me about his cultivation matters. Li Fengshui stared into Nighteyes pupils for a while before sighing. This matter is enough to exchange your freedom. Theres still time, so please take a while to think about it. My patience has a limit, though. Dont make me do what I dont want to do. Okay then, well discuss something else now. For instance, why you went to the Twilight Continent, what you did there or retrieve. I only went to take a look. Was it really that simple? Yes. Li Fengshui stared into Nighteyes pupils once more and said after a long while, Miss Nighteye, Ive told you before not to test my patience. Perhaps you dont understand how powerful the Fifth Central Command is or what we really do. Lets put it like this, central commands one through four added together cant compare to half of the fifth. Besides, this is where the empire has the greatest number of methods against the dark races, and we specialize in vampires. Nighteyes expression was calm. Is that so? This, you dont need to doubt. With that, Li Fengshui flicked his finger, and a wisp of origin power struck the spike piercing her left wrist. The nail let out a sudden crackle after being agitated, and its outer layers fell off to reveal a core that resembled red-hot iron. Green smoke emerged from Nighteyes wrist as the pure daybreak origin power scorched her flesh. The pain induced far surpassed the limit a vampire was capable of enduring. Her body was spasming as her blood core contracted to its limitshe soon released a miserable cry before passing out. Nighteye woke up again after an unknown length of time and saw that she was no longer in the simple cabin. Instead, she was now in a prison cell built of limestone, a chamber just as cold and damp as before. There was an iron ring nailed onto the wall, stained with rust and black grime. With her vampiric senses, Nighteye knew at a glance that the stains were actually a mixture of blood and flesh fragments. The iron door creaked open and in walked Li Fengshui. Where is this place? Nighteye inquired. Speaking made her realize how hoarse she was, almost as though scorching hot sand had been stuffed down her throat. It was inexplicably painful. Were on the void continent, at the center of the battlefield, the city of Indomitable. This is a secret stronghold of the military. The word secret doesnt quite describe this place, though, because everyone knows this is imperial military domain. At this point, the man said with a smile, Even if people know youre here, who would dare enter and bring away a vampire? Nighteyes heart sank somewhat. She had familiarized herself with the empires history and gained a basic understanding of its system. This prison was only a half-concealed stronghold, but attacking this place was tantamount to attacking the military, a crime no different from treason. Unless everyone related was silenced, the perpetrator and his entire family would be executed, even if he had support from a major clan. The disappointment only lasted a mere second, however. I have no intention of leaving here alive. Li Fengshui was momentarily startled. He then said while shaking his head, Its too early to think that way. We still have time to discuss many things. He drew a chair over and sat down in front of the primo. Now lets discuss what youll exchange for your freedom? Freedom? Nighteye smiled mockingly. Freedom, true freedom. No hidden injuries, no hunting you down. How you came in is how youll leave. That kind of freedom. Fine, then what price must I pay to obtain this freedom? The path to the heavenly monarch realm, or an object of similar value, said Li Fengshui. It was at this time that a knock came from the door. Li Fengshui said with an upset frown, Who is it? Enter. One of his aides walked in. He was somewhat apprehensive after seeing the generals unhappy expression, but he braced himself and whispered something in the latters ear. Li Fengshuis expression changed somewhat. He glanced over at Nighteye before nodding, and then dismissed the aide with a wave of his hand. He once again sat down in front of her with a serious expression. Only after a long while did he let out a long sigh. This isnt good news. Do you want to know? Nighteye said with a smile, Of course, why wouldnt I? Can there be anything worse? Li Fengshui smiled wryly. There is indeed and its extremely bad. A major character on the Evernight side has asked for you. A major character? A true powerhouse, a great dark monarch. Its just that I dont know which one. Nighteye stared blankly at the man. She really couldnt recall which dark monarch would want her so badly. Although she had awakened the Black-Winged Monarchs primogenitor bloodline, she was only someone with potential after all. She wasnt that important from the viewpoint of the entire vampire race. At the very least, she was far inferior to Habsburg of the Flaming Crown who had ignited a blood seal on the river of blood. What surprised Nighteye was that Evernight actually had such deep ties with the imperial military. They could even pull off such a transaction. Li Fengshui remained silent for a moment before saying, I thought we still had some time, but now, that seems not to be the case. The one who sent word this time is also a true powerhouse of the military, at least hes far above me. The person from the Evernight faction has surely paid a price far beyond our imagination. As I see it, this price is enough to trade for a princess and even another holy son. So, let me ask you this; what do you have on you that hes willing to pay such a price? Nighteye smiled wryly. What makes you think Ill know? Li Fengshui nodded. I believe you. Whatever the Evernight person wants might not be useful to me anyway. Nonetheless, you should know that your fate wont be any better after landing in his hands. What he wants is a living Nighteye, in other words, an intact blood core. Ill give you one more opportunity. As long as you do this, well let you go. Wherever you go after this is your business. Oh? Theres something that good? Nighteye was skeptical. Li Fengshui said seriously, I can swear on my future great dao, this promise shall be delivered. What is this about? Testify that it was Qianye and the Zhao clan who hid you in Evernight Continent. That simple? Just that simple! Li Fengshui said decisively. Nighteye contemplated for a moment before saying, This isnt enough to topple the Zhao clan. Li Fengshui was apparently surprised. You understand quite a lot about the empire! But no one says we have to topple the Zhao clan. Its enough as long as we can deal them a heavy blow and remove most of their territories and industries, making it difficult for them to recover within a few decades. What good does it do for you? For me, nothing but its beneficial to that bigshot above me. Your existence proves that many things are beyond my control. Li Fengshui sighed. What about Qianye? Li Fengshui replied, Him? Hell naturally be put to death for colluding with the vampires. Hes already unconscious and lacking in vitality. Who can even save him? It makes no difference whether or not hes put to death. Nighteye said immediately, I wont agree to this. Li Fengshui was startled, almost as though he couldnt believe his ears. What!? Why? For Qianye? Nighteye closed her eyes without replying. Frowning, Li Fengshui persuaded her, Why must you do this? Qianye will surely die, and were only borrowing him to attack the Zhao clan. Why must you give up your only chance at survival for a dying man? Is it worth it? Youre the vampire princess, youll live for a thousand years after you mature. Nighteye looked to be asleep and completely unresponsive. Li Fengshui sighed deeply. Since thats the case, then I wont hold back anymore. The fifth department has a secret guardian art called the Chaos Millstone made specifically for vampires. The thing to be crushed inside the millstone is a vampires soul! The pain of having ones soul crushed is much worse than the two refined silver nails. Moreover, more and more of your soul will shatter with each passing day. In the end, youll not only forget about Qianye but even who you yourself are. At that point, no one can save you even if you agree to cooperate. As untalented as I am, I have cultivated this art to the seventh layer and can grind your soul for an entire seven days! Seven days, is it? Nighteye revealed a smile. Li Fengshui discovered that things werent quite right, almost as though he had overlooked something. However, he could no longer stop halfway at this point, and neither did he have the time to slowly assault her heart. Li Fengshuis expression sank as he stretched out his right hand. Soon, a greyish-green mass of lifeless origin power began rotating upon it. Nighteye closed her eyes and ignored the scene. The general clenched his teeth and pressed his hand on Nighteyes forehead! A mournful wail soon tore through the prison cell, spreading far and wide. Everyone who heard the sound felt their hearts seize for a split second. Under the night sky, a high-speed airship landed in the City of Indomitable. Song Zining walked out of the vessel, boarded a military vehicle, and made straight for the Zhao clan main camp. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 698: Awakening [V7C015 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Moments later, Song Zining stood before Zhao Jundu with an exhausted face. Zhao Jundus gaze was like a sharp blade stabbing into Song Zinings eyes, and it wasnt very friendly. Song Zining waved the black box in his hand and said, This thing is extremely important, any delay might produce a lot of variables. Does the fourth young noble really want to waste time here? Zhao Jundu didnt move aside immediately. Its rare to see the seventh young noble so tired. Isnt your Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art known to be even comparable to the Art of Heavens Mystery? How did such an oversight happen? Song Zining smiled wryly. The heavens will is difficult to gauge, how can anyone grasp it completely? Even Marshal Lin himself makes mistakes sometimes, not to mention a small fry like me. Zhao Jundus eyes fell on the box in Song Zinings hand. What is this thing? Song Zining replied, With the fourth young nobles current status, its best you do not know. You only need to know that I definitely wont harm my brother, Qianye. Zhao Jundu stood aside to make way, saying, Yuyings inside right now. Song Zining nodded and entered. As he was passing by, Zhao Jundu suddenly said, A friend of mine died due to your carelessness. Song Zining sighed lightly. Ill definitely get to the bottom of this matter afterward. Zhao Jundu said nothing else. He didnt look back, either, and merely allowed Song Zining to enter the hall beyond. Within a lofty side-hall, Qianye was lying atop a jade platform. He looked fairly peaceful with his hands in front of his chest, almost as though he was in a deep slumber. Only those at the level of Song Zining and Zhao Yuying could sense the flow of vitality in Qianyes bodyit was extremely weak and would only pulse once in a long while. Zhao Yuying was seated beside the platform, her eyes deep and serene. No one knew exactly what she was thinking. Only Song Zinings arrival breathed some life and hope into her expression. The seventh young master arrived in front of the platform. There, he removed Qianyes hands and unbuttoned his shirt, baring his chest underneath. He ran his fingers over Qianyes thorax and sighed. I remember he had a frightening scar here during our days at Yellow Springs, yet now its completely gone. Sigh, it has been so many years but the training grounds feel just like yesterday. Weve all grown up in the blink of an eye. Zhao Yuying didnt say anything. She watched as Song Zining opened the wooden box and produce a blood-red crystal the size of a fist. He kept the crystal suspended with an origin power vacuum, not daring to touch it at all. There was a wisp of purplish-black blood energy at its center swimming about like a live creature. Song Zining held his breath as he kept the crystal above Qianyes chest and slowly made to put it down. Wait a minute! Zhao Yuying called out to him all of a sudden. What is this? she inquired with an expression full of trepidation. The pressure from this seemingly sentient crystal made her reluctant to approach it. Yet, Song Zining was about to put it on Qianyes body? Ancient origin blood, the core of an ancient blood pond, Song Zining replied calmly. Ancient origin blood? Zhao Yuying wasnt as calm as the other fellow. Ancient origin bloods have their own consciousness. How can Qianye suppress its will in his current state? Wont he turn into a monster if you give him such a thing!? I believe in Qianye. Believe?! Its hard to tell if he even believes in himself! Song Seven, you arent joking, are you? Theres no other way, is there? Sighing lightly, Song Zining removed his origin power and allowed the blood-red crystal to fall upon Qianyes chest. But Zhao Yuying wanted to stop the man, but she was wracked with hesitation. It was just as Song Zining had said, there was no solution to Qianyes current condition. Even Zhao Xuanji could only sigh after checking on him. Perhaps a heavenly monarch level character might have some way to save him, but with Qianyes special situation, how would they dare show him to one? The ancient origin blood had already fallen onto Qianyes chest while she was hesitating. It softened up immediately upon contact and produced numerous tentacles, all of which piercing into his body. The ancient origin blood actually unleashed a bestial roar, almost as though it had tasted just how delectable the flesh and blood was. It then transformed into dozens of sanguineous threads that drilled into Qianyes body in the blink of an eye. A shocked Zhao Yuying subconsciously reached out to grab it but was one step too late. The mass of ancient origin blood had vanished into Qianyes body, leaving naught but a few red spots on his skin. This Zhao Yuying had no idea what to do. Song Zining hadnt expected the ancient blood to be so terrifying, either, and his face was ashen. Nonetheless, the origin blood had already entered Qianyes body and would soon attack his blood core. At this moment, there was nothing they could do but wait for the results. Qianye seemed to be in pain as his entire body shook violently. Within his body, dozens of sanguineous threads had nailed themselves into his blood core and were looking to make their way inside. Even though the core was studded with countless crystalline fragments, the threads kept pushing in little by little. Song Zinings expression grew increasingly tense. It was at this moment that a bleak, ancient aura appeared in the chamber, causing the duo to feel as though they were on a desolate continent that was devoid of all life. The image of a thick, black book materialized above Qianye, and a faint cry of a dying ancient beast echoed through the void the moment this tome appeared. After the anguished wail trailed off, the image of that old black book also dispersed and Qianyes pained expression regained its previous calm. What was that? Zhao Yuying asked with cold sweat hanging from the tip of her nose. The aura from that book caused her to palpitate even more than the ancient origin blood. Song Zining shook his head. How should I know? Apparently, its not a bad thing. It must be one of Qianyes secrets. Qianyes expression was now calm. Moments later, a thunderous beat of a drum reverberated through the side hall, and Qianyes chest heaved wildly as he slowly opened his eyes. Youre awake! Zhao Yuying cried out in joy and threw herself onto Qianye, squeezing and kneading him from head to toe. Now tell this mommy, do you feel unwell anywhere? Ah, right, are you hungry? Qianye extricated himself from Zhao Yuyings grasp and clambered up with great difficulty. He glanced vacantly at his surroundings and said, Where is this? Is the battle over? It was over long ago! Youve been unconscious for nearly one month! Zhao Yuying glared at Qianye and said furiously, You, why would you need to risk your life like that? Qianye composed himself and slowly recalled the battle that day. He said after seeing no one else in the chamber, Its not completely intentional. Its just that Im different from you guys, I might not necessarily die if I take the Demoness attack, but Jundu wouldve perished without a doubt. You call this not necessarily dead? Zhao Yuying wanted to say something, but her words turned into a sigh toward the end. Qianyes vampiric constitution made his body much stronger than that of an ordinary person. Despite her higher origin power cultivation, even Zhao Yuying was far below him in terms of physical tenacity. Zhao Jundu couldnt compare with Qianye, either, if he were to discard the power of the Omniscient Seal. A muffled drumbeat echoed through the room yet again, almost causing the entire side hall to tremble. Song Zining shot him a glance. Cant keep the ancient origin blood in check? Qianye shook his head. No, the consciousness of the origin blood has been wiped away, but I need to adapt to this newfound power. Wait did you say ancient origin blood? Where did you get one? Qianye had inherited much knowledge from the River of Blood and knew that the ancient origin blood was the core of an ancient blood pond. There were two ways to obtain this precious blood. One was to take it from the River of Bloodthis was an extremely difficult endeavor even before the river disappeared. Today, perhaps only a handful of the most powerful clans like the Perth and Monroe possessed such a blood pond. The other method was to use a bit of ancient origin blood as the primer and have a high-ranking vampire extract his own origin blood into the pond. Then, after many years of integration and purification, it would gradually evolve to become ancient origin blood. The cores of most ancient blood ponds today were made in such a manner. Regardless of the method, ancient origin blood was the most precious treasure of the vampire race. It was absolutely priceless. Why then did Song Zining have ancient origin blood in his hands? Qianye sensed his blood core once more. At this moment, he had completely absorbed the ancient origin blood that had its consciousness wiped out by the Book of Darkness. The crystalline bodies in the blood core had grown to the size of a finger. The entire blood core had now become a framework of flesh and crystals, and the power within it had risen by an order of magnitude. That lingering ancient aura proved that the blood he had absorbed just now was indeed ancient origin blood. Song Zinings expression was somewhat odd. This matter is very complicated, Ill tell you in detail after a while. You should check on your body first. Qianye glanced suspiciously at Song Zining before lying back down on the jade platform. After the absorption of the ancient origin blood, the transformation of his blood core would also induce a corresponding physical upgrade. Qianye indeed required some time to reforge his body anew. As Qianye activated his blood core, streams of auric flame blood poured out from the blood core and rushed to every corner of his body. Wherever it passed, his muscles and bones would begin to grow madly while the old tissue died out in large patches. Qianyes entire body seemed to be undergoing a complete transformation from head to toe. At this moment, strands of dark golden blood energy seeped out around Qianye and his skin was wiggling continuously, almost as though countless insects were crawling beneath it. His eyes were shut, his brows were locked together, and his teeth were clenched tightapparently, he was in extreme pain. Yet, his aura was climbing constantly and becoming more and more intimidating. Zhao Yuying stared blankly at the blood suffused Qianye with complicated emotions. She had beheaded countless vampires throughout her life, and it had already become a reflex to attack on sight. Yet now, her brother was before her, surrounded by a blood energy of unprecedented terror. Although she already knew this as a fact, Zhao Yuying was still overcome by a feeling of disillusionment. It was as though the only reality she had ever known was shattered completely. Song Zining shot a glance at Zhao Yuying and said firmly, Qianye is a human at heart, this has never changed before! Zhao Yuying forced a nod and suppressed those feelings. One day and night passed by as the setting sun rose once more. When Qianye woke up a second time, he was no different from a normal person, only his eyes had grown more abstruse. He duly circulated Bloodline Concealment, sweeping away all the blood energy around his body and storing them into his blood core. Now, no one could find even a vampire shadow around him. Qianye stood up and said while flexing his body, Sis, tell me what happened during this period. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 699: Such an Empire [V7C016 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Zhao Yuying replied, There are indeed some things you should know, but dont feel too worried after hearing them. Afterward, Zhao Yuying told Qianye about how his quota for the Great Maelstrom had been retracted and how the imperial military had demanded the Storm Pearl. Qianye tidied up his clothes and said slowly, The quota is useless anyway if I dont wake up, but the Storm Pearl is something I exchanged with my contributions. According to what you said, the item is equivalent to an origin crystal in the Great Maelstrom. Itll be a divine-champion level power if given to someone with ample foundation. How can the military take away such an item? What are they offering to trade with? This time, Zhao Yuying didnt know what to say and only spoke moments later, They didnt say anything about an exchange. Theyre simply requisitioning it. Requisition!? This was also the first time Song Zining had heard of this. Song Zining was, after all, someone familiar with politics and schemes, unlike Qianye. After the initial surprise, he felt something was off about this and fell into deep contemplation. Qianye himself wasnt completely ignorant, either. Requisition, huh? How did the Zhao clan respond? Theres nothing we can do about the quota for now, but Lil Fourth has blocked the matter of the Storm Pearl. Zhao Yuying patted Qianyes shoulder. Dont worry about the quota, either, were already investigating who obtained your slot. At that time, no matter who it is, hell have to give us a good explanation! Besides, with your current condition, it makes no difference whether or not you go to the Great Maelstrom. Zhao Yuying was naturally implying how Qianye, with his Venus Dawn origin power, would have no problem crossing the divine champion threshold. The latter, though, wasnt as relaxed. He glanced at Song Zining and saw a similar graveness in his expression. Whats wrong with you two? Why such an expression? Zhao Yuying was puzzled. Song Zining replied, Yuying, things arent that simple. Its puzzling why the military would choose to probe us at such a time? Then again, the military itself is very complicated and definitely not a single patterned entity. We need to find out whos orchestrating all of this. Yuying, you must be very careful if you go into battle these days. Try to take a risk-averse approach to everything. Zhao Yuying hadnt expected Song Zining to be so serious. Although she wasnt quite willing, she still nodded in the end. She had to admit that Song Zining was indeed gaining fame in recent years and had the makings of a future divine strategist. In terms of strategy, she was still a level below him. Song Zining continued, But theres no need to be overly worried because the Zhao clan probably has a response ready. As I see it, Duke Chengens transfer of the Fire Beacon corps to the floating continent is a clever move. Zhao Yuying calmed down quite a bit, but Song Zining felt a different pair of eyes staring intently at him. The gaze was so piercing that he felt uneasy all over. In the end, Song Zining could no longer feign ignorance and had to turn toward Qianye. Zining, where did this ancient origin blood come from? Qianye asked. Obtained coincidentally Song Zining only spoke halfway before stopping. These words might be able to fool other people, but not Qianye who had inherited many vampire secrets. There was no way he could gloss over this. As expected, Qianye wouldnt let this matter go. He said word by word while staring at Song Zining, An ancient origin blood is the core of an ancient blood pond. Which clans blood pond did it come from? Not knowing where to start, Song Zinings smile became rather unnatural. Having been friends for so many years, Qianye knew something wasnt quite right after seeing Song Zining act like this. Just what was this information that it could reduce the calm seventh young noble to such a state? Qianye suddenly felt an indefensible chill pervade the depths of his heart. This ineffable sense of terror took hold of his will and caused him to go weakhis legs faltered, and he almost couldnt stand firmly. Zhao Yuying suddenly stepped between Song Zining and Qianye. Ill tell you. Song Zining reached out and, slowly but firmly, pushed Zhao Yuying away. No, let me. Wait! Qianye stopped Song Zining, and then tightened his clothes around him. Only after the chill had somewhat subsided did he say, Okay, Im listening. This ancient origin blood came from the twelfth ancient vampire clan, the Carlton clan. Their main camp, the Frostbronze Castle, lies in the depths of the Twilight Continent where no human can ever enter. The one who retrieved this blood for you is Nighteye. Finally, Qianye heard the name he wanted to hear the least at this moment. Song Zinings voice suddenly became ephemeral to himthe sound seemed to be coming from far away and everything he said sounded unreal. Qianyes consciousness faltered. He listened in a daze, not knowing what he himself was thinking. All the men I set up there were wiped out. Only a single person escaped and brought this origin blood back to us. However, he wasnt able to bring back Nighteye. Right now, it has been said that shes in the hands of the imperial military. Qianye came to only after a long while. Nighteye is in the militarys hands His eyes went wide. Military!? Did you just say shes in the militarys hands? Song Zining nodded in silence. Qianye took a step forward and grabbed Song Zining by the collar. Nighteye is in military hands? Song Zining nodded. You know her. Nighteye, she I know. Why did it turn out this way? Song Zining said with a wooden expression, My arrangements were somehow leaked and discovered by someone in the military. They mounted a sneak attack at the last juncture and kidnapped Nighteye. An incisive glint flickered through Qianyes eyes as he grabbed Song Zining by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Who told Nighteye to retrieve the ancient origin blood? Song Zining smiled wryly. Its me. You made Nighteye go to Twilight Continent alone, just to retrieve this ancient origin blood!? You let her sneak into Frostbronze Castle on her own!? Even without the militarys ambush, how confident were you that shell come back alive? No more than thirty percent. Song Zining spoke the truth. You dared to set this up with less than thirty percent chance of success? Song Zining did not reply. Qianyes hand tightened around Song Zinings neck, causing his face to flush red, then purple. Zhao Yuying could no longer bear to watch. She reached out to grab Qianyes hand and shouted, Zining did this to save you! Qianye finally loosened his trembling hands, allowing Song Zining to fall onto the ground. Save me? Using Nighteyes life to gamble for mine? There was a tinge of despair in Qianyes voice. He inhaled deeply for a couple of times but failed to control his shaking hands. What does the imperial military want? Who are they targeting? Is it me or the Zhao clan? Perhaps its the Zhao clan, perhaps its both. Where is she now? Qianye roared loudly, and a beam of dark golden blood energy shot toward Song Zining as he did so. The latter felt his head go light and replied subconsciously, Shes in the city. The moment he said this, Song Zining understood that things werent going to end well. He blocked Qianyes path and shouted, What are you doing? Qianye walked out on his own and said, Nothing, get out of the way! You cant go!!! Song Zining was almost screaming as he blocked Qianyes path. You cant control me. Youre crazy! Nighteye is a vampire princess! I know that, and you do, too! Qianye knocked Song Zining back several steps, but the latter jumped forward again and grabbed Qianye from behind, screaming at the top of his lungs, Its no longer the same. Her identity has been compromised, and shes already in military hands! You wont be able to save her if you go now. Youll only harm her! Qianye finally stopped. Then how do we save her? Song Zining replied anxiously, A trade! Everything can be exchanged for sufficient benefits. Ive already made arrangements and well see the results very soon. Trust me! How about the amnesty writ? Why have you not mentioned that? Song Zining hesitated for a while. Nighteyes identity is special. I heard a major character from the Evernight faction wants her. The amnesty order might not be effective. Qianye clutched his chest over the blood core. He could feel a tearing pain within but couldnt point out where it was coming from. He took a deep breath and said, Song Zining, I cant wait that long. Besides, I dont quite believe in your method, either. With that, he continued forward. His strength had reached unbelievable levels after being transformed by the ancient origin blood, and even someone of Song Zinings power couldnt help being dragged along. Qianye! Breaking her out like that is high treason! At that time, no one can save you anymore! Song Zining cried out. Qianye finally halted his steps. He remained silent for a moment before bursting out in sudden laughter. I contributed so much for the empire, yet how does this empire treat me? Such an empire I have no qualms about betraying it! An abrupt power gushed out from his body and pushed the other two away. With a wave of his hand, the Twin Flowers and East Peak flew from the corner of the room and into his grasp. His silhouette exited the hall in a single step and flickered out of existence. A startled Song Zining rushed out of the hall and shouted, Find a way to stop him! Zhao Yuying rushed out and came across Zhao Jundu who had just appeared from the corner. Whats happening? he asked. Zhao Yuying stopped for a moment and said, It has nothing to do with you. Its best you dont know or get involved. With that, she dashed out of the main doors and vanished into the night. Gazing at the empty gates, Zhao Jundu summoned one of his subordinates. Follow Yuying and report everything that happens to me. After the subordinate dashed away, Zhao Jundu sat down on a chair that had appeared behind him out of nowhere. He placed the azure rifle on his legs and waited quietly for the news. Qianye walked continuously through the night. His gait was relaxed and didnt look to be in much of a hurry. Yet, every step caused his silhouette to flicker and reappear over ten meters awayit was an inconceivable speed in practice. Zhao Yuying had only rushed out two street blocks when she lost track of him. She stopped all of a sudden. Just as she was wondering what to do, Song Zining suddenly appeared beside her and whispered, Lets go to the military stronghold. Zhao Yuying realized that Qianye would have to head to the imperial military stronghold in order to save Nighteye. That places location in Indomitable was no secret, either. Yet that was precisely the reason why it was so problematic. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 700: Breaking Through [V7C017 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Qianye swiftly circled the city with the Zhao clan main camp as the center. Most of the people he passed by werent even aware of his presence. He would stop and ask the occasional Zhao clan soldier regarding the whereabouts of the military stronghold. The location of the imperial military wasnt a secret. At least, it was no longer one in these couple of days. Add to that the fact that Qianyes status among the Zhao clan private army was high, he was able to obtain the exact location he wanted fairly quickly. Qianye weaved through the street blocks and houses to finally arrive before an unassuming courtyard. The compound wasnt that big at first, but it had been restructured by connecting the adjacent courtyards together. It was now as large as half a street block. Located at the core region of Indomitable, the place was strictly defended and even had two cannon turrets erected within it. Taking into account the soldiers on patrol everywhere, one could say it was armed to the teeth. Although there was no signboard on the gates, anyone could tell that it was an important area. Qianye was somewhat startled as he stood before the courtyard because there were actually two Red Scorpion soldiers among the guards on the wall. Judging from their combat strength, these fellows were either rookies or had just escaped their rookie-hood. But there were actually Red Scorpions here? Feeling somewhat emotional, Qianye looked to another place and saw the cannoneer on the turret wearing the insignia of the Broken-Winged Angels. Such a courtyard actually involved two elite corps and ones that didnt get along at that. Apart from the imperial family, the only other entity capable of this would be the imperial military. Qianye arrived before the courtyard doors in a single step and asked the guard, Is this the militarys stronghold? In the guards perception, this question was exceptionally natural and familiar. He subconsciously replied, Of course, Sir Li Fengshui is overseeing this place personally. The guard felt something was wrong immediately after saying this. The level of Qianyes current vampire bloodline was extremely high, but he had never before used its innate ability of charming humans. Hence, the effect only lasted a split second, and it could only be used on low-ranking warriors. After obtaining his answer, Qianyes gaze toward the gates turned increasingly cold. Lil Five! Stop! Zhao Yuyings voice arrived from afar. She was already running over at top speed, but she sped up even more due to the anxiety of seeing Qianye at the stronghold doors. Time seemed to slow down for a split second as Qianye glanced at her. He then turned to the gate and blasted it apart with a square fist! Meanwhile, Zhao Yuying had just rushed past a street block and was still dozens of meters away from Qianye. She suddenly realized that it wasnt time that had slowed downit was her. Qianye was too strong. This kind of distinct yet time-slowing cadence only appeared because his speed and strength were at a level she would never reach. Qianye! she screamed once more. She wanted to charge forward, but the road ahead became so much longer than before and was now filled with countless trees and shrubs. The swaying leaves actually possessed a sharp intent which caused Zhao Yuying to slow down instinctively. Song Zining appeared beside her and blocked her with an outstretched hand. Its too late. But Lil Five is inside! Its too late! Zhao Yuyings expression turned cold as she roared, Move aside or Ill break your domain! Song Zinings eyes were filled with bitterness. Yuying, youre not just Qianyes sister but also Duke Yous lineal granddaughter. Youre a core character of the Zhao clan and a future leader. If you go inside, will you stop Qianye or help him? Zhao Yuying was at a loss for words because it was exactly as he had said. Even if she herself didnt pay much attention to it, her actions represented the Zhao clan to a certain degree in the eyes of outsiders. In terms of status, she was right behind the three dukes and Zhao Jundu. In fact, even Zhao Junhong was below her. Qianye had charged straight into the military stronghold to seize Nighteye, and his crime was already at its extremes. If Zhao Yuying were to go in and help him, she would bring a catastrophe upon the Zhao clan. If not, how could she have the heart to stop him? But, Lil Five Zhao Yuying stared blankly at the courtyard, tears welling up in her eyes. The explosion reverberated throughout the entire courtyard and shook all the buildings down to their floors, walls, and roofs. The unbelievable shockwave from that one punch soon covered every corner of the courtyard, activating the dozens of defensive arrays therein. The entire place fell into chaos amidst the fluctuating origin radiance. Qianyes eyes lit up all of a sudden. Amidst the activated arrays, he finally sensed a familiar auraNighteye was here! Enemy assault! Battle stations! Cries rang out amidst the chaos in the courtyard, and the two cannon turrets quickly turned their muzzles toward the direction of the commotion. The cannon spat out tongues of flame, and the high rate of fire caused the projectiles to turn into streams of metal which locked down Qianyes path. As expected of the Broken-Winged Angel elites, the cannoneers combat strengths were far above their recorded ranks. They reacted accurately in the blink of an eye by locking down Qianyes path and restricting his range of movement. This bought time for their comrades to react. Qianye felt a faint prick at his back. He was quite familiar with this sense of danger and knew that two Red Scorpion soldiers had locked their stingers onto him. Moreover, they were charging up skills similar to Heavy Caliber and Accurate Fire. The other soldiers were only a bit slower than the Red Scorpion and Broken-Winged Angel elites. They emerged like bamboo shoots after the spring ring, occupying the rooftops, walls, and every other advantageous terrain. Meanwhile, in the courtyard, there was a large number of warriors rushing out from the building with even more gearing-up in the rooms and basements. In the blink of an eye, the entire military stronghold had turned into a tigers den. The shattered pieces of the courtyard gate were just fluttering down at this moment. Qianye took a sudden step forward, crashing straight into the fiery stream from the cannon turrets! In mere moments, he had taken hundreds of autocannon rounds, the severe impact of the blast causing him to sway slightly. With a deep growl, he actually rushed out of the flaming stream and shot through the courtyard toward the second set of gates. Qianyes combat robes were riddled with bullet holes, and several of the projectiles were embedded in his flesh. Yet all of them scattered onto the ground with a shake of his body. All the guards were stunned, and the commanding officers almost forget to issue the interception order. The two autocannons used to defend the military stronghold were large caliber weapons with an especially high rate-of-fire, and the ammunition was also specially made to penetrate origin power defenses. Even Li Fengshui wouldnt be able to last that long under the barrage. Yet, the two intersecting torrents of fire had only scratched him!? The cannon turrets were manned by top shooters from the Broken-Winged Angels. They remained startled for only a split second before sending the flaming whips after Qianye. In the blink of an eye, they had landed several dozen more shots on his back. The latter had no intention to evade. He borrowed the forward impact to blast through the gates and rush into the inner courtyard. The moment he stepped in, a dagger each went for his back from the left and the right. This attack was well-coordinatedthere were no openings to speak of, and the method was extremely vicious. The blade edge was suffused with origin power and was capable of destroying everything almost everything. Qianye didnt evade this, either, and simply used his body to resist the two blades. This time, the daggers did pierce into his body, but they couldnt reach any deeper after a couple of centimeters. The assailants felt that this wasnt a body of flesh and blood but instead a piece of strong metal alloy. They felt that things werent going quite as planned and wanted to abandon their weapons and flee. However, East Peak whizzed over and sent them flying through the air, bones cracking and blood gushing out of their mouths. They fell to the ground with heavy injuries and could no longer get up. Qianye continued onward after crippling two champions in one strike. The second courtyard was merely a dozen or so meters long, but countless masses of origin power erupted on Qianyes body during this short distance. The soldiers on the walls were going all-out. A hail of bullets descended upon the intruder and exploded on his body. These soldiers were either from elite corps or fairly close in terms of powerevery shot was fast, fierce, and ruthless. Qianye traversed the courtyard through the torrent of bullets. With a single punch, the second courtyard, along with its gate tower, was blasted apart. The soldiers on top were sent flying from the impact and collapsed entirely upon landing. Some injuries finally appeared on Qianyes body. Although most of the injuries would close up on their own, there were simply too many bullets. The wounds would close and then open up once more, turning from small scratches to light injuries. Qianye seemed completely oblivious to the wounds on his body. He didnt stop to rest after blasting the gate tower and charged straight into the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard was already filled with soldiers from Broken-Winged Angel and Red Scorpion, all equipped with heavy shields and sharp blades. As Qianye stepped into the compound, one campion from each army corps walked out to block his path. Qianye was somewhat dazed after glancing at the Red Scorpion champion. The Tiger Scorpion Battalions insignia was carved on that brigadier generals armor. That was the first unit Qianye had been assigned to after joining Red Scorpion. Later on, the Tiger Scorpions were completely wiped out at the battle in that small, unknown city. Who wouldve thought the battalion had been reformed after so many years? Despite his sentiments, Qianye knew that the true fighting power of the two elite corps couldnt be measured with simple ranks. On the complicated battlefield, it was nothing out of the ordinary for one of these elites to fight against two opponents of the same rank. The Broken-Winged Angel champion roared, Zhao Qianye, youre trespassing an important location of the imperial military. Is this a rebellion? This question was fairly intentional. Qianyes eyes turned cold as he shouted, My surname is not Zhao. Now, scram! The shout hadnt even trailed off, but Qianye had already taken a step forward. That Broken-Winged Angel champion roared and thrust his sword at Qianyes heart. Meanwhile, the Red-Scorpion champion circled around and swung his heavy sword at the intruders back.Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 701: Gloss Over? [V7C018 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Qianye grabbed at the heavy sword with one hand while ignoring the blade coming for his chest. With a raise of his hand, East Peak shot in the direction of the assailants chest! The Broken-Winged Angel champion was shocked out of his wits. He had clearly seen how powerful Qianyes body was just now. It wasnt a certainty if he could even wound Qianye in such an exchange, but there was no doubt that the other party''s blade would reap his life. The elite champion ultimately valued his own life, drawing his sword back in an attempt to parry East Peak. The sword was bent entirely out of shape, almost as though it had been struck by lightning, while he himself was flung away. Even then, East Peak moved swiftly and managed to tap his chest before pulling back and slashing at the Red Scorpion soldier. The Broken-Winged Angel champion cried wretchedly as an arrow of blood flew out of his back. That light tap from the heavy sword had left a penetrating wound through his chest. Qianye had grabbed the Red Scorpion generals heavy sword with his left hand. Despite the blood flowing out from his fingertips, the latter couldnt move his blade a single inch no matter how he circulated his origin powerit was as though the weapon had been welded permanently to the hand. However, the dauntless man ignored East Peak and focused on driving his origin power, determined to thrust the blade into the enemy at all costs. Qianyes expression was calm as East Peak slashed down like a mountain. Just as the Red Scorpion general was about to be slashed into two, he twisted the blade with a shake of his hand. The slash turned into a slap which sent the Red Scorpion general flying. With how powerful East Peak was, the swat duly shattered the mans origin defenses and rendered him incapable of further combat. Qianye had defeated two elite-corp champions in just a few moves, but the soldiers in the courtyard didnt move a single inch. None of them were intimidated. He halted his steps, scanned the soldiers before him, and said in a deep voice, Move aside! Do not throw away your lives! A series of claps rang out at this moment. The soldiers moved to either side as a fully armored Xu Lang walked into the courtyard. So you do know how to spare soldiers. Who would believe that a famous Twin Star of the Empire would be colluding with the vampires, and even forced his way into the military stronghold? Xu Lang arrived in front of Qianye and slowly drew a pair of daggers from his waist. I hear you were also from Yellow Springs. Just as well, I shall let you see how inferior you are to the first-ranked graduate of the training camp. The blades danced in Xu Langs hands as though they had a life of their own. The handsome smile on his face gradually became twisted as he stared at Qianye, suffused with indescribable madness and malice. Qianye only had one word for him: Scram! Xu Langs smile froze instantly and his eyes were filled with killing intent. Following a shrill cry, one of his daggers came for Qianyes throat while the other went for his abdomen! Just as before, Qianye made no attempt to evade. East Peak shot toward Xu Langs chest in a move of mutual destruction. With a loud cry, Xu Lang retracted his blades and parried the incoming sword, borrowing the force to leap ten meters back and draw away from Qianye. However, he had misjudged Qianye entirely. A weapon as heavy as East Peak was actually as light as a feather in the latters hands. The blade only flickered once before arriving in the mans face and was actually no slower than his daggers! Xu Lang was greatly astonished. Subconsciously, he used one blade to defend while thrusting the other at Qianyes heart, hoping to force the latter to defend. However, he regretted this decision immediately. Qianye had fought his way through all obstructions in a mutually destructive manner, and no one had seen him defend. Despite holding grade-seven daggers, Xu Lang wasnt confident about taking down the enemy and his unbelievably strong body in one stroke. On the other hand, Qianyes sword strike was sure to take his life. As expected, Qianye didnt even spare a glance for the incoming attack. East Peak deflected Xu Langs dagger with relative ease and thrust at his chest. The fellow alumnus twisted his body and barely managed to evade the attack. He then pounced at Qianye like a leopard, his two daggers each going for the vitals. The latter, however, slashed backward without even looking and easily pushed the man back once more. Xu Langs advance and retreat were as quick as lightning, and his blade had turned into streams of flowing light. Apparently, he had pushed his movement arts to the extreme. Every time, he would launch attacks at Qianyes vitals from unimaginable angles, yet he would always be pushed back with a single strike. In the occasional meeting of blades, the massive impact would force Xu Lang to retreat and reform his attack momentum. In the blink of an eye, the man was reduced to a battered and exhausted mess. Qianye had made no defensive move since the very beginning, choosing instead to adopt mutually destructive stances. East Peak was as heavy as a mountain and as swift as lightning. How could the human flesh withstand a blow from it? Not to mention a direct stab, Xu Lang might not even be able to take a graze from it. The battle between the two lasted for mere moments, but those with good eyesight could already see that Xu Lang was at a disadvantage. He could still hold out by virtue of his movement skill, but just barely. Having spoken so big just now, the man was rather embarrassed at the current state of affairs. Yet, Qianye simply wouldnt compete in movement or combat arts with him. He instead opted to trade injuries with every blow, which seized Xu Lang by his Achilles heel. In the end, Xu Lang couldnt help but take a gamble. Instead of parrying Qianyes incoming sword, he stabbed at the latters wrist with one dagger while thrusting the other at his abdomen. The strike to Qianyes wrist caused East Peak to drop abruptly. Xu Lang brushed past the sword at this moment and sunk half a dagger into Qianyes belly. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he twisted the blade with all his might, hoping to expand the wound. Only at this point in the battle did he manage to sigh in satisfaction. But he suddenly noticed Qianyes expressionit was just as calm and even contained a fair bit of mockery. Qianye loosened his grip and allowed East Peak to fall to the ground. Then he formed a fist and swung it squarely into Xu Langs face! At that moment, the man finally understood what pure power meant. Xu Langs entire face caved in, sending a mixture of tears, snot, and blood flying in all directions. His vision lit up with different colors, but he could no longer see clearly as the entire world spun around and upside down. He soon crashed into something, and finally, the combination of pain and dizziness caused him to black out. Qianyes face was somewhat pale after pushing Xu Lang back. He extracted the dagger stuck in his abdomen and tossed it casually to the ground. Then, he picked up East Peak once more. The defeat of three consecutive officers still wasnt enough to affect the morale of the elite corps. They unleashed a loud roar and stepped forward, effectively reducing Qianyes movement space. Then, numerous spears shot out like venomous serpents and stabbed into Qianyes body. These spears were specially made to pierce through origin defenses, and the tips contained black titanium. This was a weapon made to fight humans and not the dark races. The arrival of the spears caused Qianye to stagger and his aura to weaken a bit. The faint whistle of the ocean began to echo in the air, filling all hearts with the terror of life and death. Even the most resolute soldiers of the elite corps couldnt help but feel a sense of dread. However, the whistling vanished in the blink of an eye. Qianye scanned everyone at the scene and shouted, Scram! He stomped down at almost the same time, causing the entire street block to tremble. The soldiers nearby stumbled from the impact, and the weaker ones were flung away immediately. The walls and buildings in the courtyard fell apart immediately, and even the ground itself caved in to reveal the underground chambers below. Bricks and debris flew out from the rubble as several figures rushed out from the ground and landed in front of Qianye. One of them was indeed Nighteye. She looked completely exhausted at the momenther hands hung limply beside her body with long nails running through her arms, wrists, and ankles. If it wasnt for a fat, burly man holding onto her, there was no way she could even stand up. Nighteye looked up and finally saw Qianye. She stared blankly for a good while before saying, Qianye? Qianyes eyes turned blue as he operated the Eye of Truth and looked at Nighteye. He immediately felt as though he had fallen into an icy cavern and even his blood core was frozen. Nighteyes blood energy was scattered and fragmented. It was still flowing, but much like a torn cloth, it seemed difficult to repair. Moreover, that feeling she was giving off was as though something was missing. She was lacking in spirit, much like a vivid painting that had lost its colors. Comparatively, the damage from the six stakes didnt count for much. Qianye, why are you here? Leave, leave quickly! Seemingly recovering her memories, Nighteye grew anxious. Qianye said in a trembling voice, Why did you become like this? What did they do to you? Nighteye thought hard and said hesitantly, I think its called the Chaos Millstone? It was at this time that a cold, gentle voice rang out nearby. General Qianye is indeed peerless and valiant, as expected of someone who had gained the elder monarchs praise. Im full of admiration. Only at this point did Qianye notice that there was another middle-aged man nearby. He was fair, well-groomed, and gave off an aura of icy darkness. He was like a venomous snake, difficult to notice when laying still but definitely lethal. Li Fengshui squinted his eyes. But has General Qianye thought of the consequences of causing such a huge fuss? This is the imperial military. Attacking us is tantamount to treason! In the end, though, General Qianye is an extremely rare talent. If youre willing to join the imperial military, Ill guarantee todays incident will be glossed over and no one will look into it. What say you? The blue in Qianyes eyes faded away and was soon replaced by a scarlet red. He let out a burst of mournful laughter and said, Gloss over and not look into todays incident? You guys might not follow up on this matter, but I most certainly will! A barely discernible thread of blood connected Qianye on one end and circled Nighteye and the fat man on the other. Li Fengshui realized something was wronghe raised his palm and chopped at the thread like a blade, but he was one step too slow. His vision blurred as Qianye shot past and flew around the two targets. The burly man let out a miserable cry as his arms flew into the air. Qianye sent the man flying with a sideways ram and reached out to grab Nighteye. But a slender, white hand appeared at this moment and slapped his hand away. The moment their palms came into contact, Qianye trembled all overthe frigid origin power was like a sharp needle, which traveled through his body and assaulted his blood core. During the split second of pause, Li Fengshui appeared and dragged Nighteye away. In his anxiety, Qianyes blood core pulsed madly. His blood energy and origin power mixed together to erupt like a volcano, effectively destroying this invasive origin power. Qianye pushed on instead of retreating, unleashing a violent palm strike to meet Li Fengshuis own. The latter felt as though a stream of molten lava had poured into his body. This indefensible power caused his half-healed injuries to flare uphis face flushed red for a brief moment but quickly became as pale as a sheet. He pointed a finger at Qianye and said in a trembling voice, Y-You, youre also He hadnt even finished speaking when a mouthful of blood gushed out of his mouth. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 702: Farewell [V7C019 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Li Fengshui reached backward and pulled out a flexible blade from his back, unleashing a rain of sword radiance as he did so. Countless blows were exchanged before he managed to suppress East Peak and cause it to pierce into the ground. Just from this fight, one could see Li Fengshuis sword-art was many times superior to that of people like Xu Lang. Despite managing to push Qianye back temporarily, Li Fengshui spat out yet another mouthful of blood. He grabbed Nighteye and retreated swiftly, shouting, Stop him! Stop him! Countless warriors swarmed forward and used their bodies to erect a barrier in Qianyes path. A shrill alarm finally rang out and broke through the silence of Indomitable. The military general felt no relief upon seeing Qianye surrounded. He dragged Nighteye back continuously until he had arrived on the street behind the courtyard. Qianye slowly drew East Peak out of the ground and dragged the armless man over with the tip of his blade. What is the Chaos Millstone? With a sword at his chin, the burly man temporarily forgot about the pain from his arms. His eyes went wide as his Adam''s apple rolled up and down. Staring at the sword, he immediately blurted out everything he knew, Its a technique against vampires, capable of rending their souls. The higher the users cultivation, the longer and slower the process. Ordinary vampires wont last even half a day before admitting to everything. Rend the soul? Qianye now understood why Nighteye was vacant, sluggish, and much like a colorless painting. Pfft! Following a shake of Qianyes blade, the fat mans head flew high into the air, and blood gushed out like a spring. Li Fengshui was shaken because, while killing the fat man, Qianyes gaze was constantly upon him the whole time. The layers of soldiers in the way did not give Li Fengshui any sense of security. This fat, burly man was the first person Qianye had killed since entering the military stronghold. This flying human head signaled a beginning. Li Fengshui cried out while moving back, Qianye, theres still time if you mend your ways right now! Killing an imperial soldier means treason! He wanted to drag Nighteye away, but the latter had somehow found the strength to nail herself to the ground and simply wouldnt budge. The general activated his power several times but simply couldnt pull her away. A ferocious glint flickered in Li Fengshuis eyes as he slapped Nighteyes back. The six long nails began to glow red in response to the surge of origin power. The daybreak origin power lit up the refined silver like the true flames of the sun and caused the surrounding flesh to turn a charred black. Nighteye screamed wretchedly, but the moment her voice came out, she forced herself to endure it instead. However, her body grew weak and was duly towed away by Li Fengshui. Qianye calmed down all of a sudden. The flames in his eyes had died out, and his aura faded awayhe was as still as a lifeless object. Only those eyes fixed upon Li Fengshui were gradually suffused with blood. Lil Five, stop! Zhao Yuyings voice arrived from the distance, but this sound was illusory at best in Qianyes ears. Gazing at the tiered formation of soldiers in front, Qianye said in a cold, emotionless voice, Scram. But those standing before him were veterans of hundreds of battles who, after receiving a direct order, would charge on even against a great dark monarch. Not only did they not retreat, but instead, they closed in on Qianye like a wall of steel. The latter tread forward. With just a single step, he had accelerated to the point where no one could see him clearly. He then crashed straight into the formation like a comet! Following a loud boom, the earth shook and trembled, sending dozens of soldiers flying into the airtheir combined formation couldnt even block a single ram. East Peak hummed loudly as Qianye flicked away the last ten or so soldiers blocking his path. He then rushed out of the blockade in large strides! The window of a roadside building shattered as a smokey silhouette brushed past Qianye. Following a number of pfft sounds, several bloody holes appeared on the latters body. Yet, his body only swayed a bit before continuing his charge toward Li Fengshui. Meanwhile, a lanky man materialized dozens of meters away. The blade in his hand was rather dim, but it was so sharp that even Qianyes body couldnt resist its stabs. There was no joy or satisfaction on the mans face despite gaining the upper hand; only terror. He looked down at his body only to find a red line running through his chest and abdomen, along which he was soon split into two. Qianye had received several of the mans attacks during that brief exchange, but he had only returned one slash and easily cut the enemy in two. Two muscular champions walked into the street, wielding a giant axe and a heavy sword respectively. Apparently, this man and woman were both proficient in brute strength. Qianye sped up as he went and arrived before the duo in just a couple of steps. Then he rammed straight into them. Another loud rumble ensued. Two new bone-deep wounds appeared on Qianyes body as he shot through the two champions and swaggered off. The giant sword and axe fell to the ground with a loud clang. Those champions fell kneeling onto the ground with their heads hanging, never to rise again. Blood seeped out silently from underneath and flowed through the entire street block. Qianye saw Li Fengshui not so far in the distance, retreating constantly under the protection of ten or so guards. This distance was within the range of Spatial Flash. Qianye was just about to step out, but he stopped to glance at a nearby house, at the window of which stood a fair young man. He was wielding a short-barreled origin gun equipped with a bayonet. His origin power aura was strong, at least much more so than the three soldiers up ahead. Yet, his face was filled with terror and even his hand was trembling. He turned pale upon making eye-contact with Qianye and couldnt help but take a step back. This young man had witnessed all the battles clearly. Qianye had forcibly received every attack with his body and reaped every assailants life with a single counterattack. Hence, the youth was clear that fighting against this person meant death. He had held office in the military for many years, taking countless lives and torturing many others to death. He had always believed that he was already used to life and death. Only when the grim reaper was standing clearly before him did he understand the terror that lay between these two words. Qianye looked away, paying no more attention to the enemy who had lost his wits. His eyes turned azure as he looked toward Li Fengshui. At this moment, his reliable aides were either badly injured, dead, or terrified. He suddenly realized that there were no more generals under him that he could use. He roared loudly, Red Scorpions, hear my command. Stop him at all costs! Several Red Scorpion warriors rushed out and threw themselves at Qianye, seemingly in a bid to force mutual destruction. Qianyes pupils constricted as he moved East Peak lithely and slapped away these soldiers one after the other. In the end, Qianye didnt have the heart to kill these old comrades. It was at this time that Li Fengshui approached like a specter. He slapped a Red Scorpion soldiers back, and the two connected enemies rammed into Qianye together. Caught in surprise, Qianye raised a hand to block the incoming assault. He only felt a stream of cold energy pierce into his body like a needle which duly began attacking his blood core and heart. Li Fengshuis origin power was extremely sinister and almost as if it was made to restrain blood energy. Even the dark golden blood energy had a hard time obstructing it. Fortunately, the effect of his Venus Dawn origin power wasnt bad and barely managed to protect his vital organs. However, the blood core wasnt within its protective range. Several origin needles struck the blood core, causing Qianye to turn pale and spit out a mouthful of blood. After gaining the upper hand, Li Fengshui returned to his original place like a ghost and grabbed Nighteyes neck. Qianye, Ill kill her if you dont stop! You lot, go and break his arms! Qianye remained motionless and merely stared at the Red Scorpion officer in front of him. His body was turned into a channel for Li Fengshuis attack on Qianyeall of his organs had been destroyed by the frigid origin power, and even his bones had been liquefied. The man slowly fell limp and his body was completely deformed. The frozen expression on his face went to show the extreme agony he had suffered before his death. Dozens of elite soldiers swarmed over once more, approaching Qianye cautiously but resolutely. Two courageous warriors raised their axes and chopped down at Qianyes arms. The latter exhaled suddenly. With a wave of his right hand, East Peak drew a circle which quickly engulfed the ones charging at the front. A bloody mist hung in the air as the soldiers fell one after the other. Even before their death, they couldnt believe Qianye had actually attacked them. Whoever blocks me again, dies. Qianyes voice was calm, but everyone could sense the clear killing intent within it. Even the Broken-Winged Angels and Red Scorpion soldiers became hesitant for a moment. After all, dying in battle and throwing away ones life were completely different concepts. Qianye looked up and stared at Li Fengshui, imprinting the latters image in his eyes! Greatly alarmed, the imperial general swung his palm at the refined silver nails on Nighteyes body! Mists of blood filled the street as, one after the other, the soldiers in the way swayed about. They didnt collapse immediately, nor did they realize that they had just lost their vitality. Qianyes figure shot through the sanguineous mist to appear in front of Li Fengshui and Nighteye. Li Fengshuis hand froze all of a sudden! But he was also a veteran of the battlefieldhe immediately dragged Nighteye in front of him and blocked Qianyes line of sight. At the same time, he circulated his origin power to disperse the invisible force controlling his body. The man was extremely vicious. After regaining his freedom, he launched another palm at the nape of Nighteyes neck, a strike that would have beheaded her if it had landed. At this moment, Qianye was looking into Nighteyes pupils. Her eyes were just as clear, calm, and resolutefilled with undisguised passion and love. Trust me, Qianye whispered. The next moment, East Peak flew up and pierced into Nighteyes abdomen, all the way to its hilt. Li Fengshuis expression stiffened, and his hand stopped midway, no longer able to continue down. He lowered his head and saw East Peak shot through Nighteyes body and into his own abdomen. Boundless blood energy poured out like a great river and surged into his body. Li Fengshui staggered backward, covering his wound with one hand while pointing at Qianye with the other. Y-You, youre colluding with the vampires. Your crimes are unpardonable! No one can save you now, not even the Zhao clan! The empire may be large, but theres no longer a place for you! Its no use even if you save Nighteye. Her soul has been half-destroyed. Shell eventually forget you and the past. She wont remember anything! Qianye carefully drew his sword out from Nighteyes body and used what remained of his shirt to bind the wound tightly. Only then did he turn back to Li Fengshui. At this moment, the blaring alarm had woken up the entire City of Indomitable, and everyone was arriving at the scene in quick succession. There were nobles, people from the army corps, and naturally those from the Zhao clan. Everyone gazed at this scene in astonishment, unable to immediately figure out what had happened. Colluding with vampires? Qianye drew Nighteye closer. He then cut open his own chest all of a sudden, revealing the constantly beating blood core. His voice echoed throughout the entire city of Indomitable. Here! Heres another vampire! Li Fengshui was startled for a moment, and then his expression shifted drastically. Suddenly, he could no longer suppress the blood energy inside. His chest burst open violently and blasted away almost half of his body. He reached out as if to grab something, but his fingers only caught empty air. The man finally collapsed, yet up until the last moment of his life, he wasnt willing to close his eyes. Qianye, you Without waiting for Nighteye to speak, Qianye said, Ill rush out of this place with you. We shall be together from now on, and no one will ever separate us again. East Peak let out a long whistle as Qianye carried Nighteye into the air, traversing the skies like a comet and emitting a brilliance that rent the deepest darkness of the night. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 703: Meaning of Intention Part 1 Chapter 703: The Meaning of Intention (Part 1) [V7C020 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] High above Indomitable, Song Zining was standing in the air and looking down at the entire city. At this moment, the city was brightly illuminated and filled with the constant echo of ear-piercing alarms. There were waves rising everywhere in the city, each representing a combat squad or aristocratic private army. The tides gushed toward the city center wherein lay the center of this tempest. Meanwhile, a sharp blade was cutting through these waves with indefensible momentum and making its way out of the city. Song Zinings figure flickered out of existence and soon appeared before Zhao Yuying. There, he named a few streets and said, Block those places and allow no one to pass! Zhao Yuying was somewhat startled. Seeing Song Zining so seriousand her own mind being in a state of turmoilshe agreed without even asking about the details. The seventh young masters silhouette disappeared once more. He was using his domain powers to move rapidly. The effects were almost similar to Qianyes Spatial Flash, but the range was much shorter and the drain was exceptionally high. Nonetheless, Song Zining couldn''t care less about the costs at this moment. He flickered rapidly throughout the city to finally reach a street in its periphery, where he proceeded to wait in silence. A group of aristocratic family soldiers arrived in a hurry and were surprised to find Song Zining standing at the street entrance. The latter flashed his military insignia and said calmly, Everyone, wait here and listen to my commands. This place is an important location where the rebel is likely to pass through. We shall station ourselves here and prevent him from escaping. As private soldiers from a lower-ranking aristocratic family, they were greatly astonished upon seeing Song Zinings major general insignia. One of them cried out after recognizing Song Zinings identity, This is the seventh young noble, one of Marshal Boqians staff officers! The private army unit no longer had any objections regarding Song Zinings arrangement. They didnt really want to intercept Qianye, to begin with. They were already shocked out of their wits from hearing the distant sounds of fighting and were trying to look for a place to hide. Not everyone was blinded by their will to gain meritsone had to be alive to be able to contribute. Before long, two more such squads came along this street and were similarly stopped by Song Zining. The aristocratic family squads chatted amongst themselves and found that everyones way of thinking was fairly similar. They soon felt deep admiration for Song Zining. As expected of Marshal Boqians staff officer, he could even make escaping a fight sound so dignified. Reportedly, Qianye was on a killing spree and all those who had gone to intercept him had suffered grave casualties. Just as everyone was discussing this matter spiritedly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty street ahead. Each and every tap rapped on the hearts of everyone present, causing their hearts to beat along with it. In just a few steps, all the soldiersincluding the two championsfelt their bodies grow weak, and they couldnt help but clutch tightly at their chests as their breathing became labored. Qianye arrived from the ends of the street, carrying Nighteye in one hand and holding East Peak in the other. It didnt seem like he was in much of a hurry, but he arrived before Song Zining in just a few steps and his gaze fell on the soldiers behind the latter. Almost as though they had been struck by lightning, these warriors trembled after making eye contact with Qianye. The others lowered their heads in trepidation, no longer daring to look into his eyes. However, those at the front row saw Qianyes East Peak when they looked downfresh blood was flowing along the blade and dripping off of its tip. That light dribbling sound caused what little fighting spirit and resistance they had to crumble. They didnt even dare to run. Soon, Song Zining took a step forward and barred the two streets behind him with outstretched arms. This path is blocked. Qianye stared deeply into his friends eyes. In the end, he didnt charge in forcibly and instead vanished into a different street. The group of private army soldiers caught their breath only a long while after Qianye had left. Only after coming face to face with Qianye did they realize just how terrifying he was. Just the aura around him was enough to bring them to the verge of collapse. At this moment, they felt that the seventh young noble was indeed deserving of his fame to be able to push Qianye back so calmly. This was what it meant to subdue armies without a fight. The group of soldiers surrounded Song Zining and drowned him in flattery. Qianye was startled as he crossed two street blocks and turned toward a certain street. In front of him, Zhao Yuying was standing at the street entrance with her handheld cannon and dozens of combat-ready Zhao clan elites gathered behind her. Zhao Yuying was shaken when she saw Qianye. Lil Five. Qianye said coldly, General Yuying, are you going to stop me? Zhao Yuying was at a loss. She shook his head and said, No, but Zining asked me to guard this place. Qianye frowned. This crossroad was fairly similar to the last one, and just like before, Zhao Yuying was also blocking two of the roads, leaving only one path open. Qianye walked toward the only remaining path. Some of the restless soldiers behind Zhao Yuying wanted to raise their weapons, but she quickly suppressed them with a stern glare. Most of the Zhao clan soldiers, however, remained still and only watched him leave. Qianyes prestige in the clan was fairly high. Although he was now burdened with the crime of treason, most of these soldiers simply couldnt find the will to fight him. It was at this point that a squad in pursuit of Qianye rushed out from the other end of the street. The mob, formed from a combination of aristocratic families and imperial soldiers, numbered close to a hundred people, and its members were clad in starkly different attires. They were clearly here for the contribution. Under the leadership of a champion, they started chasing after Qianye upon catching sight of himit was almost as though they had been injected with chicken blood. Qianyes expression turned cold. He halted his steps, turned about, and slashed a perfect arc through the air. The champion was over thirty meters away when this slash arrived, and the others behind him were even further away. Upon seeing this slash, however, the champion cried out in alarm and threw himself to the floor, no longer caring about dignity and whatnot. A wave of formless sword energy grazed past the champions head and left a deep groove through his back, causing blood to fly out like a scarlet flag! The champion had reacted in time, but the mob behind him wasnt as fast as he was. The soldiers charging at the front were cut down in quick succession, and some were even bisected on the spot! The ones behind immediately halted their steps as the smell of blood woke them up from their dreams of making it big. They quickly recalled Qianyes miraculous achievements on the battlefield. It was just that Qianyes accomplishments back then were accumulated while fighting against the dark races, and hence, the impression wasnt as deep as the present scene. Qianye had, with a single Nirvanic Rend, badly injured a champion and killed a dozen or so pursuers. He didnt even look back after launching that attack. Instead, he continued running toward the end of the street, soon vanishing around the corner with Nighteye in tow. After witnessing this slash, those Zhao clan soldiers who had wanted to try their luck turned pale and were drenched in cold sweat. At this moment, inside the Wei clan courtyard, Wei Potian was thrashing about like an ant atop a burning pot. Yet, no matter what he did, he couldnt break through the defensive line formed from the Wei familys experts. Let me out! I cant do much anyway! What the heck are you people doing? Wei Potian roared. There was a grand chair placed outside of the courtyard, occupied by none other than Wei Bainian. With him guarding the courtyard personally, there was no way Wei Potian could take a step outside. After hearing the heirs words, Wei Bainian said with a sigh, Qiyang, you forged the clan lords order and elder assemblys token, costing us most of our assets on Twilight Continent. We havent even settled this matter, what other problem are you thinking of stirring up? Keeping you in confinement for seven days is already being very lenient. Seven days! Everything will be too late after seven days! Wei Bainian said indifferently, Does that mean youre intent on getting involved in Qianyes matter? How can Qianye betray the empire? It must be a trick! Those bastards from the military department... Wei Potian cursed loudly. Only afterward did he notice his slip of the tongue and said hurriedly, Ah, I mean, how can I get involved in such matters? I just wanted to go and take a look at the liveliness outside. Wei Bainian wasnt moved at all. Seven days, not one day less. Meanwhile in the Zhao clan main camp. Zhao Ruoxiclad in a long, wide-sleeved robewas slowly combing her black hair. Two maids were helping her with the grooming, but their eyes never left the young miss hands. Zhao Ruoxi suddenly spoke, You two are quite bothersome, do you know that? The two maids felt an ineffable chill run through their bodies as a netherworld flower blossomed before each of them! Gazing at the representation of the underworld river, the girls were shocked out of their wits and couldnt help but scream out loud. In a secret chamber several rooms apart, there was an exquisite gun-box with numerous locking seals upon it. Three old men were seated around this container with an origin array beneath each of them. These interconnected arrays were working together to suppress the gun at the center. Just as the maids screams arrived faintly from the distance, several other-shore flowers began to wilt inside the room. The origin arrays lit up brightly and soon reached the extremes of their capacity. Before the three old men could react, the arrays burst into flames and were destroyed. The elders clothes even caught fire from the sudden blaze of origin power. How could these origin flames be the same as ordinary fire? The three went pale from fright and had no choice but to suppress the conflagration with the full extent of their origin power. It was at this moment that the gun box burst open and the magnificent firearm within flew out. It shot through several walls and soon appeared in front of Zhao Ruoxi. The girl reached for the gun with a somewhat crazed expression and leapt out of the window. However, a smooth, snowy-white hand appeared just as she was about to reach the exit. This slender hand landed gently on the Red Spider Lily. The dozen or so netherworld flowers carrying Zhao Ruoxi faded away and the Red Spider Lily quickly lost its glow, almost as though the gun had fallen asleep in the embrace of that gentle hand. Zhao Ruoxi fell after losing her support, but another jade-like hand caught her and helped her land firmly on her feet. Zhao Ruoxi exclaimed in alarm, Mom!? Princess Gaoyi was dressed in plain clothes without any makeup or decorations, yet none of these could hide her temperament and noble demeanor. She sighed while stroking the Red Spider Lily. This is not how you should use this gun. Zhao Ruoxi looked down and said through gritted teeth, But theyre going to kill Qianye! Hes sure to die if you go out with the grand magnum. Zhao Ruoxi was astonished. Why? Princess Gaoyi said with a sigh, How can those people stay still if even the Red Spider Lily has taken to the field? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 704: Meaning of Intention Part 2 Editor-san can''t make it on time today, so I did a recheck on my own and published the chapter. This chapter will be replaced with an edited version as soon as it''s available.Chapter 704: Meaning of Intention (Part 2) [V7C021 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Zhao Jundu was waiting for someone at this moment. Soon, a Zhao clan guard led a lanky young man before him. The fourth young master said without looking up, You work for Song Zining? This young man was a fairly light-hearted person. In front of Zhao Jundu, however, he felt as though a deep ocean were pressing upon him and had to adopt a respectful attitude. This servant has been working for the seventh young master for quite a while, I just came back from Twilight Continent a while ago. Zhao Jundu seemed somewhat moved. He shot a glance at the man and said with a nod, Youre quite capable to have come back alive. Speak, what news do you bring me? The young man leaned forward and whispered a name into Zhao Jundus ear. The latter rose from his seat and nodded. So thats how it is, follow me. Moments later, several military vehicles charged out of the Zhao clan main camp. Once past the main gate, they split off and drove away in many directions. These vehicles were immediately locked onto by several shadowy figures who proceeded to tail them under the cover of the night. There were even more people in the darkness with their eyes upon the Zhao clan main camp, guarding against a diversion strategy. It was at this moment that a beam of green light rushed out from the camp and shot toward the north. This azure radiance was much like a rainbow, traversing the sky at inconceivable speeds. Those people watching in the dark cried out in alarm. They had been guarded against all activity inside the Zhao clan camp but never imagined Zhao Jundu would play such a card. The latter had actually shot into the air without the slightest bit of concealment. Although everyone had sensed Zhao Jundus departure, who could catch up to his extreme speeds? It didnt take a lot of thinking to know that Zhao Jundu wouldve finished whatever he had set out to do by the time this news was delivered. The fourth young master arrived in the northern parts of the city in the blink of an eye. This area was already close to the periphery, not so far away from the city walls. By the time that azure light faded, Zhao Jundu had landed with that young man in tow and occupied a certain crossroad. The two had just landed when hundreds of soldiers rushed over from the other end of the street. This squad was made up of rare elites from the military. They were all expressionless and practically spilling murderous intent. One could see at a glance that these were all veterans who had killed their way out of mountains of corpses and oceans of blood. Unlike men from the aristocratic private armies, these soldiers were decorated with the insignias of the imperial military. Apparently, they were direct subordinates of the military, and there were also some hailing from the elite corps. A hundred soldiers led by two champions, one of them a major general, made for a fairly generous lineup. They were surging with killing intent as they marched along the street. After charging halfway through the street, however, the major general raised his right hand and brought the entire squad to an urgent stop. The order to halt was simply too urgentsome of the weaker soldiers couldnt control their momentum and crashed into the ones in front before coming to a stop. That major general began to sweat as he stared at the distant Zhao Jundu. Were on a mission to hunt a vampire spy. We hope General Jundu will let us pass. Zhao Jundu said calmly. What a coincidence, Im also here to capture a vampire traitor. The major general was startled. Youre going to capture Qianye? General Jundu, please dont joke... He hadnt even finished his words when his expression changed drastically. Zhao Jundus gazefilled with a sudden killing intentfelt like a sharp knife on his vitals. The officer sensed a chill run through his entire body, almost as though he were hanging on the verge of life and death. He was so nervous that he couldnt even speak. Zhao Jundu stroked the rifle in his hand. What do you think you are that I would joke with you? A general might have that qualification, but you? Heh. The major generals face turned red, but he couldnt find the right words to retort. He was very much certain that Zhao Jundu was filled with killing intent just now. Perhaps the intent wasnt directed at him, but provoking the fourth young noble was definitely not a wise move. At this moment, Indomitable was in utter chaos, with all those who had gone after Qianye suffering grave casualties. There would be no proof if Zhao Jundu were to kill them and push the blame onto Qianye. It was at this moment that Qianye walked out of a nearby street. He wasnt surprised to find the imperial soldiers on his trail but was startled upon seeing Zhao Jundu. Qianyes eyes turned azure as he tightened his grip on East Peak. Dark golden blood energy appeared around him once more, and several invisible threads of blood stretched out in every direction. Zhao Jundu had been kind to Qianye in the past, but there was no way he could help him at this pointat least not openly. In fact, seizing Qianye on the spot was the most beneficial course of action for the Zhao clan. At this moment, Qianye wasnt willing to fight against Zhao Jundu at all. A victory against the latter wasnt certain even in his peak condition, to speak nothing of his current wound-riddled state. Hence, Qianye was prepared to use Spatial Flash right off the bat and leave the battlefield. This was the last time he could activate this ability, after which, he would have to kill his way out of the city step by step. Nonetheless, there was no more time to think about all these things. Zhao Jundu took aim immediately after seeing his brother. His movements flowed naturallythere was a clear rhythm to it, yet it was also inconceivably fast, and the muzzle was already at Qianyes forehead before anyone could react. The moment this projectile left the firing chamber, an azure resplendence ripped through the night and a deep suppressive might filled the entire area, leaving everyone below the champion level trembling uncontrollably. The origin bullet passed between Qianye and Nighteye. It flew a mere fingers breadth from either of them but ultimately didnt connect. Instead, it blasted a nearby three-storeyed building apart. One could imagine just how powerful this shot was. The bullet turned into a beam of azure light which obliterated the entire building, leaving only a few supporting pillars. The brilliance didnt stop there, either, and went on to shave off the ground floor of every building in the street block! Having lost its supporting structure, that three-storeyed house suddenly collapsed. The upper two floors of this building, along with a belfry, smashed into the military squad and buried several people in the rubble. The two champions managed to evade in time. They cried out in shock and anger, General Jundu, whats the meaning of this?! Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, A slip of the hand. The major general felt his chest tighten, and he almost vomited blood. How could the number one genius of the empire slip up? This excuse was simply too absurd. The other brigadier general dug out a couple of people from the debris but was startled when he reached the bottommost person. This colonel had been struck square in the chest by a copper bell, causing his entire thorax to cave in. Apparently, he was so intimidated by Zhao Jundus shot that he had failed to circulate his origin defenses in time. The brigadier general recalled that this colonel was called Gu Liyu. The mans strength was mediocre at best, but he was full of cunning and schemes, a favorite subordinate of Li Fengshui. Now that the general had died, it would depend on his luck whether or not he could make a comeback in the militarythere were simply too many sub-champion fellows like him. For now, at the very least, this brigadier general had no intention of blaming Zhao Jundu for this accidental injury. It would seem the major general was also of the same mind; he only shot a brief glance at Gu Liyu and paid no more attention to the man. The most important thing right now was Qianye. However, Zhao Jundus stance was unclearhad that slip of the hand come for him instead, the one lying on the ground would be him and not Gu Liyu. Qianye exclaimed in surprise as his gaze fell upon Gu Liyu. He hadnt forgotten this man who was his archenemy back in the year. Who wouldve thought they would meet again under such circumstances? Judging from the situation, however, it would seem Gu Liyu was here to hunt him down. It was also very likely that he was involved in Nighteyes capture. Qianye raised East Peak and flicked the blades edge with his finger. The heavy sword emitted a long hum akin to the cry of a dragon. This reverberating sound resonated with the bell on Gu Liyus chest, which soon erupted with a deafening toll. Gu Liyu screamed in agony as he spat out a stream of blood and shattered internal organs. The man turned deathly pale and fell limp to the ground. Apparently, his innards had been crushed and even the imperial familys secret medicines wouldnt be able to save him. The major general was livid. Qianye, you dare kill an imperial officer! Your crime is unpardonable! You wont escape the empires pursuit no matter where you run! Qianye sneered, Officer? I even killed a general just now. I dont mind adding another major general to the list if you keep chasing me. Only then did that major general recall how Li Fengshui had died in Qianyes hands and realized the difficult situation he was in. The way Qianye had killed Gu Liyu was so unfathomable that he couldnt figure out its profundities at all. This could only mean one thingQianyes understanding of techniques and secret arts was far above his own. However, there was a life-saving straw in the field. The major general cried out, General Jundu! Zhao Jundu wasnt careless regarding this matter. He aimed Qianye once more and gradually unleashed his killing intent. Qianye frowned somewhat because he could clearly sense that the murderous intent was aimed at him. He stepped sideways instinctively and passed between Zhao Jundu and the military pursuers on the other end of the street. Azure light flickered as several bullets left the chamber in quick succession. However, Qianyes silhouette flashed about haphazardly and evaded all the projectiles. Slipped. Dammit. My bad. Seemingly frustrated at missing, Zhao Jundus attacks grew increasingly powerful with each shot fired. The green light rampaged through the area and practically leveled half the street block. The flowing brilliance almost shot through that brigadier general, who dropped promptly to the ground in fright and didnt dare move anymore. By the time Zhao Jundu lowered his gun, the entire place was in shambles and Qianye was nowhere to be found. That major general was livid. He stared coldly at Zhao Jundu and said, General Jundu, you colluded with the rebel and allowed him to escape. What punishment does this deserve? Punishment? Zhao Jundus smiled disappeared and was quickly replaced by a frigid, murderous will. He raised his gun all of a sudden, and an origin bullet whistled out! In a flash of green light, a large part of the major generals torso vanished into thin air. Y-you actually The major general pointed at Zhao Jundu with a shocked expression. Even on his deathbed, he had never anticipated a fatal attack from Zhao Jundu. The nearby brigadier general turned pale and cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. General Jundu, t-this Zhao Jundu said coldly, This person harbors unfathomable motives and has been executed for falsely accusing a superior. Humph! This general merely had a slip of the hand. How can I allow treacherous people to make thoughtless remarks about me? This The brigadier general didnt dare say anything. Another word and a certain brigadier general might very well be added to the list of executed people. He could only curse inwardly about how he hadnt seen any slip of the hand just now. Zhao Jundu snorted, If I dont kill a few, some people will really think the entire military is theirs to do as they wish! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 705: Embracing the Vast World After passing the final line that was Zhao Jundu, Qianye discovered that the walls of Indomitable were just in front of him. Charging out of the military stronghold and killing his way here, Qianye had gone through countless arduous battles. In order to quickly break through the battlefield and the encirclement, he had adopted a constant stance of exchanging injuries, in a bid to defeat every enemy in the shortest time possible. At this point, even his ancient vampire constitution could hardly keep up with the strain. The injuries on his body only grew in number as their healing grew slower. The city wall was just in front of him, but Qianye couldnt feel any delight. Indomitable wasnt a solitary citybeyond this wall, there were hundreds of fortresses of all shapes and sizes. Moreover, the land outside was so vast and open that a pursuing army could easily surround him before he could get very far. It was fine if he were alone, but he had Nighteye with him at the moment. The vampire princess was extremely weakshe wasnt much stronger than an ordinary human at the moment, and the six refined silver nails in her body werent helping, either. Qianye didnt dare remove them rashly for fear of hidden poison and contraptions. After waiting for his stamina to recover somewhat, Qianye took a deep breath and leapt upward. He tapped the wall several times along the way and finally reached the top with the help of this borrowed force. His eyes lit up immediately after ascending the wall. There was a brightly lit area not so far off in the distanceit was actually an airship port! At this moment, the place was fairly busy with numerous airships landing and taking off in the area, and there was a military gunship patrolling the air. Qianye scanned the entire port and was quickly attracted by a certain airship parked at a corner of the tarmac. This grey vessel was long and slender, and came with three masts. It was clearly of an old design, yet it gave off a sense of absolute agility. The airship was very familiar. Qianye recognized it as the premium-quality vehicle Song Zining had custom-ordered for personal use. This vessels most outstanding quality was its speedits three origin sails were reportedly the same model as the ones on Marshal Lins airship. Hence, its speed in the void was simply incomparable. Qianye was just about to run toward the airship port when he slowly turned back, overcome by a sense of alarm. A hundred meters away, a dignified-looking old man materialized from the darkness. The moment he appeared, he became the center of the world, and all the drifting origin power in the vicinity began to rotate around him. Even the origin power around Qianye gravitated toward the old man. This person was clad in an imperial uniform. There werent a lot of decorations on his well-fitted attire, but there were two crossed scepters embedded in his collar. Qianyes pupils shrank upon recognizing the symbol of an imperial marshal. After fleeing all this way, he had finally encountered a true bigshot. It was just that Qianye didnt quite know which marshal this elderly person was. Qianye laughed coldly. It seems people think quite highly of me. Even a marshal has taken to the field. The old man showed no expression at all. Itll be the empires shame if we let a lowly vampire like you escape. Hence, this marshal has no choice but to take this trouble. I wont cause trouble for you if you give up willingly. If you insist on struggling, however, this marshal has all too many methods for humiliating you, and even the Zhao clan will lose a fair bit of face. At that time, death will be an extravagant hope. As for that vampire princess in your arms, I have my own uses for her, no need for you to worry. The word uses caused Qianyes eyes to turn a bloody red! Even though he hadnt come into contact with this community, he had heard of how the imperial nobility used beautiful vampire ladies. The joints in Qianyes sword-hand crackled. He took a deep breath to suppress the inherent vampiric fury and stared deeply at this old man, carving his image into the mind. Thank you for your advice. If I somehow survive, I shall return one day to ask you for guidance and to see what uses your friends and family have! Qianyes voice was calm, but his words contained an unalterable resolve. The old man was shaken as he recalled Qianyes past deeds, knowing that such a person might really cross the divine-champion threshold. The mans heart was secretly filled with a frosty intent, and his determination to kill Qianye grew even stronger. He produced a pair of silver gloves and equipped them. Then, with a loud roar, he threw a punch at Qianye from a hundred meters away. A silver fist shot out toward Qianye like a bolt of silver lightning. It had barely taken form when it arrived in front of its target! Only then did a shrill whistle fill the air, the sound of the fist intent traveling through the atmosphere. This punch caused the entire segment of Indomitables walls to tremble, with pieces of stone falling off continuously. In the face of this earth-shattering punch, Qianye reacted at lightning speed. The combined Twin Flowers was already in his hand when the fist intent took shape. He fired dozens of rounds in the blink of an eye, each landing squarely on the fist intent. However, how could a divine champions attack be so easy to block? Without the Shot of Inception, the ten blasts only managed to dim the attack slightly, and eight parts of its power still remained. Moving the gun into his left hand, Qianye lifted East Peak and quickly executed Sweeping Calm. Three strikes merged into one and slashed onto the incoming fist. The silver fist intent weakened once more and even paused for a split second. But then it actually recovered its momentum and blasted at Qianye! With a determined expression, Qianye crossed his arms to protect the vitals in his chest, poised to take on the imperial marshals all-out punch with his vampiric body. It was at this moment that a small figure suddenly appeared. Like a bolt of lightning, it crossed the distance of a hundred meters at the moment of imminent peril and crashed into that silver fist! Boom! The impact was tremendous. Finally, the wall Qianye was standing on could hold out no longer. It caved in with a loud rumble, revealing a huge defect therein. Qianye could hardly find his footing and was pushed back repeatedly by the tempest of origin power. At the core of the tempest, the collision had thoroughly dispersed the silver fist intent. That small figure popped out from the explosion and crashed into Qianyes arms. Zhuji! What are you doing here? Little Zhuji looked up, appearing rather dizzy and lightheaded. Mommy told me to come. Mommy? As though he had sensed something, Qianye looked up toward a distant location. There, at the extremes of his vision, he saw Song Zining turn away and disappear into the night. He then looked down at Zhuji. Apart from being dazed, the lass was actually unharmed. Although Qianye had already reduced half of the silver fists power, this little fellow being able to scatter the fist intent meant that her constitution wasnt far off from Qianyes own. The old mans face turned livid upon seeing that his attack had turned out fruitless. The revolving origin power around him began to accelerate as his body absorbed vast amounts of energy like a bottomless abyss. The silver brilliance around his hands became increasingly fierce, almost as though two silver suns had risen in the dark night. Without a doubt, this was an earth-shattering attack! Just as the punch was about to be unleashed, a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye and his figure flickered out of existence. Astonished, the old man looked everywhere but couldnt find so much as a shadow. Having lost his target after a full power-accumulation, the man felt extremely distressed and uncomfortable. He let out a muffled groan as the silver light on his fist scattered, and a stream of fresh blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth. How could the elder be satisfied with this outcome? He flew up and expanded his perception to cover a thousand meters. Qianye had no way to hide while carrying a wounded Nighteye. However, his search came up empty-handed after sweeping the area several times, almost as though Qianye had vanished into thin air. Both alarmed and furious, the old marshal scanned the area in great detail once more and found an extremely faint wisp of blood energy. His heart skipped a beat when he gazed at the direction of this trail and saw the airship port. However, he still refused to believe Qianye could actually escape right under his eyes and sneak into the airship port. Hence, he only expanded the scope of his perception and continued scouring the immediate area. At this moment, Qianye had arrived beside Song Zinings airship under the cover of the shadows. Just now, Qianye had taken advantage of the time the old marshal was accumulating power to activate his last Spatial Flash. With the amplification of the Wings of Inception, he managed to travel over a thousand meters in a single step and fled successfully into the airship port. The silver airship sat silently on the ground. Qianye destroyed the lock on the cabin doors with a swing of his sword and pushed his two companions in. Then, he entered the cabin himself and locked the door with a vampiric blade. Qianye rushed straight into the control room after boarding the vessel. He heaved a sigh of reliefas expected of a premium-quality item, the vessel was highly capable and easy to control. It was so much simpler to operate than ordinary airships. Airship operation was a required subject for all high-ranking imperial officers. Qianye flipped all the control switches in quick succession. As the origin array drove the engine into a full roar, he was delighted to find that the vessel was fully fueled and easily capable of reaching another continent. Qianye pushed on the control lever and brought the engine to its maximum output, causing the high-speed airship to take off with a sudden jolt. The airships movements were immediately discovered by the guards who were on high-alert. Ear-piercing alarms echoed throughout the airship portsoldiers rushed over one squad after another, and the gunship in flight turned about to intercept the ascending vessel. You take over! Qianye instructed Nighteye on the basic controls before rushing out of the control room. He soon arrived at the deck turret and activated its autocannon. This airship was equipped with multi-barreled autocannons at the front and a large ballista at the back. For its size, the airship was somewhat over-geared in terms of firepower. The autocannon barrels started to spin as Qianye stomped down on the foot pedal, spitting out a stream of metallic flames which stopped the guards in their tracks. Then, he turned the flaming whips toward the high-speed airships that were just about to take off, causing them to fall back to the ground amidst a shower of debris. It was at this time that the airship jolted fiercely. A ballista bolt flew out from the rear end of the vessel and, amidst a surge of silver radiance, blasted the patrolling gunship that had just completed its turn mid-air. Qianye glanced back to find that Zhuji had run over to the ballista turret and actually scored her first hit. At this moment, the turrets surrounding the airship port began to open fire, quickly weaving a net of firepower in the sky. Without the need for Qianyes instructions, Nighteye accelerated the vessel continuously and charged straight into the fiery net! The silver airship penetrated the torrential fire like a phoenix rising from the ashes and sped into the boundless void. The airship sped up continuously after unfurling its three sails, leaving the floating continent further and further behind it. In front of them lay the endless void as well as a vast new world. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 706: Hundred-day Love The journey beyond the floating continent wasnt just a smooth-sailing void. The most powerful fleets of the Evernight and imperial factions were gathered here, raging fierce battles every day. However, the commanders of the two evenly-matched parties were fairly cautious and had kept most of their forces concentrated. Even the reconnaissance vessels in the periphery were only mini-shipsfrail but agile and, most importantly, expendable. Their greatest fear was being devoured whole by the enemy force while scattered. That was precisely why the breakout was unexpectedly quite smooth. By the time the imperial fleet received the relevant intelligence, it was already too late to dispatch interception parties. All they could do was order the few scouting vessels already in the area to stop the escapees. After shooting down two of these airships in a short but fierce battle, the remaining imperial vessels finally retreated. They could only watch as the silver airship unfurled its three origin sails and shot into the distance. Qianye looked back, and through the burning wreckage, he could still vaguely make out the void continent. Thinking about it, his time there wasnt that long, but he had participated in the greater part of the war of national fate. That was where he had fought and bathed in blood, where existed his brothers, sisters, and friends, as well as enemies both in the light and in the dark. Yet today, everything had been left in the past. Everything would soon become a memory. At this point in time, there was still a question in Qianyes heart, or rather, a sigh. Why is there no place for me in such a large empire? Nonetheless, what has come to pass has come to pass, and it was useless no matter how much thinking he did. Qianye walked into the cabin and set the airship on constant speed and course. Then, he carried Nighteye into a room and placed her on the bed. Itll hurt a bit, bear with it. Nighteye lay quite comfortably on the bed. Dont worry, just do it. Qianye asked while stroking the nails lightly, What function do these things have? It looks like theyre made to burn blood energy with the refined silver inside. Nighteye sighed lightly. Qianye took advantage of that moment of distraction to pluck out the nail from her shoulder. He examined the nail briefly before placing it on one side. Nighteyes wound had been charred black, and the flesh therein, burnt extensively. It didnt quite show on his expression, but he felt quite pained inside. Nighteye, with her primogenitor bloodline, should be fairly close to Qianye in terms of regenerative powers. Yet her wound was showing no signs of healing. This meant that she had been tormented to a state of extreme weakness. Nighteye grunted softly as the nail in her other shoulder was pulled out. Comparatively, the ones in her wrists and ankles were more difficult to remove. Qianye lifted her leg and stroked her ankle lightly, carefully observing the interior condition. He asked during the examination, Are you unwell in any other place other than the refined silver nails? Nighteye gave it some thought. Not much except the Chaos Millstone. Qianyes heart tightened after hearing this name, but he pretended nothing was wrong. What exactly are the effects? Painful, very painful. So painful that I wanted to give up and kill myself. But with these nails running through my body, I couldnt use the power of my blood core and thus I couldnt die, either. As for other things, let me think I think Ive forgotten a lot of things. While Nighteye was focused on recalling her past, Qianye removed the two nails from her ankles at lightning speed. This time, he used a bit of origin power during the extraction process, producing a high-speed vibration that broke down a thin layer of flesh around the nail. Only then did he manage to pluck the nail out smoothly. Nighteyes brows locked tight due to the pain, but the pain seemed to have cleared up her head. Most of them should be trivial things, but my memory is becoming increasingly blurry. It seems I can only remember things within a hundred days. Only a hundred days? Nighteye sat up and placed her hands around Qianyes neck. She then looked into his eyes and said, Yes, only a hundred days. But, I wont ever forget you. Qianye drew her gently into his arms. I wont let you forget me, either. Nighteye chuckled. How are you going to make me not forget? Simple, Ill chase you anew every day. That way, you wont forget me even if you have only one day of memory. The room turned silentexcept for the crisp metallic sound produced by the refined silver nails as they touched one another. Moments later, a knock came from the cabin doors. The only other person on this ship was Zhuji. Come in. Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when he heard a loud boom. As though it had been kicked off by a giant beast, the door flew off its hinges and shot toward Qianye. Qianye reached out to stop the incoming object, but the massive impact caused his hand to shake ever so slightly. This force was enough to put a dent in the airships outer shell. Zhuji stood outside the door with her little mouth wide open, almost as though she was in shock. There was a metallic crate in her hands and a red mark on her forehead. Qianye flipped over the door in his hand and found that there was, indeed, a dent the size of her head. For a moment, he didnt quite know what to say. This sturdy alloy cabin door was both fire and blast resistant, capable of isolating the room from external attacks. Yet now, it had been destroyed by a headbutt from this small Zhuji. The latter only had a small red mark on her forehead, and even that disappeared in the blink of an eye. Qianye soon recalled how the girl had shattered the divine champions punch a while ago. Even though he had already reduced the incoming force by a fair bit, he still couldnt shake off the sudden headache from the realization. Back in the year, he had left the little girl to Song Zining because he didnt know what to do with her. Zhuji possessed the traits of an arachne at birth, imprinting the first friendly adult she saw as her mother. Qianye had taken advantage of this nature to confirm Song Zinings maternal position. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would pass the ball to him just as he was escaping the empire? Zhuji, whats wrong? Looking at the damaged door, the little girl said with a timid expression, I-I broke something again. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. In the end, he beckoned her over and asked, Whats that in your hands? Zhuji glanced at Nighteye while passing the crate to Qianye. I think this beautiful sister needs these. The latter opened up the crate and found neat rows of high-quality blood crystals within. To the extremely weak Nighteye, these things were much better than any number of supplements. Thinking of something, Qianye asked, Where did you find them? Inside the ship. The smell is so distinct that I smelled them immediately. There are two more crates over there, Ill fetch them. With that, Zhuji ran out without waiting for Qianyes reply. Soon, the airship trembled once more, followed by an explosive soundit would seem this little lass was either breaking doors or tearing down walls. Fortunately, she didnt open up a different path on her way back. Otherwise, there was no telling whether or not this ship could hold out. Zhuji had a crate in her hands and another hanging from her mouth. The metallic crate seemed as soft as freshly baked bread in her mouth, with two rows of deep fang marks let upon it. Qianye took over the crates and pointed to a corner of the room. Stand there. Dont move or make a sound, understand? Little Zhuji nodded obediently and did as she was told. What are you doing? Nighteye wasnt quite happy. Lie down like a good girl! Qianye tapped lightly on Nighteyes forehead and pushed her into a supine position. Then, he picked up her wrists and slowly activated his origin power. The nails through her wrists were the most troublesome. They had been in there for so long that they were stuck to the nearby bones. Qianye released his origin power for a short moment, activating the two nails and causing the surface to split open. The very moment the refined silver core was exposed, Nighteyes wrists began to emit sizzling sounds and streams of green smoke. Meanwhile, Qianye plucked out the two nails the instant the stuck flesh started to burn. Nighteye groaned softlyher face turned pale, and her smile seemed rather weak. Now that her bindings had been completely removed, tiredness began to wash over her, and she could hardly keep her eyes open. Qianye laid her down on the bed and put two blood crystals in her hand, allowing her to absorb them slowly while asleep. Nighteye fell into a deep sleep once she was laid downthis was the best way for her to recover from her grave injuries. Qianye pulled a blanket over Nighteye before beckoning to Zhuji and bringing her to the control room. Once inside, Qianye raised his awareness sharply, afraid that the little fellow would break something again and it would be too late to cry at that point. However, Zhuji was exceptionally obedient and human-like once she entered the control room. Qianye sat down across from her and asked, "Why do you open doors like that?" Little Zhuji seemed puzzled. "Mama didn''t teach me how to!" Qianye felt his vision darkenthis lass really didn''t know how to open doors! He took a while to collect his thoughts before inquiring once more, "Then what did Mama teach you?" "Many many things! I was so tired from all the learning, and I never got to rest!" She began recounting with a pained expression. Qianye listened on and found that Song Zining had arranged an entire range of classes for Zhuji, from the operation and maintenance of origin guns all the way up to the use of airship weapons. Moreover, there were classes for all kinds of combat techniques stuffed between her weaponry education. The remainder of Zhuji''s daily life involved sleeping and eating, things a true spiderling should be doing. The only thing a young, inherently-powerful arachne with a noble bloodline needed to do was eat and sleep well. They would naturally become powerful during their growth phase. Hence, Zhuji''s childhoodin the eyes of an arachnewas doubtlessly miserable. She actually had to learn so many things! Qianye couldn''t help but curse Song Zining secretly for training Zhuji into a fighting machine. She was fairly knowledgeable about all things related to fighting, almost as though she had finished walking the path Qianye had taken in just one year. However, she knew nothing apart from that, not even how to open a door. In her little brain, the wall was just as weak as the door, so there was no need to take a detour. It was much faster to punch right through it! After asking a couple more questions, Qianye found, to his amazement, that Zhuji could even drive an airship. And it wasnt just civilian vessels; she could even operate military battleships. As such, Qianye couldnt help but silently curse Song Zining once more. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 707: Neutral Lands Part 1 Chapter 707: Neutral Lands (Part 1) [V7C024 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Regardless, Little Zhuji was an unexpectedly capable helper. It was just that she needed quite a bit of training regarding daily life. Qianye stood in front of the controls, pulled out the flight map, and adjusted a new course. The silver airship soon drew a beautiful arc in the void as it flew toward the Western Continent. Qianye had wanted to head to Evernight Continent at first, but after some thought, he felt that the plan wasnt quite viable. Firstly, the airship had a limited flight distance. After all, this vessel wasnt one made for intercontinental travel, and it would be quite difficult for it to cross over two major continents. Even if he did somehow make it to Evernight Continent, it would be too difficult to restock such high-grade black crystal fuel. Additionally, Qianye had caused so much stir with his revolt that it was sure to spread across the entire country very soon. Some people from the imperial military would naturally have thought of setting him up in Blackflow City, waiting for him to walk into the trap. Qianye couldnt help but sigh when he thought about Blackmoon and all of his other subordinates from Dark Flame. All he could do was hope that Song Zining would be able to make suitable arrangements. Qianye sighed once more as he recalled Song Zining and then the three crates of blood crystals on the airship. These things couldnt have appeared out of thin air, and no human would stock up on these things for no good reason. Perhaps Song Zining had already arranged for these crystals to be loaded onto the airship when Qianye rushed out of the Zhao clan camp. The silver airship traversed the void in silence. Qianye sat in the control room, gazing at the unchanging void in front of him. This was the first time he had felt so lost. He had left the empire and everything he was familiar with, not knowing what the road ahead had in store for him. At this moment, the cabin doors opened and in staggered Little Zhuji. In accordance with Qianyes request, the little lass had finally learned to open doors instead of tearing through walls. She was holding a large food box and eating randomly from it, but she didnt look all too spirited. Whats wrong? Is it not tasty? Qianye asked. Little Zhuji nodded with all her might. I just dont feel full eating these things! Qianye was startled for a bit. Zhuji had been going in and out for a while now, eating several boxes of food. These rations were made for long-distance flightseach of them weighed several kilograms and was easily capable of feeding ten men. Zhuji had eaten her own weight in food, yet her belly was bulging only slightly. Who knew what kind of belly she had grown? What do you usually eat then? Meat and shiny crystals! Theyre really tasty, especially the crystals. Theyre both pretty and delicious. Qianye inquired further and finally understood that Song Zining had been feeding her wild beast meat, and sometimes even void beast meat along with their extremely rare crystal cores. These food contained an abundance of energy. Zhuji was still in her youth and didnt know cultivation. The only way for her to increase her origin power was through food. No wonder she wasnt full no matter how much of these ordinary rations she ingested. It was just that beast meat and crystals were fairly expensive, be it on the Evernight side or the empires. Qianye felt a sense of pressure on him. It would seem that raising this little fellow wasnt going to be that easy. At this moment, there was no way Qianye could help Zhuji procure the things she liked to eat. Beasts did exist in the void, but many of them were at the level of Chaos and Sky Demon, entities capable of contending against the Queen of the Night. Even the weakest among them possessed the power of a divine champion. With this little ship and Qianyes current strength, the wisest course of action upon encountering such creatures would be to flee as far as one could. Who would dare have designs on their meat? Hence, Qianye could only rub Zhujis head and ask her to endure the hunger. It was at this moment that the cabin doors opened and Nighteye entered the room. Qianye walked over hurriedly and said, Wont you sleep a while longer? You havent recovered very well. Nighteye leaned into Qianyes arms and placed her head on his shoulder. She snuggled against him for a moment before saying, I cant fall asleep, so I wanted to be with you for a bit. Qianyes heart softened, and he let out a soft sigh. The two of them hadnt stayed together very long since the day Nighteye had followed him to the empire. Qianye was embroiled in constant battles, moving from battlefield to battlefield and harvesting countless contributions. In the end, he had even tipped the scales at Indomitable with his own power. Unfortunately, things rarely went as one wishedall he wanted was a simple life, yet even that was but an extravagant hope. Qianye inspected Nighteyes injuries and found that they were slowly beginning to heal. Only then did he feel some relief and helped her into a seat. He himself went to adjust the airships course and inspect its status and surroundings. Nighteye merely sat in silence, watching Qianye as he went about his business and carving all of it into her mind. After half a day, the silhouette of a large continent finally appeared in front of them. Qianye seemed fairly anxious. He instructed Zhuji to inspect the surroundings while he himself compared the airship routes and steered the vessel toward a remote corner, all the while avoiding the local patrol squads. In a fairly isolated region of the Western Continent, there was a run-down little town in the middle of the wilderness. A faint whistle rang out suddenly in the air. An airship flew over and made a full circle around the town before finally making its landing. Noticing the landing airship, the people lazing about on the town stood up in quick succession, their hands subconsciously moving to their weapons. The airship retracted its sails and landed rather violently. Soon, Qianye kicked open the cabin doors, lowered the ramp, and walked out. A gust of sandy wind stung him as soon as he had gotten out of the airship, forcing him to cover his face briefly. After the sandy winds had passed, a number of cloaked muscular men walked over. The leader, a bearded man, spat out the sand in his mouth as he sized Qianye up from head to toe. Brat, we dont welcome skinned bastards here! Skinned? Qianye didnt quite understand. The bearded man pointed at the imperial army insignia on the airship and said, Thats what I meant. We in this place dont welcome imperials, just as we dont welcome Evernight people. Qianye quickly understood that this was a grey area, and people here disliked the colors of either faction. However, Qianye was different from beforethe moment he charged into the imperial stronghold, he knew that he would have to grasp his own fate thereafter. He took a step forward to arrive before that bearded man and said calmly, Rules are made by people. Naturally, people can change them too. Now that Ive arrived, I have no intention of leaving. The bearded mans expression changed sharply. The origin power in his entire body surged as he said coldly, No one has ever dared to act so unbridled here! He grabbed at Qianye, but he hadnt even raised his hand when a heavy blow landed on his stomach. His body made a full circle in the air before smashing into the ground. The man wanted to clamber up, but Qianye tapped his back lightly with a still-sheathed East Peak, effectively smashing him deeper into the ground. Qianye looked up at the others and said indifferently, It looks like Im going to be the first person to act unbridled here. Go bring your boss here. If he doesnt come, I really dont mind leveling this accursed place! The bearded man was far superior to all the others in this group, yet Qianye had dealt with him like he would a little kid. The others quickly understood that all of them combined wasnt Qianyes match. Hence, they immediately ran back into the town to report this matter. Moments later, a middle-aged fatty rushed over with dozens of people in tow. He was startled upon seeing Qianye, and even his expression changed gradually. A tall young man jumped out from behind the fatty, aimed an origin gun at Qianyes head, and started cursing, Who do you think you are? Why are you not kneeling after seeing our boss? I will blow your head off if you keep f*cking blabbering! Only after the string of curses had been delivered did Qianye move his wrist ever so slightly, flicking a stone into the air and whacking it lightly with his sword. This fist-sized stone screamed through the air at a speed faster than an origin bullet and blasted that young mans head apart! I dont like people aiming their guns at me, I really dont like it, Qianye said calmly. The middle-aged man jumped up and shouted at the subordinates behind him, Stop, just f*cking stop! Throw all your guns to the ground. This daddy will chop down whoever picks up their gun! Everyone was astonished. However, this middle-aged fattys prestige was beyond high, and all of his men threw their weapons to the ground obediently. The man was already full of smiles by the time he had turned back. He jogged to Qianye and asked cheerfully, Youre General Qianye? Qianye was somewhat surprised. You recognize me? Of course I do! How can I not!? Your name resounds through the empire. There might not be many people who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the future. How can I not recognize such a figure? Qianye smiled spuriously. That makes things easier, but I think youll regret recognizing me after a few days. The middle-aged mans smile froze momentarily but recovered just as fast. You surely jest, general. What business do you have in such a small place? I want to go to the neutral land. I heard you have a channel there? The middle-aged man was startled and left with a fluctuating expression. All his subordinates also looked at one another with odd looks on their faces. At this moment, the fatty happened to see Qianyes insincere smile and realized that this was a fierce person capable of slaughtering the entire town. Drenched in cold sweat, the man said with a bow, Since General Qianye commands it, this lowly one will definitely accomplish this task no matter what. Please come and rest in town first, we must discuss the details. Qianye nodded. He called Nighteye and Zhuji over, and then followed the middle-aged fatty into town. Seeing Qianye only accompanied by a weak lady and a five-year-old child, killing intent emerged in some of the destitute and evil characters. However, the fatty seemed to have sensed the changeshe turned back and glared firmly at these people, forcing them to lower their heads. There were also some among them with sharp perception. They felt that something was wrong in the way Zhuji was looking at them, yet they couldnt quite put their fingers on what was out of place. Later on, a number of people recalled that it was the look of a predator looking at its prey. Nonetheless, they laughed it off in self-deprecation, feeling that they had gone soft in the head. How could such a young girl look at them as though she were looking at food? After entering the town, the fatty led Qianye to the grandest courtyard in the middle of town and offered him a proper seat. Only then did he ask cautiously, You said you wanted to go to the neutral lands? Qianye nodded. What identity do you wish to go with? Allow this lowly one to remind you that it wont be wise to go with your imperial identity. Some of the major characters there hate the empire with a passion. Qianye frowned. Then Ill just go with a civilian identity. If thats the case, you wont be able to bring your airship over. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 708: Neutral Lands Part 2 Chapter 708: Neutral Lands (Part 2) [V7C025 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Is that so? Qianye expressed neither surprise nor anger and merely gazed at the fatty in silence. The latter began to sweat. He bowed until his back was about to break and said, General, its not that this lowly one wants to trick you out of your airship. The situation there is indeed somewhat special. Your airship is noticeably a special imperial model, and I know no ordinary person can fake it or buy it. The only ones who can drive such an airship into neutral territory are imperial emissaries. Its really not suitable if you wish to enter quietly as an ordinary person. Qianye nodded. Youre quite the considerate person. Whats your name? The fatty replied hurriedly, This lowly one is Chen Xuan. Its an honor to work for you. Actually, its fine even if I drive the airship straight into neutral territory, isnt it? Even if something does happen, it has little to do with you. Chen Xuan laughed wryly. Please dont joke, sir. This lowly one doesnt know why you want to go to neutral territory, but even if you committed something in the empire, you still have family and friends over there. If nothing else, the Zhao clan is still on the Western Continent! Why would I sell my life to the empire without any benefits? When your friends and enemies come knocking at my door in the future, I cant afford to offend them, either! If you drive your airship in, youll have to fight a battle with the guard fleet before reaching your destination. Qianye nodded slightly. Regardless of whether the fatty was speaking the truth or not, these words were true. He had long since heard that the neutral landswith its complex geographywas easy to defend but difficult to attack. Without special status, even imperial ships would suffer an attack if they were to appear there. Next up, the fatty explained in detail some of the taboos regarding the neutral lands and made arrangements for Qianyes upcoming journey. Meanwhile, Qianyes airship was sold to Chen Xuan at a discount. Although the base price was set at market value, one could see from Chen Xuans happy face that he had earned quite a bit from this transaction. In fact, such high-speed airships were limited in production and simply couldnt be bought on the market. Those in possession of such a vessel were all wealthy and respectable characters. Most of the money gained from the airship was used to purchase beast meat. It also came as a pleasant surprise that there was a piece of genuine void beast meat in Chen Xuans storeroom. With over half a day left before departure time, Qianye planned to take a stroll around the town with Nighteye. As for Zhuji, the little fellow couldnt even open her eyes after finally getting a full meal. So, she opted to stay behind in the room to sleep. The fatty especially arranged for several people to stand guard, but Qianye knew that these guards werent so much to protect Zhuji as they were to protect the townspeople. The town wasnt very big, but there were numerous stores selling wares from both factions. There was no lack of rare materials on sale, but hardly anything could enter Qianyes eyes at this point. After a trip around the town, all he bought were pieces of jewelry for Nighteye. Qianye was struck by a sudden sense of familiarity as he passed by a crudely decorated weapons store. Seemingly recalling something, he soon walked in with Nighteye in tow. This narrow shop was made up of a storefront at the entrance and a small workshop deeper inside. The latter room was tightly packed, consisting of a small workbench, a cabinet of raw materials, and two beds. There was a five-year-old boy dozing off at the front counter, while a short old man with thick glasses was pounding away at a paper-thin component on the workbench. Qianye simply waited in silence until the old man had finished working. Only afterward did he speak, Great Master, we meet again. The young boy behind the counter finally woke up and was frightened out of his seat. The old man, however, removed his glasses and walked over to Qianye. After leaning in for a closer inspection, he said as though he had recalled something, Its you? Qianye smiled. Its me. That bullet you made for me back in the year helped out a great deal. But Qianye pointed at the extremely crude workshop, what happened to your trade? The old man laughed wryly as he beckoned to the two to sit down. What else? I offended an aristocratic family, so theres nowhere else I can live. A wanted order? Of the highest grade. The old man smiled ruefully. How come? Youre only selling things. Someone used my bullet to kill that familys direct descendant. Those people couldnt catch the culprit so they bribed the military and issued a wanted order for me. I had no choice but to hide here to escape those hunters. Moreover, I no longer dare to sell those kinds of bullets. Qianye sighed after hearing the story. Imperial warrants were easy to issue but difficult to remove. Forcibly canceling a warrant meant a direct confrontation with the family that had issued it. With a bounty on his head, the old man could hardly take a step into imperial territory. Those hunters didnt just kill dark races for a livingwanted imperial fugitives also made up a good part of their income. Compared to the last time, the old man seemed to have aged ten years and was already tired after a brief conversation. Qianye thought of something. Do you want to head into the neutral lands? Neutral lands? The old man was startled. He soon shook his head with a wry laugh. Dont you know how expensive a single ticket there is? How can I afford it? I happen to be going there, and theres still room on board. The old man finally looked up. Youre going into neutral territory? Yes. But The old man donned a pair of special glasses and sized Qianye up from head to toe. It might not be easy to eke out a living there with your current strength. Whats this? Qianye was curious about the spectacle in the old mans hands. Just a small toy. Its somewhat more sensitive to origin power. Qianye picked up the glasses and wore them. His vision turned blurry, but the origin power in the vicinity became dazzling. Through these glasses, Qianye could see the seven origin nodes in the old mans body even without his Eye of Truth. In addition, he could see no origin power reaction from Nighteye. He himself looked like he had eight origin nodesthe rest of his power had been hidden away by Bloodline Concealment. Oh, such a thing exists. Not bad. Qianye passed the glasses back, and then looked about and picked up a finger-sized stick of alloy. Rolling it casually between his fingers, he quickly turned the piece of metal into a ball. The old mans eyes widened! This was an extremely sturdy metal used in making origin bullet shells, yet Qianye had rolled it into a ball with his bare hands. The old man had never seen such strength even among high-ranking champions. He immediately understood that Qianye had hidden his powers. Also, that quiet girl beside him seemed to have no power at all, but it was the first time the old man had seen that kind of calm demeanor. After pondering for a while, the elderly craftsman finally made up his mind. Ill go with you! Give me some time, I need to pack up. Qianye nodded. Very well, Ill send someone to pick you up before we set out. After leaving the weapons shop and having explored the entire town, Qianye returned to Chen Xuans courtyard to wait for the airship. A vulgar-looking man entered a side-building of the courtyard, jogged his way to Chen Xuan, and whispered something in his ears. The fatty was drinking tea at the moment. He wants to take that old man? The man replied, Yes! Leader, the old man must have some secrets on him. Otherwise, why would Qianye bring that one person among all the others in town? We cant let that old man leave so easily! Chen Xuans expression fluctuated a fair bit. Apparently, he was quite conflicted about this matter, but in the end, he sighed. Let him go. The vulgar-looking man wasnt expecting such a reply. Leader, are we really going to let him go? This might involve a large sum of money! Chen Xuan snorted, You need to be alive to spend your wealth. The man whispered with a cruel expression, Leader, that Qianye mustve committed a serious crime in the empire to be hurrying into neutral territory. Why dont we work together with the nearby towns and take him down? Well earn a huge fortune if we hand him to the empire. Maybe we wont need to do this line of work anymore after this. The muscles on Chen Xuans face twitched a couple of times. Moments later, he slapped the armrest hard and said, No! Leader!!! Chen Xuan closed his eyes. No means no. I know better than you just what kind of trash those in the neighboring towns are. Those bastards might not even be my match. Do you really think we can take down Qianye with just numbers? The man was about to speak again, but Chen Xuan stopped him with a wave of his hands. Night soon fell upon the continent. An old airship took to the air and flew into the vast skies. At the other end of its flight path was a world that existed between the two great factions, a haven for experts and fugitives alikethe chaotic neutral lands. At this moment, Indomitable was in a state of tension and solemnity. One airship after the other descended into the city and out came countless wooden-faced officers. Soon afterward, these people boarded the readily awaiting off-road vehicles and swaggered off. The defensive arrangements around the airship port were stricter than before, and the number of guards had increased twofold. However, those who looked carefully would find that there were soldiers wearing the insignia of the imperial military in addition to the Zhao clan soldiersthe airship port of Indomitable was now being co-managed by the Zhao clan and the military. Yet, not only did the patrolling soldiers from each side not greet those from the other, sparks seemed to fly off whenever their eyes met. Within the Zhao clan camp, Zhao Jundu was seated with his eyes closed, his face expressionless. The two generals sitting on either side below him seemed rather furious. One of them said angrily, These bastards from the military are too unbridled! They immediately fought for control over the airship port after arriving here. That aside, they actually dare summon the fourth young master to a court hearing. Just who do they think they are? The other person banged the table. Indomitable was built entirely by the Zhao clan. It has nothing to do with the imperial military. Those bastards were hiding when the fighting was fierce, now they all pop up one after the other. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 709: Reminiscence [V7C026 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Listening to the complaints of his subordinates, Zhao Jundu finally said, Enough, its useless to speak further about this. A general died in my hands, after all, so they need to put on a show. Otherwise, how can they placate the masses? One of the generals said, Sigh! Everything would be fine if the fourth young master had been a bit more ruthless and killed all of them. Zhao Jundu smiled faintly. These are troubled times. Intimidating lowly people is right and proper, but it wouldnt be appropriate to start a massacre. It brings no benefit to the greater picture. Since Zhao Jundu had spoken thus, the generals couldnt say anything else. One of them did mumble in dissatisfaction, Duke Chengen wont be that easy to deal with! Within a large courtyard in the core region of Indomitable, a fully-armored Zhao Weihuang passed through many a corridor to finally arrive at a building by the water. Princess Gaoyi was sitting by the window. She didnt even turn back upon hearing the door open and merely kept on gazing at the pond outside. Zhao Weihuang sat down across from her with a rather embarrassed smile. The princess poured a cup of tea for herself, took a sip, and looked out of the window once more. From the beginning to the end, she didnt spare so much as a glance for the Zhao clan lord. Zhao Weihuang wanted to pour himself a cup of tea but quickly realized that there was no second teacupnot on the table, not in the entire room. Hence, he had no choice but to retract his hand with a dry cough. Gaoyi kept gazing out of the window, almost as though she would sit like this forever. The more silent she was, the more restless Zhao Weihuang became. Gone was the demeanor of the man who could intimidate the entire Western Territory, or the temperament of the one who could potentially replace Lin Xitang and crush the rebel army. That Heh heh Zhao Weihaung still couldnt bring himself to speak. Princess Gaoyis non-responsiveness stuffed all the words he had prepared back into his stomach. All he could do was keep on laughing awkwardly. In the end, Princess Gaoyi could no longer stand to watch this laughing man. She glared fiercely at him and said, Shameless! Full of smiles, Zhao Weihuang said politely, It was truly fortunate that you were here this time. Otherwise, I wouldnt know what to do. Princess Gaoyi was somewhat helpless against Duke Chengens cheekiness. She glared at him once more and said, If it wasnt for Ruoxi and Jundu, do you think I would pay attention to your mess? Youre right, youre right. Princess Gaoyi sighed. That kid, Qianye, is bold and impetuous. Hes exactly like you in this respect. Zhao Weihuang wore a rather awkward expression. I was only like that when I was young. Princess Gaoyi snorted before adding, But that child is devoted and loyal, unlike a certain someone. Zhao Weihuang felt even more embarrassed. All he could do was laugh dryly because he didnt know what else to say. The princess put down her teacup and said, This matter has blown up quite a bit. I came over because those people are really quite unreasonable, but this is merely the beginning. All I can do is make the imperial family stay out of this matter. What are your plans? At the mention of war and politics, Zhao Junhuang immediately sat straight, and his dignified temperament sprang out once more. Those little bastards from the military actually want to summon Jundu for a court hearing, so Ill let him go. Its easy to invite someone over, but it wont be so simple to send him back. With Jundu absent from the front lines, the responsibility of his defensive region will be handed to the people from the military. I really want to see how long they can last there. Arent you afraid Jundu will suffer in their hands? Zhao Weihuang laughed with an almost metallic voice. If they dare touch a single hair of Jundus, Ill beat the yolk out of those old things. Princess Gaoyi frowned in displeasure. Vulgar! Youre always so presumptuous and never think about the consequences. This is a matter related to the nation and army! Zhao Weihuang sneered, This daddy has never seen those people place national matters in their eyes. All they have in their brains are dirty things that cant be brought into light. Since they want to blow up this case, then this daddy here will make it even bigger! Go and defend Jundus battlefront if they have the ability. This daddy wants to see how capable they are on the battlefield. Damn their grandmas, back in the year Just as his heroism was reaching its zenith, Zhao Weihuang suddenly noticed Gaoyi looking at him with a spurious smile. His haughtiness deflated just like a cat drenched in water, quickly replaced by an awkward laugh. Well, I also did a lot of dumb things back then. Only dumb things? the princess inquired. Zhao Weihuang immediately felt quite distressed. How come his answers were always wrong when it came to questions like these. He rubbed his hands and laughed awkwardly for a long time, but he couldnt squeeze out a proper response. Fortunately, Princess Gaoyi didnt intend to make things too difficult for him. That child, Qianye is really not bad. He saved Ruoxi back then, and now hes saved Jundu again. Even I cant help but like him. This not bad, however, is referring to his character. Qianyes talents, as I see it, arent at all inferior to Jundus, how can they be described merely as not bad? Right now, Im really curious, just what kind of mother was able to give birth to such a child? Zhao Weihuangs expression fluctuated drastically, and even his awkward chuckle had stopped. He held his breath and stared at the ground in front of him, almost as though there was some kind of rare treasure hidden underneath it. Princess Gaoyi said with a faint smile, That child, Ruoxi, is acting a bit weird these days. As her father, you really should pay more attention to her. Dont just focus all your attention on the western battlefront. If I hadnt arrived on time, I fear she really wouldve fired the Red Spider Lily. Zhao Weihuang was astonished. What, really? Princess Gaoyi sighed but said nothing else. Zhao Weihuang stood up. That wont do. I must have a talk with that lass! With that, the Zhao clan lord left hurriedly without waiting for the princess to reply, almost as though he were running away. In an isolated chamber, Zhao Ruoxi sat quietly on the couch, her face expressionless. The Red Spider Lily was placed in a faraway secret chamber under the watch of three clan elders. It was just that everyone knew this was merely a formalitythese people couldnt do anything if the eldest miss wanted to activate the grand magnum. It was a wonderful thing if one did not take her intentions into account. It went to show that her control over the Red Spider Lily had risen once again. But now, everyone in the residence was apprehensive, worried that their young miss would do something wild. Zhao Weihuang walked into the isolated chamber and sat down across from Zhao Ruoxi. Ruoxi, your mother and I both feel that we need to talk. Zhao Ruoxi didnt even look up. What about? Eh, that Zhao Weihuang fell into a state of distress. He was so focused on escaping just now that he had forgotten to ask what exactly was wrong with Zhao Ruoxi. The little girl finally looked up with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Dad, dont run over to me for cover just because youre afraid of moms admonition. Zhao Weihuangs steps faltered, and he almost tripped. Realizing that he had lost quite a bit of face, the clan lord said with a stern expression, Youre still so young, what do you know? Theres no problem between your mom and I. What is there to admonish? No problem, is it? But theres Big Brother Qianye! Zhao Weihuang almost collapsed. He forced himself to sit straight and said in a serious tone, Ruoxi, youre not a kid anymore. Qianye, you, Jundu, Junhong, and Yuying, all of you seem to be getting along well. Isnt that great? Moreover, the matter of the past is long past. Its a convoluted tale that cant be summed up in a few words. However, Zhao Ruoxi was clearly not that easy to fool. If it cant be summed up in a few words, you can use as many as you like. At this point, Zhao Weihuang felt that he could no longer continue this conversation. He snorted deeply to express his dissatisfaction, and then he quickly left the isolated chamber. Only after leaving the room did he remember that he hadnt quite found out what about his daughter was weird. The imperial militarys stronghold in the city had undergone initial reconstruction. Moreover, it had expanded to cover an entire street block this time. Large batches of warrior craftsmen worked around the clock to rebuild the structure, their various transport and construction vehicles frequently blocking the nearby streets in the process. This place was just a temporary stronghold at first, but now, it had expanded so much that it was affecting many of the nearby aristocratic families. Yet, no one expressed objection. The person in charge before was only a brigadier general since Li Fengshui hadnt revealed himself to the public. That was no longer the case; after all, the person in charge now had become a former imperial marshal. Within the urgently constructed building, the old man who had attempted to ambush Qianye was pacing about with his hands behind his back. Meanwhile, a brigadier general was reading a letter out loud, causing the old mans expression to become uglier with each line pronounced. Although this brigadier general could also be considered an expert, his voice began to tremble upon seeing the old mans darkening countenance. After all, the other partys strength hadnt declined a lot despite having left his marshal position. Be it now or in the past, Wu Daoyus name was one that could shake an entire region. When the brigadier general finally completed his task, Wu Daoyu halted his steps and asked, Done? Yes, thats all. Wu Daoyu laughed coldly. Bring that Zhao clan person over. I must ask him what right they have to impose such conditions on me. The brigadier general ran out swiftly and returned with another brigadier general. This man, seemingly in his thirties, looked fairly capable and resolute. After entering, he performed a military salute and stood as straight as a gun, silently awaiting Wu Daoyus question. The old mans eyes narrowed when he noticed the messengers Fire Beacon Corps Insignia. They say Duke Chengen is an expert in leading troops, and that the Fire Beacon Corps is full of talented men. Now, I can see that these claims arent exaggerated. What is your name? The Zhao clan brigadier general said with a bow, This lowly one is Zhao Chengyi. Wu Daoyu squinted unnoticeably. Youre surnamed Zhao? Which residence are you from? Im registered to the Duke You Residence, but Im actually from a side branch and not of lineal descent. A gloomy darkness flashed across Wu Daoyus face. Youre from the Duke You residence but you also work for the Fire Beacon Corps. Mm, very well. I hear Duke Chengen is also in the city, did he send you here? Zhao Chengyi replied, This lowly one is here on Duke Yous orders, I believe its stated clearly in the letter. Wu Daoyus expression sank as he unleashed his abyssal aura. This alone was enough to suppress the two brigadier generals until they were pale in the face and tottering on the verge of collapse. This seat finds it curious. With Duke Yous vision and judgment, how can he bring up such outrageous conditions? I suspect there are vile people playing tricks. How could a divine champions suppressive might be so easy to withstand? Zhao Chengyis legs creaked, groaned, and it seemed like he would be forced to his knees pretty soon. However, the man only glared back with wide, bloodshot eyes, refusing to kneel even if it would cost him his life. Although he couldnt speak at the moment, Zhao Chengyi stared fixedly at Wu Daoyu with a smile of undisguised mockery. The old man felt his eyes twitching. If he were to keep up the pressure, Zhao Chengyi might very well receive heavy, or even irreversible, injuries. He knew that he couldnt actually wound this Zhao clan general because that would immediately anger the clanand neither Duke You nor Duke Chengen was a saint. At the thought of this, Wu Daoyu retracted his momentum. But he hadn''t expected Zhao Chengyi to break into laughter. Even you wont dare to injure me here! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 710: Old Mate [V7C027 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Absolutely furious, Wu Daoyus aura began to surge. How dare a mere brigadier general act so unbridled before this seat? Zhao Chengyi, however, remained unmoved. I am indeed a brigadier general, but I have a different identity at the moment. Im a Zhao clan emissary! When did the military become so tyrannical that you can threaten to kill an emissary even before a proper conversation!? Wu Daoyus brows flew up in his flourishing anger. Nonetheless, what Zhao Chengyi said wasnt wrongwounding a Zhao clan brigadier general was completely different from injuring a Zhao clan emissary. The brigadier general from the imperial military was fairly quick-witted. He stepped in swiftly to smooth things over, saying, Lets talk it over nicely! People from our military were injured after all, so its not wrong for Marshal Wu to be angry. Nonetheless, since General Zhao is an emissary representing the Zhao clan, we should listen to what he has to say and understand their intentions. With a snort, Wu Daoyu shook the letter in his hands and said, Does your Zhao clan have no people left? Why must I defend this battlefront just to summon Zhao Jundu to court? Zhao Chengyi ignored the mockery in Wu Daoyus words and replied in a serious tone, General Jundu is known as the number one genius of the empire, the one and only. Who can replace him? Wu Daoyu was petrifiedhe wanted to retort but didnt know where to start. Zhao Jundus status as the number one genius was a publicly accepted fact. Some people were surely dissatisfied, but no one could find a genius on par with him. Wu Daoyu paid no more attention to this matter. Instead, he said, Then, whats the meaning of this clause? Why must this seat personally negotiate with the Zhao clan? Zhao Chengyi said in a clear voice, What kind of status does our fourth young master have? Hes peerless in talents and has imperial blood running through his veins. How can anyone summon him at will? Not just anyone can decide such an issue. The Zhao clans highest authority in Indomitable is Duke You. If you wish to summon Young Master Jundu, youll need his consent. At this point, Zhao Chengyi revealed a cold smile. With Marshal Wus status, its only proper that you pay a formal visit to Duke You. Wu Daoyus anger exploded once more. This marshal represents the imperial military! Dont tell me I cant even compare to Duke You? Zhao Chengyi revealed yet another cold smile. You? Representing the military? Haha! Calling you a marshal is simply a gesture of respect. Ive never heard of an ex-marshal representing the imperial military. Wu Daoyus countenance became ashen, and killing intent spilled out of his twitching eyes. Zhao Chengyi paid him no attention. The empire is built upon hierarchy and seniority. If you dont pay Duke You a formal visit, dont tell me the duke should be calling on you instead? If I remember correctly, that spar between the marshal and Duke You back in the year didnt go all that well. Despite Zhao Chengyi leaving him some face, the old man''s expression grew even more unsightly. The spar back then indeed didnt end wellit was an utter and complete loss on his part. His mood was far from good, now that his old wounds were being dug up. Eventually, Wu Daoyu suppressed his embarrassment and said, Is Duke You in charge of the Zhao clan? Why did this seat hear that Duke Chengen has also arrived? Zhao Chengyi replied, You want to spar with Duke Chengen? But the duke will only remain for a few days before returning to his important duties in guarding the western region. Additionally, Princess Gaoyi has also arrived. Does Marshal Wu wish for an audience with her, too? Wu Daoyis expression transformed rapidly. Since Duke Chengen is so busy, this seat wont disturb him. Early tomorrow morning, I shall call upon Duke You. Zhao Chengyi said with a bow, Thatll be for the best. This general shall withdraw then. After Zhao Chengyis departure, Wu Daoyu said to the brigadier general, Invite Marquis Rong over. Moments later, a graceful middle-aged man with a thin beard entered the room. Upon seeing the marshal, he cupped his hands with a smile and said, How come you suddenly remembered me today? Wu Daoyu was all smiles as he moved forward and held the mans hands. I have a matter I need your advice on. What are the imperial familys movements regarding this matter? The middle-aged mans smile became somewhat mysterious, and he merely smiled without speaking. Wu Daoyu shot a meaningful glance at the nearby brigadier general, who quickly presented a palm-sized box. The middle-aged man glanced inside and found a finger-shaped gem within, a translucent blue stone without the slightest bit of impurities. He immediately became delighted and his smile became so much more cordial. Oh my, Ill feel bad about this. The man kept saying how bad he felt, but he was fairly swift in putting the item away. After stowing the item in his bosom, he said, Im only a small character in the imperial court, one who has to obey orders from the people above. This time, though, I did hear some news regarding his matter. What news? Wu Daoyu had a bad feeling about things. The lords wont interfere in this case. This sudden news astonished Wu Daoyu. How can it be? The middle-aged man sighed. I also didnt understand at first, so I asked about it. I was fortunately able to obtain the inside story since my relationship with the lords is quite good, and I pay my respects to them regularly. Please elaborate, Marquis Rong. The middle-aged whispered, Qianye is Qianye, Zhao Jundu is Zhao Jundu. Does Marshal Wu understand? Wu Daoyu frowned. But thats irrelevant, Qianye is clearly a vampire. The middle-aged man said with a sigh, These things are both relevant and irrelevant. Whatever you do to capture a vampire, youre in the right. But if you want to touch Zhao Jundu, thats an entirely different issue, and a big one at that! Now that Princess Gaoyi has made an appearance, the lords are finding it hard to say anything. All they can do is stay out of this matter. Well, thats all I can say. Farewell! Wu Daoyus expression sank after the middle-aged man left. Damn this Zhao Jundu, hes already thought this through! The brigadier general asked cautiously, Are you still going to meet Duke You tomorrow? Of course, I must go. Where will we put the militarys face if we dont bring Zhao Jundu to court? So what if this marshal has to hold back my temper for a while? The brigadier general hesitated for a while before saying, Marshal Wu, the Zhao clan is adamant that we take over Zhao Jundus defensive line. Do you think theres anything fishy going on? Wu Daoyu sneered, Theyre definitely trying to scare us off, but this marshal has also killed his way through many bloody battles in the past, why should I be afraid of such a war? Go and make arrangements to transfer more troops over. This seat will see just how powerful the dark race assault is! The brigadier general left swiftly. Only after his subordinate had left did Wu Daoyu reveal a downcast expression. He was no match for Duke You back in the day, just as he wasnt confident about fighting Zhao Weihuang at present. The latter had been defending the western territory all this time, fighting bitterly against the dark races and rebel army throughout the years. His strength had increased exponentially and was probably well beyond the early divine champion level. If it wasnt for the fact that the number of marshals in the empire was fixed and the Western Theater was being managed by Lin Xitang, Zhao Weihuang would probably have become a marshal already. Additionally, the military was so full of impediments and factions that even the Longevity Monarch wouldnt dare say he could command everything. Wu Daoyu was on the frontline against the Zhao clan because this Minister of the Right liked to control things from behind the curtains, rarely, if ever, appearing in the spotlight. Now that the imperial family had washed their hands off of this matter, the situation was now equivalent to the Minister of the Right contending directly against the Zhao clan. The old marshal immediately felt a great amount of pressure upon him. With just a single mistake in such a situation, other people from the military would jump out to cause trouble, without even waiting for the Zhao clan to take action. In the vast expanse of the void, a rundown airship was traveling at a fairly sluggish pace. Qianye walked into the control room and felt hopeless upon seeing that barely-moving dot on the flight map. He had grown used to the imperial vessels in the recent period as well as Song Zinings incomparably fast airship. Now this ship was as slow as a snail and not much faster than a heavy cargo ship. How long until we reach the neutral lands? Qianye had lost count of how many times he had asked this question. The captain was a tall, sturdy man with a long beard, always with a shiny, dark red pipe in his mouth. According to him, it was just a common habit, but Qianye had heard before that the pirates who roamed the void liked this kind of pipe. A rare pipe was supposedly the sign of a pirates status. Hearing Qianyes question, the captain said with a smile, In a couple of days. Qianye had heard this reply so many times that his ears were about to grow calluses. Since the day they had set out up until this day, the captain had always given him the same reply. According to the route map, it would take at least seven or eight days to reach the border of the neutral lands. A loud bang rang out at this moment. Flames suddenly erupted from a corner of the console, followed by dense smoke. Once the control panel started to malfunction, one of the engines outside also stopped moving. The bearded man ran over with a frown and stomped on the malfunctioning machine, and then punched it a couple of times. Soon, the console miraculously recovered and the engine also began moving once more. The captain turned back to Qianye and laughed. Small problems like this can be solved with a few thumps, no need for repairs. Looking at the mans footprint, that darkened control panel, and the empty void outside, Qianye felt that things werent really that safe after all. The captain laughed awkwardly. Its fine, when has Red Pipes ship ever broken down? This old fellow has been following me for twenty years, theres nothing more reliable. Qianye glanced at the rust-mottled cabin roof, the dozens of levers on the console, and then at the kinetic pipelines that had been patched repeatedly. No matter how he looked, he just couldnt believe that the ship was only twenty years old. The captain scratched his head a couple of times. Its like this, the ship was already 140 years old when I got her. Seeing the odd look in Qianyes eyes, Red Pipe said, Shes old but very sturdy, much stronger than those little ships with thin hulls. You really profited from buying this old mate, I tell you. Your silver ship may be beautiful, but its really no use in the neutral lands. Itll go down with a single blast. Qianye simply couldnt stand any more of this trumpet-blowing. The ballista on that silver airship is enough to sink this antique thing. The captain laughed. You cant be so sure about that. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 711: Promise to Accompany [V7C028 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Qianye didnt comment on the captains words, but he knew just from looking at the route map that his high-speed airship couldnt reach the neutral lands. The path there wasnt a straight line, either. Although their current airship was old, it was a model made for intercontinental travel and should have no problems driving to their destination. Qianye left the control room. He soon arrived at a room one floor below and knocked on the door. This was where the old man nicknamed Great Master was staying. The already narrow cabin room was filled with numerous crates and hardly had any place left to set foot. These containers were filled with instrumentsthe old man was loath to part with them and insisted on piling everything up in his quarters. Hence, Qianye could only stand after entering. What do you think of this ship? Not bad. The Great Masters words surprised Qianye quite a bit. He simply couldnt figure out what was so good about this two-hundred-year-old antique. This ship has been remodeled in many key areas. The main structure, for instance, has been reinforced many times over. Ive also looked at its engines, they have a very high capacity. This airship should be able to fly really fast even with another layer of armor. Really fast? Qianye was fairly skeptical. At least fifty percent faster than the current speed! the old man replied confidently. In Qianyes eyes, it made no difference even if this turtle moved fifty percent faster. But the old man said, Dont underestimate this difference. This means that this airship is faster than most cargo and civilian airships, even with armor. Airship chases in the void typically go on for several days, and every little bit of advantage will be magnified countless times. The more Qianye listened, the more he felt that this was a pirate shipexcept the captain had stopped doing this line of work. Perhaps Red Pipe had decided to stop temporarily and then resume his trade after arriving at the neutral lands. Nonetheless, Qianye wasnt interested in all that. It was fine as long as the man delivered him to his destination. After a brief chat, a sudden clamor arose outside the room, and a loud bang emerged as though something heavy had fallen to the floor. Then, the entire ship shook briefly. Qianyes expression changed as he rushed out of the room immediately. There was only one fellow on the ship who could cause such a ruckusZhuji. Qianyes silhouette flickered, reaching the rear end of the ship in just a couple of steps. There, he saw a large dent in the cabin walls and a young crew member embedded within it. Zhuji was standing not far away, tearing down one of the cabin doors. These doors were made of two layers of steel, each as thick as a finger, with sound and fire-proof materials sandwiched in between. Yet, in the little girls hands, they looked as soft as cakes. Judging from the situation, Zhuji was picking up something handy with which to smash the young man into paste. Although she could just as easily tear him apart on her own, the cleanly lass seemed quite hesitant to soil her hands. The door came off fairly quickly. Zhuji raised her newfound weapon high above her head and hurled it at the young man. Qianye reached out and duly blocked the incoming cabin door, his hands trembling ever so slightly in the process. One could see from this just how powerful Zhujis attack was. If it wasnt for Qianyes obstruction, the young man would be torn apart, along with several layers of cabin walls behind him. The attack mightve even smashed through the airships outer wall. The bearded captain was naturally alerted of such a loud ruckus. He came over in a hurry but was one step slower than Qianye. Upon seeing the captain, that young man immediately became spirited and cried out with a trembling voice, Boss, save me! Shes trying to kill me! Qianye discarded the cabin door in his hand and asked in a gentle voice, Zhuji, whats going on? Zhuji replied, He made sis angry. What exactly the man did, though, the little girl didnt explain. All she said was that he had entered Nighteyes room. But that was enough for Qianye. He looked back at Red Pipe and said calmly, Daring to have designs on my woman, you people are quite bold. The captain shivered somewhat under Qianyes gaze but still said, My men have always been well-behaved. This youngster has followed me for three years and is a fairly reliable person. He cant have done something like that. Qianye said indifferently, Are you saying that Zhuji is lying? The young man called out at this moment, Its her! Shes lying, I didnt do anything. Boss, save me! Shes not human, shes a demon! The bearded man seemed rather conflicted, but he gritted his teeth and said, This matter is unclear, we need proof... Qianye cut him short, Will you do it, or should I do it? The captains expression changed. Wait! We should make things clear first! Qianye said calmly, I guess you want me to do it. Theres no proof regarding this matter, and theres no need for one. I trust my people. The captain growled, Dont forget that this is my ship! Makes no difference, Qianye stated the truth. The captains voice became cruel and cold. Ive been in the long-distance shipping business for thirty years, its not like Ive never done a losing deal. But all these years, Ive never abandoned any of my brothers! Qianye remained unmoved by this. Then youd better make an exception today or Ill toss you out. The captains beard twitched and his momentum fluctuated wildly. Apparently, he was quite conflicted at the moment and might attack any time soon. Qianye, on the other hand, was standing calmly without the slightest trace of origin power around him. It was at this moment that the latter turned back and saw Nighteye appear at the cabin door. Supporting herself on the wall, she said, He entered my room but probably wasnt expecting Zhuji to be there. The young man cried out in his anxiety, Its not like that! Boss, theyre both lying Qianyes eyes gradually turned blue with the captains figure reflected clearly within them. Youve heard everything, right? My patience is running out. The captains countenance transformed drastically. He suddenly shouted, Men, throw him out! The other crew members were all surprised. One of them said, Boss! This is our ship, I think that woman might be lying With a snort, Qianye made a pressing motion in the air, sending that person flying backward with the momentum of a bullet exiting the barrel. He was soon buried in the wall at the end of the corridor, his chest sunken, and his life, lost. The captain cried out in astonishment, You! All of you should know that its not important who this ship belongs to. Dont get stupid ideas that you shouldnt get, and dont say things you shouldnt say. Shocked and apprehensive, the captain kept repeating, Fine, fine! He turned back and shouted, What are you all staring at? Toss him out! The surviving crew members stepped forward timidly and carried the heavily injured youth away. Moments later, a miserable cry was heard from the deckthen everything became silent once more. Inside the room without a door, Nighteye and Qianye were sitting face to face. She held his hand gently and said, You really didnt need to do that. Werent you thinking about recruiting Red Pipe? Now you cant anymore. Qianye smiled. These things arent important. I wont tolerate anyone who wants to harm you, even if hes just thinking about it! Nighteye sighed. Stupid. Qianye dragged her into his arms and said, I was stupid in the past, but Im going to try to be clever from now on. I need to control everything in my hands. Only then will I be able to give you a quiet life. I dont want anything as long as I can stay by your side. Okay. The cabin room was completely silent. Nighteye asked while shifting her posture, Why did you want to recruit Red Pipe? They have a ship and they know the way. I wanted them to head to Evernight Continent and bring back everyone from Dark Flame who wants to follow us to the neutral lands. Im actually quite worried about them. Nighteye replied, They should be fine with Song Zining on their side. If its something even he cant handle, then you wont have a better method, either. Thats true. Qianye sighed. At this moment, some squeaky crunchy sounds rang out behind them. Qianye looked back and saw little Zhuji hugging a huge piece of beast meat, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed on it with great ferocity. The meat was deep-frozen for easy storage and as hard as a rock, yet Zhuji was making crisp sounds with every bite. It seemed as though nothing could remain intact under the assault of her little teeth. Qianye and Nighteye looked at each other and smiledthey knew that the little lass was throwing a tantrum. Qianye walked over and patted her head, asking, Does it taste good? Zhujis little face deflated. Not good! The little fellow had been following Song Zining all this time and had learned to appreciate exquisite food. Chewing on frozen meat wasnt her style, even if it was the meat of a fierce beast. Qianye slapped his forehead. Then, cook it first before eating. The lass immediately passed the meat to Qianye, indicating that he should cook it. Qianye laughed helplessly as he received the meat and entered the kitchen. Zhuji followed closely behind and climbed onto a stool to watch Qianye cook. Qianye picked up his chefs knife and began preparing his ingredients. His blade moved like the wind, cutting the frozen meat into several thin slices which he tossed into the pot with other ingredients. A dish was thus produced. Qianye had been fighting everywhere all this time and had little time for other matters. It had been quite a while since he had cooked. Fortunately, he didnt feel too green because his basic skills were still there. Since he had already begun, Qianye decided to put on a full display of his abilities. Before long, a table full of food had been prepared, some of which he delivered to the old weapons master. This meal was full of warmth. The little lass was still hungry after sweeping through half the table. Qianye quickly realized that this little fellow had a bottomless abyss for a stomach and that there was almost nothing that could fill her. Only when she began swaying about sleepily was she truly full. After dinner, Qianye tucked the sleeping lass in and finally obtained some peace and quiet. He and Nighteye sat holding each other, gazing at the stars outside the window. They felt that growing old like this wouldnt be all that bad. At this very moment, the Blackflow City Qianye was so concerned about was burning in the flames of war. Flames surged into the sky throughout the city as explosions filled the air. An airship whistled past above the city, its two ballistae blowing up one of the citys cannon turrets and causing it to slowly topple over. Large amounts of steam gushed out from the broken pipelines and brought an area dozens of meters around it into a world of white mist. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 712: Misfire [V7C029 C In Life and In Eternal Rest] The airship hadnt gone far when one of the cannon turrets suddenly opened fire at an unbelievable rate. It spat out a stream of flames that whipped at the airships body, setting it ablaze and causing airship parts to fly off in all directions. The vessel lasted only a while before staggering toward the ground and bursting into a ball of flames. The turret turned toward a different direction and lashed at yet another airship. This time, the effects were even more evident, causing the target to explode in the air! However, the destruction of two airships couldnt turn the tide of the entire battle. There were dozens more airships in the air above Blackflow City, including large gunships with thick armor. They hovered beyond the turrets firing range, bombarding targets within the city with their ten-meter-long cannons. Within the Dark Flame Headquarters, Duan Hao and Song Hu were gathered in front of the defensive map with serious expressions. Explosions echoed ceaselessly outside the window, sometimes causing the entire main building to shake from the impact. Occasionally, dust and debris would fall from the ceiling. The defensive map was already filled with markings. Those familiar with the map could see from these symbols that Blackflow Citys defenses were full of holes and just barely hanging onthe only intact defensive line was the one around the Dark Flame Headquarters. At this moment, a soldier charged in and shouted in a hoarse voice, The eastern cannon tower has been destroyed! There are no more turrets in the entire eastern sector, the defenses wont last long like this! Duan Haos brows locked into a frown. Ill head over with the reserve unit! Song Hu dragged Duan Hao back and said while shaking his head, This is the last reserve squad we have! It must stay at the headquarters, and you cant go, either. But their men will charge in if the eastern sector falls! Duan Hao roared. Song Hu was fairly calm. Didnt you notice that their airships have no insignias on them? Theyre unwilling to reveal their identity. This means theyre either here with a big army, prepared to level the entire Blackflow City, or they only brought a limited number of soldiers and will leave after plundering their targets. If its the former, you wont make a difference even if you go. If its the latter, you dont need to go. You mean Duan Hao said with a frown. Song Hu said in a serious tone, They need to pass through the greater part of Blackflow City to reach us. There are so many hunters and mercenaries in the city right now. Its time to borrow their strength to resist the enemies; even those civilians can play a role. Ive already ordered the men to distribute weapons. Duan Hao replied, Those hunters are little more than mobsters, and the civilians have no fighting power at all. The casualties will be tremendous if you pit them against those elites and private army soldiers. Our own men are more reliable at such a time! Song Hu banged the defense map and said, What does their casualty rate have to do with us? We only need to defend the Dark Flame Headquarters. Itll be our victory if we can hold out until the Seventh Young Master returns. At this moment, the sky outside the window lit up abruptly as an orange-red cannon shell shot into the air and struck an armored gunship high up in the sky. The vessel tilted from the impact and began smoking from its rear side. It didnt get the time to flee before another projectile blasted its body. Finally, the airship could no longer maintain flight and slid sideways toward the ground outside the city. This cannons firepower was simply too great and its shells, too eye-catching. Immediately, all the airships in the sky turned toward its source and, despite the heavy defensive fire, began attacking it at all costs. Song Hus expression changed. Its Blackmoon and Miss Nangong! Go and protect them! Duan Hao crashed through the window and made a beeline for the cannon tower. The hidden turret was covered in explosions and flames from the concentrated fire, but its heavy cannon kept on firing at an extraordinary speed. It had blasted over ten times in a short while and downed two more airships; its accuracy was well-over fifty percent. Nonetheless, the number of battleships in the sky were simply too great. In the end, the cannon tower collapsed with a boom, no longer able to withstand the incoming barrage. Two fair silhouettes rushed out from the blaze as Darkmoon fled the sea of fire with Nangong Xiaoniao in tow. Duan Hao rushed over, protecting the two with his origin power as they retreated back to the Dark Flame Headquarters. The two didnt stay long after retreating to the main building and, instead, ran to a different place via a secret underground tunnel. Moments later, another of Dark Flames turrets received a sudden boost in firepower, increasing both their firing rate and power by half. The fierce cannon-fire immediately destroyed an airship, and by the time the turret was destroyed, it had downed at least four enemy vessels. Song Hu added a stroke to the defense map, striking out yet another eye-catching cannon tower symbol. The pressure in his heart increased further as he observed the dwindling number of special symbols. At this moment, in an airship hovering outside of Blackflow City, the atmosphere was just as serious. A middle-aged man was standing in the command room with his hands behind his back. There was nothing resembling a smile as he looked down at the burning city, and all the other people in the chamber held their breaths in silence. An officer walked in at this moment. There was a hint of sweat on his forehead as he said, Fleet Commander Xu sends word. Blackflow Citys defenses are much fiercer than expected, and the fleet has suffered severe losses. Requesting permission to retreat and reorganize. The middle-aged man in front of the window replied coldly, Denied! Have him continue the attack until the very last ship! The officer left with the order. The middle-aged man observed the battle for a while longer before turning back slowly. This is your so-called taking the city with a flip of the hand? This kind of firepower, these special cannons, you probably wont find a lot of them even in the imperial capital. Why is there no news of them at all? What were all the spies you sent into the city doing? Dont tell me you cant collect any information without Nanhua? The group lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word. The middle-aged man said calmly, Concentrate the assault! Break open a segment of the city wall and send all the squads in. Theres no need to return if you cant take Blackflow City. No one dared disobey the order at this moment. Moments later, dozens of transport ships flew toward Blackflow. They landed outside the city despite the defensive fire and unleashed the squads within. In the blink of an eye, the flames of war rose up high and spread throughout Blackflow City. The soldiers who had been ordered to fight to the death had nothing left to fear and fired at virtually everything alive. Meanwhile, the mercenaries, hunters, and civilians struggled desperately to resist them. Fights broke out everywhere in a brief moment, and the battles were incomparably fierce. At this point, an officer walked into the command room and said, General Lu sends word. Hes taken down Wolf City and wiped out the defending forces. Currently, hes investigating the mines in the city, lest the remnant soldiers destroy it. The middle-aged mans countenance recovered only after hearing this news. Before long, however, another officer ran into the room. Urgent report! The defense forces in Wolf City have blasted the mines. General Lu is trapped inside, his fate unknown! The middle-aged man was visibly moved. They collapsed the mine!? Yes, sire. The middle-aged mans eyes twitched. He said through gritted teeth, What a man this Song Seven is, so ruthless! Everyone here knew how valuable the mine in Wolf City was, and it was precisely the reason for their surprise attack. It could be said that the mine was a priceless asset that would be cherished and protected. No one had expected Song Zining to actually collapse the mine because the explosion would very likely destroy the ore vein inside. His ruthlessness regarding this matter filled everyones heart with a hidden chill. The middle-aged man suddenly became restless, feeling as though something was about to happen. It was at this moment that a ball of flames rose up over the distant horizon as a reconnaissance airship fell to the ground. He could vaguely make out, through the flames, several airships flying toward Blackflow City, and judging from their silhouette, these were the imperial militarys cutting-edge models. It was clear that these battleships werent friendly. Otherwise, they wouldnt have destroyed the scouting vessel on sight. Although the airships surrounding Blackflow were greater in number, they were a mish-mash of many different types, and most of them had been damaged by the restraining defensive fire. There werent many airships that could contend with the fast-arriving vessels in terms of individual fighting power. As the battleships closed in rapidly, the flames lit up the insignias on their hulls. The people in the command chamber gasped. Ningyuan Heavy Industries!? Those are Song Sevens ships? How come he has so many battleships? It wouldnt be too surprising for him to have numerous old model airships. However, these were the empires newest types, and not many people could maintain such a fleet. Being able to assemble such an airforce went to show that Ningyuan Heavy Industries current state had far exceeded everyones expectations. After the initial shock, the middle-aged man quickly became alert. The outcome would be unimaginable if they were flanked by this fleet. He immediately issued an order, Send a signal, order all the battleships to retreat from Blackflow City and assemble at the designated locations. Move the flagship forward and intercept Song Zinings fleet! The orders were passed rapidly. The flagship turned around first and faced off against Song Zinings fleet with three other airships. Song Zining appeared at the helm of the first battleship, but he didnt launch an immediate attack. Instead, he let out a burst of laughter, his voice reverberating throughout the battlefield. Which sire is so enthusiastic as to visit Blackflow City personally? Why not show yourself and allow Zining to welcome you personally? The middle-aged man in the flagship pondered for a moment before walking out onto the deck. Seventh Young Nobles wisdom is akin to the seas. Your meticulous planning makes one sigh in admiration. But this is the vampire Qianyes estate where remnants of his race might be hiding. I wonder how you are associated with them? I heard you had a close relationship with Qianye in the past. Could it be that youre colluding with vampires as well? Song Zining sized the man up and said, So its the Kong familys third elder. Ive long since heard that you have great aspirations and are unwilling to lag behind others. Meeting you today, however, I feel somewhat surprised. With your status and identity, how come your airship has no insignias on it? Dont tell me there are other people inside apart from the Kong family. The third elders expression shifted slightly. Of course not. Were all from the Kong family. Song Zining sneered, That might not be the case! As I see it, there might be a fair number of bandits and ruffians committing outrageous crimes in the name of the Kong family. Its fine if I didnt see them, but now that Ive run into such lowlifes, I naturally cannot let them be! The Kong familys innocent reputation must not be sullied! The Kong familys honor is my business, theres no need for the Seventh Young Noble to trouble yourself. Song Zining nodded. That works, too. There are surely vampire remnants here, and Im going to clear them out. So, I wont delay the third elders business anymore, farewell! The third elder had a bad instinctive feeling. Without even waiting for him to say anything, several powerful ballista bolts shot through the air in a burst of light. Judging from the radiance around the bolts, they were armor-piercing projectiles made to sink battleships! Shocked out of his wits, the third elder flew upward and evaded the ballistae. He could do that, but the same couldnt be said for the flagship behind him. After suffering three consecutive rounds, explosions rang out one after the other amidst the dense smoke, and the vessels speed slowed down significantly. Song Zinings voice arrived from the distance. You bumbling idiots! How can you cause the ballistae to misfire!? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 713: Trembling Hands [V7C030C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Misfire? The Kong family elder simply didnt have the time to curse Song Zining for his shamelessness. He was frantically instructing the flagship to evade the next wave of attacks. His airship, albeit bigger than Song Zinings, had already suffered serious damage and would certainly be destroyed if it were to take two more salvos. With the flagship in motion, the battleships following it all did the same, opening up the flight path toward Blackflow City. Song Zining didnt entangle with them at all. Instead, he made a beeline for the city and, in turn, the assault fleets rear. The third elders hands turned cold. Only now did he realize that Song Zining had no intention of negotiating and was intent on wiping out his forces. According to the normal rules of the aristocracy, the leaders of both parties would engage in a round of conversations and attempt to negotiateattacking on sight was an inferior course of action. Yet it just so happened that Song Zining didnt play by the rules. He launched a sneak attack upon arrival, heavily damaging the third elders airship and thereby removing the greatest threat. The current operation was led by the Kong Family, consisting of a combined force of several allied aristocratic armies. Although they held the advantage in airship numbers, the vessels were all old models and some were just quickly-remodeled cargo ships. They knew that Dark Flame was somewhat of an elite force, but in the end, it was just part of the expeditionary army. In the eyes of the aristocracy, the expeditionary army was little more than trashhow could they compare to the private armies? No one had ever expected Song Zining to suddenly appear with several cutting-edge battleships. Their mishmash of old airships was far inferior, to begin with, in terms of firepower. Now that they had also lost their formation, what lay before the seventh young master was a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered; they couldnt even escape if they wanted to. The only airship capable of suppressing Song Zinings was the third elders flagship. Unfortunately, however, it had already lost the ability to fight. A fleet battle immediately erupted above Blackflow City. Song Zining was like a wolf jumping into a flock of sheep, destroying three airships just in the first round of attacks and plunging the scene into chaos. Some members of the opposing force wanted to counterattack, while the others wanted to escape. There were even a few turning about in place, not knowing what to do. The fleet belonged to several aristocratic families. This didnt quite show in a smooth battle, but the disadvantages of having several leaders emerged in times of crisisthe fleet quickly fell into chaos since everyone had their own idea. It was also because Song Zinings attack was too quick and fierce that they had no time at all to react. Additionally, the third elder was also isolated outside of the battlefield and helpless to provide instructions. At the same time that changes took place in the sky, so did things develop on the ground. A hidden heavy cannon began to open fire all of a sudden, blasting those hovering airships with a barrage of special orange-red shells. The cannon was just as powerful as it was accurate, with virtually every shot finding its mark. A single shot could seriously damage an ordinary airship, and two would destroy it. The tables turned in the blink of an eye as the airships on the third elders side suffered heavy casualties and finally began to disperse. Song Zinings fleet also split up and began chasing down the fleeing airships. His own battleship gradually closed in on the third elders flagship as a measure of deterrence. Knowing that the outcome of this battle had been determined, the elder felt greatly exasperated. He had more than once wanted to charge forth and fight to the death, but Song Zining stood there with his spear, without an ounce of fear on his face. In the end, the elder wasnt certain whether or not there was an expert on board waiting to ambush him. After some contemplation, the man still couldnt drum up his courage. All he could do was snort angrily and issue the order to retreat. With the airships in retreat, the thousands of soldiers who had charged into Blackflow city were more or less abandoned, and there was no telling how many from Wolf City would be able to escape. Add to that the loss of half their airship fleet, the outcome was akin to cutting up the third elders heart. Song Zining didnt go after the third elders retreating airship and merely watched as it vanished over the horizon. Only afterward did he issue the order to return to Blackflow City. Song Zining ordered the battleships to hover over the Dark Flame Headquarters as a deterrent while he himself jumped into the base. At this moment, Song Hu and Duan Hao came out to meet him. In addition, a young girl jumped out from behind a heavy cannon turret on the rooftop and landed in front of Song Zining. Song Zining smiled. I knew it would be you. Who else but a Highbeard can fire a cannon so accurately? The young girl was the Highbeard, Black Moon. Somewhat bashful after receiving such a praise to her face, she said, Its not all me, the main factor is how powerful Sister Xiaoniaos modified cannons were. The others wouldnt be that accurate or long-ranged. Smiling, Song Zining knocked her head with his folding fan. Lets go in first. At this moment, there were battles going on in every part of the citysome of those desperate private soldiers had already surrendered, while the others had been pushed to a corner. Song Zining paid them no heed because he considered these people dead. Song Hu followed from the side and whispered, Seventh Young Master, many of those private soldiers have revealed their identities in hopes of favorable treatment. Some others are arrogant and demanding to be ransomed. There are a number of mid-ranking aristocratic families among them, what do you think we should do with them? Song Zining stood still and opened up his folding fan, which produced a crisp yet distant sound. So many mid-ranking aristocratic families, now thats a rare sight. Do you think we can afford to make enemies out of them all? Of course not, Song Hu replied immediately. Song Zinings forces at the moment were simply too small. Not to mention contending with a high-ranking aristocratic family, he wasnt even a match for a random mid-ranking one. Song Zining smiled faintly. Since we know that we cant make enemies out of them, we should just pretend we never saw them, understand? Song Hus expression turned serious. Understood. Then, he turned and left. Moments later, Song Zining was standing in the command center, looking up at the city defense mapit was fairly different from how he knew it. The map was now full of symbols and rushed markings, a testament to the drawers mood. Every X indicated the destruction of a stronghold or cannon tower, and a straight line meant that a segment of the wall had been destroyed. Looking at this map, one could almost see just how intense the battle had been. Occasional gunshots could still be heard inside the city, along with explosions and miserable screams. Song Zining turned to Duan Hao with a sigh. You panicked. It would seem your temperament hasnt improved during this time. Duan Haos face turned red. The situation was urgent at the time. If not for the numerous special cannons Miss Nangong had set up, we might not have held out until your arrival. Song Zining nodded. How about Xiaoniao? Is she okay? Miss Nangong joined the battle and received light injuries when the turret came under attack. Shes now receiving treatment. but there should be no major issues. Thats good then, wheres Nanhua? Bring me to her. Yes. Duan Hao led Song Zining out of the command center and down to the third basement floor. This was Dark Flames most heavily-guarded prison, located deep under the ground. Even Song Zining himself could hardly escape if he were locked here. Did she resist? No, Duan Hao replied. Song Zining remained silent for a moment and then sighed. What a pity. Song Zining spoke little along the way until he reached the solitary cell in the deepest parts of the structure. This cell was fairly wide, but all those who approached this place would feel discomfort. That was because the arrays therein had scattered all of the free origin power in the vicinity, preventing people from absorbing or drawing upon it. After being locked up like this for a long period, the captives origin power would gradually disperse and, along with it, any resistance. Nanhua sat silently in the center of the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary apart from her loose hair, and it didnt look like she had been tortured, either. She looked up upon hearing footsteps. Her eyes lit up as she rushed toward the bars and said, Youve finally arrived. Song Zining sighed lightly as he gestured for Duan Hao to open the door. Duan Hao was apparently worried. Seventh Young Master, please be careful, he said while glaring at Nanhua. Then, he slowly withdrew and left the floor. Song Zining was calm and unguarded as he stood in front of Nanhua. He merely gazed at her and asked, Why didnt you escape when Duan Hao came to capture you? Hes not your match at all. Nanhua smiled sadly, I can escape from Duan Hao, but I cant escape your assassins, can I? That way, you wont have to see me when I die, am I right? I refuse to do that, I refuse to escape! Song Zining sighed. Why do this? Things will be easier for both of us this way. Nanhua shook her head. No, things will never be easy for me, so I wont let you have it easy, either. I will die in front of you, in your hands. That way, you wont forget me no matter how many women you have in the future. Song Zining remained silent for a while. Later on, he said, Out of all the women, youre the one who understands me the most. Perhaps, there might never be another person like you. With how smart you are, you should already know that Im already moved. Why would you need to do all of these? Nanhua said through clenched teeth, Youre only moved. In the future, youll, at most, have a place for me in your heart. What I want is your entire heart! If I cant get everything, Id rather not have it! Song Zining shook his head. There is no one that can occupy my entire heart. Yes, there is. Nighteye can. Song Zining was startled. He soon said with a faint smile, Nighteye is Qianyes lover and Qianye is my friend through life and death. I can risk my life to save Nighteye, but thats for Qianye. I really have no other intention, and thats final. It might not be Nighteye in particular, but one on the same level. Your ambitions are grand, and only a unique woman can truly win your heart. No matter who that person is, it wont ever be me! Song Zining sighed, tacitly agreeing to Nanhuas words. The latter walked over to Song Zining and said softly, Hug me, then kill me. Song Zinings hands trembled, but he didnt respond. Nanhua looked up into Song Zinings eyes. This is my last request. Perhaps Nanhua covered the seventh young masters mouth and said, No perhaps! What I did caused Nighteyes soul to be rent and compromised Qianyes identity, forcing him to flee the empire. I am unredeemable. I dont want to die in the hands of an unknown assassin without even seeing your face. Please do it. Song Zining brought Nanhua into his arms and gently caressed her long hair. A cold gleam appeared in his somewhat trembling hands, one of his folding fans spines. Then, he lightly patted the girls back, sending the frosty glint into her body and directly piercing her heart. Nanhuas body trembled. She broke into a frown at first, but her expression soon relaxed and turned into a sweet smile. It hurt a bit because your hands were trembling, but that makes me so happy! Song Zining couldnt say a single word and only hugged Nanhua tightly. If only your ambitions werent so high, and I wasnt so greedy how good would that be? Nanhuas voice grew softer and softer. With her head buried in Song Zinings arms, the young lady fell into a deep, deep sleep never to rise again. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 714: Home [V7C031C In Life and In Eternal Rest] After several days of flying through the void, the seemingly constant starry skies finally saw some changesa continent appeared vaguely in the distance. During his first long-distance flight, Qianye finally realized just how terrifying the void was. The space here seemed completely empty, but void storms would occur at any time and without warning. Airships without special reinforcement might very well be torn apart if they were swept into the center. Additionally, there were small floating meteorites in the void and some of them were as fast as bullets. Once struck, they would leave deep pits on the plated armor. The biggest threat in the void wasnt pirates but void beasts. A chance encounter wasnt so bad, but death was almost certain for those who accidentally charged into a nest. Red Pipe, however, was highly capable. Although the route he had picked was curved and roundabout, the ship never encountered a single void beast along the way and managed to arrive safely in the neutral lands. The neutral lands sounded like a continent, but in fact, it was made up of many small landmasses. The largest one among them was merely the size of the floating continent on which Qianye had been fighting. This place was a fair distance away from the other continents, almost like an abandoned corner of the world. Countless small landmasses were moving around the sun in extremely complicated orbits. Someone had once speculated that the neutral lands werent formed naturally; instead, they came from the breaking down of a certain planet or continent during an era preceding the fall of the Void Star. However, this speculation remained an unproven theory. This place was far from the layered continents at the center, and hence the intense temperature fluctuations. Disaster-level storms would sweep through often, and many of the landmasses could not support any vegetation. Not to mention human habitation, even the most adaptive arachne couldnt live very long there. It was precisely because it was difficult to survive that neither the empire nor Evernight were interested in this place. To those who couldnt live in either faction, however, this place was their only haven. In the very beginning, those who could arrive in this place were the most powerful people, and it just so happened that they were also the most ferocious of men. As time passed, the place became a mixture of various characters whose only purpose was to survive in the neutral lands. Due to the rampaging storms and the complexity of the landmass orbits, traveling between the islands here was a dangerous business. Only veteran captains could complete such trips by virtue of their deep experience, and Red Pipe was one such captain. His choice was a medium-sized landmass on which existed the largest port in the neutral lands and also the first transit point for newcomershuman newcomers, that is. As the old airship slowly approached the dock, a group of well-built men in shabby clothes swarmed over and surrounded the exit. Red Pipe appeared at the cabin doors and waved his hand. Go, there arent any goods this time. I only need a couple of people. The people at the docks dispersed immediately after hearing this. Only then did those standing at the back get the chance to come forward. Most of them were old people and children. There were a few middle-aged men, but they were thin, emaciated, and looked rather sickly. Qianye and Nighteye had no luggage, and the only crate they had was packed full of frozen beast meat. On the contrary, it was the old Great Master who had an entire five boxes with him, all of them extremely heavy. Qianye tied three of the containers together and carried them himself, while five other people were chosen to move the rest. Walking past the long dock, Red Pipe brought Qianye to a certain three-storeyed brick building. This was the most magnificent structure in the airship port. Its main hall was fairly wide but currently packed full of people. Clamor and chaos rushed at ones face along with the smell of sweat and body odor, causing Qianye to frown somewhat. Nighteye, with great foresight, had long since shut off her perception. The bearded captain took the lead and headed to the counter at the end of the hall. Whoever blocked his way he would lash at them with his whip or simply kick them out of the way. Those who were attacked would mostly scuttle to the side after seeing that red pipe in the captains mouth, not even daring to utter a word. Only a fierce-looking man with a face full of knife scars glared back at the captain. Red Pipe smiled coldly and performed a cut-throat gesture at the scarred man. Those in the vicinity began crying out in excitement while the scarred mans expression became rather unsightly. What does that mean? Qianye asked someone nearby. That person shot a glance at Qianye and said disdainfully, You must be new? Youll know after a while. This is a showdown challengethose who are dissatisfied will fight to the death, and those who dont dare can scram to the side and shut up. Qianye quickly realized what it was. Who wouldve thought the neutral lands pursued such an undisguised law where the strong reigned supreme. Not daring to engage in a battle with Red Pipe, the scarred man turned and left. Those in the vicinity sighed in regret. With the scarred man gone, those left in the hall quickly opened up a path. Countless eyes fell upon Qianyes group, and all of them were unfriendly. After arriving at the counter, Red Pipe tossed a gold coin onto the counter and said, Help my friends here register. The man behind the counter was an elegant looking young man. He put away the money swiftly and picked up his pen, inquiring Qianye, Nighteye, and the old man about their identities. Qianye stated a random name, but the old man said his name was Cui Yuanhai. Qianye was somewhat surprised that he would use his real name. As though he understood Qianyes thoughts, the old man said, Im too old to keep running. I dont want to go anywhere else after arriving here. The young man produced three bronze tokens with their names carved upon them and tossed them to Qianye. This is your proof of identity. Naturally, it has no other major use. If youre not willing to reveal your real identities, you can also rob a couple of tokens, no one will care. In this accursed place, anything in your hands is yours. He fished out yet another bronze plate and placed it on the table. If you want to survive here, you have to earn or rob it yourself. This is a ticket to the Eastern Desolace. Youll get a room on the ship, barely enough for your group and things. If you want better arrangements youll need to pay more. Theyre short of people on the Eastern Desolace, so theyre offering fairly good terms. Youll get a piece of land there so long as youre willing to go. You can ask for more land if you think your share is too small, but that way, youll die earlier. Qianye knew nothing about the neutral lands, but to him, it was the same everywhere. Hence, he reached out to take the bronze plate, but the young man pressed the plate beneath his palm with a meaningful smile and wouldnt let go. Qianye gave it some thought and realized the point. How much? The young man revealed a brilliant smile. Smart! I like talking to smart people. Fifty gold coins and this ticket is yours. There were many currencies flowing about in the neutral landsimperial gold coins, black crystals, Evernight silver coins, blood crystals, demonic cubeseverything was fair game. Qianye produced a pouch and weighed it in his hands before passing it over. Forty-seven is all I have. The young man snatched the pouch and stuffed the bronze plate into Qianyes hands. Thats enough, thats enough! Qianye knew he had overpaid, but he didnt mind since taking a loss was unavoidable as a first-timer. After asking where the airship was parked, Qianye headed to the docks with the others in tow. Red Pipe remained leaning on the counter without any movement. His job had been completed after sending Qianye here. The smile on the young mans face disappeared entirely as Qianye left the hall. A middle-aged man who had arrived from the side watched Qianyes receding figure and said, Hes just a rank-eight fellow. Do you really need to send him to that place? The young man glanced at Red Pipe. Didnt you say hes hidden his strength? How much did he hide? Red Pipe didnt answer this question. He took two deep puffs from his pipe and said, That isnt important. If hes hidden enough, itll just cause more trouble for those people. Isnt that good? The Wolf King isnt that easy to deal with. The young man revealed a mysterious expression unbefitting of his young age. Youre still just as evil. Perhaps we should reconsider our next cooperation. Red Pipe pointed at the pouch of gold coins and said, You earned quite a bit too, didnt you? The young man weighed the pouch in his hand. But I suddenly feel that this money is going to be troublesome. On the other end of the docks, Qianye had finally found his airship, an ancient-looking vessel. Many of its steam pipes were on the outside, and its two chimneys were puffing out rolling black smoke. The airship could barely fit its massive steam engineno one knew how much space there was left for passengers. Such an antique airship was a rare sight even on Evernight Continent. Qianye handed over the bronze ticket and obtained permission to board. The cabin was, as expected, quite small. After stuffing the boxes in, the group could only remain standing. It was fine for Zhuji since the little lass could sleep in any position, even upside down. So, she jumped directly onto the ceiling and fell asleep in a hanging position. The old man sat on the boxes while Qianye and Nighteye simply went up to the deck, prepared to spend the journey there. The time to set sail arrived pretty soon. Hissing and screaming, the airship left the dock with great difficulty and drove away. Even though the flight was between landmasses, it took an entire two days to arrive at the destination. This was an exceedingly big piece of land at the periphery of the neutral lands. Looking at it from the void, Qianye reckoned it was the same size as the floating continent, or maybe a bit bigger. Throughout the journey, Qianye at first wanted to ask about matters related to the Eastern Desolace, but everyonefrom the captain down to the crewavoided the topic and werent willing to utter a word regarding it. Even when Qianye offered them a couple of gold coins, the money was stuffed back into his hands. However, Qianye did manage to obtain some basic information. Most of the Eastern Desolace was covered by a huge lakeonly a fourth of its surface area was land, while the rest was water. The lake was so large that it extended thousands of kilometers and could rightly be called a sea. That was why the Eastern Desolace was also called the Eastern Sea. The ancient airship gradually approached land. Qianye and Nighteye stood at the bow, gazing at the mysterious but dangerous-looking land. Nighteye suddenly leaned on Qianyes shoulder with a sigh. Whats wrong? Gazing at the fast-approaching continent and its vast, deep sea, she said, I have a feeling that this will be our home. Qianye held her tightly and said, Very well, then this shall be our home! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 715: Little Nes The airship landed in a simple little city. Then, the group switched to a truck and traveled for half a day to finally arrive at a small town. This small town was located near the shores of the Eastern Sea, and one could already hear the waves from a good distance away. Several people walked out from the town as the truck came to a stop. Among them was a tall, burly manhis clothes were unbuttoned despite the chilly weather, putting his thick chest-hair on full display. He shot a glance at Qianyes group, his gaze resting much longer on Nighteye. So youre the newcomers, huh? Weve already left you a piece of land, and theres also space in town. You can choose to build a house here or live on your allotted land. Naturally, no one will stop you from doing both as long as you have the money. You need to remember one thing in order to live in this place: pay taxes! Seeing Qianye nod, the burly man said in satisfaction, Good, I like smart people. Lil Knife, bring them to their place. A lanky young man jumped nimbly onto the roof of the car and said while banging the drivers compartment, To the Black Grove, drive! The Black Grove was, just as its name suggested, a dark green color bordering on blackeven the leaves had a deep green hue to them. Despite being daytime, everything looked dark and gloomy from a distance. On a rainy day, the interior of the grove might be as dark as night. The car drove through the border of the woods. Qianye looked around and sensed nothing but an aura of death. There were neither beasts nor birds here, and even the sound of insects was nowhere to be found. The world here was pervaded by a deathly stillness, one unaffected even by the rumbling engine of the truck. They drove for dozens of kilometers before passing through the forest and arriving at a wide-open land. The area beyond the woods was a gentle slope, below which was a vast rugged plain filled with stones, and further from that, the boundless Eastern Sea. Its waves were gentle and never too fierce, but the restrained momentum beneath this facade filled one with an inevitable feeling of suffocation. There was a river off in the distance, flowing into the Eastern Sea. The scenery on the other side of it, however, was covered by a thick layer of fog, and even Qianye couldnt see very far through it. Lil Knife arrived near Qianye and said while pointing forward, From this place to that river is your land. If you think thats not enough, you can claim as much land as you want beyond the river. A word of caution, though, not many in town have been to the other side of the river, and those who tried to explore further have never come back. One last thing, try to stay indoors when the mist rises and avoid going about in it. After saying all that, Lil Knife fished out a thin booklet and placed it in Qianyes hands. Everything on this list can be sold for money or used to deduct taxes. Well, thats all I have to say. I hope you brought enough to eat. If not, you should go back to town now and buy some. No one will go outdoors at night, and youll have to go hungry. Lil Knife jumped back onto the truck after Qianye expressed that he had understood everything. The vehicle rumbled once more and made a difficult turn before vanishing into the Black Grove. Qianye looked at this territory once againthe land spanned from the Black Grove to the sea, and stretched all the way to the distant river, an area several dozen square kilometers wide. At this moment, the sky was gradually turning dark, and the waves in the ocean were growing louder. Judging from the reef-like landscape, it was clear that the plains would be drowned in water during high-tide. After observing the surrounding landscape, Qianye chose a nearby hill and decided to build his home there. Although Lil Knife made no mention of the Black Grove, intuition told him to stay as far away from it as possible. Additionally, there were also unknown dangers in the sea. It was the little river that gave Qianye the best feeling. Setting up camp was a basic skill known by every elite corps member. Qianye was extremely familiar with the process since his days in Red Scorpion. With no more strangers nearby, there was no longer a need to be too cautious. Qianye thus headed toward the forest with Zhuji in tow, prepared to gather some wood. Wait, I have instruments here, the old man shouted. No need. Qianye waved his hands and walked toward the grove. Feeling helpless, the old man brought out his gear, dug a hole, and began gathering firewood to light a bonfire. After arriving at the forest edge, Qianye picked a tree thick enough to barely wrap ones arms around it and slapped it a couple of times. His pats contained a hidden force that jolted the entire tree, causing a shower of leaves to rain down from above. The shockwaves echoed continuously inside the trunk, causing it to tremble and eliciting a mournful sound akin to a weeping girl. Qianye had, from these vibrations, sensed that the roots of these trees were all linked together. Moreover, the vitality within the wood was fairly high, almost as though they werent merely trees. However, the trees in the Black Grove paled in comparison to the giant trees of Misty Wood. Qianye whipped out East Peak from his spatial locket and swung it horizontally, snapping the large tree at the base. The tree fell down with a rumble. Just as it was about to hit the ground, a small figure flickered into view and propped up the trunk. That tree trunk was dozens of meters long, and Zhuji looked just like a kitten beneath it. It was just that this little cat was actually lifting the massive tree and didnt look strained at all while doing so. Eager to contribute, the little girl began running back to camp as soon as she had gotten ahold of the tree. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He quickly called her back, slashed off the branches and leaves, and cut the timber in half before letting Zhuji carry it back. He had originally intended for Zhuji to carry the logs in two separate batches, but the little fellow wasnt willing to take that trouble. With a whip of her wrist, her hands shot straight into the sturdy tree trunk, and just like that, she ran back to the camp carrying two large pieces of wood. Back at the camp, the old man was cleaning a large fish which Nighteye caught from the river. The flow of water there was somewhat rapid, and Nighteye had yet to fully recover. Nonetheless, she simply stood at the shore, gazing at the flowing water. When a large fish was reflected within her eyes, it flew out of the river and landed in her hands. The Eye of Destruction that had once shaken the entire Evernight world was now being used to catch fish. If those dukes and princes were to know of this, they might wake up from their blood ponds in anger. To Nighteye, however, this was just the way the Eye of Destruction should be used. She carried the fish back to their camp and handed it to Cui Yuanhai. After all, she had long since lost all confidence in her own cooking skills. The old man volunteered to undertake this task, cleaning the fish and preparing to cook a good pot of stew. It was at this time that the old man saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance. He was immediately stupefied when he saw two long pieces of wood barreling toward them like dragons. He dropped the fish in his hand and pounced over to his box, where he fished out an origin gun and took aim at the incoming logs. But that shaking muzzle made one suspect whether or not that shot would even connect. Fortunately, the old mans vision wasnt too bad and managed to see the tiny figure carrying the two logs. But seeing her wasnt any better than not seeing herhe was immediately petrified and even dropped the gun he was holding. Zhuji rushed back to the camp and threw the logs onto the ground. She then rushed over in good cheer upon seeing the big fish, picking it up and sniffing it cautiously with a frown. This is edible, I guess? Afterward, almost as though she had lost interest in the fish, Zhuji ran back to the Black Grove to carry more logs. But Zhujis assessment meant that the quality of this fish was almost catching up to that of fierce beasts. The old man and Nighteye exchanged a glance, realizing that this place wasnt as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. As the sky turned darker, the light from the bonfire grew even more brilliant. The fish stew had been boiling in the pot for some time. The soup had turned a milky white, and its fragrance pervaded the air. The logs had formed a tall pile on one side of the camp, but Zhuji was still hard at work, shuttling back and forth with the large objects. It was almost as though the little lass didnt know what it meant to be tired. Toward the end, Qianye simply bundled up several logs and had her carry them back in one go. A while later, the earth itself began to tremble as Qianye himself ran back with several dozen logs. His feet mightve sunk into the ground if he hadnt utilized origin powerthere was no way he could run like this. His forehead was covered in sweat after hauling so many logs back at once. The old man waved at Qianye, calling him over for dinner. The large pot of fish soup and the hot biscuits made for a pretty good dinner. It was just that Zhuji wasnt that interested. The little girl sat enjoying the warmth of the fire and eventually started to doze off. After a single full meal, she could go for several days without food or waterall she needed was sleep unless there was something especially delicious. The fish was indeed tasty, but the energy content was inferior to the meat of fierce beasts and thus didnt attract her very much. After having dinner, Qianye swung East Peak and cut the logs into wooden planks. With how proficient he was with the blade, the planks he carved were all of the same length and thicknesshis products were even more accurate than those cut by machines. After forming the wooden planks, Qianye picked a level ground and began hammering the pillars into the ground. This time, East Peak became a hammer, and with a casual slap, the wooden piles were driven into the ground almost entirely. Just like that, two wooden houses appeared before midnight, one for the old man and one for himself. At this moment, the moon was high up in the sky and the cold lunar radiance was reflected on the surging waves, turning them into rippling silver. Qianye sat leaning on a wooden couch, from where he could gaze at the scenery in the ocean. Nighteye had fallen asleep in his arms, the flickering blaze in the brazier outlining her beautiful silhouette. On the side, Zhuji was fast asleep while hugging Qianyes leg. The frosty winds rose and gradually filled the place with bone-chilling cold. This was a special characteristic of the neutral lands, and especially that of the Eastern Desolace. It was scorching hot in the day and extremely cold at night. The tides rose higher and higher, gradually covering the rocks on the shore. As the moon rose higher, the waters in the river also began to surge and churn, almost as though there was something constantly swimming and rolling within it. As the gale blew past the Black Grove, the rustling leaves emitted a sound akin to howling ghosts. Those listening closely would know that it wasnt just the howling wind. There were vague growls hidden within the ghastly sounds, as well as the mournful wails of those on the verge of death. It was just that no one knew if these cries came from wild beasts or humans. Qianye had scanned the Black Grove with his True Sight during the daytime but found no abnormal signs within his visual range. But now, there were bestial howls coming from the forest. The sea was even less calm. The waves on the distant ocean were chaotic, with large shadows appearing on the surface from time to time. One could also hear rustling sounds from the beach, almost as though some small creatures were crawling along it. The two wooden huts stood out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of the nightlight shot out from the windows and gaps in the wall, illuminating and forming a small realm of warmth around them. A pair of amber eyes opened amidst the waves, staring at the two wooden huts. The ferocity within those eyes, however, had suddenly receded and was quickly replaced by deep apprehension. Afterward, it sank deep into the sea and vanished thereafter. In its vision, a beam of dark golden energy was shooting out from the log cabin and into the skies, shaking the wilderness in every direction. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 716: Encounter [V7C033C In Life and In Eternal Rest] The sun had risen once again after the uneventful night. The day and night here were different from Evernight, with each occupying half of each day. Qianye walked out of the log cabin under the faint light of dawn. He stood near the river for a while before returning with several big fish. In terms of catching fish, the Eye of Control was definitely better than its counterpart. After cleaning his catch and hanging them outside the house, Qianye brought out the booklet Lil Knife had left behind and began reading through it in detail. Life in the Eastern Desolace was largely dependent on the Eastern Sea. Seas are always abundant in natural resources, and the neutral lands were no exception. There were dozens of marine produce listed in the booklet, making up almost two-thirds of its contents. For instance, there was a type of snail that could be found among the shoal rocks with numerous golden lines running along its shell. The mollusk was merely the size of a finger, but its taste was exquisite and it served as a delicacy on the dining table of many a major character. This kind of sea snail wouldnt live past a single day after leaving the waters of the Eastern Sea and needed to be nourished with origin power at all times to keep it alive. Hence, the greater the distance from the sea, the higher its price. The price of this golden-threaded snail would rise over ten times in the core regions of the neutral lands. It wouldnt be too strange for prices to jump a thousand times back in the empire or Evernight lands. In the Eastern Desolace, most new pioneers would make a living gathering these creatures. Half a month of labor was enough to pay ones taxes. The lower he got down the list, the more Qianye felt that the Eastern Sea was a treasure trove. Just in the shallow sea region, there were more than ten types of rare shellfish in addition to several types of sea turtles and their eggs, both of which had medicinal uses. One could harvest blood corals deeper in the ocean, and a finger-sized piece of it was enough to pay half a year of taxes. Additionally, there were many rare ores lying on the seabed that could be fished up, provided one was lucky enough. There were also numerous fish species living close to the shallow sea region, and all of them were bona fide fierce beasts. Hence, it could be said that fierce beast meat could be found everywhere in the Eastern Desolace and the prices were fairly cheap. Not everyone, though, could hook up a fierce-beast-level fish. Without being a champion and the aid of the origin power in the environment, the fisherman could very well become the food for the fish. The river was also abundant in produce and ore beds. Qianye also found, to his surprise, that the wood from the Black Forest was also on the list, and the price was considerably high. Three whole logs or two logs carved into planks equaled a month of taxes. At this point, Qianye realized that the Black Grove wasnt as calm as it seemed on the surface. There were sure to be unnoticeable dangers withinwhy else would they offer such prices? Moreover, the roots of the trees in the Black Grove were interconnected and might have some other use. For instance, they might be able to produce mutant beast tides to clear out intruders, just like those in the Misty wood. Otherwise, why would the price difference between log and plank be so great? However, Qianye had carved at least ten logs into planks last night and had ten or so of them piled up nearby. Yet, he didnt notice any movement from the forest at all. Could it be that the forest was smart enough to know that Qianye wasnt easy to provoke? Qianye pondered while rubbing his chin and felt that it was definitely a possibility. A killer weapon like East Peak was indeed invincible against the wood. It could be that he had been too fast with his logging, and that had intimidated the Black Grove. Of course, he couldnt exclude the possibility that the forest was preparing for a large-scale counterattack. Qianye wasnt really too concerned about the counterattack of the Black Grove. This kind of mysterious zone wasnt much of a threat to him as long as he didnt go deep into its center. With regards to fierce beasts, there werent many that wouldnt go weak in the knees after seeing Zhuji, even the mature ones. Soon, he had reached the last page wherein was recorded a number of legendary treasures. Finding one of them would raise ones status and treatment by several levels, including the right to live in the core region and land a job with a major power. There was even a chance to obtain ones own floating island and become its ruler. Qianye had never seen any of the things on the list, nor had he even heard of them. However, the booklet contained detailed descriptions about these items to prevent people from missing them. And having nothing better to do, he decided to keep on reading about them. Thus, the description regarding the last two treasures jumped into Qianyes eyes. Thunderous Flame Crystal: Effects are similar and just slightly inferior to a corresponding origin power crystallization, originates from the great maelstrom, very rare. Marine Lotus: Effects mysterious and unclear, originates from the great maelstrom, only ever found once. Qianye was no stranger to the words great maelstrom, but he knew almost nothing about it. However, judging from how much attention both factions were paying to the quotas, it was clear that there were great fortunes there not inferior to the void essence from the depths of the floating continent. There was also a great maelstrom in the neutral lands? If that were the case, the abundance of resources here was probably even more significant than he had imagined. Why had the empire and Evernight not made a move on such a place? Perhaps there were other complications in this story. Qianye stowed the booklet away and rekindled the bonfire. He then cleaned a big fish and began cooking more fish stew. Qianyes skills were much better than the old man, and before long, the spreading aroma had even attracted the sleeping Zhuji. Nighteye walked out of the house and began helping Qianye set the table. Just like that, a hearty breakfast was soon ready. After consuming his morning meal, Qianye began making the house furniture. Most of his work involved producing wooden planks while the more detailed crafting was left to Nighteye and the old man. Household furniture was a piece of cake for the maker of the bullet. Little Zhuji was sent to catch fish by the riverside or pick up golden-threaded snails by the beach. In truth, she was completely unsuited for such detailed work, but Qianye wanted to give her something to do. Catching fish and searching for things also served to train her hunting skills. A whole set of furniture was completed in just one morning. Later on, Qianye added a workshop to the old mans house and built a standalone kitchen nearby. A basic home thus took form. The night was just as calm and everyone apart from Qianye slept soundly. When dawn arrived, Qianye headed to the small town to exchange some tools and supplies. Before coming to the neutral lands, he hadnt expected to have to build an entire house on a plot of empty land. Hence, there were many miscellaneous necessities he hadnt prepared. He had a lot of supplies on Andruils space, but most of them were ammunition, medicines, and pieces of spare armor. He had only prepared a small amount of ordinary water and food for emergencies. He naturally didnt want to use up a large amount of precious space on daily-use articles. They were sent here by truck, but he could only walk on his way back. It just so happened that Qianye wanted to probe the Black Grove, too. So, he strapped a bundle of wooden planks to his back and traveled along the border region. This time, perhaps because he was carrying the wooden planks, Qianye felt something off the moment he entered the Black Grove. The communication between the trees grew denser than before, and the leaves would sometimes sway against the wind in an attempt to turn toward Qianye. The ground trembled slightly as the entire forest began communicating with one another via the root system. Qianyes intuition told him that he had drawn the forests attention. A sentient forest? Equipped with his experience in the Misty Wood, Qianye wasnt afraid of this forest. The Misty Wood could suppress the perception of all trespassers to within ten metersbeing able to warp the environment to such a degree, now that was truly frightening. In truth, both factions had suffered grave casualties from the beast tides. Up to this point, none of them had managed to clearly understand how this forest had come into existence. The Black Grove couldnt be that powerful, no matter how mysterious it was. As Qianye went on, he suddenly noticed a black silhouette in front of him, almost as though someone was running through the woods. It was extremely fast and quite adept at hiding amidst the leaves. Add to that the absence of footsteps while running, it would be hard for any ordinary person to notice. Qianye activated the Eye of Truth and switched to origin power vision, immediately bringing the shadows trajectory into focus. What surprised Qianye, however, was that the black shadows origin power leaned toward neither daybreak nor evernight and, instead, the void attribute. Who wouldve thought this shadow would possess some characteristics of a void creature? Qianye became interested, but he pretended not to have sensed the other partys movements and kept on walking steadily. That black silhouette probed several times and gradually approached Qianye. Just as it was at its closest to Qianye, the latter smashed the nearby tree with his fist, sending out a wide-reaching shockwave. The origin power within the forest resonated with the shockwave and immediately grew chaotic. That black shadow was also affected by the disturbance and became petrified. Realizing that things werent looking good, it wanted to struggle and break free, but the very next thing it felt was Qianyes hand around its neck. It was actually a young woman. Her petite body was as slender as a young girl, and her skin was of a somewhat darker shade, glistening with moisture. She was clad in clothing stitched together from beast skin and was wearing metallic rings both on her wrist and neck. The strange part was that these rings made no sound when they struck against one another. The lady struggled with all her might. Her strength somewhat surprised Qianye because it was definitely not the power of a human. But Qianye was someone who could grapple with arachne, so how could such resistance get into his eyes? He swung the captive through the air and slammed her to the ground, stunning her on the spot. The girl eventually clambered up with great difficulty and glared at Qianye with ferocious eyes. Qianye crouched down in front of her and asked, Can you not speak? He asked repeatedly in the imperial, vampire, arachne, and even the common-use language but obtained no response. Just as Qianye was about to give up, she suddenly swung her hands together, striking the metallic rings together and emitting a crisp sound. Origin power surged along with the soundwaves, causing Qianye to grow dizzy and his vision to darken. He remained calm in the face of this sudden development. Supporting himself on the ground, he unleashed a deep roar and activated the power of his oceanic vortex. The surrounding space became congested with a strong pressure, under which even the giant trees began to creak and groan. Qianye felt a faint vibration at the edge of his domain and nothing more thereafter. That odd lady had escaped out of his domain in the blink of an eye. As expected, by the time Qianye had recovered and opened his eyes, there was no longer anyone near him. However, the malice of the woods gradually became more evident. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 717: Indigenous Race [V7C034C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Qianye got up and moved about, dispersing the numb sensation throughout his body. The ability that woman had used just now was origin oscillation, a power similar in nature to the one Qianye had used on the trees. However, the precision of her technique far surpassed Qianyes level. As far as he could remember, the Yin familys secret arts were famous for their origin oscillation powers. It was just that the origin power requirements were too great and the cultivation was difficulta successful cultivator would hardly appear in several generations. Hence, the Yin family had always been hovering around the high-ranking aristocratic family status. They had little chance of a promotion or a demotion. This strange girl was around about grade six in terms of origin power, yet she could already produce a resonance in Qianyes origin power. The strength of her origin oscillation was inconceivable. It could be assumed that this was a result of her environment and those peculiar metallic rings. Qianye made no attempt to give chase. That lady didnt leave any traces of her movements, and the origin power aura had disappeared entirely under the effects of the origin oscillation and oceanic might. The road thereafter was largely uneventful, and Qianye arrived at the little town once more. The two guards at the gates wore peculiar expressions when they saw Qianye carrying the wooden planksit was almost as though they were looking at a dead man. After exchanging a brief glance, one of them asked, Youre here to pay taxes or exchange for items? Both. Very well, follow me then. One of the guards led Qianye inside and headed straight toward the largest building in the town. Everyone who saw Qianye and his planks revealed shocked expressions, and some of them even gasped softly. But under the eyes of the stern town guards, no one dared to engage in private discussions. That building was, in fact, a market. There were dozens of stalls inside, peddling all kinds of wares. The tax office, which occupied about two stalls worth of space, had been squeezed into a corner. Qianye placed the wooden planks and a small pouch on the tax counter. The shrewd-looking old man behind the counter felt his face twitch upon seeing the wooden planks. His greediness became even more evident after opening the pouch. The bag was filled to the brim with golden-threaded snails, the fruits of Zhuji and Nighteyes labor. These snails were naturally adept at hiding, and it wasnt so easy for ordinary people to find them. At first, little Zhuji wasnt that good at searching, but a disaster descended upon the golden-threaded snails on the beach after Nighteye taught the lass how to use her nose. The arachnes sense of smell was almost comparable to the werewolves. The old man said while dragging the pouch toward him, This isnt quite enough to pay for the taxes, but seeing as how youre a newcomer, Ill take it easy on you and clear your taxes for the month. The mans hand had only reached halfway when it was pressed down by Qianye. You mustve made a mistake. The old man began screaming as though someone had stepped on his tail. Me? Wrong? Ive been collecting taxes here for decades. How can I be wrong? Brat, Im telling you, let go of my hand! Or else, my nephew will teach you how to conduct yourself! Qianyes expression remained wooden, but his grip grew tighter and tighter. The old man was only about rank four, so how could he withstand this force? As his old bones began to creak and groan, the man began shouting at the top of his lungs, Men! Kill him! Hes refusing to pay taxes! Two guards surrounded Qianye from either side and smashed at his head with their spiked iron rods. If the attacks had really connected, anyone below the champion rank would surely suffer heavy injuries. Qianye plucked the weapons from the guards with a wave of his left hand, and then he picked up the guard to his left and smashed him into the one on his right. A cringe-worthy thud echoed through the room as the two collided head to head, knocking both out on the spot. Qianye held the two rods together and twisted them into a single long staff. These two rods were ordinary weapons, but they were as thick as a fist. The spectators gasped upon seeing Qianye crush them into a single piece. The old man had even forgotten to stow the pouch away despite having regained his freedom. Qianye grabbed the old mans hand and pressed it on the counter. If you want to cheat people of their money, you better look at who that person is first. And you people, youre working for a salary, not selling your lives out. Dont throw your lives away just for this. Qianyes words stunned the guards who had just arrived. This person was clearly no saint, and the killing intent on him was very real. Their salary was indeed not worth throwing their lives away for. Qianye spoke no more. He lifted the truncheon he had just made and swung it down on the old mans hand! The elder let out a resounding scream of misery, but he simply couldnt pull his hands back. It was as though they had been bound in place by steel cuffs. Just as the hands were about to be crushed into a pulp, someone grabbed ahold of the weapon and managed to stop it just above the old mans hands. Qianye looked back and found that it was Lil Knife, the young man who had guided him to his new land. Despite his young age, his origin power was quite impressive at rank eight. Qianyes expression was cold as he sent his origin power crashing through the rod, impacting the young man several times in quick succession. Lil Knife felt as though he had been smashed by a giant hammerevery wave caused his face to turn red, and toward the end, his handsome face had become a purplish red. Just when it looked like he was about to cough up blood, the shockwaves suddenly disappeared. Qianye said indifferently, It would seem the taxes you described yesterday are far less than the actual amount. How come the tax policy has been changed in a single day? It took great effort for Lil Knife to calm down his energy, and his eyes were full of apprehension as he gazed at Qianye. He knew that the other party had shown mercy, else he wouldve been gravely injured for certain. What he didnt know was that Qianye could kill him in a single burst, if he so wished. Are you planning to cause trouble here? Dont forget that this is the Wolf Kings territory! Lil Knife threatened. Qianye replied calmly, The Wolf King wont want his subordinates to pocket his money, either. Besides, no matter whose territory this is, he cant stop anyone from dying in their homes at night, can he? You Lil Knife glared at Qianye but was discouraged to find that the latter was unmoved. The latters threat was realLil Knife wouldnt have the power to retaliate if Qianye were to break into his home at night. Things ran pragmatically in the neutral lands, and no one would spend time on a dead person. Hence, Lil Knife chose to lower his head. He pointed at the old man and said, This is my uncle. Can you overlook this matter once out of consideration for his old age? Well halve your tax this month. Fine. Qianye didnt drag things out, either, and simply tossed the rod to the ground. The old man still stowed the pouch away, but this time, he came back with ten or so imperial gold coins. This money exceeded Qianyes original estimation. According to Lil Knife, the golden-threaded snails Qianye had brought were of great quality and was thus worth this price. Shall we find a place to drink later on? Tell me what you need to buy and Ill arrange things for you, said Lil Knife. Okay. It just so happened that Qianye wanted to chat with someone and learn more about the power distribution in the Neutral lands. Moments later, the two sat down in the tavern and downed a few glasses of alcohol. The slight intoxication made their conversation much more casual. Qianye gained a general understanding of the neutral lands after some conversation. The lands were, at first, the territory of pirates, fugitives, and indigenous races, but the influx of experts from the two factions changed the power balance. The dominant races at present were humans, werewolves, vampires, arachne, and indigenous races. The arrival of the mysterious vampire expert and his Shattered Moment caused the vampire race to rise in power, gradually becoming the number one race in the neutral lands. However, the relationship between the races was much more complicated than the two major factions. For instance, the Eastern Desolace was a human domain, but its leader, the Wolf King, was a werewolf. During a great war thirty years ago, he was defeated and subdued by the human races greatest expert, Zhang Buzhou. Just like that, he was dispatched to the Eastern Desolace to watch over it. Zhang Buzhous subordinates werent limited to the Wolf King alone. There were many other dark race experts under his command, even somewhat more than their human counterparts. It was also the same for other powerful dark race expertsthey had men from many different races in their employ, with no lack of humans. Only the indigenous race was pure because they saw every other race as enemies. This was a fact that had never changed before. In the neutral lands, factions were no longer the basis for dividing power. Strength and territory were the only unchanging standards. The Eastern Desolace was extremely vast. The Wolf King only occupied half the land here, and only a small part of it was currently habited. Not to mention the others, just the terrifying temperature difference between day and night was enough to deter the weak, ordinary humans. In the Eastern Desolace, pioneering new land in the wilderness was everyones main target. It was just that progress hadnt been all that great after so many years. After gaining a general understanding of the situation, Qianye changed the topic, Whats so dangerous about the Black Grove? Lil Knife said with an awkward expression, What did you see? Just tell me what you know. Lil Knife knew he couldnt gloss over this. The Black Grove is quite strange. Its coverage area often changes, and the indigenous races always appear wherever the forest is. They have a vendetta against us, and its not just toward humansthe same goes for the vampires, werewolves, and every other external race. For instance, the Dreamland Kingdom on the central continent used to be their capital. All the indigenous people there were wiped out when the kingdom was built. Qianye nodded. This kind of story was fairly common in the pioneering history of the empire. Lil Knife continued, Theres a mysterious connection between the Black Grove and the indigenous people. Whoever chops the trees there will rouse the races ire and might even be hunted down. Then, why do you have the Black Grove lumber in the tax list? Lil Knife answered awkwardly, Its like this. Wood from the Black Grove is of the highest quality and will never rot even if left for a hundred years. It is a great material for building airships and sailing ships. And the ignorant newcomers who had felled the trees there will be targeted by the indigenous races, so theyll have no choice but to seek your protection. Qianye smiled coldly. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 718: Snack [V7C035C In Life and In Eternal Rest] Lil Knife rubbed his hands uneasily. That is indeed the case for other people, but it definitely wont affect you. How can these indigenous people be your match? Qianye mightve been deceived if he hadnt encountered this race. After his brief meeting with that woman, however, Qianye realized that these natives might pose a big problem. No race capable of controlling void energy was easy to deal with. Qianye had no intention of causing trouble for Lil Knife, and neither was there any use in doing so. He believed the intimidation was enough to force them to play by the rules. If these people still refused to take a step back, he didnt really mind waking them up by killing a few people in the night. Mercy was meaningless in the neutral lands. People were more likely to take advantage of it instead. By the time the two had drunk and eaten to their heart''s content, the goods Qianye needed were also ready. The most important item among them was a truck. The vehicle seemed to be five parts new, and Qianye found that the important components were fairly well-maintained. As such, he accepted the car and had the crates loaded onto it. A part of them was food and the remainder were machine parts, steel rods, alloy plates, etc. Additionally, half of the truck was filled with black stone to use as fuel. A while later, Qianye left the little town on his new truck. The engine wheezed and trembled as it slowly hauled the heavy vehicle forward, puffing out steam from time to time. This truck was an old design from over a century ago and could no longer be found in the empire. Yet one could find such vehicles everywhere throughout the neutral lands, and they were fairly popular with the local populace. Qianye finally understood why he would often see these antiques in the neutral lands. This car, for instance, was fairly old, but its construction was simple and its operation, stable. Repairing it was also fairly easy. All but the dumbest people could learn to maintain most of its components at home, the engine being the only exception. Most intricate arrays simply couldnt function under the harsh environment of the neutral lands. Some of the famous imperial battleships models would hardly be able to start their engines here, not to mention activate their special abilities. After Qianyes departure, Lil Knife hurried over to meet the leader of this small town, a burly man named Iron Bear. Iron Bear was on a reclining chair, enjoying the warm sunlight. There was a teacup in his left hand while his right hand was fiddling with a blood-stained daggerthe scene was a gross mismatch. Lil Knife walked over to the burly man and whispered something in his ears. Iron Bear said with a frown, He almost made you cough up blood just by attacking with his origin power? His strength isnt bad then, might even be a champion. Champion? Lil knife was somewhat flabbergasted. Isnt that the same as your level? This little one cant handle that much. Iron Bear laughed coldly as he crushed the dagger in his right hand into a steel ball, the sharp edge causing no damage at all to his skin. He tossed the ball to the ground and said in a sinister tone, This daddy is a rank-eleven champion, not ten. Besides, so what if that brat is at the same level? Those imperial champions are so squishy that its like they never grew any balls. Didnt that rank-twelve guy we met last time die in my hands? Feeling quite relieved, Lil Knife proceeded to shower the man with flattery. Iron Bear glared at him unhappily and said, If you had invested more in cultivation, youd be a champion too by now. Now, look at you! Besides, I know all too well about the mess youre caught up in. Looking to make a quick buck is fine, but dont cause trouble for me. Otherwise, its too easy for this daddy to find another bootlicker. Lil Knife chuckled mischievously. There are a lot of people who can do bootlicking but not many with a good sister. Iron Bears expression changed immediately. He glared at Lil Knife and said, Dont talk nonsense around your sister! Iron Bears expression recovered only after seeing Lil Knife nod. You little brat, youre all about schemes and tricks. Little Knife smiled mischievously. My greatest dream is to take your place after you retire. Whats the point of going through so much hardship? Iron Bear said with a humph, Speak, what exactly do you want? You have designs on that young man? The woman with him is of the highest grade! Tempted? Lil Knife shook his head. No, thats not something I can touch. Even a little bit of contact might invite disaster. Iron Bear nodded in satisfaction. Now thats more like it. Otherwise, Id have to teach you a lesson in your sisters stead. Enough with the crap, what are your thoughts? Lil Knife pondered for a while and said, That brat has hidden his powers quite well, but hes still a newcomer. After all, he even chopped the trees from the Black Grove. I caught the scent of special wood from his body, which means hes chopped down more than just a few trees and may even be building something like a log cabin. There are quite a lot of idiots like him. That being said, why dont we sound him out? You mean, you want to use that thing on him? Wouldnt that be a waste? Little Knife said, I have a feeling that these people are somewhat strange, I wont feel easy without probing them. Boss, think about it, the other side made no special mention of them when they arrived. The only thing they said was that we should give them a bit more land. This isnt normal! Even if the other side hadnt figured his power out, they mustve gotten some background information at least. Iron Bear nodded after a moment of contemplation. Makes sense. Now that I think of it, it feels like those people are trying to defraud us. Fine! Maneuver the beasts and test him out. If he cant even handle the beast horde and natives, we can just Lil Knife didnt continue speaking and only made a cut-throat gesture. It was near sundown by the time Qianye got back to the log house, and a chill was fast spreading in the wind. The road back from the little town was only ten or so kilometers, but Qianye had to drive almost three hours. He was practically speechless about this old truck. From a different perspective, though, this car hadnt malfunctioned after jolting its way through a virtually unpaved region. Now, that was fairly rare. There were numerous sacks near the log cabin, filled with seashells of all shapes and sizes that Zhuji had caught. Her interest in fishing for things had increased greatly after learning to use her sense of smell. Fortunately, she didnt know how to swim very well, otherwise, she mightve gone into the deeper parts of the ocean. Nighteye was sitting outside the house, processing the wooden planks. One after the other, she cut them open and sharpened them on one end. These stakes would form the basic components for building a fence. It would seem she was planning to divide the land into two courtyards. The vampiric blade in Nighteyes hands was Qianyes. Had it any sentience, the grade seven dagger would probably kill itself after finding out that it was being used to carve wood. Seeing the several wooden planks being trimmed into shape, Qianye understood that Nighteye had recovered a good portion of her strength. With the high-grade blood crystals Song Zining had arranged for her, full recovery was only a matter of timeprobably just a couple of days more. It was just that the body could recover easily, but there was no way to heal the soul. With the formation of new memories, Nighteye was gradually forgetting all that she was in the past. She could only remember a few of the most important events of her past, for instance, about the Monroe clan and Andruil. This was a recollection that came from the bloodline and thus wasnt affected by the soul. After returning home, Qianye passed the parts in the truck to the old man while he himself began working with Nighteye to build the courtyard fence. With his help, the construction business became exceptionally fast, and by the time night arrived, the two log cabins had been surrounded by a yard. He even added a second floor to the log cabin while he was at it. At nighttime, Qianye brought Zhuji back to the courtyard from the beach. Just as he was about to go back, he suddenly discovered a human silhouette in the forest. By virtue of his morning experience, Qianye felt that it might be one of the natives who had come to seek revenge for his logging activities in the Black Grove. The origin oscillation attack, however, would only work as a surprise attack. Now that Qianye was guarded against it, he needed only to activate his origin defenses to disperse most of the attack power. Hence, he paid it no heed and continued home with Zhuji. He knew very well by now that these indigenous people liked to hold grudges. If he killed one of them, there would likely be no end to his troubles later on. Fortunately, the house was a fair distance from the Black Grove. If these natives dared leave the woods and launch an attack, Qianye wouldnt mind giving them a painful lesson. But that figure didnt leave the Black Grove and, instead, tossed out a metallic can. The container flew for several hundred meters before falling to the ground. There, it burst open immediately and began emitting strands of white smoke. Qianye broke into a slight frown. He dragged Zhuji into the courtyard and closed the gates behind him. The first thing he did afterward was tell the old man to hide in the basement. The latter was the least powerful among them, and a mere shockwave could injure him. Feeling relieved after hiding the old man, Qianye jumped onto the rooftop and began scanning the area around the Black Grove. The white smoke spread out rapidly and soon covered several kilometers in radius. Moments later, the ground began to shake and the Black Grove was filled with the roars of beasts. The howling was akin to the raging tides and likely belonged to a horde of fierce beasts, numbering in the hundreds. The tightly-packed beast horde soon rushed out of the Black Grove and made for the smoke-covered area. These creatures became incomparably restless after entering the smoke, and soon, the newly constructed courtyard nearby became a glaring target for them. The beast horde charged out of the smoke amidst fierce roars and went straight for the little courtyard. Qianye stood on the rooftop with a cold smile, gazing at the distant forest where he knew the true mastermind was hiding. As expected, many figures suffused with void origin power appeared in the Black Grove. It would seem a fair number of natives had gathered here. Qianyes cold smile became even more apparent as he pointed at the beast horde and said, Zhuji, snack-time! Its called collecting ingredients! Little Zhuji protested. She was quite picky now and only ate things cooked personally by Qianyenot even the old mans dishes were good enough. After issuing a brief protest, her petite figure crashed right through the fence and charged into the beast horde. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 719: True Danger [V7C036C In Life and In Eternal Rest] With a loud boom, Zhujis charge actually broke the incoming beast horde into two halves. The beasts right in front of Zhuji were sent flying into the air. Grabbing and tossing randomly, the little fellow threw dozens of fierce beasts around. By the time they had fallen back down, the unfortunate creatures were either dead or incapacitated. Later on, when the lass had gotten into the mood, she simply picked up a rhinoceros by its hind legs and began smashing the other beasts with it. This creature was two meters tall, weighed several tons, and its skin was as sturdy as metal. Yet, it had no room for struggle after landing in Zhujis hands and was soon seeing stars. Zhuji let loose her voice and unleashed a shrill but sweet-sounding cry. Her voice might sound cute to ordinary people, but most beasts would turn limp and collapse. Most of these fierce beasts, however, had been agitated by the white smoke and didnt quite succumb to Zhujis threat. At this moment, a sad, distant tune of a flute arrived from the forest. Its melody was as peculiar as it was ancient and reminded everyone of the vicissitudes of time. Upon hearing the tune, many of the intimidated beasts clambered up once more. A part of them pounced at Zhuji while the others circled around the little fellow and made for the camp. The group at the van was made up of large, thick-skinned beasts with great strength. Not to mention a frail log cabin, they might even be able to level a castle made of limestone and steel. Judging from the movement of these beasts, Qianye understood that the natives were aiming to destroy his newly built home. In the eyes of the beasts and indigenous people, this area was probably their territory. Now that a newcomer had suddenly built a base here, it was only natural for them to not accept it. Zhuji was, after all, still a kid and somewhat lacking in combat experience. A careless move allowed a panther-sized beast to latch onto her leg and drag her to the ground. Many beasts swarmed over at this point and sank their sharp fangs into the little girl, attempting with all their might to tear her apart. With Zhuji temporarily suppressed and tied down, the remainder of the beast horde marched past and made for the camp. At this point, Nighteye walked out from the hole Zhuji had made and faced the incoming horde. There was only a single vampiric blade in her hand. Qianye was rather worriedhe knew Nighteye had recovered somewhat, but in his heart, he still saw her as the weak lady whom he had just rescued from the military stronghold, one who could barely even walk. Qianyes figure flickered and reappeared near Nighteye. His golden blood energy only flashed briefly before all the beasts in the vicinity fell prone to the ground. Unable to stop the inertia, some of the giant beasts carved out long ditches in the ground as they came to a sudden stop. Those in the front had just stopped when the ones at the back crashed into them, sending the beast tide into a chaotic tumble that covered the entire area. A silver panther-like fierce beast scuttled through the crowd and pounced at Nighteye, aiming straight for her throat! Those free of the golden blood energys intimidation were all rare mutant breeds. This silver panther was extremely fast and actually caught Qianye unprepared. Qianye was shocked because he wouldnt be able to unsheath East Peak in time. He opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of origin power, in an attempt to kill this mutant species with his pure Venus Dawn energy. This method would pose a huge drain on origin powereven someone of his level could only manage a few such attacks. He had just opened his mouth when a gentle satin-like hand covered his mouth, stopping his origin power from shooting out. Nighteye shot Qianye a glance and said with a smile, Stupid! She waved her other hand at Qianye, in which the silver panther was hanging by the neck, immobile and with its four limbs hanging flaccidly. Nighteye was the Monroe Princess for a reason. Combat had more or less become an instinct after the awakening of her bloodline, and she wasnt inferior to Qianye in terms of combat techniquebeasts like these were a walk in the park for her. A fierce beast clad in thick armor charged toward them with its head lowered. Nighteye rose with the wind, stabbing the beast lightly as she flew past the creature. The blade went straight for the beasts vitals and pierced in all the way to its hilt. She ran alongside the creature for a moment before leaping toward the next beast. The armored beast galloped for several hundred meters before its legs went limp, and it collapsed with a boom. Nighteye moved so lithely that it seemed like she was weightless, jumping from one beast back to the other. Whichever beast she touched would fall to the ground soon afterward. Watching her fight was like enjoying a danceit was inexplicably pleasing to the eyes. On the other side, Qianye was moving in large strides. His movements were simple and crudeevery swing of East Peak would mow down a large swathe of beasts. At this point, it almost seemed as though Qianye and Nighteye had forgotten Zhuji. On the other end of the battlefield was a small mountain of beasts huddled up together, and below them, Zhuji was tearing and dragging at the creatures to no avail. She struggled with all her might at first, but her little face became more and more depressed after the fruitless struggle. In the end, she began to cry loudly. However, she only let out a single wail before stopping. Her eyes gradually transformed into an amber color and her pupils became vertical. With a sudden scream, her little hands drew back from the mouths of two giant beasts. This dragging force was so great that it sheared off several dozens of the beasts teeth, leaving the beasts howling in agony. Zhuji hated them to the boneshe grabbed one of them by the upper jaw while pressing its mandible down with her feet. The simultaneous pull and stomp forcibly tore the beasts head apart! She followed the same pattern and finished off several other giant beasts. The fierce creatures finally felt fear and began to disperse, hoping to flee from this terrifying enemy. After several fights in succession, Zhuji began swaying about and almost tripped over. Her young age meant that her tenacity and stamina were still limited. Seeing Zhuji unable to hold out, Qianye finally lost his patience. He pointed East Peak at the forest and said coldly, Either come out or scram! Otherwise, Ill not only wipe out this group of wild beasts but also chop down this forest! Several figures flashed within the Black Grove, but it was unknown whether or not they understood Qianyes words. Meanwhile, Lil Knife and Iron Bearunder the cover of leafy cloakswere staring at the battlefield with their mouths wide open. Lil Knife touched Iron Bear and said softly, Boss, that kid seems to be quite fierce. Why dont we just let it be? Iron Bear said with a serious expression. No rush, lets watch for a while longer. They wont discover us, will they? Iron Bear snorted. The Black Grove can interfere with peoples perceptions, and were also quite far away. How can he see us? So what even if he does? Well just fight him! Iron Bear was full of vigor, but Lil Knife wasnt quite confident about the odds. Qianye repeated his words once more, but he revealed a cold smile after seeing no reaction from the forest. Countless red threads flickered around his body for a brief moment. Moments later, all the beasts nearby began to stagger as though they were drunk and fell down one after the other. Qianye crossed dozens of meters in a single step and arrived in the midst of yet another group of beasts. The same sanguineous threads flickered around him and annihilated all the creatures therein. Such a killing method shocked the natives in the Black Grove, startling them for a short moment. The hurried tune of a flute emerged from the woods soon after. As though they had just received a great amnesty, the beasts all tucked their tails between their legs and escaped toward the Black Grove. The flute tunes became increasingly urgent, full of anxiety and anger. As Qianye listened closely to the flute, the Book of Darkness in his consciousness flipped continuously, and a secret art soon appeared on its pages at the expense of a large amount of essence blood. Qianye raised East Peak and flicked its edge with his finger, emitting a clear, penetrative sound. This silent note was actually quite similar to the tune of the flute. It resonated with the sound waves from the flute and caused them to rise abruptly. Soon afterward, a gentle pop rang out as the flute cracked apart. A faint cry of misery erupted from the forest, followed by a series of furious screams. Several of the figures inside the forest ran to its edges and waved their weapons at Qianye. Qianye sneered and raised a middle-finger at them. Although this gesture wasnt applicable everywhere, the disdain in his action was noticeable by all intelligent creatures. The silhouettes in the forest became increasingly furious and seemed to be on the verge of rushing out. At this moment, however, the figure of a young girl dragged them back into the forest one by one. Qianye remembered this girlshe was the young girl he had encountered in the forest during the day. It would seem she was shocked quite badly back then and thus refused to let her tribesmen rush to their deaths. Since the natives werent willing to do battle, Qianye didnt plan to eradicate them, either. Moreover, he wanted to leave them with a false impression that the forest was a hindrance to him. In truth, Qianyes vision was five hundred meters even in the Misty Wood, making this Black Grove no different from an ordinary forest. If these natives made any big movements with the support of their woodland advantage, Qianye was prepared to directly kill their leader and give them an unforgettable lesson. With the natives gone, the surviving beasts also fled completely. The ground near the courtyard was littered with fierce beast carcasses, at least a couple hundred of them. This solved the food problem for Zhuji and the othersthe only issue was how to store them. Qianye took advantage of the frigid weather at night to open up the ice cap on the river and brought back a large piece of ice. He then threw all the carcasses onto the pile of ice and began digging a large pit, prepared to build a food storage chamber. Apart from a few dozen well-preserved carcasses, Qianye planned to ship the rest to town and sell them. Most of the beasts here had been drained of essence blood by Qianye and Nighteye, which greatly subtracted from their value. But the merchants buying the meat wouldnt know this, and neither would it affect the taste of the meatit was just that Zhuji wouldnt spare a second glance for them. The battle that night could be considered a thorough victory and Zhuji was showing signs of advancement. But Qianye didnt feel relieved at all. It would only take three fully-equipped champions to stop this level of a stampede. This threat didnt quite match the sense of danger Qianye was feeling. To him, the current attack wasnt even a threat at all. The true enemy was hiding in the depths of the ocean. It was yet another sundown and the town had grown quietapart from the only tavern in the settlement, most areas were now empty. The chill in the air grew more intense with the rising wind, driving away the warmth of the daytime in its entirety. The water that had accumulated on the ground was quickly turning to ice. By midnight, the frostiness of the wind cut right to the bone. No one below rank six would dare go outdoors at such a time. Lil Knife walked out from the tavern at this moment, wrapped in a thick cloak that left only his eyes exposed to the outside. Even so, he shivered when the wind blew past and came close to tripping over. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 720: The Path of Death He sped up his steps while cursing the damned weather. At this moment, the bright flame of his home hearth was exceptionally attractive to him. Lil Knife planned to add a piece of Dark Grove firewood into the fireplace after getting home. A single piece of it was enough to warm up the house for the entire night. He wouldnt be able to enjoy such a luxury if not for greenhorns like Qianye. Lil Knife soon arrived home. Light and warmth rushed at his face as soon as he entered, as well as the sight of his beautiful, smart wife, preparing tea and snacks in the living room. The fact that she was still awake and waiting for him filled Lil Knifes heart with warmth. However, he was startled upon entering the living room because there was someone sitting there, and a man no less! He was instantly overcome by fury. With a shake of his right hand, a thin, hiltless blade appeared in his grasp. This knife was the source of his nickname, a blade that had slit all too many throats. Hearing the incoming footsteps, the man in the living room turned about calmly. Lil Knifes hands shook upon seeing the mans face. His blade fell out of his hands, yet he didnt even notice it. Its you?! The one in the living room was, of course, Qianye. After witnessing this newcomers divine might as he made short work of the beast horde, Lil Knife had given up entirely on any designs he mightve had before. Now that Qianye had suddenly appeared in his house, the man quickly recalled his warning from that day. At this moment, there was no doubt in Lil Knifes heart, only bitterness. What he said was actually true. Qianye glanced at the knife on the ground and said, You dropped your knife. Lil Knife smiled wryly. Will that even make a difference? With that, Lil Knife sat down beside the table and looked straight at Qianye. Do what you want to me, but let her go. I kidnapped her back in the year, she knows nothing. Qianye said with a faint smile, Its no use playing hero in front of me. I cant let her leave and spread the news. An unknown murderer is the best kind of threat. Lil Knife turned pale. Iron Bear wont let you go. Qianye replied calmly, Ill go find him after dealing with you. Lil Knife was shocked. You! You know about last night? Qianye revealed a spurious smile. What do you think? Lil Knife grabbed his head and said, We didnt want to kill you. W-We were just testing you out. Using a beast horde and the natives? Not a bad way to probe someone, I must say. If they succeed, itll save you a lot of work, wont it? No, of course not. Weve already gotten an idea of your combat strength. This kind of probe will give you some difficulty at most, nothing lethal. Why would you want to sound me out? We wanted you to form an enmity with the natives and attract their attention. That way, youd need to rely on our support to survive. Additionally, Iron Bear hopes you can take root in that place, buffering the threats from the sea and the other shore. Whats there in the sea and the other shore? A mist will sometimes rise there, a very special kind, youll understand when you see it. Theres a kind of creature in that mist. No one knows what it looks like because no one has come out alive after being surrounded by the mysterious fog. Additionally, true high-ranking fierce beasts will appear when the mist arises, and those are nothing like the trash from yesterday. The only one in town who can fight them is Iron Bear, and even he needs fire support from the town to push those beasts back. Qianye nodded seriously. Qianye had a good idea of Iron Bears strengththe man could be considered a fierce general even in the imperial elite corps. Those who could oversee an entire region in the neutral lands were all powerful people. Qianye leaned closer and said, Times up. Now tell me, why shouldnt I kill you? The woman wanted to say something, but Lil Knife stopped her with a glare. He then pondered for a while before saying, In the future, we wont make things difficult for you, ever again. Your taxes can be halved; thats the very minimum. Also, youll get fair prices throughout the town. You might be able to get more out of Iron Bear, but this is the best I can do. After saying that, Lil Knife closed his eyes. I know these conditions dont count for much, just do it. But that throat slit he was waiting for didnt arrive. Instead came a reply, Deal. Ah, impossible! Lil Knife jumped out of his seat. Qianye got up and patted the womans shoulders. She bears your child, this is the only reason youre alive. Both delighted and surprised, Lil Knife hugged the woman tightly. Watching Qianye about to leave, he called out hurriedly, Tell Iron Bear to think more about my sister, otherwise, hell do stupid things! Qianye smiled but left without making any comment. Moments later, Qianye was standing within the large residence at the center of town. He closed the door behind him, blocking out the biting chill as well as all the guards strewn across the grounds. In front of him, Iron Bear was struggling to clamber up, and there was blood seeping out of his mouth as he glared at Qianye with eyes full of hate. He charged over again with a loud roar, the muscles in his body pulsating as though there were snakes moving beneath his skin. He swung his fist after arriving in front of Qianye, eliciting a crisp bang as an umbrella of ripples spread out from his fist. However, Qianye raised East Peak and brushed Iron Bears fist away with the hilt. Then, he borrowed the momentum to spin the heavy blade about, smacking the mans belly with the sheathed blade. This time, Iron Bear had no more power left to fight or even lift his head for that matter. But there was still an unyielding glint in his eyes. The Wolf King wont let you go! Qianye crouched down in front of the man and said calmly, Dont you think Im more useful to the Wolf King than you? Why would he want you instead? Iron Bears expression turned ugly. In the end, this position of his was something he had robbed from the previous town mayor several years ago. His predecessor had been tossed into the Eastern Seaeven his remains were nowhere to be found. Youre just a newcomer, Iron Bear squeezed out a single sentence. Qianye replied, Ill be the experienced one as long as I kill the old-timer, you for instance. Its just that simple. Iron Bull lowered his head. Do it. Remember to drag the men outside into the house afterward. Otherwise, theyll freeze to death. Ho? You seem to cherish your subordinates quite a bit. Do you think someone who can come to such a place will fall for that? Qianye asked expressionlessly. Iron Bear sighed. This place will still have you after I die, but if you leave one day, this town will be finished without those guards. Therell be no one to stop those natives. Do you have anything to tell Lil Knifes sister? Iron Bear became enraged. With strength from god knows where, he stood up, roaring, Ill tear you apart if you dare touch a hair of hers. But he only managed to move a couple of steps before falling to the ground. Only then did Qianye say, Thats what Lil Knife asked me to tell you. Iron Bear wasnt stupidthe mans determination to fight to the death receded after realizing what was going on. He sighed. Indeed, those words wouldve fallen on deaf ears if you hadnt beaten me black and blue. Fine, speak, what do you want me to do? Ill do anything, even if it costs me my life, but you must promise to take care of my wife and kids if I die. I dont need subordinates yet. But, I want detailed information on the Great Maelstrom and the two products that come from it. Iron Bear was astonished. You want to go to the Great Maelstrom? Qianye quickly grasped the important message. That means those in the neutral lands can go to the Great Maelstrom? Iron Bear nodded and said with some measure of arrogance, To be precise, the only fixed pathway to the Great Maelstrom is in the neutral lands. People from other places like the empire and Evernight can only enter via temporary passages. Qianye was somewhat astonished. If thats the case, why do humans and dark races not come to rob this place? Can the neutral lands withstand the combined assault of the two factions? Iron Bear replied, Rob? How can it be so easy!? Weve done in the expeditionary fleets from the empire and Evernight more than once. When the time comes, the entirety of the neutral lands will defend the lands as a single entity. Besides, you think were putting up a fight alone? There are hundreds of small nations supporting us. What else is there? Qianye inquired. With how valuable the Great Maelstrom was, the two factions didnt hesitate to fight a battle like the one that had taken place in Indomitable. If there really was a stable passage, then both the human heavenly monarchs and dark race great monarchs would surely take action to obtain some more quotas. They wouldnt let the neutral lands hog all the profits. Iron Bear knew quite a bit, too. Being closely questioned by Qianye, he replied in a rather embarrassed manner, The passage in the neutral lands is actually not that easy to use. Its highly unstable despite existing perpetually. I heard that even divine champions and marquis wont last long in there during violent fluctuations. Hence, we always recruit a batch of people on death row each year to enter the passage and see if any lucky bastard would make it back alive. Tens of thousands have entered the passage throughout the years, but only twenty have ever returned alive. Now that was more reasonable. So it turned out that this passage was a path of death; no wonder the two factions werent interested. Continue to collect more information regarding this matter, the more details the better. Additionally, I also want more detailed intelligence on the natives. Iron Bear agreed. Are you planning something big? Qianye smiled while shaking his head. What I want is to prevent others from doing something big to me. Iron Bear understood some things but was still puzzled about some others. However, Qianye had already turned to leave. After watching Qianyes silhouette disappear in the distance, Iron Bear summoned his men and instructed them to move the guards in the courtyard to someplace warm. It was well past midnight by the time he had finished all the arrangements. A chilly wind blew over, and the biting cold caused Iron Bear to shiver abruptly. He suddenly realized that Qianye was only wearing a single unlined garment, yet he was able to move unrestrained in this kind of frigid weather. Iron Bear shivered once more at the thought of this. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 721: Duel of Words In a corner of the City of Indomitable, there was a small, unassuming building under heavy protection. The guards had sealed off all the roads around it and the rooftops nearby had been outfitted with two ballistaenot even a fly could get past the blockade. A series of off-road vehicles arrived beneath the building. One could see, from their insignias, that the people getting off from them were all important characters. Moments later, a car painted in the colors of the military stopped in front of the small building and out of it came Wu Daoyu and another general. That general looked around at the defensive power around them and felt somewhat astonished. He whispered as they began walking into the building, Marshal Wu, how come the Ancestral Fortune Palace is here with such a big lineup? Wu Daoyus expression was quite unsightly. The proof is irrefutable in this case. No matter who comes, theres no way they can turn the tables. The general replied hurried, Thats true, thats true. But the worry on his face was unconcealable. Clearly, he didnt feel that things would go so easily. The duo arrived at the second floor and was led into the parlor. At this moment, there were eight people in the small room. They were all commanding characters from the nobility stationed at Indomitable. The only families that hadnt arrived were the Zhao and Zhang. Wu Daoyu took his seat and snorted, What arrogance! The general quickly prodded the man. Only then did Wu Daoyu realize that his criticism just now also involved the Zhang clan. Nonetheless, he only responded with a snort. The marshal had always exhibited himself as upright and frank, so he had no intention of taking back his words. Moments later, the people from the Zhang and Zhao clans arrived. The Zhang clan was represented by a middle-aged elder who held the rank of Marquis Mountainpass, a position just right for the event. Meanwhile, the Zhao clan fielded Zhao Junhong, which rather surprised everyone present. This Zhao clan young master was the least heard of among the four and had only started to display his brilliance in the recent years. Although his steady and capable style had garnered the recognition of many people, he was still too young and lacking in both contribution and power compared to others at the scene. Wu Daoyus face was full of dissatisfaction upon seeing Zhao Junhong, but the other aristocratic families were largely unmoved. The Zhang clan elder even greeted him at the door. After everyone was present, a well-groomed man in his thirties walked out from the interior, greeted everyone with cupped hands, and then stood to the side. Soon afterward, a man with a meticulously trimmed beard, slender brows, and a noble demeanor walked in and greeted everyone with a smile. Astonished, everyone stood up and bowed. Prince Rui! Prince Rui nodded in response and picked a seat near the periphery. He then gestured for everyone to sit down, saying, No need for formalities. I was bored at the imperial capital, so I asked the emperor for some random errands and took this opportunity for a stroll. Im only here to spectate today. The actual matters will be decided by Sire Sun Chao from the Ancestral Fortune Palace. Sun Chao bowed expressionlessly and said with a monotonous voice, This officer is Sun Chao of the Ancestral Fortune Palace, here on orders to investigate Zhao Jundus alleged collusion with the vampires. Two people in the audience were whispering to one another. How come the Ancestral Fortune Palace is taking action this time? The other person replied, Are you dumb? Zhao Jundu is the child of Princess Gaoyi and thus has imperial blood running through his veins. Its only right and proper for the palace to appear. The first person finally understood, and then fell into contemplation. The Ancestral Fortune Palace had always been a noble existence. They only paid attention to matters related to the imperial family, and ordinary ministers might never even see people from the palace in their lifetime. Zhao Jundu was indeed the son of a princess, but his imperial bloodline was neither too strong nor weak. Sun Chao, on the other hand, looked like a man with a heart made of steel and stone. Assigning such a person to handle this matter was indeed very thought-provoking. The audience returned to their seats, each with their own thoughts. Most of them had assumed a neutral stance before coming here, prepared to watch the debate between the military and the Zhao clan. To be precise, it was a contest between the Zhao clan and the minister of the right. However, the appearance of the Ancestral Fortune Palace and Prince Rui himself made things a lot more interesting. Those at the scene began thinking whether they should take sides. Prince Rui glanced at Zhao Junhong and nodded with a smile. This action put a new thought in the minds of many spectators. Wu Daoyu wasnt willing to let the situation develop toward his own disadvantage. He immediately began speaking, Qianye is known as a human but is, in truth, a vampire. This evidence is irrefutable. Zhao Jundu had accepted Qianye into his secondary residence for a long time now. With the Zhao clans power, how can they not know that a vampire had been hiding amongst them? What is this if not a collusion!? According to the imperial law, those who collude with the vampires are common enemies and should be put to death. Itll be difficult to placate the masses without executing Zhao Jundu. These words were powerful and resonating, but all the aristocratic families remained expressionless, almost as though they were all deaf. Zhao Junhong smiled faintly. Our Zhao clan has pioneered new land for the empire and killed countless enemies. How many of our ancestors have died on the battlefield? If everyone starts making groundless accusations about negligible matters and speak without thinking, how can there be any loyal subjects left? I, on the other hand, want to ask Marshal Wu what he was doing at that time? Wu Daoyu jumped up from his seat. A mere junior dares dishonor me? Youre courting death! With that, he raised his right palm and made to chop down. With the marshals strength, Zhao Junhong would have no power to resist if the attack were to land on him. Nonetheless, the Zhao clan young master seemed to be devoid of all fear. Throughout the entire process, he merely gazed at Wu Daoyu with a mocking smile. Zhao Junhongs perseverance seemed to have surprised the old man. Killing intent emerged suddenly in his eyes as he chopped down with his palm. The moment his right hand moved, all members of the nobility were astonished. Who wouldve thought the man would actually take action at such a time? Even those with a mind to interfere were caught off-guard. Zhao Jundu was as calm as ever and seemed to have no intention of evading. Wu Daoyus palm had only reached midway when the berserk origin power swept toward Zhao Junhong. The preceding palm winds were like sharp blades which cut through his billowing robe. A number of people shot up from their seats, unable to sit still. The vicinity turned calm all of a sudden. Wu Daoyu quickly discovered that a barrier as gentle as flowing water had appeared in his way, and it felt like his wrist was being dragged away by a certain hand. The energy from his furious hack had actually disappeared without a trace. The malice in Wu Daoyus heart vanished when he turned around and saw Prince Ruis hand in the airit was he who had pressed down the palm strike. This caused Wu Daoyu to become apprehensive. Prince Rui had no grand ambitions. He had always lived a poetic life of freedom and was always kind to everyone he ever met. That was why few people were ever fearful of his name. However, Wu Daoyu realized from this exchange that the other party possessed astonishing combat strength. Now that the prince had taken action, Wu Daoyu knew that it was inappropriate of him to get entangled in this matter. He snorted loudly and said, This marshal will sell Prince Rui a favor this time, but there will be no forgiveness if any more juniors dare to speak nonsense! Zhao Junhong, however, wasnt about to give the man the opportunity to extricate himself. He stood up, brushed his torn robes, and said to Sun Chao, My mother is Imperial Princess Gaoyi and hence I am also of imperial blood. When was a landowning household member ever allowed to assault an imperial descendant? Sir Sun, please rule on this! Wu Daoyu was furious upon hearing the words imperial descendant. He stood up once more to retort, but Sun Chao spoke up at this point, This official is here on imperial orders, not to watch a childish play. If anyone else dares to attack in front of me, there is no longer a need to continue todays discussion. The moment he said these words, many people trembled and felt their eyes ringing. Wu Daoyu was shocked. Just from the origin power contained within these words, he knew that Sun Chao was not far from the divine champion realm. Looking again at his current age and status, his future was destined to be boundless. There really was no need to offend such a person at this moment. Besides, there was also Prince Rui overseeing the overall situation. Wu Daoyu cursed inwardly at the thought of this. Not to mention forcing a verdict, it would be difficult for him to even suppress the other party. Zhao Junhong smiled coldly. Why is Marshal Wu in such a rush to kill me? Dont tell me you have a guilty conscience? Frowning deeply, the man roared, This marshal has nothing to feel guilty about! Zhao Junhong suddenly raised his voice. Then how will you explain the many vampire girls hidden in Marshal Wus residence!? How long have you been colluding with the vampires!? Caught off-guard, Wu Daoyu said in desperation, Nonsense! Which residence doesnt have vampire slaves and servants? After blurting out these words, the old marshal immediately realized he had made a mistake. Keeping vampire and demonkin girls was indeed a general trend throughout the empire and it was true that many households did have them. But, how could it be brought up in public? As expected, the other aristocratic families wore unassociated expressions, and some of them even moved their chairs away from Wu Daoyu. Sun Chao remained expressionless all the while. He was just about to speak when a loud explosion arrived from outside the window and the entire building trembled slightly. Everyone here was an expert. Someone immediately said, Ninety kilometers, Northwest! An explosion arriving from ninety kilometers away meant that there were true experts doing battle. Wu Daoyus expression changed all of a sudden and was just about to get up but ultimately decided to sit back down. His little actions, nonetheless, couldnt quite escape the eyes of the masses. Sun Chaos expression sank. Indomitable is the last bastion of the empire. How did we let the enemy beat us to this place? Whos in charge of the area? Many people revealed peculiar expressions at this pointWu Daoyus countenance was dark and Zhao Junhong snorted coldly with his eyes closed. In the end, Sun Chao turned to the Zhang clan elder with a frown. Brother Zhang, can you tell me? The Zhang clan elder returned the greeting and said calmly, This place was, at first, General Jundus defense sector. After the general was detained for the hearing, the imperial military dispatched troops to take over the defensive duties. That battlefront was two hundred kilometers away at first, but the dark races have launched a furious assault in the last seven days and pushed our forces to their current position. Wu Daoyu could no longer endure. The dark races are only attacking my sector, completely ignoring the nearby Zhao clan strongholds. How could this happen if the Zhao clan isnt colluding with the enemy? Zhao Junhong sneered, Have you no shame calling yourself an ex-marshal? Jundus defensive line is naturally the most dangerous and pressured land. My fourth brother never lost a single inch of land when he was in charge. How come youve lost over a hundred kilometers of territory in a single week? According to what youre saying, defending ones post is treason and being pushed back is justice? This brings us to ask, Marshal Wu, how many times have you been beaten back and how many times have our Zhao clan defended our posts? At this point, Zhao Junhong paused momentarily, and then rebuked with a wave of his sleeve, Such an incapable person holding an important position and biting everyone around instead of fighting the enemy. What a bitter disappointment to all of the nobility! Wu Daoyu glanced about and saw all the commanders of the aristocratic families looking at him with unusual expressions. As someone born to a landowning household, it was inevitable that he would think somewhat highly of himself after killing his way to his current position, his methods mostly fierce and cruel. He had also accumulated enmity with some of the aristocracy and naturally retaliated in kind after reaching a powerful position. He had never imagined that Zhao Junhong would grasp and attack a single faux pas of his, going so far as to drag all of the aristocratic families into this. After a moment of back and forth debates, Wu Daoyu actually fell to a disadvantage. Not only was Zhao Junhongs logic watertight, but he would also launch surprise attacks from time to time, causing great embarrassment for the old marshal. All the representatives here were scheming people with deep foresight. After hearing Zhao Junhongs earlier words, it was only natural that they didnt look favorably upon Wu Daoyu. But that was the extent of itstirring up these muddy waters with just a few words wasnt all that easy. After listening on, however, their eyes began to glow, realizing that there was actually such a talented person in the Zhao clan in addition to Zhao Jundu. As someone destined to become the next clan lord, Zhao Jundu was indeed too high of a starting point. Most of the aristocratic families simply didnt have a suitable marriage candidate for him. That was not the case for Zhao Junhong. His position would grow increasingly subtle the more talented he was, and all aristocratic scions knew this. As such, many people began aiming to recruit him as a son-in-law. The people at the scene had been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder for quite some time, and this prolonged association allowed them to understand quite a lot about one another. A single glance was enough to tell what the other party was thinking. All parties were lost in their own thoughts and actually tossed the present case to the back of their minds. To them, the current case was nothing more than a farce. Qianyes origins were unknown, yet he was able to receive much attention from a heaven-bestowed genius like Zhao Jundu. Just when Qianyes fame was at its zenith, the military found out that he had a vampire lover and he himself revealed his own identity during the chase. The former half of the story was somewhat acceptable, but the wild accusations against the Zhao clan that followed were so full of loopholes that one could hardly stand to watch. Not knowing which clans scheme this matter was, even the aristocratic families who wanted to speak up didnt know where to start. As such, the important characters here werent interested in the process at all. They were merely waiting for the outcome of the wrestle between the Zhao clan and the power that had perpetrated this. The potential engagement, however, would mean an alliance. That was an important core strategy for the family that couldnt be handled negligently. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 722: The Real Trap The dispute here hadnt yet come to an end when a loud noise was heard once more, and the distance seemed even closer. Clearly, the enemy forces were closing in. Wu Daoyus expression fluctuated repeatedly, and the uneasiness in him grew by the minute. Just from listening to the sounds, one could tell that the dark races had fielded people at the level of an honored marquis, perhaps even a vice-duke. The situation on the frontlines was no doubt extremely critical. Yet, he had no choice but to remain here and bicker with Zhao Junhongthis feeling was inexplicably depressing. At this moment, every moment wasted meant that the casualties on the front line would increase in severity. The defenders fighting there were Wu Daoyus lineal descendants and personal forces, the foundation of his status in the military. It would be a lie to say that he wasnt feeling a heartache. Yet, Zhao Junhong was clearly not going to let this matter drop, and with both Prince Rui and Sun Chao present, he couldnt storm off regardless of how dissatisfied he was. Seeing no easy end to the debate, Sun Chao broke into a frown. He raised his hand to stop the two parties and said, This official has come to a conclusion. There is not enough evidence to prove the Zhao clans collusion, this matter cannot be settled by a single partys words. Zhao Jundus killing of a military major general, however, is verified. Even if this person was attempting to frame a superior, the crime itself does not warrant death. This matter shall be further investigated. Wu Daoyus expression sank somewhat, but this outcome was still within his expectations. How about Qianye, then? Dont tell me his vampire identity cant be confirmed? These words were rather unpleasant to the ears, but Sun Chao acted as though he didnt hear anything and merely continued in his calm voice, Qianye possesses a blood core, this is something many people saw. Moreover, he had trespassed a restricted area and seized the vampire princess. His crimes are unpardonable. Although he has since fled the empire, he cannot escape his punishment just like that. Since this matter had arisen from the military, the military shall take the lead to assemble a team and chase down the fugitive. Does anyone have any objections? Oh right, during the operation, make sure to gather information on the mastermind behind him. This decision was right and proper. Although Sun Chaos final words were quite harsh to hear, Wu Daoyu ultimately couldnt point out what was wrong. He thus agreed to the verdict. Zhao Junhongs eyes lit up as he lowered his gaze with a calm expression. Up next was Zhao Jundus case. Sun Chao said, Zhao Jundu did kill a general, but the latter was also in the wrong. We are on the verge of war at the moment and thus everything will go according to priority. This investigation shall be delayed. The military department will terminate this hearing, allowing Zhao Jundu to return to the front lines and redeem himself with contributions. His punishment shall be decided on how much he had accomplished during the war. Does anyone have any objections? Wu Daoyu was just about to speak but, in the end, decided to swallow his words. Although he wasnt exactly satisfied, he knew it was useless to keep Zhao Jundu locked up. Besides, even if he was punished, there was no way a princess son would be made to pay for a major generals life with his own. With the imperial family around, he would have to keep Zhao Jundu well fed and provided forthere was really no way he could do anything to this prisoner. Wu Daoyu didnt quite have the courage to assassinate him, either. There was no way he would walk out of Indomitable alive if the Zhao clan were to find out. From another point of consideration, he had already suffered enough hardship while defending Zhao Jundus sector. The dark races kept launching fierce attacks on his battlefront, pushing him back repeatedly at every turn and piercing into the outskirts of Indomitable like a wedge. This kind of assault could easily be countered if the Zhao clan private armies on either side were to flank the enemy. It would also lessen Wu Daoyus pressure. Yet, the Zhao clan had hunkered down without the slightest of movements. The dark races also seemed to know that the Zhao clan wouldnt attackthey ignored the sides entirely and charged straight in with great arrogance. Wu Daoyu criticized the Zhao clan many times, but they would always respond by saying that it wasnt their defensive zone. Everyone knew about the enmity between the Zhao clan and the Minister of the Right, represented by Wu Daoyu. All the aristocratic families understood the reason why the Zhao clan wasnt moving their troops, hence everyone simply maintained a uniform state of silence. Many of Wu Daoyus generals had fallen in the past seven days, including a third of his entire force. Morale was at an all-time low and might break down at any moment. Wu Daoyu had to oversee the battle personally many times and even join the battle in order to calm the situation. However, the defenses he had worked so hard to stabilize had been broken once again while he was busy wrangling here. Seeing Wu Daoyu keep his silence, the other aristocratic families made no objection, either. All the leaders were busy thinking about the Ancestral Fortune Palaces decision to let the military hunt Qianye downwas this a half-hearted measure or were they giving the military a chance to silence the target? Could it be that they wanted to follow the trail and find out who the real mastermind behind this matter was? But who wouldve thought Zhao Junhong would stand up at this point. This matter isnt appropriate! Jundu is one of the pillars of the empire and a crucial factor in the upcoming war. If any scoundrel or corrupted minister can bring false charges against him, how is he to fight this war? The person trying to frame Jundu during these unusual times must have other motives and is very likely an Evernight spy. If killing such a person is a crime, wont all the warriors of the empire feel disheartened? Wu Daoyu roared furiously, Zhao Jundu is just a junior, how can he be considered crucial? Zhao Junhong sneered, The defensive line never shrunk a single inch in Jundus hands, but its practically crumbling in yours. If you want to know why hes crucial, that is the very reason! Wu Daoyu had nothing to say. The dark races would launch occasional assaults when Zhao Jundu was in charge, but the true experts would always be intercepted by Duke You. The ex-marshal could barely hold out against experts capable of fighting on par with Duke You, hence his repeated defeats. But how could he say that out loud? Seeing that the two parties were about to start bickering again, Sun Chao raised his hands and stopped them from talking. Since the Zhao clan has objections, then this official can no longer decide on this matter. I shall return to the capital right away and seek a verdict from my superiors. While this matter awaits a decision, Zhao Jundu shall remain in confinement and the military will be responsible for his defense sector. Wu Daoyu felt his vision grow dark and his hands turn cold. He had never imagined that this was the real trap. The Zhao clan was clearly borrowing the dark races hand to bury all of his subordinate forces under the walls of Indomitable. At that time, Wu Daoyus wings would be clippedalthough he still possessed his personal combat strength, his enemies would surely grasp the opportunity to rob him of his authority in the military. With his power gone, what was the use of being a divine champion? Moreover, this utter defeat meant that his value to the Minister of the Right would diminish greatly. His dreams of regaining his marshal rank might very well remain a dream. Sun Chao said nothing else. He stood up immediately and left for the airship port with his subordinates. Apparently, he was going to rush back to the imperial capital to seek imperial instructions. Wu Daoyu wanted to chase after the man, but his footsteps faltered, knowing very well that nothing he would do could change the outcome and that it would only add to his embarrassment. Zhao Junhong arrived beside Wu Daoyu and accompanied the latter in watching Sun Chaos receding figure. He then said in a leisurely manner, Marshal Wu, Duke You is the one overseeing the entire battle around Indomitable. He has long since issued a strict order that whoever loses their defensive zone and allows the dark races to reach the city shall be punished by martial law. Theres less than half left of your defensive zone. Wu Daoyu snorted coldly. This marshal answers to the military, theres no need to heed Duke Yous orders. Zhao Junhong said indifferently, Marshal Wu must be more familiar with the imperial martial law than I am. Its just that if you dare resist when the time comes, the execution will extend to your nine generations. Wu Daoyu felt a chill creeping into his heart. Nonetheless, he wasnt willing to allow a youngster to gain the upper hand. If that day ever comes, Ill make sure to drag you along. Zhao Junhong only smiled without making any comment. Oh right, since the military has been tasked with hunting down the vampire Qianye, I must remind you to dispatch a sufficient number of experts. Otherwise, where will you hide your face if they all get wiped out? And where will the Minister of the Right hide his face? Wu Daoyu was startled. How much do you know? Zhao Junhong laughed out loud. How can I know anything? The place Qianye charged into was the military stronghold, you should know more than I do. Marshal Wu, take care! Wu Daoyu didnt act up as he usually would as the scene of Li Fengshuis corpse floated into his eyes. The latters body was full of blood and his organs had been crushed to smithereens. Although the man was already wounded beforehand, only he himself knew the degree of his injury. This officer of the Fifth Central Command was extremely crafty and it was difficult to tell if his movements were fake or real. No one could say for sure if he was truly ever wounded. If Li Fengshui was only lightly injured, and Qianye had managed to kill him despite the hostage situation, that would mean the vampire fugitives combat strength was fairly terrifying. Then, recalling how Qianye had actually escaped from right under his nose, Wu Daoyus expression grew ever more serious. If he dispatched too few experts, it would be equal to sending them to their deaths. If he arranged for a lineup that was sure to win, it would drastically reduce his fighting power in Indomitable. If he were to somehow lose the defense line, the Zhao clan would surely cause trouble for him. Without a doubt, he would lose a layer of skin even if he managed to survive the ordeal. He was now stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea with no good plan in mind. At this point, Prince Rui walked over and said to Zhao Junhong, Youve grown up so much during this time. When I met you for the first time, you were still being breastfed, haha! Come, accompany for a drink. Zhao Junhong replied, How can I refuse your excellencys invitation? Seeing Prince Rui and Zhao Junhong leaving together, how could Wu Daoyu not know that the Ancestral Fortune Palace was here for the Zhao clan? He had made ample calculations but never expected that Qianye would be able to escape from right under his nose. Additionally, Zhao Jundu had seized this opportunity to pin the responsibility on him. Suppressing Qianye was fine, but it was different for Zhao Jundu. Even the Minister of the Right himself wouldnt be able to do anything against this Zhao clan young master in the current case. A great plan was utterly defeated just like that. After much thought, the key factor lay in the imperial familys change in attitude. Wu Daoyu gave it some deeper thought and realized that the imperial family had tipped the scales merely by dispatching the Ancestral Fortune Palace and a single Prince Rui. The thought of this caused the old man to feel a bone-deep chill from the night breeze. In a side-room within the Wei clan mansion, Wei Potian was bundled up in a cape and sleeping soundly. This chamber was shabby and cold, with no furnishings except for a table and some chairs, not even a stove for the depths of the cold night. There was a teapot and a crude porcelain cup sitting on the table, and the tea within the latter was already starting to frost over. Such a crude environment was, of course, not the Wei clan heirs bedroom but where he was kept under house arrest. He was only allowed to leave three times a day to visit the toilet and stretch his limbs. The night was indeed chilly, but it could do little against the Thousand Mountains cultivator, Wei Potian. Wrapped in whatever he could find, the Wei clan heir was snoring as loud as a thunderstorm. Even the two tremors that alarmed the entire city of Indomitable couldnt wake him up. It almost seemed like the man was determined to sleep until sunrise even if someone were shouting in his ears. The doors to the room creaked open at this point and a mysterious silhouette flickered inside. The guards outside the door sensed nothingthey yawned repeatedly and soon fell asleep against a corner of the wall. That shadow arrived beside Wei Potians bed and shook him. Wake up. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 723: Behind the Curtains Wei Potian didnt respond. That shadowy figure used more force and flipped the sleeping fellow over, but the Wei clan heir kept on snoring thunderously. At this moment, the clear moonlight shone through the windows and illuminated the intruders silhouetteit was Song Zining. Seeing that this thick-skinned boar was refusing to wake up even when his ears and hair were being pulled, the latter raised his hand to deliver a slap, but he gave it some thought at the last moment and broke into a cold laugh. Instead of the slap, the seventh young master picked up the teapot from the table, melted the ice with his origin power, and poured it into Wei Potians nose. The snoring Wei Potian happened to suck all the water in. This time, he jumped out of his bed as though he had been pricked in the butt, coughing until his face and ears were all red. Wei Potian suddenly realized that there was someone else in the room and was furious to find that the intruder was Song Zining. He pounced forward abruptly and went straight for the latters neck. I knew it was you! You never have any good intentions! Song Zining made no motion to evade. A single question, Do you want to save Qianye? was enough to stop Wei Potians hands midair. Of course! But how are we going to do that? Who knows where hes run off to? Its very simple, help me run a small errand. Wei Potians eyes went wide. Youre going to trick me again, arent you? Last time, our Wei clans spies were all wiped out and I was almost removed from my heir position. If not for my supreme talents and unprecedented speed in cultivating the Thousand Mountains, I mightve been in big trouble! Didnt I save Qianye? Song Zining retorted. Wei Potian was stoppered. But Nighteye Thats inevitable and the outcome isnt so bad now, is it? Wei Potian was doubtful. What exactly do you want me to do? Im warning you, dont blame me for not recognizing friendship if you dare to trick me! Song Zining said with a disdainful expression, This isnt the first time youve said this. Wei Potian was just about to act up when Song Zining, with a mysterious look on his face, passed him a box and whispered, Go to this place after a while and put the box on the ground. Youll also gain benefits when the time comes. With that, Song Zining explained the exact location. Wei Potian was full of doubt as he listenedthat area was the central zone where the two armies had been skirmishing and had long since been plowed through by the flames of war. There was no way there could be anything special there. Wei Potian had his doubts, but upon seeing Song Zining so insistent, he began gathering his equipment while mumbling something about bad friends. As for this so-called benefit, he didnt believe half a word of it. After suffering so many times, he was very skeptical to believe Song Zinings promises. Moments later, Wei Potian managed to slip out of the Wei clan courtyard with the help of Song Zinings domain and ran toward the designated location. At this moment, the night was dark and the strong chill assailed all travelers. However, the night wasnt calm at allone could see raging flames rushing into the distant sky and hear the occasional sound of cannon fire. Wei Potian glanced at the blazing region and broke into a frown. Theyve already broken through to this place? Strange, that shouldnt have happened! What the Wei clan heir was seeing was the militarys defensive zone. He was no idiotas a good leader himself, Wei Potian knew at a glance that Wu Daoyu was being beaten back miserably. The former had been under house arrest in the recent period and received no news from the outside world. Naturally, he didnt know anything about Wu Daoyus miserable defeats. Very soon, Wei Potian found the place Song Zining had told him aboutthat lone bald tree looked exceedingly eye-catching in the empty area. The Wei clan heir walked around it several times but found nothing strange about it. Was the place Song Zining mentioned related to this tree? He studied it from every direction for a good while but ultimately discovered nothing from it. Hence, Wei Potian tried knocking on the trunk. Just as his hand was about to land on the tree, a female face suddenly appeared on it! The pale face and its two bloodshot eyes stared intently at him! Wei Potian was shocked out of his wits. He unleashed a loud cry and jumped backward. At this moment, he heard a breeze from behind him as a silvery shadow jumped down from the tree and stomped on his head, immediately knocking the Wei clan heir out cold. The silhouette came into vision after the targets collapse. It turned out to be William. At this point, the tree began to crack and out of it came a sweet, graceful woman. The woman who had just scared Wei Potian half-dead was actually Twilight. As the woman spread her hands out, the ancient tree shattered into pieces and returned to the earth as dust. This art looked simple, but it was extremely useful and practical. Especially in Twilights hands, the disguise was almost real and could be considered a powerful secret art. She had conjured an ancient tree with this art just now and hid herself and William within it. This ended up tricking Wei Potian through and through. William shook his fur and walked around while glancing at Wei Potian. He suddenly tore open the latters pocket, revealing a box within. Seeing the seal on the container, William reached out to grab it, but only then did he remember that he couldnt quite pick things up in his wolf form. Twilight walked over and said, Whats this? Let me see. Her words caused William to become anxious. He moved forward to pick up the box with his mouth but, unexpectedly, felt the skin around his neck tighten as Twilight grabbed him by the mane. He was just inches away from the box but couldnt reach it. William was furious after having his golden mane pulled. A deep aura of peril instantly filled the surrounding air and caused Twilight to go pale. William had just turned about when the clever Twilight let go of the prize and took a couple of steps back, raising her hands to indicate that she had no bad intentions. William, however, wasnt about to fall for this. He growled while revealing his white fangs, saying, Ill let you off out of consideration for our cooperation, but your shares will be deducted by twenty percent. Next time, Ill tear off your arms! Twilights expression was ugly. Apparently, she hadnt expected William to react so intensely. Yet, the other partys strength had increased by leaps and boundshe was clearly superior to her at the moment and also happened to restrain her strong points. As such, she had no chance of winning if they were to break into a fight. I didnt know that place couldnt be touched, it wasnt intentional. William shook his golden mane with a snort. I wont let anyone touch me there! But Twilight didnt hear the mumbling in Williams heart. There are some people I cant do anything against even if Im touched. In any case, thats because I cant win, its not like I didnt try. At the thought of this, Williams mood calmed down quite a bit and his stare toward Twilight grew sharper. Twilight said in alarm, What are you trying to do? Im warning you, twenty percent is my bottom line, no more than that! Otherwise, Id rather break up this arrangement. Thirty percent! William said without any hesitation, denying all chances of questioning him. Twilight gritted her teeth and swallowed her anger. Fine, thirty it is. Lets just go with twenty. After saying that, William shook his mane in great satisfaction and turned back to the little box. From anger and humiliation to surprise and delightthe contrast was simply too great. Twilight remained startled for a while before realizing that William was just playing with her. During that brief moment of realization, she was so angry that she wanted to say I dont want that ten percent!, but ten percent wasnt a small amount. The price of acting cool was simply too high, so she ultimately decided to swallow the anger. But the indignance of being wronged was almost unbearable. Just as she was seething in her mind, she noticed William looking at the box without any movement. She suddenly understood what was going on. With her hands behind her back, she skipped over to where William was and said in an intentional, drawn-out tone, No hands? Cant open? Williams mane puffed up in anger, but it wilted again after a while, along with his momentum. Transforming into a giant wolf was indeed a rare talent. The only disadvantage was, as Twilight said, the inability to even open a box. Twilight calmly picked up the container in front of William and, under the latters helpless gaze, blew off the dust and flicked it with her fingers, seemingly quite satisfied and leisurely throughout the entire process. Only when William let out a low growl did she begin the complicated opening procedure, chuckling all the while. Afterward, she dangled her slender fingers in front of Williams eyes. The werewolf, of course, wasnt about to be polite with her. He swiped at her hand, forcing Twilight to shrink back in a hurry. Having missed its target, Williams swipe struck the ground and caused the earth several dozen meters around them to tremble. Twilight wasnt frightened by this; she just took her sweet time opening the box. William didnt mind it, either, and pushed his large head closer, almost butting heads as the two watched the box slowly open. There was a single crystal within the box, in which a drop of golden blood was sealed. This was an ordinary drop of sanguineous liquid and not essence blood. Twilights expression grew complicated as she watched the golden threads congealing inside the blood. This golden thread was her lifes ambitionor perhaps it could be said that every vampires ultimate dream. That was proof of a pure bloodline, a faint glimmer of hope for swimming up the River of Blood and following in the footsteps of the second generation primogenitor. Twilight asked with unclear emotions, Is this her blood? Williams sniffed at the crystal and said, That is Nighteyes blood, theres no doubt about it. Twilight said with a forced laugh, Since the item is right, its time to execute the next phase of the plan. William began circling Wei Potian once more. Finding his actions strange, Twilight asked, You know him? An enemy? A great enmity! William said through gritted teeth. Twilight flipped Wei Potian over and studied him for a good while but found nothing worthy of making William hold a grudge against him. There were few opportunities to breed hostilities between people of such different levels. Yet, no matter how she asked, William simply wouldnt tell her how the vendetta was formed. William was determined to bury that dark phase of history in the depths of his heart. Twilight got up and said, This fellow is as dumb as dumb can be, and his strength is also mediocre. I have no idea how the people on the other side are thinking. They actually want to give him such a big share of contributions? Is this kind of person even worthy of cultivation? William replied, Humans have always been a crafty lot, theres no need for us to worry about what theyre thinking. Its fine as long as we complete the transaction according to the agreement. Although the Zhao clan has sent word that they wont field any troops as long as we stay away from their defensive zone, who knows when their promise will end? We are nowhere near as powerful as those old fellows from above. We should leave this place quickly once our business is complete. Twilight shrugged and made no more objections. She then kicked Wei Potian on the butt and said, You lucky bastard. With that, her figure began to blur and emit a large mass of bloody mist. By the time the mist receded, there were a dozen or so corpses on the ground. These were warriors of many different races, and the most eye-catching among them was a demonkin. Twilight produced a high-quality leather cylinder sealed with dark golden inlays and stuffed it into the demonkins hands. After setting everything up, she and William left hurriedly through the night. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 724: Ploy The duo ran through the night at the speed of lightning. William shot a glance at the primo with an impatient expressionthe latter was running with every ounce of strength she had, gritting her teeth as she did so. Even then, she was barely able to keep up with William. There was no helping it because William, in his giant wolf form, was superior in both speed and acceleration. All of a sudden, William came to a screeching halt. Twilight also followed suit and unleashed a large cloud of blood energy, causing both man and wolf to fade out of existence. A mound of earth appeared in their place with half a pit dug into it. At a glance, it looked like a half-constructed fortification, the kind one could see everywhere in the area. At this moment, the sudden sound of engines echoed through the forest, growing louder and louder as several motorcycles flashed past. But even when they were at the closest point, the sound of the engines wasnt as loud as one would expect it to be. Apparently, they had installed an origin array capable of suppressing sound. The group of motorcycles, suffused with frosty killing intent, soon vanished into the night. William and Twilight remained in their disguised state without making any rushed movements. Their extraordinary senses told them that this was the Zhao clans mounted patrol squad, a unit famed throughout the Evernight faction for the quality of their members. Moreover, several of these squads would work together in unison and they had secret methods of communicating with the main army. Once they had encountered an enemy, reinforcements would arrive within a short period and suppress the enemy. Now, they had only seen a single mounted patrol squad, and there was no telling where the others were. Most importantly, there were powerful Zhao clan forces stationed nearby with a large number of experts among them. William and Twilight were strong, but they didnt want to stir up trouble at the momentthey werent here for a fight. Things would really turn ugly if Duke You were to be alerted of their presence. They had nothing better to do while hiding, so Twilight asked, How come you refuse to turn back into human form after arriving near Indomitable? Because theres no need to. Twilight wasnt about to fall for that. No need? You cant even open a box? I have you, dont I? William remained headstrong. Twilight snorted coldly. I only forced myself along the way. Dont tell me youve already made plans to use my hand for opening boxes and crates? Williams expression remained the same. I thought the humans would deliver it in a bag. Twilight waved the little box in her hand, speaking in an exaggerated manner, A drop of blood? In a bag? What? Do you have a problem with that? William growled with eyes full of killing intent. Nope, no problem at all. Thats very normal. This thing is best transported in a bag! Knowing that she was inferior to the other party, Twilights attitude had been fairly pragmatic all along. Now thats right. William snorted. Twilight produced her own vampiric blade, a mysterious little dagger as wide as a finger with a near-transparent edge. She fished out Nighteyes blood from within the box and compared it to her blade. With a flick of her wrist, she quickly split the crystal and blood into two parts, and then shaved off two thin pieces of crystal to seal the cut edges. After that, Twilight passed the crystal with more blood in it to William and said, This is fine, right? William nodded slowly. The vampire primo waved the crystal in her hand and said, Any less and it wont be enough for our races divination master to use his secret arts. Are you sure the Lightless Monarch can invite that old fellow to oversee the ceremony? Twilight said assuredly, Theres no doubt. This is so important to him that he was willing to pay a huge sum to the humans in exchange for Nighteye. Now that we have a rare clue on her, how can he trust anyone else? This blood is only enough for a single divination. William mumbled, Why is he so fixated on Nighteye? This isnt right! It might be more logical if its one of the Monroe clans princes were talking about. Youre not hiding anything from me, are you? Twilight smiled wryly. Youre overestimating me. I havent really switched over to Medanzos side right now. How can he tell me something so important? William said after pondering for a while, I guess thats true, lets just go according to plan. Twilight asked in a curious tone, What preparations have you made on your side? You should know that the old fellow Medanzo invited isnt that simple. I heard he was on par with Lin Xitang before he was injured. William said through clenched teeth, I know that! He was the reason the several werewolf tribes were found out and killed, not leaving even a single descendant! Twilight knew about this part of history. She said with a sigh, Thats inevitable. Although your Summit of Peaks holds the most ancient of orthodox bloodlines, the weakness is simply too evident. The more different werewolf bloodlines there are, the more powerful your ultimate secret art. Thats why everyone would want to wipe out those solitary powers with special bloodlines given the chance. A low growl emerged from Williams throat. Apparently, Twilights words had struck the wound in his heart. William said coldly, Thats why I need that old man to die! Now that were working with the humans, the old man is sure to take the bait. Hes not fully healed yet at the moment and is sure to die if he dares to use his divination arts! Twilight couldnt help but ask, Just who is it that youve found? Even the great werewolf shaman doesnt have this power. William finally said, The great warlock of the demonkin race. Twilight was astonished. The Warlock of Calamity? Yes. Twilight regained her calm as she said, If its him, then its fairly doable. How did you even get in touch with him? William replied calmly, The demonkin have always been quite enthusiastic about weakening the vampire race. Twilight gave it some thought and said, This wont do! You mustve gained huge benefits from this deal, Im losing out here. William shot her a glance. This is something that will greatly weaken your vampire race, dont you have anything to say about that? Twilight said calmly, This is nothing. Didnt we also betray the demonkin in our plot? Besides, even the Warlock of Calamity will have to pay a certain price to take that old mans life. Most importantly, Ill only dare go over to the Lightless Medanzos side after the old man is dead. At this point, one patrol squad after the other appeared and passed them by. Seeing the mounted patrols gone, Twilight retracted the disguise and left hurriedly with William. Wei Potian eventually woke up after the duo had left the human defensive zone and felt as though he was in a different world. The location was clearly the same as before, but he was surrounded by deceased dark race members, including a demonkin. Judging from the distribution of the corpses, it looked as though Wei Potian had suddenly encountered these soldiers and fought a huge battle, wiping out the enemy forces before falling unconscious in the end. Yet, he didnt remember fighting anyone before he was knocked out. As for that ancient tree from his nightmares, it was nowhere to be found. Wei Potian jumped up with a loud cry, but this movement exacerbated the sharp pain from his buttocks. He was rather puzzledhe remembered vaguely about the pain behind his head, but why was his buttock also in pain? Wei Potian rubbed his butt and found that it was fortunately still whole. He was rather thick-skinned and the pain subsided quickly after circulating the Thousand Mountain a couple of times, so he paid no more attention to it. He walked over to where the old tree was and looked around carefully. However, there wasnt the slightest trace of this tree having ever existednot to mention the huge trunk, there wasnt even a splinter on the ground. Dissatisfied, he drew his sword and dug a huge pit, but there wasnt even half a root left in the earth. This time, Wei Potian even started to doubt his own memories. Add to that the appearance of that female face, the entire process was eerie and almost unreal. Wei Potian looked back and spied the leather cylinder Twilight had intentionally left behind. The object wasnt just beautiful but was also emitting a continuous stream of origin power, almost as though it was hoping to be found out. Wei Potian picked up the cylinder and fished out a paper capable of storing origin power. He was greatly astonished the moment he unfurled this scroll because the detailed intelligence of a demonkin marquis warzone was depicted on it! The special paper could store energy and project a three-dimensional map of the warzone once activated. Be it in the empire or Evernight, this kind of map was the highest level of its kind, and no one below the rank of lieutenant general could even lay eyes on it. If the intelligence here was true, its value would be significant. The empire could use this to their advantage to utterly route the enemies in this warzone, just like how the dark races were beating down on the militarys battlefront. In the hands of a marshal like Lin Xitang, the humans could even formulate a plan to lure out and kill the marquis overseeing this area. Wei Potian felt giddy about the meat pie that had dropped into his lap, and a huge one at that. Merely handing in this warzone map was enough for him to be promoted to a lieutenant general. Even if he couldnt be given the actual rank due to the lack of combat strength, actual authority and clearance could be granted in advance. What Wei Potian was actually thinking was, Haha, no more house-arrest! Fortunately, he wasnt a complete idiot. Knowing that these corpses had appeared so mysteriously, how could he not search them? After the investigation, however, he found nothing valuable apart from a viscounts proof of rank. He didnt need anything else, either. The demonkin viscount himself was the best proof of the maps origins. Not wanting to linger too long in this eerie place, Wei Potian picked up the demonkins corpse and marched toward Indomitable. The return journey went rather smoothly, and he arrived back at the Wei clan courtyard without alerting anyone. After jumping over the wall, Wei Potian was immediately flabbergasted. He gazed at that inherently impressive middle-aged man and finally squeezed out a single word, Dad. Marquis Bowang snorted. You dare run about even during confinement. It seems the family rules are now useless. His words sounded quite calm, but it was suffused with a deep chill as well as disappointment. Realizing the abnormality in his fathers tone, Wei Potian could no longer care about his suspicions regarding his undeserved reward. He quickly passed the map over and said, I wasnt running about. I went out and reaped a huge contribution. Marquis Bowang was clearly skeptical as he took the map and gave it a glance. However, his expression changed drastically upon seeing the contents. He observed the map for a good while before saying, T-This is this real? You just need to match the information with the frontline reports. Marquis Bowang took a deep breath and said, No need, its definitely genuine. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 725: Quiet Life As the ruler of a province, Marquis Bowang held significant position and authority. The Far East Wei Clan had already recovered after successfully fending off a dark race offensive and things were looking better by the day. Hence, despite the small scale of investment on the floating continent, the marquis understood the defensive layout of Indomitable fairly well. Just a glance at the peripheral deployments was enough for him to discern its location and authenticity. This defensive map held great significance and urgency. As for how it was obtained, that was no longer as important. Marquis Bowang said decisively, Follow me to the Zhao clan main camp! At this moment, the one overseeing the entire war was Duke You, a man as capable as he was old. Knowing right away after seeing the map that this matter couldnt be delayed, Zhao Xuanji made an immediate decision. One order after the other went out to the aristocratic families. Moments later, the troops in the city began to mobilize and numerous airships took to the skies. Such a major movement couldnt be concealed. Seeing that most of the troops were from the Zhao clan private army, many an astonished aristocratic family began seeking information on what had actually triggered such an operation. The battle reports only arrived at dawn. The Zhao clan and some of its allies moved out in full force to attack a demonkin warzone. The clan had utilized every resource at their disposal for this campaign, and it could be said that they had gone out in full force. Zhao Xuanji had even borrowed one of the imperial sub fleets guarding the void to provide cover fire. The battle went surprisingly wellthe Zhao clan army cut through the enemy forces like a hot knife through butter, encountering almost no resistance along the way. Many of the enemys defensive points werent even active when the airship fleetby virtue of the intelligence on the defense mapdecimated them in advance. The demonkin marquis in charge of the warzone brazenly joined the battle, but he was made short work of by a pincer attack from Zhao Xuanji and Prince Rui. In the end, he had to flee with grievous injuries. After punching through the warzone, Duke You didnt continue fighting overzealously. Rather, he slowly assembled his forces under the cover of the airship fleet and pulled back to his original battlefront. This battle was so fast and sudden that even the other defense zones didnt manage to react. The dark race army was still fixated on assailing the militarys defensive area, advancing over ten kilometers in half a night and killing Wu Daoyus subordinates in droves. The man felt his heart bleeding, but there was nothing he could do. It was too late to request reinforcements from the military, and all he could do was hold on until the last man. Clearing out the entire demonkin warzone in one battle was a shocking achievement. The rumors about the Zhao clans reluctance to do battle were automatically destroyed, and many people began to ponder deeply about Duke Yous ability to mobilize an imperial fleet at the critical moment. One more day passed by before news began to spread that the key to this victory lay with the warzone map that the Wei clan heir had brought back. Numerous versions of the story began to fly aboutthere was one claiming that he had charged deep into enemy territory and snatched the map from the enemy central command, and another about how he had sneaked past a thousand kilometers of enemy defenses to steal the information. Since Wei Potian had made such a big contribution, next up was naturally the Zhao clan who would receive numerous rewards from both the military and the imperial family. In the several days that followed, Wei Potian was fully occupied by the many award ceremonies and dinner banquets. He would be dragged into a different wine party before the hangover from the last had passed. Eventually, he had no idea where he was anymore. In a short period, the Wei clan heirs fame had reached its zenith and almost looked as if it might surpass that of Zhao Jundus. It really was no surprise because that map was highly valuable. With its aid, Zhao Xuanji not only managed to wipe out a marquis entire force but even baited the enemy leader out and injured him. The demonkin marquis managed to escape in the end, but he was gravely injuredhe would probably never recover even if he had survived. It could be considered the removal of a powerful enemy from the Evernight faction. Among the four races, the demonkins combat strength would quickly surpass the other three races in the latter stages. A demonkin marquis combat strength was at least on par with that of werewolf and arachne mighty marquises. Additionally, the demonkin possessed mysterious abilities and secret arts that made fighting them quite a headache-inducing endeavor. No one was willing to fight against such an enemy. As such, to the overall battle on the floating continent, finishing off a demonkin marquis could be considered great progress. In the end, Wei Potian was awarded a marquis worth of contributions which, to him, was like a golden meat pie that had fallen into his lap. To be honest, all he had done was run an errand and pick up an item on his way back. At most, one could add the hour of unconsciousness to his labor and the mysterious kicks to the butt. Doubtlessly, all of these was part of Song Zinings plan. This filled Wei Potian with a bit of worry in addition to the present delight. He refused to believe that Song Zining would be that kindthere must be some sort of trap behind the sweet bait. The empire had always awarded contributors generously. Additionally, Wei Potians status was special and the Wei family was also a target of recruitment for many powers. Hence, his benefits this time were quite abundant. In addition to the militarys pure contribution points, the imperial family had also awarded him a number of rare treasures, enough to forge himself a set of battle armor. Besides, these treasures possessed special synergy with his Thousand Mountains. Apparently, they had been specially picked out for him. The Zhao clans private rewards were similarly bountifulthey actually gave him a small high-speed battleship. Despite being a basic model, the present sent the Wei clan heir over the moon. What puzzled Wei Potian was the fact that Song Zining never appeared again after that night, and no one knew where he had gone. Wei Potian didnt become muddle-headed from the unexpectedly ample rewards. After some thought, he decided to return to Far East Province and manage the war over there. The battle around Indomitable was becoming increasingly odd, with who knows how many powers wrestling behind the curtains. He knew that this was no longer the place for him. Besides, the Wei clan had little benefit in this war and Qianye had already deserted the empire. For a brief moment, Wei Potian felt truly downhearted and wanted nothing more than to leave this place immediately. On a lone peak a thousand kilometers away from Indomitable, Bai Kongzhao was standing on a cliffside and gazing at the starry skies. No one knew what she was thinking. Bai Aotu climbed up step by step. She then arrived beside the young girl and dropped a backpack at her feet, saying, The things you want are here. Thank you. Startled, Bai Aotu said with a smile, This is the first time Ive heard you say thank you, but these words are really quite cold. You still dont consider yourself a part of the Bai family. Bai Kongzhao sighed. I dont belong to anyone, not even myself. I have no idea why Im alive, either, perhaps its purely the will to survive. Are you leaving? The lass nodded. I can no longer find any sense in remaining here. There is war here, countless experts and enemies, even some that you simply cannot handle. Isnt that reason enough to stay? If you want to kill, there are innumerable soldiers in the dark race army. No, thats not it. The girl shook her head, her eyes inexplicably vacant. I suddenly feel that theres no longer any meaning to killing. Those people are no longer a threat to me, and killing them wont make me feel any safer. Right now, I really dont know what I want to do. Bai Aotu remained silent for a moment before saying, Must you really go? Is it because of Zhao Ruoxi? The young girl shook her head. No. I know she wants to kill me and she can kill me if she wants, but I have an inexplicable feeling that there is no longer anything for me to do in this place. My destiny is far far away. Have you thought about where youre going? The neutral lands, the lass replied without any hesitation. It would seem she already had an answer. Because of Qianye? Are you still going to kill him? Bai Kongzhaos eyes were full of bewilderment. Him? Perhaps, perhaps not. I only feel that I need to go and take a look there. The neutral lands suit you very well. Then, I wish you good luck. The young girl revealed a smile of self-derision. Good luck shouldnt belong to someone like me. Neither I, Bai Aotu replied indifferently. The young girl picked up her backpack and waved at Bai Aotu. Im leaving now. Just before jumping off the cliff, Bai Kongzhao looked back and said, Although Im not from the Bai clan, I like this name. Ill keep on using it! She then leapt off the cliff and fell straight down, eventually fading away into the vast wilderness. Only a good while later did Bai Aotu leave in silence. Life in the neutral lands was surprisingly calm. Qianyes daily job consisted of digging pits and renovating the house. After that great battle, East Peak had no more martial usesit quickly became a shovel for digging through soil and a saw for chopping trees. After several days, a rather impressive looking courtyard had begun to take shape. The walls had been fully constructed, complete with a lookout tower and two big houses each occupying half of the interior. On the other side was a storeroom. Only a small part of it was visible on the surface with the remainder being an underground icehouse. The old man had already set up his workshop. At the moment, he was mostly producing equipment for daily use and spare parts for ancient machines, which gave him a sense of accomplishment. Nighteye and Zhuji would go out to hunt every day while scouting the surrounding areas in passing. The environment on the other side of the river was no different from this side, but a widespread mist hung in the air less than ten kilometers from the riverbank. Neither Nighteye nor little Zhuji entered it because they could feel a vague sense of danger from within it. That night, the sky was starting to grow dark and the temperature was quickly dropping. The little courtyard, however, was full of warmth as the flickering blaze drove away the rising cold. There were already several dishes on the dining table, filling the room with their delicious aroma. One could tell at a glance that it was Qianyes work. The door opened at this point and in walked Nighteye. Squealing in delight upon seeing the dishes, she quickly shook away the frost on her cloak and took her seat at the table. Qianye walked out from the kitchen with a huge bowl of soup in his hands, a ladle in his mouth, and a plate on his head. He put the soup down on the table and glanced about. Wheres Zhuji? Shes gone down to the sea, but she should be back soon since its dinner time, Nighteye replied. I guess so. No matter how playful this little girl is, food is still the most important thing to her. Shell return after a while, Qianye said with a smile. At this moment, the doors flew open with a bang and Zhuji rushed inside with a lobster even bigger than herself, crying, Extra dish, extra dish! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 726: Uninvited Gues Qianye and Nighteye glanced at one another. In the end, Qianye said with a cough, Put down that thing, first. Be careful. The ocean was the source of true danger. At first, Qianye and Nighteye werent worried about Zhuji because the girls body was extremely sturdy and almost as strong as Qianyes own. Ordinary sea beasts werent her match at allthey could hardly even bite through her skin. Additionally, the arachne were different from the werewolves who were inherently bad in the water. There was even a subspecies called water spiders. There was no telling how much of this water spider bloodline Little Zhuji had, but at least the recent days had proven that she was a natural fighter under the water. Hence, Qianye and Nighteye became more supportive over her going underwater, only warning her not to enter the deep-sea regions. After seeing this lobster, however, their expressions changed somewhat. Zhuji was quite obedient. She tossed the lobster onto the ground and stepped on it before the creature could turn around and retaliate. The stomp caused the creature to howl in agony and its shell to let out creaking noises. The two adults exchanged a glance. Nighteye drew her vampiric blade, crouched down in front of the creature, and tapped its head with the blade. Where exactly are you from? Can you speak our language? Little Zhuji became dazed. It can speak? Qianye and Nighteye had told her that she couldnt eat anything that could speak. This development put her in an extremely bad mood. Clearly quite terrified of the vampiric blade in Nighteyes hands, the lobster began making hissing noises. Even if the lobster was an intelligent creature, its natural anatomical structure made it difficult for it to learn human speech. Nighteye used the blade to flick off a translucent scale from its body. This carapace clearly had a locking mechanism near its edges that would fasten it tightly to the lobsters body. Qianye was also quite interested in the object. He took the scale and observed it for a while before crushing it in his hands. The scale bent out of shape amidst creaking noises, but it actually didnt break apart. One could see from this just how sturdy it was. This isnt a natural shell but a type of armor. Qianye studied the lobster and removed dozens more of such scales. After everything was pieced together, a neat, translucent lobster shell was formed. The lobster became much less imposing after having its shell removed. It lay prone on the ground, blowing some bubbles in silence. Nighteye knocked the shell on its head and said, If youre not willing to speak, we can make a good soup out of you. The lobster looked like it didnt know what soup meant and merely remained limp on the ground. In Qianyes eyes, there was a clear flow of origin power in the creature, and the pathways were quite different from that of ordinary fierce beasts. Although its disguise was quite realistic, the origin fluctuations within grew stronger under Nighteyes threat. It could hide its identity from other people, but no small changes could escape Qianyes notice. Apparently, this lobster was not just intelligent but highly so. After several fruitless attempts, Nighteye also became somewhat impatient. She tapped on the lobsters skull and said coldly, Since youre not willing to speak, Ill just take it as you cant speak. It was at this time that the lobster suddenly erupted with extreme power. It tossed Zhuji away, bounced up from the ground, and shot straight toward Nighteye like a cannonball! The horn on its forehead flickered with a deep blue brilliancethe glow of origin power! As fast as the lobster was, he was still slower than Qianye and Nighteye. The latter pulled back to evade that rock-crushing attack, while Qianye caught the creature from the back, freezing it mid-air. The lobsters body flickered with origin power as it bent its body in a bid to struggle free. Despite being very powerful, it couldnt escape Qianyes palms after being caught. The exoskeleton started to creak and groan, almost as if it would start to crack the very next moment. Finding no way to escape, it shot out several of its whiskers with a loud cry, aiming for Nighteyes abdomen! These whiskers were incomparably sharp and the force behind them was no weaker than a bullet. The attack came abruptly, but it still couldnt do anything to Nighteye. Her vampiric blade drew out several beams of light as she deflected all of the incoming projectiles. This attack, however, infuriated Qianye, who quickly increased the force from his hand and crushed the shell with a loud crack. Soon afterward, a dark golden blood energy advanced along the creatures spine and assaulted its brain. The lobster unleashed a miserable scream, its limbs swinging about randomly as its origin power disappeared. Qianye threw the creature to the ground with a snort. Courting death. The lobsters mouthpiece moved about and suddenly produced a harsh, peculiar speech, You people dare invade the sea, you will die. All of you will die!!! Doubtlessly, this was human language, and in addition, it was the official imperial language. This also happened to be the common speech used throughout the neutral lands. Qianye wasnt afraid of the lobsters threat. He had even betrayed the empire, so what could this little fellow from a corner of the neutral lands even do? Fearlessness was one thing, but this mysterious creatures origins was something he needed to confirm. Throw this thing into the ice-room. Ill go to town tomorrow and see if anyone knows its origins, Qianye said. Affirming the instructions, Nighteye picked up the lobster and left. Little Zhuji still wasnt sure what had just happened. She followed Nighteye with a sour expression, mumbling, No more extra dish. The little fellow wouldnt even take a bite out of anything Qianye and Nighteye had absorbed with their vampiric blades, or things that had been attacked by blood energy. As she saw it, Qianye killing this lobster with his blood energy was akin to destroying a good dinner. However, the lobster had already proven its intelligence, so Qianye wasnt going to let her eat it either way. Moments later, the four sat down for dinner. The old man, who had been silent this whole time, said with a worried expression, Maybe I should set up some ballistae and reinforce our defenses? Perhaps we should also move further away from the sea. Qianye laughed. Its the Black Grove behind us. Staying too close to it isnt a great idea, either. Were currently a fair ways from the ocean. Dont worry, those aquatic creatures will have their combat strength halved on land. The old mans countenance improved a bit, but he still wasnt quite assured. Zhuji shouldnt go to the sea anymore. Im okay, the little fellow replied while eating intently. Qianye said after a moment of silence, Elder Cui is right. Zhuji, you cant play in the ocean in the future, understand? Begrudgingly, Zhuji promised to stay away. After dinner, the old man returned to his room to rest. Habitually sleepy after eating her fill, little Zhuji climbed onto the sofa with difficulty and fell asleep. After cleaning up the dinner table, Nighteye didnt retire as she normally would. Instead, she dragged Qianye over and sat down together. You havent cultivated for some time. Qianye said with a smile, I need to maintain a balance between my daybreak and darkness origin powers. The problem is, my blood energy is developing too fast, so I need to cultivate daybreak energy. Ill start training after you recover. Im mostly healed now. Without the ancient blood pond, youll still need some time to fully recuperate. This is your weakest period. My cultivation can wait. Nighteye sighed lightly. My strength is probably at the level of a third-rank viscount right now. I-I dont want to delay you. Qianye replied, There are a lot of things I can do without cultivating. Nighttime activities can also increase ones strength. Nighteye sighed once more. Youre just like that, always making me feel like a burden. Qianye laughed loudly and pulled Nighteye into his arms. Who dares say our Monroe Princess is a burden? Be a good girl and recover first. After youre healed, Ill need you to protect me while Im cultivating. Only after Nighteye fell into deep sleep did Qianye tiptoe out of the room. There were several conditions for a vampire''s recoverysufficient blood energy or essence blood, and sleep. Nighteye had absorbed enough essence blood from those fierce beasts during their last battle. All that was left was to slowly regenerate in sleep. Vampires possessed fairly powerful regenerative potential, but Li Fengshui had used a large number of medicines that inhibited her blood energy and blood core. Even until now, these effects hadnt worn off entirely. Qianye walked out of the room, picked up a piece of wood, and began carving it in the courtyard. The heavy East Peak was as light as a feather in his hands. Every stroke of the blade landed at the right time and place, soon forming the outline of a wooden vase. Next up, Qianye calmed his mind and began carving flower patterns on the vase using East Peak as a carving knife. The wood from the Black Grove was both hard and sturdy, but the sword cut through it like tofu. A slight increase in strength would very well cause the vase to crack into two. The night was quiet and time passed by in silence. Qianye had lost track of how many strokes he had made, but the vase had become extremely exquisite and detailed. The carvings on the vase depicted the scene where Nighteye first arrived at the Red Spider Lily. [1] This work of art was about to be completed, yet Qianye hadnt made a single mistake throughout the entire process. Perhaps because its wood was being carved, the Black Grove emitted a continuous howl, accompanied by the occasional eerie roar. However, none of these could affect Qianye. Every night, the Dark Grove would roar, but Qianye only paid attention to his own business. One after the other, household utensils and decorative items, among other things, were produced by East Peak. Regardless of whether the forest was seeking to express a threat or protest, neither beast tide nor native warriors appeared again. It would seem that they were intimidated by Qianyes last massacre. The night, however, wasnt entirely lonesome. There was a pair of eyes staring at Qianye from the sea, and it was the same every night. There were no proper words to describe those eyes. Despite being separated by a large expanse of seawater, it could see Qianyes every little move and refused to ignore even the slightest of details related to him. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 727: All Ou At first, Qianye would make occasional mistakes, sometimes even splitting the object into two. East Peak was simply too heavy and excessively sharp. It could easily crush the black wood without any extra force. But soon, his mistakes grew less and less frequent. Just the night before, that mysterious existence could still sense some minute deviations of the sword tip. Tonight, however, the blade was already moving with the utmost perfection. At this point, the mysterious being in the sea realized that Qianyes heart had calmed down entirely. A true confrontation was about to come. As dawn arrived, Qianye glanced at the vase in his hand with great satisfaction. His recent practice of carving before the ocean was, in truth, a process of training his sword technique and intent. At least in terms of sword technique, Qianye felt that he had no more room for improvement. He took the vase into the house and placed it on a rack. Afterward, he went to the ice-room and hauled two frozen beasts carcasses onto the truck. Seeing that there was a lot of empty space left, he pondered for a while, and then put the two beast-tusk sculptures he had carved into a case and tossed them into the truck. These two sculptures were just random stuff Qianye had made because he had nothing better to do, and there were minor defects on both of them. The space inside the house was limited, so he couldnt arrange too many of his handicrafts there. The car rocked and swayed for a good two hours before reaching the small town. This pace was slower than Qianye moving all the goods by himself, but this kind of leisurely travel was refreshing to him and allowed his tense nerves to relax. The atmosphere in town was somewhat different. The townspeople were sweeping the streets and clearing out the rubbish. Qianye called out to one of them and asked, Whats going on? They said theres a big character coming down from above. We need to clean the place up, lest that person gets upset. Oh, I see. What kind of character? That person shrugged. How should I know? In any case, I heard hes pretty important. In the neutral lands, these so-called important characters usually referred to people with great combat strength. In this lawless land, the powerful characters were the ones who could decide the life and death of the weaker ones. Realizing that he wasnt going to get much out of these people, Qianye put this matter to the back of his mind and proceeded with trading his goods for fuel and components. He then loaded his haul onto the antique vehicle and drove back to his home. One day passed by in peaceZhuji and Nighteye went to bed early after dinner while the old man continued working on his lathe. This kind of quiet life suited him very well and filled him with new inspiration. According to him, Qianye would be able to use a type of extremely powerful bullet very soon. Qianye secretly dismissed the claims and was more satisfied that the old man had something to strive toward. As for origin bullets, nothing could be as powerful as the Shot of Inception. Yet, the old man was determined to make it, so Qianye would support him as much as he could. Night arrived and it was once again entirely silent. Qianye picked up a piece of wood and walked out into the courtyard. This time, he didnt stop in front of the gates but went all the way to the seaside. The ocean at night was deep, distant, and the surging tides filled the air with a stifling sensationwho knew what secrets were hidden underneath the boundless depths of its waters? Qianye had no idea why he had come to the seaside. It was almost as though something there was calling out to him, but with how strong he was at the moment, few existences could subconsciously affect him like this. Qianye investigated the place thoroughly, but that feeling from just now had vanished. He paid no more attention to it and simply sat down on one of the rocks to do his carving. The surging waves roared under the night sky, crashing repeatedly onto the shoal rocks and spraying white foam into the air. Qianye had long since gotten used to the sound of crashing tides. Not to mention the waves, he wouldnt be affected even if someone were shouting in his ears. Qianye cut open the wooden pillar and split it into several segments. Then, he picked a random piece and began carving upon it, leaving the rest sitting on one side. It seemed like the night would pass by peacefully, just like before. All of a sudden, a big wave crashed onto the beach with a resounding roar. Startled, Qianye felt his blade deviate ever so slightly, chipping off half the fledgling sculpture and ruining it entirely. Qianye broke into a frownafter some thought, he put down the ruined work and proceeded to carve another piece. The tides grew louder and louder, almost as though the Eastern Sea was restless and agitated. Another crack was heard as East Peak lost control and split the wood into two. Qianye pondered for a moment before making a third attempt. Before long, East Peak sank down unexpectedly and chipped off a big piece of the wood. His eyes immediately turned blue. This time, he clearly saw a wisp of void origin power appear out of nowhere and push East Peak away from its intended trajectory. No matter how slow Qianye was, there was no way he wouldnt know something was off about these repeated failures. He shot a glance at the ocean and had a vague feeling that this was a kind of confrontation. Qianye picked up a piece of wood and kept on carving. As expected, a wisp of void origin power appeared before long and began to affect East Peaks movements. With how proficient he was in sword techniques, dealing with this intrusive force became easier now that he could see it. He was able to cancel out the draw of the void origin power with just a bit of force from his wrist. East Peak thus steadily shaved out a flat wooden board and went on with its carving. The mysterious existence in the sea seemed dissatisfied with the outcome. Soon, yet another wisp of origin power appeared beside Qianye in an attempt to tug at his sword. This, he duly crushed with the blade, yet a third materialized all of a sudden. The East Peak began to drift upward and caused a big piece off of the wood to break off. Qianyes brows rose slightly. He discarded the ruined material and began anew with another segment. This time, the mysterious existence was no longer politeone strand of void origin power appeared after the other, moving unpredictably and at varying speeds. Now that Qianye was guarded, his wrist shook repeatedly as he dissolved the invasive energy in quick succession. However, at this moment, a wisp of void origin power appeared behind him and triggered a resonance with East Peak. The resultant vibration caused the carving in Qianyes hand to explode and shatterhe had lost again. This time, Qianye wasnt in a rush to play. He meditated for a moment on how the origin power had resonated with East Peak before picking up his next piece. The night passed by exceptionally fast, and soon, it was dawn. The great ocean gradually became calm and the mysterious existence had left quietly. At this point, there was a pile of wasted lumber at Qianyes feet. He had gone back home several times during the night to replenish the stock. From this, one could see just how many times he was defeated. By midnight, Qianye had already pushed his sword techniques to the extreme. It could be said that his every move was wondrous and blended perfectly with nature itself. Yet, there was no end to the wisps of void origin powerthey would often appear at the same time, working synergistically in a complicated pattern that was almost impossible to grasp. At that point, it was no longer a situation where one could rely solely on sword arts. Despite knowing that this mysterious entity was trying to overwhelm him with force, Qianye pretended not to notice and simply refused to activate his origin power and blood energy. He relied solely on his physical strength and exquisite sword techniques to deal with the incoming disruption. At this moment, his skills had already reached their zenith, and it was no longer easy to make any progress. This remote contest with the mysterious ocean existence, however, was a great chance for him to sharpen himself. Qianye thus devoted his entire heart into wrestling with this mysterious character. Only when the entity departed at dawn did Qianye realize that the time he could hold out against the onslaught had grown much longer compared to midnight. Although the improvement was only by a few seconds, it was still indicative of solid progress. He wasnt quite sure about the mysterious beings intentions, but his benefits were very real. Shooting a glance at the color of the sky, Qianye picked up all the ruined pieces of wood and returned to the courtyard. These damaged carvings couldnt be wasted because they would make for high-quality firewood. At night the following day, Qianye once again felt the mysterious calling after Nighteye and Zhuji had gone to bed. As such, he picked up East Peak and headed to the sea with the lumber in tow. The first round was no different from last nightQianye gave it everything he had but was still defeated, and the wooden sculpture in his hand turned to sawdust. Not discouraged in the slightest, he was just about to begin the second bout when he glanced back, feeling that something was wrong. The nocturnal scenery seemed no different from the norm, but Qianyes powerful vision caught sight of the forest moving, its borders extending forward for over ten meters before coming to a stop. Some of the trees were really moving, while others were sprouting up from the ground. With how fast the Black Grove could grow, these saplings would probably reach full development in one day. A theory appeared in Qianyes heartthe Black Groves expansion was because he had lost the round just now. This idea emerged out of nowhere, almost as though it was the only thing right and proper. Despite having no way to prove this, his instincts told him that it was the truth. When he glanced back at the ocean, Qianye had grown much more serious. It would seem that this mysterious existence wasnt satisfied with a simple contest and wanted to raise the stakes. If Qianye were to lose, the courtyard he had built would soon be devoured by the Black Grove. Although he could stop the Black Grove by chopping down its trees, Qianye knew that the existence in the sea would interfere personally if he were to do that. It could already do whatever it wanted just by utilizing void origin power. Qianye understood that this was a terrifying existence at least at the level of a duke. Hence, he made up his mind and picked up yet another piece of wood, paying great attention to it this time around. Things were indeed different under pressure. Qianye held out for the longest time during this bout and managed to finish most of the carving before he was defeated. Perhaps out of respect and recognition, the forest only advanced a little bit this time. At this rate, though, the Black Grove would occupy half of the empty land in one night, and in three, Qianye would have to move to the other side of the riverthe only other option being the sea. It was already quite clear that neither the Eastern Sea nor the Black Grove was habitable. Qianye once again faced the ocean and picked up yet another piece of wood. As East Peak made its first carving, the faint sound of ocean tides echoed around Qianye, almost overpowering the roar of the Eastern Sea itself. Several wisps of origin power appeared in succession, but all of them were crushed immediately before they could affect East Peak. At this point, one could say that Qianye had gone all out and activated the domain powers of his Oceanic Vortex. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 728: Competition The mysterious entity in the ocean was so astonished that it couldnt react for a while. After a period of silence, eight wisps of void origin power appeared around Qianye, and they were much sturdier than the ones in the past. The energy managed to resist the power of the Oceanic Vortex and even tug on East Peak. This attack appeared so abruptly that it caused the blade to jolt away from its intended track. However, dark golden blood energy flickered around Qianyes body and suppressed the movement with extreme force, effectively resisting the round of attacks. The mysterious entity naturally wouldnt give up. Almost ten such strands of origin power appeared again in quick succession and charged straight for Qianye. Yet, the might of the Oceanic Vortex suddenly vanished at this pointaffected by the sudden loss of a target, the surging power of the incoming attack flew off in all directions. Qianye had won this round! The two parties thus competed repeatedly. Qianye used his domain with great mastery, causing it to appear and vanish at will. During critical moments, he would activate his blood energy for a burst of power, forcibly suppressing the draw of the void origin power. For a moment, the mysterious existence could do nothing against Qianye. Moments later, Qianyes final slash fell and the carving was completed! This was the first time Qianye had won in the last two nights. Looking at the exquisite sculpture of little Zhuji in his hands, he sighed in relief. He was drenched in sweatcompleting this little sculpture was no easier than fighting a powerful enemy in a bloody battle, and it could be said that he had used up all of his trump cards except for the Shot of Inception. Even so, it was only a close victory with Qianyes hands almost slipping on several occasions. There was no way he wouldve won if it wasnt for the support of the dark golden blood energy that allowed him to suppress the pull of the void origin power. Qianye carefully placed the sculpture to the side, taking advantage of this time to take a break and recall the process of this contest. The mysterious entity had indeed used several wisps of void origin power, but it had controlled its power to just above Qianyes combat strength. It could be said that the creature didnt use overwhelming force to suppress him but fought him fairly instead. Qianye had won this round with great difficulty and there was also a measure of luck involved. The next round would very likely be a loss for him. Purely in terms of combat strength, that mysterious entity had reached a level where every random move was one with nature, and its standards were even higher than Zhao Jundus. Qianye had never seen such a high level in all of his life. After some thought, he felt that only people like Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang might reach such a stage. After winning this round, the parts of the Black Grove that had stretched out receded entirely, even clearing out some space in the original forest area. However, an urging intent soon arose from the deep darkness to challenge him. Qianye slowly picked up a new piece of wood and began a new round. As expected, this round was his loss, and so were the two that followed. After three bouts, an abnormal redness appeared on Qianyes face and his blood core began pulsing intensively. His chest tightened, and he almost couldnt lift East Peak up. Exhausted of both origin power and blood energy, Qianye was no longer capable of doing battle after the three rounds. The previous night, he hadnt used his origin power and merely competed in technique. He was naturally fine, no matter how long the contest went on. Tonight, however, was a truly grueling battle, and Qianye was already like an arrow at the end of its flight by the time it was midnight. He looked back and saw that the forest had pushed forward and covered up half the land. Clenching his teeth, he increased the pulsation of his blood core with all his might and picked up another piece of wood. However, the mysterious existence had already noticed Qianyes weak state. It transmitted the intention to stop before returning to the sea. Qianye heaved a long sigh and was already on the brink of collapse. He could see that the Black Grove had occupied a large patch of the empty land, but there were only new sprouts there. Moreover, they stopped growing after reaching a meter in height. Qianye understood that this was the mysterious entity showing mercy. If he were to lose the coming night, then these sprouts would grow into giant trees and his new home would soon be devoured by the Black Grove. What was the mysterious existences motive? Qianye pondered back and forth but simply couldnt find an answer. At dawn the next day, both Nighteye and the old man were shocked to find that the forest had expanded rapidly. After learning of the reason, however, Nighteye didnt seem so worried. We can just move to town if needed. Cui Yuanhai shook his head. It might not be that simple. According to Qianyes description, that thing can find us all the same even if we move. Wont it be fine if we just defeat it? Zhuji offered a solution. Qianye rubbed her head and said with a smile, Youre right, we just need to beat it. The summons was heard once more as night finally arrived. Qianye thus arrived at the shore and began a new round. In the blink of an eye, the moon was high in the sky and the clock had struck past midnight. Drenched in sweat and panting, Qianye propped himself up on his sword. The fatigue was even worse than the previous night, but there were now two complete sculptures standing on the shoal rocks. Qianye had fought a total of five rounds in half a night and won two of themthere was probably no need to explain the difficulty involved. The rewards granted for winning were much greater than what he would lose when defeated. Hence, the Black Grove duly spat out a portion of the land it had invaded. Qianye noticed something after the mysterious entitys departurea fifty-kilometer area around the latter was devoid of any beasts, likely due to its intimidating aura. Moreover, the mysterious entity wouldnt allow any other person to affect Qianye before the next round. This was the safest moment for him and a good opportunity to cultivate. Qianye hadnt cultivated his daybreak origin power for a long time. Now that he had finally found a suitable environment, he sat down on the rocks by the ocean and slowly circulated his Profound Combatant Formula. The moment the formula was activated, an origin vortex formed around Qianye that was much bigger than the one back on Evernight Continent. Despite barely having taken shape, it was already over a hundred meters and growing fast. The larger the vortex, the stronger and faster the void origin power would be drawn in. Qianye was fairly apprehensive because he had never controlled such a big origin vortex before. As such, he quickly restrained his origin power and prevented the vortex from expanding further. It was at this time that sudden crisp sounds rang out around Qianye, almost like the shattering of teacups. Several void lacerations had appeared around him, with violent void origin power gushing out through them. Qianye discovered that the spatial construct of the neutral lands was fairly unstable. The pressure from his origin vortex could easily tear the fabric apart and draw out void origin power through the gaps. With several lacerations spitting out origin power at the same time, a small origin storm soon formed around Qianye. The pressure therein made Qianye feel as though he were shouldering a mountaineven his spine was beginning to creak and groan. If it wasnt for the sturdiness of his body being comparable to the ancient vampires, there was no way he would''ve been able to withstand it. Any random human below the divine champion rank would be crushed into a meat-pie. Qianye understood at this point that physical strength was the true bottleneck of the Profound Combatant Formula. This more than a hundred meter vortex was faster than anything Qianye had experienced before in terms of absorption rate. In just one hour, Qianye was already filled to the brim and almost overflowing with void origin power. Back on Evernight Continent, he would need several days of ordinary cultivation in order to absorb his full capacity. Void origin power was extremely violent. Even Qianye, with his powerful constitution, didnt dare to absorb too much. He gradually withdrew the Profound Combatant Formula and followed up with the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Glory Chapter, refining the newly harvested void origin power into daybreak. Refining the void origin power was a tedious task that couldnt be rushed even if he wanted to. Time passed by unknowingly during cultivation, and soon, the sky had turned a milky white and the clouds of dawn had decorated the Eastern Sea with a layer of gold. The rippling waves were like specks of gold rushing to get to the shore. At this moment, the two origin vortices in Qianyes body were filled with golden origin power, and the crystalline granules within resembled pieces of fragmented gold orbiting the center. This scene resembled the ocean in the outside world. After the two vortices were filled by the constantly refined origin power from the Glory Chapter, a third began to take shape and absorb the external energy. The formation of a third vortex was imminent and natural. The process would be officially complete in a few days when he had finished refining all of the void origin power in his body. Qianye retracted the Glory Chapter and slowly opened his eyes. He was facing the ocean, at this moment, with the break of dawn looming overhead. A sudden feeling of vastness overwhelmed his heartthe pressure he had been feeling for many days was swept away as he spat out a mouthful of impurities amidst the faint sounds of rumbling thunder. Qianye stood up and went back to the courtyard. A new day had begun. A shadow flickered briefly through the Black Grove and hid away immediately upon seeing Qianye. The latter was somewhat surprised because it was rare to see the natives moving about in the daytime, not to mention so close to the courtyard too. However, Nighteye had largely recovered and there was also Zhuji around. The natives would probably suffer quite badly if they wanted to assault their walls. Qianye turned his gaze away and suddenly realized that the other side of the river had cleared up a fair bit. The lingering mist had somewhat receded, revealing a large patch of land. Could it be that winning against the mysterious entity would also cause the mist to shrink? If that were the case, it could only be good news. Qianye began cleaning ingredients for breakfast after returning to the courtyard. At this moment, the little town was almost newthe streets were squeaky clean, and the piles of rubbish that used to be everywhere had vanished without a trace. Iron Bear was waiting at the gates with all of his subordinates. The roar of an engine filled the air as an airship arrived and landed outside the town. The vessel, embedded with a large number of beast tusks, looked fairly sinister, and the deep azure-colored insignia on it depicted a wolfs head with bloody fangs. Even Iron Bear couldnt help but feel apprehensive upon seeing the wolf head insignia because it was a representation of the Wolf King. Those who could put such a crest on their ship naturally shared an extraordinary relationship with the ruler. The airship doors were kicked open and out walked a lanky young man with a charming face. He had golden rings on his nose and the jewels embedded in them were sparkling brightly under the sun. He looked around at the surroundings and said, What kind of run-down place is this!? He then glanced at Iron Bear and added, And theres a group of crappy people too. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 729: Ism Busy The young man jumped off the airship, his nail-studded boots producing a swoosh as they landed firmly on the ground. He was clad in a leather suit, and beneath his unbuttoned lapel was a black shirt with a large wolf-head embroidered on it. The bloody fangs on it were exceptionally eye-catchingit was almost as though he wanted everyone to know about his relationship with the Wolf King. There was a row of daggers within the lining of the mans clothes, ranging from blades as thin as a finger to serrated ones as thick as a forearm. He made no move to hide these daggers and, on the contrary, was even showing them off. A dozen or so youths in black leather suits, all of them sporting the crest of the wolf king, jumped off behind this person. The young man walked over to Iron Bear and said frivolously, So, youre the leader here? I am. May I know your name? Iron Bear asked cautiously. The young man patted his chest and said proudly, Im Xue Ding, you might not recognize me, but you mustve heard about me before. The Wolf King is my foster father! Iron Bear was startled. Everyone knew the Wolf King was a werewolfthis fellow before him was clearly human, yet he had recognized the Wolf King as his adoptive father and was even so proud about it. As for the name Xue Ding, he had never even heard of it before. But regardless, the Wolf King was the ruler of the Eastern Sea, an expert Iron Bear had no hope of catching up to. His adoptive son wasnt someone Iron Bear could afford to offend. As though he had noticed Iron Bears expression, Xue Ding walked over and said while tapping on Iron Bears chest, What, do you suspect that Im pretending? A strong whirlwind kicked up around the two, sending Little Knife and the others around them reeling and unable to find their footing. Iron Bears expression changed drastically. He could clearly sense four powerful origin vortices in Xue Dings body, whirling violently like a blue-green tempest. After Xue Dings display of power, Iron Bear immediately collected his thoughts and dared not reveal any opinion. The young man pointed to his group of black-robed youths and said, These are the Black Wolf Guards, my personal guard force as well as a replacement for the Wolf Kings Guard. The Wolf King seems to favor you quite a bit. Iron Bear offered a stiff flattery. Xue Ding, however, seemed to be enjoying it. He said, following a burst of loud laughter, My foster father indeed treats me well. Now, do you still doubt my identity? Iron Bear began to sweat. I dont, I wouldnt dare. Who would dare offend the Wolf Kings people in the Eastern Sea? Its good that you understand. Xue Ding patted Iron Bears shoulder and walked into the town. This place is quite run-down, but Ill improvise. Prepare something for me to eat and then lets see if theres anything fun to play with. Everythings ready, please follow me. Iron Bear led the entourage into the small town. In order to establish their might, these Black Wolf Guards kept their auras fully released. A dozen or so rank-eight warriors was enough to intimidate the forces of this towneven Iron Bear himself would have to pull back before them. Xue Ding stopped a passing young girl and groped her a couple of times. He then pushed her away, saying, No flesh at all. The girl hurried away as though she had just escaped from death, triggering a bout of laughter from the Black Wolf Guards. Most of the townsmen simply watched on. Some of them seemed angry but didnt have the courage to speak out. The four powerful origin vortices on Xue Dings body were like four mobile storms that could easily crush anyone in the town. Xue Ding soon arrived at Iron Bears residence and simply took the central seat. Meanwhile, Iron Bear ordered his men to serve up the wine and food, which more or less filled the entire table. Xue Dings eyes lit up. I wasnt expecting it, but this little place has some really good stuff! He pulled out a dagger, used it to fork a large piece of meat into his plate, and then began chewing on it. While eating, he said in an ambiguous tone, This is really not bad! This taste, mm, this isnt the iron-horned rhinoceros. Its the meat of a slaughter-bull, and a violent one at that! I only get to eat such good things at my adoptive fathers place. Xue Ding offered so much praise that Iron Bear could no longer remain calm. He hadnt expected the man to evaluate this roasted meat so highly. To be honest, he couldnt really identify the creatures species when Qianye had brought a creature that looked like a cross between an armored bull and an iron rhino. There were simply too many species of beasts in the neutral lands. Thinking that it was an ordinary beast, Iron Bear had handed it to the kitchen for the welcome feast. While eating, Xue Ding complained incessantly about Iron Bears chef for wasting such a high-grade ingredient. Iron Bear hadnt realized anything, but Little Knife quickly caught onto the mans hint. Theres still a large piece of this meat in the kitchen. Ill have someone pack it up and deliver it to your airship. This boy is smart, he knows that Im eager to eat this. Xue Ding laughed while patting Little Knifes shoulder. Why not follow me in the future? I like smart people. You can choose to be a Black Wolf Guard. Little Knife replied with a smile, I thank Young Noble Xue for his favor, but my wife is pregnant right now. Ill join you once shes given birth. Very well, its decided then. Ill be waiting for you! Xue Ding was apparently quite heroic. The banquet went on until the sun began to set over the Eastern Sea and only ended after it was dark. Xue Ding was fairly satisfied with the food and immediately promised to half the towns taxes this year. Iron Bear was overjoyed at this development because the reduced taxes would enter his own pockets. Iron Bear woke up only after a couple of pokes from Little Knife, quickly inviting Xue Ding to take a stroll around the town and take whatever struck his fancy. The young man was greatly pleased and offered praises to Iron Bear and Little Knife for their thoughtfulness. He then went off to walk around. The little town was rather poor and barrenonly a couple of local products interested him, and nothing imported could really catch his eyes. There were, however, some pretty girls in town, including a few proactive ones shooting flirtatious glances at Xue Ding, hoping to hook up with the Wolf Kings foster son. The man didnt reject anyone, either. He would grope everyone coming his way before pushing them aside. It would seem he had no intention of bringing them back to his room. Eh? He suddenly picked up a wooden sculpture along the way, one depicting a tall beast with slender limbs and a row of blade-like spikes stretching from head to toe. Vivid and lifelike, the wooden creature was full of energy and seemed like it would injure the onlooker at any moment. Blade beast? Theres actually such a beast here? To have returned alive after encountering a blade beast, this is no simple man! Xue Ding said while fiddling with the sculpture. Iron Bear didnt remember where this sculpture had come from, so he pulled the peddler over and quietly asked him about it. Its from the newcomer, he probably carved it himself. I saw that both the artwork and material were good, so I wanted to sell it deeper inland, the vendor replied honestly. Xue Dings expression eventually changed as he caressed the veins on the sculpture. After hearing the peddlers words, he sneered, This knife-work is well beyond good. This person might not be too far from me in terms of combat skills. Given a blade, he can easily kill everyone in this town! Iron Bears expression changed slightly. He couldnt tell the quality of the artwork, but he knew Qianyes strength was far above his own. With Xue Dings character, the former knew that trouble was not so far off. As expected, the young man said, Hes a newcomer, you say? Where does he live now? This is an interesting fellow, one worth visiting. Iron Bear replied, He lives a bit far, and its already dark right now. You know, the journey there might not be very convenient. Xue Ding sneered, Just some natives, you think I fear them? An idea quickly came to Iron Bear. Very well then, Ill arrange two cars for you. That place is a bit far and we need to pass through a segment of the Black Grove to get there. Black Grove? Xue Dings expression shifted slightly. He was clearly somewhat apprehensive about it. Well be passing through its borders, Iron Bear replied. Oh, that should be fine then. Xue Ding seemed quite relieved. While they were prepping the vehicles, Little Knife dragged Iron Bear over and asked in a whisper, Are you really going to bring them over? That newcomer isnt so easy to deal with. Iron Bear replied in a deep voice, I know that, of course. Thats why Im going to bring this bastard over. We cant deal with him, but do you think Xue Ding cant? Even if that really is the case, theres no way he can stay in the Eastern Sea after offending the Wolf Kings foster son. Little Knife was astonished. Thats not too appropriate, is it? That fellow is no saint. Iron Bear snorted. This is my territory, and I wont allow anyone stronger than me to exist here. Little Knife wanted to dissuade the man, but he withdrew after a moment of hesitation. Moments later, a motorcade set out in the night and began driving toward the shores of the Eastern Sea. The caravan didnt travel very fast and was especially cautious as they were passing through the Black Grove. Even Iron Bear, who had been living here for so many years, didnt dare to be careless. However, they were delightfully surprised to find that the Black Grove had shrunk quite a bit. Iron Bear clearly remembered that the forest borders stretched a lot further when he was here the last time. Although he had no idea why the forest would contract, this was definitely a good thing. For some reason, though, there was a feeling of uneasiness in his heart. The motorcade passed through the Black Grove before long. Only then did Xue Ding heaved a sigh of relief, saying, How can you be so scared of such a short road? The Black Grove used to be much larger. Xue Ding nodded after listening to this explanation. The journey after passing through the Black Grove was a flat expanse. The motorcade thus sped up and, very soon, Qianyes little courtyard had come into view. Xue Ding jumped out of the car and walked toward the courtyard. All of a sudden, he saw a silhouette by the seaside. His eyesight wasnt pooreven from a long distance away, he could see that this person was shaving a piece of wood with a blade nearly two meters long, almost as though he were carving something. Is that him? Xue Ding inquired. Yes, thats the man! Iron Bear replied. Xue Ding stopped the Black Wolf Guard with a wave of his hand and walked toward the shore alone. Soon, he had arrived behind Qianye. Qianye kept on carving single-mindedly, paying attention to neither his surroundings nor Xue Ding. Xue Ding clenched his fist and said in a cold tone, Are you looking down on me? Im busy. Qianye didnt look up. He was busy wrestling with the mysterious existence in the ocean. How could he have the leisure to glance at this pompous fellow? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 730: Speaking Loudly The more Qianye acted this way, the more Xue Ding couldnt see through him. The man walked around him several times and sized him up from head to toe, yet he couldnt see through Qianyes true strength. Xue Ding immediately became apprehensive and cautious. The mysterious entity didnt really slow down the speed of its void origin power all this while, only choosing to avoid contact. It would even use the new guest as a cover from time to time, jumping out from behind him to resonate with East Peak. Qianye faced myriad variations with steadiness and kept on carving as usual. That mysterious existence was already nearing its limits. It could see Qianyes sculpture nearing completion yet could no longer summon any more void origin power to stop him. Both parties were going all out, wrestling like wild beasts. How could they pay any attention to the fly buzzing about nearby? But this hateful fly simply refused to leave and looked fairly eager to try his hand. It almost seemed like he would attack at any moment. By the time Xue Ding had circled around him for the seventh time, Qianye could no longer endure. He stopped what he was doing, glanced at the man, and released a wisp of his aura. Then, he went back to his carving, the first slash shaving off a piece of wood as thin as a cicadas wings. In Qianyes mind, this was like swatting down with his hand. Although it wouldnt kill the fly immediately, it should be enough to drive it away. A clever insect would leave as far away as it could. Yet unexpectedly, Xue Ding suddenly broke into a laugh after sensing Qianyes aura. Toward the end, he was laughing so hard that he couldnt stand straight. He held his stomach with one hand and said intermittently while pointing at Qianye, T-Two origin vortices? Were you trying to scare me? Haha, haha! Qianye was also startled. Only then did he remember that he was in the neutral lands and not at the Bloody Battle or Floating Continent where he had risen to fame. Back in the empire, even the Evernight soldiers knew of his strengththose below the virtuous count rank would slip away quietly after catching sight of him on the battlefield. As Qianye saw it, a rank-thirteen human was a target he could almost kill with one slap. He had already displayed his strength to the opponent, so the latter should make himself scram and save his own skin. Having nothing better to do at the moment, one of the Black Wolf Guards tried to kick down the courtyard door. It could be said that the attack contained just the right amount of power and not too violent. The gates flew open with his kick, but the wooden materials remained intact. The large hole he had been expecting did not appear. The puzzled Black Wolf Guard looked at his foot and then knocked on the door. He had never seen such sturdy material in his entire life. He lifted his foot, took aim at the door, and tried kicking once more. Bang! His foot connected with the other door, and this time, there were some results, albeit barely. The wooden gate became somewhat crooked, yet there wasnt even a single crack upon it. Just as the Black Wolf Guard was starting to doubt his very existence, one of his peers patted his shoulder and whispered, Hey look, there''s a beautiful lady over there! That Black Wolf Guard looked up and saw Nighteye and Zhuji in the courtyard. The former was holding a large fish and scaling it in a leisurely manner. Little Zhuji was clinging to the tableside and watching the large creature, swallowing from time to time. Nighteye only looked up once when the doors were kicked open. Thereafter, she paid no more attention to the group and continued fixing her fish. The little girl, however, seemed to have lost her fish-gazing mood and charged toward the gates, frowning. The lightning-fast dash actually kicked up a whirlwind in the courtyard! The group of Black Wolf Guards felt their vision turn blurry as Zhuji vanished from sight. Then, a gust of wind blew them into an unstable mess, sending a couple of the weaker ones rolling on the ground. The group lost their colors, but little did they know that their greatest setback had yet to arrive. By the time Zhuji reappeared, she had returned to her original position. However, it was Nighteye who had dragged back the unwilling little girl by the collar. Be good and keep on watching the fish. Nighteye knocked Zhuji on the head. The lass nodded resentfully. She then turned to the Black Wolf Guards with a fierce glare, thinking about how she would teach this group a lesson. Meanwhile, the guards had just recovered with great difficulty. They couldnt help but glance at one another, puzzled as to what had just happened. Did Zhuji move or did she not move? They had their own methods of dealing with this. One of the Black Wolf Guards cried loudly, Young Master, theres a great beauty over here! Xue Ding hadnt finished laughing at this moment. He replied impatiently, How can there be a beauty in such a place? Have you never seen women before? Ive really never seen one like this! the Black Wolf Guard cried out. Xue Ding shouted back while waving his hand. Whatever, just let it be! This young master will come and evaluate her after dealing with this dumb brat. Two of the Black Wolf Guards stayed behind to prevent Nighteye from escaping, while the rest hurried over to cheer for Xue Ding. Brat, Ill ask you one more time, do you despise me so much? Xue Ding reached out to pat Qianyes shoulder but his hand froze midair. His heart began beating wildly, and his petrified expression soon turned into awkwardness. East Peak emitted a crisp sound at this moment. Itss sharp point trembled slightly, turning the nearly formed sculpture into sawdust. Qianye had lost this round. Including the current bout, it was four losses against one win for today. A good situation had been ruined just like that. This time around, Qianyes expression toward this fly was no longer so kind. Astonished, Xue Ding took a step backward but soon realized that he had lost his momentum by doing so. Embarrassed and angry, he roared, Try my Windsplitter Strike! An azure whirlwind appeared around the young man, sweeping in everything within several dozen meters as he hurled a punch at Qianye. There were several faint wisps of azure origin power whirling around his fistapparently, its might was extraordinary. Qianye opened his left palm and grabbed at Xue Dings incoming fist. When the two came into contact, strands of origin power flew out from the mans fist and began spinning rapidly around Qianyes palm. The energy was like a chainsaw, attempting to cut into the body. This astonishing origin power was so sharp that it could crush steel. Countless people had been injured by this fist, crippled before they could even react. Some even had their entire arms crushed. Seeing that Qianye hadnt activated his origin defenses, a smile appeared on Xue Dings face. However, that grin froze soon after it was formed. Qianye grabbed the incoming fist with relative ease. That azure origin power did its utmost to cut through his skin, even producing screeching metallic sounds in the process. Yet, Qianyes arm remained intact except perhaps for some barely discernible red marks. Xue Dings eyes almost popped out of their sockets. For a moment, he couldnt help but doubt whether this Qianye was still human or not. But Xue Ding was still a skilled warrior who could react swiftly. Following a loud roar, he blasted Qianye with every ounce of origin power he had in store, hoping to overwhelm the opponent with his two-level advantage in cultivation. Azure origin power gushed out from his four origin vortices and transformed into a blue-green tempest. Qianye was calm and fearless in the face of this incoming attack as faint sounds of roaring waves echoed around him. He was going to clash against the enemy with the might of his Oceanic Vortex. As the azure storm dispersed, Xue Dings vision went dark and it felt as though he had been struck in the chest by a sledgehammer. He staggered several steps backward before barely finding his footing, letting out a muffled groan as fresh blood streamed down his nostrils. Y-You, how come He only managed to utter half a sentence before going mute. Qianye also took two steps back, but he quickly stabilized himself by thrusting East Peak into the ground. He seemed perfectly normal except for a bit of pallor. Xue Ding stared intently at Qianye, waiting for something to happen. However, Qianyes complexion recovered swiftly thereafter and his aura picked up once more. Impossible! Xue Ding cried out. The clash just now was a direct confrontation between origin powersthere was simply no room for any tricks. The young man had thought that he could heavily injure Qianye in one blow, but unexpectedly, his azure tempest was scattered instead. Qianye didnt seem to be feeling all that well, either, but it was a fact that Xue Ding had been completely suppressed. At this moment, Qianye felt somewhat helpless at heart. After five consecutive rounds against the mysterious existence, his origin power and blood energy had been mostly depleted. What little remained of his origin power was barely enough to activate his Oceanic Vortex and scatter the opponents azure tempest. If he were in his peak state, a single blow was enough to heavily injure Xue Ding and a follow-up slash would take his life. Even now, it was only a matter of increased effort. Despite being drained of origin power, he could still kill this fly all the same by relying on his powerful constitution and exquisite sword arts. At the thought of this, Qianye exerted force through his right hand and picked up East Peak. Xue Ding broke into a shiver and immediately fell back to hide amongst his Black Wolf Guards. Qianye was somewhat astonishedthis fellows perception toward danger was truly shocking and might very well be a type of innate talent. Xue Ding had retreated, but someone else was rearing to go. Sensing the killing intent, Qianye shot a glance at Iron Bear. You brought him here? So what if I did? Youre out of origin power, arent you? he said coldly while drawing a scimitar from his waist. Little Knife pulled the man back and begged, Wont you reconsider? Iron Bear swept his subordinate away and said with a sinister smile, What is there to think about? If I dont finish him off now, how can there be such a good opportunity in the future? Xue Ding saw the advantage in this situation. Waving his hand at the Black Wolf Guards, he said, Go, all of you! The guards looked rather imposing as they lined up behind Iron Bear. The latter felt even bolder now and began moving toward Qianye in large strides. Qianye smiled coldly. It seems youve forgotten the lesson from before. No, I remember it very well. Thats why Im unwilling to let go of this opportunity. There should only be one person in this town who can speak loudly, and thats me, Iron Bear! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 731: No Need to Endure I wouldnt have given a damn as long as the one youre speaking loudly to isnt me, Qianye said while caressing the blade. Now what? You want to kill me? Iron Bear clenched his teeth. Of course! Youre running on empty now. What are you going to fight me with!? With that, he leapt up and slashed down at Qianye with the scimitar, a shade of dark energy appearing on its blade edges. It was an all-out attack right off the bat! I can kill you even without origin power! Qianye parried the incoming slash horizontally. A violent jolt ran through Iron Bears body as the two blades came into contact, and he was flung backward. Meanwhile, Qianyes arm only sank a little bit. Xue Ding, who had been watching from the side, shrunk back and drew a breath of cold air. With his great insight, he could clearly tell that Qianyes block just now contained no origin power. He was able to throw Iron Bear away with pure physical strength. What kind of monster is this!? It was only natural that he would be astonished because, as far as he could remember, even the Wolf Kings own son was far weaker than Qianye. The impact sent Iron Bears qi and blood into turmoil, and his shaken vortices could no longer mobilize origin power smoothly. He hadnt even managed to catch his breath when Qianye spun East Peak around and arrived in front of him. Shocked out of his wits, Iron Bear quickly made to deflect East Peak with his scimitar. Yet even with three vortices worth of origin power, the incoming blade remained as heavy and immoveable as the oceans. It traveled along its original trajectory and soon arrived before the targets throat. Iron Bear fled in desperation and barely managed to escape the attack by retreating ten meters away. With a twist of Qianyes wrists, East Peak drew an arced line and spun back toward Iron Bears neck. The man did his utmost to block the incoming sword with his scimitar, landing a dozen blows on East Peak in quick succession. However, Qianye would disperse the force with a slight shake every time the defensive blows arrived. East Peak eventually closed in on Iron Bears throat via its curvaceous directory. The combat arts Iron Bear used to be so proud of were completely useless at the momentan ordinary stab from Qainye was enough to force him into dire straits, taking every ounce of his power just to dispel it. The latters strength was also inconceivable, and every blow from him felt like a blow from a sledgehammer. Iron Bear could barely parry the attacks even with origin power. East Peak seemed almost weightless in Qianyes hands as it danced constantly around Iron Bear. The burly mans expression grew increasingly serious until, at one point, his eyes went round, and he let out a miserable cry. A dozen or so streams of fresh blood gushed out from his body as his two lower legs flew off. He fell to the ground with a thud, his weapon stuck in the ground nearby. East Peak slowly came down and pointed at Iron Bears chest. What do you think now? Qianye inquired. Iron Bear was livid. Following a brief moment of hesitation, he threw caution to the wind and roared, Ill definitely kill you given the chance, but you cant kill me. You dont dare! Im one of the Wolf Kings men. With his son standing witness here, the Wolf King wont let you off if you kill me. Qianye smiled indifferently. Are you saying you want me to silence everyone here? Xue Dings expression became unsightly. He glared fiercely at Iron Bear, but he was clever enough to retain his silence, lest he unduly provokes Qianye. Although the young man had no clear understanding of this persons character, he could at least see that this was no merciful saint. Iron Bear laughed out loud, but the action opened his wounds and blood began flowing like a fountain from what remained of his legs. He groaned from the pain and could no longer keep on laughing. After catching his breath, he said through clenched teeth, You cant escape even if you kill everyone here. The Wolf King only needs to send people here to find out that the Young Master died in your hands. You wont be able to escape no matter where you flee to! Is that so? Qianyes eyes were filled with killing intent. Wait! Little Knife pounced over and held onto Iron Bear. What he said isnt wrong. Theres no way to hide this matter if you kill him now. Life here is good, so why throw away your future? If you let us go, I swear that we will let this matter be and never bring it up. Iron Bear is no longer a threat to you in this state. Qianyes lips curved up into an enigmatic smile. Are you telling me I should bear with what happened today? Little Knife replied solemnly, You cant stand against the Wolf King, so you must endure! Qianye laughed. Unfortunately, I no longer have the intention to tolerate anything the moment I came to the neutral lands. Little Knife was astonished. The words No! hadnt even escaped his lips when East Peak came down and pierced through Iron Bears heart! Qianye glanced at Little Knife as he drew his sword out. Were you a part of this? The man remained silent, but Xue Ding decided to cut in, It has nothing to do with him. He even tried to stop Iron Bear from bringing me here. Qianye nodded. Moving East Peak away from Little Knifes shoulder, he said, Since thats the case, Ill let you off. Afterward, Qianey sized Xue Ding up from head to toe. Its a bit surprising that you would speak for him. Xue Dings replied with a calm expression, This is what it should be, whats so odd about it? His next words, however, revealed his true intentions. To be honest, maybe you and I can still remain neutral. We had no past enmity, am I right? Does that mean youll come back later for revenge? Xue Ding seemed a bit hesitant. Im still a bit unconvinced since I lost my foster fathers face. I have a brother whos much more powerful than I am. Perhaps hell come to you for a spar. Just for a spar? Its a spar if he loses. If you lose, however, itll become a matter of life and death, Xue Ding replied truthfully. Qianye laughed indifferently. Arent you the honest one? Ill let you off today in light of your candor, but whoever kicked my gates must leave a leg here. Xue Ding was fairly ruthlesswith a wave of his hand, an azure wind-blade shot out and severed that Black Wolf Guards leg. We leave! Xue Ding didnt linger after completing Qianyes demand. He immediately led the Black Wolf Guards onto the car and left in due swiftness. After the guests left, Qianye shook his head and returned to the courtyard. Will they be back? Zhuji asked. Qianye touched her head. Of course. Zhuji seemed to be in high spirits. Then, can I attack when they come back? Fighting beasts all the time is boring, theyre so dumb. You should grow up first and keep fighting beasts. As for dealing with people, lets talk about that in a couple of years. Qianye flicked Zhuji lightly on the forehead. Its more interesting to fight things that can talk! Zhuji was clearly dissatisfied. Nighteye hugged little Zhuji, saying, We should start training her in real combat arts. This is the neutral lands and not the empire. You cant keep watch over her all the time. Youre right, but where do I find an arachne inheritance or secret art? How can I teach her something I dont know? Qianye felt a headache brewing. This was indeed a distressing problem. Although Zhuji hadnt expressed a lot of arachne traits, she was still hatched from an arachne egg. There was no way an arachne egg could produce a werewolf, could it? Why dont we capture an arachne and have it do the teaching? Qianye nodded. That can be done. Ill search for one after I finish dealing with the problems here. After finding an initial solution to Little Zhujis education, Qianye had to deal with the issue regarding the Wolf King. Xue Ding couldnt be considered a problem to Qianye; he could kill the man in one blow if needed. The true enemy was still his foster father. Qianye knew nothing about the Wolf King, but one could imagine his strength from how he had dared to challenge Zhang Buzhou. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to suppress the entire Eastern Sea, either. As for whether this matter would alarm the Wolf King, it really depended on how Xue Ding decided to handle things. After a moment of contemplation, Qianye once again arrived near the sea and shot a beam of dark golden blood energy into the sky. Before long, the voice of that mysterious entity echoed around Qianye, Are you trying to call out to me, or is this a challenge? There might be some disruption to our sparring in the future. Qianye truthfully recounted the matter about Xue Ding and the Wolf King. Wolf King, humph! The mysterious entity was indifferent. A beam of void origin power shot toward Qianye, saying, Use this method to summon me. I will hear it as long as youre on the shores of the Eastern Sea, regardless of the location. Additionally, if you can win three rounds against me in one night, Ill grant you the right to enter the mist. Thereafter, the will of the mist will cause you no harm. After absorbing that wisp of void origin power, a certain secret art appeared in his consciousness. It would allow him to whistle a special note and call out to the mysterious entity. This was just what Qianye wanted. Sparring with the mysterious existence was a critical part of his combat art training. At this stage, Qianye could already sweep through all opponents at the same level with his combat techniques alone. It was beyond difficult to find a suitable training partner. The right to traverse the mist was fairly valuable because, even now, Qianye could still feel a sense of danger from its depths. The mist more or less covered most of the opposite riverbank and was one of the three great obstructing factors preventing humans from exploring the regionthe other two were the Black Grove and the Eastern Sea itself. It was just that the right to pass through the mist wasnt so easily earned. How could it be so easy to win three rounds out of five? Life remained constant in the days that followed. Now that Nighteye was gradually recovering from her injuries, Qianye spent the night sparring with the mysterious existence and the daytime cultivating the Profound Combatant Formula near the shore. After three days, Qianye successfully condensed his third origin vortex and reached rank-twelve. Qianye had a habit of taking a break after each advancement. Without cultivating, he simply sat by the sea and lost himself in thought. This was Duke Yous advice back in the yearone should remain still after advancement, calming the heart and mind. This served to solidify the cultivators foundations and prevent adverse effects on their future potential. After a period of peaceful relaxation, Qianye slowly expanded his perception. The veil of the world faded away as the origin power in the surroundings came into viewthere were no more secrets. Once again, Qianye found out that the void origin power in the Eastern Sea was much denser than on the shore. Moreover, it grew stronger and stronger toward the depths of the ocean. At this rate, the deepest parts of the ocean would probably be no different from the void itself. Could there be a void beast in the depths of the water? Qianye was starting to become curious about the identity of this mysterious existence. At this moment, Xue Dings airship flew past the western borders of the Eastern Sea and landed in a barbaric-looking city. He jumped down the vessel and ran straight toward the citys north. The northern district was occupied by a huge residence, one so big that it could be considered a small town instead of a house. Xue Ding charged through the door and into the courtyard, crying, Big Brother, save me! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 732: It’s him This shout resounded in the air and spread to every corner of the residence, yet it couldnt be heard at all outside of the compound. One could tell Xue Dings standards just from this move. A stone-cold voice arrived from behind the courtyard. Come in, no need to shout so loud. Its not like youre going to die. Greatly delighted, Xue Ding ran through the hallways into the rear residence. Apparently, he was quite familiar with this place. What greeted him after passing through the courtyard and entering the rear compound, was a large drill grounds filled with all kinds of weaponry. There was a half-naked male standing in the field with a large battle axe in hand. Tanned and well-built, the mans muscles were like pieces of steel, containing explosive amounts of power within them. Xue Ding ran over to that person and stood respectfully before him, Big Brother! The man finally looked up and said coldly, Youre the Wolf Kings foster son, I really dont dare to accept this address. Say what you must, Im about to cultivate. Its like this. I met a person, and he actually provoked me. So, I exchanged a couple of moves with him. I wasnt his match, however, and had to pay with one of my subordinates legs to escape. The man sneered, He provoked you? Im more inclined to think youre the one who picked a fight. I told you before that the neutral lands are full of hidden experts. There are countless powerful experts all around. You think you can do whatever you want just because youre hugging the Wolf Kings thigh and calling him foster father? Xue Dings face turned red. I had no choice. If I didnt recognize him as my adoptive father, the Wolf King might not let our family go. The mans face turned gloomy. Not let go? No matter how powerful the Wolf King is, do you think he dares kill all the races in the Eastern Sea? Humph, if he dares to do that, the one to die first will be him. Xue Ding laughed along. The Wolf King is crazy, why would you want to contend with him? I only wanted to help the family in my own way. Im no use, either way, and the family has you, doesnt it? Enough excuses. Since youve recognized the Wolf King as your adoptive father, youre no longer a member of the Xue family. Even if Im no longer a Xue family member, youre still my big brother! The man responded with a snort, but his expression softened somewhat. The Wolf King has so many sons, grandsons, and foster children. All of them are your siblings, why not go to them for help? Xue Ding let out an embarrassed laugh. How can those people count as my siblings? They cant wait to see me die early. Of course, the same goes for me. If they know of this matter, theyll surely report it to foster father, I mean, the Wolf King. When the time comes, he might kick me out for being useless, and all my efforts will be wasted. The man placed his axe back on the weapons rack. Your inferior skills have naught to do with me. If you cant beat him, why not cultivate more and go back for a rematch? Even if you have learned nothing from the Wolf King, Ive taught you at least three of our familys nine secret arts. Yet you still managed to lose? Is his origin power a lot higher than you? Xue Ding whispered awkwardly, He only has two origin vortices. Rank eleven? You cant even beat someone whos at rank-eleven? The man was astonished. This yes, it would seem so. The man stopped on his way into the building and mumbled, Interesting, but do you really want me to go and challenge someone at rank eleven? Xue Ding replied hurriedly, How can it be called challenge? Its merely teaching him a lesson, helping me vent my anger against this arrogant fellow. One of my subordinates lost a leg, how can I convince my men if that brat isnt beaten up? The man pondered for a moment. Fine, Im a bit interested too. Ill pay him a visit. Xue Ding was delighted. With Big Brother taking the scene, itll be a piece of cake. Thousands of kilometers away, on the edges of the continent, was an ancient castle. Facing the endless void alone, it looked nothing short of bleak and desolate. The structure, with its thick, tall walls, was built entirely of large stones. The windows were long and narrow, and the outer walls were mottled from the many years of exposure to the wind and frost. The Eastern Sea was one of the biggest islands in the neutral lands, yet it was far smaller than any of the twenty-seven major continents. It was even less stable than the floating continent where the two factions were currently at war due to the lack of a protective layer. Not far from this castle, one could see the dense rolling clouds and flashes of lightning. At times, a thunderbolt would streak across the skies and strike at the cliff, sending pieces of stone drifting into the void. Perhaps due to the many years of lightning strikes and raging winds, the stones on the precipice had turned dark and contained pieces of crystals within them. This kind of crystalline object born from the invasion of void origin power would fetch a sky-high price in external markets. Since the castle was built on the cliff, its mottled walls also suffered from the wind and lightning. On the higher floors of the castle, a young man with long, hanging hair was standing before the french window and admiring the scenery outside. After a long while, he said with a sigh of satisfaction, Only destruction lies at the end of the world. These words are so well-spoken! As he returned to his seat, the flash of lightning outside clearly outlined his facial features. He picked up a glass of wine and said while slowly savoring the contents, Anything of note recently? Speak! There were a few people waiting on him in the room. They each stepped forward and began reporting the major happenings throughout the Eastern Sea. Apparently, they had their respective assignments because the things they recounted were all from different fields. The young man listened carelessly and without much interest, even more so for things outside of the Eastern Sea. Moments later, it was an old mans turn to speak and his topics were all related to the Wolf King. As he listened on, the young man suddenly became alert and interrupted, Wait, so youre saying Xue Ding went out for a while, but instead of returning to Wolf King Castle, he went to the Xue family instead? The old man replied, Yes, he went to visit Xue Wu. Another person snorted. Dont tell me the Xue family isnt content yet? The young man stopped him by raising his hand. This is probably unrelated to the Xue family. This convenient brother mustve suffered a loss and wanted his big brother to help him regain some face. Why didnt he seek out Your Highness, instead? Xue Wu isnt your match at all. The young man revealed a charming smile. You can''t be sure about that. The Xue familys secret arts are fairly powerful. In my current state, I might not win against Xue Wu in a fight. However, the fragility of the human body is their fatal weakness. After my body matures in a few years, Xue Wu? Heh heh, he wont even have the qualifications to fight me. The people at the scene immediately offered their praises. The longer the maturation period of the Wolf Kings inheritance, the greater ones potential. Your Highnesss growth has reached thirty years. This kind of talent is no different from His Majesty the Wolf Kings back in the year. The young man waved his hand. Ive told you people so many times to stop calling me highness. According to Evernight tradition, even my father cant be addressed in such a way, let alone me. Your future prospects are not below the Wolf King, its only right to call you Your Highness. The young man sighed while covering his forehead, almost as though he was feeling helpless. Whatever, do what you want. Sigh! He stood up after the men had completed their reports and stretched his body. Its too boring here, time to go out and about. Check where that brat Xue Ding is headed, Ill follow him and see how things go. The old man replied, Ill arrange a guard squad. What guard squad?! The young man waved his hand impatiently. Even if theres someone in the Eastern Sea who can defeat me, do you think I cant escape? Besides, wholl dare attack me after finding out my identity? But The elder wanted to say something but was cut short by the young man. Im the son of the Wolf King, one with the right to hold an Evernight title. If I dont even dare to travel alone in my fathers territory, wouldnt that be a huge embarrassment for His Majesty? Am I no better than those convenient siblings? Seeing the prince furious, the men no longer dared to offer words of persuasion and left the room one after the other. ... Qianyes life was just as peaceful and calmafter consolidating his realm for a couple of days, he began cultivating once more. This time, he chose to go into the waters of the Eastern Sea instead, and began cultivating the Profound Combatant Formula on one of the rocks jutting out of the sea. Qianye noticed the difference once the formula came into effect. Vast amounts of void origin power were pulled into the just-formed origin vortex, forming a small origin storm around him. The energy around him was drained in the blink of an eye, but more of it gushed out of the ocean to fill in the gap. The speed of absorption was already faster than on the shore even without pushing the origin vortex very hard. At this moment, the vortex was far from the point where it would tear the void apart. Qianye suspected that the Eastern Sea was a peerless holy land for cultivation. People mustve discovered this throughout the years, so why wasnt anyone cultivating in the ocean? What Qianye didnt know was that the void origin power here was extremely violenteven the dark races couldnt absorb it, not to mention humans. Qianyes body had been remodeled by the auric flame blood and was at the count-level even by ancient vampire standards. As such, he sensed nothing special after absorbing the energy here. Any other ordinary vampire count would burst apart with a shattered blood core after absorbing such void origin power. The expansion of his origin vortex became much harder in the sea as pushing the vortex into rotation felt like he was pushing against the actual seawater. One could imagine the force required to drive a hundred-meter vortex inside the water. However, Qianye also benefitted in the form of insights into domain control. The first cultivation session in the sea filled him to the brim in less than an hour. Qianye thus retracted his Profound Combatant Formula and opened his eyeshe was shocked by the scene before him. The seawater in a ten-meter radius around him had disappeared and the seabed, revealed. Meanwhile, the displaced water had accumulated into a ten-meter wall around the empty space and was slowly revolving around it. The moment he retracted the formula, however, the force rejecting the water quickly disappeared and the wall of water came crashing down on Qianye. Moments later, a dripping wet Qianye crawled onto the shore. In a moment of carelessness, he had been swept into the depths of the ocean and had to rely on East Peaks weight in order to reach the bottom and walk back to the beach. Qianye wiped away the water from his face and plucked a starfish that was stuck on his head. Before he could even open his eyes, however, he heard someone say, Its him! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 733: Good Match Huh? Qianye looked toward the source of the sound. There was a small airship hovering in the air nearby and on its bow was Xue Ding, pointing at Qianye and shouting excitedly. This airship was clearly made in a rather elegant human design. There werent too many of such models in the neutral lands since producing a small engine wasnt as easy as it sounded. Due to the special environment of the neutral lands, the engines had to be designed differently. Not to mention the origin array, just the materials alone had surpassed continental standards. This kind of mini-engine was enough to buy a large airship back on the continents. Possessing a small, new-model airship in the neutral land was enough to prove ones wealth and status, and it wasnt a small fortune, either. At the very least, the Wolf Kings foster son couldnt afford one yet. The airship descended rapidly. When it was about a hundred meters above the ground, a figure jumped out of the aircraft and landed in front of Qianye. It was a steadfast looking man in his twentieswell-tanned skin, pointy short hair, and clad in tidy combat robes without armor. He sized Qianye up from head to toe before reaching out to Qianye, saying, Im Xue Wu, Xu Dings big brother before he recognized the Wolf King as his adoptive father. Qianye was entirely drenched and looked rather miserable. However, he paid no heed to these things and simply reached out to shake Xue Wus hand. The moment their hands came into contact, Xue Wu tightened his grip. Eh? Afterward, he proceeded to observe Qianye with an expression of astonishment. The feeling he had gotten just now was akin to gripping a mountain. His entire force bounced back, unable to shake Qianye in the slightest. Qianye calmly retracted his right hand and said, You can call me Qianye. Xue Ding called out from the side, So youre called Qianye, nice name. Unfortunately, youve bumped into my brother today and it no longer matters what youre called! In light of your not-so-bad appearance, this young master might forgive you if you apologize to me and carve me a sculpture. But dont even think about fooling me regarding the carving, nothing can hide from my eyes! You shut up! Xue Wu berated. Xue Ding shrunk back and immediately became silent. It seemed he was quite respectful and afraid of his brother. Xue Wu said to Qianye, Weve incurred your ridicule. This brother of mine was never strictly disciplined as a kid. With that, Xue Wus expression became serious. Regardless, hes still a member of the Xue family unless he commits a serious crime. No outsider may bully our people. Since your origin power is lower than mine, fighting you will lower my status. This is the neutral land, we only look at results and not the process. Qianye remained unmoved. So its not a spar? Xue Wu said, No need to worry, I wont take your life. Since you demanded a leg from one of my brothers men, Ill just break one of your legs in return. This will serve as a lesson for you. Very well. Qianye slowly drew East Peak, leaving the sheath planted in the ground, and his energy began climbing. Xue Ding was astonished upon sensing Qianyes aura. Y-Youre already rank-twelve? You ascended so quickly? Xue Wu broke into a frown as he unleashed his powerful aura, an equivalent of five origin vortices. Whats the difference between rank eleven and twelve? Your cowardice shames the Xue family! Wait! Xue Ding donned a pair of combat gloves and said, Ill join in, too! What I lost was the Wolf Kings prestige, nothing to do with the Xue family. Frowning, the elder brother glared fiercely at Xue Ding, but the latter ignored him with a mischievous smile and began flanking Qianye from the side. Qianye pointed East Peak at the ground, caring little about the addition of a second opponent. Now that he was at his peak levels in both stamina and blood energy, an opponent like Xue Ding wasnt a problem at all. Only fighting the mysterious ocean entity would use up Qianyes reserves so quickly. Xue Wu was astonished to find Xue Ding so insistent on flanking Qianye. He knew that this brotherdespite his flippant attitudewas highly sensitive to danger. This was something even he couldnt match. Could it be that this Qianye possessed certain tricks that could endanger their lives? Qianye also shot an impatient glance at Xue Ding. The latters intuition toward danger was indeed quite sharp. While not dangerous, this kind of opponent was highly unlikeable. As for Xue Wu, the pressure coming off of him was far above Xue Dings despite being only one level higher. Apparently, he was a warrior with solid foundations and powerful secret inheritances. The dark golden blood energy had swum out from Qianyes heart and the Wings of Inception were beginning to spread out. There, a single, bright feather was trembling gently. After sounding the opponent out, Qianye intended to use the Shot of Inception to secure a quick kill and then turn back to deal with Xue Ding. Killing the younger brother would take minimal effort, but Qianye had no intention of letting him go. This kind of highly sensitive bastard might cause trouble for him in the future if left alive. At this point, the courtyard doors were flung open and Nighteye walked out from within. Count me in. Why did you come out? Qianye frowned. I want to fight alongside you! But Ive already recovered. No. Enough! Qianye hadnt managed to stop her when Xue Ding jumped over to block her way. His eyes were shining brightly as he took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down his surging emotions. Hey beautiful, why didnt I discover your exciting grace last time? Thats because you were busy running for your life. Nighteye left him no face. Xue Ding said with an awkward smile, This time, its different. Nighteyes smile became even more dazzling. It will be no different this time, you better think harder about how to save your worthless skin. A dagger appeared in Nighteyes grasp and danced about between her agile fingers. Xue Ding looked infatuated, but Xue Wus expression changed rapidly. Vampiric blade? Youre vampires? Anyone can use a good blade, Qianye replied coldly. Xue Wu replied, Indeed a good blade, a good fit for her. Qianye waved East Peak at the man. This one is even better. Xue Wu scanned both man and sword with his razor-sharp eyes. It is indeed a good blade, but youre not a good match for it. Qianyes eyes turned a faint blue. Not a good match. Are you referring to the sword or the woman? Both. Qianye caressed East Peak with his hand, saying, These are the neutral lands. So? Only results speak for whether one is a match or not. Xue Wu shouted, Good, then I shall wait for your results! Qianye hadnt even made his move, but Nighteye was already furious. Xue Wus silhouette appeared in her eyes as her figure flickered past the brother. A sense of extreme danger welled up in Xue Wus heart. He made to pull back without further thought but found that his body was extremely sluggish. The restraining force came from all directions, almost as though he were wrapped up in spider webs. The controlling power wasnt that strong, but it appeared out of nowhere and disrupted his balance, almost causing him to trip and fall. His leap traveled a mere ten meters in distance and still couldnt escape the range of Nighteyes gaze. The man felt as though a large hand had grasped his heart and was twisting it violently. He let out a loud cry and spat out a mouthful of blood. Qianye appeared quietly in front of Xue Wu and knocked once on each of his legs, fracturing all the bones therein. Xue Wu cried out once again and almost fainted from the pain. Qianye shot a glance at Nighteye, who shrugged at him with a cute smileshe was so beautiful that Qianye was somewhat dazzled. This was the first time the Eyes of Destruction and Control had worked together against a powerful enemy, and the results were exceedingly good. Xue Wu didnt even realize what had happened, neither did he get the chance to display all of his powerful secret arts before he was flipped over. However, three was still a Xue Ding nearby. The young man was already drenched in sweat and stammering. How would he dare to come up and attack? Oh right, youre supposed to be my opponent. Only at this point did Nighteye remember this persons existence. Beauty, ah no, great beauty, dont be in a rush to attack! Xue Ding hadnt even finished speaking when a slash arrived at the speed of lightning. It was so fast that he couldnt even see the trajectory. Xue Ding wasnt simple, eitherhe immediately utilized a secret art to increase his speed and moved back over ten meters away. Even so, he was still a moment too late. He felt a chill sweep past his face and was subsequently shocked out of his wits. Crying all the while, he felt around with his hand, hoping to find where the wound was. His legs were trembling so hard that it looked like he was about to die. Nighteye was startled and, for a moment, even forgot to deal the finishing blow. Xue Ding groped about but simply couldnt find where the injury was. Then, he howled loudly, My nose ring! The two gem-studded rings on his nasal ala had vanished. At this point, even the man who had collapsed on the ground could no longer bear to watch. Xue Wu roared furiously, Shut up! Look at you! Youve lost all of the Xue familys face! Xue Ding replied instinctively, Nonsense! What I lost was the Wolf Kings face. Deeply angered, Xue Wu had wanted to berate the younger brother again when a cold voice suddenly arrived from the distance. The consequences of throwing away the Wolf Kings face are dire. Hearing this voice, Xue Dings expression changed drastically. He gasped. Gary!? Xue Wu was much calmer and only somewhat surprised. A brown-haired young man walked out from the forest with a struggling native in his grasp. This person was tall, handsome, and had a trace of bloodlust in his expression. Gary tossed the native to the ground after exiting the woods and stomped the unfortunate victims head apart. After the act, he kicked the dead body into the Black Grove and said with a sinister smile, These lowly native rubbish even dares to ambush me? Unfortunately, just a few of them isnt enough for me to kill. Well, thats also fine since there are a lot of people here. Ill take my time killing them! Xue Ding forced a radiant smile and said, Big Brother, how come youre here? Gary licked his lips, and his smile became much more sinister. Oh my little brother, I followed you here of course! The words little brother were heavily stressed. Xue Dings expression turned wretchedly pale. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 734: Three Moves If Gary had followed him all the way, he mightve heard and seen certain things he shouldnt have. As one of the Wolf Kings two most important sons, Garys position wasnt one Xue Ding could compare to. There wouldnt be any problems even if he were to kill the latter. This was the value of the so-called foster son. In the eyes of the Wolf King, all of his foster sons added together couldnt compare to a single Gary. Gary looked at the man who had collapsed on the ground and said, Xue Wu? Youve also lost? Xue Wu looked away with a snort but didnt reply. Despite his pride, he knew very well that Gary was someone he couldnt afford to offend lightly. As such, all he could do was remain silent. Xue Ding, however, was quick with his wits. He ran over to Gary with an expression of sorrow, saying, Brother, they laid down a trap and sneak attacked us. That was why they managed to wound Big Brother, no, I mean Xue Wu. I wasnt able to react in time to warn him. I was just preparing to teach them a good lesson when you arrived! Gary shot a glance at Xue Ding, doing nothing to disguise the disdain in his eyes. Even Xue Wu has been defeated, yet you want to teach them a lesson? Whats so scary about a rank-twelve fellow? Besides, dont I have you? Gary shot a condescending glance at Qianye. To him, humans were inherently weak and simply not a match for werewolves. For the third-rank count, Gary, a rank-twelve human was someone he could easily kill. He was shocked upon seeing Nighteye, howeverhis long hair flew up on its own and his body arched forward slightly with a threatening growl. Gary first sensed a powerful threat and became instinctively cautious. Then, after seeing her appearance, an explosion occurred in his brain and his body became scorching hot. Youre a vampire!? As a werewolf of considerable talents, Gary was instinctively sensitive to vampires. He sniffed hard and said with great certainty, You are a vampire! Who wouldve thought that thered be such a powerful vampire in the Eastern Sea! The werewolves and vampires had a vendetta between them that had gone on for tens of thousands of years. The latter race rarely appeared in the werewolf-ruled Eastern Seathe more powerful ones would move under cover, while weaker ones would suffer a treatment even worse than that of humans. Gary stared at Nighteye, saying, You come with me and be my woman. Then I might just let this trash go. Might? Nighteyes expression seemed quite strange. Gary said proudly, Letting him go or not will depend on my mood. If youre obedient enough, perhaps my mood will take a turn for the better. The vampiric blade jumped between Nighteyes fingers as she sized the man up. Dont you feel embarrassed saying such things with your little strength? Gary broke into a frown. Its not a problem for me to defeat you with my strength. This is the neutral land and not Evernight. Dont think youre nobler than us werewolves just because youre a vampire! Ill have you know that my bloodline is enough to be ranked toward the front even in the Evernight faction. My father has said before that I might even pass the test of the Summit of Peaks if I were in Evernight. Speechless, Qianye and Nighteye looked at one another. If William wasnt boasting, he was the Summit of Peaks number one genius in the recent generation and one with the greatest hope to ascend the holy mountain. Even then, Williams glorious image in Qianyes eye melted away rapidly with a single Woof! As a primo with the purest bloodline in this generation, Nighteyes standards were on the same level as William. Meanwhile, Qianye had refined his bloodline once more and entered the ranks of the ancient vampires. Now that Gary was boasting about his talents, it gave Qianye and Nighteye a strange feeling. They sized him up repeatedly from head to toe but just couldnt see which part of him was close to William. Gary held his head high and was completely oblivious to the fact that his figure had been reflected in Qianye and Nighteyes pupils. Even if he did, he would only think that they were normal reflections. Nighteye seemed interested and Zhuji was poking her head out from the courtyard, hoping to join in on the fun. Qianye, however, wasnt in the mood. After the initial intrigue for the idiot had passed, the only thing that remained was surging anger. Gary was looking at Nighteye as though she were his toy, almost as if it was an honor that he was willing to take her home. This angered Qianye thoroughly. He picked up East Peak, walked over to Gary, and said with a cold voice, According to you, youre a genius among werewolves? Gary patted his chest and said proudly, How many people have you heard of becoming a count at this age? Besides, I havent passed my growth phase just yet. I still have more growth potential! He only discovered what was wrong after saying this. What do you mean by according to me? I am a genius! Qianye replied indifferently, Unfortunately, you have no more opportunity to display your talents. Gary almost couldnt believe his earshe remained stunned for a good while before bending over in roaring laughter. He caught his breath only after a good while, and then started walking toward Qianye while putting on a pair of clawed gloves. Lowly human, you have truly enraged me. Ill tear you apart slowly and not let you die a quick death. And before you die, Ill let you see just how Ill play with this vampire! Qianye exhaled deeply. His eyes turned a flowing blue color as he said coldly, At first I thought I could kill you in three moves, but now it seems I might have to use a couple more. Gary laughed wildly. Three moves? Lowlives will be lowlives, what else do you know apart from boasting? Gary felt his body sink all of a sudden, almost as though there was a mountain pressing down on him. This pressure increased in the blink of an eye amidst the faint echo of ocean tides. Despite werewolves being known for their strength, Gary felt extremely strained at the moment and couldnt even perform a jump. The moment this pressure started climbing, Gary saw Qianye raising his sword, and an inexplicable sense of danger overwhelmed him as the blade reached its highest point! The werewolf was, after all, the recipient of a powerful inheritance. He roared loudly at the critical moment, swelling in size and transforming into his werewolf form. This filled him with explosive strength and granted him the ability to move with a certain degree of freedom. He leapt away with all his strength, kicking up a cloud of dust in the processone could see from this just how fierce his strength was. Gary jumped about repeatedly and zig-zagged ten meters away in a flash. Meanwhile, Qianye faced myriad changes with steadiness, slashing thrice in front of him. Gary, who had already jumped a fair distance away, cried loudly and fell on his face, blood spurting out continuously from an oblong wound on his right leg. He flipped over and forced himself to stand up despite the pain. He was just about to make a second escape attempt when his body froze up. Qianye had quietly appeared at a distance where East Peak could pierce through Gary at a single thought. T-This is impossible! Gary still couldnt believe the truth in front of his eyes. Xue Ding was thoroughly dumbfounded on the sidelines, while Xue Wu remained silent. Qianye said calmly, Youre not so bad, a bit stronger than I expected. Youre just a rank-twelve human! Besides, Im the Wolf Kings son, my bloodline is countless times more powerful than yours! I wont lose, I refuse to be defeated! Gary roared continuously. His body grew larger and his aura soared rapidly, but there was blood seeping out of his fur and gushing out from the wound on his leg. This kind of strength-increasing secret art came at a heavy price. The werewolves will never lose! Gary bounced up with a battle cry and clawed at Qianye! The latter neither made to evade or even use his sword to parry the incoming blow. All he did was stretch out his left hand to grab the swiping claw. Garys legs were planted in the soil. His hair was all puffed up, and there was a constant growl coming from his throat as he began to wrestle with the opponent. Qianye was as calm as an immovable mountain. Xue Ding, though, cried out in surprise, Oh no! He has sharp claws! Gary shot the young man a fierce glare. Xue Ding was startled at first, but then a dangerous gleam flickered through his eyes as he slowly arched his body. Apparently, he would go all out once there was an opening. The broken-limbed Xue Wu produced an origin gun from his pocket and aimed it at Gary. Although it was fairly difficult to bring out the full power of an origin gun in the neutral lands, Xue Wus aim was to restrain Gary and create an opportunity for Xue Ding to attack. Seeing that the two brothers were looking to attack Gary at the same time, Nighteye loosened her grip on the vampiric blade. But the scene of Qianye falling to an ambush did not appear as expected. Qianye remained calm and simply kept on wrestling with Gary. The blade on the latters gloves dug into Qianyes hands, but his all-out exertion only managed to grave the skin. Xue Dings eyes went roundhe was so shocked that he couldnt say a single word. Gary couldnt believe what he was seeing. He increased his exertion until his eyes almost popped out but still couldnt deepen the wound. At this moment, Qianye let out a Heh and began exerting power. His five fingers gradually came together, causing the bones in Garys right hand to crackle continuously. The groan soon developed into a miserable scream as the claw was completely deformed and became almost unrecognizable. Qianye twisted his five fingers and crushed Garys hand into pieces before letting go. The wolf prince fell kneeling with a painful thud. His right claw was now swollen all the way up to his arm. Such an injury wasnt manageable even for the werewolves regenerative abilitiesonly a combination of famous doctors and valuable medicines would be able to heal it. Qianye struck three fingers at Gary, saying, Three moves. The werewolf trembled continuously and glared at Qianye with eyes full of hate. He wasnt afraid after seeing the latter raise his sword. Instead, he said, Im the Wolf Kings son. If you dare touch me, my father will find and kill you no matter where you run off to and your woman will join my collection of countless toys! At that time, you will be the ones wallowing in regret about not kneeling in front of me sooner! Is that so? East Peak streaked past Gary with a shake of Qianyes wrist, sending the formers left arm flying out. The werewolf prince fell to the ground with a miserable scream. He pressed upon the wounded right claw in this process and cried out wretchedly once more. The pain of losing a limb was so intense that even the fierce werewolves couldnt easily endure it. Qianye had no intention of letting the man go, thoughhe quickly removed both of Garys lower limbs, leaving only a crushed right arm attached to his body. Gary could no longer clamber up at this point. His glare was filled with a terrifying ferocity that was inherent of all werewolves. Qianye, however, had seen too many of such violent characters and didnt put this enemy on his mind at all. He turned back to face Xue Ding and Xue Wu. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 735: Inheritance Seeing Qianye glance over, Xue Wu put down the origin gun in silencehe had given up any notion of resistance. At first, Xue Wu felt that it was somewhat ineffable, and he wasnt really satisfied that he had been attacked in a pincer stance. But after seeing Qianye defeat Gary in three moves, he quickly realized the difference between them. The most important point was that Qianye was only rank-twelve in origin power, two levels lower than Xue Wu and one below Gary. Hailing from a family with a long history, Xue Wus knowledge and eyesight were anything but ordinary. He knew that, below the easy victory, lay an excessively rare potential. If Qianye could defeat the werewolf prince in three moves now, it was likely that he would only need half a move after a couple of years. Xue Ding, though, wasnt as resolutehe immediately jumped up and assumed a defensive stance, only realizing his blunder later on. He quickly removed his gloves, tossed them to the ground, and said with raised hands, Sir Qianye, its a misunderstanding. It was really a misunderstanding just now! That werewolf is our enemy, you see, and we were just planning to kill him. Qianye said indifferently, Now thats weird. Arent you the Wolf Kings foster son? Why would you want to kill your brother? Xue Ding knew that he would be damned if he replied wrong. He threw caution to the wind, saying, I am indeed the Wolf Kings adopted son, but the king has more than ten such sons. These so-called adopted sons are actually high-ranking cannon fodder. Well be put to death all the same if we dont do our job well. I performed poorly this time, contacted my original family without permission, and said bad things about the Wolf King behind his back. Any one of these is enough for capital punishment. The outcome would be disastrous if we let Gary go back alive. The Xue brothers had indeed shown killing intent while Qianye was fighting Gary and seemed like they were looking for an opportunity to attack. He thus nodded in recognition of Xue Dings words. Qianye did have some questions, though. Contacting ones old family is also a crime? This time, it was Xue Wu who replied, The Wolf King is a werewolf. Since coming to the Eastern Sea, he has continuously recruited his kind in order to suppress the other races. He didnt dare to overtly bully the human race, but he has been secretly trying to whittle away at our strength, his first targets being the major families in the Eastern Sea with long lines of inheritance. Our Xue family had offended the Wolf King before and remains a nail in his eyes. Qianye shot a glance at Xue Ding. Yet you still became his foster son? Xue Ding replied hurriedly, Its all for the family! The Wolf Kings foster sons are sourced from the talented younger generation of each family. After learning of the reasoning behind all this, Qianye said, Kill Gary and you two may leave. Qianyes demand was cleversomeone of Garys identity probably had certain secret arts on his body. If he were to die, and given a certain direction, it might be possible to divine the killer. If the Xue brothers dared betray Qianye in the future, the latter needed only to tell the truth. At that time, it wouldnt be just the two brothers; even the entire Xue family would be in danger. Sure enough, the Xue brothers also understood this. Their inheritance and knowledge wasnt something ordinary people could compare to. The duo showed no hesitation after hearing Qianyes demands. With his origin gun, Xue Wu blasted what was left of Garys body into the air, whereupon Xue Ding jumped up and struck him behind the back of his head. Numerous strands of azure origin power appeared at the point of contact and crushed Garys neck bones. After killing Gary, Xue Wu quietly circulated his origin power to connect his broken bones. Meanwhile, Xue Ding packed up the remains of Garys body and tossed them into the Eastern Sea. Afterward, he dug out the soil stained with the werewolfs blood and threw them into the Black Grove. After doing all this, Xue Ding said, Gary killed numerous natives and stirred up a lot of trouble. After we throw his blood-stained soil into the forest, the natives there will know that he has died and thus no longer cause trouble for you. The Eastern Sea and the Black Grove are always the best places to remove remains. Even the Wolf King himself doesnt dare to go too deep. The special environment of the neutral lands was a kind of knowledge in and of itself. By the time Xue Ding had completed these things, Xue Wu had already finished connecting his broken bones. He could already stand and walk, albeit with some difficulty. He arrived in front of Qianye and bowed deeply, saying, Your Majesty Qianye, by letting us brothers go, you ensured our Xue familys continuation. Ill forego a verbal expression of gratitude. Our Xue family possesses a bit of power and properties in the neutral lands. If you need our familys help, well do our absolute best to help you! These words were spoken with great sincerity. This, however, stupefied Xue Ding. Big Bro, did you just call Qianye His Majesty? Correct. Be it in Evernight, the empire, or the neutral lands, the word majesty involved a strict meaning that couldnt be abused. Even the arrogant Gary didnt dare call himself so because, otherwise, it would only incur ridicule instead of respect. Xue Ding had always respected this brother of his and knew that there must be a good reason for this, as opposed to senseless flattery. It was just that he began to sweat after recalling the significance of the term Your Majesty and about how he had provoked this person twice. Seeing that everything had been handled appropriately, Qianye dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Xue Wu bowed. Weve done our best to remove all traces, but Gary is one of the Wolf Kings two most favored sons. He will definitely investigate the cause of his death. Qianye knew that this was a warning of goodwill, hinting that he should leave this place. Qianye only nodded without further comment. The Xue brothers didnt linger on and left rapidly on their airship. Nighteye arrived beside Qianye after the people had left. Your killing intent was so heavy. Its rare to see you this way. Gary shouldnt have made a move on you. Theres no way I couldve let him off. Hugging Qianye from behind, she said with a slight sigh, There will be many people who will take a fancy to me. Can you kill them all? Be it in terms of bloodline, appearance, or status, Nighteye was coveted by many. Even with the Monroe clans protection, she was still targeted by the likes of Edward and Faras. Now, the Lightless Monarch Medanzo had also expressed his interest in her bloodline. While they were hiding in the empire, Nighteye still managed to invite trouble despite her beauty being concealed by a mask. Additionally, they were in the neutral lands at the moment. This was a place without law and order, only violence and ferocityanything one wanted could be obtained via robbery, and rules only existed for the strong to bind the weak. Once in public eyes, Nighteye would attract countless insects like a lamp in the cold winter night. Qianye had already thought about this problem. He said with a shake of his sword, There will indeed be a lot of people who have designs on you, but I will kill whoever dares to take action. One day, I will let you walk openly in the neutral lands! Sigh, you dummy Nighteye hugged him even tighter. There was a lone mountain on the shores of the Eastern Sea. On it stood a tall, fierce-looking man who was gazing at the vast waters, deep in thought. At this moment, a series of heavy footsteps arrived from behind as a werewolf elder ascended the peak. He tapped the ground with his wooden staff and bowed deeply. Great Chief! The man didnt look back. How many times have I told you? Here, I am called Wolf King. The old werewolf replied, Since the old chiefs return to the holy mountain, you have always been the tribes great chief in our hearts. The Wolf King spoke slowly, I have been the Wolf King since losing to Zhang Buzhou. Only when I can personally wash away this dishonor will I become the true great chief! That day isnt far off. The Wolf King did not comment on this. Instead, he asked, Any news? We havent found Young Master Garys whereabouts. We have, however, found out that he last went to the southern desolace and that the journey was related to the Xue family. The Wolf King turned around rapidly, surging with killing intent. Xue family? Are they still restless? The werewolf elder replied hurriedly, Great Chief, you cannot touch the Xue family! Killing some ordinary humans is fine, but you need a solid reason to touch a big family like the Xue. Otherwise, there will be undesirable involvements. The Wolf King said coldly, Gary is dead. Now, is that reason enough? The werewolf elder replied, Is Young Master Gary really dead? He has gone out to hunt on his own before, and theres usually no news of him for the greater part of the month. The Wolf King whispered, I gave him a drop of inheritance blood, and now, I can no longer sense it. As such, Im sure hes dead. You gave him inheritance blood!? This The werewolf bloodline was special. As their cultivation rises along with their life, there was a chance of them producing a drop of inheritance blood. The main purpose of this was to extend the growth phase of their descendants. To those of the Wolf Kings bloodline, extending the growth phase meant a direct improvement in potential. It was naturally difficult to obtain something as powerful as inheritance blood. Even with the Wolf Kings cultivation, he had only produced three such drops in his entire life. Giving Gary a drop meant that he had already chosen him as the successor. Now that the prince had died, it brought the Wolf King double the pain. Go and investigate where Gary last appeared. Use whatever method is available to find out the culprit! Additionally, theres no need to leave any human alive in the area. Have them accompany my son in death! Your wish is my command, Chief. The Wolf Kings tone relaxed a bit at this point. Any news from Zhang Buzhou? Its been about ten years since he went into isolated cultivation. The werewolf elder said with a wry smile, Its not like you dont know, that person has always been cautious and also quite proficient in divination. He wont reveal such an important matter even to the people closest to him. How can we know? Besides, this persons secret arts are bizarre and powerful. He will know if one so much as speaks his name. Only you can utter it without a care. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 736: Surviving Fish The Wolf King remained silent for a while. If Zhang Buzhou wasnt powerful, how could my father have died in his hands? How could I have fallen into such a state, bearing the burden of this humiliation every day? Great Chief, lying low today is for your rise to power tomorrow. The werewolf elder repeated a word of ancient wisdom that had been passed down through the tribe. The Wolf King replied, I know. You go and deal with Garys case first. The werewolf elder didnt leave immediately. Apparently a bit hesitant, he said, Great Chief, our movements in recent days have attracted the attention of those from the other side. They might come and sound us out. You must be cautious. The Wolf King sneered, No doubt, they have designs on my position. But Zhang Buzhou has always been merciless and only looks at profit. Since I took this position, the submitted taxes and resources have more than doubled. As long as we pay our duties, no one should even think about getting my seat. Besides, do they think they can do well in my position with their meager abilities? A group of idiots who cant even govern their own area well its the same whatever position they are in. The werewolf elder felt relieved upon seeing the Wolf King so confident and duly went on his way down the mountain. After the Xue Brothers left, Qianyes life became peaceful once more. However, his contest against the mysterious sea entity didnt go so wellhe had only managed one victory a day for several days straight, causing the Black Grove to reach further and further toward the beach. Fortunately, the mist would stop at the river and not cross over no matter how much it surged and rolled. Qianye reflected on the results and finally tipped the scales back in his favor, winning two rounds this night. Only then did he manage to breathe a sigh of relief. Because he had been cultivating all this time, the unexchanged materials had piled up into a small mountain. He thought about it and realized that it was time to pay his taxes again. Additionally, there had been no movements after Iron Bears death, so he went to town to see how things were going. Loading a small sack of golden threaded snails and two logs, Qianye boarded the old car and drove toward the small town. With the continued expansion of the Black Grove, the road toward the small town was now mostly through the forest. After Xue Ding threw the blood-stained soil into the forest, the natives there completely vanished and never appeared again. Passing through the Black Grove was like traversing a land of death; it was devoid of all vitality. The truck moved slowly, but it was stable, reliable, and never malfunctioned. After bumping along for an hour, Qianye finally left the forest and arrived in the periphery of the small town. The moment he left the Black Forest, Qianye could smell the stench of blood in the air. Frowning, he sniffed the air and found that the blood was mostly from humans. There was a small number of other races mixed in, but there was almost no werewolf scent at all. The stench was fairly intense, meaning that at least dozens of people have died here. Qianye jumped down from the truck and went over to the small town. Everything looked normal from outside of the town apart from the fact that the guards were gone. Gazing inside, one could see that the streets were empty without so much as a human shadow. In the blink of an eye, this simple yet lively place had turned into a ghost town. Qianye stopped after entering the small town. He touched the gates and found a layer of dark purple substance on his hands. He immediately knew that this was dried blood. Looking down, there was a puddle of dark liquid not far from his feet. It looked like sewage but was, in fact, blood that had mixed in with the dirt. Just as calm, Qianye walked deeper into the small town. This was the main road leading into town, lined with stores left and right. Now, however, their doors were closed, and the atmosphere was suffused with deathly silence. Qianye pushed open one of the doors and looked inside. There was no one there and the goods were in a messsomeone had apparently gone through everything. He broke into a deep frown as an intense rotten stench assaulted the senses. Bang! At this moment, one of the nearby racks nearby burst open and a dark figure pounced over. Qianye leaned backward and easily dodged the attack. This black wolf was much larger in build compared to its peers, clearly one of the wargs raised by werewolves. The creature hadnt even reached its target when Qianye grabbed it by the waist and snapped its spine. The warg rolled about, crying in agony. Qianye looked around the store indifferently and left after confirming there was nothing noteworthy here. The wargs pained howls echoed through town, eliciting numerous reactions. House windows shattered throughout the town as the wargs hiding in them appeared in quick succession. A number of them caught sight of Qianye and immediately charged over with great ferocity. There were still bits of human flesh and clothes in their teeth, and the stench of human blood hung deeply around them. All of this filled Qianye with an instinctive loathing for these creatures. Several of the pouncing wargs flew past Qianye, missing their target entirely. The moment they landed on the ground, their limbs flew off from their bodies in a gush of fresh blood. The creatures rolled about in pain, their howls filling the entire town. The remaining wargs in the area were intimidated by the cries of their peers. They lowered their bodies with their tails between their legs and didnt dare charge forth for the moment. However, they couldnt sense any danger from Qianye, and this made them quite hesitant about their next course of action. They had no idea whether or not they should pounce forward and tear this human apart. The animals might be hesitant, but Qianye had no intention of letting them go. Beams of sword intent flew out with each shake of East Peak, sending the pack into complete disarray. In the blink of an eye, all of the wargs had lost their limbs without exception. Youre courting death! A furious roar rang out from the town center as a young werewolf charged out. Eyes bloodshot upon seeing the miserable wargs, he pounced at Qianye with great ferocity. The latter sighed lightly, murmuring to himself, There really arent a lot of werewolves as cute as William. The young werewolfs vision blurred. He fell limp in front of Qianye, overwhelmed by the pain coming from all over his body. Yet, he couldnt feel his limbs at all, and only after looking down did he realize that his arms and legs had been cut off. He let out a long, mournful howl in his terror and pain. Qianye picked up the young werewolf and walked on, arriving at the plaza in the blink of an eye. The entire square had turned into a pool of blood. There were hundreds of wooden poles around the area, each running through a human whose blood flowed down the pillar and into the sanguineous pond. The impaled victims were all residents of the small town, many of whom Qianye knew. There were a few unfamiliar faces, too, likely unfortunate peddlers and traders who happened to be here during the massacre. It had been a good while since the mass murder, and most of the people on the stakes had perished. Only a few stronger ones were left hanging on their last breath, but most of their legs were a mess of flesh and blood. There were even some with only white bones remainingeven an idiot could see where the flesh had gone after seeing the pack of wargs. Just as humans enjoyed the meat of fierce beasts, the flesh of humans with high origin power was a delicacy to these wargs. Qianye tossed the limbless young werewolf into the pool of blood, eliciting yet another cry of misery from him. The doors to what used to be Iron Bears residence flew open as numerous werewolves charged out in quick succession. The leader, a valiant middle-aged lycanthrope, let out a low growl and stared at Qianye with bloodshot eyes. However, he soon realized that he couldnt gauge Qianyes strength at all. How could a human capable of cutting off a werewolf knights limbs have no origin power at all? At the thought of this, he quickly suppressed his fury and shouted, Who are you? You actually dared to injure a knight under the Wolf Kings direct command. Do you not know who the master of this region is? Qianye did not reply to the question. Are you the ones who killed the people here? The middle-aged werewolf replied, The Wolf Kings son, Gary, died in this region. According to the rules, all humans living here will be buried together with him. Rules? Whose rules? The Wolf Kings rules! What, do you want to oppose the Wolf King? Brat, you must be tired of living. Ill give you a quick death if you chop off your arms and legs now. Otherwise, Ill impale you to the wooden stakes and have the wargs chew at you for a couple of days before letting you die! "The Wolf Kings rule, is it? Qianyes words hadnt even trailed off when the werewolves felt a sudden pressure descend upon them, almost as though there was a large rock pressing down upon them. The weakest among them couldnt stand straight and fell kneeling onto the ground. The middle-aged werewolf was also stunned for a good while before he managed to circulate his power and recover his mobility. By that time, however, Qianye had already flashed past him, around the plaza, and returned to where he was standing before. The middle-aged werewolf felt a sudden pain in his chest, following which, a wave of weakness swept across his entire body. He looked down and found that East Peak had pierced through his chest at one point and shattered his heart. He simply couldnt grasp Qianyes movements, so much so that he didnt even know when the blade had entered his body. Qianye looked into his eyes and said word by word, The Wolf Kings rules don''t apply to my place. The middle-aged werewolf said ferociously, Just you wait, the Wolf King wont ever let you go. It will be the end for you once his personal guard arrives. Qianye sent the werewolf flying with a shake of his hand, landing him squarely on one of the sharp stakes. Werewolves had a fairly strong vitality and would remain alive several days even without an intact heart. This advantage, however, would now become the source of his suffering. The other werewolves had long since collapsed. The middle-aged man himself was merely a third-rank viscount, so there was no way his subordinates could take even a single blow. Qianye especially left a survivor, from whom he learned about the entire matter in general. The Wolf King had somehow found out about Garys death and, in his anger, had dispatched his personal guard to search this area. The people in town thus became the target of the Wolf Kings anger. It wasnt just this settlement, though. There were two more such towns within a hundred kilometers that would fall to the same fate. After killing all the residents of the town, the Wolf Kings guard left to continue their search for Garys remains. Naturally, there was only one outcome for the humans they encountered along the way. This viscount remained to guard the town with a handful of subordinates and see if there were any fish that had escaped the net. What came in the end, though, was a man-eating shark. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 737: Inheritance Qianye went around the small town and finished off the remaining wargs one after the other. Naturally, those he had cut down before wouldnt live long either. After doing all of this, Qianye leapt onto the building and cut down the Wolf Kings war banner. He then picked up a wooden board, preparing to carve his own insignia and hang it on the building. On one hand, it was to announce that this little town was his territory, while on the other, it was to tell the Wolf King that everything was his doing and that there was no need to take it out on other people. Naturally, he wasn''t dumb enough to tell the Wolf King his own identity. How much the latter knew would depend on how capable his subordinates were. The design of this crest, however, gave Qianye quite a bit of a problem. He first carved a vortex in the ocean to represent his Profound Combatant Formula. Then, he added the depiction of a rising sun which signified daybreak origin power. Now that daybreak had been represented, a token of the other side became necessary. At the thought of this, Qianye added a pair of luminous wings on the sea. The Wings of Inception was Qianyes most powerful aces and something absolutely vital to him. After drawing the Wings of Inception, he carved the symbol of his ancient vampire inheritance, a sanguineous river stretching through the air. This wasnt complete yet, so Qianye added a book in one corner of the emblem. The book of darkness was so mysterious that even the Black-Winged Monarch only managed to obtain the first volume. He gave it some thought, and then added a scroll atop the black tome. The Song Clan Ancient Scroll had been crucial throughout his development. He finally managed to add everything in, but the insignia had become a complicated mess that even Qianye himself couldnt bear to see. As such, he shattered the wooden board and found a new one to start his design anew. However, it simply didnt feel right no matter which one of the representations was removed. In the end, Qianye carved, scrapped, and carved againhe produced over ten rough drafts in total, yet no proper solution was formed. In his anger, Qianye simply drew an X on the board and stuck it onto the roof. As for the true war banner and insignia, Qianye decided to let Nighteye do the design since it couldnt be rushed. After leaving the small town, Qianye left the old truck and ran back to his courtyard directly. He then assembled Nighteye and the old man to tell them of todays situation and seek their opinion. Cui Yuanhai seemed worried. Although we know nothing about the Wolf Kings strength, rumors suggest that he should be at least as strong as a divine champion. In terms of Evernights ranking system, he might be a vice-duke or at least an honored marquis. Quite frankly speaking, you two might not be a match for this kind of power. As for this old man, Ill be a complete burden. Only certain death awaits if you need to take care of me, too. This analysis was within Qianyes expectations. He turned toward Nighteye and asked, What about you? What do you think? Nighteye was as calm as still water and seemed completely unworried about this matter. We fight of course. We let loose and fight him until the Wolf King can take it no more and retreats from this place of his own accord. Qianye nodded. This was also his intention. Cui Yuanhai was astonished. You two want to fight the Wolf King? Are you crazy? Qianye said with a smile, Were not crazy. Its not like we want to fight the Wolf King, its the Wolf King who forced us to do battle. These are the neutral lands, so backing down blindly isnt the way to go. But we can move to other places. The neutral lands are so big and the Wolf King can only control so many places. We can easily find another place where he cant reach us and live our lives in peace. With your great talents, you two can slowly contend with the Wolf King in just a few years. Why rush things? Qianye replied, Even if we leave, the Wolf King can hunt us down just as easily. So, we must teach him a painful lesson before we leave and make him forget about chasing after us. Only then will we be safe. What are your plans? Qianye replied, Simple. First, well wipe out his personal guard squad. Then, Ill hunt down his subordinates in the wilderness. As long as it isnt the Wolf King himself, everyone else will find it hard to escape my assassination. Cui Yuanhai shook his head. The Wolf King will personally take action if you kill enough of his men. What will you do then? Qianye exchanged glances with Nighteye. I should be able to escape. Should? Humph, there are too many things that should be. What if you cant escape? Qianye spoke no more. Instead, he opened up a map of the Eastern Sea and began looking through it in detail. After a moment, he pointed to a location on the map and said, Old Cui, well send you to a nearby port city. The area is more or less neutral, so you should settle in there first. Well come and pick you up after our battle with the Wolf King shows some results. Theres an airship port in town, I can send you over now. Knowing that he would be nothing but a burden, Cui Yuanhai didnt object to this. As a master-level craftsman in weapons and origin bullets, his knowledge of machines was fairly deep and it wouldnt be a problem for him to pilot an airship. How about Zhuji? The old man inquired. Shell follow us. The three continued to discuss some of the finer details until midnight. Only then did Qianye remember that he had forgotten about his spar with the mysterious entity. It seemed to know Qianye was busy tonight, hence, it didnt remind him of their seaside match. At the thought of the mysterious entity, Qianye suddenly recalled how their fights in the past few days had been exceptionally difficult. It was extremely hard to win even one battle back then. Consequently, the Black Grove had expanded without restraint and blocked the path to town entirely. Qianye could freely pass through it, but other people might suffer after entering the woods. Perhaps it was because of this reason that the werewolf guard squad hadnt discovered Qianyes residence. Even if the people in town had been forced to speak of Qianyes location, the Wolf Kings Guard probably didnt dare enter the depths of the forest and chose to forget him instead. Did this mean that the mysterious character was helping in secret? Qianye still had no idea what this entitys true appearance was or what its intentions were. In the face of such a major issue as the Wolf King, he naturally couldnt entrust it to this existence. The night was deepCui Yuanhai was asleep, and little Zhuji hadnt woken up from her many days of slumber. There were only Qianye and Nighteye in the room. Wait a minute, I have something to give you? Qianye called out to Nighteye. What is it? A present? Nighteye was curious. I guess it would count as one! Qianye fished out his vampiric blade and produced a cut to his wrist. Then, he squeezed out several drops of blood from the barely open wound. The liquid had specks of gold within them and almost seemed to be on fire. The drops of blood eventually converged into a crystalline drop of blood which fell onto Qianyes fingertips. Qianye raised his hand and tapped Nighteye on the forehead. The latter had no idea what Qianye wanted to do, but she could feel a sense of ancient bleakness from the blood that caused her bloodline to tremble slightly. Those drops of blood vanished once Qianyes hand came into contact with Nighteyes forehead. There wasnt a single trace left on her skin, almost as though nothing had ever happened before. As the drops of blood disappeared, Qianyes complexion became somewhat pale and his aura also weakened a bit. Turning abruptly pale, she closed her eyes tight as her body trembled abruptly. The trembling gradually calmed down after a good while. She then opened her eyes and said incredulously, Spatial Flash? Yes, this is the Black-Winged Monarch Andruils ultimate secret art. You come from the Monroe clan and have awakened his bloodline, so you should be able to use this technique. Nighteye still hadnt recovered from the shock. She reached out to touch her forehead, but the blood had left no trace during its entry and her skin was perfectly intact. No matter how she felt around, she couldnt find any sign of this blood. Whats going on? After a long while, Nighteye gave up and asked directly. This is a method used by ancient vampires to transfer secret arts. Using a drop of essence blood as medium, one can fully bestow an inheritance and experience on the other party. Why do you know this? Nighteye couldnt find such a transfer technique in her blurry memories. This is the knowledge I gained from the River of Blood. Qianye didnt try to hide anything. Youve communicated with the River of Blood!? Although she had forgotten a lot of things, she knew that such communication was a huge thing for a vampire. Yes, is there any problem? I dont know, it feels like No, I dont remember anymore. Nighteye tried hard to recall, but she simply couldnt remember why a connection to the river was so important. The ancient art of essence blood transfer instilled in Nighteye all of Qianyes findings regarding Spatial Flash, saving her the process of exploration and comprehension. Spatial Flash was actually an extremely powerful secret art for traversing space. Theoretically, anyone with powerful darkness origin power could use it. However, those with the Black-Winged Monarchs bloodline were especially suitable for the techniquethe effects produced would be countless times more powerful than those with ordinary bloodlines. Vampires from other bloodlinesor even other dark race memberscould obtain Spatial Flash, but the effects were limited. From what Qianye had seen, if Eden were to use Spatial Flash, the effects would be far inferior to his own Shadow Traversal. Additionally, there was a high probability of a backlash that might very well take his life instead. For such dark race members, Spatial Flashs real value lay in the fact that there was no limit to it. The greater ones darkness origin power is, the more powerful this art would become. Perhaps in the hands of a great dark monarch, this secret art would be able to display its true worth. Shadow Traversals limit was at the honored marquis rank. There would be no additional effect no matter how high ones level was after that. Nighteye possessed the Black-Winged Monarchs bloodline and had also been bestowed with the inheritance by Qianye. Hence, her speed in cultivating Spatial Flash was extremely fast, taking only one night to complete the entire process. It was just that she had just recovered from her injury and was still one step away from the count rank. Her usage of the art was still a bit inferior to Qianyes. Now that both of them possessed Spatial Flash, their chances of survival would increase greatly even against the Wolf King. The Black-Winged Monarchs core inheritance was indeed boundlessly powerful. Qianye then fished out the Carol of Shadows and gave it to Nighteye. Upon seeing this rifle, Nighteyes expression became somewhat odd. This is Edens gun, why is it in your hands? You still remember Eden? Qianye snorted. Nighteye immediately explained in a loveable manner, I think hes saved me before, thats why I remember him more clearly. I also remember a lot of things with you! Qianye snorted once more but didnt press on. You can have this gun. Although its not as smooth to use, its firepower is not bad. How did you get this? Humph, I encountered Eden on the battlefield, so I gave him a good beating and took his gun. Unfortunately, he escaped in the end. Nighteye made no comment and ignored Qianyes fixed stare. After a moment of deadlock, Nighteye suddenly broke into a laugh. She reached out to caress Qianyes hair and asked, Tell me the truth, what were you thinking just now? I was thinking I shouldve beaten him even harder! Qianye ground his teeth. Youre so dumb. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 738: Ambush The night went by with Qianye packing up his things in preparation for his imminent hunt. Cui Yuanhai walked out of his little hut and, with great effort, tossed Qianye a huge origin gun. The environment here is special, and ordinary guns cant exert their full power. I built a new one in recent days that can be considered grade-seven. Use this for the time being. It might not be comfortable to use, but its better than having nothing. What the old man had given him was a product full of violent aestheticsthe muzzle was the size of a fist, the barrel was as thick as a finger, and the body of the firearm itself was built of steel and covered in origin arrays. It was just that the patterns on the arrays were so coarse that their function could only be considered a basic grade-five. The mechanical parts of the gun were simple and primitive, with the loading and ejection both manually operated. There wasnt a single support function to be found. There should be no problem even if one were to use this clumsy but sturdy weapon like a hammer. This origin guns overall design was fairly ancient, probably similar to weapons from over three hundred years ago. However, only weapons of such barbaric design could be used freely in the neutral lands. Without special protection, intricate arrays simply couldnt withstand the erosion of the void origin power here and would be destroyed before long. A weapon like the Carol of Shadows could withstand the erosion due to its valuable material composition, but even so, it would still suffer some reduction to firepower. Perhaps only the Ten Grand Magnums would be able to exert their full power in the neutral lands. The old man hauled a wooden chest over and said, This box is full of origin bullets for this gun. Qianye opened up the chest and saw rows of physical origin bullets inside. He didnt know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw that the projectiles were as large as a hand grenade. Perhaps only Zhao Yuying might love this gun. The shortcomings of this weapon were also quite obvious. Apart from its cumbersome operation and difficulty in carrying, its range was only over a hundred meters. The origin arrays Cui Yuanhai had installed were all for increased firepower. There was simply no consideration for accuracy and range. Then again, there was simply no need for accuracy within a hundred meters. With Qianyes marksmanship skills, he could hit anything just by pointing at it. As an outcome of pursuing extreme firepower, this weapon was even more destructive than Zhao Yuyings Mountain Splitter, and it was even more powerful at closer range. Pick a name for it, Qianye said. Cui Yuanhai shook his head continuously. Absolutely not! If it wasnt for this accursed place, how could I have built such a... thing. If this spreads, my lifes reputation will be completely destroyed. Qianye didnt force the issue. At this point, Nighteye had returned with an airship from the small town. Qianye loaded the old mans luggage onto the airship along with necessary equipment and local products like wood and golden-threaded snails. After all the preparations were complete, Cui Yuanhai took to the air and left. Hell be fine over there, wont he? Nighteye sounded somewhat worried. I hope so. After all, the Xue family has some power in Port City. The old man will pay them a visit after arriving there. If those two fellows are smart enough, theyll take care of the old man in our stead. Nighteye said, The Wolf King has probably connected Garys death to the Xue family. Besides, the two of them are of the younger generation and have limited influence on the familys policymaking. If the Wolf King really targets the Xue family, they might actually toss the two kids out to ensure survival. Qianye was greatly impressed. Youre awesome! Nighteye shot Qianye a glance. Of course, I didnt read the Comprehensive History of the Empire for nothing. Seeing this, Qianye felt that there was something wrong but couldnt quite point out what it was. Eventually, Nighteye chuckled while covering her mouth. What, are you thinking that Im no longer easy to deceive? Only then did he come to a realization. Nighteye had been slowly recovering from the physical and mental damage since Qianye saved her from the imperial military. He had gotten used to her being weak and relying on him for everything. He was even secretly worried when she tried to fight against Xue Ding. During this period, Qianye had forgotten that Nighteye was once the princess of the Monroe clan, a primo with talents exceeding even the Holy Son Edward. The titles Holy Son and Princess werent decided based on the nobility of ones bloodline. They needed to prove themselves in cultivation and in battle to qualify for their respective roles. Even though they require a degree of protection for their maturation phase, it wasnt complete isolation. The ancient clans would arrange for suitable enemies to polish their scions. Nighteye was dispatched to the battlefield soon after joining the Monroe clan. This could be considered protected training, but Nighteye managed to prove herself with her outstanding rate of advancement. At the Holy Sons level, there would be no more protection. He needed to be able to uphold great responsibilities and oversee an entire region on the battlefield. None of the dark races famed geniuses were simple characters, and Nighteye was no exception. After thinking about this, Qianye was filled with an inexplicable sensation. Sometimes, he would rather she stay as a weak girl that needed his protection, but that wasnt the case in reality. Qianye suddenly recalled Song Zinings words. Dont ever find a woman so intelligent that you cant deceive her. It would seem the seventh young master was speaking from his own experience. After making ample preparations, Qianye and Nighteye traveled through the forest and arrived at the small town. Qianye had killed the werewolf viscount, as well as the wargsit was about time the Wolf Kings Guard realized something was wrong here. A complicated landscape like the small town was the most advantageous for Qianye and Nighteye. At this moment, there was a werewolf elder in the town square. He was so old that he couldnt stand straight and had to lean on a staff for support. His greyish white hair was decorated with three feathers, and there were colored cloth-strips wrapped around the ordinary-looking staff in his hand. People familiar with Evernight History would recognize this as the attire of the ancient werewolf tribes from tens of thousands of years ago. It was just that only members with prestige and power would be able to don such feathers as decoration. The greater the number of feathers, the higher his status. Three feathers meant that this werewolf was at least an elder in the tribe. At this moment, the werewolf viscount was on his very last breath, meeting this werewolf elder for the last time. The old werewolf waved his staff, shooting out several beams of light that converged into the viscount''s corpse. This radiance was rather mysterious, causing the viscounts body to regain some vitality. The latter moved slightly, opened his eyes, and looked up with great difficulty. However, his eyes were full of puzzlement and he couldnt even speak. Apparently, the body had regained some life, but his consciousness was already dead. The werewolf elder pulled back his staff. He was already drenched in sweat after this brief moment of work, and the creases on his face seemed to have grown deeper. Watching the viscounts immobile body, he stamped down with his staff and cursed, Useless thing! Werewolves possessed powerful vitality and would be able to hold out for a period of time even with their vitals shattered. Qianye had impaled the werewolf on the pole in order to torment him and send word back to the Wolf Kings Guard. Who wouldve thought the werewolf couldnt stand the pain and, having lost all desire to live, passed away after a short while. In the eyes of the brave werewolves, the inability to withstand pain was a classic sign of cowardice. At this point, a werewolf soldier walked over and passed a wooden board to the elder, saying, We found this on the roof where the original war banner was. Maybe its a symbol? The werewolf elder looked at the simple X on the board and exclaimed, What the heck is this? Its probably a war banner, totem, or a crest. We also found these. The werewolf soldier brought back some broken wooden boards. They had already reconnected them to the point where one could make out the fantastic drawings and runes on them. These wooden boards were of the same shape and size as the one on the roof, which led to them guessing that this was perhaps a certain war banner. The werewolf elder looked at them for a long while before saying, How ugly! Youve actually managed to find these things, but did you find any clues regarding this person? The werewolf soldiers whispered, He didnt leave any scent at all. Additionally, the stench of blood here is so intense that it interferes with our perception. Were also a bit too close to the Black Grove. Useless things! The old werewolf cursed again, but he knew that the neutral lands deeply affected the werewolves sense of smell. The Black Grove, especially, was a nightmare for their race. The Black Grove could absorb any and all smells. Even werewolves with the sharpest olfactory senses would only smell one thing therethe scent of the Black Grove. Additionally, if the grove were to suffer an attack, it would emit a type of irritating smell. Such gases had no effect on Qianye, but it was a nightmarish odor for the werewolves and their sharp senses. The weaker ones would find their noses swollen, red, and painful for many days. Thus, the werewolf elder couldnt think of a good idea despite his anger. All he could do was have his subordinates continue their search. They needed to find clues even if they had to flip the entire town over. One of the werewolves kicked open the door to a certain house. He then entered with his long saber in tow and began checking everywhere. The stench inside was so strong that he trembled after entering the room. During this brief moment of distraction, he felt a chill from his back as a vampiric blade entered his heart. Drained of essence blood, the werewolf soldier collapsed without a sound. He didnt even get the chance to call out. Qianye appeared from behind like a specter and left the house to hide inside another. Dozens of soldiers had already spread out to search the small town. The elder, on the other hand, was pacing around the square. He couldnt help but feel fidgety and restless, almost as though something bad was about to happen. But he was old, so old that his once sharp intuition had become somewhat dull. At this moment, hidden within the shadows, a gun muzzle was slowly following him around. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 739: The Last Clue The rumble of the origin gun shattered the silence of the small town. The werewolf elder pulled back as soon as the sound appeared, but he was still one step too slow. Amidst a shower of blood, his right arm flew off from his body and fell to the distant ground. The elder withstood the pain and reached for his wooden staff with a trembling hand. It would seem that this old wooden staff was even more important to him than his life. Gunshots rang out once more as the werewolf elders left arm was also blasted off. His aged body fell hard on the ground and couldnt clamber up for a good while. In a nearby house, Nighteye put away the Carol of Shadows, drew her dagger, and stabbed the door at lightning speed! The dagger shot through the wood all the way to its hilt. A miserable cry was heard from the other side as a werewolf claw pierced through the wooden door and grabbed Nighteyes wrist. However, the hand gradually weakened over the course of a few breaths as its owner collapsed to the ground. Nighteye put away her vampiric blade and jumped out of the side window, soon vanishing into the small alleyways. She had just left when a melon-sized grenade flew into the room and blasted the building apart. The sound of gunshots and explosions threw the entire town into chaos. The werewolf soldiers knew the explosions came from the guard squads grenades, but the gunshots were extremely foreign. Several werewolf warriors eventually returned to the square and found, to their great astonishment, their elder struggling in a pool of blood. They went over to support the old werewolf, but the latter stared anxiously at the wooden staff and said, Quick, bring me my staff! Seeing what remained of the elders arms, the soldiers couldnt help but wonder how he would even use the staff after they had brought it back. But since it was the elders orders, one of the soldiers ran over to where the staff was. Just as he was about to reach down, however, a gunshot echoed through the town, and his head was duly blasted apart. The headless body swayed briefly before falling slowly to the ground. No small amount of blood sprayed onto the wooden staff. The surprising thing was that the staff seemed to have come alive at this point, wiggling as it absorbed the flesh and blood. Even the colored cloth wrapped around it was doing the same. At the sight of this, the elder became even more anxious and urged the werewolf soldiers to bring the staff back and hunt down the sniper. The soldiers secretly felt a chill upon seeing this flesh-devouring staff. Nonetheless, one of them braced himself and walked over to the staff. It was just that a gunshot rang out once more as he bent down, and yet another head was blasted apart. The elder saw the barely visible color of darkness in the air and said with an ugly expression, Demonkin, its the demonkin! How come there are demonkin here? The demonkin were extremely rare in the neutral lands, but the remnant shadow hanging in the air contained an indisputable demonkin aura. The other dark races wouldnt use their weapons at all because the firepower would be reduced by a steep margin. The werewolves still couldnt find Nighteye from the sound of the gunshot alone. She would add the special ability Reverberate with every round, causing the timbre to echo all around the place and preventing others from pinpointing her location. But soon, the remnant demonkin energy track eventually compromised her hiding place. Under the elders instructions, several werewolf soldiers pounced toward the sniper nestsome crashing through the windows, some through the door, and some through the roof. There wasnt so much as a shadow of Nighteyes after they arrived inside, though. What greeted them was a pile of origin grenades on the table. A massive explosion shook the entire town as the building and many others around it were flattened. Even though the soldiers who had charged in were quite powerful, they couldnt quite escape the tragedy at such a close range. Those who had gone through the roof were flung several dozen meters into the air. Nighteye watched all of this from close by before vanishing into one of the small alleyways. Before leaving Evernight, as the princess of the vampire race, Nighteye had actually fought more werewolves than she had humans. She was also very familiar with their habits in combat. When the explosion took place, the werewolf elders expression turned extremely unsightly. He suddenly howled at the sky, summoning all of the surviving soldiers. Several long howls responded from different parts of the small town. The elders expression turned even more ashen because the number of responses was too few. This number was enough to make one feel flustered. So many werewolf soldiers had scattered into the town, but most of them had seemingly vanished, almost as though they had fallen into the jaws of a colossal beast. In addition to the ones who had been blasted to death, there were at least fifty more warriors, but now, there werent even ten responses. The elders eyes began to twitch as he scanned the infernal town. He let out a short cry, one so mournful that it sounded like a ghost howling. That was the command for the survivors to retreat and scatter at all costs, leaving behind all spoils and comrades for a chance at survival. Several werewolves charged out of the small town and fled in different directions. Following a gunshot, one of the werewolves fell down while the rest took the opportunity to flee from the Carol of Shadows range as quickly as they could. Nighteye, who was half-kneeling on the rooftop, lowered the sniper rifle and watched as the werewolves left. These were the ones she had intentionally let off so that they could deliver news of this battle. In the central plaza, Qianye picked up the wooden staff and walked over to the elder. The cane became quite obedient in Qianyes hands and had stopped wiggling and devouring despite being drenched in blood. Qianye crouched down in front of the elder and asked, Why do you value this staff so much? The elder snorted once but made no reply. Judging from the subconscious anxiety coming off of him, though, one could tell that the weapon was extremely important. The pain of having his limbs severed tormented the elder, but he didnt even moan once. Qianye frowned upon realizing that he wouldnt find out anything from this person. An unyielding enemy like this was worthy of respect but also quite troublesome. After pondering for a while, Qianye flicked a wisp of blood energy into the elders wounds. His face became contorted, and his body trembled continuously from the agony. Yet, he made no sound up until he passed out from the suffering, to speak nothing of begging for mercy. Nighteye arrived at this point, saying, Howd it go? Qianye waved the staff. I couldnt get anything out of him, but he seems to value this item a lot, there must be some secret hidden within it. I dont think I can make him talk. Lets keep this staff for now. Well get the information sooner or later. Even if he doesnt talk, someone else will. Qianye nodded and placed the wooden staff into Andruils Mysterious Realm. He then slapped the old werewolf lightly behind the back of his neck, duly shattering his skull bone in the process. This kind of injury would stop the elder from recovering his consciousness even if someone else were to stir up his vitality. After doing all of that, Qianye and Nighteye left the small town and vanished into the Black Grove. Just a few dozen kilometers away from the small town, there was a giant airship hovering at a low altitude. The battleship, covered in large steel spikes, looked rather sinister. The style of this airship seemed to have remained in the era where airships were first invented. There were no powerful origin cannons back then, nor were there any homing ballistae. Ramming into the enemy ship was one of the most basic methods of combat. The entire top-level of the battleship was a massive control room. There was a lanky werewolf with a sinister expression sitting in the ancient-looking chair at the center of the chamber. His hair was of a peculiar red shade, as were his eyes. The werewolves who had escaped from the small town were on one knee before him, reporting what had transpired there in great detail. The werewolf on the seat spoke slowly, Demonkin? Are you sure there was a demonkin? The werewolf soldier replied, That was Elder Gillettes judgment. Very well then. That old fellow might be useless, but his eyesight can be considered fair. If he says its a demonkin, then it is a demonkin. The demonkin have actually appeared in such a remote place. Men, bring me the map. Two servants brought a map over and unfurled it in front of their master. The geography surrounding the small town was labeled on the mapalthough it was coarsely made, one could still make use of it. The red werewolf stared at the map for a good while before saying, Tell me, where do you think that demonkin is hiding? One of the werewolf elders replied, Weve searched the entire area, this is the only place left. The Black Grove? According to the people in town, there used to be a road by the forest leading to a piece of land where some newcomers have settled down. However, they are humans and not demonkin. The werewolf frowned. Ask them clearly! The werewolf elder replied awkwardly, This Sir Bloodbeard, the people in town have been killed long ago. Theres no one left to ask. Bloodbeard made no comment and continued staring at the map for a good while. Theres something wrong with this map. The path here has been sealed off by the Black Grove. Yes, sir. If we want to investigate that place, we must pass through the Black Grove. Humph, through the Black Grove? Im not interested in that. Lets go back if there are no more survivors here. The werewolf elder said in astonishment, Sir Gilettes corpse is still there, as well as the Staff of Revival! Youre right, lets go over to the town and take a look. Moments later, the massive airship arrived above the small town and dozens of werewolf warriors jumped down. They searched the town rapidly, but only found Elder Gillettes corpsethere was neither a trace of the Staff of Revival nor any valuable clues. On the battleship, Bloodbeard was gazing at Gillette''s body, especially his severed limbs. There are signs of demonic energy, but it might not necessarily be a demonkin. But, well just report things as is. Humph, theres not even a small clue, were dealing with a veteran! Sire, shall we expand the scope of our search? Bloodbeard didnt answer and merely looked out of the window. Through the glass, he could see the death-suffused forest in the distance. From this angle, he could see a mist rising from the forest, covering hundreds of meters of airspace above it. Seeing this mist, Bloodbeards pupils contracted. No need, well return. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 740: Methods Return? This Sir Bloodbeard, it wont be too appropriate for us to go back. Those people might take this opportunity to attack you. Bloodbeard didnt seem to mind, though. Let them try, Ill just push this matter into their hands if they do. Humph, I dont believe they can remain calm after the loss of the Staff of Revival. Ill let them have this contribution! The werewolf elder pondered for a moment before saying, Do you mean to say this matter isnt that simple? Bloodbeard revealed a sinister smile. Itll be extremely difficult. Gary is dead, Gillette is dead, yet we have no idea who our enemies are apart from the fact that they might be demonkin. And even that is just a possibility. Additionally, I feel that the recent changes in the Black Grove are quite peculiar. It might be related to this case. The elder nodded in due seriousness. Bloodbeard said, Thats why we should let them do it. But Sir, its been a long time since youve made contributions. Your rankings... Bloodbeard smiled. Rankings are relative. Even if I stay right where I am, my rankings will shoot up if others fall. Besides... He paused for a moment at this point. Dead people have no ranks. Moments later, the large airship collected its soldiers and flew away. Atop one of the trees in the Black Grove, Nighteye lowered the Carol of Shadows. How come theyre gone? I sensed a fairly powerful fellow inside, at least a virtuous count. Qianye appeared quite serious as he said, He mustve given up because he sensed something wrong. This fellows senses are quite sharp, hell be a troublesome opponent. Nighteye said after some thought, This kind of talent is quite rare even in Evernight. Yet, we have encountered two such people in the outskirts of the neutral lands. Is it a coincidence? Perhaps it isnt, its possible that such talents are common in the neutral lands. True, theyd probably die pretty fast without it. Qianye gazed at the vanishing airship and said, Lets go and see if theres anything in town we can use or recycle. We need to be prepared because the next person to come wont be so easy to handle. Thats not a certainty. Did you notice? The Wolf Kings men are quite similar to the expeditionary army. His subordinates are mostly half-independent and dont belong to any single force. As long as theyre safe, they wouldnt care about anyone elses death. Actually, the same goes for Evernight under most circumstances. So, the next force might be similar in strength, at most a bit more powerful. Qianye nodded. You have a point, but the necessary preparations must still be done. Oh right, lets bring Zhuji next time. Zhuji? No, shes too young. Arachne can hunt since birth. Now is the best time for her to learn combat arts. Dont worry, Ill keep an eye on her. Qianye gave it some thought but agreed in the end. Surely, his understanding of arachne couldnt compare to someone who had grown up on the Evernight side. Little Zhuji really did need more polishing. The arachne could fight since birth because they had evolved through millions of years of cruelty. Those who couldnt do so had gone extinct along the river of time. Several days later, within the totem room of the Wolf Kings main camp. The atmosphere here was austereeveryone was treading lightly, and even the wargs were hiding in the shadows with their tails between their legs. That roar just now had echoed within a hundred miles, a testament to just how furious the Wolf King was. One would only have himself to blame if he were to trigger the kings wrath. The Wolf King was seated upon the high throne in the totem chamber, the steel hand rest of which had already been twisted out of shape. Demonkin, youre telling me its the work of demonkin!? Did I raise such a bunch of trash? This is the Eastern Sea, how can there be any demonkin!? Bloodbeard lay prostrated on the ground, not daring to raise his head. Several werewolf soldiers nearby lay badly mangled and didnt even look like werewolves anymore. These were the soldiers who had survived the ordeal in that small town. Now, they had burst apart under the furious Wolf Kings aura. After an episode of roaring and raging, the Wolf King managed to calm down a bit. The werewolf elder on one of the side seats said, Great Chief, Gillette sent this information on the verge of his death. Its likely true. The Wolf King seemed fairly respectful of this elder. He forced down the flames of his fury and said, Great Elder, how can there be any demonkin in the Eastern Sea? What kind of demonkin would come to this damned place? The great elder replied, You cant be so sure. There are demonkin operating in the Spider Emperors area. The Wolf King seemed somewhat upset at the mention of the Spider Emperor. A werewolf general below said, Humph, that old spider used to be called Spider King but changed his name to Spider Emperor when our great chief received the title of Wolf King. Absolutely shameless. The Wolf King said while gripping the hand rest, That old spider is still a bit stronger than I am. Its his business what he wants to call himself, no need to pay him any attention. The general was unsatisfied. How dare he call himself Spider Emperor when he doesnt even dare to challenge Zhang Buzhou!? He might not be the great chiefs match in a real fight. The elder shouted, Enough! Are you trying to make the chief fight the Spider Emperor? The general replied hurriedly, That wasnt my intention. The Wolf King said indifferently, Fighting him is fine, but theres no benefit to that at the moment. Its a different story altogether if hes sending demonkin over to stir up trouble in my territory. The great elder said, Theres no need to rush to a conclusion without any proof. We cant be negligent about such a major issue. In my opinion, Master Heavens Eye owes you a favor, its time to use it. The Wolf King frowned. Gary is already dead, do we really need to? Theres also the Staff of Revival. The Wolf King pondered for a long while. He nodded in the end and gave the great elder a chipped jade token. You go, I dont want to see that old bastard. The great elder put the jade token away and stood up. Ill set out immediately, youll receive news by tomorrow night. Take my airship, itll be faster. One day later, the Wolf Kings airship landed a thousand kilometers away on a lone island in the middle of a vast swamp. This island was the largest of its kind in the wetlands. There was a cluster of crude wooden huts in the center, with strings of white skulls hanging from the eaves and rattling oddly in the wind. The great elder walked down from the airship and arrived at one of the huts. There, he knocked on a fist-sized skull embedded in the door. Who is it? A shrill voice came from the hut. The Wolf Kings emissary. The wooden door opened and behind it appeared a stooping old lady. She sized the great elder up with her lizard-like eyes, saying, Wheres that little wolf? Why didnt he come? The great elder said, The Wolf Kings status is no longer the same after challenging Zhang Buzhou. I hope you can change how you address him. A glimmer flashed through the old womans eyes. Fine, fine, Ill call him Wolf King out of consideration for Zhang Buzhou, okay? The Wolf Kings successor has died, we want to know who did it. The old woman glanced unhappily at the werewolf soldiers behind the elder. Where are the offerings? These? Little Wolf, no, the Wolf King should know that I like children under the age of three. The elder said indifferently, The Wolf King says you owe him a favor. The old woman stared at the elder with a vicious expression, but the latter simply wouldnt budge. In the end, she opened the door and said unwillingly, How long ago was that? He still remembers it? The elder ordered the soldiers to remain outside while he himself entered the hut. Soon afterward, the door shut tight on its own. The elder produced a crystal bottle filled with blood. Master Heavens Eye, this is the Wolf Kings blood. The old woman snatched the bottle away with a greedy expression. This is barely enough, barely enough! The elder made no attempt at exposing her. If its enough, then please begin. Im in a rush to report back. Heavens Eye arrived at the side building and placed a bunch of odd things like spiders, unknown herbs, and pieces of rotten meat into a stone basin. She brought a huge bucket of beast blood and poured it in as well. After all the preparations had been completed, she carefully poured three drops of the Wolf Kings blood into the brew. Then, she quickly closed the bottle tight with a pained expression. The elder couldnt watch on. Master Heavens Eye, I think it might not be enough. Wont you add a few more drops? How can it not be enough? The Wolf Kings bloodline is so powerful. Three drops are enough. As long as the other party is still in the neutral lands, they wont be able to escape my secret arts. The only problem is how strong their bloodline is. It should be no problem if the culprit isnt a dukes descendant. The great elder was quite skeptical. Then please perform your arts. Heavens Eye went around the stone basin, dancing madly while mumbling unintelligible incantations. The dancing went on without end. At one point, the old werewolf let out a dry cough and said, This Great Master, Ive been working as a shaman in the tribe for over a hundred years. Lets just skip the ceremonial parts. Heavens Eye glared at him. Why didnt you say so sooner? She sat down on her knees in front of the basin and closed her eyes, once again praying for something. This time, the blood in the receptacle began to move and soon reached a boiling point. However, the things that had been placed inside the basin remained motionless at the bottom, almost as though they were a thousand tons in weight. In the eyes of the werewolf elder, the small frame of Heavens Eye seemed to be hiding a vast ocean. The darkness origin power within her surged continuously into the stone basin and showed no signs of ever stopping. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 741: Counterattack The elder was shaken; he had realized that this greedy, ugly, old womans reputation wasnt undeserved. Just that abyssal darkness origin power alone was at the marquis level. Add to that her peculiar and treacherous secret arts, this old lady was the type of enemy people werent willing to encounter. The bloody color in the basin quickly faded away, giving way to a clear liquid as smooth as a mirror. Following a loud shout from Heavens Eye, the water flowed out and became a true mirrors surface. On the reflective surface, Nighteye and Qianye were talking about something face to face. Is it them? The elders tone was clearly skeptical. As he saw it, the two youngsters were simply too youngeven if they were humans, known for their short lives and early maturation. It was hard to believe such young people could kill the Werewolf Genius Gary as well as the experienced Gillette and his guard force. There was only one possibility in his heart. These two must be vampires or demonkin who had maintained their youthful appearance, when in reality, they were a couple hundred years old. Heavens Eye was also startled. Wait a minute, this result is a bit strange. I can sense that they are extremely young. Such surging vitality and aura cannot appear in those old fellows. It was at this time that Qianye and Nighteye seemed to have sensed something. Their figures began emitting ripples which quickly blurred the projection. Heavens Eye immediately muttered a short incantation and pointed a finger at the basin. A drop of near-black blood fell into the receptacle, returning the image to clarity. The elder was somewhat anxious, but he was also afraid of disturbing Heavens Eye. All he could do was wait with bated breath. The old woman heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the image become clearer. Its alright, their bloodlines are extremely weak, only a bit stronger than ordinary people. If the Wolf Kings blood you gave me is genuine, I doubt theyre related to Garys death. Theyre simply too weak, too weak. The elder said, Perhaps they used some kind of hidden secret art. Do you have any way to see their race? Heavens Eye nodded and let out a bestial growl, one full of extreme agony. Her eyes were shut tight, but the skin on her forehead opened up and an eerie third eye appeared amidst the flesh and blood. The eyeball spun about continuously as it scanned the outside world. Heavens Eye let out a mournful cry as she reached into the basin and threw several drops of black blood into it. Seemingly attracted by the black blood, the strange eyes line of sight landed on the mirror surface. It suddenly expanded in size, shooting out a faintly-discernible ripple of darkness that entered the mirror and vanished on the other side. This was the Heavens Eye, the source of her name. Seeing this pulsating eyeball, even the werewolf elder who had seen so much massacre and peculiarities couldnt help but feel a chill creep into his heart. At this moment, Nighteye and Qianye were glancing about the courtyard. They had both sensed something staring at thema cold, moist, and evil vision akin to a snake slithering over ones skin. It was inexplicably disgusting and uncomfortable. Both of them activated Bloodline Concealment the moment this sensation came into contact with their bodies, retracting their auras in a bid to disrupt the other partys judgment. They managed to extricate themselves briefly from this sensation, but before long, the invisible sensation grew even stronger and continued to cast its gaze upon the duo. This time, they knew for sure that something was up. Nighteyes pupils grew blood-red, while the depths of Qianyes eyes surged with a deep blue shade. The two scanned their surroundings with their eye-abilities, hoping to find the source of this hidden line of sight. The two looked up at the sky at almost the same time. A mass of darkness had gathered in the air at one point. It seemed formless and intangible, almost like a blotch of floating ink. Despite possessing the same True Sight, Nighteyes blood energy was somewhat weaker compared to Qianyes. In her vision, she could make out a ball-shaped object hiding in the cloud of darkness and suspected that it might be an eye. In Qianyes eyes, however, he could see the projection of a sinister-looking eyeball looking down at them from above. The gaze was almost tangible as it scanned Qianye and Nighteyes bodies repeatedly, trying to peer into the secrets within. Being swept over by this kind of gaze was akin to being licked all over by a lizard. It was even more uncomfortable than before. Nighteye wasnt sure about what to do. She picked up the Carol of Shadows and opened fire, but the origin bullet passed through the projection without affecting the eyeball in the slightest. Qianye put down the origin gun in his hand after seeing Nighteyes fruitless shot. He suddenly recalledfrom the knowledge he had gained from the River of Blooda method to deal with such peculiar lifeforms. Without a second thought, he drew the Twin Flowers, unfurled his wings of light, and shot a beam of dark golden blood energy into the hovering eyeball! And there was a feather flickering inside the blinding light. To deal with this mysterious, hidden enemy, Qianye used the Shot of Inception without the slightest bit of hesitation. Even as an unfinished product of the Black-Winged Monarch, the Shot of Inception was incredible in many ways, including the ability to traverse space and chase down the source. The feather passed through the eyeball all the same, but it soon vanished into the air. That eyeball began to swell, reaching several times its original size and revealing an expression of utter horror! A faint howl of misery rang out in the air as the eyeball burst open like a bubble and vanished. The sky above the small courtyard cleared up once more, almost as though nothing had happened here before. In the depths of the swamp, Heavens Eye screamed loudly as a dark golden feather shot out of the mirror and pierced into the mysterious eyeball! The eye contracted rapidly, struggling to the point where there was flesh and blood spraying out of it. Yet, it still couldnt escape destruction in the end. It exploded with a loud bang, spraying blood and fluid all over the house. Heavens Eye fell backward with a miserable cry. There was now a large, ghastly cavity on her forehead. The werewolf elder was shocked out of his wits. He waited for a long while and only approached cautiously after seeing no movement. Heavens Eye lay collapsed on the ground, her aura fading rapidly from the marquis rank down to that of a count. She wasnt just injured on the forehead, but her closed eyes were also bleeding and most likely unsalvageable. Heavens Eye had fallen unconscious from the grave injuries. Although the great elder was a shaman in the tribe, there was little he could do against such damage. All he could do was hope Heavens Eye would have sufficient vitality to recover. Now that the old woman had already found the necessary clues, her fate was of no importance in the great elders eyes. The elder waved the cane in his hand, shooting out a stream of black sand. The particles turned into a black mist in the air which soon outlined the image of Qianye and Nighteye. Afterward, he pointed out that the two had special bloodlines and was likely supported by a powerful expert. In the end, they had heavily injured Heavens Eye via an unknown method and even destroyed her third eye. When the black mist dispersed, a watery mirror formed in a pond within the ancient totemic castle, and the elders message appeared therein. The werewolf attendant nearby recorded the information immediately and delivered it to the Wolf King. This was a secret art used by ancient werewolf tribes to transmit information. They could transmit messages immediately as long as the two sides were on a single landmass. However, there were extensive limits to this secret art. In addition to the high cost of maintaining this channel, cultivating the art itself was extremely difficult. Fewer and fewer people were willing to pay this steep price when it provided no benefits to ones combat strength. At this point, only the great elder had a grasp of this secret art in the entirety of their tribe. At this moment, the Wolf King was seated on the throne, looking through the information delivered by his subordinate. His gaze rested quite a while on the words, Their actual age is quite young, their identity and race are unclear, before passing the report to his aides. After the aides had seen the report, the Wolf King said, What do you all think? A lanky, grey-furred general said, Since its only two young bastards, some other person mustve attacked and injured Master Heavens Eye. That person is most probably the demonkin who killed Gary and Elder Gillette, and then snatched away the Staff of Revival. As I see it, they probably havent escaped just yet and are probably hiding behind the Black Grove! Bloodbeard said, From what I saw that day, the natives might have a hand in this. If the one behind these two is indeed a demonkin, how could they have formed a relationship with the natives? The demonkin and the natives have always been arch enemies. The werewolf general said in apparent displeasure, Guessing this and that, wont you find out the truth once you pass through the Black Grove? So spineless! After suffering such a mockery, Bloodbeard lowered his head and no longer spoke. Another werewolf elder said, Its indeed quite difficult for us to pass through the Black Grove, but there are also other ways to force them to appear. The Wolf Kings eyes lit up. What do you have in mind? The werewolf elder said, Simple, rewards! You just need to offer a generous reward for all the people of the Eastern Sea to cause trouble for those two. At that time, the one behind them will have no choice but to make an appearance. As for the Black Grove, there are so many races in the neutral lands, there are quite a few that can traverse the forest without problems. Very well, rewards it is then. Three hundred thousand gold coins each alive, or one hundred thousand each dead. Those who bring valid information will receive five thousand gold coins. The Wolf King could be considered rich and overbearing. However, the werewolf elder said, Thats not enough. Not enough!? The Wolf King frowned. He wasnt even willing to fork this much out if it wasnt for the fact that this news had spread and he needed to recover his face. He also wanted to know what the enemy was planning behind the curtains. His idea remained the sameGary was already dead. No matter how valuable he was in the past, his worth became zero the moment he lost his life. The only thing valuable to him at the moment was his prestige and power. The werewolf elder seemed to have noticed the kings displeasure. Great Chief, you still lack a general under your wing. There are so many empty areas without supervision. Why dont you pick one out and use it as a reward? All the werewolves in the totemic hall were moved, and even Bloodbeard looked up. The Wolf King was quite surprised, but he fell into contemplation after seeing his subordinates reactions. Moments later, he shouted, Fine! Lets add a generals position to the rewards! Within moments, the discussions in the hall died out and were replaced by deathly silence. Amidst this stillness, however, there were undercurrents flowing like surging lava. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 742: Dark Hand Generals under the Wolf Kings employ possessed solid authority. They were like feudal lordsin addition to leading troops, they would also rule semi-independently over a corresponding administrative region. The stronger ones could take over multiple general positions and obtain several times the land compared to others. As a position signifying true power and territory, this reward caused the eyes of all the generals under the Wolf King to turn red. The elder who had suggested this reward stayed behind after the generals had withdrawn. The Wolf King asked him, Is it really worth investing so much for two kids and an unconfirmed plot? The elder said confidently, Its definitely worth it. Great Chief, a human once said that, in order to maintain their bloodthirst, war wolves need to be thrown the occasional piece of meat and made to fight among themselves. The Wolf King immediately became angered. These words were an insult to the werewolves who considered all wolverines half their people. The elder, on the other hand, was quite composed. Great chief, these words really do make sense from the viewpoint of any other race. The more generals you have under your control, the more stable your territories will be. Dont you feel that the overall momentum has slowed down in recent days? Our expansion to new lands have slowed down, and most of the enemies inside have been cleared out. To be frank, your generals have already eaten their fill, and a full wolf cannot fight well. The Wolf King nodded slowly. You have a point there. As long as theres a gap between them, the ones at the back will start feeling hungry even if theyre already full. The great chief is wise. The Wolf King pondered for a moment. Contact some mercenaries and have them bring back a demonkin from the old spiders place. I have a use for them. Great Chief, are you planning to fight the Spider Emperor? The Wolf King sneered, I will have more generals now. If I dont go to war with that spider, must I start splitting my own territory with them? But Even if there is a problem, dont we still have Zhang Buzhou? the Wolf King said calmly. The elder was shaken at the thought of a certain possibility, but he didnt dare say anything. The Wolf King added, Oh right, I have one more thing I need you to do. The elder couldnt hide his astonishment as he moved closer to the king and listened closely to his instructions. He then left in a hurry, leaving the Wolf King alone in the totemic hall. In the southern parts of the desolate lands, Qianyes aura immediately returned to normal and even became somewhat withered. Nighteye supported him and said while looking into the sky, What was that thing just now? Qianye shook his head. I dont know, either, but it looks like a secret art capable of spying over long distances. There''s probably a mixture of divination arts involved, otherwise, they wouldnt have found us like this. Is it related to that entity in the sea? Qianye pondered deeply. Unlikely. That eye was emitting an evil darkness origin power and accompanied by a damp, rotten aura. I have a feeling its someone from the Wolf Kings side, a powerful person proficient in divination. Nighteye seemed a bit worried. You used up your trump card, right? Are you okay? Qianye said with a smile, Im fine. Im currently full on essence blood and can reform a new Shot of Inception in two days time. The one spying on us is fairly powerful, I dont think I couldve killed them without the Shot of Inception. What do we do now? Since weve been discovered, its time to pack up our things and run. The closer to the hinterlands of the Eastern Sea, the more flourishing the lands would be. Humans had occupied vast territories here, and the most prosperous were the northern central regions. There were three rather large cities, two near the sea and one deeper inland, linking the coast and the continent together. The regions to the south were more desolate. In remote areas, one would only find a small town after traveling hundreds of kilometers. The interesting part was that there was less and less human habitation toward the northwest borders, wherein lay the Wolf Kings Totemic Castle and their tribal villages. That place used to thrive, but it gradually fell into decline after the Wolf King took up roots in the Eastern Sea. The two seaside cities were called Tidehark and Seagaze, both of them human settlements. There were a number of large human families in those cities directing the cities both from the surface and in the dark. The Xue family was one of the five major families of Seagaze City. The Xue familys ancestral home was located in the northwestern part of the city, occupying an entire four street blocks like a smaller city within the city. There was a majestic building at the center of this courtyard which served as the ancestral hall of the family. At this moment, Xue Ding and Xue Wu were kneeling at the center of the smoky hall, not daring to even look up. There were hundreds of memorial tablets in front of them, arranged in many layers upon the altar. Kneeling here, everyone would feel as though they were being observed by countless forebears. As a hall where the heroic spirits of the ancestors were put to rest, the entire place was filled with protection and blessing for the descendants. At this moment, a clamor arose beside the hall and the overseeing elder became evidently unhappy. In the blink of an eye, over ten people charged into the main hall and made straight for the gates. There were two young men carrying an elder, shouting with anxious expressions, Quick, call for the sage doctor! The old man appeared withered in appearance. There were bloodstains on his chest, and he was still coughing up blood every now and then. It was just that the blood was purplish, dark, and contained an intense rotten smell that made one nauseous. This group charged out of the hall at lightning speed. At this moment, a middle-aged man entered. The overseeing elder grabbed him and asked, What exactly is wrong with the great elder? That middle-aged man greeted the fifth elder with a bow, and then glared fiercely at Xue Wu. Of course, its the disaster caused by the two bastards who dont know the immensity of heaven and earth. Who knows what they did, the Wolf King actually asked Heavens Eye to search for the culprits. If it wasnt for the great elder personally guarding the ancestral hall with his divination arts and blocking her Heavens Eye, who knows how much trouble the family would suffer! But how can that vicious woman be that easy to contend with? The great elder suffered injuries that might even leave long-term sequelae. Sigh! Sighing was the only thing the fifth elder could do. That middle-aged man glared at Xue Wu, saying, At first, I thought you had great talents and will be the future pillar of the family. Who wouldve thought youd be so troublesome? Humph! Xue Wu kept his head lowered and made no attempt at defending himself. Xue Dings head was so low that it was almost touching the ground. The middle-aged man snorted and left with a wave of his sleeve. The fifth elder let out a long sigh, saying, Little Wu, your ninth uncle wishes you well. His temper has always been like this, so dont take it to heart. But this time, your handling of this matter was indeed inappropriate. If Heavens Eye had searched for another time, Im afraid even the great elder would''ve suffered misfortune. Fortunately, the heavens were looking after us, and the old woman stopped using her art after a single wave. Xue Wu nodded in silence. Xue Ding glanced at Xue Wu and finally said, This matter has nothing to do with big bro, I was the one who stirred up this trouble. In order to help me... Xue Ding hadnt finished speaking when the fifth elder cut him short, I know the story clearly, but the elder assemblys decision will not change. Xue Wu will remain isolated in the ancestral hall for three years, forbidden from taking a single step out. Why!? This is all my fault! Xue Ding cried out. A dignified voice rang out from behind, Its to protect the Xue family and Lil Wu. Astonished, Xue Ding immediately performed his greetings. Grandfather, I mean, Clan Lord. The elder who had just walked into the hall looked imposing and healthy. Despite having a head full of white hair, his gaze was so sharp that it was almost tangible. He said while staring at Xue Ding, Its no longer important whose fault it is. Whats important is that the Wolf King knows that Garys death is related to the Xue family. That gives him an excuse, Zhang Buzhou wont say anything if he uproots our Xue family. Xue Ding was dissatisfied. But in the end, were humans and that Wolf King is of a different race! How can Heavenly Monarch Zhang watch him suppress us humans? Isnt this going too far? Heavenly Monarch Zhang, heh! Even if Zhang Buzhou has really become a heavenly monarch, do you really think it changes anything? He only knows about himself. Human or werewolf makes no difference as long as the person works loyally for him! That Clan Lord, big bro is in isolation, but what about me? When shall I return to Totemic Castle? The old man snorted. Return? Who says youre going back? Ah, people are going to start suspecting me if I dont go back. The fifth elder said, You think no one suspects you now? You think your movements were watertight, but the Wolf King already knows that Gary left the castle to follow you. Anyone can trace you two from these clues. Do you really think you can survive the Wolf Kings methods? Xue Dings expression changed. As the Wolf Kings foster son, he knew quite well about the kings methods. He would be crippled even if he could survive the ordeal. The fifth elder spoke again, Since Gary was actually killed by the young man, we should take the initiative to take him down and receive the Wolf Kings rewards. This will also extricate the Xue family from this mess. After hearing this, the completely silent Xue Wu suddenly looked up. Absolutely not! The fifth elder was rather unhappy about being interrupted. Why not? Since he used such a method to deal with you two, our Xue family can do the same to them! Dont tell me you wish to repay him for not killing you? Xue Wu replied, No, I was afraid that the Xue family will suffer a calamity. The fifth elder was startled, and then broke into a sudden laugh. Our Xue family has been passed down through so many generations, how can it fall in the hands of two children? Didnt you say the pair was only rank twelve or thirteen? Xue Ding had to chime in, Fifth Elder, those two are extremely powerful. Their combat strength far exceeds their cultivation. The fifth elder snorted. Can their combat strength exceed your grandfather? This time, Xue Wu and Xue Ding became quiet. The Xue family lord was only one step away from the divine champion rank and could easily suppress Qianye and Nighteye. However, they still didnt feel happy about it. The old clan lord coughed. Its meaningless to debate about this. From tomorrow onward, Xue Ding will also remain in the ancestral hall to cultivate and leave only after three years. Tell outsiders that we dont know about their whereabouts. It was at this moment that an attendant ran in. Our branch family in Port City sent word. Theres someone seeking protection under the two young masters names. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 743: Pay With Your Life The ancestral hall went silent. The eyes of the clan lord and fifth elder fell upon Xue Ding and Xue Wu. The two brothers had little contact since Xue Ding became the Wolf Kings foster son, and most of them were in secret. Who would have a relationship with them and coincidentally come to seek help at such a time? As smart people, both the clan lord and elder had already gotten an idea after listening to the report. Xue Ding said hurriedly, Wait. However, the fifth elder had already started speaking. As I see it, we should seize that man first. Things will be troublesome if he falls into the Wolf Kings hands. How can he fall into the Wolf Kings hands? Port City isnt under his jurisdiction! However, Xue Dings argument received no response. The Xue clan lord nodded, saying, We should indeed capture him first and observe. Xue Ding could only sigh as the matter had already been decided. Qianye and Nighteye took their sweet time packing their things, spending almost the entire night. The courtyard wasnt big, but there were many small things inside. The only thing truly valuable was the store of beast meat in the ice room and the wood used to build the house. However, the two found many little things they were reluctant to leave behind. For instance, wooden sculptures, handmade furniture, lamps, etc. There were so many little things here filled with good memories. Qianye had never imagined he would be so attached to trivialities. Yet this wasnt a move but a long journey, so they couldnt put them away. After repeated deliberation, Nighteye decided to take away a wooden sculpture of Qianye running through the wilderness while carrying her on his back. She simply had to have this carving despite some flaws in the knifework. After everything had been cleared away, Qianye placed piles of firewood around the small courtyardthis home would be no more after igniting them. I feel a bit reluctant, Nighteye said softly. Ill build you an even better one later on. Nighteye sighed gently. Dummy, thats not the same. What else can we do then? Qianye was bewildered. Nighteye said hesitantly, Nothing, wherever you go, Ill follow. Thats enough. Qianye was still puzzled. Ill bring you along of course, thats a given. Mm, okay. Qianye found Nighteyes thoughts to be quite strange, but he was no Song Seven. Grasping a ladys thoughts wasnt his specialty, so he decided not to spend more thought on this. He ignited the torch and tossed it into the firewood pile. The Black Grove wood burst into raging flames that surged into the sky. The flickering blaze projected its light upon the two, pulling their shadows further. As the fire reached its peak, Qianye said with a sigh, Lets go, theres no need to look further. Nighteye nodded. She had already etched the flames into her mind and had no wish to see their home reduced to embers. Qianye halted his steps at this moment and, without a moment of hesitation, blasted a nearby shadow with Cui Yuanhais giant gun! This was the guns maiden blast. Its rumble reverberated through the Black Grove and even echoed on the Eastern Sea. A shockwave spread out in all directions, causing the nearby flames to lean to one side. Despite his strong constitution, Qianye found his ears ringing from the sudden blast. This was no gun! In terms of soundwaves, even a heavy cannon couldnt get louder than this. The origin flames that spat out from the muzzle were several meters long, forming an incomparably magnificent fire dragon. That origin bullet itself was engulfed in flames as it smashed the target like a shooting star. Following a cry of astonishment, a figure shot away from the shadows and, at the brink of crisis, produced a round shield to protect his body. The bullet blasted onto the shield, tearing it into many pieces. Naturally, the owner wasnt in better shape. He let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground like a kite with its strings cut. Nighteye flitted past Qianye like a specter, a strange wiggling shadow reflected in her eyes. A wretched cry rang out from the distance as two men stumbled out of the shadows. They began rolling on the ground with their hands tightly clutching their chests. Qianye pulled back the bolt and shook out a smoking, fist-sized round. Then, he pushed a new shell inside and closed the latch. Seeing Qianye ready to shoot, a human silhouette moved across the distant treetop and fled into the distance. This person had lost confidence in his hiding abilities after seeing his companions being injured one after the other. However, Qianye took his sweet time reloading because he was waiting for this moment. In a flash, he activated the Eye of Control, and that persons legs were yanked back violently as though they had been lassoed! The person had already jumped into the air at this point. How could he have the ability to change directions midway? He immediately fell headfirst to the ground and was sent into a daze. Terrified, he struggled with all his might and finally managed to untangle the invisible rope around his ankles. He had just clambered up when a gun of shocking size and firepower appeared in front of his eyes. Bang! Qianye smashed the targets head with the gun, effectively knocking him out. The old mans gun was indeed quite sturdyit could pound a mammoth unconscious and still remain intact. By the time Qianye had dragged this person out of the Black Grove, Nighteye had already completed a brief circuit through the forest. She shook her head at Qianye, indicating that there were no other enemies. Qianye threw the unconscious fellow down and went to observe the other three. Two of them had lost their lives to the Eye of Destruction. Qianye knew from touch that their innards had been crushed despite them looking fine on the surface. The fellow who had suffered a direct shot from Qianye wasnt in great condition, either. A shard from the shield had torn through half his neck, and it would seem he was on his last breath. Seeing that the three were no longer able to hold on, Qianye returned to the unconscious fellow while shaking his head. Nighteye and Zhuji were crouching beside him. The former was observing his combat robes while the little lass was sniffing his pockets apparently in search for food. Qianye looked through his possessions and saw that most of them were ammunition, food, and medicines. There was nothing on him that could discern his identity. Those with such a habit were either assassins or mercenaries on secret missions. These people were most afraid of having their identities found out. Finding nothing from his belongings, Qianye kicked the man awake. Let me! Zhuji took the initiative to jump up and stomp on the man violently. Her small body descended like a cannon-shell, immediately eliciting a cry of misery from the man as he woke up. He quickly curled into a ball, almost like a cooked shrimp. This person was just about to jump to his feet after sobering up, but Zhuji stomped him flat with one foot. His bewildered expression fluctuated rapidly, and it looked like he would lose consciousness very soon. Zhuji, get down! Youll stomp him to death! Qianye pulled the girl away by the neck. This little fellow was strong enough to tear beasts in half. How could ordinary people endure? Fortunately, this fellow was a champion of outstanding constitution. That was the only reason he hadnt been stomped to death. After sobering up with great difficulty, his eyes were full of terror upon seeing Zhuji again. He subconsciously wanted to draw away from this little demon. Qianye pressed down on his shoulder, preventing him from moving an inch. Speak, what were you here for? The mans eyes shifted abouthe was just about to speak when Qianye strengthened his grip, causing the formers shoulder bones to creak and groan. He only loosened the force after eliciting several screams. After a period of gasping, the man asked, Where are my companions? Theyre all dead, and thats the only reason youre alive. All dead? His mood hit an all-time low. Qianye gave him some time to think and only watched in silence. This was a man in his thirties, clad in night-time combat robes, and sporting a champions cultivation. He couldnt be considered outstanding, but his judgment, decision, and reaction in battle were quite good. Even when he was knocked out cold by Qianye, he still managed to instinctively evade and counterattack. It was just that Qianye was too fast, far beyond the limits of his reaction. After calming down, the man sighed. I knew this bounty wouldnt be that easy to take, but I never imagined it would be this hard. Bounty? The Wolf Kings bounty, it has spread all across the Eastern Sea. He shot a glance at Qianye and Nighteye. You two are the targets. Are there any drawings? Yes, and very life-like ones, too. However, this little princess is not in it. He trembled a bit after looking at Zhuji. It would seem her shadow in his heart was even greater than Qianyes own. Qianye naturally wasnt jealous of Zhuji. What kind of rewards are being offered? Lets hear it. The bounty says anyone capturing Garys murderers will obtain six hundred thousand gold coins and those who kill the targets, two hundred thousand. Even those who provide information can obtain five thousand. Additionally, those who kill or capture the targets will become a general under the Wolf King. General? Elaborate. Qianye frowned. The Wolf Kings generals can rule over a territory, levy taxes, build cities, and recruit soldiers. Seeing that Qianye wasnt clear about the status, the man explained things in detail. Qianye inquired more about the forces each general possessed and said to Nighteye, Its almost like the expeditionary army. But their territories are much larger, Nighteye added. Qianye turned to the mercenary and said, Such a heavy bounty, were you guys gunning for six hundred thousand or two hundred? The mercenary smiled wryly. How can we have that kind of ability? I knew at a glance that this reward isnt something we could swallow. It was just that our mercenary squad happened to be operating in the area and we were quite experienced in stealth. So, we wanted to confirm the reports and take those five thousand gold coins. Five thousand? Isnt that too little? Qianye mocked. For small mercenary bands like us, five thousand gold coins is equal to two years of income. Our usual missions are just as dangerous and we risk our heads all the same. As such, we wanted to take a chance here, who wouldve thought At this point, the mercenary gazed into the distant night wherein lay his three companions. Qianye asked him more questions until he was certain there was no more information to be obtained. In the end, he let go of the man and said, Go, tell those mercenaries and assassins that you are the last one to leave our hands alive. Those who want this bounty will have to pay for it with their lives! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 744: Warning There was some disapproval in the mercenarys eyes despite his verbal deference. The neutral lands were filled with hidden talents, and there were countless among these assassins and mercenaries who possessed combat strength exceeding their cultivation. There were even some special abilities that could erupt with extreme power in special environments. How could one kill off all these people? Even if Qianye was a fierce tiger, how could he withstand the onslaught of a wolf pack? This mercenary and his team didnt count for anything in the neutral lands. Of course, he wasnt stupid enough to say this out aloud. The most important thing at the moment was to escape with his life. He might even get the five thousand gold coins since Qianye wanted him to spread the message anyway. He clambered up slowly. He saw that Qianye had no intention of attacking and was just about to leave when Nighteye said, Wait, take off your clothes. The mercenary trembled, and then said in an evidently panicked voice, T-This isnt too appropriate, is it? Nighteyes expression turned cold. You dont need to leave anymore if you keep pretending. Any other person can send this message! The mercenary discarded any thoughts of getting through by a fluke and took off his combat attire. There was a look of pain on his face as he handed his clothes to Nighteye. What function does this suit have? Why does it enable you to move through the Black Grove? The mercenary replied honestly, This is a product of Alloy Labs, capable of isolating the natives perception. Those who wear it wont attract the forests attention as long as we dont cause any damage. Such a suit costs three thousand gold coins at the very least, and is the only reason why our group dares to operate in the forest. At this point, he glanced at Qianye with an odd expression. Noticing the change, Qianye asked, What are you thinking? Uh, y-you two caused quite a bit of destruction during the battle. Why didnt the forest react at all? Dont tell me youre natives? After saying this, the mercenary shook his head. Impossible, natives wont destroy the Black Grove and will even protect it at all costs. Qianye picked up a piece of burning wood and passed it to the mercenary. Look. The mercenary sniffed the item and said in astonishment, Its wood from the Black Grove! He glanced over at the burning estate and suddenly thought of a possibility. You mean the entire place was built from this wood? Qianye didnt reply to the mans question. Whats your name? Rockwell, known as Black Mosquito in the mercenary world. Qianye patted the mans shoulder, saying, When you go back, Im sure youll know what you should and should not say. Rockwell left slowly and only hastened his steps after he was certain the two werent chasing after him. He thought back to Qianyes wordsthere wasnt any threat in them, but he could still feel a chill run down his spine. He knew he might have to spend the rest of his life in hiding if he were to speak too much after going back. Otherwise, he would likely lose his head someday. Nighteye patted Zhuji. Go, remove their combat robes. The little girl pouted. Why dont you go? Why must I do all the tedious stuff? Im still young! Nighteye broke into a laugh. She knocked the girls head lightly and said, Then what kind of job do you think is easy? Zhujis eyes lit up. Fighting! I want to beat up people who can talk! Off to work you go, Ill let you fight next time. Nighteye coaxed the girl off to work like she would a kid. Qianye shook his head. It looks like we have to let her join the next battle. Shes still young! Nighteye wasnt quite satisfied. Shell join secretly even if we dont let her. Do you think shell watch obediently from the side? Shell definitely remember your words. Ah, this Nighteye didnt know what to say. In the end, she said, Kids these days Qianye chuckled. You mustve been pretty disobedient when you were a kid. No way! Ive always been a lady! The Monroe princess, with her Eye of Destruction, was the incarnation of slaughter itself. After reaching the duke rank in the future, or even higher, her combat strength would be head and shoulders above the other major characters. Such a person was actually calling herself lady-like? Stop reading useless books in the future, Qianye chided. Fine! Nighteye replied with a harmless-looking smile. Qianye had no way to deal with her. He went over to collect the spoils from the three enemies and began studying the unusual combat robes. These robes were weaved from special materials and constantly emitted a mellow fragrance that wasnt easily discernible. Qianye discovered that this smell was similar to the core of the trees in the forest. That was probably the reason why the natives would overlook those wearing such clothes, thinking they were part of the forest. The remainder were gold coins, munitions, and suppliesthere was nothing special about them. Qianye and Nighteye had no use for these combat robes, but they would make for a small fortune when sold. The profits from dealing with this small mercenary band were quite good. Fighting and robbing was indeed the fastest way to fortune. After organizing the spoils, Nighteye asked, Whats the next step? Zhuji was also looking intently at Qianye and there was ample reason for this. The next battle would be her first formal battle. To this little fellow, it was almost like a coming of age ceremony and proof that she was now a qualified warrior. Qianye brought out a map and studied it for quite some time. Yet, he still couldnt form a plan. They knew little about these desolate lands beyond the area around the small town. What they knew about the Wolf King and neutral lands came from the residents of the town and the Xue Brothers. They knew little apart from that. Although they had found some maps on the mercenaries, one could imagine the difficulty of forming an operation plan based on unfamiliar geography and names. Qianye was somewhat regretful at this point. He shouldve kept Rockwell around and asked him about the surrounding lands. Nighteye drew her finger across the map, saying, Lets walk along the outer rim of the Black Grove toward the northwest. Since those mercenaries are rushing over, therell be a sequence to their arrival. Thatll make it easy for us to destroy them one after the other. Qianye pondered for a moment. How do we know if theyre here for us or not? Nighteye said indifferently, The Wolf King has already turned this area into a no-mans land. Why else would assassins and adventurers come here? All well meet here are the Wolf Kings forces and mercenaries who want our lives. We cant be wrong in killing them. Qianye nodded. Nighteye looked at him and said, I thought youd stop me because we might meet some unfortunate bloke whos just stumbled into the area! Qianye replied, Its as you said. Its their misfortune to have stumbled in. Getting killed is also their misfortune. Thats a bit unlike you. All those who want our lives will say its a misunderstanding after falling into our hands. I wont risk putting you in danger for this so-called kindness. Nighteyes gaze landed on the map, almost as though she didnt dare look at Qianye. Then, lets set out. The quiet forest suddenly became quite clamorous as rumbling explosions and gunshots echoed from time to time. Three faintly discernible figures were advancing slowly along the border of the Black Grove. They moved at a certain distance from one another but remained close enough to help each other out at the critical juncture. Apparently, it was a tacit understanding that had been born through countless battles. The man at the front formed a sudden gesture. The three men halted their steps at the same time and retracted their auras, leaving only faint hazy shadows. The leader remained in concealment for a moment before moving slowly toward the border of the forest. There, under the cover of an ancient tree, he poked his head out to observe. Upon looking, his aura was immediately thrown into chaos and his figure became much clearer than before. The two companions were astonished and immediately assumed a combat stance. On the battlefield, a brief moment of carelessness could produce extremely serious consequences. Fortunately, nothing happened, and the leader managed to contract his aura once more after that short lapse in control. He gestured at the other two to come and see. The two arrived at the forest borders and hid behind the tree before looking out, exercising the utmost caution under all circumstances. Despite being prepared, they almost lost their composure at the sight. On a hill outside of the forest, there were dozens of wooden stakes with a corpse each hanging from it. These people were uniformly equipped and likely belonged to a single organization. It was the insignia on their attire that shook the three. They retreated into the depths of the forest and gathered around a tree. There, they brought out a writing board each and began communicating rapidly. Its the Predator Mercenary Corps! Right, I saw their leaders corpse. Judging from the number of corpses, it seems they were completely wiped out here. Are they here for the bounty? Why else would anyone come here? That means they probably died to the targets. Very likely. By putting them on display like this, are the targets trying to warn the other hunters or provoke the Wolf King? Both, I guess. Someone who dared to kill Gary wont put the Wolf King in his eyes. We need to reassess the risks involved. My opinion is to retreat. I agree. Agreed. After coming to a consensus, the three put away their writing boards. Their figures gradually faded as they made to re-enter stealth and leave this dangerous forest. Unexpectedly, a voice rang out beside their ears at the same time. I dont agree. Shocked, the three looked over at the same time and saw Qianye standing not so far away, staring at them with a spurious smile. That gun in his hand filled their hearts with fear and trepidation. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 745: Failed Education The three were veteran killersone of them erupted with power and charged toward Qianye, while the other two sped toward the sides in different directions. The leaders charge was actually a feint. He shot out an almost-transparent thread which nailed itself to the side of a large tree. With that, he performed a sudden change in direction and escaped into the depths of the forest. This turn was extremely sudden, and that string was made of an unknown material capable of withstanding the extreme force. The lead assassins mid-air shift was even faster and more agile than stepping through the air with origin power. Seeing that he had left Qianye behind, the killer had just begun to heave a sigh of relief when a black shadow smashed down from above. Just before losing his consciousness to East Peak, there was only one thought on his mind: How come hes so fast!? The other two killers had already faded into the forest at this point. They werent far off, but it was extremely difficult to spot them with the naked eye. However, in Qianyes True Sight, the origin fluctuations outlined two slowly moving figures. It would seem this kind of concealment state would slow them down by a fair bit. Qianye quietly went after them and disabled them one after the other. In the blink of an eye, the three assassins had been tossed onto an empty space beside the forest. These people were quite strong, and it would have taken Qianye a bit of effort if they had tried to fight head-on. However, Qianyes True Sight happened to be the bane of all concealment abilities, allowing him to take them all down with relative ease. Nighteye appeared from a different direction and shot a glance at the three assassins. It seems these three have a bit of fame. Qianye said while searching through the captives, They seem to be rather well off, judging from their wealth. They have fifty high-purity black crystals and a number of other stuff. How do we handle them? Of course, we deal with them just like we did with the Predators. Our troubles should lessen quite a bit after killing these bastards, right? Mm, Ill go prepare the wood then. With that, Nighteye walked into the forest. She had just passed by an ancient tree when the scenery there blurred briefly. A figure came into being and dropped onto Nighteye. He made not a single sound or leaked even a bit of aura during the attack. He was like a natural predator whose fangs would only be revealed after the lethal strike. Just as the attack was about to succeed, Nighteyes figure flickered out of existence. Spatial Flash! The move was so sudden that the hidden fourth assassin couldnt react in time. He crashed to the ground in an awkward fashion and his figure became a bit clearer. A feeling of inexplicable danger welled up in his heart at this point. He looked back and found Nighteye a hundred meters away, the Carol of Shadows in her hand aimed straight at him. The assassin didnt have time to evade before the gun rumbled and the origin bullet tore through the air toward him. Unable to escape, the man could only cover himself in his cape and take the shot head-on. He then used the impact to accelerate and escape into the depths of the forest. Weapons like the Carol of Shadows would suffer a considerable loss in firepower in the neutral land. It could only wound and not kill unless it struck the targets vitals directly. The assassin held nothing back at this moment of life and death. He unleashed his rank fourteen origin power and ran like a bolt of lightning. He was so fast in the woodland terrain that even a rank sixteen expert couldnt quite catch up to him. This was his lifes greatest guarantee of survival. Escaping immediately after failed assassinations allowed him to assassinate powerful experts again and again. The assassin groups name, Impossible Triangle, was mostly earned by this person. Outsiders would never know that the organization actually consisted of four people and not three. The constantly hidden fourth person was the true expert and key person. Within moments, the unnamed assassin had rushed out over a thousand meters. Only then did he manage to sigh in relief because there was no way the two youngsters could catch up to him at such speeds. He wanted to change directions after a while and leave the Black Grove. The two youngsters were quite odd. They were completely at home in these woods and even more well-adapted to the environment than he was. Before he could slow down and change directions, however, a sudden rumbling sound arrived from behind him as the giant trees began to shake violently. The swaying ancient trees formed a straight line that seemed to be coming for him! The assassin glanced back and saw a small figure emerge from the forest. After stomping on an ancient tree, she would shoot forward almost a hundred meters toward the next where she would bounce forward once more. The trees in the Black Grove needed two grown men to encircle hand in hand. They were firm and sturdy in nature, requiring a lumberjack almost half a day to chop one down. Yet such trees would bend backward with each of this girls stomps, nearly breaking apart in the middle! That little girl was flying over like a cannonball. This violent method of movement was even faster than his own! The killer was shocked out of his wits. He could no longer care about hiding his aura and unleashed his full speed to run for his dear life. He had a thousand regrets in his heart, knowing that he shouldnt have accepted this business. Everyone knew that werewolves couldnt enter the Black Grove. Hence, he was enticed by the massive bounty, thinking that the Wolf King was helpless only because the two youngsters had taken advantage of the environment. There was an old saying in the neutral lands: There is no free lunch. The Wolf Kings willingness to fork out such a massive bounty naturally meant that these two youngsters were worthy of this reward. The Black Grove was only one of the reasons. With the kings current status, how hard could it be to find experts from the other races who could enter the forest? The little girl on his tail wasnt on the bounty list, but the speed and power she was displaying were absolutely shocking. The only thing this assassin could hope for was that her stamina wouldnt last that long. It was at this time that his vision blurred as Qianye and Nighteye appeared to his left and right, sealing off all paths of escape. Nighteye had appeared dozens of meters away, but Qianye was only a couple of meters out! At such a short distance, the two were destined to crash into one another the moment Qianye appeared. The unknown assassin braced himself and rammed straight into Qianye. Although physical strength had never been his forte, the target seemed rather frail and was simply standing there without moving. A muffled thud echoed through the area as the two crashed into one another. The unknown assassin felt as though he had crashed into a mountain. The world spun about, and his vision blurred as he rolled a dozen meters backward. Meanwhile, Qianye was still standing there, completely unmoved. Only his feet had sunk a bit deeper into the ground. The assassin struggled to jump up. He hadnt even gotten the time to marvel at Qianyes strong constitution when he saw that young girl barreling at him like an artillery shell! Failing to dodge in time, he took a square headbutt to the stomach. For a moment, he felt as though he had been blasted by a grade-eight handheld cannon. What remained of his origin barrier was shattered on the spot, and his body was bent into an unnatural angle. The next thing he heard was the crisp sound of his spine breaking! My spine was broken from the ram? The unknown assassin could hardly believe this outcome. He drew his dagger and stabbed fiercely at Zhujis back, hoping to sever her spine in retaliation. The descending blade tore through the armor and reached Zhujis flesh. But the moment it touched Zhujis skin, the assassin felt as though he had stabbed at the most premium of hide armorit was exceptionally difficult to push the blade even a single inch further. And her origin power, while weak in capacity, was of an unknown but extremely powerful attribute. Each unit of hers could counter two of his own, disrupting any plans he had of expanding the wound by means of origin power. The unknown assassin was quite powerful, after all. He eventually managed to push through the thin layer of flesh and reach Zhujis spine. But his dagger produced a crisp metallic sound at this point and could no longer make any progress. The assassin was overwhelmed. Her bones are even harder than my dagger? At this moment, he was already rolling on the ground with Zhuji. Soon, the little girl raised her head and butted the mans chest, causing it to cave in entirely. Zhuji raised her head and smashed down once more, but this time, she was stopped by Qianye. Thats enough, he wont survive anymore. It wont look good if you pound him again. With that, Qianye picked Zhuji up and tossed her to Nighteye, saying, This is the outcome of your combat training? Nighteye caught Zhuji and knocked her lightly on the head. This is your vital area, you have to protect it. Dont use it as a weapon, you hear? Zhuji seemed to aggrieved. But isnt the head the hardest part? I havent encountered anything I couldnt smash with it. Nighteye knocked her head once more and pointed at East Peak. Have you tried headbutting that? Zhuji sized the sword up from top to bottom and said with some uncertainty, Im not sure. Maybe? I havent tried before, so I dont know. The unnamed assassin was on his last breath when he witnessed this scene. Just what kind of monster was this girl? On the verge of his death, he would probably pass with grievances if he knew Zhuji could actually withstand the aftershock of a divine champions all-out attack. Qianye didnt mind the assassins death since he wasnt interested in the mans identity, only the spoils. As the leader of the four-man team, the things he had on him were more valuable than the other three combined. Apparently, the groups resources were gathered on him. The greatest reward obtained was a type of sturdy, transparent thread. There was an entire roll of it stretching over a hundred meters. Although Qianye didnt know much about this string, he could guess its value just from the materials alone. On the other side, Nighteye was trying to educate Zhuji to no avail. It seemed more like she was consoling the young girl instead of reprimanding her. They were indeed a bit different because Little Zhuji was showing an increased tendency toward instinctive combat, while Nighteyes style focused more on elegance. It was Qianye who occasionally went into a hacking and smashing frenzy. By the time Qianye had finished counting the spoils, Nighteye was still teaching the lass. Qianye could no longer watch from the sidelines toward the end. Wait until we reach Port City, Ill prepare a weapon for her. Weapon? Nighteye reacted after some thought. Arachne also used weapons. One could only blame Zhujis body for being so strong it was usually enough for her. There was never a need for a weapon. Were going to Port City? Yeah, lets go see the old man, Im worried about him. But first, lets wait a couple of days before that. We need to teach these greedy mercenaries a lesson or they wont know when to restrain themselves. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 746: Origin Power is Everything In the period that followed, the Black Grove of the southern wilderness became a life-devouring blackhole. It was a one-way trip regardless of how many people arrived here. The wooden stakes erected on the forest borders only grew in number, and the corpses flying on them seemed to be telling a tale of the forests terrors. No one, from lone assassins to hundred-men mercenary corps, could escape this fate. For a time, even the greediest and most bloodthirsty of criminals began to hesitate because one would need to be alive to receive the reward. Now that things had reached such a state, everyone understood that the two youngsters were fitting of the reward. Other famous characters couldnt help but secretly weigh how much the Wolf King would be willing to offer if they were in Qianyes shoes. The results werent always satisfactorysome were worth a few thousand and others, twenty. To be frank, those worth over fifty thousand wouldnt be doing such risky businesses. In the neutral lands, every gold coin of bounty was worth its value. But these mercenaries and assassins were like hungry vultures. They were unwilling to give up despite being clear about the situation. They held onto the fantasy that Qianye would grow tired and make a mistake under the combined assault of the wolf pack. If they were lucky enough to encounter a heavily wounded Qianye, it would change their lives forever. This was worth gambling for. Some shrewd people believed Qianye couldnt have produced such accomplishments. They felt that the youngsters were only there as bait, while the true expert was waiting in the shadows. All kinds of guesses and conjectures were made. It was just that all these mercenaries and assassins kept them a secret, unwilling to exchange information amongst themselves. Everyone was afraid of losing this vast amount of wealth to another. The situation in the Dark Grove fell into an eerie calm as all squads deliberately maintained a fair distance from the forest. After all, those who could fight freely in the woods were raremost of them had already entered the woods long ago and become hanging corpses. Two weeks thus went by peacefully. Things were so calm that many realized that something was wrong. They began talking to each other and found that there hadnt been a single battle in the recent period. Only then did they realize that Qianye mightve left. That was only a guess. They still didnt dare act carelessly because they would become targets if this were a trap. As such, the cautious mercenary companies began exploring the area little by little. At this rate, their investigation would take half a day and still not cover the entire forest. Qianye and Nighteye were already in Port City as the situation in the Black Grove fell into an impasse. The old airship was puffing clouds of steam and emitting ear-splitting rumbles as it swayed toward the airship port. About ten meters from the ground, the unsteady descent turned into a freefall, and the airship slammed into the landing platform. The impact was no different from a crash, but the sturdy vehicle somehow remained intact even after such a landing. The airship doors opened up and the passengers walked out of the airship one after the other. Despite experiencing this massive jolt, many of the passengers seemed fine and their expressions, unchanged. Apparently, all of them were used to riding such old airships. Some started vomiting after exiting the airship, desperate to squeeze their stomachs out. The guards nearby glanced disdainfully at those who were throwing up. More newbies. An old veteran said meaningfully, Newbies are good. A couple of other soldiers broke into an evil laugh. However, there were also some exceptions among the newcomers?Nighteye and Qianye for instance. Their physical strength allowed them to endure the rolling of advanced high-speed airships for an entire day, not to mention this little jolt. After walking off the airship, Nighteye glanced into the distance. Thats Port City? Qianye also looked over at the surroundings and said, This should be it. There are only grasslands and farms in the surrounding areas. This rundown city isnt much better than that small town of ours. Well, theres a small area over there thats well built. Qianye smiled. Interesting, half of it is built in the vampire style and the other in human fashion. Lets go and take a look. Leave that for when were free. We need to find the old man first. The guards and passengers nearby were stunned upon hearing their casual conversation. Everyone looked in the same direction, but all they could see was a faint mist hanging in the air. Being able to see a couple hundred meters could already be considered great eyesight. Port City was quite misty and would often be shrouded in it in the mornings and evenings. The mist rising from the Eastern Sea, regardless of thickness, possessed the ability to insulate perception. The stronger ones cultivation and perception, the farther one could see through the mist. That was why the eyesight test had always existed throughout the history of the neutral lands. Numbered targets would be placed inside the mist when it arose. The further away one could see, the better ones perception and eyesight. Many major powers would use this method to choose snipers and scouts. However, this test was usually performed in a thin mist. Otherwise, no one could see very far, and it would be harder to differentiate the distance. The highest historical record for this test was only a thousand meters. The airship port was covered in a thin mist at this moment. Port City was over a thousand meters away, and the city lords mansion and the noble district lay even further. Yet Qianye and Nighteye could both see them so clearly. Didnt this mean that their visual acuity had set a new record in the Eastern Sea? The two began walking toward Port City while chatting casually. Watching their receding figures, the soldiers were first shocked, and then their expressions became odd. One of the young guards spat loudly, saying, They mustve come here before and know what the city looked like. Its probably an act! The veteran said calmly, Their combat strength isnt low. Why would these important characters need to act in front of small fries like us? Thats hard to say. Maybe they want someone else to see their act. The young soldier wasnt satisfied. Makes sense. The old veteran seemed lost in thought. Nighteyes surprise wasnt unwarranted. Port Citys status was similar to Blackflow City in its later stages, virtually a nation of its own. It was located at the junction of many powers, and while nominally belonging to Zhang Buzhou, everything was decided solely by the hereditary city lord. They needed only to submit a set amount of tax each year. Such a city with tens of thousands of citizens was actually quite run-down. A large area of the place was filled with small shacks, not even five-story buildings. Although the small town near the Black Grove had been destroyed, one could squeeze it into the shabbiest slums in Port City, and it would still fit in. Only the noble district, which occupied one-fourth of the city, was more or less presentable. Even there, the highest building was only six floors high. Be it in terms of empire or Evernight standards, this Port City was no different from a junkyard. No wonder Nighteye was so astonished. Evernight enjoyed a long heritage that far exceeded the empire, with no lack of grand, ancient architecture. Take the vampire race for instanceeven a castle built by the last-ranked among the ancient clans would be a magnificent sight to behold. Any small town in the core region of Evernight would be better developed than Port City. Entering the city, Qianye was assaulted by a wave of liveliness. There were shops lining every road and street, with young staff everywhere welcoming customers into their stores. The stream of people was rather impressive, and the city, almost unbearably crowded. Everyone seemed to be in a great hurry, as evidenced by their body language. Qianye had never encountered such a bustling place apart from a few of the most thriving imperial cities. He stopped a passerby and asked, Is there any celebration going on? Its so lively. The man sized Qianye up from head to toe and said with a snort, What celebration? Its like this every day, so ignorant! Qianye wanted to ask more, but that man waved his sleeve impatiently. Are you done yet? Im dealing with several gold coins with every wave of the hand. How can I have the idle time to answer your questions. My time is precious, country bumpkin! The passerby left hurriedly, almost as though he had an important duty on his shoulders?it seemed as if world peace depended on his style. Qianye was left dumbstruck and only came to after a while. He took a look at himself. Doubtlessly, he was clad in warriors attire and sported a weapon belt as well as a backpack. That was the standard hunters outfit, a fashion that could be seen everywhere in the city. He looked about but couldnt quite figure out what had made the other party look down on him so badly. Perhaps that person was a hidden expert with outstanding eyesight who knew at a glance that Qianye was from a small town in the southern wilderness. Just as he was thinking randomly, Qianye saw Nighteye giggling cheerfully. As such, Qianye dispensed with the posturing and humbly asked her for guidance. Just what about him had given away his identity as a country bumpkin. Or was that person a divination master who knew he had grown up in a dumpster? Nighteye pointed at Qianyes body while giggling radiantly. Qianye observed his equipment once more but still couldnt find the problem. As such, he had no choice but to ask with a thick face. Seeing Qianye checking his attire, Nighteye bent over in laughter. What I meant is look at your origin power level. Qianye was immediately enlightened. To avoid unnecessary troubles, Qianye had modified his appearance and used Bloodline Concealment to retract his aura. In the eyes of other people, he was only a rank-three fellow. People of such rank made up the bulk of the imperial army, and it was the minimum threshold to enter the elite corps. In the neutral lands, however, they were a dime a dozen. There was only one reason for thisthe weaker ones couldnt survive here. After all that fuss, that passerby was also one of those people who measured heroes in terms of origin power. Moreover, he could only see through the surface. Qianye shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Oh well, lets find a place to stay and look for the old man. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 747: Shocking Change Part 1 Qianye and Nighteye found a random hotel and quickly settled in. In accordance with Port Citys bizarre architectural style, these so-called large hotels occupied large areas of land, but they were far from elegant. The furnishings inside them were simple, crude, and nowhere near exquisite. From the walls and floors to the furniture, almost everything was made of wood. There was little to no decoration in the establishment, but it could still be considered quite clean. Qianye was at first worried that Nighteye wouldnt get used to itvampires were famous for favoring good taste and pleasure after all. Yet she said nothing about it and quietly settled her luggage in. Qianye still felt a bit odd about the hotels simplicity. He walked around the room, touching and knocking on the walls. The echo from it was vacuous, meaning that the walls were hollow. Strange. From the reverberations, Qianye sensed four metal pillars hidden in the four corners of the room. He walked to a corner and poked a hole in the wall with his finger, eliciting a metallic ding. As expected, the room was supported by a metallic frame, which was almost a rarity in the neutral lands. This would sharply increase the construction costs of this building. Even in the highly industrialized empire, metallic frames would only be used in military facilities and rarely in civilian architecture. This hotel had used such a valuable framework, and yet, its decorations were so crudethis was inconceivable. Qianye was just about to knock on the wall again when a sudden roar erupted from the room next door. Why the hell are you knocking? Will you let me sleep or what? Qianye was startled, not expecting the sound-proofing to be so bad. But he thought more about it and realized hollow walls probably couldnt isolate sound. He was thinking about apologizing, but the string of unbearable profanities caused his expression to turn gloomy. Eventually, the man wasnt satisfied with just verbal abuse. The door to Qianyes room flew open and a half-naked man with dense chest hair rushed inside. Your ruckus has disturbed my afternoon nap, how the hell do you want to die? The first thing he saw after entering the room was the vampiric blade Nighteye had placed on the table. Although the dagger was still sheathed, the exquisite decoration on its exterior was enough to draw his attention. The fine patterns carved upon it were even finer than haireven people who were unfamiliar with the goods could tell that it was of extraordinary value. The craftsmanship of the sheath alone would be worth thousands of gold coins even if the blade inside was a kitchen knife. The burly mans breathing became heavy. His eyes shifted about as he cried, Isnt this my knife!? How come its here? How bold! You actually dare to steal my knife! Youre going to rot in prison for this. Return the knife and apologize to me. Maybe Ill let you off if Im in a good mood. He was already reaching for the vampiric blade while spouting all of this. Qianye and Nighteye exchanged glances. From the very beginning, this man had been running a one-man show without giving them the chance to talk. Looking at this fellow who had ignited only four origin nodes, Qianye really couldnt figure out where he had gotten all that confidence from. To avoid unnecessary problems, Qianye and Nighteye had restrained their aura to rank six after arriving at Port City. Rank six could be considered a moderate power level in the neutral lands, easily capable of working for a major power as a small unit leader. Such a rank was the focus of recruitment for many factions and would allow one to live a fairly comfortable life anywhere. Even as a hunter, there would be no shortage of groups to take them in. Traveling at this level would reduce petty troubles without drawing too much attention. This man, however, seemed to be an exception. Too lazy to spend time on a rank-four fellow, Qianye immediately caught the mans hand and gripped tightly. The burly fellow felt as though his hands had been locked by an iron hoop. In a flash, his bones started to creak and groan, eliciting a miserable scream akin to a pig being butchered. Qianye had no intention of being lenient. He added more power to his grip and crushed all the bones in the mans hand before kicking him out of the room. The burly chap smashed into the pillar outside, sending the entire hotel trembling from the impact. This ruckus caused many people to crowd over. Seeing the burly man lying on the ground, someone whispered with a tinge of schadenfreude, Oh? Hes finally encountered someone whos even more unreasonable? A nearby companion tugged at him, saying, Speak less. Are you looking for even more trouble? The manager of the hotel rushed over with a couple of guards. Upon seeing the man collapsed on the ground, he said to Qianye with a cold expression, Why are you causing trouble here? Me? Causing trouble? Im still wondering if this is a hotel or a bandit hideout. The managers expression changed drastically. Before he could act out, however, the burly clambered up, shouting, You dare attack me? Just wait and see! My brother is the vice-captain of the law enforcement unit. Youre dead meat! The people around werent too surprised. Apparently, they all knew about this mans identity. Most seemed to feel sympathy for Qianye, but there were naturally those who took delight in his plight. Port Citys power structure was no different from an independent citythe city lord was comparable to a king, the city guard defended against external threats, and the law enforcement unit was in charge of maintaining internal order. A vice-captain in the law enforcement unit was at least rank eight or above. As for the captain, only a champion could shoulder the rank. In terms of strength, a vice-captain was capable enough to be the guard captain or deputy-mayor of a small rural town. This man was relying on his identity to run about unbridled. Qianye paid him no attention and merely stared at the manager. How will you compensate me for my losses? The manager was startled. He then said with a cold smile, Wait till the captain comes, Ill pay whatever he says I should pay. No need to wait, Ive arrived. A lanky man walked into the hotel, followed by several law enforcement soldiers. A hotel attendant beside him was pointing at Qianye and saying something. This favor-currying fellow was fairly clever and had run over to deliver a report as soon as the incident took place. The lanky mans eyes turned cold. He walked over to Qianye, sized him up from head to toe, and said, Im Ding Shiheng. May I know what my brother did to offend you that you would attack him so violently? The burly man cried out from the side, Brother, they stole my dagger and injured me. They dont care about you at all, they said its useless even if the captain himself comes! Ding Shiheng glared at him. Shut up, you useless thing! Youve shamed me thoroughly. Why arent you off to treat your wounds? A sweep of his razor-sharp gaze immediately sent the idle onlookers scattering. It would seem this vice-captain was so notorious that no one was willing to provoke him. Although many people wanted to see what the knife in question looked like, the choice between satisfying ones curiosity and offending the vice-captain was a no-brainer. After reprimanding his brother and driving away the crowd, Ding Shiheng said to Qianye, Lets talk inside? The vice-captain was a man of refined manners, and this was exactly what Qianye wanted. I have the same thought. Qianye shut the door after Ding Shiheng had entered the room, cutting off the vision of the guards and hotel manager. Ding Shihengs eyes fell upon Nighteye after entering the room. He stared vacantly for a brief moment before his gaze was attracted by the vampiric blade on the table. Both Qianye and Nighteye had altered their appearances. The latter had assumed the appearance of an ordinary woman, but the grace and elegance of her every movement was undisguisable. Despite just sitting there, she was suffused in august purity. In contrast to her internal temperament, the vampiric blade was an unadorned enticement. As someone in an important position, Ding Shihengs knowledge was quite broadjust the craftsmanship of this dagger was enough to incite a cold gasp. The item would be of extraordinary value, even if the patterns on the sheath were mere decorations. If they were part of an origin array Ding Shiheng didnt even dare to keep on imagining. Overcome by greed, he said subconsciously, This blade is of unclear origins, perhaps even stolen from somewhere. I must take it back for a detailed investigation, and you two will also follow me. He had spoken these words so many times that he could recite them all in his dream. Then, he reached for the dagger as he normally would. After getting his hands on the item, the chances of him coughing it back up were slim at best. Qianye became neither alarmed nor angry as imagined. Instead, he said indifferently, No matter the origins, I dont think you can swallow it. Ding Shiheng was furious after hearing these words. He banged the table and was just about to cause trouble when he saw Qianye emit a terrifying origin power which came crashing down upon him. An unbearable pressure caused his knees to go weak and fall to the ground. But things didnt end therethe kneeling mans body continued to inch toward the ground. He used his hands to prop up his creaking skeleton, but he was still unable to withstand this frightening pressure. Ding Shiheng was a knowledgeable man. He knew he would be utterly crushed once he was prone on the ground without the support of his bones and origin power. As such, he struggled with all his might to keep himself propped up while begging for mercy. After several times of begging in vain and just as he was about to cough up blood, that terrifying pressure slowly faded away. This was the exact moment when all his origin power was used up and he was about to die. He looked up quietly and was astonished to find Qianye sitting calmly nearby. Then, he noticed the room was perfectly intact, and even the floorboards beneath him were undamaged. It was as though the mountainous force just now was just an illusion. The instant realization thoroughly wiped away Ding Shihengs intentions to bring the law enforcement unit in. Even the chief of the enforcement unit might not be able to control so much weight with such precision. He would surely be punished if he were to provoke an enemy like Qianye for personal benefits. He didnt dare get up without Qianyes instructions and simply remained on his knees, saying, All of this is because of my brothers blindness. Ill break off one of his arms after getting back and bring him to you for an apology. Qianye smiled faintly. I think youd rather bring the law enforcement unit back instead, am I right? Ding Shiheng was drenched in sweat. My men are all outside, but no number of them is enough. Skip apologies, I have something I need your help with. Please speak, Sire. Help me find a man, an old man named Cui Yuanhai who came to Port City a while ago. Ding Shiheng felt relieved after hearing this. Just leave it to me! A local ruffian like Ding Shiheng was the perfect candidate for finding someone in Port City. Just as Qianye was about to explain Cui Yuanhais characteristics to him, the entire building began to shake! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 748: Shocking Change Part 2 That was a major quake. Not just the room, but the entire hotel and even Port City itself was shaking. Cracks spread all over the walls as dust sprinkled down from the ceiling. Qianye rushed over to the wall and looked out. At the extremes of his vision, he could see the sheds in the slums starting to crumble. These crudely constructed shacks simply couldnt withstand the might of the rocking earth. Earthquake? Ding Shiheng wasnt alarmed at all. He merely shook his head and said, Its not an earthquake, just the earth dragon turning over. Itll be gone soon. As expected, the shaking lasted only a few minutes before gradually subsiding. Even so, the number of collapsed buildings in Port City werent few in number, and most of them were located in the slums. In fact, the entire of Port City was fairly simple in decor. If it wasnt clearly indicated, Qianye would find it difficult to tell the slums apart from the normal city area. Only the nobles district around the city lords mansion looked like a proper major city. The demarcation became more evident after the quake because most of the collapses took place in the impoverished areas and rarely in the city districts. After the large quake, people immediately became busy. Some began cleaning up the rubble, while others collected reusable materials and cared for the injuredeverything was carried out in proper sequence. The order amidst the chaos went to show that such incidences were a common occurrence here. Even people at the lowest level were used to them and knew how to deal with the aftermath. These shacks were so roughly built that they were nothing more than a couple of poles and a roof-frame. The walls and roofs were all made of thin wooden sheets, which reduced the damage if they were to collapse. It was also easier for others to rescue those buried under the rubble. Moreover, shacks like this would take less than a day to build. The hotel Qianye was staying in and the much better-built courtyards nearby were all supported by steel frames. Such a quake would, at most, cause them to tilt slightlysomeone with rank four cultivation could set them straight and fix them in place. As for the walls and ceilings, they were even easier to repair and even ordinary people could do it. Additionally, the furniture was also of the simplest type, so that there wouldnt be much losses in case they were destroyed. After the quake had passed, there was a knock on the door. The person said from outside the door, Everyone, please dont be alarmed. Someone will come to repair your walls very soon, everything will be done before dinnertime. After saying that, the attendant headed to the next room to inform the guests there. The earth was still rocking gently at this point. Qianye, with his sharp senses, noticed that the exposed ground was rippling gently like water. Although barely discernible, it was clearly not something an earthquake should have. Earth dragon? What is that? Qianye was more wary than interested in this existence capable of shaking the entire city. This was no secret in Port City. Ding Shiheng replied without the slightest bit of hesitation, Thats the legendary giant creature hiding in the depths of the earth. Some say its a void colossus, but no one has ever seen it before. Itll turn over or get restless every once in a while. This time, it was only turning over gently. When it gets restless every few years, the quake will last several days and collapse half the city. Qianye finally understood why the architecture in Port City was so oddthey were specifically designed to avoid the need for reconstruction. Apparently, only the city lord manor and the buildings in the noble district were permanent. Even if the others were built with steel frames, they could hardly last through the yearly tremors. Qianyes eyes lit up with a blue tinge as he gazed back at the city lords manor. In his True Sight, there was a faint glow of origin power covering the buildings in the noble districtthere was a protective force field protecting them. The radiance on the city lords manor was the strongest as there was a light barrier covering the entire structure. They actually had an origin net constructed htere, a significant expenditure even by empire standards. Seeing these things gave Qianye a new impression of Port Citys strength. One would need sufficient power to support such wealth in the neutral lands. At this moment, a large number of people converged onto the street and began pushing their way out of the city. What are they going to do? Ding Shiheng said, Theyre all off to hunt. Whenever the earth dragon flips over, some special lifeforms will be driven out from the depths of the ground. Rainbowfish and spiked rats, for instance, can only be caught during this period. Rainbowfish and spiked rats were the regional specialties of Port City. Not only did they taste great, but they could also strengthen ones origin power perception and consequently improve cultivation speed. This delicacy was almost irresistible to the demonkin and thus became an important smuggling commodity. Additionally, some other rare species would be driven from the depths of the earth to its shallow layer. This was their only opportunity at capturing them. At this point, Qianye understood why people were willing to stay in Port City despite needing to reconstruct their houses every few years. Qianye inquired further about the power distribution in Port City, and then let Ding Shiheng leave after obtaining sufficient information. As expected of a local bully, Ding Shiheng arrived at the hotel at noon the following day. His arrogance disappeared immediately after entering the room. The man stood respectfully in front of Qianye, his eyes never straying toward Nighteye and Zhuji. The news he had brought caused Qianye to break into a frown. Youre saying that an old man fitting this description did come to Port City but disappeared the next day after meeting the people from the Xue family? Yes, I mobilized all my assets but still couldnt find his whereabouts. Some of my sources are guessing Ding Shiheng stole a glance at Qianye. The Xue family was, after all, a massive entity to him and even simple matters would become complicated after getting involved with them. Speak. Reportedly, there were some abnormal movements among the Xue family guards that day. Thats why some think that they mightve captured Elder Cui. Qianye said with a frown, Did you confirm this with someone from the Xue family? Ding Shiheng said carefully, Sire, the highest contact someone of my status can have is no more than the lowest-tier members of the Xue family. They know nothing about this matter. This means that either the Xue family has nothing to do with this, or it is a secret even within the family. If it is the latter, then this lowly one is powerless to do anything. Qianye nodded. Very well, I understand. Tell me the location of the Xue family, and if possible, get me a map of the Xue family residence. Ding Shiheng stood up and said, This lowly one will go immediately. By evening, Ding Shiheng had already delivered the residences map. One had to admit that this local tyrant was fairly adept at handling matters. With the location and map in hand, the preparations were already sufficient. Qianye and Nighteye left the hotel in the dead of the night and vanished into the darkness. The Xue family residence was naturally in the noble district, but it wasnt very large, only three compounds in total from front to back. This so-called not large was only relative to other cities. It was still a bonafide mansion in Port City. In the noble district, every building was connected to a shock-protection array. Even if it was just for face, they couldnt let their mansions suffer damage. Hence, large mansions would involve terrifying consumption rates. Qianye had already learned beforehand that the ones living in this mansion belonged to a branch of the Xue family, with the main family dispatching people to assist them. The Xues owned a fair number of estates and industries in and around Port City, all of which were managed from this place. Qianye stood not far away, sizing up this residence. The mansion was tall, wide, and built in a fairly imperial fashion. It was just that the entire structure was a tenth in scale compared to true aristocratic families, nowhere near the Zhao clans half city-sized residences. Lets go in and see. Qianye beckoned to Nighteye as he leapt into the compound. Qianye had learned from Ding Shiheng that the most powerful person in this Xue mansion was the branch family head Xue Haiyang. As a rank-thirteen champion, he was more than enough to protect the interests of the Xue family in Port City. It was already late at night and many areas of the residence had gone dark. There were some guards patrolling the area in addition to two hidden sentries. This kind of defensive structure was loose but allowed for no gaps, denying evil mercenaries and adventurers any opportunity they could take advantage of. None of this could deter Qianye, however. He leapt soundlessly over a group of guards and entered the residence. Nighteye landed beside him and, after scanning the courtyard, pointed toward the main building. Qianye nodded. He arrived before the door, and following a flash of red light, the vampiric blade in his hand had sliced through the lock. Only the faintest of sounds was produced in this process, but it was enough to rouse the person inside from his sleep. Who goes there!? Qianye pushed the door open while Nighteye flashed into the room like a bolt of lightning and held her vampiric blade against the mans neck. The person on the bed was a man in his forties. He had just propped himself up halfway when his entire body froze. The vampiric blade was so sharp that it had left faint red lines on his neck even before actually coming into contact. There was a rather beautiful lady beside him who hadnt woken up just yet. She merely turned around, revealing a fair, well-rounded body that was entirely unclothed. The man remained calm and said in a deep voice, Im Xue Haiyang, the lord of this Xue family branch as well as an officer of the main family. May I ask what business the two of you have with me? Qianye locked the door behind him. Mr. Xue, what composure, what courage! Since thats the case, then Ill not beat around the bush. I have a friend called Cui Yuanhai. Hes in your hands, right? At the mention of this name, Xue Haiyangs expression shifted drastically. His composure was quickly replaced by shock as he exclaimed, Youre the ones wanted by the Wolf King! The Wolf King is rather generous. If it wasnt for him, I wouldnt even know that my head was worth so much. Qianye laughed. Xue Haiyangs heart sank. He glanced at the vampiric blade at his neck and said with a wry smile, It turns out you two are vampires. Qianye said calmly, She is, I am not, but thats not important. Mr. Xue, are you trying to stall for time? You should know that its meaningless. Xue Haiyang laughed ruefully. I know, you even dare to kill the Wolf Kings son. Theres no way youll put a small character like me in your eyes. Cui Yuanhai did pay me a visit, but this matter was too important, so I had to report it to the main family. The main familys response was to seize the man and watch him strictly. Where is he now? Xue Haiyang whispered helplessly, Probably kidnapped. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 749: News Kidnapped? Qianye raised his voice slightly. Youre from the Xue family. Who would dare kidnap people from your hands? Or do you really think Im that easy to deceive? Xue Haiyang laughed ruefully. I wouldnt have believed it if it didnt really happen. Heres what happened, we invited Elder Cui over here quite smoothly, and he wasnt injured, either. Additionally, his equipment truly broadened our horizons. As he was an important character, who also happened to be related to you, we werent quite confident in ensuring his safety. So, I dispatched some of my best subordinates along with Elder Cui to mix in with a merchant caravan, hoping to send him to the main family. Then? Qianye knew that Xue Haiyang was acting out of prudence. Even if he hadn''t sent Cui Yuanhai away immediately, he would certainly do so after hearing of Qianyes exploits in the Dark Grove. Then, the caravan was robbed midway. No survivors. Qianye frowned. Who did it? An entire caravan had been robbed and killedas a powerful family in the neutral lands, it wasnt plausible if the Xue family didnt even have a clue. Xue Haiyang seemed hesitant, but the slight movement of the vampiric blade on his neck greatly facilitated his obedience. The clues at the scene point to the Throne of Blood, but in truth, I suspect its the work of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demon. Qianye fell into silent contemplation. Xue Haiyangs suspicion was reasonable. The Throne of Blood was the main camp of the vampires in the neutral lands. Unlike the other mixed races, the higher echelon of the Throne of Blood was made up of only high-ranking vampires. The one on the throne was at the grand duke level many years ago, but there has been news that he had long since ascended to become a prince. His rank, however, was only secondary. The most important point was that the Grand Magnum, Shattered Time, was in his hands. With a magnum in his possession, he was gradually able to contend with heavenly monarchs and dark monarchs. Even Zhang Buzhou wasnt as famous as he was. However, that person on the Throne of Blood was in the central region of the Neutral Lands and had no interest in a desolate place like the Eastern Sea. The forces of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demon, however, were adjacent to the Wolf Kings lands. They had been trying to wrest control of Port City for many years now. As for Moonlight Demon, it could be considered the stronghold of all deviants and fugitives. Even in the lawless neutral lands, their reputation was the worst of the worst. Everyone was troubled by these lawless, arrogant and unyielding evildoers. It was difficult to predict their operational habitsthere was nothing they wouldnt do. Only a power at this level would be able to wipe out a Xue family caravan so quietly, leaving no survivors behind. Did you find Cui Yuanhais corpse? No. Xue Haiyangs reply gave Qianye a bit of hope. Realizing that he could get no more information, Qianye said with a cold smile, Your Xue family is quite bold. I let your people off last time, but not to mention repaying me, you actually dared to capture my men. How do we settle this score!? Xue Haiyangs expression shifted drastically. In the end, he said, The Xue familys roots lie in the Wolf Kings territory. We cannot offend the king and harm the entire family for you. Qianye said indifferently, Offending me might not be better than offending the Wolf King. Seeing Qianyes calm face, Xue Haiyang suddenly recalled his massacres in the Black Grove. As a person who had seen the winds and waves, he said, We didnt want to harm Elder Cui, either. We invited him over politely and without causing him any distress. The Xue family suffered the greatest loss regarding the attack on this caravan. Were actually the victims here. Qianye continued to stare at Xue Haiyang in silence. The man knew that he couldnt get past this with words alone. We were indeed in the wrong regarding this matter. Ill represent the Xue family and offer you compensation for this mistake. Compensation!? Haha. Qianye sneered, Not to mention my relationship with him, how are you going to pay for a grandmaster who can build grade-seven weapons and ammunition? Xue Haiyangs expression shifted drastically. Grade-Seven!? Correct. Xue Haiyang was livid. He said in frustration, I shouldve known earlier! Dammit! Those equipment were definitely not for use in middle-ranking guns! Why didnt I give it more thought? He calmed himself down and gritted his teeth. There mustve been a spy in the family who recognized the equipment. Otherwise, how can it be so coincidental? Only a handful of people are privy to this information. I already have a faint idea of who it is! Seize that person, I must meet him, Qianye said as he beckoned for Nighteye to retract her blade. He was confident in getting information out of the person as long as a meeting could be arranged. Xue Haiyang was finally able to stand up. The first thing he did was knock the woman beside him out cold. Only afterward did he get off the bed to dress. He called out through the door, Men, summon Xing San to the side hall. I have something to ask him. The guard replied, Master, Captain Xue left yesterday, saying hell be away for a few days on a secret mission. Xue Haiyangs expression turned ugly all of a sudden. He said with a deep snort, Withdraw, all of you! The first thing he saw after coming to was Qianyes frosty face. This shook him badly for a moment. Mr. Xue, you dont think Im that easy to drive away, do you? Why dont you take the time to think why I did what I did at the Black Grove? The corpses belonging to hundreds of mercenaries and assassins hung from wooden stakes in the Black Grove. It had almost become a local attraction because there was no lack of famous people among the dead. Xue Haiyang was not stupid. Understanding Qianyes intentions after some thought, he uttered, Establishing might. Its good that you know. The meaning behind his words showcased his intention to make an example out of the Xue family. Xue Haiyang responded immediately, The Xue family will definitely give you an explanation regarding this matter. Ill do my best to get to the bottom of this matter and inform you immediately once I have any news. Additionally, this is just a small token of my respect, please accept it. I only have this much in my hands, but Ill mobilize more resources as soon as possible to compensate you. Xue Haiyang produced an exquisite wooden box from a secret compartment in his bed and presented it to Qianye with both hands. The container was filled with neat rows of high-purity black crystals and was worth at least fifty thousand gold coins. The Xue family is quite rich, but this isnt enough. Of course its not enough, the bulk of it is yet to come. Actually, Xue Haiyangs expression wasnt very good as he said this. Qianye nodded and shot Nighteye a glance. The vampire princess rubbed the blade edge with her finger, producing an eerie red glow upon it. Then, she stabbed Xue Haiyang in the stomach! The strike was as fast as lightning. At the same time, Xue Haiyang sensed a terrifying aura surging up from Qianye and suppressing his every movement. All he could do was watch as the vampiric blade entered his body. Nighteye withdrew the blade after this stab and didnt finish the man off. Although the blade had left, Xue Haiyang could feel a wisp of burning energy left behind inside his body. Moreover, it dispersed into several streams that drilled into his limbs and organs, where they went into dormancy. Xue Haiyang gasped. Blood poison! The blood poison from an ancient vampire clan! Knowing what this poison was proved just how knowledgeable he was. That was also the reason why his expression was ashen as he looked at Nighteye like he would a demon. There were ways to dispel the blood poison left behind by ordinary vampires, but that of the ancient clans formed the foundation of their bloodline power. It was countless times more powerful than ordinary blood poison. It was useless even if Xue Haiyang was several ranks more powerful. Meanwhile, when the poison would flare up and whether it could be retracted would depend on the sources control. Xue Haiyang seemed to have aged ten years in the blink of an eye as he fell back into the chair. Qianye naturally had no sympathy for the man. He said coldly, Mr. Xue, Ill be waiting for the remaining compensation. Additionally, I have some things I need you to help me with. I hope you wont refuse. Xue Haiyang responded with a wooden nod and watched as Qianye and Nighteye left. While the two were running side by side through the night, Nighteye said softly, Elder Cui isnt someone you can trade for compensation money. Qianye sighed. I know. This is just an early price the Xue family has to pay. They wont know how to handle things if I dont have them feel the pain. After finding the old man, humph! It was already late at night, but there were still many lively places in Port City. Many taverns were still open and full of patrons, most of whom were drunk and boasting about their gains during the day. This was a unique characteristic of Port Citythe people here would earn large amounts of wealth every time the Earth Dragon flipped over. Qianye and Nighteye appeared at the doors of a certain tavern. This establishment was located inside a small, dark alley, and the dark lamp at its entrance gave off an eerie sensation. The place seemed rather cold and deserted even when the entire city was in good cheer. Qianye looked up at the rusty jug hanging on the doors before entering with Nighteye. There were a few tables with guests inside. Some were sprawled over the table, drunk, while others were sitting together and whispering amongst themselves. The waiters delivering alcohol were all strong, burly men suffused with intense killing intent. The man behind the bar was leaning forward with his hands on the counter and observing the entire tavern. Qianye and Nighteye sat down at a table. They were briefly frozen as their gazes moved past the man behind the counter. They could see that the mans tattoos contained the blood of various races, including humans and vampires. A muscular man arrived beside the table and said, Whats your order? Qianye put two gold coins on the table. Two glasses of your most expensive alcohol. The burly man put the gold coins away and said in a sinister tone, Im sorry, but two gold coins is only enough to buy one. I thought I heard it was one gold coin per glass. The price has risen. When did that happen? Just now! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 750: Whereabouts Qianye looked into the burly mans eyes and said, I only have two gold coins and I want two glasses. What do we do? The burly mans smile became cruel and bloodthirsty. Then, youll get neither coin nor ale. Qianye broke into a laugh, the glow of his eyes turning sharper by the moment. Is that so? At this moment, the tattooed man behind the counter said in a hoarse voice, Blackwolf, enough. The burly man roared back ferociously, Why must I? The tattooed mans expression sank. What, you even dare disobey me now? But theyre clearly strangers. Blackwolf glared at Qianye and Nighteye, saying, Consider yourselves lucky. Youd better scram after you finish drinking. Qianye had lost his patience due to Blackwolfs repeated provocations. Are you trying to court death with that meager strength of yours? Blackwolfs face flushed red. He stared fixedly at Qianye with bloodshot eyes, filled with madness and bloodthirst. However, a tattooed hand landed on his shoulder at this moment. A chill spread out from this hand and engulfed Blackwolf in frost, not only restraining his movements but also extinguishing his anger. The tattooed man dragged Blackwolf back with one hand and put a tray on the table with the other. It was just that the two glasses on it seemed to be filled with ordinary beer. Everyone here calls me Bloodyshirt. As for what my original name was, Ive forgotten it myself. Young man, how should I address you? Who introduced you to this place? Im called Zhao Ye, a nameless little character. I heard from Ding Shiheng that this place is the most well-informed in the entire Port City. Bloodyshirt said, So its that bloodsucker. You mustve spent quite a bit to obtain information from him. Fine, what do you want to know? The whereabouts of a certain person and the origins of a creature. Bloodyshirt smiled. Im quite proficient in searching for people, but Im no master regarding creatures. Tell me first, who did you want to find? Xue Xingsan, the guard captain of the Xue family. I want to know where he is right now. All the people in the tavern were alarmed upon hearing this name, and Blackwolfs gaze became suffused with killing intent. Bloodyshirt, on the other hand, said indifferently, Turns out its someone from the Xue family. This wont be cheap. How much? Three thousand imperial gold coins. This was a massive sum in terms of information. To be frank, this money was enough to hire a good assassin and kill Xue Xingsan many times over. As expected, hes either trying to take advantage of the fact that Im a stranger. Either that, or he wants to make me back off. Bloodyshirt stared at Qianye with an indescribable glint in his eyes. Qianye banged three high-purity black crystals on the table. Ill buy it. Apart from a couple of people, all the others in the tavern stood up. Numerous fiery gazes landed on the three pieces of black crystal. There were also eyes landing on Qianyes backpack from where the three black crystals came from. Good, satisfying! Bloodyshirt laughed loudly as he reached for the bounty. However, he couldnt take the crystals back because Qianye had pressed down on his hand. The mans expression shifted repeatedly. The totem tattoos on his body began changing in color, growing deeper and deeper until it was almost dark purple. Almost all the people in the tavern knew that this was a sign of Bloodyshirt exerting his special power. Yet, no matter how the patterns changed, his right hand couldnt move a single inch or pull back from under Qianyes hand. Fine sweat began to form on Bloodyshirts forehead. His gaze was filled with anger, shock, and puzzlement. The man only managed to take the black crystals away after Qianye let go. He shot a deep gaze at Qianye as he put the crystals away, saying, Follow me, this is not the place to talk. After an exchange of glances, Qianye and Nighteye followed Bloodyshirt into the back. Blackwolf was still staring ferociously from the side. It was just that he looked a bit more cautious than before. Qianye suddenly paused his steps in front of this burly man. I dont like that look in your eyes. So what? Blackwolf growled. This response was already quite restrained compared to before. Everyones vision blurred for a brief moment. Then, they saw a groaning Blackwolf curl up and fall kneeling in front of Qianye. The latter pulled back his fist and leaned down to pat Blackwolfs face a couple of times, saying, Next time, youd better pick the right target to go crazy on. Blackwolf was completely unresponsive, almost as though he had gone dumb. He slowly collapsed onto the floor and curled up into a ball. Qianye paid him no more attention and proceeded to follow Bloodyshirt. The latter didnt look back from the beginning to the end, almost as though Blackwolf didnt exist. The tavern fell into silence. Even those secretive, whispering people were drinking with their heads lowered. Bloodyshirt felt relieved after leading the duo into a small room and locking the door behind him. He said with an apologetic expression, Theres no other way. This information has too many implications. I have to be careful to not let anyone else hear of it. Qianye nodded. Meanwhile, Nighteyes gaze swept over certain parts of the room like the ceiling corner, the rubbish bin, etc. Every time her eyes moved, Bloodyshirts expression would become uglier. In the end, he had no choice but to explain, They were set up to prevent people from spying on the room. It seems there are quite a lot of secrets here, Qianye said indifferently. The places Nighteye had been observing contained cleverly-hidden origin arrays. However, such disguises couldnt hide anything from the duos True Sight. Bloodyshirt produced a notebook from the nearby cabinet. Then, he tore off two pages from it and put them on the table. They were completely empty sheets of paper. Following a shout, a blood-colored mist emerged around his body, and some words began to form on the empty paper. Qianye watched with due intrigue. This kind of recording and concealment technique was fairly clever and unbreakable. Only the bloodline of a designated person could unlock the information within. Naturally, the price was extremely high. Materials capable of interacting with specific bloodlines all came at sky-high prices. Just from these two sheets of paper alone, one could see that Bloodyshirts price wasnt unreasonable. The information was likely worth that much. One of the two papers was related to the Spider Emperor, while the other was related to the Moonlight Demons. Listed within was information related to the activities of their important characters and armies. This news was highly classified, and many people would be willing to pay sky-high prices to obtain it. Qianye, however, knew next to nothing about the power-struggle in the neutral lands. So, he couldnt quite understand the significance after seeing it. Nighteye, on the other hand, seemed to be quite serious. After Nighteye had finished looking through the information, Qianye asked, Are the things recorded here related to the person Im looking for? Bloodyshirt replied, Although theres no direct relationship, theres a high possibility of an indirect association. For instance, the movements of the Spider Emperors Crystal Spider Corps is evidently unusual. At this point, Nighteye couldnt help but sneer, Crystal Spider Corps? His ambitions are quite big. Whats that? Qianye knew nothing about this. Thats the personal guard of the ultimate arachne ruler, one of the powerhouses on the Evernight Councils holy thrones. This old spider considers himself the ruler of the holy mountain. Bloodyshirt couldnt help but glance at Nighteye in amazement. This was secret information of considerable rank within the Evernight faction. There was no way for one to hear of this without reaching a certain rank. Hes not exactly ambitious, but he really likes to boast and give himself all kinds of titles. This famous aspect of the Spider Emperor was often the topic of discussion and humor in the neutral lands. Only newcomers like Qianye didnt know about it. Besides that, the Spider Emperor was extremely powerful and had very few opponents in the neutral lands. His haughtiness was even superior to the Wolf Kings. As such, people could laugh in secret but no one dared to be disrespectful of him in public. Is there any special meaning to the Crystal Spider Corps movements? Qianye went back to the original topic. The timing of its mobilization was even earlier than the Wolf Kings generals. It looked like the Wolf King wanted to launch a sneak attack on the Spider Emperor, but in truth, the latter had already made preparations well beforehand. He was going to attack even if the Wolf King hadnt taken action. Qianye was shakenbe it on the Evernight side or the empires, those high-ranking characters werent easy to deal with at all. In the turmoil of the neutral lands, those capable of ruling over large domains were even more formidable characters. A single mistake could result in him being swallowed up by them. Qianye went through the information in great detail and memorized the names of the experts listed there. Then, he picked up the intelligence regarding the Moonlight Demons and asked, Then, how about this? Bloodyshirt pointed at the paper and said, The Assassin Legion was moving in the exact same direction as the Crystal Spider Corps. And this one, Mad Profanity, is currently approaching Port City. This cannot be a coincidence. The Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons mustve reached some kind of agreement. Qianye pondered on Port Citys location and said with a frown, That means this place is about to become a battlefield? The battlefield will be close by even if not in the city itself. The Xue familys caravan was transporting local products on the surface, but in truth, they were shipping a batch of energy crystals for the Wolf Kings Legions. Xue Xingsan was the person in charge of this caravans route and a key person in setting up their defenses. Qianye had finally realized what had happened. It would seem this Xue Xingsan had been bought over by the other party and had betrayed the Xue family. Energy crystals were an absolute strategic resource for the upcoming warit served as fuel for battleships, large war machines, and the necessary core for giant origin arrays. The raid on this caravan mustve been a heavy blow to the Wolf King. It was just that the unlucky Cui Yuanhai was swept into this conspiracy. Neither the Spider Emperor nor the Moonlight Demons would mind taking in a grandmaster capable of building grade-seven weapons. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 751: Eve of War All of this, though, was only Bloodyshirts guess. It would be even more problematic if his conjecture was correct. Both the Crystal Spider Corps and Assassin Legion were giant, corps-level entities that were beyond Qianyes capacity to handle. From a different perspective, however, there was no need to worry about Cui Yuanhais safety now that his arms-building skills had been revealed. No power in their right mind would kill such a master. Seeing that Bloodyshirt knew no more than this, Qianye could only sigh. All he could do was wait for the right moment to find Cui Yuanhai. At this point, Bloodyshirt said, You were talking about a type of creature. Show me, perhaps Ive seen it before. Qianye produced a translucent lobster shell from his backpack and placed it on the table. Have you seen this before? This was a part of the shell Zhuji had removed from the lobster. Qianye had also asked some of the people from the little town back then, but none of the mercenaries and merchants there could recognize it. They hadnt even heard of it before. Bloodyshirts expression changed drastically upon seeing the lobster shell. His voice was trembling, almost as though he had seen a ghost. This the Nightmare Legion!? It was yet another name Qianye had never heard of before. Judging from Bloodyshirts attitude, however, it would seem this Nightmare Legion wasnt something the Crystal Spider Corps or the Assassin Legion could match. After a good while, Bloodyshirt gritted his teeth and picked up the shell to examine it. After inspecting it carefully, he muttered with an ashen expression, Theres no mistake, this is the armor of the Nightmare Legion Nightmare Legion. Qianye waited quietly for Bloodyshirt to calm down. The latter eventually placed the translucent shell back on the table and said, Where did you get this? Can you tell me? I got it by chance. What is this Nightmare Legion, though? Bloodyshirt collected his thoughts. The Nightmare Legion is the symbol of calamity, the beginning of all destruction. After a long string of prophesy-like words, Bloodyshirt explained everything he knew. In the neutral lands, there were battles not only between the newcomers like Evernight and the Empire, but there was also a continuous war between the natives and outsiders. Throughout the long history of the neutral lands, the Nightmare Legion had only appeared twice, both times in great battles between the outsiders and natives. Back then, countless fantastic creatures suddenly appeared out of nowhere, many of which people had never seen before. Even the creatures belonging to existing species seemed to have been deformed by an invisible hand; it was inexplicably odd. These entities poured out of the void in vast numbers and swept over the entire battlefield. Even the most elite of corps couldnt stand their charge and were soon drowned out. By the time they had left, there was no longer any life left on the battlefield. The armies from either side and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under their command were reduced to corpseseven their spirits had dispersed entirely. No one knew how the Nightmare Legion had appeared, and no one understood how they left. The only clues they had left behind in the silent battlefield were these odd pieces of broken armor. After the legions disappearance, an expert proficient in the divination arts exhausted his entire life-force in order to visualize some fragmented scenes from this battle. That was the only reason people discovered the Nightmare Legions existence. People named it so because the scene of its battle was nothing short of a nightmare. The appearance of the Nightmare Legion brought about a calamitous effect on the neutral lands. In both major battles, the natives and the outsiders had gathered their most elite forces and a large number of experts. Yet in the end, they were all destroyed in the tides of the Nightmare Legion. Despite having arrived here not long ago, Qianye knew that the neutral lands were full of danger everywhere. Every expert was the foundation of a new pioneered land and a shield to the weak civilians. For instance, the small town Qianye had first arrived in wouldnt be able to survive the rampaging wild beasts and sudden natural disasters without Iron Bears champion-level combat strength. In the neutral lands, a champion signified a new small town, a new cluster of homes. The two historic appearances of the Nightmare Legion caused a great blow to the outsiders, losing three-quarters of their territory and countless civilians to wild beasts and natural disasters. Countless border areas were abandoned, and the people living there gradually shifted toward the core regions. Without sufficient experts to protect them, the road back to civilization could only be paved with flesh and blood. Out of a hundred people setting out, no more than a handful would arrive at their final destination. There was no distinction of race on this bloody road. Be it humans, vampires, werewolves, or arachne, everyone was a victim. The werewolves and arachne possessed inherently strong bodies and thus enjoyed a higher chance of survival. But it just so happened that such strong prey were the favorites of wild beasts. Comparatively, the weak humans didnt quite attract their attention. Bloodyshirt couldnt stay calm while recounting the history of the Nightmare Legion. He had to pour himself a glass of strong wine in order to make himself feel better. According to you, the last appearance of the Nightmare Legion was a couple hundred years ago? How did you know this is the legions armor? Qianye revealed the doubt in his heart. Bloodyshirt sighed. My ancestors were on the battlefield during the second appearance of the Nightmare Legion. Theres a shard of such armor in our ancestral home, a fragment of armor we found on our ancestors body. After hearing this, Qianye gazed at the translucent shell and fell into contemplation. If the Nightmare Legion was so terrifying, why was that lobster Zhuji had captured so easily captured and killed? Bloodyshirt regained his wits. Can you sell me this shell? What use does it have? As Qianye saw it, there was no big use for it apart from its special composition. It was thin and light, but its defensive power was only ordinary. That was why Qianye hadnt given the sentient lobster warrior much thought, only treating it as an odd creature. The armor itself has no use, but its appearance might signal of a new calamity. I know a senior whos proficient in divination arts. I plan to show this to him and see what he can foretell. Qianye nodded. If thats the case, you can have it. Qianye wanted nothing to do with an object related to a calamity. Bloodyshirt took out the three black crystals and gave it back to Qianye. Since thats the case, the information just now will be on me. Qianye didnt refuse the mans offer. He simply put away the crystals and left the tavern with Nighteye. After returning to the hotel, Nighteye asked, What do we do now? Lets just stay here. According to Bloodyshirt, the Crystal Spider Corps and the Assassin Legion will soon arrive. If the old man is in their hands, hell probably come along as a military engineer. Well find a way to save him when the time comes. Having no better idea, Nighteye nodded in agreement. Qianye sighed emotionally. He had escaped to the neutral lands in order to live a quiet life with Nighteye until the end of their lives. Contrary to expectations, however, this place was no paradiseit was crueler, more pragmatic, and adverse. There wont be any problems on Bloodyshirts side, will there? Nighteye was somewhat worried. This person isnt simple at all, but hes smart. He wont do what he shouldnt before confirming our background. On the second day, Qianye discovered that the atmosphere in Port City had become tense. There were more patrols than usual in the streets, and the city guards were being mobilized continuously to block off some key street intersections. A commotion arose outside the window as two truckloads of mercenaries approached. The vehicles were badly damaged, riddled with bullet holes and claw marks. It was already a miracle that they could still move. The soldiers on the car were mostly wounded, and there were a few lying still in the compartment; no one knew whether they were dead or alive. The vehicles didnt stop there and kept on driving toward the area of the city lords mansion. The guards wanted to stop them at first, but someone on the car took out a token which effectively cleared the way thereafter. Commotions kicked up wherever this mercenary group passed by. From the surrounding discussions, Qianye learned that this mercenary corps was rather famous. They had hundreds of elite soldiers among their ranks, but now, there were less than thirty in the two trucks combined. Moreover, Qianye could see that there was only one champion among themone who had just ascended. Their rank-twelve commander was nowhere to be found, either. From the looks of it, this mercenary corps had been badly defeated. Before long, some hunters and adventurers charged into Port City, looking as though they were running away from a disaster. All of them were injured in some way. A number of them collapsed entirely after entering the gates and were unable to clamber up again. This was just the beginninga large number of adventurers and hunters returned to the city in quick succession, all of them drenched in blood. This scene was unusual. Just as Qianye broke into a slight frown, a sharp alarm finally echoed throughout the entirety of Port City. It was at this moment that a knock came from the door. Mr. Zhao? The City Lord invites you to a meeting. Startled, Qianye opened the door and saw a lanky man standing outside. His aura was inexplicably sharp, and there were several people behind him. The tall mans gaze was like a blade as he sized Qianye up from head to toe. Mr. Zhao, the City Lord has heard of your extraordinary talents. He likes you very much and hopes youll visit the city lord mansion. City Lord Su? Yes. If its convenient for Mr. Zhao, please follow me back now. There are countless matters rising up in the city, Im afraid we cant wait too long. The lanky man was somewhat arrogant and his gaze toward Qianye contained a tinge of hostility. Qianye had heard of the City Lord surnamed Su. Someone capable of remaining independent between the Wolf King, the Spider Emperor, and the Moonlight Demons couldnt have done it through politics alonehis personal strength must also be extraordinary. Reportedly, his cultivation had already passed the divine champion threshold, and that was what allowed him to hover between the three powers. Why would this kind of major character suddenly pay attention to the disguised Qianye? The latter gave it some thought and said, Fine, Ill head over now. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 752: Recruitmen After reminding Nighteye to watch Zhuji, Qianye followed the group to the city lords mansion and entered the study. The room was decorated in dark colors. The french windows added to the grandeur of the room, providing great views of the city and beyond. One could even see the rolling waves of the great river. In truth, the city lords mansion wasnt that tall. The reason for the good scenery was still because the other buildings were too short. There was a middle-aged man standing before the windows. He was clad in combat attire, but there were some luxurious details on his clothing that gave away his unique status. His martial fashion also served as a reminder that he wasnt just a city lord but also the most powerful warrior in this city. When Qianye walked into the study, the man turned around and sized Qianye up with his slender eyes. Then, a smile appeared on his lips. Who wouldve thought Mr. Zhao would be so young. It truly fills me with shame to be struggling at the champion level at this age. Qianye bowed, saying, City Lord Su flatters me. Upon detailed inspection, one could see that this city lord possessed gentle facial features and a short, meticulously-groomed beard. Although there wasnt a single eye-catching object of luxury from head to toe, his every detail was perfectly organized down to his hair. Back at the empire, such an appearance was fit to appear in the imperial court. Before this, Qianye knew nothing about the Port City Lord except for the fact that he was called Su Dingqian. Now after meeting him, he could sense that the mans origin power aura was gentle and wandering about indefinitely. Just like water, it had no set shape but at the same time possessed the weight of the oceans. Su Dingqian pointed to a chair with a smile. Mr. Zhao, please have a seat. Qianye politely waited until Su Dingqian had taken his seat first before sitting down. I wonder what the City Lord needs of me? Su Dingqian had been fairly cordial since their meeting and his smile was also very sincere. He looked truly delighted on the surface, but one could hardly know what these shrewd old men were actually thinking inside. The man said, Does Mr. Zhao know how to lead troops? This question was quite direct. Qianye pondered for a moment before saying, Not very well. Qianye wasnt trying to hide anything on purpose. Although he was once a member of the Red Scorpion Corps, he had never really led great armies into battle and neither was he proficient in plots and strategy. Su Dingqian wasnt disappointed. Thats even better. To be honest with you, Port City is about to face unrest in the upcoming days. If you are willing to lend a hand to the citys defense at such a time, I will definitely not mistreat you. Qianye didnt reply immediately. I wonder why the city lord treats me so well? Im overwhelmed by the favor. Su Dingqian laughed out loud. Look at me, how Ive forgotten. Bloodyshirt also works for me in secret. He had nothing but praises for you when I met him last night. It got me thinking that I must see such a person immediately. Qianye had guessed that would be the case. A person like Bloodyshirt was likely related to the city lords mansion in secret and in public. He was actually the eyes and ears of the city lord. Otherwise, where would he get his hands on all those secrets? How could he be tolerated? Qianye said calmly, I thank the city lord for his favor. Since Im living in Port City right now, its only right that I contribute to the place. But, what is this unrest about and who are the enemies? And what will I get out of this? Qianyes questions are honest. Su Dingqian replied with a nod, The unrest isnt hard to guess. The three powers around us are starting to stir, getting ready for a big battle. And they definitely have bad intentions for choosing to fight near Port City. If a clear victor emerges, they only need to change direction and destroy us. Those bastards have been drooling over Port City and the resources related to the Earth Dragon. At this point, Su Dingqian clapped his hands, in response to which an attendant entered with a scarlet box. Su Dingqian opened the container and placed it in front of Qianye. The base of the box was covered in red satin. Therein sat a translucent crystal with a wisp of faint smoke swirling about within. The smokey stream was fluctuating constantly, turning into a beetle at times and then back to smoke. Every time it transformed into a beetle, Qianye would feel as though there was icy water dripping into his brainhis consciousness would clear up a little bit. Although he had no idea what its uses were, there was no doubt that this ice-sealed beetle was miraculous. City Lord Su, this is This is Port Citys most important product, Dreameater Bug. It will only appear from the depths of the earth during the Earth Dragons movement. Only champion-level experts could catch and seal them into a crystal. This kind of Dreameater Bug can replenish spiritual power and improve ones aptitude. In my experience, theres really no need to prove its miraculous spirit-replenishing effects, but eating a lot of it can indeed improve ones natural endowments. So much so that, it might be helpful in crossing the divine champion realm. Qianye felt a rush of excitement. He wasnt really thinking about crossing the divine champion realm, but a replenishment in spirit power would be useful for Nighteye. There was no telling what kind of hidden sequelae remained after her spirit was sapped and torn. Naturally, the more treasures like the Dreameater Bug there were, the better. Qianye made no attempt at hiding his intentions. Su Dingqian smiled upon seeing the other partys interest. He closed the box properly and placed it in Qianyes hands, saying, Consider this Dreameater Bug a downpayment. Well pay you two more after the unrest has passed. With such a price, Qianye found it difficult to refuse. It would be worth it no matter how little the effects on Nighteye were. However, Qianye was somewhat hesitant because he still didnt know who the enemies were or how much he needed to contribute to claim the Dreameater Bug with a clear conscience. He wasnt so naive as to think he would receive the treasure by staying in the city. Su Dingqian said, I dont want to join this war, but now, it seems unavoidable. Our greatest enemy are the Moonlight Demons. Their leader has always been investigating the secrets of Port City and the Earth Dragon. Humph, how can I let them do as they wish? Qianyes expression changed. They want to investigate the Earth Dragon? After participating in the bloody battle and floating continent war in successionand having come into contact with Sky Demon and the Void Colossus Chaos remainsQianye had a good idea about true void colossi. Just from the range of this tremor, he was pretty sure that it was a void colossus. Such an existence could kill hordes of champions and viscounts just by flipping over, and probably wouldnt even feel it. Back then, Sky Demons Iron Curtain had covered almost half of the continent. In the end, the Queen of the Night and the Eternal Flame had to take action in person to push the creature back into the depths of the void. No matter how strong the leader of the Moonlight Demons was, he couldnt be stronger than a heavenly monarch or a great dark monarch; he probably wasnt even a high-ranking divine champion. Wouldnt he be committing suicide if he were to provoke a void colossus? Seeing Qianyes odd expression, Su Dingqian asked, What is Mr. Zhao concerned about? Qianye spoke openly, I feel that Moonlight Demons designs on the Earth Dragon is purely suicidal. Su Dingqian was of the same mind. He slapped his thighs and said, Thats exactly the point! Ive been in control of Port City for decades yet never had the guts to dig into the ground because I fear that Earth Dragon. But those people from the Moonlight Demons are a bunch of lunatics. We simply cannot measure them with common sense. Its no surprise no matter what weird stuff they do. Seeing Qianye still hesitant, Su Dingqian said, Mr. Zhao, if you contribute enough by killing three or more people of fame and rank, Ill offer you this Loyalty Formula which can help you during your ascension to the divine champion realm. However, youll have to swear on your origin power that youll never transfer it without my consent. These words surprised everyone in the room. Loyalty Formula was one of the arts that had propelled Su Dingqian to fame, only second to his primary cultivation, the Vast Ocean Chapter. Cultivating the former would give one a somewhat better chance at crossing the divine champion threshold. Even though it wasnt a significant increase in ones chances, it was still enough to make people go crazy. Many experts already had their own path of cultivation. It was impossible for them to scrap these arts and start over in the Vast Ocean Chapter, but the Loyalty Formula could be cultivated as a supplement. Only Su Dingqians core aides would be granted the Loyalty Formula, and even then, it was only the first part. Despite that, a large number of experts were willing to work for the city lord for this opportunity. This was also one of the reasons Port City was able to exceed the three great powers. Now that Su Dingqian was offering the formula directly, it went to show how much importance he attached to Qianye. Qianye knew he could no longer refuse. As such, he said with a bow, Then, I offer my thanks to the city lord. Seeing Qianye agree, Su Dingqian laughed loudly. Great! Set up a banquet right away, we must get drunk tonight! However, the present situation was worrisome. There were army corps from various factions moving frequently outside the city. As such, under the discussion of all the generals, Su Dingqian decided to delay the banquet and hold it after the war. He sent people to pack and move Qianyes belongings. Since the latter had decided to fight for Port City, it wasnt appropriate for him to live in a hotel. Su Dingqian sent some men to clear out a courtyard in the noble district for Qianye to live in. After Qianye had left, the lanky man who had brought him here couldnt help but ask, City Lord, arent you favoring this brat too much? Im afraid our brothers might be dissatisfied. As I see it, a rank-twelve champion isnt worth that much attention! Although hes young and has great potential, you cant be sure if hes willing to work for you after he matures. Su Dingqian spoke slowly, Heh, youve followed me for so long. When have you ever seen me misjudge someone? Theres probably more to this Mr. Zhao than his shocking potential. The lanky man asked a couple more questions, but Su Dingqian was no longer willing to argue. He waved his hand and said, Go and work on the defenses! Remember my words, do not provoke Mr. Zhao. Whatever he requires, do your best to fulfill it. The lanky man wasnt quite satisfied, but Su Dingqians prestige was unquestionable. He didnt dare complain more about something the city lord had already decided upon. Eventually, only Su Dingqian was left in the study. He watched Qianyes receding figure through the french windows and broke into a laugh. Since you even dare to kill the Wolf Kings son, lets see if theres anything you dont dare to do. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 753: Night Before the War By the time Qianye arrived at the new residence, the atmosphere in the city was evidently tenser. Wounded adventurers could be found everywhere in the city. The City Guard had occupied the road hubs in full force, replacing the Law Enforcement Unit in maintaining order. After all, the latter was only good for digging up small criminals and bullying civilians. They werent powerful enough to handle the violent and bloodthirsty hunters and mercenaries. The courtyard wasnt very big and only had three rooms to it. But due to its location in the noble district, the price was still extraordinary. At the very least, the vice-guard-captain who had escorted Qianye here seemed quite envious. He was also a champion who had followed Su Dingqian for a long time, yet he had only earned a small residence on the borders of the noble district. And even that wasnt as large as Qianyes, and the origin array was also somewhat inferior. As the Monroe Princess, Nighteye was entirely numb to the so-called luxury of the neutral lands. It made no difference where she lived. Zhuji happened to be in her hibernation phase in recent days. She was drowsy from dawn to dusk and would fall asleep wherever she was placed. By the time everything had settled down and Su Dingqians men had been sent away, Qianye took out the Dreameater Bug and placed it in front of Nighteye. Nighteyes pupils lit up after catching the scent of the beetles aura, feeling relaxed throughout her entire body. Qianye had no more hesitation after seeing her reaction and carefully cracked the crystal apart. The smokey wisp trapped inside shot out immediately and almost seemed like it would escape. It was extremely fast, but how could it escape Qianyes grasp? Immediately after escaping the crystal, it was engulfed by an origin power resembling the speckled glow of dawns light and delivered to Nighteye. Nighteye quietly circulated the mental formula provided by Su Dingqian, and then inhaled the wisp of smoke in one go. The Dreameater Bug existed between material and ephemeral states but mostly remained in a misty form. After inhaling the bug, Nighteye felt as though a stream of ice had entered her body, quickly transforming into countless icy specks that spread throughout her body. After the chill had receded, she felt increasingly relaxed as though a small part of the spider webs wrapped tightly around her had been peeled offevery corner of her consciousness was cheering in jubilation. How does it feel? Qianye asked in concern. Very good, its useful for me. But Qianye interrupted her, As long as its useful! Ill get more of it for you. There was no telling when he would be able to find the spirit-healing Marine Lotus. Now that Qianye had run into this Dreameater Bug, he naturally wouldnt let go of this opportunity. A wave of sleepiness washed over Nighteye after ingesting the Dreameater Bug. Soon, she could no longer open her eyes and fell asleep after saying she was feeling tired. Qianye wasnt worried, either. On the contrary, he was delighted because vampires usually underwent regeneration in their sleep. Her current state proved that the healing effects of the Dreameater Bug were even better than expected. After placing Nighteye on the bed, Qianye left the chambers and sat down in the living room to contemplate the situation. With such outstanding effects, the Dreameater Bug was naturally quite valuable. Su Dingqian was no saint, but a formidable character who dominated an entire region. Now that he was willing to bring out such a treasure along with the Loyalty Formula, one could easily guess how troublesome Qianyes potential opponents were. Caressing the now-empty lacquer box, Qianye muttered with a sigh, Is this to deal with the Wolf King? Since it was Bloodyshirt who had told Su Dingqian about him, it was very likely that the two crafty men had already found out about Qianyes identity in the neutral lands. After all, Qianye was searching for Xue Xingsan. After connecting all the dots together, they would find out that Qianye and Nighteye were actually looking for Cui Yuanhai. Consequently, the city lord would easily know that they were the ones wanted by the Wolf King as well as their accomplishments in the Black Grove. Considering this, the price Su Dingqian had paid to recruit them couldnt be considered a loss since he had obtained the power of two people. But how could someone like Su Dingqian be content with merely not losing? He was actually betting on Nighteye and Qianye having other hidden aces, as well as their future potential. One had to admit that this Su Dingqian was truly an expert in foresight. Additionally, he was quite certain that Qianye wouldnt go to the Wolf Kings side at the very least. However, he probably didnt know of Qianye and Nighteyes identities in the empire and Evernight. If he did, the price he was willing to offer wouldnt have stopped there. The Loyalty Formula Su Dingqian considered as his winning chip was actually of no use to Qianye. From the Zhao clans accumulated knowledge and experience, Qianye knew that this so-called divine champion threshold was actually decided by two factors, one of them being the purity of ones origin power. Different cultivation arts would produce origin power of different attributes and purity. Those lacking in purity simply couldnt condense their power into crystal form and thus fail to become divine champions. The other key factor was how much origin power the body could accommodate. The stronger ones body, the more origin power it could contain and the more backlash it could tolerate from high-grade arts. Since ancient times, countless cultivators had been stuck at these two hurdles. After cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, Qianye knew that less than a tenth of ones origin power would remain after condensation and purificationdespite possessing the required arts, people would die of old age if their cultivation speed couldnt keep up. In truth, Qianye already had a good idea about the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls problem and why the clan wouldnt cultivate it despite the familys decline. In addition to the unsolvable issue of yin-yang balance, the over-purification of origin power by the Glory and Mystery chapters was also a problem. Ten parts of origin power Qianye had cultivated via the Combatant Formula would only produce one part of Venus Dawn. The core cultivation arts of the major clans and imperial family produced far purer origin power as compared to the Combatant Formula, but after landing in the hands of the two chapters, only one part of the purest origin power would be produced out of eight parts the original. The problem lay in the fact thatwith the exception of people like Zhao Jundu, Ji Tianqing, and Song Ziningeven someone of Zhao Junhongs talents wouldnt be able to accumulate enough origin power until their eighties. They would never be able to touch the divine champion threshold by cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. It was even worse for other people with slower cultivation speeds. Qianyes powerful ancient vampire constitution allowed him to push the Combatant Formula beyond fifty cycles and derive the Profound Combatant Formula. This wasnt without precedent, but only a handful of people like the Martial Ancestor and Zhang Boqian had managed this. The origin power produced by the Profound Combatant Formula wasnt that pure, but it was as abundant and endless as the ocean wavesa single cultivation session would net him more than ten times the origin power compared to ordinary cultivation arts. Only such a cultivation speed could match the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls terrifying requirements. In the future, the Profound Combatant Formula would improve along with Qianyes constitution. There was no need for other secret inheritances because this was the most suitable art for him. Additionally, the vampires also had their own cultivation arts. There were numerous secret arts hidden within the inheritance of the River of Blood. But vampires could advance by absorbing essence blood. Since Qianye had been constantly embroiled in great battles, his body was always in a near-overflowing state. For vampires, an over-conversion of essence blood would result in a gradual decrease in bloodline purity. Hence, they couldnt absorb an unlimited amount of essence blood. With the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, Qianye could absorb and convert vast amounts of essence blood, raising his bloodline power through constant battle. Just as he was deep in thought, a knock came from the courtyard doors. A city guard officer entered the compound and handed a stack of documents to Qianye. Among them was a certificate of his city-guard officer post and permits to freely enter the noble district and other critical military areas. There were also instructions for the exchange of military contributions. To Qianye, the first two papers were not exactly necessary. There was no critical area in Port City apart from the city lord mansion, and the city walls were only tall enough to deter ordinary people. Had they built it any taller, the wall wouldve collapsed before any attack due to the Earth Dragons movements. There was a long string of rare resources on the contribution exchange list, including the Dreameater Bug Qianye wanted! He pointed to the Dreameater Bug and said, Is the production rate very high? The officer replied, The Dreameater Bug only appears when the Earth Dragon becomes restless. Every time, all experts in the city including the City Lord will take action in order to catch some of them. We usually catch a couple hundred during good harvests and less than a hundred during bad ones. Qianye relaxed a bit. Thats not a small number. The officer immediately shook his head. Sir Zhao, youre wrong on that! The Earth Dragon only becomes restless every couple of years, the longest gap being ten. You can do the math, this harvest divided by the number of years results in a few dozen each year. This small quota isnt enjoyed by our Port City alone, we have to share some with the surrounding three powers, too. Not much remains after that. At this point, he glanced at Qianye in envy. Sir Zhao immediately obtained the City Lords favor and was bestowed a Dreameater Bug in advance. You have no idea how many people are jealous of you! This is, after all, something that can help one become a divine champion. Qianye had watched Nighteye consume the bug and also heard her recount the feeling thereafter. He naturally knew that this Dreameater Bug could purify ones blood energy or origin power a bit in addition to repairing the spirit. Indeed, it could increase ones chances of crossing the divine champion realm, but the increase was simply too small. Eating dozens of it might improve the odds by ten percent or so. This wasnt a bad deal, but unfortunately, even Su Dingqian himself couldnt monopolize everything. If it wasnt for the minuscule increase of each Dreameater Bug, its price wouldnt be this low, either. The contribution exchange booklet stated that whoever killed an enemy champion or viscount would be awarded one Dreameater Bug. Qianye made some calculations and realized that Su Dingqian was expecting him to kill five enemy champions or more. This wasnt a loss for him. If Qianye could clip the enemy forces wings in large numbers, Su Dingqian could focus on the enemy divine champion. The benefits this would bring to the bigger picture was more than just a few champions. Qianye put down the documents and proceeded to chat with the officer. He learned that the three armies would arrive near Port City the following day. Tonight was the last peaceful night before the big battle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 754: Reality The battle was fairly complicated. In name, Port City had no part in the fight and was only picked as the battleground due to bad luck. Yet, everyone knew that there was no such thing as genuine bad luck. It was just that they were unsure which party had designs on the city; maybe every party had the same thought. In terms of power, the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons forces were made up of other races, while the Wolf Kings side was represented by humans. Port City was mostly occupied by humans, including the City Lord Su Dingqian. Yet, his appointment of Qianye was more of a deterrent to the Wolf King than anything. At this point, Qianye still wasnt sure who the enemy really was. Su Dingqians stance on the war was fairly stricthe had designated an area a hundred kilometers around Port City as a warzone. Any army entering the region would be attacked on sight. In the depths of the quiet night, Qianye was sitting in the courtyard after preparing his equipment, waiting for the coming dawn. He left the little compound as the first rays of dawn washed over the vast land. The vice captain of the city lords guard was waiting at his door to personally drive him to the city gates. General Zhao, are you leaving the city already? Arent you going to wait until later? Since Qianye had already accepted the identity of a city guard officer, the vice guard captains address changed from Mr. Zhao to General Zhao. In the face of an organized army, sniping under the cover of the night was a common choice. Qianye didnt reply, opting only to reply with a smile. The vice guard captain didnt inquire further, either. An experts combat style was his privacy, and one might very well be inviting trouble by knowing more. The vice-captain drove Qianye ten kilometers out before turning back. The landscape outside of the city was hilly and uneven, but it was mostly occupied by low hillocks and gently sloping valleys, with little to no dangerous geography. Qianye waved his hand after the vice-captain had left, and the field backpack behind him vanished into Andruils Mysterious Realm. He fished out a map and studied it in detail. He found a small town a couple kilometers away and decided to take a look there. Several kilometers took but a moment for Qianye. The small town was actually of considerable scale and home to thousands of people. The houses here were similarly short and simple, so much so that there wasnt a single two-storied house. The tremors from the Earth Dragon flipping over would cover hundreds of kilometers. This little town had gone through countless cycles of destruction and reconstructionsuch a small settlement wouldnt have the budget for arrays that protected buildings. When Qianye walked into town, the entire place was in chaos. Many people had packed their luggage and were leaving their homes for Port City, while others were scattering in different directions. An elderly man who looked like a tribal chief was speaking to a couple dozen people, This battle is clearly directed at Port City. Running to the city at this point is akin to jumping into a fiery pit. How can there be any city defenses? Even I can jump over those short walls! But they have City Lord Su! Some young members were dissatisfied. No matter how strong the city lord is, hes alone! Do you think the Wolf King and Spider Emperor are inferior to him? Besides, City Lord Su is a heavenly character. Even if he can protect Port City, do you think hell even notice little bastards like you? In a fight between these major characters, youll lose your life just by getting close. The young clansmen were still dissatisfied, but they couldnt out-debate the elder. In the end, they clambered onto the car unwillingly. Two truck engines rumbled as the vehicles drove out of the town with great difficulty and steered away into the distance. What Qianye found surprising was that the passengers on the car were all strong warriors, while the old, the sick, and the women had to walk behind. Qianye scanned the group and found that those on the car possessed enough origin power cultivation to qualify as members of the city guard. Meanwhile, the walkers were ordinary people or of rank-one cultivation at most. He understood the reasoning after some contemplation. This family was actually leaving the young warriors in a state of vigor and strength in order to deal with the dangers on the road ahead. And when needed, the old and weak behind the motorcade would be sacrificed. From this, one could see just how cruel the neutral lands were. Just like that, the residents of the small town left to escape the war. Many of them wouldve been qualified soldiers in the empire, but in the neutral lands, they were helpless members of the lowest rung of society. Qianye passed through the town, walking against the hurried tide of people. All of a sudden, he saw two people in the depths of a small alley. Having thought of something, Qianye walked in. The ambient light there was rather dim and an uncomfortable smell rushed at his face. Both clad in civilian clothing, the two men were currently lying still in a puddle of mud. The water under their bodies had turned a deep purple. Apparently, they had already bled out. The sounds of coarse breathing arrived from the alley corner. One could even make out the clear sounds of a rapidly beating heart. Additionally, Qianye could sense that persons blood flowing at increased speedshe seemed to be extremely nervous. Feigning ignorance, Qianye stepped over the two corpses and turned to the corner. The person hiding behind the wall leapt up and stabbed ruthlessly at Qianyes waist! This dagger was fast, fierce, and absolutely merciless. He wanted to kill Qianye. The assailants power, however was simply too minuscule. The dagger had just touched Qianyes combat robes when the latter caught him by the wrist and crushed the bones therein. The ambusher screamed in misery and fell to the ground, trembling in pain. This person was dressed in a mercenary uniform and had a bandage around his waist that was seeping blood. Additionally, there were several wounds of different shapes and sizes on his body. The bigger ones had been hastily dressed, but the smaller ones were still visible. It would seem he had no time to deal with them at all. Qianye was indifferent to this mercenarys plight. He had never shown mercy to those who wanted to kill their own people. He reached out to grab the man and pinned him to the wall. Why were you trying to kill me? Speak, and Ill let you die quickly. The mercenarys expression was dismal. He pointed at the civilian corpses and said, I thought you were with them. Our group managed to flee back here with great difficulty; only three of us were left out of the dozens. But these bastards saw our injuries and tried to rob us of our equipment! Old Wang and Iron Tiger survived the battlefield only to die in their hands! Qianye followed the mercenarys finger and saw two mercenaries dead against the wall. There were half a dozen civilian corpses around them, all of them full of injuries. Apparently, the battle here was exceptionally fierce. These town residents had wanted to rob the heavily injured mercenaries but didnt expect them to have so much strength remaining. In the end, they paid for their deeds with their lives. The mercenary in Qianyes grasp was also in bad shape and didnt have long to live. He had been guarding the alleyway, looking to drag a couple more down with him. No one would look into this matter amidst the chaos. Qianye sighed inwardly. He had gained a new understanding of the disorder in the neutral lands. He loosened his grip and, leaving the mercenary on the ground, headed into the depths of the alley. Wait, save me! the mercenary cried out. Qianye walked on, pretending not to have heard anything. Youre so powerful, why not save me!? The mans cries were filled with misery. Qianye maintained his rate of advancement and was soon going to leave the alley. The mercenarys face was full of malice as he roared, Since you refuse to save me, go to hell! He used his relatively good left hand to grab his origin gun and fired at the back of Qianyes head. The latter sidestepped the incoming projectile. A mere grade-three origin gun was simply too slow for him. Actually, the bullet wouldnt have injured him even if he had remained still. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers and fired three backward shots. One of them shattered the mercenarys left hand and origin gun while the other two broke his legs. Qianyes figure flickered and appeared before the man once more. Now youll die a slow death. When Qianye walked out of the small alleyway, the mercenarys wretched cries and curses were still echoing behind him. Qianye was absolutely unconcerned about the curses from such weaklings. Besides, the pain of having his four limbs broken was punishment enough for him. This experience left him with a hint of puzzlementwas the neutral lands filled with such twisted, crazy people? The exodus continued throughout the small town, accompanied by the occasional sound of gunshots. The people here had gathered in familial units and would fire without hesitation if another wave of people were to approach. They were like wolf-packs, baring their fangs and claws at each other, and attempting to intimidate the other party from a distance. Qianye left the small town and headed for his next destination. There was a sizeable village ten kilometers away, home to a couple hundred people. There were countless villages like this scattered around Port City. Spiked rats and rainbow fish would be driven out of the earth whenever the Earth Dragon turned over or became agitated. Many of these villagers made a living by capturing such local resources. The area Su Dingqian had demarcated was traditionally a part of Port Citys territory. The towns and villages in the area needed to pay taxes to the city in exchange for protection and the right to reside there. Qianye spent half a day patrolling several villages. The ones in the periphery had long since been emptied as the townspeople fled the battlefield. The only ones left behind were those old people who couldnt travel. There were some people left in the towns closer to Port City, but they were also preparing to leave. Battles between divine champions werent rare in the neutral lands. Su Dingqian himself had fought several times against the Wolf King and Spider Emperor. Port Citys outstanding position was something he had forged by hand. The effects of a clash between divine champions stretched far and wideordinary people simply couldnt survive. While patrolling one of the villages, Qianye encountered a mercenary corps in the process of resupplying, sourcing goods from the villagers who hadnt yet managed to flee. This ten-man group hadnt yet encountered a battle just yet. It would seem they were just going around and looking for villages to resupply at. Seeing Qianye on his own, these people began to crowd over like a pack of wolves that had discovered a sheep. Moments later, when Qianye left the village, everyone from that bandit mercenary corps had turned into corpses. The few battles on the first day were actually between human civilians and mercenaries. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 755: A Peculiar Order The territory here was basically empty. It felt like the defenses had self-destructed before the enemy had even arrived. But this was a necessary wisdom required for ordinary civilians to survive. In the face of an incoming enemy, they would scatter like startled rabbits and hide in the corners of the vast wilderness. Perhaps some people might land in the enemys way, but most of them would manage to conceal themselves. This saved them from being wiped out in one fell swoop. As for their homes, those simple nests could be rebuilt anytime. Qianye had arrived at the borders of the battleground at this point and would soon leave Su Dingqians demarcation pretty soon. This border-line, however, had little restraint on Qianyes activities. He kept on approaching the war zone in a bid to better understand the enemies movements. Moments later, Qianye climbed atop a hill. This place was the highest point in the area and offered a great field of view. He produced a powerful scope and began observing the surroundings, especially the areas beyond the warzones. At the same time, his figure appeared in a different scope. This pair of eyes, hidden in the shadows, was observing Qianyes every move. Qianye put down his scope after a moment of observation and ran toward a different hill to his front. The person hiding in the distance also put away his binoculars. This person possessed a chiseled face and clear-cut featuresquite shockingly, this was the vice-commander of Port Citys army. He handed the binoculars to his subordinate and said, This Zhao Ye moves like a veteran. He might actually give us a pleasant surprise. The subordinate sneered, Hes only rank twelve, no matter how much of a veteran he is. This battle will still depend on the commanders. The vice commander said with a flash of gloominess in his eyes, The battle this time wont be that easy. Its a good thing if people like them can kill a couple of enemies and reduce the pressure on us. The subordinate was astonished. He had never seen this vice-commander so serious. The vice-commander left in a different direction, seemingly prepared to patrol the defensive line and, in passing, observe the performance of the newcomers. No small number of warriors had been recruited. To these independent experts, cultivation required resources left and right. It was the same to whom they sold their lives. As long as the bounty was sufficient, this was just another mission for them. They might be standing on Port Citys side this time, but they might very well become enemies next time. This was the same for Qianye. He was in this battle because of the Dreameater Bug. As for who was in the right or wrong, he made no distinction. There wasnt a need to, either, because every party had a reason to fight in the neutral lands. In Qianyes vision, a small patrol group was traveling rapidly toward Port City. This unit was made up of a dozen-odd soldiers, including two rather powerful arachne. Qianye could see the Crystal-Spider Insignia on their armor even from several kilometers away. Qianye jumped up lightly, almost as though his body was weightless. He circled around under the cover of the landscape and chased the Crystal Spider unit from an angle. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had arrived less than a hundred meters away, but he was shocked just as he was about to take the next step. Instead of landing, his body floated upward and glided forward briefly. Only then did his feet finally strike the ground. There was a small, dirt-colored spider where he was previously going to land. If Qianye had stepped down instead, he wouldve killed this critter. The arachnid blended perfectly into its surroundings, so much so that Qianye might not have noticed it if it were in the wilderness. However, past experience told Qianye that he couldnt be careless about any kind of spider appearing near an arachne. There were simply too many kinds of servspiders, covering a wide range of functions. Some servspiders were actually part of the local wildlife. It was just that they had been temporarily taken over by an arachne. That earthen yellow spider gazed at Qianye, its compound eyes pulsing with an intelligent glow. Then, it actually started crawling toward him. Qianye immediately knew that this was a servspider, and that it had already noticed him. Since he had been noticed, there was no longer a need to hold back. Qianye stomped the creature to death with a pfft, drew East Peak, and charged toward the nearby scouting party. The battle ended quickly. The two arachne in the squad simply had no power to retaliate and were knocked out in quick succession. Since even the arachne had been thus dispatched, there was no need to explain the fate of the others. A unit without an overseeing champion was useless against Qianye, no matter how big it was. After dealing with this small unit, Qianye kicked one of the arachne awake. This arachnid was fairly violent and wanted to retaliate the moment it had woken up. Yet, the strength it was so proud of was insignificant before Qianye. A slap from East Peak sent him sprawling back onto the ground, barely able to move his limbs. This time, it recognized the situation clearly, realizing that this small human was actually an expert he couldnt contend with. Where are you from? Qianye inquired. The arachne pointed at the crest on his armor. Cant you see? This is the Crystal Spider! Were the strongest corps under the Spider Emperor. You better think about the consequences of provoking us. Qianye broke into a laugh. Consequences? All I have to do is silence everyone. The arachne immediately came to his senses. His expression became extremely awkward, and his heart was filled with regret. Seeing the spiders momentum decreasing repeatedly, Qianye asked, What are you here for? Of course, were here to fight the Wolf King! The arachne blurted out, but he gradually lowered his head under Qianyes gaze. Were here to investigate the area around Port City. Qianye nodded at the relatively reasonable objective. The first two questions were intentional and only seeing if the arachne was speaking the truth. The third question was the key. Did you have any special orders for this mission? What special orders? The arachne looked a bit puzzled, but there was a fluctuation in his body during the reply. How could this escape Qianyes notice? Its fine if you don''t want to speak, Ill just ask him after a while. Qianye pointed at the knocked-out arachne. You do know what will happen to you if he decides to speak the truth, right? The arachne was fierce but not entirely without fear of death. He hesitated for a moment before saying, The superiors asked us to pay attention to the human settlements and the number of people escaping toward Port City. Human settlements? You mean the villages, towns, and cities? Yes, including major hiding places. Not all people around Port City were scattered. Some villages and clans would construct strong forts in areas with easily defensible geography. These structures usually lay in remote areas and amidst dangerous landscapes. There was no value in conquering them, only wasted time and energy. That was why regular armies would usually let these small settlements be. They could take their time clearing them out after eliminating the enemy army. Qianye noticed something off about this order. As he saw it, the villages surrounding Port City were just groups of crude shacks with no real value. What was the point of occupying them? Those forts had no tactical worth, either. It also wouldnt quite make sense if the scouting party was here to study the local geography and collect intelligence. There was nothing special about the Port City area apart from a single large river. Besides, a squad wasnt necessary to collect such information. A single wind-spider was much more efficient for the job. He believed the arachne was telling the truth, precisely because he found it odd. Even so, he still knocked the spider out and woke the other up. After a round of threatening and intimidation, Qianye received the same answer. As a scouting party of the lowest tier, all they needed to do was follow ordersthey couldnt and neednt know anything else. Knowing that he could find out nothing more, Qianye knocked the second spider out again. In the distance, a pair of eyes was observing Qianye once more. A blue tinge emerged in Qianyes eyes. He had sensed the spy but acted as if nothing was wrong. He searched all the members of the scouting party, cleaned up the spoils, and tied the captives together with the handful of grenades he had just found on them. Qianye left in haste, leaving behind a violent explosion and a mass of smoke and flames that rose hundreds of meters into the sky. The ruckus was huge. The vice-commander of the city guard lowered his binoculars with a gloomy expression. The subordinate beside him said with a frown, This Zhao Ye is causing such a mess! Causing such a stir, does he want everyone to know about it? Besides, cant he capture a few live prisoners? The vice commander said, Hes gotten everything he needs. Besides, dont you realize why he did this? Look at the place he chose to take action. At the border of the warzone, hard to tell if its within the demarcation or not. But what does that have to do with anything? Has the Spider Emperor declared war on us? The subordinate seemed to have understood. He inhaled deeply, saying, We We cant attack them proactively, at least not yet. Thats why Zhao Ye has erased all traces while dealing a blow to the enemy. Even though we saw everything, we cant say anything because theres no proof. That subordinates eyes rolled about all of a sudden. He mustve gotten something out of them just now. Why dont we chase him down and make him cough up whatever hes learned? This subordinate thinks whatever information hes obtained just now must be very important. The vice-commander was moved, but he shook his head in the end. Lets go catch ourselves a scouting party. Sir, youre throwing away whats near and seeking something from afar. The vice-commander hesitated for a moment but made no comment on this. In the end, he waved his hand, saying, Continue patrolling. After running over ten kilometers, Qianye finally noticed that the gaze on his back had vanished. Only then did he turn back and mutter to himself, Given up? My turn then. Qianyes aura gradually faded away and became one with the wilderness. Unless there was a powerful expert scanning the area, the only way to spot Qianye was to spot him with the naked eye. It was just that there were all too many ways to deceive ones eyes. Qianye increased his speed and closed in on those who were spying on him. All this while, the peculiar orders of the two arachne lingered constantly on his mind. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 756: Stalemate Before long, Qianye had discovered the two men advancing stealthily across the wilderness. Their concealment abilities were outstanding, but there was no way they could hide their origin power fluctuations from Qianyes eyes. The vice-commander hadnt realized that Qianye had discovered them. He made a gesture ordering his subordinate to follow him. The two went into hiding behind a nearby hill, waiting for a scouting party that was due to pass by. Judging from their uniforms, this scouting party belonged to the Wolf King. There were three young, valiant-looking werewolves among them, observing the surroundings in a cautious manner. The vice commander was far more powerful than these werewolves. He didnt even need to take action personally. That subordinate alone subdued the entire squad and began interrogating them. Due to the distance, Qianye didnt know what the other party was asking, but he could see the vice commanders expression turning sour by the minute. Apparently, it wasnt good news at all. It was at this moment that the vice-commander realized someone was spying on them. He suddenly turned around and glanced in Qianyes direction. The latter remained completely still with his aura retracted. The distance between them far exceeded the visual range of an ordinary expert. Only Qianye, with his supernatural eyesight, could see everything clearly. As long as he remained immobile, he would be no different from a speck of dust to the vice-commanderthere was simply no way to distinguish him. Seeing nothing, the vice commander mumbled to himself for a while, took out his binoculars, and scanned the area once more. There was an eerie purple radiance flickering on the scopeit clearly wasnt an ordinary pair of binoculars. Qianye had seen this kind of apparatus before. Specifically made to detect reflected light from other scopes, it could be used to find enemy snipers and scouts. Qianye, however, wasnt using any kind of scope and merely relying on his superior vision to spy on his targets. He was only using a scope before because he knew someone was observing him from afar. He was merely pretending to throw off the other partys judgment. Finding nothing, the vice commander grudgingly put away the binoculars. Then, he proceeded to kill the werewolves one after the other and left after setting up a trap. Qianye had already recognized this vice-commander. It would seem he was in charge of patrolling this segment of the battlefront. As an outsider, it was only natural that they would be cautious about him. Just as Qianye was thinking whether or not he should follow them, he sensed something all of a sudden and dove sideways. He had just left his original position when a sniper bullet landed there, immediately producing a small, deep hole. Qianye was astonished because this shot had come entirely out of the blue. He had only detected the projectile as it was approaching him. In addition, its firepower wasnt small at all. Even he would suffer injuries if struck. Qianye turned about and glanced in the direction of the shot, but all he could see was a faint, grey silhouette in the distance. The assailant was like a distorted smudge against the backdrop colorsit was difficult to even tell his race, let alone how he looked. That person fled immediately after missing the shot. A shrill voice echoed in Qianyes ears at this moment. Pretty good, brat. Well play this game slowly. That wisp of grey warped and vanished against the vast land. No one knew what secret art he had used, but the man had disappeared entirely from Qianyes perception. Qianye didnt give chase and, instead, returned to the original spot to observe the bullethole. The hole was extremely deep and its walls were smooth. It wasnt hot to the touch, either. On the contrary, there was a cold dampness about it that proved the owners odd origin power attribute. The last opponent who had managed to approach and snipe Qianye without his notice was Eden, and that was in the Misty Wood. It would seem that the people from the Wolf King and the Spider Emperors side werent that easy to deal with, either. All of them had secretly dispatched experts to penetrate the other side of the battlefield. Qianye neither continued chasing the vice-captain nor traveled far. Instead, he remained in place with his aura retracted and waited for nightfall. That mysterious assassin probably hadnt imagined his target to be here. Qianye didnt mind giving him a surprise if he were to come back and check the scene. However, the sniper didnt appear until midnight. Only then did Qianye rise and sneak toward a certain direction. All of a sudden, a powerful origin power fluctuation arrived from the distance. Apparently, there were experts fighting in that direction. Qianye hastened his steps and approached the battlefield. He wouldnt be stingy about helping out if there were people from his side involved. Port City was at a disadvantage in this war and thus needed to preserve as much strength as it could. The battle he saw upon scaling the hill far exceeded his expectations. Several experts were locked in a fierce battle, along with the dozens of soldiers under their command. The vice-commander who had followed Qianye before was also among them. He was suppressing an enemy count and two viscounts on his own, giving them no opportunity at retaliation. In the periphery, dozens of high-ranking soldiers from either side were locked in a bloody battle. All of them were hoping to wipe out the enemy and provide what little assistance they could to their experts. Judging from the situation, the forces of Port City were at a slight advantage. It would be a sure win if that subordinate of his could score a victory against his current opponent and help the vice-commander share one of his. Of course, the other party wasnt made up of idiots, either. They would surely retreat before that could happen. Qianye concealed his aura and gradually approached the battlefield. At this moment, he suddenly noticed a tiny origin power fluctuation in the distance. This little bit of origin power would be easily overlooked during a fierce battle, but Qianye remembered this aura. This was the person who had nearly landed a shot on Qianye a while ago. His concealment ability was extremely powerful. Qianye might not have sensed his existence if it wasnt for the unavoidable leakage of aura before the shot. During the split second that could potentially decide the outcome of this battle, Qianye made the instantaneous decision to charge at that assassin! This time, Qianye used every ounce of strength he had. He flitted across hundreds of meters and arrived like a bolt of lightning. At this moment, the origin bullet had just left the chamber and was flying toward the battlefield, shrouded in a layer of deep greyish energy. The sniper finally revealed his form briefly. The shape seemed humanoid, but at a glance, he looked like a distorted mass of greyish white colors. Just as he was about to reach his target, a shadow suddenly appeared before him. This entity looked like one of those fabled knightshe was clad in a full suit of heavy armor, the only opening being a slit in his visor. This strange knight barred Qianyes path, shouting, Bulwark! His arms spread out to form a shield of origin power, the surface of which was decorated with a dense array of almost tangible runes. Apparently, its defensive prowess was extraordinary. In a great hurry, Qianye hoisted the origin gun made by Cui Yuanhai and fired, the massive recoil stunting the momentum of his charge. The origin gun spat out a rather large ball of flames which struck the knights shield with great ferocity. Following a loud boom, the heavily armored knight took a step back. The origin shield in his hand was flickering on the verge of collapse. However, it actually didnt shatter after taking an all-out blast. Qianyes pupils contracted, realizing that this knight was, just like Wei Potian, a defense specialist. Wei Potian still had some offensive techniques, but this person seemed to be entirely focused on defense in terms of his secret arts, equipment and talent abilities. That secret art called Indestructible Bulwark was rather ridiculously named, but it really wasnt destroyed in this exchange. The knight was evidently shocked by Qianyes attack. He glanced contemplatively at the flickering shield in his hand, his thoughts unknown. At this moment, the grey silhouette had also stood up. Although his eyes werent visible, it was clear that his gaze was fixated upon Qianye. The formless glare was so sharp that it stung his skin ever so slightly. Qianye was wary because the ability of these two men complemented each other well. Their power would increase exponentially when working together. Qianye gauged the duo at rank twelve or so, but their combined abilities were extremely difficult to deal with. There was probably no way to keep them here without revealing his aces. However, Qianye didnt want to reveal too much in front of everyone. After all, the curtains had just risen on the war. To him, this wasnt a battle of hatred and enmity; just another way to earn mercenary rewards. The two mysterious assassins also stopped their advance, apparently worried about getting entangled with this difficult opponent. Meanwhile, the battle on the other end was still going onthe grey shadows shot had missed due to Qianyes sudden appearance. The two assassins exchanged glances, then slowly pulled back. At the same time, they pointed at Qianyes back. Understanding their intention, Qianye also nodded and began retreating. Both parties went back into hiding after putting the distance between them. The casualties on the battlefield were severe, but the wounded were all soldiers. The experts from either side only suffered light injuries. They also seemed to have sensed the changes and lost the will to keep on fighting. Eventually, both sides stopped fighting and left the scene along with their wounded. As for the corpses and those who couldnt be transported, they were abandoned in the field. Qianye watched with a heavy heart. If this were in the empire, the military tradition was to fight for the remains of comrades. The tribes of Evernight also attached great importance to remains because they were bloodline descendants. In this place, and especially at such a time, people had neither the strength to spare for moving corpses nor methods to suppress their smell. Transporting the deceased in such a manner would make them easy targets. Qianye stood silently with his aura retracted, almost like a rock in the wilderness. Some shadows appeared in the distance and approached rapidly. A werewolf raised his head and sniffed the scent in the air. He then turned back and growled before running toward the battlefield. Those at the back slowed down and approached in a cautious formation. This group of a hundred was wearing the colors of the Wolf King. The three viscounts among them proved that this was an elite hunting party. The werewolf who had arrived first observed the corpses strewn across the ground. Then, he pointed left and right, sending a couple of werewolves in each direction to act as sentries. That werewolf walked quickly around the battlefield, sniffing constantly as though he were searching for something. He issued a low growla while later, several werewolves walked over carrying some corpses on their backs, then left in due haste. That werewolf personally stood guard in the vicinity with a dozen or so elite warriors. If this were the Misty Wood, Qianye couldve taken down such a squad. But the surroundings here were fairly empty despite the rising slopes, and he had to take that grey shadow assassin into account. It would be too dangerous if he were to get entangled. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 757: Secret Warehouse This groups movement was fairly odd. The battlefield had been swept clean, and there was nothing of value left on the bodies. Yet, they were still moving these bodies away. Judging from the direction they were headed in, they seemed to be retreating. Could they have come all the way here just for some corpses? Qianye thought about tailing them, but Nighteye and Zhuji were still in the city. Although they were fairly capable of protecting themselves, Qianye wasnt willing to go very far, lest what had happened in the empire repeat itself. The neutral lands was quite a peculiar place. Many unique resources back in the empire came from this place. This was a land filled with unknown dangers where just about anything could happen. The situation on the battlefield was gradually turning seriousin addition to the increasing number of experts, there were numerous peculiar abilities he had never seen before. Qianye decided not to take the risk, at least not for this battle. Hence, he gave up on following them and, instead, went to find a good place to set up an ambush. Perhaps an unsuspecting prey would walk right in. Qianye picked a lofty rock and camouflaged himself in a shallow pit nearby. This rock was rather eye-catchingeveryones reaction upon seeing it would be to give it a quick scan before observing the surroundings. First glances were, naturally, never too detailed, and Qianye intended to make use of this psychological oversight. Very few people under the divine champion level could sense him in his fully concealed state after all. Qianye didnt have to wait very long before a fully cloaked figure appeared over the horizon. This person moved rhythmically and with extreme speed, displaying ample elegance despite his cautious movements. This was a classic vampire characteristic, but to Qianye who had gotten used to the grace of a true superior vampire like Nighteye, this persons movements seemed somewhat forced. Dealing with vampires was Qianyes specialty. The target walked past, completely unaware of Qianyes existence. The latter pushed a blood-energy-laced origin bullet into the Twin Flowers and fired at the vampires leg. The two were less than a hundred meters away, but due to its low weapon-grade, the origin power fluctuations from the Twin Flowers was quite small. This caught the vampire entirely off guard. To a first-rank viscount, this was nothing but a tiny flesh wound, but the sneak attack filled him with shock and fury. He quickly drew his weapon and glared fixedly at Qianye. The odd giant sword with its serrated edge looked fairly odd on him, a stark contrast to the elegance he had been trying so hard to maintain. There was a large barrel on the spine of the sword and its hilt served both as a handle and a triggerit was actually a combination of a gun and a sword. Disdain filled the vampires eyes as he stared at Qianye and his Twin Flowers. He said in a weird, aria-like voice, You dare to ambush the brave and intelligent First Rank Viscount Robert. I must say I admire your courage, stupidity, and luck. Im quite surprised that a continent-made gun of that quality actually injured me. The Twin Flowers was clearly a continent-made product. The guns craftsmanship was exquisite and simple. Moreover, its firepower didnt diminish in the neutral lands due to Andruils modification. Qianye fired this shot from the Bloody Datura because he knew it was enough to injure the target. This Robert seemed quite talkative and especially liked to announce his victory in front of weak enemies. He wasnt in a rush to deal with Qianye and instead spoke in a slow, arrogant voice, I shall consider giving you a quick death if you prostrate before me in praise and pleading. You have one chance. If you can compose an eloquent poem to eulogize me, I might just let you live. Halfway through his speech, the mans expression shifted drastically. He clutched his chest violently and fell kneeling onto the ground. I whats wrong with me? Robert was both alarmed and furious. You only noticed it just now? Qianyes voice contained a hint of mockery. You poisoned the origin bullet? But what kind of poison can torment a noble like me? Vampires possessed an inherent resistance to poison that was only second to the arachne. But to them, Qianyes blood energy was a powerful toxin. Robert finally noticed that he could no longer suppress the burning blood energy inside his body. Terrified, he crawled over to Qianye, crying, S-Spare me! Ill tell you a secret that can make you the king of the neutral lands! Qianye broke into a laugh. If you know such a secret, why havent you become a king yet? I dont have the talent! Qianye crouched down in front of Robert. Speak your identity, your objective here, and everything else that might interest me. You know what the outcome will be if I find you lying. Ill speak, Ill tell you everything! Just spare me. I-Im from the Moonlight Demons, under the thirteenth assassination unit. Right, you can have this, you must let me go! Robert fished out an envelope and passed it to Qianye. There was a neatly folded paper inside of it, an exquisite hand-drawn map with two eye-catching markings on it. Whats this? A treasure map? Qianye sneered. Things like treasure maps could only fool naive kids. Not to mention whether there really were treasures here, even if there were, what was the use of merely knowing the place? Andruils secret treasury contained a wisp of his remnant will which had sent him thousands of kilometers away to prevent people from hunting him down. If someone else had made his way into the treasury, what awaited him might not be Spatial Flash but, instead, a Shot of Inception. Additionally, Qianye didnt feel like this distasteful Robert would be able to find a proper treasure. Robert trembled. The markings on this map show the two secret warehouses belonging to the Moonlight Demons, both of them are first-class stashes. This is a piece of intelligence I obtained while chasing down a deserter, but I dont have the ability to take them. If you give this map to the Spider Emperor, the Wolf King, or even Su Dingqian, youll definitely gain a handsome reward. Now thats more reasonable. Qianye nodded in secret. It was just that robbing the Moonlight Demons secret warehouse occurred only as a passing thought. Once compromised, he would become the target of an endless hunt. What are you here for? Robert answered at lightning speed. His mission here was to gather intelligence and hunt the experts of Port City in passing. As a core power of the Moonlight Demons, Roberts strength was fairly impressive. With his first-rank viscount power, he had killed many experts of the same level and had even assassinated a count once. Being a vampire count himself, Qianye knew the intrinsic difference between a viscount and a count. It was no simple matter to kill an enemy above ones level. Robert was even confident about escaping from the vice-commander of the city guard. He felt that he was safe as long as he didnt run into the commander and Su Dingqian. He had never imagined that he would encounter someone like Qianye who could disable all his abilities with a single wisp of blood energy. Qianye interrogated him thoroughly until there was nothing left to learn. Someone of Roberts position didnt know that much, either. Afterward, Qianye searched him from head to toe and found that his total fortune was quite impressive. The man was much wealthier than a vampire viscount from the Evernight side. It would seem assassination was a lucrative business here. An exquisite little lacquerware box caught Qianyes attention. There was an ancient scent coming from it that Qianye found rather familiar. His expression turned frosty the moment he unlocked the box and opened it. Within the lacquerware box was the foot of a human girl. Its outlines were fairly slim and elegant, likely belonging to a beautiful owner. Yet, it had become part of a collection in this box, and Qianye could even see the tooth marks on her ankle. This is from a blood feast? Robert was shocked. You know about blood feasts? The feast was of fairly high standards and the main dish was unprecedented in her beauty. I had to leave for this mission, so I packed a snack with me. She was so beautiful that I couldnt bear to enjoy her yet. Sire, might you be interested in it? As Robert saw it, Qianye was also a vampire and one of a powerful bloodline. Few vampires in the neutral lands were interested in blood feasts but it wasnt too rare, either. If Qianye was interested, his chances of survival would increase greatly. Im interested in you, Qianye said coldly. At the same time, his vampiric blade plunged into Roberts blood core. Sire, you Robert wasnt expecting this outcome. His voice became empty as his entire body slumped down. After having his blood essence sucked away by the vampiric blade, he could no longer suppress Qianyes blood energy, and his body soon broke down into a rotten puddle. Qianye tossed the snack to one side with a snort, and then went through Roberts things once more. In addition to the belongings worth tens of thousands of gold coins, the most valuable item he had on him was that gunblade. Afterward, Qianye left the place in due haste and went toward a different battlefield. Along the way, Qianye found the situation to be somewhat odd. Be it the Crystal Spiders scouting unit, the Wolf Kings hunting party, or Robert, all of them had different objectives. It didnt look like they were here solely for war. Moreover, the treatment he was receiving from Su Dingqian was almost as good as when he was back in the empire. At this moment, Port Citys doors were still open to all people moving in and out. The city walls made no difference whether they were there or not. It couldnt serve as part of the city defenseonly a symbol of law and order. The roar of engines echoed across the wilderness as a motorcade drove in from the distance, kicking up clouds of sand dozens of meters tall. The guards at the city gates became delighted upon seeing the insignia on the distant vehicles. Second Young Master has returned! Inform the captain! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 758: Startling Encounter The convoy was made up of seven offroad vehicles, most of them riddled with bullet marks and traces of blood. It would seem they had just experienced a fierce battle. Most of the vehicles had raised their speed to the max, almost as though they were racing. In the blink of an eye, they had sped past the gates and into the city. One by one, the cars spun to a stop in a small square amidst ear-piercing screams. None of the vehicles crashed into one another during the entire process, a testament to the skill of the drivers. A young man jumped down from the leading car and looked about. Seeing a middle-aged man walking toward him with brisk steps, he approached with a smile and said, Did I alarm Uncle Liu? The war is gradually intensifying and you have so much to do. You shouldnt need to pay attention to me. This dignified middle-aged man was the commander of the city guard, Liu Daoming. The number one expert under Su Dingqian was only one step away from the divine champion realm. Liu Daomings expression as he looked at the young man was full of helplessness and love. You know the situation outside isnt stable. How can your father not worry when youre running about outside without any news? The young man replied, Spare me, that old man? Worrying about me? I expect his thoughts to be on my brother these days! Besides, I went out to do proper work this time, and the results are quite good. How about my brother, how are things on his side? Liu Daoming sighed. Your brother is dealing with people on the outside in hopes of recruiting external help. Your fathers attention on this matter is justified because it is indeed vital to our cause. The young man smiled. Uncle Liu, dont worry. I wont ruin the fathers business just because of a quarrel for status, he still has a long life to live. Besides, its just a city lords position, whats the point of fighting for it? If I became a divine champion in the future, Ill become one without me asking. Im already catching up to my brother at the moment. How will he contend with me after two years? Liu Daoming sighed, Yuecheng, the city lords position is linked to the lives of ten thousand people. Cultivation alone isnt the deciding factor. I know, I know, youve already said that repeatedly last time, the young man said with a radiant smile. Despite knowing that the boy had absorbed none of what he had said, Liu Daoming couldnt bring himself to get angry. This young man was Su Dingqians second son and also the most talented one. Seeing that Liu Mingdao was about to lecture him again, Su Yueyuan said, Uncle Liu, let me introduce someone to you. Only when a young girl clad in black robes arrived beside Su Yueyuan did Liu Daoming notice her presence. At a sudden glance, the middle-aged man felt that something was off with her physique and ratio. She couldnt be considered good-looking, just a delicate-looking girl with mild facial features. However, that scar cutting through her brows made her look rather fierce. Seeing Liu Daomings eyes scanning her body, the girl stretched her left hand out with a smilethat was a shocking origin gun! The three barrels were flickering with a black luster, its origin array patterns extending all the way into her sleeves. The expressions of Su Yueyuans subordinates didnt look all that good upon seeing this weapon. Apparently, it reminded them of bad memories. The young warrior put her weapon away and nodded toward Liu Daoming, a gesture that could be considered respect. Bluemoon. Liu Daomings expression was serious. Youre a Blackbeard? Do you come representing your clan? No, I only represent myself. Bluemoons words both relieved and disappointed Liu Daoming. At this point, Su Yueyuan said, Bluemoon is a good friend I made this time. Oh right, she has an urgent need for Dreameater Bugs recently. I remember we still have four in the family? Uncle Liu, please accompany me to retrieve them. I promised Bluemoon three. Three Dreameater Bugs? Liu Doamings expression became awkward. Su Yueyuan shot Bluemoon a glance while speaking to the middle-aged man. Uncle Liu, you know how I do things. This matter is extremely important to me. Its definitely not a wasted gift, the Su family wont lose out in this. Liu Daoming said with a frown, Yuecheng, you havent been in the city these days, so there are some things you dont know. Your father has recruited several external experts for this battle. Of the remaining bugs, three have been promised to one of those experts. What? Three for a single person? Su Yueyuans eyes opened wide in disbelief. Ive only used four since childhood. No, this wont do. I must make this clear with my father! Lets go back to the residence! Su Yueyuan jumped onto an offroad vehicle, revved the engine to its maximum power, and sped toward the city lords mansion. Liu Daoming wanted to stop him, but he stopped his hands midway and glanced back at Bluemoon. The girl was frowning slightly, and no one knew what she was thinking. Moments later, Su Yueyuan walked out of the study with a pale expression. Apparently, the outcome of this meeting wasnt a happy one. The corridor outside was silent and completely empty. The smart people had moved away after hearing the city lords beratement from the study, lest they get implicated. The motorcade had arrived by the time Su Yueyuan walked out of the main residence. Seeing Bluemoon in the passenger seat, the man boarded the car with a forced smile and said, Lets go back first. After returning to the residence, Bluemoons face turned even paler and one could vaguely see the faint blue vessels under her skinit was almost as though she were translucent. After sitting down in their room for some tea, the girl reached for a cup but knocked it over instead. Her right hand was also hidden inside her long sleeves, but even through the fabric, the collision didnt sound like it came from a limb made of flesh. Is it acting up again? Im used to it. Bluemoon looked fairly calm, but the pain had clearly reached the extremes of her tolerance. Su Yueyuan gritted his teeth. Im sorry, father says hes promised the Dreameater Bugs to someone else and the last one has to be reserved for contribution rewards. Im useless, I failed to keep my promise to you. Bluemoon smiled. A single Dreameater Bug is useless, only three will do. Its been so many years, yet you can see that Im still doing fine without it. This matter wont affect your deal, Second Young Noble can pay me with other things. The more she said thus, the more Su Yueyuans expression became severe. He slapped the table fiercely and said, This wont do. I must see what kind of heroic character is worth three Dreameater Bugs! Men, follow me! Qianyes residence wasnt a secret. On the contrary, it could be said that everyone knew him because of the Loyalty Formula. Su Yueyuan drove hastily to Qianyes house and stopped at the door. Upon entering, the two guards at the door greeted him, Greetings, Second Young Master. What are you doing here? Su Yueyuan said in a cold voice. One of the guards replied, The grand commander assigned us to guard this place, to prevent people from disturbing General Zhaos peace and quiet. General Zhao, Heh! Heh! Is that Zhao Ye here? The guards realized something was wrong. General Zhao has gone to battle, only his wife and daughter remain inside. Su Yueyuan sneered, You even brought his family, his life here seems to be quite good! Move aside, I must meet this Zhao persons family! This Scram! Su Yueyuan roared. How could the two guards dare to go against the city lords son? They quickly moved aside and allowed Su Yueyuan to enter. One of the more experienced soldiers noticed something was wrong with the situation. He ran away at top speed to report this matter to Liu Daoming. Su Yueyuan felt as though he had arrived in a different world after walking into the courtyard. It felt like the air had cleared up quite a bit and the colors here appeared even more vivid. Startled, he couldnt help but mutter, Theres such a good place? Such an environment was only one level below the city lords mansion. How come it had been given to an outsider? Su Yueyuan observed the house suspiciously and found that it was rather cramped. There were only three rooms in total and the decorations were fairly simple, consisting only of a few wooden sculptures. The craftsmanship on them was nothing remarkable, either. There was no mistake, this was a courtyard usually given to the lowest-ranked generals and external experts. At this moment, a tranquil voice suddenly arrived from beside him. Young Noble, this is your familys estate. Dont you recognize it? Su Yueyuan actually had no idea that there was someone beside him. Startled, he turned about rapidly and saw an indescribable lady standing at the study door. Her appearance could only be described as ordinaryneither outstanding nor flawed. According to reason, Su Yueyuan would forget about such a woman soon afterward. For some reason, though, he couldnt avert his gaze after seeing her. In addition to her face, her structure was extremely good. Be it her outlines or the ratio of her body, all of them were perfect and flawless. It was just that no matter how perfect the body, it couldnt cover her ordinary looks. She was wearing ordinary clothes and possessed ordinary looks. The only thing extraordinary was the woman herself. Su Yueyuan suddenly realized that he had lost his composure. This woman was merely standing there, almost like a part of the scenery, yet she could make people palpitate. This, this lady Su Yueyuan had always been good with words, but now he was stammering and didnt know what to say. The lady pointed at the chairs in the courtyard. Young Noble Su, please sit. Okay, Ill sit. Su Yueyuan sat down as he was told, and even then, he didnt dare get too comfortable. He had never been so nervous, even when his father had taken him to meet a divine champion when he was young. At this point, he was also a famed expert in the younger generation. How come he had deteriorated? The lady sat down at the table. Theres no need to be polite, Young Noble, this place is your familys, to begin with. Us husband and wife are only staying here temporarily. Husband and wife? Su Yueyuan felt his chest tighten. My husband is Zhao Ye. Hes been commissioned by City Lord Su and is now fighting outside the city. Nighteyes voice was calm and collected, almost as though she had no emotional fluctuations. Zhao Ye, Zhao Ye Su Yueyuan muttered the name several times before recalling that it was the person he had come to see. He sat there restlessly, his thoughts sluggish and filled with weird ideas. A feeling of deep disappointment filled his heart when he heard Nighteye mention her husband. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 759: Nightmare Su Yueyuan forced out a smile. It is our citizens fortune, and also the Su familys fortune, that General Zhao is willing to fight for us. At the mention of Qianye, Nighteye smiled faintly. All he knows is about fighting and killing. That might be so, but the neutral lands are far from peaceful and theres danger lurking everywhere. Only an expert can ensure the safety of his family. Su Yueyuan felt that he no longer knew how to talk. His conversation had no substance. Only a character like City Lord Su can be called an expert. Whatever Nighteye said, she made everyone feel as though it was a matter of fact and not intentional praise. Su Yueyuan had a strange feeling that only an expert like Su Dingqian could leave a mark in her heart. After chatting a while longer, Su Yueyuan excused himself and left. He was practically fleeing as he exited the courtyard. Liu Daoming was rushing over at this moment, looking quite anxious and his every step as quick as the wind. He couldnt help but become startled upon seeing Su Yueyuan coming out from the compound. Youre out? Of course. Su Yueyuans brain was still muddled. He glanced back once and confirmed that the courtyard doors were still behind him. This nothing happened, right? Liu Daoming inquired in due seriousness. They were currently at war, and Qianye was someone Su Dingqian attached great importance to. If something were to happen at home while he was out fightingespecially when it was related to the city lordit would cause an uproar among the experts, and no one would be willing to work for the Su family anymore. These independent experts lived to fight, but they had no concept of loyalty and devotion. If one were to push them out, they would appear in the other factions ranks on the battlefield. This was also the reason why Su Dingqian was recruiting so many experts. One more expert recruited meant one less enemy, and this was no small matter. Seeing Liu Daoming so tense, Su Yueyuan felt somewhat baffled. I came out after exchanging a couple of words. What could ever happen? All is good then. Liu Daoming heaved a sigh of relief and refrained from asking why Su Yueyuan had gone to Qianyes courtyard. After the mans departure, Nighteye remained seated in the courtyard, reading a book in great detail. It was almost as though there was no end to this book and that she would continue reading eternally. This was no different from when she was back in the empire. Within the room, Little Zhuji let out a yawn. She had finally woken up from her sleep but was still feeling a bit groggy. Seemingly sensing something, she sat up abruptly with her hair standing on end! In a split second, she flipped over and landed on all fours, keeping her body close to the ground in a combat-ready position. Her young spirit felt as though a pair of giant eyes were looking at her. That existence was incomparably lofty and contained a terrifying aura of antiquity. A mere glance was enough to nearly immobilize Zhuji. At this point, Zhuji was acting half on intelligence and half on instinct. It was precisely this inherent terror that filled her with the urge to run away. At this moment, Nighteye looked up and said calmly, Awake? The voice roused little Zhuji from her nightmare and dragged her back to reality. She jumped off the bed with an ah, wanting to pounce into Nighteyes arms. Just as she had landed, however, her legs gave way and caused her to fall down. She rolled several times over and couldnt clamber up for the moment. With how strong her body was, not to mention falling off her bed, she would be fine even if she jumped off a hundred-meter cliff. Why couldnt she even stand up? Whats wrong? No more strength, the little fellow said with a bitter expression. Exchanging a glance with those eyes had drained her of all energy. Nighteye sighed, apparently helpless about her mischief. She walked to Zhujis side and lifted her up, saying, Now youre fine, right? Zhuji was swaying about and seemed as though she would collapse at any moment. She grabbed onto Nighteyes sleeves and said, I think I had a nightmare. Nighteye crouched down in front of her. Oh? This is your first nightmare, right? What did you dream off? Tell me. Zhuji gave it some thought. Ive forgotten. Think harder. The lass tried hard to recall what she had dreamt off. After a long while, she said with a sour expression, Ive really forgotten. Very well then. Nighteye got up, but Zhuji pulled her back, saying, Im hungry. Zhuji had just eaten her fill a day ago. She had already passed the phase where she had to eat every day. Recently, a single full meal would usually last her several days, during which she would digest the food and absorb its essence. Her sudden declaration of hunger meant that she had used up most of her energy stores. Nighteye sighed helplessly and went into the kitchen with a cheerful Zhuji following close behind. There were large pieces of high-quality beast meat piled up in the kitchen. Some of them, Qianye had bought before leaving for battle, while the others were from the small house by the sea. With Zhujis eating habits, just food expenditure alone cost hundreds of gold coins each day. She would devour over ten thousand gold coins worth of food every month. Under normal circumstances, she alone could gobble up the entire military budget of an expeditionary army division. This little fellow wasnt someone ordinary people could raise. Only after returning to his residence and seeing Bluemoon did the tongue-tied Su Yueyuan wake up from his reverie. Everything that had happened just now seemed like a dream. Now that he thought back to it, his actions were all rather odd and completely unlike himself. Young Noble Su, is something the matter? You dont look so good, Bluemoon inquired. No no, its nothing. Im fine, Im doing very well! You take a rest first, I have some business to attend to. Su Yueyuan fled after replying thus. Watching his receding figure, a barely discernible wisp of gloominess emerged in Bluemoons eyes. ... Meanwhile, in the wilderness, Qianye had just taken out a Crystal Spider scouting party. This time, he had no intention of interrogating themhe merely launched a violent ambush and ended the battle in a flash. He then left without even cleaning the battlefield, almost as though he were hiding from someone. After Qianyes departure, a grey shadow suddenly appeared in the distance. After the mysterious assassin came into being, the defense-specialist knight also materialized out of thin air. The two of them gazed speechlessly in Qianyes direction. What do we do? the knight asked. What else can we do? He never stays anywhere for more than three seconds. At this distance, I wont hit him even if I manage to take aim. Theres no opportunity at all. The grey assassins voice was oddly distorted, fluctuating in volume, and inexplicably uncomfortable to listen to. The knight said slowly, He shouldve found us by now. Not necessarily, it looks more like professional caution to me. He himself must be a good sniper because only a sniper will know how to prevent getting sniped. You think he doesnt know were tailing him? The grey figure replied calmly, He shouldnt know. If he did, he wouldnt have ambushed that scouting party. Even a small opening during the battle would give me the opportunity to fire, and you should know that if I open fire, he only has a fifty percent chance of evading. The knight remained silent. The grey shadow sneered, Even if we get into a head-on clash, I still have you, right? He cant break through your defenses. If you can keep him bogged down, Ill surely find the opportunity to kill him. The knight seemed quite confident in his defensive prowess. Fine, well keep on chasing him. But its best if you dont kill him when you fire. This person is very sharp and might actually be a good candidate for a team member. Youre good at everything except that one thing. In your heart, the organization is more important than anything else! The organization was built from that sires sweat and blood. Fine, fine, I wont argue with you. Ill be merciful when the time comes. The two once again went into hiding and chased after Qianye. Qianye ambushed yet another scouting party, but things didnt go all that well this time. This small unit was actually led by a viscount. This viscount was a rare proto-arachnehe had no human upper body and was simply a large spider from head to toe. He had disguised himself as a servspider and only erupted with power after Qianye had charged into their midst. A pair of razor-sharp limbs stabbed at Qianyes back at lightning speed. The latter did his best to evade but failed to dodge the attack entirely, suffering a slash to the back. With a muffled groan, Qianye spun around and fired. The massive firepower of the grade-seven weapon sent the arachne viscount flying, two of his limbs being blown away in the process. Qianye also seemed injuredhe turned and fled the battlefield instead of giving chase. The arachne viscount clambered up and summoned his subordinates to help him dress the wounds. This kind of injury couldnt be considered lethal, but his combat strength would suffer greatly. He gazed at the direction of Qianyes departure with eyes full of horror. Even though Cui Yuanhais gun had many deficiencies here and there, firepower was the only thing it wasnt lacking in. Being shot by this weapon was comparable to a blast from a cannon, something that filled the valiant arachne viscount with dread. The viscount gave it some thought, and then issued the order to retreat. With the core fighting power of the group injured, the units combat strength would be reduced by half. That was too dangerous during such times. He turned back into a wounded servspider and mixed into the leaving group. The arachne viscount felt safer and more relaxed after covering over ten kilometers without any mishaps. At this point, a dark grey bullet whistled through the air and drilled into his body, accurately shattering his arachnid nucleus. The squad didnt even notice the arachne viscount turning limp, up until he collapsed with a loud boom. The knight appeared like a specter with the Unbreakable Bulwark in hand. As the origin shield danced about, its edges turned into terrifying sharp weapons no enemy could block. Flesh and blood flew about in the blink of an eye as the entire Crystal Spider scouting party was wiped out. The knight didnt seem all too happy about this impressive accomplishment. The grey figure appeared beside him, saying, Its nothing alarming. Weve already lost him anyway, right? The knight patted his hands. It seemed as though he were wiping away some nonexistent bloodstain and producing sounds of grinding metal as he did so. The grey figure couldnt help but cry out, Stop! Dont make that disgusting sound! Its not my fault that we lost him. Thats your responsibility, okay? The knight made no reply. He walked around the battlefield, butchering the surviving people with his shining shield. The grey figure seemed ready to compromise. Fine, lets forget about this problem. The appointed time is upon us. We had better get to that damned place, I really dont want to bump into those things. Finally convinced, the knight left with the grey figure. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 760: Army at the Borders Qianye halted his steps as the sensation of being followed suddenly vanished. Qianye broke into an upset frown. How come theyre so impatient? It was common for the hunter to spend days following the prey on the battlefield. Qianye had revealed several openings in this game of cat and mouse, but the other party didnt take the bait. Apparently, they were also master-level hunters. Qianye was worried that there might be other hidden experts in addition to the duo. If it was just the two, however, Qianye could erupt with full power and use East Peak to prove that knights Unbreakable Bulwark was little more than a bluff. Regardless, being free of the hunters was a liberating sensation. Things had dragged out this long because Qianye had been looking for a good opportunity to kill them. This was, after all, a battle of mercenariesQianye didnt want to take big risks or get injured unless it was necessary. The war had just begun, but his accomplishment in recent days was already worth a Dreameater Bug, at least. He hadnt let down Su Dingqian at all. For the entire day that followed, Qianye didnt run into any proper squad, nor did he find any lone experts. The battlefield was oddly quiet, almost as though there was never any life here. Any old veteran who had been on the battlefield would know that this wasnt a good thing. Qianye stopped roaming around and, instead, found a location with good visual range in which to hide and observe the changes. The changes came at dawn. Qianye, who was sitting in peaceful meditation, was woken up by vibrations from the ground. As a qualified hunter, he determined that the source of these small but rhythmic tremors were dozens of kilometers away. Something that could shake the ground from so far awaythis caused Qianye to become serious. The vibrations slowly intensified, proof that the source was moving closer. Qianye made no movement and withdrew his aura to the extreme. Enemy experts would soon appear on the battlefield at this time, and perhaps there were truly powerful characters scanning the battlefield. The outcome of being discovered under such circumstances wouldnt be all that great. As the tremors intensified, a row of dark shadows charged through the distant, misty night to appear in Qianyes vision. It was a group of heavily armored warriors advancing toward Port City in an orderly formation. At three meters each, these soldiers were exceptionally large and tall. Their upper body was in human form, while their lower parts resembled fat bugs. They seemed somewhat similar to the arachne, but they had four thick elephant-like legs instead. The warriors were all carrying heavy weapons that looked like some sort of machinery and continued moving at a constant speed. Row after row of them appeared. In the blink of an eye, thousands of them had appeared before Qianyes eyes and there was an endless stream of them still emerging from the mist. Qianye even suspected whether they were creatures or machines. Even mechanical puppets couldnt be that orderly. Ang A long cry arrived from the distance and echoed throughout the wilderness. A gigantic beast, several dozen meters in height, appeared over the horizon, and it was also moving toward Port City step by step. Its steps looked fairly slow, but in truth, every stride covered over ten meters of ground. The creatures back was armored and there was a small fort installed upon it. It was actually a tamed warbeast. The giant warbeast wasnt alone. Behind them, two more of such creatures emerged from the morning mist. A dense array of soldiers emerged from behind the beasts. Every step taken by the latter shook the earth and jolted the heavy trucks accompanying them. Yet, these tenacious transport vehicles maintained their advance. There were also a number of soldiers who had decided to walk beside the trucks, likely because they couldnt stand the bumpy ride. Qianye looked up at the sky and, as expected, saw numerous giant airships. These aerial vessels werent cutting-edge warships. Judging from their bloated forms, they could only be cargo vessels. However, that was what made it even more terrifying because only cargo airships could move a large number of soldiers and supplies. The ground and sky were filled with tides of both flesh and iron, rolling toward Port City. This army moved through the night and never stopped to rest; it would reach the city in a day at most. Perhaps, at this point, Port City was still unaware of this impending calamity. Qianyes expression was unsightly. He had considered many scenarios, but even in the worst one, he had not imagined the appearance of such a giant army. In the blink of an eye, a thought emerged in Qianyes mind. Port City was about to fall. He wasnt that concerned about whether or not the city could hold out. After all, he only needed to put in enough effort to match the reward he had received. However, Nighteye and Zhuji were still in the city. Once the city had fallen, anything could happen in the chaos. Qianye stopped watching the army and silently made his way toward Port City. One day of preparation would give Port City a better chance. At the very least, Su Dingqian could bring his main army outside of the city and slowly contend with the enemy, using space to exchange for time. In the neutral lands, there was no shortage of territory for those possessing experts and armies. As for the civilians in the city, it was the same for them whoever the lord was. The only difference would be the quality of their lives. At only a couple hundred kilometers of distance, Port City came into Qianyes view before long. The city, at this moment, was in chaos. People were pouring out of the gates with their luggage in tow and scattering in every direction. Qianye realized, to his relief, that the city lord had already received word of the great army descending upon them. A batch of civilians had already left a while ago, the current exodus a clear indication that everyone knew the enemy was upon them. Many people had fled the city, but those who stayed behind were even greater in number. Most residents had confidence in Su Dingqian since, after all, he had protected this city for so many years. A divine champion was a god-like existence in the neutral lands. Qianye entered the gates and went back home first. The little courtyard was as peaceful and tranquil as a spring day, a stark contrast to the disorderly situation outside. Zhuji was asleep in the room while Nighteye was reading a book in the yard. It was just that the book, A Brief History of the Empire was now Geography and Scenery of the Neutral Lands. Qianye was dazzled for a moment upon seeing Nighteye. It seemed as though some part of her had changed, but the feeling vanished in the blink of an eye. Upon careful observation, she was still the Nighteye he knew. Even though the mask could disguise her appearance, there was no way to change her body structure and charm. Dazed? Nighteye chuckled. Its nothing. Qianye swept the abnormality to the back of his head. Theres bad news. The enemy forces are too strong for Port City to defend against. I need to pass this intelligence to the City Guard and have them make preparations. You pack up our things and prepare to leave with Zhuji. How about you? Ill stay behind since I promised to help Su Dingqian defend the city. Dont worry about me, Ill definitely escape if things go south. You should leave first with Zhuji and find a good place to hide. Ill come looking for you. Nighteye smiled. Safe place? Theres no safe place in the neutral lands. Qianye said after some contemplation, Why not head to the Spider Emperors territory. Its relatively peaceful, and there are a lot of humans living there. Nighteye shook her head, saying, No, Ill remain here. If we work together, we can escape even from a divine champion. Qianye gave it some thought. Thats fine, but stay in the courtyard as long as you can. Dont participate in the battles. Hiding Nighteyesomeone who possessed nearly the same combat strength as Qianyewas more or less keeping an ace card up their sleeve. She was a professional both in terms of frontal assault and concealed sniping. She could easily give the ignorant enemy a big surprise. Qianye left for the city guard headquarters in a hurry. In truth, the reason he had decided to stay behind and defend the city was because of the remaining two Dreameater Bugs the city lord had promised him. After Qianyes departure, Nighteyes lips curled up into an ineffable smile. In the war room, Su Dingqian was ashen-faced, standing with his hands clasped behind him. Liu Daoming, Su Yueyuan, and a number of other defending generals were present with worried countenances. Anyone have any suggestions on what we should do now? Su Dingqian inquired. The people below glanced at one another awkwardly. In the end, it was Liu Daoming who braced himself to reply, Sire, under the present circumstances, abandoning the city is the best option. Abandon? Since I arrived in this land, I have never left it before! Su Dingqians voice was thunderous. However, Liu Daoming shared a deep relationship with him and was thus allowed to keep on talking. Sire, the only thing valuable in Port City is the Earth Dragon. What else in the city is worth anything? Theyre nothing but cumbersome things. As long as you remain, we remain, we can definitely take back the city. Su Dingqian frowned in silence. At this time, Su Yueyuan said, Father, an army of such scale means that the three forces have already formed an alliance. Theres simply no way for us to fight them head-on. Let them have this place first, they might even start fighting amongst themselves when they no longer have a common target. Su Dingqian roared, Frivolous! Right now, we dont know if theyve formed an alliance or not. How do you know if therell be infighting after they take Port City? Su Dingqians eyes flickered as he struggled internally. Liu Daoming knew the city lord was hesitating whether or not to initiate an all-out battle. Although Su Dingqians cultivation among the divine champions was mediocre, he was fairly well known for his powerful combat strength. The man was confident in fleeing even after facing a large army in battle. The problem was that such a battle would wipe out their entire force except for Liu Daoming and a handful of high-ranking experts. Someone like Su Dingqian would only calculate the gains and losses, paying very little heed to the casualties. There was never a lack of experts willing to attach themselves to a king. A worried Liu Daoming said after some contemplation, Sire, perhaps the enemy is here for the Earth Dragon. Earth Dragon! Su Dingqian was enlightened. He had been in Port City all this time but never had any designs on the dragon. That was why he had never considered things in that direction. Now that Liu Daoming had reminded him, he said with a cold smile, Theyre really quite ambitious! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 761: Vasuki As a divine champion who had been associated with the Earth Dragon for several decades, Su Dingqian was naturally aware of the terrors of this terrifying subterranean void colossus. Back then, he had suffered greatly while trying to sound it out and didnt even get very far under the ground. Since then, he no longer dared to provoke the dragon. Liu Daoming seized the opportunity to say, We can fight schemes with schemes and let them have this place. They will need marquis-level people to explore the secrets of the Earth Dragon. We can kill our way back after theyve suffered a loss and maybe even finish off some famous bastards. At that time, their internal situation will also fall into instability, and they''ll have no choice but to negotiate with us. The glow in Su Dingqians eyes flickered as he paced about. In the end, he made up his mind and said, Fine, well do it that way! But we must defend for a length of time no matter what. Otherwise, itll be too easy for them if we run without a fight, the other party might suspect a scheme. Everyone felt relieved upon seeing that Su Dingqian had decided to leave. At this point, Su Yueyuan recalled something. We might as well dispatch all those outsiders for the defensive battle. Theyve received a lot of rewards, so its only right that they should die for Port City. Su Dingqian gave it some thought before saying, Fine! At this moment, Qianye had just finished handing in his contributions at the city guard headquarters. The logistics officer was tongue-tied after checking the proofs of contribution. A viscount and twenty-one high-ranking soldiers! Its only been a couple of days, Sir Zhao, you really shocked me. The intelligence you brought back is also a part of your contributions. Im more proficient in sniping, as you know. Thats how things are in this phase of the battle. Qianye smiled. There were only scouting parties in the wilderness during the early phases of battle. This was when snipers found it easiest to harvest contributions. The officer said with a nod, Thats true, the battle to come wont be that easy to fight, sigh! Any news? Qianye inquired. The logistics officer glanced around and said in a whisper, I heard that the enemies have formed a coalition! The big army you saw must be their combined forces! Qianye was startled. He had long since suspected this, but it had finally been proved. Despite the mediocre position, logistics officers were privy to quite a bit of secret information. Then, what do we do? This city wont hold, Qianye probed. The officer smiled wryly. How should I know? Small characters like us can only hand our fate to the heavens. City lords will surely use us to do the heavy-lifting, I can only hope it wont be too bad. Qianye nodded sympathetically. It was at this time that a low-pitched bugle echoed throughout the city, a signal for all officers to assemble. Moments later, following a mournful alarm, the city gates slowly closed up. Those who hadnt left the city at this point could only remain within. In truth, the fate of those who had just left wasnt that great, either. They would soon be run down by the pursuing cavalry before they could run very far. Qianye rushed toward the city lord residence, with many others joining the march in quick succession. These were the independent experts whom Su Dingqian had recruited to fight for Port City. Many of them, however, seemed to be in a bad mood after receiving word of the situation. There were also some whose faces were overcome with bloodthirst, likely fierce characters who wanted to take this opportunity to earn a fortune. Moments later, the group had gathered in the plaza outside of the city lords mansion. The entirety of the city guard and law enforcement unit had also assembled here. Su Dingqian rose into the air above the main building and stared down at the crowd, his divine-champion might overflowing like the tides. The suppression stifled everyone, so much so that some of the weaker warriors found their knees trembling and their footing, unstable. Fortunately, Su Dingqian was quite appropriate in his behavior, holding his power at a precise level where no one would be humiliated. The city lord scanned the scene and said in a clear voice, The enemy soldiers are at the walls. They look powerful but are actually quite weak at the core. Ill forego the empty words and only hope everyone will defend the city with me in this battle to the death! Port City has never fallen for thirty years, and it will not fall today. Untalented as I may be, Im willing to fight to the last moment alongside you and will never be the one to leave first! These words were resolute and decisive, immediately causing everyones blood to boil. Many people broke out into a battle-cry! Seeing that the present morale was still feasible, Su Dingqian nodded in secret. Liu Daoming immediately stood forward and began assigning people their defensive duties. Qianye followed a small group of city guard soldiers to his designated zone. As someone who had received the most rewards, he was naturally assigned to the most dangerous area, one that would sustain the direct impact of the incoming army. At this moment, Qianye was calm, collected, and unmoved by Su Dingqians encouragement. He had seen no small number of divine champions in his life and even traded blows with one. He knew very clearly that, despite those vehement words, Su Dingqian could easily break through the siege and escape even after everyone else had fallen. As a land surrounded by enemies and war, the city guards here were actually quite powerful and organized in their mobilization. Within moments, the entire warzone had been manned and the armory at the back, opened wide. A small mountain of munitions and arms were being delivered to the critical areas in a timely fashion. By imperial and Evernight standards, all citizens of theands were soldiers. Anyone willing to aid in the defense would receive weapons and supplies. In this manner, an army of ten thousand suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Yet, this was quite a bleed to Su Dingqians treasury, enough to exhaust his accumulations for the past ten years. The military supply department was packed full of people, many of whom were rushing toward the city walls after receiving their equipment. The logistics officer was drenched in sweat. Although he had summoned a dozen or so men to help him out, he was still desperate to grow another pair of arms. A young lady appeared before him at this busy time. She was shrouded in a cloak, revealing only a pair of eyes. She passed the logistics officer a list which shocked the man out of his wits. However, he didnt dare inquire further since the papers had the city lords seal on them. He quickly ran back to the warehouse and, with the help of two assistants, brought back a large crate. There was a multi-barreled vulcan cannon atop the crateits barrels were one size thicker than the norm, and the muzzles were equipped with specialized cooling and stabilization arrays. The body of the firearm itself was filled with origin patterns. Weighing several hundred kilograms, this cannon was made for use by powerful experts and only two of such weapons existed in Port City. The considerate logistics officer fixed the gun onto the crate and glanced about in search of the girls followers as he placed the load in front of her. Just as he was about to ask, the young girl grabbed the gun and ammunition crate with her right hand and left. She was so at ease that it looked like she was carrying a basket of vegetables. The logistics officers mouth fell open, and he could hardly believe his eyes. The crate of ammunition was even heavier than the vulcan, a couple of tons at least. The contrast was really too great to see that frail young girl carrying all of that away. Only after the girl had left did the logistics officer recall that her body ratio was somewhat off, yet he couldnt quite put his finger on how so. Bluemoon walked out of the supply depot and tossed the crate and gun onto a heavy truck. Just as she was about to board the vehicle, a certain lady appeared in her field of vision. This woman wasnt beautiful but possessed a perfect body structure. The odd thing was that no one noticed her as she walked through the street, almost as though she were nonexistent. Bluemoon blinked, and as expected, the woman completely vanished from her senses once she had closed her eyes. Only when she opened her eyes could she see this person walking. Bluemoon had discovered her existence because there was an extremely mild scent that caught her attention. The fragrance was beyond faint, but it was also extremely familiarit was the scent of desire. Dreameater Bug! Some fluctuations appeared in Bluemoons eyes. As though noticing someones eyes on her, the lady shot a glance at Bluemoon. Then, she proceeded toward the military supply area, almost as though the latter were just an unassuming, ordinary person. The logistics officer hadnt yet recovered from his shock at this point. He had remained in a daze and only came to when he saw a hand waving in front of him. In front of him was an ordinary young girl whose facial features could barely be considered pretty. However, the officer suddenly felt interested because his instincts told him that this girl would bring him a surprise. Just like that Bluemoon, this kind of conversational topic would allow him to brag until he was a senile old man. I want a sniper rifle, said Nighteye. Sniper rifle? Okay, what grade? Any grade is fine. The logistics officer gave it some thought, and then went back to the warehouse briefly. Afterward, he returned with a sniper rifle built in a typical neutral-land style and placed it in front of her. What about this one? The assistant beside him was shocked. Sir, this The officer waved his hand. You lot, shut up! This sniper rifle was actually grade-seven. Because it had originated in the neutral lands, its firepower was much greater than those of grade-seven weapons from the continent. Perhaps only a grade-eight continental rifle might be comparable to the current one. The Carol of Shadows she had in hand was much inferior since Nighteye had to use blood energy to drive the weapon instead of demonic energy. The rifles barrel was exceptionally long, and the python-decoration coiled around it looked fairly vivid and lifelike. This giant python wasnt there just for show. In truth, there was a cleverly designed array inside used to stabilize and accelerate the shots. The metallic body was well-worn and shiny from many years of use. The weapon was overflowing with killing intent just by sitting there on its own, instilling fear in all beholders. This does it have a name? Nighteye placed her hand on the rifle and murmured softly. Vasuki! Nice name, right? Its yours if you can use it. The officers tone was rather heroic. The subordinates around him felt relieved after hearing this. All of them had been observing Nighteyeshe was but an ordinary woman, someone people would quickly forget. Hence, no one raised any objections to the logistics officers decision. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 762: It Must Cry Thus Could it be that this was a hidden expert who had been seen through by the logistics officer? Everyone glanced at the man, but how come they had never heard of him being an exceptional judge of character? The reason this officer had gotten this position was largely because he was a distant relative of the Su family. The logistics officer himself wasnt quite sure why he had brought out the Vasuki; it was probably on a whim. This sniper looked ordinary, but in fact, it was a weapon that had been left behind by a powerful deceased expert. The masterpiece of an expert craftsman, its firepower was at grade-eight back in the year and its attribute was extremely balanced. It was on a whole different level compared to the firepower-focused weapon in Qianyes hands. After the death of that expert, however, the gun fell in gradeits firepower was sharply reduced, and all of its other functions saw a noticeable decline. Yet, the requirements for using it remained the same. This meant that only those capable of firing a grade-eight weapon could use it. There were rumors circulating in the land that the gun had sealed its own strength because it was unwilling to be controlled by a mediocre person. Such hearsay couldnt be trusted, but the rifle had indeed remained silent since the day it had entered the armory. An expert capable of using a grade-eight firearm had to be rank-fifteen at the very leasteven then, he would be drained after a single shot. It wasnt hard for such an expert to procure a good grade-seven weapon, so who would want to use this one? As a grade seven weapon whose requirements exceeded grade seven, its value became much lower. It would sell for the price of a premium grade-six weapon at best. The Su family''s younger generation like Su Yueyuan had never lacked resources. He already possessed a grade seven weapon and simply wasnt interested in this famous but useless thing. As such, the sniper rifle could only sit there to collect dust until today. The logistics officer had brought it out after Su Dingqian decided to open the citys armory and outfit the citizens. As Nighteye placed a hand on the sniper rifle, the weapon let out a distinct, phoenix-like cry, and the origin arrays on the body lit up without exception. After seeing this, even ignorant people would know that Nighteye had completely mastered this weapon. Everyone in the supply area was shocked! What followed their astonishment was respectthey no longer dared to size up Nighteye so recklessly. An expert capable of controlling a grade-eight weapon could wipe them out with a wave of their hand. Not a bad gun. Thanks then. Nighteyes words were always quite short to the point. Wait a minute! The officer was nervous. Mm? Changed your mind? The officer waved his hands. No, of course not! Its just that there have always been some problems with this gun. Ive seen several powerful people try it out before, but the sound it makes when activated is forceful and crude, almost like a dragons growl. Its not this kind of sound. Nighteye smiled faintly. Well, in my hands, this is how it must cry. The officer was still contemplating Nighteyes words even after her departure. The battle arrived as expected. That odd and terrifying army arrived outside of the city just after midnight. They only stopped to rest for a couple of hours before launching the assault. It was as though they were completely immune to fatigue. Those four-legged warriors wearing heavy armor made up the vanguard. They raised their giant shields and pushed toward Port City step by step. Flames lit up from within the city, followed by a peculiar whistle and an earth-shattering explosion! The heavy cannon-turrets of Port City had opened fire at the vanguard unit. Qianye was half-kneeling on the wall, observing the battle situation. This wall gave him no sense of security at all as it did little more than to hide his figure. The walls of Port City should be called a stockade, instead, because it was made up of wooden poles. This kind of wooden wall would be hacked apart by any rank-five soldier, not to mention those powerful steel-armored warriors. The explosion hadnt even dispersed when Qianyes heart sank. The seemingly fierce cannon was quite loud, but the number of steel-clad soldiers it had sent flying was quite pitiful. Only a couple of unfortunate blokes at the center of the explosion were blasted away. The rest merely staggered from the impact. The first wave of explosions was followed by a brief lull on the battlefield. Port Citys cannons were superior to the empires in terms of firepower, but the price for that was similar to Qianyes current handheld cannonit was lacking in accuracy and slow to reload. A series of gasps emerged from atop the walls as the smoke dispersed. The first volley had only mowed down a hundred or so soldiers out of nearly one thousand, and even those struck down were still struggling to clamber up. The real death-toll was no more than a couple dozen. Seeing how even the cannons were so ineffective, the guards glanced at their origin guns and felt them to be rather flimsy. One minute later, the heavy cannons rumbled once more. Cannon fire rained down like a storm and smashed into the formation of armored soldiers, shrouding the area in smoke once again. This time, however, no one had high expectations for the cannons. As expected, the second volley only killed a dozen or so armored soldiers. In one more barrage, at most, these soldiers would reach the city walls. Bang! The glow of an origin bullet tore through the dark night and blasted the head of an armored warrior. One of the city guards had lost control and opened fire in advance. This persons marksmanship was indeed quite good, and add to that the fact that these soldiers were quite slow, the shot landed squarely on its mark. However, the results stopped people from rejoicing. The steel soldier fell on his back but managed to clamber back up after a while! There was a big depression on his helmet and blood flowing out through the cracks in his armor. Even in such a state, the soldier caught up to the group and entered the formation once more. Now, this was fairly terrifyingthe march of the orderly army shook the earth and exerted a pressure that stifled everyone. The guards on the wall began breathing heavily as their heart-rates increased. Qianye had participated in countless battles of life and death. He immediately realized that things werent looking good because the will of the defensive forces was wavering. If the enemy were to reveal another unexpected accomplishment during their assault, the morale of the entire army would crumble instantly. Frowning, Qianye gripped the origin gun in his hand. Only then did he recall that it wasnt the Thunderbolt he was used to firing, nor was it the Carol of ShadowsCui Yuanhais gun wasnt particularly accurate from hundreds of meters away. The enemy had also noticed the wavering morale of the defenders. Another mournful bugle echoed through the air! Anggggg! Several resounding cries rang out on the battlefield that caused the ears of the defenders to ring. Three massive warbeasts raised their heads and began trotting toward Port City. The speed at which such giant beasts jogged was faster than a swift shadow panther. Neither the city walls nor the buildings within could deter their charge. Qianye had no doubt that the three beasts could easily plow three giant paths through the city if no one were to stop them. A series of gunshots emerged and quickly turned into a continuous stream. The guards on the walls fired with all their might, pouring all the ammunition they had onto the steel warriors. The heavy cannons were also rumbling, firing into the enemy formation and at the moving warbeasts. One accurate cannon shell struck a giant beasts chest, sending its chest plate flying and revealing the yellow skin underneath. However, the beast was uninjured except for some black marks. It didnt stop, either, and kept up its steady forward momentum. A direct hit from the heavy cannon was no more than a mosquito bite to the warbeast. The armys morale fell once more as this direct hit dealt them a worse blow than if it hadnt hit. Sighing in his heart, Qianye pushed a fist-sized bullet into the gun. He knew that this battle was going to be hard, but he hadnt expected it to be this hard. At this point, the warbeasts were closing in on Port City and the small forts on their backs were starting to fire. The soldiers within fired from high ground and effectively suppressed the city guard on the walls. Within moments, the defending army had been pinned to the wall with heavy casualties. The airships in the sky began to stir as the enemy commander noticed their advantage. These vessels werent battleshipsone could well imagine how dominant the enemy side was when even old cargo ships were joining in on the suppression. Just as the situation was about to fall apart, a draconic cry echoed through the night sky and shook the land hundreds of kilometers out. Even the roars of the three warbeasts were drowned out! Su Dingqians silhouette suddenly appeared in the sky above Port City. With his fiery sword in hand, he looked much like a divine soldier from the purgatory. The entire battlefield fell silent at the moment of his appearance. The city lord raised his left hand and pointed at the foremost warbeast. Knowing that it had met its nemesis, the giant creature roared with its head raised and its large body came to a screeching halt. It was actually trying to turn tail and run. Su Dingqian had already unleashed a slash from afar. A beam of fiery red sword radiance traversed thousands of meters and brushed past the giant beasts neck. The creature erupted in a hysterical cry and started shaking off the soldiers on its back. This movement opened up the laceration on his neck in a gush of fresh blood that rained down on the battlefield. This wound was extremely large and deepalthough it hadnt managed to decapitate the creature, the strike had slashed through half its neck. This wasnt an injury the warbeast could take despite its massive build. Su Dingqian had established his might with a single strike! Thunderous cheers erupted both in and outside the city. The surging morale urged the defense forces to fight with greater ferocity, momentarily stabilizing the situation. The death of a warbeast clearly shook the enemy higher-ups. Following the call of a bugle, the other two creatures also halted their charge and turned back in succession. Su Dingqian knew very well when he had to stop. He did not give chase to the warbeasts and merely returned to the city. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 763: Mask However, the situation was only slightly better even after Su Dingqian had taken action. The armored soldiers were already at the city walls. The wooden stockade was incomparably fragile before their heavy weapons, giving way to huge gaps in just a couple of strikes. In the blink of an eye, there were holes everywhere and the steel-armored warriors gushed in like a black tide. Atop the city lord mansion, Su Dingqian stood leaning on the railing as he gazed at the battlefield with an ashen face. At this moment, only Liu Daoming and Su Yueyuan were beside him; the rest had been sent to the frontlines. Liu Daoming was fine, but a rank-thirteen champion like Su Yueyuan was rather unpresentable in the lineup. Su Dingqian had no other way because all of his cards were here, and he still had to take care of this talented son. The trios expressions were unsightly as they watched the city walls falling one segment after the other. Liu Daoming was still calm, but Su Yueyuan could bear it no longer. Father, why not unleash another strike? We wont be able to hold out at this rate! What''s the rush? Su Dingqian rebuked. Liu Daoming shot Su Yueyuan a meaningful glance and stopped him from speaking. Su Dingqian killing the giant warbeast was already the limit. Divine champions had to follow an unspoken rule when taking action. It wasnt as if the other side was lacking in divine champions; their numbers were even greater. If Su Dingqian were to attack wantonly and exhaust his energy, the divine champions on the other side would surely take advantage of the situation to strike. Preserving his combat strength and refraining from attacking was the greatest form of intimidation. At the very least, he could restrain one divine champion and many high-ranking experts. It was even possible for him to keep two divine champions in check. However, there would be no other way if the battle below the divine champion level were to crumble. On the opposite end of the battlefield, there was a magnificent airship hovering in the night skyone that would look rather extravagant even in Evernight. Many of the decorations upon it were quite flashy, and many of the origin arrays on it were there to maintain the airships luster. This garish, impractical battleship was extremely famous because it was the Spider Emperors ship. At this moment, the emperor himself wasnt here. The person on the main seat was a mysterious person clad in white robes and sporting a faint-golden demonic mask. There were a few arachne within the command room, all of them powerful, valiant, and extraordinary. These were the great generals working under the Spider Emperor, but none of them objected to this outsider usurping the master seat. That masked personthe master of the Moonlight Demonswas just as famous as the Spider Emperor. People neither knew his name nor what he looked like, only his representative mask. But one could very well imagine his character from how the Moonlight Demons operated. The best way to deal with such a powerful and half-crazed expert was to not provoke him. This battleship hovered far beyond the battlefield and never approached. Experts would occasionally fly up to deliver battle reports. Most of the time, this masked person would only listen to the numbers without expressing anything. The only order he had ever issued was to withdraw the two warbeasts. The experts in the command center were feeling quite bored since the battle was developing as smoothly as they had anticipated. As expected, the war beasts forced Su Dingqian to launch an attack. According to the original plan, if the city lord attacked a second time, the masked man would lead them out to surround and kill him. At this moment, the eyes of an unmoving spider on the cabin roof lit up. Mask, whats the situation? This spider was the size of a palm and strangely translucent. The voice with which it had spoken sounded rather old and showed no respect to the leader of the Moonlight Demons. The masked person looked up. Old Spider, youve finally appeared? The translucent spider said with a laugh, I still need to deal with those female spiders back home, how can I have the time? I only have five clones. Its already good enough that I put one here with you. When that translucent spider spoke, all the arachne in the room bowed respectfully. That was because this strange, palm-sized spider was one of the Spider Emperors clones. Its function was concealment and long-distance communication, much like a pair of eyes for the Spider Emperor. Its presence was equal to that of the Spider Emperor himself. Mask knew that the Spider Emperor was always like that. He said with a snort, Su Dingqian has attacked. The Spider Emperors voice became serious. He attacked? How are the losses? One Giant Brigley Beast. Oh, thats not bad. One Brigley for Port City, thats not a loss. The Spider Emperor seemed rather heartbroken despite saying that. Mask snorted. He wouldnt have dared to attack if you were here. Spider Emperor said, Its no use even if Im there. Hell attack all the same when he needs to, and we cant stop him from fleeing, either. It would be just right if the rabid wolf were there. Im not like you people, my entire family business is in the Eastern sea. I dont want to face a madman who had lost his foundations. Mask remained silent for a moment, seemingly quite distressed as well. Thats true, only those with foundations have weaknesses. The Spider Emperor said, I dont think Su Dingqian will fight us to the death. Hes probably thinking about letting us explore the Earth Dragon, and then coming back to attack us when we have suffered heavy casualties. The masked man said calmly, His strategy isnt bad at all. If not for that, we wouldnt have any good way to deal with the dragon, either. The Spider Emperor laughed. Indeed, Mask, I know you contributed the most this time. Rest assured, youll get as much of the Earth Dragons blood as you deserve, not one drop less. The masked mans aura fluctuated slightly at the mention of the Earth Dragons blood. He was clearly not as calm as he seemed. Lets take Port City first before further discussion. The Spider Emperor said, In any case, we just need to fight to the death and make them suffer heavy casualties. Do that and Su Dingqian will flee. Ill be leaving first if theres nothing here that needs my attention, Ill be back in a bit. One of my little beauties have woken up, I need to take a pill! That translucent spider waved its fore-limbs in a gesture of farewell, and then lay down silently as the emperors consciousness departed. The masked man shook his head. Propping his chin up with his hand, he fell into deep contemplation. At this moment, the defensive lines of Port City were in flames. Thousands of armored soldiers had rushed into the city with less than fifty dead and began fighting the city guards. Port Citys casualty rates rose sharply once the melee battles broke out. The armor on these creatures was simply so thick and heavy that there was no way an ordinary soldier could shoot through them. It would seem that the four, elephant-like legs were its only weaknesses. However, these warbeasts possessed the trampling skill; going near their legs was almost suicidal. Qianye was in no rush to join the fray. Instead, he kept on observing these steely warriors for their weakness. On this chaotic battlefield, he was basically in stealth mode after retracting his aura. Perception was an evident shortcoming of these armored warriorssometimes, they would ignore Qianye even as he brushed past them. After a period of observation, Qianye had a good idea in his mind. When a certain armored warrior charged past him, Qianye leapt up and landed lithely on his back. He pressed his origin gun at the soldiers back-armor and fired! The effects of the old mans focused firepower became evident at this moment as a single blast almost penetrated the entire upper body of the target. The steel-clad warrior actually continued to rush forward, but its body eventually gave way. Its upper body snapped all of a sudden and fell off from the rest of its frame. Even then, the creature was still struggling with all its might, refusing to die completely. Qianye broke into a frown as he glanced at the wound. The interior composition was fairly odd and the innards were a messthere were many organs of unknown function, almost as though the creature was designed by someone with no sense of beauty. However, there really was nothing special about the bones and skeleton. So, how were they able to withstand the weight of their heavy armor? Qianye understood after glancing at the heavy armor. The plating was a type of support structure with its center of gravity on the creatures legs. The other parts of the warriors body werent sturdy at all and relied on this heavy armor for protection. After realizing this point, Qianye quickly formulated a plan. He rushed into the midst of several armored soldiers and abruptly unleashed his Oceanic Vortex, suppressing everything in an area ten meters around him. The sounds of cracking bones could be heard from the legs of the eight armored warriors around him. Unable to bear the massive weight any longer, the creatures collapsed with a boom. These fierce warriors did not know pain and wanted to continue their massacre, but the sudden weight had crushed the bones in their legs. No matter how they struggled, they couldnt climb back up. Qianye withdrew his aura and domain before retreating into the city. His attack was concluded in a flash and controlled within a small area, hence no one discovered the abnormality. At this point, the armored warriors were beginning to assail the interior of the city, and the battle had become quite complicated. Qianye merged into the shadows to join his favorite phase of the battle. A steel-clad warrior was walking along a narrow street in search of potential enemies and attacking all life in sight, be they soldiers or civilians. It had just passed a house when the wall suddenly shattered and out came Qianye. He flashed past the armored warrior and opened fire at its belly. The steel-clad warriors bellies were their weakness. At the very least, their abdominal armor wasnt strong, and how could the soft abdomen withstand the ravages of a grade-seven gun? Qianye almost blasted the targets abdomen apart, producing a shower of blood and organs. That steal-armored soldier struggled and roared, but its mountainous body collapsed and blocked the road. Another armored soldier rushed over at this point, but it seemed to feel no sympathy for its dead comrade. On the contrary, it grew violent and tossed the corpse to the side with a wave of its heavy axe. Qianye reappeared at this point, flashing past the warriors abdomen and sending it on its way to meet its compatriot. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 764: It Should’ve Been Hers These armored soldiers had no valuable spoils on them, not even any personal items. Hence, Qianye didnt even spare the corpses a glancehe immediately dashed into the nearby rubble and disappeared. At this moment, there were flames rising up in every part of Port City, and the sound of gunfire rang out continuously. After the ironclad soldiers had all entered the city, the enemy airships began to deploy soldiers in the tens of thousands below its walls. However, a unit sufficient to decide the outcome of battle in the empire didnt really bring about a huge effect. In fact, the situation shifted into a deadlock. There was a large number of civilians inside the city, who, after being outfitted with weapons, had turned into qualified soldiers. They had no good way to deal with the armored soldiers, but the ordinary army behind quickly became their targets. Qianye roamed the city like a spirit, reaping the lives of armored soldiers wherever he went. With no effective way to defend against Qianyes abdominal attack in this complicated environment, the steel-clad enemy soldiers perished one after the other. After blasting an armored soldier down, he habitually reached for more ammo, but there was nothing left to grab. Only then did he realize that the fifty bullets the old man had left behind had been used up. This batch of bullets borrowed the characteristics of a gunpowder weapon, using ignition to drive the bullet and origin power to harm the enemy. The good thing about this mechanism was that the drain on ones origin power was minimal when firing this gun. Even with Qianyes current origin power, he couldnt quite fire fifty grade-seven bullets in succession. Qianye sighed as he placed the scorching hot origin gun into Andruils space and went on to search for more armored soldiers with East Peak in hand. There were simply too many armored warriors in the city. Qianye could already sense seven or eight of them within his perception range. He strode forward and crashed through two walls to appear behind an armored soldier. Drawing power to his blade, he chopped off both the creatures hind legs with a horizontal slash. The armored soldier roared furiously and actually dragged his body around with the two remaining forelimbs in search of its assailant. Qianye shook his head secretlythis kind of enemy was truly difficult to tangle with. Apart from its abdomen, there was almost no weakness, and it would continue to fight no matter where it was wounded. This level of vitality wasnt normal at all. Qianye slashed out once more and cut the warrior through the waist. Only then did it die completely. At this moment, Qianye recalled the armored soldiers he had crushed with his domain a while ago. He appeared beside one of the steel-clad soldiers and spun around it in the blink of an eye, slashing off its legs in the process. The creatures body fell to the ground and could no longer move no matter how much it roared and hissed. Its blood soon converged into a pool belowapparently, it didnt have long to live. With a feasible strategy in hand, Qianye wandered the battlefield like a gust of wind. One after the other, the armored soldiers fell struggling to the ground. Within moments, dozens of these warriors had fallen in front of Qianye. He had killed at least a hundred of them since the beginning of the battle. Qianye had no intention of stopping here. He followed another armored soldier around the corner and was just about to cut down its legs when a sense of alarm came over his heart. He suddenly rolled toward the opposite side and flashed away. There was an odd-looking young girl standing on the opposite end of the street. She was covered in heavy armor and equipped with force-assistive devices at her joints. She was also carrying a large metallic backpack that would occasionally release clouds of steam. The girl looked pretty and delicate, but she was carrying a shocking Vulcan cannon in her hand. That strange appearance made it clear that the weapon was a special model. A Vulcan cannon of this size would usually be equipped on airships and used for air-to-ground suppression, sometimes even in air-to-air combat. Now, however, it was being hauled around by this young girl. The multiple barrels started spinning rapidly as she took aim at the steel-clad soldier. Cursing inwardly, Qianye applied a bit of force to push through the wall and ducked into the house. As expected, the Vulcan cannon roared furiously and sent a stream of flames flying through the street, lashing at the armored warrior in a ruthless but impressive fashion. No matter how thick the creatures skin was, it couldnt hold out against the barrage of large-caliber bullets. And soon, it was pushed back continuously. Perhaps its limited intelligence didnt register what retreat meant. It dug in with its four limbs and began charging against the stream of flames. That caused it to suffer the full brunt of the Vulcan cannons attacks. The young girl was incomparably accuratethe flames converged into one stream, the entirety of which blasted on the warriors armored body. Not a single bullet missed its mark. After an entire ten seconds of firing, the steel-clad warriors chest plate and helmet were destroyed. At that point, the creature collapsed without even the chance to rage and snarl. The Vulcan cannons rumble had just stopped when a series of cheers broke out on the other end of the street. Someone cried out, Number eight! Miss Bluemoon is formidable! Another person yelled in Qianyes direction, That friend over there, no need to hide anymore! The monster has been killed. Come join us in protecting Miss Bluemoon, lets go and kill the ninth monster together. Thats right, you cant do anything alone, anyway, others chimed in. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He had only retracted his aura without concealing himself since the armored warriors possessed a rather poor range of vision. What he hadnt expected was that someone on the other side happened to see him. But protect that whatever Bluemoon as she kills the armored soldiers? In truth, it hadnt been very long since the battle began. Being able to kill nine armored soldiers was a fairly shocking speed. But not to mention nine, probably more than a hundred and nine had already fallen to his blade. The city would surely fall if he were to follow this girl. Qianye decided to not show his face since these fellows wouldnt be able to find him anyway. And even if they did, they wouldnt dare to operate on their ownthey wouldve been off searching for armored warriors to kill if they were that courageous. It was at this moment that someone in the group gasped in astonishment. Another steel-armored warrior had appeared and was charging at them. Bluemoons expression was unsightly. The Vulcan cannon in her hand was already scalding hot and would likely break down after a hundred more rounds. But there was no way to kill an armored soldier without firing about four hundred rounds. All she could do at this point was rely on the adventurers around her to deter the opponent and stall for time. Seeing Bluemoon glancing over at them, the dozen or so people began edging back instead of going forward. No one was willing to wager their lives against this kind of powerful and tenacious opponent. At this moment, a beam of green light tore through the skies and struck the nape of the targets neck. All of a sudden, the steel-clad warriors head flew high into the air! A crisp, resounding gunshot then rang out from the distance. The soldiers headless body swayed somewhat but soon collapsed without flailing about. Everyone was in a daze as they gazed at the corpse of that steel-armored warrior. They had to spend so much effort to finish off one of these creatures, yet this sniper had killed one just like that? Could it be Su Dingqian taking action? Those with some knowledge knew that it wasnt possible. But who apart from a divine champion could kill an armored warrior so easily? By the time everyone glanced over to the source of the shot, the marksman was already nowhere to be found. Bluemoon was also gazing in that direction. She gritted her teeth and muttered, Dammit! If it wasnt for this accursed place, I wouldnt suffer such humiliation. No one heard her soft voice amidst the noise of the battlefield. Qianye was also startled. He then stared at the nape of the dead soldiers neck and thought to himself, So thats the real weakness! Regarding that, he had also dissected quite a few steel-armored soldiers, but he still couldnt find where the vitals were. Those organs of theirs were all strange-looking; who knew which of them was the most important? In the end, Qianye had no better way than to attack its abdomen and cut off its legs. But with these methods, the soldiers would flail about for a good while before dying. How could he compare to the stunning shot that had finished off the enemy so efficiently? Many things could be seen from the details, but when that shot arrived, even Qianye could only make out the hazy silhouette of a lady. The figure had vanished before he could observe clearly. This kind of sniping ability had far surpassed Edens. Fortunately, she was on his side. Qianye charged out of the house with his sword raised. He spent some time to sense the distribution of armored warriors around him and made a beeline for one of them. After ramming through three walls, Qianye arrived in a certain street where he found his target as planned. The warrior had just passed by and now had its large butt facing him. However, Qianye didnt attack immediately and, instead, glanced at the other end of the street. Bluemoon charged out of the street corner, sliding several meters forward before coming to a sudden halt. Immediately afterward, the Vulcan cannon took aim at the armored warrior and its muzzle began to spin. She had also seen Qianye at this point. Surprised and with a serious expression, she gestured for Qianye to move aside. How could Qianye yield the prey that was right in front of him? By the time her cannon was ready to fire, Qianye wouldve finished hacking off the targets limbs and swaggered off. As for whether Bluemoon was willing to attack a crippled target, that was the least of Qianyes concerns. Origin power surged as East Peak rose high into the air, ready to remove the enemys hind legs. An unexpected change happened at this point as a green light emerged from the corner of his vision! This beam was rather familiar and caused Qianyes blood core to beat wildly for a brief moment! A bullet traversed the sky and struck the steel-clad soldier at the back of his neck, sending an armored head flying into the air. Unable to stop the momentum of his slash, Qianye hacked off the warriors hind legs. But it was no useit could be said that the armored soldier was already dead the moment the sniper bullet left its chamber. Qianye turned toward the source of this shot, but all he could see was an elegant back. She had actually left after firing the shot, not even bothering to confirm the results. Seeing her receding figure, Qianye let go of the mild frustration in his heart. He then leapt over the buildings and into the neighboring street. At this point, Bluemoons Vulcan cannon had just reached its firing speed. In this seemingly short period, the two rivals had acted out a game of prey-stealing right before her eyes. The most important problem was that, at first, this prey was hers. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 765: Unexpected Loss Bluemoon clenched her teeth and pulled on the trigger, tearing the corpse apart with a stream of metal and fire. This angry attack was a waste of good bullets, but she had nowhere else to vent otherwise. Qianye instinctively concealed himself after ducking behind the wall. At this moment, his thoughts werent on the battlefield but rather, that woman. Every time, she would only appear for a brief moment, and her figure was fairly blurry. If it wasnt for Qianyes astonishing eyesight, there was simply no way to discover her existence. The silhouette of her back gave Qianye a sense of familiarity, but she was otherwise a stranger to him. Qianye had a feeling that, under her calm exterior, was an indifferent disdain for all lifeit was as if this person was a powerful entity from a different world. When had such a powerful woman appeared in Port City? Qianye had thought of Nighteye at first but soon ruled-out this possibility. This person had a different temperament, and that godly marksmanship was also far above Nighteyes, capable of suppressing anyone Qianye had ever seen. Even Zhao Jundu hadnt reached this level. Regardless, it was good news that such a person was willing to stand on their side. Qianye pushed away all distracting thoughts and locked onto a nearby armored warrior. This warrior was surrounded by a dozen or so city-guard corpses. Without the restriction of those guards, the creature had started to turn its attention toward the surrounding citizens. It rampaged through the street block, smashing the frail buildings with its gigantic body. The civilians within quickly lost their hiding places and appeared in his vision. The steel-armored soldier emitted a bloodthirsty roar as its axe danced about, cutting down all the civilians in its wake. The warrior seemed particularly fond of slaughter and would continue to butcher the corpses even after cutting down its targets. Qianyes expression turned gloomy. These monsters only revealed their slaughtering instincts after leaving the battlefield. If they were allowed to rampage through the city, one could very well imagine the fate of those residents after the city had fallen. Mobilizing such a weapon meant that the three powers hadcontrary to the norms in the neutral landsno intention of taking in the civilians of Port City. Qianye arrived on the armored soldiers back with a flicker and thrust East Peak into its neck, all the way to its hilt. The warrior erupted in a short roar but soon collapsed to the ground, never to move again. This time, Qianye had decided to not hold back anymore. It was at this moment that Su Dingqians voice echoed in the air, Everyone, this matter is related to the continued existence of Port City. The enemy has no intention of leaving the civilians a path of survival. I implore you to assist me in a fight to the death. If only we can hold Port City, I will not hesitate to empty our coffers to reward everyones contributions. These words caused the eyes of many experts in the city to turn red. As the city lord, Su Dingqian must have accumulated a large amount of wealth over the decades. Even a small part of it was enough to help all these experts advance by a level, to speak nothing of the entire treasury. How could a divine champion go back on his words? Qianye was also moved. The Dreameater Bug was something he needed urgentlySu Dingqians willingness to offer it to him meant that it wasnt the most valuable item in his treasury. There might be better spirit-healing treasures among the products related to the Earth Dragon. Despite knowing the dangers, Qianye decided to let loose and fight for the Dreameater Bug and other potential spirit-healing treasures. There were quite a few people with the same thoughts. It could be said that there were some things for an independent expert that could only be chanced upon and not sought. Many were at their cultivation bottlenecks and required certain treasures to take the next step. The only way for them to obtain such resources was to look for them in a divine champions treasury. Hence, many independent experts decided to go all out and fight this bloody war despite knowing the perils. Qianye stopped a small unit of city guards who had just charged out of a street. Follow me. Qianye pointed toward the side before proceeding to move out. The soldiers hesitated briefly before following suitit was naturally best for them if they could follow an expert in this chaotic battle. Two armored warriors appeared before Qianye after passing through the street block. He pounced forward without stopping and cut them down on the spot. The soldiers crowded over from behind and, under Qianyes instructions, stabbed at the wound with their long spears, completely annihilating the enemy soldiers vitality. A fair number of scattered city guards began to follow him during the long raid, and soon, there was a hundred-man team behind him. At this point, Qianye would critically injure the armored soldiers with one slash and allow the soldiers behind him to finish them off. Under the assault of dozens of spears, the steel-armored creatures quickly turned into corpses despite their powerful vitality. This method was effective in preserving Qianyes origin power. As more and more soldiers gathered behind him, they became the main fighting force of that city block. With enough followers to guard his flanks and clean up the battlefield, his assault became even more efficient. He would usually leave individual foot soldiers to the troops behind him and only took action to scatter the well-organized units in their way. The duty of hunting down survivors after that was delegated to others. Within a short period, dozens more armored soldiers had fallen to Qianyes blade. On the Spider Emperors ship, the masked man stood up all of a sudden. Why are the puppet warrior casualty rates so high!? In front of him, a vampire officer was lying on the ground after concluding the latest battle report. The furious masked mans suppressive might had pressed the viscount to the floor, his bones creaking and groaning, unable to utter a single word. Just the invisible pressure alone had rendered a vampire viscount entirely helpless. All of the Spider Emperors generals were filled with dread upon seeing the masked mans strength. The latter eventually withdrew his aura after realizing that his target could no longer speak. The viscount didnt dare to activate his blood energy and heal his injury. This lowly one doesnt dare to lie. A large number of connection signals have indeed disappeared, over three hundred and eighty during the last count. Now now He didnt continue speaking, but the meaning in his words was clear. More puppet warriors had died during this period. The command room was deathly silent. Everyone here knew that the puppet soldier was a secret weapon of the Moonlight Demons, and their power was already evident during the assault on the city. They had first estimated a loss of about two hundred of these soldiers in total, but now, they had actually lost twice the amount when the battle had just begun. The outcome of the battle was far from decided, so how could the masked man be in a good mood? The commander seemed to have realized that being angry was useless. He returned to his seat and sat down with his eyes closed. Moments later, he said, Where is the Wolf Kings representative? Its time for them to attack. The werewolfs expression changed drastically. Sire, this isnt what we planned? Your puppet soldiers have charged deep into the city, and they have no distinction between friend and foe. Sending our troops in at this time will result in grave casualties. Those steel-armored warriors would massacre all living things apart from their own kind. Hence, there were no other troops near their formation. Ordinary soldiers were transported by airship and only entered the city after the creatures had gone in. The lips on the commanders mask actually curved upward into a cold smile. He said slowly, The old spider has lost a warbeast, and my puppet warriors are suffering heavy casualties. So what if some of your troops die? Your tribesmen arent worth much anyway. You can use the dead as fertilizer. The werewolf generals lips moved somewhat, hoping to argue his case. But the masked man turned about at this moment. His cold gaze fell onto the wolfs body as he said in a cold voice, If you move out now, I can ignore whether the soldiers you send are humans or werewolves, but if you must wait until the agreed moment, your Second Werewolf Corps can forget about resting. All of them will have to enter the city. The werewolf generals words were stuck in his throat. He could only bow, saying, Ill go and arrange the assault." The second werewolf corps was one of the best legions under the Wolf King, and its officers were all werewolves. It could be considered a private army of his tribe. The Wolf King wouldnt feel very pained at losing other troops, but the casualties inflicted on the first and second werewolf corps would consist only of the Wolf Kings tribesmen. No matter how well-trained the corps were, they were still made of flesh and would suffer all the same around those puppet warriors. Hence, despite the unwillingness, that werewolf general had no choice but to leave the cabin and issue the command to attack. The heavy transports roaming around the battlefield started to land, pouring tens of thousands of soldiers into the battlefield. These troops all surged into Port City like the raging tides. Within the city, Qianye felt a sudden increase in pressure as a constant stream of enemy soldiers appeared around him. Fortunately, he had rounded up a sizeable band of city guards and civilians, forming a stable battlefront under the cover of the complicated landscape. However, the enemy numbers were simply too greata new wave would appear after killing one off. The defensive line Qianye had built up with great difficulty was soon tottering on the verge of collapse. On several occasions, Qianye had to personally kill the enemy officer in order to stabilize the situation. Just as Qianye was hesitating whether or not to massacre these ordinary soldiers, one of the nearby buildings burst apart and the heavily armored Bluemoon charged out like a god of death. Qianyes eyes lit upHighbeards were the best killing weapons on the battlefield, most suitable for mowing down large numbers of cannon fodder. This way! Qianye shouted. Bluemoon also noticed Qianye and the defensive line behind him. She rushed over toward him, crying, I have some trouble behind me, Ill leave them to you. Soon, a dozen or so steel-armored warriors came into view. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 766: The Unbreakable Bulwark There was simply no end to these thingsno matter how many he killed, there would always be more to replace them. Filled with killing intent, Qianye headed toward the enemy in large strides. Bluemoon was shocked out of her wits. What are you doing? Are you mad? The group of armored warriors surged toward Qianye like a black tide. At a glance, they seemed poised to devour the skies! However, Qianyes combat arts had reached a stage of great success. His gait alternated between various speeds as he weaved through the horde and arrived in their midst. The movements of all the armored troops turned sluggish for a short moment whichto experts like Qianye and Bluemoonwas enough to do many things. East Peak seemed weightless as it danced about, slashing off half a dozen legs in the blink of an eye. Qianyes well-timed slashes removed only one leg from every soldier. This left the armored warriors still capable of fighting but drastically reduced their combat strength. Even the city guard could pick them off in large numbers. On the other end of the battlefield, Bluemoons eyes were filled with apprehension. Soon afterward, she spun her cannon around and began strafing the enemy formation. The troops on her side were all subordinate troops of the Spider Emperor and Wolf King. Their numbers were large, but most of them were ordinary rank-two soldiers, making the Vulcan Cannon a bonafide killer weapon against them. As the cannon reached its set speed, streams of metal gushed out amidst the earth-shattering rumble. Soon, they converged into flaming dragons that swept through the enemies in front! In the blink of an eye, the Vulcan Cannon had become red-hot, and despite her discontent, Bluemoon had no choice but to stop firing. In front of her, the messy slums had turned into level-ground. A mixture of splinters and flesh paved the ground, turning the area into a special cemetery. The special-model Vulcan Cannon in Bluemoons hands was even more powerful than the ones installed on airships. A single shot from it was enough to tear ordinary people apart; there was no such thing as an intact corpse. At this moment, a large gap had been dug out in the enemy formation. A single round of raking fire had cut down hundreds of soldiers. The cannon seemingly possessed the firepower of the god of fire, but the main reason for this accomplishment was Bluemoons marksmanship. Enemy morale fell to an all-time low. The lucky survivors were either standing in a daze or had turned to flee. Either way, this assault wave had come to a halt here. Bluemoon felt somewhat satisfied after venting her anger. She glanced in Qianyes direction, only to find his receding figure. In his previous location was a group of staggering armored warriors who had lost one leg. The difficult movement caused them to bump into one another, throwing the group into a pitiful mess. In Bluemoons eyes, these sitting ducks were the best targets for her Vulcan cannon. However, she wasnt at all delightedthis group of armored warriors that had forced her to flee was unbearably weak against Qianye. They couldnt even make him use his true powers. Besides, she wasnt really enthused about slaughtering crippled enemies. Dammit! Do you think Im only capable of dealing with these cripples? If it wasnt for this accursed place, how can I be taken so lightly? Bluemoon gnashed her teeth. At this moment, Su Yueyuans voice rang out near her. Miss Bluemoon, Ive come to help you! Su Yueyuan was stunned as he landed beside her and scanned the battlefield. At his level of strength, no number of ordinary soldier corpses was enough to alarm him. What truly startled him was the group of armored soldiers who were struggling to clamber up. Who did this? Su Yueyuans expression was serious. At this point in the battle, he naturally knew how difficult it was to tangle with the armored soldiers. He himself couldnt cut down so many of them. Dont know! It was clear that the girl didnt want to reply. The Vulcan Cannon in her hand rumbled once more as she sprayed the half-crippled soldiers with bullets. Su Yueyuan had also noticed this and asked no more questions. Instead, he went forward with his spear to finish off the grounded enemies one by one. He was panting a bit after killing all of themthese fellows possessed an astonishing level of defense and vitality, and it was difficult to kill them even when they were simply lying there. Su Yueyuan didnt know where their vitals were, so he had to spend at least three spear thrusts to kill one armored soldier. Even someone like him would feel strained after killing a dozen or so in succession. Bluemoon had already run out of ammo and the group following her was hurriedly reloading her cannon. Taking advantage of this rare interlude, Su Yueyuan gazed at the armored soldier corpses and sighed. Which powerful expert actually half-crippled so many steel-armored warriors? Dont know. Bluemoon tossed out the same stiff answer. At this moment, the masked man slammed the armrest of his seat. The Spider Emperors treasured throne was completely destroyed, and the floor below began to crack. The man himself was naturally unaffectedhe remained floating in the air in a sitting position. Many of the vampires and arachne in the room plopped to the floor, suppressed by the mans might and killing intent. Only a handful of the strongest experts could barely remain on their feet. Why are we losing so many puppet warriors!? One of the prostrating vampires said, Sire, please contain your anger. I-I dont know the reason, either, only that we have lost contact with seven hundred of them. Could it be Su Dingqian attacking in secret? The masked man snorted, Its not him. If he attacks, this seat will definitely know. Then, it must be Liu Daoming. That old bastard has always been crafty, perhaps hes hiding some powerful methods. After a moment of silence, the masked man said, Since thats the case, then have the experts of every race charge in! This wasnt the best time for experts to mobilize. The situation inside Port City was chaoticthe people on Su Dingqians side were familiar with the landscape, and they were being overseen by a divine champion. The ability to mask the aura was already a great advantage for the defenders, to speak nothing of other home ground boons. Hence, it wasnt time for experts with special identities to take action. The ones entering the city at this point were all cannon fodder and exiles. Nonetheless, the masked persons patience seemed to have run out due to the disastrous loss of puppet warriors, deciding to rush the experts on his side onto the battlefield. At this point, no one dared to dissuade this dangerous masked man. A while later, half of the people in the cabin were gone. The crystalline spiders eyes lit up once more as the Spider Emperors will arrived. Mask, dont be rash. The masked man snorted coldly, I want to go for a walk in Port City. Now is not the time to put the cards on the table. On the contrary, we have to prevent both parties from doing so. We have to let him believe that us occupying Port City is only temporary and that hell have the chance to take it back later on. Killing all of his subordinates and children will only get us a mad divine champion, nothing good will come out of it. But, our losses The Spider Emperor said meaningfully, Theres a limit to the losses. Even if they destroy all of the puppet warriors, can it compare to our grand scheme? Dont forget that this matter is related to our advancement. Itll be a whole new world once we take this step. Seemingly moved, the masked man sat down with a snort. His seat had been pulverized, but a stream of cold energy condensed under him to form a dark throne of ice, atop which he took his seat. The Spider Emperor heaved a sigh of relief. How about this? Ill also mobilize the giant warbeasts and give him a bit more pressure, lest unexpected problems arise. The masked man nodded slowly. The roar of giant warbeasts echoed once more under the night sky, and soon, the earth began to tremble under the steps. Countless airships braved the defensive fire to land near the city walls, releasing a tide of soldiers into Port City. What was left of the city defenses crumbled quickly, and Qianye, who was fighting inside, felt a sharp increase in pressure. From his position, he could make out the silhouette of two large warbeasts. The warbeasts are here again? Qianye felt somewhat depressed. He knew the other party was going all out, intent on taking Port City in one go. Qianye charged toward a group of steel-armored warriors. The area around these soldiers was usually empty because they couldnt differentiate between friend and foe. It was clear that these weapons made up the main enemy force, and with Qianyes experience, he could see that their construction was costly. The city wasnt going to last long without Su Dingqian taking action. He had to take advantage of the chaos to kill more of these creatures and lessen future burdens. Qianye was all too familiar with these armored warriors at this point. He would hack off a large swathe of elephant legs with a combination of his domain and sword, leaving them half-crippled. This was even faster than cutting them down one by one, not to mention leaving these war puppets half-destroyed would pose a greater headache for the enemy. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had reaped a dozen or so armored warriors. Just as he was charging toward the next battlefield, his steps came to a sudden halt and his upper body leaned backward, barely evading a grey, mist-shrouded bullet. That heavily-armored knight appeared in front of Qianye. The man looked at him with cold eyes and said, Was it satisfying? Qianye glanced toward where the bullet had come from, but as expected, the grey figure was nowhere to be found. The snipers marksmanship was first-class and he possessed even greater talents in stealth. How could he be so easy to spot? But one thing was certainhe had already picked a new location and was waiting for Qianye to reveal an opening. No need to look, you wont find him. You still havent answered me, was the slaughter satisfying? Of course. The knight shot a glance at the flailing armored soldiers. Despite their lack of expression, he could hear the anger and frustration in their voices. Very well, it seems most of the puppet warriors were lost in your hands. Since thats the case, you dont need to leave this place alive tonight. Unbreakable Bulwark! The origin shield appeared once more. The knight raised his aegis with both hands and stood unmoving like the mountains. However, he felt somewhat puzzled when he saw that Qianye wasnt using that shockingly powerful grade-seven gun, but instead an unassuming sword. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 767: Slaughter With the strength Qianye was displaying outwardly, it was already quite lucky for him to have obtained a grade-seven gun. Now, he was actually discarding that in favor of a nondescript heavy sword? The knight sneered secretly. He even opened up his Unbreakable Bulwark to make a provocative finger gesture at Qianye. Come, what are you waiting for? Qianye didnt attack immediately. Instead, he glanced sideways toward his back where another person had appeared. This person, with his sword and dagger, was shrouded in an aura of shrewdness and experience. Compared to the extreme skills of the grey figure and the knight, this person seemed more balanced and his arrival significantly increased the three-man teams fighting prowess. The knight said confidently, You wont escape with your life if you cant break my shield. I would consider surrendering if I were you. With your skills and ability, it wont be a problem for you to gain a good position in the organization. This will also open up your future prospects. Qianye wasnt as hesitant or nervous as he had expected. On the contrary, his expression appeared fairly relaxed. During their meeting in the wilds, Qianye always had a feeling that they had a hidden ace up their sleeves which, apparently, was this third person. Now that their trump card had been placed on the table, there was no longer a need for him to be hesitant. Qianye moved forward with his sword raised, stuffing the knights words of persuasion down his throat. The twin-bladed warrior moved at the same time, sticking close behind Qianye at a constant distance of ten meters. This gap would take no more than a flash for experts of their levelQianye would be stuck in a pincer attack if he failed to break through the knights defenses. Besides, there was still that grey figure who would be searching for an opening from far away. The knight couldnt comprehend Qianyes motive. From the intelligence he had obtained, Qianye was only a hired independent expert and such people would never sacrifice themselves for their duty. It was common for independent experts to surrender in hopeless situations. Could it be that Qianye was confident in extricating himself? The knight glanced at the incoming sword but found nothing special except for the apparent weight. The knight broke into a frown, but he decided to try one last time. You think you can destroy my Unbreakable Bulwark with that sword of yours? It takes brute force to drive a heavy sword. Truth be told, even vampire counts can forget about breaking through my shield, let alone a human like you! Qianye was surprised at how hard this knight was trying to recruit him. Chuckling to himself, he arrived before the knight in a single step and performed a very simple slash. It was just that East Peaks movements were accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder! Oh no! The knight was shocked out of his wits. He raised his shield with both hands and injected every ounce of origin power he had into the shield. The bulwark not only became thicker but veined patterns started to appear at its edges, apparently increasing its defensive capabilities. The smell of blood began to drift out from the cracks between his armor. It would seem he had truly put his life on the line to block this slash. An inexplicable thud echoed throughout the battlefield. Everyone felt a grave discomfort, almost as if their hearts had been pounded by a sledgehammer. East Peak stopped very briefly on the shield, and then it bounced back softly, drawing a beautiful arc in the air before pointing diagonally toward the ground. His stance was a display of utter disdain for the opponent. The knight actually remained in place with his hands on the shield, not taking a single step backward. Nonetheless, he was as rigid as a statue, and his every movement seemed terribly difficult. He made to lower his shield and glance at Qianye, but that small movement elicited a crisp crackle from the bulwark. The shield soon shattered into countless fragments, which scattered to the ground and dispersed in the form of origin power. Y-Youre a vampire from a famed clan. N-Not just a count It took the knight a lot of effort to utter each word. I am a count. Qianye allowed the knight to know a little bit more about him in light of the attempted recruitment. N-No, impossible The knight was still standing, but his head fell limp. Up until his last breath, he still couldnt unravel the doubts in his heart. That was the extent to which Qianye could explain. The knight had no idea that there were ancient vampires above those from the famed clans. With the knight fallen, Qianye turned back to target the twin-bladed warrior. A cold shiver jolted the man out of his shocked state. He was also a character who had faced great winds and waves, someone who shouldnt have lost his composure in battle. But as someone who had worked with the knight for so long, he knew very well just how terrifying that Unbreakable Bulwark was. It could be said that the knights origin power aegis was truly unbreakable except against characters above the marquis level. Yet Qianye had shattered this unbreakable bulwark in a single slash! It wouldve been fine if the knight had gone flying from the blow, but he couldnt even take a step back. With no way to disperse the incoming force, he had to take on the entirety of the impact on his own. This was the most shocking partjust what level had the force on the blade reached? T-This, how is this possible? The twin-bladed warrior gasped. Qianye didnt give him much time to think, though. He delivered a horizontal slash, saying, Nothing impressive, just brute force and weight. Brute force was the simplest way to increase the strength of a blow, something he also knew very well. Qianyes sword looked mediocre and devoid of shocking powers. Perhaps the outcome was, just as he had said, due to sufficient force and weight. But to kill that knight in one blow, how heavy would the sword have to be, and how powerful the force behind it? The twin-bladed warrior was soon drenched in cold sweat. The man lost the will to fight upon seeing that blade drifting over weightlessly. He let out a loud cry and turned to flee. Was this a joke? How was he to take Qianyes slash when his defense was even weaker than one of the knights arms? There was no need for a square hit; a graze was enough to cripple him. Qianye arrived behind the twin-bladed warrior with a single step and slashed at the mans back. Grey shadow, save me! the twin-bladed warrior screamed in his desperation. A faint silhouette emerged from behind, holding a vaguely discernible sniper rifle in his hand. However, Qianyes speed and acceleration were changing rapidly. The sniper muzzle kept following him, but there was simply no opportunity to fire. As a master sniper himself, Qianye naturally understood how to prevent being locked onto. During this short period, the twin-bladed warrior had been forced into dire straits. Unable to evade one of the incoming slashes, he had no choice but to block with his dagger. The swordsman felt a shock through his entire body as the blades came into contact. The dagger in his grasp was actually unbroken; only bent out of shape and useless. Desperation filled his eyes because he knew he wouldnt last long with a single sword. Seeing the swordsman hanging by a thread, the grey figure drifted toward Qianye. Proactively drawing closer would increase his accuracy, but it also placed him in harm''s way. A cold gleam flashed through Qianyes eyes as he abandoned the swordsman and pounced at the grey figure. This charge, akin to a flash of lightning, finally revealed his true strength. Greatly astonished, the grey shadow fluctuated wildly and flew backward immediately, hoping to put some distance between them. Qianye erupted with a low roar at this pointthe space surrounding the grey silhouette became heavy, sluggish, and distorted from the massive force. The distance between the two was close enough for Qianyes domain to take effect, rendering the grey shadow unable to escape. Both the swordsman and grey shadow had fallen into a perilous situation. Under the knights protection, the two were able to play to their strengths without restraint, and this gave them a false sense of power. Now that the knight was gone, the entire group was quick to fall apart. The grey shadow struggled with all his might, but the suppression grew increasingly substantial. Qianye soon arrived with East Peak raised high and slashed at the snipers waist. However, the shadow seemed almost intangible and remained unaffected as the blade swept through him. He kept on struggling against the suppression of the domain, and Qianye could feel his resistance growing stronger and stronger as the man adapted to the pressure. Just as he was about to escape the domain, the shadowy figure let out a shrill, menacing scream at Qianye. Qianye paid the wail no heed, however. With a jolt of his blade, a faint scarlet origin flame ignited on East Peak. Seeing the origin flames formed of Venus Dawn, the grey shadow screamed continuously as though he had just encountered his nemesis. Judging from the reaction, Qianye knew Venus Dawn happened to be his weakness. Even if that wasnt the case, he still had the dark golden blood energy to try. There had to be something capable of restraining this enemy in either daybreak or Evernight. Otherwise, he would have to be a heavenly monarch and not a minor character like this. The grey shadow became fiercely distorted as he wailed in agony. In the end, the outer grey layer burst open, and taking advantage of the blast, a smaller silhouette charged out of the domain and fled. Qianye was caught unprepared and couldnt chase after the enemy in time. This mysterious enemy might prove fairly troublesome if allowed to escape. Gazing at the receding grey figure, a cold gleam flickered in Qianyes eyes. He was prepared to use spatial flash and assault the target from the air. Faintly discernible threads of blood appeared in the air, connecting Qianye to the grey shadow. Just as Spatial Flash was about to activate, an odd but clear whistle reverberated through the air. An origin bullet streaked across the sky and struck the grey shadow at unbelievable speeds. The shadow wasnt afraid of physical attacks at first, but this bullet was like a powerful venom to him. It vanished right after entering the body, causing the silhouette to distort violently and eliciting a mournful scream from the man. With a boom, the grey shadow soon burst into flames. Even with Qianyes powerful perception, he had no idea what type of fire it was, only that it contained a trace of blood energy. The sanguineous blaze ignited the grey shadow, causing flames to burst out from within and turning him into a human torch. The raging fire lasted for an entire minute before the grey shadow collapsed to the ground and his true form came into view. All that was left of him was a charred, human-shaped body whose facial features could no longer be seen. With the grey shadow dead, the swordsman was naturally no match for Qianye. The latter caught up to the target within a hundred meters and slashed him through the waist. Only after killing the swordsman did Qianye have the leisure to glance at where the bullet had come from. Naturally, there was no one there. For some reason, though, Qianye had a feeling that it was the mysterious woman again. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 768: Merits and Rewards After all those fierce battles, the situation in this war was close to an all-out collapse. Flames were raging in every part of the city, and many experts had taken to the air while ordinary soldiers fought to their deaths on the ground. The two warbeasts had reached the walls and were promptly held up by Liu Daomingbut anyone could see that the man wasnt going to last long against these giant creatures. Having killed the three-man team and eradicated puppet warriors in the hundreds, it could be said that Qianyes contributions made up the most important segment of the battle. Otherwise, this group couldve easily fought against a marquis-level expert. Yet, he could not reverse the flow of the entire battle or fight against the dense, locust-like tide of soldiers. Qianye decisively changed directions and ran toward the noble district. With Su Dingqian overseeing that place, the flames of war hadnt yet spread here. It was only a matter of time, though, judging from the situation of the battle. Su Dingqian couldnt actually attack due to the threat of the other partys divine champion. Under such circumstances, Qianye had to return to Nighteye and Zhujihe couldnt put their safety in the hands of another. Arriving outside of the small courtyard, Qianye could sense an unfamiliar aura inside. Who would come to visit at such a time? Could something unexpected have happened? Bang! Qianye crashed right through the gates and rushed into the courtyard. In the compound, Nighteye was quietly reading a book. One had to wonder how tough a job it was to stay calm and read amidst the continuous rumble of cannons and guns. Relieved after seeing Nighteye unharmed, Qianye glanced about in search of this unfamiliar aura. It wasnt him being paranoidthis faintly discernible aura filled his heart with apprehension and even his blood core was trembling slightly. It was as if he had encountered a powerful enemy. What are you looking for? Nighteye asked, putting down her book. I can sense another aura here. Did someone come here just now? No, its only me and Zhuji here, the little girl is sleeping inside. Qianye was speechless; Zhuji was actually still sleeping under such circumstances. The flames of war had almost burned the skies, yet the two here were either reading or sleeping. What a tranquil and relaxed life! Despite Nighteye saying there was no one here, Qianye still searched through every corner of the courtyard, but in the end, his efforts were in vain. That aura had vanished completely without leaving a single trace behind. Afraid of me hiding a man? Nighteye smiled spuriously. Of course not. Qianye quickly described the unfamiliar aura to her. After pondering for a while, Nighteye said, According to ancient records, every vampire bloodline has a position in the River of Blood. The closer one is to the first drop of blood, the greater his power and suppression on the lower bloodlines. Your bloodline isnt below mine and is probably at the primogenitor level, so theoretically, only those of primogenitor blood can make you feel a sense of danger. But there are only a handful of primos in the entire race. Discounting the useless ones with insufficient bloodline awakening, theres only me and Edward. Perhaps there are other primos? Nighteye shook her head. Impossible. The appearance of a primo is an important matter for the vampire race as a whole. There are numerous ceremonies required to stabilize the primo bloodline, and one of them is calling out to the River of Blood. Whenever this rite is performed, all primos and characters above the duke level will sense it. So, its impossible for there to be an unknown primo. The explanation was fairly reasonable, but as nothing in the world was absolute, Qianye couldnt quite dispel his concern about this aura. Nonetheless, this wasnt the time to linger on this matter. Collect your things and wake Zhuji up, prepare to retreat. The battle hasnt ended, has it? It wont be long now. The outcome cannot be changed, Su Dingqian will issue the order very soon. His words hadnt even trailed off when the City Lords voice echoed over Port City. The enemy momentum is too strong. Today, we shall retreat temporarily. The city guard will open up a path, and all guest experts will follow. This seat will personally serve as the rearguard! Brother Liu, leave those two beasts to me. Liu Daoming was mired in an arduous battle. After hearing the call, he launched a series of attacks before flying back into Port City. The enemies in the city were instantly routed with his assistance, and the city guard came together for a westward breakthrough. The independent experts grouped up to break the siege, including Qianye and Nighteye. Little Zhuji was on Nighteyes back with her eyes half-closed and about to fall asleep at any moment. After a night of arduous battles, the three forces had also suffered grievous losses and had little intention of overrunning the retreating defenders. They quickly recalled their forces after a few kilometers of chase. Su Dingqian was edging back slowly in the air. One man and one swordhe had remained to guard the armys rear during its retreat. Seeing that their own divine champion wasnt making an appearance, none of the enemy soldiers would charge to their deaths. This retreat lasted one day and night, all the way until they had reached a small city two hundred kilometers away. Those who had retreated with Su Dingqian consisted of a thousand-some city guards, all of them at rank-three or above. The weaker ones couldnt keep up with the pace of retreat. As for the tens of thousands of civilians, they could only remain in Port City and await their upcoming fate. Normally, the occupants of a city would take civilians in for their own use and not slaughter them wantonly. There was quite a bit of menial work involved in collecting the Earth Dragons products, and they would need to rely on the civilians for them. While they were resting, Su Dingqian assembled all the independent experts. After everyone had arrived, the city lord cleared his throat. Everyone, our temporary retreat is only a plan of convenience because the enemy momentum was too strong during this battle. What does a momentary loss of a territory and city count for? As long as the city guard remains loyal, everyone here is willing to help, and this Su remains standing, taking the city back is only a matter of time. The group became spirited after hearing these words. Qianye secretly praised the flexibility of Su Dingqian. While trying to recruit people, he had pushed himself to the last place and referred to himself as this Su instead of this seat. All these arrogant and obstinate experts were delighted to see how humble this divine champion was. Su Dingqian spoke once more, The enemy appears strong, but they are far from unified inside and full of contradictions. How can their alliance last long? The Spider Emperor and Wolf King are enemies, to begin with, and the friction between them is constant. As for the Moonlight Demons, everyone knows their reputation. Who would dare to cooperate with them sincerely? This Su believes that their party will soon collapse and disperse. Everyone had confidence in the reasonable analysis. A burly man in the crowd asked, City Lord Su, why would they risk life and limb to take Port City? As I see it, the gains wont make up for the losses! This question was somewhat on point, and it immediately caught Qianyes full attention. These losses couldnt be recouped even if they occupied the city for half a decade. It was obvious that those armored puppets werent easy to raise, yet close to a thousand of them were lost today. Perhaps there was some incredible secret in Port City enticing the enemy to attack so frantically. Su Dingqian replied frankly, The Earth Dragon, of course, what other reason can there be? The Earth Dragons products are in the market every year, are they really enough to cover the losses? Su Dingqian smiled. Everyone here is a life and death comrade, so this Su will speak openly. What I see is that the Spider Emperor, Mask, and Wolf King are all after the Earth Dragons blood. Earth Dragons blood! A series of gasps echoed in the room, but many others wore expressions of puzzlement. This Earth Dragons blood sounded like an incredible treasure, but no one knew what it looked like or what uses it had. This reaction was within the city lords expectations. He stroked his short beard and said with a smile, I think none of you know what the Earth Dragons blood actually is, or even what the Earth Dragon looks like. Yes, could it be that City Lord Su has seen the Earth Dragon before? Why dont you tell us in detail and broaden our horizons? Everyone was enthusiastic. Su Dingqian laughed. The information about the Earth Dragon was actually spread by yours truly, but even I have no idea what the Earth Dragon looks like. Everyone was astonished. Ah, how come you dont know? Su Dingqian sighed. Its quite an embarrassment. This Su has tried to investigate the Earth Dragons location some years ago, but it was too dangerous an endeavor. With my cultivation, even approaching the dragon involved many dangers. Hence, I decided to back off and never dared to set foot there again. Many years have passed, and this Sus cultivation has made some progress, but I still cant drum up the courage to go under the ground again. Everyone glanced at one another. Who wouldve thought even someone of Su Dingqians strength wasnt able to see the Earth Dragon. Even if everyone here were to double in cultivation, they would never return from an encounter with the colossus. Another person probed, Then City Lord, who do you think can see the Earth Dragons true face? Su Dingqian pondered for a moment. Only a heavenly monarch! Even the greediest of people discarded all untoward thoughts at this point. They also realized that Su Dingqian spreading news about the Earth Dragons blood wasnt out of good intentions. Most likely, he was pushing the enemy toward the Earth Dragon and getting someone else to do the dirty work. This was an overt plotbut how many dukes and divine champions at their bottlenecks could resist the temptation? Perhaps the Spider Emperors group had prepared their own methods, but the three of them together still couldnt match a heavenly monarch. It was likely that they would suffer quite a bit after entering the earth. After concluding this topic, Su Dingqian said, The battle of Port City has come to an end and everyone here has contributed greatly to it. I announced back then that I was willing to open my treasury to repay everyone. Men, bring them up! Several people entered the room with several large crates and opened them one after the other, filling the room with the glow and energy of treasures. Everyone here was knowledgeable enough to judge the treasures value and were soon filled with desire. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 769: Difficulties Part 1 Everyone, these are the rewards for the battle at Port City. Most of my fortune is here. After receiving the bounty, you may choose to stay or to leave, I wont force anyone. Naturally, if you stay, youre welcome to join me as I conquer the world again! These words relieved many experts, and many began calculating how much they should get. There were also some feeling excited about the latter part of the City Lords words. Su Dingqian nodded at Liu Daoming who promptly brought out a booklet. The contributions in Port City are as follows, Ill read them out one by one. If anyone has objections, they may bring it up early. Otherwise, all the rewards will be decided according to these statistics. Well naturally listen to the commander. City Lord Sus eyes are akin to torches, theres no way hell make a mistake Indeed. Everyone expressed their stances. Su Dingqian was stationed at the center of last nights battle, and a divine champions perception was powerful enough to cover the entirety of the battlefield. Faking contributions wasnt possible. Liu Daoming cleared his throat and said with an odd expression, First place in contributions, Zhao Ye. Killed over four hundred puppet warriors, a three-man team from Moonlight Demon, and countless small contributions. Four hundred! So many? This old man fought with all he had to kill ten or so. Mr. Zhao, this really is The contribution list immediately caused great commotion. Everyone knew just how hard it was to tangle with these armored puppets. Even Champions had to spend quite a bit of effort to kill one of them. To kill four hundred of these soldiers, they wouldnt have enough origin power even if the enemy were to stand still and let them attack. Everyone was shocked at the number of puppets killed, but Liu Daomings astonishment came from the three Moonlight-Demon experts. Other people only knew that Qianye had killed three champions. Although the experts from Moonlight Demons were a bit more powerful than the norm, they couldnt compare to the shock of four hundred puppet-kills. The old man, however, knew who Qianyes opponents were. The three-man knight team from the Moonlight Demons was their best unit. They were highly adept at killing experts and boasted a record of killing a rank-sixteen champion. Even Liu Daoming would find it quite troublesome if pitted against this team. Yet, this group of assassins had fallen to Qianyes blade. At this moment, Liu Daoming had placed Qianye among the list of opponents he needed to treat seriously. This sounded quite comical because the latter was only rank twelve, while the city-guard commander was a rank-seventeen expert. How could the two be discussed at the same level? The rewards handed to Qianye consisted of three Dreameater Bugs and ten thousand gold coins worth of black crystals. Looking at the Dreameater Bugs in Qianyes hands, Su Yueyuans eyes flickered somewhat. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he didnt dare challenge his fathers authority. Bluemoon, on the other hand, remained quietly seated and looked like her thoughts were elsewhere. The next in contributions was Liu Daoming himself, and Bluemoon came in third. The girl looked rather weak and her cultivation was quite ordinary, but she had unexpectedly killed an enemy expert. As for the dozens of armored puppets she had killed, they seemed rather insignificant compared to Qianyes accomplishments. Having received generous bounties, all the remaining experts felt that this bloodbath was worth the effort. When Su Dingqian mentioned his intention to recruit them, many people immediately agreed to follow the city lord. At this point, Su Dingqian was going to rise back after the fall. Joining his banner now wasnt the same as back in Port City. To be honest, following him now was like following a dragon. After obtaining the Dreameater Bugs, Qianye felt that his business here was done and thus mentioned his intention to part ways. He had no interest in following kings as they conquered the world. All he wanted now was to find a quiet place to settle down with Nighteye and live a peaceful life. Su Dingqian was highly reluctanthe repeatedly urged Qianye to stay but had no other choice when his efforts proved fruitless. Before the departure, Su Dingqian held Qianyes hand and sighed. Mr. Zhao is young and capable, so much more powerful than I was back in the year. Will you not consider staying? When I grow old in the future, Port City will be yours. Qianye was rather surprised. Surely you jest, City Lord Su. I have no knowledge of managing territories and besides, Young Noble Yueyuan is such an outstanding person. It wont be a problem for him to carry on your legacy. Why the need for an outsider? Su Yueyuans expression improved slightly after hearing this. The city lord sighed. He might be sufficiently powerful if this were the imperial continents, and it wont be an issue for him to take over once Im old. But this is the neutral lands where the days are filled with blood and danger, his talents are still a bit lacking here. Without me around, how can he defend this territory amidst the wolves? If I hand the city to you, youll definitely protect his personal livelihood out of consideration for old friendships. Qianye hadnt expected Su Dingqian to be so thorough. These considerations were indeed reasonableif even Su Dingqian couldnt hold onto his territory, it would be more difficult for Su Yueyuan to do so than breaking through to the divine champion rank. At that time, the greater the territory, the earlier he would die. However, Qianyes reply was still the same. City Lord Su is in the prime of his life and will climb even higher. Whats the rush? Su Dingqian stopped his persuasions after realizing Qianyes unwavering attitude and sent the latter off personally before returning to the city. There was no objection from the other experts, either. Just by looking at his military accomplishments, it was obvious that Qianye was far above them in terms of strength and worthy of such an honor. There was nothing good in the little city. Su Dingqian gifted Qianye a fairly new truck and prepared enough food, water, and ammunition for his travels. The duo boarded the vehicle and drove at a leisurely pace for two days before the silhouette of a city appeared over the horizon. This place wasnt too far from Port City. It belonged to the Wolf King in name, but in truth, it was in a half independent state and the people here were of vastly different characters. Such a place suited Qianyes intentions because it was easier for him to investigate Cui Yuanhais whereabouts. If the old man had been captured by the Spider Emperor or the Moonlight Demons, he would likely be stationed in Port City as a master weaponsmith. This city was called Southern Blue, a rather large place with thirty thousand residents. Qianye gained undeterred entry into the city after paying a fee at the city gates, and then rented an independent courtyard from a hotel. After settling in, he brought out the Dreameater Bugs. Consume them now, lest unexpected troubles arise. Are you really giving them all to me? Why not leave one for yourself, it can strengthen your spirit. Qianye shook his head. Its more important to repair your spirit. A hundred days have passed, yet I still havent forgotten you. Qianye felt that the current Nighteye was different from before, but he couldnt put his finger on what it wasperhaps it was her temperament. Qianye pushed back the Dreameater Bug Nighteye was passing him and said, Your spirit-repair comes first. Nighteye shot Qianye a glance. There was an ineffable glow in her eyes as she said, Really? Dont regret it later. Of course, I wont. Qianye found Nighteyes words quite baffling. The latter spoke no more and merely focused on absorbing the bug. Moments later, her body gradually heated up as wisps of blood energy seeped out of her body. This blood energy contained a foul smell and dispersed immediately after leaving the body. After sustaining an injury to her spirit, Nighteyes strength had decreased slightly and her blood energy was no longer as pure as before. Now that her spirit was undergoing repairs, some of the impurities in her blood were being expelled. Qianye knew that she couldnt be disturbed during this process. As such, he left the room quietly and sat down in front of the closed doors. He closed his eyes to rest with East Peak lying across his knees, waiting for Nighteye to finish her cultivation. Perhaps due to the number of bugs she had absorbed this time, it took an entire two days and two nights before Nighteye walked out of the room. Seeing Qianye guarding the door, her eyes rippled slightly but returned to normal. How does it feel? Qianye inquired. Good, very good. But itll take a vast number of Dreameater Bugs to repair my spirit. Its good enough that theres some effect! There are channels by which we can get our hands on these bugs. Ill definitely figure out a way, rest assured. Nighteye shook her head. The more Dreameater Bugs one consumes, the less effective they become. Repairing my spirit will involve a shocking number of such bugs. I have a feeling that theyll become ineffective at some point. Its good enough that its effective now. No matter how many we need, even if its a hundred, Ill find a way to get them. Nighteye sighed. Dummy, I might need more than a hundred. Where are you going to get them? Even Su Dingqian only has a handful of them. Qianye smiled. You dont need to care about that. Theres always a way. Nighteye could only sigh in the end. Humph! If it wasnt for Li Fengshui, you wouldnt be suffering like this. Hes only a front-stage character, there must be military bigshots behind him. This matter wont end here! Qianye gnashed his teeth upon recalling the past. Nighteye sighed lightly. Qianye, let the past be. Isnt our life here very good? In fact, its only in the neutral lands that we can stay happily together. How can I release this anger in my heart if I dont uproot all of Li Fengshuis roots. Death was too easy for him. Nighteye seemed tired. As you wish. Im tired, Im going to rest. Qianye sent Nighteye back to her room and put her to sleep. Then he walked out of the courtyard to take a stroll around the city and ask about Port City. The atmosphere in Southern Blue was tense and there were many warriors in military attire moving about. While making way for a group of soldiers, Qianye asked a passerby, Why are things so tense? Do you even need to ask? The Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons are gathered in Port City, and were only a couple of days away. What if they come here? Isnt the Wolf King their ally? The passerby snorted. You dont even know this? Although Southern Blue is subordinate to the Wolf King in name, we have to rely on ourselves for everything. Besides, how long will that alliance last after Su Dingqians escape? Qianye was enlightened. This passerby was actually so knowledgeable, so he immediately asked him for more information. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 770: Difficulties Part 2 Southern Blue was a major transportation hub through which many of the Eastern Sea products had to pass. As trade was the citys lifeline, its doors were kept wide open to all visitors despite the tension. The Southern Blue city lord was still one step away from the divine champion rank. He couldnt make the city independent like Su Dingqian but had maintained good social relationships with all the other powers. It wasnt that easy for him to reach his current status. Just as Qianye was about to thank the passerby and leave, he saw another group of soldiers rushing toward the city gates. This unit consisted of about fifty people and wore the colors of the Wolf King. There, they worked together to lift a city defense cannon onto the newly constructed turret. A question emerged in Qianyes mind. Wasnt it said that Southern Blue is only the Wolf Kings in name? How come his troops are stationed here? The Wolf King maintains a small squad in the city. There are only a couple hundred of them, but they represent the Wolf King. If not the Wolf King, this place will be occupied by the Spider Emperor, what difference is there? The Wolf King is a human power at the very least, the passerby said self-deprecatingly. Qianye noddedthe Wolf King was a subordinate of Zhang Buzhou and could be thought of as someone working for the human race. At this moment, a commotion broke out nearby, accompanied by a cacophony of shouting and wailing. Qianye glanced over to find two groups arguing on the streets, one of which was made up of two conspicuous arachne. You crashed into my car and broke it, this wont end so easily. An arachne was swinging his arms and roaring from above. A middle-aged man shouted back with a furious expression, Your people had clearly taken up the entire road. We dont have any place to dodge even if we wanted to, dont tell me we have to crash into the wall? The arachne revealed a nasty smile. Then you shouldve crashed into the wall! Fuming, the middle-aged man broke into a laugh. This is the funniest thing Ive heard of! Now that Ive crashed into your car, speak, what do you want to do about it? While speaking, the middle-aged man released his champion-level aura. The arachne grinned as black mist shrouded his body; he was actually a viscount. In terms of origin power, the middle-aged man was a level higher, but the arachne was inherently powerful. Additionally, the arachnes heavy axe was an extraordinary weapon whose quality far exceeded the middle-aged mans sword. There was no way to tell the outcome if they were to start fighting. Being able to wield such a high-grade axe meant that this viscounts status wasnt low. That was also the reason why the middle-aged man was quite restrained despite being furious. He was hoping the other party would back off and act reasonably. However, the arachne had no intention of letting things be. He pointed at the mans sword and said, Give me that sword as compensation for damaging my car. The middle-aged man was livid and, at the extremes of anger, broke into a laugh. He fished out an emblem and flashed it at the arachne, saying, Look, Im from the Mountain Hunter Corps! Ill advise you to make more reasonable demands. Mountain Hunter? Whats that? Apparently, the arachne viscount hadnt heard of this name. Someone beside him said, The Mountain Hunter Corps can be considered the external guard of Southern Blue. Judging from his cultivation, this person might be a vice-commander. The arachne viscount snorted. So theyre from the city guard. The middle-aged man relaxed a bit upon seeing some apprehension in the enemys eyes. He was just about to say something when the arachne viscount raised his axe and swung down! The attack contained the force of wind and thunder, an all-out blow! The middle-aged man was shocked out of his wits, not expecting the spider to launch a sneak attack. He was caught off-guard and failed to use his full power in defending against the blow. As the weapons came into contact, the sword was immediately bent out of shape and the middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering back and almost losing his footing. Apprehension flashed past the arachnes face as he took a step back. He had gone all out to launch a sneak attack, yet he wasnt able to kill this middle-aged man. He was even forced back a step, lightly injured and with his origin power shaken. If this were a fair showdown, the other party might be at an advantage. The middle-aged mans companions were livid. They all drew their weapons, ready to fight to the death. However, the man forced himself to take a deep breath and shouted, Stop! After keeping everyone restrained, the middle-aged man said to the arachne viscount, Im the vice-captain of the Mountain Hunter Corps, Tian Jin. How do I address you? Ill admit defeat this time. What happened today will be repaid one day. The arachne viscount sneered, Weak humans, youre not worthy of knowing my name. Southern Blue was, after all, a human city. The arachnes words stirred the crowds and exacerbated the commotion. The spider scanned everyone around him. Is shouting all you can do? Is this all you lowlifes are capable of? Unable to endure, someone wanted to challenge the arachne. However, his companions pulled him back, saying, Dont be rash, his identity isnt simple. At this point, two military vehicles charged over and came to a screeching halt nearby. A werewolf with a striking scar across his face jumped off the vehicle. Tian Jin, whats going on? The soldiers coming down from the car were all from the Wolf Kings Corps. Their arrival gave everyone here some measure of confidence. Tian Jin immediately described what had happened a while ago, and in the end, he said, Sir, you must uphold justice for us. The Wolf Kings soldiers in Southern Blue were few in number, but they represented the kings face. This werewolf possessed the strength of a viscount and was the commander of the Wolf Kings forces here. He shot a glance at the arachne viscount and said with a cold smile, Meir, youre growing more arrogant by the day, it looks like your injuries have healed? The arachne viscount broke into a laugh. Your injuries are worse than mine! I should be the one asking you this question. What, are you planning to fight me? Dont forget that this is Heavenly Monarch Zhangs domain. Even if your identity is special, you shouldnt go overboard. The arachne kept on laughing. Zhang Buzhou? Who knows if hes dead or alive? Its been so long since theres been any news of him. If you want to intimidate me, the Wolf Kings name would be a better choice. The werewolf viscount wasnt angry about this, either. Fine, enough of this. How do you want to settle this? The arachne revealed a sinister smile as he pointed at Tian Jin. Hand him to me and well let this be. Tian Jin was both surprised and angry. He voiced his objection because everyone knew that he would die without a doubt once in the spiders hands. The werewolf frowned. This, I cannot do. Im the Spider Emperors envoy. Its fine if you dont want to hand me the man, Ill just leave right now. You guys can wait for the army to arrive! The werewolfs frown deepened as he said to Tian Jin, What are you waiting for? Apologize to Meir! Clearly surprised, Tian Jins expression changed drastically. Meir was evidently arrogant and unreasonable, yet this werewolf actually ordered Tian Jin to apologize? Qianye couldnt help but think whether the Wolf King had admitted defeat in light of the Spider Emperors recent breakthrough. Tian Jins voice was trembling. Sir, this this. The werewolf viscount said impatiently, What are you yapping about? Apologize quickly! If we offend the Spider Emperors envoy for useless humans like you, it wont be enough compensation no matter how many times you die. Dont tell me you want the entire Southern Blue to be swallowed by the flames of war? Tian Jin had nothing to say against such reasoning. The arachne broke into a laugh, saying, It seems you understand the situation well. Well have a good rematch after I settle in. As for that Tian whatever, I wont bicker with him out of consideration for the Wolf King. Well let this slide if he kneels and kowtows a couple of times. Qianye noticed that this Meir was taking advantage of the situation to establish his might, but the angry crowds didnt dare say anything. Puzzled at the developments, he asked the passerby once more, How did it end up like this? The passerby said with a bitter expression, Its always been this way. This Southern Blue looks like a human city, but not to mention the Wolf Kings descendants, even other races like the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons are always stepping on our heads. Whenever theres a conflict, well always lose even if reason is on our side. Does the city lord not intervene? City lord? The passerby spat. The man cares only about his status and profits. Theres no way hell pay attention to these things. How could the other races become so arrogant if it wasnt for him allowing it? Isnt the Wolf King a subordinate of Zhang Buzhou? Why does he allow outsiders to bully the heavenly monarchs people? Wolf King, humph, hes from a different race, too. Why would he stand on our side? The heavenly monarch has never interfered in civil matters all these years. The racist Wolf King is gradually usurping all authority, and the ones he had placed in power are all werewolves! Theyre quite ferocious toward insiders but are always compromising when it comes to dealing with outsiders. Theyre absolutely courteous when dealing with the other races, humph! The passerby was furious. Qianye nodded. Mister, youre truly talented. May I know your esteemed name? I might have to seek your counsel from time to time in the future. The passerby sighed. What talented? Ive only read more books than the others. Whats the use of having knowledge? Everything is in vain without good cultivation. Theres nothing I can do except stamp my feet in anger. With that, he left and paid Qianye no more attention, almost as though he wasnt willing to watch the developments here. Everything progressed as expected. The Southern Blue City Lord never appeared, and the city guards were nowhere to be found. The werewolf remained firm in his decision, and Tian Jin had his job and family to consider. There was no way he could go against them. The werewolf viscount looked on with cold eyes full of disdain. There were hundreds of spectators here, but no one dared to speak up for the man. Tian Jin walked slowly toward Meir. The arachne laughed loudly. What are you dilly-dallying for? Kneel! Ill bring you along if you displease me further. Tian Jins body trembled and his kneels slowly bent toward the ground. At this moment, a hand reached out to him and lifted him up. This hand was slender, beautiful, and contained an undefiable force within. The man turned around and saw Qianye. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 771: I Had no Choice How can a human champion kneel so easily? said Qianye. Tian Jins lips trembled, not knowing what to do. Meir roared furiously, Where did this scoundrel come from? You actually dare to interfere in my business? The werewolf viscount stared at Qianye. His muscles were all tensed up, ready to launch an attack at any moment. Youre a vampire? Why are you interfering? Qianyes appearance was indeed vampire-like. Additionally, the humans of Southern Blue had long since grown used to being submissive. How could there be anyone willing to offend both the Wolf King and Spider Emperor? Im here because I dont like what I see, Qianye said coldly. Meir let out an evil laugh. Great, someone even more arrogant than I am. Die, brat! His words hadnt even ended when an axe hacked down at the speed of lightning. He was actually launching a sneak attack again. However, the weapon stopped midway and could no longer descend. Meir was shocked out of his wits when he realized that Qianye had grabbed his axe with a single hand. His all-out swing was frozen half-way and couldnt push any further. Meir didnt dare believe his eyes. He activated his power several times until his face became bright red, but the heavy axe refused to budgehe could neither slash down nor pull it back. The werewolf viscounts pupils contracted as he stared at the single drop of blood trickling down the side of Qianyes palm. There was only a single drop of blood after grabbing Arachne Viscount Meirs all-out attack with his bare hand? Qianye also saw that drop of blood. He suddenly exerted force from his hands and dragged Meir up front. The spider had dug into the ground with his eight legs, but that only served to dig out deep trenches in the road. Qianye threw a punch at the arachnes abdomen. This fist strike was so powerful that it not only shattered the arachnes plate armor but the attacking arm almost sunk into the body entirely. Meir couldnt even scream in misery before he was sent flying several meters back, destroying numerous buildings before coming to a stop. He fell to the ground and with his limbs flailing about constantly, unable to clamber up for a good while. Qianye pointed at the spider. Consider this a lesson. Keep a low key from now on, and maybe youll live longer. The werewolfs hair stood on end. Arching his back and emitting a low growl, he said, Do you even know who we are? You dare attack people here? This is Southern Blue! Do you think you can continue to live here after this? Qianye sneered. I dont care who you are, that little background of yours cant frighten me. You may be able to drive me out of Southern Blue, but you can also forget about leaving the city in the future, Ill make sure you become a corpse once you leave this place. The werewolf viscounts expression changed drastically. He pointed at Tian Jin, saying, Are you going to offend the Wolf King for such a small matter? Qianye replied, Are you willing to become my enemy for such a small matter? The werewolf viscount drew in a breath of cold air. In the end, he forced himself to endure. Fine! This ends here, Ill not interfere anymore. What Meir does, however, is beyond my control. Qianye shot him a glance and nodded. Smart. Meir clambered up at this point and shouted, You actually dared to injure me. My granduncle wont let you off. You can wait for the Spider Emperors wanted notice! And you, that Tian Jin, well done! Southern Blue can prepare for war if they dont kill your entire family. The entire city will be slaughtered once the army arrives! This threat was solid. With the Southern Blue City Lords character, he really might send Tian Jins brain to the Spider Emperor. Frowning, Qianye slowly uttered, Still arrogant, eh? Do you think I dont dare to kill you? The vice-captain was livid. He suddenly said to the werewolf viscount, Sir, this matter has nothing to do with me. I do not know this person. He might have ulterior motives for inciting trouble between Southern Blue and the Spider Emperor. If you want to capture him, sir, Ill do my best despite my ineptitude. Qianye was astonished, and for a moment, he could hardly believe this Tian Jin would do such a thing. He had helped the man out of his predicament, yet this person drew the sword of a passerby and stabbed at Qianye! While attacking, he said, Im really sorry, but please go with my superior. How can this rank-eleven Tian Jin be Qianyes match? The latter grabbed his sword forcefully and turned it into scrap metal. At the same time, the invasive origin power assaulted his body, causing him to go pale and almost cough up blood. He had barely managed to regain his footing when Qianye stepped forward and lifted him up by the neck. The werewolf viscounts expression changed, and he began edging backward. He wasnt much stronger than Tian Jinnow that Qianye had subdued the latter in a single move, the wolf knew that he wouldnt last very long, either. Qianye stared into Tian Jins eyes and asked slowly. Why? The man replied with great difficulty, I have kids, elders, and family, all of them in Southern Blue. I have no other choice. A stately champion and vice-captain, is that all you amount to? I had no choice, no choice. It would seem he had only one thing left to say. Qianye slapped him hard a couple of times and tossed him to the floor. I wouldve killed you already had you aimed for my vitals just now! Qianye glanced at the people around him. He could see anger, astonishment, and various other emotions, but no one was about to stand forward. It was a world where safety took precedence over principles. Depressed about his own meaningless actions, Qianye left with a sigh. The werewolf viscounts eyes flickered, but he didnt call Qianye back. Meir had also clambered up at this point but was uncharacteristically quiet at the moment. He had sensed genuine killing intent in the latter when he uttered the words Do you think I dont dare to kill you? Meir understood that Qianye wouldnt hesitate to kill him if he were to keep up the provocations. At that point, where would they look for Qianye in the vast neutral lands? Even if the Spider Emperor did manage to catch the culprit, it wouldnt change the fact that he was dead. This wasnt a good deal at all. Qianye arrived back at the hotel a while later. Seeing his sour expression, Nighteye asked, What happened? Qianye sighed. We might have to move again, I acted rashly just now. After listening to Qianyes description of the events, Nighteye said with a smile, And I thought it was something big, this is nothing. There are no divine champions in Southern Blue. Even if the two of us cant beat the enemy, we can definitely escape. If theyre really insensitive, we can just repeat the Black Grove incident. The only thing you did wrong was letting that Tian Jin off so easily. You shouldve broken one of his legs at least. The Spider Emperor and Wolf King arent easy to provoke, so he doesnt dare to offend them. Does that mean were so easy to provoke? Your softness will be the source of future troubles. Qianye laughed wryly. Hes still from the same race and has his own troubles, so I couldnt bear to do it. Nighteye nodded. This is a small matter, anyway, nothing important. Lets take our time collecting our things. If we leave in a rush, theyll think were afraid. Qianye wanted to say something but stopped midway; then, he shook his head. He had wanted to pack up quickly and leave Southern Blue to avoid being surrounded. Without the Shot of Inception, Qianye felt quite confident about winning against a rank-fifteen warrior but would need to go all out against a rank-sixteen. The Southern Blue City Lord was rank seventeen and likely had a rank-sixteen expert under his command. Even if the lord didnt take action himself, Qianye would be quite strained against this top expert. But since Nighteye had insisted on it, Qianye decided to do as she wished. It was just that Qianye felt odd about Nighteyes change in charactershe was quite decisive now and no longer looked to Qianye for everything. Seeing Qianye was somewhat reluctant, Nighteye stopped what she was doing and said to him, Qianye, this is the neutral lands. If you want a quiet life, you need to fight for it. As I see it, we dont need to leave at all and should just keep on living here. As long as the Southern Blue City Lord doesnt take action, well kill whoever comes our way. Even if the city lord himself were to attack, we need only to run away and ambush him later on. I just didnt want to put you at risk. Qianye sighed. Even in the Monroe clan, my protection period has passed, Ill need to take charge of things. Qianye pondered for a moment. Fine, lets stay then. ... The city lords residence in Southern Blue was beautifully decorated. It took up an entire four street blocks and was countless times grander than Su Dingqians own. The city lord was in his rear garden at the moment. The ambiance here was gentle, warm, and free of violent void origin power, a stark difference from the world outside. There was an extravagant weather-modifying array covering the entire garden, comparable to the nobility back in the empire. A plump middle-aged man was lying on a recliner within the garden pavilion, his eyes narrowed as though he were half-asleep. There was a beautiful lady on either side of him, gently waving their fans while two more waited on him nearby. The tables nearby were filled with fresh fruits, many of which werequite surprisinglyspecialties from the empire and Evernight. Shipped tens of thousands of kilometers to the neutral lands and still maintaining their freshness, these fruits were literally worth their weight in gold. The sound of footsteps rang out at this moment as a young man hurried over and stood outside of the pavilion. There was a rattan chair beside the pavilion, on which an old man was dozing off. With half-opened eyes, this person shot a brief glance at the young man before going back to sleep. At this moment, the middle-aged man inside the pavilion opened his eyes but wasnt quite awake just yet. He let out a long yawn before saying, Whats so important that you must disturb my afternoon nap? You think managing such a big city is easy? I need my beauty sleep. The young man had no choice but to agree, but he still wouldnt leave. City Lord Ji Rui swung and stretched his chubby body about. After sobering up a bit, he said, Twelve, speak, whats the matter? The young man was his son, the twelfth among them. However, their relationship was more like a superior and subordinate instead of father and son. The young man was very respectful and honest. He knew very well that his father had thirty-something wives and concubines. There were over sixty children in total, thirty-five of whom were boys, and there were three more in their mothers wombs. He might be replaced by someone else if he didnt try hard enough. He summarized the conflict between Qianye and Meir, and then silently awaited instructions. Ji Ruis expression sank after listening to everything. Snorting heavily, he roared, Provoking the Spider Emperors envoy is a grave matter! Do you really need to ask me what to do? Capture him and send him to the envoy. How useless! Now, where has that reckless bastard fled to? The young man whispered, He hasnt fled, hes staying at the Four Winds Hotel inside the city. Hasnt fled? Humph, how bold! Makes it easier for us to capture him. Wait, he hasnt fled? Ji Ruis fatty body trembled as he sat up. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 772: Awakening Its common knowledge that the city lord will go after whoever caused such a big disaster, why isnt he running? Ji Rui frowned. The young man said nothing, but he was thinking to himself, Does he still not understand? The man must have powerful backing! That was why he had come to seek Ji Ruis counsel instead of seizing Qianye on his own. As a scheming man, the city lord naturally figured this out. What is his strength? His apparent origin cultivation is rank-twelve, but his combat strength far exceeds that. He defeated Meir and Tian Jin in a single move. Ji Rui gasped. Even Tian Jin lost in one move? He was somewhat injured due to Meirs ambush, but its not very serious. Ji Rui was livid. Moments later, he said, Ask your Uncle Guan to visit the Four Winds Hotel. Remember to keep a good attitude and also bring some presents, just in case. Father, this Not this or buts! That person remaining here means that he doesnt think anything of us. If even an old rank-seventeen expert like me cant frighten him away, what use can you guys be? A group of trash! Knowing that Ji Rui was in a bad mood, the young man replied with a string of yeses and left the courtyard in a hurry. He didnt dare stay any longer. In the small courtyard of the hotel, Qianye and Nighteye had just finished dinner when there was a knock on the door. Qianye opened the door and saw a burly, middle-aged man and a young man standing behind him. This mighty man made no motion to hide his strength, allowing everyone to see his seven origin vortices. The young man wasnt weak, either, and had condensed his first vortex at such a young age. The burly man cupped his hands, saying, This lowly one is Guan Zhongliu. Thanks to the City Lords benevolence, I hold the position of city guard commander in Southern Blue. This is the city lords twelfth son, Ji Shicheng. Twelfth Young Noble? Reportedly, the Southern Blue city lord wasnt that old yet. If this young man here was only the twelfth son, the man was truly capable. Qianye criticized the man secretly but wore a smile on his face. What rare guests! Please come in. The wine and dishes in the courtyard hadnt been cleared away yet. Guan Zhongliu laughed loudly upon seeing the table. Mister, youre quite spirited, it seems. I still havent asked your name? Im Zhao Ye, just a wandering cultivator with no place to call home. Zhao Ye? Are you that famous Mister Zhao who racked up shocking accomplishments in Port City? Guan Zhonglius expression became much more serious. Indeed, I am. Qianye was fairly surprised at how well-informed this person was. The burly man said, Mister Zhaos accomplishments are simply too shocking. I have many good friends working under City Lord Su, so I received some first-hand information. Qianye laughed. Please dont tell me more Moonlight-Demon assassins will appear shortly afterward? Guan Zhongliu replied hurriedly, Of course not! Our Southern Blue has always been in the neutral position, and always will be. Besides, Mr. Zhao merely fought as a hired mercenary, something all too common in the neutral lands. Qianye merely smiled. It was indeed a common occurrence, but the Moonlight Demons losses were too great; it was impossible for them not to bear grudges. Qianye wasnt really afraid of them unless a divine champion were to personally take action. No matter how bad the situation, he still had the power to escape. At this point, the servants had cleared away the dishes and delivered some tea and snacks. Guan Zhongliu thus sat down to chat with Qianye, sounding out his intentions in coming to the city both directly and indirectly. The latter made no mention of his origins but did disclose his desire for Dreameater Bugs and similar products. It was no secret that Su Dingqian had given his entire stock to Qianye. I heard City Lord Su gave Mr. Zhao at least three such bugs. I wonder what use you have for them? Maybe I could help you a bit. Qianye replied, To be honest with Commander Guan, this Dreameater Bugs strange effects greatly benefit a secret art that I cultivate. Thats why Ive been searching for it at all costs. Guan Zhongliu nodded. Our Southern Blue is small and poor, but City Lord Ji does have some Dreameater Bugs. Qianye seemed moved. Is there any way to persuade City Lord Ji to relinquish them? Normally, you would have to rack up contributions as you did in Port City. The other way is to pay a high enough price, a hundred and fifty thousand gold coins for each Dreameater Bug or an item of equal value. This price shocked Qianye. According to the market price, Dreameater Bugs were worth some tens of thousands, but this shady city lord had raised the price three times. However, there was only a price for these bugs with no marketthere were always people willing to take the bait no matter how high the asking price. Qianye pondered for a while. Commander Guan, this price is too high. Guan Zhongliu laughed out loud. That is indeed the case, but I cant do anything to change the city lords decision. In truth, I think that contributing to the city is the fastest way. Didnt Mr. Zhao get three Dreameater Bugs from City Lord Su? No matter how you put it, our City Lord Ji is much more generous than him. Qianye nodded. Let me think about it. Guan Zhongliu didnt force the issue, either. This matter does require careful consideration. Then, Ill be taking my leave here. Guan Zhongliu stood up and was just about to leave when his entire body trembled, his eyes full of horror and amazement as he glanced at Nighteye. He had been talking with Qianye for so long yet never noticed that she was sitting beside them. This shock was nothing to scoff at; it immediately drenched him in cold sweat. Whats wrong Commander Guan? Are you unwell? Qianye asked. No, no, its nothing. Rest well, Mr. Zhao, I wont disturb you anymore. With that, Guan Zhongliu left immediately with the twelfth young master in tow. Since the beginning to the end, this young master never got the opportunity to talk. Qianye didnt understand why Guan Zhongliu looked like he had just seen a ghost. Moments later, the man had returned to the city lords mansion and was standing before Ji Rui. The city lord was pacing about in the study, no longer in the mood for a nap. How did it go? Guan Zhonglius face was pale. That person is Zhao Ye, and I suspect that woman accompanying him is a divine champion! Divine Champion! Ji Rui was astonished. Soon afterward, he was filled with delight. Its fortunate that we were sufficient in etiquette! But this is a serious matter, are you sure? Ji Ruis expression shifted as Guan Zhongliu recounted the conversation. Even I cannot completely avoid your perception. It would seem that this woman is indeed a divine champion. But, how can there be a divine champion in the Eastern Sea? Isnt there one in the Moonlight Demons? Ji Ruis expression was ugly. What would that person come to Southern Blue for? This, this Guan Zhongliu was calm. We should see how things develop and see what they want. Thats true, except for convenience in transportation, our Southern Blue really has nothing a divine champion might want. But that Zhao Ye says he wants Dreameater Bugs. Ji Rui pondered for a moment. We cant hand it to him directly. We can give him a discount at most. Otherwise, itll devalue the favor he owes us. The little hotel courtyard became quiet after Guan Zhonglius departure. Seemingly tired, Nighteye returned to the room. Qianye followed her to the bed and reached out to embrace her by the waist. We havent been intimate for some time. Nighteye glanced at him with a charming, spurious smile. Fine, Ill reward you for your good performance today. A delighted Qianye was just about to pounce over when, all of a sudden, Nighteye placed a small, white feet on his chest and kicked him off the bed. Caught entirely off guard by the well-timed attack, he landed flat on his back. Qianye clambered up with a serious expression and said in a gloomy voice, Who are you? Nighteye leaned on the bed, exuding a natural charm. When did you figure it out? Thats not important. Who are you and wheres Nighteye? Nighteye sat up to put on her shoes and clothes. Nighteye is me and I am Nighteye. Or rather, I am the true Nighteye, you understand? Was this a fractured spirit or dual personalities? Qianye had no answer. At this point, Nighteye had already tidied up her clothing, and the playfulness in her eyes had faded away, replaced by an indifferent coldness. Since youve seen through it, Ill no longer continue this farce. Ill be leaving now, take care. Shaken, Qianye blocked the way out and roared, Stop! Just who are you and where are you taking Nighteye? Nighteye shot him a glance, revealing a cold smile on her lips. You want to stop me when youre so weak? That gaze froze Qianyes entire body. It felt like his veins were filled with icy water and not auric flame blood. In a short moment, his entire body was covered in a layer of frost and the temperature in the room fell drastically. Qianyes entire body was sealed in ice, and only the blood core and three half-crystallized origin vortices were still alive. Seeing Nighteye about to leave, Qianye clenched his teeth, pushing his blood core and origin vortices to the maximum output. The origin power of Venus Dawn gushed out of his body and merged together with the dark golden blood energy. Venus Dawn and the dark golden origin power stood at the two extremes of Daybreak and Evernight. This unrestrained combination didnt increase their power but instead resulted in a violent explosion! Countless explosions erupted in Qianyes body. His ancient vampire physique was riddled with wounds and immediately descended into a state of heavy injury. However, the explosions shattered the ice sealing him, affording him freedom of movement. Qianye took a step forward and blocked Nighteyes path once more. Some ripples finally appeared in Nighteyes indifferent pupils. Youre quite ruthless on yourself, but youre now injured. What can you even do after regaining your freedom of movement, stop me? Foolish. With that, she pointed at Qianyes chest with her finger. The force was small, but it wasnt something Qianye could endure. He fell to the ground with a plop, and the wounds all over his body erupted in blood, painting a sanguineous human shape on the floor. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 773: I’ll be Waiting on the Sacred Mountain Sustaining wound upon wound, Qianye could hardly even stand up. Yet he struggled little by little and managed to prop himself up against the wall. He then moved himself slowly to block the door, almost falling down several times along the way. The traces of blood from the wall to the door were a ghastly sight to see. If you really want to die, I dont mind helping you. There was no pain or concern in her eyes, only coldness. Where is Nighteye? There was another fluctuation in her eyes. Moments later, she pointed at her blood core and said, Shes here, if you insist she is the actual Nighteye. Nighteyes figure appeared in Qianyes eyes, and this time, the Monroe princess did not react, allowing her figure to grow clearer. However, the results silenced Qianye because there was neither a change in her body nor her blood energythis was still the woman he loved deeply. But where was her spirit? Is she still the same person? What exactly is going on? I merely awakened. The Nighteye you know is only this bodys instinct while I was asleep. Do you understand now? Nighteye seemed impatient at having to explain so many things. She said with cold eyes, Im already being quite tolerant right now. Do you think I wont kill you if you keep pestering me? Qianye wasnt afraid. Dont tell me our past will be forgotten just like that? Nighteye said indifferently, In light of your acceptable bloodline and there being no big loss for me, Ill let things be. You, who are you? These words aroused Nighteyes sleeping memories. Her aura became lofty, ephemeral, and unfathomable. A single wisp of it made it difficult for Qianye to move. All you need to know is that my position should be on the sacred mountain. Wherever you go, Ill find you!!! Qianye roared with all the strength he had remaining. But Nighteye merely waved her hands and a formless wave of origin power shifted Qianye to the side. She paused just as she was about to walk through the door. Ill be waiting for you on the sacred mountain. Then, Nighteye pushed the door open and vanished through it. Sitting within this empty room, Qianye suddenly felt that his world had become empty and frozen. The sky gradually turned dark. Only when footsteps were heard outside of the courtyard did Qianye wake up from his daze. He wanted to stand up and take precautions, but his legs were weak and he nearly collapsed. The severe wound just now had almost injured his innardsif it wasnt for the strong, semi-crystallized blood core and vortices, he mightve damaged his foundations. Southern Blue wasnt safe. Now that he knew someone was coming, Qianye calmed himself down and produced a blood crystal from his collection. He then crushed the item and absorbed the blood energy within, instantly strengthening the pulsation of his blood core as the energy transformed into wisps of auric flame blood. Wherever this blood flowed past, the tissues in his body began regenerating at a rapid pace. It was just that Qianye was wounded all over, so the auric flame blood was quickly depleted and transformed back to ordinary blood. The minimal recovery managed to stabilize Qianyes aura. He changed into a new set of clothes, activated his Bloodline Concealment, and waited before the courtyard doors. As expected, there was a knock on the gates before long. A soft gasp could be heard outside as Qianye pulled the door open. There were several people standing outside, the leader being a young girl in a black cloak. It was Bluemoon with whom he had fought together in Port City. She hadnt sensed anyone behind the doors and was just about to knock again when the gates flew openthis shocked her quite a bit. There were four people behind Bluemoon. The two elders among them were quite strong, possessing profound auras and six origin vortices. The Highbeards combat strength far exceeded humans of the same rank, which meant that this lineup was enough to rampage through Southern Blue. These two elders were also quite surprised because they hadnt sensed Qianye, either. Bluemoon? How rare, please come in. Qianye stepped aside. The girl instructed the remaining two men to guard the door while she herself entered with the two elders. She became quite cautious upon seeing the pool of blood through the open room. Just a bit of trouble, Ive dealt with it. Qianye seemed rather calm. Seeing blood was no surprise in the neutral lands and thus Bluemoon paid it no further attention. She waved her hands at the two elders, who promptly deployed a steel bucket at each corner of the courtyard and pulled out a long alloy stick from each one. After the origin arrays were activated, a screen of light appeared between the poles, insulating the courtyard from the outside world. This is rather interesting. Just a small trick to prevent spying by isolating sound and perception. There are limits to it, of course. Its useless against divine champions and those above. Bluemoon was explaining all of this to assure Qianye. Her estimation of his strength increased a fair bit when she saw that the latter was completely unperturbed and allowed her to set things up as she wished. What she didnt know was that Qianye was in a deeply wounded state and couldnt stop her even if he wanted to. From the painstaking setup, Qianye knew that she had come to discuss some important business. As such, he waited quietly for her to explain her intentions. After everything was in order, Blue Moon said, I came here seeking Mr. Zhaos help in exploring the underground maze below Port City. Below Port City? Isnt that the Earth Dragons lair? You want to risk going into a void colossus lair? Bluemoon replied, Mr. Zhao must think Ive gone mad. Naturally, the Earth Dragons lair used to be a forbidden ground into which even Su Dingqian didnt dare venture. But thats no longer the case; the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons have found a way to pacify the Earth Dragon, making it ignore the weaker creatures in the lair. The divine champions in the lair will still attract its attention and suffer attacks, though. Qianye instantly realized the opportunity. Divine champions like the Spider Emperor, Mask, and the Wolf King couldnt enter the lair, which meant there were chances one could fish in troubled waters. Divine champions couldnt enter, but there were numerous experts under the three powers. How could it be that easy to beard the lion in its den? What exactly does the Earth Dragon have that attracts your attention? Its blood". Qianye wanted to laugh out loud after hearing this. Su Dingqian had told them that this so-called Earth Dragons blood was something he had made up. He had never even seen this Earth Dragon before, let alone know what uses its blood had. Bluemoon was also present back then, so she couldnt have forgotten it. The girl said in due seriousness, The supposed false might be the truth, and whats considered the truth may not be real. As an experienced schemer, Su Dingqian had used this kind of method to make people think that the blood doesnt exist. In truth, obtaining the Earth Dragons blood doesnt involve getting close to the dragon at all and its uses have been passed down in secret. How did you know? Bluemoon smiled. Us Highbeards are inherently good at battles and have been the first choice as mercenaries. Hundreds of years ago, one of our ancestors helped a mysterious expert enter the Earth Dragons lair. Not only did he learn many secrets regarding it, he even obtained a drop of its blood. At this point, Bluemoon stopped speaking. Qianye knew she wanted to keep him in suspense and make him ask questions. This secret information might even become a bargaining chip in their negotiations. Yet Qianye remained silent and seemed to have no intention of making any inquiries. Helpless, Bluemoon could only continue, The Earth Dragons blood can greatly strengthen an experts bloodline power and increase their aptitude, eliminating the bottlenecks of the past. Lucky ones might even have their bloodlines replaced by the Earth Dragons and gain overnight success. A priceless treasure indeed. Seeing Qianye calm and unsurprised, Bluemoon couldnt help but say, The Earth Dragons blood is very helpful in breaking through to the divine champion rank. Our tribes ancestor became a divine champion because of it. In his reign, our tribe built a total of seven secret bases, and his brilliance lingers to this day. To what extent does it increase the chances? Qianye asked. This wasnt the only treasure capable of helping one into the divine champion realm. Their value would depend on the percentage increase in breakthrough chance. Of course, for the countless people stuck at the divine champion threshold, any treasure that would increase their chances was priceless, no matter how small the increase. Thirty percent at least! Thirty percent!? Are you sure? Qianye was somewhat moved. A treasure capable of increasing chances of a breakthrough by thirty percent was extremely rare and even more valuable than an origin crystal. The latter could only give the user the ability of a divine champion, but that wasnt a true breakthrough. Dont forget that our ancestor has used the Earth Dragons blood before and these were the words he left behind. Its indeed alluring, but this treasure is too far away for me. Theres a long path ahead of me before I reach the divine champion realm. Qianye smiled calmly, saying, Besides, even if we do get such a treasure, it wont belong to me, will it? Indeed, the Earth Dragons blood is very important to us Highbeards. But if we can obtain it, well naturally reward you handsomely. Im listening. Seeing Qianyes attitude, Bluemoon couldnt help but ask, Are you not tempted? Better not to think about things that are too far away. Qianye revealed a smile of indifference. In truth, it wasnt that the Earth Dragons blood was too far away; it was completely useless for him. In terms of bloodline power, Qianyes ancient vampire bloodline wasnt inferior to the Earth Dragons. Additionally, this was something he had cultivated on his own and had full control over. Hence, it was definitely more powerful than an external object like the blood. As for the divine champion threshold, countless people were stuck here because their origin power wasnt pure and concentrated enoughthe impurities made it difficult for them to liquefy their crystals. For some people, it was because they had taken too many medicines, while most others couldnt break through because their cultivation methods were lacking and the origin power produced wasnt of sufficient quality. These people would need to spend ten times more effort and time for the same results. Qianye, on the other hand, had reached the apex of purity in daybreak origin power. Venus dawn was one of the three top daybreak origin power types and its existence was the very embodiment of purity. Now that his origin vortices had half-crystallized, their future liquefaction was only a matter of time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 774: Empty A fair bit of worry emerged in Bluemoons expression, and she pondered for a good while before she made up her mind. How about this? If youre willing to help me, well give you the Dreameater King from our tribes collection. Dreameater King, whats that? Qianye was moved, but he was unaffected on the surface. Since you need Dreameater Bugs, you definitely must need the Dreameater King. As the name suggests, it is the king of their species. Ordinary bugs can strengthen the spirit, but the Dreameater King is far more effective in this regard, capable of bringing about a fundamental change. The more you use Dreameater Bugs, the less effective theyll become, but thats not the case for the king. Isnt the reward too excessive just to hire me? Bluemoon sighed. Thats because the underground maze is a battlefield that suits you best. Tell me the details and I might consider it. The Earth Dragons lair is exceptionally large, complicated, and filled with all kinds of odd creatures. Their abilities are strange and their numbers are vastit would be highly dangerous once surrounded. All of these monsters follow the Earth Dragons will. Although the dragon has been pacified at the moment, it is still very sensitive to power. Those with higher cultivation have a greater chance of being detected. At that time, only an earth-shattering sea of monsters will await them. That means, people like Liu Daoming wont be able to go down? They can with due caution, but itll be very dangerous. I wouldnt go if I were them. Qianye understood that Bluemoon was referring to his combat strength, which was much higher than his rank-twelve cultivation. That was indeed a unique advantage in the underground maze. It was just that the Highbeards had been mercenaries for almost a thousand years and there were countless experts in their tribe. Why would they need him? This reward is too generous. There are much stronger people outside, why me? Qianye asked once more. They might be stronger than you on paper, but theyll surely die if they were to fight you. How come youre so confident in me? Bluemoon softened her voice. Theres no such thing as too excessive in evaluating the person who killed hundreds of mercenaries in the Black Grove. Qianyes eyes became serious. You know that, too. You might look different, but your fighting style didnt change, especially that sword. We Highbeards recognize people by combat. Qianye was rather speechless, but he knew he had no other choice because the Dreameater King on offer was quite attractive. After her second awakening, Nighteye had said that she would need a hundred more Dreameater Bugs. This number meant that the injury to her spirit was still quite serious. What she gained from the awakening was a rank-surpassing level of origin power, control arts, and a series of terrifying abilities. However, there was no change to her body, which was still at the level of a newly ascended count. Such a Nighteye was already extremely terrifying, more than enough to beat down any existence below the level of a duke. If the Queen of the Night were to suppress her blood energy to the count level, she wouldnt have the qualifications to even challenge Nighteye. Such a person saying she needed Dreameater Bugs meant that they were irreplaceable to her. Despite the dangers and countless traps, Qianye still looked up and said, Fine, I agree. But I have a condition, give the Dreameater King to me first. Anger flashed through the two elders eyes, but Bluemoon stopped them. Fine, well send it to you at this time tomorrow. Very well, when do we set out? Bluemoon hadnt even started speaking when the entire courtyard began to shake. Dust streamed down from the roof along with pieces of shattered roof tiles. The earth itself was trembling, much like when Qianye was in Port City. It was just that Southern Blue seemed to have never experienced such shockwaves before. The entire city was in chaos, filled with screams and shouts. A building not so far away could no longer stand the shakingone of its walls cracked open, and the entire structure collapsed from the defect. Earth Dragon? Qianyes expression changed slightly. This tremor was quite similar to the one he had felt back in Port City; moreover, there was a kind of violent will surging up from the earth. However, Southern Blue was almost five hundred kilometers away from Port City. This went to show just how terrifying the quake was. Port City was likely half-destroyed by noweven the noble district buildings might not be spared, except perhaps the city lords mansion. Bluemoon wasnt surprised. Its the Earth Dragon. Their pacification rite has begun, passages will appear in two days at most. Bluemoon left after saying all this, leaving Qianye alone in the courtyard. From his experience on the floating continent, Qianye knew just how dangerous the underground endeavor was. The remnant will of a void colossus was already so dangerous, to speak nothing of a live one. Yet Qianye was willing to go anywhere for the Dreameater King. All he needed right now was to leave this courtyard. This place was already emptyshe was no longer here. Qianye looked up at the sky and thought to himself. Lets just consider this the last thing I can do for her. The sky turned dark, and then it was dawn once more. Bluemoon arrived at the break of dawn and placed a wooden box into Qianyes hands. The container was made of dark wood and covered in carvings of mountains, rivers, fish, and insects. These things werent just simple decorations but contained an intricate array capable of locking origin power inside. Qianye activated the array according to Bluemoons method and opened the box. There was a translucent, palm-sized Dreameater Bug inside, shrouded in mist. Qianye could sense a shred of origin power from its body, but it was extremely weak, almost as though the creature was standing between life and death. Is it dead or alive? Dreameater Kings will die very soon after leaving the Dreameater Queen. Its medicine effects remain preserved over several hundred years because my ancestor used a secret art to seal it. Theres a Dreameater Queen? Dreameater Bugs live in groups, led by a Dreameater Queen and several Kings. The latters only responsibility is to mate with the queen. If youre lucky enough, you might encounter the queen deep underground. Qianye was moved even more. If he could obtain the Dreameater Queen, he wouldnt need the Marine Lotus anymore. After Bluemoon had left, Qianye placed the wooden box into Andruils Secret Realm and woke Zhuji up. The little fellow was still quite sleepy, but the first thing she asked was: Wheres Aunty Nighteye? Qianye felt pain in his chest. She left on some business. Oh, does that mean youre leaving too? The little lass was unusually smart at such times. Qianye nodded. I need to go to a very dangerous place, and I might have to stay for a long time. Zhujis eyes lit up. Im not afraid of danger. Aunty Nighteye said I should be able to fight on my own at this age. She said that, for a true arachne, the entire world is their battlefield. Qianye felt his vision darken. When did she say that? Yesterday! As expected! Qianye knew that only the awakened Nighteye would do something like that. In the past, she had always loved and protected little Zhuji. What else did she do? Qianye had a vague feeling that Zhuji was too smart right now. She seemed to have given me something, but I dont know what it is. Qianye sighed. Regardless, Zhuji being smart was a good thing. He looked into her eyes and said, Do you remember the Black Grove where we fought together? Zhuji nodded. I do! That place has a very special smell, I can even find my own way there. Good, you have to wait for me there. Ill come and find you in the Black Grove after my return. You can bring me along if youre going to a dangerous place! The people visiting us these days arent very strong. I only need to stomp on them a couple of times. That place is really too dangerous. Youre still young, you cant go. Be a good girl and go to the Black Grove! Qianye was quite imposing when he was serious, prompting little Zhuji to nod obediently. Moments later, Qianye packed their things up and accompanied Zhuji ten kilometers out. The little girl was lugging a backpack almost as large as herself. She waved energetically at Qianye before heading toward the nearby forest. Partings were always sad. Just as Qianye was filled with sadness and worry, Zhuji cheered delightfully. She leapt several meters through the air and dived into the forest like a chicken. Chaos erupted inside the woods. Qianyes mouth fell open, but no words came out. It would seem someone with a powerful bloodline like her shouldn''t have been raised indoors. He was suddenly a bit worried. What if she was having too much fun playing in the forest by the time he returned from his underground journey? She would still return, wouldnt she? At this moment, the earth shook even more violently than before. Evident cracks appeared in the ground, stretching beyond dozens of kilometers. Southern Blue couldnt withstand such destruction. One of its cannon towers collapsed with a boom and segments of the wall also started to crack and collapse. The earth sank in not far from Qianye and therein appeared a deep hole. Having gotten an idea, Qianye jumped over to the side of this seemingly bottomless pit and looked down. A natural cavern had appeared at the base leading into the unknown. After seeing this, Qianye realized what Bluemoon meant when she said the passage would appear soon. However, the underground maze was really complicated, and there was no telling where this one would lead to. Naturally, Qianye wouldnt go down recklessly just to explore it. He jumped into the air and gazed at the surroundings. As expected, there were several caves that had formed from the collapse, all of them entrances that led into the underground world. After returning to Southern Blue, Qianye purchased a large batch of medicines, supplies, and ammunition. Despite the inflated prices, Qianye was able to afford everything due to the rewards from Port City and his gains from killing the mercenaries in the Black Grove. He shopped without restraint, buying hundreds of origin grenades and emptying all the shelves in the city. Sensing crate after crate of origin grenades in Andruils space, Qianye couldnt help but feel sad for the enemies in the underground world. These explosives would pose some measure of danger for anyone below the divine champion realm, and even more so for ordinary champions. Qianyes enemies in this underground expedition were about to suffer a nightmare. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 775: Underground Palace It wasnt that people had no intention of buying origin grenades. It was just that even powers like the Southern Blue city guard couldnt afford such expensive weaponry due to the large number of soldiers they had to outfit. Even if they wanted to compare fortunes, they werent really a match for Qianye who had killed and robbed hundreds of assassins and mercenaries. While Qianye was focused on his preparations, Bluemoon was waiting patiently beside a certain natural pit. In just moments, the two elders accompanying her emerged from the hole and said, This one connects to the underground maze around A19. Bluemoon replied, Then lets go and pick Qianye up. The earlier we move, the better our chances. The three boarded an off-road vehicle and sped toward Southern Blue. The elder at the steering wheel said all of a sudden, Young Miss, do we really need to pay such a price for this Zhao Ye? We only have two Dreameater Kings, both of them brought back by the ancestor during his underground journey. Qianye is the best helper we will ever find, Bluemoon replied calmly. But his price is enough to hire half a dozen experts of the same level, the other elder chimed in. All those people added together wont be as useful as a single Qianye. Bluemoon was apparently quite resolute. The driver stopped his dissuasion and said with a sigh, Since Young Miss is decided on this matter, I have nothing left to say. Its just that the pressure from the other side is really too big, we might be inviting quite a bit of trouble by giving out the Dreameater King without their consent. Bluemoon replied, The Earth Dragons Blood is more important than anything else. No matter how good or how valuable the Dreameater King is, it cant solve the crisis in our hands. Whats the use of it? The other elder said, That Zhao Ye agreed too quickly, we must be guarded against him cheating. Bluemoon replied calmly, It should be fine. Well have succeeded as long as he gets to that place. At that point, what he wants to do is no longer important. Thats true. The elder nodded. At this point, Qianye had completed his preparations and returned to his courtyard. There, he laid down some utensils and brewed a pot of tea just like Nighteye would. He then sat down to drink his tea in quiet leisure, waiting for Bluemoons arrival. Although the brewing technique and quality were still within acceptable limits, Qianye couldnt help but feel a certain loneliness as he drank the tea on his own. He recalled how Nighteye mustve been quite lonesome at home when he was killing and fighting on the front lines. He suddenly came to realize that he shouldve spent more time with her. But now, she was gone and there was no longer such an opportunity. Nighteye had displayed numerous unbelievable powers before her departure, those that far exceeded her blood energy realm. Moreover, she had suppressed Qianye until he couldnt even struggle free. That wasnt a matter of strength but an insurmountable difference in realms. Her words My original place is on the sacred mountain made Qianye realize that he would never see her again if she did not will it. Could it be that he would never see her again from now on? She also left a single opportunity for him, the chance to seek her out at the sacred mountain. It was just that this opportunity was an impossible endeavor. Qianyes hands trembled slightly, spilling some of the tea. He had passed these days in a dream-like, strangely stimulated state in order to avoid thinking about her and the empty courtyard. Yet he couldnt escape reality forever; this dream had to end at some point. It was at this time that a knock came from the courtyard doors and in came Bluemoon. Qianye collected his thoughts with some difficulty. Found the passage? Yes, youre done preparing, right? Lets set out. With a nod, Qianye picked up his tactical backpack. Bluemoon was surprised at how small his backpack was. Is that enough? Qianye patted East Peak. This sword is all I need. Bluemoon asked no more for a warriors fighting style was their most well-guarded secret. She boarded the car with Qianye, and then drove out of Southern Blue in due haste. Ji Rui appeared from the city-gate tower as the jeep vanished over the horizon. He gazed at the direction in which Qianye had disappeared, seemingly in deep contemplation. Guan Zhongliu arrived beside the city lord and said with a frown, The Highbeard shieldmaiden of this generation, what is she doing with Zhao Ye? Ji Rui waved his hands, saying, Who cares, as long as they leave Southern Blue. The bigger their schemes and the more chaos they sow, the better it is for us. Itll be best if they can fight each other to the brink of death. Thats true. At that point, they wont be able to touch Southern Blue. Ji Rui shot Guan Zhongliu a glance. You only know about fighting and killing. You need to learn more about strategy. The waters are so muddy now, how can survival be enough? Ive ordered the men to order a large batch of firearms and resources, theyll arrive within a couple of days. Contact our friends within a couple of kilometers and see how much they need, theres no need to hold back on the prices! Guan Zhongliu suddenly realized everything. He hadnt imagined that Ji Rui would be thinking about amassing wealth during the war. If it wasnt for this, how could he have earned such a large fortune? The city lord sighed. Zhongliu, all the origin grenades in the city have been bought out. You should pay more attention to such matters and stock up on goods. This is a large amount of money were talking about. Guan Zhongliu slapped his forehead. Ill go and do it now. No need, Ive already bought all the origin grenades, bullets, and cannon shells from the surrounding cities. All this money wouldve gone into someone elses pocket if I had waited for you. Guan Zhongliu thought of something. There were a lot of origin grenades in the market two days ago. Who bought them all? Ji Rui pointed toward the distance. Zhao Ye. The man gasped. Whats he planning to do with so many explosives? And where did he get all that money? Guan Zhongliu wasnt to blame for his surprise. The number of origin grenades involved was enough to blast him to death seven times over. Besides, this meant that Qianyes fortune was at least seven or eight times greater than his own. Ji Rui replied with narrowed eyes, Who cares? The more chaotic, the better. Im already anticipating the three powers reactions when they receive news of their casualties. Zhongliu, order a batch of armor and sell them to the Spider Emperors team. ... Meanwhile, Bluemoons jeep sped along the wilderness. The journey was rather dull with neither Qianye nor Bluemoon speaking. In such times, riding an airship was much more dangerous because there was no telling when they would be shot down. After traveling for half a day, the off-road vehicle stopped outside of a naturally formed pit. Bluemoon jumped out of the car and said, Were here. Qianye alighted from the vehicle and glanced at the hole. One of the elders he had met the other day was guarding the entrance. Before entering the pit, Bluemoon tossed a hand grenade into their jeep, causing it to explode into a ball of flames. This action would attract even more attention, but Qianye remained silent. After the party had entered the passage, the two old men began laying down traps at the entrance. Okay, we can set out now. These traps, as Qianyes saw it, were quite sinister. The Highbeards had accumulated abundant combat experience from hundreds of years of mercenary work. If there were people following them, they would likely suffer grievous injuries inside the tunnel. That was why Bluemoon had blasted the car and lured the trackers in. The two Highbeard elders would lay down traps at set intervals along the way, turning this passage into a literal tunnel of death. Only after setting up five blockades did the elders feel satisfied and start hurrying forward with Bluemoon and Qianye. The tunnels under the ground were convoluted and filled with forks, comparable to a weave of undercurrents leading into the unknown. The surroundings seemed the same even after half a day of walking. Qianye felt rather distressed as he could no longer grasp the direction, only that they were heading in the general direction of Port City. The elder serving as guide knew a secret art for sensing directionshe walked swiftly and showed no hesitation at forks in the road. As they walked on and on, he came to a sudden stop and gestured for combat preparations. Then, he contracted his aura and moved forward slowly. As people rich in combat experience, the four slowly advanced under the cover of the geography. They soon arrived at a precipice, beyond which the land opened up to reveal a massive underground space. This great hall was a thousand meters in radius, hundreds of meters tall, and the craggy rock wall in the distance was dotted with countless dark tunnels. Qianye immediately noticed a different cave among them. That cave was fairly round and several dozens of meters in height. It was clearly not something that had formed naturally, more like a tunnel used by a certain giant creature. Bluemoon whispered, Well be entering the Earth Dragons territory from here on out. Be very careful and don''t attack unless absolutely necessary. With that, she took point and slowly slid down the precipice, followed by the two elders. Highbeards had modified bodies, but they made no sound despite climbing down with the aid of machinery. Qianye was the last to descendhe slid down dozens of meters before stopping his momentum by grabbing onto a crack in the rocks. Then, he slid dozens more meters to arrive at the base of the precipice. The two elders seemed somewhat shaken by Qianyes powerful physical strength. The strength he had put on display just now was already comparable to their own. Judging from how he had made light work of the descent, he mustve hidden a good part of his powers. Qianyes eyes landed on a bunch of mosses after landing, and he reached out to crush it. The moss was fleshy and actually as thick as ones palm. As the most basic form of food for the creatures here, these mosses and mushrooms were everywhere in the underground mazetheir exuberant growth proved that this underground maze was filled with vitality. This wasnt good news. Qianye pointed at a couple of giant holes. Were those made by the Earth Dragon? Bluemoon shook her head. Of course not, how can the Earth Dragon be that small? These tunnels are made by fierce beasts under the dragons command. Qianye nodded. A fierce beasts build was usually indicative of its strength. With such giant creatures around, it was no wonder Bluemoon would tell people to be careful. Moreover, these creatures were only the Earth Dragons subordinates controlled by its will. The group avoided the giant tunnels as they moved forward. After some time, Qianye suddenly noticed a cold and incomparably powerful will sweep over the entire underground space. Without a need for warning, Qianye immediately retracted his aura and minimized his origin power fluctuations. The icy intent had no interest in small insects like Qianye. It passed by in a flash and whistled into the distance. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 776: Blood Altar The moment he came into contact with that cold intent, Qianye felt as though he was swimming in a boundless ocean of ice, one filled with snowstorms and raging waves. Compared to it, Qianyes will was like a small boat that would capsize at any moment. Qianye shivered as the will of the Earth Dragon left. Before this, Qianye had imagined how strong this being was, but he hadnt expected it to be this powerful. It was already close to Sky Demons level and certainly not something an ordinary divine champion could contend against. That was why Su Dingqian, who had lived in the nearby Port City for so many years, was never able to approach its true body. Although the cold intent had passed, there were still waves of remnant fluctuations left behind in the cave. This was akin to the corner of the Earth Dragons eyesa single misstep might lead to being detected. Lets go. Here on out, we might encounter danger at any given moment. Bluemoon made a forward gesture and went ahead. The one taking point became Bluemoon after approaching the Earth Dragons lair. The two elders contained their origin powers firmly and were wearing tense expressions. They had formally entered the Earth Dragons lair from this point onward and would have to face its will at all times. Attracting its attention would mean immediate annihilation, and those with greater cultivation levels bore a greater burden here. The Earth Dragon might not pay attention to small insects crawling about, but it wouldnt ignore a rat scuttling into its lair. As they went on, Bluemoon came to a sudden halt and produced a queer-looking apparatus. This instrument consisted of a dial on the surface and the needle within was moving about constantly. At the end of this dial was an eye-catching red zoneBluemoon sighed in relief after confirming that the needle never entered this red area. The two elders seemed much more relaxed, but they still couldnt shake off the chill. Here on out, we might encounter people from that side, one of the elders reminded. Evading experts was a completely different concept compared to avoiding fierce beasts. For instance, the two old men began installing some small instruments in some unassuming corners. These things had no destructive power but could release special fluctuations upon sensing bypassers and served as a warning to the owner. Naturally, if they could do this, others could also do the same. The four slowed down their rate of advancement and paid attention to every corner for traps and traces of other experts. The further they went in, the stronger the Earth Dragons will became. Every time it swept past them, Qianye could feel his blood energy growing restless. It would be difficult for him to proceed if it wasnt for the purity of his origin power and the high quality of his blood energy. He would have to activate Bloodline Concealment or risk getting detected by the Earth Dragon. The three Highbeards, including Bluemoon, had locked down their origin power and were operating with the aid of their mechanical parts. This weakened their vital fluctuations so much that they were even inferior to ordinary beasts; it was only natural that the Earth Dragon would ignore them. Comparatively, Qianyes bloodline power became quite obvious. After several kilometers of travel, Qianye began to feel the situation going out of control. He felt that he might be discovered by the Earth Dragon if he didnt use Bloodline Concealment. However, this skill was one of Qianyes hidden aces, so he wasnt willing to use it in front of other people if he had a choice. Otherwise, his enemies might specifically target this facet of his powers, or, at the very least, they would be guarded against him. Just as Qianye was hesitating whether or not to use Bloodline Concealment, he noticed a small, unnatural object through the corner of his eyes and quickly pulled Bluemoon to his side. The two elders were astonished, but they kept themselves in check. It was just that some protruding objects were aimed at Qianye from under their cloaks. Qianye gestured for them to calm down and pointed forward. There was a pile of fragmented rocks where he was pointing, and there was a small, finger-sized rod poking out from one of them. This little pipe was painted to resemble a rock, down to the veined patterns and would be easily overlooked at a glance. If it wasnt for Qianyes superb visual acuity and attention to detail, he might not have noticed this small object. There would never be a rod-like object protruding from an ordinary rock. Avoiding the small rod, one of the Highbeard elders picked up the rock and headed in the direction it was pointing. He walked all the way to the other side of the passage and put the rock down gently. By the time he was back, his breathing had grown somewhat coarse. Apparently, this movement wasnt easy for him. The elder explained everything to Qianyethis rock was actually a clever tripwire with a receiver on the other end. The small rod would fire a constant beam of origin power toward the receiver, which would explode once this connection was interrupted, thus alarming the owner. Unlike the transmitting end, the receiver had been completely camouflaged. There was no way to tell which rock was the trap without cracking all the rocks open. Hence, the old man chose to move the transmitter and open up a path, ruining this trap in the process. Qianye was full of admiration after learning about this. The design of this tripwire was genius and easy to trigger. If it wasnt for Qianyes shocking eyesight, even the Highbeards wouldve tripped it. The tripwires presence warned everyone that they had reached the operation zone of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons. Bluemoon fished out a long silver needle and flicked it toward the ground. In Qianyes perception, he could sense an inaudible sound wave spreading out in all directions. These waves were weak but exceptionally penetrative, even capable of going through some of the thinner rock walls. Bluemoon listened intently for the echoes bouncing back from some directions. There was an odd-looking apparatus on her right ear, apparently for catching the echoes. She pointed at a certain direction and gestured that someone was there. The four retracted their auras and moved slowly toward the target. Before long, some faint voices could be heard up ahead. It was a naturally formed cave, and the two sentries guarding the entrance were chatting with one another. One of them yawned. So boring. Old Li, dont tell me we have to guard this place for an entire month? Theres not even a single ghost here. Dont tell me you want to go deeper? Youre not that bored, are you? The other guard snorted. You think thats a good job? The headman said itll be lucky if half the people in there return alive. I had to pay a lot to get assigned to this post. The only reason youre standing here is because you shared a large part of the costs. The tall guard laughed along. Isnt the headman your uncle? Whos he going to look after if not you? I only tagged along on the fortune. But guarding these disgusting things is getting really unbearable in the long run. Being alive is better than anything. Just as he was affirming the statement, the tall guard noticed his partners eyes lose focus as the man collapsed silently. At the same time, he felt a sharp object pressed against his waist. Dont move if you want to live! This guard was no warrior of steel, to begin with. He immediately raised his hands and said, Ill cooperate, Ill cooperate! He did indeed cooperate, even reducing his voice to a whisper. Bluemoon arrived before him and performed a detailed interrogation. However, this guard knew little because he had been assigned to guard the entrance not long after coming in with the unit. Even the squad with which he had come was only one of the many that had gone underground. Seeing that there was nothing more to gain from him, a cold gleam flickered in Bluemoons hand as her dagger slashed the mans neck open. The group went further into the cave, hoping to see what was being set up inside. They had just entered when an intense smell of blood rushed at their faces. Qianye broke into a frown because his sharp senses told him that it was the smell of fresh blood, and such intensity couldn''t be produced by just a dozen people. He entered the cave in brisk steps, but there was anger on his face. There was a stone altar at the center of the cave, roughly ten square meters in size, and upon it were several metallic plates that formed its origin array. The altar was covered in hundreds of human corpses, all of them cut up into small, precise pieces to maximize the outflow of blood. The blood from hundreds of people was enough to make a pool of blood, yet not a drop of it flowed out of the altar due to the origin arrayit was as though the altar was surrounded by a transparent wall. The blood here wasnt very warm, but it was boiling constantly and the bits of flesh inside were rolling about. Bluemoon glanced at the two elders. So, thats how it is. Whats going on? asked Qianye. This altar was fairly disturbing to look at and reminded him of the dark races blood feast. He strode forward with his sword, ready to slash this altar apart. No! Bluemoon stopped Qianye. Qianye glanced at her for an explanation. Bluemoon replied, This blood sacrifice is the key component in their pacification of the Earth Dragon. Once destroyed, the Earth Dragon will not only regain its perception but become even more sensitive. At that point, we can forget about leaving this place alive! What? Bluemoon pointed at the sanguineous line at the center of the blood pool. Look, theyre using the origin array in this blood altar to refine the essence of fresh blood and pacify the Earth Dragons will. As long as there are enough sufficient altars, itll give the Earth Dragon a false sense of satiety. Void colossi like the Earth Dragon will become less active once its full and become half-asleep. Qianye glanced at Bluemoon and said meaningfully, You seem to know quite a lot about this. Bluemoon lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact with Qianye. Dont forget that my ancestor has explored this lair before. He naturally knows a lot of secrets, including how to pacify the dragon. In truth, there are three ways to pacify the Earth Dragon, and the blood altar is only one of them. How did the Spider Emperor and the others know about these secrets? Dont tell me theyre also being aided by Highbeards? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 777: Intense Battle Bluemoons expression was indifferent. It wasnt just my ancestor who entered the Earth Dragons lair back then. Qianye accepted this theory and glanced deeply at the blood altar before leaving with Bluemoons party. If a single blood altar required the blood of hundreds of people, just how many would be required to pacify the Earth Dragon? And where did these sacrifices come from? Qianye had a vague feeling that the fate of those civilians left behind in Port City was bleak. The four thus continued onward. After avoiding two rounds of traps, one of the elders finally took a careless step and triggered a mechanism on the ground. With a loud bang, a blinding flash of light lit up the dark underground world and sent a high-frequency wave far off into the distance. Prepare for battle. Bluemoon wasnt flustered. She rolled up her sleeves to reveal the left arm that had always been hidden inside. Quite shockingly, the limb had been modified into a large caliber origin cannon. The exquisite weapon was dark green and entirely covered in origin array patterns. The two old men also removed their robes, and there were also traces of modification on their bodies. One of them had implanted an origin furnace into his body which, after activation, began to power the other mechanical parts in his body. He was just like a human-shaped puppet. A wisp of sadness appeared in Bluemoons eyes. We Highbeards have limited lifespans. In order to maintain our combat strength, we have to undertake more and more modifications as we grow older. Qianye nodded in silence. He suddenly sensed numerous origin power auras approaching rapidly from the side. Enemy ambush! Qianye pointed in that direction. Bluemoon and the others, being experienced soldiers, reacted instantly by pointing their weapons where Qianye had pointed to. Several arachne soldiers had just charged out of the tunnel when they were welcomed by the interweaving fire of the three Highbeards. Bluemoons choice was a large caliber hand cannon, while the two elders were using rapid-fire origin machine guns. Unable to stop his momentum, the arachne soldier behind dashed into the line of fire and suffered the same fate as his earlier companions. Ten high-ranking arachne warriors thus lost their lives under the interweaving fire of the Highbeards. An earth-shattering roar erupted in the tunnel as a heavy axe spun out of the entrance and flew toward one of the Highbeard elders. The elder shook his left arm, and out popped a protective shield. Clang! The flying axe struck the barrier, shattering the origin power on its surface and soon, the shield itself. The elder took several steps back, sparks flying out from the mechanical joints on his body. His face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood. The axe couldnt stand the massive impact, either, and actually broke down into several pieces. An extremely large arachne stormed out of the tunnel, clad in a set of magnificent, dark golden armor. Seeing his broken axe and the arachne corpses strewn across the ground, he erupted in a horrible rage. He said with an intense glare, All of you shall die! A single flying axe had injured a Highbeard elder. This arachne possessed significant combat strength and was definitely not an ordinary count. However, Bluemoon wasnt alarmed and merely fired her cannon in the arachne counts face. This shot was extremely powerful, almost comparable to Zhao Yuyings Mountain Splitter. The count didnt dare look down on this blasthe pulled out a heavy shield strapped to his arachnid body and used it to block the side of his body. With a boom, the impact from Bluemoons shot forced the arachne one step toward the side. The furious count had just lowered his shield when a blaze flickered in his eyes; Bluemoon had fired once again. This shot was extremely tricky, almost grazing past the shields upper body as it seemingly came for the arachnes head. The roaring count ducked out of instinct, but this actually helped the shell to land squarely on his head. The arachnes helmet flew off as fresh blood flowed down his dazzled face; he shook his head repeatedly, growling all the while. Nonetheless, the counts body was indeed strong and sturdyhe actually seemed fine after taking a blow to the vitals and was still capable of further combat. But this shot had clearly enraged the count. After recovering from the daze, he quickly produced his origin machine gun and fired a stream of origin flames from it. Bluemoon immediately evaded the incoming fire. Her movements were extremely nimble and, on many occasions, seemed to defy the laws of physics entirely. It was as though she wasnt a humanoid being at all. Due to the aid of mechanical parts, her actions were odd and unpredictable, making her a difficult target to hit. The blustering arachne chased after the girl with his raking fire. But one of the Highbeard elders had secretly installed several steel wires on the ground, and they were hard to notice in the darkness of the cave. Tangled up with several steel cables, the arachne counts massive body finally lost its balance and collapsed to the side. Before he could even try to clamber back up, a large metallic net fell on top of him and bound him up in an instant. Both the steel cables and the metallic net were made of special materialsthe target only managed to tear some parts of the net after struggling with all his might. It was bound to take him some more work in order to break free. At this point, Bluemoon produced a small tube which she tossed onto the restrained target. The faint yellow liquid inside burst into raging flames as the tube cracked open, scorching the arachne count until he was howling in pain. The spider activated his origin power in a desperate attempt to snuff out the flames on his body, but this fire was extremely hot and almost as difficult to extinguish as origin flame. In addition to that, Bluemoon and party fired continuously at the arachne count to break his origin defenses. Seeing how things had unfolded, Qianye tossed two origin grenades under the beleaguered arachne. The targets body flew up with a rumbling explosion. A wave of heat and gravel rushed at everyones faces, forcing Bluemoon and the elders to turn away. Having taken two solid grenade blasts, the arachne counts origin defenses were flickering and showing signs of dying out. The Highbeards took this opportunity to blast the arachne count with all their might, quickly turning him into a beehive. After a moments work, the arachne counts screams trailed off and his massive body stopped flailing about. This was a true expert whose combat strength far exceeded his peers, yet he had died such a sullen deaththe only attack where he had managed to fully exert his power was the flying axe. This battle gave Qianye a deeper understanding of the Highbeards fighting style. Lets move, their main force will arrive soon, Bluemoon said urgently. The four hastened their steps toward the depths of the lair. A sinister voice rang out before long. Highbeards, youre finally here! These words hadnt even ended when a faint shadow appeared from the side and made a beeline for one of the Highbeard elders. The old man was quick to react, exchanging ten blows with the assailant in a flash and roaring furiously as he did so. That silhouette slowly visualized in battle and seemed to be a werewolf of extremely faint color. His build wasnt very big, but he moved with great alacrity and went for the vitals with every move. The entangled Highbeard elder was one level higher than the opponent, yet he was somewhat flustered and had taken a couple of injures within moments. Bluemoon and Qianye rushed into the fray. The four-man assault greatly restrained the werewolf counts movement space and threw him into a perilous situation. However, the wolf didnt seem afraid at all. His eyes flickered with bloodlust as he let out a sudden howl. The glow on his body flickered as his body-size and momentum increased little by littlehis origin power began to burn as though it were aboil! A single collision from him sent the Highbeard elder flying, after which he chased after the target and launched a flurry of ruthless attacks, putting the elder in a desperate situation. The assailant made no motion to protect himself, allowing Bluemoon and the other elder to rip his back open with their attacks. It was at this time that a tremendous, cold intent swept through the cave. This time, though, it didnt leave but lingered over the place. Bluemoon expression changed drastically. Is he crazy!? This werewolf count had let loose entirely and was fighting without any restraint, finally drawing the attention of the Earth Dragons will. Rustling sounds emerged from the surrounding caves that sent a chill down everyones spine. You want to die together? Bluemoon shouted at the werewolf. As she saw it, it was idiocy to die in the service of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons. There werent many in the neutral lands willing to do that either. The werewolf thrust a claw into the Highbeard elders abdomen before turning back with a sinister smile. My entire tribe died in the hands of your Highbeard mercenaries, Im the only one alive. Back then, I swore to my ancestors spirit that Ill kill all Highbeards and build a skull totem on his grave as a sacrifice to our tribesmen. Do you think I dont know your identity? The Highbeards will be half done for if I kill you. Bluemoon was both shocked and furious. Who wouldve thought they would encounter such a person. The Highbeards made a living as mercenaries, and more often than not, there was only a thin line separating soldiers of fortune and bandits. To be entirely frank, they were bandits with their mask on and mercenaries without. Countless tribes big and small had fallen in the hands of Highbeards. How could Bluemoon even remember which tribe this werewolf count hailed from? Amidst flying dust and gravel, a shadow shot out of the ground and flew toward Qianye. The latter broke into a frown as he raised East Peak upward, cleverly blocking this incoming silhouette. The black shadow crashed into the sharp blade and was immediately split into two halves. However, Qianyes hands also trembled slightly, a testament to how much force the little thing was carrying. The black object landed on the ground, revealing its true form. It looked much like a worm and was a meter long. It was covered in scales and had a mouth full of sharp teeth where its head should be. It seemed to possess powerful vitality, as it was still flailing about even after being split into two. This strange creature was actually able to fly a short distance through the air after emerging from the ground. Back then, it had shot past Bluemoon and made straight for Qianye. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 778: Abandoned Qianyes heart sank, but he quickly raised his sword as he sensed something wrong with the situation. As expected, the earth split open continuously and one creature after another flew toward the group, six out of ten going for Qianye. This degree of assault could do nothing against Qianye. His sword moved like smoke, phasing in and out around his body as he cut down the assailants without exception. However, these worms were merely the first wave of cannon fodder. Everyone here knew that the true fighting force was yet to come. The werewolf count let out a miserable cry as two worms latched onto his back and ripped off two of his muscles! The count was so intent on killing that Highbeard elder in front of him that he was caught off guard and wounded by the worms. The strength of these creatures clearly exceeded Bluemoons expectations. She bit her lip as she glanced at the injured Highbeard elder and werewolf, unsure whether or not to rush to their rescue. Even if she managed to save this Highbeard elder, the mission was very likely to fail with an injured teammate tagging along. At this moment, the entire cave fell into a moment of silence. Gusts of fishy wind blew in as numerous six-legged crocodiles crawled out of the caves. Their appearance caused everyones expressions to change, and even Qianye felt rather apprehensive. These pegmatite crocodiles were five meters tall and dozens of meters in length, each sporting the power of a virtuous count. Most importantly, they had the advantage in numbers and were aided by the worm-like creatures. This was a rather thorny situation. That wasnt the end yet. After the appearance of the pegmatite crocodiles came a thick-scaled creature that resembled a rhinoceros. It was ten meters in height and had two horns on its forehead, one of which was two meters long. Its two scarlet eyes flickered with a bloodthirsty glow as it stared at everyone. As soon as he saw the fierce beast, Qianyes blood core began to beat uncontrollably and his auric flame blood surged, transforming into a deluge of energy. Only then was he able to resist the suppressive might emitted from the creature. This beast was at the level of a marquis, clearly strong and tenacious. The monster locked onto the culprit as soon as it appeared. It fired a dark beam of light which duly penetrated the entangled werewolf and Highbeard elder, leaving a bowl-sized hole on their bodies. Bluemoons expression changed drastically upon seeing the might of that attack. This beam was as powerful as a grade-seven origin gun, making it almost impossible for them to kite the monstrosity. One could see its strong suit just by looking at its build, and with its ability to fight at both melee and range, there was really no weakness to be exploited. Perhaps its spirit and psyche were its weaknesses, but the Highbeards had no proficiency in this regard. Not to mention overpowering the creature, Bluemoon might not even be able to kill the enemy even if it were to stand still and let her attack. Bluemoon made a prompt decision to toss out a silvery grenade. A powerful, blinding light emerged from the exploding grenade which was soon followed by a severe ringing in ones ears. Qianyes vision turned white, forcing him to close his eyes in pain, and his ears were buzzing from the subsequent soundwaves. For a moment, he could neither see nor hear anything. Additionally, the grenade released an extremely wild form of void origin power, throwing the origin power within the chamber into utter chaos. Even Qianye lost his grasp of the surroundings under the circumstances and had to rely on memory to jump toward the nearest cave wall. He crashed into many worms along the way but was able to send them flying with his sturdy physique. Finally, he bumped into the cave wall and slid down to the ground. The glow of the flashbang gradually dispersed at this point and Qianye regained his perception. At a glance, he found countless wormshaving lost their ability to flystrewn across the ground and flailing about. They seemed to have gone into a frenzy and were starting to bite one another. The pegmatite crocodiles were swaying about in a serious daze, while the rhinoceros monster was the least affected, but its small eyes were red with tears flowing out constantly. The grenade Bluemoon had hurled out was extremely powerful, and every being under the divine champion realm would be affected if caught off-guard. Additionally, its disruption of the senses was absolute and left no blind spots, not even sparing Qianyes Eye of Control. At this moment, Bluemoon and the other Highbeard elder were nowhere to be found. Some of the worms and beasts made a beeline for the werewolf count and wounded Highbeard elder as they gradually recovered their senses, but most of them had their eyes on Qianye. That giant rhinoceros was spraying yellow mist from its nostrils and its horns began to glow. Qianye had already realized what had transpired. So I was abandoned, huh? I do make for a pretty good bait. Qianye laughed in self-deprecation. Bluemoon had prepared such a flashbang but hadnt told Qianye about it. Apparently, she had been planning to abandon him at the critical juncture all along. It would seem she had other intentions in seeking him out and recruiting him by every means possible. Just from how these worms were all drawn to Qianye, it was clear that Bluemoon hadnt hired him for his combat strength. It was just that they had been pushed into a desperate corner soon after entering the lair, and she had no choice but to use her final trump card. At this moment, dozens of worms had pounced onto the werewolf and Highbeard elder, and the crackling sounds as they gnawed on their victims was sickening. They devoured their prey in the blink of an eye, leaving neither their bones nor the weapons, armor, and mechanical parts. In the end, only the hardest of alloy components remained. Qianye was unafraid in the face of such dire straits. On the contrary, the flames of madness ignited in his eyes. Come! Qianye pointed at the rhinoceros. The giant being seemed to possess a high degree of intelligence. It unleashed a violent roar and rushed madly at Qianye, knocking away or stomping to death all the troublesome worms in its wake. Qianye shouted wildly as he charged at the incoming creature! Halfway through the charge, Qianye tossed out several origin grenades in the shape of a fan, immediately carpeting a hundred-meter area with violent explosions. He leapt up under the cover of the dust clouds and effectively evaded the rhinos horn attack. Then, he made a sharp, origin-power-guided drop onto the creatures back, breaking several laws of physics in the process. With East Peak held tightly in his hands, he stabbed into the giant creatures spine with full force! As East Peak entered the flesh, Qianye felt as though he had stabbed at one of the empires sturdiest airships. No, even the airships outer armor wasnt as sturdy as this rhinos hide. Even with a weapon as powerful as East Peak, Qianye had to expend great power to push the blade inward. After rallying his strength three times, he had managed to push the sword halfway in. Only at this point did it feel like he had thrust past the hide and reached its flesh. This rhinoceros skin was over a meter in thicknessQianye had to use almost all of his strength just to get past its hide and pierce into its flesh! One had to know that the might of this sword could easily cut through the armor of an imperial battleship. If Bluemoon and the others hadnt fled, this rhinoceros wouldve crushed them with his skin alone. Only a grade-eight firearm at full firepower could break through its defenses. Qianye forced his origin power through the blade and into the creature''s body, destroying its fragile internal tissues in the process. Only then did the rhinoceros start to feel true pain. It unleashed a maddened roar as it produced a layer of dark yellow origin power radiance on its body. Soon, a powerful force landed on Qianyes body and sent him flying away. A bowl-sized defect was left on the rhinoceros'' back as East Peak was drawn away. A fountain of blood gushed out thereafter, producing a sanguineous drizzle inside the cave. The worms went mad after seeing the rain of blood. They paid Qianye no more heed and instead began chasing after the falling blood, fighting amongst themselves for the right to imbibe it. A few drops of the liquid landed on Qianyes face, one quite close to his lips in fact. Qianye licked the drop of bloodhe immediately felt a wisp of burning energy spread throughout his abdomen, and his stamina actually recovered a bit. No wonder those worms were crazy about it. However, the rhinoceros was simply too large, and the wound producing a rain of blood was merely a scratch to him. Qianye wiped the blood off his face and licked the liquid off of his palm. Then, he erupted with a furious roar and entered a state of blood boil. His entire body was shrouded in dark-golden light, and his mind was filled with a thirst for battle! The giant rhinoceros seemed to have sensed Qianyes intent. It responded with a roar and charged at him once more. Qianye slid sideways for over ten meters, effectively dodging the giant creatures strongest frontal assault. Soon afterward, he performed a sideways slash at the long horn whipping toward him! Dong! A deep sound resembling an ancient battle drum spread far and wide. The affected worms were all blown flying, and even the pegmatite crocodiles were frozen in place. Qianye flew out dozens of meters like a broken kite, carving a large pit as he crashed into the cave wall. Then, he slowly slid down. The giant creature wasnt too comfortable, either. It slid a couple of steps to the side and shook its head forcefully with a pained howl. A laceration had appeared at the base of its horn with fresh blood seeping out of it, but its body was still largely intact. Qianyes ancient vampire constitution wasnt really inferior to beasts of the same rank, and East Peak was a killer weapon of extreme weight. Even this rhinoceros couldnt quite digest an all-out blow like that. Qianye spat out a mouthful of blood when he landed. The blood actually ignited upon landing and grew into a raging golden blaze that burned out in a flash. At this moment, his auric flame blood had been activated to the extremeevery drop of it contained great power and would ignite upon leaving the body. Qianye glanced at East Peak and saw that a small defect had appeared on its edge! East Peak had never been damaged before since its upgrade, so much so that it seemed impervious to damage even with Qianye occasionally swinging it about as a blunt weapon. But today, the giant rhinoceros horn was left intact while East Peak was chipped. Qianye took out a blood crystal and crushed it, growing spirited as he absorbed its contents. He pointed East Peak at the giant creature and shouted, Come! How could the giant rhinoceros endure this provocation? The roaring monstrosity charged over, causing the entire underground world to shake and tremble, almost as though it would collapse at any moment. This time, an earth-colored radiance surged constantly on its charging body. Qianye dodged to the side but was sent flying once more by the invisible force. However, golden blood energy poured out from his body and canceled out most of the impact, helping him land after flying ten or so meters back. Qianyes figure flickered as he arrived beside the rhinoceros once more and, with a single leap, thrust his blade into its flank! The skin here was just as thick and Qianye had nowhere to exert force mid-air. Hence, he only managed to pierce through the skin. This time, however, what he injected wasnt origin power but blood energy. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 779: Melee The giant rhinoceros unleashed an earth-shattering roar! A defensive field emerged all around its body which shook Qianye away. While he was flying through the air, the monster swung its head about and placed its long horn beneath his falling body! The horn was pulsing with a faint, eerie glow that sent a chill down Qianyes spinehe knew that he had to avoid it at all costs. With an explosive roar, Qianye swung East Peak in a full circle and slashed at the horn! A sweeping shockwave appeared once more, and the worms that had just started to recover from the previous trauma were grounded again The giant rhinoceros front limbs gave way and almost fell kneeling onto the ground. Qianye, on the other hand, flew backward like an artillery shell and punched into a cave wall. The laceration at the base of the rhinos horn grew deeper and blood gushed out like a fountain. Growling in pain, it rubbed the wound on its back against the cave wall. Apparently, the blood energy Qianye had injected was extremely uncomfortable. The latter wasnt in good shape, either, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood and his aura diminishing rapidly. Both man and rhino had clashed head-on, each suffering injuries in the blink of an eye. Nonetheless, the massive, thick-skinned rhinoceros could easily withstand this much damage, while Qianye''s was close to a grave injury that affected his combat strength. The creature stared at Qianye and roared once. This cry actually contained a tone of mockery, almost as though it was making fun of Qianye for not knowing his place. Compared to it, Qianye was no more than a small insect with no power to resist its powerful frontal assault. Qianye finally extricated himself from the cave wall and landed on the ground. There, he shook East Peak out and pointed it at the creature once more. This rhinoceros possessed charging and defensive force-fields in addition to long-range attacks. During its charge, an area dozens of meters around it would form a domain-like field, flinging away all obstacles in its wake. The taste of being struck by the assault force field wasnt comfortable at all and felt like being rammed at half the creatures full impactQianye had already experienced this first hand. An ordinary expert would be flung away by the assault force-field if he were to evade the frontal charge and attempt an attack from the side. However, Qianyes constitution was powerful and East Peak was extremely heavy, so the field didnt have that great of an impact on him. Seeing Qianye actually provoking it, the giant rhinoceros eyes turned red and lowered its head for a charge. It was just that Qianye remained rooted in place while waiting for the incoming attack. It would seem that Qianye had nowhere left to dodge. Even if he could evade the sharp horn, he would be slapped into the wall by the impact. The giant rhinoceros thus increased its speed and fully expanded its assault field, its hooves beating like thunder along the way, poised to crush this little insect into meat paste! Rumble! The entire tomb trembledshattered rocks fell from the ceiling and a huge depression appeared on the ground. The giant rhinoceros body was deeply embedded into the cave wall, forcibly producing a huge hole in it and leaving only its buttocks outside. Even a divine champion wouldnt dare to take such a violent crash head-on. Such giant creatures were inherently powerful, and the limited underground space only served to magnify its power. The creature flailed about, but its body seemed completely stuck in the wall. The entire underground cavern would shake with its struggling movements, producing a shower of rock and gravel from above. Qianye shouldve been crushed into meat paste, but it couldnt sense the smell of blood, almost as though Qianye had vanished into thin air. The giant rhino made repeated attempts to cram its body outward, hoping to see where that provocative insect had gone. At this moment, Qianye had appeared silently on the other end of the cave. He had activated Spatial Flash at the last moment and dodged behind the giant rhinoceros. There was still a horde of worms in the vicinity, in whose eyes Qianye was a wonderful delicacy. The fresh blood he had spat out was even more attractive to them than the giant rhinoceros! Hundreds of them arrived the moment he appeared, with countless more drilling out of the ground to ambush him! In addition, there were a dozen or so worms tangled up into a bunch, fighting in extreme desperation for the few drops of blood he had sprayed onto the ground. Witnessing this scene, a vague idea came to Qianyes mind. Countless worm-like creatures arrived near Qianye in the blink of an eye. But just as they were opening their mouths, a mountainous weight bore down and sent them pattering to the ground. Soon afterward, a red glow flickered around Qianyes body and countless sanguineous threads shot through the worms. In the blink of an eye, the area around him turned empty as hundreds of worms turned into corpses. Oceanic power combined with Life Plunder was the perfect weapon against large numbers of weak enemies. These worms possessed exuberant blood energy and their bloodline power was oddly powerful, almost comparable to a count. Even Qianye couldnt digest such a large amount of high-ranking blood in a short period, and soon, his entire body was wrapped up in a translucent sphere of blood. At this moment, Qianyes blood core was beating with great power as it devoured large amounts of essence blood every second and pumped out auric flame blood. His core temperature rose sharply and every crystalline granule seemed to be burning. At the same time, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was also working at full force, refining vast amounts of essence blood into darkness origin power for the blood core to absorb. Under the efforts of the two simultaneous pathways, Qianyes aura rose rapidly and soon reached its peak. As though it had sensed great danger, the giant rhinoceros roared continuously and doubled down on his efforts to struggle free. Eventually, its body escaped the cave wall. Beams of blood-colored light shot out as Qianye opened his eyes! In a flash, he flew behind the rhinoceros with his sword raised high. The blade erupted in raging flames of blood as he stabbed the monster beneath its tail! No matter how strong a fierce beast was, as long as it was a body of flesh and blood, this place would always be the weakest. The giant rhinoceros roared in agony, and the force almost cracked the rocky walls apart. Its tail swung over and immediately whipped Qianye flying. The maddened rhinoceros finally freed itself from the cave wall and turned back to glare at him, its rapid, thunderous breath echoing through the chamber. Qianye noticed that the rhinoceros had suffered a fair bit of trauma from that all-out ram, and its horn was bleeding like crazy. The vast amounts of blood sent the worms into a frenzy, but most of them couldnt even get close because of the defensive field. The single pegmatite crocodile that managed to get through was promptly stomped into meat paste. The giant rhinoceros was gasping hard and the drain on its stamina was significant. With all the wounds on its body acting up at the same time, the monsters aura finally started to decline. Although the deterioration wasnt much, Qianyes eyes lit up when he noticed it. This time, when the rhinoceros charged over, Qianye merely dodged its most powerful frontal assault before launching a flurry of slashes at the creatures horn. Qianye activated his auric flame blood after the two parties had exchanged ten or so moves. He ignited his blood energy to push his ancient vampire constitution to the extreme and actually managed to block a round of attacks from the giant monster. All of these were direct parries! The giant rhinoceros could no longer suppress Qianye entirely without relying on its charging momentum. After the round of crazy attacks, the injury on the creatures horn became more serious, and it had no choice but to pause and rest. Qianye, on the other hand, was covered in countless minor wounds. The overdraft of power had ruptured his vessels and muscles in addition to draining all his origin power. Satisfying! Qianye laughed. The depression he had been swimming in for many days had mostly disappeared. Seeing Qianyes aura on the decline, the giant rhinoceros roared toward the sky, declaring its victory in advance. Qianye smiled coldly and, instead of retreating, charged into a horde of worms. Intimidated by the giant rhinoceros, these creatures no longer dared to approach its vicinity. Now that Qianye had actually charged into their midst, the entire group went into a frenzy and swarmed toward him in droves, hoping to enjoy a fleshy meal. To these worms, Qianyes flesh and auric flame blood were great supplements that might help them evolve after repeated consumption. Qianye activated his oceanic power with a snort, instantly pressing the horde of worms to the ground. He then swept through the animals with Life Plunder, creating a zone of death around him and shrouding himself in a sphere of blood. Two consecutive Life Plunders had surpassed Qianyes physical limits. Numerous tiny wounds appeared all over his body and his muscles began to collapse. The essence blood from the worms was high in quality and the vast amount was far beyond that which Qianye could handleyet another sphere of blood was formed around him. It would likely raise him by one level if he could take his time to digest everything. At this point, Qianye was producing essence blood by igniting his blood core, a rather wasteful method but one that could quickly replenish his consumption. In the span of a few breaths, Qianyes aura began to climb and the floating sphere of blood also became transparent. Only at this point did the giant rhinoceros notice what was happening. It naturally wouldnt allow Qianye to recoverthe creature lowered its head with light flickering on its horn and fired a dark beam. Qianyes body flickered repeatedly, closely evading all the destructive beams at the last moment. The giant rhinoceros horn would pulse briefly to store energy before firing the destructive beam of light. With Qianyes proficiency in the combat arts, it didnt take much effort for him to evade the attacks. The rhino attacked repeatedly, but that did nothing but waste origin power. Its breathing intensified and the force-field around its body grew considerably weaker. Seeing that the beams of destruction were useless, the creature lowered its head and charged once again. This time, however, Qianye no longer exchanged direct blows with ithe roamed about to evade the brunt of the rhinoceros'' attacks while absorbing large amounts of worm essence blood to recover his blood energy. Failing to hit Qianye, the giant rhino finally grew restless. It jumped up all of a sudden and stomped down with all four legs, sending a whistling shockwave out in all directions! Even the pegmatite crocodiles were sent flying into the walls, and then ravaged by the returning shockwaves until they were half dead. Those worms couldnt even take a single blow and burst into mists of blood from the impact. In the blink of an eye, the entire cavern chamber became empty, leaving only a couple of half-dead pegmatite crocodiles. The rhinoceros glanced about but failed to find traces of Qianye. At this moment, the creature suddenly noticed a chill from its back! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 780: Fireforged Physique Qianye used Spatial Flash once more and appeared above the creature. After which, he struck its back with the force of a falling star. East Peak pierced straight into the old sword wound and the battery of origin power sent bits of flesh flying! The second attack produced a cringeworthy wound on the giant rhinoceros back. It was as big as a well and filled with crushed flesh and blood. Before the beast could even feel the pain, a pair of wings appeared behind Qianye as the Wings of Inception came to life. Soon, a feather shot out from the Twin Flowers and vanished into the wound. A Shot of Inception entering ones bodyone could easily imagine how terrifying this was. The monsters wound rolled outward and exploded like an erupting volcano, its contents spraying onto the ceiling of the cave. The giant rhinoceros roared furiously, stomping about until the earth cracked open. Apparently, it was in extreme pain. A flash of madness appeared in Qianyes eyes as he charged into the open wound and drilled into the rhinos body. Disregarding his badly damaged body, he did his utmost to activate his blood energy and unleashed Life Plunder inside the beast. The moment Life Plunder was activated, Qianye felt fresh blood flowing into his body like lava and filling him until he was on the verge of bursting apart. The giant rhinoceros essence blood contained a terrifying amount of energymiles apart from that of the wormsand the speed of subsequent conversion was also much slower. Yet Life Plunder was difficult to control once activated, especially since he was submerged in blood within the creatures body. The sanguineous threads wouldnt miss no matter in which direction they shot out. Vast amounts of essence blood entered without restraint, forcing Qianyes blood core to expand several times. Inch by inch, his skin began to crack open and fresh blood shot out from within. The threads of blood burst into raging flames after leaving Qianyes body and were soon drowned out by the giant monsters blood. At this moment, an inexplicable pain occupied the entirety of Qianyes consciousness. Trembling, he used his final thread of clarity to activate the Mystery Chapter of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, in a bid to refine as much essence blood as possible. But the Mystery Chapters refinement rate was simply too slow, requiring a month to refine his bodys capacity of essence blood. There was no way it could make it under such circumstances. Qianyes blood core seemed to have noticed the danger and was pulsing frantically. The crystalline granules contained within exploded one after another, resisting the pressure of the essence blood and transforming it into auric flame blood before pumping it out of the blood core. It was just that the auric flame blood produced was ablazethe vast amounts of origin power could only burn since they had nowhere else to go. The auric flame blood was akin to flowing flames, igniting Qianyes flesh and blood wherever it went. However, the tremendous vitality and energy within stimulated the flesh to grow back rapidly. The newly generated flesh was once again lit up, and then more grew back to replace it. This cycle repeated many times until the newly generated flesh formed a resistance to the immolation. Qianyes physical situation finally began to stabilize as the amount of fire-resistant flesh increased. Qianyes consciousness was drowned in agony and the load on his blood core had reached its extremes. Meanwhile, the flowing, lava-like essence blood remained endless. Qianyes body gradually began to swell as even his ancient vampire physique couldnt do much against this massive instillation of essence blood. At the juncture of life and death, the Book of Darkness appeared once more. Its cover transformed into a patch of nothingness, which duly absorbed the excess essence blood. The book was like a bottomless abyssthere was no reaction no matter how much essence blood was poured in, and it only kept on devouring the blood in silence. The Wings of Inception was also taking in the essence blood, but its capacity was fairly limited. They became dormant after forming a new feather and could absorb no more. With the Book of Darkness devouring power, the blood core managed to pull through the most dangerous phase and gradually reached an equilibrium between input and output. With the enormous pressure now past, Qianye could no longer hold on and soon lost consciousness. Within the giant rhinoceros body, copious amounts of essence blood had come together to form a giant sphere of blood. In contrast to the one condensed from the worms blood, this one was actually tangible and substantial. In the end, the giant rhinoceros legs gave way, its giant body collapsed, and the glow in its eyes also faded away. An entire day and night passed by before Qianye woke up from his deep sleep. He was surrounded in darkness at this moment, and his perception beyond his body was highly restrained. He instinctively wanted to breathe, but his nostrils seemed to be blocked by something, preventing him from getting even a proper breath of air. Qianye tried moving his body. All of his senses were still there, but his entire body was immobile, seemingly bound by something. Qianye wasnt alarmed. He gradually tried activating his blood core in a bid to extricate himself from the current situation. He had tried moving just now and found that the force binding his body wasnt that strong. He was startled the moment his consciousness touched the blood core which, at this moment, had changed completely. There was now a crystal at its center, and the flesh had grown around it to form a new blood core. Its size had increased by an entire circle and now took up half his chest, pushing his human heart to the side. How was such a blood core going to operate? The blood core reacted immediately after coming into contact with his consciousness. It pulsed slowly, filling all parts of his body with strength. Qianyes restraints soon loosened amidst a series of cracking sounds as he struggled free from his restraint. With his freedom restored, his perception was able to expand outward once again. He was still surrounded in darkness and a thick stench of blood rushed at his face. A sweep of his perception told him that he was still inside the giant rhinoceros body. The restraint around his body was a sphere of blood that had locked him inside after coagulation. Qianye jumped upward in an attempt to break out of the rhinoceros body. However, this force sent his entire body shooting out like a cannonball and drilling into the ceiling. Qianye saw stars from the impact, but the dizziness subsided within moments. He then regained his freedom with a forceful struggle, at the expense of cracks extending all over the cave walls. Qianye was startled once more. He felt that this wall was unusually brittle and seemed to shatter on touch. That was clearly not the case when he was fighting the giant rhinoceros. Even the giant creatures all-out ram only produced a ten-meter hole, and the cave didnt collapse at all. If the wall was that brittle, a single charge wouldve brought the rhino several hundred meters deep and the tomb would collapse. Qianye stared blankly from the air and casually stabbed the wall, sinking East Peak into the rock, all the way to its hilt. Surprised, Qianye stabbed several times more and finally realized that there was no change to the sturdy cave wall. It was just that his strength had seen an explosive increasethe near-doubling of his power made the rock-wall feel oddly brittle, and the feather-light East Peak felt quite strange in his hands. At the center of the cave, the giant rhinoceros body was still emitting a faint suppressive might as it lay collapsed on the ground. Some surviving worms were chewing on its carcass, yet despite their utmost efforts to devour this massive corpse, only a small corner of it was missing. There were several white cocoons beside some of the worms that contained a strong life force. The aura within the cocoon was similar to the worms but stronger and more violent. It would seem that these worms were undergoing mutation after ingesting the giant rhinoceros flesh. There were also some fist-sized worm eggs near them with golden speckles upon them, and the aura emerging from them was far superior to that of the ordinary worms. Qianye slowly came down and stood atop the dead body. Within his range of perception, the giant rhinoceros flesh had lost most of its origin power and was no different from that of an ordinary wild beast. There wasnt much essence blood left within its enormous body, either. It would seem that most of it had been wiped away by Life Plunder. The battle the day before was indeed crazy. Only a madman would think of using the Shot of Inception to open up a path and drill into the body to use Life Plunder. Qianye was indeed mad at that point; it could be said that he was never sane since Nighteyes departure. Even coming into the Earth Dragons lair was somewhat of a self-destructive move. Ascending the Sacred Mountain was even harder than climbing the heavens. Why not just refuse him outright rather than giving him this chance? Perhaps because he had gone through too much suffering, Qianye decided to grasp at the rare wisp of good fortune after the madness had subsided. He got through the danger of his body bursting apart and remodeled his physique and blood core in his sleep. According to the final degree of remodeling, there were different realms such as glimmer, nascent-flame, flowing-gold, and fireforged realm, each with a large gap between them. In order to reach the marquis realm, one had to be at the flowing-gold realm at the very least to withstand the tremendous power. By the time the auric flame blood had completed its reforging, the body would reach a whole new level of strength. The vampires of ancient times were just as well known for their powerful constitution and werent at all inferior to their arachne peers. During the remodeling process, Qianyes flesh was killed and reborn several times, tempered in sanguineous flames. According to the memory inheritance from the River of Blood, Qianyes level was called fireforged physique. Even by ancient vampire standards, this was one of the most powerful constitutions. At this moment, the upgrade in his blood energy had brought Qianye to the mighty count realm. After the gaps within his body were modified by the auric flame blood, he would become a virtuous count. Currently, most of Qianyes body was already fireforged, so becoming a virtuous count was only a matter of time. After spending some time getting used to his new body, Qianye swung his sword several times at the carcass below. In the blink of an eye, what remained of the giant rhino was diced into many pieces along with the worms feasting on it. There was nothing of value left on the giant creatures body after having its essence blood drained by Qianye. Of course, its flesh, bones, and skin would be of extraordinary value if brought to the outside market, but Qianye had no way to move this mountainous corpse away. But the monster did leave a priceless treasure behindits horn. This long horn was undamaged even after clashing against East Peak and even chipped the heavy sword instead. One had to know that East Peak was a divine weapon forged with the power of both the Song and Zhao clans. Even such a blade couldnt outlast this singular hornthis went to show how extraordinary its composition was. The horns base and its connecting bone were full of cracks from fighting against Qianye. Apparently, the creatures skull was far weaker in comparison. Qianye spent half an hour to dig the entire horn out from its base, and put it away in Andruils space. Having obtained this horn, it could be said that his journey was now worth it, to speak nothing of that first-rate physique. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 781: Engravemen Qianyes eyes landed on those eggs and cocoons produced by the worms. The ferocity of the underground worms had left a deep impression on Qianye. They were already capable of injuring a werewolf count before evolution. Now that they had transformed, there was no telling how violent they would be. Qianye put the eggs into Andruils space, and then moved some stuff around to barely fit a cocoon. Surely, there would be people interested in them after leaving the underground world. After putting away the spoils of war, Qianye thought back on his experiences before his loss of consciousness. He vaguely recalled that the Book of Darkness had absorbed a large amount of essence blood at the critical moment, saving him from explosion and forming a new page in the process. Qianye fished out the Book of Darkness and flipped through it in detail. As expected, there was a new line on the title page that read: Chapter 2, Engrave A new page appeared after flipping the first one over. Entirely dark red with faint traces of gold, its hue was gentle and clean, with an aura of pure essence blood gushing out from within. This page was actually holding all that essence blood and of the highest grade to boot. In terms of amount, it was roughly the same as Qianyes essence blood capacity. With a move of his will, a drop of essence blood emerged from the book and entered his blood core. Then, it slowly transformed into power for Qianyes use. This Engravement page could store large amounts of essence blood and also refine them in the process. Such pure essence blood no longer needed to be refined by the Mystery chapter and could enter the blood core directly to become auric flame blood. With this Engravement, Qianyes blood energy would double, essentially increasing his battle endurance. This giant rhinoceros could be considered a moving treasury. Of course, great profits came with huge risksif it wasnt for Qianyes self-destructive behavior and decisive combat style, he wouldve only injured the monster at most, while falling into mortal peril himself. He wouldve chosen to flee under normal circumstances. Qianyes harvest at this point was truly bountiful, but the journey wasnt yet at its end. A glow flickered through his eyes as he glanced at the depths of the cave. Since he was already here and his combat strength had improved significantlyhe naturally had to explore this Earth Dragons lair and see what this legendary blood was. Perhaps he might accidentally run into Bluemoon again. There was no way the Spider Emperor wouldnt know of the earth-shattering battle between Qianye and the giant rhinoceros. It was precisely because of the massive commotion that they tried to avoid this location as much as possible. No one was willing to face a terrifying fierce beast like the giant rhinoceros. Moreover, numbers were useless against the sea of strange worms and pegmatite crocodiles. Only a lone expert like Qianye could render them useless and even turn them into an inconvenience for the giant rhino. With the giant rhinos intimidation lingering even after its death, other fierce beasts didnt approach, either. They would only come to fight over the territory after its aura had completely disappeared and they were sure that there was no longer a master in this area. Qianye naturally couldnt determine his direction in the giant, maze-like underground world. However, his senses were sharp enough to follow the fluctuations of the Earth Dragons will as it swept periodically over the land, allowing him to make out the heart of the lair. There could be no mistake as long as he kept going in that direction. Qianye discovered two more blood altars and some traces of battle along the way. Judging from the markings, it would seem the Spider Emperors forces and the Moonlight demons had fought against the Earth Dragons army. The scale of the battles wasnt that large, at most involving creatures at the level of the pegmatite crocodiles. He noticed that the Spider Emperors experts were quite restrained and clever in their fighting style. They relied on superior fighting skills and good cooperation to bring down the fierce beasts and avoided the use of excessive force, lest they alarm the Earth Dragon. That giant rhinoceros wouldnt have appeared if it wasnt for the werewolf count raising his origin power and drawing the Earth Dragons attention. He found no clues of Bluemoon along the way. It would seem she was indeed quite familiar with this underground world and managed to avoid all conflicts. An entire day had passed at this pointboth the Spider Emperors forces and Bluemoon shouldve had a significant lead on him. But from the traces they had left behind, it was noticeable that their progress wasnt fast at all and would better be described as a crawl. The closer they were to the Earth Dragons body, the more dangerous it became. Entire squads would be annihilated if they somehow drew out marquis-level beasts like the giant rhinoceros. Qianye came to a sudden halt after half a day of walking, and his gaze fell on the stone pillar beside him. Hidden within a natural gap in the stone surface was an intricate little trap, seemingly to warn the owner of intruders. Qianye revealed a cold smilethis was probably a warning device left behind by the forces of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons. Since it was a warning device and not a destructive one, it meant that their men were either nearby or that there was an important location they needed to guard, a blood altar for instance. Qianye observed the surroundings, and then gave it some thought before burying some origin grenades in key areas. After he had set everything up, he returned to the stone pillar and stood in front of the alarm. The trap exploded with a bang, emitting an ear-piercing whistle that spread into the distance. This sound was enough to travel dozens of kilometers in the silent underground world. Moments later, extremely soft footsteps echoed around him as dozens of high-ranking soldiers sealed off the connecting tunnels. Afterward, an arrogant-sounding voice said, Weve finally caught you, Highbeard Shieldmaiden. Your craftiness is truly admirable! Highbeard Shieldmaiden? Qianye immediately thought of Bluemoon. It would seem her position in the tribe was even higher than he had expected. In this warlike tribe, the status of shieldmaiden was probably equal to the holy daughter of other races. They had wanted to trap Bluemoon, but the one they managed to surround was Qianye. A pale, lanky man walked out of the cave. He dressed like a young man, but upon closer inspection, there were undisguisable traces of hardship on his face. He was indeed quite powerfula rank-fifteen origin power was extraordinary even in the neutral lands and just the right level under the limited conditions of the Earth Dragons lair. A person of higher level might not be able to bring out his full strength. There were rank-seventeen experts in their tribe, but Bluemoon had only brought two rank-fifteen elders, and even those two never used their full power in battle. This man looked around but found no traces of Bluemoon or the Highbeard elders, only Qianye. Startled, he asked, Where is that little slut, Bluemoon? Where did she go? No idea. That mans face turned gloomy. Ungrateful wretch! Try to keep up that hard tone when you fall into my hands, keep saying you know nothing. At that point, someone arrived from behind and said, Isnt this Zhao Ye? Someone saw him together with Bluemoon in Southern Blue City. Zhao Ye! The pale mans expression changed drastically and his eyes became bloodshot. Youre Zhao Ye? Qianye said calmly, Thats me. Good, good, very good! Youre the one who killed over four hundred armored puppets in Port City. Thats not important, though, they have nothing to do with me personally since they belong to the Moonlight Demons. But, you killed Grey Shadow! That ethereal grey-shadow assassin didnt really die in Qianyes hands, but he was already certain that the mysterious killer back then was Nighteye. Only a sacred-mountain level like hers could pull off such a miraculous kill with limited power. Yes, Qianye said calmly. Nighteyes kill was the same as his kill. Good, good, very good! Do you know my relationship with Grey Shadow? Qianye laughed. Im not even interested in knowing who you are, much less your bullshit association with that grey shadow. Good, good! The man was livid as he slowly raised his hand and made a cutthroat gesture. The moment his hand reached the end of its slashing motion was when everyone would take action. The reason he was doing it so slowly was to let Qianye experience the terror of his impending doom. It would be even better if the latter would struggle somewhat on his deathbed. As expected, Qianye wasnt willing to give up just yet. He produced an unbelievably weak grade-four pistol and opened fire at a corner of the cave. The man felt his ears ringing as the shot was fired but recovered soon enough. Making this seat dizzy is indeed an outstanding feat, but thats just a grade-four weapon and its firepower is limited no matter how much you upgrade it. I wonder whether it can even break my old skin... His words were interrupted by a sudden rumble as one explosion after another erupted from all directions. In the limited space of the underground tunnels, the additive impact of these origin grenades was magnified countless times in the blink of an eye. A terrifying wave of explosions swept through the cave. Dozens of supportive pillars were destroyed, and the chaotic impact sent shattered rocks flying in every direction with the momentum of a cannon shell. Even high-ranking warriors were badly bruised when struck. The mans figure staggered about in the explosion and the origin power on his body flickered on and off. His combat robes had been shredded into little butterflies, and the origin barrier around him was also growing weaker and weaker with each destruction. The tempest and flames lasted for ages before gradually calming down. The man had somehow managed to survive the calamity. He lowered the hands with which he was covering his head and was just breathing a sigh of relief when two origin grenades rolled toward his feet. No!!! He was sent flying amidst miserable cries, first crashing into the cave roof and then back onto the ground. As the dust settled, Qianye stretched and shook the dust off of his bodyhe had remained crouching with East Peak pierced into the ground for stabilization. He then went over to the man and poked him with his blade. The man was motionless and had long since lost his life. His origin power had been drained from the concentrated explosion of twenty origin grenades. With nothing left to protect himself, the final two promptly ended him. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 782: The Secrets Underground Part 1 Qianye observed the area and saw that the cave was in disarray. A large number of rocks had collapsed, and there were broken limbs poking out from the mud. How could the goons survive when even the leader had been blasted to death? Qianye flipped the mans body over. His armor had been shattered, so the most valuable thing left on him was a grade-seven gun. The weapon was made in an elegant, classic design and there were gems and crystals embedded in its handle. Despite the seeming extravagance, one could see that its barrel was large and its structure was quite simplethe style of the neutral lands. Numerous patterns on the handle formed the two words: Spring Rain. The name was interesting, but when Qianye introduced some origin power into the gun and activated its origin arrays, he found that its performance was nothing to write home about. The array itself wasnt as complicated as Cui Yuanhais, and its limited functions contained an unbearably weak defensive barrier. Instead of protecting the holder, this weak defensive barrier would better serve to shine a halo around them. To be frank, the sole purpose of this component was to look cool and it had no other functional purpose than to waste a slot in the array. This magnificent but useless gun was only worth its materials to Qianye. Naturally, just the decorations embedded in the weapon were enough to buy a good grade-seven gun. The gun itself could be considered a bonus that came along with them. He tossed this Spring Rain into Andruils Space and flipped through some other miscellaneous stuff. The man carried a large number of perfumes and decorative items on him, but the only thing remotely useful was his physical origin bullets. However, a shining metallic emblem suddenly caught Qianyes attention. This fairly heavy emblem was made of an unknown material. There was a sinister-looking creature on its front side that even Qianye couldnt recognize, as well as a row of small words on its backside that said: 2nd White Demon Corps Captain, Hu An. Who wouldve thought that this impractical fellows status was actually that important? The White Demon Corps was one of the two main legions of the Moonlight Demons, and Mask was its commander. This fellow was probably quite capable to be able to lead a combat squad of his own. Unfortunately, he was probably a speed-type fighter with relatively weak defenses and fell promptly under the barrage of origin grenades. From a certain perspective, it could be said that this Hu An didnt suffer any injustice. In order to restrain him in place, Qianye himself also remained immobile and suffered the same amount of damage as the latter. It was just that Hu An was dead and Qianye was perfectly fineand that was the difference. Qianye fiddled with the emblem but found nothing special about it. Just as he was about to throw it away, however, an electric light rushed out from the insignia and hovered in the air. The radiance gradually intensified to form the outline of a man with his face hidden under the hood of his long cloak. It was just an illusory projection, yet it filled the beholder with the imposingness of the deep seas. The image seemed alivethose eyes under the hood shot out beams of dark red light as they stared at Qianye. Im the vice-commander of the White Demon Corps, Kimberly. You dare kill my men, quite bold I say. At this moment, Qianye felt as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake. He quickly understood that this image wasnt a lifeless object but a means of communication with the insignia as the medium. Such a brilliant method was rare even in the elite corps of the empire. The projections gaze almost seemed tangible as it landed on Qianyes face. Wait a minute, theres another face under your mask. You think you can trick me, the great Kimberly, with such a simple facade? Ill give you two choices right now, youll get a swift death if you kill yourself before me. That, or youll suffer endless torment when I catch you personally... Senseless threats. Qianye crushed the insignia into a piece of scrap metal. A giant camp had risen dozens of kilometers outside of Port City, one capable of accommodating tens of thousands of troops. At this moment, arcs of strong electricity shot out from a certain large tent. The lightning quickly transformed into flames which effectively reduced the tent to cinders. A cloaked man appeared as the blaze receded, and he was that Kimberly person who had spoken to Qianye a while ago. His body was shrouded in an electric glow and spewing out bolts of lightning and fire from time to time. Apparently, that was the culprit behind the tents destructionit was just that the chair below him and the desk in front of him were perfectly intact. Bastard! Kimberly stood up while banging the table. Please calm yourself, sir! A young girl in grey armor tried to soothe him. If I dont kill that Zhao Ye, people will think I cant handle him! Kimberlys eyes were overflowing with electricity. The young warrior frowned. Sir, its not suitable for a person of your cultivation to enter the Earth Dragons lair. Kimberly sneered, This seat is a divine champion, how can my power-control be inferior to those useless people? The girl wouldnt give in. She blocked Kimberlys path, saying, I have no doubt about your ability, Im just warning you about the risks. Other people who attract the Earth Dragons attention might be overlooked, but that is not the case for you. Once the dragon finds a divine champion level being close by, itll immediately wake up from its dormant state. At that time, our many years of preparation will go down the drain. Sire Mask wont let you off, either. At the mention of Mask, the electricity around Kimberly wavered for a moment. He said with a snort, Must I allow that brat to keep acting so arrogantly? The young warrior replied, Of course not, Ill go and deal with him personally. As for the Highbeard girl, Ill let her live a while longer since we need her to lead the way. Kimberly was surprised. Youre going to enter the lair? Why not? This how will I explain things to Mask if something happens to you? He cant take care of me forever. Besides, me and my mother have been wandering the world for so many years, Im still fine, am I not? Kimberly wasnt willing to discuss this matter further. He hesitated for a moment before finally giving the nod. Fine then. But you must be cautious, that brat is very crafty and has a lot of grenades on him. The girl replied, Have you forgotten my ability? Beast hordes, squads, puppets, he cant deal with so many troops even if has fifty origin grenades on him. Besides, can he even carry fifty origin grenades? Kimberly nodded. Makes sense, but you must be careful nonetheless. Hes also quite strong in the combat arts in addition to scheming. The young girl said expressionlessly, Speaking of combat arts, I stayed in the underground arena for five years, I dont think he can be stronger than me. Kimberlys electric flames flickered for a moment. He let out a long sigh, saying, All in all, just be careful about everything. The warrior girl left with a nod. There was actually a hole within the base which connected to the tomb. She jumped right in and vanished into the vast underground maze. Kimberlys anger hadnt subsided even after the girls departure. A group of useless scum wanting to touch my Earth Dragons blood? But that brat is crafty and ruthless, not an easy person to deal with. Men, bring me a brush and some paper! After the stationary had arrived, Kimberly unfurled a sheet of white paper on the table and began drawing upon it. In just a few strokes, he actually outlined a lifelike portrait of Qianyes original appearance! Kimberly handed the paper to his follower. Issue a bounty for this person, fifty thousand gold coins. Yes, sir. Wait a minute, lets wait until the end of this operation before announcing the bounty. Kimberly remembered that his efforts would be wasted if the brat were to die soon afterward. Yet, he felt an inexplicable uneasiness about ignoring this person. Kimberly made up his mind after some thought. He wrote a short letter, sealed it well, and summoned his men. Deliver this letter to the Thunderfrost Palace and hand it to that sire. The subordinates expression was filled with apprehension. Which sire? The Thunderous Whip, of course! Go, make haste! After the subordinate left to complete his mission, Kimberly returned to his seat with a cold smile. I want to see how youll survive after killing her most beloved brother. If theres a divine champion who can approach the Earth Dragon, it would be her. Back underground, Qianye was heading into the depths of the lair after clearing up the spoils. It was hard to discern the direction underground, but Hu Ans appearance happened to give Qianye a sense of directionwhere he had come from was where the lair stood. After winding through the cave for an unknown length of time, Qianyes field of view expanded abruptly as a large opening appeared before him. From this point on, the underground cavern began widening rapidly as the ground stretched downward, and even Qianyes superior vision couldnt see where the end was. What he did see was that this underground world was over a thousand meters from ground to ceiling and supported by giant pillars hundreds of meters wide. The ground was uneven with steep cliffs, towering heights, and caves of all shapes and sizes scattered aboutno one knew where they would lead. There were specks of luminescence floating in the air. Despite their size, these spore-like objects glowed like a trail of stars, their eerie light filling the underground world with a deep mystique. In front of Qianye, there were over a dozen tunnels worth investigating. They were divided into three layers: top, middle, and bottom, each of them spreading out in five or six different directions. He was at a momentary loss about how to proceed under such circumstances. But his journey to the underground world this time was actually just to relieve his depression; he really didnt care about the rewards here. Moreover, he had already reaped great profits from the giant rhinoceros, so his trip wasnt wasted even if he left now. After scanning all the passages, Qianyes eyes finally landed on the smallest tunnel in the middle layer. The traces of battle left behind outside the entrance made it clear that the Spider Emperors men had gone through it. Additionally, this tunnel was only ten or so meters wide and only big enough for pegmatite crocodiles at most. Creatures like the giant rhinoceros probably wouldnt appear. Qianye started walking toward the tunnel, but after a couple of steps, he thought, Why must I follow the forces of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demon? Their large numbers made it easier for them to be discovered by the Earth Dragon. On the other hand, Qianye traveling alone with his Bloodline Concealment would probably have a better chance of sneaking into the core of the lair. It wasnt as if he couldnt escape from creatures like the giant rhinoceros if he wanted to. Even if he couldnt flee, his strength had increased sharplyLife Plunder was already usable, and the Shot of Inception was ready. Under such circumstances, it wouldnt be too hard for him to achieve yet another victory. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 783: The Secrets Underground Part 2 Having made up his mind, Qianye once again scanned the other tunnels and finally picked the largest one. This tunnel was almost a hundred meters in height with obvious traces of wear, a clear sign that giant beasts often took this path. Ordinary soldiers from the Moonlight Demons had no way to hide themselves. They would naturally avoid this path because death was their only fate upon being discovered. This path inclined downward and led into the deeper parts of the earth. And judging from common knowledge, the Earth Dragons hiding place was likely to be deep underground. Hence, Qianye picked this passage and jumped right in. Only after entering the path used by a giant beast could one truly realize the grandeur and mysticism of the underground world. This passage itself was akin to a giant underground hallway, stretching so far that it seemed endless. There were shallow pits scattered all along the ground and an interweaving network of trenches with some sort of sticky fluid flowing within them. Qianye advanced rapidly along the cave walls. As he was traveling, he suddenly felt something off about these shallow pits running along the center of the tunnel. Upon careful examination, he found these pitseach several meters in diameterwere actually footprints! From how they were shaped, it would seem that this giant beast was different from the rhinoceros he had encountered before. If all of the shallow pits were footprints, then what were the trenches? They didnt look like naturally formed structures at all. After traveling for an unknown length of time, the tunnel finally made a turn and inclined downward. Two somewhat smaller caves appeared around the corner and no one knew where they would lead to. As he was passing the cave, Qianye heard a weak rumble from within. That was not a natural sound, but the timbre of an origin gun. There was no way he would mistake that unique frequency. An idea popped up in his head as he moved stealthily toward the battlefield. A battle at this point was likely the allied forces of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons fighting the Earth Dragons beast mob. This was a good opportunity because Qianye could appear to reap the benefits from whoever the winner was. He only hoped the Moonlight Demon squad wouldnt lose too quickly and that they would weaken the beast force somewhat. After several turns, he reached an open area brightly illuminated by raging flames. This underground hall was hundreds of meters high from floor to ceiling. There was a platform at the center standing dozens of meters tall, with a waterfall flowing off its edge. The water converged into a winding river which eventually disappeared into the cave walls to form an underground waterway. There was a structure on the other side of the platform that looked both like a camp and a lair. It consisted of a stone wall surrounding a beehive that was several stories tall. Some odd insects would fly out from the hive from time to time to reinforce the defensive force. Qianye wasnt seeing things; these giant insects were indeed guarding the stone wall. They would hide behind the giant rocks atop the wall and spray out dark, poisonous liquid from time to time. Outside of the nest were the forces of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons. Hundreds of elite soldiers had formed a stable battlefront around the advantageous terrain. They had surrounded the nest and were using accurate firepower to clear out the giant bugs atop the stone walls. The formal battle strategy between the two powers shook Qianye. Ignoring the Spider Emperors side, it was quite surprising that these bull-sized insects were actually defending their fort in earnest. These bugs were clad in thick shells which, even when shot, would crack and leak some fluid at most. To these insects and their extremely powerful vitality, such damage was nothing more than a light injury. But they would eventually reach their limit after constant accumulation and finally fall off the walls as corpses. There were hundreds of corpses in the middle of the battlefield just like the worms that had attacked Qianye before. Most of them had been torn into many segments, apparently killed as they were charging. Having lost their melee type and relying on the poison-spitters alone, the defensive line was naturally full of openings. However, the poisonous liquid from the shelled insects was extremely powerful. An arachne who was struck by the fluid fell to the ground, screaming, and a part of its body soon dissolved. The liquid that had missed their targets would evaporate into a mist of poison and only disperse after some time. This formed a poison-shrouded area after repeated attacks and pushed back the warriors of the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons constantly. Comparatively speaking, the insects were at a disadvantage. The giant bugs were being killed at a steady rate, and the nest could hardly keep up with the rate of consumption. Their defensive power and poisonous mist were also weakening gradually. As Qianye saw it, the poisonous mist wasnt all that powerful. The dark races mostly possessed great resistance to poison and could easily charge through to take down the settlement. At that point, these giant poison-spitting bugs wouldnt be able to hold the line. It was impossible for the Spider Emperors side to not know this simple logic. The reason why they had dug-in to whittle away at the enemy forces was probably because they were apprehensive about something else. Qianye edged back slowly to pick a better location. He scaled the cave wall and arrived on a raised platform. This place was a hundred meters high and overlooked the entire battlefield. As the bugs fell one after the other, the nest began spitting them out at an evidently faster rate. Unfortunately, its production was limited and couldnt keep up with the losses on the battlefield. The nest seemed to be feeling restless at this pointit began wriggling constantly, spraying faint silvery liquid from the wounds on it. It was at this moment that Qianyes blood core pulsed strongly for a moment, almost breaking his bloodline concealment! Greatly shocked, he immediately suppressed its movements. During that brief moment, Qianye clearly sensed something in the nest that made him want to devour italmost like a delicious meal. This kind of inherent longing of the bloodline occurred rarely, if ever, in Qianye. One had to know that the dark golden blood energy was refined from the Mystery chapter and its bloodline was inherently pure, even slightly more so than Nighteyes primo lineage. Something even the dark golden energy longed for naturally interested Qianye. The more he craved, the calmer he became. When his blood core moved just now, a sharp commander wearing the colors of the Moonlight Demons glanced over in his direction. Fortunately, Qianye wasnt discovered since he was hundreds of meters above and out of the mans line of vision. Such an expert was overseeing so many powerful troops, yet they were still advancing at a leisurely pace. This made Qianye feel that the nest was not simple at all. The Moonlight Demon expert was clearly waiting for something. Qianye had never lacked patience. He merely watched on in silence. At this moment, the number of armored bugs had dwindled and the nests defenses were on the verge of collapse. The Moonlight Demon expert finally lost his patiencehe waved his arm forward, commanding the soldiers under his command to begin their charge. The poisonous mist was indeed limited in its effects. Only a handful of people fell to the poison while the rest passed through the cloud and began charging at the nest. The soldiers at the front were clearly more powerful than their peers, evading the bugs poisonous spray with great agility. With them restraining the insects, those at the back completed their charge in the blink of an eye and arrived below the nest. The wriggling inside the hive increased sharply and then burst open. A silvery figure rushed into the sky and, making a sharp turn in the air, dived at the soldiers below! Weve waited long enough! That expert laughed loudly. With a flicker, his figure arrived below the insect fortress and spread a large net over the silvery silhouette. The net glittered with a metallic luster and was dotted with sharp blades and hooks. It was a shocking weapon! The giant nets landing spot not only covered the silver figure but also several Moonlight Demon warriors. Once caught in the weapon, these soldiers would be gravely injured if not killed outright. To the commander, however, their lives werent as important as the silver shadow. He would rather kill his men than let the prey escape. The silver shadow made a sharp turn just as the net was about to descend. Its movements were full of alacrity but were still one step too late. The net seemed like it would catch its quarry. It was at this time that the rumble of an origin gun echoed through the cavern. A fist-sized origin bullet streaked across the cave and blasted the expert''s back! This shot was extremely powerful. It blew the expert into the air and forced him to spit out a mouthful of blood. The giant net lost control and deviated to the side, missing the silvery shadow and covering the Moonlight Demon soldiers instead. Bluemoons vaguely-discernible figure appeared on the other side of the cavern. The origin cannon on her left arm glowed once more, but a gentle voice emerged in her ears before she could fire again. Ive been waiting for you. Bluemoon suddenly turned around and fired toward a shadow beside her. A large rock there sprang into motion as the illusion was broken. A silver-armored warrior came into being and deflected the incoming bullet with a swing of her heavy sword. Even after going head-on against Bluemoons shot, this person only leaned half a step back. In terms of strength, she was far above the commander from just now. So its you! I knew you would come! Bluemoon gnashed her teeth. Of course, how could I miss an opportunity to finish off the Highbeard Shieldmaiden? the female warrior said calmly. Bluemoon was furious. You have too much Highbeard blood on your hands. Our tribe will not let you off! The female warrior broke into laughter. What a joke! How much evil has your Highbeard tribe committed? Bluemoons expression sank. Light began to flicker on her gun, but she sensed something just as she was about to fire and glanced over in Qianyes direction. Qianye was startled. He was about to attack just now, but Bluemoon had sensed his aura as soon as he retracted his Bloodline Concealment. Her perception was simply too sharp, completely different from what he knew about her. Bluemoon reacted with extreme speed. At the same time that she opened fire, she also tossed two origin grenades at her feet. The female warrior slashed the origin bullet apart and was just about to charge when she saw the origin grenades appear up front. She had no choice but to retreat while spewing curses. After the blast dispersed, a giant rock fell down from the ceiling and kicked up a cloud of dust and gravel. By the time the dust had settled, Bluemoon was already nowhere to be found. Qianye saw her vanish into a nearby tunnel, but the problem was that they were on opposite sides of the cavern and he would have to cross over the battlefield in order to chase her down. Additionally, Bluemoon had displayed an extremely high level of stealth and speed. Qianye wasnt too confident in catching her now that she had a big lead. The female warrior was livid. She snorted heavily but didnt give chase, apparently realizing that she couldnt catch up. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 784: The Secrets Underground Part 3 Things on the battlefield were unfolding differently. After surviving the calamity, that silver figure shuttled past the Moonlight Demon warriors like a bolt of lightning, drawing blood wherever it went. In the blink of an eye, dozens of high-ranking warriors had fallen in its hands. That expert found his speed greatly reduced after being injured by Bluemoon. He chased the silver shadow furiously but was still one step behind its every move. He simply couldnt catch up to it at all. The female warrior broke into a frown. She arched her body and shot toward the silvery shadow like a cannonball, slashing it down midair! She could no longer hide her cultivation at this pointher five origin vortices lit up brilliantly in Qianyes True Sight. As he saw it, the purity of her origin power was at an acceptable level, barely enough to break through to the divine champion rank. This meant that her cultivation art was one level lower than the top aristocracy of the empire. However, that slash just now was extremely well-timed and the origin power utilization was close to perfection. It would seem she had reached great success with her combat arts. In terms of technique alone, she stood level with Qianye and Zhao Jundu. That Moonlight Demon expert was a marquis, equal to a rank sixteen human, but he was far less dazzling in terms of combat techniques. The silver shadows original form was finally revealed after falling to the groundit was a large insect with sharp forelimbs, shrouded in sparkling silver radiance. The female warriors slash had left only a small wound on its body. It flapped its wings a couple of times after being grounded and actually rose back into the air. The durability of its body had already surpassed ordinary armor alloys. The silver bug made a sharp turn after taking to the air and flew around the Moonlight Demon expert. Blood splashed out immediately as a large wound appeared on his back. The man retaliated instinctively, but the insect dodged his attack. What it couldnt dodge were the girls sword strikes, which sent it tumbling in three moves. The insect flew high into the air and beat its wings rapidly, sending an invisible vibration far and wide. The female warriors expression changed sharply. Oh no, its summoning an insect horde, retreat! The other expert was dissatisfied. Were so close! Keimor, do you not understand an order? Weve already cleaned up this nest. All we need is to come back and launch the final strike. Now, withdraw! The ladys voice was stern. Despite his unwillingness, Keimor could only round up the surviving troops and leave rapidly. Buzzing sounds echoed through the hall within moments as countless insects flew in from the tunnels and gathered around the nest. Only at this point did that silver bug descend into the nest. Thousands of insects landed on the nest, moving up and down as they repaired the nest with some sort of secretion from their mouths. The other bugs spread across the battlefield to devour the corpses. They gobbled up everything made of flesh and blood, making no distinction between friend and foe. No wonder that female warrior was intent on running away. She wouldve drowned in the sea of bugs had she stayed, regardless of her skill in battle. Only someone like Qianye who possessed the oceanic domain and Life Plunder would dare to have designs on the horde. Qianye was moved as he observed the numerous bugs concentrated in a small area. If he were to charge over and use his domain power and Life Plunder, he could wipe out eighty percent of these critters and harvest enough essence blood to make him a virtuous count. But he soon struck out this thought. He hadnt finished digesting the fruits of his battle against the giant rhinoceros and simply had no need for such a large amount of essence blood. Moreover, Life Plunder was a powerful skill against enemies like the giant rhinoceros, so he couldnt waste it. Nonetheless, the opportunity in front of him was too good to let go. Qianye reached a conclusion after some thoughthe produced two crates of origin grenades and piled the contents up in front of him. Then, with the speed of lightning, over twenty of them formed a beautiful semi-circular array in the air, with ten more forming an internal semi-circle around the hive. Finally, the last few explosives sealed off the top. In the blink of an eye, dozens of origin grenades formed a perfect encirclement of the nest, leaving no gaps from top to bottom. The grenades in the outer circle exploded with a loud boom while the inner ones were delayed for a split second. This brief moments delay caused the shockwaves from the inner cluster to be bounced back by the external impact, increasing its effect on the nest. In the blink of an eye, the concentrated explosion formed a frightening tornado of flames that rushed toward the cavern ceiling! Countless insects were shredded to bits in the explosion. Their remains were ignited in the high temperatures of the origin flames and swept away by the rising flames. The next moment, countless insect bodies fell like pattering rain, and only when the flames had receded did the hive come into view. At this moment, the outer shell of the hive had been shaved off, revealing the passage into the nest. The bugs around it had been wiped out with only a handful of survivors remaining. With the shell removed, Qianyes blood core beat erratically once more as he sensed the aura that he so desired. Having no more hesitations, he leapt into the air and toward the hive. That silvery insect scuttled out from the hive, but unfortunately, it didnt get the chance to fly very far. A beam of sword radiance traversed dozens of meters through the air and landed on its body. Nirvanic Rend! The creature screamed sharply as a part of its body was slashed open. Despite the sturdiness of its body, it couldnt do much against the Nirvanic Rend that had swung out from East Peak. Qianyes stretched his body after wounding the silver bug and made a beeline for the hive, unleashing another Nirvanic Rend on the way. The creature did its utmost to roll about mid-air and barely managed to avoid the vitals, but the attack still left a wound on its body. Its body sank downward at this point and no amount of flapping could stop the downward momentum. Qianye didnt add another slash but, instead, raised East Peak and dropped down from beside the nest, almost like a falling star. The blade cut through the nest from top to bottom and hacked it open! The hive produced a creaking noise as it opened up from the middle. The interior chamber was over a meter tall, just enough for a person to crouch his way in. There were numerous incubation chambers scattered inside the nest, but most of them had already hatched, leaving behind empty shells everywhere. It would seem the hive had expended its entire reserve fighting power during the battle. At the base of the hive was a small pond of faint silvery liquid. It would seem that this was the silvery insects chamber. Qianye jumped right into the pond. Green smoke began to rise from his robes as the liquid splashed onto him. Apparently, it contained powerful corrosive properties that even an experts combat robes couldnt withstand. Qianye paid no heed to this because his body was much stronger than his attire. As expected, the fluid burned through his trousers but could do nothing to his skin. The pond wasnt deep and only rose to his knees. Qianye walked over to the center and saw a ball of silver sitting quietlythis was the object that had invoked a strong desire in the dark golden blood energy. Qianyes hands sank as he picked up the silver sphere. Qianye was shockedthis silver ball was merely the size of his fist, but it weighed hundreds of kilograms. The ball wasnt solid, rather it was soft and silky in the hand. It felt somewhat like gelatin, but then again, it also felt like mercury. A stinging sensation came from his palms, almost as though he was being pricked by many fine needles. Shifting the ball to his right hand, he noticed that his left hand was covered in a layer of silver. This argent spheres corrosive powers were countless times stronger than the liquid in the pond, so much so that even Qianye couldnt resist it. It was metal yet not metal. Qianye had never seen such a material before, but it was definitely this thing that had produced a powerful desire in the dark golden blood energy. Before Qianye could finish studying his prize, he felt a sudden chill from behind, and the intense killing intent caused his hair to flutter. Qianye slashed backward without a second thought! This attack made no motion to defend himself and only targeted the incoming assailant, relying on his powerful vampiric constitution to exchange injuries. The ambusher exclaimed in surprise, not expecting Qianye to use a suicidal method. She had no choice but to pull back her blade and block. As the two swords came into contact, her edge made a deft turn to deflect Qianyes East Peak and then pierced toward his heart! At this moment, Qianye had already turned around and realized that it was the female warrior from before. Her weapon was now pointed at Qianyes waist and the mirage of a large blade emerged on her sword. Apparently, this was a powerful killing move. Qianye didnt even look at the incoming strike as he brought East Peak swinging onto her head. Even if the girls sword could stab right through him, the attack from above would split her into two. The female warrior flashed away for over ten meters, putting a considerable distance between them. She was extremely decisive in pulling back after her failed ambush. Put down the Earth Dragons blood and Ill spare you! Qianye tossed the ball in his hand. Spare me? Why should I believe you? The female warrior replied, Im Claudia, the only daughter of Mask, the leader of the Moonlight Demons. If I say youll be spared, then you will leave this cavern alive. Claudia was about as tall as Qianye with a handsome face, brows like swords, and an expression filled with sharp killing intent. Qianye looked rather relaxed, but in truth, he had already ranked this opponent among those he couldnt underestimate. During their exchange just now, it felt like East Peak had sunk into a marshevery movement was difficult and there was a constant force driving the blade in a different direction. If it wasnt for his powerful constitution and strength, he wouldve revealed an opening and consequently fall into a disadvantage. But he was able to hide his serious thoughts even under Claudias killing intent. Her fingers were trembling slightly. She felt Qianyes power erupt like a volcano as their swords came into contact; her arms went numb and blood and qi were thrown into turmoil. If it wasnt for her decisive retreat, she had doubts about whether she could still hold her blade after two more blows. Qianye sized the girl up from head to toe. Why must I hand you this item? Put down the Earth Dragons blood. A lowly human like you is not worthy of it! A stern voice echoed through the hall. The Moonlight Demon expert Keimor had also returned. Following his appearance, a large number of warriors rushed out of the cave and surrounded the platform Qianye was on. Without waiting for Qianye to speak, Keimor let out a sinister laugh and shouted, Dont waste words with him, kill him now! Then, he raised his gun and opened fire! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 785: Unexpected Gues All the soldiers lifted their origin guns and fired aggressively at Qianye. Meanwhile, numerous hand grenades arced forward in his direction. The constant rumble drowned out all sound. The halved hive could no longer stand the torture and crumbled into pieces. Stop, stay I say! Claudias voice emerged through the gunfire and echoed throughout the cave. Stop, Keimor issued the order after some time. Only on his command did those soldiers stop shooting. Claudia arrived before Kemor in large strides, roaring, Why did you open fire without my order? Ive already convinced him to surrender! Hes just a lowly human and has no worth to speak of. Keimor hadnt even finished speaking when a slap landed on his face. Im not in the mood to listen to your racial rhetorics. Dont forget that I am the commander here. The next time you act on your own, Ill have my father kill you! Keimor rubbed his face, his eyes almost spewing flames. I am a pureblood vampire! You actually slapped me for a lowly human? Claudia replied coldly, Your bloodline isnt that noble, either, a far cry from the twelve ancient clans. I slapped you for not listening to my commands and not for him, understand? Keimors expression became contorted but gradually recovered. He took a step back and said with an exaggerated bow, Understood, my subordinates and I will obey. After standing back up, he turned back and roared, Trash, what are you standing there for? Sweep the battlefield! With a snort, Claudia headed toward the hive on her own. She refused to believe that this level of firepower could do anything to Qianye. On the contrary, it mustve given him a good opportunity to escape. Hence, she spent no time confirming his fate but instead went to investigate the bug nest. The hive had already collapsed and the pond at the bottom was filled with wreckage. She crouched down beside the pond and touched the liquid there. With a sizzling sound, a wisp of green smoke rose from her charred fingertips. Claudia broke into a frown as she tore off the dead skin. Her wounded flesh wriggled about, and soon, new skin had covered the defect. She gazed at the water in the pond with a fluctuating expression. Keimor arrived beside her. Is something wrong? No, nothing. Claudia woke up from her reverie and immediately recalled how Qianye was playfully tossing the Earth Dragons blood in his hand. Used to her indifference, Keimor proceeded to oversee the cleaning up of the battlefield and see if there was anything of worth. It was just that his eyes flickered with coldness whenever the silhouette of Claudias back appeared in his eyes. At this moment, Qianye was traveling swiftly through the tunnels, far away from Claudia and Keimor. The concentrated fire of the Moonlight Demon elites was of high standards. Not only did they fire at Qianye, but also at his surroundings to seal off his escape path. Nonetheless, this level of firepower had no effect against Qianye. He took two origin bullets head-on as he jumped off the high platform and escaped via a tunnel. The fiery waves and smoke from the origin grenades only served to cover his retreat. Having run a thousand meters in one go, he reckoned the enemy wouldnt be able to catch him anymore. Only then did he have the time to check the silvery mass in his hand. According to Claudia, this was the Earth Dragons blood. If the one in his hand was merely a single drop, how terrifying would the entire dragon be? This drop of Earth Dragons blood, if swallowed by an ordinary beast, would probably tear through its guts and take its life. Even Qianye didnt dare swallow it whole. His body was indeed strong, but it was mainly the flesh that had been strengthened. His bones werent yet entirely upgraded, and his innards were even weaker. If he couldnt swallow it, then how was he to partake in this blood? Qianye felt somewhat awkward as he gazed at the shiny Earth Dragons blood. Just holding it for a while had filled his palms with stinging pain and numbness. This proved just how corrosive this object was and that he couldnt keep holding it for very long. While lost in thought, he suddenly felt the earth and cave walls trembling ever so slightly. There were several sources to this tremor, and they were all approaching him at a rapid pace. Earth Dragons blood! Qianye immediately understood that the blood might have attracted monsters to his general location. The blood did not leak its aura at all while it was hidden within the bug hive, and Qianye had only sensed it after the Moonlight Demons attack produced cracks in the nest. Now that it was entirely out in the open, there was no doubt that the incoming beasts were both powerful and numerous. For some reason, however, the Earth Dragons blood couldnt be stowed away in Andruils space. He didnt dare swallow it but couldnt put it away, eitherwas he supposed to run around carrying this thing? As arrogant as he was, Qianye knew he couldnt outrun the native beast hordes in the underground world. He would definitely be overrun at some point. Sensing that the Earth Dragons blood was constantly corroding his flesh, Qianye made a prompt decision to activate Life Plunder. As expected, this powerful, blood-energy skill immediately locked onto the Earth Dragons blood. Countless strands of blood shot out and pierced into the blood, instantly turning it into countless silvery granules to be absorbed by the body. For a split second, Qianye felt that he was absorbing wisps of fire instead of blood! Upon entering the body, the Earth Dragons blood immediately suppressed the surrounding flesh and sank downward. Even the flesh refined by auric flame blood couldnt block its corrosion. Fortunately, the dark golden blood energy acted ferociously. Likewise, it split into countless particles that pounced at the Earth Dragons blood. The two bloodlines broke out in a battle within Qianyes body, each striving to kill the other in a destructive frenzy. Qianye hadnt expected such an outcome. He resisted the excruciating pain and left the place swiftly. The underground tunnels connected in every direction like a giant maze. Qianye had no idea how far he had run before finally shaking off the beast hordes pursuit. Then, he found himself a quiet cave to catch his breath. At this point, the battle in his body had come to a momentary pause. The invasive blood particles had been dragged toward his blood core and become a silvery glob of blood. Meanwhile, the dark golden blood energy had completely surrounded the intruder and was slowly working to assimilate it. It was just that the Earth Dragons blood was extremely strong and the process of assimilation was negligibly slow. One wisp of Earths Dragon blood would be stripped off after a long while and absorbed by the dark golden blood energy. After resting for an hour, most of the internal wounds in Qianyes body had healed and he had recovered some of his combat strength. At this point, he had come to a general understanding of why the Spider Emperor, Moonlight Demons, and Wolf King would work together to start a war with Su Dingqian and occupy Port City. The Earth Dragons bloodline power was exceptionally strong. The dark races generally revered bloodline powers and their advancement often relied on upgrading them. If they could obtain the Earth Dragons blood and make its power their own, they would enjoy a sharp increase to their innate talents and aptitude while removing all obstacles on their path to dukedom. Naturally, this was just in theory. Qianye had personally experienced just how terrifying this dragons blood was. Even a bloodline at the level of the dark golden blood energy could only whittle away at it. Those so-called geniuses would probably end up killing themselves instead of leveling-up. If each hive had one drop of blood in it, there should be quite a lot of Earth Dragons blood lying around. It was just that the bug nests werent that easy to conquer and that silver insect king was extremely difficult to deal with, not to mention it could call for reinforcements. The insects most frightening aspect was their numbers. Even divine champions would be pushed back if thousands of them were to arrive at the same time. But to Qianyewho had bought out all the grenades in Southern Bluelarge numbers of weak enemies was the least of his fears. He stood up and continued his investigation toward the depths of the cavern. The Earth Dragons blood was a peerless treasurehe had no intention of letting it fall into enemy hands even if he had no more use for it. The underground world was deep, dark, and boundlessly vast. Qianye had already lost his sense of direction and could only go deeper in. But as he went on, the elevation began to fluctuate erratically, making it difficult for him to even grasp where the deeper parts were. As he passed through a certain tunnel, Qianye suddenly noticed a flickering light and voices. The sound was extremely faint and almost indiscernible without sharp perception abilities. His first reaction upon hearing voices was to look around to see if there were any tripwires. As expected, he did find several of them after some observation. Carefully avoiding the traps, Qianye advanced in stealthany living being in the underground world could be an enemy. There was a temporary camp set up in the middle of a small cave, replete with a tall bonfire that filled the chamber with warmth. However, the light coming off of it was fairly dim, almost like a candle flame. Surprised, Qianye frowned upon seeing this bonfire. There were dozens of people in the camp, guarding the parameter in parties of three. Most of them were high-ranking warriors of the Moonlight Demons, but there were a number of special characters among them. They were covered in long battle-cloaks with tall collars that connected to their helmets, shrouding their entire face in darkness. The military insignia on their cloaks had been removed, but how could Qianye not recognize the outfit of the central commands special ops unit? He had taken down numerous opponents wearing such equipment during his raid on the military stronghold. With Nighteyes departurethe empire, military, and the Zhao clanthese names had almost vanished into the wind, growing further and further away from Qianye. But now, he had actually run into people from the imperial military in the neutral lands and secret operatives no less. Qianye retracted his aura and hid himself near the camp borders. He intended to observe why people from the empire were here and what exactly they were doing. At this moment, an old man walked out of the tent. The creases on his face were as deep as ravines, and his frail body looked like it would fall in the wind. He walked over to the bonfire to warm his hands and seemed like he was deep in thought. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 786: Grand Vestige The old mans robes looked ordinary and without any outstanding characteristics. However, being so ordinary was what set this man apart from everyone else. There was a clear distinction between everyone in the campthey were either from the Moonlight Demons or the imperial military. Only this old man was without any characteristics. A gloomy-looking man in his thirties arrived beside the old man. Elder Wei, weve waited here for an entire day. The longer we wait, the greater the chances of the Earth Dragon recovering, Lets move out now if possible. The old man replied calmly, The pacification method I taught you is much more useful than your original method. There wont be any problems as long as you do things according to my instructions. But if that fellow insists on provoking the Earth Dragon, thats well beyond our control. Then again, its not that easy to provoke the dragon, either. What you say is right, but more problems might arise if we drag things out. Its not wise to stay here very long. What are we waiting for? Opportunity. Elder Wei was calm. The middle-aged man felt a bit awkward, but he braced himself to inquire further, This what exactly is this opportunity. The elder responded with a question, Anderfel, youre usually quite patient, why the rush now? Dont tell me theres something wrong with the pacification rite? Anderfel hesitated for a moment before finally revealing the situation. We dont have much flesh and blood left. At this consumption rate, we can maintain it for three more days at most. Elder Wei replied calmly, Kill some more people, youll get your flesh and blood. But weve already slaughtered all the people in Port City, even the slaves and servants. There are no more humans in the surrounding area. Then go farther, there are a lot of human cities in the surrounding area, Southern Blue for instance. You can do a lot of things in three days. Anderfel said helplessly, Thats Zhang Buzhous domain, we cant extend our reach that far. Isnt that Wolf King Zhang Buzhous man? Let him think of a way. But The old man smiled spuriously. Since this is a cooperation, he must make some sacrifices, too. There are so many humans in his territory, losing a few thousand or even ten thousand of them wont make a difference. If he cant even do that, whats the point of having him on board? Or would you rather sacrifice your own tribesmen? Ive told you before that vampire sacrifices are more effective than human ones. Anderfels expression changed sharply. In the end, he said helplessly, Then, well continue according to your instructions. He summoned three subordinates and gave them their orders, You three go back and relay Elder Weis words to Sir Kimberly. The three soldiers left swiftly and without delay. Having finished his business, Anderfel approached the old man. Elder Wei, what exactly is this opportunity? Elder Wei laughed. Youll find out when the time is right. This is a great fortune. As long as you do this well, the empire wont go back on its word. After the territories of Serenity Province fall under His Excellencys rule, it wont be difficult for someone of your contributions to obtain half a countys land. Anderfel was beaming with joy. Its all because of Elder Weis guidance. But isnt the Western Continent a tad too poor? An indiscernible shade of mockery flickered in the elders eyes. The Western Continent is indeed barren compared to the Qin continent, but thats only on the surface. In truth, the Western Continent is rich in resources, many of which are essential in warfare. The only reason for its underdevelopment is that the Evernight side has always viewed this place as a place to fight for. The flames of war have never died here for hundreds of years. At this point, Edler Wei paused for a moment. Why else would the Zhao clan, with its thousand-year inheritance, abandon their estate in the empire and transfer to such a desolate place? Its only because of your irreplaceable role and contributions in this matter that you have the opportunity to get your hands on the Western Continent. Yes, yes, rest assured, Sir Masks resolve is firm. Well not only put in our best efforts here but also field troops when you lay siege to the Zhao clan. Elder Wei laughed. Lets get this matter done properly first. Once the item is in our hands, itll be an easy matter to destroy the Zhao clan. Speaking of war, your troops are all quite odd and lacking in valor. I dont see how they can be of help in a frontal assault against the Zhao clan. Anderfel was livid. Being mocked right to his face was an uncomfortable feeling. However, the old mans pressure was so great that he didnt dare say anything. The atmosphere in the camp was heavy, but the old man didnt seem to mind. He finished warming his hands before going back into the tent to rest. On the outer borders of the camp, Qianyes mood was in disarray. Who wouldve thought that the imperial militarys reach extended even to the neutral lands. Judging from the elders words, it would seem the military was planning to deal with the Zhao clan and the key to it lay in the Earth Dragons lair. Qianye naturally recalled his past at the mention of the Zhao clan. He sighed secretly in a surge of killing intent. Now that they were here, this Elder Wei and the people from the military had better forget about going back alive. As for the Zhao clans peril, Qianye wasnt that worriedit was no easy feat to shake the solid foundations of a thousand-year clan that ruled over two provinces. Having made his decision, Qianye drew back and found a good spot to wait in hiding. Before long, footsteps echoed in the tunnel as a group of soldiers emerged and arrived at the camp. Soon, an officer delivered a crate to Anderfel who seemed rather delighted upon observing its contents. He went to the elders tent and said, Elder Wei, weve gotten one more drop of blood. The elder walked out and said with a nod, Three drops of Earth Dragons blood in total, thats enough. The time is also just about ripe, lets set out. The camp flew into action at Anderfels urgent order. Moments later, they were all packed and equipped to move out. There was a rectangular crate in one of the tents, the contents of which had been firmly covered up by a cloth. This container was three meters long and would need at least six high-ranking soldiers to move forward. Judging from how much effort these warriors were putting in, it was obvious that the crate was at least thousands of kilograms in weight. Anderfel left ten men to watch over the camp while the rest followed the main force. Elder Wei took the lead. The map in his hand was flickering with origin power, clearly not just an ordinary object but a powerful secret treasure. He would refer to it at every crossroad and pick out the path to advance along. With hundreds of soldiers traveling together, there was no way they wouldnt leave traces. Qianye only needed to follow from far behind since there was no way he could lose them, but he took a risk and followed from a distance where he could see the elder. This would prevent the enemy from splitting up or throwing him off the trail. The troops walked for an entire half a day toward the depths of the cavern, resting only once along the way. Judging from the distance, they had likely traveled hundreds of kilometers. Qianye had long since lost his sense of direction and depth, so his only choice was to follow the squad ahead. They ran into several swarms of insects and beasts along the way, but Anderfels subordinates made short work of them. This hundred-strong force was made up of elitesall of them at least rank-eight and possessed powerful combat strength. Even a dozen pegmatite crocodiles couldnt last ten minutes against them. In addition to their fighting power, the black swords in their hands were also incomparably sharp, capable of tearing through the pegmatite crocodiles defenses and impaling them in one blow. A group of ten subordinates could contend with the giant reptiles while two such groups could easily kill the enemy. Elder Wei never made a move since the very beginning. Judging from his calm demeanor, it looked like these giant beasts and insects were nothing to him. The group raised its rate of advancement after the second rest, passing many crossroads at a brisk pace. If it wasnt for Qianyes proficiency in tracking, he mightve lost them by now. A vast world suddenly appeared before Qianye as he emerged from the tunnel once more. This was an incomparably wide space, with an arched ceiling that was over a thousand meters tall. Pillars hundreds of meters in diameter seemed to be propping up the sky and supporting this mystical underground realm. There were several rivers weaving through the uneven landscape with a number of lakes occupying the low-lands. There was neither sun nor moon in the underground space. There were, however, faint specks of light coming off of the mosses on the stone pillars, and the trees and leaves on the ground were also glowing luminously. Together, they lit up this immortal-like realm. Naturally, such a beautiful place was not lacking in danger. Qianye immediately noticed a mountainous silhouette at the center of the cave, belonging to a monstrosity that looked like a pegmatite crocodile. It was just that this creature was over ten times larger and its hundred-meter body occupied an entire mountaintop. Its back was covered in crystalline spikes, glimmering eerily under the faint illumination. Despite their inexplicable beauty, these crystals were extremely hard and far sturdier than the alloy armor installed on imperial combat vehicles and airships. This crystalline crocodiles armor alone was over a meter in thickness, and that was discounting the crystals upon them. According to Qianyes calculations, an ordinary grade-seven gun might not be able to pierce its armor; perhaps only a grade-eight weapon would stand a chance. But grade-eight firearms were sufficient to punch holes through airshipshow could ordinary people even use them? This crystalline crocodile was slow and clumsy under normal circumstances, but its movements were like lightning when on the hunt. Additionally, there was no telling how long this creature had lived or if it could be classified as an ancient crocodile. It likely possessed abilities that ordinary pegmatite crocodiles didnt have, an extremely difficult opponent through and through. But Qianye was currently hidden in the darkness, so he simply left the worrying to Elder Wei and Anderfel. He continued to observe and found that there was a bug hive on each side of the nearby cliff, and they were even larger than the one from before. The insects crawling out of them were also considerably bigger than the ordinary ones and covered in a faint silvery hue. It would seem that there was Earth Dragon blood in these nests. Since there was Earth Dragons blood in the insect hives, it was quite likely that the crystalline crocodile nest would have one, too. Those giant beasts like the rhinoceros from before were also related to the dragon. That meant the Earth Dragon had been nurturing these beast and bug hordes with its blood. Now that was somewhat odd because void colossi werent known to be saints. Why would they use their own blood to nurture these things? Qianye trembled from head to toe as his gaze fell toward the distance. At the end of this land, in the depths of the curling mist, stood a giant door. Qianye rubbed his eyes and observed carefully once more to confirm what he had just seen. A door hundreds of meters in height stood at the other end of this realm. Although it was only faintly discernible, he could confirm that this was a man-made architecture and not a natural object. There had never been signs of human habitation in this underground world, why would there be such a grand, almost-miraculous door here? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 787: How could you not wait? The grand scenery of the underground world shook Elder Wei and Anderfel just as much. They held their breaths and exhaled deeply only after a long while. The elder who had been calm this entire time sighed. This old man has never witnessed such a sight before. Without coming here personally, who wouldve thought there existed such a magical scenery? Anderfel was startled. He pointed into the distance with trembling hands, saying, Elder Wei, look! Is that a door? The duos eyesight was apparently not as good as Qianyes. Elder Wei replied after a moment of concentration, Should be. The astonishment in Anderfels heart was no less than Qianye. The Earth Dragon can build doors? Elder Wei stroked his long beard. What do you think the Earth Dragon is? This Anderfel wanted to say that an earth dragon was just an earth dragon, but he swallowed the words back immediately afterward. There was no way the answer could be that simple? All along, his recognition of the Earth Dragon was limited to the many legends that he had heard. No one had really seen the dragon before, knew what it looked like, or if it even existed. Anderfels thoughts spun about. Could it be that Elder Wei has seen the Earth Dragon? The old man replied, This old man hasnt seen it before, but I know someone who has. Anderfel was shocked. That exploration party from hundreds of years ago? Of course not, its the empires probe from seventy years ago. Anderfel was astonished once more. The empire had actually investigated the Earth Dragons lair secretly and even seen its main body! No wonder you knew how to pacify the dragon and even upgraded the method. Elder Wei replied, Your people embrace the old methods and never seek advancement, showing no change in several hundred years. Your method of pacification is unbearably crude and full of openings. Trying to placate the Earth Dragon with that method, heh heh, if it wasnt for the neutral lands being remote and isolated, I fear it may have become the empires property by now. Anderfel laughed along. Everyone admires the flourishing empire. Why else would our clans sire put in that much effort? Its all for a territory in the empire. Nodding in satisfaction, Elder Wei waved his hand, saying, Lets go check out that door. If Im not wrong, the Earth Dragons lair lies behind the door and the thing we want is also there. Anderfels expression was serious as he gazed in that direction. This path isnt going to be easy. The road was indeed difficult. The giant pegmatite crocodile stood at the center of the area, flanked by two insect hives. The remaining open ground was also filled with roaming beasts and birds. I have my ways. Elder Wei went forth on his own. Hence, Anderfel had no other choice but to bring all his men forward. Without the need for a command, the warriors fell into battle formation and advanced cautiously. The old man wasnt bluffing. He raised a book and flipped to one of the pages, shooting out a faint silvery light that engulfed the entire squad. Far off in the distance, Qianye sighed softly. In his perception, he noticed the elders group emitting a bit of the Earth Dragons aura. He wouldve thought this was a beast horde in action if he hadnt seen them personally. This concealment method was quite magical, especially since many of the insects didnt rely on vision, but instead other senses, to detect their prey. It was likely that they could fool their way past these creatures. Not daring to be careless, Elder Wei took a long detour around the giant pegmatite crocodile. This monsters power had far surpassed the marquis level. Although it was asleep right now, the entire group would be wiped out once it was roused from its sleep. Since he had found out that the other partys objective was the giant door, Qianye had no more need to follow them. He activated his Bloodline Concealment and moved stealthily along the cave walls toward his destination. The biggest obstruction along this path was the insect hive, but Qianye had long since made plans for it. He rubbed a bit of the giant insects fluid on his body to suppress his smell and climbed all the way up to the ceiling. There, he passed the hive by crawling along its borders. The bug nest was hundreds of meters below the ceiling and most of its inhabitants were either on or below the ground, rarely taking to the air. In this manner, Qianye passed by this obstruction without any danger and arrived on the other side of the underground world. He had long since selected his hiding place, a stone pillar closest to the giant door. The surface of this hundred-meter pillar was filled with cracks and crevices, all of which made for great hiding places with unobstructed vision. Qianye was naturally faster since he was operating on his own. By the time he had settled in at the hiding place, Elder Wei, Anderfel, and their soldiers were only a third of the way across. With enough time to spare, Qianye began observing the giant door. From close by, it was even more evident that the doors were a grand project. Each of them was dozens of meters wide and decorated with carvings of mountains, rivers, and beasts. They were depicted in coarse outlines, but the imagery was vivid and lifelike, almost as though an aura of the ancient desolation were rushing at ones face. No one knew who created these works of art, but the deepest grooves on them were a meter in depth, a testament to just how thick these doors were. There were some vines creeping along the borders of these mottled doorswho knew how many years it had been since they were last opened. Qianye knew not whether its material was metal, wood, or stone, but judging from its size, the door was sure to be extremely sturdy. Otherwise, it wouldve crumbled under its own weight. At the moment, the doors stood perfectly straight without the slightest hint of bending. Even a divine champion would have trouble opening such a door. Perhaps only heavenly monarchs, with their ability to move mountains and seas, could operate them. The current Qianye was far from capable. He observed along the border of the doors but found no traces of a transmission mechanism. Even if there was some sort of kinetic system, it was probably inoperable after the centuries of disuse. Qianye had no way to open these massive doors without external power. After some contemplation, he felt that he might be able to chip a small opening in the door if he used all the remaining grenades he had brought. However, using grenades would alarm Elder Wei and Anderfel. Besides, it might not be a wise move for Qianye to enter first without knowing what was on the other side. At the thought of this, Qianye decided to wait and see how Elder Wei would open the door. The best outcome would be to sneak in after they had opened the door, but even if he couldnt, it wouldnt be too late to attack them at that point. Qianye waited patiently after forming his plan. The book in Elder Weis hands turned dim after walking for a certain distance. At that point, he would flip over a new page and maintain the light barrier. Their route was circuitous and, in order to keep the light stable, they couldnt move too fast, eitherthe book had already reached its last page by the time they reached the giant doors. Drenched in sweat, the old man put away his book and heaved a long breath. They had gotten through the perils without mishap, but the drain on his mind was significant. Elder Wei was in no rush to observe the door. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and began a process of recovery. Despite his eagerness, Anderfel could only arrange his subordinates to guard the elder. His arrangements were quite interesting. Under the cover of the stone pillars, two snipers climbed a hundred meters up and hid themselves. One of them observed the surroundings with a binocular while the other set up his sniper rifle to cover the units rear. Judging from this setup, it would seem that they had come prepared for an ambush from the backside. After some thought, Qianye realized that they were guarding against Bluemoon. The Highbeard girl had revealed powerful concealment abilities while ambushing Keimor, and her cultivation was also much higher than before. It would seem she had been hiding her power all along, so much so that she never dropped her disguise even when one of the Highbeard elders was wounded. It could be said that Bluemoons schemes were deepif it wasnt for Claudia hiding behind her, her ambush would have succeeded back then. That wouldnt have changed the outcome, though, since Qianye was also concealed nearby. The Earth Dragons blood would surely fall into his hands in the end. Qianyes current position was a hundred meters above the two enemy snipers. Never imagining that there would be someone up above, they were completely concentrated on observing the area. They were to be the backup line if Bluemoon were to ambush the troops. Anderfel heaved a sigh of relief after the snipers were in place; then, he waited patiently for Elder Wei to recover. The vast underground world was just as quiet as beforeonly the giant crocodiles breath whistled like the wind, echoing throughout the chamber. Time went by, little by little. Just when it seemed like the world would go on in this perpetual state, Qianye noticed a wisp of origin power flickering near the cave wall. This fluctuation was simply too small compared to the massive underground world, and it had already moved dozens of meters before Qianye picked it up. That human-sized mass of origin power moved slowly along the cave wall and was gradually approaching the group. Needless to say, this person was an expert in stealth. Even after noticing the intruder, Qianye still couldnt see anything. The approximate location was completely empty except for the slightly blurred scenery. Not to mention a careless glance, even someone observing the place intentionally might overlook it. An expert! Qianye sighed in admirationsuch stealth movement was at the point of perfection and almost undetectable. The only way to catch them was to lay down a large number of traps and restrain their movements. The concealed person stopped moving several hundred meters from Elder Wei. The moment they stopped, the origin power disturbance also disappeared from Qianyes perception. Below Qianye, the two snipers were still observing the area. Their scopes passed by the stealthy person, but none of them discovered the target. But after pinpointing the location, Qianye was confident that this person was Bluemoon. Just like him, she was also waiting for the door to open. Just the weight of those gates was enough to stump everyone below the divine champion realm. Elder Weis cultivation wasnt obvious, and even Qianye couldnt see through his realm. Anderfel was a powerful, marquis-rank vampire, but he was still helpless against those doors. At this point, a group suddenly appeared on the other end of the tunnel, and its leader was that Claudia who had fought briefly with Qianye. Upon seeing Claudia, ripples appeared in the stealthed persons origin power; she was apparently finding it hard to calm her emotions. The fluctuations vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and the two hidden snipers never sensed them. In truth, they didnt even know that they had been discovered. A thunderous laugh echoed on the other side of the chamber. Such a grand occasion! How could you not wait for me? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 788: Sneak Attack The laughter rumbled throughout the cavern, the terrifying origin power within causing Qianyes ears to buzz. The stealthed person also revealed some traces of origin power fluctuation, but no one noticed her since all attention was on the laughter. Anderfels expression transformed drastically as he glanced over at Claudia in astonishment. Elder Wei slowly opened his eyes. Arent you afraid of alarming the Earth Dragon and killing everyone in the cavern? His voice was calm and neutral, but it filled the entire underground cavernthe loud laughter no longer sounded that grating in comparison. Humph! Everyones boasting about you as though youre a god. I really must see what methods you have to pacify the Earth Dragon. At this moment, a series of thunderclaps rumbled in the air and arrived before the door at astonishing speeds. It was a tall woman clad in a set of dark battle armor. There was a pair of dazzling metallic wings on her back with flashes of lightning creeping along its frame. It wasnt just her armor, though; even her hair and brows would crackle with electricity from time to time. Actually, her face was extremely beautiful, but all that lightning filled one with dread and made it difficult to admire her. She seemed to have crossed through the underground world in a straight line, and despite all the ruckus surrounding her, she hadnt alarmed any of the beasts, insects, or crocodiles on the way. Anderfel, Claudia, and Keimor bowed toward her. We are honored to meet you, Your Excellency Caroline. She sneered without the slightest bit of courtesy, Honored? I think you guys were cursing your bad luck! You must want me to die along the way so that you have fewer people to share the prize. Anderfel replied hurriedly, Thats not true. With Your Excellency present, our chances of success have increased quite a bit. Its just that, coming here with your cultivation is quite risky. Since I dare to come down, that means Im not afraid of death. Elder Wei snorted, Ignorant courage. Caroline glared at him with her brows raised. Old man, I must see how capable you are once we leave this place. Elder Wei replied gently, O Revered Thunderous Whip, Your Excellency, if you really seek true experts, why dont you come back with me to the empire? Just those within the army are enough to satisfy you, not to mention the four major clans. No matter how arrogant Caroline was, she didnt dare to claim that she could win against everyone in the military. People at her level wouldnt speak blindly, or it would just lower their status. She said coldly, Everyone knows how powerful the empire is. Otherwise, we wouldnt be hiding in the neutral lands, either. Seeing the atmosphere growing tense, Anderfel stepped in to mediate things. Your Excellency Caroline, what are you here to find? The lady replied, I want a drop of Earth Dragons blood for my travel expenses. Additionally, Im here to look for a person, hes currently in the underground lair. She shot a beam of electricity with a flick of her fingers, outlining the appearance of a person in the air. Qianye was greatly astonished to find that it was a portrait of his original appearance! He rarely used his real appearance in public since coming to the neutral lands, and he had kept himself masked during his stay in Port City. How did she know how he looked? Elder Wei was greatly alarmed. Qianye? Hes here? I dont know if hes that whatever Qianye or not, this person killed my brother and Im not about to let him leave this place alive! Anderfel nodded. If hes also underground, well definitely help you catch him. But were at a critical juncture right now. I think we should open this door and reap our final reward first, what do you say? If Qianye hasnt died to the beast hordes, hell surely make his way here. Claudia chimed in, The underground realm is vast and full of danger. Even if we cant find him, his chances of leaving this place alive are quite slim. Caroline said, Fine, Ill go along with this. Old man, do you need me to help with the door? Elder Wei shot her a glance. This door cant be opened with brute force. Carolines expression turned dark, but she wasnt without insighta single glance was all she needed to judge the weight of those doors. Opening them was beyond her power even if there werent any locking mechanisms behind them. She took a step back and said, Fine! Lets see how capable you are. Elder Wei spoke no more. He walked toward the door and pressed his hands against it. He was even smaller than an ant compared to the gigantic structure, yet he was posing as though he would push the doors open. Caroline wore a cold smile as she waited for the results. Elder Wei recited a string of unintelligible incantations. His origin power traveled with the sound waves to cover the entire door. These fluctuating notes induced a cumulative resonance from the door, which grew higher and higher like a tidal wave. Qianye was shaken upon seeing this brilliant secret art. He observed the technique carefully, doing his utmost to remember all the details for further contemplation. With this method, he would be able to launch an earth-shattering attack by utilizing the origin power in the vast world around. This method involved time and energy, and it couldnt be disrupted midway. Even so, an art allowing someone of a lower level to unleash a divine-champion attack was still of great value. Eventually, Elder Weis origin power covered the entire giant door, causing it to tremble ever so slightly. All of a sudden, its pitch rose sharply as the countless patterns on the door erupted in radiance and a series of runes appeared in quick succession. The giant door trembled with even greater intensity and slowly opened up with a rumble. A vast world could be seen through the crack in the door, but the imagery was blurry and unclear. Greatly astonished, Carolines expression turned somewhat unsightly. A door that had to be opened with arrays meant that it was locked via the same mechanism. If it wasnt for Elder Weis art, even three Carolines wouldnt be able to open the door. The entire cave trembled with the opening of the giant door. The insects crawled about restlessly, but the beast hordes and giant crocodile remained still. Elder Wei pulled back at this point, his aura was much weaker and his face full of exhaustion. He sat down quietly to recover, not even bothering to look at the new world beyond the door. Anderfel and the others, however, were all stunned after gazing beyond the threshold. Caroline spread her wings, sparks of electricity arcing off from the bones therein. Ill head over to take a look. Anderfel and the others opened up a path. Caroline was the strongest person here, so it was the best course of action for her to take point. From his angle, Qianye couldnt quite see the world behind the door. From the aura seeping out, however, it would seem that there was less danger there than there was in the underground world. He shot a glance at the stealthed person and saw that her aura was fluctuating heavily, apparently hesitant about what to do. Regardless of whether this person was Bluemoon or otherwise, it was clear that she did not dare to take action in the presence of a variable like Caroline. Caroline was a true divine champion. Even if Bluemoon were to pull off the ambush successfully, she would, at most, be able to injure the target. However, the retaliatory attack would definitely kill her. Bluemoon might not dare, but that didnt mean Qianye was the same. Caroline was accumulating origin power as she walked toward the doorany more delay and she would be gone. Qianye made an immediate decision. Firstly, he shot out two stones, striking the snipers below him in the head and knocking them out. After dealing with the danger at hand, Qianye forced out a wisp of Earth Dragons blood and attached it to an origin grenade, which he then hurled at the sleeping giant crocodile. The Earth Dragons aura seeped out from the grenade as it flew through the air, agitating the beast and bugs in its wake. Even the giant pegmatite crocodile reacted by moving its tail about. Caroline discovered the abnormality at this moment. She turned back just in time to see the origin grenade falling rapidly onto the crystalline crocodiles head. Shocked out of her wits, she gasped. No!!! However, she had no way to stop the grenades descent at such a distance. With a loud rumble, the origin grenade exploded right on top of the monsters head. A ball of raging flames spread out and surged into the air. At this stage, one could see just how terrifying this giant pegmatite crocodile wasthose crystals on its body didnt even crack amidst the fierce blaze and shockwaves. It was struck squarely in the face but completely unharmed. The giant crocodile finally opened its eyes. Perhaps the explosion and flames didnt warrant its attention, but the fresh blood of the Earth Dragon swiftly brought it to sobriety. The pegmatite crocodile turned its giant body around, and its amber eyes locked onto Caroline. Dammit! Why me!? Caroline screamed. She grabbed from her waist a metallic whip studded with reverse hooks. In the blink of an eye, arcs of electricity crept up from its base and stretched all the way to its tip. Her long hair fluttered in the airshe was perfectly clear who her opponent was because she could hardly even breathe the moment that giant crocodile had locked onto her. Claudia was extremely decisive. Lets go in first! She dived forward and vanished into the giant door. Anderfel and Keimor wanted to follow her, but they were one step too late. Seeing that someone had escaped beyond the door, the giant pegmatite crocodile became furious. He took a step forward and unleashed an earth-shattering roar! This step caused the entire space to quake. Anderfel and Keimor were sent into a daze as their bodies grew heavy. They tried their best to fly forward and had almost reached the door, but an origin tempest burst out from underneath, flinging the two backward. Soon afterward, an origin barrier materialized and sealed off the giant door. Elder Wei stood up with a serious expression. It seems we can forget about entering if we dont kill this animal. Feeling helpless, Andefel and Keimor returned to their positions. Caroline turned back and shouted, Old man, its time to bring out whatever skills you have! We should work together to kill this creature quickly, theres no telling what dangers lie on the other side. Elder Wei laughed wryly. Its probably not that simple anymore. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 789: Assaul The creatures roar was akin to a rally bugle cry. The entire underground world came to lifecountless insects crawled out of the ground and flew toward the door in the form of a bug cloud. The smaller pegmatite crocodiles appeared like the rising tides and approached in groups. In addition to swarms of insects from the two hives, more of them burst out from the cave walls to join the fray. No one had expected a hidden bug hive. One more nest signified hundreds of insects, dozens of elite bugs with different abilities, and one or more insect kings like the silvery creature from before, capable of contending against a rank fifteen champion. In the blink of an eye, the bugs and beasts arrived like a tide. At this point, even Elder Wei could hardly remain calm. He could spare no attention to catch the culprit who had secretly lured the giant pegmatite crocodile into battle. He directly overrode Anderfels authority and ordered the latters men into a defensive formation. This formation was fairly odd and full of openings. Anderfel wanted to remind the elder but was afraid he would embarrass the old man. Then again, how important could prestige be in a life or death situation? The tide of beasts and bugs arrived while he was hesitating, and it was already too late to adjust the formation now. Elder Wei fished out an ancient scroll and flipped through it rapidly while muttering some incantation. Shades of radiance shot out from each page of the tome and landed in different places within the ranks, actually forming a powerful formation in the blink of an eye! Soldiers in different parts of the formation saw their power increase accordinglyan origin shield formed around some of them, others received upgrades to their speed and reaction, while some found their origin guns glowing with increased firepower. The openings in the defense were quickly covered up as the formation came into play. The different troops matched well in terms of attack and defense, with no gap whatsoever between them. The soldiers roared in unison as countless origin bullets formed a stream of flames that dug out an opening in the beast horde, momentarily stemming the torrential assault. However, this opening was almost negligible compared to the entire swarm. The cloud of insects quickly filled the defective battlefront and continued assailing the enemy like a tsunami. In the blink of an eye, Elder Weis group was surrounded on all sides. The hundred-men group in the middle was like a boat being tossed about by the tides, yet the formation stood firm against the deluge of beasts and bugs. The front row soldiers whipped out their swords and, under the cover of the origin shields, cut down the incoming creatures in swathes. The rear line fired with all their might to weaken the enemy assault. Even so, the horde was simply too big and every wave killed would be replaced by another. The high-ranking soldiers, on the other hand, couldnt hold out that long. At this moment, a streak of lightning illuminated the entire underground world. With an explosive shout, Caroline rushed into the air and lashed fiercely at the front lines with her seven-meter whip! Countless arcs of electricity condensed into a dragon and crawled hundreds of meters forward, killing everything in its wake. Droves of insects were burnt to a crisp under the might of this lightning, while the beasts were either charred black or burst into flames. Only a couple of extremely powerful pegmatite crocodiles continued to crawl forward, albeit at a slower pace. Carolines attack had produced a clearing in the field that was over a hundred meters long and a dozen wide. The might of a divine champion was indeed extraordinary. The giant pegmatite crocodile was enraged. The creature bulged up as it took a deep breath and shot out several pieces of crystal in Carolines direction. The projectiles were as swift as lightning, arriving almost in the blink of an eye! Carolines expression shifted drastically as she pulled her whip back to defend, wrapping the weapon right around the incoming crystals. Then, with a jolt of her power, arcs of lightning burst out in all directions to shatter the crystalline bullets. However, two of the projectiles managed to escape destruction and made right for her heart! Ashen faced, Caroline braced her chest and abdomen, ready to take the incoming blow. It was at this time that an origin-power shield appeared between her and the approaching danger. With a bang, both the shield and incoming projectiles shattered at the same time. The shockwave from the explosion blew Carolines long hair into disarray and covered her body in crystal powder. A sorry figure was nothing compared to a heavy injury. Terrified after surviving a calamity, Caroline shouted, Thanks, old man. This big monster is more powerful than either of us, do not be careless! Elder Weis voice was just as calm. The fight grew ever more intense, and the two sides fell into an impasse. Caroline flew around the giant pegmatite crocodile, lashing repeatedly with her Thunderous Whip. The crystals on the creatures body were all weaponsthey shot toward the flying divine champion like a rain of arrows. Elder Wei supplied Caroline with various buffs, increasing her speed and the damage of her Thunderous Whip. Three origin barriers rotated around her, blocking the crystalline projectiles she couldnt dodge. Whenever one of them was shattered, Elder Wei would add one more to her stock. With all those upgrades in place, Carolines combat strength increased by almost fifty percent and was momentarily on par with the giant pegmatite crocodile. Caroline was extremely nimble and managed to dodge nine out of ten arrows fired by the giant creature. She planned to fight a battle of attrition with the enemy, reducing her own attacks while baiting the opponent to fire more crystalline projectiles. However, the giant pegmatite crocodiles body was like a small mountain, and it would be a matter of days before the monster ran out of ammunition. The first to become exhausted would surely be Caroline. After forming an initial judgment of the battle, Qianye paid more attention to the stealthed person, lest she disrupts the fragile balance. Her aura had leaked out during the repeated episodes of shock, allowing Qianye to confirm that this was indeed Bluemoon. At this point, she was moving toward the other end of the cavern and away from the battle. It would seem she had no intention of interfering in this fight. That was an intelligent move because this was not a battle she could jump into. In a divine-champion-level fight, the shockwaves alone were enough to force her into a corner. Anderfel and Keimor had both joined the battle, and their powerful fighting power became the cornerstone of the entire defensive formation. Qianye was in no rush to attack and merely kept on observing patiently. The key to this entire fight was Elder Wei. With him around, everyones power would increaseeven a divine champion like Caroline had received a shocking fifty percent upgrade to her power. She alone could keep the giant monster in check while Anderfel and Keimor took advantage of this opening to kill the powerful beasts. As for the ordinary creatures and bugs, they were left for the high-ranking warriors to clean up. The entire fight proceeded in an orderly fashion. After a short while, the beast horde fell into disarray from all the casualties, and there were even some empty areas that they couldnt fill up in time. At this rate, the sea of bugs would be cleared out after a while, and the two marquises would be able to join the assault on the pegmatite crocodile. Qianye remained still and observed the developments in silence. That was because the scroll in Elder Weis hand had already run out of pages. Caroline noticed the impending danger. Old man, can you still go on? This fellows skin is too thick, I dont think I can wear him down. Elder Wei was still calm. Dont worry, I still have some cards left to play. He put the remaining pages away, fished out an ancient envelope and, from it, a letter. The paper was filled with a dense array of unintelligible words. Elder Wei adjusted his clothes before unfolding the paper ceremoniously. Most of the buffs on Caroline had worn off during this delay. She was in quite the precarious situation amidst the barrage of crystalline arrows and had no opportunity to retaliate. What are you delaying for? You guys can forget about leaving this place alive once I die. Elder Wei said in a solemn voice, One does not treat a saints item lightly. At this moment, the letter in his hands erupted with dazzling light, and a powerful origin power aura spread out in all directions. Qianye was bewildereddid that letter really belong to a saint? Qianye could be considered quite knowledgeable at this point, but he had never heard of this kind of item. Just as Elder Wei pointed at the giant pegmatite crocodile, the paper streaked across a thousand meters and vanished into its forehead. The giant crocodile let out a mournful howl as its upper body swung backward, almost as though it were standing up and flailing about. All of a sudden, the creatures back exploded in a shower of crystal and flesh. A terrifying wound had appeared there, one that was several meters wide and so deep that one couldnt see its bottom. That letter flew out from the wound. It was now devoid of light and had become an ordinary sheet of paper. Soon afterward, it ignited into a cloud of dark fumes and disappeared. Qianye was stunned by the scene. It was indeed hard to believe that a single letter would possess such frightening power. He wouldve been blasted into mincemeat had that letter come for him instead. Caroline was also shocked at Elder Weis trump card. Her current gaze toward him contained less arrogance and more apprehension. She wouldve been gravely injured if this paper had struck her, and with how fast it could travel, Caroline wasnt really confident that she could evade it, either. Enraged after receiving heavy injuries, the giant pegmatite crocodile lunged forward all of a sudden. Caroline pulled back immediately and dodged the attack, but unexpectedly, the creature spat a giant ball of crystal at herthe projectile was several meters in size and rumbled toward her like a cannon shell. Without enough time to maneuver, Caroline was blown away like a broken-stringed kite. She traveled over a hundred meters before stabilizing her body and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Elder Wei was surprisedif this giant pegmatite crocodile had fired at their formation, most of the soldiers would be destroyed. Whether or not Anderfel and Keimor could dodge was up to their luck. Fortunately, the enraged monster was currently fixated on Carolinethe strongest of the lot and closest to itand that spared everyone from the disaster. The animal has no more power to seal the door, well head in first. Caroline, you restrain it for a while, then follow us in. No one objected to Elder Weis plan. Carolines injury wasnt serious, and she still had the ability to protect herself against the giant crystalline reptile. With her attracting its attention, the others would have a chance to enter the doors. It was just that a safe retreat in the sea of beasts and bugs wasnt an easy feat, either. Under Elder Weis leadership, the entire squad pushed back against the enemy attacks and began moving slowly toward the door. At this point in the battle, casualties had started to pile up among the soldiers, and both Anderfel and Keimor had sustained injuries. The fight was arduous but still within Elder Weis grasp. He not only bolstered his own men but also weakened the enemy horde. A wide beam of light would fly out from time to time, covering the beasts and bugs in a deep yellow light. This slowed down their movements and reaction, almost as though they had fallen into a swamp. Anderfel was an experienced fighter. Under his command, the soldiers did their best to injure the beasts instead of killing them. The wounded creatures would usually go into an indiscriminate frenzy, blocking the path of the beasts behind them. Everything was going according to plan and the group was about to enter the giant doors. Qianye finally felt that the time was ripehe flew up like a bird and swooped toward Elder Weis group. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 790: What are you waiting for? Caroline was the sharpest of the lotshe turned back all of a sudden and locked onto the charging Qianye. But how could the giant crocodile allow any distractions? A barrage of crystalline arrows shot out at this point, inflicting another wound despite her frantic defense. As the key character in their formation, Elder Weis position looked easy but was actually the most crucial since he had to adapt and compliment everyones deficiencies. He never attacked all this time and only relied on weakening enemies or strengthening allies to affect the battle. Such a strategy increased his origin power efficiency, and it wouldnt be a problem for them to fight for an entire day. On the other hand, though, it was highly taxing on his mind and there was no leeway for mistakes. He actually failed to discover Qianye immediately and only looked up after hearing Carolines warning. Qianye whipped out Cui Yuanhais origin gun and unfurled the pair of wings on his back. With the addition of the Wings of Inception, the guns firepower quickly reached the peak of grade-seven. Qianye took aim at the old man and fired! Amidst a thunderous roar, Qianye was pushed back over ten meters by the recoil. This went to show just how powerful that shot was! Elder Weis expression changed drastically as flames appeared at the muzzle. This was the first time he had lost his composure since coming into the cave. He tossed the book in his hand and produced an ancient envelope, which he tore open at lightning speed. A red barrier appeared around his body with faintly discernible runes floating around on its surface. But the bullet arrived before the barrier could stabilize! The red barrier lit up under the fierce explosion and then shattered along with the bullet. However, Elder Wei wasnt in good shape, eitherhis face was pale, he was coughing up blood, and the origin arrays around him were all tottering on the verge of collapse. This sharply increased the groups casualty rates. Cui Yuanhais gun had abandoned everything fancy in exchange for pure firepower and its value had finally come into play here. At this moment, Qianye had fallen into grave danger as Anderfel and Keimor flew away from the wavering soldiers to launch a pincer attack on Qianye. Meanwhile, the old man produced yet another envelope and whipped out the letter within. This was his third ancient envelopethe first one was used to injure the giant pegmatite crocodile and the second was used to defend against Qianyes ambush. Whatever the third ones function was, it was bound to be astonishing. On the other end of the battlefield, Caroline screamed, Its you! Ignoring the threat of the giant crocodile, she raised her whip and lashed out from afar, sending a bolt of lightning streaking toward Qianye. The letter in Elder Weis grasp unleashed a beam of light that went straight for Qianyes abdomen. This silver beam wasnt as fast as the golden one from before, but the moment it appeared, Qianye could sense that he had been locked onto. The argent radiance adjusted its course according to every little movement of his. Judging from how serious the elder was in its handling, Qianye knew that it wouldnt be easy to escape. At this critical juncture, Qianye suddenly revealed a mocking smile. His figure flickered for a brief moment and actually disappeared! Caroline cried out, Hes going inside! Elder Wei glanced up hurriedly only to find Qianyes figure flicker and vanish into the door. Having lost its target, the silver beam flew several times around the area before landing in a group of pegmatite crocodiles. A halo spread out quietly from the point of contact, and all the creatures in its coverage lost their lives at the same time. Elder Wei sighed, My Seal of Tyranny! before coughing up a mouthful of blood. With everyones attacks missing their target, the battle situation took a turn for the worse. Caroline was struck several times by the crystal arrows and had to take out her trump cards to avoid getting killed. Elder Wei looked withered and listlessthe drain from using two powerful killing moves was significant, and the damage from Qianyes shot was greater than it seemed on the surface. Casualty rates among the soldiers soared in this short period. Anderfel and Keimor jumped back into the fray, sparing neither blood energy nor origin power to stabilize the situation. Both of them also sustained numerous wounds during this ordeal. Finally, Elder Wei caught his breath and began boosting them once more. It was just that his boosting state had weakened quite a bit and the effects were far inferior. The high-ranking warriors were fine since they were considered expendable in critical situations, but Carolines situation became quite perilous without those powerful buffs. At this point, they were only a couple dozen meters away from the giant door, yet this short distance seemed like a thousand miles and no one knew when they would finally arrive. After passing through the door, Qianye felt his vision pass through a kaleidoscope of mottled colors and realized that this was a spatial transformation. In his astonishment, he quickly withdrew his blood energy and origin power so as not to interrupt the process. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had appeared in a new world. Dazzling sunlight showered down from the sky above. Qianye, who had gotten accustomed to the darkness of the underground world, couldnt help but squint his eyes. Beneath his feet, a gentle slope stretched slowly into the distance, and the grass was like a magnificent verdant carpet dotted with wildflowers. There were forests, peaks, lakes, and rivers in the distance. If it wasnt for the dark void at the ends of ones vision, this place would be comparable to an immortal realm. At this moment, Qianye was standing on top of a hill and he could see the half-opened giant door floating in the air behind him. Through the crack therein, he could see the vague imagery of the world on the other side. The hill gradually sloped downward to the other side of the continent, beyond which was the boundless void. Beneath Qianyes feet was actually a floating continent no more than a few hundred kilometers in radius. Usually, small landmasses like this wouldnt form any natural barriers or support life, but Qianye could breathe naturally here and didnt feel any pressure at all. Looking upward, he could see a floating landmass far away surrounded by little floating islands. That was the neutral lands, and the one he was standing on was a small isolated island on its borders. The view here was exceptionally open and afforded the spectator an unobstructed view of the region. Yet, Qianye couldnt find any traces of Claudia; who knew where she was hiding right now? It was at this time that a muffled soundakin to the beat of an ancient drumshook the entire island. Qianye felt numb from head to toe, and his blood energy was thrown into an extremely uncomfortable turmoil. Qianyes gaze landed immediately on a distant peak where the sound had originated. In his ears, that sound was not the beat of a drum but that of a heart! A heartbeat capable of shaking an entire island! Qianye sped toward the peak without the slightest bit of hesitation. Such a terrifying heartbeat couldnt have come from anything else but the Earth Dragon. The tall peak stood out like a sore thumb on this lone island and was most likely the objective of Elder Weis group. Qianye reached abnormal speeds during his all-out dash, leaving numerous afterimages along the way. He traversed the vast grassy knolls in the blink of an eye and ran into the forest. For someone with the Bloodline Concealment ability, the forest was the best hiding place. The leaves in the treetops were great for obstructing vision, making up for his inability to turn invisible. While Qianye was moving stealthily through the forest and toward the peak, some movement appeared around the giant door. In a flash of rippling light, Elder Wei, Caroline, and a dozen soldiers charged onto the island. All of them were covered in woundsCaroline had two crystal arrows stuck in her back and only half of her Thunderous Whip remained. Elder Weis beard was now scorched, and his robes were tattered, exposing half a withered leg. Anderfel and Keimor also survived, but their auras were weak and the former had lost his left arm. The remaining soldiers had it better, most of them sustaining only light injuries, but only a dozen of them were left out of a hundred. The high-ranking soldiers were quite limited in their power and could no longer pass through the door once injured. The ones left behind had likely turned into bug-food by now. Caroline turned back cautiously after charging through the door. Elder Wei, can you close the doors? After seeing the many tricks up his sleeves, Carolines address had undergone a subtle transition from old man to Elder Wei. Elder Wei laughed wryly, I dont have the strength for that. Then, prepare to fight! Caroline roared decisively. Nonetheless, there was no movement from the door. Neither the insects nor the pegmatite crocodiles appeared. The guarded group finally heaved a sigh of relief. Caroline said, It seems those things cant pass through the door. Is that good news or bad news? Both, I guess. If we cant lure it in and destroy it, that means we cant go back out, either, Elder Wei replied. Caroline retracted the lightning around her. Elder Wei, what do we do now? Is there a path back from here? The old man laughed wryly, This old man has only heard about the world behind these doors. How am I supposed to know the way back? We can only play it by ear now. Didnt someone from your empire come here before? How come you dont know? Elder Wei appeared somewhat awkward. Someone from the empire did explore the underground lair and this door is also related to him. Its just that this persons status is special and even I cannot disturb him without good reason. Hence, I only know bits and pieces about this place. The details are yet to be investigated. As someone who had reached the divine champion realm, Caroline was also a smart person. She immediately realized that the power behind Elder Wei and the aforementioned person were likely not on good terms and that the current project was being carried out in secret. To be completely frank, he was probably trying to steal the fruits of the other partys labor. Just by looking at this giant, monument-like door, it was easy to imagine just how powerful that mysterious person was. Offending such a character was related to ones survival, so there was no longer a need to ask more at this point. Is that Qianye person related to that man? Of course not. Actually, Qianye committed a grave and unforgivable crime back home and the empire has already dispatched assassins after him. No one can protect him anymore. Caroline let out a sinister laugh. Since thats the case, dont fight with me later on! He killed my only brother, so I must have him suffer eternally in my lightning! Elder Wei nodded. This old man wasted two sacred seals because of him, I naturally wont let him go. Then what are we waiting for? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 791: Heartseeker Path Elder Wei was in no rush. Theres no need to hurry, just leave him hanging for a while since theres nowhere else to run. We should take a rest first and recover before further exploration. Having reached a unanimous decision, everyone sat down to rest. Moments later, a fully recovered Elder Wei, along with Caroline and the rest, set out toward the mountain peak. Anderfel stayed back to guard the giant doors with several soldiers, lest the bug tides appear once more. Compared to the many perils of the underground world, this place was beautiful and silentso silent that it made people nervous. Even those veteran warriors couldnt help but gasp in shock when the quaking heartbeat resounded once more. Elder Wei, however, seemed delighted. It would seem that thing is indeed here. Just what is it? Cant you say it yet? Caroline inquired. Youll know once you arrive. Elder Wei wasnt willing to speak. Caroline asked no more. She only smiled coldly and followed along. The group quickly arrived at the forest borders and proceeded toward the mountain peak. Elder Wei traveled at a steady pace, almost as though he had no interest in a hurried exploration. Caroline also stopped flying and walked obediently on the ground. The two of them didnt mention the reason, but Keimor erased any thoughts of flying after seeing their actions. He would only be courting death by taking to the air when even the two divine champions were not. At this moment, Qianye had arrived at the bottom of the mountain. Glancing upward, he could see that the mountain was even higher and more precipitous than he had imagined. Its peak was entirely hidden within the clouds and probably a thousand meters high at the very least. This isolated space was fairly strange and deviated from common sense in many aspects. Be it the forest or the mountain, both of them felt somewhat distorted in Qianyes perception. It was just that the knowledge regarding spatial composition was simply too profound and not something Qianye could easily comprehend. Even divine champions only possessed a bit of this knowledge. The special aspects of this place seemed more artificial than natural. If all of this was really set up by someone, just how earth-shattering must his abilities be? The scenery before Qianye transformed before he reached the topa mountain path actually appeared in the steep cliff, winding up into the depths of the clouds. This threshold was similar to the giant doorthe moment Qianye stepped through, he knew that he was in a different space. The entire mountaintop expanded more than ten times as soon as the mountain path appeared. Even Qianye was somewhat hesitant in the face of such a phenomenon. He knew not what dangers lay ahead on the peak, but he was quite certain that he was no match for them. He would be taking a pointless risk by heading into the unknown. The best course of action was to wait for Elder Wei, Caroline, and the others to scout out the path. However, there was no hiding place at the base of the mountain. Looking back, he could see some of the treetops swaying in the forestit would seem the other party was not so far away. He would very likely be intercepted if he turned back now. Carolines combat strength was astonishing and Elder Wei possessed many strange powers. Who knew how many of those ancient envelopes he had in his pocket? Turning back was a sure path to demise. Qianye gritted his teeth and stepped onto the mountain path. He had a vendetta against the imperial military. Whatever they wanted, he had to snatch it from them. The scenery in front of him shifted the moment he took the first step. The path beyond the ten-meter point in front of him was shrouded in dense mist. The fog here was somewhat similar to the one over the Eastern Seaits interference on perception was abnormally powerful, only extending a dozen meters or so. Qianye finally sensed the vital aura of the mountain peak as he set foot on the mountain path. This wasnt because Qianyes perception was so powerful, but because the vitality here was simply too vast, almost clouding out the entire sky! Qianyes own vitality was like a small pond compared to this ocean-like entity. The rumbling heartbeat shaking the entire island had originated from this mountaintop. Qianye started climbing upward after a moment of hesitation. If the creature living atop this mountain was the fabled Earth Dragon, Qianye could neither beat it nor escape. Since he had already arrived at this place, his only lifeline was the hope that the dragon would ignore a small insect like him. At that point, Qianye could hide near the colossus and wait quietly for his opponents. No matter how careless the Earth Dragon was, there was no way it would allow two divine champions to approach. Elder Wei, with his mysterious tricks, might be an exception, but Caroline was shrouded in lightning and fireshe couldnt hide even if she wanted to. Even if they did have methods to hide their aura, Qianye would ambush them and force their hand. Once the dragon was awake, there was no need to debate whether it would focus on Qianye or the divine champion. Going upward, Qianye suddenly noticed that his body had grown slightly heavier. He checked his body and was surprised to find that his own vitality was withering under the pressure of the immense life force from the mountain peak, just as a small creature would go limp from fright when facing off against a monster. Going further upward, the pressure became more and more evident. Qianye had no choice but to accelerate his blood core and strengthen his vitality, lest his aura withers progressively. Qianye felt more or less overwhelmedhe had only taken a dozen or so steps and climbed a couple of meters. How bad would this pressure be after approaching the peak? However, it was already impossible to turn back as Elder Weis group had already walked out of the forest and arrived at the base of the mountain. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the ascent. Its him! Hes there! As the person with the best eyesight, Caroline noticed Qianye immediately. At this point, Qianye was only a couple dozen meters above on the mountain path. This distance was easily within reach for a divine champion. With a crack of her whip, Caroline sent a bolt of lightning streaking toward Qianye. The latter had no place to evade halfway up the mountain, his only other option being to jump down and land in front of Caroline. Qianye glanced back and was shocked to find numerous bolts of lightning streaking toward him. He immediately brought out East Peak to receive Carolines blow. The divine champion had suffered heavy injuries during her fight against the giant crocodile, and her strength had been reduced drastically. But the bolt of lightning rippled mid-flight and scattered in different random directions, finally landing on the mountain itself. The weird thing was that one bolt of lightning clearly landed beneath his feet, but the path was perfectly intact after the dust had settled. Qianye was startled for a moment, but he soon recalled the two spatial transformations as he stepped into the path. It would seem that the two parties were on different planes, to begin with. At the thought of this, he became much more relieved and sped up his steps toward the mountaintop. Caroline was also quite surprised after the missed attack. She roared in frustration, I refuse to believe I cant deal with a junior like you! A ball of lightning gathered on her whip and stretched out over ten meters. The accumulated power was shocking. Elder Wei said all of a sudden, Wait, theres something wrong with the space here. Hes probably not on the same plane as us, or maybe theres a layer between us. Dont waste your energy, no amount of attacks will hit him if were not in the same plane. A different space? Caroline was startled. A spatial ruin was actually far beyond the level of a divine champion. Moreover, her knowledge was a far cry from the experts of the empire and their long inheritance. Elder Weis insight regarding this matter was vastly superior. What do we do now? Are you really going to let him go up like that? With narrowed eyes, Elder Wei glanced up at Qianye who was scaling the steps above. Well go up, too. We can take him down once we catch up. Then what are we waiting for!? Caroline gnashed her teeth impatiently. But no matter how anxious she was, she no longer dared to act rashly after experiencing the spatial abnormalities here and had to move according to the old mans instructions. This entire place was beyond perilous. If it wasnt for Elder Weithere was no need for the Earth Dragon to take actionjust that giant pegmatite crocodile alone was enough to take her life. Elder Wei kept his eyes on Qianyes figure until he vanished around the corner. We can go up now. Caroline resisted the urge to inquire further and followed Elder Wei up the mountain. The two spatial transitions along the way caused her expression to change sharply, and her arrogance was now replaced by seriousness. If everything here was man-made, the owners ability could be considered earth-shattering, and they could easily crush her with a simple movement. As they walked on, Elder Wei explained, If this old man isnt wrong, the mountain is half-natural and half-artificial. The profundities here are the work of the gods. Were probably in a different plane at this moment, theres no way we can attack him even if we walk right past. Caroline was astonished. What do we do then? Elder Wei smiled faintly. This path is full of dangers, one can only push forward and not go back. Those heading back will have to pass through many spatial layers and will forever be lost if theyre unlucky. So the only way to leave is to head upward. But whats up there? Caroline gazed toward the peak with a tense expression. At this point, she had stepped upward and could feel the terrifying aura from the mountaintop. The Earth Dragon, of course. Earth Dragon!? Wont we be heading to our deaths? Caroline was shocked. She had come here this time to kill Qianye and see if she could get her hands on a drop of Earth Dragon blood. No matter how insolent she was, she would never believe that she could challenge the dragon. Approaching a void colossus like this was simply suicide. Of course not. Perhaps it was before, but after what that person did, the perilous situation has turned into something else. There will be benefits if we can reach the peak. At this point, Elder Wei chuckled. I did not come all the way here to die. What benefits can there be? We wont continue upward if you dont say it. Caroline had lost her patience. The biggest bounty here will aid the empire in its quest for domination, but is of no use to you. So theres no difference whether you know or not. Youll understand once you see it. Of course, you wont be mistreated once I obtain that thing. The empire may be big, but we are always lacking in talents. With Your Excellency Carolines cultivation, it wont be difficult to obtain land and title in the empire. The words land and title moved Caroline, but she was still doubtful. Doesnt that mean Ill have to listen to the empires commands? My current life in Thunderfrost Temple is so free and easy, why would I want to bind myself? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 792: Merciless Heavens Elder Wei chuckled. The neutral lands is barren and poor, not a good place for living permanently. Although youll be somewhat restricted in the empire, its a long legacy that will be passed down to many future generations. At that time, Your Excellency Caroline will be the founding progenitor. How is that the same? Ignoring other things for now, how long do you think your ordinary descendants can live in the neutral lands? Caroline nodded secretly. Even she couldnt ensure that all her descendants would be talented. The fluctuation of power in the neutral lands was quite significant. It was quite a harsh environment for ordinary people because those without origin power would live very short lives. Hence, both the strong and the weak attached great importance to multiplication and the continuation of ones line. Elder Wei said proudly, So, how can lording over a part of the neutral lands be the same as receiving title and land in the empire? These words were reasonable. The neutral lands was large and sparsely populatedneither the land nor the people here were of great value. Fine, Ill help you this time. Caroline made up her mind. Elder Wei nodded. He pointed upward and said, If this old man isnt wrong, this road is called the Heartseeker Path. The further upward one walks along this path, the greater the pressure. This pressure is related to ones cultivation and origin power. The higher ones cultivation, the greater the pressure and the more difficult it is to go forward. Its named that way because a warriors heart is what decides how far one can go on this path. Everyone looked toward where he was pointing and saw a stone tablet jutting into the skies. It looked like there were words on it, yet it was difficult to make out what they were. Even Caroline didnt know what was written therebut wouldnt she see it easily after going forward? As such, she strode forward without the slightest hesitation and started climbing the mountain path. The so-called warriors heart was undoubtedly referring to ones willpower. As someone who had reached the divine champion realm, Carolines willpower was as firm as steel. There was no way she would shy away from such a test. On the contrary, it was Keimor and the others who needed to be careful. The group climbed up and eventually passed the halfway point up the mountain. Caroline was far in the lead and wouldve charged forward if she didnt need to wait for the two behind her. Elder Wei maintained a steady pace all along, but he actually wasnt that slow. At this point, the high-ranking soldiers were looking rather strained. Step by step, they dragged their bodies forward, but they were gradually starting to fall behind. Elder Wei sighed. Being able to follow me until this place can be considered a type of fate. This old man will help you one time. Whether or not you can reach the top will depend on your own fortunes. With that, he fished out an ancient scroll and flipped to the final page. Several beams of light fell onto the soldiers bodies with a wave of his hand. They felt the strain on their bodies lighten as a part of the mountainous pressure on them was negated. After doing all that, the ancient scroll lost its luster, and only the cover retained a faint glow. Filled with both gratitude and shock, the soldiers thanked the elder on their knees and followed him silently. With a checkpoint like the Heartseeker Path, it was useless even if one had brought an army of ten thousand. Add to that the underground maze and the giant pegmatite crocodile, only a handful of the most powerful experts would reach the summit out of an entire army corps. As they walked on, the summit remained hidden in the clouds and the mountain path felt like it would go on forever. Caroline couldnt resist asking, Elder Wei, who is that person from back then? Someone capable of laying down this Heartseeker Path must have possessed shocking abilities. This forbidden name, this old man is neither willing nor bold enough to mention. All you need to know is that this person is an indomitable existence in the empire. Saying this much was enough. This person had to be one of the empires heavenly monarchs. Caroline asked no more and merely contemplated in silence. Ill go to the empire with you once this matter has been concluded. Elder Wei was delighted. Your Excellency coming to such a decision is the empires blessing! Caroline sighed. Territory and riches arent that important. Its just that I thought myself pretty close to the apex before. Only today did I realize that the peak of all life is beyond reach. Elder Wei, I hope I can gain an audience with a few of the heavenly monarchs when I reach the empire and maybe get some pointers. Elder Wei stroked his beard. This matter is neither hard nor easy. This old man cant promise that youll be able to meet all the heavenly monarchs. Getting pointers from one of them, however, wont be a problem. Caroline nodded and kept on climbing. She broke into a frown after traveling a while further. Strange, why havent we run into Qianye yet? Her words reminded everyone of this fact. Qianye didnt have that big of a lead, to begin with, and they had been chasing after him at full steam. Yet they hadnt seen him after circling the mountain several times. Didnt this mean that Qianye wasnt one bit slower than they were? That was why the two parties were always separated by the mountain. Another possibility was that Qianyes speed far surpassed everyone else. It was only natural that they wouldnt see him if he were shrouded in the clouds. Of course, everyone else including Caroline ruled out the second possibility. All those who had walked this path realized that, despite the greater pressure, those with higher cultivation still performed better. The suppression here couldnt wipe away the gap entirely, and whether or not one would reach the summit still depended on their cultivation. The group of high-ranking warriors was progressing on par with Keimor thanks to Elder Weis buff, which meant that they were all a bit stronger than Qianye. If the latter could keep up with their speed, it meant that he was already performing above average. Caroline looked up and found that the stone table Elder Wei had pointed to was still in the clouds, almost as though they had never moved closer to it. However, there seemed to be a humanoid figure in front of it! Astonished, she looked closer but found nothing but flowing cloudseven the tablet had vanished. At this point, Qianye was standing before the ten meter stone tablet and gazing at the bold calligraphy upon it. I hate the merciless heavens, and how humans are sometimes helpless, but what else can one do? Ji Wentian. These giant words seemed like they were forged out of iron and silver, sending a rush of austerity and desolation at ones face. The world in front of Qianye disappeared and was replaced entirely by a boundless wilderness as far as the eye could see. There was a man clad in long, wide-sleeved robes roaring at the sky; his voice shook the entire wilderness. The vision disappeared in an instant. This wasnt an intentionally arranged illusion, but the remnant will in this persons writing that had persisted throughout the years. It had moved Qianye significantly, thus producing this hallucination. The words on the stone tablet had moved someone of Qianyes willpower without intention. How terrifying was this? Ji Wentian, Ji Wentian? This name sounded somewhat familiar but also quite vague. Qianye couldnt remember where he had actually heard of this. But Ji was an imperial surname, could this person be someone from the imperial family? At the thought of the imperial family, Qianye suddenly recalled the heavenly monarch who was widely accepted as the strongest in the empire. His name was Ji Wentian! It was just that the Pointer Monarchs fame was too significant and his status was greatly revered. Hence, few people dared to address him by his true name. As time went on, people only remembered the Pointer Monarch and not Ji Wentian. This stone tablet was left behind by the Pointer Monarch! Qianye was shaken. He became even more curious about what was on this mountaintop. Just what had happened back in the year that made even an existence like the Pointer Monarch sigh in exasperation and lament his own powerlessness. He gazed toward the peak and became eager to explore. Since the Pointer Monarch had left this stone tablet, it meant that the trials toward the peak would be even more arduous. But judging from the mood of this calligraphic work, there seemed to be no killing intent. The peak was still hidden in the clouds and Qianye continued his climb toward it, just like before. The pressure beyond the stone tablet increased sharply, filling him with a feeling of exhaustion and strainit was as though he was carrying a thousand-ton load. Ordinary champions could hardly walk under this pressure, but Qianye urged his blood core and sped up his bloodflow. His vitality would be ignited wherever the blood passed by, raising his spirits as he strode forward in brisk steps. At this moment, Caroline and Elder Wei were still climbing at the same speed below him. Keimor, on the other hand, wasnt as relaxed as before. A dark cloud would pass through his eyes from time to time as he looked up toward the clouds. The boosted soldiers also looked fairly strained now, and they had also fallen far behind. Two of them had already split off from the main force, unable to withstand the pressure. Those who could still hang on werent in a great condition, eithersome were pale, some were drenched in cold sweat, while others were burning their potential. Anyone could see that they were nearing their limits and that their dreams of reaching the top were merely dreams. Elder Wei finally shot them a glance. Those who cant go on should rest here, if youre lucky, the Heartseeker path will disappear after we succeed. He didnt mention what would happen if they werent lucky. There wasnt a need for a special reminder about it. A bold soldier asked, What will happen if we stop to rest? Naturally, the Heartseeker Path needs to be completed in one go. The pressure here is omnipresent, itll corrode your origin power even if you stay still. So, youll only have one chance to rest, and whether or not you can stand back up after that is not something I can guarantee. Shocked out of their wits, the soldiers clenched their teeth and pushed forward with all their strength. No one mentioned resting anymore. Nonetheless, there was still a limit to ones willpowermore and more people fell out of line as time went by. The process was progressive; more and more soldiers dropped behind. By the time the last two soldiers fell limp, Keimor had no choice but to take over the crate they were carrying. It was just that he was also drenched in sweat and apparently looked quite strained. Elder Wei sighed. This Heartseeker path tests not only ones resolve. The Earth Dragons so-called suppression is actually our own vitality acting upon ourselves. Whether we can maintain our own life force is half-dependent on ourselves. The other half is reliant on ones usual accumulations. That Qianye is only rank-twelve in cultivation, yet he can get to this place. Dont you feel ashamed? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 793: Path of No Return Keimors blood rushed to his face in a fit of fury and shame. He was a vampire marquis, an expert akin to a rank-sixteen human expert and someone on a completely different level compared to Qianye. Presently, Qianye was far ahead on the Heartseeker Path while Keimor was looking pretty much exhausted. It was just as Elder Wei had saidhe was far inferior to Qianye both in terms of willpower and accumulations. With his thoughts in disarray, the crate he was carrying became even heavier and almost like a small mountain on his back. His aura became unstable, and one of his legs nearly gave way. Caroline moved back and grabbed the crate. Let me carry it. Both thankful and embarrassed, Keimor said with a bow, Thank you for the help, Your Excellency Caroline. Elder Wei shook his head. Its no use helping a fellow who only knows how to depend on his bloodline, he definitely wont reach the top. Caroline said, He is, after all, a capable general of our neutral lands and I am its citizen. I cant stand by and do nothing. Besides, that Qianye is so crafty and full of schemes, its always better to have more hands. Elder Wei didnt argue with her. I was going to take over that item after he collapses. But since youre helping him, then I wont be interfering anymore. Theres no need, either, Caroline retorted. Keimor was lividhe followed the two from behind, glancing at Elder Wei from time to time with an incisive gaze. At this point, Qianye was about two circles above the trio. Yet, the peak was still hidden within the clouds and no one knew how far away it was. The mountain path remained constant, winding upward without end. If it wasnt for Elder Weis group climbing the same path from behind him, Qianye mightve suspected whether he had fallen into an illusion and that the peak could never be reached. Qianye was no longer relaxed at this pointhis blood core was pulsing strongly, the blood throughout his body was aboil, and there were dark golden flames surging around his body. If the pressure were to increase further, it would begin draining his dark golden blood energy. By the time the latter had been completely exhausted, Qianye would not be far off from collapsing. Qianye had no choice but to slow down his footsteps to reduce the strain on his body. Meanwhile, Caroline and Elder Wei were catching up to him at a brisk pace. Moments later, Caroline was standing before the stone tablet. She didnt have a very strong reaction at first, but she gasped in astonishment after reading all the words. Pointer Monarch! Its actually the Pointer Monarch! Elder Wei was watching her while she was looking at the stone table. Seeing her calm expression while looking at the tablet, Elder Wei shook his head with a sigh. How unfortunate, I guess youre not fated, either. Caroline was surprised. What fate? Elder Wei replied, When the Pointer Monarch wrote these words back in the year, he carved all of his desolation and dismay into them. Those who can comprehend them will naturally reap the rewards. But then again, this is fate cant be forced. Caroline was astonished. It works like that? Elder Wei replied, The Pointer Monarch is powerful beyond imagination. This is nothing to him, only a casual move to bestow some pointers to fated juniors. Speaking of which, all human heavenly monarchs possess boundless abilities, not like those Evernight fellows who only sleep, eat, and rely on their inherent bloodline for everything. Elder Weis words were quite arrogant, and as a vampire, Keimor was naturally dissatisfied. Yet as an experienced person, he realized that Elder Weis words made sense. Bloodline power and physical talents were the characteristic advantages of the Evernight races. In this regard, any one of their races was stronger than the humans. However, human heavenly monarchs, with their varying abilities, were no weaker than the great dark monarchs on the battlefield. That was a widely-accepted truth. In truth, tyrants of an era like the martial ancestor and founding ancestor could suppress any great dark monarch of their generation. Even those existences on the sacred mountains were perhaps a bit inferior to them. Keimor didnt dare retort in the face of Elder Weis might, but he was rather excited after hearing about the potential benefits from the tablet. That was a bounty from the Pointer Monarch himselfhe was but a small marquis and not one of ancient bloodline, either. How could he even compare? The Pointer Monarch could crush him with his pinky finger. Without even waiting for Elder Weis reminder, he walked toward the stone tablet and began observing it in great detail, afraid that he would miss even a small detail. But he gained nothing from the tablet no matter how hard he glared, nor did he reach any special state of epiphany. All he could feel was the chill of the strong mountain winds. Elder Wei shot him a mocking glance but didnt stop him. Caroline wasnt satisfied, either, and went forward to look together. Finally, Elder Wei coughed. Comprehension cant be forced. If you understood nothing at the beginning, thats probably the limit. As a divine champion, Carolines willpower was firm. Although she was a bit unwilling, she dragged her eyes away from the tablet and continued toward the summit. Keimor, on the other hand, wasnt willing to give up and remained in a contemplative state until Caroline and Elder Wei had vanished over the corner. Only then did he wake up from his reverie and chased after them. Nonetheless, running against the Earth Dragons suppressive might consumed his blood energy at an intense rate. By the time he had caught up to Elder Wei and Caroline, his face was deathly pale and his aura was in chaos. This sprint had probably reduced his maximum climb by one circle. Elder Wei was too lazy to look at the panting vampire, opting to ignore his existence altogether. Caroline was still marching steadily forward with that heavy box in tow. This went to show just how powerful she was. In the blink of an eye, they had made several circles around the mountain and was only one lap away from Qianye. The two parties could already catch glimpses of one another at certain angles. It was just that this peak was specialone could only see and not attack one another since they were in different dimensional planes. Caroline was naturally dissatisfied and attempted several whipping motions. Nonetheless, Qianye remained perfectly unharmed despite the sparks and wastage of origin power. After several setbacks in this peculiar land, even someone like her didnt dare waste origin power for no good reason. The joke would be on her if she couldnt get to the top. It was already quite evident that the two parties would truly meet only after reaching the summit. Everything they did along the way was just a waste of time and energy. Caroline wasnt the least worried that she wouldnt get to the top. All she needed to do was avoid stupid mistakes. Even though her strength had been affected by the previous injuries, she was confident in reaching the end with Elder Weis help. Those who couldnt reach the top would die along the way. Their only chance of survival was for someone to reach the summit and break the suppression. As Caroline saw it, it would be too easy for Qianye if he were to die along the way. After discovering that Caroline could do nothing to him, Qianye regained his calm and kept on climbing at his own pace. He was slower than Caroline, but the difference was very limited. The two parties did three laps around the mountain before the distance between them shortened slightly. At this moment, the pressure from the Earth Dragon had grown so unbearable that even Keimor could no longer withstand it. He was like a staggering old man taking half a day for each step. Unable to keep up with the groups pace, he had long since fallen behind and was only hanging in there by his sheer will to survive. Qianye glanced back, his gaze stopping on Keimor for a while before moving toward Elder Wei. He was indifferent toward Carolinehe had never associated with her before, nor did he have any special opinion about her. Since she wanted revenge for her dead brother, all he needed to do was to fight her. That wasnt the same for the old man since he came from the imperial military and the troops under his wing were elites from the central command. It was just that Qianye couldnt tell what his relationship with Li Fengshui was. But he was certainly no weaker than the latter and his status seemed higher. Now that the two parties were in a deadlock, Qianye had to eliminate the old man for a chance at survival. And all of that was in addition to the deep enmity between him and the imperial military. Qianye shot a deep glance at Elder Wei and continued his ascent, hastening his steps slightly to keep up with the old mans. Even a schemer like Elder Wei couldnt help but frown as he took a deep breath and quickened his pace. All of a sudden, he found, to his surprise, that he had been drawn into Qianyes tempo. Could it be that he had long since considered this person a powerful enemy? At the realization of this, Elder Wei regained his calm and steady speed. Caroline asked in astonishment, Doesnt this mean we wont ever catch up to that kid? The Earth Dragons suppression will only grow stronger. Besides, with your cultivation and mine, do you think we cant afford to wear him down? Elder Weis words made sense, so Caroline did not insist and merely kept on ascending. She kept Qianye in her vision at all times, in a bid to pressure him. If the two parties were to maintain this distance until the summit, she could whip the latter to pieces as soon as the barrier vanished. Another circle went by, but Qianyes speed never changed. He was still moving at the same rate as the two people behind him. At this point, even Caroline couldnt help but admire Qianye. In terms of willpower alone, she really might not win against the latter. Her relative ease in traveling upward was only due to her high cultivation. All of a sudden, a thought popped up in Carolines head. Say, do you think that Qianye has comprehended something from the Pointer Monarchs tablet? This question threw Elder Wei into a lapse of silence. Very likely. Caroline exclaimed in surprise, and her gaze toward Qianye became even more complicated. What kind of talent was he to have comprehended the Pointer Monarchs words? Even Caroline herself had to give up. One more circle later, the clouds suddenly thinned out quite a bit and the vague outline of the mountain peak was revealed. With the destination in sight, both Qianye and Caroline became more spirited. Only Elder Wei glanced at the former with a serious expression. The summit seemed near, but it was actually a dozen more circles at the very least. The clouds around them dispersed after one more circle upward, revealing a vast, clear sky. However, the Earth Dragons pressure increased sharply as soon as the skies cleared up, and there were wisps of grey energy flowing down like rainthe suppressive might had become tangible! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 794: Empty World Carolines hands sank downthe heavy crate swayed about and nearly slipped out of her grasp. Her expression was solemn, and several arcs of lightning jumped about on her body as she stabilized herself. Having to take care of the heavy crate under this pressure was quite taxing even for a divine champion. The initial feeling was that they werent far from the peak, but the shower of grey made it seem exceptionally distant. Gazing at the drifting wisps of grey rain, Caroline unleashed a low roar and shot out hundreds of lightning bolts from her whip. The arcs of electricity looked chaotic, but they were actually split into several orderly wavesone surge was followed by the next to form a constant barrage. This single attack showed just how much control Caroline had over her lightning powers. The tangible grey rain was incomparably tough. A bolt of lightning could only wear down a small part of each wisp, taking half a dozen strikes to completely destroy one. Following the sweeping storm of lightning, the grey rain had only thinned out slightly and was soon replaced by more condensation from behind. This result elicited a serious expression from Caroline; she hadnt expected the grey rain to be that powerful. Her notion of blasting through the rain with lightning was thus snubbed. From a different perspective, this was her lightning powers being inferior to the Earth Dragons pressure. It was not an embarrassment to lose to such an opponentit was just that the road forward was destined to become harder. Just as Caroline was struggling arduously, Elder Wei sent a sheet of paper flying onto the crate. The ten thousand kilogram load lightened significantly and this, in turn, allowed Caroline to catch her breath. After using this page, Elder Weis complexion grew ashen and his creases grew even deeper. Caroline glanced upward, hoping to see Qianye crawling on the ground somewhere, or at least struggling to move. The latter had indeed halted his steps, but quite unexpectedly, he was standing as straight as a rod and gazing up at the summit as though he were contemplating something. The Earth Dragons pressure had condensed into wisps of grey rain. The power bore down on him without mercy and pierced right through his skin, causing him to tremble slightly. Caroline was both surprised and disappointed. Qianye had far exceeded her expectations by reaching this point when even that Vampire Keimor had fallen somewhere along the way. But judging from Qianyes current state, it would seem that he was at his limits. There was no way he would reach the peak even if he could go on. Whether he was short ten circles or just one lap, it was the same as long as he couldnt reach the peak. His only fate was to become a skeleton on the mountain path. This was a key step. Passing this threshold would open up a new world, but those who couldnt would lose everything. The so-called one step to heaven and one step to hell was just that. It was such a pity that such a talented person wasnt afforded the time to mature. In the end, he was destined to fall before the break of day. For a short moment, Caroline had the sudden urge to forget their enmity and let him be. Such a person shouldnt wither in the cruelty of this world. But she woke up from her reverie in the end, knowing that her thoughts were merely thoughts. Even if she could let go, there was no way she could help Qianye. The two looked like they were at arm''s length but were actually worlds apartthe only one who could help him now was himself. Caroline and Elder Wei did not stop walking, while Qianye remained rooted to the ground. Caroline was suddenly curious. What was Qianye thinking at this moment? She gradually approached her target, going from over a dozen meters away to standing right beside him. The mountain path was narrow, and she would bump into Qianyes back after taking the next step. Caroline wanted to stop out of reflex but quickly recalled that they were in two different worlds. There would never be any contact even if they were to brush past one another. Emotions were always as quick as lightning, while time would always roll forward at a steady pace. Still lost in thought, she passed through Qianye and stepped onto the path beyond. The moment they crossed each other, Qianyes figure phased between reality and illusory, much like a bubble in water. Elder Wei also passed through Qianye. He never looked back and merely kept on climbing with his head lowered. If this really was a path that sought ones heart, then his road was one filled with loneliness and withering. All of his energy and vitality had vanished along the distant years. Qianye stood there gazing at the sky, and no one knew what he was thinking. Caroline suddenly turned back. She had no idea why, but she was overcome by a powerful urge to glance behind. It felt as though she would be missing something if she didnt do so. Qianyes aura transformed the moment their eyes came into contacthe was ancient, desolate, cold, and lonesome. That inexplicable sense of loneliness almost stifled her! What Qianye was seeing at this moment was neither land nor sky. His vision was filled with scenes from the dead world and the man standing at its center. His presence there almost filled the entire heaven and earth. Such an imposing spirit! When the man let loose his voice, Qianye instantly realized his moodit was emptiness. His entire world was empty. In his daze, Qianye couldnt quite differentiate between himself and that man. The empire, his brothers, friends, and comrades were all in the distant past. Now that she was also gone, there was really nothing left in his empty world. There was no heaven, there was no earth, and there was no light, nor was there any darknesshe didnt even know whether he was alive. All of a sudden, Caroline saw a vast, empty world. Actually, it couldnt be considered a world because it was merely an expanse of nothingness. She returned to reality all of a sudden, trembling and filled with bewilderment. She had no idea what had just happened, but her intuition told her that it was the world in Qianyes heart. Elder Wei glanced toward Caroline with eyes as sharp as blades but didnt get the time to figure anything out. Sensing something, he quickly glanced over in the same direction. Qianyes eyes had regained their clarity at this point. He tried to take a step forward, attracting a shower of grey rain that caused his entire body to tremble. Caroline broke into a frown. She knew that Qianyes body was at its limits and couldnt hold out any longer. Truth be told, Qianyes current physical strength wasnt below hers; it might even be superior. However, she was a divine champion who could use origin power to protect her body while Qianye could only rely on his physical tenacity. Perhaps he would collapse at the next step. Qianye looked up once more, allowing the grey rain to land softly on his face. It was somewhat painful but also cool to the touch. All of a sudden, he raised his head and let out a long howl! The cry pierced through the clouds and echoed throughout the realm. In his indifference, Qianye was completely oblivious to the fact that he was now one with that boundless emptiness. Qianye took the next step as the roar trailed off. This step drew in even more wisps of grey rain, adding tens of thousands of kilograms to his weight and making the next step even more arduous. His constitution was that of an ancient countno weaker than a human divine championbut it would seem he had reached the limits of his body at this point. The summit was a fair distance away. If Qianye were a marquis, perhaps he would be able to reach the summit with his physical strength alone. But he still had daybreak origin power in addition to blood energy! As his origin vortices activated one after the other, streaks of gold and scarlet origin power circulated around his body, forming a brilliant river of stars! The stars went out in the blink of an eye, but so did a large swathe of the grey rainonly a small amount of it reached Qianyes body. His steps were now firm and his body was no longer trembling. Caroline was shocked. Elder Wei became pale in the face, and his murky eyes were filled with a spirited glow as he stared at Qianyes brilliant galaxy. The small specks of starlight were actually tiny crystalline granules. No matter how small they were, it didnt change the fact that they had condensed into tangible bodies, and they were even of a higher level than the grey rain. A single granule would flush away two to three wisps of rain before vanishing. In terms of origin power quality, Qianye wasnt just above Carolineit even seemed like he would surpass the Earth Dragon a little bit. This conclusion shook Elder Wei deeply. The true favorites of heaven and earth werent the demonkin or their powerful bloodlines, but instead the void colossi. They stood at the apex of the entire world since birth, capable of utilizing pure and highly advanced void origin power. Most experts would never reach their inherent heights after a lifetime of cultivation. Caroline was at a clear disadvantage in her fight against the grey rain. It took several waves of her lightning to wear out one wisp of the condensation. Meanwhile, Qianye had the upper hand against it, his crystalline granules wiping out the rain with relative ease. His origin power stood shoulder to shoulder with the void colossus. Elder Wei understood what this meant. Qianye would probably encounter no obstructions before the heavenly monarch realm. Back in the empire, a high-ranking divine champion could support a major clan, albeit barely like Duchess An. If only he hadnt left the Zhao clan, there might be a third divine champion after a decade to prop the family up like a cauldron. With their clans strength, it wouldnt be difficult to be spoken of on the same level as Prince Greensuns Zhang clan. This Qianyes strength far exceeded the reports on paper. This meant that all of the empires assassination teams would meet the same fate if they were to encounter him. Elder Weis expression sank at the thought of this. Qianye paid no heed to Elder Wei and Carolines thoughts. At this moment, his heart was filled with dismay and desolation as his mood overlapped with the Pointer Monarchs. It was just that Qianye had abandoned his family and hometown before his lover left him. What did the Pointer Monarch go through? Judging from his methods in leaving behind those words, he was already a heavenly monarch at that time. What could frustrate a heavenly monarch so much? Unknowingly, Qianye had passed Caroline and Elder Wei on his ascent. The grey rain became even denser, but the starlight around him was also boundless. They danced around him, shuttling through the rain and destroying all that it came into contact with. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 795: Climbing the Summi Elder Weis expression was solemn. He fished out an envelope but put it back after a moment of hesitation, only watching as Qianye swaggered off into the distance. Lets go, the cost of lingering here is significant. Elder Wei continued the climb after a few indifferent words. Why didnt you attack just now? Caroline was wracked by an intense stabbing pain when the envelope appeared. This was a divine champions intuition toward danger, a clear sign that the content of that ancient envelope was lethal to her. And judging from the old mans stance, it looked like he was planning to attack on the mountain path. It would seem the power contained within the envelope could tear through the confines of space. Now that was terrifying. This meant that one could hardly escape the attack even by running into the void. A newly ascended divine champion would likely suffer grave injuries when faced with this kind of mortal talisman. Even Caroline didnt dare to be careless since a careless move would result in perilous wounds. With her current injuries, she might even die on the spot. Noticing the cautiousness in her speech, Elder Wei said with a smile, Because this is my final ace and Im not confident about hitting him. The person who bestowed me these powers isnt certain about dealing with the Heartseeker Path even though Ji Wentian was just a young heavenly monarch when he established it. My chances of hitting Qianye are thirty percent at most, so I chose not to gamble. Well meet him at the top anyway. Caroline continued upward with a nod. However, the lightning arcs around her had increased noticeably. It would seem she was subconsciously guarded against the old man. The latter didnt discuss this matter and only followed her from behind. After two more circles, they were fast approaching the summit, and the wisps of grey rain had turned into a dense shower of large droplets. Each droplet falling onto the heavy crate caused Carolines hands to tremble. The paper on the container emitted a constant golden glow as it worked to keep the crate isolated, but it was also growing dimmer. Qianye was inevitably slower now but was still in the lead. The grey shower had already turned into a downpour at this point. A good part of the pressure fell upon him despite the disruption of the venus dawn granules, pushing him to the brink of collapse. The rain was already so heavy here, so there was no doubt that the last few laps would be a torrential downpour. Even a divine champion wouldnt be able to take that last step without special powers. Elder Wei finally sighed. This is the farthest hell get it seems. Although the grey-rain ordeal is easier for him than it is for us, the fact remains that hes no divine champion and his origin power is limited. I guess he really has obtained the Pointer Monarchs inheritance and might even inherit a bit of the legacy if he can survive. Unfortunately, he ran into me. Caroline didnt stop to look at Qianye, who finally succumbed to the pressure of the grey rain and came to a grinding halt. On this Heartseeker Path, stopping meant a loss of all hope. I dont think I can climb the last circle, either. What should I do? Caroline asked. She had been injured earlier on and also had to carry this heavy crate all alongit was only natural that she would be strained at this point. She certainly couldve reached the top if she were in her peak state. Elder Wei said, Dont worry, I have a way to ensure you reach the summit. At this stage, Caroline had no choice but to trust the old man. She spoke no more and merely kept her eyes focused on the road, doing her best to minimize her origin power usage. Although Elder Wei had guaranteed that they would reach the top, she would be at someone elses mercy if she had no more energy left. As experienced as she was, Caroline would never allow this to happen. For some reason, she thought about Qianye once more. In truth, she knew very well that the conflict with Hu An was the latters fault. With a sister like Caroline and having received much of Masks favor, Hu An was always wanton and unrestrained. It could be said that he dared to snatch any woman or kill any man under the divine champion realm. It was just that no amount of thought could help right now. If Qianye couldnt ascend to the top, he would become a skeleton along the way. Even if she wanted to give him a proper burial, she wouldnt be able to find his remains through the spatial separation. It was at this moment that she sensed an anomaly from behind and Elder Wei gasped in shock! Caroline turned back to see a pair of luminous wings unfurl behind Qianye as he flew toward the peak! He was actually flying! The Heartseeker Path was isolated by many spatial layers, and the sky above was no exception. Flying would intensify the pressure exponentially, and that was on the premise that one could break through the barrier to reach higher altitudes. How many people could even do that? That was why even people as strong as Caroline and as capable as Elder Wei had no choice but to climb up obediently. But now, Qianye actually wanted to fly to the peak. Was this a desperate effort, or was he crazy? Before Caroline and Elder Wei could recover from the shock, Qianyes figure flickered several times and vanished toward the summit. Whats that!? Caroline gasped in surprise. Elder Weis expression was so gloomy that it could drip water. Despite knowing so much, he couldnt recognize this divine ability. This secret art had disappeared along with the Black-Winged Monarch so many years ago. Moreover, those who were fortunate enough to have seen this art were mostly experts at his levelElder Wei was simply too far below. After a momentary daze, the old man said, I dont know, either, but what Im sure of is that hes already reached the peak alive and that we must hurry. Ill use my final card, let us head to the peak quickly. As for the drain in origin power, theres really no helping it. Elder Wei fished out an ancient scroll. Most of its pages, apart from the last few leaves, were dim. However, the old man didnt open the tome and tossed it into the air instead. The scroll opened up in the wind and turned into a giant canopy above their heads, sheltering them from the corrosion of the grey rain. All the pressure bearing down on Caroline and Elder Wei vanished in an instant. The droplets struck the ancient scroll in a pitter-patter, breaking into rainy mist above it. The layer of golden radiance on the scroll flickered and faded away from time to time. Whenever it did so, the rain would strike the scroll directly and erode its pages. Very soon, many parts of the tome were soaked, and the corrosion was spreading fast. A beam of golden light shot out from Elder Weis hands and landed on the scroll, causing it to light up once more. However, the glow was fast fading under the rain and didnt look like it would hold out long. Lets hurry, my scroll wont last long. Elder Wei hastened his steps and jogged toward the peak. Shaken, Caroline followed the old man closely. The scroll was limited in size, and it was following Elder Weishe would be drenched again if she lagged too far behind. The rain grew even denser along the way and the wear on the scroll had grown even faster. Hence, Elder Wei had no choice but to slow down and catch his breath. After climbing three levels in this manner, the last two pages of the scroll were completely broken through. Elder Weis face twitched as he threw out yet another ancient scroll. Apparently, he was feeling quite the heartache. These scrolls were different from the sacred seals contained within the envelopes. They were worth more because they could be recharged with origin power and used repeatedly. Only that last envelope he had saved up, the one capable of injuring a divine champion, was equal in value to these two scrolls. Now, in order to walk the last few laps of the Heartseeker Path, Elder Wei had no choice but to throw out these scrolls in succession. One damaged tome meant one less asset in his arsenal. It could be said that the price he had to pay was disastrous. Moreover, he might have to bring out a third because the grey storm was growing at a terrifying rate and this second scroll might not be able to support them to the summit. They could force their way through the last lap, but heavy injuries were inevitable under this downpour. Qianye was still waiting for them at the top and his current condition was a complete mystery. Elder Wei would rather lose the scroll than to leave his life in fates hands. Behind him, Carolines eyes shifted about. Seeing this old man using up his treasures one after the other, some of the notions she had kept suppressed emerged once more. Elder Weis personal strength wasnt exactly outstanding and his origin power was much weaker than hers. His might was reliant on these ancient scrolls and sacred seals. With them, he was able to unleash many strange abilities. He couldve wiped out the giant pegmatite crocodile and the horde of creatures if he had gone all out. This was his power. But after using up his ancient scrolls and seals, Elder Wei had become a toothless tiger. He looked scary but was actually quite weak. Caroline could kill him just by fighting normally. Passing thoughts floated into her headif she were to ambush the old man at the peak, could she kill him? What treasures did he have on him? There had to be some Earth Dragon blood on him at the very least, right? What exactly was inside this heavy crate? Judging from how the man was willing to abandon his subordinates but not this box, the contents had to be critical to this excursion. Finally, what was it that had made someone like Elder Wei travel such a long distance and put himself in danger? All these questions caused Carolines emotions, as well as her standpoint, to change. For instance, Elder Weis figure looked quite frail and his vitals looked open from the back. She could strike the old man to death even without using the power of lightning. Seemingly sensing something, Elder Wei slowed down his steps and the opening behind him quickly disappeared. He said indifferently without looking back, An imperial rank is a hundred-year foundation, not something comparable to a momentary profit. Caroline became sober all of a sudden. She retracted her gaze and no longer let her eyes wander. Nonetheless, Elder Wei never sped up again afterward. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 796: I Bury my Hear On the mountain peak, Qianye was on one knee at the moment. His entire body was trembling, his bones were crackling, and he had just straightened his body somewhat when this small movement elicited a series of bone fracture sounds. Qianyes entire body was drenched in grey liquid. The water bore down on his body with the weight of a small mountain and made it impossible for him to stand straight. Moreover, the grey rains suppression on his vitality remained. Large areas of his flesh were dying and regenerating by the auric flame blood in a constant cycle. Fortunately, the skies over the summit were clear and devoid of clouds. Warm sunlight was showering down from some unknown place, evaporating the water and rapidly lessening Qianyes pressure. In the end, Qianye stood up and expelled a mouthful of deathly air. When this breath reached the ground, it immediately turned the earth into a patch of ashen grey. Qianye regained his movement after this exhalation and couldnt help but rejoice in his heart. He knew, toward the end, there was no way he wouldve reached the summit by following the normal rules. That was why he had staked everything on one throw by activating spatial flash under the support of the Wings of Inception. Qianyes physical attributes shot up under the effects of the wings, allowing him to resist the corrosion of the grey rain. The space traversal power of Spatial Flash was extremely suitable here, capable of piercing through the many barriers to reach the top. The Black-Winged Monarchs two great inheritances had expressed their peerless might once more. Without them, Qianye wouldve long since turned into a pile of bones. The Pointer Monarchs Heartseeker Path was more an expression of his murderous intent than a trial. It was abnormally simple yet extremely perilous, a path of no return for all under the divine champion realm. Even a divine champion would need to be strong enough to reach the summit. An expert like Caroline would only have a fifty percent chance of completing the path. People like that ex-marshal from the empire, the one whom Qianye had faced before, had no chance of survival at all. Only after experiencing the Pointer Monarchs mood did Qianye come to understand how full of dismay the mans heart washow could he be in the mood to nurture descendants? This Heartseeker Path wasnt an opportunity for his descendants, but rather a trap to kill greedy individuals and bury them along with whatever was at the summit! Only something like Andruils core inheritance could break the hopeless situation. Now that he thought of it, neither the sacred seals nor the ancient scrolls in Elder Weis hands were the work of a divine champion. They had to be from a certain heavenly monarch. Only a heavenly monarch or a great dark monarch could deal with a heavenly monarch. The Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance was able to help someone of Qianyes meager strength reach the peak. So, comparatively, the monarch was more powerful than the major character behind Elder Wei. Now that Qianye had gained a temporary advantage, it was likely that Elder Wei would hurry over to stop him. Although he had no idea when they would arrive, he knew that he didnt have much time left. The weather at the summit was clear and there was neither any grey rain nor dangerous traps. It was either the Pointer Monarch had felt that the Heartseeker Path was enough or he didnt have any resources left to set up more traps. Regardless, Caroline and Elder Wei would be free of all restraints after arriving at the top, thus forcing Qianye to fight two divine champions. Though injured and fairly weak, they were still divine champions. Qianye might not be able to deal with one of them, let alone two. With what little time he had left, Qianye understood that his only hope of survival lay in whatever the Pointer Monarch had left behind. The summit was covered in lush greenery and bright sunlight. Even the wind was clear, gentle, and contained a trace of origin power. Breathing the air here filled one with great comfort. After a long period of living here, ones strength would increase steadily even without any cultivation and eventually break through to the champion rank. There was a small, uneven hill at the center of the mountaintop. At a glance, it looked almost like a dormant flying-serpent with a dozen or so large bone spikes on its back. They almost looked like a row of masts from afar, with the tallest one standing a hundred meters tall. There was a stone hall halfway up the small hill. It was rather crude in its construction, but as the only building on the mountaintop, it was rather eye-catching. Qianye made a beeline for the stone hall as soon as his body had recovered slightly. If the Pointer Monarch had left something on the mountain, it would definitely be inside the building. Qianye unleashed his full speed, traversing several kilometers in a flash to arrive before the hall. The stone hall was over ten meters in height, and its doors opened up into a deep passage illuminated by flickering flames. After seeing the giant gate and the Heartseeker Path, Qianye understood that the Pointer Monarch was proficient in spatial arrangements. This stone hall looked narrow, but there might be a vast world inside. Qianye didnt rush into the building. Instead, he stood at the doors to observe the place. The stone hall wasnt constructed evenlymost of the stones used to build it were natural and unpolished, giving off a different kind of artistry. It felt as though they were supposed to be exactly where they were and shouldnt be moved in the slightest. Not to mention changing positions, even shaving off or polishing an edge would destroy the concept here. Qianyes heart was moved as he gazed at this stone hall. The mood enshrined within the stone tablet was a form of discontent and loneliness, but all he could feel from this stone hall was a deathly dejectionas though all hope and expectations had left, never to return again. Qianye was just as depressed when Nighteye had left him. The sacred mountain was not a place humans could set foot on. As confident as he was, Qianye knew that he couldnt break a thousand-year tradition to stand on the Evernight Councils sacred mountain. Even people as strong as the Martial Ancestor and the Founding Ancestor had never managed this. Such a hope was no different from being hopeless. Qianye entered the stone hall with a sigh. The tunnel inside the hall wasnt long. He arrived in a chamber after walking for a while. The furnishings here were just as simplethere was a stone brazier in each corner, and the flickering light from them flooded the room with a faint glow. For some mysterious reason, the fire in them had been burning for close to a hundred years without going out. There was a stone table at the end of the chamber, adorned with traces of axe-hacks and sword slashes. In Qianyes eyes, each vestige was like a bolt of lightning striking the depths of his consciousness. The will contained in them stopped him from breathing! He dragged his eyes away from the table with great effort, only to see the two rows of giant words carved into the wall. The right sentence read, Herein, I bury my heart, and the left, And point to the heavens to seek the dao. Overwhelmed by the enlightenment, the scenes before him shifted, and that green-robed man appeared once more. He was standing in the middle of the hall and writing through the air with his fingers as his brush. Every stroke of his would produce a carving on the wall, forming those two sentences in the blink of an eye. The mans mood was different now. He was both tired and empty, almost as though he had lost interest in all things. A slight ripple of anger appeared only when he wrote the words point to the heavens to seek the dao. He seemed to have lost all energy after writing those words. Even his spirit seemed exhausted, much like an empty shell without a soul. That man placed something on the stone table and stood there for a long while before turning to leave. The mans figure stopped in front of Qianye and shot him an indifferent glance. Youve come, it looks like she isnt willing to fade away here after all. Fine, let her go with you. Itll be ample repayment for me if you become strong enough to repair her one day. With that, the man walked through Qianye and out of the door. Qianye stood gazing at the chamber doors, unable to tell immediately whether the scene just now was real or illusory. Wasnt this a scene from dozens of years ago? Was that the Pointer Monarch when he was young? What was with those words he had spoken just now? Had he seen Qianye? Or could it be that the chamber was an intersection in both time and space, allowing the Pointer Monarch from seventy years ago to see the current Qianye? All those thoughts threw Qianyes mind into chaos. Through the doors of the giant hall, Qianye saw two figures appear at the edge of the summit. It was Caroline and Elder Wei. They had finally broken through the lockdown of the grey rain to reach the peak. Both divine champions were battered, exhausted, and drenched in rain. There was water dripping down the old mans hair and beard. Carolines lightning had long since vanished, and her long hair was almost soaked and sticking to her scalp. By the time they reached the peak, Caroline was already dragging the crate on the ground. She felt her legs grow weak afterward, falling to one knee as she gasped for breath. Elder Wei was swaying and almost collapsed before finally stabilizing himself. But the two were still divine champions after all, so their recovery was much faster than Qianyes. In the span of a few breaths, they had stabilized their aura, shaken off the rainwater, and were heading toward the stone hall. The stone hall was simply too evident amidst the monotonous scenery of the mountaintop. The duo discovered the building immediately and sped over. Shaken upon seeing Caroline and Elder Wei, Qianye woke up from his reverie. Time was of the essence at this moment! Qianye stopped thinking and pounced toward the stone table. There, he found a dark-silver pipe made of some unknown metal. He was overcome by an odd feeling the moment he laid eyes on the itemit felt as though the pipe had nodded at him. This metal pipe felt like a living being to Qianye, something with its own life and spirit. The rod emitted a faint glow that formed a barrier of light over the table. The situation at the moment was urgent. No matter what this thing was used for, it was Qianyes only chance at survival. All he could hope for was that the object left behind by the Pointer Monarch would be just as powerful as the giant gate and Heartseeker Path. Qianye reached out to grab the pipe. The moment his fingers touched the light barrier, it immediately rippled like water and dispersed briefly. The ripples of light fused into Qianyes body as naturally as flowing water, giving him no chance to resist. Neither the dark golden blood energy nor his venus dawn could block the waves of luminescence. As the light waves entered his body, Qianye was embraced by an inexplicable comfort, almost as though he were soaking in warm water. His blood energy and daybreak origin power rose sharply, soon reaching their peak state. Qianye was astonished at how this light could replenish both aspects of his power at the same time. In terms of origin power attribute, the dark golden blood energy and Venus Dawn stood at the extremes of dark and light. They were completely different in nature. Allowing Qianye to recover to his peak state proved that the amount of energy contained within these ripples was terrifying. It was definitely not as gentle as it seemed on the surface. Qianye was fine only because he had obtained the Pointer Monarchs permission. It wasnt hard to imagine that an intruder without the monarchs permission would suffer a powerful backlash, probably not even leaving ashes behind. A consciousness traveled from the metallic pipe into Qianyes mind as he took ahold of it. In the blink of an eye, he came to understand the origin and use of this object. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 797: Breadth of Mind It was an origin-gun barrel. A barrel the Pointer Monarch cared so much about was naturally not an ordinary object. This weapon part was already rank-nine in grade and on par with the magnums of the current era. Not to mention owning a grade-nine weapon, Qianye had never even touched one before. The only exception was when he had fired the Red Spider Lily by coincidence. Qianye collected his thoughts and continued browsing the information. First up was a concise description from the Pointer Monarch himself. The man had always been proud, arrogant, and believed there was no place he couldnt set foot on. However, he accidentally entered a perilous area once. There, he fell into dire circumstances and his wife also died in order to save him. The Pointer Monarch, back then, was only one step away from reaching the heavenly monarch realm. Yet that single step had stopped him from saving his beloved wifes life. If the Pointer Monarch had broken through earlier or if he had taken fewer risks, he would have never lost his true love. As the most talented person of his generation, the monarch managed to preserve a bit of her spirit as he searched everywhere for ways to revive her. Later on, he received advice from an eccentric about using a void colossus as the mediumhe could merge his lovers spirit into it and perhaps be able to refine a magnum. Grand Magnums possessed spirits, so from a certain perspective, it could be said that his wife would regain life within the weapon. The Pointer Monarch soon learned about a wounded Earth Dragon in hibernation. He rushed over the long distance and attacked despite the great disparity in strength. The dragon was extremely terrifying. Even though it was wounded, the colossus wasnt an entity Ji Wentian could contend with before becoming a heavenly monarch. Even so, the man fought without fear. In the end, he found a single opportunity on the verge of mortal peril and managed to seriously injure and kill the Earth Dragon. Afterward, he retrieved the Earth Dragon''s skull and warm heart-blood to merge into his wifes spirit and forged a gun. But how could forging this so-called magnum be so easy? He ultimately wasnt able to master the power of a spirit before reaching the heavenly monarch realm. In the end, Ji Wentian failed at the last minute and used up all of his origin power after forging a barrel. His wifes spirit inevitably dispersed after the failure. Ji Wentian thus gained an epiphany in his dismay and stepped over into the heavenly monarch realm, becoming the Pointer Monarch everyone knew of today. Nonetheless, everything was too late. Later on, Ji Wentian returned to the neutral lands and set up everything here in memory of the past and to prevent disturbances. At this point, Qianye understood the source of the Pointer Monarchs mood. Actually, this gun barrel contained some spirituality but was still a far cry from gaining sentience. The love of Ji Wentians life had long since disappeared. Afterward, Qianye observed the gun barrels abilities in great detail. Compared to an ordinary firearm, the Pointer Monarchs gun barrel contained shocking auxiliary powers. The first thing he noticed was Lethal Strike, a skill equal to Qianyes Heavy Caliber, Accurate Fire, and Superior Range combined. Moreover, their effects were increased exponentially. All attributesbe it the weapons range, precision, or firepowerwere two times higher. Even an ordinary origin gun would reach the peak of its grade with Lethal Strike installed. This kind of ability was only slightly inferior to the Wings of Inception. According to Andruil, though, the wings possessed the potential for unlimited growth, and that was an aspect this barrel could never compare to. Another power was the Skyheart Seal. This ability could increase the wielders control over the surrounding origin power. In its passive state, the gun would guide the environment toward maintaining its original state, making it difficult for external changes to take place. This Skyheart Seal didnt look that impressive since it couldnt upgrade the wielders power directly. But after careful contemplation, Qianye realized how astonishing this ability was. In simpler terms, all domains except the wielders would be weakened within its area of effect! Domains usually played a critical role in a battle between experts. Even non-offensive ones, when dominant, could stop the enemy from utilizing origin power from their surroundings. At that point, the outcome was easily imaginable. With the exception of the Red Spider Lily, Qianye had never seen a domain-type ability on a weapon. The weakening of a domain in battle, no matter how small the magnitude, would produce significant effects. Hence, the Skyheart Seal would exert greater might in the hands of a powerful expert. There were numerous other secondary abilities like Superior Tenacity, Origin Absorption, Recovery, Coordination, etc. A gun barrel with Superior Tenacity could contend against East Peak, meaning it could trade slashes with the heavy sword. Origin Absorption was the ability to draw origin power from the surroundings, store it in an array, and unleash it when required. Most of the power needed for Lethal Strike and Skyheart Seal would be drawn from this stock, greatly reducing the wielders workload. Additionally, the barrel would slowly repair itself when damaged, as long as the damage wasnt too grave. Nonetheless, it was not that easy a feat, either, to damage a weapon with Superior Tenacity. Qianye felt that it wasnt quite possible for him to damage this barrel with East Peak if he didnt go all out. The Coordination component made it easier for the barrel to connect to other parts and form a complete origin gun. After all, it was only a barrel at this point. Any of these secondary abilities could transform an origin gun into a prized weapon. Only grade-seven guns were even worthy of possessing them. Glancing at this unassuming gun barrel, Qianye almost felt that he could see a brilliant treasure halo in front of him. Was this really just a barrel? But it was indeed a gun barrel forged personally by the Pointer Monarch. This barrel had no name. Neither did the Pointer Monarch intend to give it one. After learning a part of its powers, the remaining information became blurry, or perhaps it required one to be in a certain mental state to be able to see it. As for what kind of mental state that was, there was really no mention of it. It could also be that the Pointer Monarch didnt want anyone to see the contents. The situation at present was urgent, so Qianye had no time to study the item further. It was enough that he knew the main powers. This gun-barrel was indeed a life-saving treasure and Qianye had already outlined a plan on how to use it. He whisked out Cui Yuanhais origin gun, quickly removed the barrel, and installed this new one onto it. The new gun barrel didnt fit all that well, but the Coordination ability came into play once they were connected. The origin array on the barrel transformed on its own and merged perfectly into the array on the guns body. It was as though the entire gun was originally constructed this way. With the new weapon in hand, Qianye was full of confidence. This gun barrel had been resting here for dozens of years and had long since reached its full origin power capacity. Even with Qianyes current cultivation, he would be able to fire with the Lethal Strike effect. Otherwise, a grade-nine firearm would immediately drain his energy, and he wouldnt be able to use it even if he wanted to. Qianye turned back and said with a bow, I have received seniors gift. If I survive this day, I will definitely repay the favor. With that, he strode out of the stone hall. The building housed the Pointer Monarchs emotions and thoughts. Having resonated with the place, Qianye wasnt willing to destroy a single tree or grass here, even if it meant that he would have to give up his geographical advantage and fight the incoming enemy outside. How fast was a divine champions movement? By the time Qianye had walked out of the doors, Elder Wei and Caroline were already standing there. Surprised to see Qianye outside, he said with narrowed eyes, You actually chose not to defend inside the halls. How rare, how rare. Caroline glanced at Elder Wei, somewhat puzzled. In her eyes, this stone hall was fairly crude and couldnt be considered that strong. She could flatten it with her whip without even going all out. What was the point of hiding in such a place? It would only serve to trap him. Elder Wei knew Caroline didnt understand. That persons seals remain within the stone hall. Once destroyed, he might be alerted of our presence. Even if there are no other traps inside, we wont be able to make a living in the empire once that person remembers us. Caroline was enlightened. After experiencing the Heartseeker Path, she had come to understand just how powerful the Pointer Monarch was. Moreover, all of this was created seventy years ago when he had just become a heavenly monarch. What level would he be at the moment? If the Pointer Monarch had left behind a couple of attacks inside, they might not be able to take it. Qianye stood there in silence, speaking only after Elder Wei had finished his explanation, Have you recovered? Elder Wei nodded. He sized Qianye up from head to toe, saying, Such an impressive mindset is truly rare. It might be considered stupidity coming from any other person, but in you, its a case of still waters running deep. If you were to return to the empire, youll receive that persons recognition for what you did today. Whatever you did in the past would no longer be a problem as long as you change your appearance. Oh? Im a case of still waters running deep? You have such a mindset that conforms with that persons own, and its not a deliberate act, either. It can be said that youre half his disciple now. Qianye said, Thanks for pointing that out. What a pity Elder Wei spoke the same words as he produced an ancient envelope from his robes and straightened its creases, It wont be difficult for you to become an outstanding person of an era. Unfortunately, youre destined to fall here. Caroline spoke up all of a sudden, I heard the empire is in a bad situation. Its barely holding out on the floating continent and almost pushed back to the mainland. Isnt this a time to make good use of people like him? Why arent you? The floating continent was but a distant memory to Qianye. But now that Caroline had mentioned it, the scenes from the past appeared before his eyes once more. Zhao Jundu, Song Zining, Wei Potian, Zhao Yuyingall these people and all those perilous battles seemed just like yesterday. Qianye had invested too much blood and emotion on that battlefield. Who knew how many bloody battles it would take to grab a small living space from the dark races? The Demoness, Eden, and Edwardall of Qianyes enemies were famous characters of the generation. Every battle of his was worthy of being recorded in ballads. However, he would have never imagined that the most dangerous enemy was actually behind him, and that the most lethal blow came from friendly forces. All of this was in the past, and the perpetrator, Li Fengshui, had also fallen to Qianyes blade. Organizations like the military central command existed in every country. They would remain so long as the empire remained intact, albeit in a different form or name. Qianye was no longer that hot-blooded youth from yesteryear and was very clear about the darkness beneath all the politics. A bit of emotion welled up from his heart. Although he had left the empire, if the Zhao clan, Song Zining, or Wei Potian were to encounter danger, he knew he would still go back and he would still take action. It was just that he would vanish like mist after the fight, not taking a single reward from the empire. At the thought of this, Qianye sighed to himself. Perhaps the one to blame was fate after all? Elder Wei shot a glance at Qianye and sighed with complicated emotions. You dont understand. He can accommodate the empire, but the empire cannot contain him. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 798: Showdown These words spoke of so many secrets. Caroline was astonished, frustrated, and disappointed. Elder Weis expression was also complicated and lacking his usual subtlety. Qianye realized in an instant that he had offended certain major characters. Now that he had obtained a part of the Pointer Monarchs inheritance, they definitely wouldnt allow his return to the empire in any form. So much so that every day he was alive was like a thorn in their hearts. All of a sudden, many pieces of information regarding the Pointer Monarch came together, including how his name came to be. The mans name was Ji Wentian and the words he left on the wall were Herein, I bury my heart and point at the heavens to seek the dao. It was just that the emperors name contained the character for heavens. Pointing at him would be disrespectful, so Ji Wentian eventually became the Pointer Monarch instead. Ji Wentian was of a genuine imperial bloodline, but he wasnt in line for the throne since his mother was of low birth. He didnt have such aspirations, either. Just like that, pointing to the heavens to seek the dao became pointing to the great dipper to seek the dao. If even the Pointer Monarch was in such a situation, how could those bigshots who had managed to obtain some of the emperors power allow Qianyes existence? People in high places would always flaunt their power, rejecting outsiders while strengthening their own people. That was just how the world worked. Qianye stroked the gun in his hand, saying, Since thats the case, I must see how the empire cannot contain me. Elder Wei snorted. You overestimate yourself! He opened up the envelope at an unhurried pace, revealing a streak of purple light from withinbut he wasnt in a rush to attack just yet. He fished out a damaged ancient scroll from his robe and tossed it into the air. This tome was the third and last ancient scroll in Elder Weis possession. Half of it had been ruined during their ascent to the mountaintop, leaving only a dozen or so tattered pages. After taking to the air, each page multiplied into ten, then a hundred pages, filling the air and surrounding Qianye in the blink of an eye. It almost looked like the hundred meters around them was filled with dancing snow. The pagessharp as blades and suffused with a faint glowdescended onto Qianye in quick succession. Elder Wei was also within the perimeter, but the papers would go around him. Seeing a single page flying over, Qianye reached out and flicked it with his finger. He heard a soft ding!, and it felt as though he had just flicked a sword edge. The page soon transformed into origin power and vanished, but not before leaving a red mark on Qianyes finger. It had actually cut his skin. Apparently, these ancient-scroll pages contained significant power. If Qianye were an ordinary rank-twelve champion, these pages wouldve minced him up immediately. This was Edler Weis domain. Elder Weis pupils shrank upon seeing how Qianye had destroyed the page with a flick and was barely scratched in the process. He appeared fairly apprehensive because the hardness of Qianyes finger was comparable to a premium origin blade. The old man had never imagined Qainyes body would be this strong. Human bodies were inherently weak and required clever use of origin power to fight on par with the dark races. Qianyes constitution, however, was so strong that it was abnormaleven more so than his Venus Dawn. In the blink of an eye, Elder Wei recalled some of the most difficult and powerful cultivation arts, all of which were notorious for their high demand on physical strength. If Qianye were to get his hands on one of them, then the outcome would be unimaginable. A chill filled Elder Weis hearthis killing intent grew stronger as he came to a decision that Qianye had to die regardless of the cost. He would kill that odd Caroline, too, if she were to interfere. Nonetheless, the Combatant Formula wasnt among the cultivation arts the old man had considered. The demands of this widely known art werent just high; they were simply impossible. It would also obstruct ones advancement for the same reason. At this moment, countless pages were flying faster and faster around Qianye without attacking. Nonetheless, this was Elder Wei preparing to attack at the right moment. Thousands of pages would bear down upon Qianye once the opportunity presented itself, killing him instantly. Seeing the incoming danger, Qianye revealed a cold smile as he activated the Skyheart Seal on his gun. Once the Skyheart Seal came into action, the boiling origin power in the vicinity froze up as though it had encountered a frosty gale. Countless pages formed from origin power returned to their original form, dispersing into motes of light. In the blink of an eye, only a couple hundred pages remained out of the thousands, making the hundred-meter array look quite sparse. Shocked out of his wits, Elder Wei increased his power output, only to find that operating the domain and drawing upon the surrounding origin power had become oddly strenuous. If he needed one point of his own origin power before, to control the origin power around him, he now needed two to achieve the same effect. He hadnt imagined that Qianye could be so proficient in the use of domains, to the point of suppressing his own. The latter was only rank-twelve! The pages in the air transformed again as Elder Wei poured in more origin power, going back to around a thousand. However, it was no longer possible for him to conjure several thousand of them in one go. A thousand pages was barely enough to launch a lethal blow, but there would be some trouble if Caroline were to interfere. Elder Wei was shocked as a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye! Instantly, the new batch of pages vanished and the difficulty of operating domains stepped up once more. Qianye let out a low gruntthe surrounding space became stagnant, and a pressure akin to the vast oceans bore down upon Elder Wei. The force caused his body to bend, and his bones creaked and groaned under the pressure. Most of the flying pages fell to the ground, unable to withstand the weight of the great ocean. Only a dozen or so remained floating in the air. Caroline broke into an astonished frown. She flashed back several dozen meters out of the domain and stared intently at Qianye. At this point, Elder Wei still had a dozen floating pages, but the only dangerous ones were the two covers. Now that Qianyes Oceanic Vortex was pressing on Elder Wei, it could be said that the two parties were in a deadlockbut Elder Wei was a Divine Champion! At this moment, Qianye was calm and fully focused on Elder Wei. The mans origin power flow couldnt escape his True Sight. The power of the Skyheart Seal was even greater than Qianye had imagined. With the addition of the Wings of Inception, it weakened Elder Weis domain by half. Had the Pointer Monarch succeeded back in the year, he really mightve produced a Grand Magnum. With the domain contest ending in a draw, the only thing left was the sacred seal in Elder Weis hands. The old man whisked out a purple slip of paper from the envelope and said, You are indeed an astonishing genius. I wont be surprised even if you become a heavenly monarch in the future. Unfortunately, youre not of our race and your heart is bound to be different. Besides, no one can be sure that you wont go to the Zhao clans rescue if something happens to them. So, the more talented you are, the more certain I am about killing you! Qianye said with a frown, The major clans are the foundations of the empire. Why do you people always target the Zhao clan? Isnt the Zhang clan more powerful? The Bai clan is hiding wild ambitions, and the Song clan is on a sharp decline, wouldnt it be better to deal with them instead of the Zhao clan? Elder Wei replied, None of them have an imperial bloodline, they cannot reach for that seat. Qianye rebuked, Nonsense! You would destroy the empires foundations just for that? Elder Wei laughed. Whats the use of a strong empire when the emperors seat is lost? Qianyes eyes grew cold. I can finally confirm. Even if its just to help the empire, I must kill you bastards! If you want to kill me, thatll depend on whether you have the power of a heavenly monarch. With that, the purple paper in Elder Weis grasp erupted in a powerful radiance, flooding the battlefield with a stifling aura. It felt as though a pair of mysterious eyes had opened up in the depths of the void and was gazing in this direction. Caroline felt a chill run down her body, and her origin power circulation slowed down a fair bit. Just the suppressive might alone was this powerful! She didnt need anyone to tell her that this was the power of a heavenly monarch! The purple talisman flew into the sky. Despite its slow ascent, Qianye knew that the attack would catch up to him no matter where he ran; even tearing through the void was no exception. Space was not a barrier before a heavenly monarch! This attack had to be met head-on! Qianye laughed thunderously. A heavenly monarchs power? I have that! The figure of a contemplative young girl emerged behind Qianye, followed by a loud rumble. An origin bullet emerged from the gun chamber, arced through the air, and exploded on the purple talisman. The purple radiance on the paper receded like the tides, leaving only a faint hue. Elder Weis expression shifted drastically. The purple glow represented the energy within the paperit was the work of that powerful character and could be considered a product of blood and sweat. What exactly was that gun, to be able to blast away half the power of a sacred seal? Qianye fired once more without the slightest hesitation, and this time, the purple talisman could no longer endure the damage. Its color vanished entirely, and the slip was reduced to a shower of dancing paper-fragments. A sacred seal, the work of a heavenly monarch, was thus destroyed. Supported by the Wings of Inception and the effects of Lethal Strike, the gun in Qianyes hand displayed a shocking amount of firepower, even blasting a sacred seal into smithereens! This meant that the overall power of this gun had reached grade-nine, and even a divine champion wouldnt dare to take a shot from it. There was also a drawback to the high fire-power, however. Just the two shots had drained Qianyes origin power entirely, and there was no way he could fire a third. Elder Wei spat out a mouthful of blood as the sacred seal shattered. His aura began to fluctuate wildly and could hardly remain at the divine champion level. He reached for his pockets, but there was nothing left. However, there were still a dozen pages floating in the air, and the front and back covers of the tome were especially active. Besides, Qianyes condition at the moment wasnt any better than Elder Weis. His Oceanic Vortex had long since dispersed, and he had no more power to use the Skyheart Seal. Its a pity, but your luck is still not good enough in the end. With that, Elder Wei bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mist of blood into the air. The two covers from the ancient scroll lit up with a sanguineous glow and their sharpness increased exponentially. I must see what other methods you have! Elder Wei let out a sinister laugh as he controlled the leather cover of the ancient tome. In a flash, two beams of blood-colored light began spinning around Qianye. Qianyes body was strong and his regenerative capacity was powerful, but the old man was prepared to kill him in one strike once an opening was revealed. Elder Wei had some reservations about asking Caroline to attack and also kept a part of his attention on her. After all, the power of a wounded divine champion was still outstanding. At this moment, Qianye was like a lamp that had run out of oil. The old man didnt need to wait very long. Yet Qianye was neither alarmed nor desperate as he had imagined. He glared deeply at the elder, his eyes full of sympathy and farewell! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 799: Compensation All of a sudden, Qianyes aura rose sharply and almost reached its peak in the span of a few breaths! The intense blood energy even seeped out of his body and formed a faint armor of blood around him. Qianye had finally activated the Book of Darkness at the critical juncture! The blood energy stored within the book gushed out and brought Qianyes physical condition to its peak. Following a deep grunt from Qianye, the Oceanic Vortex burst forth once more and suppressed Elder Weis domain in one fell swoop. Qianyes arms waved about like lightning during this short gap. A cluster of origin grenades soon appeared in Elder Weis vision, a vast number of them in fact! Hundreds of origin grenades danced about in the air, covering the entire battlefield. Elder Wei glanced about to find the entire area filled with origin grenades, including the area around Qianye! This cut short Elder Weis notion of charging toward Qianye in search of a safe area. On the verge of life and death, he actually couldnt find a safe place! Is he looking to die together!? Elder Wei thought in shock. Unfortunately, he had no more time to think. The sound of explosions reverberated throughout the mountaintop. Countless streams of fire converged into a giant ball of flames which rose hundreds of meters into the air before turning into billowing black smoke! Elder Wei realized something the moment those fierce flames arrived, That brats body is so strong. Hell survive this, but I won''t! Elder Wei made to launch a fierce attack at Qianye, but his spirit was badly shaken at this moment. As it turned out, his domain had been blasted apart by the explosion, and the attempted operation only inflicted heavy injuries on himself. Finally, the flames died out, and a large but shallow pit appeared on the mountaintop. It was a hundred meters in diameter and over a meter in depth, with little crystalline granules glittering within. These crystals were condensed under the high temperature of the origin flames. Qianye was half-kneeling at the center of the pit, all curled up and covering his head. The combat robes on his body had been reduced to ashes and his skin, burnt black, almost like a charred corpse. Qianye moved slightly as a gust of cold wind blew past. He attempted to stand up, but this little movement caused his skin to split apart, revealing the new, pink flesh beneath. An expression of pain emerged on Qianyes face, but he clenched his teeth and stood up. By the time he was standing straight, there were dozens of lacerations on his body. It was a shocking sight to behold. If Qianye hadnt recovered to his peak state, he might not have survived that round of explosives. His current injuries were only surface woundsmost of them would contract after exuding a few drops of blood. Apparently, he wouldnt even need one full day to recover. There was some blood energy remaining in the Book of Darkness, all of which he absorbed to accelerate his recovery. Then, Qianye turned toward Caroline. The divine champion bit her lips, her heart full of hesitation. She was very clear that the current moment was her best chance if she wanted to kill Qianye. Otherwise, even if Qianye wasnt her opponent, she had no way to stop him, either, if he were to escape with Spatial Flash. If she couldnt kill Qianye right away, the one on the run would be her if one day he became a divine champion. But there was something inexplicable stopping her from killing Qianye. Many emotions flashed through Carolines heart. She gripped her whip tightly, and then loosened her hand once more. Qianye was the first to speak, Arent you going to attack? If I make my move, youll be dead. Qianye laughed out loud, but the movement tugged at his wounds and forced him into a grimace. An origin grenade suddenly appeared in his hand. Thats not a certainty. Why not guess how many hand grenades I have in my hand? An idea popped up in Carolines mind, but she stretched out a single finger, saying, One Somewhat dazed, Qianye shook his head with a wry smile. Fine, lets just say I have only one. Why not try me and see? Both this single grenade and the hundreds from before had appeared out of nowhere. Caroline never saw where they had come from. Apparently, Qianye had some kind of spatial equipment on himyet another heavenly-monarch-level item. It was shocking how this little Qianye actually possessed so many heavenly monarch powers on him. Carolines emotions were complicated. She took a step forward and locked onto Qianye with a wisp of killing intent. As the two killing intents faced off against one another, Caroline felt as though her heart was pricked with a needle. This was her intuition toward mortal peril, her true innate talent. Throughout the years, she had relied on this power to crawl out of many dangerous situations and finally became a divine champion. Caroline was astonished. She hadnt imagined that Qianye would have more tricks up his sleeve capable of threatening her. Qianye stood quietly, secretly feeling quite helpless. It was impossible to deal with Caroline at the moment, but he did have a single Shot of Inception that he could use if she were to attack. At that time, he could empower his rifle with the Wings of Inception and Lethal Strike, and then fire the Shot of Inception. This attack would gravely injure Caroline if it hit, but using so much energy would also exhaust Qianye and kill him on the spot. Hence, this method of mutual destruction was his last move. However, Caroline didnt come closer. You killed my brother. Dont you think you should pay a price if you want me to back off? Carolines attitude wasnt what Qianye had expected. It was naturally the best outcome if a fight could be avoided. Qianye made a prompt decision and said, What kind of price? Caroline sighed lightly. There are many things bad about Hu An, but he had a dreamthat was to obtain a piece of land on the central continent that he could pass on to future generations. Now hes dead, but I want to help him fulfill his wish. My price is a piece of land on the central continent, preferably in the empire. Qianye frowned. This request wasnt easy to complete. Caroline herself was a divine champion, so the land going to her had to be fitting of her status. He couldnt pick a small territory from a random baron or marquis to fool her. It had to be a countys worth of land at least on the main continent or Western Continent, enough to support an aristocratic family. If the land was on a border region, it might have to be two counties in size. Qianye gave it some thought and said, I can promise you, but you must also take action at the critical moment. Thats a given. Caroline nodded. In the end, they came to an unexpected ceasefire in such a manner. Qianye naturally wouldnt let go of this opportunity. Whether or not this Carolines words were sincere, he had to make good use of this time to recover. I need to rest and recover. With that, Qianye left for a secluded place, activated his blood core, and began healing his injuries. Caroline walked around the summit on her own, the stone hall being the focus of her exploration. She also saw the words left behind by the Pointer Monarch, but just like the stone tablet from before, she couldnt feel or comprehend anything special. After a while, Qianye walked into the stone hall as most of his injuries had healed. Caroline was observing the four braziers at the corners of the stone hall in great detail. She looked back and saw that Qianyes charred skin was gone, replaced by the unnatural pink of newly grown tissue. You recover quite fast. Qianye smiled. Id be dead otherwise. Caroline pointed toward the door of the stone hall. Thats something the old man brought along and paid great attention to along the way. It might have something to do with the thing left behind by the Pointer Monarch, do you want to take a look? Qianye followed the direction of her finger and found a heavy crate at the corner. There was a complicated and intricate array on the chest that could operate normally even in the neutral lands. Apparently, the material used in building this container was fairly high-grade. The crate itself was of outstanding value, to speak nothing of its contents. Qianye was in no rush to open the box. Why not keep it for yourself? Caroline said indifferently, Firstly, what the old man thinks highly of might not be useful for me. Secondly, this thing is probably related to the Pointer Monarch, so I dont quite dare to take it. Of course, if theres anything useful to me inside the box, I want a share of it, too. Now that was more reasonable. Qianye gave the divine champion a nod, and after confirming that there were no traps on the crate, he pressed on the lock mechanism and slowly opened the lid. Caroline observed from the side. She was at least a bit curious about Elder Weis treasure. The lid moved smoothly and finally opened up in its entirety. There was an extremely intricate-looking machine inside shrouded in an eerie blue light. Through its semi-translucent casing, Qianye could see that the smallest components were the size of a hair. If it wasnt for his superb eyesight, there was no way he could even see its construction clearly. The machine was carefully clamped in place by a dozen firm grippers. There was also an entire row of sealed boxes embedded into one of its side-walls. Qianye and Caroline glanced at one another, not knowing what this machine was used for. Their knowledge of origin machinery was only limited to weapons, but this one didnt look like an origin gun component, either. After a moment of contemplation, Qianye picked up one of the sealed boxes. The container was extremely heavy, causing Qianyes hand to dip slightly upon picking it up. The box contained a silver spherical bodyEarth Dragons blood. He inspected the other sealed boxes and found the same blood in all of them, eight drops in total. Caroline wasnt quite interested in the unidentified machine, but her eyes lit up when she saw the Earth Dragons blood. This is very important to me, I want at least three drops. Qianye passed her three drops of Earth Dragons blood without the slightest hesitation. There was a fragile alliance of sorts between them at the moment. To be honest, Qianye still didnt know why Caroline would let go of her enmity. Her demand was indeed quite high, but it wasnt too hard for the two of them to seize a piece of land if they worked together. Naturally, an opportunity to close the gap couldnt be missed. Afterward, Qianye found a thick booklet inside the box, with instructions about how to install the machine. Caroline moved closer to study the material together with him. They exchanged glances after reading for a while. It turned out that the machine inside was a half-completed engine! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 800: Mixed Blood According to the notes, this was a project the empire had been working on for decades, and the resources invested in it could operate a county for three years. It represented the empires highest achievement in the field of origin battleships. The engine didnt look very big, but it could operate the highest-grade imperial airships and still have power to spare. What made Qianye and Caroline speechless was the fact that the engine required Earth Dragons blood as fuel! A drop of Earth Dragons blood was enough to make numerous powers fight tooth and claw for it. Three of them was enough to give Caroline some hope of advancing by a level. Such a precious material was being used as fuel? Although according to the booklet, a single drop could drive the engine for three years, this kind of breakthrough-aiding treasure really shouldnt be used like this. Just what kind of battleship would be worthy of such an engine? Caroline and Qianye were both lost in thought. There was no way Elder Wei wouldnt know the value of the Earth Dragons blood. The empire was full of talented people; there was no way they would do something so dumb. They had spent so much resources and time to build this engine, yet they had also specified the Earth Dragons blood as its fuel and traveled tens of thousands of kilometers to this place. They had to have a good reason for this. As Qianye continued reading the booklet, a paper dropped out from within. On it was an outline of a void colossus with a symbol and note on its abdomen. One of the labels caught Qianyes attention: Engine made for the Martyrs Palace, fuel should be sought out at its home. Martyrs Palace? Home? Neither Qianye nor Caroline understood what these symbols meant, but Qianye thought of something according to the sketches in the book. Could it be that this Engine was placed on the Earth Dragons remains, and Martyrs Palace was the name of the Earth Dragon battleship? The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible. Caroline never obtained the Pointer Monarchs inheritance, so she didnt know that the Earth Dragon had, in fact, died. It was only natural that she wouldnt think of this possibility. No matter the locale, it was obvious that the value of this engine was far beyond a few drops of Earth Dragons blood. How they would split the loot had become a problem at this point. Caroline was, after all, a divine championif she were to turn hostile, all Qianye could do was go all out and hope for mutual destruction. This wasnt an acceptable outcome for either of them. Caroline caressed the engine lightly. Looks like it wont be a problem to get a piece of land in the empire if we return this thing. What will you do if I change my mind? Would you rather give me all of the Earth Dragons blood? After a moment of silence, Qianye replied, This thing is ownerless, to begin with. But even eight drops of Earth Dragons blood might not be as valuable as this engine. Caroline smiled faintly. Youre quite honest. Fine, let me tell you something, it wont be that easy to get me a piece of land in the empire. You might not know, but I have werewolf blood flowing through my veins. I dont think I can hide that for very long once I go to the empire. A hybrid? Qianye was surprised. Everyone knew that dark race bloodlines were stronger than human ones. A union between them would almost always result in a miscarriage or a dark race descendant. Scions with dominant human bloodlines were quite rare. The interbreeding between the dark races, however, wasnt a certaintysometimes, the offspring would be stronger than the parents, but those were quite rare. If Caroline hadnt admitted to it, Qianye really couldnt see that she had a werewolf bloodline. Additionally, having reached the divine champion level proved that her human bloodline talent was quite powerful. This kind of situation had basically never happened in the empire. Caroline nodded. Its something from my grandfathers generation. Hybrids are a common sight in the neutral lands, almost none of the bloodlines here are pure. Qianye inquired further and found out that many races lived together in the neutral lands, so there were many offspring between humans, vampires, and werewolves. Perhaps due to the chaotic origin power here, human bloodlines didnt always fall to a disadvantage during the process. Hence, a large number of mixed-breed descendants were born. However, those receiving a noble rank in the empire had to undergo a bloodline inspection. Only pure-blooded humans would be bestowed aristocracy to prevent infiltration from the dark races. To most humans, this kind of inspection was but a formality, but Caroline would probably fail this checkpoint on her way to obtaining land and title. The nature of the entire business had changed. Qianye remained in a silent frown. Caroline said, My initial terms still apply. Ill let you go and let you have this engine in exchange for a territory. Qianye sighed. But what you want is an independent territory. Of course. Otherwise, I can simply join the empire. Qianye let out a long sigh. Fine, I promise you, but I need time. Caroline nodded. Of course, but how long are you going to make me wait? Ten years? Twenty? Or even longer? Qianye said after some thought, Ten years. Caroline whispered, Thats a relief. I thought you were going to make me wait three decades. It looks like youre quite confident! At this point, she looked meaningfully at Qianye. The latter said frankly, I''m confident in myself and in you. Caroline weighed the Earth Dragons blood in her hand, saying, Three drops of Earth Dragon blood can only bring me one level higher. The gap between rank nineteen and twenty is a difference between lower and middle rank. Qianyes words moved Caroline visibly. You can tell? Qianye nodded. Caroline had the urge to ask about it, but she controlled herself. It was best not to ask about each persons hidden aces if the other party didnt want to talk about it. The divine champion said after a moment of contemplation, I have some confidence in you right now, but thats not enough. The power of a divine champion is related to utilizing the origin power in the surroundings, crystallization of their origin nodes, and using origin power to conjure weapons. Most divine champions will form either shield or armor, and my specialty is Lightning Shield. Use your strongest attack on my Lightning Shield and let me see your combat strength. With that, Caroline tapped several times in the air, leaving crystallized origin power wherever her fingers went. The crystals then linked to one another and turned into a lightning-suffused shield in the blink of an eye. Careful, my Lightning Shield will discharge electricity to counterattack, Caroline warned. This was the first time Qianye had seen a divine champions weapon. Back in the empire, he had only blocked a single blow from that old man before fleeing with Spatial Flash. And during his battle against Elder Wei, the latter had already spent most of his origin power and had no energy to conjure his weapon. Besides, Elder Weis strength was mediocre at best. Most of his capability was reliant on those scrolls and sacred seals. Elder Wei was like a tiger with wings when surrounded by powerful subordinates. The more people there were in his unit and the higher their level, the more effective Elder Weis power would be. Nonetheless, he was like a tiger without claws by the time he met Qianye. Additionally, Caroline chose to stand by and watch with folded arms. That was why the old man had died an unwilling death in this place. At this moment, the Lightning Shield in front of Caroline was in a semi-translucent state, almost like a mirage. This shield would become more tangible and realistic once she had become a divine champion. This shield was formed of Carolines origin power. In order to break this shield, one would need to consider its own defenses in addition to the quality of Carolines origin power. If the assailing power was inferior to Carolines own, the attacker would have to spend even more origin power. Come, go all out. Ill keep my power in check so that it doesnt wound you, Caroline said. Qianyes expression was calm. East Peak appeared in his hand as he arrived before Caroline with a flicker. Sweeping Calm erupted in full force, throwing four strikes at the Lightning Shield in rapid succession. A beam of scarlet origin power surged in the air, and Qianye took three solid steps backward. Meanwhile, to Carolines great astonishment, countless cracks crept over her shield and shattered it into many pieces! Careful! Caroline had never imagined that her shield would be shattered in one move. The violent origin power went out of controlshe could only watch the fragments turn into thick thunderbolts as they struck Qianyes body! The divine champion was inwardly alarmed. Knowing very well how powerful the backlash from the Lightning Shield was, she immediately arrived beside Qianye to save him. The glow of lightning had subsided at this moment. Qianye was charred black from head to toe, and there were little arcs of lightning jumping along his body. However, he took only three steps back before standing firmly once more. A sheen of scarlet origin power flickered on his body, immediately extinguishing the lightning. You actually Caroline only spoke half a sentence and couldnt continue the rest. This was a clash between origin power. It could be said that her Thunderfrost Origin Power had lost miserably against Qianyes Venus Dawn. As a divine champion, she had long since heard about the legendary Venus Dawn, but it still felt more or less frustrating to lose like this. Having swept away the lightning, Qianye shook off the charred parts of his skin. Perfect new skin grew back to replace the injured parts, only leaving some of the deeper wounds to heal slowly. Hows that? Are you confident now? Caroline stared deep into Qianyes eyes. Youre really a monster! I have no idea why the empire would let go of someone like you. Qianye laughed, The stronger I am, the more restless those people become. Its the same no matter which side Im on. Caroline shrugged. Im too lazy to study politics. Fine, I feel like I can trust you. Qianye laughed wryly. Actually, Im not that confident about myself. The kind of half-independent territory Caroline wanted was like a vassal nation. They were merely subservient to the empire in name when, in fact, they were an independent state, only paying the empire a token tribute each year. This kind of land was different from that of the aristocracythe empire didnt include them in its territorial map. Throughout history, the establishment of each vassal nation was always the result of battles both in the light and in the dark. There was really no telling how much blood there was on the empires foundations. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 801: Martyr’s Palace The territory Caroline wanted wasnt too big, but its nature was the same. Whether they wanted to seize this land from Evernight or the empire, they would still need to beat them in order to obtain recognition. The small nations on the empires borders had to have a middle-ranked divine champion overseeing them, at the very least. The more independent ones who cared little about the empire were all led by high-ranking divine champions. Those countries would usually vanish quietly after the fall of their divine champions. With the alliance settled, the next objective was to search for that so-called Martyrs Palace. The summit wasnt that big, and the entire peak was a flat land except for the ridge at its center. If the Martyrs Palace did exist here, it should be in that mountain ridge. Exchanging glances, the two flew toward the mountain ridge but found only rocks and soil after going one circle around it. The row of giant stone pillars resembling bone spikes was quite eye-catching, however, there were only rocks on them. But according to the Pointer Monarch, the Earth Dragons remains had to be here. Qianye raised East Peak and stabbed at the highest peak. The blade cut through the soil like it was piercing through tofu, sending rocks and gravel flying in all directions. But the sword struck something about half a meter in, eliciting a metallic sound and failing to push further in. Filled with delight, Qianye swung East Peak about and swept away the soil on the surface, revealing a patch of silver underneath. He attempted a couple of slashes and found that it took a full-force strike to even leave a white trace on the silver foundation. This unknown material was neither metal nor wood. It was actually Caroline who knew more about this subject. She reached out to knock on it, saying, This is probably the void colossus remains and this stone pillar is one of its vertebrae. Qianye was speechless as he looked up at the mountainous stone pillar. Wouldnt the Earth Dragon stand thousands of meters tall if it were alive? Compared to the Void Colossus, Chaos, however, the Earth Dragon was a mere kid. After confirming that the Earth Dragons remains were indeed here, Qianye stabbed East Peak hard into the ground. His origin power burst forth, sending rocks and soil flying with the force of a dozen exploding grenades. In mere moments, a large pitten meters in diameter and several meters in depthhad appeared around Qianye. Even so, its base was still filled with gravel not bone. Qianye stood up. Looking up at the mountain ridge that was hundreds of meters tall, he couldnt help but shake his head. He knew that this route wasnt feasible as the rock and soil here were simply too thick. It would take a hundred years if they wanted to clear out everything. That little hole Qianye had blasted out was nothing compared to the entire ridge. He glanced back at the stone hall. If there were any clues regarding this matter, it had to be in the stone hall. Caroline also felt that clearing the rocks away wasnt a good idea, so she followed Qianye back to the stone hall. The furnishings inside the building were rather crude and simplethe only things of note apart from the table were the four perpetually burning braziers. Caroline hadnt completed her observation back then, so she crouched down to study them once more. Qianye arrived in front of a brazier and gazed at it for a long while, but to no avail. The brazier was over a meter in height and made of stone. Its surface was mottled with a few damaged areas that had fallen off. Even though there was no wind or rain inside the hall, the corrosion of void origin power was unavoidable. However, the patterns on its surface didnt look like origin arrays, either. Qianyes eyes lit up with a blue radiance. After activating True Sight, he could now see wisps of void origin power converging into the braziers to serve as its fuelthere was indeed a mysterious mechanism within. Qianye flicked the brazier with his finger and found a line of silver under the broken stone shell. After peeling more of the stone material, he saw more of the silver bones as expected. It turned out that these four stone braziers were made from the Earth Dragons bones. As expected of the favored children of the world, the bones of the void colossi were inherently capable of absorbing void origin power. Both the dark races and the humans had to go through long periods of cultivation to reach such an outstanding level. Since the four braziers were like this, all that remained were the stone table and walls. There was a shallow groove on the table caused by the erosion of origin power where the gun barrel had lain for many years. Qianye reached out to touch the groove and sensed his origin power being absorbed into it. An idea popped up in his mind. He didnt resist the suction and even sent a steady stream of his Venus Dawn origin power into the stone table. The stone table was like a bottomless abyss absorbing Qianyes origin power without end. Only when he had expended half of his origin power did the world around him transform into that vast, unicolor realm. Lofty yet lonesome, the Pointer Monarch stood at the very center of the heaven and earth, his momentum filling every inch of the realm. This time, he turned around and glanced deeply into Qianyes eyes. In that brief moment, Qianyes entire existence was seen through from inside outthere was no room to hide any of his secrets! This feeling was like being doused in icy water. The chill would sink deep into the bonesit was inexplicably difficult to bear and filled ones soul with inherent apprehension. And that was only an illusion of the Pointer Monarch, a remnant will. Fortunately, the monarch only shot him a glance before retracting his gaze. He nodded briefly at Qianye. Youre good. Your daybreak origin power is only one step away from the apex of purity. Not many in the empires thousand-year history has managed to do this. Youre qualified to inherit the thing I left behind. Qianye tried asking, Senior Ji, do you mean this gun-barrel? Ive received it. My current power is limited. In the future, Ill definitely put together a set of worthy components and produce a Grand Magnum. The Pointer Monarch smiled faintly. Actually, her spirit has already dispersed at the moment of failure. Its just that I couldnt let go. No matter how powerful the weapon is, it wont become a Grand Magnum without a soul. The only thing with any hope of reaching the peak is the Wings of Inception inside your body. The item I left behind, no matter how powerful it is, will only be a medium for the wings. Qianye was astonished. The Wings of Inception was his greatest secret, a hidden ace that had enabled him to turn the tables in many a battle. It was unfathomable and etherealeven Qianye wasnt clear regarding its principles. If it wasnt absorbing darkness origin power every day, Qianye wouldve thought that it was a non-existent illusion. Who wouldve thought that the Pointer Monarch would see through this secret in a single glance? Qianye suddenly recalled the time when he had met Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang. No one knew what level of cultivation his foster father was at. Due to the Art of Heavens Mystery, he was already standing at the peak of the world and no one could even probe his rank. The only way to find out his cultivation realm was to fight him. Zhang Boqian, on the other hand, was a bona fide heavenly monarch. Additionally, he was highly talented and the favorite human candidate to surpass the Pointer Monarch in the future. If even a remnant-will left behind by the Pointer Monarch could see through Qianye, how could Zhang Boqian not have done the same? The Pointer Monarch sighed. Back then, I ran into a projection of the Black-Winged Monarchs will. Young and impetuous, I exchanged a couple of blows with him across space. Later on, he told me about his plans for the Wings of Inception. Who wouldve thought I would see the real thing one day? Only after failing the refinement did I realize just how much of a genius concept the Wings of Inception was. The Pointer Monarch appeared somewhat sad, but an indifferent smile appeared on his face as his gaze pierced through the illusory realm and landed on the engine. So many years have passed, but those people still havent given up. They really did produce this thing. Are you here for the Martyrs Palace too? Qianye said truthfully, Actually, I dont even know what the Martyrs Palace is. This engine is something I seized from the military people. The Pointer Monarch nodded. Youre quite honest. Fine, this thing is bound to come into being someday. Why would I interfere with something thats destined to be so? Handing the Martyrs Palace to you is much better than having it land in the militarys control. Remember, use the power of the Martyrs Palace to protect humanity when necessary. Qianye grasped the detail in those words. Humanity? Not the empire? The Pointer Monarch raised a finger, indicating the entire world. The world is so big. The neutral lands, the empire, and Evernight, there are humans everywhere. The land on which the empire rests is but a small corner of the world. The empire can be replaced, but humanity must not be eradicated. As long as humans exist, another empire will rise after the fall of this one. These words would be considered rebellious if spoken in the empire. The Pointer Monarch was of imperial bloodline. Who wouldve thought he would have such a view of things? Time is short, Ill take you to see what exactly the Martyrs Palace is. With that, the Pointer Monarch waved his hand. The scenery in front transformed, and the stone hall appeared once more. The Pointer Monarch walked in with Qianye close at his heels. Within the hall, Caroline was still studying one of the braziers, completely oblivious of Qianye and the monarch. Ji Wentian walked over to the wall on his own. The stone table moved to the side of its own accord, revealing a door and, behind it, a deep, dark tunnel. The Pointer Monarch and Qianye traveled along the tunnel and soon arrived in a large space. This area was propped up by a giant skeleton, the exterior of which was covered in several layers of rock. Some basic structures had been constructed inside the chamber and a part of the deck had been laid out. However, the construction work was clearly incomplete, almost as though a massive engineering project was stripped of workers as soon as it had begun. At a thousand meters long and hundreds of meters in height and width, the chamber could be considered quite grand. Judging from the foundation, it really was a battleship undergoing construction here. The scale of this airship far surpassed the largest motherships of the empire, perhaps comparable only to the personal airships of the great dark monarchs of Evernight. There was a large silver heart beating slowly at the forepart of the chamber. This heart was ten meters tall and looked much like a wriggling mass of silvery metal. Just looking at it gave Qianye a stifling feeling. Countless tentacle-like silver threads stretched from the heart and crept out in every direction. These threads were like spider webs that held all the construction plates and stones together, forming the framework of this space. There was an obvious defect in the heart, but its borders were unusually smooth and clearly the work of humans. Judging from its size, the hole was just big enough for the engine. The Pointer Monarch walked about rather emotionally. Back in the year, I left the empire in dismay and hid in the neutral lands to construct the Martyrs Palace. Who wouldve thought so many changes would occur later on? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 802: The Pas Drowned in despair after failing to forge the gun, the Pointer Monarch came to realize just how peerless the Black-Winged Monarchs Wings of Inception were. It was just that there was no certainty whether this kind of complete spirit-form weapon would ever be completed. After all, even the Black-Winged Monarch wasnt able to finish it back then. The Pointer Monarch had always been proud and arrogant. How could he be resigned after the utter failure with the refinement? After seeing an exceptional raw material that was the Earth Dragons remains, he immediately felt hopeful about forging a different path to compete against Andruil. Such a material was beyond rarethe Pointer Monarch wracked his brains and finally decided to forge a giant airship, the likes of which the empire had never seen before. His design was unique since he wanted to use the dragons skeleton as the ships framework and its heart as the main font of energy. This would allow the Earth Dragons flesh to grow in a set pattern and form the warships foundations. He would then build all kinds of weaponry on the flesh. This warship, once built, would be a flying city of boundless might. The inexhaustible supply of power from the Earth Dragon energy source would be able to support a great number of weapons. The resultant vessel would far surpass any mothership or battleship, so much so that it could implement super-powerful weapons that had only ever existed in theory. Such a warship could not only rampage across the empire but would also be able to suppress every known Evernight vessel. Perhaps only the airships of those characters on the sacred mountains would be able to contend with it. Among the three supreme existences of the sacred mountains, only the arachne had revealed his airship occasionally. The others vessels had never been seen before, so there was no way to compare. However, the emergence of this super warship caused a storm among the upper echelons of the empire. Controlled by a heavenly monarch, this airship could wipe out any aristocratic family, and even the imperial family wouldnt be able to go against it. One had to remember that the Pointer Monarch was one of the two heavenly monarchs of the imperial family. He had just ascended to power back then, but even the Longevity Monarch wouldnt be his match with this warship in the equation. If the other heavenly monarchs were to remain neutral, not even the imperial family would be able to stop the Pointer Monarch from transforming the power distribution of this world. To be completely frank, the Pointer Monarch would have a pretty good chance of taking the treasured throne if he wanted to, even though his maternal lineage wasnt as celebrated. He had just finished the giant airships framework when the empire withdrew all support and used every method at their disposal to take the control rights away from the Pointer Monarch. Ji Wentians purpose for constructing the Martyrs Palace was to commemorate his late wife and to contend with the Black-Winged Monarchyet the empire had a different opinion. At the mention of this, the Pointer Monarchs projection sighed. Ive never wanted that position, but whats the use? If they think you want it, then that becomes a fact. Cold and dejected, the Pointer Monarch finally sealed the giant warship here, along with numerous traps and mechanisms. These arrangements were to prevent other people from touching the Martyrs Palace. The requirements put in place were so harsh that an ordinary divine champion would fall into great peril. Only heavenly monarchs would be able to break through by force. However, the Pointer Monarch giving up on building the Martyrs Palace didnt mean he had no temper. With him watching the place, which heavenly monarch would dare to go over and snatch the warship? On the other hand, those below the heavenly monarch realm would face grave dangers in the neutral lands and run the risk of dying at any time. Elder Wei had arrived here in secret, carrying numerous heavenly-monarch-level tricks up his sleeves. He had also contacted the local powers and gained the help of a divine champion like Caroline who could hide from the Earth Dragons protectionit took all of that to finally make it to the top. Just those ancient scrolls and sacred seals alone shouldve taken the military great effort to produce. To be blunt, even a rank seventeen expert could contend with a divine champion with such items in their possession. If it wasnt for the Pointer Monarchs gun barrel and Caroline switching sides mid-way, the Martyrs Palace would have fallen into Elder Weis hands. As if he understood what Qianye was thinking, the pointer monarch said with a smile, How could my traps stop there? Trying to activate the Martyrs Palace without a top-grade daybreak origin power is simply courting death. Whether its that Wei brat or Caroline, theyll die in a couple of days if not outright. Qianye was immediately drenched in cold sweat. How could he endure a trap that was capable of injuring Elder Wei and Caroline? Perhaps it was better to let the Martyrs Palace remain in hibernation. The Pointer Monarch laughed out loud. You possess Venus Dawn, so my powers cant hurt you. After a moment of contemplation, Qianye decided to ask about a subject that had been lingering in his heart. You shouldve seen through me and know that I have a vampire bloodline. How can you trust that I will always stand on the side of the humans? The Pointer Monarch said in a carefree manner, Whether ones heart is with the human race has nothing to do with his bloodline. You resonated with my mind, so I naturally know yours as well. What a pity those clowns in the empire keep prancing about. They even forced someone like you away in their jealousy of virtue and ability, humph! At this point, Qianye had no more doubt. The Pointer Monarch gazed at the fledgling Martyrs Palace and sighed meaningfully. Its been so many years. Now that Ive finally gotten rid of the thorn in my heart, I can finally leave. Senior Qianye felt something wrong in the Pointer Monarchs tone. The monarch said indifferently, Im only a remnant-will left behind by the main body. He severed our connection after setting everything up, likely so that he could bury this part of his memories in the neutral lands. I was left to endure the pain of yearning for dozens of years, but now I can finally rest. The moment you activate the Martyrs Palace, I will vanish completely from this world. After a brief pause, the Pointer Monarch said, If you ever return to the empire one day, its best that you dont discuss the things here with my main body. This is where he buried his heart, so he probably doesnt want to remember anything about it. And so many years have passed, who knows what his temperament is like right now? But you have to remember, people like me are never softhearted or merciful. Shaken at heart, Qianye expressed his gratitude. The Pointer Monarch said calmly, Enough talking, Ive said all that needs to be spoken. What you do from now on depends on you. But Ill give you one more reminder out of consideration for the Martyrs Palace. The resources needed for divine champions are already quite rare, and the shortage is even worse for heavenly monarchs. What we have in the entire empire isnt even enough for a single heavenly monarch, let alone four. The path of each heavenly monarch is forged through combat. Even if Evernight doesnt attack the empire, the empire will surely bring the fight to them. This is one of the reasons. The Pointer Monarchs consciousness had been here for many years and still didnt know about Zhang Boqians ascension. But Qianye recalled how the latter had gone to visit the Profundity Monarch before his breakthrough. Now that he thought about it, that visit might not be as simple as a mere challenge. The Pointer Monarch gazed at the Martyrs Palace, heaving a soft sigh as his figure gradually faded away. The scenery in front of Qianye became distorted, and he returned to the stone hall once more. He had spent so much time in the illusory realm, yet in the real world, he saw that Caroline was still observing the brazier and was completely oblivious to the change. One had to remember that she was a divine championthe Pointer Monarch had deployed an illusion in front of her and brought Qianye into the mountain behind the hall, all without her notice. His capabilities were quite terrifying. But then again, the Pointer Monarch had always been the number one expert and pillar of the empire, so it was normal for him to be that powerful. At this point, Caroline looked up and said in suprise, Somethings changed about you. How so? Caroline stared fixedly at Qianye for a long while. I cant put my finger on it, but your aura is somehow different. As a smart person, she understood after some contemplation. You received more pointers from the monarch? Its an illusory realm, Qianye admitted. Caroline sighed lightly. How enviable. Both of them understood that Caroline couldnt receive the inheritance due to her lack of aptitude. In other words, the Pointer Monarch didnt look upon her favorablybut things like that couldnt be forced. It was obvious from the arrangements of the Heartseeker Path that this fragment of the Pointer Monarchs will was easily capable of borrowing the Earth Dragons power to kill a couple of divine champions. Hence, Caroline looked somewhat regretful, but she didnt have any other thoughts. Qianye walked over to the stone table and moved it to the side as he had seen in the illusory world. The walls slowly moved away to reveal the passage behind. Qianye picked up the engine box. Lets go, the Martyrs Palace is inside. The two advanced along the path and soon reached the center of the mountains. The place was identical to the chamber he had seen in the illusion. The grand structure in front caused Carolines expression to change. Her entire body trembled, and her countenance turned pale when her eyes fell onto the giant heart. Whats wrong? Qianye felt something was off. Caroline glanced at the defect in the heart, saying, Is that where the engine goes? Is this Martyrs Palace really a warship? It is. Qianye hid nothing from her. Her countenance gradually recovered as electric sparks leapt about over her body. Apparently, she had utilized great power in order to resist the pressure from the Earth Dragons heart. Qianye was curiousthe Earth Dragons heart was indeed emitting pressure, but it would cause his heart to tighten slightly at most, and the feeling would disappear with a bit of suppression. Caroline was much stronger than him, so why was it so difficult for her to endure? Could it be that she had suffered some internal damage during the ascent? But Qianye hadnt noticed any signs of discomfort from her before. You go over, Ill wait here, said Caroline. Qianye didnt refuse. He picked up the engine from the box and, keeping his reflexive nervousness in check, walked step by step toward the heart. As he got closer to the heart, he could feel the suppressive might increase exponentially, and the faint sounds of bestial roars echoed in his ears. At this point, Qianyes body was overcome by an inherent fearhis heart had slowed down to the point of nearly stopping. His blood core was pulsing tenaciously, but its frequency had also fallen sharply. If Qianye were purely human, his vitality wouldve withered and died from the terror of standing before the Earth Dragons heart. Even his ancient vampire bloodline powers were somewhat lacking compared to the favored children of the world. Qianye was in no rush to put the engine in place. Instead, he took in the suppressive might of the Earth Dragons heart for a while. His three daybreak origin vortices fluctuated in the wake of this incoming suppression and neutralized a fair part of it. Otherwise, Qianye would never be able to reach the heart even with his vampiric constitutionthis thing was a powerful weapon of destruction, reaping all life wherever it stood. This was likely the effect of his Venus Dawn. Qianye picked up the engine and placed it in the defect. Then, he activated the switch according to the instructions and placed three drops of Earth Dragons blood in the fuel chamber. The engine let out a light hum as its shell popped open. Countless sharp needles reached out from the engine and pierced into the silver heart, effectively merging the two parts together. One key step remained. Qianye opened a cover on the engine shell and placed East Peak on his wrist. All he needed now was to pour his fresh blood into the engine, and this merged machine would permanently record Qianyes information. In the future, Qianye would possess perpetual and unique authority over the airshipthat was unless they destroyed the engine and made a new one. But even the imperial military would need several years to complete such a task. Instead of making his move, Qianye looked back and asked, Itll be too late if you dont do it now. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 803: Hijacking Caroline smiled. How so? Once I pour my blood in, it wont be an easy matter to erase. There might not be any person capable of repairing this thing in the neutral lands. Isnt it fine to just give it to you? We''ve agreed on it before. Dont tell me youre not moved by the Martyrs Palace? Im not that interested, otherwise, I wouldve formed my own power in the neutral lands. Qianye only watched her in silence. Caroline avoided Qianyes eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly. Fine, I admit I was indeed shocked and tempted after getting here. But I could sense a mortal peril when I tried to approach the heart. I guess that person doesnt want me to dip my fingers into this. Qianye gave Carolines surprising honesty a nod of approval. Then he slit his wrist with East Peak, sending a gush of blood into the opening. The hum of the engine grew louder and louder as his blood invaded the machine. Moreover, Qianyes consciousness connected to the machine and gradually extended toward every part of the Martyrs Palace. Wherever the silver threads from the heart stretched was where Qianyes consciousness would reach. This was a fairly wondrous feeling, almost as though he had become the Earth Dragon itself. It was just that there were so many damaged parts on the dragon that it felt exceptionally heavy. However, this feeling only lasted a brief moment before Qianye was evidently overcome by exhaustion. The Earth Dragons body was too strongits burden on the current Qianye was too great despite the control and regulation afforded by the engine. As the engine spun faster and faster, a silver luster began flowing over the heart. The entire mountain started to tremble, sending mud and gravel rolling off of it. At this moment, the Earth Dragons heart was in the process of recovering its vitality, and the Martyrs Palace finally woke up from its deep slumber. The mountain ridge on the summit began to shake. Cracks appeared all over the mountain and expanded rapidly as sheets of rocks began to slough off. It looked nothing short of a natural disaster, almost as if the entire mountain was falling apart. Amidst the eruption of stone and soil, a giant beast rose into the air and hovered silently therein. Only at this point did the Martyrs Palace truly reveal its external appearance. From a distance, it was like a colossus that had lost most of its flesh, leaving only an intact skeleton. The internal space was over a thousand meters long, but the external length was over three thousand including its head and tail! Only some parts of the body were covered in fleshmainly the keelwhile the rest was an empty skeleton, through which one could easily see outside. Under the control of the silver strands stretching out from the heart, the Earth Dragons skin was covered in a thick layer of rocks. This was the Earth Dragons unique power, the ability to control rocks and soilthe thick layer of stone outside its flesh acted as a form of natural armor. Merely maintaining this kind of constitution and keeping it afloat in the air required terrifying amounts of kinetic energy. A battleship at full-output would barely be able to keep the Earth Dragons skeleton afloat, and even then, it wouldnt last very long. Qianye had already let go of his control over the Martyrs Palace. It was just that the short moment of bringing the palace into the air already made him feel giddy. At this moment, the Martyrs Palace was nothing more than a framework; even the outer shell was incomplete. Flight was currently dependent on the void colossus inherent ability. Fortunately, there was a natural defensive barrier around its body, protecting it from the cold wind and turbulence. Despite the airships simplicity, those sky-piercing spine bones stood in silent display of the void colossus might when it was alive. Qianye flew around the inside and outside of the Martyrs Palace and took note of its size and scale. The Earth Dragon possessed a pair of short wings which, when spread out, would make for the perfect weapon platform. The rows of spine bones formed natural masts from which to hang the airships sails. The Earth Dragons skull was extremely sturdy. It could easily support the ships main cannon while acting as a control room and protecting the commanding officers of the ship. As for the other parts of the airship, Qianye didnt have any clue as to their uses. The Martyrs palace was simply too big, so big that it could hold a mothership inside. Where do you plan to go now? Qianye hadnt even replied when he felt his entire body tremble. Streams of chaotic winds kicked up, gentling rocking the Martyrs Palace. Looking down from the side, he could see that the many layers of space around the peak were collapsing. The Heartseeker Path had been destroyed, and so was the gate to and from the underground maze. From today on, this place would truly become an isolated island. With the Martyrs Palace, however, Qianye could come back to this land at will. He was actually safer now that the passage to the underground maze had been blocked. Two figures flew out of the origin tempest all of a sudden and broke through the force field surrounding the Martyrs Palace. They rushed into the vessel at about the same time and appeared stunned upon seeing one another. Qianye was also quite surprisedwho wouldve thought Claudia and Bluemoon would survive these adverse circumstances? Moreover, they seemed to be in fairly good shape. Bluemoon and Claudia were filled with killing intent, but they didnt start fighting one another immediately. Instead, they looked around and finally saw the giant silver heart, as well as the engine installed upon it. Even an idiot would know that it was a key location here, to speak nothing of the fact that these two knew quite a bit. They erupted with power at the same time and rushed for the Earth Dragons heart. At the same time, Bluemoon aimed a large-caliber origin gun at Qianyes head, and Claudia stabbed at Qianyes waist with a dagger. Both of them had the same idea and they were equally ruthless. If Qianye decided to take their attacks in order to fight for the control-rights, they really didnt mind killing him in passing. Bluemoons shot was so well-timed that Qianye had no choice but to lean backward to evade. However, this movement reduced his speed, allowing Bluemoon to pass by and head for the heart. Qianye lowered his right hand and slapped away Claudias dagger, but the latter also managed to overtake him. The two girls literally flew toward the Earth Dragons heart, but Qianye wasnt worried in the slightest. On the contrary, he sneered in secret and watched on with cold eyes. The Pointer Monarchs trap on the Earth Dragons heart was still in place. It was, at first, meant for people like Elder Wei and Caroline, so using it against these two girls was fairly excessive. Just as they were about to reach the Earth Dragons heart, Bluemoons hair suddenly stood on end. She let out a shrill scream and ran backward at an even greater speed. Claudia was slightly slower, but she held her steps without any hesitation after seeing Bluemoons actions. Soon afterward, she turned pale from the terror of imminent destruction and also backtracked. The sharpness of their senses surprised Qianye quite a bit. Caroline sensing the Pointer Monarchs set up was no surprise, but these girls sensing the lethal danger was a clear indication that their talents werent bad. They could escape one calamity, but not the second. Qianye stopped their path of retreat with East Peak in hand, asking with a spurious smile, Where do you think youre going? Move! Claudias expression sank as she roared with a stern voice. Why must I? Qianye broke into a laugh. Bluemoon shot Claudia a glance and stepped closer to her. What do you want? Qianye laughed. Thats what I should be asking you. Bluemoons expression sank. Does that mean youre intent on robbing our dragonship? Qianyes expression was one of mockery. Your dragonship? What makes it yours? Bluemoon said furiously, Our tribes ancestor was one of the first people to enter the Earth Dragons lair. This place was discovered by my ancestor, so this dragonship belongs to our tribe! Does that mean everything your ancestor lays eyes on belongs to your tribe? Besides, your ancestor is not the only one who found this lair. As far as I remember, there were quite a lot of people, and your ancestor is merely a mercenary following them. Bluemoon said with a cold voice, Are you sure about going against us Highbeards in the neutral lands? Qianyes expression also turned serious as Bluemoons rudeness infuriated him. So what if I am? You think youre a match for us? Us? Qianyes eyes shifted toward Claudia. If I remember clearly, theres a vendetta between you two. Now youre referring to yourselves as us? Claudia said expressionlessly, Of course, we have to kill you first before discussing how to split the dragonship. Qianye sighed in the end. You guys dont even know the history of this Martyrs Palace, yet you dare to say such things. How embarrassing. Claudia replied indifferently, This is the neutral lands, and prestige means nothing here. You must fight for whatever you want, and you have only yourself to blame if you fail. Indeed, its all on you if you cant seize the prize, Qianye replied. Claudia felt something strange about the situation. Qianye was too calm, so calm that it didnt feel quite right. It was at this time that her eyes wandered around and finally saw Caroline in the distance. The divine champion was leaning against a rib bone with her arms folded, seemingly pondering something. She had actually been standing there this whole time, but it seemed like she had vanished from this world after retracting her aura. Neither Claudia nor Bluemoon had noticed her. This feat wasnt easy to accomplish, even for a divine champion like Caroline. Claudias expression turned quite unsightly for a moment as she realized that she had underestimated Caroline. Claudia reacted rapidly. Your Excellency Caroline, I wasnt expecting to see you here. This is wonderful! Wed like to invite you to kill this brat, and after that, the dragonship will be ours. Caroline smiled indifferently. Im not sure itll be ours. Itll more likely become the Moonlight Demons, am I wrong? Claudia replied, If Your Excellency Caroline gives up on the dragonship, well naturally offer ample compensation. The vessel has no major use for a true expert, right? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 804: Seizing Enemies Compensation? What kind of compensation can outdo a dragonship? Caroline shot a glance at Claudia. Has Masks aspirations gone so wild that he wants to unify the neutral lands? Claudia was shaken because she knew that Caroline was warning her. If news of the dragonship were to spread, it wasnt just the surrounding expertseven the supreme characters of the neutral lands might come to rob the prize. No matter how powerful Mask was, he wouldnt be able to contend against everyone. But how could Claudia give up on the dragonship at this point? She said through clenched teeth, Thats not for me to worry about. Your Excellency Caroline, please help me seize this dragonship first! Caroline shot a glance at Qianye and shrugged. I owe Mask a favor, so Ill feel bad about attacking them. Ill just stay out this time, you can deal with these two fellows, right? Whats so difficult about that? Qianye replied indifferently. Claudia was shocked. Your Excellency Caroline! Youre helping this bastard!? Caroline waved her hands. Wrong, I said Im not helping anyone. Claudia still couldnt understand why Caroline was suddenly on Qianyes side. Bluemoon shouted, Go! Her words hadnt even ended when she opened fire at Qianye. Claudia understood that she could only assume Caroline wouldnt join the fight at this point. Taking Qianye down took precedence, so she drew her sword and slashed at Qianye. Qianye destroyed the incoming origin bullet with a swing of his left hand and, at the same time, slashed at Claudia with East Peak! This slash contained such extreme weight that the surrounding space seemed to be dragged along with the blades descent. Claudias body floated upward for a brief moment and actually drifted toward the incoming sword! Shocked out of her wits, she could no longer pay attention to attacking Qianye. She turned her sword about and swung it toward East Peak, planning to deflect Qianyes heavy sword with her exquisite swordplay. As the two blades came into contact, a raging tidal-wave of origin power erupted from East Peak. The impact utterly destroyed her own origin power, defeating it entirely. Greatly astonished, Claudia had to drive her darkness origin power to the max in order to barely force down Qianyes Venus Dawn. This made her advancement rather cumbersome and prevented her from putting her sword arts to use. The two blades came together with a loud clang! An invisible ripple spread out in all directionsthe Earth Dragons flesh remained unaffected, but a fair part of the stony outer layer was blown away. A flushed Claudia took several steps back in quick succession. This attack had turned into a contest of brute force between the two parties. She might be one level higher in terms of origin power, but her physical strength was far inferior compared to Qianye. East Peak was also incomparably heavy and powerful; a single slash from it almost knocked Claudias sword out of her grasp. Qianye wasnt about to give her breathing space. He arrived in front of her in a single step and slashed down with great force! This slash caused the surrounding space to become stagnant. The intense pressure bore down upon Claudias body and made difficult for her to evade. She knew that this was a domain power, but she had no extra strength to play this game with Qianye. Numerous sanguineous patterns appeared on her body, but that much exertion was only enough for self-preservation. Clang! Claudia took yet another blow from Qianye, staggering a dozen steps backward from the impact. Qianye followed in large strides, launching a raging torrent of slashes at his target. This was an unreasonable method of fighting, but Claudia simply had no way to deal with it. The Oceanic Vortex and East Peak stopped her from displaying her powerful sword arts and forced her to take each blow in the clumsiest of manners. She was really hoping for Bluemoons help at this moment, but there had been no movement at all from the Highbeard girl. Claudia glanced around but found no traces of Bluemoon. Apparently, she had gone into stealth mode and was waiting for an opportunity to deal the killing blow. There was no telling how long Claudia could last or if she would even survive this ordeal, yet Bluemoon was still waiting for the ideal moment. Was she trying to borrow Qianyes hand to kill her? Claudia was full of hatred, but there was nothing she could do. At this moment, Bluemoon was also feeling quite stifled as she roamed about from several dozen meters away. The Oceanic Vortex would grow stronger whenever she approached Qianye. Due to her firm willpower and the support of her mechanical parts, she enjoyed a high resistance to the Earth Dragons pressure. But the Oceanic Vortex applied weight straight onto her body and was the bane of her existence. There were no shortcuts to use against this domain, only pure power. This slowed down her movements and sharply increased the difficulty of her ambush. Stealth was one of her advantages, but for some reason, she would sense extreme danger whenever she approached Qianyeit felt as if she would suffer an immediate counterattack. Bluemoon had to suppress her power to remain in a stealthed state, which meant that she couldnt take on a single blow from Qianye. Bluemoon noticed Claudias plight, as well as the key to her loss. But what could she do after several failed approaches? Bluemoon even thought about taking an all-out risk, but Qianye would always look in her direction if she so much as stepped a bit closer. A subconscious notion popped up in Bluemoons mindcould he see her? Qianye was feeling just as helpless regarding Bluemoon. At first, he had wanted to lure the girl in and kill her. He had planned to use the Oceanic Vortex to restrain her movements and launch an area attack with Sweeping Calm, severely wounding her in a single blow. Who knew Bluemoons intuition would be so sharp? Moreover, she was fairly cautious and only circled around him without attacking. Her caution was both good and bad. Although Qianye couldnt see Bluemoon with his True Sight, the origin flow within his domain would reveal an outline of her figure. Hence, Qianye simply ignored Bluemoon and let loose on Claudia, pushing her to the verge of collapse. While Bluemoon was hesitating, Claudias sword was knocked away with a loud clang, and Qianye rammed into her right afterward. Claudia was flung away, feeling as though she had been struck by a void colossus. She crashed onto one of the Earth Dragons ribs and gradually slid down from it. Her face was flushed red and blood streaked out of the corners of her mouth. She glared at Qianye with fierce eyes but didnt even have the power to raise an arm. Bluemoon made a prompt decision to turn tail and run. However, this decision came too late. The pressure over her increased sharply, causing her overloaded kinetic mechanisms to creak and groan. Meanwhile, an expressionless Qianye arrived before her in a flash and swang East Peak down on her head! I surrender!!! Bluemoon screamed. East Peak let out a soft hum as it stopped right atop her head. A little bit further and it wouldve split her head into two. Bluemoon stared at the sharp edge with eyes full of terror. Her hood had been split into twoher long hair danced about in the wind as a streak of blood ran down from between them. Pale and terrified, Bluemoon didnt dare to move a single inch, lest she be cut into two halves. She waited for a moment, but that which she feared the most didnt happen. Only then did Bluemoon heave a sigh of relief and her face became less flushed. Qianye didnt pull East Peak back just yet. He said indifferently, Give me one reason not to kill you. Im very useful! Bluemoon regained her confidence after escaping the threat of death. Qianye looked on in silence. After failing to receive the expected reply, Bluemoon said with a forced smile, Im the Shieldmaiden of the Highbeard tribe, equal to a holy daughter in other organizations. If you let me go, the tribe will be very grateful. Qianye smiled calmly. Dont test my patience. Say something useful, this is your last chance. Bluemoon had no choice but to toss out her ace card. I can help you repair the dragonship! I dont believe you. All Highbeards are master machinists. This dragonships kinetic and structural principles are beyond my scope, but thats just the core system. A true legendary warship isnt only about the core systemdefense, radar, weaponry, and even crew entertainment facilities are very important. These things dont require profound knowledge. We Highbheards have been mercenaries for hundreds of years, and we have sufficient channels to get you these facilities. In the end, you just want me to let you go. Qianyes eyes were cold. Bluemoon replied with some difficulty, I can remain on the ship, at your side. Will that do? Not yet. Bluemoon bit her lips. Then what do you want? Bluemoon wasnt exactly a peerless talent, but she was still quite delicate and pretty. It was just that her cold expression and the Highbeards notoriety took away from her attraction. At the moment, though, she really hoped her appearance would be of some help in softening Qianyes heart. But Qianyes words destroyed her hopes. Remove all your weaponry and extra kinetic equipment, only leave enough for basic movement. You can stay if you agree to this. Bluemoons face turned pale. As smart as she was, she didnt ask what would happen if she were to refuse. There wasnt a need to, either, because Qianye wouldve killed her immediately. I agree. These words were spoken with great difficulty. Then, under Qianyes cold eyes, Bluemoon clenched her teeth and started to remove her clothes. No matter how complicated ones apparel was, there could be no more than a few articles. Moments later, Bluemoon was standing naked in front of Qianye. She was quite clear-cut with her actionsknowing that she couldnt escape this ordeal, she removed everything down to her underwear. This was perhaps the first time the Highbeard Shieldmaidens true appearance had been revealed to the world. The outline of Bluemoons body was quite elegant, but there were signs of modification all over her. Her left arm was mostly machine, with only a small part of actual flesh remaining. Her right arm was actually intact, but there was a silvery line under her fingers. Apparently, there were also modifications under her skin. Her left breast was complete, but her right chest had been replaced by a sheet of metal. Through the translucent cap, one could see two pieces of high-purity black crystals embedded inside the machinery. This was the source of energy driving her machinery. The modifications to the lower half of her body were even more evident. Almost every joint was host to an independent kinetic system, and there was a bright silver plate on her abdomen to protect the vital organs within. In addition to all that, there were a dozen or so blue metallic nodes spread across her body. Qianye reached out to touch these round nodes and found that they were rather warm, and their texture felt both metallic and gem-like. He had no idea what they were used for. What are these things for? Qianye inquired. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 805: Secret of the Martyr’s Palace Bluemoon said softly, Youve seen my concealment ability. This is the origin array used to activate the stealth forcefield. A genius idea. Qianye couldnt help but sigh in admiration. He had never seen an implantable origin array with such miraculous effects. As people who had dominated the mercenary world for hundreds of years, the Highbeards possessed their fair share of unique technology. Qianyes evaluation reminded Bluemoon of the past. Her body trembled ever so slightly as she said, Not everyone can receive such an implant. The process is incredibly painful, and most people wont live long afterward. This surprised Qianye. How about you then? Its the same for me. Caroline cut in at this moment, Highbeards will only undergo major modifications toward the end of their life, as a means to increase their fighting power. This kind of transformation apparently shortens their lives, otherwise, the Highbeards will be gods. Bluemoon said, Divine champions rarely appear among us Highbeards. In order to preserve our way of life, all we can do is raise the fighting power of each tribesman and work in unison. Toward the end of this sentence, Bluemoons expression became quite dejected. Qianye inquired further and formed a rough idea of the mechanical parts on her body. Afterward, he removed all of her weapons and the high-purity black crystal from her chest, replacing it with a half-drained ordinary black crystal. With this black crystal as her energy source, Bluemoon wouldnt be able to raise her speed to escape. Even if she somehow did get away, she would run out of fuel after a hundred kilometers. It was no easy feat to find a refueling place within a hundred kilometers in the vast neutral lands. After doing all that, Qianye returned Bluemoons clothes and walked over to Claudia. Carolines figure appeared in Qianyes path. You want to kill her? What else? Must I wait for Mask to come knocking on my door? Caroline sighed lightly. Mask and I go way back, I also watched this girl grow up. I cant stand by as you kill her, at least not this time. Let her swear not to disclose what happened here, then let her go. Swear? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. If swearing was of any use, why would there be so many disputes in this world? Carolines silhouette flickered once more and returned with Claudia in her arms. You heard what I just said, right? Claudia was quite stubborn. What if I go back on my oath? Caroline replied, That will be the end of the friendship between His Excellency Mask and I. I will stand on Qianyes side on the battlefield and fight the Moonlight Demons to the death. Claudias expression changed slightly. Your confidence is indeed different from before. Thats a given after coming to this place and walking out of it alive. Caroline smiled. This verified Claudias guess. Caroline had definitely obtained great benefits from this place and would break through very soon. If that were the case, the difference between Mask and her would shrink evidently, at least to the point of contending with him. If Caroline could keep Mask in check, there would be no one to stop Qianye. Claudia understoodafter fighting him personallythat the combination of his heavy sword, physique, and domain was indefensible. Even a divine champion would have to treat an all-out slash from Qianye seriously. She really couldnt think of anyone below that rank who could fight head-on against him, except perhaps the inherently strong arachne and werewolves. This meant the Moonlight Demons would suffer grave casualties if they wanted to take Qianye down. The most important part was that Qianye was in possession of the Dragonship. Even though it was just a shell, how were they going to chase after him? Claudia gave it some thought. Fine, Ill take the oath, but I also want some benefits. Qianye frowned. Speak. A drop of Earth Dragons blood. Qianye said after some thought, Okay. Claudia was really surprised. Arent you afraid that Ill scam you? Qianye said indifferently, Well, what difference does it make? Claudia spoke no more. She took the medicine Caroline had just passed her and then sat down to heal her injuries. Whether it was a subconscious action or otherwise, she chose a spot quite a distance away from the Earth Dragons heart. Lets leave this place. Qianye walked over to the engine and began to control it. The Earth Dragons heart began beating slowly as the engine began operating at high speed. The giant ship formed of the Earth Dragons remains seemingly came to life, ascending, speeding up, and eventually flying away. Gazing at the distant island, Caroline said softly, Thank you. For what? Thank you for letting Claudia off, I know you did it because of me. Qianye said, If we must talk about gratitude, I should be the one thanking you. Actually, I still dont understand why you would suddenly give up on the opportunity to kill me and obtain all of this. This problem had been lingering in Qianyes heart for a long while. He only brought it up after Caroline had clearly expressed her goodwill and even a bit of charm. He had never once believed that he was attractive enough to make a divine champion switch sides in battle. Caroline sighed lightly. I dont know, either. If I must give a reason, I guess its my admiration for that person." Qianye nodded, thinking that it made sense. Martial Ancestor once said that one would only know the immensity of heaven and earth after reaching the top. Only those closest to the peak would truly understand how frightening the Pointer Monarch was, and the shock Caroline had gone through should be much greater than Qianyes. Now that he had received a part of the Pointer Monarchs inheritance, Caroline mustve transferred a part of this emotion onto him. Martyrs Palace finally left the isolated island and flew toward the closest Eastern-Sea landmass. It couldnt be considered a complete warship since it didnt even have a real engine. Nonetheless, it could still float through space by virtue of the void colossus power. Although the vessels speed wasnt anything to write home about, it could still cross the void with relative ease. It took an entire two days from the lone island to the Eastern Sea. This journey was neither close nor far, quite suitable for traveling to and fro. There were no other landmasses near the lone island, and it was clear of airship flight paths. Hence, very few people ever came here. Even if there were passersby, they simply couldnt see the forcefield around this islandand the fact that it could support lifewithout getting close enough. Later on, when the time was ripe, this island would also make for a fairly good estate. Claudia spent these two days in silent cultivation. After obtaining the Earth Dragons blood, she chose to absorb and refine it immediately. In two days time, most of the Earth Dragons blood had been absorbed. It would seem she was intent on completing the absorption process before going back. Bluemoon seemed to have resigned herself to her fate of following Qianye. She was far from used to moving about without her kinetic equipment, but she inspected the Martyrs Palace sector by sector, drafting numerous diagrams for the planning. These diagrams were fairly complex; one could see at a glance that it came from a professional. Qianye picked up a couple of them and studied them for some time, but he found himself unable to make heads or tails about it. He could only put the papers back and admit that he wasnt made to work on ships. Two days later, the Martyrs Palace arrived on the borders of the Eastern Sea Continent. Caroline and Claudia both got off here and set out on their own return journey. Caroline was eager to go back and absorb the Earth Dragons blood and attempt one more breakthrough. The advancement of a divine champion was no small matter, and it was likely that Qianye wouldnt be seeing her for a while. Claudia said nothing as she leftshe neither said goodbye nor displayed any killing intent. She looked at Qianye as though she would a stranger, making it difficult for the latter to guess her thoughts. Be it in the empire or Evernight, Claudia was destined to rise among the geniuses. Petty-minded people might find it difficult to allow such a person to mature. To Qianye, however, a genius he had caught up to was no longer a geniusthe distance between them would only grow larger. Besides, Qianye had already promised Caroline, and he certainly wasnt willing to break his promise to the lady who had, in a way, saved his life. After Claudia and Caroline were out of sight and the Martyrs Palace had taken to the air once more, Bluemoon arrived beside Qianye with a thick stack of drawings. The basic sketches have been plotted out, but we need to work on each section in greater detail. Itll take two years time if you rely on me alone to complete the designs. This rate of progress surprised Qianye a fair bit. Not to mention a giant void airship like the Martyrs Palace, even an ordinary battleships upgrade designs required close to a thousand people working for two years. If Bluemoon wasnt bluffing, that meant she was truly a genius. Qianye felt somewhat of a headache as he glanced at the stack of papers. Bluemoon was going to hand him the sketches at first but tactfully put them away after noticing his expression. Instead, she pointed at Claudias direction and said, Are you really letting her go like that? Qianye raised his brows. What do you mean to say? I just feel that its a dumb method to put your hopes on her being able to keep this secret. Then how do we make her keep this secret? Simple, dead men tell no tales. Qianye laughed. Its fine even if she talks about it. Qianye had already given this matter repeated thought, and releasing Claudia was actually the result of deep contemplation. Whether Claudia kept her words or not, it would only deepen Carolines position at Qianyes side. As for the Moonlight Demons retaliation, Qianye didnt need to be afraid because he had the Martyrs Palace in his control. Actually, the Pointer Monarch had left a couple of secrets in the Martyrs Palace that Qianye hadn''t even told Caroline about. One of them was the power left behind on the Earth Dragons heart that hadnt been activated to this day. The energy was still intact thanks to the power of the Earth Dragons heart and had even grown a bit stronger. If someone were to approach the heart and try to seize the control rights, they would suffer an attack from the Pointer Monarch. The man had only just reached the heavenly monarch realm back then and his power would be discounted during storage, but that wasnt something an ordinary divine champion could take. Only Qianye, who possessed a top-grade daybreak origin power, could control the Earth Dragons heart without activating the Pointer Monarchs trap. He already understood that the reason for him obtaining the Pointer Monarchs inheritance was actually due to his Venus Dawn. He was told that Venus Dawn stood proof of Qianyes temperament and confirmed that he wouldnt turn to Evernight. Actually, Qianye didnt quite understand this logiccould it be that those with inclinations toward the dark races wouldnt be able to inherit Venus Dawn? The other important secret was the one Qianye planned to use now. It was a set of coordinates carved in the depths of the Earth Dragons heart. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 806: Secret Realm in the North Qianye placed his hand on the engine, merging his consciousness with the Martyrs Palace and slowly mobilizing the hearts power according to the Pointer Monarchs instructions. The palace began to tremble slightly and a rippling glow appeared on the surface of its bones. Boundless void origin power converged into the area, almost as though it would form a tempest. Bluemoon was shocked. She gazed at Qianyes back, lost in unknown thoughts. Qianye once again confirmed the coordinates. The Martyrs Palace sped up and rose into the skies, and then flickered out of existence. The Martyrs Palace jumped out of the void moments later. Qianye arrived at the side of the vessel and found that they had arrived in an unfamiliar land. This land was fairly elevated with the ocean bordering its front. Two precipitous mountain ranges ran along either side of it, stretching into the unknown and forming a natural coastline. The entire region was a highlandthe surrounding mountains were covered in white snow with strong winds blowing through constantly. Additionally, Qianye could see strands of black roaming around its summit. That was void origin power, energy so dense that it was already tangible. From Qianyes altitude and with his superior vision, he could see hundreds of kilometers away. Being visible at such a range spoke volumes about the intensity of the void origin power there. Such dense void origin power meant that the space around the mountaintops wasnt stable. There would often be turbulent flows of origin power or even void tempests. The force field walls surrounding the continent might also vanish for no reason. Even though such lapses were brief, it would expose people to the void environment. Apart from heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs, no one had ever managed to live freely in the void without external protection. Ordinary airships wouldnt even dare to get close to such an environment, let alone pass through it. The steep mountains below and the turbulent void above protected this piece of land, keeping it hidden from public eyes. Only an expert like the Pointer Monarch, who could freely roam the void, would be able to explore such a place. Qianye jumped up onto the roof of the Martyrs Palace and observed the surroundings. He discovered that this was a vast piece of land spanning almost a thousand kilometers in diameter. It was completely uninhabited but full of vitality. The melting snow on the mountaintops flowed down as streams. These creeks converged into small rivers, several of which then came together to form a larger one. The rivers eventually formed three giant rivers that flowed into the raging Eastern Sea. Rivers meant fertile plains, grasslands, forests, and life. There were several lakes and valleys scattered across the central region of this highland. There was one closer to the sea that was adorned in deep verdant shades, a scenery seen only on the southern side of the empire. There was a crescent lake at the center of the valley with steamy mist lingering on its surfaceit was almost like an immortal realm. The entire land was enough to fit three imperial provinces. In the eyes of the ambitious, this was a great location to build a clan. Perhaps due to the ferocity of void origin power on the mountain ranges, the energy around the flatlands was much thinner than in the neutral lands. It was only a bit denser than the empires and would allow ordinary people to barely survive here. As for cultivation, experts naturally had places to go to. The void origin power on the mountain ranges was so dense that it was tangible and the supply was endless. It was just that absorbing void origin power required a powerful constitution, and not many people in the entire world could do it. Following tens of thousands of years of saturation in void origin power, there was simply no telling how much mineral these mountains would produce. At the very least, there had to be vast amounts of black stone and extremely rich deposits of black crystal. Calculating in terms of void origin power and minerals, this land could be the foundation of an emperor. Qianye drove the Martyrs Palace toward the misty valley and steered it into gradual descent. After walking out of the vessels protection, he could sense a warm, inexplicably comfortable breeze in his face. So comfortable. Bluemoon walked out from behind Qianye. The weather in this valley was vastly different, with evidently higher temperatures and humidity. The valley floor was carpeted in lush grass, and there was a small grove growing along a hillside. It could be said that the scenery here was like a painting. Qianye came to the lake and tested it out. The lake-water was warm, meaning that there was either a hot-spring or magma flow under the ground. The lake was inhabited by a type of white fish. Judging from how active they were, there was no doubt that these arm-sized fish were plump and delicious. This would be an extremely comfortable place to live. Not far from the valley stood the cliffs overlooking the sea. The cliffs here were hundreds of meters above sea-level and made up of precipitous walls. The waves would produce thunderous roars as they crashed onto the rocks, their peaks almost reaching the top of the sea cliff. On one side was the gentle, southern scenery, while on the other was the majesty of the boundless sea. The best scenery in the world couldnt be better than this. Bluemoon was finding it hard to move about since, at the moment, she was only slightly more powerful than an ordinary person. She was being flown about by Qianye for the most part and had gotten dizzy in just a short while. Even so, she had nothing but praises for this land. According to the Pointer Monarchs records, the sea in front of them was the Eastern Sea. This unique landscape was located in its northern corner. The Pointer Monarchs theory was that this independent landmass had collided with the Eastern Sea Continent during the fall of the Void Valley Star and merged with it to form this impressive spectacle. Due to its distance from the other continents and the division of the Eastern Sea, the Pointer Monarch named this place the Northern Continent. The name, Northern Continent, was meaningfully chosen. A province could house an aristocratic family, several of them could serve as the foundation of a major clan, and a continent was a stairway to heaven. If a scheming person were to report this matter back to the empire, the Pointer Monarch would be charged for treason just because of this name. But whether it was called Northern Continent or Northern Province, none of this had anything to do with Qianye. Eastern Sea was the first place he had come to after arriving in the neutral lands. If they had arrived at this place in the very beginning, all the changes that followed might not have occurred. Nighteye might still be with him, along with Zhuji and the old man. They couldve lived on this beautiful land for several decades or even their whole lives. That wouldnt be so bad. Unfortunately, it was all too late. Besides, Qianye couldnt tell whether it would be considered happiness or selfishness to have Nighteye give up her seat on the sacred mountain and live a simple life with him. He sighed lightly at the thought of this. At this point, Bluemoon bowed to Qianye and said, Sire Qianye, this land is a heaven-bestowed estate! If youre willing, our Highbeard tribe will help you with all that we have to establish a massive power here. Before long, youll be able to contend with the likes of Spider Emperor and the Moonlight Demons. You can even establish a nation here should you desire! Qianye shook his head. I have no interest in hegemony, but this really is a good place. It wont be so bad to live here. Inwardly frustrated, Bluemoon said hurriedly, That wont do! Thats too much of a waste. Besides, with your peerless talents and the dragonship in your hands, how can you settle for obscurity? Even if you dont desire power and riches, you must want to leave a lasting legacy in this world, right? Qianye refused still. Bluemoon urged him tirelessly, citing everything from business to upholding righteousness in the land; she had never been so eloquent before. Sire, since you have the power to do so, why wont you build up some benefits for people like me who follow you? Your family and brothers might not be willing to settle for mediocrity. They must want better lives and to escape the oppression of those above them. Its always better to expect from oneself than others. If you want the people around you to be free from oppression, the only thing you can do is ascend to the top. After reaching the apex, there wont be anyone to bully your friends and family. You can also, in passing, take care of subordinates like us who risk our lives for you. Qianye asked with a spurious smile, You said so many things, but in the end, you just want to leave, right? No, of course not, Bluemoon hurriedly denied. She calmed herself a bit before continuing, I dont know where we are right now, but I have a feeling that theres a terrifying existence in the ocean. I felt my hair stand on end while standing near the sea just now. If were going to ship materials, we definitely cannot do it by sea, but by air. Only the dragonship can bring in enough people and materials to construct a base of operations. So, even if I leave, theres no way I can covet your land. This did make sense, but her little emotional fluctuations couldnt escape Qianyes notice. Hence, Qianye did not comment on her words. He merely said, We can talk about this later. You stay here for the time being, dont go about randomly. Ill be leaving to handle some matters and will only return a while later. Bluemoon wanted to say something but stopped herself, knowing that objecting would be useless. Qianye left Bluemoon in the valley with enough resources, weapons, and fuel for survival. Afterward, he flew the Martyrs Palace out of the mountain range. Qianye flew for an entire two days along the borders of the Eastern Sea and finally arrived in the Southern Wilderness. Qianye parked the dragonship high in the air above the ocean and descended to the ground on his own. There, he went to the nearest city and took an airship to Southern Blue. Before heading into the Earth Dragons lair, Qianye had told little Zhuji to hide inside the Black Grove. The environment there was suitable for herwith her terrifying talents, she would likely mature without a problem even if Qianye were to never return. Now that Qianye had returned with great bounties, he naturally came to pick Zhuji up. Puffing out clouds of steam, the hissing airship completed a rough landing at the airship port. Many passengers couldnt help but curse as they were caught off guard and thrown to the floor. The airship staff werent about to take any of thatthey cursed back immediately and looked like they were about to get rough. Most of the passengers were fierce hunters and mercenarieshow could they be willing to submit? Chaos descended upon the cabin, and they wouldve started fighting if not for the narrow space. At this point, an explosive roar came from the front of the airship. Whoever dares to cause trouble on my airship, Ill cut their balls off and feed them to the turtles! This wasnt a simple threat. Even Qianye could feel his ears buzzing, not to mention the other passengers. Everyone in the cabin collapsed in droves, including the staff, but the sailors all wore expressions of relief since they knew about their captains move. Qianye became quite an eyesore, now that he was the only one sitting quite fine. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 807: Unexpected News Eh? A surprised captain walked over from the front cabin. He was a bearded man with deep, sunken eyes. He looked as though he hadnt slept for a long while, but his eyes were full of ferocity. His brows twitched as he glanced at Qianye with a serious expression. An expert, I see. Fine, I was only stopping them from destroying my ship, no offense intended. Qianye hadnt activated Bloodline Concealment, but his aura was well-constrained. Few in the empire could see through his strength, but here in the neutral lands, most of the people possessed extremely sharp intuition. They didnt need to gauge him carefully to know that he was very powerful. This made Qianye quite helpless. Then again, this was a cruel and merciless land; those without sharp intuition toward danger were probably dead already. Qianye nodded toward the captain, not intending to stir up further trouble. He merely got up and walked over the toppled guests, preparing to disembark. It was inevitable that he would step over people on his way out, but no one complained about it; they didnt even dare to grimace. The captain had knocked so many people down with a single roar, yet Qianye was completely fine. Even an idiot could see that this person was so much more powerful than they were. These sailors and mercenaries were arrogant and fierce, but they had no habit of throwing their lives away. After arriving at the cabin door, Qianye saw that two more airships had just landed and large numbers of mercenaries were pouring out from within. Qianye was no stranger to the scale of Southern Blue. The war at Port City had just ended and the exploration of the Earth Dragons Lair was a secret, so there shouldnt be any mercenaries here. There was no worry of unemployment for them since there was fighting everywhere in the neutral lands. The constant arrival of mercenaries was fairly abnormal. Did it have anything to do with the Earth Dragon? Qianye asked the captain, Is there another war? Why are there so many mercenaries? Not a war but pretty close. There is indeed something happening here. The captain stopped speaking at this point. Qianye knew that the man was keeping him in suspense, so he fished out a couple of gold coins and stuffed them into the captains hand. Only then did the captain speak, A little girl has reportedly appeared in the Black Grove in recent days. A son of the Southern Blue city lord was intrigued by this news and rushed into the woods to capture her. But for some reason, he never returned. After that, a furious Southern Blue city lord issued great rewards for the girls capture. Many people arrived to try their luck after hearing about this. A little girl in the Black Grove? Wasnt that Zhuji? Qianye remained calm on the surface but was filled with killing intent. How much is the little fellow worth? Besides, if it really is a little girl, how could she have wiped out an entire group of escorts? Theres nothing impossible about that. That place is the Black Grove where countless natives operate. The Southern Blue city lord seems to have made up his mind to clear out all the natives in the region and see if he can uproot the Black Grove, too. Of course, this is the information everyone knows. Qianye stuffed more coins into the mans hand. Then what about the news others dont know about? The captain waved his hands. Not enough. Qianye simply pulled out the entire coin pouch and poured its contents into the captains hands. Is this enough now? Qianyes straightforwardness satisfied the captain. The man stuffed the handful of coins into his pocket, saying, I know your money isnt that easy to earn. Rest assured, my information will be worth it. I have two relevant pieces of information and a third that Im unsure of, all included in the price. The captain turned back and roared, Close the cabin doors, this information is worth a lot of money. You penniless misers can stay inside until I finish speaking! All the mercenaries felt helpless, but no one dared complain out loud. The captain lowered his voice. Firstly, someone managed to identify the young girl as a young arachne, but no one has any idea why shes with the natives. This information has reportedly reached the Spider Emperors ears and hes quite interested in this little fellow. A part of the Southern Blue city lords bounty came from him. That was fast. Qianye hadnt been in the Earth Dragons lair for very long. Even the time he had spent traveling to and from the Northern Continent was only a couple of days. Yet, the Spider Emperor was already on the move. Mercenaries mostly depend on information to survive, they know who they should sell their information to, the captain continued, the second piece of information is related to the empire. Its said that some people have arrived from that side. Naturally, their identities are well hidden and no one knows what theyre here for. But these people were intrigued by the wood from the Black Grove and are willing to buy at a high price. You know that old fellow can smell the gold from half a continent away. Qianye nodded. The scariest part of the Black Grove was the natives hidden within it. If they could be cleared out, the forest would be nothing but a group of strange trees that could be chopped down. Hence, the Southern Blue city lord issued a large bounty with the Spider Emperors money. His true objective was probably the wood from the Black Grove. If the empire were to purchase them in large amounts, the price would definitely soar to exorbitant heights. Regarding the last piece of information, Im not sure if it has anything to do with all this. I heard someone saw a destroyed warship on the edge of the continent. According to hearsay, its an extremely large warship, probably a dukes ride. Oh right, that airship resembles an Evernight vampire warship, but it went down in the void so theres no way to prove this. Okay, thats all I know kid, you should get off now! Qianyes expression was gloomy as he walked out of the airship. He shot a glance at the disembarking mercenaries before leaving on his own. Most of the soldiers felt a chill run through their bodies but had no idea why. All they could do was curse the damned weather. The captain watched Qianyes receding figure with narrowed eyes. He spoke only after quite a while, What intense killing intent. The first officer asked, Do you know who that is? The captain shrugged. Its only a guess, but if it really is him, then this place is going to get very lively. Regardless, I have nothing to do with all this problematic stuff. Make preparations, we leave after two hours! Lets get one more trip in! The first officer and sailors responded thunderously and got busy with their work. During this special period, Southern Blue would give out extra rewards for every batch of soldiers they brought in. Such good business wouldnt last forever. Qianye walked out of the airship port, planning to buy a motorbike in the city and head to the Black Grove. But he foundas he arrived at the street where bikes were soldthat all the stores were completely empty. Even the older model jeeps had been sold out. There werent even spare parts left in the stores, and the key components were also in severe shortage. This destroyed any intention Qianye had to assemble a bike on his own. Qianyes expression became gloomy. The empty street block only proved one thing: all the motorbikes had been bought out by the mercenaries. And their only possible objective was to rush to the Black Grove and capture Little Zhuji. Qianye was highly confident in Zhujis combat strength; besides, she was right at home in the Black Grove. Her combat strength on paper was enough to destroy a complete mercenary corps, but a real fight wasnt a game of numbers. Mercenaries were proficient in all kinds of treacherous methods, like traps, poisons, etc. Zhuji was still quite young after all, and lacked combat experience. So, it was likely that she would fall for peoples schemes. Time was of essence! Qianye simply gave up on buying a means of transportation. He walked out of the city, robbed a motorcycle from a small group of mercenaries, and sped toward the Black Grove. The Black Grove at this moment was much livelier than before. When Qianye arrived, the first thing he saw was the three large camps pitched beside the forest. They had even built an airship landing pad, beside which was a mountain of various crates. Some of the containers had been opened and the mercenaries there were assembling what looked like a heavy truck, alongside some logging machines. There was even a half-constructed kinetic tower inside the central camp. Apparently, this operation was quite an ambitious one. They were determined to gobble up the entire Black Grove in this region. There were several wooden poles erected outside of the camp, from which hung the corpses of numerous native warriors. This was a form of psychological warfare. On one hand, it served to intimidate the enemy, while on the other, it was to infuriate the native tribes and lure them out from the forest. Their combat strength would be reduced by a third once they were out of the woods. There was no telling whether this kind of strategy would be effective, but these mercenaries all walked a fine line between life and death. Naturally, they needed a way to vent the violent emotions in their hearts. The native warriors hanging from the wooden poles were humanoid in appearance, but they possessed the characteristics of wild beasts in many parts of their bodies. A couple of them were exceptionally tall, possessing a slender build with long arms and legs. Those with bestial traits were the lowest level warriors among the natives. They possessed only a basic level of intelligence and played the role of cannon fodder. Only those two-meter-tall warriors formed the core strength of the native tribes. Qianye had never observed a native up close before, so he went over to the wooden pole to size them up in detail. These warriors had obvious bulges on their throats, probably a special vocal organ. Additionally, their body structure was extremely suited for woodland combat. Just as he was looking, a group of mercenaries rushed out of the camp, shouting, The little fellow has been surrounded! Lets go over quickly! What? Completely surrounded? So powerful! I heard the Stormwind Fury Corps killed countless natives and broke through the enemy lines, finally surrounding the little fellow and natives in a forest region. The group of young warriors was anxious. Then what are we waiting for? We wont even have soup left if we get there too late. An old veteran sneered, You think those damned natives are so easy to deal with? Theres no telling how many of them are surrounded. Therell no doubt be a lot of deaths in order to take them all down. The Black Grove has never been a fun place. Stormwind Fury mustve paid a steep price in order to break the enemy ranks. But there was someone in the group who didnt quite approve. So what if there are a few casualties? Which one of us fighters arent living on the blades edge? Theres so much profit involved in this deal. How long are we going to wait? Whats the point of being a mercenary if were afraid of death? A large number of people chimed in. The group of mercenaries boarded their vehicles with great clamor and swarmed over toward the forest. Watching the mercenaries leave, Qianyes eyes turned cold and his smile, frosty. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 808: No One Needs to go Back The border of the Black Grove was no longer silent and natural as before. The large swathes of tree stumps made for an unsightly spectacle, and even the Black Groves regenerative powers couldnt overcome the destruction brought about by the mercenary hordes. Moreover, the Black Grove was oddly susceptible to damage without the protection of the natives. Hundreds of diligent workers and mercenaries cut down the trees in a concentrated effort. There werent many chances to log from the Black Grove, to begin with, and the timber here fetched a high enough price to pay taxes with. Now that the Southern Blue city lord had increased the purchase value by thirty percent, even those low-ranking mercenaries who didnt dare enter the forest saw an opportunity to make money. They could make a fair income by remaining at the borders of the wood, but it was no less than risking their lives on the battlefield. No matter how low these mercenaries were in terms of rank, their strength made them the best workers for logging. Apparently, the Southern Blue city lord couldnt wait until all the natives had been cleared out to start building the logging zone. The logging area was guarded by a group of well-equipped elites. Even without their identity plates and insignias, one could see that they were under the direct control of Southern Blue. The city lord had already staked a claim in the industry, and the scale was nothing to scoff at. Even if other people could sniff things out and latch onto this trade channel with the empire, Southern Blue wouldve gained the absolute initiative. If they could supply large amounts of timber, the empire would definitely support them more. Besides, the wood from the Black Grove wouldnt be that expensive if it were that easy to develop. With Southern Blues strength, they would still need to borrow the Spider Emperors strength to be able to do things smoothly. When Qianye appeared, the guard there considered him a lone-mercenary wanting to try his luck in the Black Grove. They had seen too many of such people. As such, the man waved his gun at Qianye, gesturing for him to go around the camp and toward the forest. At this moment, the Black Grove was different from when Qianye had passed through it. There were traces of battle amidst its trees, with broken branches that hadnt been absorbed by the forest. The entire forest was shrouded in an aura of death and decay, with very weak vitality. It was difficult to search for directions inside the forest due to all the destruction, but Qianye wasnt about to hold back after arriving here. He rushed straight toward the closest source of sound and caught up with a group of mercenaries rushing along the road. Sword in hand and alone, Qianye blocked the road expressionlessly. Where is that girl being surrounded? An arrogant mercenary glanced askance at Qianye with a sinister smile. Why must I tell you? Qianye didnt reply, but a flicker of East Peak immediately sent the mans head flying. His expression was frozen in a mixture of terror and shock. After killing one mercenary, Qianye looked toward the next. That soldier clearly hadnt recovered from the astonishment and thus aimed his gun at Qianye out of reflex. He was fortunately quick to react and immediately put the gun down, his entire body drenched in sweat. That little girl and those damn natives are in that direction, were heading there right now. The mercenary pointed in a certain direction. Whats the situation over there? I heard the captain of Stormwind Fury is taking the lead. They already have the group surrounded and are whittling the natives down. Qianye asked curiously, You guys are attacking and cutting down the forest in such a high-profile manner. Arent you afraid of the natives retaliation? Reportedly, the Spider Emperor has dispatched true experts to oversee the operation and keep the natives in check. The native experts coming to provide reinforcement will be intercepted. Rumor has it that a major character is on his way here. Qianye realized that these people were intent on taking down this part of the Black Grove. Otherwise, it made no sense for them to set up such an operation just for little Zhuji. Of course, this was predicated on the fact that the Spider Emperor didnt know about little Zhujis talents. He might just rush over personally if he were to find out. After receiving the necessary information, Qianyes eyes turned cold. A sharp soldier screamed, Run, hes about to attack. Unfortunately, it was already too late to runEast Peak jumped about in Qianyes hands as he cut down all of the mercenaries. Then, he hurried toward the blockade. Qianyes speed in the forest was far above ordinary people. Before long, a chaotic battlefield appeared before his eyes. There were battles everywhere on the wide battlefield. Small groups of mercenaries were mixed in with the natives, clashing haphazardly. Behind the battlefield, dozens of muscular soldiers were waving circular saw-blades or axes, cutting down those ancient trees. Under the constant logging, a long, empty region appeared in the Black Grove and was constantly expanding to each side. Qianye wasnt in a rush to take action. He observed for a while and obtained some cluesthe natives were a bit slower and used less mysterious moves, which consequently lowered their combat strength. The natives also understood the threat of this isolated belt. They would rush out of the forest to attack the loggers, and the mercenaries would do their utmost to block the assault. The mercenaries were adept at operating in small groups and knew quite well about the natives attack tendencies. Employing a good balance of attack and defense, they actually managed to fight on equal footing with the natives. There was a middle-aged man standing on the high-ground. He would shout out the occasional order and maneuver the troops, filling up the gaps in the battlefront. The defensive line was as stable as Mount Tai under his commandno native assault could threaten this isolated region. This isolated region was rather strange, and it almost seemed to sever the power bestowed upon the natives by the Black Grove. It was quite surprising that such a crude method was actually so effective. Qianye looked on for a brief moment before shooting the middle-aged commander a glance. He then passed through the defensive line toward the depths of the encirclement. With his aura retracted, he became barely noticeable in the chaos of the battlefield. A couple of unlucky blokes would discover him and try to obstruct his path, but all that did was turn them into corpses. It couldnt be considered a real encirclement because the mercenaries had merely linked up into a large net. Under the command of the Stormwind Fury Corps, it was almost impossible for the important targets to escape from this loose network. The surroundings became much quieter after crossing over the chaotic region. The grove became much darker, and Qianye could sense a wisp of mysterious energy hanging in the woods. The forest here hadnt been destroyed, and the natives could still bring out their full power. However, there were sounds of battle in a couple of directions. The true mercenary experts had already arrived in the deeper parts of the forest, hoping to gain more benefits. Qianyes perception was also affected inside the Black Grove, and he couldnt sense Zhujis location. But finding the girl couldnt be simpler here in the heart of the battlefieldkill off all the mercenaries and Zhuji would naturally be safe. As for the natives, that would depend on how they treated the little girl. If they harbored evil intentions toward her, Qianye didnt mind starting a massacre. Qianye moved swiftly through the forest and arrived at the scene of a battle. On one side were a dozen or so mercenaries, all of them wearing the colors of Stormwind Fury. Surprisingly, there were three human champions and three vampire viscounts among themthat was an oddly powerful lineup. They were advancing in an outspread crescent formation. On the other side of this battlefront were tens of native warriors. They jumped constantly between the ancient trees in an attempt to throw off the enemys judgment. However, the highly-experienced mercenaries were unaffected by their agile targets as they kept pushing forward at a steady pace. They would change the formation accordingly whenever the natives tried to escape toward the flanks. The mercenary on the opposite side would then launch a flurry of attacks to suppress the enemy. Apparently, these natives would have to pay a steep price in order to escape toward the sides. Nonetheless, it looked like they werent willing to abandon their comrades, either. In the end, all they could do was keep retreating backward. At this rate, these natives would be pushed out of the core forest region pretty soon and reach the external encirclement. By that time, they would be completely surrounded and inevitably destroyed. Seemingly knowing that going backward was a bad idea, the natives would charge the mercenary defensive line from time to time. But the enemy had too many expertsthey would erupt with power and slaughter the natives charging at the front. After several repetitions, the natives still couldnt do anything to break out of this situation. At this moment, a small figure appeared among the natives, sitting on the shoulder of a burly warrior. It was Zhuji. The mercenaries were excited upon seeing Zhuji. One human champion and two vampires left the battle line and charged toward her! Their combined attack was shocking. The few natives standing in front of the tall warrior couldnt even stave off a single attack. They were blown away instead and became corpses in the air. The two viscounts launched a flurry of attacks with their dual swords, while the human champion fished out an origin gun and fired constantly from the sides. Roaring furiously, the tall warrior became momentarily flustered. His strength was far above any one of the three assailants, but he was carrying Zhuji on his shoulders and also had to guard against sneak attacks from the other human mercenaries. In the blink of an eye, the human champion found his opportunity and opened fire! Little Zhuji cried out in surprise because this shot was aimed at her! She didnt have the time to evade at such a distance. In a splash of blood, her head was flung back and her little body was sent flying backward. The tall warrior roared as he charged over to save Zhuji, but such an opening left him with several sword wounds. He was already drenched in blood by the time he had caught Zhuji in his arms. Come back, all of you! Old Meng, youre too heavy-handed! The boss will slaughter us if you kill that little fellow! one of the human champions shouted angrily. The three who had rushed forward pulled back angrily, hoping to return to the defensive line. However, they suddenly noticed a person carrying a fearsome-looking gun appear from behind the formation. None of you need to leave! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 808: No One Needs to Leave The border of the Black Grove was no longer silent and natural as before. The large swathes of tree stumps made for an unsightly spectacle, and even the Black Groves regenerative powers couldnt overcome the destruction brought about by the mercenary hordes. Moreover, the Black Grove was oddly susceptible to damage without the protection of the natives. Hundreds of diligent workers and mercenaries cut down the trees in a concentrated effort. There werent many chances to log from the Black Grove, to begin with, and the timber here fetched a high enough price to pay taxes with. Now that the Southern Blue city lord had increased the purchase value by thirty percent, even those low-ranking mercenaries who didnt dare enter the forest saw an opportunity to make money. They could make a fair income by remaining at the borders of the wood, but it was no less than risking their lives on the battlefield. No matter how low these mercenaries were in terms of rank, their strength made them the best workers for logging. Apparently, the Southern Blue city lord couldnt wait until all the natives had been cleared out to start building the logging zone. The logging area was guarded by a group of well-equipped elites. Even without their identity plates and insignias, one could see that they were under the direct control of Southern Blue. The city lord had already staked a claim in the industry, and the scale was nothing to scoff at. Even if other people could sniff things out and latch onto this trade channel with the empire, Southern Blue wouldve gained the absolute initiative. If they could supply large amounts of timber, the empire would definitely support them more. Besides, the wood from the Black Grove wouldnt be that expensive if it were that easy to develop. With Southern Blues strength, they would still need to borrow the Spider Emperors strength to be able to do things smoothly. When Qianye appeared, the guard there considered him a lone-mercenary wanting to try his luck in the Black Grove. They had seen too many of such people. As such, the man waved his gun at Qianye, gesturing for him to go around the camp and toward the forest. At this moment, the Black Grove was different from when Qianye had passed through it. There were traces of battle amidst its trees, with broken branches that hadnt been absorbed by the forest. The entire forest was shrouded in an aura of death and decay, with very weak vitality. It was difficult to search for directions inside the forest due to all the destruction, but Qianye wasnt about to hold back after arriving here. He rushed straight toward the closest source of sound and caught up with a group of mercenaries rushing along the road. Sword in hand and alone, Qianye blocked the road expressionlessly. Where is that girl being surrounded? An arrogant mercenary glanced askance at Qianye with a sinister smile. Why must I tell you? Qianye didnt reply, but a flicker of East Peak immediately sent the mans head flying. His expression was frozen in a mixture of terror and shock. After killing one mercenary, Qianye looked toward the next. That soldier clearly hadnt recovered from the astonishment and thus aimed his gun at Qianye out of reflex. He was fortunately quick to react and immediately put the gun down, his entire body drenched in sweat. That little girl and those damn natives are in that direction, were heading there right now. The mercenary pointed in a certain direction. Whats the situation over there? I heard the captain of Stormwind Fury is taking the lead. They already have the group surrounded and are whittling the natives down. Qianye asked curiously, You guys are attacking and cutting down the forest in such a high-profile manner. Arent you afraid of the natives retaliation? Reportedly, the Spider Emperor has dispatched true experts to oversee the operation and keep the natives in check. The native experts coming to provide reinforcement will be intercepted. Rumor has it that a major character is on his way here. Qianye realized that these people were intent on taking down this part of the Black Grove. Otherwise, it made no sense for them to set up such an operation just for little Zhuji. Of course, this was predicated on the fact that the Spider Emperor didnt know about little Zhujis talents. He might just rush over personally if he were to find out. After receiving the necessary information, Qianyes eyes turned cold. A sharp soldier screamed, Run, hes about to attack. Unfortunately, it was already too late to runEast Peak jumped about in Qianyes hands as he cut down all of the mercenaries. Then, he hurried toward the blockade. Qianyes speed in the forest was far above ordinary people. Before long, a chaotic battlefield appeared before his eyes. There were battles everywhere on the wide battlefield. Small groups of mercenaries were mixed in with the natives, clashing haphazardly. Behind the battlefield, dozens of muscular soldiers were waving circular saw-blades or axes, cutting down those ancient trees. Under the constant logging, a long, empty region appeared in the Black Grove and was constantly expanding to each side. Qianye wasnt in a rush to take action. He observed for a while and obtained some cluesthe natives were a bit slower and used less mysterious moves, which consequently lowered their combat strength. The natives also understood the threat of this isolated belt. They would rush out of the forest to attack the loggers, and the mercenaries would do their utmost to block the assault. The mercenaries were adept at operating in small groups and knew quite well about the natives attack tendencies. Employing a good balance of attack and defense, they actually managed to fight on equal footing with the natives. There was a middle-aged man standing on the high-ground. He would shout out the occasional order and maneuver the troops, filling up the gaps in the battlefront. The defensive line was as stable as Mount Tai under his commandno native assault could threaten this isolated region. This isolated region was rather strange, and it almost seemed to sever the power bestowed upon the natives by the Black Grove. It was quite surprising that such a crude method was actually so effective. Qianye looked on for a brief moment before shooting the middle-aged commander a glance. He then passed through the defensive line toward the depths of the encirclement. With his aura retracted, he became barely noticeable in the chaos of the battlefield. A couple of unlucky blokes would discover him and try to obstruct his path, but all that did was turn them into corpses. It couldnt be considered a real encirclement because the mercenaries had merely linked up into a large net. Under the command of the Stormwind Fury Corps, it was almost impossible for the important targets to escape from this loose network. The surroundings became much quieter after crossing over the chaotic region. The grove became much darker, and Qianye could sense a wisp of mysterious energy hanging in the woods. The forest here hadnt been destroyed, and the natives could still bring out their full power. However, there were sounds of battle in a couple of directions. The true mercenary experts had already arrived in the deeper parts of the forest, hoping to gain more benefits. Qianyes perception was also affected inside the Black Grove, and he couldnt sense Zhujis location. But finding the girl couldnt be simpler here in the heart of the battlefieldkill off all the mercenaries and Zhuji would naturally be safe. As for the natives, that would depend on how they treated the little girl. If they harbored evil intentions toward her, Qianye didnt mind starting a massacre. Qianye moved swiftly through the forest and arrived at the scene of a battle. On one side were a dozen or so mercenaries, all of them wearing the colors of Stormwind Fury. Surprisingly, there were three human champions and three vampire viscounts among themthat was an oddly powerful lineup. They were advancing in an outspread crescent formation. On the other side of this battlefront were tens of native warriors. They jumped constantly between the ancient trees in an attempt to throw off the enemys judgment. However, the highly-experienced mercenaries were unaffected by their agile targets as they kept pushing forward at a steady pace. They would change the formation accordingly whenever the natives tried to escape toward the flanks. The mercenary on the opposite side would then launch a flurry of attacks to suppress the enemy. Apparently, these natives would have to pay a steep price in order to escape toward the sides. Nonetheless, it looked like they werent willing to abandon their comrades, either. In the end, all they could do was keep retreating backward. At this rate, these natives would be pushed out of the core forest region pretty soon and reach the external encirclement. By that time, they would be completely surrounded and inevitably destroyed. Seemingly knowing that going backward was a bad idea, the natives would charge the mercenary defensive line from time to time. But the enemy had too many expertsthey would erupt with power and slaughter the natives charging at the front. After several repetitions, the natives still couldnt do anything to break out of this situation. At this moment, a small figure appeared among the natives, sitting on the shoulder of a burly warrior. It was Zhuji. The mercenaries were excited upon seeing Zhuji. One human champion and two vampires left the battle line and charged toward her! Their combined attack was shocking. The few natives standing in front of the tall warrior couldnt even stave off a single attack. They were blown away instead and became corpses in the air. The two viscounts launched a flurry of attacks with their dual swords, while the human champion fished out an origin gun and fired constantly from the sides. Roaring furiously, the tall warrior became momentarily flustered. His strength was far above any one of the three assailants, but he was carrying Zhuji on his shoulders and also had to guard against sneak attacks from the other human mercenaries. In the blink of an eye, the human champion found his opportunity and opened fire! Little Zhuji cried out in surprise because this shot was aimed at her! She didnt have the time to evade at such a distance. In a splash of blood, her head was flung back and her little body was sent flying backward. The tall warrior roared as he charged over to save Zhuji, but such an opening left him with several sword wounds. He was already drenched in blood by the time he had caught Zhuji in his arms. Come back, all of you! Old Meng, youre too heavy-handed! The boss will slaughter us if you kill that little fellow! one of the human champions shouted angrily. The three who had rushed forward pulled back angrily, hoping to return to the defensive line. However, they suddenly noticed a person carrying a fearsome-looking gun appear from behind the formation. None of you need to leave! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 809: Blasting Apar Who are you? Insolence! A series of shouts echoed across the field. The first reaction of the Stormwind Fury mercenaries wasnt fear but anger. They had even managed to utterly defeat this large native tribe, while Qianye was but a lone mercenary. He must be tired of living to actually dare step out with such provocative words. The reactionless crowd watched on as Qianye took aim at Old Meng. Only the strongest among them were astonished. How come hes so fast!? A crisp gunshot sliced through the Black Grove as the gun spat out a near-translucent tongue of origin flames. It was so faint that it barely looked like fire. This shot was fired at Old Meng. In that split second, the few champions and viscounts had a single thought: Wheres the bullet? Qianyes shot was quite strange, but no one had any doubts about Old Meng blocking it. At most, he would receive some heavy injuries. Old Meng was the strongest expert in the group and one of the most well-known soldiers in Stormwind Fury. At his level, a distant shot from experts at the same rank would lose most of its menaceapart from sniper shots, of course. However, in the plain sight of all spectators, Old Mengs body suddenly began to disintegrate. In the blink of an eye, his entire upper body turned into a cloud of blood with scarcely a bit of flesh remaining. The mans legs were still nailed to the ground in a defensive posture. A single thought ran through the minds of the Stormwind Fury mercenaries: Old Mengs been blasted apart? In a single shot? They looked toward Qianye subconsciously, but the latters face was expressionless. He merely shifted his gun muzzle and took aim at the other vampire viscount who had gone after the native warrior. That vampire viscounts expression was filled with terror. Perhaps he had wanted to scream, but half his body was reduced to a cloud of blood before he could even utter a sound. He wouldnt even have a chance of survival in an ancient blood pond. The Stormwind Fury warriors found their minds completely blank, unable to believe the truth before their eyes. Two fierce experts had been reduced to bloody mist just like that? Not to mention retaliation, they werent even given the chance to defend a move or two. Qianye moved his gun once more and pointed it at the remaining vampire viscount. That person finally showed some reaction, unleashing a scream full of extreme terror before running away. But he had completely forgotten that his backside was filled with natives. This about-face was no different from running into a horde of enemies. The three experts guarding the battle line finally made their move. It was just that their courses of action were hardly uniforma vampire viscount and a human champion rushed at Qianye in a bid to stop him from using that terrifying origin gun. Another human champion turned tail and fled at full speed. Even the generals were in such a state, so it was a given that all the soldiers were at a loss about what to do. Some pounced at Qianye with loud battle-cries, while others turned about not knowing whether to advance or to retreat. Qianye smiled coldly at the charging mercenary expert. He grabbed East Peak and slashed downward, splitting the charging expert into two! The human champion was shocked. His expression became twisted as he did his utmost to stop his forward momentumcharging at Qianye now was no different from running toward a bottomless abyss. But he was already charging, so how could he turn about immediately? It might be possible if he knew Spatial Flash or at least an ability at the level of Demonic Reversal. All he could do was watch helplessly as he moved closer and closer. He saw Qianye turn, take a step, and send East Peak sweeping at him. He raised his sword and slashed at East Peak, but he was already sure that this move was completely useless. His origin power was split into two, followed by his long sword, and then his body. During his last moments, only one thought remained in his mind: Just as I thought. Over half of Stormwind Furys elites had fallen in the blink of an eye. At this point, even the boldest of warriors had realized that staying here was akin to throwing ones life away. However, it was already too late for them to run. The roar of ocean tides echoed through the air as a boundless pressure descended upon them, pressing them to the floor. Soon afterward, all of the remaining mercenaries were cut down amidst the interweaving sword radiance. The only one to escape was the human champion who had fled as soon as things turned south. The viscount who had charged into the native group was immediately besieged and wouldnt last much longer. At this moment, Qianye hadnt yet withdrawn his domainhe could already hear muffled thuds as the natives fell from the trees and struck the ground haphazardly. Their battlefront was interlocked with the mercenaries from Stormwind Fury, so they were also swept into the attack. These natives could borrow the power of the woods to increase their combat strength. Their own power was limited and inferior to the people from Stormwind Fury, so how could they resist Qianyes Oceanic Vortex domain? Only a few among the natives were able to hang on and barely remain on the trees. The only one who could move about freely was the tall warrior, but even then, one of his feet had sunk into the bark, leaving a distinct footprint. Apparently, he wasnt as calm as he seemed on the surface, and moving about freely during battle was probably impossible. In the blink of an eye, there was only one person left capable of roaming about the battlefield. Aouuuu! Shouting in delight, little Zhuji leapt dozens of meters into the air and landed in Qianyes arms. There was a muffled thud as Qianyes expression changed sharply. He couldnt help but take a step back, feeling as though he had been struck by a cannonball. Little Zhuji hugged Qianye tightly, rubbing her little head against Qianye. The latters expression transformed time and again; the scene was inexplicably brilliant. This little fellow moving and rubbing about wasnt as simple as it seemed. Maybe because she was too excited, the girl totally forgot to control her strength. The bones in Qianyes chest were creaking and groaningthey mightve cracked already if the girl were any stronger. One had to recall Qianyes constitution. His ancient vampire physique was almost indestructible. It was much stronger than warship armor under the protection of his blood energy. As for his bones, they were components of his fire-forged physique and had just begun to be tempered in auric flame blood. But even so, they werent too far off from that of a divine champions. In other words, one really needed to be quite strong to enjoy little Zhujis affection. The somewhat weaker people under the divine champion realm might receive irreversible injuries from her hugs. This little fellow had grown so much more powerful compared to when Qianye had left her in the Black Grove. She had grown well over twice as strong. No matter how much of a genius Zhuji was, there was no way she couldve achieved this on her ownthere had to be a reason behind this. That Old Meng from just now had shot the girl square in the head. Although Qianye knew that Zhujis constitution wasnt inferior to his own, he still couldnt help but feel worried about her. There was indeed a wound on Zhujis round forehead and a break in her skin. The injury was the size of a nail but only skin-deep. It had stopped bleeding after the first spurt of blood and was already contracting gradually. Qianye felt better after seeing this wound. In fact, he knew that there was no need to worry about her. Back in the year, Song Zining had used Zhuji as a sandbag to help Qianye block a divine champions attack. Even though that punch only had half its might remaining, it was still an attack from a divine champion and certainly more powerful than Old Mengs shot. Back then, little Zhuji had merely suffered some light injuries and a bit of discomfort from the impact. Now that Old Mengs shot had broken her skin, it was frankly something that he should be proud of. Had he survived, he would be able to return to his hometown one day and boast to his descendants about how he had injured Her Excellency Zhuji back in the day. Unfortunately, Qianye blasted the man apart in his fury, depriving him of this opportunity. But if Old Mengs descendants knew about this battle, they would be able to say: Back then, our old ancestor fell in the hands of a Heavenly Monarch. That gun-barrel in Qianyes hand was indeed the work of Pointer Monarch himself. It wouldnt be excessive to say that it was a heavenly-monarch-level attack. With Zhuji in his arms, Qianye finally found relief from all of his worries. He was just about to ask about her experiences during this period when a sharp intent descended from above. That tall native warrior leapt up and flew toward Qianye with a loud roar. Being able to dash through Qianyes Oceanic Vortex proved that this natives combat strength was indeed terrifying. It took the combined attacks from half a dozen champions and viscounts from Stormwind Fury to push him back repeatedly. But Qianye was no Stormwind Fury. His comprehension of the combat arts had taken a step forward after leaving the Earth Dragons lair, gradually approaching perfection and leaving little to no openings. Seeing that tall warrior charging at him, Qianye merely lifted his left hand and pointed the origin gun at him. The tall warriors expression shifted drastically as he performed a subconscious evasion. Qianyes rifle possessed outrageous firepower and could even blast a viscount apart in one shot. How would he dare to take it head-on? He was just about to change directions when the pressure on his body increased exponentially. Unable to control his momentum mid-air, he fell head-first onto the ground. Qianye retracted his domain soon afterward. The native warriors who were doing their utmost to resist the Oceanic Power lost control as the pressure vanished abruptly. They shot into the air one after the other, where many of them crashed into the tree trunks and fell down dizzy. That tall warrior hadnt expected such a change, either. A momentary lapse in control sent him soaring into the air; he lost directional control as his feet left the ground. To his great astonishment, he found Qianye holding Zhuji in his right hand while holding a shining, dark muzzle toward his chest. The two were less than thirty meters away, and there was no way to evade this shot. Qianye didnt open fire. Instead, he shot the tall warrior a glance, put away his gun, and reached out to pull on Zhujis face. Qianye stretched her face pretty wide while she looked on with an innocent expression that screamed of being wronged. That tall warrior rushed over with a furious expression and spewed a string of unintelligible words at him. Nonetheless, his body language was quite well-behaved, standing at least ten meters away without coming closer. He knew it would be all too easy for Qianye to kill him if he wished to. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 810: Going Home The tall native warrior spoke incessantly, but Qianye couldnt understand a word. Judging from his anxious expression and how he was pointing at Zhuji, it was clear that he was talking about the girl. Could it be that the natives had also taken an interest in her? At this point, the native soldiers had gradually recovered their movement and gone back onto their vantage point on the trees. They aimed their weapons at Qianye while letting out menacing growls. Qianye glanced about with a sneer. He naturally wouldnt hold back if these natives tried to snatch Zhuji back from him, nor did he mind sending them to see the people from Stormwind Fury. The tall warrior noticed the killing intent in Qianyes eyes. Startled, he took a step back and raised his left hand, gesturing for the native soldiers to lower their weapons. Zhuji tugged on Qianye at this moment. Hes asking you not to hurt me, and he also wants to know what youre here for. Qianye was surprised. You understand their language? A bit, mostly guessing, Zhuji said as if it were a matter of course. Qianye was momentarily speechless. The meaning of the natives words could either be a beseechment or a threat. Paying no attention to the native warrior, he asked the girl, Youve been with them these days? I met some people on the first day. One of them was quite troublesome, he said some strange things to me and wanted me to sleep with him. I didnt like him, so I refused, of course. But then he wanted to capture me, and I felt annoyed, so I killed all his men. Later on, I met these people who claim theyve been living here their whole lives. Did they do anything to you? Little Zhuji gave the question some serious thought. That big fellow seems to like me quite a bit. He said so many things I couldnt understand at first, but for some reason, I started to understand them a bit later on. I dont hate them, that big man gave me a fruit that looked really delicious, even more so than roasted beast meat. I felt really sleepy after I ate it, and when I woke up, they were already fighting. Qianyes expression softened up quite a bit after hearing this. At least, these natives had no ill-will toward Zhuji. Whatever the little fellow thinks is tasty likely has nothing to do with taste but rather with energy content. These fruits being more delicious to her than beast meat meant that the energy content in them was superiorsuch a fruit wasnt easy to find. Besides, this little fellow was inherently sensitive. She would definitely react if these natives had evil intentions. It would manifest as a feeling of annoyance, which would likely lead her to attack and kill the targets. The tall warrior heaved a sigh of relief when Qianyes killing intent subsided. He then gestured for Qianye and Zhuji to follow him. He says there are many people like this outside, we cant win against them. He wants us to follow him and find a way into the core region of the forest. Qianye patted the little fellows head. Tell them were not leaving. Were not leaving, the girl turned about and shouted. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Little Zhuji understood a bit of their language, but it turned out that she couldnt speak a single word. How could the other party understand her when she was speaking the imperial language? At this moment, the tall warrior fished out a leaf and stuck it on his forehead. Soon, the leaf emitted a barrier or light that covered Qianye and Zhuji. The tall warriors voice rang out in Qianyes consciousness. He was still using his own language, but Qianye could understand him this time. Little Zhuji is your daughter? Dont harm her. There are many damned invaders outside, we have to find a way to circle around them or fight our way out. Only when we reach the depths of the forest can our soldiers obtain the protection of the forest and beat the invaders. No need. They have powerful experts! Additionally, they have isolated us from the power of the forest so that our race cannot use our full power! the tall warrior said hurriedly. Thanks for taking care of Zhuji, Ill deal with them. Qianye patted the little fellows head and walked out. Wait, you cant take her away! The tall warrior stopped Qianye. Qianye shot him a glance. Shes my daughter, why cant I take her away? Youve seen the fate of whoever dares to harm her. Do you want to end up the same? The tall warrior replied, No, youve misunderstood. Zhuji is very compatible with our sacred tree, so I hope she can stay behind. Itll be very beneficial to her growth. Is it related to whatever you fed her? Thats a fruit from our Sacred Tree, it has unbelievable effects in terms of raising ones strength. Every sacred tree fruit can produce an extraordinary warrior, but the Sacred Trees effect on her is much greater than it should be, even more so than the few most powerful experts in the history of our tribe. We believe that she is a child of the Sacred Tree, a deity granted to us by the world. So that was the case. Qianye finally understood why these natives treated her so well. It was just that he didnt know whether to laugh or to cry at such a belief. Little Zhuji was clearly a descendant of Count Stuka, an arachne who had absorbed Qianyes blood to mature. In terms of lineage, it could be said that she possessed a part of Qianyes bloodline. Whichever angle one looked at this matter from, she had nothing to do with the Sacred Tree. Zhujis talents were shocking; she enjoyed a rapid growth phase and was naturally sensitive to energy. It made sense that the fruit of the Sacred Tree would be more effective on her. At this point, Qianye asked, Many people in your tribe mustve taken the Sacred Tree fruit? The tall warrior shook his head. The fruit of our Sacred Tree is extremely valuable since only a certain number are produced each year. All the natives, including ours, will gather under the Sacred Tree during harvest season and decide the quota by combat. At this point, the tall warrior patted his chest and said proudly, Ive eaten a Sacred Tree fruit before! That qualifies me as a holy warrior trainee. Those who were able to partake in the Sacred Tree fruit were famed warriors of the native tribes. Hence, the tall warrior was quite proud of himself. But then his momentum deflated as he recalled how he couldnt even retaliate against Qianyeit wasnt just him, either; the entire squad of warriors had been knocked down by Qianye. Letting Zhuji eating a fruit of the Sacred Tree meant that this person wasnt so bad. Qianyes expression relaxed once more as he said, She still needs to leave with me. Thank you for the Sacred Tree fruit. My name is Qianye, and Ill definitely repay you in the future if theres a chance. My name is Gado, a holy warrior trainee of the Long Branch Tribe. Since you must take her away, I naturally wont stop you. But I hope she can witness our tribes Prayer Ceremony Sacred Tree, itll be beneficial to her. Ill consider it. Gado was delighted by Qianyes reply. He fished out a leather pouch with three leaves inside, saying, This is a leaf from the Sacred tree, itll allow you to converse with our tribe. Also, as long as its within range of the forest, activating the leafs energy will let me know that youre here. Please protect her well. Qianye put the leather pouch away carefully. Gado shot a reluctant glance at Zhuji before leaving with his subordinates. After the group had left, Qianye rubbed the little fellows hair and asked, Theyve never seen you fight, have they? Yeah, they said Im too small. Theyre afraid Ill get wounded. Qianye nodded since that made sense. Gado simply didnt know just how powerful Little Zhuji was. Otherwise, if he were to let the girl loose, the only ones in Stormwind Fury who could hurt her were people above the champion and viscount level. Gado only needed to support and sneak attack from the sidelines to push back the mercenary squad. Come, lets go home. Home? Do we have a new home? Of course! Cheering delightfully, Little Zhuji climbed onto Qianyes shoulder and took her seat there. Qianye traveled straight forward and soon arrived at the lockdown battlefront. At this moment, the mercenaries here werent in good condition, barely managing to maintain a steady defense. Gado was weaving through the battlefield, dealing grave injuries to all the soldiers in his wake. Instead of leaving, he and his tribesmen had charged into the lockdown in a bid to break Stormwind Furys siege. The addition of this powerful force brought great pressure upon the mercenary side, pushing them back step by step until they could barely maintain the defensive line. A spirited Gado unleashed a long scream. The invisible soundwaves spread out in all directions, sending all the mercenaries into a daze and even knocking some off their feet. The native soldiers were all stirreda sheen of hazy light emerged on their bodies as their combat strength increased. Gados roar could weaken the enemies while strengthening his allies. Its effects were so great that the scales immediately tipped in favor of the natives. The mercenaries had fallen back to the isolation belt, and even the woodcutter warriors had picked up their weapons to join the fray. Native morale was high and their attacks were fierce, reducing their need to evade into the trees or turn back. Many soldiers hiding in the darkness appeared to launch all-out attacks, hoping to route the enemy army in one go. Their aim was to tear through the isolation region and return to the vast Black Grove. Seeing this scene, Qianye couldnt help but shake his head. Gado was too naive. With the performance they had displayed before, how could Stormwind Fury not have a backup plan? How could it be so easy to break their defense? Gado was a valiant warrior but not a great general. As expected, a peal of loud laughter rang out from the Stormwind Fury defense lines. A mercenary clad in black armor walked out of the crowd and shouted, Those damned natives have finally appeared, attack! Numerous flames streaked across the skies, followed by a torrent of battlecries. Countless mercenaries were charging over every direction and looked like they would soon form an encirclement. Gado was shocked out of his wits. Most of his tribes soldiers were with him at the moment. If they were to fall here, his tribe wouldnt be able to recover for well over a dozen years. However, a commotion soon appeared among the ranks of the mercenaries. The soldiers who shouldve surrounded the natives escape path suddenly came to a halt and charged off in a different direction. That was because Qianye and Zhuji had appeared. No one knew Qianye, but everyone recognized Zhuji. This little fellow was the reason they had traveled thousands of kilometers to the Southern Wilderness. It seemed to them that her cute little face was made up of piles of gold coins. How much could a native warrior be worth compared to her? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 811: Lest They Canst Find Him Having made a swift decision between little Zhuji and the natives, the mercenaries charged over like wolves and tigers. The Stormwind Fury commanders eyes were almost turning greenhe roared thunderously, but none of the mercenaries were listening to him. Many of them either belonged to other mercenary corps or temporarily formed hunting parties. How could any of them be willing to listen to his commands? All of them were advancing excitedly, hoping to seize Zhuji from Qianye. In their eyes, he was just a lucky brat who had caught Zhuji by chance. Qianye only sneered after seeing these ruthless mercenaries and watched until they were in front of him. He would swat away the occasional bullet flying toward him as though they were annoying flies. Most of the mercenaries were only looking at Zhuji. They simply didnt notice Qianyes astonishing feat of slapping away origin bullets. A few sharp veteran soldiers were drenched in cold sweat upon witnessing this scene, and they quietly slowed down their steps. The sound of crashing waves echoed in the ears of the speeding soldiers. Soon afterward, they found an indefensible pressure bearing down upon them. Most of the mercenaries fell to the ground, and the weaker ones found their bones creaking and groaning. Even the strongest ones were barely able to remain standing, to speak nothing of running. But there was no need for them to keep on running, either. Qianye passed through their midst as though he were on a leisurely stroll, every flash of his blade drawing blood. Unexpectedly, the strongest mercenaries were the first to become corpses. But then the remaining hundreds of soldiers also collapsed. The scene brought the horde of soldiers behind to a grinding halt. Their pause didnt mean Qianye would stop, however. He passed through the group in just a couple of steps, instantly felling swathes of enemies with a momentary release of his Oceanic Power. The mercenary rabble were large in number, but their power was fairly mediocre. Most of them couldnt even breathe under Qianyes domain, suffering fractures and injuries during the fall. Qianye couldnt be bothered to go and finish them off one by one. At this point, Qianyes eyes were on the black-armored officer from Stormwind Fury. The mans eyelids twitched constantly as he stared at Qianye. His right hand was raised high, but he simply couldnt lower it. He couldnt see through Qianyes strength at all, but knocking out hundreds of soldiersas disorderly as they werewasnt something he could do. Little Zhuji was clearly sitting on Qianyes shoulder, almost like a mobile treasury. This kind of temptation wouldve been irresistible to him in the past, but now, all he had in his eyes was Qianye. Are you trying to make an enemy out of our Stormwind Fury? He roared thus but failed to notice that his voice was dry and raspy. Besides, threatening people wasnt Stormwind Furys stylekilling ignorant people immediately was how these mercenary corps worked. The black-armored champion was struggling between fight and flight. There were thousands of mercenaries left at the scene, including several hundred direct subordinates of Stormwind Fury, but all the corpses strewn across the ground told everyone that numbers were useless against Qianyes terrifying domain. The black-armored champion couldnt help but feel a chill run down his spine when Qianyes frosty gaze landed on his body. His intuition to danger had sent him a clear message. He made up his mind without the slightest bit of hesitation: run! But before he could start fleeing, he saw Qianye swung his hand and actually toss little Zhuji over! The black-armored warrior was momentarily stunned. What situation was this? Could it be that Qianye was offering the little fellow up to join Stormwind Fury? This ridiculous idea was soon blown out of the nine firmaments. He immediately noticed that Zhujis incoming speed was abnormally fast and she was actually accelerating midair. The black-armored champion had a bad feeling when the girl spun her little fists about and slammed them down on his head. This little kid could fight? With the speed at which she was charging, wouldnt she die on the spot after crashing onto him? But a shrill whistle tore through the air as little Zhujis fists descended! The black-armored warrior was shocked, but it was already too late to dodge. All he could do was raise an arm to block the strike. Zhujis fist connected with the arm that was even larger than her waist. The arm was bent out of shape with a muffled bang! Little Zhuji let out a soft exclamation, surprised at how she had failed to smash this fellow to death. But this wasnt all since every part of her body was a weapon. She immediately rammed into the enemy with her head. The head was a weak point for most creatures, but the black-armored champion who had just suffered a fracture couldnt quite trust his own judgment anymore. He didnt dare charge forward anymore. Instead, he pulled back and pressed on Zhujis head with his intact left hand, hoping to use his exquisite combat arts to redirect this small human cannonball to one side. However, he once again felt as though he was being stomped on by a giant beast. His body flew backward, and a gush of fresh blood welled up in his throat. Fortunately, Zhuji finally wore out her charging momentum and the two parties put some distance between them. The black-armored soldier turned tail and ran, no longer daring to linger here any longer. The thousands of soldiers who were still fighting had been left to their fates. The black-armored champion was even hoping that these soldiers could buy him some time to escape. Qianye only stared at the black-armored champion as he attempted to flee the battlefield. All of a sudden, the mans running figure appeared in his eyes, toward which he raised his gun and fired. The black-armored champion shivered, almost as though he had been drenched in cold water. He glanced back subconsciously only to find that Qianye was also looking at him. The black-armored warrior jumped up and fled the moment his eyes came into contact with Qianyes. It was almost as though he had been scorched by fire. His reaction wasnt slow, but just as he was leaping into the air, his entire body sank down as if it had been lassoed by an invisible rope. This brief pause made it impossible for him to evade the shot coming from behind. He had to try his utmost just to see the trajectory of the incoming projectile. The bullet was shockingly fast, but it actually afforded him a measure of relief. Qianyes origin power rank wasnt very high, so this swift origin bullet should logically be limited in firepower. This gave the man some hope of survival. However, this origin bullet shot through his body without the slightest pause. The mans hopeful expression transformed into inconsolable terror as he watched his shoulder and half of his chest being blown away. His body was almost torn into two. Even a core character of Stormwind Fury couldnt escape death under the combined effects of Qianyes Eye of Control and the rifle whose barrel was hand-made by the Pointer Monarch. The mans rank-sixteen cultivation and grade-seven armor could do little to save him. Following the death of that black-armored champion, the morale of the Stormwind Fury soldiers fell to a freezing point. Even the most resolute of soldiers turned to flee the battlefield. Qianye had killed their commanding officer in one shot. This was a peerless display of combat strength that no one here could beat. Mercenaries only looked at results and not the process. Who would have the time to care about Qianyes rank-twelve origin power. It was every man for himselfthe dead had no chance to debate the relationship between origin power and true combat strength. Mercenaries from the neutral lands were even more wolf-like. They were incomparably fierce during victory, but now that the momentum was gone, they fled in all directions without the slightest hesitation. Qianye drew the Twin Flowers and fired continuously, but he only managed to kill a couple dozen before all of them vanished from sight; even half of Stormwind Furys core forces had fled. But Qianye was too lazy to go after those ants. Stormwind Fury wasnt likely to take this defeat lying down, and they would surely reassemble and return in a swirl of dust. That was the moment he was waiting for. Many of the mercenaries were still locked in combat with the natives when the group started to flee. Hence, their casualties there were quite high, far greater than the number Qianye had killed. Once the mercenaries had retreated, the natives flocked toward the survivors on the ground. Hundreds of mercenaries who had been disabled by Qianyes domain power lay strewn across the field. The mercenaries and native warriors had long since formed a deep enmity during these days, reaching a point where one side wouldnt stop until the other was dead. A powerful shout from Gado stopped the native soldiers. He then walked over to Qianye and said with a bow, Oh great warrior, these soldiers are the fruit of your battle, but can you give them to us? Im willing to offer a single Sacred Tree fruit in exchange. Qianye shot him a glance. These people arent worth the price, in my opinion. Gado composed himself and said through clenched teeth, Too many of my tribesmen have died in the hands of these bastards. The spirits of my people will not find rest until they receive a blood sacrifice. For this, any price is worth paying. Qianye nodded. Fine, I can give them to you, but youll have to wait for a while. Gado was startled. How long? Not much longer, it should be done before sundown. Gado glanced at the sky and noticed that it was not far off from dusk. Besides, the forest has always been a dark place, so twilight would arrive before long. Qianye also shot a glance at the sky. You can chop some firewood and light up some torches. Thatll make things faster. Gado was bewildered, but he followed Qianyes instructions. These natives lived as one with the Black Grove, but Stormwind Fury had already felled a large number of trees to build the isolation belt. It only took some additional work to turn the lumber into a large number of good torches. Within moments, the fierce flames from a thousand torches lit up the forest until it was as bright as day. The battlefield appeared rather bleak and tragic under the blazing lights. Qianye cut down a wooden pillar and tossed it onto the ground. He then sat down on it at the brightest center of the battlefield, waiting silently with his eyes closed. Little Zhuji climbed onto Qianyes shoulder and sat there with her little chin propped up on one hand. It seemed like she was waiting for something, too. Gado and the natives were completely puzzled as to what was going on, but fortunately, they didnt have to wait very long. A commotion arose from the distance not long after sundown as a horde of Stormwind Fury soldiers poured into the area. Seeing the flames from afar, they immediately adjusted their direction and charged over. Only then did Gado realize why Qianye wanted to light up so many torches. It turned out that he had wanted to light himself up, lest the Stormwind Fury soldiers couldnt find him! The mercenaries stopped in surprise when they saw Qianye resting with his eyes closed at the center of the battlefield. This scene really didnt make sense. The front rows had stopped, but the soldiers behind were still pushing forward, throwing the squad into disarray. The captains arrived at the front while spewing curses, but they, too, were astonished by the scene. Qianye was simply sitting there with the loftiness of a mountain and facing the horde of soldiers all on his own. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 812: Head-On Crushing An explosive shout erupted amidst the mercenaries, Why have you all stopped? Whats going on? A tall, fierce champion pushed his way through the crowds. Towering over three meters tall, he was extremely well-built and a single arm of his was larger than an ordinary persons thigh. His sinister-looking armor was as thick as a palm, with large spikes jutting out of his shoulders, elbows, and knees. His aura was toward the chaotic side, tainted with wisps of black arachnid energy. It turned out that he was a hybrid between a human and an arachne. Apparently, his giant framebrought about by his arachne bloodlinehad facilitated his cultivation, allowing him to reach the rank-fifteen that he was now. Compared to the black-armored champion, he was superior both in terms of defense and power. Qianye still remained unfazed even as this giant of a man made his appearance. The mans narrowed eyes almost seemed to spew out lightning. Im Wildthunder Wang Zhan of Stormwind Fury, who are you? Were you the one who killed all my brothers here? Qianye finally opened his eyes. Ignoring the second question, he replied, Qianye. Wang Zhan broke into a frown. Qianye? Arent you that Zhao Ye? Come, if you want to fight, whats with all the nonsense? As a man of short temper, how could Wang Zhan take this provocation lying down? He strode forward with a thunderous roar, his heavy steps causing the ground to tremble slightly. Qianye finally stood up, whisked East Peak out, and charged forth. The forward surge was so fast that he had accelerated to a blur within seconds. He arrived in front of Wang Zhan in the blink of an eye and rammed into him! The muffled thud that followed caused both the natives and mercenaries to cringe. Following the collision, Qianye remained motionless while his opponent was sent flying backward. It was at this time that a scarlet glow erupted from East Peaka flaming radiance slashed down and cut Wang Zhan into two, armor and all! How could this be? Everyone from Stormwind Fury was flabbergasted and could hardly believe their eyes. Wang Zhans strength was already evident from the thickness of his armor. How could this tank-like warrior be cut through in one slash? Qianye stood straight, still holding his sword, and exhaled a breath of white mist. And in front of him, the two halves of Wang Zhans corpse slowly fell to the ground. Youll pay for Elder Brothers life! Another fierce warrior jumped out of the crowd. He charged forward urgently, knocking away many Stormwind Fury warriors along the way. This man wasnt as tall as his brother, but he was also close to three meters and clad in heavy armor. It was obvious at a glance that this was also a defense-oriented warrior. Such soldiers were almost unbeatable on the battlefield as heavy weapons were more useful than small blades. Qianye sneered, having seen through the mans intent. This persons combat strength was actually inferior. The reason he had rushed out so urgently was because he thought Qianye would be exhausted after killing Wang Zhan. He wanted to snatch this contribution. His line of thought wasnt wrong. After all, Qianyes cultivation was limited and he made no effort to hide his three origin vortices. It was already a miracle that he could kill Wang Zhan instantly, but that was likely by using some kind of secret treasure. This level of secret treasure usually involved a steep price, draining the user after a single activation and, more often than not, leaving them in a half-disabled state. This kind of advantage had to be taken! This man looked coarse on the surface but was scheming at heart. His strategy wasnt really wrong, but just like his brother, he neither knew the name Qianye nor who he really was. After all, the empire was far from the neutral lands, a different world on which these people might not once set foot in their lives. No matter how famous Qianye was in the empire, the people here wouldnt know him unless he was at the level of heavenly monarchs and clan lords. Qianye activated his blood core again, driving auric flame blood to every part of his body and bathing his muscles in golden fire. The power of his fire-forged physique was pushed to the max. His origin vortices also sped up their revolution, delivering the power of Venus Dawn to East Peak without reservationthe countless near-substantial crystals in his origin power formed tiny sharp blades. Qianye erupted in a loud roar as the enemy arrived in front of him, activating his domain and slashing down with East Peak! Qianyes powerful physique, his pure origin power, and that heavy swordthe three of them together made this slash indefensible! Shocked out of his wits, that person raised his hammer horizontally to block this slash. However, Qianye didnt even pay any attention to this movement and merely maintained his slash. East Peak descended as usual and cut both man and hammer into two. All the soldiers gasped in astonishment, but there were desperate people everywherethis was proven by two more champions who started charging toward Qianye. These people were weaker than the previous ones, but Qianye had already killed two people, so they felt that they would stand a chance by working together and perhaps earn this contribution. With a long whistle, Qianyes figure flickered and East Peak slashed out twice, cutting the two incoming enemies into half. Actually, there was one more champion who wanted to snatch this merit, but he was a bit slower than the other two. He had just passed the formation when they were killed and ended up becoming the lucky one. Seeing the fate of his two comrades, he could hardly suppress the fear in his heart. He gasped. How could this be? T-This isnt reasonable! No matter who went upregardless of their cultivation or combat techniqueQianye would cut them down in one, unreasonable slash. A mournful bugle cry rang out behind the Stormwind Fury ranks; this was the call to charge. The front row soldiers were hesitating since they didnt wish to throw their lives away. However, the back row troops were moving forward, so they had little choice whether they were willing or not. Qianye stood there with sword in hand, completely ignoring the incoming army. If numbers were of any use, heavenly monarchs and dark monarchs wouldnt have such transcendent positions. The commander of Stormwind Fury also understood this. Nonetheless, Qianye was no heavenly monarch, so he would undoubtedly grow tired and exhausted at one point. They were planning to use the lives of ordinary soldiers to whittle away at Qianye and attack only when he was worn out. They had no lack of money, anyway, and could hire as many mercenaries as they wanted. The troops hadnt even arrived when countless bullets began whistling over. Standing in the rain of projectiles, Qianye merely waved his hands briefly, swatting away the bullets coming for his face and eyes. As for those aimed at other parts of his body, he couldnt be bothered with them. In the blink of an eye, a pitter-patter of origin flames erupted on Qianyes body. There was no telling how many bullets had struck his body, but his silhouette stood tall amidst the raging blaze. Little Zhuji climbed onto Qianyes shoulder again at one point. She glanced about excitedly, saying, Were about to fight! Yes, Qianye replied. Why do we have to wait for them to come? We waited so long just now. Because were going to kill our way back head-on, well kill as many of them as they come. Little Zhuji felt puzzled. Why? Arent we supposed to go from behind when hunting? Qianye was fairly patient with this little girl. Thats when dealing with prey, now were only fighting some insects. Theres no need to waste energy when we can just crush them. I see. It seemed like the girl only half-understood. I also want to crush them! Okay, lets do it together. The tide of soldiers arrived, drowning Qianye and Zhuji in the blink of an eye. Gado was anxious, but they had already left for the distance and wouldnt make it even if they charged back at full speed. He took a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot and his throat bulging. Apparently, he was planning to unleash his ultimate move. In truth, there werent a lot of native troops remaining, and they were completely outmatched against Stormwind Fury. They wouldve been utterly defeated if Qianye hadnt interfered before. Despite the dire situation and knowing that he would be throwing his life away, Gado still charged back to the rescue. Zhuji waved her little hand at the big warrior from atop Qianyes shoulder, making a certain gesture. Having been with the girl for some time, Gado knew that she was telling him not to come. He came to an abrupt halt and the roar he was accumulating became stuck in his chest. Whether it was Zhuji or Qianye, neither of them felt that the Stormwind Fury army was a problem. Under such circumstances, Gado felt hesitant and didnt dare to charge over. He would definitely go to their rescue if Zhuji and Qianye were in trouble, but if they were confident in dealing with the enemy, Gado wasnt going to throw his mens lives away. But how were they going to fight such a large army? At this moment, it looked like the soldiers around Qianye were being pressed upon by a mountain. They became one segment shorter, and then half of them collapsed to the ground, unable to move. That was indeed his domain power in action, but Gado still looked worried. The vast oceanic domain wasnt without its weaknesses. At this moment, a feminine but authoritative voice rang out on the battlefield, Charge! His domain wont last long, itll grow weaker as more people go in. Gados heart almost jumped out of his chest. As expected, there were capable people in Stormwind Fury who could see through the weakness of Qianyes domain. The power of his oceanic domain was related to his cultivation and had a maximum capacity to it. The more the people sharing the pressure, the less each individual person would suffer. Additionally, Qianyes consumption would increase as more people charged into it. Qianyes expression remained calm as he maintained the domains power, crushing all who came in without restraint. But his blood cores movement had sped up and his energy was being sapped up at a rapid pace; he wouldnt be able to keep going much longer. Nonetheless, Qianye had Life Plunder and backup energy from the Book of Darkness. Just as Qianye was about to use Life Plunder, little Zhuji opened her mouth and spat out a stream of faint green energy. The wisp of green traveled dozens of meters and, following a spin of Zhujis body, spread out in a large area around her. Qianye felt his scalp go somewhat numb, a sign of exceptional danger. This feeling seemed to be coming from the green energy Zhuji had spat out. What exactly was this thing? Even the current Qianye was actually feeling danger from it. At this point, a black hue came over the faces of all Stormwind Fury mercenaries within range, and they collapsed silently. The heavily injured soldiers who had been suppressed by the domain had long since stopped breathing. In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield became devoid of life. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 813: Border of the Continen That was an extremely fierce poison. Although Qianye wasnt really afraid of it, he couldnt avoid being affected by it nor could he stay very long inside its area of effect. But this was Qianye with his ancient vampire constitution, fire-forged physique, and a near-immunity to poison. He would probably be poisoned if he only had auric flame blood without the fire-forged physique. At that point, he could only rely on the former to fight the venom. Such a poison would instantly kill every human below the champion-rank. Vampires and werewolves below the viscount level would only be able to hold out momentarily. The arachne would probably fare slightly better, but even they wouldnt be able to escape death in the end. In terms of pure damage, this mouthful of green gas had far surpassed Qianyes domain and Life Plunder. Thousands of mercenaries became corpses in the blink of an eye, destroying half of the Stormwind Furys counterattack force. The battlefield grew quiet with corpses strewn across the ground. The mercenaries who hadnt stepped into the green gas range looked at the land of death in front of them and suspected whether they were dreaming. Some of them woke up amidst loud screams and began running for dear lifethe entire army looked like it was about to collapse. Qianyes domain was powerful, but there were ways to block its effects and death didnt come as swiftly. This green gas, on the other hand, would turn all in its wake to corpses, sparing not a single soul. How could they not feel terrified? Even the most powerful soldiers fell apart immediately. The commander shouted, No need to be afraid, she cant spray a second time. Little Zhuji grew dispirited after spitting out that mouthful of gas and could hardly even open her eyes. Apparently, the absolute poison took a heavy toll on her. Even though she couldnt cough up a second mouthful of poison, the green gas from the first attack hadnt yet dispersed. How would anyone even dare to step into that field of death? Not to mention stepping into it, no one even dared to go near. Little Zhuji was furious upon hearing the words from the other side. She raised her little head and roared, Who said so? Stand out if you dare and Ill show you if I cant spit your face full of it! Her voiceextremely clear and full of spiritspread out in all directions. The morale of the Stormwind Fury soldiers hit rock bottom, and that commander didnt dare step out, either. Little Zhujis green gas had already killed thousands of mercenaries. What if she had a little bit left? Qianye patted little Zhujis head. Just rest, no need for you to fight anymore. With that, Qianye passed straight through the poisoned area completely unaffected and headed for the Stormwind Fury formation. An astonished Gado followed hurriedly from behind. He saw Qianye passing through the land of death with such calmness that he thought it was already fine to take this path. But he had only taken a couple of steps in when he felt his skin turn numb as a fishy fluid came down his nostrils. Shocked out of his wits, Gado retreated urgently and flashed out of the vicinity. Then, he proceeded to force the poison out with every ounce of his power. Moments later, his expression improved after spitting out a mouthful of putrid blood, but his aura had weakened quite a bit. Surprisingly, his injuries werent light! He glanced at the putrid blood on the ground with a terrified expression, his heart full of trepidation. He mightve been gravely injured had he pulled back any later. And that was because the green gas was spread out over a wide area. If little Zhuji had spat out a concentrated mass of this poison, Gado would have probably died on the spot. But Qianye didnt look like he needed Gados help, either. Qianyes domain spread out over the Stormwind Fury formation, felling a large swathe of mercenaries. Equipped with the experience from before, many soldiers charged into the domain proactively in order to distribute the pressure. Just as they were barely able to resist the weight, they saw a thin red thread pierce through their chests. Thereafter, everything turned dark and they could no longer feel anything. Hundreds of corpses fell down around Qianye after a round of Life Plunder swept through. Although the number of threads he could produce was limited, they would target mercenaries with the most exuberant vitality, leaving only the weaklings. This dealt a grave blow to the corps'' fighting power. That commanding officer was hiding in the crowd with hopes of launching a sneak attack. But he would always run away like a spooked bird. Qianye felt somewhat helpless against such a crafty opponent. But that wasnt important. Qianye still had a Shot of Inception left for the man if he really did approach. Coupled with Spatial Flash, he could definitely chase down and kill the enemy. If the commander refused to come near, then Qianye would keep on killing the mercenaries without pause. The Stormwind Furys defeat was confirmed in the blink of an eye. Even the most resolute of soldiers couldnt find the courage to charge forward after seeing their friends fall one after the other. Following an unknown shout, the surviving soldiers immediately began to disperse and flee. None of them turned back, nor was there anyone to guard the rear. Whoever fled slower would be killed first, giving the ones up front a greater chance at escaping. This ancient wisdom originating from the beast hordes was both cruel and practical. Qianye had no good way to deal with the scattering soldiers. He had only killed a few when there was no one left in his sight. Even the most ordinary soldiers revealed surprising strength while on the run, fleeing as quick as lightning. Qianye stopped and drew upon his origin power. Soon, a deep, thunderous voice covered the entire forest area. Even the soldiers who had run furthest could hear his words echoing beside their ears. Whoever touches my people must die! Resign from the corps if youre smart. Hereafter, I shall kill everyone from Stormwind Fury that I meet! You The shocked commanders voice arrived from afar. He had wanted to throw down a couple of fierce words before leaving, but who wouldve thought Qianye would be so absolute in his actions? He couldnt find any response after a long while, and he couldnt really stop his fleeing feet, either. He had fled far at this point and lacked the power to deliver his words to Qianyes ears. Qianye stopped to take a deep breath, his face flushed red and his blood, boiling. The essence blood he had absorbed with Life Plunder burned continuously, swiftly restoring his blood energy. By the time Gado arrived in front of Qianye, the latter had recovered to his initial stateat least it seemed so on the surface. The tall warrior glanced at Qianye, and then at little Zhuji. He proceeded to heave a long sigh, knowing that it was impossible for him to take the little girl away. Besides, the way Qianye treated Stormwind Fury proved that he would never go easy on those who dared to have designs on little Zhuji. Gado left quietly with his tribesmen and vanished into the depths of the forest. Qianye, on the other hand, brought the little fellow in a different direction. Whats on this side? Little Zhuji asked. The mercenaries camp. Im going to burn them. Got it. The little fellow was nodding off and looked like she would fall asleep at any moment. How did you learn to use poison? I ate that fruit last time, I knew how to use poison after waking up." The little girls reply made Qianye speechless. Her talents were simply too enviable. Which human didnt have to painstakingly cultivate their combat arts? Some powerful secret arts even put ones life at risk. For instance, the Profound Combatant Formula afforded its user shocking cultivation speeds and its accompanying Oceanic Vortex was peerlessly powerful. However, Qianye wouldve broken down instead if his body were just a bit weaker. Zhujis green gas was so powerful, and yet all she needed was a nap to comprehend it. This was an inherent power hidden deep within her bloodline. Little Zhujis bloodline originated from Count Stuka, but Qianye felt that the arachnes poison wasnt this powerful when he and Zhao Yuying had fought him back then. The talent skill had grown stronger by over ten times in Little Zhujis hands. Qianye could only sigh in admiration when comparing the two. Moments later, Qianye exited the Black Grove with little Zhuji in tow and arrived in front of the mercenary camp. At this moment, the camp was in utter chaos with people running in from everywhere to report the matter. Some began organizing their luggage in a fluster, while some fierce characters waved their weapons around, shouting about how they would deal with Qianye. No small number of Stormwind Fury soldiers had escaped back to base, but Qianyes arrival was also quite fast. They had only managed to convey news of their utter defeat to those at the base when Qianye arrived, not even giving them enough time to pack up. Qianye simply walked in, too lazy to pay attention to the nonsense those mercenary coyotes were spouting. Moments later, three camps, along with the logging grounds, broke out in fierce flames. The fire stretched dozens of meters tall and almost illuminated the entire sky. As Qianye slowly walked out of the raging flames, there was no longer a living shadow in the blaze behind him. Where do we go now? Home. Let me sleep a while then. Im so sleepy. Little Zhuji yawned loudly. Qianye got onto his motorbike, started the engine, and sped off into the boundless wasteland, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. Finally, news of utter defeat on the front lines reached Southern Blue. The city lord sat quietly, completely unmoved even as the frontline commander of Stormwind Fury completed his report. The entire meeting chamber fell into a deathly silence as the report was completed. Everyone knew that Qianyes death threat toward Stormwind Fury wasnt just for fun. The issue was how likely it was that he would be able to follow up on his words. The Southern Blue city lord spoke only after a long while, He calls himself Qianye? Yes. A long lapse of silence passed again before the city lord said, Report this matter to the Spider Emperor. Okay, dismissed! Only when the room was empty did the Southern Blue city lord heave a long sigh. Qianye, Qianye At this moment, Qianye had already traversed the vast distance to reach the continents edge. The geography in the area was no longer even, and was already beginning to rise and fall. Glancing into the distance, one could see a long mountain range and its tall peaks piercing into the clouds. There were streaks of lightning flickering along the peaks, accompanied by the occasional thunder. It could be considered extremely dangerous. That was the continents border, where the natural barrier of the continent met the void. Even space here was unstable, and void storms were a common occurrence. Throughout the long years, the mountain range had been cut, torn, and crushed by the void storms, eventually turning into this kind of landscape where even birds couldnt fly easily. Some of the tallest peaks were thousands of meters in height. Beyond these tall peaks was the true border of the continent. There were storms wreaking havoc here at all times. Those unfortunate enough to be swept into them would be flung out into the bottomless void. The Eastern Sea Continent, along with many other landmasses in the neutral lands, originated from the Void Valley Star. It hadnt been very long since they were formed. The twenty-seven main continents were much more stabletheir barriers were stronger, and their borders were relatively peaceful. Qianyes expression became serious as he gazed at the tall peaks around the border region. The environment here was too adverse and dangerous even for him. Caution was necessary. The reason he had come here was because of the third piece of news he had gotten from the captain. Reportedly, a vampire warship had crashed here. Qianye wanted to know why the Evernight vampire race had come here with a giant warship. It was said that one of the masters of the neutral landsthe person on the Throne of Bloodhad a deep enmity against the twelve ancient clans and would kill their members on sight. That Shattered Time in his hands could instantly kill anyone below the duke rank and even defeat a prince. That was why Evernight vampires were rarely seen in the neutral lands. Qianye had no idea what the vampires were scheming, but it was too much of a coincidence that they would be here at this time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 814: Charging the Ranks The temperature toward the continents edge fell sharply, and the storms grew even fiercer. Qianyes blood core pulsed fast amidst the surging void origin power and unstable space, his heart filled with trepidation. This was an instinctive fear toward the environment. Even the ancient vampire race had to be cautious around void storms and unstable space. Qianye was only a count at the moment, and even by ancient vampire standards, exploring the void was for those at the duke rank. Even though Qianye had started his fire-forged physique early, he would need to wait until he was at least an honored marquis in order to make this attempt. Little Zhuji woke up from her deep sleep at this point, having sensed the danger in the environment. By the time she opened her eyes, Qianye was scaling a tall peak and was hundreds of meters off the ground. This mountain pierced straight into the sky. Its walls were smooth and devoid of places to grab ontoit was almost as though they had been shaved down by a sharp blade. Qianye was only able to climb by relying on his powerful physique and stabbing his hand into the stone wall along the way. This was already a land of peril for ordinary champions. These tall peaks had remained standing for so many years despite the constant battering of void storms. In truth, that was because the rocks had grown even harder than refined steel due to the invasion of void origin power. An ordinary human champion would be exhausted after digging ten or so times. They wouldn''t be able to climb beyond some several dozen meters, let alone reach the peak. Little Zhuji had just opened her eyes when she saw a fluctuating strip of black. Eyes wide and her long hair flying about, she immediately broke out in a loud scream. This was a spatial tear. Although it wasnt fully formed just yet, those swept by the tear would suffer as though they had been cut by a top-grade origin blade. Even little Zhuji, who could endure a punch from a divine champion, wouldnt be able to escape being slashed. Its fine. Qianye moved several meters toward the side, evading the surging spatial laceration with great accuracy. Then, he kept moving upward and left the tear behind. The changes in void origin power were clear as day in his True Sight, hence evading the spatial tear was all too easy for him. Is this our home? The little girls face was pale, apparently shocked by the ordeal. Nope, were only here to look for something. What are we looking for? Something related to Nighteye. Okay then. Little Zhuji consented while biting her lip. The restlessness in Qianyes heart grew stronger as he kept on climbing. He was already feeling uneasy after getting here, but he couldnt quite put his finger on the reason. At the mention of Nighteye, his blood core was wracked by a sudden pain, and the dark golden blood energy moved about restlessly. A mournful cry broke out from the depths of his ancient vampire bloodline! Was this a call from the River of Blood or a response from his origin blood? Qianye had no way to confirm the knowledge passed through vampire inheritance; he knew vaguely, but that was the extent of it. He couldnt understand why the River of Blood would call for him, or with whom his origin blood was resonating. The current dark golden blood energy was refined via the Song Clan Ancient Scroll and had assimilated many kinds of blood energy from before. Strictly speaking, this was likely a new vampire bloodline that had never before appeared in history. After all, according to the Song-clan records, no one had cultivated these two chapters before. Qianye put his mind to climbingthis peak was manifestly taller than the surrounding ones, several hundred meters more in fact. It stood proudly in the void and would afford an unobstructed vista to those who managed to climb it. Although it was said that the Evernight warship had crashed in the void, Qianye had some doubts after observing the environment here. At the very least, there was no way those mercenaries couldve come to the border of this continent. Additionally, vampire warships were exquisitely designed and second to none in the dark race faction. Even demonkin vessels were inferior to them, only managing to catch up when it came to those great-monarch-level airships. Those mercenaries had likely seen the vampire airship falling after a fierce battle, but they couldnt have confirmed whether it had really crashed in the void. With how the vampire warships were designed, it wouldnt be too hard for them to land on the continent as long as they werent utterly destroyed. The lone peak was tall, but after an unwavering climb, Qianye finally managed to put it beneath his feet. Raging winds whistled on the summit, and the large snowflakes were like bullets as they struck the body. In truth, it wasnt really snow that was flying about in the air but pieces of icy crystals. After being saturated in origin power, it could be said that these crystals had grown as hard as refined steel. The peak was exceptionally flat, wide, and the ground was as smooth as a mirror. This came about due to the constant friction between the rocky ground and ice crystals, both of which had been reinforced by void origin power. The gusts here were so strong that even giant rocks weighing several tons would be easily swept away. Not expecting such an environment, Qianye had just reached the peak when he was almost swept away by the raging winds. Fortunately, he managed to whip East Peak out and plunge it into the rocky ground to stabilize his footing. He was better able to adapt with East Peak in hand and could soon move about freely in the environment. The view here was indeed vast. Despite the flurry of wind and snow, he could see everything within dozens of kilometers. Qianye first gazed toward the continents edge but found nothing except devastating storms. As he was turning toward a different direction, he suddenly noticed several wisps of blood energy flickering briefly in the blizzard. Those blood energies were fairly distant and hidden within a tempest of wind and snow. If it wasnt for Qianyes extreme sensitivity to blood energy, he would very likely have missed it. These wisps of blood energy were released by vampire experts in battle. The blood energy originating from the twelve ancient clans was pure and ancient, a stark difference from the diluted mixture of the neutral lands. Vampires had appeared here and were even locked in combat. Needless to say, they were likely related to that vampire warship. Qianye jumped down the peak without any hesitation. Sliding and flying, he borrowed the force of the wind to quickly approach the battlefield. Qianye finally landed on the ground after a period of wrestling against the storms and turbulence. There was a small hill several kilometers ahead of him, and the battle was taking place therein. From where he stood, he could clearly see ten or so blood energies weaving through the area. Some among them were practically surging into the skies and, quite shockingly, at the marquis level. Every marquis was a core power for the vampire race, the skeleton propping up the ancient clans. The mobilization of marquis always signified something important. Now, three of them had appeared here at the risk of being discovered and killed by the Throne of Blood. What exactly was here that they would pay such a steep price for? Qianyes vampire-aspect at the moment wasnt at all inferior to an ordinary marquis, but his chances of victory were slim at best against three such experts and a dozen other ranked warriors. Under the cover of the snowstorm, chaotic origin power, and fierce battles, none of the combatants actually noticed Qianyes arrival. Sneaking toward them wasnt difficult, either. But Qianye had just retracted his aura when a wisp of blood energy erupted on the battlefield. It wasnt that powerful, yet it was filled with imposing grandeur. The appearance of this blood energy dimmed the dominant blood energies rampaging through the area. Even those belonging to the three marquises were crippled, let alone other vampires. This wisp of blood energy erupted thrice and tore through the skies during its final burst! Following its eruption, one of the marquis blood energy suddenly went dark and almost vanished completely. Qianye was shaken upon sensing this blood energy. His blood core pulsed rapidly and his dark golden blood energy was fully awakened. This wasnt just a monarchs bloodline readying itself to fight anothers, but a familiarity etched into his bones and heart. The one fighting the Evernight vampires on the snowy mountain was Nighteye! Hadnt she gone back to Evernight to find her place on the sacred mountain? Why was she here fighting desperately against the Evernight vampires? Nighteye was only a count, yet she was being attacked by a large group of vampires led by three marquises. Even though the awakened ancient consciousness had pushed her blood energy utilization to the peak, there was no doubt that she was in grave danger at the moment. Qianye had no time to think about all those things at the moment. There was only one thing on his mind: Nighteye was under siege! A wisp of dark golden blood energy shot from above his head and into the skies. The earth-shattering whistle filled the entire heaven and earth, even suppressing the snowstorm for a moment! Qianye left countless afterimages as he charged straight into the battlefield. The surprised vampires in the field looked over at the same time. A pale marquis looked shocked at first, but then his expression turned to one of disdain. Qianyes blood energy was indeed powerful, but it was merely at the virtuous-count level. That one step between a count and marquis was akin to the gap between heaven and earth. As for his dark golden blood energy, the marquis had never seen it before, so he merely thought Qianye to be a hybrid descendant from the neutral lands. Such a weak bastard dared to charge their ranks? Qianye came rapidly, arriving beneath the hill in the blink of an eye. Instead of slowing down there, he actually sped up and made for the peak with peerless momentum. The marquis wrinkled eyelids twitched several times, and the down-curve of his lips became even more obvious. He waved his cape back, placed a hand on his sword, and proceeded to stare at Qianye. Two viscounts took the initiative to charge at Qianye, their long blades aimed at his vitals below the ribs. The attacks were ruthless and agile, clearly the style of elites. However, Qianye was in no mood to get entangled with these insects. With a loud roar, he unleashed his blood energy without restraint and slashed out horizontally. A ring-shaped sword radiance shot thirty meters out, cutting the two third-rank viscounts into two. A third-rank count was holding the rear and preparing to launch an attack. Shocked after witnessing this scene, the step he was just about to take remained nailed to the ground. He merely looked on motionlessly as the target dashed past. Qianye was in no mood to pay him any attention. He passed by like the wind and charged straight for the hilltop. The third-rank viscount only came to after Qianyes departure, puzzled as to why he was so afraid just now. Despite being a core member of a famous clan, he was actually sapped of all courage while facing Qianye. That pale marquis was livid. He flickered into Qianyes path, roaring, Where did this mix-breed come from!? Qianye shot a glance at the insignia on the old mans collar. Medanzos descendants? Scram if you dont want to die! The old man broke into a laugh, but his mouth remained down-curved all the while, making for an expression that was inexplicably sinister and frightening. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 815: I’ll Send You Onto the Sacred Mountain The marquis raised a slender finger at Qianye and fired a wisp of blood energy toward him. The dark beam was mysterious, as sharp as a blade, and left a lingering red trail in its wake. Qianye sneered secretly. This marquis considered himself a superior vampire and was quite confident in taking Qianye down. A blood-energy attack was extremely effective, but only when the attacker was overwhelmingly powerful in terms of bloodline and strength. The bloodline of the twelve ancient clans was, of course, superior, and the man was also a marquis while Qianye was merely a virtuous count. Hence, this choice of attack was naturala single strike of this blood energy shouldve been enough to cripple the target. Nonetheless, arrogance had clouded the marquis judgment, preventing him from seeing the essence of the dark golden blood energy. Qianye made no attempt at evasion. He raised a finger and retaliated with a wisp of his own blood energy. The blood energies traveled at lightning speed, striking both parties at almost the same time. The extremely sharp attacks produced a small hole each in Qianyes chest as well as the marquis. These tiny punctures were akin to needle pricks, no more than minor flesh wounds to a vampire, even if they were to penetrate the body. The true damage came from the blood energy entering the body, and that was the battlefield where victory would be decided. Qianyes expression turned pale as he looked down at his chest. There was a dark red hue lingering around the wound, preventing it from closing up. The puncture was also extremely deep and even opened up a wound on his blood core. A marquis from the twelve ancient clans was indeed strong and definitely not someone an ordinary marquis could compare to. His attack had shot through Qianyes body and reached the blood core directly. To vampires, the blood core was even more important than the heart was to a human. Even a small injury to it was still an injury. The marquis face was even paler, but a sinister smile appeared on his face. He had noticed quite clearly that his blood energy had stabbed at Qianyes blood core. Next up, the energy would invade the core and crush the opponent from his source of power. There was no way for Qianye to overpower the twelve ancient clans. Each of these clans was descended from the first drop of blood, the very source of the River of Blood. No other vampire bloodline could logically surpass the twelve. There was also a wound on the marquis chest, but Qianyes blood energy was ultimately lacking in quantity. It dispersed on its own before reaching the blood core and spread to every part of the marquis body. What would follow was a battle between blood energies, but those with any measure of knowledge would know just how much of a difference there was between reaching the blood core and not. The old marquis eyes were filled with lingering fear but also a malevolent sense of relief. He hadnt imagined that this neutral-land counts blood energy would actually pierce through his chest. However, that was the extent of ita count was still a count, and his blood energy would never win against that of a marquis from one of the twelve ancient clans. If it wasnt for the great enemy behind him, this old marquis wouldve captured this damned mix-breed alive and taken him back to the clan. A hundred years in the blood prison was a fitting punishment for the crime of injuring a marquis. At this moment, Qianyes blood core surged with blood energy. An eruption of raging dark golden flames cleared the invading blood energy in one go. It would seem the dark golden blood energy wasnt quite impressed with this intruder, choosing to destroy it immediately instead of devouring it. A plume of fire soon shot out from the wound, and it gradually began to heal. The old marquis pupils narrowed rapidly. He had never imagined that his blood energy would actually lose so quickly. Hadnt it reached the blood core just now? Just as he was thinking of this, he could feel his entire body being pricked by needles and his blood energy wasting away. The shocked marquis observed the situation inside his body, only to find Qianyes dispersed blood energy roaming throughout his body, destroying his flesh and blood with unstoppable momentum. The marquis blood energy naturally moved to counter the invaders, but they would be routed immediately. It would take seven or eight native blood energy to destroy a single wisp of Qianyes. Greatly astonished, the marquis pointed at Qianye and said with a trembling voice, Y-You actually have the potential of a duke, no, a prince! Qianye didnt reply and merely moved forward in large strides. The glow of origin power flickered on his blade, threatening to stab the marquis blood core in one thrust. The reason he had chosen to trade blows with blood energy was because it would allow him a decisive victory. Qianye, at this moment, wasnt willing to be detained a moment longer. All he wanted was to reach the center of the battlefield and rescue Nighteye. At this moment, the marquis was doing his utmost to fight Qianyes blood energy. Fortunately, his blood core was still intact, and that gave him room for some resistance. Seeing Qianye walk over with his sword raised, he flashed backward while calling out to his subordinates for help. How could Qianye give him time to catch his breath? East Peak rose spiritedly and pierced through the enemys blood core! Just as Qianyes blade was still traveling forward, a hand appeared at the marquis chest and clutched his blood core, leaving it to struggle frantically in the grasp of those five slender fingers. The old marquis sinister expression froze up and turned ashen. He wanted to turn back and look, but there wasnt an ounce of strength left in him. Not to mention the old marquis, even Qianye was startled. Someone had beaten him to his prey, and he actually hadnt noticed it! Qianyes heart thumped a couple of times upon seeing this hand. Nighteyes figure appeared from behind after the marquis body fell limp. She opened her fingers, allowing the blood core to fall to the ground. Blood gurgled out of the old vampires mouth as he struggled to reach for the blood core, but his hand fell down halfway, never to move again. Only then did Nighteye shoot Qianye a glance. Who told you to meddle in this? I wanted to kill this old bastard, it has nothing to do with you. Qianyes attitude was also quite firm. Nighteye snorted coldly and looked back at the lone, miserable figure rushing over from the snowy hills. This was the last marquis, the one who shouldve kept Nighteye busy while the pale old vampire dealt with Qianye. Surprisingly, Nighteye escaped the battle and killed the old marquis at lightning speed. He was far slower than Nighteye and only reached the area at this point. The last marquis expression was filled with unsightly horror upon seeing the old marquis corpse. He began edging backward as though he couldnt believe what he was seeing. Nighteye roared, Jared, on your knees! The marquis was livid, and even his face was twitching. He looked at Nighteye and then at Qianye before finally making up his mind. He fell to one knee and lowered his head, saying, Marquis of Silverwing, Jared, is willing to submit to Her Majesty Nighteye. Jareds surrender surprised all the remaining vampire experts. They glanced at one another and then turned to flee. Having just submitted, Jared was eager to prove his worth. He erupted in a violent flurry of attacks, killing two third-rank counts in the blink of an eye. Surging with killing intent, he was just about to chase down the remaining four viscounts when Qianyes figure appeared behind the furthest one, and East Peak pierced through his blood core. Jared glanced about in astonishment and found that the three other viscounts had also fallen. During this brief moment, Qianye had actually slaughtered the four scattering viscounts? Jared was shaken. He quickly understood that he couldnt underestimate Qianyes strength and immediately discarded all untoward designs. He kneeled before Nighteye, saying, Please bestow blood, Your Majesty. Blood bestowal was a ceremony of vowing loyalty. A superior vampire would grant the servant a drop of origin blood, giving him strength and binding him to the former. Although the restraint wasnt as irreversible as a direct blood descendant, the betrayer would have to pay a steep price. Only a high-ranking vampire had the right to bestow blood. With a brief nod, Nighteye drew her vampiric blade and walked over to Jared. Seeing that she was willing to bestow blood, Jareds worries disappeared and his expression turned into a mixture of fear and excitement. The title Marquis of Silverwing proved that Jared was more powerful than the other two and held sufficient future potential. His bloodline came from the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, so Nighteyes bloodline had to be stronger in order to complete the bestowal ceremony. If that really was the case, then the old marquis exclamation before his death might really be true. Nighteye arrived behind Jared and stabbed the vampiric blade into his back, piercing straight into his blood core. Wave after wave of pain wracked Jareds body. The agony caused his entire body to tremble, yet he didnt dare to let it show on his face. Nighteyes face also paled slightly as a drop of origin blood traveled through the vampiric blade and entered Jareds body. Jareds blood began to surge. He grunted quietly from the pain and clawed deep into the hard rocks. Moments later, he gradually calmed down and his aura began to rise. Without waiting for a full recovery, Jared kneeled before Nighteye and said respectfully, Thank you for the blood bestowal, Your Majesty! Nighteye said indifferently, Stand, youre worth a drop of origin blood. Overwhelmed by the favor, Jared stood up and immediately took his place behind her. Qianye also knew about blood bestowal. Nighteyes swift and complete suppression of Medanzos bloodline proved that the origin of her bloodline had far surpassed the Lightless Monarchs. In fact, there was no need for this blood bestowal ceremony. Just that unimaginable level of control over her blood energy was enough to prove her claim to the Sacred Mountain. After the ceremony, Qianye asked, Why? What about? Nighteye looked in a different direction. Qianye moved toward her, preventing her from looking away. Why? Is there any use if you know? Nighteye replied indifferently. How can we know without trying? This time, Qianye looked into Nighteyes pupils, not backing off in the least. The latter laughed self deprecatingly. Perhaps, but not everyone will welcome my return to the sacred mountain. At this moment, there was an unconcealable loneliness in her expression. Seeing that Qianye didnt understand, she added, Theres already someone on the supreme throne. Only then did Qianye realize that Nighteye was referring to the Queen of the Night, Lilith. He pointed at Jareds group. These people Some people dont want me to ascend the seat, others want my bloodline. Recalling how Medanzo had sought Nighteye from the empire, Qianye immediately understood many things. The person on the sacred mountain right now was Lilith, also known as the Queen of the Night, the second drop from the river of blood. Throughout the entire Evernight world, only that demonkin powerhouse could contend with her. The Queen of the Night was waiting at the finish line on the sacred mountain, and there was the Lightless Monarch blocking the road to it. No wonder the awakened Nighteyeas proud and aloof as she waswould feel a bit of desolation. To her, this was probably the only objective in life. Blood boiling, Qianye said word by word, Ill help you up the Sacred Mountain! What? Ill help you up the Sacred Mountain! You? Qianyes voice was gloomy but extremely resolute. Not now, but there will come a day when I send you up the mountain! You know what this means? I know. Qianye knew that this was declaring war on the world, even the empire. Nighteye lowered her head. Why? Because I miss you. Just because of that!? Yes, just that. Nighteye went silent for a moment. Only the sound of whistling winds remained on the mountain and Qianyes voice seemingly echoing in the blizzard. There will come a day when I send you onto the sacred mountain. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 816: Reminder of the Pas On the snowy peak, Nighteye gradually turned cold amidst the desolate whistles of snow and wind. What little gentleness she had in her eyes gradually faded away. Glancing at Qianyes stubborn figure, she wanted to say something but stopped midway, unable to utter more hurtful cold words. She merely said, Impossible. How will you know if you dont try? For some reason, there was a fire burning in the usually calm eyes of Qianye. If you really must try, then do as you wish. Qianye nodded, almost as though he hadnt sensed Nighteyes indifference. Can you fill me up on the details? Ask him. Nighteye pointed at Jared. The Silver-Winged Marquis had noticed that the relationship between the other two wasnt that simple. It went without saying that the less he knew about this matter, the better, so he moved away quietly and decided to vanish for a while. Who wouldve thought he would be dragged back by Nighteye before he had managed to escape? Jared arrived beside Qianye and let out an awkward cough. He was just thinking about where to start when Nighteye said, Lets go back to the crash site, you can talk on the way. With that, Nighteyes figure flickered and vanished in the blizzard. Even Qianye wasnt her match in terms of speed, to speak nothing of Jared. Spatial Flash was probably the only thing capable of matching the divine speed she had displayed just now. Qianye laughed wryly as he exchanged glances with Jared and then chased after her. The two of them knew they couldnt catch up to her anyway, so they made no effort to accelerate. Instead, Jared took this opportunity to explain some of the details. After failing to seek Nighteye from the empire back then, the Lightless Monarch finally learned that she and Qianye had left for the neutral lands. But Medanzo wasnt about to let this matter be. He dispatched many of his powerful subordinates to head to the neutral lands and capture Nighteye. This time, Medanzo had learned his lesson. In order to be absolutely safe, he dispatched a confident line-up containing one vice-duke, three marquises, and numerous other ranked experts. If it wasnt for fear of retaliation from the Throne of Blood, the Lightless Monarch might have sent his dukes here. The neutral lands were incomparably dangerous. Even the leader of this expeditiona vice-duke who went by the name of Soma the Torn Lightninghad to keep her explosive temper in check. They traveled toward the neutral lands in due cautiousness, taking care to conceal their tracks along the way. The journey was even more of a smooth sail than they had anticipated, and it just so happened that Nighteye was trying to contact Evernight via the vampire races secret channel. The two parties thus ran into one another and Nighteye revealed some vague traces of her movements. Unexpectedly, Soma turned hostile all of a sudden and attacked with all her might, completely ignoring Nighteyes true identity after her second awakening. It was just that she had never imagined just how terrifying Nighteye was after her second awakening. The sudden eruption in power not only sank the warship but also killed the vice-duke on the spot. Afterward, Nighteye became embroiled in a battle with the ships survivors, finally being cornered on the snowy mountain after several days. That was when Qianye appeared. But judging from her speed just now, Jared ultimately understood that Nighteye was simply toying with them for the past couple of days. It would only be a moments work for her if she had wanted to shake them off. Qianye understood, after listening to Jareds explanation, that Nighteye simply didnt need his help to deal with these defeated soldiers. Nonetheless, Qianye couldnt sit by and watch her being surrounded on all sides, even if the consciousness controlling the body was no longer the Nighteye he once knew. Qianye was now able to lay down his worries and feel much more relaxed. After half a day of walking, they finally reached an area on the edge of the continent. That giant airship was stuck diagonally in the wasteland, half of its body buried into the frozen rocks. This warship was extremely sturdy in its construction, and the parts visible above ground were largely intact. It truly was a mystery how Nighteye had sunk it. Qianye asked what was on his mind, but Jared only responded vaguely. It took Qianye some effort to understand that Jared actually had no idea how Nighteye had killed Soma and sunk the warship. The stately Silver-Winged Marquis only remembered that, all of a sudden, Soma had been gravely injured and the ship was sinking; that was it. Later on, it was found that Soma had died from a collapsed blood core. This wasnt hard to explainSomas bloodline was far inferior to Nighteyes own, so death was certain in a contest of blood energies. But back then, the airship was hovering hundreds of meters in the air, at a great distance from the battlefield below. Yet, it had actually fallen inexplicably, and inspections later on found no signs of malfunction, either. Seeing that there was nothing left that the marquis could tell him, Qianye simply followed Jared toward the airship remains. Nighteye was already here, and she seemed to be lost in unknown thoughts. She said without turning back as Qianye and Jared arrived, This airship is still usable, so Ill be staying here for the time being. Jared, go and do some repairs. The Silver-Winged Marquis had no idea how to repair warships, but his lord had spoken. And as the only subordinate, he had to know even if he didnt. He left without a second word and flew into the warship to repair what he could. Only two people were left on the frozen plains. Qianye had no idea what to say at this point. He had ten thousand things to say to her, but when the moment arrived, he felt that there was no need to say anything. Nothing he said would be of use anyway. After a moment of silence, Nighteye said indifferently, If theres nothing else, you may leave now. How do I find you in the future? Qianye blurted out. This time, Nighteye wasnt impatient or cold. She replied calmly, Ill be here for some time. This place Qianye glanced left and right but found nothing good about it. I want to reforge my body, its too weak to inherit more strength. This will take a long time. At this point, she glanced at Qianye sideways. By the time the transformation is complete, the Nighteye youre familiar with will cease to exist, from the inside out. Qianyes fingers trembled slightly. Is your awakening related to the spiritual repair? Yes, Nighteye admitted in due honesty. if it wasnt for the grave injury to the spirit and its subsequent repair, I wouldnt have awakened so early. Perhaps I wouldnt awaken for dozens or even hundreds of years. So thats the case. Qianye shook his head self-deprecatingly. But thats fine, I dont regret anything. Nighteye finally turned around and looked into Qianyes eyesserious, concentrated, and not willing to miss a single detail. Moments later, the light in her eyes gradually faded away, giving way to her usual indifference. As the first love of this body and its previous consciousness, Ive remembered you. This relationship is also the only reason why Im saying so much. Now, you may leave. Qianye turned to leave without any hesitation. Little Zhuji had been quiet this whole time, but she could no longer maintain her silence at this point. Arent we bringing big sis home? Qianye patted her head and said with a bitter smile, No, she likes it here. Little Zhuji looked left and right but couldnt figure out whats so good about this place. Then, will we come and see her often? Of course! The two figuresone big, one smallwalked into the snowy winds and gradually vanished over the horizon. Nighteye, on the other hand, never moved from the beginning until the end. The Martyrs Palace drifted slowly over the Eastern Sea like a roc. Wherever it passed, the fierce beasts below would hide on the ocean flow, unwilling to provoke this massive flying entity. Several days later, Qianye arrived back at the Northern Continent. There were now several wooden huts in the valley, replete with a flower garden out front. The newly tilled soil was littered with newborn sprouts in the form of little green dots. Qianye was somewhat surprised by this scene. Who wouldve thought there was such a side to Bluemoon? His only impression of her was a cruel, scheming Highbeard Shieldmaiden. It was at this moment that the door to one of the wooden houses opened and out walked Bluemoon. There was a high-quality combat knife at her waist. Qianye didnt remember leaving her such a weapon before his departure. Yawning with her mouth covered, she headed toward the forest and only noticed Martyrs Palace in the air after a good while. Gasping, the girl quickly removed the combat knife and turned around, only to find Qianye watching her with a spurious smile. Bluemoon was at a momentary loss about what to do, wondering whether she should stow the blade or toss it away. Qianye stretched out his hand. Let me see. Bluemoon knew she couldnt disobey. With her head lowered and a hint of unwillingness, she presented the knife with both hands. Her fingertips were trembling ever so slightly, almost as though she were afraid. But Qianye was already used to her schemes and acting. He merely ignored her tricks, took the knife from her, and proceeded to fiddle about with it, using his fingertip to test its sharpness. The dagger had just brushed past when a thin red line appeared on Qianyes fingertip. Being able to cut through Qianyes skin proved just how sharp this blade was. Even among grade-six weapons, it could be considered a premium item. It was just that Bluemoon didnt have enough kinetic power to bring out its full strength. The main issue here was, where did that knife come from? Back then, Bluemoon had stood completely exposed with no secrets to speak of. Qianye had personally removed all of her weapons and kinetic support mechanisms. Qianye looked up. Not a bad blade, where did it come from? Knowing that she wouldnt be able to escape this hurdle, Bluemoon removed her skirt to reveal her half-mechanical lower limbs. Her legs, a mixture of machine and skin, was attractive in a different way. She stole a glance at Qianye but was disappointed to find that there was no change in his expression. Hence, she stopped trying to seduce him. She reached out to touch the mechanical bone on her calf, and all of a sudden, there was a high-grade black crystal in her hand. Spatial gear? This time, it was Qianyes turn to be surprised. Any kind of spatial equipment would fetch a sky-high price, be it in Evernight or the empire. Additionally, the space they could contain was small, involved numerous restrictions, and were also unstable. Their primary value lay in their potential for research. Qianye had never seen a spatial item at the level of Andruils Mysterious Realm. How could Qianye not be surprised to find a piece of spatial equipment on Bluemoon? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 817: Financial Peril Qianye crouched down in front of her and stroked that metallic bone. He couldnt see anything different about it even with his True Sight, but that was also expected because Qianye was far from being at the level where he could see through space. The part produced a crisp, metallic echo when he flicked it with his finger, but he couldnt tell what material it was. Thats actually not metal, but the bone of a void colossus. It comes naturally with a small storage space and is one of my tribe''s most prized treasures. Youre actually holding such a valuable treasure? Its to carry the Earth Dragons blood and other potential treasures. She was rather honest. Qianye stood up with a nod. Bluemoon couldnt help but tremble as she looked into his emotionless eyes. She suddenly recalled how Qianye had told her that he would kill her on the first sign of disobedience. And hiding fuel for her weaponry had gone well beyond disobedience. However, Qianyes frosty expression suddenly became radiant. He returned the dagger and black crystal to Bluemoon, saying, The blade is not bad, keep it for yourself. You may also use your black crystals now. The restrictions on her weapons and energy had been lifted? Bluemoon was startled. Wasnt he afraid that she would do something behind his back? Watching Qianyes receding figure, Bluemoon couldnt help but ask, Why? No reason, Im just in a good mood. This answer left Bluemoon puzzled, but her eyes lit up when she saw little Zhuji on one side. She approached the girl and asked in a soft voice, Did master encounter anything good on his trip? Little Zhuji gave it some thought before replying, He went to see Big Sis, then he was driven away by her. Thats all. Bluemoon was even more confused now. This didnt sound like a good thing at all; how was it supposed to improve Qianyes mood? What if it was just an ironic remark? The thought grew stronger and stronger after taking root. There were historic records about how lords would treat people with a smile when they wanted to kill them. She was drenched in cold sweat at the thought of this. At the moment, she suddenly heard Qianyes call, Come here. Ah! Bluemoon exclaimed in shock. Just now, she was lost in thought, and hearing Qianyes voice so close gave her a good fright. Qianye was standing beside the lake at the moment. He gave Bluemoon a weird look, saying, What are you shouting about? Its not like Ill eat you up. Bring me those design diagrams. Bluemoon calmed herself and ran back to the wooden hut, from which she returned with all the diagrams. She placed the documents in front of Qianye and stood beside him in a solemn manner, waiting for further instructions. This was her primary job, as well as the sole reason she was alive, so she attached great importance to it. The thick stack of diagrams in front of Qianye was the result of her sweat and blood. Qianye picked one up and studied it carefully before picking up the next. Only when he was going through the plans did Bluemoon manage to sigh in relief, feeling as though she had regained some life. She couldnt be blamed for being so weakthose who had failed to embrace death the first time would always feel more apprehension on the second. Qianye looked through all the plans. It took him quite a long while and a great deal of headache, yet he still couldnt understand much. He had no intention of figuring everything out, either. All he wanted was to ascertain Bluemoons achievements. At least on the surface, it would seem the girl wasnt idling about these days and had spent most of her time on these designs. As for taking the time to build these houses and gardens, that was simply human nature. If anything, that was pretty cute of her. Qianye put down the plans and asked calmly, What do you think we should work on first? The engine, Bluemoon replied without hesitation. Engine? Why? Dont we already have the Earth Dragons heart as a source of kinetic energy? Qianye was somewhat puzzled. To be honest, the Martyrs Palace is just the remains of the Earth Dragon. Its only flying because of the skeletons innate ability to float in the air and the driving force from the heart. But dont forget that the Earth Dragon is already dead and what we have is only a fraction of its remnant power. Do you think it can fly very fast? Qianye nodded. He also understood that the Martyr''s Palace was only a bit faster than a cargo airship. If it wasnt for its ability to easily pass through space, any military warship could outperform this vessel. Bluemoon whipped out a design and pointed at the web-like diagrams on it. The power produced by the Earth Dragons heart is extremely valuable. I believe the Pointer Monarch should have left a series of mechanisms to utilize this energy. The void colossus energy can be considered a top-grade energy source. With it, we can realize many installations that used to be possible only on paper. How can we waste this kind of power? So, we should just use an ordinary engine for day-to-day flight. Besides, the Martyrs Palace is so big, we can definitely stock several years worth of fuel on it. Bluemoon was extremely confident in her own field. Qianye could only gaze blankly at her without understanding much. He had no idea what kind of value the heart held or how to utilize it. Additionally, the irresponsible Pointer Monarch had handed Qianye a half-finished product just like that. There wasnt a single sign of those special designs that could only be driven by the Earth Dragons heart. While criticizing the Pointer Monarch in his mind, Qianye nodded to indicate that he had heard the girls explanation. As for how much of it he understood, he wasnt about to reveal that, and Bluemoonbeing the clever girl she waswouldnt ask, either. What Qianye did understand was that he needed some ordinary engines. Onone hand, it would increase the Martyrs Palaces speed and flexibility, while on the other, it would save the void origin power harvested by the Earth Dragons heart and bones. Not being able to take advantage of the Earth Dragons energy for the time being wasnt a problem. It wouldnt be a waste because this power could be used to grow the dragons flesh and consequently repair the ships body. Besides, the Earth Dragons defensive barrier while passing through the void also required energy. Whats the detailed plan? This Bluemoon seemed hesitant. There are several feasible plans. One of them is temporary and will need to be swapped out in the future. The other is permanent, but itll be a bit more expensive. Qianye had killed almost a thousand mercenaries to date, and there were mountains of treasures and black crystals in Andruils Realm. He felt rich and imposing at the moment, so why would he even care about costs? The last words he wanted to hear was a bit more expensive. He waved his hand and said in a heroic manner, Just use the permanent method, the cost is not a problem! Bluemoon became spirited and said with a bright smile, Its a combination of engines and kinetic sails, the plan is to hang a kinetic sail on each of the Earth Dragons spines. This will save us a great deal of fuel and space. But even the largest kinetic sails we have on the market are too small, so we need to combine eight of them to get one of our size. Additionally, because of the significant demand in driving force, we need to join up sails of the highest quality. Naturally, itll be best if we can get our sails custom-made! At this point, Qianyes heart was deeply shaken and his vision turned dark. Sails of different quality have vastly different price points, but warship parts were never cheap. The highest grade sail of the largest size would cost at least a few thousand imperial gold coins. Even the largest imperial airships would use five or six at most. But this Martyrs Palace required eight of them to make up a single sail. The entire vessel was several thousand meters long with hundreds of spines on it. Even if they installed sails only on the biggest spines, it would cost at least a few million coins. The cost of outfitting an expeditionary army division on Evernight Continent was only a few hundred thousand gold coins. Now, Qianye was supposed to hang twenty such divisions on the spine masts, and that was only the cost of basic components. They still needed sails for acceleration, turning, and balance, which would boil down to double that price in total. No matter how rich Qianye was right now, he couldnt handle such an expenditure. Most of the mercenaries had little cash on them. Only high-ranking hunters and expert assassins had enough dough on them. Qianye managed to rake in just over a million gold coins in total fortune from them. His own possessions far surpassed this, of course, but the problem was that his true fortune consisted of things he couldnt sellthings like the Pointer Monarchs gun barrel, East Peak, the Book of Darkness, the Wings of Inception, etc. Only now did Qianye realize that a warship was actually a bottomless pit that was always hungry for gold coins. Those powerful warships from the empire had been brought together over the centuries. It was the same for the Evernight sidevessels belonging to dukes and princes were peerless in might but took hundreds of years to perfect and upgrade them. It wouldnt be strange for a great dark monarchs airship to be constructed over a thousand years. Hence, these massive ancient airships capable of changing the tide of the battle would rarely appear in a fight between the empire and Evernight. The true reason was that these dukes, princes, and even great monarchs couldnt bear to use them. Meanwhile, this Martyrs Palace was a giant airship of unprecedented scale, one that could even be considered an aerial fortress. Naturally, its consumption involved astronomical numbers. Its just that merely the sails, among countless other airship parts, made the nouveau riche Qianye feel as though he were bankrupt. How much would he need to perfectly reconstruct the entire warship? At the very least, it was a number that would make even the major clans feel despair. Qianye had a sudden suspicion that perhaps the Pointer Monarch had given up on the Martyrs Palace because he had no more money. No matter how much evil guesses he had of the Pointer Monarch, the Martyrs Palace was now in his hands, and this expense was destined to land on his head. Qianye calmed himself and put on a gentle smile. Bluemoon, is there any other plan? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 818: Brothers of the Pas It was a mystery whether Bluemoon understood Qianyes meaning when she replied seriously, This is the best plan. Either that or we assemble the sails with inferior components and change all of them later on. Any middle-ground plan or compromise will lead to wastage later. A great material like the Martyrs Palace will hardly appear again in a thousand years, it goes without saying that we have to build out of it an aerial fortress of the highest quality. The only warships that can contend with it are those on the sacred mountain and the empires regal airship. Qianye laughed wryly. When did the emperor ever get a regal airship? His own vessel is far inferior to those of the grand dukes from Evernight. Qianye naturally understood how the imperial regime was faring. The emperor rarely went to battle in person, and his ministers did not encourage, either. Hence, it was a waste to build an overly powerful airship for the emperor. The current emperors imperial vessel was nothing more than a remodeled old battleship, decorated for luxury rather than for battle. The airships left behind by each successive emperor would be added to the ranks of the palace guard. Quite unexpectedly, Bluemoon replied, Not that one, I meant the Martial Emperors airship. Martial Emperors airship? Qianye was intrigued. There were innumerable stories about the Martial Ancestor but not a single one that said anything about a legendary warship. Of course he had one, there are several legends about it in the neutral lands. The Martial Ancestors ride was also made from a void colossus, and the most interesting thing about it is that its alive. So, it escaped the empires control after the Martial Emperors death and returned into the deep void. How come Ive never heard of it? Reportedly, the emperor instructed his men to release the colossus into the void after his death, but those greedy people tried to control it instead. In the end, the creature flew into a rage and destroyed two entire imperial fleets before vanishing into the depths of the void. Its only natural that the empire wouldnt announce such an embarrassment, especially since it was brought about by going against the emperors will. Qianye nodded. This definitely sounded like something the empire would do. The conversation had veered somewhat off course, so they quickly steered it back to the topic at hand. At the mention of the Martyrs Palace, Bluemoons face was radiant and full of confidence in her idea. As she saw it, any other middle-ground plan was a waste of money. What Bluemoon said was reasonable, and Qianye, being an amateur in this field, had no better idea. He had no choice but to endure the heartache and approve her plan. The kinetic sails were only a part of the ship. They would require four giant, battleship-grade engines to ensure minimal thrust, thirty-six auxiliary engines for agile maneuvers, and hundreds of smaller ones for postural adjustments. And this was the bare minimumaccording to Bluemoons calculations, they would need to spend twice as much to maximize the effects. Every number that came out of her mouth felt like a lethal blow to Qianye. As soon as she said the words maximum effectwithout even mentioning the subsequent numbers, Qianye already felt like he had been lashed at by Carolines Thunderous Whip. All he could see were golden stars and little Martyrs Palaces flying about. He would find some way to make things work. Qianye comforted himself repeatedly until Bluemoon finished saying all she had to say. The Martyrs Palace had to be constructed one way or the other. Qianye had just thrown out a heroic promise, saying he would send Nighteye to the Sacred Mountain. But those almighty figures on the summit didnt just represent a force capable of suppressing the world; they were also backed by massive clans and tribes. Hence, Qianyes strength alone was far from enough. He needed to build up his own army. The full-constructed Martyrs Palace was comparable to having a power of his own. Qianye collected his thoughts and continued discussing the details with Bluemoon. The kinetic system was the first on the list and the most basic requirement. Bluemoon was also knowledgeable about weapons systems, but she wasnt quite proficient in exterior design, armor, and space allocation. Regarding ship-based weaponry, it was best to use the fortress-grade ballistae produced by the empire. This kind of powerful weapon coupled with a homing system would stop even battleships from approaching recklessly. But how could such high-grade weaponry be easy to purchase? Hence, Qianye decided to temporarily delay the installation of weapons. Only when they had gotten to the details of the purchase did Bluemoon notice that she had also miscalculated. Even the entire neutral lands market wouldnt be able to provide such a large number of components. The only way was to buy out all the kinetic sails available on the market and place an order with the manufacturer. Only then did Qianye heave a sigh of relief. He really couldnt afford it if he had to fork out three million gold coins in one go. Fortunately, the Martyrs Palace could still fly even without the origin sails, only at a slower rate. It was still able to remain airborne, and it was also stronger than most airships. The addition of every origin sail would increase its speed by a small fraction. Next up, Bluemoon listed some places where these sails could be bought, allowing Qianye to decide where he would like to go first. He immediately found a familiar place. Here! Ill go to Southern Blue first. Okay. Bluemoon naturally had no doubt about his choice. Qianye contemplated for a while before bringing out all the equipment he had confiscated from Bluemoon. Follow me to Southern Blue. There might be a need for you to operate solo at times, so Ill return these to you. Bluemoon was extremely surprised. Reclaiming her gear was like giving wings to a tiger. She would once again become that Bluemoon who could move unhindered through the Earth Dragons lair. Additionally, her chances of leaving Qianye would increase exponentially. Not to mention Southern Blue, she could even escape into the complicated landscape of the Northern Continent, and Qianye wouldnt be able to find her. The girl didnt put on her equipment immediately. Arent you afraid Ill escape? So what? I cant help it if you want to run, Qianye replied indifferently. He stood up and waved his right hand across the picturesque vistathe valleys, sea cliffs, highlands, and those majestic mountain ranges. Im going to establish a power of my own here, maybe even a nation! The Martyrs Palace is but a part of all this. Of course, I cant accomplish all of that on my own, so Ill need people to help me, many characters from all walks of life. Youve seen it too, this place is probably the most suitable in the entire neutral lands for human survival. And its big enough to support the livelihood of tens of millions of people. The resources here are also sufficient to support an independent nation. I dont know how large the Highbeard lands are, nor how many of you exist. But I believe theres enough land here for your people to thrive and that Ill have enough power to protect all of you in the future. So theres no reason for me to worry about you. These plans stand proof of your contribution. Youll naturally stay if youre willing to follow me, and if youre not, youll find a way to flee, sooner or later. Its meaningless to force you. Bluemoon was stoppered up. Not daring to meet Qianyes eyes, she lowered her head and asked softly, F-Follow you? Yes. Qianye nodded. Bluemoon lowered her head even further and the hum of her kinetic engines grew somewhat louder. Qianyes gaze swept over the distant cliffs and shores, crossing over the vast Eastern Sea toward the depths of the void. He hadnt noticed the change in Bluemoons behavior at all. Of course, there will be more than just Highbeards on this land. Whoever is willing to follow me will obtain a place to live and thrive. The size and location of the land, however, will depend on what they contribute. Bluemoon finally looked up at Qianye with a complicated expression. With a bit of volition and a bit of disappointment, she asked, Why do you wish to build a nation? Why indeed Qianye hesitated for a moment. Perhaps its to give humanity a nation they can call their own, a place where they wont be suppressed by the other races. Isnt Zhang Buzhou the human leader of the neutral lands? Him? What kind of leader is he? Qianye sneered. He only cares about his own cultivation. He doesnt give a damn about the fate of humans. Just look at his own territory, are the humans on equal footing with the other races? A mere Wolf King dares to work together with outsiders to slaughter humans without restraint and construct blood altars out of them. Whats the use of such a leader? Bluemoon knew not how to argue with this. She could only sigh helplessly, saying, Perhaps what you say is reasonable, but I must warn you that moving a large number of humans to the Northern Continent will attract Zhang Buzhous attention. Hes long since announced that all humans in the neutral lands are under his protection. You must know what these words mean. Anyone with designs on the human race will be interfering with Zhang Buzhous business. Qianye nodded. Theres no rush regarding this matter, now is not the time, anyway. But Bluemoon spoke for him, But theres no changing your mind, is there? Smart. Qianye praised her. Bluemoon exhaled deeply and gave up trying to dissuade him. What she didnt know was that Qianyes eyes were directed at the boundless distance. There was a majestic mountain there looking down on all life. That was the Sacred Mountain of the Evernight world. Each figure atop that mountain was a tremendous entity whose shadow had shrouded the world for millennia. This could be considered a dream, perhaps something closer to fantasy or even a delusion. But Qianye didnt mind persevering in this regard. What if dreams really did come true? For some reason, Qianye suddenly recalled all those brothers whom he had fought alongside back in the empire. He thought about Song Sevens grandiose, drunk words, about how he had wanted to build a large nation of their own. Who wouldve thought that the vicissitudes of life and time were nothing more than illusions? Having gone through the twists and turns of fate, the least ambitious Qianye had actually started to walk this road. He wondered if his brothers of the past were all doing well. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 819: Return to Southern Blue Pack up and follow me to Southern Blue, said Qianye. Bluemoon nodded firmly and returned briskly to her hut to gear up. By the time she was back, she was her old confident self, shrouded in a renewed brilliance. Qianye was crouching on the ground, teasing little Zhuji with one finger. The little girl was like an angry cat as she pounced at Qianyes finger, growling menacingly and flashing her snowy white teeth from time to time. None of this was out of the ordinary, but Bluemoon was dazed. The duo was simply too fast, so much so that even someone of her eyesight could only see blurred images. Zhujis hands would leave numerous afterimages with every move, and Qianyes finger had long since turned ethereal and fluctuant as he evaded Zhujis attacks always at the nick of time. If Bluemoon had to do this kind of play-training with the kid, she wouldve been struck senseless in mere moments. Additionally, the little girls speed was already like the wind and shadows, which meant that her strength couldnt be underestimated, either. At this moment, she very much suspected whether her head could withstand a slap from her. Ah! Bluemoon couldnt help but gasp from the suspense. Youre here? Only then did Qianye notice Bluemoon. But in that split second of distraction, Zhuji finally managed to catch Qianyes hand. The little fellow seemed genuinely angry this time as she opened her little mouth and bit down mercilessly! Ah!!! This time, it was Qianyes turn to cry out. Even the fire-forged physique was no match for the little girls teeth, immediately opening into a lacerated wound from the bite. Realizing that she was in trouble, the little girl released her bite immediately afterward. Seeing Qianyes mangled finger, she lowered her head with reddened eyes and unleashed a torrent of bean-sized teardrops. It was almost as though she had become a little cat who had been wronged. Qianye felt speechless. It almost looked like he was bullying her, but there really was no reasoning with little Zhuji. Feeling quite helpless, he could only rub her head and console her. Bluemoon approached cautiously and asked, Are you okay? Im fine. Qianye activated his blood energy, and moments later, his finger had healed on its own. He picked Zhuji up with one hand and led Bluemoon toward the Martyrs Palace. After a while, the massive airship took to the air and, after a gradual turn, flew toward the vast Eastern Sea. Two days later, Qianye was once again in the southern wilderness. He parked the Martyrs Palace up near the void, as usual, flew down, and headed toward Southern Blue with Zhuji and Bluemoon. There were several major cities on the Eastern Sea Continent. All of them, including the main human cities, were places where the lands wealth converged. It wasnt wrong to head to them to procure goods. Although Southern Blue was located in the southern wilderness, its lord was a good businessman and the city itself was a transport hub. It was the best supply base for those looking to explore the wilderness. Additionally, the city had reaped a hefty profit from the recent wars and was enjoying a whole new level of prosperity. Qianye felt a connection of fate with the city, and there was also Zhujis matter to settle. So, he chose this place as his first stop. In recent days, Southern Blue had been overcome by a desolate austerity. People on the streets walked hurriedly with worried expressions. The taverns were still full, but there was no hearty laughter and shouting like before. The atmosphere was extremely depressing as the mercenaries drank with their heads lowered, seemingly lost in worry. Business was sparse in the weaponry stores throughout the city. The dispirited shopkeepers leaned against the counters of their deserted shops and couldnt even bother to greet incoming customers. The weapons store Qianye had walked into was moderately sized, specializing in combat vehicles, truck, and bike parts as well as their weapons. There were also a number of airship parts to be found here, although their source was a mystery to everyone. Seeing that the staff had no intention of greeting him, Qianye couldnt help but feel odd. Bluemoon took a step forward and placed her hand on the counter. The shopkeeper looked up to find, not a hand, but a large gun barrel. Shocked out of his wits and pale, the man stood up straight and said, What does this Highbeard lady needs? As long as its within my power, Ill get it done satisfactorily. The shopkeeper was full of smiles at this moment. The Highbeards made a living as mercenaries. They were incomparably violent but made for great customers. As long as the goods were fine enough, they usually wouldnt nitpick about the price. Without stating her request, Bluemoon asked, Whats going on in the city? Why is it so bleak? The shopkeeper sighed. What else but the trouble stirred up by the City Lords son? Reportedly, he provoked an extremely powerful expert and faced a miserable defeat in the south. It has been said that all experts from Stormwind Fury, save their captain, were killed, and the other party didnt even need a second move in each fight. They seemed to have suffered grave troop casualties, including members of the city guard whom the city lord had assigned to them. If even Stormwind Fury is in such a state, you can imagine how well the other corps were doing. Bluemoon wasnt clear about this matter. Are the casualties that heavy? Of course! Just think about it, most corps have lost over half their forces, how are they to muster compensation for all those people? Some mercenary corps were simply disbanded. The shopkeeper sighed. These people cant even afford the financial support for the deceased, how will they have the money to shop? Bluemoon came to a realization and shot a glance at Qianye. She had a feeling that this matter was related to Qianye, but she didnt press on with the questions. Do you have airship engines? The shopkeeper became spirited after hearing the true purpose of her visit. Yes, of course, we do! Our small shop just collected a new batch of engines, and theyre all of good quality! At least eighty percent new! Qianye and Bluemoon followed the shopkeeper to their warehouse. There, the man removed the tarpaulin cover and revealed several engines underneath. There were half a dozen of them piled up randomly and two of them even had signs of damage. Clearly, the person who had removed them wasnt as mature in terms of technique. Even Qianye could see that these engines were old goods, with the newest no more than fifty percent new. Additionally, they were constructed using an old design and would be considered centuries-old antiques by empire standards. But Qianye wasnt disappointedhe had come here for information, to begin with, and didnt hold too much of a hope for finding quality goods. Bluemoon, on the other hand, seemed to be making a serious selection. In the end, she picked two small engines and made the down payment. The shopkeeper was told to package the goods and that they would come for it two days later. The shopkeeper was fairly swift when there was business to be done. Qianye hadnt even left the store when he had already begun washing the engines and readying the boxes. After walking out of the weaponry store, Qianye strolled along the street and visited a couple of random stores. There were no high-quality goods in these shops, but Bluemoon always picked some parts from every store. She usually went for components that were both economical and reliable, at the expense of size. Qianye nodded in secret. There was too much space on Martyrs Palace, anyway, more than enough to fit such unwieldy equipment. Their delicately-crafted counterparts would likely cost more for the same function. Take engines for instancea half-sized engine would cost ten times more than a full-sized one of the same output. As the three walked along the deserted streets, the mercenaries along the way would shoot frequent glances, and the number of people paying attention to them only grew as time went by. Upon seeing Qianye, some of the mercenaries turned pale and immediately went the other way with their heads lowered. At this point, Bluemoon could no longer hold back. Master, dont tell me this matter is related to you? A bit. Qianye smiled. And yet youre showing off like that! Why dont we put some disguises on? Qianye shrugged, saying, Arent we already disguised? Bluemoon had nothing to say. Qianye had merely changed his clothes and attached a small mustache. How could this be considered a disguise? The mustache did serve to accentuate his beautiful eyes and grant him a different type of attractiveness, but anyone who had encountered Qianye before could see through this lousy disguise. Bluemoon couldnt keep pushing this matter since Qianye was so completely nonchalant about it. She merely increased her engines to maximum output and charged her origin power weaponry. Realizing her intentions, Qianye said with a smile, Dont worry, I want them to know that Im here. Why? No reason, I just wanted to see their reaction, Qianye replied calmly. With that, he patted little Zhujis head and asked, Have you recovered? What will you do if the bad guys come? Spit them in the face! The girls canines were visible when she grinned. Good girl! Qianye laughed as he put little Zhuji up on his shoulder and paraded her around the town. Bluemoon didnt understand what was going on. She could only sigh in secret, thinking that these two had gone nuts. As they were passing by a certain store, she pulled up her cloak slightly to reveal her left arm, flashing the symbol on her origin gun. The listless shopkeeper was shocked out of his wits upon seeing the symbol. Bluemoon performed a series of hidden gestures at the shopkeeper, who nodded promptly and thumped his chest with his fist. Bluemoon then hid inside the cloak once more and followed Qianye forward. The shopkeeper immediately rushed to the rear courtyard. There were seven or eight people lying or sitting around the spacious garden, each possessing formidable aura and ferocity. All of you, up! The Shieldmaiden has appeared just now. She wants all tribesmen to assemble and get ready for battle! The men were both surprised and delighted. Shes finally back! Wasnt it said that she fell in the Earth Dragons lair? Bah! Never trust those lowlives! The shopkeeper roared, Enough nonsense, you have five minutes to get combat-ready and assemble at the Roman Street. The Highbeard warriors revealed fierce expressions as soon as they heard the words combat-ready. One of them asked, Who are we fighting? The shopkeeper said with a peculiar expression, The Shieldmaiden says we might have to fight the city guard. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 820: Spare Him The group of Highbeards looked at one another, unable to comprehend this decision. As a tribe that made a living as mercenaries, the Highbeards have always maintained a good relationship with the major powers and potential clients. The Southern Blue city lord attached great importance to mercenaries as he wasnt very powerful himself. This was the best type of client for the Highbeards, so why would they start fighting him all of a sudden? But no one voiced dissent regarding the Shieldmaidens decision and merely headed off to prepare. At this moment, Bluemoon had already contacted several strongholds and was now quite confident in killing their way out even if the city lord were to field his army. Only at this point did she feel a bit calmer. Qianye and Zhuji were just as leisurely as before, seemingly oblivious to her secret arrangements. Bluemoon clenched her teeth in anger, refusing to believe that the unfathomable Qianye hadnt noticed her actions. Right now, she really had no idea what kind of game he was playingwas he really that confident, or had he been planning to use the Highbeards power all along? At this moment, a relaxed Ji Rui was seated on a grand chair in the city lord manor, sipping tea while admiring the rare flora in his garden. In a corner of the courtyard, there was a small pond protected by an origin barrier. Amidst the dense array of ferns and algae, there was a single lotus flower at the center of this pool. It was as white as suet jade with faint purple threads weaving through its petals. Covered in flashes of lightning and raging storms, the atmosphere inside this small secret realm was clearly different from the outside world. Ji Ruis burning gaze never left the small lotus all this time. It was at this moment that a hurried knock came from the courtyard gates. Ji Rui roared unhappily, What is it? Cant this wait until I wake up? The voice of Liu Yuanxihead steward and vice-commander of the city guardrang out from outside, City Lord, an important character has appeared in the city. We need your instructions on how to deal with him. Wait! Ji Ruis expression was unsightly. Although he hadnt broken through to the divine champion realm, he was only a single step away. His words held enormous weight in Southern Blue and its surrounding regions. Apart from people like the Spider Emperor, Mask, and the Wolf King, who else could be more important than this lotus? Ji Rui walked out of the garden with his teapot and closed the door behind him. Now, tell me, what kind of important character is it? Liu Yuanxi lowered his voice to a whisper. Its Zhao Ye. Who!? Ji Rui couldnt react for a moment. Zhao Ye, also known as Qianye, the one who crippled Stormwind Fury in the Black Grove. Hundreds of our brothers also died in his hands, and your logging camp... Enough! He dares come here!? Ji Rui cut Liu Xiyuan short with an unsightly expression. He had made steep investments in that logging camp, but Qianye burned it to the ground in the end. Not only did he fail to recoup his investments, but he also had to shoulder a large sum of compensation. The staff in the logging camp werent ordinary workers but mercenaries who had laid down their origin guns in favor of manual labor. Ji Ruis face was ashen. He raised his right hand like a blade. This was his habitual gesturea downward slash would signify a kill-on-sight command. Liu Xiyuans expression was full of killing intent as he waited for the City Lord to make his decision. But Ji Ruis chubby hands froze midway and never came down. He looked up in curiosity, only to find the city lords face was twitching constantly. Sighing and clenching his teeth, the mans expression fluctuated repeatedly, but that right hand still remained in place. Suddenly noticing Liu Xiyuans gaze, Ji Rui drew his right hand back and pretended to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Damned weather, its so hot. The weather was obviously gloomy and a spring chill hung in the air; there was no semblance of heat anywhere. However, Liu Xiyuan nodded repeatedly and said, Yes, yes, its getting hot pretty early this year. Ji Rui took a sip of his tea. That Qianye, is he disguised? Liu Xiyuan said awkwardly, Hes wearing a mustache. Noticing Ji Ruis expression turn even uglier, the man added, And he also changed his clothes. What difference would this kind of disguise make!? Qianyes attitude was simply too excessive. His cultivation wasnt even that high. At least according to the numbers on paper, there were loads of people in Southern Blue who could do him in. Ji Rui was a shrewd man. Despite his ugly expression, he still concluded, So, he did disguise himself. Yes, yes! How would he dare come into the city otherwise? Despite the authenticity, or the lack thereof, these words still had some positive affect. Ji Ruis stance softened quite a bit as he said, Since thats the case, wed better not alarm him just yet. Have you figured out what hes here to do? He went to several armament stores and bought airship components. But most of his purchases are second-hand goods. Oh, and he also placed an order for a kinetic sail, one of maximum size and grade. Ji Rui raised his brows, muttering, He wants to build an airship? But these components are far from enough. Ji Rui shook his head. These sails are for large ships and long-distance vessels traversing the void. As I see it, what they really want are these sails. Liu Xiyuan said, City Lord, what should we do then? Ji Rui said after some thought, Send some people to keep an eye on him, but dont provoke him. Understand? Yes, But City Lord, the thirteenth young master has left the manor just now. Ji Rui was shocked. Whats he up to again? He left with the City Guard after hearing that the little girl has appeared in the city. None of our subordinates could stop him. Bang! Ji Ruis teapot fell to the floor and its contents splashed in all directions. A large part of his robes was stained, but he couldnt care about that at the moment. He said in a rage, Why didnt you say so earlier? Send people to bring that little bastard back, knock him out if he dares to resist. No, you should go personally, now! But Madam He Ji Ruis expression sank. Go!!! Liu Xiyuan left quickly without further words. A gloomy Ji Rui waved his sleeve with a cold snort and strode toward the main building. Southern Blue was neither big nor smallit would be all too easy for his son to find someone in the city. Heck, he might even be standing in front of Qianye by now. It was likely too late no matter how fast Liu Xiyuan went. Humph! These disloyal fellows are really trying my hand, Ji Rui muttered to himself as he passed through the corridors and into the meeting hall. His followers approached and proceeded to wait respectfully for his command. But Ji Rui merely sat down in a large chair and said not a single word. Everyone exchanged glances, but who would dare to ask the city lord? At this moment, in front of the largest weaponry store in the city, Qianye was looking up at the signboard and down at the young master who was blocking the way. This store, called the Nightcloud Pavilion, was a shop mainly dealing in warship equipment and was also the largest arms dealer in the city. The scale of this store was just as grand as its name, standing five stories tall and occupying half a street block. There were numerous members of the staff and guards standing cautiously nearby, but the young master paid no attention to them. He stared fixedly at Qianye, stealing an occasional glance at little Zhuji who was sitting on his shoulder. Finally, he said through clenched teeth, Who wouldve thought? You actually have the guts to come to Southern Blue! Qianye was observing the airship parked on the roof of Nightcloud Pavilion. Recalling his gaze, he said with a smile, What? Was Southern Blue sealed off? The burly guards behind the young master were furious, muttering incoherently about teaching Qianye a lesson. But the young man stopped them, while he himself walked over. Who are you trying to fool with this kind of disguise? Anyone but the blind knows its you. Qianyes smile was unchanged. Youre right, anyone but the blind will know its me. There was something off with these words. Additionally, Qianyes reaction was quite different from what the thirteenth young master had expected. He scanned Zhuji after a moment of distraction, and his heart was set ablaze, almost like a volcano on the verge of eruption. The young masters mouth curved downward in an expression of mockery as he took one more step toward Qianye. Even despite that, you dare to come here!? Do you know who I am? Qianye said with a smile, Of course I dont know who you are, but I think Im about to find out very soon. What Im sure of, though, is that you dont know who I am. The young master suddenly flipped out. He pointed a finger at Qianyes face and screamed, Why would this daddy here need to f*cking know who you are!? At this moment, one of his personal guards pulled him back and whispered, Young Master, lets go back first. The thirteenth young master could hardly believe his ears. Go back? Why must I? This fellow killed so many of our people. Cutting him down will be a great contribution! The guard was nearly in tears. Young Master, think about it. Hes killed so many people The thirteenth young master was even more furious. Seeing that this guard was so timid, he decided to find someone more useful. He glanced left and right, but none of his guards were willing to step forward. Actually, everyone understood the guard captains meaning. The other party had managed to kill his way through a torrent of mercenaries back in the Black Grove, and even a powerful corps like Stormwind Fury had to disband after returning from this battle. Over two thousand soldiers lost their lives that day, so how were they supposed to kill Qianye with less than twenty men? It was still light out, definitely not a time for dreaming. The thirteenth young master came to an immediate realization, but he was still unresigned. Why arent you reporting this matter to the city lord? The guards felt even more helpless. How could the lord not know when even the thirteenth young master had received this news? Qianye had been swaggering around the city all this time, which meant that he wasnt afraid of provoking the city lord. The guard wanted to dissuade further when Little Zhuji said, Now I remember, hes the one who came with his men and asked me to sleep with him! The entire street fell into a deep silence. The wind stopped blowing and the temperature fell sharply as though winter had come all of a sudden. Everyone at the scene couldnt help but shiver. Qianye looked into the thirteenth young masters eyes for the first time, his gaze filled with incisive frostiness. So its you, what a coincidence. I wanted to look for you at the city lords manor, but who wouldve thought Id bump into you here? See? Now I know who you are. The thirteenth young master had wanted to say something, but a bone-piercing chill poured out from his heart and froze his entire body, stopping him from uttering a word. Only at this point did he truly understand what killing intent meant. In his state of terror, he could not even flinch a muscle. All he could do was watch as Qianye whipped out East Peak. Spare his life!!! A loud cry arrived from afar, shaking half the city and showcasing the depth of the speakers origin power. Liu Yuanxi had arrived at the critical juncture. Qianyes expression remained constant as East Peak shook ever so slightly. The thirteenth young master erupted in a miserable scream as he fell backward with blood gushing out of his legs. Qianye turned about with a radiant smile. Life spared. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 821: Misunderstanding T-This Liu Xiyuan was speechless as he looked at the writhing thirteenth young master on the ground. Qianye pointed at the young man and asked, Shall I leave him like this, or what do you want me to do? Liu Xiyuan was quite decisive. A certain glow flickered in his eyes as he sighed. Since youve done it, then finish it up. Fine. Qianye nodded. A beam of incomparably sharp sword energy shot out from the blade, slitting open the thirteenth young masters throat and effectively ending his life. After concluding his business, Qianye sheathed his sword calmly and said, I thought youd come to fight it out with me. Liu Xiyuan laughed wryly. As much as I want to, I know that Im not that capable. Please wait while I clean things up. He turned toward the thirteenth young masters guards with a serious expression. Take the young masters remains back. Whoever dares to make irresponsible remarks, Ill cut off his tongue! Understand? The guard unit affirmed their instructions and sped away with the corpse. They didnt dare linger about after their brush with death. Liu Xiyuan had people clean up the traces of blood before inviting Qianye into a private room in the Nightcloud Pavilion. After Qianye had taken his seat, he said, Youve fought and confirmed your victory, Stormwind Fury has also dispersed, I think theres no need to keep on fighting. Qianye took a sip of tea. I just killed the City Lords son, does that not matter? Liu Xiyuan laughed. The City Lord has a crowd of wives, concubines, and children, the loss or addition of one makes little difference. Some of them die every year and he can just raise more. Although Qianye was confident that the city lord would compromise in this regard, these words gave him quite a bit of a surprise. He only recovered from his daze after a while and said, The City Lord is indeed a capable and magnanimous person, Im in awe. Liu Xiyuan asked, I wonder what brings you to Southern Blue? If you can tell me about it, perhaps I can help you. Qianye had no intention of hiding things. I have an old warship thats been having trouble moving lately, so I want to renovate it. I came here to buy some kinetic equipment, and even better, some kinetic sails. Our City Lord has numerous connections regarding military equipment. Why dont you drop by the city lord manor as a guest and discuss your intentions with the lord? Thatll also serve to remove whatever misunderstandings we may have had. Fine, lets go over then. Qianyes immediate response surprised Liu Xiyuan quite a bit. It would seem this person was not afraid of an ambush at all. Qianye rose and walked out with Liu Xiyuan. Just as he was about to leave the door, he said to Bluemoon, Im going to visit the city lord manor and see the City Lord. You stay here and look for goods, just wait here after youre done. Yes, Sir, Bluemoon replied. About Qianye heading to the city lord manor on his own, she was conflicted by nervousness and expectation. She would be free if Qianye were to die there. Additionally, the secret of the Northern Continent was in her hand. One day, she would definitely find a way to pass through the Eastern Sea and void barriers and arrive on that fertile land. But she also understood that her own potential and the Highbeards power arent enough to occupy that place. If the existence of the Northern Continent were to be revealed, the Wolf King, Mask, and Spider Emperor would come to loot the place despite their status. At that point, how were the Highbeards, who didnt even have a single divine champion, to defend? That was also the main reason why the Highbeards had been wandering the world as mercenaries without a place to call home. If even the Highbeards couldnt defend the territory, why was Qianye so confident that he could? Bluemoon pondered many things in secret after Qianyes departure. She could find many reasonsQianyes combat strength, for instance, was much stronger than his cultivation, and he had many unfathomable methods. But none of that was enough of a reason. In the end, there was only one thought left in her mind: the Pointer Monarchs successor should be able to cope with such a situation. If he really couldnt hold out, perhaps the monarch himself would appear. At the thought of this, Bluemoon suddenly felt more confident. For decades, the Pointer Monarch had occupied the throne of the most powerful human expert. Many of his exploits had become legends, and his name alone was enough to give humans strength and hope. Qianye, of course, had no idea that the Pointer Monarch had unknowingly given him another endorsement. He was thinking about how to deal with the Southern Blue city lord. At the moment, he had arrived in the city lords manor, slowly enjoying good tea in the guest room, but a single mistake could turn this hospitality into a murderous situation. Just as he was deep in thought, a friendly-looking fatty walked into the room. He immediately cupped his fists with a smile and said, Young Noble Qianye, your fame precedes you! Im Ji Rui, the humble lord of Southern Blue. Please forgive us if there was a lack of hospitality. Qianye duly returned the gesture, and the two took their seats after the exchange of formalities. Ji Rui asked his men to withdraw and adopted a serious expression, Might I ask if Young Noble hails from the Zhao clan in the empire? Qianye knew people would find out sooner or later. He had no intention of hiding it, either. Ive indeed worked for the Zhao clan before. Ji Rui nodded. There were indeed some misunderstandings between us, but with Thirteen dead, I wonder if we can write it all off? Of course. If Thirteen hadnt gone to seek you out... Ji Rui probed. Then I wouldve come here to pay him a visit. Ji Ruis smile became even more awkward. He fished out a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his face. Then its a good thing that he did then. I do wonder, what your relationship with the natives is? None. What do you think about us logging in the Black Grove? Qianye replied with a smile, What does that have to do with me? The natives and I only worked together temporarily against a common enemy. Ji Rui heaved a sigh of relief. Thats good, thats good. His plans could continue if Qianye didnt object to his logging in the Black Grove. That was his true source of fortune and a sure way of obtaining the empires support. Comparatively, the Spider Emperors bounty on Zhuji and his thirteenth son werent all that important. Ji Rui said in a cautious whisper, I heard Young Noble did something serious in the empire. Its nothing much, I merely barged into an imperial military stronghold and killed a general. Qianye made it sound trivial, but this shocked Ji Rui out of his wits. The city lord knew a lot about the imperial system and was quite sure that a general was equal to himself in both cultivation and combat strength. If Qianye was capable of charging into a heavily-guarded military stronghold to kill a general, it also meant that he could kill Ji Rui inside his own city lord manor. Ji Rui said with a smile, Sire Qianye is indeed extraordinary. You make something so big sound so light. After hearing of this matter, Ji Ruis address of Qianye quickly switched from Young Noble to Sire. I dont think the empire will just let this be, why arent you laying low after coming to the neutral lands? Why would you keep using your own name? This news will bring you trouble once it gets back to the empire. Qianye smiled faintly. What Im afraid of is that they wont come. With nothing left to worry about, now is the right time to start a massacre. Ji Rui was astonished once more. As the lord of Southern Blue, he owned many industries and there were very few people he had to be cautious of. Those he feared most were mysterious people like Qianye who were both strong and reckless. Qianye had even dared to release his true name before so many mercenaries, what else could he be afraid of? Ji Rui drank a mouthful of tea to calm his mind before trying to sound Qianye out. Is there anything you need in Southern Blue? Maybe I can help. Qianye was waiting for him to say that. I do need some help, actually. I want to purchase a batch of kinetic sails, but there isnt enough stock in the city. Do you think you can help me? Ji Ruis eyes lit up and shifted about when he heard the words, a batch. He let out a cough and said while pretending to be calm, Kinetic sails arent easy to manufacture. Their prices are high and few airships can use them. Theres no way the stores can keep stock. But I do know some friends, and they might have some in-store. If thats still not enough, we can place an order with the manufacturers. How many sails do you need? Qianye merely smiled without saying anything. Only when he saw Ji Rui listening attentively did he raise four fingers at him. The city lord seemed somewhat disappointed. Four? In truth, an ordinary airship could only use three kinetic sails. Those using four sails could be considered quite large. If Qianye only had one airship, it would be just right for him to buy four kinetic sails. It was just that such a deal seemed rather small to Ji Rui and he would need to reevaluate Qianyes value. Without waiting for Ji Rui to continue his thoughts, Qianye shook his head and said, No, I want forty. Forty! The city lord almost jumped to his feet. Fortunately, he was able to maintain his calm and prevent his buttocks from leaving the chair. I want sails of the largest size and the best quality, Qianye added. Ji Ruis eyes lit up. Excuse me for saying this, but such sails arent produced in the neutral lands. We can only buy them in Evernight or the empire. By the time theyve been shipped here, the price will be around five thousand gold coins each. Qianye nodded. Thats a reasonable price. Ill leave these with you as a down-payment. With that, he produced a small box full of black crystals and placed it in front of Ji Rui. The city lords doubts were dispelled as he opened the container and saw thirty thousand gold coins worth of black crystals. The stock I and my friends have might barely cover forty sails. Ill make arrangements right away, the goods will be ready in a weeks time. Where should I send them to? Qianye named a certain small town and then got up to leave. Ji Rui saw the guest out personally until he was out of the manor doors. Qianye hadnt even said goodbye when he heard a scream from inside. Return my sons life! An origin bullet shot toward Qianye with a loud bang. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 822: More About Ideals and Less about Money However, the origin bullet was as slow as it was weak, and Qianye couldnt even be bothered to move away or dodge. Ji Rui blocked hurriedly with an awkward expression, slapping the projectile onto the floor. He didnt have Qianyes steel-like constitution, so blocking the bullet bare-handed left his white palm with some broken skin and blood. With an ashen expression, Ji Rui roared, Fool! A woman ran out from the courtyard. She was clad in Chinese-style clothing, and the traces of age on her countenance could hardly hide her beautiful features. Even her angry expression contained a different kind of allure that made one want to pounce on her. She was rather tall, with a narrow waist and plump hip that only added to her attraction as she rana walking rarity through and through. She rushed out of the courtyard and said through clenched teeth, Lord, that man killed our son, you have to avenge him for me! Ji Rui frowned unhappily. Its all a misunderstanding. You go back first and well talk about this after I send the guest off. No, I must kill him! You, are you the one who killed my son? She was about to rush at Qianye but was stopped firmly by the guards. The soldiers were more afraid of Qianye hurting her than the other way around. Whoever had heard of Qianyes past exploits would feel deep apprehension. Qianye glanced at the womans facial features and found them somewhat similar to the thirteenth young master who had died to his blade. He said nothing on the spot and simply waited for her to continue. Liu Yuanxi stepped in to console the woman. Madam He, its all a misunderstanding, please go back first. Madam He paid him no heed, however. She looked at little Zhuji with a fierce expression and pointed a trembling finger at her. Are you that little slut who seduced my son? Whats a slut? Zhuji looked up at Qianye. Unable to hold back in the end, he sneered, Your son wanted to capture my daughter first. What do you have to say about that? Since my son wants it, why wont she just sleep with him!? Madam He spoke as if it were right and proper. Qianye broke into a laugh while Ji Ruis expression turned dark. He shouted while stamping his feet, Drag her away! Are you all deaf? The attendants finally towed the madam away into the inner courtyard, but her cries were still audible through the wall. Ji Ruis smile became rather forced. Sigh, all of this is my fault, I was too lax with them. Please dont take it to heart, General Qianye. How can I? The City Lords methods are quite strict, actually. I was almost about to tell her that her son died because I wanted him to. Ji Rui laughed dryly. You really do know how to jest. Qianye laughed loudly, Youre too kind, I dont deserve that much praise. After exchanging some back and forth pleasantries, Qianye left with little Zhuji. The smile on Ji Ruis face disappeared as Qianyes figure vanished, replaced by an ashen countenance. An aide beside him was also gazing out intently. Finally seeing an opportunity to express his views, he said, Sire, isnt this fellow too arrogant? Do you want me to make some arrangements? Have him captured? Ji Rui was currently full of pent up anger, and his fury boiled up after hearing these words. With a raise of his hand, he gave the inept advisor a heavy slap, sending him flying with a bloodied face. The mans face swelled up like a pigs head. Ji Ruis anger didnt stop there. Useless, all of you are useless people! You cant even cultivate to the champion realm, what do you know!? The inept advisors head was spinning around. He knew not what was going on and could only say yes. Ji Rui scanned his surroundings and grew even angrier after seeing the naivety of his puzzled followers. All of you too, all rubbish! After scolding his subordinates, he rushed back into the manor alone with his hands clasped behind his back. After returning to the study, Ji Rui found his heart beating like a drum. He simply couldnt calm down from the mixture of anger and fear. This whole time, no one had noticed that the one he was afraid of wasnt Qianye but Zhuji. From the moment they had met up until their departure, Qianye had been carrying the little girl, and intentionally or otherwise, the lass was always looking straight at Ji Rui. Ji Rui had read the battle report from the Black Grove no less than five times. He was very clear that he would suffer dearly if little Zhuji were to spray a concentrated cloud of green gas onto him. There was no way to confirm whether she could condense her poison, but Ji Rui wasnt willing to find out personally. At the thought of Qianyes order, however, Ji Rui became much more spirited. In any case, this could be considered a compensation of sorts and it was only the beginning. It was at this time that a knock came from the study door and Liu Yuanxi walked in. Sir, are we really going to let Qianye go just like that? Madam He isnt easily placated. Ji Rui snorted coldly. This woman knows I dote on her. How much trouble has she caused for me in recent years? Thirteen is also a big troublemaker. If I die, do you think we can hand Southern Blue to him? Liu Yuanxi replied, Thirteenth Young Master was still young and definitely needed more tempering. But now that hes gone and Qianye is allowed to walk away just like that Sir, I think its going to be hard to convince the masses. Who knows if Madam He will do anything drastic? Ji Rui snorted. The Black Grove was our defeat. Liu Yuanxi was startled. He wanted to argue, but Ji Rui raised his hand and said, Speak no more, Ive decided. The chief steward could only lower his head. Yes, Sir, but about Madam He Ji Rui banged the table with a cold laugh. What can she do? Its true that her father owns two large mercenary corps, but now that Stormwind Fury has been destroyed, what is he going to threaten me with? Stormwind Fury has been routed but Icefrost Massacre is still intact, Liu Yuanxi reminded. I refuse to believe hell deploy Icefrost Massacre to fight me just for this, Ji Rui replied indifferently. He placed Qianyes box on the table and said, Besides, Qianye also gave us compensation for this matter. He placed an order for forty high-quality kinetic sales, and this is the downpayment. He also promised not to help the natives, so we can reconstruct our logging camps. This compensation is enough for us to formally admit our defeat at the Black Grove. Forty kinetic sails! Is he trying to build a fleet? Liu Yuanxi was startled. He observed the contents of the box carefully before closing the lid and putting it carefully back in front of Ji Rui. Yes, a fleet! Ji Rui was confident. Forty kinetic sails was enough to equip eight warships, six if some were reserved for backup. It would be even more astonishing if Qianye had wanted to install them all on a single shiponly a battleship-grade vessel could be equipped with forty kinetic sails. A fellow building an airship fleet was even more difficult to provoke than a mercenary corps, not to mention Qianye who had just routed a large mercenary corps. There was no telling what Ji Rui would think if he were to find out that these forty sails would only make up five giant ones, and that they couldnt even fill one corner of Martyrs Palace. Liu Yuanxis thoughts were quite active. He immediately said, Sire, this is a great opportunity! No matter what Qianye is trying to build, kinetic sails are only a single part. Cannons, armor, engines, every component involves money. If he wants to build a fleet, then we should sell him a fleet! Ji Rui replied, Well said! Since Qianye wants to build a fleet, he will eventually find out that only we have the right amount and quality of resources! Liu Yuanxi said after a moment of silence, As I see it, Qianye is only testing the waters and trying to check our attitude. With his character, the Thirteenth Young Master is destined to be killed; the key is what happens after that. This forty-sail order is just to test the waters. Cooperation is only logical since weve admitted defeat and written off past enmities. Theres a big fortune waiting for us to earn. Seeing Liu Yuanxis increasing excitement, Ji Rui said with a calm expression, Old Liu, were both getting old. Its true that we love money, but we cant let it cloud our judgment. Theres a reason why I admitted defeat. Just think about it, what kind of person does it take to build an airship fleet? Liu Yuanxi was enlightened. At the very least, a single mercenary corps couldnt fork up such a big sum of money. This proved that there was a massive entity behind Qianyes back, a power no weaker than Southern Blue. Ji Rui waved his hand in response to the chief stewards gesture of admiration, instead commanding him to keep an eye on Madam He and prevent her from doing stupid things. How could one be so prudent and mindful of the bigger picture? Ji Rui might not like the thirteenth young master that much, but the latter was still his son. How could the city lord let just anyone kill him? The reason he had swallowed his anger was never because of this purchase order. It was because little Zhuji was so close by and Qianyes threat was in plain sighthe was completely at their mercy. Even if little Zhujis green gas couldnt kill Ji Rui in one go, she could still wipe out half the city if she were to spray it outside. The city was his lifes work, and seeing it destroyed would be even more agonizing to him than death. With the butchers blade above his head, Ji Rui had no choice but to obey. Hence, the city lord chose to exit the stage immediately when Qianye mentioned a fair deal. As for Liu Xiyuan, the man was still a subordinate despite being his chief steward. There was a different set of principles when dealing with subordinatesone had to discuss long-term plans and bigger pictures, speaking more about ideals and less about money. Ji Rui was an expert in this regard. If he didnt say these things, was he supposed to admit that he was scared stiff by little Zhuji? Additionally, Ji Rui had finally managed to investigate all of Qianyes information and each description of his many accomplishments shook the city lords heart. He had noticed many things from these withered reports. He could see that Qianyes connection with the Zhao clan wasnt as simple as it seemed on the surface, especially since all of the outstanding youths from the clan had some kind of association with him. After some thought, Ji Rui summoned a guard and said, Invite General Lu over, Ill be waiting for him in the side hall. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 823: A New Deal At dinnertime, a tall, slender man in his middle-age walked into the city lords manor. Ji Rui had already prepared wine and food at the side hall. The guest ordered his guards to keep watch outside while he himself sat down across the city lord. City Lord Ji, long time no see. Ji Rui was full of smiles. General Lu, how have you been? The general moved the corners of his lips ever so slightly to form somewhat of a smile. How can I be well when Qianye has visited your manor under plain sight? Ji Rui sighed. I have no choice in this matter! Just think about it, he burned our lumber mills and killed more than half out of the thousands of people we sent out. How am I to persist under such circumstances? I could only admit defeat! The children and elderly of Southern Blue need to eat! Ji Rui spoke from the bottom of his heart and almost looked like he was about to cry. General Lu, on the other hand, wasnt moved in the slightest. Is the logging business over? Ji Rui immediately retracted his somber expression. Of course not! Qianye came over to discuss terms. He has no association with the natives and just happened to work together momentarily. He wont be interfering with the Black Grove business from now on, so we can immediately reconstruct our lumber mill. The goods you want will definitely be ready! Its just that we need some time. General Lu tapped the table with his fingers. City Lord, theres one more thing we want now: Qianye. Ji Rui laughed heartily. General Lu, money is the most important thing in the neutral lands, and friendship brings more money, wouldnt you agree? Besides, this Qianye He leaned forward and glanced left and right before speaking in a whisper, I heard the military failed to seize Qianye despite putting in great effort, and thats on imperial land. Were both weak and isolated in this place, why must you stir up more trouble? General Lu said coldly with a somber expression, Theres something you dont quite know, City Lord. Back then, there were numerous limitations because he was in the Zhao clan warzone. He managed to escape only because the military was apprehensive of turning hostile with the Zhao clan. We might be few in numbers, but he is alone. Unless the City Lord wishes to help him? Ji Ruis expression changed drastically. He waved his hands about, saying, Of course not! No matter how dumb I am, theres no way I would choose a foundationless brat over a powerful master like the empire. Its just that, forgive me for asking, how many experts did you bring? How certain are you of taking him down? That Qianyes combat strength is far above his cultivation. As I see it, he might be the cultivator of some kind of secret art. All in all, we definitely cannot underestimate him. General Lu said confidently, Its both easy and hard to take him down. Its not exactly necessary to fight him head-on, and in that regard, Ill need the City Lords help. Pray, tell. I wont refuse as long as its within my power. Good! I was waiting for your word. This time, this unlucky Qianye is destined to fall in Lu Saobeis hands! This is my plan. Qianye has no choice but to use a large airship to ship away these kinetic sails. I have brought along three new imperial airships with me this time. When the time comes, Ill set up an ambush in the void, wait for his airship to ascend, and then shoot him down! Even if he doesnt die with the airship, he wont be able to survive in the void, either. Ji Rui was surprised, and he felt conflicted after some thought because the plan sounded rather feasible. Lu Saobei glanced at him with a spurious smile and said, City Lord Ji, Ive told you my plans and news of Qianyes appearance here has been transmitted to the empire. You wont be able to escape implications if this information leaks. Of course it wont. Ive always been the most tight-lipped person! Ji Rui promised while patting his chest. He then said with a radiant smile, General Lu will definitely rise like the sun once this matter succeeds. When the time comes, our logging business As long as Qianye dies, all lumber business in the southern wilderness will be yours. Greatly delighted, Ji Rui immediately instructed his servants to prepare dancers, musicians, and the most beautiful singers. However, Lu Saobei wasnt interested in all this. He got up and said his goodbyes, arguing that it wouldnt be too late to celebrate after killing Qianye. Seeing that his attempts to detain the general werent effective, the city lord had no choice but to see the guest out. Ji Ruis smile vanished after Lu Saobeis vehicle had gone far off into the distance. He snorted softly and muttered to himself, A mere rank-fifteen bastard dares to act so arrogant! He pondered for a moment before returning to his manor, seemingly lost in thought along the way. As to what he was thinking, that was a mystery no one knew. Lu Saobeis off-road vehicle sped along the road and stopped in front of a small guesthouse on the borders of Southern Blue. The inn looked fairly run-down and dilapidated on the outside, but there was a different world behind its doors. Numerous valiant-looking warriors were guarding the threshold with all due seriousness. The inn had been altered drasticallythere were resources piling up like mountains and alarm systems installed in every corner and hiding place. It was actually a secret base of operations. Lu Saobei issued immediate orders after entering the guest house, Dispatch news of Qianyes appearance in Southern Blue as a highest-grade secret intelligence, ask for reinforcements. Yes, General! His assistant lieutenant colonel made to leave immediately. Wait! Lu Saobei called him back and said after some contemplation, This matter is important. Send three people in different batches, one to the empire and one each to Transcendent Continent and the Void Continent. Noticing the seriousness of such an arrangement, the lieutenant colonel bowed and left in a hurry. Lu Saobei felt calmer at this moment. He summoned a brigadier general and said, Prepare my airship and wait for my orders, be ready to set out on a moments notice. ... After leaving the city lords manor, Qianye arrived back at Nightcloud Pavilion and found Bluemoon sitting restlessly in the main hall. Qianye glanced about before entering the pavilion, and found numerous ferocious-looking characters, acting as though they were on a leisurely stroll. These were all Highbeard soldiers. As capable as they were in disguising themselves, the traces of modification couldnt escape Qianyes keen eyes. Bluemoon, both surprised and delighted, stepped forward to welcome him as he stepped into the hall. Youre back so soon? What, afraid that I wont come back? ... A bit. But Im sure you can break out at least. Thats a given, Ji Rui cant detain me. Are your tribesmen here to rescue me? Bluemoon nodded. I didnt have time for ample preparations, so this is all I could muster. They have no hope of raiding the city lords manor, but theyre good enough to help us kill our way out together after your escape. Qianye smiled faintly. You know youll be free after my death. Bluemoon straightened her chest and looked into Qianyes eyes. What I want is not freedom but a stable life for my tribesmen. Only with your power can I beat my opponent in the tribe and unify them all. Only your Northern Continent can afford my tribe a place to thrive. Our ancestral lands are so small and barren that it cannot sustain that many Highbeards. Thats why most adult warriors would leave the ancestral lands to wander the world as mercenaries. We were forced into our roles, we never liked being homeless sellswords! Qianye smiled meaningfully. It looks like we need to renegotiate some terms. Speak, what do you want and what can you give me? I want a piece of land on which to build a new ancestral home for the tribe. This land has to be enough to accommodate five hundred thousand people. As repayment, all Highbeards will become your citizens and we will fight for your future nation without fear of sacrifice. Additionally, Im willing to do anything for you without question or restrictions, anything! Wait, calm down first. Qianye had to stop Bluemoon, or who knows what she might blurt out. I remember there arent a lot of Highbeards, there should be less than a hundred thousand of you, no? We have about eighty thousand people. Those whom we have lost contact with for over a year are considered dead. Bluemoons expression was dark. As mercenaries who might not live to see the next day, a period of silence meant that they had passed. But youre asking enough land for five hundred thousand. Bluemoon looked up with a pained, sorrowful expression. We Highbeards raise a lot of children. Young men and women would complete their reproductive mission before heading out to work as mercenaries. Otherwise, a race like ours wouldve been wiped out long ago without the protection of a divine champion. Qianye was sent into a speechless daze. It was just that little Zhuji was too simple-minded. She immediately asked, Has Sister Bluemoon given birth to many kids? Bluemoons face turned bright red. She whispered, I havent. I was raised as a Shieldmaiden since a young age and nurtured as an expert who would protect the tribe. My lifes mission is to raise my fighting power, while producing offspring is left to ordinary members. If you need me to, I I have no problem with it. Qianye coughed twice in a hurry. Who wouldve thought the topic of conversation would arrive in this direction? But he wasnt about to be led astray that easily. You havent explained the issue regarding the five hundred thousand people. Highbeards can reproduce from the age of five and reach adulthood at the age of ten. With enough food, water, and minerals, well be hundreds of thousands strong within twenty years. At that time, youll have a massive army of elites to fight for you. Qianye wasnt quite moved. What about after that? What will you do when this land is no longer sufficient? Well fight for you and exchange contributions for new land. Our numbers will also fall during war. Fine, I promise you. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 824: Touching the Heavenly Monarch Realm Qianye went out into the wilderness instead of remaining in Southern Blue. There were cracks and pits scattered throughout the land that made for perfect hiding places. With Zhuji around, Qianye wasnt really afraid of disruption since the little fellows aura could drive away all wild beasts within a five-kilometer radius. At this point, Qianyes blood energy cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds after fighting in several major battles. His body was beginning to be modified in the direction of the fire-forged physique and had officially reached the standards of an ancient virtuous count. In terms of leveling up, the dark golden blood energy suffered no bottlenecks at all in his current phase. As long as he could harvest enough essence blood, he would be able to break through every gate in a natural manner. He had already experienced numerous battles in the neutral lands where his all-out attacks filled him with so much essence blood that he was about to burst apart. However, the Book of Darkness could serve as a reservoir, and his blood core couldby means of ignitionturn it into auric flame blood. Any amount of essence blood could be transformed rapidly to become a part of Qianyes body, free from the limitations of the Mystery Chapters conversion rate. But now, his daybreak origin power had become his shortcoming. The Profound Combatant Formula was unparalleled in drawing void origin power, but turning it into Venus Dawn involved going through the Glory Chapter. The Song Clan Ancient Scroll operated with its own tempo that was neither fast nor slow; one couldnt speed it up at will. According to the current progress, it would take several months to produce a new origin vortex. This progress was already quite shocking, but it was almost unbearable when compared to Qianyes Evernight side. Hence, he decided to take full advantage of this rare reprieve to cultivate his daybreak side. Perhaps he could form his fourth origin vortex after a month of intensive training. Qianye looked around the underground area and sat down after finding no signs of danger or potential interruption. There, he began to circulate the Profound Combatant Formula in silence. As the formula began to circulate, an attraction force appeared on Qianyes three origin vortices and eventually turned into a slowly revolving whirlpool. The gravitation grew stronger and more evident as the vortex increased in size. After passing a certain point, Qianye started to sense the presence of void origin power. This feeling was fairly wondrousthe originally formless space seemed to turn tangible and increasingly distinct. At this moment, the vortex had spread out a hundred meters. The origin power within range spun continuously as it converged into the center and was absorbed into Qianyes body. Additionally, Origin power was also being attracted to the vortex from a much wider surrounding area. Wisps of void origin power were also drawn in and absorbed into Qianyes body. At this point, there was a fairly heavy pressure bearing down on him, a weight sufficient to crush any ordinary champion into meat paste. This was his limit in the past, wherein he would stop driving the formula onward. But that was no longer the case today, for his constitution had taken a huge leap forward and was now more than capable of withstanding the force. Qianye came to a sudden realization as he recalled all of the Pointer Monarchs wondrous arrangements in the Earth Dragons lair. At this moment, he had managed to touch on the profundities of space by virtue of the Profound Combatant Formula. In Qianyes perception, the space around him was as thin and fragile as a sheet of glass, almost as though he could break it with a light tap. He assessed the burden on his body and decided to accelerate the Profound Combatant Formula. The gravitation became stronger and stronger until, finally, a resounding crack echoed in the air. The fragile space had finally been torn apart! In the blink of an eye, several wandering black lacerations appeared in the air above the wilderness, causing everything in their wake to disappear in a flash. Vast amounts of void origin power poured down and formed a giant tornado that drilled into the earthit was a magnificent sight to behold! The burden on Qianyes body increased sharply, growing to almost two times its previous load. Even his ancient vampire constitution could hardly bear the pressure. His bones began to creak and groan, with fine cracks appearing on their surface. Qianye held on arduously with clenched teeth, unwilling to stop the Profound Combatant Formula. A situation like thisone in which he could clearly sense the fabric of space being torn and void origin power pouring inwas beyond rare. It was only natural that Qianye wouldnt want to miss it. In truth, it was akin to comprehending a higher realm in advance. He would rather receive heavy injuries than stop. Who knew when he would get another opportunity like this? At this moment, the strange phenomena in the wilderness had attracted the attention of the adventurers. Many people stopped to glance at the terrifying origin power vortex in the distance, wondering if they should go over to see. Some veteran mercenaries left quickly after a moment of contemplation. As they saw itwhatever was happening under the grounda frightening existence that could incite an origin storm wasnt something they could deal with. But some greenhorns didnt think the same. They turned their cars about rapidly and charged toward the storm. The neutral lands was full of legends about how people had made a fortune overnight, the authenticity of which people didnt quite care. In this world where people lived hand to mouth, there was never a lack of people willing to risk their lives. Everyone was destined to die sooner or later, so why not have a try? Perhaps good luck would smash down on their heads one day. The number of people with such thoughts wasnt small. Hence, numerous adventurers advanced toward the center of the storm, braving the sandstorm and lethal spatial tears. The origin tempest vanished as quickly as it had arrived. By the time Qianye walked out of the ground, what he saw was a group of red-eyed adventurers. He was somewhat startled as he looked around. There was nothing in the rocky wasteland around him that looked remotely attractive. How come there were so many people all of a sudden? It looked like all the adventurers in a ten-kilometer radius had gathered here. There was no conflict between the two parties just yet. Qianye simply made to leave since he had no intention of entangling with them. Some unknown person called out at this moment, The treasure is on him! Everyone was jolted. They recalled how Qianye had appeared at the center of the storm right after it had passed. This was too much of a coincidence. Someone shouted, Brat, hand over whatever treasure youve found and well spare you. We might even give you a share. Another person said in a sinister tone, Whats the point? Kill him first and the thing will be ours. True. Most people agreed. In the empire, most adventurers and hunters had their bottom lines. The hunters, in particular, only hunted the dark races, making space for humanitys survival. People like Old Two and Yu Yingnan for instance, their hearts were filled with light despite walking in the dark. In the neutral lands, however, there was no semblance of a lawful nation. Be it adventurers, mercenaries, or hunters, all of them acted the same way. Like a pack of hyenas in the wilderness, they could be savage and cruel for just a bit of food. Qianyes eyes grew cold as he watched the adventurers charging toward him. He didnt even draw East Peak and merely threw punches at them. Following several muffled thuds, those struck by him stood dazed momentarily before falling down as corpses. The slower ones halted their steps in shock, having realized that they had encountered an enemy they couldnt handle. A few of them began to hesitate, while the quicker ones simply turned and fled. These adventurers were quite weak, and most of them couldnt even get into major mercenary corps. Against such enemies, Qianye couldnt even be bothered to chase them down. There was, however, one target he wouldnt let go. Qianye whipped out the Bloody Datura and fired from the hip, immediately bringing down a certain adventurer. The man struggled to glance back at Qianye, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief. Qianyes face was expressionless as he fired once more. With a rumble of the bloody datura, the adventurers brain burst into many pieces. This man was the one who had shouted, The treasure is on him! After inciting all the other people, he hid himself at the back without leading the charge. Perhaps he had wanted to gauge Qianyes strength first or maybe he was just used to inciting others. Qianye could let the other people go, but he wasnt about to spare such a bastard. The other adventurers lost their heads after seeing Qianyes kill. They fled even faster and soon scattered in every direction. Lets go. Qianye didnt go after them, either. He merely picked up Zhuji and headed for Southern Blue. There was never an end to these hyenas in the wilderness. Back at Southern Blue, Qianye took up residence at the Highbeards base of operations. He cultivated the glory chapter in silence, refining his origin power without ever leaving the room. The Profound Combatant Formulas laceration of the void allowed Qianye to absorb enough origin power in a short while. His three origin vortices couldnt contain this much origin power at all. What he needed to do now was to use the Glory Chapter to convert this energy into Venus Dawn origin power. There was no rush to this step. Qianye was happy to meditate in peace since it would take several more days for the goods to arrive, and he also had a group of Highbeards guarding him. As for Little Zhuji, she slept soundly beside Qianye, her nap lasting as long as the latters cultivation session, which was several days straight. After five entire days, Bluemoon came knocking on the door. Its time to pick up the goods. Okay. Qianye picked up the sleeping girl and walked out of the room. Bluemoon whispered, Theres been a fair number of suspicious people watching us. They dont look local and might be from the empire. Empire? Qianyes eyes narrowed. We might encounter some problems while collecting the goods, Bluemoon reminded. Qianye smiled. Itll be fine as long as they can deliver the goods to the designated location. Dont forget that we still have the Martyrs Palace. Bluemoon calmed down immediately. A person walked into the empires secret base in Southern Blue and said to Lu Saobei, General, theyve just left. Judging from the direction, it looks like theyre off to collect the goods. Lu Saobeis eyes flickered with killing intent. Good, Ive been waiting for this day. We shall set out and prepare an ambush in the void. This time, we must turn him into a corpse! The appointed place was a small town close to the Eastern Sea. This unassuming little place was home to just a few hundred residents, no larger than a village back in the empire. At this moment, several dozen trucks were passing through the small town and toward an empty space outside. There was an old airship parked thereits propellers were stained with rust, and there was steam gushing out of its engines. This vessel was a bit too run-down even by neutral-land standards. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 825: Robbery After the cargo trucks arrived at the transport airship, the drivers and workers proceeded to unload the crates from their vehicles. Bluemoon and a handful of Highbeard warriors began inspecting the goods. The boxes would only be allowed onto the airship after confirming that they were kinetic sail parts of the required specifications. These sails were fairly bigit would take dozens of one-square-meter boxes to fit a single disassembled sail, and a single cargo truck could only carry two such sails. Bluemoons insistence on inspecting every box was making the process fairly slow. Even with all the Highbeard tribesmen helping her, it would take several hours to complete the check. The merchants stood patiently to the side. It was common practice in the neutral lands to inspect goods on sitethere was no such thing as trust or reputation here. Robberies between the two parties werent exactly uncommon, either. But the Southern Blue City Lord had a steep share in this deal, so those small arms dealers didnt dare play any tricks. Even so, Ji Rui had dispatched four entire truckloads of elite soldiers with the convoy. With Qianye on the receiving end, whoever tried to rob his goods was as good as dead. The disbanded Stormwind Fury was proof of this. Besides, Qianyes ruthlessness was quite well known nowhis relentless revenge would never stop until the last enemy had been eradicated. Hence, the transaction went forward without any accidents despite its value going well beyond a hundred thousand. It was just that a certain person in the crowd was watching the transaction in silence. He then snuck out of the small town toward a distant hill, where he activated an origin array. A strong light flickered in the heart of this array, but it could only be seen from above. High up in the air, three imperial airships were parked near the void, ready to kill at a moments notice. Lu Saobei stood near the window, gazing expressionlessly at the distant continent. There was a weak beam of light flickering constantly on the land. This was a signaling system that made use of different frequencies to transmit information. Lu Saobei watched quietly until the flickering stopped. He then looked back and said, In about three hours, the transaction will end and the cargo ship will take off. It''s currently unclear whether Qianye is on the ship or not. At the very least, he hasnt appeared at the transaction site. Then, should we follow that cargo ship or sink it? Lu Saobei snorted and glared unhappily at his subordinate. How much can that run-down ship be worth? Qianye is the real heart of this operation! A promotion is certain as long as we can take his head. We wont need to suffer in this accursed place anymore. Issue my order, instruct the other two airships to follow the flagship, well trail that cargo ship. No one is to fire or reveal themselves without my instructions. At this moment, the long inspection process had just ended outside of the small town. The workers and warriors began moving the crates onto the airship. Meanwhile, Bluemoon ordered her men to move a large crate from the ship and placed it in front of Liu Yuanxi. Opening the container, the stewards breathing became coarse and rapid as the neat rows of black crystals came into view. He quickly shut the lid on the box and gestured for his men to carry it onto the car. He bowed with a face full of smiles. The transaction is complete now, I wish young miss a peaceful journey. Bluemoon expressed her thanks and boarded the cargo ship. The old engine emitted a crude rumble as it spat out a mixture of white steam and black smoke. The cargo ship trembled with increasing ferocity until it finally took off, swaying. The creaking sounds from god knew where made the spectators wonder whether the ship could keep itself together. But the old cargo ship wasjust like any other ship in the neutral landshighly durable despite the outdated design and function. It slowly took to the air and staggered about, but simply refused to fall and crash. After reaching an elevation of several hundred meters, it turned clumsily like a just-awakened beast and flew toward the Eastern Sea. The slow airship left a lingering trail of steam and smoke, making it extremely easy to follow. Lu Saobei and the others were relieved to find that they could almost trace the cargo ship with their naked eyes. If they were to lose such an airship, they should commit suicide by ramming their heads against the wall. The only bad thing about this was that the airship was simply too slow, and trailing it was a trial of patience. On the deck of the cargo ship, a Highbeard warrior was gazing out with a pair of large binoculars, observing the surroundings in great detail. His expression shifted abruptly as he glimpsed an unnatural reflection. He turned toward the flash and began adjusting the different visual modes of the scope in a thorough search. His scope was large, crudely built, and had strips of cloth attached to it, serving both for protection and decoration. It might not compare to the powerful functionality of high-grade imperial binoculars but was, nonetheless, one of the best in the neutral lands. Imperial scopes wouldnt last a month of use here before breaking down. Following several adjustments and meticulous angle selection, three faint shadows appeared in the scopes visual field. Only the silhouettes were visible, but it was enough for this Highbeard warrior to make a judgment. He packed his scope away and rushed into the control room. Honorable Shieldmaiden, there are three warships following us outside. Their capabilities are quite outstanding, were not their match in the air. I would suggest performing an emergency landing and then dealing with them when theyre on the ground! Bluemoon looked indifferent, almost as though she wasnt worried. Its too late to land now and also unnecessary. We fly according to the planned route, Sire Qianye will arrive to help us. The Highbeard warrior looked worried. But those three warships are extraordinary, and one of them might be a destroyer. Such airships are quite rare. Even if Sire Qianye arrives on time, he cant deal with three airships can he? You guys just watch. The Highbeard warrior had nothing left to say since Bluemoon had already made up her mind. But all the soldiers inside the command room looked solemn. They had been killing their way through the battlefield from a young ageeven those who hadnt personally experienced airship battles had seen them before. Hence, they were very clear that this ragged cargo ship wouldnt be able to take a single salvo from the enemies main cannons. Besides, the imperial warships liked to use powerful ballista cannons that could blow this airship apart in one hit. Bluemoon didnt try to explain. She merely stood in front of the cabin windows, gazing into the boundless void. The cargo ship moved at a steady pace over the Eastern Sea. High up in the sky behind it, the three imperial ships also arrived above the sea. The Eastern Sea was a notoriously dangerous place. The beasts in the ocean were powerful, ferocious, and there was no lack of giant beasts that could leap into the air. The imperial ships were flying well out of the creatures range; it was the cargo ship below that was at greater risk. Bluemoon remained expressionless, but she was still wondering how Qianye was planning to deal with the three imperial airships. She had expected trouble this time, but she didnt expect the empire to dispatch three warships. Such a force was almost half of the forces the empire had hidden in the neutral lands. The atmosphere in the imperial command center was quite relaxed. Someone joked, I heard theres an extremely powerful colossus hidden inside the Eastern Sea and that even flying over it isnt safe. We wont be devoured, will we? This joke wasnt funny, but a string of exaggerated laughter rang out in the command center. Following this snail-paced cargo ship was simply too dull, and these bored sailors were desperate to find some form of entertainment. Lu Saobei broke into a frown but said nothing. He felt there was something wrong with the atmosphere. These guffawing officers were laughing so loudly because they were actually afraid of something. Lu Saobei knew what his subordinates were afraid ofthey feared Qianye. From the bloody battles under the Iron Curtain, the war on the floating continent, his breaking into a military stronghold, and all the way to destroying Stormwind Fury, Qianyes accomplishments were simply unbelievable. If one were to ignore his cultivation level and look only at his accomplishments, everyone on the ship added together wasnt his match. Lu Saobei chose a showdown in the air because it put them at an advantage and exploited the enemys weakness. But true experts possessed the ability to launch a brief assault through the air, and Qianye seemed especially good at this. It would be a calamity if they were to fail the interception and allow him to board the airship. At the thought of this, Lu Saobeis heart beat faster and his chest grew tight. The feeling was fairly uncomfortable. What should he do if Qianye were to board the ship? This question was like a fishbone stuck horizontally in his throat; he couldnt swallow it no matter how hard he tried. It was at this time that he felt the scene before him turn somewhat dark, almost as though the sky had turned cloudy. But the warship was flying along the edge of the void, way higher than where the clouds should be. Besides, the sky above the Eastern Sea was supposed to be clear today. Why did the sky turn dark? someone mumbled after noticing the abnormality. Shaken, Lu Saobei looked up just in time to see a massive shadow appear right above their fleet. Heavens, w-what is that!? The other officers were shocked to see this shadow, and even their voices were trembling. An officer with sharp eyes suddenly cried out, Colossus! Thats a colossus! How can it be one so big? Is that a void colossus? At this moment, Lu Saobei was staring into the sky, so shocked that he couldnt speak. The shadow grew larger and larger until it loomed over the entire fleet. The once calm skies were filled with fierce tempests and restless fluctuations of void origin power. The three imperial airships were tossed about by the fierce waves, not unlike ships on a stormy sea. At this moment, everyone saw an Earth Dragon of unbelievable size bearing down on them. Lu Saobeis entire body trembled when he noticed Qianye standing atop the head of the void colossus. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 826: No Doub Very soon, the imperial officers in the cabin also noticed Qianye standing on the Earth Dragons head. Cries of surprise rang out in the chamber. What is that? Qianye! Its Qianye! Is the colossus under his control? How is that possible? Lu Saobei felt a chill run down his entire body, and he simply couldnt muster up the courage to fight back. Only a single voice echoed in his ears, How is this possible? At this moment, many people had noticed that the Earth Dragon beneath Qianye was merely a husk, but that did little to alleviate the terror in their hearts. The remains of a void colossus was a priceless treasure in and of itself. Even the empire had only gotten their hands on a small number of them throughout its long history. The massive Martyrs Palace bore down on the imperial fleet with peerless momentum. At the last moment, Qianye looked toward Lu Saobei and stared deeply into his eyes. There was some mockery in his gaze, as well as a hint of pity. Lu Saobei never understood the meaning in Qianyes eyes, and he didnt have the time to, either. As the giant shadow darkened everything, he suddenly recalled the reinforcement request he had sent to the empire. Considering his description and judgment of Qianyes strength, there was no way the empire would dispatch a divine champion with this new hunting party, regardless of the importance attached to the target. He could easily imagine this group of assassins being wiped out entirely against Qianye and his Martyrs Palace. Lu Saobeis heart was filled with regret when his consciousness was devoured by darkness. Three balls of fire burst out in the sky, flinging the ship wreckage into the deep void. Qianye looked down from atop the Martyrs Palace and sighed softly in his heart. Instead of focusing on Evernight and the dark races, the empire had sent three brand new warships and a core power like Lu Saobei to hunt him down. Was there such a deep enmity between him and the imperial military? Qianye shook his head, getting rid of the uncomfortable feeling. He had already understood that stepping back wasnt the way to deal with such an organization. The only way forward was to hit them until they were hurt and scared, just like with the mercenaries. Forcing them to think hard before each successive operation was the best way to get rid of this trouble. It was just that Qianye couldnt quite get the empires way of thinking. They were unexpectedly quite obstinate regarding this matter, so much so that they would spare no effort to get him killed. Qianye raised his handit was slender, elegant, and suffused with a lustrous glow, adding just the right amount of morbidity to his appearance. Even by ancient vampire standards, this was a perfect hand. The vampires viewed a perfect appearance as a sign of noble bloodline. From this point of view, Qianye was indeed upholding the dignity of an ancient vampire. But under this beautiful exterior, Qianye knew just how much power this hand contained. Aided by East Peak or the Twin Flowers, it possessed great destructive potential. But his current strength was far from enough. His voice would be more resounding only when he could easily kill a marshal or a dukeonly then would those bigshots listen to what he had to say. A sanguineous bolt of lightning shot forth as Qianye closed his fist. The Martyrs Palace made a turn and flew toward the cargo ship. Cries of astonishment echoed on the old airship. The Highbeard soldiers on deck aimed their weapons at the palace but forgot to open fire. Their eyes were full of despair since even a child could tell that their guns could do nothing against this mountainous enemy. Hold it, all of you. Lower your weapons! Bluemoon walked out onto the deck and shouted at her subordinates, stopping them from doing anything dumb. I want all hands on deck, apart from the ship operators. The Highbeards swarmed onto the deck, all of them dazed upon beholding the massive Earth Dragon husk. Only up close could one truly feel this shocking impact. The Earth Dragons skull alone was hundreds of meters tall, not to mention those peak-like spines behind it. After all the Highbheards had arrived on the deck, Bluemoon fell to one knee. Bluemoon greets Master. A commotion ran through the Highbeards. Bluemoon had already announced beforehand that they would be meeting their new master, and those on the airship were Bluemoons trusted aides who were completely loyal to her. That was why they were chosen to be the first batch to set foot on the Northern Continent. Qianye nodded at Bluemoon. With a single thought of his, the Earth Dragons mouth opened slowly and, to everyones astonishment, swallowed the cargo ship whole. By the time Bluemoon had conducted the landing, Qianye was also back in the cabin. The Highbeard soldiers looked left and right, shocked at the miraculous scene before them. They had never imagined that there would be an airship this bigit could even fit an entire battleship, to speak nothing of a small cargo vessel. What are you all gazing at? Move the goods down and begin assembling the kinetic sails! Bluemoon issued an order. The Highbeards went to workshipping the crates down, and then checking and assembling the contents. They were proficient with their work and apparently experts in the field. Qianye nodded to himself in satisfaction. Bluemoon stood beside him. These are some of the best people in my tribe. Not only can they fight, but all of them specialize in a couple of special skills. This time, I chose people proficient in construction, mining, smelting, and machinery. Not bad, we need such people for the initial construction of our base. Qianye nodded. Bluemoon spoke again, Right now, the Northern Continent is still a secret location. We mustnt let its existence come to light before you have the power to go up against a divine champion. So, most of these people will remain here and construct our new ancestral land. Only five of my most trusted men will operate with us. I wont allow the others to leave the place or contact the outside world before youre strong enough. Qianye praised, Attentive, well done. Bluemoon passed Qianye a list. This is the second purchase list, please take a look. Qianye scanned the entire listthe kinetic sails were still on it along with several kinds of engines, minerals, metals, and trucks. Additionally, Bluemoon had listed a number of high-power origin cannons, likely to increase the firepower of Martyrs Palace. Qianye crossed out the cannons, saying, These cannons are too close-ranged. Theyre useless for us, they can wait. Bluemoon nodded. This list was something she had built a while ago when she hadnt thought of the Martyrs Palaces fighting style. Who wouldve thought Qianye would choose the most primitive method of battleramming! Martyrs Palace was built from the intact frame of the Earth Dragon. It was as hard as steel and practically invincible. Not to mention ramming a small airship, even the imperial battleships couldnt stop an all-out collision like that. Lu Saobei was also too carelesshe had failed to notice that his movements had been compromised or that the Martyrs Palace would cross the void and arrive from above, annihilating their entire fleet. What Qianye wanted were the ballista cannons produced by the empire or the vampire race. These things were extremely powerful, covered long distances, and could even carry special effects; they were outstanding weapons without peer. Many imperial airships would use ballistae as their primary weapon. Bluemoon asked, When shall we go and buy the second batch? Three days later. Three days? Isnt that too fast? We need at least ten days to install these kinetic sails. Qianye smiled. Three days is enough for Ji Rui to realize what has happened. We should get a pretty good deal next time, at the expense of his own profits. Understood, Master. The Martyrs Palace didnt go very far and merely hovered over the Eastern Sea. Bluemoon stayed behind to lead her tribesmen in setting up the new equipment, while Qianye left for Southern Blue on his own. After Qianyes departure, the entire Martyrs Palace was left in Bluemoons hands. The Highbeard warriors began whispering and passing meaningful glances at one another. A giant vessel like the Martyrs Palace was more valuable than a small nation. If they could rob it, the Highbeards would rise meteorically. Bluemoons eyes landed on that giant silver heart. She and the other tribesmen were building a cabin room around the heart during recent days. The engine on the heart let out a low rumbling sound as it circulated constantly. Bluemoon knew that it was the key to controlling the heart and even the entire Martyrs Palace. Every time her gaze passed by the engine, her heart would palpitate, her breathing would grow faster, and her internal kinetic output would also grow unstable. After exchanging glances with the other Highbeards, a sinister-looking man with one eye arrived beside Bluemoon and whispered, Shieldmaiden, shall we drive this airship back to the tribe? Bluemoon looked back and said coldly, Dont let me hear such words again. The burly man replied hurriedly, Shieldmaiden, this is a great opportunity. There wont be one ever again if we miss it! Have you forgotten how Stormwind Fury ended up? But how can Stormwind Fury compare to us Highbeards? Were much stronger! Master is also growing! Bluemoon looked apprehensive. The one-eyed man was startled. Although he was unwilling, he bowed toward Bluemoon and said, I obey. These Highbeard tribesmen were from Bluemoons direct line and were completely loyal to her. Bluemoon jumped onto one of the crates and asked in a loud voice, We Highbeards are forced to leave our ancestral home and wander the world as mercenaries after coming of age, never knowing how long we have to live. Why is that? Everyone stopped the work at hand and gazed at Bluemoon. This was their destiny, a problem plaguing every Highbeard. Because we are adept in battle and we have no divine champion in our race, not even one! Thats why we can only fight like dogs for those divine champions, waiting for them to spare us some leftovers. We have never dared to go up against them. The one-eyed man cried, That is true, but what does that have to do with this? Bluemoons expression was cold. The key is that our master is soon to become a divine champion, and he wont stop there! I have no doubts about that! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 827: Trus A commotion ran through the Highbeards. They had never imagined Bluemoon would have such a high evaluation of Qianye. Considering the norm in the neutral lands, where the burlier were almost always stronger, Qianye was nothing more than a lanky pretty boy. He simply didnt look like a powerful expert. But the Highbeards accepted this since Bluemoon had already decided on this matter. Besides, there were simply too many inconceivable aspects surrounding Qianye. The work on Martyrs Palace progressed in an orderly fashion. The Highbeards were all master machiniststheir tools were installed on their arms or other parts of their body, and their mobile kinetic furnaces allowed them to work around the clock without tire. It was already night when Qianye entered Southern Blue once more. It had been half a day since he left the Martyrs Palace, but he still couldnt sense any change in the energy left behind by the Pointer Monarch. Qianye smiled briefly, for Bluemoon had passed yet another of his tests. Not everyone could withstand such a temptation. In the face of sufficient allure, many would fail to control themselves even if they knew there was a trap. Not even Qianye knew what exactly this energy was. All he knew was that it would instantly kill Bluemoon and all the crew on board if she were to touch it. It would be rather sad if that were to happen because Bluemoon had served a fairly important role during this period. But now, Bluemoon had gained Qianyes trust, albeit not completely. Southern Blue was just as somber as before. The impact from the disbandment of a major mercenary corps wasnt that easy to wipe away. The city guard had also sustained grave losses in the battleall kinds of compensation and recruitment were going on both openly and in secret. Qianyes previous meeting with the city lord wasnt a secret, either, which meant that even Ji Rui had no choice but to endure the outcome of this skirmish. Most of the people in the neutral lands were pragmatic and profit-oriented. Since they had already lost, it was time to heal their wounds in silence. There might be enmity, but that was something they kept in the bottom of their heartssomething that would erupt volcanically when the opportunity for revenge arose. Compared to the last time, some of the armament stores in the city had regained some of their vigor. On one hand, Qianyes order had given them a renewed opportunity for profit, while on the other, Ji Rui had started buying trucks and construction machinery for a new lumber mill. This was a major business deal that none of the stores would want to miss out on. Hence, they began recruiting more helpers and resources to expand their shops. Qianye strolled right into Southern Blue and arrived before the city lords manor. There, he said to one of the guards, Im Qianye, seeking an audience with the City Lord. The guard naturally recognized Qianye and ran in to deliver the message without delay. Ji Rui appeared personally with a face full of smiles. Grabbing Qianyes hand like they were old friends, he said, Oh my, General, how come youre back so soon? I wouldve prepared a proper welcome had you informed me sooner. Qianye smiled. I was planning to come two days later at first, but I decided that it was better to get things done quickly. Some words are the same whether spoken sooner or later. The fat on Ji Ruis face trembled slightly, but he managed to keep his emotions well-concealed and his smile, constant. Whatever it is you want to tell me, you can come to me anytime. Come, lets go inside! These guards are really so thoughtless, how could they make you wait outside? Ji Rui led Qianye into the study and ordered his men to prepare the best of tea and snacks. After everything was ready, he gestured for the staff to leave the room. General, what business do you have with me? Were the goods satisfactory? The goods were not bad, and their quality is also quite good. City Lord is quite attentive. Thats great, thats great. Ji Rui heaved a sigh of relief. Qianye took a sip of tea. I came this time to trouble the City Lord with a couple of things. I wish to purchase some new goods, and this is the list. Please take a look. Ji Rui looked over the list in great detail. Then he exhaled deeply, saying, General, are you building a fleet? Qianye laughed. I dont have such great ambitions. Ji Rui put down the list and said, I can get you most of the things on the list, but some of them are not in stock at the moment. We need to buy them from Evernight or the empire, for that, well need some time. But I dont understand, why arent there any weapons on the list? Qianye replied, My requirements for weapons are higher. Do you have a way to get your hands on an imperial or vampire ballista? Ji Rui was stunned. This will be a bit difficult. Ballistae are difficult to produce, and the raw materials are rare; their yearly production rate is fairly limited. Theyre always in high demand both in the empire and Evernight, so why would they export it? Well only get a couple of second-hand ones even if we make a high offer and utilize my past connections. Qianye understood this situation. Two it is then, lets buy what we can first. Get as much ammunition as you can. This Ill try my best. Ji Rui laughed wryly. Qianye gazed at him with a spurious smile. Theres something else I forgot to mention. About those people from the empire, you dont need to wait for them anymore. They wont be coming back. The teacup in Ji Ruis hand fell to the floor and shattered. But he was quite the shrewd fellowhe quickly regained his calm and composure. General Qianye, you jest. Qianye laughed. You can wait if you dont believe me. Ji Rui said, Thats not what I meant. Im just saying that we dont share a deep enough relationship for me to wait for them. Oh, is that so? But the City Lords reaction just now was fairly odd. Ji Rui leaned over to pick up the porcelain shards. He said after thoroughly cleaning up the mess, To be honest, those people were the main purchasers of timber from the Black Grove. The reason why Im investing so much for the lumber mill is also because of their order. This is my greatest source of income, so its normal that Ill be distracted after hearing this news. May I ask where you received this information from? Simple, they prepared three warships in the void to ambush me and rob the goods. In the end, I sunk all of them. Beads of sweat appeared on Ji Ruis nose. He understood what three imperial warships meant as well as the power of Lu Saobeis group. Yet, they were so easily annihilated by Qianye? This are there no survivors? None. Ji Rui felt relieved. Qianye asked again, Where are the rest of their forces? General, what are you Extermination. Ji Ruis expression was unsightly and helpless. This its not too appropriate, is it? Since the greatest evil has been dispatched, the only ones remaining are insects following orders. It makes no difference to the bigger picture whether you kill them or not, so why go to the trouble? Qianye didnt reply. You mean Ji Rui contemplated momentarily. I want to go on with this logging business, and theyre my main customers. Besides, I havent figured out what theyre doing with the wood from the Black Grove. Qianye nodded. How significant is this deal to you? Its the biggest contract Ive had in years, something that can change the power balance in this region. Qianye laughed. Does that mean the City Lord has a divine champion backing him? Ji Ruis expression became awkward. This not at the moment. But with these resources, its not impossible to hire one. Fine, Ill let those people off then. But I want details on their names, ranks, and their objective here. Its feasible. Just wait a couple of days. Nodding, Qianye concluded the details of their transaction and left. A gloomy Ji Rui returned to his study afterward. The terrified expression from just now was gone, replaced by a long, meditative silence. ... At this point, the war on the void continent had reached a stalemate, with the Zhao clan maintaining an air-tight defensive region around the city of Indomitable. The Zhao clans reaction following Qianyes betrayal was fierce, and their methods were unexpectedly harsh. They moved both publicly and in secret, dismissing several officials in the imperial court for various reasons. These people weren''t highly ranked, but their positions were vital, and they were core characters of the imperial faction. Everyone below the Minister of the Right felt an obvious disruption in operations after the loss of these posts. Additionally, the Zhao clan presented solid proof via certain court officials, resulting in one of the removed officials being imprisoned for subsequent trial and execution. The Minister of the Right did his utmost to rescue this asset but to no avail. This outcome surprised quite a lot of people. Apart from that, numerous accidents occurred all around the empirecars running off cliffs, airships falling apart mid-air, etc. These things happened in remote areas and seemed completely unrelated, but those with keen eyes noticed that the victims were also people from the imperial faction. Their positions were, again, not very high, but they held a fair bit of authority and were expected to progress in the future. The major players in the imperial court realized that the Zhao clan was a ruler of two remote provinces and a powerful army. This kind of clan would surely have deep foundations and an unknown number of hidden assets. Killing several key members of the imperial faction served as an example, warning people about what they were capable of if they were to go all out. The people from the Minister of the Rights lineage were livid, but they had no way to handle this matter except for ranting in court. After some contemplation, it seemed like there was no hope of victory short of waging war on the Zhao clan. This filled the imperial faction members with embarrassment and anger. Many began manipulating the imperial military to have them openly suppress the Zhao clan. Such a mad course of action naturally had no good outcome, but the imperial faction had to let the Zhao clan know the degree of their determination. The imperial family remained unexpectedly silent in the midst of all this conflict, almost as though nothing had happened. This was especially strange considering how the Zhao clan had nearly crossed the tacitly-accepted bottom line. The Longevity Monarch, the highest authority in the Imperial Military, remained in isolated cultivation. Weirdly enough, it seemed like he was completely uninterested in this matter. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 828: So What if I Kill You? On the void continent, the only imperial land outside of the Zhao clans defensive zone was the Li clans small territory in the Misty Wood. It was just that their fortress was also in bad condition, surrounded to the point of having to battle right after stepping out the gates. No one among them could control Eden after Qianyes departure. This demonkin noble was an impossible problem inside the Misty Wood and was only restrained after Li Kuanglans eventual arrival on the battlefield. Even then, it involved much strenuous effort. Li Kuanglans identity was special. It could be said that the entire base wouldnt have an easy time if something were to happen to her. Hence, the commander position here became a hot potato that no one wanted to take. In the end, the Li clan lord personally appointed a disgraced elder here, someone who needed to atone for his crime with contributions. Every time Li Kuanglan went into battle, the occupants of the fortress would be left in great suspense. Those with sufficient news channels knew how much the empress doted on Li Kuanglan. They also understood how powerful an angry empress could be. At this point, everyone in the Misty Wood began to miss Qianye. After all, Li Kuanglan wasnt as well-adapted to the forest as Qianye was and had to be extremely cautious. More often than not, she would lose in a fight against Eden. Qianye, on the other hand, was capable of hunting Eden down with overwhelming momentum, at least that was the case during the latter part of their confrontation. No one noticed it back then. Only when Qianye had left did they understand what a reversal of tides meant. Fortunately, the Great Maelstrom was about to open. The younger generations of Evernight were starting to preserve their strength for battle, appearing less and less frequently in skirmishes. Eden was reportedly also on the list of candidates, and this allowed the Li family to heave a sigh of relief. The war on the floating continent remained in a deadlock at the moment. At first, Zhao Jundus defensive region was one of the most dangerous, but the fourth young master went all-out at the critical juncture. Utilizing a combination of a famed weapon and True Shot, he actually killed the enemy commander, a demonkin marquis, from thousands of meters away! Thus did the dark races face a grave defeat, ceding numerous occupied territories in the process. The dark races became incomparably cautious about Zhao Jundu following that skirmish. At the very least, no commander or marquis dared to appear in front of Zhao Jundu any longer, even if there was a large army between the two sides. Evernight had always revered the powerful. With the commander cowering in fear, it was only natural that the other warriors would feel the same. This lowered the morale of the entire army, making it impossible for them to occupy new territory. Additionally, Zhao Jundu belonged to the younger generation. So, those duke-level characters couldnt lower their status to fight it out with him. The war that was truly keeping the void continent situation in check was in the void. The imperial fleets had appeared in full-forceincluding the reserve forces of the imperial family and the palace guardslaunching numerous major battles in space. This stopped the dark races from landing troops and supplies at will, resulting in the current sustained impasse. Both fleets sustained heavy casualties following several bloody battles, and neither side was in a condition for another showdown. Hence, a stalemate returned to the void as well with the empire gaining the relative initiative this time. The war on the floating continent appeared to be shifting away from a decisive showdown, with the two factions maintaining a weird equilibrium. There was no imminent peril at this point since the heavenly monarchs and dark monarchs were yet to join the fray. It was reasonable for the empire since they had a very limited number of heavenly monarchs, but the Evernight factions movements were truly puzzling. The usually overbearing dark races were actually holding back from fielding their great dark monarchs despite the repeated defeats. Only the arachne warlord would make brief appearances on the front line to indicate that he was still around, and then vanish soon afterward. No other great monarch was ever seen. It was almost as though they had returned to the depths of their respective home continents for some unknown business. Duke You became even more cautious under the current circumstances. He pushed forward steadily, consolidating power and defenses along the way as he probed the dark races bottom line. All those imperial military members became bloodthirsty characters during this period, causing a loud ruckus about pursuing the retreating enemy. Duke You, however, paid them no heed, simply suppressing them whenever they became too disruptive. Li Fengshuis branch had suffered severe losses and was almost destroyed entirely under the Zhao clans previous scheme. How could they have any manpower left to fight the dark races on their own? Hence, the only thing they could do was to submit memorials and secret letters, criticizing the Zhao clans actions at every turn. At its peak, there were ten such memorials flowing toward the military stronghold in the Imperial Capital. Yet, they had as much effect as a stone falling into the seaneither the imperial family nor the numerous bigshots of the military seemed aware of these matters. On the borders of the floating continent, an airship flew in like a specter, circling past the security lines of either faction and landing on the outskirts of the Zhao clan war zone. This airship was outstanding both in terms of speed and concealment abilities, a vessel used specifically as a long-distance transport and messenger for intelligence. After parking at the designated spot, a thirty-year-old officer jumped out from the airships and glanced about with a gloomy expression. Is this the only place I can land? I have urgent military intel on me! The colonel in charge of reception said, Im sorry, but theres really no other way. The Zhao clan has issued a flight ban. No airship is allowed to fly over the city and its surrounding airspace. All those who break the law will be shot down. A lieutenant colonel snorted and said through clenched teeth, Arent the Zhao clans own airships moving in and out at will? The colonel laughed wryly. They say its to patrol for violators. The lieutenant colonel was even more dissatisfied. The Zhang, Bai, and Song clan airships are also moving freely, why dont I see the Zhao clan stopping them? Even some aristocratic families are getting through. Their passengers are all major characters. What can the Zhao clan say to them? At this point, the officer who had just alighted the airship realized what was going on. He said with an unsightly expression, Does that mean theyre targeting only the military? The colonel was clearly unwilling to let relationships turn sour. He said with a laugh, Its the same for some other small aristocratic families. How can the military be discussed on the same level!? Even the four major clans should be ranked behind the military! These clans will be the end of the empire! I, Mi Yong, will definitely uproot the Zhao clan and return a bright world to His Majesty the Emperor! The officer was furious. Despite his age, Mi Yong was well over rank-eleven in his cultivation and his origin power quality was not bad, either. The young mans future prospects in the army were quite good, so the colonel didnt dare say anything despite him crossing the line with his words. As a radical, the lieutenant colonel was full of praise for Mi Yong. General Mi is correct! These clans looking down on us is the same as looking down on the imperial military. As I see it, even the imperial court isnt much to them. Mi Yong nodded. Only the colonel was left muttering secretly about how the Zhao clan wouldnt even consider these people to be representative of the military, at most a factional power within it. Mi Yong glanced at the sky. How long to the imperial militarys stronghold? The colonel replied, Three hundred kilometers, youll need four hours to cover this distance. Lets go then, dont dilly-dally. Mi Yong jumped onto an offroad vehicle, unwilling to linger even a while longer. Moments later, three such vehicles whizzed out of the airship port. It had to be said that the Zhao clan''s defensive zone was managed attentively. The roads were wide and even, allowing the jeeps to charge forward at their maximum speed. This improved Mi Yongs mood somewhat. However, the caravan hadnt left very far when the sound of engines rumbled across the sky and bright spotlights fell upon the vehicles. The three jeeps almost went off the road. Fortunately, the drivers were skilled enoughthey swerved about in a cloud of dust before finally bringing the cars to a stop. The car at the front braked so suddenly that the two behind were almost caught off guard. They were just one step away from crashing. Mi Yongs spun about and banged his head on the roof. Due to his strong origin power, the mans head remained unharmed even after the roof became deformed. Despite being fine physically, he was greatly embarrassed and angry. He glanced out just in time to see an airship landing across the road up front, blocking it off completely. The first jeep had almost crashed into the large vessel. Mi Yong jumped off the car and roared, Whos so bold as to block my path!? Do you know who I am? Let me tell you, you wont get off so easily if you delay military matters! A number of people walked down from the airship at this point, all of them sneering at Mi Yong. The first person pointed at the Zhao clan emblem and said, Are you blind? Cant you see such a big insignia? The lieutenant colonel came down to smooth things out. Its just a misunderstanding. Which excellency is overseeing the airship? Maybe we might know him. Mi Yong was unwilling. Its bad enough that youre stopping airships. Why are you stopping us from heading to the military stronghold by car? What is this? Do you think the military is that easy to bully? Toward the end, Mi Yongs voice was already quite harsh. At this moment, a handsome young man walked out of the Zhao-clan crowd and said indifferently, What urgent business do you have? What intelligence is it? Let me see. Not just anyone can see an urgent missive you!!! Mi Yong hadnt even finished speaking when his vision turned blurry and his mind went blank. Before he knew it, the folder containing the military intelligence was already in the young mans hands. Shocked out of his wits, he was just about to snatch the documents back when he found his body unable to circulate origin power or even move. It was almost as though he was being locked down by countless chains. The young man tore open the envelope, fished out the papers inside, and began looking through them. A chill ran down Mi Yongs entire body. Livid, he cried, How dare you open a military document! This is a crime worthy of familial extermination! By the time he had finished reading, a gloomy expression appeared briefly on the young mans countenance. He said indifferently, I knew it. There cant be anything good coming from the neutral lands. You people still refuse to let this go after such a long time. Humph! Someone asked, What shall we do with these people? The young man replied, Make it so that we never saw them. The Zhao clan people were shrouded in killing intent. We understand. Mi Yong was startled. You dare kill a member of the military? The young man smiled faintly. You? You hardly count as a member of the military. So what if I, Zhao Jundu, want to kill you? What can you do? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 829: Please Wait, Young Noble Mi Yong had never imagined that the combat arts he was so proud of couldnt even last a brief moment against the Zhao clans warriors, that the opponents simple but powerful attacks would beat him down in just a couple of moves. Up until his collapse, he still couldnt believe he had suffered a crushing defeat, just like that. As one of the militarys closely-observed rising elites, Mi Yong had the right to learn the imperial familys secret arts. Despite having learned only the abridged version, it still lent him considerable power. Mi Yong held multiple records of defeating opponents of the same level during internal military drills, and his potential was well-recognized by the higher-ups. He simply couldnt figure out how he had lost to such crude and boorish techniques. The Zhao clans arts were simple, violent, and barbaric, with neither beauty nor complexity to speak of. It consisted of little more than punches and kicks, but with sufficient power, speed, and ruthlessness. At first, Mi Yong had planned to defeat all the Zhao clan generals in his anger, and then move on to challenging Zhao Jundu. A defeat at that point couldnt be considered a blemish to his name. He wasnt as egotistical as to believe he could win against Zhao Jundu. But Mi Yong was beaten to a pulp by a random person from the Zhao clan and didnt even get the opportunity to use any of his powerful techniques. At this moment, Zhao Jundu had already left. He didnt even spare Mi Yong a glance or display any intention of talking to him. This frustrated the latter to no end, stoppering the words of righteousness he was preparing to speak. That Zhao clan champion whipped out a dagger. The sharp edge of the blade sent a chill down Mi Yongs spine as he realized that his fate had been sealed. With all of his dreams destroyed, Mi Yong suddenly unleashed a peal of crazed laughter. Zhao Jundu! Do you think robbing this message is enough? Ill have you know that General Lu has sent two urgent missives at the same time. The other one is probably on its way to the Imperial Capital! Zhao Jundu didnt slow down his steps. He simply walked away as though he hadnt heard the mans words. The Zhao clan warrior who had stayed behind to finish things up sneered, You think our Young Master is so easy to trick? To tell you the truth, the airship flying toward the empire has already become space scrap! Mi Yong was shocked, having truly experienced how terrifying the Zhao clan could be. At this moment, he felt a cold sensation on his neck as his throat was slit open! The man made unintelligible sounds, wanting to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth apart from bloody froth. He covered up the gash in vain, hoping to utter some hateful final words. It was at this moment that he gained a sudden enlightenment, realizing that all of this was Lu Saobeis arrangement. The general had arranged three messengers probably because he had expected the Zhao clan to intercept the missive. Additionally, the Zhao clan had always been ruthless in their operations. In order to achieve a clean outcome, they would surely silence the courier after snatching the intelligence. In other words, Mi Yong and the messenger going toward the Imperial Capital were expendable decoys, targets who were being disposed of. Only the one going toward the Transcendent Continent was the real messenger. Mi Yongs heart was full of hatred after coming to this conclusion. He immediately shouted, Theres one more messenger heading for Transcendent Continent! But his collapsing body was already powerless and his vision was gradually fading away. The Zhao clan champion watched the target draw his last breath, and then hauled the corpse onto the off-road vehicle before moving both onto the airship. Thus did the imperial courier and his guide vanish completely from this world. These people had gone missing right behind Indomitable, but anything was possible in times of war. Losing a couple of people was nothing out of the ordinary. Zhao Jundu didnt board the vehicle prepared for him but instead walked toward Indomitable in the company of the Zhao clan experts. Everyone knew that the fourth young master had something on his mind. The entourage walked swiftly, but it took them an hour to arrive at the warzone. Moments later, one of their impatient members asked, Young Master, what was on the military intelligence that we have to put in so much effort? To everyones surprise, Zhao Jundu passed the missive to them. Look for yourself. The general was puzzled, but he received the letter in a hurry and scanned its contents. General Qianye is in the neutral lands? General Qianye? The soldiers glanced at one another, all of them tacitly addressing him as general. Qianyes status as Zhao Weihuangs son was known to only a handful of people, none of whom was among the generals here. However, Qianye had fought alongside the clan for a significant length of time and received everyones recognition for his achievements and honesty. Even after revealing his true vampire identity toward the end, the soldiers who had fought every day on the front lines still considered him a true brother unto death, someone they would wholly trust to watch their backs. A soldiers heart was simple and realistic. They would never believe that Qianyewho had, on numerous occasions, risked life and limb to avert perilous situations for humanswas a vampire spy. The widely-accepted version of the story was that the imperial military had worked with the vampires to seize Qianyes woman, forcing him to defect. All the generals glanced resolutely at one another after reading the missive. That heroic general from before took a step forward and said, Fourth Young Master, weve always considered Qianye as a capable general of the Zhao clan! His identity is completely unrelated. If it wasnt for those scheming wretches from the army, General Qianye wouldnt have left the empire! Fourth Young Master, tell us what we need to do. As long as you say it, I, Peng Dahai, and my brothers wont flinch even if we have to cross mountains of blades and seas of fire! A rare smile appeared on Zhao Jundus face. Youve all followed me for so many years, so theres no need for me to hide this matter from you. I need a couple of people to head to the neutral lands, find Qianye, and see how hes doing. I want this group to remain there with him and help him build a foundation in the neutral lands. Ill come over to provide support once the war situation here has been settled. Pang Dahai replied, Thats easy! But Zhao Jundu raised his brows. Pang Dahai whispered, This the war here is also critical. I-Im worried about your safety after we leave. With us boorish fellows around, we can at least help you block a few blows. Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh and said while shaking his head, It might not be hard to defeat me, but anyone whos not a duke can forget about killing me. But Pang Dahai wanted to argue. Zhao Jundu cut him short, saying, You guys rest assured. I have another helper here, and hes very powerful. Everyone glanced at one another, unable to figure out which idle expert was worthy of Zhao Jundus assessment as very powerful. It wasnt appropriate for them to say anything, but several eyes stared fixedly at Zhao Jundu. These people werent about to back down without getting a proper answer. Zhao Jundu was also helpless against these proud warriors. Its so much effort to ask you people to do some work. That person is the seventh young master of the Song clan. Seventh Young Noble!? Song Zining was one of the most dazzling geniuses of the empire, only second to Qianye and Zhao Jundu. His most outstanding aspect wasnt in martial prowess but strategy and warfare. Rumor in the army was that Song Seven might follow in Lin Xitangs footsteps to become a new god of warfare. Song Zining was working for Zhang Boqian at first, but he faded from public sight after some activity on the night of Qianyes mishap. It has been some time since he had appeared in the army, and no one even knew whether he was still on the floating continent. The generals would believe it if Zhao Jundu were to mention someone else, but Song Zining was a different story. Even Zhao Jundu didnt have the power to buy out this person. Is the Seventh Young Noble still on the void continent? Pang Dahai was baffled. As he saw it, a genius like Song Zining not showing up in battle was something unimaginable, if he really was in the area. Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, Others might not be able to find him, but its not that easy to hide from me. At this point, Zhao Jundus expression changed somewhat. He said with a smile, See? Hes delivering himself up right now. You guys go back first. Everyone asked, Where are you going, Young Master? To catch someone. With that, Zhao Jundu rushed into the air and left like a gust of wind. There were as many fortresses surrounding Indomitable as there were stars in the sky. The various aristocratic powers had constructed more and more of them while defending against the dark race assault. On one hand, these structures would serve as a display of might and act as a deterrent. But if the dark races were to charge them, these fortress clusters would turn into terrifying meat grinders. Outside of the defensive perimeter, the flames of war had leveled the land and scorched the earth. Behind Indomitable, however, a large strip of military bases had risen up between the fortresses. These camps could be used to station troops and, at the same time, prevent the dark race scouts from sneaking in. Camps of different sizes and shapes were scattered across the area, mostly belonging to the aristocratic families. At a glance, even the Zhao clan didnt know how many of them had been constructed or how many soldiers they held, but they were willing to turn a blind eye as long as there was a steady stream of soldiers coming from these camps during times of war. After all, this was considered a private matter for each aristocratic family, something even the imperial family didnt want to meddle with. Why would the Zhao clan break this custom? There were lights still flickering in the camp of a certain lower-ranking aristocratic family. In one of the most unassuming tents, a certain warrior was stuffing his clothing into his backpack, seemingly about to leave on a distant journey. This tent was fairly ordinary. If one had to point out something special, it was that the tent was occupied only by a single tenant. According to imperial customs, only officers above the colonel rank had the qualifications to occupy an entire tent during war. That colonel was fairly meticulous in his packing, arranging all of his belongings neatly into the backpack. He looked rather calm and careful in his undertaking. It was at this time that the tent flap was pulled open and Zhao Jundu walked in with a spurious smile. Seventh Young Noble, please stop. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 830: For the Road Youve got the wrong person. That soldier stood up without raising his head and began walking toward the tent entrance. He was evidently shocked upon coming face to face with Zhao Jundu. How come its you!? Zhao Jundu stood there with his hands behind his back. Why cant it be me? Since the day you vanished, Ive been waiting for you to use the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art on me. The many paths of the great dao lead to the same destination. If you divine me, I will know where you are. Startled, the soldier frowned. How is that even possible? Of course it is. Your art is far from perfect! The soldier straightened his posture with a sigh. Despite his ordinary appearance, the temperament with which he carried himself was evident. He sized Zhao Jundu up from head to toe, saying, Fourth Young Noble surprisingly possesses such talents. Youve truly hidden your powers well. Zhao Jundu smiled faintly. I had no choice. I dont have a lot of schemes, so I need to leave a hidden ace to deal with you diviners. Song Zining removed his mask with a sigh. Who wouldve thought that whatever you had displayed isnt your limit just yet. The number one genius of the empire truly lives up to his name. I wouldnt dare claim the number one spot in front of the Seventh Young Noble. By the way, where are you moving to right now? Zhao Jundu stared at Song Zining with a peculiar smile. Song Zining laughed wryly. Fourth Young Master, please speak directly. Zhao Jundu held back no longer. Fine, Im in need of men. Dont go, help me fight. Song Zining was dazed. Your Zhao clan has as many champions as there are hairs on an ox. Why would you need me? We werent lacking at first, but now we are. Song Zining sighed. What if I say no? Zhao Jundu smiled coldly. Then I might get rough. You wont get your way here, its useless even if you scream your lungs out. Song Zinings expression was livid. Moments later, he said through clenched teeth, I insist on leaving. If the Fourth Young Noble must resort to violence, then lets fight! Zhao Jundu broke into laughter. You hesitated for so long. Youve already lost your momentum, so youll definitely lose even if we fight. Why take the trouble? Just follow me obediently, and I wont make things very difficult for you. Song Zining shook his head. This time, it was Zhao Jundus turn to be surprised. He glanced at the almost-packed luggage and asked, Can you tell me where youre going? ... The neutral lands. The neutral lands!? This answer surprised Zhao Jundu quite a bit. After a moment of pondering, he decided to probe a bit. Why, though? To earn money. Song Zining replied instantly. Zhao Jundu felt a wave of frustration hit his chest. ... When has your Song clan ever lacked money!? The Song clan is the Song clan, and I am myself. The clan has money, but that doesnt mean I have money. Besides, I have no more association with the Song clan. The Ningyuan Group is my actual foundation, so I have to try my best! Song Zining actually managed to turn a string of groundless words into a righteous and confident speech. Zhao Jundus response was also quite direct. Beams of green energy surged up from his head as he said, I cant outspeak you, but I can outfight you. Song Zining was helpless and restrained in all aspects. Especially when the fourth young noble had no intention to speak reason, whatever he said would only fall on deaf ears. Song Zining might be able to escape if this were any other person, but Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal specialized in preventing escapesthose who couldnt defeat Zhao Jundu could forget about fleeing. The fourth young noble, on the other hand, was relatively carefree, able to fight if he wanted or leave if he so wished. And even if Song Zining could go all out with his domain and confuse Zhao Jundu momentarily, there was still a True Shot awaiting him. After thinking back and forth, Song Zining actually found no good way to resolve this problem short of defeating Zhao Jundu head-on. Even after defeating the opponent, he had no way to catch Zhao Jundu because his speed would be greatly discounted under the effects of the Omniscient Seal. Song Zining felt more and more frustrated. Losing his composure at one point, he mocked, Zhou Fourth Young Noble is indeed the number one genius of the empire! I just realized that your proficient powers make you more or less a hoodlum. You occupy a position of sure victory and refuse to give people like me a way out! Zhao Jundu laughed heartily. Thanks for the compliment! Seeing Zhao Jundu being so frank about not giving him a fair fight, Song Zining knew that he had no way out of this. He heaved a long sigh, saying, Im going to the neutral lands to check up on Qianye. Zhao Jundus stopped his laughter and asked seriously, Qianye is in the neutral lands? Yes. Zhao Jundu paced about the tent with his hands behind his back. Youve known that for a long time, right? Why go now? Its not easy to leave Marshal Zhangs employ. I had to wait a good while for this opportunity. Besides, everyone knows Im on good terms with Qianye. People from the military have been watching my every move, so I have to be careful. Why now all of a sudden? Song Zining sighed. I dont know why, but Qianye has been catching a lot of eyes lately. Hes fought several head-on battles in the neutral lands and even announced his real name. This isn''t his usual style, there must be something going on there. I have to go and take a look. You know how impetuous this fellow is, he practically threw his life away against the Demoness. Zhao Jundu glared fixedly at Song Zining. I believe he also took a shot for a certain person on the battlefield, hes quite dumb. The temperature in the tent fell sharply. Sparks flew about as the two parties commenced a stare-down, feeling more and more displeased with one another. But as characters working on big important matters, they knew how to restrain themselves. Both of them quickly put away their emotions with a cold snort. Zhao Jundu said with a smile, Since the Seventh Young Noble is heading to the neutral lands, then I wont stop you anymore. It just so happens that a number of my subordinates are taking a stroll over there. Why dont you take them along with you and let those brutes witness the demeanor of the future god of warfare. Song Zining was startled. Youre sending people to the neutral lands at such a time? How about the war here? Itll be a big deal if the battlefront here collapses. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, Dont worry about the war situation, I still have some tricks up my sleeve. On the contrary, theres a solid reason to send people over to the neutral lands. If youre too idle, you can help me kill a certain person. Who? Zhao Jundu passed Song Zining the military intelligence. The latter surged with killing intent as he glanced through its contents, and then a flame flickered on his palm, burning the paper away entirely. Theres an identical missive heading for the Imperial Capital. Ive intercepted that one too. Song Zining remained silent for a moment before saying, Ive heard of this Lu Saobei, hes quite the scheming fellow. Im afraid Fourth Young Noble has miscalculated. These two routes are definitely decoys for you to intercept. He definitely has a third, secret messenger, and thats the true route of his message. I fear the intelligence report is already on the other partys desk by now. Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, Who cares, Im sending my men over to kill Lu Saobei and wipe out the next batch of military soldiers in passing. With the Seventh Young Noble overseeing this operation, Ill be even more at ease. People like you scheme too much and kill too little. It was a mystery just what Song Zining was thinking. He shook his head with a sigh, saying, So does that mean you dont object to me heading to the neutral lands? Of course not. On the contrary, I should even support you! With that, Zhao Jundu fished out an exquisitely decorated purse and weighed it in his hand before tossing it into Song Zinings backpack. Seventh Young Noble, some pocket money for the road, use it sparingly! With that, Zhao Jundo left with a lingering peal of laughter. Song Zining gazed at the wallet and couldnt help but spew out some profanities. The purse was of the highest quality and there was no fault to find with its craftsmanship. The problem was that it was too small and couldnt fit much money even if it were full of gold coins. Such small purses were made for young masters and misses to keep some pocket change; it was only natural that it couldnt hold much. The money inside wasnt even enough to buy a ticket to the neutral lands. If Song Zining were to use this budget as his travel expenses, he wouldnt reach the neutral lands even if he slept in the cargo hold. And he even said something about spending it slowly? Spend like a beggar more like. Song Zining chuckled after noticing the golden Zhao character embroidered on the purse. Thinking of a scheme, he muttered to himself, This is Zhao Jundus personal item! Im sure those noble ladies will be willing to pay a high price for this! Ill let Zhao Jundu gain some fame after my return, heh heh! It was getting late at this point, so Song Zining picked up his backpack and left. At a time like this, an insignificant soldier like him was far from eye-catching. Even if someone did notice him, they were all too lazy to inquire about his business in detail. Moments later, Song Zining had blended into the dark night and disappeared. ... Meanwhile, a certain airship had just landed at a small sport in the neutral lands. This place was old, simple, and in evident decline, with no building in the entire town taller than three stories. The people shuttling through the streets wore fierce expressions as they sized up their surroundings like they would a prey. This wasnt an official port, but a grey zone among grey zones. Some characters who couldnt even make a living in the neutral lands would choose to stop over in such places and begin a new life here. Every arriving airship meant more riches. Most people would vanish mysteriously after alighting from their vessels, almost as though they had never appeared here. And no one here cared about their fate, either. As usual, the arrival of this airship excited the small town. People from all walks of life gathered around the airship port, scanning the arriving passengers with blood-thirsty eyes. Some passengers were scared witless as they left the airship, trembling in fear and hugging their luggage tightly. Others would return cold, bloodthirsty glares full of killing intent. After most of the passengers had gone off, a young girl in a white dress appeared from the cabin, causing an immediate stir in the surrounding crowd! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 831: Three Minutes The young girls appearance was exquisite and flawless. Even that faint scar across her porcelain countenance could hardly subtract from her pure beauty. Those beautiful eyes of her looked quite perplexed as she gazed blankly at her surroundings, seemingly oblivious to the greed and evil in the eyes of everyone around her. She was clad in a pair of flat-soled shoes, and the exposed parts of her legs were as fair as suet jade. Her white dress was a bit dirty and torn in many places. This was normal for a travel-worn passenger who had just completed a long journey inside a dirty cargo ship. Everyone coming out from the ship looked dirty and ragged. On her, however, the dress was immediately different. Its hem fluttering in the wind could draw out the beast hidden in the deepest parts of ones heart. The young girl was holding a small bag with no weapon or armor whatsoever. At this moment, she was like a small delicate blossom in the wilderness, besieged by raging storms and rumbling thunder. Everyone in the small town exchanged glances, their eyes full of violent intent and deterrence. Most of them were defeated in this invisible battle of glaresthey no longer dared to keep eye contact and merely turned back to drool at the young girl. A number of ruthless characters, however, werent willing to yield. In the end, they walked toward the young girl, effectively separating her from the others. The young girl, with her puzzled large eyes, seemed not to have noticed the danger in her surroundings. She simply walked on and, at one point, turned into a small alleyway to the side. The burly men following her glanced at one another with meaningful expressions and followed her into the dark alley. The last one among them turned back to glare at the crowd and performed a cut-throat gesture. His meaning was clearwhoever dared to follow them in would be forfeiting their life. The jobless hoodlums of the town stopped in front of the alley since all of them combined wouldnt be a match for that group of violent experts. But according to the rules of the town, it would be their turn after the leaders had their fillassuming the girl wasnt dead yet. Dozens of people surrounded the alley, gazing in with hopes of seeing something. But the alleys in this town were dark and convoluted. The entire group, as well as the girl, had completely vanished around the corner. The people werent satisfied, but they didnt dare go in, either. All they could do was try to listen for some suspicious sounds and imagine things on their own. A miserable cry rang out from the depths of the alley. Even though the people in town were used to this kind of cruelty, the wretched scream still sent a chill down their spinesit was simply too miserable. The victims desperation and terror were evident from the cry. Soon afterward, tragic cries echoed here and there throughout the dark alleywayit was almost as though a beast of unprecedented brutality was hunting for prey. People outside the alley couldnt see a thing. They could only hear the constant hysterical screams, almost as though the people inside were putting all their efforts toward wailing instead of fighting or running away. The atmosphere in the small town froze up and everyones consciousness came to a standstill. No one dared to move, afraid that the slightest motion would draw this terrifying demon upon them. The cries inside the alley lasted for a good half-hour, and the townspeople stood there for just as long. Finally, the victims lives came to an end and the blood-curdling screams faded away. Nonetheless, the dozens of people at the alleyway remained stationary, not daring to move in the slightest. The little girl in white exited from the other end of the small town and slowly walked away into the wilderness. Her dress was drenched in blood, decorating it with a dazzling mixture of white and red. Her ten fingers were dripping with blood, but her eyes looked just as bewildered, almost as though she had no idea what she was doing. At this moment, there was an old woman sitting on the other end of the town, watching the young girl, the town, and everything that had happened just now with a wooden expression. The old woman rubbed her eyes hard as the girl was walking away because her figure had turned somewhat blurry. The receding figure came into view after a careful second glance, her dress fluttering in the wind as before. Her fair skin was dazzling, and the bloodstains had vanished entirely, almost as though they were never there in the first place. In the small town, the petrified crowd at the alleyway finally gained the courage to walk into the dark alley after a long while. After turning around a corner, the people walking at the front suddenly fell to their knees and began to vomit. It was a different world in the depths of this alley, a realm of blood and fragments of flesh and bones. There wasnt even an intact limb to be found. Even though most of the people in town were familiar with bloody sights, they had never experienced such an impact. This scene was even crueler than a Blood Feast. Those who had survived felt fortunate that they werent strong enough to get a share of the bounty. Otherwise, they wouldve become a decoration for this sanguineous world. Meanwhile, on the Northern Continent, a small village had arisen in an area between the mountains and coastline. The Martyrs Palace was parked close to the village, where dozens of Highbeards were unloading boxes toward the village. Some of the Highbeard tribesmen were busy opening up the crates near the village and assembling different types of machines and vehicles. The mountain range that served as a natural barrier was just over ten kilometers away. A small creek ran down from the snowy mountains, converging into a stream that flowed past the village. On the distant hill, some Highbeards could be seen surveying for ores amidst the rocks. Atop a small hill nearby, Bluemoon was showing Qianye the map she had just drafted, explaining to him her future plans. The flow of this stream isnt very powerful and can only support ten thousand people at most. The water supply will decrease even more after weve set up the mines, refinery, and weapons factories. We must, therefore, expand toward the sea. Theres a larger river there, beside which we can build another city. For now, we need the village to be here for easier construction work. She pointed at a distant group of mountains. Theres definitely black crystal and iron ore there, we dont need to worry about our supply of steel. Itll take further surveying to find out whether or not there are rare metals. With such a density of void origin power on the summit, theres sure to be a lot of ore veins inside, but thats a discussion for next time. The sequence of workshop construction is naturally refinery, mechanical, and then weaponry last. In my opinion, we should import all key components or even entire ballistae. What we plan to produce here are big mechanical and structural components, not technically demanding parts. This will maximize the Martyrs Palaces fighting power in the shortest time. Bluemoon was holding a fairly complete plan, something she had spent a great deal of effort on. Those black rings around her eyes stand proof of that. Okay, lets do it like that. Qianye nodded. Bluemoon breathed a sigh of relief and became much more relaxed. What Qianye had agreed to wasnt just the current plan but the long term plan she had hidden in her message. Expanding this territory toward the sea would provide the Highbeards with a vast, resource-rich land. There were several fertile lands on the Northern Continent, enough to feed hundreds of thousands of people by means of agriculture. With this land in their hands, the Highbeards would have a thriving ancestral land for many generations to come. At this point, Qianye was prompted by a sudden impulse and broke into a frown. Whats wrong? Bluemoon asked concernedly. Nothing, I have a bad feeling about things. Qianye looked up at yonder horizon. Far in the distance, he could feel something bad happening, almost as though there was a danger slowly approaching him. Bluemoon said, Do you need more men? No, this is enough for now. Have your men unload the cargo quickly, I need to leave for a while. Bluemoon wanted to follow Qianye, but seeing as the latter had no intention of bringing her along, she made a clever decision to remain silent. She ordered all her tribesmen to pause their current work and start moving things down from the Martyrs Palace. It took dozens of Highbeard men roughly an hour to move everything down. The number of purchased goods was rather considerable. It was evening by the time the Martyrs Palace was cleared out. Qianye stood on top of the Earth Dragons head and drove the massive warship up into the air. Five origin sails unfurled one after the other as the Martyrs Palace flew toward the vast Eastern Sea. Qianye wanted to pay a visit to Nighteye first, just to confirm that the feeling of restlessness wasnt from her. This journey was quite long. Even though the Martyrs Palace now had kinetic sails installed on it, a mere five of them was simply too insignificant compared to the output of the Earth Dragons heart. They only managed to raise the palaces speed by ten percent. Despite the sense of urgency, he suppressed his emotions and continued to cultivate in the Martyrs Palace, collecting whatever Venus Dawn origin power he could. Recently, he had been cultivating whenever he had the time. It was likely that his daybreak origin power would take a step forward after another half a month of training and finally condense his fourth origin vortex. Several days passed by in a flash, and Qianye once again arrived at Nighteyes dwelling. He left the Martyrs Palace hovering at the border of the void, flying alone through the void tempests to reach the crash site of the dukes airship. Jared was already waiting for Qianye outside of the airship. Master will only give you three minutes. Startled, Qianye could only laugh wryly in response. Three minutes wasnt so bad, so he simply followed Jared inside. There was a dark red glow flickering in the main hall of the warship. There were drops of blood floating slowly in the air, each resembling an unblemished ruby infused with specks of starlight. Nighteye was hovering at the center of the tilted hall. With her eyes closed and her arms crossed in front of her, it looked very much like she was asleep. At this moment, her aura was ancient, weary, and ephemeral, almost as though she had traversed the great vicissitudes of time. It felt like she was there, yet she was not. Qianye stood at the door, merely gazing at her in silence. Two minutes thus went by. You have one more minute. Qianye sighed. Its nothing, I only came to see you. Youve seen me. Qianye shrugged. Fine, Im leaving then. Before departing, Qianye suddenly looked back and asked, What about next time. Nighteye remained silent for a moment before replying, Three minutes. A smile appeared on Qianyes face as he turned and left. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 832: Attack Jared was waiting outside of the warship, probably to avoid being suspected of eavesdropping and the like. Seeing Qianye walk out, Jared asked in surprise, Youre out so quickly? Three minutes. Indeed only three minutes Jared didnt know what to say. Thats enough, Ill come again after a while. Wait. Jared called Qianye back and said in a hushed voice, Did you notice any change in Masters condition? Qianye nodded. At this point, Nighteye seemed to be asleep. Her bodily functions had been frozen, but she remained conscious of mind. The environment in the hall was also fairly peculiarit was somewhat similar to an ancient blood pond but clearly was not. I think the Master is trying to comprehend anew the utilization of the power of blood. Additionally, her current physical body has become a bottleneck, something that needs to be modified. Qianye couldnt help but feel impressed by Jareds knowledge. He himself could only make a vague guess even after obtaining the inheritance of the River of Blood. Jared, on the other hand, was indeed a marquis and one level higher than Qianye in terms of blood energy, but its been many years since the vampire race had sensed the River of Blood or obtained its knowledge. Knowing all of this meant that he had either sensed the River of Blood when he was young or gained insight from studying ancient texts. You mean Once Master achieves a breakthrough, all aspects of her power will rise sharply. She must be thinking about returning to Twilight Continent and making Medanzo pay for his rudeness. At that point, you should be standing beside her. Forgive me for saying this, but your current strength is far from enough, and the time you have is short. Qianye looked deeply into Jareds eyes. Why would you tell me this? There must be a lot of vampires who fancy her, right? Perhaps you included. Jared laughed wryly. I know a bit about your past, and its quite fantastic, but you might not know all too well about our races internal structure. Masters bloodline is too powerful, and hardly a handful of people in the entire race is qualified to be her match. We can only tremble in reverence before her, to speak nothing of having other desires. This is decided by ones order in the River of Blood. You, on the other hand, are different. I can sense a similar power in you that makes me shudder, only an ancient bloodline like that is worthy of the Master. However, youre currently too weak. I believe the Lightless Monarch would stop at nothing to remove you should he discover your existence. With a nod, Qianye memorized these words and said his farewells to Jared. Due to that special connection between him and Nighteye, Qianye understood that Nighteyes condition wasnt as optimistic as Jared had imagined. He had sensed a flicker of weakness while facing her inside the hall. Nighteye had suffered grave injuries, so she was repairing her wounds while comprehending her powers anew. Qianye had no idea how bad the damage was, but not fully recovering after all this time proved just how serious it was. For someone as proud as her, it came as a deep embarrassment that she would be injured by Medanzos subordinates and forced to recover in hiding. To a superior vampire, a vendetta like this was worth a thousand years of retaliation. Qianye sighed to himself. He did want to upgrade his blood energy, but the daybreak side couldnt be rushed. Without a constitution strengthened by his Evernight powers, his daybreak origin power would collapse like a sandcastle. On the other hand, progressing his Evernight powers without daybreak origin power would turn him into a true vampire and return him to the River of Blood. After parting ways with Jared, Qianye left the Martyrs Palace hovering where it was and left for Southern Blue. He even paid a brief visit to Port City. The city had long since fallen to ruins, but there was a new fortress-like structure at its center. Its walls and corners were decorated with steel spikes. Such a crude, sinister-looking style was characteristic to the arachne. The primary fighting power during the battle of Port City were the Moonlight Demons and the Wolf King, but now, the Spider Emperor was apparently the master of this castle. Qianye gave it some thought and decided to take a look. The guards at the city gates were all dark races. The two low-ranking vampires there were pale and trembling with just a slight release of Qianyes blood energy aura. How would they dare to stop him? The fortress was populated by dark race members, with the occasional human appearing in cages on the streets. Most of these cages were empty and the dark bloodstains on them were a testament to what had happened to them. Most of Port Citys residents had been captured to serve as fuel for the Blood Altars. Now, with the Martyrs Palace in hand, Qianye finally understood that the purpose of these altars wasnt so much to alter the Earth Dragons will as it was to suppress the Pointer Monarchs. It was just that Elder Wei and the others had never imagined that the monarchs will had already evolved into an independent entity with its own thought processes. If it wasnt for a lack of a body, the will wouldve become another Pointer Monarch. These Blood Altars were useless against such a consciousness. The only reason it had allowed Elder Wei and the others to ascend the mountain was because of Qianye. Naturally, there was nothing more to discuss if Qianye couldnt last until the summit; he just had to wait a couple hundred more years. The Pointer Monarch had buried his heart there in the past, with no intention of allowing the Martyrs Palace to see the light of day. Qianye strolled around Port City and found no more than a couple hundred humans, all of them in either captivation or slavery. Back when Su Dingqian was the city lord, the honest people here still possessed a modicum of dignity despite their poverty. After all, they were residents of the city under his rule. But now, only a handful of dispirited people remained out of over twenty thousand. At this moment, Qianye felt an inexplicable sense of disgust toward Zhang Buzhou. Considering the mans cultivation and his self-proclamation as guardian of the race, he ought to lead and protect the humans. Anger sprang out in his heart. What was the use of such a heavenly monarch? At this moment, a vulgar voice rang out behind him, What are you standing here for? Behind him was a powerful-looking arachne knight, staring down at Qianye and sizing him up. Qianyes expression turned cold. He shot a wisp of blood energy at the arachne and roared, Scram!!! The arachne was sent into a blurry daze and fell limp onto the ground. Qianyes ancient vampire bloodline was just behind the arachne warlords in quality. Although the intimidation effect was weaker across races, it wasnt something an inferior arachne could deal with. Qianye didnt let him off just like that. He took a step forward and stepped onto one of his limbs, shattering the chitinous shell with crackling sounds. The knight screamed but didnt dare retaliate. At this moment, hundreds of arachne and dark race warriors had rushed over after hearing the screams. Qianye didnt leave just yet. Instead, he said coldly to the collapsed arachne, Youd better look carefully the next time you want to pick a fight. The arachne knights consciousness was fuzzy from the intimidation of the blood energy. And Qianyes unrestrained killing intent made it clear that a single wrong answer would mean his death. No matter how violent in nature the arachne were, they were mostly wary of death. There were ample examples of superiors executing their subordinates in the cruel world of the dark races. Seeing the arachne knight in silence, the other warriors of the Spider Emperor exchanged glances amongst themselves, not knowing what to do. Qianye suddenly unleashed his dark golden blood energy and said in a cold voice, What are you looking at? Itching to die, are you? The aura of the dark golden blood energy was deep and ancient, suffused with a tinge of extreme darkness. A single wisp of it was enough to elicit a deep fear from the depths of their soul. The stronger ones retreated while the weaker ones fell kneeling onto the ground, unable to move at all. Qianye had no interest in attacking these random soldiers. He simply walked past them and went toward the fortress doors. No one stopped him along the way. The thousands of dark race soldiers in the fortress simply stood by and watched him leave. Atop the fortress, a fierce, heavily-armored man was watching Qianye with a gloomy expression. There were dark green patterns on his face; apparently, he was a high-ranking arachne capable of taking human form. The werewolf viscount near him said, Sire Count, are you going to let him leave just like that? This will reflect poorly on the Spider Emperors prestige. The arachne count snorted. This man is indeed suspicious, why dont you go and catch him! I think he resembles that Zhao Ye wanted by the Wolf King. The werewolf viscounts expression turned awkward. This, how can it be? The wanted person is a human, but this one is a vampire. Maybe he belongs to the Throne of Blood. The Spider Emperor mocked, Zhao Ye might be from the Throne of Blood, to begin with, theres no contradiction there. The werewolf viscount said hurriedly, No, Zhao Ye is clearly a human. The arachne count said in a drawn-out voice, Oh, is that so Yes, it is, the werewolf replied. With a snort, the spider count said to his followers, Lets go, staying here leaves me in a bad mood. With that, he led his soldiers down the walls, leaving the werewolf where he was. The werewolf stood blankly for a moment. Then, he glared ferociously in Qianyes direction and left. At dusk half a day later, Qianye arrived outside of Southern Blue and made to enter the city. The guards naturally recognized him and came to welcome him politely. Sire Qianye, what brings you here? Where are you headed? Allow me to lead the way. The city lord manor. Yes, sir. The guard summoned a vehicle and drove Qianye toward the city lords residence. They were halfway along the road when Qianyes ears twitched ever so slightly, having caught the sudden sound of a moving pinion. That was the sound of a machine cannon warming up! Soon afterward, a terrifying stream of fire tore through the streets and blasted Qianyes car. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 833: Confrontation Qianye smashed through the roof of the car and rose into the air as countless bullets tore the vehicle apart. The guard and driver inside couldnt escape in time and were shredded by the flaming stream. The fire made a sharp turn after tearing the car and lashed at Qianye who was in the air. The auto-cannoneer was clearly at the master-leveltheir marksmanship was both swift and ruthless, determined to lock Qianye down in a perilous position. At this moment, the windows of two nearby buildings shattered as two more autocannons opened fire at the same time, maliciously sealing off Qianyes routes of escape. Qianye curled up into a ball mid-air and remained stationary with his arms covering his face. Three streams of fire reached a wondrous balance together, but all they did was push Qianye higher and higher. These multi-barreled autocannons possessed great firepower, burning through hundreds of bullets in a flash. The guns suddenly clicked to a stop at one pointthe rotating muzzles were bright red and no longer able to fire, even if they had more bullets. The three cannoneers were huffing and puffing. It took great effort to move these autocannons. Even with their champion cultivation, they were entirely exhausted after a round of all-out firing. The gunmens eyes went wide as they glanced toward the air. Qianye was slowly stretching his body mid-air. His armor was badly tattered, but the exposed skin was suffused with the luster of red, gold, and tiny specks of blood akin to mosquito bites. Moreover, these bleeding spots were disappearing at a visible rate! The three cannoneers felt like they were dreaming and couldnt tell whether their eyes were blurry. They had fired a concentrated barrage from three grade-five autocannons, even emptying all their bullets. Yet they had barely managed to scratch Qianyes skin? After stretching out, a plume of scarlet flames ignited on Qianyes body and his joints began to crackle. He finally opened his eyes and scanned the cannoneers below. Shocked out of their wits, the three gunmen wanted to turn tail and run, but a loud rumble echoed in their ears. They were soon tossed about by a fierce impact, filling their vision with stars and knocking them out. Qianye then hauled the three gunmen, along with seven support personnel, to the center of the street block. He knew at a glance that these people were Highbeards. After all, machine-modified bodies were a telltale characteristic of the race. Without waiting for Qianye to question him, one of the Highbeard warriors said, Qianye! You had better let us go and stop meddling in our tribes business from here on out. Otherwise, Red Lotus wont let you go. Qianye asked with a calm expression, Where is Red Lotus? The gunman was surprised that he didnt bother asking who Red Lotus was, but he replied fiercely, You can forget about it! Is that so? Qianye smiled indifferently and picked up one of the autocannons by the muzzle. The dark red glow upon it showed that the weapon was in a high-temperature state, but Qianye seemed to show no signs of getting burnt. This origin autocannon was one and a half meters long and hundreds of kilograms in weight. Those below the champion realm would have to expend great effort just to move the weapon and resist the recoil, let alone fire accurately. Although they were only grade-five as an origin firearm, the destructive might they had shown just now was not inferior to that of a grade-six weapon. But Qianye had no intention of studying them. He merely swung the gun and smashed down! The cannoneer screamed as the machinery and flesh on his left leg were smashed into a pulp. There was no way to regrow it, even with the well-developed medical skills of the Highbeards. The tribe specialized in modifications, and these parts worked like an extension of the warriors body because of the foundation. There would be nothing special if they were just machines. Where is Red Lotus? Qianye repeated. The cannoneer was in so much pain that he was drenched in sweat. Yet, he clenched his teeth and said, If you make enemies out of the Highbeards, you will have no place to live in the Neutral lands! Not just you, but your Ah!!! Qianye swung the cannon again and smashed all of the mans limbs. Quite headstrong. My what? Family? The man could no longer speak at this point and merely continued to glared at Qianye. At this moment, one of the other Highbeards threatened, Qianye, these three are important people from our tribe. If you kill them, youll form deep animosity with the Highbeards and well fight to the death! Let us go and well let todays matter be. Deep animosity? Qianye smiled. The autocannon swung down again and shattered the gunmans skull before Qianye turned back to the one who was speaking. That Highbeard man wore a grey beard. His origin power was roughly at rank-eight, with numerous machine parts all over his body. Clearly, his life was drawing to an end, so he had chosen to completely modify his body in exchange for combat strength. His face was twitching from anger and heartache, and his glare was almost spitting out fire. Qianye couldnt be bothered to argue. He merely swung the weapon again and sent him on his way. He then walked over to the second gunman and asked, Where is Red Lotus? The cannoneer seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then he said with a cold expression, Just kill me. I wont talk. Qianye nodded. Fine, but I still need to ask what I want to know. Qianye repeated the question Where is Red Lotus? several more times, smashing the mans arms and legs each time he failed to get a reply, before finally taking his life. The other Highbeards cried out in hopes of stopping Qianye, but they were all badly injured during the takedown and couldnt even move. The three cannoneers were champions. To the Highbeard tribe that had never produced a divine champion, these people made up the core fighting force. Each of their deaths represented a great loss for the tribe. Qianye arrived beside the last cannoneer. Where is Red Lotus? This gunman finally revealed a terrified expression. He wanted to resist, but the words simply wouldnt come out of his mouth. He knew he would be instantly crippled once he spoke those words and killed after uttering some more. Qianye never batted an eyelid while killing them, nor did he do a sloppy job. Seeing the cannoneer wavering, the other Highbeards were livid. They spewed a string of loud curses and threatened him with his family and children. An expressionless Qianye turned the autocannon about, and the weapon began spinning under the activation of his origin power. At this moment, a high-ranking commander of the city guard rushed out from the other end of the street and roared, Insolence! Hold it right there or else Before the man could even finish his words, the roaring origin cannon unleashed dozens of origin bullets, blasting the remaining six Highbeards into corpses. The commander pointed a finger at Qianye. You! You actually dare The autocannon in Qianyes hand hadnt stopped spinning. With a loud boom, a single cannon round left the chamber and flew toward the commanders head. Fortunately, the shocked commander managed to react quickly by throwing himself to the ground. He felt a burning sensation on his head and blood dripping down his face. This sensation delighted him instead because the presence of pain meant that he was still alive. He was greatly shocked since a brush with death wasnt a great sensation. He simply remained immobile on the ground, pretending to be unconscious, and the soldiers he had brought only looked on with terrified expressions. No one dared to approach Qianye. Where is Red Lotus? Qianye repeated his question. The cannoneer finally submitted. Shes at the city lord manor, living as a guest of Madam He. Bring me to her. Dragging the gunman in one hand and the autocannon in the other, he walked toward the residence in large strides. He moved swiftly and soon arrived outside the gates. There he walked in without paying attention to the guards and made straight for the rear courtyard. At this moment, a sturdy, giant of a man flashed out from the side. You dare trespass into the city lords manor? Die! The burly man roared and stomped down his right foot. His entire body erupted with an orange radiance as a giant fist appeared in the air and smashed at Qianye. This burly man was Guan Zhongliu of the Southern Blue city guard, someone Qianye had met once before. Now that he was going all out, his strength was indeed extraordinary. But Qianye was no ordinary opponent, either, and this kind of conjured attack was actually quite weak against him. Qianye made no attempt at evasion. He charged forward, shattered the giant fist with a punch, and rammed straight into Guan Zhongliu. Bang! The man was sent flying and only came to a stop after smashing through numerous walls. He stared at Qianye with a face full of astonishment, hardly able to believe how he couldnt even take a single blow. Qianyes ram was extremely forceful. Even someone like Guan Zhongliu who was proficient in brute strength was utterly defeated in a head-on collision. A sigh echoed in the halls at this point as Ji Rui made his appearance in the air. He spread his fingers and pressed down at Qianye from above. This attacked looked like Ji Rui only wanted to stop Qianye, but numerous screams reverberated through the air when he raised his right hand. The entire city lords manor was covered in a faint green hue, and the air became thick and stagnant like mercury. A beam of green light burst toward Qianye from Ji Ruis right hand. Ji Rui had gone all out with this attack. No matter how peaceful the city lord normally was, he was still a rank-seventeen expert who was only one step away from the divine champion realm. This made him the strongest opponent Qianye had ever fought head-on. Qianye had long since expected the green light coming for him. He discarded the autocannon and began circulated his origin power. In the blink of an eye, the sound of ocean waves filled the entire space as a terrifying pressure bore down upon it. Neither the building nor the stones in the wall could withstand this weight. Everything began to crumble and collapse. The green hue in the environment slowed down and was then scattered by the pressure. Although green light quickly grew stronger to compensate, it could do little to change the stalemate. Ji Rui was secretly surprised that his own domain would be tied with Qianyes. One had to know that the Azure Suffocation was a famous domain throughout the Eastern Sea. Qianyes Profound Combatant Formula accelerated once more, intensifying the sound of ocean waves. Space itself became unstable as countless beams of void origin power seeped out from the cracks. The energy surged around Qianye to form a flickering giant origin vortex! This was the first time Qianye had used the Combatant Formula to its maximum potential against an enemy. He unleashed a punch once more. This strike was incomparably slow, but the stagnant fist contained the force of many great mountain peaks. The origin vortex in the air tilted forward and bore down on Ji Rui like a toppled ocean. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 834: Welcome to Try The green light had surrounded Qianye from all directions, and it looked like Ji Rui had the advantage, but his shock only kept increasing. Drawing upon the origin power of the world was a telltale sign of a divine champion. Building a visible domain was the first step, but materializing tangible worldly phenomena was another level entirely. Ji Rui was only one step away from the divine champion realm. Be it his attacks or his domain, it would flood the entire area with green light. Should his cultivation take a step forward, he would be able to comprehend the logic behind certain objects and conjure themthat was the power of a divine champion. At this moment, there were numerous sharp arrows flickering amidst the green light, a sign of Ji Ruis comprehension of origin power. By the time he had fully formed myriad arrows, he would have crossed into the divine champion realm. However, Qianye was merely rank-twelve, yet he could already project his origin power! Gazing at the indistinct Oceanic Vortex in the air, Ji Rui was overcome by a vague feeling of terror. There was also a distinction between materialized origin power. It was widely accepted that lifeless objects were inferior to living things and that living things were one grade below worldly phenomena. Ji Ruis myriad arrows were superior in number and could be considered the peak of object materialization, but it was still a lifeless object. The sanguineous beasts in Nighteyes domain were living things. As for Zhao Jundus Extreme Violet and Wei Potians Thousand Mountains, they could be considered worldly phenomena. It was just that the Thousand Mountains could only be considered to have merely touched this level. Nighteyes beasts, however, were highly spiritual and sentient. They would eventually form a beast lair in the future and become an extremely powerful type of worldly phenomena. Hence, just from their domains, it was apparent that their talents and potential stood above the divine champion realm. That was also why they were lauded as geniuses. There was no need for further elaboration about Qianyes domain. It was a majestic worldly phenomenon that was two major levels above Ji Ruis. The city lord activated his origin power with greater urgency as killing intent flashed through his mind. Some of the arrows turned tangible amidst the numerous illusions and shot toward Qianye! At this moment, the great ocean was right on the verge of pouring down. The ocean tides and the green radiance collided and began wearing each other down. The green light covered over a hundred meters and seemed to be ten times as abundant, but Ji Rui could feel during the clash that the tides contained countless tiny particles slicing his green light into pieces. Ji Ruis expression immediately turned ashen after the clash of domains. He needed to sacrifice a fair amount of his green light to wear down a portion of the ocean tides. This ratio almost made Ji Rui cry. Although he would still win, the easy victory he had imagined was never going to happenhe would really need to go all out. Qianye was, after all, taking a loss due to his low cultivation, so his vortex gradually became thinner and thinner. However, his punch was still moving forward against the flow of green radiance! There was no turning back! Ji Rui didnt hesitate, either. His body erupted with green light as he struck down with his palm. A loud rumble echoed through the air as the fist and palm came into contact. Qianyes Oceanic Vortex was no longer able to hold out and was immediately dispersed. The green radiance was also scattered like strips of cloth fluttering away into the wind. Qianye was flung dozens of meters back. After landing, he took several steps backward and let out a muffled groan, a stream of blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth. Ji Rui remained motionless in the air but did not follow up with his attacks. He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, in a grand display of style. However, Guan Zhongliu had noticed that Ji Ruis right hand was trembling slightly and still hadnt come under control. The city lord was badly shaken at this point. Just now, a terrifying yet formless power had surged out from Qianyes fist and shattered Ji Ruis origin defenses. This kind of power, Ji Rui only remembered seeing in vampire marquises and arachne virtuous counts. There was no way a human body made of flesh could exhibit this kind of strength. Qianye could now slaughter a champion with relative ease even without a shred of origin power. Having lived his entire life in the neutral lands, Ji Rui knew just how frightening such an innate constitution was. Although he could suppress Qianye by means of origin power, it would still be a bitter fight. Considering his terrifying power, it would require ample preparations to capture or kill him. There was clearly no such arrangement at the moment and the outcome would be unimaginable if he were to escape. However, Qianye didnt escape as Ji Rui had expected. Instead, he stood there staring coldly at the city lord, his aura rising sharply all the while. Qianyes origin power burst forth after a momentary confrontation, his aura climbing madly as the newly-formed fourth origin vortex unleashed a bright radiance! Qianye cupped his fist at Ji Rui. Thanks for the help. Not knowing what to say, Ji Rui replied awkwardly, It was nothing. Qianye was already on the verge of a breakthrough, only waiting for his origin power to complete its condensation. The all-out clash against Ji Rui had tempered his origin power from both the inside out, rapidly clearing away all impurities and helping it condense into a new origin vortex. Qianyes body was extremely strong. This allowed him to swiftly complete a process that wouldve taken an ordinary person months. Ji Ruis mouth opened wider and wider. In the end, he broke out into a wry laugh and lowered his right hand. It was still possible to detain a rank-twelve Qianye, but it was practically impossible now that he was rank-thirteen. Ji Rui landed on the ground and took a few steps toward Qianye. The latter remained motionless and watched on with cold eyes. Ji Rui was alarmed to see Qianye so calm. He finally retracted his origin power and said with a smile, General Qianye, what is the reason for suddenly charging into my manor and attacking people? Who in my residence has offended you? Qianye smiled indifferently. I want Red Lotus. Ji Ruis eyelids twitched. Red Lotus? Thats a Highbeard Shieldmaiden-candidate. What does she have to do with me? Qianye kicked the autocannon on the ground away, saying, These people ambushed me on the streets under Red Lotus orders. According to them, shes still hiding in Madam Hes courtyard. Ji Ruis expression changed drastically. T-This, how can that be? Men, go and check Madam Hes courtyard and see if theres this so-called Red Lotus! Guan Zhongliu affirmed the order and was just about to leave when Qianye stopped him. Just let me go and see! Qianye said coldly. Furious, Guan Zhongliu shook his shoulder free and rammed into Qianye. Insolence! The city lords inner courtyard isnt a place you can go into! Qianye made no move to evade. He took a step forward and, with a muffled thud, collided fully with Guan Zhongliu! The two parties werent just contesting in strength, but their origin powers also clashed without any fancy moves. Guan Zhongliu felt as though he had rammed into a giant mountainall of his origin power was jolted back at him, flipping all of his innards over. He took several steps back and collapsed after spitting out a mouthful of blood, no longer able to stand up again. General Qianye, whats the meaning of this!? Ji Rui asked furiously. City Lord Ji, Im the one who should ask you this question! Last time, you tried to capture my daughter Zhuji in the Black Grove, and then sent imperial troops to kill me and rob my goods. Now, I was ambushed just after entering Southern Blue and you want to protect the culprit. Dont tell me that anyone who tries to kill me will be immune if they just hide inside your manor? Ji Rui snorted coldly. The empire has nothing to do with me, and I dont have the faintest idea about that interception. Now, you charge into my manor just because of a single persons words. Where do I put my prestige as city lord? Qianye looked at Ji Rui with a spurious smile. City Lord Ji, you had no intention of leaving me any face when you attacked just now. Why would you think I need to leave you any face? Ji Ruis brows rose in anger. Are you intent on making an enemy out of Southern Blue? Qianye wasnt moved. City Lord Ji, you know my character. If you do no hand Red Lotus over today, I can only be your enemy from now on. Ji Rui broke into laughter. Good, good. It seems the heroes are born of the younger generation. I have underestimated you. But, are you so confident about winning against me? Qianye sized the city lord up and said with a smile, City Lord Ji, even if I cant defeat you, do you think youll be able to break through to divine champion in just one year? Ji Rui felt a rush of frustration in his heart. He couldnt help but retort, And you can? Whether I can or not isnt important. You need to remember that not being able to defeat you doesnt mean that I cant kill you. Besides, your Southern Blue can forget about doing any business before you breakthrough to the divine champion realm. Ji Ruis expression was gloomy. Are you really that confident about killing me? Qianye replied, You can wait and see if you dont believe me. Ji Rui was livid. He stomped down heavily and said, Fine! Come with me, well go to Madam Hes courtyard together and see whether Red Lotus is there. What will you do if she isnt? Ill apologize and ally myself with you. Fine! Come with me! Ji Rui headed into the inner courtyard, slapping away everyone who came to greet him along the way. No one dared to come up anymore since they knew he was absolutely furious. The duo moved swiftly and arrived before Madam Hes doors in the blink of an eye. The two maids at the door walked up and, intentionally or otherwise, blocked the path forward, saying, Master, how come youre here? Ji Rui was in no mood to humor these scheming lasses. Scram! With a wave of his hand, the two maids were sent flying into the wall and knocked unconscious. Ji Rui stepped up and was just about to kick the door open when he turned back at Qianye. General Qianye, arent you afraid that Ill ambush and kill you once were inside? Qianye smiled. Youre welcome to try. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 835: What’s Different About It? Ji Rui looked deeply into Qianyes eyes, and then said while shaking his head, I really dont know where you get all that confidence. Qianye replied with the same words, Youll know if you try. Ji Ruis expression shifted, but in the end, he couldnt make up his mind. This attempt wouldnt just bring out Qianyes hidden ace but also produce a powerful enemy. The latter had just proven that he was strong enough to escape, and if that were to happen, who else in Southern Blue would be his match apart from the city lord? At that point, Southern Blue could forget about doing any more business. He could capture Qianye with the help of the Spider Emperor and Wolf King, but the problem was that it was easier to invite the devil in than to drive him away. Once these two powers had reached into Southern Blue, there was no telling whether the city lord would be surnamed Ji. In the blink of an eye, Ji Rui collected his thoughts and kicked the courtyard gates flying. The compound wasnt big, but it was secluded and elegant. Once inside, a gust of comfortable warm wind rushed at their faces. It turned out that there was a weather adjustment array installed in this courtyard, a testament to just how doted this Madam He was. The courtyard was split into front and back sections. There was a small patio in the rear courtyard and behind it was the main building. Four rooms in each of the side buildings served as the servants quarters. Qianye could sense everything in such a small courtyard with a single sweep of his senses. There was no one else here apart from one woman and two servant girls. Red Lotus was nowhere to be found, either. In truth, this result was within Qianyes expectations. His clash with Ji Rui had caused too much of a ruckus, even collapsing a corner of the city lords residence. There was really no saving Red Lotus if she didnt flee. He had only suggested those conditions to allow Ji Rui a way out. He was quite confident that this city lord wouldnt play any more tricks after the clash just now. Naturally, someone as experienced and crafty as Ji Rui would only make his move later, after ample preparations. Qianye wasnt afraid of that. There was no way the city lord would have guessed Qianyes cultivation speed. One year was enough for Qianyes daybreak origin power to ascend two levels and consequently allow for his Evernight side to reach the marquis rank. Hearing the noise in the courtyard, Madam He looked out from the building. She was first startled upon seeing Qianye, and then she clenched her teeth furiously, looking as though she was going to come up and bite him. However, she knew it was useless to fight it out because Ji Rui had lectured her seriously on how powerful Qianye was. Wheres Red Lotus? Qianye asked casually without any hope of getting an answer. Who wouldve thought Madam He would break out into a laugh as though she had just recalled something? You want to capture Red Lotus? Let me tell you, shes gone, and you can forget about finding her, ever. After offending a Highbeard, youll have to live the remainder of your life in fear, destined to never make progress in the neutral lands! When youre dead, your woman and daughters will become toys. Ill send them to the arachne and theyll eat them alive after having their way, haha! Qianye remained unfazed in the face of Madam Hes curses, and only gazed silently at Ji Rui. The city lord was livid. He lost control in the end and gave the woman a slap, shouting, Shut up! Madam He staggered to the floor. With a shocked expression, she glanced at Ji Rui and said in a trembling voice, Y-You dare hit me? You actually dare to hit me? Youre who you are today because of my fathers mercenary corps. Now you actually hit me? Ji Ruis expression was dark as he cursed her for her idiocy and turned to leave. Once out of the gates, Chief Steward Liu whispered, Master, what do we do now? Watch her, shes not allowed to take a step out of the courtyard! And these maids are all quite bold to have poisoned their master, drag them out and beat them to death! Eh yes! Head Steward Liu didnt dare dissuade the angry city lord. Qianye followed Ji Rui back o the study. City Lord, how will you explain this? Ji Rui smiled wryly. Why must you force me so? Qianye smiled. These are the neutral lands. Discussions wont get you what you want, you have to fight for it. I learned this from you, actually. Ji Rui sighed deeply. Women ruin things, women always ruin things! You tell me how you want to solve this issue. Three warship ballistae, high-quality goods made in the empire and above grade three. Ji Ruis face was drenched in sweat. Impossible! Warship ballistae were normally used as main cannons, and grade-three weapons were usually good enough to be installed on destroyers. This meant that Qianye wanted three destroyer main cannons. No less than three. Qianye wasnt willing to back down. T-This... This will empty out half my coffers. Id rather declare war on you than pay so much. Besides, you wouldnt have this opportunity if it wasnt for that woman. If it wasnt for Madam He confessing that Red Lotus was indeed at her place, the situation wouldnt have turned out like this. Qianye was prepared to apologize verbally and continue their usual trade. He had noticed that Ji Rui seemed to be unaware of the ambush, which was likely perpetrated secretly by Madam He and Red Lotus. Qianye had made a significant demand once the matter of compensation was brought up. What is your suggestion then? A grade-four ballista, empire-made, and eighty-percent new. No more than that! Ji Rui said in a pained tone. Qianye had planned to use grade-four ballistae for the wing cannons of Martyrs Palace. These weapons were frigate-grade ballistae, normally installed as their main cannons. Frigates would only have one of these or else their movements would be impeded. Such a weapon was extremely difficult to procure in the neutral lands. Even as a city lord, Ji Rui didnt have many in his hands. It was already quite painful for him to bring out one that was eighty-percent new. Qianye didnt push it, either. Fine, its settled then. Next up, the two rediscussed their ballista business, finally concluding that the city lord would secure at least seven grade-four ballistae and two grade-three ones. Qianye would pay in black crystals as usual, and Ji Rui would deliver his compensation along with the other weaponry, a total of ten ballistae. Ten ballistae, along with their accompanying ammunition, was another business worth nearly a million gold coins. But Ji Ruis profits were no longer as impressive after gifting a ballista cannon, and the smile hanging on his fat face seemed rather forced. Qianye also understood the mans situation. A grade-four ballista was worth at least sixty to seventy thousand, a hefty sum regardless of location. Now, a small fortune had flown away just because of a few words from Madam Heanyone in his shoes would be in a bad mood. But that wasnt Qianyes problem anymore. He simply said his goodbyes and left after sealing the deal. This time, Qianye believed Ji Rui wouldnt dare to play tricks anymore. After Qianyes departure, a gloomy Ji Rui went back and sat quietly in his study. The time he had been spending in his study was growing longer and longer in recent days. Only at dusk did he order his men to light the lamps and picked out a scroll from his bookshelf to read. On it was detailed all of Qianyes past data. The more the city lord read, the deeper his frown became. Qianye moved into a hotel room in Southern Blue after leaving the city lords manor, and that cannoneer followed him with a pained expression. Now that he had betrayed Red Lotus, the only thing he could do was follow Qianye. This person was indeed useful. In addition to being highly skilled in marksmanship, he was also a good laborer in daily life. At this moment, he was carrying three autocannons on his back, yet he didnt utter a word of complaint. At the hotel, Qianye began inquiring about the situation regarding Red Lotus. It turned out that Red Lotus was of the same age and bloodline as Bluemoon, and they were cousins no less. Red Lotus was one year older, and both of them were Shieldmaiden candidates back in the year. Bluemoon gained the unanimous favor of the elders due to her perfect compatibility with stealth equipment. In the end, she won a narrow victory over Red Lotus and became the Shieldmaiden of the Highbeard tribe, granting her the right to wield spatial equipment. As people famed for their mechanical modifications, any spatial equipment meant extra energy sources and ammunition for the Highbeardsthis meant greater fighting power. After obtaining one of the few spatial gears in the tribe, Bluemoons combat strength increased sharply and caught up to Red Lotus. The latter was unresigned regarding this matter, and her mother, a highly influential character in the tribe, pulled many strings in the dark. After the two tribe elders who supported Bluemoon fell in the Earth Dragons lair, a subtle change took place in the elder councils power balance. This time, Bluemoon had taken Qianye as her master and was preparing to construct a new ancestral land for the Highbeards. This news shook the entire Highbeard tribe and extinguished whatever dispute there was about her choice of a master. Although the migration would take a long time to complete, Bluemoon would definitely become the new chief once it was carried out. Red Lotus would never get another opportunity. As a ruthless character, Red Lotus understood that Qianye was the key. Hence, she snuck into Southern Blue secretly in hopes of assassinating Qianye and seizing whatever secrets he held. She made use of her connections to work out a deal with Madam He, who helped her set up an ambush in the city and wait for Qianyes arrival. Red Lotus had indeed set up a lethal trap, an ambush that would injure even an expert like Ji Rui when caught unprepared. Human bodies were inherently weak and that was the undeniable truth. However, she had never imagined that Qianye would be unharmed against three autocannons! In the end, all three cannoneers and their entire support team were wiped out. This came as a terrible blow to Red Lotus since there were only four such gunmen in her mothers branch. She had lost over half of her manpower in this exchange. After narrating the entire matter, the cannoneer pointed at one of the autocannons. Sire, this autocannon is different from the other two. Its one of our tribes most prized treasures. Qianye glanced at that autocannon but found nothing different about it. Although a grade-five autocannon was rare, it really couldnt be considered a treasure, so Qianye had paid it little attention. Oh? How so? Qianye inquired. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 836: Feigned Innocence The cannoneer picked up the autocannon and removed one of its parts with great familiarity, revealing an intricate machine component underneath. The component was covered in a dense array of veined patterns, apparently a special origin array. Activating this array will give the autocannon a sharp burst in firepower, raising it to grade six, or even seven at the maximum. The might of the attack would increase even more with special ammunition. Under the control of a master gunman, this autocannons firepower would come fairly close to grade-eight. Overload Array? Qianye had never heard of this type of array. But judging from the materials involved, he knew that it was extraordinary. It could be said that the essence of this autocannon was in this array. Qianye pondered for a moment. That means this autocannon is one of your tribes most valuable treasures? A grade seven autocannon was the limit of what the Highbeards could use since only divine champions could wield grade-eight weapons. The weapon was highly suitable for Highbeards since its base-grade was only five. Although the overload duration was fairly short, it was more than enough for a high-speed gatling cannon to empty hundreds of rounds. It could be said that the true power of this weapon was far above its apparent grade. The Highbeards had replaced physical ammunition that required origin power injection with special bullets. Although that placed a cap on the maximum grade of the weapon, it was highly effective in raising firepower without increasing operational requirements. The gunman said, This autocannon had always been under the charge of Red Lotus mother, the shieldmaiden from two terms past. She especially lent out this autocannon in order to make sure the plan succeeds, and even Red Lotus cant bear responsibility for the loss of this weapon. Qianye understood what the man was implying. That means she has no choice but to look for me as long as I hold on to this autocannon? She wont be alone, the cannoneer reminded. Its the same no matter how many of them come, Qianye said as he weighed the cannon in his hand. Then, with a flip of his palm, the weapon vanished completely, transported into Andruils Space. The cannoneer was shocked. Sire, you Even your Highbeard tribe has some spatial gear, its not surprising for me to have one, too, Qianye replied calmly. The gunman was both afraid and delighted. At this point, his fate was already tied to Qianye, so the more powerful the latter was, the safer he would be. Qianye handed one of the other autocannons to the man and allowed him to pick out his equipment. Then, he pushed the remaining gear to a corner of the room and asked with a firm expression, Whats your name? Im called Whirlwind, Sire. Thirty-seven years of age, rank eleven in origin power, and a physical modification of forty percent. I have a good chance of breaking through to rank twelve before fifty, and my modification tolerance is fifty-five percent. Whirlwind uttered a string of terms Qianye didnt quite understand. Only after some detailed questioning did he learn that this so-called modification tolerance was a measurement system of the tribe, denoting the percentage of their bodies that could be replaced by machines. The human body wasnt mechanical after all, and it was impossible for one to replace all of their flesh and blood with machines. Normally, those who could go past fifty percent were considered fairly outstanding. Only older Highbeards with one foot in the grave would modify their bodies without restraint in exchange for fighting power. Summarizing all these data, this Whirlwind could be considered a rare genius among the Highbeards. It wasnt just in the Highbeard tribe; someone like him would occupy an important position wherever he went. Equipped with this autocannon, Whirlwind could easily fight against a rank-fourteen champion. Qianye nodded. Good, youll follow me from now on. So long as you remain loyal, there will naturally be great benefits for you in the future. Youve heard of the new ancestral land, I presume? Yes Sire, I have. Then you should know that your new ancestral land is within my nation. As long as you contribute sufficiently to our cause, it wont be difficult for you to gain an inheritable territory in your ancestral lands. Whirlwind was pleasantly surprised. He fell to one knee and said, Rest assured, Sire, I will fight for you till my last breath. Nodding, Qianye allowed Whirlwind to return to his own room. After the mans departure, Qianye sat down and slowly circulated the Glory Chapter, gradually refining his origin power. He planned to remain here for a couple of days and wait for Red Lotus to seek him out. With this overload-array autocannon in his hands, he refused to believe Red Lotus would just let him be. He had to wait for Ji Ruis goods anyway, and he also needed time for the Glory Chapter to refine his origin power. Qianye had no intention of rushing, either, since tranquility was essential for cultivation. Meanwhile, two old trucks were driving into a small town not far from Southern Blue. The vehicles stopped in the town square and out came nearly a hundred people. How they all managed to fit inside the small compartments was a mystery. There was a young man among them. He was clad in worn leather armor, almost like a hunter who hadnt been doing so well for himself. He was carrying a large case in his hand, and his clear eyes darted about the area with great curiosity. The young man asked many questions as he walked along the streets. Due to his handsomeness and way with words, none of the people in town made it difficult for him. Almost everyone would answer whatever he asked, until he finally found the liveliest tavern and made his way inside. The taverns were always the best places to gather news. The young man made his way into a group of drunkards and gleaned a lot of fantastic stories from their conversations. After a couple of bottles, the man staggered to a corner table and plopped onto it. But the young man had yet to fall asleep as intended when he heard some footsteps thumping toward him. Looking up, he saw a great beauty staring down coldly at him. Bang! She knocked on the table. The young man sat up in fright after glancing at her hand, completely sobered-up. There wasnt a lot of skin on the ladys right hand as most of it was made up of shiny machine parts. Such a hand was too stark of a contrast on a beauty such as her. The young man looked carefully at her hand and then at her face. Letting out a sigh, he placed a glass of wine in front of her, saying, Perhaps I should change my seat, but I still want to buy you a drink. I dont think Ill fall asleep tonight if I dont buy such a beautiful lady a drink. The girl was startled, and her cold countenance warmed up somewhat. Without a second word, she emptied the glass in one swig. Despite his ragged appearance, just looking at this young man made one feel comfortable, and just chatting for a while was enough to tell that he was an extremely knowledgeable character who could keep up with any topic of conversation. Unknowingly, the two began chatting and drinking in good cheer until both were somewhat tipsy. She suddenly checked the time and got up to leave. Surprised, the young man asked, W-Where are you going? The girl glanced back at him. No need to ask where, just come with me if you have the guts. Her voice wasnt soft at all, so most of the people in the tavern had heard her. All eyes fell upon the young man, some envious, some jealous, and others of schadenfreude. Looking pleasantly surprised, the young man glanced about nervously and grabbed his old case. He almost tripped in his rush to leave, eliciting a series of laughter from the drunk patrons. His handsome face was red as he lowered his head and followed the girl out in a hurry. The girl walked at a steady pace through the small town and soon arrived at a dark two-story building. This quiet little house was located at the edges of the small town. There were no buildings on either side of it; only a couple of lonesome trees that added to the eeriness of the place. The girl stood before the building and looked back, saying, Since you dare have improper thoughts about me, you need to have the guts to follow it up. Ill let you see something in a bit, and I hope you dont get too frightened. And, Im called Red Lotus. With that, she began to unbutton her clothes. The young man was stunned speechless. Flustered, he turned away to open his case and seemed to be fumbling about for something. He stammered, I-I also have something I want to show you! Wait a minute, Ill find it v-very soon, dammit! Where did I put it? Its definitely here. Red Lotus smiled ever so slightly upon seeing this young mans demeanor. Such a naive young fellow was quite rare in the neutral lands. She didnt stop her movements, though. Very soon, she had unbuttoned her clothes and removed the outer layer, revealing a body that was half-flesh and half-machine. That young man was knowledgeable and interesting but seemed to know nothing about the Highbeards. It was apparent at a glance that he had just arrived in the neutral lands. Red Lotus wanted to see how frightened he would be after discovering what she looked like. At the same time, she was also a bit curious about what the young man had wanted to show her. It had been quite some time since she was this curious. The young man finally found what he was looking for and turned back with a radiant smile. The two parties saw each other at the same time, but it was Red Lotus who was shocked. The young man was holding a short spear made of radiant silver. Its shining tip was suffused with a halo of flowing luminescence akin to that of a beautiful rainbow, an indication of extreme purity and depth of origin power! The flustered expression on his face was gone, replaced by a mesmerizing smile. He said in a gentle voice, I forgot to tell you my name just now, Im called Song Zining. Back at the hotel, Qianye was seated quietly upon his bed, refining his origin power drop by drop. This was an arduous task that couldnt be rushed. The origin power gained from a day of cultivation with the Profound Combatant Formula needed a month to be refined into Venus Dawn. Despite having formed his fourth origin vortex and reaching rank-thirteen, his daylight origin power was still far behind his blood energy, which would reach the level of an ancient marquis at any moment. He could barely achieve an equilibrium at this point. There was really no shortcut for the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. All he could do was to cultivate step by step. Up to this point, the only boost in progress he had received was his battle with Ji Rui. But Qianyes mentality had grown steady, and he wasnt willing to use this kind of method to accelerate the process. Human cultivation was fairly reliant on a steady foundation. The higher the purity of ones origin power, the greater his future prospects. Hence, Qianye remained unhurried, his mind as calm as water. Even the buzzing sound of the nearby insect couldnt move his thoughts. Yet, he suddenly realized something. What kind of insect would be flying around him, unafraid of his aura? He opened his eyes and saw a green leaf floating before him. This very leaf was emitting a buzzing sound that had disrupted his peace and quiet. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 837: Come Together Back in the year, Zhao Yuying had already demonstrated how to deal with such strange leaves. Qianye simply raised his hand and swiped at the target. The shocked leaf evaded at lightning speed, but it couldnt escape Qianyes fingers no matter how fast it was. An indefensive power bore down upon the leaf as it was caught in his grasp. Qianye was planning to crush the leaf into a ball when a shocked voice emerged from inside his fingers. No!!! With a smile, Qianye released his fingers and allowed the leaf to fly out. The leaf floated about in the air before stabilizing itself. Apparently, it hadnt quite recovered from its state of panic. Song Zinings image appeared on the leafit was but the size of a finger, but it stood on the leaf as though it were riding on a lone boat. This kind of style was indeed quite rare. The seventh young master sized Qianye up from head to toe and praised, Youve grown stronger again, what a rare genius. At this rate, I really wont be able to beat you. Qianye laughed. You? Beating me? The last time that happened was years ago. Song Zining was furious after being exposed. Im the seventh young master of the Song, so I wont bicker with a barbarian like you! Fighting and killing is meaningless. Oh right, how have you been recently? You seem to have made a bunch of enemies again. Qianye didnt reply. Werent you fighting on the floating continent? How did you end up here? Song Zining laughed. Ive decided to leave the army and pursue commerce. I want to manage my Ningyuan Heavy Industries well, so that I can conquer the world with my virtue! I heard the neutral lands is a hidden treasure, so I came here to scout the land. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He made to flick the leaf with his finger, threatening, Speak like a man! Shocked out of his wits, Song Zining wanted to move his leaf away but was stopped by an invisible force. Glancing at the flickering scarlet glow all around him, he understood that there was no way to evade this flick. Qianye, youve learned bad things. Qianye broke into a laugh. This is the neutral lands, cant feign innocence here. Fine, in short, even the military department has found out that youre here. Knowing their character, they definitely wont let this matter be. I was worried you wouldnt be able to handle things alone, so I dropped by to check up on you. Oh yes, Zhao Jundu also knows about this and has dispatched several of his trusted generals. Qianye was surprised. Who did he send? Song Zining listed a couple of familiar names, all of whom were capable and familiar generals of the Zhao clan. This made Qianye worried. Now that he has sent these men over here, what about their defensive line? The dark races arent that easy to deal with, why didnt you stop him? Song Zining laughed. Your fourth brother has a brain made of stone, when has he ever allowed others to change what he has decided? If it wasnt for his every move drawing too much attention, he mightve come over personally. This Qianye suddenly didnt know what to say. Okay, enough with the nonsense and stop cultivating your damned arts. I feel frustrated just by looking at you. When will I ever win against you at this rate? I went through a lot of trouble to come here, so you have to treat me to a drink! Qianye laughed. You dare provoke me with that measly alcohol tolerance of yours? Ill make sure you relive the nightmare of Yellow Springs tonight. Song Zining raised a middle finger at Qianye, saying, Ill arrive at Southern Blue this evening, just you wait! There was a fair amount of time until evening, which meant that Song Zining was still hundreds of kilometers away. The floating leaf soon fell quietly onto Qianyes palm and turned into an ordinary leaf. Qianye touched its lustrous green surface in great delight. After some time apart, it would seem that Song Zinings domain had once again taken a leap forward. Qianyes cultivation rate was beyond rare in this world, yet Song Zining had always kept up with his every step, never falling far behind. Soon, it was almost night. Qianye retracted his Glory Chapter and left the inn, duly turning toward the tavern to his left. Since Song Zining had managed to find him in Southern Blue, it was only natural that he would easily find this tavern. After sitting down, Qianye ordered ten large bottles of strong alcohol and sat down waiting for Song Zinings arrival. Are you going to drink alone? Can I sit here? Qianye looked up to find a tall female hunter looking down at him. She looked rather handsome, but the two sword scars on her face somewhat detracted from her beauty. Qianye smiled. Im waiting for a friend. Thats fine, too, lets drink together when he comes. Its on me tonight! The hunter wasnt about to hold back and simply sat down. Qianye merely shrugged but didnt refuse her. He was actually in a fairly good mood today and, on her, he could see some rare semblance of his old acquaintance, Yu Yingnan. Who wouldve thought so many years would pass by in the blink of an eye. Qianye sighed inwardly as he thought about how he had mostly forgotten the feeling of passing time. Vampires were known to be long-lived, their longevity extending far beyond that of human beings. Toward the end of their life, the stronger superior vampires would resort to deep slumber and blood ponds to increase their lifespan. There were examples of some who had lived for thousands of years. Currently, his body was already that of an ancient vampire, and the many years that had passed left almost no traces on him. To a human, however, this period was enough to change many things. Once the drinking had begun, the ale went down quickly. Almost mysteriously, the drinks in front of them were soon half-gone. Qianye couldnt remember what he had said to the hunter nor what she had said to him. In this inebriated state, countless past matters flooded into his heart and tugged at his emotions. At some point, a man appeared in the seat in front of him. Who else could this carefree figure be but the seventh young noble? Song Zining sat down and filled his cup to the brim. Long time no see. Youre quite capable, arent you? Youre actually drinking with someone, arent you afraid Nighteye will break your legs when you go back? Nighteye? Qianye laughed wryly and emptied a large glass. Song Zining was smart enough to instantly realize that something was wrong. Whats wrong? Hey! Whos this Nighteye? The female hunter was fairly tipsy at this point, and she wasnt very happy to hear some other womans name. Qianye filtered out the hunters voice and sighed. Shes gone. The female hunter felt much better. Come, drink! This was indeed a good moment to drink, so the two men picked up their glasses and emptied them. Recalling their own worries amidst the climbing intoxication, they fell into silence and only emptied one glass after another. The bottles on the table were soon emptied. A new round of drinks arrived, and that, too, was consumed. Song Zining sighed deeply, his breath tainted with a strong smell of alcohol. He suddenly grabbed Qianyes shoulder and said, Nanhua is dead. I see. I killed her myself. Oh? If only let it be, there are no more ifs now. Song Zining shook his head and turned the topic to Qianye. How about you? Whats wrong? Qianye wanted to speak but then stopped midway. At this point, the female hunter finally realized that these two good looking fellows had both suffered in their relationships, and that their problems were fairly serious. Feeling quite cheerful, she reached out to grab both of them by the shoulder and said heroically, Its just a woman, isnt it? Theyre everywhere! Stop thinking too much about it. This mommy will accompany you tonight. You two can come together, haha! This change was so sudden that it shocked Qianye and Song Zining out of their tipsiness. The two glanced at the hunter and then at each other, realizing the gravity of the problem before them. The female hunter was feeling quite content at this moment. The tavern was filled with whistles and cheers from the other patrons. Some even jumped onto the table, hoping to observe the live battle. The female hunter laughed loudly and heroically. She made to slap the two men on the back, saying, Stop mumbling nonsense, go back with this mommy tonight. But her hands struck the table instead. She felt a sharp pain from the impact, yet she couldnt find any traces of Qianye and Song Zining. Her eyes turned round from astonishment. She glanced left and right, but there was only an empty table full of empty bottles in front of her. This short moment made the hunter suspect whether or not the entire night she had spent here was just a dream. She turned back suddenly and saw all the other customers gazing at the empty table with their mouths wide open. It was almost as though they had seen a ghost. You guys, you saw the people here just now, right? the hunter questioned. Some people nodded, some remained in a daze, while others rubbed their eyes and shook their heads. How had these two living people vanished under everyones eyes? At this point, Song Zining and Qianye had slipped out of the back door of the tavern and sped off into the darkness of the night. Moments later, the two were atop the city walls, basking in the wind and gazing at the distant stars. I wouldve never thought that your domain could be used like this, Qianye said. Song Zining laughed. These are just small tricks used to fool ordinary people. Its useless against powerful experts. Enough about that, want to drink? You have more? Qianye found it strange. Of course I do, who do you think I am!? With that, Song Zining fished out two bottles of wine from his chest pocket and swung them in front of Qianye. Delighted, the latter snatched one of the bottles and downed half of it. Where did the alcohol come from? Of course its the stuff we didnt finish just now. I snatched two before we left. But I think we havent paid? Song Zining laughed loudly and slapped Qianye on the shoulder. Just think of it as your accompaniment fees! Get lost! After a round of laughter, Song Zining asked with a serious expression, So what exactly happened with Nighteye? Arent you proficient in divination? Since you can even find me, how can you not know Nighteyes matter? Song Zining laughed wryly. I had to pay a steep price just to find you, and thats because youre not resisting me. Putting that aside for now, there should be some great changes on Nighteyes side, I was only able to scry a small bit before I suffered a backlash and nearly lost my life. How would I dare divine her? Qianye immediately understood. After a moment of hesitation, Qianye finally said, Dont try to divine her, shes a completely different person now, no longer someone we can influence. Next up, Qianye slowly narrated everything that had taken place in the neutral lands. Naturally, he also made mention of Nighteyes awakening. Song Zining listened quietly without interrupting him, even when Qianye revealed that she was once an entity atop the sacred mountain. But when he heard of Qianyes plan to put her on the sacred mountain, Song Zining jumped up and shouted, Youre insane! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 838: Dream of Yesteryear Qianye grabbed Song Zining back to his seat, saying, Dont be so agitated. The latter struggled with all his might, but he was still a human no matter how exquisite his domain was. There was simply no way for him to resist the mountainous strength bearing down on his shoulder and stand up. Song Zining gave up in the end, but his gaze wasnt relaxed at all. How can I not be agitated? Do you know what youre doing? Thats an undertaking no human has ever accomplished before! If you manage to plant your feet on the sacred mountain of Evernight, youll have surpassed the Grand Ancestor and Martial Ancestor. Do you think thats even possible? Qianye laughed. Im just saying, dont take it too seriously. But Song Zining didnt laugh. Youre not kidding, youre serious. Weve known each other for so many years, you cant fool me. Qianyes smile vanished as he gazed at the stars and sighed deeply. At this moment, a drifting landmass blocked out the star-studded sky and cast a shadow on Qianyes face. Just think of it as a dream. One has to persevere, who knows if itll come true one day? This isnt a dream, its madness. No matter how close you are to accomplishing it, taking that last step will seal your fate! Song Zinings voice rose higher. That last step is still far away, lets discuss the matter at hand. How long do you plan to stay here? Are you not going back anymore? Going back is a must, but theres no rush at the moment. Ive already submitted my resignation to Marshal Boqian and wont be holding office in the army any longer. I came here to build a channel between the neutral lands and the empire, using the Ningyuan group as a foundation. Im hoping the two sides can be of mutual assistance. Finally, I want to claim our own territory in the neutral lands or perhaps even in one of its border territories. At this point, he smiled radiantly and slapped Qianyes shoulder. Do you remember our discussion about building our own nation? Of course! But, hasnt anyone in the empire thought about doing this? Naturally, they always have. But in the end, they realized that the neutral lands is a barren place without enough gains to make up for their investments. The place is simply too far from the empire. A forced expedition would strain the empires coffers and its people, giving the dark races an opportunity to exploit. In truth, the dark races had actually wanted to make the neutral lands their territory when it was first founded, and they nearly succeeded. Why did they fail? Because the empire was dragging them down at every turn. The empire assaulted them relentlessly during the several decades that the dark races were waging a remote war, adding ten provinces to its map. Even then, the latter had almost succeeded in their endeavor, if only that person on the Throne of Blood hadnt joined the neutral lands. Qianye had no knowledge of this piece of history. The person on the Throne of Blood was once a genius of the vampire race, albeit of humble origins. It went without saying that his life among the vampireswho liked to decide superiority by bloodlinewasnt really satisfactory. Despite his combat strength far exceeding his peers, he was never able to obtain just recognition and treatment. One day, just after he had become a marquis, a certain duke robbed him of his lover and set into motion a great scandal. He actually stole the vampire races supreme treasure, the Grand Magnum Shattered Moment, and shot this duke dead. In the end, he escaped to the neutral lands and started a massacre, dealing great damage to the dark race armies there. The vampire race there was almost entirely slaughtered. All the blood and corpses in his wake was how he came to be known as the Throne of Blood. The dark races fell into chaos following this battle. The loss of a grand magnum dealt a severe blow to the vampires in the council. If it wasnt for the Queen of the Night bringing the situation under control, there was no telling what would happen. The empire, on the other hand, profited deeply from the disarray. They grew sharply in power, successfully gaining a foothold on the Western Continent and building up an advantage. In the future, it wouldnt be too difficult for them to take the entire continent into their fold and subsequently increase their national power. From there on out, Evernight, the empire, the neutral lands, and the many small border nations fell into a delicate equilibrium. The empire would assault the dark races if they were to attack the neutral lands. And having taken great advantage of such a mistake, they themselves wouldnt commit the same. The neutral lands eventually became an outlying territory, but they produced enough experts throughout the generations to protect themselves. So, its impossible to take the neutral lands with external power. The only way is to settle down and expand step by step, gradually unifying all the territories. You plan to take root here? Of course! Qianye didnt know what to say. He could only sigh because he knew he couldnt convince the seventh young master otherwise. Song Zining gave him a pat on the back, saying, Wheres Nighteye? Can you still see her? Shes still in the neutral lands. Qianye hesitated for a while but explained the situation in the end. This matter had been weighing on his mind for a long while, but he had no one to confide in. It just so happened that Song Zining was here right now to give him counsel. Song Zining frowned. This wont do, let me go and talk to her. Qianye was shocked. Are you looking to die? Of course not! I might not be able to defeat her, but dont tell me you think I cant escape? I know her strength very well. No, you do not. Qianye laughed wryly. Not to mention you, even I am not so confident about an escape at this point. Even the two of us combined might not be her match, either. I dont understand her current temperament at all. Are you willing to go and meet an unfamiliar high vampire? Song Zinings expression was serious, apparently not expecting such a development. In the end, he sighed. Let it be, there are so many women in this world, why would you want to hang yourself on a dead tree? Just follow me in the future and therell be no lack of women! Qianye shook his head. I have no interest right now. Oh yeah, I have something to show you. What? A new nation. Moments later, two jeeps left Southern Blue in succession and drove toward the border of the continent. Qianye drove the first personally and had Whirlwind follow in the other. The latters vehicle was loaded with goods, equipment, and autocannons. Song Zining had made himself quite comfortable in the passengers seat, with his back reclined and his feet on the dashboard. Even after riding so many airships, a jeep is still the best. Its just so full of life. Qianye laughed loudly and stomped down on the accelerator. The vehicle roared loudly as it charged forward like an angry lion. The reckless driving didnt last too long as several trucks appeared on the road ahead. These cars were small cargo trucks modified into armed vehicles, each manned by several mercenaries. They were either sitting or standing on the cars, drinking and laughing loudly all the while. The trucks were playing deafening blasts of music as they moved forward slowly in a horizontal row that blocked the road. The mercenaries seemed to have no intention of making way for the rapidly approaching jeep. They pointed at the incoming vehicles as they drank, laughed, and cursed. Some actually removed their trousers and made obscene movements. Youd best cover your ears, Qianye said. Song Zining hadnt come to when Qianye suddenly pulled open a valve. High-temperature steam gushed out from the pressurized pipe, spraying out of the nozzle with a resounding scream. This was a special steam whistle normally used on ships and large cargo trucks. Someone had actually installed it on this small offroad vehicle. The sound from this whistle was deafening even from the outside. Those in the car would feel even more uncomfortable. Even with his profound cultivation, the seventh young master was shocked out of his wits. The abrupt shriek of the whistle startled the mercenaries up front. The one who had removed his trousers lost his grip and pissed all over his pants. The mercenaries were furious; how could they let this go? They immediately slowed their pace down and firmly blocked the road. These fellows had already picked up their weapons and taken aim at Qianyes jeep. This wasnt a threat; they were already filled with killing intent and were ready to shoot. These were the neutral lands, a land where, more often than not, murder was the answer to conflict. Song Zining let out a long sigh. He pulled back his legs and spread his palms, prepared to unleash his domain and interfere with the other partys line of sight. Before he could do that, however, the jeep roared and shot forward, almost as though it had been kicked hard from behind. They were heading for a head-on collision! No! Youre crazy! The seventh young master cried in astonishment. He barely had enough time to grab the armrest when the jeep crashed into the rear end of the truck in front! The two armored cars were sent flying sideways, crashing into those on the side. Qianye wasnt about to stop there. He stood up, kicked away the deformed door, and stomped on the nearby armored car! With a whoosh, the armored car and the dozens of mercenaries on it were flung away, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop. Those in the drivers compartment were also badly bruised and bleeding. Fortunately, they werent too weak. Most of them only sustained flesh injuries but didnt lose their lives. Qianyes figure flickered to the side of the other armored car and kicked it away. Only then did he return to his still-moving jeep and jumped onto it. Whirlwind stretched out from the jeep behind him and aimed the dark muzzle of his autocannon at the mercenaries. A dazed mercenary began cursing ferociously without figuring out the situation, but one of his comrades quickly covered his mouth. Qianye stretched out his left hand and fired four rounds from the Bloody Datura, blasting the engines of the four armored vehicles. Only then did he swagger off with a snort. Whirlwind revealed a sinister smile as his autocannon spat out a tongue of flames, tearing the armored vehicles into shreds. Fortunately, the soldiers in the car had been flung away, and this actually saved their lives. The mercenaries remained frozen in shock until the jeeps had vanished into the distance. It was only much later that they dared to start looking for their possessions under the debris. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 839: Man With Family Within the speeding jeep, Song Zining glanced meaningfully at Qianye. You seem to be more ruthless now! Were in the neutral lands, Ill be dead if I wasnt ruthless. Thats how you shouldve been since the very beginning. It seems the neutral lands is the most suitable place for you. No, I would never have come here if I had the choice. The interior of the car became quiet all of a sudden. A brief moment passed with neither saying anything. Eventually, Song Zining remembered something. Oh, Ive almost forgotten about something important. Come with me, Ill introduce you to someone. Who? Youll know when you see her, shes quite the beauty. Seeing Song Zinings mysterious demeanor, Qianye only laughed and drove toward the depths of the wilderness as instructed. After an hour of traveling, a small town appeared ahead of them. Qianye stopped the vehicle on the outskirts and had Whirlwind keep watch, while he himself followed Song Zining into town. The seventh young master entered a dilapidated courtyard with Qianye in tow. Once inside, Qianye could hear muffled sounds inside, likely coming from someone who had been bound and gagged. Song Zining smiled mysteriously as he led Qianye into the house. Pointing at the bed, he said with a face full of smiles. See? Isnt she a beauty? There was indeed a woman on the bed. To be precise, she was tied up there, her eyes blindfolded, and her limbs spread out and bound to each corner of the bed. One could easily see that her figure was quite alluring. She was tall, slender, and possessed long legs. There was a ball of cloth stuffed inside her mouth, preventing her from uttering a single word. All she could do was let out muffled cries. Her struggling became even fiercer as she sensed people entering the room. The scene of her writhing looked even more enticing, filling the spectator with an unbearable urge to commit certain crimes. Qianye knocked lightly on her calf, eliciting a metallic echo. A Highbeard? Of course, and someone fairly important, too. Shes Red Lotus, I heard you were looking for her? So this is Red Lotus? Shes not weak, how did you manage to keep her bound so easily? Song Zining had only used an ordinary rope, and the method was nothing special, either. Such bondage might work on ordinary people, but it was far from enough to restrain a Highbeard, especially someone like Red Lotus. Yet Song Zining had not only bound her but also left her in place for quite a long time. Song Zining said with a smile, I didnt restrain her, shes doing it to herself. Highbeards use machine components to modify their bodies which, for the knowledgeable, is the best tool to bind them. Next up, Song Zining explained everything in detail. Only then did Qianye realize that the seventh young noble had readjusted the kinetic machinery in her joints, reversing the direction of their output. That way, Red Lotus machines would move backward when her body was given the command to move forward. This made it so that Red Lotus would have to overcome her own machine components whenever she tried to move. These equipment were there to empower the Highbeards, to begin with. They were no different from ordinary people without the machines, and it didnt take a genius to guess their actual muscle strength. Red Lotus was no exception regarding this. Her struggling was no different from that of an ordinary person, and there was no telling how long she would be tied up here. How did you capture her? When have I failed to capture someone I wanted to? Qianye felt a deep headache. After a long absence, this seventh young noble had turned even more shameless. Qianye coughed once. I say, Seventh Young Noble, what were you planning to do with this prisoner? Im handing her to you, dont you think she looks nice? Besides, her position in the Highbeards is quite high. Conquering her means taking over one-third of the Highbeard tribe. Were going to build a nation, so well need people. Wait a minute. Qianye stopped Song Zining from continuing his nonsense. Most of the Highbeards already stand with me. She might have some other uses, but taking her in is a discussion for another time. Hearing the two discussing her, Red Lotus struggling grew stronger once more. Unfortunately, all that served to do was arouse mens primal instincts. Song Zining arrived beside the bed to remove her blindfold and gag piece. She wanted to scream after regaining some freedom, but her face turned pale upon seeing Song Zining, not daring to move in the slightest. Thats a good girl, be obedient and therell be less suffering. Song Zining offered words of praise. With a wave of his hand, several leaves shot out to cut the ropes binding her. Get up and follow us. Red Lotus clenched her teeth as she slowly clambered up. Song Zining hadnt reverted the changes to her equipment. As such, she was even a bit weaker than an ordinary human girl. Moments later, the three boarded the jeep and drove away from the small town, heading in the direction of the continents edge. Song Zining was still in the passengers seat and Red Lotus was in the back row. The heads of her enemies were swaying right in front of her, but it was uncertain whether she could pierce their scalps even if she did attack. Before Red Lotus could decide whether she should take action, Song Zining suddenly turned back and said, Red Lotus, this is my brother, Qianye. From now on, youre his woman! What do you think, not bad, right? Red Lotus clenched her teeth. Qianye was someone she had long since wanted to kill. She hated him even more now that she had lost most of her men and her maternal lineages treasure, the autocannon with overload function. That was why she didnt dare return to the tribe after escaping the city lords mansion. She could only roam the surroundings and see if there was an opportunity to steal the weapon back. In the end, she was captured by Song Zining before she could take action. Red Lotus eyes were full of anger. At this moment, Song Zinings gaze paused intentionally on her throat as he said meaningfully, Youd better not do anything dumb in front of me, or else your fate will be extremely miserable. Red Lotus shivered before his gaze, almost as though she were drenched in cold water. She had a final hidden acethere was a tiny origin gun inside her mouth, and the bullet was hidden in her throat region. That place was difficult to search, and the origin bullet could shield her against a slash to the throat. But Song Zinings stare bewildered her. Has he seen through it? The frostiness on the seventh young nobles face dispersed as he said with a smile, My brother is so outstanding, youve really profited from this arrangement. Red Lotus shot a glance at Qianye. All she could see from behind was the side of his countenance, but that was more than enough. In terms of appearance, high vampires had always stood at the peak of the Evernight world, suppressing all the other races, except perhaps for a few demonkin who were on par with them. And Qianye was a vampire of ancient bloodline. He might not possess the exquisite beauty of contemporary high vampires, but there was a distant temperament that was unique to him. To the people of these troubled lands, it could be said that Qianyes attractiveness was somewhat greater. And Red Lotus had already learned of Qianyes combat strength. He had an unreasonable level of power, wiping out her ambush that couldve gravely injured a rank-seventeen expert while sustaining negligible damage himself. People in the neutral lands were used to following the strong, even more so for the Highbeards who made a living as mercenaries. Red Lotus felt a particular emotion in her heart. This brief feeling was like the coming of spring after winter, a hint of green under the melting snow. Hearing Song Zinings words, Qianye shook his head. Dont mess around, I have a family. Song Zining sprayed out the water he was drinking, and this loss of composure filled him with exasperation. Y-You family my ass! Does she even give a damn about you? Someone like you wants to cling onto someone so influential? Brother, wake up, the sun hasnt set just yet or rather, its almost sunrise now. Qianye chuckled. One day, Ill be able to. Song Zining sighed. You better sober up. If shes as you said, theres simply no way you can keep up with her steps. Even if you can become strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with her one day, how many years will that take? Decades or even centuries, everyone will have changed during that time. Well see when the time comes. Song Zining was helpless against the obstinate Qianye. Fine! When I see Nighteye, Im going to tell her about Lil Seven and Nine. Oh, and also Xiaoniao. Greatly alarmed, Qianyes hands trembled a bit and almost flipped the jeep over. Song Zining and Red Lotus were swayed unsteadily inside the car and suffered painful bumps. Whirlwind was also surprised, thinking that there was an enemy up front. He leaned out the window with his autocannon in hand and scanned the area, but there was nothing in sight except the vast expanse of darkness. Sire, wheres the enemy? Whirlwind shouted at the top of his lungs. Qianyes face froze up. He pretended not to hear the man and invested his full concentration on the road ahead. Song Zinings shoulders were trembling as he held back his laughterhe was apparently undergoing quite a bit of hardship there, but he knew well that laughing out loud would be terrible at this point. Red Lotus, on the other hand, was filled with different emotions. She turned back and glared ferociously at Whirlwind. In her heart, this traitor was the most hateful person, even more so than Qianye. Whirlwinds heart shivered in the face of Red Lotus death glare. He had known the girl for quite some time and had a subconscious fear of her. But he quickly recalled that the latter was already a defeated prisoner, while he himself had already submitted to Qianyethis was the perfect moment to perform. Feeling fairly emboldened at the thought of this, he glared fiercely back at her. Red Lotus wasnt expecting such a reaction, and she almost blacked out from the anger. Yet, she had no way of punishing Whirlwind. She couldnt even curse verbally with Song Zining sitting nearby. To a Highbeard, losing control of their mechanical parts was an indescribably cruel form of torture. Red Lotus was a person of firm character, but after an entire day of torment brought about by the kinetic equipment, she had almost entirely lost the will to resist. At first, Red Lotus had already begun to accept her fate of being forcefully given to Qianye, but the fellow had actually refused her. And from Song Zinings words, it seemed like he was infatuated with a certain woman. At this moment, Red Lotus heart was filled with a feeling of extreme discomfort. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 840: A Small Mouthful Wonst Kill Having fought against Bluemoon for so many years, Red Lotus wasnt someone without schemes. She immediately thought of something. Its easy if you want my person, I cant resist anyway, but my true value is far beyond my body. Theres no need for me to persist since even Bluemoon has submitted, but if you want me to work sincerely with you two, shouldnt you be expressing some good faith? Qianye paid her no attention, almost as though he hadnt heard her at all. Song Zining, however, seemed rather interested. What do you want? You want to be his only woman? Then youll be utterly disappointed, theres no need to discuss this topic further. Red Lotus turned red and said through clenched teeth, Am I really worth that little!? Song Zining shrugged. You said so yourself, your value isnt about your body. Red Lotus replied furiously, Fine, my condition is that my position must be higher than Bluemoons! Song Zining let out an exclamation of surprise. He patted Qianyes shoulder and asked thoughtfully, Whos Bluemoon? How good looking is she? Qianye almost drove the car into a ditch. Zining, seventh young noble! Can you think about something else other than women!? Well I cant have just one woman in my head like you, can I? Besides, shes already unrelated to you, you know. Enough, now tell me how good looking Bluemoon is, is she prettier than Red Lotus? Qianye replied helplessly, Bluemoon is a Highbeard. His implication was that Highbeards were never a tribe known for beauty since they had traces of modification all over their bodies. However, Song Zining remained persistent. Highbeards are also human! Qianye could only give a vague reply since he couldnt get away from this topic. About the same, I guess. However, Red Lotus wasnt happy about this. Whats this about us looking the same!? Im clearly more beautiful than her. How can that thin, flat brat be considered good-looking? Song Zining shot Red Lotus an approving glance. Half a days journey amidst all these twists and turns made Qianye feel as though he had just fought a great battle. Only after they had reached their destination on the edge of the continent did he manage to sigh in relief. He jumped off the vehicle and said, Were here, get off the car. Song Zining glanced about, but there was nothing apart from the vast snowy mountains and origin tempests. He secretly used his divination arts, but despite his mind being thrown into turmoil, he couldnt actually glean any useful information. One possibility was that he had run into an entity that he couldnt afford to provoke, or it could also be that the sensation was brought about by the chaotic void origin power here. What were you planning to show me? Song Zining asked. He had just spoken when he noticed Red Lotus looking up at the sky, shocked witless. Soon, darkness washed over the land as a giant shadow was cast upon the border area. Song Zining looked up to find a gigantic dragonship that occupied his entire field of vision! The Martyrs Palace emerged slowly from amidst the void storms, gliding silently through the skies until it was hovering fifty meters from the ground. The impact of the massive airship at such a distance suffocated everyone! T-This Even Song Zining was no longer as calm and lighthearted as before. For a brief moment, he couldnt quite tell what this monstrosity was. Judging from its external appearance, it looked half-colossus and half-warship. But how could there be such a giant airship? Even the largest imperial motherships could fit into the hold of this vessel. Perhaps only Apocalypse, Liliths legendary airship that had bathed for thousands of years in the River of Blood, or the Demonkin Emperors well-hidden Dark Conviction were its match. This is Martyrs Palace, you can think of it as my warship, but only a fraction of its construction has been completed, no, not even a small fraction. A fraction of such a massive airship was of unimaginable value even if it were to remain on the ground. Song Zining only lost his composure, but Red Lotus was completely flabbergasted and hadnt recovered her wits just yet. To a Highbeard, this massive war machine possessed an inexplicable sense of beauty that they simply couldnt resist. Qianye slapped Song Zining on the back. Lets go up and see. Okay. Song Zining soared impatiently into the air and charged straight into the Martyrs Palace. Qianye glanced back at Red Lotus and, for the lack of a better option, held her by the waist as he flew toward the airship. Whirlwind also activated his flying equipment and slowly followed the others into the palace. Inside the Martyrs Palace, there were dozens of Highbeards hard at work, installing numerous equipment at their designated locations. Each kinetic sail required a large number of auxiliary equipment for normal function. The work involved in stitching eight kinetic sails together was exponentially higher and definitely not as simple as eight times the usual work. In truth, these sails could be made bigger in relation to the Earth Dragons spine, but Bluemoon was only at the level where she could design eight pieces together. Despite having installed only five origin sails, the installation of equipment and calibration was a huge undertaking. Before this, Qianye could only unfurl the sails directly and boost the vessels acceleration. However, acceleration was but the most basic function of a kinetic sail. The Highbeards on the airship were all loyal to Bluemoon. They were greatly alarmed upon seeing Red Lotus, so much so that two of them even picked up their weapons. From these small details, it was obvious just how aggressive the situation between the two of them was. Seeing Qianye raise his hand, the Highbeards on the airship lowered their weapons and returned to their posts to continue working. At this point, Qianye enjoyed a fair bit of prestige among the Highbeards of Bluemoons branch, to the point of them obeying him without question. Red Lotus was livid and seemingly full of worry. Only after personally witnessing the Martyrs Palace did she realize Qianyes terrifying potential. Just this massive Martyrs Palace alone was comparable to a small principality. Having made an enemy out of this man was admittedly the most stupid thing Red Lotus had done. Her eyes were filled with anger instead of regret, and this anger wasnt directed at Qianye but at Bluemoons Highbeards. It was at this time that a voice full of joy echoed throughout the chamber, Mama! Song Zinings expression transformed drastically upon hearing this call. His figure immediately turned illusory as he flashed to the side. But he had just taken the first step when a small cannonball of a body rammed into him, rendering all of his fantastic illusions useless. Thud! A dazed Song Zining fell to the ground. Little Zhuji sat down on his chest with a delighted expression and gave him a big kiss. Mama! Get off! Immediately, right now, this very instant! Song Zinings expression was stern, but Little Zhuji wasnt about to buy all that. She laughed radiantly and planted yet another familiar kiss on Song Zinings cheek. Song Zining struggled repeatedly, exerting greater force each time. But Little Zhuji had grown so much stronger than he had remembered, almost on par with a top-tier beast. A push of her little hands pressed Song Zining back to the ground. Red Lotus stared at Song Zining with wide eyes, seemingly shocked and almost as if she couldnt believe what she had heard. Could it be that this young man she had almost fallen for at one point was a woman? Song Zining saw the changes in Red Lotus expression through the corner of his eyes and nearly blacked out from the anger. He struggled with all his might, but Little Zhuji exerted just as much force. The poor seventh young master was pressed to the ground for the moment and couldnt turn the tables no matter what. Nonetheless, he was still an expert with profound cultivation and great expertise in the combat arts. Even if he couldnt compare to Qianye and Zhao Jundu, he was still a rare genius among the younger generation of the empire. Tossing, turning, and applying various secret moves, it looked like he was about to push Zhuji away pretty soon. Flushed and worried, the little fellow turned to Qianye. What should I do, I want to kiss Mommy more! Qianye said coldly, Blow into his face. Little Zhuji was startled. Thats not too good, is it? Just a small mouthful wont kill him. Song Zining instinctively knew that something was off. He shouted loudly at Qianye, Qianye! Just you wait! Zhuji, dont listen to him. W-What are you doing!? Little Zhuji opened her little mouth and sprayed a mouthful of faint green gas onto Song Zinings face. The latter let out a muffled groan as all of his strength left his body. His origin power went out of control, and it was fluctuating so wildly that he couldnt even deploy his domain. Additionally, the gas didnt even need to be inhaledit would invade the body upon contact and go straight for the origin vortex. Song Zining was shocked out of his wits. He immediately activated his origin power to destroy the invading green energy. Fortunately, the poison was fairly thin and weak. It was finally wiped away after just a few waves of origin power. This short lapse allowed Little Zhuji to hug Song Zining firmly and give him several kisses. Finally, she jumped off in satisfaction. Song Zining glared fiercely at Qianye and stretched out his hand. Pull me up! Smiling, Qianye dragged the seventh young master to his feet and even patted off the dust on his robes. Song Zining slapped Qianyes hand away with a snort and beckoned Zhuji, Come. Little Zhuji cheered joyfully and pounced onto him at lightning speed, once again pinning him to the ground. She opened her little mouth, seemingly about to blow another mouthful of green gas. Gasping in alarm, Song Zining covered the girls mouth and stopped the potential gas attack. The seventh young master lifted the girl up by the nape of her neck, and only then was he able to clamber up. He placed the girl in front of him and asked with a stern expression, When did you learn to use poison? Zhuji looked puzzled. I just knew it! Song Zining looked distressed. Knowing that he wasnt going to get any useful information out of the girl, he turned to Qianye. The latter said, Have you forgotten that Stukas innate talent is poison? You call that poison? Its a far cry from our Little Zhuji. Song Zining wore an expression of disdain as he praised the little fellow. Qian! Ye! Song Zining uttered through clenched teeth. Telling her to blow into my face, are you worried that I wont die fast enough? Qianye looked up at the sky. That little mouthful wont kill you, youll be half-dead at most. Song Zining was livid. Just a bit more and Ill be in trouble! Why dont you let her blow into your face and see? Qianye chuckled. No need, Ill be perfectly fine. Only then did Song Zining recall Qianyes abnormal vampire constitution. You two seem to share a fairly good relationship, Red Lotus interrupted the spat. ... You, youll be assigned as Bluemoons assistant from tomorrow on, Qianye said emotionlessly. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 841: Zhao-Tradition, Song-Tradition For a moment, Red Lotus couldnt figure out what she had spoken wrong. Nonetheless, being assigned as Bluemoons assistant was something she couldnt accept. She immediately began to explain that she was innocent but, realizing that it was useless, began to present a bunch of examples of why she was more valuable than Bluemoon. However, no amount of pleading or threats could move Qianye. In the end, she shouted in exasperation, Id rather commit suicide if you treat me like this! Think about it, my mothers branch will fight it out with you if you push me to death. Qianye finally reacted. Your maternal branch wont last very long if they make an enemy out of me. Song Zining gestured to Red Lotus with a frown, indicating that she should stop speaking. Then, he dragged Qianye off to tour the Martyrs Palace, effectively pushing this matter aside. Moments later, the Martyrs Palace took to the skies and flew toward the Northern Continent. After the massive airship vanished silently into the void tempests, a little girl in a white dress appeared amidst the rocks at the base of the mountain. She was holding a big, old suitcase as she stood there gazing in the wind. The strong and frigid gale at the mountain base lifted her long hair. Her small figure seemed lonely and destitute as she gazed at the distant skies, just in time to see the Martyrs Palace fading away over the horizon. Her little face seemed full of puzzlement and her eyes, just as lost. The Martyrs Palace returned to the Northern Continent. Qianye was bringing Song Zining to see this wondrous land. The latter didnt remain idle along the wayhe first spent the entire day listening to Qianyes narration of his experiences in the neutral lands, and then called Red Lotus over and listened to her explanation of the powers here. Even that wasnt enough for him, it seemed, because he went out to chat with almost every Highbeard in the ship, asking them all sorts of questions. Two whole days passed by in this manner, and he concluded this massive undertaking only as they were about to arrive. Qianye, on the other hand, spent the second day cultivating in silence. Every bit of origin power gained was a good thing for him. At dawn on the third day, Martyrs Palace passed over the vast Eastern Sea and arrived at the Northern Continent. Just like Qianye when he first arrived here, Song Zining held his breath to admire the natural masterpiece below them. It almost seemed like the essence of the entire neutral lands was concentrated here. After a long while, Song Zining exhaled deeply and said, This is the foundation of a kingdom! At first, all I wanted was to live a quiet life here. Song Zining replied, There is no real paradise in this world, nor tranquility. Peace is something we have to fight for and win little by little. The peace we have on the Qin continent is something our ancestors had fought for. We shouldve remained on the Qin continent if we only want to enjoy peace, but alas, we are no longer such people. Qianye sighed softly. Okay, lets go down. I want to see how much progress the Highbeards new ancestral land has made. The giant Martyrs Palace thus descended and remained hovering fifty meters in the air. Song Zining and Qianye jumped down first, but just as Whirlwind was about to descend, he saw Red Lotus shooting him meaningful glances. Her past prestige seemed to have found some use in the end as the Highbeard expert duly helped Red Lotus down from the airship. When Qianye left the place, the Highbeard ancestral land was nothing but a small village. Now, it had turned into a small town. Although most of the buildings there were only in their foundation stage without any walls, a town capable of hosting a thousand people was beginning to take shape. Outside of town, the workshop building sites near the foothills had been leveled, and the platform of its three kinetic towers had grown well over two meters. Yes, three kinetic towers. Bluemoon had proposed an ambitious plan from the very beginning, hoping to build their ancestral city into one capable of housing over a hundred thousand people. Hence, she had left great margins during the initial planning. A number of Highbeards were operating bulldozers modified from heavy trucks and hard at work opening up new roads. One of them led toward the shore, but there was nothing there just yet. All of this was completed by Bluemoon and the dozens of Highbeard tribesmen. One could imagine how many hours of labor and sleepless nights had gone into this. Red Lotus was completely shocked at the sight of their new ancestral land. She stole a glance at Qianye with complicated emotions in her eyes. Only at this point did she truly realize why the proud Bluemoon would submit so willingly. Go, lets take a spin around the area. Song Zining flew up with Qianye on his tail, and soon, the two of them had sped away in an instant. At this moment, Red Lotus and Whirlwind were left alone. The Martyrs Palace was fifty meters above them, and there were no more restraints on Red Lotus apart from the lack of sufficient energy. Meanwhile, Whirlwind was carrying his autocannon on his back. At this point, it seemed like the two of them could suppress all the Highbeards or even hijack the Martyrs Palace. Red Lotus bit her lips as she reached out at Whirlwind. Give me an energy black crystal. Ah! Young Miss, this Give it to me! Whirlwinds expression was complicated. In the end, he lowered his head and stretched out his right hand. In his palm, a piece of high-purity energy black crystal was glistening brilliantly. Red Lotus grabbed the crystal and inserted it into her kinetic slot. Soon, all the movement equipment on her body began to hum softly, and she revealed a smile of satisfaction as her long-deprived power returned. Red Lotus didnt remain so for very long. Her eyes soon turned cold as she leapt up, glid several hundred meters through the air, and jumped forward once more. In the blink of an eye, she had reached the border of the small town. Bluemoon was standing on high ground, seemingly deep in thought as she observed the construction work with a map in hand. All of a sudden, Red Lotus voice rang out beside her ears, Let me see. Before she could react, Red Lotus had snatched the papers and was studying them seriously. Bluemoon was surprised to see the latter. She hadnt really noticed Qianyes arrival as her thoughts were all on the construction work. The Shieldmaiden took a step back and wanted to say something, but held back after seeing Red Lotus manner. After several minutes of detailed observation, Red Lotus snatched Bluemoons pen and marked several places down on the plans. This, this, and this, all of them are poorly planned. How can you put this building here? And this road needs to be twice as large or else itll be jammed once you have ten thousand people. Red Lotus pointed out over a dozen detailed flaws while Bluemoon listened earnestly, nodding every now and then. Bluemoon was indeed inferior to Red Lotus with regards to planning. The main reason she had seized the Shieldmaiden position was due to her talents in the martial arts. All the other Highbeards were secretly surprised by the scene playing out before them, but they quickly put their minds back to the construction work. Perhaps no one else could understand how much these nomadic mercenaries longed for a place to call home. Qianye and Song Zining zipped around the Northern Continent while discussing the current situation of the neutral lands. Song Zining would ask about everything related to Qianye with great attentiveness. The two of them arrived at the northernmost edge. The mountains here were the tallest, steepest, and filled with lethal void tempests. Even the sturdiest of alloys wouldnt last if they were to touch those black patterns in the air. Qianye and Song Zining, however, werent afraid as origin power could be blocked out by origin power. Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaf domain not only deployed illusions but could also stabilize space and reject the void origin power. The two of them seemed to be standing inside of a painting, a stark contrast to the adverse environment around them. As they stood hovering in the air, Qianye glanced down to find flowing jade streams, lotuses, as well as the dancing willows on the water bankeven the incoming breeze seemed to be suffused with warmth. What an august scenery it was! If it wasnt for his Eye of Truth, Qianye would be hard-pressed to find any flaws. But Qianye didnt admire this beautiful scenery at all. The view is not bad, but it must be quite draining, no? Song Zining opened his fan with a smile. Its a small matter, pay it no mind. Qianye stared at his fan. The weather is so cold, are you really feeling hot? Song Zining sneered. This is called elegance! And the fan is just a symbol! Fine then. Are you feeling the strain on your origin power? A bit Song Zining blurted out before realizing that he had slipped his tongue. Smiling, Qianye unleashed a bit of his own domain, and the sound of crashing waves echoed around them. The moment this domain appeared, the beautiful scenery around them immediately began to waver and distort. Song Zining glared at Qianye. He then pointed to the ground. Now this is a treasure! Who knows how many years this place has been soaking up in void origin power? If we dig up the mountain range below us, there should be countless ore veins here. If Im not wrong, this landmass should be a fragment of the Void Valley Star. If the empire finds out about such a place, they might even send an expedition here. Qianye, however, frowned as he gazed at the tall, thousand-kilometer mountain range. Itll probably take ten thousand people centuries to dig into this mountain. No need, it can be done in days if you can find a couple of heavenly monarchs to help out. Umm lets just find ten thousand people to dig slowly. Song Zining seemed distracted as he observed the mountain range. Only after a long while did he sigh. What peerless beauty! Qianye was puzzled but didnt dare express his views carelessly in this field. He asked humbly, Whats so beautiful about this place? Song Zining waved his hand with the grandeur of a rainbow. This place, this scenery, if it were a painting, it would be called: Wealth of a Nation! Qianyes domain destabilized and almost fell off the sky. It turned out that the vast mountains and perilous cliffs were nothing in the seventh young nobles eyes. Only the ore veins underneath held true value to him. This facet of him was truly worthy of a scion of the Song clan. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 842: When You Wake Up Song Zining became serious. This place should be kept between you and me, no need to reveal it for the time being. Otherwise, there might be big problems. I dont think those Highbeards are that reliable, we had better keep them in check and control their passage. Qianye nodded. That was indeed the proper course of action. Song Zining said after a moment of thought, I have some savings in the Ningyuan Heavy Industries, enough to buy a batch of resources and ship it over. Lets go around the continent in the Martyrs Palace and check out the flight path. After confirming the route, Ill go back first and ship the equipment over. Additionally, Ill bring a group of trusted men from Dark Flame and Ningyuan. That should balance out the Highbeards power. Qianye knew he was far inferior to Song Zining in this field, so he merely nodded. Oh, right. You should also set up a mercenary corps in the outside world. It doesnt need to be very strong, just set up a shell first. Later on, well inject our own people into the framework and recruit more talents. Once we expand in the future, well need such regular manpower to maintain our territory. Qianye nodded. There were so many things to tackle at the moment that he didnt know where to start. Now that Song Zining was standing beside him, Qianye recalled something that had been worrying him for a while. Zining, this Martyrs Palace was the Pointer Monarchs project back in the year, the Northern Continent was also his discovery. Theres even a trap left in place on the Earth Dragons heart at the core of the Martyrs Palace. Im worried if itll alarm the monarch once we expand. And He hesitated for a bit. Could it be a trap? Song Zining was first surprised but then he said after some thought. According to reasoning and morals, someone of the Pointer Monarchs mental cultivation should no longer care about business and riches. If he wants to fight for something, theres only one spot in the entire empire worthy of him. Qianye nodded, understanding that Song Zining was referring to the imperial throne. So many years had passed already, yet the Pointer Monarch seemed to have no interest in the great position. Song Zining became quite serious at the mention of the monarch. But you did say this is where he buried his heart. Theres no telling what will happen once he starts recalling old matters. We need to find a way The seventh young master paced around several times before laughing out loud. Ive got it! At least itll prevent the old man from flying into a rage and killing you on sight. This time, you better thank me! What are you talking about? Song Zining said with a laugh, Youll know when the time comes! Enough, its getting late, lets go back. Qianye knew he wasnt going to get anything out of the fellow, so he could only follow him back. There was a deep restlessness in his heart because, usually, nothing good would happen when Song Zining acted like this. They took a straight line back and arrived at the Highbeard construction site in half a days time. Red Lotus, now in workers clothing, was together with a group of strong Highbeard men. They were unloading giant rocks from a truck and filling them into a deep hole to form a foundational structure. Bluemoon was also in rough clothing, working alongside the men. Red Lotus appearance surprised Qianye and Song Zining. The latter called Red Lotus over and asked with a frosty expression, Where did your energy crystal come from? Red Lotus bit her lips in silence. Whirlwinds expression shifted drastically and appeared quite restless. How could this change escape the eyes of Qianye and Song Zining? The latter shot him a glance, saying, Qianye, it seems your subordinate isnt completely obedient yet. Its not his fault, I forced him! Red Lotus said loudly. Song Zining said coldly, It looks like her order is still quite effective. Isnt that right, Whirlwind? Whirlwind stammered, This no actually Red Lotus stepped in front of Whirlwind and said to Song Zining, This is the last time hes helping me. He has no choice because Ive saved his life before. Qianye stepped in at this point. Shes not doing anything. There are no airships here, so she cant leave, either. Why not just let her have it? Song Zining shrugged. Whirlwind is yours, Red Lotus is also yours. Its up to you what you want to do with them. Qianye smiled. Ignoring Song Zinings minor disapproval, he said to Red Lotus, Why haven''t you tried to escape? Red Lotus met Qianyes gaze. Why should I? I do have some enmity with you, but Im a Highbeard first and foremost, Im duty-bound to construct our ancestral land. Naturally, I still dislike seeing Bluemoon, so dont make me her assistant. Her voice wasnt soft, and Bluemoon also heard her from afar. The latter stood tall and said, Im willing to be your assistant if thats what it takes to get a perfect construction plan. Red Lotus was startled and at a momentary loss for words. Song Zining said to Qianye, You really know how to pick your men, you''ve improved. After a bit of chitchat, he said, Lets get on with confirming the flight path. Nodding, Qianye activated the Martyrs Palace and flew it into the void. Even with the palaces speed, flying around the Northern Continent took two days time. Finally, Song Zining managed to find a secret flight path that would circle the Eastern Sea and arrive directly on the Northern Continent. After confirming the flight path, Song Zining left without further delay. He had Qianye send him to a certain port city on the Eastern Sea Continent and boarded an airship there. Qianye chose to cross over the Eastern Sea this time. The Martyrs Palace was flying on the border of the void continent, so the terrifying beasts of the sea couldnt threaten the airship. Besides, the Martyrs Palace still retained a bit of the Earth Dragons might, and all fierce beasts would run away after sensing its aura. Song Zining thought of something just as he was about to leave. Give me that gun barrel. I have some resources in the empire, lets see if I cant build a gun for you. Qianye nodded and passed both the barrel and gun to Song Zining. The latter strapped it to his back, patted Qianye on the shoulder, and said, Wait till I come back, Ill introduce you to a beautiful lady! Without waiting for Qianye to protest, Song Zining jumped off the airship and sped away. A frustrated Qianye was left gazing on the Earth Dragons head. If Song Zining hadnt come here, he wouldnt have thought of so many past matters. But now, memories regarding the empire and the people there came flooding into his heart, and he simply couldnt get rid of them. With a long sigh, Qianye turned the airship back toward the Eastern Sea. Little Zhuji suddenly appeared beside him, asking, Has Mama gone back? Qianye rubbed her head. Hell be back very soon. How soon? Just take a nap and youll see him when you wake up. The dazed little fellow nodded. Im already sleepy, Im going to sleep now. At this moment, a group of Highbeard engineers was on the newly-constructed deck, working to install a new kinetic sail on one of the dragons spines. The group cheered as the gigantic sails unfurled and sped up the giant airship a little bit. Only a dozen or so engineers were working on the Martyrs Palace. They had been working day and night to finish the installation of this giant kinetic sail, a project that would normally have taken hundreds of engineers several months to complete. They were absolutely loyal to Bluemoon and also understood that the ancestral lands future safety depended on the completion of the Martyrs Palace. So just like the Highbeards building the ancestral home, those on the ship were also able to bring out an unimaginable amount of energy. The Martyrs Palace slowly flew into the void and stopped high above. Meanwhile, Qianye left the vessel and headed toward Southern Blue. It was about time the four ballistae had arrived. Although they were second-hand goods, the Martyrs Palace would at least have some basic weapons. That should be enough to get the Earth Dragon out of its current awkward state where it could only ram into things. Naturally, there werent a lot of airships that could outram the Martyrs Palace. Southern Blue wasnt Qianyes lucky place. Something would happen almost every time he came here. He wouldve snuck into the city at night and assassinated the city lord if this were the empire. But this was the norm in the neutral lands. Every business deal would begin with each side trying to swallow up one another, and perhaps get their hands on the goods. If he had to kill Ji Rui for this, there wouldnt be anyone left in the neutral lands he didnt need to kill. Qianye already understood this logic. So, he once again entered Southern Blue openly. The guards there made sure to greet him cordially. Qianye was the city lords main customer, and the guards would all get better meals if the city was rich. On the other hand, Qianye was notorious for killing the entire Stormwind Fury corps. There was no way a handful of city guards could afford to provoke him. After boarding the officers jeep, Qianye said half-jokingly, There wont be an ambush up ahead, will there? The officer was almost sweating. No! Definitely not! If there really is an ambush, this little one will be the first to die, right? Besides, how could I have known when you would arrive? Thats not how you set up an ambush. The officer was quite shrewd with his words. Qianye decided not to mock him anymore and merely smiled in response. Then, he closed his eyes to rest. The jeep swayed about as it drove toward the city lords manor. Qianye seemed to be resting, but in truth, all of his senses had been deployed and his slightly open eyes were exuding a blue glow. With True Sight activated, he was constantly monitoring the origin power changes in the surroundings. No fluctuation could escape his eyes in such a state. Even retracted auras would affect the flow of origin power and come into Qianyes notice unless it was a heaven-defying ability like Bloodline Concealment or an extremely powerful expert. He had learned to be careful after encountering so many problems in this city. At this moment, the jeep took a turn around the street block and arrived on the main road toward the city lords manor. It was then that he saw, in his True Sight, a tempest brewing atop the manor. There was a hurricane of void origin power slowly revolving around the mansion. Qianye suddenly opened his eyes! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 843: Ambush This was the telltale sign of a divine championonly a divine champion or glorious marquis could produce a phenomenon of such scale. And judging from that magnificent scenery, the expert hiding inside the city lords manor was in a battle-ready state. He could attack at any moment! There were no divine champions in Southern Blue. Now that such a character had appeared, it was obvious who they were targeting. Qianye punched through the roof of the car without the slightest hesitation and shot into the air. A deep, tyrannical voice echoed in the sky, Trying to run away? Stay back obediently! A dark bluish whirlwind of origin power surged into the skies, and from it emerged a figure which charged toward Qianye like a bolt of lightning. This silhouette appeared with a might capable of commanding the heaven and earth. It seemed like the entire Southern Blue had fallen submissively at its feet. Everything inside the citybe it the origin power or the buildings, be it living beings or lifeless objectswas full of animosity for Qianye. For a brief moment, Qianye felt as though he had become an enemy of the entire world. Flying over was a tall, burly man. Surging with killing intent, his eyes were like lightning and his long hair was dancing wildly in the wind. His almost-tangible glare was akin to steel chains binding Qianye in the air. This was the might of a divine champion. His every movement was aided by the world itself, so much so that he didnt even need to do anything himself. Just a stare was enough to restrain an ordinary champion. Time flowed quickly despite their seemingly slow movements. Qianye said to the incoming man, Wolf King? Indeed! Submit voluntarily and I might spare your life! In the span of just a few words, the Wolf King had already arrived in front of Qianye to swipe at his head. This attack was a sure hit. As he saw it, Qianye would never be able to escape his grasp regardless of the struggle. The power gap between the two was so great that resistance was practically futile. Even if Qianye could escape the bindings, the entirety of Southern Blue was covered in the Wolf Kings domain. The latter could appear anywhere in a flash and lock onto anyonehow could Qianye escape? However, Qianye burst out in laughter as he broke the bindings forcibly with a shake of his body! After regaining his freedom, an indistinct red line shot into the distance, and Qianyes figure suddenly blurred out of existence. A clap of thunder exploded in the air as the Wolf King closed his palm with sparks flying out in all directions. This claw was of extraordinary power and could instantly melt down near-indestructible metal alloys, but it only struck empty air. Qianye was nowhere to be seen. Beams of origin radiance burst out from the furious Wolf Kings eyes as he scanned the sky and the ground. Qianye could forget about escaping as long as he was still within the domain. The divine champions gaze swept over the entire city, leaving no stone unturned, yet he still couldnt find a single shadow. It was as though the man had vanished completelyno matter how hard the Wolf King searched, he couldnt find the slightest trace. Seething with anger, the Wolf King erupted in dark bluish flames, not unlike a god of murder descending upon the world. A luminous glow danced about in the Wolf Kings eyes as he flew into the air to observe the surroundings, even projecting outward from time to time when he was impatient. But despite all that, he still couldnt find Qianye. In his fury, the divine champion raised his right handa massive amount of origin power converged from every direction, forming a terrifying storm of origin power above him. If this attack were to land, it would definitely wreck most of Southern Blue. Ji Rui rushed out from the city lords mansion and said in a fluster, Wolf King! Are you trying to destroy my city? The glow in the Wolf Kings eyes gradually receded. He said with a snort, Of course not. Our cooperation has just begun. Its just that this Qianye has completely disappeared, do you have any idea where hes gone? Ji Rui laughed wryly. The entirety of Southern Blue is under your domain. Who here is capable of hiding him? Either this Qianye has a secret art for hiding his aura or he has already escaped from the city. The Wolf Kings expression turned dark. How can he leave the city under my eyes!? Ji Rui replied hurriedly, How should I know? Im only guessing. The Wolf King snorted. He scanned the entire city once more with his perception, and only after finding nothing did he grudgingly retract his domain. Maintaining such a large domain for an extended length of time was a considerable burden even for the Wolf King. He looked about with narrowed eyes and then gazed suspiciously toward the vast wilderness. In a single moment, Qianye had vanished from the world without a trace. Even someone of his caliber couldnt tell how Qianye had fled. The only method with a similar effect would be to tear through the void. He did feel a bit of spatial fluctuation back then, but he quickly shook his head and ruled out this possibility. Those who could penetrate space were all top-level characters, either at the heavenly monarch realm or one step away from it. Even the current Wolf King didnt have this ability, not to mention a mere Qianye. After a moment of fruitless contemplation, the Wolf King could only give up temporarily and return to the city lord mansion. Back in the manor, the Wolf King and Ji Rui sat down across one another. The Wolf King said, Letting Qianye escape is a disaster. Yes! Ji Rui sighed. The Wolf King laughed. Its only your disaster, though. He wont escape so easily the next time he runs into me. But if he can escape once from me, he can easily escape a hundred times from you, you had better arrange your guards well. Ji Rui looked bitter. He merely sighed and couldnt say anything for quite a while. With how mysterious Qianye was, what guard could even stop him? The man had escaped despite the Wolf King attacking in person. What good would it do even if Ji Rui were to patrol the city every night? The city lord did have some hidden aces, but even if he did use all of them, they werent any better than the Wolf Kings power. The two continued to sit silently. The Wolf King was in a fairly bad mood since he still couldnt figure out how Qianye had escaped. Perhaps Zhang Buzhou would have some answers, but that was the last person on earth he wanted to meet. In the end, the Wolf King broke the silence and said, Dont worry too much. Ill go and hunt him down myself once things here have been settled. Hell surely die in my hands unless he never makes an appearance. He probably wont remain in the Eastern Sea, Ji Rui said bitterly. The Eastern Sea was Zhang Buzhous territory, and even the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons would be affected here. If Qianye was smart enough, he naturally wouldnt remain here. If he were to escape to another place, like the Throne of Bloods domain, the Wolf King wouldnt dare act atrociously there no matter how ferocious he was. The Wolf King snorted coldly. I hope hes smart enough not to appear in front of me. With that, the Wolf King retired with a wave of his sleeve, leaving Ji Rui in the quiet room to drown in his own worries. Just like that, the sky turned dark in a flash. Ji Rui stood up with a long sigh and muttered, Lets enjoy some peaceful days first. Ill just have to think of a way when the time comes. He had spent the night in contemplation, yet he couldnt think of any good solution to this problem. Qianye escaping from the Wolf Kings hands was something he had never expected. Now that he thought about it, Qianye was probably unafraid of him because he had a way to escape. Just like the Wolf King, Ji Rui had no clue as to how Qianye had vanished. At this moment, Ji Rui was infinitely regretful. Had he known earlier, he wouldnt have agreed to the Wolf Kings terms. Standing out of this feud would let the Wolf King earn a bit more, at most. Ji Rui had thought it through. Money was a lovely thing, but there were other ways to earn it. After making an enemy like Qianye, there was no telling when he would be able to sleep peacefully again. Ji Rui got up and paced about the study, sighing with a gloomy expression. Since he had already offended Qianye, the only way forward was to offend him to the end. The latter was destined to be unstoppable once he had matured. A knock came from the door at this point. In his bad mood, Ji Rui scolded the visitor, Whats so important? Cant this wait? Guan Zhonglius voice echoed from the other side of the door. City Lord, weve almost flipped through the entire city, but we couldnt find any trace of him. Now, our brothers are all exhausted, do you think ... Call it off. Ji Rui had no real hope of the city guard finding Qianye and only sent them out to appease his emotions. Nonetheless, he still felt some disappointment when he heard that there was no news. Ji Rui sighed deeply after Guan Zhongliu left. I can live in peace for at least two years, right? Whether it was the Wolf King or Ji Rui, none of them had imagined that Qianye would be standing outside Southern Blue. Like a wisp of smoke, the latter leapt up and appeared on the city wall and then passed through two patrol squads to enter the city. These movements looked easy, but they werent that simple in execution. Throughout the entire process, Qianye only used a little bit of origin power, making his aura seem no stronger than rank four. People at this level were a dime a dozen in Southern Blue, and innumerable people were going over the walls day and night. After all, every family in the neutral lands had things that couldnt be brought into the light. The City Guard also understood this situation and would usually turn a blind eye. So, even if the Wolf Kings perception had scanned Qianye, he would only overlook him as one of the riff-raff. After entering Southern Blue, Qianyes faintly discernible silhouette entered an alleyway and arrived outside of the city lords manor. There, he looked up at the mansion with a blue shade in his eyes. There was still a great amount of void origin power swirling in the skies above, but it was nowhere near as violent as in the beginning. This meant that the Wolf King hadnt activated his origin power, nor was he in a battle-ready state. Qianye moved near the wall and lithely clawed his way up to the top, his fingers piercing into the structure with each step. He was relying only on his physical strength and not a wisp of origin power. So much so that one would be inclined to think he was an ordinary person without any cultivation. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 844: Revenge After climbing the wall, Qianye ran along it toward the lookout tower. There, he entered via the same method and tapped the sentry lightly behind his neck. As the mans lifeless head drooped to one side, Qianyes origin power flowed out gently, releasing a similar rank-three origin power fluctuation. Qianye stood motionless in the sentrys position, almost as though nothing had happened here. The only difference from before was the two blue dots under the dark sky. The city lords manor was quiet beneath the sable curtain of the night. The dim lights illuminating certain corners of the building actually made the place even gloomier and more frightening. There were neither banquets nor dancing tonight, and the servants would tread lightly for fear of attracting the attention of the bigshots. These people didnt quite know what had transpired, but they were sharp enough to tell that the Wolf King and city lord were in a bad mood. Qianyes nose twitched ever so slightly as he sensed a faint odor of blood. The blood energy therein was extremely faint, but it was fairly noticeable for someone with a vampire constitution like Qianye. Additionally, it was quite fresh and warmvery likely a recent bleed. Qianye glanced toward the center of the city lords manor and saw a small building where the lights were still on. The smell of blood was coming from it. At this moment, the doors opened up and a couple of people emerged carrying a corpse. They walked along the wall with hurried footsteps and happened to pass right below Qianye. They began discussing the matter quite boldly at this point, probably because they were a good distance from the building. What a miserable death. She was really unlucky to be the one to deliver fruits to that person. I heard she had offended the vice-steward, that was why she had been assigned to this task. Shh! Keep it down. If this gets into the vice-stewards ears, youll be the next one to bring fruits to the Wolf King! That servant trembled in fright, almost dropping the corpse they were carrying. The servants spoke no more as they left the city lord manor from the side entrance and vanished into the night. At this moment, Qianyes gaze was locked onto the small house. He had noticed the Wolf Kings aura from the corpse just now, and it would seem the latter was still in that building right now. There were no guards near the building, nor were there any sentries. There was no point in guarding the residence of a divine champion. Qianye didnt approach the place, though. Instead, he activated his origin power and merged the Twin Flowers into one. Then, he stared at the little building and released a wisp of killing intent. A divine champions senses were extremely sharp. Qianye felt a chill wash over him almost at the exact moment that his gaze fell upon the house. A massive wave of perception drowned out the sentry tower where he was standing. Qianye made no attempt to hide himself and even unleashed a wisp of his aura. A thunderous roar erupted from the building as its roof burst open and the Wolf Kings figure shot toward Qianye. How dare you appear again!? The Wolf King received neither fear nor flight but, instead, a cold voice. Why wouldnt I? The next moment, a sudden brilliance erupted before the Wolf Kings eyes, a luminescence capable of lighting up the entire world! Within the radiance, the wolf king saw a thin feather tearing through the skies and shooting straight for his heart. This feather was so outrageously fast that it seemed to have transcended time and reaction. The Wolf King was caught off-guard and simply had no time to evade. Instinctively sensing the danger, the divine champion unleashed a wild roar and stopped his forward momentum midair. However, the feather made a sharp turn and remained on course for his heart. The Wolf King could no longer move out of the way and had no choice but to watch as the feather sank into this chest! He unleashed an earth-shattering roar as his body froze up and fell from the sky, crashing into the rubble below. The heaven and earth fell silent for a brief moment before a violent shockwave erupted therein, immediately destroying a part of the city lords manor. An origin barrier rose up in a different direction and, despite its flickering, managed to block the destructive pulses and protect the rear end of the mansion. This was Ji Ruithe city lord had hurriedly taken action and managed to barely obstruct the shockwaves. In a different corner of the building, Guan Zhongliu had also erected a similar barrier. Nonetheless, his shield swayed wildly and was soon extinguished like a candle in the storm. Standing on the roof with a pale expression, the old man coughed up a mouthful of blood. He did, however, manage to stop most of the waves and had ensured the survival of his corner of the manor. The shockwaves rumbled on and on like the tides. Soon afterward, the Wolf King shot out from the rubble like a cannonball and stood high up in the air. A violent and cruel domain curtained down from above, encompassing the entire city of Southern Blue. Qianye had fled the moment the Wolf King fell down, not even bothering to observe the outcome. There was no need to, either, because the latter was completely unprepared, and there was no way he could have dodged the shot. By the time the divine champion had taken to the air once more, Qianye was already a thousand meters away and still running. It seemed he was about to charge out of Southern Blue and leave the Wolf Kings domain. The furious Wolf King howled toward the sky and revealed his werewolf form. Then, he transformed into a blue shadow as he darted after the assailant. Since the day he had submitted to Zhang Buzhous command, the Wolf King had never revealed his werewolf form in public. He was fairly meticulous in preventing the notion that he would discriminate against the humans because he was of a different race. Only now, after being angered to the extreme, did he finally transform into his true form in order to give chase at full speed. A bolt of blue lightning streaked across the air and vanished under the vast night skies. Ji Rui rose into the air with a serious expression and gazed into the distance. At this point, Guan Zhongliu arrived beside him and said, Who wouldve thought? Not only did he dare to come back, but he actually launched a sneak attack against the Wolf King. Such a person The man couldnt continue his words, but both of them understood that Qianye was a vengeful character. No one would be happy after having made such an enemy. Ji Rui noticed the hint of blame in Guan Zhonglius tone. He sighed helplessly and said, How could I refuse with the Wolf King at our doors? Is there no reaction from Spider Emperor and Mask? No. Guan Zhongliu fell silent. If these three powers had reached an agreement, it was a certain fact that Ji Rui would be helpless. City Lord, do you think the Wolf King will catch Qianye this time? Ji Rui shook his head. I dont know, either. What attack was that just now? I only saw a flash of light, then I was overcome by a great trepidation. Ji Ruis expression darkened. He only spoke moments later, If that attack had landed on me, youd be the city lord by now. Guan Zhongliu was shocked. He wouldve never imagined that Qianye was capable of launching such an attack. No wonder Ji Ruis expression was so unsightly. At this moment, the Wolf King was running across the wilderness with all his might, his perception locked firmly onto Qianye. The distance between the two was shrinking gradually. The Wolf King had gathered an overflowing mass of lightning in his right hand, ready to burn Qianye to a crisp once they were within a hundred meters of each other. He actually wanted to take Qianye alive, but the fellows speed was simply too shocking. He had already given chase for dozens of kilometers, yet there was still more than a hundred kilometers between them. Add to that the targets ability to vanish all of a sudden, the Wolf King knew he didnt really have the power to capture Qianye alive. All he could do was take the next best option. It wouldnt be so bad to reap Qianyes treasures, even if he couldnt get his hands on the cultivation technique. The Wolf King could still feel a lingering apprehension toward Qianyes attack just now, as well as a strong desire for the origin gun that could unleash such a shot. Stop and work for me, Ill spare your life! The Wolf King roared. Qianyes reply was a long peal of laughter, not even bothering to reply with words. Along the way, the Wolf King had tried more than once to threaten, exhort, or recruit Qianye, yet the latter only responded with mockery, angering the Wolf King until he was practically spewing flames. Seeing the gap between them shorten, the Wolf King unleashed a long howl and brought down his domain from above, trapping Qianye within it. Immediately afterward, his figure appeared where Qianye was. However, Qianye accelerated violently at the moment of the domains descent and swaggered off after shattering the restraining force with his physical strength. The Wolf Kings certain attack thus missed its mark. This combination of domain and traversal ability placed great strain on the Wolf King, taking him several breaths to recover. His speed fell sharply during this period, allowing Qianye to once again place a fair bit of distance between them. The Wolf King was both shocked and furious. His fury was only natural, but the divine champion was utterly shocked by Qianyes terrifying physical power. In terms of pure strength, even the Wolf King would have to spend quite a bit of effort to suppress him. But he was the Wolf Kingan expert on the same level as the Evernight dukesnot to mention the fact that werewolves were known for their strength and agility. Yet here he was, spending so much effort to suppress a mere Qianye. After letting Qianye put several hundred kilometers between them, the Wolf King narrowed the gap again by a few dozen kilometers. Although the two of them were covering hundreds of kilometers in a flash, the Wolf King became increasingly agitated. Even he would feel a bit of terror should he fail to catch the target this time. Qianye was simply too bold. After fleeing the scene, he had actually snuck back the very same day to seek revenge. If such a person were left alive, the king himself would be relatively fine, but what about his subordinates and family? At the thought of this, the Wolf King held back no longer. He landed on all fours and began pouncing toward Qianye, several dozens of meters at a time. The Wolf Kings speed increased sharply on the ground, allowing him to quickly close in on his quarry. It was just that running on all fours like a beast was somewhat unbecoming for someone of his status. Fortunately, they were in the wilderness with very few people to witness him in motion. Besides, the Wolf King had already made up his mind to kill Qianye. Even if anyone were to see him, he needed only to silence them. The distance between them shrank from a thousand meters to a few hundred, and then to less than a hundred. Lightning curled around the Wolf Kings claws as the target arrived within range, but he restrained himself from attacking. Instead, he moved closer and closer, planning to deal Qianye a thunderous blow when he was absolutely certain. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were less than fifty meters away! All of a sudden, Qianye burst into a sudden sprint and spun into a backward flight. The Wolf Kings heart trembled when he saw Qianyes mocking smile. He was holding a gun in both hands, from which a blinding light suddenly burst out, and a feather of light shot toward the Wolf King. Shot of Inception! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 845: Chance Encounter At this distance, there was no way the Wolf King could evade the Shot of Inception, so much so that he couldnt even block. The second feather of light once again tore into his chest. The Wolf Kings body froze, and the forward momentum remained. He dug into the ground with his claws, forming deep trenches therein until he came to a stop a hundred meters away. Qianye left without so much as a backward glance and vanished into the rugged landscape. The Wolf King possessed powerful vitality. Qianye knew that the divine champion was nowhere close to death despite having taken two Shots of Inception. Even if he were heavily injured, his final retaliatory attack was certain to be ferociousQianye had no intention of waiting for it. Even if the Wolf King were to recover from the two consecutive attacks, the damage would surely affect his future prospects. This was a grave loss for the Wolf King and ample reason for him to loathe Qianye. He made a sudden movement, eliciting a series of crackling sounds as his stiff body began to operate. Eventually, he plucked himself out from the mud. The Wolf King took gradual but firm steps in Qianyes direction, moving faster and faster with each step. In just a few breaths, he had managed to break into a sprint. The divine champion was sure that Qianye would be completely exhausted after the two consecutive earth-shattering attacks. He probably wouldnt get far even if he had fled. Soon, he reached full speed and Qianyes indistinct figure appeared up front. The Wolf King unleashed a howl that spread out hundreds of meters. His speed increased sharplyalmost as though he were in flightas he turned into a bolt of blue lightning that went after Qianye. But just as he was at his full speed, a small figure popped up from a nearby earth-mound! The Wolf King felt a chill run through his heart, but he had already built up the momentum and there was no domain in place. He forced himself to turn back, but all he saw was a flowing white dress and the flicker of an abnormally large cleaver. The cleaver tore through the Wolf Kings origin defenses with ease and slashed into his waist. Additionally, the blade went straight for his spinal joints with great accuracy. The Wolf King could truly smell the stench of death at this point. He roared hysterically and struck back with his right hand, releasing the lightning he had been accumulating at the young girl. The girl jumped over ten meters back. She wasnt out of the lightning range yet, but she stabbed the blood-stained cleaver in the ground and used the force to take a step back. The dozen or so balls of blue lightning turned toward the cleaver like moths drawn to a flame, turning it into a blade of lightning. The girl was more or less affected since she was standing nearby, and her face turned a bit pale. At this moment, she surprisingly rushed over to draw the lightning-suffused cleaver and pounced toward the Wolf King. The latter was astonished! He knew the might of his lightning. Even he wouldnt dare to take an all-out blow now that he was wounded. The Wolf King dodged the cleaver with a sidestep, but the girl charged at the divine champion and tapped at the wound on his waist. Her attack was extremely malicious and executed at the perfect moment. Caught completely off-guard, the Wolf King could only activate his defensive origin power and perform a rather forced kick. The girls attack was unexpectedly weak, but she managed to snatch a pouch from the Wolf Kings waist. However, the kings claws swiped at her and left four bloody gashes on her leg. The Wolf King reached out in hopes of recapturing his pouch. However, he suddenly sensed Qianye charging at him at full speed, and the distance between them was less than a hundred meters! The Wolf King painfully abandoned the pouch and turned to flee. The injury the girl had given him was just a flesh wound, but it triggered the suppressed damage from the Shots of Inception. He knew it wouldnt be wise to remain here and suffer a pincer attack from Qianye and the girl. Neither Qianye nor the young girl chased after the escaping Wolf King. On the contrary, they adopted a faint confrontational stance. Qianye hadnt met Bai Kongzhao for a long while, but the girl was just as frail and perplexed as before. She was still clad in a simple white dress without any decorative items or things a young girl would usually have. Bai Kongzhaos right hand was charred black from using the lightning-suffused cleaver to attack the Wolf King. The left side of her dress was tattered to reveal her white leg, as well as the shockingly deep, bloody gashes. There was fresh blood flowing out from the wound, dying most of her leg a scarlet red. Bai Kongzhao watched Qianye quietly, almost as though she couldnt feel the pain. The latter felt a headache brewing and had no idea what to say to her. It was just that his experience was screaming at him not to be fooled by her puzzled appearance. The fate of those who pitied or underestimated her had always been quite miserable. Ive already let you off once, why did you come to the neutral lands and why did you interfere in this battle? Qianyes main objective was to find out her intentions. In whichever battlefield the young girl appeared, the danger-level of that place would rise exponentially. Had she come here alone? Or was she supported by the Bai clan? It would be an entirely different story if she was supported by a major power. For this. The young girl waved the pouch in her hand. This was something she had risked her life to snatch from the Wolf King. Judging from the latters expression, it looked like he attached great importance to this item. He was planning to snatch it back even at the risk of worsening his injuries. The girl opened the pouch in front of Qianye and poured the contents onto the ground. The bag was fairly small, containing some black crystals, emblems, and other miscellaneous items. The only things of interest among them were two palm-sized boxes. The girl opened them up to reveal sparkling crystals with a lingering mist swimming inside of them. They looked incredibly resplendent and mystical. Qianye was overcome by a familiar sensation the moment he set eyes on those crystals, and the origin power in his body began to stir with the desire to devour them. Origin crystalthere were actually two origin crystals here! Origin crystals were of great allure to experts below the divine champion realm, and to those who had no hope of ever reaching that level. Implanting an origin crystal was equal to gaining a divine-champion level ability. From a certain perspective, it could be considered an artificial pseudo-divine-champion. No wonder the Wolf King treated the pouch with such care. This was an important object that had to be kept on him at all times. It was a mystery how Bai Kongzhao knew there was such a treasure on the Wolf King. As far as he could remember, there were several mysterious aspects about this young girl. It was almost as though she was acting on instinctand one that was outrageously powerful. There were too many unsolvable mysteries on her, so it wasnt that great of a surprise that she would know about the Wolf Kings treasure. Before Qianye had figured out what to do, the young girl had split the miscellaneous items on the ground into two portions and passed them to him, along with an origin crystal. Qianye frowned, unable to comprehend her intentions. The girl picked up the remaining half and left. She wasnt moving very fast. Blood was still flowing down her leg, and her entire backside was left open to Qianye. There was a certain radiance flickering on his fingertips as he moved his right hand. He still had one last Shot of Inception, an attack the young girl wouldnt be able to evade. Her constitution wouldnt be able to handle the shot even at its peak, to speak nothing of her current frail state. He only needed to raise his hand and use his finger as a gun to kill Bai Kongzhao, ridding himself of this trouble. The girl walked especially slow since her left leg couldnt bear any weight. The bleeding had slowed down but didnt seem like it would heal any time soon. Injuries caused by werewolves would leave traces of their origin power, interfering with the healing process. Some people would die of bleeding if they were unable to clear away the remnant origin power. At this speed, the girl would take at least ten minutes to walk out of the Shot of Inceptions range. There was enough time to make a hundred decisions, so Qianye was in no rush to come to a conclusion. He wanted to give this matter more thought. But what was he supposed to think about? Ten minutes suddenly passed by as he was thinking about what he needed to contemplate. The girls figure was now far away and fading out over the horizon. He woke up from his reverie at this point and, shaking his head, dispersed the glow on his fingers. Qianyes situation was fairly perilous just now, and he only had enough power left for a Shot of Inception or a Spatial Flashif he used one, he wouldnt be able to use the other. The Wolf King was able to endure two shots of inception, so who was to say he wouldnt be able to take a third? Bai Kongzhaos ambush had, to a certain extent, resolved Qianyes danger. Naturally, she wouldve died in the Wolf Kings hands if Qianye hadnt sensed the battle and charged back. Did she risk all that just for two origin crystals? Thinking back on it, it was indeed her style. When they were young, she was willing to play fair or foul just for some food. Now that she was more powerful, she was hunting for treasures like void colossus essence and origin crystals instead of food. For these things, she was willing to put herself and anyone else in danger. Regardless, Qianye knew that he wouldnt be able to pull the trigger this time. Next time, next time for sure he wouldnt lower his guard. The best way was to attack on sight and permanently free himself of this misfortune. Having made a decision, Qianye left this area of the wilderness. It wasnt safe here since there was always a small chance that the Wolf King would return. Besides, Qianye needed a quiet place to slowly digest his gains. He had not only fought head-on against a divine champion and twice succeeded in dealing a blow, but also managed to escape. This kind of experience was incomparably precious. His combat arts would surely improve once he had digested this experience. This was the very first time he had faced a divine champion head-on. Half a day later, Qianye had set up a temporary abode in a deserted cave. He sat down cross-legged and completed one cycle of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, refining a wisp of origin power in the process. At the same time, he brought his body and mind into a state of concentration. Only then did he start to recall and contemplate the fight against the Wolf King. Qianye remained there for an entire seven days, at times meditating, and at times performing punches and kicks. Every now and then, he would unleash his domain for a brief moment. At first, unleashing the domain was easy, but retracting it was difficult. Later on, he gradually managed to control the power at will. When he was truly exhausted, he would take a break by cultivating the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Seven days thus passed by in a flash. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 846: Pain A hillock in the wilderness burst into pieces, revealing a deep, hidden cave. Qianye walked out from the opening, his face pale and his eyes sunken. He was apparently in a state of extreme exhaustion, yet there was a contained vigor within him that made people palpitate. Qianye squinted his eyes under the long-unseen daylight, taking a good while to adapt to the glare. Looking down at the vast wilderness, he let loose a burst of carefree laughter. The past seven days had been greatly beneficial for him. The most important gain wasnt his combat arts, but the fact that he had caught a glimpse of the realm beyond a divine champion. Qianye had come into contact with a fair number of divine championsZhao Xuanji and Zhao Weihuang, for instance, were both much stronger than the Wolf King. However, those werent life and death battles, so the level of comprehension was lacking. Now, Qianye could see the world from a different perspective, with greater gradation and detailed colors. He could almost reach out and touch the many minute details. Wherever his perception stretched, all life in its wake would more or less respond to him. Origin power was the foundation of this world. Every entity contained origin power of different attributes, the only difference was in their amount and form. What Qianye could sense now was the origin power hidden within all living things. Being able to sense the origin power of the world was the first step toward controlling it. And it was this first step that had bottlenecked countless heroes and experts throughout history. Qianye, at this moment, made progress in neither origin power nor blood energy, but from a different aspect, his control over power had entered an entirely new realm. These seven days had allowed Qianye to realize why Nighteye was able to command such power despite being merely a count. After exhaling many days of accumulated impurities, Qianye ran to the nearest town and ate a big meal. Fasting for seven days had placed great strain on his body. After finally finishing his meal, he asked about the nearby towns and cities before taking his leave. Half a day later, an airship rose from a border town hundreds of kilometers away and headed for Tidehark City. That place was the heart of a vast territory and not far from the Wolf Kings main camp, the Totemic Castle. Qianye was in no rush to settle the score with Ji Rui as dealing a fierce blow to the Wolf King was his main priority. These were the neutral lands where even a mutually beneficial deal had to be based on a foundation of equal strength. Qianye would never enjoy peaceful days in the future if he couldnt beat the enemy up until he was hurting and afraid. The main reason Ji Rui had sold him out repeatedly was that he had to make a decision between Qianye and the other party, and he believed Qianye to be insufficient. Killing mercenaries and disbanding Stormwind Fury only gained him fame among the middle and lower ranks. The true chips were held by characters at the divine champion-level, and Ji Rui knew this very well. He seemed fairly well-off from gleaning a bit of profit between these bigshots, but in truth, his status was as fragile as a castle built on sand. He really had no choice in the matter if the Wolf King had come knocking on his door, saying he wanted to kill Qianye. That was the sorrowful fate of those without hard power. Having stayed so long in the neutral lands, Qianye understood the path of survival as well as Ji Ruis swaying-grass character. This kind of person could be left for future exploitation as he would obey anyone who was strong enough. Naturally, this kind of person would be the first to bite back if Qianye were to fall from power one day. Right now, Qianye felt that it was time to make people at the level of the Wolf King feel some pain. On the shore of the Eastern Sea, there was a boundless, gentle beach and the rugged area where Qianye had once lived, as well as tall, precipitous cliffs. The Wolf Kings ancient Totemic Castle was built upon these cliffs, standing majestically over the Eastern Sea. The ancient Totemic Castle wasnt far off from the core human citiesoverseeing and protecting them at the same time. The Totemic Castle was mainly staffed by werewolves, with the only humans there being manual laborers and cleaners. The most tiring jobs in the castle were left to them. Due to its high altitude, it wasnt easy to travel to and from the place. Without an airship, it would take a human half a days time to hike up to the castle. The human workers there actually werent allowed to leave the fortress and looked more like slaves than staff. At this moment, the curtain of the night was bearing down on the world, and the leaden clouds were almost touching the castle towers. The tides below the precipice were crashing into the cliff walls amidst thunderous rumbles, spraying seawater hundreds of meters into the air. Even the Totemic Castle seemed fairly fragile compared to such a night and the majesty of heaven and earth. The wind kicked up at night, and the echo of roaring tides reverberated throughout the world. The voice reprimanding servants inside the castle had to be raised quite a bit to be heard. The dim lights inside the castle were only enough to illuminate certain corners and courtyards. Most of the area was still covered in stifling darkness since the dim yellow glow from the narrow windows wasnt nearly enough to light up anything. On the contrary, they filled the spectator with a sense of cold dread. Qianye was standing on one of the cliffsides. This place was as high as the main hall of the Totemic Castle and provided an unobstructed view of the castle grounds. There was a storm brewing over the horizon. The whistling gusts carried pieces of gravel from down the mountain which, like flying blades, would cause anyone struck to bleed. Qianye had been standing here for an entire two hours, observing the geography and distribution of manpower inside the castle. The faint glow of fire behind the main hall of the castle caught Qianyes attention. The scale of this bonfire definitely wasnt small if it could remaining burning in this weather and even illuminate the entire hall. Werewolves were a race that revered their ancestors and traditions. Even to this day, many werewolves were against technology like airships and origin arrays. The totemic flame held an extremely important position in werewolf traditions. In the past, Qianye had come into a lot of contact with werewolves, so he immediately recognized this flame and understood that it was an important location. Lowering his body, he jumped dozens of meters forward and landed on the other peak. The whistling gales, on contact, would split into two and flow around Qianye. He was like a swimming fish as he lithely navigated the tempest and pressed forward. This was his gain from the past seven days. He could already draw upon the surroundings without deploying his domain or even spending much origin power. Qianye weaved about as though he were in flight and arrived atop the sentry tower behind the castle. This sentry tower was located in a corner facing the sea, with two steep cliffs on either side of it. Perhaps because he felt that no one would come up from this side, the seemingly-bored werewolf on duty only gazed out at the sea while yawning. The Eastern Sea was vast, hazy, and dark. This werewolf could find nothing no matter how hard he looked. Qianye was standing above him at the moment, but this werewolf was completely oblivious as he struggled against drowsiness. Qianye was looking at the rear courtyard where there was a bulging hundred-meter rock in one corner, forming a natural barrier of sorts. Below it was a pit with a raging flame burning inside. Two werewolves happened to arrive at this point and carefully poured two trays of black stone into the fire. The burning increased a fair bit after the stones entered the flame, and Qianye could smell a faint fragrance that immediately cleared his head. Apparently, the black stones were specially formulated items and not ordinary fuel. There were colorful strips of cloth tied all over the mountainous rock, and a totem decorated with a blood-stained wolf head stood behind the fire. This was a werewolf tribal totem, and the flames in front of it were a form of offering. This flame could not be extinguished, so long as the tribe existed. When moving, the sacrificial flame would be preserved and transplanted to its new resting place. There was an old werewolf prostrating before the fire, his upper body bare and covered in red-green patterns. The wooden staff in his right hand was decorated with sinister-looking skulls and sharp fangsit looked rather crude and primitive, but here in the neutral lands, it also seemed to exude an aura of power. The werewolf elder was shrouded in a powerful aura, but his white hair and withered skin spoke of his waning years. Most dark race experts maintained their youthful appearances for the greater part of their life. An elderly appearance meant that he was almost one foot in the grave. From his understanding of werewolves, Qianye concluded that this werewolf was likely the shaman of this tribe. Additionally, the totems location at the highest point of the castle proved that the Wolf King belonged to this tribe. Eyes narrowed, Qianye entered the sentry tower with a single sidestep like a specter. There, he placed a hand on the watchmans neck and broke it with just a bit of force. The werewolf soldier didnt even get the chance to grunt before collapsing. Qianye donned the dead mans uniform, descended the tower, and made for the totem. The werewolf shaman was still on the ground, chanting a mournful, ancient hymna ceremony for communicating with their ancestors. Reportedly, powerful shamans could really hear the voices of their ancestors and receive advice. They might even receive the protection of their ancestors at the critical juncture and gain a burst of fighting-power. The shaman was performing an important ritual tonight and just the communication phase would go on for several hours. This ceremony was to borrow the power of the tribal ancestors to clear away the danger plaguing the Wolf Kings body. The rear courtyard was watched over by dozens of werewolf guards, as well as occasional patrols circling the plaza. At this moment, a werewolf soldier was traversing the shadow under the walls as he made his way toward the praying shaman. The ceremony had already gone on for several hours, which, for the innately irritable werewolves, was a form of torment. Hence, most of the werewolf soldiers there were starting to slack off. One had to know that this was the ancient Totemic Castle, a place no enemy had ever dared to infiltrate. So it wasnt so surprising that the guards were lax. Finally, someone discovered the abnormality. A werewolf knight stared at one of the soldiers and shouted, Who are you? Why dont I recognize you? This bluster only alerted some of the guards because the wind was howling too loudly. Some of the werewolves looked up to see the suspicious werewolf standing at the foot of the wall. At this point, that person was only fifty meters away from the shaman. Most of the werewolves hadnt figured out what was going on. They were still trying to figure out who this guard was when Qianye whipped out the Twin Flowers and took aim at the shamans back! Stop!!! A violent roar echoed through the air above the Totemic Castle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 847: Sea Garden Bricks and gravel flew in all directions as the Wolf King punched through the wall of the main building. The moment the Twin Flowers started accumulating energy, the Wolf King began to palpitate. This was an extremely familiar sensation, one that had brought him close to death just a few days ago. The Wolf King immediately knew that Qianye was here and that he was about to attack. The two luminous feathers and their terrifying power were etched deeply into the divine champions heart. Who else in this castle could survive such a blow? The Wolf King didnt even have time to exit through the window. He simply blasted the wall apart and charged out. He arrived just in time to see Qianyes sneer. The Twin Flowers rumbled, and the Shot of Inception struck the great shaman almost immediately after leaving the chamber. The shaman stood up abruptly, turned back, and was frozen therein. Bewilderment and doubt lingered in his turbid eyes while his vitality dissipated rapidly. No!!! The Wolf Kings roar suppressed the sharp sound of the wind and waves. He transformed into his werewolf form in a flash and pounced toward Qianye. This charge sealed off Qianyes paths of retreat, preventing him from escaping into the castle. However, Qianye made no attempt at escaping outside. Instead, he charged toward the precipice and leapt right off the cliff. He turned around mid-air and sneered at the Wolf King before falling into the great sea. The Wolf King charged over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Even with his visual acuity, all he could see were the murky waves. Apparently, Qianye had fallen into the water and vanished. Absolutely furious, the Wolf King was about to jump into the ocean, but he felt a chill run down his spine as half his body crossed over the cliff. A deep iciness emerged in the depths of his heart and shook him back to his senses. The depths of the Eastern Sea was the forbidden zone of all experts. Even Zhang Buzhou wouldnt dare try exploring there. Reportedly, no expert had come back alive after diving into the ocean. The Wolf King was filled with terror at the thought of jumping into the sea, almost as though there was a peerlessly terrifying existence hiding in the deep waters and waiting quietly for his arrival. The divine champion swung his hand backward, and his origin power turned into a giant claw with which to grab the precipice. This prevented him from going fully over the edge. The terrifying existence in the sea seemed fairly disappointed. It stirred up several giant waves to express its dissatisfaction before swimming back into the sea. The Wolf King was drenched in cold sweat after returning to land. His proximity to demise just now was no less than when he was struck by the Shot of Inception. The guard captain ran over at this time. Your Majesty, the great shaman, he The Wolf King showed no signs of movement. Only after a long while did he say, No need to check, he is already at our ancestors side. The guard captain opened his mouth but couldnt say anything. The Wolf King turned about with a wave of his sleeves and returned to the castle. He didnt want to see the shamans corpse at all. As for Qianye, he was sure to die after jumping into the water. The Wolf King felt a modicum of relief after recalling the many terrifying legends about the Eastern Sea. It wasnt too bad to trade the shaman for Qianye. Meanwhile, Qianye was sinking slowly into the sea. The surface was filled with raging waves, but the underwater world was abnormally peaceful, almost as though it was a different world. He had already lost control over his body as a tremendous and indefensible will engulfed him, robbing him of his authority. Yet Qianye felt not suppression, coldness, or suffocation from this will. On the contrary, he felt a bit of warmth. An ocean current arrived in the darkness and pushed Qianye toward the depths of the sea. He seemed to have lost track of time amidst the deep darkness. After drifting for an unknown length of time, a lustrous glow suddenly appeared before his eyesit was a school of fish. Their blinking abdomens made them look like fireflies of the ocean. Following the first bit of light, more luminous glows lit up around him like myriad starlight gradually illuminating the underwater world. The scene before him almost looked like a fantasy world. The clusters of coral were like blooming flowers carpeting the seabed, and the dense schools of fish were like colored ribbons shuttling through the shrubbery. It would seem all kinds of creatures thrived peacefully in this beautiful world. A brightly colored octopus glared curiously at Qianye as he passed by. At this moment, there was somewhat of a commotion in the sea as a giant shadow slowly glided by. The current flipped Qianye around just in time for him to see a giant sea colossus, several hundred meters long, slowly swimming over him. Qianye had never before seen such a creature, nor had he ever heard of one. Just from its build, however, one could tell just how terrifying it was. The beast didnt seem hungry. It merely swam away without sparing the fishes a second glance. The shoals of fish didnt seem to fear the colossus, either, and merely swam past as they normally would. The current surged once more and left Qianye hovering over the underwater garden. At this moment, a familiar voice echoed in Qianyes senses, Youre here. This was the mysterious will Qianye had been sparring with back then, the same one that had left him a method to summon it in times of need. You were looking for me? I was waiting for you to summon me. Now that youre in the sea, I thought itd be nice to bring you here and check up on your growth. Im quite satisfied with your progress. Why did you not summon me? Qianye laughed wryly. Do you think I can win three consecutive rounds against you now? The mysterious entity said after a moment of silence, Of course not. Then why would I summon you? Qianyes strength had indeed made progress, but what he needed against the mysterious existence was combat arts and not brute force. Qianye still wasnt confident of victory in this regard. The mysterious entitys concern about Qianyes growth was a bit out of the ordinary. Qianye tried to sound him out, Did you have something you need me to do? No, at least not at the moment. Perhaps I might need you to help with some things in the future, but youre far from sufficient at the moment. What would that be? You''ll find out when the day comes. Okay, now tell me where you want to go. As Qianye thought about Southern Blue, a current emerged at the bottom of the ocean and whisked him away. The starry glow of the seabed gradually faded away, and the fantastical underground garden was once again swallowed up by darkness. The sable world didnt last long, however, as a beach soon appeared before Qianyes eyes. Qianye regained control over his senses after the seawater receded. He moved his limbs about and clambered up to observe his surroundings. This beach was silent and beautiful, but it filled Qianyes heart with astonishment. There were very few such beaches on the Eastern Sea, and this one was the closest to Southern Blue. Back in the empire, such beautiful scenery would be known far and wide. Unfortunately, these were the neutral lands, and the Eastern Sea was notorious for devouring countless experts. Up to this day, no one knew precisely just how many terrifying beasts there were in the ocean or what kind of terrifying existence was devouring all those experts. Under normal circumstances, any expert would be quite cautious around the ocean and especially the beaches. Who would be in the mood for leisure and relaxation? The mysterious existence from the sea seemed to have no enmity toward Qianye. On the contrary, it seemed to be protecting and training Qianye. It was just that no one knew the reason behind it. What shocked Qianye the most was that it had only been about an hour since he had fallen into the sea. Yet, this beach near Southern Blue was almost a thousand kilometers away. To be able to send Qianye here meant that the mysterious entitys attainments in spatial control were well beyond any ordinary divine champion. Qianye exercised his body briefly and, only after he had fully recovered, left the beach for Southern Blue. The mysterious entitys request was a matter for the future. He still had to settle old debts right now. Southern Blue was even more austere at the moment. The streets under the night sky were empty and devoid of people. The taverns, though, were filled with drunk city guards. Too many rumors had been flying around these days, most of them related to the shocking outcome of the Wolf Kings attempt to capture Qianye. There was also talk about Qianyes subsequent attack on the city lords manor where he gravely injured the Wolf King and destroyed a part of the mansion. Most of the people here werent powerful enough to figure out what had happened that night, but the less clear they were, the more outrageous the rumors became. Those paying attention realized that many of the young mercenaries had disappeared. These people might not be strong, but being able to survive on the razors edge until this age proved that they possessed keen intuition for danger. They had vanished like animals and birds in the forest before an impending disaster. This was quite worrisome. Meanwhile, Ji Rui locked himself in the city lords manor and never left, going so far as to ignore the damaged mansion. The city lord ought to have come out to reassure the masses at such a time, yet he was totally absent and that only added to the general panic. The silence of the night was torn asunder by engine sounds as five trucks drove through the streets of the city square. The roar of their engines attracted some attention and made people frown. That was because these fully-loaded vehicles were actually driving out of the city. It would seem that a certain trader had decided to move his wares out of Southern Blue to ensure their safety. The caravan drove out of Southern Blue and headed toward Tidehark City. There was quite a bit of distance between Southern Blue and Tidehark. The journey wasnt very peaceful, either, so three out of the five trucks were filled with well-equipped mercenaries. The merchant owner was willing to move the goods out of Southern Blue at the risk of getting robbed. This went to show just how bad the situation there was. Not long after the motorcade had left the city, the first truck came to a screeching stop, kicking up clouds of rolling smoke and dust from the friction before finally stopping. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 848: Blockade The car at the front stopped so suddenly that the ones behind almost rammed into each other in succession. The sleepy soldiers in the trucks were tossed out of their seats and onto the floor. A furious middle-aged man clad in stewards clothing jumped out of the car. What are you doing? Are you crazy? The driver poked his head out of the window, but he couldnt say anythingall he did was point forward. The middle-aged steward jogged over and couldnt help but gasp after looking toward the front. There, at the center of the road, was a young man standing with his hands behind his back, blocking the motorcades path. The steward rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasnt seeing things. Thereafter, he immediately began bowing and scraping with a face full of smiles. Oh, its Sire Qianye! Oh my, how fortunate to be able to see you! How come youre here? Qianye responded with a question, Where are you going? The stewards forehead was drenched in sweat as he replied cautiously, W-Were heading to Tidehark City, mainly to send these people over. We need them to watch the store over there. We also brought some miscellaneous goods along with us, but theyre not worth much, not much at all! Oh? Since theyre not worth much, then please leave them behind along with five people to drive the cars, the rest of you can go back. The steward was shocked out of his wits. Sire Qianye, t-this why? This is rob He had to try fairly hard to stop himself from uttering the word robbery. Qianye paid him no need. Go back and tell Ji Rui to deliver the goods he owes me. Before that happens, Southern Blue can forget about doing any form of trade. But were completely unrelated to the city lord The steward wanted to defend his case, but he stopped himself intelligently after meeting Qianyes frosty gaze. Moments later, a group of downcast mercenaries returned to Southern Blue and were quickly recognized by the local busybodies. How come youre back? Where are your cars and goods? One of the mercenaries replied angrily, Qianye is right outside the city, what do you think happened? The busybody was apparently quite well-informed. Qianye!? The Wolf King wasnt able to kill him? The mercenary replied, Im not blind! Theres no way Ill mistake him. The busybody retreated to the side while muttering to himself. Then, he charged toward a certain tavern and spread this shocking news in return for a few drinks. Moments later, Ji Rui sat down face to face with a bitter-looking manager. This company was of considerable scale and repute, one ranked toward the top in Southern Blue. Hence, Ji Rui had no choice but to see the man personally. Outside of the parlor window was a ruined wall. This damage was left behind when the Wolf King was ambushed last time, and Ji Rui never got down to repairing it because he was in a bad mood. Besides, a part of the city lords manor had been reduced to rubble, and it wasnt something that could be repaired in a week or two. Glancing at the scene outside and back at the managers worried expression, Ji Ruis mood grew extremely gloomy. Yet, Ji Rui had no choice but to meet them with an amiable smile as these mercenaries and traders were the lifeblood of Southern Blue. City Lord Ji! That Qianye robbed the most valuable lot of goods in our possession. H-How is our company to survive without it? An obscure flame ignited at the bottom of Ji Ruis heart. This company had clearly wanted to move his stock to another city due to the deteriorating situation in Southern Blue. Yet this person had the cheek to complain about this matter in front of him? But the city lord was an old fox in this field, and he worked quickly to appease the merchant. The knowledgeable manager also knew when to stop. He asked cautiously, City Lord, youve had several dealings with Qianye. Can he really contend against the Wolf King? He doesnt have some powerful backing, does he? Ji Ruis smile turned bitter, and he replied helplessly, Contending against the Wolf King might not be possible, but the truth remains that the Wolf King had failed to capture him. As for me, I have even less confidence about seizing him. T-Then, what are you going to do? Are you really going to hand the goods over? This was the real question the manager wanted to ask. Although there was only one manager in front of him, Ji Rui knew he had to exercise due caution with his reply. It could be said that the managers question represented all of the merchants in Southern Blue. Qianyes blockade meant that none of the traders could do business. Although there were four gates in Southern Blue and only one Qianye, none of these large companies were willing to take this chance. Running into Qianye would result in a great loss that could never be recouped. Ji Rui was indeed in a difficult position to reply. Handing the ballistae over would deal a sharp blow to his fortune. Was he expected to endure this loss when none of these companies could? Yet he couldnt just ignore this problem, either, since Qianyes blockade would break the citys foundations. Just a few days of this blockage would destroy the trust and reputation Ji Rui had built up over many years. The main reason for Southern Blues prosperity was the peaceful atmosphere he had tried his best to maintain. Whichever path he chose would leave him in a bad position. He spoke after a long moment of consideration, Well inform the Wolf King about this matter first and see how hell deal with it. After some thought, the manager found this reasonable, so he left without further nagging. Ji Rui summoned Steward Liu, instructing him to send a messenger to Totemic Castle and deliver news of Qianye to the Wolf King. Moments later, a slender highspeed airship took off from Southern Blue and sped toward the ancient Totemic Castle. At this moment, Qianye was seated on a tall ancient pillar, gazing in the direction of Southern Blue. He only sneered upon seeing the airship flying away. There were only a few of such highspeed airships in the entirety of the Eastern Sea. Needless to ask, this was Ji Ruis emissary vessel dispatched to seek reinforcements from the Wolf King. Maintaining an airship was extremely costly in the neutral lands, and even more so for such a highspeed, long-range vessel. Ji Rui was apparently quite anxious, otherwise, he wouldnt be seeking help via such expensive methods. Qianye could easily intercept and destroy this airship with the Martyrs Palace, but beating Ji Rui up was only a means to an end. His true purpose was to draw the Wolf King out. The death of an elder shaman was painful but not enough to make him wish he were dead. That evening, the Wolf King was frowning on his throne as he gazed at the help-seeking Steward Liu with cold eyes. Sweat rolled down the stewards forehead under the Wolf Kings pressuring gaze, and he could barely stand still. The might of a divine champion wasnt something an ordinary person could endure. The king was already in a bad mood right now, and seeing someone from Southern Blue only served to remind him of bad memories. How could he possibly wear a friendly face? Steward Liu only had half conveyed his message when the Wolf King shot to his feet, deforming the throne beneath him. It was clear just how shocked and angry he was. What did you say? Qianye has appeared in Southern Blue!? Yesterday!? Y-Yes. Steward Liu had expected the Wolf Kings anger, but he hadnt anticipated such a degree of wrath. The Wolf King laughed wildly. With a swipe of his claws, the steward flew into the divine champions grasp and was lifted by the neck. Their noses were almost touching when the Wolf King uttered word by word, Are you sure its that Qianye? You should know the fate of those who lie to me! Steward Liu trembled involuntarily, but he was still able to retain a modicum of calm despite his fear. He replied cautiously, This lowly one didnt see him personally, but these words came from the city lord himself. There should be no mistake. The Wolf Kings fury receded. Ji Rui was only one step away from the divine champion realm; there was no way he would misrecognize a person. A couple of werewolves in the hall exchanged silent glances, all of them filled with astonishment. Many of them knew that Qianye had assassinated the shaman last night, and some of them were even at the scene when Qianye jumped into the Eastern Sea. Back then, they had the same thought as the Wolf King. They felt that Qianye would die without a doubt and that everything would end there. Who wouldve thought that Qianye would actually appear thousands of kilometers away outside Southern Blue? Judging by the time, he had likely arrived there just hours after jumping into the ocean. These fierce warriors couldnt reach Southern Blue in such a short time even if they were to run at full speed. The Wolf King slowly loosened his grip and allowed Steward Liu to land on the ground. His gaze then landed on a werewolf with a dark-red beard. Bloodbeard, you go with him and take a look at the situation, take my personal guard unit. Rest assured, Great Chief. Bloodbeard was a rather proud character. Even while facing the Wolf King, he merely bowed halfway as a token of salutation. A faintly discernible chill flickered through the Wolf Kings eyes, but he took no action against Bloodbeards disrespect. Despite failing to mobilize the Wolf King himself, bringing Bloodbeard back was still an acceptable outcome. As a mighty marquis, Bloodbeard was one of the strongest experts below the Wolf King and fairly notorious for his ferocity. The anxious Steward Liu urged Bloodbeard to set out as soon as the Wolf Kings order was issued. The latter was also quite the delightful characterhe immediately summoned fifty of the Wolf Kings personal guards and boarded the highspeed aircraft toward Southern Blue. He had never faced Qianye head-on and was eager to pit himself against this notorious enemy. At this moment, Qianye was still standing atop the stone pillar, but the number of trucks below had grown from five to eleven. After the hijacking of yet another convoy, no more of them dared to leave the city, and all the companies gave up entirely on escaping Southern Blue. The entire city was silent and most of the businesses had closed their doors. Qianye was in no rush, either. Not appearing until now proved that this old fox still believed the enemy had hidden aces, and Qianye was quite curious to know whether the Wolf King would come for him personally. He wanted to see just how effective the Shot of Inception had been against a divine champion. He never got the opportunity to check back then, but it would be reasonable to expect that a magnum so highly rated by Andruil wouldnt be too shabby. Qianye waited patiently, cultivating the Glory Chapter when he had nothing better to do. Comparatively, Ji Rui was the one who couldnt wait. One day Southern Blue was sealed meant one day of losses, to speak nothing of the damage to his reputation. At this point, an airship appeared over the horizon, soon entering the citys airspace and landing inside the city lords manor. Qianye slowly retracted the Glory Chapter and stood uphe had waited too long for new developments. Leaping down from the stone pillar, Qianye ran swiftly toward Southern Blue. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 849: Nice Working With You Ji Rui wasnt really that happy to see Bloodbeard. Even the Wolf King couldnt do anything to Qianye, so what was a mere Bloodbeard going to do? He wouldnt say that openly, of course. Instead, he respectfully welcomed the werewolf into the mansion. Without even settling in, Bloodbeard suggested a spar with Ji Rui. The city lord was immediately stunned. Werewolves were inherently battle-hungry, but there had to be a bottom line at the very least. Bloodbeard wasnt just showing off his fighting power but also expressing his disdain for Ji Rui. Finally, Ji Rui took the field grudgingly following the werewolfs insistent requests. Bloodbeard launched a torrent of attacks from the get-go, his crimson beard dancing wildly in the wind. Ji Rui, on the other hand, endured with great difficulty for ten minutes before admitting a close defeat. Fortunately, the werewolf knew some propriety and didnt quite unleash his full strength. Otherwise, what remained of the city lords manor wouldnt last. Bloodbeard seemed rather delighted after his victory. He patted Ji Ruis shoulder with a laugh, saying, City Lord, your cultivation is lacking! You humans are all the same. You scheme and plot but always lag behind when it comes to actual fighting. This world is still in the grasp of true warriors. Sir Bloodbeard speaks truly, but I have to manage everything in such a big city, you see. Its only natural that my cultivation will be delayed. Bloodbeard shrugged. You just focus on your cultivation from here on out. Now that Im here, Ill help you with all the annoying city management work, haha! Ji Ruis expression shifted drastically, and the soldiers nearby all tensed up. Bloodbeard shot Ji Rui a glance. What, does the City Lord have any other ideas? Ji Ruis retained his smile. Im of course very much delighted that you would find interest in our small city, but you should talk about this matter with the Wolf King first. He had also mentioned this matter briefly when he came last time. Bloodbeard snorted. Theres no need to report such a minor matter. These words proved that this matter was Bloodbeards personal greed. Feeling much more relaxed, the city lord led Bloodbeard to tour the city, almost as if he were about to hand over the place. Bloodbeard was rather satisfied and delighted at Ji Ruis tactfulness. He followed the city lord around the streets and alleys of Southern Blue, visiting this place and that. Bloodbeards heart skipped a bit as he was passing by a small alleyway. Upon glancing over, the first thing he saw was a little girl about six years of age. She was extremely beautiful, so beautiful that Bloodbeard was stunned on the spot. The girl didnt seem quite awake. Her large eyes were only half-open as she gazed sleepily at the werewolf general. Then, her eyes opened wide all of a sudden. She looked somewhat anxious after waking up, yet also quite happy and excitedlike a hunter who had encountered a difficult prey. Immediately afterward, she opened her small mouth and spouted a mass of green gas at Bloodbeard. Ji Rui was shocked witless the moment this girl opened her mouth. His fat body erupted with unimaginable speed as he flashed hundreds of meters away. Meanwhile, Bloodbeardstill unsure of what had just transpiredwas struck squarely by the gas. He felt a stabbing pain in his eyes as his vision blurred out and his origin power began to surge and boil, almost going out of control. The devastating origin power tore all of his muscles and innards, destroying his body from the inside out. Bloodbeard finally came to. This was poison, an extremely venomous toxin! He had probably encountered a high arachne or demonkin whose innate talents specialized in poison. He reacted rapidly, unleashing a loud roar and pushing his origin power circulation to the extreme. However, Qianye put Zhuji down at this moment and slashed at Bloodbeard! The strike was well-prepared and timedif one slash was obstructed, there would be four or five more in close succession. This was the true essence of Sweeping Calm. Qianye had mercilessly unleashed his strongest move right off the bat. Bloodbeard knew that the attack was powerful and that he had no room for evasion. All he could do was clench his teeth and try to block the incoming slash with his left arm. If it were any other assailant, he mightve been able to retain his arm or even damage the weapon. Alas, his opponent was Qianye! The latters physical strength was no weaker than Bloodbeard, and East Peak was a near-invincible masterpiece of the Zhao and Song clans. Bloodbeards arm flew high into the air as the blade descended upon him. However, this block also afforded the werewolf an opportunity to escape. He immediately turned tail and fled into the distance. Along the way, he let out a long, mournful howl that reverberated throughout the citythis was a signal to scatter. Soon, a continuous string of howls echoed from every part of Southern Blue, all of them moving further and further away. After arriving in the city, Bloodbeard had allowed the personal guards to have fun in the city. This incident was so sudden that many of them had no idea what was happening. All they could do was run toward the designated location. The city was immediately thrown into a frantic commotion. Qianye didnt give chase. He only glanced toward the other end of the street where Ji Rui was standing with a complicated expression. Qianye paid the man no heed as he stomped on the severed arm. A scarlet flame ignited below his foot and began incinerating this fairly powerful arm. Ji Ruis expression transformed several times, but he didnt try to stop Qianye until the very end. He merely shook his head and sighed. This is complete destruction, why go so far? Qianye revealed a radiant smile. All who oppose me will meet the same fate! At Bloodbeards level, all parts of the body wouldve undergone numerous refinements and were stronger than the sturdiest of metal alloys. Even if the werewolf could regrow a new arm in the future, it would need to be tempered from scratch, requiring a long period of time before reaching its original power. If he could retake this broken arm, he might be able to use some sort of secret art to reattach it to his body. Although there was sure to be a deterioration in power, it was way better than having to reforge one from scratch. But Qianye had reduced the arm to ash with his sanguineous flames. It looked like Ji Rui had wanted to return this arm to Bloodbeard and sell him a steep favor. Whether it was to seek his help in the future or to ease tensions, it would both be of help. But Qianye was no Ji Rui. His relationship with the Wolf King was no longer reversible. The situation was clearif the city lord wanted the arm, he would have to fight for it. Ji Rui was never able to make up his mind to fight, even until the arm turned to ash. He laughed wryly and shook his head. Im old, too old! I dont dare to put my life on the line like you youngsters. Qianye smiled indifferently but said nothing. Ji Rui asked, General Qianye, dont you still have that attack you used against the Wolf King? Why didnt you use it on Bloodbeard? There will be a lot of trouble after you let him go. Qianye looked playfully at Ji Rui. Its a waste to use such an attack on that red-haired werewolf, only someone like you is worthy of it. As for whether or not I have any left, you only need to try me. Ji Ruis expression changed drastically. No need to try. Knowing your style, if you say you have it, you undoubtedly do. Now that youre completely fearless of this old man, I believe you can still launch that attack. Qianye smiled faintly. If I really wasnt afraid of you, I wouldve gone after that wolf. Its exactly because youre here that I didnt dare to start a rampage. The words "start a rampage" was spoken with such stress that Ji Rui felt his heart skip a bit. Disregarding whether Qianye would really go all out or not, for now, it would be no less troublesome if Zhuji were to go berserk. That little fellows green gas had completely disoriented Bloodbeard just now and suppressed nine parts of his power. And that was despite the werewolves'' strong constitution and fair resistance to poison. If it was Ji Rui in the wolfs shoes, he would have probably collapsed with just a mouthful. Besides, what could Ji Rui do if Qianye wanted to start a massacre in Southern Blue? He couldnt guard every corner of the city personally, could he? Qianye moved like the wind and could kill in a single strike; his origins were mysterious. He was all alone in the neutral lands with neither family nor friend to restrain him. This kind of person was the most difficult to deal with. After thinking back and forth, Ji Rui still couldnt find a good way out. As a character who had stayed in power for a long time, he possessed a fair bit of decisiveness on the whole. I have four ballistae in my storehouse right now, all of them premium-quality frigate main cannons. Just name a location and Ill ship the goods over! Oh, I thank the City Lord, then. How about the payment? Weve known each other for so many years, theres no need to discuss payment. These weapons are a gift, I only hope youre willing to forget the misunderstandings between us. Qianye laughed loudly. Very well! Ive seen your sincerity. You have a deal! Just send the goods to the usual place. Nice working with you! Nice working with you! After the two had said their farewells, Qianye picked little Zhuji up and vanished into the alley. Ji Ruis eyes flickered when he noticed that the little fellow was pale and drowsy, probably unable to produce another mouthful of green gas. If he were to ambush them at such a time, there was a good chance he would be able to take Qianye down. Not only would he have rid himself of future suffering, but he could also avoid the steep price of four ballistae. But after some thought, Ji Rui still couldnt make up his mind. What if the little girl had a breath left in her? There was no need for a lot; just a small mouthful was enough to send him into a daze. This short period was enough for Qianye to fire that extremely terrifying feather. The Wolf King could withstand a shot, but Ji Rui didnt have that kind of physique. Qianye had long since disappeared while the city lord was hesitating. Ji Rui stamped his feet hatefully before returning to the manor. Once inside, he summoned Steward Liu and ordered him to arrange some trucks to transport the four ballistae to that small town. The man was greatly astonished. Sire, dont tell me Bloodbeard also lost? Ji Ruis expression was gloomy. That trash is absolutely useless. He had his arm cut off in the very beginning. Didnt he ever stop to consider the possibility that I was letting him win? But No buts! Go and deliver the goods! Ji Rui was beside himself with fury at the moment. How could Steward Liu dare to talk back? He quickly arranged the men and vehicles needed to transport the goods. He was very clear about the value of the goods in the warehouse. Gifting them to Qianye was like surrendering one years worth of hard-earned money. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 850: Isll Share Everything With You Qianye had no real intention of letting Bloodbeard go. After leaving Southern Blue, he immediately circled around the city and chased after the fleeing werewolf. Although chances of catching up to him werent that high, he might be traveling slower due to his entourage. Qianye ran at full speed, traveling even faster than most airships. He had soon circled around and was running toward the northeast. After several dozen kilometers of chasing, the stench of werewolf blood assaulted Qianyes senses. He immediately turned in a different direction and followed the scent to arrive at a battlefield. There was blood everywhere in the wilderness, so much so that they had accumulated into small puddles. Dozens of werewolf carcasses were strewn across the place. They had been chopped up into bits and pieces without so much as a single intact corpse. Bloodbeard was on his knees at the center of this massacre, gazing forward with dispirited eyes. Arachne, so its the arachne He muttered to himself before collapsing to the ground. After his large body fell down, a young girl in a white dress came into view. Compared to their last meeting, the girls hair was disheveled, and her dress was even dirtier. The wounds on her leg had healed completely, but there were a number of faint scars left behind. She was holding a grotesquely shaped cleaver with blood dripping off its edges. Little Zhuji was asleep, at first, but she suddenly opened her eyes and stared cautiously at the young girl, her gaze lingering a fair bit on the blade. This time, Qianye finally noticed the cleaver. Upon careful observation, there was a faint wisp of black energy lingering around it. This black energy was soft and thread-like but almost tangible, apparently a form of high-level energy. Qianye noticed that the black energy was characteristic of the arachne, and the cleaver itself was shaped from the tip of a high-ranking arachnes forelimbs, a duke at the very least. The body of a dead arachne duke was a premium material for blacksmithing, but it wasnt that easy to kill a duke-level expertwho knew where she had gotten that cleaver from? No wonder Bloodbeard was muttering something about an arachne before his death. Arachne limbs were naturally good for breaking through darkness origin power defenses. Bloodbeard was already gravely injured, so he was even less likely to be able to block Bai Kongzhaos lethal strike. Qianye put little Zhuji down and pointed East Peak toward the ground in a guarded stance. You again? Im robbing them because I have no money. The young girls excuse sounded as innocent as it was ridiculous. There were so many mercenaries in the neutral lands and so many merchants shuttling between cities. Robbing any of them wouldve been more profitable than robbing a squad of the Wolf Kings lineal descendants. No matter how ridiculous an excuse this was, it was still an excuse, and Qianye had no intention of listening, regardless of how reasonable it was. Bai Kongzhao popping up around him was a disaster in the making. Qianye was confident about himself, but others around him would find it difficult to escape her cleaver. If she were to discover the existence of the Martyrs Palace, she could slaughter the entire crew when Qianye wasnt around. Qianye was thus filled with killing intent. His blood energy was at its peak after several days of rest. He was pretty sure that he could kill her by using Spatial Flash and the Shot of Inception. Seeing Qianyes stern gaze, the young girl had no intention of escaping. She pointed at the corpses and said, Ill share half the spoils with you, let me go. Qianye was stunned, and the slash he was about to perform stopped midway. This feeling was inexplicably odd. He couldnt put a finger on it, but it was definitely odd. In the future, Ill share everything I have with you, the young girl said seriously. Qianye felt fairly distressed. He said subconsciously, No need I want to live. This was an exceptionally simple yet important plea. It could be said that survival was the most important thing for every living being, and the way she said it was unquestionable. She removed Bloodbeards pouch, poured half of its contents out, and turned to leave. She had her back toward Qianye along the way, leaving her vitals opennot unlike a submissive beast revealing its weakest parts. Qianye felt that he couldnt do it this time, either. If it wasnt for Bai Kongzhaos interception, Bloodbeard wouldve fled back to the Totemic Castle. His combat strength would be weakened in the future, but he would still remain a difficult opponent nonetheless. Qianye couldnt claim he could defeat the werewolf without Spatial Flash and the Shot of Inception. But the easiness of the ambush had to be attributed to Ji Rui. It was because Bloodbeard was in the city lords company that he was completely relaxed, allowing Zhujis green gas to strike him squarely in the face. At the very least, this girl had removed a potential calamity for him, and she had even left half the spoils of war. Although it really wasnt much, the most important part was that the latter half of what she had said. Qianye really didnt know whether he should take her word on that. Regardless of how much he trusted her, the fact remained that he had twice failed to kill her in the neutral lands. He didnt have that much of an interest in half her fortune. With her mysterious talents, she might be able to obtain some rare and priceless treasures, but he wanted to earn everything by himself. While he was thinking, the girls silhouette had receded into the distance. Arent you going to chase her down? Little Zhuji tugged on Qianyes shirt. This question woke him up from his reverie, but he could no longer find the girls figure when he looked out. Qianye rubbed little Zhujis hands and said, Not now, maybe next time. What if she splits half of her things with you again? What will you do? This little girl had become quite smart. This question went straight to the crux of the matter, and the startled Qianye didnt know how to reply. After some thought, he replied with a wry smile, Do you want me to chase after her or not? The little lass gave it some thought before saying, Wait one more day and then chase after her again. Qianye found this strange. Why is that? Because we can share more of her stuff after catching up to her. The little fellow replied earnestly. Qianye felt his vision turn darkwho wouldve thought young Zhuji would be showing signs of becoming a money-grubber at such an age? Who taught you that? Qianye was discontent. Mama. ... Ill beat him up once he comes back! No one knew whether Ji Rui had found out about how Bloodbeard had never returned to the Ancient Totemic Castle, but the transaction this time was exceptionally smooth. The four ballistae were duly delivered along with a batch of parts and maintenance materials. As usual, Qianye had the Martyrs Palace hover high above and sent an old cargo ship down to collect the equipment. Throughout the entire process, those from Southern Blue worked obediently and didnt dare play any tricks. Steward Liu busied himself running back and forth, making sure that everything was in appropriate order. After the goods had been loaded onto the airship, Steward Liu moved closer to Qianye and said with a smile, Sire, should we dispatch some mechanics to perform the installation and adjustments? Qianye shook his head immediately. No need. Steward Liu pointed to a group of people nearby. This little one isnt trying to pry into your matters. Those people were purchased by the city lord as slaves, and they used to work for an imperial shipyard. Their airship was hijacked on their way to the neutral lands, and that was how they became slaves. They are a gift from the city lord, you can use them as you wish and theres no need to send them back. Only then did Qianye give him a nod. Ji Rui was indeed quite thorough and considerate. Whoever this old fox wanted to curry favors with would feel as though they were bathing in the spring wind. Qianyes eyes turned blue as he scanned the group. Seeing that there wasnt a single one with champion-level cultivation, Qianye said, Since thats the case, have them board the airship. Steward Liu didnt leave immediately after the transaction. Instead, he stood there and watched until the cargo ship vanished over the horizon before leading his men back. At this time, there were leaden clouds hovering over the spires of Totemic Castles main building. The noon skies were gloomy and dark, almost as though it was dusk. The waves grew taller and taller with each crash, producing sounds that made everyone restless. The wind was so cold and wet that there were water beads on the stone walls. This kind of weather was extremely uncomfortable for werewolves who preferred dryer weather. All the higher-ranking werewolves would appear in their human forms, but the lower-ranking ones had no such luxury. They could only lick their fur from time to time like wargs, not that it was of any use in this kind of damned weathertheir long fur would still stick together, dripping with water. They were close to the sea, and the moisture in the sea wind would condense into water. It was both uncomfortable and salty. Be it the wargs or the werewolves, all of them were feeling helpless and agitated. This kind of weather had gone on for several days, and it did nothing to help the Wolf Kings depressed mood. He had to try fairly hard to keep himself from lashing out at everyone. He only walked into the castle hall at noon and assembled the important ministers for a meeting. Once seated, the Wolf King could feel a wave of cold moisture from the water covering the throne. It was inexplicably uncomfortable. The entire hall was cold, gloomy, and scaryeven the glow of the torches seemed fairly weak these days. The Wolf Kings eyes erupted with a glint of origin power as he wiped away the water on the handrest. Apparently, he was extremely angry. But he came to his senses after seeing the trembling werewolves in the hall and gave up the idea of tossing the cleaners into the sea. A ring of flames spread out from the Wolf Kings throne, engulfing the entire hall and sweeping away the moisture therein. The chamber was immediately filled with warmth and comfort. However, this sensation would only last a short while. With the Wolf Kings strength, he still couldnt go against heaven and earth to maintain this spring-like warmth. He scanned the hall briefly and suddenly noticed one person missing. Wheres Bloodbeard? Why hasnt he returned? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 851: You Think I’m Easy to Push Around? The atmosphere in the ancient Totemic Castle froze up and plunged into silence. No one wanted to answer. Has Bloodbeard returned? The Wolf King repeated sternly. This time, an old werewolf took a step forward. Great Chief, Bloodbeard was dispatched to Southern Blue. I know that! Its been so long, has he not sent word? The Wolf Kings voice grew increasingly cold and was apparently at a tipping point. If Bloodbeard had stopped reporting after his departure, it could be that he had other ambitions or that he simply didnt care about the Wolf King. The old werewolf was the newly appointed shaman. He hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously, Great Chief, there was news from Southern Blue just now, Bloodbeard Speak! Marquis Bloodbeard was heavily injured by Qianye in Southern Blue. The latter caught up to him soon after he had fled the city, wiping out everyone, including the guards. The Wolf King glared furiously, filling the hall with a whirlwind of killing intent. He was well beyond angry at this point. Despite his arrogance and unyielding nature, Bloodbeard was still a member of the tribe, and there was no way he could challenge the throne, either, since he wasnt stronger than the Wolf King. But with his death, the tribe had lost a great general and the Wolf King, a capable subordinate. The king was already at a slight disadvantage against the Spider Emperor and Moonlight Demons. Now that he was weakened, the power balance in the future was going to be difficult to manage. It was that Qianye again! That damned Qianye! The Wolf King finally managed to suppress his anger. Has someone gone to check the scene? Whats the situation? The scene is a bloody mess, all the corpses have been dismembered. This time, the Wolf King was surprisingly calm as he recalled that mysterious white-dressed girl and the grotesque cleaver in her hands. The young girls strength was mediocre, but her ability to grasp openings was almost unbelievable. Even the Wolf King found it difficult to block her attacks as they would always go for the weakest spots at the most opportune timing. Nonetheless, the Wolf King was even more apprehensive of her than he was of Qianye. What did Ji Rui say? This information was relayed by the city lord. He said that he was caught off-guard by the sudden development. Bloodbeard ran out of the city immediately after he was ambushed, summoning all of the guards along with him. Ji Rui himself remained in the city to hunt down Qianye. He proceeded to scour the surroundings once he was done searching the city, and that was when he found Sire Bloodbeards corpse. The Wolf King snorted deeply. His eyes narrowed with murderous intent as he said in a cold voice, This Fatty Ji really knows how to avoid responsibility. The new shaman said, Regardless, Sire Bloodbeard was ambushed in his territory, so theres no way he can escape the blame. Since he doesnt want to shoulder responsibilities, why dont we relieve him of Southern Blue? The Wolf Kings expression changed slightly. He seemed somewhat moved, but after some thought, he said while shaking his head, Southern Blue is indeed a gold mine. Fatty Ji was able to build up a fortune because the Spider Emperor, Mask, and I were keeping one another in check. No one was willing to let the other party take Southern Blue. On the other hand, Ji Rui is a genius in business. Any other person in his shoes might not perform that well. The shaman said, Are we just going to let this matter be? Of course not. Bloodbeard was escorted there by Ji Rui, and now, he had died on Southern Blue soil. How can we let him off without bleeding him dry? With that, the Wolf King assigned two tribesmen to make for Southern Blue and extort the city lord. At this moment, the Martyrs Palace had just jumped out of the void and appeared outside of the Northern Continent. The installation of the ballistae and kinetic sails required a large number of technicians. It wasnt possible for the twenty-some crew onboard to accomplish this. In the span of a dozen or so days, the Highbeard ancestral land had transformed once again. Many large buildings had begun to take shape, and the road toward the shore had already stretched ten kilometers. At this point, the last batch of imported materials had been used up, and the Highbeards were already starting to draw on the local resources. They were intent on keeping up progress even if they had to mine for materials. The Martyrs Palace landed gently beside the Highbeard ancestral lands. Qianye handed the ballistae and kinetic sails adjustment to Bluemoon, while he himself headed back to the Warm Lake Valley to cultivate in isolation. In this tranquil environment, time passed by like a calm streama dozen days passed by unknowingly. Qianye cultivated day in and day out, almost forgetting the passage of time entirely. Little Zhuji slept by his side all this time. The circulating origin power around Qianye was the most comfortable environment for the little fellow. She was curled up into a ball, like a dreaming little kitten. From time to time, crisp crackling sounds would emerge from her bones and joints as she experienced growth. This rate was far beyond that of an ordinary human. Even while cultivating, Qianye could sense that the girls location was like a small black hole, absorbing the nearby origin power without end. There wouldnt be so much energy in the air under normal circumstances. Her ability to draw origin power and grow while sleeping was something even Qianye felt envious about. The little fellows absorption rate could be considered terrifying. Any other person in Qianyes place would find his cultivation rate slowed down significantly. This, however, wasnt a problem for him because he could close this gap with two cycles of the Profound Combatant formula, a mere hour of extra work. There was no day or night during cultivation, and it seemed like this august period would never end. On this day, however, Qianye felt his heart skip a beat due to the changes in the surrounding origin power. As such, he slowly opened his eyes. Moments later, a black dot appeared over the distant horizon. The black dot turned into a fleet of airships flying toward the Northern Continent. These airships were intercontinental models with neither insignia nor identification on their hulls. From afar, Qianye immediately spotted Song Zining standing on the deck. At this moment, the little fellow clambered up as though she had sensed something. Is Mama back? Yes, lets go and welcome him. Qianye picked Zhuji up, jumped out of the valley, and flew toward the ancestral land. The fleet was made up of four airships: one warship and three cargo vessels. The fleet picked an even area outside of the ancestral land and performed a gradual descent. Song Zining jumped down as the vessels were a hundred meters from the ground and laughed loudly. Your young master is back! Qianye punched him in the chest, saying, That was pretty quick! Naturally! Song Zining pointed at the three armed cargo ships and said, My entire fortune is here, please dont scam me! With that, he tossed Qianye a list. The latter was positively shocked upon glancing through its contents. The three airships contained thirty sets of heavy excavation machinery, two sets of refinery equipment, two kinetic tower cores, and an entire metal-processing line. There were also numerous machines for manufacturing fine parts as well. With these things, a basic manufacturing facility would come into shape. Most of the machinery were second-hand goods, but they were fairly close to the latest models. They were high-quality goods that couldnt be found in the neutral lands. Apart from this, Song Zining had brought close to five hundred people, all of them veterans who had followed him for many years. With these men coming in, Song Zinings forces would surpass the Highbeard population and reform the power balance. The duty of receiving the new personnel and settling them in was left to Bluemoon, Red Lotus, and some Ningyuan Stewards. Song Zining selected an area neighboring the Highbeard ancestral land, firmly blocking their northward expansion. To their west was the mountain range, to the east was Qianyes Warm Lake Valley, and the southern parts bordered the Eastern Seathis effectively locked them inside a circle. Bluemoon was clearly not happy, but she was also quite clear about her position, so she didnt try to dispute. The area currently marked out for the Highbeards had far surpassed their capacity. Even with their high rate of reproduction, it would take over ten years to fill up this space. After the subordinates had gone off to work, Song Zining grabbed Qianyes shoulder and said mysteriously, Ive found a good way to solve the issue of your Martyrs Palace. What method? Qianye asked. The Martyrs Palace was the key to his future path to the Sacred Mountain. Without this time-traversing warship, Qianye would be wiped out by the endless stream of Evernight vessels. But the greatest potential problem with the Martyrs Palaceand also the strongest defensive mechanismwas the power left behind by the Pointer Monarch, a trap that could kill a divine champion. It was exactly because of this defensive power that Qianye could never touch the core of the Martyrs Palace, the Earth Dragons heart, or learn what kind of mechanism was hidden inside of it. If the monarch were to find out about the airship coming into being, he might rush over to seize control of it. This was what Song Zining was talking about. But there was one thing puzzling Qianyeas influential as Song Zining was, how was he going to affect the Pointer Monarch? In truth, all the heavenly monarchs were unreachable existences, and being able to stick around Zhang Boqian was already an extraordinary opportunity. Song Zining only responded with a mysterious smile and said, Youll know soon. Bring me to the Martyrs Palace, I want to see how much it has progressed. After boarding and touring the airship, Song Zining said with a frown, How come there are only four ballistae? What can you do with this number? I remember you had enough money to buy ten. Qianye laughed. These four are free. As expected, the seventh young master became spirited. Free? How come theres such a good thing? What happened, tell me! Simple, Ji Rui worked with the Wolf King to ambush me. In the end, I escaped and received four ballistae as compensation for settling this matter. Wolf King!!! Song Zining was shocked. Countless leaves danced about Qianye, scanning him from head to toe. The seventh young master felt relieved only after finding no injuries. His expression turned gloomy. This Fatty Ji is really bold, is there anything he doesnt dare to do? Does he think this young master is so easy to push around? Despite having known him for so long, Qianye had never seen Song Zining so angryhe was even gnashing his teeth. He quickly patted the latters shoulder and consoled him. As you can see, Im fine. A mere Wolf King cant kill me. Dont forget that Ive escaped from a divine champion more than once. You guys are not my match in terms of running away. Song Zining looked somewhat better. He forced a faint smile, but that didnt stop his killing intent from spilling out. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 852: I’ve never lost before Thats not the same! Song Zining growled. He paced about nearby in apparent agitation. Ive already made the Wolf King pay, and he will continue to do so, Qianye replied. The two seemed to have switched roles. Now it was Qianye who had to keep consoling Song Zining. The latter had become irritable all of a sudden. You dont understand! You dont need to worry about this matter, Ill handle it. If I dont let them see my power, theyll keep thinking this is a land of hidden experts. Astonished, Qianye broke into laughter. You cant even beat Fatty Ji, to speak nothing of the Wolf King. What are you going to do? Throw away your life? And you can beat them!? I can beat Fatty Ji. You! Song Zining was stoppered up as his face turned red. Individual fighting power was always the seventh young masters weak point. He was always one step behind Qianye, yet even a small gap would be magnified hundreds of times in battle. Qianyes provocation actually calmed Song Zining down. He threw his backpack to Qianye with a glare and said, This is for you to protect your puny life with. Dont get yourself killed while Im momentarily distracted. The backpack was oddly heavy. Qianye had to put in a bit of force to grab the bag properly. Whats this? Just open it and youll see. Qianye unzipped the backpack and found that it was full of origin gun parts. Most importantly, the Pointer Monarchs gun barrel was also in it. Could it be that Song Zining had actually completed assembling the weapon in such a short time? Qianye was pleasantly surprised. Qianye was already a master in origin gun mechanicshe picked up the components and knew how to install them at a glance. His hands moved like the wind, and a long origin rifle was soon assembled amidst crisp clicking sounds. This gun had a lusterless deep grey color, heavy yet exquisitely crafted. The origin array within had merged perfectly with the vein of the original metal. The craftsmanship was simply divine, clearly the work of a grandmaster. Comparatively, old man Cui Yuanhai was one level inferior. The entire gun was made of sturdy metal, so its weight was naturally quite shocking. Ordinary people wouldnt even be able to strap a gun weighing hundreds of kilograms onto their backs. As long as the marksman could deal with the weight, the other aspects of its design were highly advantageous. The best part was its endurance since it could be used even in adverse environments like the neutral lands. Additionally, the gun body itself was a weapon, with the stock of the rifle being only slightly weaker than East Peak. Even an arachne could hardly stand a direct smash. Besides, only such an all-alloy design could bring out the full extent of the Pointer Monarchs gun barrel. Qianye studied the gun repeatedly, and the more he looked at it, the less he wanted to put it back down. This weapon was practically tailored for himfrom its length to its shape, everything felt just right for his usual combat habits; even the abnormal weight might be a deliberate design. Qianye was used to wielding East Peak and could handle a weapon hundreds of kilograms in weight with relative ease. But the weight of a weapon couldnt be underestimatedwithout limitations in this parameter, the craftsman could apply various special materials and abilities an ordinary firearm would never possess. This was the only way to bring out the best of that gun barrel. On the gun body was a string of flamboyant calligraphy: Heartgrave. That was the name of the gun, a description that perfectly reflected the Pointer Monarchs mood that day. Qianye was startled upon seeing the name. He unknowingly recalled Nighteye and that near-impossible objective he had set out to accomplish for her. His commitment to this goal was perhaps more or less an attempt to forget his despair. The name Heartgrave was indeed beautiful, but it was somewhat deficient in power. It lacked the silent tyrannical intent and feeling of mortal dejection. Then again, the calligraphy was Song Zinings handicraftno matter how talented the seventh young master was, it was only natural that he couldnt compare to the Pointer Monarchs will back in the year. Qianye put Heartgrave down reluctantly after a lengthy period of observation. If he absolutely had to find some fault with the gun, it was that it had only managed to bring out the barrels full power and not improve upon it. Qianye sighed regretfully, but after some thought, he felt that his judgment was somewhat unwarranted. This gun barrel was already at grade nine and fairly close on the heels of a grand magnum. Of course, close was the extent of itit could never be equal. If this grade-nine Heartgrave were to go any higher, it would become a Grand Magnum. This was something even the Pointer Monarch had failed to do back in the year, so how could Song Zining be able to accomplish it? In any case, Heartgrave reaching grade nine was already a pleasant surprise in and of itself. Qianye loved it immensely and simply didnt want to put it down. Heartgraves firepower was sufficient and its consumption was fitting of a grade-nine weapon, perhaps even more efficient. Qianye tried injecting his origin power, but the weapon was completely unresponsive even after absorbing a constant stream of energy. Heartgrave absorbed a good portion of Qianyes origin power in the blink of an eye. Only then was the gun barrel activated and the origin array came alive. Qianye stopped the test at this point because he could already tell that a single shot would drain him entirely. Qianyes origin power intensity was close to crystallization despite only having four vortices. Taking only quantity into account, the origin power in his four origin vortices was almost twice the amount compared to other champions. Even then, a Heartgrave shot would drain him almost completely. The consumption of this rifle was extraordinary. With this gun in hand, Qianye was now like a tiger with wings. The combined power of Heartgrave and the Wings of Inception would be unimaginable. Just as Qianye was placing the weapon into Andruils space, he heard a familiar voice behind him. This engine is quite miraculous. Who wouldve thought hed actually be able to do it. Mm, this must be the control port, I think? With this, the Martyrs Palace will change owners! Qianye glanced back in shock, just in time to find a girl standing in front of the Earth Dragons heart and gazing intently at the engine inside of it. At this point, the engine cover had been opened to reveal a moving part inside. And from the looks of it, she was about to reach out to touch it. Stop! Shocked out of his wits, he instinctively flashed behind the girl and reached out to grab her! The girls silhouette was as illusory as a bubble projection. She turned about lithely and leaned back, meeting Qianyes eyes with a spurious smile. It was actually Ji Tianqing! Greatly astonished, Qianye did his best to stop his forward momentum. He planted his feet firmly in the ground, literally sinking into the floorboards before coming to a stop. At this point, his fingers were almost near Ji Tianqings chest. Just a bit lower and he wouldve grabbed something plump. Qianye had finally managed to contain his force, but Ji Tianqing, that lass, just had to court disaster. She actually took a deep breath at this time. It was no longer important whether she was about to unleash an earth-shattering killing move or scream. Whats important was that her chest puffed up, straight into Qianyes fingers. Then, the lass final move was a startling cry, Molester!!! Qianye felt his vision grow dark and almost collapsed on the spot. He pulled his hands back and said with a serious expression, No. Ji Tianqing pulled on Qianyes hands and shouted, You refuse to admit!? The material evidence is here! T-Thats my hand. Yes! What did it do just now? What is criminal evidence if this isnt one? Qianye had interacted with Ji Tianqing for a fair length of time, but he had never realized how sharp her tongue was. He simply had no way to retort. Wait, Tianqing, speak nicely if you have anything to say. Why are you here? Because... I have a military order! Qianye knew something was wrong. What order? Here it is! Ji Tianqing fished out a sheet of paper and waved it in front of Qianye. Qianye was startled. This special paper was specifically used for issuing military ordersnot something that could be forgedbut it was completely blank! Seeing Qianyes strange expression, the complacent-looking Ji Tianqing found that something was wrong. She flipped the page about and immediately became quite embarrassed. But then again, when was she ever easy to deal with? Out came her brush, flying swiftly over the paper until a military order was produced on the spot. Afterward, she produced a small bronze seal, blew on it, and stamped the order with a bang. There you go! Ji Tianqing looked immensely proud of herself. Qianye received the order and saw the words: Imperial Colonel Ji Tianqing is hereby ordered to travel to the neutral lands and assume the post of Qianyes aide-de-camp, effective immediately. This aide-de-camp again. It was just that her military rank had changed from major to colonel. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. When his gaze fell on a corner of the paper, though, he almost jumped up in shock. The ancient characters carved on the seal read: The pointer doth seek the dao. This was the seal of the Pointer Monarch! Looking at the size of the seal, it was probably the monarchs personal seal. Normally, this kind of seal wouldnt be used on military orders, but due to his status, any form of his signature would have the same effect. Qianye glanced hesitantly at the military order and then back at Ji Tianqing. Dont tell me this seal is genuine? Of course it is. She answered as if it were completely proper and inevitableQianye instinctively knew that she was speaking the truth. This meant that the Pointer Monarchs personal seal was indeed in her hands. At this point, things had gotten fairly complicated. Im no longer a citizen of the empire. This order isnt the right one to use on me. Ji Tianqing smiled innocently. I guess, but the seal on the paper is the Pointer Monarchs seal. Wont it be inappropriate if you dont accept it? The threat in her words was obvious. Qianye could choose not to accept an imperial order, but how could he dare to refuse the Pointer Monarchs? But accepting this kind of order was simply too awkward. Qianye pointed at the seal and asked, Where did you get it? The Pointer Monarch wouldnt just let anyone take his personal seal to the neutral lands, would he? I stole it. Ji Tianqing was quite honest. Stole it Qianye was speechless. He shook the military order and said, Since it was stolen, then this order Of course its effective! Ji Tianqing cut him short. Then she said with a scheming smile, The old man is sensitive about his prestige, hell never admit to his seal being stolen. So, this order is definitely genuine! ... Fine, you win. Ive never lost before! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 853: Just Rob One After helplessly accepting the military order, Qianye dragged Song Zining to the side. Why did you bring her here? The seventh young master replied with an innocent expression, Wasnt she already your aide-de-camp before this? Whats wrong with following an old superior? Dont tell me you found a new flame and dont like her anymore? She might not be excessively beautiful, but shes still at an acceptable level. A person shouldnt always judge people by their faces, how can you be like this? Be serious! Qianye cut short Song Zinings lengthy discussion. Im already a vampire now, at least a half-vampire! Song Zining wasnt moved. So what? Not to mention a half-vampire like you, the military was even working with the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. As long as the profits are good enough, extrinsic characteristics arent important. Qianye remained silent for a moment and then laughed wryly. I more or less understand, but but some things, Id rather not. You I really dont know what to say to you. Qianye frowned. Whats her identity? Is it really appropriate for her to be here? Well, it isn''t appropriate, but Ill let you handle that. Shes already here, in any case, and its already too late to send her back. As for her identity, I dont know, either. Ask her yourself! Seeing Song Zining extricate himself entirely, Qianye was beside himself with anger. He said through gritted teeth, Im sending her back tomorrow! Song Zining pointed at the military order in Qianyes hands and said meaningfully, You think you can? Youll be offending the Pointer Monarch if you do that. Think carefully now. Offending the military isnt that big of an issue, but if you offend the Pointer Monarch, you can forget about keeping the Martyrs Palace, first and foremost. How can it be that serious? It is that serious! In short, you must settle this matter with her, no matter what method you use. Its best if you settle this in bed. Thats the only way youll have a sliver of hope to accomplish that outrageous Sacred-Mountain dream of yours. Wait, this Without waiting for Qianye to argue, Song Zining stuffed the words back into his throat. This is the only method I can think of. Besides, whats so bad about this? Just look at her more and youll find her attractive. Qianye heaved a long sigh, unable to further argue his case. The initial feeling Ji Tianqing had given off was that of a pure, sweet young girl. She was on the prettier side of the spectrum but not outstandingly beautiful, the type that didnt leave too deep of an impression. Now that they were reunited... Qianye could hardly remember how she looked, and this wasnt normal. How could someone with the Eye of Truth forget someones appearance? And that of an ally, no less! This kind of phenomenon proved that Ji Tianqing possessed some kind of extremely powerful secret art that could influence others secretly, preventing them from remembering her appearance. It was just as Song Zining had said, she was already here and couldnt be sent back. So, the only way was to build a good relationship. As for what whimsical notion had brought her to this accursed place, Song Zining had only one answer for him: willfulness. While the two were busy whispering amongst themselves, Ji Tianqing had once again arrived near the Earth Dragons heart-engine. She also had a number of instruments in her hand and looked like she was about to disassemble the machinery. Dont move! Shocked out of his wits, Qianye stepped in front of her and blocked the way. No one could save her if she were to activate the Pointer Monarchs trap. Whats wrong? Its dangerous, dont mess around! The Pointer Monarch left a secret contraption here, I cant save you if you activate it. Ji Tianqing didnt seem to mind, though. So its the Pointer Monarchs trap. That makes things even easier. Rest assured, the old mans power is useless against me, have you forgotten that I have this? With that, she waved the monarchs personal seal in front of Qianye. Didnt you steal that? Ji Tianqing pointed at the heart. But it doesnt know whether or not I stole it. ... Fine, as long as you feel its okay. Qianye inhaled deeply. Of course its okay! To Qianyes great alarm, Ji Tianqing began knocking on the delicate components inside the engine. She then said, There are several secret mechanisms inside this engine. You think those military people are saints? There are pre-set boobytraps here, here, and here. And theres a high-energy origin bomb hidden inside this part. Should your engine output reach a certain level one day, then congratulations! Youll see the most brilliant fireworks go off! Qianye was astonished. How can this be? This is only natural. People from the military would naturally remove these defensive setups. You robbed this engine from them, so you have no idea. Speaking of which, they shouldve left an installation manual, right? Qianye nodded with a wooden expression, almost as though he couldnt believe things. Thats correct then, theyre actually afraid you wouldnt install the engine on the earth dragons heart. At this point, Qianye came to a new level of realization regarding the schemes of the imperial military. If it wasnt for Ji Tianqings arrival, the day he completed the basic outfitting of the Martyrs Palace and shifted it into full output mode would be the day of its destruction. Ji Tianqing was already beginning to remove some of the components at this point. Stop gazing and stop the engine. Youre not going to make me work while its running, are you? Responding to Qianyes will, the Earth Dragons heart slowly stopped beating and the engine grew dark as its intricate parts stopped operating. Ji Tianqing moved as swift as the wind, immediately removing several components before opening up the internal compartment. From within, she carefully fished out a fist-sized silver drum and tossed it to Qianye. This is for you! Qianye was greatly astonished because he could actually sense a violent force brewing inside this argent cylinder. Once ignited, the resultant blast would rival that of hundreds of origin grenadesit would even injure a divine champion. He immediately sank into a horse-stance. His hand shot out at lightning speed but turned gentle at the final juncture, supporting the cylinder with an ephemeral application of force. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief as the tube landed in his hand. This brief ordeal had actually left him drenched in cold sweat. His instincts told him that he himself would survive if this thing were to explode, but Song Zining would probably be done for and the crew would be wiped out. Ji Tianqing possessed a mysterious background and superior abilities, so she might leave with her life, but it definitely wasnt going to feel good. How could she toss such a dangerous thing without a warning? Carrying this dangerous cylinder, Qianye could neither toss it nor put it down anywhere. In the end, he put it away in Andruils Mysterious Realm. Ji Tianqings eyes lit up. Such high-grade spatial equipment! As expected of the awesome Sire Qianye, the fierce character who had embarrassed the imperial military, one of the empires twin rising stars, and candidate for the most handsome man in the younger generation! You really do have some good stuff. What else do you have? Let me see. Qianye refused calmly. Thats all, nothing else. So stingy, its not like Ill rob you. Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes at him and then went back to fixing the engine parts. Finally, she latched the cover back on and patted her hands. All done, now you can use her any way you want. Qianye issued a mental command to start up the engine and sighed in relief to find the engine still operating normally. This bomb was a hidden danger. Now that it had been removed, Qianye felt exceptionally relaxed. Ji Tianqing jumped down from the engine and arrived beside Qianye, smiling. Mission accomplished, Sire Qianye. When do you plan to start fighting? Fighting? Of course! The neutral lands wouldnt be the neutral lands without all the fighting. I finally managed to run away, no, I mean get dispatched to this place. We have to grasp this time to wage a couple of wars! War, I say! Qianye felt a wave of distress washing over him. Who wouldve thought this fellow was a warmonger? In order to stop her from throwing more military orders at him, Qianye could only look at Song Zining for help. This time, however, the seventh young master ran completely counter to him. Well fight! Of course, we have to fight! Lets take down that Fatty Jis Southern Blue first. I see that were not too far off from that place. Its a great location to build a fort. Taking a city right off the bat?! I like it! How many men do we have? You, me, and him. Three of us, Song Zining replied. Ji Tianqings smile froze up. She glared fiercely at the seventh young master, saying, Are you trying to fool me? Song Zining replied, Of course not! If you guys arent going, then Ill go alone. Qianye felt a deep headache. He dragged Song Zining back and said helplessly, Dont be rash, okay? Ji Rui is already obedient now, and there are a lot of benefits we can milk from that fatty. Besides, youre not his match. Song Zining sneered. I dont necessarily need to attack in order to let him know my power. This fellow is clearly taking advantage of your softheartedness, attacking time and again. Too bad for him, Song Zining is also in the neutral lands now. That means theres no more leeway for him to play his two-faced games. He will either submit or well wipe him out sooner or later. This Qianye felt that there was no need to go that far, but he had just been criticized for being soft-hearted and the seventh young master was quite agitated now. So, it wasnt appropriate for him to say too much. Thinking back, it would seem Song Zining had never before acted so thunderously because of his matters. So what exactly are we going to do first? Ji Tianqing seemed to be in more of a rush compared to Song Zining. It looked like things were about to go south if this battle-hungry madman wasnt given anything to do. Qianye quickly recalled the expansion plan he had gone over with Song Zining before. Lets set up a mercenary corps first. Having a corps in the outside world will allow us to do some different things. Mercenary corps? Good idea! Lets do that. Ji Tianqings tone made it sound like she was the commander and Qianye was the aide. Qianye collected his thoughts. Lets find a base of operations and construct some basic defenses. Money isnt a problem for the time being, but outfitting the hired guns will take some planning. Well also need people like Ji Rui to cooperate so that we can recruit people in Southern Blue Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when he was cut short by Ji Tianqing. Man, thats so troublesome, well just rob one! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 854: Robbery The Martyrs Palace took to the skies in the dark night and traversed the golden twilight clouds over the Eastern Sea. At this moment, there were close to a hundred sailors and technicians rushing about the airship, most of them people Song Zining had brought. The palaces control didnt take too many people with Qianye around, so most of the staff were engineers working to install all kinds of equipment and facilities. At the very least, a small sealed area had formed around the Earth Dragons heart, and a dozen or so lower cabins had been constructedthese engineers wouldnt need to sleep out in the open any longer. The five kinetic sails had been fully installed, which eased Qianyes work quite a bit in terms of control. He only needed to maintain the airship itself in a state of flight, while the crew adjusted their bearing via the sails. This form of steering was naturally less flexible compared to controlling the Martyrs Palace itself, but it freed Qianye from having to pay constant attention to the direction. As someone seeing the dragonship in action for the first time, Ji Tianqing was fairly excited about everything. She scuttled through every part of the vessel with Song Zining in tow, asking countless questions everywhere. At first, Song Zining had wanted to push this responsibility onto Qianye, but after visiting a couple of places, he felt that he had no choice but to face the lady himself. That was because her questions were all related to supply, demand, and prices. After running once around the airship, Her Excellency Miss Tianqings grand plans formally came into being. According to her elderly grace, the Martyrs Palace should be built into a peerless super warship that could suppress any Evernight airship. Those, whatever, Apocalypse or Eternal Darkness should kneel before the Martyrs Palace or flee on sight. Of course, Miss Tianqing wasnt quite satisfied with the vessels name, either. She felt that the name Martyrs Palace wasnt tyrannical enough and that it should be changed to H.M.S. Tianqing for perfection. When the young miss threw out her construction plans, it was definitely more powerful than Bluemoons original design. To speak nothing of the other stuff, the earth-dragon powered main-cannon of hers that could destroy any regular battleship in one shot from fifty kilometers away had never appeared in this world before. According to her concept, this legendary giant cannon wasnt an impossible feat. It was just that the price involved would also go well beyond human imagination and feasibility. Disregarding whether or not it could really be constructed, the funds required to purchase all the parts would exceed Bluemoons entire budget projection. In other words, the capital required to reconstruct the entire Martyrs Palace wasnt enough to build Miss Tianqings ideal cannonand that was only the value of the components. More often than not, the processing and engineering for main cannons were more expensive than the parts themselves. No wonder Song Zinings expression turned increasingly ashen as Ji Tianqing grew more and more excited. This was only the main cannon. Naturally, there were other auxiliary equipment that had to accompany the weapon. In the end, this so-called H.M.S. Tianqing would probably require a heavenly monarch to control. This kind of fantasy-grade warship was indeed boundless in power and could probably shoot through Twilight Continent on its own. The problem was that its construction costs would equal half of the imperial fleet, something the empire had accumulated over centuries. Qianye was completely puzzled as he listened in from the sidelines. It was probably a good thing that he couldnt understand many of the things Ji Tianqing was talking about. Song Zining, on the other hand, was inexplicably distressed and anxious. Miss Tianqing wasnt daydreaming, though. The plans she had proposed were actually things that could be done, at least in theory. The only problem was that the cost would be too high. The Song clan had always been extremely wealthy. The seventh young master was more or less influenced by his upbringing and possessed a similar character. He had built the Ningyuan Group from the ground up and led it to great success, even gaining connections with the Twin Paragons of the empire. In terms of fortune, it could be said that Song Zining was number one among the younger generation. Hence, the words too expensive were as heavy as a mountain to him. He couldnt quite bring himself to say it. After listening for some time, Qianye finally understood what was going on and he couldnt help but cut short Ji Tianqings grandiose speech. This Tianqing we really cant afford that. No ones telling you to pay up on the spot, what are you afraid of? We cant afford it in the future, either. Go and rob! What are the neutral lands for if not to rob money and women? Qianye was also defeated before the young miss bandit-like intent. Ji Tianqing slapped Qianye firmly on the shoulder. Its all settled then! We can take our time thinking about the remodeling plans, just change the name to H.M.S. Tianqing for now. That doesnt cost money, does it? Qianye glanced at the girls hand on his shoulder and frowned. Ji Tianqing gave him another pat, saying, What? Dont tell me youre going to scream molester? He didnt scream, but he did fall into deep contemplation. Boring." A pouty Ji Tianqing muttered thus before running off to see other stuff on the airship. Song Zining came over to offer words of consolation. Dont think too much, I cant evade her, either. People at their level of combat arts could sense external objects approaching. One would need to be completely unguarded in order to perform an intimate action like slapping each others shoulders. Yet, Ji Tianqings seemingly casual slap was actually an outstanding secret art that could mask all hostile intent, thus preventing the targets reaction. With Ji Tianqings ability, it wouldnt be a problem for her to quickly raise her origin power to the max. This also meant that she could heavily injure Qianye and Song Zining at any given moment. It would seem the seventh young master had openly accepted this fact. That was why he had come over to console Qianye. Who wouldve thought that Qianye would roll his eyes at him, saying, You might not be able to evade her, but that doesnt mean I cant. Startled, Song Zining asked, Then why did you look like you were so dejected? To make her speak less. ... Qianye, youve really learned bad things. The Martyrs Palace flew quietly through the night and unknowingly arrived above Southern Blue. It hovered around the edge of the void, at a distance even a divine champion couldnt sense. Three figures flew out of the palace and charged toward the city belowJi Tianqing, Qianye, and Song Zining. The three went through a complete freefall in the beginning. After falling halfway and reaching less than a thousand meters from the ground, Song Zining suddenly opened his folding fan. The trio was surrounded by the faint glow of spring and a warm breeze, almost as though there was a giant, invisible hand supporting their bodies and breaking the momentum of their fall. It was just that the three were falling too violently and the seventh young master just had to project some beautiful scenery at the expense of increased workload. Hence, his face turned pale from exhaustion not long afterward. Qianye snorted as his own domain flickered into being. The power of the great ocean vortex was as sturdy as the mountains and actually slowed down their fall. The maelstroms power canceled out the fall little by little until they were descending rather gently. Qianye was still far inferior in terms of softness. Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves art was as gentle and silent as spring water, while Qianyes Oceanic Vortex was firm and fierce. Even Ji Tianqing was surprised by the latter''s ability to utilize his domain to such a level. As surprised as she was, the young miss seemed to have no intention of putting in any effort. She clung onto Qianye with an attitude that said if we die, we die together. During this kind of high altitude jump, bringing someone along was neither too hard nor too easy. Qianye had no other choice but to let her treat him as a manual laborer. Qianyes domain erupted as the three of them were a hundred or so meters from the ground. This time, however, the near-linear force forced them into a horizontal flight toward the city center. The moment Qianye released his domain, two aurasa stronger one and a weaker onesurged up from the city lords residence. The more powerful one was naturally Ji Ruis and the other was Guan Zhonglius. It was just that the latters aura had weakened quite a bit, quite likely a consequence of the shockwave produced by the Wolf King. Qianye was about to speak when Song Zining said coldly, Ignore them! Exactly! Ji Tianqing wanted nothing more than to sow chaos. Helpless to do anything, Qianye stood hovering over the city and locked onto a certain objective. Many mercenary corps had set up their base of operation in Southern Blue. These bases were actually no more than large courtyards and werent even allowed to build cannon turrets. In truth, not many of them could afford cannon turrets, especially the large ones that required support from a kinetic tower. Qianye memorized the distribution of mercenary corps in just a glance, quickly picking out several candidate targets to compare and contrast. Just as he was matching them against the information from his memory, Song Zining dived down all of a sudden. Lets go, what are you waiting for!? Ji Tianqing followed hot on his heels with Qianye in tow. Youve finished selecting? Qianye, who felt his strategic skills had improved, was greatly set back. Whats there to pick? Just grab the biggest one! Qianye was beaten down even more. It would seem thinking too much wasnt a good idea. either. Frost Wolf Mercenary Corps was one of the most famous corps in Southern Blue, the absolute pride of their leader of the same name, Frost Wolf. He was also intelligent enough to know that their fame was limited to Southern Blue and that they were nothing outside of the city. Hence, he had always adopted a stable strategy and followed firmly in the city lords footsteps, only doing business with the major merchants of the city. Although the profits generated from such deals weren''t much, the risk was always quite small as well. Frost Wolf had grown bigger and bigger over the span of a dozen years. Even their courtyard had been expanded twice. Frost Wolf was recently pondering whether it was time to build a couple of cannon towers. The defense was secondary; the primary issue was to display ones might. At this moment, there were two miniature cannon tower models on the table in front of him. They were highly realistic and could be disassembled to reveal the internal components. The parts that could be adjusted or moved was clearly indicated. Looking at these two cannon towers, he felt both delighted and worried. Just as he was fretting about this matter, he heard a massive bang as the chamber door was kicked flying! The development was too sudden and devoid of all warning signs. As a rank-thirteen expert himself, Frost Wolf sensed nothing up until his door was kicked down. Outside of the door, Ji Tianqing lowered her raised leg and walked in with large strides. Observing every part of the room, she said, Quite well maintained I must say. Frost Wolf took two steps back, and with his back pressed against the wall, he asked, You are? Whoever it was, he knew he wasnt this persons match. Were here to rob, thus said Miss Tianqing. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 855: Foundation Building Robbery? Frost Wolf clearly hadnt come to at this point. This was Southern Blue, and Frost Wolf was the largest mercenary corps here, one working fairly closely with the city lord and the important merchants. There was actually someone planning to rob them under such circumstances? It was already quite good that he wasnt bullying other people. Yes, this is a robbery. Ji Tianqing arrived behind Frost Wolf and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Even Qianye and Song Zining couldnt evade her slap, much less this Frost Wolf. The moment this slap struck the corps commander, his height was shortened by half as the lower part of his body went through the wooden boards and into the floor below. Only at this point did Frost Wolfs protective origin power start working. He retaliated with full power, demolishing the entire building in a flurry of flying gravel and debris. Ji Tianqing was still slapping on Frost Wolfs shoulder as though she had nothing to do with the things going on around her. The second slap thumped the commander right into the basement. There was nowhere else to sink at this point, but Young Miss Tianqing delivered yet another blow, hammering a good part of Frost Wolfs body into the buildings foundation. A champions body was extremely strong, and even a human champion was much sturdier than a buildings foundation. Frost Wolf was sure to survive, but injuries were inevitable. After three such slaps, Frost Wolf had come to realize that this young miss wasnt a character he could afford to offend. He immediately retracted his aura and pretended to be unconscious, only using his origin power to protect his innards. The entire building had vanished at this point, replaced by a fairly large pit. Ji Tianqing was crouched down at the bottom of this hole, pulling on Frost Wolfs hair like a little kitten playing with a new toy. The massive ruckus naturally alarmed all of the mercenaries in the base. Hundreds of soldiers ran out from their barracks, most of them still drowsy and unclear as to what had just happened. Song Zining patted Qianye on the back. Unleash your aura. Qianye felt puzzled. What was the point of unleashing his aura? These sub-champion mercenaries were far from able to sense anything. But the seventh young master had to have his reasons. Soon, a beam of dark golden blood energy shot up into the skies. As expected, the mercenaries couldnt sense anything, and even that Frost Wolf was busy feigning unconsciousness. It was actually Ji Tianqing who glanced back with a complicated expression, shivering all the while. Far off in the sky over the city lords manor, Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu were standing in the air, gazing at the three youths who were busy engaging in robbery. Both Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu sensed the dark golden blood energy when it appeared. The latter had it easier, only feeling a sharp stab between his brows. Ji Rui, on the other hand, found his aura declining sharply before slowly climbing back up. Under the darkness of the night, no one noticed that his face had turned somewhat pale. Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu had unleashed their aura as a warning and deterrence. Qianye launching his blood energy into the sky was akin to deliberate provocation. As someone used to being tyrannical, how could Guan Zhongliu take this lying down? He said furiously, Ill go and teach these brats some manners! He was just about to charge out when his body sank down as Ji Rui dragged him back. Guan Zhongliu asked in surprise, City Lord, why are you stopping me? These people are bullying us at our doors! Ji Rui sighed. Even if they are bullying us at our doors, can you do anything? Even if Im not their match, you can deal with them, cant you? How can a group of brats be your match? Ji Rui sighed again. So what if I beat them? Of course, you can drive them away. How about next time? This Guan Zhongliu was stoppered up. Even Guan Zhongliu understood that they had no power to detain Qianye. Now, the two youngsters with him seemed equally unfathomable and definitely werent ordinary brats. With Ji Rui taking the field, he would, at most, be able to drive the three away. He probably couldnt even injure them. If these three were to come every day in the future, there would be no end to their problems. Guan Zhongliu wasnt dumb, either. He felt a chill run through his heart upon noticing just how young these people were. Accomplishing this much at such an age meant that they were supported by powerful characters and families. And here he was, struggling as a champion at his age. Lets return, said Ji Rui. Guan Zhongliu nodded silently. When Qianye unleashed his blood energy, he had contended against Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu in terms of vigor. It wasnt so evident with the latter, but the city lord had definitely taken a small loss in this exchange. It was this confrontation that allowed Ji Rui to notice how unimaginably high ranked Qianyes blood energy was. Ji Rui was willing to shrink back, but Song Zining wasnt about to let him do as he pleased. The seventh young master dragged Qianye over, saying, Leave this place to Tianqing, lets pay the city lord a visit. Qianye shrugged and followed Song Zining. Normally, Qianye wouldve stopped after seeing Ji Ruis decision to back offhe had no plans to force the man into a corner. Nonetheless, Song Zining seemed to have other intentions by leaving no leeway for the city lord. The two arrived at the city lords manor without disguising their aura. Under such circumstances, Ji Rui no longer had the option of keeping things under wraps. He could only fly up from the mansion to face the duo mid-air. What brings the two generals here? Song Zining cupped his fists. City Lord Ji, I presume? That is indeed I. How should I address you? Ji Rui was fairly polite. Song Zining. Since the city lord knows about Qianyes background, Im sure you wouldve heard some things about me. Ji Ruis heart skipped a beat. So its the seventh young noble of the Song clan, I was lacking in manners. Song Zining wasnt any less famous than Qianye. As a bonafide lineal scion of the Song clan, his status was extraordinary. Additionally, he had assumed an official position in the military as Zhang Boqians staff officerthis experience wasnt something to be trifled with. It stood proof that he had caught the heavenly monarchs attention and anyone wanting to touch him had to think about the name, Zhang Boqian. If such a person were to fall in the outside world, the Song clan would never let the matter rest. They had to hunt down the murderer at all costs, for the clans prestige if nothing else. Ji Rui had studied deeply about Evernight and the Empire, so he naturally understood the attitude of these aristocratic families. He immediately treated Song Zining with due respect and became restless while thinking about what the Song wanted to do in the neutral lands. After all, the neutral lands were fairly isolated in terms of news. Ji Rui had no idea that Song Zining had cut off the clan and become independent. And with the seventh young nobles meteoric rise in recent years, the Song clan simply made no mention of him breaking off from the clan. On the contrary, they expressed their goodwill constantly in an effort to show that both parties were still one family. Ji Ruis reaction was within Song Zinings expectations. He closed his fan with a gentle smile and proceeded to tap his other palm with it. I heard from Qianye that the City Lord hasnt been very genuine in the past. Ji Rui was shocked out of his wits. Such direct words left him no space to maneuver and would likely result in a fight at the slightest disagreement. He coughed a couple of times and said with a wry smile, Seventh Young Noble might not know, but there is no law and order here in the neutral lands, whoever has the biggest fist makes the rules. I had no right to refuse when the Wolf King came knocking on my door. Song Zinings expression turned frosty. Is that so? Does that mean you can say no to me!? Ji Rui was inwardly furious, but his face was still full of smiles. Seventh Young Noble is acting like an outsider now. The entire world knows the Song clan, just tell me whatever you need and Ill definitely help out. Song Zining replied, Fine, thats what I was waiting for. I came to the neutral lands to build a business with my brothers. I see that Southern Blue is a bustling city and wish to build my base of operations here. Ill rely on you to take care of us in the future. Ji Ruis expression changed somewhat. Ill definitely help in whichever way I can, its just that the Wolf King Song Zining laughed coldly. I have my ways in dealing with the Wolf King. City Lord, I dont want to threaten you, but the one whom you should be afraid of isnt the Wolf King. This young master is much more ruthless, Ill have you know. Ji Rui looked fairly embarrassed. This You surely jest. Song Zining adopted a stern expression. I am not joking. Since Ive already come to the neutral lands, do you think itll be difficult for me to manage this city? Remember that your existence is not essential to Southern Blue. These words were fairly serious. Ji Rui was livid and on the verge of acting out, but he still couldnt muster up the courage in the end. He merely returned to the manor with a wave of his sleeve, not even bothering to engage in formalities. Song Zining smiled. Lets go back, things should be settled by now, there wont be anyone to resist us. Qianye was astonished after returning to the mercenary base. In the short while that they were talking with Ji Rui, the Frost Wolf Mercenary Corps had already turned into a complete mess. There were soldiers strewn across the ground with only a couple dozen depressed mercenaries still standing. No wonder Song Zining had said that there would be no one to resist. It turned out that Ji Tianqing had knocked out all the dissenters. Additionally, there was a strong stench of blood coming from outside of the courtyard where a dozen hunters were lying in pools of blood. They were all friends of Frost Wolf who had come to help out and seek remuneration for the assistance. Unfortunately, they had run into a god of murder like Ji Tianqing. Young Miss Tianqing was never merciful when she needed to establish her might at the critical juncture. A casual wave was enough to bring about heavy casualties. Seeing Song Zining return, she asked, Howd it go? Of course its a happy deal. Song Zining laughed. All is good then, I think this mercenary corps is a bit too small, how long will it take if were going to expand slowly? There are quite a few mercenary groups in this area, why dont we rob them all? Song Zining raised a thumb. Thats how it should be. That night, the entire Southern Blue descended into chaos as mercenary corps of all shapes and sizes fell into mortal peril. Flames sprang up in several locations and lit up Southern Blue with a reddish huethe people there had angered Young Miss Ji with their disobedience. She didnt kill them proactively and only set fire to their bases of operation. Of course, those who had attacked her during the arson were quickly turned into corpses. With such a grave matter at hand, the mercenaries sought help from the city lord. Nonetheless, Ji Rui shut his doors tight and refused all visitors. This made it clear that even the city lord couldnt do anything against this rampaging group. The only way left for these mercenaries was to flee or to submit. By the time dawn arrived over Southern Blue, the entire atmosphere here had changed. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 856: Dark Flame Reborn By the time the first light of dawn washed over Southern Blue, the flames therein had more or less begun to die down. Leaders of mercenary corps big and small were gathered in the Frost Wolf Corps base, most of them with swollen faces or even carried in. There were quite a few people around, but the place was permeated by utter silence. Everyone wore frightened expressions, not daring to even breathe loudly or glance at the demon lady. Ji Tianqing was instructing a couple of corps commanders to set up a stage, and Frost Wolf was also among them. Before last night, he was a fairly well-respected character in Southern Blue, but now, the dejected man had no choice but to carry logs about and perform manual labor. With so many champion-level experts working, a simple stage was very soon completed. Ji Tianqing instructed the men to place on the stage a large chair that had been carried over from somewhere else. She then waved at Qianye, saying, Come up! Qianye ascended the platform with a wooden expression and was duly pressed into the seat by Ji Tianqing, facing the crowd of mercenaries. The latter took a step back to stand behind Qianye. From today on, our mercenary corps what should we call it? Tianqing, Song Zining replied expressionlessly. No! It has to be Song Seven, of course! Bah! I dont want such a ragged mercenary corps named after me! You have no choice! This corps is Qianyes, why must it be named after me? Ji Tianqing slapped her forehead. Oh right, lets call it the Qianye Mercenary Corps, then! No. Qianye could bear it no longer. After a brief period of quarreling, they finally decided to reforge the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps in the neutral lands. Hence, the name became Dark Flame. Ji Tianqing raised her voice. From today on, you are a part of Dark Flame Mercenary Corps. Ill give you half a days time to settle private businesses. You will all report-in tonight, whoever fails to show up will be responsible for their own fate. Ive already shown you enough examples anyway. All the mercenary heads agreed. Who would dare otherwise? Greatly satisfied, Ji Tianqing slapped the back of the chair, saying, This Qianye is your commander from now on. She then pointed at herself. Im his aide-de-camp, remember? The crowd bowed at the same time. Yes, Sire Aide-de-camp! This lineup and vocality sounded more like Qianye was Ji Tianqings aide instead. Beside them, the seventh young master could no longer sit still. He took a step forward and said in a clear voice, This young master is Song Zining, and I will be your military strategist from now on. The people below glanced at one another, but no one had heard of such a character. Where had this Song Zining popped up from? A complacent Ji Tianqing roared, All dismissed, get back to work. Assemble at 1800 sharp! Yes! Sire Aide-de-Camp! The entire courtyard was emptied in a flash, leaving only Frost Wolf and a number of his high-ranking officials. Qianye remained seated on the platform like a statue, gazing blankly at the empty courtyard. There wasnt anything for him to do from the beginning to the end. He had no other use except for holding the title of commander. All those mercenary leaders barely spared him a glancealmost as though this corps commander was nonexistent. Actually, there were quite a few mercenaries who knew Qianye and his accomplishments. It was just that the mercenaries here were fairly low in status, and even in Frost Wolf, only a couple of them had taken part in the Black Grove battle. They had only heard but never seen Qianyes power. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, had beaten them up violently, sending half a dozen men flying with every slap. Hence, comparatively, they were much more apprehensive of the girl. Next up was the repair and renovation of the courtyard. With the Frost Wolf experts working as manual laborers, the construction work progressed at a quick pace. Qianye stayed behind to oversee the project while Song Zining went to reserve an entire nearby hotel as their temporary residence. Ji Tianqing ran about here and there, looking for mercenaries who were inwardly dissatisfied, slacking off, or disobedient. Just like that, evening arrived in the blink of an eye, and the mercenary leaders began filing into the Frost Wolf base one after the other. Quite surprisingly, there were only two of them missing. These leaders had brought their staff list, property deeds, and armaments inventorytheir entire fortune more or less. This was more of a robbery than incorporation, but losing their possessions was much better than losing their lives. Ji Tianqing had already taught them this logic last night. The young miss performed a roll-call and organized them into groups. She split them into several groups and ranks, differentiating them by the number of troops they could command. Her seemingly careless classification was actually quite clever. The strong and obedient were assigned to the highest rank, followed by the weaker obedient ones, and then the strong but somewhat disobedient. The weak and disobedient people were inserted into the lowest-tier, only slightly superior to ordinary mercenaries. The last group was naturally dissatisfied, but no one dared to speak up after Ji Tianqing killed the lead dissenter with a single slap. They finally understood that Ji Tianqing was simply waiting for them to jump out and give her an excuse for murder. The clamor lasted until midnight before the fledgling Dark Flame began to take shape. The framework was organized by the high-ranking officersthey would decide how to disassemble, reorganize, and garrison the soldiers. What finally appeared before Qianye was a massive entity with over four thousand soldiers and ten champions. In terms of fighting-power, however, it was still far from the Dark Flame of the past. With so many complex matters to handle, any other person wouldve taken half a month to complete this process. In Ji Tianqings hands, though, all matters big and small flowed smoothly like spring water. She wasnt just braggingperhaps not many people in the empire could outperform her as an aide-de-camp. On one hand, Ji Tianqing was rather talented in this regard, while on the other, she had full control. Everyone had been beaten into submission, so whatever she had decided on would be carried out without a second word. From the beginning to the end, Qianye only needed to stay on the sidelines and didnt even get the chance to talk. He sat like that all night, feeling quite bored. With all the plans settled, Ji Tianqing sent the men back to collect and take inventory of their resources. This process would take several days at the very least. Now that they were finally given a break, some of the commanders contacted the city lord via certain channels, hoping that he would be able to give them justice. These people, regardless of the size of their mercenary corps, had once enjoyed some level of status and were bosses inside their own gates. How could they endure someone ruling over them? But Ji Rui simply refused to come out and see anyone. He ignored and forgot about whatever happened outside of the manor gates. In this manner, everyone came to understand Ji Ruis intentionshe couldnt afford to offend these three people. In the blink of an eye, all these leaders felt their sky turn dark. Some were dissatisfied after losing their greatest backing that was Ji Rui. They gathered their most powerful men, trusted aides, and valuable assets before creeping out of Southern Blue in the depths of the night. Most of them, however, understood their own abilities and knew that they couldnt survive outside of Southern Blue. So, they decided to swallow their voices and accept their incorporation into Dark Flame, recognizing the fact that they had to call someone else master from now on. Regarding the mercenary corps who wanted to leave the city, Ji Tianqing didnt make things difficult for them. These people wouldnt be loyal if they stayed behind, anyway, so it was best to let them go. Song Zining and Ji Tianqing werent idle during this period. They proceeded to negotiate with one merchant after the other, discussing new deals for the corps. The biggest source of income for the mercenary corps in Southern Blue was protecting these merchants. Maintaining order in the city was their basic job, while the stronger ones would be dispatched to escort the trade caravans along the way. The strongest soldiers would accept combat missions like ambushing rival merchant caravans. Presently, Dark Flame had rounded up all the mercenary corps in Southern Blue and became a giant tyrant that even Ji Rui couldnt contend with. Hence, it was only natural that all negotiations would begin anew. All the merchants were quite worried at first because this wasnt the first time something like this had happened. After gaining a monopoly over the market, mercenary corps would usually raise their prices several times or even engage in robbery themselves. Such an action would only net them a single fortune since merchants would avoid such places after suffering a loss. Without their main source of income, these mercenary corps would eventually have to disband. There had been too many such examples. Even though such mercenary corps would disperse with the wind, the merchants were the ones to suffer most from their initial misdeeds. Hence, these managers all felt worried and restless. They nonetheless foundto their great astonishmentthat Dark Flame operated differently from the other mercenary corps in the neutral lands. Song Zining didnt exploit the merchants with unreasonable price increases. On the contrary, he lowered the prices on an assortment of services and combined certain fees together. In summary, the capital these merchants had to fork out was decreased by a fair bit. Most of the managers were surprised, but no one was going to stand up and object to such a good deal. Additionally, many of them began considering increased investments in the city once the situation had stabilized. Next up, Song Zining proposed another plan. Companies setting up weaponry workshops as well as those trading in rare-materials and high-end airship parts would receive a fifty percent discount. He was even willing to inject a twenty percent investment capital once these factories had been constructed. Managers of large merchant companies began inquiring about the details in excitement. Smaller companies were lacking in ability, but they more or less knew some channels for airship parts. As such, they also paid great attention to the high-end airship parts category. A well-prepared Song Zining immediately distributed the relevant documents. After looking through the papers, most people revealed expressions of disappointment, but there were a few of them who looked rather thoughtful. Song Zinings standards were indeed quite high, requiring the equipment to be at the level of a second-grade reserve warship or higher. Such an airship level was rare in the neutral lands, but it wasnt impossible if they could find a channel to and from the empire or Evernight. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 857: Fire Firs Song Zinings terms were generous enough to excite these merchants and make them consider whether or not this was a viable direction for expansion. This business field wasnt too high-risk and the demand was really high. There would always be buyers as long as they could build a warship at a reasonable price. The businesses Song Zining had attracted on top of the ones already in Southern Blue formed a more complete supply chain. There were enough workshops and factories to forge intricate airship equipment from raw metals. Even in its infantile stage, the benefits this arrangement would bring was evidenteveryone who had worked their way to the manager position understood this. Southern Blue was able to flourish under Ji Ruis rule because of its stability and convenience in transportation. But no matter how skilled Ji Rui was, he couldnt wipe out and recombine all of the mercenary corps in the city. Even if he could do it, he wasnt about to create a massive entity that could contend with the city guard. If this kind of mercenary corps were to fall into an outsiders hands, it wasnt a certainty whether the city lord would still be surnamed Ji. It wasnt really important to the merchants what the City Lords surname was. All they wanted was a steady stream of money, and that was enough for them. The contact with the merchants went fairly smoothly, but there wasnt anything for Qianye to do during the entire process. After two days of idling, he decided to gather a dozen or so mercenaries and form a merchant caravan to Seagaze City. Seagaze was a major city, so the requirements were fairly high. Qianye was still selecting people when many merchants arrived with requests to join him. Those willing to join were mostly medium-sized companies with one or two trucks worth of goods to ship. Most others were still observing Dark Flames situation and performance. In their eyes, the current mercenary corps was a pieced-together mob, far from the standard of an elite mercenary corps. The only reason some of them were willing to take this risk was because Qianye was overseeing the caravan personally. In the end, Qianye left Southern Blue with thirty cargo trucks, ten troop-carriers, and some armored vehicles. The environment in the wilderness was fairly adverse and occasional storms would kick up without warning. This was due to the small size of the continents and the weakness of their protective layers. There would be corresponding disasters inside when the void tempests outside of the continent became too violent. The roads gradually disappeared soon after leaving the city. These so-called roads were actually produced by the passage of cars and could easily be eroded. The motorcade didnt go very fast. The heavy trucks were especially slow amidst the fluctuating landscape and not much faster than a jogging person. It would take three to four days to get from Southern Blue to Seagaze. After passing an entire day out in the open wilderness, Qianye remained calmly seated in one of the transport vehicles as he cultivated the Glory Chapter. Among his many cultivation arts, only the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was lagging behind, and all he could do was work slowly step by step. The mercenaries, however, werent as relaxed as he was and maintained a constant level of vigil. Those old veterans were clear that the seemingly peaceful wilderness was filled with hidden dangers. Enemies could be lurking in every corner, or even outside of Seagaze. At noon the next day, a cloud of rolling dust suddenly rose up over the horizon. The veteran scout on the foremost vehicle stopped his car and sounded the alarm. The motorcade descended into a brief moment of chaos, but fortunately, these people had encountered such situations more than once. A well-respected manager instructed the cargo trucks to drive off the road and park themselves in a circular formation, raising their company flags to announce their identity. The mercenaries, however, were different. The two armored vehicles took point, while ordinary transports retreated to the side. The soldiers inside jumped off and spread into two wings throughout the advantageous terrain. On the roof of the foremost car, Frost Wolf raised his binoculars and gazed at the distant smoke. It was at this moment that Qianyes voice echoed beside his ears. Why so nervous? Frost Wolf quivered. Unlike those lesser commanders, he had actually seen Qianyes might as he slaughtered Stormwind Fury. He passed the binoculars to Qianye, saying, Those who can act so loud in this region must be the Wolf Kings men. Qianye didnt take the binoculars, however, and simply kept gazing at the distant dust cloud. It is indeed the Wolf Kings squad. Really? Frost Wolfs expression became complicated with worry. Then we should be careful. Frost Wolfs tone wasnt that great. They would occasionally suffer robberies even in their own territory. Now that they were in the empty wilderness with numerous merchandise-loaded trucks, they were well-worth robbing even if not the best target. Battle stations!!! Frost Wolf was the tactical commander of this operation, in charge of coordinating troops and setting up defenses. After issuing the order, he gave it some thought and added, Be smart! Dont be too obvious. People on the two sides, hide yourself well. Those behind, open up the main road! The entire series of orders was in order to prevent provoking the Wolf Kings men. It was hard to say what would happen after they were agitated. Frost Wolf himself was also a rank-twelve champion and his combat strength wasnt low. Yet, the many years of caution had already ground away his blood-thirsty nature, and he wasnt willing to engage in a head-on clash with the Wolf Kings men. Qianye, on the other hand, had a different opinion. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and said, Prepare for battle! This order startled all of the mercenaries, and Frost Wolf himself was also astonished. Commander, what for? Of course, its to rob their motorcade, Qianye calmly replied. R-Robbery!? Frost Wolf thought he had misheard. Who would dare to rob the Wolf Kings motorcade in the Wolf Kings territory? Everyone felt that it would be quite lucky if they werent robbed instead. Qianye paid Frost Wolf no attention as he issued new orders. Seal the road and prepare for battle. Try slacking off if you dare! Qianye didnt need to announce what the outcome of not fighting wasthe rule in the mercenary world was that deserters would be hunted down and killed. This rule would be modified slightly in Qianyes hands. Whoever didnt do battle would die in his hands. Frost Wolf smiled wryly as he turned back and said, Drive up and seal the road. You two, bring your men to the sides and set up an ambush, attack when the enemy is near. The rest, follow me to form a blockade on the road. The mercenaries started moving only when he had issued the orders. Qianye shot Frost Wolf a glance, causing him to tremble all over. The soldiers Qianye had brought out this time were veterans of many battles. A simple defensive line was soon formedthe men hid behind covers, grasping their weapons tightly as they looked ahead anxiously. Some of them even felt their foreheads and palms sweating. That was only natural since the Wolf Kings notoriety was well-established, and this move of theirs was a slap on the divine champions face. After setting up the defensive line, Frost Wolf finally could hold back no longer. He reminded indirectly, Sire, robbing them is easy, but what about afterward? The Wolf King might not take this lying down. Unexpectedly, Qianye replied with a smile, Why else do you think I organized this motorcade? Frost Wolf felt his heart skip a beat. Only then did he realize that Qianye wasnt here to establish a trade route but to provoke the Wolf King. The rolling dust in the distance rose into the sky as an armored transport rushed out of the ashen sand, followed by a column of armed trucks. Several kilometers behind these vehicles was a caravan of slowly-advancing cargo trucks. These cars were only protected by two armored trucks and no more than ten soldiers in total. This was a fairly normal occurrence. Although this part of the wilderness was dangerous, the greatest threat here was the Wolf Kings men. Who would dare stroke the proverbial tigers whiskers after seeing the Wolf Kings insignia on the trucks? Hence, the armored vehicles moved at a faster pace, checking to see if there were any good opportunities along the way. They were quite familiar with the procedure since they had done this more than once before. The foremost of the Wolf Kings armored vehicles spied the blockade and defensive line ahead. The tall werewolf on the car almost couldnt believe his eyessomeone actually dared to intercept the Wolf Kings caravan here!? He was also a fierce character. He immediately snatched a gun from the person beside him and took aim at the intercepting motorcade, waiting for the enemy to come within range. Qianye said at this moment, Open fire. Frost Wolf blurted out. What? I said, fire, Qianye repeated. Then, without waiting for a reply, he removed a long sniper rifle from his back and took aim at the incoming werewolf. But Sire, the other party might not intend to fight Frost Wolf hadnt even finished speaking when a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye and the sniper rifle in his hands spat out a long stream of origin flames. A thunderous timbre echoed through the plains! Amidst the rumble, the tall werewolfs head burst into a mist of blood and the headless body fell backward. Both sides started firing instinctively after the first shot was fired. Explosions, flames, and gunshots broke out on the battlefieldthe only problem was that the two sides were nowhere near firing range. The werewolves had always been proud and fierce. Roaring, they revved their engines to the max as one armored vehicle after the other charged forward. The two sides were only a thousand or so meters away now, and casualties started to rack up under the back and forth volleys. Qianye stood as calm as a mountain, his wings unfurled and a faint golden glow could be seen on his sniper rifle. With the rumble of his gun, yet another armored vehicle burst into a ball of flames. The werewolf knight upon it was torn into two and killed on the spot. Qianye moved the muzzle swiftly and fired the third round, bringing down a first-rank werewolf viscount at the center of the charging formation. Qianye put away his gun after firing three shots and stood with his hands behind his backit would seem that he had no more intention of fighting. Frost Wolf felt a chill run down his spine. Qianye had fired three shots with relative ease to destroy three ranked-werewolf experts. Just how powerful was this sniper rifle to have killed even the first-rank viscount captain in one shot? Under present circumstances, only a third-rank viscount remained. Frost Wolf sighed secretly, knowing that Qianye had left this target for him. Having no other choice, he whipped out his sword and shield to charge forward against the hail of bullets. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 858: I Just Have to Fire the First Sho The battle was short and fierce. By the time Frost Wolf had slaughtered his opponent, the battles in the periphery had started to die down. He came limping back before Qianye while clutching his left shoulder. Sire, mission accomplished. Qianye replied with an indifferent smile, Completed? No, it hasnt been completed. Theres a caravan behind. Frost Wolf laughed wryly. Those goods belong to merchants. If we do that, the enmity between us and the Wolf King will be irreconcilable. Qianye glanced at him. Dont tell me its still reconcilable now? Frost Wolf knew this fact fairly well. Bracing himself mentally, he turned back and shouted, Those who can still fight, come with me! In the blink of an eye, he jumped onto a still-operable transport vehicle and whizzed away. Only at this point did Frost Wolf reveal a bit of valor and ruthlessness. Before this, he was always a bit cowardly despite his tall stature and even looked a bit constrained while fighting against the werewolf viscount. He wouldnt have suffered so many injuries, otherwise. Now that there was no going back, he finally let loose and began to look a bit more imposing. Qianye stood in place on the roof of the car, merely ordering the men to sweep the battlefield. His eyes lit up all of a sudden as he turned toward the distant horizon. There was nothing else there apart from a dense patch of low-lying clouds, but Qianye could see a slowly revolving ring of origin power. It was clear that there was someone hiding inside the clouds and spying on the action. The origin power was a fairly chaotic mixture of daybreak and darkness origin power, but it was definitely a human expert. This persons identity wasnt hard to guessthere werent a lot of human experts in the area, much less those paying so much attention to the Wolf Kings men. Qianye, however, didnt want to waste time guessing his intentions. He only pointed at the man from far away and performed a cutthroat gesture. Qianyes message was clear. If this person dared to interfere, he would be killed along with the group. Then, he turned away and continued observing the battlefield in silence, paying no more attention to the hiding human expert. The merchants also came to help because the entire place was a mess. An old mans figure flickered within the distant clouds, merging almost perfectly with the clouds around him. His face was ashen, and he was so angry that his beard was trembling. As an important character who had gained fame for dozens of years, he had never experienced such disdain. He stared fixedly at Qianye with equal measures of resentment and doubt, not knowing what gave Qianye the gall to provoke him. Surging with killing intent, he was of a mind to rush over and teach Qianye a lesson, but caution got the better of him in the end. Up until this point, he still had no idea how Qianye had discovered him. Far in the distance, Qianye was focused on the cleanup progress, literally not giving him a second glance. This was even more offensive than a direct provocation, and it almost caused him to blackout from anger. In the end, he could no longer bear this kind of invisible humiliation. His robes rose up slightly as he waved his sleeve and left, revealing a small insignia hidden underneathit was the emblem of Zhang Buzhou. At this point, Frost Wolf had just driven back after conducting the battle. There were dozens of cargo trucks behind him, while the merchant managers were all in his car. Frost Wolf arrived before Qianye. Sire, the mission has been completed. All of the cargo trucks have been brought back. Qianye revealed a favorable smile. Not bad, this time. Frost Wolf felt a bit of helplessness, but it was already too late for regrets. He did have a question he always wanted to ask. Sire, why did you order us to fire before the enemy was within firing distance? The other party wouldve opened fire if they were within range. Thats not wrong, but its not too late to attack after confirming the other partys hostility. Besides, well have the advantage in retaliation. Qianyes laugh interrupted the mans words. I just have to fire the first shot. What? I just have to fire the first shot, Qianye repeated. Frost Wolf was shaken and speechless. Now that was the definition of tyrannical. At this moment, a couple of merchants walked over unsteadily and began offering words of greeting and friendship. Qianye waved his hand impatiently. Leave the trucks and seek compensation from the Wolf King. The managers expressions changed drastically. Merchants had to pay a steep price to hire mercenary escorts, but the corps would compensate them if the convoy was robbedthis rule applied to all mercenaries, as well as the Wolf Kings men. All these years, the Wolf Kings men had rarely, if ever, slipped up on their job. Hence, most merchants were willing to hire the Wolf Kings soldiers as escort despite their price tag. On the other hand, the Wolf Kings men maintained a bottom-line and wouldnt rob the merchant caravans they were escorting. The goods contained in these trucks were of extraordinary value. It would take quite a bit of courage to seek compensation from the Wolf King, and there was no telling if a mortal disaster would fall on them instead. After all, there was no need to compensate dead people. One of the merchant managers sneered, I dont care who you are, but you need to know that the Wolf King is not someone you can offend. Hand over the goods obediently and we might put in a good word for you. He hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye flicked his finger. A mass of origin power shot out like an origin bullet and flew toward the manager. The mans expression froze up amidst a burst of blood from his forehead, and his body slowly collapsed to the ground. I dont need to care who you are, either, Qianye said while looking at the other managers. Who else wants to argue with me? Stand out. That managers corpse was still nearby, so who would dare to stand out at this juncture? Everyone shook their heads with ashen expressions. This is a battle between me and the Wolf King. Whoever stands on his side will find no mercy from me. With that, Qianye dismissed the managers with a wave of his hands. As for the cargo trucks and their drivers, all of them were detained. Qianye assigned some mercenaries to escort the goods back to Southern Blue, while he himself led the caravan toward Seagaze. The remainder of the journey was free from any disturbance. With the Wolf Kings retaliation looming over the horizon, everyone else in the convoy was extremely nervous. In accordance with the merchants request, the motorcade drove on through the night and arrived at Seagaze after half a day of traveling. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as they entered the city. The arrival at the destination was secondary; the most important thing was that they could clear themselves of their relationship with Qianye. Even if the Wolf King were to seek vengeance, they would not be a part of the collateral damage since all major powers depended on these merchants to thrive. Even someone as violent as the Wolf King wouldnt dry the pond just to catch a proverbial fish. Qianye understood their line of thought quite well but didnt point it out. He sent Frost Wolf to arrange for lodgings while he went out to stroll the streets. Seagaze was a major human city built atop a highland above the shores of the Eastern Sea. Although it wasnt as grand and majestic as Totemic Castle, it was also hundreds of meters above the water, and one could overlook the Eastern Sea from the highest points in the city. Albeit barely, it could be considered a place with wonderful views. There were numerous large courtyards constructed on the higher areas inside the city. The stone walls and gates looked fairly rigid and, despite lacking in noble grace, looked fairly in line with the barbaric style of the neutral lands. Each of these courtyards represented a powerful family. Some of the stone sculptures outside the architecture were decorated with mottled scars, having weathered the wind and rain for over a century. Observing the entire area, one could almost see a vague reflection of imperial aristocratic families. Of course, they were far from true nobility in scale. The difference would be even more exaggerated when comparing them against a major clan like the Zhao, whose main residence was bigger than Seagaze City itself. Within the main building of the largest and oldest building in Seagaze City, a stern-looking old man was seated inside the study, his brows locked in a frown as he read the secret report in his hands. There were two young men inside the study. One of them was as silent and stern as a mountain, while the other was glancing about restlessly. The old man finally put down the report and said worriedly, The other party has already entered the city, how do you think we should handle them? The seemingly restless youngster chuckled. Naturally, the clan lord should decide on such an important matter. Well listen to your elderly grace. The old man roared, Xue Ding! Youre about to assume important duties! How can you be so frivolous? Do you think I can hand family matters over to you like this? Xue Ding didnt seem to mind at all, though. He replied with a mischievous voice, What use does the Xue family have for me? You have Elder Brother, dont you? And a single mountain is too small for two tigers, arent you afraid well start fighting with one another? The old man banged the table with an angry expression. Blood is thicker than water, whats there to fight among brothers? Ill drive you out of the Xue family if you keep spouting nonsense! Xue Ding paid him no heed. So what if you drive me out? This isnt the first time anyway. Besides, I can be considered the Wolf Kings foster son, not a member of your Xue family. The silent Xue Wu spoke up at this point. Little Ding, enough. Xue Ding was fairly respectful toward his silent brother. He quickly removed his frivolous attitude and said seriously, I think we should pretend we never received the Wolf Kings missive. They wont stay here for long, anyway, a couple of days at most. The old man was unhappy. Nonsense! Do you think the Wolf King is a three-year-old? You think you can fool him just like that? Xue Ding sneered. Isnt he treating us like three-year-olds? I heard the Wolf King himself wasnt able to capture that person back at Southern Blue. Additionally, he went into isolation immediately after returning to Totemic Castle, and there have been rumors that he was gravely injured. Hes ordering Seagaze to capture a person he himself cannot even handle. If this isnt deliberately causing problems for us, what is? How are we going to take that person down? If we fail, hell have an excuse to deal with us and weaken the human race. The old man replied with a stern expression, You know the Wolf King will blame us afterward! Then, how dare you say we should ignore his orders? Xue Ding replied, I do have a way out of this, but I wonder if you have the guts for it. The old man snorted. Speak! Simple, rebel against the Wolf King! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 859: Bravery Xue Dings words shook the old man as well as Xue Wu. The Wolf Kings methods were brutal, and he had accumulated power for a long period. The major human families in Seagazeperhaps even the Eastern Sea in generaldidnt dare speak up despite their anger. Everyone would put safety over principles, turning a blind eye to everything unrelated. Perhaps due to his fear of Zhang Buzhou, the Wolf King didnt go to the extremes, either. He would occasionally suppress and take advantage of the various families, but he wouldnt touch their foundations. Even so, he would still find various reasons to uproot a couple of families every year. This was what made all the families cautious. How could these wily old foxes not know that this was the Wolf King trying to pull the carpet from underneath them? He had always been working to uproot human power little by little. Unfortunately, Zhang Buzhou had been in isolated cultivation in recent years, refusing to meet people or manage local affairs. This was how the authority gradually slipped into the Wolf Kings hands. The old man uttered furiously, Outrageous imagination, outrageous imagination! Xue Ding sneered. How is this an outrageous imagination? The Wolf King isnt our match as long as all the families are allied. Its been so many years, can these old fellows still stand this? Bastard! How dare you talk to elders like this, have you not learned even basic manners all these years away from home? Xue Ding said coldly, Whats the use of manners when you dont have any bravery? The old man was so angry that he was trembling. Xue Wu said, Brother, this matter is highly important and needs to be considered at length. We cannot let emotions decide since our Xue family cannot shoulder the responsibility of the outcome. Xue Ding replied, Im not being reckless. Zhao Ye or Qianye as he is known right now, weve both experienced his power back then, and now we know his past experiences as well. Provoking the Wolf King must mean he has great confidence! But what if hes defeated? the old man asked. Theres a risk to everything, the only difference is the odds. If we must wait for absolute safety before acting, what can we even do? What have our Xue family done all these years? What has human nobility ever done? The Wolf King never waited for the perfect opportunity to attack us. The elder was trembling. Scoundrel, scoundrel! Xue Wu stood in complete silence. His refusal to speak was actually proof that he supported Xue Dings idea. The old man slammed the table heavily. You two have grown up and are ready to spread your wings, huh? Will the two of you reach this position without the Xue family!? Ignoring Xue Wus signal, Xue Ding sneered. How large was the Xue family business thirty years ago? How much do we have left now? Everyone knows this fact. Managing the family to this state is your so-called old wisdom? I really wonder what face you people have to meet our ancestors! The old man slapped the table into pieces, roaring, Scram! I dont want to see you in the future. Xue Ding got up, bowed respectfully, and simply walked off. After Xue Dings departure, the old man revealed an exhausted expression. Were our past actions really wrong? Xue Wu consoled him, The Wolf King was powerful back then, and no one could restrain him. Our Xue family was lacking in talents, so there was no choice but to hide our fangs for survival. Even if we had lost some properties and businesses, we will rise again one day as long as the family and its members remain. The old man nodded. Now thats more like it. Unfortunately, that kid is too impetuous. It would be great if hes half as wise as you are. Xue Wus only response was silence. It was at this moment that a follower rushed into the room, saying, Eldest Master, Third Master has rounded up some private troops and formed a coalition with the Zhu and Wang families to capture the Wolf Kings wanted criminal! The elder shot to his feet. What!? When did this happen? Third Master sealed all news, and you were in discussion all this time. I ran over to report this matter as soon as I found the opportunity. Third Master has left with his men just now. The old mans face was ashen. What a scoundrel, throwing away the Xue familys safety just for the clan lord position! I must settle the score with him once he returns! The follower replied, Should I send someone after Third Master? The old man slowly sat down while shaking his head. Its too late. Its also useless even if you catch up to him, Old Third wants to break off! Xue Wu said, Ill go take a look. You wont be able to dissuade your third uncle, either. I just want to see if I can save his life. Qianye was strolling around the merchant district of Seagaze City. The streets here were lined with large stores selling all kinds of goods; it could be said that the scale of business here was well beyond Southern Blue. Qianye visited every company but found nothing really impressive. The things he wanted were no longer goods an ordinary merchant could supply. His grade-nine Heartgrave was currently kept inside Andruils space. The gun Song Zining had supplied Qianye for day-to-day use was a grade-seven sniper rifle called Radiance. It was also the highest grade mass-produced weapon in the empire. With the support of the Wings of Inception, Radiances firepower would reach the peak of grade-seven and fairly close to grade eight. This kind of firepower was enough for all battlefields, barring those involving a divine champion. As for melee weaponry, East Peak was a tried weapon that didnt need further explanation. The only things that could move Qianye right now were airship weapons. Nonetheless, these things would usually require one to place an order with the shipyard. The companies in the city rarely worked in this field. Qianyes eyes twitched slightly as he walked out of the trade district and heard familiar footsteps. This person had already followed him through two streets and seemed fairly adept in stealth tracking. If it wasnt for Qianyes extremely sharp senses, it wouldve been difficult to sense this constant footstep behind him. Now that he had already discovered that he was being followed, Qianye left the trade district and headed toward a more remote area. The current location wasnt suitable for an attack, and Qianye wanted to see what kind of person was targeting him. Moments later, Qianye walked into a dilapidated area of the city, where the narrow streets were lined with old, randomly constructed buildings. There was sewage flowing on the streets, and the putrid air here was positively nauseating. Many pairs of eyes were observing him through the window cracks, most of them without good intentions. Some of the large, burly men sitting outside their houses sized him up from head to toe, fiddling with their knives while calculating the risk and rewards of attacking him. The sound of a sobbing woman erupted in the distance, followed by that of more slapping and cursing. A muscular man soon crossed the street with a woman in tow. Midway, he turned to glare at Qianye, saying, What are you looking at? Havent you seen someone hitting a woman? Keep looking and Ill dig out your eyes! His cursing hadnt even ended when Qianye arrived before him and delivered a fairly light kick. The burly man shot out like a cannonball, smashing through several neighboring houses and into the next street. Only then did he fall down with a thud and lay motionless, his fate unknown. The unfriendly gazes vanished in an instant, so did the men playing with their daggers. Qianye didnt spare the lady a second glance, either. He merely strode over her and continued on his way. After Qianye had vanished, the lady clambered up and darted into one of the houses nearby. There was a small plaza in the slums that used to be a wet market. At this moment, the peddlers were nowhere to be found, and only their wares were left strewn across the ground. The square was completely silent like a ghost town. Qianye walked into the opening with a cold smile and stood there. Good! Youre quite bold! A coarse voice rang out on the opposite end of the square. A middle-aged man in azure armor walked out in large strides and stood across from Qianye. Soon afterward, countless servants and mercenaries rushed out from the alleyways, forming an airtight encirclement around the square. Hundreds of black muzzles took aim at Qianye. The latter simply stood there with his hands behind his back. Impressive lineup. The burly man struck the steel spear on the ground, almost shaking up the small plaza. Youre that Qianye theyre talking about. Indeed, I am." Very good, you know what you did. Now, the Wolf King wants you specifically, so follow us. Qianye replied indifferently, And if I dont want to go? Then dont blame us for being rude! Today our Xue, Zhu, and Wang families have come together in Seagaze City, you can forget about escaping! Qianye sneered. That means your three families are intent on making an enemy out of me? Look at you, a human willing to work as the Wolf Kings dog. The burly mans face turned red as he retorted in embarrassment, What do you know? The Wolf King works for Zhang Buzhou. Heavenly Monarch Zhang is the leader of our human race, and we are loyal to him! Qianye broke into a laugh. Man, youll have my respect if you can say that in front of the Wolf King. The burly mans face turned red, and he was so furious that he couldnt speak. Another person stepped in to help. Third Master Xue, whats the point in talking to him? Our three families will have made a great contribution if we just capture and send him to the Wolf King! Third Master Xue raised his hand and was just about to issue the order when Xue Wus voice rang out. Stop! The young man appeared on the roof of a small building. Third Uncle, Eldest Uncle asks you to return immediately! Third Master Xues expression sank. Big Brother is senile, how can you not understand? The person the Wolf King wants is right before our eyes. What can our Xue family do if we let him run and the Wolf King blames us? Little Wu, you should give me a hand since youre here, otherwise, you can wait for the Wolf King to hunt you down! This threat was substantial. Xue Wus expression turned ugly, not knowing what to do. Qianye spoke up at this moment, Xue Wu, Ill uproot the Xue family entirely if you make an enemy out of me. Besides, are you really willing to be the Wolf Kings dog? Xue Wu was livid and apparently quite conflicted. Third Master Xue roared, Attack! In the blink of an eye, countless bullets screamed toward Qianye amidst the rumbling gunshots. After opening fire, everyone tossed their guns, whipped out their swords, and darted toward Qianye. The experts of the three families had taken off firsta dozen images arrived near Qianye and slashed down! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 860: Rules Qianye remained immobile, but his energy flickered in and out of existence like a crashing tsunami, forming a tornado of origin power that deflected the bullets coming for him. Some of the more powerful origin bullets pierced through the maelstrom but ultimately bounced off Qianyes combat armor. How could those guards and mercenaries afford a high-grade origin gun? The grade two firearms they were wielding couldnt threaten Qianye at all. Roaring with a fierce expression, Third Master Xue picked up his spear and thrust it toward Qianye! It was at this time that a shack nearby exploded. A silhouette shot out and slashed at Third Masters spear with its twin blades, swerving his powerful thrust away. That person was also flung backward from the recoil. Third Master Xues expression sank. Xue Ding! What are you doing!? The one who had rushed over to intercept the attack was Xue Ding. Qianye was somewhat surprised by the sudden development since he had long since forgotten about their little past debacle. Qianye was now opposing the Wolf King publicly, which meant that standing on his side was equal to making an enemy out of the king. Xue Ding said coldly, I can no longer bear such days. Third Uncle, go back now, were still part of the same family after all. Otherwise, we can only meet in battle. Third Master Xue let out a drawn-out laugh. You? Youre too young for that. Third Master Xue was rank sixteen in cultivation and one of the top three experts in the familyXue Ding was definitely not his match. Soon afterward, his spear lit up with radiance as it stabbed at Xue Ding with the momentum of a landslide! Caught off-guard, Xue Ding could only block with his two blades and was duly flung away from the impact. He shot through several buildings, but he bounced back up immediately and charged at Third Master Xue. Killing intent flashed through the mans expression, and the origin power on his spear increased a fair bit. Apparently, he wasnt going to hold back this time. It was at this time that the sound of great waves echoed on the battlefield. Third Master Xue felt his body sinking and almost unable to move. He was greatly astonishedhow would the others feel if even he was in such a state? He glanced about and saw that his guards and servants were strewn across the ground. No one was left standing except a dozen or so experts. Third Master Xue was greatly alarmed. What kind of domain would be so tyrannical? He glanced back at Qianye and found a dark blade in his grasp. Following a circular slash, a streak of sword energy shot out and cut through all the standing experts! No!!! Glaring daggers, the man couldnt help but let out a mad roar. These people were nominally from three different families, but in truth, they were his trusted men and assets. This slash had actually destroyed half of his lifes ambitions. Qianye wasnt about to pay attention to Third Master Xues emotions, however. He arrived before the man in a single step and slashed down with the might of a toppling mountain! Third Master Xue was unable to dodge inside the domain. All he could do was raise his spear with both hands, hoping to block Qianyes sword. A clear crack rang out as East Peak fell. The slash cut right through the spear and left a red line running down from Third Master Xues forehead. Finally, the man collapsed with a shocked expression. Xue Ding was only halfway through his charge when he was brought to the ground by Qianyes domain, cutting a sorry figure. Xue Wu, who had been standing on the side, left with a gentle sigh. Qianyes sword was too fast, too ruthless. He couldnt save Third Master Xue even if he had wanted to. The man was still one of the familys top fighters, after all, and his death would definitely hurt the family. Xue Ding clambered up and went over to kneel beside Third Master Xues corpse. The more he observed, the more shocked he became. The third masters spear was no ordinary item and the man himself possessed powerful cultivation. Even though he was caught off-guard and careless, it was still quite astonishing that Qianye could kill him in one slash. Xue Ding, hes your third uncle, why would you stand on my side? Xue Ding shook his head. Hes intent on currying favor with the Wolf King and borrow his power to ascend to the clan lord position. Failing that, he will probably split off and form a family of his own. With him around, the family will be forever bound to the Wolf King and get wiped out sooner or later. Qianye nodded. What are your plans now? Xue Ding responded with a question of his own, I heard you robbed the Wolf Kings goods. What do you plan to do with them? I just formed a mercenary corps in Southern Blue, I plan to use them myself. Xue Ding replied, It seems the news we received is true. You formed a base of your own to confront the Wolf King. What will you do if the Wolf King attacks personally? Qianye replied calmly, I have my ways to deal with him. Thats fine then. Xue Ding exhaled deeply with a complicated expression. Youve become more and more powerful. Its only been how long? I still remember being able to exchange a few blows with you, now I cant even take a single hit. Qianye only smiled. What are your plans from now on? Xue Ding replied, Most of the Xue family isnt willing to stand with the Wolf King, but we have no choice because of the situation. I want to return to the family and see if I can convince them to rebel. If I cant do that, Ill come to Southern Blue and join your mercenary corps. Thats not a bad idea, Ill be waiting for your news. Qianye turned about and was just about to leave when he saw Xue Wu walking out of an alleyway. What, you want to attack? Xue Wu shook his head with a serious expression. No, I just wanted to ask you to leave Seagaze as soon as possible. Qianye smiled. Driving me away now? Xue Wu replied, Im not trying to drive you away. Im asking you to give Seagaze some time. I think most families will know what to do after the incident today. At the very least, they will choose to remain neutral next time, but Ill need time to convince certain people. Xue Ding cut in. Just kill anyone whos intent on standing with the Wolf King, why go to so much trouble? Xue Wu sighed. The Wolf King has been in charge for so many years, and all these families have seen their power declining. At this point, most families in Seagaze are just empty husks that will topple over at the slightest touch. Even if we can rebel against the Wolf King, theres still Mask and the Spider Emperor to be cautious of. At that time, our human race will have to rely on ourselves for protection. I hope we can keep losses to a minimum since were already short on experts. Qianye patted Xue Wus shoulder. Youve convinced me, Ill leave this very evening. However, I hope I wont receive the same welcoming party next time. Back in ancient Totemic Castle, the Wolf King appeared in the main hall after several days of cultivation. He broke into a frown as soon as he sat down at the throne, subconsciously twisting his body slightly in the seat. This chair was newly built and, probably due to the rushed craftsmanship, not as comfortable. At this point, all the important characters from the tribe and army had arrived. The Wolf King said, Is there anything important to report today? The werewolves below looked at one another but no one dared to step forward. In the end, it was the new shaman who was pushed out. The wolf slowly passed a stack of papers to the Wolf King and stood silently beside him. The Wolf King flipped through the thick stack of documents and foundto his great impatiencea long list of goods. Whats this about? The shaman replied, A number of merchants have submitted a compensation claim for their lost goods. Compensation!? They actually dare ask me for compensation!? The Wolf King tore the list to shreds and threw the remnants at the werewolves below. These greedy people are crazy, but are you all mad? Why would you need to bring up such a request with me? The werewolves all fell silent. In the end, the new shaman braced himself and spoke up, Great Chief, their request is actually within reason. Regardless of the case, the shaman had to be given a bit of respect. The Wolf King immediately suppressed his anger and asked, Do explain. The great shaman said, According to the rules of the neutral land, the mercenary escort has to compensate the caravan in the case of a robbery. Does this rule apply to our men as well? the Wolf King asked. In truth, the merchants pay us even more than they do ordinary mercenary corps. The Wolf King caught the shamans intentions. He said after a moment of silence, Dont tell me we have to pay, too? The shaman hesitated for a while. Its not that we absolutely have to, but less people will be willing to come to us for escort missions in the future. The Wolf King snorted. Well see who dares to hire other people in my territory! Yes! Thats true. Kill those disobedient humans! The werewolf generals below roared and shouted. They were all blood-thirsty battlemongers who didnt think highly of the human race, and all of them were positively furious about having to pay up. But the tribes shaman, witchdoctors, and those who had managed their own territory remained silent. The Wolf King gestured for the generals to calm down and said to the great shaman, Do you think this will be a problem. The great shaman said slowly, This will only force the merchants to leave faster. Zhang Buzhou might blame you if the human cities start falling into a decline, and it will also affect our income in the long run. Then what should we do? The best method is to destroy Qianyes mercenary corps in Southern Blue. Hes the only one who dares to rob our caravan and our business. He built a mercenary corps in Southern Blue? The Wolf King didnt know about this matter since he was in isolated cultivation. Yes, Qianye brought all of the citys mercenaries together in one night and built a mercenary corps called Dark Flame. They were also the ones who robbed our merchant caravan last time. What is that trash Ji Rui doing? Doesnt he know about such an important matter? The great shaman replied, Reportedly, Ji Rui never showed up that night and also turned a blind eye to Dark Flames subsequent set up and expansion. The Wolf Kings face turned cold. Is this trash intent on turning against me? Perhaps hes powerless to interfere. The great shamans words caused the Wolf King to turn silent. A werewolf general below shouted, Great Chief, whats there to hesitate about? Lets go down to Southern Blue and destroy that whatever mercenary corps, also take down Southern Blue in the process! Shut up!!! The Wolf King struck out from a distance and sent the werewolf flying out of the hall. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 861: Suggestions The werewolves below trembled in the face of the Wolf Kings fury, and no one dared speak a single word. The kings eyes were bloodshot and he was clearly on the verge of an eruption. In the end, he suppressed his anger and said to the shaman, Seek the ancestors will tonight. The shamans expression shifted somewhat, but he didnt dare retort at this moment. Ill do my best. The Wolf King then left the great hall with a harrumph. All the werewolves dispersed thereafter, glancing at the shaman with eyes of sympathy. It wasnt easy for a werewolf to communicate with the will of the ancestors. Even with the help of the tribal totem, the price involved was significant. To borrow their power was even more difficult. The previous great shamans assassination affected the tribe deeply. The successor was much less capable and was only pushed into the spot because there was no better candidate. There was a special inheritance ceremony between shamans. A great shaman would, by means of a certain ritual, transfer part of his power and comprehension to his successor. This handover never took place since the last great shaman was assassinated by Qianye, consequently reducing the power of every new shaman thereafter. Normally, mercenaries would look for work after completing a mission, checking to see whether there were merchant caravans returning to Southern Blue. Being two of the most flourishing human cities, there was never a lack of merchants traveling between them. Frost Wolf was fairly proficient in this regard. By the time Qianye had dispatched the three-family alliance, he had already formed a new caravan and was ready to leave. After Qianyes return, he performed a routine check of the goods being shipped. Quite unexpectedly, the customer was one of the biggest weapon companies in Seagaze. The steward was a chubby, half-bald man with a shiny forehead. Full of smiles, he immediately jogged over to Qianyes side and said, This journey is surely safe with you taking the field personally. My name is Zhuan, Bao Zhuan, you can ask me if you have any questions about the goods. This stewards name was quite auspicious, and he was fairly slick with his words, the type every merchant manager would favor. Qianye walked over to the car and jumped onto the carriage, gesturing for the laborers to open it up for inspection. The vehicle was full of all kinds of origin gun components and staple raw materials, mainly alloy ingots. Qianye scanned the goods with his perception and jumped onto a different truck after finding nothing wrong. There were evidently fewer goods here. In truth, only the lower crates were filled with merchandise, while the rest were empty crates disguised to look the same. Bao Zhuan especially requested Qianye to remain on this car. The mans candid nature gave Qianye a good impression of him. He asked the workers to open the boxes to check its contents. The crates were sealed with an origin wave array that required a complicated procedure to open. Opening them up revealed rows upon rows of origin guns. All of them were finished products, emitting fairly strong origin power fluctuations at the level of grade four or higher. The two crates together made up at least thirty gunsno wonder the chubby Bao Zhuan was nervous. These origin guns were standard assault rifles, but their muzzles were much larger than the standard size. Finding them somewhat familiar, Qianye picked one of them up for careful inspection. The origin arrays installed on the enlarged muzzles were simple but durablethese arrays had only one effect, and that was to increase firepower. The uncomplicated use of materials and additional reinforcement allowed their lifespan to exceed the usual standards of the neutral lands, almost closing in on the empires. At the same time, these guns were fairly close to grade-five in terms of firepower despite being only grade-four, only losing out in range and special effects. That being said, most battles in the neutral lands were sudden, chaotic melees. Hence, range wasnt as important as firepower. Sacrificing some range to boost firepower to grade-five was actually a powerful upgrade in this range. The value of this batch was comparable to that of grade-five firearms, perhaps even higher. The reason being that their consumption was at grade-four standards. The gun in Qianyes hand exuded a vague sense of familiarity, be it in terms of style or origin array. He disassembled the gun and, as expected, found a hand-carved bullet insignia. Qianyes breath accelerated briefly before slowing down. Steward Bao. Bao Zhuan approached him, saying, Just call me Lil Bao. Qianye was stunned. He really couldnt address this bald man nearing his fifties as Lil Bao. Showing the origin gun to Bao Zhuan, he asked, Steward Bao, where did these guns come from? Are you interested in these weapons, Sire? No problem, Ill represent the company in selling to you at a steep discount. Well only take a small fee for labor. Qianye shook his head. No, I want to know where it came from and when these goods were manufactured. Sire, are you interested in the firearm trade? Bao Zhuan asked cautiously. I have no interest in the business, only this batch of guns. Bao Zhuan seemed to have understood. These guns are new goods, reportedly from Tidehark. Such guns have never appeared in the market before, so our company bought them all out after an executive in Tidehark discovered it. Reportedly, theyre from the city lords own weapon factory. Very good. Qianye tossed the gun back into the crate. Lets set out, we wont rest along the way. Okay! Bao Zhuan seemed fairly spirited as he prepared to set out. Less time on the road meant less danger. Some exhaustion was nothing compared to safety. How could there be such a powerful escort during normal times? The only risk was the Wolf Kings retaliation, but news of the battle in the city had spread. It could be said that Qianye had awed all of the families with one battle. The Wolf King would need to send more men over if he wanted revenge. Hence, a swift journey meant that they were more likely to get away from this retaliatory episode. The only thing Bao Zhuan wanted was to get the goods delivered. He had no interest in other matters since the Wolf Kings revenge was targeted at Qianye. Amidst the stewards yelling, the caravan drove out of Seagaze and advanced toward Southern Blue in a majestic manner. There were many eyes on the caravan during its departure, expressing all kinds of emotionsincluding killing intent. Yet, none of them really dared to take action from the beginning up until the end. The caravan left Seagaze and wound its way over the vast horizon. Only at this point did those prying eyes fade away grudgingly. Within Seagaze, there was a group of old men gathered in a teahouse with two hundred years of history. The decor of the room was simple, natural, and elegant. There were no gaudy embellishments, and the furniture was made of natural wood or stone materials, carved according to their veined patterns. They were works of art in and of themselves. There were only a couple of teapots on the table, not even fruits, and the single cup in front of each elder was filled with clear, jade-colored liquid. Outside the chamber, there were two beautiful maids preparing a new brew, cautiously following an established procedure to open up the tea boxes. The two tea boxes were locked with arrays and couldnt be opened without origin power. Surprisingly, these two maids were rank-five in cultivation. The origin arrays on the box worked to maintain the internal environment of the container. It was difficult to preserve tea in the extreme environs of the neutral landsthe highest quality leaves would change taste after just a short period of exposure. With even the box so valuable, there was no need to talk about the tea inside. Hence, despite the lack of snacks, the wisp of lingering fragrance in the tearoom was enough to soothe ones spirit. Those capable of enjoying tea here were naturally extraordinary people. The leading elder among them wore an imposing expression, the deep creases on his forehead exuding an aura of might, almost as though they were carved with blades. That was the Xue familys current clan lord, Xue Fulun. The other old men were of illustrious backgrounds as well, most of them either clan lords or grand elders. It could be said that the words of the dozen old men could and would decide the direction of Seagaze City. A thin old man sitting across Xue Fulun said gloomily, Third Master Xue is a great loss! Xue Fuluns expression was unsightly. Cant help it that his skills were inferior. The thin old man spoke again, I heard that not only did Third Master Xue not receive reinforcements, but he was also stabbed in the back by one of his own. That was the reason he had fallen. I wonder what that was all about? Xue Fulun replied expressionlessly, Its just hearsay, not trustworthy. Is that so? Then I must be overthinking it, haha! The old mans satisfied laughter contained some implications, causing Xue Fulun to turn livid for a brief moment. This thin elder was the Wang familys grand elder. In terms of seniority, he was half a generation higher. The Wang family was ranked second in Seagaze City, right after the Xue. Throughout the years that the Wolf King had been suppressing the human race, the Xue family had suffered the most pressure. Although the Wang had also sustained some losses, they suffered much fewer casualties. As the saying goes, a mountain cannot be home to two tigers. The Xue and Wang families seemed friendly on the surface but were actually competing all the time in private. Now with the death of Third Master Xue and his lineal descendants, in addition to Xue Dings betrayal of the Wolf King, the gap between them and the Wang family was growing closer than it ever was. That was also why this grand elder felt that he had found the opportunity to stir up trouble. This was a display for the smaller families to see, notifying them that the power balance in Seagaze was about to change. The head of a smaller family said, Are we going to let that Qianye leave? What else can we do? The clan head from before replied, All of us can work together! If we move out in full force, well surely be able to detain him. Letting such a person go is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. [1] Zhuan means Earn. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 862: Lets Go Together However, another clan lord shook his head. A combined attack is easy to say, but thats a fierce character were talking about. This kind of loss isnt something our small families can bear. These words resonated with a lot of people. A trembling old man sighed. Ive lived here for over a hundred years. This city, these people, these families have never changed before. It was the same when Heavenly Monarch Zhang arrived, and no different when the Wolf King came. With this Qianyes arrival, however, the Zhu family was immediately wiped out. This time, theres no telling which family will suffer the same fate. The Zhu family was a minor family with sufficient status to attend this meeting, but the previous battle had deprived them of their clan lord, elders, and almost all their experts. Although their servants and descendants were still alive, they could no longer maintain their status. All the elders at the scene offered words of sorrow and blame. Xue Fulun frowned slightly but said nothing, while the Wang familys grand elder continued to berate Qianyes rudeness and barbarism. After a round of clamor, an elder finally asked the key question, What are we going to do about the Wolf Kings command? A diverse flood of confused opinions appearedsome were of a mind to obey the powerful Wolf King, while others wanted to go the extra mile and assail Southern Blue. There were also people who felt that Qianye shouldnt be provoked and that they should drag this matter on until the situation was clear. After a long episode of back and forth, there wasnt a single family willing to oppose the Wolf King. These elders were all opinionated and obstinate with no intention of yielding. Hence, the discussion soon turned into a fight. This was about the usual time for the Xue and Wang families to express their stance, and normally, there would be an outcome whenever Xue Fulun spoke up. But for some reason, Xue Funlun remained completely silent today, and it seemed like there would be no outcome no matter how fiercely they argued. The Wang family grand elder wanted to hunt Qianye down, but he failed to convince everyone. As clever as he was, he understood that there was a fair gap between his family and the Xue in everyones eyes. On the other hand, the Zhu familys near-annihilation had frightened all of the smaller families, and no one was willing to fight to the death with Qianye. Thus, night fell upon the city and the tea party dispersed without a conclusion. This was quite a common occurrence, actually, with eight out of ten tea gatherings passing in such a manner. One day and night passed by before Southern Blue appeared once again in Qianyes vision. The guard on the city wall had also discovered the approaching caravan. The ballista turret gradually turned around and took cautious aim at the motorcade. Things could be considered safe at this point, so Qianye soared into the air and flew toward the city without wasting more time. Recognizing Qianye, the sharp sentry below slapped down the other soldier who was trying to aim at the flying target. Are you blind? Cant you see that its Sire Qianye!? Qianye paid no heed to the short interlude below and merely rushed on. The Dark Flame headquarters had transformed once more during this short while. Under Ji Tianqings threats and rewards, the owners of the nearby courtyards moved away obediently. They had no choice, either, because Ji Tianqing had constructed two cannon turrets right off the bat. The feeling of being observed from above and constantly aimed at by cannons wasnt great. The new Dark Flame headquarters became half the size of the city lord manor following this integration. Guan Zhongliu came to observe the place secretly but left with an ashen face. Despite his anger, he was still able to control himself and avoid responding to Ji Tianqings provocations. The latter was only in charge of planning, while the actual coordination, dispatch, and construction work were done by Song Zining. Fortunately, the seventh young master had numerous talented subordinates, and the members of the Ningyuan group were far more skilled than the neutral-land riff-raffs. Within days, all of the plans had turned into blueprints, and the supply channels had been established for large scale construction. Things progressed quickly once the building had begun. Song Zining had no intention of letting the thousands of Dark Flame members remain idle. Everyone was given a set of instruments and turned into temporary construction workers. This kind of manual labor was an embarrassment to these mercenaries, but with Miss Ji Tianqing around, these people understood that being alive was actually more important. At this point, a good chunk of Southern Blue had turned into a construction site as mercenary groups of all sizes engaged in relocation and renovation. The space that came from their move was left for the construction of potential firearms and airship parts factories. Qianye circled around but couldnt find Song Zining, so he simply returned to the headquarters to stock up on ammunition. After resupplying, he made ready to leave Southern Blue once again. Just as he was flying over the city walls, a lasso suddenly flew up from below and latched onto Qianyes feet. This ambush arrived so suddenly that Qianye actually couldnt evade. The cord was then pulled down violently, dragging Qianyes body along with it. The latter wasnt afraid at allhe simply followed the force since he wanted to see who was brave enough to ambush him inside Southern Blue. Bang! Qianye smashed down like a cannonball, and his feet sunk half a meter into the ground. The nearby people swayed and staggered due to the intense vibrations. However, there was nothing on the other end of the rope as the assailant had long since vanished. Qianye had no clue how this person had attacked or how she had vanished. It was at this time that the skin on Qianyes shoulder shuddered with an odd sensation. Unmoved, Qianye circulated and covered his shoulder with blood energy. A fair hand appeared out of nowhere and landed on Qianyes shoulder, followed by Ji Tianqings voice, Officer, are you leaving again? How come you didnt bring me Ah!!! Her hand pulled back immediately after striking his shoulder, almost as though she had just touched a red-hot piece of iron. Ji Tianqing glanced at her hand to find a patch of black on her exquisite white palm. The skin there had been charred black, and she could feel waves of burning pain coming from it, so much so that she couldnt help blowing on it. Ouch, ouch! How can you do this to me!? Ji Tianqings eyes became watery, almost as though she would start crying the next moment. She blew on her hand and shook it several times but to no avail. She thus pouted her lips and stretched her hand toward Qianye. This how can this be? Qianye hadnt imagined things would turn out this way. This was the first time he had used his dark golden blood energy for protection. In the past, he would only send a wisp of blood energy into the enemys body. He had only planned to let Ji Tianqing suffer a bit, but charring her entire palm seemed somewhat overboard. What he couldnt understand was how could his dark golden blood energyno matter how powerful it washurt someone of Ji Tianqings cultivation? Up until this point, he still couldnt see through her cultivation or rank. It almost seemed like her cultivation level depended on her mood. If she wanted to show three origin vortices, he would see three; or five if she wanted to show five. She could even produce a couple of divine champion origin crystals for Qianye to see. Qianye could at least tell that she was a divine champion. Since he couldnt tell the exact level, he decided it best to stop guessing. Now that her hand was truly charred, Qianye had no other choice but to take her hand close to his mouth and blow lightly on the injury. The wisps of dark golden blood energy lingering on her hand were drawn away by Qianyes breath, returning to his body obediently. If these blood energy strands werent taken back or cleared away, they would go on to burn her entire right hand. Her injury was nine parts resolved after the retraction of the blood energy, leaving only flesh wounds that would heal in a couple of hours. Qianye was thinking about letting go when Ji Tianqing said, Thats all? Ah, yeah thats all, I guess? Her odd expression made Qianye doubt his judgment for the first time. He activated the Eye of Truth and scanned her injuries with his perception, heaving a sigh of relief to find that there wasnt any leftover blood energy. Ji Tianqing waved her hand in front of Qianye and said, Doesnt feel better at all! Qianye was startled. This youll have to rely on yourself for that. With Ji Tianqings cultivation, this small injury would vanish in a matter of minutes if she would just circulate her secret healing arts. Her physical parameters naturally werent as powerful as Qianyes, but the power and miraculous effects of her secret arts were far above him. He simply refused to believe that she couldnt heal herself. However, Ji Tianqing moved her hand in front of his face. Not to mention using a secret art, she wouldnt even use her origin power to initiate healing. Feeling quite helpless, Qianye had no choice but to use the most primitive method to heal her. He fished out his military knife and scraped away the charred parts over the new flesh before blowing a mouthful of Venus Dawn energy onto it. Venus Dawn was almost the peak of all daybreak origin power and was highly beneficial to the growth of the human body. The flesh on Ji Tianqings palm began growing back at a visible pace until it was good as new, but even then, the Venus Dawn hadnt been used up. Qianye knew at a glance that Ji Tianqing hadnt used her own origin power at all and was no stronger than an ordinary person at this point. Without the support of her own origin power, the effect of Qianyes Venus Dawn would need to be restrained. Otherwise, rapid regeneration would only lead to necrosis. Tianqing, you need to activate your origin power. How do I do that? Ji Tianqing glanced at Qianye with wide eyes, almost as though she didnt understand anything. You need to ah, Ill just do it myself. Feeling helpless, he brought out a bandage and dressed her hand. One would be hard-pressed to see this kind of primitive healing method on a champion-level expert since their bodies had already gone through an all-round upgrade and origin power was the foundation for everything. Even heavy injuries would heal as long as they had enough origin power. Some powerful healing medicines were deemed panaceas because they served to replenish vast amounts of origin power. Ji Tianqing looked at her bandaged hand with great interest. Qianye stood up, saying, Your wounds are fine now, I should leave. Where are you going? Ill tell you when I return. Where are you going? Ji Tianqing asked repeatedly. The look in her large, radiant eyes told Qianye that he wouldnt be able to leave the city without satisfying her curiosity. Im going to Tidehark to rescue someone. Big city, rescue, I like! Go on, be more specific. This isnt a joke, Im going to the city lords weapons factory. I heard this person is Zhang Buzhous trusted aide and a divine champion. A firearms place overseen by an expert, thats even better! I like it. Im coming along, its settled! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 863: Pin-Pointing Moments later, Qianye and Ji Tianqing headed north from Southern Blue. He knew there was no stopping anything this young miss was set on doing. At first, she was supposed to monitor the reorganization of the mercenaries in the city, but she had pushed aside such an important job without a second thought. Qianye tried to object in a tactful manner since Dark Flame could be considered the foundation of their new nation. Nonetheless, Ji Tianqing had an excuseshe wanted to let those disloyal people take action during this short absence and round them all up after her holiday. Ji Tianqings words were fairly tyrannical and she did look the part, but she also let slip her true thoughts by describing the journey as a holiday. The two arrived outside of Tidehark a couple of days later. This was nominally the number one human city, and also the place where Zhang Buzhou rose to fame. Built along the mountainside less than ten kilometers away from the sea, Tideharks walls and towers stood dozens of meters tallit was a majestic city. Standing side by side outside of the city gates, Qianye reminded one last time. I heard the city lord is a divine champion, we must be careful. Ji Tianqing replied impatiently, Everyone has some way to deal with a divine champion, lets hurry in! Tidehark was different from Seagaze in that there was a certain distance between the city and the sea. The coastline was lined with shoal rocks, most of which were polished until they glistened and shone. Not to mention cities, there wasnt even a single fisherman village or any humans for that matter. The landscape around Tidehark was also different from other cities. The ground fell sharply a few dozen meters beyond the beach, forming an unfathomably deep sea-trench. This allowed even giant sea creatures to make their way near the shore without being discovered. Those brave souls who had dared to wander near the waters had long since been devoured. As dangerous as the beach was, the mountain behind Tidehark was actually a holy land for cultivation. The converging leylines meant that there were several large ore-veins hidden beneath the hills, and these veins would react with the void origin power outside, allowing for a large amount of relatively gentle origin power to accumulate here. It was indeed a peerless cultivation heaven. Zhang Buzhou had cultivated in seclusion here when he was young and rose to fame in one battle after becoming a divine champion. Hence, more and more people gathered here, making Tidehark the bustling number one human city it was today. Zhang Buzhou no longer needed the environment here, so he left the Eastern Sea for isolated cultivation and was never heard from again. He left one of his past followers in Tidehark to serve as its lord. The city lord Luo Bingfeng had never taken action in his thirty years of becoming a champion. No one knew what rank he was at because he had been cultivating in Zhang Buzhous old cave residence all this time. Some even made guesses that Luo Bingfeng had already caught up to Zhang Buzhou and was preparing himself to assail the heavenly monarch realm. Although not many people believe this, it was widely accepted that Luo Bingfengs strength was unfathomable. This was also the reason why the Wolf King remained in check despite probing the human races bottom line constantly. Qianyes current target was Luo Bingfengs weapons factory, so they had to be discreet. Even if the man wasnt home at the moment, provoking a powerful enemy wasnt a smart move at all. Bao Zhuans weapons were mostly produced by Cui Yuanhai. Qianye had planned to rely on his Bloodline Concealment ability to find the old man and take him away covertly. This young lady, however, seemed to be itching for a battleand maybe even to meet Luo Bingfeng himself. Qianye laughed wryly. He could only hope that the girl would have some powerful trick up her sleeve if the man actually appeared. Tidehark was a majestic city, and there was never a shortage of people passing through its many gates. Qianye and Ji Tianqing followed the flow of people and easily arrived inside the city. The latter grabbed a passerby and asked, Wheres the best guesthouse in the city? The man glanced at Ji Tianqing with spirited eyes. There are too many guesthouses in the city, but if you say the best guesthouse, then it has to be Cloudborn Inn. Thats an extraordinary place where Zhang Buzhou once stayed for a period of time. His courtyard remains untouched even today The passerby wanted to keep on talking, but Ji Tianqing waved her hand at him and swaggered off. Startled, the man gave chase, saying, Miss, miss! Im surnamed Zhou, my names Miss? Ji Tianqing had long since vanished. The passerby looked about but to no avail. In the end, he stomped his feet angrily and said, Whats so good about that little brat? This young master owns property in this city! The angry passerby had long since been forgotten as Ji Tianqing ran through the streets and alleys with Qianye in tow. After a long while of running, Qianye realized that something wasnt right and halted his steps. Ji Tianqing also had to stop because she was holding Qianyes hand this whole time. Where are we going? Ji Tianqing blinked innocently. Cloudborn Inn! Do you know where it is? Didnt that man say so just now? He only said theres a Cloudborn Inn, but not where it was located. Really? Yes! Qianye wasnt going to give her a chance. Ji Tianqing shrugged with a sigh. Fine, lets just take a stroll around here until we find it. Qianye finally confirmed that they were running about randomly just now. He couldnt help but raise his hands, not knowing how to express his emotions. In the end, he said, Tianqing, Im here to save someone. I know, but wont we need to familiarize ourselves with the lay of the land for that? Thats not wrong, but Judging from Ji Tianqings guilty appearance, Qianye couldnt bear to utter more words of blame. He sighed, saying, Go and take a stroll after we get to the inn. I want to check on the location and defenses of the weapons factory. Ji Tianqing looked depressed as she shook her head. Thats no fun, lets get our main job over with first. Qianye felt puzzled, but Ji Tianqing had always been unfathomable and mysterious. No one knew what her real emotions were. Cloudborn Inn was indeed the best guesthouse in the entirety of Tidehark. The two quickly found their way there after asking around a bit. This was a guesthouse built in the style of imperial aristocratic families, with every brick and roof tile tastefully chosen. As someone who had been to the Zhao and Song residences before, he could tell that the imitation here was fairly well-done, a rare sight in the neutral lands. Ji Tianqing seemed quite satisfied with the place. She immediately asked the attendant to prepare a quiet little courtyard and checked into it with Qianye. The little compound was fairly clean and included a weather control array, allowing green bamboo to grow around the patio. The room down to its decor and choice of vases was also fairly exquisite. The young miss nodded in satisfaction. This place is passable. Qianye had grown up accustomed to the wilderness, so he didnt care much for the quality of his lodgings. After settling in, he quickly left the inn to investigate the location of the weapons factory. Luo Bingfengs factories were naturally the biggest in Tidehark, occupying an entire street block. While relatively easy to locate, such an important area was naturally well-guarded. The workshop was adjacent to the city guard barracks, and there were sentry turrets on all four corners of the compound. There were also soldiers patrolling the walls. The external defensive measures werent that big of an issue, but Qianye knew for sure that there were experts overseeing the place, and there might be more than just one. The problem was that Qianye wasnt really familiar with Tidehark, nor did he have any contacts here. He thus had no idea regarding the internal structure of the factory. He had no way to find out whether Cui Yuanhai was inside, much less his location, schedule, and habits. Hiding in the crowd, Qianye walked around the entire factory and mapped out a general outline of the interior before returning. Found him? Ji Tianqing inquired. Qianye nodded. But I dont know where the old man lives. The compound is fairly big and I have no one to ask. Are you sure hes inside? Qianye replied, Hes in there, but theres a fairly complex array inside preventing my perception from finding the location. Ji Tianqing smiled meaningfully. If we can find the old man, do you plan to snatch him and make an escape? This Qianye didnt know what to say. In truth, that was a fairly normal choice. With Qianyes combat strength, launching a surprise attack at the most opportune moment was the best way. When the time comes, he would leave Tidehark with Cui Yuanhai and either find a place to hide him or return to Southern Blue. Ji Tianqing would surely notice the great commotion in the city and return on her own later on. But for some reason, Qianye felt a bit guilty under her bright gaze. It was almost as though he was doing her some injustice. Fine, no need to reply. In a rare change of character, Ji Tianqing decided to let Qianye off. She quickly packed up her compact luggage and caused it to vanish with a pat. Qianye wasnt really too surprised that she possessed spatial equipment. Since were sure that the man is here, lets raid the base at night, said Ji Tianqing. But how do we pinpoint the location? Qianye frowned. He knew he wasnt stronger than Ji Tianqing in the field of perception. I have my ways. The young miss wasnt willing to divulge anything. The silent night soon fell upon the city as Qianye and Ji Tianqing arrived beside the weapons factory. They jumped into the compound and, from atop one of the cannon turrets, got a good view of the entire place. Being able to hide from the guards wasnt enoughQianyes perception was still messed up and unable to find out the old mans location. At this moment, the workshops were still well lit and the smiths inside were busy working. Ji Tianqing rose halfway into the air and unleashed a loud cry, Cui Yuanhai, come out. Were here to save you! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 864: Storming The young miss voice was clear, resounding, and highly penetrative. It not only covered the entire weapons factory but also rang through half of Tidehark. The result was easily imaginable. Chaos ensued in the entire arms workshop. Like startled wasps, countless soldiers flooded out from every unexpected corner, and the snowy white light from the glaring origin lamps swept through the entire compound, leaving no dead angle untouched. Tideharks reaction was a step slower, but the cannon turrets were already responding. The giant ballista loaded with homing bolts was slowly turning around toward the weapons factory. The swift reaction truly made one sigh in admiration. In addition to the airtight defenses in the factory interior, the surrounding cannon turrets were also well-thought-out and capable of covering the air above the factory. If someone wanted to escape from the weapons factory, they would suffer at least two rounds of ballista-fire even if they fled into the air. Add to that the spying experts in the shadows, it could be said that no one below the divine champion realm would be having an easy time here. The weapons factory itself wasnt a treasure trove. Its true value lay in its employed talents, intricate machinery, and excellent working environment. Robbing this place wasnt worth the effort unless one could move everything away. After unleashing that shout, Ji Tianqing stood in the air, allowing the beams of snowy light to sweep past her in a show of extreme arrogance. Only at this point did Qianye understand that the surprise attack she was talking about was highly literal. Actually, her actions could no longer be summed up by the word surprise attack since she was giving her enemies ample time to react. Finally, there were people dissatisfied with Ji Tianqings arrogance. Three somber auras shot up abruptly from each corner of the factory, powerful and overflowing with killing intent. It was an impressive lineup of rank-fifteen experts. There was a faint resonance between these three, which indicated that they had cultivated a certain cooperative secret art that could amplify each others power. The three auras were like three giant nets that blocked their retreat in every direction, leaving only one empty spot. And that direction led straight to Luo Bingfengs residence. Any intruder with half a brain would avoid diving headfirst into such a trap. Seeing that the enemy had fully assembled, Qianye sighed in secret. He knew his plans today had gone awry. If the true experts of Tidehark were to arrive, it wasnt a certainty if the two of them could escape, let alone rescue the prisoner. Qianye reached out to pull Ji Tianqing, hoping to escape with her. Although this young miss had foiled his plans, he couldnt just sit by and watch her fall into enemy hands. However, Qianyes hands struck empty air! Ji Tianqiang drifted toward the weapons factory, almost like a weightless leaf or cotton thread. She had evaded Qianyes grab with such a simple floating movement. Ive found him! Stop the enemy! Saying thus, Ji Tianqing descended rapidly and vanished into the chaos of the factory. Qianye knew not how she had managed to find Cui Yuanhai, but there was no time to ask. The only thing he could do now was to trust her words. Three figures shooting out from each corner of the factory were startled. They were locked onto Ji Tianqing at first, but they suddenly lost track of herit was as though the original existence was merely an illusion. Frantic, they scanned the weapons factory with their perception in hopes of finding her. Qianye, of course, couldnt let them do as they wished. He whipped out his sniper rifle and fired four rounds, a pair of wings unfurling behind him as he did so! Empowered by the Wings of Inception, one of the origin bullets whistled toward an empty area. The other three brushed past one of the experts, shocking him out of his wits and effectively alerting the trio of Qianyes existence. It was just that the marksmanship was seemingly quite poor, and the projectiles were so far off their mark that the experts didnt feel the need to evade. Four balls of flame erupted in the night sky. The explosions came from the four cannon turrets surrounding the weapons factory, explosions so violent that they actually flung the cannons away. Four giant blazes shot into the air, shattering the darkness of the night and illuminating half of Tidehark City. Only then did the three men realize that Qianye wasnt aiming at them but at the turrets instead. Embarrassed and angry, they gave up on finding Ji Tianqing and pounced toward Qianye. Each of them delivered a punch along the way, the resultant deluge of origin power converged to form a formless net over Qianye. As expected, they had cultivated a mutually empowering secret art and could work together without a single opening. Hence, the pressure while facing off against the trio wasnt inferior to Ji Rui. Qianye had never fought such enemies before. Having made a quick decision, East Peak appeared almost instantly in his hands with flames shrouding its sharp edge. He wanted to borrow the might of his sword to tear open the origin power net. Although a melee fight was advantageous for him, Qianye instinctively wanted to avoid entering the workshops, opting instead to fight in the air where he was relatively weaker. East Peak drew an arc of scarlet radiance through the night sky, ripping the large net of origin power into two. He then shot out from the opening like a cannonball and duly escaped the cage. It was at this moment that a certain gaze arrived on Qianyes body. As though his entire body had been drenched in cold water, he froze up and fell sharply to the ground. This felt similar to when he was locked onto by the mysterious existence in the Eastern Sea, the only difference being their intensity. Qianyes body fell like a leaden rock and looked like it would smash into the central courtyard of the factory. A series of dark red patterns appeared on the ground at this moment, apparently a major origin array. Qianyes instincts were screaming at him to leave this place. One could easily imagine that the outcome of falling into the array wasnt going to be good. During this moment of danger, the dark golden blood energy in his body erupted like an infuriated beast and unleashed a penetrative howl! In the blink of an eye, the dark golden blood energy swept over his entire body like a raging tide and wiped away the effects of the cold gaze on his body. It was an extremely tyrannical display. It was just that the dark golden energy arrived a tad too late. Qianye was no more than ten meters from the ground at this moment, and the fully-activated array dragged him downward. Ji Tianqings figure flickered into vision just as he was about to fall into the array, wrapping an arm around Qianye as she tread gently on the center of the array. Rings of faint light spread dozens of meters outward, turning the red color of the array dark green wherever it passed. Even the operational rules of the array were modified. In the blink of an eye, that terrifying attractive force turned into a surging propulsion that hurled them hundreds of meters into the air and over the walls of Tidehark. She tugged on a long black cord during the ascent, dragging a black silhouette on the other end of the cable along with them. The development was so sudden that neither the guards, the three overseeing experts, nor the arriving reinforcements could do anything. It seemed like they would fly out of the city just like that. The geography around Tidehark City was fairly complicated with rising hills and falling slopes. If these two people could sneak in quietly, it proved that they could leave just as easily. No one was confident about finding them in the dark night. Humph! It was at this time that everyone heard a faint, almost angry sound. Their hearts skipped a beat. The cold gaze that had caused Qianye to fall from the sky appeared from a distant mountaintop, encompassing Qianye and Ji Tianqing like a giant net. Qianyes brows rose up as he retrieved Heartgrave from his back and made to confront the enemy with the Pointer Monarchs weapon! However, Ji Tianqing hugged Qianye tightly and made a half-turn, bringing her in direct sight of the cold intent. She neither dodged nor blocked, but instead brought out a command token which she waved at the distant mountaintop. With a vague interjection of surprise, the killing intent within the cold gaze immediately dispersed. Ji Tianqing put away the command token and shouted, Fly away, quick! Qianye naturally wouldnt let go of such a good opportunityhe circulated his origin power and sped away, leaving a trail of scarlet sparks. In the span of a few breaths, two figures suddenly appeared in the air where Qianye and Ji Tianqing had been standinga man of imposing demeanor and a lady possessing outstanding beauty and elegance. The man snorted. What a sly junior, I actually fell for their trick! Humph, do they think I cant capture them? At this moment, Qianye had already left with Ji Tianqing, leaving only specks of scarlet light in the air. Having seen through Qianye with his lightning-sharp eyes, the man turned toward the direction in which they had fled. The lady didnt seem angry, however. She picked up a plume of scarlet flame and began observing it curiously. The lingering plume of Venus Dawn lit up in her hand and attracted hundreds of othersthe dancing lights flew around her, adding a bit of mystique to her refined beauty. Seeing the man probing around, she smiled faintly. Its probably too late if you give chase now. Youll be giving that man a reason to laugh at you if you fail. Thats not good for your reputation. The mans eyes turned cold. These two juniors seem to know that I cant leave this place. This matter is highly important, and only a few people know about it. How did they find out? I must investigate this matter thoroughly once I get back! The girl smiled. It has been so many years, but your temper still hasnt improved. Those two are quite interesting, itll be a pity if you chase them down and kill them. Look carefully, do you see what this is? Only at this point did he notice the scarlet spark in the ladys hands. His eyes froze as he gave the object a careful look. Venus Dawn!? The lady sighed. Indeed it is, and its purity is far above my own. You can say that this spark is my lifes dream, but unfortunately, it doesnt belong to me. The man said in a gloomy voice, Since thats the case, lets capture him and make him spit out his cultivation art! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 865: Barbarian Actually, Qianye and Ji Tianqing were hiding in a shallow ditch nearby, the landscape serving to break their pursuers line of sight. There was a certain person lying immobile behind them. Ji Tianqing had covered him up with a strange green cloth that insulated his aura entirely. According to her, this person was Cui Yuanhai, and she had simply knocked him out to prevent the man from moving about. At this moment, Qianye and Ji Tianqing were huddled up together, and the latter was still pushing herself into his arms. There was no helping it because Luo Bingfengs perception and gaze were exceptionally sharp, capable of covering long distances in an instant. He would sense even the slightest of hints. Qianye was circulating Bloodline Concealment to the maximum extent, reducing his aura until it was as indistinct as the common earth rat. This served well for deception. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, didnt have this kind of power, so there was still a bit of aura leaking out constantly. She might be able to fool an ordinary expert, but it was far from enough against Luo Bingfeng. Qianye had no other choice but to cover her body with his own, hoping to reduce the outflow of aura as much as possible. The only aura-concealing cloth she had had been used to cover the old man, so she had nothing to hide herself with. The two thus shrunk cautiously into the pit, hiding in a simple and primitive manner. If only Luo Bingfeng would fly a hundred or so meters into the air, he would probably see Qianye and Ji Tianqing. Nonetheless, the man and woman never moved after appearing there. The lady giggled with her mouth covered. Look at your identity! How dare you think about robbing a junior. Besides, a single miss in cultivation is as good as a mile, even more so for someone with a special constitution like mine. Even if you manage to get his cultivation art, I might not be able to use it. Even if you cant use it, we can still borrow it and use it for reference. Luo Bingfeng was fairly obstinate. Helpless, the woman sighed. A cultivation art like that is no doubt a peerless item, you should know even better how valuable it is. Even if you manage to borrow it, itll be too great of a favor. Dont even think about cheating other people. Even though weve fallen to this state, we cannot lose our ideals. The man nodded. Rest assured, Ill bring out sufficient compensation. Itll be fine as long as hes tactful, and Ill even owe him a favor. But if hes not smart, dont blame me for being merciless. Ji Tianqing poked Qianye and asked in lip-language, What art do you cultivate? It sounds really powerful! ... A very ordinary art. You think Ill believe you? Im really speaking the truth. And nothing but the truth it wasthe Combatant Formula was a staple art that anyone in the empire could cultivate, and the Song Clan Ancient Scroll wasnt really important to the Song clan, either. It was obvious from how easily Song Zining had brought it out. Ji Tianqiang was apparently skeptical. She gave him a fierce glare, indicating that she would settle this score after going back. At this point, Luo Bingfeng had scanned the area several times to no avail. He finally took the ladys hand and vanished, shaking his head helplessly as he did so. Qianye didnt act carelessly, though. He slowly released Ji Tianqing and performed a hand signal at her. He then picked up the cloth-wrapped old man and tread forward while Ji Tianqing followed silently from behind. The two moved at the speed of ordinary humans, and it took them half of the night before the piercing sensation from their backs faded away. Only then did Qianye heave a sigh of relief, knowing that he had left Luo Bingfengs perception range. Ji Tianqing was also pale. It would seem the entire nights torment had done a fair number on her. For a while longer, they traveled quietly with none of them speaking a word. Luo Bingfengs perception range and his ability to attack just by looking were far beyond anyones imagination. This city lord had kept himself well-hidden, and his methods were unfathomable. He seemed unable to leave Tidehark for some reason, and that was the only reason the duo had managed to flee. Otherwise, there was no telling what their fate would be. Qianye might be able to escape with the combination of Spatial Flash and Bloodline Concealment, but it was impossible to do so with Cui Yuanhai in tow. Qianye soon found a cave, in which he put down the man on his back and unraveled the cloth. It was indeed Cui Yuanhai inside the clothhe was still unconscious and even his breathing and heartbeat had stopped. Nonetheless, there were wisps of faint origin power flowing gently around his heart and throughout his entire body, probably a life-saving measure Ji Tianqing had set up for the old man. The young miss walked over and struck Cui Yuanhais chest with her palm. Her origin power stimulated his vitality, awakening his heart and blood flow, but sending him into a deep sleep. After undergoing a state of disguised death, what he really needed was rest. There were no signs of abuse or beatings on the mans body, and neither were there any restrictions on his origin power. He seemed fairly well except for some weakness. It would seem that he was at least treated well in the Tidehark weapons factory. Feeling relieved after checking on Cui Yuanhais status, Qianye thought of something else. You said you have a way to deal with the divine champion, did you mean that command token? Ji Tianqiang was quite generousshe whipped out the token and tossed it to Qianye, saying, You can have it! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry after giving it a glance. This was more an iron slab than it was a command token. There were two words carved into it: Buzhou. Judging from the words, this was probably an imitation of Zhang Buzhous command seal. The problem was that even Qianye could see how badly written the two words were. It wasnt even a proper carving! As the leader of the human race in the neutral lands, there was no way Zhang Buzhous command token would be this lousy. One would be hard-pressed to fool a child with this token, yet it had managed to deceive the city lord of Tidehark. This command token Qianye simply couldnt figure out what was so special about it. There was nothing unique about it from the inside out. Even its material was the most ordinary of iron, the type that would rust after a day or two. This is an imitation of Zhang Buzhous personal command seal, I spent an entire silver coin to get it carved. Qianye was speechless. This is how Zhang Buzhous token looks? Qianye was finding it hard to believe that a character who had cultivated to such a stage would appreciate this ugly design. Of course not, Ive never even seen how the mans token looks like. I just made it up randomly, its fine as long as the words Buzhou are there. It doesnt matter what we think as long as the other party thinks it looks similar. Qianye realized the trick here. Ji Tianqing had used a certain secret art to interfere with Luo Bingfengs perception, making him believe that this was Zhang Buzhous personal command token. This made the man hesitate, allowing the two of them to escape. With Luo Bingfengs cultivation, he naturally wouldve sensed something off about the situation. That was why he had come after them later on. Nonetheless, the delay afforded the escapees enough time to prepare and hide. Qianye had rarely, if ever, seen someone of Luo Bingfengs determination, perception, and ability. Being able to deceive such a person meant that Ji Tianqings unassuming secret art was quite terrifying. In truth, this art wasnt entirely newher true appearance and cultivation had always been a mystery. All this time, Qianye could only remember that she was a beautiful lady. As for how beautiful she was and what made her so, he couldnt put his finger on it. If even Qianye was in this state, there was no need to talk about other people. Despite her mysterious origins, Ji Tianqing had always stood by him since her debut. The occasional interaction between them had always been of mutual assistance. Hence, Qianye paid little heed to her identity. Every expert had secrets, and knowing more wasnt always a good thing. Qianye put Heartgrave and East Peak back into Andruils space and returned the green cloth to Ji Tianqing. He then picked up Cui Yuanhai and made ready to return to Southern Blue. However, Ji Tianqing didnt move, and her eyes remained fixated on Qianyes necklace. Whats wrong? Qianye felt odd. Ji Tianqing only came to after hearing Qianyes voice. Nothing, Ill tell you when we go back. Nodding, Qianye began running toward Southern Blue. He didnt think Ji Tianqing was interested in this necklace in particular. Even if he were to give Andruils Mysterious Realm to her, she couldnt use it without the corresponding bloodline. Additionally, she owned similar equipment of her own that wasnt inferior to this pendant. The two ran swiftly on the ground, lest Luo Bingfengs men sense them in the air. Running on the ground was faster, anyway. Only those close to the heavenly monarch realm or people with Zhang Boqians space traversal powers could fly faster than running. Seeing Ji Tianqing keeping up with him at a steady pace, Qianye felt a rush of youthful competitiveness come over him. He began acceleratinggoing faster and fasterbut Ji Tianqing was still able to follow him. Qianye secretly felt surprised and wanted to test her limits. As such, he unleashed his full physical strength prowess and dashed off, covering dozens of meters with each leap. At this point, Ji Tianqing could no longer maintain her literal walk-in-the-park demeanor. Numerous afterimages appeared behind her as she strove to keep up with Qianye, flashing hundreds of meters with each step. Seeing her finally use a secret art, Qianye felt a sense of relief. He was, after all, a specialist in physical strength and couldwith the aid of origin poweroutlast Ji Tianqings secret art. Qianye would be the winner in speed if she couldnt bring out an even higher-grade skill. She might have other secret arts, but Qianye possessed Spatial Flash as well. So, he was quite confident in victory. He had known her for some time, but this was the first time Qianye had the upper hand against her. He couldnt help but feel a rush of delight as he slowed down somewhat. Ji Tianqing caught up and said through clenched teeth, Vulgar! barbarian! Not elegant at all! Qianye knew she was cursing him for claiming victory by brute force. A win was nonetheless a win, and this was a fact that couldnt be changed. So, he simply allowed her to spout criticisms as he sped toward Southern Blue with a smile. Southern Blue came into view at noon the next day. The two had run thousands of kilometers without rest, and even Qianye was feeling somewhat fatigued. Ji Tianqing was rather pale and no longer able to hide her exhaustion. She heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Southern Blue. Im beat! After this, Im going to eat a giant meal and sleep for the entire day! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 866: Difficult Choice It was dusk by the time Cui Yuanhai woke up. Qianye rushed over immediately after getting word and had his men prepare some wine and dishes in the quiet room. Old Man, who wouldve thought? So much time has passed since our last meeting. Qianye felt somewhat emotional. Cui Yuanhai sighed. Had I known this would happen, I wouldve stayed back on the Western Continent to enjoy life. Qianye smiled. With your skills, theres no way you can enjoy peace anywhere, someone will come knocking on your door sooner or later. These words seemed to stir up his emotions. He emptied his glass and said, The reason I fell to this state is because I was impetuous during my youth, believing myself capable of conquering the world with my own hands and refusing the aristocracy. Nonetheless, just the equipment involved in the research of firearms costs tens of thousands of gold coins, not something a single person can afford. Without these things, I had no choice but to rely on myself and the road grew increasingly narrow. Im not different from a smith at this age. Back when Qianye had met the old man, the latter had nothing but a small workshop behind a store, and all the equipment he possessed could fit inside that tiny chamber. That miraculous bullet was something he had hammered out bit by bit. For the current Qianye, however, the design of that bullet was simply a shortcut and not the proper path. The bullet was indeed an intricate work, but its low-grade limited its firepower and could no longer impress the Qianye of today. Cui Yuanhai himself wasnt very strong. Without the aid of powerful machines, his understanding of major arrays and cutting-edge gun arrays was fairly restricted. This had long since become his bottleneck. He improved gradually in certain minor skills, but there was a ceiling to what he could do. Just like how a true expert could no longer use his bullet. Be it in terms of cultivation or expensive equipment, only the rich aristocratic families would have enough resources to support Cui Yuanhais continued progress. However, he was already too old by the time he realized this. He had already squandered most of his great talents in a small workshop. Qianye couldnt help but feel emotional at the mention of these things. If Lin Xitang hadnt picked him up at the dumpster, giving him the chance to develop in Yellow Springs and Red Scorpion, he might not enjoy his current success today. After all, no one could surpass the empire in resources. Cui Yuanhais heart was full of melancholy after recalling the past. He drank silently for a good while before bringing up other matters. Due to his master machinist status, Cui Yuanhai didnt suffer much during the war. Nonetheless, he was sold off several times and had to work for different masters until one of the attendants from the Tidehark city-lord manor bought him. Only then did he settle down. That was why Qianye couldnt get any news of him despite asking around repeatedly. If he hadnt seen those weapons by chance, who knew if they would ever meet again? The two drank repeatedly while talking about the past until they were both tipsy. Wheres Nighteye and the little lass? the old man asked. He had already brought this question up several times, but Qianye would always steer the conversation away. This time, Cui Yuanhai stared fixedly at him, preventing him from skirting around the issue. Qianye forced a smile. The little fellow is well, shes in her growing phase, so shes been asleep most of the time. Nighteye shes no longer here. Not here!? Shes left, this isnt her home. The old man glared angrily. Nonsense! You two were clearly doing well back then, how could she leave just like that? Something mustve happened, right? Did you wrong her in any way? Qianye laughed wryly and shook his head. No, how should I put it lets not talk about it. The old man understood the implications behind this. Seeing Qianyes demeanor, he no longer insisted on revealing everything. He poured Qianye a drink and changed the topic. You still seem to remember me after all this time. Ive also gained some insights during my time working at the weapons factory. I dont feel as old anymore. Whatever you need me to do, brat, just tell me. Qianye became spirited. Ive found a pretty good place recently, and I want to build a large-scale weapons factory there. If you dont mind, Id like you to oversee the project. That suits me well, but the equipment wont be cheap! Everything has been prepared, no need to worry. Cui Yuanhai was shaken as he asked for more details. He couldnt hide his astonishment when Qianye reported the equipment models. These things are restricted goods even in the empire, how did you get your hands on them? Someone will always have a way, even if theyre restricted objects. Qianye didnt elaborate on the exact means, but Song Zining had been operating his business in the empire for many years, and his fame in the military was also quite resounding. It really wasnt hard for him to get his hands on some machinery. The old man fell onto the table soon afterward. After all, he was still weak and unable to hold his liquor. Even in his intoxicated state, he was still sighing, seemingly regretting the choices he had made during his youth. Qianye carried Cui Yuanhai back to his room and left quietly after putting the man on his bed. He walked out and a light jump took him atop a nearby kinetic tower, much like a nocturnal bird traversing the skies. This was the highest point in the immediate vicinityabove him hung the stars while the myriad of lights flickered in the city below. Qianye was subconsciously affected by Cui Yuanhais emotions. He was in no mood to do anything and only wanted to remain undisturbed for a while. He toyed about with a little box while sitting on the kinetic tower, his conflicted thoughts written all over his face. Apparently, he couldnt quite make up his mind about something. The past was still vivid in his mind, and the merriest times were when Nighteye was at home and he was out fighting. Despite having to shoulder the burden of raising a family, it made him quite happy. If he could redo everything, Qianye would choose to stay beside Nighteye for as long as he could. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world. Even someone as strong as the Pointer Monarch had to bury his heart in that secret realm. Whats that in your hand? Ji Tianqings voice echoed nearby, shocking him to his feet. She sat down unceremoniously beside Qianye and snatched the box away, preparing to open it. Shocked out of his wits, Qianye reached out to grab the container. Dont! Ji Tianqing hid the box behind her with a little twist. She then puffed her chest out and looked down at Qianye with a provocative expression. This made it so that Qianyes hand was going straight for her chest. He hurriedly moved his hand away, but even for someone of his constitution, the abrupt change in movement still felt somewhat uncomfortable. Ji Tianqing turned away in a bid to open the box. Dont! Thats A Dreameater King, right? Qianyes hand froze midair. How did you know? Ji Tianqing tossed the box back, saying, This kind of box is used to store Dreameater Queens, and who wouldnt know with so much aura leaking out? Aura leaking? Qianye instinctively felt that something was off. That box in your hand isnt for storing Dreameater Kings, so it cant seal off the bugs aura completely. It wouldve become useless if you hadnt kept it in your spatial equipment all this time. Qianye was astonished. All of his efforts would be in vain if the dreameater bug were to become useless. He immediately turned pale at the thought of this. Ji Tianqing glanced at Qianye meaningfully. You mustve kept it for some time? Qianye didnt reply. Only after a good while did he nod quietly. Actually, I already sensed it when you put Heartgrave and East Peak back into your necklace. It felt fairly odd, so I wouldve asked you about it anyway if you hadnt brought it out. Qianye clenched his right fist until it was trembling from the excessive force. Ji Tianqing sighed lightly as she tossed Qianye a small bottle. Qianye was surprised as soon as he caught the mysterious scent wafting out of it. Stillwater Rebirth? A small portion of it, enough to revive the Dreameater King and increase its effects by several times. You decide whether or not you want to use it. This Stillwater rebirth will expire in one more day, and the Dreameater King, one day at most. If you keep it in this box after the revival, itll last three days. Qianye hesitated for a moment. Y-You dont happen to have a container for it, do you? I cant have everything on me, can I? Why would I carry such a useless item around? Ji Tianqing replied unhappily. Qianye replied helplessly, I understand, and thanks for tonight. Ji Tianqing shook her head. No need, I might have other bad intentions, who knows? ... Qianye was startled. He seemed to have recalled something, but he also looked incredulous. Enjoy the wind and thoughts, Im going to bed. Ji Tianqing got up and jumped off the kinetic tower, denying Qianye the opportunity to question her. After she was gone, Qianye gazed at the Stillwater Rebirth and the Dreameater King. He knew there was no escaping it; he had to make a choice. There was only one reason Qianye had chosen to forget the Dreameater King, and that was because he felt that Nighteyes current state was brought about by consuming the dreameater bug. To Nighteye herself, there was no clear distinction between her past conscience and the current one. Perhaps both of them were real, or perhaps it was just a small part of each. To Qianye, her past persona was the real oneup to this point, he still couldnt decide how to treat the current Nighteye or if he should treat them as the same person. Qianye hadnt given the Dreameaster King to her because he was somewhat worried. Would this completely awaken her? Would it completely erase her past, destroying all hopes of ever going back? From a different perspective, though, Nighteyes spirit was still incomplete, and that would affect her strength. It could be said that she would have no chance of approaching the Sacred Mountain as long as her spirit remained unmended. Currently, Nighteyes combat strength had barely reached the duke level, while her blood energy was still at the count rank. She was still relatively weak compared to the massive Evernight system. If the Lightless Monarch were to send a powerful duke or arrive himself, Nighteye would be hard-pressed to escape. With the Dreameater King in one hand and the Stillwater Rebirth in the other, his hands were both trembling. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 867: Do You Regret? The hesitation lasted only a short while, yet Qianye felt as though he had traversed a thousand years. He looked up and saw the brilliant stars as well as the slowly gliding landmassesthe latter casting their shadows upon his face. This world was just that empty and vast. Even those stars had suffered millennia of solitude, to speak nothing of a tiny, tiny creature like him. Qianyes mind was blank as he opened up the box and poured the Stillwater Rebirth inside. The milky medicinal liquid was immediately absorbed upon contact. The originally unresponsive Dreameater King unleashed a pleasant cry as its body expanded at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, it almost couldnt fit inside the container. The king seemed sentient. Seemingly knowing that the space outside was detrimental to its existence, it stopped growing once the box was full and fell into a deep sleep. After absorbing the medicine, the Dreameater Kings body released a constant stream of prismatic colors that made it difficult for the spectator to move their eyes away. After a long while, a dizzy Qianye finally managed to divert his line of sight. Any other person mightve had their spirit sucked away by the Dreameater King. The creature would surely cause a calamity if unleashed in a large city since even champions would find it difficult to escape the soul attraction. The Dreameater King had transformed completely after absorbing the Stillwater Rebirth, and was now at a completely different level. Qianye closed the box properly. The faint dizziness disappeared only after the Dreameater Kings aura was insulated. Nonetheless, there were still rainbow colors appearing around the container from time to time. Clearly, the Dreameater Kings aura couldnt be entirely isolated, and its power was weakening with each passing moment. Qianye then jumped up and vanished swiftly into the night sky. Ji Tianqing appeared atop the kinetic tower after his figure had faded away, gazing silently into the distance. Soon afterward, Song Zining also appeared nearby. Hell hate me, wont he? Ji Tianqing asked. Song Zining shook his head. No, Qianye is very smart. He knows what he should do, and no one can influence him when hes determined. I hope thats the case Say, what do you think is going on in his head right now? Song Zining froze up for a moment before breaking into a burst of wry laughter. I dont know, I dont want to know, either. Ji Tianqing lifted Song Zining by the collar and said fiercely, You dont want to know!? And yet you made me do such a thing. I have to play the part of the bad guy while you keep on being a good person, is that it? Song Zining raised his hands in surrender. Young Miss, speak nicely, dont resort to violence Ah! Ji Tianqing, however, had no intention of listening to him and simply gave him a punch to the abdomen. The force wasnt great, but it was cleverly delivered, blasting Song Zinings origin barrier in one blow and almost making him throw up. Stop! Stop! If you keep going, Ill retaliate. Ah no, I give up! As expected of the seventh young master, he was the only one who could perform such a dignified surrender. Ji Tianqing threw him to the floor with a snort. I knew what you were planning when you invited me back then, but do you even think its possible? And now you do this! I really dont understand what youre thinking. Song Zining adjusted his clothes and laughed wryly, Fine, I tricked you here for selfish reasons. If you ask me why, theres only one reason behind all this. I dont want him to be looking at her from afar for hundreds of years, maybe even a thousand. Settling this earlier is a good thing for him. You treat him so well. He does the same to me. Thick as thieves, I see! Ji Tianqing came to this conclusion. The atmosphere became quite serious in just a couple of short exchanges. After a long while of silence, Ji Tianqing asked, Say, will he return? He will, Song Zining said definitively. Then, what are you worried about? Im worried that hell become a different person after coming back. Ji Tianqing frowned. Arent you known for your divination skills? Why dont you scry him? Your divination isnt bad, either, why dont you try? Im not an idiot! And I am? At this point, the two sighed at the same time. They glanced at one another in astonishment, and then, with a harrumph, left to mind their own business. At this moment, the Eastern Sea continent was flying past under Qianyes feet. He crossed rapid rivers, scaled dangerous cliffs, and traversed void storms. By dawn, Qianye was already at the border of the continent and standing outside the wrecked airship. The slanted airship was already flat on the ground and many parts showed signs of repair. Qianye ran frantically the entire way, neither slowing down nor retracting his aura. Sensing his arrival, the vampire marquis drilled out of the wreckage and waved his hands at him. Youre here! The marquis attitude was much friendlier compared to the last time. It was more cordiality than reverencehe was probably feeling extremely stifled, having to repair the airship all alone with no one to talk to. Qianye nodded. Is Nighteye here? The marquis shrugged. Same as before. I havent seen her for quite a while now, but she should still be inside, go in by yourself. Qianye hesitated for a while before fishing out the box containing the Dreameater King. Give this to her, I wont go in anymore. The marquis was startled. He said without taking the box, You still have three minutes, either way, just go in. The marquis was a smart person. He knew that the two shared a special relationship, one in which he wasnt willing to get involved. Hence, he refused to relay the item and instead asked Qianye to bring it to her himself. It was at this time that Nighteyes gentle yet cold voice echoed in their ears. Come in. Qianye hesitated for a moment before entering the warship with a wry smile. Just as before, Nighteye was floating in the main hall with her arms wrapped around herself. Qianye entered the chamber and passed the box to her. This is for you. Nighteye opened her eyes and her gaze landed on the box. At this moment, the little container erupted in blinding light, filling the entire hall with the colors of the rainbow. The box popped open and the Dreameater King rushed out toward the door. Sensing imminent destruction, the creature let out mournful cries akin to sobbing. Qianye was overcome by pity the moment he heard its cries and almost felt the urge to let it go. The Dreameaster King could affect Qianye, but it could do nothing against Nighteye. She opened her lips ever so slightly and shot out a thread of blood. The sanguineous string wound around the creature and locked it firmly in the air, preventing it from moving in the slightest. This is for me? Nighteyes words contained inexplicable implications behind them. Yes. Qianye was also quite calm at this point. You actually know how to ignite its potential, thats surprising. Its effect right now is equal to three ordinary Dreameater Kings. I have no idea what youre thinking by giving me this. Its beneficial for you, Qianye said emotionlessly. Thats it? Yes. Nighteye opened her eyes and shot him a glance. Very well, Ill accept this gift then, as long as you dont regret later on. I wont regret it. Nighteye inhaled gently. A resplendent stream of prismatic radiance shot out from the Dreameater King and disappeared inside her mouth. Losing the power to move, the creature unleashed a mournful cry as it fell to the ground and turned to dust. After absorbing the rainbow-colored lights, Nighteye slowly closed her eyes, seemingly content. Im tired now. Qianye nodded and left the hall in silence. Countless wisps of blood energy weaved together behind him and sealed the chamber shut. He could sense the changes happening behind him without needing to look back. The marquis was on the deck when Qianye walked out, repairing the damaged areas therein. He waved his hand at Qianye in a bid to greet him, but the latter only reciprocated with a forced smile before leaving swiftly. At this moment, there was only one question echoing in Qianyes heart: Will I regret this? There was no answer to this question. Qianye didnt return to Southern Blue afterward. Instead, he wandered aimlessly through the mountains, the wilderness, and, at times, sitting alone beside flowing creeks. As though life had lost its meaning, he had no idea what he was doing or what he wanted to do. One day, he suddenly came to and realized that he had been wandering for over a week. He had been roaming the mountain ranges at the continents border all this time, perhaps because the destructive aura here was the only thing that could calm him down. Like someone who had just woken up from a dream, Qianye left the continents border and returned to Southern Blue. The city was just as lively, perhaps even more so than when he had left. Many companies had picked their land and started constructing workshops. Song Zining had designated a certain area in Southern Blue for those looking to build new workshops. Song Zining was no different from a regent city lord at this point. Meanwhile, Ji Rui remained hidden behind the scenes, neither supporting nor objecting to the seventh young masters actions. Ji Ruis attitude was fairly strange, but news from the city lords manor hinted that he was no longer as adverse to Song Zining and Dark Flame. That was because Song Zinings skills were so much greater in the field of city planning and construction. Additionally, Southern Blues prosperity and the subsequent increase in taxes would still benefit Ji Rui. The merchants acted swiftly in fighting for the plots of land but were evidently slower when it came to building the factories. Everyone was waiting for the Wolf Kings retaliation. Only after witnessing the outcome of this battle would they feel safe in making this investment. There were rules in the neutral lands preventing the new city lordin the case of displacementfrom taking back civilian properties. However, the Wolf King was never one to play by the rules, so all the managers were watching and waiting for new development. This would limit their losses in the off-chance that Qianyes group couldnt stand up to the Wolf King. Upon his return, Qianye unexpectedly found that Ji Tianqing and Song Zining were gone. All he saw was the letter they had left for him. It read: Watch the house, stop running around! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 868: Buried Deep Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. There was no telling which poor bloke would be the next victim of these two fellows. He could only hope they understood that the neutral lands wasnt a place they could do everything as they wished. Qianye didnt want to go out, anywaythe journey to the continent border and the many days of subsequent wandering had left him exhausted in both body and mind. He returned to his room and, after ordering people not to disturb him, fell into a deep sleep. Qianye rarely slept since his cultivation surpassed the champion realm. The Song Clan Ancient Scroll was as gentle and gradual as the spring rain, easily capable of substituting for sleep. But now, Qianye felt really tired and sleep was all that he wanted. The darkness was just that deep, just that lonesome. An unknown length of time had passed by the time Qianye opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the blinding rays of the sun slipping through the cracks in the window, a rare sight in the usually gloomy days of the neutral lands. Qianye lay quietly, gazing at the ceiling with dispirited eyes. He jumped up all of a sudden and opened up the curtains, allowing the fierce sunbeams to wash over his face. His eyes narrowed from the brightness. The weather was indeed wonderful. Just outside his window was a lively construction site where hundreds of mercenaries were busy with work. A champion-level expert walked step by step into the yard with a stone weighing several tons in his grasp. Then, with a loud cry, his muscles bulged out as he thrust the stone into the foundation. Thus, a stone pillar was erected. This stone pillar stood ramrod straight without the slightest deviation. Several mercenaries began reinforcing the base of this pillar while the champion turned away to pick up another one. Qianye was feeling quite slow at the moment, and it took him a moment to realize that this person was Frost Wolf, the former master of this courtyard. Who wouldve thought he would be working with such passionwas it because of his trip to Tidehark? Qianye walked out with a smile and saw two soldiers standing guard dutifully. How long have I been sleeping? Three days, sire! One of the guards replied clearly. The man was already starting to show some imperial-level discipline, apparently the evil work of Young Miss Ji. Three days!? Qianye stretched his body. Whos managing Dark Flame right now? Take me to see him. Qianye met several people throughout the morning. These smart people were once mercenary corps commanders who had been handpicked for management roles after the upheaval in Southern Blue. Qianye gained a better understanding of the current situation after listening to their responsibilities. Lunchtime was fairly short, and everyone was back at work after twenty minutes. Within the storehouse, Frost Wolf leaned over and threw a newly polished pillar onto his shoulder amidst loud cheers from the nearby mercenaries. Although he was no longer the leader, his strength would still give him preferential treatment wherever he went. Lowering himself to work alongside the other mercenaries won him a fair bit of love and respect. It was at this time that he noticed a familiar figure through the corner of his eyes. That person was standing beside a pile of steel beams, questioning a nearby person. Are all of these being moved to a single construction site? Y-Yes, Sir! The soldier stammered. Frost Wolf was also astonished as he recognized Qianye. The latter was wearing a set of poorly-fitted leather armor that looked like it had been rummaged out of an old storehouse. He hauled up one beam after another onto his shoulder, and only stopped after he was carrying eight of them. Qianye arrived beside Frost Wolf and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Lets go. Sire, y-you Working. But But what? Arent you tired just standing with that pillar on your shoulder? Frost Wolf swallowed hard and proceeded to lead the way without saying anything else. The beams on Qianyes shoulder werent very thick, but they actually weighed several tons. With so many on his shoulder at the same time, he needed to circulate his origin power so that he wouldnt sink into the ground while walking. This period of working lasted from noon to midnight. Qianye and Frost Wolfs participation sharply accelerated the construction process, and by midnight, a new weapons cache had been erected. Even Frost Wolf was a bit pale and lightheaded after an entire day of work. Qianye, on the other hand, was as steady as a pillar and showed no changes. Frost Wolf asked cautiously after the mercenaries had gone back to rest, Sire, the works all done, why dont we go for a drink? To his surprise, Qianye agreed delightfully, Why not? After an entire day of exhausting work, the taverns of Southern Blue were full to the brim with mercenaries. They didnt even bother washing off the dust and sweat on their bodies before going for a drink. For an ordinary mercenary, this was a well-paying job and, despite the exhaustion, involved no mortal risk. The experienced soldiers, on the other hand, saw Dark Flames future prospects from the scale of ongoing construction work. A mediocre mercenary corps had no use for four different warehouses or airship repair facilities. Most mercenaries in the neutral lands possessed the basic wisdom required for survival, and everyone knew the importance of clinging to important people. Now Qianye, Ji Tianqing, and Song Zining had shown them different facets of how powerful Dark Flame was. At least it was able to suppress Ji Rui with relative ease. Most of these people couldnt even join the city guard, to begin with. Who would work as a mercenary if they could have an easy life there? That was, except for a handful of true daredevils. Hence, those coming from small mercenary corps put in 120% of their power into constructing the new base. They were mostly cannon fodder on the battlefield and would hardly make a name even if they were to risk their lives. No one was going to give up the opportunity to impress the higher-ups just by doing some manual labor. When Qianye and Frost Wolf walked into the tavern, the clamorous atmosphere within turned silent all of a sudden. Frost Wolf was already an unreachable character in the eyes of ordinary mercenaries, even more so the commander of Dark Flame, Qianye. Yet, a tavern was the best place to mingle with people. The soldiers let loose after the initial phase of restraint, and one glass after the other caused the atmosphere to warm up. They quickly forgot about Qianyes identity, and all that remained was the opponent across the wine table. The night went on gradually, and the clamor inside the tavern once again returned to silence. There were mercenaries strewn across the floor and stacked atop one another, snoring thunderously in deep sleep. It was at this time that Frost Wolf crawled out from under one of the tables, groaning while holding his head. It felt as though his head had been blasted by an origin guneven his vision was somewhat shaky. Sire Qianye? Frost Wolf got up with some difficulty and looked around. Hes already left, and he also paid for everyone, the owner replied. Frost Wolf poured a glass of cold water onto his head, in hopes of sobering himself up. He glanced at the floor full of mercenaries and asked incredulously, Wait, do you mean he outdrank all of us? The owner rolled his eyes. What else? ... Thats the commander for you. In the days that followed, Qianye immersed himself in the construction site like an ordinary mercenary and only returned late at night. With the corps commander himself putting in so much effort, none of those former leaders dared to put on airs; everyone obediently went to work at the site. With the addition of so many experts, the construction was propelled forward like a powerful engine. At this moment, Song Zining and Ji Tianqing were hiding on a mountain peak near the border of the continent, cautiously poking their heads out from behind a rock. What are we here for? Song Zining hadnt even finished speaking when he was caught by the neck and pushed into the snow. A mosquito-like sound entered his ears. Shut up if you dont want to die! Song Zining was surprised because he had never seen Ji Tianqing so nervous. He wanted to camouflage himself with the Three-Thousand Flying Leaves art, but he felt his neck tighten all of a sudden. Dont use domains! He was left with no other choice but to bury half his body in the snow and move forward inch by inch. The two of them finally arrived beside the cliff and gazed into the distance. Before the precipice was a vast plain, and on the far end of which was an airship. It seemed like a vampire warship belonging to a glorious marquis at least. Song Zining was surprised by the appearance of a vampire warship in the Eastern Sea. As clever as he was, he connected the dots to what Qianye had told him and realized the origins of this warship. Ji Tianqing stared fixedly at the distant warship, and even Song Zining had no idea what she was studying. At a glance, they could see a busy figure on the airship performing repairs on the damaged parts. Even at such a distance, Song Zining could sense how strong that vampire was. If such a powerful vampire was following her willingly, the current Nighteye was probably at a level far beyond that which they could handle. After a long while of silent observation, Ji Tianqing gestured at Song Zining, and the two descended the peak cautiously. That airship Song Zining inquired. Shes in there, I can sense her. How did you know its her? Thats none of your business, I have my ways. Song Zining shook his head helplessly. So this is what you meant by collecting resources. The reason isnt important, is it? The current Ji Tianqing was somewhat odd, so Song Zining simply followed her without saying anything. However, they continued along the edge of the continent instead of going back to Southern Blue. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 869: Thef After a while, Song Zining couldnt help but ask, Where are we going? To collect resources. Seriously? Song Zining was clearly skeptical. Ji Tianqing was clearly here to spy on Nighteye, and these so-called resources were just excuses. However, Ji Tianqing kept going with a serious demeanor and Song Zining had no better choice but to follow. The closer they were to the continent border, the more adverse the void tempests and environments became. The rocks here were extremely hard after being immersed in void origin power for many years, probably even harder than steel alloy. Fierce storms would kick up without warning, and void lacerations could appear at any moment. This place was filled with danger at every turn. Ji Tianqing went on without rest, scaling mountains and passing through valleys as she brought Song Zining through dangerous lands. Twice in less than a single day, Song Zining had been blown away by powerful winds and flung into rocky cliffs. Even someone at his level couldnt take this kind of repeated damage. He had broken two ribs and sustained numerous injuries at this point. Seeing that Ji Tianqing had no intention of taking a break, Song Zining cried out amidst the raging winds, Wait, where are the resources you were talking about? I think weve already come here before! Resources? Here they are. Ji Tianqing picked up a random rock and smashed it open. She then dug out a blue crystal which she duly tossed to Song Zining. Having operated Ningyuan Heavy Industries for many years, Song Zining was highly knowledgeable about various rare materials. He knew at a glance that this topaz was a high-grade material used in certain origin arrays. A finger-sized piece like this one was enough to build a high-grade origin gun, and its value was extraordinary. However, such materials were usually hidden deep inside rocks and difficult to notice unless exposedat least Song Zining had no way of sensing them. They could crack every rock open, but these things were extremely hard, and even Ji Tianqing had to smash each of them several times. There were a great number of mountain peaks all around them and rocks numbering in the millions. How many years would it take them to crack all of them? Song Zining wanted to probe more about this matter, asking questions about the resources every now and then. Sometimes, Ji Tianqing would ignore him completely, and at other times, she would dig out strange, ice-sealed herbs or shiny rare ores. Just like that, the two walked on for an entire three days. Song Zinings backpack was filled to the brim with all kinds of rare objects. Wait, Tianqing, thats enough resource gathering, dont you think? We should go back now. Song Zining spoke tactfully, but in truth, he was all bedraggled, full of injuries, and he really didnt want to go through this ordeal anymore. He hadnt gotten any rest for the past three days, so much so that he hadnt even healed his broken ribs. All he could do was protect the damaged area with origin power. Ji Tianqing was also showing some signs of fatigue, but she was faring so much better than the seventh young master. She wasnt exactly stronger, but her endless repertoire of secret arts allowed her to foresee and take precautions against most dangerous situations. At the very least, she was never blown away by fierce winds. Only after seeing Song Zinings situation did the anger in Ji Tianqings eyes subside slightly. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief when she finally changed directions and began heading inland. Although the things in his backpack were worth a fair amount of money, Song Zining was smart enough to know that Ji Tianqing was never here for resources. All she wanted to do was torment him. The seventh young master also understood this. He allowed himself to be blown away by the winds several times, breaking his ribs and sustaining injuries, before he managed to appease the young miss anger. After leaving the continent border, Song Zining asked cautiously, Tianqing, why are you so angry? Ji Tianqing replied coldly, No reason, I just dont find your notion amusing. But No buts! Do you want to collect more resources? Song Zining shut up obediently. Ji Tianqings methods were highly unpredictable. Even Qianye couldnt see through her, much less Song Zining. Up until now, the latter still couldnt figure out whether she was truly angry or if she had other intentions. This made the all-round perfect Song Zining feel somewhat helpless. After traveling silently for half a day, Ji Tianqing finally spoke up, I need to go get some things, you go back first. Song Zining asked cautiously, Youre not going back to the empire, are you? Of course not. With that, Ji Tianqing left Song Zining alone and vanished southward into the wilderness. Song Zining had no idea what lay in that direction or what she wanted to do there. As clever as he was, he still had no idea why Ji Tianqing would spy on Nighteye or spend three days torturing him. Was it just to vent her anger? To the best of his knowledge, at the very least, this girl had never done anything so pointless before. Watching Ji Tianqing leave, Song Zining shrugged and put on his radiant smile once more. Luckily, this young master has prepared some contingency plans, Im not afraid you wont bite. Song Zining wasnt in a rush to travel. He found some lodging to mend his broken bones and treat his injuries, only going on his way after an entire nights rest. The seventh young master had long since heard of how dangerous the neutral lands were. He naturally wouldnt put himself in danger. He seemed to be out of luck, nonetheless. Not long after he had left the mountainous border regions, he was stopped by a group of mercenaries. Noticing their tattered clothes and low cultivation, Song Zining suddenly felt speechless. He glanced everywhere but found not a single creature in his line of sightnot even a bird. Yet in this vast, empty wilderness, the great seventh young master was actually intercepted. Although he had never changed his direction of travel, the chances of him being intercepted this way were as slim as finding a needle in a haystack. How could there be such a coincidence? At this point, a tall man walked out from among the mercenaries and sized Song Zining up from head to toe. He disdainfully pushed his origin gun against the latters chest, saying, Hey pretty boy, your frail body doesnt look like it can take a single punch. Hand over your backpack and empty your pockets, Ill leave you some food and water for the road. The tall mercenary leader looked fairly dumb, and his gun was from some countryside workshop. Calling this mechanism a firearm was already quite generous since it was little more than a pipe attached to a stock. Song Zining chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to describe his feelings. However, that burly man said something at this point, Look at you! Still carrying so many things when your bones are broken, you really love money more than your life! Song Zining felt a chill run down his spine, and he was soon drenched in a thin layer of cold sweat. If this clumsy mercenary could actually see through his broken ribs, didnt that mean he was also privy to his other secrets? Song Zinings great success in the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art made it difficult for others to see through him or use divination arts on him. Could it be that this crude mercenary was a great enemy in disguise? The figures of countless enemies flashed through Song Zinings mind. There were people from the military, the Bai clan, and those formed by the Ningyuan Group. His many brothers and sisters from the Song clan came to mind as well. All of a sudden, Song Zining realized that he had made a lot of new enemies, and that was only counting people from the empire. The number of Evernight people who wanted his head probably wasnt small, either. Just as Song Zining was going through his list of possible enemies, he suddenly felt the weight on his back disappearsomeone had cut his backpack. Soon afterward, he saw a small figure running away. That fluttering white skirt of hers imparted upon her a hint of harsh tenderness, but her speed was incomparably fast. Song Zining exclaimed, Bai Kongzhao! He took a step forward to give chase but stopped after taking a couple of steps. The young girl was extremely fast and had already pulled ahead in the blink of an eye. Her aura had merged so quickly into the surroundings that Song Zining couldnt lock onto her. Additionally, Song Zining could feel a sense of extreme peril just by thinking about chasing the girl all the way to the end. Song Zining had heard much about Bai Kongzhaos past accomplishments. Her strength was clearly mediocre, yet she had managed to produce numerous odd resultsnumerous powerful experts had fallen to her blade. Some say that her combat instincts were too powerful, but there had to be a limit to how much instincts could do. Song Zining had observed her battles before, but he couldnt glean anything out of it. The complicated landscape of the wilderness was her optimal battlefield. Song Zining was unwilling to fight her without sufficient preparation. Besides, the things Ji Tianqing had picked up were just random bits and pieces, not even as valuable as an ore vein. Hence, Song Zining decisively stopped his footsteps upon sensing danger. He might not be able to catch up even if he had gone after her. Additionally, there was no killing intent around her at all; she had come solely for his backpack. Otherwise, Song Zining wouldve sensed her and reacted to her ambush. At the thought of this, Song Zining couldnt help but feel astonished. Could it be that this girl had come all the way here just to rob? He looked back at the mercenaries who, upon seeing his gaze, suddenly turned into different people. They fell to their knees and began weeping, asking him to spare their lives. They explained that it was that demoness who had forced them here by threatening them with their lives. The seventh young master couldnt find it in him to dirty his hands with these rag-tag mercenaries. In the end, he kicked that clumsy leader away and let this matter pass. He left with a wave of his sleeves and vanished over the horizon. The mercenaries stood up after he had left, their bowing and scraping attitude completely gone. One of them broke into a laugh, The young miss was right, that young noble cant resist people who surrender and plead, we passed this ordeal as expected. This fortune wasnt hard to earn. That crude mercenary clambered up and said furiously, How was that not hard? I was kicked so hard! This wont do, lets split the loot now! Split, split! The mercenaries began chanting as they split their pay on the spot. Actually, Song Zining was standing nearby and watching this scene with an ashen face. Fortunately, he had covered himself with his domain. Otherwise, he might have to silence whoever saw this embarrassing situation. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 870: Helpless The awesome seventh young noble had always been known for his scheming and his proficiency in divination, someone who could become the next Lin Xitang. Who wouldve thought he would be tricked by Bai Kongzhao and a group of mercenaries in this barbarian land? Twice! Bai Kongzhaos trick wasnt worth a dime, nothing more than street-rat trickery. The ones in front would attract the targets attention while another person grabs his bag and runs away. This was a scene taking place in every small town throughout the empire. It was just that the one being robbed here was the Song seventh young master, and the stolen bag contained ores he had exchanged for injuries and broken ribs. Song Zinings fists tightened as he watched the guffawing soldiers, and it took quite some effort to force himself away. After calming down, Song Zining suddenly felt that something was wrong with all this. Could it be that Bai Kongzhao had spent so much effort just to rob him? Even a child wouldnt believe this. Nonetheless, he had no answer to this question and there were more important things he had to do. He thus made haste toward Southern Blue. After entering the city, the progress of construction work therein shocked him greatly. The seventh young master had observed no small number of building projects, and he knew quite well how far it shouldve come. Now that the construction had been half completed in the span of just a few days, it was equal to squeezing out a months worth of workdayshow was this possible? Song Zining went to look for Qianye, to ask about the situation, but he found the office entirely empty. After asking some of the soldiers, he found that his target was at the site, knee-deep in the muddy waters of the still-excavating foundation. Even Song Zining had to spend some effort to spot Qianye among the muddy people. He was still clad in that set of old armor, looking no different from an ordinary, mud-covered mercenary. Qianye! Qianye gazed up to find that elegant seventh young master standing beside the foundation site. He jumped up to the latters side with a resounding laugh and reached out to give him a hug, but a frantic Song Zining stopped him with his folding fan. Stay away! Only then did Qianye remember that he was drenched in dirty water. The fussy Song Zining might actually flip out if he were to hug him. Ill go and wash myself. No need! With a tap of his folding fan, wisps of fine rain appeared around Qianye and washed him perfectly clean within moments. After doing all of that, Song Zining asked with an incredulous expression, How come youre doing such work? Qianye played it down, saying, Someone has to do it, and Im free, anyway. Look, all of them are working together with me. Song Zining looked over to find Frost Wolf and several other leaders among the mud men. With these people at the lead, no wonder the construction work was progressing at such a rate. After returning to the study, Song Zining asked, Are you okay? Qianye smiled radiantly. Why wouldnt I be? Song Zining sighed lightly. Look at yourself, and youre saying youre okay? Let it be, I know I cant persuade you, just be strong. The brilliant smile on Qianyes face was replaced by a calm gentleness. Theres nothing bad about this, Ive gotten used to it. I just had to do it, at the very least Ill have a clear conscience. Song Zining snorted. Do you really have a clear conscience? Qianye said after a while of deliberation, I gave it a lot of thought, this is the best way. Song Zining frowned. How long do you plan to stay tangled up in this? Im not tangled up in anything. Qianye broke into a laugh, hoping to divert the topic. Song Zining, however, wasnt going to let him do that. I mean how long are you going to keep up this kind of relationship with her? Qianye remained silent for a moment. I promised to help her ascend the Sacred Mountain. Song Zining finally shot up from his seat. He roared while pointing at Qianyes nose, Thats not a dream, thats just wild imagination! Shell be the end of you sooner or later. At that time, do you think well be able to watch with arms folded? Youll drag everyone to their ends! Qianye laughed wryly. Its not that serious. Song Zining replied coldly, You think Im joking? Qianye stood up, placed a hand on Song Zinings shoulder, and dragged him out of the study. Enough, lets not talk about this for now. Its a long way off, anyway. I see youre full of injuries and fractures, you have to spill all the misery you went through and make me happy. Song Zining was astonished. Qianye, youve learned bad things! Nonetheless, Qianyes arm was like a steel hoop around him, almost immobilizing and lifting him off his feet. The great seventh young master was thus dragged out toward the tavern. The pub was empty at the moment, and the owner shut its doors after the two arrived, preventing other people from disturbing them. They were actually each full of their own worries, so a pile of empty bottles quickly appeared around them. Song Zining was already quite tipsy. Qianye, youve become bad. Who did you l-learn all of this from? Qianye smiled. Im hanging out with these mercenaries day in day out. Of course, I learn some things from them. Actually, theyre quite interesting after some time. Qianye said to the maid who had come to clear away the empty bottles, Bring ten more bottles. He then gave her a light slap on the butt. The maid was all smiles as she made to sit down on Qianyes lap, but he gently pushed her away. Get the wine first. The girl glared at him resentfully before leaving to get the alcohol. Qianye said to Song Zining, See? You dont need to worry about me. Song Zining snorted disdainfully. Ha! Let it be. You can also drop the act now. You might be able to lie to other people, but not me. Youll probably run away if the girl wanted to get into your bed. Qianye chuckled. Im a man with family. Song Zining almost sprayed out the alcohol. Tell that to Nighteye if you dare. Theres no need to disturb her for such a minor matter. Qianye had turned somewhat shameless after interacting with mercenaries for some time. As clever as he was, even the seventh young master had no way to deal with thick-skinned people. He said with a glare, Sigh, let it be. I can understand your mood right now, you mustve closed yourself off. It was the same for me back in the year Qianyes eyes lit up with interest. Speak! Make me happy! Song Zining was furious. Not telling, what can you do? I just have to stifle you to death! Qianye rubbed his chin pensively. Dont tell me you liked Zhang Jing? Who? Song Zining was somewhat puzzled. Zhang Jing, our Yellow Springs instructor. Song Zining almost sprayed out his drink once again. Why her? Qianye said thoughtfully, You were stripped, beaten up, and put up on display for an entire day. Hedonistic young masters like you will usually remember that person constantly until you can do the same back to her. This time, Song Zining could hold back no longer. He sprayed out a mouthful of alcohol and asked furiously, Who told you this nonsense? Tianqing. ... Fine. This name suppressed the anger in Song Sevens heart. The two of them kept drinking at a brisk pace. The maid went back and forth several times, seemingly disappointed at Qianyes lack of follow up. Bai Kongzhao is also in the neutral lands, Song Zining said. I know, Ive met her twice already. You fought her? Song Zining was somewhat astonished. Fighting Bai Kongzhao was a fairly dangerous thing to do, regardless of how superior ones cultivation was over her. No, she forked out half her loot and left. Wait, you mean Song Zining couldnt believe his ears. Both times. The seventh young master was overcome by the urge to curse loudly. The young girl had yielded half her spoils to Qianye but actually set up a trap to rob him, depriving him of the fruits of his hard labor. The loss wasnt an issue, but the girls relative disdain for Song Zining was just too evident. She might not have succeeded if she had wanted to ambush and kill Song Zining. The seventh young master was also a peak expert in terms of true combat strength. However, Song Zining had no way to sense her if all she wanted was his backpack and purse. By the time he had come to, it was already too late. Song Zining had been feeling rather troubled by this problem. The two gradually became drunk. Even Qianye was feeling dizzy and distracted, let alone Song Zininghe was fairly close to being comatose. The latter placed a hand on Qianyes shoulder, saying, Qianye, if someone no longer wants something, do you know how you can make them desire it once more? How? Song Zining smiled mysteriously. Easy, you just need someone wholl fight her for it. What are you saying, exactly? Qianye was puzzled. Youll know when the time comes. The night went by quickly, and soon, the seventh young master saw a blinding light. He couldnt help but cover his eyes and peek out from between his fingers. What he saw was a sea of peoplepeople pointing and gossiping while glancing over at his nether regions. Beside him was a familiar yet elegant woman, one whose plump bosom was the unignorable desire of many a male. Yellow Springs, Zhang Jing! Shocked out of his wits, Song Zining sat up violently, hoping to see if he had been hung up buck naked. Only then did he realize that he was sleeping in his room, well-clothed. The sun was shining in through the curtain gaps and right onto his face. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief. His shirt was drenched in sweat, and he felt lightheaded and weak. It would seem this dream had given him quite the shock. Judging from the angle of the sunlight, Song Zining knew that it was already afternoon. He remembered nothing from last night, except for the fact that he had been drinking with Qianye at the tavern. As for how he had gotten back to his bed, everything was blank. Blacking out completely was rare for an expert of his level. He really wanted to know how much he had drunk to turn out this way. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 871: Familiar Face That dream gave him quite a fright. After a round of heavy sweating, he was now fairly sober. His head was still throbbing, but most of the intoxication was now gone after a circulation of origin power. Among past matters at the Yellow Springs, this incident left the deepest impression. Thinking back on it, Zhang Jings demeanor, actions, and even her expressions returned vividlyhe hadnt forgotten anything despite the many years that had passed by; these memories were all buried in his heart. Song Zining was stunned when he recalled Qianyes words from last night. He then jumped up in fury, shouting, Nonsense! Absolute rubbish! But that chest of Zhang Jing that would wiggle thrice with each step swayed vividly within his eyes. But this was the seventh young master we were talking about. He took a deep breath and circulated his origin power, sweeping away the discomfort in his body and calming his heart like a frozen lake. He broke into a laugh as he muttered to himself, This lass, I almost fell for her trick, the same goes for that idiot Qianye, hes actually willing to be her accomplice. Mm, its not bad that you two are hitting it off. Damn lass, you wont know my awesomeness until I make you jump into this pit voluntarily. Song Zining arrived before the window and looked out. His bedroom was on the third floor, not too far from the construction site. He merely scanned the area and found Qianye fairly quickly. It wouldnt have been that easy to point him out from among the mercenaries if he hadnt jumped onto the roof carrying ten tons of building materials. Judging from the grime on his clothes, it would seem Qianye had been working for quite some time already. This fellows alcohol tolerance was definitely unquestionable. Song Zining stood near the window for a while and was just about to leave when Qianye appeared nearby. Youre awake? Give me a shower. Speechless, Song Zining summoned a shower of rain to wash the mud off of Qianye and some wind to blow him dry. This is the last time. Qianye laughed loudly as he grabbed Song Zining out of the window. Lets go and grab some food. Song Zining was already starving after sleeping for the whole night. The two found a restaurant and began digging into a table full of food. Qianye, is this how youre going to be in the future? Isnt this good? As you wish. Enough with the useless stuff. The Wolf King shouldve recovered by now, and his revenge will arrive very soon. What plans do you have? Song Zining said in a relaxed manner, Whats there to worry about? Just let Tianqing deal with it. Doesnt she have a handful of methods to deal with divine champions? At the mention of this, Qianye immediately recalled Zhang Buzhous personal command token and felt that Song Zinings suggestion this time wasnt so great. He explained the Wolf Kings combat strength and asked, Do you have any way to restrain him? Song Zining became serious when the conversation drifted to proper topics. According to your description, I can do half a second at most, and even that will involve some luck. Qianye nodded. Half a second is enough. Song Zining gave it some thought and did some calculations. The Wolf Kings physique is extremely powerful, if he possesses talent in this regard, his recovery must be astonishing as well. Additionally, werewolves can gain a short boost in power by communicating with their ancestors, so restraining him will be very difficult. Its possible that youll only have one shot. Do you think you can heavily injure him in one blow? Are you going to use that move? Qianye replied, Half a second is enough, I can do it if I use Heartgrave. Song Zining nodded, as though he had just remembered something. Be careful, that gun will drain you completely. What should I be afraid of with you around? You might not be, but I am. Song Zining suddenly recalled something. Oh right, Qianye, dont be too surprised if you meet some old friends. Old friends? Feeling that something was clearly wrong, Qianye said with a wooden expression, What have you done again? Its all for your good. Qianye went back to work after having his fill. Watching his receding figure, Song Zining shook his head and gave up on persuading him to cultivate. Perhaps this was the only way to make him feel better. Song Zining went back to his residence, picked up his brush, and penned three letters. He sealed them in three silver mail tubes and ordered his assistants to prepare the car. Moments later, a jeep left Southern Blue in great haste. Qianye was so invested in the manual labor that he didnt notice Song Zinings departure. The jeep sped across the wilderness for half a days time and only came to a stop by nightfall. One of the aides jumped down and waved a special origin lamp into the air. Moments later, a slender airship descended from high above and hovered in the air. Song Zining jumped onto it and ordered the vessel to return to the void. There, he activated the ships origin array and inserted the three silver tubes into it. The radiant burst of light emerged from the array as the three tubes vanished. Following the eruption, the entire array turned dark, and the dozens of embedded high-purity black crystals shattered. Even with Song Zinings fortune and temperament, he could feel his eyes twitching and his expression seemed pained. At almost the same moment, a silver tube appeared in one of Ningyuan Heavy Industrys secret bases on the Qin Continentwhere the other two had gone was a mystery. The base looked like an ordinary civilian residence, occupied by an old husband and wife without any children. The old man picked up the tube cautiously, carefully checking the seal and insignia before putting it away. Then he packed his bags and boarded an airship bound for the Imperial Capital. Back in the neutral lands, Song Zining was still not quite assured. He summoned the captain and passed him a letter, saying, Head back to the Qin Continent and hand this to General Wang Zuo in the Imperial Capital. Ask him nothing, tell him nothing, he knows what he should do. Send this ship back after arriving at the continent, you head to the capital on your own. Understood. Song Zining jumped off the airship after the captain confirmed his orders. The airship slowly rose into the air and flew toward the boundless void. After the airship had left, the follower asked, Young Master, hasnt the message been delivered? Why are you sending more? That origin array might be the work of a grandmaster, but its not entirely safe. With that, Song Zining boarded the vehicle and returned to Southern Blue. Song Zining was resting with his eyes closed as the jeep bumped and jolted along the way. All of a sudden, he shot up and roared, Stop! The badly shocked aide stopped the jeep hurriedly. Song Zining jumped down and paced about pensively. Half a day later, his knitted brows eased up as he muttered to himself, Let it be, shell probably appear and pass the message back. Theres no way she doesnt have that much ability. He once again jumped onto the jeep and said, Lets go back to Southern Blue. This time, the vehicle made no stops as it sped back to the city. On the continents edge, Ji Tianqing was standing on a tall peak, gazing out into the distance. An eerie looking airship jumped out of the void, gliding forward silently until it was hovering in front of Ji Tianqing. This airship was barely discernible and almost illusory, seeming to fade away at a careless glance. After the vessel had been stabilized, several people flew out and bowed before Ji Tianqing. What are the Young Miss orders? Ji Tianqing fished out a letter. Send this back. The contents are highly important, so failure is not an option. Escort the missive with this airship. Everyone was astonished. This isnt quite appropriate. Our duty is to protect Young Miss. We cannot shoulder the responsibility if we leave and something happens to you. Ji Tianqings expression sank. Deliver this letter, Father will understand what to do. You wont be able to shoulder the responsibility if some mishap occurs along the road. That person wanted to dissuade Ji Tianqing, but she had already turned around and left, effectively denying him any opportunity at doing so. Everyone remained petrified at the scene. Moments later, an elder said, Young Miss is with Song Seven, there probably wont be a problem. Sir Xu, perhaps we should just listen to her orders and deliver the letter. The previous person was locked in a deep frown, clearly hesitant about this matter. The elder said again, Sire Xu, you know her temper. Theres no way you can convince her otherwise. The only thing we can do now is to go back and return as quickly as possible. Sir Xu sighed. I guess thats the only thing we can do. Everyone returned to the airship, upon which, the vessel flickered out of existence and vanished into the vast void. Ji Tianqing wasnt very far at the moment. She stood on a lone peak, gazing at the distant sea of stars. There was no radiance on her face at this moment, and instead, it was shrouded by a hint of sadness. She finally woke up after a moment of blank staring, almost as though she had just been roused from a dream. Ji Tianqing uttered hatefully, Song Zining! Just you wait and see! Within Southern Blue, Song Zining was studying plans and diagrams in his office when he felt a chill run between his brows. A frigid intent washed over him like a basin of icy water. He began calculating frantically, but all he got was chaos which he could make neither head nor tail of. The surprise ruined his mood, making it impossible for him to continue studying the plans. All he did was pace about inside the room and try to recall why this mishap had occurred. It was at this time that Qianye walked in and grabbed Song Zining off his feet. Dont bother with all this useless stuff, its time to drink! Still drinking? Song Zining was scared. Deep that night, Qianye dragged an out-cold Song Zining back to his residence, tossed him into bed, and then left with great satisfaction. In the blink of an eye, it was a new day once more. When the blinding light passed through the gap and onto his face, Song Zining cried out frantically and sat up, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. That whip-bearing instructor had once again appeared in his dreams. Meanwhile, Qianye was hard at work at the site, humming a small tune and occasionally exchanging dirty jokes with the other mercenaries. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 872: Heavenly Mystery An airship rose into the air from the Transcendent Continent and flew into the distance. The port officer observed the aircraft for a moment before writing down headed to Qin Continent in his register. After making the records, he checked the airships direction once more and submitted the documents for verification. What he didnt know was that the airship made a sharp turn after going out of sight, and two new masts rose up from the vessel, unfurling their kinetic sails. This increased the ships speed sharply as it sped into the boundless void. This officer would turn a blind eye even if he knew what was going on because, otherwise, the entire port and its staff would be punished for deficient supervision. The distant airships outer shell opened up as numerous poles stretched out horizontally. The origin arrays on them flickered constantly as a new defensive barrier covered up the entire vessel, protecting it from the corrosion of the void tempests. The cabin doors opened after the defensive barrier had been erected, and a heroic figure walked out to stand at the bow. This person was just standing there casually, yet a grand incisive aura was pouring out from her, almost like a sharp, unsheathed blade. A thin elder followed this person out from behind. Young Noble, you should at least tell your family about such an important matter. The person at the bow turned back to reveal a perfectly handsome countenance. It was just that her eyes were so sharp and chill-inducing that the spectator had no time to admire her beauty. She sneered upon hearing the old mans words. Those old fogeys have no right to interrupt whatever I want to do. Young Noble, but Li Kuanglan cut the elder short. No buts, half of the elder assembly is weaker than me, and Ill be catching up to the remainder very soon. How dare a group of untalented people criticize my path? The old man sighed. What you say isnt wrong, but you should tell the empress at least. Li Kuanglans momentum faltered for a short moment. My sister has so many things to handle, she has no time for such trivialities. This is related to the Great Maelstrom, how is that a triviality? Young Noble, please reconsider. Were already on the road, wont it be a hassle to go back? The Great Maelstrom is about to fully open after a couple of days. Itll only be one days delay if we rush back and thats nothing for someone of your talents. Youll suffer certain losses if it drags out. Li Kuanglan didnt approve of this. Its only the ones near the entrance, this young master doesnt need them. The marine lotus from last time was discovered near the entrance. Is there anything more important than that? There is. Oh? What would that be? This old servant really must know. Whether my blade is sharp and quick enough! The old mans eyes narrowed. Does that mean the young master has found a sharpening stone? Yes, theyre in the neutral lands! The old man sighed. Young Master, theres nothing bad about sharpening your blade, but if you overdo it, you might break your sword before you manage to strike anything. Li Kuanglan laughed coldly. You think I cant defeat her? This servant doesnt dare. Full speed ahead, Ive already decided! The old man hesitated for a moment. Since Young Master has already decided, this old servant will follow your orders. Nonetheless, we must still send word to the Empress so that she wont have to worry about you. Her Highness might send experts from the palace after you if a long time goes by without any news. At that time, whatever young master has planned wont go smoothly. Li Kuanglan snorted but made no response. Relieved, the old man turned around and made a gesture. Moments later, a beam of light shot into the sky and flew off into the distance. After the light had vanished over the horizon, Li Kuanglan said coldly, Go, I want to arrive early in the neutral lands. Yes, Young Master. It was spring at the Imperial Palace. The warm rays of the sun were showering onto the brightly colored foliage, yet there was still a sharp chill when standing in the shade. Empress Li was seated in the garden pavilion, enjoying the warm sunlight as she caressed the snow-white cat on her lap. Her fingers were like spring onions and even fairer than the cats fur. The feline pet stretched its body under the warm light and eventually fell asleep. Empress Li picked up the nearby teacup and only took a gentle sip before the maids switched out a new cup of tea. Her movements were silent and gentle but contained extraordinary power within them. A series of crisp footsteps echoed in the courtyard as a fair-faced servant rushed over. He knelt down before the pavilion and said, Empress, General Wang Zuo of the Imperial Guard seeks an audience. Wang Zuo? Why does he wish to see me? This is against the rules. General Wang says he has an important secret report from the neutral lands, and that he must hand it to you personally. Empress Li frowned. Neutral lands fine, let him in. The servant was startled. Here? T-This isnt too appropriate, is it? Empress Li said indifferently, General Wang Zuos status is special. The emperor wont say anything even if he finds out, bring him in. All the experienced staff in the palace knew that the empress wouldnt say something thrice. The servant jogged away swiftly, not daring to go against her words. Moments later, a tall, handsome general walked in with large strides and knelt down before the pavilion. Subject Wang Zuo greets the Empress! Intrigued, the maids in the pavilion stole glances at the man. What they saw was a fair, well-groomed man without any facial hair. He was indeed handsome but also somewhat feminine. Empress Li raised her hand, gesturing for him to rise. What news is so important that you must see me in person? You do know that your head will roll if it isnt important. The general turned pale. This information comes from Song Zining of the Song clan. He spared no expense in transmitting this information from the neutral lands to the Qin Continent and even dispatched a messenger to relay a second copy. General Zining says that this news is related to the future of the Li clan and must reach Your Highness hands. Song Zining? I heard hes an intelligent person. Empress Lis expression relaxed somewhat upon hearing this name. Let me see it. The general produced two sealed tubes and passed them to the handmaid. The seventh young noble sent two copies, reportedly containing the same message. Your subject presents both of them. Empress Li checked the tube and opened it after finding the seal intact. At this moment, an aged servant rushed out from the shadows behind the pavilion. Your Highness, allow this old servant to open it, lest it be a trap. Empress Li smiled. An intelligent person like him wont do something so stupid. What can he fit in this small tube that can hurt me? With that, she twisted the tube open and began reading the letter in earnest. The correspondence wasnt long, yet the empress looked through the contents several times before putting it down. Then, she opened the other tube and compared them. Upon finding that they were identical, she rubbed the paper gently with her hands, reducing them to wisps of smoke which scattered in the wind. Empress Li sat with an expression of both joy and worry, yet there was also an inexplicable charm to her. After a moment of contemplation, she said with a spurious smile, This child is really quite bold, even daring to scheme against me. General Wang Zuo was startled upon hearing this. Then, a sweep of the empress gaze caused him to fall on his knees, trembling all over, yet he never uttered the word mercy. Wang Zuo, what benefits did Song Zining promise you that you would help him with such a thing? Empress Lis voice was as frosty as it was charming. Wang Zuo clenched his teeth. The seventh young noble once took a great risk to save my only son. Im willing to repay this debt with my life. Additionally, I firmly believe that he will neither harm me nor Your Majesty. Empress Li smiled. A loyal person who repays his favors is not easy to come by. This news is indeed important to me. Lets do it this way, you head to Duke Rong and tell him that I sent you, see if he has any rural post that needs filling. Wang Zuo was pleasantly surprised. He quickly kowtowed, saying, Thank you, Your Highness! Empress Li dismissed Wang Zuo with a wave of her hand. After a moment of hesitation, she said, Bring the Heaventheft Jade. The old servant was shocked. Empress, that thing shouldnt be used liberally! Its fine, this warrants a use. The old servant left and soon returned with a suet jade box on a layer of brocade and satin. Empress Li received the box and opened it. Inside were several jade tokens, each as thin as a cicadas wings and with ancient words carved upon them. The characters on it were so obscure that none of the people here could recognize them. Empress Li fished out the tokens and, after a moment of calculation, scattered them onto the ground. The jade tokens made pleasant jingling sounds as they fell and bounced about like leaping fairies. Empress Li stared fixedly at the tokens, refusing to miss a single detail. The unfathomable servant and the maids all held their breaths, not daring to disturb or alarm the empress in the slightest. They had been working in the palace for a long time, yet this was the first time they had seen the empress use the Heaventheft Jade. This was also the first time she was going all out to divine the heavenly mysteries. Death would be a light punishment if they were to disrupt her during this moment. Empress Li didnt claim this position just because she was beautiful and gentle. The jade tokens suddenly erupted in popping sounds and shattered at the same time! Empress Lis expression turned paper-white and began coughing until she was bent over. Everyone was shocked, but they didnt dare rush over for fear that the divination was still underway. All they could do was watch helplessly. After a good while of coughing, Empress Li stood up and glanced at the hand she had over her mouth just now. There was a shocking puddle of blood in her palm. She grabbed a white towel and wiped the blood away from her lips and hand. She suddenly broke into a laugh as she muttered to herself, Ah, fate the more you hide things, the clearer it becomes. She sat down once again and said with the dignity of a Great Qin empress, Clean this up and invite Eunuch Liu over. Moments later, a white-haired elder whose brows hung on either side of his face arrived outside of the pavilion. He didnt kneel and merely performed a salutation, saying, What does the Empress need of this old man? The empress treated Eunuch Lius lack of prostration as something that was right and proper. I have a personal matter that requires your service. Head to the neutral lands and convey my message to Kuanglan. After that, you may act on the circumstances, no need to return in a hurry. With that, Empress Lis lips moved ever so slightly as her voice threaded into Eunuch Lius ears. Eunuch Lius brows rose up all of a sudden. This old man understands, Ill do my best. Empress Li said gently, Nothing can be better than having Eunuch Liu in the field. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 873: Chess Match There were little islands drifting about outside of the floating void continent. To be precise, they were nothing more than large rocks. Possessing no barrier of their own, all they could do was suffer the constant erosion of the void elements. Such drifting islands were abundant between continents, but only the largest ones with protective barriers held any value, as they were the only places where ordinary people could survive. Such land masses could be counted on one hand, while the remainder were just worthless boulders. These islands did not follow a specific orbit, and the environment around them was extremely adverse. Even divine champions would be hard-pressed to stay very long on them. Additionally, their movements posed a threat to airships, not unlike hidden reefs in the void. A drifting island was slowly moving above the floating continent. It was no more than a few hundred meters in diameter and naturally possessed no protective barrier. But anyone standing atop it would be afforded a complete view of the entire continent below. At this moment, there were two people playing chess in this almost forbidden place. There was a table between them with a red clay teapot on it, heated by a floating plume of fire beneath it. There was a chessboard on the other side of the table, decorated with an array of black and white, and suffused with utter silence as the battle reached its peak. On one side of the table was a stern-looking Prince Greensun. On the other end was a kind old man whose every movement was in line with the dao of the worldhe was the number one expert of the empire, the Pointer Monarch. The latters expression was indifferent as he waited for Zhang Boqian to play his piece. Prince Greensun, on the other hand, was thinking hard with his brows furrowed. He made no effort to hide the bad situation he was in and simply wore his heart on his sleeve. The Pointer Monarch finished a cup of tea in one go, sighing. What wonderful tea! The Pointer Monarch wasnt quite satisfied with one cup. He reached out to the cup in front of Zhang Boqian, saying, Boqian, youre proficient in void traversal, so you have many opportunities to obtain such tea leaves. Im old now and incomparable to you all, I cant take that much stress. Why not just let me have this? Zhang Boqians eyes were still on the chessboard, and he didnt move his body, either. Only a single black piece shot toward the Pointer Monarchs hand, forcing him to shrink back. The piece looked like it would smash into the teacup, but it actually spun about and flew back into Zhang Boqians hand. The profundity of control in this move was truly difficult to describe. This wasnt a contest between ordinary cultivators. Even though the Pointer Monarch wasnt going all out, how many people could contend with him and still have the energy to spare? Losing half a move didnt make the Pointer Monarch angry. He merely uttered the words stingy before continuing to admire the scenery of the floating continent with a smile. Youll lose that cup of tea to me, anyway. Even so, you will wait until the games over. Zhang Boqians voice was devoid of fluctuation. An airship flickered into view at this moment, flying straight toward the floating island at great speed. Zhang Boqian remained deep in thought, almost as though he had never seen this airship. The Pointer Monarch ignored the vessel and turned his attention to controlling the fire. The airship stopped beside the floating island and from it appeared several silhouettes. A tall, middle-aged man among them bore some resemblance to the Pointer Monarch. He stopped the others with a wave of his hand and stepped forward, bowing. Grandpa. The Pointer Monarch looked up and said indifferently, How many times have I told you to call me prince or my name. Aristocrats like you are so awesome, this old man is no match. The middle-aged man looked fairly awkward. He looked as though he wanted to say something but didnt dare to. In the end, he muddled over the naming issue and said, Tianqing sent word. This is an important matter, so I need you to look over it. Hearing Tianqings name wiped away the shadow on the old mans face. Bring it here. The middle-aged man passed a letter to him and then went back to his position. The Pointer Monarch raised his brows as he opened the letter and browsed through its contents. He then passed the letter to Zhang Boqian, saying, Now this is surprising, what do you think? Zhang Boqians attention suddenly snapped back from the chessboard. He looked through the letter and said with a pensive frown, If it is as this letter says, the Great Vortex passage in the neutral lands will be less hostile and life-threatening. If we can open up this passage, the empire wont need to limit itself to the quotas. This achievement will last a thousand years. The Pointer Monarch sighed while shaking his head. Ive been to the neutral lands when I was young, and I know very well of its dangers. This passage has always been there, and its more than just hostile. Perhaps only you and I might be able to get through it. Even if its gentler now, its still not a journey those kids can make. Unless At this point, the Pointer Monarch stopped speaking and only sighed. Everyone knew the Pointer Monarch had troubles he couldnt mention, and no one was ignorant enough to force this issue. After a long while of silence, the Pointer Monarch said, Boqian, youre the commander of the army. How will you decide? Zhang Boqian replied indifferently, That was in the past. Since its so hard to decide, why dont we just wait and see? It wont be too late to decide later. With that, he played a black piece. This piece was isolated and seemingly idle, but it resonated faintly with the overall situation. The Pointer Monarch praised, Good piece! He then waved his hand at the middle-aged man, I know about this matter, you guys can go back. The middle-aged man seemed like he wanted to say something but walked away hesitantly. After the airship had left, the Pointer Monarch said, Speaking of the neutral lands, theres something related to you, why not take a look? There was suddenly another sealed tube in the monarchs hand, one of the three Song Zining had transmitted back to the empire. Only one out of three tubes had reached the empire back then. The recipient didnt suspect anything since this method wasnt entirely stable, to begin with. It was already quite good that one of them had reached its intended target. Who wouldve thought the Pointer Monarch had used a powerful ability to intercept one of the two missing tubes? Unexpectedly, Zhang Boqian flipped his left hand to reveal an identical tube. The Pointer Monarch laughed while stroking his beard. As expected of Prince Greensun, youre catching up to your ancestors. Zhang Boqian shook his head. The ancestor stands at the peak of martial prowess, how can I ever catch up? The Pointer Monarch didnt argue with him, either. He merely pointed at the tube and asked, How are you going to deal with this? Zhang Boqian, with a wave of his hand, turned the unopened tubes into ash, their contents destined never to be seen. The Pointer Monarch said, Thats fine as well, none of those people can scheme against you anyway. Its not time to shed all pretenses just yet. Zhang Boqians eyes shone with a cold glint. But I wont give them any opportunity, lest they think Im afraid of those plotting against me in the dark. The Pointer Monarch nodded. True, I think Xitang is the best person to handle the matter regarding the Great Maelstrom. What do you say? Does he even have time? Zhang Boqians words were tainted with sarcasm and hidden meanings. The Pointer Monarch muttered, Theres no one else. Zhao Jundu is still young and cannot shoulder this responsibility, much less Song Zining. Hmm, that little fellow seems to be getting bolder and bolder, he needs to be punished. Zhang Boqian replied coldly, Hes no longer mine the day he left the main camp. Then its settled. The Pointer Monarch picked up three white pieces, stroked them gently, and threw them away. The chess pieces flew away into the void amidst lingering ripples. At this moment, Song Zining was well-rested, washed, and in his top form. He wasnt in a rush to eat. Instead, he stood in front of his desk and spread out a box of jade divination tokens. Then, he placed his folding fan on the southwestern corner of the tablethe direction where the empire was at the moment. After ample preparation, he reached out to pick up the jade tokens, ready to divine the heavenly mystery. Song Zining had made several important arrangements these days, and all of them should have responded by now. Considering how important this matter was, he couldnt help but want to take a peek at fate despite knowing how difficult and backlash-prone it was. Using jade tokens wasnt something everyone could do. The Li familys divination arts were most suited to use jade, and their inherited Heaventheft Jade was praised as being comparable to heavens eye. After a period of silent prayer and incantation, he felt that the time was nigh. Having done countless divinations, he was already extremely familiar with this feeling. Although the process today was unbelievably smooth, Song Zining threw the tokens out by reflex. The moment the divination tokens flew out, each of them resonated with a mysterious force within the void and became connected by an invisible thread. However, several ripples appeared in the void at that split second. There was a boundless power within those ripples that snapped the folding fan Song Zining had placed in the southwest direction into four parts! This fan served to suppress the void and act as a cornerstone of this divination, keeping the jade tokens from being drawn away by the mysterious power. Now that the fan had been broken, the jade tokens suddenly lost their anchorthey flew about chaotically and shattered from the unbearable power. Song Zining remained dazed for a moment before falling onto his back, his face as pale as a sheet. He woke up moments later, but his entire body was flaccid and powerless. Suddenly remembering something, Song Zining shot to his feet and went to grab the folding fan. Unfortunately, the instrument had been completely destroyed with no hope of repairing it. Song Zining gazed at the folding fan, his mind completely blank. This fan was extremely important to him, an irreplaceable treasure that had the same effect as the Li familys Heaventheft Jade. At this moment, it had been utterly ruined by the mysterious ripples. Song Zining was shocked when he tried to channel his divination powers. His once crystal clear vision was now shrouded by a layer of mist and fairly slow to sense the great dao of the void. He would not be able to perform any divination before this layer of mist had been ground away. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 874: Fiftieth Cycle of the Combatant Formula The current Southern Blue was flourishing. With the help of all those mercenary experts, the construction work progressed at a rapid rate. It seemed like a new building was popping up every day. The materials were hardly able to catch up to the demand despite all the major trade companies bringing them in day and night. Expansion led to good business in the city. The mercenaries needed to eat, the traveling merchant caravans need lodgings and food, and the new factories meant the arrival of more craftsmen. Everyone, from the bottom to the top, was happy. Even Ji Rui, who had been hiding in his residence, was now wearing a radiant smile. After some detailed calculations, the fatty realized that his income had almost doubled despite the fall in his authority as city lord. At this rate, he would be receiving three times his usual cashflow once Song Zinings plans had all come to fruition. Additionally, he found his days fairly enjoyableno longer needing to pay attention to trivial matters or tiptoe around the major powers. All he needed was to lie down and wait for the money to come in. He even found the leisure to feed his pet birds. Leisure wasnt a bad thing, naturally, but Ji Rui still worried about one thinghow the surrounding powers, especially the Wolf King, would treat Dark Flame and Southern Blue. This threat was plain as day, but the three youths who had established Dark Flame didnt seem to be aware of this danger. They went about their own business as usual, almost as though they were entirely thoughtless. This was especially true of Qianye who had set his heart on doing manual labor, even throwing aside his cultivation. Could it be that he could beat back the Wolf King just by moving steel beams? Ji Rui wasnt the only one with doubts. At this moment, Qianye was preparing to lock a steep beam onto one of the building roofs. This was the last beam in the framework, beyond which the construction would progress fairly quickly. Nonetheless, it was no easy feat to install this steel beam perfectly since it was dozens of meters long and several tons in weight. Usually, it would take five powerful warriors a fair length of time to fit one in. To Qianye, though, this was a relatively easy chore. With a shake, a push, and a subsequent click, the beam was accurately embedded within its slot. The remaining work no longer required his helpall that was left was for the engineers to fix and weld the metal in place. Just as Qianye was patting the dust off his clothes, he saw a pair of combat boots in front of him. Qianye followed the boots upward and came face to face with Ji Tianqing, who was looking down at him with folded arms. Is this kind of work fun? she asked. Qianye shook his head. Not exactly. Then why are you doing manual labor instead of cultivating or managing the corps affairs? Is this your future life from now on? Ji Tianqing was intent on getting to the heart of the matter. At least it can stop me from thinking about certain things, makes me feel better. Qianyes answer stuffed Ji Tianqings questions back down her throat. She felt something stopping up her chest, an unbearable discomfort that she couldnt cough out. Is it worth it? Ji Tianqing couldnt help but ask. Qianye looked puzzled as he shook his head with a wry smile. I dont know, I really dont. Then why Her words stopped midway. Qianye shot her a glance. Youre still young, you dont understand. This evaluation seemed rather effective on Ji Tianqing, but she wasnt quite satisfied with the latter part. What do you mean I dont understand? Where, who, and what do I not understand? Laughing and shaking his head, Qianye soon arrived beside a pipe. Here, he opened the tap and used the powerful current to wash the mud off of himself. The cold water also refreshed his spirits and lightened his ashen mood. Soon afterward, there was a momentary flicker of scarlet flame. The water drops on Qianye''s body evaporated and then recondensed into their original forms under the exquisite sunlight. He was just about to put the pipe back in place when Ji Tianqing caught his wrist and pressed on. Make it clear, what do I not understand? Qianye broke into a laugh as he applied strength to his wrist. Ji Tianqing glared back at him, her grip tightening with a force that was grossly out of proportion with her build. Apparently, it was yet another high-grade secret art. Qianye didnt shrink back, however, and sent wave after wave of terrifying power raging toward Ji Tianqing. The first wave hadnt died out when the counteracting force was already in play, increasing the power relentlessly. In the blink of an eye, Ji Tianqings face became somewhat pale and small beads of sweat hung on the tip of her nose. This was really the first time she had revealed signs of reaching her limit. Secret artsno matter how powerfulwere supported by origin power. Ji Tianqings energy reserves werent infinite after all, so she soon fell into a disadvantage and had no choice but to let go. Qianyes body jolted briefly as soon as the girl let gocrackling thunder rang out in the air, as well as the sound of rolling tides. He put the pipe back gently, almost as though nothing had happened just now. Ji Tianqing couldnt calm down. The phenomenon just now was likely caused by a release of Qianyes stored power, but how strong was he to be able to produce thunderous sounds just from a pure release of power? She might have been injured had she resisted until the very end. What secret art is that? Secret art? Qianye was surprised. He gave it some thought before replying, Its the Combatant Formula. Combatant Formula? You think Im a child? Its fine if you dont want to say it! Ji Tianqing was furious, breaking out into a shout toward the end. It really is the Combatant Formula. Ji Tianqing didnt believe it at first, but seeing Qianye so serious, she thought back to the exchange just now. The overlaying pattern of his power was indeed quite similar to the Combatant Formula. The pattern was similar, but the essence was simply too different. For instance, a person with boundless strength could theoretically uproot mountains and fill oceansbut how could there be such a powerful person? The wild torrent of power Qianye had blasted apart Ji Tianqings peerless secret art. Just how powerful was this? Not to mention the fact that Qianyes origin power was a ways off from a divine champions, he wouldnt be able to withstand this level of impact even if he was one. The recoil would injure him within moments. It was even worse for ordinary championsthey might explode within a few breaths. A human trying to move a mountain would result in the person being pulverized. Hence, Ji Tianqing simply refused to believe that it was the Combatant Formula. What she had used just now was one of the Ji familys superb secret arts, capable of raising all aspects of the practitioners power. It was like temporarily raising the experts cultivation by three levels without any shortcomings. Such a secret art could be considered terrifying. No one would believe that it had actually lost to a common cultivation art like the Combatant Formula. Nonetheless, Qianye had shown her so many miracles that she couldnt quite dismiss his claim immediately. Besides, Qianye had never lied to her beforewhat he wasnt willing to divulge, he would usually refuse to say, instead of lying. Ji Tianqing suddenly thought of something at the mention of the Combatant Formula. How many cycles have you reached? This question touched upon the core secret of his cultivation. Qianye hesitated for a good while before saying, Fifty. Fifty!? Even a knowledgeable person like Ji Tianqing couldnt help but exclaim in shock. She eventually calmed herself and suppressed her awe. Doesnt that mean youve reached the level of the Martial Monarch and Prince Greensun? Their level back in the year, yes. Ji Tianqing glanced at Qianye with a complicated expression, sighing secretly in her heart. This was a sigh of admiration for Qianyes talents and how such a genius was forced out of the empire. On the other hand, it was also about the Combatant Formulas limitations. Both the Martial Monarch and Zhang Boqian had switched to a different primary cultivation art after reaching the fiftieth cycle. Both of these experts were from celebrated families with great foundations. They possessed dozens if not hundreds of cultivation arts, making it relatively easy for them to find a suitable one. The same couldnt be said of Qianyehe had been forced out of the empire at such a young age, so how could he find a suitable art? His cultivation mustve been delayed for the greater part of the year now. This served as a good explanation for Qianyes devotion to manual labor. How was he to cultivate after the fiftieth cycle? No matter how talented and powerful he was, could he surpass the Martial Monarch and Prince Greensun? One would be hard-pressed to make any progress without sufficient purity of origin power. At the thought of this, Ji Tianqings gaze toward Qianye became much more gentler. As a knowledgeable person who had met countless experts, she was never impressed by these ordinary geniuses. There were thousands of talented people in the empires younger generation, but those she could remember were limited to a handful of people like Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, Li Kuanglan, and Song Zining. Even Wei Potian couldnt hope for a place in her heart. As for people like Nangong and Xu Lang, she would simply overlook them even if they were standing right in front of her. It was precisely because of her high standards that she cared more about the people she remembered. As she saw it, such a talented person being forced to bide his time due to a lack of cultivation arts was the most wasteful thing in the world. Her expression became as gentle as the spring rain and her cheeks grew noticeably flushed as she gazed at Qianye. At this moment, Qianye was feeling quite nervous at heart. He hadnt stopped at the fiftieth cycle of the Combatant Formula but actually took the next step to obtain the Profound Combatant Formula that Martial Ancestor had left behind. What he had told Ji Tianqing wasnt a lie, but it was undoubtedly a deliberate misdirectionsomething even more serious than deceit. Qianye was definitely not an expert in this aspect, so he felt increasingly guilty under Ji Tianqings gaze. The Profound Combatant Formula was the Martial Ancestors inheritance, and it was no trifling matter despite being an incomplete version. As thick as Qianye was, he knew that this news would cause an even greater uproar than his attainment of the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance. At the very least, the imperial family would take action to seize it back. Ji Tianqing wasnt close enough that he would share such a secret. Surprisingly, Ji Tianqing patted Qianyes shoulder, saying, Dont be sad, its just a follow-up cultivation art, right? Leave it to me! Qianye opened his mouth briefly. He really wanted to say that he could keep on cultivating the Combatant Formula for many years still. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 875: First Battle Qianye knew that divulging this information would bring endless trouble. As for the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, it also seemed like something that shouldnt be publicized. These two ancient scrolls were mysterious and probably of extraordinary origins. It was only left to gather dust in the Song clans depository because no one had ever managed to cultivate it throughout the years. Qianye headed back to his place after cleaning himself up. Most of the construction site was empty at night as the mercenaries had gone back to rest. Normally, Qianye would either grab Song Zining out for a drink or get some food and sit quietly in his room until dawn. He had just arrived at his residence when he saw a guard from the city lord manor waiting for him at the door. The man stepped forward upon seeing Qianye and said, Sire, the City Lord invites you to his residence. He has something to discuss! This was the first time Ji Rui had invited Qianye since the forming of Dark Flame. Without any preparation, he simply followed the guard back to the city lords manor. Ji Rui was pacing about worriedly inside his study. Seeing Qianye, he said with a wry smile, Theres trouble. What sort of trouble? Ji Rui passed Qianye a letter. This was a secret missive detailing how the Wolf King had reappeared in the totemic castle and was gathering troops to march on Southern Blue. Qianye narrowed his eyes, knowing that the Wolf King had finally managed to suppress his injuries and was getting ready to get back at him. It was just that Southern Blue was in a special position where Ji Rui had led the major powers to keep each other in check. City Lord Ji, are the Spider Emperor and Mask going to watch as the Wolf King devours Southern Blue? Qianye inquired. Ji Rui smiled ruefully. Im perplexed as well. The other two sides surely know of the Wolf Kings clamorous movements, but neither of them has reacted. Theres no telling what theyre planning in secret. Ive already dispatched emissaries to them, but we cant pin our hopes on them. General Qianye, it looks like the Wolf King is intent on winning this battle, so its time to use your hidden aces if you have any! I need to discuss this with Song Zining, but City Lord Ji, how far are you prepared to go when the Wolf King comes? Qianyes question cut straight to the point. This old fox Ji Rui was a classic case of swaying grass. He might just surrender to the Wolf King depending on how the scales tip. Ji Rui had never imagined Qianye would be so direct. Southern Blue is my foundation, built with my sweat and blood. I wont be satisfied without a fierce fight. However, Ive also passed the hot-blooded age, Im not about to die with the city. Ill flee if things dont look good. Very well, I understand. Qianye nodded. Ji Ruis words were honest. He might not be the Wolf Kings match, but he could still run away. What of Tidehark? Qianye inquired. Last time he had gone to raid the city with Ji Tianqing, he had gotten a taste of Luo Bingfengs terrifying power. The mans visual attack was mysterious and unfathomable. Although he was far less powerful than the entity in the ocean, that kind of power wasnt something an ordinary divine champion could grasp. That was why Qianye had asked about it. Ji Rui replied, Luo Bingfeng has never left Tidehark since Heavenly Monarch Zhangs isolated cultivation. He simply ignores everything unless it affects the city directly, so theres no need to worry about his interference during the Wolf Kings skirmish. Naturally, we wont receive any help, either. Relieved after hearing this, Qianye soon excused himself. After leaving the manor, Qianye went to discuss this matter with Song Zining and Ji Tianqing. We fight! Ji Tianqing struck while it was hot. This battle wont be easy. Song Zining looked serious. Qianye nodded. Dark Flame was just a band of rag tags at the moment, pieced together from many small corps. It couldnt be compared at all to a mercenary corps like Stormwind Fury. Meanwhile, the Wolf Kings army was made up of experienced veterans and powerful generals. The Wolf King himself was already a vice-duke. Qianye asked Ji Tianqing, How many useful tricks do you have up your sleeve for dealing with a divine champion? Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing replied with a shrug, Just that command token, weve already used it. That command token Qianye had long since tossed that piece of scrap metal, and there was no telling how effective Zhang Buzhous command token would be against the Wolf King. Wasnt it super effective? We might not have escaped with our lives if it wasnt for it! Ji Tianqing stoppered Qianye with great confidence. Song Zining stopped the two with a serious face. We can still rely on the fortifications in Southern Blue to stave off the army, the problem is the Wolf King. Ji Tianqing said, I can block a couple of moves, but I cant do much beyond that. Well have a better chance if Ji Rui takes action, Qianye said. Song Zining shook his head. Its already good enough if that old fox doesnt stab us in the back. In fact, we still have to take precautions against him. After some discussion, it was decided that Song Zining would restrain the Wolf Kings movements and Ji Tianqing would launch suppressive attacks. Qianye, on the other hand, would deliver the lethal blow. This was just the general plan. There were a great number of variables involved in fighting an expert of this level, so they would have to adapt to the situation. Fortunately, all three of them were at the top among the younger generation of the empire, so they shouldnt fare too badly against the Wolf King. In the days that followed, Southern Blue continued to carry out large scale constructions, but they were building defensive structures this time. The mercenaries all understood that this undertaking was tied to their fate, so everyone put in their best efforts. Soon, news of the Wolf Kings imminent attack spread within the city, leaving everyone in a state of apprehension. Even though Ji Rui had sealed the city, there was a steady stream of mercenaries and citizens escaping every day. Dark Flame lost several hundred mercenaries as well, reducing their total force by twenty percent. With the approach of the Wolf Kings vanguard, more and more reports arrived in Southern Blue. This time, the king had mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers and all of the powerful experts from his tribe, prepared to wipe out Southern Blue in retaliation. The Wolf Kings messengers arrived ahead of the army, ordering Ji Rui to surrender and hand over Qianyes group. This envoy had suggested this in front of Song Zining and Ji Tianqing in a manner full of arrogance. Despite the mans arrogance, Ji Rui only refused and sent him out of the city. Song Zining watched on with cold eyes, knowing that Ji Rui still wanted to leave a path of retreat. The city lord didnt want to turn completely hostile, otherwise, he couldve slaughtered this werewolf and thrown the body out. Song Zining didnt say anything at the time and simply left on his own after Ji Rui had sent the messenger out. The emissarys party hadnt left very long when Song Zining led Dark Flame after him, chasing them down until they had reached the vanguard forces. The Wolf Kings vanguard was just setting up camp at the moment. Things fell into chaosnever once did they think that the mercenaries of Southern Blue would launch a surprise attack on them. The commander of the vanguard, a werewolf count, was already half-drunk in the main tent and only charged out when Dark Flame had fought their way into the encampment. The moment he walked out, he ran into Qianye. With the death of the werewolf count, the vanguard forces were deprived of a commander and the disarray reached an uncontrollable situation. Dark Flames casualties increased sharply when the officers formed their own squads to fight back in a messy battle. The Wolf Kings warriors displayed great power in small-scale battles. Ten of them would hold their ground against several dozen mercenaries, inflicting a steady stream of casualties all the while. They would surely win in one-on-one battles. Fortunately, Qianye was rampaging through the battlefield with a group of warriors, scattering the werewolves and gradually turning the tides. Just as they had gained a slight advantage, Song Zining suddenly called back his forces and left the battlefield. At this point, a viscount had taken over the position of the dead vanguard commander. Finding that their casualties were less than expected, he suddenly became emboldened and gave chase with a group of elites. Turns out that Song Zining had set up a trap along the way with the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art. Almost all of the Wolf Kings elites charged into the ambush before realizing what was wrong. By that time, however, everything was too latethat first-rank viscount was slaughtered by Qianye, and the remaining elites were also wiped out. Only a handful managed to escape. Hundreds of kilometers away, the Wolf Kings car was advancing slowly with the main army. The vehicle swayed constantly, but the kings body remained ramrod straight, seemingly unaffected by the movement. The great shaman was seated across from the Wolf King, the arm-sized totem in his hands spilling a scarlet light as he muttered incantations. The latter then absorbed the overflowing radiance, which covered him with a scarlet glow. The Wolf King was resting with his eyes closed when a commotion occurred outside. A blood-drenched werewolf appeared outside the vehicle and cried, Great Chief, the vanguard has fallen. Windbreaker and Lightningtail have fallen in battle! What!? The Wolf Kings angry eyes were bloodshot. Seeing the Wolf Kings eyes, the surrounding werewolves couldnt help but shiver and edge back involuntarily. The Wolf King grabbed the soldier delivering the report and roared, What happened? Speak! Hardly able to catch his breath, that soldier struggled to speak. Windbreaker was in camp when Dark Flame launched a surprise attack. Our forces were defeated badly, and both of the sires fell in battle as well. Useless trash! The Wolf Kings eyes became eerie. How many people are left of the vanguard? Only ten came back, including me. The Wolf King clawed at the soldiers chest. Fleeing in battle, what use are you? The Wolf King gouged the soldiers heart out and tossed it onto the ground. Ony ten soldiers were left of a two-thousand-man vanguard, and most importantly, the leaders had all fallen in battle. How could the Wolf King not be angry? The Wolf King suddenly looked back at the great shaman. How long!? The new shamans forehead was drenched in sweat. About five days, no, three days should be enough. I cant wait that long, the Wolf King said coldly. Then, he suddenly picked up the totem from the great shamans hands and poured the dark red ancestral power into his body. The great shamans face turned pale, his entire body trembling as he grew weaker and weaker. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 876: Exchanging Blows Great Chief! The surrounding werewolves were shocked, but none of them dared to stop him. The Wolf Kings ferocity was as notorious inside the tribe as it was outside. The king himself turned a deaf ear to the voices around him as he absorbed the ancestral power. The great shamans body trembled constantly as his face sunk in and his eyes became dispirited. The Wolf King only let go of the totem when the werewolf was almost unconscious. The great shaman fell gasping to the floor and couldnt clamber back up no matter what he did. The Wolf Kings expression was frigid, his body suffused with a dark red glow as he glanced at the tribesmen around him. I will not allow anyone to trample the glory of our tribe, the dead must be avenged! Now, let us go into battle, I will lead you as we tear our enemies apart! The ancestors are with us! The ancestors are with us! All the werewolf soldiers roared, and the army accelerated its march. The great shaman in the vehicle was soon forgotten. If he couldnt recover from this ordeal, the tribe would soon have a new great shaman. As the previous great shaman hadnt managed to transfer his ancestral power, there was little difference between the remaining candidates. With the ancestral power in his grasp, the Wolf King became even more aggressive and quickly lost the patience to keep on riding in the car. He shot toward Southern Blue on his own to check on the city defenses. The atmosphere in Southern Blue right now was stifling and mournful. Little more than half of the people who had followed Song Zining into battle returned alive. Even with the advantage of a surprise attack, a subsequent ambush, and Qianye killing the enemy commander right off the bat, the casualty rate among the mercenaries was almost as bad as the enemy vanguard. From this, one could see how much of a fighting-power gap there was between the two parties. Even for mercenaries who were used to slaughter and death, losing half of their forces was a bit too cruel. Almost every survivor had friends or family left behind on the smoking battlefield. Nonetheless, morale did not decline despite the devastating outcome. On the contrary, everyone saw a glimmer of hope. Before this battle, these soldiers belonged to the lowest rung of the mercenary world. Not to mention claiming victory over the Wolf Kings vanguard, half of them would have scattered from fright before they had even squared up for battle. If it wasnt for Ji Tianqings threat looming over their shoulders, it wasnt certain if Song Zining could even muster three thousand men for this skirmish. After this great victory, everyone saw how well-versed Song Zining was in strategy, and how easily Qianye had claimed the werewolf counts head. Yet, Ji Tianqingwho had played them half to death in the beginningnever took to the field, opting only to guard the city instead. These simple mercenaries understood that following such people was their only hope. This was when the victorious warriors, including experts like Frost Wolf, truly accepted their identity as Dark Flame mercenaries. The returning soldiers required rest and treatment. Song Zining handed over these trivial duties to Guan Zhongliu who had rushed over after hearing the news. The man had led the city guard for many years and was thus quite familiar with support and logistics. His arrival also signified a slight change in Ji Ruis stance. Although the fatty never made a personal appearance, this meant that he had already taken half a step forward. In the war room, Song Zining was locked in a frown, his expression lacking the joy of their first victory. He stared fixedly at the map as he marked out the military routes he had learned from interrogating the captives. Ji Tianqing stood with her arms crossed, silent and pensive. The heavy death-toll was actually within expectations. Song Zinings initial plan was to train the mercenaries through a series of battles, accelerating their maturation amidst the flames of war. Survivors of a battle would inevitably grow stronger and stronger. The neutral lands lacked a lot of things, but desperate people wasnt one of them. Song Zining raised his brows, saying, Judging from the Wolf Kings style, he probably wont wait patiently after absorbing ancestral power. Hell probably come here to check on Southern Blue and fight it out first. Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes. Whats the point of thinking about something so trivial, just scry him. Song Zining frowned. I had a little accident a couple of days ago. I cant use divination arts for the time being. Ji Tianqing was rather surprised. She shot Qianye a glance and said angrily, You guys just want to calculate this and that just because you have some skill, its only a matter of time that something will happen. Especially this guy, its best you dont touch anything related to him, but you just wont listen. Serves you right! Have you learned your lesson now? Qianye was startled. What does this have to do with me? You should know what you did! Qianye was even more puzzled, but he was more concerned with something else. Are you okay? The seventh young master adopted his trademark calmness, saying, Its just a broken fan and some setback to my divination-related arts. Itll probably go away after a few months, why worry? He said there was no need to worry, but Qianye knew that wasnt the case. This period was a time for people at a lower cultivation rank to forge ahead, and a couple of months was enough for Qianye to open up yet another origin vortex. Song Zinings cultivation had never lagged very far behind Qianye, but now he would need several months to recoverthis went to show just how grave his injury was. Qianye didnt know much about divination arts, but he knew some basic principles at least. Generally, the more powerful the subject of divination or the more connected he was, the greater the price involved. With a character like Lin Xitang involved, it was no different from fighting an invisible battle. Qianye knew very well that he was linked to many peopleLin Xitang, Zhao Weihuang, Nighteye, the Black-Winged Monarch, etc. If Song Zining was really divining his matters, it would pose a great risk no matter how skilled he was. He wanted to speak but didnt really know how to word it. Song Zining looked soft on the outside, but his nature was actually like Qianye, resolute and unyielding. No one could dissuade him from something he had decided upon. Lets not talk about this, if the Wolf King arrives ahead of time At this point, Song Zining broke into a frown. Normally, he would analyze the situation and perform divinations to verify the theory. But now, he felt less confident without his usual process. Enough, let me do it! Ji Tianqing tossed a black jade token onto the table and said after a glance, Hes already on the way. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief, feeling more assured with the guidance of fate. His eyes sparkled as he said, We must let him come but not let him leave, we must deal a heavy blow to him in one battle. Ji Tianqing couldnt help but interject. He left his army behind, so hes probably here to sound us out. Hell turn tail and run immediately once things go south for him. If the Wolf King was so resolute, he wouldnt have submitted to Zhang Buzhou. Well have to rely on Qianye to make him fight us to the death. Qianye frowned. How should I do that? How should I know? This depends on you. The battle will only become more difficult if the Wolf King retreats and joins his army. Qianye couldnt even say anything before Song Zining patted him on the shoulder. Take your time to think about it, I need to make some arrangements. Ji Tianqing said before leaving, Think faster, the Wolf King will arrive very soon. The duo left Qianye alone in the room. Judging from their tone, it seemed like they wanted him to taunt the enemy and make him fight to the death. Nonetheless, hurling abuses was never Qianyes strength, and even after a long while, he still hadnt figured out how to go about it. Seeing that it was almost time, he stepped out and headed toward the defensive line on the walls. The sky was filled with dark clouds as a black speck shot toward Southern Blue from yonder horizon. In the blink of an eye, the speck had arrived within one kilometer of the city and the Wolf Kings figure came into view. He looked down at the city from above with undisguised killing intent in his eyes. Once the Wolf Kings silhouette became stationary, two cannon turrets in the city spun about accordingly and locked onto the intruder. The divine champions brows twitched ever so slightly as he sensed the ballistae locking onto him. What he saw inside the city was a scene of chaosit would seem the damage of the recent battle hadnt healed just yet. However, the origin power of the city was revolving as one, and there were numerous powerful auras hiding within them. Apparently, they were all ready to do battle. The Wolf Kings expression sank when he found that the defenses here were tighter than he had expected. Additionally, the arrangement of troops looked like they were preparing to rely on the citys defenses to repel attacking experts. The Wolf King became hesitant for a brief moment. Song Zining was also in the city at this moment, and this person was even more famous than Qianye. The Wolf King had been going through the formers lifetime achievements in recent daysalthough they were few in number, he couldnt help but find them quite shocking. The Song clan might seek revenge in full force if this seventh young master were to fall in battle. Although the Wolf King had no fear for his own safety, it would be a painful blow to him if his long-term assets in the empire were uprooted. Now that he was here, though, he couldnt just go back without a fight. In the end, the king decided that he would still kill Song Zining if the fellow wasnt sensible. He had just made his decision when he saw a certain figure rise up from Southern Blue. Who else could it be but Qianye? He pointed at the Wolf King and roared, Wolf King, why tuck your tail in now that youre here? Let us fight. The Wolf King felt belittled by Qianyes words. He revealed his true form with a snort, conjuring a dark red projection behind him that towered dozens of meters above. It was like a giant spirit of the night, looking down on the entirety of Southern Blue. After revealing his true body, the Wolf King simply raised his voice in a bid to shake the opponents will, especially Ji Rui. Such a massive projection moving in sync with the main body wasnt a method a sub-divine-champion expert was capable of. Ji Rui was cowardly and afraid of trouble. It was possible that he would be cowed into hiding after noticing the Wolf Kings power. That way, Southern Blue would lose one of their core fighting powers. He had just finished posing and hadnt even uttered any threats when Qianyes figure shot forward at the speed of lightning, throwing a thousand-ton punch toward his chest. The furious Wolf King retaliated with a punch of his own. The impact from the clash was much greater than the Wolf King had expected. Qianye''s punch was not much weaker than his own, in fact. He let out a groan and couldnt help but take a small step back. Qianye only slid back about ten meters, his eyes full of disdain as he gazed coldly at the Wolf King. Then, he turned around and flew back into Southern Blue. A clamor broke out in the city with countless people glancing and pointing at the Wolf King. Overcome by a bad feeling, the Wolf King looked back to find the massive projection slowly disintegrating. Qianyes single punch had actually dispersed his illusory image! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 877: Beleaguermen What shocked the Wolf King was the fact that Qianye only retreated within the range of Southern Blues cannon turrets and no further. He landed on the wall and looked on at the Wolf King with cold eyes. Despite the unexpected setback, the Wolf King was still a vice-duke level expert, while Qianyes constitution was only at the level of a marquis. Even with the consideration of his ancient vampire bloodline, he was barely at the level of a werewolf mighty marquisand that was two entire levels below the Wolf King. The disparity was even greater in terms of origin power. If it wasnt for the top-grade purity of his Venus Dawn, it would be difficult for Qianye to even injure the Wolf King. With such a gap in place, the divine champion felt it a great humiliation that he had let Qianye escape last time. The only thing he needed to guard against was that extremely powerful attack. Nonetheless, the Shot of Inception probably wasnt something that could be used at will. It was almost certain to involve great expenditure and long periods of accumulation. The Wolf Kings deduction regarding this matter was largely correct as Qianye only had one shot left, and he hadnt found the time to replenish its supply. Their last exchange had proven that the Shot of Inception wouldnt deprive the Wolf King of his combat strength. The werewolf was confident that he could still wipe out all opponents in Southern Blue after being hit, even beating Ji Rui into a retreat. That was the reason why the Wolf King was exceptionally furious. Qianyes current stance implied that he could contend with the Wolf King just by relying on the citys defenses. The Wolf Kings leonine mane danced in the wind as he made a slow descent toward Qianye, his body surrounded by dark red arcs of lightning. Very soon, he was within range of the ballistae, yet he neither accelerated nor changed directions. He was clearly opening himself up as a target. Qianye waved his right hand with a solemn expression. The cannon turrets to the left and right of him trembled as two giant homing bolts shot toward the incoming divine champion. With a sinister laugh, the Wolf King conjured two giant claw projections that actually tore the bolts apart. Gasps of astonishment echoed within the city, and a disruption appeared in the defending forces. Be it for the mercenaries or the city guard, the ballista turrets were the greatest killing machines; they werent even made to deal with human targets. Now that the Wolf King had actually torn the shots apart in front of everyones eyes, it went to show that all the other defenses in their arsenal were mere decorations before an enemy of such caliber. In the blink of an eye, many people began thinking about running away. The city defense forces had it better because, according to customs, the Wolf King would still keep them around to maintain order after his conquest. The same couldnt be said for the mercenaries of Dark Flame, so dozens of them quietly snuck out of the defensive line in a bid to flee. The Wolf King, with his acute eyesight, saw everything that was going on, and it satisfied him greatly. Just as the complacency had taken form in his heart, the wall beneath Qianyes feet was left crumbling as he shot toward the Wolf King like a cannonball! He appeared in front of the Wolf King in the blink of an eye, and East Peak slashed down from overhead with a momentum capable of splitting the ocean! The Wolf King had just shattered two ballistae, and the origin power fluctuations hadnt yet calmed downthis delayed his reflexes very briefly. Qianye had actually caught this split-second lag! For a moment, the Wolf King couldnt quite figure out whether he was just lucky or shockingly talented. Qianyes slash was so fast that the Wolf King was left with no room for evasion, but he wasnt willing to evade anyhow. Roaring furiously, he threw a right-hand punch against East Peak. At the moment of contact, the Wolf King realized that he had underestimated his opponent. The darkness origin power on his fist was cut open, and the blade sunk right into his flesh. At this moment, Qianye sensed that the Wolf Kings defenses werent as strong as he had expected. He suddenly got the idea to circulate his Profound Combatant Formula and once again summon the move that had defeated Ji Tianqing. Layer upon layer of superimposed power pressed down on the Wolf King like waves in a stormy sea! Peerless power channeled through the invincible swordthis move was almost indefensible! East Peak cut swiftly through the Wolf Kings flesh and right into his bones. The Wolf King lowered his elbow at the exact moment, cleverly negating the greater part of the force and deflecting the edge to one side. It might look like a draw to the spectator, but the Wolf King had actually lost half a move. Having gained the initial advantage, Qianye wasnt about to give the opponent any space to maneuver. His strength stacked higher and higher, every slash descending with the might of the mountains and seastoward the end, the Wolf King no longer dared to meet the blows head-on. The tyrannical might of the Profound Combatant Formula had emerged for the first time! In truth, the Wolf King, Song Zining, and Ji Tianqing could all see that Qianye couldnt keep this up for very long. Nonetheless, this moment of unrivaled valiance was more than enough. This art, this art Ji Tianqings eyes glistened lustrously. She was beside herself with excitement. She didnt get the chance to learn much about the Profound Combatant Formula during their last exchange. To a person like her who had seen and learned so many top-grade secret arts, witnessing an unprecedentedly powerful art like this was comparable to a glutton encountering a table full of delicacies. Song Zining was stomping his feet in frustration. He simply had no way to interfere in a fight of this levelit would change nothing even if he did. The most exasperated of the lot was undeniably the Wolf King. He was being suppressed and was actually powerless to retaliate. He knew Qianyes torrential assault wouldnt last very long, but the art was simply too tyrannical. It afforded Qianye a power several times his own with which to beat down the Wolf King. Within moments, the Wolf King had received several shocking injuries and was bleeding all over. Finally, the waning of the Profound Combatant Formula arrivedQianyes momentum fell and his power receded like the tides. The Wolf King unleashed an earth-shattering roar as he pounced forward madly. However, Qianye adopted a fine, cautious stance without any openings, using the indestructible East Peak as a shield from time to time. His sword-arts had reached a level even higher than the Wolf Kings, and the tides of power from before hadnt fully faded away just yet. Hence, despite the advantage in strength, the Wolf King couldnt do much against Qianye for the time being. The Wolf King sensed the ballistae locking onto him at the moment and had no choice but to split his attention to take precaution. It was just that the feeling of danger, to his surprise, increased from two locations to three. Was there a third ballista? But there was no other place in the city to hide artillery apart from the two turrets. The phase of entanglement ended briefly when Qianye and the Wolf King split up. At this point, Qianye was pale with blood seeping out from the corners of his eyes, lips, nose, and ears. Even his powerful constitution couldnt withstand repeated head-on collisions with the Wolf King. After all, the werewolves were known for their powerful physiques, even more so than the vampires. The Wolf King gazed at Qianye with cold, bloodshot eyes and rising murderous intent. The latter seemed expressionless and somewhat vacant, but In truth, he had already reached a state devoid of emotions. As they were facing off from afar, a series of cheers rang out from the city below. There were even a couple of bold ones chanting, Screw that Wolf King to death!. Although Qianye had sustained far greater injuries than the Wolf King, they were all internal wounds. Meanwhile, the Wolf King had five terrifying, bloody gashes on his body that looked critical. In actuality, Qianyes force was largely spent after cutting through the werewolfs hide. He didnt even manage to leave a lot of origin power or blood energy, to speak nothing of injuring the opponents bones and innards. But how could those lowly mercenaries tell the difference? In their eyes, the bloody one was the most miserable. The Wolf King quickly understood this as well and was furious. He had never received such heckles like this since his defeat against Zhang Buzhou. With his status, it would be too embarrassing to attack those ragtag soldiers, so all he could do was vent his anger on Qianye. I shant return to the tribe without sacrificing your blood to the ancestors today! The Wolf King uttered word by word. Qianyes expression remained cold. He had already stepped beyond the boundaries of emotion. Ji Tianqing praised, Well done! It looks like the Wolf King is going to fight to the death. Song Zining looked serious. Prepare to attack. Ji Tianqing was startled. So soon? Song Zining gritted his teeth. We need to act fast, I asked Qianye to provoke the Wolf King, not engage in a one-on-one showdown! Ji Tianqing shrugged. A one-on-one is the best way to provoke the enemy, he did well. I dont think hell last another exchange, we cant take that risk! Im not confident in holding the Wolf King back if we move now, he still has a lot of unused ancestral power. Song Zining uttered through clenched teeth, Well take that risk! The Wolf King drifted toward Qianye, his momentum rising by the moment as the dark red energy around him turned near-tangible. It would seem he was going to use all of his ancestral power in a single strike. Just as he was taking a step forward, the world around him transformed into a scene of gentle southern spring. Song Zining rushed into the air and flicked out countless leaves from his fingers which turned into numerous chains that locked the Wolf King in place. The startled Wolf King shook his body in rage, effectively dispersing countless leaves around him and leaving only a handful. Song Zining spat out a mouthful of blood as he fell off the sky. Nonetheless, the Wolf King was unable to move as long as a single leaf remained stuck to him. Ji Tianqing appeared silently from behind and tapped on the dark red glow around him. Like water dripping into oil, the red energy flared up until it was on the verge of eruption. Losing control of his ancestral power left the Wolf King in a tricky situationhe moved to suppress the red radiance while attacking Ji Tianqing at the same time. At this moment, the Wolf Kings every movement was aided by the power of his ancestors, granting him boundless strength. Ji Tianqing didnt dare fight him head-on and merely flew about launching suppressive attacksshe would only block the attack when there was no other choice. The Wolf King couldnt dispose of her for the moment, but some of the evasive maneuvers were fairly close calls. At this moment, Qianye was a hundred meters away. He had produced the Heartgrave and taken aim at the divine champion, his heart was as calm as still water. A pair of luminous wings spread out behind him. The Wolf Kings brows twitched as he was alerted of the potential danger. With a frantic roar, his ancestral power erupted like a scarlet tempest, enclosing his entire body within. The last few leaves started to break down one by one, and Song Zining would cough up some more blood with each shatter. Ji Tianqings hands were shrouded in a golden glow as she struck furiously at the Wolf King, hoping to drain his ancestral power. Yet, it was simply too thick and abundantat this rate, the Wolf King would clear away the leaves and regain his freedom by the time half of the ancestral power had been exhausted. If he were to regain his movement, there was no telling whether Qianye could hit the target. Just as their efforts were about to end in vain, a beam of icy-blue light snaked through the skies and toward the Wolf King, slashing his ancestral power apart in one blow! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 878: I Heard Youre Hiring Ji Tianqings expression shifted drastically the moment this icy blue beam appeared. At this point, Qianyes wings had just reached its maximum extension, and Heartgrave needed a split second more to fire. Ji Tianqing could hardly care about other stuff at this moment. She invested all her strength in assailing the Wolf King, using powerful long-range attacks to prevent him from diverting his attention. This kind of attack far surpassed her own capacityits power was similar to the Profound Combatant Formula, albeit utilizing a different mechanism. At this point, Qianye had finally completed his accumulation and opened fire! Nonetheless, the projectile emerging from Heartgrave wasnt an origin bullet, but a feather of light! The entire world was drained of color, and for a split second, this luminous feather was the only thing people could see. Time seemed to stop flowing, and space lost all meaning. It would seem the temporal pause was just an illusion as people came to at different speeds. Seemingly unaffected by the freeze, Ji Tianqing turned to flee the moment that feather of light appeared. The icy blue silhouette was just slightly slowerseemingly hesitant and unresignedbut it, too, chose to flee in a different direction. The Wolf Kings eyes were bloodshot. The moment he saw the feather of light, he understood that he couldnt escape. Time and space had no meaning in the face of this luminous plume. It instantly arrived in front of the Wolf King, shot through the thin layer of ancestral power, and vanished into his chest. The Wolf King unleashed a hysterical roar that blew away the clouds above. His dark red ancestral power erupted into a hundred-meter pillar of fire that surged into the sky above and blasted the earth below. Everything in the wake of this blaze was pulverized, be it walls, civilian houses, or defensive structures. At the center of this pillar, the Wolf King was howling at the sky. His chest had burst open, and a fountain of blood was gushing out from within! The deep bloody cavity looked extremely terrifying, but the shot ultimately failed to penetrate his body. The Wolf King suddenly broke through the fiery pillar and vanished over the vast horizon. Qianye gazed regretfully at the distant target, and then lost consciousness before falling to the ground. Two silhouettes rushed to catch him at the same time, but both of them withdrew with cold harrumphs as their eyes met. They each seemed fairly surprised at the others appearance. Qianye thus landed with a thud, crashing through the roof of a civilian building and right into the house. There was no more movement or sound from him thereafter. Ji Tianqing glanced unhappily at the person in front of her. I wouldve never thought youd show up here. The one standing in front of her was a handsome young noble, one clad in a light blue outfit, with brows like swords and lips akin to cinnabar. She looked like an unsheathed sword just by standing thereit was, without a doubt, Li Kuanglan. The latter smiled coldly. Why cant I be here? Theres nothing here that requires your attention. You guys wouldve been in a precarious position if I hadnt come. If that shot had missed, you would all be in deep trouble, Li Kuanglan said in a leisurely tone. Ji Tianqing replied, So you do know that Qianyes shot was the key. And here I thought you wanted to slay the Wolf King on your own. Li Kuanglan laughed loudly. I have no problem doing anything you can do. Ji Tianqing didnt look so happy about how things had turned out. It was indeed Li Kuanglans slash that had torn through the Wolf Kings ancestral power. Otherwise, Qianyes shot might not have injured the Wolf King if it had to penetrate the ancestral power first. Hence, she had no choice but to admit to this detail whether or not she was willing to. While they were confronting one another, Li Kuanglan pointed at the ground. Do you not care about his fate? What does that have to do with me? How come you suddenly care so much about him? This doesnt look like your usual young noble style! Li Kuanglan smiled meaningfully. You werent slow to charge over just now. You praise me too much, we arrived at the same time. Thats because Im faster than you, to begin with. I actually set out later than you did. Then, you mustve been in quite the hurry. Just as the two were reaching the height of their argument, Song Zining flew out of the city, shouting, Lets chase down the Wolf King, dont let him escape! Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing replied, Im busy. Li Kuanglan refused flatly. Not going! Speechless, Song Zining could only give chase on his own. Only when the seventh young masters figure was gone did Ji Tianqing stretch lazily, saying, He wont catch up, anyway. Its useless even if he does, Li Kuanglan chimed in. The two had the same opinion, but their expressions werent very friendly as they exchanged glances. It would seem having the same idea was an unacceptable outcome for them. Li Kuanglan pointed downward. Hes going to die if you dont save him. He''s just exhausted, a good nap will do. Ji Tianqing seemed unconcerned, but there was a sharp blade hidden behind her smile. Now that things here have been settled, when do you plan to go back? This was a blatant attempt at driving people away, but Li Kuanglan didnt seem to take offense. She clasped her hands behind her back and said calmly, Now that Im already here, theres really no need for me to rush back. I heard theres a new Dark Flame mercenary corps here and its looking to hire people. This young noble is lacking in talents, so I plan to experience the life of a mercenary. Sorry, but the corps is full, were not recruiting. Li Kuanglan laughed heartily. Youre just an aide-de-camp, your words dont count. Lets continue this discussion when that commander wakes up. Hes completely exhausted his power in this battle, hell be out for a couple of days. Its also fine to wait for the seventh young noble. Li Kuanglan was in no rush. Seventh young noble A lightbulb lit up in Ji Tianqings mind at the mention of this name. Her expression changed as she made some rushed calculations. Oh no, that fellows in danger! The two exchanged glances. Ji Tianqing pointed below, saying, Ill leave him to you, Im going to save Song Seven. Li Kuanglan nodded in silence. Although she was from the Li family, it just so happened that she wasnt proficient in divination and only specialized in the sword martial arts. Ji Tianqing was an expert in all trades, and it seemed like she had the means to track down Song Zining. The two stopped bickering at the critical juncture and split up to do what they each did best. Ji Tianqings silhouette flickered away as she chased after Song Zining. The Wolf King was limping rapidly through the wilderness in his original form. At this moment, his ghastly injuries were showing no signs of healingthere was no origin power, no blood-flow, and no growth or rotting. It was as though all signs of life had disappeared. This wound state was even worse than a constantly deteriorating one. No matter how hard the Wolf King activated his origin power, it would only linger around the injury. The energy from that luminous feather had extinguished all signs of life in its wake, and it was extremely difficult to expel. The Wolf King could still move freely or even do battle, but it would take more than just a couple of days to heal this damage. The redness in the Wolf Kings eyes receded as his ancestral power waned, soon recovering their clarity. He had been running toward the main army all this time as this would save energy compared to flying. He came to an abrupt stop at one pointthe fur on his neck all perked up in response to an indescribable sense of danger. The Wolf Kings nose twitched ever so slightly as he turned to the side, facing a pile of rocks and shrubbery a hundred meters away. When the Wolf King looked over, he saw a young girl in a white dress emerge from behind the rock. That arachne cleaver in her hand looked just as sharp and sinister. The Wolf Kings pupils shrank. He had never imagined that he would encounter this harbinger of misfortune here. The young girl looked frail and harmless, but the Wolf King had suffered terribly last time and even lost something of great value. Now, she had appeared once again when he was gravely injuredwas this just bad luck? Instincts told the Wolf King that he must not leave his back open to her no matter what. Seeing the girl approach, the fierce Wolf King growled like a wounded beast. As expected, this made Bai Kongzhao hesitant and stop her advance, yet it didnt seem like she was about to leave, either. The wounded divine champion wasnt willing to drag this out since no one knew what would happen next. Recalling his last experience, he plucked a pouch from his waist and tossed it to the young girl. The young girl caught the bag and checked the contents. She then retreated slowly, seemingly satisfied with her haul. Things went so smoothly that the Wolf King couldnt help but ask, Thats it? Youll let me go just like that? As long as youre alive, I can keep on robbing your things. The Wolf King almost blacked out from the young girls reply. Her strength was clearly limited, yet she gave off a grossly disproportionate sense of danger. Additionally, their last exchange had proven that the Wolf Kings intuition wasnt wrong. As a cautious character, the Wolf King suppressed his anger and asked, How did you find me? This question was key because the young girl had caught him both times when he was at his weakest. This was definitely no coincidence. It was just that the girls answer almost knocked him out from the rage. Not telling you. The Wolf King stopped speaking. He watched the girls gradual retreat and ran toward his forces only after she had left. Not long afterward, Song Zining appeared in the wilderness. The seventh young master was clad in a standard hunters light armor and equipped with a silver spear as he followed the enemys traces. Song Zining wasnt moving that fast since he had to look for traces and differentiate them from the decoys that the Wolf King had left. Like a seasoned hunter, he was patient and attentive to details as he tracked down his quarry. The target was already wounded, so all he needed was to stay in the hunt long enough for the prey to die to his own injuries. The seventh young master was as good a survivalist as he was a master strategist. Just as he was concentrating on the hunt, he felt a sudden chill down the back of his neck. It actually forced him to shiver all over! Song Zining wasnt flustered. He gradually turned around, spear in hand, and locked eyes with Bai Kongzhao who was standing dozens of meters away. I have nothing on me except this spear. Are you here to fight to the death? Unexpectedly, the girl placed a pouch on the ground, saying, This is for him. Song Zining was startled. Who? Qianye? The girl didnt reply. She merely turned around and sped away like a ghost. Song Zining went over to pick up the offering only when her figure had vanished completely. This pouch looked rather familiar to himit looked exactly like the one worn by the Wolf King. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 879: Half the Loo Song Zining only came to when Bai Kongzhao was far into the depths of the wilderness, hardly able to believe what he had just experienced. Not only did this murderous young girl not attack him, but she even left a pouch of spoils for him? Although she didnt say it, Song Zining instinctively knew that it was for Qianye. The relationship between Qianye and Bai Kongzhao was far from goodit was much closer to deep enmity, in fact. Song Zining knew about their entanglement during the bloody battle, so he was actually ready to fight her to the death during both encounters. Qianye couldnt handle Bai Kongzhao very well, but that didnt mean Song Zining couldnt. In fact, divination experts like Song Zining were the most terrifying enemies for instinct-dependent fighters like the young girl. Before the seventh young master at least, the girl would lose most of her ability to seek and grasp opportunities in battle. However, there were simply too many secrets surrounding her, and she had also received the full support of the Bai clan at one point. This forced Song Zining to be cautious around her. The foundations of the four major clans stood extremely deep. As someone who had come from the Song clan, the seventh young master knew this all too well. Just the two chapters of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was proof enough of this. Song Zining wasnt about to attack without absolute certainty. Who knew what kind of extraordinary things she had gotten from the Bai clan? That was also why he had no intention of going after her even as she moved further and further away. Weighing the pouch in his hand, Song Zining suddenly became curious. What exactly was it that Bai Kongzhao wanted to give Qianye? It couldnt be a token of love, could it? This pouch still contained the Wolf Kings aura. It was sealed with a simple button that could be opened easily, and there were no secret locks or traps. This made sense since it was the Wolf Kings personal item. Why would he need hidden traps or locks to protect it? Perhaps even the king himself wouldnt have thought his purse would fall into someone elses hand one day. Song Zining had the urge to open it up and see, but he felt bad about it. He tried to scan it with his perception, but the pouchmade from the hide of an unknown beastcould insulate his senses. The heavy, bulging pouch was calling to him, exciting his curiosity. Yes, there might be some kind of trap inside. An honest person like Qianye wont think too much, he might actually suffer. That wont do, this young master cant just stand by and watch! Song Zining murmured to himself. Just as he had finished convincing himself to open the bag, a hand reached in without warning and snatched the pouch away, snapping it open in a few moves. The seventh young master was dumbfounded as he looked on at Ji Tianqing, not knowing what to say. The lady said righteously while opening the bag, Qianye is too honest, what if theres some kind of malicious trap in here that will harm him? You might not worry about him, but this young lady cant be that heartless! Song Zining couldnt help but sigh in admiration at Miss Ji Tianqings confident proclamation of justice regarding her peeking. In truth, Song Zining was also curious to know what Bai Kongzhao wanted to give Qianye. Since Miss Tianqing had already taken the initiative, he decided to join the shameless party. Song Zinings expression became peculiar as he peered at the contents. The pouch was filled with stones, crystals, and rocks of varying sizes. They were rare minerals, energy crystals, and uncommon ores, each of them worth a small fortune. The dozen high-purity black crystals at the bottom were nothing in comparison. The problem was that these minerals looked extremely familiar, and there was really no mistaking the blade marks on some of the ores. Ji Tianqings eyes narrowed as she picked up one of the ores and weighed it in her hands. She said in an evil voice, Song Seven, isnt this the ore I found? Didnt I tell you to take it back to Southern Blue back then? You told me its been deposited in the warehouse. This Even the shameless Song Zining felt his face burning up. Ji Tianqing had no intention of letting him off. This is the one I gave you, this too, and this, this, this In the blink of an eye, she had flipped through half the bag, and then she said to Song Zining, Theres only half of it here, wheres the other half? Song Zining said in embarrassment, It was a huge backpack back then, this little pouch doesnt make up half, does it? All the valuable stuff are here, so this makes up half! Where is the rest? Song Zining knew he could no longer hide things. He had no choice but to explain how he had been robbed by Bai Kongzhao and a bunch of ragtag mercenaries. Ji Tianqings eyes widened as she listened, breaking into a guffaw by the time Song Zining had finished narrating his story. She laughed until she was hugging her stomach and could no longer stand straight. The young miss wouldve started rolling on the ground if she wasnt concerned about her image. Song Zinings expression turned ashenhe hadnt spoken about this because it was one of the few embarrassments of his life. Who wouldve thought the secret would be revealed by a pouch that was meant for Qianye? Ji Tianqing hadnt finished laughing when a silent Song Zining began walking toward Southern Blue. The former caught up while holding her abdomen. Whats the rush? Let me finish laughing, haha! Song Zining replied without looking back, Im going to mobilize the army and attack the Wolf Kings main army. Ji Tianqings smiled disappeared. Isnt that too risky? The Wolf King has been injured, and theres no one else in his party worth fearing. If we dont take this opportunity to attack him, how long are we going to wait? Ji Tianqing was admittedly inferior to Song Zining in terms of military strategy. She nodded, saying, Okay, lets do it your way then. Ill go with you. Lets hurry then. Song Zining hastened his steps, drifting away like a leaf. Ji Tianqing also raised her speed until she was traveling shoulder to shoulder with Song Zining. Its not hard if you dont want others to know about this matter, just get the tab for our drinks in the future. Our? Song Zining felt something wrong. Me, Li Kuanglan, and that dummy Qianye. Wait a minute, Qianye is an exception! No! I havent had a drink with that dummy yet, itll be fun to see him drunk. Ji Tianqing looked quite expectant. ... You want to swindle him while hes drunk, dont you? Song Zining saw through Ji Tianqing at once. The young miss laughed heartily. Is this lady that kind of person? Oh yes you are! At this moment, Qianye was lying in bed back in Southern Blue, his body freezing all over. Meanwhile, Li Kuanglan sat at his side with her sword on her legsher eyes were half-closed, and there was a wisp of icy air circulating around her nostrils. Qianye lay silently like a lifeless statue, and in the depths of his body, his blood core would pulse weakly every once in a while. Li Kuanglan seemed extremely patient, refusing to move for as long as Qianye remained still. There was no telling just how long this had gone on when the Book of Darkness appeared on Qianyes blood core and flipped itself open. The essence blood stored within poured out in an endless torrent and duly flowed into his blood core. The fully contracted blood core began to expand, bulge up, and gradually recover its original size. Then, it began beating strongly for the first time. Li Kuanglan suddenly opened her eyes as she sensed Qianyes aura strengthening. This rate of recovery startled herfrom what she knew, even the twelve ancient vampire clans didnt have this kind of power. Auric flame blood emerged along with the beating of his blood core, rushing to every part of his body and igniting his vitality. The dark golden blood energy drifted out of Qianyes blood core, almost as though it had woken up from a long period of hibernation. It was fairly curious about the Book of Darknessit kept swimming around the tome but didnt really dare approach it. Meanwhile, the Book of Darkness flow of essence blood gradually dwindled, and it vanished after the last drop was absorbed by the blood core. It was as though the book never existed, just like an illusion. Qianyes consciousness finally returned, but his body couldnt move just yet. He had no choice but to lie quietly, observing the changes to his body as he waited for his mobility to return. Having lost its aim after the disappearance of the Book of Darkness, the dark golden blood energy began swimming around his blood core. After observing the blood energy for a short while, Qianye recalled something all of a sudden. The dark golden blood energy was actually in its original formwhere did the Wings of Inception go? At the thought of the wings, Qianye was overcome by a vague sensation. The dark golden blood energy struggled for a couple of times and then landed immobile on his blood core. A bulge appeared on its surface and enlarged rapidly, finally bursting to reveal a pair of even larger dark golden wings! In a split second, Qianye and the Wings of Inception established a new connectionthey were vivid, lifelike, and much larger than the first pair. Each side of the luminous wings contained seven feathers, but they were all dim at the moment. As his connection to the new wings grew deeper, Qianye became clearer about its characteristics. Firstly, its empowerment effect on origin weaponry had become more evident, and its Shot of Inception capacity had increased significantly. At this point, Qianye had mostly come to understand the mechanism of its upgrade. There was a chance that the Wings of Inception would receive an upgrade when the feathers representing the Shot of Inception reached a certain number. It might, perhaps, transform again when the fourteen feathers had been fully filled or used up. The Black-Winged Monarch never had the chance to nurture the Wings of Inception after producing them, and neither did he figure out how to upgrade them. The trigger for the upgrade this time was probably him firing the Shot of Inception with every ounce of power he had. The Wings of Inception was still shrouded in mist, but nothing could be better since it was still there and growing stronger. Heaving a sigh of relief, Qianye slowly opened his eyes to see a handsome young noble dressed in blue. How come its you? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 880: Caregiving Li Kuanglans expression was cold. Why cant it be me? Qianye struggled to sit up, but a thin beam of frosty sword energy shot out from Li Kuanglans fingertips, tapping his forehead in a flash. The beam was simply too fast, and before Qianye could even react, his body was lying back on the bed. That wisp of sword energy receded as quickly as it had arrived, a clear display of Li Kuanglans precise control. Qianye couldnt sense any injury whatsoever after being forced back down. It was only her means of pushing him down. Just lie there. Youve overdrafted your power, wait until youve recovered unless you want to damage your foundations. With that, Li Kuanglan stood up and said, Ill go find something for you to eat. ... Thanks. Qianye thought back to the battle amidst the silence following Li Kuanglans departure. With Heartgrave and a boost from the Wings of Inception, his Shot of Inception had erupted with earth-shattering force! Even though the Wolf King still had a bit of Ancestral Power left, he had no choice but to escape immediately. What he wanted, however, was to finish everything in one stroke. He was so focused on executing everything in his arsenal that he forgot to gauge Heartgraves consumption. He didnt realize that his current capacity was insufficient to draw on the full power of the weapon. Additionally, the Wings of Inception would raise both firepower and consumption. The summation of the two wiped out Qianyes origin power and blood energy stores in mere moments, sending him into a state of suspended animation. If it wasnt for the Book of Darkness releasing its stored essence blood, there was no telling how much longer he wouldve slept. Now that he thought about it, Qianye felt that he had been too impulsive. Heartgrave and the Wings of Inception were unable to display their maximum potential due to his limited origin power and blood energy. The combined shot was a ways off from its true maximum potential, not much more powerful than if he had fired Heartgrave on its own. The battle back then was simply too perilous. The gap between the two parties was immense, and their so-called pincer attack served no more than to restrain the target. Once the Wolf King was allowed to retaliate, someone was bound to get injured or die. Hence, Qianye had no time to think carefully; he simply used all that was available to him since he was the only one who could gravely injure the Wolf King. Hearing an ear-piercing alarm outside, Qianye slowly crawled out of bed and toward the window. He arrived just in time to see a stream of troops and transport vehicles driving out of the city. He could see them assembling just beyond the gates, and the soldiers on them were fully geared-up. From the looks of it, even the city guard had moved out together with Dark Flame. Qianye had a rough guess about what was going on, but Li Kuanglans voice rang out behind him. Song Seven plans to fight the Wolf Kings main force and look for an opportunity to deal a decisive blow. The first batch is already out, these are the reinforcements. Dont worry, that lass Ji Tianqing is also with him. Only then did Qianye feel somewhat relieved. Under present circumstances, no one under the Wolf Kings command could handle the two-man team. The only thing they could do was make up for it with numbers, yet neither of the two feared group battles. The more chaotic the field, the more they could display their power. Song Zining was an expert in troop strategy who would fight to the death once he had grasped the advantage, never giving the opponent a chance to turn the tides. Now that the Wolf King was gravely injured, it was the perfect moment to slaughter his armies and uproot him entirely. As for killing the Wolf King, the notion was best forgotten at this point. The werewolf had escaped even the most optimal ambushit was no easy feat to kill a duke-level expert intent on fleeing. That was for the Wolf King. Any ordinary human divine-champion would surely have lost his life to that shot. Qianye knew he was inferior in terms of strategy, so he decided to not interfere with the seventh young masters decision. Seeing as how the city guards had also mobilized, it would seem Ji Rui had decided to hit the Wolf King while he was down. He had offended him too much, anyway, and there was really no going back. Qianye turned back and saw Li Kuanglan carrying a tray full of dishes. The food was sumptuous and abundant. Her face was as grave and expressionless as a millennial glacier. She put the tray on the table and said, Eat At first, Qianye had thought Li Kuanglan would ask some servants to bring the food over. Who wouldve thought this young noble of the Li family would do it personally? Her slender hands were strong, her skin was near translucent, and her fingers, as white as green onion stems. They were a perfect match for the Cold Moons Embrace but evidently out of place holding a food tray. Y-You, this Li Kuanglan banged hard on the table, roaring, Eat! Qianye knew that she was feeling rather awkward, so he tactfully shut himself up and began eating in silence. He was indeed ravenous at this moment and in need of replenishment after being cleaned out. Half a dozen plates of food vanished in an instant, yet Qianye wasnt even half full. He was planning to clean up the tabletop battlefield and head to the kitchen for more, but Li Kuanglan unexpectedly stood up, saying, Ill go get more, you stay inside. She placed Cold Moons Embrace by the door as she left. No one was controlling the divine-weapon at this point, yet it was suffused with a flowing radiance, almost like glazed ceramic. Li Kuanglan had injected a wisp of sword energy into the weapon, setting it up to slash at whoever came close. On one hand, it was to stop outsiders from entering, and on the other, it was to stop Qianye from leaving. Li Kuanglan came back a while later with another tray of food. There was even more food this time, with no lack of dishes that required a bit of skill and time to prepare. It would seem she had already ordered the kitchen to prepare more since the first batch, and unwittingly revealed her thoughtfulness. Qianye felt uncomfortable all over. Eating with his head lowered was all he could do, and that was all he did. The food was actually quite tasty, but everything became tasteless in his mouth. No one could enjoy their food while being stared at by that divine soldier of a lady. Finally, all the food had been swept clean, and Qianye felt greatly satisfied. He could feel his strength returning little by little. He looked up at Li Kuanglan and said with great sincerity, Thank you. For some reason, Li Kuanglan avoided his eyes and said coldly, Youre completely powerless right now, I just didnt want you to be slaughtered by some nameless rabble. Besides, taking care of you is more of a repayment to Zhao Jundu, you dont need to thank me. Zhao Jundu? What about? Qianye inquired. Li Kuanglan wasnt willing to speak, however. Youll know if you go back and ask him. Qianye frowned. Is it related to the promised showdown between us? Li Kuanglan snorted. So what if it is, what then if it isnt? This question halted Qianyes thoughts. Li Kuanglan had made it clear that she was going to use Qianye as a grinding stone for her sword arts, yet Qianye felt nothing but gratitude because it was she who had saved him and Nighteye. Later on, Zhao Jundu forced himself into the deal and made himself the subject of this arrangement. So, Qianye couldnt help but feel surprised when she said that she owed Zhao Jundu a favor instead. After some thought, Qianye said, Doesnt matter, I still want to thank you. Li Kuanglan seemed surprised at his answer. Arent you afraid Ill swindle Zhao Jundu? Qianye replied honestly, Zhao Jundu isnt so easily swindled, and youre not such a person, either. Li Kuanglans expression at the moment was fairly interesting. Ill have you know that this young master isnt a good person! After so much interaction, Qianye more or less understood this young nobles temperamental character. So, he merely added a couple of words to stop her from erupting. After calming Young Noble Kuanglans emotions, Qianye began inquiring about why she had come to the neutral lands. I come when I want and will leave when I please. Who can stop me? Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry at this nonsensical answer. He could only hold his temper and continue probing, The Great Maelstrom should be opening soon, right? Wont you miss the opportunity by coming to the neutral lands? Whats so good about the Great Maelstrom? The things inside are only material objects, and those who rely on them will only reach divine champion at most. This sword is enough for me. These words left Qianye speechless. Although he wanted to remind Li Kuanglan that becoming a divine champion was already a remarkable feat, he ultimately decided against speaking out. Li Kuanglan raised her head and glanced downward at him. I came here to use you as a grinding stone for my sword arts, but Ill let you off for the moment, seeing as youre in a critical condition. Qianye replied, Then I thank Young Noble Kuanglan. A rare shade of red appeared on Li Kuanglans face, forcing her to turn away. To be entirely honest, Qianyes shot back then was simply too powerfulreceiving it head-on would be more of a suicide than training. It was just that the young noble didnt want to admit it. Oh right, Qianye, I see that you dont have any dependable people in your whatchamacallit mercenary corps. It just so happens that this young master is free, so Ill take up a vice-commander position. What say you? Young Noble Kuanglan, this do you even know the objective of this mercenary corps? Li Kuanglan waved her hand. Thats not important. Young Noble, please reconsider it. Qianye tried to dissuade. What, are you looking down on me? Or are you not impressed with my sword? Qianye laughed ruefully. A mysterious Ji Tianqing was trouble enough, now this Li Kuanglan was also jumping into the fray. Although Qianye didnt know the latters origins in detail, he at least knew that she was from the Jingtang Li Family and someone closely related to Empress Li. Besides, with her strength and talents, she had to be a top character in the younger generation of the family. Add to that the complicated relationship between the Li and Zhao families, he had to tread carefully in dealing with her. It would cause great trouble if some sort of accident were to occur. Qianye was actually quite carefree when he was alone, but there was no escaping restrictions now that he was going to build up a military power here. At the very least, he didnt want to drag Song Zining down. Regardless, Qianye couldnt refuse Li Kuanglan since she had spoken up so clearly, and the girl could be considered a powerful helper, capable of fighting anyone below the Wolf Kings level. Qianye had never expected that his entanglements in the empire would still remain after he had come to the neutral lands. More and more familiar faces were gathering here, and perhaps there would be even more in the future. Qianye suddenly had a feeling that, with all these heroes gathering here, a great change was inevitable. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 881: Shocking Developmen Qianye had already recovered the ability to move at this point. He instructed some men to guide Li Kuanglan as she picked out suitable living quarters. This Young Noble had always adapted to the environment she was insince she was insistent on playing the mercenary game here, he couldnt let her live poorly. Hearing that Qianye was preparing a room for her, Li Kuanglan pointed downstairs, saying, Ill just live downstairs. Qianye was startled. Thats not too appropriate, is it? Li Kuanglan replied, Its fine as long as no one bothers me. Qianye had no special demands, so he simply picked a random place. Most of his things were in Andruils space, anyway, so his luggage was fairly minimal. This little building was a residence for captain-rank officers, so the living environment was bleak and sparsely furnished. In any case, Song Zining couldnt stand ithe started building a couple of elegant little courtyards for their residence, and Ji Tianqing fully supported this as well. Who wouldve thought the fussy and clean Li Kuanglan was actually willing to live with Qianye? Zining and the others are building new residences, and they should be done in half a month. You should move over once the construction is completed. Li Kuanglan replied, Ill go if you go, I dont want to be neighbors with those two if youre not around. Helpless, Qianye gave up on dissuading Li Kuanglan. He was just about to show her to her new room when two jeeps sped over at full speed and screeched to a stop outside of the building, kicking up a cloud of dust as their wheels ground over the tarmac. A bloodstained mercenary jumped down and rushed into the building. Commander, things dont look good! The seventh young noble ran into an ambush and is now surrounded. Please go and save him! Only then did Qianye recognize that this person in mercenary clothing was actually one of the aides Song Zining had brought here. With Song Zinings command of strategy, how could he have been surrounded? But this was clearly not the time to study the cause and effects. Qianye grabbed the man by the collar and roared, Wheres Zining? Seventh young master is at the Hill of the Deceased. Do you know who set up the ambush? This I heard its people from Tidehark. Hills of the Deceased was less than two hundred kilometers away from Southern Blue. He might still catch up if he were to rush over at full speed. After asking about the details of the area, Qianye ran over to the armory. The soldier who had delivered the message couldnt catch up with Qianye. He was left crying out from behind, Commander, shall I prepare an airship? Too slow, Qianye replied without looking back. He rushed into the warehouse and stuffed several crates of origin grenades into Andruils space, and then ran out of the city. Li Kuanglan had been following him all this time. Only when they were out of the city did she put a hand on Qianyes shouldera great force bore down on Qianye and nailed him firmly to the ground. He struggled a couple of times, but his feet simply couldnt leave the ground. What are you doing? A dangerous glint flashed through Qianyes eyes. Youre just going to throw your life away. Li Kuanglan held nothing back. Qianye had just barely recovered, and the essence blood provided by the Book of Darkness was far from enough to bring him back to his peak. He was so weak that Li Kuanglan could immobilize him with just one hand. If only I go, theres a chance. The greater the number of enemies, the faster I can recover. Qianyes voice was cold. The other party had touched the proverbial reverse-scale by seeking to kill Song Zining. Qianye was ready to use Life Plunder to recover his power, even if the enemies were humans. Take my airship, it wont take much longer than running. Itll give you some time to recover along the way. With that, Li Kuanglan pointed toward the sky and shot a beam of aqua blue radiance from her sleeve. It burst into specks of blue light in the void, akin to a host of glittering stars. Within minutes, an ordinary-looking airship appeared over the horizon and arrived at an extraordinary pace. The long, moving beams on either side of the vessel left blue trails as they pushed the airship several hundred meters forward with each stroke. Without waiting for the arriving airship to descend, Li Kuanglan simply grabbed Qianye and shot onto the deck. The airship made a sharp turn midair and accelerated toward the Hill of the Deceased. The Hill of the Deceased was a vast hilly region. The terrain here was complicated with a great many caves under the ground, the perfect area for mercenaries and bandits to hide. It was also an important location since it lay in between the major cities, and there were always merchant caravans willing to take the risk for a shortcut through the region. The countless skeletons being buried here day after day gave the place its current name. The airship was extremely fast, arriving above the Hill of the Deceased in mere moments. Li Kuanglan ordered the vessel to perform a low-altitude scan, and the captain obeyed immediately. A low-altitude flight was extremely dangerous for an airship as hunters would turn to attack the tasty prey almost immediately. However, there was a certain air of arrogance in the captain and his sailorsas well as faintly discernible killing intent. They simply didnt put the people of the neutral lands in their eyes. The airship dived downward and only switched to level-flight a hundred or so meters near the ground. Even the most ordinary of mercenaries could use their worst origin guns to hit the airship at this distance. Qianye frowned, wanting to have the airship climb higherfew enemies could reach them at around five hundred meters. Yet, Li Kuanglan gestured that it was alright, so Qianye gave up on saying anything. He simply stood at the bow, observing the vast hilly regions below in hopes of finding Song Zining. A couple of hunters rushed out from the side as they were passing by a hillock, laughing maliciously as they hurled a couple of origin grenades at the passing vessel. The explosives shot toward the hull of the airship like cannon shells and, once struck, were sure to cause heavy damage. At this point, an old man appeared near the airship. With a light wave of his hands, the origin grenades froze mid-air and broke down into countless fragments. The entire process was silentthe people below had no idea what the old man had done. On the side of the airship, a bearded hulk of a man stomped open the firing port. A giant ballista bolt shot out at lightning speed, nailing three hunters to the ground. The burly man let out a peal of sinister laughter, greatly satisfied at his work, and even raised a middle-finger at the group below. The airship encountered several attacks along the way yet, be they humans or dark races, none of them were successful. No matter how crafty the assailants were, they couldnt avoid the homing ballista bolts. This airship soon became a low-flying god of death that would kill all who dared to approach. Qianye pointed at a certain direction, shouting, Fly in that direction! The captain didnt turn immediately. Only at Li Kuanglans nod did the airship shift its bearing and fly toward where Qianye had indicated. Qianye glanced back with cold eyes. For some reason, the captain couldnt help but tremble when he met that joyless gaze. The airship was speeding past a certain valley when Qianye jumped down all of a sudden. Li Kuanglan followed suit. Meanwhile, the airship charged out for quite a distance before turning back. It was clear that a battle had taken place here. There were corpses strewn about the area, most of them deprived of their equipment, but there was one soldier who still had his boots on. Those military boots were part of the Southern Blue city guards ensemble. Dark Flame mercenaries were assembled from many different groups, and there was never enough time to provide them with uniform gear. The same couldnt be said for the city guardas Ji Ruis lineal branch, they were provided with quality equipment and supplies. Song Zining had led both units into battle this time, so finding the city guard was the same as finding Dark Flame. Qianye crouched down and flipped one of the corpses over to check his wounds. Li Kuanglan frowned, apparently disconcerted by the smell, but she still remained nearby. Qianye looked up all of a sudden and stared at a distant cave. A small group of soldiers emerged, laughing and smiling as they hauled the spoils they had just collected. Shockingly, there were quite a few pieces of armor that belonged to the Southern Blue city guard. Qianyes figure flickered, appearing in their midst in the blink of an eye. Soon after, the power of his Oceanic Vortex descended before the soldiers could even react. All the warriors were pressed to the ground. Sounds of crackling bones began to emerge from some of them. A brave officer among them took a deep breath and forced himself back up. He looked like he was preparing to shout out to his comrades, but how could Qianye give him that chance? A kick landed ruthlessly on his face! The officers face became unrecognizable. A mixture of blood and teeth flew out from his mouth as he fell down, eyes rolled back and unconscious. Some other soldiers wanted to do the same, but after seeing the officers fate and Qianyes icy glare, they fell into prostration and no longer dared to move. You keep an eye on them, Im going to check inside. Li Kuanglan nodded. Remember to leave some alive. I will. With that, Qianyes silhouette vanished into the cave. Soon, a furious roar echoed inside the cave and a bloody aura rushed out of its entrance. Li Kuanglan broke into a frown. An icy blue glow spread out from beneath her feet and covered the prone soldiers in a layer of frost. These mediocre warriors had no way of stopping her frost energy and were soon turned into icy statues. Having dealt with the nuisance, Li Kuanglan rushed into the cave. In the depths of the cave, she saw Qianye standing at the center of a large hall with numerous sanguineous threads contracting back into his body. Dozens of soldiers lay lifeless on the cave floor. Only a pale officer remained leaning against the wall, holding his abdomen as he gasped laboriously. There were several dozen people hung up on the cave walls, most of them dead. The mess of blood and gore was a testament to the cruelty they had suffered, and their clothing made it clear that many of them were from the city guard. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 882: Regre Li Kuanglan said helplessly, Qianye, I asked you to leave some survivors. There. Qianye pointed at the officer leaning against the wall. The man was hanging on his last breath and even a bit weaker than an ordinary soldier. Li Kuanglan scanned the officer with her perception and found that his body was in a withered statehis vitality was like a candle in the wind that would be extinguished at any moment. This state was usually a result of being drained of essence blood by a vampire, but there were no fang marks on the officers neck. Frowning, Li Kuanglan shivered as she recalled the countless bloody threads receding back into Qianyes body. Li Kuanglan tapped the officers chest, sending a wisp of frost energy into his body. The man gasped in pain, but then he became more spirited and some color returned to his face. Where are you from? The officer replied with some difficulty, Were from Wildwolf Mercenary Corps, mobilized on order of the Tidehark city guard. Were in charge of sweeping the battlefield and dealing with prisoners after the battle. Looking at the corpses hanging on the cave wall, one could easily tell that they werent just dealing with the prisoners. Li Kuanglan wasnt too familiar with the neutral lands yet, so she glanced over at Qianye. Theyre scavengers. Qianyes explanation shed some light on the nature of these mercenaries. These soldiers were basically cannon fodder, wading into battle during war and in charge of sweeping the battlefield afterward. Because they were so weak, their only payment was in the form of post-war spoils during cleanup. In truth, most of the good stuff would be taken by the main army, leaving only a pitiful amount for these mercenaries. Hence, they werent willing to let go of a single bit of gear. That was also why the corpses outside had been stripped clean. A suit of semi-intact armor was already a fairly good harvest for them. Such mercenaries would usually torture their prisoners. Usually, it was to see if they could squeeze out some benefits, but most of them would just do it for fun. As the pettiest existences on the battlefield, even their own people would look down on them. Hence, their suppressed emotions would convert into an indescribable thirst for violence once they were afforded the chance. It was only natural that Qianye would be angered to the point of using Life Plunder to wipe out the entire mercenary unit. The officers aura soon passed its peak and began declining. Li Kuanglan tapped on his chest again. Who were you fighting and why? I heard theyre people from Southern Blue, a newly formed mercenary corps and their city guard. They had just suffered great losses after defeating the Wolf Kings army. We caught them completely off-guard and defeated them after a while. Li Kuanglan asked a key question, Wheres the Southern Blue city lord? Theres no way we would know. I only heard that they managed to capture a major character and another escaped. I dont know anything else The officers aura gradually weakened. Soon, his head was hanging to the side, never to move again. Li Kuanglan stood up, saying, Thats all well get out of him. This officer had been struck by Qianyes Life Plunder and was already on the verge of death. For him to speak as much as he did, Li Kuanglan had to use her origin power to excite his vitality. Qianye asked, Who was the one captured and who escaped? Li Kuanglan sighed. You know the answer, why ask me? According to reason, the one who has escaped should be Ji Tianqing, and the other, Song Zining. Perhaps neither of them was captured and that so-called major character is someone else. Qianye sighed. I have a feeling that the one captured is Song Zining. Li Kuanglan said, Dont be in a rush, the other party beat Ji Tianqing and Song Zining, so theyre probably not easy to deal with. Its no use if you go in this condition. Qianyes eyes flickered with a frosty glow. Perhaps I cant save Song Zining right now, but whoever the other party is, I must let them know that Ive come. If they do anything to him, Ill pull them up by the roots sooner or later. Qianye was neither gnashing his teeth nor stomping his feethe merely stated this in a calm manner. Li Kuanglans expression was complicated. Song Seven is quite fortunate to meet someone like you. Lets go, well continue tracking them. Im sure their main camp isnt far off now. Li Kuanglan walked out of the cave with Qianye in tow. She then signaled for the airship to ascend to a high altitude and await orders. Meanwhile, she and Qianye would track the enemy on foot. The airship was priceless, yet its defenses were fairly mediocre. Li Kuanglan didnt want to risk losing the vessel considering the other party had the power to take down an expert like Song Zining. The airship would be a sitting duck before an enemy of this level. At this moment, an old man suddenly appeared behind Li Kuanglan. Allow this old servant to follow you. Li Kuanglan said, frowning, This is my battle and it has nothing to do with the family. No one is to interfere! Young Master The old man wanted to persuade further, but Li Kuanglan and Qianye were already moving away. The old man could only fly back to the airship with a sigh. Both of them were adept at tracking, and Qianye even more so in the wilderness. They found their way to the objective after a while of searching. It was a valley with a water source. The entrance had been fashioned into a temporary camp with a thousand soldiers garrisoned within. Taking cover behind the complicated landscape, Qianye and Li Kuanglan retracted their auras as they observed the place. Despite being a temporary camp, the place was constructed strategically with intersecting sentries and patrols covering all aspects of the base. There were no blind spots to speak of, and even the most experienced of hunters would find it difficult to sneak in. Even though the soldiers had removed their insignia, Qianye could tell immediately that they were part of Tideharks forces. Their powerful auras and premium equipment made Dark Flame look like a random mobeven the Wolf Kings forces paled in comparison. The thousand soldiers here were fairly powerful in terms of combat strength and more than enough to route the forces of Southern Blue. Song Zining''s defeat was expected considering it was an ambush and how weak his forces were, but what kind of person could prevent him from fleeing? Li Kuanglan said after a moment of silence, Theres an expert, dont act rashly. Qianyes eyes lit up with blue ripples as he scanned the camp. His body trembled ever so slightly when he saw a faintly discernible leaf floating at the center of the camp! Qianye had True Sight activated at the moment, so he could see the flow of origin power. This leaf was only made up of origin power, so ordinary people couldnt see itonly people with abilities similar to the Eye of Truth could discern its presence. The leaf was vivid and lifelike as it drifted about in the air, but its stem was always pointing in a certain direction. Qianye shifted his gaze accordingly and found a green light flickering far off in the distance. Even with his eyesight, he could barely see a similar leaf floating in the air. At this point, Qianye could already confirm that it was Song Zining who had left these trails for him to follow. He had apparently fallen into Tideharks hands, while Ji Tianqing was nowhere to be found. Li Kuanglan pointed to a corner of the camp and whispered, I smell blood from over there, looks like thats where the prisoners are being kept. Do you want to go and take a look? Qianye had just nodded when a gloomy aura rushed out from the camp. Whos sneaking about there? Li Kuanglan and Qianye were alarmed. Qianyes spirit had wavered ever so slightly when he found Song Zinings hidden markings, and a bit of his aura had leaked out in the process. Who wouldve thought the enemy would notice this small detail? This persons perception was apparently very sharp, likely not below Qianyes own. A figure rose up from the camp and charged over toward Qianye and Li Kuanglan. Qianye was startled after seeing this persons face. It was actually the old man hiding in the clouds back then. The elder was also surprised to see Qianyea cold smile appeared on his face and his eyes were filled with killing intent. It would seem he was still holding a grudge for that day. Li Kuanglan whipped out Cold Moons Embrace, shooting a beam of ice blue radiance toward the old man. Leave first! However, Qianye remained staring at the old man. Was it you who ambushed Zining? The old man snorted as he drew his blade to deflect Li Kuanglans attack. What ambush? I led an army to defeat the enemy openly, and then captured their general. That cunning girl escaped immediately once things had gone south, theres no way she couldve escaped my grasp otherwise! Li Kuanglans expression turned serious when the old man drew his blade. Her attacks sped up several times, slashing several curved beams of sword energy at the old man. Qianye, go! Li Kuanglan was already using her full power at this moment, except the swift strike that had shaken the entire void continent. However, the black crystal blade in the old mans grasp blocked all the attacks amidst a flurry of afterimages. Apparently, he still had room to maneuver despite the attacks. One could already see some clues from this short exchange. Judging from how easily he was handling his sword, it was clear that Li Kuanglan wasnt his match. There was probably no injustice in Song Zinings loss. Qianye roared, Where is Zining? The old man let out a peal of sinister laughter. That little fellow is on his way to the Wolf King. Killing intent surged in Qianyes eyes. Youre quite bold! The old man replied with a carefree harrumph, Heh! Its been many years since anyone has spoken to me this way. It looks like you have a good relationship with that boy. How about this? If you kneel down and submit willingly, I might release that little fellow on account of you saving me some trouble. What do you say? Qianye took a deep breath. Zining would never submit willingly, and neither will I. You can forget about me surrendering. Kuanglan, leave first! Li Kuanglan shouted, Are you crazy!? Im not, I just need to let this old man know what regret is. The old man broke into hearty laughter. Fine, I must see how youre going to make me regret He was startled before he could even finish speaking. Qianyes figure flickered into the main camp, and a sanguineous light erupted briefly in a hundred-meter radius around him, extinguishing all life in its wake. The old man glared daggers at Qianye, roaring, You dare!? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 883: An Ineffable Battle Part 1 The sanguineous threads of Life Plunder were extremely thin yet almost unstoppablebe it walls or battle armor, nothing could stand in their way. Qianye charged his way into the camp and cleared out a good section of it, leaving the army several hundred soldiers short. This squad was made up of elite veterans with many years of battlefield experience. Losing so many of them infuriated the old man, who duly abandoned Li Kuanglan to chase after Qianye. Shocked out of her wits, Li Kuanglan became one with her sword as she slashed after the old man. Nonetheless, the old man swept her away with a swing of his black crystal swordshe couldnt even evade. It would seem this elders blade was also an extraordinary object that was no weaker than Cold Moons Embrace. It wasnt even chipped in the process. Li Kuanglan was about to give chase when the old man pointed at her from afar. A mass of black and white mist appeared in her path, shooting out dozens of monochromatic beams that kept her effectively entangled. Li Kuanglan sprayed out a large swath of sword radiance that cut the black and white energies apart. However, her expression darkened when she found that her frost energy was greatly weakened against the old mans own. She had to follow up with a second slash before the wisps of energy were completely destroyed. This went to show just how high of a grade the old mans monochromatic energy was. Add to that its ability to suppress all kinds of energy, it was definitely not below Li Kuanglans frigid sword energy. The energies returned to mist after they were destroyed, reformed, and shot back toward Li Kuanglan. It looked like she probably wouldnt be able to rescue Qianye for the time being. But the old man had just entered the camp when Qianye had killed his way out of the other end. He charged in a straight line, slashing and ramming through everything in his wake, even the stockade. Then, he simply swaggered off through the large hole he had inflicted on the wall. The old man swung his sword from afar, summoning black and white wisps of energy around Qianye. They connected with one another and turned into a hazy world of mist which encompassed Qianye like a net. Countless streams of energy turned into ropes within the misty world and latched firmly onto Qianyes body. Soon, his speed fell sharply as a fair amount of energy wound around his arms and legs. Their ends also transformed into sharp blades that stabbed at the captive, but Qianyes body was so tough that they couldnt even break through his skin. This was the old mans domain, one that could lock-down and bewilder the enemy. Damage wasnt exactly its forte, but the old man didnt mind either. Sneering, he sped up once the domain had taken shape, raising his blade for the kill. However, dark golden flames erupted from Qianyes body at this moment. His body didnt look very strong, yet it was filled with an incredible amount of power, actually breaking all of the monochromatic chains in one roar! Qianye ran forward, traversing dozens of meters with each step as he rushed out of the domains range and sauntered off. Dazed, the old man glared at Qianyes receding figure until the latter had almost vanished over the horizon. Finally, he stomped in anger and halted his steps. The black and white energies were fairly wondrousrotating back and forth, empowering and restraining one another at the same time. It possessed a suppressive effect on both daybreak and darkness origin power. Even Li Kuanglans frosty sword energy was downgraded by a couple of levels. However, Qianye had used pure physical power to break them just now. He never used his origin power, to begin with, so there was nothing for the monochromatic energies to suppress. If anything, it served to magnify their fragility, and Qianye was afforded the opportunity to escape. Additionally, Qianyes speed was among the fastest the old man had ever seen. He could barely keep up when going all outyet one was running on pure physical prowess while the other was using secret arts and draining origin power as he did so. The old man simply couldnt compare in terms of endurance and was bound to lose his target sooner or later. Additionally, there was Li Kuanglan behind him. If he were to go after Qianye, there would be no one to stop her from overturning the entire camp. Hence, the old man had no choice but to halt his steps. Li Kuanglan was also quite smartshe also stopped her advance and fled after confirming Qianyes escape. She was even a bit faster than Qianye, turning into a beam of blue light as she sped away. The old man was left with an ashen face, and almost broke out cursing despite his age and status. With Qianye and Li Kuanglan both gone, the old man had no choice but to return to camp. His expression was even more unsightly after counting the casualties. At over three hundred in casualties, the damage was considerable. These soldiers were the elites of Tidehark, capable of defeating the Wolf Kings forces several times over. Their status was only second to Luo Bingfengs small group of personal guards. There were only 1500 men in the entire unit, and the reason it had stayed at that number was because of the lack of elite soldiers to recruit. The old man, to ensure his victory, had brought over 1200 men this time, but now 300 of them had died in Qianyes hands. What pained the old man even more was that a famed general was also caught within range of the bloody threads. He managed to fend off three strings but two of them managed to shoot through his body. Seeing his dispirited appearance, the old man knew at a glance that this warrior would be greatly weakened even if he were to recover. It would be good enough if he could remain at rank four. The drowsy officer had his head lowered and there was blood all over his bodyapparently, the wounds were extremely deep. Only when the old man arrived did he clamber up, saying, S-Sire Rui. Is this the end for me? The elder sighed, General Zhang, you just need to recuperate, this little injury wont take your life. The general surnamed Zhang laughed wryly. Even if it doesnt threaten my life, Im not willing to live like a cripple. Sire Rui, give me a satisfying end. This Zhang has spent his life on the battlefield, and wish to die on the battlefield. The old man nodded silently. A wisp of black energy shot out from his hand and entered the wounded mans forehead. General Zhangs eyes gradually lost signs of life. What an annoying way to die The old man remained silent for a good while, his expression as gloomy as still water. At this moment, a burly dark-faced man approached in large strides. The person hadnt even arrived but the killing intent was already rushing in the old mans face. The man was clad in black heavy-armor and looked like a metallic giant beast when he was walking. His body was shrouded in the glow of black steel, and each of his steps caused the entire camp to tremble. He arrived beside the old man and scanned him from head to toe in undisguised anger. The moment this person appeared, all the soldiers nearby greeted him with great respect, almost as though they were seeing the backbone of the army. General Zhu! Whats going on? I went out to patrol and now so many of my brothers have died! The old mans expression sank. Someone raided the camp just now and killed the soldiers, Ive already driven them away. The dark-faced man walked around the scene, saying, Sire Rui, this person didnt take that long, did he? He only used one move. The dark burly man snorted. A single move to kill over three hundred men? Sire Rui, what kind of person did you provoke? Our brothers are there to fight wars and kill enemy armies, thats a given. But theyre not there to act as your shield, theyre not equipped to fight top-ranking experts! The old mans expression was unsightly. General Zhu, are you suspecting this old man? The big, dark-faced man wasnt about to give way. Sire Rui, we still havent been told who were up against, but just look at the corpses of our brothers. Do you think a bunch of ragtags from Southern Blue can do this? I dare say that even Ji Rui cant do this! Looking annoyed, the old man replied, The other party is only rank-thirteen. Dont tell me I must report everything to you? Rank-thirteen? And he can kill three hundred brothers? General Zhu was clearly skeptical. The old man harrumphed loudly. Zhu Meng! Dont forget that I am the commanding general here! Zhu Meng wasnt afraid of him, however. Sire Rui, since youre the commander, you must know how to value your men. Yet, I see nothing of that sort. This unit is the sweat and blood of our city lord. Since hes placed it in my care, I naturally have to take responsibility for this. Our brothers can die in battle, but they must die knowing what they die for! Are you saying Im incompetent? The old mans eyes were suffused with killing intent. I said nothing of that sort, but since this person can kill three hundred of our brothers in one go, did you just drive him off or did he leave you in the dust? The old man was furious. Zhu Meng! You think I dont dare to kill you?! Killing me is easy, of course, but will it be as simple to explain things to the city lord? City Lord Luo is easy to speak to, but hes not easy to lie to. Are you implying that I was lying to the city lord? What a joke! I dont know whether youre a liar or not, but you know best about the information you withheld. Nonsense! Im definitely going to seek out the city lord after our return and make things clear. Whether or not you have a clear conscience will be revealed. Humph! We dont even know who were fighting up until now. Since General Zhu thinks that way, then feel free to ask the city lord when you return. With that, the old man left with a swing of his sleeve. Zhu Meng did not salute the man, either. He instead crouched down and started checking the corpses one after another. An old officer nearby asked, General Zhu, you think theres something wrong with this battle? Zhu Meng sighed, What do you think about the battle? The successful ambush wasnt a surprise since the enemy forces were already exhausted after a long battle. And even then, we didnt have an easy time. The enemy commander is definitely at the master level, our victory might not be certain if the troops under his command werent a bunch of backwater mobsters. Zhu Meng asked again. What do you think about the one we caught and the one who escaped? The officer dug into his memories. Theyre young very young! Zhu Meng said in a gloomy voice. Correct, those people are so young yet so powerful. Do you think they can reach that level by themselves? They must have a giant clan behind them, or maybe certain powerful characters. But, they dont look like they hail from the surrounding powers, Ive never heard of them either. At this point, the officer consoled himself, saying, Even if theyre from the Spider Emperor or Moonlight Demons, Heavenly Monarch Zhang can still suppress them. Zhu Meng said, What if they come from the other side of the neutral lands, or maybe they arent from the neutral lands at all? The officer suddenly lost his voice. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 884: An Ineffable Battle Part 2 Zhu Meng reached out and closed a soldiers eyes. The city lord probably doesnt know anything about this. If I dont return, tell him everything I said just now. General, you Zhu Meng shook his head. Dying on the battlefield is my role. He hadnt even finished speaking when the general heard a peculiar whistle, a sound akin to demons crying out in fear. The moment this sound entered his ears, Zhu Meng roared explosively, Careful! He then pressed the officer to the ground while he, himself, glanced about under the cover of a heavy shield. Zhu Meng wasnt slow, but there was almost someone faster. The old man called Rui shot into the airthat sorry figure of his looked as though someone had just branded his behinds. A beam of blue light tore through the air like a silent meteor. The azure radiance grazed past the old mans feet, through the chest of a bearded general, and far off into the distance. The general opened his mouth but no sound came out. He tried to cover the wound with his hand but who could block bowl-sized hole? The bearded man staggered briefly before falling on his back, devoid of all vital signs. Zhu Meng roared in sorrow. Old Ma! This bearded general was Zhu Mengs aide, and the two of them had been partners for many years. He understood the mans power very well, but that Blue radiance was simply too fast, too furious. The primary target had managed to jump out of the way, but the bearded general was shot through the vitals. Livid and apprehensive, the old man landed slowly on the ground. That blue radiance was actually an origin bullet. It was just that the projectile was so fast that the naked eye could only perceive it as a beam of blue light. The shot came from a thousand meters away. It had arrived in the blink of an eye and kept going for quite a distance after killing General Ma. The old man couldnt help but feel a chill after some thought. If this shot were to land on him, he would no doubt suffer heavy injuries. He probably wouldnt have been so lucky if he hadnt been looking in that direction just now, or if he hadn''t evaded reflexively. But what kind of gun could fire from such distances, and with such ferocity? It was at this time that he heard an angry roar. Rui Xiang! Why did you not block the shot? You killed Old Ma! The old man was in a bad mood at the moment. Whos to blame for him failing to dodge? Dont tell me youre trying to blame this on me too? You couldve blocked the shot or at least pushed him aside! The old man snorted. What if I fail to block the shot? You want me to die for him? Its just an origin bullet, and one fired from a thousand meters away, no less! Youll at most receive a light injury but Old Ma couldve been spared death, Zhu Meng roared. Rui Xiang was livid. A brute like that isnt worth getting hurt for. Zhu Meng was stifled with anger and couldnt say anything for the time being. In the end, he picked up the bearded mans corpse with an angry roar and left. The old man was so gloomy that his face looked like it was about to drip water. His gaze was malicious as he gazed at the back of Zhu Mengs head. After returning to the barracks, an officer near Zhu Meng said, General, that old thief is pretty close to the heavenly monarch. Now that he bears a grudge against you, what if he says bad things about you to Zhang Buzhou? Zhu Meng sneered, Who cares? Ive had enough of his crappy attitude! That bastard has messed up everything since the heavenly monarch went into isolated cultivation. The officer said, General, should we go and hunt down the sniper who killed General Ma? Zhu Meng halted his steps, saying, Is your head empty? How are you going to catch someone who can fire such a shot from a thousand meters away? Youll just be serving your head on a platter. The only one who can chase down the sniper is Zhu Meng stopped speaking here, but everyone knew that Rui Xiang was the only one with this ability. His speculation was actually a bit offthe old mans forte was battlefield defense and not hunting. Rui Xiang seemed to have no intention of chasing after the assailant. It wasnt because he was afraid but because he knew he couldnt catch up. The old mans love for fame was well known. Rui Xiang remained motionless after Zhu Mengs departure. He could feel a faint stabbing sensation on his skin, a sign that someone had locked onto him. That sniper could be considered fairly reckless in that he had remained where he was after firing. Whats more, he simply took aim at the old man instead of waiting for an opening. This was a blatant provocation. Several times Rui Xiang wanted to give chase, but he stopped himself in the end. That shot was simply too powerful and tyrannical. He was confident in blocking the shot beyond a hundred meters, but at close ranges, no one could say if he could even escape after being injured. Naturally, it was many times harder to hit him within a hundred meters but there was always a chance. The old man couldnt shoulder this outcome. After thinking back and forth, he still wasnt willing to take that risk at such an important threshold. An injury at this point would likely destroy his path to becoming a divine champion. At this moment, atop a distant mountain, Qianye was kneeling amidst leaden clouds and surging winds. Heartgraves crosshairs were moving slowly through the military camp. Seeing that Rui Xiang had managed to restrain his emotions, Qianye knew it was useless to keep on agitating him. He thus went to search for a different target. Almost all of the leading officers had vanished following the ambush. Only Zhu Meng was busy checking on the dead and injured. He and Rui Xiang were the only ones capable of stopping or evading Qianyes assault. The ordinary soldiers and lower-ranking officers kept on working in an orderly manner, knowing full well that they werent worth a shot. Li Kuanglan appeared behind Qianye. You cant fire a second shot, can you? Why arent you leaving? If I leave now, that old bastard will realize that I cant fire a second shot. Besides, I can fire again pretty soon. In Li Kuanglans perception, she could sense Qianyes aura on a gradual rise. His stamina was recovering swiftly and would reach its peak in half a days time. She sighed softly, Youre a monster, you know. Its their misfortune to have provoked you. There will always be such people, such incidents. You get used to it after a while. Why not seek the Song clans help? Song Zining will be fine as long as the clan is willing to step in. I have channels to help you send news back to the empire. Itll take some time, but Song Zining should be fine for a while yet. Qianye lowered Heartgrave and said while shaking his head, If the Song clan people find out about this, theyll try to devour his Ningyuan Heavy Industries instead of saving him. Li Kuanglan was surprised. How can that be? I thought they shared a good relationship. Several of their elders have praised Song Zining as their rising star. Qianye sneered. Good relationship? Ha! When have you ever seen true, good familial relationships among nobility? Li Kuanglan said after a while, I have! Your Zhao clan. Qianye was stoppered for a moment. He then said with a sigh, Im no longer one of them. But I see that Zhao Fourth and Yuying treat you as their own. Zhao Jundu actually intercepted a secret missive from the military for you. This matter stirred up quite a bit of ruckus in court. Qianye was surprised. What happened? Li Kuanglan replied, Some of the militarys assets in the neutral lands discovered your traces and dispatched a secret report to the empire. Zhao Fourth stopped the one passing through the void continent, but he hadnt imagined there would be three copies of the message, the military still got their message in the end. Because of this, the Minister of the Right accused Duke Chengen and Zhao Jundu of misconduct in court. Minister of the Right? What happened in the end? Qianye was alarmed because this person was an important minister of the empire, an authoritative figure he could never hope to meet. He was even more powerful than all the marshals and dukes, and the power in his grasp was on a completely different level. Now that this case had unexpectedly provoked the Minister of the Right, even the Zhao clan might be in for some trouble. Li Kuanglan replied, How can there be any outcome? They quarrel and quarrel but theres no outcome still. Reportedly, Princess Gaoyi pulled a lot of strings and stopped the imperial family from expressing their stance. Things will probably just trail off like that. Actually, many things in the imperial court end up that way. Princess Gaoyi Qianye recalled that calm woman along with many other fragments of his memory. It was within reason for her to appear since she was Zhao Jundus mother. It was surprising, however, that her presence could restrain the Minister of the Right. Li Kuanglan noticed Qianyes surprise. Theres nothing surprising about this. Princess Gaoyi was no ordinary character back then. Her marriage to Duke Chengen was a marry-down in every sense of the word. Otherwise, how could the proud Zhao clan be satisfied with a mere Duke Chengen title? In truth, it was the bestowment of this relatively inferior title that placated certain people. Otherwise, the union would never have gone off smoothly. Qianye hadnt expected Princess Gaoyi to be such a character. He could barely even sense this princess existence when he was in the Zhao clan. The higher her status, the better it was for Jundu and Ruoxi. As for Qianye himself, he was no longer related to the Zhao clan. Otherwise, he would only bring trouble to the clan by giving their political adversaries an excuse. That said, it was still too reckless of Zhao Jundu to intercept a secret military missive for him. Qianye sighed inwardly as he packed Heartgrave away and stood up. Lets go, there wont be any more openings for the time being. Youre not rescuing Song Seven anymore? Qianye shook his head. Its impossible with just you and I. Are we going to let things be? Of course not. What happened just now will repeat many times over. Those people will finally have to understand that they will never see another day of peace as long as Im alive. Just as no one will target Ningyuan Heaven Industries as long as Song Zinings alive. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 885: Intimidation Qianye didnt leave immediately after packing Heartgrave away. Instead, he picked a flat area on the hill to cultivate. He made no effort to conceal himself this time and immediately circulated the Profound Combatant Formula from the get-go. A terrifying void tempest instantly tore through the skies, stretching hundreds of meters into the air! Such a commotion could be seen clearly from dozens of kilometers away, let alone a thousand meters. It wasnt just the elder and Zhu Meng; many of the low ranking officers also noticed the anomaly. News spread like wildfiresoon, everyone had realized that not only had that sniper not run away, but he was actually making a huge show of his presence. Zhu Meng gazed at the distant tempest with calm eyes. No one knew what he was thinking. The old man, on the other hand, remained hidden inside the main tent. He simply pretended not to notice, yet no one dared to question him. This brought the already teetering morale down to the very bottom, and the austere killing intent surrounding the troops receded like the tides. One of the officers arrived behind Zhu Meng, saying, General, this wont do. The setback is hitting everyone hard. His brows locked in a frown, Zhu Meng began running toward the hill in large strides. The shocked officer held onto the man''s back frantically. General, you cant go! The nearby officers swarmed forward and did their utmost to keep Zhu Meng locked down. As elites who had undergone a strict selection process, they might not be very strong, but their eyesight definitely wasnt bad. Zhu Meng would be throwing his life away if he were to attack someone whom even Rui Xiang wasnt willing to get involved with. Besides, the enemys display of power meant that he wasnt one to be trifled with. One of the sharper ones had already connected the dots between Qianye and the sniper. After hearing him say thus, all the other officers agreed, and they held even tighter onto Zhu Meng. Zhu Meng had also seen that shot and he understood his own power as well. The old man was able to evade, but he knew he would only be able to block with his shield. He probably wouldnt be able to block in time within five hundred meters, so him chasing after Qianye was like throwing his life away. One of the officers whispered, What exactly is this persons background? He looks so young. And why is he attacking ordinary people like us? What kind of enmity does he have? Another officer muttered his thoughts. Zhu Meng had no answer to these questions. He could only sigh. Lets think about it after we get back alive. Li Kuanglan was kneeling at Qianyes side, watching him in total silence. When he finished channeling the Profound Combatant Formula and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her pair of starry eyes. What is that cultivation art? So Tyrannical! The Combatant Formula. Li Kuanglan snorted after a long while. It really is the Combatant Formula. Humph! Qianye diverted the topic away. I plan to follow them, what about you? I havent thought about it. How about this? You go back to Southern Blue first, someone needs to oversee the situation there. Otherwise, theres no telling what that old fox Ji Rui will do. Ill come back after a while. After witnessing Qianyes ability, Li Kuanglan understood that following him would only stop him from using his full powers. Fine, come find me when youre back. With that, she turned to leave. Only after Li Kuanglan had left did Qianye heave a sigh of relief. His bindings were all gone nowhe could bring out his full power now that he was alone. Qianye closed his eyes, his heart still like water as he slowly adjusted his origin power. Wisps of Venus Dawn origin power filled his four origin vortices, and his combat strength gradually climbed back to its peak. One night went by in this manner. The sun had barely risen the next day when Zhu Meng rounded up the warriors and started packing up the camp, preparing to return to Tidehark. The problem was that he could feel a piercing sensation at his back during this entire process. Someone had apparently locked onto him from afar, so the man had no choice but to carry his shield around just in case. Rui Xiang was still inside the tent at this point. Zhu Meng walked over to the entrance, saying, Sire Rui, were about to set out. Sire Rui? Receiving no reply after calling out several times, Zhu Meng finally pulled the curtains open and found the tent completely empty. Rui Xiang was nowhere to be found, and even his luggage had been moved away. Zhu Meng was startled for a brief moment, and then he flipped the entire tent in a burst of rage and roared in Qianyes direction, See? Hes not here anymore. Im the only one left, come at me! Qianye lowered Heartgrave with a frown. He hadnt imagined the old man to actually do such a thing. It took a good amount of shamelessness to be able to pull off something like this, but he did succeed in leaving Qianye with a difficult choice. Qianye understood after some thought that the old man didnt share a good relationship with this squad and their commander. This was one of Tideharks most powerful unitsthe old man washing his hands off them was probably to borrow Qianyes blade in killing the commander, that loud, black-armored man. He wouldve been playing right into the elders hands if he had really killed the entire squad. He would also have formed an irreconcilable feud with Tidehark. At the thought of this, Qianye stood up and walked toward the camp with Heartgrave in hand. Zhu Meng hadnt imagined that Qianye would appear proactively. His eyes narrowed when he saw the long sniper riflea single glance was enough to make his eyes sting and turn red. None of the soldiers had expected this development, either. A commotion broke out as countless soldiers took aim at Qianye, and the remainder fell into a tight formation up front to shield their gun-wielding comrades. Many of them had recognized Qianye at this point, recalling how this person had rushed into the camp like a wild beast and reaped hundreds of lives before swaggering off. No matter how brave these warriors were, they couldnt help but feel a wave of trepidation spreading amongst them. After all, dying in battle and being slaughtered were two very different things. According to customs, they werent supposed to be the ones facing an expert like Qianye. Seeing all the muzzles pointing at Qianyesome trembling as they did soZhu Meng shouted, Put down your weapons! His authority was supreme in the squad. Everyone lowered their guns at his order, regardless of their puzzlement. Zhu Meng walked out of the crowd to meet the incoming guest. They were fairly close at this moment, and Qianye did nothing to hide his rank-thirteen cultivation. The general was startled when he realized that Qianye was really just rank-thirteen. Zhu Meng himself was a rank-sixteen warrior, but for some reason, he felt suppressed in front of Qianye. Zhu Meng said in a deep voice, Why is your distinguished self making things difficult for these small characters? Qianye replied calmly, Since youve captured my brother, everyone''s the same to me no matter how strong or weak. No one will live unless my brother is returned. Where is that old man? Is he hiding or has he escaped? Zhu Meng said through clenched teeth, He has fled. Qianye said meaningfully, That means he left you guys behind for me to kill. It looks like youve offended him quite deeply. Zhu Mengs expression sank. I have a few hundred brothers with me still, and all of them have been rolling on the razors edge their entire lives. You cant kill us all. I can. Zhu Meng had no response to this. He felt a chill in his heart as he looked into Qianyes calm eyes. He knew the latter wasnt bluffingQianye really could kill all nine hundred people here, including Zhu Meng. What is your background? If we die, we want to know what were dying for? Also, these brothers of mine are just ordinary soldiers, they shouldnt have been swept into this kind of feud. Will you let them off if I promise to fight you to the death and not run away? Qianye tapped on Heartgraves trigger, saying, Do you think you can run away? Zhu Meng laughed wryly. As an assault general, speed wasnt really his forte, and he definitely wouldnt be able to run away if he was defeated. He took a deep breath. Sire, your appearance here means you have something to say. What will convince you to let my brothers off? Who is that old man? Why did he attack us? Hes called Rui Xiang, Zhang Buzhous personal servant, in charge of managing the heavenly monarchs everyday affairs before his isolated cultivation. Later on, he gradually gained power and became the vice-steward. With the head-steward going into seclusion along with Heavenly Monarch Zhang, he became the only one from the residence remaining in the outside world. The heavenly monarch no longer concerns himself with trivial affairs. He has never appeared even once in recent years, and the one time before that was behind a screen, who knows if its the real person? So, many people thought Steward Ruis words represent the heavenly monarch. Even the Wolf King and City Lord Luo have to give him some face. Zhu Meng explained everything in detail, holding nothing back along the way. He also explained Rui Xiangs unique powers briefly. It was just that his skills were mostly taught by Zhang Buzhou, so Zhu Meng could only grasp the general idea. He couldnt offer anything truly useful. He did, however, confirm that Rui Xiangs black crystal sword was a treasureit was reportedly Zhang Buzhous during his younger years and later bestowed upon the old man. This went to show how much the heavenly monarch favored him. Qianye had witnessed this blade in action against Cold Moons Embrace, and it was never at a disadvantage. In summary, the sword was only a bit inferior in terms of special effects, and it served to double the old mans power. In truth, neither the cultivation art nor the weapon was enough to impress Qianye. No matter how strong Rui Xiang was, he couldnt be stronger than the Wolf King. The only problem was his connection to Zhang Buzhoukilling the old man was like slapping Zhang Buzhou in the face. Qianye quickly pushed these thoughts to the side. Ignoring Zhu Mengs hidden warning, he inquired further, Why is he attacking us? For the Wolf King? Zhu Meng sighed. Those not of our race will always discriminate against us. Even we can see the calamity the Wolf King is breeding, how could City Lord Luo not know? That being said, Im not clear as to why this skirmish was launched. That is precisely the reason why I had been quarreling with Steward Rui. You might need to ask him if you want to find out the reason. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 886: Omen Where is the person you captured? This problem was the key. Zhu Meng hesitated for a moment. He then glanced back at his many old subordinates, each of them a familiar face to him. The heavily armored man sighed, saying, Hes been moved away by Steward Ruis aide. Where to exactly, I dont know. All I know is that they went toward Tidehark, but Totemic Castle is also in that direction. Qianye realized that he couldnt get anything more out of these men. In addition, Zhu Meng divulging Song Zinings fate was akin to surrender; it was just that he didnt know much about the details. It would seem the relationship between him and Rui Xiang was indeed quite bad. Otherwise, the old man wouldnt have left them to die here. Very well, you may leave. Bring word to City Lord Luo that if he doesnt release my brother, no citizen of Tidehark will be safe outside of the city. If my brother dies, I will slaughter everyone related, no matter the price or time involved. Qianyes words were calm, but Zhu Meng could feel a deep chill from within. In the end, Qianye pointed at Zhu Meng and said with a serious expression, Now you know who youre dealing with. Even a divine champion wont get away unscathed. Qianye then left. Zhu Mengs vigor receded like the tides. He looked like he had aged a decade, apparently overcome with exhaustion. An officer moved close and whispered, General, is that the person who killed so many of our brothers? He doesnt look like the part. Zhu Meng remained gazing in Qianyes direction. Just stay clear whenever you see that person in the future. Come, lets go home. Qianye was atop a nearby hill at this moment, his thoughts in complete disarray. He had never imagined this old man was so close to Zhang Buzhou. He was more or less the heavenly monarchs mouthpiece at the momentthe key was that no one knew whether or not the old mans words were fake decrees or if they represented Zhang Buzhous will. From a certain perspective, it could be said that he was even more troublesome than the Wolf King. The latter was powerful but also irritable and arrogant. That was why he had suffered twice in Qianyes hands. Especially the last time, the enraged Wolf King had charged into enemy lines despite knowing there was a trap. In the end, he was surrounded by the four friends and heavily injured by Qianyes earth-shattering attack. The old mans character happened to be the complete opposite. He was malicious, patient, and wouldnt hesitate to throw away his dignity and status at critical juncturessomeone who would do just about anything. Such an enemy was more difficult to handle. But why would Rui Xiang suddenly attack Song Zining? Qianye had only offended the old man that one time when he threatened him from afar. They had never come into contact before or after that. Going to war for a trivial matter of face wasnt something a true expert would do. Song Zinings accident came completely without warning. It also coincided with his recent injury in which he lost the ability to see through the heavenly mysteries. Now that he thought about it, these things might not be coincidences after all. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Divination was definitely not his forte, and the current situation was extremely complicated with numerous characters taking the stage one after the other. The appearance of people from powerful backgroundsJi Tianqing and Li Kuanglan for instancemeant that more and more parties were paying attention to the neutral lands. What exactly was in the neutral lands that these major powers would shift their attention from the stalemate on the void continent? In truth, Qianye had already noticed numerous abnormalities during his time in the neutral lands. For instance, the mysterious entity in the Eastern Sea, the Black Grove, the Pointer Monarchs traps, the Martyrs Palace, and the Northern Continent. And that was just on the Eastern Sea continent. There might be even more shocking secrets hidden on the other continents. Only such secrets would be sufficient to explain things. As for himself, he knew his own worth quite wellno matter how badly he had offended the military, he was like an ant that had bitten the elephant. He would, at most, cause the giant creature to stomp once; stomping a second time wasnt even worth it. Song Zinings capture was perhaps the beginning of a major tempest. Qianye suddenly pointed forward and shot out a wisp of scarlet origin power. With it, he carved the words Zhang Buzhou on a large rock. He then took a deep breath and punched from afar, shattering the large rock into countless fragments. Even if it were Zhang Buzhou standing in front of him, Qianye would still step over him to save Song Zining. Having decided all that, all that was left was to figure out where to start. He could neither go to Totemic Castle nor Tidehark at the moment since the other party had likely set up ample traps in advance. Since he couldnt go inside, he would only be able to roam the outskirts while preserving a certain level of origin power and blood energy. He would need to leave one Spatial Flash worth of energy at all times. Qianye was very clear that his capture would spell the end for Song Zining as well. Additionally, he wasnt sure how Ji Tianqing was faring right now. With her endless stream of secret arts and treasures, it could be assumed that she would be fine once she had escaped. Having decided thus, Qianye calmed down and focused his thoughts, meditating cross-legged until sunset. Only after his stamina had reached its peak did he start running toward Tidehark. A strange rumor had been spreading through Tidehark in recent days. A rather accurate fortune teller living in the city had suddenly gone mad, spouting something about having provoked a calamity and that the entire city would soon be destroyed. This fortune teller was actually quite famous among the poorer people. In the end, the commotion caught the attention of the city guard. Seeing that more and more people were gathering nearby, the guard officer immediately ordered the old man to be taken away. Quite unexpectedly, he had just issued the order when the old man suddenly banged his head on the wall in a spurt of blood. On the verge of death, the old mans eyes were full of terror as he muttered, Bloodstain, this is a Bloodstain! I see it, that darkness we will all die The city guard officer was fairly knowledgeable. He was shocked upon hearing the name Bloodstain and couldnt help but tremble. This so-called Bloodstain was actually a deviant form of divination. The prophet had to undergo all sorts of self-mutilating methods to bring himself close to death, utilizing the bodys survival instincts to see things that couldnt be seen otherwise. In truth, only someone insane or extremely desperate would use Bloodstain. This old madman had actually used this method to confirm his prediction. What exactly did he see before his death? The officer ordered his men to take the corpse away and cremate it, even going so far as to burn down his residence. The madman had neither family nor children, so there was no one to stop the soldiers. All traces of his existence were soon reduced to ash amidst the raging flames. That didnt stop rumors from spreading, however. On the contrary, the blaze served to consolidate the gossip even more. There was a small courtyard atop that holy mountain where Zhang Buzhou had once cultivated. It was simple but graceful, plain yet not crude. The white wall, the thin bamboos, and a bit of greenery in the courtyard painted a scene of fresh elegance. There was a certain charm to it. At a glance, it looked like the residence of some important character in the empire. A sharp, formless sword energy surged into the skies all of a sudden, tearing hundreds of meters into the skies before dissipating. This energy was noticed by most experts in Tidehark, all of whom looked up at the mountain with astonished expressions. Dust, gravel, and roof-tile fragmentswhat remained of the erupted main building roofwere raining down in the courtyard. Apparently, that thin beam of sword energy was shockingly powerful. At this moment, a clear wind swept through the place and cleared away all the dust and rocks. That gentle lady walked out from one of the side buildings, asking, Bingfeng, what made you so irritable? Luo Bingfeng emerged from the main building with a frown and a serious expression. I was overcome by a certain emotion, a feeling that something major is about to happen. Thats why I lost control of myself. Something major? The woman was concerned because anything that could disturb Luo Bingfeng was no trifling matter. The city lord frowned deeply. He looked as though he was recounting things, but also seemed like he was muttering to himself. I saw darkness, a large swathe of darkness I dont know how to explain it, but I know its the coming of destruction and the abyss. The woman was startled. How did this happen? Were you cultivating a divination art? Luo Bingfeng shook his head. Of course not, I promised you I wouldnt touch that kind of art. The woman heaved a sigh of relief. Thats fine then. It might be an omen of some sort that you saw, but it might not be related to us. Luo Bingfeng gazed down at Tidehark. Youre right, but its better to be cautious. Lets call Luo Yun over, I want to know what has happened recently. Thats a good idea. The lady nodded. Moments later, a serious-looking man in his thirties walked into the courtyard with brisk steps. That man made a summarized report of the things that had happened in the last couple of days. The most important thing to happen recently was the Wolf King bringing his entire army to assault Souther Blue. In the end, he suffered repeated defeats, and even his main army was routed. The Wolf King himself retreated with heavy injuries and had no choice but to hide in Totemic Castle to recover. Another matter was that Rui Xiang had mobilized the best elites of Tidehark on a blitz assault, ambushing the Southern Blue army from behind. At that point, the forces of Southern Blue had sustained heavy losses after barely defeating the Wolf Kings army. How could they hold out against the best of Tidehark? It was naturally a one-sided battle. Luo Yun only knew that muchhe only had a general idea regarding the specifics of that battle and thus couldnt provide clear information. Luo Bingfeng was rather surprised. The Wolf King lost, and to a group of youngsters no less! Not Mask or the Spider Emperor? Thats interesting. It was at this time that Luo Bingfengs gaze shifted to the side and noticed a group arriving outside the city. His sharp and far-reaching gaze allowed him to see that group with great clarity. Isnt that Zhu Meng? Why is his group missing so many people? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 887: Sealing the City Luo Yun, summon Zhu Meng. Lets hear what just happened. Luo Yun was just about to execute his orders when the lady said, Bingfeng, you already promised to ignore mundane affairs. That group is only a couple hundred men short, whats the point of worrying? Luo Yun said, That group was founded by the city lord himself, many of his old brethren remain today. The woman gazed at Luo Bingfeng in silence. Luo Bingfeng wanted to speak, but he said nothing in the end after glancing at her. He waved at Luo Yun with a sigh, saying, You can go as well, no need to report if theres nothing important. A helpless Luo Yun performed a salute and left. Only at this point did the lady reveal a smile. She lifted his sleeves and picked up two pieces of a broken vase from the ground. Following a gentle caress of her hands, the broken pottery miraculously became whole again. She glared at Luo Bingfeng, saying, Come help me, unless you want to sleep in the rain tonight? The roof was duly repaired after a moment of work. The lady glanced at Luo Bingfengs expression and, patting him lightly on the hand, offered some words of consolation. Bingfeng, those brothers of yours have followed you for a long time, but how can people not die on the battlefield? You need to think about yourself. Those people will have no good ending if something happens to you. Luo Bingfeng sighed. I dont know anymore if all of this is right or wrong. Lay low for now, there will come a day when you soar meteorically. Luo Bingfeng shook his head. Im worried about you. What will you do after I leave? The woman smiled gently. Ill follow you, easy. These words were spoken quite lightly, almost as though she were talking about something trivial. Luo Bingfeng sighed after a long while of silence. The two returned to their rooms and cultivated in silence. Before they could enjoy an hour of peace, more footsteps echoed on the mountain path as Luo Yun rushed over. What now? Only Luo Bingfengs voice reverberated in the air, clearly displeased. Luo Yun stood outside of the courtyard. City Lord, weve found out about the two people youre searching for. Theyre Commander Qianye and Vice-Commander Ji Tianqing from the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps of Southern Blue. Southern Blue? Werent they fighting the Wolf King just now? Thats them. Oh, contact them then. Ask if they have any conditions and fulfill them as much as you can. Yes, sire. Luo Yun left with a bow. The lady sighed after the officers departure. Theres really no need. Its just a negotiation, and its fine to exchange if his conditions arent overboard. Im also open to changing my strategy if he doesnt have a sense of propriety. Outside of Tidehark, Qianye was sitting cross-legged atop a stone pillar, his eyes half-closed as he meditated in silence. The view from this place was extremely good as it covered one of the three major roads connecting Tidehark to the outside world. Qianye suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the end of the road, where a caravan was rolling out amidst a cloud of billowing dust. In the blink of an eye, there was no one left on the stone pillar. This motorcade was made up of a dozen or so vehicles, three of which were cargo trucks and the remainder, troop transports. In terms of escort power, one could say that this lineup was far beyond the norm. The auto-cannon operators on each car were scanning their surroundings with great vigil. They had received bad news before leaving the city and understood that this journey wasnt going to be peaceful. Tideharks interference in the battle between the Wolf King and Southern Blue ended with profits, but the other party had experts among them who might be seeking revenge. The manager of this company was fairly cautious. He would rather spend money hiring escorts than risk his goods being robbed. The motorcade had only traveled several dozen kilometers from Tidehark when the first armored vehicle came to an abrupt stop. This sent the cars behind into chaos, and some of them almost rammed into one another. Whats wrong? The captain of the mercenary escort and the manager of the trade caravan jumped off their vehicles and sped forward. Qianye was standing in the middle of the road, holding his blade in front of him. He was only a couple of meters away from the first armored vehicle. The driver was clearly a short-tempered person. He glared at Qianye for a while and revved up the enginesthis giant steel beast would barrel forward the moment he released the brakes. It would seem this driver intended to run Qianye over. Qianye revealed a cold smile. He was waiting for the car to ram into him. The comrade beside the driver seemed more knowledgeable. He frantically grabbed the driver and shouted, Stop! However, he was too latethe armored car burst forward like a fierce bullet and rammed into Qianyes body. It then bounced back at an even greater speed, crashing into the car behind it. From the beginning to the end, Qianyes sword bearing posture never changed. All of a sudden, Qianye swung East Peak horizontally after the car was bounced back. The sharp sword energy from that distant slash effectively bisected the armored vehicle. The expression of that glaring driver first transformed into terror and then gradually became blank. A stream of blood seeped out from the gaps in the vehicle body. The mercenary commander was shocked. He raised both hands and roared, Stop! Everyone stop! These mercenaries might be desperate characters, but they werent completely devoid of common sense. Seeing the ease with which Qianye had slashed open the armored vehicle, they knew they had run into an expert they couldnt afford to provoke. Many people were already laying down their weapons even before the commanders ordersit was pure folly to challenge a true expert with weapons of their level. After stopping his subordinates, the leader arrived before Qianye and bowed respectfully. Why would a powerful character like yourself make life difficult for small mercenaries like us who are just trying to make a living? Please tell us if we have somehow offended you so that we may make up for it. The manager also jogged over and, flashing his companys insignia, began echoing the mercenary with a smile. What? Did Zhu Meng not tell you why Im here? The mercenary leader was startled. You mean General Zhu Meng? Hes an important character who follows the city lord, how can small fries like us ever meet him? He really didnt pass any message to us. Qianye broke into a frown, and his eyes turned cold. So Zhu Meng didnt say anything after coming back. Fine, leave the cars and you may return. The mercenaries heaved a sigh of relief. Money could be earned back as long as the person was alive. The manager, however, was shocked. Sire, that wont do! These goods are the lifeline of our company! Qianye said calmly. If you dont want to leave, then everyone will remain here. Shocked out of his wits, the mercenary captain covered the managers mouth and dragged him away by force. All the mercenaries disembarked from their transports and stood to the side with whatever they could carry. Seeing that the mercenaries were quite tactful, Qianye said with a nod, Bring a message back to Zhu Meng. Since his memory is so poor, let me remind him this: the people of Tidehark will never be safe as long as my brother isnt released. And one more thing, he and his subordinates better not appear before me again. Yes, yes! I will definitely send the message. The captain agreed repeatedly as he dragged the manager away. Qianye rose into the air and whipped out the Mystic Spider Lily. Scarlet flames suffused the weapon as it fired a dozen shots, each striking one of the cars below. The shot vehiclesno matter their typewould explode into a raging pillar of fire. In the blink of an eye, all of the cars had been reduced to ashes. This time, there was a drastic change in the expressions of both the mercenary captain and the company manager. Their original thought was to send someone to negotiate and reclaim the goods in exchange for a small ransomof course, the Tidehark experts would take their cut of this money as well. As they saw it, Qianye blocking the road out of Tidehark was akin to courting death. With so many experts inside the city, a random group of them could come out anytime and make short work of this madman. Who wouldve thought Qianye would be completely uninterested in the money? He simply destroyed the entire caravan instead. This time, both men looked similarly dejected; ten armored vehicles was also a fortune that couldnt be ignored. At this point, the company manager stopped struggling and left obediently. He had finally realized that Qianye wasnt kidding and that he would die if he were to remain here. A total of three caravans were intercepted between noon and night. In all three cases, the people were driven away and the goods were destroyed. The news brought back by the mercenaries sent the entire city into a panic. Since Zhang Buzhous rise to power, it had been many years since anyone had dared to act so atrociously around Tidehark. The entire city was discussing this explosive news. People were fairly curiouswhat kind of prisoner was worth stirring up such a commotion for? Zhu Meng was naturally at the heart of the wind and waves, but he had locked himself within the barracks, not taking a single step out of it. Although everyone in the city was highly curious, no one dared to drag him out and question him. Zhu Meng was Luo Bingfengs trusted aide and one of the top experts in the city. He also had control over the army, so no one dared to offend him. The two other channels out of Tidehark were largely unaffected. As far as the people in the city were concerned, that fellow causing trouble outside was a madman who would be easily destroyed if the city guard were to mobilize. Another squad left the city at dusk, advancing under the cover of darkness and rolling dust clouds. The escort in this group was more powerful and the goods, more valuable. Just the ten cargo trucks themselves were of outstanding value, not to mention the other stuff. What set this caravan apart was that half of the mercenary escorts were actually elites from the city guard. Du Yufeng, one of the three vice-commanders of the city guard, was hiding in the squad, ready to capture Qianye as soon as he appeared. This vice-commander had another reason for taking the field himselfhe didnt get along with Zhu Meng. Not only would capturing Qianye prove the latters ineptitude, but he could also make use of Qianye to drag the general down. That way, Zhu Mengs elite squad would land in his hands. But things developed beyond everyones expectations. While the caravan was advancing, a stunning blue light streaked across the night sky and struck the center of the motorcade. Du Yufeng had fallen. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 888: Mistake Qianye did not fire a second shot, but the caravan did not move forward, either. The groups purpose was to bait Qianye out, to begin with, but who wouldve thought Qianye would attack from almost a thousand meters away and kill the vice-commander, Du Yufeng. Now that the ambush had failed, there was no need to continue this operation. The merchant caravan turned around and rushed back into the city. The city guards and mercenaries in their escort didnt split off to chase Qianyethey even summoned back the scouts operating along the way. The surviving leader of the city guards understood that the shot just now had likely consumed a significant amount of power. Perhaps Qianye wasnt waiting out of benevolence but simply in order to recharge. The entire group could forget about fleeing once he had recovered. Qianye slowly opened his eyes as the caravan moved away. He nodded to himself, acknowledging that the other party was experienced enough to deny him further kills. As for that rank-sixteen expert, he was flaunting his power despite keeping his location concealedhe hadnt withdrawn his aura at all while seated in the car. Perhaps other people couldnt see him, but he was like a torch in the darkness in Qianyes True Sight. Qianye recovered his origin power with a brief period of meditation and then vanished into the night. At this moment, Tidehark City was drowned in solemn tension, and the atmosphere was fairly close to freezing point. There were only a couple of people on the streets, most of them hurrying about with worried expressions. News of Du Yufengs death couldnt be kept secret, and the entire city soon came to know of his passing. The traders who were thinking about trying their luck quickly gave up on the notion. They had, at first, wanted to leave with a large number of mercenary escorts, but now, even Du Yufeng had been killed in a single shot. Even the most powerful experts available for hire were around the vice-commanders level at most, so what was the use? As the vice-commander of the city guard and a rank-sixteen expert, Du Yufeng was not weak at all in terms of martial prowess and secret arts. The top commanders of Tidehark had received one or more suitable cultivation arts from Luo Bingfeng, so they were noticeably stronger than their peers. Du Yufengs arts could somewhat suppress Zhu Mengs own, so he had always been eager to take over the latters elite squad. Following this major incident, all of the high-ranking officers and important characters assembled at the city lords manor to formulate a countermeasure. The Tidehark city lords manor had become more of a meeting place because Luo Bingfeng hadnt lived here for a fair length of time. There were a dozen or so people seated on one side of the table and twenty more behind them, all characters with the right to share in this secret information. There were two unoccupied seats of honor. One of them was naturally City Lord Luo Bingfengs, and the other was reserved for that mysterious lady. Since her appearance, no one really knew about her origins or even her name for that matter. The person sitting next to the seats of honor was a fair, well-groomed middle-aged man. He looked quite mighty despite being a bit plump. His slender eyes were only half-open, almost as though he hadnt fully woken up just yet, but there would be lightning flashes in the room whenever he opened them wider. This person was the commander of the city guard, Du Yuan. He rarely interfered in the guards affairs under normal circumstances, appearing in public only once every few weeks. Hence, the actual power in the city guard was shared between the three vice-commanders and Zhu Meng. Even though he rarely made appearances or exercised his authority, he was widely accepted as the number one expert in the city guard. He was only inferior to the city lord in the entirety of Tidehark. In Du Yuans presence, all those unyielding officers sat upright and still, their slippery attitudes nowhere to be found. Rui Xiang was seated across from Du Yuan. The old man was silent and expressionless, only scanning the hall occasionally with eyes of disdain. There were evidently fewer people sitting on Rui Xiangs side, probably half the number compared to the other side. The two parties were glaring daggers at one another, and their auras were clashing in secret. Apparently, the crowd had split up into two parties. It was at this time that a capable-looking man from the city guard looked around the room, his gaze finally landing on Zhu Meng. That person sniped Yufeng from over a thousand meters away. He must have a powerful weapon in hand. I heard he had also killed General Ma in the same manner back then. Zhu Meng! Why did you not report such an important matter? The mans voice was stern and full of killing intent. He was also one of the three vice-commanders, and his position was even higher than Du Yufengs. The interrogation looked fierce, but in truth, there were clever implications hidden behind itZhu Meng was still on Du Yuans side, after all. The latter replied emotionlessly, I only saw things from afar that day. I didnt actually experience it myself, so I really dont know how powerful that shot was. What I do know is how capable General Ma is. It wasnt that he couldnt defend against the attack, but he was actually caught off-guard because he thought someone would block the shot. That was how he died. The burly mans sword-like brows knitted tightly together. He thought someone would block it? Report every detail or face punishment according to military law. Zhu Meng replied at a steady pace, Back then, the person had fired not at Old Ma, but at Sire Rui Xiang. Its just that the sire dodged immediately, and so the shot struck Old Ma instead. The guard officers expressions shifted, most of them revealing expressions of utter contempt. According to Zhu Mengs testimony, this Rui Xiang had committed an act of cowardice. He didnt even dare to block a sniper round, causing the death of a comrade as a result. Killing intent flashed through the old mans eyes. He said while stroking his beard, That shot was really too sudden. I hadnt sensed it in advance, so I just dodged reflexively. As for how powerful it is, I never received the blow, so I cant say for sure. A friend of General Ma said furiously, Its enough to kill Old Ma from a thousand meters away, how hard can it be to judge? If you had just talked to us about this, Commander Du wouldnt have been so careless, nor would he have fallen to this persons gun! Rui Xiang laughed coldly. Is killing a mere general so impressive? As I see it, theres really no need to announce this business wantonly. Theres even less of a need to report to you about it. That generals face turned red in anger. The old mans words meant that he had no right to demand anything. That was the case as well in realitya general of the city guard was nowhere close to Rui Xiangs status. Even so, having it spoken out loud was rather unbearable. The eyes of many other generals fell upon Du Yuan. He was the only one here who could stand on equal footing with Rui Xiang and suppress him. The room lit up as Du Yuan opened his eyes. Shaken, Rui Xiang no longer dared to press on with the matter. Du Yuan didnt even glance at Rui Xiang. Instead, he said to Zhu Meng, Yufeng is my cousin. My failure of an uncle died fairly early, leaving only a single offspring. I know you havent been on good terms with Yufeng, but I have never shown him any favor regarding military matters. Do you agree with that? Zhu Meng lowered his head. The commander has always been just, all of us know that. Du Yuan said with a nod, Okay, then let me ask you, why did you not report this news to your comrades? Zhu Meng replied, This matter is complicated. I originally wanted to see the city lord immediately to report this matter, but he remains in isolated cultivation and refused to see me. Steward Luo Yun was also turned away. There was a period of delay while I was doing all of that. Who wouldve thought Commander Yufeng would head out during this time? Du Yuan replied slowly, This matter is indeed a result of Yufengs rashness. Then, let me ask you, why do you think this case is complicated? Why must you see the city lord? Can you tell us here? Zhu Meng hesitated for a short while. He shot a brief glance at Rui Xiang, but the latter remained wooden in his expression, his eyes suffused with killing intent. Seeing this, Du Yuan said in a gloomy tone, The city lord hasnt discussed official business for a long time. Even Steward Luo Yun and I cant meet him without any good reason, but I still have some deterring power. Zhu Meng, you may speak without fear. Zhu Meng shot up from his seat, raising his voice. Very well, what else should I say if you put it that way? During this skirmish, a person charged into our camp and killed three hundred brothers in a single move, the same person who sniped Old Ma and Commander Yufeng from over a thousand meters away. If that person hadnt seen through the fact that we had been left to die, my brethren and I might have never made it back to Tidehark. These words shook everyone. Everyone knew how powerful Zhu Mengs group was. Not to mention these officers, even Du Yuan couldnt kill three hundred of them with a single attack. There was an unwritten rule in the neutral lands. Experts above a certain level wouldnt slaughter ordinary soldiers or make things difficult for them without a good reason. For instance, even if Tidehark were to change owners, the city guard would remain the same. So, killing them was equal to killing ones future subordinates. Zhu Meng continued, This person asked me to deliver a message. If we dont release his brother, no one in Tidehark will be safe outside the city, that he will hound us until we release the prisoner. If his brother dies, he will hunt down every high-ranking member of the city. The officers responded furiously. Insolence! He doesnt know the immensity of heaven and earth! We should teach him a lesson! After the string of curses had died down, people quickly noticed that the ones shouting were all lower-ranking generals. Du Yuan, Rui Xiang, Zhu Meng, and the other two vice-commanders were solemn and silent. Only then did the people realize that something was wrong, and the cries faded away. Du Yuan said with a frown, What else did he say? Zhu Meng lowered his voice. He said that even divine champions shouldnt think theyll be safe. Du Yuans eyes opened wide and then gradually closed back. Even someone as calm as Rui Xiang could feel his brows twitching. Moments later, Du Yuan said, This persons name is Qianye, reportedly a famous character in the empire. Judging from his past actions, he seems to be a fairly tolerant person. What made him hate Tidehark to the bones? Zhu Meng glared at Rui Xiang. I dont know why some people must attack Southern Blue for no reason. And the prisoner is also nowhere to be found. This battle is simply too confusing, wont Sire Rui honor us with an explanation? The words named him specifically, so Rui Xiang had no way to escape. He looked over with eyes full of disdain and said, What gives you the right to question what I do? These words were quite rude. Zhu Meng turned livid and looked like he would flip out on several occasions. However, a gentle but powerful energy suddenly engulfed him, stopping all of his movements. At this point, Du Yuan said, He cant, but I have that right, dont I? Rui Xiang scanned everyone in the room with narrowed eyes and said coldly, So all of you plan to suppress me? Dont forget that the true master of Tidehark isnt Luo Bingfeng but Heavenly Monarch Zhang! You shouldnt abandon your future by following the wrong person! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 889: Setting Up Rui Xiangs words froze the atmosphere in the hall. Many of the generals stared at him with fierce expressions. These people were loyal followers who had been with Luo Bingfeng for many years. Although being loyal to the city lord also meant being loyal to Zhang Buzhou, the latters popularity had dwindled since his appointment of the Wolf King. By keeping a clear line between himself and the Wolf King, Luo Bingfeng managed to win the loyalty of the staff. There had always been a rumor in the army that Zhang Buzhou had encountered an accident in his cultivation, and that was the reason why he had made no progress despite many years of cultivation. People also believed that City Lord Luo had already caught up in terms of power. Du Yuans eyes flickered. The Heavenly Monarch is everyones lord, and people know that. Theres no need to repeat it. Really? That might not be the case. Du Yuan ignored Rui Xiangs words of ridicule. Although weve managed to rule a region in the neutral lands, were still not strong enough to hold out against an all-out attack from Evernight and the Empire. The Heavenly Monarch had been in isolated cultivation for so long, and the powers under us have dwindled constantly for no good reason. Sire Rui, why did you have to fight this battle, can you explain it to us? Rui Xiang sneered, What, are you afraid just because theres a brat outside the gates? Du Yuan smiled coldly. That isnt the point. Battles have to be fought for a clear reason, or there might be people raising the Heavenly Monarchs flag to advance their own interests! What if that person escapes before he exits isolation and the truth comes to light? Rui Xiangs expression was ashen. He stood up with a harrumph, saying, Since Commander Du has spoken thus, there is nothing more to say. People of different ideals cannot work together. Goodbye! With that, Rui Xiang left with a swing of his sleeve. He paid no attention to the fiery glares directed at him. Everyone was furious, but they knew they couldnt force Rui Xiang to tell them the entire story. After all, the man was a nominal representative of the heavenly monarch and his residence. Rui Xiangs men left as well, leaving only the city lords party in the conference hall. A general asked, Commander, what should we do now? Send someone to conduct a detailed investigation of the youngsters background and history. Perhaps we can deduce the reason for Rui Xiangs sudden attack. Especially that captured young man, I must know everything related to him. Du Yuan contemplated for a moment before saying, As for that Qianye, no matter what his background is, we cant spare him since hes come knocking on our door. Ill take the field if necessary. Everyone became spirited, feeling a bit of relief from the brewing resent. Zhu Meng said, Commander, that Qianye might not be so easy to deal with. That crafty old thief has used every means at his disposal to avoid fighting Qianye after the first couple of encounters. There must be a reason for this, so I hope you will be cautious. His words incited a commotion, with people blaming him for cowardice. These people were Du Yufengs subordinates. Their position naturally diminished after the generals death, so they were resentful of Zhu Meng. Du Yuan waved his hand, saying, I''ll be leaving hunting down Qianye to the two vice-commanders, Zhu Meng will act as support. Summon me if I need to take action. The two vice-commanders and Zhu Meng accepted the order, and the meeting thus came to an end. Zhu Meng felt great uneasiness upon leaving the meeting room. There had been no outcome despite all the discussions, and there was still no explanation for why his three hundred brothers had died. Before long, he saw a man hurrying over toward him. He stepped forward to greet this person, Steward Luo. Luo Yun stopped upon seeing Zhu Meng. General Zhu, how did the meeting go? Zhu Meng smiled helplessly. How can there be any outcome? Steward Rui wasnt willing to say why he had to capture that young man. Oh right, Steward Luo, did the city lord say anything? Luo Yun sighed. The city lord wanted to ask about this matter at first, but that person stopped him. I cant do anything, either. Zhu Meng whispered, Dont tell me that woman and Steward Rui are working together? Are they working from inside and out to control him? Luo Yun was shocked. What nonsense are you spouting? How can you make such wild conjectures? Besides, the city lord is our benefactor, we ought to do whatever he commands. Lets take a step back and say youre right, that persons divination arts are unfathomable and her daybreak origin power is the purest Ive ever seen, perhaps even above the city lords. Are you not afraid of being discovered? Zhu Meng snorted. So what? Ive never feared death. Besides, Ive always been loyal to the city lord. What can she do to me? Luo Yun sighed. General Zhu, this matter isnt the same as fighting. Even my words hold no sway with the city lord, I cant even approach the courtyard without being summoned. No matter how loyal you are, it doesnt matter if the city lord doesnt know. Feeling increasingly stifled, Zhu Meng stomped hard on the ground. Luo Yun said, Ill take my leave now as I still have a mission to attend to. Noticing the direction of Luo Yuns departure, Zhu Meng asked, Is Steward Luo heading to Yes, to Southern Blue. Zhu Meng didnt know what to say. All he could do was clear the path and watch Luo Yuns figure fade away into the distance. He scratched his head hard, not knowing where to vent his frustrations. Night descended upon the city, accompanied by dark low-lying clouds and whistling gales. The interior of Tidehark, however, was brightly illuminated and the security was extra tight. At this moment, squads of city guards were moving out of the city. The citizens of Tidehark understood that the higher-ups were truly angry. Even some of those rarely-seen generals were now fully armored and in the field. The large city guard squads advanced along the main roads, occupying all vantage points in practiced order. It would seem the person in command was truly skilled. The city guard was laying down a huge net, gradually narrowing down Qianyes field of movement. The moment his position was compromised, the hiding soldiers would swarm over and tear him to shreds. Dawn had yet to arrive when the defenses had been completed and all the important positions along the southwestern main road had been occupied. Qianye would be hard-pressed to threaten the merchant caravans along this road no matter how powerful he was. At this moment, several city guard officers were gathered around a large man atop a certain hill. The current operation was under the command of this vice-commander. The man narrowed his eyes as he scanned the hill region with his eagle-like gaze. Any news? he asked. No, Sir. Our men are all in position and searching their surrounding areas, but they havent found anyone yet. Nor have they found any camp or stopover point. The vice-commander frowned. Where are the assassins and mercenaries? Weve already dispatched them, and they should be in position by now. The mercenaries have also reached their designated areas and are starting to take action. As I see it, these people may be the first to make a discovery. The vice-commanders expression relaxed slightly. Yes, these people are hyenas in the wilderness, the most difficult type to entangle with. We need to use such people in order to deal with Qianye. I think well hear some news before long. He hadnt even finished speaking when a blinding blue radiance leaped into the distant sky. The blue light traversed well over a thousand meters, passing over a city-guard encampment and into a mountaintop. Seeing where the blue light had landed, the vice-commander exclaimed, Oh no, Old Meng! The vice-commander flew into the air and rushed over to the distant hilltop. Outside of the camp, a burly man was lying on his back, his eyes wide open and full of resentment. The massive penetrating injury on his chest was a testament to how fierce that shot was. He was wearing an ordinary soldiers uniform, and the place where he had collapsed was a sentrys position. The vice-commander roared furiously, How did he figure out Old Mengs identity? The soldiers trembled in fear, but no one could provide an answer. Finally, an officer replied, Its probably his bad luck. The vice-commander nodded with a sigh. As an expert in disguise and covert operations, Old Meng had always been very cautious. He was to play a key hidden role in this operation, and he had even changed his appearance for it. Apart from a couple of high-ranking officers, no one shouldve known where he was stationed. He was to hide in the periphery and deal a heavy blow to Qianye as he was fleeing. Such an important character was actually killed before the battle had even begun. The vice-commander glanced toward the source of the blue light, but Qianye was nowhere to be found. He said with a stern expression, Let the merchant caravans move out. He probably cant fire a second shot that quickly. The officers were somewhat hesitant. Wont that be too much of a risk? What if he attacks Then we can capture and slaughter him. If he doesnt come out, then well escort that caravan away under his eyes. Every caravan will be a slap on his face, the vice-commander uttered word by word. The commander is wise! Moments later, hundreds of cargo trucks drove out of Tidehark and toward Southern Blue. This motorcade was an accumulation of over a dozen caravans, flying the colors of many different companies. Most of them were actually cargo trucks, with only a handful of armored vehicles among them. In a messy pile of rocks not far from the roadside, a stone suddenly moved away to reveal a pair of eyes. Qianye wasnt even using a special disguise. He was merely covered in a camouflaged cloak resembling the nearby rocks, but his aura was completely sealed. Ordinary people mightve seen him, but experts who relied on perception were less likely to notice him. They would simply consider him a rock. There was a hunter on a nearby hilltop who was constantly observing the surroundings. He had a signal gun in his grasp, ready to fire immediately once he had noticed something. This hunter was only thirty meters away from Qianye, but he never noticed the latters presence. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 890: Determination Through the rising dust cloud in the distance, one could vaguely see a massive trade caravan snaking over slowly. A motorcade of this scale was simply beyond imagination and clearly one that had been formed from a combination of many caravans. From the perspective of a robber, this was an extremely big fish. Qianye narrowed his eyes, contemplating what this giant motorcade meant. It was then that he noticed a wisp of icy blue energy through the corner of his eyes. He turned slightly toward the side. How come youre here? Li Kuanglan appeared behind Qianye. As expected, I cant hide from you. Im now really curious about your hidden aces. Lets get to the point. Li Kuanglan passed him a letter. I have a letter for you. Qianye inquired as he received the missive, From whom? Reportedly, its from the city lord of Tidehark, Luo Bingfeng. The messenger, Luo Yun, claims to be the steward of the city lord manor. I think hes telling the truth. Qianye didnt open the letter just yet. Instead, he pointed at the approaching motorcade. What do you make of that? Li Kuanglan shot a glance in the pointed direction and then looked back at Qianye. You used Heartgrave? Yes, I just killed a champion dressed up as a common soldier. Li Kuanglan sneered. Planning a disguised ambush against you is just courting death. How do you see this situation? Qianye repeated his question. Li Kuanglan said calmly, Simple, youve delivered a fierce message and used your killing move. They sent out this caravan knowing that you wont be able to attack again in a short while. This is a message to you and to the people of Tidehark, a slap to the face if you will. The two were chatting amidst the rocky terrain, yet the hunter on the nearby hilltop never noticed. Every time his gaze moved in their direction, he would divert it away subconsciouslyit felt like something terrible would happen if he were to look a while longer. He felt inexplicably nervous, but he simply couldnt figure out his problem. He had even sent two signals to his colleagues that everything was fine. Meanwhile, Qianye and Li Kuanglan were gazing at the rolling caravan with their hands behind their backs. The lead vehicle had already rushed out of the dust cloud and driven onto the main road at the foot of the mountains. The numerous sentries on its roof were glancing about with their binoculars, but they couldnt sense anything when their line of sight swept past Qianye and Li Kuanglan. In their origin-empowered vision, the two of them were just unassuming rocks. Holding the letter behind his back, Qianyes fingers tapped on the envelope with increasing frequency. He said all of a sudden, How should I tell them that Im not joking? Li Kuanglan was startled as she had never thought about this. No idea. Qianyes tapping finger came to an abrupt stop. Its actually quite simple, I just need to plunder this caravan. Now! With a bang, that envelope turned into a cloud of shredded paper. Qianye never even opened it from the beginning, up until the end. Qianyes figure vanished! Li Kuanglan subconsciously reached out to grasp Cold Moons embrace. She hadnt even drawn her blade when she felt a prick on her face, which developed into a red spot, and then to a drop of seeping blood. This was a wisp of origin power that Qianye had left behind, and even Li Kuanglan had no idea when he had released it. The meaning, however, was clearhe didnt want Li Kuanglan to interfere. The first car of the motorcade rose up all of a sudden and was flipped away to the side. It rolled several times before falling into a ditch by the road. Things happened so fast that the soldiers in the truck had no time to react or get off. Most of them tumbled about and lost consciousness inside the compartment. Qianye walked on through the cars like he was taking a stroll. Every time there was a car driving toward him, he would send it off the road with a light flick of his sword. Be it soldiers or workers, all the passengers were tossed about in great disarray. In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so cars at the van of the motorcade had been flipped over. The vehicles also descended into chaos as they braked hurriedly. The soldiers started to react soon afterward, aiming their weapons at Qianye. A number of nervous greenhorns began firing before the officer had issued the order. The frontline officers hold your fire was still echoing in the air when gunshots rang out, and a hail of bullets rained down on Qianye! The latters expression turned cold as his silhouette flickered and reappeared near an armored vehicle, East Peak cutting into its engine like a hot knife through butter. Following a loud rumble and a cloud of steam, the engine erupted in a spray of flaming engine parts and deformed steel plates. The vehicle was blasted apart and the goods began burning fiercely. The soldiers standing atop the car were sent flying and died as they crashed back onto the ground. Qianyes figure flashed constantly as he advanced against the flow, turning one car after the other in his wake into balls of fire. In a flash, the merchant companies who had taken part in this operation had suffered great losses. At this moment, the generals under the vice-commander were still quite a distance away. They were startled when the commotion broke out, uncertain who would dare assault a caravan of such scale. According to reason, Qianye should be lying low after firing that shot. The vice-commander wasnt expecting to actually draw Qianye out when he had ordered the caravan to move out. Experienced hunters would never be so rash as to fall into such an obvious trap. In just a short while, the front end of this vehicular dragon had turned into a burning serpent of flames. Very soon, a fourth of the trucks had been destroyed! From the speed with which the fires were spreading, one could easily tell that Qianye hadnt held back at all. The vice-commander flew up and roared furiously, How dare you! The other generals of the city guard naturally followed suit. A couple more of them appeared from hidden locations and cut off Qianyes paths of retreat. They werent wrong in trying to surround him, but that further delayed their arrival, during which Qianye had wrecked eight more cars. The entire motorcade had come to a complete stop at this point, and there were people fleeing to either side of this tortuous metallic dragon. Qianye made no effort to kill the people, but the exploding trucks knew neither friend nor foe. Whoever was near the blast would be at risk of losing their lives. Stopping Qianye wasnt the responsibility of ordinary soldiers. This business was best left to those high-ranking officers and generals. Seeing that someone had taken the lead to flee, all the others started swarming over from behind. Thousands of workers and soldiers were soon scattering to the side like ants, much to the ire of the vice-commander. He spared no expense to further increase his speed. The man soon arrived in front of Qianye like a falling star, hoping to intercept him. Suddenly, the vice-commander felt his body tremble and his flight trajectory deviated obviously to the side. A graceful young noble had just appeared in his sight. This persons aura was majestic and the aqua blue sword in his hand was mysteriously blue and dazzling. Li Kuanglan never left her position. It was just that she had unsheathed her sword and was no longer hiding her existence. The vice-commander was a decisive and ruthless character. He pointed at Li Kuanglan from afar and shouted, You lot keep an eye on him, the rest come with me. Whoever kills Qianye will score the highest contribution! The soldiers on the trucks had already fled at this point, leaving the empty vehicles parked on the main road. Qianye ignored the officers barring his path entirely. He pushed ahead through steel and fire, turning one vehicle after another into blazing spheres. A fierce general finally lost his calm and pounced at Qianye with a loud roar. The latter, on the other hand, took a step forward and rammed into the incoming enemy! A loud thud echoed as the general was sent flying backward, but East Peak had already stabbed into his chest during that short exchange. Another general flew over weightlessly and brushed right past Qianye. The latter experienced a short pause before continuing onward. It was just that a blood wound had appeared below his ribs. That general left swiftly, covering over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He collapsed all of a sudden as he was running away, a pool of blood seeping out from under his body. One after the other, the city guard officers charged at Qianye like fierce beasts and were duly cut down. The burning trucks formed a natural barrier that prevented a joint assault, but the surviving officers were hell-bent on fighting Qianye to the death, enraged by the death of their comrades. Qianye kept moving forward, leaving corpses, steel, and raging flames in his wake. The wounds on his body increased in number and his aura was also dwindlingonly his eyes were as bright and lustrous as before. The battle at this point had become a contest of perseverance and killing intent, a race to see who would collapse first. A general had been roaming the periphery of the battlefield, the crosshairs on his large-caliber sniper rifle never leaving Qianye. Finally, just as Qianyes step faltered, he took advantage of the opening to fire at the targets back. The vice-commander who hadnt yet taken action all this time also found the opportunity he was waiting for. He appeared in front of Qianye in the blink of an eye, thrusting his twin blades at Qianyes heart. But at this moment, the vice-commander suddenly noticed his figure being reflected in Qianyes eyes. Overcome by a wave of dizziness, his dagger drifted downward and stabbed deep into Qianyes abdomen. The vice-commander didnt look delighted at all after having dealt a heavy blow to Qianye. He looked down in astonishment and saw that East Peak had pierced diagonally through his abdomen. Only at this point did he realize that Qianye had been waiting for him all along, waiting to trade blows with him. Whoever made a move at this point would deal great damage to both parties. The vice-commander didnt dare to move, but Qianye reached out and grabbed the vice-commander toward him. Their faces were almost touching at this point! This action injured both components, lacerating their wounds at the same time. During this cruel contest, the desire to live finally suppressed the vice-commanders will to fight. He released his blades and raised his hands, gesturing that he would surrender. Qianye stared into those terror-filled eyes and uttered word by word, Go back and tell them, I wont leave until they release Song Zining! Qianye whipped East Peak out and left, not sparing the grounded vice-commander a second glance. Blood dripped down from his sword, leaving a long trail of scarlet on the ground. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 891: Trade Li Kuanglan finally moved toward Qianye, and the four smart generals in charge of restraining her merely stood on the sidelines. She looked calm at the moment but was akin to a surging ocean, ready to erupt once an opportunity presented itself. Li Kuanglan boldly shot through the four with a blue light flickering in her hand. The generals suddenly felt a cold sensation across their necks. Shocked, they reached out to touch the injury and soon found their hands drenched in red. Fortunately, all of them were quite calm since they were used to life and death. They quickly realized that it was just a flesh wound that had cut through a thin layer of skin on their neck. Nonetheless, they realized that if she could cut their skin, she could just as easily slit their throats. They understood that they simply couldnt stop her at all. The only reason they were alive was because Li Kuanglan hadnt moved at all. She arrived in front of Qianye and uttered through clenched teeth, Youre mad! Of course not. Qianye gave her a radiant smile. Dont move! How long are you going to walk with those daggers in your body? Li Kuanglan slapped Qianyes shoulder, pouring in a stream of cold energy that covered his body in a layer of ice. The frigid energy sealed his wounds and dispelled the hostile origin power within. Li Kuanglan reached out to grab one of the dagger hilts, but she ultimately lost her strength, unable to bring herself to do it. It was Qianye who patted her shoulder. Its fine, pull. Li Kuanglan trembled, feeling as though she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Only then did she wake up from her dazeclenching her teeth and applying gradual force, she finally began dragging the blade out. Qianye said with a frown, I think Ill feel less pain if you do it faster. Li Kuanglan bit down and forcefully pulled the dagger out. The weapon was mottled, damaged, and only half its original size. It seemed like the blade would dissolve entirely if it had stayed a while longer in Qianyes body. Seeing the state of the dagger, Li Kuanglan couldnt help but feel startled. She shot a glance at Qianyes abdomen, trying to imagine what was inside that could reduce a high-quality dagger to this state. In truth, the auric flame blood in Qianyes veins would attempt to dissolve all external objects as a means of protecting the body. Its corrosive properties were so strong that the two daggers had been half-dissolved in a short time. Li Kuanglans hand was much steadier when she extracted the other dagger, which was also in a similar, half-destroyed state. Li Kuanglan flicked her fingers, sending streams of frigid origin power to seal Qianyes injuries. Her technique was exquisite and truly worthy of admiration. Taking a deep breath, Qianyes face flushed red with scarlet flames erupting around his body. His aura began to recover as the frost around him dissolved and the wounds all over his body started to close up. He patted Li Kuanglans shoulder, saying, Lets go, I need to take a break. I think they wont dare to exit the city for the time being. Nodding, Li Kuanglan proceeded to walk alongside him in silence. The two just walked away without hiding their presence. Some city guards, hunters, or mercenaries would appear near them from time to time, but everyone would escape in a panic. Who would even dare attack? Qianye had brazenly attacked the caravan just now, moving upstream as he destroyed half the trucks on his own. At the same time, almost all of the high-ranking officers were wiped out. Only the four who were ordered to intercept Li Kuanglan managed to survive, finding fortune amidst the disaster. After escaping with their lives, the officers lost the courage to court death. They ignored the chaotic scene entirely and ran back to the city on their own, going so far as to leave the heavily injured vice-commander behind. Fortunately, the vice-commanders time wasnt up quite yet. A number of loyal guards undertook the risk of carrying him back to Tidehark. The large area was fully covered by the city guard forces at first, but now it had turned into a scene of crushing defeat and retreat. Half of the giant merchant caravan was still intact, but it had been abandoned on the roadno one paid it any attention, almost as though it had been forgotten. Qianye and Li Kuanglan slowly walked away, leaving a world of terror and carnage behind them. Qianye suddenly asked, Oh right, whats that letter about? Li Kuanglan replied unceremoniously, You tore it apart without even looking. Why ask now? Qianye smiled. I thought it was unnecessary just now, but now I feel like theres no harm in knowing. It is indeed unnecessary. Luo Bingfeng wants the cultivation art with which you produced Venus Dawn, and hes willing to trade a secret art of equal value. Qianye was surprised. Who would come up with such an idea? Perhaps he really does have an art of the same grade, perhaps it might even be useful to you. Even if thats the case, it should be his primary cultivation art. Thats strange because Venus Dawn shouldnt be compatible with his current art. What does he want it for? Who cares? Im not trading. Qianye was decisive. Even if he really did want to trade, how would Luo Bingfeng react after seeing the Combatant Formula and Song Clan Ancient Scroll? Li Kuanglan shook her head. Thats a pity. I really wanted to see what kind of cultivation art can match Venus Dawn. Any news on Tianqing? Li Kuanglan shrugged. No need to worry about that slippery eel! Shell be fine even if all of us are dead. But she hasnt appeared for a long while. Qianye frowned. Shell appear when she wants to. Li Kuanglan seemed completely unconcerned. At this point, they were walking past a temporary camp the city guard had just erected. This place is much better than that little hole of mine. Lets just stay here tonight! The settlement had long since been emptied. Li Kuanglan naturally wouldnt refuse a comfortable rest, so she entered the camp with Qianye. The night went by just like that. It was almost dawn, yet the darkness of the night hadnt quite faded away. Li Kuanglan left amidst the morning gale, as quietly as she had arrived. Qianye also vanished into the wilderness after stocking up on supplies. The battlefield after the great retreat was like a cruel inferno. There were now human silhouettes moving about in small groups. They observed the surroundings cautiously as they cleaned up valuables from the field. The trucks that were left intact began rolling back toward Tidehark City, but they took great care to move only a couple of them each time, afraid that moving too many at a time would infuriate Qianye. Qianye was watching this scene from afar, but he had no intention of taking action. The city had dispatched the lowest level of soldiers and mercenaries, people who would serve as cannon fodder in a normal battlefield. With Qianyes combat strength and status, he had no need to attack these people, nor should he. No matter how one looked at them, these people couldnt pose the slightest threat to Qianye. All of that was on the premise that they didnt offend or anger Qianye. Qianye had no intention of slaughtering them if only they would shrink back into the city. His real objectives were Rui Xiang and the higher-ups of Tidehark. Qianyes intuition told him that he shouldnt enter the city nor get close to Luo Bingfengs holy mountain. Qianye had already noticed during their last exchange that Luo Bingfeng would get weaker as he moved away from the mountain. This was a dangerous game. Qianye was walking on the blades edge, and the key was not to get caught. There was still no news of Song Zining at this point. Qianye could only hope that his display of power and determination would frighten the people in Tidehark, forcing them to discuss terms. If only he could get Song Zining back, he was even willing to let go of Dark Flame entirely. Tidehark was suffused with a somber chill. All important people have gathered at the city lords manor, even Rui Xiang. It was just that his expression was quite unsightly, refusing to utter a single word throughout the process. That was only natural since he didnt want to be here. Du Yuan had appeared personally and half-forced him to be here. After everyone was present, the conference room doors swung open and that strong vice-commander walked in. His face was as pale as snow, his aura weak, and there was a thick bandage around his abdomen. One had to know that flesh wounds would heal overnight for an expert at his level. How was he in such a state after such a long time? What astonished everyone was his expression. It was empty and dispirited, not at all like that powerful expert from before. Du Yuan asked with a frown, Mingkang, whats with you? That mans name was Yu Mingkang, a student and friend whom Du Yuan had raised to the position of vice-commander. Hence, the two shared a fairly good relationship. Hearing Du Yuans voice, Mingkangs eyes recovered a bit of clarity. He said with a smile of self-deprecation, Commander, Im actually fine, just afraid. The conference hall fell into a commotion. Du Yuans brows locked into a tight frown. Experts at this stage were mostly resolute, full of battle-intent, and not afraid to die at the critical juncture. If they werent afraid of death, what else should they fear? Mingkang had also managed to reach the vice-commanders position by risking life and limb in battlesyet he was actually admitting his fear? Du Yuan said, Mingkang, do you know what youre saying? His voice echoed in the conference room like rolling thunder, suppressing the clamor. Only then did the other generals quiet down, ready to listen to the developments. Yu Mingkang said slowly, I was really afraid. That Qianye is no human, not even a creature of flesh and blood. Hes just an ice-cold killing machine, out to kill everyone in the most painful way possible. I saw nothing in his eyes when my two blades sunk into his body, neither a change in expression nor a twitch in his eyebrows. Like it wasnt his body that my blades had stabbed into, or as though my weapons never existed in the first place. The silent Rui Xiang spoke at this point, Are you sure there was no change at all? Yu Mingkang nodded firmly. I assure you, there was none at all, from the moment my daggers sunk into his flesh until they had reached the very end. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 892: Hunting Be it humans or the dark races, everyone possessed reflexive responses no matter how strong or skilled in control. For instance, a blade stabbing into ones vitals would definitely elicit a minute physical reaction, no matter how well-controlled they could keep their aurasthe corner of their eyes would twitch or there would be some muscle contraction in response to the nervousness. Yu Mingkang was so close to Qianye back then, so even the smallest of the latters reactions couldnt have escaped his eyes. That was what shocked him the mostQianye had shown no response at all as he pushed East Peak firmly into the opponents abdomen. If it wasnt for the fact that he had never seen a machine coming to life, Yu Mingkang wouldve suspected whether Qianye was made of cold steel. Even a machine would be affected somehow, but this person wasnt. The conference hall went entirely silent. No one made a sound as the atmosphere chilled down to a freezing point. After a long while, one of the generals said, Perhaps he has some secret art that allows suspended animation. No one paid him any attention. A person in suspended animation would see his combat strength fall to rock-bottom. How could he heavily injure Mingkang? The lower-ranking generals were still puzzled as to why Mingkang was so scared, but Du Yuan and the other vice-commander looked serious. Restless, Rui Xiang grabbed the hilt of his sword subconsciously. Du Yuan said, Enough. Mingkang, you sit down. You dont need to go to battle for a while. Just cultivate and adjust your mental state. Now, then His words came to a sudden stop midway. Many of the seats on the city guards side were empty, almost half a dozen less than the last time. Almost all of the accompanying officers had been wiped out in this battle, and that came as a huge blow to the city guard. The report had long since arrived, and it was clear that Mingkang had made no major mistakes up until the end. He had actually taken advantage of the opening to launch a powerful attack. Any other enemy wouldve been defeated long ago, but unfortunately, his opponent was Qianye. These empty seats stood proof that Qianye was unbeatable even after using up Heartgrave. Du Yuan hesitated for a moment. Mingkang, what are your thoughts? Yu Mingkang hadnt expected the topic to fall onto his head. He struggled internally for a while before pointing at Rui Xiang. Qianye said he wont stop until we release the prisoner. This person has boundless future potential and will no doubt become a divine champion. He can already torment us so right nowhow are we to stop him after a couple of years? How many of our brethren have given up their lives? Many of them didnt even know the reason for their sacrifice, yet this old bastard hides here like a turtle! As I see it, we should either release the prisoner or let this old man deal with Qianye, were done! Rui Xiangs face was livid. He banged the table, roaring, Insolence! This is a disrespect to the heavenly monarch! If he comes out of isolation... Yu Mingkang cut in, When he comes out of isolation, the first thing hell do is slaughter you! You cowardly, debaucherous, and greedy thing! Youve lost all of the heavenly monarchs face! Rui Xiang shot to his feet and grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to take action at a moments notice. Yet, he felt a cold murderous intent from the side, forcing him to focus his full attention on guarding against it. Rui Xiang turned slowly toward Du Yuan and said in a cold voice, Commander Du has made great progress these years. I feel ashamed at my inferiority. After forcing Rui Xiang back to his seat, Du Yuan retracted his killing intent. Steward Rui, theres really no need to mind me. Im already at deaths door and cant last very long in battle. In my opinion, since Qianye is so difficult to deal with, why dont we just release Song Zining? Rui Xiang banged the table furiously, saying, How can we do that? Releasing the prisoner is akin to throwing away the heavenly monarchs face. Do you not feel embarrassed being frightened by a kid? Yu Mingkang ridiculed, The nerve of you! You dont even dare step outside the city. Du Yuan stopped Yu Mingkang with a raise of his hand. He then stared at Rui Xiang and said slowly, Steward Rui, you will neither release the prisoner nor explain the reasoning behind things. What are your intentions? Are you trying to clip the city lords wings? Rui Xiang was somewhat astonished because this crime wasnt small at all. Luo Bingfengs status was special, and even Zhang Buzhou would treat him with a degree of respect. As the old man was currently stationed in Tidehark, he wouldnt even be able to escape if the city lord was angered. Commander Du, thats going overboard. All of us are subordinates of the heavenly monarch, weakening the city lord is equal to weakening the heavenly monarchs power. I definitely wont do such a thing. Oh? Does that mean Steward Rui has selfish motives? Absolutely not! Fine, then. You and I will leave the city at the same time. Lets see what other abilities that Qianye has. Rui Xiang waved his hands in shock. Thats not a good plan. I still have some business, so I dont have time to go out and fight. Du Yuans eyes flickered with a mysterious glint. What business? Pray tell. If youre not willing to speak, then I can only run to the heavenly monarchs manor and ask about it myself. Rui Xiangs expression transformed drastically. In the end, he said with a treacherous expression, Fine then, Ill leave the city with you! You had better take care of your health, though, Commander Du. Youve been in this high position for a long time, so you probably have a lot of enemies. If some mishap befalls you, theres no telling what will happen to your family members. The city guard generals looked over with ferocious glares, but Rui Xiang glanced at them with undisguised disdain. How dare a group of rag-tags bark so loud? Du Yuan wasnt angry, though. If we dont destroy that Qianye now, itll be Steward Ruis turn to worry about his family members after a few years. Rui Xiangs expression became unsightly. The meeting was thus dismissed unhappily with both parties agreeing to fight. They reported this matter to the city lord at the same time, but the result was no different from the last instance. The audience-seekers were duly intercepted by the lady and never had the chance to meet Luo Bingfeng. Even after hearing about the grave casualties, she only responded with a curt understood. Yu Mingkang didnt leave immediately after the meeting. He remained in the courtyard gazing up at the sky with a sigh. A general walked over and whispered, Why doesnt that old bastard dare to fight Qianye? Yu Mingkangs state of mind had calmed down quite a bit by now. Hes afraid of dying. Afraid of death? That Qianye isnt Steward Ruis match, is he? That general was clearly puzzled. The key here is, what if he fails to dodge that shot? The general scratched his head. Fails to dodge? How can that be? That shot comes from over a thousand meters away. Even I can evade if Im cautious, let alone him. Hes still quite powerful despite the horrible character. Yu Mingkang laughed wryly. You can dodge at a thousand meters, but what about eight hundred? The general was quite frank. Then I can only wait for death. Yu Mingkang nodded. Exactly, even I cant dodge within five hundred meters. The old mans limit is around two hundred meters, with completely no chance of evasion within a hundred. But Qianye can only fire once. Dont forget that his shot once heavily injured the Wolf King. So, what we both saw isnt the guns full power. The general finally understood. Doesnt that mean the old man will die if he suffers an all-out attack from Qianye? Yu Mingkang nodded. Thats why hes hiding inside the city. Outside of Tidehark, Du Yuan was clad in a full set of armor as he walked alongside Rui Xiang. After donning his battle attire, this kind old man had turned into a fierce general, his fair, well-groomed face was mostly hidden behind a sinister mask. Rui Xiang, on the other hand, was expressionless. His eyes were like lightning as they scanned the surroundings constantly, one of his hands never leaving the hilt of his sword. Apparently, he was in a state of full alert. Du Yuan pointed at a nearby forest. If that Qianye was hiding there, his shot will probably kill me on the spot. Would you agree? Rui Xiang remained utterly silent and his expression turned rather unsightly. As Luo Bingfengs gear back in the year, Du Yuans armor was of extraordinary quality and at least a couple of times stronger than Rui Xiangs internal armor. If even Du Yuan couldnt take a shot, then the old mans fate would be even worse. Seeing Rui Xiangs refusal to reply, Du Yuan added, I wonder who Qianye will target if hes around. Rui Xiangs expression frosted up. He fished out a metallic tube from his chest and flicked it into the air, producing a wisp of fire that rose into the clouds. Once the signal was issued, numerous jeeps drove out from the city and rapidly fanned outward. Several indistinct human silhouettes also rushed into the wilderness, traveling even faster than the vehicles. Du Yuan observed the numbers and realized that Rui Xiang had dispatched all of his elite subordinates to occupy key positions and restrain Qianye. Having achieved his objective, the commander stopped provoking the old man and duly hastened his footsteps toward the wilderness. At this moment, Qianye wasnt outside of Tidehark. Instead, he was on a mountaintop several dozen kilometers away, gazing at the distant horizon. Scarlet flames danced around him as his aura gradually rose, and all parameters of his body were now close to their peak. Some of the bottleneck hurdles he could only sense vaguely before had become much clearer this time. Pushing back Yu Mingkang was only an appetizer, and the true struggle was yet to come. Qianye had to keep himself in his peak state in order to heavily injure the enemy and still make his escape. Only then would he have enough chips to force his opponents into releasing the prisoner. After a moment of silence, Qianye felt someone watching him from the side. He looked over but found the place completely emptynot to mention a human, there wasnt even a bird there. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 893: No Trade Nonetheless, Qianye was sure that someone was hiding there. It was just that they were highly skilled in concealment, so much so that even his Eye of Truth was rendered ineffective. Qianye had never encountered such a situation all this time. The Eye of Truth would only lose its effect against experts at the level of a heavenly monarch or close. Qianye broke into a frown and was just about to start searching the surroundings when he sensed something behind him. He looked back in time to find Li Kuanglan and a middle-aged man with frost clinging to the edges of this hair. Li Kuanglan said, This is Luo Bingfengs head steward. He insisted on seeing you, so I brought him over. That middle-aged man stepped forward with a bow. This lowly one is Luo Yun, the current head steward of the city lord manor. Qianye sized up the man unceremoniously, even using his Eye of Truth in the process. Luo Yun openly accepted the inspection and made no attempt at hiding things. This made Qianye feel bad about pressing the man too hard. I dont think theres anything to discuss between us at this point, that is unless youre willing to release the prisoner. Luo Yun said, Releasing the prisoner isnt within the scope of my power, so I cannot give you a reply. I come seeking to trade the art with which you cultivated Venus Dawn. Then theres no need for further discussions, I refuse. Luo Yun replied, Dont be in a rush to say no. I brought two cultivation arts with me, please take a look at them and then decide. Qianye took the two ancient wooden boxes with a nod. He first opened one of them and found a bright golden leather scroll that read Dawn of Scarlet Gold. Opening it, Qianye could sense a wisp of extremely pure origin power that caused his own to surge and swell, eager to fuse together. While he wasnt paying attention, a plume of scarlet gold flame erupted from his fingertip. The flame immediately flickered in and out of existence, but Luo Yin saw the entire process. Sire Qianye is a genius indeed. With such a level of purity means that your future is boundless, absolutely boundless! Qianye laughed indifferently. Since you know about that, I urge you to return Song Zining. If something happens to him, Ill leave immediately and return ten years later. At that point, this city will cease to exist. Luo Yun was neither rushed nor angry. Thats not my business. You should check the second art and then decide. Qianye opened the golden scroll and flipped through it briefly. The exquisiteness of its contents was at the very peak of origin power condensation, and it was already above the Song Clan Ancient Scroll in this regard. The Glory Chapter was rather crude in comparison, and the only reason it could produce purer origin power was because of its ferocity. Just like refining steel, an ordinary persons output quality would be limited due to insufficient strength. Meanwhile, a herculean experts random hammering could produce a greater effect. This wasnt related to skill, just a disparity in strength. Ordinary people could hardly stand the pressure brought about by channeling the Song Clan Ancient Scroll on its ownand that was only because the Mystery Chapter was restraining its counterpart. Even Qianye, in his current state, would explode if he were to cultivate one without the other. Hence this Dawn of Scarlet Gold was actually more valuable than the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Its inferiority to the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was purely attributed to Qianyes inhuman constitution. After flipping through ten pages or so, Qianye was able to make a rough guess. This must be the madam city lords cultivation art, right? Luo Yun replied, Indeed, your eyesight is comparable to a torch. Im full of admiration. Qianye glanced meaningfully at Luo Yun. It would seem he had added the word city lord to the title for a reason. Qianye put the scroll back into the box, and then opened the next one. There was a dark blue scroll here named the Mortal Enlightenment. This one trained the soul and was apparently Luo Bingfengs terrifying visual attack secret art. Mortal Enlightenment was a brilliant art that drew cleverly upon the basics of divination to deliver a killing blow to the target over long ranges. One would need a fairly strong foundation in divination in order to train this secret art. It almost seemed to be tailored for Song Zining. Just like before, Qianye only looked through a small part of it before closing the tome and handing it back. Arent you afraid Ill rob these arts and leave? Luo Yun wasnt afraid, though. If you were such a person, you wouldnt be risking your life for your brother. This Luo Yun understood Qianye rather well. Go back, I refuse to trade. Ill attack you the next time we meet. Luo Yun was anxious. How about this, if youre willing to trade, Ill give you both arts. How about it? Li Kuanglans eyes lit up at the handsome offer. Actually, the Mortal Enlightenment could coordinate with many different types of cultivation arts and was extremely suited for the Li family. Every generation of the Lis was proficient in divination. Despite not cultivating it, Li Kuanglan still possessed a fair degree of talent and could learn it fairly quickly. The Dawn of Scarlet Gold, on the other hand, was a rare primary cultivation art that could produce Venus Dawn. It was definitely not inferior to the arts of the four major clans. Just these two arts would be enough to support a high-ranking aristocratic family. A two for one trade was an ample expression of their sincerity. Who wouldve thought Qianye would shake his head. I wont trade. Were enemies when the next time we meet. Why? Even Li Kuanglan couldnt help but ask. I wont trade with people whove captured my brother. Qianyes words blocked out all of Luo Yuns prepared persuasion scenarios. Since thats the case, then I can only say goodbye. I hope you will show mercy toward ordinary people. After all, they are of no threat to you. Qianye sneered. Remain inside the city to survive. You people spread out a net of cannon fodder around the city and yet want me to show mercy. What a joke! Whoever dares to leave the city should be prepared to forfeit their lives. Luo Yun left with a sigh. After Luo Yuns departure, Li Kaunglan said with a sigh, You wont even trade for that? You sure treat Song Seven well. Qianye remained silent. He merely brought Heartgrave out and checked it over in detail, and then walked over in the direction of Tidehark. Pressing so close? I fear something will happen to Song Zining if I dont. Li Kuanglan sighed secretly as she watched Qianye disappear into the distance. At this point, Rui Xiang and Du Yuan were standing atop a distant mountain, observing the area thoroughly. As true experts, their actions were swift, covering several dozen kilometers in the blink of an eye. Currently, they were just about to scan the regions further out. Rui Xiang looked rather careless, but in truth, he would sweep over every visual field with great caution, lest he suffers a sudden sneak attack. Du Yuan, on the other hand, would check every direction with due seriousness. When will we ever catch Qianye this way? Rui Xiang complained. Du Yuan replied, Even if we cant find him, he will find us. At worst, well just have to wait until he fires. Rui Xiang snorted. One of us might fall once he attacks. If one falls, the other can capture or kill him. Im the one more likely to die! Commander, you really are good at calculating! Rui Xiang wasnt about to act polite. In fact, the two had already turned hostile the moment he was forced out of the city. Heh! Du Yuan didnt reply. Rui Xiang felt uneasy because he was quite clear that Qianye would likely choose him out of the two. If he couldnt block that shot, what was the point even if Du Yuan could kill Qianye later on? He would be dead by that time. Even in the off-chance that he could survive, he would still be gravely injured and forever locked out from the divine champion realm. Neither outcome was acceptable for him. He subconsciously rubbed the ring on his finger, feeling obviously pained. If worse comes to worst, he would have to use this life-saving treasure. During this moment of distraction, Rui Xiang felt his chest tighten and was overcome by a stifling sensation. This was a sign that the enemy had locked onto him and that he was in mortal danger! Who else could it be apart from Qianye? Rui Xiang hesitated no longer. His long sword escaped its sheath as clouds of black and white clouds spread out to form a defensive net around him. Du Yuan sensed the change as well. Raising his brows, he plucked the giant shield from his back and planted it to the ground, after which he proceeded to scan the surroundings with eyes like lightning. As expected, Qianyes shot was targeted at Rui Xiang, but there was no telling from which direction the threat was coming from. This went to show that Qianye was likely at a very distant range. A long period of vigil passed by, yet Qianye never fired that shot. The sensation of being locked-on, however, never faded away. Rui Xiang was already sweating after a while, and Du Yuan also didnt dare stop channeling his origin power, either. Rui Xiang quickly realized Qianyes intentions. That vile little thief! From such a long distance, Qianye couldve aimed without allowing them to sense the action, and then lock on at the last moment before firing. This is a trick even a rank-three sniper could use. The only differentiating factor between an expert sniper and an inferior one was the time they would take to lock-on. Qianye had already proven himself a master sniper, someone who could lock onto his target at the very last moment and prevent them from reacting. Yet, he was now allowing Rui Xiang to sense his actions, apparently to make the old man expend origin power. However, Qianyes shot was simply too fast and too powerful. Even from a thousand meters away, there was still a small chance that Rui Xiang might be shot if he wasnt careful. Hence, the man had no choice but to keep his guard up, wasting origin power all the while. Du Yuan wasnt faring any better. He was also highly vigilant and kept up the origin power barrier at all times. Pin-pointing Qianyes location was of the utmost importance at the moment. Even figuring out his general direction would extricate them from this passive predicament. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 894: Attack Du Yuan and Rui Xiang glanced at one another, agreeing to work together at this dangerous juncture. Nonetheless, Qianyes concealment was just too good. The two of them simply couldnt find him no matter how hard they tried. Qianyes lock-on became intermittent at this point. Apparently, the combined search was effective in threatening him, but that had little effect on the situation because Qianye could attack immediately after locking on. Du Yuan and Rui Xiang still didnt dare to be careless. They exchanged glances and kept on searching. Thus, the three began an exhausting contest of patience and endurance in the vast, complicated landscape of the wilderness. Qianye would have to expend energy if he wanted to maintain a certain level of threat on the two. Although his own consumption was relatively small, Du Yuan and Rui Xiang were at rank seventeen in cultivation, far above Qianyes own. They were quite confident in winning a game of attrition. One night went by in the blink of an eye. Du Yuans breathing had become somewhat labored and Rui Xiang had turned pale. Even with their cultivation, maintaining focus for the entire night was extremely tiring. Even up to this point, Qianyes lock-on would appear repeatedly like before, but there was never an opening in his stealth. Du Yuan heaved a long sigh as he straightened his back, but he suddenly broke into a frown and bent down once more. During that brief moment, he had sensed himself being locked onto, but the sensation vanished immediately when he changed his posture. Qianyes movements were still as flawless as before, not revealing his position in the slightest. Du Yuan smiled wryly. Is this Qianye really just rank-thirteen? Im absolutely certain! I nearly caught him once, how can I make a mistake? Du Yuan shook his head. If it wasnt for the first impression, I would be inclined to believe hes rank-sixteen, seventeen even. Rui Xiang remained silent for a moment. Theres really no need to talk about that. Du Yuan paid him no attention and simply kept on muttering to himself, Boundless potential, absolutely boundless potential. Rui Xiangs expression turned ugly. He snorted once but couldnt find the words to follow up. Having reached rank-thirteen at such an ageand with such pure origin powerthe skys the limit for Qianyes future. Add to that his super-powerful killing move, he was definitely the type of enemy who had to be snuffed out in the cradle. Otherwise, one could only run to the ends of the world once he matured. Du Yuan took a deep breath. Now that things have come to this point, theres really no way back. The best way is to kill him with all that weve got. Steward Rui, where is Song Zining? Rui Xiang said with a frown, What are you planning? Simple, we should use Song Zining as bait and try to lure Qianye out. Rui Xiang was moved, and he said after a lengthy period of deliberation, Is there no other way? Du Yuan sighed. Do you have a better way of luring him out? But Qianye is adept at escape and concealment. Dont forget that he has escaped the Wolf Kings grasp more than just once. I fear neither of us can stop him if he senses something wrong and flees. I have a way to make him stay once he makes an appearance. Rui Xiang probed, Are you planning to ask the Wolf King for help? Thats impossible. Hes so badly injured that itll be a month or two at least before he can do anything. Du Yuan said, Ill ask the madam to take action. Madam Rui Xiangs gaze was filled with trepidation. That madam had always been mysterious and low-key. Rarely had anyone seen her in action, but she was already at the very peak in terms of origin power purity. It was only a matter of time for her to reach the divine champion rank. Rui Xiang hadnt expected Du Yuan to have a good relationship with her, so much so that he could have her take action. Du Yuan had always been cautious with his words and would never boast. If he said the madam could take Qianye down, then he must seriously believe that. In terms of real combat strength, both Du Yuan and Rui Xiang were confident in defeating Qianyeprovided he didnt run away. However, this wasnt an arena, and that shot of Qianyes was so powerful that it could be considered a sure kill. He also possessed the power to flee from battle, and even the Wolf King couldnt catch him. Such a person was the most terrifying type of enemy on the battlefield, much more than his threat on paper. The two of them were very clear that they would be at a clear disadvantage if they didnt have Tidehark behind them to provide supplies and shelter. Rui Xiang seemed to have a different type of apprehension, but he wasnt willing to divulge. Du Yuan didnt force him, either, and merely kept up the endless search. At this point, it had become a contest of willpower, a race to see who would make the first mistake. After remembering Yu Mingkangs description of Qianye, however, both parties suddenly felt less confident than before. Qianye was currently hiding behind some rocks less than three hundred meters away, gazing intently at the strolling Du Yuan and Rui Xiang. At this point, his breathing was calm and his aura, steady. He was almost at his peak both in terms of stamina and spirit, far from the exhausted state the other two had thought he would be in. If they were to notice Qianyes current condition, the two men might actually head back to Tidehark and ask Luo Bingfeng or the mysterious lady to take over. Unfortunately, none of them did. Above the blood core, the Book of Darkness flickered in and out of existence as it poured down a constant stream of essence blood. Qianye had used Life Plunder during the last phase of his previous battle, and that gave him enough strength to last until the defeat of Yu Mingkang. The excess essence blood was taken up by the Book of Darkness and now being released for consumption. With the Book of Darkness, Qianyes battle endurance was beyond imagination. No one under the divine champion realm was his match. Qianye was like a hunter, stalking and exhausting his prey before he would launch an attack. Patience was a virtue Qianye had never lacked. Contending with two experts within five hundred meters was like dancing on a blades edge, since he might compromise his location at any moment. Nonetheless, the entire day passed by without Qianye making a single mistake. This process actually served as a type of combat art training. Unknowingly, Qianyes combat arts and, at the very least, his concealment, movement, and assassination skills were gradually closing in on perfection. Time thus went by. Under the illumination of the strong sunlight, rolling waves of heat surged up from the earth. It was so hot that everyone felt dizzy. Just as Qianye locked onto Rui Xiang once more, he noticed Du Yuan stagger, and a ripple appeared in his origin defenses. This might be a negligible change for an ordinary person, but for experts like Qianye, Du Yuan, and Rui Xiang, it was an opportunity that couldnt be missed. Qianyes hands shook ever so slightly out of instinct, producing a small shift in Heartgraves muzzle angle. Du Yuan instantly realized the impending calamity. His expression changed drastically as his figure transformed into a shadow, hoping to evade this lethal blow. Meanwhile, Rui Xiang pulled away from the potential target with great swiftness, lest he gets involved in the calamity. A flash of lightning flickered through Qianyes mind as he forced the shifting muzzle to a stop. A luminous feather shot out from the muzzle and flew toward Rui Xiang in a beautiful arc. The old mans expression transformed drastically, roaring, Curse you, Old Barbarian! He then jumped upward and vanished into a cloud of black and white energy. The next moment, a similar cloud appeared a hundred or so meters away, and from it jumped Rui Xiang. This was a technique similar to Spatial Flash, an ultimate move to get rid of a homing projectile. The man looked glad and relieved when he leaped out of the monochromatic energy, while Du Yuan seemed somewhat disappointed. Just as the feather was about to miss, however, it made a sharp turn and vanished into the black and white cloud as well. Soon afterward, it rushed out of the portal above Rui Xiangs head! Shocked out of his wits, Rui Xiang hugged his knees with a loud cry and did his utmost to spin away at an angle. The luminous feather brushed past him in a spray of blood, sending a severed-leg spinning into the air. Rui Xiang screamed miserably as he turned and fled toward Tidehark, not even bothering to look back. Fortunately, the luminous feather had also lost its energy by that point. Otherwise, Rui Xiang would surely lose his life if the projectile were to return. Du Yuans face turned pale as he observed the falling limb. The leg was devoid of all vitality, much like stone or wood, and seemed like nothing would be able to restore it. The only way might be to soak it in the blood pond of an ancient vampire clan. But where was one to find an ancient blood pond in the vast neutral lands? That was why Rui Xiang didnt even try to recover his leg when he fled. Qianye appeared from amidst the rocks and said to Du Yuan, Thank you for the help, old man. Du Yuan replied slowly, No need, I only wanted to draw you out. Qianye said, And drawn out I am, are you not going to attack? Du Yuan heaved a long sigh, his voice full of regrets. What difference will that make? You still have enough energy to escape. Sigh, Im old, too old. Although Qianyes consumption was significant, his aura was still calm and he clearly possessed the power to keep on fighting. Du Yuan was clad in a suit of heavy armor, so he naturally wouldnt be able to catch Qianye. That was why he had decided not to pursue a meaningless endeavor. Qianye put Heartgrave away. I dont have the power to kill you, either. Well stop things here today, considering you provided an opportunity for me. I wont attack until dawn tomorrow, you can send people to clean up the battlefield and clear away the corpses. Everything will continue as usual thereafter. I should warn you, however, you wont be that lucky the next time. Hold it! Du Yuan stopped the departing Qianye and said in a cold voice, The young simply do not know the immensity of heaven and earth. Do you think Im not your match? Do you dare fight me one on one? Qianye wasnt angry. He pointed calmly at the ground, saying, This is a battlefield. There might be quite a few people from Tidehark who can kill me in an arena, but here in the vast wilderness, all below the divine champion rank will die to my gun! These words were resounding and tyrannical. Du Yuan had no way to retort. In his anger and urgency, he felt a rush of hot blood surge to his head and his vision going dark. As someone who had been on the battlefield for his entire life, the commander didnt let his emotions show at the scene, but he was actually having a hard time suppressing the churning origin power inside his body. He shot a deep glance at Qianye before turning away like nothing was amiss. Qianye didnt go after him, either, and proceeded to leave as the mans figure grew distant. No longer able to endure after entering Tidehark, Du Yuan spat out a mouthful of dark blood. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 895: Seeking Help Qianye hadnt gone very far when he heard a familiar voice. Quite confident, eh? Peerless under the divine champion realm, is it? Qianye spun around in surprised delight and saw Ji Tianqing nearby! He arrived before her in one step, arms wide open in a potential hug. Ji Tianqing looked on with a spurious smile, almost as though she had no intention of moving away. Just as he was about to bring her into a full embrace, he suddenly exerted great force to stop his arms and retracted them just after touching her. Qianye sized her up from head to toe. He only felt relieved after sensing that she was full of origin power and at the peak of her spirit, completely free from hidden injuries. Have you had enough? Do you want to look more? Where do you want to look? Ji Tianqings questions placed Qianye in a predicament. He had forgotten that staring at a lady from head to toe was an offense. However, Ji Tianqing had always been mysterious, and even until now, Qianye still couldnt tell what she really looked like. The two had fought many battles side by side since her arrival in the neutral lands, even fled for their lives together. He had long since considered her a comrade and didnt really think too much about the details. Now that she had brought it up, Qianye quickly recalled that she was a young girl, perhaps even younger than he had expected. Sorry about that. Ive been worried about you since you went missing, so Ji Tianqing said with a harrumph, Worried? How come I dont see it? Youve been more worried about Song Seven, havent you? I think youre almost about to trade your life for him. I think you mightve agreed if the other party wanted your life in exchange. Qianye gave it some thought. No, I wont. I wouldnt want that if I were Song Zining. You just wont admit it! Ji Tianqing refused to believe him. What happened back then? We caught up to the Wolf Kings main army with our band of rag-tag soldiers, but the Wolf King had already fled. Song Seven decided to attack and surprisingly won. We had just routed the Wolf Kings main army when the people from Tidehark appeared from our flank. Song Zining wasnt that old monsters match, but after I was injured, he went all out against him to save me. In the end, he slipped up and was captured. Qianye heaved a long sigh. He had already guessed the general story, but he felt a heavy feeling in his chest after hearing Ji Tianqings narration. At the mention of that battle, Ji Tianqings smile disappeared, and a gloominess came over her pretty face. I just finished recovering, so I returned. How were you two ambushed? This was the key issue. With Song Zinings skill in strategy, it was unbelievable that he would suffer such a surprise attack. Ji Tianqing replied, I dont know what happened exactly. That day, Song Zinings divination powers suddenly disappeared. I also felt somewhat muddle-headed before the battle, unable to see through even the simplest of heavens mystery. Now that I think about it, it was quite odd. Perhaps they have some kind of divination expert working behind the scenes to obscure our powers. Is there a divination expert in the neutral lands? Ji Tianqing shrugged. Who knows? The neutral lands were chaotic and frequently besieged by void tempests. Hence, it was extremely difficult to perform divination arts in this place. Any attempt without sufficient power and advanced secret arts would usually fail. That was why there were few divination inheritances here. Only after reaching a certain level of cultivation would experts dabble a bit in the field. Qianye himself only understood bits and pieces of the art, but that didnt stop him from having some general knowledge. He knew that Song Zining was already at a fairly high level, not at all inferior to a divine champion, and that Ji Tianqing was skilled in almost everything, including divination. What he couldnt figure out was how high their standards were, but they were both unfathomable as far as he was concerned. There was probably no ordinary divine champion who could suppress the two of them. At the very least, Qianye hadnt heard of any divine champion in the Eastern Sea area with that kind of ability. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage of the neutral lands. Both the empire and Evernight were skilled in divination. Usually, the top experts from each side would battle it out behind the scenes before the frontline warriors dived into the bloodbath of the field. Once the fighting had begun, the heavenly mystery in a wide area around the battlefield would be thrown into chaos. But thats for Evernight and the Empire. If the forces of the neutral lands ever tried to invade the mainlands, they would suffer greatly in terms of divination. On the other hand, the Empire and Evernight would be blindfolded if they were to invade the neutral lands. They would be thrown into chaos and suffer restraints at every turn. Qianye knew that there was no answer to this question, so he shook his head helplessly. What do you plan to do next? Keep on acting like a barbarian? Qianye laughed wryly. I dont even know where he is, how will I save him? Besides, I cant enter Tidehark and Totemic Castle. Theres no way even if I want to save him. Perhaps we can risk it and go into Tidehark again. No! Qianye interrupted her without any hesitation. Are you crazy? Once inside Tidehark, Luo Bingfengs power will increase greatly. From a different perspective, I think he can only display his full power inside the city. We arent his match once we go in. As I see it, they wont do anything to Song Zining yet because they fear us. Zining will be done for once Im captured as well. Are you going to keep up this game of attrition? Yes. Looking rather frustrated, Ji Tianqing said through clenched teeth, I thought you were quite smart at first. Who wouldve thought you can only play the solo barbarian? What other plans do you have? Qianye shrugged. You can ask for help, seek reinforcements! Why must you do this on your own? Look at the people around you, isnt there anyone who can help you find reinforcements? Ji Tianqing was practically asking Qianye to beg her for help. Qianye opened his mouth briefly but couldnt find the words to say. He was indeed used to killing on his own and rarely would he ever ask for help. He had even managed to kill his way to an opportunity under these adverse circumstances. But giving it some thought, Li Kuanglans arrival here meant that the Li familys reach could reach this place. Ji Tianqings background was even more unfathomable. How otherwise could she have gotten so many secret arts? For Song Zining, Qianye decided to lower his status and ask Ji Tianqing for help. As for the conditions this strange, clever girl would put forth, Qianye was willing to accept all of them. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 896: Will You Do the Same? But asking for help was never an easy thing to do. Qianye hesitated for a long while before saying, That Tianqing Ji Tianqing patted Qianyes shoulder, saying, Speak, this young miss might help you if you perform well. This you know about Zining Itll depend on your performance! Qianye was puzzled. Performance? Simple, we have a deal if you yield your life to me. Qianyes puzzlement turned to astonishment. This you know I already He hadnt even finished speaking when Ji Tianqing cut him off, Dont you even get a joke!? Im your aide, so I naturally have to accompany you in saving him. Ji Tianqing answered as if everything was right and proper. Qianye, however, was overcome by an odd expression. Youre going with me? Of course, who else is there? Qianye felt a huge headache looming over the horizon. Didnt you say there will be powerful reinforcements? Ji Tianqing puffed up her chest. Am I not a powerful reinforcement? How is your aide inferior to other people? Qianye felt a string of unspoken words stuck in his chest. He laughed wryly after a long while, saying, Do you remember that you just escaped with injuries last time? Didnt that old man lose a leg this time? What are you afraid of? Qianye shook his head. You go back first, Ill wait here. Go back? Where to? Southern Blue, of course. Kuanglan is also there. No! Im your aide, so I have to stay where you are. Qianyes expression was serious. Im fine on my own. Ji Tianqings smile disappeared as she asked, Youre blaming me for implicating Song Seven, right? Qianye remained silent for a moment. No, this matter isnt your fault since there will be accidents in every battle. If someone is to blame, we should blame Song Zining for going to battle at that time. There was no need to destroy the Wolf Kings army in such a rush. Ji Tianqing looked at him seriously. But you still blame me a bit, right? I did, but not anymore. I wouldve done the same if I were in Song Zinings shoes. There was no telling whether she accepted this explanation. Then, will you do the same if I was the one captured? You? Ill, of course, find a way to rescue you. I mean, will you risk your life like this? Qianye didnt quite understand what she was getting at. Of course, Ill do my best. Ji Tianqing sighed lightly. I think Ill stay behind, I can still help you. Just go back first, Im more certain of escaping when Im alone. Seeing Qianye so adamant, Ji Tianqing stopped trying to convince him and simply turned to leave. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief after her departure. Then he observed his surroundings once more and went to look for a hiding place. But the last few questions Ji Tianqing had asked him kept ringing in his mind. Qianye couldnt help but feel that there were hidden meanings in her words, but what exactly was it that she wanted to know? Qianye could always escape with Spatial Flash even if he were to encounter Luo Bingfeng. Up until this point, the only one from whom Qianye couldnt escape was the mysterious entity in the Eastern Sea. No matter how powerful Ji Tianqings secret arts were, there was no ability on par with Spatial Flash in terms of a swift escape. Otherwise, she wouldnt have been injured by Rui Xiang. Hence, there was no way Qianye could keep her at his side. Additionally, there was a different notion that he couldnt bring up with her. He was afraid that Song Zining would suffer more and more as time went by, or even have his life threatened. At this point, Qianye felt that the pressure he was giving the other party wasn''t high enough. So, he decided to sneak into Tidehark. The most powerful targets inside the city were Luo Bingfeng and that mysterious woman. Qianye wasnt crazy enough to go and alarm themhis target this time was Rui Xiang. Every step inside the city would be fraught with danger and Qianye wasnt even sure if he could escape from Luo Bingfeng a second time. His refusal of Ji Tianqings advice was just so that she wouldnt follow him in. Ji Tianqing didnt go very far. She remained gazing at Tidehark from a distance and, looking at the time, felt that Qianye shouldve gone into the city by now. It was just that she didnt know what Qianye was planning to do. One day passed by just like that. It was dusk over Tidehark when a pillar of flames rushed into the sky and lit up half the city. A persons figure flickered about in the flames as he flew out of the city. It was at this time that a shocking aura emerged from atop the holy mountain, almost as though there was a pair of bestial eyes staring at the flying figure. An indescribable force appeared out of thin air and bore down from the sky. It was like a giant Buddhist bell trying to cover that fleeing silhouette. Just as the attack was about to connect, however, the shadow flashed out of existence! An astonished Luo Bingfeng appeared above where Qianye had disappeared. It was as though he hadnt expected Qianye to actually escape from under his eyes. His lightning gaze tore through the vast night and landed at a certain spot outside of the city. Qianyes figure happened to appear at that point, staggering and almost stumbling as he did so. That location was already several thousand meters away from the city, but that distance was nothing to an expert. Luo Bingfeng snorted with a cold expression and made to give chase. However, a graceful figure jumped out from the shadows and left with Qianye in its arms, fleeing at such great speeds that it even astonished Luo Bingfeng. That gentle lady appeared beside Luo Bingfeng. Lets go back, we cant catch them anyway. He didnt cause a lot of damage, either. Luo Bingfeng snorted heavily. No damage my a*s! I have one vice-commander dead, the other injured, and Steward Rui has lost a leg. Now hes burned my prison. Is this Qianye really courting death? The lady replied, I think this person isnt so bad. Hes willing to risk life and limb for his brethren, repeatedly no less. How good would it be if we had friends like that? Luo Bingfeng sighed. Lets not mention the past. He glanced at the raging flames and said, Humph, this Qianye cant be allowed to repeat his tricks. Ill definitely keep him here the next time he comes! The ladys gaze shifted about, but she only sighed without trying to dissuade him. Luo Bingfeng unleashed a loud shout, Everyone, meet me at the city lords manor. His clear, resounding voice spread to every corner of Tidehark. After hearing this call, Du Yuan led the city guard generals toward the manor and even Rui Xiangs men werent exempted. Bingfeng, you Luo Bingfeng waved his hand. No need to dissuade me, Ive already made a decision. So much has happened these days, how long do you plan to hide them from me!? Sighing, the lady followed Luo Bingfeng as he flew toward the city lord manor. By the time Luo Bingfeng arrived at the city lord manor and entered the main hall, all qualified personnel had already assembled. Even Rui Xiang was here, albeit looking fairly pale. Although he had all four limbs on him at this point, his sitting posture was a bit unnatural. Clearly, that new leg couldnt be utilized naturally just yet. Luo Bingfeng sat down at the central seat with that lady occupying the seat beside him. Luo Bingfengs lightning gaze scanned everyone in the hall. What exactly is going on? Why would Qianye keep attacking us day and night? All eyes fell upon a distressed Rui Xiang. He could deny Du Yuans request, but he couldnt say no to Luo Bingfeng. This city lord had always acted on his own, and Zhang Buzhou wouldnt say anything if he were to kill Rui Xiang. Seeing that he could no longer hide from this matter, Rui Xiang said, City Lord, theres a reason for this. That Song Zining is simply too arrogant. He actually wanted to take down the Wolf Kings army. I took action and captured that little thief since were all subordinates of the heavenly monarch. Heh, turns out that the so-called future god of military strategy is just so-so. Luo Bingfengs brows knitted tightly together. Where is that Song Zining, right now? Rui Xiang hesitated for a while. This Where is Song Zining!? Luo Bingfeng asked once more, his voice suffused with a frosty intent. Rui Xiang forced a reply, City Lord, this matter is related to the heavenly monarch and its not a big matter. Luo Bingfengs face turned gloomy. How dare you hide things from me!? Do you really think the heavenly monarch will seek trouble if I kill a servant? Rui Xiang was livid, yet he also knew that Luo Bingfeng wasnt wrong. He would be inviting mortal trouble by dragging things on. Not to mention the fact that he hadnt recovered from his injuries, he might not be able to flee even if he was at his peak. This Song Zining is in Totemic Castle right now. With that, Rui Xiang clammed up and gazed at his feet, apparently feeling quite hateful. Luo Bingfeng paid him no attention, but the Totemic Castle made him frown. Even with the Wolf King injured, anything related to him spelled trouble. It was at this time that the conference room doors opened and an aide walked in. He arrived beside Luo Bingfeng and whispered, City Lord, Her Excellency Caroline from Thunderfrost Temple seeks an audience. Caroline? Why is she here? Luo Bingfeng had never had any relationship with the Thunderfrost Temple. Carolines arrival here was an unusual move indeed. All the divine champions of the neutral lands were privy to the secrets of Tidehark and the holy mountain. They also knew that Luo Bingfengs strength would increase sharply within the city. Entering Tidehark was like forfeiting half of their lives, so fewer and fewer experts were willing to visit over the years. Luo Bingfeng said, Ask her to wait in the lounge, Ill come soon. Caroline was seated calmly in the lounge, that famous whip of hers stowed away in a box near her. This was a sign of respect for the master of the house, a sign that she came in peace. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 897: Explanation The Thunderfrost Temple was by no means a major power in the neutral lands, but no one could ignore its existence. The main reason was that the temples inheritance was special, producing a divine champion in every generationand two in this one. A divine champion was a divine champion, no matter how weak. Hence, Luo Bingfeng wouldnt break off courtesies without clarifying the situation, no matter how arrogant he was. As someone who cultivated the power of lightning and thunder, Caroline was straightforward. I heard youve captured a person called Song Zining, I hope you can hand him to me. Ill meet your demands as much as possible. Song Zining, again. A faint radiance appeared in Luo Bingfengs eyes, causing all objects in the room to become somewhat warped and distorted. Even the whip-box was starting to see sparks all over its surface, a reaction from the weapon inside. It was only natural that he would be angry. Tidehark had been turned upside down these days, with grave casualties among the city guard and its generals. Although Yu Mingkang was alive, his will had been damaged and with it, his future prospects. The root of all this was Song Zining. Now that Caroline was visiting for Song Zining as well, how could he not get angry? Caroline sat unmoving, allowing Luo Bingfengs killing intent to land on her body. The mysterious lady appeared in the guestroom at this moment. A gentle power showered down like spring rain and nullified the killing intent in the room. She sat down beside Luo Bingfeng and said apologetically, Im really sorry. Bingfeng has been in a bad mood these days. I hope Your Excellency Caroline will forgive his lack of manners. I am curious, though. What is your relationship with Song Zining that you would travel thousands of kilometers to this place? Luo Bingfeng kept his silence as he gazed at Caroline with a trace of murderous intent. Caroline wasnt his match, to begin with, and that was especially true now that she was in the city. Caroline knew this question was key. Actually, I didnt come here for Song Zining, I came for Qianye. But Qianye wont leave if you dont release Song Zining, so I want to know what itll take for you to release him. Luo Bingfeng seemed like he was about to act up, but the lady calmed him down by patting his hand. Your Excellency Caroline, what is your relationship with Qianye that you would put in so much effort? Caroline replied frankly, I have an agreement with him. Its related to a life-long dream of my family, but I think Ill not discuss this with you. The woman nodded. Releasing Song Zining is not in our power. If you want him to leave, have Qianye come and discuss things with us. Hes done so much damage, so he needs to give us an explanation. Carolines brows knitted into a frown. That means City Lord and Madam refuse to negotiate? The woman smiled gently. This matter isnt impossible to negotiate, but we need Qianye to talk to us. As for the terms, perhaps well think of something when we see him. Carolines expression sank. Since thats the case, Ill make things clear. If Qianye dies in your hands, then Tidehark will be my enemy henceforth! I might not be your match, but you cant leave the city, either. So, everyone in the city better be careful when they leave. Luo Bingfeng slapped the armrest of his chair and said in a cold voice, Humph! How bold! If not out of consideration for your personal visit, I could kill you right away! Caroline seemed entirely unafraid. If you kill me, my brother will naturally seek revenge. Then, well see who in Tidehark apart from you will survive. Even the madam might not get away unscathed. The woman sighed lightly. She said while holding Luo Bingfengs hand, Bingfeng, she came with sincerity, why the need for this? Besides, this matter happened because some people made decisions on their own. Why would you need to help them shoulder this burden? But No buts, you go back to the courtyard, Ill come in a while. Luo Bingfeng nodded and left after shooting Caroline a glance. Only the two ladies were left behind in the conference hall. The lady gazed calmly at Caroline. She was neither angry nor apprehensive, but Caroline actually felt less confident under her gaze. Your Excellency, your determination is really great. Caroline felt her heart skip a beat, suddenly afraid of what the other party would say next. Fortunately, the lady only revealed a meaningful smile and didnt keep on speaking. We understand your intentions now, but how to handle this matter isnt our decision alone. Ill discuss this with Bingfeng and perhaps put forth some conditions soon. Caroline hadnt expected the conversation to go so smoothly. Then, Ill take my leave first and await your decision. The lady rose to send off her guest, asking intentionally or otherwise, Is the Song clan here? Song clan? Caroline was startled. I dont know, I have no contact with them. Oh, all is well then. The lady followed Caroline out of the residence doors and only turned back after she had left. Luo Bingfeng was currently seated in his study, frowning and deep in thought. Luo Yun was standing by his side, waiting silently for his command. The woman witnessed this scene as she walked in. Ive sent her off. It seems shes unrelated to the Song clan, she only came for Qianye. Luo Bingfeng snorted. This matter is going completely out of hand. Tideharks face will be lost completely if we dont deal with it. A mere Caroline isnt enough to move me. The lady smiled. Dont forget about that brother of hers. Luo Bingfeng said coldly, He might not be my match, either. The lady said with a sigh, Youve been in isolation for so many years, yet you still cant get rid of your competitive nature. As I see it, her demands arent high, and shes just worried well kill Qianye. She wont make an enemy of us as long as the boy isnt killed or crippled. Luo Bingfeng said coldly, Blades and spears have no eyes. So what if hes killed or crippled? The lady rolled her eyes. Youve been an important character for so long and speak as if things are so easy. If you and I dont attack, which one of your subordinates can hurt him? All they can do is get beaten up. He even managed to escape from you just because of a small delay. Luo Bingfeng remained silent for a short while. This childs talents are indeed rare, one of the best Ive seen in my life. But its pure insolence if he thinks he can escape a second time! You, must you compete even with a junior? Enough, its dragged on too long, we should go back now. Just leave matters here to them, okay? Luo Bingfeng didnt respond. He stood up in delight and said to Luo Yun, Ill leave that matter to you, use the thing I gave you. Luo Yun affirmed the order and left. Whats the matter? So mysterious, the woman asked. Just a small matter, not worth a mention. Seeing that Luo Bingfeng wasnt willing to divulge, the lady decided not to keep asking. At this moment, Ji Tianqing was running through the vast mountains with Qianye on her back, stopping only after dashing into a beautiful valley. She threw Qianye onto the ground and rushed to the nearby creek for a drink. Only afterward did she heave a long sigh and lay flat on the ground. Ah, Im exhausted! Qianye clambered up with a wry smile. I didnt have it easy, either. Ji Tianqing glared at him. You only played a supporting role, what are you complaining about? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 898: Terms Qianye wanted to defend himself since assisting the flight with his origin power wasnt that easy, either. Nonetheless, he ultimately decided to keep quiet since there was no outtalking this young miss temper and sharp tongue. After a period of rest, Ji Tianqing said, What did you do in the city that you were chased down like this? You wouldve been captured if I wasnt waiting there for you. I wanted to interrogate Rui Xiang at first, and see if I can figure out Song Zinings fate. Who wouldve thought that old man would be so shrewd? He activated a certain mechanism and fled, activating a city-wide alarm in the process. Did you get anything out of him? Qianye shook his head. Nope, but I broke his other leg. I think hell speak up the next time. Ji Tianqing glared at Qianye. Next time my a*s! Qianye laughed. Theres no other way. Ji Tianqing leaned forward and tapped at his chest. Your escape ability is indeed powerful, but its not completely unrivaled. The city lord managed to figure out your target destination. Do you think you can still escape from him next time? I can still use it one more time. Then? Find a place to hide? Qianye had no choice but to admit. Yes. Ji Tianqing said angrily, So what if you can flash away one more time? That fiery-eyed city lord just needs to stand in the air and let his subordinates comb the land, little by little. This problem was on point. Actually, Qianye had also thought about this, but he simply wasnt willing to give up on rescuing Song Zining. The worst-case scenario had happened during his entry into the city. Although he had managed to activate Spatial Flash and leave the city, the city lord had still managed to sense his target location. Originally, Qianye had planned to execute a second Spatial Flash and find a place to hide with his Bloodline Concealment. The dangers of this plan were self-evidentLuo Bingfeng could trap Qianye with Ji Tianqings method and find his location sooner or later. Spatial Flash was powerful, but Qianyes current strength wasnt enough to jump long distances or multiple times. The power Andruil left behind back then had actually transported Qianye hundreds of kilometers away. Noticing Qianyes silence, Ji Tianqing asked once again. Qianye had no answer no matter how many times he was asked. Ji Tianqing eventually stopped asking after understanding this. She only sighed lightly, saying, Well then, just promise me you wont enter Tidehark again, okay? Itll be over for Song Seven once you die. Qianye finally nodded. Fine, I promise. Ji Tianqing finally smiled as she produced several bags of food and ammunition. Ill be gone for a while. You should rest well before going back there, dont rush. Perhaps therell be some new developments after a couple of days. Qianye was somewhat startled. What are you going to do? Seek powerful reinforcements of course! How can we save that stupid Song Seven on our own? Qianye sat down to cultivate after Ji Tianqings departure, waiting patiently until his origin power was at its peak. Luo Bingfeng was so powerful that there were only a handful of people in the empire who could suppress him with relative certainty. Hence, Qianye was still a bit skeptical about Ji Tianqings potential reinforcements. On the other hand, he would still have to keep up the pressure on Tidehark even if she could bring back support. But Qianye was in no rush after provoking Luo Bingfeng into action. Right now, all he needed to do was let people see that he was fine and that his combat strength was intact. ... Another uninvited guest had arrived in Southern Blue. Luo Yun, dressed in ordinary mercenary attire, arrived unobstructed at the Dark Flame headquarters to meet Li Kuanglan. Li Kuanglans countenance was clear, free from the hardships of mortal life. She picked up her teacup with jade-like fingers and said after taking a small sip, What good news does Steward Luo bring for his second coming? Luo Yun felt a bit surprised because Li Kuanglan seemed different from the last he had met her. Back then, she was like an unsheathed bladeher momentum was incomparably sharp, almost to the point of being rude. The current Li Kuanglan was calm, graceful, and impressive. Even her action of drinking tea was completely perfect. If the previous Li Kuanglan was a peerless swordsman, the current her was a master of the imperial residence. The former quality could be trained, but the latter was a temperament brought about by ones upbringing. This was what shook Luo Yun. The steward suppressed his astonishment and said respectfully, Mister Li, I come in the city lords name to discuss an exchange. Li Kuanglan said indifferently, Didnt we come to a result back then? Why are you back? The city lord is determined to go through with this trade. Hes suggested some new terms for your consideration. Li Kuanglan didnt inquire about the offer. Determined you say At this point, a certain person beside her said with a cold harrumph, What a big tone of voice. Luo Yun was shocked out of his wits to find an old man sitting beside Li Kuanglan. His facial features were ordinary, without any special characteristics to speak of. It was he who had mocked the steward, but the latter hadnt noticed his presence at all while entering the room! The old man closed his eyes after saying those words. Luo Yun also shifted his gaze to the floor, not daring to look at him for too long. Luo Yun found his memory of the old man fading rapidly after looking away, and he was no longer able to remember his appearance after a while. He was worried that he would anger the elderly man if he were to look over again. Luo Yun wasnt afraid of death, but he didnt want to delay the city lords business. Li Kuanglans noble demeanor also made it difficult for one to look straight at her. Luo Yun wasnt willing to offend anyone at this point. Fortunately, Li Kuanglan finally said, So what does the city lord have in mind? Luo Yun said, The city lord wishes to trade Song Zining for Qianyes cultivation art. Li Kuanglan was somewhat moved, not expecting such an offer. After some deliberation, she said, What is Song Sevens situation? Your city lord can forget about it if were just trading for a cripple. Luo Yun replied, With Qianyes character, he will surely do the trade as long as Song Zining remains alive. Can Mister Li decide for him? These words were fairly sharp, but Li Kuanglan seemed unaffected. I thought Steward Luo was knowledgeable at first, but youre apparently quite short-sighted. It would seem the neutral lands isnt a good place. A flash of anger appeared in Luo Yuns eyes. How am I short-sighted? Do explain. Li Kuanglan replied calmly, A secret art capable of cultivating Venus Dawn is priceless. Whats more, Qianyes Venus Dawn is even purer than the Madam City Lord. Even a heavenly monarch will be moved by a complete art of this level. Wont you say I can just as easily invite a heavenly monarch with it and have him wipe Tidehark off of the surface of the earth? As calm as Luo Yun was, he couldnt help but reveal an astonished expression. But you wont be able to save Young Noble Zining that way. Li Kanglan said indifferently, If Zining dies, all related people will accompany him. Thats not a loss. Luo Yun said, These are the neutral lands, not the empire. Even the power of the Song clan might not reach this far. Li Kuanglan replied indifferently, Just as I said, do you think that person on the Throne of Blood will interfere if a heavenly monarch arrives for a short while? So what if a heavenly monarch comes? He cant stay for very long. Destroying a city is simple, but its not so easy to kill everyone. Mister Li and Qianye will have to worry about their own safety before a heavenly monarch really arrives. Luo Yuns words were quite harsh. The old man near Li Kuanglan opened his eyes and shot him a glance. The moment their eyes met, the steward felt as though he had been struck by a sledgehammer and almost blacked out from the pain. The sensation receded in a flash, leaving Luo Yun drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It took quite a bit of effort for him to remain standing. The old man finally looked straight at him. Youre actually standing, your foundation is quite solid it seems. On account of that, Ill tell you a bit more. Just let your city lord and madam come if they want to touch Kuanglan, Ill see if they can even enter Southern Blue. Luo Yun had no words to follow up with, and he was also extremely shocked. He couldnt quite guess how a terrifying expert of this caliber would appear near Li Kuanglan, but thinking back to her grace and poise, it didnt seem so strange all of a sudden. It was just that Luo Yun didnt dare to keep connecting the dots and guess her true identity. Li Kuanglan said, Steward Luo, theres no meaning in beating around the bush. What is Young Noble Songs condition? If youre still not willing to talk, then you may go back. Theres no need to come back again, either. Luo Yun replied, Umm, Young Noble Song is fine. The city lord promises that he will neither be crippled or suffer hidden injuries that will affect his potential. Li Kuanglan nodded. Why didnt you just say so sooner? Luo Yun smiled wryly. I thought I could gain some more benefits for the city lord. Li Kuanglan said coldly, Without sufficient strength, what do you think your mouth alone will get you? Luo Yun was speechless. Li Kuanglan took another sip of her tea before saying slowly, These terms arent sufficient. If he wants Qianyes art, tell him he should offer Song Seven in addition to Mortal Enlightenment. Luo Yun was surprised. That might not be appropriate! We should let Mister Qianye decide. This is the last condition. There will be no further discussion if he doesnt agree. With that, Li Kuanglan waved her right hand in a gesture to send off the guest. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 899: Slaughter Qianye? Li Kuanglans attitude was unexpectedly unyielding, so much so that even the experienced Luo Yun didnt know what to do. Besides, it wasnt suitable to adopt a harsher tone with that mysterious old man around. At least Luo Yun understood that his mental defenses had collapsed and that it was impossible for him to extract more benefits. He sighed secretly, understanding that the appearance of that mysterious elder had reversed the scales. At the very least, Southern Blue was no longer in a situation of certain-loss. It was impossible to force more concessions from Li Kuanglan under such circumstances. Luo Yun acted decisively after deducing the situation. Its settled then. But theres a small step both parties should go through. The city lord has a special secret art that can be trained in one day. Both parties must channel this art at the same time during the transaction to make sure they have kept their promises. I hope Mister Li can hand the art to Qianye and tell him that he must finish cultivating it before the exchange. Li Kuanglan received the ancient scroll from Luo Yun. Her brows twitched slightly as she glanced through the contents. Heart Reflection! Who wouldve thought this kind of inheritance still existed in the neutral lands? Luo Yun was astonished. Mister Li knows this secret art? Li Kuanglan sneered, This is just a minor divination technique. Its just that the requirements are high and it doesnt have many uses, so it faded away gradually. Whats so special about it? Luo Yuns haughtiness was completely gone at this point. Its best if Mister Li knows about the art. Where do we perform the exchange? Li Kuanglan gave it some thought before replying, Three days later, the place where Song Zining was captured. Very well, Ill arrive on time. Just as Luo Yun was saying his farewell, Li Kuanglan said, Dont tell me the city lord allowed you to barter with both arts plus Song Seven? Luo Yun shook his head helplessly. How can that be? The city lords bottom line is Young Noble Song Zining and one of the two arts. But Qianye doesnt need a better cultivation art, either, so two arts or one makes no difference. Li Kuanglan nodded and then asked her subordinates to send Luo Yun out. When the room was completely empty, Li Kuanglans expression changed drastically. She shot to her feet and dashed for the door. Her movements were as quick as lightning, arriving at the threshold in a single flash and seemingly about to make her exit. A figure suddenly appeared in her vision at this moment. It was that old man. The elder stood at the center of the door, blocking it firmly. Li Kuanglan was less than three meters away when he had appeared. Considering the speed at which she was traveling, there wasnt even any time to think at such a distance. Her hair stood on end, and she almost let out a scream. Fortunately, she reacted quickly by tapping the door frame and moving her entire body along the wall, toward the window. Her movements werent slow. Weaker champions wouldnt even be able to see clearly how she had changed her direction, only the afterimages. However, it was a different world in Li Kuanglans eyes and ears. The window was clearly empty and she would reach the vast world outside just by going through it. Yet, when she changed directions just now, she could hear the old mans cough coming from that direction. Li Kuanglan understood that the sound and image might be false, but one thing was certainthe old man would be waiting there for her. Being the talented person she was, Li Kuanglan made a sharp change in direction and barreled toward the wall. It looked like she actually wanted to crash right through. Now, this was an unexpected moveonce she had broken through the wall, she would reach the vast world like a bird freed of its cage. But this fragile, easily-broken wall suddenly became incomparably firm as a soft but tough layer of origin power appeared on it. Caught entirely off-guard, Li Kuanglan crashed right into it and was bounced away, staggering backward from the impact. Her ram was enough to destroy a tank, yet this thin wall was completely fine and not even a piece of concrete had fallen off. The impact was severe. Li Kuanglan had gone all out, so this was equal to her taking an all-out blow from herself. Her blood and qi went churning, her face flushed, and her eyes dazed as she gasped for breath. Just as she was wavering and unable to find her footing, she heard the elders voice, I must convey the empress words as I was asked to, otherwise, I wont be able to report back to her majesty. Please dont make things difficult for me. This is what she said, Kuanglan isnt young anymore and needs to seek a relationship Li Kuanglan screamed while covering her ears. Im not listening, Im not listening! Yet no matter how hard she tried to cover her ears, the old mans voice still echoed quite clearly in her senses. The sound was akin to waves crashing onto the rocky cliffs, so much so that they would reverberate in her consciousness even with her ears covered. The old man arrived beside Li Kuanglan with a sigh. Even if you use that man to drag things out, itll only happen once. You can dodge one, but you cant dodge fifty. I must still convey the words I must convey, unless you can escape this room and never let me find you. Li Kuanglan remained silent. The situation was already clear at this pointit would take more than a couple more years of training to escape from the old mans hands. Seeing that Li Kuanglan had resigned herself to fate, the old man said with a smile, Thats more like it. This saves me a lot of trouble, and Ill be able to report back sooner. Ill continue then Ill repeat the message once more after this. My mission would be considered complete after youve thrice heard the message. The old mans lips moved slightly, sending a string of fine words echoing in Li Kuanglans ears. She knew each and every word as well as their meaning, yet she couldnt accept the resultant message when they were combined. She had never even thought about it. Even though she had heard it once, Li Kuanglan still turned pale and weak after hearing the missive a second time. She looked like a soldier who had just come out of a great battle. The old man hesitated for a while before asking, Just one time left. Do you want to drink some tea to calm down? Li Kuanglan clenched her teeth. No need! Just go ahead, the earlier one dies, the quicker he can reincarnate! The old man laughed. There is no such thing as reincarnation, and uttering such absurdities would only harm ones status. Its fine to say what you want outside, but you wont escape punishment if the Empress hears of it. Enough rubbish, quick! Li Kuanglan had abandoned all forms of upbringing and manners at this point. The old man would surely have lectured her under normal circumstances, but she was in an agitated state of mind right now and he didnt want to further upset her. It wouldnt be good if she was forced into taking drastic actions. The old man repeated the message once more in a constant tone. After he had finished his last word, Li Kuanglan was weak and drenched in sweat. She sat dazed in her chair with neither movement, thought, nor words, much like a lifeless statue. My job is done, is there anything you want to ask me? Li Kuanglan blurted out, What if I dont obey? Everyone knows the Empress way of doing things, I would suggest you do as she says. Nothing good will come out of angering her. Besides, Her Majesty is doing this for your own good and the Li familys. Otherwise, why would she send these old bones so far just to deliver a message? Making me work isnt hard, but its not so easy, either. Li Kuanglan whispered, I know its for the Li family, but me I must say some fair words here, this is indeed for your own good. You should know that some things arent in your scope of choice. Li Kuanglan only sighed. The old man seemed much more relaxed. He picked up a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, saying, Ive been pondering about the Empress intentions. Although theres a lot to do back in the palace, Im really in no rush to go back. Ill stay here for three more days. I can help you with some things if it isnt anything major. Li Kuanglan laughed wryly. I dont dare owe you a favor. I just said I wont do anything big, so you dont owe me a favor. What does big entail? Anything below divine champion isnt a big matter. Li Kuanglan said all of a sudden, Can you kill Qianye for me? The old man was startled. He then broke into a laugh, saying, I havent lived long enough. I dont want my head to roll once I go back to the Empress. Then slaughter Song Seven! Im sure hes the one playing all these tricks! Li Kuanglan said through clenched teeth. Now this is a bit more reliable. Unfortunately, this matter is also related to the seventh young noble. The Empress has already taken notice of him, so I cant touch him just yet, but I can think of a way after this entire business has been dealt with. Li Kuanglan was sent into a daze. Whats the use of killing him after everything is over? The old man said lightly, Its just to vent. Even if we dont kill him, we can still let him feel some pain. Whats the point of beating him up at that point!? The old man turned away with a laugh, leaving only Li Kuanglan in the room. Li Kuanglan sat alone in the room. The more she thought about this matter, the more frustrated she felt, and all of sudden, she started bawling her eyes out. Although she didnt cry out loud, tears streamed down until she couldnt wipe them clean no matter how hard she tried. So there were things in this world that the Cold Moons Embrace couldnt cut. The sun started to set and had soon submerged behind the distant mountains. The scarlet clouds in the sky gradually darkened, leaving only a trace of deep red. The night winds kicked up from all directions as the bright moon appeared in the east and the stars flickered behind the layers of clouds. The lounge was so dark that one could hardly see the scenery inside. Li Kuanglan was still there with seemingly no intention of switching on the lights. After a long while, the chamber doors were kicked away with a boom, shattering on the opposite building wall. The other building even sank in slightly, a testament to just how powerful this kick was. Li Kuanglan walked out into the darkness and soon vanished around the corner of the corridor. The guards only heard the commotion at this point. Shocked by the devastation at the scene, they immediately sounded the alarm. Numerous mercenaries rushed over to find that the old man had appeared beside the lounge. Kuanglan is in a bad mood right now, dont mind her. Just clean this place up. He then disappeared. Everyone knew that this old mans relationship with Li Kuanglan was extraordinary, so none of them dared to question him further. They simply buried their heads into cleaning up the mess. Outside of Tidehark, Qianye was atop a tall peak, gazing at the big city from afar. A cold intent appeared behind him at this point! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 900: A Bit Difficul Killing intent! Qianye suddenly became alert and reached out to grab the sword on his knees. Yet his movements were still a tiny bit too slow. A wisp of frigid intent touched the back of his neck. Any other expert wouldnt dare to move at all because that was a vital point, and the sharp, penetrative aura could easily snap his cervical bones. Qianye, however, turned back with a wry smile. This isnt funny. Behind him, Li Kuanglan was once again dressed in a swordsmans attire. Although Cold Moons embrace hadnt left its sheath, a wisp of sword energy was stretching out toward Qianyes neck. Li Kuanglan didnt retract the energy despite Qianye turning back, which brought the energy right in front of his throat. Qianye frowned slightly. No matter how powerful his body was, his throat was still a weak point, and Li Kuanglans sword energy was known for its sharpnesseven Qianye wouldnt be able to stand a slash to the throat. Li Kuanglan stared at Qianye with killing intent in her eyes. This puzzled Qianye quite a bit. Kuanglan, whats gotten into you? Who wouldve thought Li Kuanglan would become enraged? Kuanglan is not for you to call! Qianye felt even more bewildered because he had called her by name more than once now. He had already considered her a comrade since their battle against the Wolf King and naturally started addressing her differently. Seeing Li Kuanglan reacting so strongly, Qianye decided to change his address. Young Noble Li, what is the meaning of this? I didnt let you know my movements just so you can ambush me. Li Kuanglan snorted. This young noble doesnt need to ambush you! You think I cant slaughter you with just me and my sword? Qianye stood up, ignoring the sword energy at his neck. I fear you cannot. Besides, what did I do that you would need to do so? You Li Kuanglan was stoppered up, and her face flushed red. Soon, her anger turned to frustration. Cant explain it to you! Qianye was at a loss. Her blade energy was at his throat, yet she still couldnt explain? When was she going to explain then? After lopping his head off? Li Kuanglan knew she had just lost her composure. She quickly calmed down and retracted her sword energy, saying, Let it be, Ill remember this for now. Well settle accounts later on. Let me ask you, must you really save Song Seven? Of course. What if I want to kill him? Qianye couldnt figure out what was going on. Why would you want to kill him, when did he offend you? Li Kuanglan wanted to speak but seemed hesitant. He humph! Let me ask you, what will you do if I want to kill him? Qianyes expression turned serious. Ill stop you, of course! Young Noble Li, please stop joking about such things. Li Kaunglan took deep breaths, slowly calming herself down. As it should be Fine. Since you want to save him, theres an opportunity before you. Learn this. Qianye caught the booklet Li Kuanglan had tossed at him and found that it was a certain art. Although he didnt know the details, he could see from the framework that it was related to divination. After cultivating this Heart Reflection, one can form a connection with other cultivators of the same art. Both parties will be able to tell if the other party is speaking the truth. Luo Bingfeng gave it to you. What for? Luo Bingfeng has agreed to exchange Mortal Enlightenment and Song Zining for your Venus Dawn cultivation art, and Ive already agreed in your stead. This Heart Reflection is to ensure the transaction goes smoothly. You! How Fine, these terms arent bad. Qianyes mood transformed drastically, but he ultimately accepted his helplessness. This was the outcome he had been waiting for, perhaps the best. They didnt do anything to Zining, did they? Luo Bingfeng promises that Song Seven is alive and uncrippled. As for whether hes starved or physically tortured, he didnt say. Qianye heaved a long sigh, saying, Thats great then. When will the transaction take place, and how long does this Heart Reflection take to learn? It can be cultivated in one day. We meet at noon two days later, where Song Seven was captured. Qianye hesitated for a moment. Can Luo Bingfeng even come to that place? He wont, as far as I know. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief. Thatll be best. Li Kuanglans expression was odd. Are you planning to give him a fake? I would suggest you dont if you dont have the full version. Heart Reflections powers are fairly mysterious. Everyone would be cultivating it if it werent for the high requirements and excessive expenditure. The art will respond if you tell a lie. Qianye shook his head. Why would I go back on my words if theyre willing to release Song Zining? But there are some problems with my cultivation art. Im just afraid the other party will change their minds after seeing its contents. Its good if Luo Bingfeng isnt coming because no one else will unseal such an important item. Li Kuanglan became curious after hearing Qianye say so. There are problems with your cultivation art? Is it impossible to cultivate? Of course it can be cultivated. Its just that the difficulty is a bit high. Qianye almost blushed as he comforted himself. He actually wasnt lyingit was somewhat hard to cultivate the Combatant Formula to the Profound Combatant Formula. The fiftieth tide, in particular, was a bit more difficult. That Song Clan Ancient Scroll was also a bit difficult. Actually, the Mystery Chapter wasnt too difficult; the hard part was cultivating both at the same time... Just that. Li Kuanglan felt relieved. So thats how it is. Which peerless cultivation art isnt difficult? Dont worry, Ive seen a good number of legendary secret arts. All of them have weird requirements, and some are almost impossible to cultivate. With Luo Bingfengs knowledge, he naturally wont make things difficult for you because of this. He can only blame himself for his lack of talent if he cant cultivate it. Qianye felt much more relieved. Those are reasonable words! Li Kuanglan became ineffably agitated. Enough with the flattery and go get ready! Make a copy of your cultivation art and seal it, lest you have nothing to hand over during the transaction. With that, Li Kuanglan tossed her backpack to Qianye, saying, The things you need are in here, Im leaving now. She then left without waiting for Qianye to say goodbye. The latter opened the bag to find special paper, ink, and a number of sealing boxes. He couldnt help but sigh at Li Kuanglans meticulousness. Copying down a secret art was also an art. Copying it word by word would only produce the lowest-level of copies that didnt have much use. The highest level cultivation arts couldnt be copied this way, either. Those arts contained numerous unspeakable profundities, so the author would usually leave some origin power to demonstrate the explanations. That was what made the noble cultivation arts so valuable. The authors were usually their founding fathers or leaders of resurgence, at the very least well-known experts. Their comprehension of the martial dao would be left for future generations as a supreme treasure. In order to better preserve origin power, countless people had racked their brains and experimented with all kinds of retaining materials. Hence, there were materials of all shapes and colors. The national treasure, a secret record hand-written by the founding ancestor, was reportedly recorded in a piece of origin crystal. Both the Mortal Enlightenment and Dawn of Scarlet Gold were hand-written by Luo Bingfeng and the mysterious lady. They couldnt be faked. Now that Qianye was going to write a secret tome, he naturally required special paper, pen, and boxes. What Li Kuanglan didnt know was that the Combatant Formula could actually be copied on any random paper. It would be an absolute waste to use this special paper fit for origin power inheritances. As for the Profound Combatant Formula, it could only be comprehended and not transmitted. Not to mention the fact that Qianye couldnt write it down, even if he could, there was no vessel capable of containing the power of its vortex. Hence, the preparations were much quicker than Li Kuanglan had imagined. Qianye had finished copying the three secret tomes in little over two hours. The two Song Clan Ancient Scrolls took two hours, while the Combatant Formula, just ten minutesand that was only because Qianye was writing slowly and carefully. If he was pressed for time, all he needed to do was write the words, Combatant Formula. Every cultivator under the sky had heard of the Combatant Formula. Back in Tidehark, Luo Yun was narrating his successful negotiation with Li Kuanglan in full detail. After hearing that Li Kuanglan had agreed to the deal, the city lord praised with a delighted expression, Well done! Luo Yun, on the other hand, appeared worried. City Lord, the madam wont agree to this, will she? We cant let her know about this. Luo Bingfeng reminded carefully. His frown only relaxed when the steward agreed. That frown had just relaxed when it knitted together once more. Luo Bingfeng paced around the room, saying, But Song Zining is currently in the Wolf Kings hands. Now thats somewhat difficult. Is there any news from their side? Luo Yun replied, None so far. Luo Bingfeng narrowed his eyes. No reply, heh, how bold! It looks like Im being looked down upon just because Ive been in isolated cultivation for many years. These words contained killing intent. Luo Yun stood to the side, not daring to face the city lords wrath. The Wolf Kings outstanding power was evident from how he was able to challenge Zhang Buzhou. His sin would be significant if Luo Bingfeng and the Wolf King were to clash because of an inappropriate comment. Luo Bingfeng said, How did his injury look when you met him last time? Luo Yun replied cautiously, I cant see through the state of his injury, but large amounts of ancestral power have been applied to certain areas inside Totemic Castle. Additionally, I noticed that theyre preparing for some kind of large scale sacrificial ceremony." Luo Bingfeng sneered, Using ancestral power means either war or recuperation. It looks like the Wolf King was heavily injured. That makes things easier, you go to Totemic Castle again and tell the Wolf King that Ill come personally if he doesnt release the prisoner. Luo Yun was shocked out of his wits. City Lord, you Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 901: Rather The atmosphere in Totemic Castle was austere, and the people going back and forth didnt even dare breathe loudly, lest they attract a disaster. Two great shamans had changed during this period, so everyone else in the tribe could sense the danger upon them. The castle was built at the summit of a precipitous cliff, a highly advantageous position in terms of defense. At first, the castles Eastern-Sea side was largely unguarded, but now there were regular patrols day and night since Qianye killed the great shaman and jumped into the ocean. There was a quiet dungeon below the castle, the depth of which was even greater than the height of the castle itself. Two werewolves in jailors uniform were walking downward along the humid passage at this point, complaining about the weather as they went. Werewolves, as a race, werent afraid of the cold, but they loathed moisture with a passion. There were lamps only at certain intervals along the way, and the dim light from them could barely illuminate a one-meter radius around them. Hence, the greater part of the tunnels was dark. There was a deep green glow in the eyes of the two werewolves. Activating Nightvision was the only way to move unhindered through these passages. The area in front widened at the end of the tunnel and a heavy steel door appeared before them. A small window opened after a period of banging, and the werewolf inside observed the guests for a while, sniffing as he did so. Only afterward did the small window close and the large door opened up. A gush of damp, rotten air poured out as the door opened. Even though they had been here more than just once, the two werewolves couldnt help but shiver and cover up their noses. This kind of odor was extremely uncomfortable to their acute sense of smell. After entering, several men rushed over and began searching the two werewolves from head to toe. One of them said, No need to be so serious, weve been here so many times. The guard replied, Cant help it, the situation is special these days. Its all because of that fellow inside. Itll be over for us if we miss something during inspection. The boxes of food the two werewolves had brought were also checked in great detail, and only returned when the seals were found to be intact. After entering the doors and going through a passage, a large hall appeared before them. The chamber was illuminated by raging flames and decorated with dozens of racks containing various kinds of torture equipment. There were traces of dark blood on the floors and walls, as well as numerous immobile corpses hanging here and there. On each side of the hall was a row of prison cells, including a series of isolated torture chambers. The interior of the torture chambers couldnt be seen from the outside, but one could easily hear the miserable cries coming from within. Even the inherently cruel werewolves couldnt help but tremble. The two werewolves moved swiftly through the hall and took a staircase down from the other end. There were many floors of prison cells below the torture hall. Some were packed with prisoners, while others were completely empty. The tenants of some cells were lying completely still, their fate unknown. The tunnel was filled with a putrid odor from the underground air. The two werewolves circled downward for a fair length of time and finally reached the end of their journey. The air at the end of the passage actually became clearer. The area was suffused with the faint, invigorating scent of the ocean, almost as though it were an immortal realm. The deepest parts of the prison actually became tall and wide. The place was illuminated with the calm, gentle glow of origin lamps, unlike the choking animal-fat torches of the upper cells. There were a handful of empty cells at the end of the hall, and only a single chamber at the very end was lit up. This was also the largest prison cell in the vicinity. The two werewolves arrived outside the prison doors and peered inside. This prison cell was tidy and clean. An origin lamp each on the walls and roof flooded the room with a bright, warm glow. There was a separate toilet at one corner of the prison cell, and there was even a desk, chair, and bookshelf with a dozen or so books. A window was open close to the roof, and outside of it was the Eastern Sea. There were bars on the window, but everyone knew that such steel bars were useless against experts. The thing keeping the prisoner obediently inside the room werent the bars but the Eastern Sea. The two werewolves had cleaned this prison cell before, and they knew that it was less than a hundred meters from the sea. Some of the stronger sea-beasts could easily reach this kind of low-lying position. Even they would tremble instinctively when approaching the windows, not to mention those experts with sharp senses. The desk, chair, and bookshelf were added later on, along with one more origin lamp. The two werewolves had never seen such treatment despite having worked in the prison for many years. There was a young man inside the prison cell, gently reciting the contents of a book. The book in his hand was of magnificent craftsmanshipancient, elegant, and of the perfect thickness. The dark blue cover was bound by golden threads that glowed faintly under the lamplight, a stark difference from the tomes on the shelf. The contents of his recital seemed to talk about the history of a certain dynasty, something the werewolves couldnt at all understand. One of the werewolves banged on the door. Young Noble Song, time to eat. They opened the door, delivered the box of food, and then closed the door once more. There were two sides to the cell doors, but only one of them could be opened each time. The young man inside was Song Zining. He looked to be in rather good shapeit was just that his steps looked weak, almost like an ordinary person without cultivation. There were four dishes, soup, and a flask of wine inside the box. This kind of sumptuous menu was unprecedented in this prison. The werewolves had delivered rations more than once now, but they couldnt help but click their tongues every time they saw the food. After duly consuming his meal, he brought out some paper and pen, wrote some words, and then put it into the box. As if gaining an ultimate treasure, the two werewolves carefully memorized the contents of the paper strip before swallowing it whole. What Song Zining had just penned was a secret art specific to werewolves. The arts grade was fairly mediocre, and there were hundreds if not thousands of such arts in the Song clans depository. These low-level werewolves, however, could only pounce forward with brute force in battle. How could they ever get their hands on a secret art? One of the werewolves glanced at the surroundings and whispered, Our messenger respects your great fame and wishes to see you. Song Zining smiled. See me? Here? I think thatll be difficult. The werewolf said, Us crawlers are everywhere. It may be difficult, but its never impossible. Song Zining nodded. Ill be here for a couple of days still, just let him come then. The werewolves burst into smiles upon hearing Song Zinings agreement. They quickly packed away the food and left. Song Zining sat down, produced an ancient scroll from his right hand, and began reciting it slowly. This book was actually conjured from the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, a thought-provoking scene indeed. But the day was destined not to be quiet. He hadnt flipped through a lot of pages when footsteps rang out in the hallway. Someone arrived with loud footsteps, laughing. Seventh Brother, are you doing well? Song Zining felt somewhat surprised. He looked out and saw the approaching person. Song Zian? So its you. Song Zian laughed radiantly and said while shaking his head, Zining, thats not nice. We havent seen each other for so long, yet you wont even call me brother? Song Zining replied calmly, Ive long since left the Song Clan, so Im unrelated to you. Wont it be a humiliation if I try to cling to our relationship now? Song Zians smile froze. Song Zining! Youre in my hands now, how dare you act so insolent? Its been so many years now, the ancestor wont look twice at me because of your presence! What do you have? Whats so great about you? Its all blind luck, worming your way to Heavenly Monarch Zhangs side and fighting a couple of battles. As for Ningyuan Heavy Industries, how could it have reached this stage if it wasnt for the old ancestors bias? Song Zining replied, What a joke. Song Zian erupted in anger. He grabbed Song Zining by the collar and lifted him up, roaring, Do you dare say Ningyuan was built by your sole efforts? You dare say the old ancestor wasnt supporting you in secret? Do you dare to claim that your accomplishments today arent related to her bias? How many years has it been? My Zian heavy industries can only produce three types of auxiliary equipment in this time-period, yet your Ningyuan can already build airships! What gives you that right? How am I inferior to you!? At this point, Song Zians expression was twisted and sinister. As if screaming hysterically wasnt enough yet, he pushed Song Zining violently and sent him crashing to the floor. The latter slowly clambered up, wiped away the blood from the corners of his mouth, and said, You wont believe it even if I say I built Ningyuan from the ground up. Song Zian broke into a laugh. Do you think Im an idiot? Whos going to believe you? The old ancestor favors you, anyone can attest to that. Why you? What makes you the future god of strategy? Were brothers, how am I inferior to you? Song Zining tidied up his chaotic clothes and gazed at Song Zian with eyes full of sympathy. Were brothers originally, and theres not much difference between us. But you guys enjoyed an easy life since a young age, never stopping cultivation yet experiencing no life-or-death training. While all of you were living a life of extravagance, Ive been to Evernight, the bloody battle, the neutral lands, everywhere. Just look at you, only rank-eleven at this age, youre lagging behind even in terms of level. Do you think youll ever reach divine champion in this lifetime? Song Zian turned increasingly red. He finally roared, Shut up! Ill kill you if you keep talking. I can kill you with a flick of my finger now! Song Zining replied calmly, I only said so much because were brothers. In fact, the old ancestor had already made a mistake back then. If she had sent you all with me to Yellow Springs, our Song clan wouldnt be much weaker than the Zhao today. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 902: Brothers Dont think youre so special just because youve been to Yellow Springs. If it wasnt for the old ancestors favoritism, how could you get so ahead of us? You were only rank four when you came out of the training camp, what difference was there? Song Zining shook his head. The gap is so big that it cant be remedied. You guys only see a persons rank, but you dont know that the true purpose of Yellow Springs is to stimulate ones potential by having them toe the line between life and death. It trained us to maximally utilize our resources and grasp every small opportunity. These things have long since become second nature by the time we were out from Yellow Springs. So, all the chances you missed were akin to golden opportunities for me. Its the same in the business world, and that is the reason why your business and mine are so different despite having started at the same time. Song Zian was livid. He was actually quite intelligent and could grasp the logic in Song Zinings words. But that was exactly what made it so difficult for him to accept. Opportunity never knocks twice, and it was too late now since he didnt go to Yellow Springs back then. Besides, his parents had sent him there because he wasnt favored in the family and that was his only chance. Song Zining had been the laughingstock of the family for many years, up until the Song family examination. Song Zian sneered, What use did Yellow Spring have? Arent you in my hands right now? Seventh Brother, the mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind. You enjoyed a period of glory back then, but you didnt think youd fall into this situation, did you? Song Zining shrugged. I suffered a small accident a couple of days ago and lost my divination powers. Thats how I ended up staying here for a couple of days, but this is just a small setback and Ill naturally recover after a short while. Song Zian suddenly struck Song Zining in the abdomen! This punch was extremely heavy. With his origin power sealed, Song Zining had no origin power defenses at allhe curled up like a shrimp and couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. Not yet satisfied, Song Zian delivered numerous kicks to Song Zinings face until it was all bloody. Heaving and huffing, he laughed neurotically. Ha! Now lets see who wants to marry you! Haha, haha! Isnt the seventh young noble so elegant and romantic? Is that how it is? After the blows had stopped, Song Zining slowly got up and wiped the blood away from his face. Although his face was swollen and his nose had been fractured, there was still an unperturbed smile on his face. The more that was the case, the fiercer Song Zians anger burnt. He grabbed Song Zining by the collar and roared, Whats with that look? Speak! Why are you looking at me like that? Speak quickly or Ill beat you to death! There was some pity in Song Zinings eyes at first, but it soon turned into cold indifference. Song Zian, its time you got on with your business. Ill let you beat me up as you wish right now, you wont have the chance later on. Startled, Song Zian was quickly drenched in cold sweat, but he became furious soon afterward. Trying to frighten me, eh? You dont even have your divination powers, how will you know what Im going to do? Song Zining simply kept quiet. Song Zian replied, Fine! Ill give you a chance. Ill let you live if you hand over your Ningyuan command token and all technical schematics. Song Zining sighed. As expected, theres no progress at all despite the passage of the years. Is Ningyuan all you want? What can you do even if I give it to you? Ningyuan Heavy Industries will be better managed in my hands! I wont have to fear Song Zicheng at that point, and the clan lord position will be mine for the taking. You were never focused on your business, how could you ever have the time to manage it seriously? And you dare say no one helped you. Besides, Ningyuan isnt even yours. Its the Song clans since the old ancestor paid for it! Song Zining said indifferently, To set your mind at rest, Ill tell you once more, Ningyuan Heavy Industries has never taken a dime of the Song clans money. And letting you beat me up has nothing to do with you. I did certain things and thus have to pay the price for it. Itll be someone else if not you. Song Zian sensed a surge of restlessness. What are you trying to say? Song Zining said in a carefree manner, Simple, youre really not as important as you think you are. Even now, theres no difference whether or not youre here. Song Zian lifted Song Zining by the throat, saying, No difference? Will there be a difference if I strangle you to death? It was at this time that Song Zians body tensed up. A sharp intent pierced into his spine and deprived him of the ability to move. A werewolf in shaman clothing walked inside and brushed away Song Zians hands. Song Zinings face was bright red at this point, and he only recovered after coughing for a good while. From this, it was obvious just how ruthless the attack was just now. The werewolf shaman said, Young Noble Song, you can leave now. Please follow me. Wait! Song Zining stopped the werewolf shaman. Do you have a mirror or anything, lend it to me. How could there be any mirror in a dungeon? But the Shaman reacted flexibly, passing Song Zining his dagger instead. The blade was shiny, reflective, and could be easily used as a mirror. Song Zining checked his swollen face in the reflection and said in satisfaction, Not bad, not bad! Seeing Song Zining and the shaman about to leave the prison, the immobile Song Zian cried out, Wait! Are you going to let him go just like that!? Youve already made a promise to me! The werewolf shaman shot the man a cold glance. Someone paid more. Song Zian was shocked out of his wits. No, how can you guys act this way? This is a deal, how can you go back on your words? A deal? I dont know anything about that, neither does the Wolf King, the Shaman said coldly. No, no! Ill pay more. How much did they pay? Ill match their price or even raise it. Ill raise it by half, no, double! The werewolf shaman halted his steps. That means youre quite rich. Song Zian nodded. Yes, yes, our Song clan might not have other things, but we have a lot of money! Song Zining sighed all of a sudden. The shaman said thoughtfully, That means we can get even more money by capturing you? Song Zian was shocked. Im just a small character in the Song clan, sent here to negotiate. Im really not worth that much. The shaman seemed convincedhe sized Song Zian up from head to toe without a word. Song Zian felt relieved. Sire Shaman, are we not going to continue our deal? The shaman said coldly, We cant. You cannot match the other partys offer. What will it take then? Song Zian probed. A flash of impatience appeared in the Shamans eyes. According to your standards, we can discuss things if you have a divine champion whos not afraid of dying. Song Zian became embarrassed. The only divine champion among the direct line was Duchess An. The old lady indeed possessed powerful cultivation, but she was already old and needed to stay alive to prop up the entire clan. There was no way she could fight anyone at this point. All characters at that level were major characters; how could they be lacking in money? What they needed were rare cultivation resources, and even the Song clan didnt have such items in excess. Hence, it was inherently hard to hire a divine champion, let alone one who would fight with their life on the line. Speaking quite frankly, someone of Song Zians position would find it difficult to even befriend a divine champion. Song Zian wasnt willing to give up. He pointed at Song Zining and asked, Dont tell me theres a divine champion willing to fight to the death for him? Seriously? Unexpectedly, the Shaman replied, Oh that divine champion isnt fighting to the death, hes here to suppress us. We have no choice but to agree, you understand? Song Zian was dazed momentarily. He pondered momentarily before realizing the meaning of these words. Suppressing Totemic Castle meant suppressing the Wolf King! Song Zian more or less understood what kind of power the Wolf King was. Yet the other party could suppress him! Such a character wasnt someone Song Zian could provoke, even with his Song clan background. Such a person was enough to contend with the old ancestor, a true tyrant. His death would be meaningless if he were to provoke the other party because the Song clan wouldnt make such an enemy for him. Such a character was willing to stand up for Song Zining! For a moment, Song Zian felt both jealous and hateful but, at the same time, terrified. In his urgency, he channeled his origin power to break his bindings and recover his movements. He pulled on the shamans sleeve, saying, I wont ask for my money back. I only have one request, cripple his origin power. Hows that? Just one request! Song Zining sighed lightly, not bothering to say anything. The shaman revealed a disdainful expression. You humans are so sinister that youll even harm your own brother. No wonder Evernight has you on your dying gasp. Song Zian didnt find this embarrassing at all. He simply looked on at the shaman with a frantic expression, waiting for his reply. Meanwhile, Song Zining said with a serious expression, The Great Qin Empire has stood for thousands of years, producing talented heroes and expanding its territory with every generation. Weve already conquered four continents and now were fighting for the void continent, poised to go even further upward. Humph, even the orthodox werewolves dont dare utter such insolence! Even this young master can beat up your forces with just a band of rag-tag soldiers, not to mention there are countless experts in the empire more powerful than I am. The nerve of you! The merciless words caused the werewolf Shamans eyes to spew fire. Song Zian felt secretly delighted as he wanted nothing more than for the Shaman to act up and cripple Song Zining. As for the empires glory, that was too far of a matter. Nothing was more important than the business at hand. ... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 903: Struggling at Death’s Door As Song Zian saw it, Song Zinings life was hanging by a thread at this moment. Daring to wag his tongue in this manner was akin to courting death. Although this seventh brother was known for his scheming, it would seem he had turned dumb from that beating just now. He had actually made such a dumb move. But him courting death was the best outcome, and Song Zian was more than happy to watch things unfold. Otherwise, he would never be able to sleep well if this prisoner were to escape. However, the unexpected happened. The werewolf shaman was so angry that his fangs were out, yet he stayed his hand and didnt even retort. Everyone knows humans like to kick benefactors in the teeth. When you leave, I hope youll remember how our race treated you here. Hearing these words, Song Zian almost felt like coughing up blood. Song Zining had indeed received good treatment in the Wolf Kings hands, but that was because the seventh young master himself was an expensive commodity that had to be cared for well, lest he doesnt fetch a good price. And it just so happened that Song Zian was the one who had paid this price. How could he not feel vexed? At first, Song Zian had naturally hoped to see an intact seventh young master. It would be more fun that way. Hearing these words, Song Zian felt a chill in his heart. Sire Shaman, what of my suggestion? The furious shaman wasnt about to treat him politely. What suggestion!? The other party wants an intact prisoner, we still dont know if his current state is acceptable. Scram! Ill feed you to the fish if you keep spouting nonsense! Song Zian was dumbfounded. As someone used to being arrogant and overbearing, he couldnt help but erupt in curses, You long-haired beasts dont recognize a favor when you see one! Fine, give me my money back and Ill leave immediately. Who wouldve thought the shaman would roll his eyes, saying, Money? What money? Song Zian felt a sudden chill from head to toe. The money I gave you in exchange for him. The shaman was expressionless. Really? Why dont I know anything about that? Song Zians face turned red, and he could smell a fishy scent welling up in his mouth. This was a massive sum. He wouldnt be able to handle the loss if something were to happen. His original intentions were to pay a steep price for Ningyuan Heavy Industriesany price was worth it. Who wouldve thought the Wolf King would go back on his words? Not to mention refusing to hand over the person, he wouldnt even return the money. Bastards, return my money! Song Zian pounced forward with a furious roar. Nonetheless, the Werewolf Shaman was far more powerful than Song Zian, to begin with. He sent the latter sprawling to the ground with a kick, saying, Men, toss him down the mountain. If he climbs up again, kill him and throw him into the Eastern Sea! A couple of werewolf soldiers arrived and dragged Song Zian away. At this point, Song Zining said, Second Young Noble, if I were you, I would run as far away as possible after leaving the gates. Otherwise, things will turn really unhappy if you run into the people coming to pick me up. The werewolf shaman said after the man had been dragged away, He wanted to kill you several times over, yet you treat him this well? This doesnt seem like the style of a future divine strategist. As far as us werewolves are concerned, theres only one outcome for such an enemy, and thats to tear him apart. Song Zining replied calmly, Hes still a Song family member. He can die in my hands, but he cannot be humiliated in the hands of another. You humans are difficult to understand. Song Zining only smiled. A middle-aged man was already waiting in the main hall of Totemic Castle. Upon seeing Song Zining, he approached respectfully and said, You must be the seventh young noble? This lowly one is Luo Yun, I was commanded to welcome you. Luo Yun? Why have you come to pick me up? You will know when the time comes. Luo Yun summoned two maids with a wave of his hand, instructing them to clean Song Zinings wounds and change his bloodstained clothes. Song Zining said, Bring the clothes but let the wounds be. Moments later, Song Zining and Luo Yun arrived at the airship port around the base of the mountain and boarded the waiting airship. In a different location, Qianye felt time crawling forward little by little. Finally, he managed to get through the two days of waiting. At noon that day, Li Kuanglan appeared beside Qianye once more. Are you ready? Qianye nodded as he showed the two boxes in his hand. So its two secret inheritance, but that makes no difference. The time is nigh, follow me. Li Kuanglan wasnt interested in Qianyes arts, nor did she ask any details. All she did was release a signal directly. Moments later, an airship appeared above to take the two of them away. At this point, the battlefield had already been cleaned up quite well, and there was almost nothing left except for some pieces of bloodstained armor and weapons. One could hardly tell that a fierce battle had taken place here at one point. The environment in the neutral lands was harsh, and the many creatures that inhabit it had to scavenge what they could find. The corpses of the fallen would be reduced to dried skeletons in a matter of days, their flesh and blood transformed into nutritious material for other creatures. The battlefield before them was indeed such a place. Not much time had passed, yet the corpses had been chewed clean, leaving only broken pieces of armor and weapons scattered across the austere land. There was an airship hovering over the center of the battlefield, and below it stood several people. Luo Yun and Du Yuan were among them, as well as a young man in light clothing flapping a fan. Li Kuanglan commanded the airship to stop a hundred meters away, from where the two of them flew toward the transaction point. Zining! Qianye erupted with killing intent when he saw Song Zinings battered face. Li Kuanglan pressed Qianyes shoulder, releasing an icy intent from her hand as she did soshe was afraid that he would act impulsively. Qianye calmed himself down and walked over to Luo Yun. Is this your definition of unharmed? Its just some flesh injury, and they werent even caused by us. Youll have to ask Young Noble Song for the details, Luo Yun spoke in a neutral tone. Thatd better be the case. Qianye felt relieved to find that Song Zinings injuries werent heavy. Luo Yun checked the time, saying, Lets get the exchange going, lest unexpected problems arise. No small number of people are after Young Noble Song. Seeing Qianyes nod, Luo Yun ordered his men to start setting up an origin array. After adding certain components to the fledgling formation and installing the black crystals, the array was ready to operate. Qianye shot Li Kuanglan a glance and, seeing her nod, stepped into the array. This formation served to support Heart Reflection and amplify its effects. Even divine champions would find it hard to block the arts probe inside. Luo Yun was just about to step into the array when his vision blurred. Shocked by the figure appearing in front of him, he exclaimed, Madam! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 904: Good Price Shaken, Qianye made to step out of the array. This mysterious woman never attacked, but the pressure she was exerting was no smaller than Luo Bingfengs. Qianye instinctively wanted to put some distance in-between. The lady didnt enter the array. She simply stood beside it, saying, Why wasnt I informed of such an important matter. Luo Yun appeared embarrassed. This lowly one didnt act without authorization, its on the city lords orders. The woman replied, Now that Ive already discovered it, you can go back. Leave this matter to me. With that, she gestured at Qianye. Come in, am I that scary? Qianye didnt enter the array and simply stood there with East Peak in hand. Her appearance had changed the atmospherethe winds felt like a storm was brewing over the horizon. She glanced at Qianye with a sudden smile. I plan to stop the deal if I feel that it isnt reasonable. What do you think about that? Shaken, Qianye shot a glance at the nearby Song Zining and made to speak. But Li Kuanglan appeared beside him and pressed on his shoulder. Wait! Let me She took a step forward, saying, Is the madam going back on her words? The lady replied, It cant be considered that since I didnt know about it, nor was I a part of it. Since its related to me, however, its only right that I should have a say. What I mean is that the deal can take place, but the conditions should be rediscussed. Li Kuanglan was resolute. No negotiation! The woman frowned slightly. Now thats no attitude for business. You guys should hold up your end of the bargain, or else Or else what? Well just call off the deal if worse comes to worst. The seventh young master is worth quite a bit right now, even his head will fetch a reasonable price. Qianye broke into a frown; scarlet flames started flickering on East Peak. This woman had been touching his bottom line repeatedly since her appearance. After going through so much and now that Song Zining was right in front of his eyes, Qianye wasnt about to play games with his friends life. The woman shot Qianye a glance, and then asked Li Kuanglan in a meaningful tone, This Young Noble Li, I think youre actually unconcerned about Song Zinings fate. You just want Mortal Enlightenment, dont you? If thats the case, we dont mind making a different deal. Qianye was somewhat alarmed because this womans words made sense. Mortal Enlightenment was useless to Qianye, and his true concern was Song Zinings safety. Li Kuanglan, however, was adamant about this condition. Would she put the hostage in danger just for the art? But from their long period of interaction and trust, Qianye was confident that this wasnt Li Kuanglans intention. Hence, he simply maintained his silence. Li Kuanglan shot Qianye a glance, seemingly touched and surprised. Who wouldve thought youd trust me? Must I trust her, if not you? Qianye replied. Li Kuanglan glanced back at the woman with a bit of disappointment. Does the Madam plan to renege on her words? The woman replied calmly, So what if I do? Li Kuanglan sneered, You dont think youll be safe just by hiding in Tidehark, do you? The woman chuckled. Of course its safe. Enough, the clock is ticking. Ill just ask Qianye now, will you be willing to go through with the same deal but without Mortal Enlightenment? Qianye was just about to reply when Li Kuanglan cut in, Ignore her! The woman raised her left hand and blew gently upon it. In the blink of an eye, a golden thread appeared from the tip of her fingers and stretched all the way to around Song Zinings neck. This thread was originally transparent, so even Qianye didnt notice it. It only appeared in view after being dyed golden. Qianyes expression changed slightly when he found Song Zinings life in the other partys hands. This made negotiations difficult. What do you say? the woman asked. Qianye pondered for a moment, and then shot a glance at Song Zining. Fine. Song Zining shook his head with a light sigh. You really arent fit for negotiating stuff! Kuanglan is so much better than you. Qianye paid him no heed. He stared at the woman and said, This is final. The womans expression transformed drastically. Just as everyone was thinking she would be suggesting some other terms, she said with a charming smile, Actually, Mortal Enlightenment is nothing too important. Lets just go with the original terms. While Qianye was in a daze, she had already stepped into the formation. Are you waiting for me to change my mind? Afraid that she would really change her mind, Qianye followed her into the array. The origin array started to operate. Specks of starlight appeared around the lady, revolving brilliantly around her as she said, Im willing to trade Mortal Enlightenment and Young Noble Song Zining for Qianyes secret cultivation art. With a simple beckon, the box in Luo Yuns hand flew into her grasp. The complete secret records of Mortal Enlightenment are in here. There is nothing left out or wrong. As she spoke, the starlight around her retained their clear blue color. Qianye had also cultivated Heart Reflection, so he knew that this sign meant the other party was speaking the truth. Normally, only a couple of starlight specks would appear around those who cultivated Heart Reflection. Qianye received much praise for his talents after producing seven on his first day of cultivation, yet this lady was surrounded by hundreds of them. Such a scene surprised Li Kuanglan as well. This ladys accomplishments in Heart Reflection could be attributed to her success in the path of divination. Her power definitely wasnt below that of the Li family. How could such a woman not know of this deal beforehand? Qianye didnt have that many misgivings. He also channeled Heart Reflection to produce seven starry lights, and he then fished out the two boxes from his backpack. The two cultivation arts here are the ones I used to produce Venus Dawn. There is nothing left out or wrong in them. The starlight around him didnt change after he had said those words. With a nod, the lady exchanged sealed boxes with Qianye. Then, she called Song Zining over and removed the golden thread wrapped around his neck. Qianye slashed several times at and around Song Zining, effectively confirming that there were no threads in the space around him. Only then did he pull the latter behind him. Good swordsmanship! The lady praised. It would seem youre not just a brilliant marksman but also equally skilled with the blade. Those who think they can bring you down at close range will be in for a nasty surprise. Thank you for the praise. Qianye wasnt moved. The woman didnt press on, either, and only said to Luo Yun, Lets go back. Luo Yun replied, Madam, wont you check the records inside? The lady replied calmly, This is Luo Bingfengs deal, so well just let him do the checking. Luo Yun didnt insist. He simply followed her onto the airship back to Tidehark. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 905: Take Care Despite the twists and turns throughout the transaction, it ended quite smoothly toward the end. The ladys mood fluctuated repeatedly, making it difficult for anyone to guess which words she had meant and which otherwise. Additionally, no one understood why she had revealed her great divination attainments. Nonetheless, the trade was the primary objective, and with that out of the way, Qianye was no longer willing to remain in these dangerous lands. He had many things to ask Song Zining, but he could ask him all the same upon their return. Hence, the group duly boarded the airship and returned to Southern Blue. On the airship, the old man from before was sitting in the main cabinsilently and with his eyes closed. Song Zining was shocked out of his wits upon seeing him. Eunuch Liu! The old man opened his eyes ever so slightly and shot Song Zining a glance. So young yet quite bold. You actually managed to drag me to the neutral lands, quite the rare occurrence truly. Song Zinings frivolous attitude had vanished completely at this point. He replied with due respect, This young one really didnt know you would be troubled for this matter. Please forgive me. Eunuch Liu waved his hand. Let it be. These old bones have been stuck in the palace for long enough. I should come out and get some fresh air anyway or Ill get rusty. Im aching all over whenever theres bad weather. Song Zining said immediately, There are some good things in the neutral lands. I heard some medicines here have miraculous effects against rheumatism and are especially suited for people with powerful cultivations. These medicines arent super valuable, but they are a bit difficult to find. Qianye and I will help you find some later on. Fairly satisfied, the old eunuch said with a nod, I appreciate your rare show of goodwill, but I cant stay very long and will be hurrying back tomorrow. The neutral lands is a world for you youngsters. Song Zining was startled. That fast? Then Ill send someone to deliver the medicines to you when we find them. Eunuch Liu smiled in delight. Send a bit more if it isnt too valuable. The palace is cold and humid, there are a lot of other old fellows with the same condition. Itll be difficult to split the medicine if theres not enough. Rest assured, well do our best to find them. I was just wondering why that lady was so easy to deal with, turns out it was because of your presence. Eunuch Liu nodded softly. I felt annoyed at her ambiguity, so I released a bit of my aura for her to see, lest things turn out troublesome. With that, Eunuch Liu beckoned Qianye over. You must be Qianye, come over and let me see. Qianye glanced about and only walked over when he got a nod from Li Kuanglan and Song Zining. Truthfully speaking, Qianye was instinctively unwilling to approach an unknown expert like Eunuch Liunot unlike how fierce beasts would stay away from one another. This feeling wasnt evident before because he wasnt strong enough, but now his instincts were growing stronger and stronger due to the sharp upgrade in origin power and blood energy. Eunuch Liu smiled. Come closer. What are you afraid of? Its not like Ill eat you. Qianye braced himself and took a step forward, arriving within two meters of the old man. He was no longer willing to get closer than this. His instincts were sending him strong signals that this Eunuch Liu wasnt as peaceful as he seemed on the surfacehe was full of power and could erupt at any moment. Eunuch Liu didnt ask Qianye to come any closer. He sized the latter up from head to toe and praised, Not bad, I surely didnt have this level of power when I was his age. Eunuch Liu flicked his thumb lightly against his index finger, eliciting a crisp explosive sound. This flick immediately sent Qianyes heartbeat out of controlit sped up all of a sudden, pumping a torrent of warm blood to all parts of his body. Qianye was astonished. His hearts role, under normal circumstances, was quite small due to the presence of a blood core. If it wasnt for his daybreak origin power protecting the organ all this time, this important organ mightve been transformed by auric flame blood. Eunuch Liu had used a mysterious ability, bringing about thunder and making Qianyes heart lose control with a flick of his fingers. This method had actually penetrated through Qianyes origin power and blood energy defenses to reach the heart. It was extremely powerful. After recovering from the initial shock, Qianyes origin power and blood energy kicked into circulation. They forcibly suppressed his heart, stopping it from beating too fast. Otherwise, there was no telling whether he would die of a ruptured heart. Eunuch Liu only flicked that once and no more. As the sound of thunder gradually faded away, Qianyes heartbeat returned to normal. Eunuch Liu nodded. Not bad, even I am envious of your physique. Qianye, you should consider certain things carefully after I leave. With that person protecting you, whatever you did in the past wont be a problem. Qianye was puzzled as to who Eunuch Liu was referring to. Nonetheless, the old man was pointing upward as he said this, so it had to be a certain major character. Who could it be? A prince, princess, imperial consort, or maybe even one of the two empresses? Qianye had no idea when he had become connected to these people, but it would seem Eunuch Liu wasnt willing to divulge anything, either. The man closed his eyes once more and made no other movement. Li Kuanglan kept on gazing out of the window, almost as though there was some sort of exceptional view outside. Qianye glanced over at her suspicious figure and noticed her shoulders shrinking slightly as his gaze landeda clear response. This raised suspicions in Qianyes heart. As he saw it, Li Kuanglan was feeling guilty because she knew something but was keeping it from him. Qianye was just about to go up and ask when Song Zining dragged him by the sleeve and shot him a meaningful glance. Qianye followed the seventh young master out of the cabin. As they reached a secluded passage, the latter said, This Eunuch Liu is of significant background. He was an extremely powerful general during the last emperors reign. Later on, the emperor suffered numerous ambushes and was heavily wounded during one of them. That was when Eunuch Liu entered the palace to serve as the emperors personal guardian. Countless dark races have died in his hands throughout the years. As far as I know, hes the number one expert in the current imperial palace. Qianye was surprised. No wonder the old man had given him so much pressure. That finger-snap of his was as strange as it was powerfulthe victim would be hard-pressed to respond immediately if struck on the battlefield, and that moment was enough to decide their fate. Why did Eunuch Liu come to the neutral lands? Shouldnt he be protecting the emperor? Song Zining replied, His elderly graces arrival naturally means the business is important. What business could it be? Qianye was still clueless. Song Zining, however, seemed quite cautious about it. Youll find out one of these days, its related to you. The more Song Zining tried to beat around the bush, the more Qianye wanted to know. Nonetheless, he was helpless since Song Zining kept his mouth shut and wasnt willing to divulge anything. Just as he was about to press on, Eunuch Lius voice echoed in the duos ears. This matter is extremely important, otherwise, I wouldnt have come here personally. But Lil Seven, since I was sent here personally, you should realize that persons attitude regarding this matter. Its fine if things work out, but you know the outcome otherwise. I wont be this delighted if I have to run this errand again, so you better take care of yourself. Song Zinings expression changed drastically. He smiled ruefully and became lost in thoughtwho knew what he was scheming? Unexpectedly, Eunuch Liu continued, Theres nothing more important in that persons eyes. You suggested this matter, so you have to make it happen at any cost. Dont even think about getting away because of your merits. None of your contributions will help if this matter doesnt go off smoothly. This time, Song Zinings countenance collapsed entirely, and he had nothing left to say. All he could do was let out a long sigh. Even Qianye realized from the old mans tone that things were quite serious. Zining, what exactly is going on? Let me know a bit, so that I can help you shoulder the burden. Song Zining laughed wryly upon hearing those words. Share the burden? When the time comes, itll be good enough if you dont kick me while Im down. Sigh, its all my fault. I should have known my limits and not played so big. Qianye was baffled. What exactly is this about? How is it related to me? Its not just related. The airship sped forward in due haste. On the vessel, Eunuch Liu sat as still as a mountain, his eyes closed and his mouth shut. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining, on the other hand, were both drowning in their own worries. The former was still gazing out of the window, while the latter was hiding in a corner, banging his head against the wall. Only Qianye was filled with such curiosity that he almost wanted to scratch at the cabin. At this moment, another airship had just landed in Tidehark. Luo Bingfeng was already waiting in the study when Luo Yun entered. The city lord said in great delight when he saw the two boxes in the stewards hands, Youve got your hands on it? Luo Yun presented the two boxes. Everything went smoothly. Qianye also passed the Heart Reflection, so the cultivation arts should be genuine. Luo Bingfeng smiled as he took over the sealed boxes. All is good then. With these secret arts, Nannans cultivation can take a step forward and her chances of recovery will increase. Luo Yun said, City Lord, the Wolf King sent word, asking us to compensate them for their loss regarding Song Zining. Luo Bingfeng was in a good mood. Give them what they want as long as its within reason. Yes, City Lord, Luo Yun replied but didnt leave immediately. Seeing this, the city lord asked curiously, Is there anything else. Luo Yun hesitated for a moment. This theres actually something. Im wondering if I should say it. Just say what you must, stop beating around the bush. Well the madam was also present during the transaction. Luo Bingfeng shot out of his seat in shock. What? How come? At this moment, the ladys gentle voice arrived from outside the room. Why cant I? Are you so afraid that Ill find out? Luo Bingfeng was immediately stoppered up. Of course not, theres nothing I can hide from you. The woman entered the study and pointed at the sealed boxes. The things are here, dont you plan to take a look? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 906: Did he Lie? Luo Bingfeng didnt open the box just yet. Instead, he said with a frown, Is there supposed to be any problems? Dont tell me that Qianye dares to lie to me? The lady replied, Qianye passed the trial of Heart Reflection, so hes definitely speaking the truth. Then what are you worried about? The lady sighed softly. Bingfeng, just think about it, how can a secret record of such caliber be so easy to obtain? My past divination results have shown that this endeavor will likely be a waste of effort, but you just wont listen. Luo Binfeng replied, Nannan, you should know that Ill do anything as long as there exists the tiniest bit of hope for your recovery. Ive already been in this state for many years, Ive long since accepted my fate. Luo Bingfeng raised his voice, But I havent! The lady pointed helplessly at the box. Then lets open it up. Luo Bingfengs cut the box open with a swipe of his finger and fished out three secret records from within. His vision darkened as he laid eyes on the first one, almost blacking out in the process. The name Combatant Formula was like a clap of thunder that turned his mind blank for the moment. He came to moments later, but his hands were trembling from anger. T-This how can this be? Its the Combatant Formula? This Qianye actually dares to lie to me! Does he really think I dont dare to kill him? Ill go into Southern Blue and kill that little thief even if I have to use up my half days quota of freedom! The lady held Luo Bingfengs hand. Lets go through the contents first before deciding. What do you say? Luo Bingfeng was usually a calm personhe was simply flustered due to his great concern about this matter. He calmed down afterward and began going through the Combatant Formula, reading every line in great detail. He read rather slowly, taking the time to digest even the simplest of words. But no matter how carefully he read, the secret record very quickly reached its end since it was little more than a thousand words long. Additionally, the contents were extremely simple and contained nothing to meditate upon. This wasnt strange, though, since this art was for the most ordinary soldiers of the empire to train in. How deep could it be? Many of them couldnt even readthey had to rely on their trainers recitation to cultivate it. Only after reaching the last word did Luo Bingfeng give up entirely, realizing that this cultivation art was the commonly found Combatant Formula. He was so angry that he was trembling all over. Well done well done, Qianye! Luo Bingfeng wanted to tear the secret record apart in his anger, but the lady held his hand, saying, There are two more, arent there? Perhaps theres some other profundity to it. Its not too late to tear things up after reading them all. Luo Bingfeng suppressed his anger. Fine, lets see what the other two are about. He randomly picked one up and flipped through it carefully. He was immediately drawn in this time, and his expression gradually relaxed. He took much longer than the last time, even closing his eyes to ponder on the contents after he had finished reading. This secret art is outrageous. It can actually simulate the power of a worldly vortex and use it to purify ones origin power. Judging from this, it might really be able to cultivate Venus Dawn since the latter is, quite frankly, just origin power of extreme purity. After sighing in admiration, Luo Bingfeng said pensively, But there are two things I dont quite understand. Firstly, the power of the worldly vortex is indeed powerful, but how can the human body even withstand that kind of force? It has to be restrained in some way. Secondly, considering how pure Qianyes origin power is, probably less than ten percent of his void origin power would remain after the purification process. What kind of cultivation art could provide such a massive amount of origin power? None of the arts I know possess this kind of cultivation speed. Without that, the cultivators progress will be delayed significantly, and he might end up even weaker than those without Venus Dawn. The lady replied, Lets finish reading the last one before coming to a conclusion. Luo Bingfeng nodded as he took the secret record from the ladys hands. His expression transformed drastically as he read on, turning more and more unsightly along the way. He suddenly picked up the Glory Chapter he had been reading before and blurted out as he compared the two, What Mystery and Glory Chapters!? This is clearly the Scroll of Primal Chaos! The lady, however, was quite calm. Mystery and Glory might be the empires name for the Scroll of Primal Chaos. Luo Bingfeng could no longer endure. He picked up the three secret records, ready to tear them to pieces. The woman reached out to stop him. Why go to all this trouble? That little thief Qianye is too intolerable! I swear Ill tear him to shreds! Bingfeng, what he has given us might not be problematic even if this is the Scroll of Primal Chaos. Dont forget that hes passed the trial of Heart Reflection. He was telling the truth. However, Luo Bingfeng felt even more frustrated. Nannan, just think about it. Countless people from the empire and Evernight have tried to cultivate the Scroll of Primal Chaos since the day it emerged from the Great Maelstrom. Almost everyone exploded, and the luckier ones had their cultivations crippled. How is this not a problem? Bingfeng, you said just now that training in the Glory Chapter would require one to be able to withstand the power of the vortex. If one were to also cultivate the Mystery Chapter at the same time, wont the two powers keep each other in check and form a balanced state? Thats in theory, but who can have daybreak and evernight origin powers at the same time? A dark race member cultivating daybreak origin power is no different from self-immolation, and humans cultivating darkness origin power will lose their daybreak foundation. Whos going to cultivate this kind of art? The woman smiled. Thats beside the point as long as the theory is plausible. As I see it, the Combatant Formula is key to the massive amount of required origin power. Otherwise, Qianye wouldnt go to the extra trouble of giving us an art that can be found almost anywhere. Luo Bingfeng was skeptical, but he picked up the Combatant Formula and read through it again. He said in a puzzled manner, Isnt this just the Combatant Formula? How can there be anything extra profound? The woman said, Theres nothing special about the cultivation process, but that might not be the case of ones level. The empires Martial Monarch and Prince Greensun had both reached the fiftieth level before. The former is from a senior generation, so we wont discuss him, but why would a character like Zhang Boqian cultivate the Combatant Formula up to the fiftieth level before switching to a new one? Considering how rich the Zhang clan was, it was impossible that he couldnt find a suitable cultivation art. Why would he do something so meaningless if there wasnt anything miraculous about the Combatant Formula? He couldve just cultivated something else from the very beginning. Luo Bingfeng looked pensive. What you mean is the Combatant Formula will only reveal its profundities beyond the fiftieth wave? Very likely. This time, Luo Bingfeng could only smile wryly. Using the tides to draw upon the origin power inside ones body, the Combatant Formula looks simple, but the recoil grows exponentially with the number of waves. Even a body of steel will be shattered toward the latter parts of cultivation. With my current constitution, I can only reach up to the thirty-fifth wave at most. Any more than that and Ill have to worry about my life. How can people like us compare with the Martial Monarch and Prince Greensun? The lady sighed softly. You wouldnt stop there in the past. Luo Bingfeng was quite honest. Even in my past state, I wont be able to pass the fortieth wave. The Combatant Formula becomes exponentially more violent toward the fiftieth wave, and every level is like a different realm. How can anyone cultivate past that? Humph, the opening of a new world beyond rank fifty is but a guess. That Qianye can forget about trying to deceive us using this loophole. Perhaps he isnt trying to deceive us Impossible! You jest Luo Bingfeng had only reached halfway with his words when he turned silent, his face full of astonishment. Dont tell me that Qianye has reached the fiftieth level? The woman said seriously, Its very probable. Ridiculous! Doesnt that mean hes just as talented as Prince Greensun? The woman sighed. After careful thought, this is the only possibility. Luo Bingfeng became as spirited as he was shocked. That means Qianye wasnt lying, these three secret records can really cultivate Venus Dawn. The female smiled helplessly. Yes, indeed. The cultivator only needs to reach the fiftieth level of the Combatant Formula and cultivate the Glory and Mystery Chapters at the same time without exploding. Qianyes Venus Dawn was likely produced in this manner. Luo Bingfeng was sent into a daze, his mind completely blank as he looked on at the three secret records. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 907: Major Even Luo Bingfeng remained dazed for a while. He then said with a gloomy expression, Its impossible for Qianye to not know these problems, yet he never explained them. He clearly intended to cheat us! The lady consoled, Bingfeng, dont forget that youre the one who insisted on this trade. The situation has changed. Now, these three records are useless for both of us, whats the use of trading for them? Besides, if you cant cultivate Venus Dawn, everyone else can forget about it! Youre just being prejudiced. I cant be magnanimous, Luo Bingfeng said coldly. The lady sighed. I sensed a familiar aura on their airship during this transaction. If Im not wrong, it should be Eunuch Liu. Luo Bingfeng was astonished. Which Eunuch Liu? Of course the one from the imperial palace. Luo Bingfeng broke into a worried frown. Did he figure out your identity? But its fine even if he did. Ill find a way to protect you even if they come for past matters. Humph! So what if hes the number one expert in the imperial palace? If worse comes to worst, Ill just take him down with me. The woman shook her head. I dont know whether hes aware of my identity, it has been so many years after all. But what I do know is that he intentionally allowed me to sense his aura as a warning, telling us not to mess around. He didnt attack on the spot, which means he might be pretending not to know about me. Wont we be walking straight into his grasp if we go knocking on Southern Blue at this point? Luo Bingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn. When will we be free of these imperial bastards? I shouldnt have promised the heavenly monarch that I would guard the city, now I cant even leave. In my past state, I could still put up a fight even if Eunuch Liu was here. Heh! I can put my life on the line for you, but I refuse to believe that the great general of the empire back thenthe number one character in the palace todaywill go all out for a bunch of kids. The woman said in a gentle voice, Bingfeng, you promised not to do such pointless things. Have you forgotten? But Luo Bingfeng found no outlet for the frustration in his heart. He couldnt help but wave his sleeve in anger, pulverizing everything inside the study. At this moment, Qianye had returned to Southern Blue and finally escaped the stifling atmosphere of the airship. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining left the vessel with wooden expressions and fled in different directions. Only Eunuch Liu remained inside the airship, enjoying the scenery of the neutral lands in leisure. He finally disembarked after a good while and, with the help of his servant, walked toward the car that would take him into the city. Neither Song Zining nor Li Kuanglan managed to escape calamity, however. Eunuch Liu summoned them immediately to discuss matters once he had returned to the city lords manor. What made them even more restless was the fact that Qianye was also present, along with the city lord who had been hiding all this time. At this point, Eunuch Liu had no intention of disguising himself or retracting his aura. Just the overflowing power was enough to pressure Qianye and Ji Rui into great discomfort. Eunuch Lius mantra was fairly profound and powerfulthe more powerful the recipient, the greater the threat they would feel. Without the appropriate mantra to counter it, one would be at a disadvantage before even doing anything. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining both possessed the means, but they were preoccupied with their own worries. They were caught so badly off-guard that they couldnt even stand up from the shock. A young servant stood behind the eunuch, massaging his shoulder at a steady pace. The old man narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, My trip to the neutral lands has been quite productive. In addition to the scenery, I also managed to see a lot of outstanding people. Im sure the empress will be satisfied when I go back. Ji Rui was quite restless, to begin with. Although he wasnt certain about Eunuch Lius origins, he was very clear about the mans strength. Despite his sluggish perception, he had already gotten a taste of the old mans powerful aura just now. After hearing these words, how could he not realize that the latter was a major character from the imperial palace? The empire was situated far away, but this Eunuch Liu didnt need to rely on his backgroundhe could simply trample over the city lord like he would an ant. Ji Rui was shocked out of his wits and almost felt like leaving his seat to fall on his knees. He was just about to move when a formless power pressed down on his body, immobilizing him like a giant thousand-kilogram rock. Eunuch Liu remained motionless, speaking nonchalantly, I came here on the empress orders. Now that Ive done most of the work assigned to me, its about time I head back. Before I leave, however, I wish to talk about certain things. Theres only a small difference between completing and almost completing this matter, but that little gap is usually what makes or breaks things. Let me make it clear if you ultimately fail to seal the deal, then Ill be forced to come again. Those who make it so that I cant explain things in front of the empress can forget about justifying themselves in front of me. Eunuch Lius hidden threat baffled Qianye entirely. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining, on the other hand, felt extremely uncomfortable because they understood what the old man was referring to. Song Zining started sizing Qianye up from head to toe, seemingly calculating in his mind. Being stared at in this manner gave Qianye the goosebumps, but he just couldnt find the opportunity to interrogate the seventh young master under Eunuch Lius suppressive might. Only the shrewd Ji Rui was relatively relaxed after realizing that this matter was unrelated to him. That being said, the fear and trepidation on his face were even more exaggerated than Li Kuanglan and Song Zining. Eunuch Liu spoke again, The world is no longer as peaceful, and there are wars raging everywhere. The neutral lands will also be disputed over very soon, but that has nothing to do with me, nor is it related to that business. All of you better mark my words, dont even think about glossing over this matter. Things will get pretty ugly if Im forced to use the methods I use in the imperial palace. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining smiled wryly. Only Ji Rui was nodding repeatedly. Eunuch Liu shifted his gaze onto Ji Rui and said with an insincere smile, City Lord Ji Ji Rui was extremely capable of adapting to the situation. My city lord position is only nominal, I obey the commands of the young nobles Li, Song Zining, and Qianye. Eunuch Liu nodded. Its rare to see someone so observant of the bigger picture, then I wont say anything more about it. A fair number of people have come to pry on the city during my presence, and Ive given all of them a friendly greeting. So, I expect the city will be quite peaceful for a while, no true expert should come to cause trouble for the moment. Nonetheless, my departure cant be kept hidden for very long, and those who will come will eventually come. Ji Rui responded immediately, Please rest assured, Ill protect the three young nobles even if I have to fight to the death. Eunuch Liu replied, Very well, Ill remember the city lords sincerity. Ji Rui was delighted. Thank you for the support, Your Excellency. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 908: Objection Overruled Finally, Eunuch Liu said, Okay, lets conclude our meeting here as I should be moving. Old age has made me so talkative. Fortunately, my memory is still quite good, otherwise, I wont be able to run errands for the empress. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining looked fairly bitter at this point, but fortunately, the old man was leaving. The duo hurried over to see him off, almost bumping into each other along the way. Li Kuanglan glared fiercely at the seventh young master, looking as though she would settle the scores with him soon afterward. The latter, however, simply ignored her. Eunuch Liu didnt linger. He shot up and flew straight into his airship, effectively stopping those who wanted to see him off. The vessel ascended gradually at first, and then all of a sudden, it accelerated rapidly and vanished over the horizon. Li Kuanglan beckoned to Song Zining with a cold smile. Zining, come here. I have something to discuss with you. Song Zining replied with a smile, I also have something to say to you. Qianye wanted to join them but was duly stopped. Its none of your business! Ignoring Song Zining for now, Qianye was thoroughly baffled by Li Kuanglans nasty attitude. Since the day she brought news that Tidehark was willing to trade, her attitude toward him had been growing increasingly strange. Li Kuanglan and Song Zining sat down in an isolated chamber, facing each other in silence. Only after a long while did Li Kuanglan speak, You started this business, how do you intend to clean up? Song Zining laughed wryly, How should I know things would turn out this way? Isnt the empress being too serious about this? She even mobilized Eunuch Liu, is it necessary to go so far? Li Kuanglan said expressionlessly, She personally performed divination regarding this matter. Even the family heirloom was shattered, unable to withstand the backlash. You tell me if its necessary. Song Zining was shocked. Family heirloom? Dont tell me its the Heaventheft Jade Tokens? What else can it be? Only at this point did Song Zining realize the gravity of the situation. I was hoping to get through this by a fluke, but it looks like we have no choice but to get things done. Otherwise, the empress will never let me go. Li Kuanglan sneered, Good that you know! You cant even begin to imagine my sisters methods. Song Zining sighed deeply. Theres no need for the empress to do anything, just the stuff that goes on in the palace is enough. I would rather die than risk trying them out. As long as you understand, what now? Song Zining said helplessly, What else can I do? We can only make things happen. Its just that I dont know whether Qianye will agree, its going to be a headache. Li Kuanglan grabbed Song Zining by the collar and uttered through clenched teeth, And Im supposed to be all willing? Song Zining looked puzzled. Youre not? Li Kuanglan was so angry that she nearly blacked out. She shook the seventh young master violently, roaring, I am not willing! Absolutely not! Do I make myself clear? Song Zining looked at her with eyes full of sympathy. I hear you loud and clear. But what use is your unwillingness? Li Kuanglan was startled. Song Zining continued, Are you really going to go against your sisters wishes? Li Kuanglan opened her mouth, but no words escaped her lips. That settles it, right? Song Zining shot her a confident sideways glance. Is there a difference whether or not I ask you? Besides, this is for your own good. Li Kuanglan could no longer stand this. She howled into Song Zinings ears, I dont need anyone deciding whats good for me! Song Zining, however, was already expecting this. Having sealed his ears with origin power, he simply looked on at Li Kuanglan with sympathetic eyes. Qianye was locked out of the room, so all he could do was pace about nearby. Ji Rui jogged over at this point and, seeing no one around, whispered, Sire Qianye, what exactly was Eunuch Liu referring to? Qianye shrugged. Do I look like I know? Youll have to ask those two. Ji Rui replied hurriedly, The two young nobles arent easy to approach, how would I dare to ask? I feel a bit more familiar with you. Qianye snorted. Were indeed familiar with one another since youve already tried to harm me twice. Ji Rui laughed awkwardly. Its all a misunderstanding. You know that it''s impossible to survive in the neutral lands otherwise! Qianye understood this point as well; otherwise, he wouldnt have maintained a relationship with the city lord. It was just that he had no idea about what was going on, nor did he get the chance to ask Song Zining. I really have no idea. Ji Rui shook his head. If its as important as it sounds, then theres really no difference whether or not we know. What will come will come. My current wish is to cede the city lord position to you, what do you think? Qianye shook his head. Southern Blue is yours, and so is the city lord position. The only thing I want is Dark Flame. As long as you support its development, the city lords position will not change. Ji Rui pondered for a moment and then came to a realization. Turns out Sire Qianye has great aspirations, you simply do not care for a meager city. Im full of admiration! Rest assured, as long as you will it, this lowly one will do his best without excuses. I wont complain even if you want me to pay out of my own pocket, as long as you leave me some retirement funds. Ji Rui was fairly practical and, as expected of a wily old fox, highly capable in the path of survival. He had lowered himself significantly since Eunuch Lius arrival, going so far as to address Qianye as sire instead of young noble. Qianye started to cultivate after returning to his residence, but just as he had begun channeling the Glory Chapter, he heard Song Zinings footsteps approaching. As such, he stopped the cultivation art and waited in silence. Song Zining was all smiles as he walked in. Qianye, thank you so much for saving me this time. What exactly happened? How did you get caught? Why did the people from Tidehark attack you all of a sudden? Qianye had a lot of questions but never got the chance to ask until now. Song Zining sighed. Of course its about my rotten familial matters. He then proceeded to explain the details. The main reason was because some people from the Song clan had noticed his resignation from the army and subsequent arrival in the neutral lands. The situation back in the clan was highly unstable, and everyone was restless. This made Song Zinings movements even more evident to those who were watching him. Song Zining had indeed left the clan, but his outstanding achievements far surpassed the scions of the family, and everyone knew how Duchess An favored the seventh young noble. Hence, many people considered him as a powerful contender for the next generation clan lords position. A group of people thus followed Song Zining to the neutral lands. Song Zian was fairly capable in this regard, it would seem. Who knew how he managed to get in touch with Rui Xiang, but the two ended up working together in the end. The old steward was offered an exorbitant price to capture Song Zining who, at the moment, had coincidentally lost his divination powers. The seventh young master was ultimately captured and suffered several days of prison life. It was just that Luo Bingfeng decided to trade with Qianye just as Song Zian was about to act, effectively extracting the prisoner from the Wolf Kings grasp. In just a couple more days, Song Zining might very well have fallen into Song Zians hands and transported back to the empire. During the imprisonment, the Wolf King had also tried to interrogate Song Zining about where his technology was stored. However, the latter understood that the key to this matter was to maintain his silence. Otherwise, he wouldve become a pile of bones by now. Fortunately, the outcome was fairly good, and everyone got through the daunting experience without any mishaps. Qianyes eyes flashed with killing intent upon hearing Song Zinings explanation. And you let him go just like that? Shall I go and pick him back up? Song Zining shook his head. He messed up this deal and lost the investment, so hell definitely be punished upon his return. His fate wont be any better, so why should we trouble ourselves? Besides, were still brothers regardless of everything, Ill be blamed for fratricide if I kill him now. This will be detrimental for our latter recruitment endeavors. Qianye said coldly, They clearly want your life! And youre still protecting him? If you had revealed Ningyuan Heavy Industrys secrets, youll be long dead by now! As for the future, thats too far and I cant think about that much. What I know is that we should make all those trying to harm you realize that theyll have no good ending. If you let him go now, he might come again at a later date. Song Zining rolled his eyes. How come youve never been so urgent about your own matters. What matters? Qianye was baffled. Your marriage. Ive told you before, I already have someone I love. But shes all but forgotten about you! So what? Its fine as long as I like her, Qianye replied confidently. Such conversations had been repeated countless times. At this point, Song Zining could only raise his hands in defeat. Fine, fine... I know you have Nighteye in your heart, alright? Qianye sighed but didnt say anything. He knew Song Zining was stating the truth, but he simply didnt want to admit it. The seventh young master quickly shifted the topic of conversation. Putting an arm around Qianyes shoulder, he said with a smile, Qianye, were brothers, right? Qianye instinctively sensed something bad from the sudden intimacy. He slapped away Song Zinings hand and took a step back, saying, Speak, whats the matter? Song Zining laughed awkwardly. What matter? Qianyes voice was cold and cautious. Leave if you have nothing to say, Im going to cultivate. But I just came back from deaths door, can you not be so cruel? Qianye was unmoved. He simply pointed at the door, seemingly to show the visitor out. Helpless, Song Zining said, Qianye, you wont sit by and watch if Im in trouble, right? Of course not, unless its something you brought upon yourself. Qianyes reply was swift. Song Zining was dazed and he almost couldnt catch his breath. Does that mean you plan to watch with folded arms? Qianye said unceremoniously, How can I even solve the problems you stir up? Besides, can you say you had nothing to do with Tianqing and Kuanglan running over to the neutral lands? I have no idea what youre scheming, and I wont ask about things I dont want to know. Its just like I told you, you reap what you sow. Dont blame me for a lack of brotherly spirit. Song Zining sighed. If I say that it concerns my life and death, will you help me? Why should I believe you? Qianye didnt hold back. In any case, you just have to remember that everything I do is for your own good. For some reason, Qianye suddenly shivered when he heard those words. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 909: Decline Song Zining was just about to leave when Qianye dragged him back. Make things clear before you go. Song Zining removed Qianyes hand, saying, I cant make things clear. In any case, theres no way to escape when the time comes. Itll be up to you whether or not you want to save me. What trouble did you stir up again? What can I stir up? I wouldnt have done this if it wasnt for your sacred mountain dreams. Qianye was stoppered up. Song Zining patted his shoulders. Just cultivate in peace. The stronger you are, the more you can help me. Qianye pointed at the door helplessly, knowing that he couldnt get anything more out of Song Zining. Song Zining seemed to remember something after taking half a step out of the door. Kaunglan asked me to tell you that shell study Mortal Enlightenment for a couple of days, and then teach you once shes figured things out. Qianye frowned. What am I going to do with that? Youll know once you get used to divination. But I havent seen it, so Im not sure what its uses are, either. Qianye calmed himself down after Song Zinings departure and continued polishing his origin power with the Glory Chapter. This was a long, arduous task that couldnt be rushed. It was apparent that Song Zining had no intention of explaining things clearly, so it was better to simply not ask. Several days went by in a flash. Qianye passed the time in continuous cultivation, almost forgetting to keep track of the clock. Only when the stored origin power in his body was completely refined did he slowly stop his cultivation art and start stretching his body. After a long period of continuous battles, he felt that his cultivation session was exceptionally bright and comfortable. Qianye was somewhat dazed as he walked out into the resplendent sunlight. Only afterward did he notice that the recent days had been exceptionally peaceful. The city-wide alarm didnt even go off once. It would seem Eunuch Liu was rightno one from the nearby major powers would risk their life to enter Southern Blue after his greetings. Qianye scanned the area with his perception and found that neither Song Zining nor Li Kuanglan was in their respective residences. No one knew where they had gone, either. Since he had already cultivated enough, he decided to walk out of Dark Flame headquarters and take a stroll around. Southern Blue had transformed drastically at this point. Despite the heavy casualties, Dark Flame had already completed its support and compensation process for the deceased. Every mercenary corps had a certain budget set aside for this purpose, and Ji Tianqing had naturally robbed them of this cache during the aggregation process. Hence, the severe losses didnt actually bankrupt the mercenary corps. The construction sites had recovered their basic workflow by this time, and many of the buildings had been completed. Those still in progress were also quite close to wrapping up. Unlike Dark Flames facilities, the new stores and workshops of the trading companies had just begun the building process. The entire city looked like a giant construction site with dust and ruckus everywhere. To Ji Rui, this kind of scenery was the most beautiful painting, the most pleasant of music. Each construction site had already put a large number of gold coins into his coffers. In the future, they would further turn into wellsprings of fortune once completed, squirting out a steady stream of riches for him. Qianye also sensed the flourishing state of the city and couldnt help but admire the city lords ability. What he didnt know was that his fierce assault on Tidehark had restrained almost all of the citys mobile manpower, as well as that of Totemic Castles. That was the main reason why Southern Blue had remained peaceful. Without the support of a regular army corps, ordinary mercenary groups simply werent a match for Ji Ruis elite troops. Song Zining had routed the Wolf Kings main force recently, and although Dark Flame suffered grave losses in the process, Southern Blue itself wasnt affected by the flames of war. Qianye found Song Zining on the drill grounds. The seventh young master was busy training new troops and instructing the men to distribute uniforms. The noisy field was populated by hundreds of people who, judging from their clothing, consisted of soldiers from several small mercenary corps. There was no telling whether they were attracted by Dark Flames reputation or forced here by Ji Tianqing. At this point, Qianye suddenly remembered that he hadnt seen Ji Tianqing for many days. Nonetheless, this aide had always been mysterious, and no one could grasp her movements. Qianye remembered her briefly but stopped himself from thinking too much. Seeing that there was nothing major going on around the city, Qianye returned to his residence and continued refining his blood energy reserves. Toeing the line between life and death greatly benefitted his daybreak origin power cultivation. He could vaguely sense the fifth origin vortex, so his future breakthrough was only to be expected. With his daybreak power foundation laid down, his Evernight powers could finally progress a bit. While Southern Blue was becoming more prosperous with each passing day, the atmosphere in Totemic Castle was shrouded in haze. The Wolf King was seated on his throne, frowning with a gloomy expression. One could see signs of wear on his countenance, a stark contrast to the overbearing harshness of the past. The werewolf generals below also expressed less respect and fear compared to the past. Tidehark City Lord Luo Bingfeng had exerted tyrannical pressure upon the Wolf King just recently, demanding that the latter hand over Song Zining. He was offered compensation afterward, and Song Zians downpayment was also a sizable earning. Yet, despite the good profits from the business as a whole, the Wolf Kings prestige had suffered gravely and irreversibly. Before this, the Wolf King was viewed as the number one expert below Zhang Buzhou because he had managed to challenge him. The Wolf King had also expanded his influence constantly, forcing everyone in his wake to yield. Apart from Luo Bingfeng, even other divine champions wouldnt dare attract the Wolf Kings spearhead, much less fight with him. Luo Bingfeng used to be famous, but he had been in seclusion for so many years that his name had started to fade out. Additionally, he had entrenched himself in Tidehark, not taking a single step outside, so there was also no chance for him to clash head-on with the Wolf King. The people took this as a sign that he was yielding to the latter. Who wouldve thought that Tideharks first confrontation with the Wolf King would be so overbearing? They left no room at all for negotiation. What surprised people was that the Wolf King was the one to concede. Luo Bingfeng had indeed taken advantage of the werewolfs heavy injuries, but from how he had no worries about future retaliation, one could see that the Tidehark city lords power wasnt below the Wolf King. Many of the people who had suffered the Wolf Kings suppression over the years started seeing hope. The Wolf King knew all this, and so did the werewolf generals below him. As such, the atmosphere in the conference hall wasnt just stifling but also somewhat strange. Breaking through to the divine champion realm was both easy and hard for the werewolves. The use of ancestral power made their ascensions much easier, affording almost all talented warriors a chance at breakthrough. Their bottleneck wasnt in talent but in the abundance of ancestral power. To the werewolves who relied on ancestral power at every turn, there was never enough of this energy to go around. This was why great shamanswho could communicate with the forebears and distribute ancestral powerenjoyed an important position within the tribe, sometimes even greater than the chief. The shaman himself was usually the number one expert of the tribe, or at least within the top three. It was precisely because of how rare ancestral power was that the other generals were dissatisfied with the Wolf Kings method of expending ancestral power to force-heal himself. The increased consumption meant that everyones shares would dwindle, and along with it their hopes of advancement. If it wasnt for the Wolf Kings superior combat strength and past notoriety, these werewolf generals wouldve dragged him off the great chiefs throne. The Wolf King also understood that there were undercurrents surging beneath the seemingly calm surface. After a long period of silence, he looked up at the officers and said in a deep voice, I heard the crawlers have been active in my domain, was there such a thing? The werewolf generals looked at one another, but no one replied. Becoming somewhat impatient, the Wolf King pointed at one of the generals. Windwalker, you tell me. The werewolf general didnt look as powerful as the other werewolves, but the muscles on his chiseled body were like interweaving steel wires, full of explosive power. He took a step forward, saying, Great Chief, there have indeed been such rumors. Reportedly, one of their emissaries has arrived in our lands. Ive already captured some suspects, but the interrogation is still underway. From what we know, the crawlers are operating around the borders, and these people had merely heard their preaching, nothing more. The Wolf Kings expression eased up a bit. Well done, continue with the capture. Seize all suspicious individuals and release them only after making things clear. I will not allow crawlers to appear on my lands. Windwalker bowed. As you wish, Great Chief. The Wolf Kings eyes narrowed with killing intent. Windwalkers reply was perfect, but the angle of his bow wasnt as deep as in the past. In his exceptionally sensitive state, the Wolf King realized from this minute detail that the general no longer respected him as much. He didnt flip out on the spot and merely pressed this matter to the bottom of his heart. He asked a different general, Any news from the Spider Emperor? The general replied, Great Chief, the messenger has just returned, but he bears no good news. The Spider Emperor has been suffering a fair bit of trouble in his territory and says he has no manpower to rent. The Wolf King frowned unhappily. He has so many squads under his command and could even field warbeasts during the war against Su Dingqian. What kind of trouble is keeping him from dispatching this small number of troops? From what the messenger has found out, a mysterious lady had been targeting the Spider Emperor for some reason and intercepting trade caravans throughout his territory. The emperor sent out numerous squads to surround her, but none of the soldiers returned. His entire domain is on the edge from the grave losses, so its unlikely that hell be in the mood to help us. Hearing all of this, the Wolf King remembered that young girl with the great cleaver and was badly shaken. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 910: One of a Kind What does that lady look like? Why is she fighting the Spider Emperor? The general replied, Shes reportedly quite young. She always wears a white dress and her weapon of choice is a large cleaver. As for why shes fighting the Spider Emperor, some say its because of the blade she uses. That cleaver seems to be made from the limb of a certain arachne expert, and its natural material is extremely powerful. That might be the reason for her enmity with the Spider Emperor. The Wolf King narrowed his eyes, realizing that it was the girl in white he had encountered before. She was extremely mysterious, and no one knew where she had popped up from. Her strength was mediocre, but her grasp of openings and opportunities in battle was simply divine. All of her attacks would go toward the enemys weakest points, thereby erupting with terrifying destructive power. The Wolf King already felt some degree of fear toward her, perhaps only second to Qianyes earth-shattering feather of light. Such an enemy rampaging through the Spider Emperors territory was both good and bad. The good thing about it was that he wouldnt need to worry about her existence. In his current state, the Wolf King might not be her match in the wilderness. The young girl would appear at the most opportune of moments, and her sudden ambushes were devastating, to say the least. A blow to his weak point at this time would gravely injure him. No one else in the hall was the girls matchnone would return no matter how many he sent, not unlike the Spider Emperors current situation. The bad thing about letting her rampage in this manner was her unchecked growth. Her character was enigmatic. On one hand, the girl was a cold murderer, but on the other, she was also extremely greedy. She was willing to risk life and limb just to snatch the Wolf Kings purse back then. Considering her terrifying talents and sufficient resources, her future prospects were unimaginable. Even the Wolf King couldnt help but tremble at the thought. Fortunately, the Wolf King noticedduring their brief exchangethat her origin power was extremely mottled and impure. It would seem her cultivation talents were mediocre at best, and it was almost impossible for such an origin power to break through to the divine champion realm. As long as she didnt become a divine champion, there were still ways to deal with her. The Wolf Kings mood improved somewhat at the thought of this. Issue an order to our men, do not provoke her. Retreat immediately on sight. The Wolf Kings command surprised the generals. A number of them, including Windwalker, wore serious expressionsthey already considered her a great enemy. The others, however, seemed to disapprove of this decision, and some of them even looked discontent. As they saw it, how dangerous could a human girl be? The Spider Emperors repeated failures only proved that the old spider was incapable. The Wolf Kings current action implied that he was even inferior to the Spider Emperor, a sign of weakness. The werewolves were a race that revered the strong, and only an expert who could suppress everyone else would become chief. Hence, some generals with good potential began thinking about replacing him. With a cold smile, the Wolf King scanned the hall with eyes full of killing intent and bared his fang in a threatening display. This was an indication that he would accept all challenges. The werewolf generals, however, looked away in unison. No one had the intention of challenging him. No matter how weak the Wolf King was at the moment, his remaining strength was still sufficient to suppress any single general at the scene. It was just that he might not win if all of them came at him together. It was at this time that Windwalker took a step forward and went down on one knee. We need you, Great Chief. No one can replace your position. Our tribe wouldve scattered to the winds without you, so I, Windwalker, will always remain loyal. Even the slowest and most battle-hungry of werewolves had realized the situation at this point. The neutral lands was different from other places in that everyone had to ensure their interests with their own power. The great shamanwho was also the second most powerful expert in the tribehad fallen without passing on his power. This meant that the tribe would be devoid of duke-level fighting power if the Wolf King were to leave as well. The next strongest werewolf was but an ordinary marquis. This kind of strength wasnt worthy of Totemic Castle. Hence, grouping up to eliminate the Wolf King was a lose-lose situation as the tribes entire foundation would be lost. At Windwalkers lead, the other werewolf generals also expressed their loyalty. According to werewolf tradition, they would be barred from challenging the Wolf King for a certain period after this display. The dangerous situation thus ended in this manner. Windwalkers action surprised the Wolf King. This general was the most intelligent and also the one who threatened him the most. Very well, your consideration for the tribe is commendable. As a fellow tribesmen, I wont mistreat you. From tomorrow onward, youll have the right to a portion of ancestral power and I shall welcome your challenge anytime. Windwalker lowered his head. I wont challenge your position within ten years. A commotion broke out among the werewolf generals. Windwalkers words werent an indication of weakness. Rather, it meant that he was confident in breaking through to the glorious marquis realm within ten years, a level equal to divine champions among humans. Another general said, Great Chief, do we continue escorting caravans for the various merchant companies and cities? An angry growl escaped the Wolf Kings throat. Continue as usual! This key question was put forth by an experienced, elderly general. A while ago, the Wolf King had returned with injuries and then went out to fight again. After his second return, he had never once mentioned a counteroffensive against Southern Blue. Then came Luo Bingfengs demand for Song Zining. At this moment, Totemic Castle wasnt in good condition. The Wolf Kings injuries hadnt healed, and his army had suffered grievous casualties. He had no more power to maintain normal defensive capacity over a wide area, so contraction was the natural course of action. The blow to the Wolf Kings fame would be devastating if Qianye were to intercept them a couple more times. It was just that the Wolf King was insistent on this matter, so the generals found it difficult to speak up. The trade companies have always been the most well-informed in the neutral lands, and the sudden rise of Southern Blue elicited a swift reaction among them. The number of airships heading toward the city almost doubled within a few days, and even large cargo vessels were spotted among them. The greater part of Southern Blue had turned into a construction site, so many of the new workshops could only be placed outside of the city. Dark Flames fame had spread far and wide, so ordinary bandits wouldnt dare to have designs on the place. The firearms supply chain designed by Song Zining was already starting to take shape. The arrival of Ningyuan Heavy Industries three intercontinental cargo vessels produced a commotion among the trade companies who had their eyes set on Southern Blue. When the cargo was being unloaded, some knowledgeable people realized that the goods were actually equipment used for manufacturing large airships. This meant that, after the completion of this factory, the neutral lands would gain the ability to produce intercontinental airships for the very first time in history. Such cargo vessels could be quickly modified into destroyer grade warships in times of need. In order to keep the neutral lands potential fighting power in check, both Evernight and the Empire had kept tight control on the trade of key airship componentsengines and main cannons. To maintain balance, the neutral lands would receive a limited number of high-output engines and main cannons every year, just enough to maintain its fleet. It was necessary for both Evernight and the Empire to ensure that the neutral lands possessed a certain level of defensive capacity. At the very least, it would prevent the other side from devouring the territory quickly. But now, this balance was about to be brokenwith the completion of this engine factory, the neutral lands would be free of its restraints for the very first time. On the other hand, many companies had also realized that a terrifying airship fleet would rise from Southern Blue, an armada capable of sweeping through the Eastern Sea, or even the entirety of the neutral lands. Under such circumstances, ordinary army corps were no longer a match for Dark Flame. Only true experts would be able to stop them. Despite Song Zinings ostentatious display, all the surrounding expertsincluding the Wolf King, Luo Bingfeng, the Spider Emperor, and Maskwere unexpectedly quite vague in their response. On the surface, at the very least, Southern Blue lacked the power to defend against a true divine champion, yet no one stood out to suppress it. The Wolf King had twice been heavily injured, mainly because he had underestimated the enemy. This was especially true of the second assault, where he jumped into the enemy trap on his own. In the end, he had his defenses half-destroyed by Li Kuanglan and was struck squarely by Qianyes most powerful shot. The outcome of this battle was more because of his own stupidity than Qianyes strength. After the Wolf Kings second injury, all the major powers spared no effort to obtain information about that battle. Following a detailed analysis, most parties had already managed to reconstruct the general situation. Such a set up would only work once, so most people believed that the Wolf Kings retaliation following his recovery would mean the end for Southern Blue. Nonetheless, even someone as arrogant and vengeful as the Wolf King didnt mention anything about attacking Southern Blue. This was clearly abnormal. Very soon, a rumor began circulating among the traders and major powers that an extremely terrifying expert was hiding within Southern Blue. It was due to his intimidation that the other experts didnt dare act recklessly. Most people believed this rumor immediately. Song Zining, Li Kuanglan, and Ji Tianqing all came from shocking backgroundsit would be strange if they didnt have powerful reinforcements. If these characters had come on their own, the Wolf King and the other experts could perhaps ignore the support behind them, but provoking several major powers at the same time wasnt a wise thing to do. This gave the companies more confidence to invest in Southern Blue. Dozens of factory set-up applications would arrive in front of Song Zining every day. At this rate, Southern Blue would be able to produce a complete airship within half a monthout of the entire airship, only the steel plates werent being manufactured here. In their chaotic rush, many companies based in Southern Blue became expectant of a powerful airship fleet rising over the city. But at this point, no one knew that these componentssufficient to construct an entire airship fleetwere going to be installed on a single warship. A warship destined to be one of its kind. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 911: Sample Qianyes peaceful cultivation didnt last long before it was broken by an urgent knock on the door. Song Zining was the only one who would dare to knock so impolitely. Ji Tianqing might do that as well, but no one knew where she was or what she was scheming right now. Qianye stopped cultivating and opened the door in apparent displeasure. What do you want now? Is your life already in danger? No, but fairly close. I need you to help me with something. Song Zining went straight to the point. What do you need? Explain first. Qianye warned. Escort a trade caravan to Seagaze and pick up some goods. Youve done that before. Thats all? Yes, just that. Qianye frowned. What kind of goods? Song Zinings smile disappeared. The journey there involves a batch of samples produced by Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Im confident that my products are two levels higher in quality than the stuff they can usually get their hands on. Im sure those companies in Seagaze will know what to do once they see the samples. If they dont stand obediently on our side, they can wait to be squeezed out of business. Will they be that well-behaved? Having experienced an ambush in Seagaze, Qianye understood the character of those families quite well. The stuff they couldnt obtain on the negotiation table, they liked to seize in the wilderness. Song Zining replied, They were never an obedient lot, thats why I want you to go personally. Kill anyone who dares to stop you on the way. Remember, this is a purge, a show of power. Theres no need to take prisoners. Qianye nodded. Song Zining said, The goods youre bringing back are the most important. Actually, there are two lots inside. One of them is a crate of rare minerals from the Great Maelstrom, necessary for the construction of large engines. With it, Ningyuan Heavy Industries will be able to produce alloys of unbelievable quality and set out to build battleship engines. The other item is an ancient engine of unknown origins that runs on very different mechanical principles. If we can study it, our airship technology might take a huge leap forward. Naturally, its also possible that nothing will come of it, but Im very much interested in its origins. I might not be enough for such an important matter. Other people have no idea what youre there for. At most, theyll just think youre escorting the caravan for profits. The true problem is after youve picked up the goods. Qianye frowned. Will someone come to rob the goods? Has the news been leaked? Song Zining replied, The seller has leaked the information, he probably contacted more than one buyer. Besides, this person also has enough power to arrange an ambush along the way and seize the goods back. This isnt uncommon in the neutral lands. Qianye nodded. What do you want me to do? Song Zining replied with a question, What do you think? Qianye gave it some thought. Since the news has been released, then we should just be direct and stop trying to cover things up. Id simply announce our departure time and route. Whoever wants to intercept the caravan, let them come. Ill work separately from the motorcade. If anyone wants to attack, heh, hed better pray for good luck. Song Zining laughed. Even the Wolf King cant stand a shot from you, the others wont dare to test your firepower with their bodies. They probably wont attack unless theyre able to pinpoint your location. Qianye said, Our biggest enemy at the moment is still the Wolf King. Our strategy from last time wont work again. We wont be able to stop the Wolf King once he recovers. Song Zining nodded. That is indeed the case, but I cant think of a better method. What do you have in mind? Qianye said slowly, We should take advantage of his injury to shake the forces under him and around him, clip his wings. I wont show mercy if I meet the Wolf Kings men along the way, even if they back down. We have to let everyone know that were not afraid of him. If all goes well, perhaps we can clear out his influence in Seagaze once and for all. Good idea! Song Zining clapped. That was what I had in mind as well, thats why I arranged for the transaction to take place in Seagaze. But we still cant defeat the Wolf King. Song Zining asked, Youre the one who wounded him, how long do you think itll take for him to recover? Qianye said with a frown, Werewolves possess powerful vitality, to begin with. Add to that the ancestral power thats available to the Wolf King, I really cant venture a guess. Under normal circumstances, though, Id be very surprised if he can recover within a month. Song Zining shot Qianye a glance. Youre getting better and better. If theres one month to work with, Im sure I can devise a method to deal with him that is provided he dares to come again. After some thought, Qianye still felt a bit worried. Theres something Im still worried about. If I go alone, what if the other party risks it all to keep me tied down while others seize the goods? Song Zining smiled confidently. Those metals are whats really important. Those are the stuff that will give us immediate assistance. As for the ancient engine or whatever, its not really important. Whoever gets their hands on it will find a way to contact us with an offer. Whys that? Qianye didnt understand. Thats because none of them can figure out what that thing is. All the clans and families here are at least a hundred years behind Ningyuan Heavy Industries in terms of technology. If even we cant study it, theres no way any other power can. So, whatever their motives areeven if they wish to seize the results of the research at a later datethey still have to come looking for us. Qianye gave it some thought and felt that it was true. The key to this plan was dependent on just how advanced Ningyuan Heavy Industries wasit would only be effective if the disparity was enough to make the other party give up hope. Song Zining seemed to have realized Qianyes thoughts. With a smile, he produced a small silver pinion and passed it to Qianye. Look at this, its one of the samples Im planning to pass to Seagaze. Qianye studied the pinion in great detail. The craftsmanship was beautiful, but still, it looked just like an ordinary gear on the surface. Qianyes eyes, however, could see more than just the exquisite craftsmanshiphe found that the pinions surface was as smooth as a mirror, and even he couldnt find the smallest of gaps or unevenness. This level of quality looked simple, but it was extremely difficult to achieve. From what Qianye had seen, only origin weaponry above grade eight would reach this kind of craftsmanship. He tossed the pinion casually and watched as it returned to his grasp in a beautiful arc. This small movement allowed him to see that the gears weight distribution was extremely even. There were neither imbalances nor empty pockets insideunlike ordinary metallic components, which always contained minute pockets of air. This kind of pinion wasnt simple at all. There would be no problem for it to be installed inside a grade-eight gun. Qianye reached out to pinch the gear, but he still shot Song Zining a glance. This unassuming component was actually worth quite a lot, perhaps as much as a grade-four firearm to the knowledgeable. Song Zining raised his hands with a faint smile, indicating that Qianye could do as he wished. Qianye no longer held back. Channeling twenty percent of his strength, he squeezed the gear cautiously between three fingers. Qianyes constitution was so powerful at this point that he could already bend steel with twenty percent of his strength. Yet, the pinion remained unaffected under his pinch, proving that the material was far stronger than ordinary steel. Song Zining laughed. Its fine, just use more force, dont worry about ruining it. This thing isnt easy to produce, but we can remake it in batches. You dont need to hold back. Heh heh, I could only bend it out of shape even at full force. Youre definitely stronger than me, but you can forget about casually He hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye had reached fifty percent exertion. The gear let out a creaking sound as it was warped out of shape. Song Zinings laughter was caught in his throat. Qianye, on the other hand, let out an exclamation of surprise. The pinion was far stronger than he had expected, and it was fairly pliable as well. Who knew what kind of alloy it was made of? Qianye wanted to know its limits, so he kept on exerting more forcesixty, seventy, then ninety percent... At this point, the gear had turned into a moldable paste in Qianyes hands, transforming from round to flat, short to long, and then back into the shape of a ball. Qianye clenched it with both hands toward the end, turning it into a solid sphere of metal. Its surface was compact and solid, almost as though it had been pressed in a forge. If it wasnt for the minute crevices, one would be inclined to believe that it was its original form. Qianye frowned somewhat. His hands suddenly erupted in scarlet flames as his Venus Dawn origin power scorched the gear from the inside out, sealing the last remaining fissures and fusing everything into a single body. He then rolled the metal into a sphere so perfectly round that even the most intricate of apparatuses wouldnt be able to otherwise. Without even noticing it, Qianye had once again revealed a great achievement in his combat arts. Qianye offered constant praises during the process of flattening and rolling. Good stuff, its really great, how firm, its definitely hard enough Only when the sphere was completed did Qianye recall that Song Zining seemed to have gone silent. He turned around to find the seventh young master staring at his hands in a flabbergasted daze. Qianye waved the ball in front of him. Whats wrong? Song Zining came to at this point. He asked with a wry smile, Are you even human? Qianye replied after a moment of silence, No. Only then did Song Zining remember that Qianye was half-human, half-vampire. Even vampires cant do this! But this pinion its definitely good stuff. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 912: You Going or Not? Qianyes praise was heartfelthe was already quite astonished when he saw the craftsmanship. After actually kneading it, however, he realized that the alloy was firm but pliable, and extremely resistant to weara rare specimen through and through. The value of this metal was far above its processing arts and could form some of the most important core mechanical components. Song Zining recovered from his initial shock at this point. Once these samples reach the families of Seagaze, they should realize that they have no chance of competing with Ningyuan for the next 50 years. Its fine if they cooperate obediently, but if they want to cause trouble for us, well decimate their entire clan once the ship is completed. Qianye didnt understand the manufacture of machinery, but the Zhao clan workshops he had visited once left a deep impression on him. It also gave him a basic understanding of the process. Song Zinings pinion was of rare craftsmanship, but the real value lay in its alloy formula. With this type of alloy, numerous key engine components could be made smaller and lighter. One could easily imagine that an engine made from it would be one size smaller than its peers. On the other hand, this alloy would allow Ningyuan to realize numerous previously-impossible concepts. Even without novel designs, they would still be able to produce engines with greater output according to the old ones. With the engine, they would have the foundation of an airship. The most important point was that the massive size of Martyrs Palace was beyond the scope of any known warship. There was no telling how many auxiliary engines the palace would needin short, the more the better. The demand for engines was higher than kinetic sails in most fields. Short bursts of acceleration depended on engines while sails were preferred for long-distance intercontinental travel. Qianye thought about something else. Arent you afraid that theyll reverse engineer your formula? Song Zining laughed, You dont understand, a small difference in alloy formulas will produce a huge gap in performance. The products cant be compared at all. Its useless even if they can analyze the metals contained in this pinion. Also, I refuse to believe that they can figure out the ingredients with their meager ability. If even one component is missing, the product wont be the metal youre holding in your hands. Humph! Theres no way they can analyze the formula of this alloy without spending a couple of decades and resources enough to build a warship. How did you get this formula, then? Dont tell me its just blind luck. It definitely is luck Song Zining had only half-finished his sentence when he saw Qianye about to attack. Only then did his flippant attitude disappear. I helped an important person do some things, and he gave me a couple of things to choose from as a reward. I chose this formula. What were the other choices? Qianye was curious. He wanted to indirectly gauge the value of this alloy as well. Song Zining said with a smile, A cultivation art roughly equal to Mortal Enlightenment in grade, an origin gun at the peak of grade-eight, only slightly better than Zhao Fourths, or a county on the borders of the Western Continent. They say its a county, but theres only a single forward settlement. The good thing is that its not too far from a supply base. I would need to recruit soldiers and raise money, but the land would be mine as long as I can conquer it. Qianye said after a while of silence, And you chose this formula? Why not? Song Zining replied confidently. In truth, a gun at the peak of grade-eight was completely different from an ordinary grade-eight firearm. To be considered thus, it would need to possess a powerful special ability. Some peak-grade-eight guns were even more powerful than ordinary grade-nine ones by virtue of their powerful special abilities and compatibility to the bearer. That county, no matter what condition it was in, would give Song Zining the foundation for a high-ranking aristocratic family as long as he could conquer the land. To the seventh young noble who had broken off ties with the Song clan, a territory with potential for development was more important than anything. This was his insurance for an army and cultivation resources. Besides, taking land with the approval of the empire meant that Song Zinings authority was recognized immediately after the conquesthe would be bestowed a noble rank and given permission to set up an official residence. Song Zining possessed the Ningyuan Heavy Industries for resources, Dark Flame for an army, and he himself was an expert in terms of strategy. As Qianye saw it, the county would be surnamed Song in just a couple of years. Yet, he had chosen an alloy formula over a ready-made aristocratic title. This reflected the priceless value of this metal, but Qianye felt that Song Zining was out of his mind. Even that gun wouldve increased his personal combat strength by leaps and bounds. The seventh young noble would be able to sweep through everyone below the divine champion realm, even if he couldnt heavily injure the Wolf King as Qianye did. Naturally, that gun would also drain him in one shot. Only the cultivation art was useless for both of them. To others, however, a powerful secret cultivation art like this one would form the only foundational pillar of their family. Comparatively, territories and weapons were just material objects. Noticing Qianyes doubts, Song Zining said with a laugh, When have I taken losses in such choices? This alloy formula is one of the core secrets of the Empire. The foundation for the latest generation warships is largely dependent on this metal. With it, your dragonship can be perfected. After youre successful one day, you can just lend me that ship for a couple of months and Ill have any territory I want, right? Song Zining had played it down, but Qianye knew that wasnt the case at all. Judging from the time he had made this decision, it was from around when he had decided to come to the neutral lands. No matter how skilled Song Zining was in divination, he couldnt have known that Qianye possessed the Martyrs Palace. The airship itself was an object left behind by the Pointer Monarch, constructed from the remains of the Earth-Dragon. Someone at Song Zinings level couldnt have divined such a powerful existence. Even Lin Xitang himself would have to pay a steep price to obtain a vague conclusion. Hence, Song Zinings rationale for choosing this formula was likely because he knew Qianye was in a difficult situation in the neutral lands. He mustve planned to start from the regions weakest link and build an airship fleet, thereby relieving Qianye of his troubles. Perhaps Song Zining did have other long-term considerations, but it didnt change the fact that he had given up a readily-available noble title and power upgrade. This was no different from giving up everything to start over from scratch. Qianye could only sigh in secret and etch this favor deep in his heart. That being said, there was also something else he was worried about. What kind of trade did you do with that major character? Such rewards cant be easy to obtain. Song Zinings expression relaxed. It might be hard for others, but not for the seventh young master! Every major character throughout the empire wants me to work for them. On the contrary, those who want me dead are quite few in number, most of them being from the Song clan. These words amply described the bitterness of the aristocracy. Noticing Qianyes serious face, Song Zining patted his shoulders with a hearty laugh. Actually, its even easier for you to obtain these things. All you need to do is consent when certain girls climb into your bed. I have no interest in aristocratic marriages. Theres no need for that, nor all that formality. You just need to let loose for a short while, thats enough. No one will know. Song Zining guided Qianye along patiently. Qianye figured out the important message. He said with a serious expression, Is this for breeding certain genes? Dont make it sound so vulgar! Its not like that. Song Zining laughed awkwardly in an attempt to gloss things over. Qianye wasnt about to give him that luxury, however. Dont even think about it. Its impossible for you and Nighteye. Thats my business. Look, Qianye, you can even risk life and limb to save me. This small matter isnt that big of a deal, is it? As long as youre willing, I can find a way to obtain a great deal of resources. Ill be sure to scam them miserably! Song Zinings high spirits left Qianye unable to know whether to laugh or to cry. What would I want those resources for? Its to save Nighteye, of course! How are you going to reach the Sacred Mountain without the Martyrs Palace? How long will it take to construct the airship on your own? Eight hundred years? A millennium, even! Do you want to make Nighteye wait so long? Why would you drag for a thousand years an undertaking that can be completed in three decades? Just for your laughable pride and loyalty? How long are you willing to make her wait in the darkness? Is that your so-called love? The barrage of questions blasted Qianye until he was dizzy. He could feel something off about Song Zinings logic, but he couldnt quite put his finger on it. Shes already unrelated to you now, so why cant you sacrifice a bit to help her? Song Zining tossed out a lethal blow. Qianye smiled wryly with an inward sigh. Song Zinings argument seemed reasonable, but he didnt want to do it that way. Seeing Qianyes expression, Song Zining gave up on pushing his case. He tossed Qianye a backpack, saying, The things are in there, you can set out at any moment. Qianye nodded as he caught the bag. He had no luggage to organize, so he simply walked out to rendezvous with the caravan. Shaking his head, Song Zining sighed as he watched Qianyes back. A cold voice suddenly rang out beside him at this point, You really think well for him! Song Zining looked sideways and found Ji Tianqing leaning against a nearby stone pillar, a clear expression of mockery on her face. Hes my brother, so I have to help him, of course. Ji Tianqing snorted coldly. He probably wont thank you if he finds out about your methods. Song Zining said in a carefree manner, Its fine as long as he doesnt hate me. Seeing how shameless the other party was, Ji Tianqing could do nothing else but snort again. Qianye alone wont be enough for such an important mission, will he? You cant have him risk his life even if his vampire regenerative powers are strong. What if some accident happens? Your meager divination powers cant know everything, not even Marshal Lin has that kind of ability. Song Zining only smiled in the face of blame. This young master naturally wont sit by and watch him fall into danger, but since youre back, why dont you go? Ji Tianqing glared daggers, ready to retort, but Song Zining added, Ill let Kuanglan go if youre busy. Ji Tianqing felt her words stuck in her chest. Eventually, she uttered through clenched teeth, Ill go! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 913: My Rules The gates of Southern Blue were flung open as a motorcade of several trucks drove out. Containing a mere three cargo trucks and four armored-transports, the caravan wasnt that big. Yet, the Dark Flame insignia on the vehicles was fairly eye-catching. Dark Flame became a public target after Song Zinings capturebe it notoriously large mercenary corps or small hunter squads who could only take advantage of the situation, everyone wanted a piece of Dark Flame. Hence, a caravan labeled with their insignia would usually suffer numerous attacks along the way. This situation lasted until Qianye displayed his might by injuring several opponents outside of Tidehark. Thereafter, the major mercenary corps rarely attacked for fear of Qianyes potential retaliation, but the lone wolves didnt care about all that. Since most lone wolves were fairly skilled in sniping, the escort forces would suffer casualties even if they reached their destination. This resulted in fairly steep compensation costs. Under such circumstances, some major companies started hiring other mercenary corps and increasing their escort lineup as a safety precaution. This, however, increased the required investment significantly, and some companies started losing profits. Qianye stood atop the first vehicle, scanning the vast land of the wilderness. It had been some time since he followed a caravan, but he hadnt expected that the situation would be this bad. Only important characters knew of his trade with the Tidehark city lord and Eunuch Lius arrival. These lone wolves eking out a living in the wilds were unqualified to obtain such information. The manager in charge of the caravan approached with a smile. With Sire Qianye taking the field personally, things will surely go well This manager hadnt finished his boot-licking when Qianye pressed down on the mans head, pushing him back into the car. At this moment, a bullet flew over the managers head with a resounding whoosh. A slight delay wouldve produced an obvious hole in the managers body. Shocked out of his wits, the ashen-faced manager groped his body to see if there were any injuries. An origin gun appeared in Qianyes hands, which he duly pointed at the direction of the bullet. A bearded hunter was hiding in a shrub hundreds of meters away. He was already making a gesture of victory to his companions, but his hand froze halfway. Through his sniper scope, he saw the young man beside the target press the manager out of the way. Just like that, his certain-kill shot missed its mark. The hunter had been in the field for many years, yet he had never experienced something like this. He had hardly recovered from the shock when Qianye methodically whipped out his origin gun and took aim in his direction. The hunter felt his hair stand on end as he realized that his location had been compromised. He didnt believe that the young man could hit him from over a hundred meters away. He had picked this nest meticulously and had only opened fire after taking aim for a long while. Nonetheless, he had to move now that his location was known. As an experienced sniper, he had always believed that melee battles were for lowly mercenaries. The bearded man jumped up and was just about to flee when he saw a flash of light. An origin bullet was already in his face! The startled mans upper body turned into a bloody mist before he could even think. Several figures leaped out from their nearby hiding places and escaped desperately into the distance. Judging from their clothes, they were probably from the same mercenary corps as the bearded man. This small unit was highly skilled and experiencedtheir choice of location and timing were perfect. Their biggest mistake was not knowing that Qianye was in the caravan. Gunshots rang continuously over the wilderness. Each timbre would end with the fall of a hunter. The last hunter was already a thousand meters away when she collapsed, unable to escape the clutches of sure death. Qianye put down the sniper rifle and dragged the manager up. Lets go. The trembling man replied repeatedly, Yes, yes! He gestured at the cars behind them to continue the journey, and then fell down limp into the seat. Even in the neutral lands, not everyone was fearless of death. That brush with death just now almost made it impossible for him to breathe. The motorcade traveled for a period of time before Qianye picked up his sniper rifle and fired several consecutive shots. Every bullet would elicit a scream from a mercenary or hunter, ending up with them struggling in agony. Be it at three hundred meters or a thousand, there was never a missed shot. This volley of shots decimated at least two hunter squads, and some of the more sizable mercenary corps no longer dared to operate on this road. Qianye looked around and ordered the caravan to move forward after finding no one concealed within his visual range. Along the way, Qianye would either snipe from atop the car or vanish all of a sudden. On his return, the tense moods of all the experienced mercenary escorts would relax. Those battle-hardened warriors naturally understood that the danger had disappeared. Seeing as how Qianye had taken action personally, they were more inclined to believe that the hidden enemies had been killed. The manager had recovered from his shock at this point. He found some time to approach Qianye, saying, Sire, you can leave some of the small fries to our men. Why would you need to take the trouble every time? Qianye smiled. No need, some of the enemies will escape if I let them handle it. The manager gasped. Youre eradicating them all? Yes. Qianye nodded. I cant protect you guys every time, so Ill be wiping out all those troublemakers during this run. This will set the rules for the future as well. The manager asked cautiously, Sire, this isnt quite appropriate, is it? Everyone seeks riches in the neutral lands, while mercenaries and hunters seek a path for survival. Under normal circumstances, the conflicting parties wont finish off one another. Cars and surrendered personnel will be spared behind after a successful caravan robbery, and the mercenary escorts wont chase failed robbers to the end. Theyd just let the escapees escape. Wiping them out will incite the wrath of the other mercenaries. The outcome will be quite serious! Qianye replied indifferently, Thats someone elses rule. From today on, any land where Dark Flame settles will play by my rules. Whoever isnt satisfied can challenge me anytime. The manager trembled as he remembered Qianyes past. He said with an awkward laugh, Yes, yes its naturally fine if you want to make the rules. He spoke pleasantly, but his expression was full of pain and worry. Qianye shot him a glance, saying, You should have the channels to transmit my message, right? Tell everyone that they can come for revenge anytime, but they can forget about leaving afterward. No matter how big the neutral lands are, Ill hunt them down to the very end. Trembling, the manager said, Yes, yes! Ill spread your message once we get to Seagaze. That should scare those rogues away. He hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye suddenly disappeared, and a miserable scream echoed a thousand or so meters away. The manager wiped the cold sweat off of his brows, feeling somewhat regretful about speaking too much just now. Qianye stood in the wilderness, watching the slowly collapsing body in a bit of surprise. This man was exceptionally fierce and tenacious despite his mediocre strength. Even after being stabbed in the vitals with a vampiric blade and having his essence blood drained, he still managed to sound a warning cry with his last breath. Hundreds of meters away, three people were fleeing at top speed, with two stronger bodyguards protecting a young man in the middle. This distance was nothing for Qianye; he didnt even need to use Spatial Flash. Exerting force from his feet, he sped off in a cloud of dust, leaving a large hole where he was standing just now. Qianye covered dozens of meters with each step and was soon on the trios tail. Finally, he leaped over a hundred meters and landed in their way. Face ashen and his origin power in disarray, that young man could hardly even stand. The two bodyguards wore expressions of despair, as though they were facing a great enemy. At one step away from the champion realm, the guards werent weak at all. It was precisely because of their strength and experience that they could tell the gap between themselves and Qianyehence the desperation. An old man suddenly appeared beside Qianye. Stroking his beard, he said in a calm manner, Young man, theres really no need to go so far as to exterminate everyone. Qianye turned around with an indifferent gaze. You think I didnt discover you? The old mans hands couldnt help but tremble slightly. He then recovered his calm, saying, The young master is merely playful, he doesnt mean any harm. You should know that our family has hundreds of years of history in Seagaze City, not something a youngster like you can fathom. Back in the year The old mans words had only reached halfway when his expression changed drastically. A massive force bore down on him, burying him all the way up to his knees! His joints also started creaking and groaning under the enormous pressure. Just as the elder was struggling to prevent his legs from breaking, a red glow flashed in front of his eyes! A vampiric blade had sunk into his chest. Qianye waited a couple of seconds before pulling out the blade. Im not interested in your background. The old man struggled momentarily before his eyes gradually darkened. Only at this point did he realize that Qianye had no need to waste his breath since he could kill in one fatal blow. Unfortunately, the realization came too late. Qianye looked back at the ashen young noble, baring his white teeth in a radiant smile. Im not interested in who you are. The young man was shocked out his wits and almost fell limp to the ground. N-No! You cant kill me! Im the young master of the Tian family, my grandpa loves me the most! If you kill me, youll form an irreconcilable feud with our clan. Irreconcilable feud? I like those. Qianyes smile was oddly charming, almost like the grin of a grim reaper. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 914: Not Here to Trade The two guards exchanged glances and stepped forward at the same time, blocking the young man behind them. They were indeed loyal to the family, so much so that they would fight to the death despite knowing they werent a match for the enemy. Their strength far exceeded other guards, but just like the old man, they simply had no power to retaliate against Qianye. With the rumble of the ocean tides, an indefensible pressure bore down once more. The two men only had enough time to scream before their bones were crushed, and they fell dead. The young noble finally collapsed. Qianye crouched down in front of him and pressed a vampiric blade to his face. Why would a Tian family scion appear in such a place? The young man didnt dare to hide things. I got wind that Dark Flame has been defeated, all thats left is an empty husk that robbing the caravan would be profitable and easy. I-I wanted to play it big, letting the uncles in the family know that Im the best choice for the future clan lord. Those who wanted to raise my eldest brother to the position, I wanted to prove them futile. Then who gave you this information. The news was delivered by a person called Old Cat. He operates in the taverns along the way, and his information has always been accurate. This damned Old Cat took five hundred gold coins from me, I wont let him go once I return. Oh, you dont need to worry about that, Qianye said calmly. On the verge of death, the young man erupted with unimaginable power. He grabbed Qianyes wrist and cried, Dont kill me! I can work for you, Ill listen to everything you say. Help me become clan lord and my entire Tian clan will be ours, no, no, all yours! The Tian Family is too small for me. Qianye shattered all resistance with a slight exertion and thrust the vampiric blade into the young mans chest. Qianye withdrew his blade swiftly. Probably due to the tension before his death and because the battle had ended so quickly, the young man didnt fall down. His kneeling figure thus became part of the scenery of the wilderness. Qianye stood up and ran back onto the leading car. Lets move. The manager asked cautiously, Sire, was it a difficult opponent? Qianye replied indifferently, A bit, apparently a young master of the Tian family. Ive killed him. Tian family young master? The one called Tian Pengju? I think so, I dont remember well. The manager looked like he was about to cry. Did you burn the corpses? I cant be bothered. The manager stammered. T-This what should we do? The Tian family is fairly strong in Seagaze. Well be in trouble. Qianye finally shot him a glance. What, you afraid? The manager shivered, saying, Of course not! Whats there to fear with you around? Qianye replied, Its fine then, you dont need to follow the caravan next time if youre afraid. The manager was bowing and scraping at this point. No, no, Im not afraid! Qianye closed his eyes and gestured for the caravan to move forward. The manager returned to his seat, muttering to himself as he calmed down, Who are you to decide whether I, Qiao Liang, follows the caravan or not? Who do you think you are to control our companys matters? What he didnt know was that Qianyes ears moved ever so slightly despite his closed eyes. He had heard everything. The mercenaries and hunters on the battlefield seemed to have smelled the danger after the Tian familys hunting party was wiped out. All of them disappeared, allowing the caravan to arrive smoothly at Seagaze. The merchant caravan hadnt even entered the city when Xue Wu was seen waiting at the gates. He bowed upon seeing Qianye, saying, The Xue family has been waiting for your arrival. Then he jumped up onto the car. Its my fortune to meet you again. Qianye nodded. Lets speak after going in. With Xue Wus appearance, the caravan naturally encountered no problems along the way. Sire, all the family elders are waiting. Do you want to rest before heading over? No need to rest, lets go now. Xue Wu ordered the leading car to turn toward the city center, while the remaining vehicles headed toward their designated inns. Moments later, the leading car parked in front of a uniquely decorated old tea house, and Xue Wu led Qianye up to an elegant room on the top floor. In the room, there were half a dozen old men wearing very different expressions. Some were excited, some were doubtful, and the others were vaguely hostile. Qianye scanned the surroundings. Are all the families in the city here? Some seem to be missing. Xue Wu whispered, Some families are occupied with emergency business, I hope youll forgive them. Qianye said indifferently, What business can be more important than the survival of their clan? Well, its fine if they want to seal their own fate. An old red-faced man was furious. He banged the table, roaring, Sire Qianye, your words are highly inappropriate! Oh? How so? These families have lived in Seagaze for hundreds of years, and weve seen all kinds of winds and waves. I wish to know how our survival is at stake? Without offering a response, Qianye sat down under the old mans fiery gaze. He spoke only after taking his seat, These families have all survived until now? Of course! Did one family not disappear after our last fight in the city? The old man was livid, so much so that his countenance eventually turned purple. The entire hall was deathly silent, drowned in inexplicable awkwardness. Qianye had crippled numerous small vassal families back then. They only had empty names left at the moment and would eventually disappear over time. Their family names were only retained because it took time to incorporate their remaining businesses and divide the profits. Hence, it would be wrong to say that Qianye hadnt destroyed a single-family. The destroyed clans might be small, but their history wasnt short. They definitely couldnt be left out from the history of Seagaze City. Apart from the red-faced old man, all the other people looked quite awkward. Some looked up at the sky, pretending as though the conversation was unrelated to them, while others gazed intently at the teacup in front of them. Even Xue Wu didnt know how to smooth things out. In the end, it was the Xue family elder who came out to play the peacemaker. That battle was a misunderstanding, and weve also paid the price for it. Past matters should serve as a lesson for the future. Since Sire Qianye has come to negotiate a cooperation, we naturally should do our best to see what we can do. In these troubled times, the united will win and the divided will lose. Feeling relaxed, everyone chimed in with the old mans words. Even the red-faced elder no longer wore a fierce expression. Apart from that time when the newly ascended Wolf King suppressed Seagaze in one battle, the damage Qianye had dealt to the families was the greatest throughout the years. In terms of losses, the Xue familys losses were the greatest. Before this matter, they were the strongest, and everything they said would count. Today, however, they had to discuss things with everyone. Although their position as leader hadnt changed, they were a far cry from before the battle. Xue Wu sighed in relief as the other families followed the Xue familys lead. As he saw it, this cooperation was basically sealed. However, Qianye said, Its true that cooperation will make us stronger, but division isnt a loss for everyone. Elder Xue thinks too highly of the families of Seagaze. The elder was startled and then became furious. Yet, he had no way to vent because he knew that Dark Flame wasnt an entity the Xue family alone could contend against. That red-faced elder lost control again and started spouting words of mockery, Sire Qianye, perhaps youre overestimating Dark Flame too much. Qianye replied indifferently, I alone can stop the trade caravans of Tidehark from leaving the city. Its true that their city lord, Luo Bingfeng, cant leave the city, but there seems to be no such character in Seagaze, is there? The red-faced man broke into a laugh. Are you trying to say you can stop us from leaving the city? Whats so hard about that? The red-faced elder was stoppered up. He shot to his feet but didnt know how to dispute this claim. With Qianyes concealment and sniping abilities, anyone being targeted by him was fated to die. Who would dare to leave the city under such circumstances? The major characters of these big families loved their lives after all. On the other hand, Seagaze was open on all sides, while Qianye would only be able to seal two directions at most. The other two sides would remain wide open, so it was a bit exaggerated to claim that he could seal the city. But how was one to bring that up? Should they say that they would take the north gate if Qianye had sealed the south gate? These people werent actually that shameless. Just as the situation was in a deadlock, the chamber doors were kicked flying and in came a tall, old man. Wheres Qianye? Return my grandsons life! Qianye glanced back at the old man with a cold gaze. Xue Wu stood up hurriedly and stopped the incoming elder. Uncle Tian, why are you here? Qianye is not just our Xue familys guest but also an esteemed guest of Seagaze City. If theres some kind of misunderstanding, you should explain things calmly after everythings over. Xue Wus message was very clear, but the elderly man was too angry to listen. Misunderstanding? Someone saw him kill my grandson, how can this be a misunderstanding? Xue Wu broke into a frown, not expecting the situation to be so troublesome. For a while, he had no idea how to dissuade the man. Qianye stood up at this moment. Do you mean a person called Tian Pengju? The old man glared furiously at him. Thats my grandson. Its good that you admit! Qianye sneered, Why wouldnt I? He led a group to ambush Dark Flames caravan, a crime unredeemable by death. Its great that you have come knocking on the door since I have to settle this account with the Tian family. Elder Tian roared, Pengju simply went hunting in the wilderness. How did he end up intercepting your caravan? Besides, even if he did stop you by mistake, its not a crime worthy of death. This is the rule of the Eastern Sea. Even if he did intercept you by mistake, our Tian family will just compensate you for it, you cant harm my grandsons life! Qianye replied slowly, The rules of the Eastern Sea are not my rules. My rules are that anyone who dares to attack Dark Flame will be uprooted completely and thoroughly. If anyone doesnt want to play by my rules, we shall meet on the battlefield. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 915: The Value of the Formula Everyones expression shifted. The red-faced elder banged the table, roaring, Qianye, you push people into a corner at every turn. Are you not afraid of the entire Eastern Sea turning against you? If that comes to be, then I just need to fight. Qianye was fairly calm. The Xue family elder said in apparent displeasure, Sire Qianye, did you come to establish your might instead of a negotiation? Qianye smiled coldly, the images of everyone appearing in his eyes. Correct, thats what Im here for. His words hadnt even ended when everyone felt their bodies tensed up, almost as though they were firmly bound by a sticky yet tenacious spider webeven raising an arm took considerable effort. A red light flickered in the chamber just as everyone was in shockthe elder surnamed Tian gradually collapsed to the floor with a startled expression, clutching his chest with both hands. No one at the scene saw how Qianye had attacked. Only when the old mans corpse had fallen down did everyone finally come to, quickly activating their origins barriers and entering a combat-ready state. Qianye sat down calmly, saying, I killed the young master of the Tian family. He had intercepted my caravan, and its only natural to assume that he had the support of his family. Yet that man just came knocking on the door, truly reckless. Of course, theres really no need to be nervous if youre not plotting against me secretly. Besides, my rank-thirteen cultivation is probably nothing in your eyes. Why so serious? All the elders were livid, unsure whether they should keep up their combat stances. Many people cursed secretly at Qianyes audacity to bring up his rank. That Tian family lord was also rank-thirteen, yet he was killed in a single movehe didnt even have a chance to retaliate. It was the Xue family elder who was still quite decisive. Men, carry the Tian family lord away and provide immediate treatment. In truth, the old man had long since stopped breathing and everyone knew that. Yet, no one was willing to point out the fact. Two servants arrived and carried the corpse away in a hurry. Elder Xue then returned to his seat, saying, Since Sire Qianye is here to establish his might, then do expand our horizons. If theres really a good reason for us to submit, then it might be easier for us to explain things to the clan after going back, lest our younger generation, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, bump into you. These words were spoken quite tactfully. Qianye replied with a nod, Since Elder Xue has spoken thus, Ill not beat around the bush any longer. Zining gave me some small presents to show everyone. With a flip of his hands, a case appeared in Qianyes grasp. A commotion arose in the chamber. Spatial equipment were peerless treasures everywhere, and most of the families in Seagaze had never even seen one before. Two pairs of eyes started burning with covetous flames, but these people seemed to have a good relationship with Elder Xue. The latter shot out two wisps of origin power, which duly stung them as a warning. The two old men trembled slightly. They recovered from their avarice just in time to see Qianye looking at them with a spurious smile. Their hearts were filled with a deep chill, and they quickly averted their gazes with embarrassed smiles. They immediately realized that Qianye had revealed his spatial gear in front of them to sound them out. Secondly, he had no fear that someone would try to snatch it from him. Even the Wolf King couldnt catch Qianye and was even wounded instead. How could these people be capable? Only after everyone was firmly seated did Qianye open up the case, revealing a number of lustrous mechanical parts within. Those present here were either elders or clan lords, people with great experience. The parts Qianye had brought out werent unusual at all. They were all commonly found parts used in airship engines. As key components made for the standard engine design, it was fairly easy to identify where they were meant to be used. These parts werent rare and could even be produced in the workshops of the neutral lands. Everyone here, including Xue Wu, was puzzled at Qianyes seriousness as he brought out these parts. They exchanged glances before picking up the components to study them in detail. As people with good judgment, their expressions changed immediately after just a few glances. There was nothing miraculous about these parts since everyone knew where they were used. Nonetheless, such exquisite craftsmanship had never appeared in airship engine parts before. One would only see this kind of quality in high-grade origin guns. Some of them glanced at one another. Then, an old man said, These parts are of great craftsmanship, but its not impossible for our families to produce something of this level. Please forgive my offense, but your establishment of might isnt quite enough, it seems. Qianye smiled indifferently as he fished out a silver ball and placed it on the table. I think its quite enough. Everyone, take a look at this one. Several old men walked around to observe the silver ball, yet they still couldnt figure anything out just yet. This sphere was seemingly made from the same material as the previous batch of components, but the craftsmanship was evidently inferior. No one knew what it was used for. Bold and scrupulous, Xue Wu noticed that this silver ball wasnt as valuable as the other parts. Hence, he channeled his power to pinch it. He used roughly half of his strength, which was usually enough to flatten steel, yet this ball remained completely unaffected. Not even a fingerprint was left behind! Xue Wus astonishment attracted the attention of the other clan lords and elders. No longer attempting to hide his actions, he took a deep breath and went all out! The silver ball finally turned somewhat soft and slowly sunk in at the center, leaving a couple of deep fingerprints. Even at full force, Xue Wu could no longer press down further. He exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, his face flushed as he placed the ball back onto the table. Noticing that he must have exerted his full strength, everyone else glanced over at the silver ball and were astonished without exception. There was no other mark on the silver ball apart from the finger marks. Its shape didnt change, either, remaining just as round as it was before. Everyone was greatly astonished because Xue Wus strength had already exceeded most family elders and even comparable to some of the lords. Yet he couldnt deal with this silver ball? Everyone began to realize that the true profundity of this ball was in its material. The Xue family elder picked up the sphere and observed it carefully, and then he pinched it with great force. He increased his strength repeatedly until his face was bright red. Only then did he manage to leave his fingerprints on the ball, albeit slightly more shallow than Xue Wus. Having expected this outcome, he sighed. I am ashamed. He passed the silver ball to the red-faced elder. Brother Du Yun, why dont you try? The latter waved his hands, saying, Im not strong enough, so I wont embarrass myself with this. With Xue Wu and Elder Xus demonstrations before them, everyone was able to gauge their own strength. Those who werent strong enough shrunk back, while the remainder gave it a try. It was actually the lord of a minor family who managed to leave a deeper fingerprint compared to Xue Wus. That clan lord placed the ball back in front of Qianye, saying, Sire Qianye, this material is indeed good, and we have never seen it before. With how tough it is, its quite difficult to even put a dent in it. How are we to craft anything? This question was critical. Industry in the neutral lands wasnt that developed, but they were able to craft certain intricate parts by relying on experts. Just like how Qianye had produced this silver ball, they would use origin power to melt the metal and mold them into the approximate shape before moving to surface processing. Theoretically, any component could be produced in this way, and almost all components for origin guns grade-eight and above would use this kind of method. The downside was obvious in that it would consume significant amounts of origin power, and the expert also needed to recover. Hence, the higher the grade of the item, the lower the production rate. It wouldnt be surprising for the highest-grade components to take several months. Most people in this room were helpless against this silver ball. Strictly speaking, only the two from the Xue family and that one clan lord could work with this alloy. Even then, they wouldnt be able to get things done in one sitting. It would take several days to melt just a bit of the material, and several more days for completion. This meant that Seagaze City had no power to process this kind of alloy. Qianye picked up the silver ball with scarlet flames jumping from his hands. He simply rolled the item briefly between his palms, restoring it to its original round shape before blasting it with origin power. The surface became as bright as a mirror, and all of the previous marks and pits were gone. Ding. The entire room was silent as Qianye put the silver ball onto the table in front of him. Through this silver ball, everyone realized the difference between them and Qianye. Just in terms of strength, the latter could suppress everyone present here. Those scarlet origin flames of his were also extremely terrifyingtheir origin barriers might not last even a brief moment if scorched, and if caught on fire, even intact bones wouldnt be left behind. Qianye pointed at the silver ball with a smile. I dont even need to process such things myself back in Dark Flame, we have our own methods. Careful observation will have told you that those components were made from the same material. Elder Xue was shaken. Sire, your meaning is that theres a way to mass-produce them? Of course, whats the point of me bringing these here if we cant manufacture them? Elder Xue asked after a moment of silence, No ordinary fire can melt such an alloy. If you can mass-produce these components, could it be that you have the formula for it? Wise deduction. Elder Xue continued his probe, Then, what price must we pay to obtain this formula? Qianye simply watched Elder Xue without replying. Under his intent gaze, the latter eventually turned red, then purple. The red-faced elder roared furiously, Just say what you want, whats the point of beating around the bush!? A dark, heavy-sword appeared in Qianyes hand, which he duly placed on the mans shoulder without even unsheathing. The old man felt as though a mountain was pressing down on him. He had no choice but to use both hands to prop up the sword, yet even then, he still couldnt overcome the massive force. His face gradually turned purple as a mouthful of blood was caught in his throat, and he was unable to spray it out. The red-faced elder finally fell to his knees. The ground had been covered with a steel-like layer of origin power, stopping him from falling to the floor below. From the beginning to the end, the old man couldnt even last three seconds. Qianye said indifferently, All your Seagaze families added together cannot match the value of this formula. Theres no need for further discussion if you still think so highly of yourselves. ... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 916: Obedien Elder Xue said, Can we think about it for a while? Fine. Can you let Brother Du Yun go first? Hes merely hot-headed, he doesnt mean any harm. No problem. Qianye drew East Peak back, but the red-faced elder still couldnt stand up. Only under the support of Xue Wu and another elder did he manage to clamber up and return to his seat, gasping for breath. The red-faced elder had expended most of his origin power during that brief exchange. East Peaks pressure was so terrifying that he simply had no way to resistall he could do was hold on using origin power. The three seconds just now was enough to exhaust him entirely. They had claimed they wanted to discuss this matter, yet everyone here, including Xue Wu, could only look at one another in silence, not knowing where to start. The item Qianye had brought out was simply too astonishing. Those present were all knowledgeable people, so they could easily imagine countless usages for this type of alloy. And the deeper they thought about it, the more shocked they became. With this kind of formula and mature processing technology, Ningyuan Heavy Industries could easily crush Seagazes industrial foundations. No matter what angle they considered this matter from, Seagaze simply had no power to compete with Dark Flame. It was obvious that the families of Seagaze would have, literally, no business in whichever field this mercenary corps decided to set foot in. They would have to pick up the less profitable stuff that Dark Flame didnt want to do. This was what everyone here dreaded. Qianyes bitter fights and killings would only destroy the families leaves and branches, but Song Zinings move, on the other hand, would completely uproot their foundations. The worst part was that Seagaze wasnt too far from Southern Blue and there were no major powers to act as a buffer between them. How many major families of Seagaze City could refuse the allure of Dark Flames wealth in the future? The one that could drag things out until the end was the Xue family. They were still, in name, the number one family of the city, and it was this empty fame that would come back to bite them. Xue Wu was actually the more decisive one; he nodded slowly toward Elder Xue. The latter glanced at everyones expressions and found either helplessness or indifference on their faces. Even the red-faced elder only heaved a long sigh. Elder Xue cupped his hands at Qianye, saying, Sire Qianye, our families will refrain from overestimating ourselves since this is an unavoidable trend, else itll be like the proverbial mantis trying to stop a cart. We would like to know, however, what it is that you want us to do? Qianye nodded. Its great that everyone is willing to cooperate. Otherwise, itll be more work for me if I have to visit the managers of the trade companies. Everyone exchanged glances, secretly feeling relieved that they hadnt shed all pretenses just now. Otherwise, the curtains would rise over a new play in Seagaze Cityone detailing the fall of old clans and the rise of new ones. A suitcase appeared in Qianyes hand, which he duly opened up on the table. The contents of our cooperation are here. Everyone noticed several components arranged within the container. Their shapes were similar to the previous ones, but the surfaces were coarse and uneven, apparently unfinished products that had just been cast. Everyone had their guesses after seeing these, but there was an extremely complicated component at the center of the case, and no one knew what it was for. Qianye pointed at the surrounding parts. These are all semi-finished products, requiring the final processing touches. What everyone needs to do is set up related workshops according to our requirements and work on the late-stage processing for these parts. The elders were half worried and half delighted after hearing this. There was almost no limit to the demand for such components, so much so that they could even sell them back to Evernight or the Empire. A steady stream of wealth would be rolling in without a doubt. What worried them was the fact that this sizable fortune would come at a steep price. As expected, Qianye smiled, These new workshops will be split 60-40, with Dark Flame holding the majority. A commotion broke out in the room, but Xue Wu said, Our Xue family agrees. Elder Xue was startled, but he didnt object to this after careful thought. The other elders also contemplated on the matter and realized that they didnt even have a choice. They would be knocked out of Seagaze if they failed to catch this train. Qianye pointed to the complicated component at the center. These parts, Im sure everyone knows already, requires an experts origin power to process. We hope you can provide us with a steady supply of themthis is also the foundation of our cooperation. This caused all the other families, except for the Xue, to reveal rueful smiles. The construction of such components was extremely demanding on origin power. If Dark Flame wanted a large number of them, all the families experts would have to exert themselves every day, effectively keeping them tied down in Seagaze City and preventing them from affecting the bigger picture. Smaller families were doubly affected due to their relatively smaller lineup of experts, while larger families like the Xue enjoyed a larger roster and thus had more leeway to reassign people. Xue Wu immediately replied, We can also agree to that, but since we must mobilize our experts for this, I hope Sire Qianye will provide suitable remuneration. Additionally, the quota should also be within the scope of our power. Naturally. With the two most important terms decided, everything else went smoothly. Qianye produced a preformed plan and placed it in front of everyone. Even Elder Xue couldnt help but gasp after seeing the contents. The plan required them to build twenty workshops, ten in Segaze and ten in Southern Blue. This was a massive investment, basically involving ten years of accumulated wealth. Only then did everyone realize just how grand Dark Flames ambitions were. Qianyes tone became much more relaxed at this point. The moment these workshops are constructed, well be one big family. This plan is just a small fraction of the bigger scheme. Before long, youll see the skies of the Eastern Sea under our control. As for how to split the twenty workshops among themselves, that was for the families to worry about. Qianye had no intention of meddling with that. He stood up, ready to leave, when Xue Wu caught up to him and whispered, Sire Qianye, you must be careful inside the city. Qianye patted his shoulders. Im not the one who should be careful. Qianye left the teahouse on his own and strolled slowly through the city, taking in the views along the way. He eventually arrived at a rather silent alleyway. There was a blood-colored X drawn on the wall at its entrance, a ghastly sight to behold. Looking into the alley, one could see small groups of fierce-looking people sitting about and playing with their daggers. This small lane was definitely not a good place, but Qianye didnt seem to mind as he simply strolled. He had just entered when a dagger appeared out of thin air, brushing past Qianyes throat and nailing itself to the nearby wall. He halted his steps and said indifferently, Id stop playing these boring games if I were you. A tall woman walked out from behind the opposite wall. You almost died in my hands, yet you still dare to speak in such a tone! Qianye completely ignored her ticks. If you think that the one who nearly died just now was me and not you, then just believe what you wish. I have no time to waste on you. The lady was almost spewing flames from her eyes. If it wasnt for the good price youre offering, I wouldnt have missed. Are you prepared for the transaction? Otherwise, Im leaving. The woman pointed into an alleyway. Follow me, Im just afraid youll lose the guts in a while. Qianye followed her deeper in without saying a word. There was no shortage of fierce characters along the way, either showing off their tattooed bodies, flexing their muscles, or glaring at Qianye in a bid to intimidate him. However, how could someone like Qianyewho had experienced numerous warseven pay them any attention? He couldnt even be bothered to spare them a second glance. The woman shot Qianye a sideways glance. Who wouldve thought? You really do have some guts. Im called Black Lily, remember my name or Ill be very unhappy. I rarely tell people my name. Black Lily was as tall as Qianye, and her black clothes could hardly hide her curvaceous figures. She moved as silently as a female leopard, but was full of explosive strength that would erupt and cause injuriesthe ideal target for men who liked to conquer their partners. But Qianye had no interest in her fiery figure, neither looking at her intentionally nor looking away. Even if his gaze passed over her hips or chest, he would simply look past them, as though he had just seen a rock or a tree. Black Lily clenched her teeth secretly. She increased her lithe movements noticeably, causing her chest and hips to undulate with each step. Her black suit hugged her body even tighter at this pointone would be inclined to believe that she wasnt wearing anything if they only saw her silhouette. It was just that none of this had any use on Qianye. The latter simply followed her into the depths of the alleyway and finally entered a small courtyard. Two faint figures appeared at the entrance of the alley after the gates were closed behind Qianyeit was Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing. The latter was clad in common mercenary-use light armor, while the former was in a billowy martial-artist attire. That slut is so hateful, dont you think? Ji Tianqings eyes were actually fixed on Li Kuanglan. People like her are dime a dozen, whats the point of paying attention? Li Kuanglans reply was calm. Ji Tianqings eyes shifted about. What if she sleeps with Qianye? Shell definitely do such a thing, look at how hard shes twisting her behind. Li Kuanglans expression remained wooden. Just kill her if you dont like her, why waste words with me? Ji Tianqing stretched lazily, saying, Why should I do that? Its your man shes about to bed, it has nothing to do with me. Li Kuanglan snorted. Nothing to do with you? Then why are you here? Why are you here then? Ji Tianqing retorted. Li Kuanglan stood calmly with her hands behind her back. I came to protect Qianye and the goods at Song Sevens request. So, theres nothing strange about my presence here. Ji Tianqing wasnt willing to back down. Im his aide, so I naturally have to come. She couldnt even finish speaking before she paused to size Li Kuanglan up. Clicking her tongue repeatedly, she said, Wait, when did you start listening to Song Sevens words? Dont tell me youre so obedient because its related to him? Something is fishy here! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 917: Exotic Goods Li Kuanglan said, Of course not. Ji Tianqing sized her up from head to toe, then left to right, but was rather disappointed to find nothing unnatural in her demeanor. Clasping her hands behind her back, Li Kuanglan broke into a laugh. You think you can throw my mind into disarray with just that? Ji Tianqing shook her head. In terms of swordsmanship, you can be counted among true experts. Itd be disappointing if you lose your composure just because of this. But I heard Empress Li and Eunuch Liu are secretly scheming something, the latter even arrived personally in the neutral lands. Does that have anything to do with you? Ji Tianqing gazed at Li Kuanglan with narrowed eyes, her eyes as gentle as they were sharp. Li Kuanglan laughed indifferently. Why not ask Eunuch Liu directly if you want to know? He left not long ago, youll still make it if you chase after him. He didnt keep this journey a secret, dont tell me you didnt know he was here. Ji Tianqing smiled. How can I reach a high character like Eunuch Liu? Since he didnt come here to see me, why would I go meet him? Isnt it easier to just ask you? Li Kuanglan laughed loudly. Sorry, were not that close. Ji Tianqing shrugged, saying bitterly, Weve known each other for so long, yet youre still so heartless. The same goes for all sword practitioners, Im no exception. Seeing that their conversation wasnt about to come to a conclusion, the two cast their gaze toward the small courtyard where Qianye had disappeared. All the idle people in the alley had disappeared while they were conversing. How come he still isnt out yet? Dont tell me hes really doing something with that slutty fox! Ji Tianqing pouted, apparently full of anger. Bad acting. Li Kuanglan offered her evaluation. Ji Tianqing smiled. Ah, you found out. Li Kuanglan replied, When I said your acting was bad, I meant you were really angry. Sometimes, covering things up just makes it worse. Really? Ji Tianqing looked harmless. Yes. I refuse to admit that... Li Kuanglan had long since expected Ji Tianqings shamelessness. She simply kept on gazing at the small courtyard with her hands behind her back. After a moment of observation, she said, Your secret art is indeed powerful, but can you really fool a true expert? It should fool the lowest level of divine champions if there isnt much origin power usage. Very good! Li Kuanglan made to draw her sword, but Ji Tianqing grabbed her hand. I cant draw my blade? Cold Moons Embrace is too sharp, my secret art cant keep it disguised unless you retract all your sword energy. Li Kuanglan relaxed her hand. I cant do that. If you can do that, theres no need for me to compete with you. Id just admit defeat. Frowning, Li Kuanglan was about to retaliate when a cryptic aura surged out from the little courtyard and actually caused their origin powers to fluctuate. It was rare for anything to be able to excite their origin powers. The two exchanged glances briefly before running toward the small courtyard. At this moment, Qianye was standing at the doors of the storehouse and gazing at a strange machine. He simply couldnt associate this metal cylinderwith a mess of pipes and thingamabobs sticking out of itwith an engine. However, an inexplicable sense of palpitation gripped Qianye the moment that fatty removed the cloth. That fatty was well above a hundred and fifty kilograms in weight, but his small eyes were bright and lustrous. The brief moment of pallor on Qianyes countenance didnt escape his notice. He patted the machine forcefully, saying, How is it? Good stuff, right? Only experts can sense how special it is. Old Cat has never lied to anyone. The palpitation gradually faded away, but Qianye knew that it wasnt an illusion. He had experienced such a sensation when he was facing the Earth Dragons skeleton, an innate biological fear toward a void colossus. How was this odd, ancient machine related to a colossus? According to the fatty, this engine was discovered in the passage leading to the Great Maelstrom. Back then, it was fished out when it drifted close to the neutral-land exit. The mercenaries who undertook this task paid a painful pricetwo customized airships were sucked into the tunnel and lost forever. They might have reached the Great Maelstrom if they were lucky enough, but it was more likely that they had been ground to dust inside the tunnel. Whether or not the fatty was telling the truth, Qianye knew from the palpitating sensation that this ancient machine was extraordinary. He was currently the owner of an ancient vampire bloodline, and not many beings could instill instinctive fear in him. Qianye looked away from the engine, asking, Wheres the box of rare minerals? The fatty seemed disappointed to find Qianye completely uninterested in the engine. Following a clap of his, four strong men carried a box into the room. The container was even smaller than an ordinary suitcase, yet it was bound by steel chains as thick as ones arm. There was a chain stretching out from each corner of the case, shouldered by one muscular man each. The sheer weight made each step difficult, and they looked like they were carrying a small mountain on their backs. They finally arrived in position and lowered the box with a long sigh, unloading the chains on their shoulders as they did so. Just from their posture, it was obvious that the box was several tons in weight. There must be something special about this box of ores, considering how heavy it was. I want to take a look. Old Cat pointed at the box. Please feel free. Qianye didnt use East Peak. Instead, he fished out his vampiric blade and slashed at the chains, slicing through the many layers of steel in one cut. The sharpness of the dagger shocked Old Cat. He narrowed his eyes, saying, Good blade! Only a count would possess such a weapon, right? I robbed it, Qianye replied indifferently. Old Cat shrugged and kept his silence thereafter. Qianye slowly opened the box and noticed the complicated metallic structure of the interior. Apparently, the container itself was made from a special type of metal alloy and equipped with intricate weight-bearing mechanisms. That was the only way it could remain undeformed while containing the weight of its contents. There was a square metallic ingot at the center of the box, emitting an eerie blue glow. This ingot was actually made from eight separate ones placed together. It was just that the surface was so smooth that one could hardly see the gaps between them. The external appearance seemed to match Song Zinings description, and the weight was also a match. However, Qianye remained silent while stroking the cover of the case. The container itself gave off a fantastic sensation, and it seemed even stronger than the metal ingots. Qianye closed the case with a bang, saying, Good stuff. Old Cat laughed. Thats for sure! Old Cat does business based on trust! But his smile froze in place. With a slap of Qianye''s hand, the box vanished on the spot! Old Cat was startled, but he quickly came to and roared, Protect the engine! But the word "engine" hadnt even escaped his mouth when Qianye arrived next to the machine. He reached out to pat the strange engine, also causing it to vanish on the spot. It was at this time that Qianye turned around with a smile. Ive received the goods, now lets talk about the price. Old Cats expression transformed drastically. You actually have high-grade spatial gear!? Qianye replied with a faint smile, I was a bit lucky. Old Cats expression was ashen. Good, very good. Its my misjudgment this time. Return the goods and we can forget about this. Otherwise, you can forget about getting off easy, no matter how powerful you are. Oh? Qianye responded in surprise. You never intended to go through with this trade, did you? Then, theres no need for us to discuss terms. Ill ask you one last time, are you sure you want to do this? Old Cat spoke after a moment of silence, Did you notice something wrong with the case? Intuition. Old Cat suddenly became irritated. Impossible! Qianye said in a leisurely manner, It is indeed a genius idea to smelt the actual ore into the box and only use a token amount in the ingots. Had I discarded the box for convenience, wouldnt I have fallen right into your trap? Unfortunately for you, I noticed the profundity of the box out of intuition. Old Cats expression turned ugly. Fine! What will make you return the goods? Qianye replied, Not discussing the price? Return the item and well talk. Qianye sneered, You can forget about taking back something thats in my hands. Since you dont want to talk about the price, then theres no longer a need to discuss anything. Old Cats expression was ashen. He said through clenched teeth, Are you trying to commit robbery? It was a trade at first, but I feel that theres no need to discuss trade with someone who wants to trick me. Two sharp daggers slipped into Old Cats hands. The aura of the four burly men who had carried the box in began surging as well. Everyone transformed sharply, revealing the style of an expert. Old Cat blocked the door in one step, saying, Qianye, drop the goods or forget about leaving. Qianye revealed a cold smile. The sound of ocean waves reverberated inside the warehouse, but this time, the five men suffered a massive repelling force instead of weight. Even Old Cat couldnt hold on and was pushed back step by step. The four subordinates couldnt resist for a breaths time before they were flung into the walls. Next, the walls of the warehouse could no longer take the rolling force. They collapsed with a boom, sending a cloud of dust and gravel snaking out in all directions. Only the roof of the warehouse fell down vertically, smashing into everyone below. At this moment, Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were still flying over. Shocked by the sudden developments, they increased their speed all of a sudden and arrived above the warehouse in the blink of an eye. But their expressions shifted almost immediately as their silhouettes came to a stop, and they flashed away in different directions. A beam of brilliant sword energy burst upward, practically brushing past the duo. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 918: Incoming Enemies A wave of terrifying sword energy tore through the falling roof. Qianye was standing amidst the chaos with his sword pointed at the sky. His expression, however, was fairly strange. How come its you two? We didnt feel easy letting you go alone, so we came to help. Ji Tianqing was the first to speak. Not expecting otherwise, Qianye nodded. The goods are in hand, lets go. Qianye rose into the air and flew out of the city. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan also followed suit after exchanging glances. The two fell behind a fair distance. Li Kuanglan bundled her origin power into a fine line and directed a whisper at Ji Tianqing, Didnt you say your secret art can hide us from weak divine champions? Which part of him looks like a divine champion? The nerve! Youre the reason we were discovered, Ji Tianqing said. What does that have to do with me? You think I cant beat you? You cant. Fine, lets find a place to fight once we get back. Qianye kept on accelerating, unaware of the smell of gunpowder behind him. He did nothing to hide himself from the countless gazes of astonishment and malice as he approached the city walls. The boundless wilderness was just behind that last cannon turret. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, had long since activated her secret art to cloak herself and Li Kuanglan. To everyone else, there was only a slightly distorted empty space behind Qianye. Just as he was about to cross the wall, Qianye felt his hair stand on end. An indescribable sensation of danger gripped his heart! A faintly discernible bullet was darting toward him at insane speeds! This shot was so true, so fast, that Qianye had no time to evade. He raised East Peak at the moment of danger, gripping the hilt with one hand and pushing the opposite end of the blade with another. A ball of dark flames erupted on East Peak, its flames surging into the air to form a black rose. Qianye himself fell on one knee atop the wall and coughed out a mouthful of blood. That was the extent of the shot. Qianye swiped a finger on the blades edge and caught a small wisp of the black fire, allowing it to burn on his fingertips. The sheer purity of darkness origin power allowed him to guess who the assailant wasEden. This was an old friend. Who wouldve thought his strength would increase so much during this short period? The shot was already at the level of a marquis. Qianye looked up in the direction of the shot, raging flames flickering in his eyes. It felt like he had returned to the days of repeated hunting and being hunted in the Misty Wood. A figure leaped up from the empty wilderness at the speed of lightning, preparing to flee into the distance. Eden was just as decisive as before. He made to flee immediately after discovering that Qianye wasnt seriously injured. He already understood back in the Misty Wood that it was extremely dangerous to be entangled with Qianye. Seeing Eden rise into the air, Qianye knew he could no longer catch the sniper. Eden was still so difficult to fight even after all this time. The demonkin didnt forget to wave at Qianye through the air, a greeting of sorts. His arrogance and ostentatiousness hadnt changed in the slightest. Just as he was about to escape, however, a stream of invisible origin power appeared out of nowhere. The force bound him firmly, reducing his speed for a brief moment. The band of power then erupted with terrifying strength, tightening around him like a giant python and threatening to crush his bones. Eden was greatly astonished as this ambush had appeared out of the blue. In the blink of an eye, his bones were creaking and groaning. He unleashed a loud roar as dark flames burst out around his body, burning away the fetters. The demonic power inherited from the Dark Abyss was one of the highest grades in Evernight, and it had just gotten a chance to prove its might at the moment. But bad things never came alone. The origin bindings hadnt disappeared when a beam of blue sword energy shot toward Eden from afar. The latter drew his daggerhe barely managed to deflect the attack, but he couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood in the process. Qianye, how despicable! He then turned to flee, his figure flickering in and out of view as he vanished into the wilderness. Qianye stood up and glanced at Ji Tianqing and Li Kaunglan. The timing of Edens shot was perfect, and he had started fleeing the moment he realized that the shot had missed. He had left absolutely no opportunity for Qianye to counterattack, but he never expected the duo hiding behind. The retaliation after his location compromise came from them. Although it was a ranged attack, Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were extraordinary people. The latters attack restrained and damaged the target at the same time, stopping Eden from evading Li Kuanglans attack. All he could do was block by force. The demonkin couldnt hold out against the two and ended up wounded even more badly than Qianye. Gazing in the direction Eden had escaped, Qianyes brows knitted into a frown. He didnt feel that much pressure even when he was facing the Wolf King. After all, the Wolf King was alone and none of his subordinates was a match for him. Eden was differenthe came from a famed demonkin family, a clan with numerous experts under their wing. With his talents and combat strength, there was no way he would be alone in the neutral lands. There had to be reinforcements from the family. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan arrived beside Qianye, and they felt relieved after seeing his aura on a steady rise. Ji Tianqing said, This demonkin is so powerful, who exactly is he? Eden, used to operate in the Misty Wood on the void continent. Eden? That demonkin who almost crippled the Li family? Li Kuanglans expression turned ugly upon hearing Ji Tianqings words. This was the Li familys disgracea stately high-ranking aristocratic family seeking to compete with the major clans was actually beaten black and blue by a young demonkin. All of this had happened despite the presence of numerous families helping them out. Combat squads from numerous parties suffered grave casualties back then, many of them losing lineal scions in the Misty Wood. Although these combat squads had come willingly to vie for the Storm Pearl, aristocratic scions werent casually expendable commodities. Since they were murdered on the Li familys home ground, the clan could hardly escape being accused of insufficient protection. Bombarded by the various families, the truth about the Li family elder driving Qianye away could no longer be hidden. Having driven away the only person who could suppress Eden in the Misty Wood, the Li family naturally became the center of everyones criticism. These families didnt dare to fall out with the Li clan due to the empress, but discussions for future cooperation were either delayed or canceled. This still caused significant damage to the Li family. Hence, the Li family felt even more hatred toward Edens name than Qianye. Ashen faced, Li Kuanglans hand went for her sword, making ready to chase down Eden. However, Qianye placed East Peak in her way and said while shaking his head, Its too late to chase after him. Hes probably not alone, there might be an ambush if you go. Li Kuanglan frowned. When have I ever been afraid of anyone!? Ji Tianqing butted in at this point. Empress Li! Li Kuanglans aura faltered at the mention of that name. By the time she had come to, everything was too lateJi Tianqing was already bent over in laughter. Killing intent flickered in Li Kuanglans eyes. She was just about to draw her sword but slowly lowered her hand when she saw the pensive look on Qianyes face. Ji Tianqing didnt go too far, either. She quickly stopped laughing, lest Li Kuanglan flip out and really start attacking. Qianye felt highly distressed. Lets go back to Southern Blue first and discuss things with Zining. Now that Eden is here, theres no telling who else from Evernight has come. The duo had no objections to this, and they duly followed Qianye back. Back in Seagaze, the rubble inside the ruined courtyard suddenly exploded and Old Cat jumped out from within. He seemed completely unharmed as he removed the debris to observe the situation around him. The four burly men were mediocre at bestthey were fairly useful for intimidating ordinary mercenaries, but how could they withstand the force of Qianyes domain? At this moment, they were lingering on their last breaths, not far from death. Old Cat frowned as he noticed the four had suffered fractures in countless places and their injuries were no longer salvageable. Even if they were saved, their combat strength would decrease sharply owing to the foundational damage. Seeing this, Old Cat stomped down on the chest of one of the warriors, shattering his heart in the process. The other three were shocked upon seeing this and did their utmost to beg for mercy. But Old Cat mercilessly stomped them all to death. He let out a long sigh after doing this. I dont keep useless people around. He then looked up in the direction Qianye had left, sneering, You think youre so smart, but you still took the bait in the end. Back in Southern Blue, the Dark Flame headquarters had been completed. There were some small courtyards in a corner of the headquarters, reserved as residences for the higher-ups. Most of these compounds were still dirt and mud at this pointthere were gardens being laid out in some of them while others were just empty space. There was a single courtyard completely different from the others. The yard was a scenic painting of water and nature, a rare sight in the harsh environment of the Eastern Sea. Song Zining was lying on a reclining chair beside a lake, rocking it gently with his eyes closed. The gentle wave of his fan was indescribably poetic; all he needed to do was hum a few classics. Qianye walked in through the courtyard doors, and wherever he went, the beautiful scenery would ripple and turn back into muddy walls. Apparently, the beautiful scenery wasnt real. It was an illusion brought about by Song Zinings domain, one that was difficult to discern. Qianye frowned ever so slightly. He would always feel unnatural after walking into this kind of environment. He naturally didnt need to hold back against Song Zining. Dark golden flames erupted from his body, melting away the illusions like the sun rising over snow. Qianyes dark golden blood energy was highly effective against domains made of daybreak origin power. Hence, even the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was destroyed the moment these flames appeared. Qianye arrived beside the recliner and dragged Song Zining to his feet. You sure know how to enjoy life. Song Zining slapped away Qianyes hand with his fan. What do you know? Im training my domain. I have to use it frequently to improve its realism. I don''t have to argue with you. The dark races have arrived in the neutral lands. The dark races? The population of dark races in the neutral lands isnt smaller than humans. Whats so strange about that? Im not talking about the local ones. Evernight experts are here. Do you remember Eden? I met him in Seagaze. A famed demonkin clan member, here? Song Zinings expression was serious. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 919: Response Yes, its that Eden. Qianye nodded. Song Zining deactivated his illusory domain and said seriously, Before I came to the neutral lands, I heard Edens position in the clan had risen meteorically due to his accomplishments. Now hes seen as a strong contender for the clan lord position. A genius like this wouldnt be here alone. We might be facing the mobile units of the Dark Abyss in the future. Qianye nodded. After fighting Eden for so long, he understood full well about the other partys potential and how difficult he was to deal with. Song Zining muttered to himself, The Dark Abyss mobile units will probably suffer a significant decrease in strength after coming here, perhaps they wont be as difficult to handle. At this point, he shook his head. No, the Dark Abyss took part in the previous neutral lands expedition, so they must understand the land quite well. They will come equipped with special equipment in order to minimize the effect on their combat strength. We cant be careless. Qianye nodded. In the battles big and small of the past, every battle involving the demonkin had been difficult. Song Zining closed his folding fan. But what is Eden doing here instead of heading into the Great Maelstrom? Dont tell me somethings happened there? Qianye was oblivious about the situation. Has the Great Maelstrom opened? Song Zining nodded. Yes, the passage has already opened. Normally, the earlier phase passage isnt quite stable and will always lead to the peripheral regions. Thats why people who considered themselves geniuses would usually wait until the passage shifts to the depths of the maelstrom. They would focus on the resources at the center, foregoing the benefits from the border region. Additionally, the secret resource grounds of certain families will start shipping out their products, and that requires powerful escort units. Qianye found this fairly odd. Although Eden was outstanding, it was a stretch to call him a rare genius in either camp. His growth mostly relied on his untiring efforts and willpower instead of talents. It was indeed strange that he would arrive in the neutral lands at such a time. After some thought, Song Zining seemed to have come to a decision. It seems great things are about to happen in the Eastern Sea in the near future. What we need to do is retract our defensive lines. Well clear out the area around Southern Blue and Seagaze, driving away all disloyal powers and allowing us to make full use of the resources. After the region is secured, Ill ship over the six engines and four main cannons Ningyuan Heavy Industries has in store and install them on the Martyrs Palace. These are great quality products meant for the newest batch of imperial airships. Your Ningyuan Heavy Industries has developed to this degree? Qianye was rather surprised. Being able to construct main cannons and engines meant that they were only one step away from being able to build complete airships. After all, these were the most difficult key-components. Not to mention the few years Ningyuan had to develop, it would normally be difficult to reach this stage even after thirty years. Song Zining smiled. I helped a major character do some work and he gave me some small rewards. Qianye was speechless. This small reward was already twenty percent of the empires airship construction technology. Even the emperor would be hard-pressed to bring this onto the table, to speak nothing of ordinary bigshots. Qianye wasnt going to ask about things Song Zining didnt want to speak of. He spread out the map and confirmed several places that needed cleaning as their next step in the plan. After mapping out the details, Qianye produced the case of rare-metal from Andruils space and placed it in the courtyard. This case was extremely heavyQianye set up a layer of supportive origin power before carefully placing it on the ground. Otherwise, it might actually cause the ground to cave in. Song Zining opened the case. He observed the ingots momentarily, and then flicked the metallic support structures inside the case. Not bad, theres a fair amount of black gold here. Although less than Id anticipated, its already a sufficient amount. This should allow us to manufacture at full capacity for three years. Haha, that seller would never have imagined that we would possess the most cutting-edge airship technology in the empire or that our utilization of black gold has increased exponentially. Take a look at this. Ive never seen an engine like this. With that, Qianye released the engine. Qianye said, Its indeed not simple. I can feel the aura of a void colossus coming from it. Void colossus? Thats weird. Song Zining examined the object in detail, going so far as to reach into the engines opening, but couldnt find any traces of a void colossus. He stood up and muttered, It looks like we can only open it up to find out the truth, but lets wait for the master engineer to arrive. With him around, well be less likely to damage the engine structure during disassembly. At first, I thought this engine was a trap meant to bring harm to us, but the gains wouldnt cover the losses if they had really used void colossus remains. Qianye agreed. Any part of a void colossus was priceless, not to mention a part containing its living vitality and aura. It could be said that the value of this void colossus part would trump a brand new engine. Paying such a steep price to trap someone else was more of a gift than anything. Song Zining laid down an aura isolation array around the engine, saying, Well know once the master engineer arrives tomorrow. No matter what this is, we have nothing to lose since we didnt spend any money. Qianye snorted. Its my reputation that suffered. Song Zining broke into a laugh. You have no reputation left since the day you killed your way out of the empire. Reputation isnt worth crap in the neutral lands anyway. Qianye shrugged. There was indeed some truth to his words since this was a trap, to begin with. The other party had arranged for Eden to ambush Qianye, hoping to kill him inside Seagaze. No one had imagined, however, that Qianyes advancement would be even faster than Edens, nor did anyone anticipate the presence of Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan behind Qianye. In the end, Eden had to flee with injuries and the bait was taken by Qianye. Qianye had no qualms about taking things from the enemy. He left the crate and engine in the room, and went back to cultivate. The battle with Eden had lasted but a moment, yet there were enough things there for him to slowly digest. At noon the second day, Qianye was roused from his cultivation by a gentle voice. Qianye, come and see. This thing is a bit odd. Qianye retracted his origin power, put on his clothes, and arrived in Song Zinings courtyard. Several white-robed technicians were working around the engine. The machine had been largely disassembled and parts of various sizes had been sorted out nearby. A designated person would mark each removed component and add relevant markups on the blueprint. At this moment, the mysterious engine had been mostly taken apart to reveal the internal walls. A white-haired elder was knocking lightly on it, listening carefully to the echo within. Seventh Young Master, the inner walls are quite special. If Im not wrong, its composition is not inferior to that formula in your hands. It also seems to contain some other special characteristics. Well need to wait until the laboratory is constructed in order to perform an analysis. Song Zining bowed. Ill trouble Elder Hu for that. In addition to the Ningyuan engineers, Li Kuanglan was standing in a corner of the courtyard and watching the scene unfold. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, was leaning against a tree and gazing idly at the skythere was no telling what this lady was thinking. Their presence was also to prevent accidents. The demonkin were similar to the vampires in that they produced a fair number of assassins. The master engineer continued knocking along the inner-wall but came to a sudden stop at the other end. There, he tapped the metal repeatedly, alternating between different levels of force, eyes closed as he focused on the echo. This was a special method to probe the insides of a metal, relying on the strength of the knock and the composition of the material. Grasping the profundity of such a technique didnt require powerful origin power, and it was also useful to check the internal situation of large structural components. Qianye closed his eyes, his ears moving ever so slightly as he tried to grasp the echoing oscillation. Gradually, the imagery grew clear as the engines internal wall appeared in his head. But Qianye gradually frowned as he listened on. He felt that the internal structure was quite oddit was thick around the rear exit port, but the insides were fairly loose. Additionally, it felt like the density was shifting slowly. Qianyes senses were extremely sharp. He knew that it wasnt an illusion. The density around the forepart of the internal wall was changing. It would seem the master engineer had also sensed this abnormality. He finally found a barely discernible slit, along which he continued his investigation, and realized that this was actually a covering plate. It only looked like a single piece due to the compression of oil and dust between the walls. This cover plate contained no locking or clipping mechanism on it, and no one knew how to open it. The master engineer deliberated for a long while before sighing. The craftsmanship leaves me sighing in admiration. This engine is at least several hundred years old, and its truly impressive that they were able to achieve such precision back in the day. If my judgment is correct, theres no mechanism on this plate. It was installed based on precision and locked in place by the natural attractive force. Opening it should follow the same means. With that, the master engineer placed a hand on the plate and channeled his origin power. He pulled back after adhering his hand to the plate. However, the cover plate didnt even budge. The engineers face turned red as he channeled his origin power several times, squeezing out whatever power he possessed. Yet, the cover remained unmoved, almost as though it had been nailed in place. He had no choice but to give up. This old man is too weak for this task. Young Master should invite another expert to open it up. The secret of this engine should be hidden underneath. Song Zining looked around him. In the end, he bowed toward Ji Tianqing with a smile. Young Miss, I hope you can help us with this. Ji Tianqing chuckled. No problem, I really like well-mannered people like you. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 920: Discerning Gaze Ji Tianqing arrived in front of the disassembled engine and placed a hand on it. Ill say this beforehand. Ive invested effort into this matter, so I should be given a share of whatever is inside. Thats a given. Song Zining then turned to Li Kuanglan and added, Young Noble Kuanglan as well. Only then did Li Kuanglans locked brows relax. Ji Tianqing closed her eyes as she placed a hand on the covering plate, and then raised it forcefully. And yet, she actually failed! This time, the entire courtyard was shocked. Qianye was even more astonished because he knew Ji Tianqings strength quite well. Helpless for a brief moment, the girls expression sank in embarrassment. Her hand rose up and down, vibrating rapidly at different frequenciesshe had actually cycled through several high-ranking secret arts in mere moments. Click! Finally, the plate popped out ever so slightly, to everyones relief. Several young engineers cheered excitedly. Ji Tianqing continued adding force, gradually raising the cover plate little by little. It seemed quite stressful even for someone of her strength. This went to show just how powerful the suction force below was. The suction force beneath suddenly disappeared when the plate left its socket. At this point, Ji Tianqing exerted her full force to hold the plate in a barely open state. She had performed this abrupt transition from great strength to gentleness in a relaxed, poetic manner, inadvertently revealing yet another powerful secret art of hers. Ji Tianqing wasnt in a rush to open the cover. Instead, she waited until Qianye, Song Zining, and Li Kuanglan had surrounded the engine, and the engineers were safely behind them. Only then did she slowly lift up the covering plate to reveal the interior. What is this!? Even someone as calm as Ji Tianqing couldnt help but gasp after seeing the contents. Whats surprising was that the space below the cover wasnt filled with metallic components but tissue, akin to animal internal organs. This was, on the surface, a living tissue of unknown significance. Nonetheless, the gazes of Song Seven and Li Kuanglan were extremely powerful, not to mention Qianye with his Eye of Truth. Their eyes zoomed in rapidly on this muscular mass, revealing all its fine details. This tissue was made up of interweaving muscle fibers, and a meshwork of small red and yellow vesicles. There was also a large web of intricate blood vessels connecting all the parts together. In truth, even the coarsest muscle fibers were finer than strands of hair. Those vesicles and capillaries were simply invisible to the naked eye. To Qianye, however, even the deeper muscular structure gradually came into view. The blood vessels and muscles formed a three-dimensional scaffolding with which to protect the small vesicles inside. Upon careful inspection, one could see that there were minute crystal granules embedded within the vessel walls and muscle fibers. These crystals were similar in size to the ones in Qianyes auric flame blood. They were so small that even ordinary champions couldnt see them clearlyonly Qianyes Eye of Truth could discern them. The existence of these crystals blessed the fine vessels and muscle fibers with extreme tenacity. Add to that how thin these structures were, they were also abnormally sharp. If an ordinary expert were to reach in to touch them, it was quite likely that their hands would suffer damage. There were also small crystalline granules floating about inside the vesicles. The void colossus aura Qianye had sensed when he first saw the engine came from this tissue. Ji Tianqing exclaimed all of sudden, Its alive! Everyone apart from Qianye was astonished and began to observe carefully. The engineers were baffled because they couldnt figure anything out. Song Zining and Li Kuanglan, on the other hand, noticed that the muscle was moving at an extremely slow rate, almost as though it was breathing. It was just that the movement was so slow and weak that it would take a weeks time to finish a single cycle. Only experts at their level would notice this kind of change. Song Zining turned around. Elder Hu, what do you think? The elder didnt reply immediately. Instead, he fished out a certain instrument and fiddled about near the covering plate for a long while. Finally, he pulled out a thin needle, saying, Everyone, please take a look. These needles are inserted into the muscle, and channeling origin power through them will move the muscle. And there are hundreds of such needles inside. If Im not wrong, these needles are equipment used to control the muscle, and the pipes we just removed are used to transport origin power. Song Zining asked, What do you think this muscle is for? Elder Hu replied, I cannot see the internal structure clearly, can one of the young masters and misses instruct me on this? With a swoosh, all gazes fell upon Qianye. At a complete loss about what to do, he said, Why are you guys looking at me? Song Zining coughed. Qianye, now is not the time to hide your skills. Tell us what you see so that we can discuss it." Knowing that he couldnt get out of this, he said after some thought, I noticed that this muscle is made up of three structures. One of the components looks like muscle fibers, they form the scaffolding of the structure, the second seems to be a network of blood vessels, and the third, countless little vesicles At this point, Li Kuanglan said with a frown, You saw small vesicles? A lot of them, in fact, but theyre all enclosed within the vascular meshwork, deep inside the framework. Qianye was quite honest. Li Kuanglan stared at Qianye for a good while. I really want to dig your eyes out and see what its made of. Tianqing, you saw this as well? Ji Tianqing chuckled. This young miss eyes are like torches. Of course, I noticed them! Li Kuanglan didnt hide her own shortcomings. I only saw the muscular structure and vessel network. I found no vesicles. Qianye, you continue. Continue? Qianye hesitated for a moment. There are minute crystalline granules embedded within these structures. I have no idea what theyre for, either. Crystals!? This time, it was Ji Tianqings turn to be surprised. She immediately whipped out a needle, poked the muscle, and pulled out. She then donned a pair of special glasses to observe the needle for a good while. There really are crystals. Qianye, what kind of eyes do you have exactly? With Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan eyeing him carefully, Qianye felt uneasy from head to toe. Song Zining walked over at this point and whispered into the latters ears, Why did you say so much? Let it be, Ill help you this once for the sake of our brotherhood. Otherwise, theyll dissect you on the spot. Without waiting for Qianye to respond, Song Zining patted his shoulder and said in a clear voice, Qianye, who wouldve thought you actually have such eyesight! Doesnt this mean you can even see through origin defenses, to speak nothing of armor! Qianye hadnt realized what these words meant. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, on the other hand, saw their expressions shift drastically. Their gaze toward Qianye became exceptionally fierce. He was baffled. How am I supposed to see through armor and origin defenses? Song Zining replied, Dont be so modest, you can do it! Just practice harder in the future. That way, no enemy can hide in front of you! Qianye immediately sensed killing intent in the air around him. It was at this time that Elder Hu slapped his thighs. I know now! Everyone redirected their attention to him. Elder Hu pointed at the muscle, saying, I think that muscle is, in fact, a functioning organ. In the body of a void colossus, it would probably take on the role of breathing. Ive seen some documents regarding void colossi when I was younger. They also need to breathe, but what they respire is actually void origin power. He paused for a moment before saying, This organ is probably used for breathing. It directly absorbs void origin power and exhales ordinary origin power for the airships propulsion system. So, this is indeed an engine. Its just that this assumption is simply unimaginable, absolutely unimaginable! Elder Hu pointed at the needles distributed inside the engine. These needles are used to control the organ. The engines output is controlled by regulating the frequency and strength of its breathing. Song Zining picked up one of the components. Were these things really made hundreds of years ago? Elder Hu replied, This requires more analysis before we can come to a conclusion. Song Zining sighed softly. If theyre really centuries-old products, then the person who made them must be truly outstanding! Ji Tianqing nodded. This likely isnt Evernight technology. The Empire and Evernight had been fighting for so many years that they had become extremely familiar with one another. Such an engine concept had never appeared in airships of the major dark races. Hence, this engine was either produced on a whim by a certain peerless expertlike the Martyrs Palace for instanceor it had to belong to a certain powerful race. The former possibility was acceptable, but the latter would be truly shocking. Song Zining asked, Elder Hu, is this engine still usable? The old man replied, The parts all seem to be in good order. It should be usable after we repair some of the minor damages. It will operate normally after repairs, but well need to install a complete fuel delivery system. Li Kuanglan was surprised. Isnt it supposed to be a respiratory organ? Does it still need fuel? Elder Hu said while stroking his beard, As far as this organ is involved, what it needs are nutrients. The ten pipes here are probably used to deliver nutrients. As for what kind of nutrients it absorbs, thats something we need to figure out. Will the analysis be easy? Song Zining inquired. Elder Hu replied, This so-called engine is no longer that mysterious once weve figured out the basic principles. Its true core is this muscle, and the key is to find out where it came from, how it was fashioned into this shape, and where it gained such powers. The external machinery are mere trifles. Yet Im ashamed to admit that I know nothing about that muscular structure. Lets just do the repairs first and see how it performs. Afterward, Song Zining yielded the small courtyard to Elder Hus repair work. Qianye returned to his abode and started packing his luggage for the upcoming battle. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan also left to mind their own businesses. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 921: Preparing for War Everyones interest in the engine stopped here. Although they were unable to figure out any concrete details on its function, the key was that it was a respiratory organ belonging to a certain void creature. Even with a sufficient grasp of mechanical technology, where was one to find such a being? If the organ really was from a void colossus, finding it would be akin to courting death. Qianye returned to his own courtyard and quickly packed up. He then rushed over to the armory and handed the quartermaster a long listhe planned to stock up on enough ammunition and food to last through a war. The upcoming battle might be the most difficult one since his arrival in the neutral lands. After completing all preparations, Qianye said goodbye to Song Zining. For this expedition, he would clear out the surrounding disloyal powers and, more importantly, tell Eden and his mobile unit that Qianye was operating in the wilderness. An untraceable Qianye was the only force that could exert enough deterrence to prevent the Evernight squads from acting blindly or fielding their armies without enough defensive power. Just as Eden had made the imperial nobility suffer within the Misty Wood, Qianye was also an impossible problem for the Evernight forces. Even with Eden restraining him during that period, their side had still sustained grave casualties. The dark races mightve been pushed out of the woods if it werent for the demonkin prodigy. The wilderness of the neutral lands wasnt as restrictive to the senses compared to the Misty Wood, but void turbulences or even storms could kick up at any time. A hunter from the Empire or Evernight would find themselves easily losing their targets here. Once Qianye had entered the wilderness, Eden would definitely focus his efforts on restraining him. Otherwise, operating carelessly like before would give Qianye the opportunity to kill him as soon as he launched an attack. Qianye had gained the obvious advantage during the latter parts of their fight in the Misty Wood, but there was no telling what the outcome of this confrontation would be. Qianyes advantage lay in the fact that Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were there to oversee Southern Blue, as well as Song Zining preparing for war at all times. The three airships belonging to each of them were hidden somewhere in the void, and the Martyrs Palace was also on standby. The demonkin would likely suffer if they came crashing into them without sufficient information. Try to keep the road to Seagaze open, lest it gives those families an excuse to drag things out. This was Song Zinings request. No problem. Wait a minute, Song Zining called Qianye back at the last minute. The latter smiled. What do you need me to do? Just say it. He saw Song Zining wearing a rare serious expression and a bit of uneasiness as well. Twisting his fan in hesitation, he said after a good while, Sorry. What about? Qianye was a bit puzzled. Song Zining took a deep breath. This battle is not the same as before. You should know how dangerous it is. Dangerous? You mean Eden? I think the Wolf King is more dangerous. Song Zining shook his head. The Wolf King is just an arrogant, overconfident bastard, and hes alone. Hell become cautious and afraid after a round of harsh beating. This is the Wolf Kings weakness, he cannot afford to sustain injuries. As long as hes paranoid, we will have ways to deal with him. This isnt the case for Eden. He was the vanguard this time, and there might be more than just one demonkin clan behind him. What are you trying to say? Song Zining grabbed Qianyes shoulder. Prepare well, you might be facing an entire Evernight squad, including vampires, werewolves, and arachne. And? I hope you wont encounter a duke. Qianye was startled. Are you kidding? Of course not, do I look like Im joking? You do. We both know how important dukes are to Evernight, and the chances of them falling is much higher in the neutral lands. Besides, even if a duke really comes, their combat strength will be greatly discounted as they adapt to the environment. Song Zining increased the force in his hand. Thats under normal circumstances. There might be more than one duke moving out from the Evernight side this time. Whats the reason? Song Zining hesitated with a wry smile. I cant tell you now. This place mightve attracted the attention of certain powerhouses. I fear hell find out if I say it. In short, you have to be very careful. Dont become fixated on any target, what you must do is survive. I will find a way to get the Martyrs Palace equipped as soon as possible. I can only hope that its not too late. Youre always like this, saying everything halfway. Youll have no friends left at this rate, Qianye said. Its fine as long as I have my brothers. Brothers? I think women are more important to you. Qianye! You were never this talkative before. Qianye shrugged. I learned that from you. Song Zining shook his head, saying, Ive said this before, but Im not joking. I have a very bad feeling about all of this. I hope you understand. Because of their special identities, I cannot allow Kuanglan and Tianqing to go into battle with you. Absolutely nothing must happen to them, at least not because of you. So, youre on your own for now. Qianye said, Im not alone, I have you, dont I? Song Zining seemed like he wanted to say something, but he only let out a long sigh. Enough, it feels like Im talking to a woman. Im leaving. Qianye pushed the door open and left. The wilderness was, just as before, lonesome and austerethe endless yellow sand, the sharp gales, and the randomly appearing void storms that would leave one weak and palpitating. Even cultivators would feel great discomfort when exposed to excessive amounts of void origin power. Qianye walked alone through the empty wilderness. Removing his gloves, he could feel a faint stabbing pain on his skinthis was a sign of void origin power falling on his skin. The energy was so violent that it would gradually destroy living bodies. Only those with exceptionally strong constitutions or origin power protection could escape this eventual fate. This was the reason why even cultivators would live much shorter lives here if they werent strong enough. But people at Qianyes level of physique would benefit from the void origin power instead of suffering harm. The wisps of energy would enter his body and become assimilated. Qianye observed the surrounding wilderness with narrowed eyes. The surrounding landscape was both familiar and strangein addition to ordinary vision, even the world in his perception would warp and twist from time to time. This was an effect of the void origin power. Qianye gazed far into the distance and spread his perception out to its maximum range, hoping to find the maximum extent of his senses. Since the opponent was Eden, no amount of preparation could be considered excessive. Qianye stretched his perception to its extremes and, after repeated tries, gradually formed a blurry borderline. Edens figure appeared in this illusory world, holding a sniper rifle and taking aim at Qianye. Then, he pulled firmly on the trigger. A bullet shrouded in dark demonic energy flashed toward Qianyes forehead! Qianyes body jolted as he opened his eyes, and all the illusions disappeared immediately. That Eden was actually a projection of that sniping attempt back in Seagaze City, located at the same distance as when he had ambushed Qianye back then. And the position of this projection was still far from the extremes of Qianyes visual range. Qianye felt somewhat relieved. Perhaps Eden wasnt firing from his maximum range, but at the very least, he still had the advantage in visual capacity. The neutral lands was different from the Misty Wood in that visual range was longer than sniping range. Hence, Qianyes advantage wasnt that evident. Nonetheless, even a bit of advantage was welcome when fighting against Eden. Qianye closed his eyes again and recalled the process of Edens shot. The impact from that attack was so powerful that it had injured him through East Peak, but it remained that Qianye could block this shot even when he was unprepared. Eden would thus need to close the distance if he wanted to strike Qianye, and this was an obvious advantage for the latter. At this moment, only that demonic-energy-shrouded bullet remained in his consciousness. This bullet vanished after shooting through Qianyes forehead and reappeared once more at its source. The repeated recollection allowed Qianye to slowly grasp the shots true firepower. Although this shot was extremely powerful, Eden also had to accumulate a fair amount of energy to launch this attack. If he could fire like that back in the Misty Wood, he mightve been able to turn the tables around. From this attack, it was clear that Eden could already utilize the maximum potential of the Abyssal Tribute. No one knew what kind of miracle he had chanced upon, but his demonic power had reached the level of a marquis. The empire had collected sufficient details about Eden during the void continent battle, even data regarding his Abyssal Tribute. From this shot, however, it would seem that the sniper rifle was even more powerful than the reports had stated. This was perhaps because Eden couldnt yet bring out the true power of this weapon in the past. Although Heartgrave could suppress Abyssal Tribute in both firepower and special abilities, it would drain Qianye in one shot and leave him in a weakened state. Meanwhile, Eden would be able to fire three more shots from his sniper rifle. Hence, it could be said that the two were evenly matched in terms of origin guns. At this point, Qianye had completed his analysis of Eden. He would need to fight the man again to figure out more details. Although Eden had suffered consecutive attacks from Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, the injuries werent severe. It could be assumed that he would have returned to the battlefield by now, but no one knew when he would attack again. Qianye opened his eyes once more and once again expanded his perception to its maximum range, paying attention to everything in his surroundings. Song Zinings thoughts were one thing, but Qianye knew that the most important mission right now was to find the demonkin mobile units hiding in the wilderness. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 922: Capture Qianye swept his perception out in every direction while walking toward Seagaze. The void energy on the wilderness suddenly calmed down after some time and Qianyes senses stretched out toward a battlefield. Qianye noticed a fight taking place in the distant horizon. He retracted his aura and sneaked toward the conflict at a steady pace. Eden could also be hiding in the wilderness at this point, so Qianye didnt want to give him an opportunity. When Qianye arrived, he was confronted with a raging siege. A dozen mercenaries were fighting for dear life against hundreds of soldiers surrounding them. Bullets and grenades were spraying out in all directions, almost as though they werent worth any money. The only protection these mercenaries could rely upon was a patch of rocky terrain. This little bit of cover wasn''t nearly enough to protect them against origin guns, but they had erected metallic plates between the stones to form a simple defensive structure. Relying on that, they had managed to hold out against an enemy several times their numbers. Those seemingly crude metallic shields were actually quite capable in defense; it would take a grade-three origin gun several shots to penetrate them. The hunters in the wilderness possessed grade three weapons at most, and even the leaders could hardly afford a grade-four gun. These plates could be connected together or used as individual shields. If not for these movable walls, this group of mercenaries wouldve been routed long ago. A burly man in officers clothing roared, Blackbird, Dark Flame will never let you go. Even if we die here today, its merely leaving a bit earlier than you! A shrill voice echoed among the attackers, You think Dark Flame can survive? Before long, itll be wiped away along with Southern Blue. Old Six, you should surrender immediately if you understand the situation. Considering our many years of friendship, Ill let you live and even take you to meet my new master. Dark Flame simply cannot compare to the future prospects here. What say you? Old Six let out a long laugh. You want me to turn traitor? Never! Then Ill have to say Im sorry, I didnt want to use this move against you. Before Old Six could even speak, a sharp whistle echoed across the battlefield. An origin bullet surged along the battlefield, drawing a long trail of origin-power as it shot through the mobile wall, Old Six, and the mercenary standing behind him. The mans body froze up on the spot. The strange origin bullet was so fast that his origin defenses only started to disintegrate at this point. The mobile parapet wasnt able to save his life, either. Blackbirds voice echoed across the battlefield. Kill them all, leave none alive! Countless bullets flew over from all directions, cutting down the Dark Flame mercenaries one after the other. Qianye only arrived at the battlefield at this point, his expression dark as he observed the scene. He stepped into the midst of the mercenary squads and took down dozens of enemy soldiers amidst the roar of ocean waves. Blackbird felt that something wasnt quite right at the sudden loss of a section of firepower. He was just about to turn back to look when he saw a black sword on his shoulder. Tell your men to stop firing if you want to stay alive. Qianyes frosty voice rang out near Blackbirds ears. The latter was a clever man. He immediately started shouting hysterically, Stop! Everyone, lower your weapons! The shocked mercenaries looked at their captured leader, then at the collapsed comrades on the ground, and quickly realized that this was an expert they couldnt contend against. Everyone put down their weapons obediently and raised their hands. Blackbird heaved a sigh of relief and was just about to ask for mercy when Qianye asked, Whos your master? A-A demonkin. I dont know his name, and neither have I seen how he looks. All I know is that hes extremely powerful and rich. Hes the one who instructed me to intercept caravans coming out from Southern Blue. Is that all you know? Qianyes indifferent voice sounded demonic in Blackbirds ears. Shivering subconsciously, he said, Im fairly observant if I do say so myself. From certain details, I can tell that this demonkin is related to the Liu family in the city. I really dont know anything else. Sire, this lowly one has some savings throughout the years. If you dont mind, Im willing to He hadnt even finished when a light flashed on East Peak as it cut open his throat. Blackbird collapsed, his face full of terror. ... Give you everything. Qianye stood up and said to the surviving Dark Flame members, Bring these people back for interrogation. An elderly mercenary asked, Sire, what about you? Qianye patted his shoulder, saying, I have my plans. He then vanished into the vast wilderness. The surviving Dark Flame members endured the grief as they placed the corpses of Old Six and their fallen comrades onto the truck. Then, they led the surrendered mercenaries back to Southern Blue. Not long after they had left, the scenery on the empty wilderness warped all of a sudden. Two tall, cloaked figures appeared like demons in the night, their facial features hidden beneath sinister-looking masks. They moved as silently as specters, scanning the battlefield in the blink of an eye. The place where they lingered the longest was where Qianye had unleashed his domain and near Blackbirds corpse. There were less than ten Dark Flame survivors but almost a hundred prisoners of war. Qianye had also left pretty quickly, so the mercenaries only swept the battlefield briefly for spoils of war before departing. They didnt even take Blackbirds corpse with them. The two black-robed men picked up Blackbirds remains and proceeded to check every trace on his bodynot just the sword wound on his neck. Blackbirds body reacted like a puppet as they moved their hands and, in the blink of an eye, returned to the kneeling position he was in before his death. The two glanced at one another. Its Qianye, his combat strength seems to have improved yet again. Another person said, Its hard to confirm whether hes grown more powerful since the void continent. No matter what, we have confirmed Qianyes existence. We have to report this matter to the young master. Well leave it to Eden to confirm Qianyes true combat strength. Good idea. Its time we added new missions for Eden, anyway. We must see what hes hiding. Lets go. The two black-robed men rose slowly into the air and made to fly away. The two of them began accelerating at the same time, yet only one of them shot out for dozens of kilometers. The other remained motionless! Shocked out of his wits, the former turned back to see that Qianye had grabbed the other persons leg. No matter how the man struggled, Qianye remained nailed to the ground. The captured black-robed man unleashed a shrill scream. His entire body burst into demonic flames as he shot into the air. This move shouldve taken him hundreds of meters into the sky, even if he were carrying several tons in weightthat was if Qianye hadnt caught him by the ankle. But now, all he could manage was to bring Qianye slightly off the ground. He couldnt move a single inch further behind that. This black-robed person had lost entirely in this confrontation of demonic energy, origin power, and blood energy. The black-robed person, who was already in the sky, didnt turn back to rescue his comrade. On the contrary, he flew even higher and vanished into the sky. Qianye didnt chase down the one who had fled since he had already caught one anyway. The black-robed person in his grasp struggled with all his might, but to no avail. He looked back and saw Qianye gazing quietly at him with an expression of mockery. His right hand suddenly erupted in demonic flames, which quickly transformed into a burning sword and slashed down! What startled Qianye was that the man hadnt slashed at him but at his left leg, instead. The sword strike severed the limb at the knee and granted the man temporary freedom. Ignoring his injury, the black-robed person channeled his demonic energy and shot into the air. Nonetheless, Qianye moved like the wind and reached out to catch the mans right leg. The unyielding black-robed man slashed backward once more and severed his right leg as well! Seeing this, Qianye grabbed at the air with his right handEast Peak immediately appeared in his grasp and pressed down on the mans back. The black-robed man surged with demonic flames. He was like a caged bird, unable to spread his wings no matter how hard he tried. The man turned around suddenly, removing his mask to reveal a pale, handsome face. This was a characteristic demonkin countenance, and the complicated pattern on his forehead was a telltale sign of his major-clan origins. He glared at Qianye with eyes full of embarrassment and hatred as he swung his neck toward East Peaks edge. Qianye was greatly surprised as he watched the mans head fly through the air. A demonkin from a famed clan, even just a third-rank viscount, shouldve wanted to survive at least. No matter how ruthless he was to himself, it was entirely unexpected that he would be that decisive. Qianye planted East Peak on the ground and searched through the mans remains. As expected, there was nothing on him that would prove his identitynot even a family crest. The equipment he had on him was also fairly generic: only two combat knives, a pistol, ammunition, and enough food to last one day. Qianye frowned slightly as these clues were useless. A demonkin viscount could last several days without any food or drink, so one day of rations was enough for him to cover a thousand kilometers. The range was too big for Qianye to guess the location of his base. Qianye looked up in the direction of the escapee, his eyes suffused with a blue hue. A faint trail of origin power left behind by the other demonkin stretched into the clouds. This person seemed quite proficient in tracking and assassination. His traces were quickly wiped away by the void origin power once he was in the clouds, so Qianye couldnt easily determine whether he had flown upward or moved in a different direction. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 923: Person of Interes Perhaps the demonkin had already built a base somewhere, perhaps their base was the fleet in outer space. At least Qianye could be certain that this viscount was very likely a member of their mobile unit. If all of their members were as fearless of death as this person, it would be fairly problematic. From the conversation between the two demonkin, Qianye noticed a new term: young lord. This worrisome honorific was similar to the holy sons and daughters of the vampire race, a person who had gained the recognition of all families in the race. A fellow crowned thus was akin to Zhao Jundu in the empirenot only would they stand out from the rest of the demonkin young geniuses, but they could also mobilize unimaginable amounts of resources. If a demonkin young lord had arrived in the neutral lands, it could be assumed that something big was going to happen. Qianye suppressed the restlessness in his heart. At least Song Zining was prepared, and it wasnt that easy to make him take a loss under such circumstances. On the other hand, it was also likely that Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had secret protectors watching over them. They themselves were also quite strong, so Qianye didnt need to worry about them. At the present moment, the best strategy wasnt to hole up in Southern Blue but to move out proactively and hunt in the wilderness. That was the best way to restrain the demonkins power and make it difficult for them to operate with ease. At the thought of this, Qianye picked up East Peak and slashed at the demonkin viscounts head, shattering it from afar. This wasnt done out of savagery but as a message for the other demonkin coming to check. Qianye then put his sword away and vanished in the direction of Seagaze. There was a slender, elegant warship hovering in the depths of the void. Its numerous long masts were swaying gently, like long, dancing wings. This was an ordinary warship, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, taking a closer look, one could observe that it had undergone obvious remodelingthese masts were a representation of demonkin technology. They could raise the vessels overall speed and reduce consumption at the same time, a system unique to the race. Both the other dark races and the empire had sought ways to design, steal, or imitate this technology. Nevertheless, even the empires usual high-quality reproductions couldnt compare to the demonkin warships. Apart from the characteristic masts, there was no other noticeable equipment. Its armor was mediocre at best and so were the ship-cannons, meaning that this vessel had no other advantage except fast movement. The interior, on the other hand, was refined and luxurious. The furnishings were old school yet that didn''t deprive them from being lavish. The interior of the ship was decorated in shades of black and gold, a true expression of mysteriousness and nobility. A young demonkin was standing in the command room, gazing at the distant Eastern Sea continent. At this moment, the command room doors opened, and a demonkin count walked in. Young Lord, Number Forty has returned with the latest report, but Thirty-Nine didnt return. The young demonkins expression shifted slightly. I remember that the two of them are fairly excellent in concealment and hunting. They should be able to flee even against a powerful enemy. Why didnt Thirty-Nine return? Could the Wolf King have gone back on his words and attacked personally? Its not the Wolf King. According to Number Forty, its Qianye. The young demonkin turned back with a surprised expression. Qianye? The one who injured the Demoness back in Indomitable? Thats him. A layer of dark energy emerged on the young mans smooth forehead, almost as though a complicated diagram was about to emerge. Nonetheless, the image merely flickered in and out of existence before fading away. This demonkin young lord was a riddle through and throughno one had ever seen what his innate talent totem looked like, and it was rare to see any emotional fluctuation from him throughout the years. People were fated to be disappointed yet again as the young demonkin quickly reigned in his emotions. Who wouldve thought he would still be alive and quite well in fact? This makes the world more interesting. What did Number Forty say? Was he able to gauge Qianyes strength? The demonkin count said awkwardly, Forty left the battlefield immediately after seeing that Thirty-Nine had been captured His conclusion is that Qianyes combat strength decline, if any, is very limited. The young demonkin nodded. This means he never fought with Qianye, and neither did he stay to observe the fight between Qianye and Number Thirty-Nine. Indeed. The demonkin seemed worried that the young lord would blame the agent. In my humble opinion, Forty wouldnt have been able to return if he hadnt turned to flee immediately. I believe his judgment in this scenario is correct. The young lord remained silent for a moment and then said, I dont mean to blame him. Its just that, running without a fight just to send word back to me so that I can gauge his strength... He suddenly raised his voice. Do you guys have so little faith in me? Are you so worried that Ill get wounded in Qianyes hands? The demonkins were all shocked. They fell to their knees in unison. We dont dare! The young demonkin paced about with his hands behind his back. The supreme leader has great expectations for me. Our mission is important, so its only natural that we should be cautious. But think about it, was the Supreme One a top-genius back in his day? He was barely outstanding. From the demonic realm to the void, from the Dark Abyss to the Sacred Mountain, how many life and death battles did he have to go through? I believe my talents arent inferior to his back in the day; why must I avoid such a small battle? An old demonkin marquis spoke in a hoarse voice, The Supreme One couldnt break away from the shackles of his talents without life and death battles, a stark difference from your circumstances, Young Lord. On the other hand, he has never engaged in unnecessary battles, either. The young demonkin chuckled. You all feel that a battle with Qianye is unnecessary? Your opponent should be Zhao Jundu, the old marquis replied. The young demonkin broke into a laugh. Fine, Qianye hasnt matured anyway. Killing him will make this world less interesting. Let Eden handle this matter, itll also allow us to see if his situation will change after switching from the Misty Wood to the neutral lands. A demonkin count clad in heavy armor stepped forward. Young Lord, should we send someone to monitor Eden? The young demonkin said with a smile, You guys really are cautious about Eden being a threat to me. Why? Just because his recent accomplishments and advancements are beyond expectations? He isnt even an inheritor-candidate of the Dark Abyss, yet you people think hes a threat to me? That count wasnt willing to back down. Young Lord, your safety is imperative since its related to our races inheritance. Competition must be under fair circumstances, we wont allow anyone to scheme! This time, the young demonkin didnt insist. Send people to monitor him if you think its necessary. Eden might think somethings up if you dont send anyone. Okay, just bring up whatever you have to say. The old marquis said, Since youve said so, I wont hold back. This airship isnt very safe and not suitable for your high status. I would suggest you move back to your own vessel immediately. The young demonkin chuckled. Do you think the one on the Throne of Blood will ignore us if we drive the Demon Edge into the neutral lands? He already knows of our existence. Only this ship can prove that were not here to assail his lands. If that person wants to capture you, this ship wont be enough to escape. We definitely cant allow you to fall into danger. The young demonkin raised his hand. So you guys just want me to leave. Rest assured, I wont stay very long. You just need to let me finish one thing. No one is allowed to disturb me for one day, otherwise, I might change my mind. The demonkin marquises and counts exchanged glances, eventually giving a nod. The young demonkin sighed. Whats the point of deceiving ourselves at this point? Everyone in the cabin turned silent, and the demonkin young lord felt bad pressing the matter. He simply ordered, Give me a copy of everyones data related to those people, I must meditate on this matter. Enough, everyone is dismissed. Having said that, he returned to his own cabin. After a while, the old marquis entered with a thick stack of papers and placed it on the desk. The old marquis fished out an independent file, saying, Young Lord, I think this person deserves your attention. He might gain the right to become your opponent one day in the future. The young demonkin flipped through the paper. Song Zining? I know him. Hes the one everyones calling god of strategy, right? Ive never been interested in people like Lin Xitang, perhaps you guys dont understand me. The old marquis said, I believe that a true expert is one who can contend against people from different areas. The young demonkin said, Youre just hoping Ill stay away from the battlefield, but you got one thing right at least, it is interesting to defeat people from different fields. Fine, Ill pay more attention to Song Zining, but hes not my target right now. Im looking for an extremely interesting person that I must meet. The old marquis was startled. Who do you want to meet? This one. The young demonkin pushed an extremely thin file toward the old marquis. This document only contained a half-filled sheet of paper, yet still this person was more important to the young lord than Song Zining. This was quite surprising. An expression of pure shock crept up on the old man''s face as he opened the file. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 924: Visi Why this person? The old marquis was puzzled. Dont you think shes very interesting? The old marquis glanced at the document again, yet this single sheet of paper only took a moment to read no matter how carefully he studied the contents. Eventually, he shook his head in resignation. I still cant figure out whats so interesting. Even though shes cultivated our races arts, it must be the most shallow type. Our famed-clan inheritances cannot be learned by humans after all. The young demonkin smiled. A human who can cultivate our races arts is already extremely interesting. Perhaps shes the one that I want. Young Lord The young demonkin looked up. What, you think this will be dangerous as well? Im only going for one day. The marquis hesitated. Fine, just one day. The young demonkin revealed a smile as he pointed at the old marquis. Dont send people to follow me or Ill really get angry. But how do you plan to find her? Thats my business. The young demonkin was apparently unhappy. Moments later, a small, faintly-discernible airship shot out from the main vessel and sped toward the Eastern Sea. The old marquis said after a while, Lets split up and visit the nearby leaders. Everyone was puzzled. At this time? Didnt we just contact them? Yes, right away. These fellows are used to lawlessness. We have to keep an eye on them so that they dont hurt the young lord. Moments later, several small airships split off toward different directions in the Eastern Sea. In the Totemic Castle, the Wolf King was in his newly forged steel throne, frowning at the masked man in front of him. Havent we reached an agreement already? The black-robed man said in a husky voice, Our superior believes we can expand the scope of our cooperation. For instance, you can help us build a new army corps Cinnabar Volcano City, the Spider Emperors camp. The atmosphere here was shrouded in austerity as a dozen or so of the Spider Emperors subordinates confronted three black-robed men. The trio wore sinister masks that hid their true facial features, and they themselves werent really that powerful. Yet, their momentum was no weaker than their many opponents. At this point, an extremely big arachne walked into the hall. He stood over five meters tall and was clad in a full set of heavy armor, not unlike a small moving mountain. Every step he took would shake the great hall since he hadnt transformed into human form completely. Looking down at the three black-robed men with his ten sinister-looking compound eyes, he said, His Majesty is on the front lines and cant rush back in time. Im in charge for the time being. I think that your terms are too demanding! One of the robed demonkin men said, How demanding these terms are is decided by how strong each party is. As we see it, theyre already quite generous. The tall arachne froze for a moment. There was anger in his voice as he retorted, Dont forget that its the neutral lands youre in. You demonkin will be greatly restrained here, so dont gauge people with Evernight standards! The black-robed man replied calmly, I know where I am, but you shouldnt forget that the restrictions on dukes and grand dukes are fairly limited. If you believe the Spider Emperor can contend with our dukes, theres no need to continue our discussion. The generals in the hall were shocked. Even the big arachne blurted out in astonishment, You have grand dukes coming over? The demonkin replied, Everything is possible, is it not? If you people cannot decide on our terms, then contact the Spider Emperor. From what I know, there arent any big battles on the front lines. As long as the emperor shows up, well consider it a sign of good faith and be open to discussing many things. Just as the tall arachne was in a difficult position, an indifferent yet powerful voice echoed from the roof. I can show my sincerity, but you people have no right to negotiate with me. The demonkin looked up to find a fist-sized crystalline spider on the ceiling of the hall, the source of the voice just now. The black-robed mans stance became respectful immediately. He bowed toward the crystal spider, saying, Im only in charge of conveying the message. As for the negotiation, its naturally our marquis who will talk with you. We just hope there will be no hostile actions during the talks. Thats a given, the spider emperor said as he materialized. On the holy mountain of Tidehark, Luo Yun arrived outside of the small courtyard where Luo Bingfeng remained in isolation. City Lord, those demonkin are here again and they insist on meeting you. Luo Bingfengs clear voice emerged from the courtyard, I refuse. Theyre saying well have to face the consequences if we refuse to meet them. Luo Bingfeng sneered, A group of bastards who dont even dare to reveal their faces. Drive them away! While Luo Yun was hesitating, the ladys voice appeared from the courtyard as well. Bingfeng, the demonkin suffers a lot of restrictions here. Most of them need to use masks to protect themselves from the corrosion of void origin power. Its not like they want to wear it on purpose. Luo Bingfeng said in a cold voice, If theyre truly powerful, theyll naturally be able to ignore the corrosion of void origin power. They clearly have experts overseeing them, yet they only send such riff-raff to see me. Are they trying to bully people from the Eastern Sea? Drive them all away. Tell them their life is forfeit the next time they enter Tidehark. The undercurrents flowing through the Eastern Sea did not affect the wilderness. Despite the continuous spread of war, trade caravans could still be seen trudging majestically along the inter-city highways. To these lowest level merchants and mercenaries, there was war everywhere and danger was lurking around every corner. Whether or not they would risk their lives for this was dependent on how much the owner was willing to pay. The wilderness wasnt entirely deserted. Villages big and small were scattered throughout the land. Some of these settlements were formed while prospecting rare ores or because there were underground wells beneath them. Others were naturally formed places of rest or nests of mercenaries and hunters. These villages were unaffected by the environment and kept on operating at their own tempo. In the depths of the wilderness, there was a fairly lively secret settlement. This place was hidden in an overgrown valley and formed from several interconnecting tunnels. It was both secluded and safe since the exits toward the outside world were hidden deep inside the mountain range. At first, it was a temporary settlement set up by some hunters, but its location eventually spread among the hunters and mercenary circles. In the end, it turned into a common camp used by all kinds of people in the wilderness. There were several bonfires in the camp with pots hanging over them, and the strong fragrance of meat wafting out from them stirred everyones appetite. The bonfires naturally separated the people into different groups. The largest mercenary group occupied two caves, while the smaller ones could only share one together. The nameless newcomers and lone wolves couldnt even stay in a cave. All they could do was camp out in the valley. In truth, they wouldnt dare join a strangers group even if someone were to invite them. There was neither guarantee nor law in the neutral lands, so these lone wolves would rather leave before nightfall and face the wild beasts alone than risk unknown dangers. There was a small bonfire flickering in a corner of the valley, with a rabbit hanging over it from a simple meat rack. There was a young girl beside the flame, covered in a dirty cloak. One side of the rabbit was somewhat burnt and the other side was still covered in red veins. Apparently, her cooking skills werent that outstanding. The lone girl attracted a lot of attention. People would whisper among themselves from time to time, scheming and pointing occasionally. The oversized cloak hung down and covered most of her facial features, only revealing her chin. Yet, her lips were exquisite and white, the best these hunters could ever find in the wilderness. It was just that people who could operate alone in the wilderness were usually quite capable, and the girl had a large sinister-looking cleaver beside her, proof that she wasnt an easy target. Three hunters walked out of the cave after some discussion and headed toward the young girl. They were tall, big, and their equipment was also better than the normal standardsclearly, they werent easy individuals. They walked straight toward the girl, much to the dissent of the others eyeing her. But most of those people eventually turned away after seeing the trios weaponry, choosing to ignore the commotion here. The young girl was entirely focused on roasting her rabbit, almost oblivious to the disaster coming her way. The three hunters hastened their steps, and the leader eventually reached out to pat the girls shoulder. Hi lass, do you want to get to know us? His hands hadnt even landed when it was frozen midway. A wisp of faintly-discernible black energy had wrapped around the mans hand, making it impossible for him to move or advance. A young man had appeared beside the bonfire at one point. He was unusually handsomehis smile was as warm as the sun, and a pair of deep blue eyes sparkled as bright as the stars beneath his elegant brows. With a wisp of black energy still lingering around his fingers, he said to the girl with a smile, Can we be friends? The young girl looked up, revealing a small face comparable to a porcelain doll. She looked at the young man in confusion but didnt say anything. The latter slapped his forehead, saying, Ah, how could I forget to present a meeting gift for this beautiful lady? This is my present, do you like it? With that, the young man flicked his finger. The dark energy around him began trembling, and the shades of black on the hunters hand transformed into an extremely complicated diagram that cut the three men in pieces. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 925: Sleeping and its Price The girl did not react at all to this. She merely looked at the young man and asked apathetically, Why must we be friends? Because Im the type you like. The young man revealed a radiant smile as a faint pattern flashed on his forehead. The young girls eyes widened in surprise. Y-Youre The young man seemed to have no intention of hiding his identity. Correct, Im a demonkin. The young girl looked curious. How can a demonkin come here? Isnt it said that coming here is like entering a furnace for your race? There are always some thick-skinned people. The young man revealed his white teeth. You dont look like it, though. You cant judge a book by its cover. The young girl came to a sudden realization. Does that mean you look good, but youre actually evil and dangerous inside? The demonkin almost stumbled into the bonfire. Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, he said while pointing to his chest, Im not that kind of person! I always speak my mind, I never lie. All liars say the same thing. Goodness! Its not even certain if theres someone in the neutral lands thats worth lying to! Oh, then what are you lying to me for? The young girls eyes widened. The young demonkin nearly collapsed, but the young girl immediately added, Actually, you dont need to lie to me. Just tell me directly and Ill sell anything for the right price including this. With that, she patted the large cleaver beside her. The demonkin said unceremoniously, How about yourself? Will you sell that? The young girl was initially surprised, yet after pondering for a few moments, she said, You want me to kill someone for you? A deep darkness crept up in the demonkins eyes when he saw the girls serious yet confused little face. He pointed at the girl with a spurious smile, saying, Killing, I can do myself. I want you to sleep with me. The girl was puzzled. Why would you need someone to sleep with you? Arent you afraid Ill kill you? This time, it was the young demonkins turn to be startled because the girl had spoken with such confidence. Perhaps she had never slept close to anyone since she was a kid, nor had she ever slept deeply. It seems youve had tough days, were you always being hunted down? Its always been hunt or be hunted, isnt this world just like that? The girl seemed more relaxed and at ease while discussing survival. But the young demonkin seemed even more excited, almost as though he had just found a new void continent. Are you willing to sleep with me? Its not just sleeping together, we have to do other stuff as well. Yes, havent you seen some men and women doing things when you sneak in to kill people? Rolling around in bed without armor? Yes! Exactly! The young demonkins eyes lit up. Not wearing armor is dumb, no matter the time or situation, the young girl commented. The young demonkin was between laughter and tears. Youre not wearing any armor, either. I dont need armor, this is my best armor. The young girl pointed at the large cleaver beside her. What do you think? Want to buy it? Its really great. It was made from the forelimb of an arachne duke, especially powerful against heavy armor. The weaker ones, yes, like you, itll cut open directly. Both horizontally and vertically. Cleaver made from the forelimb of a duke?Im too poor, cant afford that. The girl gave it some thought. This thing is really hard to come by. I almost lost half my life trying to get it. No matter what, it wont come cheap. The young demonkin raised his hands. Im really poor! Why dont we go back to talking about sleeping together? Whats your price? The young girl was apparently puzzled. I dont know, Ill need to think about it. That kind of thing, it seems, it seems The young demonkin took a deep breath and suppressed his breathing. Its actually nothing, youll probably come to like it later on. You take your time to think about it, so lets turn back to serious matters. What you mean is sleeping together isnt a serious matter? The girls sudden sharpness caught the young demonkin off-guard. Thats also a serious matter, very serious, and its also extremely important. So, you have to take your time to think about it. As for the next thing, its just a small matter. Whats this small matter? Seeing that she was no longer insistent, the young demonkin became a bit more relaxed. The matter is quite simple. You have a difficult enemy called Qianye, right? The girl straightened her body. Hes very powerful, Ive tried many times to kill him but failed. But he cant kill me, either. Even the smallest of the young girls movements couldnt escape the demonkins eyes, much less this instinctive reaction upon encountering ones predator. Clearly, the young girls body was subconsciously cautious. Qianye is my enemy as well, why dont we work together. The girl frowned ever so slightly, saying, Not interested. The young demonkin wasnt about to give up. Are you afraid Ill drag you down? Dont worry, Im very powerful. I might not be weaker than you. The young girl shook her head. I dont like having people around me, it affects my ability to concentrate. The young demonkin was extremely cleverhe immediately realized that the girl was used to being a lone-hunter. This cooperation wasnt the reason he had come here, either. Then let it be, I can make you more powerful. You just need to help me kill three people or do three things in return. The young girls expression turned cold. You can make me more powerful? The young demonkin nodded as he fished out a book and a ring from his pocket. The two items were shrouded in lingering demonic energy. One could tell from a glance that they were extraordinary items, and their appearance immediately caught the young girls attention. This is a highly ranked secret cultivation art from my race. The demonic energy it produces is gentle and easily compatible to you, probably even more powerful than Edens art. The Dark Abyss secret art is powerful, but the demonic energy is just as tyrannical and difficult to control. Your constitution is special, but youre still half a human after all. The Dark Abyss cultivation art is only suitable for demonkin. Your body will be corroded and destroyed sooner or later if you keep it up. The young girl didnt reach out immediately. So you know about Eden and me? The young demonkin smiled. I know everything related to the demonkin race. Whats this ring? This is also a secret treasure from my race. It can instill the user with a large amount of demonic energy and completely stimulate your full potential, doubling your power temporarily. The cons are also obvious; you can only use it once and youll fall into a weakened state for several days after using it. The girl stretched her hands out but forced herself to stop. Be it the cultivation art or the ring, both of them were things she urgently needed. With her terrifying combat reflexes and grasp of timing, she would surely be able to deal a fatal blow. Even the Wolf King had suffered in her hands at one point, so it was obvious that the girls true power was beyond what it seemed on the surface. If she could increase the might of her weak point targeted attack by three-fold, that ring would increase her might to six times the norm. Even a divine champion wouldnt be able to take such an attack on the vitals. If she had this ring with her that day, the injured Wolf King wouldnt have an opportunity to escape. That secret art, on the other hand, would remove the long term detriments to her body. After a round of contemplation, the girl suddenly snatched the secret art and ring, and then rolled back ten meters. Her figure then flickered like a ghost and jumped out of the valley in a flash. But she stopped immediately after reaching the valley exit as the young demonkin was standing in her way. He shook his head with a smile and said, That isnt nice. The young girl blinked innocently. Isnt it the rule of the neutral lands to rob good things? The young demonkin said, Its also a rule here that youll be punished if you fail! The girl made no sound, merely gripping the cleaver tightly. Her other hand held the book and ring, unwilling to let go no matter what. The demonkin pointed at the stuff in her hands. You wont win if you keep holding onto them, you wont even be able to flee. The only way to escape is to abandon them. No! The young girl was quite headstrong. This doesnt sound like you. Fine, since you like it so much, then you can have it. The girl was surprised, not expecting the other party to be so generous. The demonkin said with some pride after seeing her state, I have everything I could possibly want. I also have ways to make you more powerful in the future. The girl nodded slowly as she put the things into her pocket. The young demonkin waited until she had finished putting the things away. What do you think? Can you consider the price now? I want you. The girl said with a look of bewilderment, I will think about it seriously. The young demonkin pointed at the young girl with a serious expression. I will also think about what I can give you. The young girl pondered for a moment, clearly thinking about the meaning behind those words. The demonkin broke into a laugh after the girl failed to figure it out after a long while. I have to go now, my name is Anwen. Remember my name, I will come to you in the future. Before leaving, he pointed at the young girl. Dont forget about Qianye. The girl nodded slowly. Numerous black threads then shot out from the young demonkins body, engulfing him in a complicated multifaceted energy as he disappeared. The young girl stood in place, continuing to think hard on the conversation. Suddenly remembering something, she gasped. My roast meat! By the time she shot back into the valley, the meat on the roasting rack had vanished into thin air. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 926: Chance Encounter As Anwen appeared on a hilltop dozens of kilometers away, the surrounding scenery began to distort as countless black threads wove into a complicated web of energy. Four demonkin elders appeared at the same time, led by that old marquis from before. The man proceeded to watch Anwen with a cold, expressionless face. Anwen raised both hands helplessly. You dont think this is dangerous, do you? That girl is already very dangerous, yet you gave her our clans treasure and secret art. This isnt too appropriate, is it? one of the elders said indifferently. Anwen replied, Its just an ordinary art and that ring can only be used once. Our clan has no shortage of such things. You dont need to be so stingy, do you? But Young Lord, that is still our clans treasure. Giving it to a lowly human Anwens expression sank, and the radiant smile vanished completely. Your duty is to protect me, not to give me lectures. Theres no need for you to criticize what I do! Anwen was furious. His gentle demeanor vanished as a strange aura of might erupted from his body. The demonkin found it difficult to even stand after they were invaded by this auraall but the marquis had to step backward, some a couple of steps, others five or six. The elders were shaken, recalling that Anwens status as the young lord wasnt below the Demoness. How could he be ordinary? It was just that he had always been so gentlecowardly evenadding greatly to the responsibility of his bodyguards. That eventually changed the attitude of those around him. The old marquis took a step forward to unleash a similar aura, blocking Anwens energy and bringing some relief to the other demonkin around him. It was just that the old marquis aura was surging furiously with his hair flying about. Only then did he manage to block Anwens ancient and mysterious aura. The latter, however, was standing in a leisurely manner without any form of wasted effort, a clear indication of the winner in this confrontation. The old marquis said slowly, Young Lord, we had no choice since we have a duty to perform, please excuse us. Your bloodline is truly outstanding, you need only to mature without taking any risks, and youll definitely become a great monarch. Why would you keep putting yourself in danger? Anwen looked up at the sky in silence. My ambitions do not stop at being a great monarch. The marquis and the other elders fell quiet. The old marquis said after a while, Since you have such intentions, it looks like weve been overthinking things. Whats the Young Lords plan now? Anwen shrugged. Ive finally arrived in the neutral lands. Of course, I have to roam around and experience the area. Im going to stroll about randomly and see how well that girl is doing her job. Rest assured, theres no danger and its just one day. Ill meet you guys here at this time tomorrow. The old marquis bowed. Since thats the case, well wish you good luck regarding your business. Well wait here with the airship at this time tomorrow. But even an airship without special upgrades will attract hostility from the Throne of Blood. So, we hope youll be on time. Anwen smiled. Rest assured, when have I ever broken my promise? Nodding, the old marquis swung his hands around. Many layers of geometric lines came together to form a grid around the demonkin, and they all vanished on the spot. Anwens smile became more evident after the entourage was gone. In the end, he laughed loudly at the sky and swaggered off in great delight. In the blink of an eye, Anwen once again appeared in the nameless valley. The mercenaries there were minding their own business and guarding against one another. Anwens faintly discernible figure passed through the crowds, but none of them noticed himthey were all busy laughing, eating, and drinking. The young demonkin arrived before that fire from before. The flames were still there, but the meat on it was gone and the girl was nowhere to be seen. Anwen laughed proudly. If something so simple could stump him, he wouldnt be worthy of being hailed as a young lord. Anwen pointed at his own forehead, gradually summoning two revolving crystals in the depths of his eyes. His line of sight shot through the crystalline body like a tangible object and spread out in all directions. In just a moment, Anwen could sense the direction of that ring. It wasnt hard for him to set up a tracking mechanism on the ring; the difficult part was how to hide the fact from the other party. This was the source of his satisfaction. Anwen actually didnt install anything special on the ring and was merely using his innate talent to track its aura. He was the only one in the entire demonkin race who could perform such a mysterious secret art. Even the demoness wouldnt have such a power. Before long, Anwen had found the general direction of the ring. To his surprise, the girl was already dozens of kilometers away and running at incredible speeds. It would seem she had fled immediately after his departure, a sign that she wasnt going to keep up her end of the bargain. An intrigued Anwen smiled. His silhouette flickered and vanished from the valley as he chased after the girls direction. Her movement speed might be shocking in other peoples eyes, but it was merely acceptable for Anwen. He calculated that he would be able to catch up to her within half an hour. The young demonkin flew across the land. His shadow faded in and out of view, taking him hundreds of meters with each flicker as he shot away like the wind. The young girl seemed completely unaware of Anwen chasing after her. After running a hundred kilometers or so, she slowed down and began moving about in a small area. It was almost as though she was looking for something. The smile on Anwens face became even more evident. He had a feeling that this young girl would give him a fair bit of surprise. It seemed he had made the right choice by coming to the neutral lands. Anwen didnt think much about Qianye, just as an eagle wouldnt give a sparrow a second glance. He didnt believe, for one moment, that Qianye would stand shoulder to shoulder with him one day. In a flash, his distance from the young girl had shrunk to ten kilometers. The girl had almost stopped moving at this point, and it was a mystery what she was doing. Anwen slowed down, and his figure turned faint as he slowly approached the girls location. He felt that things were getting more and more interesting. He had focused all of his attention on the girl, afraid that he would be discovered. This was the first time Anwen had met someone who didnt know what sleeping with a man entailed, yet it so happened that she was cruel and ruthless when she was killing. It could be said that she was cold-blooded. This was the first time he felt that peeping was so much fun. Anwen was still a short distance from the girl at this moment. He didnt pick any special path and merely approached at a slower speed. He never noticed that there was someone lying in a giant tree a thousand meters away. The tree itself was completely empty in his perception. Oh? Whats this guy sneaking about for? Qianye suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at the empty wilderness. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 927: Risk In Qianyes eyes, a mysterious fellow in the wilderness was bent over and cautiously passing in front of him. That fellow looked fairly handsome, inhumanly so in fact. It was just that his sneaking demeanor and gleaming eyes looked like he was up to no good. It didnt seem like that sneaky fellow was trying hard to hide himselfonly his silhouette was somewhat blurry and melding in with the surroundings. In truth, it wasnt that simple. To the ordinary person, what he had left behind during his movements werent afterimages but immobile shadows. Additionally, his aura didnt leak out at all, so there would be no reaction in the perception of other experts; they would probably treat him as they would a stone even if they did see him from far away. In this aspect, his stealth ability was quite similar to Qianyes own, and he was even better at utilizing it. Despite all that, the man seemed to be focused on something, oblivious of Qianye who was in a similar state of concealment. Additionally, his every step would leave a wisp of black energy in Qianyes True Sight, making it impossible to lose track of the target. So hes a demonkin. Qianye sat up, pulled out Heartgrave, and took aim at the suspicious fellow from over a thousand meters away. This wouldve been a great opportunity to seize the demonkin, but this fellow was too powerful to capture alive. With Edens arrival, there had to be a fair number of demonkin in the neutral lands. There would be lots of opportunities to capture one of them alive. Qianye no longer hesitated. The moment that fellow faded away, he moved Heartgrave toward an empty space in front and opened fire! When that mysterious demonkin appeared once more, there was an origin bullet coming for his face! Anwen was completely focused on the young girl. How could he have expected an origin bullet after just a routine movement? The bullet was so powerful that he could clearly sense death approaching him! On the verge of life and death, Anwen could no longer bother with his prestige. A complicated diagram appeared on his forehead as his robe puffed up into an inflated balloon. The origin bullet struck Anwen squarely, shredding his robes and flinging him backward from the impact. He tumbled several times through the air before barely managing to stand still. Even such movements were fairly tiring for him; the damage he had sustained was apparently not light. Anwen was shockingly pale and there was a layer of white frost clinging to his brows. He looked down at this body to find blood flowing out of his abdomen. It took him three flickers of his demonic energy to stop the hemorrhage. The might of this shot was far beyond his expectations. It was fortunate that his robe had blocked a good portion of the impact, otherwise, he wouldve been forced to utilize his final life-saving measures and flee. But that robe was now ruined. It was a high-ranking secret treasure, one that was also convenient to use. Without it, it could be said that he had lost a life. Fury flickered through Anwens eyes as he glanced in the direction of the shot. He wanted to see what kind of person dared to ambush him. Although he was heavily injured at the moment, he still had several secret treasures on him that he could use to fight. The assailant must be drained as well after firing such a shot, and the young lord really didnt mind killing this person in passing should the opportunity present itself. Now that he was searching intentionally, Anwen immediately noticed Qianye over a thousand meters away. This distance was far beyond his imagination. At first, he had thought that such an accurate shot with so much power had to be from within five hundred meters. He couldnt help but feel impressed at Qianyes gun after seeing that they were a thousand meters apart. This distance also meant that the marksmans consumption was significant. It was already a surprise that Qianye was standing, but he had to be forcing himself. Anwen revealed a cold smile as he moved toward Qianye, calculating whether or not he should kill Qianye or beat him into a pulp. It would be too boring if he killed Qianye now. At the thought of that, Anwen decided that he would only break Qianyes arm as compensation . He was calculating enthusiastically when he noticed Qianyes aura climbing rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had gone from weak to full, and began closing in on his peak! Anwen couldnt believe his eyes for a moment, and neither did he know what had happened. Qianye actually never thought that this fellow would survive the shot. At first, he had thought the other party would turn tail and run like Eden, but who wouldve thought Anwen would come for him instead? Even with heavy injuries, he was intent on killing Qianye. This idiot! Qianye thought, seriously surprised. Qianye immediately poured out the essence blood store within the Book of Darkness and entered a state of bloodboil, steadily raising his physical state. Anwen was startled as he wasnt expecting this kind of development. He thought about running away, but he was a young lord of the demonkin race and he had spoken so arrogantly just a while ago. Hence, he really couldnt bring himself to flee. It was during this moment of hesitation that Qianye had rushed in front of him and slashed down with his heavy sword! There was no holding back. East Peak brought with it a whistling reverberation. Anwen was surprisedhe knew that this swing contained a force to be reckoned with, so there was no way he would take it head-on. With a shake of his left hand, a crystalline dagger appeared in his grasp with which he swung along East Peaks flat side, hoping to guide the sword away. However, East Peak only let out a crisp sound and trembled ever so slightly. It wouldnt budge at all. Anwen was surprised yet again as he gained a new understanding of Qianyes heavy sword. At this critical juncture, his body slid past East Peak with a swift sideways shift and crashed straight into Qianye. He was actually going for a physical brawl. Anwen was highly confident in his combat techniques. A close-up fistfight would also reduce East Peaks effectiveness and give his dagger the greater edge. What Anwen didnt expect was Qianye wasnt about to shy away from a melee fight, either. He simply lowered his shoulder and rammed into the demonkin. Only a muffled groan was heard. Anwen failed to move Qianye by even an inch while he himself had to take half a step back, his face pale. The crash had landed squarely on his chest, leaving him breathless and with a stifling sensation. He swung a backward palm chop at Qianyes throat, but the other party made no move to evade, only throwing a punch at his chest in response. Anwen decided to trade injuries with Qianye, since the latter would receive the heavier damage anyway. But at the last moment, he remembered that Qianyes body was outrageously strong and that it would be him taking the loss if they were to trade blows. Anwens combat arts were exquisite. He immediately lowered his elbow and struck the crook of Qianyes arm, effectively neutralizing this blow. The two immediately became entangledtheir figures crisscrossed rapidly as one sought to kill the other. They produced all kinds of destructive moves in a small space, in a short time. Even a divine champion would be full of praise upon witnessing them fight. Both men had far surpassed their cultivation realms in terms of technique. The battle was quiet at first, but eventually, the sound of rumbling thunder spread out in all directions. Qianyes eyes turned entirely blue as his blows became faster and more powerful. East Peak remained in his right hand, performing various shifting rolesa shield, a sword, a staff or a spear. Anwen complained inwardly. He wasnt inferior to Qianye in terms of combat arts, but the other partys outrageous strength made him suffer repeatedly. Additionally, he was being entangled as though he were in a dense spider web, and his movements had turned sluggish. Although the effect wasnt all that strong, it was extremely uncomfortable. How could there be space for mistakes in a showdown between experts? Qianye wouldve beaten the demonkin black and blue had it not been for his superior combat arts, and yet even Anwen could barely hold his own. Qianye produced numerous killing moves, yet they were neutralized one after the other. He couldnt help but praise the demonkin secretly. He felt that his understanding of combat arts would improve yet again after this battle. Anwens body was also shrouded in a faint layer of energy which reduced the effectiveness of his Eye of Controlthe restraining effect it could offer was less than half of what it would normally be. It was barely useful against an enemy of Anwens level. Patience, nonetheless, was a virtue Qianye had never lacked, and he had never been afraid of long battles, either. He immediately changed his strategy from pursuing fatal blows to patient encirclement. Now this made things difficult for Anwen. Qianyes strategy was almost shameless. He wouldnt let go of any opportunity to attack, even if it was just to cut the opponents clothes. Yet, his attacks were usually so powerful that Anwen had to fully defend against every strike. In the blink of an eye, Anwen was full of injuries and his clothes had been ruined. Although the wounds were simply flesh wounds, he looked fairly miserable on the surface. Furious, Anwen wanted to give Qianye a taste of his own medicine, but the latters body was so much stronger than Anwens. A shallow strike might not necessarily break Qianyes skin, but Anwen was always in danger after taking wound after wound. Anwen woke up, realizing that fighting on like this would only make him suffer. But his realization came too lateQianye suddenly shot out a punch at lightning speed! Anwen was startled upon seeing this punch. He didnt understand how this fast but powerless strike was supposed to hurt him. It wouldnt do a lot of harm even if it hit him. However, he swiftly came to and cried out in his mind. Qianyes punch was aimed right at his face. Although the force was indeed light, the impact sent his head spinning, and wisps of origin power seeped into his eyes, nose, and skin. Anwen cried out in surprise as a dazzling light erupted from his belt. Immediately sensing danger, Qianye had no choice but to abandon the chance of a follow-up attack. A faint golden ring of light swept out from Anwen and spread toward every direction, only disappearing after traveling dozens of meters. Qianye had evaded sufficiently fast, yet he was still grazed on the abdomen by that ring of light. He was shaken because that energy wouldve cut through his abdomen if he had taken enough of it. This demonkin really possessed a lot of secret treasures. Anwen glared fiercely at Qianye before turning to flee at full speed. Qianye knew he couldnt catch up, so he abandoned the thought altogether. The appointment on the second day duly arrived. The old marquis and demonkin elders were waiting at the designated location. Anwen also appeared on time, but he was badly bruised and many of his protective treasures were gone. Shocked out of their wits, the demonkin elders went over to check on Anwen. They only felt somewhat relieved after finding that there were no serious injuries. Anwen forced a smile. The neutral lands is really interesting. Theres no great danger here. It was just that his swollen left eye was far from convincing. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 928: Fourth-Rank Official The moment that mysterious demonkin escaped, Qianye understood that he had encountered a true problem. This person was highly talented and not below Zhao Jundu in terms of combat techniques. He was also of noble birth, as proven by the two secret treasures that were destroyed during the fight. Never had Qianye really seen anything like them. Whats worse was the fact that this demonkin seemed lacking in actual battle experience. After his loss, however, he would surely be motivated to temper himself. Without a doubt, a brand new opponent would appear for Qianye before long. In this regard, this fellow was even more terrifying than Eden. Although Eden was also talented, there was still a ceiling to what he could do. This demonkin, however, looked like a rare genius with boundless potential. This time, Qianye had managed to ambush the opponent but still couldnt kill him. Their next encounter on the battlefield would probably end up with Qianye taking a loss. Hence, Qianye hesitated a while after Anwens departure but ultimately decided to go after him. The man was injured in many places, so there were traces of him to be found no matter how far he had run. He hadnt gone far, however, when he felt an icy chill creeping up his neck! Qianye stopped and turned back slowly. Despite the speed, however, there were no openings in his movements and East Peak was ready to launch a strike anytime. Bai Kongzhao was standing less than a hundred meters away. Qianye frowned. What? Have you changed your mind and decided to fight me? No, Im here to think about some things. Thinking? Qianye felt that this reason was beyond clumsy. It seemed she wasnt even putting in the effort to find a passable excuse. She had appeared at such a critical juncture that it was hard to believe she wasnt scheming anything. However, the young lady pointed into the distance at a fire burning beneath a large tree. There was a simple tent hanging from the nearby branches, a setup that could barely stop the wind and rain. This camp was simple but not crude, and it was easily noticeable that they were prepared to pass the night here. Qianye was also sharp enough to notice that the fire had been burning for quite a while, not something she had made up on the spot. Fine, take your time then. This area isnt peaceful recently, perhaps you can look for a safer place. Qianye was trying to drive her away tactfully. He didnt want a variable like Bai Kongzhao near him with the demonkin around. The little girl didnt seem to get his intention, however. I want to think about things for a while. Perhaps Ill come to ask you if I cant find an answer. What exactly are you thinking about? Qianye was a bit curious. Ill tell you in the future. Qianye shrugged. He didnt press on with this matter and merely glanced at her camp before turning to leave. This delay had wiped away all hopes of catching the demonkin, but the odds were slim even without her appearance. After some thought, Qianye decided to head back to Southern Blue and tell Song Zining about the young demonkin. Edens presence might be a big problem, but this young demonkins status was likely above Edens own. Such a person had to have bodyguards, so he had to warn Song Zining to be careful. Half a day passed by in the blink of an eye, and Southern Blue could already be seen over the horizon. It was at this point that Qianye suddenly recalled a peculiarity that had been clinging on the edge of his thoughtsever since he met Bai Kongzhao, the girl had never really set up camp before. She was like a wild beast, capable of utilizing the natural landscape to her advantage while not leaving any man-made traces. This was the reason she was so hard to track. Back then, Qianye had chased after her only to return empty-handed. When did she start making camps? Qianye laughed self-deprecatingly. Perhaps it was a tent left behind by some unlucky mercenary, which she had used as an excuse. Southern Blue was just as busy as before. The mercenary camps had almost been completed, and only the workshops and stores remained. The original layout of Southern Blue wasnt enough to support the new development, so a new area had been marked out on the northwestern side of the city for this purpose. There was nothing in this area when Qianye left; there were only a couple dozen people surveying the land. In just a few days, the outline of four cannon towers had risen from the ground and thousands of workers were leveling the land. Apart from ordinary laborers, there were almost a hundred mercenaries working day and night to accelerate the process. Song Zining was standing on a vantage point, holding a thick stack of blueprints and glancing between the paper and the site in front of him. After seeing Qianye, he immediately started waving from afar. The latter hastened his steps and swiftly arrived next to him. Song Zining pointed to the front with a smile. How is it? You dont even recognize the place, right? This will be Southern Blues new industrial zone from now on. Looking at the thousand-meter area in front of him, Qianye asked in surprise, What exactly are you building over such a large area? Song Zining laughed. An airship factory! You can build airships? Qianye was really surprised. Ningyuan Heavy Industries can already build them, but only the most ordinary models. After I fully grasp the new alloys utilization, we can start building warships. Building even the most basic airships was a capacity sufficient to shake the entire neutral lands. Before this, there was no party capable of building airships in the entire region. Important components like kinetic sails, engines, and flight arrays had to be imported from Evernight or the Empire. The two factions, on the other hand, would limit exports in order to keep the neutral lands fleet in check. Wait a minute, are you going to build an airship factory just like that? Will the other powers just sit back and watch? Song Zining closed the blueprints and flipped open his folding fan. What else can they do? Ive already spread word that Ill accept orders from all major powers after completion. Why would they fight if they can just buy it? Even if there are people who want to stop us, the other powers wont agree. Whatever they want to do, theyll have to wait until the construction has been completed. Otherwise, they wont get anything if I just stop. Qianye frowned. He still felt that this entire thing was rather difficult to believe. Will the empire just turn a blind eye to this? Song Zining pointed at the lot in front. Im not building an airship factory, Im building an airship repair workshop. There are dozens if not hundreds of them in the neutral lands, how is the empire going to control us? You fine. Qianye was speechless. Humph! Playing petty tricks with terminology. Youre guilty of deceiving the emperor! A dignified voice appeared behind them. Qianye looked back to find a stately, dignified man in his middle ages walking over. His demeanor was extraordinary and impressive. Clearly a man who had been in court for a long time, this officials gait was already at the point of perfection. Such a character was common among the many ruling departments of the empire, but it was quite strange for one to appear in the neutral lands. As someone born of the army, he had never seen eye to eye with civil officials. He turned to Song Zining and asked, Where did this fellow pop up from? The fairly impolite words caused the other partys face to turn ashen. Song Zining chuckled with his fan over his mouth. Qianye, your words arent appropriate. Sire Li Fang is a fourth-rank official. Posted on the field, hes only two ranks away from being a county administrator. Qianye understood the basics of the empires ruling structure. Normally, it would take a second rank official to oversee a province. There was only a two-rank gap between the second and fourth ranks, but it was actually a massive gap. Not to mention two, even a one-rank difference was rarely surmountable. Song Zining was merely being polite with his words. Li Fang was just about to raise his head in pride when Qianye asked, What exactly is this Sire Lis position? Song Zining replied, Sire Li is in charge of writing official advice in court, a work related to the empires future. Qianye said in surprise, Oh, an idle position with no authority? This time, Li Fang was absolutely furious. Y-You, ignorant youngster! What do you know? This is a sign of decline, back then Qianye didnt have enough patience to listen to the mans past. Judging from his current state, there was no way there would be any glory in his past. Hence, Qianye cut him short and asked Song Zining, How did this guy pop up? Unable to hold back, Li Fang said, Dont think you can breach the norms just because youre in the neutral lands. Its fine if I hadnt seen anything, but now that I know, theres no way Ill let this matter be. Once I get back to the imperial court, I At this point, Li Fang could no longer continue. Qianye and song Zining were now sizing him up with evil expressions. Li Fang felt a chill run down his spine. You two, what are you planning to do? Qianye paid him no heed. He merely turned to Song Zining and said, Say, how can a fellow whos not even a champion return to the imperial court? Song Zining said seriously, He has his escorts, its fine as long as theyre strong enough. Qianye asked humbly, Can a fourth-rank official have powerful escorts? Song Zining replied, In the imperial system, its fine for a fourth-rank official to be assigned as a generals aide. Its just that the military rules state that he should be a champion. Otherwise, its pretty easy to die on expeditions. Qianye nodded. It seems Sire Li has no need for general-level escorts. But guards around the level of lieutenant generals and counts, we have killed quite a few, havent we? Song Zining replied unceremoniously, Thats you, it has nothing to do with me. Li Fang was livid as he kept on listening to the conversation. He finally understood one thingthese two young men really might keep him from returning to the empire. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 929: Suppor Li Fang ultimately couldnt submit. Qianye, dont think you can do whatever you want just because youre in the neutral lands. Someone will teach you a lesson sooner or later. Is that so? Im waiting, Qianye replied indifferently. He had heard his fair share of such warnings and was already numb to them. Li Fang swung his sleeve and left. His departing steps were rather hurried and no longer as calm as when he had arrived. Qianye became serious after he was gone. What is he here for? How did he show up here? Song Zining replied, This Li Fang is actually quite capable. Although his post in the imperial court is an idle one, hes highly proficient in establishing a complete military economy. This person is from a side-branch of the Li family, but he achieved his current rank by relying on his own skills. Now that the Li family is planning to establish their presence in the neutral lands, he wanted to come over and put his skills to use. But he didnt look like he was here to work. Song Zining smiled. Qianye, you dont understand. The more power these small officials gain, the more they posture, lest others look down on them. Its the more important officials who are the most approachable. Fine, what is the Li family here for? Because Li Kuanglan is here, the family dispatched a guard force at least nominally. The truth is that over three hundred people have arrived. Qianye frowned. Three hundred, thats a fair number of people. Who are they? All of them are Li Family elites, led by two elders. More people from the imperial palace will arrive as well in the near future. So many people coming to the neutral lands? Arent they afraid of retaliation from the Throne of Blood? Qianyes question was reasonable. Everyone knew that the Throne of Blood was highly sensitive to interference from Evernight and the Empire. Equipped with the Shattered Moment and enjoying a home ground advantage, he could be the downfall of even great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs. Dispatching close to a thousand elites into the neutral lands was already a big breach of the rules. If the Throne of Blood were to take action, these people might never leave the neutral lands. Song Zining wasnt worried, though. Dont worry, this matter is related to Empress Li. Those old fogies from the empire are so cowardly. They wouldnt dare do such a thing without being absolutely sure. Now that they have people coming over, it means that theyve already discussed terms. These people might not be good at anything else, but theyre masters at negotiation and infighting. Why the Li family? Back in the Misty Wood, Qianye and the Li family had gotten into a bit of conflict. It was ultimately the Zhao family who forced them to cough up the Storm Pearl. Song Zining said, Its because of Kuanglan. Of course, they have to come! Imperial politics have always been complicated, and it was doubly so for people related to the imperial court. Song Zining wasnt willing to explain more, and Qianye felt that it was a headache as well. He simply decided to forget about them and began explaining the matter of that young demonkin. Song Zinings expression was serious as he listened on. That means the demonkin has produced another genius on par with the Demoness. No, he shouldve existed since long ago but was hidden from public sight. With him around, things will be quite troublesome, what do you plan to do? Enter the wilderness again and look for opportunities. The demonkin suffers significant restrictions in the neutral lands. There must be a way to deal with him. Song Zining nodded. This was the best way for Qianye to maximize his potential. His combat strength would surge in places like the wilderness and the Misty Wood. Even a marquis would die on the spot if he were ambushed by Qianye. But he soon thought about something else, and his expression changed drastically. Wait! If that demonkin arrived with the vanguard Song Zining whipped out a map of the neutral lands and drew several lines on it, his expression growing more and more unsightly. He glanced about before asking Qianye, Can your Martyrs Palace travel through the void right now? Of course. Its just that the outer shell isnt done yet, so weaker people wont be able to survive long onboard. Only about half of the people on it right now are up to the task. Song Zining frowned. Ill give you fifteen men, thats all I can spare. But half of them are craftsmen and engineers, so you have to protect them if a fight breaks out. A fight in the void? Song Zining nodded and pointed at the map. The last batch of kinetic sails and ballistae from Ningyuan Heavy Industries are already on the way. No one knows this secret flight path, but its a bit too close to the route between the demonkin continent and the neutral lands. If the Evernight squad is already on their way here, they might bump into our fleet three days later. This airship fleet is carrying a batch of high-performance alloys that cannot be lost. Qianye observed the route map. You mean I should go out and escort the fleet with Martyrs Palace? Song Zinin nodded. Thats the only way right now. We cant let the Li family know about Martyrs Palace and my fleet. Transfer the goods immediately after you meet the fleet and have them turn back. Let the craftsmen and sailors on those airships work on the Martyrs Palace. Those people are highly reliable; Ive been nurturing them for many years. With that, Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulder. Im handing everything I have to you, theres nothing left. Only at this point did Qianye figure out Song Zinings net worth. The seventh young master could already see the shadow of the term, a nations worth of wealth, at such a young age. After digesting the new alloy formula in a couple of years, he would have the foundations for a high-ranking aristocratic family. The Song clan people were indeed very eager to dig their fingers in the honeypot that was the Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Unfortunately, they encountered Qianye who had managed to turn the situation around on his own. Otherwise, there was no telling what would happen if Song Zining was taken away by Song Zian. Now, Song Zining had moved the majority of his wealth over to the neutral lands, investing most of his accumulations into the Martyrs Palace. The airship was an extraordinary void warship built from the remains of the earth dragon and controlled by the colossus remnant will. There was almost no way to wrest control of the vessel except by killing Qianye. Song Zinings description wasnt exaggerated. Things invested in the Martyrs Palace could hardly be reclaimed. Even Qianye himself had no idea why Song Zining was so attached to it. Qianye was still a bit worried. Will you be fine with me gone? Song Zining replied calmly, I have Kuanglan and Tianqing here. I cant let them go out and take risks, but its not my business if the demonkin comes knocking on our doors. Qianye was speechless. He felt that making haste was the safest bet. He simply returned to the wilderness without even going into the city and ran half a day in a deserted direction. Seeing no one on his tail, he leapt up and flew into the sky. The massive body of the Martyrs Palace was faintly discernible through the clouds, gliding along in utter silence. Qianye flew into the ship through its side doors. Soon afterward, the vessel started flying upward, almost as though it had come to life, traveling higher and higher into the boundless void. There were dozens of staff within the Martyrs Palace. Most of them were busy pushing an engine to its designated location. After the engine was in place, numerous technicians arrived to inspect and adjust the machine. A third of the people in the Martyrs Palace were Highbeards, most of them born being talented machinists. The others were Song Zinings trusted men from Ningyuan Heavy Industries. There were numerous craftsmen among them, as well as ten strong, experienced warriors. These soldiers could be used for high-performance labor during normal times. They also served as the core power protecting the airship facilities during critical times. In truth, they were there to guard against the Highbeards because Song Zining didnt trust anyone. Sire. All the sailors greeted Qianye respectfully as he entered the ship. The Martyrs Palace was simply too big, requiring dozens of kinetic sails and hundreds of engines big and small. Hence the significant workload had piled up into a mountain and would take this small group decades to complete. Qianye clapped his hands and said in a raised voice, Well be heading into the void soon. Those under rank-five must stop working and head into the cabin to rest. Those above rank-five will remain on standby at their posts. The staff had been assigned their own roles. Craftsmen under normal circumstances might have to serve as lookouts and gunmen during battle. There were also people in charge of controlling the engines and kinetic sails. Due to the lack of manpower at the moment, they could only activate two engines and one kinetic sail. As for the ballistae installed inside the mouth of the Earth Dragon, Qianye had to control it himself. Under Qianyes orders, the weaker sailors returned to the partially constructed cabin and closed the doors. After they had gone indoors, Qianye steered the Martyrs palace into a jump and rushed out of the Eastern Sea Continents protective layer, heading straight into the void. At this moment, the Martyrs Palace looked like the skeleton of a giant void colossus. It was just that there were some muscular structures enclosing its heart. According to Bluemoon and Song Zining, these muscles were the best building materials for the vessel. The void colossus strength wasnt something imperial warships could compare to. However, these muscles relied on the energy provided by the Earth Dragons heart, so their growth rate was particularly slow. That was why they had to build man-made structures to supplement the airship body. It was just that the Earth Dragon was so big that building the outer shell would cost more than building several motherships. Once in the void, the Martyrs Palace flickered with an eerie glow as it flew toward the designated location. ... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 930: Enemies Face to Face While flying through the void, the defensive layer of the Martyrs Palace kept the ship safe from the cruel void environment outside. Yet, it offered no protection from the void origin power and the cold. The omnipresent void origin power was like air for a void colossusthere was no need to defend against it. As for the cold, these massive, powerful entities couldnt even feel it. Ordinary humans, however, would need to protect themselves with origin power at all times in order to survive under such environments. Those below the champion realm could only endure for a limited time. Even for champions, they were only able to last longer than the others. Qianye glanced at the flight map. All the staff had been instructed to rest and take turns operating the two engines. The two engines that were capable of moving destroyers had very little effect on the Martyrs Palace. All they could do was increase the vessels speed by a dozen or so kilometers per hour, and even that required a period of acceleration. Comparatively, that fully installed kinetic sail was a bit better. Most of the ship crew had returned to the safety of the cabin, and only Qianye was moving around unhindered throughout the giant ship. He simply flew up to the Earth Dragons head and stood gazing at the boundless beauty of the void, his mind full of thoughts. There was no day and night on the void journey, and two days passed by in the blink of an eye. In the depths of the void, an airship fleet was advancing at top speed. This fleet was made up of two high-speed transport vessels and a high-speed warship escort. All three airships had had their insignia blotted out and their reflective surfaces painted dark. The curtains had been drawn over their cabin windows, preventing any light from leaking out. Only their engines would erupt with a bit of fire occasionally. From a distance, this airship fleet seemed like it had merged into the void as it crawled rapidly through the vast darkness. In the cabin of the warship, a bearded captain was scanning the void through his binoculars. The first-mate beside him said, Old Ma, youve been looking left and right the entire day, what did you see? Our movements were so secretive that even I had to board the ship before finding out about our destination. What problem can there be? The bearded captain whispered. Anything can happen in this kind of place. Our luck cant be that bad He hadnt even finished speaking when a shiver ran down his spine. A wave of coldness swept through the entire cabin like a frigid tide! The cabin broke out in a commotion. The bearded captain called out, Its the demonkin! Weve been discovered. Send a signal to the transports, have them turn back. Sound the alarm, all men to battle stations! The crew split off to execute the commands, their actions hurried but not chaotic. Following the flicker of communication lights, the two cargo airships duly sped up and made sharp turns away from the path. The first-mate sighed as he watched the transports. They wont escape, the demonkin ships are too fast. Goddamit wasnt it said that the neutral lands are hostile to demonkin? What are they doing here? The captain pulled open the drawer and fished out two handguns. He gave the first-mate one of the firearms, saying, Take it, youll need it later on. The first-mate laughed wryly, Do you think well have the chance to use it? The captains expression was dark. Every kill counts. I really hope thats the case. The first-mate wasnt too optimistic. In truth, both of them realized that only a duke would be able to detect them before they could even see the enemy ship. The opponent this time was enough to throw everyone into despair. The warship began shedding its disguise and quickly made preparations to do battle. The ballista on the front deck rose up, the bolt flickering with a cold glint as it took aim at the distant void. The entire warship was in high battle-spirits. Everyone knew defeat meant death. It was just that the ordinary crew had no idea how powerful the enemy was. The bearded captain spoke not a single word and merely stared on toward the front. Finally, a slender demonkin airship jumped out from the depths of the void and approached like a fish traversing water. The vessel was entirely black with dark golden outlines, the kind of magnificence everyone would marvel at. In the eyes of imperial soldiers, however, this type of elegance was an undiscounted synonym for death. Following the first demonkin warship, more and more leapt out from the void in an endless stream. So many! The first-mate had experienced numerous wars, yet he couldnt help but gasp in surprise. Warships of all shapes and sizes appeared in the dozens before coming to a pause. No one in the cabin could relax, however, as they glanced at the deepest darkness with bated breaths, waiting for that final moment. A massive warship slowly glided out of the void after a period of unbearable quietness. Surrounded by a large fleet of warships, this giant vessel looked down coldly and arrogantly at this insect-like Imperial warship. Watching this three-hundred meter entity, the atmosphere inside the command room was drowned in complete despair. A person capable of overseeing such a ship was a vice-duke at the very least. A demonkin at this level could destroy this imperial airship without even boarding them. After all, their ships advantage was speed and versatility. There was nothing they could do when they were suppressed in their specialized field. None of the demonkin warships moved. Only a cold voice echoed inside the command room, Im Linken of the Masefield clan. Abandon all resistance, do not make things troublesome for me. The first-mate and captain exchanged glances, a wry smile on their faces. Linken of the Masefield clan was known as the unwithering flower, a genius from two generations ago. She had recently crossed the greatest threshold of her life to become a vice-duke. As a scion of a famed demonkin clan, she was ranked by the empire as intermediate among all vice-dukes despite her recent advancement. This was actually a fairly outstanding achievement. Breaking through to the duke rank was no easier than breaking through to the divine champion realm, and all capable of this feat were geniuses of their generation. Many people would have reached the end of their god-given talents after advancement and require a long period of accumulation to increase their combat strength. But for Linken, who stood out from her peers at such a young age, the end of the road was not limited to vice-duke, or duke for that matter. Throughout the many years, the Unwithering Flowers accomplishments were glorious with very few defeats. She had only lost a couple of times in Lin Xitangs hands, but the latter never managed to kill her either. The captain said with a serious expression. Why would Linken appear in such a place, and at the head of a huge fleet no less? No, this wont do. We need to find a way to inform the seventh young master and the empire. The first mate laughed ruefully, You think thats even possible? At this moment, the distant scene absolutely infuriated the captain. He banged the control table in his anger, leaving a deep dent on it. The two cargo airships had already completed their turning maneuver and could start accelerating any moment. However, they had decided to stop completely and surrender. The captain roared, Those bastards! The first-mate said, Can they escape even if they try? The captain knew this was the truth. No matter how fast a cargo ship was, there was no way it would be able to outrun a demonkin warship. Not to mention them, even this highspeed corvette wouldnt be able to escape from Linkens ship. That was why the captain had decided to fight to the death. Despite knowing that, the captain was still furious. The two airships contain the seventh young masters sweat and blood. How can we let them fall into enemy hands? If we cant escape, why dont we detonate them? The first-mate sighed, Old Ma, your temper is the same after all this time. Youre not afraid of death but others are. What can we do? Are we going to watch the goods fall into enemy hands? The airship captain shouted furiously, Turn about and take aim at those bastards, lets sink them first! The first mate grabbed the captain. Absolutely not! These are all brothers who have followed the seventh young master for many years. Brothers? Will brothers surrender at such a time? The first-mate didnt let go, however. If you want to fight, fight the demonkin! Fine! The captain was full of hatred. At this moment, Linkens voice echoed in the command room. Little fellows, arent you going to surrender? Along with her voice, numerous demonkin airships started lighting up their main cannons. They would be ready to fire once they had finished charging up. Two more warships moved out from the flanks and cut off the targets retreat path. The captain pointed at the warship in front. That one! Brothers, blast them if youre not afraid of death! Even if we die, we must give those demonkin bastards a taste of pain! The warships ballista started to change direction, proof that none of the warriors on the ship were afraid of dying. The captain raised his right handprepared to give the firing orderwhen a ballista bolt flew out from the distant void and punctured the tail end of a demonkin warship. A ball of fire erupted from the damaged ship, and the spreading fire engulfed the entire warship in mere moments. This sudden development shocked both parties. The blaze was so bright that it obscured the vision of those in the vicinity, preventing them from seeing what was happening. The imperial airship, by virtue of its position, was able to see better. The first-mate stammered as he pointed at the distance, W-What is that?! At the same time, Linkenclad in a beautiful, stiff-collared military outfitstood up and gazed at the colossus slowly emerging from the void. A void colossus?! No, a warship? Impossible! W-What is this? A void colossus had leapt quietly out of the distant void. It was over a thousand meters long, and just its head was over a hundred in length. This was a truly massive entity. Compared to it, Linkens warship was like a kids toy. It looked more like a skeleton than a living being, a creature that had died countless years ago. Despite that, it was highly mobile and seemed to be alive. Only when it fired a ballista bolt from its mouth and struck the demonkin warship did Linken confirm that it was a warship. All ships, return fire! Linkens cold voice echoed through the void. All demonkin battleships started taking action. Like sharks that had smelled blood, they began swarming toward the mysterious colossus. Qianye was standing inside the Earth Dragons mouth at this point, staring at the first charging warship through the rows of sharp teeth. He locked firmly onto the target and stomped on the pedal. The ballista beneath him trembled as a massive four-meter bolt whistled out toward the demonkin warship. At almost the same time, the leading demonkin warship erupted with origin power radiance as two ballista bolts shot out from it. After firing the main cannons, the airship immediately started changing direction in a bid to evade the incoming projectile. This airship was fast and powerful, and with a well-trained crew. Although they had fired at closer range compared to Qianye, they had managed to fire two at the same time. In terms of firepower, it was well beyond a regular imperial destroyer. The demonkin warships possessed different attributes compared to vampire onesthey were known for their speed and firepower. At this moment, the entire demonkin warship began fading away as though it were shrouded in a layer of mist. Even its trajectory became erratic. This was the famous Mist Concealment ability characteristic of demonkin warships. Once activated, it would cause locked projectiles to lose their targets. Demonkin warships had used this ability to evade countless attacks that would otherwise be lethal. This was one of the abilities the empire hated the most. Once Mist Concealment was activated, the ballista lost its target midflight and its trajectory deviated evidently. The mist might be effective on other people but Qianyes eyes could see clearly through all deception. Qianyes perception had long since linked to the ballista. A single thought of his activated the origin array on the projectile, which suddenly made a sharp turn and blasted the rear end of the demonkin airship! The demonkin warship had already evaded the shot at first, but calamity befell unexpectedly. It could evade no longer as it was struck squarely in the fragile tail end. The giant ballista bolt shot into the exhaust chamber and pierced into the engine with a fierce explosion. The powerful impact, in turn, detonated the ships main engine. The rear-half of the demonkin airship was blasted away in the serial explosions while the fore-end drifted away into the void. At the same time that the airship burst apart, two giant ballista bolts struck the Martyrs Palace and exploded on the Earth Dragons teeth. Covering his face with an arm, Qianye easily neutralized the incoming shockwaves. He then began inspecting the damage sustained. There was a layer of black char on the exterior of the teeth. He shaved the soot off with a swing of his origin power, revealing the unharmed teeth belowthere wasnt even the smallest of cracks. The demonkin warships all-out attack was completely useless against the Earth Dragons skeleton. Qianye immediately felt relieved, and began taking aim at a different airship. This one was much smarter. Instead of trading blows with Qianye, it swung up immediately and flew toward a blind spot in the Earth Dragons firing range. The other demonkin warships adopted the same strategy and began encircling the Martyrs Palace like a swarm of sharks. A barrage of ballista bolts thus flew in like locusts. A continuous series of fireballs erupted on the Earth Dragons enormous body. Qianye did his utmost to control the Martyrs Palace in an evasive maneuver but its body was too large and less than a tenth of its kinetic equipment had been installed. All he could do was utilize the energy provided by the heart and the skeletons innate power to fly. Just like that, the clumsy airship began confronting the shark swarm just like a true colossus. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 931: Ship Destruction The demonkin warships far surpassed the Martyrs Palace in speed. They consistently avoided the head part where the main cannon was installed and launched a barrage of attacks from blind spots. The Martyrs Palace also had ballistae installed on the side and back. According to the established design, the giant warship would turn into a frightening platform of firepower after its completionone with no blind spots. Assailants would have to face the attack of at least five to several dozen main cannons. It was just that there were only a couple of them installed at this point, and they were quickly destroyed under the concentrated fire of the demonkin fleet. The entire Martyrs Palace was like a giant beast with its fangs plucked out, destined to become food for the wolf pack despite its large body. Qianye was standing on the Earth Dragons head at this point. After merging his consciousness with the palace, the massive creature became an extension of his body. With the gradual increase in the hearts void origin power reserves and Qianyes own strength, the connection between him and the Martyrs Palace became clearer, tighter, and the airship became more agile. At this moment, Qianye sensed an additional ability appearing in the Martyrs Palace: Intimidation. The first one was the Earth Dragons innate ability to shuttle through space. This was the Earth Dragons power while it was alive, a natural sense of awe exerted upon all living beings by a void colossus. Qianye wasnt clear how effective Intimidation was, but he had faced the remnant will of the Void Colossus Chaos back in the year. Even under the cover of Sky Demons iron curtain, he had experienced full well the indefensible power of a void colossus. The two parties were simply not at the same level of existence. This power of the Martyrs Palace, however, was an ability the Earth Dragons skeleton had regained after its gradual regrowth. Compared to the Earth Dragons original intimidation, the intensity was less than a hundredth. At this moment, Qianye was too busy with the demonkin airships to study the uses of Intimidation. The giant creature was being beaten up constantly as the ferocious firepower of the demonkin fleet carpeted the Martyrs Palace. The two ballistae installed on the sides had been destroyed and the cannoneers killed. The two engines on the flanks had also suffered damage and were no longer functional. This reduced the vessels speed by a bit. If Qianye hadnt ordered the men to put away the kinetic sails before the battle, it mightve been destroyed as well. However, Qianye wasnt the least flustered. Despite their firepower, the demonkin warships werent able to destroy the Earth Dragons skeleton. Even the newly grown muscle was difficult to damage. Most of the equipment installed on the airship had been damaged, but the core installations and crew were concentrated near the heart, inside the safe protection of the rib cage. After many rounds of firing, the demonkin warships also noticed that most of their attacks were just wasted effort. It would take several giant ballista bolts striking the same area to destroy a small piece of the earth dragons flesh. And those table-sized defects would require fairly good eyesight to notice from a distance. As expected of elite demonkin forces, they began to focus their fire on man-made structures, or even attempt to fire at the interior through the gaps in the skeleton. It was just that the natural gliding movement of the Martyrs Palace was in a curved pattern. How could it be that easy to fire into the interior? Inside the flagship, Linkens eyes were cold. She snorted coldly with an expression full of dissatisfaction. The marquis nearby said, Sire, it seems only the main cannon on your airship has enough firepower to blast through that strange airships defenses. Linkin said coldly, A bunch of useless trash. They only know to attack constantly without even looking at the effects. Main cannon ammo is expensive. The marquis replied, No one has seen such a warship before. It seems to be made from the remains of a void colossus. If we can capture it, the value of the harvested materials alone will allow you to build a new fleet. Linken nodded. All hands, get ready to attack! The three-hundred-meter airship slowly moved outdozens of pennants waved about as the giant ship rushed toward the giant flailing beast. The hull of the flagship opened slowly to reveal a shockingly large cannon. Dozens of demonkin cannoneers loaded a boltone over ten meters long and one meter in radiusinto the chamber, completing the firing preparations. The massive capstan spun around amidst the grinding of countless gears and chains, dragging the cannon into alignment with the Martyrs Palace. This was a superweapon upon which Linkens widespread fame was built. This main cannons firepower was almost beyond the limits of every known warshipeven a grand dukes vessel might find it difficult to endure a square blow. All below the level of imperial battleships would suffer great damage with a single hit, and destroyers might even be blasted away on the spot. Purely in terms of firepower, Linkens flagship was superior to the vice-duke grade and right on the heels of a grand dukes warship. Even in terms of overall combat strength, it was definitely a duke-grade vessel. This kind of flagship would naturally consume vast amounts of resources. Normally, it would take a vice-duke several hundred years of accumulation to be able to produce a basic vessel at this level, followed by an endless stream of upgrades. Like a pit that could never be filled, it would usually take a lifetime to complete. Ordinary experts would never be able to afford a keel, let alone a duke-grade airship. Only people like Linkenborn of the famed Masefield clanwere able to build such a warship with the help of their families. That main cannon alone was equal to the basic value of a duke-grade warship. Even with the help of her family, Linken had to spend dozens of years to gradually upgrade her airship to this state. A complacent expression drifted onto Linkens face as the main cannon almost finished charging. Every blast of this cannon was an indescribable moment of satisfaction for her. She was highly addicted to this firepower capable of destroying anything and everything. The large and slow Martyrs Palace was the best type of target. Linken wasnt in a rush to destroy the opponent. Instead, she ordered the flagship to gradually approach the opponent and maximize the main cannons might. At this distance, Linken could already see Qianye standing on the Earth Dragons head. She was only somewhat astonished, but her subordinates couldnt help but gasp, Could it be that hes controlling the entire vessel on his own? How is that even possible? Linken was hesitant at this point. A single person controlling such a massive airship was unheard of. One could easily imagine that there had to be great secrets to him. Capturing him alive could perhaps be the key to obtaining this giant beast-ship in its entirety. Yet, it wasnt that easy to capture Qianye. The Martyrs Palace seemed incapable of retaliation but Linken understood that the damage caused by the entire demonkin fleet was negligible. And with how mysterious and unique the palace was, there was no telling whether it would possess certain special abilities. As ruthless as she was, Linken immediately came to a decision. Aim at the head, fire! The order caused all the demonkins expressions to change. Many people felt that it was a pity because, as they saw it, Qianye had no other choice but to surrender. Additionally, the attack from their main cannon would likely destroy half of the Earth Dragons skull. Every inch of a void colossus body was a priceless treasure. However, Linken only felt the unease in her heart increase. She roared once again in a stern voice, Fire! This time, no one dared to disobey her orders. The cannoneers who had completed their preparations immediately stomped on the pedals! The origin arrays on the massive main cannon lit up layer by layer, and the giant bolt in its chamber erupted with a blue-green radiance. Following a loud rumble, the projectile left the chamber and blasted toward the head of the Martyrs Palace! However, Linkens feeling of uneasiness rose sharply just as the cannon rumbled. That giant bolt possessing boundless might tore through the void and shot into the vast void. Its original target was the Martyrs Palace, but just as it was about to strike its objective, the giant creature faded rapidly and vanished into thin air. Evasive maneuvers! Linken shouted immediately as the Martyrs Palace disappeared. Unfortunately, her subordinates couldnt figure out what had just happened. There was no way her flagship could respond immediately, either. The Martyrs Palace appeared below the demonkin flagship and rushed upward like a heavenly dragon rising from the depths of the sea, cutting through the enemy vessel with its massive spines! The Earth Dragon almost seemed alive and sentient at this moment. To the demonkin, however, this was lethal retaliation. The dozens of giant spines on the Earth Dragons back werent just masts for kinetic sails. With the movement of the Martyrs Palace, they struck ferociously into the bottom of Linkens ship, slicing through the hull like a hot knife through butter. The Martyrs Palace had, in a way, proven the strength of a void colossus. The collision of two airships thus came to an end with an overwhelming victory for the Earth Dragons skeleton. In the blink of an eye, the palace had sliced through the bottom half of Linkens airship, its many bony appendages grinding the entire hull into scrap metal. A massive defect appeared through the middle of the demonkin warship and almost cut the vessel into two. Under Qianyes control, the Martyrs Palace arched its back like a true Earth Dragon and swung its tail! With a loud rumble, the dragon tail lashed at the flagship, producing a deep groove on the ships body. This damage was lethal because, with its keel broken, the upper part of the vessel could no longer withstand this massive force. The flagship was sent rolling from the impact and despair-inducing creaks rang out from what remained of its body. No!!! Linkens screams filled the void, a voice full of hatred and desperation. This was a ship she had spent endless sweat and blood to construct, yet she was unable to go against fate. Amidst rumbling sounds that reverberated through the void, the flagship finally broke down into two parts. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 932: Boarding Qianye! Ill never let you off! Linken flew out of her airship and rushed toward the Martyrs Palace. The demonkin flagship was like a broken beehive, with a dense swarm of figures flying out from within. Compared to the massive airship, the demonkin were even smaller than bees. A group of experts who were evidently superior to their peers followed Linken in a bid to stop her. Fighting in the void was the role of heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs. No matter how strong Linken was, she was still a long way from that rank, and it would be lucky if she could exert even two-thirds of her power in this environment. However, Linken had moved at extreme speeds. Even in the void, she had moved hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, leaving her other subordinates completely helpless. They had no choice but to return to what remained of the flagship. More importantly, there were at least hundreds of demonkin crew members on the airship. These weak members simply couldnt survive in the void and would need to be brought into lifeboats. Now that the flagship had been severed, the number of survivors would depend on the assistance of these experts. The infuriated Linken no longer cared about the fate of her subordinates. She charged for the Martyrs Palace, intent on taking down Qianye to appease her hatred. Even through the void, Linken moved like a bolt of lightning, arriving near the Martyrs Palace in mere moments. There, she rushed for a massive defect on the side of its body but crashed into an invisible barrier ten meters away from the target. Caught off-guard by the strong pliable screen, Linken was actually flung backward from the impact. She was surprised at first but soon overcome by joy. A ship with a protective shield was at least at the duke-grade. Even for her own ship, she wasnt yet able to afford one due to insufficient savings. Qianyes warship possessing one despite its massive size proved how priceless it was. After a fruitless charge, Linken channeled her origin power to its fullest extent and charged at the Martyrs Palace again in a cloud of demonic energy. However, Qianye had already sensed her presence at this point. Martyrs Palace moved swiftly and lashed at Linken with its tail. A lash of Earth Dragons tail was enough to heavily injure the demonkin flagshipits might could be considered peerless. Yet, Linken was also highly agile. She flashed away from the incoming tail and crashed forcibly into the defensive field, soon arriving atop the back of the Martyrs Palace. She hadnt yet secured her footing when a radiance flickered before her eyes, and sharp sword energy pricked her skin. Qianye had decided to launch a preemptive attack instead of evading! Linken was furious. Qianyes cultivation was vastly inferior to her own, yet he dared to seek a fight proactively. This was blatant disdain. Linkin raised her left arm and chopped down at the incoming sword. She was actually going against East Peak with her bare hands! The sound of clashing metal rang out as the palm and sword came together. Soon afterward, an earth-shattering force spread out in all directions. This impact was enough to warp steel, but the Earth Dragons body remained entirely unharmed. Linken staggered back. The force behind this blow was so far beyond her imagination that she could hardly endure it. It was also surprising for Qianye that the demonkins left hand was intact. He glanced over at Linkens arms and found that the skin color was a bit different from her neck and cheeks. Apparently, she was wearing a skin-colored glove. Both parties became apprehensive after the singular exchange. Only at this point did Qianye have the time to size up this terrifying enemy. Linken was taller than Qianye by half-a-head, and the inherent charm and elegance of the demonkin were fully expressed on her. Clad in a magnificent black uniform with gold embroideries, she was quite captivating despite her fury. The patterns on her collar and cuffs were not just beautiful; there was a type of origin array woven into them. The most eye-catching part wasnt just her face but those shockingly long legs of hers. Linken launched the first move after a mere moment of confrontation. She raised her leg well above her head from ten meters away and swung down ferociously, forming a semilunar blade of demonic energy that arced toward Qianye. Qianye evaded the demonic blade with a sidestep and arrived before Linken in a single step. East Peak swung out across her waist. The two clashed and retreated several times within moments, their interweaving figures almost indistinguishable. Beads of blood shot out in all directions, bursting upon the Earth Dragons bones like sanguineous projectiles. There were specks of gold flickering within the blood, a clear sign that they belonged to Qianye. However, the seemingly advantaged Linken suddenly unleashed a furious howl, breaking her lock with Qianye and glaring intently at him from a distance. At this moment, Qianye was riddled with injuries, the longest of which extended from shoulder to waist. Although the injuries were merely flesh wounds, one could judge how powerful Linkens attacks were considering his physical prowess. Qianye paid no attention to the wounds on his body. He spun East Peak about and removed a sparkling earring from the blade; there was even a bead of blood hanging upon it. Linken held onto her ear with a livid expression, almost spouting flames from her eyes. Her left earlobe was dripping with fresh blood, and the earring was nowhere to be seen. Too bad, I missed. Qianye was expressionless as he flicked the earring to the ground and stepped on it. A clear, cracking sound echoed from beneath his foot. Linken was so angry that her voice was trembling. Youre dead! Her silhouette flickered and appeared in front of Qianye, her right leg swinging down at his neck like a giant axe. A dark blade of demonic energy condensed upon her toes during this attack. The might of this kick was not inferior to a slash from East Peak, enough to remove Qianyes head were it to connect. Qianye made no move to evade this enraged kick. Instead, he raised East Peak and clashed firmly against Linken. Another shockwave spread out in all directions. Linkens body was badly jolted, making it difficult for her to launch a follow-up attack. Struck by the blade of demonic energy, Qianye took several steps backward with a new wound on his body. He almost seemed numb to the wounds on his bodyit was as though the body wasnt even his. Qianye slid back over ten meters, where he thrust East Peak into the ground and finally stopped the inertia. Linken didnt even wait for the numbness to subside before she started giving chase. It was just that she hadnt even taken the first step when she saw Qianye whip out two handguns and merge them into one. Linken didnt have time to think long. Her many years of combat instincts told her that she had to run away. Yet she had only moved a hundred or so meters when an indefensible wave of might fell upon her. In the blink of an eye, she felt as though she were in the presence of the three lords of the Sacred Mountain. It was a fear born from the bottom of her heart, one that caused her momentum to freeze. Oh no! Linken was shocked out of her wits. Demonic energy erupted profusely as she went all out, finally managing to overcome the imposing might and regaining her freedom. At this moment, however, a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye. The handgun trembled as a bright feather suffused with an aura of destruction shot toward Linken. She could no longer evade. ... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 933: Extermination At the critical moment, Linken swung her palms together and caught the luminous feather in a clap. A thunderous echo reverberated in the void as the feather was half destroyed, yet what remained of the spine still shot out of her palms and sunk into her chest. Linken let out a muffled groan. Deathly pale, she was flung back several dozen meters before managing to find her footing. She said while glaring at Qianye, Turns out the Demoness was really injured in your hands. I thought she was faking it at first. Where does your move come from? Qianye naturally wouldnt tell her anything and only maintained his silence. Linkens eyes turned cold. Fine, theres no need to leave you alive if youre not going to speak. She arrived before Qianye with a clear whistle, but she flashed back to her original position before she could even attack. The luminous wing behind Qianye lit up once more as his handgun began overflowing with lighta feather of light was vaguely starting to form. Linken was now clear that there was no way to evade this feather after it was shot. The only thing she could do was to go against it head on. That shot just now had already injured her and the next one was bound to be even worse. This was a dangerous state to traverse the void in. Seemingly knowing her thoughts, Qianye stood silently without firing the charged firearm. Qianye was suddenly alarmed after seeing the look in Linkens eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he activated Intimidation once more and disabled Linken mid-air. Her protective demonic energy was reduced by thirty percent. Even though she was fairly prepared, the suppressive might of a void colossus wasnt one she could contend with. Having gained the advantage, Qianye immediately fired the Shot of Inception at Linkens forehead. This time, Linken crossed her arms in front of her head and curled into a spinning ball. Her legs struck the feather of light countless times during the spinning process, but the luminous projectile still entered her body in the end. Linken stopped spinning and crashed down, but her body bounced back from the impact and flew hundreds of meters into the air. She looked down at Qianye from above with eyes full of anger. Glancing at her location, Qianye smiled faintly. Youve finally discovered? Linken smiled coldly. This ship is indeed mysterious and so is your control over it. The more powerful it is, however, the less you can hold onto it. It wont fall into your hands for sure. Qianye smiled. Is that so? Linkens voice grew higher as she made to attack. It was at this time that miserable screams arrived from the distance. Linken looked back to find a demonkin struggling desperately in the void, unable to endure the corrosion of the environment. His defensive demonic energy had collapsed, and his entire body was turning into a sinister-looking dried corpse. Linken recognized this person as a fairly reliable subordinate of hers. It was just that his strength wasnt sufficient to hold out for long in the void. He was unable to return to the airship after being flung out, and there was no expert to help him. In the end, he was fated to die and drift about in the void. Taking a look around, she noticed hundreds of demonkin flailing about in the area. Most of them were at their limits and would follow in the previous demonkins footsteps very soon. After having her airship destroyed, Linken was so overcome by rage that she wanted nothing more than to kill Qianye. But this scene made it hard for her to remain indifferent. She glared at Qianye once more. Realizing that she wouldnt be able to take down this opponent immediately, she said with a cold snort, Well see how long it takes for you to be able to use this move again. With that, she flew away, darting about to catch the drifting demonkin and sending them back to the airship. Qianye secretly praised Linkens decisiveness and foresight. He was indeed only capable of firing two Shots of Inception, so if Linken refused to leave, he would have to fight her physically. It was just that the demonkin would be greatly restricted while fighting on the Earth Dragon andas the one in controlQianye would gain a great advantage. This fight wouldnt reach a conclusion for at least a couple of hours. Even if she could capture Qianye in the end, several hundred of her crew wouldve died by then. Admiration was one thing, but Qianye wasnt about to let her rescue her subordinates with ease. He immediately turned the Martyrs Palace about and attacked the nearby lifeboat. The thirty-some demonkin inside were all injured and would surely lose their lives if struck. Furious and shocked, Linken charged over with a loud scream. Her body was shrouded in demonic energy as she pushed the lifeboat several hundred meters away. Leave this place, everyone leave! At Linkens order, all lifeboats turned about rapidly and left for the adjacent airspace. Meanwhile, a number of warships jumped into the fray. Half of them distracted the Martyrs Palace with constant fire, while the remainder drove toward the fragmented flagship to save the passengers. Qianye ignored the buzzing ballista bolts and simply charged for Linkens flagship. The beleaguerment of the demonkin warships couldnt move the Martyrs Palace at all. The airship was like a primordial colossus advancing steadily and crushing everything in its wake. No! Linken screamed in pain. The Martyrs Palace crashed headfirst into one of the airship segments, causing the surface to cave in with flames spouting out of the gaps. This segment of the vessel was home to the engine and fuel compartmentsflames broke out immediately upon impact, followed by a series of violent explosions. It wasn''t clear whether or not the crew inside could survive this ordeal. Qianye naturally wouldnt go easy on the demonkin. Letting even one of them go would mean an extra foe on future battlefields. The nearby warships launched numerous small assault vehicles, which relied on their high speed and defensive prowess to crash through the defensive field and land on the Earth Dragons body. Over a dozen demonkin warriors emerged from these assault vehicles and circled around Qianye. Landing ships were the primary means of gaining control of an enemy ship, especially when large enemy ships had lost the ability to defend themselves. If the Martyrs Palace were to be completed, the countless cannons on its sides would be able to mow down these boarding airships. However, the only two ballistae on the palace had been destroyed, and this emboldened the enemy boarding parties. Nonetheless, how could ordinary demonkin be Qianyes match when even Linken couldnt succeed? The demonkin general had still dispatched them anyway, which meant that they werent expected to return. If they could obtain the Martyrs Palace with this suicidal assault, it would make up for the loss of Linkens flagship many times over. The crew aboard Linkens flagship were far superior to their peers in terms of talent and status. In the eyes of the demonkin leaders, the ordinary sailors on her ship were more valuable than ordinary ship officers. The demonkin warriors had Qianye surrounded in the blink of an eye. Before they could even attack, however, they felt their bodies sink down. It was as though they were carrying a giant, ten-thousand-kilogram rock; they could hardly take half a step forward. Soon, a meshwork of sanguineous threads appeared before their eyesthat was the last thing they saw before their vision went dark, their bodies fell limp, and they collapsed one after the other. These demonkin elites couldnt last even half a minute against the might of the Oceanic Domain and Life Plunder. Qianye opened his eyes and sighed at the sight of all the corpses strewn across the floor. With the gradual regeneration of the Earth Dragons skeleton, all of Qianyes powers also received an upgrade while on the Martyrs Palace. Not to mention his domain, even the range of Life Plunder had increased by fifty meters. Those even remotely close to Qianye were destined to suffer. After destroying all enemies on the ship, Qianye once again focused on controlling the Martyrs Palace. The Martyrs Palace spun about and suddenly fired a bolt from its mouth, accurately striking down a demonkin warship. Apart from the earliest phases, the airship had never fired any form of ranged weaponry, so much so that the enemy had started neglecting this capability altogether. Linken ordered all damaged airships to retreat and the intact vessels to enter a formation. The entire squadron then fell into a gradual retreat while peppering the head of the Earth Dragon with suppressive fire. At this point, the demonkin floating in the void had turned into corpses and were already beyond salvation. The flagship had also been destroyed completely. Because they had Linkens flagship and the journey itself was a long-distance expedition, the airships in their lineup were mostly geared toward speed and distance. They didnt have any heavily armored battleships with heavy firepower. These high-speed vessels mostly relied on mist concealment for their defense. Now that Qianye had proven the ability useless, their weak points became grossly evident. A single ballista bolt would badly damage an airship and two would destroy it. Despite bleeding inwardly, Linken had no choice but to order a retreat. She stood in the void with eyes full of fury. Qianye, lets see how fast you can recover. You only have half a days time. Any slower and you will die! Ill be waiting, Qianye replied coldly. Linken flew to the closest demonkin warship and drove away into the distance. Only when that airship had receded over the horizon did Qianye retract his gaze. That wasnt an empty threat. She was proving that she could recover from her injuries in half a day, at least up until she was capable of a fight. Meanwhile, Qianye had used up two Shots of Inception. If he couldnt condense a new shot within half a day, he would be deprived of an ace with which to keep Linken in check. The outcome was destined to be quite miserable. Qianye closed his eyes, and the Book of Darkness appeared in his consciousness. The demonkin warriors from just now had provided a vast amount of essence blood. All of them were elites, so despite their small numbers, the quality of the harvest was high. A few dozens of them was enough to fill him. There was no essence blood in the Book of Darkness at the moment. A single thought of his activated an absorptive force in the book, which sucked away the essence blood in Qianyes body. Only when he was almost empty did he stop the draw. After absorbing the essence blood, the Book of Darkness produced a wisp of refined essence blood for his use. Soon, the left second feather on the Wings of Inception started to glow faintly as it absorbed the provided energy. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 934: Once More The condensation effect of the Book of Darkness was far inferior to that of the blood core. The essence blood emerging from the blood core would either be absorbed by the dark golden blood energy or transform into auric flame blood. The Book of Darkness only served to remove some impurities and concentrate the blood, barely qualifying it for use. It seemed like everything Qianye didnt need would be absorbed by the book. The advantage of the Book of Darkness was its speed. It would only need half a day to refine enough essence blood to recover a Shot of Inception. With the Book of Darkness in hand, Qianyes ability to engage in prolonged fights would increase sharply. The only bad thing was that the books refinement consumed much more essence blood. Linken required half a day to suppress her injuries, hence she gave Qianye half a days time. With all the demonkin warships on the retreat, the Martyrs Palace was left hovering silently in the void, not unlike a sleeping monster. The high-speed warship slowly approached while flashing its signal lights. On one hand, it was to announce that it came in peace, while on the other, it was asking the two cargo ships to do the same. The two cargo ships hesitated for a while. In the end, however, they pulled in unwillingly since they knew they couldnt outrun the highspeed warship. A small vessel flew out from the highspeed warship and, passing through a hole in the wall of the Martyrs Palace, landed in its abdomen. The bearded captain and his first mate were immediately overwhelmed by the grandiosity of the place and couldnt speak for a long while. The bearded captain finally recovered from his shock and bowed toward Qianye. This lowly one is Ma Wendong. Ive been following the seventh young master all this time and have also worked in the imperial fleet before. The young master had described the Martyrs Palace to me but seeing it in person is definitely different. Theres really such a warship in the world! Since hes told you about the Martyrs Palace, it means he trusts you. Where are the goods? Im here to pick them up. Also, pick out a group of people to take charge of installing the equipment on my airship. I want reliable people. With that Qianye passed Song Zinings token to Ma Wendong. After inspecting the token in detail, the captain proceeded to discuss something with the first mate. He then said, Sire Qianye, this encounter with the demonkin fleet is an unfortunate coincidence. Linken will be back soon, what will you do then? Qianye smiled. Giving me half a day is her biggest mistake. She cannot defeat me on the Martyrs Palace. Ma Wendong looked up at the tall, stifling domed roof. Sire, if this massive ship is ever fully constructed and manned, it will equal an entire fleet. The first mate nodded. Tens of thousands of men wont be enough. We can fit an entire imperial division on the airship for landing and occupation. Ma Wendong said seriously, Sire Qianye, the two cargo ships were already showing signs of surrender before you arrived. I think we should have them stay behind on the Martyrs Palace. I will send people to drive the ships back and also leave a group to stay behind and monitor them. After we figure out who devised the submission, the seventh young master will find a way to deal with them. Nodding, Qianye proceeded to discuss the details regarding the transfer of goods. At this point, the first mate pointed at the massive remains of a ship drifting over from the distance. Isnt that the wreckage of Linkens flagship? Sire, thats some good stuff right there. Even the materials in it are worth a lot of money. The words served to remind Qianye. He set aside the transfer procedure temporarily and moved the Martyrs Palace toward the wreckage. The Earth Dragon opened its mouth like a living creature and swallowed the wreckage whole. Linkens flagship could be considered a megaship both in the Empire and Evernight, yet compared to the Martyrs Palace, it was truly a bite-sized piece of food that could be swallowed whole. The Earth Dragons remnant instincts kicked in once the giant shipwreck had entered the abdomen, immediately restraining and immobilizing it. In addition to Linkens flagship, Qianye had also destroyed several other warships. He decided not to hold back and simply proceeded to devour all the wreckages. Even if none of their equipment were salvageable, the recycled material themselves would make for a small fortune. Demonkin warships were known for their premium materials and great craftsmanship. He had just finished the harvest when an indescribable suppressive might descended upon the Martyrs Palace. Everyone at the scene could sense a frigid intent blanketing the area, one that was both terrifying and familiar. Linken had returned. She arrived alone at the bow of the ship, looking down at Qianye who was on the Earth Dragons head. Im back. That was all she was willing to say. It was almost as though saying more would be an embarrassment to her prideful self. Neither did she have any intention of letting Qianye speak. She dived straight for the target like a meteor, forgoing all forms of evasion or footwork. Nonetheless, a brief flicker of golden radiance erupted in the void as Qianye fired the Shot of Inception. Retreating as quickly as she had arrived, Linken roared furiously, How come you have one more shot?! I can have as many as I want! Qianye replied with a laugh. Unfortunately, she could no longer hear it. Her figure had long since left and vanished into the depths of the void. Judging from her speed it would seem she had gone all out. Qianye didnt give chase since he knew he couldnt catch up. He turned to Ma Wendong, saying, Issue a signal to the cargo ships. Have them approach and unload. Will she not return? Ma Wen dong asked hesitantly. Even someone as valiant as the captain was apprehensive of Linken. Being alive was always a good thing, even to people unafraid of death. If Qianye hadnt arrived with the Martyrs Palace, Ma Wendong could never have escaped destruction. Linken wouldnt even need to use her main cannon to destroy his ship. No, that strike just now is enough to make her suffer. Just now, Linken had grossly underestimated her opponent, thinking Qianye was already drained of energy. She never wouldve imagined that Qianye would condense yet another Shot of Inception in just half a day. Caught entirely off-guard, she suffered a square shot and was immediately injured. She didnt even have time for threats before running away. It was clear that she wouldnt be able to hold out for much longer. She might not even reach her warship if she were to linger about. Linkens combat strength was above the Wolf Kings but the demonkin were never known for strong bodies. Her defenses werent as good as the lattersthe werewolf could still fight after taking a Shot of Inception but this attack deprived the injured Linken of all combat potential. That was why Qianye was certain she wouldnt return. Ma Wendong returned to the highspeed warship and sent the message himself. His wording was extremely harsh. The two cargo ships slowly approached the Martyrs Palace and were swallowed into the Earth Dragon one by one. With how big the palace was, there was still leftover space after swallowing the demonkin wreckages and two cargo ships. The crew of the cargo ships emerged in a single file as the doors opened up. Most of the men were dumbfounded after emerging from their vessels. Seeing the Martyrs Palace from a distance was one thing, but standing within it was a completely different level of shock and awe. A couple of the men looked evidently dispirited. Qianye knew without asking that they were probably the people who had urged the surrender. There was really no right or wrong in this matter since it was human nature speaking on the verge of death. Nonetheless, since Song Zining trusted them so much, they should have at least destroyed the goods before surrendering. Despite all that, they were Song Zinings men, so Qianye didnt want to get involved with his internal problems. Hence, he said to Ma Wendong, You handle this, Im going to rest now. Seek me out if anything important happens. Ma Wendong bowed respectfully. Rest assured, Young Noble. Ill make proper arrangements for both the men and the goods. After seeing Qianye push back Linken, this powerful officers attitude toward Qianye had transformed unknowingly. Qianye returned to the head of the Earth Dragon and sat down cross-legged. There, he ordered the palace to return to the Eastern Sea while he himself proceeded to rest with his eyes closed. Half a day went by, and Qianye had completed a full cycle of his cultivation. His body was full of origin power, just waiting for the Glory Chapter to slowly digest. He saw Ma Wendong standing several dozen meters away as he opened his eyes, clearly waiting to say something but not daring to approach. Qianye rose. Is anything the matter? Man Wendong rubbed his hands in excitement. Ive made arrangements for the crew and goods. Theres a wonderful surprise sir! The segment of Linkens flagship you took in was the forepart and its main cannon is still intact! Ive already done some inspections. It can be used after connecting kinetic power! Qianye was delighted. Really? Lets go and see. Inside the hold of the Martyrs Palace, what remained of the flagship stood manifestly superior amidst the surrounding wreckage, including the two cargo ships. The ship was severed by the Martyrs Palace while preparing to fire. So, the cannon port was wide open at the moment, revealing the faint golden luster of a magical main cannon. This was the first time Qianye had come across this type of ballista-cannon design. Ignoring the pros and cons of its designs for now, one could easily imagine how powerful it was from the chill Qianye had felt from his blood core the moment this cannon took aim. There were some demonkin runes imprinted upon the cannon: Landsinker. This was the cannons name. Qianye meditated on its name for a moment before asking, Is it usable? Ma Wendong felt a bit awkward. Well it needs an energy source. Ive never seen such a powerful main cannon, so I can only guess that well need a massive amount of energy. Sire, your ship is great, but in terms of energy Qianye knew clearly the situation of his warship. The Martyrs Palace mostly relied on its inherent power to fly and space jump, the energy for which was supplied by the heart. Otherwise, there was no current technology capable of driving such a massive vessel. Be it the kinetic sails or warship engines, they were basically just auxiliary sources of energy. If the heart were lost, no number of engines would be able to make up for it. That was the reason both Song Zining and Bluemoon had both placed less emphasis on the construction of the kinetic systems. It was also because there wasnt enough manpower on the airship and the installation of sails and engines required significant resourcesit just wasnt feasible at this stage. Hence, there werent nearly enough engines or fuel on the airship right now. What they had on board could hardly fuel an ordinary demonkin warships main cannon, let alone Linkens. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 935: Landsinker Yet these were mere details. With the cannon in hand, the power of its energy source could be solved sooner or later. It could be said that the takeover of this cannon had solved a part of the Martyrs Palaces firepower. At the very least, they wouldnt have to worry about the main cannon for the time being. Qianye wouldve reached the threshold of a heavenly monarch by the time Landsinker became unusable. The name Landsinker represented Linkens ambitions. Just the value of this main cannon took up a third of the flagships total value. Her brilliance would definitely be greatly amplified in a regular fleet due to the ships powerful kinetic capacity and firepower. In fact, she had caused a fair bit of trouble for the Imperial fleets in the past. Unfortunately, she encountered the Martyrs Palace this time. She hadnt expected the vessel to have retained the Earth Dragons ability to shuttle through space, nor that Mist Concealment would be ineffective against Qianyes Eye of Truth. In the end, she was never able to display her might in battle. All she could do was retreat hatefully after losing most of her fleet to Qianye. In terms of fighting power, Linkens airship occupied two-thirds of the entire demonkin fleet, while the remainder was filled by the dozen or so ordinary warships. Hence, the loss of the flagship was doubly painful for Linkenit was as though she had lost the past 100 years of effort. This kind of hatred was irreconcilable. Qianye pushed his future worries aside and started helping the crew organize the cargo. The goods on the two cargo ships were extremely important but not very bulky, so most of their holds were empty. There were numerous engines and ballistae neatly arranged in crates, but all of them combined werent as valuable as a certain specially-labeled box. This container was the first batch of special alloy made with the imperial formula. Ma Wendong was highly capablehe had arranged everything in an orderly manner, leaving most of the crew on the Martyrs Palace, including the officers and captains. He also left his first-mate to oversee the group. The cargo ship crew wouldnt disembark for a good while after boarding the Martyrs Palace. It was almost like a house-arrest, a punishment for their previous submission. After unloading the goods, the main job was to disassemble the demonkin wreckages. Among them, Linkens flagship was the most important. The airship segment wasnt too badly damaged because the flagship itself was just cut in half by the bony spines of the Martyrs Palace. The exploration here was extremely important, so Qianye decided to lead it personally. Ma Wendong left first with the three airships, while the first-mate accompanied Qianye in exploring Linkens flagship. Just the front half of the flagship was over a hundred meters long and over ten meters tall, not unlike a small castle. Qianye picked the widest passage to enter. This was Linkens personal vessel, so there wouldnt be any traps inside. The most effective defense was the demonkin herself. At the end of the passage was a rather wide cabin, apparently a place for transit and assembly. A calamity had descended upon the room after being exposed to the void, and the installations inside had mostly been destroyed, leaving only a general outline. There were three passages here leading up, down, and forward, respectively. After some thought, Qianye headed upward since the control room and the captains chamber were usually located above. If Linken was hiding any core secrets, they would be there. He headed up along the spiral ladder but found the cabin door at the end locked tightly. The first-mate was following Qianye from behind when his eyes lit up. He took a step forward to caress the shiny, exquisitely decorated door, saying, Yes, this contains a lot of demonic steel! That woman has really invested a lot! Qianye was completely oblivious about the materials. Whats demonic steel? Demonic steel is a raw material exclusive to the demonkin, an alloy made from a special formula. The material needs to absorb a large amount of demonic energy during its production. So, many demonkin with limited ability and potential would choose to make a living manufacturing this metal. An alloy with demonic steel mixed in would see increased strength depending on how much was added. With that, the first-mate produced a dagger and channeled his origin power. He then slashed at the cabin door with great force, producing an ear-splitting screech. Much to Qianyes surprise, however, this strike only left a shallow groove on the metal surface. This first-mate was only one step away from the champion realm, and his blade was an imperial model made specifically for higher-ranking officers. Yet, his all-out slash merely left a mark that was half a finger deep. This went to show just how hard this alloy was. The first-mate was delighted yet frustrated. If every cabin door is made from this material, the materials alone will fetch a small fortune, this woman is crazy! The bad thing, though, is that well have to spend a bit of effort to open them. Ill need half a day to get through this door alone, so youll need to wait quite some time to get everything explored. Qianye smiled. The door is sturdy, but the frame might not be. Let me try. The first-mate stood to the side as Qianye grabbed the door and steadied his footing. He then erupted with a low growl as he exerted his entire bodys force. The entire airship trembled with a loud rumble, the flooring sunk down beneath his feet, and the surrounding cabin walls started to split apart. The cabin door, along with its frame, was duly torn away. Qianye tossed the door away with a clang and stretched his body nonchalantly. Its open, continue. The first-mate stood dumbfounded to one side, almost like a wooden chicken. Only when Qianye had gone toward the end of the tunnel did he come back to reality. He looked back and roared after finding all the other men with their mouths wide open, What are you gazing around for!? Even if youve never seen him in action, you mustve heard of Sire Qianyes divine might! Frogs in a well! The group of people obeyed but couldnt help feeling disdainful inside. Werent you in the same state just now? Naturally, they could only think about that and not say it out loud. They passed numerous cabins along the way, checking the equipment and function in each of them. There was the officers lounge, duty room, staff officer room, conference room, information room, etc. All the cabins were in disarray with documents strewn across the floor. Apparently, no one could bother to clear things away in their haste to escape. The first-mate was quite meticulous. He picked up all the documents on the ground and handed them to his men. Despite being a vice-duke, Linken is a scion of a famed clan and still has potential for advancement. Hence, her position among the demonkin isnt inferior to a dukes. Theres no way the empire has access to such documents, there might even be sensitive information in them. Ill gather all of them first and look through them one by one. Ill immediately inform you once I find anything important. After you look at them, you can even sell them to the imperial military. I believe theyll offer a good price for them. Qianye was impressed. Good, lets do as you say. Youre called Xu Tao, right? I heard there was an outstanding character from Yellow Springs called Xu Lang. Are you related? The first-mate shook his head. We only share the same surname. Xu is only a minor surname that has never achieved higher aristocracy. The families mightve had some connection hundreds of years ago, but were pretty much separate now. Mm, thats unfortunate. Qianye didnt continue. At the end of the tunnel was a staircase leading upward. Going up, Qianye found that the cabin door wasnt locked. Apparently, the people below had fled upward and did not bother to close the door. The entire upper floor was the command hall of the warship. The chamber was extremely grand with neat rows of control equipment installed along the walls. At the rear end of the hall was a platform upon which was Linkens throne. Under ordinary circumstances, this was where she would give commands in battle. Qianye jumped up and landed on Linkens throne. The seat was wide, comfortable, and grandiose, with exquisite carvings along the armrests. The leather material was soft and resilient, likely made from the skin of some unknown wild beast. There was a control panel before the throne, but Qianye had no inkling about the equipment on demonkin warships. The entire warship was silent at this moment as the facilities had lost their energy supply. Even if no one knew how to use the equipment, they could still disassemble them and sell the parts back to the empire. The people from the military would surely go crazy over the duke-grade airship parts and pay exorbitant amounts. Qianye tried sitting down on the throne. The view here was extremely good, offering an unobstructed view of the foreground and command hall. Just sitting here would give one a natural sense of superiority. Someone below mumbled, This is rebellion! The voice was soft, but the first-mate heard it clearly. He glared fiercely at the man and whispered, What nonsense are you spouting? Qianye has long since severed ties with the empire. Its fine even if he declares himself emperor. Dont forget that these are the neutral lands, not the empire. No one will save you if you speak without thinking! Trembling, that person shot a glance at Qianye and only felt somewhat relieved after seeing the latter was oblivious. Qianye did hear the comment, but he feigned ignorance. These people were Song Zinings subordinates, so their loyalties would lie with him alone. Song Zining shared a deep friendship with him but these people did not. There was a door behind Linkens throne that led to a residential quarter. As a vice-dukeand especially as a demonkinshe was highly prideful about her status. Her residential quarters alone took up most of the floor. At this point, Xu Tao stopped outside of the room, saying, Sire Qianye, there might be many secrets in there that I shouldnt know, so you should enter alone. Summon me anytime if you need me. Qianye nodded. He then entered Linkens residential quarters alone while all the other men remained outside. At this very moment, within a demonkin warship in the depths of the void, Linken suddenly shot to her feet. Oh no! I left in such a hurry that I forgot to clean up! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 936: Exploration Part 1 On the other side of the door was a wide corridor stretching deep inside, along which lay the meeting and waiting rooms. The two chambers were perfectly clean and orderly. It would seem someone had been cleaning the place every day. There seemed to be nothing special here, but Qianye scanned every nook and cranny in the room. This was the flagship of the Demonkin Vice-Duke Linkeneven something she had thrown away casually might fetch a good price. In the end, Qianye found a stack of unprocessed documents in the meeting room, containing information about the current Evernight politics, the recent deployments of the Masefield family, and Linkens own plans for her properties and troops. These documents were of great help in better understanding the demonkin, especially the Masefield family. The empire and its scholars would definitely be interested in them, but that was the extent of their value. At the very least, Qianye couldnt figure out any major secrets at his level. He put the documents into a box, prepared to move them away after the exploration. There was a large door at the end of the tunnel. It was entirely grey with a bit of dark green peeking out from beneath. Every pattern and carving was extremely deep, intricate, and magnificent. It was also much heavier. Qianye reached out to push the tight door, but it wouldnt budge in the least. He tried punching the door, but it wouldnt open despite the entire cabin trembling. Additionally, it was different from the previous doors in that the wall and frame were barely warped from the impact. It would seem breaking-in from the sides wouldnt be any easier than demolishing the door itself. Qianye knew after the punch that this door was at least half a meter thick. Such a heavy door couldnt be opened or closed manually; there had to be some kind of mechanism. It was just that the warships kinetic force had been lost entirely, so the door was now locked in place. All secret mechanisms were out of order, so even Linken herself would have to use brute force to enter. Qianye gave it some thought and realized that he had to do things the hard way. He took two steps back and summoned East Peak into his grasp. This was his first time using the sword after entering the warship. Qianye took a deep breath and immediately entered a state of bloodboil. Auric flame blood coursed through his veins as a raging scarlet blaze danced around his body and boundless energy seeped out from everywhere. At this moment, Qianye had transformed into a pure-blooded ancient vampire. Following a roaring swing, the airship trembled violently from the impact as the door was slashed through. The defect on the door was covered in a mysterious dark green light, almost as though it were built entirely from demonic steel. The value of this door alone wasnt inferior to Song Zinings box of metal alloys. The door had been cut open through the middle, revealing its internal structure. The locking mechanism was made up of four fist-sized bars arranged in a cross shape. Without forcibly cutting it open, Qianye would have to demolish the walls all around the door to enter. Feeling quite curious about demonic steel, Qianye reached out to bend a corner of the defect. To his surprise, he could only deform it a little bit! Qianye couldnt help but feel surprised. One had to know that he was going all out in a state of blood boileven a steel plate half a meter in thickness would be crushed into a ball, yet this scrap metal was only slightly bent. Such a sturdiness wouldve taken Qianye ten or so ordinary slashes to get through. So, how had he managed to accomplish the destruction in one blow? Qianye wasnt in a rush to enter. Everything in Linkens residence was in his grasp, anyway, so it made no difference. This door, on the other hand, was something worth studying. He meditated on the slash for a good while, and then suddenly reached out to grab the defect. This time, however, Qianyes hands werent shrouded in Venus Dawn but the sanguineous flames of the dark golden blood energy instead. Qianyes blood energy flame erupted violently when it came into contact with the ash-green aura of the demonic steel. The two energies began destroying one another in a spurt of grey ash. It was just that the demonic energy was far inferior to Qianyes own. Despite struggling with all its might, it melted down like snow in the sun. This time, Qianye used only eighty percent of his force to bend the demonic steel entirely. He withdrew his hand and fell into deep thought once more. This was a showdown between the dark golden energy and the demonic energy. The two powers started destroying one another on sight, almost as though they were great enemies. The two energies seemed to restrain one another, and there was no telling which was more powerful. It looked like Qianyes dark golden blood energy had the advantage, but the demonic energy used to manufacture the steel was also limited in quality. No duke would spend the effort to produce large batches of demonic steel. If it was against a powerful enemy like the Demoness, there was no telling who would win. Qianye had also exchanged blows with demonkin before refining the dark golden blood energy. However, he had never encountered such a scene before. As members of Evernight, the effects of demonic energy and blood energy would be greatly reduced against one another. Hence, Qianye had always attacked with daybreak origin power and defended with blood energy. The two were highly incompatible, so the effects would only increase. After cultivating the dark golden blood energy and obtaining the inheritance of the River of Blood, Qianye would always use Venus Dawn to attack his enemies. After all, this was the highest level of daybreak origin power and an incurable poison to the demonkin. Eden had almost died on the spot after taking a blow from Qianye. This time, however, the dark golden blood energy seemed almost equally effective as daybreak origin power. This meant that the ancient vampire race, especially the pure-blooded nobles, shared some sort of interesting relationship with the demonkin. This kind of attribute relationship was inherent and factional; there was no evading it. The same for how human daybreak origin power would always oppose Evernight. Qianye rolled the metal about in his hand while thinking, and had soon turned the entire sheet of steel into a ball. He was somewhat startled as he looked at the steel ball in his hand, feeling somewhat regretful. This demonic steel had turned into ordinary steel, losing its value entirely. Judging from the size of the steel ball, Qianye seemed to have wasted tens of thousands of gold coins with this roll. He tossed the steel ball away and entered Linkens core living quarters. There was a small library behind the steel doors, filled with all kinds of rare classics. There were a couple dozen books piled up on the central table, and one of them was open. It would seem Linken was still reading here when the fighting began and she didnt even get the time to close the book. Past the library was the study which served as Linkens personal office. The study was naturally one of the most important of places, so Qianye decided to come back and explore in detail after roaming around. Next up was the personal armory, collection room, and the actual living quarters. Qianye only scanned the armory and collection rooms briefly. The collections were highly valuable and diverse, but it wasnt quite enough to shock him. He had seen the riches of the Song and Zhao clan after all. After entering the bedroom, however, Qianye was completely startled, and his expression turned odd. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 937: Exploration Part 2 Before this, Qianye had never before seen what a duke-level characters bedroom would look like. Nothing he had expected would prepare him for what was before his eyes. As a duke from a famed demonkin clan, Linken had inherited their extravagant traditions as well. This trait of hers was well-reflected here. This space before Qianye was more of a bedroom area than a bedroom. Around the main hall, which was the size of a small plaza, there were many layers of rooms that almost formed a maze. The hall looked magnificent. The roomdecorated with depictions of prehistoric warswas three stories high. Qianye observed the mural carefully but couldnt figure out which war it was about. There were four major races engaged in a chaotic battlethere were some smaller species mixed in, but Qianye could only recognize some of them. There were no humans in the depiction, which meant that this war was before the empires existence. Since this painting was in Linkens room, it was quite likely that this extraordinary battle had ended in a victory for the demonkin. Moving this artwork back to the empire would surely aid imperial scholars in their study of Evernights prehistoric era. It would also resolve a fair number of contradictions regarding the Evernight races. Apart from all that, the entire hall was painted in dark golden shades with scarlet highlights, a favorite color scheme for the demonkin. There was a giant bed at the end of this hall, one that was large enough for over ten people even if all of them were as tall as Linken. To be honest, Qianye didnt really like the chamber. It was too large, too wide, and lacked a sense of safety. Insofar as he could remember, Qianye had never really passed one night with ease. He was always alert and vigilant about his surroundings even in his sleep. To him, the best place to rest was somewhere small, dark, and warm. It also had to have an escape route. Everything in the hall was an utter mess. There were dozens of naked corpses strewn across the hall, belonging to both men and women. Apparently, they had been engaging in a party of indulgence and depravity while they were alive. Seeing as how they were inside Linkens bedroom, they were probably the dukes private slaves. Qianye pushed away one of the corpses blocking his way. This was a young naked girl who would be considered hot to any race with bruises and minor injuries all over her bodyit would seem the play was quite intense. Her beautiful face was full of pain and despair, her eyes reflecting the final scene she had witnessed before her deaththe door and the crowd in front of it. Apparently, Linken had no choice but to join the sudden battle, but the feast in her bed hall never stopped. Then, her flagship was cut into two soon afterward. These slaves werent crew members; they only possessed good looks and not much strength. They werent even able to open the main bedchamber door at the critical moment and eventually fell to the corrosion of void origin power. Qianye shook his head, having gained a new understanding of the demonkins extravagance. One could easily imagine what Linken was doing here before the battle. There was really nothing of interest to Qianye in the hall apart from expensive decorative items. Hence, he began looking through the small rooms one after the other. Most of the small rooms were for the slaves to live in. Even Linkens own room wasnt that big, either; it would seem she preferred to sleep in the hall. The room seemed quite ordinary with the power completely cut off, but no secret mechanism could escape Qianyes eyes. He quickly found the true secret chamber. This hidden room was decorated with an exquisite array of runed-carvings, and the smooth floor was covered in a luxurious carpet. The glass shelves, filled with ancient classics, made the room feel like a rather charming little study. There was an open notebook on one of the desks, with the pen still in the ink bottle. It would seem she intended to continue after coming back. There were two mannequins on one of the walls, each clad in a set of armor of differing quality and style. The two suits were both quite old with abundant signs of wear and tear. Certain damaged areas that were difficult to repair would leave traces on the surface. These items were too mediocre for the current Linken, yet she had stored them in her secret chamber. It was clear that these were the pieces of armor that had accompanied her growth and held great sentimental value to her. There were weapons on the other wall, memorabilia as well. The notebook was the only thing left in the room, so Qianye sat down to read the contents. This wasnt an ordinary diary but one that contained numerous secret information and transaction records. The greater part of the contents could never see the light of day. For instance, records of the relationship between herself and other major demonkin characters. There was no shortage of memories from her youth, including situations where she was forced or violently subdued. These painful memories seemed to have turned into excitement at this point in life, things she would frequently think back to. Apparently, with her increase in strength and authority, very few things could make her feel any more excitement. It was actually the humiliation she had suffered during her youth that stimulated her. All that aside, it was the receipts located between the pages that felt rather interesting. There was a certain duke who had proposed certain terms in exchange for Linkens help in fighting an important battle. He had promised to lend his three underage children to her for a month, and she could play with them as she wished as long as they remained alive. This and the many other receipts he saw reminded Qianye of Song Zinings words, that all major characters only had the greater picture in mind and that there was nothing they wouldnt trade. The remaining contents were also related to important secrets, with no shortage of critical and valuable intelligence among them. For instance, there was a battle between the arachne and demonkin in which an arachne marquis had submitted his defensive territory in exchange for steep benefits, hence breaking the arachne supply line and resulting in their defeat. That battle had lost their race territory equal to three imperial provinces. Linken herself was a part of this trade. She spent an entire three pages cursing how that arachnid marquis only looked strong but was useless in bed. Qianye remembered that spiders name. The marquis from back then had become a vice-duke today and joined the ranks of the new arachne nobility. If this transaction were to be revealed, a powerful rift would surely be formed between the two races. At the very least, that vice-duke would face grave punishment since many major arachne characters had fallen in the battle back then. This notebook was an object of true value. Rumors were fine since every major character was surrounded in an abundance of them. However, the intelligence here was critical blackmail material. Anyone in possession of this book on Evernight territory might vanish quietly and without a trace. The book became heavy in his hands as Qianye didnt know how to make use of it. Hence, he stowed it away carefully in Andruils space. There were numerous secrets in there that might prove useful as opportunities arose. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 938: Harves Qianye sat down in Linkens seat and pulled open the drawers. The upper three were filled with her personal items, which was fairly normal. But when he opened the lower three, a black radiance spread out from within. There was no mistaking it; it was black light and not mist. The entire room was plunged into darkness when the drawers were dragged open. Even people with Nightvision would lose their powers before this strange, light-absorbing demonic energy. In Qianyes vision, however, every drawer seemed to be filled with a black sun that stung the eyes. Even someone of his experience couldnt help but gasp. The demonkins origin power would produce external phenomena at a certain level which, in the eyes of other races, would take the form of a black mist. The stronger the origin power, the thicker the mist. A genius like Eden would be shrouded in mist when he channeled his origin power. Those at a higher level of cultivation would see their origin power turn into a special form of light. Only demonkin at the duke level would be able to produce such effects. Reportedly, the entire battlefield would turn dark when a major demonkin character took to the battlefield. Legends had it that a black sun emerged when the supreme character atop the sacred mountain took action, darkening the entire world. Qianye had only read about it in the military documents and never actually seen any traces of them. With his position and strength, he was far from qualified to take part in such battles. Even someone as strong as Linken could only emit a faint black light when she was going all out, a fair distance away from turning the world dark. The black light spreading out from the drawers, however, was dazzling, to say the least. This clearly wasnt something a duke could produce and was most likely the work of a prince-level character. At first, Qianye had wanted to channel his Venus Dawn, but his blood core began pulsing strongly under the stimulation of the dark radiance. Auric flame blood erupted all over his body, shrouding him in a golden blaze that blocked the black radiance outside. The dark golden blood energy didnt stop there. It spat out several streams of sanguineous flames that swam toward the source of the demonic light. Qianye was shocked out of his wits. The item in the drawer was clearly a treasure, so how could he allow it to be destroyed? Quickly withdrawing his blood energy, he gradually began to calm down his pulsing blood core. The sanguineous flames were finally contained, but the demonic energy was now agitated. It merged into a single entity in the air and transformed into a slowly revolving black sun. It would seem this demonic light was highly spiritual, just like the dark golden blood energy. Qianye frowned. Just as he was wondering how to handle this matter, the demonic light suddenly trembled and shot a silken wisp of light into the distance. Then, the radiance dispersed and returned to the drawers. Qianye cursed inwardly. The demonic light from just now was a stream of information. Qianye had no idea what the message contained or who it was meant for, but that wasnt a big issue. With the Martyrs Palace in hand, he could return to the North Continent in a flash. That land was special and not even a great dark monarch could easily spy on it. The Pointer Monarch was young back then, but his methods were unique and powerful. Otherwise, the emperor wouldnt consider him as the greatest threat to the throne. Qianye naturally wouldnt remain here for long. He would leave at most half a day later after the goods had been transferred. At that point, where would they seek him out in the vast void? The good thing about the Martyrs Palace being built from the Earth Dragons skeleton was that most surveillance abilities were useless against it. It wouldnt be that easy to catch Qianye. At this point, both the blood energy and demonic light had calmed down. Only then did Qianye get the chance to observe the drawer. The three drawers were heavily padded, almost like a solid box with a cavity in the center, each holding a square black crystal. There was a plume of black flame at the center of each crystal, and the demonic radiance was coming from it. Qianye wanted to reach out and grab it, but he could feel a vague pain from his fingertips. It was likely that he would be scorched if he were to grab itand that was Qianye. Any ordinary person wouldve been burnt to a crisp. It would seem those three drawers were also quite extraordinary to be able to isolate the demonic light. Qianye closed the drawers and, after some thought, removed the entire side-cabinet and put it into Andruils space. Qianye felt something different about the three crystals as well. Judging from the reflection of origin power, they actually looked more like metal. It was just that the demonic light was so strong that it transformed the material and turned it into something else. No matter what they were, though, it was certain that they were priceless and it was a mystery how Linken had gotten her hands on them. One could easily imagine how much of a commotion these things would stir up if they were to appear in Evernight. At this point, there were no more secrets on Linkens airship. Looking at the long term, the most valuable harvest was the notebook and its contents. The most valuable and easily liquidated things at present were the weapons and equipment in her private armory. There were ten or so sets of armors and dozens of firearms of varying modelsall of them could be sold for a good price on the black market. There was no worry of not being able to sell them out. Additionally, her personal collection contained hundreds of items with no lack of premium things among them. It could be said that at least half of her fortune was in Qianyes hands. A new duke like her would be fighting most of the time and staying in her airship for the most part. Her home, on the contrary, would be less used. Hence, all of her things were probably on her ship. Qianye had gained handsomely from this battle. In terms of personal wealth, he was now fairly close to Song Zining and his Ningyuan Heavy Industries. As expected, fighting was the best way to get rich fast. It was just that, as he explored through the vessel, Qianye realized that Linkens hatred for him had far surpassed a fight to the death. As for exactly how much, only she would know clearly. After walking out of the residential quarters, he found Xue Tao standing respectfully at the door. You guys can go in now. Search thoroughly, but be careful, there are many things in there that I dont know the function of. Sire, rest assured. Ill keep an eye on them personally and record everything. Nothing will be missing, Xu Tao replied. Qianye nodded. Call me if you need me. With a wave of Xu Taos hand, dozens of men poured into the residential chamber in a single file. These men were mostly techniciansotherwise, they wouldnt have been dispatched to the Martyrs Palace. With them around, the exploration process would go much faster. When Qianye walked out of the shipwreck, a chubby technician walked over and said uneasily, Sire Qianye, weve already investigated the other demonkin shipwrecks. Most of the parts can no longer be reused because of the heavy damage. So far, only a corvette-class main cannon remains usable, but only after some repairs. The harvest is quite good despite all that since we can recycle at least a hundred tons of metal alloy. Can we use the alloy on demonkin warships? We can use a portion of them if we smelt them. Naturally, a good chunk of their value will be lost, but theres no loss since we cant use demonic energy anyway. Qianye nodded. Being able to recycle demonic alloy means youve reached the militarys standards. The technician said proudly, Were definitely not bragging, but not many companies in the empire can match Ningyuan Heavy Industries in terms of metal-processing. The core force behind Ningyuan Heavy Industries advanced smelting technology was probably that alloy formula. Eventually, it would also become the reason propelling Song Zining to the peak of the empire, with the appearance of more and more side-products. Qianye didnt mention this, but he simply had to wonder what Song Zining did for that major character to be rewarded so. The technician passed over a list that Qianye duly received and gave a once-over. Time was short, but the list was quite detailed and orderly. It also came as a pleasant surprise that, although most of the main cannons had been destroyed, the ammunition was intact. The ballistae they were using wasnt so easy to damage, either. The harvest on main-cannon ballista bolts alone stood at over three hundred, and the other types of ammunition numbered in the thousands. They also managed to gain a batch of demonkin sailor weapons. With how tall the demonkin were, it was difficult for humans to use the equipment, but there would surely be people willing to buy them in the black market. Seeing that Qianye was quite satisfied, the fat technician said cautiously, Sire, I have something Im wondering if I should say. Qianye raised his brows. What? Say it. Its like this, several friends and I work on the two cargo ships. Im only in charge of technology and nothing else. The decision to stop the ship was also made by the people above. So it was all about that matter. Qianye said with a nod, Ill investigate this matter thoroughly. I wont involve people who arent involved. You just do your job well. The technician replied thankfully, I definitely will! Qianye returned to the airship and led the Martyrs Palace gradually away from the area. At this moment, in the unknown darkness, a massive aura gradually came into existence. A pair of sharp yet deep eyes emerged within a sable torrent, sweeping through the vast darkness of the void. Who used my demonic energy? Is it that little fellow? She finally used it? Oh, its an ancient vampire. Interesting, it seems she has provoked something serious. Who wouldve thought a new ancient vampire would appear again? How many years has it been? A thousand years? Ten thousand? Damn, I dont even remember. But perhaps that means I can leave this place pretty soon Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 939: Just Submi In a different region of the void, Linken was standing in front of the cabin windows and staring into the boundless void. All of the demonkin around her were quiet, afraid that they would arouse her anger. Everyone knew that complete silence meant that she was truly angry. There was no end to the void outside. Only a handful of slender ships were sailing through the raging tempests at this point, looking fairly miserable against the backdrop of the approaching continent. Who wouldve thought that such a massive armada would be half-destroyed at the very beginning? Compared to the warship casualties, their total loss in combat strength was well-beyond half. The firepower of Linkens flagship was comparable to all the other ships combined. This miserable loss was just the beginning. Linken had numerous enemies, both among the demonkin race as a whole or in the Masefield family. The true cruelty of this battle-outcome would only begin after her return. The problem now was when to go back, and how. Perhaps she should find a way to accumulate some contributions before going back. Just as she was considering the most practical problem, a warship suddenly appeared in the void before them and made straight for Linkens warship. The emblem of the Throne of Blood on its side was extremely eye-catching. A commotion broke out among the demonkin. Linken made a pressing motion, gesturing for everyone to calm down, as she stared at the incoming warship. The Throne of Blood wasnt just a forbidden name among the vampires; it was a taboo for the demonkin as well. Those who had fallen before the Shattered Moment werent just major vampire characters but demonkin as well. Despite not being that famous, the two demonkin victims were key characters working behind the scenes. One of them was a great scholar who specialized in the study of various void-related fields. He wasnt really that strong, but in him lay the demonkins hope of dealing with the adverse environment of the neutral lands. The death of this scholar resulted in the loss of several decades of demonkin research, depriving them of the environment-optimization equipment that was on the cusp of success. In the dozen or so years that followed, the demonkin were never able to complete the relevant research and were thus never able to enter the neutral lands. All they could do was watch as the Throne of Blood was established and gradually gained a strong foothold. At present, the throne had already grown extremely powerful and that talented young vampire back in the day had grown into a character worthy of his Grand Magnum. Both races had already recognized this truth, but to a genius like Linken who had risen to power recently, any kind of history could be overturned and any truth, changed. Heroes of the previous generation were stepping stones on her way to power and status. Hence, she had never really ruled out getting into contact with the Throne of Blood. After all, that elite fleet behind her wasnt just for decoration. What she never expected was how perilous the neutral lands was, so much so that she would encounter an unprecedented monstrosity like the Martyrs Palace. Even up to this point, she couldnt figure out whether that was an airship, a void colossus, or something else. That warship arrived swiftly, charging straight for the heart of Linkens fleet and decelerating only when it was about to crash into the other airships. By the time it came to a stop, the vessel was less than ten meters away from the airship in front. This distance couldnt be considered safe for airships that could travel hundreds of meters in a flash. Simply turning the airship around might result in a collision. Linkens expression was gloomy and her gaze, sharp. Such arrogance proved that the person she would be meeting soon wasnt going to be friendly. The vampire airship opened its doors and out walked a pale old man with gloomy eyes. He walked to the bow of the ship and spoke in a clear voice, My lord heard news of Vice Duke Linkens arrival in the neutral lands, so he sent me to greet you. I wonder if Your Excellency is in the fleet? This old mans words contained certain implications. His constant stress on the title vice-duke could be considered fairly disrespectful. Normally, everyone would address her as Your Excellency or Duke, ignoring the three stages of the rank. Linken had long since displayed talent far beyond her peers, so reaching the duke rank was only a matter of time. So, it wasnt too exaggerated to address her like so. Linken ordered her warship to move forward while she herself flew out of the vessel and hovered above the old vampire. Sending such trash to meet me is an insult. The old man bowed. How can this lowly one dare to insult you? Youre born of the Masefield family, you can destroy the neutral lands with a random point of your fingers. Linkens face was ashen. Enough nonsense. What is your lords message? If theres nothing, you can scram now! Or else you wont get that chance later on. The vampire elder wasnt afraid, however. My lord does indeed have something to say to you. He says the waters in the neutral lands are deep and its waves, tall, most certainly not a place for kids. Now that youve seen the place, you can leave now. Otherwise, its uncertain what will happen. Linken trembled in anger but simply couldnt find the words to say. This warning from the Throne of Blood was actually quite normal. Regular fleets from both the Empire and Evernight would receive warnings after entering the neutral lands, that was unless they had already reached an agreement beforehand. Those who chose to ignore the warning would end up taking a shot from the Shattered Moment. This was the danger the old man was referring to, and the greatest threat in the neutral lands. It was just that Linkens fleet had been half destroyed before the throne had even taken action. No one couldve expected this. While he was talking, the old man was also secretly observing Linkens fleet. He was fairly surprised to find that these airships were all cutting-edge models of the demonkin race. It was just that the warships were a bit smaller than the usual models, all of them were basically corvettes with only one destroyer grade vessel among them. The size of the fleet was also quite small, more so than a standard sub-fleet. This wasnt fitting of Linkens status. The vampire elders eyes shifted about. Your Excellency Vice-Duke, did you only bring this many warships? How fares your flagship? My lord doesnt appreciate repeating his words. The vampire elder was clearly trying to pry, yet all he managed to do was pour salt in Linkens wounds. How could she tell him about such an embarrassing matter? She roared with a gloomy expression, Too much nonsense! I must teach you a lesson you wont forget any time soon! With that, Linken swung her hand about. A barely discernible wave of demonic energy struck the vampire elder squarely on the face, sending him crashing into the wall. He shot through several cabins in rumbling succession before coming to a stop. Linken snorted. I hope you take this slap as a lesson and tell your lord to send someone else next time. With that, Linken entered the cabin without even looking back. The entire fleet then gradually turned toward Evernight. The vampire elder flew out into the void. Glaring at the receding fleet in anger, he shouted, My lord will definitely return this slap! The demonkin fleet remained unresponsive. They neither sped up nor turned back, merely maintaining a steady pace away. The vampire elder snorted, Back to base! He then entered the airship and never emerged again. He was a marquis who had always been proud of his own power, yet he couldnt do a single thing against Linken. That slap of hers wouldve smashed his head if it were just a bit stronger. At this point, the Martyrs Palace was flying through the void. Their current route would take them to the Northern Continent, where he would unload the goods and process the demonkin warships. These materials were quite sensitive in nature, so it wasnt appropriate to bring them to Southern Blue and its many eyes. Qianye would only return after everything had been dealt with. The uneventful journey took over ten days. Qianye sat on the Earth Dragons head day in and day out, absorbing the abundant void origin power in the air. The lay of the land was so complicated that even Qianye felt some pressure. During the entire flight, the crew aboard the Martyrs Palace never remained idle. This was especially true of the people from the two transport airships who were more than eager to make up for their crime with work. Despite all that, the main cannon could only serve as a decoration since there was no energy source to activate it. They would have to wait for Song Zining to think of a way after returning to Southern Blue. Half a month later, Qianye once again returned to the Eastern Sea. He parked the Martyrs Palace in the sky and ran toward Southern Blue on his own. Southern Blue had changed yet again after a period of absence. A number of rather magnificent structures had popped up in the city, all of them large workshops. The land outside of the city had also been leveled to construct building-foundations. Another area outside the city was just being marked out and it was even bigger than the previous one. Walking into Southern Blue, he could see smoke billowing out from the fairly new workshops. Apparently, they were already in operation. The roads leading to the airship ports were congested with heavy trucks, and some of them were tightly jammed. The earlier design of Southern Blue wasnt enough to accommodate so much industrial development, and most of the roads were only enough for two trucks to pass abreast. Qianye walked past one of the factory doors and happened to see some people in work-clothes eating and resting. Qianye recognized themthese people were mercenaries, and two of them were minor leaders in Dark Flame. Now, they had all transformed into factory technicians. Nonetheless, their laughter proved that they were fairly content with their current roles. They finished their meal rather quickly and were soon heading back to work. Qianye shook his head lightly as he made for Dark Flame Headquarters to find Song Zining. Dark Flames headquarters was heavily guarded with sentries scanning all passersby intently. Feeling satisfied, Qianye was just about to head over when he had a sudden idea. He abandoned any thoughts of greeting the guards and instead walked over quietly. His silhouette flickered briefly as he passed through the gates and into the headquarters. Those sentries were completely oblivious of the development. This result surprised Qianye himselfhe had taken each step precisely in the guards blind spot to achieve this effect and not just by relying on speed. Hence, it surprised even himself that things had gone so smoothly. It was at this time that Qianye realized how much he had gained from fighting with Linken. His combat arts had already reached a new realm. Qianye walked into the headquarters and up a flight of stairs, but the staff along the way never saw him. He was on the top floor in the blink of an eye. If there were no mistakes, Song Zining should be here. He had already sensed the seventh young masters aura as well as that of another person. Qianye was just about to enter when he heard rapid breathing from inside. A tender voice spoke anxiously, Seventh Young Master, please no. You cant do that, pull it out! Song Zinings voice followed. What are you afraid of? Youll enjoy great comfort and fame by following me, whats there to worry about? Now submit! No, no! Im going to scream if you dont stop! Go ahead, the entire place is full of my men. No one will save you even if you scream your throat out. The deep inhalation in the room proved that the girl wasnt willing to yield, and was about to unleash a sharp scream. It was just that her mouth was covered up halfway through. Dammit, I refuse to believe I cant get you to submit! You can forget about escaping after I eat you up! At this point, Qianye could no longer keep on listening. Letting out a dry cough, he pushed the door open. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 940: Impending Storm The sounds inside the room came to a sudden stop. The girl, her clothes in disarray, had been pressed onto the table. She was cutting quite the sorry figure in that awkward position, and it looked like she would fall to the predator any time soon. Song Zining, on the other hand, was like a fully strung bow, ready to devour the young girl at a moments notice. The two looked over in unison, frozen in their previous position with faces full of shock. Zining, seriously, youre too Ah, its you? Qianye was stunned when he saw the girls face clearly. This girl was one of Song Zinings maids, but she also served as his assistant because she was rather smart and capable. She had already followed Song Zining for many years, so scenes like this werent exactly rare. As an experienced person, Song Zining quickly recovered his calm. He patted the girl below with a smile and said, You go out first, I have something to discuss with Qianye. The girl was also calm now. She glanced at Qianye, chuckling with her mouth covered as she left in a flash. It was Qianye who couldnt quite calm down. This I thought Song Zining laughed. You thought I was bullying a weak civilian girl? What you guys were saying, it sounded like Qianye stammered. Song Zining laughed loudly. Dont you think these words are classic? Its more interesting when you role-play, you fool. Qianye was speechless. This young masters urges were simply too difficult to approve of. Song Zining stared at Qianye, saying, Youre not that kind of jealous person, whats up? Qianye said awkwardly, You have all the women you want. Theres no need to use such methods, right? You just need to swap out the girl if one doesnt agree, the loss is theirs. Besides, were on our own turf right now. It wont be that great if word gets out. Thats why I came in to dissuade you. Song Zining laughed until he was bent over. He then slapped Qianye on the shoulder with his fan, saying, Youre really cute. You cant even figure out such a classic script! Its in all those shitty plays. Qianye was emotionless. I dont watch plays. Fine, lets leave the discussion here. How did the mission go? Did you get the goods? Were there any accidents? There was, in fact, an accident. I ran into Linkens demonkin fleet and a battle broke out. Linken! Song Zining shot to his feet. Which Linken? Dont tell me it''s that demonkin duke? Qianye thought back carefully. Her strength, as far as I remember, isnt at the duke level. She should be just a vice-duke. Song Zining glared fiercely at Qianye. Just!? A vice-duke is still a duke! Sire Qianye, that vice-duke is stronger than a newly ascended imperial divine champion! Besides, its a fleet battle, right? How are you alive, even? Mm, her flagship was there, too. Song Zining was about to sit down at first, but he shot back to his feet. Her flagship!? Its over, its over. That means the corvette and cargo ships are gone, right? This what should I do? Let it be. Thats not important. Are you injured? Are you okay? Let me know if you need any medicines, Ill find a way to get them. Theres nothing in this place, I have to get it from the empire. Itll take a long while to go back and forth. Im not injured. Despite saying that, Qianye felt a bit guilty under Song Zinings gaze. It was just a bit of light injury, nothing half a days rest cannot heal. You know I recover pretty fast. Song Zining didnt trust him at first. He grabbed Qianye up and began groping him all over, probing wantonly with his origin power. He seemed to have forgotten about Qianyes blood energy in his urgency. In the end, the dark golden energy broke out in retaliation and engulfed both of them in sanguineous flames. Song Zining howled in pain as he retreated urgently. Qianye also suppressed his blood energy as quickly as he could and went back to check if the seventh young master was fine. Fortunately, despite its decline, the Song clans cultivation arts were at the peak of the empire. Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was the same. His origin power looked supple and weak, but he was able to leave unscathed from Qianyes sanguineous flames. Saying he was unscathed was a bit of an exaggeration actually. The seventh young master found his face covered in black ash, and a small part of his brows had been singed. Qianye looked apologetic. I never thought itd turn out this way, are you okay? Song Zining stretched an ash-covered hand toward Qianye, saying furiously, Okay? Do I look okay? Qianye felt relieved. Its fine as long as youre fine as a whole. A bit of hair can be ignored. Song Zining grabbed Qianye by the collar. What do you mean by a bit of hair!? A bit of injury is fine, but how is this young master supposed to meet people with a damaged eyebrow? Its not like youre making a living with your face. Qianye was nonchalant. It would be a true joke if the future god of strategy relied on his face to make a living. Of course Im not relying on my face for a living, but the better one looks, the better and easier the food. Why wouldnt I want it? You, on the other hand, couldve easily relied on your face for a living, yet you just had to rely on that strength of yours. You had so many beautiful ladies to choose from back in the empire. You missed so many opportunities. We can let the past be, but the opportunities at present are hard to come by. Tianqing and Kuanglan arent bad choices Qianye interrupted. Wait a minute, I dont like men. Song Zining was startled. Whats so bad about men? Qianye didnt understand where Song Zining was coming from, nor did he know how to reply to this question. All he could do was maintain his silence. Song Zining snorted coldly, saying, It looks like youre really okay. Its all fine then, we can let the goods be. Money can be earned again. Its those men I feel pained about, theyre the best of Ningyuan Heavy Industries who have followed me for so many years. The cargo ships are fine. Fine? Didnt you encounter Linkens fleet? I did, and we fought. I think I destroyed half her fleet and her flagship. Oh? Thats great you destroyed what!? Her flagship!? Song Zining almost jumped up in fright. She was careless I guess. Careless? You dont know about her accomplishments? How could she be careless? Okay, even if she was careless, how did you do that? Qianye summarized the process of the battle. Song Zining listened speechlessly, and then said after a long period of silence, Wow, poor her. He then became spirited. This main cannon really solved a huge problem for us. This duke-grade warship is a high-quality vessel. We wont need to swap it out for a good while. Its just that shell probably kill her way here if news gets out. Song Zining grabbed a sheet of paper and drew an outline of the Martyrs Palace. Then he wrote down a series of numbers and said following a blur of calculations, Yes, the materials recycled from this battle should be enough to give the Martyrs Palace a layer of armor. Next, Song Zining explained his newly designed plan. The current Martyrs Palace largely resembled the Earth Dragons skeleton and most of the abdominal wall was missing. Because of how big the draconic body was, just adding a layer of armor on the empty spaces would require a vast amount of materials. Only high-grade alloy was a fit for the Martyrs Palace, a cost even Song Zining would find difficult to shoulder. Hence, they had always been left empty. This time, Qianye had obtained a large number of demonkin shipwrecks. Although most of the equipment on them had been destroyed, the materials from them were just what Qianye needed. However, the Martyrs Palace was so big that the materials they had werent enough to cover up the holes. Hence, Song Zining designed it in a mesh design that would cover up the openings. Although this kind of body provided no cover against cannon shells and bullets, it served as a good defense against ballistae. The large amount of materials originally designated for the ships body would be used to build engines and other parts. After refinement into a higher grade alloy, they could be used to build destroyer-grade engines. This would improve the palaces mobility and put it on par with ordinary cargo ships. In the end, they would need to install a massive fuel storage chamber and special origin arrays to provide energy. Although Landsinker couldnt sink a continent in one shot, it would have no difficulty tearing a destroyer apart. The barely usable demonkin warship main cannon was installed alongside the ones arriving on the cargo ships, serving as the lateral firepower of the Martyrs Palace. This would prevent small warships from beating up the palace from blind angles. Qianye frowned upon seeing this design. Although it was quite feasible, one could easily see that the meshwork armor was a temporary installment. It would have to be disassembled and replaced by proper ship plating one day. This kind of design was a waste of manpower and resources, possessing no merit except fulfilling temporary needs. Whats wrong with it? I took a long time to think, but the materials are really not enough. This is only possible because you intercepted so many demonkin materials. Song Zining was excited. Zining, are we about to fight a war? Song Zinings expression changed drastically at Qianyes question. He then nodded silently. The two were very clear. The war Qianye was referring to wasnt just a small skirmish between ordinary mercenary corps, but a true war without limitations. The moment Linken appeared in the void, the clouds of war had already spread all over the neutral lands. Song Zining had proposed such a design in order to quickly raise the fighting power of the Martyrs Palace. As for the complete design, there was no time to work on that. Why? Qianye asked. The Great Maelstrom. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 941: Worry The Great Maelstrom? Matters from back in the empire felt quite distant in Qianyes mind. The only impression he had of the Great Maelstrom was the showdown back at Indomitable. All accidents that followed originated from that one moment. Qianye remembered that the entrance to the Great Maelstrom wasnt in the neutral lands, and that there was a limit to its opening time. It was because of the limited quota for the Great Maelstrom that the younger generation of the Empire and Evernight were fighting it out back in Indomitable. Song Zining understood Qianyes puzzlement. He immediately drew a map of the neutral lands and the major continents on the paper and slowly rotated it. You know that our world is revolving constantly, right? This was common knowledge. Qianye had learned about it back in Yellow Springs but he didnt understand it very well. Song Zining continued, We still have no idea what kind of world the Great Maelstrom is. All we know is that the realm inside is drastically different compared to our own, and hence, it also produces many rare resources. There are only two ways into the Great Maelstrom; one of them appears only occasionally, and thats the one the two factions are fighting over. The other one is in the neutral lands, but its simply unusable. He spun the map once as he continued, The first passage into the Great Maelstrom may appear each time our world completes one revolution. Although its not absolute, the chances of it are quite high. The one in the neutral lands, however, isnt accessible. Only a handful of people have ever come out of it, and even they werent able to tell how they had managed to do it. Both the Empire and Evernight ignored this passage since it was basically a one-way trip. After a moment of hesitation, Song Zining said seriously, After arriving in the neutral lands, I noticed that the origin power in the passage wasnt like before. My calculations during this period tell me that an origin tide thats hard to see in a hundred years is about to come. While speaking, Song Zining wrote down a large array of numbers and formulas to prove his theory. Qianye was fairly confused since he had no idea what those numbers were about. This knowledge was too complicatedfew people had ever heard of it, not to mention studying the subject. No wonder only a handful of people throughout history were proficient in divination. It turned out that one would need to be proficient in such profound knowledge as well. It wasnt too hard to imagine how many people would possess both cultivation talent and intelligence. No wonder those excelling in divination would also boast a solid grasp of strategy. Even if they couldnt rule over a large area, they would usually serve as strategists and advisors for major characters. Song Zining knew Qianye didnt quite understand, so he gave him a brief explanation of the origin tide. Over the course of several hundred years, the origin power flow of the world would undergo an undulation from high to low, and then cycle back from low to highit was like a huge ocean tide. Why such a thing would happen was highly disputed, with no conclusion up to this day. The empires history was short. The data they had wasnt sufficient for research since there hadnt been many origin tides since its founding. Evernight boasted a longer history, but they only relied on their inherent power and bloodlines. They couldnt be bothered to engage in systematic exploration and study like the Empire. According to Lin Xitangs deduction, the reason for the birth of the origin tides was probably because the entire world was revolving around an unknown target. One complete revolution meant one complete origin tide. This theory was so shocking that few among the upper echelons of the empire believed it. The experts had long since begun the process of exploring the void, but there was only an endless nothingness beyond the peripheral continents. Not to mention an end, there wasnt even a place to land along the way. No one could say if there was any place in the boundless darkness where one could establish a foothold. Not even the supremes on the sacred mountain could see through the sable expanse. The numerous stars in the void looked close, but they were actually at a distance enough to make one palpitate in despair. No one in the imperial court paid attention to Lin Xitangs hypothesis. It was just a guess to both the emperor and his ministers. Even if it was real, it wasnt as important as Lin Xitangs accomplishments against the rebels on the Western Continent. Besides, the Empire and Evernight had been fighting numerous major battles, wars that would determine the empires fate. If the empire ceased to exist, it was no use even if they could prove the earth was round. To Qianye, the things Song Zining was saying were too deep and profound. It was even more difficult to understand than the inheritance from the River of Blood. Comparatively, it was easier to kill a marquis. The seventh young master wasnt expecting him to understand, either. He returned to the main issue after briefly explaining the origin tide. The current tide was at its trough, but very soon, it would reach the highest and calmest point in several hundred years. During this period, the origin tempests raging through the passage would calm down quite a bit. At least, it would no longer be impossible to pass through. If that were to happen, a stable passage into the Great Maelstrom would be formed here. Although it would be relatively calmer, the tempests were still there. Even so, the value of such a passage was self-evident. Evernight and the Empire would likely fight a war over this passage, and the forces in the neutral lands would likely get involved as wellit would surely be chaotic. Song Zining had lured Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing over not long after arriving in the neutral lands. On one hand, they would serve as reinforcements, while on the other, it was a gambit for the battle to come. That was also why he had chosen Southern Blue to make his stand instead of developing quietly on the Northern Continent. Qianye listened to everything quietly before saying, Do you think were suited to fight for the empire? You dont plan to stand on the Evernights side, do you? Qianye remained silent. Song Zinings smile became increasingly forced until he finally heaved a long sigh. Qianye said, Why not? You shouldve sensed just now. My blood energy has far surpassed my daybreak origin power. By vampire standards, Im almost a marquis already. Now Im finding it increasingly difficult to control the development of my blood energy. Perhaps one day, itll completely suppress my daybreak origin power and turn me into a vampire. And? Qianye hesitated for a while. And, if she finally goes back to Evernight and asks me to join, I will. Will you really? Of course. Let it be. Song Zining slapped Qianyes shoulder unceremoniously. Do you think itll be a good thing if she goes back to Evernight? You should be clearer than I am. The Empire Qianye smiled wryly and shook his head. I understand, you do not wish to fight for such an empire. Qianye sighed. Indeed. The same goes for me, but how can we watch with folded arms when the time comes? Song Zining laughed wryly. It''ll only allow the current empire to go on, whats the point? The point is something we can decide later, but we have to work on the present first. Even if we dont fight this war, can we escape it? Weve already fled to the neutral lands. Seeing Qianyes gloomy expression, Song Zining laughed, We have to fight either way since the passage is in the neutral lands. Qianye snorted. Im not interested. Ill just hide on the Northern Continent if worse comes to worst. Youre really not fighting? The marine lotus only grows in the Great Maelstrom! Song Zinings smile was evil. ... Qianye snorted heavily to express his dissatisfaction. Ji Tianqings voice echoed nearby after Qianyes departure. Are you that confident? This Young Miss had been hiding in the room since who knew when. With her capability, Qianye naturally couldnt sense her. Song Zining sighed softly. Ignore what he says. When the fight breaks out and he finds out were on the battlefield, hell naturally come back. Not us, just you, Ji Tianqing said. No, its us. Hell come even if its just you. Something flickered through Ji Tianqings eyes. She then slapped Song Zinings shoulder so hard that he almost fell to the floor. Next time, speak louder when you do naughty stuff. I cant hear clearly, otherwise. With that, she vanished again before Song Zining could find his footing. Song Zining inhaled deeply and finally stabilized himself. Damn brat! Such a heavy blow, you think I cant see through your thoughts? The month that followed was fairly calm. There were quite a lot of abnormalities under the seemingly calm situation. The number of people and goods flowing through Southern Blue had increased again, and the originally tight streets were now highly congested. People were cursing about the crowds and traffic but, at the same time, were quite happy about their heavy purses. The construction speed of the workshops saw a sharp increase as a steady stream of materials poured into the city. Time meant gold coins to the merchants. Once these factories had been completed, each day that it was empty meant a day of loss. Hence, every trade-company was recruiting craftsmen and technicians in advance. The industrial system in Southern Blue had already taken shape and one could already build an entire warship here. All but the dumbest people could see that this was a massive opportunity, and hence the increased investments. New investment meant increased men and resources, resulting in a positive cycle. As a vast amount of wealth gathered in Southern Blue, how to safeguard this wealth became an important issue. In the face of solid gold coins, the forces of Seagaze and Tidehark became less and less important. Even Zhang Buzhous deterrence became fairly light in comparison. All of the merchants supported Song Zining when he suggested building up the citys defensive power and cannon towers, forking out money and manpower in quick succession. As they saw it, the bigger the stationed army, the better, even if the scale of their forces had begun to threaten those of Tidehark and Seagaze. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 942: Sacrifice At this point, all the major trade companies were no longer holding back. A steady stream of gold coins converged into a deluge of investment that flowed into Southern Blue. Be it the workshops or the army and cannon towers, all of them were developing at a stunning pace. Every leading character understood the value of a manufactured warship. This kind of commodity would have the buyers lining up for them, and they would sell right off the assembly line. The people in charge of the major families and companies were fighting for the chance to reach Southern Blue and place their orders. As long as they could get their hands on an airship, price was no longer important. If, for instance, the Xue family from Seagaze were to get their hands on an airship and the ones ranked below them couldnt find a way to do so, they would be suppressed irreversibly. Song Zining had long since released news that Southern Blue would be producing genuine warships. They would be at the military-grade and only a bit inferior to the empires most recent models. An ordinary armed airship was like a child compared to a military warship. They just werent at the same level in terms of speed, defenses, and firepower. In the eyes of real major characters, this was a glimpse of hope for the lands to become truly neutral. Theres no real guarantee without a powerful airship fleet. Even people as strong as the Throne of Blood and Zhang Buzhou were lacking in a fitting flagship compared to the bigshots from Evernight. Because of this, they were only able to rule over the neutral lands and incapable of contending against the great dukes and princes. What they saw in Song Zining was the hope of a future flagship. This was also why the major powers behind the curtains never made a move despite Southern Blue developing with great fanfare. As for the minor powers who wanted to take a bite out of this fat meat, they were either shocked out of their wits by the military might of Southern Blue or disabled by Qianye. Qianye had no distractions during this period and was able to focus wholly on his daybreak origin power cultivation. According to the current progression, he would be able to break through to the next rank in a couple of months. This rate of cultivation would be extremely shocking in the empire, but Qianye was clear that his blood energy could no longer be suppressed once the war broke outit would only be a matter of time before an advancement. This could be attributed to the effects of Life Plunder, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, and the Book of Darkness. It was just that he had no good art to progress his daybreak origin power, and all he could do was keep working as was routine for him. The Martyrs Palace had been returned to the Northern Continent for the outfitting process. The draconic vessel was no longer a secret after its battle with Linken. The only thing that could give her a surprise was the speed of remodeling. According to Song Zinings words, Linken would never have imagined that her main cannon would be installed and usable on the Martyrs Palace. A single moment of carelessness and this main cannon would sink a battleship. In most fights, the loss of a battleship at the beginning of a battle would immediately decide the outcome. The Martyrs Palace was like a tiger with wings after the addition of this main cannon. Landsinker was a long range weapon with big burst firepower, and the vessel was tough enough to gain the advantage in long-range artillery confrontations. During this period, Ningyuan Heavy Industries sent two more waves of airships to the Northern Continent, delivering a large batch of skilled workers and required materials. At this point, Song Zining had already moved most of Ningyuan to the neutral lands. His core, reliable workforce was already on the Northern Continent. It could be said that he had bet his entire fortune. Bluemoon was obviously full of worry amidst all the bustling activity. She summoned her tribesman to several secret meetings. Then, before long, another group of Highbeards arrived on the Northern Continent. The land was still a secret existence at the moment, so the arriving tribesmen had to undergo a series of precautionary procedures to be accepted. Additionally, they would not be able to leave after arriving. Even so, Bluemoon was intent on having more people join. On the Northern Continent, the people from Ningyuan Heavy Industries had far surpassed the Highbeards, and they possessed a lot of advanced imperial technology as well. Hence, they were able to suppress the Highbeards in every field. The latter were born technicians and warriors, but they were still a nomadic tribe after all. Their technology really couldnt compare to the thousand years of accumulation in the empire. Bluemoons meetings were also reflected on a different front. An extra branch of Highbeard mercenaries appeared in Southern Blue to join Dark Flame under Song Zinings command. As the prosperous and peaceful days went on and on, those with the qualification to know some things gradually became nervous. In their eyes, there were strong undercurrents flowing beneath the tranquility. The longer the calm, the more dangerous it was. The Throne of Bloods Scarlet Palace was a legendary name both in the Empire and Evernight. This was where the young vampire built his first family in the neutral lands. There were only two simple stone houses back then, but today, it had become a massive palacejust as that lowly vampire back then had grown into one of the leaders of the neutral lands. There were three figures prostrating at the center of the great hall. They were actually quite tall, but they looked tiny compared to the giant hall. A young woman among them swayed unsteadily before falling to the ground. One of the other people rushed over to check on her, but the third person remained as still as a rock. The man providing first-aid broke into a wail soon afterward. Apparently, that ladys life could no longer be saved. Drowning in pain and anger, he stood up and charged toward the end of the great hall. There was no one thereonly a tall throne, its dazzling scarlet hue declaring its identity. This was the Throne of Blood. The young man had to stop after rushing out several steps because his ankles had been grabbed firmly by a jaded old man. The skin on his hands was like dried bark, yet this hand contained an undeniable power. The young man couldnt extricate himself no matter how hard he tried. The young man cried out in shock and anger, Y-You clearly have so much strength left. Why did you not save her? The old mans voice was low and raspy. This is her fate. She was destined to meet this fate the moment she joined us. Damn your fate! If fate is really like that, I wont accept it, ever! The old man didnt look up, but his voice contained a bit of compassion. This is your fate, and mine. We can only accept it because there is no other way. The young man raised his voice. No! Youre all lying! Theres no such thing as a fate that cannot be avoided. None! They killed her, and I want revenge! The old man sighed. Its no use. No amount of struggling will produce results in the face of fate. Have you not seen it? The young man felt sudden waves of pain from his leg. Looking down, he noticed that the old man had let go of him at one point. The dark red ground seemed to have come alive and wrapped itself around his ankle in the form of sanguineous vines. Moreover, they pierced deeply into his flesh. Shocked out of his wits, he wanted to break free, but it was all too late. His life force and energy flowed out from the wound like the tides. He became increasingly weak and eventually collapsed while covered in blood. The blood formed a cocoon around him and wiggled for a moment before finally calming down and hardening into a cold surface. A black-robed man emerged from a side door at the end of the tunnel. The person arrived before the elder and said, Go back, you wont last very long no matter how strong you are. Why? Is our sacrifice not enough? Indeed, the quantity is not sufficient. The old man remained silent for a long while. We shoulder such heavy burdens of fate, how can there be enough of us? Our growth has to be hidden cautiously, afraid of being nipped in the bud. We dont have any resources, either, not even for survival. The growth of the people here was founded upon the bones of their brothers and sisters. The black-robed man said indifferently, The master is not interested in your story. Even you wont be able to leave if the master finds out. The old man remained unmoving on the floor. Perhaps we dont have enough power, but we have the same enemy. The black-robed man sneered. Thats true, but you people arent qualified to fight shoulder to shoulder with the master. The old man said, We dont hope to fight alongside His Majesty. We have only brought news and advice, hoping His Majesty will recognize our sacrifice and accept our advice. The black-robed man was moved. Say it, everything here will not escape the masters perception. If your advice is useful, hell consider it. The old man said, Weve received news that the Evernight races have formed a coalition of airship fleets and are currently making for the neutral lands. Their target is the passage to the Great Maelstrom. The black-robed man remained calm. And your advice? His Majesty should team up with Zhang Buzhou and stop the Evernight fleet from entering the passage. The black-robed mans voice turned chilly. Did you ask our Master to join hands with Zhang Buzhou? Yes. Thats the only way to stop them. A small sacrifice for the greater picture. The black-robed man hadnt even finished speaking when a clear voice erupted in the hall. Asking me to team up with Zhang Buzhou, what an outrageous notion. Whats the reason? The elder was overwhelmed with joy. Is that you, Your Majesty? Reason? The voice became clearly impatient. The elder replied, Weve more or less figured out the frightening future if they are allowed to occupy the passage. The sky will be filled with boundless flames, countless beings will perish. The voice only snorted. The elder cried out, Your Majesty, the Great Prophet had to pay with his life for this prophecy. And our lives are sacrificed just to prove it. Since you crawlers like to sacrifice yourselves so much, Ill help you out. With that, a wave of blood swelled up from the ground and drowned out the old man. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 943: Strangers The old man disappeared in a flash, completely devoured by the Scarlet Palace. Instead of leaving, the black-robed man remained standing at the center of the hall. He asked in a rather concerned tone, Master, are we going to sit aside and do nothing? After all, the tunnel is in Zhang Buzous hands. Why should I pay any attention? In the past, it was fine to give the tunnel to Zhang Buzhou because it was useless. Now, its value is so great that he cannot handle it alone. Even in the neutral lands, Zhang Buzhou wont be able to stop the Empire and Evernight working together. The black-robed man said, Master, that might be the case, but perhaps we should help him a bit for the sake of the neutral lands overall. The voice snorted lazily. The bigger picture means nothing. Zhang Buzhou claims to be assaulting the heavenly monarch realm. I want to see just how close he is to the realm. Failing to convince his master, the black-robed man sighed. Perhaps the Empire and Evernight will fight among themselves like before. Unless its the same idiots from last time, theyll wait until the passage is in their hands before fighting among themselves. That means theyll destroy Zhang Buzhou first before anything. Master is wise. The black-robed man eventually withdrew, and the great hall once again recovered its calm. Qianye had just completed his cultivation for the day. The night was deep, dark, and full of stars. He looked up into the distance where the massive body of the Martyrs Palace was lying across the land, much like a mountain range. There were lights flickering all throughout its body as ant-like workers climbed up and down, installing pieces of the new lattice body armor. During this period, this was the scene he saw every time he woke up from cultivation. It was at this time that Qianye suddenly noticed something drifting across the starry sky. He looked up and realized that it was a deeply-colored autumn leaf, but it vanished entirely when he looked over. Qianye understood that this leaf didnt exist and that it was his own perception being affected. Needless to say, it was one of Song Zinings tricks. This seventh young master seemed to have become less fathomable after a period of absence. That was fairly strange because he was rarely ever seen cultivating, yet his drinking and revelry never fell short. Despite that, his cultivation never fell behind compared to the likes of Qianye and Zhao Jundu. Qianye understood that this flying leaf was Song Zining reminding him that the time was nigh. Qianye got up and walked toward the Martyrs Palace. Under the summoning of his consciousness, the palace responded and began trembling lightly. Bluemoon ran over to him rapidly. Sire, are you going out? Yes, its time. How goes the outfitting? The main cannon has been installed, along with four auxiliary cannons. Most of the outer walls have also been completed and will be done in a few more days. Its just that the origin array in charge of energy supply isnt strong enough. You can only fire the main cannon twice at most before having to recharge for half an hour. Clearly, Bluemoon had long since made preparations for a swift report. Very good, continue the unfinished work along the way. Have the crew board the airship, we leave in half a day. Yes, Sire. At this moment, the Northern Continent was populated by elites and thus the preparatory work went on in an orderly manner. Although half a day was quite short, all the work was duly completed in the end. The necessary materials had been loaded onto the ship, and the construction would continue along the way. The functional areas in the Martyrs Palace had already been planned out. Although it could be said that materials were piled up like mountains inside the vessel, the hold actually felt quite empty. The palace was simply too big, big enough to fit a small town inside. No one knew how long it would take to finish building everything. At this point, even the framework hadnt been completed just yet. The only area that had been properly constructed was the fuel storage chamber. Qianye was rather astonished by the area, which was close to a hundred meters wide, and it also served to remind him of how great the Martyrs Palaces consumption rate was. Bluemoon wouldnt be following them as she needed to oversee the construction work on the ground. The entire Highbeard Tribe would only be able to call the Northern Continent home after the ancestral land had been fully constructed and their people moved over. Having to shoulder such a heavy burden affixed a look of worry and exhaustion on her face. With the arrival of more and more people from Ningyuan Heavy Industries, she quickly realized that this was a difficult opponent. Be it on the future Northern Continent or in the system under Qianye, the Highbeards position would never be as high as she had expected. The Martyrs Palace rose slowly into the sky at dawn and left the Northern Continent. Qianye kept the Martyrs Palace in the void around the edge of the continent and flew toward Southern Blue alone. This short passage through the void could be considered a perilous chasm for someone below the divine champion realm. Qianye, however, was able to resist the erosion of the void for a short period of time due to his ancient vampire constitution. There were already three hundred men on the Martyrs Palace at this point. Most of them were technicians who would continue with the installation of the outer walls. After passing through the protective layer, Qianye swooped down like a falcon and shot straight toward Southern Blue. While he was still in the air, Qianye noticed several weird airships around the citys port. These airships looked like cargo vessels, and they were also packed to the brim with goods. But from high-above, Qianye found their outlines quite familiarthey were clearly corvettes from the imperial military. And the larger one nearby, also carrying goods, was one of their cutting-edge destroyers. As an ex-member of Red Scorpion, it was a necessary subject to be able to differentiate Imperial and Evernight airships. These imperial airships were fairly well-disguised and almost identical to ordinary cargo ships. It was just that the disguise didnt quite take into account the possibility of a spy coming in from above, much less one that was formally trained in the empire. Qianye was a bit startled upon seeing these airships. He hadnt expected that the empire would come so quickly. The appearance of these regular warships in the neutral lands meant that war was just over the horizon. He glanced up into the void with True Sight and saw that the flow of origin power was gradually becoming gentler. Qianye retracted his aura as he landed in Southern Blue and made straight for Dark Flame headquarters. There were a fair number of people with profound auras inside the city, some with overflowing killing intent. There would be a couple of experts around every street block. These people were oblivious of Qianyes presence, not even glancing back even if they were to brush past. The headquarters was also different from before. The entire base seemed to be on high-alert with double the sentries at the gate. After stating his identity, Qianye entered through the main gates without a hitch. Barely one month had passed, yet there were already unfamiliar faces in the headquarters. These people were markedly different from the people born in the neutral lands, and some areas in the base were completely under their management. Judging from the interaction, the old Dark Flame members did not seem receptive to the newcomers at all. The gazes being exchanged were far from friendly, and misfires mightve already happened if Dark Flames rules werent as strict as the imperial regular army. Qianye frowned as he walked up the central command building. He had just taken a couple of steps when a rude voice came through from the side. Halt! Qianye paid it no attention and kept on walking. A voice roared once more from behind him, I told you to stop! This time, Qianye realized that the man was addressing him. He turned back with a sneerhe wanted to see who dared to talk to him like this inside Dark Flame headquarters. There was a courtyard to the rear where two warriors were staring at Qianye with their blades drawn. It looked like they were tasked with guarding this courtyard but, for some reason, had set their eyes on the passer-by that was Qianye. The two were clad in mercenary uniform, but the sharp killing intent and arrogance were different from the people here. Qianye could see faint shadows of the imperial elite in their demeanor. One of them pointed at Qianye, shouting, Who are you? How come Ive never seen you before? Qianye broke into a laugh instead of feeling angry. Ive never seen you people before, either. The soldiers expression sank. Nonsense! Who do you think you are to see me at will? Dont ramble when Im asking a question. Ill have you come inside if you dont reply. Qianye smiled spuriously. You really want me coming in? The soldier revealed a sinister smile as he reached out to grab Qianye. You asked for it! However, his companion grabbed ahold of his hand. This experienced-looking soldier seemed to remember something as he gazed at Qianye. This area of the base is forbidden. Stay clear in the future, got it? You can go now. The young warrior couldnt yet calm down. He stared at Qianye with burning eyes, much like a fierce beast on the verge of pouncing over. Nonetheless, the experienced soldiers firm grip stopped his idea of teaching Qianye a lesson. Qianye didnt budge, however. There are places in Dark Flame where I cant go? Who made these rules? Furious, the young man struggled free from his comrade and swing the stock of his gun at Qianye. Youre asking for a beating! There was no way Qianye would get struck by this blow, but no amount of good temper was enough in this kind of situation. He sent the two guards flying with a kick, flinging them dozens of meters away, through the door behind them and into the courtyard. The change attracted dozens of warriors from the courtyard, as well as the sound of an alarm. Standing at the door, Qianye let out a deep roar, Whos the leader? Get out here this instant! The soldiers rushing at Qianye felt as though they had been struck in the chest by a sledgehammer. They fell to the ground in quick succession, unable to get up no matter how hard they struggled. The people preparing to rush out of the building also tumbled down the stairs. A loud cry emerged from the building, Who dares behave so atrociously in my domain? A burly middle-aged man with coarse hair and large eyes rushed out from the building. His expression was fierce, and his facial hair was as hard as steel needles. He arrived before Qianye in two steps and swiped a claw toward his throat. Qianye sneered inwardly. The opponent could be considered fairly careless, considering him to be an ordinary second-rate champion. Not to mention a rank-fifteen expert like this person, even divine champions would suffer from treating Qianye this way. This time, Qianye had no intention of holding back. His blood core pulsed strongly, almost as though it had woken up from a long dreamhe was ready to heavily injure the opponent in one go. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 944: Passage However, several green bamboos appeared between the two people. The plant was positively exuberant, with leaves as sharp as blades. The bearded man charging at Qianye was shockedhis experts intuition forced him to retreat and avoid this dangerous bamboo. Qianye, on the other hand, was able to see through the illusion and was hence unaffected by his reflexes. However, he could tell that this Bamboo was something Song Zining had conjured. Since the man had arrived, Qianye decided to contain his anger and refrain from attacking. The seventh young master arrived in a hurry. He had just arrived when that short-bearded man shouted, Seventh Young Noble, why are you stopping me from capturing this lawless brigand? Song Zining was clearly unhappy, but he restrained his words. General Yan must be mistaken. This is Dark Flames commander, how can he be a lawless brigand? Whos that? I only know you around here. Song Zining had never expected Yan Ding would be so rude. His expression changed drastically despite his upbringing, but even then, he was still able to maintain a smile. Sire Qianye is the commander of Dark Flame. I only do some miscellaneous jobs under his command. Almost everyone in the empire knew Qianyes namethe one who defeated the Demoness, charged into the military base to snatch Nighteye away from Li Fengshuis custody, and then escaped under the watch of a divine champion. Many people believed that Qianye wasnt inferior to Zhao Jundu in terms of talent and combat strength. Song Zining had announced Qianyes name in hopes of shaking Yan Ding, at least preventing him from wanton action. However, Yan Ding was determined not to give Qianye any face. Qianye? Whos Qianye? Ive never heard of anyone by that name. At this point, Song Zining could no longer endure. He said with a cold expression, General Yan, now youre being unreasonable. After all, Dark Flame is Qianyes. I only allowed you to camp here, not become the masters of this place. Yan Ding was startled, not expecting Song Zining to say such words. Seventh Young Noble is indeed sharp with his words. Song Zining put his fan away and said with a dry laugh, For better or worse, Ive also worked in the military before and seen many things under Prince Greensuns leadership. The meaning behind his words was that he also had deep roots in the military and wasnt someone so easy to provoke. Yan Ding naturally understood the meaning, but he wasnt going to play along. Too bad Prince Greensun is no longer in the army. Song Zining replied calmly, He mightve left, but who in the military dares to disobey him? Yan Dings expression turned ugly. Song Zining was rightthe empire might be powerful, but they still had to rely on their clans and heavenly monarchs in war. Just like on the void continent, a war of that scale couldnt be conducted without Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarch at the helm, and the major clans working to defend their own warzones. The top experts of the empire were distributed among the imperial family and the clans. The only one who belonged to the military was Longevity Monarch. Strictly speaking, the man wasnt entirely military-bound, eitherperhaps half at most. The young powers within the military who harbored deep hatred regarding this situation gradually became the core strength of the imperial party. Yan Ding sneered, Seventh Young Noble is right, Prince Greensuns strength is peerless and naturally no one would dare to disobey. Then again, His Excellencys relationship with the Song clan was never harmonious. Isnt it a bit forced to consider yourself one of his men? Song Zining laughed indifferently. The Song clans situation is unrelated to me. Let me speak some big words, few in the entire empire would turn me away if I were to swear loyalty. Yan Ding was stoppered up. Song Zining had long since found fame as a peerless talent in military strategy while also maintaining his personal cultivation. Although inferior to Zhao Jundu in terms of overall ability, he was widely accepted as a character destined to reach the divine champion realm. Any faction would be willing to pay a steep price for such a person. At the thought of this, Yan Dings expression relaxed a bit. I naturally know of Seventh Young Nobles genius. Its just that, theres no need for you to be associating with Qianye. Your actions might be destroying your future. Qianye had remained silent all this time and only spoke up when his name was mentioned, Since you attacked me knowing who I was, perhaps you really think youve lived too long. Dont tell me you think you can survive three minutes against me? Yan Ding was furious. How dare a vampire utter such ravings? If General Lu didnt show mercy, how could you have escaped Indomitable? You survived by a fluke, yet you dare act so wantonly here. Do you really think the empire cant do anything to you just because youre hiding in the neutral lands? Yan Ding laughed grimly at this point, seemingly remembering something. That vampire slut was struck by General Lis Chaos Millstone. Shed be a cripple by now even if not dead. Whats the point in saving her? She shouldve become a corpse already, right? Qianyes expression turned dark, but Song Zining shouted before he could do anything, Shut up! Yan Ding looked back. What advice does Seventh Young Master have? Song Zining took a deep breath. You really arent afraid of death, it seems. Yan Ding replied, Ill have you know that Im an imperial general. You look like you still want to return to the empire, right? Do you dare kill me? Arent you afraid youll close your path back to the empire? Qianye patted Song Zinings shoulder. Do you still want to persuade me to return now? Song Zinings expression was ashen. He pointed at Yan Dings nose and cursed, If you disrupt my business, youll have to face the consequences! The empire did not send you here to stir up trouble. You can leave now if thats what youre here for! Yan Ding looked back at his soldiers. You hear? They dont welcome us, lets go! As arrogant and fierce as they were, the soldiers broke into a roar. At this moment, a fair number of Dark Flame mercenaries had also gathered behind Qianye and Song Zining. These people were also causing quite the ruckus, flailing curses and shouts at Yan Dings group. Song Zining tapped his palm lightly with his fan. Youre all clear about my identity. If you want to leave, thats fine, you must leave the warships behind. And let me remind you, you can walk out of this place, but you might not be able to leave Southern Blue. Even if you could leave the city, dont ever think about returning to the empire. Yan Ding was trembling from anger. Seventh Young Noble, you must remember that Im an imperial general. No matter how capable you are, you probably cant handle the crime of harming an imperial officer. Song Zining replied, Hindering progress in war is a great crime. You wont be able to shoulder the blame if the important matter at hand is delayed, not even Lu Junyi can. These warships belong to the empire, not Yan Ding. Yan Ding was still furious, but the soldiers behind him were shaken. Song Zining continued after noticing this, Although Im here right now, I havent abandoned my assets back in the empire. I have people in the imperial palace who can smooth out some minor problems for me. Heh heh, an expired marshal cant compare to the people behind me. Yan Ding halted his steps. Whats the meaning of this? Song Zining replied frankly, A former marshal who has already drained his potential at the divine champion threshold has no hope of progress at all. Hes able to drift along only because of his past achievements. Heh heh, does he think people dont know the little tricks hes been playing? Yan Ding was livid, unable to continue this conversation. The soldiers behind him also looked at one another and seemed to have lost most of their morale. Someone like Song Zining naturally wouldnt spout nonsense. According to him, it would seem Lu Junyi had done some inappropriate things, but the imperial court turned a blind eye in consideration of his past contributions. The influence of such a person would be weaker in both civil and military matters. Song Zining pointed at Qianye, saying, Marshal Lu wasnt able to capture Qianye back in Indomitable. Hes here right now. You can go and tell Marshal Lu that he can come here to engage in a fight to the death. Yan Ding was skeptical. Dont tell me you think he can fight Marshal Lu? Song Zining turned to Qianye. What do you think? Qianyes thoughts returned to that night. After a moment, he said, These things have long since passed, theres no point in killing him". Yan Dings expression changed drastically. In the end, he said in disbelief, Since you''ve said so, Ill comply of course. With that, he turned back into the courtyard, shouting, What are you all looking at? Go back in! Dismiss the sentries, too, theyre nothing more than decorations. Song Zining glanced at Yan Dings receding figure, and then dismissed the Dark Flame soldiers as well. He then went back into Dark Flame headquarters with Qianye in tow. After entering the office, Qianye asked, Where did those people come from? Song Zining replied, You mustve figured out by now that theyre from the empire. Yan Ding is an imperial naval squadron commander, leading one of the empires core forces. He arrived ahead of the main fleet in hopes of taking over the passage. I let them camp in Dark Flame in order to hide their tracks. Of course, that will only serve to hide them from the Evernight side. Theres no way to deceive the local thugs here. They dont look like they want to hide themselves, Qianye replied. They have to fight sooner or later, so it doesnt matter. The imperial aristocracy are also arriving in succession, even faster than the military. The things they really need to hide are the warships theyve brought along. You summoned me here urgently, are we going to fight now? The location of the passage has been confirmed, and were only waiting on detailed analysis. However, the location is fairly problematic. Song Zining opened up the map and pointed to a certain location. According to my deductions, the entrance is probably here! Qianye glanced over and saw Song Zining pointing at Tidehark. Qianye had confronted the city more than once and knew that it was filled with powerful experts. The city lord himself was shockingly powerful. Qianye and Ji Tianqing mightve died if it werent for their good luck. Now that this tunnel was opening in Tidehark City, it wasnt surprising that Song Zining found it difficult. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 945: Command Does the Evernight side know? Qianye inquired. Since weve managed to calculate the location, its only a matter of time before the other side does the same. With the empire making such noticeable movements, how can we ever hide it? Linken was probably here for it, but fortunately, you managed to beat her back. This gives us the initiative. Qianye frowned. A useless one at that. Whoever had the initiative would have to fight against Tidehark first. With the forces the Empire and Evernight could afford to dispatch, it was difficult to tell who would win. If the losses in Tidehark were too heavy, it would only give the opposing faction a free ticket into the passage. So, claiming the initiative wasnt always a good thing. A three-party conflict was the most difficult kind to handle. This opportunity isnt that useful, but its better than nothing. Song Zining pointed at the map, saying, For instance, if the demonkin in this area are cut off from reinforcements, we can use this timeframe to uproot all of the families supporting them. Well let them know that whoever supports Evernight will meet ugly fates. Seeing Song Zining pointing at Seagaze, Qianye said, There are some families there who support us, the Xue for instance. Then we should have them exert effort. Have them take the initiative to destroy the demonkin-supporting families. Qianye frowned. Song Zinings plan would leave the Xue family with no room to maneuver, but it was a fact that the seventh young master was the better strategist. No matter how difficult to execute his decisions seemed, they would always result in an advantage later on. Song Zining shot Qianye a glance. Well go ahead with this plan if you have no objections. Ill send someone to inform the Xue family. Seeing a nod from Qianye, Song Zining said, Then lets talk about something, this Yan Ding He frowned with a difficult expression. Qianye, if you meet Lu Junyi again, how sure are you of defeating him? Lu Junyi? The man who tried to stop me at Indomitable? Yes, thats the man. Qianye said after a moment of pondering, If he hasnt made any improvements, I might have a good chance of killing him in the wilderness. The chances will be even higher with the help of Zhuji and the others. Itll be difficult to say if he has broken through. Song Zining broke into a laugh. It hasnt been long since we last met him. Do you think everyones a monster like you who can level up when theyre bored? Qianye felt a bit embarrassed. Song Zinings smile disappeared as he continued, No matter how weak Lu Junyi is, hes still a divine champion. Are you confident about dealing with him? Qianye said in a serious manner, His attacks are nothing to write home about, even Zhuji could block it back then. I can surely withstand it at my current level. As for his defenses, Ive never heard of him possessing any special skills that can withstand my Shot of Inception. The odds will be even better if its a wilderness battle. After all, my blood energy is at the marquis level. Song Zining nodded. Thats good then. This kind of battle isnt my forte, youre on your own. Youre planning to do Lu Junyi in? Is it appropriate at such a time? Song Zining sighed. Its best if we dont need to do it. Unfortunately He didnt say what was unfortunate, and neither did Qianye ask. Next up, Song Zining explained to Qianye the details of the current situation. The vanguard fleet from the empire, made up of three squadrons, had already arrived in the neutral lands, with the main force coming in from behind. Apart from this squadron led by Yan Ding, the other two were made up of forces from the aristocracy and the imperial family. The clans were led by the Li family this time, mainly because their divination powers were necessary to pinpoint and enter the passage. It was only natural that they would oversee the situation while the four major clans put forth the manpower. Qianye was a bit surprised about the direct involvement of the imperial family. Their direct forces would rarely be mobilized under normal circumstancesit would usually be the military or some aristocratic forces being sent in their name. The imperial family of this generation usually kept themselves well hidden and rarely showed off their martial prowess. They were basically in hibernation mode compared to the previous generations. They had only begun showing off their power along with the increased activity of the imperial party. The Li family and the imperial family also made camp around Southern Blue. They had each found a place to set up a supply base and camouflage themselves among some major local trade companies. As for the many airships flying in and out, there was really no telling how many of them were real cargo ships. The three vanguard fleets together might be a bit less powerful than Linkens fleet, but they were enough to hold their own in battle. The demonkins presence in the neutral lands was evidently weakened, giving the humans a distinct advantage. With Linken heavily injured, Qianye knew how much of an edge they held. Having lost the support of their fleet, the demonkin who had arrived earlier would be destroyed if they so much as dared to poke their heads out. Then what are you waiting for? Concentrate all available military power and explore the location of the passage. As Qianye saw it, the situation at present was already quite clear. How can it be that easy? Song Zining laughed ruefully. Disregarding whether or not we can take down City Lord Luo Bingfeng, must we really fight him? None of the three vanguard squadrons will listen to me, except perhaps the imperial familys. Qianye was startled. Youre not the commander for this battle? Of course not. This seemed inconceivable. Song Zining and Qianye had been operating in the neutral lands for some time, and had already gained a stable footing. As Qianye saw it, Song Zining was far above those so-called clan big-shots in terms of strategy and accomplishments. Not many in the Song clan could compete with him in military contributions. Many members of the elder assembly had never even killed a count, yet they were always blabbering about war and government. The importance of this expedition to seize the Great Maelstrom passage was only second to the void continent war. It was only natural that Song Zining should be leading this war. The Evernight Faction understood full well just how terrifying the seventh young master could be with a hand of good cards. However, the leading general wasnt Song Zining. Qianye said, Please dont tell me its Yan Ding. That trash? Impossible. The higher-ups wont do such a thing, no matter how muddled they are. Song Zining calmed himself, and then sighed. In the end, its all because were too young. How can those people at our grandparents age be content obeying our commands? There was a meeting after the three vanguard squadrons were assembled. I recommended myself for the commander role, but some people opposed the notion fiercely, so it was rejected. Qianye frowned. Who opposed? Ill go discuss things with them. This is an important matter involving the army and the country, how can we let a bunch of old fogeys do as they wish? Discuss? How do you plan to do that? Song Zining broke into a laugh. Qianye raised his fist, saying, Nicely, of course. There are few among the guests who I cannot convince. Let it be, lets just play along. Im also a bit tired. How can we just let things be? Fighting for the position is fine and all, but these are imperial soldiers at risk. How can we let them all die for personal reasons? Song Zining laughed. They arent that useless. Qianye snorted. Its Eden on the demonkins side. If those old fellows really have the ability, why were they beaten up so badly in the Misty Wood? Song Zining didnt retort. Eden isnt just powerful in combat, from the fight in the Misty Wood, its obvious that hes a master in strategy as well. If the demonkin are under his leadership, these people might not be able to defeat him. This is why I wanted to take the helm. Its just that these old men think theyve been leading wars for decades and that they wont lose to a greenhorn demonkin. What can I say? Qianye replied, Edens true strength might be a marquis, hes just keeping himself hidden. How can a famed-clan marquis be considered a greenhorn? Can those old men even defeat him? To them, war and personal fights are two different matters. People who say that are probably mediocre in strength. Are they even rank fifteen? Their origin powers were probably cultivated with drugs. Song Zining laughed. What are you being so agitated for? Its not like youre being discriminated against. But come to think of it, youve really become bad. The old man who said these words is only rank fourteen, ha! Rank-fourteen, is it? Ill go find him for a discussion. Song Zining dragged Qianye back while shaking his head. Youre looking down on people again. Were both rank-fourteen, so they feel that theyre not so inferior to us. Qianye sneered. How is that even possible? These old fogeys cant even last three moves against us. Thats you, Im not a fan of violence. Song Zining rolled his eyes. Qianye was a master of peerless techniques. Be it his Sweeping Calm, Life Plunder, or Shot of Inception, all of them were powerful moves that could kill in one blow. Weaker opponents would find it hard to last half a move against Qianye. On the other hand, Song Zining saying he didnt like violence was clearly a false advertisementthis fellow with his mask and spear wasnt any less fierce than Qianye. Seeing Qianyes lingering anger, Song Zining discarded his flippant demeanor and sighed. They fear not just me, but theyre cautious of you as well. Our relationship is too close, and you had fully offended the military at one point. These people also want to leave a good impression with the military. Qianye laughed coldly. I offended the military? Song Zining said unhurriedly, Qianye, did you think about it? With Nighteyes condition, her awakening is only a matter of time, even without the Chaos Millstone. "Are you telling me to make up with the empire? Of course not. I just hope you wont make the wrong decisions because of your anger. The military is still a massive entity, and it will take patience to topple it. Theres also another pathway in addition to tearing them down. Whats that? Song Zining wasnt willing to tell him, however. Its a bit too early, lets discuss that later. We should first talk about the matter at hand. Can you head over to Seagaze once? Sure. Song Zining nodded. This strategy is different, theres no need to fight or kill. I will dispatch someone with you, and he will handle everything. Dont attack if theres no need to. Then whats the point of me going? On one hand, its to guard against the demonkin, while on the other, its to subdue those families. With you around, both Eden and those families would have to think thrice before doing anything. Theyre quite scared of you now. I still dont see the point. Its highly important. Song Zining opened the doors before Qianye could say anything. Men, invite the commander in! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 946: Return to Seagaze The officer entering the room was fairly young with long brows, a slim face, and a fairly clean, civilized demeanor. He seemed like the easily-bullied type no matter how one looked at him. His face was handsome, but there were no special features, the type that people would forget after seeing. There were dozens if not hundreds of such people in Dark Flame. Qianye had indeed never seen this face, but he recognized this person. Moreover, he was fairly familiar. Young Miss, how come its you? Qianyes expression was calm. This young officer was, in fact, Ji Tianqing in disguise. Wherever she was, trouble would emerge out of nowhere. It would seem Qianye had no choice to follow along on this trip, lest she messed things up. Ji Tianqing asked in disbelief, How did you figure it out? Her disguise was virtually perfect. Not only had she changed her appearance, but even her body size was different. She had grown somehow taller and was on par with Qianyes stature. People would rightfully feel that this was an unfamiliar young man and never connect him to Ji Tianqing. It was no wonder that she would feel depressed after such a disguise was so easily seen through. Qianye didnt know how to give her a proper answer, so he replied honestly after some thought, Intuition. Ji Tianqing felt the urge to go berserk. She was ready to doubt whatever answer that came from his mouth, but the word intuition deprived her of ways to retort. Song Zining said at this point, All prepared? Qianye arrived a bit early, but thats good as well. Go quickly and return fast, get the job done. Ive already prepared the men and cars, you guys can set out anytime. Song Zinings work efficiency was quite high. In just half an hour, two jeeps were waiting at the entrance to the command center and began charging toward the airship port after picking the two up. There was already an airship waiting at the port. What made people speechless was that the airships had actually lowered their gangplanks, allowing the two jeeps to drive straight into the cabin. The doors shut tight following the retraction of the gangplank, and the airship flew toward Segaze. Qianye and the others didnt even need to get off their cars during the entire process. Sensing the pressure of the ascension, Qianye said, This should be a regular imperial transport ship, right? Whats the point of the disguise if theyre going to drive this way? Indeed, the airships vertical and linear acceleration wasnt any weaker than a warship since the military transports needed to operate together with the entire fleet. Although it had been disguised as an ordinary cargo ship, the speed betrayed its true identity. What kind of cargo ship would be that fast? High-speed civilian airships could not even reach half of its current speed. Additionally, loading armed vehicles onto the airship via gangplank was a feature unique to military-grade transports. All of this made the good camouflage rather meaningless. Ji Tianqing had kept her eyes closed all along. We have no plans to hide anything on this trip. Those families will only submit after seeing our strength. Qianye nodded. We have to fight if they dont obey us, right? We didnt bring any expert, either. Ji Tianqing pointed at herself. Isnt this general an expert? Youre not so bad, either. Qianye refused to comment. Instead, he took the time to think back and analyze the experts he had seen in Seagaze in preparation for the battle ahead. Seagaze wasnt too far from Southern Blue. Although the high-speed transport was swift, it wasnt really that much faster than Qianye and Ji Tianqing running over on their own. The vessel accelerated to max velocity and sped toward Seagaze like a shooting star. Chaos descended upon the walls of Seagaze. A sharp alarm echoed throughout the city as the ballistae atop the two turrets did their utmost to turn and lock onto the unwelcome guests, but those seemingly old cargo ships were just too quick. The cannoneers were already beet red, but the rotating ballistae still couldnt lock onto their targets. If even the ballistae couldnt lock on, then the ones fired by the archers had even less of a chance at finding their mark. The defense captain on the city walls was drenched in sweat, cursing and sweating as he ran about commanding the city guards. This highspeed airship was definitely showing off and establishing might. It rushed straight into the sky above Seagaze before returning outside and eventually turning the side of its vessel toward the city walls. If it were a warship, this would be a standard volley-fire stance. Although one couldnt see any ballista cannons on this airship, no one knew how many of them were hidden inside this rapid-flying airship. Perhaps it could destroy a gate tower in just one volley. Take cover! Take cover! The officers desperate cries echoed across the city walls. At this point, some soldiers hadnt even reached their posts and the ballista cannons were still turning back from the direction of the city center. From the warships perspective, there were live targets everywhere. The warship hovered calmly in the air for a good while, completely motionless. Only when the two ballista cannons were about to lock on did it retreat out of their range. The defense general was sweating profusely. This was a standard evasive maneuver usually performed by high-performance warships. How could there be such powerful warships in the neutral lands? This general could hardly believe his eyes for he had only seen such a maneuver in textbooks. Only at this point did the airship descend slowly. Inside the cabin, a tall man arrived beside the jeep and gently rapped on the windows. General, I think weve played with them quite enough. You can come down now. Ji Tianqing nodded. Soon, several jeeps exited the transport ship in a single file and made straight for Seagaze. At this moment, the defense general was gazing cautiously at the incoming motorcade. His face twitched as he heard a sudden click in his ears. Turning back, he saw a soldier currently taking aim and pulling the bolt back, ready to fire. Furious, the captain ran over and slapped him to the floor. Who told you to move? Listen, everyone! No one opens fire without my orders! Dont even aim! The guards were immediately speechless. They soon lowered their guns and the cannon turrets also stopped turning about. The situation was obviousthe people coming down from this unprecedented airship seemed completely fearless of the citys defense cannons. If they were to fire randomly, things would look bad if they provoked a true expert. This order stopped Seagazes momentum but ensured the lives of their men. The city guard general jumped down from the wall and stopped the incoming jeeps at the gates. There was no movement on Ji Tianqings side. Only an officer came down from the leader car and said to the defense general, Hand this to the Xue family, they will know what to do. Additionally, our superior is very busy, well only wait ten minutes. The defense general was shocked out of his wits. Ten minutes was only enough for him to run to the Xue family and back. Even if he could meet the clan lord immediately, there wouldnt be enough time for a prolonged report. Unable to care about the origins of the insignia that had been placed in his hands, he left immediately to report the matter. Fortunately, he ran into a group of soldiers running toward the city gate and their leader was a Xue family elder. The defense general handed the insignia over in a hurry and quickly summarized what had transpired. The elders expression changed drastically upon seeing the insignia. He merely asked where these people were before breaking out into a run. Moments later, Qianye and Ji Tianqing entered the Xue family mansion and were duly seated. Some old men arrived in succession and sat down across from the duo. Judging from the lineup, it would seem that all of the familys elders were present, Xue Wu looking fairly eye-catching in their midst. At first, some of the elders looked fairly aggressive during their entry. However, their expressions shifted drastically upon seeing Qianye. Their anger quickly subsided as they opted to sit down obediently. From the beginning to the end, there werent many who dared to look straight at Qianye. His fight at Seagaze back then was deeply etched into their hearts. After everyone was in their seats, the Xue family lord glanced deeply at Qianye. Guests, you must be tired from your long journey, yet I must ask, what is the meaning of this insignia, please explain. Qianye remained silent since he was only in charge of fighting and sitting beside Ji Tianqing, who would handle everything else. The young officer beside Qianye chuckled gently. Clan Lord, do you really not recognize this? She was fairly young in appearance, and her strength wasnt anything to write home about. Add to that her somewhat frivolous attitude, the elders from the Xue family were highly dissatisfied. It was just that they could really do nothing with Qianye around. No matter how hateful or weak this little gigolo was, his companion was more than enough to make up for him. The Xue clan lord coughed. I really do not know. Ji Tianqing said, Its fine if you dont know, Ill explain. But, there are so many people here, are you sure its fine for them to hear? A commotion descended upon the elders. Now, Ji Tianqing was directly questioning their qualifications to learn important secrets. The Xue Clan Lords reply was clear. This matter regards the familys continued existence. I cannot decide everything alone, well need all the elders for a conclusion. Ji Tianqing said with a carefree laugh, And here I thought the clan lord was a man who could make decisions, who wouldve imagined? If were on the brink of war, will you also hold an elder assembly to decide? If someone doesnt agree, youll stop doing anything? Someone among the elders finally flipped out. He was just about to start cursing, but Qianye suddenly opened his eyes and shot him a glance. Whatever he was about to say was caught in his throat, which he duly swallowed as he sat back down. The Xue clan lord said, Its not that Im indecisive, but this matter is too important. Only such a decision will convince the entire family. Since youve decided this, Ill start speaking. I just hope you dont regret later on. Ji Tianqing knocked on the table and was just about to speak when Xue Wu suddenly stood up. Please wait! I think everyone except the grand elder should withdraw temporarily. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 947: Blood-Stained Decision These words caused a sizable commotion. Whats the meaning of this? You think were not qualified to speak regarding this important matter? Some elders were furious. Others said calmly, Looks like were indeed getting old. This Xue family no longer needs old fogeys like us. Some people lashed out directly, How dare a youngster like you say such things? Do you still recognize the family rules? I knew it, the Xue family will fall in the hands of you traitors! Apparently, they werent afraid of this junior. At the very least, not as much as they were of Qianye. The Xue Clan Lord spoke, All elders and executives will remain, we shall decide this matter together. Thats final. Since the clan lord has spoken, there was no longer a reason for Xue Wu to insist. He lowered his head with a livid expression; his words just now had angered many people and brought about numerous curses. Being privy to classified information was a part of status and authority. None of the old men here were willing to be left out. Ji Tianqing waited silently. Only after the elders bickering had calmed down did she say calmly, Since the clan lord cant recognize it, let me just tell you straight. This is the emblem of a demonkin family. Few among the elders were moved. The insignia was cast in characteristic demonkin style, and most experienced people would be able to figure it out. It was just that not all people could tell which demonkin family it belonged to. The Xue clan lords expression was somewhat unsightly. Forgive my clumsy eyesight, I wasnt about to figure out which family it comes from. Do you really not know? Ji Tianqing did nothing to hide her mockery. A couple of elders in the crowd glanced at the clan lord. The Xue family lord could no longer muddle through regardless of his calm. This seems to be a Masefield family insignia. As a major demonkin family, their emblem wasnt as rare as the smaller ones. Ji Tianqing smiled. Your eyesight is keener this time, it seems. Correct, this is a Masefield insignia, its just that this one is a bit special. The clan lord picked up the insignia and observed it for a good while. If Im not wrong, this insignia belongs to a certain marquis? A commotion broke out among the Xue family elders. A demonkin marquis, to them, was an awesome major character. Had Qianye done someone like that in? The ridicule in Ji Tianqings eyes was obvious. Surely, you jest. How can this be a marquis? Since youre not willing to say it, then I wont hold back anymore. This emblem belongs to Vice-Duke Linken. What!? The insignia fell from the clan lords hands onto the table. Do you still want to ask if its real? The Xue clan lords face reddened somewhat, but he remained headstrong. This insignia indeed possesses signs of a Masefield higher-up, but theres no personal mark. I wonder how you decided that its from Linken? Ji Tianqing replied, Only a duke can possess such an emblem, this is undeniable. As for why it belongs to Linken, thats because it was snatched from her hands. The elders looked at one another. Many of them had never even heard of Linkens name because the world beyond the neutral lands was just too far away for them. It was clear, however, that the Xue clan lord knew who she was. He barely managed to suppress his shock and say, You brought out Linkens insignia, what are your intentions? Ji Tianqing replied objectively, Very simple. Linken was the leader of the demonkin reinforcements heading here. I can tell you right now that these reinforcements are no more. The clan lord remained silent for a while. What do you want our Xue family to do? Before Ji Tianqing could reply, an elder shot to his feet and roared, Why must we believe that their reinforcements have been lost? Dont tell me we have to trust whatever you say? Do you think were brainless? Even if what you say is true, a gigantic entity like Evernight only needs to dispatch another fleet. The situation will turn around once the demonkin army arrives! Qianye jumped up before the Xue family lord could say anything, and a red light flickered in his hand. That elder was still talking with great confidence when his expression changed drastically. He looked down just in time to see a couple of red spots slowly spreading outward. The spots were fairly small and merely the size of a pea even toward the end. However, the elder lost all strength and collapsed before he could say anything. An uproar commenced in the room as everyone rushed over to check the elders surroundings. They were also guarded against Qianye, but none dared to attack him. The most frightening thing about an enemy like Qianye was that he had no fear of a group attack. Additionally, he was simply too fast and fierce. Even in a group melee, the enemy he chose to face head-on would find it hard to escape death. As people who valued their lives, none of the Xue family elders were willing to take the initiative. Only a handful of people like the Xue clan lord and Xue Wu were able to see that Qianye had shot out several red threads. They had no idea what special effects were involved, but it was so powerful that the elder immediately lost all signs of life. Why!? The clan lord was both shocked and furious. Ji Tianqing sat down calmly. This elder seems to have made up his mind to stand with the demonkin. Theres no other way but to send him to his death. Youre killing people in the Xue family! Do you still have us in your eyes? an elder rebuked. Ji Tianqing said, Do you still not understand? Were determined to win this war, theres no space for discussion. Whoever stands with the demonkin will be killed immediately, no matter who they are. Another elder stood up angrily. Preposterous! Youre forcing us to lean toward the demonkin! We will wipe your family out if that happens. Ji Tianqing spoke so nonchalantly, almost as though wiping out an entire family was a small matter. The Xue family lord could no longer remain calm at this point. It seems your side didnt come here to discuss trade. Ji Tianqing hadnt spoken when Xue Wu said with a wry smile, Clan Lord, do you still not understand? Theyre not here to discuss trade, theyre here to tell us to pick a side. An uncomfortable silence bore down upon the hall. Another elder tried asking, Then, what if our Xue family doesnt cooperate? Ji Tianqing replied coldly, Were on the verge of a great war, how can we allow an unknown factor to ruin the bigger picture? Before the next wave of demonkin reinforcements arrives, we will uproot those who do not support the empire. These words were quite unceremonious. The Xue clan lords expression shifted drastically, not having expected such a lack of leeway. He said with a frown, Arent you afraid of losing loyalty by doing such a thing? At this point, do you think the empire requires the loyalty of fence-sitters? Please make a decision as to your future path. We will leave immediately if you do not stand with the empire. The Xue clan lord smiled wryly. T-This is too much of a rush. Can you give us some time to discuss this? Ji Tianqing nodded. Fine, half an hour it is. With that, she sat down again, fully displaying the stance of a guest bullying his host. The Xue family lord smiled ruefully as he got up and left the room. The elders glanced at one another, and then at the corpse of the elder on the ground, before leaving in a single file. Qianye arrived before the window and gazed silently at the expansive array of Xue family buildings. Ji Tianqing said with a shrug, All of this is Song Zinings idea. Im only acting as his mouthpiece. If you want to blame someone, go blame him! Here, take a look at this. With that, Ji Tianqing passed Qianye a small booklet. Qianye opened it up and saw it densely packed with written dialogue, most of which had been spoken by Ji Tianqing. Whats this? The script. In the courtyard next to the conference room, the Xue family elders were currently in a heated argument. There were still a couple of headstrong people who were adamant about their decisions. They didnt dare speak up in front of Qianye, but now that they were on their own, there was no longer any holding back. Most elders just wanted more favorable terms and fish for more benefits. As for how to split the gains, there were different opinions. It was as though raising their voices would gain them a bigger share. The Xue clan lords brows knitted tightly. He said to Xue Wu, Little Wu, what do you think? Xue Wu, who had remained silent all this time, replied, Do you still not understand, Clan Lord? Our value is minuscule. You and Qianye know each other, can you try talking to him? Xue Wu sighed lightly. With such a great power difference, how much do you think I can get him to accommodate us? Besides, there are no old sentiments between him and our family. The elders were silent. Thinking back to things, the Xue family had attacked Qianye many timesboth openly and in secretsuffering greatly in the process. This so-called friendship was actually them being beaten into submission. Yet, the conditions put forth by Ji Tianqing were simply too poor, almost nonexistent really. It was at this time that Xue Wu suddenly stepped sideways and arrived behind two stubborn elders. A cold gleam flickered in his hand as two daggers stabbed into their backs. Xue Wus sudden attack shocked everyone. The clan lord yelled, Little Wu, what are you doing!? Xue Wu allowed the two corpses to fall before tossing the bloody daggers away. All of this is for the survival of the Xue family. These two have received great benefits from the demonkin. Its only natural that they wont agree. We cant doom the family for their personal profits, can we? Clan Lord, please make a decision. An elder sighed. Why go so far, why go so far? No matter how fierce that Qianye is, hes just a single person. He cant kill all of us! He can, though, Xue Wu said, looking down. His expression and tone were calm. Everyone fell into a deep silence. No one dared to question the decision. Then its settled, our Xue family will side with the empire! The Xue clan lord came to a painful decision. Moments later, Ji Tianqing stood straight as she listened to the Xue clan lords decision. Her flippant attitude was nowhere to be seen, now replaced by the momentum of a peerless expert as she said, Congratulations, Clan Lord. These calm congratulatory words shocked the elders into cold sweat. Xue Wu arrived before Qianye with an austere expression. Sire Qianye, we are your subordinates from now on, nothing more! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 948: Inappropriate Qianye sighed inwardly. This was perhaps the price of war. After half a day of peace, chaos fell upon Seagaze at twilight. Flames rose up everywhere in the city along with a symphony of killing, fighting, and the sound of the cannon turrets rumbling. It was just that some turrets were firing aimlessly toward the sky while others were picking out specific targets. One of the towers even started blasting at another tower, which soon collapsed with a boom. Private troops scuttled hurriedly throughout the city, the Xue familys men making up most of the lineup. They rushed into several family estates and killed everyone inside mercilessly. Even a small family that was usually on good terms with the Xue family wasnt spared. Several airships appeared in the night sky at one point. These vessels looked like ordinary cargo ships, but their firepower was inconceivably powerful. They would fire at and suppress all ground areas showing fierce resistance, allowing the Xue family army to claim quick victory. The fierce battle lasted the entire night and only came to a close toward sunrise. The sound of scattered gunfire could still be heard every now and then. Qianye was standing on the airship at this point, looking down on the entire city. The vessel spun about from time to time, trembling violently as it rained artillery upon the city below. The suppressive artillery was extremely accurate, producing no unnecessary casualties as far as Qianye could see. This proved that the cannoneer was also an expert, at least a champion in cultivation. The resistance of the families below gradually fell apart. An occasional dark shadow would jump out from the battlefield, with numerous others hunting him down. Those were the demonkin hiding in the various family estates who didnt have time to escape before the upheaval began. Only a handful of demonkin were killed, and they werent that strong, either. There wasnt a single one on Edens level, so there was no need for Qianye and Ji Tianqing to take action. This was no secretdemonkin were proficient in concealment and ambushes. The true experts had already escaped immediately after the flames of war broke out. The remainder were just riff-raff. Despite that, the demonkin force suffered greatly after this battle. Their vassal families were uprooted completely, depriving them of their claws, fangs, eyes, and earsthey would find it difficult to operate efficiently from now on. This gap would afford Song Zining the time to set things up. Even though the authority wasnt in his hands, the seventh young master still wouldnt hold back. The price of this opportunity was this burning Seagaze City and the destroyed families here. The hatred from tonight would go on for hundreds of years. This was war. After observing the battlefield in silence for a while, Qianye asked, How many people did you send in? Ji Tianqing replied with a question, You noticed it? Qianye pointed at a certain place. Arent those the Broken Winged Angels? Their cultivation art is too obvious. Less than a hundred. Although less than a hundred men had been sent in, all of them were elites. They permeated the battlefield in small groups that worked together to take down large targets. Their vigor and skill took Qianye back to the time when he was just a rookie. No demonkin expert appeared from the beginning up until the end, so there really was no suspense in this battle. In the end, Ji Tianqing said, Lets go back. Soon, the airship made a slow turn and flew back to Southern Blue. The Dark Flame headquarters wasnt filled with the joy of victory but, instead, with the smell of gunpowder. Song Zining was seated in the conference room, waving his fan in a calm demeanor. The aides behind him, on the other hand, looked fairly nervous. Some of them looked angry, even. That was because all the blame in the hall was targeting Song Zining. Yan Ding was on his feet, pointing at Song Zinings nose as he roared, Song Zining! What insolence! Who gave you the galls to take over military warships!? This is a crime worthy of familial extermination! Song Zining didnt reply. Instead, he diverted the mans finger with his fan and said with a calm smile, General Yan, calm down. Yan Ding was trembling all over. Song Zining! Well done! Arent you afraid youll invite a calamity onto your family? Oh, Im afraid I guess. There were two more parties in the room apart from Yan Ding and Song Zinings. At this moment, one of them couldnt help but let out a chuckle. Everyone knew that the Song Clan couldnt be overturned no matter how great of a sin Song Zining had committed. This was a common tradition in the empirethe Song clan would, at most, drive him out of the clan. This was a special privilege of the major clans and aristocratic families. A landowning household in this position would be exterminated. Yan Ding was raging because he knew of this point. If it wasnt for the knowledge that he was not the seventh young masters match, he mightve attacked out of anger already. Now that he could neither win verbally nor physically, he couldnt help but flip out. You aristocrats are poison to the empire. The empire will never see resurgence without uprooting you! These words caused everyones expressions to transform drastically. Basically everyone here was either born of or related to nobility. Li Kuanglan broke into a frown, seemingly about to act up, but the elder nearby stopped her. He said to Yan Ding, Families like us have spilled immeasurable sweat and blood since the founding of the empire. The empire stands as it is today because of our efforts. How dare an ignorant scoundrel say such preposterous words!? Another elder rebuked, The military is just a group of hired thugs working for the empire. How come theyre so full of themselves recently? Do they not know their place? Another person said gloomily, The military wants to unroot the aristocracy? Then who else do they plan to uproot after the aristocracy is gone? Is there a need to ask? Whoever sits above them, of course. Yan Ding was furious at first, but he was drenched in cold sweat soon afterward. These crafty old men never once mentioned his name, merely pinning all the blame on the military. If these traitorous words were to reach the empire, the big-shots of the military would never let Yan Ding off easily. The aristocracy wouldnt even need to do anything. At this point, Song Zining said, I merely borrowed a couple of airships, why are you so irritated? Now theyre almost back, and Ill pay you back if theres any damage. Youll also get a share of their contributions. Yan Ding was in an abyss of suffering at first. After seeing a way out, he immediately said with a deep snort, If there are contributions to be gained, theyll go to your party of course. How can this general claim them as my own? His expression was full of rage, but his feet took him back to his seat pretty fast. There were four parties in the conference room: Song Zining, Yan Ding, Li Kuanglans aristocracy, and the imperial family. The handful of people here represented the entirety of the empires forces in the neutral lands. At this point, a well-groomed man from the imperial family cleared his throat. Seventh Young Nobles thunderous strategy does Prince Greensuns commendation great justice, I am truly in awe. Its just that this battle merely cleared out the surroundings a bit. The hiding demonkin powers have yet to be shaken. What is your plan here on out? Song Zining said without hesitation, Attack Tidehark and take down the Great Maelstrom! These words shocked everyone in the hall. The well-groomed elder from before couldnt hold back his astonishment. Is this a joke? How can we take down Tidehark with the forces we have? Song Zining replied, The power we have at hand is indeed weaker than Tideharks, but its not as if we cannot fight. Its not that hard to defeat the city guard, we only need to restrain the city lord, Luo Bingfeng, briefly and use diversionary tactics. At that time, Luo Bingfeng will fail without sufficient support and have no choice but to retreat. The old man said with a frown, Theres too much risk involved. We know nothing about Luo Bingfeng, and how can it be easy to restrain an expert at this level? Also, judging from your plan, the dispatch and command of troops is the key to this battle. Whos going to be in command? Song Zining said frankly, Me, naturally. The old man frowned in silence, but Yan Ding sneered, How will I know that you wont send my men to their deaths? Ive probably offended you enough at this point. Song Zining paid him no attention. He turned to Li Kuanglan and said, What do you say, Young Noble Kuanglan? Li Kuanglan snorted expressionlessly. Inappropriate. Song Zining was genuinely bewildered. He calmed himself and inquired, What part of it isnt appropriate? It just isnt! Song Zining opened his mouth but didnt know how to continue this conversation. Judging from Li Kuanglans attitude, it seemed she was determined to go against him no matter what he said. Everyone, including a Li clan elder, looked at one another, unable to understand Li Kuanglans intention. Young Noble Kuanglan, this matter is extremely important, have we not already discussed this? Song Zinings words elicited a dissatisfied snort from Yan Ding. The old man from the imperial family looked pensive. Apparently, Song Zining and the Li family had already agreed to something secretly; it was just that no one knew how wide its scope was. For some reason, though, Li Kuanglan was now going against the agreement. The Li family elder coughed. Young Master, since you say its inappropriate, why not explain why it is so. The seventh young noble and our Li family share a good relationship. Hes offered us much help, and the empress has nothing but praise for him. Who wouldve thought Li Kianglan would shoot to her feet and shout, Its simply inappropriate. Continue the discussion if youre willing, no need to seek me out. With that, she picked up her sword and left. Song Zining was stunned, and all the aristocratic elders seemed puzzled. The Li family elder seemed more experienced in such matters. He immediately stepped in to smooth things over, saying, Young Noble Kuanglan has important matters to attend to. Let us continue the discussion on our own. Although Li Kuanglan enjoyed the highest status among the Li family members in the neutral lands, she was focused on the martial path and had little interest in trivial matters. Her presence here was more of a symbol than anything. This Li family elder was the one doing the actual administration. After the initial surprise following Li Kuanglans departure, the discussion simply went on like before. As for her temper, everyone was clever enough not to ask. Yan Ding said unceremoniously, Continue the discussion, Ill be taking my leave first. Song Zining said with a smile, Why the rush? The accomplishments for winning this bitter fight will be significant. No share will be too small. Yan Dings expression was disdainful, but his feet couldnt move away. The aristocracy and the imperial family looked indifferent. At this moment, everyone understood that the warships Song Zining had somehow snatched from Yan Dings hands would no longer return. Hence, the generals presence in the battle for Tidehark City wasnt that important. The only difference would be the lack of a rank-sixteen expert. The key to this battle was to restrain Luo Bingfeng, a fight close to one at the heavenly monarch realm. However, Song Zinings words contained certain implicationshe was willing to share contributions with Yan Ding. Some of the elders nodded in secret, realizing that this youngster was indeed experienced and had great potential. Unknowingly, Song Zinings evaluation had risen once again. Only those truly familiar with Song Zining would know that the seventh young masters thoughts were almost a mystery despite the smile on his face. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 949: Agreemen After a period of silence, the Li family elder said, I think the commanding post is fairly secondary, we can discuss this later. Rather, Im hoping Seventh Young Noble will explain why we must attack in such a hurry. The imperial family elder nodded. Attacking Tidehark at this point involved risks that didnt need further elaboration. Even if they could score a victory, it would still come at a hefty price. Song Zining nodded. Naturally. He got up and hung a large map on the wall, a panoramic diagram encompassing the twenty-seven continents of the Evernight world. The neutral lands was at the very edge of the map. The fight for the Great Maelstrom passage is highly important, but its definitely not the most important thing. Hence, we are to act as the vanguard and confirm the situation first, whereafter the four major clans can form a primary force to serve as reinforcements. The imperial family will participate throughout the entire process. Everyone nodded. This was the overall arrangement of the empire. Although the seventh young noble was in the neutral lands, as a key character with special status, it was only natural that he would know of it. The problem lies therein. What do you think are the odds of the reinforcements from the four major clans being able to defeat those from Evernight? Song Zining asked. Everyone went silent; even Yan Ding couldnt open his mouth. In the end, the elder from the imperial family said, We have no idea how many of them will come, or who. How do we guess? We can, actually, said Song Zining. Everyone was silent. There were no idiots among the people hereeveryone had their own thoughts, but they were reluctant to express them. Song Zining wasnt as reserved, though. As I see it, the chances of our victory arent that great. Why? Have you already divined it? The one speaking was a serious-looking Yan Ding. He might have been at odds with Qianye, but he still understood that there was no escaping calamity if the war was lost. Song Zining shook his head. Theres no way I can divine such a big matter. This was common knowledge. The more experts involved in a certain matter, the more difficult it was to divine. With Linken as the vanguard, the main forces would only be more powerful. Perhaps only the Li clan lord and Lin Xitang might be able to deduce the fate around this battle. Song Zining pointed at Twilight Continent, saying, According to the latest intelligence, there have been some large scale movements on the Twilight Continent. The Lightless Monarch is amassing a gigantic fleet and countless vampire experts. Even some of the elders slumbering in the blood pond have been awakened. That might be Evernights reinforcements, perhaps just a fraction of it. The vampires are building a fleet? Yan Ding interjected. Only after his question did he realize that the elders from both the Li family and imperial court were unsurprised. Apparently, they were privy to this information. The military mustve received this news as well, but he was still completely ignorant of it. Now, this was something to ponder on. This meant that, at least from an intelligence point of view, Yan Ding wasnt on par with the people here. His blood churned momentarily, and his face became beet red. The elder from the imperial family muttered, How can you be so sure that this fleet is bound for the neutral lands? The Lightless Monarchs identity is special, I fear he wont be able to enter the neutral lands either. He cant enter, but his subordinates can. No matter how strong the one on the Throne of Blood is, hes still not a great dark monarch. He might not be Medanzos match if he leaves the neutral lands. The Li family elder said with a frown, How sure are you? Only half without involvement from the Lightless Monarch, eighty percent now that hes made an appearance. The imperial elder said, We have to respond even if its fifty percent, let alone eighty, but how did you come to those numbers? Song Zining only smiled. Clearly, he wasnt willing to explain things. The imperial elder didnt push him, either. If thats the case, and we have little chance of winning even with the four-clan coalition, we can only take the initiative to strike. Song Zining opened his fan and waved it lightly. Although he didnt say anything, his intentions were cleara fight against the Evernight reinforcements wasnt just low on odds. As clever people, everyone had formed a good idea of the situation. They might still be able to claim victory fighting against Tidehark now, but there would be no chance at all once the Evernight reinforcements arrived. Their only choice right now was to fight Tidehark forcibly and look at the outcome. After a moment of contemplation, the Li family elder asked, Then, what are our chances of victory with Tidehark? What is the expected casualty rate? Forty percent if Im in command, fifty percent casualty rate, provided that everyone gives it their all. If its any other person at the helm, heh haha!" The Li family elder felt his brows twitching. Why is the casualty rate so high? Tidehark is no easy place. The two elders exchanged glances. Such great casualties will harm us to the core. Dark Flame has claimed a sizable territory and probably recruited some experts. Why dont we have them take point and restrain Luo Bingfeng? Song zining laughed coldly. What you want isnt Dark Flame but Qianye, am I wrong? The elders from the Li family and the imperial court were experienced men. Their expressions remained constant despite having been seen through, expressing silent agreement. Seeing this, Song Zining said coldly, Ignoring Qianyes change in status, for now, even if he was the same person from before, those who want to sacrifice him will have to step over my body! Ill say this again, if any of you so much as harbor such a thought, Ill just ignore everything and watch from the sidelines. Whoever wants to can step up! I do want to see if they can produce a miracle! No one had imagined that Song Zining would be so decisive, leaving zero leeway in this matter. In truth, everyone understood that this battle wasnt easy. They had sat down to negotiate here because they knew they couldnt orchestrate such a fight. For instance, someone like Yan Ding wouldve jumped out to snatch the right to command if he was confident. People knew that Song Zining was the best candidate, yet they also wanted someone else to be the sacrifice while reaping the benefits themselves. Now that Song Zining had called them out, the situation fell into a deadlock. The Li family elder asked, How has Qianyes status changed? Song Zining cupped his hands. Elder Li should go back and ask around. The old mans eyes twitched. Wouldnt he be courting death if someone big in the palace had their eyes on Qianye, just as Song Zining had hinted? Each family had brought their elites, the future building blocks of the clan. Hence, each death would be an unbearably painful loss. As for Qianye, he was a fairly strong vampirethe best candidate to be sacrificed. Naturally, there were exquisitely clever ways to send people to their deaths. Everyone had a hundred ways to let the Dark Flame mercenaries die, but unfortunately, they couldnt quite hide it from Song Zining. As the deadlock went on, Song Zining said, Actually, we dont necessarily need to occupy the passage this time, theres another way. Everyone became spirited. Pray tell. Song Zining continued, The purpose of occupying the passage is just to send people into the Great Maelstrom. What I think is that we should restrain Luo Bingfeng and push back the city guard. After confirming the status of the tunnel, we should send our selected candidates into the portal, and then retreat. Everyone was startled. After some consideration, they felt that the plan was indeed feasible. Yan Ding said, Sounds reasonable, itll take several years to get back out anyway. Theres really no rush. The elder from the imperial family nodded. This plan is feasible. The quota for entering the Great Maelstrom will be decided by how much manpower each family contributes to the fight. Those who want to send more people should put in more effort. Our eyesights arent that bad yet, we can see quite clearly. The Li family elder had no objections. In truth, there was still another problemthe candidates arriving with the main four-clan coalition might or might not be able to enter. The three parties came to a tacit understanding regarding this matter, and no one made mention of it. Later on, the group went on to discuss the details. The imperial family would be the main force restraining Luo Bingfeng, hence they would get the greatest quota. The elite warriors from every family would form a separate unit under Song Zinings command. They would renegotiate the quota according to the actual contributions and losses after the passage had been captured. There were some twists and turns regarding the military candidates. It was only after a long while of consideration that Yan Ding decided to enter the Great Maelstrom himself. The losers in this plan were the four major clans. However, they had taken up more than half of the quotas during the last Great Maelstrom entry. This was an expression of their power, but it also invoked a lot of hatred. With the planning settled, everyone went back to their camps to prepare. The sound of rumbling engines arrived from the windows just as they were leaving the conference room. Numerous cargo ships shot through the sky at unbelievable speeds and went toward the airship port. Yan Dings expression was unsightly. These were his warships at first, the newest imperial vessels disguised as old cargo ships. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would snatch them away? Up until this point, he still had no idea why his aides would suddenly turn into traitors. Song Zining greeted everyone before dashing toward the airship port. By the time he arrived, the warships had already landed while the soldiers were busy moving ammunition, materials and a new round of supplies. Qianye and Ji Tianqing were standing together, seemingly discussing something. Song Zining asked as he arrived, Did it go well? Ji Tianqing said, Seagaze has been purged, they will form a new unit tomorrow and operate alongside us. Song Zining nodded. Very good! Oh right, Qianye, how confident are you in wounding Luo Bingfeng? Qianye said after some thought, I cant say, theres not enough information. Fine, the intelligence should arrive tonight. Qianye felt curious. Luo Bingfeng was extremely powerful and rarely made any appearance. How could it be easy to gain information about him? This was no ordinary military intelligenceit was a secret report related to the mans cultivation arts and proficient techniques. Only those extremely close to Luo Bingfeng would be able to provide such data. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 950: Whose Bigger Picture? Nightfall. Qianye was seated quietly in an isolated room, slowly and quietly refining his origin power. All of a sudden, he opened his eyes, and a flash of lightning flickered through his blue pupils. He shot to his feet and crashed right through the wall, tearing a hole through the sturdy brick structure as though it were paper mush. At the moment of his exit, Qianye stretched out his right hand and several threads of blood shot out from his fingertips. These strings penetrated several walls to his front and into a certain room, aiming for the heart of a certain elder inside! The old man reacted swiftly, immediately shooting out two wisps of black and white energy, which transformed into countless small shields dancing around him. The aegis was extremely sturdy and agile. Very likely a peerless technique. Before the sanguineous threads, however, the barriers were penetrated like paper. Numerous red threads passed through unhindered and arrived before the old man! The elder gasped in astonishment, his face pale. With how fast the threads were coming for him, there was really no way he could evade. These blood threads were peerlessly sharp, almost invincible, and could shoot through origin defenses. The only fate for its victim was death. Several floating leaves danced about around the old man. The moment these leaves appeared, the threads slowed down abruptly and began to waver, almost as though they had lost their target. A folding fan appeared during this short period and, with a strike and a spin, entangled the bloody threads to one side. At this point, Qianye crashed through the wall with a dull thud. His expression turned cold upon seeing the old man, and he raised his right hand to pull back on the sanguineous threads. The strings on the folding fan tightened abruptly, crushing the fan out of shape amidst cringe-worthy sounds. It was at this time that a fist shot toward Qianyes side. This attack had just appeared when the scenery began to twist and warp, seemingly drawing Qianye into its trajectory. This went to show how powerful this blow was. Qianye knew that the old man would escape if he were to retreat. Hence, instead of retreating, he unleashed a roar and met the incoming fist with a brutal punch of his own! Everything began floating upward at the moment of impact, almost as though there was no gravity in the room. Qianye took three steps back, almost backing out of the room in the process. He managed to find his footing, but his left hand was trembling slightly, and he couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. The blooda mix of bright red and goldburst into flames as soon as it hit the floor which surged all the way to the roof. The blaze came swiftly and died out just as fast, leaving no trace whatsoever. Ji Tianqing materialized out of nowhere. Although she didnt move backward, her figure was distorted and her external appearance was changing constantly. Her face looked like a mixture of many different countenances. She gasped in astonishment and moved to cover up her face, but this small movement made the trembling of her right hand even more obvious. Song Zining appeared from the side, looking at his deformed folding fan with a pained expression. Only at this point did the materials floating in the room fall to the ground and broke down into dust. With a muffled bang, Qianye struck East Peak firmly into the wooden floor. Although the edge wasnt pointed at him, the old man didnt dare to turn and flee at this point. He drew his black crystal sword and aimed it at Qianye from afar. Qianye didnt even spare the sword a glance, almost as though this divine weapon capable of contending against the Cold Moons Embrace was nothing. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he scanned the old mans neck, causing the latter to break out in cold sweat. Just a short moment of confrontation and the old man could no longer remain calm. He brandished the black crystal sword, saying, This sword will find its mark! Two streams of black and white energy shot out from his nostrils and danced around the blade. Everyone in the room felt as though they had been locked onto. Wherever the old mans gaze landed, they would feel a slight pricking pain. Qianye, however, remained unfazed. He only sneered as East Peak grew heavier in his hands. The old man grew increasingly pale. Just as he was at his limits, Song Zining finally caught his breath and slapped out. Thousands of leaves showered down, pressing on the black and white shield and black crystal sword. During this deadlock, East Peak trembled and unleashed a draconic hum as it prepared for a slash. However, Qianye felt his vision blur as Ji Tianqing stepped in between him and his target. She was still covering her face as she stood in the path of his potential attack. There was no way Qianye could truly slash at Ji Tianqing, so he had no choice but to retract the pressure from his sword. What are you two doing? Why are you stopping me from killing this old thing? Qianye was furious. Song Zining was just about to speak when he was overcome by a bout of intense coughing. He couldnt speak for a moment and only pointed at Ji Tianqing. The latter was still covering her face, her silhouette in constant distortion. She simply decided to turn away and ignore Song Zining. Seeing the old man edging back, Qianye said coldly, Rui Xiang! If you dare take another step, even they cant save your life! The old man was livid. Y-You dont have that... But he just couldnt utter the words you dont have that ability. The short confrontation just now was enough for him to understand that Qianye wasnt bluffing about killing him. Song Zining finally stopped coughing and said with a bitter smile, Do you still remember what I said about intelligence arriving at night? Hes the one bringing information. That means this is a cooperation? Qianyes voice was filled with mockery. He had captured you back then and nearly made you lose your life. Now you want to work with him? Song Zining replied, That was back then. The situation right now is totally different, and theres value in working together. Qianyes gaze was incisive, but Song Zining met it with calm determination. In the end, Qianye averted his gaze and glanced toward Ji Tianqing. The latter was standing in a corner, almost as though she was unrelated. She had already lowered her hands to reveal an unassuming countenanceone Qianye had never seen before. Qianyes eyes landed on Song Zining after scanning the room. If I had known this would happen, I wouldnt have gone to block the gates of Tidehark. Song Zining sighed. Dont get angry first, sit down, we can talk this over slowly. He reached out to pat Qianyes shoulder out of habit, but the latter leaned back and evaded the gesture. Song Zinings hands froze mid-air. He then reached for the door, saying, Lets head next door, this building is ruined. The journey to the conference room next door wasnt that far, but it felt like several years to Rui Xiang. He was already drenched in sweat and his breathing was heavy. Every step he took seemed arduous, accompanied by countless wisps of black and white energy. Qianye wasnt doing much. It was just that his gaze was fixated on the mans back. Only after entering the conference room did he heave a sigh of relief. He couldnt help but glance at Qianye, his eyes full of shock and puzzlement. He was at a disadvantage against Qianye a while ago, but he could still attack and retreat at will. How did he become so terrifying in such a short span of time? The four duly took their seats. Intentionally or otherwise, Ji Tianqing and Song Zining positioned themselves between Qianye and Rui Xiang. Qianye, this is how matters stand. You know the circumstances right now are quite delicate and largely different from before. Let me explain the general situation to you. Song Zining hadnt finished speaking when he was interrupted by Qianyes cold voice. Get to the point. Song Zining was startled. As smooth as he was, he couldnt find a good way to put things into words at the moment. At this point, Ji Tianqing suddenly reached out and grabbed Qianyes hand. The two had had close contact before, but that was in battle. The present situation was actually a first. Surprised, Qianye made to pull back his hand, but Ji Tianqing strengthened her grip on him. She didnt use that much force, but her stance was abnormally firm. Qianye was somewhat puzzled, but he let her do as she wished because he didnt want to fall out. It was just that the bloody threads flickering on his fingertips could no longer be shot out since he couldnt just pierce Ji Tianqings hands. She was only grabbing one of his hands at this point. Qianyes other hand spread out slightly as strings of blood bore out from his fingertips. Ji Tianqings body moved slightly. Although the movement was small, Qianye was also an expert creeping into the master level in martial arts. He immediately noticed that she was about to grab his other hand as well. It was just that this action would put them in a hugging position. Tensing up, Qianye immediately extinguished the sanguineous threads and allowed Ji Tianqing to sit straight once more. Even when she was back in her seat, she still shot Qianye a mysterious glance. Ji Tianqings countenance was never the same, and Qianye still had no idea what she looked like. Perhaps her real appearance was among the dozens of changing faces from just now, but she had covered it up. Hence, Qianye made no effort to guess her thoughts and merely pushed the issue to the back of his mind. Rui Xiang felt greatly relieved upon seeing Qianye calm down. He was sweating and weak, greatly disconcerted by the feeling of impending death. Song Zining weighed his words and said, Qianye, this battle is extremely important. The most key issue is Luo Bingfeng. It can be said that the outcome of this battle hinges on whether we can restrain him. It just so happened that Rui Xiang has a common objective and can work with us. I was the captured one. Even I have managed to set aside this hatred, so why cant you? Qianye sneered, You were the captured one, but I was out there risking my neck. Now you tell me that youve made up? Song Zining shook his head. I dont want to, but the greater picture is important. The greater picture? Tell me, what kind of greater picture? Song Zining laughed wryly as he cast a glance at Ji Tianqing, but the latter merely turned away without looking at him. Feeling helpless, he could only explain things himself, Qianye, the Great Maelstrom isnt just related to the potential of the empires younger generation of elites, but there are also numerous rare materials inside. So much so that its been rumored that the secrets of void traversal are hidden inside. Sending these people into the Great Maelstrom is highly beneficial to the next ten years of the empires reign. So, this is the empires bigger picture. Yes. What does that have to do with me? For a moment, Song Zining had no words to reply. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 951: Whose Camaraderie? The room was plunged into a deathly silence. After a long while, Song Zining said bitterly, Qianye, no matter how bad the Empire is, its still our human races Qianye shot to his feet and pointed at Song Zining. I risk my life for my brothers and friends, not the Empire! Today Song Zining laughed wryly while Ji Tianqing tugged at Qianyes hand with all her might, finally managing to drag him back to his seat. Qianye wanted to shake her hand away, but his strength became his weakness this time. Qianye sensed that her origin power distribution was fairly oddshe was using the entirety of her strength to bind Qianye and leaving none for her own defense. Shaking her hand away would result in breaking the bones in her hands. How could Qianye have the heart to do so? In the end, he was pulled back to his seat. Let him finish. Ji Tianqings voice was fairly soft and not at all like her usual self. Song Zining had also thrown caution to the wind, roaring, You can ignore the empire, leave that business to me, but for whom did I come to the neutral lands!? For whom did I move my entire Ningyuan Industries here? Why would I pick an alloy formula instead of other great benefits? Qianye had nowhere to vent his anger, so he slammed the table instead. Ji Tianqing knocked on the table, saying, Nows not the time to be confessing to one another, get to business. Song Zining took a deep breath. Theres nothing else to discuss if we cant restrain Luo Bingfeng. Everyone will die under his finger. Thats why I made plans to contact Mister Rui. Not only will he provide intelligence on the city lord, but will also launch a sneak attack at the right moment. Sneak attack? Against Luo Bingfeng? Qianyes words were full of mockery. Although he and Ji Tianqing had never fought against Luo Bingfeng, they knew full well about how terrifying the man was. Considering how strong the city lord was, Rui Xiang might not be able to wound him even if he were to just stand there. Song Zining said, Of course not Luo Bingfeng, but that woman beside him. Qianye fell into a moment of silence. Good plan. Song Zining nodded. This is Mr. Ruis plan, I wont take credit for this. Qianye finally shot a glance at Rui Xiang. The latter immediately trembled upon coming into contact with those blue eyes. Qianye said word by word, What if you dont attack at the critical moment? Thats impossible. Humph, this Luo Bingfeng is someone Ive been meaning to get rid of. How can I let go of such a good opportunity? The previous matter with the seventh young noble was just a misunderstanding. Now that hes willing to forgive past matters, going so far as to offer ample rewards, how can I not do my utmost? That woman is Luo Bingfengs weakness. Thats why I must attack personally and witness that treacherous Luo Bingfengs despair. He probably never thought thered be a day like this when he berated me back then. Rui Xiang became a different man at the mention of Luo Bingfeng, his tone full of detest and extreme hatred. Qianye couldnt help but feel curious because Rui Xiang had suffered several times in his hands, quite miserably in fact. So, why did Rui Xiang hate the city lord more instead? The latter couldnt even leave the city, otherwise, Qianye wouldnt have been able to block the gates. Either way, his hatred seemed rather genuine, and the intelligence he provided on the city lord was unexpectedly quite detailed. Qianye was still angry, but as an expert, he began to enter a state of contemplation as he listened to the information. What you need to be most aware of is Luo Bingfengs Death Stare. Reportedly, he managed to kill a young void colossus back in the day and somehow transplanted this power into his body. Weaker enemies would die just from him staring at them. Qianye nodded. He had personally experienced this attack back then. In terms of power, though, it was so much weaker than the mysterious entity in the depths of the Eastern Sea and far from being able to kill Qianye. It was believable that the power came from a colossus cub. As for that woman, I only know that she appeared beside him all of a sudden. She rarely takes action in person, so I have no idea what she excels in. Ji Tianqing said, Then, how can you be so sure you can kill her? Rui Xiang flickered his black crystal sword proudly, saying, My sword was bestowed by a heavenly monarch, empowered with his strength. It is invincible! Even Luo Bingfeng will end up with a see-through hole in his body, let alone a mere woman. Qianye frowned. From what he remembered, this black crystal sword was merely sharp and sturdy. He hadnt expected that it had been reinforced by a heavenly monarch. Bewildered, Song Zining asked, This sword doesnt have the origin power of a heavenly monarch, does it? It doesnt at the moment, but it will tomorrow. Rui Xiang was clearly implying something. Song Zining and Ji Tianqing exchanged glances. Zhang Buzhou, who was reportedly in isolated cultivation, was going to reinforce Rui Xiangs blade at a critical moment. At this point, who would believe that the heavenly monarch knew nothing about what was going on? The reason behind all of this was something worth contemplating. The group then discussed some details regarding the operation, including how to communicate and attack, etc. After everything was settled, Rui Xiang immediately said his goodbyes and left in due haste. After the old man was gone, the room once again became quiet. In the end, it was Song Zining who broke the silence. Qianye, this isnt just related to the bigger picture, but its also to reduce casualties. Anyone who can help us is a friend, as long as they can help us restrain Luo Bingfeng, no matter what he did in the past. Youve changed. Song Zining said frankly, Ive grown up. Qianye was just about to say something when Ji Tianqing pulled him away. Lets go, I have something to say to you. Qianye nodded in agreement. It was true that he couldnt speak to Song Zining in a friendly manner considering how frustrated he was. Since Ji Tianqing had something to say, it was somewhat better for her to convey the message. Ji Tianqing sighed lightly after exiting the room. Dont blame him, theres really no other way. Qianye remained silent. The girl continued, I know you dont like this method, that youd rather die with the enemy than to work with a lowlife like Rui Xiang. But, youre a warrior hero and Zining is a commander. His planning will decide the life or death of many other people. Thats why he cant act based on camaraderie alone. He needs to achieve the best result even if the means isnt to everyones liking. Qianye, you naturally wont recognize the empire, but Zining does. So, he has to share this burden as well. I think that, in the future, his responsibilities will not be inferior to the Marshals Lin and Zhang. Qianye finally spoke, Divination isnt omnipotent, and no one can scry everything. Zinings current plan has a loophole, people like them are simply overconfident. Ji Tianqing inquired, Whats wrong with it? I cant think of a better plan than this. Qianye said calmly, Even if we fight Luo Bingfeng head-on without Rui Xiangs help, the city lord might not have the time to look elsewhere. Ji Tianqing was startled as she meditated on those words, feeling increasingly shocked as she did so. She was just about to ask when a blue light flickered through the darkness, and the temperature suddenly dropped to a freezing point. At the end of the corridor, Li Kuanglan was scanning Ji Tianqing and Qianye with eyes full of lightning. Immediately sensing the killing intent, Qianye followed Li Kuanglans gaze and found that he was still holding Ji Tianqings hand. Frowning, Qianye let go. He didnt really feel that it was anything inappropriate since Ji Tianqing had been using this method to suppress his sanguineous threads and prevent him from attacking Rui Xiang. Otherwise, the threads would arrive instantly within a hundred meters, and the old man would never be able to escape no matter how fast he was. One had to remember that Life Plunder was no ordinary move. Ji Tianqing had used her own safety to keep Qianye bound because she understood the power of his attack. There was no other way but to hold onto him. Li Kuanglans sudden appearance and overflowing killing intent meant that she wasnt here for trivial matters. Qianye shot a glance at Ji Tianqing. He felt that the two of them probably shared a more-than-simple relationship, perhaps more than just friends. Hence, he immediately released his hand in order to prevent a misunderstanding. The three were all experts in the martial artsthere was really no need to say anything because each could understand things at a mere glance. Qianye looked straight at Li Kuanglan but found that something wasnt quite right. Li Kuanglans killing intent was growing stronger and stronger, and it was aimed at Ji Tianqing. The latter stood with her head raised, as though she were a kid who had been wronged but refused to utter a word about it. Qianye was confused, unable to figure out the relationship between the two. Could it be that Li Kuanglan was venting her anger on Ji Tianqing because she didnt want to act up against him? That didnt sound so right, either, after some thought. If Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were in some sort of relationship, he should be the one being targeted instead. Besides, he wasnt really sure how much respect he could garner to be able to make Li Kuanglan back off. His relationship with the Li family young miss wasnt all that great, to be honest. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He felt that this kind of situation was even more difficult than dealing with a divine champion. In the end, he had no idea where to start or what to explain. Li Kuanglan snorted and said with a cold voice, Good, very good! With that, she disappeared immediately, leaving Qianye utterly bewildered. Whats good? Qianye asked. Nothing, good means good! Ji Tianqing laughed like a blossoming flower. Her change in expression was enough to leave people sighing in admiration. Qianye shook his head, deciding not to think about all this. Im going to leave for a while, Ill be back tomorrow. Will I be in time for the showdown? Yes, we need at least three days to prepare. Where are you going? Wander about randomly. That was what he said, but his lonesome expression revealed some of his worries. Ji Tianqing wanted to ask more about it, but she was hesitant. In the end, she only gave him a nod. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 952: Best Presen A blizzard was raging on the borders of the Eastern Sea Continent. The pieces of ice and gravel in the wind werent any less destructive than an ordinary bullet. Even those with good eyesight could hardly see ten meters in front of them, the world beyond being a vast expanse of white. The most dangerous places were the spatial tears since they couldnt be spotted with the naked eye. A lone silhouette was traveling on the snowy plains. His steps didnt look too fast, but they were firm. In just half a day, he had traversed half of the entire white landscape. The person removed his hood in the middle of the snowy plains and looked about. That near-perfect countenance belonged to Qianye. That ancient vampire face, tainted with a wisp of sad beauty, looked even more touching in this world of wind and snow. Even Qianyes True Sight couldnt do much at the continent border since it was shrouded in a tempest of void origin power. Beyond the blizzard was an expanse of chaos that looked the same wherever one looked. However, Qianye could sense his direction in this mysterious darkness. He rested momentarily before resuming his journey across the snow-swept plains. The blizzard was simply too powerful. Behind the snow and wind on the surface was actually a violent turbulence of void origin power. Even Qianye couldnt speed up or fly under such circumstances. It wouldnt feel good if he was swept into a spatial tear. According to Song Zining, this was an early sign of the origin tide ebbing. There would be a bout of chaos before the great calm. After walking for an unknown length of time, a familiar airship appeared at the ends of his vision. Considering his powerful eyesight, he noticed Vampire Marquis Jared almost at the same time that he saw the airship. The man was standing in the snow and wind, apparently waiting for him. This didnt mean the vampire was stronger than Qianye, but it went to show that Nighteye knew of his coming. She had sent the marquis out to wait. This gesture of courtesy contained a hint of self-evident coldness. Nighteye had sent Jared because she didnt want to see Qianye. Jared bowed, saying, Master asked me to meet you here. Nodding, Qianye brought out the office drawer he had obtained from Linken. I have something for her. I dont know what its used for, just give it to her. I obey. Only after saying these words did Jared realize that he was more respectful toward Qianye. He looked up cautiously at the latter and asked, Whats inside? I have no idea, but it looks like good stuff. Then, you mean Consider it a present. Qianye finally found a passable excuse. Very well, Ill make sure to pass your words and present to the Master. Thanks. Qianye smiled. It looked like he wanted to say something. There was much on his mind, but he couldnt put them into words. In the end, he simply turned around and left with a sigh. Jared stood in the snow. Only after Qianyes figure had receded into the snow did he feel relieved. He found, to his great shock, that he was somewhat fearful of Qianye this time. What level of strength had he reached to be able to intimidate a marquis? It hadnt been that long since he had first seen Qianye. A gust of wind sent a chill down Jareds body and served to remind him that Nighteye was still waiting inside. Not daring to drag things out, he hugged the drawer cabinet and returned to the warship. He put the object down in the great hall and said respectfully, Master, Ive brought it back. Open it. Nighteyes voice was calm, cold, and indifferent. Jared was already observing the cabinet on his way here, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldnt sense whatever was inside. This piqued his curiosity even more, yet no amount of courage in the world was enough for him to peep at Qianyes gift for Nighteye. He had already guessed, back during their first encounter, that the two were somehow related. But, he felt that there was an insurmountable chasm between the two, not something talents could make up for. The intimidation effect Nighteye had on him was even stronger than a princes. However, Jared felt a bit of a shock after seeing Qianye again. The latter was following Nighteye at a miraculous speed, so much so that Jared began to question his own common sense. Was this Qianye really going to close the gap? But the law of blood was unquestionable. The closer one was to the source of the River of Blood, the fewer seats there were. Tens of thousands of years of history had proven this truth. Actually, Nighteyes status and her existence itself had already surpassed Jareds imagination. If one were to add another Qianye to her side, how would the long River of Blood accommodate so many experts? Jared studied the drawer cabinet as he thought about all this but came to no conclusion. He grabbed the handle lightly and tried tugging on it, but it actually opened up just like that. Just like it was for Qianye, a small black sun rose up in the hall. The lethal black light wracked Jared with pain, and he could see nothing else but a flash of white. He couldnt tell why staring at the sun had blinded him, but he knew for sure that the black radiance was highly dangerous. He reached out to close the drawer in his confusion, but a shrill scream echoed beside his ears. It was as though millions of fierce spirits were crying out at the same time. For a moment, he could see nothing, hear nothing, and was drowned in agonizing pain. He simply couldnt tell where he was anymore. At this point, the drawer closed with a soft click. Nighteye had made her move. Although the drawer was closed, the black sun didnt disperse completely. It shot out a wisp of black light which made to escape through the air, but a string of blood appeared out of nowhere and lashed at the light until it was completely destroyed. The black wisp of light managed to escape Qianye, but it couldnt avoid being destroyed before Nighteye. Jared finally regained his senses after the black sun was dispersed. What is this thing!? What do you think? Jared fell into contemplation. Finally, he said, As I see it, this is an extreme form of demonic steel. As for why the demonic energy being emitted is reacting so strongly with my blood energy, that I cannot explain. Nighteye replied, This is demonic steel inoculated with ancient demonic blood, the apex of a demonkins life pursuit. To any demonkin, this is a treasure worth an entire life of effort. Is it useful for us vampires? Perhaps, perhaps not. Jared glanced at the cabinet with a complicated expression. This was a priceless treasure for the demonkin but not at all useful for vampires, perhaps it was even harmful. Why would Qianye risk all that danger to bring this thing to them? Nighteye inquired, What did he say? "Sire Qianye said that this is a present for you." Nighteye was startled. Present? This thing? Yes. Nighteye was lost in thought, clearly puzzled as to Qianyes intentions. Jared seemed to have thought of something at this point. His expression only shifted slightly, but that couldnt escape Nighteyes perception. What are you thinking of? I think I know Sire Qianyes intentions now. Speak. Jared said cautiously, The demonic steel isnt useful to our vampire race, but its value is priceless. It went without saying that the demonic steel would cause a huge ruckus if brought into the market. Those demonkin families would go all out to obtain them. Jared continued, Sire Qianye must have other things more useful to vampires, but they arent as valuable as the demonic steel. This present might not be the most suitable, but its the best thing he has to offer. Humph, nonsense! Nighteye didnt seem that happy. At this moment, Qianye hadnt gone that far out. He was sitting cross-legged on a mountaintop, contemplating amidst the wind and snow. It was just that he couldnt see the warship at this distance, and neither could Nighteye sense him. To Qianye, just knowing she was in that direction was quite enough. The raging winds, ice, and gravel pattered onto Qianyes body, yet he remained unmoving like a stone sculpture. He was fully concentrated on the upcoming fight against Luo Bingfeng. Countless simulations went through his mind, but all of them ended with a miserable loss for Qianye. The gap in strength was definitely one of the reasons, but the lethal factor was that Luo Bingfengs Death Stare was simply too powerful. Calling it Death Stare was a bit of an exaggeration, but Qianye would be frozen for a split second before managing to break free. As for the damage caused by the ability itself, it was almost negligible to Qianyes ancient vampire constitution. However, the moment of petrification was enough for Luo Bingfeng to kill him half a dozen times over. In that aspect, it was somewhat similar to Qianyes Eye of Control. Qianye had tried using his Eye of Control to counterattack but it was far too weak to restrain the mans movements. The results of his simulation proved that someone needed to block Luo Bingfeng at the very moment Qianye was struck with the Death Stare. However, Qianye also found something wrong during these mental simulationshe would be defeated too quickly for some reason. This simulation wasnt just pure imagination; he was making use of the memories he had from their previous encounter. Qianye had been struck by Death Stare back then and was saved by Ji Tianqing. Thinking back to it, the city lords ability seemed a bit too excessive. There mustve been some external interference that Qianye hadnt sensed back then. This skill was a bit similar to Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves art. Qianye immediately recalled the woman beside Luo Bingfeng. The lady looked weak, but she was probably an extremely capable divination expert. Rui Xiang picking her as a target was probably more than just to distract Luo Bingfeng. Perhaps that old fellow had withheld certain pieces of information. Qianye did have a good impression of Luo Bingfeng. This Tidehark City Lord was extremely powerful, true to his words, and loyal, a true role model amongst the current generation. Unfortunately, the people of the world were like ants in the face of greater powers. The two sides had no way to avoid a fight to the death. It was despicable people like Rui Xiang who felt more at home during difficult circumstances, benefitting from different parties. At the thought of this, Qianye had a sudden idea. If they could work together with Rui Xiang, why could they not work with the city lord and convince him to give up the passage? It was already quite obvious that Zhang Buzhou wanted to get rid of Luo Bingfeng. Someone as smart as the city lord shouldve figured out the clues by now. However, Qianye soon shook his head. He knew the city lords character. The man would never turn traitor until Zhang Buzhou had drawn his sword. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 953: Enmity On the holy mountain of Tidehark, Luo Bingfeng was standing in front of the window, gazing at the lights in the city below. The door behind him opened and a maid walked in. City Lord, young miss has coughed blood three times now. Do you think Luo Bingfengs hands trembled slightly. No need to disturb her. The maid drummed up some courage and said, But, shes frighteningly pale. I said theres no need to disturb her! Luo Bingfengs voice rose sharply. Shocked out of her wits, the maid uttered I obey before quickly taking her leave. Luo Bingfeng looked up at the boundless leaden clouds in the sky. He knew that there was an inexplicably dangerous battle raging in the void beyond these skies. He rapped the windowsill lightly, effectively demolishing an entire segment of the wall in the process. Although he had controlled his force, some overflowing power ended up escaping his containment and destroying the stone wall. The cold wind whistled into the hole, reducing the temperature in the room. The cup of warm tea on the table immediately turned cold and the cup began to crack. The gust was frosty but not as cold as Luo Bingfengs heart. The doors were flung open as the maid charged in frantically. Sire, things dont look good! The protective talisman you gave the young miss has been activated! What!? Luo Bingfeng turned pale. He turned about and vanished through the door, shoving the maid away in the process. The maid clambered up eventually, but her face was pale and there was a trickle of blood seeping from her mouth. Apparently, she had suffered quite a bit, yet she endured the pain and followed the city lord. In a side room across the courtyard, a pale-looking woman was lying in bed. Her breath was as faint as a gossamer thread, and the streaks of blood on her clothes were fairly eye-catching. The entire room was in disarray, almost as though it had been swept by a wave of raging flames. The origin array set up on the floor was already half-destroyed with pieces of shattered crystal strewn across the room. Only a couple of them remained intact. Nan Nan, you! What happened? Luo Bingfeng noticed a patch of charred black on the ladys chest as he lifted her up, a trace left behind as the life-saving talisman exploded. The woman smiled weakly as she reached out to touch Luo Bingfengs face. Isnt this normal? You said its somewhat difficult! But now even the life-saving talisman has been activated! How is this just somewhat difficult? The woman coughed with some difficulty, spraying out some more blood. I sensed a tremendous sense of enmity, so I wanted to investigate in greater detail. In the end, I attracted its attention and suffered a backlash. Luo Bingfeng frowned. Now both the Empire and Evernight are on the way here. There must be some true undefeatable experts among them! Dont tell me you dont know? How willful! The woman shook her head. Im fairly careful of experts from Evernight and the Empire, Ive also encountered people highly proficient in divination. But, they wont attack proactively if I dont get too close to them. The tremendous sense of hostility I mentioned belongs neither to the Empire or Evernight. Luo Bingfengs expression was serious. How can you be so sure? The lady sighed. Im certain, but I cant point out the reason. Its just a feeling, I guess. You know how divination is. Luo Bingfeng nodded. Okay, Ill be careful, you take a good rest! He reached out to support the woman, but she grabbed his clothes restlessly, saying, Bingfeng! That person is Zhang Buzhou! He wants to kill you! Do you still not trust me? Luo Bingfeng hesitated. This is a grave matter, do you have proof? The woman gripped harder. Proof? Itll be too late by the time you see any proof. Bingfeng, leave with me and ignore everything here. You will die if you guard the holy mountain. Luo Bingfeng patted her lightly. Rest assured, its not that easy to kill me on this mountain. Apart from that person on the Throne of Blood, who else can even come close? Even if that person is here, hell need to bring the Shattered Moment. The holy mountain can suppress other people but not Zhang Buzhou. Dont forget that this was his old ritual grounds. Luo Bingfeng smiled wryly. Heavenly Monarch Zhang is my brother, someone who has saved my life before. Why would he kill me? Even though there are a lot of vile people around him, I believe that hes not that dumb. He only needs one reason to kill you. The neutral lands cannot have two heavenly monarchs! The woman got straight to the point. Luo Bingfeng was startled. He shook his head after a while, saying, Its not that easy to break through to the heavenly monarch realm. Just look at how many years Zhang Buzhou has been in isolation. I only found some clues after meeting you. Heavenly Monarch Zhang is my big brother, its the same whoever becomes a heavenly monarch first. Even if I take that step first, I would never have designs on his position. He will always be my big brother, Heavenly Monarch Zhang. His voice grew gentler as he spoke. He looked straight into the womans eyes and said, You should know that Im not interested in war and power, I only want you. You might think that way, but Zhang Buzhou doesnt. Luo Bingfeng said, Big Brother knows how I think. Theres no need to discuss this further. I refuse to believe hell harm me without sufficient proof. He left the holy mountain in my care, so I must rise up to this responsibility. Humph, Evernight and the Empire might be powerful, but Im not about to cower! The woman gave it some thought before sighing. Fine, youll see that proof very soon. Luo Bingfeng lifted her up and inspected her thoroughly. Only after seeing that she was just weak and had no lethal injuries did he feel more relieved. It was just that she had been injured badly and it would take quite a while to recover. Nan Nan, Ill send you back to rest. Just leave everything else to me, dont worry. The woman nodded. Bingfeng, there are numerous experts coming from both the Empire and Evernight. Even with the power of the holy mountain, you must be careful. Luo Bingfeng smiled radiantly. Dont worry! Ive managed to live through so many lethal situations. This is nothing. Besides, with me near, theyll have to step over my corpse if they want the holy mountain! Humph, be it Evernight or the Empire, they should know that they will have to pay several times the price to kill me! Now its time to see if they can pay that price. With that, Luo Bingfeng suddenly glanced at a maid who was standing in the opposite corner of the room. Relay everything I said to your master. The girl turned pale. City Lord, I dont understand. Luo Bingfeng sneered. I dont care if you work for Evernight or the Empire, you just need to bring them my words and you will live. I dont want to listen to your explanations. Either go or kill yourself now. The girl trembled as she performed a full salute toward Luo Bingfeng and left in due haste. The city lord summoned another maid and said, Have everyone disperse. We want to stay in peace and quiet during this period. Yes, City Lord. Luo Bingfeng helped the woman back to her bedroom. By the time he walked back out, the courtyard was already devoid of human activity. He looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, Big Brother, will you betray me? Noone answered his question. A storm was brewing. The atmosphere inside Tidehark was austere. The vehicles and pedestrians all seemed to be in a hurry. Even passing close friends would only spare a nod at one another before heading on their own way. From officers and nobles to ordinary civilians, almost everyone was arranging their luggage and valuables. Along the streets, there were people reinforcing their houses and windows. The mobilization of a large fleet could hardly be hidden from people who were paying attention, let alone the purging of Seagaze. Song Zining had no intention of hiding things, either, as he converged virtually the entire force toward Tidehark. The concentration of military power hadnt been completed, yet the scale of it was already enough to shake every power. Tens of thousands of squads moved out, mostly consisting of mercenaries from the neutral lands. That aside, the most terrifying military force was the imperial fleet amassing in Southern Blue. Most of the warships there had shed their disguises and revealed their fangs. No matter how good the camouflage was, it would still impede the vessels fighting power. Since they could no longer hide, Song Zining decided to shed all pretenses and maximize fighting power. This fleet was made up of dozens of warships, the finest the empire has to offer, boasting stronger firepower than any ordinary war vessel. The second-hand goods from the neutral lands werent a match for them at all. This fleet had already reached the scale of a regular squadron, and wouldve been able to campaign independently if it werent for the lack of a battleship-grade flagship. With so many experts arriving from the empire, who could say they hadnt hidden a warship somewhere? If not, how was one to explain the destruction of Linkens fleet? On paper at least, the imperial fleet was sufficient to sweep through the entire neutral lands. This was Song Zinings greatest asset. If Luo Bingfeng couldnt defeat all the imperial experts on his own and turn the tables around, the empire would be able to rely on this fleet to obtain victory. Those with good foresight could tell that the situation would be quite dire, even if Luo Bingfeng could push back all of the imperial forces. In the past, people would come to Tidehark to hide from the flames of war raging in other parts of the neutral land. This used to be a holy land, far removed from all the fighting, as neither the Wolf King nor the Spider Emperor dared to have designs on the city. Now that Song Zining was pointing his spear here, where else would the citizens run? There was no escaping from battle. Everyone was tough as nails in the neutral lands. Although the city was on the verge of war, most people werent panicked. They merely started making relevant preparations for the upcoming fight. The civilians had no choice but to reinforce their homes and fight with their lives on the line. Those from the upper echelons showed more changes, some scurrying about in hopes of escaping the battle. Amidst all this chaos, the movements of the top experts were naturally important. Among them, the Wolf Kings fortress was closest to Tidehark and the werewolf himself was one of the top experts in the Eastern Sea. Naturally, he was the center of everyones attention. For many days, a steady stream of guests had been arriving at the castle. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 954: Umbral World For many days now, there had been a steady stream of guests at the fortressall kinds of them. There was a certain black-robed person who looked fairly inconspicuous among the furtive visitors who liked to keep themselves hidden. Despite that, he did catch a fair bit of attention because the Wolf King himself came out to meet him. In the guestroom in one of the side halls, the Wolf King was warming his hands on the brazier in front of his sofa. He stared intently at the flickering blaze, almost as though there wasnt a visitor in the room. The guest removed the hood and bowed. Luo Yun greets the Wolf King. Luo Yun could only remain standing since the Wolf King said nothing. A wisp of anger flickered through his eyes, yet he chose to restrain his anger. Moments later, the werewolf raised his head. Sit. Luo Yun picked a chair and sat ramrod straight upon it. This was an expression of respect toward the Wolf King, as well as a sign of his unyielding character. The Wolf King kept on warming his hands as he uttered calmly, How come Luo Bingfeng isnt here? Luo Yuns expression look angered. The city lord has great responsibilities and cannot leave the city so easily. You should know that very well. The Wolf Kings tone remained the same. How come Luo Bingfeng isnt here? This time, Luo Yun could no longer remain calm. What is the meaning of this? The Wolf King looked up. Do you really not know what I mean? Luo Yun felt stifled and didnt know how to reply for the moment. The Wolf King said, Considering how you dared to act out in front of me, Ill stop making things hard for you. You didnt receive instructions from Luo Bingfeng for this trip, did you? Luo Yun was shocked. How did you know? The Wolf King said in a carefree manner, You lot might not know what kind of person Luo Bingfeng is, but Ive been contending against him for so many years. How could I not know? That person is willing to break but not to bend. The greater the enemy, the less willing he is to submit. Not to mention the fact that he and I never got along well, he wouldnt even ask for help from an ordinary friend. Luo Yun fell into silence because the Wolf King was right. The king scoffed. The city lord is a great genius who has forced himself through many a dire situation and came out stronger from them. His cultivation is only below a heavenly monarch. If things were like in the past, his habit of growing stronger by fighting against powerful adversaries cant be considered a mistake, but things are different this time. The neutral lands cannot compare to Evernight or the Empire. Now, theres no telling how many experts are here from the Empire. Even if he can survive this hurdle, he wont be able to get through the next when the Evernight reinforcements arrive. Luo Yun turned increasingly pale. He sat down slowly, gradually lowering his raised head. The Wolf King is farsighted. Thats also why I came to seek your help, please lend us your assistance. The Wolf King replied, Since Luo Bingfeng intends to fight to the death on the holy mountain, why must I step into these muddy waters? Besides, something as serious as this should be left to the heavenly monarch. Hes in isolation. Luo Yun gritted his teeth. The Wolf King broke into a laugh. Isolation? The enemies are at the gates and hes still in isolation? Screw that! Do you still not understand? There can only be one heavenly monarch in the neutral lands, and hes surnamed Zhang. There cannot be one surnamed Luo! Luo Yun was sent into a daze. He came to moments later and said with an indignant expression, I thought she was lying to me, turns out The Wolf King waved his hand. Leave. Whats the use of coming to me if even Zhang Buzhou isnt stepping in? Do you really consider me one of your race? Luo Yun didnt leave. He fell to his knees with a plop and said, Please help the city lord! If the city lord can survive this ordeal, Ill forever be loyal to you! Surprised, the Wolf King shot him a deep glance. In the end, he shook his head and said, Youre brave and intelligent, a truly talented person. I wouldve agreed if it were any other matter, but this one, I cannot. Luo Yun finally understood that the Wolf King wasnt willing to help no matter what. All he could do was get up and leave. Just as he was about to depart, the Wolf King said, You lot really dont understand Zhang Buzhou, neither does Luo Bingfeng. These words came out of nowhere, and Luo Yun didnt quite understand, either. It was just that the Wolf King had no intention of elaborating. He only kept on warming his hand, evidently asking the guest to see himself out. Luo Yun still needed to visit the Spider Emperor and the Moonlight Demons, so he left in a hurry. At the center of the Spider Emperors ancient castle sat a small crystal spider atop a high pedestal. Its compound eyes flickered with a complicated glint as they studied the person in front. This was an old man clad in ragged clotheshis jaded countenance was covered in deep creases, and his murky eyes had sunk deep into their sockets. At a glance, he looked like a beggar who could be found anywhere in the city. But currently, he was standing tall in front of the Spider Emperors avatar. His emaciated frame was straight as a spear, and his speech was fairly confident. Your Majesty, this is a great opportunity! If you move out in a timely fashion before the Evernight reinforcements arrive, you can break the power balance in the neutral lands. With our help, even if Zhang Buzhou does exit isolated cultivation, he wont dare act rashly. When the Evernight army arrives, a high arachne like you will definitely gain the attention of the Evernight arachne race. At that point, even the vampires and demonkin will have to take you seriously. The power balance in the Eastern Sea Continent and your name will be discussed alongside Zhang Buzhou. A shade of mockery appeared in the crystal spiders eyes. Havent you always been trying to topple the four major races? Why should I trust your group? The old man replied, Our objective is to topple the Sacred Mountain and not the four races. Theres no way we can do that with our own power, and we cant reach out to the people inside Evernight. So our only choice is to seek out powerhouses outside, and the neutral lands is the most ideal place. You, on the other hand, will you give up the chance to be the new ruler? Very intriguing, keep talking. If you have nothing more to say, then please go back, the crystal spider ridiculed. The old man wasnt about to be discouraged, however. Your Majesty, the foundation of the Sacred Mountain is balance and not absolute power. The current Sacred Mountain has only three seats, and its balance hangs by a thread. Its no longer as supreme as people believe it to be. If the arachne race can secure two seats, then the Sacred Mountain will collapse. That is what we ultimately want. Im very clear as to the gap between a Duke and the Sacred Mountain. Go now, Im tired. The Spider Emperor wasnt charmed. The old man clenched his teeth. We have a final show of sincerity. The Umbral World! The Umbral World! The Spider Emperor trembled, almost losing his footing. This time, he was no longer able to keep calm. How come you have the Umbral World? The old man replied, The Umbral World is the arachne races supreme secret art, one can cultivate it all the way to the peak of the Sacred Mountain. We were only able to piece together a small fragment of it despite a thousand years of accumulation, and its been passed down as our ultimate treasure. Unfortunately, we have never produced an arachne of royal blood, so the art simply remains there. The spider emperor found the old mans explanation believable and became even more excited. My ancestor was once a member of the arachne royalty. Although were separated by several generations, I still have royal blood in me. We know of Your Majestys bloodline, and thats why we have no doubt of your potential. Perhaps this fragment of the Umbral World was destined for you. The crystal spider spun about on the octagonal platform. Apparently, the Spider Emperor was greatly distracted and moved by the notion. As the arachne races supreme inheritance, even a minuscule fragment of it was enough to make any spider go crazy. Despite all that, the Spider Emperor was still a celebrated expert and managed to calm down after a while. You people wont give it to me that easily, will you? The elder replied, Once you prove, on the battlefield, that you have the qualifications to become the next ruler, well arrange for you to head to Evernight. There you will be granted an hours time to comprehend the Umbral World fragment. One hour? Comprehend? The Spider Emperor sneered. One hour is enough time, this world fragment wont last very long. The moment it leaves the secret chamber, the mother world will summon it back constantly and drain its power. So, it cannot leave the headquarters. The Spider Emperor said slowly, You speak the truth, looks like you really have obtained a fragment of the Umbral World. Then, how do you plan to help me become the new ruler? The old mans face was filled with joy. In addition to providing intelligence, we will send out an independent unit and place it under your command. Ten of our instructors will also arrive in quick succession. These men are talented military instructors from different Evernight races, and they will help you train your men using the most modern methods. I believe youll have the strongest army in the neutral lands before long, one not inferior to Evernight. The spider crystal waved its forelimbs. Haha, the stingy crawlers are actually dispatching a squad, now thats unexpected. Fine, Ill trust your sincerity this time, but Ill warn you not to have designs on my troops. They belong to me! The old man bent down. Thats only natural. Even our unit will obey your commands, and the people we send will only give you suggestions. But these are people who have proven themselves as outstanding instructors, so I hope youll consider their ideas. The spider emperor hesitated for a while. Im not the best at strategy if they can win the war, theres nothing wrong with giving them authority to command. The elder replied, Your Majesty is wise! As the conversation came to an end, the Spider Emperor asked, Why me? The elder said hesitantly, Because you have the purest bloodline among the outlying arachne royalty, and also because we happened to have the Umbral World fragment. The Spider Emperor replied calmly, Im guessing most of the fragment have been reabsorbed by the mother world. How long will it last without me? The old man was surprised. About three more years. Three years? ... One actually. Very well! Well work together! The old man looked dejected at first, but he was suddenly overcome with joy. What made you change your mind? Because I dont want to see the Umbral World become complete, either. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 955: Call of War The situation in the neutral lands was complicated and difficult to unravel. All schemers were extremely excited, hoping to fish some benefits from the confusion. Nothing they did could affect the general outcome, but their habit of sowing chaos sent them scuttling back and forth, muddying the waters everywhere. The Moonlight Demons were also an important target of these schemers, but to their great disappointment, this power had no intention of joining in the power struggles. Their leader never appeared and no one knew where he was. As more and more troops gathered in Southern Blue, the day of the battle was quickly drawing near. Qianye heard a clear jingle near him as he sat amidst the blizzard. He slowly opened his eyes, emerging from the endless cycle of simulated fights. The bell didnt really exist, but Qianye could hear it very clearly. This was Song Zining summoning himthe battle was about to begin. Qianye stood up, shook the thick layer of snow on his body, and then jumped down into the boundless wind and snow. No one knew what he had gained or lost that day. Southern Blue had already turned into a massive military camp. A large number of soldiers were gathered here, and the airship port was full of fierce warships. Within the city, all the plazas had been refashioned into drill grounds, where thousands of mercenaries were changing out their gear and accepting new designation numbers, formally joining the ranks of the imperial army as they did so. The recently constructed factories were running day and night, pouring out vast amounts of gear and ammunition. All the major traders had made steep investments to increase their output to the max and arm every mercenary to the teeth. This was a dangerous gamble which, once lost, would be unsalvageable. Even if they were victorious, they would still have to face off against the Evernight reinforcements. But Song Zining had lured them to his side with promises of long-term profits. By the time they had realized that this was an imperial camp, everything was already too late. The factories had been constructed and the raw materials had entered the warehouses. They had even transferred skilled workers from other branches to Southern Blue. The moment Song Zining was defeated, everything they had in Southern Blue would be completely forfeit. Even a big merchant wouldnt be able to accept such a loss. As for what would happen to the empire after being defeated, that was too far away. The losses at hand, however, were very real and close. In the face of long term pain and short term losses, most companies decided to latch onto the empires war machine. As far as they were concerned, they would have to see what they had started to the very end. Hence, they provided overwhelming support for Song Zinings war efforts, going so far as to outfit the troops first and delay the payment for after the war had been won. Tidehark was a big fat cake, enough for everyone to have a slice after it had been taken down. After returning to Southern Blue, Qianye headed straight to Dark Flame Headquarters to meet Song Zining. Song Zining immediately assembled all leaders to a meeting after Qianyes arrival. This would be the last meeting before the war, and this group was the final lineup that would decide the fate of the battle at Tidehark city. The heads of each faction were garrisoned inside Darkflame Headquarters. The group was completely gathered in less than half an hour, filling the command room to the brim. Song Zining hung a military map on the wall, upon which was marked the advancement routes for the various squads, the rendezvous time at the frontlines, and the direction of attack. A force numbering in the tens of thousands would advance along four different routes and attack Tidehark from different directions. The strategy was meticulously planned and reasonably distributed. There was really nothing out of the ordinary at first glance, but knowledgeable people could see the competence in the planning. At least, in terms of strategy, Song Zining had reached an extremely high standard. Hence, all parties nodded in secret admiration and brought up no complaints. Next up, Song Zining listed out the experts from each party and briefed them on their missions. Most experts would follow the main force in this operation, acting as the core nodes that would support the battle. A small number of experts would form a group of mobile reserve forces. This arrangement was in accordance with the rules and hence no one expressed objection either. The final key component of the plan was restraining Luo Binfeng. Song Zining gestured with a raised hand, dismissing most unrelated personnel and leaving only a small group behind. In response to Song Zinings indication, two elders from the imperial family stood up. The two men were identicalwell-groomed, clean, and friendly-looking. Their smooth chins and magnificent apparel indicated their status in the imperial palace. Stewards Yun Tian and Yun Hai will work together with Qianye to restrain Luo Bingfeng. This key battle will be led by the imperial family, with Qianye acting as support. Elder Li will provide support from the side and attack at the necessary moment. This Young Master will be paying attention and will help out as needed. Hearing their own names, Yun Tian, Yun Hai, and Qianye all stood up. Song Zining said, The two stewards are twins who have been serving in the imperial household since childhood. Due to their unwavering loyalty, they were taught the Draconic Defense Art. Cultivators of this art can support one another, divide damage, and heal injuries, perfect for endurance battles. Hence, the two stewards will be in charge of restraining Luo Bingfeng head-on. Yun Tian and Yun Hai replied at the same time, It is our duty to work for the empire with our lives, we will do our best. Song Zining bowed toward the two men and then continued, Im sure everyone is familiar with Qianye, so theres really no need for further introduction. Although hes left the empire temporarily for various reasons, he remains our most dependable ally in this battle. Apart from this, Qianye possesses great destructive power capable of wounding Luo Bingfeng. That is why hes the greatest threat to the city lord in this battle. Everyone nodded. Many people gave the situation some thought and came to see Qianye in a new light. Only Yan Ding was looking away with an ashen face. At least on the surface, both the imperial family and the Li family seemed to be ignoring Qianyes vampire identity. The only one who cared about that was the military representative. Yan Ding''s resentment toward the other parties attitudes probably surpassed that toward Qianye himself. It was just that both powers were such massive entities that a small character like him was powerless against them. The current Yan Ding was just a commander without any followers. He knew quite well that Song Zining mightve done him in if it werent for his meager value as a rank-sixteen expert. None of these divination people were saints. Having reached this point with the introduction, Song Zining no longer went on with the explanation. Apparently, he had no intention of elaborating on what Qianyes ultimate move was nor its characteristics. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai stood up and addressed Qianye: We hope General Qianye can support us in the battle to come. Qianye bowed slightly. As I should. The war meeting ended there and each party went on to engage in their own preparations. Qianye noticed that Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan werent present for the conference. According to reason, it was only natural that people of their strength and status would have a seat here. Song Zining caught up from behind as Qianye left the room and dragged on his hand. Follow me, I have something to give you. What? Qianye was puzzled. Youll know if you come. Qianye was dragged to a small warehouse guarded by two Dark Flame mercenaries. After going in, he found that there was a door inside. Song Zining was much more cautious this time around, unraveling a total of three origin arrays before opening the steel door with a sigh of relief. Qianye found himself sweating because he had only noticed one out of the three origin arrays here. And even that he didnt know how to dismantle. It was easy to imagine that he would have to suffer a round of fierce attacks from the arrays in order to charge in. The warehouse wasnt big, and the furnishings were also fairly basic. The inside was only as big as a bedroom, equipped with an armor rack and two crates. How was such a room worth locking behind three origin arrays? One had to know that this type of array was extremely expensive. There was a set of battle armor hanging from the rack. The internal armor looked fairly thin at a glance. It was seemingly greyed and old without many special characteristics. However, it was naturally an extraordinary item since Song Zining had placed it here. As expected, Song Zining pointed at the armor, saying, Try it on and see if it fits you. Ive already had the craftsmen adjust it to your size, but you need to try it out. We still have a nights time to fix it if you find it uncomfortable. Qianye took off his robes and got ready to don the armor. He had just picked up the armor when he found his hands sinking. To his great surprise, he found that the upper part of the armor alone was several hundred kilograms in weight. Who knew what material it was made from? But several hundred kilograms was nothing now that he was prepared. He wore the jacket, then the pants and boots, before donning the pair of gloves that revealed his fingers. The entire set weighed over a ton in weight. The armor was a good fit for him. Apparently, Song Zining remembered his figure very clearly as there was no place that needed adjustment. Additionally, the finger portions of the glove seemed to have been clipped off recently to allow for Qianyes Life Plunder. After his blood energy had reached the marquis realm, Qianyes degree of control over Life Plunder had risen sharply, allowing him to shoot out sanguineous threads from his fingers. Qianye tugged hard at the jacket to try and tear it, but the armor remained completely unaffected. His tugging action could even break steel threads but could do nothing against this set of internal armor. This made him curious about the material and also its origins. Song Zining walked around Qianye and said in satisfaction, Not bad, its a fairly good fit. You can wear another set of battle armor outside during battle. This level of defensive power should be enough to give Luo Bingfeng a surprise. Apart from that, this internal armor was weaved from the membrane and skin of a void colossus. It will serve to defend against spiritual attacks and suppressive might, the best type of armor to counter Luo Bingfeng. Most importantly, its been imbued with the power of a void colossus, so most divination powers will be rendered ineffective against it. This also means that no one can scry your location as long as you wear it. Naturally, its another matter if Marshal Lin takes personal action. If everything was as Song Zining had said, this armor was a priceless treasure. The only problem was where had he gotten his hands on such a thing? As he was folding the sleeves, he unexpectedly noticed an unremoved insignia inside. It was the emblem of the imperial family. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 956: Whose Price? It was a plausible explanation if this internal armor came from the imperial family. The empire had stood tall for a thousand years, and its bountiful accumulations werent something ordinary people could imagine. Even then, its characteristic of being able to withstand a void colossus suppression was priceless. Experts exploring the depths of the void would never refuse such a set of armor. On the contrary, it was less valuable to ordinary experts, and the weaker ones wouldnt even be able to put it on. Such a treasure would be ranked in the top ten even in the imperial treasure. How did Song Zining get his hands on it? Thinking about that while trying the clothes on, he asked, Zining, how many years did you sell to the empire? Song Zining laughed radiantly. What are you talking about? I dont understand. No small movement could escape Qianyes notice. He pressed on with the matter, What I mean is what did you have to promise them for this armor. Song Zining seemed rather relieved. Someone delivered this treasure of their own free will. Qianye snorted distrustfully. The imperial family sending over something like this? Not even a prince or princess can make such a decision, can they? That persons status is much higher than a prince or princess. Qianye was even more skeptical. The imperial palace was highly hierarchical with many different levels in status, but only a handful of people could be higher in status than a prince or princess. Even an imperial consort was no greater than the more important princes. Someone like Consort Zhao, who had the support of the entire Zhao clan behind her, was merely equal in status. A major character like that currying favor with Song Zining? Not to mention Qianye, even the seventh young master himself might not believe such a claim. It didnt take a lot of deliberation to figure out that, just like with the alloy formula, Song Zining had either paid a significant price or made a great contribution in exchange for a treasure that he thought would save Qianyes life. As clever as Song Zining was, he immediately noticed Qianyes change in expression and figured out what he was thinking. He chuckled, saying, The causes and effects related to this treasure are quite significant. The price involved is not small, either. Makes sense. Qianye recognized the value of the item, hence he waited quietly for Song Zinings continuation. Song Zining pulled tight the last bit of creases on the internal armor and said in satisfaction, Now thats a perfect fit if Ive ever seen one. It wont affect your movements at all in combat. With it, your chances of survival have increased by thirty percent. Do you have that little confidence in me? Youre facing Luo Bingfeng. Who can really say they understand him? Who can guarantee that what we know is the extent of his secret arts? Qianye had no reply to these questions. Song Zining patted Qianyes back. So, survival is the most important. Its worth paying any price as long as it can save your life. You have to believe in yourself. No matter how steep the price, it can be recouped as long as you remain alive. Youre a man who will reach the Sacred Mountain one day, how can you be suppressed by this small hurdle? Hearing this, Qianye sensed something wrong about the contents. Wait a minute, you mean Im the one who has to pay this price? Of course! Its your life were trying to protect. Dont tell me I have to pay for it? Thats not wrong, but No buts, the thing is already here and its already on your body. Its too late for regrets! Qianye replied, No, Im not trying to go back on my words. I just wanted to know what the price is. Qianye wasnt inflexible. No amount of preparation was excessive against an expert like Luo Bingfeng since staying alive was the most important objective. It was just that the feeling of not knowing what one owed was fairly uncomfortable. At the critical juncture, Song Zining resumed his annoying flippant attitude. Youll know when the time comes. Qianye snorted coldly and simply decided not to press on with this matter. As long as the internal armor was intact, he could still return it in the endat most, he would have to pay additional compensation. What came next, however, stopped Qianye from smiling. Song Zining opened the two boxes. A system of intricate mechanisms raised one syringe each from their containers. One of them was as yellow as a raging flame, and the other was red like boiling blood. After seeing the two syringes, Qianyes blood began to flow rapidly and his vitality increased by a small margin. Song Zining shot Qianye a glance before closing the boxes again. See them? Qianye took a deep breath. One of them is a stimulant, and the other is a... regenerative medicine? But how come Ive never seen this type? No, Ive never even heard of it. Song Zining said, This kind of medicine is top secret even in the empire. Only a dozen or so of them are produced every year, with most ingredients coming from the Great Maelstrom. Theres no way to make more even if you wanted to. You sensed the medicinal effects just now, right? What do you think? Its at least a thousand times more powerful than an ordinary drug, should be effective even for a divine champion. Song Zining scoffed. Dont mention divine champions, these medicines are useful even for heavenly monarchs. A divine champion might not get their hands on one such syringe in their entire lives. Youre very lucky, these are now yours. Dont forget to use them before the battle tomorrow. Wait, there must be a quota for such things. The empire has five heavenly monarchs and the emperor himself. Is it enough to split? Song Zining shrugged. Of course not! Heavenly monarchs need them to oversee battlefields and explore the void. Theres never too many. The emperor and empress also need some reserves. In truth, such medicine will never be bestowed on anyone except people like Lin Xitang who have made great contributions to the empire. These are the instructions, take a look. With that, Song Zining passed over a piece of paper. Qianye felt greatly distressed just from looking at the instruction manual. The medicines would quickly lose their effects after leaving their specialized origin arrays, hence one would need to use them before the battle. The stimulant served to activate the bodys potential and greatly increase ones speed of origin power recovery. The rate of regeneration would be greatly magnified for someone of Qianyes level, almost restoring him immediately. That was all fine, still. The problem was that he also needed to use the regenerative medicine before the battle, and it would kick in once Qianyes vitality reached a certain threshold. It would quickly repair the body and activate the users vitality, easily bringing a person back from the verge of death to an extremely active state. Using the two medicines together would increase their effectiveness. Even a heavenly monarch who had fallen into mortal peril would see a thread of hope for survival. The more powerful a person was, the more they would value such an opportunity. It was the same for the empire as a wholeno price was too great to save the life of a heavenly monarch or experts who were close to that level. But if Qianye didnt encounter a life or death situation, the drug would be wasted. The value of these two medicines was even greater than the armor, but they would be exhausted once used. How was Qianye to repay such a favor? Zining, where did these two medicines come from? No need to ask, I wont tell you even if you do. Anyway, just use them first and we can think of something after you survive. Youll be able to repay any amount of debt as long as youre alive. Qianye laughed wryly. You speak so lightly of such a matter! How am I to repay such a debt? At least tell me who Im indebted to? Youll know once the time comes. The same words were repeated once more. Qianye really wanted to choke the man to death. Seeing Qianye about to act up, Song Zining said, Theres one more way to not accrue this debt, that is to not fight. Qianye remained silent for a moment. That wont do. Qianyes Shot of Inception was a massive threat, even for Luo Bingfeng. This was the true restraint upon him. No matter how strong their defensive prowess, the two Yun-Family brothers wouldnt last very long under the assault of an expert like Luo Bingfeng. An opening was bound to appear at one point. Once Luo Bingfeng could get away from the fight, he would naturally attack the brains of this operation, Song Zining. Then, he would target the peerless young geniuses like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing. On the contrary, there was really no value in killing the two Yun brothers and the Li family elder. Qianye would never allow Song Zining to fall into danger. Fortunately, he felt a bit more relieved that the debt was on him this time. At the very least, he wouldnt owe Song Zining another favor. Qianye put the two boxes into Andruils Space and refastened his robe. As for the internal armor, there was no need to remove it because he needed some time to get accustomed to the weight and characteristics. Song Zining sent Qianye back to his residence before heading out to mind his own business. It was a sleepless night in Southern Blue. In the wee hours of the morning, preformed groups of soldiers began moving out of the city in orderly succession, sending streams of steel flowing out into the distance. The night sky was filled with the sounds of rumbling engines, steam whistles, and the hoarse shouts of the officers. At dawn, the warships took to the sky and began escorting large cargo shops toward Tidehark. These cargo vessels were full of materials used to quickly deploy defensive structures and siege equipment. The citizens of the neutral lands couldnt find sleep, all of them busy watching this unprecedented scene of magnificence. The nominal city lord of Southern Blue, Ji Rui, had been standing on the tower for an entire night, gazing absent-mindedly at the river of steel in the distance. Guan Zhongliu stood nearby with a frown, filled with complicated emotions. The mobilization of troops came to a temporary end as the first rays of the sun appeared. Ji Rui heaved a deep sigh. Only ten thousand men, only ten thousand men! The neutral lands would often break out in big wars, and it wasnt too rare to see a battle involving tens of thousands of people. However, most mercenaries were clad in simple gear that they had to procure on their own. That was also the reason why the quality of the armies here was mixed and vastly discrepant. Many of the weapons were hand made and the ammunition was unique to each of them, making supply logistics an almost impossible endeavor. There might as well be no supplies at all. Most of the mercenaries in the neutral lands had never seen a formal war between the Empire and Evernight. They would never have imagined that every soldier would get a seat on the transports, that the omnipresent fleet up there was just to deliver supplies and ammunition. Whats more, they would never have thought these soldiersuniformly armed to the teethwould look so imposing. Are you willing to fight this lineup if I give you fifty thousand men? Guan Zhongliu shook his head with a serious expression. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 957: Soldiers at the Gates This was an obvious decision. Song Zinings squad might not be superior in terms of individual strength, but it was well supplied and boasted considerable firepower as a group. The fighting power of this unit wasnt something that could be measured by the number of soldiers. Moreover, there was an airship fleet up in the sky, overseeing the situation with predatorial eyes and ready to fire at a moments notice. To fight against such a unit, one would need to suppress its advantage with overwhelming manpower, and fifty thousand wasnt nearly enough. Ji Rui said fifty thousand because that was the number of mercenaries and direct subordinates Zhang Buzhou could mobilize. Even that was a fairly outstanding feat. Another method was to suppress the army with experts, just like how Qianye had blocked Tidehark back in the day. But that probably wouldnt work, either, since no one knew how many experts were hidden among the imperial forces. Daring to siege Tidehark despite knowing of Luo Bingfengs presence meant that they possessed equal power up their sleeves. Ji Rui sighed deeply. Weve grown old! Guan Zhongliu shook his head. What are you talking about? The empire wont stay in the neutral lands for long. They will retreat sooner or later. The neutral lands still belong to us. Ji Rui Shook his head. At first, I had grand ambitions at heart, but after seeing Qianyes valiance and Song Zinings army, I realized that everything was just my rosy imagination. Guan Zhongliu wasnt quite resigned. Qianye is powerful, but what does Song Zining have? He just threw money at it. I can do the same if I have that much to spend! Ji Rui asked, Can you really outfit such a squad in such a short time if you had that much money? Guan Zhongliu opened his mouth, but no words came out. Assembling a squad was an extremely complicated matter. Not only would one need to organize the lineup, but also have to deal with equipment distribution, training, and coordination. Thinking back to it, it would seem every action Song Zining had taken since his arrival in Southern Blue was in preparation for this day. He had unknowingly tied numerous merchants, mercenaries, and even the city of Southern Blue to the empires war machine. At first, the duo was confident in their own strength and was simply waiting to be offered a good price. But now, with so many experts arriving from the empire, Song Zining didnt even suggest their participation in this fight. This filled the city lord and Guan Zhongliu with both relief and disappointment. The empires victory in this battle would prove that the two of them had no big use; they could forget about any important status in the future. If the empire was defeated, neither the Evernight reinforcements nor Zhang Buzhou would let them off easilybanishment would be the best outcome. On the other hand, this battle was of such grave importance that Song Zining apparently had no intention of letting them know the details. This also meant that Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu were simply side-characters in the imperial system. Guan Zhongliu didnt have the heart to utter false words in front of Ji Rui. Having him draft a ten-thousand strong mercenary corps was doable, but to form an elite squad was simply impossible. Before this day, the man had never even imagined there could be such a heavily equipped unit. Without waiting for Guan Zhonglius reply, Ji Rui said, Everything else aside, just getting so much money in hand is an ability! Guan Zhongliu fell silent for a brief moment and asked, City Lord, what do we do next? If the empire wins this war, well join them and put ourselves under their command. Guan Zhongliu was dissatisfied. City Lord, Southern Blue is your foundation! Smiling wryly, Ji Rui waved his hand. My foundation? Was my foundation ever so big? Guan Zhongliu wanted to persuade the city lord, but Ji Rui stopped him. Old Guan, Ive thought it through. Its extremely difficult for us to break through to the divine champion realm, but the empire has a thousand years of accumulation. They will definitely have cultivation arts that suits us. If we make enough contributions, maybe well be granted some superior ones, and maybe well break through to the divine champion realm. At that point, we can continue being brothers for several more decades. Breaking through the threshold of divine champion was every cultivators dream, and Guan Zhongliu wasnt immune to the desire. After a while, Ji Rui said, Its almost time, Ill go pack up. Where to? Guan Zhongliu was puzzled. Tidehark, of course! How can there be no accidents in such a big battle? Luo Bingfeng isnt so easy to deal with, either. Ill hover around and help out when the opportunity arises. Thats the kind of attitude we need to adopt. City Lord, if you do that, well be completely broken off from Zhang Buzhou. Ji Rui laughed self-deprecatingly. Do you think we can go back to our previous state? We will be considered as one of them even if we dont help the empire. Besides, were breaking off with Luo Bingfeng, not Zhang Buzhou. Outside of Tidehark, the first batch of soldiers had already arrived and were setting up the defenses and camps. The location of the army camp was only a few thousand meters from Tidehark. They were doing chores right under the enemys eyes, a glaring display of arrogance. The defensive structures also happened to be just out of ballista range, but those sallying out to attack would have to face the numerous warships hovering in the sky. Judging from their mechanical power and the dense array of cannon muzzles, one could easily tell that they werent that fun to provoke. Even an idiot would know that charging against airship fire was suicide. The defending army was quite furious when the first defensive line was being constructed, but as more and more of the troops arrived, they quickly became nervous. The more experienced veterans discovered that only half of the transports were carrying soldiers, while the rest were shipping supplies and construction machinery. Cargo airships also appeared in a steady stream, dropping off small mountains of materials, which soon turned into plated walls, barracks, and a dense array of heavy cannons. The cargo arrived in an endless stream, almost as though it would never stop. The defending general turned pale at the sight of this. They had never seen such a method of siege preparation, nor that many supplies. Despite having never witnessed such a scene, he had enough experience to understand the gravity of this situation. Just as he was wracked with worry, the aide near him said, General, how come they have so many heavy cannons? This wont do. At this rate, they wont even need to attack the city. Just the bombardment alone is beyond our tolerance! The generals expression sank. What do you think we should do? The aide clenched his teeth. Should I charge out with a squad and attack them? The general pointed downward. It mightve been feasible if you had said this one hour ago, but its too late now. The aide gazed down to find a newly formed line of fortificationsrows of steel plates were erected and pieced together to form a firm defensive front. He couldnt help but sigh in admiration. Do those steel plates not cost any money? At this point, the fortified array below had taken form. Add to that the unimaginable firepower of the mercenaries and the cannons in the sky, charging out to attack was undoubtedly a suicidal endeavor. The aides expression was unsightly. At first, he had wanted to lead a thousand men out of the city, but now, there was no telling if that number could even reach the walls. General, theres only one way left. The defensive general turned around. What? Speak. The aide said through clenched teeth, We can only ask the city lord to take action and sweep away these bastards. With a loud bang, the general slapped the aide until he was seeing stars. Still furious after the slap, he roared, How can you be sure its not a trap to lure the city lord out? Do you think trash like you can defend the city once he suffers an ambush? Are you having second thoughts after seeing the enemy forces? The aide replied in shock, I have no such thoughts! The general pointed at the defensive lines below. Look carefully, their position is just beyond the empowerment range of the holy mountain. Do you really want the city lord to leave the holy mountain and fight the enemy outside of his advantage? The aide denied in a panic. The general snorted heavily. Considering your twenty years of loyal service, Ill let this matter be. No one is to disturb the city lord without my orders! How can he not know anything going on around the city? He will attack when he deems fit, no need for anyone to worry! Yes, sir! The general is wise! The aide retreated timidly. Only after turning around did a flash of viciousness flicker through his eyes. Beneath Tidehark, the mercenaries stopped after building three segments of fortifications. Instead, they began building camps and barracks at the back. Large living quarters popped up like bamboo shoots after the spring rain. Such tents made from steel pipes and fabric weren''t anything newthe defense army also possessed several dozens of them. But the shock and awe were significant when hundreds and thousands of them appeared in a neat row. Looking at the set-up below, the generals expression sank. Theyre looking to break the city in one day! An airship slowly approached from beyond the cloudy skies. The vessels body was sleek, magnificent, and completely out of place from the coarseness of the neutral lands. Song Zining was standing on the deck, looking down at Tidehark from above. Behind him were the old man from the imperial family, the Li family elder, and the others. Even well-experienced people like them couldnt help being moved by the orderly formation below. The core forces below were just mercenaries a few months ago. One could easily imagine how hard it was for Song Zining to have trained them to this degree. Many people increased their evaluation of him after seeing the results he had produced. Amidst the praises, Song Zining laughed out loud. This is just on the surface, only enough to scare people. The key to this battle lies in whether we can deal with Luo Bingfeng." Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 958: A Different Mountain Splitter Yan Ding said, Itll be bad if Luo Bingfeng kills his way out. Without waiting for Song Zinings reply, the old man from the imperial court said, He wont. He isnt sure if were luring him out into a trap. If I were him, I would never take such an unnecessary risk. At least inside the city, the holy mountain gives him an edge. Look! The old man flicked his finger, shooting countless crystalline granules from his fingertips that turned into a shower of graceful snowflakes. Some of the snow fluttered down, but the rest remained hanging in the air, outlining a domed crystalline barrier over the holy mountain. This is the domain of the holy mountain, and it looks even more powerful than Id anticipated. The airship was parked not far off from the holy mountain. Seeing just how close the barrier was, one of the people said with a worried expression, What should we do if he charges out and attacks us? Many people looked concerned. Song Zining laughed. No need to worry! Luo Bingfeng is a hero who despises ambushes, lest his name becomes tarnished. Im the only one wholl do such a thing, haha! The group accompanied the laughter, seizing the opportunity to get off this topic. The Li family elder frowned. This holy mountain domain isnt simple at all! If the city lord keeps hiding inside, itll be pretty difficult to deal with him. Seventh Young Noble, what should we do? Another aristocratic family elder chimed in, Yeah, this holy mountain needs to be removed. Seventh Young Noble, you accepted so much money for us saying youll do away with the holy mountain. Dont tell me you have no way against it. Song Zining smiled. Ive long since found a solution, theres no need to hide it from everyone at this point. Look, theres our answer. Everyone looked in the direction Song Zining was pointing and saw rows upon rows of heavy artillery. Up until this point, there was still a steady stream of crates being brought up, from which numerous components were being extracted to assemble heavy cannons. Heavy cannons? The group had already noticed these heavy cannons, but they didnt think too much about them. Such weapons were impressive but didnt have that big of a use. They were secretly mocking Song Zining for going overboard just to dismantle the city defenses. Tidehark was a well-fortified city, but its defense systems couldnt be compared to the Empire or Evernight. What was the use of so many heavy cannons? Yes, they are the answer. As for how to use them, youll find out on the morrow. Song Zining kept everyone in suspense. Deep in the night, the empires armies had already completed assembling. The well-lit camp was even more dazzling than Tidehark City itself, but the entire base was quiet as the soldiers were all resting up for the upcoming all-out assault. The defensive forces didnt dare to be careless, even for a moment. They remained vigilant the entire night, for fear of a surprise attack. The warships hovering constantly in the air made it impossible for the defending army to charge out and attack. Dawn finally arrivedthe imperial elites walked out of their barracks in high spirits, while the defenders were fairly fatigued. The defense generals eyes were bloodshot from the apparent lack of sleep. He glared down the city walls, not willing to let any movement escape his notice. All the while, the hand he had pressed onto the wall was trembling ever so slightly. Someone behind him placed a hand on his shoulder. Scared? The defense general turned about and stood at attention. General Du! Du Yuan nodded. Are you scared? The defense generals face turned red. When have you seen me scared in all these years. I just cant figure out what they want to do. Du Yuan glanced down the city wall with a frown. Flowery but hollow inside, what are you afraid of? Such a large array of heavy cannons, what are they even trying to do? Tear down the city walls? Ha, just let them tear! General Du, I fear The defending general was hesitant. It was at this time that the earth trembled slightly, and a cloud of white mist appeared over the distant cannon array. One of the heavy cannons fired a test shot amidst a thunderous rumble that echoed in the clouds. This was a calibration shot that shouldnt have brought about much of a surprise, but Du Yuans expression shifted as the projectile screamed toward them. With his near-divine-champion eyesight, the cannon shell was moving at the speed of a snail. The range of this shot was oddly long. It swept across the entire city region and landed on the holy mountain. With no time to think carefully, Du Yuan shot into the air with a loud roar and intercepted the cannon shell, destroying it with a punch. The defense general was astonished, and the other soldiers were also puzzled as to why Du Yuan would care so much about a single cannon shell. Outside of Tidehark, Song Zining opened his folding fan and said coldly, You can stop one, but can you stop several hundred? Ill have to see if you have more origin power or if I have more ammunition. Men, issue my order, all cannons at the ready, fire in bursts of three! After a moment of silence, the earth-shattering rumble of cannon-fire drowned out everything. Rows upon rows of cannon-shells flew toward the holy mountain like a swarm of locusts. Du Yuans face was filled with despair. He flew into the air once more, spewing out countless streams of azure flames from his body which covered an area hundreds of meters around him. The cannon shells would explode immediately upon contact with the energy, painting a magnificent scene of flaming balls in the air. That was the extent of Du Yuans abilityhe could only stop projectiles within a hundred-meter radius. However, the holy mountain was so big that most of the shells managed to get through. The defense general also noticed that something was wrong and ordered his subordinates to start intercepting the cannon shells as well. These officers werent afraid of being struck, but it was doubly difficult for them to intercept the incoming artillery. In mere moments, the earth was shaking and the mountains were trembling. Du Yuan remained hovering in the air, a look of despair on his face as he glanced at the raging flames on the holy mountain. He swayed about, and then suddenly dropped to the ground. It would seem the interception just now had drained him of all origin power. The defense general was shocked out of his wits. He flew over to support Du Yuan, shouting, General, General! Du Yuan opened his eyes and took in a labored breath. Their shells Are there more of them? This The defensive general didnt know what to say. Du Yuan shouted furiously, Speak! The defense general clenched his teeth. Yes, a lot more. Du Yuans eyes lost all spirit and his body seemed drained of all energy. He moved his lips slightly but no words came out. All he could do was cling onto the defense generals soldier and struggle to stand up. Help me to the holy mountain. Its useless! the defense general said. Take me there! Du Yuan was insistent. It was at this time that the earth beneath the two trembled slightly. A single heavy-cannon shell flew through the air and left a deep pit on the holy mountain. It wasnt strange for the bombardment to continue, but it was quite weird for a single shell to fly over. On the airship, Song Zining ordered, Continue firing and await my orders. Bring that person over. Moments later, the guards returned with a handsome, well-groomed young man. He bowed so deeply in front of Song Zining that it looked like he was about to kneel. Song Zining lifted his fan, sending out a wisp of origin power to prop the young man up. No need to kneel, I cannot accept such a gesture. The young man replied hurriedly. If the Seventh Young Noble cant, who can? Song Zining wasnt moved. The intel you brought with you is fairly useful. If we manage to take the city, Ill make sure you gain good rank and status. The young man was delighted. Thank you, Seventh Young Noble. Song Zining asked nonchalantly, I remember you mentioning that Du Yuan and that madam shares an extraordinary relationship? The young man replied hurriedly, Perhaps I should call her Young Miss. She has been with the city lord for some time, but they never crossed the line it seems. Song Zinings brows rose in apparent intrigue. After a moment of thought, he asked, I heard Du Yuan treats you quite well, why would you defect to us? The young man gritted his teeth. Well? Humph, Im his foster son in name, but I had to work for him like a slave! I gave it my all but the old fellow would never pass his ultimate skills to me. He left everything for his son! Why should I follow such a person? Only a master like the seventh young master is worth following Song Zining stopped him. Okay, I understand. You may leave for now. After the young man was gone, Song Zining paced around the room, muttering, Never crossed the line, never crossed the line Moments later, he halted his steps with a cold smile. I know now! Shes a survivor of the Brightmoon Zitherheart School. Do you think you can get away with it now that I know your origins? Song Zining pushed open the cabin doors and entered the command room. Issue the order, concentrate all fire on the holy mountain, keep going until were out of ammo! After the orderly left in a hurry, Song Zining said, Prepare my armor and spear! All the warriors were shocked. Seventh Young Master, are we going to go all out? Song Zining nodded. Luo Bingfeng will appear before long. Issue the order, warships forward, raise the war banners! The flagship in the sky spewed out a mass of steam, its bleak foghorn echoing above Tidehark. The loud blare roused the camp below into actionthe great doors opened up, and groups of soldiers began moving toward Tidehark under the cover of the armored vehicles. The warhorn was very soon drowned out by the sound of heavy cannons. Countless cannon-shells flew toward Tidehark and smashed into the holy mountain. In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain was swallowed up by a dense cloud of smoke and flames as artillery rounds rained down like falling stars. The hovering warships in the air finally took action, slowly pressing forward like hungry giant beasts. The line of fire moved along with the airships onto the city walls. In the blink of an eye, the Tidehark walls were drowned in a sea of flames. The ferocity of the imperial warships firepower was unprecedented in the Eastern Sea. The defense turrets were immediately destroyed, and the city guard had no power to retaliate. There were three more stationary airships in the sky, namely the flagships belonging to the imperial family, the aristocratic alliance, and Song Zining. Inside the flagship of the aristocratic alliance, the Li family elder was gazing at the fire-covered holy mountain with a frown. Someone nearby finally couldnt resist. Isnt he just blasting a barren mountain? Whats the use? Can he really collapse it? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 959: Prologue The Li family elder muttered, What if he can really flatten the mountain in this manner? The elder nearby laughed out loud. Seriously? Another person gave it some thought. Perhaps that mountain is hollow inside or theres a tunnel. The first elder was skeptical. Even if the mountain is empty, its not something ordinary heavy cannons can demolish. Its hard enough to focus on one point and bore a hole through, not to mention a bombardment like this. The other person wasnt satisfied, either. Why would the seventh young noble bring so many cannons if they werent useful? For fun? The old man went mute. It wasnt that he didnt want to retort, but because Song Zinings fame was too resounding and no one dared to treat him as a joke. That was the good thing about being famousordinary people would become a joke if they were to bombard a mountain, but Song Zining doing the same thing was considered part of a deeper plan. Atop the holy mountain, there was no change at all in that serene courtyard. The rain of cannon-shells and earth-shattering explosions almost seemed nonexistent here. Just like before, the ancient trees in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze and not a single leaf fell off of them. Luo Bingfeng sat alone in his study, reading intently from an ancient scroll. There was a glass of tea on the desk in front of himthe liquid was clear, with a smear of rejuvenating green akin to sprouting buds in spring. A wisp of hot steam curled upward, spreading a faintly discernible fragrance throughout the room. An apocalyptic scene was raging outside of the windows. Cannon shells rained down like shooting stars, filling the air with dust, smoke, and gravel. Despite that, not even the smallest bit of dust entered the courtyard, so much so that the smoke would disappear long before it reached the courtyard walls. The thunderous explosions never made it to the place, either. The entire holy mountain was trembling, but the small courtyard was like an island in the stormy seas, blessed with the tranquility of being isolated from the world. Luo Bingfengs slender fingers flipped a new page on the book. It was at this time that his brows rose up, and he finally emerged from his world of calmness. Du Yuan was staggering into the courtyard when the shockwave from a nearby explosion threw him to the ground. To an expert at this level, heavy cannons were like toys. He shouldve been completely fine even if struck squarely, let alone suffer from shockwaves. Du Yuan was in such a miserable state because he had expended too much origin power and was like an arrow at the end of its flight. Luo Bingfeng didnt stand up. Why are you so miserable? His pleasant voice penetrated all the explosions and arrived beside Du Yuans ears. Luo Bingfeng wasnt that worried. As he saw it, Du Yuans constitution was amply powerful despite being highly exhausted. No origin imbued heavy cannon could wound him. Du Yuan, on the other hand, wasnt that calm. Hearing Luo Bingfengs voice, he screamed at the top of his lungs, City Lord, go go to the madam! The ancient scroll in Luo Bingfengs hands fell to the ground as he shot to his feet and vanished from the room. On the desk, the cup of clear tea staggered briefly before toppling over and spilling hot tea all over. Luo Bingfengs silhouette flickered through the seemingly small courtyard and arrived at one of the side buildings. There, he reached out to push the door open but they simply wouldnt budge. Luo Bingfeng was surprised to find that the doors had been sealed by many layers of origin arrays, all of them in place to stop him from entering. Overcome by a bad feeling, he channeled his origin power and pushed forcibly, effectively dispersing the arrays and opening the door. He was utterly startled upon entering the room. Outside of Tidehark, Song Zining was gazing at the fire drenched holy mountain. The outer walls of Tidehark had been drowned in a sea of flamesthere was fire everywhere and thick smoke was rolling up into the air. The airships in the sky poured a stream of steel onto the city walls, completely suppressing the defending army. The attacking mercenaries were already approaching the walls. According to normal imperial strategy, these soldiers would push on steadily, relying on the superior aerial firepower to destroy the enemy troops and fortifications. They were also waiting for the experts from each side to start exchanging blows. The mercenaries from the neutral lands, however, were used to their old ways. Maintaining military order up to this point was already their limit. Some of these soldiers lost their nerve the moment the exchange of fire began, opting to leave their squads to charge up the wall and fight the defenders in fierce melee. With someone taking the lead, more people began surging toward Tidehark, and the entire attack formation soon broke down. Smily wryly, Song Zining pointed at Tidehark City. All out attack! A scarlet war-banner rose up on the flagship, followed by a series of bugles on the ground. The fully-equipped mercenaries became red in the eyes as they charged valiantly for the kill. The airships raining suppressive fire on the city walls had no choice but to target the interior of the city, instead, lest they hit friendly forces. At this point in the battle, the defense system in Tidehark had been largely shattered and the defenders, segregated. Effective resistance was no longer possible. The first wave of mercenaries was already fighting against the defenders on the wall as a steady stream of soldiers joined the fray. Most importantly, the attacking mercenaries had completely suppressed the defenders in terms of equipment and thus their casualties were much smaller. At this rate, the collapse of the defending force was a matter of time. The citizens who couldve served as a defensive force dared not act rashly under the gaze of the overlooking warships. However, everyone knew that this was just the beginning. Victory wasnt certain even if they could occupy the entire Tidehark City. As the flames of war reached their peak, everyone felt their chest tense up as though an invisible hand had gripped their heart, causing it to miss a beat. Humph! A cold angry voice echoed in everyones ears as a pair of eyes slowly opened in the sky above the holy mountain, gazing down at the ants below. The cruel battlefield became silent for a moment as everyone glanced up at the sky and into the pair of nonexistent eyes. Kill! One of the defenders recovered and, with a loud roar, plunged his combat dagger into the enemys abdomen. This opponent was extremely powerful and had already killed several soldiers. Yet, he was dazed at the critical juncture and ended up being stabbed in the abdomen. The soldiers of Tidehark recovered one step sooner. On a battlefield where both sides were clashing blade to blade, this one moment was the difference between life and death. Song Zining woke up after a split second. Seeing the dire situation, he jumped onto the bow of the ship and activated a certain mechanism. Large amounts of steam gushed out along the pipes and exited from the foghorn with a thunderous rumble! This was the signal to storm the enemy camp. War-drums echoed from the barracks as the foghorn grew abruptly louder, sending forth a deluge of heart shaking sound waves that roused the weaker mercenaries from their daze. Song Zining issued several orders after that. In response, the warships above Tidehark flew higher up and gradually started to retreat. The three flagships, on the other hand, pressed forward. This maneuver produced a wide empty area in the sky above Tidehark. This was a battleground for experts. The moment Song Zining issued this order, everyone understood that Luo Bingfeng was about to come out. A blue light flickered above the battlefield. Only the strongest experts noticed a figure appearing in the sky and pressing a hand toward a distant airship. That airship had reacted the swiftest, turning about immediately at full throttle as Song Zining issued the order. Despite that, it wasnt able to escape the incoming calamity. A cross-shaped crack appeared near its tail-end and enlarged into a terrifying defect. A whirlwind of flames, steam, and fuel sprayed out from the gap, engulfing the vessel in a ball of fire. The warship lost control and crashed spinning into the city walls. There it exploded ferociously, killing everything within dozens of meters of the blast. The figure in the sky gradually became clear at this point. It was a man with clean facial features, majestic stature, and elegant clothing. He glared at Song Zining with eyes filled with fury. Junior, what insolence! These words were spoken with great strength, every syllable causing Song Zinings face to turn increasingly pale. By the time the last word had been uttered, the seventh young master took three steps back, and the fan in his hand broke with a snap. Song Zining coughed up a mouthful of blood, looking somewhat dispirited. All experts on the Empires side were shocked. Although Song Zining was young and known for his prowess in strategy, all higher experts knew that his cultivation talent wasnt at all lacking. Since many years ago, he had firmly remained on the tail of Zhao Fourth and Qianye, never lagging too far behind. Just this feat alone was enough to rank him among the empires geniuses. Not many under the divine champion realm could confidently say that they could defeat him. Forcing out such an all-round genius made the Song clan the laughingstock of the empire. How much of a genius was he to be capable of such a feat? Despite that, he was wounded just from Luo Bingfengs distant rebuke. The man hadnt even attacked yet. Although there were many imperial experts here, none of them possessed such ability. Just as Luo Bingfeng was slowly raising his left hand, channeling energy for some unknown attack, two fair figures appeared in front of him. They spoke in unison, Please give us some pointers, City Lord. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai immediately took action after seeing that Song Zining was injured, formally raising the curtains over the real battle. Luo Bingfeng didnt even spare them a glance. His left hand kept on rising as though he were dragging up a ten thousand ton weight. Meanwhile, he tapped twice toward Yun Zhong and Yun Hai with his right hand. The duos expression shifted drastically. Their robes fluttered about and puffed up into a ball before shattering into countless fragments. Illusory shadows danced about their bodies as they laid down a dozen or so origin defenses. However, their defenses were shattered immediately after they were formed. Amidst a series of pitter-patters, the two brothers were left defenseless, like an egg deprived of its shell. The twins roared loudly at the moment of danger. They stood with their backs tightly pressed against each other as their hands moved in unison, forming countless seals. Surprisingly, the deployment speed of their defenses and origin power recovery were doubled in this state, allowing them to withstand Luo Bingfengs attack. The city lord frowned in surprise, finally looking straight at the two brothers. He formed a sword with two of his right-hand fingers, ready to dispatch this unexpected nuisance. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 960: Variable The moment Luo Bingfeng raised his fingers, Yun Zhong and Yun Hais expressions changed drastically. Sweat began pouring down their foreheads as they sensed a feeling of mortal peril. The elder from the imperial family blurted out, Oh no! They cant block that! The experts from the imperial family were shocked. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai were fairly celebrated, and their arts specialize in restraining experts. Not many people in the entire palace could break through their defenses. The two of them were transferred to the neutral lands specifically to deal with experts at Luo Bingfengs level. Yet who wouldve thought the city lord would be this powerful. A casual attack of his was outrageously powerful, destroying the duos defenses with just a single hand. Who among the many imperial experts would survive if he were to go all out? Everyone saw the danger, but no one took action because, if even Yun Zhong and Yun Hai couldnt stop the attack, they would simply be committing suicide. The old man from the imperial family was shocked, but there was no time to blame the other people. He took to the air, about to provide assistance personally when Luo Bingfeng turned around and stared coldly at him. The elder felt as though he had been drenched in ice waterhis entire body froze up and actually lost the ability to move! The old man had just left the ground when he fell back onto the deck in a miserable fashion, prompting the surrounding experts to move in and help. Fortunately, Luo Bingfeng merely glanced in the direction before turning away and seemed to have no intention of performing a follow-up attack. The old man had escaped a calamity, but the brothers were consigned to damnation after being locked onto by Luo Bingfengs gaze. The city lord raised his finger-sword to eye-level, ready to slash out. Yun Zhong and Yu Hai were ashen-faced as they laid down dozens of origin shields around them. Despite that, they knew that no number of shields could block this earth-shattering sword strike. Just as Luo Bingfeng was about to launch this attack, he suddenly turned toward the side with a surprised exclamation. In his line of sight, Qianyes standing figure was faintly discernible in the air. The moment Luo Bingfeng noticed Qianye, the latters silhouette vanished with a flicker. After a moment of hesitation, the city lord finally retracted his sword fingers. His eyes erupted in light as he scoured the earth and sky for traces of Qianye. For some reason, Qianye had always given him a feeling of danger. This sensation was fairly ineffable because his cultivation was simply too low. Luo Bingfeng felt that, despite possessing a supreme origin power like Venus Dawn, Qianye should be of no threat to him. Yet, he could still feel an indescribable sense of apprehension from Qianye. He would rather let the brothers off temporarily than take a risk. Despite that, he had no intention of letting them off so easily. He flicked his fingers repeatedly, firing several palm-sized bolts of sword energy which hacked at them from all directions and left them howling in misery. Luo Bingfengs gaze suddenly locked onto a certain direction. With a snort, his figure then flickered and appeared above that point. Qianyes silhouette happened to appear right at that location. He had just completed a Spatial Flash when he was locked onto by Luo Bingfeng. Without the slightest hesitation, the city lord raised his palm like a blade and slashed down onto Qianyes head! In the aristocratic fleet closest to their location, the Li family elder saw that Luo Bingfeng had already left the range of the holy mountain. Clenching his teeth, he flew out with an icy-sword in hand and thrust at Luo Bingfengs back. Luo Bingfeng sneered as he shifted from slash to sweep and drew a hundred-meter arc of light toward the Li family elder. This sweep was incomparably grand and brilliantthe Li elder was greatly shocked, but there was no retreat at this point. All he could do was brace himself and meet the radiance with an all-out slash. The hundred-meter arc of light was slashed apart, but the icy sword in the elders hand also crumbled inch by inch. He flew backward and staggered back toward his flagship. Meanwhile, Luo Bingfengs right hand only trembled briefly before recovering. Another palm was soon slashing toward Qianye. The palm-sword shot out another beam of light. The jade-green radiance descended like a sharp blade, poised to slash Qianye into two halves. However, the latters figure warped, twisted, and vanishedhe had used Spatial Flash again. Luo Bingfeng let out an astonished exclamation. You run quite fast! Lets see how many times you can actually do that! His eyes erupted with a brilliance capable of illuminating every shadowy corner. Just as the city lord was searching for Qianye, a sudden rebuke echoed in his ears, Insolence! Do you think our Great Qin has no one left to deal with you? Luo Bingfeng glanced back and found a speck of violet energy tearing through the skies, making straight for his forehead. Thirty meters away, the old man from the imperial family was pointing in this direction. His entire finger was a translucent purple with a segment of golden bone inside. In the face of this violet energy, a flash of mockery appeared on Luo Bingfengs countenance. He brought his fingers together in the shape of a sword and tapped lightly on the incoming attack. The old mans body jolted to a stop and was flung backward. How could the city lord just stop there? He tapped again from afar, shooting a stream of sword energy at the imperial elder. Yung Zhong and Yun Hai appeared at the critical juncture, crashing into the incoming energy as one. This sword energy shot through the two, but it also lost its sharpness in the process, allowing the imperial elder to evade it easily. Luo Bingfeng didnt follow up with the attack. With his left hand behind his back, he said coldly, I do think that, what will you do? Most of the violet intent on the imperial elders finger had dispersed and was gradually recovering at the moment. Hearing the city lords words caused him to tremble in anger, and a stream of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. Despite that, he needed time before he could attack again after that big loss in their previous exchange. He had no other choice but to control his anger. Luo Bingfeng scanned the duo with a frown. You two are quite troublesome, I cant leave you alive. Shocked out of their wits, Yun Zhong and Yun Hai drew away from the city lord. If one were to look closely, the injuries on their bodies were healing fairly quickly. They were littered in wounds during their initial exchange with Luo Bingfengs sword energy, but now, most of the damage had been repaired. With such powerful regenerative capacity, it would seem that the two would have the power to fight so long as they remained aliveno wonder they were entrusted with such an important mission. It was just that Luo Bingfengs attack was too destructive. No degree of defense or recovery could work before him. Luo Bingfeng suddenly turned toward Yan Ding. The latter was actually hundreds of meters away, sneaking about as he searched for a good firing angle. Being glared at gave him quite the shock. He began trembling all over and almost dropped his gun. After the initial shock, Yan Ding discovered that Luo Bingfeng hadnt used his Death Stare at him. He retreated in relief, no longer daring to operate under Luo Bingfengs eyes. Luo Bingfeng couldnt be bothered to look at Yan Ding. He closed his palms in front of his chest and formed an extremely complicated hand seal with thousands of variations. Every transformation would shoot out a beam of sword energy, which filled the entire area like raindrops. These sword energies were only as long as a palm and as thick as a finger, but no one dared to underestimate them after experiencing the previous battle. Yan Ding was fairly lacking in the luck department, being locked onto by three sword energies at the same time. He made up his mind quickly this time, immediately abandoning his sniper rifle and cutting down two of the incoming beams with his sword. He then turned to flee, flying about the entire area with the remaining sword energy on his tail. Just as the experts of the empire were busy dealing with the rain of sword energy, Luo Bingfeng appeared in front of the aristocratic alliance flagship. He spread out his five fingers and clawed at the flagship. The aristocratic experts were shocked. Having seen Luo Bingfeng destroy an airship with a single palm strike, they didnt dare to let him unleash this attack. But with how strong Luo Bingfeng was, whoever went to stop him alone would surely die. In the face of this hopeless situation, the Li clan elder erupted with a loud shout. All the aristocratic experts began to move and take up their positions. An origin array lit up under each of them and connected together to form a single large array over the entire ship. Luo Bingfeng was unafraid, still. He closed his fingers with a loud roar and threw a solid punch. The might of this punch was enough to destroy mountains, boil the ocean, and destroy everything in its way. With the Li clan elder as the center, the aristocratic family experts channeled their power into the formation with a uniform cry. Luo Bingfeng remained unmoved after the exchange of fist and formation; the only change was the appearance of spatial tears below his feet. Meanwhile, the formation made up of many experts was pushed back a hundred meters! The Li clan elders hands were trembling ever so slightly. Stepping through the void, attacking with the might of eight peaks! H-Hes actually that strong!? According to legends, heavenly monarchs and great monarchs would come close to becoming one with the world. They looked like they were standing in empty space, but the entire world and void was their support. One could forget about making them step back without relying on external power. Although Luo Bingfeng hadnt really reached the heavenly monarch stage, he was apparently not too far off. Such a character had long since surpassed the capacity of their plans. There was really no telling if Song Zining wouldve gone along with this plan if he had known the mans true power. Luo Bingfeng didnt follow up with a second attack, but the experts didnt dare dissolve their formation. All they could do in this state was seek self-preservation at the expense of attacking. This was proof that they were apprehensive. Luo Bingfeng looked around the battlefield and suddenly focused on Song Zining. At this moment, a fully-armored Song Zining was standing at the bow of the ship. Seeing Luo Bingfeng glancing over, he couldnt help but let out a self-deprecating smile. I wouldve never thought the city lord was such a peerless character. I take this miscalculation is probably the madams doing? Luo Bingfengs expression turned gentle. Nan Nan, I truly owe her too much. Your loss isnt unjustified. Song Zining said with a scoff, This isnt necessarily a loss. May I ask, why me this time? Luo Bingfeng said calmly, You will be a great enemy one day in the future. Thats in the future. Right now, this young noble is Luo Bingfeng cut him short. Youre also quite difficult to deal with right now. If I dont kill you, there might be changes to the outcome. These words, coming from Luo Bingfeng, were actually extremely high praise. It proved that Song Zining was an opponent he couldnt tolerate, equal in status to the elders from the Li family and imperial clan. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai together could only equal a single Song Zining. Nonetheless, Song Zining didnt approve. This isnt reason enough. The experts from the Empire thought that Song Zining was stalling for time since they couldnt understand his reasoning. Who wouldve thought Luo Bingfeng would reply seriously, Qianye will surely appear if youre in mortal danger. Song Zining was startled. Donning his mask, he raised his spear horizontally at the bow of the ship, saying, Qianye wont come. No need to say more, come if you want to kill me! Luo Bingfeng took a step forwardjust about to attackwhen he felt a sharp, faintly discernible pain on his back. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 961: Whole or Half a Share Luo Bingfeng turned around slightly. Qianye, youve finally come out. Qianyes figure appeared hundreds of meters away. City Lord, are you so unsure about killing me that youd resort to such underhanded tactics? Id thought you above that. Luo Bingfeng pointed at the group of imperial experts. What do you have to say about these people? Who can block three strikes from me and survive in a fair battle? The ends will justify the means. Any strategy is viable. Fine. Qianye stopped talking and merely stared at Luo Bingfeng with blue eyes. How long can you last without Spatial Flash? Luo Bingfeng sighed as he raised his palm like a blade. Before he could launch his slash, however, the scenery before him suddenly transformed from the desolate neutral lands to the lush delta of the southern river. Song Zining walked out amidst the swaying leaves and thrust his spear at Luo Bingfengs forehead! Luo Bingfeng let out an exclamation of surprise as his palm swerved out of track. Instead of slashing at the incoming spear, however, he swiped casually at the air, popping the imagery around them like a bubble. During this brief movement, the city lord found that he had moved locations. He was actually in front of Song Zining at this moment, less than ten meters away, in fact. This audacious trick actually moved Luo Bingfeng over unknowingly. The cleverness of Song Zinings domain utilization was quite shocking. But no matter how strong the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art domain was, it couldnt fill the gap in power. Luo Bingfeng shattered the domain with one punch, and now, the two of them were dangerously close. Clenching his teeth, Song Zining attacked the city lord with a flurry of spear strikes. He had completely forgone his personal defense in order to stab the enemy just once. Luo Bingfeng blocked the strike with a casual move, pushing Song Zining back repeatedly as he did so. He suddenly flicked the speartip with his finger and pushed the seventh young noble back dozens of meters. Luo Bingfeng didnt follow up with the attack. Glancing at Song Zining and then at Qianye in his battle stance, he sighed. If I were thirty years younger, I mightve been able to become good friends with you two. But now what a pity, what a pity! A cold glint flickered in his eyes as he gazed at Song Zining. If the empire gains your assistance, how many of our people will lose their lives? The neutral lands will never see peace again! With that, Luo Bingfeng no longer hesitated. He formed a sword with his fingers and slashed at Song Zinings throat from afar. This strike was an all-out attack. The sword radiance shone brightly, flying hundreds of meters in mere moments to arrive before Song Zining. The latters expression was hidden under the mask, and there was no telling if it was filled with shock or joy. The scenery before him went through tens of thousands of variations, each one weakening the sword radiance by a small bit. It was just that Luo Bingfeng was simply too powerful. The repeated wearing down only reduced the radiance by a third, and what remained was enough to kill Song Zining. A sudden light flickered through the sky at this moment. Qianye, shrouded in lightning, appeared to the side and slashed right through the sword radiance! Luo Bingfengs brows rose up, not imagining that Qianye would escape from his Death Stare so quickly. However, he was also a contemporary expert. After a moment of thought, he flicked out a beam of sword light toward Qianye. This beam was bright, dazzling, as thick as an arm, and several meters in length, much more powerful than the toy-like energies that had attacked Yun Zhong and Yun Hai. Apparently, Luo Bingfeng intended to take Qianyes life in one go. Just as the attack was about to reach his body, Qianyes silhouette warped out of existence and vanished. Without even turning, Luo Bingfeng drew an arc of sword light in reverse and slashed behind his back! Qianye had just appeared when the radiance was already reaching for him. At this moment, however, his figure vanished yet again and reappeared dozens of meters away. These Spatial Flashes were executed as naturally as the moving clouds and flowing water, evading Luo Bingfengs killing moves in quick succession. Luo Bingfeng was just as surprised as the imperial experts. Interesting! The city lords brows rose. Using some sort of secret art, his silhouette also flickered similarly and appeared before Qianye, tapping at the latters forehead with a finger. This attack was unbelievably fast. Qianye had no time to prepare before the shadow of death descended upon his entire body! During this brief moment, a volcanic rumble resounded in Qianyes brain. His blood core started pulsing madly. The blood in his entire body wasnt just burning; it was exploding! At the juncture of life and death, Qianye reflexively grabbed Luo Bingfengs throat at lightning speed! This swift move broke through the previous limits of Qianyes speed. Luo Bingfengs eyes were filled with astonishment as he saw the sanguineous threads flickering on Qianyes fingertips. He finally became serious, pulling back the right hand that was about to reach Qianyes forehead and using it to deflect Qianyes claw. Having had his right hand deflected, Qianye followed up with a left palm toward Luo Bingfengs heart. There were short wisps of blood lingering around his fingertips just like before. Luo Bingfeng slashed horizontally with his right hand, deflecting Qianyes attack once more. Qianye retreated briefly after failing two attacks but soon pounced forward again with bloodshot eyes. He paid no heed to his own defenses as he launched attacks with every part of his body, engaging in a maddened fight of mutual destruction. Not bad, not bad! Yes, this is a good move! Luo Bingfeng looked calm as he broke numerous killing moves with a casual wave of his hand. All the while, he looked quite regretful and was full of praise for Qianye. Anyone could see that Qianye would meet his end as soon as his attacks lost their momentum. Being able to exchange so many blows with Qianye proved that his combat arts were at a shocking level. Despite that, the power disparity was simply too great. There was no making up for this deficiencyeven if Qianye left no openings in battle, Luo Bingfeng could force one out. In the blink of an eye, the city lord forced Qianye back with a punch and made to tap Qianyes forehead at unbelievable speeds. This attack seemed unavoidable, but Qianyes figure turned blurry as he activated Spatial Flash and vanished. Sighing, Luo Bingfeng drew an arc of sword radiance that appeared in front of Qianye as he was materializing. This time, Qianye had only flashed ten meters or so, and it was from one side of the target to the other. This also meant that he had no intention of running away, and that he was poised to fight Luo Bingfeng to the death. The city lord sighed. No one knew whether he was sighing about Qianyes stupidity or about him not bearing to deal the killing blow. The two had exchanged blows too quickly, so much so that the imperial experts couldnt even react. Only at this point did the Li clan elder catch his breath and, seeing that Qianye was in a dire situation, made to attack with his icy sword. The Li family was known for its swift sword attacks, the best kind to interfere with this situation. Unexpectedly, someone nearby dragged him back. That old man whispered, Elder Li, the formation will disperse without you! Its just Qianye. Another person chimed in, Those not of our race will have disloyal intentions. The short moment of hesitation had allowed for tens of thousands of changes on the battlefield. Each of Luo Bingfengs attacks was incisive and lethal, instilling a chill in the hearts of all spectators. If the man were to abandon Qianye and attack him instead, they would suffer casualties without the protection of the formation. This was Luo Bingfengs might. Everyone at the scene would be in danger without someone to restrain him. It would also be the end of this war. At the thought of this, the Li family elder glanced furiously at Yun Zhong and Yun Hai. At first, restraining the city lord was their duty, but now, they seemed to have lost their courage and were afraid to step forward. The imperial familys side was acting somewhat strangely. The leading elder was completely focused on recovering while the others seemed to have no intention of fighting, either. It was as though they were waiting for something. Song Zining arrived behind Luo Bingfeng in Qianyes moment of danger. Actually, he had been chasing after the city lord since the beginning. It was just that the two combatants were shifting around the battlefield too quickly for him to catch up. Finally finding the opportunity to close in, he delivered an immediate thrust at Luo Bingfengs back. Both Qianye and Song Zining attacked without caring for their own safety, adopting a mutually destructive style. It seemed they were intent on biting a good chunk off of Luo Bingfeng even if they couldnt kill him. Despite that, throwing their lives on the line still couldnt make up for the disparity in strength. Luo Bingfeng pushed Song Zining over a hundred meters back with just a backhand attack while his attack on Qianye continued without pause. Flying back like a cannonball, Song Zining clenched his teeth and prepared to use his domain power. The Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was barely effective in restraining Luo Bingfeng and could be broken with a single move. This high-consumption move wasnt a good deal for him, but he wouldnt even be able to approach without it. It was at this time that a hand appeared from behind and pulled Song Zining back. Soon, Ji Tianqings voice echoed beside his ear, Dont use your domain, lets go again! But Song Zining blocked Ji Tianqing with his spear, saying, You shouldnt have come, go back! Ji Tianqing slapped the spear away. Those people are too old. Our generation has to pick up this responsibility. If you keep blabbering, we wont be able to save Qianye anymore! As a decisive person, Song Zining gritted his teeth and said, Fine! Lets attack! I want a share after everythings over. Ji Tianqings words startled the seventh young master. What are you trying to share? After we save the person, I want a share. Ji Tianqing spoke as though it was only right and proper. Song Zining opened his mouth with a speechless expression. Y-You, dont tell me Ill take what I can get, Im not picky! Ji Tianqing flew toward Luo Bingfeng with an impatient expression. Failing to stop her, Song Zining couldnt help but curse from behind, Are you throwing your life away!? None of your business! Ji Tianqing flipped the bird at him, but that didnt slow her punch toward Luo Bingfengs head. Lass, youre quite ruthless! Luo Bingfeng offered a word of praise before swatting at her with his left palm. However, a wisp of blue sword energy tore through the air and intercepted the city lords wrist. This blue light was so extremely sharp that Luo Bingfeng had no choice but to step back and avoid it. Li Kuanglans figure emerged after the sword light had flown past. She glared at Ji Tianqing instead of looking at Luo Bingfeng, saying, You want a share when youre that slow? Youre not even getting half a share! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 962: Gruelling Battle Ji Tianqing stopped a beam of sword light that was sweeping toward Li Kuanglan. Careful, this is a battlefield. Everything will be mine if you die. Li Kuanglan glared at Ji Tianqing. Its not that easy to take this young nobles life! Shameless! Your small frame will be done for if you take a square hit. The two bickered back and forth without giving away. The smell of gunpowder in the air actually surprised Luo Bingfeng. Since the beginning of the battle, this was the first time the Tidehark city lord wasnt at the center of all attention. So much so that he wasnt quite used to this feeling. After a momentary daze, he remembered he had something left to do. His fingers spread out like a flower, firing out countless beams of sword energy toward Qianye. Apparently, he still considered Qianye the most threatening target. Even Song Zining was ranked behind him. Qianye was afforded a much-needed respite just now, which allowed his stamina and blood energy to recover rapidly. He was already half-restored in just a short while. Although he was in an awkward and miserable state due to Luo Bingfengs sword energy, he was still able to hold out. Luo Bingfeng was already quite shocked. Qianye hadnt used any secret art apart from Spatial Flashhe was simply fast enough, strong enough, and watertight in his defenses. It was actually quite amazing that he could make someone of Luo Bingfengs level feel this way. His combat strength was way beyond that which was expected of his level. At the very least, he would need to put in quite a bit of effort if he wanted to take Qianye down with just his sword energy. Having come to this conclusion, Luo Bingfeng formed a sword with his fingers once more and stabbed thrice in Qianyes direction. The three strikes were delivered at such uncanny speed that even people like Yan Ding felt their eyes blur for a moment. They simply couldnt see how many times Luo Bingfeng had attacked, let alone block. Even people as strong as the elders from the Li family and imperial clan felt a chill down their spines. They simply wouldnt have been able to block these strikes without prior evasive maneuvers. It would be too late once the city lord had launched the attack. On the brink of life and death, Qianye simply had no time to think. He moved several meters out of instinct, evading two of the strikes, but the third shot into his abdomen and exited through his back. The moment the sword radiance struck his body, a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye as he pointed a finger at Luo Bingfengs forehead. Luo Bingfeng broke into a frown. He had no choice but to retreat, interrupting the sword radiance from expanding the wound. Only after the swift retreat did the city lord discover that Qianye wasnt making a move at all. He had been tricked. Despite that, the penetrating sword wound was extremely serious, and there was still a remnant glow around the wound tearing through Qianyes flesh. As Luo Bingfeng saw it, this opponent was as good as dead. The three sword strikes shocked the entire battlefield. All of the imperial experts fell into uniform silence, greatly intimidated by the attack. In the blink of an eye, everyone was thinking about how they would block this strike if it were to come for them. This filled their hearts with the terror of imminent death. Luo Bingfengs strikes were swift and powerful to the extreme. It could be said that anyone taking that blow would surely die. No matter how brave the warriors here were, how many of them dared to meet a sure-death situation? During this lapse of silence, a certain figure rushed forward like a whirlwind, his spear weaving past the terrified crowd to arrive at Luo Bingfengs head. This was a suicidal move, and Luo Bingfeng was no saint. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a beam of energy that shot toward Song Zinings forehead. The seventh young master did nothing to invade the incoming attack. His spear only increased in momentum, its tip lighting up with a dazzling radiance! The spear thrust was the most powerful attack he had ever executed in his life, and that glow at the tip was actually burning himself like a raging flame! At this moment, no one knew what expression was hidden beneath that mask. What they could see was him courageously charging at Luo Bingfeng. Despite that, the attack would only leave a small wound on Luo Bingfengs body. On the other hand, Song Zinings forehead would be pierced through. Perhaps that was what he wanted, to land a thrust at all costs. Luo Bingfeng sighed. The inevitable early death of a hero. Ill allow you to stab me, so that you can go in peace. The glow in his hand slowed down for a split second, allowing Song Zinings spear to reach its target before the light pierced his brain. However, a split seconds delay was enough for countless variables to kick in. Ji Tianqing suddenly appeared to his side and tugged on his arm with both hands, lifting it up forcibly. The deviation caused the radiance to slash upward, brushing past Song Zinings head as it did so. Afterward, a blue sword radiance erupted behind Ji Tianqing and slashed at Luo Bingfengs neck. This strike came at a clever moment, forcing the city lord to block the sword light instead of retaliating against Ji Tianqing. Even Luo Bingfeng couldnt ignore the might of Cold Moons Embrace. Li Kuanglan retreated with Ji Tianqing in tow, putting a fair distance between them and Luo Bingfeng. The cooperation between the two was perfect. A light pfft was heard as Song Zinings spear reached the end of its path, stabbing straight at Luo Bingfengs heart. However, countless flowing runes condensed into a barrier of light in front of the spearhead, effectively blocking its advance. Song Zining erupted in a loud roar, and the radiance gestating at the speartip exploded into a plume of extremely pure origin flames. The blaze blasted away the barrier of light, but the force behind his spear attack came to an end as well. Song Zinings all-out attack had merely broken a layer of Luo Bingfengs defenses. Luo Bingfeng was dazed for a split second after the loss of his defenses. Song Zining, on the other hand, immediately pulled dozens of meters back. Luo Bingfeng looked up with a stern expression, his eyes filled with killing intent as he gazed at Song Zining. His fingertips were shrouded in arcs of electricity as he slowly raised his right hand. Before he had unleashed his attack, everything within a hundred meters began to float upwardeven some of the closer imperial experts felt themselves swaying. The spectators were shocked. Luo Bingfeng was clearly quite calm about Song Zining a while ago. How come he was filled with killing intent now? Yet, Song Zinings expression was also hidden beneath the mask, so no one could guess what he was thinking. Only a few people managed to see that Luo Bingfengs defense layer probably had something to do with the heavenly mystery. That spear strike just now had actually claimed victory in a different field. Song Zining was about to retreat after seeing Luo Bingfengs imminent attack, but several runic chains appeared and duly bound him in place. Shocked, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan attacked in unison, but the chains were unexpectedly sturdy. It refused to budge even after several attacks. Why are you all not helping? Ji Tianqing shouted. All the experts from the imperial clan and aristocratic alliance were still frozen in hesitation. They understood that whoever the city lord locked onto at this moment would die. It was a worthwhile risk to offend Ji Tianqing in order to survive. Besides, there were so many people involved that the blame might not fall on any single person specifically. If you dont come now, Ill kill all of you on the spot! Ji Tianqing was already screaming at this point. The imperial clan members exchanged glances and finally started to take action. The Li family elder flung away the two elders holding onto him and said furiously, Your clans will face extermination if something happens to Young Noble Kuanglan! The experts attacks landed on the rune chain like falling stars, yet they could do nothing against it. Without any knowledge in the divination arts, their attacks were scarcely effective. The sword energy on his fingers had just taken form when Luo Bingfeng staggered backward with a muffled groan. He glanced back to find that Qianye had returned to the air and collided with him. This slam couldnt quite move him, either, but Qianye then grabbed onto Luo Bingfengs leg and tugged forcibly, finally dragging the city lord from his original position. The glow on the mans fingertips grew brighter and then exploded. This extremely powerful attack had been interrupted before it could even launch. Luo Bingfeng turned pale for a moment after having his attack interrupted. Apparently, he had suffered a fair bit. He turned back and glanced down at Qianye who was hanging onto him. Seeing that the injury had healed a fair bit, he sneered, The empires regenerative medicines had advanced so much? You come to throw your life away after getting a second lease on it, what idiocy. Luo Bingfeng shook Qianye away with a jolt of his right leg, kicking him in the chest as he did so! Despite how strong Qianyes body was, a series of crackling sounds erupted from his thorax. Who knew how many ribs had been broken? Despite that, Qianye still refused to let go. He grabbed tightly onto Luo Bingfengs leg, letting his entire body hang off of it. Killing intent flashed across the city lords countenance. If you want to die so much, Ill help you! He was just about to raise his leg and deal the final blow when Qianye formed a gun with his finger and pointed at him. Youre not invincible just yet! A giant pair of wings slowly unfurled before the city lord. The dazzling glare stabbed his eyes somewhat as a feather of light flew out and shot into his abdomen. A feeling of danger filled every corner of Luo Bingfengs body, yet the feather of light was simply too close for him to do anything. He had no room to defend or evade before it entered his abdomen, so much so that he didnt even have time to channel his origin power defenses. Luo Bingfeng kicked Qianye away with a loud cry and looked down to check his abdomen. Everything was normal wherever he lookedthere wasnt even a wound. In his perception, however, a giant, invisible cavity had opened up inside his body, draining away vast amounts of his life force. Even someone of Luo Bingfengs strength was shocked to find waves of weakness washing over him. Only after being struck by the Shot of Inception did Luo Bingfeng understand something: it wasnt that the Wolf King was weak; the shot was simply too strong. Qianye had taken a great risk to latch onto his leg just to prevent him from evading the attack. Luo Bingfeng glanced at the heavily injured Qianye. There was no killing intent in his eyes, only deep regret, as he muttered to himself, If I become a heavenly monarch, youd be the best opponent in the future, sigh! Luo Bingfeng reached into his robes and pulled out a transparent flexible sword. Erupting with a mysterious glint, the sword trembled in the wind and sprung into a straightened form. Since the beginning of the fight, this was the first time Luo Bingfeng had brought out a weapon. His expression was full of passion and respect as he caressed the blade. Apparently, the weapon held great meaning to him. The city lord planned to send Qianye on his way with this special blade. This was a form of respect among experts. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 963: Shatter Luo Bingfengs imminent sword strike affected the entire scene. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing attacked in tandem, and the experts all joined in under Ji Tianqings unceremonious threat. It was just that they were all holding back somewhat, and this was beyond anyones control. Luo Bingfeng was still condensing sword energy. A casual wave of his left hand pushed the experts back one after the otherthat was the extent of their martial path. All the while, the speck of pure sword intent remained locked onto Qianye. Everyone else was an ant in his eyes. Qianye remained in the air, covering his chest with one hand as he glared intently at Luo Bingfeng. His figure was flickering in and out of existence, ready to meet Luo Bingfengs unbreakable slash with Spatial Flash. Song Zining was already an arrow at the end of its flight. Qianye, run! Dont mind us! Qianye didnt even look at Song Zining as he shook his head ever so slightly. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing understood that Qianyes injuries had healed rapidly due to the special medicine. There was a chance he could still escape if he were to use Spatial Flash right now. With Qianye gone, however, Luo Bingfengs ultimate attack would be directed at someone else. By any standards, that target could only be either Song Zining, Li Kuanglan, or Ji Tianqing. Luo Bingfeng wouldve used up his killing move at that point, and he had also been injured by a Shot of Inception. So, the three remaining survivors could work together to at least survive the ordeal. But he wasnt willing to do this. Song Zinings eyes were bloodshot as he roared, Rui Xiang! What are you waiting for? If you keep stalling, Ill make sure Zhang Buzhous intentions fail miserably! Luo Bingfeng felt an ineffable chill in his heart after hearing this. He turned back toward the holy mountain, just in time to hear a crisp sound coming from that direction. It was as though something had shattered. In just a split second, Luo Bingfengs movements, powers, and even his emotions slowed down ever so slightly. His gaze fell onto his blade. There were numerous barely noticeable cracks on that perfect sword. The city lord was startled to find the sword edge trembling, but then he realized that it wasnt the blade but his hand. Nan Nan, Nan Nan Luo Bingfeng muttered to himself, and then he roared hysterically! He turned toward Song Zining and said word by word, I thought you were a hero, but you turned out to be a treacherous lowlife! Song Zining sighed. Everything is fair game on the battlefield, we only discuss victory and defeat. Good, good! Luo Bingfeng pointed at Qianye, saying, Now, I have nothing left to worry about. Ill have to see who can save him and everyone else! Luo Bingfengs sword intent began to form anew. Unexpectedly, the two brothers Yun Zhong and Yun Hai appeared in front of Qianye, saying, Youll have to step on our corpses if you want to attack Qianye! What surprised everyone was that these two had been beaten into fear and were unable to do anything a while ago. How come they had become fearless again? As true experts, the duo could also see that Luo Bingfeng was still extremely dangerous at this point. At the very least, he could kill them easily. Luo Bingfeng sneered. It seems any minor character can jump out these days. Do you think I dont dare to kill people? Luo Bingfengs eyes erupted with light as his sword intent surged with the wind, encompassing Qianye, Yun Zhong, and Yun Hai within. The attack was poised to kill all three at the same time! Qianyes silhouette was fading away at first, but he couldnt find it in himself to do that after the twins appeared in front of him. With his insight, he could naturally see that Yun Zhong and Yun Hai couldnt take this slash, that the only hope was for all three to work together. Hence, Qianye canceled his evasive stance and drew his sword, ready to block this peerless attack. A wave of jadeite sword radiance sprayed toward the three men. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai were standing close together at first. Just as the sword radiance was about to arrive, however, the two of them crashed violently and bounced hundreds of meters away from each other. The collision mixed their origin powers together and ignited a powerful reaction. Not only did the explosion blast the two of them away from one another, but it also destroyed the sword radiances lock on them. This was a fairly brilliant life-saving abilityalthough the brothers were heavily injured, they were also able to survive. It was just that their action opened up the path to Qianye. The sword radiance aiming for Yun Zhong and Yun Hai lost their target and turned toward Qianye. The three sword radiances merged into one as they slashed at Qianye! The might of this blow startled everyone who wanted to save Qianye, drenching them in cold sweat. Such an outcome surprised Luo Bingfeng as well. The original intent of this attack was to attack three people, but it surprisingly ended up as onethe might of this blow was the peak of his career. There was really no need to put in so much effort against the wounded Qianye. Let it be, only this kind of attack is a fitting end for you. In that split second, such a thought flickered through Luo Bingfengs mind. Qianye had no time to think, neither did he have the space to perform Spatial Flash. At this point, the only thing he could do was use his full force to attack the incoming blow. The sword radiance was like a great flood, while Qianye was but a small pebble amidst its rage. He couldnt even sink to the bottom if he wanted to. A sigh suddenly echoed through the airserious, jaded, and suffused with traces of the passing vicissitudes. Following that sigh, a hand appeared before the masses. It was just an unassuming limb, obviously belonging to an elderly man. Despite that, this hand drew everyones attention. No matter where this person was and regardless of all obstructions, it simply appeared out of nowhere and lingered in everyones hearts. It was just the hand of an elder, no bigger than everyone elses. It even looked more slender and pale, with some loose skin as was normal for the elderly. However, this old hand actually grabbed the sword radiance, that raging torrent of light! The attack shrunk rapidly as it approached the elderly mans palm and finally turned into a ball of light in its grasp. In the blink of an eye, everyone felt an inexplicable uneasiness in their hearts. The world seemed surreal at this moment, almost as though it had become smaller and the old man had grown larger. Finally, the old man extinguished the sword radiance with a slight clench of his fist. Only a wisp of green smoke slowly drifted away. Only when the smoke had dispersed did an old man appear. He looked rather peaceful and healthy, but there was really nothing special about him apart from that. However, the fact that he could appear here proved that he was extraordinary. The experts felt their vitality in an uncomfortable turmoil. The weaker ones felt as though their heads were about to split open and began vomiting uncontrollably. Luo Bingfeng glanced at the old man with a frosty expression, his eyes filled with shocking battle intent. Liu Daoji, who wouldve thought? And here I was wondering how lacking the empire was to send these little kids to kill me. The old man laughed out loud. Werent you also a kid back then? Heh heh, dont look down on these children. You mightve been defeated in their hands if it werent for the treacherous intent of certain people. You can barely suppress the injury in your chest now, right? And that woman, theres no saving her. Luo Bingfeng raised his brows and said with a cold voice, You people have always been ruthless and unscrupulous! I felt it beneath my dignity to join you back then, and I still feel the same today. The old man sighed. I told you back then, youre destined to suffer this calamity. Who wouldve thought shed take your place? Luo Bingfengs sword buzzed loudly at this point, and he had to take a deep breath before his hands stopped trembling. They killed Nan Nan with their schemes, so theres no need for them to leave this place alive. All of them will accompany her in death! Without these people, Im sure your Great Qin will lose fifty years of potential progress! After a lifetime of scheming, why cant you people see which side will profit and which side will lose? Liu Daoji, I know youre powerful, but you can forget about stopping me from killing someone at your current age. The old man shook his head. Youre wrong. I didnt come here to stop you but to protect his life. He cant die right now. But Im also quite old, so I can only save him once. Blocking your move can be considered me fulfilling my duty, and I have no need to remain since I can now explain things to that person. Ill be leaving now. An icy voice echoed in the sky above, Youll not have a second chance if you dont leave now. A vaguely discernible figure appeared high up, a man clad in magnificent dark clothing. His face was fair, and his hair and brows were a faint golden color. Together with his light eye color, this was a countenance that was fairly difficult to forget. He had his hands clasped behind his back, and at his waist was a strange origin gun that fell between a handgun and a rifle. Looking down at the old man, he said coldly, Why would you recognize so many masters without staying put as the number one expert in the imperial palace? You even came to the neutral lands. The elderly man wasnt angry. He cupped his hand toward the imperial forces, saying, I was merely asked to repay a favor, and now that Ive done that, its time for me to go. The light-browed man said, Indeed its time. Do you need me to see you off? The old man smiled. Theres no need to trouble Your Majesty for this bag of old bones. However, I have a small matter to attend to before leaving. The man said, What matter? Dispatching two subordinates. The old man made light of the situation. The man nodded. I love seeing people killing their own, please go ahead. Yun Zhong and Yun Hai were suddenly full of shock. Steward Liu, please spare us! We were just following orders from The old man suddenly coughed twice. The duo grimaced after hearing this cough, grabbing onto their necks as blood gushed out of their mouths. Their auras fell sharply, and their bodies fell writhing to the ground, unable to die immediately. The imperial elder arrived beside the old man. Steward Liu, why didnt you let them finish? Youll have an answer if that person asks in the future. The old man shot him a glance. Im too old to think about these things, I wont remember even if I hear them speak. Youre not that young anymore, either, so better let go of your boldness. Just seek an easy position and enjoy life. The imperial elders expression became serious. Thank you for the advice. The old man nodded and scanned everyone at the scene before fading away. The pale-browed man in the air also disappeared. All the experts on the battlefield woke up from their reverie. Eunuch Liu was gone, but Luo Bingfeng was still there. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 964: Treading On Danger With great difficulty, Song Zining stood up with his spear as support and cried out, The holy mountain! Attack the holy mountain! He then hurled the silver spear out with all his might. The silver spear erupted with light as it shot toward the Holy Mountain like a comet. Luo Bingfengs expression changed drastically. How dare you!? He flew after the silver spear and slashed at it. The weapon exploded into a giant ball of flames that covered the city lord within. Soon afterward, the flames dispersed into thousands of blazing streams that fell upon the holy mountain. When Luo Bingfeng appeared once more, his robes had been awkwardly singed. However, he didnt chase after Song Zining, but instead observed the falling flames. Only after seeing that there was no special power hidden within them did he heave a sigh of relief. During this period, however, a mournful bugle cry reverberated through the skies. Luo Bingfengs expression changed drastically when he saw Song Zining blowing hard on an exquisite silver bugle horn. The blare burst out over hundreds of kilometers. The imperial formation began to changeSong Zinings flagship raised a different war-banner as it charged straight at the holy mountain. The meaning of this banner was different. It meant for all soldiers in the army to charge alongside the commander. If even the commander was fearless of death, how could anyone else lag behind? The entire army felt their blood boiling as they charged fearlessly toward the holy mountain. The imperial warships in the air all moved out, raining down a hail of cannon fire to clear a path toward the target. Song Zining was standing at the foot of the mountain. He had somehow produced a folding fan and extended it for use as a crutch on his arduous upward climb. The imperial soldiers felt their blood ignite when they witnessed this scene, and their speed of advancement increased a fair bit. The soldiers had forgotten to fear death, but the experts were a completely different scene. They gazed at Luo Bingfeng from afar without daring to take action. Li Kuanglan sneered after shooting a glance at the crowd. He then reached a hand out to Ji Tianqing. Give me! Ji Tianqing was startled. Give you what? Li Kuanglan said impatiently, Dont think I dont know you have a lot of medicines hidden on you. Give me something for healing, quick! Otherwise, Im going to start searching. Ji Tianqing was surprised. Youre mad! Thats Luo Bingfeng were talking about, this medicine wont save you! Li Kuanglan moved like lightning, reaching into Ji Tianqings robes to fish out a vial of medicine. Then, without so much as looking at what it was, she injected it into the side of her neck. The experts were stunned, and the few people who knew Ji Tianqings identity were even more astonished. Li Kuanglan reaching into her clothes could be considered extremely disrespectfulno matter how powerful Ji Tianqing was in martial arts, there was no way she couldve escaped getting touched. Despite that, the latter didnt really look angry, giving way to a lot of space for imagination. Were the two hostile powers going to make peace just like that? Li Kuanglan flicked Cold Moons Embrace with a finger, bringing forth a rush of icy blue light. I knew you were hiding the good stuff. Humph, with this dose of medicine, my chances of survival have increased by ten percent. Its the Ji familys money, so its fine to splurge. Ji Tianqing shouted, Thats just ten percent! You will die! All the better, you can have my share if that happens. Without waiting for Ji Tianqing to reply, Li Kuanglan took to the air and began looking for an opportunity to attack Luo Bingfeng. Ji Tianqing didnt follow immediately. Instead, she scanned the experts from the imperial clan and aristocratic families, and then pointed out a couple dozen people. You guys better watch your back! Her silhouette suddenly flickered and appeared before an aristocratic family elder. A cold gleam flickered in her hand as she pressed a dagger as thin as a cicadas wings against the old mans throat. Ji Tianqing looked into the mans eyes, saying, Did you think youll live that much longer just because youre hiding like a coward? The elder hadnt even replied when Ji Tianqing moved her wrist, effectively cutting open the mans throat. The old mans expression was full of shock and terror as he clutched his throat. He tried to say something, but all he could muster were incoherent sounds. To an expert at his level, having the throat slit wasnt a lethal injury. But now, his protective origin power would disperse immediately at the chest, preventing it from sealing the wound or stopping the hemorrhage. He wanted to reach out and grab Ji Tianqing, but his strength left him like flowing water. He was completely empty in the blink of an eye. Ji Tianqings figure flickered once more and vanished. No one could see where she wasshe was apparently waiting for an opportunity to strike, but no one knew whether it was against Luo Bingfeng or the group of experts. Recalling what she had said a while ago, the experts who had been pointed out by her understood that there was no turning this situation around if they didnt go all out. The girl might not be able to deal with all of them at once, but she could easily pick them off one by one. As for who she would kill, it was fairly obvious. The elder whom she had killed just now was the one who had been pulling the Li elder back. The experts began surrounding Luo Bingfeng in quick succession, knowing that there was no way out. The holy mountain was covered in flames. Luo Bingfeng was like a demon, shooting out a torrent of sword radiance against the airships in the sky, with sparks flying everywhere. The imperial airships made no motion to retreatafter one side was too badly damaged, they would simply turn about and keep firing from the other side. At this point, a sudden explosion rang out in the air as one of the airships finally succumbed to the damage. With its kinetic chamber erupting in flames, the vessel started falling at a slanted angle. A good number of crew members jumped ship, but only a couple of them were able to hover in the air. Most of the people fell to the ground with miserable screams. The destruction of this airship gave Luo Bingfeng no relief. If anything, it caused him to become even more nervous instead. He charged toward the burning airship and, with a loud roar, fired hundreds of sword lights from his fingertips, dicing the blazing wreck into hundreds of small pieces. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he blew what remained of the vessel far away. The imperial commanding officers were all well trained, and they had also received prior instructions from Song Zining. Seeing this situation, how could they not realize that Luo Bingfeng didnt want anyone to touch the holy mountain? As such, the warships directed their fire from the city lord to the holy mountain, bombarding it in a scattered pattern to make interception harder. With the imperial experts joining the fight, Luo Bingfengs situation became clearly more dangerous. Those with good observation skills could see that Luo Bingfeng was investing most of his attention to intercepting the cannon fire. If the city lord were to focus on one airship at a time, even the newest imperial models wouldnt be able to withstand the onslaught. At the beginning of the fight, he had actually shot down one airship in a single move. If he were to keep up that kind of momentum, the entire imperial fleet would be destroyed in less than half a days time. It was just that Luo Bingfeng would rather give up the advantage in battle than to let the holy mountain suffer more damage. He had no qualms despite knowing that this was a sure path to ruin. The imperial generals couldnt understand why a brilliant expert like Luo Bingfeng would turn stupid, but no one was going to refuse such an opportunity. They went all out with their attacks, afraid that the city lord would return to his senses and become that peerless expert from before. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 965: Path to the Peak In the entire battlefield, perhaps only Song Zining understood why this was so. The seventh young noble limped slowly but resolutely toward the summit of the holy mountain. Murderous roars soon appeared on the battlefield as a group of mercenaries arrived at the foot of the holy mountain. They began charging up amidst loud cries, all of them valiant and unafraid of death. They had no idea what was at the summit, only that the war-banner was pointing thereand that was enough to ignite their blood-thirst and ferocity. More and more mercenaries appeared at the foot of the mountain and began charging up. Meanwhile, the city guard who shouldve appeared was nowhere to be found. A young mercenary arrived at the foot of the holy mountain and, stopping briefly to catch his breath, looked up toward the summit. He looked fairly young, perhaps just fifteen or sixteen, but his stature was fairly tall. His face was covered in blood, but he didnt seem notice that at all as he gazed at the peakthat was the endpoint of his charge. Suddenly, a great force struck him from behind and slammed him to the floor. The young mercenary looked back to find an old bearded face looking down at him. The old mercenary pointed nearby, saying, Brat, be mindful if you want to survive! You wont be that lucky next time. The old mercenary was pointing at a small hole with shiny walls, clearly one caused by a beam of sword energy. This sword radiance seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and if it wasnt for the kick just now, the young mercenary wouldve become a corpse already. After saying that, the old mercenary continued up the mountain. The young man also clambered up and made ready to charge when he felt a piercing pain on his palm. He raised his hand and found a silver insignia stuck in his flesh. It looked like a rune but he had no idea what material it was made of. Hearing the bugle echo once more, the young mercenary plucked the rune and tossed it to the ground before continuing on his way. The rune started to glow faintly in the mud, but a military boot descended from above and pushed it deeper into the soil. That mercenary had no idea what he had just stepped on and merely rushed forward with bloodshot eyes. Song Zining reached the halfway point up the mountain with great difficulty. There, he looked up just in time to see a beam of blue sword light streak across the sky to slash at Luo Bingfeng. The city lord casually flicked the beam away with his fingers and fired three beams in retaliation. Li Kuanglan moved like the wind and retreated with due haste, managing to avoid two of the three strikes. The third one was a rare error on the city lords part and probably wouldnt hit its target even if Li Kuanglan were to stand still. On the other side of the holy mountain, Qianye clambered to his feet once again. His caved-in chest was almost fully recovered now. He pressed his chest with both hands and aligned the broken ribs together one after the other. Finally, he let out a long sighthe pain from this ordeal was making him sweat slightly. If it wasnt for the supreme defensive capability of the inner armor, Luo Bingfeng mightve kicked his blood core into pieces. The city lord hadnt imagined Qianyes defenses to be so strong, either. He mightve gone all out with that kick had he realized it. Later on, he simply had no time to deal the finishing blow. After aligning his ribs, Qianye immediately sensed his bones growing back and connecting at a swift pace. The rate of healing fell sharply soon afterward as the regenerative medicines effects started to wear off. Qianye fished out the Twin Flowers and once again took to the air. East Peak was no longer that powerful against an expert at Luo Bingfengs level. The only thing that could intimidate this opponent was the Shot of Inception. Luo Bingfeng was almost in a maddened state, with his hair in disarray and no longer as awe-inspiring as when he had first appeared. Qianye needed only one glance to see that Luo Bingfeng wasnt in a normal state. He had revealed several openings in just a short while and two of his attacks were launched in suboptimal conditions. The city lord was like a god of war just moments ago, his every move one with nature and devoid of any weakness. So much so that Qianye had to grab onto the mans leg in order to fire the Shot of Inception. Luo Bingfeng was still rampaging through the imperial experts and mercenary army, but he had reverted from god to human. This feeling was extremely subtle. To the bystanders, he was still that god of death who would kill anyone in his way, but Qianye could see that there was something different. He couldnt figure where this change came about, only that it was a good thing. His eyes turned blue as he channeled the Eye of Truth and stared at Luo Bingfeng, waiting for the perfect opportunity to deal a lethal blow. The city lord, at this point, was like a giant beast surrounded by a pack of wolves. Wherever he went, there were groups of experts buzzing around him. Another beam of blue sword radiance flickered, drawing a thread of blood from Luo Bingfengs shoulder. The imperial experts became highly spirited. As they saw it, this was the first time the city lord was meaningfully injured. Although this was just a flesh wound and Qianyes Shot of Inception was where the real damage lay, how could these ordinary experts see through the latters might? Everyone came forth to beleaguer Luo Bingfeng after noticing how weak he was, yet they had no idea that the injury had only served to anger the city lord. He let out a long howl as his figure began to flicker repeatedly, each flash accompanied by a flash of blood. In the blink of an eye, the blood of six imperial experts stained the sky and showered the ground. Shocked out of their wits, the group began to disperse despite Ji Tianqings previous threat, afraid that Luo Bingfeng would lock onto them. Only a dozen or so people including the elders from the Li and imperial family kept fighting to the death, guarding Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqings retreat. Luo Bingfeng didnt chase after Li Kuanglan. He instead landed on the ground and, with a wave of his hand, scattered a large swathe of jade green sword radiance. The beams fell like rain and drifted toward the mercenaries trying to climb the holy mountain. The strands of rain were extremely fine, but it was more than lethal against mercenaries at this level. After being struck on any part of their body, the soldiers would find their life force gradually withering away. They would collapse after a couple of steps, never to move again. A single rain killed hundreds of soldiers who were charging up at the fore, leaving only the ones furthest down alive. The soldiers who were charging forward paused briefly, and many of them looked up at the sky. The flame in their eyes had receded, replaced by terror. They didnt receive any expert reinforcements, merely another wave of sword energy bombardment. In the blink of an eye, hundreds more fell halfway up the mountain. Ordinary soldiers and experts had different battlefields to fight. Not to mention a peerless character like Luo Bingfeng, even ordinary champions and those close to the realm would find it beneath them to attack ordinary soldiers. Experts were the only opponents for experts. That was the case for Luo Bingfeng before. Not to mention those foot soldiers, he didnt even bother looking at the mediocre experts. Only people like Qianye, Song Zining, and the elders from the Li and imperial clan were able to enter his eyes. Hence, the mercenaries were able to concentrate on charging forward despite the earth-shattering fight in the skies. After all, the battle above was far beyond their scope. Who wouldve thought calamity would suddenly descend from the sky, that Luo Bingfeng would attack them despite his status. With the city lords divine might, it wasnt a problem for him to kill all ten thousand mercenaries. There was no need to fight this war anymore if he was intent on attacking in this manner. The mercenaries couldnt help but wonder where the imperial experts were. After launching two rounds of attacks, Luo Bingfeng cried out, Down from the holy mountain! Whoever dares take a step forward will be killed without mercy! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 966: Alone to the End With the two warnings in place, the mercenaries began to hesitate. The hundreds of corpses before them proved that this was a battle in which they never belonged. From whichever angle one looked at it, there was no way their lives should ever have to intersect with Luo Bingfeng. Even if no one among them was afraid of death, their charge on the holy mountain would only serve to drain Luo Bingfengs energy a bit. However, Song Zining raised his right hand and, once again, pointed at the holy mountain summit! The crew aboard the flagship were observing Song Zinings movements. Having received the order, a war-horn call once again echoed throughout the battlefield. The soldiers found their blood boiling because the bugle told them that their commander was charging at the van. Thousands of soldiers found their morale surging as they continued climbing the holy mountain. The squads behind bore through the defensive lines of Tidehark to join the ranks of those ascending the peak. At this point, the Tidehark city guard had been suffering constant bombardment from the imperial warships, heavy cannons, and even experts. Morale was at its lowest, and Du Yuan was nowhere to be found. Without any backbone support, some of the soldiers were already starting to sneak away. Luo Bingfeng was startled at the movement of the mercenaries. He had never imagined that the empire would actually send troops on the attack under such a situation. This was no different from stuffing his hands with the lives of mercenaries. Luo Bingfeng was far from being a pedantic person. After that brief lapse of astonishment, his fury ignited once more and his brows knitted into an almost vertical frown. He shot out dozens of ring-shaped sword energies that carved a path of death along the passage. The mercenaries along the abyssal road would hardly have any corpses left as they were cut up into countless pieces. No matter how well Song Zining had equipped these soldiers, they couldnt last a single moment against Luo Bingfengs sword energy. Close to a hundred soldiers died again, yet Song Zinings unwavering finger continued to point toward the summit. Bugle cries echoed one after the other, stoking the soldiers will to fight as they charged the holy mountain. Luo Bingfeng attacked several times, killing hundreds with each strike, yet he couldnt scare the imperial mercenaries into a retreat. At first, he had no intention of killing the weak, but these ants kept offending his honor. Luo Bingfeng shouted sternly, Do you think I cannot wipe you all out? Luo Bingfeng pointed toward the sky and started condensing a wisp of sword energy at his fingertip. This strike contained a massive amount of power, just like the few he had launched previously. Apparently, he was truly furious at this point. All of a sudden, he noticed a certain officer through the corner of his eyes. This man was stomping his feet and shouting as he directed the soldiers toward the mountain ascent. His expression was so sinister that even his facial muscles were twitching. For some reason, Luo Bingfeng felt an inexplicable hatred for this person. Without a second thought, his silhouette flickered as he appeared in front of this officer and sent his head flying with a slide of his finger. This attack looked easy, and it rightly shouldve beenyet the city lord couldnt help but feel a wave of discomfort in his heart. He turned back all of a sudden and saw Qianye standing in a crowd of mercenaries about ten meters away. There, with his finger as a gun, he fired a glowing feather of light. Time ground to a crawl as Luo Bingfeng looked down at the feather shooting into his body. He looked back up and pointed at the surrounding mercenaries. You used thousands of lives as bait to hook me? And I thought you were a hero! Those words were powerful and resonating. Qianye opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but he ultimately let out a light sigh and vanished into a group of mercenaries. Luo Bingfeng seemed completely nonchalant after taking yet another Shot of Inception. He flew back up into the air, saying, Just come if you want to kill me, whats the point of all these tricks? With that, he raised his sword to his eyesthe blade flickered several times like a dragon, killing several imperial experts in a single flash. These slashes came without a single trace, and there was simply no way to deal with them. These people couldnt even muster up resistance before losing their lives to the blade. Li Kuanglan was, at first, seeking an opportunity high in the sky when her expression changed all of a sudden. Luo Bingfeng somehow appeared in front of her and slashed thrice! Li Kuanglan moved like lightning. Cold Moons Embrace erupted in a mist of radiance and blocked all three slashes, but her face also turned pale in the process. Luo Bingfeng sneered as he drew back his sword, ready to attack and end Li Kuanglan once and for all. All of a sudden, a crisp sound emerged from his bladethere was actually a new crack upon it. Startled, he turned back to see that Song Zining had thrust his folding fan into the holy mountain with a stirring action. How dare you!? Luo Bingfeng roared, his figure arriving in front of Song Zining in an instant. At this moment, Ji Tianqing dashed past and escaped with the seventh young master in tow. But how could the city lord let them off so easily? He was just about to give chase when yet another crack appeared on the blade. He looked up into the distance and saw an imperial expert swinging a war-axe at the holy mountain. The holy mountain was made of mere rock and soil, so how could it withstand a blow from an expert? Silvery sparks flew out amidst the rock and gravel. Startled, that person grabbed them out of reflex. Opening his palm, he saw numerous rune-like objects in his grasphe had no idea what they were used for, and neither did he spend a lot of effort in contemplating it. He squeezed the object into a ball and tossed it to one side. Crack! Another crack appeared on Luo Bingfengs blade. The city lord looked around and saw that the surviving experts of the empire were distributed all over the mountain, digging madly on their own. His face became ashen with anger. He became flushed all of a sudden and spat out a large mouthful of blood. The imperial experts might be fairly mediocre in strength, but all of them were quite experienced. Seeing the city lords state, how could they not know that the mountain was likely his lifeline? Although they didnt quite understand the reasoning behind it, everyone started attacking the mountain with renewed fervor. Luo Bingfeng brandished his blade and flew toward an expert holding a heavy weapon. This elders attacks were exceedingly heavy, every hammer boring a huge hole in the soil. During his assault, a faintly discernible figure appeared beside him and threw a square punch at him. As if he was completely unaware, the city lord took the blow in its entirety. The impact was so great that Luo Bingfengs body sunk down from the force. Despite that, he arrived near the old man and managed to slash him into two. However, that figure followed him closely and landed yet another blow on Luo Bingfengs back. The latter staggered from the blow as he flashed a hundred meters away. Ji Tianqing looked at her hands, hardly able to believe that she had managed to land two attacks in a row. Ji Tianqing possessed powerful secret arts and her attacks were exceedingly heavy. Even Luo Bingfeng couldnt quite digest the damage, going pale as a streak of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He simply wiped the blood away before pouncing toward a different expert. There was no need to remind the imperial experts. They had long since dispersed in all directions to dig into the mountain. They kept running away in different directions upon Luo Bingfengs approach, continuing their geographical rampage in the process. Some others also found openings to attack the city lord from time to time. Luo Bingfeng went around putting out the flames without a care for his own safety and received countless attacks in the process. The disparity in numbers, however, was simply too great. The city lord might be peerless in a showdown, but there was no way he could stop everyone from attacking the holy mountain. He was currently like a lone swordsman traversing the land, unyielding but in despair. The cracks in his sword increased in number before it finally shattered into countless fragments and dispersed in the wind. A serene little courtyard finally became visible on the summit. Luo Bingfeng gazed at the courtyardsilent and unmovingalmost as though he had forgotten everything. An aqua blue streak of sword light left a large gash on Luo Bingfengs waist and, at the same time, numerous transparent daggers nailed themselves onto the city lords back. However, the city lord seemed to be completely oblivious to the change. Having taken a sure aim, Qianye raised his gun and a pair of lucent wings appeared behind him. Song Zining appeared beside him at this moment, saying, Fire! Song Zining was the only one who could approach Qianye like this. The latter, who would always listen to the seventh young master, simply couldnt find it in him to pull the trigger. Luo Bingfengs daze lasted mere moments. He arrived at the summit with a single step and entered the courtyard. This step was almost at the level of Qianyes spatial flash. Those imperial experts who were waiting to take advantage of the situation all stepped back involuntarily, shocked out of their wits. This step, paired with a powerful killing move, would allow Luo Bingfeng to kill all the experts at the scene. After entering the courtyard, Luo Bingfeng appeared in front of the side building. The door to the chamber was half-open, revealing the furnishings inside. This was a spacious room with origin arrays covering the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. All the interweaving layers could easily make ones eyes go blurry. A lady was kneeling at the center of the room, her head lowered as she gazed at the blade piercing through her chest. There was astonishment in her eyes, but also some relief. Rui Xiang was standing behind her, holding a long sword. He said softly, Heavenly Monarch Zhang wishes you well on the way. As I had thought, its him. Unfortunately, Bingfeng simply wont listen to me regarding this matter. The lady sighed softly, caressing the sharp edge. A stream of warm blood dripped down the blade; no one could tell whether it was from her chest or her hand. Luo Bingfeng couldnt endure any longer. He kicked the door away and said in a cold voice, Rui Xiang, what gall! Do you think I cant deal with you? A wisp of terror flashed through Rui Xiangs eyes. He looked around and saw that there was no way to escape. As a fierce character, he simply braced himself and said, You cant save her no matter how powerful your abilities are and you, yourself, will follow soon. Why should I fear death with two people to accompany me? Surprised and furious, Luo Bingfeng asked, I sealed these gates personally, how did you get in. Rui Xiang drew his blade out rapidly, eliciting a painful grunt from the lady as she fell down. Yet, she propped herself up on the floor without collapsing. The wound on her chest started to gush fresh blood. Shocked, Luo Bingfeng made to pounce forward, but he had no choice but to stop after seeing Rui Xiang pointing his blade at the ladys back. Rui Xiang stroked the blade with his finger and said calmly, This sword is reinforced with the power of a heavenly monarch. Dont tell me you dont recognize it? Luo Bingfengs expression was ashen. He let out a mournful cry, saying, I have never wronged him, why would he treat me so? Rui Xiang said coldly, Since this woman appeared, your cultivation improved by leaps and bounds. You now have a greater chance of stepping into the heavenly monarch realm first. Do you think he doesnt know your wolverine ambitions? Luo Bingfeng was livid. Just because of this? Just because of this? Big brother is my benefactor, hell always be my big brother even if I become a heavenly monarch. Why the need for this? Seemingly sensing something, Rui Xiangs tone relaxed. When that time really comes, the people of the world will only remember you, Heavenly Monarch Luo. Who would think of Heavenly Monarch Zhang? Luo Bingfeng took a deep breath. I was too naive. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 967: Shattered Hear Luo Bingfeng said in a gloomy voice, If big brother wants my life, why not just come and take it? Why would he attack a woman? His illustrious name is stained by vile people like you! Rui Xiang took a step back in shock. I have no say in this. Both the heavenly monarch and seventh young noble want her dead. Im only following orders. Luo Bingfeng gnashed his teeth. What benefits did the empire offer? This Rui Xiang shot Luo Bingfeng a glance and shivered. He had no choice but to tell the truth. I heard its the key to opening the heavenly monarch realm. Luo Bingfeng was startled, and then he broke into a laugh. The path to the heavenly monarch realm is beneath ones feet. When has anyone reached it with outside help? He believes such simple lies? Rui Xiang said, Naturally, one has to cultivate the heart, but outside help is also necessary. Didnt you have Miss Nan Nan to help you as well? Luo Bingfeng heaved a long sigh. Ive always lived my life like a hero. Who wouldve thought Id fall in the hands of inexperienced youngsters? Give me the sword! Rui Xiang took a step back in fright, but then he quickly placed the blade on the womans neck. Dont move! Otherwise, Ill kill her now! Luo Bingfengs expression sank. He reached out and grabbed Rui Xiangs wrist, ready to snatch the sword. This move was extremely swift, so much so that Rui Xiang had no time to respond before the sword left his hand. It was at this time that a dignified middle-aged man appeared behind Rui Xiang. He let out a cough as he opened his fingers and pressed down on Luo Bingfengs head! Luo Bingfeng was startled upon seeing that man. Only when the fingers were close by did he counter with his sword fingers. The origin arrays in the room all lit up and started to burn away, leaving nothing within mere moments. Everything in the courtyard lost its origin power attributes. Luo Bingfeng let out a muffled groan as he staggered out of the room. Rui Xiang was delighted. Its just as the seventh young noble said, youre no longer a peerless god of war without that womans reinforcement. Song Zining? Yes. What benefits did he give you, that you would do all of this? Without waiting for Rui Xiang to reply, Song Zinings voice arrived from outside the doors. I only gave him a way out, thats all. Luo Bingfeng didnt even turn back. Isnt life in the neutral lands good enough? Must you really go to the empire and become someone elses dog? These words pierced deep into Rui Xiangs being. Furious and embarrassed, the many years of grievance rushed to his head. Who else apart from you doesnt have to follow orders left and right? Whats the difference between the neutral lands and the empire? At least on the empires side, there are people like the seventh young noble willing to give me pointers toward the divine champion realm. No matter how low the chances are, theres still hope. And you? Youre peerless and heroic, yet youd rather exchange Mortal Enlightenment for a bunch of useless stuff than reveal even a small bit to me. Humph, even if I become a dog of the empire, at least Ill have a future. Its so much better than working with you! Luo Bingfeng had never imagined this kind of response. He merely explained that Mortal Enlightenment wasnt suitable for him. In the end, no matter how powerful experts like him and Zhang Buzhou were, their foundations were limited. There was no way they could compete with major entities like the Song clan. Song Zining needed only to flip about casually in the clan depository to produce several cultivation arts that would suit Rui Xiang. Zhang Buzhou and Luo Bingfeng couldnt do the same. Song Zining entered the courtyard and sized up the arrangements inside. As expected, a survivor of Brightmoon Zitherheart. City Lord, who wouldve thought a celebrated character like you would fall for her. Didnt you know that this sect would cultivate until their hearts were as hard as steel, that theyre actually no longer human? Luo Bingfengs expression sank. I naturally know what Nan Nan cultivates, I also know very well what her thoughts are. What do you know? Back then, the major families purged the Brightmoon Zitherheart in order to monopolize their status in the divination arts, forcing the clan to flee the empire. In the end, its all for power! Song Zining shook his head. How could things be so simple? Its because their cultivation methods are wrong, turning their hearts into steel toward the end. There were even experts who would try to materialize their zitherheart. This so-called zitherheart is not even flesh and blood anymore. Their experts have always been plotting to overthrow the empire and even the human race. In the end, only a world without sentience is fitting for their existence. Those not of our race will always have disloyal thoughts. These words are quite suitable here. I also cultivate divination arts, so hunting down evil remnants is part of my duty. Luo Bingfeng said, Putting people to death just from guesses. Good, very good! It is indeed the empires style! Song Zining wasnt angry, either. Wont you go and see her? The array has been broken, and the time condensation effect is no longer present. Even if her heart has become metallic, you wont be able to exchange final words if you keep delaying. Luo Bingfeng said nothing. He simply waved his hand, and one side of the courtyard turned to dust in its entirety, revealing the scenery inside. Just as before, the lady was kneeling quietly at the center with her icy cold hands hanging to either side. Her head was slightly lowered, allowing her hair to fall gently onto her chest. There was a faint smile of relief on her face, and if it wasnt for the shocking traces of blood, one would feel that she was peacefully asleep. Song Zinings body trembled and froze in place when he saw the puddle of blood. Luo Bingfeng said in a gloomy voice, She was already gone the moment the holy mountain was broken. Im all too clear about big brothers ability, that sword of his wont leave any survivors. But do you see the blood? Is that what you call a heart of steel and stone? Song Zining hadnt expected this outcome. He sighed. I wouldnt have used this plan if I had known beforehand. But, why would she lead me to believe that shes still walking on the old path of her sect, that she had already cultivated a zitherheart? The answer slowly came to Song Zining as he glanced thoughtfully at Rui Xiang. Luo Bingfeng was also extremely intelligent. Noticing where Song Zinings gaze was directed at, he also figured out the situation. She wasnt afraid of the empire, or her own death, but the hidden trap left behind by Zhang Buzhou. Hence, she had intentionally revealed her inheritance and the secret behind Luo Bingfengs perfect state. She even revealed her role in the city lords path to the heavenly monarch realm. All of this was for but one goalto have the empire and Zhang Buzhou target her instead of Luo Bingfeng. Perhaps she had never imagined that the empire and Zhang Buzhou would work together under Song Zinings orchestration, dealing her a fatal blow at a critical juncture. Perhaps she had already guessed it but was willing to accept this ending, just so Zhang Buzhous sword wouldnt land on Luo Bingfeng. Luo Bingfeng wasnt the only one with intelligence. Rui Xiang fell to the ground with a plop, crying, City Lord, please have mercy! This lowly one was only following orders. Please be magnanimous and let me go! Killing me will only dirty your hands. Its Zhang Buzhou who killed the young miss! At this moment, Luo Bingfengs aura seemed weaker and almost like during normal times. Rui Xiangs hidden ace, that sword containing Zhang Buzhous energy, was in Luo Bingfengs hands. With how fast the city lord was, he could easily kill the old man even if the latter were to flee right now. Although Song Zining had made an appearance, he was apparently quite weak and exhausted. Additionally, there seemed to be no other expert overseeing the place. Weighing the pros and cons, Rui Xiang decided to kneel down and beg for mercy. Luo Bingfeng sighed. How did you even injure Nan Nan? Although killing you would indeed dirty my blade, theres really no need for me to be concerned about such things at this point. Shocked out of his wits, Rui Xiang leapt up and fled with all his might. Luo Bingfeng swung the blade, firing a rainbow of sword energy that swept past Rui Xiang and severed him through the waist. Having bisected Rui Xiang, Luo Bingfeng turned to Song Zining with a dark gaze. He seemed entirely calm as he said, Did you come here to accompany Nan Nan in death? Song Zining was fearless. City Lord, you know full well that the empire is only here for the passage into the Great Maelstrom. We never even sought to control it, just to enter and leave. We would naturally depart as soon as the origin tide has passed. Its been at least several days since I started gathering resources and preparing for war. Why would you need to guard this place with your life and not even allow passage? If I may be so impolite, can you really say that you have nothing to do with the young miss death? Luo Bingfeng scoffed, saying, I was tasked with guarding this place. How can I yield just because you have the advantage in numbers? No need for further discussion. Its easy if you want me to give up the passage, just step over my corpse. Song Zining raised his brows. City Lord, why go so far? No doubt, it is Zhang Buzhou who gave you this duty. You already know how he treats you, why must you be so foolish? The young miss is gone, but the perfect state she gave you mustve been carved deep in your heart. You can still seek the path toward the heavenly monarch realm. You will surely break through after another decade of focused cultivation. Why would you give up such a future? Luo Bingfeng asked, The sword that was shattered just now, do you know what it was? Song Zining was startled. I dont know. Luo Bingfeng said slowly, You keep saying Nan Nan is an evil remnant of the Brightmoon Zitherheart Sect. That sword is her zitherheart. Song Zining was shocked. Then what did she cultivate internally? You can ask her yourself when you get to the other side! Luo Bingfeng roared as he grabbed his blade and thrust it at Song Zinings forehead! This attack was extremely precise and sharp. The blade came from Zhang Buzhou and still contained traces of his power. Now that it was being utilized at full force by Luo Bingfeng, Song Zining would not be able to take the blow even at his peak, let alone his current exhausted state. The moment this attack was launched, Song Zining realized that Luo Bingfeng had locked onto him completely. The lethal slash would find him no matter where he hid. Only in the face of this blow did song Zining realize how deep the city lords hatred was. He decided not to evade and simply closed his eyes to await death. It was at this moment that the seventh young master felt the back of his neck tighten as he was lifted up and tossed to one side. A feather of light flew past his neck and made straight for the tip of Luo Bingfengs sword. At the moment of life and death, Song Zining noticed that the edges of the golden feather were lined in black. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 968: Sable Eye The feather of light shot toward the blade, dissolving the sword intent in one go continuing toward Luo Bingfengs heart. Luo Bingfeng didnt evade, nor did he block. He simply gazed at the black-rimmed feather of light as it entered his chest and tore out of his back, his countenance full of reminiscence, sentiment, and relief. The sword in his hand gradually slumped down. He gazed sadly at Qianye and said slowly, So youre Andruils inheritor. Being able to see the Black-Winged Monarchs divine power, this final journey of mine can be considered quite brilliant. Qianye stood silently in front of Song Zining. Luo Bingfeng was simply too powerful, so powerful that he could kill everyone with a casual wave of his hand. Things had reached this stage only because the city lord was letting people off since the beginning of the battle, and all of Song Zinings follow-up plans were dealing great damage to him. There was also a non-negligible luck factor involved as well. Qianye didnt dare to underestimate the man, despite sensing that he was already a spent force at this point. Song Zining was also prone to collapse at the first blow, yet he was hell-bent on visiting the small courtyard for some reason. One finger was enough to kill him right now. Luo Bingfeng paid no heed to the vigilant Qianye. He simply walked over to the unmoving woman and reached out to lift her up. The moment his fingertips touched her clothes, however, she shattered into countless specks of light that scattered in the wind. Only at this point did Qianye understand that the woman had already left the moment Luo Bingfengs sword shattered. Her death was complete and thorough, even her corporeal body fading away from this world. Perhaps she never even had a corporeal body and that sword was her true self. It was just that the little courtyard was equipped with arrays that could lock time, and hence, it was able to preserve that final moment. Only when the entire holy mountain array was broken by the imperial experts did time start flowing forward. That was why Luo Bingfeng witnessed the moment Nan Nan was being assassinated when he stepped into the compound. Even at this point, Luo Bingfeng wasnt willing to believe this truth. He reached out to grab at the specks of light, but the motes simply passed through his palmthey flew high up into the sky and disappeared. Looking dejected and lost, he was only willing to let go when the last bit of light had vanished over the horizon. After what seemed like an eternity, Luo Bingfeng woke up from his reverie and glanced at the sword in his hand. It was a black and white sword, one that had cut through the defenses in the courtyard and killed Nan Nan. The sword itself didnt have that ability, but it had become invincible after the addition of Zhang Buzhous power. Since the blade could destroy the seals Luo Bingfeng had placed on the compound, it could easily injure her as well. She mustve accepted the weapon gladly as it went through her heart. Because, that way, the blade wouldnt land on Luo Bingfengs body. Perhaps the city lord had figured this out, or perhaps he hadnt. He flicked the edge of the sword, conjuring the figure of a dignified middle-aged man in the air. The projection looked down at Luo Bingfeng with a wooden expression. Its appearance stifled everyone in the courtyard. Apparently, Zhang Buzhous consciousness had arrived at the place by virtue of the remaining power in the sword. This was no longer just a lifeless image. Luo Bingfeng gazed into Zhang Buzhous eyes, almost spewing out flames and sparks as he did so. Luo Bingfeng heaved a lengthy sigh, saying, Big Brother, you left the holy mountain and passage in my care back then, and I told you that I would protect them with my life. Today, I have completed my duty. Zhang Buzhou was slightly moved, but then he calmed down after a short while. Luo Bingfeng raised the blade to his eyes, saying, This sword contains your power, and is akin to your avatar. So, let this strike repay your life-saving grace and sever our brotherly bond. With that, Luo Bingfeng spun the tip around and stabbed the blade through his heart and body. Zhang Buzhou was visibly moved and reached out to stop the suicidal thrust, but his hand stopped midway and ultimately didnt interfere. Luo Bingfengs eyes gradually turned dim. All old sentiments have been severed. If theres a next life, I hope to fight to the death with you! The city lord finally collapsed with a loud thuda peerless expert of the generation thus fell into the dust. Zhang Buzhou sighed to himself. He then cast his gaze at Song Zining and Qianye, his expression pensive as he gazed at the latter. Soon afterward, he raised his right hand ever so slightly. Song Zining flicked his finger upon seeing this. A leaf shot out and struck the black-white sword, immediately dying the blade in green and cutting off Zhang Buzhous energy. How dare you! Zhang Buzhou was furious. He was just about to attack when his figure began to blur. He simply didnt have the energy to attack. Song Zining laughed loudly. There are indeed things this young master does not dare to do, but unfortunately, offending you isnt one of them. Cultivate in peace, I wont see you off! Zhang Buzhou was furious. His lips moved in what looked like a curse, but the figure was extremely faint at this point, and the words wouldnt come through. Qianye walked over to Luo Bingfengs body to pick it up. The man was a great talent of the generation, and it was a great pity that he would fall to this fate. At this moment, however, the entire holy mountain began to shake. The entire place, including the city, began to tremble and sway. The sound of raging tides grew louder as giant waves rose up from the abyssal depths of the Eastern sea and crashed onto the cliffs by the shore. The waves grew taller and taller, seemingly poised to connect heaven and earth, ready to crush the entire shore. In the depths of the Eastern Sea, an enormous consciousness awakened and started observing the scene. The mercenaries on the holy mountain staggered and stumbled downno one below the champion realm could stand firm. It was at this moment that the signal to attack started to slow down and turned into a bugle cry representing the order to retreat. Almost immediately, the soldiers started to retreat like the receding tides. They had a vague feeling that a terrifying existence was currently waking up in the depths of the holy mountain. Even the most bloodthirsty of mercenaries found themselves trembling and almost unable to stand firm, let alone press the attack. The two sides simply werent on the same level. The massive chasm between them wasnt something that could be made up for with willpower. It wasnt just the mercenaries. The surviving imperial experts couldnt withstand the pressure either and started shaking. The elders from the Li family and the imperial clan, however, were excited. They stared fixedly at the peak of the holy mountain, not even willing to blink. The tremors increased in intensity. All of a sudden, the little courtyard at the summit began to sink downward, bringing Luo Bingfengs corpse with it. Qianye grabbed Song Zining and took to the air, where he looked down at the bottomless pit with a serious expression. The courtyard, along with Luo Bingfengs body, thus sank into the giant pit and vanished. Although a fair number of people had their eyes on Luo Bingfengs treasures, who would dare to approach the giant hole? All they could do was sigh in pity as they watched the small courtyard disappear. Qianye, however, felt content. This was the only way to preserve Luo Bingfengs dignity and give this peerless expert eternal peace. With the holy mountain collapsing, a giant ball of dark radiance eventually emerged from the pit. It revolved slowly with a grey halo hanging around it. The spherical body was lightly colored on the exterior and deeply colored inside, as though it was accumulating an unimaginable amount of power within. Its appearance alarmed almost all experts at the scene. They began to flee in all directions as though they had been locked onto by a primordial beast. A black crack soon appeared on the ball of light. It seemed like a giant existence was opening its eyes! Immediately upon seeing the eye open, Song Zining pushed Qianye from behind. Get in! Caught off-guard, Qianye was flung into the pupil. The moment he passed through the eye, he could vaguely hear the imperial experts cursing and shouting, but he could no longer discern the contents of their angry discussion. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 969: World of Gravity The moment he passed through the pupil, Qianye felt as though he had just passed through a thin membranous layer to enter an unfamiliar world. Variegated patches of color appeared around him from time to time, as well as brilliant beams of light. In this world, there was no sense of direction to grasp, nor could one feel the flow of timethe lack of dependable sensations was inexplicably distressing. Even someone of Qianyes constitution immediately felt his vision blur and was soon overcome by the urge to vomit. However, he couldnt even do that because he couldnt feel his own body and the surroundings. Qianye tried hard to differentiate the things that he could, with the fortunate help of the Eye of Truth. Under its powers, the changes in light around him suddenly slowed down, allowing him to seeif just barelythat there was something within the beams of light. Qianye willed it and found that his body could move accordingly. He consciously maintained a good distance from the appearing light beams. As expected, when one of the beams slowed down, he finally saw that there was a mass of land spinning slowly within it. The landmass was almost as big as the Qin Continent, with shades of jade green everywhere. Apparently, it was a thriving land, but Qianye simply couldnt remember which one among the twenty-seven continents was shaped like that. The handful of continents at the very top of the world was devoid of all life, and apart from a few top experts, few could ever set foot on them. There were no records of these continents in the empires records, either. It could also be that Qianyes authority never reached that level. Just as he was thinking, the belt of light passed by rapidly and vanished into the depths of the chaotic world. Another mass of light began to form up ahead. Similarly, there was a landmass at the center of this radiant sphere, one Qianye had never seen before. Just like that, Qianye was made to see scenery he had never before witnessed. There were seven or eight continents he had never seen before, as well as unimaginably big mountains and giant creatures that could occupy half of a continent lying down. He beheld rippling underwater mirages, countless marine creatures, and massive entitiesliving beings or otherwiseroaming the void. All of these toppled his current knowledge. Yet, Qianye didnt know what he was seeing nor could he tell if they were real. This kind of floating seemed to go on in an endless cycle. Time and space were in utter chaos, or perhaps they simply did not exist. While floating aimlessly, Qianye inadvertently noticed a certain scenery which shook him! It was a large continent, but the imagery was too blurry to discern its details. It was made up of a crescent-shaped landmass with dozens of small islands dotting the other side. Qianye had never seen this continent. He was just about to study it in detail when a small familiar-looking island caught his attention. Upon careful inspection, he found that this small island was similar to one of the continents he had seen before! He suppressed the shock and continued the observation. Seemingly affected by Qianyes will, the imagery slowed down to allow for a leisurely observation. After looking at it repeatedly, Qianye finally confirmed that he had seen this island before. It was just that the landmass wasnt an island the last time he saw itit was a continent much larger than the four belonging to the empire. Now, it looked just like a small island due to the enormity of the neighboring continent. At this ratio, this continent was probably even bigger than the twenty-seven continents combined. And this scene wasnt even complete. It merely depicted a small corner of the giant world. Qianye couldnt help but feel overwhelmed at how large this world was! It was somewhat odd that such a place had never appeared before in the records of Evernight. It could be temporarily concluded that this continent wasnt within the Great Maelstrom, otherwise, how could the people not know? The Empire and Evernight had been going in and out of the maelstrom for many years. Qianye felt that what he saw wasnt an illusion but something that existed in reality. It was just that only Qianye managed to see it for some reason. If it was just his imagination, it wouldnt have been so complete, so clear, and a perfect match with the one he had seen. Could it be that there was a boundless new world beyond the void? Was it this new world that was drawing the peerless experts of every generation into exploring the void passages? At this moment, a giant door had seemingly opened up in front of Qianye, affording him a matchless view of one standing at the peak of the world. In addition to being mentally shaken, Qianye also felt waves of unbearable pain as sensation returned to his body. Every inch of his skin seemed like it was on fire and being torn apart. A strong sense of danger also appeared once more in his heart. Fortunately, his ancient vampire constitution was extremely powerful. Despite having lost his senses, his blood core was operating just as before, delivering auric flame blood to all parts of his body and regenerating his injuries. Judging from the current situation, it could be said that there was no danger to Qianyes life as long as he had essence blood remaining. With his senses restored, the entire world transformed once again. All of the strange phenomena receded like the tides and the world went back to its original stateall dimensions, direction, and time, as well as visible objects. Within a split second, Qianye realized that he was mid-air and that there was a huge body of water below him. The shore, dotted with verdant trees, stood not far off in the distance. Without enough time to react, he fell straight into the water and sank down rapidly. The water here seemed different from that of the empire, possessing only a surprisingly small amount of buoyancy. It didnt look very deep, and visibility wasnt so bad in the light green waters. Qianye could see from the bottom all the way to the top without using his True Sight. He simply gave up on trying to swim, opting instead to hold his breath and walk along the bottomhe was poking his head out of the water before long. Qianye swept the water droplets off of his head, and then left the water to catch his breath. Looking back, he found himself standing beside a majestic lake, one so large that one could hardly tell if it was a lake or a sea without tasting the water. Qianye glanced around at the woods behind. There was a familiar yet strange feeling originating inside the grove. The woods were made up of ancient trees that blotted out the skiesverdant, exuberant, but dark and gloomy. The wind from within carried a cold humidity that cut to the bones and the faint sounds of unknown creatures. None of the trees here were identifiable to Qianye. The flora and fauna of every major continent was a required course back at Red Scorpion. Qianye couldnt claim he knew all of the common plants, but he did know most of them. Being unable to recognize a single tree in the entire forest, now that was abnormal. Qianye walked into the woods with plans to explore its borders. The first step he took immediately left a deep print in the ground. The soil around the lakeshore wasnt mud but made up of firm-looking stones. Normally, Qianye would need to spend some effort if he wanted to leave a footprint on stone. It was quite odd that a casual step would leave a footprint. Qianye gave it some thought before touching his necklace and producing East Peak from it. Immediately upon appearing, the sword sank downward in Qianyes grasphe almost couldnt hold on and had to exert urgent force to lift the blade up. East Peak, at this point, was almost ten tons in weight. From this, Qianye confirmed that the gravity of this new world was at least several times stronger than the Empire and Evernight. He only felt a slight bit of discomfort because of how strong his body was. Any ordinary person might have sustained injuries and probably wouldnt be able to stand up. Qianye waved East Peak around to get himself used to the new environment. He knew he was probably in the Great Maelstrom. It was just that Song Zining never mentioned that the gravity here would be so terrifying. The Empire had explored the place several times, so there had to be some intelligence regarding it. With how capable and connected Song Zining was, it was impossible for him not to have seen them. According to imperial records, the explored parts of the Great Maelstrom were not so different from the Empire and Evernight. There was definitely no mention that the gravity was over ten times stronger. At this point, Qianye had already realized that he had arrived directly into the depths of the Great Maelstrom. This was both good and bad. The good thing was that this area hadnt been explored yet, which means that the vast resources here were yet untouched. The bad thing was that he would have to face more unknown dangers. Many dangers within the Great Maelstrom were fairly lethal to the geniuses of the two factions. Information from the explored regions stood proof that the further away from the tunnel, the more dangerous it was. The dangers here came in many shapes and forms. There were all kinds of powerful beasts, small but venomous insects, and extremely toxic vegetation. Some of the more dangerous species were poisonous at times and not during others. The dangers Qianye had to face were even greater. Gravity was just one thing and the dangers in the environment were another. Whats more, he didnt even know where he should be going. At this point, Qianye felt a wave of nausea and wanted to vomit. This wasnt normal at all. Fortunately, Qianyes perception and control over his body were far beyond that of an ordinary person. He immediately found out that the root of the problem was still gravity. As someone with auric flame blood, both his flesh and bones had been remodeled and strengthened considerably. Comparatively, his innards were quite weak. Under the terrifying effects of increased gravity, his weaker organs were starting to give in and show small breaks. Despite that, the regenerative and adaptive capacity of the ancient vampires seemed to be at the peak of Evernight. His innards started healing on their own after a while and began showing early signs of strengthening. Although this was just an early adaptation reaction, it would still afford great help in his quest to acclimatize to the Great Maelstrom. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 970: The Unstable Passage Qianye stood silently in place and only walked toward the forest after the initial strengthening had been completed. Along the way, he scanned the surroundings cautiously with True Sight. Just the abnormally powerful gravity was enough to make this world sufficiently dangerous, not to mention the hidden threats brought about by it. Human experts would have to constantly protect their innards with origin power since they werent as powerful as Qianye with regards to constitution. This was a significant disadvantage for the human race as they would be spending more origin power than the dark races. There was nothing abnormal around the borders of the forest. There was only short foliage in addition to the uncovered soil and moss at the roots of the ancient trees. At a glance, the forest looked no different from one back in the empire. There was only one exception to thisQianye couldnt recognize any of the species here. The most important reason for entering the Great Maelstrom was to improve ones own strength, and the second was to collect rare materials. Qianye wasnt so worried about the first part, but the second one was going to be somewhat difficult. There were enormous amounts of rare resources here, but most of the recorded ones were near the entrance. There was next to no information about this high gravity environment, so how was he to differentiate what''s useful? After going a certain distance, Qianye noticed something flickering about in his vision. It vanished as Qianye turned to look, but there was no escaping after catching his attention. He took cautious steps forward and circled around an ancient tree to glance behind it. There, he found an unassuming piece of rock sitting amidst the interlocking roots of the tree. The stone was fairly even in shape and about half a meter in length. There was even moss on the surface, clearly something that had been sitting there for countless years. If it wasnt for the abnormal movement just now, Qianye might very well have overlooked it. Qianyes eyes turned blue as he channeled his True Sight on the rock. Very soon, he found that the origin power fluctuations were coming, not from the stone, but the moss on top of it. Qianye used his finger to scrape off a small piece and found the defect bursting into raging flames. It wasnt a real blaze but a phenomenon brought about by the strong origin power reaction. It was unimaginable that a small patch of moss would actually contain such intense origin power. The glow in Qianyes vision soon faded away as the missing spot in the moss stopped leaking origin power. Although he had no idea what attribute origin power it was, this kind of mossand perhaps even the rock itselfwere extraordinary objects. Qianye carefully dug the rock out from among the roots and placed it in Andruils space. He tried cutting into one of the roots but found nothing special inside, at least with regards to origin power. Qianyes harvest was quite bountiful, though, having grasped a new, potential rare resource. It wasnt as though these ancient trees had no use. Perhaps due to the gravity, the wood material was extremely strong and even Qianye had to spend a bit of effort digging through them with East Peak. The wood here would make for top-tier ship-building material if they could be shipped to the empire since their quality was fairly close to that of high-grade alloys. The latter was too expensive to acquire in bulk, even for the empire. All they could afford was to produce certain key components with it. If an airship could be built entirely out of this wood, then its performance would only be inferior to the flagships belonging to major characters. Unfortunately, the wood was too cumbersome and the space within Andruils space was limited. Qianye wasnt about to fill his precious space with wood. Just as Qianye was planning to continue his exploration in the forest, he suddenly sensed something. He immediately climbed into the crown of the tree and glanced up at the sky. The world inside the Great Maelstrom was fairly strange. The sky was extremely high up and filled with floating clouds, but there was neither sun nor planet, so where was the light coming from? A dark ball of light appeared in the sky at this moment, surrounded by flashes of lightning. A human silhouette flew out of the sphere and stood in the air. In truth, that wasnt a ball of light, but the door into this world. It would seem another person had arrived after Qianye. It was just that he couldnt tell whether this guest was from Evernight or the Empire. The dark-colored sphere faded away as soon as the figure had passed through. Apparently, the door would only allow for one person. Compared to the confused Qianye, this person seemed to have come prepared. The glow of an origin shield lit up around him, protecting him firmly inside. However, this method was only useful against the adverse environment of this world and could do absolutely nothing against the powerful gravity. That person probably hadnt imagined the gravitational pull would be so great, either. Following a cry of surprise, he started falling to the ground like a meteor. Qianye had fallen into the lake back then, but this person wasnt so lucky. He fell headfirst onto the rocky cliff with a cringe-inducing thudsimply imagining the pain involved made Qianyes eyelids twitch. Another flash of light appeared far off in the distance. With his powerful eyesight, Qianye was able to see another figure flying out of the materializing door and falling similarly to the ground. This person, however, was much more powerful. He managed to adjust his trajectory before hitting the ground and managed to take to the air once more. Qianye pondered momentarily. He then retracted his aura, jumped down the tree, and started sneaking toward that persons location. If the new arrivals were people from the empire, they might need his help, otherwise, if they were from Evernight, he naturally had to take this opportunity to kill them while they were weak. As stormy winds brewed in the Great Maelstrom, Tidehark wasnt at peace, either. The collapse of the holy mountain had ended, and the tall peak was now nothing more than flat land. The dark-colored sphere in the air was only half the size compared to when it had appeared and fading fast. Additionally, bolts of dark lightning would arc out from time to time. Experienced experts would know that this was a sign of the passage starting to destabilize. With the entrance becoming unstable, the risk of traversing the passage would increase sharply. The passage in the neutral lands had always existed, but no one had sought to use it in the past century because it was simply too unstable. Trying to traverse it was akin to suicide. At this moment, an expert in his thirties was standing at the entrance, sweating profusely in his anxiety. He was equipped with numerous layers of armor and protective gear, much like a turtle-shell. An elder patted his shoulder and said in a gloomy voice, Dont panic. Remember, you have to face the situation calmly. This is an opportunity the family spent fifty years to obtain, dont miss it. The man nodded. The tension on his face lessened somewhat, replaced by a look of determination. Okay, go now! Ill help you! The old man pushed the mans back, engulfing him with a gentle stream of origin power that brought him toward the passage. Just as he was about to enter, however, the entrance started to ripple all of a sudden and the dark bolts of lightning increased noticeably. The man almost cried out as he channeled origin power with all his might, activating almost all of his defensive equipment. The old man seemed to hesitate for a moment but ultimately decided to increase his force and push the man into the passage. The fluctuation intensified as lightning surged out like the tides, almost forming a net of electricity inside the passage! The despairing man crashed straight into the mesh of lightning, and at that moment, the imagery disappeared. The tunnel interior was no longer visible. Only a cry of desperation echoed outward from the entrance. The old mans expression was gloomy and his hands were trembling slightly. Anyone could tell that the situation just now was extremely perilous. The bystanders kept their silencethey couldnt even offer words of condolence at this point because that would only serve to sprinkle salt on the elders wounds. The old man turned about and roared, Come, we must see Song Zining! Moments later, the old man was seated in the living room of Song Zinings flagship, staring daggers at the latter with his eagle-like eyes. There were half a dozen other representatives in the roompeople from the aristocratic families, the imperial clan, and even Yan Ding was around. However, the general only sat quietly in a corner. Apparently, he had come to realize that his role was negligibly small. The first one to question Song Zining was an elder from the imperial clan. He rubbed his hairless chin as he said in a feminine voice, Seventh Young Noble, Im not the only one to seek you out. I believe everyone has the same question on their mind, so Ill speak on their behalf as well. What say you? Song Zining smiled. Eunuch Zhang, please speak freely. Eunuch Zhang said, Then Ill be frank. The quota and sequence of experts going into the Great Maelstrom were agreed beforehand and you were also present. Qianyes name wasnt on the list, not even in the second batch if I remember correctly. Song Zining nodded with a smile. That is indeed the case, you did remember right. Eunuch Zhangs expression sank. I dont understand why you would send Qianye into the passage first. Its fine if there was no change in the passage, but it is just as the elder prince had expected, the passage becomes extremely dangerous after someone enters it. Now, the tunnel is no longer stable and no one else can enter. We still have two people on the list who didnt make it inside. How will you explain this? Without waiting for Song Zining to speak, an aristocratic elder banged the table. My nephew went into the tunnel but its clear that everything is pointing to disaster now! Not to mention the resources our Lu Family had to gather over five decades, my nephew is a top genius! How will you compensate us for this matter? Otherwise, our Lu family isnt so easily bullied! Song Zining waved his fan slowly. So, you want me to give you an explanation? Exactly! Humph, it only makes sense that you explain things. Human life is beyond value. This isnt something you can just gloss over. Song Zining replied calmly, Ive long since told you that the passage isnt stable and that no one should enter. Despite that, your Lu family just had to grasp at that last straw. Who is to blame for that? The Lu family elder said, This wouldnt have happened if you didnt let Qianye enter first. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 971: What Can You Do? Song Zining observed everyones expressions. Does this mean that everyone here wants an explanation from me? Exactly! Even if youre famous, you cant ignore all of the nobility like this. Song Zining gave everyone a nod and made ready to speak. The crowd thus quieted down in anticipation of what he was about to say. Who wouldve thought his signature smile would turn into a frosty grin? He roared, Im just looking out for my brother, what can you do to me? These words exceeded everyones expectations. Who wouldve thought the usually civilized and elegant seventh young noble would shed all pretenses and throw out such undisguised words. This wasnt just speaking his mind; it was a fearless provocation. The Lu family elder shot to his feet, pointing at Song Zining with a trembling finger. Such insolence from a brat! You can forget about getting any peace if you dont give our Lu family an explanation today. My nephews life cannot be wasted! Song Zining shot a glance at the old man and then turned toward the crowd. So the lives of your scions are worth a lot but Qianyes isnt? Everyone sitting here should know how well you performed in the fight for the holy mountain. Humph, you cower when its time to fight but yap your tongues when fighting for quotas. I have no plan to outtalk you people, and theres no need to waste useless words since Ill do exactly what I want. Do you think a bunch of cowardly trash like you is worthy of any explanation from me? The Lu elder was livid. What insolence! What insolence! The Song clan did such a poor job raising you that I really wish I could teach you a lesson in their place! Song Zining sneered. You want to teach me a lesson? Very well. Three days later when Im completely recovered, Ill be waiting outside of the city for a fight to the death! The Lu elder was shocked. He pointed at Song Zining but had nothing to say except for uttering Y-You you... Song Zining didnt wait for him to speak. Dont tell me Elder Lu wants to take advantage of my injuries and fight me to the death now? The elder was startled, seemingly having his thoughts seen through. Although his cultivation was higher than Song Zinings, the Lu family was just a low-ranking aristocratic family. They simply couldnt compare to a massive entity like the Song in terms of gear and secret arts. These two factors would close the gap between them by a fair bit. In addition, the recent battles proved that this batch of young imperial geniuses was dauntless in the face of deathtruly terrifying. If Song Zining were to step into the arena three days later, fully healed, the one walking out alive might not be Elder Lu. He was very clear about this fact, as were the people around him. But with how clear Song Zining had phrased it, the elder simply couldnt bring himself to say it. Besides, It would be useless even if he didthe opponent wasnt that dumb. In the blink of an eye, Elder Lu and Song Zining fell into a situation where they would have to fight to the death. This wasnt what he initially intended. Now, however, he would lose all face and never be able to stand tall for years to come. The people nearby became tense and quickly stepped in to mediate. That wasnt what Elder Lu meant, please dont handle matters emotionally. Its not wise to fight internally during these troubled times. The Lu family has just lost one of their main talents, so we should discuss how we can compensate them reasonably. Many people chimed in after hearing these words. Elder Lu took the opportunity to resume his seat and extricate himself from this difficult position. Everyones eyes fell on Song Zining, their thoughts fairly evident. Song Zining wasnt about to hold back. He opened his folding fan, saying, What youre all saying is that you want quotas for the second batch, right? Its best if I give up my own quota as well or move myself to the last. Everyones smiles became awkward. Theres no need to go so far, well feel bad if that happens. Haha! Song Zinings smile disappeared. This young master will not give up my quota, nor will I change the sequence. Whoever wants my quota can stand, let me get acquainted with them. Everyone was astounded. Someone said with a forced smile, What does the seventh young noble mean? Song Zining laughed. You people never gave it your all during the showdown, but youre quite extreme when fighting for the spoils! Whoever wants my quota should stand up and say it. Forget about forcing me to give it up or distributing it in secret. Let me tell you the truth, Im a very vengeful person who knows no magnanimity. Whoever wants to be my enemy should kill me in a couple of years. Otherwise, this young master will eliminate you all by the third year, even if youre a low-ranking aristocratic family! Elder Lu was livid and restless in his seat. He had used his family name to threaten Song Zining, so the latter was sure to eliminate them! Seeing no one responding, Song Zining pointed at the sky and said casually, Even if you''re determined to do that, its useless. Let me tell you that I have people above me. Everyone knew that Song Zining did not share an amicable relationship with the Song clan, but they also remembered that the Song clan ancestor favored him the most. Currently, the clan was thinking of a way to make him return. They probably wouldnt just stand by if something were to happen to him. Apart from that, Song Zining was notoriously well-connected in every field. Many major characters in the empire had unclear relationships with him, and there was no telling who was from which faction. Unless they could get rid of him secretly without leaking any clues, what awaited them might be a wave of thunderous wrath. At the thought of this, everyones smiles turned stiff as most of them were mid to lower aristocracy. Those at the top-tier had already sent their people in. These families had only banded together to make Song Zining lower his head. If they really were to go head to head with him, there was no telling whether or not they could withstand Song Zinings future retaliation. What was certain, however, was that they couldnt afford to suffer the wrath of a true powerhouse. Seeing that they couldnt suppress Song Zining, people started looking toward the imperial clan representative. They were hoping he could do something about the seventh young masters arrogance. Eunuch Zhang knew it was time for him to step out. He let out a dry cough and said calmly, This matter stems from you, seventh young noble. This opportunity in the Great Maelstrom isnt really a necessity for you, either, so why not end things on a happy note by shifting the order of entry. If youre willing to do that, were willing to listen to whatever demands you may have. Everyone listened attentively. The quota to enter the Great Maelstrom was too important to them. A success here would give their families a chance to take a step upward, so who would be willing to give up? Eunuch Zhangs suggestion intended for both parties to take a step back. Song Zining would free up his quota and everyone else would compensate him for it. Everyone was able to accept this. Riches and fortunes could be accumulated, but their families would have no hope of progress without talents. Song Zining seemed to know what everyone was thinking. Fine, I have only one demand. Investigate Yun Zhong and Yun Hais background to their roots. Eunuch Zhangs expression shifted slightly. Isnt this matter clear enough yet? They have been punished by Eunuch Liu for going against their orders and cowering in the face of battle. Is that so? What a pity, then. Eunuch Zhang sat straight with a serious expression. I can agree to it If you really must investigate, but only to the extent of my power. I cant decide how far I can go. Let it be if you cant decide. Otherwise, everyone will be unhappy if you cannot come to a conclusion. At that point, Ill have to talk to the person above me. Eunuch Zhangs countenance became unnatural. He leaned forward and asked in a probing manner, May I ask who this person is? Song Zining smiled spuriously. I dont dare to utter their name, neither will you want to hear it. Eunuch Zhang sighed. Since thats the case, it looks like I cant help with this matter. Farewell! With that, the eunuch rose from his seat and left with the imperial clan in tow. Now, only the people from the aristocracy were left behind. Top aristocratic families like the Li had long since sent their people into the tunnel, so none of them were present. The group here had gathered in hopes that the imperial clan would support them. Who wouldve thought Eunuch Zhang would leave immediately after Song Zining suggested the investigation of Yun Zhong and Yun Hais origins? The man simply left, having no intention of wading into these muddy waters. This pushed the minor aristocratic families into the stage. Song Zining scanned everyone with a smile and said word by word, I insist on looking after my brothers, what can you do to me? Moments later, the entire group leftdejected, silent, and gloomy. They discovered that they simply couldnt do anything to Song Zining. As for taking it out on Qianye, there was no need to even think about it. Even the number one expert of the imperial palace had taken action to save him, at the risk of being killed by the Throne of Blood. Even without this level of connection, Qianyes current strength was already quite terrifying. How could these small families handle him if he were to improve once again in the Great Maelstrom? Even if these people didnt understand during the battle of the holy mountain, everyone shouldve figured out later that it was Qianyes three Shots of Inception that had truly injured Luo Bingfeng. The last shot, especially, was earth-shattering in its power. Who could or would dare to take such a blow? Hence, they would rather target Song Zining than a god of death like Qianye. At least, this seventh young master was better known for his scheming. Such types would rarely shed all pretenses, and it was more likely to reach a compromise. If it was Qianye in his place, there might be a Shot of Inception flying over immediately. It was just that no one had imagined that the seventh young master would turn so entirely hostile. He would rather step into a life and death arena than yield. Was this because he was peeved or was he planning to seek revenge for the families crowding out Qianye? No one had an answer to this. Only the words I insist on looking after my brothers, what can you do to me? echoed in their ears. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 972: Good Boy, Don’t Resis Within the Streamdew Courtyard in the depths of the imperial palace, red flowers were dancing amidst the jade-green bamboo and the breeze was caressing the supple willows. Empress Li sat leaning on the parapet, gently stroking the snow-white cat on her lap and seemingly thinking about something. At this point in time, the person, the scenery, and the cat, everything was as beautiful as a paintingbut there was something disharmonious about it. The white cat was struggling constantly in the empress hands, its eyes filled with terror. It was as though the animal had just seen something extremely terrifying. It tried to cry out but no sound came out, and no matter how it struggled, it couldnt escape Empress Lis gentle caress. A maid arrived in brisk steps, arriving behind Empress Li as though she were walking on water. Empress, Steward Liu is back and has obtained the thing you wanted. Empress Lis dark eyebrows moved slightly. Summon him. Yes. The maid thus withdrew. All this time, she had kept her head lowered, not looking at the cat even once. The white feline seemed to have lost all hope after the maids departure. It no longer struggled or cried out, allowing the empress to stroke it as she wished. Eunuch Liu arrived moments later. He had one hand on a young servant, his steps leisurely and his countenance, jaded. At a glance, he looked just like an elder with one foot in the grave and no semblance of an experts demeanor. Seeing Eunuch Liu arrive, Empress Li stood up and waved her hand gently. Seat. A maid responded immediately, carrying in a brocade-lined seat and placing it toward the side. Eunuch Liu didnt deny the gesture and duly took his place. Only after the old man was seated did the empress resume her position and send the attendants away. A wisp of anxiety and anticipation appeared on the empress face after everyone was gone. How did it go? Eunuch Liu said slowly, There were some twists and turns, but things can be considered to have gone quite smoothly. That Luo Bingfeng is unexpectedly powerful, probably on par with me on the holy mountain. Fortunately, he was too upright and magnanimous. In the end, he fell to the combined scheming of the seventh young noble and Zhang Buzhou. The passage has been secured and Young Noble Kuanglan has successfully entered. I think Ive completed my mission. Empress Li still looked a bit worried. Its lucky that you were there. Do you think Kuanglan will encounter danger in the Great Maelstrom? Eunuch Liu said, Anything can happen in the Great Maelstrom, but Young Noble Kuanglan is a highly proficient swordsman and blessed with great fortune. She should be fine. As for the detailed situation, I cannot see into the Great Maelstrom, so Ill have to disappoint you. The empress replied, If it wasnt for you restraining the one on the Throne of Blood, the empire wouldnt have taken the passage successfully. Sigh, this passage leads straight to the depths of the maelstrom, a place no one had been to before. I hope Kuanglan will be alright. But I heard there were other setbacks in the process, do you know the details? Eunuch Liu explained briefly how Yun Zhong and Yun Hai had tried to harm Qianye. Ive personally killed the two traitors. Empress Li frowned. What are their origins? Why did they do this? Eunuch Liu replied slowly, This matter is highly complicated. Ive sent people to investigate, but I dont know if theyll succeed. Empress Li frowned as she noticed Eunuch Lius hidden words. Is there anything you cant do? If needed, I can lend you my command token. Eunuch Liu shook his head. Im old now, so there are times when Im muddled. Even if I have your command token, I might not remember how to use it. Empress Lis brows relaxed after hearing this. She said with a faint smile, Since thats the case, then I wont force you. Now that youre here, why dont you tell me how that person performed? Eunuch Lius expression was serious. Do you want the truth or polite words? Of course the truth. Theres no one else here, so you need not fear anything, speak frankly. Eunuch Liu said, But theres a cat. Empress Li smiled faintly. Just an animal, it cant do much. Yet anxious animals might scratch. Your body is of the utmost importance, it wont be good if you get scratched. Empress Li smiled radiantly. Such a small wound is nothing. If that happens, Ill let this animal see the immensity of heaven and earth, reminding it to stop thinking about nonsense. Eunuch Liu nodded. Since thats how you think, I wont hide it from you. What do you want to know? What do you want to tell me? Eunuch Liu pondered momentarily before saying, The Throne of Blood had an eye on me so I didnt stay until the end, but I heard his last strike was extremely terrifying. Empress Lis brows rose high and her smile became more dazzling. This is the best news Ive heard in recent days. Eunuch Liu said, Its only half good. I have something for your eyes. He produced a palm-sized scroll from his chest pocket and passed it over. Empress Li received the object, tapping lightly on Eunuch Lius hand as she did so. The eunuch seemed not to have noticed. He merely said with a bow, Ill take my leave, then. Please look through the item after Im gone. Empress Li nodded and stood up as a gesture of farewell. Take care. After waiting for the eunuch to leave, Empress Li removed the seal on the scroll and slowly opened it up. There was a pair of black wings on the small painting scroll, so lifelike that it was about to fly out of the paper. Empress Li held her breath for a good while, her expression filled with both joy and worry. She sighed gently as she tore the scroll to pieces, crushed it into a ball along with the roller, and then tossed it into the pond. Countless carps surfaced from the waters and fought to swallow up the paper, even the roller. Empress Li couldnt help but reveal a cold smile when she noticed the cat on her lap staring at the pond with wide eyes. The dazed cat felt something was wrongit looked up all of a sudden and started crying mournfully upon seeing the empress expression. Empress Li summoned a maid and handed the cat to her. Bring it away, dig out its eyes, and keep it at the imperial villa. End your own life if it dies along the way. Trembling, the maid picked up the cat and, grabbing it tightly, left with hurried steps. Empress Li sat down contemplating and then broke into a cold laugh. Ill take action if worse comes to worst. I must see what kind of tricks you can pull! The neutral lands, outside of Tidehark. Song Zinings flagship had been parked in the air outside of Tidehark for many days now. He himself was training with his spear on the deck, the weapon striking mysteriously like a momentous dragon. After he had completed a set of spear techniques, someone nearby started clapping. Good spear technique! This Fueled Fire Spear has gone through such changes in your hands, it seems to have reached a completely new realm. I think no one in the Song clan is your match in spear technique, perhaps with the exception of the old ancestor. Song Zining turned back with a smile. Eunuch Zhang is one of the top experts in the imperial palace, how can such minor tricks enter your eyes? Eunuch Zhang laughed. Seventh Young Noble is already so talented at such a young age, youre destined to become a heavenly monarch in the future. I, on the other hand, am content if I can climb two more ranks. Theres no way I can compete with you. Song Zining replied, Eunuch Zhang will become a divine champion after a single breakthrough. At that point, the head steward position can only be yours. Ill have to rely on your care in the future. Eunuch Zhang said, Well said, well said! I came here because I have something to discuss with you. Song Zining smiled. Youre too kind, lets talk inside. The two entered the cabin shoulder to shoulder and sat down in an isolated room. After the servants had laid down tea and snacks, Eunuch Zhang leaned forward and said in a whisper, I want to know something. Who is your backing in the imperial palace? Song Zining said with a smile, Since youre asking so directly, then I wont hide it from you. Ive been helping the empress with some menial tasks recently. The eunuchs smile grew even wider. Im relieved, but I have something I want to ask you. Why do you attach so much importance to the Eastern Sea? Song Zining smiled spuriously. Ive already moved my entire company over here. Why do you think that is? Eunuch Zhang clenched his teeth. I understand! Although Im old, I have a good chance of stepping into the divine champion realm within three years, I also have some say in matters within the palace. I think Ill be of some use to you. Ive accumulated some savings during my thirty years of service in the palace and would like to bet on you, what do you say? Song Zining laughed gently. The Eastern Sea is a big piece of meat, not something I can swallow on my own. It is, of course, a good thing if youre willing to join me. The two exchanged glances and laughed with increasing cheer. In the imperial camp outside of Tidehark, several aristocratic elders were holding a secret meeting. Elder Lu said with a gloomy expression, Weve discussed things back and forth but havent been able to reach a conclusion. I think we cannot keep on dragging this matter out. We have to take swift action in gaining Eunuch Zhangs favor. Without him, we wont be able to dig anything out of Song Zining. Everyone expressed their agreement but soon started fighting over what this investment was and how to distribute it among the families. Ultimately, they never came to a conclusion. Song Zining looked down at the imperial camp from the deck of his airship, muttering, A group of jumping clowns. They scramble for power and benefits but never check to see if the food will burn their lips. He walked over to the other side of the deck and gazed upon the forming silhouette of the dark ball above the holy mountainit was much clearer than several days ago. Song Zining said with a smile, Heh, I want to see how youll get over this trial. Weve known each other for so many years, do you think I have no way to deal with you? The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He brought out a divination token and placed it on his forehead. Good boy, Qianye, Good boy, dont fight back! Let me see how many bad things youve done. These words had no effect on divination, nor could it turn ones fortune around like a charm or incantation. He was just muttering to himself for fun. However, he had just finished speaking and hadnt even activated his divination arts when his vision turned dark. He couldnt see anything at all for a moment. It felt as though a pair of invisible eyes were slowly opening in the darkness, staring at him. Humph! A somewhat sullen voice echoed in Song Zinings ears. Then, his divination token snapped in half, the upper segment of which struck his forehead with considerable force and knocked him out. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 973: Analysis Qianye traversed the forest cautiously, stopping to observe his surroundings from time to time. The person who had just fallen down from the sky was still lying immobile amidst the rocks and sand. He was hidden behind a rock at this point, so there was no telling whether he was unconscious or if he had already recovered. Just as he was about to walk out of the forest, Qianye sensed someone peeking at him. This gaze came out of nowhere and there was no way to confirm its existence. The presence couldnt be considered malicious, but there was an inexplicable vulgarity in it that gave Qianye the goosebumps. Fortunately, the sensation disappeared immediately after it had appeared, relieving Qianye of the distress. After some thought, Qianye decided that it had to be someone trying to scry his movements. He was a bit curious, though. Which reckless bloke was actually trying to divine his movements? Qianye had a fair number of karmic ties with powerful characters like Lin Xitang, Zhao Ruoxi, Zhao Jundu, and Nighteye. He even had indirect relationships with Princess Gaoyi, the Pointer Monarch, and the Black-Winged Monarch. The backlash would be exceedingly strong if these connections were accidentally drawn upon. Only unfathomable people like Lin Xitang and those who understood Qianye as deeply as Song Zining might be able to trace him. Even a massive entity like the imperial military didnt dare to scry Qianye after his murder of Li Fengshui, thus allowing him to escape to the neutral lands. The gaze in the darkness vanished almost immediately, clearly having suffered some pain. Qianye proceeded to ignore it but naturally became more vigilant as well. The forest was entirely calm and there was nothing out of the ordinary on the rocky beach. Qianye retracted his aura, went around the pile of rocks, and finally reached the fallen man. The person lay motionless on the ground. His clothes were tattered, revealing a fair bit of his fair skin. His short hair was also in disarray, almost as though a storm had cut through it. The mans aura was weak and fluctuantapparently, he was still in a state of coma. Qianye didnt dare act carelessly. True expert assassins could easily feign a state of death or heavy injury in order to make the opponent careless. As someone who had used such tactics before, he knew just how to counter them. He immediately drew East Peak and placed it against the mans neck before reaching out to turn him over. Qianye was shocked upon flipping the person over because it was actually Li Kuanglan! Li Kuanglans graceful hair had been clipped into a short mess. The usually well-dressed young miss was now as bedraggled as a pauper, and Cold Moons Embrace was also nowhere to be found. That was why Qianye couldnt recognize her on the spot. Qianye scanned his surroundings before picking up Li Kuanglan and returning to the forest edge in due haste. For some reason, that rocky beach was giving off a sense of danger and Qianye did not wish to linger more than was required. At this moment, the originally calm forest started to become restless. Shocked, Qianye sped up and fled along the border of the forest. He chose to travel away from the lake because his many years of exploration experience told him that the most dangerous entities lay not in the skies but usually in large bodies of water. Qianye kept increasing his speed, running along the forest like a galloping stallion. Fortunately, his muscles, skeleton, and innards had all received initial strengthening. Otherwise, such intense movements might easily injure him under the increased gravity. This kind of adverse environment was more suited for people with strong constitutions. Daybreak origin power wasnt really that useful at this point. In the blink of an eye, Qinaye had circled around a corner of the forest. A giant rocky mountain soon appeared in front of him, well over a hundred meters tall and with a natural cave at its base. Qianye made straight for the cave and, as though he were stepping on water, circled the interior. The place looked like an old beast lairthere were scattered rocks everywhere, the air was suffused with a fishy odor, and the walls were decorated with claw marks. Qianye seemed fairly satisfied with the place. The key point was that he couldnt feel any danger here. As for the environment, that was a trivial matter. Qianye placed Li Kuanglan down and swept the interior of the cave with sanguine flames. All traces and scents left behind by the wild beasts were incinerated as they came into contact with the blaze. Even the extremely sturdy rock walls changed color after being scorched. The cave became suffused with a somewhat sweet, scorched smell. It was a fragrance that served to lift ones spirit, the smell of Qianyes auric flame blood and a symbol of his vitality. The sweet scent surprised Qianye himself because that was a phenomenon only duke stage experts would produce. After cleaning the cave, Qianye began inspecting Li Kuanlans injuries. He wasnt afraid of being disturbed because wild beasts would usually run away after catching the scent of an ancient vampire. Li Kuanglans aura was extremely weak, and it was in continuous decline. At this rate, she would eventually lose her life after a while. Qianye slapped Li Kuanglans body lightlythere was no instinctive reaction nor was there any resistance. The fluctuations arising from this pat gave Qianye a general idea of what was going on inside. Li Kuanglan had suffered fractures in many parts of her body and the remaining bones were already cracking. Additionally, her innards had suffered obvious wounds and there was a large amount of blood pooling inside her body. Her surface injuries had mostly closed up, but that wasnt a good thing. It was clear that she had used up her origin power in healing flesh wounds, leaving none to heal her bones and organs. Bringing everything together, Qianye could already come to a rough conclusion. Just like Qianye, Li Kuanglan had suffered from the shearing forces and chaotic energy while traversing the passage. She had spent most of her energy there to protect herself. Qianye, on the other hand, was far stronger physically and was also protected by the imperial inner armor, allowing him to escape the passage relatively unscathed. Afterward, he fell into the water and escaped the second wave of damage from the intense gravity. Li Kuanglan, on the other hand, specialized in the sword arts and didnt possess such a strong body. She was merely average in constitution compared to her peers. Additionally, she was only clad in light armor, which was a far fry from Qianyes own in terms of defense. Now that even Qianyes internal armor was torn in two places, how could her armor even last? It had long since turned into shreds. Immediately after leaving the passage, the highly exhausted Li Kuanglan had no power to defend against the intense gravity. She thus crashed into the rocky beach and was mortally wounded. Li Kuanglan probably wouldnt last another day if Qianye hadnt run into her. There was also something abnormal about the rocky beach, and there was clearly something very dangerous hidden there. Perhaps she wouldve become food for some strange creature even before a day had passed. Despite having brought her to safety, Qianye felt quite distressed about Li Kuanglans injuries. The latter was completely exhausted of origin power, unconscious, and her innards had been gravely damaged. This also meant that she was deprived of her most important self-healing capacity in this high-gravity environmentthis was extremely bad. Qianye was no expert in healing, and neither had he cultivated any related secret arts. All he could do was pin his hopes on Venus Dawn, but that was no omnipotent power, either. Pure origin power usually represented power and not healing. Qianyes daybreak origin power might even be poisonous to ordinary people as it could ignite ones origin power. After a moment of silent contemplation, Qianye decided to repair Li Kuanglans entire skeleton. That would give her basic structural support to resist the gravitational pull. Fortunately, he had a fair amount of relevant medicines and that gave him some confidence. Qianye placed Li Kuanglan flat on the ground and spread out her arms and legs. Then, he pressed lightly on her neck with both hands and channeled a wisp of origin power. The investigation showed that Li Kuanglans head and neck bones were intact. Apparently, she was awake at the critical moment, at least she was conscious enough to protect her most vital parts. However, there were numerous fractures in her arms, which proved that she had no more power to protect herself from this point onward. Qianye moved slowly along Li Kuanglans arms, using his origin power to shift the shattered bones and piece them together. Then he would use his energy to bind them. Fortunately, Li Kuanglan was completely drained of origin power, so her own energy couldnt offer any resistance. Otherwise, things would be more complicated. Considering how tough Venus Dawn was, it would surely last several days before dispersing. After completing the initial bout of fixation, Qianye paused the treatment and, using his connection to the Venus Dawn, began sensing the situation around the fractured surfaces. To his surprise, he found that the bones surrounded by Venus Dawn had regained their vitality and were regrowing. Although the rate of regeneration was fairly slow, this was still extremely good news. This was because what little remained of Li Kuanglans origin power had been suppressed by Venus Dawn. This was akin to yielding a part of her body and placing it under the care of Qianyes origin power, allowing the bones to regrow. The process was slow, but her fractures would undergo initial connection within a few days. Seeing this, Qianye knew that he had half-succeeded in saving Li Kuanglans life. The other half would depend on whether her organs could recover. The latter seemed to be in pain despite her lack of consciousness. Her brows were knitted together, and her breathing was somewhat labored. Presently, her usual sharpness was all but gone, leaving her in an oddly charming state that would move any beholders heart. Even someone of Qianyes resolve felt his mind waver. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before proceeding to connect the rest of her bones. Qianyes fingers were gentle but also as sharp as blades. He glided them cautiously over Li Kuanglans body, cutting her clothes apart as he began the treatment. Her outer armor was already fragmented, and several parts of her internal armor were already torn. Not only had the gear lost its protective function, but would instead serve to compress the wounds and make them worse. Hence, Qianye started clearing away the clothes and armor as he connected her bones. The treatment was completed in the blink of an eye, leaving Qianye sweating slightly from his forehead. Next up was the chest bone, the most important part. Li Kuanglans skin was lustrous, exquisite, and as smooth as ice. Moreover, it was so extraordinarily white that one would feel dizzy after a prolonged gaze. Qianye rested briefly before pinching her sternum with his left hand. Then, with his right fingers as a blade, he sliced down along it. With a soft sizzle, Li Kuanglans chest was cut open layer by layer. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 974: Day of Flames Under the internal armor, there was a tight-fitting chest piece. The dark-grey piece of clothing was fairly ordinary and made for a very tight fit. Qianye could see an unnatural bulge from under the fabric, where a segment of bone had popped out. After a moment of hesitation, he reached into the chest piece and, lifting it just slightly, cut through it with his sword. The chest piece was already dislocating Li Kuanglans fractured ribs, making it impossible to treat her wounds. The instant the chest piece was opened, two masses of white warmth popped onto Qianyes hand. They even rolled about a bit. Surprised, Qianye glanced over to find two small mountains standing proudly, as well as a plum flower each moving gently on the peak. That snow-white fullness and those alluring plum flowers filled the beholder with a desire to bite into them. Qianye stood dazed for a moment before recalling the dusty past. Song Zining had once mentioned that Li Kuanglan was actually Empress Lis younger sister. She had trained in the sword since she was young and was regarded as a shocking talent in this field. She had focused solely on the way of the sword since then, dressing as a man whenever she was outside. Only a few people knew her true identity. Qianyes relationship with her had always been on the battlefield, and her temperament had always been as sharp as a sword. So much so that Qianye had forgotten that she was a woman and had treated her like he would a man. Only after removing her clothes did Qianye realize that she was a woman among women. Truthfully speaking, Li Kuanglans figure wasnt as explosive as Nangong Xiaoniaos, but as a top expert of the younger generation, her body was almost flawless. Even in this strong gravity environment, she was able to stand tall, proud, and look down at the entire world. Qianye collected his thoughts and removed the wisp of distraction that had appeared. With his mind and heart calm, he began repairing her chest bones. This wasnt an easy task. Li Kuanglan had snapped eight ribs and the remainder were all cracked. There were also numerous bone shards in her thoracic cavityQianye had to slowly guide them into position with his origin power, taking care not to damage her innards in the process. The process was quite difficult and no easier than his fight against Luo Bingfeng. A single blunder would cost Li Kuanglans life. Qianyes eyes turned blue as he used the Eye of Control to facilitate the correction of her bones. The problem wasnt just limited to her gravity-related injuries. During the process of guiding the bone fragments, Qianyes origin power had to pass out of his hand and through her two mountain peaks. Pressing them flat was no easy feat, but he had to keep up enough pressure or he would be too far from the bone fragments, making it difficult to control them. He couldnt press down too hard, either, lest he injures the other bones. Qianye was drenched in sweat after finally sorting out the entire chest bone. The fatigue was no less than having fought a powerful enemy to the death. The root of the difficulty boiled down to that pair of assets. Qianye shot them a fierce glance and had the urge to slap them flying. But this glance made it impossible for him to look away. He knew not whether it was out of instinct or hatred, but for some reason, he reached out and grabbed the troublesome duo. Warmth and exquisite softness filled his hands. Shocked out of his wits, Qianye quickly withdrew his hands and continued the treatment. He tapped lightly below Li Kuanglans ribs, punching two small holes from which to drain the pooled blood. Only after the dark blood had flowed out did he use his origin power to seal the injury. Only after all that did Qianye find time to catch his breath. Thinking back to just now, he found it extremely strange that he would lose control and grab her chest. Although there was a fair bit of contact before this, even holding them in his hand, but that was to save her life. Qianye had seen his fair share of serious injuries on the battlefield. Even if Li Kuanglan shared some of Empress Lis charm, it was impossible for Qianye to lose control. He would never have reached todays achievements if he didnt have this much determination. But there was nothing that could explain that grab as it had nothing to do with the treatment. The only reason was his own impulse. This was almost impossible under normal circumstances, but it had clearly happened just now. That was the most bewildering part. Now wasn''t the time to think about these things. Li Kuanglan had numerous other fractures that needed to be reconnected. Things would get even more awkward if the only remaining piece of clothing on her was in the way of the treatment. He had already seen and touched most places, so the last bit shouldnt be an issuealthough that was the most important place. Qianye clenched his teeth and shook away the hesitation. Using his two fingers as a sword, he cut away the remaining armor, leaving just a snow-white body lying in the cave. Qianye slowly but steadily connected all the bones from top to bottom, returning all the shattered pieces to their original position. He sealed the cracks with origin power and activated their vitality. Qianye was drenched in sweat after doing all this, and his daybreak origin power was mostly exhausted. The true difficulty wasnt her injury but her allure. Just looking at those white long legs, one could almost feel a shocking amount of flexibility and power. Under normal circumstances, she could almost crush a fairly large beast with just her legs. Her gentle but unyielding outlines went from her toes all the way up to her abdomen before they were interrupted by the troublesome peaks. Every curvature was soul-stealing, especially where her legs connected to her bodythe impact was enough to wash away all forms of reasoning. Qianye was only half-human. His last bit of reasoning was on the verge of collapse. Unknowingly, he had placed a hand on Li Kuanglans leg and was moving upward. It was at this moment that the roar of a distant beast woke Qianye from his trance. Realizing what he was trying to do, he quickly stood up and circulated his daybreak origin power, suppressing the instinctive urge arising from his vampire bloodline. The ancient vampire half of his being was like an instinctive demon, pushing Qianye toward the most innate desire to procreate. Qianye felt that his vampire bloodline was growing stronger and stronger, and the urge increasingly powerful, almost drowning out his reasoning. Meanwhile, that extremely beautiful and defenseless body in front of him was exuding an irresistible allure. It was truly difficult to control himself. Fortunately, his Venus Dawn was able to suppress his blood energy. Qianye was able to retain his last bit of sanity by channeling it at full capacity. Qianye whipped out his dagger without hesitation and stabbed his own thigh, drawing out a bone-deep wound. The pain caused him to gasp, but it also granted him a modicum of clarity. He quickly produced a healing medicine and injected it into the side of Li Kuanglans neck. Yet, he couldnt help but grab her chest again while pulling the syringe back out. Knowing that he was once again on the verge of insanity, Qianye quickly injected several drugs into Li Kuanglan. He then took off the internal armor he was wearing and dressed Li Kuanglan in it. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief after fastening the armor and covering up her body. It was at this time that a long howl echoed from the distance. Qianye felt as though drops of rain were falling on his body as his boiling instincts finally started to calm down. Sensing something, he glanced out of the cave. The sky had unknowingly turned dark and the forest was now a blur of black shadows in the night. The cave was also fairly dark, but in Qianyes eyes, the entire world was bright as long as there was a speck of light. Even without that, he could switch to origin power vision and still see things. However, the advantage afforded him by the Eye of Truth had become a source of trouble for him. No matter how dim the light, Qianye could see her very clearly. Despite being covered by a set of internal armor, her curves were still in full view and Qianyes brain would automatically swap out the internal armor with the scene from his memories. He had no idea what was going on. All he wanted to do was find a basin of icy water to dunk on his head. That way, he might be able to calm down a bit. In his heated state, even Nighteyes image was starting to fade away. All he could think of was the item within reach. The breeze after nightfall was tainted with a frosty chill, and the cave became ice-cold. Qianyes flaring instincts gradually calmed down in the cold, finally relieving him of the tension. He would no longer find himself losing control when he saw Li Kuanglan. Qianye let out an exclamation of surprise because the internal armor was unexpectedly well-fitting on Li Kuanglan. Compared to Qianye, it looked more like the armor was tailored for her instead. He did notice some slight details when he tried out the armor, like the slightly loose hips and the tight waist, but that was easily rectified when he forced the armor open with his strong constitution. Now that he thought about it, things probably werent that simple. From the outline of the waist and hips, Qianye knew that the owner of this armor was likely Li Kuanglan. The wider chest-piece wasnt an issue since all human experts were muscular enough, and it would also serve to hide her impressive figure. An inexplicable feeling welled up from his heart. No matter the motive, by giving him her armor, she had saved Qianyes life more than once in the battle against Luo Bingfeng. It also allowed him to get through the passage with relative ease. In doing so, however, she had put herself in danger. If she hadnt yielded the armor to Qianye, she might not have suffered such injuries while traversing the passage. Although the armor was a bit heavy, it was a life-saving treasure. The inconvenience in movement that came along with it was easily within an acceptable range. Qianye sighed as he began looking through the supplies he had stashed in Andruils space. Entering the Great Maelstrom wasnt a day-trip; he would need to plan for the long run. Fortunately, he had an ample supply of medicine and ammunition, good enough for a fair length of time. Li Kuanglans condition had stabilized, and the remaining drugs should last until she had woken up. With the Li familys foundations, she naturally wouldnt lack healing secret arts. After he had finished checking his resources, it was already deep into the night. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 975: Silent Nigh t Qianye walked to the entrance of the cave and gazed out. Night had fallen outside and there wasnt a sound to be heard. Be it the nearby forest or the distant lake and rocky beach, everything was so quiet that it felt like they had been sealed in ice. He couldnt hear anything else apart from the howling windthe roaring beasts and buzzing insects from just now had been drowned out by the stillness of the night. If one were to remove the sound of the wind, the entire world be deathly silent. Qianye shivered from an inexplicable sense of apprehension. That was the innate fear of a minuscule life form toward this massive world. As a man of firm willpower, however, he quickly curbed the fear after realizing it. With the sense of apprehension gone, Qianye discovered a certain problem. The temperature was actually within range of an ordinary winter, a dozen or so degrees below freezing point. This chill was negligible to an expert like him, so why would he shiver? Qianye scanned his own body while observing the world outside and unexpectedly found that the beating of his blood core was slowing down. With this deceleration, the flow of auric flame blood had turned sluggish, and there were fewer specks of golden fire inside his blood. If his usual state could be compared to a sky full of stars, it could be said that there were only a few solitary stars hanging in the sky. With his bodily functions on such a decline, it was only natural that he would feel cold. Realizing where the problem was, Qianye quickly activated his blood core and accelerated its pulse. This could normally be accomplished through his will alone, but now, it was proving to be abnormally difficult. It felt like there were giant boulders stacked atop his blood core, making him expend considerable effort with each beat. This sensation wasnt limited to his blood core alone. Every part of his body was slowing down and feeling heavy, almost as though he had been injected with a powerful sedative. Qianye concentrated his willpower on activating the blood core and finally managed to recover up to normal standards. Only then did his movements become natural. He was suddenly alarmed as he thought of Li Kuanglan. Qianye rushed to Li Kuanglans side and checked on her situation. As expected, her bodily functions were also fairly sluggish and her heart would stop beating every few times. This state wasnt so serious under normal circumstances, but Li Kuanglan was heavily injured and only alive because of Qianyes Venus Dawn origin power. Now that her metabolism was slowing down, it was quite likely that she would pass away unknowingly. Qianye fished out a strong stimulant and injected it into her body. It would seem the shot was somewhat effective, as evidenced by the flush on her face. However, the drug would only last for a while. Qianye knew a single injection wasnt enough to last the night, but he couldnt inject repeatedly either as the effects would diminish rapidly if the medicine was used again within a short time. Besides, the basic principle of a stimulant was to activate the bodys potential functionsit wouldnt be wise to use the drug repeatedly. After Li Kuanglans situation had stabilized, Qianye channeled some of his origin power into her in an attempt to accelerate her physical functions. However, things didnt go so well this time. The large amount of the Venus Dawn origin power only served to hasten her heartbeat slightly and had no effect on her other organs. At this rate, she wouldnt get through the night even if Qianye were to use up all his origin power. Now that even Venus Dawn had no effect on her, there was only one way left to save Li Kuanglan. That was to give her the Embrace. Qianye had never used the Embrace on anyone before. He wasnt even sure if he even had that kind of power since he was only half-vampire. The effects of the Embrace were seriousQianyes dark golden blood energy was extremely powerful and destructive. It would likely kill Li Kuanglan immediately if it were to go out of control. Hence, Qianye wasnt willing to use this method until the last moment. Qianye contemplated the situation while injecting origin power. Although activating his blood core was difficult, it wasnt an impossible endeavor. Apparently, Venus Dawn wasnt really that outstanding in activating vitality while blood energy was highly effective. Taking this thought a step further, perhaps Qianye wasnt quite reliant on origin power to resist the abnormal chill of this world, but instead, his strong constitution. At the thought of this, a certain idea came to mind. He removed Li Kuanglans internal armor and his own clothes, and then held her tightly in his arms, increasing the contacting body surface area as much as possible. Qianye then took a deep breathhis blood core pulsed strongly as a layer of indiscernible flames lit up around him, enveloping Li Kuanglan as well. Her heart and his blood core were currently pressed against one another, separated only by their flesh. Each pulse of his blood core would jolt the adjacent heart, helping it maintain a steady beat. This was one of his ancient vampire powers, the ability to affect another creatures heartbeat with his own blood core. Powerful ancient vampires would use the beating of their blood core to kill tens of thousands of lesser beings by making their hearts erupt. Those vampires were like mighty gods to the weaker races. Qianye could only be considered half a vampire, but his blood energy was of unprecedented purity. Hence, he would still be able to maintain this power for one day, albeit barely. Li Kuanglan was temporarily out of the woods now that her heart was being paced. The sanguine flames around them scorched her body constantly, activating her innate defenses. Some of her cells would die at the microscopic level, but the remainder would undergo a partial strengthening transformation. Seeing that his method was effective, Qianye finally heaved a sigh of relief. He maintained this posture without further movement and focused his attention on driving his blood core. It was exponentially more difficult to maintain the pulse since his blood core now had to carry Li Kuanglans heartbeat as well. Fortunately, Qianye still had essence blood in store and there was also some left in the Book of Darkness. At this rate of depletion, it wouldnt be a problem to get through the night. It was just that he would need to find a way to replenish them tomorrow. The night here was fairly lengthy. After what seemed like an eternity, it became easier for him to maintain the beating of his blood core. At that point, Qianye realized that midnight was behind them. Along with the roar of a distant beast, the first rays of dawn descended upon the land and illuminated the cave. Qianyes bodily functions finally recovered, and Li Kuanglans condition was also stable. He retracted his sanguine flames, laid her down on the floor, and refastened the inner armor. Having maintained the flames for an entire night, Qianye grew dizzy upon standing up and his vision almost darkened. Eventually, he made his way to the entrance and gazed outward. The sky was lightening, and the rays of dawn were washing over the land like a luminous tide, bringing with it not just warmth but also vitality. Wherever the radiance passed, the world would spring back to life. Qianye narrowed his eyes as he observed this strange new world with his True Sight. He would need to hunt and replenish essence blood during the daytime, otherwise, he wouldnt be able to get through the next cold night. At the very least, he wouldnt be able to pull Li Kuanglan through. Additionally, the latter was healing steadily and would wake up anytime. She would need food at that time since she couldnt survive on essence blood like Qianye. There was still some food left in Andruils space, but it was only enough for a couple of days. Qianye couldnt waste precious space on food, so he had only brought the bare minimum. Besides, he hadnt imagined that Song Zining would toss him into the passage immediately after the battle against Luo Bingfeng. Qianye could feel a vague sense of danger when he looked at the forest and the distant rocky beach. Nothing there seemed out of the ordinary, even in his True Sight, but the threat he felt was tangible. Qianye frowned and temporarily gave up on exploring those regions. This was an unfamiliar world, so it would be troublesome if he were wounded. Minimizing injury was an instinctive policy of every predator. It was at this moment that a rock near Qianyes foot rolled away and a black shadow beneath it shot toward him. Qianyes eyes surged with a blue tint as he activated the Eye of Control, freezing the black shadow in the air and then moving it in front of him. It was a fairly strange insect, similar to a caterpillar but with a finger-length stinger on its head. The stinger was hollow, clearly used for attacking and bloodsucking. The insect squirmed around constantly, curling and shooting forward with great strength. This little creatures momentum was almost comparable to an origin bullet. One had to remember that this was a high-gravity worldthe same force in Evernight Continent should be enough to pierce through a human body. More rocks flipped over and a swarm of similar bugs borrowed out from underneath. A few of them appeared beside Qianye and shot toward him, but there was no way he would let them strike him. His eyes turned blue again as the Eye of Control fixed dozens of them in the air. Flicking his fingers, Qianye sent out wisps of origin power to cut open the insects. The bugs internal structure was fairly simple. Most of it was made up of abnormally strong muscles along with some digestive and sensory organs. Apparently, they had no ability to think and were only acting on instinct. Qianye removed the Eye of Control and allowed the bug corpses to rain down from the air. More insects were attracted by the flesh and blood. They gradually swarmed over and sucked their dead peers clean with their stingers. The fed insects started mating rapidly amongst themselves, while those that hadnt fed started killing one another. With that, a tidal wave of bloodthirsty insects surged up from the groundit was a brutal scene. Perhaps because they had figured out Qianyes power, the insects no longer approached him and instead focused on killing one another. In mere moments, only half remained of the large number of bugs. The survivors stopped killing one another in favor of feasting on the remains. At this moment, the mating bugs had separated and were lying silently on their own. The female insects started to bulge up at a visible rate and were soon laying eggs. The eggs they laid were also fairly oddthey looked like long, slender caterpillars and could even move! These eggs drilled into the ground immediately after they were born. The steel-like ground was like tofu before these eggs as they bore deep into the soil, leaving only a needle-sized hole. Chapter 976: Spring Plum The female insects that had laid eggs pounced on the males they had just mated with and devoured them. The male bugs seemed completely exhausted and had no strength left to escape. All they could do was struggle feebly and cry out in anguish as they were swallowed whole. After eating up the males, the female insects started bulging up once more and yet another batch of eggs entered the soil. After two waves of egg-laying, there were no longer any male insects on the surface. The surviving female insects started attacking one another, and the survivors then began laying the third batch of eggs. This process was repeated until there was only one female bug left. Seeing no more food in sight, it also drilled into the ground. In less than an hour, the swarm of insects had demonstrated their entire life cycle to Qianye. Acting on a sudden idea, Qianye moved to where the last female insect had vanished and dug out a large clump of soil. The ground was so hard that Qianye could feel slight pain from his fingertips; it was really no different from digging out a large piece of steel. Yet that bug had drilled through it as though it were tofu. That was somewhat terrifying now that he thought about it. Having tested out the strength of the soil, Qianye no longer used his hands. He swiftly produced East Peak and began using it as a shovel. He had to dig for an entire three meters before he found that female insect. The last insect had produced a shell on its back and curled up into an immobile ball. If it wasnt for the faint origin power fluctuations coming from its body, Qianye wouldve thought it was already dead. He picked up the bug but didnt know what to do with it. After some thought, he dug out some soil with which to encase the bug, and then stowed it away in Andruils Space. Qianye was drenched in sweat after digging that pit. Since he had started cultivating, this was the first time he had felt such fatigue multiple times in a single day. This gave him a new understanding of the cruelty and hardships of this world. Additionally, there were no signs of those eggs even after digging so deep. Apparently, they had drilled even deeper in. But Qianye wasnt quite interested in the tens of thousands of eggs, so he simply let them be. Qianye jumped out of the pit and burned away the soil on him with a wave of sanguine flames. He then changed into a fresh set of clothes from Andruils space, immediately feeling more comfortable. Up to this point, Qianye had seen no source of water apart from the distant lake. However, his instinctive senses were telling him not to approach that place no matter what. A wave of darkness flickered across Qianyes countenance. There wasnt a lot of water left in Andruils space. The unconscious Li Kuanglan couldnt eat, but she had to drink water. Food wasnt that important for experts at their level, but water couldnt be omitted. Qianye walked out of the cave and jumped onto the hill to observe the surroundings. In the distance was an uneven stretch of hills, covered in verdant grass and sparse trees. The sky was already bright at this moment, but there were no signs of birds or beasts, nor were there any traces of humans. After observing for a while, Qianye decided to head toward the hilly region. The presence of grass and trees meant that there was an underground water source. With East Peak in hand and his ancient vampire constitution, he would surely be able to dig something out. Although he might be able to dig out some water in the forest, the sense of danger there was too strongit was only a bit less than the sea and even stronger than on the rocky beach. With Li Kuanglan injured, Qianye wasnt keen on stirring up unnecessary trouble. He returned to the cave, picked up Li Kuanglan, and made for the hills. The moment he stepped into the hilly region, the formless pressure in his heart lessened significantly. The landscape here was uneven with numerous scattered hills and ravines. Qianye soon found a natural cave, also a beast lair whose owners were nowhere to be found. After cleaning the place with sanguine fire, Qianye laid Li Kuanglan down gently and made ready to explore after a moment of rest. Having experienced one day and night here, Qianye was clear that the nights were more dangerous. At night, all creatures would find their bodily functions slowing down as though they were about to go into hibernation. Even Qianyes fighting power would be greatly reduced in that state. It would be quite disastrous if he were to run into a nocturnal beast. That was why he would need to explore the surroundings clearly during the daytime and exterminate all potential dangers. Only then would he have a peaceful night. Carefully placing Li Kuanglan on the ground, Qianye couldnt help but feel an instinctive urge after seeing her face, neck, and largely exposed shoulders. He wanted to tear apart the internal armor and hold the white flesh within. Fortunately, he was equipped with ample experience. He immediately activated his Venus Dawn origin power and suppressed the urge as soon as it arose. He was just about to stand up after regaining clarity when a hand suddenly appeared and dragged him back by the collar. Li Kuanglans wooden countenance appeared before him. What did you do? Qianye couldnt figure out the situation immediately. He said joyfully, Youre awake! This is wonderful! He was genuinely delighted. Li Kuanglan would be able to channel her own origin power to heal her injuries only after regaining consciousness. No matter how strong Qianyes Venus Dawn was, it couldnt be used for regeneration. Li Kuanglan bit her lower lips. Wonderful your ass! This young master now that Im awake, its time for you to die! She hadnt even finished speaking when five slender fingers reached for Qianyes throat and a punch made for his abdomen. A groan of pain echoed in the cave, but it wasnt Qianyes. It was from Li Kuanglan. Her left hand was wracked with stabbing pain, and that powerful punch sent waves of pain throughout her body. Punching Qianye was no different from attacking a steel plate. He was completely fine, but her hand was now swollen. Feeling completely powerless, Li Kuanglan collapsed once again. Despite that, the hand she had on Qianyes neck didnt loosen. This resulted in her dragging Qianye down on top of her. Naturally, Qianye could exert some force and expel her fingers, but he gave up on the notion after seeing her resolute demeanor. He merely bent down accordingly to prevent her from overexerting. One had to remember that the bones throughout her body had just been reconnected. That punch from just now had probably jolted several fractures out of place, evidenced by the pain she was in. Li Kuanglan struggled to stand up, but her grip on Qianyes hand was quite strong. Y-You, what did you do to me? I treated your injuries. Qianye was as calm as still water. Treatment my ass! Furious, Li Kuanglan wanted to throw yet another lethal punch. Qianye reached out and gently pressed her back to the ground. If you make reckless movements again, youll break even more bones. Well have to reconnect them all over again! Li Kuanglan was hurting all over at the slightest movement, not to mention the lack of origin power. She had no power to resist and was duly pressed to the ground, grinding her teeth all the while. She observed her situation and then said with a frown, I was injured so badly? Did you reconnect all the fractures? Qianye said unceremoniously, Who else? This place is fairly dangerous. Ill advise you not to move around recklessly. Itll be quite troublesome to reconnect your bones if they break again. There was something Qianye didnt dare to say. Now that she was awake, it was more likely that she would slash him to death if he were to connect her bones again. How did you reconnect Her question trailed off into silence as she looked down at a certain place. Qianye followed her eyes and found that his hand was on her chest. There was one hole each on the front and back of this internal armor, and Qianyes hand happened to be on the defect and over half her left chest. The hole wasnt that big, so it was fairly hard to believe Qianye wasnt taking advantage of her deliberately. Qianye cried out in his heart, once again losing control to his instincts. But Li Kuanglan had just woken up and thus had no ideanow, things were going to be hard to explain. If he were to withdraw his hands at the moment, it would look quite deliberate, and he might need to reconnect all her bones if Li Kuanglan were to flail about in anger. Just as Qianye was in a dilemma, Li Kuanglan shifted her body, and that actually pushed her entire chest into his palm. She let out a sigh, as though she were parched and stifled. Both of them were startled at this point. That, I, no actually She couldnt get the message across after a good while. Ultimately, she cried out, Let go! Qianye pulled back his hand accordingly. She straightened her back at this moment and seemed like she would fall onto Qianye. Li Kuanglan immediately realized this situation and exerted some force from her back, making her fall back onto the ground. She turned pale from the sudden pain. Qianye shook his head inwardly as he fished out a painkiller and injected it into her. Feeling the effects of the painkiller, the tension on Li Kuanglans face lessened somewhat. However, her gaze toward Qianye remained extremely complicated, and the ripples in her eyes looked like they would spill out any moment. The force with which she was biting her lips showed how much she hated him at this moment. If Qianye were to stretch his hand toward her mouth, she might just bite him. Fortunately, she merely stretched her hand out. How many more injections do you have, give them to me. That was the last one, Qianye said in honesty. Li Kuanglan was embarrassed and angry. Whod believe you! You I dont care, just give me all the sedatives you have! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. I really dont have any. Whod carry that many? Sedatives were most useful for blunting pain. As an expert, who would pay attention to a bit of pain? Li Kuanglan merely frowned when the fractured bones rubbed against one another. Comparatively, stimulants, healing, and regenerative medicines were the main stockpiles. Even toxic drugs were more useful than sedatives. It was just that the sedatives had a special use right now. Both of them knew of this, yet neither could say it out loud. At this point, Li Kuanglan realized that he really had no more stock and couldnt quite decide whether to be happy or disappointed. Reciting a mantra to channel origin power, she asked, Do you have food? Qianye produced the food he had within Andruils space and supported Li Kuanglan to a sitting position. Thats all I have. Dont be picky and eat whats left. Li Kuanglan nodded silently. She then blushed as she looked down at her body. Help me cover up properly. The movements just now had caused her entire left chest to bulge out of the gap in the armor, and that trembling spring plum-petal was exceptionally alluring. Chapter 977: Shameless This scene was simply too embarrassing. For a moment, Qianye couldnt decide if he should pretend not to hear. Seeing Qianye immobile, Li Kuanglan added, I cant make this movement. Her calm voice gave Qianye a modicum of relief. He understood Li Kuanglans injuries more than anyone elsethat movement was likely to affect several fractured bones, not to mention the pain. Qianye might even have to reconnect some bones, at that point, and that would be even more awkward. As such, Qianye reached out... After Qianye had finished helping her, the two of them sat down face to face. Wheres my sword? I havent seen it, perhaps it fell somewhere else. Li Kuanglan frowned ever so slightly. That sword is fairly special, itll be best if we can find it. Are we close to where I landed? Qianye shook his head. Wed best not, at least not now. I can sense a certain danger near that place, thats why I moved you here. Li Kuanglan nodded. If even you feel threatened, I might not be able to handle it even after Im healed, that is unless we cooperate. Lets discuss that after youre better. Li Kuanglan nodded. Tell me about this place, it feels extremely strange. Theres nothing to explain this kind of gravity. Qianye narrated some of his findings and the experiences from the night. Naturally, he skipped over the treatment process, but he had to summarize how they had gotten through the cold night as it was of great importance. Li Kuanglan said after some thought, That means if we cant find anything to hunt today, we might not get through the night? Qianye nodded honestly. Li Kuanglan said, Give me an hour. Okay, Ill watch over you. Li Kuanglan closed her eyes and concentrated on channeling a mysterious art. Within moments, a wisp of lingering sword energy emerged above her head. Threads of cold aura then emerged from her body, condensing into needles of ice that stretched out from her body surface. Her aura began to climb at an abnormally swift rate, proving just how strong her secret art was. But all of a sudden, her face became flushed and her body trembled. She let out a soft groan as her aura fell into chaos. Qianye arrived behind her in one step, prepared to help at a moments notice. Li Kuanglan pointed upward and fired a stream of cold energy from her fingertips which then poured back down on her like icy rain. She trembled from the chill, but the blush on her face had receded somewhat. She glared back at Qianye and said through clenched teeth, Its all your fault! Qianye was puzzled. He had no idea how her lack of concentration was related to him, and it would seem she had no intention of explaining things to him, either. Due to this minor setback, it took a bit longer before she finally finished her cultivation. She let out a whistle as she retracted the cold energy around her and stood up. Im fine now, lets go hunting! Uh For a moment, she had forgotten about the holes in the armor. Her body was in a tense state as she had to stay upright against the strong gravity. In the end, the wide movement caused her chest to pop out again. Li Kuanglans blushed red as she pushed the annoyance back inside. She then glared fiercely at Qianye, saying, Dont you have any clothes for me? Ah, yes I do! Only then did he come to, quickly removing the armor on his body and passing it to Li Kuanglan. Fortunately, the two of them werent too different in body structure. Qianyes armor was a bit big on Li Kuanglan, but it wouldnt affect her movements. Li Kuanglan glanced at Qianye, who was now clad in internal armor, and respired heavily for a moment. No, Qianye replied honestly. Li Kuanglan was helpless. She actually knew how precious spatial equipment was and that no one would fill it with multiple armor sets. There was probably no space even if they wanted to. All she could do was take a step back and ask, Do you have a sword? Give me one. Qianye produced East Peak out of habit, but after some thought, he put it back and passed Li Kuanglan a half-meter-long vampiric blade. The latter rolled her eyes, saying unceremoniously, Why wont you give me that sword from just now? Are you implying I dont know how to wield a sword by giving me this lousy little thing? Qianye explained patiently, This daggers level is quite high, just use it in the meanwhile. That sword just now is my usual weapon, it really isnt suitable for you. Not suited for me? Ha! Now thats funny. This young master has been practicing the sword for many years, this is the first time Ive heard of a sword I cant wield. Give it to me! Seeing Qianye unmoved, she simply reached out to grab Qianyes necklace. Andruils Mysterious Realm was something Qianye valued the most. He attached even greater importance to it than East Peak. Now that Li Kuanglan was reaching for it, Qianye blocked her hand instinctively and moved to grab her neck from behind. Li Kuanglan hadnt imagined she would lose in just one move. After a momentary daze, she said through clenched teeth, Im just asking for your sword, why so stingy? Qianye felt a bit bad, so he whipped East Peak out and thrust it into the ground in front of her. With a harrumph, Li Kuanglan grabbed the hilt and pulledbut East Peak wouldnt budge at all! Greatly astonished, she channeled her origin power and hoisted the blade with greater power. This time, East Peak moved upward somewhat, but soon fell back down and into the ground. In this world, East Peak was close to ten tons in weight, not something a wounded Li Kuanglan could move. Li Kuanglans mouth twitched. She wanted to complain, Why is this damned sword so heavy!?, but she couldnt quite bring herself to that level as she had already lost face after two failed attempts. She took a deep breath, preparing to draw the sword with all her might. Qianye could no longer watch on. He pressed down on her hand, saying, You havent healed yet. Ill have to treat your bones again if you force it. Li Kuanglan blushed yet again at the mention of her bones. She pulled her hand back in silence and watched as Qianye lifted East Peak, stowing it away in Andruils space. The entire process seemed fairly easy, almost as though he were working with an ordinary sword. At this point, Li Kuanlan sighed. I finally understand why those people from the military cant deal with you. If you can even use such a sword, theres probably no one in the younger generation of the empire who can compare in terms of constitution. I really wanted to fight you to the death back then, but I might be the one dead if I really did. Qianye shook his head. I wont kill you. Humph! Is there anything you wont do? Li Kuanglan realized that she had made a mistake after saying those words, but fortunately, Qianye seemed not to have noticed. Qianye stuffed the vampiric blade into her hand. Try it out and see if its suitable. Li Kuanglan produced a couple of moves. Not bad, the quality is pretty good. But its a vampiric blade, right? Qianye nodded. Its an old weapon I used before. Now, I have no use for it, so I left it as a backup. Li Kuanglan glanced at Qianye and then asked seriously, A vampiric blade as a backup weapon, are you really a vampire? Many people saw my blood core back at Indomitable. Cant fake it, Qianye said calmly. Let that matter be, lets go hunting while Im in a good state. Nodding, Qianye walked out of the cave with Li Kuanglan and began exploring away from the lake. After crossing over two hills, a large valley appeared before the two. There was a small lake at its center with only a few trees surrounding it. Li Kuanglans eyes lit up. Theres water over there. There might be some beasts or fish nearby. Its quite odd that we didnt see a single living creature after walking for so long. Theres a large lake near where you fell. I suspect theres an extremely powerful beast in there, and the area nearby is his territory. Thats why we found no animals. A territory is quite probable, but it needs to eat too! What will it consume if theres nothing left over such a large area? Qianye had no answer to this question and Li Kuanglan only made a brief mention of this. In the span of a few words, the two had made combat preparations and retracted their auras as they approached the valley lake. After descending the valley and reaching the forest borders, a little snow-white creature rushed out from behind the trees. This beast was round, short, and was running like the wind. At this point, three more similar creatures appeared from behind. They were much larger and fasterthe strongest one among them quickly caught up to the running white beast, pinning it to the ground. Just as Qianye was expecting to see the snow-white creature lose its life to a deadly bite, the larger white beast straddled the captive and started mating. Meanwhile, the two snow beasts behind started fighting one another to decide who would go second. Li Kuanglan said furiously, How can these things be so shameless!? Slaughter them! Qianye laughed wryly, Perhaps this is how they survive. Arent you going to hunt? Isnt the prey right in front of you? If youre not doing it, I will. Qianye shook his head as he moved toward the snowy beasts. His fingers fired three sanguineous threads that pierced through the male creatures, leaving only the female one alive. The threads vanished immediately after the attack, returning to Qianyes body with some extra essence blood. Qianye felt three balls of fire entering his body. All he heard was a loud boom before his body entered a state of blood boil. These snowy beasts werent very big, and their strength was fairly mediocre. The purity of their blood was quite high, however, and almost surpassed that of a viscount. Qianye required time to digest all the blood he had absorbed, so he stood motionlessly and put his mind to stowing them away. The female creature jumped up after seeing that the three males were dead. She sniffed around their bodies to make sure they were really dead, and then ran back to the forest. There, she unleashed a shrill cry that echoed throughout the woods. Some shadows flickered in the trees as two more male creatures rushed out. The female turned to flee once more but was soon caught and pressed to the ground amidst miserable cries. Li Kuanglan was speechless. All she could utter was a fierce, Shameless! Chapter 978: Help? Within the forest were giant lizards several meters in length, six-legged lions, fist-sized rats, and moreall of them were moving about hurriedly in an excited state, either hunting, eating, or mating. It seemed like they would never stop to rest. The entire forest was shrouded in a weird atmosphere of heated passion, as though all the creatures were participating in a giant orgy. Qianye killed a pair of mating six-legged lions and was just about to pick up the quarry when Li Kuanglan stopped him. Im not going to eat something so dirty! Qianye understood what she meant. There isnt a lot of clean food here. Li Kuanglan looked around and, seeing that there wasnt much of a choice, pointed at a group of creatures that resembled a cross between a deer and a horse. Those look tastier. Qianye felt helpless. Whats the point? It was common sense that the stronger the creature, the more nourishing it was. However, their meat would usually taste bad. As Qianye saw it, those equestrians were too small and no different from ordinary wild animals. There was really no need to eat them since the origin power they could replenish was far inferior to the six-legged lions. But Li Kuanglan simply wouldnt touch the meat from the mating lions. In the end, Qianye had no choice but to hunt down a few giant lizards as a compromise. Just a few of the beasts were enough to refill Qianyes essence blood. The creatures here were quite mediocre in strength but unimaginably saturated in essence blood. Additionally, these large creatures were able to run like the wind in this high-gravity environmenttheir bones and tendons, among other things, would definitely make for rare materials. Perhaps because Qianye was doing all the attacking, Li Kuanglan wasnt willing to be left out. She suddenly jumped up and chased after a small deer darting about in the forest, stabbing the vampiric blade into the back of its neck. The blade struck its target with a pfft, but only sank in very slightly. The deer jumped up in pain and, at the same time, kicked Li Kuanglans chest with lightning speed. The creature was small, but it was extremely strong. Its sudden buck swung Li Kuanglan into the air, and its hooves started to whistle sharply mid-swing. The latter was sure to suffer more fractures if this kick were to land. Li Kuanglan was shocked, but fortunately, she possessed stunning martial skills. Exerting force from her hands, she kept her body upright on the deers back and duly evaded that hoof. Then, with a sudden jolt, her blade cut through the small deers powerful body and stabbed at its heart. Only at this point did she manage to subdue her quarry. If even a small, harmless-looking deer was so difficult to deal with, there was no need to explain how hard it would be to attack a six-legged lion. Yet, Qianye seemed fairly at ease as he reaped his preya red thread would shoot out and the creature would immediately stop moving. A dissatisfied Li Kuanglan grabbed Qianyes hand and studied it repeatedly, but she simply couldnt find anything. Since upgrading to the marquis rank, he was able to control Life Plunder at will and fire out several threads at the same time to attack his enemies. This was one of the most mysterious talents of an ancient vampire, so how could Li Kuanglan see through it? Having his hand grabbed by Li Kuanglan reminded Qianye of that alluring body beneath her armor, and an inexplicable sense of agitation rose up in his heart. His eyes also shifted uncontrollably toward Li Kuanglans lips. The sharp outlines of those lips looked so delicate and desirable that he couldnt help but want to seal them with his own. What made things worse was that she didnt rebuke him after noticing the change. Instead, she opened her lips slightly, seemingly inviting and denying him at the same time. Fortunately, Qianye was experienced enough to suppress the desire. He calmly pulled his hand back and said, Lets go and take a look at that side. Li Kuanglan nodded as though nothing had happened, but a layer of frost emerged around her armor. Apparently, she was using her frost energy to calm herself down. As the two top experts of the empires younger generation, both of them were quite proficient in exploration. In the blink of an eye, they had scouted out the area around the lake and confirmed that there was no danger. Qianye then jumped into the lake and explored the bottom, while Li Kuanglan remained on the shore to provide assistance. In this world, the water was as thick as mercury and extremely dangerous. Qianyes Life Plunder, however, happened to ignore most defenses and could be considered a peerless killer weapon. Moments later, Qianye emerged with a large fish. Theres no danger in the lake. Despite that, Li Kuanglan lifted the armor over Qianyes arm and gazed at the deep, new wound there. The injury was jagged and bone-deep, almost as though he had been cut through by a copper saw. There was also a layer of black fluid stuck to the surface of the defect, and that was stopping the wound from healing. Qianye waved the big fish in his hand. Its this guys fault, havent cleaned it yet. But, we have an extra dish for dinner. Li Kuanglan said nothing. Icy blue sword energy emerged from her fingertips as she began cutting away the black fluid on Qianyes wound. Her hand moved like the wind, shaving off extremely thin layers with each stroke for fear that she would cut into Qianyes flesh. She was only half done even after hundreds of movements. Qianyes lips moved slightly. He wanted to say he had better do it himself, but he couldnt bear to after seeing how serious she was. Only after a long while did she finish with the cleaning. Seeing the rapidly healing flesh, she broke into a charming smile that lit up the entire lakeside. Qianye put down the large fish and glanced at his surroundings. This place isnt bad, lets spend the night here? Okay. The two divided the labor, with Qianye fetching wood and Li Kuanglan in charge of cooking. When Qianye returned with a bundle of wooden planks, Li Kuanglan had already built a simple stove out of stone, cut up the fish, and started roasting them on branch-skewers. It was quite an impressive scene. When Qianye returned with a second bundle of wood, Li Kuanglan was still roasting that piece of fish. Smiling, he went back out to collect more timber. Cutting wood here wasnt easyhe had to fell a tree with East Peak, shave off the branches, and then cut them into wooden planks before bringing them back. These trees looked ordinary, but the wood was as hard as steel. It felt more like cutting steel than wood. If it wasnt for his extraordinary strength and East Peaks sharpness, cutting just a few trees mightve taken all of his origin power. It would ruin the blade as well. Nothing was easy in this accursed world. It was probably the same for Li Kuanglans fish-roasting endeavors. As expected, he saw Li Kuanglan still roasting fish when he returned with the third bundle of wood. By the fourth run, he felt that something was off. Qianye walked over to her. Whats wrong? Li Kuanglan seemed to have woken up from a dream. Ah, no, nothings wrong. At this moment, the raging flames from the stove were licking the fish and turning its flesh a charred yellow. Qianye removed the fish from the rack and said, Its already done! Ah yes, its done. Li Kuanglan seemed distracted. Only a skeleton remained of the large fish at her feet, but the coal in the stove seemed to be increasing in amount. Judging from the shape of the charcoal, it was clear that she had been tossing the burnt fish into the stove and using it as fuel. Now that was a new discoverythis fish meat could be used as fuel and the flames were even more lasting. Qianye sighed. He cut the roasted fish into thin strips and made them into skewers; then, he stuffed some into Li Kuanglans hands. Eat first, Ill go catch more fish. Ill go. Theres no need, Ill go. Qianye naturally wouldnt let Li Kuanglan go into the lake. The waters might not be dangerous to him, but it was lethal for Li Kuanglan. Everything else aside, she didnt have Qianyes level of power or the ability to swim underwater. This time, Qianye didnt take very long before returning with a big fish. Li Kuanglan took the quarry and began roasting it absent-mindedly. Qianye had no way to deal with her, so he simply went back to cutting wood. After enough wood had been accumulated, Qianye began planting pillars around the lake and laying down the floorboards and walls. Very soon, a simple hut had been constructed, but Qianye wasnt satisfied with that. He planted a fence around the housecomplete with spike trapsbefore he felt content. After the camp was done, it was nearing dusk. Li Kuanglan had roasted an entire fish into charcoal once more, but she managed to get a few bites in. The fish meat was extremely nutritious and full of origin power, filling her up with just a few pieces. This world was dangerous, but it wasnt without its merits. For instance, this fish meat would be quite beneficial to healing injuries. Li Kuanglans fractures would be healed completely in just two more days, and she would be able to move about freely. The night had just descended when Qianye called Li Kuanglan back into the house. He observed her origin power levels and fractures briefly before closing the fence and then sealing the house doors. There was no fire in the house because it was useless against the cold, anyway. The two of them sat face to face and began cultivating to resist the slowing of their vitality. The world outside the hut was entirely silent. The wind gradually quieted down and only the cold starlight remained shining on the small lakethere wasnt even a ripple on the water surface. The rowdy forest had also calmed down and was now eerily quiet. It shouldve been a silent night, but a dark ripple appeared in the sky above the wooden shack. Both Qianye and Li Kuanglan knew what this wasit was a sign of space being torn asunder. This time, it wasnt because someone was passing through it, but because the void was being lacerated by the pressure from the Profound Combatant Formula. Qianye slowly reigned in his origin power and stopped his cultivation of the formula. He was just training normally, but who wouldve thought space here would be so fragile? The moment the Profound Combatant Formula was channeled, the power immediately tore the space apart and drew in a waterfall of void origin power, filling up Qianyes five origin vortices in the blink of an eye. Qianye hadnt expected that he would be completely filled within such a short while. Despite that, he couldnt use the origin power from the Combatant Formula directly. He needed to refine the energy with the Glory Chapter and turn it into Venus Dawn to truly increase his origin power cultivation. Just as he was refining origin power, Li Kuanglan said, I cant hold out. Ill rely on you for the rest of the night. Qianye was startled, not knowing whether to continue this conversation. Naturally, Li Kuanglan meant that she couldnt endure the fading vitality of the nighttime and that she needed help. However, she probably didnt know how Qianye had helped her last night. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 979: Make an Enemy Out of Me? While Qianye was hesitating, Li Kuanglan said, The instinctive arousal only appears in the daytime it seems, so you dont need to worry. Im very clear as to what Im saying. Do you know what Ill do? Li Kuanglans voice was calm. Ill accept it, no matter what you do. Just do what you did last night. Maybe we can adopt a different position. Qianye pondered deeply. He was fairly calm when trying to save Kuanglans life while she was out cold. Now that she was awake, however, it would be somewhat difficult to adopt that intimate position. Li Kuanglan said resolutely, No need, just do things the way you did last night. But No buts! I dont want to die yet. As for the other stuff, since Ive already experienced it once already, a second time will make no difference. There is a massive difference! Qianye thought to himself. Yet Li Kuanglans words made sense; only the most thorough method could ensure her safety. Both of them were talented geniuses, so there was nothing to fear if they could accept the situation. Fine, then your clothes Li Kuanglan didnt need further instructions. She started removing her armor and soon arrived completely naked before Qianye. She was fairly calm despite having all of her features in full display. Qianye hugged her from behind. Relax, dont resist me with origin power. With the beating of his blood core, their rhythms soon started to synchronize. The night was silent and gradually turning cold. Two living beings were snuggled up against one another, not for intimacy but for survival. The true cruelty of this world would become evident around midnight. The faint glow of the sanguine flames threw their shadows on the wall and windows. Their silhouettes were closely tangled up in each other, and the world was so quiet that one could hear the other breathing. The cadence of their respiration was differentQianyes was gradually turning coarser, while hers was gentle and long. Even with the previous nights experience, activating her heart and vitality was just as difficult. Although Li Kuanglan had recovered consciousness and a good part of her origin power, her internal injuries were still present. Her innards had only healed very slightly. The cold night of this world affected ones bodily functions and vitality, so origin power wasnt really that useful against it. It would seem Li Kuanglan also noticed Qianyes strain. She suddenly turned about and embraced him tightly, pressing her own body against his. Qianye was shocked because this posture was beyond intimate, leaving only one thin line between them. If they didnt have a long cold night to endure, he wasnt so sure he would be able to control his urges. Despite that, Qianye felt evidently relieved after the posture change. This was the posture he had adopted last night. Fortunately, turning around seemed to have used up most of Li Kuanglans strength, and she stopped moving afterward. This was only two nights, but what about in the future? Li Kuanglan might not be able to get through the cold nights alone even after recovering from her injuries. The environment in this world was highly adverse and demanding of one''s constitution. Humans held an advantage in origin power cultivation and not physical prowess. Most experts of the empire focused on secret arts, so their origin power cultivation was fairly lacking. Something was bound to happen sooner or later if they kept using this method. Qianye couldnt help but feel distressed at the thought of this. Even if they were able to leave this accursed place, how was he to face Li Kuanglan? They might be in a good deal of trouble if people were to find out about their experiences here. All others aside, the Li family would definitely hound him for the damage to their prestige, let alone her empress sister. Even simpletons would know better than to provoke a woman who could snatch away the empress position from Princess Zhao. Midnight finally passed amidst the agonizing silence. With the burden lessened, Qianyes breathing gradually normalized. The sanguine flames were no longer wavering and continued to burn in a stable state. It was at this time that Li Kuanglan said, Lets do it. What? Qianye could hardly believe his ears. That thing. This time, he was certain of what she meant. That isnt too appropriate, is it? Qianye kept his tone as tactful as possible. Due to Song Zinings teachings, Qianye knew how difficult dealing with women wasespecially this kind of requesta single mishandling could turn love to hate, and they would become lifelong enemies. Nothing inappropriate about it. Li Kuanglan was unexpectedly calm and her voice was as cold as her sword energy. Itll be daytime soon. The day might not be any safer than the night, its just that we have never encountered true danger. I dont want to lose myself to instinctive urges while exploring. Since were going to lose control sooner or later, lets do it now so that we can be at ease during the daytime. Im still conscious right now. I dont want to do this kind of thing out of base instinct, thats no different from a beast. Qianye could feel a headache coming over him as he tried to placate her, Dont worry. Youre injured right now, but youll be able to regain control once youve recovered. Besides, Ive adapted to this place somewhat. Rest assured, Ill help you maintain control in the daytime. Li Kuanglan stared into Qianyes eyes. Why do you refuse me? Qianye sighed. Its true that very few people can refuse you, but I already have someone I love. I dont want to betray her under any circumstances. Nighteye? Yes. Do you plan to join Evernight? Of course not, Qianye said self-deprecatingly, actually, it doesnt make any difference whether I join them or not, does it? The empire doesnt need me. Those of a different race will have traitorous thoughts. These words arent just for fun. The empire doesnt, but we do. Besides, everything back then was done by the imperial military, they still havent managed to clean up the mess. Qianye laughed. That mess is probably me. Li Kuanglans hand slid down Qianyes back. I dont think anyone can clean up this mess. Kuanglan, its not dawn yet. Li Kuanglan said nonchalantly, Are you trying to make an enemy out of me? Of course not. As I see it, your daytime control is even worse than mine. Since thats the case, why not do it now? Will you feel at ease only if you have an excuse? Li Kuanglans words were as sharp as blades. Well discuss that when the time comes. Theres always a final moment, right? Qianye laughed wryly. Its useless in the end. She stopped making any movement after this, allowing Qianye to heave a sigh of relief. As the long night finally passed by and dawn arrived, the two separated to dress up. The atmosphere between them turned somewhat subtle after going through the night. Now that they had enough meat and water, exploring the surroundings became their first priority. With enough time to spare before the hunt, Qianye asked for intel regarding the Great Maelstrom and, most importantly, how to get out. The Great Maelstrom is a massive world, this much has been proven by our predecessors. In the past, the passage would always open into the same area. We and the Evernight experts will spread out from that starting point, each seeking their own fortunes. At the same time, well collect as much resources as we can while waiting for the next opening of the passage, and then return to the empire. That means we have to return from where we came? But the passage we came in through is no longer there. Li Kuanglan nodded helplessly. This is the true danger of the neutral-lands passage, the tunnel isnt continuous. It only reaches the Great Maelstrom during this period, and there are numerous breaks in between. Its like jogging in the void when one passes through those defects. Then how do we confirm this is the Great Maelstrom? Theres no way to confirm, but we should be in the right place. Its just that I have no idea which region were in. How can you be so sure? My sister and the top divination experts of the empire calculated that the passage will only lead to the Great Maelstrom. Qianye hadnt imagined Empress Li would be a divination expert. But, the Li family was famous in this field, so it only made sense that an outstanding character like the empress would be talented in this regard. Qianye frowned. Then how do we go back? Two ways. One is to tear through the void and return the way we came. As Qianye saw it, this method was simply not feasible. Not to mention tearing through the void, even opening a spatial passage was only something heavenly monarchs could do. The fact that this passage was intermittent was enough for one to cross out going back via it. Having experienced it once, Qianye knew that it was impossible for him to discern the direction inside the spatial passage. Fortunately, Li Kuanglan had no plans to keep him in suspense. The other method is to find the imperial base at the entrance and wait for the next opening there. This was a plausible plan, but the difficulty lay in finding the imperial stronghold. Li Kuanglan cut off a wooden board and started drawing on it. This is a map of the Great Maelstrom under the Li familys control. We might find the stronghold if were lucky enough to walk into the scope of this map. The diagram looked fairly odd. The mountain ranges, crevices, and rivers all seemed especially twisted, a stark contrast from the usual geography seen in the Empire and Evernight. Despite the dense array of markings, Qianye simply couldnt find any familiar landmark. But Qianye had seen such a geographical diagram before. Remembering something, he fished out a painting scroll and passed it to her. Take a look at this. Li Kuanglan was shocked as she opened up the scroll. Havenschild Pasture! Isnt this a map of the Song clans domain in the Great Maelstrom?" Indeed, the Heavenschild Pasture is the Song clans core business. How could they have gotten this rich if not for its stable production throughout the years? Chapter 980: Traces Is this the Song clans territory map? Why is it so much smaller than yours? Qianye was puzzled. Li Kuanglan rolled her eyes at him. Have you forgotten my sisters identity? A good portion of land controlled by the imperial clan has been added to this map. Where did you get your map, though? Song Zining stuffed it into my hands before he pushed me into the passage. Li Kuanglan gnashed her teeth at the mention of Song Zining. I wouldnt be in this situation if it wasnt for that bastard. Humph! Birds of a feather flock together. You hang out with him every day, so you cant be a good person, either. Qianye was puzzled. What did he do to make you hate him so? You ask him! Li Kuanglan replied unceremoniously. She shot Qianye a glance, and then said in a gentler voice, You dummy, you dont even know that youre being schemed against. Qianye still couldnt understand. How did he scheme against me? Li Kaunglan wanted nothing more than to bite Qianye. Ask him, dont come to me. Judging from her mood, Qianye realized that she didnt want to elaborate. Hence he didnt press on with the matter. It would be even more troublesome if the emotional agitation were to ignite her instincts. Qianye wasnt lying about what he said before, it would be especially difficult to refuse her during the daytime. Her fair, tender, yet powerful body, as well as those long legs that could crush all male creatures, served to constantly erode Qianyes reasoning. It would seem Li Kuanglan didnt want to continue conversing, either, as she just went back to comparing the two diagrams. Fortunately, there were a lot of overlapping portions between Song Zinings map, the Li familys, and the Imperial Clans. Moments later, Li Kuanglan had combined the two maps into one for Qianye to study. She herself also took the time to memorize the information before destroying both the wooden board and scroll. Qianye didnt stop hermaps like this contained too many secrets that couldnt fall into outsider hands. Having completed the work, Li Kuanglan climbed the nearby hill. Pick a direction. What direction? Somewhere you think will give us a good harvest. How should I know? Qianye was puzzled. Just pretend you know divination arts. Try feeling where our fortune lies. But I dont know divination. I told you to pretend. Start searching, quick! Qianye felt helpless. All he could do was look toward each direction and concentrate on sensing something. This was no different from a blind guess to him. How could he even sense anything? He decided to just pick a random direction if he couldnt find anything. In any case, it should be fine as long as they didnt approach the giant lake. But to make sure he had done all he could, Qianye activated the Eye of Truth and scanned each direction. Qianyes heart skipped a beat as he glanced toward a certain direction, and he was overcome by a certain urge to rush over immediately. There. Qianye pointed forward. You really sensed something? Li Kuanglan found it weird. I dont know how to explain, but I think something is about to happen there. Okay, lets go and see. Li Kuanglan picked up her blade and followed Qianye from behind. After walking over several hills and valleys, a winding river appeared before their eyes. The water flow was gentle and waveless, and there was a forest on the other shore. The woods were silent, verdant, and full of vitality. There was a tall mountain range further out, with tall, ashen peaks jutting into the clouds and stretching far into the distance. Li Kuanglan had learned to be careful whenever she saw water. Even the fish in a small valley-lake was enough to injure Qianye. There was no telling what manner of creatures the long river was hiding. Li Kuanglan wasnt proficient in marine battles, to begin with. Things would go even worse in her current situation. Gazing at the other shore, Qianye frowned. I have a feeling that we need to check the other side. How do we cross? Build a boat. Qianyes answer was fairly simple and concise. He said they would build a boat, but all they did was nail some wooden boards together into a box-like vessel. The river wasnt really that widewith the duos skills, they would be able to cross over even with two palm-sized pieces of wood. However, Qianye had decided to focus on safety as only with proper footing would they be able to deal with the dangers of the river. Qianye pushed the wooden box into the water and boarded the vessel with Li Kuanglan. Channeling origin power beneath his foot, he started driving the boat across the water and toward the other shore. The crossing went without a hitch, and the two successfully came ashore. Li Kuanglan suddenly pointed toward the side. Look. There was someone fishing in the distance! Seeing someone in this world was even more nerve-wracking than seeing a beast. Qianye shattered the boat with a slapthe wooden fragments flowed down the river while he and Li Kuanglan hid themselves. Qianyes eyesight was powerful. He was able to focus over a thousand meters and actually see this persons attire. He was clad in a beast-skin shirt, with several feathers sticking out from the bandanna on his head. The mans skin color was a rare dark brown. His exposed arms and legs looked exceptionally powerful and covered in black hair. Overall, he looked stout and strong. There was a fishing rod in his grasp and he seemed entirely focused on fishing. From his getup, Qianye was sure that he was neither from the Empire nor Evernight. Then, there were only two possibilitieshe was either a descendant of the last Great Maelstrom expedition or a native. Qianye decided not to approach for now and merely kept on observing the man. Qianye had interacted with the natives of the neutral lands before, so he knew that the more dangerous the world, the more powerful its natives. It would be unwise to show themselves without ample preparation. That person sat there like a stone statue, just as immobile as the fishing rod in his hand, so much so that one would suspect if there were any fish in the river. Besides, most creatures in this world had six legs or more, but this person was bipedal, just like a human being. This form was incompatible with this high-gravity environment. On the Evernight side, the race most suited to the Great Maelstrom was the arachne. Before long, a series of rustling sounds appeared from the forest as another person walked out. This person was tall, muscular, and over two meters tall, making loud noises as he ran toward the fisherman. The latter turned back at this point, revealing his facea tall nose, deep eye-sockets, and a pair of dark brown eyes. If it wasnt for the big mouth and lack of eyebrows, he mightve been considered quite handsome. He looked quite flustered as he got up and made to escape. However, the person running over stomped hard on the ground at this moment. Visible shockwaves shot across the earth and arrived beneath the fishing mans feet. The latter let out a miserable cry as he was flung into the air. With no footing, he was caught by the pursuer before he could even land. What happened next greatly surprised Qianye. A pair of small hands stretched out from the newcomers ribs, and with four limbs, they tore off the fishermans clothes and pressed him to the ground. The latter struggled with all his might, unwilling to submit until the end. But, the four-armed person spat out a cloud of white mist onto the fishermans face. Gradually, the fisherman stopped struggling and revealed a pained but happy expression. The four-armed person had won. Next up, the two began mating furiously, rolling about with great ferocity and violence. With Qianyes observation and judgment skills, he could tell that the fisherman was the male, while the violent one was the female. This kind of situation where the female was the dominant gender would rarely appear in higher speciesit was more common among insects and the like. Both Qianye and Li Kuanglan were surprised by the females sudden eruption of martial prowess as she captured the man. The might of her stomp was also quite extraordinary, but then again, everything was abnormal in the Great Maelstrom. It would take an origin power cultivation of at least rank four to produce such a stomp. If that four-armed woman was only an ordinary native, this meant that everyone in their tribe was at that level and the region was extremely dangerous. Qianye turned back and whispered into Li Kuanglans ear, Were there any records of natives in the Li familys records? Li Kuanglan shook her head. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but all of a sudden, she pounced over and sealed Qianyes lips with her own. To his shock, Qianye found that she was burning upher face was flushed red, and she was on the verge of tears as her hands ran all over Qianyes body, tearing at his clothes. Qianye had no idea why she would suddenly lose control. He flipped over immediately and pressed her firmly to the ground. As for their lips, he could only go along with her movements, lest she makes a sound. Qianyes sharp senses immediately caught a faint fishy fragrance in the air. All of a sudden, his body burst into action like an ignited keg of gunpowder. A big change came over his body and knocked "hard" against Li Kuanglan. The latter trembled briefly before locking tightly onto him like a spider. Qianye looked up toward the source of this smell and found an extremely thin wisp of white drifting in the air. It would seem the four-armed womans white mist had drifted to their place. This white smoke possessed extremely powerful aphrodisiac effects, turning that fisherman from an unyielding man into a beast in heat. Li Kuanglan had surely breathed in the white mist to have turned into this state. Having sensed the source of the issue, Qianye pressed down on her even more tightly. He could no longer care about their intimate position because every knock and every movement was frighteningly arousing. Even if Qianye had somehow succumbed to the white mist, it was definitely not a good place for procreation. They were clearly in native territory, so things could go horribly wrong if they were to charge out. Hence, Qianye used his blood energy to suppress the white mist while pressing Li Kuanglan down, preventing her from making noises. Unable to fulfill her desires, all she could do was settle for the next best thingwhich was to rub herself against Qianyes body. After a while, she trembled violently and her entire body fell limp. She was no longer struggling. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief as he glanced at her. At this point, the flush on Li Kuanglans face had receded and her forehead was drenched in sweat. Her breathing was still heavy, but her eyes seemed to have regained their clarity, immediately looking away as their eyes met. Get up, we should find a place to recover. Its too dangerous here, Qianye whispered into her ears. Li Kuanglan nodded, but she was too exhausted to clamber up. Qianye found it quite odd, but he wrote it off as a side effect of the white mist. He immediately dragged her up and started walking downstream. Before leaving, Qianye glanced back once more to find the natives still engaged in a fierce battle. It was just that the fisherman was not the womans match and had given himself up to her whims. The four-armed woman, on the other hand, was in high spirits and there was no telling when she would stop. Qianye stopped looking at this point and focused on running downstream. He hadnt gone far, however, when he heard a sharp whistle as an arrow shot out from the distant forest. Chapter 981: Critical Poin t Qianye was fairly calm in the face of danger. He moved Li Kuanglan from his back and into his right arm. Then, with his left, he reached out and caught the arrow in its tracks. Qianyes entire body jolted as he grasped the arrow. The shot was abnormally powerful, almost comparable to the ballistae on small airships. Fortunately, the soil around the riverside was just as hard, else Qianye wouldve sunk into the ground. Qianye could feel a wave of stinging pain from his hand as he caught the arrow. The projectile was covered in barbs that tore through the flesh of his palm. Several natives jumped out from the woods. There were two tall four-armed ones, while the others were the size of an ordinary human, just like that fisherman. The strange thing was that there were two women among the four smaller natives as well. It would seem the fisherman belonged to one race and the four-armed woman was from a different one. The natives eyes lit up when they saw Qianye and Li Kuanglan, and they started shouting in some unintelligible language. One of the four-armed women was holding a longbow; the arrow from just now was from her. Seeing Qianyes bleeding hand, she became excited and worried at the same time. She shouted loudly as she tossed over a clay jar, indicating that Qianye should rub it on his palm. The latter caught the jar. He opened it up to find an oily black substance with a fairly pungent odor. He saw that the blood from his palm was black, and the flesh around the wound was gradually turning grey and putrid. There was poison on the arrow, but it wasnt particularly lethal. Flesh corrosion was a characteristic of lower-grade venoms. The truly powerful ones would act on the nervous system or origin power, killing the victim within mere seconds. Apparently, it was the antidote that the woman had tossed over. Whatever her motives were, Qianye felt that she wasnt doing it out of kindness. Even if the natives didn''t want to kill them, he had no interest in letting them use him as a mating machine. He absolutely couldnt let Li Kuanglan fall into their hands. Qianye put away the jar. Even if it was an antidote inside, he wasnt about to use it. Besides, this wound was no different from an insect bite to Qianye. Without wasting any words, he ignited a plume of sanguine flame on his palm, burning away all of the poison as well as the putrid flesh. The wound then began to contract and heal, leaving only a couple of red lines. The woman was startled and suddenly started roaring at the other four-armed woman. The latter wasnt willing to yield, either, and began waving a thick club in a threatening manner. With the two women fighting amongst themselves, the other two-armed natives started flanking toward Qianye. Let me down. I can deal with these ants. Qianye shot Li Kuanglan a glance, and then put her down. The latter drew her vampiric blade and charged at the closest native. The native unleashed a bestial roar when he saw Li Kuanglan approaching. He immediately dropped his pants and pounced at her, his thing dangling below all the while. Li Kuanglan was shocked out of her wits. How could she have imagined such a situation? The mans moves were full of openings, but she was also overcome by an urge to turn around and cover her eyes. Those natives looked fairly ordinary, but they were fairly nimble in this high gravity environment. A moment of hesitation from Li Kuanglan and the man had rushed behind to claw her clothes off. Li Kuanglan slashed instinctively at the mans throat, but the native only tilted his head and used his shoulder to meet the incoming blade, all the while grabbing onto Li Kuanglans collar. He was determined to tear her clothes off even if he had to take a slash. Despite being a top genius, Li Kuanglan had never seen such a reckless person. Add to that the fact that she was weak and tired at this point, she immediately became flustered. A sword radiance descended in front of Li Kuanglan at this point, lopping off the natives arms. The beam then spun around and decapitated the native. Soon afterward, Qianye stepped forward and launched three ephemeral strikes. His sword seemed almost weightless. The remaining three natives fell down with holes on their chests. Li Kuanglan was startled by the three uncanny stabsEast Peaks weight was still fresh in her memory. The two four-armed women, however, seemed oblivious to his power. The two stopped fighting temporarily and charged at Qianye together. The bow-wielding woman stopped thirty meters away and nocked three arrows at the same time. The arrowheads were a mixed shade of yellow and blue, apparently dipped in different types of venom. The club-wielder arrived in front of Qianye with her giant weapon raised, spraying a mouthful of white mist before smashing down. Now, Qianye was shocked. He couldnt bother to use any secret art at this point; all he could do was pick up Li Kuanglan and run. The white mist was extremely tyrannical. Just now, the few wisps that had drifted downstream almost affected him and turned Li Kuanglan into a sex-crazed woman. If this white mist were to cover him directly, not even his vampire constitution might be able to handle it. Besides, the ancient vampire bloodline shared some commonalities with the creatures of this world. Most of the time, it was more likely to push Qianye into the pit than help him up. If it wasnt for his Venus Dawn origin power restraining the dark golden blood energy, there was no telling how many times he wouldve done the unspeakable with Li Kuanglan. Qianye didnt dare enter the forest, so all he could do was escape to the riverside. He kicked several stones into the air and then took to the skies, stepping lightly on the rocks as he returned to the other shore. Under a gravitational pull that was ten times heavier than normal, even Qianye found it difficult to fly. The two four-armed women chased them to the shore but had no way to cross the rivereither they couldnt swim or they were fearful of something in the water. Qianye wasnt about to get careless, however. He ran dozens of kilometers and only heaved a sigh of relief after getting out of the four-armed womens sight. Qianye was huffing and puffing like a bull after all that running. Li Kuanglan wasnt light, to begin with, let alone that heavy internal armor she was wearing. This side of the river seemed rather safe and there were no signs of natives. Qianye found a sheltered flat ground and set up a campfire, prepared to spend the night here. During the entire process, Li Kuanglan just sat in silence and didnt come to help out. No one knew what she was thinking. Qianye noticed that her body was still weak, and she wouldnt be of much help even if she were willing. Hence, he simply got down to setting up the camp on his own. This time, Qianye didnt build a wooden hut but merely set up a ring of wooden spikes and traps. Then, he produced yesterdays prey and began preparing dinner. Li Kuanglan suddenly looked up. Make me a wooden tub, a big one. What for? Qianye didnt even want to build a hut. What was the point of making a household item? I want to wash up. Qianye found it odd. It would be night soon, and all impurities would be incinerated once surrounded by his sanguine flames. There really was no need to bathe. Besides, there was no telling what was in the riverthe natives were fishing there, after all. I want to bathe! Li Kuanglan repeated her words. Seeing her resolution, Qianye made no effort to dissuade her. Making a wooden tub wasnt too hard for him. He picked a tree, felled it with a few swings, and then cut them into planks. He then lined them together and tied them with a string made of tree-bark. Thus, a tub that could fit one person was born. All of this looked easy, but it wasnt that simplethe wood here was as hard as steel and not even a divine champion could fell it in one swing. Just swinging that dozen-ton sword was difficult enough. The strong was king in this accursed world. Qianye carried the bathtub to the river, filled it with water, and then put it back on land. Li Kuanglan said with a bit of bashfulness, Help me keep watch. Nodding, Qianye sat down with his back to the bathtub. Sounds of clothes being removed, of someone entering the water, and then of the water sloshing around, came from behind him. He couldnt figure out why she insisted on bathing. Qianye brushed it off as one of her strange habits and simply waited for her while gazing at the river. The sky was growing dark at this point. The duo finished their dinner and began cultivating on their own. Li Kuanglan was working to heal her injuries while Qianye was mostly refining Venus Dawn to restrain his blood energy. Every creature in this world would give him ample amounts of essence blood, and Qianyes Book of Darkness was already full to the brim. With such a near-unlimited supply, he would advance to a mighty marquis in just a few days, standing on the same level as Nana and Julio from before. But that would cause the Song Clan Ancient Scroll to lose balance and Qianye would transform into a pure ancient vampire. For some reason, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll worked so much faster in the Great Maelstrom. The rate of refinement was almost double from the outside. At this rate, Qianye would be able to open up his sixth origin vortex within a month. There were few in the entire empire who could match this speed. But he couldnt cultivate very long before Li Kuanglan reached her limit and needed Qianye to maintain her vitality. With two nights of experience in hand, they both knew what to do. Neither of them spoke as they proceeded to wait for dawn in each others embrace. Only a sanguine flame flickered on the dark riverside. Another night passed by. Qianye got up with the first rays of dawn and dressed. Seeing the worry on his face, Li Kuanglan asked, Is something bothering you? Qianye heaved a sigh. Yes, I dont know how long we can hold out here. The white mist from those four-armed natives is so strong, theres no telling what else we might encounter. Li Kuanglan said after a moment of silence, Its just for survival. Whatever happens, its not our fault. I think well just forget about everything once we leave. Perhaps. Qianye still looked concerned. The sanguine flames were akin to his eyes and ears. He didnt need to see to realize that some parts of Li Kuanglans body were wet and stickythis reminded him of why Li Kuanglan insisted on taking a bath. The current her would perhaps be the Qianye of tomorrow. Every time he was controlling his urges, Qianye felt as though he was going up against the entire world. But how was one to confront the world alone? Li Kuanglan diverted the topic, pointing at the other shore. Didnt you say well find great fortune in that direction? Lets explore the forest today. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 982: Need Help? Qianye had never felt that he had any talent in divination, and neither did he believe his instincts would be that accurate. At least according to Song Zining, he was incomparable to a certain few ladies. But at the moment, he would need to pick a direction to explore and their only hope of returning was to find the imperial base in the Great Maelstrom. During such a temporary lack of directions, it was crucial for them to understand the surroundings as best they could and the best way to understand this world is via the intelligent natives who were born here. Without Li Kuanglan, Qianye would already have gone into the forest to investigate the tribe, but things were completely different with her around. He wasnt about to let her fall into native hands no matter what, especially those four-armed people. That kind of ending would be worse than death. Qianye believed Li Kuanglan would rather die than succumb to such a fate. The white mist produced by those four-armed people was simply too tyrannical. One would lose themselves after coming into contact, and it wouldnt even be possible to commit suicide. Hence, Qianye couldnt quite come to a decision on Li Kuanglans suggestion. At this moment, Li Kuanglan had regained her usual calmness. Most of my injuries have healed. I still cant get through the night on my own, but I should be completely fine in battle. Youre hesitating so much about going over, are you looking down on me? Of course not, but Li Kuanglan cut him short, Then its settled. Lets go. Noticing her resolution, Qianye decided to follow their same stepping-stone formula from yesterday. He carried Li Kuanglan over the river and arrived outside of the woods. The duo had just approached the forest when a shrill cry erupted from above. A large net fell down immediately, aiming to capture the two alive. How could such a primitive method capture the two top geniuses of the empire? Li Kuanglan picked up the net with a swing of her sword. This would normally be considered a taboo, but a twist of her wrist sent the net spinning back to whence it had come, firmly binding the two-armed man hiding in the treetop. That hunter cried out in alarm as he fell from the tree and crashed into the ground. All he could do was whimper about, unable to clamber back up. At this point, Qianye walked out from the trees with a two-armed hunter in each hand and tossed them onto the ground. The hunters he had caught had no more power to resist as their arms had been broken. These natives possessed a natural ability that allowed them to blend into the forest, but they were easily found out by Qianyes True Sight. The three men reacted physiologically upon seeing Li Kuanglan, and their fixed stares sent a chill down her spine. She instinctively raised her vampiric blade, ready to cut them into pieces. Qianye pushed her hand down and said while shaking his head, No need to kill them. Killing intent is a desire as well, control it as much as you can. I dont want to control it! Li Kuanglan said coldly. Qianye wasnt angry because he knew she wasnt in a good mood lately. Instead, he tried to communicate with the two-armed people. However, he finally gave up after a prolonged attempt as the language barrier was insurmountable. Qianye searched their bodies but found nothing useful except for some food, wine, and miscellaneous items. He did find that each hunter wore a small, blue flower. The flower was small and exquisite, and its petals were made of a translucent, almost-crystalline material. There was no telling whether it was natural or man-made. Judging from the base and stem, it was likely to be natural, but the petals didnt feel the same. Each of the petals of the three blue flowers was different, almost like a supreme work of art. Even the most talented expert craftsman of the Empire couldnt produce something of this caliber. How could human craftsmanship compare to the work of nature itself? The three men flailed about in anger and terror as Qianye put away the blue flowers. Apparently, these flowers seemed highly important to them. Seeing that he couldnt get anything out of the captives, Qianye broke off the captives legs as well. Then, he bundled them up in the large net and left them in a corner of the forest. These natives possessed powerful vitality, anyway, and would probably survive a couple of days without food or water. Qianye pointed to the depths of the wood. Lets see if we can find their lair. Li Kuanglan nodded and followed Qianye toward the depths. These natives were natural hunters who didnt need any training to hide themselves and their tracks. However, both Qianye and Li Kuanglan were talented hunters, the latter especially. Her tracking skills were probably even better than Qianyes own. If it wasnt for the eye of truth, he would be suppressed in all aspects. After following the tracks left behind by the natives for about half a day, they found the traces increase noticeably, with no lack of new converging ones. The duo exchanged glances, realizing that they had come in the right direction. As such, they slowed down their pace and started to move more cautiously. It was at this time that a series of footsteps echoed through the forest as a group of natives appeared in their sight. This group was fairly sizable, consisting of five four-armed natives and over twenty two-armed ones, speeding along in a single file. After they had passed by, Qianye and Li Kuanglan decided to follow them. The shadowing didnt last long when one of the four-armed people suddenly sprang into action, pushing down a two-armed person and mating with him on the spot. The other four-armed people werent willing to be left behind and also started to follow suit. The two-armed ones who werent chosen split up into pairs and fell into action. Angry and embarrassed at this incredible scene, Li Kuanglan knowingly leaned behind Qianye. Qianye was extremely tense as he focused on the natives movements, lest they spit out more white mist. Fortunately, the mist seemed fairly valuable to the four-armed people and wasnt made for use in such circumstances. It took about half an hour for the natives to complete their primitive pleasure session and continue on their way. Qianye tugged on Li Kuanglan, indicating that it was time to continue tracking their target. However, he soon discoveredto his surprisethat the latter had weakened quite a bit. Seeing Qianyes gaze, Li Kuanglan lowered her head and said in a whisper, I I lost control just now Im feeling just like yesterday. Qianye didnt know how to reply. He simply said, Do you need me to help? Li Kuanglan glared at him. If only you were willing! Qianye didnt dare to continue this topic. He picked up Li Kuanglan and continued their hunt. Fortunately, the natives were also fairly exhausted after their chaotic battle. The duo was able to catch up quite easily as the group had slowed down quite a bit. Moments later, the group of natives walked out of the forest and started moving toward a distant mountain. At the foothills of the long mountain range was a fairly large stone castle. The structure was already in decay with numerous breaks in the wall, and only the four grand tall towers remained perfectly intact. There was a strong four-armed sentry on each tower, wielding bows bigger than the one Qianye had seen before. There was no need to doubt the power of these bows, and their range was bound to cover hundreds of meters. The four sentries on the towers looked stronger than the four-armed women, quite likely the males of their race. There were natives going in and out of the castle. It would seem this tribe was fairly prosperous, but they had no intention of repairing the damaged walls and only focused their energy on procreation. Qianye gestured toward Li Kuanglan, asking her to watch the forest while he carefully snuck forward along the forest line. As he got closer, Qianye was able to see through the damaged walls. He could see that the interior of the castle was fairly messy, with piles of junk strewn across the compound. There were numerous stone houses with large doors at the center of the courtyard, inhabited only by the four-armed people. After a moment of observation, Qianye was able to confirm that there were both males and females among the four-armed people. The males were rare yet powerfulalmost three meters tall and much stouter than the women. The two genders looked pretty much the same, and the only reason Qianye was able to tell them apart was because of their habit of mating anywhere and everywhere. A pair of four-armed people were already getting on with their business without even entering the house. After close observation, Qianye found that the four-armed people looked rather fierce. Both males and females sported protruding lips and fangs of different sizes. They also retained a fair number of bestial features. Biting and tearing, when required, would be a powerful mode of attack. Comparatively, the two-armed people looked more like humans both in facial and physical features. Their residences within the castle were small, dilapidated, and usually made from wood and stone. Over a dozen of them would have to crowd into one such house. Not to mention comfort, they might not even have enough space to stand. Qianye was fairly curious about the relationship between the two-armed people and the four-armed ones. Thus, he sneaked over quietly in hopes of observing in greater detail. A group of natives passed by at this moment. Qianye immediately retracted his aura and hid behind a tree, but one of the four-armed women in the group paused her steps. She raised her head and sniffed the air with a puzzled expression, and then walked over toward Qianye. Sniffing as she went, she came to the tree where Qianye was hiding and circled several times around it to no avail. She wanted to search more, but the other four-armed woman from the group started shouting impatiently. Only then did the first woman go back unwillingly. After this group had left, Qianye dropped down lithely from the tree with a serious expression. He hadnt expected that these natives would have such an acute sense of smell. If he hadnt used Bloodline Concealment at the critical moment and contained his aura, he mightve been discovered just now. Now, Qianye no longer dared to further approach the stone castle. There were at least hundreds of natives in the castle with dozens of four-armed ones among them. There were more than ten powerful-looking four-armed males. Even Qianye wasnt willing to challenge such a group. It actually wasnt because of their strength, but because the white mist was simply too disgusting. After a period of observation, Qianye made to return to Li Kuanglan. He didnt feel easy leaving her alone for too long. Just as he was about to leave, however, a conflict arose between the natives. They ran about shouting loudly as a series of rumbles echoed through the castle. Qianye became alert as this was a great opportunity. Truth be told, he really did want to investigate whatever was hidden within the castlethe secrets to the Great Maelstrom might just be sitting in there. Qianye took action immediately and began sneaking toward the compound. The confusion inside greatly intensified as he arrived within a hundred meters of the structure. A figure appeared on one of the towers as the original occupant fell headfirst to the ground and crashed amidst pitiful cries. The figure jumped down and stomped onto the four-armed sentry, and then pounced in Qianyes direction. She staggered forward after taking a few steps and nearly fell to the ground. However, she clambered up and kept on running. The group of natives ran after her at lightning speed, and it seemed like they would catch up to her very soon. Chapter 983: Never Used Before Qianye had no time to think too much. With a sudden leap, his silhouette flashed across a hundred meters. He rushed to her just before the pursuing natives arrived and pushed her down. All the natives fell upon them in the blink of an eye, producing a human heap. Sanguineous threads erupted from the human mountain, jolting the people on top away. Qianye rushed out with the person in tow and ran toward where Li Kuanglan was hiding. There were still a number of natives on the chase, and their speed wasnt slower than Qianye''s since he was carrying the weight of two people. They ran a fair distance before some of them looked back to find that the entire group from just now was lying immobile on the ground. Puzzled, these men ran over and flipped some of their collapsed comrades over and couldnt help but cry out in alarm. The twenty-some people who had piled themselves atop Qianye had turned into corpses. The men cried loudly, oblivious as to what had just happened. A four-armed man rushed over in large strides at this point. Seeing the corpses strewn across the ground, he looked up in Qianyes direction with a different, abstruse glint in his eyes. The four-armed man didnt chase after the escapees, so the other warriors also stopped near him. Apparently, his status in the tribe was extraordinary. With dozens of natives still on his tail, Qianye rushed into the forest without looking back. He charged past Li Kuanglan and continued into the depths of the woods. The pursuing natives entered the forest one after the other. At this moment, Li Kuanglan suddenly appeared from behind a tree and produced an icy blue slash at a four-armed womans neck. Then, she adopted a mysterious style of footwork and transitioned through several sword stances. The natives charged past her like the tide, but she would evade them at the last moment before they could crash into her. That four-armed woman ran dozens of meters forward before her head tilted to the side. A large opening had appeared on the side of her neck, and it was spraying out several meters of fresh blood. She collapsed to the ground, limbs trembling, and never managed to get up again. The warriors beside her also plopped down, flailing about in vain. They were struck either on the side of their necks, below their ribs, or between their legscritical injuries that left them on the brink of death. Li Kuanglan had simply placed her blade in the natives way and waited for them to run into it. She used this method to kill over a dozen natives, a vivid display of her outstanding swordsmanship. This also left her face pale and her hands trembling slightly. These natives were strong, and cutting through their flesh was like slashing at steel. Their running momentum was also akin to that of a giant beast. Brute strength was never Li Kuanglans forte, and now, she had also been deprived of Cold Moons Embrace. Cutting down the group had exhausted most of her stamina, and she couldnt even grasp her sword steadily. Li Kuanglan glanced at the natives outside of the forest. She wanted to kill them all, but she also knew that it wasnt possible, at least not at the moment. She thus clenched her teeth and left in dissatisfaction. Stifled and frustrated, she could only focus on charging forward in anger. Her vision blurred all of a sudden as a person appeared in her way. Without thinking twice, she swung her blade at them in her fury. However, that person acted with the speed of lightning, grabbing the blade edge and tossing it away conveniently. A startled Li Kuanglan raised her left hand and jabbed at the assailants throat with two outspread fingers. This move was swift and lethal, a great move for turning the tables. However, her vision blurred again as the person disappeared and, before she could react, appeared behind her. That vampiric blade from before was now at her throat. Li Kuanglan never imagined she would lose so quickly. She had only lost once to Qianye after arriving in the Great Maelstrom, but this person certainly wasnt Qianye. Before she could finish thinking, a cold, slippery hand reached through her collar, pulled open the defect in her internal armor, and grabbed at the lump of flesh inside. Then, it pinched her peach blossoms and began twirling it around. Li Kuanglan inhaled deeply. Her body became weak and limp. She cried out in exasperation, Ji Tianqing! Ill never forgive you if you keep messing around! A chuckle rang out from behind. How did you know it was me? Li Kuanglan gnashed her teeth. Slut, who else but you will do such a thing? Oh my, since you already consider me a slut, Im obliged to do some vulgar things to you, right? With that, her hands started to move more quickly. Li Kuanglan went soft at the knees and had no choice but to lean into Ji Tianqing to steady herself. Y-You Li Kuanglan trembled all over, her eyes filled with cold killing intent. Unfortunately, she was too weak to do anything. Ji Tianqing whispered beside her ears, Im about to lose control as well. Let me bully you for a bit, or Ill have to go to Qianye. Go! Ji Tianqing made her way forward and her figure transformed from an ordinary-looking man into an unassuming young lady. Let it be, hes yours. Li Kuanglan arranged her clothes and then stared fiercely at Ji Tianqing. Have you forgotten that you have a share, too? You can also have my share, youre welcome. Ji Tianqing stretched lazily, saying, I dont want it! Its not interesting to eat leftovers. Its fresh and unused. Whos gonna believe you? Believe what you will. Their conversation thus fell into an impasse. Ji Tianqing walked around Li Kuanglan, observing her, while the latter maintained her icy poker face. Ji Tianqing finally raised her hand in surrender. Really? Nothing happened between you two? No, do you want me to swear on the Li family ancestors? Li Kuanglan said with a wooden expression. Ji Tianqing understood the seriousness of these words. Swearing upon the ancestors was the most solemn ceremony for clans cultivating divination arts. It would seem Li Kuanglan was truly angry and might really fight to the death if she were agitated further. Ji Tianqing pursed her lips. Just kidding, why so serious? Your jokes were never funny. Fine, then Ill stop. Do you not plan to take a look at Qianye? Hes been coughing up blood for a while now. What!? Shocked, Li Kuanglan looked around and flew off in the direction of Qianyes aura. Qianye was behind an ancient tree, down on one knee, and leaning on East Peak for support. He was coughing repeatedly and hurling a mouthful of dark purple blood each time. The fluid had already accumulated into a small pool on the ground. Li Kuanglan arrived beside Qianye. Whats wrong? Her voice was somewhat trembling, and her cold expression could no longer hide the concern in her heart. Qianye looked up with a forced smile. Im fine, its just... its just He hadnt finished speaking when he started coughing blood yet again. Li Kuanglans lips parted, but seemingly sensing something, decided not to say it out loud in the end. All she did was watch Qianye in silence. The hand she had on the ground had unknowingly dug into the rock-hard soil. Qianyes cough finally eased up. He said with an apologetic smile, Im really fine. It was so filling just now that I almost couldnt handle it. Now I feel better after coughing the blood out. Li Kuanglan somewhat understood but somewhat didnt. However, she finally felt relieved now that Qianye was stable and his aura was climbing back up. Besides, she had watched the entirety of the battle just now and didnt really see Qianye take any damage. With how strong his body was, it would be quite difficult for a couple of natives to injure him. Qianye wiped away the blood from his mouth. We shouldnt stay too long here, lets move. Li Kuanglan stood up with a nod. She then looked back at Ji Tianqing and said, You must be quite familiar with this area, do you have a place to stay? Ji Tianqing nodded. Follow me. The three ran swiftly through the trees and soon left the forest, following Ji Tianqings lead up a rocky mountain top. There was a natural crater at the summit, preventing people from seeing them even from a treetop. Ji Tianqing had set up a small tent here and a campfire. There were also some storage crates nearby with meat, mushrooms, and fruits. There was also a basin of clear water nearby. Everything here was tidy and well-organized. Ji Tianqing spread out the bark and hay bedding, making enough space for three people to squeeze onto. Here it is. Well just have to make do in this accursed place. Li Kuanglan walked over to the naturally-formed stone wall and looked out at their surroundings. She then picked up an origin gun Ji Tianqing had left lying around. Are guns usable here? Ji Tianqing replied, Who knows? Ive never tried. I only put it here just in case. Li Kuanglan sized Ji Tianqing up from head to toe, and then stretched out her hand. Give me! Ji Tianqing took a step back. What are you doing? Stop pretending! Give me the spare clothes you prepared! I dont have any! Ji Tianqing replied quickly. Li Kuanglan sneered. Everyone knows you have spatial equipment. Theres no way you dont have a change of clothes. I do have it, but theres only one set. Who would stuff a stack of clothes in their spatial gear? Li Kuanglan nodded. Thats fine, hand it over. Why must I? Can you even defeat me? Ji Tianqing provoked. Li Kaunglan laughed coldly. Why must I fight personally? Qianye, you fight her! Huh? Qianye had never imagined that this conflict would fall onto his head so quickly. He looked at them with a wronged expression, puzzled as to why he had to fight. Think about the consequences if you dont obey. Li Kuanglan issued a blatant threat. Her menace seemed fairly empty, but Qianye felt that there were many points where she could threaten him. For instance, he needed to repay the big favors he owed herthe fight with Zhao Jundu and offering him her internal armor while she herself suffered grave danger inside the spatial passage. The most lethal part was that the outcome would be unimaginable if she were to tell Nighteye about what had transpired. Nighteye probably wouldnt bother with Li Kuanglan, but it was quite possible that she would destroy the Li family. Of course, all of this was just Qianyes speculation. Considering the current situation between them, it was more probable that Nighteye would ignore Qianye from then on. Chapter 984: Holy Frui t At the thought of this, Qianye laughed wryly and started walking toward Ji Tianqing. Ji Tianqings eyes went wide. What are you trying to do? Qianye, how can you be so disloyal? Are you really going to rob me of my clothes? Ill scream if you come near me! Li Kuanglan sneered, Go ahead! Lets see who runs faster when those natives come. Li Kuanglans sword arts focused on speed to claim victory. This was a talent she was most proud of, and even Qianye might not be her match without Spatial Flash. Between the three, Ji Tianqing was probably a bit weaker in terms of speed. But she wasnt that easily provoked, either. She sized up Li Kuanglan with an evil expression, saying, I have a lot of ways to make you run slower. I see you havent been doing well the past few days, want me to call a few natives over? Li Kuanglan recalled the way she was assaulted just now. Embarrassed and angry, she shouted, Qianye, what are you waiting for!? Restrain this damn lass and Ill let you see her real appearance. Qianye walked forward unwillingly at Li Kuanglans urging. Tianqing, just give her a set of clothes if you have extra. I dont want to do this. Ji Tianqing snorted. You speak as if you can win. This problem wasnt easy to reply to. That might not be a certainty outside of the Great Maelstrom. What he meant to say was that he would surely win here. This wasnt meaningless boasting because, despite her power, Ji Tianqing mostly relied on secret arts. Her constitution was more or less the same as Li Kuanglans. Qianye, on the other hand, was like a fish in water due to his powerful body. His strength advantage was too great for her secret arts to make up for. Qianyes words woke Ji Tianqing up to this reality. Shrugging, she puffed her chest out, saying, I dont have extra clothes, you can search if you want. Now that made things difficult for Qianye. He naturally would need to search closely if he wanted to be thorough, but Ji Tianqing was a girl. There was no way he could do that! The recent skinship with Li Kuanglan was already enough trouble for him. He didnt want to double the distress. Li Kuanglan sneered, What are you afraid of? Search every corner of her body. I want to see if she dares to let you. As expected, Ji Tianqings expression became unnatural. Qianye wasnt about to fall for this trick, however. I really cant. Then press her down for me, Ill do it! Li Kuanglan folded her sleeves, making ready to do the dirty work. Ji Tianqing slid forward, circling around Qianye and dodging Li Kuanglans demonic claws. I really dont have clothes! The one on my body is my spare set. My original clothes were destroyed in the passage. I dont have a treasured armor as you do. How can ordinary clothes last in there? Li Kuanglan stopped after realizing that she was speaking the truth. I really shouldnt have come here. Ji Tianqing was surprised. She sighed moments later, saying, Its too late now that youve arrived here. Besides, who knew this world would be like this? Did we have a choice? Are you willing to resign to fate and marry someone you dont like? Li Kuanglan said coldly, Why must I marry? I had no intention of marrying since the moment I took up mens clothing. Eh!? She hadnt finished speaking when Ji Tianqings hands started assaulting her chest, causing her entire body to grow weak. Although nothing could be discerned on the surface, all three of them were experts who could see the situation from tiny clues. It wasnt hard for everyone to see what had happened just by looking at her unnatural expression and movements. Having lost much of her dignity, Li Kuanglan no longer dared to utter fierce words. All she did was stare angrily at Ji Tianqing. The latter stuck out her tongue as she pulled back her hands. She then stood aside in an orderly fashion, almost as though nothing had happened just now. Li Kuanglan knew she could do nothing against her. Without Cold Moons Embrace, she wasnt Ji Tianqings match even if she were at her peak. Eighty percent of her power relied on her sword techniques, unlike Ji Tianqing who possessed numerous secret arts and could use any weapon in reach. Li Kuanglan sighed. No matter what, I wont accept the familys arrangement. Besides, what can a marriage even bring? Are our own values really that high? Ji Tianqing replied calmly, Who says itll bring nothing? Our fate will never change unless a female Heavenly Monarch appears in the Empire. The higher our cultivation, the greater our value. Some major character is bound to be interested in us one day. Just like your sister, she ultimately had to enter the palace, no matter how proud of a character she was back then. Li Kuanglan remained silent because she knew Ji Tianqing spoke the truth. Women were still dependent on men to a certain degree; the only difference was how much. The stronger one was, the more independent they could afford to beeven that was only switching from one form of helplessness to the next. Naturally, there were conflicts in every generation and dynasty, as well as people who succeeded and those who failed. For instance, Li Kuanglans male attire, Ji Tianqings constant disguise, and even Zhao Yuyings unrestrained manners were a form of rebellion. Despite that, the greater picture had never changed. Evernight, on the contrary, was much better in this regard. Only the female werewolves were relatively more vulnerable. The vampire and demonkin treated both genders equally, and the role of females was somewhat greater among ordinary arachne. Due to the presence of the Queen of the Night, the entire Evernight world treated women on the same level as men. In the empire, however, ladies of noble birth had no way to change their fate. As Ji Tianqing said, the only way out was for a female heavenly monarch to appear. Without this achievement, women would always be inferior to men and equality would ultimately be limited to the surface. It was just that talented geniuses like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing werent willing to submit to fate. After listening for a good while, Qianye couldnt help but comment. Just pick someone you like, how hard is that? To his surprise, both Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan turned around to glare at him. Shut up, you! Bewildered, Qianye raised his hand in defeat. He sat down to the side and began cultivating with his eyes closed. Ji Tianqing dragged Li Kuanglan to the side. What are you going to do about that? What else can I do? Since Sister asked me to come here, Im sure she has a way to solve the problem. No need to worry. That might not be certain. Its fine if that person isnt adamant, but even your sister might not be able to stop him if hes truly angry. In the end, shell have to give you up. So what if hes angry? Why must I be afraid? Besides, hell be the one losing face if he does that That wasnt what you said back in the year, I remember you said Shut up! The two walked toward the far end, whispering like sisters who had known each other for many years. If it wasnt for their history of fighting, both openly and in secret, one would think their relationship was just that good. Qianye was finding it increasingly difficult to understand women. It was better to leave such things to professionals like Song Zining. Night fell in the blink of an eye. Qianye concluded his training and stood up feeling completely different from before. Li Kuanglan said in astonishment, Your injuries have healed so quickly? Qianye nodded. It wasnt serious. He had used Life Plunder while saving Ji Tianqing, killing over twenty natives in one go. However, the true purpose of this move wasnt to kill. The large amounts of drained essence blood filled him up to the point of explosion, injuring him significantly. Qianye had vomited most of the extra blood in the forest, so his internal injuries healed quickly after cultivating for a while. Qianye glanced at the sky and found that twilight was nigh. He thus lit up the campfire and started roasting some meat. His skill in grilling was much better than Li Kuanglan, so much so that Ji Tianqing couldnt stop praising him. The real challenge arrived after dinnerit was nightfall. Qianye was drowned in worry, but the other two kept on chatting as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Tianqing, how long have you been here? Three days, including today. Li Kuanglan gave it some thought. Mm, then we arrived at more or less the same time. How was it? Any danger? At this point, Ji Tianqing started gnashing her teeth. That damned passage destroyed most of my clothes, and guess what, I dropped straight into a group of those bastards! Li Kuanglan was shocked. Were you okay? Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes. Of course! I stomped several of them to death just from the landing, and slapped the remainder to death. These bastards arent powerful at all, just a bit stronger and more durable. But theyre really disgusting! It would seem she was quite lucky to have a group of natives break her high-gravity fall. That was why she was relatively unharmed, unlike Li Kuanglan who had fallen straight to the ground. She wouldve turned into a skeleton by now if it wasnt for Qianye. Then how did you pass the three days? Li Kuanglan arrived at the critical topic. Ji Tianqing blushed slightly. This accursed place is really strange, none of our predecessors have mentioned it at all. Its alright in the daytime since I can suppress my urges with the Iceheart Prison Secret Art, but the nights have been extremely difficult. How did you get through the night? Ji Tianqing produced three white fruits, saying, I rely on them. Eating them will speed up the circulation and activate ones vitality. That and channeling my arts were barely enough to get me through the night. It was that simple? Li Kuanglan and Qianye glanced at one another, and then at the unassuming white fruit. They were overcome by an inexplicable feeling for a while. Qianye felt great regret. Li Kuanglans eyes were shifting about, and no one knew what she was thinking. Ji Tianqing was quite generous. She gave the other two fruits to Qianye and Li Kuanglan, saying, Eat it now. Itll take a while for the effects to kick in. Qianye placed the white fruit in his mouth and felt a sour, fishy taste wash over his palate. It definitely wasnt tasty. The fruit would turn into liquid with each bitethere were no stones, and neither did they leave any residue. After eating the fruit, Qianye couldnt shake off the feeling that he had tasted this somewhere but couldnt quite put his finger on it. After everyone had finished their fruit, Li Kuanglan asked, Is this fruit common? Lets go pick more of them tomorrow. Ji Tianqing said expressionlessly, These things are the four-armed natives holy fruit. Ive robbed them clean already, and we just ate the last three. Chapter 985: Pillar to the Sky The last three? Li Kuanglan came to only after a long while. It felt as though her heart had been flung into the air, and then dropped into an abyssyet she couldnt help but feel a tiny shred of joy that she didnt want to admit to. Yes, the last three, Ji Tianqing said calmly. Are there any places where we can find more? Ji Tianqing shook her head. Just picking a couple of fruits was enough for them to react as though their parents had been robbed. From that alone, we can see that they dont have a lot of them. They were like mad dogs, so I had to cut down the tree in order to escape. You Qianye didnt know what to say. With the tree chopped down, there was apparently no more white fruit to be had. Why were you at their lair again? I went to see if there were other good stuff. I unexpectedly slipped up and alarmed their sentries. If you guys hadnt arrived, I wouldve become their plaything. With that, Ji Tianqing produced an origin grenade and tossed it up and down in her hand. Qianye hadnt quite figured things out, but Li Kuanglans expression shifted drastically upon seeing the dark golden grenade and the golden insignia upon it. Put it away! You might want to play, but I dont want to die with you! Ji Tianqing laughed out loud as she tossed the grenade high into the air. Only upon seeing Li Kuanglans murderous expression did she put the grenade into her spatial storage. Whats special about that thing? Qianye asked humbly. Li Kuanglan glared at Ji Tianqing before explaining, This dark red hand grenade is made of a special alloy that can retain a heavenly monarchs origin power. The insignia on it belongs to the Pointer Monarch, meaning that the power sealed inside originates from him. An explosion brought about by the grenade is equal to a casual strike from the heavenly monarch. Qianye instantly figured out why Li Kuanglan was so nervous. No matter how special the material, containing a heavenly monarchs power was probably something they could barely do. The grenade might even explode with a slight touch, and things would get interesting. Even Qianye might not survive after taking a blow from the Pointer Monarch. Li Kuanglan would die for sure. Only Ji Tianqing, with her numerous secret treasures, might be able to survive. Laughing mischievously, she said, Dont worry, that ones fake. I have too many of such things. While saying that, she produced four more dark red hand grenades. Qianyes expression changed rapidly as he stared at one of them, not daring to move a muscle. Within it, he could feel an earth-shattering power pulsing ever so gently, and filling him with the urge to escape. Ji Tianqing pouted. Your eyesight is too good, this isnt fun. She then put all the fake grenades away. This mixture of true and false grenades might not be useful against ordinary people, but they were highly deterrent against experts. Those who recognized the explosive would run away immediately, but Ji Tianqing would likely catch the openings produced during the escape. Revealing weakness before her meant defeat. It could be said that this thing in her hand could put all experts at the same level at a severe disadvantage. Even if the power sealed inside of the grenade was merely a finger flick from the Pointer Monarch, no one was willing to be flicked by the strongest expert of the human race. What Qianye could figure out, Li Kuanglan could. too. Livid, she immediately said through clenched teeth, You lowlife! Are you planning to use that on me? No wonder you were willing to bet such a big amount! Ji Tianqing said with a regretful expression, Wouldve fought you earlier if I had known the Great Maelstrom passage would open. I told you that you cant beat me, you just wont believe me. Do you feel no shame using that kind of thing? Ji Tianqing replied as though nothing was wrong, Whats there to be ashamed about? You can get one too if you have the ability. You Li Kuanglan was so angry that she couldnt speak. She wouldnt be in such a miserable state if she could get her hands on such a killer weapon. After a period of frustrating silence, she said, Ill deal with you after becoming a heavenly monarch! This level of weapon was highly effective against those below the divine champion realm, but it wasnt that strong against those at or above. At the very least, they wouldnt feel the need to turn and run upon seeing the dark red grenade. She had no Eye of Truth to tell her which one was real. The sky had turned dark at this point. The three gradually felt their consciousness slowing down, and they quickly lost the mood to play around. No one would be in the mood without enough vitality. Qianye felt his body gradually warming up, and it was inexplicably comfortable. His body recovered its energy and even his pulse rate was a bit faster than normal. All of his pores were relaxed and open, almost as though he had eaten his fill and was soaking in warm water. The dark golden blood energy was abnormally active as it shuttled in and out of his blood core. In this half-asleep state, Li Kuanglans powerful body appeared in his eyes once more. Every detail of her figure was clear, vivid, and full of berserk energy. His body began to react all of a sudden, and a pillar rose into the sky. Qianye was caught unprepared. He tried to restrain his thoughts, but the body wasnt about to listen to him. The three of them were facing one another as they sat in a circle, cultivating, so it would be quite an embarrassment if he were to be seen. Although he and Li Kuanglan had already been extremely intimate, he just couldnt get over this hurdlenot to mention the presence of Ji Tianqing. He tried fairly hard, but he still couldnt suppress the abnormality down there. All he could do was pretend nothing was going on as he observed the two girls, hoping they wouldnt notice. Li Kuanglan seemed abnormalher breathing was coarse, and there was sweat on her nose. Qianye knew her all too well, enough to realize that she was aroused again. She had her eyes closed at first, but sensing Qianyes attention, she opened her eyes and glared at him. Ji Tianqing seemed completely motionless, but Qianye saw that the origin power flowing on her body was sparse and chaotic. This origin power was used to maintain her constantly shifting external appearance. Now that it was in a mess, her appearance seemed somewhat blurry and fluctuant. It would seem she wasnt completely fine, either. Qianye knew that this was related to the white fruit they had ingested. Apparently, the fruit not only activated their vitality but also served as an aphrodisiac. At this point, Qianyes instinctive urges grew stronger and stronger. They assaulted his reasoning like a series of tidal waves, filling him with an urge to pounce toward the two girls. It might be fine with Ji Tianqing, but Li Kuanglan probably wouldnt resistthis made it even more enticing for Qianye. Additionally, some weird ideas popped up in his head. He felt that things would be even more exciting with Ji Tianqing watching on the side. Even though Qianye suppressed the urges as much as he could, all kinds of fantasies kept pouring into his head. The thought of Ji Tianqing also elicited numerous unsurpassable thoughts. For instance, what her true appearance and figure was like, if she was as hot as Li Kuanglan, etc. At this rate, things would eventually become unsalvageable. It just so happened that Li Kuanglan squirmed about at this point, reminding Qianye of the intimate contact they had shared the past few days. A plume of fire suddenly lit up between the three of them, flickering with a scarlet glow that lit up Qianyes fluctuating countenance. This was the flame of Venus Dawnit expelled a bit of the cold and burned away some of the desire between the three of them. It wasnt a lot of help, but it was better than nothing. This was Qianyes final struggle. If this failed, he would have to leave this place temporarily and return only after midnight. Fortunately, the cold of the night gradually suppressed the medicinal effects of the white fruit, and the three of them stabilized. Their vitality was wilting, but their primal urges were diminishing at a much slower rate. Qianye was like a keg of gunpowder that would explode at the first sign of a spark. It could be said that the white fruits primary function was a peerless aphrodisiac, and the vitality activation was just a supplementary effect. As their instinctive urges slowed down, Qianye finally remembered where he had smelled the fruit beforeit was extremely similar to the white mist scattered by the four-armed woman. In terms of effectiveness, the white mist was incomparable to the white fruit. The desire brought about by the mist could be resisted even during the daytime, but Qianye couldnt quite resist the white fruits medicinal effects at night. It would seem the holy fruit of the four-armed people lived up to its name. Qianye was quite curious about how Ji Tianqing had discovered the effects of this fruit and learned to use it for the cold night? Despite that, it wasnt time to study this issue. Midnight was closing in, and the cold had completely suppressed the effects of the fruit. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing channeled their secret arts to endure the chill. Li Kuanglan seemed quite strained, and Ji Tianqing wasnt having an easy time either. But it would seem the former wasnt too keen on using their old method to get through the night, not with Ji Tianqing around. Qianye said, Sit beside me, relax, and dont resist. Li Kuanglan duly moved to Qianyes side. Ji Tianqing hesitated for a moment but also moved over in the end. The trio was sitting so close that their knees were almost touching one another. Qianyes blood core started to beat, guiding Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing along with each pulsation. The assistance lessened their burden quite a bit. They, in turn, activated their secret arts to support Qianye and lessen his struggle. Midnight passed by after a good while, and the chill gradually started to recede. The three of them made good use of the time to start cultivating. It was currently the best time to train, and they simply couldnt miss it. Within the dangerous Maelstrom, every little bit of extra cultivation would count toward their survival. Just as dawn arrived, Qianye exhaled a white misty breath as he concluded his cultivation. The training session was highly beneficialhis Glory Chapter was now working a bit faster than before, and his fifth origin vortex was almost full. At this rate, he would be able to open up his sixth vortex in another ten days. Qianye came to the conclusion that the Song Clan Ancient Scroll worked best inside the Great Maelstrom because they relied on vortex power to condense origin power. Perhaps the person who wrote the scroll had used the worldly power of the Great Maelstrom to invent the Glory and Mystery chapters. No matter what, it was undeniable that this place was a cultivation heaven for Qianye. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing also gained much after a night of cultivation. All three of them were now facing a new problem, yet none of them wanted to mention it. Now that they had run out of white fruits, what would they do? Chapter 986: Re-entering the Stone Castle It wasnt entirely bright just yet when the three left their camp and ran back to the stone castle. They didnt dare to waste time as the lack of white fruits weighed on their hearts like a heavy stone. Although Ji Tianqing had no idea how Qianye and Li Kuanglan had gotten through the cold nights, it was still a fact that Qianye couldnt carry the both of them. They would need to find a substitute for the white fruit before nightfall, even if it was weaker in effect. Their ultimate target was naturally the four-armed natives castle. The trio thus returned to the castle, hoping to take it down if they could, and see what those natives were hiding. At least, they would need to figure out how they were getting through the cold nights. A sturdy physique alone wasnt enough to explain this. Rare experts like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqingno matter how physically weak they werecouldnt be weaker than these low-level natives. Moments later, the three arrived near the castle and began to observe the place in hiding. Actually, there was really nothing to see inside the stone castle. It was just as messy as before with a large number of natives either moving about or mating. It was as though they had no other word in their dictionary apart from eating and mating. After a while, Li Kuanglan said impatiently, Whats the point of this? We should just kill off these disgusting bastards. Ji Tianqing chimed in, Why dont I toss that grenade into the place? That ought to clear out everything. Qianye stopped them with a wry smile. Itll clear out everything, sure, but we can also forget about getting anything from them. Then what do you say we do? Ji Tianqing had also started to lose her patience. Qianye found this to be a bit odd. These two were normally calm and intelligent people who would rarely get confused in the face of important matters. Why were they being so impatient now? It was easier to explain for Li Kuanglanall that she had gone through recently had worn out her mental defenses. Then why was Ji Tianqing so restless? Experts of their level could easily figure things out from small clues. Restlessness was an early sign of their urges escaping control. In fact, all the natives in the stone castle could be easily dealt with. The true difficulty lay in the white mist produced by the four-armed people. Just one full breath would cause one to lose all control. Qianye was quite confident about killing everyone in the stone castle with Life Plunder before losing his senses, but there was still Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan nearby. He was fairly clear as to what would happen afterward. Perhaps it was just as Li Kuanglan had saidlosing control was something that would happen sooner or later, that Qianye was just waiting for an excuse that would give him relief. For Qianye, he was willing to use every ounce of strength to ensure that the feeling in his heart was pure and perfect. Nighteye was his wife and his home, even though it was only before her awakening. Even if he were to truly lose control, having an excuse was better than having none. Seeing that he couldnt quite rely on Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, Qianye felt that he would have to find a way on his own. He fished out Heartgrave and made ready to snipe the four-armed sentries on the towers. Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing stopped him. No! Why? The origin power fluctuation will spread far and wide if you fire in the daytime. Almost like lighting a torch in the dark night, itll draw out all the wild beasts in our direction. Not to mention your gun is so powerful that its like a volcanic eruption. Well have to start running after you fire. Qianye wasnt expecting something like this. It would seem Ji Tianqing had already learned the hard way, so he could only put away Heartgrave helplessly. With such a powerful sniper in hand, how could he have prepared a bow and arrow? But he was highly experienced in combat, especially field battles. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had devised a new plan. He jumped out of his hiding place and ran past the castle gates, attracting the attention of the native soldiers. He then turned around and fled toward the woods with more than a dozen soldiers chasing after him. Once inside the forest, these natives fell to Li Kuanglans sharp blades. They rushed past her helplessly and turned into corpses. After clearing away this group of natives, he went back to lure more natives out of the stone keep. He was prepared to gradually whittle away at the natives in this manner. However, Ji Tianqing dragged Qianye back, saying, Let her go. Li Kuanglans face turned red as she glared fiercely at Ji Tianqing, but she didnt object. Hence, Qianye could only produce East Peak and take over interception duty. Moments later, Li Kuanglan returned like a wisp of smoke, followed by a hundred-strong crowd of natives! There were two strong four-armed males in the group, and their speed was actually no slower than Li Kuanglans. They followed close on her heels and almost managed to capture her. Greatly alarmed, Qianye rushed out of the forest and into the group of natives. Life Plunder erupted in a split second, mowing down most of the natives in one go. The two four-armed natives followed Li Kuanglan into the forest, but all of a sudden, they were dragged upward and suspended therein. Ji Tianqing was holding a near-translucent string in her hand, the other end of which was tied to the necks of the four-armed males. She jerked fiercely on the line, and the captives heads flew high in a gush of blood. With the four-armed natives dead, there was nothing left to fear. Ji Tianqing punched left and right, felling the rest with relative ease. A deathly pale Li Kuanglan turned back at this point. Apparently, she was fairly shocked by the ordeal, not because she was afraid of death, but rather of falling into the natives hands. She glanced at Ji Tianqing unhappily, but the latter said, Its fine, they wont catch you if you focus on escaping. Li Kuanglan uttered in a cold voice, That means you knew they were fast, right? Ji Tianqing blinked innocently. I didnt know. Li Kuanglan wasnt about to fall for that. She had known Ji Tianqing for a fair length of time and fought her on many occasions. There was no way she wouldnt know how fast the four-armed men were. Seeing Li Kuanglans skepticism, Ji Tianqing added, I really didnt know. I think those two were just especially fast. Even if they catch you, well be sure to come and save you! Li Kuanglan snorted with an ashen face, and then fell into silence. Those natives were so eager to mate that they could even throw away their livesbeing pressed down by them for just a couple of seconds was probably enough to suffer unbearable humiliation. It was likely that Ji Tianqing had long since calculated the relative speed between the two parties and set this up to frighten Li Kuanglan. The problem was that she was really shocked by the ordeal. How was she to hold her head up before Ji Tianqing after leaving the Great Maelstrom? Li Kuanglan believed that Ji Tianqing would be just as scared if the same thing were to happen to her. Unfortunately, the former had been too focused on the swordshe only believed in subduing people by force and was fairly weak in terms of strategy. It wasnt quite possible even if she wanted to trick Ji Tianqing in retaliation. The latter was odd, clever, and possessed many tricks up her sleeve. Song Zining was probably the only one who could scheme against her. At the thought of Song Zining, Li Kuanglan fell into a moment of contemplation. The two ladies had forgotten about Qianye as they engaged in a silent war. He was currently supporting himself up with his sword, fending off attacks from several two-armed natives. He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but he felt extremely bloated and almost bursting at the seams. He couldnt evade in time due to his sluggish movements and was stabbed by a bone dagger. Even though it was only an attack from a two-armed native, the strike pierced through his armor and into his body. It left a bone-deep gash with blood spraying out from within it. The injury and bleed actually relieved Qianye of his tension. He immediately pounced at that native, grabbed him by the neck, and then broke it using the momentum of his body and movement. Qianye proceeded to engage in a series of melee battles to kill off the remaining natives. He didnt dare linger in the open for longhe charged swiftly into the forest and coughed up a mouthful of black blood as soon as he was inside. Qianye didnt dare refine more essence blood at this point. As such, Life Plunder became a double-edged sword that would hurt both the enemy and himself when used on a large scale. Although Qianye was injured, the other two were still perfectly fine, and half of the warriors in the stone keep had been destroyed. There was still a sizable number of people left in the castle, but most of them were the weaker two-armed natives. Less than ten four-armed men and women remained, and the strongest two had died in Ji Tianqings hands. Hence, after some discussion, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan left Qianye in the forest to recuperate while they continued their previous strategy of luring people out to kill them. These natives only had reproduction in their brains. Despite the great loss just now, they still sent out a group to chase after her. It was just that the group was much smaller, this time, consisting only of two four-armed women and around thirty two-armed natives. This lineup was a walk in the park for the two ladies. They had no intention of showing mercy as they attacked with renewed ferocity. Communication was out of the question, anyway, so there was no need to leave survivors. After another round of losses, the natives finally learned to be smarter. When Li Kuanglan appeared again, this time, none of them gave chase. But Ji Tianqing had an ideashe changed Li Kuanglans appearance and hair, which allowed the latter to lure another group of natives out. It would seem their intelligence was highly limited. After this wave, however, the baiting no longer worked. No matter how Ji Tianqing changed Li Kuanglans appearance, the natives simply wouldnt come out. This was also because most of the stronger ones in the keep had been killed. Qianye had also recovered a fair bit at this point, so the trio proceeded to assail the stone keep and finish off the remaining sentries. The old and weak inside the castle poured out of the gates and scattered in all directions, but Qianye couldnt be bothered with killing them all. He decided to seize the time and explore the castle with the two girls. The interior of the castle was unbearably messy, with trash and sewage everywhere. Just as they had seen from the outside, there were all kinds of weeds and grass growing amidst the piles of stone. The odd thing was that there was actually no strange odor despite the chaotic mess. It could be assumed that the cold night made it impossible for the trash to decompose. There were huts all along the castle wall for the two-armed people to stay. The simple structures were mostly made of dried grass and mud, and a good number of them were either cracked or collapsed. There was really nothing of value inside them apart from the fireplace and some straw-woven articles. From their previous observation, it would seem that the two-armed people had no fixed partner or family, and neither did they have a rank distinction. They would mate anytime with anyone. The strong warriors held no significant advantage over the old and weak. The center of the keep was where the four-armed people lived, and that was where Ji Tianqing had stolen the white fruit. Chapter 987: Mutual Restrain t The stone residences of the four-armed people were tall, square, and had a hint of primitive charm to them. Different materials were used in the wall, but they were meticulously polished until the wall-surface was fairly even. Qianye walked into one of them and found, to his surprise, that the interior was quite tidy. There were large, neatly-cut stone slabs on the walls, and the room came with a bed, table, and storage cabinets of items and weapons. There were two giant lion heads hanging over the entrance to the room, trophies to commemorate heroic accomplishments. There was nothing to write home about the armor and weapons in the house. Of course, they would still hold a fair bit of value if brought out of the Great Maelstrom. Qianye entered the next stone house, but the interior was exactly the samedown to the weapons and armor. It was the same for the others as well. It would seem these stone houses were more barracks than residences. It was just that they were reserved for higher-ranking officers. Among the dozens of stone houses, two were especially big and divided into two rooms. There was a pile of leather paper in the outer room with scribbles and diagrams upon themwho knew what sort of accursed things were recorded upon them? The inner room was filled with stored food in addition to daily use items and weapons. The innards and claws of different animals might be extremely delectable to the natives, but it only filled Qianye with disgust. There were a couple of sealed jars within the larger stone houses. Qianye held his breath and surrounded his body in sanguine flames as he opened the lid, immediately filling the room with an indescribable fishy odor. Just a whiff of it sent Qianyes blood into an accelerated flowhis desires surged and he wanted nothing more than to grab the two ladies. He quickly sealed the jar and used the sanguine flames to burn the odor away before he dared to breathe normally. Fortunately, only Qianye was able to do such exploration work, so Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were left to watch the exterior. Otherwise, it would be even more trouble if they were to smell it. After a moment, Qianye called them in, The things sealed inside are probably related to the white fruit. They can accelerate the blood-flow, but using them will be a bit troublesome. Just a whiff of it and I almost lost control of my urges. Ji Tianqing produced a long needle and poked it into the sealed jar. She then observed the color of the drawn material and sniffed at it. It definitely contains the white fruit and a number of other ingredients. If my guess is correct, this is probably their aphrodisiac wine. Then what are we waiting for? Destroy it, Li Kuanglan said. She was full of hatred for these things. However, Qianye and Ji Tianqing objected to this course of action. Qianye carefully picked up the jars and put them into Andruils Mysterious Realm. Ji Tianqings storage space was much smaller, but she also stored two jars. These things might be able to save their lives if worse comes to worst, and in their current situation, the price was fairly acceptable. At the thought of it, Li Kuanglan had a sudden thought. She went to pick up one of the jars and realized, to her embarrassment, that she didnt have any spatial equipment. When Qianye saw this, he quietly picked up the jar from her grasp and put it in Andruils Space. In addition to the wine, Ji Tianqing also studied the innards, bones, and claws for a fairly long time. There were treasures everywhere in the Great Maelstromsince the natives had carefully collected these things, there was no telling if there were priceless objects among them. After a good while, though, Ji Tianqing still couldnt figure anything out. Storage space was highly valuable, so she couldnt just fill it with objects of unknown significance. Qianye, on the other hand, found a bowl-sized bone that contained an explosive amount of origin power. He put it away in passing, hoping to observe it slowly later on. After sweeping through the stone houses, only the small clearing remained to be explored. There was a small circular space at the center of the stone houses, populated with all sorts of fruits and vegetable plants. There was also a muddy well standing beside it. A small tree had been fenced off independently in the opening, indicating its importance to the natives. According to Ji Tianqing, this was the white fruit tree, but only half a trunk remained nowit was her work, naturally. With how miraculous the white fruits effects were, the tree would probably be a treasure if brought back to the empire. However, transplanting it would be a fairly difficult endeavor, so Qianye wasnt too regretful about the situation. The real problem was how they would get through the night. Qianye didnt take the fruits and vegetables in the garden, nor did he touch the cut white fruit tree. None of them knew how to raise or use them. The natives would probably return to the castle after their departureonly then would they be able to learn how to care for, or even save the white fruit tree. Sweeping through the castle did bring about some benefits. For one, they had cleared out the native warriors and removed the threat of the four-armed people. Additionally, they had also obtained that batch of alcohol. The white fruits vitality-boosting effect was reduced after being made into wine, but its aphrodisiac effects were increased exponentially. However, the most important thing under the present circumstances was to survive. The alcohol would serve as an extra option when there was no other choice. They still had some time, so Qianye brought the two girls into the depths of the forest to continue their exploration. It would seem that the natives had their own territory, but after a wide search, they found that all traces led back to the stone keep. After a long while of exploration, the sky had started to turn dark. Feeling quite helpless, the three returned to camp. The next day, they would have to decide whether to explore a different direction or to abandon the camp and expand their search radius. The problem was, how would they get through the night? At this moment, a massive warship had appeared in the void outside of the neutral lands. Its sharp bow looked both elegant and sinister, and the large thorned-castle insignia on it announced the identity of its owner to all. This vampire warshipone even bigger than the imperial mothershipswas the flagship of the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. Two more giant ships jumped out of the void behind the monarchs own, and one could see that they all belonged to dukes. Afterward, a dense formation of smaller warships swarmed toward the neutral lands. The hundreds of vampire warships mostly wore the insignia of the Dracula and Lakins clans. There were also some that belonged to the other old clans. The massive vampire warship slowed down at one point in the void as two other fleets approached rapidly from each side. To the left was the arachne fleet, and the leading flagship was no smaller than Medanzos vessel. Before the fleet had even closed in, a deep voice echoed in the void, Old friend, we meet again. Medanzos gentle voice replied, It hasnt been that long. Compared to our long lives, the bloody battle is just like yesterday. Noxus, what are the arachne queens plans? The Arachne Warlord Noxus didnt give a straight reply. The mighty arachne queen has her own designs, I only came to take a look. Medanzo snorted skeptically. The arachne and vampire fleets came to a stop, leaving a safe distance between one another. Apparently, neither could trust the other party. The fleet to the right side wasnt very big, but it arrived rapidly and came to a halt outside of the other fleets firing range. This action gave the vampires and arachne no relief. Noxus was the first to speak up, You guys are too close. Either move back or go forward. Medanzo said, The neutral lands arent suitable for your race. Are the demonkin prepared to make steep sacrifices? A medium-sized warship drove out from the fleet, atop which stood a man in black battle-robes. There were dark flames flickering around him, distorting everything within its range and hiding his true appearance. He said in a raspy voice, Even if I want to launch a sneak attack, Im not a match for your combined forces. What, are the Great Warlord and Lightless Monarch afraid of me? The demonkin warships firing range was greater than that of the arachne and vampires. They had also stopped right where they could bombard the other two fleets without suffering retaliatory fire. It was just that the demonkin fleet was on the smaller side, with its biggest vessel barely at the duke level. They had no warship at the level of a great dark monarchs. Comparatively, the arachne and vampires had their own advantage. The former touted powerful defense and endurance. The vampire war vessels, on the other hand, were balanced in every aspect and their pilots were usually more skilled than the other races. That was why Noxus and Medanzo didnt really view the demonkin as a threat. The arachne warlord had only spoken out because he felt his dignity being threatened. After seeing the demonkin, however, the two great monarchs had no choice but to appear in person. Medanzo bowed slightly, an apologetic gesture for what he had said earlier. So its His Excellency the Eternal Flame. What made you come here personally? The Eternal Flame was one of the true bigwigs of the demonkin race, one who had fought Sky Demon alongside Lilith. Back when the Demonkin Emperor was in secluded cultivation, he would appear as the demonkin representative in most cases. In addition to his status, the Eternal Flame was also a level stronger than Noxus and Medanzo. This was the reason he could command the latters respect. The Eternal Flame didnt reciprocate the gesture. The environment outside the Great Maelstrom doesnt suit us, but that doesnt mean the inside is the same. I will make any unsuitable environment suitable. Noxus and Medanzo exchanged glances. Your Excellency, the demonkin were the first to move on the Great Maelstrom passage and the fleet was led by Linken herself. But now, she was defeated by a nameless junior and even lost her warship. It can be said that the reason we lost the passage is because of your race. You were given the chance but failed to take it, so the quotas cannot be changed after we take back the passage. The Eternal Flame sneered, Even with me around? Noxus glanced at Medanzo, and after seeing him nod, he said resolutely, No. Chapter 988: The Throne of Blood The Eternal Flame hadnt expected that he would encounter such a hard-line. After a moment of silence, he raised two fingers. I want two extra quotas. Noxus and Medanzo were surprised at the small demand. After communicating telepathically, the warlord asked, Do you have demands as to the order of entry for those two quotas? Ill decide that later, all I want are two extra quotas. We can take time to discuss the compensation for them. The number one bigwig under the Demon Emperor was merely asking for two extra quotas, and personally, no less. Noxus and Medanzo would have agreed even if there wasnt any compensation in the equation, let alone with. Considering the Eternal Flames identity, the compensation he was mentioning naturally wouldnt be small, perhaps worth even more than the two quotas they were supposed to relinquish. Noxus and Medanzo were quite curious as to whom these two quotas would go to. But the Eternal Flame might not reply even if they had asked. Fine, two quotas it is then. The Eternal Flame laughed deeply. Its settled then. Ill go with you to the neutral lands and stay there for three days. That brat on the Throne of Blood shouldnt do anything disrespectful to me. Medanzos expression became somewhat unsightly. The master of the Throne of Blood was a vampire. With how hierarchal their bloodlines were, he shouldnt be able to bring out his full power before Medanzo. It should be the Lightless Monarch the throne was most respectful of. Nonetheless, the truth was that the Lightless Monarch could offer no deterrence against him. He had suffered gravely back in the year and almost fell to the Shattered Moment. Presently, that person had matured even further and the battleground was in the neutral landseven Medanzo wouldnt dare to claim he could win. Hence, from a certain perspective, the existence of the Throne of Blood was a big humiliation to the vampire race. Fortunately, it was the Evernight alliance that he had defeated back in the year, killing many experts from other races with his Grand Magnum. It just so happened that Lilith was in deep sleep back then, otherwise, the vampire race wouldve mobilized in full force to destroy the Throne of Blood. The Eternal Flame mentioning this matter seemed like he was putting in some effort toward seizing the passage, but he was also mocking Medanzo while he was at it. The atmosphere turned disagreeable at the mention of this. The great monarchs returned to their airships, and the three fleets continued on their way toward the neutral lands. It was clear that the vampire fleet was the strongest among the three, while the demonkins was less than half that on paper. Despite that, the demonkin fleet flew alongside the other two all the time without falling behind in the slightest. In the Evernight world where strength commanded respect, this was undoubtedly an establishment of the Eternal Flames might. The meaning behind was that he had no fear of fleets even double the size of his own. Medanzos expression was ashen. All subordinates naturally understood that the monarch was in a bad mood. They each found reasons to hide somewhere far away, lest the man takes his anger out on them. In the blink of an eye, the hall was completely empty. It was at this time that Noxus projection appeared in front of him. The arachne warlord was just as distressed. The demonkin are too overbearing! Medanzo said with a gloomy expression, Hes the Eternal Flame, and he holds the demonkin Magnum. What are we to do? Noxus said, The Arachne Empress gave strict orders to get as many of the quotas as possible, theyre going to be very important. What did the Queen of the Night say? Medanzo replied, The Great Queen of the Night has been in deep sleep all this time. All she instructed me to do before her slumber was to find the Eye of Control as quickly as I can. Noxus said, That means shes still brooding over what happened back then. Medanzo replied, Hes disappeared for so many years. He should have died in the depths of the void, right? Otherwise, its time for him to return and sleep in the blood pond. Is it really worth spending all these resources on a dead person? Humph, and shes actually paying more attention to Habsburg, a little bloke whos just ascended to prince rank. Noxus could hear the dissatisfaction in Medanzos voice, but he wasnt willing to step further into this mess of a topic. Every character on the Sacred Mountain possessed indescribably terrifying power. As the youngest warlord of the arachne race, Noxus had no intention of encroaching on such taboos. Medanzo was one of the vampire races oldest great dark monarchs. He had lived long enough to dare utter some complaints. Noxus sighed. No matter what, the Eternal Flame and his Grand Magnum can indeed suppress us one on one. This is why hes so arrogant. It wouldnt be his turn to be so arrogant if we hadnt forced Andruil away. Medanzo snorted with an ugly expression. If one were to discuss the vampire races record of shame, the Black-Winged Monarchs disappearance was even superior to the Throne of Blood. Andruil vanishing at the peak of his life was the biggest enigma of the Evernight world. As one of the top characters of the faction, Noxus knew quite a few of these secrets. It was now Medanzos turn to divert the topic. Since the Eternal Flame has suggested compensation, what do you think we should demand? Noxus gave it some thought. As I see it, a large amount of strategic materials would be suitable, demonic steel, for instance. Medanzo agreed. The amount we ask for will depend on how important those two quotas are to them. I still dont understand why the Eternal Flame would come to the neutral lands just for two quotas. After some further discussion, they came to a consensus about how to share the compensation. At this point, a vampire viscount said from outside the cabin door, Your Excellency Lightless Monarch, a warship has appeared to the front, and it looks like a messenger from the Throne of Blood. Medanzo nodded. Open communication channels and see what they want. I obey, Your Excellency. The viscount left hastily, and Noxus projection also disappeared. A rather old warship was hovering in the void up ahead. The vessel was pretty big and clumsy, and it had repair-marks all over the body, a classic trait of the neutral lands. But if one were to underestimate it because of its appearance, they would find themselves taking great losses. In the environment of the neutral lands, such old warships would usually erupt with unbelievable power output, and they were far more reliable than the intricate new vessels of the Empire or Evernight. Before the three massive fleets, this lone warship was like a small creature in the face of a pride of lions. But despite the colossal difference in lineup, it remained unafraid. An old vampire in black clothes stood on the deck. This gloomy yet elegant gentleman was the one who had once met Linken. Its rare for everyone to visit the neutral lands. My master ordered me to welcome you here. Medanzos majestic voice echoed in the void, Were all here, so why is that brat still not showing himself? He doesnt think a mere subordinate is qualified to welcome us, does he? The vampire elder said with a smile, Theres no way my lord can neglect the great Lightless Monarch and Arachne Warlord. My lord cannot appear just yet, and he will not appear if you do not enter the neutral lands. If you do, however, things might be fairly different. The threat in his words was fairly clear. The Throne of Blood didnt appear because he believed he wasnt a match for the combined might of Noxus and Medanzo, lest he suffers a pincer sneak attack. But if the two monarchs were to enter the neutral lands, they would face unrestrained retaliation. Noxus and Medanzo might be fine, but none of their subordinates could stand a single shot from the Shattered Moment. Even Medanzo himself would suffer grave injuries if he was caught unaware. It might not be a threat to his life, but his fame would be mostly ruined. Additionally, with the Queen of the Night in deep slumber and the Azure Monarch in isolated cultivation, Medanzo was the most active great dark monarch. Habsburg was a crowned prince who had received much of Liliths favor, but he was still a ways from reaching the next rank. Under such circumstances, Medanzo needed to cherish his assets because the greater his losses, the more people would miss the Black-Winged Monarch. Despite his short-lived fame, Andruil had rampaged through almost everyone below the sovereigns of the Sacred Mountain. That pair of black space-traversing wings was the nightmare of many an expert. Now that even Noxus was bringing up old matters, Medanzo couldnt help but feel restless. The Throne of Blood seemed as though he was backing down, but everyone could see that he was actually threatening the invaders. This angered Medanzo even more. He snorted loudly, saying, What if I insist on entering the neutral lands? The vampire elder said without fear, My master said that its not easy to nurture vampire experts. If you must insist on entry, then the Dracula family might very well slip in rank. These rude words elicited a furious snort from Medanzo. However, they were in the neutral lands at the moment, and even Noxus might have more tricks up his sleeve comparatively. The arachne were born physically strong, and the warlord even more absurdly so. The spider might not die even if he were to just stand there and let the Shattered Moment blast him a couple of times. It was at this time that a raspy voice echoed in the void, This seat is called the Eternal Flame. Go tell your lord that Im going to be hanging around in the neutral lands for three days. Your Excellency the Eternal Flame! The vampire elder was clearly shocked. He quickly bowed in the direction of the demonkin warship, saying, Please wait, Ill relay your words to the master. The etiquette displayed was so much better than with Medanzo. Moments later, the old man returned to the deck. My master says that if youre only here for three days, he will make an exception for the Eternal Flame. He hopes Your Excellency will not attack the major powers of the neutral lands. The Eternal Flame said indifferently, I have no qualms with them if they do not come and provoke me. The vampire elder hesitated for a moment before saying, The three-day exception only applies to His Excellency the Eternal Flame. The other two monarchs must not enter the neutral lands. Chapter 989: Three Day Plan The other two great dark monarchs could accept this restriction, albeit barely. The Eternal Flame was the wielder of a Grand Magnum, and his own strength was head and shoulders above everyone else. The Throne of Blood would still be at a disadvantage against him, even in the neutral lands. Additionally, the Eternal Flame only asked for three days. This demand was fairly easy to grant. The reasonable request and willingness to accept restraining conditions meant that the Eternal Flame was also cautious of the thrones power. He himself might not be afraid, but there were numerous demonkin forces operating in the area. If the two parties were to turn hostile, even he might not be able to guarantee the safety of his kin. Shattered Moment was notoriously lethal. Even if the Eternal Flame were standing nearby, he would have no way to save the target. Thus, an agreement was reached. The most unacceptable part of this was that Medanzo and Noxus had no idea what the Eternal Flame would be doing during these three days. Although the arachne and vampires had their own squads infiltrating the neutral lands, who other than the two great dark monarchs would have the power to monitor this demonkin bigwig? It would be all too easy for the demonkin to play tricks on them. This piqued Medanzo and Noxus curiosity even more. Why were the demonkin adamant on the two extra quotas? With the agreement reached, the three fleets merged into one and entered the depths of the neutral land. Meanwhile, the flagships belonging to the two great dark monarchs remained at the border, awaiting the results of the operation. News of the Evernight alliances arrival spread like wildfire. All of a sudden, all powers big and small returned to their bases and stopped coming out. Some unknown source had spread word that a powerful figure of the demonkin race, the Eternal Flame, had arrived along with the Evernight fleet. This news shook all the experts of the neutral lands, stopping all those who otherwise had different ideas. No matter how much restraint the demonkin would face in the neutral lands, no matter how familiar these experts were with the neutral lands, they werent a match for a magnum-wielding great dark monarch. No Evernight monarch had stepped so brazenly into the neutral lands since the battle a hundred years ago. Many people who were in hiding started cursing and mocking the Throne of Blood. Repelling heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs was a rule established by the Throne of Blood. But why was he afraid now that the Eternal Flame was here? These people had forgotten that it was this very person who had appeared during the darkest moments of the neutral lands when it was almost conquered by Evernight. He had fought the Evernight army until rivers of blood flowed across the land, pushing them back and later establishing the Throne of Blood. That was the only reason the rule came to be. Regardless of the fear or schadenfreude, the massive Evernight fleet arrived like black clouds covering the sky. It slowly but firmly traversed the neutral lands and flew toward the Eastern Sea. The news similarly arrived in Tidehark, and the leaders of the Empire gathered around Song Zining to seek a strategy for countermeasures. Only at this point did they truly realize how essential he was. The future god of strategy wasnt just an empty titleit was sincere praise sung by the masses, proven by his accomplishments in battle. In such desperate times, a future god was also a god, capable of giving everyone a modicum of comfort. The war room was packed full of people as everyone with some degree of power found a way to squeeze themselves in. Song Zining arrived fashionably late, about ten minutes after the appointed time. He walked through the crowd and took the leading seat at the table. The situation is dire. As the commander, this young master will naturally formulate a strategy to push back the enemy. Its just that what benefits will I get from this? These words ignited a commotion in the crowd. He was probably the first commander to openly seek benefits before the battle. An old man immediately slammed the table, rebuking, Preposterous! The empire granted you great power and status, yet you wish to seek benefits!? If every general was like you, how will the empire keep standing? Arent you afraid of bringing shame to your Song clan ancestors? Among the crowd, some chimed in while others shook their heads. Someone dragged the old man back, saying, "Keep calm and listen to what the seventh young noble has to say. Its not too late to talk afterward. The old man said in rage, What is there to listen to? This is absolutely wrong! How can such a person remain in such a high position? Someone else said coldly, Elder Lu, your Lu family might not be afraid, but we dont want to pay with our fortune and lives! Who else can take the seventh young nobles position? You? Ha! Its not that I look down on you, but I dont think anyone will listen with you in that seat. Someone else sneered, Elder Lu, what intentions do you have to stop the seventh young noble from speaking? Your Lu family is so poor that it makes no difference even if you lose everything. Everyone else here has their families and fortunes riding with the seventh young master! Elder Lus words were caught in his throat. He waved his sleeve in anger, saying, Fine, my Lu family wants no part in this. I shall return to the empire now! But a couple of people stood up and blocked the door. Elder Lus expression changed drastically. Elder Chen, what is the meaning of this? The other party was a plump elder. Little Brother Lu, whats the rush? If you leave just like that, wouldnt the blame fall on your head if some secrets were to leak out? Isnt it better for you to stay one day and leave after everything is settled? Elder Lu was livid. Are you trying to keep me under house arrest? Elder Chen laughed loudly, Nonsense, all of our families work for the empire. We definitely wont stop Elder Lu if youre adamant about leaving. I just dont want any accidents to befall the Lu family. The threat was evidentElder Lu returned to his seat with a snort and no longer said a word thereafter. Elder Chen cupped his fist at Song Zining. You must have a reason for seeking benefits, but we also have some misgivings. Wont you tell us what kind of benefits youre seeking? As long as its reasonable, we wont hesitate to provide manpower or money. Song Zining said with a smile, Elder Chen understands things well. Im in a bit of a tight situation after leaving the Song clan, and I need some money and resources. Do you think thats fine? Elder Chen said without hesitation, Turns out you want to be paid! Thats fine, our Chen family will put forth ten thousand gold coins for the seventh young nobles current expenditures. Elder Chens straightforwardness was unexpected. Everyone gave the situation some thought and realized what they should do. Our Wei family will fork out eight thousand gold coins. The Li family elder spoke up all of a sudden, Our Jingtang Li Clan will offer a hundred thousand gold coins. The entire conference room fell into silence. The Li family was a high-ranking aristocratic family, one that had always been eyeing a spot among the major clans. As the commander of the familys operations in the neutral lands, Elder Li was willing to pay a sizable sum. The meaning behind this move was worth pondering on. Eunuch Zhang said, The imperial clans finances belong to His Majesty, so I dont have the right to use it at will. But I have a personal accumulation that Ive saved up over the decade. At fifty-thousand, Its far smaller than the Li familys offer, but I hope the seventh young master will accept the gesture. Everyone was surprised that even Eunuch Zhang of the imperial clan would adopt such a stance. Although no one knew what Song Zining needed the money for, they already knew what they should do. All the families fought amongst each other to fork out money, and the ones who had made their offer before started adding more to their numbers as well. In the blink of an eye, a large sum of money, close to a million gold coins, had been accumulated. Elder Lu was restless in his seat. He had already realized that he had been played as a chess piece to gauge Song Zinings reaction. The situation had become clear after the Li family and imperial clan had announced their stance. Meanwhile, the Lu family had been cast aside. His expression was livid as he stood up. Our Lu family is weak in both money and manpower, but were also willing to do our part. We offer twenty thousand! Everyone fell silent for a while. Then they began showering the elder with praises, and the atmosphere in the conference room became fairly joyful. After the wave of delight, everyones eyes fell upon Song Zining as they waited silently for his continuation. The seventh young noble was in no rush, however. He turned to Eunuch Zhang and said, When can I receive the money? If there arent enough gold coins, its fine to substitute with treasures. The families became tongue-tied. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would be so shameless? Eunuch Zhang, however, didnt mind. Nobody will carry their wealth everywhere, so well naturally pay with treasures. I have a peerless jade bestowed upon me by the emperor. Its definitely worth fifty to sixty thousand gold coins. What say you? Song Zining smiled with cupped hands. Id feel bad about it. Eunuch Zhang replied, If you refuse, that means you think little of yours truly. Sigh, I feel ashamed accepting this! Song Zining shook his head as he received the treasured jade and put it in his chest pocket. That clean and decisive movement was pretty far off from an ashamed persons demeanor. Everyone understood that empty words wouldnt do if they wanted to avoid making a fool out of themselves. Hence, they clenched their jaws as they searched for treasures that could match their offers. In the blink of an eye, a pile of treasures had appeared in front of Song Zining. The seventh young master simply couldnt close his mouth. He accepted everything given to him, and then asked his men to stow them away. Only then did he sit down and open his fan, adopting the posture of a future god of strategy. Having forked out steep investments, the families looked on with bated breaths. They wanted to know what they would get back after paying such a price. Song Zining said mysteriously, The Evernight alliance consists of three races, with the Eternal Flame at the helm. Their lineup is extremely powerful, so we cannot go head-on against them. We must shift our forces back temporarily. Many people cursed secretly. Everyone knew this already! Song Zining waved his folding-fan. Although the Evernight forces are powerful, they cant stay very long. As I see it, we should withdraw from Tidehark and camp for three days at a point three hundred kilometers away. Three days later, the Eternal Flame will leave and itll be our turn to decide whether to fight or defend. Everyone was surprised. Are you certain the Eternal Flame will return after three days? Song Zining said with a smile, This is heavens mystery, something I cannot reveal. You will find out three days later. Chapter 990: Some Riches Whether they believed it or not, everyone was delighted to see Song Zinings rare demeanor of confidence. The Eternal Flames presence or absence would make a fundamental difference. If he were to settle down in the neutral lands, then there was nothing else left for the others to do. All they could do was return to the empire with their tails tucked between their legs. It was a different thing altogether if he would leave after three days. There was no need for Song Zining, even. Many of the people here could think of plausible countermeasures. Discussions proceeded rapidly, and a conclusion was reached very soon afterward. The empires forces would pull three hundred kilometers away from Tidehark and avoid the arriving Evernight army. They would then move back to lay siege after the Eternal Flame had departed. The only regretful thing was that the Great Maelstrom passage had started to stabilize again these days, and they would be able to send another group of people in after a few days. It just so happened that the Evernight alliance had arrived at this point, so the second batch quotas would surely fall into their hands. Judging from the current state of the passage, however, it would probably take some time before it could be used again. The families werent too worried, especially the ones who had been listed as candidates for the second batch. The Great Maelstrom wasnt a place anyone could go to. According to divination results, the passage was still fairly dangerous, and all those below the champion realm were destined to never return. Additionally, Song Zining had revealed some fairly important news. Younger people would obtain greater benefits from entering the Great Maelstrom. It was best for those over seventy years old to refrain from entering, otherwise, it was more than likely that they would die there. This information was extremely important because families with more quotas were planning to send elder-level people in to act as protectors for the younger scions. After hearing Song Zinings warning, they quickly got rid of such thoughts. Elders were a precious commodity for every aristocratic family, and none of them would be willing to enter knowing they were heading to their deaths. After all, no one knew what awaited them at the other end of the passage. It would be a wasted death if they were to fall there. With the elders out of the equation, the quotas became much more forgiving. Although the second batch would be deprived of the fortunes of first exploration, they would also be safe from many unknown dangers. Many of the lower-ranking aristocratic families would rather seek a stable outcomeit was a blessing if their scions could walk out of the Maelstrom alive. It would be even better if they could bring out some special products. As for the amount they could harvest, that wasnt really important. With the plans already settled, everyone started to take action. In just two hours, the camp outside of Tidehark had been dismantled, and the dragon of steel crawled back toward Southern Blue. After a while, the imperial fleetfully loaded with materials and personnelalso started flying back. The entire city of Southern Blue was also loading materials into cargo trucks, ready to withdraw. Ji Rui was both happy and worried about the Empires haste. He was happy that the empire was finally leaving and Southern Blue was once again his. He was also worried about whether he should join the empire right there and then. Although he would lose a degree of freedom, he would gain access to a vast world. The power balance in the neutral lands was too restrictive for smaller characters. The factories in the city kept operating just like before. Song Zinings factories werent moved away, either, and were running as usual. These companies had long since gotten used to the fighting between major powers. Whoever the ruler was, they would still have to pay the same tax more or less. There was a tacit agreement between the competing powers and the merchant companiesno matter how fierce the fighting, they would not touch the industries. Besides, the bigger merchants had their own mercenary forces and could be considered a power on their own. It wasnt wise to offend them. In the eyes of the merchants, both the Empire and Evernight were the same. The only difference was in scale. Song Zining had built a wonderful foundation in Southern Blue. In short, all the factories here had only one purpose: to build warships. The demand for airships was endless in the neutral lands. Every produced vessel was destined to have a buyer. Not to mention in the neutral lands, this level of warships would see good demand in the smaller vassal states, or even among the aristocracy back in the Empire. They could even sell to Evernight if needed. Hence, the factories in Southern Blue had no intention of stopping even with the Evernight alliance bearing down on the city. One day later, no more imperial soldiers could be seen in Southern Blue. All that remained were the natives of the neutral lands. Not far from the city, in Song Zinings flagship. The vessel had been disguised once again to look like an old cargo ship, one so rickety that it might fall and crash any minute. At this point, two jeeps arrived on the ground, and Song Zinings flagship descended gradually in response to a signal flare fired by someone in the car. When the seventh young noble walked out onto the deck, three people had already alighted from the jeep and were waiting for him. Greetings, Seventh Young Noble. Song Zining said satisfactorily, No need for ceremonies. How is your lord? My lord has already left the Throne of Blood and I dont know where he has gone. He gave us some instructions before leaving, however. Seventh Young Noble can hand the goods to us. If you have something to say, you can also tell us. He will hear of it during his periodic return to the throne. Song Zining nodded. Theres no such thing as too much prudence against the Eternal Flame. Your lord is correct. The things are here, check them. With a wave of his hand, Song Zining gestured for his men to hand over a small briefcase. The elder on the other side received the container and opened it up for inspection. He found a dazzling array of jewels, jade, and gold inside, so many that it was hard to discern their value. Theres no way Seventh Young Noble will pay less than was agreed. Theres no need to check. Song Zining nodded. One more thing, has your lord finished considering? The old man replied, My lord thinks its doable but some of the terms need to be changed. He wants a custom corvette for each all-out attack from the Shattered Moment. Song Zining contemplated briefly. Thats reasonable. Go back and tell your lord that I agree. The old man seemed delighted. I will bring this good news back. My lord wishes to put in more orders, how many can seventh young noble supply? This will depend on your master. The less disturbance Southern Blue receives, the more we can produce. Additionally, the Eternal Flame needs to be pressured at every turn. We cant let him do as he wishes. My lord has his own considerations regarding this matter. Song Zining nodded, and then returned to his airship. The elder also drove back toward Southern Blue. At this moment, the guard beside Song Zining removed his hat, revealing the fair countenance beneath. Who wouldve thought the Throne of Blood has agents in Southern Blue, a human no less. This well-groomed man was Eunuch Zhang. Song Zining smiled. Its not surprising, considering hes been operating in the neutral lands for several hundred years. Im sure Zhang Buzhou also has numerous assets among the vampires. Arent you afraid theyll pry on your secrets? Song Zining replied calmly, Whats there to be afraid of? Southern Blue is there for them to see. Its fine even if they know what components are being used. Its not like they can open up the engines. Even if they could, they wont be able to produce anything without the alloy formula. But Eunuch Zhang was skeptical. Song Zining said with a smile, Rest assured. Be it Zhang Buzhou, the Spider Emperor, Wolf King, or the Thundergod, all they want are airships, not money. They are fundamentally different from us! Eunuch Zhang smiled. I have no other thoughts now. All I want is to follow the seventh young noble and earn a small fortune for my retirement. Song Zining replied, You jest. We took great pains to come to the neutral lands, theres no way we can stop at a small fortune. The two exchanged glances and broke into laughter. After returning to the command cabin, Song Zining spread out a map of the Eastern Sea. After studying it for a moment, he pointed toward the border of the continent. Well head here first. Eunuch Zhang didnt quite understand. Whats there? Song Zining replied, Im going to see someone and return a favor in passing. Eunuch Zhang was a shrewd old man. Seeing that Song Zining wasnt willing to elaborate, he no longer pressed the issue. The flagship turned about and set out immediately after receiving the order. Halfway along the journey, a beam of light shot into the sky and flew into the void. Eunuch Zhangs eyesight was sharp enough to see that there were two metallic sealed tubes in the radiance. This item was used to carry secret missives and intelligence. He was shocked to see Song Zining already using such advanced methods. It would seem the seventh young master maintained a close connection with the empire despite being in the neutral lands. Half a day later, the flagship arrived at the continents edge. Song Zining ordered the vessel to wait while he flew down toward the land. Eunuch Zhang watched the seventh young master with a deep frown. His expression became stern, and no one knew what he was thinking. The weather around the edge of the continent was adverse with void storms rampaging the land ever so often. Even Qianye had to be cautious when he traveled here back then, so it should be doubly more stressful for Song Zining. However, the Three Thousand Flying Leaf Art domain specialized in making use of the environment. The more extreme the conditions, the more power he could borrow. Hence, he was able to tread calmly through the blizzard, waving his fan in a graceful manner. He searched through the snowy expanse for a good half-day, following what little information Qianye had given him. Finally, he found a vampire warship parked far off in the distance. He had just heaved a sigh of relief when a person appeared before him. Clad in vampire attire, the cautious man sized Song Zining up from head to toe with razor-sharp eyes. Song Zining cupped his hands. You must be Marquis Jared? Please inform Lady Nighteye that enemies have arrived. Jared was surprised. You know me? Song Zining smiled. How could I not know the great Marquis Jared? Jared felt hesitant as he couldnt figure out anything after observing Song Zining closely. In the end, he said, Please wait here, Ill report back to my lord. Song Zining smiled. Please do. Jared returned in swift steps and arrived near the warship. Someone wishes to see you, he claims that enemies are at the door. Moments later, Nighteyes voice echoed through the air, What kind of person is he? Jared hesitated for a while. A young man who knows both your name and mine. His looks are fair, his strength is mediocre, and hes carrying a fan in this weather. Im not sure if hes right in the head. Nighteye produced a rare chuckle, saying, Cant you just say hes an idiot? Chapter 991: Us Brothers Moments later, Song Zining arrived near the warship and sized up this duke-grade vessel with due seriousness. For now at the very least, he had no choice but to look up to the expert who had sunk such a flagship, either killing or subduing its crew. Song Zining said with a solemn expression, Your Excellency Nighteye, Song Zining seeks an audience. Did Qianye tell you my location? Song Zining admitted honestly, Qianye hides nothing from me because he knows I will only help him and not harm him. For the same reason, I never hold anything back from him. You never hold back anything? Song Zinings expression remained the same. This hes better off not knowing certain things. Qianye is too good of a person. Hes so focused on loyalty and camaraderie that he sometimes forgets whats good for him. He treats me as his best friend, and I naturally view him as my brother. Some things that are good for him, its better that I do it in his stead. Theres really no need to let him know. Nighteye said indifferently, Youre saying this because youre afraid Ill take your life one day if I find out certain things. Song Zining said righteously, I have a clear conscience, so theres nothing to be afraid of. If one day, you wish to kill me because you think I did Qianye wrong, I will not resist. Things that are beneficial for Qianye might not necessarily be beneficial to me. Do you think such tricks can fool me? A flash of nervousness emerged on Song Zinings countenance, but he arched his chest and said resolutely, The world is chaotic, no one knows everything. I can only guarantee that I have a clear conscience regarding Qianye. I cant ensure everything else. I have come now, so just attack if you think I have done something to wrong you. I wont resist. Nighteye said calmly, You can resist all you want. I will never attack you again if you can survive one blow. Song Zining laughed wryly, Its no use even if I do. Why would I invite humiliation? Its better if I face death head-on and die with some dignity. Nighteye paused momentarily. You must have done something to be saying these things. You rushed over here to seek a pardon token because you fear my wrath. Song Zining shook his head. Of course not, I have long since transcended the worries of life and death. I came to deliver two pieces of information, one is about Qianye and the other is about you. Speak. Qianye has already gone through the spatial passage into the Great Maelstrom. The temperature outside of the warship fell sharply, so much so that Jared couldnt help but shiver. Song Zining was prepareda puddle of spring water spread out from beneath his feet, exuding warmth and repelling the chill. He went through the neutral lands entrance? Whose idea was that? Nighteyes voice seemed calm, but the abrupt coldness proved that she wasnt as indifferent as she seemed to be. It was mine, Song Zining admitted. An icy blade condensed before him, making for his forehead at lightning speed! Song Zining cried out, That place is dangerous, but a great fortune awaits him there! The blade stopped just short of Song Zinings forehead, and a bright drop of blood seeped out from his skin. Nighteye said in an icy voice, Hes destined to become a prince even if he does nothing but absorb essence blood all day. What is your intention? Dont blame me if you dont have a good explanation for this. Song Zining wasnt afraid. What can you do? At most, my head will fall to the ground. Is that so? I can also head over to spar with Duchess An. I can assure you that she wont live more than three months whoever the victor is. Song Zining was shocked. You dare?! Why wouldnt I? Nighteye sneered. Song Zining glared furiously, but all he could see was the warships exterior as no perceptive technique could penetrate the shell. He actually knew Nighteye was capable of what she claimed. The Song clans heavy security was nothing in her eyes. With her Bloodline Concealment, Nighteye could walk the entire empire with relative ease. Even the Song clan ancestor wouldnt be able to avoid a fight. At this point, the Song clan was tottering on the verge of collapse and largely reliant on Duchess An for support. Countless people would pounce on the Song clan if she were to suffer intractable injuries. Song Zining was gradually gaining achievements and recognition, but without enough strength, he still didnt have the power to subdue people without a fight. Moments later, Song Zinings aura dispersed, and he said with a bitter smile, Fine, I admit defeat. Nighteye remained silent. Song Zining took some time to rearrange his thoughts. Nighteye, I dont know what your identity was before the awakening. Perhaps you think there are no secrets in this world for you, and that the entire world is under your control, but do you know what Qianye was thinking? Nighteye said calmly, I have no more ties with him since my awakening. His thoughts have nothing to do with me. Song Zining paid her no attention and kept on talking, Back then, he threw away family, brothers, and everything in the Empire just to go and save you. To prevent us from stopping him, he even revealed his vampire identity, cutting off all paths of retreat. That night, he charged into the military stronghold and killed Li Fengshui in order to rescue you. The latter was much stronger back then but he died to Qianye in the end. Do you know why? Without waiting for Nighteye to reply, Song Zining added, It was the determination to fight to the death! That night, Qianye went in without the intention of ever coming back out. Nighteye fell silent. "You know more about what happened afterward. He wasnt joking when he said hed help you onto the Sacred Mountain. In fact, hed go into the Great Maelstrom all the same even without my help. I wouldnt even be able to stop him if he heard about the fortune inside. So, why not just send him in early and help him gain the initiative? Nighteye said, Hes crazy, but must you do the same as well? Song Zining laughed out loud. Us brothers only have a few decades to strive for the best. What if we do crazy things for once? Nighteye sighed lightly, and then her tone returned to normal. What is the second piece of information? "Lightless Monarch Medanzo is in the neutral lands, parked in the void just outside the borders. His trip here is for the Great Maelstrom passage on paper, but I suspect he came for you. He had planned to buy you from the military after you were captured back then. Nighteye said, That old bastard has neither the determination to improve nor does he dare to take risks. All he does is discriminate against others in his jealousy. Not only has this embarrassment of the vampire race not improved in a thousand years, but his power has even diminished. Its not that easy to obtain my bloodline. Song Zining replied, Him waiting in the void outside is a potential danger. If he charges in without consideration for the consequences, even you are not his match. I found a way to buy a shot from the Shattered Moment, and it can be called upon once the Eternal Flame leaves. We must plan this well before I enter the Great Maelstrom because a well-timed shot will teach him a good lesson. Ill need you to cooperate when the time comes, what say you? Nighteye was somewhat surprised. A shot from the Shattered Moment wont come cheap. Why would you give me this opportunity? Song Zining smiled wryly. How can I stand by when youre in danger? Qianye will hate me if something happens to you and I didnt do my utmost. Nighteye replied, Very well, Ill remember this favor. Come and find me after the Eternal Flame leaves. Ill lure Medanzo into firing range. Song Zining nodded and, thereafter, the warship became silent. Jared said, My lord is tired, please leave. After returning to the flagship, Song Zining ordered the vessel to return. He then retired to his chambers without saying anything. A short period in Nighteyes presence was as tiring as a great battle. At the central frontlines of the void continent stood a sturdy fortress of steel. Zhao Jundu had built his command center here as it was facing the main forces of the Evernight army. The forward outpost of the fortress was only a couple hundred meters away, a distance Zhao Jundu could easily shoot beyond. This short distance was negligible to a true expert. They could just as easily charge in and assault the headquarters. Building the command center here was proof of Zhao Jundus attitude. He was welcoming the Evernight experts to challenge him anytime. The frontlines of the two factions had been in a tug-of-war since the war turned into a deadlock. The empire had been switching out numerous squads under Zhao Jundus command, pulling them back as soon as they had suffered one third in casualties and replacing them with a new squad. During this time, at least dozens of armies had been crippled and forced to recuperate in the rear. The Evernight side had suffered even more damage, basically at two times the empires rate. Many powerful tribes had lost all of their young warriors and no longer possessed the power to retaliate. This casualty ratio caused a fair bit of conflict. Although the Evernight army held the advantage in numbers, they were full of internal strife, and they could no longer ignore the painful losses. The Summit of Peaks was already threatening to withdraw from the alliance due to the disproportionate death of werewolves. Any race would feel pained from losing elite soldiers by the tens of thousands. The empires side wasnt so calm, either. Many aristocratic families started to cast doubt on Zhao Jundus bloodletting strategies. It was indeed a fact that the casualty rate was somewhat higher than average under Zhao Jundus command. Hence, many people started to question his commanding skills. Zhao Xuanji duly suppressed all blame and doubt. At the same time, he continued to enforce the squad rotation plan. Things were kept fair, with the bigger families shouldering greater burdens. So, it was difficult for the families to say anything. The other clans had no reason to speak out since even the Zhang clan was following the plan. The reason Zhao Xuanji could satisfy the masses was the difference in expert casualty rate. Chapter 992: Suitable Person The Evernight experts had been assaulting Zhao Jundus command center for several days straight. The two factions would engage in a major battle almost every couple of days, and countless bodies had fallen before this steel fortress. Zhao Jundu had displayed an unsurmountable degree of combat strength, killing powerful enemies under seemingly impossible circumstances. In less than a months time, three marquis and seven counts had fallen under his spear, along with countless viscounts and barons. Be it frontal assaults or surprise attacks, whether it was a duel or a group battle, the experts of Evernight found that Zhao Jundu had no weaknesses. He could adapt and face every situation accordingly. After failing miserably at some surprise attacks they thought were ingenious, the Evernight side finally gave up on shortcuts and began relying on their advantage in expert lineup and manpower. They launched a continuous frontal assault in hopes of suppressing the enemy. But Zhao Jundu yet again displayed unprecedented valor in battle. He was gravely wounded thrice in the same month and also sustained countless minor wounds, yet he wouldnt take half a step away from the command center. There was one time the enemy had attacked before his injuries were healed. Zhao Jundu sallied forth despite his wounds and fought from dawn to dusk, killing one marquis and two counts before the enemies were repelled. Thus, the Evernights plan to surround and kill him was effectively thwarted. After this battle, the steel fortress was stained red with the blood of experts and Zhao Jundus fame skyrocketed. He was now regarded on par with divine champions. Thereafter, that steel fortress came to be known as Duskgrave on the Evernight side. It was because of this accomplishment that the imperial generals only blamed Zhao Jundus methods for the high casualties and failure to make use of the defensive advantage. Ultimately, they never replaced him. Duskgrave wouldve been leveled by Evernight if it wasnt for Zhao Jundu holding the fort. The aristocracy and military generals werent dumb. They knew that this wasnt the time to fight for status, and no one was willing to replace that difficult position anyway. That place was the mouth of a volcano. The slightly less capable people would surely die without a grave. Countless imperial soldiers and smiths were working nervously within the steel fortress, repairing the damage from recent battles. The soldiers stationed at the firing points stared nervously into the distance, ready to fire at the first sight of the enemy. At this moment, a good number of technicians were digging into the ground to open up more space. The current underground area of the fortress was already larger than the structure above. There was a girl clad in imperial military uniform and holding a roll of blueprints. She pointed at a corner of the paper and instructed, Dig a hall here. Thirty meters long, ten meters wide, and optimally over ten meters high. Ill be placing a set of engines here to support the entire fortress with enough kinetic power. We can then dismantle a warship main cannon and install it atop the fortress. Most of the technicians near her were old and a fair number of them were already grey-haired. Many of them wore the insignia of the Zhao clan, clearly smiths from the main residence. The technician usually had to accumulate experience for many years, so the older ones were naturally more skilled. Yet, they accepted the girls arrangements willingly and had no doubts about her ability. The young girl then pointed at a different side of the paper, saying, Install three kinetic pipelines to push steam to the upper parts of the fortress. Two of the engineers nodded as they accepted the mission. A couple of young technicians stole glances at her while listening to the instructions. The young girl looked fairly tender with a hint of confusion in her expression. Only when she was looking at the blueprint would she speak with great assurance. The imperial uniform on her was clearly not a good fit. The long sleeves had to be rolled up to facilitate work, and her skirt was also too long. The attire was clearly oversized, yet it could barely hold around her chest. People couldnt help but wonder if the buttons on her shirt would suddenly pop. The attraction from such a girl was naturally lethal to many young men, especially on a dangerous battlefield like this one. The enticement was exponentially stronger. It was at this time that a soldier walked over hurriedly. General Nangong, General Zhao seeks your presence. Very well, Ill head over immediately. The young girl handed the blueprint to a nearby engineer before leaving. The two passed through a couple of doors and finally walked into a secret underground chamber. Zhao Jundu emerged from insidehis hair wasnt even dry yet, and he was buttoning up his shirt as he walked. Through the unbuttoned portion of his shirt, one could see the well-sculpted muscles, along with his unhealed wound. The young girl bowed, General Zhao! Zhao Jundu smiled as he pointed to a chair. Xiaoniao, dont be nervous, have a seat. The girl sat down tensely. Few people would feel relaxed while facing the fourth young master of the Zhao clan. How goes the base construction? The advanced recovery pool will be done in two days. At that point, the critically injured will receive swift treatment, and your injuries will also recover faster. The origin power replenishment pool is also under construction, should be done by tomorrow. It can help you recover all of your origin power in around four hours, two if we double the black crystal consumption rate, the girl replied. Zhao Jundu praised, The origin power replenishment pool will be pretty good. With it, I can defend this place with confidence, stopping the dark races from taking a step forward! I never expected that you would be able to design such facilities. If we introduce them to the army in the future, the empire will surely gain greater momentum. At that time, youll get the greatest merit. Tell me if theres anything you want. The young girl blushed as she spoke in a soft voice, All I want is to remain in the Zhao clan. Zhao Jundu was startled. Thats not a problem, you can stay as long as you want. If those old men from the Nangong family dare to demand anything, Ill beat them half to death. The young girl nodded excitedly. After all this time, the rookie Xiaoniao from Red Scorpion had grown up. She not only became a champion but displayed great talent in origin power and mechanical design. Zhao Jundu transferred her from Evernight after hearing of this and put her in charge of designing the steel fortress. This fortress also played some role in Zhao Jundus stunning accomplishments in battle. The fourth young noble glanced at the young girl. Xiaoniao, what do you think of Qianye? This question caught her entirely off-guard. Nangong Xiaoniaos burned bright red. Ah, this that erm what do you mean what I think of him? What do you think of him as a person? Zhao Jundu repeated his question. Nangong Xiaoniaos voice dropped to a hush, so much so that even Zhao Jundu couldnt hear her very clearly. Naturally, everything about Young Noble Qianye is is good. Zhao Jundu nodded. Are you willing to stay at his side? This time, Nangong Xiaoniao shot to her feet and knocked her chair over. While trying to catch the falling chair, she bumped into the table and sent the teacup flying into the air. She pounced forward to catch it, but the porcelain hopped about in her hands and drenched her in tea. Zhao Jundu could no longer sit back and watch. With a wave of his hand, the teacup flew into his hand, a wisp of origin power restored the furniture to their rightful positions, and even the splashed tea evaporated. Zhao Jundus origin power utilization could be considered perfect to be able to do so many things in a single moment. Nangong Xiaoniao stood there gripping the hem of her skirt, almost in tears. Zhao Jundu said gently, Judging from your reaction, it looks like youre willing. Nangong Xiaoniao tensed up and even forgot to breathe. Only after a good while did she give a barely noticeable nod, one that might have gone unnoticed if not for Zhao Jundus perceptive abilities. The fourth young noble said in a serious tone, Xiaoniao, you will only be there to accompany him. There will be no status, nor will you be his first wife. Are you sure youre willing? Nangong Xiaoniao didnt dare look up. Finally, she mustered up what little courage she had and replied, Im willing, no matter what. Zhao Jundu sighed. I know this will be tough on you, but Qianye does need someone like you to take care of him. That fellow can never learn to take care of himself. Since youre willing to stay at his side no matter what, I naturally wont be stingy. You can tell me if theres anything you want or if anything is worrying you. Theres very little I cant do in the empire right now. Nangong Xiaoniao gave it some thought. I have nothing else I want. Things are already quite good as they are. Nothing will be better... if I can stay beside him Zhao Jundu laughed, It seems I picked the right person. Since you wont say things out loud, Ill help you make the arrangements. Nangong Xiaoniao lowered her head. But there are so many people beside Qianye, Sister Nighteye is so beautiful. I-Im nothing why would you pick me? Zhao Jundu laughed heartily upon hearing this. Youre good, very good in fact. Youre the best candidate for Qianye as far as Im concerned, but that guy is stupid. He wont listen to me. The young girl looked up and said in a serious expression, Hes not stupid, hes very smart! Zhao Jundu couldnt help but laugh out loud. Fine, fine, hes very smart, even smarter than I am! Nangong Xiaoniao nodded immediately. She then realized something was not quite right, but she couldnt figure out what it was. Zhao Jundus escalating laughter embarrassed her even further. The chamber doors opened at this point, and an aide walked in hurriedly. Ignoring Xiaoniao, he walked over to Zhao Jundu and whispered in his ears, Young Master, urgent report from the neutral lands. Zhao Jundu picked up the message-tube and fished out the strip of paper within. He read the message several times, his expression stern as he muttered to himself, Medanzo and Noxus have gone to the neutral lands, the Eternal Flame as well? That means there isnt a single great dark monarch on the void continent. Perhaps theres one, but one at most! He paced around quickly as he thought, Why does Prince Greensun and the Pointer Monarch not know of such an important matter? Thats not right, they never sent word, but that doesnt mean they dont know about the enemys movements. Perhaps theyve already left! At the thought of this, Zhao Jundu stopped abruptly and shouted, Issue my order, all squads will prepare for combat, the entire army will march out in half an hour! Soon, Zhao Jundu charged out in full force, routing the enemy and hunting them down for the entire night. Chapter 993: Reunion The area outside of Tidehark was shrouded in silence. The imperial army had retreatedonly the traces of that giant army camp and the ruined city stood proof of the battle that had taken place several days ago. The city was lifeless even during the daytime. Every house had shut their doors, and the few people on the streets moved in a hurried pace. Only a handful of people were working, hauling corpses outside the city for burial. No one accompanied them, nor did anyone cry for these unidentified fallen men. The passersby and the people from the windows gazed at the corpse truck with cold expressions. Some of them revealed expressions of sorrow, but most of them were fairly indifferent. The city guard had long since been destroyed, and the survivors were now hiding in their homes, not daring to reveal themselves. The spirit of the entire city had collapsed. The god they looked up to, Luo Bingfeng, had fallen, and there were rumors claiming Zhang Buzhou had a part in it. The people felt their spiritual support collapse just like the holy mountain. The imperial armys withdrawal was too suddenthey pulled out entirely in less than half a day and destroyed all the equipment they couldnt pack. There was no one holding power in Tidehark these days, yet there was neither chaos, robbery, nor rape. That was because the city guard werent the only ones fighting during the battle. Many brave, hot-blooded citizens also took up arms to join the defense. However, the defensive structures they believed impenetrable were useless before the overwhelming imperial firepower, especially the torrential cannon-fire from the warships. Song Zining had equipped those ragtag mercenaries to the teeth and sent them against the defensive line in a clumsy yet firm formation. The defense was gradually suppressed and ultimately routed in its entirety. Song Zining had used an unheard of strategy that combined airship and heavy cannon support. The short but extreme training, as well as the perfect command and coordination, served as a lesson to the major powers of the neutral lands. They finally came to understand what standard imperial warfare looked like. After occupying Tidehark, Song Zining assumed order inside the city with an iron fist. All dissenters and opportunists were killed without hesitation. There werent many people left at this point as they had either died during the battle or were killed after the occupation. The survivors were deeply apprehensive of Song Zinings cruel methods. Although the imperial forces had retreated, no one knew whether they would return or what they would do if they did. Hence, two days passed by without anyone keeping order or recruiting for a new city guard. The biggest human city of the past was now in a defenseless state. Such a city appeared before the Eternal Flame when the Evernight alliance appeared. At this point, the demonkin had joined forces with their earlier arrivals. Their strength had increased sharply and was now on par with the vampire and arachne. The Eternal Flame observed the passage over the holy mountain and said, The passage will open the day after tomorrow, it will last one day. The Eternal Flame couldnt be wrong. The entire Evernight alliance broke into action, quickly setting up camp and sending in the army to take over Tideharks defenses. The transfer of authority was oddly smooth and quietthere was no resistance, nor were there any sneak attacks. Even the duke assuming control of the city felt confused and wondered whether this was an Evernight territory instead. After taking over the city, the three races had no intention of engaging in in-depth administration. All they did was impose a curfew before letting things run on their own. After all, there was only one more day before the passage opened, and they were in no mood to bully the citizens. The experts had a lot of things to do. For instance, scouting out the enemy situation, scrying future dangers, and monitoring the passage condition. The most important issue was to decide how many people they would send in, and the order of it. The Evernight side discovered the opening of this passage later than the empire. The demonkin who had arrived first, in addition to Linkens fleet, were the squads located closest to the neutral lands. In the end, Linken was defeated by Qianye and the first batch of demonkin had been firmly pinned down by Song Zinings military power. No one had expected Song Zining to be that decisive, concentrating all military power toward taking Tidehark and securing the passage first. The Evernight forces were now facing a difficult problem. Those entering first might encounter surprise attacks from the empire while they were in their weakest state after emerging from the tunnel. If they went late, however, the passage would become unstable and they would die during the traversal. Additionally, the Evernight races didnt have enough time to negotiate a plan that was acceptable for all parties. They simply hammered out a rough quota for each race before rushing toward the neutral lands. The vampires and arachne hadnt expected the Eternal Flame to suddenly show up here. Now, there were new variables in the predetermined plans. The Eternal Flame was strong, but the vampires and arachne werent so weak, either. With regards to Grand Magnums, they each had one as well. Hence, they might be willing to make some minor adjustments, but one could forget about getting them to make big concessions. Although Medanzo and Noxus werent in the neutral lands, it made little difference in the present discussions. It was truly difficult to finish so many things in just one day. Outside of Tidehark, the mountain ranges were already covered in ice. The black rocks and the white snow layered together to form a natural ink and wash painting. There was a frail figure on one of the rocks, a young girl. Her messy hair was flying in the wind, her small face was pale from the cold, and the tip of her nose was somewhat pink. Every breath she exhaled would turn into white mist, and there was frost starting to form on her brows. She was covered in a tattered sackcloth cloak, which she would pull tighter whenever the frosty wind blew past. Despite that, she was shivering as the sackcloth was naturally porous, and its ability to maintain warmth was less than desirable. There was an oblong square protrusion behind her. No one knew what it was since it was hidden under the cloth. She gazed at the distant Tidehark from atop the rocks. From this position, she could even see the warships hovering above. The sky above Tidehark was filled with dark clouds, swirling around the city like a giant whirlpoola scene that would stifle all onlookers. Experts with sharper senses could feel a surging power emanating from the vortex, a force as majestic as the mountains and seas. Even a duke would tremble before this terrifying force. That was the Eternal Flame probing and stabilizing the Great Maelstrom passage with his own power. That terrifying cloud whirlpool in the sky was just the heaven and earth responding to his strength. The girl gazed at the swirling clouds momentarily, but then she suddenly turned around and looked down the mountain. There, a young man was in the process of scaling the cliffs. His movements were nimble and practiced, but he looked no different from an ordinary human. However, he was fairly relaxed even while climbing the snowing hillside, and arrived before the girl in a matter of moments. We meet again, he greeted the girl with a smile, one as pure and penetrating as the rays of the sun. Even the cold and darkness around them were somewhat dispelled. The girl looked at him with a thoughtful expression. The young man said, Im Anwen, have you forgotten me? The girl shook her head. No, its just that my thoughts are a bit slow at the moment. Anwen pointed at the giant vortex in the sky. Thats normal. Everyone in His Majestys range will be affected. Come, wear this and youll be fine. With that, Anwen produced a necklace and handed it to the girl. The chain was fairly simple and was decorated with a pendant made of black crystal, shaped like a water drop. The young girl donned the necklace without a second thought and felt noticeably more relieved. A gust of cold wind blew past them. Anwen rubbed his hands as though he was feeling cold. I never thought youd come, but then again, youve always been quite bold, so I guess its not a surprise. He sized the girl up from head to toe. She was still barefoot, and her skin was as white as the snow she was standing on. Are you cold? he asked. The girl nodded, and then shook her head. Anwent sighed as he rubbed one of his rings. In the blink of an eye, the temperature rose and it became as warm as spring. The temperature had just risen when several black shadows flew out from Tidehark and soon surrounded the duo. The three demonkin leaders who had just arrived were surprised to see Anwen. They bowed in greeting, but Anwen waved at them, saying, Im fine, cant you see Im meeting a friend? Leave and dont disturb me again! Yes, Young Lord. The three demonkin left after seeing Anwens displeasure. After they had left, Anwen smiled wryly. You saw it, right? Even giving you some warmth brings me that much trouble. Why wont you wear more clothes? This area is under His Majestys power, the cold here is real. Dont you feel it? It is cold. Anwen shook his head. Let it be. How about this? Ill give you clothes and shoes, Ill have someone prepare them right away. No. Why? Are you worried about the quality? They might not be top-notch but should be pretty good by any standard. Youll know after using them. Anwen scratched his head. After things settle down around here, Ill get a set of top-grade clothes custom made for you. I still have some quotas left, they should be enough to pay for it. I refuse. The young girl shook her head. Why? Anwen was vexed. The girl finally spoke a full sentence, The body is the greatest way to see. Too much gear will make it hard for me to sense my preys movements. Chapter 994: What is Love? Anwen hadnt expected this. I see, thats a surprise. But what are you worried about now that Im here? At least for now, no one can hurt you. His words were extremely bold, but they did nothing to ease the girls nervousness. On the contrary, she took a step back while shaking her head. Anwen said helplessly, Are you afraid of me perchance? The girl nodded immediately. Anwen opened his arms. Look, where else will you find a better demonkin? Whats there to fear? You, the girl replied. Me Anwen grabbed his hair in exasperation, but he simply had no way to deal with this girl. He tried explaining, Fine, perhaps I do have some power yes, lets say Im fairly powerful. But whatever power I have will be used to protect you, not to harm you. So, the stronger I am, the happier you should be. The girl just looked on at Anwen without any sign of happiness. The demonkin finally raised his hand in defeat. Fine, do whatever you like! Now can you tell me why youre here? This place is too dangerous without me around. After all you cant be considered one of our people. Anwen was fairly tactful and indirect, trying hard not to make her unhappy. I came to see you. See me? Dont tell me Anwens expression brightened up, unable to conceal the excitement in his heart. He rubbed his hands in excitement but couldnt find the words he wanted to say. In the end, he clenched his teeth in self-loathing and said, Youre willing to follow me now? The girl widened her eyes, but she merely gazed on at Anwen until the latter went from anticipation to calmness, and then to restlessness. She wore a confused expression as she slowly removed the button on her cloak. Anwen was both delighted and nervous. He reached out to stop her but then withdrew his hand midway. The girl removed her cloak to reveal that unchanging white dress. However, instead of undressing, she drew the large cleaver from her back and bent forward slightly like a wild beast. She was ready for battle. Anwen had never imagined such a shift. Surprised, he took two steps back to prevent getting injured from her eruption of power. Anwen was rather cautious of that large cleaver as it was a highly destructive weapon in her hands. Whats the meaning of this? Theres no need for this even if youre not willing. The girl hesitated for a moment before the killing intent on her blade lessened somewhat. Many people have asked me the same thing before. I dont know what they want, but they will start attacking whenever I say no. Anwen felt both happy and sorry. Im the great demonkin young that no matter what, Im still from a famed demonkin clan. How can I be the same as those bastards? Who are those people? Tell me and Ill cut them up one by one! At this point, Anwens killing intent surged wildly. He seemed absolutely furious. The girl shook her head. Ive killed them all, no need for you. Anwen felt his heart ease up. That means theyve never touched you? The girl thought back. One of them did. Anwens expression darkened. The girl continued, He was quite powerful, I had to take a blow in order to kill him. Anwen heaved a sigh of relief, his heart itching with hatred. That suspense from just now was too much, even for a demonkin young lord. Anwen opened his hands to indicate that he had no evil intentions. Relax, Im different. I wont force you if you say youre not willing, the same goes for everything else. Really? The girl seemed hesitant. Anwen replied quickly, Of course. The young girl slowly lowered her cleaver. Thinking back, that cleaver in her hand was quite fear-inducing. Then why are you here? The young girl pointed toward the remains of the holy mountain. I want to go in. The Great Maelstrom? Anwen was surprised. The young girl nodded. She then pointed at the demonkin, saying, I came because I knew you were here. Lets kill our way in. Wait, did you say kill our way in? Anwen couldnt react immediately. Yes. Why must we kill our way in? Anwen didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. I feel there are great benefits in entering that place. Yes, well grow stronger. Thats why I came to find you, lets fight our way in. You mean you came here because you want me to grow stronger as well? The young girl nodded. Anwen found the notion amusing yet inexplicably touching. Lass, you only need to say it if you want to go into the Great Maelstrom, lets go in together. Didnt I say it just now? This is for you. The young girl shook her cleaver, and from it sprung a fine sword, which she passed to Anwen. The grade-seven blade was fairly high in quality, but that chopstick-sized tip made Anwen speechless. This isnt suitable for me. Anwens own sword was in his spatial gear, a tyrannical grade-nine weapon with a two-meter long edge. He just couldnt find any interest as he looked at the blade in his hand. What irked him the most was the reason behind this giftdid she think he was only worth this much? The girl said, This is the best thing I could rob. Anwens mood changed immediately. He put the sword away carefully, saying, Very well, Ill try using it. But, we dont need to kill our way in. Ill make arrangements for it, you just follow me back now. We dont need to kill our way in? Why? Wont everyone fight over it? For some reason, the more puzzled she was, the more delighted Anwen became. He said pridefully, People do have to fight for it, but others cant outfight me. No one can stop me if I want to bring you in. The girl hesitated briefly before saying, I trust you. You wont be disappointed. Lets go back now, its too cold here. The two walked down the mountain side-by-side, much like a pair of ordinary humans. They chatted along the way, most of which involved Anwen talking about his past. Along the way, Anwen asked all of a sudden, What will it take for you to be with me? The girl lowered her head. I heard those who fall in love will be willing, but I have no idea what love is. Anwent looked up at the sky and laughed, Yes! Thats good. Ill make you fall in love with me! The girl was puzzled as to why he was so happy. Anwen laughed with increasing cheer as he brought the girl to Tidehark where he pointed at the sky. Immediately, an airship landed before the two and a group of demonkin walked out in a single file. They bowed toward Anwen and said at the same time, Young Lord! Anwen replied calmly, We take off, I wish to see His Majesty. The guards shot the young girl a glance, and then lowered their heads once more. Apparently, they didnt dare question Anwens decision to bring this girl along despite her questionable origins. Before stepping onto the airship, the girl looked back hesitantlyit almost seemed as though she was afraid of something. From this angle, no one could see the clarity and determination in her eyes. An old demonkin was sitting cross-legged at the center of the swirling clouds. There wasnt a tangible object supporting him, but rather a complicated polyhedron weaved from countless dark threads. If one were to observe closely, they would find that those threads were actually beams of lightblack-colored light. The old mans body was hidden beneath the cloak and none could see his face. A closer look and one would see that his figure was slightly distorted, almost as though he was shrouded in raging flames. The airship rose up from below and stopped a hundred meters away. Anwen brought the young girl to the deck, but instead of flying up, he bowed toward the elderly man. Your Majesty. The young girl tried jumping up but found that she would quickly fall back to the deck like an ordinary person. The old demonkin made no movements, but an inexplicable feeling covered the entire airship. His gaze and attention had locked onto the place. Even Anwen could feel his face tensing up. He shot a glance at the young girl beside him, seemingly gaining a burst of courage, and said, Your Majesty, I wish to bring her into the Great Maelstrom. Also, her constitution is fairly weak, so I hope youll grant her some protective equipment. The old demonkin remained as calm as a still lake. He shifted his focus onto the girl and said in a raspy voice, Your name. Bai Kongzhao. Is that your real name? The demonkin elders ethereal flame began to expand. Yes, the girl replied in all honesty. The elder spoke and moved very little. A beam of black radiance shot out from the polyhedron below and spun into an ankle chain that latched itself onto the girls left foot. Bring her in once the passage opens tonight. Anwen hadnt expected the old man to agree so quickly, nor that the matter would go so smoothly. But this was a good thing! He said to the girl, Why arent you thanking His Majesty?! The young girls lips moved somewhat. In the end, she bowed slightly in a gesture of thanks. Anwen heaved a sigh of relief. This matter had been settled with her expression of gratitude. Someone of the Eternal Flames station wouldnt go back on his words. It was just that, why had things gone so smoothly? Anwen still didnt dare to believe it. The Eternal Flame said, Its not so bad for the young to explore. His sudden words shocked Anwen out of his wits. The latter looked back only to find that the old demonkin was once again silent, his gaze far away. Anwen ordered the airship to descend and leave the area, lest the Eternal Flame changes his mind. Anwen felt somewhat puzzled after leaving. What exactly was the Eternal Flame looking at? What did he see? At the base of a distant mountain, two young people were in a heated argument, and the atmosphere around them wasnt so friendly. Chapter 995: The Right to Trade The two people in a standoff were well-known characters in their respective camps. One was Eden, who had gained fame in the Misty Wood, and across from him was Song Zining. Eden sized the seventh young master up with narrowed eyes. You actually dare come here, quite bold I say. What, are you tired of living because of some unhappy matters? Song Zining replied calmly, Im living quite fine, thank you, and I still have a fair bit of youth to squander. How could I be tired of living? You, on the other hand, must be quite depressed to see me on your own. Feel free to tell me about it and make me happy. Eden smiled coldly. I only need to send a signal and numerous experts will arrive within moments. This place is also within the range of His Majesty the Eternal Flames power. Do you think you can escape? Escape? I never had any intention of going back alive. Why would I even try? Eden and Song Zining stared at one another for a long while. Eventually, the former asked with a more relaxed expression, Enough with the useless stuff. I shall enter the Great Maelstrom tonight. Since you came to see me despite the risks, say what you must so that I can deal with you. Song Zining said, I have some information that might interest you, and for that, I want you to agree to two things. Eden said coldly, I dont think theres anything we can work together on, but since you feel this information is important, lets hear it. Song Zining smiled. Its related to Nighteye, do you want to listen? Edens expression shifted drastically. He took a sudden step forward and grabbed Song Zining by the collar. How did you know?! His movement was so forceful that Song Zining could hardly breathe, yet the seventh young master wasnt flustered at all. On the contrary, he looked at the demonkin with a hint of mockery in his eyes. Surprised, Eden released his grip, saying, Right, perhaps you mightve heard certain things, but theyre mere guesses. And I just proved them correct. Song Zining tidied his clothes until they were in perfect condition. Youre smart, no wonder you managed to beat up those imbeciles in the Misty Wood. Eden raised his voice. Are you looking down on me? Song Zining wasnt about to give way, however. Absolutely not, Im just saying your opponents were too weak. How could you have such an opportunity if Qianye wasnt pushed away? Edens expression was unsightly. His entanglement with Qianye in the Misty Wood wouldve resulted in his loss if it wasnt for his advantage in gear. Even then, he was barely able to hold his ground toward the end of the fighthe lost the Carol of Shadows, even. If Qianye hadnt left all of a sudden, Eden would probably die to him sooner or later. Song Zinings words were harsh but true, and Edens pride forbade him from denying them. The demonkin said in a gloomy voice, Did you come here just to humiliate me? Of course not! On the contrary, I came to make a deal with you because I deem you a worthy future opponent. How are the two even related? Song Zining clasped his hands behind his back. How could those without equal ambition and bearing be my match in the future? Ambition begets accomplishment. Well said! Song Zining smiled. Now, are you interested in the deal? Im listening. I will tell you some recent news about Nighteye, and in return, I need you to do two things. You have information about Nighteye? Speak, what do you need me to do? It was obvious that Eden was barely able to suppress his excitement. Song Zining raised a finger. Firstly, I need you to find a way to make the Eternal Flame work with us and draw Medanzo into the neutral lands. Eden was shocked. You want to attack the Lightless Monarch? You must be crazy! Song Zining said with a smile, The Lightless Monarch isnt as strong as he looks, you demonkin know that quite well, dont you? Besides, Im not the one attacking him. All we need is to lure him into the neutral lands, the Eastern Sea preferably. Seeing that Song Zining wasnt willing to explain more, Eden said, Whats the second condition? Song Zining replied, The second condition is that you mustnt attack Qianye and the people around him when you reach the Great Maelstrom. Eden frowned. The people around him? How will I know? Song Zining replied, The people who are around him when you meet him. Thats easily done. Now, its your turn. Tell me how Nighteye is doing. Song Zining said, Shes in the neutral lands right now, but naturally, I cant tell you the exact location. I can only say that shes doing quite well and her body is recovering constantly. Theres no need to worry about her health at the moment. Its just that shes about to face danger right now. Edens expression transformed several times. Is she injured? What kind of danger? She was injured a while ago, but she has recovered now. As for the danger, Ill figure out a way to help her. Eden took a step forward. Tell me! Who wants to hurt her? Song Zining sighed. Whats the use in telling you? Its the Lightless Monarch. Edens expression sank. Are you joking? Song Zining explained calmly, The Lightless Monarch had tried to buy Nighteye when she fell into imperial captivity back then. He was the one who had sent people after her and injured her after she had fled. Do you think its a coincidence that a great dark monarch would attack a small character twice? Its not that hard for you to verify my story. Eden was livid, but he eventually nodded. Song Zining said, Ive said all that I should, time for me to leave. Wait, Eden called him back, arent you afraid Ill renege on my words? Youve already promised, and thats enough. We dont need any other guarantees. Eden laughed coldly. Ive already heard the information, so why should I let you go? If I kill you now, the empire will no longer have a future god of strategy. Song Zining revealed a brilliant smile. Who will you make deals with in the future if you kill me? We have been fighting for a thousand years. And we have been doing business for just as long. I dont feel the need to. A deal is just people taking what they each need. If youre not willing, someone else will. Eden said in due seriousness, Dont you feel that a deal will only make the enemy stronger? Song Zining nodded. It will, but the same applies to me as well. Both sides are just taking what they need. As for how you use those resources, itll be up to you. If I use them well, Ill come out on top in battles internal and external. The same goes for you. So, the nature of the trade will also depend on the person. Of course, its fine if you want to back out and admit youre inferior to me. There will be other willing parties. Why me? I only pick people who have the right to be my enemy. Is this a praise? No, its a warning. None of my enemies have met good fates. Eden sneered, I look forward to it. My thoughts exactly. The two glared daggers at each other, attacking each other secretly at every turn. All of a sudden, Eden said, I heard that the seventh young master of the Song was sincere, magnanimous, and morally upright. That isnt really the case, it seems. For instance, regardless of the reasons, you really have no way to explain this deal back in the empire, do you? Song Zinings smile vanished as he opened his fan and flapped lightly. After calming himself down, he said, There will always be inevitable things that need to be done. Im a loner anyway, so what if I need to shoulder a bad name? With that, Song Zining turned and left, fearlessly leaving his back open to Eden. Eden watched the seventh young masters receding figure with a complicated expression. It was at this time that a raspy voice echoed in his ears, Come up to see me. Surprised, Eden flew up toward the swirling clouds in due haste. Around Tidehark, only those allowed by the Eternal Flame could fly like so. In the blink of an eye, Eden was standing before the Eternal Flame. His head was slightly lowered, not daring to look straight into the eyes of this big shot. The Eternal Flame laughed deeply. He then said with an amicable tone, Dont worry, that little fellow chose that place so that Ill hear the conversation. Only at this point did Eden feel a modicum of relief. But soon, he felt a scorching heat fall upon his bodyhe felt parched and dry, almost as though he had fallen into a furnace. Eden did his best to endure because he knew it was the Eternal Flames gaze. Fortunately, the heat didnt last long, else Eden would have reached his limit pretty soon. Only at this moment could he truly feel the Eternal Flames terrifying might. Just that gaze had almost caused him to collapse. If they were to fight, the monarch could reduce him to ash with a single wisp of invisible flame. The Eternal Flame nodded. This was the first time he had moved visibly. Youre not bad at all, much better than what Ive heard. Heh, its not the first time the bastards in charge of your family have made wrong judgments. Eden said, Your Majesty, about the Lightless Monarch The Eternal Flame said, I know Medanzo wants to capture Nighteye. I dont know what exactly he wants with her, though, and I have no interest. But that human brat is quite bold, I must say, to plot against the Lightless Monarch. Its quite interesting. Rest assured, I will cooperate. I also want to see what that kid is capable of. What do you plan to do? The Eternal Flame replied, Very simple. Ill leave a bit earlier than planned. I only need to pick my route of exit to make sure Medanzo appears in a specific area. Im sure hell lose his patience once I leave and try to enter the neutral lands immediately without me knowing. Now that leaves him with very few choices. I can even leave him with only one choice. I understand, but Your Majesty, was it right for me to have let Song Zining go? The Eternal Flame laughed. That fellow is very interesting. So what if he really does become the empires next top strategist? One thing he said is correct. Weve been fighting the humans for a thousand years, and weve been doing business with them for a thousand years. The line between enemy and friend isnt a constant thing. Enemies for a thousand years might turn into friends on a scale of ten thousand years. Humans have always been the most conflicted of races. Their lives are short, yet they make decisions based on the long river of history. In this respect, they are so much better than us. Eden hadnt expected the Eternal Flame to see Song Zining, and the human race, in this manner. His evaluation was fairly high, even. You may go back now. I hope youll always be qualified to deal with him in the future. Eden was shaken. I will do my best. Chapter 996: The Next Frigid Nigh t Events unfolded as most people had expected. In the face of Evernights overwhelming advantage, the previously victorious empire stayed low and allowed the enemy to control the Great Maelstrom passage. The Eternal Flames arrival shook all experts in the neutral lands. Most of the arrogant experts suddenly discovered that they never possessed the courage to appear before this Great Dark Monarch without the Throne of Bloods support. Zhang Buzhou remained in secluded cultivation as he assailed the heavenly monarch realm. However, this isolation of his had more or less become a joke. Fortunately, the Eternal Flame only stayed for a short while. He even left a bit earlier than the three-day agreement he had made with the Throne of Blood. With the Eternal Flame gone, the demonkin left together with him. Those who were watching could easily trace the massive fleet as it flew across the neutral lands. After the departure of this great dark monarchone who commanded great respect even in the Evernight Councilcountless experts felt as though a large rock had been lifted off of their chests. They were finally able to heave a sigh of relief. Half of the vampire and arachne forces also left, but a fair number of them remained at Tidehark. On one hand, it was because some of their people hadnt entered yetthe passage was still usable, albeit barely. On the other hand, they were hoping to defend against the empires retaliation and hold the passage until its next opening. Everyone knew that wasnt easy, but some people held onto the elusive dream. The great powers of the neutral lands were waiting to see who would win in the imminent clash between the two factions. Currently, there was no big difference in military power. The Evernight side held a slight advantage, but most people felt the empire had a greater chance. They were looking forward to the miracles the future god-strategist would bring. Most people were also puzzled as to why the vampires and arachne had called back over half of their fleet. The Great Maelstrom passage would restabilize in half a months time at most. Couldnt they wait? What they didnt know was that the war on the void continent had taken a drastic turn. The forces of Evernight were collapsing on all fronts under the Empires relentless assault. Everyone guessed one thing correctly: Song Zinings retaliation would arrive surely and swiftly. What they guessed wrong was the method. The Eternal Flame had just departed when most of the experts in the neutral lands began to feel their hearts pounding. Then, an extremely wretched scream echoed throughout the land. The pounding was fairly familiar. Those who had lived long in the neutral lands had felt this sensation more than just once. That was the rumble of the Shattered Moment, fired personally and at full force by that powerhouse. The scream, on the other hand, was unfamiliar. Yet, it had spread throughout the entire neutral lands and even echoed on the spiritual plane. One couldnt begin to imagine how terrifying the owner of this howl was. Everyone began making all kinds of guesses. It was at this moment that the vampire troops stationed in Tidehark began to move. A group of warships left the Eastern Sea and flew into the void. This led many people to believe that a great battle had ensued between the Throne of Blood and the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. No matter how many guesses they ventured, these people would never know the truth. While idle people were doing their best to spread the news, countless Imperial Fleets had appeared over the horizon and were swarming toward Tidehark. ... While the flames of war flickered in the neutral lands, Qianye was facing yet another cruel problemhow to get through the night. Even if he were to use the most primitive method, it would be too difficult for him to drive the vitality of both Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqingunless they were to imbibe a large amount of the four-armed peoples white-fruit wine. But that would make the situation even worse than before. Although Qianye still wasnt clear about Ji Tianqings identity, he was quite certain that it wouldnt be inferior to Li Kuanglans. Besides, her character was even more difficult to deal with than Li Kuanglan. Qianye couldnt just watch them fade away in the frigid night, either, especially when there was something he could do. Qianyes heart grew heavier as he gazed at the setting sun. Li Kuanglan was, at first, channeling her arts quietly. At this point, she opened her eyes all of a sudden and said to Ji Tianqing, What are you still using that disguise for? Ji Tianqing opened her eyes. What disguise? She was apparently pretending to be dumb, but Li Kuanglan wasnt about to let her succeed. There are no outsiders here, its fine to reveal your true appearance. Ji Tianqing trembled somewhat but quickly fell silent. Her aura was fluctuating wildly, a clear indication of her conflict. Qianye was puzzled. Revealing ones true appearance wasnt a big deal, but why was Ji Tianqing so insistent? Was she really ugly? It made no difference to Qianye whether she was ugly or pretty, but even someone as tactless as Qianye knew he couldnt say that out loud. Li Kuanglan sighed. Its almost midnight. She stretched her hand toward Qianye. Give me a jar of wine. Qianye was shaken. What are you planning to do? Li Kuanglan was calm. You can help one but not both. If we cant hold out past midnight, youll put your life on the line to activate our vitality, wont you? Even though you know its impossible. So, well all die here if we dont drink a good amount of wine. The only downside of drinking too much is that. I dont want to die, I dont want you to die, either. Whatever happens, well forget it once we leave this place. Qianye felt a complicated wave of emotions, something he couldnt quite explain. Seeing Qianye in a daze, Li Kuanglan turned to Ji Tianqing instead. Wine. Ji Tianqing was startled. Why should I give you? Then, are you going to drink? Li Kuanglan asked. Noticing her reaction, Li Kuanglan suddenly edged closer and whispered in her ears, This is how I survived the past two days Despite trying her best to look calm, Ji Tianqings face flushed red after listening to the story. She already had a vague guess, but she was so embarrassed after hearing the details that she couldnt raise her head. However, Ji Tianqing quickly remembered that Qianye was nearby, and that it would be bad if he were to notice her demeanor. She immediately straightened her back and adopted the posture of an experienced elder sister. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. All he could do was pretend not to know while the two continued their discussion. Li Kuanglan finished the narration and then asked, Now pick. Will you be the one drinking? The one drinking? Qianye found it strange. Li Kuanglan glared at him and said unhappily, Of course, one of us will drink until were full, while the other will remain sober! Do you think well each drink half and then let you take advantage of both? Stop dreaming! Qianye finally understood what she meant. He immediately felt his face burning uphe wanted to explain that it wasnt his intention but also knew that explaining would only make things worse. Wait, there might not be a need to drink. We can try getting through this night without the wine, Qianye said. Li Kuanglan shook her head. Its useless. All three of them were top geniuses, people qualified to challenge the older generation even. Naturally, they could tell that Qianye wasnt strong enough to help two people. Getting Li Kuanglan through the frigid night was already a shocking accomplishment. Ji Tianqing said, Ill drink. Oh? Li Kuanglan wasnt expecting this decision at all. There was nothing going on between Ji Tianqing and Qianye, whereas Li Kuanglan had already shared extreme intimacy with him. Li Kuanglan was planning to let Ji Tianqing take her position from the previous two nights, thinking it would be acceptable for her as long as the final line wasnt crossed. As for herself, she had already made up her mind. Who wouldve thought Ji Tianqing would opt to cross the line directly? Greatly distressed, Qianye wanted to persuade them again. Under present circumstances, it was trouble for him no matter who drank the wine. He wished he could just knock himself out as well, but that would stop him from activating their vitality. It was just as Li Kuanglan had saidhe would run out of excuses one day. Ji Tianqing produced a jar of wine. Shattering it with a palm strike, she opened her mouth and sucked the contents toward her. The wine converged into a single stream as it rapidly disappeared into her body. The movement was so fast that none of the other two could stop her. Both Qianye and Li Kuanglan understood how tyrannical the liquor was. One jar of it could indeed suppress the power of the frigid night, but there was nothing left to suppress ones urges. An extremely complicated expression flickered across Li Kuanglans face. She simply didnt know what to say. She was confused, surprised, and greatly disappointed, not unlike a young girl whose sweets have been snatched away. She felt a sudden urge to ask Qianye for a jar of wine as well. So what if this idiot was allowed to take advantage? Apart from being a bit dumb, it felt as though this idiot was quite nice in every other aspect. All of a sudden, she remembered the words Eunuch Liu had brought her. From her understanding of her elder sister, the wording could be considered extremely serious. There was no telling what Empress Li would do if Li Kuanglan were to go against her wishes. As someone who was able to ascend to this position, the empress likely wouldnt be lenient just because of familial love. What was she to do? Li Kuanglan bit her lip as she glanced between Ji Tianqing and Qianye. Her thoughts were so chaotic that she couldnt think of a proper course of action. Her cultivation was of the ice attribute and the night was cold and calm. She shouldve been incomparably cool-headed under such circumstances, yet her heart was beating increasingly fast. She didnt know what to do. Was she to watch as Ji Tianqing snatched Qianye from under her eyes? Li Kuanglan hated herself for giving the other party a choice. Things had already reached this point, so why wasnt she a bit more proactive? She had always been swift, decisive, and resolutewhy had she faltered at the most critical moment? Qianye was silent and helpless. It made no difference who the other party was. He stood up in frustration and walked off to gaze at the night sky. There was no moon in the depths of the night, nor were there any starsbut there was Nighteye in everything he saw. Ji Tianqing let out a mischievous chuckle. Do what you must, Im drunk now. With that, she collapsed to the floor and fell asleep. Li Kuanglan was shocked out of her wits. She pushed her messed up thoughts to the back of her mind and charged over. Sleep usually meant death in the frigid night. Quite unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing raised her head at this point. Stay close to me when you do your thing. Let me bask in the glow as well. Then, she plopped down once more and fell asleep. Li Kuanglan was filled with a sudden desire to strangle her to death. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 997: The First Truth This frigid night went by in a fairly odd manner. Qianye sat crossed legged and Li Kuanglan, with her back to him, leaned into his chest. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, was curled up beside Qianye like a little kitten. Li Kuanglan was supposed to be entirely focused on channeling her vitality and thereby reducing Qianyes workload. However, she felt as though a pair of eyes were watching her at all times. The feeling sent her heart into chaos, and she wanted nothing more than to get dressed and flee. Despite that, her body desired survival above all else, urging her to press against Qianye as tightly as she could. The blood core behind her was like a sun in the cold night, radiating vitality as it produced a small paradise in this frigid world. Li Kuanglan knew that her mood fluctuation would tire Qianye. In fact, both of them had been in a constant fight against this world apart from the very first night that she had been unconscious. At the thought of this, Li Kuanglan felt a slight pain in her heart. However, the pair of eyes was persistently sizing up each and every part of her body, not letting go of the slightest detail. Even in the Frigid Night, Li Kuanglan felt so nervous that she was sweating from the forehead. At this point, Qianye tightened his arms around her waist, indicating that she should relax. It was not yet midnight, and excessive tension would only serve to drain ones stamina. That would make it even more difficult to get through the cruel latter half of the night. Li Kuanglan felt her face burning. Fortunately, it was dark and Qianye was behind her, otherwise, she would need to drill into the ground and never come out again. Li Kuanglan was about to go mad, and finally, she could stand it no longer. She wanted to grab Ji Tianqings head and move it to the side, but who wouldve thought the seemingly out-cold Miss Tianqing would bite her hand? Even her origin defenses were shattered, and the bone-deep pain almost caused her to scream. She had never expected Ji Tianqing to be so ruthless. If it wasnt for the calmness she had cultivated over the years, she might have fallen for it. Li Kuanglan wasnt one to be trifled with, either. A stream of frost energy shot out from her fingertips and reached into Ji Tianqings throat. Her frost power was extremely strong, to begin with, not to mention they were currently in the frigid night. Ji Tianqings mouth was immediately frozen from the inside out. Li Kuanglan took this opportunity to withdraw her hand, while the latter exhaled a cloud of frosty air and continued to sleep. Qianye remained entirely calm, almost as though he knew nothing about what was going on, but he was, in fact, quite surprised. These two young misses never held back while teasing one another. Any other expert in their place wouldve been crippled if not dead. Even at this point, Qianye had no idea whether they were just fooling around or were being serious. Regardless, the night finally went by without incident. The sun hadnt risen completely when Li Kuanglan left Qianyes embrace despite her weakness and got dressed under the cover of the darkness. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, remained unceremoniously beside Qianye and was even snoring faintly. She shifted her posture unconsciously and wound even tighter around him. Qianye glanced over to check up on her condition but was immediately startled. At this moment, Ji Tianqings countenance was no longer giving off an ephemeral feelingit felt genuine for a change. At first glance, she wasnt a breathtaking beauty but was definitely well worth a second look. Speaking honestly, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were at the same level. They each possessed their own special characteristics and were many times superior to the beauties of the secular world. What surprised Qianye was that her current face was identical to when they had first met. Only now did Qianye recall her appearance from back then. Before this, things would always feel blurry whenever he tried to think back on her face, and he simply couldnt recall what she looked like. In truth, Ji Tianqing had already revealed her true appearance to him during their first meeting. She had used a powerful secret art to bury it deep within his heart, to awaken one day if they were fated and to slumber eternally if they werent. Perhaps it was due to the panoramic view he had gained of all life, and their workings inside and out, that he was able to chance upon this memory. Qianye couldnt help but sigh in the depths of his heart. When dawn arrived and the first rays of sunlight showered down on the camp, Ji Tianqing rubbed her eyes and sat up. What happened? Why was it so cold last night? I could even feel my teeth aching. Li Kuanglan was already fully dressed at this point. Along with her clothes, she had also recovered her usual cold demeanor. Hearing Ji Tainqings words, she sneered, There was definitely something wrong last night, an insect bit my hand pretty hard. Ji Tianqing seemed astonished. Is that so? Are you sure you werent dreaming? I actually slept quite well last night, but I dreamed that I saw some things I shouldnt have. Do you want to listen to it? No! Even someone as focused as Li Kuanglan couldnt help but want to go mad. Ji Tianqing added, Oh, right. Im a bit restless when I sleep and I move about when I dream. You guys should be prepared in case I accidentally touch something by accident. Li Kuanglans heart skipped a beat. Then, as though remembering something, she glared at Ji Tianqing while gnashing her teeth. The latter looked back with narrowed eyes, not holding back in the slightest. The so-called movement wasnt just a normal bump. People at their martial-arts level could casually perform difficult movements, and it would take no more than a thought to do so. For instance, she could give Qianye a push from behind during the frigid night and effectively seal the deal between the other two. This wasnt just fantasy. Li Kuanglan saw Ji Tianqings expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. This was an undisguised provocation, but Li Kuanglan had no choice but to endure it. She inhaled deeply, calming herself down and making ready to concede, when she suddenly noticed something. Tianqing, your face? Didnt you say I should show people my true face? Theres no one else here, anyway. I dont want to waste origin power on that secret art. Li Kuanglans expression was both joyful and worried. I heard that if your face You heard wrong, Ji Tianqing cut her short. While the two girls were arguing nearby, Qianye was busy channeling the Darkness Chapter to supplement the blood energy he had exhausted last night. Qianye stood up after recovering a small amount and walked over to gaze at the distant mountains and rivers. His mind was wracked with uncontrollable frustration and anger. This world was full of malice. Was everyone supposed to buckle under the pressure and cast aside all morals and bottom-lines just for survival? You guys operate on your own today, but be careful. I want to take a stroll outside. With that, Qianye leaped out of the camp and, without even glancing back, darted away like a mirage. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were both stunned. Whats wrong with him? Li Kuanglan replied angrily, How should I know? But, arent you two already quite close? We were only forced by circumstances, and we never crossed the final line. Ji Tianqing nodded. Indeed, the line wasnt crossed. Li Kuanglan was driven mad. She grabbed Ji Tianqing and roared, How did you know? Ji Tianqing replied, You had nothing on! Of course, I saw everything. After saying that, Ji Tianqing cried out with an enlightened expression, Ah, I know! You guys have been building up for so long and were planning to do it last night. In the end, I became a disturbance to you guys, right? This time, Li Kuanglan could no longer endure. She tightened her grip and said furiously, It seems I need to choke you to death! Save me! Ji Tianqing cried out loudly. What are you screaming for? Do you want to attract all the natives? So what? Havent we already killed all the strong ones? Ji Tianqing was nonchalant. Li Kuanglan put her down and said with a glare, Dont forget that you just drank an entire jar of wine last night! What if you really lure those natives over? We have enough trouble already. Ji Tianqing narrowed her eyes. Its fine, I have a secret art that can suppress the effects of the wine for a couple of days. Li Kuanglan wasnt about to be fooled. Thats a temporary suppression. The full effects of the drug will burst out sooner or later, what will you do then? If theres no other way, Ill just have to borrow your man for a while. You wont watch me die, will you? Li Kuanglan blushed hard. Nonsense! I have no man! Is that so? Then why did you look so awful when I drank the wine? Tianqing, I feel like I should just choke you to death! The two bickered for a while, but they soon quieted down at the same time and glanced at one another. Their expressions communicated the same worry: Where did Qianye go? Li Kuanglan was the first to break the silence. Why dont we explore the forest and see if we discover anything? Ji Tianqing shook her head. No, we still have food, so lets not risk causing more trouble. We should grasp this opportunity to cultivate. The stronger you are, the easier it will be for him. Li Kuanglan gazed intently at Ji Tianqing. Tell me the truth. You drank so much wine, will you be okay? Ji Tianqing laughed. Of course. I told you I have a method to suppress the effects! Li Kuanglan snorted. If the secret art was that useful, you wouldve given it to us earlier. Theres no way you wouldve kept it to yourself. The smile on Ji Tianqings face gradually faded away. Now that were here, there are certain things that are beyond our control. Youre right, this secret art can only suppress the effects for a while. When it stops working, the effects of the alcohol will erupt with even greater intensity. At that point, if you dont let me borrow your man I might have to kill myself while my head is clear. Li Kuanglan felt her heart tighten. Stop saying these things! Dont worry, Qianye wont watch you die. Ji Tianqing whispered, I know he wont, but its so unfair. Li Kuanglan was speechless. What was she feeling unresigned about? After being so picky all this time, she had to admit that Qianye was really the best candidate. It was just that this man was dumb, so dumb that he had only one person in his heart. There was no space for other people. Chapter 998: Blame Time went by slowly. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan sat facing one another, but neither of them was in the mood to cultivate. They watched the sky turn from light to dark, until the frigid night was almost upon them once more. Neither of them spoke a word as they were lost in their own thoughts. As the night slowly crept upon them, the duo caught a faint noise approaching them rather swiftly. Exchanging a glance, they split up and approached the natural stone wall around the camp, where they hid their auras and looked out. The sound grew closer and closer as a figure rushed out of the forest and darted toward the camp like an arrow. Li Kuanglan couldnt hide her joy at Qianyes return, but Ji Tianqing pulled her back. The latter then pointed forward and advanced in a concealed state. Li Kuanglans eyesight wasnt so bad that she couldnt figure out the problemQianye was moving too slowly. Compared to ordinary experts, he was already running quite fast amidst the tenfold increase in gravity. But Qianyes powerful physique gave him a powerful edge in this world, and he was even slightly faster than Li Kuanglan. How could he be so slow? Li Kuanglan felt her heart beating faster as she picked up the origin gun and took aim behind Qianye. Fortunately, no chasing soldiers appeared. As though he could sense Ji Tianqings approach, Qianye glanced over briefly but kept on running toward the camp. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, circled around to cover Qianyes back along the way. Once inside the camp, Qianye staggered and would likely have collapsed if Li Kuanglan hadnt caught him. Whats wrong? Qianye gasped heavily like a fish tossed onto the shore and only recovered after a while. He waved weakly at her, saying, Im fine, just a bit exhausted. Where did you run off to? Li Kuanglan was surprised because she had fought alongside Qianye quite often and knew just how terrifying his regeneration was. It almost felt as though he was never tired. Just how far had he run to be so exhausted? I dont know, either, but I found some stuff. Qianye fished out a small box and opened it carefully to reveal six white fruits! Ji Tianqing was shocked. You found a different native base? Qianye nodded. Thats impossible. I traveled for half a day but couldnt leave the range of this stone castle. Then you just need to run farther. Qianye laughed. Six white fruits meant that they could get through three more frigid nights. This was supposed to be a cause of celebration, but the atmosphere in the camp wasnt that joyful. Qianye had closed his eyes in apparent exhaustion, while the other two werent in high spirits, either. Ji Tianqing observed the white fruits carefully and found that this batch was somewhat differentthere was an additional faint red line on its surface. Just the scent of it was enough to accelerate her blood flow and fill her with a peculiar sensation. Doubtlessly, these white fruits were much stronger than the ones she had robbed. As a holy object of the natives, it was obvious that the stronger the white fruit, the greater the number of guards. There would also be a greater number of powerful people in bigger native tribes. Ji Tianqing glanced at Qianye before reaching out to open his shirt. There, on his abdomen, was a fist-sized injury extending all the way through his body, revealing his innards. Both his body and organs were covered in a layer of grey substance that was stopping him from regenerating. In addition to the biggest wound, there were numerous unhealed injuries all over his body, one of which was bone-deep. However, Qianyes skeleton was now fairly strong and the blow never managed to break his ribs. Ji Tianqing bit her lip, and her expression turned cold. Are you crazy? Of course not. You charged in to snatch the fruits despite the large number of natives, and then ran all the way back. You think youre a hero? You think youre so awesome? You think youve tried your very best, have you? Do the two of us disgust you so much that you would rather throw away your life than touch us? The series of criticism left Qianye with no room to retort, up until Ji Tianqing stopped to breathe. Li Kuanglan said nothing and merely looked on in silence, but that also gave him a fair amount of pressure. Helpless, Qianye tried to explain, Tianqing, thats not my intention. The natives are numerous but still within my ability. It cant be considered throwing my life away. Ji Tianqings expression turned frosty. Are you trying to say youre more powerful than me? Qianye wanted to deny, but after some thought, he ultimately nodded. Ji Tianqing glared fiercely at him. Remember those words. We will fight properly once were out of the Great Maelstrom. At that time, well fight to the death, neither is allowed to flee. With that, Ji Tianqing tossed an exquisitely little dagger into Qianyes hand. Li Kaunglans expression turned peculiar. Tianqing, are you really doing this? Of course! I dont like this fellow! Li Kuanglan shook her head. Dont regret it later on. Why should I? You think Ill lose? Qianyes lips moved slightly. He wanted to say she might just lose, but he knew that he couldnt say that out loud, otherwise, this young miss might attack on the spot. At this moment, Qianye was injured and his origin power was completely exhausted. Losing to her wasnt a big issue, since he didnt quite care about face among friends. He was just worried that the effects of the wine would cause her to lose control if she were to overdraft her origin power. Li Kuanglan pulled Ji Tianqing back. Let him recover. The efficiency of our arts will diminish if we drag things out. Ji Tianqing glared at Qianye. You got off easy. A syringe appeared in her hands, which she stabbed into Qianyes neck while he wasnt paying attention and pushed the contents in. The amount of medicine inside wasnt small, and the force of her injection was merciless. In the blink of an eye, there was a swelling on Qianyes neck that left him grimacing from the pain. However, his powerful body was able to fully absorb the medicine in a short time. Qianye knew she was getting back at him, so he didnt really mind. She crushed the syringe in her hand after the injection was completed. Then, a flash of fire erupted from her palm, reducing the remains to ashes. Her movements were quick, but Li Kuanglan still noticed the insignia on the syringe, and her expression became complicated. With the medicine in his system, Qianye felt as though his entire body was on fire. The drug immediately activated the metabolism of his body tissues, raising his regenerative powers by several dozen times. In the blink of an eye, every small muscle in his body was sending out hunger signals. They yearned for more energy and nutrients. The dull beating of a war-drum erupted from the camp, and the reverberation caused the two ladies hearts to beat along with it. They stared at Qianye, knowing that this so-called war-drum was the sound of Qianyes blood core. At this moment, Qianyes blood core was beating tens of times faster than normal. It pulsed hundreds of times each minute, pumping out a steady stream of auric flame blood to every part of his body. The auric flame blood would be drained of all energy after entering his muscles, yet their hunger was only slightly sated. His body kept on demanding nutrients from the blood core. Half of Qianyes dark golden blood energy was used up in the blink of an eye. Stored essence blood was now being mobilized and converted into new auric flame blood. Despite that, the output wasnt enough to fulfill the bodys needs. Hence, the blood core operated faster and faster, continuously accelerating the process. Even though the produced auric flame blood wasnt as pure as before, it was at least able to satisfy the bodys needs. Before long, half his essence blood stores had been used up, but his body was far from satiated. As though it had sensed danger, the Book of Darkness appeared once more and opened up, pouring the stored essence blood into his blood core. The blood stored in the book had undergone some purification and served to expedite the transformation process of the blood core. Moments later, the Book of Darkness was also exhausted and faded away into the depths of the blood core. When it closed up, Qianye sensed that the book seemed to have two extra pages, but he wasnt able to catch a clear glimpse at the time. At this point, he was drained of all blood energy and essence blood, yet the hunger from his body remained strong. At this rate, the blood core would no longer be able to meet the demand, and the amount of auric flame blood was gradually decreasing. A sudden idea came unto Qianye as he instinctively remembered his daybreak origin power. With a single thought, his body turned its attention to the origin vortices throughout his body. Qianyes origin vortices were revolving silently at first, but they started accelerating rapidly at the bodys demand. Threads of scarlet gold poured out of the vortices, illuminating every part of his body. Venus Dawn was a different feeling. It was like light and fire, killing large patches of muscle tissues before growing them back with greater density and energy. Careful observation would show that these tissues contained countless crystalline granules, similar to how Venus Dawn existed in the origin vortices. Under the illumination of Venus Dawn, large swathes of new tissue began replacing the old. If his old body was an extremely powerful raw ore, the new physique was comparable to a polished gem. The all-round remodeling of his body brought about a stronger capacity to absorb origin power. His five origin vortices poured out a steady stream of radiance, but that wasnt enough to satisfy the sudden increase in consumption. A sudden crack echoed in the air as the wall of the sixth vortex shattered, unable to withstand the strain. With the wall shattered, the sixth vortex soon took shape and began resonating with the other five. The Profound Combatant Formula began channeling on its own to draw upon the origin power from the void. At some point, a patch of leaden clouds appeared above Qianyes head and turned into a hundred-meter cloud whirlpool. The swirling clouds flickered with sanguine flashes of lightning, along with roaming streaks of dark torn space. A storm kicked up in the camp, sucking the tent, canopy and wooden boxes into the sky. Chapter 999: Threshold to Divine Champion Realm Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan moved at extreme speeds, running toward the firearm and food supply crates respectively. As for the other stuff, there was no helping it. After recovering the supplies, they each found a corner to hide from the wind and watch Qianye. There were wisps of origin power dancing amidst the raging winds. Like invisible blades, they were so powerful that they could carve out gashes in the rocky ground of the camp. The two ladies had no choice but to activate their origin defenses, otherwise, their clothes and armor would be cut up by the void origin power. There was no way to replace damaged clothes in this accursed place. The fierce winds formed a tornado which stretched all the way into the swirling clouds. Flashes of blood-red lightning flickered along the walls of the tornado, almost as though the end-times were near. Fortunately, the winds didnt last too long. The tornado scattered after a while, and the swirling clouds gradually dispersed. The spatial lacerations in the sky also faded away unwillingly. When Qianye opened his eyes, there were flashes of sanguine lightning arcing in the depths of his pupils. At this moment, it felt as though his body was full to the brim and leaking with origin power. His newly transformed body was full of violent power, yet it was also itchy, painful, and inexplicably uncomfortable. All he wanted was to smash something to vent this feeling. However, a scene of carnage welcomed him as he opened his eyes, and the two girls were hiding far off in the distance, watching him as though he were some kind of monster. What happened? Qianye was puzzled. Its your doing of course! You dismantled our home! Li Kuanglan wanted to continue blaming Qianye, but Ji Tianqing pulled her back. The latter then asked, Qianye, were you cultivating just now? Qianye nodded. The injection activated all the muscles in my body and condensed a new origin vortex. I had to cultivate for a while to replenish my origin power. Ji Tianqing asked, What cultivation art is this? This problem cut straight into Qianyes core secrets, but he neither avoided nor hesitated with his reply. The Combatant Formula. Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing wasnt quite surprised. She pondered for a moment before continuing, Didnt you sense anything abnormal just now? Qianye was puzzled. No, its just like before. I sensed the void origin power and then guided it into my body for absorption. At this point, he thought of something. If I have to point out something, its probably that the area I can sense seems to have grown a bit. How big is your usual area of perception? Ji Tianqing kept up with her questions. Li Kuanglan also seemed quite interested. About a hundred meters. You can sense and control void origin power within that range? Qianye nodded. But theres really too much void origin power around, and I can only absorb so much. Most of it ends up going to waste. This was an incomparable heartache to ordinary cultivators as they would need fairly good luck to absorb just a small amount of void origin power. Qianye, on the other hand, could converge all the void origin power in the vicinity into a tempest. If people were to hear about this, their jealousy would surely turn to hate, and they might even want to chop him up. Ji Tianqing, however, was focused on something else entirely. Qianye, when youre guiding the void origin power, can you direct it anywhere else apart from your own body? Qianye thought back to the cultivation process before nodding. I might be able to, but it wont be accurate. The amount of void origin power is massive, I can only control a small part of it. I probably wont be able to control more at my current stage. The human mind was ultimately limited in capacity. It was impossible to concentrate on too many things unless one cultivated a specific secret art for it. This type of secret art was also extremely difficult to perfect, and only the most important scions of the aristocratic families would have access to it. Song Zining was able to sneak out the Song Clan Ancient Scroll but not the secret inheritance related to concentration. Thus, Qianye knew he was still a ways off from being proficient in this regard. However, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan both looked surprised. The latter disguised her astonishment with a cough, saying, Qianye, being able to sense and control origin power in the environment is a sign of a divine champion. Although some people are able to pull it off before reaching that level, only divine champions are able to exceed a hundred meters in range. Your performance just now might be lacking in technique, but the power is definitely at the divine champion level. Ji Tianqing chimed in, Many divine champions can stir up a tempest with a single attack, their might spanning over a hundred meters in an instant. In truth, the amount of origin power they can control might not be superior. Its just that they have special techniques and arts. For instance, some of them can only control one portion of origin power, but that one portion can affect ten, then a hundred meters . That makes their attacks look awe-inspiring, but the truth is that theyre even weaker than you are. Something lit up in Qianyes heart after listening to this, almost as though he had achieved a certain enlightenment. The principle was similar to rowing in the water, the initial movement only existed in a small area, but the ripples could spread out far and wide. Seeing him in thought, JI Tianqing said, This kind of secret art isnt difficult to find. Basically, every family that has ever produced a divine champion will have several of them. Ill help you find a couple of them after we leave this place. They might not be as good as the Zhao clans, but they wont be so bad, either. Qianye nodded in gratitude. His time in the Zhao clan was short, and he was still far from the divine champion realm back on the void continent. Naturally, the clan wouldnt hand him divine champion level arts under those circumstances. All major clans had their own rules about when to do what, regulations that couldnt be messed up. Hence, Qianye still had no idea how to break through to the divine champion realm or what to do afterward. Ji Tianqing said, Okay, thats enough. Time is of the essence, so you go and cultivate now. I need to talk to Kuanglan, dont eavesdrop! Nodding, Qianye gathered his concentration and began refining origin power. The newly formed origin vortex was full of void origin power, which he needed to slowly convert into Venus Dawn. Only then would the vortex become stable. There was still some time before midnight. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan began organizing what remained of their camp, whispering to one another all the while. Is the Combatant Formula that powerful? Li Kuanglan still couldnt believe it. Ji Tianqing replied, Who knows? Strictly speaking, only three people have ever fully succeeded in cultivating the Combatant Formula: Grand Ancestor, Martial Ancestor, and War Monarch. I heard grandpa say that the formula encompasses the might of the heaven and earth, and is one of the most powerful arts in the world. Its just that only the Grand Ancestor had ever reached perfection. The Martial Ancestor was slightly inferior, and the War Monarch even more so. Li Kuanglan was astonished. Its that awesome? Yes, grandpa said that the Grand Ancestor is the most talented person throughout our history. He invented countless unimaginable secret arts and single-handedly laid down a thousand years of the empires foundation. For some reason, however, no one else managed to cultivate those powerful arts to their peak. Prince Greensun was the most likely to crack the Combatant Formula in the current dynasty, but unfortunately, he gave up at the introductory stage and switched to his own clans arts. Li Kuanglan pondered for a while. Judging from the power of Qianyes cultivation art, hes very likely reached the introductory realm. Dont tell me the Combatant Formula requires a vampire bloodline? Besides, the contents of the art dont look like they can take you very far. Ji Tianqing pointed upward, whispering, Careful, or those above will hear. Who? Li Kaunglan was puzzled. Who knows? Those divination bastards just love eavesdropping. If you happen to utter the words they want to hear, you might be unknowingly connected and theyll figure out what youre doing. Li Kuanglan was shocked out of her wits. She only calmed down after thinking back to the two days prior and recalling that she hadnt really spoken much during the times she couldnt be seen. She became sullen after the initial panic. Which schools divination arts are so wretched? Ill destroy them once we get out. Its not too hard to guess. Just think about it, whose divination arts are powerful enough that they can peep on you, and at the same time understands you enough? Someone who can avoid your sisters attention and yours. This hint was enough to confirm her suspicions. Li Kuanglans voice was like shattered ice as she uttered the name word by word, Song Zining! You said it, not me. Li Kuanglan snorted. So what if he knows? It makes no difference even if he knows Im going to teach him a lesson after I leave this place. Ji Tianqing blinked innocently. Why not tell your sister? With her skills, Im sure she can make Song Zining never want to get involved again. Thats a good idea. Li Kuanglan was quite straightforward. Ji Tianqing gazed at Li Kuanglans abdomen and then whispered in her ear, Didnt your sister tell you about that? Li Kuanglans cold expression disappeared. Her face flushed red as she reached out to choke Ji Tianqing. The latter, however, had run far away. There was no way she would get caught like this. Back on the Eastern Sea continent, a large horde of imperial warships was gathering outside of Tidehark, seemingly ready to storm the city. The Evernight army inside the city only consisted of some arachne and vampire forces. In terms of military power, they were only slightly stronger than the forces under Song Zinings control. Song Zining was standing on the deck of his ship, gently flapping his fan as he waited for the airships to finish assembling. There were a couple of airships still on the way. These were actually vessels belonging to the various powers and families of the neutral lands. Having inherited the characteristics of the neutral lands, they were old, rickety, and possessed little to no fighting power. Now, the two sides were equally matched on paper, the best time to engage in a big battle. Song Zining had brought these weak airships along because he wanted to let these native forces witness his might. There was no need for them in battle, anyway. All they needed was to sit quietly and watch from the side. Just as he was feeling happy, Song Zining suddenly felt as though someone had poured a bucket of ice water on his head. An intense chill penetrated his bones and almost froze him! His folding fan fell to the ground with a plop. The guards and aristocratic family heads around him crowded over to check up on him. Song Zining, however, was in no mood to maintain his carefree attitude. His face was pale, and his hands were trembling constantly. The only thing he could think of was where this tremendous menace was coming from. But even the most talented youngster in divination arts had no clue at all. Chapter 1000: Battle of Flesh and Procreation After an unknown period, Qianye woke up from his deep sleep and gradually retracted his cultivation art. There was now a shade of scarlet gold roaming about in the new origin vortex. Although the glow was negligibly faint, almost like a thin layer of liquid in a big tub, it would take only a couple of months to fill it to the brim. The Song Clan Ancient Scroll had been operating at greater speeds since entering the Great Maelstrom, facilitating Qianyes cultivation on more than one occasion. It almost felt as though the entire world was revolving slowly around him. Drawing power from the heaven and earth made it easier to channel the Glory and Mystery Chapters. As Qianye himself also became familiar with the process, he realized that he might be able to borrow even more power from the world around him. But it wasnt time to continue cultivating. Qianye checked the time and found that it was almost midnightit was time to help the two ladies. Although they had the white fruits, it was barely enough to get them through the night. They would require help in order to save energy. At this moment, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were in quiet meditation. Qianye scanned them quickly and felt relieved to find that their vitalities were still quite exuberant. Midnight was drawing close, and for the last two days, Li Kuanglan would require Qianyes help by this point. Today, however, she was able to last especially long. Ji Tianqing possessed countless secret arts, so much so that she was fine even after drinking the white-fruit wine. Qianye was never able to see through that monster, so he simply let her be. Qianye waited patiently for a good quarter of an hour before the girls woke up from their cultivation session. After exchanging glances, Ji Tianqing said, As expected, several cultivation arts seem to work faster in the Great Maelstrom. Its like the original bottlenecks never existed. It feels like our talents are one level higher here. Li Kuanglan replied, The arts we cultivate are of the same type, it would seem our families have been preparing for this day. Ji Tianqing pondered for a while. But according to what I remember, the cultivation boost inside the Great Maelstrom was never obvious. Could it be that the deeper parts have greater effects? Might be. I remember now, there were records in the imperial clan about the frigid night. But the stagnation effects described there are nowhere near as strong. That means were not that far from the center of the Great Maelstrom. The two girls discussed for a while longer before taking a white fruit each. Then, under the protection of Qianyes blood core, they got through the frigid night without any incident. Qianye packed up the camp at dawn and brought the girls away from this camp. The group entered the vast forest and began speeding toward the native area where Qianye had obtained the fruits. Back then, Qianye only had time to snatch a number of white fruits before he was hunted down all the way back to camp. However, Qianye had already killed the fiercest four-armed people, leaving only a large number of weaker ones. The difficulty in attacking their stone keep would be drastically reduced. Several figures appeared in the vicinity half a day after the trios departure. Led by a four-armed woman, several two-armed people were carefully approaching the camp. The four-armed woman raised her head and sniffed hard. She became excited all of a sudden and began shouting aloud while pointing at the summit. The two-armed people charged up to find a camp hidden behind a natural stone wall. The four-armed woman circled around before picking up a piece of broken pottery and started licking it with great ardor. This was a broken piece from the jar containing white-fruit wine, still stained with a small amount of the spirit. After licking the pieces clean, the four-armed womans breathing became heavy. She pushed one of the two-armed men to the ground and started mating with him. A ball of black radiance appeared silently in the darkened sky. Amidst a clap of thunder, a person shot out of the ball of light and dropped straight down. Surrounded by arcs of sanguine lightning, he looked as though he would soon smash into the ground. Just before striking the soil, however, numerous wisps of black energy shot out and nailed him to several places in the air. The energy pulled on the man like ribbons, breaking the momentum of his fall. He flipped around and positioned his feet in a tiptoe, hoping to land in a confident manner. However, the dark ball of light trembled again and fired a second, smaller figure which smashed into his body, sending the both of them crashing into the rock-hard ground. That small silhouette stretched itself to reveal Bai Kongzhao. The thick armor on her was in tatters, leaving only a few of the armor-pieces hanging on her body. Despite that, there were only a couple of tears on her white dress. The girl clambered up, moved her body, and jumped about. She then broke into a frown, apparently unaccustomed to the weight of her body. She was just about to try jumping again when Anwens voice burst out from beneath, Youre stomping me to death! Shocked, Bai Kongzhao moved to the side. Only then did she see Anwen under her feet. Are you okay? The latter finally crawled up, his handsome face somewhat bruised and swollen. I was smashed into and then almost stomped to death. How can I be fine? Bai Kongzhao shook her head. Your body is so strong, theres no way I can stomp you to death. Even if I cut you up with my cleaver, Ill need to try several times at full force. For instance Anwen felt uneasy. Stop! Do you really plan to kill me? Bai Kongzhao was puzzled. Didnt you say I was about to stomp you to death? Thats not possible even if the gravity is ten times higher. Yes, if I really want to stomp you to death Stop! I dont want to die so early. Anwen stopped the young girl and only heaved a sigh of relief when she stopped thinking. The world is so magnificent. I cant die without living a few thousand years. You can stop thinking about these things in the future. Bai Kongzhao explained, I didnt want to, but you asked me so I had to reply. Yes, if I really wanted to stomp you to death, it would require four hundred and twenty times the gravity, and even then, I would need to hit your vitals. Im too light, after all. If I was a bit fatter Anwen started sweating profusely. Enough! I think youre good as you are, no need to get fatter! Really? Bai Kongzhao still looked rather confused. Of course! Youre perfect right now, you wont look good even if youre just a little bit fatter. As a future peerless expert, you must make sure you look good. Just look at those ugly demonkin women, theyre all so fat. The human ladies dont look half as good as you, either. Anwen was spouting so much nonsense that he started feeling embarrassed. Bai Kongzhao was even more confused. Looking good is also a part of fighting power? Of course! Anwen was fairly decisive. Bai Kongzhao finally nodded, much to Anwens relief. What are they doing? Bai Kongzhao pointed at the natives rolling on the ground. That Anwen didnt know how to explain. For some reason, he really didnt want the girl to know too much. He would rather she remain as innocent as a blank sheet of paper. Despite being one of the most learned of their race, so much so that he was considered to be following in his ancestors footsteps, Anwen had to spend great effort to think of an explanation. Theyre fighting! Fighting? The girl was even more muddled now. Not many people could claim they understood combat more than she did, and these people didnt look like they were in a deathmatch. Yes, a flesh battle, Anwen said calmly. The first lie was usually the most difficult; everything else just followed smoothly. Fighting isnt always about life and death. These natives are actually only half-intelligent. They fight frequently to produce newer generations. Anwen became fairly fluent with his story. The young girl listened seriously with widened eyes. This is a strange race where only the winners can have progeny. The one pressed underneath no longer has the power to resist. After he loses completely, the right to produce offspring will be transferred to the victor. The girl seemed to only half-understand. You really know a lot. For a moment, Anwen wanted to scream at the sky. The people around him had always treated him with the utmost respect, either because of his bloodline or his position. Seriously speaking, few ever acknowledged him personally. Actually, the demonkin was quite proud of his scholarly knowledge and his deep accomplishments in the history of Evernight. This was the first time someone had praised him for knowing a lot. Although the reason itself was quite ridiculous, Anwen didnt feel that way. It wasnt easy to produce so many lies in such a short time. It wouldnt be good to let the girl keep watching the reproductive scene. Anwen said with an awkward cough, The greatest enemy we have inside the Great Maelstrom are the natives. We cannot let them live no matter what. Theyre busy with their infighting, so its the best opportunity for us to attack. With that, Anwen swung his hand ever so slightly, and the dark mist surrounding the two immediately faded away. This black mist was the demonkins concealment ability. Anwen was so powerful that he could completely hide both their traces with that seemingly sparse black cloud. The natives couldnt see them at all despite being so close. All the natives turned around at the same time, proving how sharp their senses were. Anwen was calm and collectedan intricate origin gun appeared in his hand, from which he fired several streams of black energy. The black radiance shot through the natives without any obstruction and completely immobilized them. The victims had no injuries on the surface and looked as though they had fallen into a deep sleep, but in fact, they had turned into corpses. Anwen seemed tired after firing several rounds and was already panting after he had tossed the native corpses over the stone wall. Only at this point did he have the time to scan the camp. He was startled and became cautious all of a sudden. Whats wrong? the girl asked. Someone was living here before, and judging from the traces, theyre probably from the Empire. We need to be careful now. But I dont sense any danger in the vicinity. Anwens expression relaxed. Oh, I forgot. Who can ambush us with you around? He crouched down to draw an origin array, speaking as he worked, Let me see who camped here before us. This array can perfectly restore the void origin power fluctuations that have taken place recently... Anwen hadnt even finished speaking when a tornado of origin power erupted from the array and surged into the sky. The newly-formed array immediately crumbled apart. Chapter 1001: Instincts Origin array explosions always involved a big ruckus, not to mention Anwen had drawn this one personally. It was a fairly brilliant product even in the entirety of the Evernight world. The outstanding genius was covered in dirt and a part of his brows had been singed. Bai Kongzhao looked on with widened eyes, puzzled as to what had just transpired. Its nothing. It has been some time since I used it, so I made some mistakes in the drawing, Anwen said self-deprecatingly. You didn''t draw wrong, the girl replied with certainty. How could someone at Anwens level make mistakes in drawing arrays? Perhaps this array isnt suitable for this place. Anwen shook his head with a wry smile. Its almost night, lets get ready to pass the night. The girl nodded and then lay down close to the stone wall. That position was safe, well-hidden, and great for spotting incoming enemiesthe best choice for passing the night in the wilds. It was just that Anwen felt a wave of pain upon seeing her choice. Sighing, he began drawing a new origin array. Halfway through the work, however, he suddenly fished out a dagger and began digging into the soil. The ground was made up of firm rocks, but it gave way like rotting soil in the face of Anwens blade. In the blink of an eye, the demonkin had dug over a meter into the ground and it was then that the blade struck empty air. He had actually dug his way into a secret chamber. Anwen expanded the opening with his dagger and jumped down to explore the room. The secret chamber was fairly dark and devoid of all light, but that wasnt a problem for the demonkin. The room wasnt big, but there were numerous storage shelves in the walls, lined with earthen jars. There was also a mound of dirt at the center of the secret chamber and a sapling was growing from it. The secret chamber had existed for god knew how long and the insides had never seen the light of day. Perhaps because of that, the tree only had a few branches, but there were two leaves hanging at the very topthere was still vitality in them even after so many years. Anwen couldnt recognize what this sapling was but it definitely wasnt ordinary considering how long it had survived in the secret chamber. As such, he dug into the earth with his dagger and placed both plant and earth-mound into his spatial storage. He then moved down one of the big earthen jars and stabbed the seal, releasing a dense, fishy alcohol scent into the air. The demonkin broke into a frown. This scent wasnt something just anyone could withstand. As someone who had always been fussy about cleanliness, there was no way he wouldve experienced something like this before. He quickly put the jar down and sealed it again. Anwen looked delighted despite the pungent assault on his nostrils. According to clan records, there was a type of native spirit with miraculous effects. It would seem he had found it, and judging from the state of the room, they were of significant age as well. Anwen picked up another jar but found it empty. Frowning, he shook the jar around and then opened the mud seal to check before finally giving up. Perhaps due to a bad seal or insects, the contents had all but evaporated. Even the dregs stuck to the jar had already turned to stone and no longer possessed vitality-stimulating effects. He tested all the jars one by one but most of them were empty. In the end, he managed to find a mere three and a half jars of wine, and this harvest was already quite satisfactory for Anwen. Stowing the jars in his spatial storage and carrying the last one in his hand, he jumped out of the secret chamber. Look what I found! There was no reply. Anwen was startled when he realized that it was already dark, and the temperature had fallen to freezing point. Bai Kongzhao was curled up near the wall and trembling incessantly, her face pale and her lips turning blue. Im cold The young girls voice was quite feeble. Anwens expression shifted drastically as he sensed the gloomy chill of the frigid night. Although he had read about things related to the Great Vortex, none of the records had ever described such a degree of coldness. Their vitality was already stagnating so early in the night, almost comparable to the midnight condition stated in the clan records. Anwen never paid too much attention to the frigid night because he could easily get through it with his constitution. As for the young girl, she would survive with his help. Who wouldve thought the frigid night would be so much harsher than he had imagined? It was well over ten times stronger than stated in the records. Anwen revised all related information in his head, hoping to find a suitable solution. There was still some leeway at this pointit wasnt time to panic because only by grasping all information would he be able to find a suitable solution. A single mistake and there would be no salvaging the situation. According to intelligence from the demonkin race, the frigid night would appear only after entering the depths of the Great Maelstrom, and the deeper one went, the stronger it would become. A certain thought flashed through Anwens mindconsidering how strong the frigid night was, didnt this mean the two of them were in the extreme depths of the Maelstrom? At the thought of this, Anwens relaxed and frivolous attitude completely disappeared, replaced by due seriousness. According to the information at his command, there were numerous sources of danger he would have to be cautious about after reaching the borders of demonkin-explored land. The place they were in had to be even more dangerous, and a single mistake would cost the young lord his life. Just as he was lost in thought, Anwen felt his hand lighten. The girl had snatched the jar of wine, unsealed it, and was pouring the contents down her throat. She was like an endless pit despite her small frame, emptying the entire container in the blink of an eye. Even Anwen didnt have the time to stop her. Wait! You cant drink that, itll make you Anwen hadnt finished speaking when the wine was all gone. The girl said with a satisfied look, Now that feels good, Im no longer cold. Just now, you It was so cold that I thought I was about to die. After seeing that thing in your hand, I felt that I would heat up after drinking it, so I did. The girl spoke naturally. Anwen opened his mouth but couldnt find any words to rebuke her. After interacting with the girl for a good while, Anwen knew that she survived based on instincts, much like a wild beast roaming the heaven and earth. Her survival-instincts would kick in whenever she encountered a life-threatening situationthe frigid night for instance. In her current state, the girl would do anything just to survive. Feeling pained at heart, Anwen sighed. Im not blaming you for snatching the wine, but this type of alcohol you cant drink it just like that. I need to process and remove some unnecessary components from it before its safe to drink. But now you sigh, dont blame me for whatever happens later. Anwen sighed regretfully while saying thisobtaining the girl in such a manner was no different from a cow chewing on peony. It would all but destroy his mood. What will happen? The girls puzzled face slowly turned red. She staggered briefly before collapsing to the ground, clearly drunk. A startled Anwen sat down beside her to wait for that moment. Moments later, Bai Kongzhao started snoring softly, like a small panther in deep sleep. She slept just like that, without the slightest of motion, up until dawn arrived. At this moment, a great battle was raging in the Eastern Sea. Imperial airship wrecks dotted the landscape outside of Tidehark. The war camp constructed by the arachne was in flamestheir soldier corpses were strewn across the city and servspiders burned down in large swathes. Just by looking at this warzone, one could easily tell that the empire had claimed absolute victory. Originally, the Evernight alliance forces held some advantage over the attackers, even after the demonkins departure and the vampires retreat. Only the arachne were unwilling to leavetheir commander wasnt impressed by the so-called future god-strategist of the empire and was adamant about fighting it out with him. In actual battle, however, the arachne fleet was never able to unravel Song Zinings diversion tactics. The man would appear here and there, harassing the enemy until they were suffering from unspeakable misery. Countless times, they would charge over only to find a small decoy force. The entire day went by, and the arachne fleet managed to devour numerous small imperial squads, but they never found Song Zinings primary fleet. Just as the exhausted arachne fleet was preparing to return, the main imperial fleet suddenly appeared. The result of this airship battle was decided the moment the vampire warships suddenly broke off and left the battlefield. The well-rested imperial fleet utterly defeated the arachne forces, turning the battle into a one-sided massacre. Finally, the battle ended with all the top-arachne experts fleeing on a powerful high-speed warship. All the damaged warships and ground forces were left as expendables. A steady stream of Imperial transports started landing on the battlefield, releasing mercenaries to scour the battlefield. Warships stood guard in each direction, watching for every possible enemy movement. The experts from each and every party arrived at Song Zinings flagship to congratulate him. This fleet battle was fairly sizable among the recent battles, and it also carried great significance as it involved the control of the Great Maelstrom. Song Zining had revealed extremely high standards in airship command and would likely be placed in charge of a squadron in no time. The nobility was different from the Empire. Few aristocratic families could maintain their own airship fleet due to the steep costs involved, and even then, the forces were fairly small. The greater warship fleets were all under the control of the Empire, the army, and the Imperial clan. It was also the most important tool for the imperial army to restrain the nobles. Fleet battles were different from ground combat in that experts below the champion realm made little difference in the fighting. Due to the unique nature of aerial battles, a commander would require many years of training before obtaining the qualifications to conduct one. Now that Song Zining had displayed such a talent at a young age, all those old fellows with sharp noses realized what would happen. The aristocracy found, in him, the best opening to influence the imperial fleets. Meanwhile, the Imperial clan felt that they could win him over, mainly due to his complicated background and connection to Empress Li. Hence, people from all parties had arrived to sound Song Zining out even before the battle had concluded. Some came to improve their ties with him, while others wanted to toady up to him in advance. However, the complete victory didnt quite delight the seventh young master. On the contrary, he looked worried, and it was as though he was just forcing out a smile. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 1002: Guest of Honor The passage was once again in Imperial handsthis was indeed good news, but things werent too great in actuality. After investigating the situation, the imperial clans divination experts announced that the passage had become extremely unstable. Although travel was still possible, the level of danger would increase sharply. Ordinary experts would very likely fall during the journey. The passage shouldnt have collapsed this quickly, but the Eternal Flame seemed to have used the power of the surrounding void to reinforce the passage. After his powers waned, however, the void around the passage became unusually violent. The current passage was like a thread floating about in the tempest. One way was to wait until the void calmed down and the passage became stable again. This would require a fairly long time, and no one knew how long it would take. Perhaps it would take long enough for the Evernight army to return to the neutral lands. Another method was for the empire to mobilize a heavenly monarch to stabilize the passage, making it usable once more. That, however, would make it even more difficult to repair later on. All parties excluded the second option immediately after the divination experts had brought it up. Heavenly monarchs enjoyed extremely high positions in the Empire. Not to mention the people here, even the Emperor did not have a good enough excuse to mobilize these supreme characters. Most of the bigger powers had already sent the most important people in with the first batch, so only those from the inferior aristocratic families remained. Some of the major clans had already sent five people in and had no more candidates to send even if they were allowed to. Most of the people waiting in line were of civilian birth. Many of them were willing to take huge risks to change their lives, but no one would disturb a heavenly monarch for their sake. The only important person who hadnt entered the passage was Song Zining himself. Neither the Imperial clan nor the aristocracy felt that he should take this risk. The seventh young noble was a celebrated talent in strategy, who had no need to prove himself in martial prowess. The current state of the passage destroyed half of the joy brought about by their recent victory. Now, they had no idea whether they should defend or abandon the place; after all, a sizable Imperial fleet was now bogged down in the neutral lands. The awkward situation lasted but one day. A light azure airship suddenly appeared outside the skies, rushing toward the Eastern Sea and Tidehark. A commotion erupted among the warships standing guard in the vicinity because the approaching vessel was an imperial warship. The insignia painted upon it signified that it belonged to the Northern Legion. In the blink of an eye, the Imperial forces took to the air to welcome the visitor with the utmost respect. The Northern Legion was under Lin Xitangs direct command. Since Zhang Boqians ascension to the heavenly monarch realm, his former peer gradually became the most unfathomable character among the ten great marshals. There were rumors saying that he was not far off from the heavenly monarch realm. If it wasnt for the fight against Lilith during the bloody battle and the void continent war, he mightve caught up to Zhang Boqian already. Even without reaching the heavenly monarch realm, Lin Xitang was still the publicly accepted authority in terms of divination. It was out of respect for the Li family that the imperial clan never made a formal announcement. Just this fact alone made Lin Xitang a character no one was willing to offendhe was probably even more difficult to deal with than a heavenly monarch. He just needed to reach the peak of combat strength to fill that last bit of shortcoming. In terms of governing, strategy, and scheming, who would dare claim they were better than him? Even the Minister of the Right had to show Lin Xitang due respect in public and say he was inferior. The notorious imperial party had even begun looking at him as their leader, completely forgetting the recent enmity. To them, it wasnt important whether Lin Xitang truly belonged to their partyit was fine as long as he didnt deny it. Perhaps he didnt know about it or perhaps due to some other consideration, Lin Xitang never refuted these claims formally. The current Lin Xitang was already a highly influential character in the empire. There were even rumors saying that he had actuated the void continent war single-handedly. If the empire could claim absolute victory in this war, the marshals name would go down in history as someone at the level of a national advisor. The Northern Legion was Lin Xitangs only direct subordinate force, an entire level higher than Red Scorpion. The legions warship was clearly representative of the marshal. No one really cared who the messenger was because their respect was for Lin Xitang. The Northern Legion airship landed gradually under the escort of all the other vessels. Song Zining was already waiting outside of the warships doors when it flung open. A general in Northern Legion uniform walked out, glanced about, and laughed loudly. Now thats what I call f*cking grand! His words were fairly rude, vulgar, and insolent, but the people could only endure it out of respect for Lin Xitang. They bowed in unison, chanting, Welcome, General. Only a few of those standing close to the airship felt that this person was somewhat familiar and couldnt resist shooting a few extra glances. Looking was fine, but one of them actually blurted out, Isnt that the Wei clan heir!? This cry startled everyone. They began sizing up the visitor and soon recognized him as Wei Potian, the scion of Marquis Bowang of the Far East Province. The crowd broke out in renewed salutation. Welcome, General Qiyang, heir to Marquis Bowang. Wei Potian waved his hand angrily. What Qiyang? My name is Wei Potian! The Wei clan heirs preference was known to many people. It was just that Marquis Wei had never officially changed his sons name, and it went against the rules to change ones name on his own. This wasnt a problem in private, but it wasnt too appropriate to call him Wei Potian in a public gathering. Someone could report this matter if they wanted to, but the Wei family was a powerful landowner. No one would be idle enough to do something so meaningless. Hence, everyone felt a bit awkward at this point and didnt know what to say. Fortunately, a smart person stepped in. The Wei clan heir must be tired after his long journey. The address muddled over his name much to everyones delight. The crowd soon became less reserved and started approaching to lick his boots. Unlike Song Zining, Wei Potian was a true heir whose inheritance had been confirmed. In recent years, the man had gained great merits in the Far East Province and his personal strength had increased exponentially. It could be said that his future prospects couldnt be more certain. The future marquis position was countless times higher than the family elders at the scene. Moreover, Wei Potian was now clad in the Northern Legions uniform, and this provoked a lot of thoughts. Was the Wei clan working together with Lin Xitang now? Had the Wei clan joined the imperial party or had Lin Xitang left it? This was extremely important information. The elders decided that they had to inquire about this in detail after going back, but the most important thing at present was to gain the favor of the Wei clan heir. All things aside, Wei Potian was still unmarriedwho could ignore the allure of that empty position? Wei Potian smiled and waved continuously. Compared to his youth, the current Wei clan scion was now more familiar with social niceties. Song Zining remained motionless, but he couldnt quite escape the fate of being noticed. Wei Potian waved at him from afar and shouted, Zining, youre here, too!? Hahaha, why are you standing so far away? We havent seen each other for so long, lets get intimate! Song Zinings expression was ashen, unable to disguise his displeasure. That was strange because he was even more subtle than all the old fogies here. Yet, he simply didnt like the man and wanted nothing more than to kick him back to the Far East Province. This fellow was just as ostentatious, even calling him out in front of the crowd. The seventh young master was here to welcome the Northern Legions envoy. He was doing this out of respect for Lin Xitang, not that wild boar from the Wei family. Wei Potian wasnt about to let Song Zining off easy. He waved continuously, shouting, Zining, why arent you coming over? There are too many people coming to welcome me, but I dont really mind. Haha! The less tactful people nearby said, Seventh Young Noble, the Wei clan heir is calling for you! Why not head over? Judging from his envious expression, it would seem he was desperate to head over himselfquite the good-dog material. Song Zining had no choice but to head over and shake Wei Potians hand. Qiyang, long time no see! Addressing Wei Potian by his most hated name, he added increased force to his grip, hoping to teach this wild boar a lesson. Song Zining was quite confident in his cultivation because, despite looking as though he wasnt putting in the effort, he had kept up with Qianye all along and had broken through again recently. Comparatively, Wei Potian was somewhat inferior in terms of origin power ranking and quality. A secret fight like this was a contest between origin powers, not something Song Zining would lose. But Song Zining was shocked after applying his grip because it felt as though he had grasped a small mountain peak. The mountain was small but incomparably hard, and it didnt feel like he was holding a body made of flesh at all. The more force he applied, the stronger the counterattack that came from it, so much so that Song Zining could feel a bit of pain from his hand. Taking note of the situation, Song Zining reduced his force and said with a smile, It would seem Brother Qiyang has improved again during this long period. Thats quite a feat, I would say. Looks like youve had a fair bit of good luck recently, why have you run over to the boondocks instead of forging ahead? Song Zining was hinting that Wei Potian had just broken through out of sheer luck and ran over immediately afterward. Wei Potian naturally understood the meaning. He laughed with great satisfaction, saying, Youre right, Ive indeed been quite lucky recently! Haha, I received some tips from Marshal Lin himself and that allowed me to break through the bottleneck. Everyone became envious after hearing that Lin Xitang had given pointers in person, and a tide of flattery washed over the place once more. Chapter 1003: Marshal Lin’s Secret Treasure Having failed at the handshake, Song Zining didnt know how to deal with Wei Potian for the moment. This shameless wild boar was never one to observe etiquette and happened to be the nemesis of someone like Song Zining. The latter closed in and whispered through clenched teeth, Are you here to cause trouble? Ill deal with you in a bit, just you wait. I might just stuff you into the Great Maelstrom if you dont listen to me. Wei Potian was full of smiles. Im here to enter the Great Maelstrom! What? Song Zining cried out, only realizing afterward that he had spoken too loud. He immediately dragged Wei Potian away. Moments later, the two of them entered the main tent and Song Zining closed the door. The first thing he said was, Are you crazy!? Or has the Wei clan gone crazy? Wei Potian rubbed his head in confusion. Im quite fine I think, I only received minor injuries recently. Why do you say Im crazy? Why would you want to enter the Great Maelstrom if youre not!? Song Zinings volume rose several decibels. Do you know how dangerous it is inside? Do you know where this passage leads? Let me speak frankly, a fifty percent probability of survival is already too generous for someone like you. What are you going to do inside? Throw away your life? Youre a future marquis, and you dont even have a wife yet, let alone kids. Are you trying to sever Marquis Weis line by entering the Great Maelstrom? Wei Potian seemed somewhat puzzled. Is it that serious? Song Zinings anger turned into laughter. Is it that serious!? Take a look around, which clans direct heir has entered the Great Maelstrom? Let alone an heir, even the more important characters in the family werent allowed to enter. Umm didnt Li Kuanglan go in? Song Zining said angrily, Look at her abilities! Look at yours! She is certain about survival after going in. Why dont you look at yourself in the mirror and ask if youll even last one day?! Wei Potian laughed. What kind of person do you think Wei Potian is? I definitely have a seat among the peak characters of the empire. Are you stopping me from seeking fortunes because youre jealous of my future accomplishments? Fortunes my ass! Song Zining wanted nothing more than to kick this Wei Potian flying. He stomped hard, shouting, No! Im the current commander of the Imperial forces in the Eastern Sea. Whatever I say counts! As long as I remain here, you can forget about going in secretly. Its useless even with that stolen set of Northern Legion clothes! I didnt steal them. Song Zining sneered, Still trying to deny? You were brought up in the Broken Winged Angels, and theyve always been at odds with Marshal Lin. How come youve suddenly transferred to the Northern Legion? Is this renouncing the darkness to join the light? Wei Potian didnt feel embarrassed at all. Lets just say it is. Song Zining was so pissed at Wei Potians shameless behavior that he didnt know what to say. Wei Potian said seriously, Im really in the Northern Legion now, and I came to enter the Great Maelstrom under Marshal Lins orders. Song Zining sneered, Liar! Dont tell me you brought the marshals command token too? Umm that I didnt. No? Do you think Ill believe you? But the marshall really did permit me to come. Wei Potian was somewhat speechless. Song Zining simply wouldnt believe him no matter what he said. Wei Potian jumped up anxiously. I know youre doing this for my own good, but didnt you send Qianye in as well? I can help him once I get inside! Song Zining clenched his teeth. Do you know how strong Qianye is right now? He can devour three wild boars at a time. Umm appetite isnt related to strength, is it? Wei Potian was once again puzzled. Of course it is! Song Zining said with a serious expression. It was at this moment that the tent doors opened and a young girl in military clothing walked in. What made seventh young noble so angry? The girl looked rather familiar. Her delicate face had a hint of nobility to it, and her thick combat attire did little to hide her lithe figure. Song Zining was startled, unable to recall who she was. The girl smiled faintly. Kong. Kong Song Zining still couldnt recall which girl from the Kong family she was. But that wasnt too surprising since the high-ranking aristocratic family wasnt on great terms with him back in the year. They had clashed again later during the bloody battle and that brought the Kong family further away from Song Zining. Seeing that she wasnt recognized, the lady stopped holding back her name. Kong Xuan. Ah, its Miss Kong Xuan. You are indeed as young and pretty as they say. Song Zining praised her out of habit. Kong Xuan chuckled. As expected, seventh young noble really does know how to praise girls. Weve only met once when we were young, and I had only returned from the Li family. Where could you have heard of me being pretty? Wait a minute, you said you were at the Li family. Dont tell me I was learning divination and sword arts at the Li family and also served as Young Noble Kuanglans maid. Now that Ive completed my studies, its time I went home. There was a hint of disappointment in Kong Xuans expression as she said this. Song Zining immediately had a guess. Miss Kong, are you thinking about What else but to learn more arts? Kong Xuan cut him short. Song Zining already knew what was going on at this point. Li Kuanglan was a peak candidate both in terms of appearance and sword arts, only slightly inferior to Zhao Jundu. Kong Xuan claimed she wanted to learn, but what she truly wanted was to use her maid status to be in the same tent as Li Kuanglan. Song Zining knew of Li Kuanglans true identity and, quite naturally, could tell that Kong Xuans notions would be in vain. Then why have you arrived here, Miss? Kong Xuan replied, The old master has ordered me to enter the Great Maelstrom for training. It just so happens that the Wei clan heir is also entering, so I wish to go in with him. We can help each other out along the way. Song Zining glanced at them with a frown. Miss Kong, did the old master of your family really instruct you to do so? Of course! People from the Kong family will arrive soon, you can confirm with them. Kong Xuan was somewhat unhappy. Song Zinings brows knitted even tighter. But we still dont know when the passage can be opened again, and the dark races might return by the time it recovers. How do we go in? Wei Potian said, Marshal Lin has long since made preparations. He gave us some treasures and said he has already set things up inside the tunnel. Those holding the treasure will be noticed and guided to the Great Maelstrom. With that, Wei Potian produced a crystal bottle with a bone-bead floating about inside. Song Zining glanced over at Kong Xuan and found that she had a similar crystal bottle. That means the marshal and your families do know that youre going in? The two of them nodded at the same time. Song Zinings expression was odd, but he made no comment. He simply patted Wei Potians shoulder and said with a serious expression, Then go in! Wei Potian felt a bit scared now. He dragged Song Zining back and asked, What? There wont be any bad things inside, will there? Of course not! The Wei clan heir is at the peak of his fortune now, youll surely turn misfortune around even if you do encounter it. What are you afraid of? The more Song Zining spoke in this manner, the less confident Wei Potian became. Kong Xuan, on the other hand, was quite calm. Itll be fine. Marshal Lin prepared more than just two secret treasures. Theres at least half a dozen of them as far as I remember! All of us will enter the Great Maelstrom sooner or later. When the time comes, we can take care of each other. Wei Potian nodded, and his countenance recovered somewhat. He was still quite sharp, nonethelessan increasing sense of uneasiness came over him as he recalled Song Zinings odd expression. He knew full well that Song Zining would reveal that secretive demeanor when he was up to no good. However, there was no time to nitpick on the details. According to Lin Xitangs arrangements, they were to enter the passage without delay after arriving in the neutral lands. Both he and Kong Xuan had made ample preparations, with both families offering them spatial equipment. That was a huge investment. Song Zining knew time was of essence, so he arranged for the duo to head to the holy mountain immediately. The people from the Kong family soon arrived on their airship and handed Kong Xuan a set of protective armor made especially for traversing spatial passages. This set of armor was incomparably thick and looked like a steel ball around the young miss. It took several strong men to carry her up the holy mountain. Wei Potian, however, was much more relaxed and donned only his usual battle armor. The Wei familys Thousand Mountains was known for its defense, and he also had Lin Xitangs treasure in hand. It would be a joke if he couldnt get through the tunnel. In half a days time, Wei Potian and Kong Xuan were standing before the entrance to the Great Maelstrom passage, looking up at the flickering ball of dark radiance with pale expressions. Both of them seemed somewhat frightened at the thought of passing through the boundless void and into an unfamiliar world. Song Zining stood alongside them and sighed. Take care on the other side. Wei Potian nodded. Arent you entering? Song Zining shook his head. I dont have the Marshals secret treasure, so Ill have to wait for the passage to stabilize. Wei Potian slapped his forehead at that point. Oh my! I nearly forgot, the marshal gave me an extra treasure to give you. Song Zining was positively livid. Why didnt you say so earlier? Wei Potian produced a crystal bottle and passed it to Song Zining. I was so happy to see you that I forgot some stuff! How could anyone forget something so important? Speechless, Song Zining received the crystal bottle and kicked Wei Potian on the butt. Get in! The kick was so powerful that it sent Wei Potian flying into the passage. The four experts nearby grabbed Kong Xuan by her limbs and hurled her inside as well. Song Zining tossed the crystal bottle in his hands as he gazed at the passage. Eunuch Zhang arrived beside him. Arent you going in? Song Zining shook his head. Theres no rush. Im still needed on this side. Its fine for me to wait until all the others with the secret treasures have gone inside. Eunuch Zhang praised, Youre indeed benevolent. Its a relief for me to be working with someone like you. Song Zining chuckled. You praise me too much. At this point, a hand reached out from the side and snatched the crystal bottle in Song Zinings hand. Shocked out of his wits, Song Zining stepped to the side and glanced back. What he saw there was an outrageously big hand-cannon. Chapter 1004: Who’s Responsible? Yuying, how come youre here? What are you going to do with that? Dont tell me youre entering the Great Maelstrom? Why not? Zhao Yuying shot a sideways glance at Song Zining. The latters expression shifted drastically. That its not suitable for you to enter with your current condition. Afraid Ill die inside? Even they have gone in, why cant I? Besides, my survival has nothing to do with you. Song Zining smiled wryly. Young Miss, you dont know the situation inside. Even if you come out alive, Duke You will beat me to death if something happens to you. Well, Im not the one going to be beaten to death, so why should I care? Song Zining didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Miss, thats not it. Let me put it this way, some things will be out of your control once you go in. Everything will be too late even if you blame me for it later on. Zhao Yuying wasnt having any of it. Enough with those petty tricks. I heard my cultivation will rise by leaps and bounds after going in and all bottlenecks will disappear. Are you afraid this mommys cultivation will increase sharply, that Ill crush your leaves for fun every day? Song Zining let out a bitter laugh. Your cultivation isnt the only thing that will rise exponentially, many other Its enough if my cultivation improves. Young Miss, I beg you to reconsider! Just think of the environments that can improve cultivation, theres no way youll be allowed to break through comfortably. Theres always a price! Zhao Yuying raised her hand cannon. I have this, what must I fear? Many origin weapons are useless inside the Great Maelstrom. Itll be especially hard for you to operate that hand cannon, didnt you know? Song Zining found it weird. Zhao Yuying tossed the cannon into the seventh young masters arms. Ill leave it here then. No, I Song Zining simply couldnt do anything against Zhao Yuying. He looked around to seek external help, but Eunuch Zhang had long since disappeared. Actually, the old man had slipped away the moment he realized that the guest was Zhao Yuying. This young miss was both outstanding and well-backed by the Zhao clan. Add to that her horrible character, she was notorious throughout the Empire as someone who should be avoided. Eunuch Zhang could be considered an elderly figure with power and authority, so he would rather avoid conflict if he could. Hence, he immediately abandoned Song Zining and vanished. Song Zining naturally cursed Eunuch Zhang in his mind, but he still had to deal with Zhao Yuying, so all he could do was swallow the urge to shout. The young miss, however, wasnt one to appreciate all that. Im just going in to take a look. What are you so worried about? Its not like Im going into your backyard. Yuying, you dont even know whats inside the Great Maelstrom, how can you just go in like that? Did you not go through the Zhao clans intelligence? Zhao Yuying was stunned for a moment. What difference does that make? I have you here, dont I? Give me a copy of the Song clans intelligence report. Fine, read first if you want to go in and I wont stop you. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief. Zhao Yuying waved the crystal bottle, saying, So many excuses just because you cant bear to part with this little thing, right? You think this mommy here covets your things? Have it back. She returned it just like that, tossing the bottle back to Song Zining. The latter was in no position to be polite, so held tightly onto it and heaved a sigh of relief. Come with me, Ill give you a copy of the information. Song Zining started walking back but soon noticed that Zhao Yuying wasnt behind him. Realizing something, he turned back hurriedly and found Zhao Yuying standing where she was. She was now holding a different crystal bottle, looking at him with an expression of mockery. You want to trick me with your meager abilities? Her words hadnt even trailed off when Zhao Yuying shot upward and rushed into the Great Maelstrom passage. Song Zining knew he could no longer stop her. Did Marshal Lin give you that treasure!? Of course not! This mommy here robbed it from someone! Zhao Yuying had already vanished into the passage at this point. Only her words lingered behind. Song Zining stood dazed with a wry smile on his face. He then gave it some thought and muttered to himself, With that wild boar? Hmm... thats not so unacceptable. Sigh, I think Ill go in later. It was at this moment that a familiar voice echoed near his ears, Then you better go in later. Song Zinings hand felt empty as the crystal bottle was once again snatched away. He was startled, but his reaction wasnt slow. With a wave of his hand, he locked down a hundred-meter area with dancing leaves before turning around. Its not so easy to snatch something from me. His words froze halfway. Song Zining saw a beautiful figure flyingcompletely unaffectedthrough the leaves and moving toward the passage. He could see her, but he simply couldnt sense her presence. There were red spider lilies blooming and wilting around her as they carried her higher and higher up. Song Zining gasped. Ruoxi! Y-You how come? Zhao Ruoxi replied, Im going for a stroll. I didnt find anyone to rob, so let me borrow yours. How could such a thing be borrowed? Song Zining complained secretly, but there was nothing he could do except watch her vanish into the tunnel. Thats not so bad, either, she should be fine with the treasure in hand. Even on the other side, the Red Spider Lily should protect her from being affected, right? The Red Spider Lily!!! She brought the Red Spider Lily into the Great Maelstrom! This news would shake up the entire empire! Song Zining was drenched in cold sweat at the thought of it. In the days that followed, various aristocratic descendants arrived with secret treasures and entered the Great Maelstrom. Many families had dispatched their core geniuses because of their trust in Marshal Lin. In addition to the aristocracy, two civilians also obtained secret treasures. The nobility stared at them like a pack of wolves, but they couldnt rob the treasures openly out of respect for the marshal. All they could do was watch as the duo entered the passage. Song Zining watched expressionlessly as the people entered the passage one after the other. No one knew what he was thinkingonly he himself knew that a storm was about to arrive. At this moment, a young girl in ordinary military clothing arrived. My lord wishes to see the seventh young noble. Song Zinings expression was calm. And your lord would be? The young girl opened her palm to reveal an insignia. Song Zining glanced at the emblem and nodded. It just so happens that I also wish to see your lord, please lead the way. The young girl led Song Zining down the holy mountain. There, they took a fast jeep to a remote open space where an unassuming airship was parked. Song Zining followed the girl into the airship. The interior of the vessel was elegantly decoratedthe simple yet grand interior was a stark difference from its outer appearance. Although the equipment inside was a bit aged, most of them were high-performance versions one would rarely find in the Empire. None but the nobility would be able to own, or even order them. The girl led song Zining all the way into the upper cabin and into a graceful tearoom. There was a womanclad in a set of refined oriental attireseated inside the chamber. With lips akin to red pearls and skin as white as suet jade, she looked like a girl at first glance. However, traces of the passing years could be vaguely seen around the corner of her eyes and brows. Song Zining took a step forward and bowed. Zining greets Her Majesty the Princess. The lady replied calmly, You should call me Madam Duke Chengen, lest you incur Weihuangs wrath. Song Zining replied, Isnt it more likely to make the young master unhappy? The person in the tearoom was Princess Gaoyi. Song Zining knew very little about this eldest princess. People from their generation were the pillars of the Empire, and those with deliberate intentions had locked down most of the information about her. The normally unrestrained Song Zining felt ill-at-ease after entering the tearoom and didnt dare to act presumptuously. Princess Gaoyi said, Yuying and Ruoxi have always been arrogant and wilful. They must have given you a bit of trouble. Song Zining was shaken. After some careful deliberation, he said, Miss Yuying should be fine after entering the Great Maelstrom. Even if the environment there is somewhat special, she should be able to cope with it. Miss Ruoxi going in alone, however, is worrisome. Although she has the Red Spider Lily for protection, she isnt too experienced, and I worry Princess Gaoyi sighed. Ruoxi that girl has a bad temper since she was a kid, and she simply wont listen to anyone. Sigh! Weihuang is leading soldiers into battle every day and doesnt have any time to teach the children. This was Princess Gaoyis family matters, so Song Zining found it hard to comment. In his mind, though, he was thinking that the man had produced monsters like Zhao Jundu, Qianye, and Zhao Ruoxi despite his hands-off approach. The other three brothers, including Zhao Junhong, were also pillars of the clan. What else could one want? Princess Gaoyi picked up her teacup and took a small sip. Zining, how do you think we should deal with Ruoxi? This matter is highly important. Her safety isnt the most pressing matter compared to the bigger picture. We need to get the Red Spider Lily back. Song Zining replied, Your Majesty, as I see it, the most important issue is to find Miss Ruoxi and bring her back. The Red Spider Lily is the most sentient among the Grand Magnums. Throughout the years, only the gun has ever chosen a master and never the other way around. Even if she loses the weapon, it will return sooner or later as long as Ruoxi is there. Without Ruoxi, however, its useless even if we get the magnum back. Princess Gaoyi shot him an approving glance. Exactly. Yet the entire court is filled with short-sighted people who cant think critically. That gun is a piece of scrap metal without Ruoxi. No one could compare to you in the court back then! Song Zining followed up with some well-timed flattery. He understood that, for Princess Gaoyi, even the Red Spider Lily couldnt compare to Ruoxi. The princess lowered her cup. How do you think this matter should be handled? Song Zining felt a shiver in his heartthis was the real business. This princess was different from other people. Just by sitting there, she exuded so much pressure that Song Zining couldnt look up. Fooling her was no easy feat. Song Zining eventually said, Miss Ruoxi snatched my secret treasure to enter the Great Maelstrom. As the commander of the Eastern Sea Imperial forces, Im responsible for this matter. I will enter the Great Maelstrom as soon as I can and bring the young miss back. Princess Gaoyi shook her head. You are responsible for this matter, but the actual blame doesnt lie with you. Song Zining became nervous instead of being delighted. Who would you say is responsible? The secret treasure came from Lin Xitang, he should be the most responsible. Chapter 1005: Why Not Cut it Off? Song Zining didnt dare blindly agree to Princess Gaoyis logic, but he wasnt dumb enough to speak his thoughts out loud. Women had their own reasoning regarding such matters, and no amount of argument would change that. Song Zining replied, Even if hes responsible, we should pay attention to the important matters first. Finding the young miss is the most important right now, and everything else comes second. I do wonder why she came here, though? Gaoyi sighed. I realized instantly when she escaped. Back then, I thought she was just going out for a stroll. Who wouldve thought shed lose all her guards after leaving West Pole City? Only at that point did I notice that things werent looking goodI chased her all the way here, but I was still no match compared to her and the Red Spider Lily. Does Duke Chengen know about this matter? All he knows is his Fire Beacon Corps and nothing else! Gaoyis words contained a hint of complaint. Song Zining thought seriously for a while before saying, As I see it, we should tell Duke Chengen of this matter and have him talk to Marshal Lin. Since you want Lin Xitang to take action, its not wise to force him into a corner. Your identity is also quite special, and many people have their eyes on you. This matter cant be hidden for long, so we should get things done as quickly as possible. I think we should temporarily ignore that minor misunderstanding between the Zhao clan and the marshal. Princess Gaoyi frowned. Why cant I go to Lin Xitang directly? That Marshal Lin isnt that easy to talk to. Princess Gaoyi said with a cold smile, I dont care about that. If I cant solve this problem from the outside, I will go into the Great Maelstrom. Song Zining was shocked out of his wits. You absolutely must not! The princess replied calmly, Its fine if I dont return, but if I do, certain people can forget about living a peaceful life. Song Zining noticed the hidden implications. Your Majesty, you mean How do you think Ruoxi found out about these things in the first place? Song Zining immediately realized that someone was targeting the Zhao clan in secret. Gaoyi said, Ive already killed thirty subordinates on the spot, and I dont mind killing three hundred or three thousand. There were bound to be innocent people among the thirty victims, but Princess Gaoyi was telling the people behind the scenes that she would not hold back anymore. Song Zining felt greatly distressed. In that case, you had better visit the marshal first. He knows so much more about the Great Maelstrom than I do. Ill think of a way to head inside and do my best to search for Ruoxi. Nodding, Princess Gaoyi removed two bracelets from her wrist and placed them on the table. The previous emperor bestowed me these two treasures. One is for defense, enough to bring you safely through the passage. The other is a spatial gear, in which I have placed some emergency supplies. Since you have to go in either way, better not delay things. Song Zining didnt decline the gifts. He put the bracelets on and proceeded to ask how to use them. Gaoyi watched him put away the items before speaking, Ive heard bits and pieces about the situation on the other side. Ruoxis character is fierce, much like me back in the year. If shes unwilling, shed rather die in order to retain her innocence. Remember that. Song Zining said seriously, Rest assured. Im a romantic, but Im not a lowlife. I definitely wont take advantage of other peoples plight. I still dont feel too assured. Song Zinings expression froze upon hearing those words. The girl who had led him in said, Your Majesty, maybe we should castrate him first before sending him in? Thats the most certain course of action. Song Zining gasped. Who wouldve thought that sweet-looking girl was actually so merciless? He then glanced at the contemplating Princess Gaoyi and felt his heart freeze up. There was no way he could escape the princess grasp no matter how capable he was. Fortunately, Gaoyi shook her head after some thought. Song Zining felt some relief, but the words that followed stopped him from laughing. I need him to run errands for me. His strength will be affected if we cut it off now. Its not too late if he comes out after doing something wrong. Song Zining trembled in the chilly wind as he walked out of the airship. That young lady, who was still beside him, couldnt help but chuckle. Song Zining said frostily, What are you laughing at? You look good but your mind is so malicious. The girl smiled. Men like you will harm countless women if allowed to roam free. Its best to castrate you. Song Zining clenched his teeth. Ive never done you any harm! The girl covered her mouth. I wouldnt have the heart to castrate you if I was the one harmed. Song Zining was livid, and he simply rushed away without saying anything. The girl returned to the airship after the seventh young nobles departure and closed the cabin doors. She then arrived near Princess Gaoyi, saying, Youre letting him go just like that? Princess Gaoyi said, Theres no better candidate right now. Let us go. Remember, you must not let Jundu and the others know about this matter. Rest assured, Your Majesty. ... Within the Great Maelstrom, Qianye was completely oblivious to the matters happening outside. He was hidden within the grass, gazing at the distant stone castle with a serious expression. This keep was even bigger than the first onejust the right side wall alone had four sentry towers, each manned by two four-armed natives. The structure was sturdy and well-maintained. At least the walls were intact, without any collapsed parts. The stone wall was over thirty meters high. This wasnt anything too impressive normally, but the extreme gravity inside the Great Maelstrom made it difficult to fly. That made the wall a true obstacle. Ji Tianqing also looked solemn and doubtful. Is this where you got the fruits from? Qianye nodded. How did you get in? Over the wall. Ji Tianqing couldnt help but shake her head. Its impossible to talk with a monster like you. She looked toward Li Kuanglan. Do you have any ideas? Rope, grappling hook, nails, Li Kuanglan replied concisely. "Thats not hard. Ji Tianqing dragged the other two back into the woods, where they felled a tree. They skinned the bark to make rope and carved the wood into hooks. Moments later, they had a batch of tools. Ji Tianqing checked the time. Lets move out, theres no more time. Nodding, Qianye retracted his aura and sneaked to the other side of the castle. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan sneaked over to the wall in front of them. Qianye arrived under the stone wall, where he grabbed onto a protruding part and flung himself upward. As he arrived at the top, he saw a hook fly up from the opposite wall and latch firmly onto the edges. Then, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan appeared as well. The latter aimed a wooden stake into a gap between the stone and hammered it halfway in with a swing of her fist. The impact from this movement was quite soft, but the four-armed sentry from the nearby tower glanced over immediately. He had just turned around when Li Kuanglan grabbed his neck from behind, quickly blocking his nose and throat with frost energy. Then, with a crack, she simply broke the four-armed mans neck. Li Kuanglan turned about rapidly and darted toward the other warrior in the tower. This four-armed woman took a deep breath and sprayed out a cloud of white mist. Li Kuanglan was preparedher arms moved in a circular pattern, emitting frost energy from her palm. The white mist was immediately frozen and pushed back into the womans mouth. The energy around Li Kuanglans left-hand condensed into a blade as it tore into the enemys chest. However, the frosty edge was caught on the four-armed womans ribs and actually broke into two. Li Kuanglan was astonished. Her ice blade was condensed from origin power and was definitely not inferior to an ordinary origin weapon. Yet, it was actually unable to cut through the four-armed womans ribs? Feeling great pain, the woman started to flail about. Li Kuanglan pounced over immediately and, with a twist of her legs, pinned the enemy to the ground. Then, she grabbed the four-armed womans neck and broke it. The battle was completed in an instant, but Li Kuanglan was drenched in cold sweat, almost as though she had just gone through a big battle. These four-armed natives were extremely strong, and their bodies were as hard as steel. Their exuberant vitality meant that they could keep on fighting unless they were struck in the vitals. Additionally, that white mist was so disgusting that she wasnt willing to touch it at all. Li Kuanglan felt that it was so much easier to fight against the experts from Evernight. Whats more, they still hadnt learned what kind of strange ability the four-armed males possessed. Ignoring that for now, they were much stronger and bigger than the females, and that alone was enough of a headache. Li Kuanglan was alarmed after doing the two sentries in. She had caused a fair bit of ruckus just nowcould she have alerted the other guards? She quickly looked around, just in time to see the nearby sentries collapse one after the other. Ji Tianqing and Qianye soon appeared and signaled to her that the coast was clear. Li Kaunglan silently searched through the guards possessions. After which, she jumped down the tower and followed the other two into the castle. At first, she had believed that she was on equal footing with Qianye and Ji Tianqing. At one point, she could force Qianye to go all out just to barely stay alive. She had never expected that she would become nearly useless inside the Great Maelstrom and require his protection all the time. This kind of contrast was difficult to bear for a top young expert like her. Qianye moved slowly and calmly, seemingly oblivious of her abnormal mood. His concealment ability never involved fancy powers, but it was extremely practical. Every step he took was so precise that it could pass as a textbook example. He quietly traversed the two-armed peoples residential area and started sneaking toward the houses at the center of the keep. According to the layout of the previous stone keep, those stone houses were like military barracks protecting a central opening, where the most valuable white-fruit tree was located. Qianyes silhouette flickered as he sped up and darted into a stone house. A barely noticeable thud echoed inside the chambers, followed by utter silence. However, these natives were apparently quite sensitive to vibrations. A four-armed warrior from the neighboring tent walked out to check on the situation. Chapter 1006: Target Buyer Li Kuanglan gave it some thought before darting over. A stream of frost energy shot out from her hand and promptly sealed the four-armed native in ice. However, the icy surface was soon filled with cracks from the natives powerful struggles. Startled, Li Kuanglan rushed onto the four-armed natives body and slashed his throat before he could regain movement. Despite that, the enemys vitality was so strong that he could still unleash a thunderous roar from his chest. Oh no! That was the only thought in Li Kuanglans mind. They were at the center of the stone keep, so the outcome would be unimaginable if the entire compound was alerted of their presence. A slender figure flew in from the side and slammed into the injured warrior, sending him flying. Lets go, why are you dazed? Li Kuanglan charged toward the stone wall with her. The natives were extremely quick. Dozens of two-armed people were soon blocking their way and more were scuttling out from their tents. Li Kuanglan took a step forward and scattered a large cloud of frost energy, sealing a dozen or so natives in ice. Even for these two-armed natives, Li Kuanglans ice could only seal them for a brief moment. But a short moment was all they needed. Ji Tianqing produced a long whip, with which she lassoed the natives, tossing them into the air and slamming them down onto buildings or their comrades. Taking advantage of the commotion, Ji Tianqing dragged Li Kuanglan through the crowd and toward the outer wall. It was at this time that the latter felt something tighten around her foot. A two-armed native had grabbed onto her! The man immediately became excited afterwardhis strength increased abruptly as his other hand started running toward her thighs. Li Kuanglan stomped down several times, but she simply couldnt get rid of the native. It almost felt as though there was a steel hoop around her ankle. Her kicks to the chest elicited cracking sounds, and the natives thorax had more or less sunken in. Despite that, the native clung tightly onto her leg and tore off a large patch of her outer armor. Fortunately, her inner armor was much stronger and remained intact. Ji Tianqing was surrounded by natives at this point, and having taken several blows herself, she simply couldnt find the time to save Li Kuanglan. One after the other, the two-armed natives realized that the latter was a female. They went into a frenzied state of excitement as they pounced toward her, aiming to overwhelm her with sheer numbers. It was at this time that a powerful quake erupted from the center of the stone castle. As sensitive as they were to vibrations, the natives began to stagger and stumble from the impact. The stone house Qianye was in exploded all of a sudden, soon followed by the adjacent ones. As though there was a fuse running through all of them, the entire row of stone houses was destroyed. A speck of light flew out from the dust and gravel, shot through the tents on the other side, and then flew up onto the wall. The tents exploded as well, and countless two-armed natives were flung into the sky. Chaos descended upon the stone keep as the series of explosions left the natives howling in pain. Seeing an opening, Ji Tianqing lassoed Li Kuanglan with her whip and dragged her to the wall. There, she grabbed the rope she had prepared beforehand, climbed onto the wall, and started running toward the exterior. Li Kuanglan dragged her back, shouting, Qianyes still inside! He can escape on his own! Ji Tianqing tugged on Li Kuanglan and charged forward, dragging her along in the air. The two then dropped down from the wall and fled. Explosions rang out continuously in the stone keep and only died off after a good while. By the time the gates opened and squads of fully-armed natives charged out from them, the two girls were already nowhere to be found. After running for several kilometers, Li Kuanglan refused to go any further. Ji Tianqing didnt force her, either, and opted to take a break. She didnt remain idle, thoughshe started carving wood to build a circle of traps, and then both of them found places to hide. However, the natives never caught up. The two girls were outstanding in both running and concealment. After putting a certain distance between them, they managed to throw the hunters off completely. Moments later, a beam of golden radiance shot through the air, and Qianye emerged from the light. He glanced down briefly before retracting his wings and jumping down toward the two ladies. Suddenly realizing something, Ji Tianqing shouted, Dont come down! But how could one just stop suddenly in the Great Maelstrom? Startled, Qianye slowed down his descent but still couldnt help landing on the ground. He had just touched down when the soil suddenly gave way and numerous wooden spikes shot out, stabbing his legs mercilessly. One of the stakes narrowly missed his nether regions. Qianye was drenched in cold sweat despite his usual fearlessness. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan rushed over and quickly removed the wooden spikes that had nailed into his body. They had no time to feel embarrassed as they checked all of Qianyes injuries, but found only a few red spots. Only then did they heave a sigh of relief. But the two girls reacted quite differentlyJi Tianqing looked thoughtful, while Li Kuanglan was puzzled after she had gotten over the initial panic. Qianye ultimately managed to extricate himself, but he didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He had used Spatial Flash twice during this escape and was utterly exhausted when he happened to fall right into Ji Tianqings trap. Qianyes traps were nothing compared to hers in terms of ruthlessness. Even now, he could still feel a chill from between his legs. Ji Tianqing asked, Did you get anything? Nodding Qianye stretched his hand out, holding two white fruits. There were seven or eight of them on the tree last time, but they mustve been alarmed by the theft. Theyve plucked all the ripe ones, leaving only these two. Ji Tianqing received the white fruits and studied them carefully. Not bad, it should be barely enough. Well get through another night at least. Qianye nodded. Did you notice anything? Ji Tianqing pointed in a certain direction. Weve run a great distance, and the gravity has been shifting along the way. If I sensed right, the gravity is weaker in that direction and thats where the first fortress was. What do you think? Qianye said, Same. Li Kaunglan asked, Then, should we go back or move on? Ji Tianqing replied, We go back, of course! We cant get through the frigid night without those fruits. That was reasonable. The natives treasured the white fruits even more than their lives. At the moment at least, it would seem the white fruit was an extremely rare resource. They would have to move back toward the spatial passage while they had enough stock, or get to a safer area at least. Of course, we should also collect natural resources along the way. Who knows if well find something miraculous? Qianye said after a while, Dont you guys feel that the white fruit and wine might be extremely rare treasures? How so? Ji Tianqing became spirited. The white fruits do produce some medical effects after we eat them, and theyre constantly reforming our bodies during the day time, making our muscles stronger. Most importantly, our vitality is also increasing, Qianye explained in detail. Increased vitality? That means Li Kuanglan was stunned. Ji Tianqing nodded. Correct, our lives are being extended. This white fruit is none other than divine longevity medicine. Although I dont know how efficacious they are, the quality cant be too bad. It shouldnt be a problem for each fruit to give us a decade. Li Kuanglan said, The Longevity Monarch will probably cough up his entire fortune if we can bring one out. Longevity Monarch was at the end of his life, and that was something many people knew. He had long since stopped fighting and remained indoors most of the time, doing his utmost to extend his life. The amount of resources required to do so was also increasing exponentially. Although the Longevity Monarch remained one of the strongest human experts currently, Zhang Boqian had overtaken him for the most part. The marshal was at the height of his prime and never slowed down after stepping into the heavenly monarch realm. In fact, he progressed faster and faster, and was following closely in the Pointer Monarchs footsteps. Every heavenly monarch was an irreplaceable tactical power for the empire, even one with one foot in the grave. The Longevity Monarch didnt have to do anything except remain at the imperial capital. During these years, he had taken every longevity medicine he could find, and none of them were effective anymore. The white fruit would be a priceless treasure for him, even if it could only extend his life by three years. Now, Li Kuanglan felt as though she had wasted a valuable natural resource. Ji Tianqings expression was also filled with regret. They were both young, so these increased years didnt feel all that special to them. All they could think of were the things they could get out of the Longevity Monarch. Li Kuanglan could even demand her freedom as one of the conditions. Who would dare to force her into a marriage with the Longevity Monarch endorsing her? And those who could suppress the Longevity Monarch had no interest in her marriage. As for what Ji Tianqing really wanted, no one really knew. It was just that one could tell from her expression that it could be bartered for with this fruit. After a good while of silence, the two ladies sighed in resignation. They exchanged glances, but then looked away at the same time. Qianye broke the silence. If the white fruit can extend ones life, then the wine we got must have similar effects. Ji Tianqing collected her thoughts. The wine can extend vitality, but the effects arent that obvious. Judging from the effects, its possible that they suppressed the longevity effects and channeled everything toward reproductive instincts. This wine is probably necessary for the four-armed natives to produce offspring. Perhaps they can only get pregnant after drinking the wine. Qianye was somewhat disappointed. This meant that the wine wasnt really that valuable, but even a small amount of extra lifespan was still hard to come by. Ji Tianqing suddenly said, I know what we should do with the wine! What should we do with them? Qianye and Li Kuanglan were both puzzled. Sell them to the demonkin! Ji Tianqings words surprised everyone. Chapter 1007: Long-Term vs Presen t Qianye and Li Kuanglan figured things out immediately. Reproduction might not be a problem for humans, but it was a major issue for the dark races. The stronger their bloodline powers were, the more difficult it was for them to procreate. Even experts at the level of princes and dukes couldnt be certain that they could produce children with powerful bloodlines. In fact, it was a common occurrence for the offspring to have inferior bloodlines compared to their parents. That was the most distressing problem for the dark race experts. Among the four major dark races, the demonkin were known to have the most difficulty in reproduction. One could easily imagine how crazy they would go once such a wine entered the market. However, Qianye had reservations regarding this. But wont we be making them stronger? This isnt too good for the empire, is it? Ji Tianqing replied, You have no idea how crazy those demonkin families are about offspring. If were willing to sell, no price is off the table. Demanding demonic steel and restricting their strategic resources is also one way we could go about this. Rearing children takes more than a couple of years. Itll be dozens or even hundreds of years before a newer dark race generation rises to power. Well win the present advantage in the meantime. These words were reasonable. It was just that they might be rearing a proverbial tiger in the long run. Ji Tianqing knew what Qianye was thinking. What are you so afraid of? If they give birth to more demonkin, we just need to kill a couple more to make up. What, do you have so little confidence in yourself? In us? Qianye was thinking about his showdown with the Demoness over the city of Indomitable. He could still remember the instinctive trembling from that daythat was a living creatures innate fear of destruction. It was just that he had suppressed his fears and never looked back. He wouldve never thought so many things would happen thereafter, and his life trajectory would change so much. The ancient demonkin race had accumulated countless secrets throughout the myriad years, difficult procreation being their only limitation. The key to unlocking this restraint lay in the Great Maelstrom. What if the demonkin were to get their hands on this key? No, we cant sell to the demonkin! Qianye said firmly. The vampires then. The arachne and werewolves can give birth just fine, we wont get a good price. Ji Tianqing was busy with her calculations. It doesnt matter which race we sell them to, it will only help them produce stronger descendants. How many of those descendants can catch up to their parents? If youre really worried about the empire, then come back. With you around, we will have no fear even if every duke were to produce an extra descendant. Ji Tianqing sounded like she was joking, but from a certain perspective, that was the truth. Qianyes current combat strength was now shoulder to shoulder with the strongest experts of the younger generation from both factions. Young genius was no longer sufficient to describe his current status. He was already capable of shouldering great responsibilities wherever he was posted. If he were to go all out, even a newly ascended divine champion would face the risk of falling to his blade. If Qianye was willing to return, the Empire would gain a core fighting power. It wasnt impossible for him to found his own clan in the future. Thought of the Empire would invoke memories of Nighteye inside the dungeon. There were no words to describe that agonyit was a pain that made him give up his family and brethren, one that made him escape to the neutral lands with Nighteye. Since the moment of his departure, Qianye had no intention of going back. He was willing to fight abreast of his brethren from the past, willing to fight alongside confidants like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing, but he was no longer willing to work for the empire, nor would he accept any command from the military. In truth, it was only out of consideration for Song Zining that he hadnt uprooted the Imperial military in the neutral lands. Hence, Qianye only remained silent in the face of Ji Tianqings suggestion. Li Kuanglan cut in at this point. Your vampire side is not a problem, its fairly easy to change your identity and no one will trouble you regarding this. Qianyes expression turned gloomy. Why must I change my identity? Must I fear the military? Im right here in the neutral lands. If they want to kill me, theyre welcome to send as many people as they want. You can forget about making me disguise myself for them. Realizing that she had said something she shouldnt have, Li Kuanglan looked away and no longer dared to glance at Qianye. Ji Tianqing dragged the topic back on track. Theres yet another use for the alcohol. Yes, they can greatly increase ones reproductive powers and longevity, but thats not all there is to them. What they actually do is increase ones vital functions all around, thereby improving their powers of procreation and lifespan. That also means that drinking this spirit regularly can help one break through cultivation bottlenecks. Qianye was skeptical. Why didnt I sense anything? He had tasted a small mouthful of the wine, but he didnt really feel any comprehensive upgrade to his body. Ji Tianqing glared at him, saying, A monster like you doesnt need to upgrade his body. Qianye realized the issue here. His body had been reforged by the auric flame blood and reached the level of an ancient vampire. He had also undergone a thorough tempering under the effects of his Venus Dawn, improving his constitution once more. That was the reason he was able to move unhindered in the Great Maelstrom and get through the frigid night alone. This level of physique could no longer be upgraded with the wine. Increasing ones chances of breaking through bottlenecks was also a useful effect, enough to drive the experts stuck at the champion or divine champion threshold crazy. In terms of value, however, it still couldnt hold a candle to the effect of helping the demonkin reproduce. Ji Tianqings eyes shifted about. Qianye, we might not sell, but other people will. There is no way we can stop such items from flowing into demonkin hands. Rather than letting those unscrupulous merchants earn this money, we should claim it ourselves. At the very least, we know where we can benefit. The reason was sound, but Qianye couldnt help but feel that something was off about it. After careful thought, this was sacrificing the long term situation for present benefit. The demonkin would take hundreds of years from childbirth to maturity, and the price they would have to pay at present was a decrease in strategic resources and subsequent weakening of fighting power. The empire, meanwhile, would enjoy increased fighting capacity. This meant that if the empire could grasp this hundred-year window, they might be able to commence a major operation to restrain the demonkins growth. Their situation would turn dire if development was stunted for a century. In the end, Ji Tianqing was confident in herself and the experts of the younger generation, that they would be able to grasp history and rewrite it. Hence, she was willing to seek new resources at any cost and risk. Qianye understood this reasoning, but he didnt approve of the method. It was simply too riskyif the demonkin were to produce another Demoness, there would be a new shift in power across the Evernight faction. Ji Tianqing, however, didnt seem to care. No one knew whether her confidence came from herself or Qianye. Ji Tianqing had no intention of arguing. Lets collect as many resources as we can on the way back, theres no telling how long itll be before we can get here again. Qianye had a feeling that only powerful divine champions would be able to survive the area they were in. He was fairly okay, but the other two would need to wait several years more until they were at the divine champion realm. The spatial passage was abnormally sensitive, and divine champions crossing the passage would trigger a fierce origin tempest. Hence, both the Empire and Evernight would mostly send young geniuses below the divine champion realm into the Great Maelstrom. Perhaps that was why the people who had entered werent strong enough to reach this area and thus never found the white fruit. Qianye suddenly recalled something. All three of us landed close by, but where are the others? Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan exchanged glances, apparently having made some guesses. The former said in a calm voice, Do you think other people will survive if they land close to us? You have a point there. Qianye had seen the group from the aristocratic families and imperial clan. Although he didnt know much about their identities, he did get a good grasp of their ability. These people were a far cry from Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing. They probably wouldnt survive the first night in such a harsh environment. The dead wouldnt even leave an intact corpse in this world. They would become food for the various animals roaming about during the day, bone and all. Their armors and weapons might be sturdy by imperial standards, but even the trees in this world were stronger than warship armor alloy, let alone rocks and native weaponry. Should we bring some native weapons back? Qianye was no weapons expert, but he felt that the metal in this world was different. We wont be able to bring a lot, only as many as we can stuff into our spatial gear. The important factor on our way back is weight and not size. The gravitational pull inside the tunnel will increase by dozens of times. That means, even you wont be able to carry a lot. Li Kuanglan added, Metal, wood, or even random stones here will be a strategic resource back in the empire. Unfortunately, were not strong enough to gather even the rare resources, not to mention the staple ones. Dont you have a map of the Heavenschild Pasture? Youll see once you get there. Its already quite good if we can take away one percent of the produce. Heavenschild Pasture! You have the location of the Heavenschild Pasture? Ji Tianqing was excited. What do you want? Qianye became alert. Of course were going to rob them! Ji Tianqing was completely oblivious to Qianyes expression change. The medicines produced from the Heavenschild Pasture are good stuff. More importantly, some of them can be added to our white-fruit wine to amplify its effects. The Song clan cant bring them out anyway, what if we take some for ourselves? This thats not appropriate is it? Qianye laughed wryly. Theres nothing bad about it. Song Zining gave you that map so that you can go and take what you need. Now, you have two assistants, so you can take a bit more, Li Kuanglan spoke in a righteous manner. Chapter 1008: Resources Everywhere At the mention of the Heavenschild Pasture, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglans eyes started glowing. There was no disguising their greed at this point. The two ladies had formed a united front regarding this matter, overruling Qianyes objections until he could do nothing else but smile wryly. The three paid attention to the surrounding resources while traveling. At first, Qianye had decided to pick up a sample of all the flora along the way, but he soon realized that Andruils space was filling up at an alarming rate. Seeing no other choice, he had to start discarding bulky items that didnt seem very useful, some odd ores and giant fruits for instance. In addition to necessary medicines and emergency supplies, most of the space had been occupied by the white-fruit wine. Qianye couldnt bring himself to discard them after learning of their effects and value. He more or less came to understand the mood of their predecessorsit wasnt a comfortable feeling to see but not take away the treasures scattered across the land. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were feeling the same. The former possessed spatial gear still, but Li Kuanglans was destroyed during the transit. All she could do was put some of the things she most wanted in Qianyes storage. Even after carrying Li Kuanglans stuff, the size of Andruils Mysterious Realm drew sidelong glances from the other two. Even someone of Ji Tianqings ability could only fit two crates worth of items in her storage, more or less a small corner of Andruils space. Qianye knew how valuable the pendant was and naturally didnt dare disclose how many jars of wine he had stored inside of it. If they were to realize the truth, there was no telling how many things they would stuff into his spatial gear. The treasures they saw along the way distressed Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan more and more. All they could do was map down their route for a future revisit. Li Kuanglan cut out a wooden board and started plotting the parts of the Great Maelstrom they were familiar with. Ji Tianqing snatched the board and scribbled as they ran. By the time they stopped for a short break, she had already mapped the entire known area. Ji Tianqing carved the final symbols before passing the board back to the other two. Once we find the way back, we should visit a couple of important places in addition to the Heavenschild Pasture. Ive marked them on the map, take a look. Li Kuanglan pointed at one of the markings. This is the Constellation Well, an environment similar to the spatial passage that contains the eye of the void storm. Casting the Storm Pearl in will allow it to absorb void energy, which would then fuse with the owners origin power and ultimately form an origin crystal. At this point, Li Kuanglan glanced at Ji Tianqing. Such a big marking on the map, just how many pearls did you bring? Ji Tianqing chuckled. Take a guess. Two, at most three, Li Kuanglan said with certainty. The Storm Pearl was produced by the Li family, so she couldnt be clearer about its production rate. Who wouldve thought Ji Tianqing would break into a laugh. My name would be smeared if I had that little. Let it be, I wont make things difficult for you. I have nine! Nine! Both Li Kuanglan and Qianye were astonished. Back then, he had to risk his life many times for the Li family, beating up Eden until he was almost starting to doubt his demonic life. All that work gained him only one Storm Pearl, but now, Ji Tianqing had nine of them!? Yes, nine indeed. When we get to the Constellation Well, each of us can use three to have some fun. Lets see who produces the most powerful origin crystal. Li Kuanglan said, From what I know, less than ten Storm Pearls were produced in recent years. How could you have gotten nine? Some are mine, some are from my family. Others I traded, stole, or borrowed. What, do you have a problem? Li Kuanglans face was wooden. No. Ji Tianqing said with a relaxed expression. Itll be funny if some people cant produce even three origin crystals when the time comes. Li Kaunglan was furious. Who are you referring to? Ji Tianqing blinked innocently. The one with the biggest boobs, of course. Li Kuanglan was stunned and her face was flushed red. She gnashed her teeth in anger, but there was nothing she could do. She subconsciously shot Qianye a glance and calmed down only after seeing that he was entirely unperturbed. Qianye asked, Is there anything we need to pay attention to? Ji Tianqing only smiled in response. Li Kaunglan glared at her briefly before turning toward Qianye to explain, We need to head deep into the Constellation Well in order to form an origin crystal. Once inside, we must contend against the origin tempests and, at the same time, activate our origin power to guide the stormy clouds into the pearl. There are numerous kinds of vital origin powers in the depths of the well. At a glance, they look like dense smokey clouds, and that is what were trying to absorb. Thats why our ancestors named the treasure, Storm Pearl. The deeper inside the well, the more vital origin power the Storm Pearl can absorb. At the same time, however, it will also drain more origin power from the owner. The resultant origin crystal is highly variable as it is decided by the integration between the owners origin power and that of the well. No two crystals are alike. Qianye had formed an understanding at this point. That means well need to expend large amounts of origin power while producing the origin crystal. We might also fail without sufficient origin power. Li Kuanglan nodded. With our cultivations, it wont be too difficult to produce two origin crystals if were not greedy. For the third, however, we might have to go all out. Qianye understood why Ji Tianqing was teasing Li Kuanglan just now. It would seem three origin crystals was the limit for experts of their level. Qianye couldnt be discussed on equal grounds as his origin power capacity had transcended common sense. Ji Tianqing boasted deep foundations, as well as numerous secret arts and treasures. Who knew how many things she had that could restore her origin power. Only Li Kuanglan had suffered injuries inside the passageher spatial gear was damaged, and her divine sword was nowhere to be found. Apart from her beauty and good-looking figure, there was no other advantage to speak of. But what else would she need? Qianye thought all of a sudden. Noticing the slight turbulence in his heart, Qianye quickly looked up to see that it was noonno wonder his mind would stray. Li Kuanglan pointed at a different marker, saying, Theres a giant tree here, the fruits of which can increase ones vitality and help with cultivation bottlenecks, we call it the World Tree. However, there are hordes of vile beasts around the tree throughout the year. We have to launch a sudden raid and escape after snatching a couple of fruits. Otherwise, even divine champions might fall if surrounded by a beast horde. As for this place Li Kuanglan tossed the wooden board to Ji Tianqing. You explain! Ji Tianqing caught the map with a chuckle. Ive seen and touched every part of you, what are you being embarrassed about? Li Kuanglan was furious. When did that ever happen!? Well, you cant deny that youve been groped all over. Thats not groping! Is there a difference? Of course right? Li Kuanglan lost her momentum. Ji Tianqing also knew when to stop teasing. Let it be, Ill let you off this once. Remember not to provoke me in the future! Li Kaunglan was both embarrassed and angry, but she didnt dare to act up. Ji Tianqing pointed at one of the markers, saying, This place is called Pond of Life. The name sounds good, but that place is no different from the daytime effects here. Those who approach the pond will lose control of their primal desires and start doing things! The weirdest thing about that place is that willpower is the key to suppressing ones desires, not cultivation. Many famous experts have suffered in this place. Its not serious enough to take your life, but the embarrassment is real. Those people will slowly sink into depravity even after returning to the empire. At this point, Ji Tianqing shot Li Kuanglan a meaningful glance. Im sure Qianye will have no problem passing a test of willpower, but a certain big-chested fellow will definitely be in trouble! Qianye, remember to save her if she cant handle things. Qianye was tongue-tied. How was he supposed to save her? Li Kuanglan blushed in fury and embarrassment, but there was no way she could retort. She endured the situation for a good while before saying, Ive been having some issues for the past couple of days, but dont worry, I should be fine by the time we get to the Pond of Life. Really? Thats not a good thing. Ji Tianqing seemed to have other implications. Only after seeing Li Kuanglan staring daggers at her did she restrain herself. The Pond of Life is actually quite dangerous, and the fish in there are highly venomous. Many experts will suffer environmental limitations under the water. They might get bitten in their distraction, even if they dont end up doing embarrassing things. Qianye felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this. His dark golden energy was a peerless toxin to all lifeforms, so all types of poison would be eight parts nullified against him. Such an environment was lethal to both the dark races and humans. Only the arachne would have it a bit easier. What is there in the Pond of Life that so many people would be willing to take this risk? Actually, the pond is as big as a lake or a sea, and no one has really reached its depths before. But theres a treasure that grows not far off from the shore, something coveted by every generation of imperial experts. What would that be? The Marine Lotus. Qianye was shaken as he recalled the name he had seen in the neutral lands booklet, back during the early days of his arrival. The Marine Lotus was a divine medicine for repairing the soul and would have miraculous effects on Nighteye. It was just that he had no idea if she still needed it. They had rested for a good while by this point, so Qianye got up and said, Lets go. Li Kuanglan hesitated momentarily, but she eventually clenched her jaws and followed the other two. Way behind the trio, Anwen and Bai Kongzhao were standing atop a tree, gazing at the massive stone keep. Anwen looked left and right but didnt dare take action. In the end, he sighed. Such a fat piece of meat, but its too big for us to devour. Chapter 1009: Life-stealing Hands Why not? The girl was puzzled. Anwen replied, Its clear that this place has been attacked recently, and its the best opportunity for us to step in. Unfortunately, the natives inside are too many and too strong. I fear we wont be able to escape after going in. I really have no idea who attacked them. I think they mightve become food for the natives if theyre from the Empire. Bai Kongzhao made no reply. Keeping her gaze locked onto a group of natives who had just left the stone keep, she jumped down, lowered herself to the ground, and followed them like a cat. Anwen didnt call her back and could only follow along helplessly, lest she starts a fight alone. The young girl approached the group in complete silence and then suddenly pounced onto the last native warrior. Anwen hadnt expected her to attack so barbarically. Startled, he fell into a combat stance and got ready to help. However, the warrior collapsed to the ground, unable to move or offer even the slightest bit of resistance. Only the sound of rustling clothes could be heard during the entire process. There wasnt even any vibration, and the warriors in front never noticed what had happened. Once the first warrior had fallen, the girl leaped toward the one in front who, just like before, immediately fell limp and collapsed. The girl pounced on one native after the other like a hunting leopard, felling eight of them in the blink of an eye. Anwen was promptly startled. The two four-armed warriors at the front finally noticed that things were too quiet behind them. They turned back at the same time, but one of them wasnt able to react before the young girl hugged his head. The four-armed native also collapsed like the others before him, but he still had the power to swing his arms and legs before going down. The girl clung tightly to his head and refused to let go no matter what. The strange thing was that no matter how hard the four-armed warrior punched or kicked, he couldnt hit the girl very often. The other four-armed warrior drew her sword and cried out loudly. She was just about to attack when a red light flickered past, and her head flew into the air. The four-armed womans head saw Anwen during her last moments, and her eyes actually lit up as she sprayed out a cloud of white mist. Anwen was shocked out of his wits. He had never imagined that a severed head would attack like so. He knew how powerful the white mist washe spun his sword once more and swept the mist away with another beam of sword radiance. Only after that did Anwen breathe a sigh of relief and pointed his two-meter sword diagonally toward the ground, adopting a matchless posture. However, he immediately noticed something differentthe long sword in his hand had vanished, replaced by the slender blade the little girl had given him. Anwen was tall and handsome, but that toothpick of a sword made him look somewhat effeminate. At this moment, the young girl clambered up from the body of the fallen four-armed warrior. The victim seemed to have no injuries, but his eyes were now vacant, and his limbs were still moving about instinctively. Anwen could see that this four-armed native was already dead. It was just that his vitality was so strong that his body still had the power to move despite the lack of consciousness. The girl glanced at the body of the four-armed woman and said to Anwen, Thanks. The demonkin was surprised by the girls gesture. Whats there to thank? Were friends, and friends should help one another. Friends? The young girl shook her head. Many people have called themselves a friend, but they would always try to stab me from behind. Im different from them! How so? Anwen couldnt reply for a good while. At first, he wanted to say that a demonkin young lord would always keep his word, that there was no way he would do anything like that. Besides, there weren''t a lot of people in this world worth his friendship. He would naturally cherish those he did commit to because there was no way those who had gained his recognition would fall short. This long string of reasoning was so detailed that it would take half a day to explain. It was just that the puzzled little girl had no concept of hierarchy or his status as the demonkin young lord. She had actually run over to the passage entrance to suggest that they kill their way in, completely oblivious to the fact that the entrance was being guarded by the Eternal Flame or that the demonkin were the commanders of the garrison. In her eyes, all she knew was that there was a great fortune on the other end of the tunnel, something she had to go and obtain. She had only suggested they fight their way in because she was willing to share it with Anwen. This sounded funny, but Anwen was extremely moved. This meant that her acknowledgment of him had nothing to do with his status. Anwen had no shortage of followers at his side throughout the years and could no longer tell if they were there for him or for his status. He didnt care much about that before this. No matter what their motives were, it was fine as long as they were willing to work for him and promise a certain degree of loyalty. It could be said that she was the first person who was completely ignorant of his identity. That was why Anwen didnt explain everything; he wanted to maintain this simple relationship. He had a selfish hope that the girl would never realize what being a demonkin young lord entailed. But he had no way to reply to the girls question without going into these things. The demonkin thought about it for a good while before saying, Anyway, Im different from the people youve known in the past. Really? Of course. Anwen looked upward with a somewhat guilty expression and never noticed that the girl was somewhat lost in thought, as though she were thinking about someone. He put away the slender sword and began inspecting the native corpses. He was curious as to how the girl had killed them. There were small, round holes on top and at the back of the four-armed natives head, lethal wounds apparently. Anwen produced his dagger and cut open the natives body layer by layer. On one hand, he wanted to observe the internal structure of the four-armed natives and find out their vital points. While on the other, he wanted to see what method the girl had used to kill them. The girl moved closer to him and watched in silence. Anwens hands moved nimblythe dagger danced like a flying sprite as it dissected numerous muscle layers and revealed the secrets inside. The more Anwen observed, the more astonished he became. The holes the girl had left on the natives head and neck punched right through to the bone, and the ones behind the neck extended directly through the spine. The cervical spines of the four-armed warriors were different from the demonkin in that they were covered in small bony spikes. Some of them were poking out of the skin, while others remained buried in the flesh. These bony spikes were apparently there to protect the vertebra. The holes left behind by the little girl happened to pass right between two spikes to strike the spinal nerves. Anwen knocked on the spine with his dagger and noticed a metallic reverberation. He swung the blade with force, but just as expected, he was only able to leave a gash the depth of a finger. He was far from able to slash through that bowl-sized spine. The sturdiness of the four-armed peoples skeletons was indeed shocking, so much so that they were even a bit stronger than demonic steel. After checking on the spine, Anwen suddenly noticed that there were small punctures on the ends of some bony spines. Getting a sudden idea, he channeled his demonic power and cut one of the longer spines off. As expected, the interior of the bone was hollow, and there was a drop of white liquid at the very bottom. Anwen tensed up at the sight of this white liquid. That was his bodys instinctive reaction to danger. This drop of white liquid wasnt just poisonousit was a venom that would be lethal even for himself. The demonkin young lord was drenched in cold sweat. If he had been careless enough to touch these natives with his bare hands, he mightve been injured by these malicious bony spikes. The poison within was troublesome even for someone like him. But how did the girl know the layout of these spikes and how did she avoid the danger? Anwen turned back and asked, How did you kill him? What he didnt expect was that the girl would actually stretch her bare hands out at him. Oh, I see. Anwen continued to inspect the corpse, unwilling to associate those fair, tender hands with killer weapons. The holes on the four-armed mans head were similarly bone-deep, and there were visible ring-shaped cracks on the skull bone. Apparently, the girls fingers never managed to punch through, but the damage wasnt small, either. The dispersion of force would produce waves of intense dizziness, stopping any resistance the four-armed warrior would otherwise have mustered. This was probably the reason why the four-armed native was flailing about randomly after falling down. Anwen moved to the corpses of the two-armed natives, all of whom had been killed with a single lethal blow. The girl had directly severed their control over their bodies, allowing her to kill them quietly one after the other. She was only forced to put in some extra effort while killing the four-armed warrior who possessed a different level of vitality and strength. How did this girl know the anatomy and weakness of the four-armed natives? It was clearly her first time here. Was this her innate gift? There was nothing special on the dead warriors. The girl picked up the four-armed mans cleaver and threw it away after comparing it to her arachne limb blade. Anwen sighed as he glanced at the cleaver. The weapons quality really wasnt that bad, probably on par with a grade seven weapon outside of the Great Maelstrom. And that was only the weapon of an ordinary four-armed warrior. The entire area was filled with treasuresthe timber from any random tree here could serve as the core structural material for a warship. It was just that their spatial equipment had a space limit to them. Not to mention stones and trees, they couldnt even bring a lot of the valuable white wine. In addition to the long sword, Anwen had protective secret treasures and demonic medicines inside this storage. There was really no more space after putting the four jars of wine inside. After clearing out the natives, the young girl glanced toward the stone keep. Anwen said in shock, We cant handle that! Theres something good in there. I know, but we have no choice, there are too many enemies. Kill them little by little. Thats too dangerous, especially the white mist from the four-armed women. Itll be extremely troublesome once we get caught. The young girl replied, Im not afraid. Anwen laughed wryly. But I am! Chapter 1010: Calm Face-to-Face Soon, it was once again the frigid night. Qianye was already well-experienced at this point. He quickly picked a temporary place to camp and started laying a circle of traps around it. By the time he was back, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were already preparing dinner. The few wild beasts he had hunted during the day was enough to fill Qianye to the brim. He didnt need to eat anything more at this point, but he did pick up some food out of consideration for the ladies hard work. Li Kuanglan spoke out of the blue, Im sorry. Puzzled, Qianye looked up with a big piece of meat in his mouth. Li Kuanglan inhaled deeply and then waved her hand in front of his face. Im sorry. Qianyes adams apple moved slightlythe piece of meat felt stuck in his throat, unable to go down or up. He pointed at himself, saying, Me? Yes. You did nothing wrong, why are you saying sorry? Qianye suddenly became cautious and started looking left and right. Oh wait, are you planning on doing something? Li Kuanglan clenched her jaws and sent a piece of meat flying toward Qianye. Youre courting death! Qianye caught the incoming food with his mouth. Now thats more like you. Li Kuanglan collected her thoughts and said, I havent been performing well since I entered the Great Maelstrom, and many times Ive been a burden to you guys. With so many things happening and the Cold Moons Embrace gone, my mind is in disarray. Qianye glanced over at Ji Tianqing, who shrugged as though it had nothing to do with her. Not knowing how to placate Li Kuanglan, Qianye could only listen in silence. Fortunately, this meant that she had cleared out a knot in her heart and that was a good thing. Li Kuanglan hugged her knees for a good while. You were just an inexperienced young fellow back when I first met you. Apart from fighting with your life on the line, you were just lucky most of the time. Mmm but you werent a bad person and thats what matters most. Later on, you became stronger and stronger, but you were still a ways off from catching up to me. I was quite surprised, though, that Zhao Fourth would step up to cancel our appointed duel. Everyone knew how singular and proud he was. It could be said that no one apart from Zhao Ruoxi could enter his eyes, including me. Ji Tianqing snorted disapprovingly. Li Kuanglan chuckled. You merely rose to power earlier. You might not be his match if you fight him now. He merely fooled around on the battlefield for a few years. You know full well what kind of battlefield hes been on, and yet hes managed to stay alive through all that. Theres no way you can beat him without a cultivation-level advantage. Cultivation Ji Tianqing couldnt quite continue. Zhao Jundus progress in cultivation was one of the fastest in the world. Qianye was perhaps the only one who could keep up with his brother, with Song Zining trailing slightly behind. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were both one level inferior. The most terrifying fact was that Zhao Jundu was never known for having an unstable foundation. Everyone knew that the war between the two factions was the best furnace to forge steel. It was just that ones life was forfeit after stepping into battlecountless heroes had fallen along the way. Every peak experts hands were stained with the blood of countless enemy geniuses. Hence, the clans of the Empire formed an unspoken rule that descendants with potential would only be let onto the battlefield after becoming champions. Even then, they would carefully pick the battlefields to avoid needless casualties. Only some true geniuses would join the war to train themselves at an earlier stage, but they would still avoid fighting enemies they couldnt defeat. Ji Tianqing stopped interrupting and allowed Li Kuanglan to continue. Qianye, every time I meet you, you would be a bit stronger than before. Theres a difference even during this short period in the neutral lands. I think I was just unwilling to admit that I can no longer win against you here. Whats this fuss about. Just beat him up and see if he dares to fight back. If he doesnt listen, Ill help you beat him up. Ji Tianqing was there to fan the flames. Li Kuanglan ignored her completely. She looked straight at Qianye and said, Actually, Ive always been thinking about what I would do in the future without my sword. Ive been panicking for the past few days because I know the blade is likely lost. Even if we can find a similar weapon after leaving the Great Maelstrom, it wouldnt be as easy to use as the Cold Moons Embrace. Qianye nodded. The Cold Moons Embrace was a perfect match for her, a weapon that would increase her power exponentially. Without her sword, Li Kuanglans combat strength would drop an entire level below Qianye and Ji Tianqing. She looked up at the night sky, saying, This sword used to be my sisters, but she stopped using it at one point. At first, I thought she had passed it to me because she no longer needed to fight after entering the palace. After obtaining the sword and gaining some achievements, I thought I had already surpassed my sister in swordsmanship. But only after losing the Cold Moons Embrace did I slowly realize her mood when she renounced her blade and gave it to me. My sisters swordsmanship was never stagnant. Ji Tianqing cut in at this point. Please dont tell me that the sword lives in the heart, that the tangible and intangible are both valid paths. Too cliche! Li Kuanglan chuckled. The sword already lives in my heart, theres no need for further discussion. After thinking it through, I should just use whatever is available to me, but of course, its best if I can get a good sword. I wont say no if youre going to give me one! Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes. Fat chance! You think money can buy a sword on par with the Cold Moons Embrace? Id switch to swordplay if I had one, why would I give it to you? Humph, you even lost Cold Moons Embrace. Whod dare to take a loser like you? Li Kuanglan snorted. Stingy! You cant even part with a sword. I feel embarrassed for your grandpa. Ji Tianqing had had enough. Is that an ordinary sword were talking about? How many swords like Cold Moons Embrace are there in the entire empire? I only touched you a bit and slept with you for two nights, the price shouldnt be that high, should it? Naturally, I might consider it if youre willing to give yourself to me up until the next life. I could just grab a random old sword for you to swing around. Li Kuanglan gnashed her teeth. Youre courting death! Come kill me if you can! Ji Tianqing provoked. How could Li Kuanglan endure this? She pounced over immediately but was knocked back from the impact and pinned to the ground. Li Kuanglans forte was her speednow that she was clashing head-on against Ji Tianqing, it wasnt surprising that she would lose. You, a sword? Easy, go and ask the person who has seen and touched you all over! With me around, you dont need to worry about him not taking responsibility. Our long-legged and big-busted lady cant be inferior to anyone else. Qianye was hiding on the sidelines and eating his meat when he started choking. Yet, there were only three people here, so how could he escape? Qianye, stop hiding. Im talking about you! Bring out your sword for Kuanglan. Qianye laughed wryly. I only have East Peak and she cant use it. Just take it out. Even if she cant use it, itll serve for good decoration. Ji Tianqing stretched her hand out, so Qianye had no choice but to pass her his sword. Ji Tianqing grunted softly as the sword landed in her grasp. Her expression changed several times as the swords weight far exceeded her expectations. It would be an embarrassment if she were to drop it. She was actually channeling a different secret art each time her countenance transformed. Her power increased exponentially after activating numerous arts, allowing her to just barely stabilize East Peak. Despite that, her hand was trembling slightlyshe was at her limits. She spun her wrist around and thrust East Peak into the ground beside Li Kuanglan. This sword isnt bad at all. As I see it, its quite enough to trade for you. Now that he has agreed to exchange the sword for you, youll be his for the rest of your life. Qianye was shocked out of his wits. Tianqing, dont joke about this. Ji Tianqing chuckled and then retreated to the side. Not fun at all. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that the girl had given up on the mischief. Her words were a mixture of truths and lies, truly a headache. The commotion brought them fairly deep into the night. Qianye was feeling quite relaxed against the frigid night. The gravity on them was much lighter now, probably less than ten times that of normal. The intensity of the frigid night would also decrease accordingly. It was just a small relief to his burden, but his endurance would increase severalfold because of it. Meanwhile, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were also getting stronger with the repeated use of the white fruit. Although Qianye couldnt help both of them at the same time, he could easily help one of themit was no longer as risky and dangerous as before. At this point, it was time to decide how they would pass the night. Ji Tianqing produced a jar of wine and made known her intentions. Qianye frowned in objection. Although Ji Tianqing seemed fine on the surface, his intuition told him that wasnt the case. Tianqing, we still have white fruits, theres no need to save them. No, I have uses for them. Ji Tianqing wasnt willing. Qianye wanted to dissuade her again, but she had already removed the seal and started drinking. Helpless, Qianye turned to Li Kuanglan. Just take the white fruit tonight, it can only be beneficial. Li Kuanglan didnt reply. Instead, she stood in front of Qianye and removed every piece of her armor. Then, she faced him naturally without any sign of embarrassment. Although he had already seen her from head to toe, Qianye was still shocked. The nights before, he had no choice, but things were different right now. Embrace me, Li Kuanglan said calmly. Chapter 1011: When Did She Ever Leave? Although what they were about to do was the same as the days before, Qianye was flustered in the face of Ji Tianqings attention and Li Kuanglans calm demeanor. He had no idea what would happen next. This time, Li Kuanglan didnt have her back toward him. Instead, they were embracing one another face to face. Tensing up, Qianye patted her back lightly. You dont need to hold on so tightly, I can deal with it even if were slightly apart. Youll have an easier time this way. Its a rare chance to be able to cultivate in the Great Maelstrom, any extra cultivation time is good. Qianye didnt quite understand. Ji Tianqing moved over with a chuckle and said, Weve discussed this just now. According to our family records, the Great Maelstrom only offers a slight boost to cultivation. Its almost negligible. The region were in, however, is able to increase our cultivation speed exponentially, and it also produces treasures like the white fruit wine that can help with bottlenecks. Hence, this place is the real holy ground for cultivation. Unfortunately, were not strong enough to remain here for prolonged periods, but even an hour is helpful toward breaking into the divine champion realm. At this point, Ji Tianqing blinked a couple of times and said meaningfully, So, dont miss this opportunity! Before finishing the sentence, she reached out and slapped Li Kuanglan on the butt. Startled, the latter gnashed her teeth and grabbed at Ji Tianqing, who promptly lowered her head and circled around to Qianyes back. Qianye was the one to suffer from the playfulness of the two ladies. His blood flow began to accelerate, and his blood core erupted with unprecedented force. Every beat of it was like the sound of a primordial drum, its majestic reverberation constantly assailing the girls hearts and will. His ancient vampire blood began to surge and boil. This distant but colossal will was almost indefensible! In the blink of an eye, Qianyes body began to react uncontrollably, and even the cruelty of the frigid night couldnt stop the reproductive desire of his vampire bloodline. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were extremely sharp in their senses. Not even the flow of Qianyes hair could escape their eyes, let alone such a big change. They were both startleda blushing Li Kuanglan froze up and slowly started edging away from Qianye. She was in an awkward position and ran the risk of losing her innocence if Qianye were to move suddenly. Ji Tianqing suddenly grabbed Qianyes shoulder from behind and pushed him forward! Li Kuanglan shrunk back with a startled cry, narrowly escaping the calamity. The change caught him completely off-guard, and he nearly made a mistake under Ji Tianqings manipulation. The powerful sensation from the collision of private parts almost caused his determination to collapse. Qianye turned back and roared, Tianqing, what are you doing? Unexpectedly, the moment he turned back, Ji Tianqing moved closer to his face until their noses were almost touching. Qianye was never able to finish his words before his lips were sealed by hers. He wanted to cry out, what are you trying to do? but how could he make a sound? Ji Tianqings tongue parted his lips and pushed in. Her tongue was soft and smooth, but it was also extremely powerful. The somewhat flustered Qianye simply couldnt resist her. He couldnt help but wonder if she had trained in some sort of secret tongue arthow else could she possess such terrifying power? It almost felt as though he would lose his teeth if he were to struggle forcibly. Qianyes head was clear enough to know that he couldnt just bite down on her or things would turn murderous. It was just that Qianye was left defenseless and could only allow the attacking enemy inside. Before he could extricate himself, a rolling wave of liquid surged out from her mouth and down Qianyes throat. Qianye trembled upon sensing the taste and cried out secretly in distress. It was the white fruit wine! In the blink of an eye, Ji Tianqing had poured an entire jar of the wine into Qianyes stomach. Only afterward did she release her grip and said with a complicated expression, Sorry. Things happened so fast that Qianye never had the time to react. He hadnt managed to figure out what was going on before Ji Tianqing snapped her fingers. This sound seemed to have flipped a mysterious switch, whereupon a plume of raging flames surged up from Qianyes abdomen. It wasnt just the white-fruit wine from just now. The effects of the wine she had ingested the day before also erupted from concealment. Every muscle in his body was aboil with vitality, his ancient vampire bloodline roaring in jubilation as it resonated with the River of Blood. The next moment, Qinayes reasoning completely fell apart. In his last shred of sanity, before his will had crumbled entirely, he asked, Wh why? Qianye never realized why this came to be. They had clearly walked out of the core areaboth the frigid night and gravity were no longer as strong. Although they would still need external help, it no longer felt as though lasting the night was a new lease on life. In two days at most, perhaps even one, the three of them would reach a region they could adapt to. At that point, Ji Tianqing would be able to get through the night alone, and Li Kuanglan would only need a little bit of help around midnight. She wouldnt even need to take off her clothes or experience embarrassing situations. Three days later, the trio would likely have reached the borders of the empire-explored territory. The main theme would then become the collection of resources and defending the camps against Evernight aggression. This was the world and tempo they were familiar with. With the three of them working together, neither the Empire nor Evernight would be their match. The dark times were clearly about to end and dawn was right before their eyes, so much so that they could already see a line of red far over the horizon. Why would Ji Tianqing do this? Qianye simply couldnt understand. He would think about this matter from time to timehe was a half-vampire whose foundation in the empire had been broken, and it could even be said that he was no longer related to the Zhao clan. Back then, his battle for Nighteye had shocked the entire Empire. There was no way people like Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing would not know. The first time Li Kuanglan had offered herself was still reasonable because neither of them could see a way out, and there was no telling how long they could last. Since dying was out of the question, she was simply making a choice to do the inevitable in a clear state of mind. After meeting up with Ji Tianqing, Qianye had never paid attention to the teasing between the two girls. He never felt that he was outstanding enough to make girls of such high status fall in love with him. The only reason he could think of was that he was a barely-acceptable candidate whom they could bear if the other option was death. That was what he had thought. But now, things were clearly different. Qianye simply couldnt understand what Ji Tianqing was thinking when she poured the white-fruit wine into him. Didnt this mean both girls would be in danger? During the last moments of his sanity, Qianye thought about Song Zining. He was perhaps the only one who would understand these ladies. The night was long, wild, and restless. Qianye was like a fish in the desert, struggling to find a puddle of water. He suddenly thought of something in his dazethe scene before him was his home in Blackflow City. He rubbed his eyes hard, but there was no mistaking that serene little courtyard. A large continent was moving slowly through the skies, casting a massive shadow that soon devoured the light from the entire city. This was Evernight; this was Blackflow. Qianye pushed the door open to find Nighteye at the stone table, simply dressed and holding the Comprehensive History of the Empire in her hand. She was well over halfway through the book. Nighteye!? Nighteye looked up with an inexplicable smile. How come youre back so early? Nothing up with Dark Flame today? Im not so hungry yet, how far have you gotten with the reading? I just finished the resurgence of the Empire. That got me thinking... if the Martial Ancestor is so powerful, why was he so short-lived? And is the Combatant Formula he improved the one youre training in? Let it be, its better not to think of these things. Ill prepare dinner, what do you want to eat? You! Nighteye was startled as Qianye picked her up and pressed her down on the table. She struggled while whispering, What are you doing? Not here, well be seen. Why why are you so urgent? Havent we been doing it these days? Qianye was puzzled. What? I dont remember! Nighteyes clothes had been half ripped open at this point. Qianye could no longer hold back his desireshe swept away that thick history book along with the other items on the table and pinned her down. He laid her down on the table in a fluster and wanted to enter. Nighteye was both angry and amused. She bit down on Qianyes shoulder, saying, You look like you havent touched a woman in several years. Cant you wait a while? Yes, its been several years. I cant wait! Qianye kissed her. At this moment, all thoughts transformed into a primitive deluge, just waiting to erupt, explode, and destroy. Nighteye sighed softly as she adjusted her posture, making it easier for Qianye to enter. Otherwise, this clumsy and impatient fellow would take forever to get it done. That moment of entry was filled with a long-lost sense of pleasure and an inexplicable sense of sadness. He felt that Nighteye had finally returned to his side. Qianye held her tightly, afraid that she would leave, disappear, and turn into a different person if he were to let go. The pleasure of the flesh was both intense and new, almost different from what he remembered. But this minute difference was difficult to appreciate or discern in the chaos of the moment. Qianye only felt his physical desires waning, replaced by intensifying emotions. He didnt want her to leave, for their hearts would grow distant once more. But hadnt she been waiting in this courtyard all along? When did she ever leave? Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 1012: Pipedream Did she ever return? This problem had been haunting Qianye like a lingering spirit. Even in the throes of inexplicable pleasure, the question still remained in his heart. Has she returned? Did she ever leave? Qianye fell into a short lull of calmness after the peak of pleasure, and his thoughts became clearer. The Nighteye in his arms was changing constantly, transforming into people he was familiar with, and then into strangers. She squirmed gently in an attempt to move awayit seemed like she was completely exhausted yet also as though she was beckoning him to continue the battle. She suddenly pushed Qianye away and jumped into the room. It wasnt too strange that she would be fatigued, but she was moving too slowly in his eyes. Additionally, her leaping figure allowed him to see her body from an entirely new angle. This allure was indefensible. Even though her body was also shifting just like her appearance, it couldnt escape the image branded in Qianyes memories. No matter how she changed, it was still Nighteyehe could never forget her. Her flurried escape aroused the bestial nature in Qianyes bloodline. He leaped forward and caught Nighteye in his arms, and then pushed her down once more. No! Stop, let me go, you no dont This time, Nighteyes struggling became more intense. It could even be said that she was struggling with all her might, but it was useless at this pointonly a new round of intense assault awaited her. By the time Qianye slowed down from slight fatigue, Nighteye was already limp and immobile. She had no energy to move, but that didnt mean she had given up on resistance. She reached toward his back and sunk her nails into his back, bringing about yet another round of violent suppression. It would seem that she had changed, but Qianye couldnt quite tell what about her was different. The small courtyard was also changing. At times, it would be his home in Blackflow City, at times, his residence in Southern Blue, and at times, their wooden hut in the neutral lands. They would leave behind traces of intense activity at every scene, every corner. Nighteye had never left, but Qianye felt as though he had lost her for far too long. He wanted to make use of this period together to make up for all the lost time. Finally, she gave up resisting, nor did she have the strength to. The night gradually turned dark, and the entire world was shrouded under the sable curtain. Waves of exhaustion eventually fell over him as he collapsed and fell asleep. The night was exceptionally short, and before long, Qianye was woken by the first rays of dawn. He rubbed his eyes and, shielding himself from the glaring light, started looking around at the surroundings. His vision and consciousness were highly discrepant at this point. The scenery in front of him was vivid, but his reaction was incomparably dull, barely able to make sense of things after a good while. This was an empty piece of land in the forest, a camp apparently. The campfire nearby was already out, and the entire place was in a mess. There were faint claw-marks on a couple of large trees, almost as though something had happened there. Qianye felt his throat on fire and urgently wanted some water to quench his thirst. He searched through Andruils Mysterious Realm, but there was nothing to drink except for the jars of white-fruit wine. The spirits ignited some memorieshe recalled that the wine was extremely valuable, and that he shouldnt drink it without careful thought. Otherwise, something bad would happen. Qianye shook his head in an attempt to drive the unbearable headache away. The waves of pain made it difficult for him to concentrate or think. At this point, his blood core accelerated somewhat and sent beams of auric flame blood to every part of his body. Qianye became more spirited, and the veil shrouding his consciousness quickly fell away. He recalled that this was the Great Maelstrom, and he was in the camp they had set up last night. The night had just transitioned into dawn. Ah! Qianye jumped up in alarm, but he ended up flying over ten meters into the air, passing a circle of treetops to see a small lake in the distance. He hadnt imagined that he would end up jumping so high. Flustered, he was just about to adjust his posture when a wave of fatigue and aching washed over his body. He ultimately crashed back to the ground in a daze. The pain from the fall told him that he was still in a region with increased gravity, roughly eight times that of the empire. That was also what he had rememberedhe had used just enough strength to stand up, but who knew he would end up jumping over ten meters. Qianye lay there for a while before slowly clambering up. He checked the state of his body during this process. There was nothing special about his physical condition, but there was a strange energy flowing within him. It was different from ordinary origin power, but it wasnt void origin power, either. If one had to pinpoint its attribute, the energy was right at the intersection of daybreak and Evernight. Every time his muscles worked, this energy power would participate and amplify the action. This was the reason Qianye had erupted with such power just now. The energy was of unknown origins, but its presence didnt seem like a bad thing. On the other hand, Qianye was aching all over and in a state of extreme fatigue. The soreness after a long period of excitement made his limbs feel like leadevery action was extremely difficult. This kind of fatigue didnt feel like he had been fighting. On the contrary, it felt like he had been engaging in manual labor all night. Qianye glanced about at his surroundings and confirmed that he was still in last nights camp. It was just that the place was in shambles, almost like a battlefield. Qianye had actually fallen asleep from before midnight up until dawn, and had a series of strange, messy dreams. It was quite delightful, however, that Nighteye was in every one of them. Perhaps Im just missing her too much. Qianye thought in self-mockery. There was a more important matter at hand. Now that Qianye had fallen asleep accidentally, how were Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan faring? It was fine if they were willing to eat the white-fruit, but their lives would be in danger if they had insisted on saving them and Qianye wasnt there to help activate their vitality. Qianye believed that there was no need to consider whether or not to ingest the white fruit and wine. Treasures were no use to dead people. Yet, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had a tendency to pursue riches, especially the former. She possessed a determination that would put her life at risk. Qianye got up and began searching for traces of the two girls. His confusion and fuzziness receded as his blood core pulsed quicker, and his senses also grew sharper. In the blink of an eye, Qianye could hear the sound of splashing water and conversation in the distance. Recalling the small pond he had seen a while ago, Qianye started running toward it. Bodies of water in the Great Maelstrom were exceedingly dangerous. However, the pond wasnt big, and it was in a zone with eight times the gravity, so it shouldnt be too dangerous. If the duo was there, they should be fine. Qianye traversed the woods swiftly and came to a halt at its borders. In just a few steps, he would walk out of the forest and arrive near the lake. This forest lake was a couple dozen square meters in area, and its jade-green ripples were so clear that one could see the bottom. The surrounding area was dotted with wildflowers swaying gently in the wind, painting a scene of elegant beauty. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were bathing in the waters. Ladies liked to keep themselves clean. Even if they could cleanse their bodies with secret arts, most of them were more inclined to take baths. Besides, the place was so serene and beautiful, almost like a pond in an immortal realm. To a girl who had been running about and fighting for several days, the allure was simply too great. The pond was small and the waters were so clear that one could see the bottom. Soaking in the waters was really no different from standing naked. Hence, Qianye stopped immediately and moved behind a large tree. Although he had shared much skinship with Li Kuanglan, to the point where she could calmly remove her clothes in front of Qianye, that was due to the circumstances. He wasnt willing to peek at her body under present circumstances. Ji Tianqing was also in the picture. This outgoing and mysterious girl had no intimate relationship with Qianye. In the two nights that they had interacted, she was the one who had seen Qianye from head to toe and never the other way around. Seeing her body under the present circumstances would be completely different from seeing Li Kuanglans. If they werent inside the Great Maelstrom, this enmity would be enough for her to hunt him down for several years. Qianye merely hid behind a treehe didnt hide his presence intentionally, nor did he channel Bloodline Concealment. But it would seem his thief-like hiding didnt quite attract the girls notice. The two kept on washing their bodies while chatting amongst themselves. Youre really washing? I thought youd leave it in for a couple of days! JI Tianqings smile was exceptionally charming. Li Kuanglan snorted, and a wave of cold emerged in air, eliciting a cry from Ji Tianqing. Ill freeze you to death, you little floozy! You got caught up in your own mischief havent you? Ji Tianqing said with a snort, Whos the one who suffered more? I had to sacrifice myself to save you because you looked like you couldnt go on. Otherwise, how can you have the strength left to take a bath? Li Kuanglan spat. Who asked you to save me? Besides, you never had good intentions. You just wanted to laugh at me. Now, are you satisfied? You were too complacent. Tsk, this little bit of benefit cant satisfy me! Of course, I have to take a bit out of this profit. Youre still being stubborn! Why did you not take action on the first day if you wanted a piece? You were clearly incapable, neither able to defeat nor escape as you were eaten up in the end. Yet, you still have the cheek to say these things. So what? I was just going easy on him in the beginning. I let him taste some benefits so that hell do his utmost for me in the future. Besides, I tried my best to resist. So what if I lost in the end? Victory and defeat are common occurrences on the battlefield, a small defeat every now and then is normal. Im not like a certain person who gave up immediately after a token show of resistance. What a farce! Youve lost the Li familys face through and through. Li Kuanglan was furious. Ill freeze you to death! Ji Tianqing cried, So scary, where was that strength last night? Li Kuanglans momentum deflated immediately. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1013: Familial Affection The two played around for a while before Ji Tianqing said, Regardless, you have something to show after going back to your sister. This is a good thing. Li Kuanglan sighed. Is that a good thing? I simply cant tell. Of course it is! Do you think shed still recognize you as her sister if you ignored something she ordered so seriously? Li Kuanglan was silent. Say Tianqing, can this be considered a sacrifice for the family? Of course. But shes my sister. Does she have no familial love for me at all? To her, shes doing it for your own good. My own good? But she never asked if I was willing before using force to pressure me. Ji Tianqing said, Your will is no longer that important. She does have familial love, but it isnt for a single person its for the entire Li family. What she wants is the familys prosperity, and for it to become a major clan after a decade. Whoever blocks this path will be kicked away, even her own sister. Li Kuanglan laughed wryly, Id rather not have such familial love! Is that why you dress like a man and focus only on swordsmanship? Li Kuanglan nodded silently. Ji Tianqing remained silent for a while before saying, I didnt understand before, but grandpa told me once that every clan throughout history had done the same thing... rowing upstream and never stepping back. They couldnt allow their family and clan to gradually fall into decline. The other members of the nobility wouldnt hold back just because you choose to avoid certain methods. The only exceptions to this rule are the Zhang and Zhao clans. Just like the Imperial clan, these two are like dragons in the sky. Their families would produce numerous geniuses in every generation, and these scions would always rise up to turn dangerous situations around. Grandpa said we should just follow old traditions if we dont have the talents of those two clans. I understand this reasoning, but I can hardly accept it. Theres no other choice, is there? If you think about it carefully, its not that bad. Thats true. Chuckling, Ji Tianqing suddenly groped Li Kuanglans chest. That changed pretty quickly, have you decided to accept reality? Li Kuanglan gnashed her teeth and pounced over, pressing Ji Tianqing down under the water. Moments later, the latter rushed out of the water, shouting, Timeout! Ill catch a cold if this keeps up. Seriously, do you need to go all out? Unlike a certain person who was so resigned last night. Humph, who knows what state youd be in if I hadnt saved you when I did. I wouldnt have helped had I known youd forget favors like so Mmm... Li Kuanglan dunked her into the water, drowning out the last part of her sentence. Releasing her grip only after a good while, she said, Humph, youre not my match right now. Better not provoke me or Ill take your clothes away and make you run around naked! Ji Tianqings eyes shifted about, and then all of a sudden, she cried out at the top of her lungs. Qianye, save me! Someones doing bad things, arent you going to control her? This shout shocked Li Kuanglan out of her wits. Flustered, she tried to cover Ji Tianqings mouth, but the latter dodged to the side. How long are you going to peep? Save me and Ill let you see as much as you want! Qianye didnt know whether he should go out or not. He was standing behind a treenot to mention peeping, he wasnt even listening in on their conversation. It was just that Ji Tianqings loud voice poured into his ears. It wouldnt be entirely true to say that he wasnt engaging in voyeurism because he had inadvertently seen them when he had first arrived. With Qianyes eyesight, a single glance was enough to notice every minor detail and never forget them. There was little difference between a glance and a prolonged stare. Since he had been called out, it would be wrong not to walk out. Yet, Qianye couldnt really walk out becausedespite her saying that she would let him look to his hearts contenthe might be beaten to death afterward. Qianye was unwilling to make an appearance, but Li Kuanglan was so flustered that she let Ji Tianqing slip away from her grasp. Stop shouting and I wont attack. Hows that? Deal! Ji Tianqing was quite straightforward. Having reached a truce, the two came ashore and got dressed. Although Qianye never looked at them, he could outline their activity just by the sounds. Li Kuanglan acted quite naturally after the initial loss of composure. It had been more than once that she was intimate with Qianye. Ji Tianqing also walked ashore calmly and clothed herself while facing Qianye. There were no origin fluctuations around her, which meant that she wasnt channeling her disguising powers. This was her true self, and Qianye needed only to poke his head out to see everything. Very soon, they finished dressing and arrived beside Qianye. Ji Tianqing patted his shoulder, saying, Ill give you this for your sincerity. With that, she stuffed a palm-sized clamshell into Qianyes hands. Whats that? Qianye knew nothing apart from the fact that the clam was still alive. However, the shellfish was exuding dense waves of vitality and clearly not an ordinary creature. I dont know, either. Its definitely good stuff, nonetheless, and I only found a couple of them at the bottom of the lake. You didnt rush to my rescue when I needed you, so youre not getting the rest. Ji Tianqing stuffed five more of the same clams into her spatial storage. Qianye smiled wryly. He didnt try to justify anything and merely put the clamshell away. How was he to go out under those circumstances? Actually, he was already finding it inappropriate that he had accidentally seen Ji Tianqings body. Fortunately, the girl had her back toward him, so he only saw her rear-side. This was a barely acceptable outcome. Li Kuanglan looked up at the sky, saying, Its late, we should hurry on! Ji Tianqing also agreed. The three thus packed up their things and set out on their way. After confirming their direction, Ji Tianqing took the lead through the forest, with Ji Tianqing in tow, leaving Qianye alone. The two just waltzed off as if nothing had happened just now. Qianye wanted to ask what had happened last night, but the two girls walked away in due haste. They had almost run out of his sight in the blink of an eye. Qianye followed with a wry laugh, knowing that they were denying him the opportunity to ask. The trio spent the entire day in transit. They only stopped a couple of times to collect resources, and even then, they would not stop for long. The resources in the core region of the Great Maelstrom were vastly superior to that of the outer regions. Both Qianye and Ji Tianqing had stuffed their spatial gears full in the area with ten times the gravity. The night was soon upon them. The three continued traveling for another hour before picking a place to pitch camp. At this point, the gravity was only four times that of the empire. The group felt relieved of a heavy burden, and every movement felt incomparably relaxed. Qianye was still feeling a bit sore, however, as he was still in the process of recovering from the fatigue. He really wanted to know what had made him so tired. He had already recalled that, just like before, he was preparing to help Li Kuanglan with his blood core. Meanwhile, Ji Tianqing was causing mischief nearby and almost set things on fire. This young miss had always been this wayshe was never afraid of causing trouble since she was never the one to suffer. The last thing he remembered was Ji Tianqing sealing his mouth and feeding him a large amount of liquidnothing thereafter. The dreams and memories he had experienced were so fragmented from reality that he couldnt find a single clue. At this point, the camp had been set up, the fire lit, and Li Kuanglan was roasting meat on the flames. It was once again time to face one another. The trio descended into an odd silence where none of them spoke. Thus, a wordless dinner went by and midnight closed in. The frigid night in this area was no longer as bitter. Although it was still much stronger than recorded by the Empire, even Li Kuanglan could get through it without intimate contact with Qianye. Qianye could finally hold back no longer. What did I do last night? The two girls exchanged glances and countless thoughts. Afterward, Ji Tianqing asked, Do you not remember anything? Qianye frowned, not knowing whether to speak the truth. After some deliberation, he decided to speak honestly despite knowing he might not get the truth in return. I remember you feeding me something, then nothing else. Ji Tianqing snorted. You want to get away with all the bad things you did just by saying you dont remember? You think its that easy? Qianye started to sweat. A feeling of restlessness emerged from his heart as he asked, What bad things? Can you be more specific? Ji Tianqing just about to speak when Li Kuanglan stopped her. Dont listen to her nonsense, all she knows is to scare other people. Qianye shouldve felt relieved, but for some reason, he just couldnt feel at ease. He thought back silently for a moment, and then looked toward Ji Tianqing. Was it white-fruit wine that you fed me? Ji Tianqing poked her tongue out. You even remember that! How did you know that was white-fruit wine? Did you try drinking it while I wasnt looking? Qianye ignored her interruption. Why did you make me drink that? Ji Tianqing wanted to say something, but Qianye stopped her and turned to the tense Li Kuanglan. You tell me. This increased her nervousness even furthershe looked down at her trembling hands, unable to gaze into his eyes. This stoked Qianyes suspicions even further. He raised Li Kuanglans face by the chin and asked word by word, What happened last night, tell me! Dont leave out a single thing! Li Kuanglans expression fluctuated wildly. Her eyes darted about as she did her utmost to avoid his eyes. However, Qianye was so powerful that she couldnt escape. Last night Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1014: Truth Hidden in the Details You took every advantage there is to take from us. Why are you so fierce? Ji Tianqing jumped up and shouted angrily. Qianye was stopped up. He asked with a softer voice, I what advantage did I take? You drank the white-fruit wine, humph! What else could it be? Ji Tianqing slapped Qianyes hand away and dragged Li Kuanglan back to her side. Things have already reached this point, what are you afraid of? At worst, well just leave on our own, theres no need to rely on him to get through the night. Li Kuanglan bit her lips in silence. Qianye saw that the initiative was about to fall into Ji Tianqings hands. He found this girl quite tricky because he would probably be interrupted even if he were to ask Li Kuanglan. Then why would you feed me the white-fruit wine? Ji Tianqing glared at him as though he were an ingrate. What I fed you isnt the trash that we picked up. Its an exquisite elixir nurtured in my body via a secret art and mixed with my vital essence, whoever drinks it will see a large increase in constitution. You think its easy to come by? Every mouthful of it drains my origin power cultivation. Ah Qianye hadnt imagined Ji Tianqing would go so far. This type of nurturing would be of a high level since it consumed her origin power cultivation. The resultant elixir was bound to be extraordinary. Qianye did notice that his strength had increased, and there was a layer of mysterious power in his muscles. Apparently, that was the power of the elixir. He couldnt say she was malicious in feeding him such a valuable thing. As for his loss of control, it was more his own fault for not having sufficient willpower. However, Qianye also had his own troubles that he couldnt speak of. This blood energy was growing more exuberant by the day, and his daybreak powers were barely able to keep things in check. He would have no power to control himself once his blood energy erupted in full-force. Qianyes willpower might be among the top in the empire, but the environment inside the Great Maelstrom happened to attack his weak point. The level of self-control he could manage was not much better than an ordinary expert. At the thought of this, Qianye felt rather ashamed of himself. He said in a gentler tone, Tianqing, there was no need to give me such a good elixir. My body is already quite strong. Ji Tianqing snorted. You just cant tell good from bad! You think youre so strong? You think its enough? Theres no such thing! The stronger your physique is, the easier itll be for you to cross the divine champion threshold. Such ignorance! With that, Ji Tianqing tossed Qianye a jade tablet. Ill let you look at this, lest you embarrass yourself with your lack of knowledge. Qianye caught the tablet and saw that it was carved full of small wordsit was a shocking cultivation art. The opening chapter was titled: Excavator. He scanned the tablet briefly and found that it was a secret art that would allow one to exert great power by channeling origin power. Despite the careless glance, he could feel the boundless profundity within and knew that it would take time to comprehend it. The art was good, but Qianye passed the jade tablet back to her. This is your core inheritance, I cant accept it. Ji Tianqings constitution wasnt that outstanding, nor was her eruption of origin power very strong. However, her every attack in real combat was extremely powerful, and it was likely due to this art. He had already received her elixir, so taking Excavator would be too much of a favor to owe. Ji Tianqing wouldnt have it. If you really have a heart, remember that you owe me a favor. Its fine if you dont pretend were strangers when you become a powerful figure in the future. Since Ji Tianqing had spoken, Qianye knew he had no other choice but to put the jade tablet away. Otherwise, who knew how many lectures and reasoning he would have to face afterward. In truth, this secret art was highly suitable for Qianye. As its name suggested, the Excavator was like cutting into a mountain with a hatchetthe greater the power, the stronger the backlash. A wielder with a powerful constitution would be able to bring out its true power. Ji Tianqings physique was far inferior to Qianyes, so she was only able to bring out half its capacity. Ji Tianqings expression improved after seeing that Qianye had accepted the gift. Humph, feeding you one mouthful of elixir almost took half my life. And you have the cheek to act out? Qianye felt a bit embarrassed. If its so hard to come by, you shouldve left it for your own use. Why waste it on me? Ji Tianqing smiled gracefully. Ha, I was just lying to you! Its not that hard to make. I produced three mouthfuls, one for myself, one for Kuanglan, and the last humph, I fed to a dog! Qianye felt apologetic after hearing this. JI Tianqing said it wasnt difficult, but that elixir was even able to upgrade his ancient vampire constitution further. From that, one could tell that the price was extraordinary. Comparatively, a jar of white-fruit wine couldnt compare at all. It was just that Qianye felt a bit worried. He had already accepted that valuable elixir and also Excavator. The favor he owed was simply too big. With Ji Tianqings character, it probably wouldnt be easy when it was time to repay the debt. Additionally, Ji Tianqing seemed to have other motives in feeding him this mouthful of elixir. It was just that Qianye decided not to dive too deep into that thought. What he still couldnt figure out was how he had lost all memories after that mouthful of elixir. The effects were way too powerful. Qianye shot the two girls a glance. He then asked cautiously, What did I do after drinking the elixir? Li Kuangnlan looked away. Ji Tianqing rolled her eyes, saying, What else? Of course, you turned into a beast! Who wouldve thought youd be that kind of person. You actually did the unspeakable to Kuanglan. She wasnt willing, so you used force on her. She wouldnt obey, but you were strong and intent on tearing off her clothes. In just a few swipes, youd torn off all her outer and inner armors. If it wasnt for the inner armor being quite sturdy, it mightve been torn to shreds. Youre quite capable when doing shameless things! Speaking of which, tearing off her clothes wasnt even the She became more and more excessive as she went on, almost as though she were telling a story. Qianye was livid as he listenedhe felt as though something was off, but he couldnt quite remember what it was. Finally, Li Kuanglan could no longer endure the embarrassment. She pounced over to Ji Tianqing and covered up her mouth. The latter evaded the incoming move and said, Fine, fine, I can narrate seriously. If you disturb me again, youll be the one to tell him. Li Kuanglan blushed slightly as she resentfully withdrew her hand. Ji Tianqing s smile disappeared. The elixir is so much more potent in its aphrodisiac effects compared to the white-fruit wine, thats its only weakness. You were naturally overcome by your instincts after ingesting it and wanted to grab Kuanglan. Shes quite sluggish in her current state, so she was caught in your demonic grasp. I came in to help, but you werent willing to let me off, either. Ultimately, we had no choice but to knock you out first. The story was reasonable. Qianye felt his face burning as he listened, feeling embarrassed about his lack of determination. However, there was still a sliver of doubt in his mind. If everything was just as Ji Tianqing had said, the entire fault shouldve been his. So, why did Li Kuanglan look somewhat guilty? That was just a small clue, yet the truth would usually be hidden in these unassuming details. As smart as Ji Tianqing was, she immediately noticed what Qianye was thinking. Dont make things difficult for Kuanglan. I only kept you restrained, that final kick that knocked you out was hers. Li Kuanglan looked away with a red face, unable to look at Qianye. Qianye nodded. This matter is my fault, how can I blame her? Its just that sigh! Its just what? Feeling sorry that you didnt succeed? Ji Tianqing asked with a spurious smile. Qianye replied hurriedly, I just feel that my determination is too bad. I actually failed to resist the effects of the medicine. Thank goodness you were here to stop me from making a mistake. Ji Tianqing laughed. Are you sure thats what you were thinking? You must be thinking that she was willing to do anything before, but she knocked you out once you were really about to do it. You must be disappointed, right? This lass really dared to say anything out loud. Qianye denied fervently because he really didnt have that kind of thought. Why did you feed me the elixir at that time? See, things nearly went out of hand. Ji Tianqing sighed. You idiot. Did you think there would be a ready-made formula for that kind of thing? Not to mention the other stuff, just that white-fruit wine alone is something weve never seen before. Where would there be a formula for the elixir? Seeing that Qianye had accepted the reasoning, Ji Tianqing said, I drank those jars of wine to test the medicinal effects, and then formulated the recipe. But that was something I thought of within a day, so its not perfect. Lets just call it the white-fruit elixir. The elixirs medicinal effects were so strong and unstable that it wouldnt last one day even within the secret arts environment. Thats how you ended up benefitting. I wont be making any more such elixir in the future because it will start to affect my future breakthroughs. Ji Tianqing didnt explain things in detail, but Qianye noticed the key detail hidden in her words. He was deeply moved. Enough with all the talk, lets focus on cultivating. The frigid night is actually a good time to train. The three sat down and proceeded to cultivate. Despite the adverse environment of the frigid night, it also brought about benefits. Cultivating amidst the dwindling vitality would allow one to channel their arts faster, a survival instinct so to say. The special characteristics of the night would ensure that the cultivator wouldnt suffer deviations. On the other hand, arts like the Song Clan Ancient Scroll would work faster in the nighttime. The frigid night had grown relatively weaker, and so did the boost to cultivation. One could easily imagine how limited these effects would be around the entrance. To Qianye, the current phase was the best time to cultivate, and this opportunity wouldnt come again. The night grew colder and colder toward midnight. Qianyes heart was as calm as a still lake, clear and quiet. This was the most optimal state of mind for the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Drops of Venus Dawn would emerge from the heart of the storm, and then converge into the newly opened origin vortex. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1015: Comprehending Excavator Time slowly passed by. Suddenly noticing something, a fatigued Qianye retreated from his desolate mental realm. This was a sign of the Glory Chapter reaching its limits. Although the chapter didnt consume origin power, a good deal of mental concentration was required to drive the vortex and condense origin power. Qianye had never encountered such a bottleneck before. It only appeared in the Great Vortex because the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was running at many times its usual speed. Qianye looked into his own body and found a layer of scarlet gold Venus Dawn energy had filled the bottom of the new vortex, sparkling from the small crystalline granules within. At this rate, it would take less than a month to fill the entire vortex and lay down the foundation for his seventh. It was time for him to take a break, lest he goes over the limit. There was a fair bit of time left before dawn, and the two girls were cultivating in earnest. Qianye sat quietly as he digested his experiences and gains since coming into the Great Maelstrom. The Profound Combatant Formula was extremely effective here, and he was able to harvest origin power just by breathing. Increasing the intensity of his cultivation could no longer supplement him with more origin power, but it could be used to train certain control arts. These arts were actually just a collection of tricks and techniques. No matter how complicated they were, their level could only reach so high as a secret art. With Qianyes current achievements on the martial path, he would be able to produce a fairly good technique on his own. Following Ji Tianqings explanation, Qianye had realized that the Profound Combatant Formulas activated state was something only divine champions would possess. Cultivating this formula was using a divine champion power with a champions bodyhow could ordinary cultivators endure this strain? Only Qianye, with his ancient vampire constitution, could take on the pressure produced by the hundred-meter origin vortex. Any other person wouldve turned into meat-paste. On the other hand, cultivating blood energy was so much simpler. Plundering essence blood was the easiest and most direct path. Qianye had received certain inheritances and vampire cultivation arts after communicating with the River of Blood. After a detailed comparison, however, Qianye found that these arts were not that much more profound compared to the modern ones. Besides, none of them were comparable to plundering essence blood. That was reasonable because draining essence blood was simply the strong devouring the weak. It was just that the food being devoured was essence blood, which contained greater vitality. That served to save the process of refinement and thereby increasing efficiency. Hence, the vampires had only improved upon the upper limits of their bloodline talents and secret arts that would bring out these powers. They hadnt put a lot of focus in the technique department. Going along this train of thought, he discovered the profundity of the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls Mystery Chapter. It was actually able to refine his sentient golden blood energy into a dark golden onean unimaginable feat in and of itself. The dark golden blood energy had never appeared in the inheritances he currently possessed. According to ancient records, a vampires blood energy would turn into a golden color after reaching the duke rank and, thereafter, grow increasingly pure as his rank increased. That was the extent of his inheritance. Perhaps he would obtain new information when he became a duke and was allowed to communicate with the River of Blood a second time. There was no telling if he would find more records about the dark golden blood energy at that point. It might be related to the rank of prince or even higher. From what he currently knew, the Song Clan Ancient Scroll could be considered a supreme secret art for the vampire race. Its ability to refine and change the nature of blood energy was like breaking through the upper limits of ones bloodline talents. Just that dark golden blood energy could be ranked among the top few in the entire vampire realm. But how could such a secret volume be so obscure? So much so that Song Zining was able to take it out so easily. How did it appear in the Song clans depository in the first place? Qianye felt that most knowledgeable experts would be able to see how extraordinary the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was. The human race had risen to power for over one thousand and two hundred years. Add to that the unrecorded age of darkness before that, who knew how many hidden secrets there werethis might just be one of them. Qianye exhaled gently. Knowing that he wouldnt find any of those answers right now, he simply pushed the questions deep down inside his heart and proceeded to comprehend Excavator in silence. It was an extremely quiet time of the day. The cold of the frigid night was still in the air, and it actually served to clear his mental state. Qianye first memorized the entirety of the text, and then began studying it word by word. Excavator wasnt just an exertion technique but also a peerless way of channeling origin power. Starting from a single point of focus, and then layer by layer, snowballing into a tremendous force. In the end, the enemy could neither block nor evade. That wasnt the extent of it. Excavators origin power would ignite one after the other in quick succession. Another wave of power would be ready after the first had been blasted out, and hence, there was no need to wait for the layers of origin power to accumulate. Controlling and combining multiple streams of origin power would increase the difficulty exponentiallyworking with three of them wasnt as simple as a threefold jump. The greater the number of activation points, the lesser the gaps and the denser the volley. Naturally, controlling them would be much harder. At the apex of its cultivation, one could control nine activation points in total. This would allow for an endless torrent of power capable of demolishing mountains, a peerless secret art for charging at enemy formations. Qianye recalled Ji Tianqings attack intervals in battle and noticed that she had cultivated three activation points. That was enough to give her a distinct advantage over her peers. Li Kuanglan could only rival her with Cold Moons Embrace in hand. She was no longer a match immediately after losing the famed sword. Ji Tianqings limit wasnt her lack of comprehension but rather because her constitution wasnt strong enough. Every activation point would bring great stress upon the body, somewhat similar to the vortex power of the Profound Combatant Formula. Three activation points was very likely her limit. After comprehending the theory, Qianye started channeling Excavator according to the prescribed method. Venus Dawn was the peak of daybreakease of channeling was merely its basic attribute, allowing one to exert force at a single thought. A single cycle of the art produced a vibrating point of origin power in Qianyes abdomen, sending shockwaves all over his body and down to his fingertips. At his command, these vibrations would erupt with great power with which to assail the enemy. Qianye kept going and soon condensed a second activation point. At this point, he could feel a numb sensation all over his body, a clear indication that the body was reacting to the vibrations. This tingling, however, didnt affect him in the slightest. It was merely a sensation, not unlike a feather brushing against his body. In the blink of an eye, three activation points had formed, and the three layers of vibrations had stacked up. The tingly sensation had also become much more evident. This was Ji Tianqings current level, but for Qianye, this amount of vibration was still within an acceptable range. It couldnt even be considered stressful. Hence, he had no intention of stopping. He continued channeling the art forming the fourth, fifth, and sixth activations point. Only at this point did he feel his body becoming sluggish, almost as though he were clad in a leaden shirt. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to go ahead and form the seventh one. The simultaneous existence of seven activation points resulted in a dense array of shockwaves. With Qianyes current cultivation, he would produce almost no gap if he were to attack in this state. One would have to manufacture an opening in order to defeat him. However, this was his current limit. One day, when he had crossed the divine champion threshold or even higher, his attack speed would climb sharply. At that point, the current seven activation points would be insufficient. He would then need to cultivate further to match his combat arts. With seven simultaneous activation points, Qianye was starting to feel a mild stabbing pain throughout his body. He knew this was his body reaching its limits; an additional point would likely injure him. Even at seven points, his movements were somewhat restrictedit was best not to go so far unless absolutely necessary. Qianye gradually dispersed his origin power. He couldnt help but sigh emotionally at how full of hidden talents the Empire was. What kind of mighty expert would it take to produce nine activation points at the same time? The senior who invented this art was even more of a genius, someone who could utilize origin power to the point of perfection. The Great Maelstrom was a cultivation heaven for Qianye. One day here was equal to several in the outside world. However, the best place for training was actually the region with ten times the gravity or even deeper. It was just that the other two couldnt remain for long due to their cultivation levels, and Qianye needed to send them back to the starting area. By the time they were done collecting resources, it would be time to leave the Great Maelstrom. Qianye had a sudden urge to go back to the high-gravity areas or perhaps explore even deeper. Cultivating for one month here would equal a year outside, and it wouldnt be easy to come back in after leaving. Qianye had learned from the two ladies that it would take hundreds of years for the neutral-lands passage to open. The tunnel would vanish once the origin tides had passed their trough. At that time, the two factions would have to fight over the quotas once more. At this point, the first rays of dawn had appeared over the horizon, and Qianye glanced about at the lightening world, enjoying this rare moment of calm. So many things had happened during his short time in the Great Maelstromhe felt mentally worn out. But at this moment, all restlessness, confusion, and agitation seemed to have calmed down as the golden rays of the sun flowed over his field of vision. It was at this moment that Qianye decided he would leave the Great Maelstrom with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan after arriving at the starting region. That dream from the night before reminded Qianye that he was missing Nighteye. The first thing he would do upon going back was to visit the warship and see her. Even if he couldnt meet her, it would be nice to hear her voice at least. Even someone as determined as he was couldnt help but reminisce and feel expectant. Qianye was suddenly overcome by a familiar sense of indisposition. When Nighteye was struggling to escape him in his dreams, her body and appearance were changing constantly. Only her pair of calm, cold eyes told Qianye that she was Nighteye. But now that he thought back to the clear scene of chaos, her silhouette and build were different from what Qianye remembered. Instead, it was similar to Ji Tianqings figure in the lake. That was a dream, however, and such visions were seldom true to reality. Besides, it wasnt strange that the projections would be warped since he was barely conscious. Qianye had also experienced a desire for Ji Tianqing when his desires were amplified in the core-region of the Great Maelstrom. But that was just an urge, something that would never turn into action. Qianye thus consoled himself and ignored the minuscule sense of uneasiness. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1016: Los One day had passed by, but Bai Kongzhao remained crouching inside the bushes and staring at the distant stone keep. Light footsteps and a hushed call approached from the distance, soon followed by Anwens figure. His armor was somewhat damaged, and he looked fatigued. His eyes lit up when he saw the young girl. He then said with a wry smile, As expected, youre back again. I lost my way. The young girl was staring forward, apparently focused on charging the stone keep. The reply was a mere arbitrary gesture. Anwen looked helpless. Youve gotten lost three times. Oh, I lost my way. The young girl never heard what he was saying. Anwen didnt know what to do anymore. He crouched down beside her, saying, Havent I told you before? We cant handle this. Why have you run back here? The girl pointed at the keep. Theres something good in there, something similar to the wine. Just tell me if you want to drink! That wine has a bad side-effect, you cant drink too much of it. Didnt you feel anything after drinking it? The girls eyes never left the walls as she thought back. I do feel something. It was very comfortable and warm. It felt like being pricked all over by needles, but it wasnt painful. I also felt very sleepy. Anything else? No. Dont you feel weird? No. The girls eyes widened. Define weird. Anwen exhaled deeply, his expression both disappointed and happy. I understand now, your body must have a lot of hidden injuries. This wine actually heals your body while activating your vitality. Additionally, your body is too weak, so it instinctively wants to strengthen itself. Even so, the wine really will have side effects. You might not notice it now, but itll add up and erupt at one point. The girl asked seriously, What side effects? Under her intense gaze, Anwen became a bit flustered. He opened his mouth and closed it again a couple of times. Finally, he decided to go ahead and explain, Actually, its an aphrodisiac effect, meaning youll want to have offspring. Have offspring? The young girls eyes lit up. Anwen was startled. A series of outrageous notions rotated through his mind, with no lack of thoughts about What if she really wants to give me a child We can study that offspring thing later. Lets take down this place first! Watching the young girl pointing at the stone keep, Anwen really wanted to bang his head against a tree. No! He refused decisively. Then Ill go on my own. You cant go, either! Why? This girl had asked this question all too many times, and every time, Anwen would gloss over the topic. From the looks of it, dragging the matter on was useless. She wouldnt leave this place unless he could dissuade her on the assault. Every time, Anwen would just drag her away, only to find her missing some time afterward. He thus had no choice but to look for her near the castle again. Anwen was worried that she would run into trouble at one point and he wouldnt get there in time. He sighed. The main reason is the four-armed peoples white mist. Im not afraid of it, but thats just a relative claim. I will still fall under its control if I take in a lot of it. Also, I just tested it and found that the effects of the mist are hard to expel completely. They can only be suppressed temporarily, which means itll rear its head again sooner or later. If it flares up itll force you to do some things you dont like. The girl gave it some thought. Im not afraid of pain, I can stand quite a bit of it. If they beat me to the point of injury, Ill retaliate. Anwen smiled wryly. They wont beat you, its worse. I dont want that to happen, I really dont. The girl nodded slowly, seeming to half-understand. Actually, we can lure them out little by little and kill them, just like I did in the beginning. No, the environment here isnt good. We cant remain very long, we should hurry back to the safe region. Well need to rely on the white-fruit wine to pass the night here, and thats a limited commodity. We need to get back to the warm areas before we run out. The girl pointed in a certain direction. Warm area? You mean that way? Anwen was surprised. He had to run in a fairly wide circle to confirm the direction in which the gravity was weakest. He had never mentioned this to Bai Kongzhao, but the girl could point the direction out of simple instinct. The demonkin young lord had never feared competition in the perception department, but now he felt rather defeated. Yes, its that direction. The girl looked at Anwen. It seems you only need to drink a little bit. The wine we have should last us fairly long. Itll only take one day to bring down this castle. Anwen said helplessly, I drank very little because I dont dare drink too much. The medicinal effects will accumulate. I might attack you once I lose control of myself. Fortunately, the girl no longer asked him if he would hit her, saving him the trouble of explaining to her. What about the things there? Anwen looked intently at the girl and then sighed. Since you want it so much, lets try once. But you should run away on your own if I lose control, the further the better. Why? Anwen didnt try to explain this time. He merely said, Nevermind. Even without me saying it, youll probably know what to do when the time comes. You decide things on instinct anyway. He glanced at the stone keep and then drew a simple diagram on the ground. After that, he drew a straight line, saying, Well charge in along this path, dont stop no matter what obstructions we encounter. Well charge straight into the center to see what they have there. No matter what it is, well take it and leave. We wont stay for more than three seconds, remember? The young girl nodded. Okay, lets go. Anwen produced a cloud of faint black mist, which covered himself and the girl as it drifted slowly toward the stone keep. Although this black mist had appeared out of nowhere, most of the natives simply ignored its presence. Only when it had reached the walls did one of the four-armed warriors on the watchtower look down. Puzzled, the native made ready to shout when a wisp of black energy shot out and pierced through his mouth. The four-armed warrior immediately lost his life and fell down the tower. Anwen dispersed the black mist and jumped onto the wall with the young girl in tow. Then, he leaped forward once more to land inside the stone keep. The twoin a single filecharged into the horde of natives pouring out from every corner of the castle. A two-meter sword appeared in Anwens hand, with which he slashed dozens of natives into two. He then stepped ten meters forward and erupted in demonic energy, blasting the nearby natives back. Bai Kongzhao followed closely behind. She jumped about, slashing left and right with her great cleaver, each strike connecting with the vitals of one or more natives. Some of the luckier victims managed to survive Anwens sword energy, but they were duly extinguished by the girls blade. Even if they didnt die on the spot, there would be no hope left for recovery. Like a warship amidst wind and waves, the two fought their way toward the center of the stone keep. The girl immediately noticed the small tree at the center of the stone keep. At this point, the tree was somewhat wilted, with three white fruits hanging from its crown. These fruits looked small and tart, apparently quite far from maturity. She raised her blade to cut down the tree but hesitated midway. In the end, she reached out to grab two of the riper ones and rushed back out, leaving the smallest one behind. Anwen was much calmer. He went around the courtyard picking several plants and fruits into his spatial storage before catching up to Bai Kongzhao. The entire process lasted for only a couple of breaths time, but a group of four-armed natives, with no shortage of females among them, had gathered to block their way out. All of a sudden, several clouds of white mist were rolling toward them. Anwen was shocked. How would he dare to take them head-on? With a shout, he erected a barrier of demonic energy to block the white mist, and then dragged the young girl toward a different direction. The barrier lasted mere moments before it was dissolved by the white mist. Fortunately, this amount of time was enough for an expert of Anwens level to drag the girl out of the stone keep. Moments later, the duo appeared ten kilometers away. They were entirely drenched in blood and looked quite miserable. Although most of the stains came from the natives, they had also sustained a good deal of damage themselves. The girls injuries were mostly flesh wounds; Anwen, on the other hand, was covered in injuries, including a bone-deep gash on his back. This slash had cut through his outer and inner armor, as well as his protective demonic energy, going right for his innards. There was a shallow mark on the protruding bone. Anwens bones were different from other demonkin in that they were light black and possessed a golden luster to it. This was because he had trained in a secret art to refine his bones since youth and had attained initial success in it. If it wasnt for the strength of his skeleton, Anwen mightve been heavily injured by that blow. The girl looked back after stopping. Weve lost them. Anwen exhaled deeply as he sat down and took some medicine. He looked at the two white fruits in his hand and passed them back to Bai Kongzhao. Theyre definitely good things, but wasting His Majestys treasure for them isnt worth it. With that, Anwen pointed at the girls ankle. The Eternal Flames ankle chain was now dim, apparently drained of all power. The duo was completely surrounded on their way out, and they had to engage in a bloody battle in order to break the siege. Anwens injuries werent light. Meanwhile, the girl managed to survive several lethal blows only because of the ankle chain. Without that treasure, she would have more than just a few light injuries on her. It was more likely that she would be cut into several pieces. The girl tilted her head. Isnt it there to be used? Yes, but not for something like this Anwen shook his head. As he saw it, such a life-saving treasure should only be used at the most critical juncture. Assaulting the stone keep was an unnecessary skirmish, to begin with. The girl seemed rather ignorant about the value of that treasure, and she didnt seem bothered by its exhaustion. She glanced at the white fruit for a good while, and then passed one to Anwen. This should be yours. She split her own share into two, ate one portion, and then put away the other. Anwen couldnt understand why she would do this. He passed his white fruit to her, saying, Take this if you need it. The girl hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head. No, thats yours. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1017: Diversion Anwen apparently didnt want to divide everything too clearly with the girl, but Bai Kongzhao was insistent. So, he had no other choice but to accept the white fruit and start treating his wounds. The frigid night had arrived by the time he was done. Anwen was prepared. Instead of using that white fruit, he produced a secret demonkin medicine and opened it up carefully. A wisp of black energy wafted out of the silvery tube, which he duly inhaled. He waved the tube at the observing girl. This can help me get through the night, but unfortunately, its made from the demonic energy of a prince and can only be used by demonkin. Otherwise, I wouldve given it to you. Anwen tossed the tube to the side, but surprisingly, a figure flashed in front of him as the girl leaped over and caught the tube. She peered inside and then sealed the remaining half of her white fruit into it. Anwen was surprised. Only when the girl had hidden the tube carefully did he realize her intention. This demonic medicine was extremely valuable, and not many in their entire race could produce it. The tube itself was also a treasure as it was required to protect the medicinal effects of its contents against all sorts of environmental conditions. It served to seal, absorb shocks, prevent deterioration, isolate origin power, and so on and so forth. It was a rare container in the Great Maelstrom. Anwen knew that this girl was highly attached to strength and treasures, but he really didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He gave it some thought and then said, We can be considered the second batch of people entering the Great Maelstrom. Those imperial experts arrived first, but we never saw them. Similarly, many people from the Evernight side had also entered, but we didnt see them, either. The girl waited quietly for him to continue, mostly because she had no idea what he wanted to say. Anwen produced his dagger and drew a complicated diagram on the ground. Then, he carved out a series of lines on it. The girl looked carefully, but all she could tell was that each string would turn into countless branches after entering the diagram. Anwen would ponder at times, and then add more strokes to the diagram from time to time. He only looked satisfied after a good deal of work. Noticing the girls expression, he patted her forehead, saying, Dont worry, not many people in the Empire and Evernight can understand this, you just listen to me explain. He pointed at the complicated diagram. This is the spatial tunnel through which we had entered. Bai Kongzhaos eyes went wide. She simply couldnt connect this complicated drawing with the spatial passage. Anwen pointed at one part of the image. This is the tunnels structure. Yes, we thought we had traveled in a straight line, when in truth, we had taken a long course through the void, even jumping from point to point at times. These are the forces drawing me to the next jump point. The girl looked baffled. Anwen said with a smile, Thats not important. Whats important is the result after passing through the tunnel. Although we entered the same entrance, we would encounter different environments and jump forces. For instance, we started out from this point which could either bring us here or here. The next segment is also a similar situation. In this manner, we all ended up in different places within the Great Maelstrom. The young girl finally asked a question, How did you know? Anwen shrugged. I like studying things, especially in the field of void exploration. I never had much to do in recent years, so I memorized all clan records related to this field and learned many things in the process. A lot of the things I drew just now are related to divination. Unfortunately, most people today are using divination arts to foresee trivial things and have forgotten their real uses. In fact, if people were to integrate all divination arts to study the structure of this tunnel, we wouldve been able to leave this caged world long ago. The girls eye widened, and her expression showed that she had no idea what he was talking about. Anwen laughed self-deprecatingly. I forgot you have never learned all these things. Nevermind, no one apart from you would listen to what Im saying anyway. Those elders from the clan are only thinking about how to destroy the vampires and monopolize the Evernight world. They have zero interest in looking at research with no immediate benefits. With that, Anwens finger pointed at yet another diverging line. I told you that we entered from a single entrance but were split into many exits. After observing the surroundings for the past day and calculating from the same model, I can say for sure that the stronger people would always end up closer to the core region of the Great Maelstrom. The girl said, Theres such a big gap in strength between us, so why did we end up together? Anwen smiled. Thats because we entered at the same time. I stabilized the jump points as we went, so you simply had to follow me in a straight line. If they had been slightly delayed, some of the jump points wouldve disconnected and pointed in a different direction. That means, people entering at the same time wont land too far off unless there are special circumstances. Oh, isnt it a good thing to follow a powerful expert? Nope. Anwen laughed, pointing at the surroundings. Look, the frigid night here isnt something ordinary people can handle. I came prepared, but itll only last a couple of days. We must leave this place quickly. The danger hidden in the daytime isnt inferior to the night. I suspect that those captured by the natives will not meet good ends. So, if some bloke follows me in and lands in a place thats well beyond his level, how will they survive? Besides, I might not be interested in killing, but I wont hold back if I meet people from the vampire race. If they land beside us, they will die in my hands if not the frigid night. Bai Kongzhao understood this topic. Following an expert into the tunnel wasnt a good thing as they might land in an adverse environment. Anwen said, There''s something I dont quite understand, though. We saw traces of an Imperial camp after arriving here. But from what I know, Zhao Jundu is still heading the war on the void continent. Who among them could possess strength equal to mine? It would be more reasonable if that camp was their second or third camp instead. Anwens expression grew solemn. The girl asked, Are those people strong? Anwen said with a nod, The Great Maelstrom is different from the outside world. Its much more suitable for us Evernight nobles compared to the other races. Humans entering this realm shouldve landed farther away from the core region even if theyre as strong as I am. But now, it would seem they were even closer to the core region than I was, and theres more than one of them judging from the traces. Its strange because I simply can''t remember when the empire dispatched such people. I want to catch up to them and see who exactly they are. Are you afraid? Do they have treasures? Of course, how could they be lacking? Besides, they arrived in the Great Maelstrom first and theyre probably the same people who raided that stone castle before us. At the very least, they should possess a good deal of white fruits and wine. Lets rob them first if we run into them. The girl was finally moved. Well leave this place first thing tomorrow morning. Anwen heaved a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to entice the girl into leaving this place. He really didnt want to raid the stone castle again. Last time, he had barely managed to escape being sprayed, but even then, he had inhaled a fair bit of it. He couldnt afford to accumulate more. As dawn arrived, Qianye and the two girls concluded their cultivation session and continued traveling toward the starting area. After running for an hour, the three of them felt a jolt throughout their bodies. As though they had passed through a thin membrane, the gravitational pull around their bodies fell sharply to double the normal gravity. After experiencing high gravity for several days, it was almost as though a thousand-ton weight had been lifted from their shoulders. They felt inexplicably relaxed. Qianye stopped to look back at the boundless forests and the black hills popping up here and there. The geography in front of them, on the other hand, was fairly varied. There was a river winding across the verdant plains, with groves, hills, and ravines dotting the land. There was a majestic mountain range far off in the distance, with peaks stretching god-knows-how-far into the clouds. Exchanging glances, Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing gasped softly. The former pointed at the distant mountain range, saying, That is the Ashen Mountain Range, the great river runs from the base of those hills. If Im not wrong, that should be Jadewave River. Beyond this point is charted territory, we should be able to discern the actual direction as we keep going. Ji Tianqing looked down at the soil beneath her feet, and then grabbed a rock to study in detail. Look, there are veined patterns on these rocks. Its the star stone, a limited product specific to the Great Maelstrom. Now that we can see these stones, it means the empire is not far off. Li Kuanglan pointed at the distant river. Look, whats that? Their current field of vision was optimal, and all three of them possessed acute eyesight. Several dozen kilometers away near a grove, there were several bunches of white lotus flowers blooming in the river. Shrouded in specks of starlight, it was obvious that they were extraordinary. Even Ji Tianqing didnt know what those flowers were, and Qianye was even more baffled. Li Kuanglan said, If Im not wrong, that should be the Silk Lotus, a necessary component for Stillwater Rebirth thats only found in the Great Maelstrom. The Li familys Stillwater Rebirth and Storm Pearl were extremely rare commodities. Nobody would complain about an extra life-saving drug, so the former would be bought out immediately upon coming into the market. It was even rare to see Stillwater Rebirth, let alone buy one. Even high-ranking aristocratic families would find it hard to order one. Reportedly, the entire quota for the next decade had already been booked by major characters. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1018: Suspicious Treasure Thief Naturally, a treasure like Silk Lotus couldnt be ignored. Li Kuanglan started running toward the riverside, saying, Let me harvest it. Harvesting treasures of this nature usually involved special methods in order to preserve their effectiveness. Naturally, no one was Li Kuanglans superior in this regard. She weaved a blue net of frosty origin power along the way and duly cast it over a Silk Lotus, sealing it in a block of ice. Apparently, this was the Li familys method for retrieving the Silk Lotus. Without the Jingtan Li clan and their frost attribute origin power, it would be difficult for anyone to collect the flower. Li Kuanglans hands never stoppednet after net descended upon that single lotus, and the process was concluded only after seven layers. She fished out the sealed ice-block and tossed it to Qianye. Keep this for me. There was very little space left in Andruils Mysterious Realm, but he had no qualms making space for a flower worth more than his collection of grade-seven guns. Li Kuanglan weaved another seven-layered net and sealed the second Silk Lotus. She was already sweating on the forehead by the time the collection was completed. Apparently, the drain on her was quite significant. She was reaching out to pluck the icy lotus when a loud cry arrived from the distance. Put it down! Qianyes warning sounded immediately afterward. Careful! Li Kuanglan looked up just in time to see a beam of purple light tearing through the sky and toward her forehead. This beam of purple light was swift, silent, and malicious. Li Kuanglan could only dodge as she was holding the frozen lotus. Qianye took a step forward and slashed the incoming purple beam into two. The lights true form was revealed as it fell to the groundit was an extremely sharp arrow, measuring at two meters in length and with a hollow head that was giving off a pungent odor. Li Kuanglan felt somewhat dizzy after a small whiff. There was a potent venom in the arrowhead, one of extreme toxicity no less. The Li family might be famous for their divination arts and medicines, but few venoms could match the one on this arrow. Even Li Kuanglan wouldve been in trouble if struck by it, especially now that she had no antidote or protective equipment on her. With a frosty expression, she glanced toward the source of the attack. She had never feared anyone in the Empire save people like Zhao Jundu and Qianye. Almost being wounded in the Great Maelstrom in such a manner infuriated her. She had suffered restraints everywhere since her arrival and hadnt really killed a satisfactory number of enemies. One woman and two men walked out of the distant forest. The former was holding a longbow that was as tall as herself, apparently the weapon from which the arrow was fired. The two men walked along on either side of her. The three people charged over at full speed and only slowed down at the hundred-meter point. The woman nocked a long arrow and took aim at Qianyes group. She glanced at the three remaining Silk Lotuses with eyes full of greed and roared, Considering were all humans, Ill let you guys off if you put down the items and scram. Qianye, Li Kuanglan, and Ji Tianqing exchanged glances. They simply had no idea where these people had gotten their confidence. It was normal that they wouldnt recognize Ji Tianqing, and it was also a possibility that they wouldnt know Li Kuanglan. But, it was rather odd that they hadnt seen Qianye, one who had gained fame in the bloody battle and at Indomitable. Those with a bit of strength would know Qianye and the consequences of facing him head-on. Even Li Fengshui, a general of the Imperial army, had fallen in his hands. The three of them were clearly humans who were able to enter the Great Maelstrom. How could they not recognize Qianye? Just as they were puzzled, the two men had set their eyes on Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing. Why dont we detain the two ladies? The man hadnt even finished speaking when a slap sent him sprawling to the ground. The woman had attacked at lightning speed, her hand resting back on the arrow immediately after the slap. It was as though nothing had ever happened. You fancy those foxes, huh? There was a tinge of killing intent in her voice. The man clambered up to reveal a half-swollen face. He laughed along with narrowed eyes, saying, Of course not. How can they compare to you? I was just saying we should capture them and sell them to King Loa. Wouldnt we get a good stock of secret medicines that way? The woman was somewhat moved. She glanced at Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing, and then at Qianye. Her gaze could no longer move away as soon as she saw his face. The men immediately became angry. One of them drew his blade with a sword and pushed forward. Why arent you dropping the items? Li Kuanglan waved the ice-block around, saying, The items? Do you even know what this is? You want something you dont know about? The mans face turned red. I want both the item and you! Li Kuanglans expression sank. I had originally planned to let you guys go since were all from the Empire, but you cant blame me if you court death yourself. The woman directed a sinister gaze at Li Kuanglan. No one knew what she was thinking, but she didnt attack immediately. Li Kuanglan tossed the ice block to Qianye. Put it away. Qianyes hand barely moved before the ice block vanished. The womans eyes went wide. Spatial gear! Yes, it is. Come on, come and rob us! Li Kuanglan made a provocative gesture. The womans breathing became coarse as she gestured with her eyes, following which the two men began to flank the group from either side. She herself drew her longbow and took aim at Li Kuanglan. The two men kept Li Kuanglan pinned down while secretly facing Qianye and Ji Tianqing respectively. The woman could take aim at any person with just a slight movement. Actually, she didnt even need to move because the arrow would fly toward the target she had locked onto. The woman broke into a sudden cry as the arrow flew toward Li Kuanglan in the form of a purple thunderbolt! The instant she took action, the two men leaped up and slashed at Qianye and Ji Tianqing. Qianye swung East Peak upward without even looking. Leave him alive! Ji Tianqing cried out. Startled, Qianye wanted to stop his slash, but it was too late. East Peak had already cut man and sword into two halves. Ji Tianqing sighed as her figure flickered and appeared above her opponent. She stomped down on the mans back with both feet, embedding him into the ground. The young miss then hopped off the man with a light skip. The latter was left twitching at the bottom of the large crater, unable to clamber up. Apparently, the stomp wasnt light at all. Compared to Qianye and Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglans situation was more serious. Her fingers moved like shuttles, weaving numerous nets of origin power to envelop the purple arrow. It took three layers of frosty origin power to finally encase the projectile in ice. As expected, the Great Maelstrom was full of dangers. Be it the natives white mist or this womans strange venom, none of them were things ordinary experts could handle. Li Kuanglan stared intently at the woman, a faint blue light lingering at her fingertips. This enemys strength was nothing to write home about, but she was exceedingly difficult to dispatch. Those proficient in the bow would also excel in swift retreats. The bow and arrow made for powerful weapons in the Great Maelstrom, but the key issue lay with her strange poison. Li Kuanglan wasnt afraid of death, but neither was she willing to just throw away her life. She had to be careful even if she had to exert ten times more power than normally required. The woman hadnt expected her arrow to miss, but she was more surprised that her companions couldnt even last one blow. Qianyes slash wasnt that shocking; it was actually Ji Tianqings toying attitude that made her afraid. She hesitated for a while. Then, she drew her dagger halfway out before nocking another arrow. The dagger was a common Imperial design, but the purple color on its blade was quite eye-catching. In addition to the blade and arrowhead, her nails were also suffused with a faint purple glow. Li Kuanglan became even more cautious as this womans entire body was full of poison. Qianye wasnt afraid, however, and simply walked forward with his sword raised. Seemingly surprised, the woman slowly edged back toward the forest. Ji Tianqing was clearly hesitant and unwilling to give chase. Seeing Qianyes advance, she cried out from behind, Qianye, will you be okay? This little poison cant harm me, Qianye replied. A look of worry flashed across the womans countenanceshe stared intently at Qianye for a while, and then fled into the forest with her first step. She was fast, so much so that she was only somewhat inferior to Qianye. The latter broke into a frown as he lost his lock on her. He didnt continue the chase because the forest gave him a bad feeling. Qianye returned to the two ladies. I lost her. Its fine, we still have a survivor here. Ji Tianqing dragged the embedded man out of the ground and tossed him to the ground. This toss was deliberate and well-planned, breaking several of the mans joints in the process. Crying out wretchedly, the man woke up in pain and barely managed to look up. He appeared quite fearful after seeing the two ladies, but he couldnt quite suppress his desires, either. Who are you? Ji Tianqing asked. The man bit his lips and remained silent. Ji Tianqing snorted. Tight-lipped, huh? Fine, then dont speak for the next ten minutes. She kicked the man under the ribs, sending countless needle-like strands of origin power into his body. His face went purple all of a sudden as his body started twisting about. However, Ji Tianqings kick sealed not only his origin power but also his throat, making it impossible for him to make a sound. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1019: The "Dead" People Ji Tianqing waited for an entire ten minutes before kicking the man again, relieving him of his agony. The man was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. He wanted to speak, but Ji Tianqing stopped him. Wait, Ill give you ten more minutes. Think carefully about what you have to say. The man was apparently frightened, having picked up the threat in Ji Tianqings words. Qianye asked, Whats wrong with him? Since theyre also from the empire, dont you think its odd that they dont even recognize you? Ji Tianqing asked. Qianye didnt really feel that he was famous, but something was definitely fishy because Ji Tianqing sounded serious, and Li Kuanglan looked quite pensive as well. The latter said, Are they survivors from the last batch? Ive checked the survivors list but never saw them. If theyre not alive, maybe theyre one of those dead people? Ji Tianqing nodded. Quite likely. I want to hear what they experienced after their death. The mans expression became increasingly ashen. Ji Tianqing crouched down beside him. Do you know what you should say now? Go ahead. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but he was hesitant. Ji Tianqing said calmly, Its almost sundown. Although the frigid night here is nothing compared to the inside, we still dont want any trouble. Ill throw you inside if you dont speak, assuming you know what Im talking about. You know about inside? The man gasped. Of course, we just returned from the area with ten times the gravity. The mans eyes went wide in shock. Impossible! No one can get there, those who go there never return! You guys were trying to go to the core region for this, right? A white fruit popped up in Ji Tianqings hand. The mans eyes almost dropped out of their sockets. H-Holy fruit! Such a big one, too! You guys have really been to the holy region! Holy region? Ji Tianqing grasped the keyword. The man eventually calmed down. The holy region is how the higher-ups call the central realm. Since you guys have obtained a holy fruit, it means youve seen them those people with multiple arms. Who are you? Me? Im probably listed as dead in the Empire. The man laughed wryly. He collected his thoughts and said, My surname is Nangong and my given name is Tianyu. Ive been in the Great Maelstrom twenty-some years now. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan looked surprised. Twenty years wasnt a short period of time. According to imperial records, people would feel all kinds of discomfort after five years inside the Great Maelstrom as the body becomes affected by the environment. The higher ones cultivation, the more blunted these effects would be, but no genius could survive over ten years inside. Experts who dont reappear after ten years would be recorded as lost and considered dead. Nangong Tianyu being able to survive here for two decades was quite a miracle. He continued, I hail from a side branch of the Nangong family. I fought with my life on the line to get a quota for the Great Maelstrom, thinking it would be a fortunate turn in life. Who wouldve thought there would be so much dissent inside? I was sent on a mission to explore the deeper regions before I had acclimated to the environment. It was during that mission that my squad was ambushed and scattered. With several wild beasts on my tail, I could only run deeper and deeper inside. In the end, I accidentally arrived in the central region and fell into native captivity. Then? Then? I dont know whether it was fortunate or otherwise, I actually survived. They kept me alive and recruited me into a two-armed group to serve as patrol and as a mating instrument. Fortunately, my foundations were strong enough to survive the endless mating and hold out until my body started to transform. Its hard to say whether or not Im totally human. Ji Tianqing pondered for a moment. Take off your clothes and let us see the changes. Nangong Tianyu had long since lost all will to resist. He undressed silently and stood before the three. Having fought in numerous battles, neither Ji Tianqing nor Li Kuanglan cared about this bit of awkwardness. They channeled their secret arts to scan Nangong Tianyus body. The man was on the slimmer side, but his skeleton was exceedingly sturdy and dense. He was twice as powerful as ordinary experts in terms of bone density. Ji Tianqing managed to stomp him into the ground, but none of his bones broke from the impact. His bones were surrounded by steely musclesthis type of body was far superior to that of Imperial experts, and more or less equal to the four-armed natives. Qianye didnt find it too surprising, but the other two were secretly surprised. As people familiar with the Imperial nobility, they knew they had never heard of someone called Nangong Tianyu. This meant that he was just an ordinary expert back then, at least nowhere near a genius by Ji Tianqings standards. He was probably at the bottom of the list among those entering the Great Maelstrom. His current physical prowess, however, would place him among the top tier geniuses. It was when Nangong Tianyu turned around that his true difference from ordinary humans was revealed. There was a row of finger-sized bone spikes poking out along his back and spine. The appendages were of an ashen hue and as hard as steel. This type of natural defense was common in wild beasts, but it was quite extraordinary to see in humans. Additionally, there were also a number of bone spurs on his elbows and ankles. Qianye arrived beside him and patted him lightly on the shoulders. The reverberations produced therein allowed him to understand most of Nangong Tianyus internal structure. There were small bone spurs growing out from most of the mans bones. They didnt quite poke out of the skin, but they would cause hidden damage to an external attacker. What surprised Qianye most was his innards. Nangong Tianyus heart was exceptionally large, almost taking up most of his chest, but his lungs were much smaller than ordinary people. The other organs were all piled up in a chaotic mess inside his body cavity. His blood vessels weaved together tortuously like a dense network of spiderwebs. The man should be considered quite fortunate that this confused growth hadnt killed him yet. Qianye explained the internal state of Nangong Tianyus body to the two girls before heading over to inspect the other mans corpse. This body was also in a similar state, but the distribution and position of internal organs were somewhat different. This went to show that he had also been affected by the Great Maelstrom. Ji Tianqing asked more detailed questions, which Nangong Tianyu replied honestly. It turned out that he had joined the ranks of the two-armed people after being captured. After surviving the initial phase, he eventually became one of them. As his body started to change, he started to adapt to the world and began edging toward the central region. Twenty years had gone by since then. Nangong Tianyu had learned a bit of the native language and knew a fair bit of shocking inside information. Among the natives, being four-armed wasnt an inherited trait. Both two-armed and four-armed people could give birth to a four-armed descendant. It was just that the two-armed people had a somewhat smaller chance of doing so. The natives had a clear hierarchy to them, with the two arms serving as slaves and cannon-fodder, while the four-arms served as warriors and officers, the main fighting power of the tribe. The surprising thing was that the natives followed a matriarchal structure. The four-armed women were the rulers of the stone castles and not the male warriors. The four-armed women were the biggest producers of four-armed offspring, and the one who gave birth to the most four-armed males would be the queen of the stone castle. Because of their ability to produce white mist, no creature could resist their whims and everyone in sight could become a tool for reproduction. Nangong Tianyu was also one of those mating tools. It was just that his eventual transformation and original combat abilities made him stronger than the other two-armed people. Hence, he was promoted to a special rank between the two-arms and four-arms. He was told that he might grow an extra pair of arms if he were to drink the white-fruit wine regularly. The two-armed people were of complicated origins. There was no shortage of people like Nangong Tianyu among them, and it wasnt just humansmany other Evernight races had also fallen into native captivity. Nangong Tianyu and the other two companions were all from the same stone keep. Qianyes group hadnt seen people like them in the high-gravity region because they simply couldnt survive there. Without the holy fruit, even the natives would have difficulty getting through the nights. While Ji Tianqing was continuing her interrogation, that woman from before appeared from the forest. This time, there was a demonkin and an arachne with her. The woman pointed at Qianye. Its them! They stole my treasure. The demonkin and arachne glanced at the Silk Lotus, but they didnt quite know what it was used for. What is that thing? The woman looked somewhat distracted. Whatever it is, its definitely a good treasure. The demonkin pondered while sizing up the three from head to toe. Treasures werent useful for everyonesome of them might be supreme assets for the humans but trash for the dark races. Qianye and the others looked quite difficult to deal with, and it probably wasnt too wise to get into a big fight for something so unsure. The woman seemed more anxious now. Your Excellency, if you take them down I Ill give myself to you. Ill also introduce you to the holy race. Holy race? The demonkin was moved. They have spatial gear on them! The woman steeled her heart and blurted out the biggest secret. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1020: Rob and Kill It was no longer important what was inside the spatial gear because the apparatus itself was a priceless treasure. Although people who would possess such an item had to be extraordinary, the demonkin was fairly confident in his own abilities as well. He exchanged glances with the arachne and drew his weaponsa dagger in his right hand and a handgun in his left. He then pressed forward, saying, Put down everything you have and Ill let you go. Ji Tianqing, who had been observing quietly all this time, couldnt help but sneer. That was my thought initially, but I need to make some changes. You guys can forget about going even if you leave everything you have! The demonkin was furious, and his eyes were full of killing intent. The arachne was even more irritablehe transformed into his original half-human form as he charged toward Ji Tianqing. Then, he raised his war-axe and slashed down from above! This arachne possessed the strength of a count, and considering the momentum of his charge, that axe blow was sure to contain an earth-shattering might. Ji Tianqing naturally wouldnt block that attack head-on and merely slid away to the side. Qianye suddenly appeared in her place and met the war-axe with a horizontal slash. The arachne went berserkthe muscles in his entire body squirmed and twitched as he swung the weapon with even greater ferocity. A loud clash reverberated through the air as the war-axe struck East Peak. However, the latter only sank slightly before stopping the arachnes all-out blow. The demonkin and woman inhaled deeply, chilled from head to toe. They were naturally quite clear about the arachnes strength. Let alone a one-on-one duel, they wouldnt be able to stop his blows even if they worked together. Qianye didnt look that strong, but he managed to block the attack with his one-handed bladewas he a divine champion? The arachne couldnt believe what he was seeing. He roared continuously, pouring in as much power as he could to suppress East Peak. However, even that charge attack just now hadnt gone through, and now, they were locked in a contest of strength. How could he win? Every time he added more force, it felt like he was crashing into a massive mountain range. The massive recoil in power stunned him. Five origin power activation points revolved throughout Qianyes body as the Excavator kicked into action, pouring out wave after wave of power and easily stopping the arachne. In the blink of an eye, the spider became drenched in sweat and short of breath. The pressure on East Peak also lightened. Qianye had no intention of being entangled for too long. He pushed the war-axe away with a cold smile, took a step forward, and threw a fierce punch at the arachnid-human junction. This fist, backed by the power of the Excavator, immediately shattered the arachnes origin defenses and shifted all of his innards. The spiders expression immediately changed, and he could hardly speak anymore. He soon collapsed to the ground and no longer moved. This result was far beyond everyones expectations. The demonkin and that woman were shocked at the defeat of this powerful arachne count. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were also surprised at how easily Qianye had felled this enemy. The panicked demonkin made to retreat, but a cold intent appeared behind his back. Where do you think youre going? The shocked demonkin turned and fired at the enemy, but all he managed to strike was a mirage. Li Kuanglan had appeared behind him yet again. The demonkin noticed a flicker at the corner of his vision at this moment. Without time to think, he stabbed instantaneously in that direction and the attack actually connected! The demonkin wanted to pull his blade back, but the dagger simply wouldnt budge. He glanced up in surprise, only to find the edge in Ji Tianqings grasp. Despite looking small and agile, she was unreasonably strong. It took the demonkin quite a bit of effort to pull his blade back just slightly, and it would be dragged back as soon as he stopped exerting. A wisp of black energy emerged from atop the demonkins head; he was just about to form his innate totem when he felt a chill behind his back. Soon afterward, his body lost control and the demonic energy scattered. Li Kuanglan grabbed him by the nape of his neck and poured a steady stream of frost origin power into his body. The invasive power destroyed his defensive powers and froze his neck into an icicle. The demonkin didnt last very long under the combined assault of the two ladies and soon breathed his last. JI Tianqing sighed in regret. She had wanted to catch the enemy alive at first, but this demonkin was quite strong and it was easier to just kill him. Having witnessed the two experts deaths, the woman turned to flee after firing an arrow. She was strangely fast and her distance gave her a good head-start. Qianyes group couldnt catch her before she vanished into the forest. It was during these unexpected events that Nangong Tianyu jumped up all of a sudden and bolted into the river. He dived down into the depths, where his aura promptly faded away. No one had expected Nangong Tianyu to recover his movement, nor did they know he would be such a good diver. Considering how adept he was underwater, chances of catching him again were next to zero even if they did dive in after him. However, the man had revealed quite a bit of information to them, including the fact that not all of those missing people were dead. Some of them might have fallen into native hands and gradually assumed different identities. It would seem the natives and Nangong Tianyus group were quite cautious, rarely leaving the increased gravity region to enter the landing point of the Empire and Evernight. That was why there were very few records of them at all. The trio didnt find anything of value on the arachne and demonkin. Their possessions were mostly things from the Great Maelstrom, and most of them were things only useful to the dark races. The remainder wasnt worth much, either, compared to the things the group had brought back from the deeper regions. Hence, the three of them found nothing that impressed them. Ji Tianqing woke up the arachne and interrogated him on his origins. This arachne had entered the Great Maelstrom during the previous opening of the passage, but he never made any major progress inside. The arachne physique was the strongest among the dark races and highly suited for the environment inside the Great Maelstrom. They would transform and become stronger simply by staying here, even without any major breakthroughs. Hence, the arachne stayed behind to explore the land, hunt for treasures, and seek opportunities to kill some imperials. Be it experts from the Empire or Evernight, whoever passed the invisible line would step into the high-gravity region. That area was a forbidden place to both factions as no one had ever returned alive from it. This arachne only operated near the borders, and even then, he would go with companions. Seeing that she could get nothing more out of him, Ji Tianqing raised her blade and slaughtered the arachne. Both the demonkin and arachne possessed a map with a series of markings on them. This information filled in a lot of blanks for the trio. After figuring out the general direction, Ji Tianqing said, Lets go to Heavenschild Pasture first, then the Constellation Well, and finally the Pond of Life. This path was somewhat complicated, but Ji Tianqing explained things to Qianye in just a few words. No one else knows the location of the Heavenschild Pasture just yet, so we should first head over there and collect the resources. Then, we head to the Constellation Well because we cant be disturbed during the process. People from the Empire shouldnt be there yet, and even if some of them had arrived, they wont be much of a threat. The Pond of Life can be used by both factions, so a big battle awaits once we get there. What Ji Tianqing meant was that they should get most of the things donebe it robbery or killingbefore heading over to the battle at the Pond of Life. Li Kuanglan had no objections to this plan, while Qianye couldnt come up with anything better, either. The three thus changed directions after Li Kuanglan was done collecting the silk lotuses and headed toward the Ashen Mountain Range. This mountain, stretching thousands of kilometers in length, was both majestic and dangerous, dotted with steep precipices everywhere. The three moved in due haste, passing through the foot of the mountain to start the hike. Naturally, the precipices and cracks couldnt deter the trio. Qianye took pointhe moved up along the precipice like a spider, breaking off protruding rocks with the combined use of East Peak and Excavator. As for the parts that were too smooth, he would use East Peak to cut out some holes and produce footing. In fact, Qianye himself didnt need stepping points. All he needed was to activate Excavator and dig his hand into the cliffside on his way up. But the rocks here were especially hard, and even Ji Tianqing might not be able to crumble the rocks with Excavator activated. Hence, Qianye needed to help them open up a path. Qianye reached into a crevice, hoping to pull himself up, when he felt a stabbing pain from his fingertips. The sensation then turned into numbness. He pulled his hand back to find a small beetle on his fingers, doing its utmost to suck his blood. The insect was oddly strong and its jaws were incomparably sharpit was actually able to bite through Qianyes skin. What made it more lethal was its venom. At this point, Qianyes fingers were starting to swell and turn blue. He was also gradually losing sensation. At a glance, his hand looked like an ordinary mans that had been bitten by a snake. However, Qianye possessed an ancient-vampire constitutionhow toxic was this venom to bring about such features!? Qianye channeled his blood energy and sent a wisp of dark golden blood energy to his finger. A plume of faint golden flames lit up at his fingertips, and the swollen digit gradually returned to its original state. The beetles poison was so strong that it was able to last a couple of moments before being incinerated by the dark golden flames. The beetle cried out anxiously as it poured as much poison as it could into Qianyes body, but how could a small beetle overcome the retaliation of the dark golden blood energy? Qianyes finger recovered in the blink of an eye while the dark golden blood energy charged into the insect, promptly reducing it to ash. Qianye felt somewhat regretful because such a toxic beetle was all too rare, and it could be a peerless treasure if used correctly. However, the insect was simply too dangerous. If it were Li Kuanglan instead of Qianye, she mightve perished from the venom by now. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1021: Guest at the Pasture After the death of this beetle, Qianye sensed countless little specks shrinking back into the rocky crevices. He gave it some thought before deciding to give up on catching them. These poisonous beetles were too dangeroushe wouldnt know how to handle them while alive, and their value would shrink once dead. Qianye turned toward the other two and said, Beware of the insects inside the rock crevices, theyre extremely poisonous. Both Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan nodded. Something Qianye considered extremely poisonous had to be a rare venom. Equipped with prior experience, Qianye became quite cautious whenever he passed by rocky crevices. As expected, he encountered numerous different insects, spiders, scorpions, and the like, all of them just as venomous as the first beetle. But now that he was guarded, the creatures had no chance to injure him. Toward the end, Qianye would simply sweep the stone crevices with his sanguine flames. Even if the bugs werent killed by the blaze, they would go into hiding after sensing the dark golden blood energy. This bare cliff was devoid of plants and beasts; no one knew how these insects survived here. What lay above them after scaling the dangerous area was a snowy line. Some parts of the summit were covered in snow, but it was still rocky ground in most places. Just like in the Empire, there was rarely any life after passing the snowy line. The wind in this place was exceptionally strong and contained wisps of origin power. Traveling against such a wind was akin to being attacked by an enemy who possessed origin power cultivation. Even Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan felt somewhat strained while moving through this mountain gale, let alone an ordinary expert. Qianye memorized the places where the insects had appeared before climbing upward against the wind. Moments later, the three finally reached the summit and put their foot on the Ashen Mountain Range. They continued their journey without resting. The descent was so much easier, and the trio had run out of the snowy line before long. They slid down the cliffs, ran over the hillocks, and traversed two more mountains to finally arrive in a hidden valley. This valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the only way in and out was a somewhat gentle slope. The valley was fairly well-hidden as the surrounding cliffs were both steep and dangerous. The poisonous area Qianye had just passed through was like a forbidden area to ordinary experts. Those venomous insects were just one of the many dangers along the way. One would need to pass through several dangerous areas to enter the valley via its normal route. And because of the geography, the path didnt stretch directly insideone could easily lose their way along the winding path and enter dangerous regions. Who knew how many lives it took the Song clan to find the Heavenschild Pasture. The valley was far from the operation areas of the Empire and Evernight. The Song clan had kept its location a top-secret throughout the years, preventing it from leaking out. Usually, a certain family member would ship out a batch of goods from the pasture every decade or so, and this harvest was enough to make the Song clan the richest in the Empire. Standing before the valley, Li Kuanglan was just as calm and cold. Qianye didnt have a good grasp of riches, either, so only Ji Tianqing was glowing from the eyes. Lets go, hurry! The Song clan has stashed up so many years of riches. There has to be a lot of good stuff inside, take everything once we go in. Theres no need to hold back on my account. Qianye laughed wryly, not knowing how to respond. Song Zining had likely intended for Qianye to collect the gains from the Heavenschild Pasture and hand it to him after leaving the place. Naturally, he could also leave whatever treasure he fancied for his own use. That was the proper way. Yet, it would seem even Song Zining hadnt expected that Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan would follow Qianye to the pasture. Moreover, Ji Tianqing possessed her own spatial gear. The situation was like inviting a wolf into the house. Under Ji Tianqings urging, Qianye could only brace himself to walk toward the valley, thinking along the way whether he should tell Song Zining the truth. The seventh young noble was experienced and knowledgeable, probably not someone who couldnt accept setbacks. Despite that, the potential blow from the Heavenschild Pasture was simply too great and would be quite difficult to digest. After passing over a gentle slope and circling around a cliff, the area in front of them opened up to reveal an endless verdant landscape. The valley was unexpectedly large, but those from the outside world simply couldnt see this immortal garden hidden amidst the mountains. There were lush forests around the foothills, bearing leaves that were either green, yellow, or large patches of redit was like a painting. A small stream stretched out from the mountains and through the trees to flow into the pond in the depths of the valley. There was a large meadow at the center of the valley, fenced up into different plots. Each plot was home to different plants or even trees of varying heights. Some of the trees were laden with fruits, while others were covered in a sea of flowers. The scenery was unique for each lot of land. Except for the fences, there were few traces of human activity. However, there was a small wooden hut not far from the valley entrance with a field each in front of the house and behind. Clearly, there was someone living here. Secretly surprised, Qianye exchanged glances with the girls. The last shipment from the Heavenschild Pasture was ten years ago, which meant that the person living here had been in the Great Maelstrom for over ten years. Having seen an example in Nangong Tianyu, Qianye and the others couldnt quite guess whether this was a friend or a foe. Just as they were hesitating, the door to the wooden hut opened and out walked an old man with white hair. With a hoe in one hand and a basket in the other, he began walking toward the plantation in front of his house. He put down his equipment after reaching the field and waved toward the group. Young people, why not come over and say hello since youre already here? A surprised Qianye glanced to his left and right, only to find that the two girls were also shocked. He immediately knew that this old man wasnt simple. The three had long since activated their concealment powers. Qianye had even circulated his Bloodline Concealment, and Ji Tianqings aura-transforming secret art wasnt inferior at all. Only Li Kuanglan was the weaker among them, but she was much better than an ordinary expert in terms of hiding. The three of them hadnt really hidden themselves, but concealing their auras was much more important at this distance. After careful thought, being found out under such circumstances went to show just how frightening this old man was. There was no backing off at this point. Qianye exchanged glances with the two ladies and simply walked into the pasture. The old man went about his own business, plucking weeds until Qianyes group was outside the gates. He stood up at that point and said while pounding his back, Im old and inflexible. Come in on your own and take a seat at the table. There was an ancient tree in the courtyard with lush foliage and a few young fruits. A stone table sat beneath the tree, surrounded by four stools. One would find, on careful observation, that there was a chessboard carved into the table. Apparently, having tea over a game of chess was a refined activity here. Qianye sat down confidently on the stone stool. Li Kuanglan hesitated briefly but also followed suit. Whether it was intentional or just a coincidence, there was some obstructing object in every direction from the stone tablebe it a shrub or a row of medicine, be it near or far. As someone who excelled in high-speed charge attacks, the layout made her greatly uncomfortable. This kind of constrained environment was most suited for people like Ji Tianqing who could operate naturally in small areas. Qianye wasnt really at ease, either. The courtyard and the medicine orchard were both arranged beautifully, but the picturesque disorder almost seemed deliberate. An expert like Qianye would instinctively size up unfamiliar surroundings and pay attention to paths of retreat. He scanned the surroundings and found that he wouldnt be able to perform Spatial Flash without crashing into something. The medicine garden had the least obstructions as there were only a few unknown plants growing in it. But everything in the Great Maelstrom could be a peerless treasure. If Qianye were to trample a couple of plants, he might be full of regret. Despite all that, he still sat down calmly. If he couldnt use Spatial Flash inside the courtyard, he just needed to get outside. And with a high-damage move like Excavator, he would have the advantage in a melee battle. Ji Tianqing didnt feel the same. She looked on the table, went around the stool, and sat down only after she had checked underneath it. Even then, she merely sat on the edge and was ready to escape anytime. The old man couldnt help but chuckle. What a naughty little girl! Didnt your grandpa teach you well? Ji Tianqing was startled. Y-You recognize The old man said with a smile, The Pointer Monarch is famous throughout the Empire, how could I not recognize his descendant? But I changed my appearance I wouldnt be able to tell for sure if you hadnt used that secret art. Ji Tianqing immediately regained her composure. You what is your relationship with grandpa? The old man laughed. What? Are you afraid Ill report to him? Fine, I wont bully you kids. Let me tell you, I always called him by name because I dont like him. Its not like I can really defeat him in battle. That bastard is a rare genius, how many throughout history can be his match? Im a cripple who cant even reach the apex, I wouldnt dare to compare myself to him. Ji Tianqing wasnt happy to hear someone badmouth the Pointer Monarch. Grandpa spent his life fighting for the Empire, making contributions both public and secret. Whats wrong with him? The old man broke into a laugh. Those are old stories, you kids wont understand. Ji Tianqing pouted. Whos a kid? Who cares if you dont want to tell me! The old man sized her up from head to toe. Oh, I see. Indeed, youre not a child anymore. He then turned to glance at Qianye until the latter felt weirdly uncomfortable. To Qianye, it had been quite a while since Ji Tianqing had grown out of childhood. In battle, the girl had always been decisive and ruthless at critical junctures. She would definitely be a difficult opponent once she became a divine champion. It was true that she looked cute on the outside, but how could such a fierce character be a child? The old man narrowed his eyes when he saw Qianyes puzzlement, but he didnt continue. He merely sized up the three while twirling his beard. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1022: Transplanted Frui A seemingly angry Ji Tianqing signaled Qianye secretly. Qianye quickly changed his stance, bowing as he said, How should I address you, elder? How long have you been here? This was a probe. The old man didnt seem very concerned, however. He continued trimming his plants and said, My surname is Lu, Ive been here for fifty years. Qianye suppressed his shock to continue sounding out the man. This is the Heavenschild Pasture, is it not? The old man nodded. Of course. Apart from the things in this garden, you can take your pick of anything else you see. Some of them require special harvesting methods, so come to me for things you dont understand. Qianye and the others couldnt believe that things would go so smoothly because this old man was actually quite unfathomable. After just a glance, Qianye felt as though he were facing Luo Bingfeng. He had long since abandoned any notion of robbing the man by force. Ji Tianqings appearance fluctuation slowed down for a moment. The old man shot her a glance. Just how old is that bastard Ji Wentian? Look at how young you are, yet youre actually pretending to be his granddaughter? Those words sounded casual, but Ji Tianqing had to reply solemnly, I dont have a father. What? The old man was surprised. I wont recognize him, hes not worthy! Ji Tianqing clenched her teeth. The old man broke into a laugh. He said while shaking his head, Fine, the young have fiery characters. This old man cant be bothered. But looking at the inheritances you have, hes even taught you his most well-kept Excavator. Looks like he really does like you. JI Tianqing was skeptical. Is Excavator so awesome? I think its just so-so. What do you understand, child? That old bastard has a whole bunch of secret arts for show, but none of them can match this Excavator in complexity. Just imagine the grandeur of splitting mountains with every move. Perhaps only the Founding Emperor and Martial Ancestors peerless arts would be superior. The old man had obtained Excavator back when he was wallowing in romance-related despair, and that allowed him to walk out of his slump and achieve all that he did later on. Ji Tianqings eyes lit up. What kind of person could make grandpa fall into despair. Is she beautiful? The old man said helplessly, Child, focus on bettering yourself instead of these useless things. Ji Tianqing couldnt get the answer after a good while of entanglement. You probably dont know, either, do you? The old man looked embarrassed. This is a sad story from back then. I was not his match, so how can I ask about something hes not willing to talk about. At this moment, Qianye recalled how he had received the Pointer Monarchs inheritance back in the Earth Dragons lair. Although he didnt know who this lady was, he was able to sense the ocean-deep pain as though it was his own. He pulled Ji Tianqing back, saying, Dont ask anymore, its not a happy story. Ji Tianqing poked her tongue out, but she ultimately listened to Qianyes advice. The old man glanced at Qianye. Good skills. This glance sought to see through him from inside out, but Qianyes dark golden blood energy and Venus Dawn activated at the same time. They formed a double-barrier, with the Venus Dawn outside and blood energy inside, blocking the old mans vision. Qianye had no idea whether the old mans praise was directed at his cultivation or how he had grabbed Ji Tianqings wrist. He was fairly confident about the former, but the latter was something he had never done before. The old man plucked a red fruit from a medicinal tree and passed it to Ji Tianqing. Ill give you this out of consideration for that old fellow. Think of it as returning a favor. You can eat it yourself or give it to someone else, you decide. Ji Tianqing knew this was a rare treasure, so she received it cautiously and sniffed lightly. White fruit? With a flip of her hand, she produced a white fruit and placed it alongside the red one. The old man was shocked. How did you get a holy fruit? This thing isnt easy to obtain, it only grows in the high-gravity regions youve all been there? Ji Tianqing replied honestly, We just came back. The old mans brows flew upward. How many times the gravity? Five? Six? Ten. The old man frowned. Childish boasts! How can people like you withstand ten times the gravity? That frigid night isnt something you can live through, either. We were lucky enough to find some holy fruits as soon as we arrived, and we used them to get through the nights. Afterward, we ran back at top speed. The old man asked in greater detail. Then, he said while stroking his beard, Turns out you came in from the neutral lands. No wonder! The empire did a good job of gaining the initiative. But I think this kid has dragged you two into harm''s way, otherwise, you wouldnt have fallen that far inside. The old man pointed at Qianye. Oh? Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were puzzled. The old man explained, Both the Empire and Evernight have explored the neutral-lands tunnel a hundred years ago, each side sending their top experts in. Although none of them reached the Great Maelstrom, they gained a good understanding of the structure and mechanism of the passage. If a number of people were to enter in quick succession, they would land close to the first entrant''s location. If Im not wrong, this young man was probably the one who entered first, followed by the two of you. The ladies thought back and found that it was indeed the case. The old man glanced at Qianye. His constitution is a bit special and its already quite different from our human race. He might be able to survive in that region, but you two cant. You were quite decisive, however, and made the right call to escape as quickly as you could. Its a rare quality to be able to give up on the things there. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglans expressions turned unsightly as they thought of a single possibility. Song Zining probably knew about the tunnels characteristics already but had allowed them to land near Qianye. Despite the earlier struggles, the seventh young masters plan had still succeeded just as they were about to leave the dangerous region. If one were to think deeper, perhaps Song Zining was already one of Empress Lis pawns back then. Him summoning Ji Tianqing to the neutral lands wasnt out of goodwill, either. Exchanging glances, they buried the hatred deep inside their hearts. No girl was different in terms of vengefulness. The old man pointed at the fruits in Ji Tianqings hand, saying, Back in the year, I traveled to the area with eight times the gravity, but I couldnt quite stand the frigid night at that point. So, I robbed some of the native lairs and snatched a branch from their tree. I had nothing better to do all these years, so Ive been studying how to transplant the holy fruit tree. I did produce some results throughout the years, and this fruit has forty percent the effects of the holy fruit. Forty percent of a life-extension fruit was already an outstanding number. This meant that the red fruit would have longevity effects as well. Seeing the trios expressions, the old man said, You guys still dont know the real advantage of this fruit. Its greatest boon is the ability to grow without the frigid nights power. Although the process is rather convoluted, Ive already managed to grow them in this area. From now on, I can produce two longevity-medicines every couple of years. Qianye felt that this benefit wasnt all that impressive. Ji Tianqing seemed to share the same opinion. There are so many fruits where the natives live. We just need to rob whenever we want more. The old man laughed. Rob? You guys were just lucky. Are we wrong? The natives might be troublesome, but its not hard to deal with them. The old man replied with a question, You mustve met the four-armed people? Weve met both four-armed men and women. The old man nodded. What do you think about them? Ji Tianqing replied, Nothing to write home about. The females white mist was rather disgusting, but theres nothing so special about them. With enough time and space, it wont be a problem for me to deal with five or six of them. Six, not sixty, it seems you think highly of them. The old man turned to Qianye. How about you? Qianye replied after some thought, I should be able to handle one more. The old man laughed. Just one more? Not bad, you know how to be humble at such a young age. It seems theres a reason the Song clan thinks highly of you. These words were quite baffling. Qianye and Song Zining were indeed good friends, but he had never received much from the Song clan itself. The old man had no intention of explaining. Its already hard enough to deal with a handful of them, what will you do if fifty of them appear at the same time?" There was no need to reply to this question. They would either have to run or fight to the death. They would have some hope at a battle if the three of them were to work together. The old man didnt wait for a reply. What will you do if you encounter a six-armed general? Six-armed general? The three were startled. The four-armed people were already so difficulthow strong would a six-armed one be? The old man continued, Its fine if you were there to snatch a couple of holy fruits, but the six-armed generals might be alerted if you had robbed them repeatedly or snatched their tree. As for how powerful they are, heh, theres no need to explain. Just look. The old man opened his clothes to reveal a sinister-looking scar on his chest. This is the price I had to pay for robbing a branch. Back then, I couldnt even last five minutes against the six-armed general. Ji Tianqing couldnt help but gasp as she looked at the tortuous scar, which stretched from the shoulders to below the chest. If the slash had been any more ruthless, it mightve slashed half of his body open. The old man wore his clothes back. You wouldve probably encountered a six-armed general if you hadnt escaped when you did. The three felt a bit scared after thinking back to the possibility. At this moment, at the high-gravity region. A row of ancient trees had collapsed through the forest, opening a forward path with great speed and momentum. Anwen was running for dear life with Bai Kongzhao in tow, never looking back once. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1023: Mortal Thread Anwens countenance was pale, and the demonic energy around him was faint from over-exhaustion. Bai Kongzhao was flushed pink as she was almost dragged along behind Anwen. Her greatest advantage in battle was her concealment and ability to make use of the environment. Hunting her down was a high-difficulty endeavor. Back in the year, Qianye had chased her across a thousand kilometers only to come back empty-handed. Other people could do even less against her. In truth, she wasnt all that fast, at least not comparable to people like Qianye, Li Kuanglan, and Anwen. The rumbling behind the two grew louder and louder. One tree after the other fell toward random directions as the terrifying existence quickly gained ground. This wont do, itll catch up to us! said Anwen. What do we do? Drop it! Drop what? That thing in your hand! No. Do it or well both die! Bai Kongzhao was holding firmly onto a small branch of the white-fruit tree. There were two fruits amidst the exuberant leaves, small, green, and unripe. She thought about it for a while before drawing her large cleaver and hurling it through the air. The large blade spun about in a tall arc and stabbed right into the rolling dust behind them. A pained cry echoed from the dust cloud, followed by an infuriated roar that approached at great speeds. Anwen seemed even more distressed. He said with a wry laugh, Young Miss, why would you provoke it at such a time? He cried out bitterly as a wisp of demonic energy curled up from his head. His speed increased sharply thereafter, allowing him to draw away from the pursuers. I cant hold out very long, just throw that thing away, Anwen shouted. Bai Kongzhao wasnt willing. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to stuff the branch into her mouth. Anwen was shocked out of his wits. No!!! That thing will chase you down and cut your stomach open! Itll stop at nothing to retake the holy tree branch, even if only dregs are left of it. The girl hesitated upon seeing his reaction. How would you know? Just look at how fiercely its chasing us! Do you even need to think? This type of creature is just like that. Anwen could barely catch his breath because he had to talk while running at top speed. The girl was still undecided. Anwen stopped trying to persuade her and focused on running away. His thoughts were clearif the girl wouldnt give up the branch, he would run until he collapsed and they would both die together. Or perhaps they could last until that big fellow was exhausted, but judging from the undiminished sounds behind them, the likelihood was small. It was at this time that Bai Kongzhao loosened her grip and the tree branch flew high up into the air. A large hand stretched out from the rolling dust and grabbed the incoming branch. This hand was extremely powerful, but its movements were oddly gentle. The little branch landed gently in its palm, and not even a leaf was damaged. The dust gradually dispersed to reveal a large figure. The facial features were characteristically native, but his brows were square and his eyes were as sharp as lightning. The serious, dignified expression, as well as his six muscular arms, added a sense of grandeur to his six-meter frame. Bai Kongzhaos large cleaver was stuck between the shoulders on his back, with a small part of its blade sinking into the flesh. The native used one of his rear arms to remove the cleaver and tossed it to the ground after a brief examination. The girls weapon was big, but the six-armed general was even bigger. This little injury was nothing to him. He glanced in the direction of Anwen and Bai Kongzhaos departure, seemingly thinking about something. He didnt give chase, but instead turned to leave. Even so, Anwen didnt dare stop for a good while. Only after he was sure nothing was behind him did he collapse to the ground, huffing and puffing. Help me keep watch. I I need to take medicine. Bai Kongzhao stretched out a hand, indicating that she wanted a weapon. With a flick of Anwens hand, the two-meter sword appeared on the ground. The young girl picked it up and swung it about clumsily. The long sword was so much taller than her petite figurehow could she wield it elegantly? She pondered for a while, changed positions, and adopted a different stance after some contemplation. After just a little while, she was able to move more naturally. Anwen paid her no attention. He fished out a bottle of medicine and inhaled the demonic energy inside. After a good while, his countenance improved somewhat. He opened his eyes and watched Bai Kongzhao playing with the long sword. It doesnt fit you. Bai Kongzhao returned the blade after some thought. Anwen put away the sword and said with a sigh, What bad luck to have run into that fellow. I dont think we can target stone castles anymore. Sigh, that was my last regeneration medicine. All will be up to luck if we meet such danger again. Bai Kongzhao propped her chin up with her hands, thinking about something. Anwen stood up, spirited. Lets go. We should leave this accursed place and that big fellow as quickly as possible. The girl said, How can we kill him? Him? Anwen shook his head. Forget about it. Its impossible even if all the demonkin here were to gang-up on him, that is unless the Demoness was here. But that crazy lady is still recuperating and probably wont come. Bai Kongzhao nodded and fell into deep thought, almost as though she was meditating on that problem just now. Anwen said, Dont overthink it. We should get away from this damned place as soon as we can. The young girl said all of a sudden, We have a chance at killing him. Anwen was startled. How? This girl possessed terrifying talents in combatshe would figure out the enemys weakness and come up with unimaginable strategies. Anwen wanted to know how she was planning to kill the six-armed general who had forced him to run for dear life. The girl said, First, you need to grab his attention. You also need to let me use your sword let it be, lets stop thinking about it. Seeing the girl get up to follow him, Anwen felt a bit moved. The young girl looked cold and seemed rather unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Earthly concerns simply didnt exist in her heart as the most important thing for her was to defeat the strong. She was probably confident about her plan, so there was only one reason why she would give upit was because Anwen would have to lure the enemy without a good weapon and might die in the process. As the two ran toward the low-gravity region, the young girl asked, Is the Demoness not coming? Of course not. She was heavily injured! Anwen said with a hint of schadenfreude. In the depths of the void, a pair of eyes slowly opened up. This was an inexplicable pair of eyesthere was neither a pupil nor an iris, only a sea of swirling chaos. It was sometimes grey, sometimes black. There seemed to be no pattern to its movement, but it wasnt shifting randomly, either. The eyes had just opened when several demonkin sensed the change. They flew over immediately and stopped at a good distance. Your Grace, why have you woken up so early? A cold, empty voice echoed. The Great Maelstrom has opened, I can sense its calling. While the demonkin were hesitating, one of them looked up courageously and met the pair of eyes. However, he quickly discovered a certain rhythm in the transforming color patterns therein, and this rhythm happened to answer some questions regarding his cultivation, problems that had been troubling him for a long while. It was the thought that had made him look for a while longer. In the end, he was entrapped by the swirling grey colorsit felt like he was just about to gain something before the enlightenment narrowly slipped away. It seemed like he would be able to break through if only he could try a bit harder and memorize all the color rhythms. Unknowingly, the demonkins thoughts sped up to the point where his head was about to burst. He cried out in pain as his demonic energy spiraled out of control. The demonkin near him quickly supported him and covered his eyes. How dare you look at Her Majestys eyes? Are you tired of living? The victim was trembling from head to toe as he did his utmost to bring the rampaging demonic energy under control. He was no longer in any condition to speak. The demoness voice echoed once more through the air. I just woke up, so I cant quite control my powers just yet. As for my injuries, they have recovered a fair bit and wont hinder this operation. One of the demonkin said hesitantly, Your Grace, His Excellency the Eternal Flame has decreed that you must recuperate completely before leaving. We should first report this matter to the Eternal Flame. The Demoness said calmly, No need. Unless its from the Emperor, the Eternal Flame doesnt have the right to order me around. Just tell him to take care of those kids from his family, lest they lose their lives. The demonkin looked at one another. Your Grace, you must gain permission if you wish to leave. This is also the Emperors will. The Demoness was somewhat surprised. He thinks so highly of me? Very well, I shall go see him. A demonkin marquis couldnt help but try to dissuade her. Your Grace, only a few years remain before your body is completely healed. Why not wait a while longer? By the time youre well-rested, the Great Maelstrom will have opened up once again. I can sense the one who injured me in the Great Maelstrom. Besides, if I keep resting, those little idiots from our race will think theyre catching up to me. I feel like it''s time to give them a new understanding of this world. The demonkin didnt know how to respond. As people in charge of guarding the Demoness, they naturally understood her temper, and that she would truly give all her peersperhaps even people from the previous generationa new understanding of this world. The eyes gradually closed back. The demonkin heaved a secret sigh of relief, thinking the Demoness had thought things through and decided to go back into deep slumber. But after a while, they noticed that something wasnt quite right. One of them drummed up the courage to look up and was shocked. The Demoness silhouette was nowhere to be found. ... Inside the Great Maelstrom, Zhao Yuying was staring into the distance with her hand on her cannon. She was covered in branches and leaves; even an experienced hunter wouldn''t discover her without walking close. The disguise looked simple, but not everyone could blend into the surroundings as well as she could. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1024: Enemies Mee The originally fearless Zhao Yuying was now somewhat nervous and didnt dare move a muscle. Only when the thunderous footsteps had faded away in the distance did she heave a sigh of relief. She stretched her tense body and discovered that she was drenched in cold sweat. She quietly wiped away the sweat on her brows and inhaled several times. After collecting herself and calming down, she stood up and kicked at the nearby mound of dirt. How long are you going to play dead? Following a howl of pain, the earthen color receded from the pile of earth and Wei Potian was kicked out of his disguise. He rubbed his butt, crying, Cant you be more gentle? Ill be dead from your kick before I die of shock from that six-armed monstrosity. Look at yourself, scared like a chicken and not even daring to move. You even buried your face into the soil, how did the marquis even pick you as heir? Zhao Yuying mocked. Wei Potian wasnt angry, however. The moment I saw him, I knew I wasnt his match. Even an ordinary divine champion will have to take a step back against him. I might not be afraid of death, but I cant drag you down with me. Im no good at concealment, so I can only use this method to hide my aura. Zhao Yuyang spat hard. Spouting all that righteousness, but youre just afraid of dying. Wei Potians face turned red. Without a word, he turned about and started running toward the source of the rumbling. Zhao Yuying was shocked. Fortunately, she reacted swiftly by tripping Wei Potian and placing a foot on his back, stopping him from clambering up. She prodded Wei Potians head with her hand-cannon, saying, Are you nuts? Wei Potian said with an ashen expression, Ill go fight it out with that six-armed monster! Ill let you see whether Im afraid of death or not! Zhao Yuying was even more furious. She stomped down hard and cursed, Do you even have a brain? Dont you know the difference between being fearless and throwing away your life? What will I do if you die just like that? Wei Potian looked back at Zhao Yuying in surprise. Zhao Yuying pushed the mans head down with her hand-cannon, burying it into the soil. What are you thinking about? What I mean is that a meat-shield like you isnt so easy to find in this damned place. Wei Potian could only nod since he couldnt speak. Get up. This mommy will ignore you the next time you act confused, you hear? Zhao Yuying shouted. Wei Potian clambered up. His face was full of mud and dust, but he was all smiles. Zhao Yuying spat. What a wretched smile, almost like that Song Seven! This time, however, Wei Potian wasnt going to take it. How am I similar to that sissy? Amidst the laughter and noise, the duo suddenly sensed something. They turned toward the forest at the same time and stared intently in a certain direction. Wei Potian stepped in front of Zhao Yuying, his figure glowing with a yellowish radiance and faint projections of distant mountains. At this moment, Wei Potians Thousand Mountains was ready to activate at a moments notice. He had reached a stage where he could unleash and retract his powers at will, an entire level above his previous achievement. Zhao Yuying took a step back, her cannon glowing faintly and ready to fire. As specialists in defense and attack respectively, the two were able to cooperate perfectly. The thicket in front of them shook as a cloud of black mist drifted out. There was a humanoid figure hidden within the smokey mass. This was a demonkin. What else was there to say? Zhao Yuying locked onto the target with a cold smile, ready to fire. The mist faltered and revealed itself, not expecting Wei Potian and Zhao Yuying to be here. The smoke receded to reveal the person inside. Eden! Wei Potian exclaimed with a serious expression. Theres nothing to fear. This fellow is shrewd and ruthless, but I refuse to believe he can escape a blast now that Ive locked onto him! Zhao Yuying was disdainful. Despite saying that, her eyes were clear and the cannon in her hand was rearing to fire. It didnt look the least like she was underestimating her enemy. Eden had long since gained fame, so the Empires younger generation was familiar with both his name and appearance. He was an extremely dangerous character, one worthy of caution once encountered. Eden narrowed his eyes. He hadnt expected to encounter two difficult experts from the Empire here. His luck had been pretty bad since entering the Great Maelstrom. He had almost run into a six-armed general just now. That monster was going berserk for some reason, destroying all the trees in his wake as he ran. A stray tree-trunk even smashed Edens temporary hideout. How could he dare stay around after such a shock? Just the might of that six-armed natives movements told Eden that he wasnt a match at all. He naturally had to run as far as possible. Who wouldve thought he would run into Zhao Yuyings cannon? With an unsightly expression, Eden tightened his grasp on the Abyssal Tribute and arched his body in a combat stance. Losing his concealment removed most of his advantage, and he wasnt quite confident about a melee brawl with the duo. Eden glanced at the mountain projections in Wei Potians origin power, and then at Zhao Yuyings hand-cannon. Wei Qiyang, Zhao Yuying! Zhao Yuying laughed out loud. Well, it seems Im quite famous! I guess I didnt kill all those dark race scum for nothing. Wei Potian wasnt too happy. This daddy here is called Wei Potian! Be it in the Empire or Evernight, the younger generations wouldve gone into the battlefield at this level of maturity. Their fame among the opposing faction was mostly gained by killing. Eden, Wei Potian, and Zhao Yuying all knew one another and naturally understood that their opponents were difficult. Presently, Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian were at an advantage. However, if they couldnt kill him in one shot, the demonkin would run back into the forest. The tables would turn at that point because Eden was an expert in concealment and snipingeven Qianye had suffered somewhat in his hands. Eden glanced into the depths of the forest. Not fighting? Wei Potian was puzzled. What do you mean? Shut up! Zhao Yuying glared at him. She then said to Eden, Were at an advantage now, why would we not fight? Eden shot her a glance. Just a bit of an advantage, dont think too highly of yourself. I dont want to fight because I dont want to die together with you two. Only at this point did Wei Potian realize that a fight would involve origin cannons and guns. The commotion would spread like an avalanche, and it would surely draw that six-armed monster over. They could all forget about living once that monstrosity was upon them. They had witnessed the terrifying speed with which the six-armed general was chasing a certain prey just now. None of them would be able to escape once targeted. This was the reason why origin weapons couldnt be used in the Great Maelstrom. The biggest threat wasnt the animosity between factions and powers, but instead the native monsters that might be drawn out. Zhao Yuying replied, You dont want to, but that doesnt mean we dont. This mommy here isnt afraid of death and taking you down with me isnt a loss, anyway. If you dont want to fight, take out something to convince me, otherwise, we can skip the useless chatter. Eden pondered for a while before tossing a jar of wine to Zhao Yuying. Take this and drink at your leisure. Also, I wont be attacking you for three days. It was actually a jar of white-fruit wine. Seeing the gift, Wei Potians expression became weird while Zhao Yuying blushed ever so slightly. She duly caught the jar and tossed it to Wei Potian. Put it away. The latter stowed the wine away in his spatial gear. The Wei family had given him their full support for his trip into the Great Maelstrom, going so far as to take out the treasures they had been hoarding. Comparatively, even Zhao Yuying didnt have storage equipment. After putting the tribute away, Zhao Yuying wasnt in a rush to leave. Arent the conditions too generous? What will you do if I attack you? You wont. Ha! What if I like catching you off-guard? Eden replied calmly, Humans are mostly crafty and untrustworthy, but youre an exception. Zhao Yuying was surprised. I have such a good reputation? Eden snorted. Im giving you three days because I made a deal with someone, and you happen to be related to it. What deal? Zhao Yuying was curious. That, you dont need to know. Eden wasnt about to give her face. It was at this moment that the three became alarmed. The forest began to tremble as the shockingly heavy footsteps appeared once more, and it was coming in their direction! The steps came at great speed. The six-armed general wasnt sprinting deliberately, but it would move dozens of meters with every step, advancing great distances in mere moments. The dense forest could offer no resistance against him, either. We cant escape! Wei Potian exclaimed. Indeed, we wont make it, Eden chimed in. Duh! Start hiding! Zhao Yuying stomped down to form a pit in the ground. This was the high-gravity region, and the soil here was as hard as steel. Even Eden was shocked at how easily she had excavated the pit. Zhao Yuying kicked Wei Potian in after digging the pit. The latter knew how to cooperatehis origin power surged out to form a barrier of light over the opening, upon which Zhao Yuying arranged an array of branches and leaves. The setup seemed so genuine that Eden couldnt help but feel surprised. After the camouflage had been set up, Wei Potian let out a soft cry, and the origin power barrier rose above the opening. The elevation process was extremely stable and didnt disturb the leaves in the slightest. This alone was enough to showcase his extraordinary cultivation. Zhao Yuying jumped into the pit, and then beckoned to Eden. What are you gazing around for? Are you looking to die? Eden jumped in after a brief moment of hesitation. Wei Potian then lowered the light barrier and duly sealed the opening of the pit. At a glance, this place was no different from any other part of the forest, and even the most experienced hunters would find it difficult to find any clues. At this moment, a wisp of black energy spread out and covered up what remained of Wei Potians origin power aura. Now everything was perfect. The six-armed general arrived in large strides, scanning the surroundings with eyes like lightning. He stepped over the trios hiding place without sensing anything, and simply went on his way. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1025: Stunning Sho The three of them jumped out only after the six-armed general had left. Eden, Wei Potian, and Zhao Yuying exchanged fierce glances but refrained from an actual fight. They didnt really have the will to fight, either, after witnessing the scene from just now. Eden pointed at Zhao Yuying and said in a deep voice, If we meet again after three days, itll be the end of your life. Zhao Yuying laughed, Brag on! Come and take this mommys head now if youre capable! Eden snorted but ultimately decided against a verbal spar. He retreated slowly and faded into the depths of the forest. Wei Potian watched Edens receding figure while scratching his head. Are we letting him go just like that? Zhao Yuying smacked him on the head, saying, What else can we do? Weve already agreed to three days later, so even if we want to fight, itll be then. What kind of person do you think this mommy is? I keep my word! Wei Potian was still hesitant. I think we had a good opportunity just now, we might not have such a good chance the next time we meet him. Back in the Far East battlefield, I would never pass on any opportunity. That was how I was taught by the elders of the clan. Now that weve let Eden go, perhaps he will become a calamity for the empire. Thats a battlefield, naturally, its fine to do so. This place isnt the same. Truth be told, Wei Potian didnt feel anything different between the Great Maelstrom and the Far East battlefields. The only difference was that the Great Maelstrom was a clash of experts, while the other was a battle between armies. In terms of cruelty, however, the Great Maelstrom could only be superior. No expert entering this place would dare say he could escape alive. Despite feeling that Zhao Yuying was just twisting words, Wei Potian still tried to persuade her patiently, I just feel that we might be ambushed if we meet Eden again, even before the three days is up. If were too soft, theres no telling how many Imperial experts will die in Edens hands. Theres no room for friendship between the Empire and Evernight. Zhao Yuying didnt agree. Theres no need to discuss great virtues when you cant even keep up your personal morals. Ill be the first to doubt your character. Those are different things. Of course theyre the same. Im not saying we should be immoral, but we need to look at who were dealing with! Theres no need to be righteous when dealing with the dark races. Morality is morality, we agreed to hold three days, so we cant go back on our words. This has nothing to do with race but with ones integrity. The two argued for a good while without any conclusion. Actually, this kind of debate would never have a conclusion. Wei Potian shook his head helplessly and sighed. Sigh, women This made Zhao Yuying unhappy. What about women? Brat, you werent even a recruit when this mommy was fighting through life and death on the battlefield! At the mention of this, Wei Potian raised his hand in defeat. Okay Yuying, its my fault Zhao Yuying became even more furious. Dont address me with such familiarity! Is Yuying for you to call? Dont think anything can happen between us just because I lost my composure after some wine. Let me tell you, this mommy wont take responsibility! Blushing hard, Wei Potian stammered, Thats not what I meant. About yesterday, I also Zhao Yuying shrugged. Stop! Are you trying to say you were also in the wrong? Save your breath! Back then, I drank a bit too much and forced myself onto you. Do you think you can escape my claws with your meager skills? Itd make no difference even if you had resisted. Wei Potians face swelled red, and he wanted nothing more than to drill into the ground. It seemed the Thousand Mountains was useless no matter how high his cultivation of it was. Zhao Yuying patted his shoulder. Enough, no need to think too much about it. There are things one cannot help while roaming the world, things like this will happen sooner or later. You didnt take that much of a loss with me. No matter what, youre more or less one of mine in the future, so let me know if theres anyone you cant beat. Ill blast him away. Wei Potian didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. I He had just uttered a single word when he was interrupted by Zhao Yuying. I what? Dont keep talking about this small thing all the time, its annoying. I only slept with you one day out of the three hundred and sixty-five in a year. Whats the big deal? Let me tell you, its useless no matter what you think. You can ask around after leaving this place how heartless this mommy was back in the year. Wei Potian was a well-experienced character, but he simply couldnt deal with Zhao Yuyings marketplace vulgarity. Who wouldve thought Duke Yous descendant and a genius of the Zhao clan would be such a person? Wei Potian was stopped so badly that he could hardly breathe, his heart filled with an inexplicable sensation. Disappointment and indignation burned in his entire being, mixed with a strong tinge of love. He wanted nothing more than to roar at the sky. However, the six-armed general was still nearby, and howling at the moon would be no different from courting death. The stifling sensation was truly inexplicable. Wei Potian forced himself to calm down, and then pointed at the direction of the native general. Then lets talk about something else, does your Zhao clan have records about that monster? Zhao Yuying replied seriously, No, none at all. Besides, this mommy snuck out to join the Great Maelstrom. The clan doesnt know about this, and I never looked at the core intelligence reports, either. Information regarding the Great Maelstrom had always been one of the clans most well-kept secrets. Those not entering the Maelstrom had no clearance to read them. Zhao Yuying was a pillar of the Duke You residence and normally wouldnt be allowed to enter the Great Maelstrom. That was unless she was too weak and couldnt cross the divine champion threshold on her own. Wei Potian felt helpless. Unfortunately, our Wei family has very little intelligence on the Great Maelstrom. I dont know much, either. Whats the point? We can just avoid things we cant win against, right? Wei Potian replied, Its not that simple. This place has around six-times the gravity compared to the Empire. We might even be able to reach the charted area if we keep running for two more days. Its definitely hard, but its not as if we cant hold out here. So many experts from the Empire have entered to explore this place throughout the years, with no lack of people stronger than us. How had they never encountered this big fellow? There should be records if they had encountered such an unbeatable foe, but now theres nothing at all. Zhao Yuying was baffled. There are so many unexplored places in the Great Maelstrom, what are you getting at? Wei Potian replied, This kind of monster mustve appeared recently, in recent years at least. Something that powerful wouldnt appear for no reason. There must be some awesome treasure nearby or clues regarding it. Zhao Yuying was first startled, and then erupted in praises. Who wouldve thought? You look quite dumb normally, but there are times you can be smart! Wei Potian didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Hey, this daddy is a leading commander of a region who has managed to defend against the dark race army for many years. Im not an idiot. But Zhao Yuyings expression changed instantly, thumping him on the head with her fist. Think about it! No matter how good a treasure that monster is guarding, do you think we can snatch it? You can go alone if you want to die, dont drag this mommy down! My life is still quite good, a lot of strapping young lads are waiting for me to pamper. Wei Potian jumped up in anger. Y-You! What did you just say? What? What did I say wrong? The last part! So what? Am I wrong? Wei Potian made to speak but stopped. In the end, he snorted. Nevermind, I cant out-talk you. With that, he left without even checking if Zhao Yuying was following him. The latter was stunned, not expecting Wei Potian to act out like this. Huh? What are you doing? Are you looking to die!? Stop! But Wei Potian kept marching forward obliviously. Zhao Yuying remained frozen in place, not knowing whether she should give chase. Wei Potian kept walking with his head down, completely unaware of the pair of eyes on him. Behind the leaves in a certain treetop, Eden placed his crosshairs on Wei Potians vitals. What an idiot! But there are three more days. Although the three days aren''t for you, I guess Ill spare you as well. Eden moved his scope toward the distance, toward the thing he was most fearful of. He could vaguely see the majestic silhouette of the six-armed general seemingly looking for something in the forest. Eden felt a headache upon seeing that creature. Such a massive frame in this high-gravity region meant that his physique had reached an unimaginable state. Eden wondered if he could injure the native even if he were to blast his head with the Abyssal Tribute. It just so happened that the fellow possessed sharp senses and was also extremely fast. That was enough to make Eden shy away from facing the monster, let alone try to find out what abilities he possessed. According to the highest-ranked intelligence of the demonkin race, Eden wasnt sure if this creature was the only one of its kind. Even if some powerhouse could appear and finish off this bastard, it would most likely serve to draw out even more powerful beings. The intelligence report he had read was of the highest clearance. The Eternal Flame had handed it to him just before entering the Great Maelstrom. This six-armed monstrosity was blocking the only path toward the lower-gravity region. It looked like he would need to take a long way around to reach the starting zone. Eden began formulating a route while observing the six-armed generals movements. It was at this time that an intense feeling rose up in his heart. It was almost as though the entire world was being twisted and warped. Then, an ineffable sense of palpitation filled his entire being. All objects in his vision were distorted, and the distant six-armed general even more so. He looked almost like a thin sheet of paper that had been stuffed into a glass bottle. A silent field of red spider lilies had appeared in the distant sky, blooming and wilting immediately afterward. With the blossoming and withering of each flower, cracks began to appear in the numerous planar realmsespecially the one in which the six-armed general had been sealed. The monster roared and struggled, but it simply couldnt escape the binding of the planar realms. The cracks increased progressively, and finally, the realms shattered into countless fragments, each containing an image of the roaring general! The world finally restored itself and Edens palpitation gradually subsided. The six-armed general was still standing, but he was completely still and no longer roaring. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1026: Fleeing Red Spider Lily Eden glanced at the place where the six-armed general had collapsed, feeling everything to be extremely unreal. That six-armed monstrosity they had no choice but to hide together from had actually collapsed? Was he dead, injured, or just asleep? The ridiculous and dispersed train of thought lasted mere moments. Eden suddenly recalled the blooming and wilting of the other shore flowers, as well as their source. He quickly contained his confused thoughts and jumped down from the tree, using this demonic energy to shield his body as he ran in the opposite direction of the flowers. At this moment, the absurd feeling in his heart grew even stronger. If he hadnt seen it clearly, Eden would have never believed the Red Spider Lily would appear in the Great Maelstrom. Each Grand Magnum was a national superweapon, capable of suppressing a direction on its own. It was also something that couldnt be lost. Reportedly, the owner of the Red Spider Lily was an ordinary girl without any origin powerhow could the Empire let such a person bring the magnum into the Gream Maelstrom? Even a famed demonkin scion like him was finding it hard to adapt to the environment here; how did that human get through everything? At the same time, a different, insuppressible notion popped up in his head: this was the best time to rob the Red Spider Lily! Edens name would go down in history if he could get his hands on this Grand Magnum. His status in the demonkin race would also surge sharply! But those dreamy prospects didnt affect Eden as he kept on running swiftly. The might he had witnessed just now was even greater than the legends spoke of. He probably couldnt take even ten of those flowers, let alone the hundreds blooming in the air just now. Merits were good, but he would need to be alive to take them. No matter who was in charge of the Red Spider Lily, Eden was sure they wouldnt hold back after discovering him. At this moment, Wei Potian and Zhao Yuying were stunned as they watched the withering red spider lilies in the distance. Ruoxi! Zhao Yuying jumped up and rushed toward the flowers like a madman. A shocked Wei Potian also gave chase from behind. Zhao Yuying came to herself after a period of sprinting, quickly retracting her aura and switching to stealth movement. Wei Potian ran alongside her in silence, but Zhao Yuying didnt reject him short of giving him a glare. Zhao Yuying recalled that Zhao Ruoxi would usually become exhausted after firing a single round. That was why the clan always had experts guarding her. But she was in the Great Maelstrom right now, which meant that the two experts probably werent by her side. The forest was full of danger. Zhao Yuying didnt want to mess up and attract wild beasts to Ruoxis location. The six-armed generals massive body was lying on the ground, his arms twitching from time to time. The monsters eyes, however, had lost their luster and were merely staring at the vast sky. Zhao Ruoxi was hopping about on the massive body, seemingly searching for something. There were several pouches hanging at the six-armed generals waist, which Zhao Ruoxi opened up one by one. Most of them were filled with dried beast meat, as well as some unidentifiable stones and pieces of wood. The girl didnt even look at those things, but she cried out in joy when she found a jar of white-fruit wine in one of the pouches. Ruoxi, put that down. You cant drink it! Zhao Yuying could no longer worry about anything else as she called out from afar. Zhao Ruoxi was startled. Her hands shook for a bit and almost dropped the jar on the ground. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian charging over. Her expression was almost a bit panicky. Several red spider lilies bloomed around her, carrying her entire person into the air. Zhao Yuying was anxious. Ruoxi, stop! Where are you going? But Zhao Ruoxi wasnt about to listen to her. The flowers bloomed and withered through the air as the girl vanished into the depths of the forest, traveling countless times faster than Zhao Yuying. When the latter arrived beside the six-armed general, Zhao Ruoxi was nowhere to be found, leaving her dumbstruck. Wei Potian caught up and stood beside Zhao Yuying. It seems she doesnt want to see you. Why? Zhao Yuying was puzzled. Wei Potian shrugged. How should I know, but she has to have a reason. We cant help it if she doesnt want to see us. Zhao Yuying stamped her feet. But shes in danger right now! The power of the Red Spider Lily is still active, and you also saw its might. So, the one in danger isnt her but us. In the Great Maelstrom, one would have to leave immediately after using an origin gun or risk attracting danger. With that, Wei Potian pointed at the six-armed generals corpse. Do you want to check him for anything? Youd better do it now, we dont have much time left. Zhao Yuying was still a bit unresigned. She glanced at Zhao Ruoxis direction before letting out a sigh. She had no choice but to accept Wei Potians suggestion to collect spoils from the six-armed monster. There was nothing of great value in the six-armed natives pouches; others were simply unrecognizable. Wei Potians storage space was really tight and simply couldnt fit that many things. Due to its large build, it was impossible for the six-armed generals weapons to fit inside the spatial gear. Perhaps the most valuable spoil of war was the corpse itself, but how were they to know which part of the six-armed general was valuable and which parts were just useless flesh? Going with her instincts, Zhao Yuying slashed at the six-armed generals chest. The heart of such an incomparably powerful giant creature had to be valuable. But unexpectedly, this slash only left a shallow mark on his chest! It would seem she hadnt even cut through the monsters skin! Zhao Yuying hadnt imagined the natives body would be this strong, even after death. It seemed as though digging the heart out would be a fairly strenuous undertaking. It was at this moment that a series of rustling sounds echoed in the woods. Even Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian couldnt help but feel their blood run cold. What is that? Zhao Yuying asked. I dont know, but it sure isnt anything good. Wei Potians expression was unsightly. The sounds approached from afar, and soon, several beetles crawled out from the forest. The insects were the size of a fist, with a scarlet compound eye on their heads and a shocking proboscis. Their movements were also extremely fast, only a bit slower than Wei Potian. The beetles ran straight over to the six-armed generals body, followed by a dark swarm of even more bugs. Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian noticed that things werent looking good. She grabbed a couple of random stones from the generals pouch and then fled with Wei Potian in tow. At this point, the rustling sounds had grown as loud as a raging storm. The two didnt dare linger and kept on running until they could no longer hear anything. Fortunately, it was just as the duo had predictedthe beetles were here for the six-armed generals body. Had that not been the case, the two of them wouldve been in great danger. Such an insect tide was one of the scariest types as any level of fierce beast could be reduced to a skeleton within moments. Zhao Yuying glanced behind her, seemingly still worried. What do we do now? It was rare for her to ask. During the series of recent matters, Wei Potian had displayed a degree of reliability and intelligence that made her see him in a new light. Wei Potian gave it some thought. Lets just find a way to return to the starting region, and then discuss what we should do. The frigid night alone makes it hard for us to remain in this area for long. And I really dont want to experience another six-armed monster or those beetles. Zhao Yuying nodded in agreement. What will we do afterward? she inquired. Well have a lot of choices at that point. I have a Storm Pearl, so I can try my luck at the Constellation Well. The Pond of Life isnt far off at that point, but it depends on you whether or not you want to go. At the mention of the Pond of Life, Zhao Yuying seemed quite hesitant. Ladies would suffer ten times more embarrassment after losing control inside the Pond of Life. Even though Wei Potian would be around, he might not be able to defend himself when the time came. Hence, experts had always quietly avoided the Pond of Life throughout history. The Pond of Life was the best place to test ones willpower. Which expert wasnt proud of their own willpower? Only when entering the Pond of Life would they realize how weak they were. Some had mentioned using the pond to train ones willpower, but people only supported the notion verbally. No one really volunteered. After a long period of deliberation, Zhao Yuying laughed wryly. Ive encountered some things in the past. Im a bit like that. I probably wont be able to pass the test of willpower. Wei Potian nodded, but he didnt try to pry into her history. Back in the Heavenschild Pasture, the old man was showing Qianyes group to the plantations. Close to the small hut was a vast meadow. There were a couple dozen small trees growing amidst the grass, with cherry-red fruits hanging from their branches. The skin of the fruit was decorated with speckles of gold. The old man said, This is a star cherry tree. These trees are already mature, but the others are still growing. Star cherry requires almost a hundred years to mature. Can you guess where the medicinal part is? Qianye said, It must be the fruit? Its the leaves, said Ji Tianqing. The root? This was Li Kuanglans thought. The old man laughed while stroking his beard. Neither, its the trunk. The old man arrived before a star cherry tree that was around his height and said while stroking the trunk, This one is completely mature. We need to cut off all the branches and leaves during the harvest, leaving only the trunk. As for the fruits, they are so poisonous that we cant even touch them, let alone eat. Qianye noticed that even the old man was cautious not to touch the fruits. He couldnt help but feel shaken and become more vigilant. The old man pulled his hand back and smiled at the trio. This one is ready for harvesting, want to try? Let me. Ji Tianqing was unwilling to pass on this opportunity. She drew a combat knife and then turned back to ask, How should I go about this? Cut it down at the ground level, and then shave off the leaves. Ji Tianqing noddedher knife moved like lightning and struck the root of the tree. Clang! The sound of metal striking metal echoed in the area. The tree trunk had an extra scratch now, but the attack didnt even penetrate the bark. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1027: Star Cherry Toxin Eh? Ji Tianqing was surprised. Every weapon she had brought out was a quality item, and even this spare weapon was grade-eight. Yet, the slash wouldnt go through this tree? Ji Tianqing took a deep breath as the thunderous rumble of Excavator echoed throughout her body. She took a step forward with great momentum and slashed ferociously at the tree trunk. Once again, the combat knife bounced back with a loud clang and almost hit Ji Tianqings forehead. She had to go all out just to control the recoil, her finger-webs bleeding from the impact. The star cherry tree shook violently, and a star cherry dropped down toward Ji Tianqing. By the time the girl had noticed the incoming fruit, there was no more time to evade. All she could do was swing a palm toward the falling fruit. Even if she were poisoned, it would be her hand and not on her body. It was at this moment that Qianye pressed down on Ji Tianqings hand and grabbed the star cherry, tossing it far away. Qianye felt his palm go numb the moment the fruit landed in his grasp. He withdrew his hand to find a patch of darkness dotted with golden specks, much like the pattern on the star cherry fruit. Not daring to neglect this development, he quickly channeled the dark golden blood energy to isolate the venom. However, Qianye seemed to have underestimated the toxicitythe dark golden blood energy fought the poison in a fierce battle, but it couldnt quite keep the intruding agent at bay. The black patch on his palm was beginning to extend toward his wrist. Qianye wasnt flustered in the face of danger. He set up numerous blockades with the dark golden blood energy to temporarily trap the poison while he activated Venus Dawn. A stream of origin powerone ranked at the apex of daybreaksurged into his palm. A plume of scarlet gold flames danced in his hand, reducing the star cherry poison to ash along with the nearby flesh. Qianye didnt even frown as he burned away the flesh on his own palm. The dark golden blood energy then sprang into action, stimulating the growth of nearby flesh and blood. Qianyes hand recovered in mere moments, except for the pinkish hue on his regenerated skin. This new flesh had not undergone tempering by the auric flame blood and Venus Dawn. They were currently a ways off from Qianyes normal flesh and would take a good while to normalize. This dangerous experience gave Qianye a direct understanding of the star cherry fruits toxicity. He opened his left palm, duly summoning East Peak to his grasp as he arched his body. Staring fixedly at the old man, Qianye said slowly, Whats the meaning of this? The old man wasnt nervous. He chuckled while stroking his beard. What meaning? You cant blame other people for this little fellows carelessness. That sword in your hand, though, its a bit The old man took a step back in shock, trying to put some distance between him and Qianye. He quickly understood something after the retreat. Young people these days are really not simple. It seems I have misjudged you, could it be that you really have something that can injure me? Qianye made no reply. He slowly raised his right hand and formed a gun with his fingers, which he then aimed at the old man. The old mans expression transformed numerous times as Qianyes hand rose up, finally culminating in a solemn focus at his fingertips. This time, he no longer dared to act carelessly. Several rings of red-golden origin power pulsed around his vitals. Having set up his protection, the old man coughed awkwardly and said, Why are you so angry, young man? That lass is Old Man Jis descendant, someone connected to me by fate. Why would I harm you? Qianye remained silent, his finger still aimed at the old mans forehead. The man was both angry and embarrassed. Young Man, dont be so cheeky! If you make me truly angry, Ill just drive you all out! His outburst got him no response. Instead, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan began to movethey stood behind the old man on either side, ready to attack at a moments notice. The elder sighed. Young people these days dont know how to respect their elders anymore. Fine, Ill tell you the truth, the fruit is poisonous, but its not lethal. There are benefits to be had after enduring the early medicinal effects. Its just that the process itself isnt quite comfortable. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan glanced skeptically at Qianye. He was the only one who had experienced the toxin, the only one who could verify the old mans claim. Qianye thought back carefully and discovered that the strong poison was just a bit shy of being lethal. It would spread quickly throughout the body and seep into the muscles, immobilizing the person entirely. But, only a small amount of flesh would die in the process, and only the weakest parts at that. If the star cherry poison were to spread throughout the body, it would be comparable to a special form of body tempering. Ji Tianqings constitution should be able to endure this process, but just as the old man had said, it would be an agonizing process. Hes not wrong, but I dont think he has good intentions, Qianye replied. Without so much as a word, Ji Tianqing fished out a metallic bucket and stared intently at the old man. The latter was utterly shocked upon seeing the item. Why do you have this thing!? Ji Tianqing waved the metal bucket, saying, Its good that you recognize what this is. Now, tell us what your real intentions are, or Ill toss this to the ground and everyone will die together! You wouldnt have taken this item out if you were the one poisoned just now, would you? Why wouldnt I? If Im about to die, Ill naturally drag you down with me, Ji Tianqing replied with great certainty. The old man was starting to sweat. He shook his head, saying, Mischief! What mischief! How could the old man give you that thing? I know when to use it and when not to. The old man sighed. Fine! Young people these days are so disrespectful. I wont keep you all in suspense anymore. The star cherry fruit is useless for that young man over there, and its too fierce for the Li familys young miss. However, it will benefit you by tempering your body one last time before you advance. Of course, you wont need to wait for gradual recovery after the poison has spread to all parts of your body. You just need to take a simple antidote, which is actually the leaf of the star cherry tree. If the lass constitution is strong enough, or if she uses recovery medicine, the process will take less than half a days time. Qianye said, Thats not very long, but shell need time to recover her combat capabilities, wont she? The old man replied, Thats a given since the entire body will be damaged after the process, and the new muscles need time before they can be used at will. Qianye nodded in relief. It would seem the old man wasnt just spouting random nonsense. Ji Tianqing wasnt having it, however. She picked up Qianyes hand and waved it at the old man, saying, Whats this, then? Who told him to rush to your rescue without waiting for me to explain? But it seems hes quite close to you, he even dares to touch a highly poisonous object for your sake. Ji Tianqing blushed. Bullsh*t! The old man said seriously, Rest assured, this young man is connected to me by fate. Ill give him something good as well. You, on the other hand, should eat one of the fruits first. The old man waved his hand, sending a star cherry drifting toward Ji Tianqing. The latter picked up the fruit and swallowed it without further thought. Qianye was surprised at how much Ji Tianqing trusted the old mans words, so much so that she had actually swallowed the fruit. The toxin was so powerful that it would take effect immediately after entering the stomach. There was no stopping it now. The old man pointed at the hut. Go rest in the house. Li girl, you take care of her for a while. Feed her a star cherry leaf after a quarter-hour, no sooner or later. And be careful not to touch her body. At this moment, Ji Tianqings countenance was shrouded in black energy. She struggled to lie down and could no longer move thereafter. Li Kuanglan caught a leaf from the tree and sat beside the bed with a worried expression. Qianye shot a glance at the old man, and despite his silence, the old man could feel his brows twitching. The latter shook his head and sighed. Young people these days, theyre even trying to threaten these old bones. With that, he pointed at the star cherry trees. This one, this one, and this one, chop them down and give me seven of the fruits. Qianye picked up East Peak and arrived before a star cherry tree. With a deep breath, the muscles and tendons in his body begin to emit a sound of rumbling thunder! Channeling up to the sixth layer of Excavator, he swung East Peak at the tree and felled it with a crack. Qianye tapped several times with his fingers, sending seven star cherries toward the old man. This transition from strength to precision was as smooth as flowing water and seemingly not even his full power. The old mans brows twitched as he watched this process. The old man put away the fruits before instructing Qianye to carve off the branches, leaving only the bare trunk. He picked up the tree trunks and sealed off the openings with a transparent colloid. After which, he tossed them to Qianye. Not bad, take it. Qianye caught the trunks but felt a bit awkward about it. His space in Andruils space was fairly limited right now. He wouldnt be able to put anything else inside if he were to add the three star cherry trees. Storage space was of the utmost value, so he was wondering if he should put these blocks of wood in. He didnt even know their function just yet. The old man noticed Qianyes dilemma. Young man, I sense some remnant medicinal fragrance from you. You recently used regenerative medicine, didnt you? Qianye was stunned. This old mans nose was quite sharp, perhaps even the sharpest in the Empire. Indeed. This star cherry tree is the main ingredient for making regenerative medicine. These three tree-trunks will produce about six portions of it. After hearing this, Qianye immediately made space inside of Andruils Space and stuffed the star cherry trees inside. Having used the medicine once, he knew that having a regenerative medicine in hand was equal to half an extra life. Only after seeing the star cherry tree here did Qianye realize why the drug was so valuable. The entire Heavenschild Pasture could only produce six doses of it in the past century... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1028: Brother of the Pas Qianye saw the old man lifting his basket, just about to go back inside, and couldnt help but ask, Elder Lu, are there any more places that produce star cherry trees? You can sometimes see wild star cherry trees in the forest and on the Ashen Mountain Range, but theyre more potent and dangerous. There would also be beast lairs around these trees. Hence, the yield out in the wilds isnt quite stable. Sometimes more than the pasture, sometimes less. Chatting along the way, the two soon arrived at a fenced medicinal garden. The soil in this garden was black with stones of various colors buried within it. There were a number of shrubs growing inside the garden, and they didnt look that different from the wild grass in the forests and mountains. The old man knew Qianye wasnt well versed in this subject. The grass here is different from the ordinary wild grass, its called graysteel thread grass. Check the edges of the grass blades, youll see traces of rust, and you can differentiate it from ordinary grass by the grey line running down its spine. As far as the Great Maelstrom is concerned, of course, its just a wild grass. The grass naturally had extraordinary uses since it was given such a large plot of land. According to the old mans introduction, it was one of the main ingredients of top-grade military recovery medicines. Qianye had obtained one top-grade recovery and regenerative medicines just before his showdown with Luo Bingfeng. The Graysteel Wire Grass wasnt irreplaceable, but sufficient amounts of it in the concoction would increase its effectiveness by a great margin. This was how the top-grade versions came to be. Because recovery medicine possessed a greater scope of use than regenerative medicine, its consumption rate was also much higher. From a certain perspective, it could be said that the strategic value of graysteel wire grass wasnt too inferior compared to star cherry trees. It was just that the latter was a life-saving item for top-experts, and it was also much rarer. Qianye had indeed seen a fair bit of these plants, but that was in the area with ten times the gravity. It was largely nonexistent by the time they had arrived in the region with eight times the gravity. Being able to move the plants here went to show just how capable the founder of the Heavenschild Pasture was and that the environment of the pasture itself was special. The old man strolled around the medicinal garden, plucking herbs here and there as he did so. He then bundled everything up and tossed it to Qianye. This small bundle could still fit inside Andruils space. Things were fine up until this point, but next up was where the real pain would beginthe agony of seeing treasures and not being able to fit them in. The star cherry tree and graysteel thread grass could be consideredif just barelycommodities that could be mass-cultivated. There would surely be many highly-valuable resources with odd effects in the future. For instance, the big beehives hanging on some of the trees could produce a special type of honey. Eating it regularly would improve ones eyesight. Ingesting the product for a couple of years might awaken abilities like dim-light vision. Not seeing in the dark had always been a weakness of the human race. Qianye wasnt quite interested because he possessed the Eye of Truth, but this was a fairly useful power for ordinary experts. There were some ancient vines wrapped around certain giant trees, reportedly having existed since the founding of the Heavenschild Pasture. These ancient vines could be tapped for their sap, which served as an ingredient for numerous medicines. In truth, this sap was also an antidote for most of the poisons found in the Great Maelstrom. The poison in this realm left a deep impression in Qianyes mindfrom the purple poison used by the bow-wielding woman back when they were picking silk lotuses to venomous insects on the Ashen Mountain Range and the tyrannical poison of the star cherry fruit. Even the white mist produced by the four-armed women could be considered a type of poison. Experts from both the Empire and Evernight were quite weak to these dangers. Outside of the Great Maelstrom, experts would have origin defenses protecting them against natural poisons. Only the venom produced by the arachne could be considered an extreme toxin. In the Great Maelstrom, however, one could encounter potent venom everywhere, and even Qianye wasnt entirely immune to most of them. With this ancient vine sap, the Great Maelstrom would be so much safer. Beside the cliffside spring, there was a patch of wildflowers that looked like hanging bells. After air-drying, these flowers could be made into a special catalyst that would improve the effects of imperial recovery medicines and stimulants. There were all kinds of valuable herbs. Qianye became acquainted with a couple dozen herbal resources just from this one walk. There was an open mine as well inside the Heavenschild Pasture, but it wasnt for mining. Instead, it was being utilized for its magnetic field and special auxiliary ores, which allowed certain medicines to be grown here instead of their natural habitat. Seeing so many resources, even someone like Qianye who knew nothing about herbs understood how valuable this place was. The Song clans unrivaled fortune wasnt without reason. Most importantly, it wasnt during every opening of the Great Maelstrom that the Song clans people would be able to enter and leave successfully. The last time, the Song clans people had failed to reach the pasture alive. Even if they were to arrive, the amount of produce they could bring with them was quite limited. Hence, the Heavenschild Pasture had accumulated vast amounts of resources throughout the century. It wouldnt be too much of an exaggeration to say that the place was a priceless treasure trove. Some of the medicinal farms were left unharvested until the herbs had withered and regrown generationallywho knows how much medicinal essences had accumulated in the soil. Even wild grass would probably turn into valuable medicine at this point. What dumbfounded Qianye the most was a type of purple-scaled fir. Its bark could be made into medicine and, just like most plants in the Great Maelstrom, its effects were quite fierce. The most valuable part of it, however, was the wood. The material wouldnt lose out to the ones in the high-gravity regions in terms of sturdiness, yet it was also extremely light, perfect for building airships. In addition to that, the wood possessed vitality-activating effects, which meant that those in an airship constructed from purple-scaled fir would recover quicker from their injuries. The value of this purple-scaled fir was naturally quite high, but what shocked Qianye the most was the number of it. Just now, the old man had pointed at a forest stretching all the way to the outer mountains, saying, This is the purple-scaled fir forest. Take as many as you want. Only after reaching the Heavenschild Pasture did Qianye realize how small Andruils space was. He wanted nothing more than to take a little bit of everything, but he could no longer fit anything else after collecting the star cherry tree and graysteel wire grass. The other things inside the spatial gear had their own uses. After taking Qianye around the Heavenschild Pasture, the old man pointed at East Peak, saying, This sword looks very familiar to me, can I take a look? Qianye had no reason to refuse, so he passed East Peak to the old man. The elders hands sank down as the sword entered his grasp. His expression shifted several times as he tried to stabilize the weapon. Heavenschild Pasture was located within the Ashen Mountain Range, and the gravity here was twice that of the empire. It went without saying that East Peak was extremely heavy here. This weapon was no longer something an ordinary expert could wield. The old man was powerful in his origin power cultivation, but his strength wasnt at a level where he could utilize East Peak at will. The man glanced at Qianye and then lifted East Peak to eye level for careful observation. This time, he didnt have the calmness of his usual all-knowing self. If my eyes arent clouded yet, this blade shouldve come from an old friend, but this casting method is quite novel, and there are parts I dont quite understand. If its not too much of an inconvenience, can you tell me about its origins? With a nod, Qianye began explaining the process of how East Peak came to be. The old man became silent for a good while after listening. It has been so many years, but he still cant overcome the trial of love. Let it be, everyones old now and theres not much time left to live anyway. Whats the point in talking to him about it? Qianye was curious, but he didnt press the matter because it might be a private matter of the elder generation. The old man sat down on a piece of rock and pointed at the one beside him. Come, sit. After Qianye had sat down, the old man removed the gourd bottle from his waist and drank a couple of large gulps before passing it to Qianye. Theres not much left of this stuff, and its not easy to get your hands on it outside, try some. The moment the cork was removed, a strong alcoholic scent wafted out from the container. Qianye already felt a bit tipsy just from the fragrance, proving just how strong the wine was. He took the bottle and, after some thought, took a big swig. The wine flowed down his throat quite smoothly, and it felt quite comfortable. Qianye glanced at the gourd, not knowing whether he should take another mouthful, because he could feel himself drifting just from a single mouthful. The spirit was like wildfire, spreading all throughout his body. Wherever the warmth touched, wisps of origin power would appear and merge into Qianyes own. This newborn energy was fairly pure and could be directly converted into Venus Dawn. The quality was so much better than the void origin power absorbed by the Profound Combatant Formula. The old man laughed. Its fine to finish it. It took me fifty years to brew this wine, and thats the last mouthful. Im too old for it to have any effect. If you dont drink it now, there wont be any more in the future. Carefully observing the effects of the wine, Qianye asked, It can increase origin power cultivation? The old man replied, All it does is accelerate the rate at which one absorbs origin power. The only difference is that the energy absorbed after drinking this wine is quite pure, and it will save you quite a bit of time. The effects of the wine were amazing. Qianye no longer held back and finished whatever remained of the alcohol. After two large mouthfuls, Qianye could feel a familiar floating sensation as his consciousness wandered about. The old man sighed. That girl needs time to recover, anyway. If you dont mind, why not listen to this old man speaking about random matters. If I dont say it now, there might not be another chance in the future. The one who forged this sword is my brother. We grew up together for several decades. I was proficient in medicine, while he was skilled in forging weapons. When we were in our fifties, he met the girl he had admired as a youth. It was just that the girl from back then was already Duchess An. He fell into a hopeless situation after that meeting, going so far as to joining the Song clan despite my dissuasion, all so that he could be close to her. At this point, the old man sighed. His talents were actually above mine, but his progress came to a standstill after encountering love problems. He made even less progress on the path of blacksmithing. I thought he had become stupid or perhaps he had reached the end of his talents. Mired in love and deprived of his ambitious spirit, how could he produce any unprecedented masterpieces? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1029: Old Stories Qianyes thoughts drifted about. He only heard half of the old mans words while the remainder just floated past his ears. The scattered scenes, pieced together, formed a rough narration of the story between the Song clan and Elder Lu. Back then, he had stepped into the divine champion realm quite early and was considered a character with potential for taking the next step. However, he made no progress at all after hiding his surname and entering the Song clan. That wasnt all. After realizing that his elder brother would enter the Great Maelstrom to train, he used their brotherly relationship to force the man to guard the Heavenschild Pasture. Such a brother truly made one speechless. Qianyes thoughts were naturally reflected on his face. The old man said, Its difficult to say whether its a loss or a gain for me. I was only able to step past the divine champion threshold and keep forging ahead by utilizing the treasures of the Great Maelstrom. I only reached a bottleneck around ten years ago. Speaking of which, most of the merit goes to things like this wine here. But my success and failure is all dependent on the wine, I progressed by relying on the wine, and now, I cant take a single step on my own. Qianye understood this because the key to clearing bottlenecks was the purity of one''s origin power. The old mans wine could provide energy pure enough to break through the divine champion threshold, but that wasnt enough to make him a heavenly monarch since the origin power wasnt at the apex of purity. It was just that the old man had been left to guard the Heavenschild Pasture for fifty years because of his brothertruly something to sigh about. No wonder the Song clan had never lost the pasture throughout the years. The old man flicked East Peak with his finger, saying, There are numerous profundities in this blade that I do not understand, but it doesnt look solely like my brothers work. Why is that? Qianye didnt hide the fact that the Zhao clans Crafts Manor had helped him modify it. The old man remained silent for a good while. Heh! Crafts Manor, Crafts Manor. The Zhao clan really is far-sighted, they actually established such a place. No wonder they have never faltered since the founding of the Empire. He returned East Peak to Qianye along with a crystal bottle, and there was a purple ball hovering inside that was translucent and almost crystalline. This sword can still be upgraded. Inside this bottle is the marrow of a void colossus that had fallen here. This is something I came across by chance. After reaching the Pond of Life, apply this marrow on East Peak before entering. The endless power of the pond will help you incorporate the material into the weapon. If you have other good stuff on, use all of them as well. Its just that I have no idea how much more the weapon can be strengthened. Qianye expressed his thanks as he received the bottle. At this point, East Peak was no longer able to sweep through everything like it used to. As Qianyes enemies grew stronger, more and more of them possessed weapons capable of contending againstor even suppresshis blade. It would take yet another upgrade for East Peak to be a good match for Qianyes current combat strength. As the two men began walking toward the hut, Qianye suddenly asked, Weve never known one another, so much so that you dont even know my name. Why would you treat me so well? The old man smiled. Do you know how I recognized East Peak? I do not. It wasnt because of the style or craftsmanship, but the material. It was crafted from a piece of wondrous metal he had come across back in the day, an ore of special characteristics and unknown origins. He treated that item with utmost importance and was never willing to use it. However, East Peak contains a fair amount of the strange ore, and by the looks of it, he probably used the entire metal to forge it. Since he gave you this sword, its naturally because he sees something in you. Otherwise, he wouldnt have given you this sword just because of a mere examination. By the time the two men arrived at the door, Ji Tianqing was already seated in the courtyard and enjoying tea with Li Kuanglan. The old mans expression changed rapidly as he sniffed the fragrance. My Flying Spring! Ji Tianqing chuckled. Back then, I had only managed to steal half a cups worth of Flying Spring from my grandpa. Who wouldve thought there would be two entire cups of it here? The Empire would only produce three taels of such tea a year. Now that I see it just sitting there, how could I just let it go? The old mans lips trembled in anger, but his eyes lit up. Theres only one cups worth here, wheres the rest? Here. An unassuming earthen jar appeared in Ji Tianqings hand. The old man made to snatch the container back, but he had just moved when Ji Tianqing put more pressure on her hands, effectively causing the old man to freeze. Such high-quality tea usually involved strict storage conditions. The tea would have to be brewed on the spot once it had come into contact with outside air, otherwise, the taste would decline. Ji Tianqing was able to grasp the old mans weakness immediately. The old man sat down at the table and glared at Ji Tianqing. Lass, youre going too far! Back then, even your grandfather had to treat me with a certain level of respect. Thats because he needed a favor from you, isnt it? Ji Tianqings tongue was sharp. The old man was livid. He wanted to deny the claim, but he couldnt quite lower himself to lying. The Pointer Monarch was one of the top major characters of the Empire and a person of high status. There was really no need for him to be courteous unless the old man had some special ability. The Pointer Monarch was notorious for his temper back when he was young. It was only after a certain event that he changed into a completely different person. However, the kind and gentle Pointer Monarch filled people with a different type of fear. Perhaps, to be blunt, one could say that most people who dared to hop about in front of the Pointer Monarch had ended up as corpses. The old man quickly realized that he wasnt Ji Tianqings match in a verbal spar. His treasure was also in her hand, so there was no way out for him. Qianye was more focused on Ji Tianqings body. He noticed that her aura was somewhat weak, but her origin power was purer and more active. He felt relieved, knowing that the star cherry fruit was really beneficial to her. The old man gave up. What do you want, speak. Firstly, regarding the two of us, whether youve noticed certain things or not, youre not allowed to tell anyone. Ji Tianqing pointed at Li Kuanglan. The old man nodded. Thats easy, I barely see a single person in several years. I dont have anyone to tell even if I wanted to. Ji Tianqing looked fairly relieved. Secondly, you seem to know a lot about my grandpas past. You must tell me every little thing you know, no withholding information! I also want to know why youve been here for fifty years. The old man was livid. Lass, dont go too far! Ultimately, the old man had to restrain himself after seeing Ji Tianqing raise the jar up. Sigh, this matter is also related to you, so its fine to tell you. No one remembers me back in the empire, so theres nothing to be embarrassed about. The old man calmed himself and said, Ji Wentian was extremely talented and capable of learning countless mysterious arts that were difficult to master. He was also of Imperial blood, so there were a fair number of people who wanted him on the throne. He didnt need to care about anyone back then. Everyone listened to the narration with bated breaths. Even Qianye, who knew some parts of the story, was listening closely. But the world isnt so kind; the more favorable one''s life is, the easier it is to encounter problems. Why did Ji Wentian have to fall in love with her? Who was her? Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were curious, but Qianye was thinking about Heartgrave. The old man didnt keep them in suspense. That person is the sister-in-law of Eldest Princess Haimi. It wasnt just Qianye, even the two ladies were puzzled. They all knew Princess Haimi as a key character in the political movement back then, who later returned to her hometown and lived in seclusion thereafter. No one knew who her sister-in-law was, however. The old man laughed bitterly. She was quite famous back then, but the Imperial clan did their utmost to hide this part of history after the accident. On the other hand, everyone knew this was a wound in Ji Wentians heart. Who would dare bring up this matter? Its only natural that no one would remember her as time goes by. Qianye recalled how the Pointer Monarchs remnant-will had warned him not to mention this matter in front of the monarch himself. Just what kind of person is she? Ji Tianqing inquired. Shes how should I say an indescribable woman. Theres really no good way to summarize her The old man sighed as he fell into reminiscence. The first time I saw her, my head went completely blank, I could neither remember nor think of anything. I still remember that feeling even today, its just emptiness. I cant even recall her appearance. She was sick back then, she had been sick for a fairly long time. Countless doctors could do nothing to help her, so Ji Wentian came to find me. I had gained a bit of fame back then, but how capable could I be in medical techniques when I hadnt even broken through to the divine champion rank. It was just that he had no other choice than to go around trying to seek help. It just so happened that I knew some unorthodox things and was born sensitive to origin power. After repeated investigations, I finally discovered that she wasnt sick, that she had been poisoned, and was suffering from a hidden injury. The poison was almost undetectable and integrated into a wisp of cold origin power. Her cultivation was also of the ice attribute, so it was extremely difficult to sense. If it wasnt for the fact that my origin power examination skills were unrivaled in the Empire, that wisp of foreign origin power wouldve gone undetected. This origin power, mixed with the poison, became almost undetectable. The activation was also extremely slow, gradually devouring the hosts vitality to strengthen itself. The person who had poisoned her was the most capable person Id ever seen. I wouldnt have believed it had I not seen it myself. I only found out the cause but was helpless with regards to a cure. Not to mention the fact that I wasnt a divine champion back then, even if I was, I would still fail to solve the problem all the same. After sitting alone for one day and night, he suddenly disappeared with her, and no one knew where they had gone. By the time he returned to the Empire, he was already a completely different person. There was no more Ji Wentian thereafter, only the Pointer Monarch. The three felt stifled after hearing the story. Someone had actually dared to target the Pointer Monarchs lover. This person was probably at the top of the Empire both in terms of scheming and skill. This poison wasnt just to stop Ji Wentian from entering the heavenly monarch realm; it was probably related to that supreme character as well. After hearing the story, even the usually obstinate Ji Tianqing didnt press on with more questions. She only sighed and fell into silence. The old man didnt continue with the story. Actually, you mustve guessed by now. I hid here for fifty years, not because of my useless brother, but because my heart could accept no other person after seeing her that one time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1030: Implication Everyone became silent at this point. The old man glanced at the sky, saying, Its almost night. This area isnt so dangerous during night time, so you should leave if the girl has recovered. I told you so many things because I felt we were fated to meet. Let me warn you, leave the Great Maelstrom as soon as you possibly can. I feel a sense of trepidation these days, almost as though something is about to happen soon. Qianye exchanged glances with the other two, all of them somewhat alarmed. Although Qianye had never learned any divination arts, he knew that experts like the old man possessed sharp intuition beyond the understanding of common sense. He had lived in the Great Maelstrom for so many yearsif he felt that something was about to happen, then it was very likely that something would happen. Qianye gave it some thought before saying, Elder Lu, do you want to leave with us? The Heavenschild Pasture is definitely a good place, but resources can be regained. Theres no need for you to guard this place to the death. The old man shook his head. Im too old now. I can already sense the end of my life approaching, so theres no need to break my promise at the final juncture. Im used to living here, and I dont want to move. Ji Tianqing chimed in, Its been fifty years, dont you want to go out and see the world? The Empire has changed tremendously. Perhaps you can go and meet my grandpa too. She was also doing her best to persuade the man. Only a handful of other people, like Duchess An for instance, could stand shoulder to shoulder with an expert of this level. If he were willing to return, it would be a great boon to the Empire. Qianye pondered for a while before placing Heartgrave on the table. Elder Lu, take a look at this gun. Will it change your mind? The old mans expression changed drastically upon seeing the firearm. He jumped to his feet, trembling as he reached out to touch the weapon, but he quickly retracted his hand just before he could touch it. It was almost as though he was afraid of getting burned. The old man still couldnt do it after several attempts. He finally sat down with a sigh. Let it be, let it be! Fifty years have passed, but only now do I realize how distant she was from me. Its not even possible for me to gaze up at her. Back during that time and era, perhaps only Ji Wentian was a match for her! Qianye had never expected such an outcome. At first, he had wanted to play to the old mans heroic emotions but ended up collapsing him instead. The man waved his hand and asked them out, Leave, I want some peace and quiet. With that, he pushed the three out of the small hut with a wave of powerful origin power, preventing them from further conversation. Then, he shut the door with a bang. Ji Tianqing was startled. She placed the earthen jar at the door and said softly, Lets go. After leaving the Heavenschild Pasture, the three hurried toward the Constellation Well under the starlight. They hadnt gone far when Qianye said, Tianqing, let me carry you. Ji Tianqing was already panting slightly at this point. She didnt refuse his offer and merely jumped into his arm, latching onto his neck as she did so. Qianye was stunned, but he couldnt just toss her down like that. All he could do was carry her in his arms and run alongside Li Kuanglan. Having undergone the physical transformation brought about by the star cherry fruit, her entire body was filled with both internal and external injuries. This was her weakest moment. Although she had used various medicines, organ injuries werent that easy to heal. It would take at least one day and one night to reach her peak. Qianye was still feeling regretful, and he finally found the chance to voice it. Why would Elder Lu tell us such painful things? Is Flying Spring that valuable? No matter how rare the wine and tea, their value would be rather limited if they couldnt improve ones cultivation or talents. Flying Spring was indeed fragrant, but Qianye couldnt feel any movement in his origin power after inhaling it. As he saw it, the tea wasnt as valuable as the two mouthfuls of wine the old man had given him. The wine was enough to accelerate Qianyes cultivation exponentially within the week. At this rate, he would break through within days. Now that was a practical benefit for true experts. No matter how good Flying Spring was, it was just a gimmick. The old mans cultivation had reached the level of a high-ranking divine champion, so why would he exchange his dignity for this little thing? If he were such a person, how could he have stood guard over the pasture for half a century? Ji Tianqing sighed softly. He wasnt just telling us stories. What he really wanted was for us to be cautious of the perpetrator. Considering how capable they were, their status in the Empire would be beyond our imagination at this point. Just how many people in the Empire enjoyed equal or higher status compared to the Pointer Monarch? Qianye frowned. What will you do? Ji Tianqing chuckled. Tightening her arms around Qianyes neck, she whispered, Whats there to fear? No one dares to do anything to me with grandpa around. He has never mentioned matters from back then, and I dont know the reason, either. Maybe he has forgotten, or perhaps hes pretending. No matter the reason, the perpetrator from back then definitely wont jump out to rekindle past enmities. Qianye nodded in relief. He then broke into a frown as he glanced at Ji Tianqings armsthis posture was too intimate, almost as though they were lovers. He didnt feel he was really that close to the girl, especially with Li Kuanglan watching from the side. From what Qianye understood about women, his relationship with Li Kuanglan should be more ambiguous. They had passed the frigid nights in intimacy and very nearly crossed the line. Considering how proud and arrogant she was, she should be furious after seeing Qianye being so close to another woman. But now, she didnt seem to mind at all and was even egging them on with a smile. This puzzled Qianye. Perhaps only Song Zining would understand their thoughts. But thoughts about romance lasted mere moments in Qianyes head since they werent worth his time. The worrying thing was the old mans hidden implications. Considering Ji Tianqings talents, she was probably the best among the Pointer Monarchs descendants, and her natural endowments would increase even further after ingesting the star cherry fruit. If someone wanted to harm the Pointer Monarch, they would very likely start from her. It was just that worrying about that was useless at the moment. Their foresight could only extend so far and was a far cry from that of their enemy. There was really no way they could take precautions. Ji Tianqing poked Qianyes forehead. Dont just worry about me, think about your own business. That airship of yours will come into sight sooner or later. One can easily imagine how much of a turbulence it will cause in the Empire. Grandpa loves me a lot, so he probably wont blame you out of consideration for me, but youll need to deal with the other people. Qianye nodded. Only at this point did Qianye understand why the girl had passed Excavator to him. She probably wanted to use this secret art to hint at their relationship, preventing the Pointer Monarch from hurting him by mistake. The Constellation Well wasnt too far off, but the road passed through numerous wild beast lairs. These creatures were extremely big and powerful, some as swift as the wind and lightning, some attacking in groups, while others dangerously venomous. In short, ordinary experts below the divine champion realm wouldnt be able to handle them. Fortunately, countless imperial experts had paid the ultimate price to scout out the distribution and activity rhythms of these beasts, finally drawing out a relatively safe route. The three of them were also fairly strong and good at concealment, so they managed to pass through the beast lairs without a hitch, soon arriving near the Constellation Well. This so-called Constellation Well was actually a valley within a hilly region. The slope in the periphery was gentle, with lush woods and countless creatures roaming about. Qianye couldnt feel relaxed as they passed through the forest; he could sense a formless pressure around him, and he had no idea where it was coming from. True Sight was only half-useful here because there were sheets of origin power zooming about in his vision, forming a natural barrier of sorts to interfere with his vision and perception. In such a condition of extremely active origin power, Qianyes perception could only reach ten meters around him at most. Any further than that and he would be blocked by the origin glow. These specks of origin power were all tiny creatures. Even a small insect here possessed enough power to form a speck of light in Qianyes vision. Speaking in terms of origin power, even an ant here was equal to a rank-two fighter. Qianye sighed emotionally at how extraordinary this world was. A rank-two fighter was the minimal recruitment standard for special forces like Red Scorpion, and he himself had to train painstakingly for several years to reach that stage. Who wouldve thought an insect near the Constellation Well would be at the same level. Qianye crushed a slow-moving beetle with his foot, and the insect burst apart under his boot. The creature was almost as hard as rock, but in the Great Maelstrom, this level of hardness was just average. After the beetle burst apart, a small ball of light floated up in Qianyes vision. The burning sphere soon dispersed into origin power that was gradually assimilated into the environment. The insects here had no special ability other than their shocking origin power content. They were actually even weaker than the other bugs Qianye had encountered on the way. It seemed as though their only skill was to accumulate a large amount of energy in their body, but they didnt quite know how to use it. From a different perspective, the creatures big and small here didnt really have to worry about food. The need for nutritional intake would be greatly reduced because they were always filled with origin power. They were in a land of paradise where food was always within reach, and swallowing was perhaps the most tiring thing they had ever done. As time went by, they naturally had no need to develop any fighting skills. All they needed to do was eat, sleep, and procreate. Qianye shook his head, but he didnt relax his guard. The small life-forms were keeping him from sensing its direction, but he could still sense that invisible pressure. Such a clear instinct couldnt be ignored. All of a sudden, a prismatic pillar of light surged into the sky before the trio! It was hundreds of meters in height, with a transforming array of brilliant colors that made for an impressive sight. The moment this pillar of light shot up, Qianyes blood core started to resonate with it and began beating faster. His six origin nodes were also circulating at greater speeds. Both powers resonating at the same time was quite the rare occurrence for him. Li Kuanglan pointed at the light, saying, That is probably the Constellation Well. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1031: Constellation Well The surging pillar of light wasnt too far off. They would arrive there after going through the forest and over two mountains. Flying over this distance was a matter of moments, and the gravity here wasnt that high, so flight wasnt a problem. However, the Great Maelstrom was so full of danger that it had become a widely accepted rule to just go on foot. Those who kept flying around in the Great Maelstrom usually wouldnt live past the second day. Qianye traversed the forest as advised with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan behind him, cautious about their every step and footprint. According to prior intelligence, the Constellation Well wasnt all that dangerous, and most of the people who would come here were Imperial experts. That was because the dark races had little use for origin crystals. The occasional enemy expert would come here to hunt humans, but there were too many Imperial experts here, and all of them were powerful elites who had come to produce origin crystals. It was quite difficult to ambush such experts, and the predator could easily become the prey instead. Qianye didnt dare relax because he could still feel that vague pressure. He thus took point to scout the road on his own. Qianyes survivability in the Great Maelstrom was much higher due to his powerful body and poison resistance. It was only natural that he should take the lead. The three eventually walked out of the forest and climbed the first mountain. They had just arrived at the summit when three people stood up from behind the rocks, raising their bows and firearms at Qianyes group. Haha, didnt I say well see people from the Empire if we just wait here? I was right, wasnt I? One of them laughed loudly. The one on the left spat. Its just blind luck, what are you so smug about? If youre capable, then calculate who among us has killed more people. Youre acting as though you know divination. The young man behind them said coldly, Stop bickering! What if those people escape eh? His eyes went wide to discover that not only was Qianyes group not running away, but they were spreading out to surround them. Qianye said, Are these three on the entry roster? Li Kuanglan shook her head. Ive never seen them before or heard of them. Maybe they were from the last batch? Ji Tianqing said, If theyre from the last batch, they shouldnt be this weak after staying here for so long. Perhaps they were injured or maybe theres some other reason Li Kuanglan stopped after a few words, feeling that she wasnt making sense. Even if they were the less talented from the last batch, there was no reason for all three of them to be the same. These fellows were rank twelve in origin power, but their foundations were so unstable that they couldnt have gotten a quota for the Great Maelstrom. Qianye spoke up at this point, Why guess? Just take them down and ask them. He had barely finished speaking when he took a step forward to arrive in front of the man in the middle. A punch shot out at lightning speed and landed square on the latters face, knocking him out completely. Li Kuanglan flashed behind the young man and felled him with a chop to the neck. Ji Tianqing was more reliant on cheap tricksshe kicked a stone up and sent it flying at her targets abdomen, making him bend down in pain while gasping for breath. The three men were of mediocre cultivation, and their combat techniques were nothing to write home about. They were full of openings and weak beyond imagination. Qianyes punch was just for show, and he had half a dozen more planned for follow-up. In the end, the enemy only remembered to dodge when the fist was in his face. There was no way he would make it. Not only Qianye, but even Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan hadnt expected such an outcome. At the same time, they began to suspect how such weak people had ended up here. Great Maelstrom quotas were exceptionally valuable. One could easily see that from the intensity of the battle between young experts at the city of Indomitable. The neutral lands passage was quite special in that those going in after the first few would encounter increasing danger. They would need to wait until the tunnel had stabilized before entering. Even Qianye had encountered some danger inside the passage. These three didnt have what it takes to traverse the tunnel and shouldve been crushed along the way. Ji Tianqing arrived before the kneeling man and dragged him up by the hair. Looking into his eyes, she uttered, Reply to whatever I ask you. This is the only way youll die a comfortable death, understand? The mans face was twisted from pain. He looked at Ji Tianqing with a weird expressionthere was a tinge of mockery and madness. All of a sudden, Ji Tianqing saw a reflection of herself in his eyes, and the image was growing progressively clearer. Soon afterward, her figure sank deep into those pupils, almost as though it had fallen into a bottomless pit. Ji Tianqing shivered subconsciouslythis scene was simply too odd and incomprehensible even for her. She quickly activated her secret art and changed her appearance. The projection in the mans eyes changed along with her but soon reverted to her previous form. Much like a breeze blowing away the mist, all illusions were completely dispersed. Watching her original appearance sinking deep and vanishing into those eyes, Ji Tianqing felt as though she had fallen into the abyss. Just as she was having difficulty differentiating between illusion and reality, Qianyes hand landed on her shoulder. Whats the matter? Ah, Im fine. But he Hes dead. Ji Tianqing gasped in surprise. When she had calmed down enough to observe, the man in her grasp was bleeding from the nose and mouth, completely devoid of aura. She had no idea when or how he had passed. She released the corpse, allowing it to fall to the floor on its back. The mans eyes were still open, gazing at Ji Tianqing with an eerie smile on his face. For a moment, Ji Tianqing had no idea if he was dead or alive. The scene was so eerie that she took a step back and hid behind Qianye. Li Kuanglan walked over. The other two are dead too. Qianye frowned. They died at the same time, it seems theres some sort of connection between them. Might not be just between them, they should be connected to certain other people as well. People from where they had come, for instance. Qianye bent down to pat the three bodies. The internal structure is human. Although their organs have mutated, the change is not as bad as people like Nangong Tianyu. It seems theyve been here for less than two years. The Great Maelstrom wasnt open two years ago. Li Kuanglan was certain. Could it be a new type of native? Qianye shook his head soon afterward. These three were equipped with Imperial gear and weapons, and their cultivation was daybreak origin power. They were nothing like the natives. Everything else, though, was fairly odd and different from an Imperial expert. Ji Tianqing said, Lets forget about all that and head to the Constellation Well. Well deal with it if something happens. The Constellation Well was one of their most important stops, especially for Ji Tianqing since she had nine Storm Pearls in her possession. With some luck, that would mean they could produce nine origin crystals and allow the empire to produce a batch of backbone experts. Qianye would also be given abundant remuneration if he were willing to give up the ones he had produced. The three odd fellows were simply too weak. Even if they had certain powers behind their back, they might not be that formidable. Nodding, Qianye stepped out of the pit and buried the three bodies hastily. He then ran toward the Constellation Well with the two ladies. After stepping over the last mountain ridge, the Constellation Well came into view. This was a massive valley over one thousand meters wide and hundreds of kilometers long. The cliffs on each side were distinctly layered, each as smooth and shiny as though they had been shaved off by a razor. It was a mystery how they were formed. Starting from each end, the ground grew progressively deeper toward the center. Qianye happened to be standing right before the center of the valley, so he walked forward a couple of steps to glance down the precipice. The cliff walls made a sharp turn at the valley floor, forming a giant pit of sorts. This hole was extremely deep, and one could actually see a star-spangled sky at the bottom! This proved that the Great Maelstrom was as thin as a sheet of paper. The scenery was indeed beyond ones imagination. No matter how confident Qianye was, he could feel a sense of palpitation before this worldly phenomena. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing had long since heard about the well, but hearsay wasnt nearly enough to describe what they were seeing. The three woke up from their amazement only a while later. Ji Tianqing produced a Storm Pearl but gave it to Li Kuanglan instead of Qianye. There are many things you need to pay attention to while transmuting an origin crystal. The most important thing is not to be greedy and to leave enough origin power to get back up. The bottom of the well isnt pure void but a tunnel just like the one we came in from. No one knows where it leads to, and the starry sky were seeing is a refraction from some unknown place. Its not even certain whether its real or not. Ill have Kuanglan demonstrate for you, then you can have a try. That was a safe plan, so Qianye nodded. Li Kuanglan took the Storm Pearl and channeled her origin power. The pearl gradually bloomed with light and hovered in front of her chest. She then jumped up and dived headfirst into the well. After falling rapidly for hundreds of meters, she flipped about like an agile fish and stood inside the well. At this moment, the starry sky was beneath her, and the vast sky was above. The scene itself made everyones hearts beat faster involuntarily. Li Kuanglans eyes were half-closed as her body sank down slowly, coming to a complete halt after a dozen or so meters. Specks of aqua blue light spread out from her body, which the Storm Pearl duly absorbed. The Constellation Well fluctuated all of a sudden, blurring the vision of all spectators. Qianye naturally noticed the change and focused his gaze. He saw many of the stars turning brighter, releasing motes of blue light which began moving slowly toward the Storm Pearl. Qianye was stunned, wondering whether the starry sky was real or fake. Ji Tianqing said, No one knows whether that starry sky is real, but being able to draw upon the power of those stars means that an origin crystal will likely take shape, and its grade wont be low, either. There are different grades of origin crystals? Of course. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1032: Forging an Origin Crystal Origin crystals have grades? Qianye had never heard of this. Of course. Do you think all divine champions have the same combat strength? Ji Tianqing replied with a question. There was really no need for a reply. Divine champions could differ drastically in their fighting powers, with some of them gaining tremendous power that would transform them entirely. Some geniuses would awaken rare powers and pull far ahead of their peers. For instance, Zhao Jundus True Shot was a power that could be used up until the heavenly monarch realm, growing more powerful toward the end. Meanwhile, the weakest divine champions were inherently no better than Zhao Jundu, except perhaps a slightly superior speed and strength. Even Qianye could fight such divine champions if he were to go all out. The extremely weak and the extremely strong were both rare. Most of the experts were in the middle, each possessing their own advantages. For instance, people like Zhao Jundu, Zhang Boqian, and Lin Xitang who possessed matching talents, secret arts, and power were few and far between. Origin crystals would be differentiated according to the divine champions ability. It can be roughly divided into ordinary, medium, high-quality, and top-quality, Ji Tianqing explained. The Empires classification might not cover all situations, but it made for a way to measure things. The so-called ordinary-grade origin crystal could only elevate a certain attribute of the body and only to a certain extent. Meanwhile, medium-grade ones would be able to raise two or more attributes such as strength, endurance, defense, speed, alacrity, etc. or they would bring about some unrelated minor abilities. A high-grade origin crystal would upgrade multiple facets of ones physical body to a considerable degree; either that or they would contain a powerful ability or multiple practical ones. A top-grade one, on the other hand, would contain an extremely powerful ability or extremely useful characteristics. Ji Tianqing pointed at Li Kuanglan who was focused on transforming the crystal. For instance, if her crystal can grant someone an origin power attribute similar to hers, it would border on top-grade. Of course, a true top-grade origin power would need to convert all of a persons origin power into the ice attribute. Li Kuanglans icy origin power was a secret cultivation art specific to the Li family. Not only could it work well with weapons like the Cold Moons Embrace and a series of outstanding sword arts, but it was also fairly pure. From this, one could say that her chances of stepping into the divine champion realm were fairly high. If an origin crystal really could convert ones attribute to icy origin power, it would surely be ranked among the top. Qianyes own crystal back then could raise his vitality exponentially, and natural origin crystals were one grade superior to the ones from the Constellation Well. So, it should be ranked among the top-grade crystals according to this classification. At this moment, the Storm Pearl in front of Li Kuanglan had shattered, and the resultant misty smoke was rolling about in a fist-sized area. One could vaguely see a small blue crystal at its center. An origin crystal foundation had formed, but Li Kuanglan was sweating and her body was trembling somewhat. Dozens of stars at the bottom of the well had reacted, sending specks of starlight into the mist and accelerating the formation of the origin crystal. However, Li Kuanglan was clearly unable to hold out because she would need to save some origin power to return from the well. Judging from this process, it would seem that this origin crystal was about to be ruined. Despite that, her competitive nature had gotten the best of her at this point. She was determined to see it through and refused to come back up no matter what. Ji Tianqing looked worried, but she didnt dare cry out for fear of disturbing Li Kuanglan. Countless crystalline fragments had come together in the smoke, forming an early framework of the origin crystal. Li Kuanglan was drenched in sweat, pale and trembling, but she clenched her teeth and refused to give up. The origin crystal took formLi Kuanglan heaved a sigh of relief as she grabbed the crystal and flew upward. It was just that she had used up all her origin power and had no more strength left as she was a couple dozen meters from the entrance. Her heart sank, along with the gradual fall of her body. This distance could normally be covered in a single jump, but now, it felt extremely far. It was at this time that a firm arm grabbed her waist and flew up with great strength. This feeling was extremely familiar since she had often relied on this arm to survive during the frigid nights. Li Kuanglan relaxed wholeheartedly as she leaned into Qianyes arms. The latter, however, wasnt so relaxed at this moment. When he flew into the Constellation Well, it felt like several chains had latched onto his body and were dragging him toward the void at the bottom of the well. This type of spatial draw seemed weak, but Qianye had no support around him and was relying solely on his origin power to fly. Add to that the fact that he had to carry Li Kuanglan, the strain wasnt just a simple doubling of weight. Fortunately, Qianye possessed an almost endless pool of origin power that allowed him to drag Li Kuanglan out by force. The moment they landed, Ji Tianqing charged over and hugged the two of them in silence. Although she didnt say anything, her actions spoke louder than a thousand words. It was clear that she was completely terrified. Having gone into the well personally, Qianye understood that Ji Tianqing had no power to save Li Kuanglan. Not to mention the fact that she was in a weakened state, she wouldnt be able to pull Li Kuanglan up even if she were at her peak. Forcing a rescue would only end in one way: both of them would fall into the bottom of the Constellation Well. The space within the Constellation Well was peculiar in that origin power would dissipate very quickly. It wasnt possible to use origin power to operate long weapons like whips. So, Qianye had no choice but to jump into the well and drag Li Kuanglan back. The girl was somewhat pale. Just now, she had thought she was destined to fall into the void. Ji Tianqing said not a single word and merely hugged the two tighter. Qianye was the only one who was relatively normal. He patted Ji Tianqing in consolation, saying, Okay, everythings fine now. Shes back, see? It was quite easy, really. Ji Tianqing realized that she had lost her composure just now. She looked up and glared at Qianye before running away to the side with Li Kuanglan in tow. The two girls were whispering, so Qianye didnt want to eavesdrop. He merely gazed at the Constellation Well, thinking back to the process of origin crystal condensation and his experience entering the well personally. The girls returned moments later. Li Kuanglan stretched out her hand to reveal a light blue origin crystal, shrouded by a cloud of faint mist. Qianye could feel a faint chill coming off of the beautiful crystal as it approached him. However, he could see that the crystal was far from being perfect. That misty cloud looked good, but it was a sign that the power of the stars was leaking out from inside the crystal. This outflow went to show that the origin crystal was of insufficient quality to hold that much origin power. The crystal sported an icy attribute. Although there wouldnt be a huge upgrade for the user, it could still be considered a medium-grade origin crystal. The Jingtan Li family produced the Storm Pearl in order to increase the chances of forming an origin crystal, so naturally, they had some original comprehensions in this field. It really wasnt a bad outcome for Li Kuanglan to have successfully produced a medium-grade origin crystal. Next, its my turn, Ji Tianqing said. Qianye was startled. No, your body is still weak, youll be in danger after going down. It wont be too late to go down after youve fully recovered. Ive recovered a fair bit. Besides, I swiped a lot of good medicines from Elder Lu. A random handful of them is enough to last me an entire day. You should observe carefully instead of worrying about me. My method is completely different from Kuanglan, so learn it well. Well need to depend on you to produce a high-grade origin crystal and get rich. With that, Ji Tianqing placed a Storm Pearl in her mouth and jumped into the Constellation Well. Qianye shook his head but didnt stop her. Ji Tianqing normally looked lively and naive, much like a spritely girl, but she had her own views regarding important matters. She was certainly more decisive than Li Kuanglan was, and likely wouldnt change her mind on something she had decided. Ji Tianqings earlier phase was the same as Li Kuanglan. She fell straight down until she was near where Li Kuanglan was earlier. At that point, countless golden bubbles appeared around her body, forming layers of soft mattresses to slow her fall. In the blink of an eye, Ji Tianqing had stopped at the center of the well. Her eyes were half-closed as the golden bubbles around her popped in and out of existence. Her method was different from Li Kuanglans in that she was holding the Storm Pearl in her mouth, drawing upon the power of the stars with every breath. In just moments, several of the stars had lit up and specks of gold light were converging into Ji Tianqings mouth. Shes using her respiration to condense the power of the stars. The advantage of that is that the process is more natural and contains no artificial aspects. Compared to our Li familys method, theirs is more likely to condense a high-grade origin crystal. The bad thing about their technique is that the process is too slow and it imposes significant requirements in ones cultivation. It''s not as easy as our Li familys method. After a pause, she said, At our level, the Li familys technique is naturally superior, but her secret art would catch up near the divine champion threshold. After becoming a divine champion, however, the Ji family arts would have the complete advantage. Currently, Qianye also knew that Ji Tianqing was the Pointer Monarchs descendant. It wasnt odd for an art taught by the Pointer Monarch to be stronger than the Jingtan Li familys, and this also made clear the special characteristics of the two. The Jingtan Li family had been working to become a major clan, so they were more focused on the overall strength of the Li family as a whole. The inherited secret art was geared toward people with mid or high talent levels. The core objective was also to pass through the divine champion threshold. Meanwhile, the Pointer Monarch was from the Imperial clan. He had no intention of forming his own branch and was entirely concentrated on how to get further in the heavenly monarch realm. As he saw it, so-called geniuses had to reach the divine champion realm or they werent worth raising. Hence, it was only natural that the arts before that rank werent quite valued. As for the Zhang and Zhao clans, their clans attended simultaneously to people before and at the divine champion realm. They also had an abundance of heavenly-monarch-level cultivation arts. The only thing they were missing compared to the Imperial clan were the resources required for cultivation at the heavenly monarch realm. This was also the two clans foundation for over a thousand years. At this point, Li Kuanglans voice became distant. Apparently, she found the outcome quite regretful. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1033: Riddle of the Stars But there was nothing that could be done about the different inheritances tied to their birth. Li Kuanglan herself wasnt less talented than Ji Tianqing, but the gap was too large between the Jingtang Li clan and the Pointer Monarchs Imperial clan. The outcome of such a difference was the same between lower continents and the higher ones, just as it was between Evernight and the Empire. All the cruelty, death, war, and conflict was just for resources and the space to exist and expand. Li Kuanglan could look on her peers with the help of her special origin power and Cold Moons Embrace, but she was immediately no longer a match for Ji Tianqing after losing the weapon. The gap would grow even bigger by the time their cultivation had advanced by one level. The Pointer Monarchs inheritance would only show its true might after reaching the divine champion realm. Having cultivated Excavator, Qianye naturally understood this special characteristic of the secret art. This secret art would grow increasingly powerful as his own cultivation and physical strength grew. In the end, there would be no limit to his strength. It was only natural for Li Kuanglan to lament her fate. Qianye didnt know how to console her because this was one of the fundamental rules upon which the world ran. He thought about it for some time and then said, Dont think too much about it. If I see a suitable cultivation art for you in the future, Ill definitely get it. A sword like Cold Moons Embrace is difficult to obtain, but Ill go over to Evernight after we get out of this place and see if I can snatch one for you. Li Kuanglan chuckled. Dummy! Where will you even find a sword like that? Are you looking to die? You really dont know how to console people. Qianye became distressed. I wasnt trying to console you, when we get out He hadnt even finished speaking when his mouth was covered up. Li Kuanglan sighed. I know youll really do it, but theres no need. I dont want you to take risks, especially for me. And remember not to make promises so easily, especially to women. You have a lot of problems coming up for you in the future, you can only do so much. Qianye was baffled, unable to understand the meaning behind her words. Li Kuanglan wasnt about to explain, either. She simply moved back to lean on Qianyes body, pointing at the Constellation Well. Our Li familys secret art isnt entirely behind other people. In truth, even the Imperial clan might not be superior in terms of understanding the Constellation Well. Most people know that the power of the stars is vital to the formation of the origin crystal, but what else? Look at those stars, there are smaller ones and bigger ones, stronger ones and weaker ones. Qianye nodded; he had also noticed this. The moment he entered the Constellation Well, he sensed many of the stars inside and felt as though he could almost reach out to touch their power. This was inconceivable because the phenomenon couldnt be explained with common sense. According to the peerless experts who had been exploring the void, the vast expanse beyond the twenty-seven continents wasnt just nothingness. The stars everyone could see at night were actually enormous continents or celestial bodies akin to the Void Valley Star. They might even be small worlds like the Evernight Continent. The visual power of these peerless experts was naturally superior to that of the masses. Their words also held a different weight. If these stars were continents, planets, or worlds, how could one draw upon their power in the Constellation Well? What were those stars at the bottom of the valley? What kind of world existed beyond them? Qianye felt more confused the more he thought about it. The universe was vast and incomparably frightening, but it also held an irresistible allure, drawing experts of every generation to step into the void and explore the secrets hidden deep within it. What exactly are those stars? Qianye asked. Li Kuanglan stared blankly for a while. I dont know, our Li clan ancestors arent very sure, either. Back then, the deceased ancestor went about five hundred meters into the well but returned after failing to hold out. According to him, there was only boundless emptiness even at that depth, and even a thousand meters might not be enough to truly go through the Constellation Well. The spatial shearing forces had already reached an indefensible degree at five hundred meters, even a divine champion wouldnt last for very long. The ancestor felt that a thousand meters was the limit for a heavenly monarch or great dark monarch. That means this Constellation Well is impossible to get through? That might not be certain. Those with a body several times stronger than a great dark monarch might be able to cross. That was more or less nonsense. Li Kuanglan pointed into the well. Did you notice? Some of the stars are brighter than the others. Qianye nodded. It was common sense that stars would have differing brightness, and those in the Constellation Well were no exception. There were big, brilliant stars as well as dim but voluminous ones, but of course, small dark ones made up the majority. Li Kuanglan pointed in succession. This one, this one, and the group here are all special stars that possess far more power than the others. If you can draw upon their power, your chances of forming an origin crystal will improve sharply. There are a total of seven such stars, collectively termed the Seven Radiants by our family. In truth, those werent the only stars with increased power. It was just that the seven were easier to sense and communicate with. The Li familys divination arts used the Celestial Rite Array as their core, and even several of their secret arts were based upon communicating with one of the Seven Radiants. It was just that these arts had to be paired with the Li familys unique mental cultivation methods and were useless to Qianye and Ji Tianqing. Even with the help of secret arts, communicating with the Seven Radiants would take far more time than it would with ordinary stars. Every moment in the Constellation Well would drain massive amounts of origin power. Even one of Li Kuanglans cultivation could barely produce a medium-grade origin crystal despite having nearly fallen to the bottom of the well. If she had tried to communicate with the Seven Radiants, she wouldnt have lasted until the moment of condensation. Be it Ji Tianqing or Li Kuanglan, both of them didnt have enough origin power to support the pursuit of higher-grade origin crystals. They could only count on their luck and resonate with the first star they could sense, prioritizing the condensation of a crystal above all else. Qianyes origin power cultivation, on the other hand, far exceeded the two girls. His every origin vortex contained several times the energy compared to other experts. That would give him a unique advantage inside the Constellation Well. Li Kuanglan had mentioned the Seven Radiants so that he could decide for himself if he would like to try communicating with them. At this moment, there was a flash in the Constellation Well as Ji Tianqing spat out an origin crystal from her mouth and into her palm. She looked quite weak by this time and only slightly better than Li Kuanglan. Qianye raised his brows as he stared intently at Ji Tianqing, waiting to swoop in for the rescue. However, Ji Tianqing produced several small fruits in the blink of an eye and stuffed them into her mouth. Her aura erupted, and she shot out of the Constellation Well like an arrow. Ji Tianqings aura fell drastically after leaving the Constellation Well. She collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand. Li Kuanglan hurried over to support her to a large rock and fed her some water. Ji Tianqings countenance improved after the drink. She fished out a stimulant and injected it into the side of her neck. Slowly, her origin power began to recover. After a moment of rest, she picked up the origin crystal for careful examination. The crystal was translucent, clear, and filled with numerous interlacing golden threads. The origin power inside was a bit denser than the one Li Kuanglan had produced, but the number of golden wisps inside was on the sparser side. In that regard, it was inferior to that entirely blue origin crystal. Qianye sensed the origin crystal and found that it could increase ones origin power slightly and, at the same time, improve the experts utilization of origin power. This ability could be considered practical, and an increase in origin power was always welcome. All in all, this origin crystal was also at the same level as the one Li Kuanglan had producedboth were medium-grade. Considering the girls strength, being able to condense a medium-grade origin crystal on the first try could be considered a success. Most people would either fail or end up with ordinary grade crystals, and the occasional medium-grade product was something worth celebrating. An expert stuck at rank-seventeen without any hope of advancement wouldnt be too far below the weakest divine champion if he were to obtain this crystal. If this person were to obtain a high-grade origin crystal, he would come fairly close to divine champion in terms of combat strength despite the mismatch in power. Families with no overseeing divine champion, insufficient secret art inheritances, and those with mediocre younger generations would do their utmost to obtain origin crystals in hopes of upgrading their clans power. Even in a clan as large as the Song clan, some of its members werent quite alarmed that Duchess An was at the end of her lifespan. The main reason was because they had enough money to buy some high-grade origin crystals or even some top-grade ones. As long as they had money to burn, problems were no longer problems. This was also the reason why the crystals were so expensive. Condensing two origin crystals was a happy outcome even for people of Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglans status. After catching her breath, Ji Tianqing laughed. With these two crystals, our investment into the Storm Pearls have been recouped, and we still have seven more! Well be rich if we just produce one more origin crystal, and our trip wouldve been worth it. Li Kuanglan nodded. Ji Tianqing said to Qianye, Were counting on you, you know. If you can produce a high-grade origin crystal, you wouldve covered a good chunk of Li Kuanglans Cold Moons Embrace. If you can produce even more origin crystals, Ill make the decision and let her spend the night with you. Hows that? Li Kuanglans face turned bright red. She tried to pinch Ji Tianqings mouth, but the latter dodged and attacked her chest instead, tearing at her buttons and clothes. In the end, it was Li Kuanglan who fell into a miserable state. Qianye was greatly distressed by Ji Tianqings explicitness, but all he could do was pretend not to hear. And judging from her reaction, it would seem Li Kuanglan didnt really mind, either. That was what made Qianye truly nervous. He let out a dry cough and pointed toward the well. Its time I go in. This place isnt so peaceful, who knows what unexpected troubles may arise if we drag this out. Ji Tianqing had already used a recovery medicine. So, she wasnt as weak as Li Kuanglan and was soon eliciting cries of surprise from the latter. After hearing Qianyes words, she said without even looking up, Whats the rush? Ill succeed very soon, wont you wait to watch the show? Although youve seen all there is to see, theres no loss in looking again. Qianye said awkwardly, Give me the Storm Pearls, we need to get on with proper business. Ji Tianqing tossed out a Storm Pearl before reaching down toward Li Kuanglan again. You head down first, I need to teach this lass a lesson. Ill have a hearty meal ready for you when youre back! At this point, Li Kuanglan had been pressed down and was struggling on the ground. The scene was simply too beautiful. Qianye didnt dare watch any longer. He caught the Storm Pearl, calmed his thoughts, and jumped into the Constellation Well. Just as he was entering the well, he heard Li Kuanglans cry, Get your hands out! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1034: Unexpected Encounter Right after entering the Constellation Well, the protective origin power around Qianyes body began to disperse rapidly. At the same time, a gravitational force began dragging him into the depths of the void. Qianye had already watched Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan forming their origin crystals, so he had a good idea of what to expect. He was also clear that the longer he stayed in the well, the greater the drain on his origin power would be. Hence, he didnt resist the force and accelerated downward along its trajectory. Qianye had fallen hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, and the deeper he went, the greater the dragging force. At the same time, several forces landed on his body, attempting to tear his flesh apart. Those spatial shearing forces might cause injury if the person didnt channel origin power for protection. It wasnt so bad yet at this point. The shearing forces werent all that powerful yet, and even ordinary experts could deal with them. But the deeper he went, the stronger the stress would become, and there was no known limit to it. Li Kuanglan had already told him that even a divine champion would find it hard to bear the shearing forces at five hundred meters, and that no one really knew how bad it was beyond a thousand. Qianye possessed the powerful constitution of an ancient vampire and could only be superior to an ordinary divine champion. According to Li Kuanglan, he should be able to reach five hundred meters without a problem. But Qianyes origin power cultivation was much weaker than a divine champions. His body might not be torn asunder at five hundred meters, but he would have to return before long or risk having insufficient energy to get back. Li Kuanglan had Qianye to save her, but there was no one who could save Qianye. To play it safe, Qianye descended to two-hundred meters, where Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were at before, before lowering his speed. He descended an additional fifty meters and stopped to condense his origin crystal. Qianye clutched the Storm Pearl in his palm and observed it carefully. The misty clouds in the pearl were rolling about constantly, almost as though they had come alive inside the Constellation Well. Qianye was already quite knowledgeable at this point, but even then, he couldnt help but admire the Li family. The Jingtan Li Clans Storm Pearl was beyond a fine craft, and that wasnt the only thing their family produced. Their Stillwater Rebirth wasnt inferior to the pearl at all. If they hadnt lost so much strength during the divination factional conflicts, the Jingtan Li Clans fame wouldnt be limited to where it was today. Qianyes perception permeated the Storm Pearl immediately after sensing it. Qianye felt that his consciousness had merged with the pearlthe pearl was him; he was the pearl. As his perception was amplified through the Storm Pearl, the stars he could only vaguely sense a while ago became much clearer. It almost felt as though they were within arms reach. Qianyes eyes fell upon a dark red star. Although this star was inferior to the Seven Radiants, it gave Qianye a sense of familiarity and great clarity. The moment his gaze came into contact with the star, it felt as though an invisible hand had grabbed onto his consciousness. This star was hot, vast, and heavy, with a power akin to slow-flowing lava. In terms of attribute, its energy was closer to the peak of daybreak and not so far off from the origin of chaos, either. Origin power in this position couldnt be considered very pure, but it could easily produce some special abilities. Although Qianye felt that the star power from this star was variegated and impure, that was only relative to Venus Dawn. To ordinary experts, an origin power of such purity was already enough for them to cultivate right up to the threshold of the divine champion realm. They could even try crossing it, but the chances of success would be quite low. It came as a pleasant surprise that he could sense this big star. Its power would most likely congeal into an origin crystal with a pretty good ability. As for the upgrade to ones cultivation and physical attributes, that would depend on how much star power he could absorb. Because the power each star could contribute was fairly limited, the amount absorbed would be decided by how many stars he could sense. At this moment, he had been in the Constellation Well for a fair length of time. Qianye felt that he could hold out fairly long, but he didnt want to end up with unexpected problems and lose the chance to draw upon this big star. As such, he simply locked onto the red star and waited as a cloud of red starlight gathered toward the Storm Pearl. Since he had managed to draw upon the stars power, Qianye followed the usual method by activating a bit of his Venus Dawn and slowly injected it into the Storm Pearl. Using this as a guide, he tried establishing communication with the nearby stars. The moment Venus Dawn entered the Storm Pearl, Qianyes perception erupted all of a sudden. It swept over countless stars like a tempest and attracted the attention of countless celestial bodies. This feeling was like dropping food into a calm pond, suddenly drawing out a swarm of fish. In the blink of an eye, Qianye was overwhelmed and didnt quite know how to deal with everything. Neither Ji Tianqing nor Li Kuanglan had warned him of such a situation when they were teaching him their techniques. He forced himself to calm down as he responded to them one by one. With each response, a star would flicker and send forth specks of starlight. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had responded to dozens of stars; there were dozens of starlight waves surging into the Storm Pearl. The number of stars he was communicating with was several times that of the two girls, but there were at least hundreds more he hadnt responded to. As the number of responses increased, some of the faraway stars also began to flicker. Qianye hesitated for a while, but he ultimately resisted the urge to continue. He only maintained his connection to the red star and the several dozen others, constantly pouring origin power into the Storm Pearl to integrate with the incoming star power. Every wisp of Venus Dawn origin power could combine with several wisps of star power, and once combined, they would gradually condense into crystalline granules. At this point, Qianye became somewhat doubtful. He had seen Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan combine origin power and star power at a two to one ratio. At that rate, for the same amount of origin power, the amount of crystallization they could produce was not even half of Qianye. The more star power he could condense, logically, the better it should be. Qianye thus pushed his misgivings to the bottom of his heart and continued focusing on forming an origin crystal. After an unknown length of time, Qianye suddenly opened his eyes. Floating in the void before him was a light red origin crystal. The crystal was the size of a fist, so much larger than the thumb-sized ones Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had produced. Qianye grabbed the origin crystal and flew upward without careful examination. The moment he started flying, Qianye sensed hundreds of small consciousnesses calling out to him, asking him to stay. Each of them released a wisp of origin power that latched onto his body. They were extremely weak and almost negligibleeven hundreds of them added together couldnt slow down his movementsbut that drew Qinayes attention. These minuscule consciousnesses came from the weaker stars Qianye had communicated with. The stars Qianye had responded to would release some power to drag him back, stopping him from leaving. A couple dozen was fine, but if thousands or tens of thousands of them were to be involved, it would no longer be a string but a net instead. That was enough to make Qianye quite miserable. Qianyes body trembled as scarlet gold flames erupted around him, catapulting him toward the entrance like a rocket. The Constellation Well could disperse origin power, but Venus Dawn was one of the three peak origin power types, so the dissipation was quite slow. Qianye flew faster and faster, rushing out of the well in the blink of an eye. Having lost all restraints abruptly, he shot dozens of meters into the air before coming to a stop and descending to the ground. At this moment, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were seated side by side, discussing something intimately. Seeing Qianye appear, they got up to welcome him. A shifty-eyed Ji Tianqing said mischievously, What, are you disappointed because theres no big meal? Li Kuanglans face went red. Qianye was also startled for a bit before coming back to his senses. Ji Tianqing pursed her lips. Boring. Come on, show us what good stuff you produced. Qianye passed the light red origin crystal over. Ji Tianqing gasped upon seeing the crystal. So big! This must be a high-grade origin crystal! Li Kuanglan was the one who grabbed the crystal first. She broke into an immediate frown before tossing it to Ji Tianqing. That short moment of contact had left a small charred patch on her palm. There was an extremely powerful reaction between this crystal and her icy origin power. Ji Tianqing channeled a layer of origin power to protect her skin as she received the item. A plume of light-red origin flames erupted as she tried injecting origin power into the crystal. Their surroundings became akin to a scorching summer day as soon as the flame appeared, proving just how powerful the blaze was. What a strong flame! Ji Tianqing was stunned as she retracted her origin power and flipped the crystal about in her hand. This is a fairly good one among high-grade origin crystals. Unfortunately, the purity of the flame and the amount of star power isnt sufficient to be classified as top-grade. She regretfully shook her head and only came to after seeing Li Kuanglans odd expression. How rare was a top-grade origin crystal? How could it be so easy to obtain? The two of them had to go all out just to produce a medium-grade origin crystal. At first, Ji Tianqing was thinking that they wouldve made a tidy profit if one of the seven remaining pearls would produce a high-grade origin crystal. That was because they had Qianye on their team. If it were just the two of them, all they could do was hope for medium-grade. She studied the crystal for a good while before putting it into her spatial storage reluctantly. She then patted Qianyes shoulder, saying, With this origin crystal, the problem of Kuanglans icy sword would be half-solved. Take a good rest and try harder tomorrow, make some more high-grade origin crystals and well be rich! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. High-grade origin crystals werent rocks they could just pick up everywhere. It was already late at night, and Qianye was also somewhat tired. He naturally wouldnt object to taking a rest. The three sorted out their items, and just as they were about to find a place to spend the night, a voice came from the forest, This is the Constellation Well. Rest assured, those people from the Empire shouldnt be here yet. How can they be as fast as we are? You can take your time condensing an origin crystal here. Tonight will be peaceful at the very least. Anwen walked out of the woods while talking, and was completely stunned to find Qianyes group. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1035: The Law of Conservation of Origin Power Y-You guys! How come youre here? Anwen was astonished. This demonkins reaction was peculiar, and his question was also quite odd. Even Qianye didnt really know whether he should pay the fellow any attention or not. This was a traditional resource location for Imperials. What was he expecting if not humans? A demonkin like himself? Anwen scratched his head in distress, thinking long and hard. Bai Kongzhao poked her head out from behind him. She had almost bumped into him because she hadnt expected him to stop all of a sudden. The girls confused eyes lit up upon seeing Qianye but soon became cautious after noticing Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. Eventually, the brightness was covered back up by her usual vacant demeanor. Anwen said after some thought, Ah, I know! You were the ones who left that camp in the ten-times gravity region. Qianye, Ji Tianqing, and Li Kuanglan exchanged glances. Who wouldve thought Anwen had been tracing their footsteps? Appearing in the high-gravity region and escaping successfully meant that he possessed great combat strength despite his frail appearance. Qianye stood calmly before Anwen, while Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan spread out to the flanks. Ha. Back then, I really didnt expect a physically-weak human would appear in the region with ten-times gravity. Not only that, but you were also able to withstand the frigid night and escape the central region. Even if the humans had discovered the secret of the white fruit and wine, they would be corroded by the wine and turn into wild beasts after a couple of nights. Now, it looks like your group hasnt been affected at all, what a miracle! Anwen talked to himself excitedly, staring at Qianye from head to toe, left to right, and then the other way around. All the while, he was muttering to himself, Truth be told, the human race isnt very good looking, but for someone like you to appear, its quite inconceivable. In fact, good looks aren''t just about being aesthetically pleasant. It represents conformity with the rhythm of this world and being able to adapt to the environment. That is why those people would look stunning in the eyes of all creatures! Thats why looking good is a facet of ones combat strength. The old men in our clan only know of scheming and fighting, they had never contemplated such worldly phenomena in depth eh? Anwen found, to his shock, that Qianyes group had taken up positions. He pointed at Qianye in disbelief, saying, Are you guys going to attack? Qianye weighed East Peak in his hand. What else? We dont have a reason to fight, do we? Were in the Great Maelstrom. You are a demonkin and we are human, is that not reason enough? Anwen sighed. This kind of enmity is baseless. Sometimes, I really feel that you humans all have a victim complex. I personally feel that the hatred between our races isnt unresolvable, in the short term at least. Qianye said calmly, Daybreak and Evernight represent an inherent conflict in origin powers. Theres no avoiding this. Anwen snorted disdainfully. Nonsense! Thats just a slogan an Imperial idiot started spouting, and a lot more idiots from our race supported it. Thus, a thousand years of fighting began. Do they have no brains? Cant they stop to think if we can destroy daybreak or darkness origin power even if we kill off every member of the opposing faction? Qianye was stunned. The Law of Conservation of Origin Power was a common knowledge taught in advanced imperial syllabuses. When a person passed away, the origin power he had cultivated would dissipate and return to the void. Eventually, a new generation would be born, grow up, and cultivate, extracting daybreak origin power from the void to store in their bodies. During this entire cycle, the amount of origin power never increased or decreased. However, this was merely a hypothesis that no one could prove. Additionally, it was said that this theory actually produced a fair amount of controversy and objection. Something of note was that Li Xitang was among the dissenters, but the marshal only expressed his objection, not the reason. Even so, his special status brought the hypothesis into the midst of new debates in recent years. What was this Anwen trying to say by bringing this theory up? Qianye raised his hand, gesturing to the girls that there was no rush to attack. Anwen became spirited after seeing that Qianye was listening intently. Be it darkness origin power or daybreak, both of them should be constant. Yet, they are also changing at all times. The reason for this transformation is because were not alone in this great universe, and the world we live in is just a small corner. Who knows how many small worlds like ours exist in the depths of the void? Why would we fight between ourselves when we could be breaking down the ramparts of the void and heading out to explore the boundless realms. Now thats a truly meaningful future! Hearing Anwen expounding on such great topics, Ji Tianqing snorted disdainfully. Such grand aspirations, but youre not even a duke! Lets discuss this when youre a prince. Besides, destroying your race is the most important matter at hand, exploring the boundless universe is too distant an endeavor. Just leave important missions like that to us, no need to trouble yourself. Anwen shook his head. Fairly good looking, but so violent, pity, pity! Ji Tianqing was peeved. The first part is quite reasonable, but the rest is nonsense! Of course, I have to be violent when dealing with your kind. Anwen didnt hold back, either. After a person is killed, his origin power will return to the void and then return in a different form. Even if you destroy the demonkin race, more dark races will appear as long as darkness origin power exists. The same goes for humans. How is that meaningful? A thousand years ago, humans were nothing but slaves, but now, they are a power occupying four continents. How can there be an empire today without the gradual increase in daybreak origin power? The theory was unprecedented and seemingly quite reasonable. Ji Tianqing didnt quite know how to retort for the time being. However, she was never one to concede or be suppressed. Theres no way to prove things, so youre just saying whatever you want. But dont even think about getting through this by tricking us. Let me ask you about what you said, how exactly do I look good? Can you see me clearly? She wasnt using her original appearance in front of others. At this moment, her appearance rotated through thousands of versions, and even her stature would transform from time to time. This was her unique ability, and even Qianye was fooled several times back then. But Anwen smiled proudly after an intent gaze. Whats so difficult? Just wait a while. He whipped out his sword and started calculating on the ground, soon producing a long string of formulas. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan exchanged glances. How could they understand such complicated formulas? They didnt know what Anwen was thinking, but they thought he was just making things unnecessarily complicated. Qianye had grown up in the Yellow Springs and then joined the Red Scorpion. Most of his life was spent learning how to kill and not be killed, so he knew even less about these things. Let alone him, even those instructors at Yellow Springs wouldnt be able to figure out what formula this was. Anwen calculated swiftly, each number appearing from his sword tip like flowing water and making Qianye dizzy. Bai Kongzhao was the only one unaffected by this display because she didnt care at all about what Anwen was doing. She merely stared at Qianye, and no one knew what she was thinking. The girl didnt disguise her intent, but Qianye kept his attention on her at all times. Bai Kongzhao would always go for the vitals at the most opportune moment. There was no rhythm to her movements, and no one could tell what exactly she was thinking. Having known her for so many years, Qianye suspected whether she possessed the ability, Ignore Defense. That was a terrifying power that would allow the user to break through higher-ranking defenses. He couldnt afford to be careless and give her an opportunity to exploit. Anwen didnt make everyone wait too long. The countless numbers transformed into a simple formula within minutes, which he glanced at as he laughed proudly. He then arrived in front of a rock and began carving the outline of a person with his blade. A shake of his wrist sent sword radiance raining upon the rock, sending pieces of it flying everywhere as the sculpture of a young girl appeared before the crowd. The human girl was covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide in astonishment. She wasnt an especially stunning beauty at a glance, but she looked better the longer one admired her. Her gentle demeanor exuded a sense of comfort and flawlessness. The statue was extremely vivid and especially lifelike in her expression. It made people want to know just what she had seen. As for her clothes and the hem of her skirt, everything was completed in just a few strokes. And that was enough. This sculpture was the work of a master, no more, no less. Ji Tianqing finally couldnt hold back her astonishment. Qianye and Li Kuanglan were also stunned speechless as they gazed at the sculpture. The statue was definitely a depiction of Ji Tianqing in her original appearance. Qianye and Li Kuanglan knew her true appearance, so they could easily recognize her. Anwen, on the other hand, had never seen Ji Tianqing before. How could he carve out her appearance with just a pile of goddamned formulas and numbers? Anwen chuckled. Its not too hard. If it wasnt for this young lady cycling through her appearance several times, I wouldnt have found the rhythm so easily. One has to know that everything has a scheme to it and that her original appearance is constant. Its fine even if she doesnt reveal even a small bit of her appearance. I can find the constant between countless variables. That is my specialty and a necessary skill for exploring the realm we live in. Qianye didnt understand the logic, but that didnt really hinder him from adding Anwen to his list of most dangerous enemies. Perhaps it was because he didnt understand that he attached more importance to this enemy. Anwen seemed somewhat deranged, but he couldnt quite hide his genius from leaking out. This filled Qianye with a sense of danger that wasnt weaker than any other enemy. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1036: Sudden Variable Ji Tianqing was left pondering hard. Qianye, on the other hand, raised East Peak and took a step forward. Get ready. Anwen was stunned momentarily. What did you say? Qianye pointed at Ji Tianqings sculpture. Out of consideration for that sculpture, I wont launch a sneak attack. Get ready to fight! Anwen was puzzled. I talked so long and hard, you still want to fight? Youre too dangerous, I wont be at ease unless I beat you into a pulp, Qianye spoke honestly. Barbarian! Anwen was furious. Youre right. I read too little to understand your theories, fighting is all Im good at. Qianye didnt look embarrassed at all. He bent his body forward slightly, intent to do battle. Anwen was so angry that he didnt know what to say. He put away his rapier and brought out the two-meter sword. I might not like fighting, but dont think for one second that Im afraid of you! Youre indeed powerful, but Ive seen your fight with the Demoness. Youre still a bit short of being able to beat me to a pulp! Qianye said nothing. His foot left the ground as he floated upward and unfurled his luminous wings. The tips of the wings were outlined in black, and one of the feathers had a tinge of darkness that made it stand out especially. Anwens expression changed abruptly when he saw the wingtips. You broke through again? It has only been how long? Qianye smiled indifferently. It has already been some time. The confidence and pride on Anwens face vanished, replaced by seriousness. Several beams of demonic energy shot out around him to form a chain, drawing him halfway into the air. He needed to be off the ground in order to wield the full might of that two-meter sword. Every chain would transform his figure several times. It was only by the seventh chain that Anwen realized his reflection in Qianyes eyes never falteredthat the stinging sensation at his back never receded. His expression grew even more serious. The long sword trembled slightly as a wisp of demonic energy surged upward from the top of his head. Anwen was ready to go into a head-on duel with Qianye, something he wouldnt have chosen if he had a choice. Qianye had severely injured the Demoness with three Shots of Inception back in the city of Indomitable. No matter how confident Anwen was, he didnt believe he was more powerful than the Demoness or that he was capable of taking Qianyes attack. He had utilized every power at his disposal, yet he couldnt escape Qianyes lock-on. The only choice left was to fight head-on. Anwen wasnt an easy character, either. With a shake of his sword, he outlined an extremely complicated diagram in the air made of lingering demonic energy. The old diagram hadnt yet dispersed when new ones were quickly formed over them. This superimposition actually gave Qianye a sense of pressure. Qianye had a feeling that he wouldnt be able to evade this slash. Up until this day, Qianye had gone through hundreds of battles and fought countless peers. He had also witnessed many strange abilities and talents, but he had never seen an ability like Anwens. Even when facing it personally, Qianye couldnt quite figure out the principle behind the stance. Why would a bunch of strange diagrams lock onto Qianye? Anwens technique looked comical, but Qianye knew that wasnt the case. Just like when he carved Ji Tianqings sculpture, these diagrams might have the same effect as those formulas and numbers. Qianye couldnt say they were useless just because he couldnt understand them. The current situation ended up with Qianye and Anwen locking down one another, with neither being able to evade the others attack. It seemed they would end up in mutual destruction. Anwen was quite calm at first, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw the mockery in Qianyes eyes. Only then did he remember that Qianye had withstood the Demoness long-range attack. Not only did he live to tell the tale, but he even broke through after that. It was obvious just how strong his body was. All of a sudden, Anwen lost all confidence in himself. The complicated diagrams he had drawn were analyses in space and time. The calculations eventually reached a point where he could strike Qianye no matter how the latter changed his movements. However, this art could only help him hit the target and not to improve the power of his attack. In the blink of an eye, Anwen understood the gravity of his situation. He would be able to strike Qianye but not kill him. Meanwhile, Qianyes upgraded attack would likely take his life. It was only natural that Qianye wouldnt refuse such a trade. Additionally, the opponent clearly had no true awareness of a true expert. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had spread out, with the former targeting Bai Zhongzhao and the latter waiting to launch a surprise attack. Anwen could naturally tell that Li Kuanglan specialized in speed and could easily distract him at the critical juncture. It wasnt a certainty whether he could even strike Qianye at that point. Anwen shouted without turning back, Run! Bai Kongzha was puzzled. Run? Now! Immediately! Anwen rushed her anxiously. At the same time, his sword trembled faster and faster, adding more and more layers to the diagram. Even Li Kuanglan felt as though she was being locked onto. Qianye revealed a cold smile. Anwens sword wasnt enough to kill him, yet he was still intent on splitting the force with Li Kuanglan. This would only end up with him giving the both of them moderate injuries. Qianye would have a harder time if the demonkin were to focus his power on Li Kuanglan. Bai Kongzhao was surprised by Anwens anxiousness. Why are we fighting? Why must I run? She was still ignorant about the entire situation, and Ji Tianqing wasnt about to give her a chance to come to. She arrived behind Bai Kongzhao in a single step and broke off her path of retreat. Donning a pair of spiked scale gloves, she said with a smile, Ive heard about you. Ive been waiting to witness your peerless combat instincts. Now that theres a chance, I must see whether Bai Aotu is bluffing or not. Bai Kongzhao reached toward her back, but there was nothing there. She had used that cleaver of hers while trying to stop the six-armed general. Ji Tianqing took a step forward in response to the girls movement, completely locking her down. Bai Kongzhao possessed unfathomable combat instincts. Her attacks were always unimaginable and accurate, capable of grasping the briefest of opportunities. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, was unpredictably diverse in her repertoire of powerful secret arts and skills, definitely a good candidate to suppress Bai Kongzhao. On the surface, it would seem Anwen was destined to lose, but his fighting spirit didnt falter. He tapped in the air with his left hand, whereupon a ring of faint demonic energy appeared around Bai Kongzhaos feet. The girls body became extremely light, and her speed increased sharply. Now, Ji Tianqing could no longer laugh because she wouldnt be able to stop Bai Kongzhao if she was intent on running away. Run! Anwen shouted. He was already at his limit after restraining three people at once. Although no one had really attacked at this point, the situation had been changing constantly. Both sides had been in a secret confrontation that could only be described as brilliant. Bai Kongzhao, however, didnt take the opportunity Anwen had created for her. She only said, Im not running, I surrender. Surrender? Ji Tianqing, who was ready to burst into battle, felt as though she had tripped and fell. She had considered Anwen and Bai Kongzhao as equal experts. How could people at their level utter the word surrender? Qianyes gaze fell upon Bai Kongzhaos face. At this moment, the reflection in his eyes was no longer Anwen but the little girl. Anwen became even tenser after noticing that he was no longer being locked onto. However, Li Kuanglan was retraining him from the side, so he couldnt make a move to draw Qianyes attention back to him. If he were to break this deadlock and attack, Qianye might take Bai Kongzhaos life with a single Shot of Inception. The demonkin stared at that black feather on Qianyes wings and sighed after a good while. Qianye finally spoke, Why are you surrendering? Bai Kongzhao produced half the white-fruit she had been keeping. This is for you. The white fruit seemed easy to get for Qianyes group, but it had become a scarce resource now that they were far from the central region. Obtaining more was now impossible after the appearance of the six-armed general, so half a white-fruit was now a fairly valuable treasure. Ji Tianqing snorted. You want to buy your life with just that? Take out better things or theres no discussion. Qianye waved his hand. Fine, I accept. You guys can go. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were surprised at why Qianye would let such powerful enemies go. But since Qianye had already spoken, they refrained from arguing with him and merely stepped back to open the way. Bai Kongzhao placed the bounty in his hand, and then slowly stepped backward. Anwen glanced at Qianye, saying, I hope we can fight to our hearts content when we have the opportunity. Qianye replied calmly, Anytime. Ji Tianqing asked all of a sudden, Why are you guys here? Anwen replied without any hesitation, I have a Storm Pearl, so I wanted to help her condense an origin crystal. Oh, thats why. I have two origin crystals here, see if you want it. You can trade it for the Storm Pearl and other things. Ji Tianqing produced the two origin crystals she and Li Kuanglan had condensed. Anwen didnt refuse. He took out a pair of black-rimmed glasses and arrived beside Ji Tianqing to observe the crystals. They had daggers drawn the last moment, yet now they were ready to do business. The situation had changed so unexpectedly. Qianye took a step forward and stood behind Ji Tianqing, lest Anwen attacks all of a sudden. Anwen noticed Qianyes thoughts. He looked up with a cold smile, saying, Shes a proud lady who wont go back against her words. And so am I. Were looking to trade right now, so we wont be fighting midway. Youve known her for so long, dont you even realize this much? Qianye was astounded and didnt really know what to say. He really didnt understand Ji Tianqing all that much. In truth, Qianye hadnt given her much attention despite their long friendship. Ji Tianqing chuckled. Pick fast or the price will go up. Anwen looked at the crystals for a while and then shook his head. Dont you have better ones? No, Ji Tianqing replied decisively. She wasnt about to take out the crystal Qianye had produced. Anwen said regretfully, Their grades are too low for her. Too low? Ji Tianqing wasnt happy. Anwen didnt hold back. Her future prospects will become limited if she were to absorb these two crystals. These two middle-grade origin crystals were for people with no hopes of becoming a divine champion. Bai Kongzhao was quite famous back in the Bai clan, but everyone knew of her talents as well. She had no hope of reaching the divine champion realm, so none of the major powers paid her much attention. Bai Aotu eventually caved in to the clans pressure as well. Anwen was implying that she had the potential to break through to the divine champion realm, but Ji Tianqing couldnt be bothered to explain or argue. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1037: Meeting the Holy Son Again How do you plan to form the origin crystal? Ji Tianqings curiosity had been piqued. Anwen pointed at the Constellation Well. You wont let us do it here by any chance, will you? Ji Tianqing shrugged. Of course not. Its not like you can beat us. Anwen wasnt angry. The origin crystal we want to form is special, it doesnt need a lot of star power. This isnt the only opening to the Constellation Well, just the biggest and most convenient one. To us, though, the star power here is too close to daybreak, so the other wells are actually more suitable. Ji Tianqing asked in surprise, There are other wells? Anwen said, Of course. Dont forget that you humans learned of the Great Maelstrom from us. Our understanding of this place is far superior. Fine, good luck then. Ji Tianqing waved her hand. Nodding, Anwen left in a different direction with Bai Kongzhao. Ji Tianqing called out from behind, Thanks for the sculpture! Anwen looked back with a smile. If you really want to thank me, then let me use this well later on. Dont you only have one Storm Pearl? I just want to study whats different about this well. I feel that the secrets of this world are hidden inside these stars. Qianye shook his head, feeling that this Anwen was somewhat crazy. One would be defenseless once inside the well and usually required someone to stand guard at the opening. As this was a common gathering place for Imperial experts, Anwen entering the well alone was akin to suicide. He had Bai Kongzhao with him, but Qianye knew no one could control that girl or know what she was thinking. No one knew where she would aim her blade the next moment. But Qianye had no reason to stop a demonkin from killing himself, let alone an extremely important person. He had chosen to avoid an unnecessary fight against Anwen, but he wasnt about to stop one of Evernights fighting powers from disappearing. It was night by the time the duo departed. As it was already dark, Qianyes group picked a hidden place to camp for the night. The two ladies decided to take turns standing watch and allow Qianye to recover his origin power as much as possible. According to Ji Tianqing, he was a goose that could lay golden eggs and thus needed to rest well. Qianye didnt refuse the offer. The effects of Elder Lus wine were still there, so he should grasp this opportunity to cultivate. It was possible for him to break through again before the wine wore off. The night was quiet. Qianye slowly opened his eyes as the first rays of dawn appeared and shot out crackling beams of scarlet gold. At this point, his origin power was at its maximum capacity, and his sixth origin node was almost full. Countless crystalline particles were swirling inside the vortex, making it difficult to discern which was liquid and which was crystal. His seventh origin node had swollen to its limits and looked like it would explode within days, turning into an origin vortex. Qianye opened his eyes and glanced at the coming dawn. Today was one of the best days in his life. It was at this time that Li Kuanglans voice rang out. Who goes there!? The only reply was a surge of origin power, followed by a muffled sound. It was a shot from an origin gun! From what Qianye remembered, both Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing knew that origin firearms shouldnt be used in the Great Maelstrom. Gunshots would produce an earth-shattering sound, and the origin power would ripple dozens of kilometers out. No one knew what kind of danger such a ruckus would draw. Back when Qianye was forced to use Heartgrave, the sound traveled hundreds of kilometers out. This shot was definitely not from Li Kuanglan or Ji Tianqing. Qianye stood up and ran at full speed toward the sound. A blue silhouette was shuttling through the forest like flashes of lightning, locked in a fierce battle against several black-robed experts. These enemies were so powerful and well-coordinated that they were gradually boxing Li Kuanglan in. With her dagger in hand, Li Kuanglan attempted to charge through the encirclement several times. However, the dark-robed people seemed to understand her sword technique quite wellthey would switch to a solid defensive stance whenever they saw her charging, leaving no gap at all for her to exploit. The target only needed to impede her for a split second, and the rest of the team would arrive to surround her. Li Kuanglan knew she had to avoid being surrounded, so she would retreat immediately after missing the first strike and change targets. Although the forest was a familiar environment for her, the black-robed men were all powerful and agile. Their strength was inferior, but it wasnt out of the question for them to block a couple of blows from her. There was also a woman in the peripherythe sniper rifle in her grasp was following Li Kuanglans movements. The shot she had fired just now had almost found its target, so despite not pulling the trigger yet, the pressure was still just as intense. Qianye saw this scene immediately after entering the forest. Seeing that Li Kuanglan was still able to hold out, he refrained from stepping in immediately. Instead, he hid his presence and began looking for Ji Tianqing. The latter was on the other side of the forest, in a showdown against two mysterious black-robed people who had blocked her in a pincer formation. The soil on the ground had been overturned, and several of the nearby trees were leaning at crazy angles. Apparently, the two sides had already exchanged blows. Ji Tianqings countenance was clear and calm. She merely stared at the black-robed man in front of her and ignored the one behind. The enemy behind her finally lost his calm. He produced a crossbow from his robe, loaded a bolt, and took aim at Ji Tianqings back. He then moved forward step by step. This crossbow was exquisitely crafted with three sets of bow arms and a body covered in origin arrays. Although not very big, its firepower could not be underestimated. This black-robed man was now a mere ten meters away from Ji Tianqing, where a sudden shot could pose a significant threat to her. The latter was bent forward slightly in an attack stance, her target still the black-robed man in front of her. She seemed to be ignoring the man behind her entirely. The black-robed man in front stood calmly without any preparatory movements. It would seem he was quite confident about the situation. After scanning the battlefield, Qianye sped toward the black-robed man in front of Ji Tianqing. This person possessed a deep aura that was entirely contained, and his combat abilities seemed far above his peers. Qianye channeled his Bloodline Concealment as he moved toward the black-robed man like a ghost. When they were several dozen meters away, the man suddenly sensed something and turned toward Qianyes direction. Qianye erupted with origin power and speed, arriving before the black-robed man within seconds and delivering a downward slash. The mans aura fluctuated momentarily, seemingly startled. A slash from East Peak was as heavy as the mountains. How would he dare to take it head-on? The black-robed man evaded the slash with an immediate retreat, but his smooth retreat turned strangely sluggish all of a sudden. It was during this brief moment that Qianye planted East Peak in the ground and threw a punch at the enemys chest. There was no evading this square punch. Qianye was apparently planning to contest strength with strength and decide the match with a single punch. The black-robed man also knew this. Insolence! he roared as he also responded with a similar punch. Qianye unleashed a shout akin to spring thunder as the joints in his body reverberated with a thunderous toll. His ancient vampire strength, combined with the explosive power of Excavator, all poured out in one punch. Groaning, the black-robed man retreated several steps, but with every step he took back, Qianye would take a step forward. The fists connected repeatedly, and wave after wave of Excavator power traveled through Qianyes fist and crashed into the black-robed man. The series of attacks was bold and unreserved, aiming to defeat the enemy in one blow and even kill them. However, the black-robed mans power was like a boundless marsh. It was vast, heavy, and extremely tenacious. It remained unscattered in the face of Qianyes Excavator, and even its retaliation was growing stronger. The man took seven steps back before finding a stable footing once more. Qianye attacked several more rounds, but the black-robed man took everything quite calmly. This mans strength was well beyond expectation, but Qianye had other tricks up his sleeve. He stepped back all of a sudden and picked East Peak up. Nirvanic Rend! This slash was abnormally swift. Just as the black-robed man thought to evade, his figure slowed down yet again as it was restrained by the Eye of Control. Since he couldnt evade the blade, all he could do was block forcibly. He crossed his arms in front of his body, producing a meshwork of purple blood energy to lock down the incoming beam. Both sword and blood energies froze for a brief moment, and then exploded with a loud boom, turning into countless streams of sharp energy that shot off in all directions. Qianye remained standing in place, only lifting his left hand slightly. A stream of energy flitted past his face, leaving a shallow trail of blood therein. The black-robed man was blasted miserably by the streams of energy. He shook his body with a harrumph, duly shattering the black robe as he raised his head and revealed his true appearance. The mans figure appeared in Qianyes eyes. Edward? The one standing opposite him was indeed the vampire holy son, Edward. The Empire had listed this person as an important target since his appearance in Indomitable, and even those who hadnt seen him before could recognize him. Qianye observed the purple blood energy seeping out of Edwards body. He was fairly shaken because the pressure it brought about was unprecedented. Since his cultivation of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll and the dark golden blood energy, Qianye had never felt pressure from another vampire. Edward looked at Qianye. Qianye? Qianye nodded. Yes. Edward drew his sword and said proudly, I heard youre a member of our vampire race and have obtained the inheritance of the River of Blood. Why arent you kneeling after seeing me? Why arent you kneeling? Qianye sneered. Edward was furious. Ill teach you some things since youre a mixed-breed. All vampires have their own place in the River of Blood. The closer one is to the source, the more powerful and respected they are, this is an iron rule since the birth of the vampires! Since youre part of our race, why arent you respecting the rules? Qianye laughed. On the topic of the River of Blood, do you think your so-called Holy Son status makes you superior to a mixed-breed? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1038: Who’s Closer to the Source? Edward gradually opened his slender eyes and snorted in apparent anger. He pointed his blade at Qianye from afar, engulfing everything within a hundred meters in dark purple radiancehimself, Qianye, Ji Tianqing, and the other black-robed man. A deep, profound suppressive might slowly fell upon them. It was as though a supreme being had opened his eyes high up in the void and was looking from therein. Ji Tianqing wrapped her arms around herself. Her necklace and armbands glowed faintly, forming a light barrier that blocked out the dark purple blood energy. The light was faint, but it wasnt at all at a disadvantage against the invasive blood energy. The other black-robed man was in a miserable state. He fell to his knees, trembling, and actually couldnt stand up anymore. Edwards pupils constricted as he scanned Ji Tianqing. His expression became much more solemn and his killing intent increased. His gaze switched to Qianye after just a brief moment because he felt that Qianye was the true danger. Fortunately, it was great news that Qianye possessed a vampire bloodline. Their race focused so much on bloodline superiority because the more powerful ones would suppress the weaker ones. The closer one was to the source of the River of Blood, the greater the suppression they would exert. Even the one who had founded the Throne of Blood could only kill at will after escaping to the neutral lands because he was apprehensive of the superior bloodlines on the Twilight Continent. Edwards confidence came not from his status as the Holy Son, nor his primo bloodline. Instead, it originated from this dark purple blood energy, one that was born of a great dark monarch! Edward was, after all, a genius. After his punishment via blood ignition, he had actually grasped that thread of opportunity to assimilate the great dark monarchs blood energy into his body. Although there was only a tinge of the powerhouses aura in his blood, his suppression toward other vampires had increased exponentially. Even primos were far from being able to contend against a true great dark monarch. Within the purple blood mist, Qianyes eyes were slightly lowered. He stood firmly with his sword in one hand and the other pointing at Edward. The Holy Son laughed coldly, his evaluation of Qianye dropping several points. Frozen stiff and losing the power to struggle meant that Qianyes bloodline wasnt anything to write home about. It definitely couldnt be compared to the superior vampire races. If he was even slightly close to being a primo, he would have the ability to escape and not be frozen there. Edward walked forward to remove this insolent vampires head, but he suddenly noticed something after the first step. His eyes fell upon Qianyes left hand. There was a dark golden flame burning on Qianyes fingertip, in which was a flickering luminous feather. Edwards eyes narrowed as he recalled the battle at Indomitable where Qianye had wounded the Demoness with three luminous feathers. He wasnt powerless to struggle; he was actually luring Edward closer! Edward immediately stopped, but he didnt retreat. Instead, his figure became illusory and unstable, flickering hundreds of times in mere moments. He had utilized an extremely advanced secret art so that Qianye couldnt lock onto him. Sideways evasion was much more effective against the Shot of Inception compared to retreating backward. Putting distance between them wasnt the best strategy. Edward was entirely focused on Qianyes finger, but who wouldve thought the feather would actually vanish after a couple of flickers? The Holy Son was highly alarmed. Only at this point did he realize that a wisp of silent sword energy had arrived beside him. Qianye had launched a Nirvanic Rend while Edward was focused on the Shot of Inception. Edward roared loudly, condensing countless streams of blood energy into shields around him. Yet, he was caught off-guard and unable to gather his full power. The shields were slashed apart by the sword energy and a long, gushing wound appeared on his chest! The vampire roared furiously as he took several steps back, whipping out an origin handgun and taking aim at Qianye along the way. The wound on his body had closed up and vanished in the blink of an eye. Qianye stood there, frowning. He didnt give chase immediately because that origin gun elicited a strong stabbing pain in him. Apparently, it was excessively powerful and probably a grade-nine weapon. Edwards injury just now looked frightening, but the cut was quite shallow, as evidenced by the speed of its healing. Edward didnt attack, either. He gradually retracted his blood mist and stared at Qianye. Youre not restrained? Qianye smirked. Ive told you just now. Its not certain who among us is closer to the source of the River of Blood. Edward was surprisingly calm and contemplative. He then stared at Qianye intently. Can you tell me who granted you your sacred bloodline? Do you think Ill tell you? Its fine if you dont, but youve already invited trouble upon yourself, big trouble. Qianye smiled coldly once more. No matter how big the trouble, can it exceed the bloody battle and void continent wars? Edward shook his head. No, its not what you think. Its something beyond your imagination. Qianye wasnt interested in unraveling his deliberate mystification. Instead, he pointed at the origin gun, saying, Your Excellency, you do know that you shouldnt fire so easily in the Great Maelstrom, right? Or perhaps you have bigger troubles of your own and wish to die together with me? Edward put away his firearm. This Fading Blossom is an imitation of the Red Spider Lily, crafted by a prince from our Perth clan. Unfortunately, the weapon never gained sentience even after hundreds of years of work and the princes subsequent deep slumber. All it could do was imitate the magnum slightly. Even so, its a grade-nine weapon and a family heirloom. Shooting it wont produce a huge ruckus like ordinary guns. Then, why dont you use it? Thats because I dont want to trade lives. Edward glanced at Qianyes left hand. While Qianye and Edward were locked in a showdown, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan left the forest, and the black-robed experts returned to the Holy Sons side. It was just that all of them were injured, and only that young vampire lady was unhurt. Ji Tianqing had taken out the other black-robed man right after Qianye pushed Edward back, and then rushed away to help Li Kuanglan. The latter was able to keep the entire group at bay on her own, so Ji Tianqings arrival tipped the scales entirely. The other black-robed man was actually quite strong, but he was unfortunately swept into and suppressed by Edwards purple blood energy. In the end, Ji Tianqing took him down with a single punch. At this moment, both sides were evenly matched. Your Excellency, leave some spoils and you can go. Only the loser of a battle would need to pay tribute. Edward said with a gloomy expression, Are you asking me to surrender? More or less. Insolence! Qianye thrust East Peak into the ground and produced Heartgrave. You can try using that Fading Blossom of yours. Edwards pupils shrank. A grade-nine gun? Qianye replied indifferently, This gun is called Heartgrave. A blast from it, reinforced with a peerless secret art, should be enough to return you to the River of Blood. Want to try? Qianye wasnt bragging, though. It was impossible to tell whether the Shot of Inception was physical or purely spirit in nature. Even though Andruil had merely completed its initial structure, the weapons might was already quite evident. It would also be quite reliable to say that the Shot of Inception was a peerless secret art. The Shot of Inception, fired through Heartgrave, would surely send the Holy Son of the vampire race back to the River of Blood. Naturally, Qianye wasnt speaking the entire truth because he wasnt really sure if he could fire the upgraded black feather via Heartgrave. Edward was livid. He wasnt willing to just retreat, but the two parties were just too close. No one knew if an exchange of fire would end in mutual destruction, but it was certain that both parties would suffer severe casualties. Neither of the outcomes was worth it for him, especially since there were people from other families in the Great Maelstrom. He didn''t even want to get injured. At this point, the vampire lady beside him said, Its fine if you want stuff from us, but you cant force us to leave, and you must not attack us again. Qianye was so focused on Edward that he never noticed that vampire lady. Only when he glanced over did he realize that it was Twilight from Nighteyes clan. After the long period of not seeing one another, it would seem her strength had increased sharply to the level of a virtuous count. Who knew what kind of fortune she had stumbled upon or which major characters favor she had earned? Surprisingly, the Holy Son didnt show any evident signs of displeasure at Twilight speaking out before him. It would seem that the girls status in the clan was much higher than her strength. It was just that her request was odd and suspicious. Ji Tianqing said, The Constellation Well is of no use for vampires, is it? What do you plan to do by remaining here, ambush people? Twilight chuckled. If we were planning an ambush, we wouldve pretended to leave first, and then attack when youve entered the Constellation Well. These words left Ji Tianqing with no retort, but it also made her even more suspicious. Then what are your intentions exactly? Twilight said, Our race also has uses for this Constellation Well, and its not convenient for us to explain. So how about it, do you accept our suggestion? Qianye frowned. He wanted to refuse outright, but he saw Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan werent very averse to the notion. They exchanged glances, and then looked up at Qianye at the same time, whereupon Li Kuanglan walked over to him and explained in a whisper. Both Evernight and the Empire were alone against the many dangers of the Great Maelstrom. Beasts, environment, and the powerful, newly-discovered nativesall of them were lethal threats to these young experts. For the sake of survival, sometimes, the dark races and humans would temporarily forget their enmity and face the threats together. This would give both parties useful resources, shared among the participants according to their strength. This arrangement also served to reduce casualties, so it became an unwritten rule. From a certain perspective, this was a temporary cooperation between two weak parties as they fought for resourceson one side was the evernight nobles, while on the other, humans. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1039: Smoke Blood Pillar But how could one allow others to sleep near the bed? Having a group of powerful enemies around while a companion condenses origin crystals was a worrying thought as well. Besides, Edward wasnt like Anwen. After a moment of silence, Qianyes gaze gradually turned cold. Did you think you have the right to bargain? Enough with the babbling, lets fight. Let me experience again the Holy Sons position in the River of Blood! At this point, Qianye hadnt really used his powerful moves yet. Edwards dark purple blood energy was profound, but it was somewhat flimsy in its current state. Qianye had no fear of it so long as he was equipped with the dark golden blood energy. He hadnt used that black feather on the Wings of Inception yeteven Edward wouldnt be able to stand that shot. In addition to that, he possessed Life Plunder to slaughter all of Edwards lackeys. Qianye had never feared anyone in a group battle. Edward was livid. Not expecting Qianye to be so firm, Twilight said, Then well take a step back and let you pick three things you want from us, you can also ask us to tell you what were doing in the Constellation Well. Edward was surprised. How is that appropriate? Twilight replied, Why not? This secret isnt ours alone. Even if we dont say it, can you guarantee the demonkin and arachne wont leak the information? Twilight continued, Time is of the essence, and were not the only ones who can get here. The three of them arent the only ones from the Empire, either. Edward nodded after a moment of silence. Qianye discussed things with the other two. Fine, youll tell us that secret. Theres no need for other spoils. Twilight stretched out her hand with a knowing expression, producing an oblong hexagonal crystal. The item was red, similar to blood but a bit different as well. Looking at the red mist accumulating within the crystal, Li Kuanglans expression changed slightly. A sense of premonition welled up inside her heart. Twilight said, You humans have the Storm Pearl, and we vampires have the Misty Blood Rod. It can absorb star power from the well to refine our origin blood, increasing our bloodline power. Li Kuanglan said, How is that possible? The Constellation Well has existed long before we invented the Storm Pearl. The stars here are daybreak in attribute, how can you use it? Twilight replied with a question of her own, There are countless stars in the well, are all of them daybreak? Li Kuanglan was at a loss of words. In truth, she knew well that the ratio between darkness and daybreak was six to fourthere were a fair number of stars that leaned toward darkness origin power. The dark races had never come to draw on their power because they had no good tool to do so. So, weve told you our secret, about how we plan to use the Constellation Well. Will you keep your promise or fight us? Now, this was a good question. Qianye glanced at the other two and took note of their reactions. The two girls were proud charactersdespite her usual frivolousness, Ji Tianqing was abnormally firm in her stance. Since she had already agreed to the terms, she was more inclined to accept it. Qianye, on the other hand, felt that they shouldnt fuss too much about the method when killing enemies. It was the best opportunity to finish off Edwards entourage. The Holy Son had no way to escape the Shot of Inception, and he would be gravely injured even if he were to escape death. Thereafter, Qianye could cross out this powerful enemy from his list of adversaries. The difference between him and the other experts was that he was very much willing to take damage in order to claim the victory. After careful thought, he discovered that this was Song Zinings influence on him. Could it be that the smarter one was, the less they were inclined to adhere to the rules? Fine, you guys can remain in the area, but you must search for a different well, Qianye said. There are other openings? Twilight was surprised. Yes, according to a certain demonkin. I have no idea if he speaks the truth. Twilight said after some thought, Very well, well go search for it. But well return if we cant find it. Fine. Qianye nodded. After all the vampires had retreated, Qianye asked, What do things mean for us now that the vampires can also use the Constellation Well? Ji Tianqings expression seemed somewhat unnatural. They just wanted a piece of the cake because the Empire has been using the well for too long. How can absorbing star energy be that easy? I think theyll just produce something mediocre after expending great effort. Li Kuanglan shook her head. Not necessarily. I had a good look at their Blood Rod, it looks very similar to our Storm Pearl in many aspects. The external appearance isnt relevant in this regard. The Storm Pearl was born of our ancestors sweat and blood, not something thats easily copied. I have a feeling theres a story behind all of this. Perhaps its related to your Li family? Ji Tianqing didnt hold back. Li Kuanglan smiled wryly. Perhaps. Transactions with the dark races had existed since countless years ago, and the empire had both profited and taken losses from these deals. At least, it was not the place for someone like Qianye to comment on all the merits and demerits, the rights and wrongs. Seeing Li Kuanglan become speechless, Qianye only shook his head and kept his silence. Li Kuanglan said, Itll be a good thing if they cant find a different well entrance. At least, well be able to see how they absorb star power and how the Blood Rod works. Perhaps Ill be able to find out the difference between the Blood Rod and the Storm Pearl. Qianye nodded and brought the girls back to camp to rest. The three of them were in no state to produce origin crystals after the battle and would need to rest for a day. In the high-gravity region of the Great Maelstrom, a large, beautiful wolf was shuttling through the forest. It would stop to sniff here and there, confirming the direction before speeding off into the distance. In the depths of the forest stood a tall, young girl. Her skin was on the darker side; her figure was beautiful and gave off an aura of the liveliness of spring. There was a small braid behind her head, decorated with seashells and nuts. She was dressed in a short leather suit. Her legs were glistening smooth, with a narrow waist supporting a bountiful bust. She was exceedingly attractive. She gazed about nervously, the short hunting dagger in her hand jumping about between her fingers. There were several natives strewn across the ground around her, and there was even a four-armed woman among them. There were traces of combat on the nearby ancient trees and even some traces of white mist. The young girl wasnt injured at all, and not even in a sorry state. It would seem she had a fairly easy time dealing with this group of natives. She didnt have to wait too long before a streak of lightning leaped out of the forest. The large wolf appeared before her, shaking his golden mane as he came to a stop. The young girl looked happy. She ran over to the giant wolf and said, Youve escaped? The giant wolf shook his head. I only slipped away for a while, Ill have to go back soon. The young girl was fairly surprised. Why? Havent you already left? No! Shes a female-devil! No one in the Great Maelstrom is a match for her and that Grand Magnum. Neither you nor I can contend against her. She has already remembered my aura, so she can find me wherever I am. If were together, well definitely be caught in one go. The girl was stunned. That powerful? Yeah, that powerful! The giant wolf looked solemn. Then, what do we do? The girl lost her spirit. The giant wolf patted her head with his claws. Youre the hope of the Summit of Peaks. Do you remember the place I told you about? Go wait there for me and Ill come as soon as I can. This place is a high-gravity region. Although six times gravity isnt dangerous for us, the beasts and natives here are quite terrifying. I dont feel at ease leaving you alone here. So you should leave and head in that direction. The giant wolf pointed toward the starting region. The girl nodded hesitantly. But, youre the true hope of the Summit of Peaks. How about I swap positions with you? That young girl doesnt look so evil, perhaps she wont kill me. The giant wolf replied, Shes not evil? Didnt you see her kill that six-armed monster like its nothing? She didnt even try to talk. Moreover, she likes fur. She likes brown colors and hates white, thats the only reason I havent been done in. Brown fur? The girl shivered. Yes! The giant wolf became even more serious. Okay, then Ill be waiting for you at the place, the girl forced out the words, but Ill leave marks along the way. If you manage to lose her earlier than expected, remember to come find me. The giant wolf nodded. It was at this time that a clear whistle echoed far off in the distance. The giant wolf immediately became nervous. Tanya, I need to go back now. Otherwise, shell capture you as well! Its almost night, so be careful. The young girl Tanya was apparently moved by the wolfs farewell. She made to leave but seemed hesitant. She hugged the giant wolf, saying, The nights here dont affect me, but William, you should take care of yourself. I will. The giant wolf turned about and, with a jump, vanished into the depths of the woods. The girl remained in place, staring toward where the giant wolf had vanished. Only when a wisp of nocturnal cold brushed against her body did she start running toward the starting region. The giant wolf flickered through the forest like a bolt of lightning, but soon came to a sudden stop and looked at the ground. There was a red spider lily blooming near his feet, but it faded away before it could wilt. The wolf knew that it had entered her warning range. It shook its mane restlessly and began running toward an empty patch in the woods. There was a bonfire crackling at the center of the empty patch, which was now covered by a field of red spider lilies. A young spirit-like girl was gazing into the flickering blaze, lost in deep thought. The young girl sensed the giant wolfs arrival and waved at it. The latter seemed somewhat apprehensive of the red spider lilies on the ground, but it mustered the courage to move toward the girl and lay on the ground beside her. The young girl reached out subconsciously and grabbed its golden mane. The giant wolf narrowed its eyes in apparent pleasure. The girl sighed. Who wouldve thought this place is so big. Say, do you think well find him? Woof! Sigh, I forgot you cant speak or understand what I say, but thats good. These words arent for anyone to hear anyway. Id have to kill whoever finds out about them. The giant wolf trembled. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1040: Intoxicated Nigh With the gradual descent of the night, the worlds vitality gradually came to a standstill. Not every expert could deal with the cruelty of the frigid night in this six-times gravity region. The giant wolf lay quietly on the ground, its luxuriant fur fluffed up in a gentle manner. There was a faint glow at the tips of each hair strand, which came together to engulf the creatures entire body in a halo of light. This glow wasnt simple at allit actually blocked out most of the effects of the frigid night, and what little of the chill that got through was only refreshing for William of the Summit of Peaks. Zhao Ruoxi kept on gazing at the bonfire, lost in her own thoughts. It was as though the cold of the night had been dispersed by the flames while the field of swaying red spider lilies painted the land with a hint of mysticism. She let out a faint sigh, as though she couldnt endure the pain and loneliness in her heart. Then, with a swipe of her hand, a jar of wine flew into her grasp. The giant wolfs narrowed eyes opened in apparent anxiety, not knowing whether he should stop her or not. This wine was the wine she had robbed from the natives, and there were several more jars nearby. Even the six-armed general had fallen to the Red Spider Lily. Ordinary castles were like pulp in front of Zhao Ruoxi, with natives falling in droves with every blossom of the netherworld flowers. The few lucky survivors knew enough fear to run far. Although William had never entered the Great Maelstrom, the werewolves were an Evernight race with ancient inheritances. Hence, his knowledge was just as deep and profound. He figured out the effects of this alcohol with just a few sniffs. He looked up, wanting to stop the girl, but he quickly recalled the stuff she had just revealed to him a while ago and felt a chill run down his spine. Under that sweet appearance, Zhao Ruoxi was quick-witted and exceedingly vengeful. While he was hesitating, Zhao Ruoxi had already opened the jar and was sniffing it. Smells so bad! William nodded, hoping she would toss the jar immediately. However, Zhao Ruoxi poured two large bowls of wine after some thought. She picked up a bowl and sighed. Ive always heard that wine can make people forget everything. I hope I can forget him! She didnt give William any time to stop her before emptying the receptacle. Afterward, she pointed at the other bowl and said, Big Doggy, you drink with me as well! Williams expression was full of terror, yet he couldnt say no to the girl. All he could do was brace himself to start drinking. Zhao Ruoxi filled two more bowls and finished one herself. William knew he couldnt escape, so he finished his own bowl as well. After drinking two large bowls of wine, Zhao Ruoxis little face was flushed red and she became even more spirited. As expected, drinking is quite fun! It doesnt feel so bad anymore. Williams eyes were somewhat red, and his mane was fluffed up as he waved his tail about restlessly. He didnt find this fun at all. The wine was burning his insides like molten flamehe wanted to vomit, but he just couldnt expel the contents of his stomach. Werewolves were naturally resistant to alcohol and medicines. The effect of this white-fruit wine was quite small on them compared to humans, on whom it might have an instant effect. Besides, William was a genius of the Summit of Peaks. He possessed outstanding talents and even more resistance to alcohol. Despite that, he felt something wrong with his body as his maturing male instincts began to stir. He secretly became alert, knowing that he had to stop drinking. Before he could make up his mind, however, another bowl was poured out in front of him. Definitely the last one! William decided internally while finishing his third bowl. The jar was now empty after three bowls each. William had just heaved a sigh of relief when Zhao Ruoxi summoned yet another jar and popped the earthen seal. Eyes sparkling, she tossed her head back while pouring the fourth bowl down her throat. She pointed at the bowl in front of William and smiled. Come, drink water! How could William be willing? The next moment, however, a small hand grasped him by the mane and pressed him into the bowl! The fiery alcohol gushed into his nose and mouth, burning him like a stream of fireit was inexplicably painful since the werewolfs nose was especially sensitive. William felt that he was about to drown, so he had no choice but to drink the spirit up to escape that fate. Zhao Ruoxi only loosened her grip when the bowl was empty. William lay prone on the ground, coughing his lungs out, and only caught his breath after a good while. He hadnt really recovered when yet another bowl arrived in front of him. Come, drink! William finally gave in to reality and lowered his head to drink. It was difficult to eke out a livelihood in this erait would seem there was no easy work anywhere. Drink water! One more bowl! This is the last one. This is the actual last one. What did I say just now? Ive forgotten. Enough bullshit, drink! Whats so bad about drinking water? Now thats more like it, this is satisfying. William had lost track of how many bowls he had consumed. All he could feel was his consciousness floating away and an unprecedented feeling filling his entire body. His heart was flooded with a heroic spirit, almost as though the entire continent was not enough for him to grind his teeth onwhat was a little bit of water to him? Empty wine jars piled up into a small mountain. Zhao Ruoxis eyes were watery and on the verge of collapse. All of a sudden, she broke down in unstoppable tears, which streamed out continuously despite her wiping them away. She simply continued to bawl her eyes out. After growing tired from the crying, she finally leaned to one side and collapsed into deep sleep near the bonfire. William watched her with a worried expression, but his concern turned into puzzlement after a while. Zhao Ruoxi slept soundly, and her vitality neither slowed down nor flared up. She was just like a young, sound-sleeping girl who couldnt stand alcohol. William couldnt understand. He had matched her in drinks, and his blood was already boiling despite his lycanthropic resistance to drugs and alcohol. Zhao Ruoxi was just a young girl without any origin power; why was she totally immune to the alcohol? He got up restlessly and shook his head, but he just couldnt quench his fiery instincts. He took a step toward Zhao Ruoxi subconsciously, but he immediately noticed a stabbing pain beneath his feet. He looked down to see a red spider lily starting to wither, and with it, some of the fur on his front paw. The skin under the fur was also stained with a patch of deathly gray. William sobered up immediately and pulled back, realizing that he had almost lost himself to his instincts just now. The swaying red spider lily stabilized and didnt continue withering. William realized that be it the cold of the frigid night or the aphrodisiac effects of the white-fruit wine, everything had been neutralized by the Red Spider Lily. The power of this world might be indefensible to ordinary experts, but it was powerless against the powerful Grand Magnum. As long as this patch of red spider lilies remained, no one would be able to approach Zhao Ruoxi. Feeling reassured, William took another step back. He glanced reluctantly at the girl, but his eyes were bloodshot and the clarity in them was gradually receding. William turned around and soon vanished into the depths of the forest. Under the night sky, Tanya was beneath a large tree with her arms around her knees. She was using the most primitive method to resist the frigid night. Her face was full of joy when she saw the giant wolf walking out of the forest. William, you She hadnt even finished speaking when the giant wolf jumped up and pressed her to the ground. Tanya gasped in surprise, trying to stop the giant wolf from tearing her clothes. No, were not adults just yet! No, dont! She then saw Williams eyes. Y-You drank that wine? How come you drank that much? She let out a sigh and gave up on any form of resistance, simply turning around and transforming into a large wolf. That brown coat of fur was as smooth as silk. ... The night went by and dawn soon arrived. Zhao Ruoxi opened her eyes but narrowed them again due to the piercing sunlight. She sat up, stretched her back, and was soon full of spirit. There werent any signs of her having a hangover at all. She looked about at her surroundings and her gaze eventually landed on the empty jars nearby. She exclaimed furiously, Ha! How dare a dog steal my wine! Wait till I flay him, I love white fur! William was dumbstruck. Moments later, the young girl and the giant wolf set out once again. This time, there were numerous items hanging from William''s body. In addition to a bunch of wine jars, there were also branches, leaves, and flowers, all part of Zhao Ruoxis collection for the day. They hadnt gotten very far when Zhao Ruoxi turned toward the forest with a murderous expression. I cant scare you guys off even after cutting down a six-arm? If you want to die so much, Ill help you! she said coldly. Without any movement from her, a single red spider lily suddenly withered. There was a whimper from the forest as the person hiding between the trees fled into the distance. Zhao Ruoxis killing intent surged even higher. She raised her hand with a snort, and was just about to attack again, when she felt a tug on the hem of her clothes. Looking down, she saw that the giant wolf had bitten her dress and was pulling on it. This delay allowed the person in the forest to flee. Watching the giant wolf, Zhao Ruoxi couldnt quite get angry with it. Youre too soft, how did you even survive this long? No matter, just follow me and Ill feed you well. William was stunned. He no longer wanted to remain beside this sweet-looking young girl who liked white fur. After knowing that, William would feel scared whenever the girl touched him. But they were inside the Great Maelstrom where the Red Spider Lily was unimaginably powerful. William wouldnt be able to escape her demonic claws even if he were a duke. All he could do was lower his head and march on with his luggage. The road ahead was long, and the end was nowhere in sight. At a different location inside the Great Maelstrom, Song Zining was stretching after just waking up. A charming voice beside him said, Why are you up so early? Its still cold. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1041: Meeting Again Song Zining continued dressing while throwing out a random reply, The cold hasnt receded, but we can start working already. Theres no excuse to not try hard when were in such a bountiful land. The beautiful lady beside him rolled her eyes. Do you only work during the daytime? Ive never seen you doing anything properly. Song Zining smiled. This young master has just arrived, and my body is frail. I cant take as much punishment as you guys can. I might not get through the night if I go one more round, and I still want to enjoy your affection a bit longer. The lady smiled as she embraced Song Zining from behind. You really know how to talk! But you just arrived, you really cant endure the environment here. Sigh! Song Zining stroked her face. Why are you sighing? The lady whispered, I suddenly feel reluctant to part with you, yet I dont want to keep you here and make you suffer the same things I did back then. Song Zining was already dressed at this point, but he sat down beside her and said with a smile, Theres no rush. Tell me more about you if youre willing. The lady was startled, almost as though she hadnt imagined Song Zining to be so caring. She moved her moist eyes away and sighed once more. Its the same thing. I was sent into the Great Maelstrom around ten or so years ago. I was selected to join the exploration squad not long after my arrival and sent to investigate the core region. Our luck was especially bad that time, we fell into the hands of those people almost immediately after entering the area. The entire group was wiped out? Yes. There were eight of us, none escaped. Song Zining said, No one escaped, thats weird. Dont tell me The lady ground her teeth. It was of course a scheme, with previous imperial captives leading the way and guiding them. How else would they know about all our retaliatory and escape methods? Half of our men had fallen in just a single exchange. Song Zining didnt look surprised. Then what about the guides? The womans eyes flickered with anger. I endured three years of torture while the change happened, all so that I can live and get stronger. My strength had far exceeded those people after those three years, so I asked my superior to assign them under my command. I took them out on the first hunting trip and hung them all up on a tree, leaving them crying for three whole days before letting them die! Even with that, I was only able to repay a small fraction of all the agony and embarrassment! Song Zining said after some silence, You talked about the change, whats that? The woman replied with a question, Did my hatred scare you? Song Zining patted her shoulder. After seeing your current self, I can venture a rough guess of what you went through back then. All power comes at a price, and it seems you paid a serious price for yours. The girl nodded. In order to retain my memory and reason, I would stab myself secretly at night, using the pain to gain a modicum of clarity as I thought back to my past, my race, and myself. Even so, I can no longer remember my own name anymore and I only remember fragments of my past. You still havent forgotten the enmity? No. Looks like they deserve to die. The lady said, I never understood. Were all from the human race. Why would they treat us so ruthlessly? Theyre even worse than those four-armed fellows! Is it to prove their loyalty? Song Zining probed. The lady spat. F*ck loyalty! Our bodies are gradually transforming in this world, and were no longer the same as humans. We cant even live very long without the white-wine produced by those four-arms, so theyre not afraid of us turning traitor. The only fate that awaits betrayers is death! Song Zining pondered for a while. So thats how it is. I see that there are a fair number of humans who are similarly transformed, but I dont remember the empire ever sending so many people into the Great Maelstrom. Whats going on? The lady sighed. Those humans you saw arent from the empire but the descendants of transformed people like us. Its not just with the natives, though. Its also possible that they are the descendants of other humans or even the dark races. Song Zining was surprised. You can have descendants? Of course, everything is possible in this accursed place. Song Zining was surprised. It had long since been proven that humans and certain dark races would never be able to have offspring, arachne for example. It was also extremely difficult to produce offspring with demonkin. In the Great Maelstrom, however, it would seem everything existed for the sake of procreation. And no matter how big the intelligence gap was between the races, they would be able to leave offspring. It was just that there was no telling how the descendants would turn out. Song Zining frowned. Even then, the numbers are a bit too high. The lady replied, Kids start growing immediately after birth and mature in five years or so. They can then start producing the next generation once they mature. That fast? Song Zining was surprised. The woman nodded. If thats the case, wont this world be filled with these people? The lady didnt agree. These fellows are extremely weak, and their fate is to be slaughtered most of the time. They can never beat a four-armed warrior even if they form a group. Whenever they go out to hunt, they would lose several men in order to obtain results. Song Zining frowned restlessly. Perhaps there was some great secret hidden in the depths of this world. The lady glanced at the sky and blushed as her hand ran over Song Zinings body. The latter smiled wryly, I cant handle anymore. The woman handed him a bottle of wine. Theres some wine here. Drink it and youll have the strength. Song Zining didnt take it immediately. No, what will you do if I take that? Ill go hunt and obtain more prey. Song Zining pushed the wine back warmly but resolutely. No, I wont let you risk your life for me. My life is not worth anything. If I hadnt met you, I wouldve forgotten the past entirely after a while. Song Zining said, How about this? Im very much interested in the weapons you use. Can you help me procure some good ones? The lady shot to her feet. This wont be a problem. Ill go back to the castle and challenge some of those cowards. They might not be good at fighting, but theyre skilled in making weapons. Just wait here, Ill win some back very soon! Song Zining nodded slightly. The lady jumped up against the intense gravity and shot away with some borrowed force from the branches. That was a powerful leap indeed. She returned before long with a wound on her face, but the camp was already empty. Dazed, she dropped the weapons she was carrying onto the ground. All of a sudden, she noticed a small jar of wine on the ground that she hadnt seen before. She opened the container and noticed a wave of fragrance rushing at her face. It was Song Zining who had left this jar of wine for her. The Constellation Well soon became lively as Qianye and Edwards group stood off yet again. Twilight pointed at the well. We did find the other well opening, but its not as good as this one. We want to use it. Qianye was quite straightforward. Sure, he paused slightly, but do you dare? Twilight and Edwards expressions were unsightly since Qianyes rhetorical question contained evil intentions. Among the vampire experts, everyone apart from Twilight and Edward had been injured. That mysterious black-robed man was actually a bit stronger than Twilight, but he never recovered after being injured by Ji Tianqing. Qianye would easily rampage through the group if Twilight were to enter the well, and then the three of them could surround Edward. It would be even worse if Edward were to enter the well. Qianye would likely wipe out the entire vampire force on his own and block the exit from the well, forcing the Holy Son to his death inside the well. Regardless of the scenario, the situation would collapse for the vampires if they fell out with Qianye. Not to mention the grave losses, they would never get the origin blood if the one entering the well were to fall. All they could do was hope that Qianye would keep his word, yet pinning ones hopes entirely on an enemy was never a wise course of action, neither between human families nor between the dark races. Edwards countenance became more and more unsightly. At the root of it, their dilemma was born of their sides weakness. He simply couldnt figure out why he couldnt suppress Qianye, even though he possessed blood energy with a great dark monarchs aura. As for the chances of him being ranked lower than Qianye in the River of Blood, that was something he had never considered. Seeing the vampires unresponsive, Qianye pushed on with a smile. Weve let out the well, arent you going in? With the Constellation Well just within arms reach, Edwards expression grew increasingly gloomy. Qianye opened the path to the well, but how could they walk into it? A promise was important, but not as important as a Holy Son. Anwens voice suddenly rang out amidst the deadlock. Oh? Vampires can use the Constellation Well? Edward looked back. Anwen! Anwen was quite nonchalant. He said with a smile, Its me, probably one of the people you dont want to see the most. Edward snorted in tacit agreement. He moved his hand behind him, gesturing for Twilight to move. The latter scanned the battlefield, her gaze pausing somewhat on Qianye as she prepared to leave. They could still consider making a deal with the human race, but they couldnt trust the demonkin at all under the same circumstances. Twilight had just started to move when an icy cold intent covered her entire body, making her afraid to even move. She turned back to find that Bai Kongzhao had appeared behind her at some point, her large eyes darting about her vitals. Wherever the little girls gaze fell, Twilight would feel as though she had been pricked by needles. It was as though she didnt even have any defensive power. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1042: Confusing Situation The state of affairs had become even more subtle. The vampires and demonkin were far from good friends, and the enmity between them was probably even greater than their hatred of humans. This was especially true between certain individuals and clans. Qianye adjusted his position and decided to sit this one out, simply observing the developments. Edwards expression had been ugly ever since Anwen appeared. Dark purple blood energy drifted about in his eyes as he said, Are you trying to add to the hatred between our clans? Anwen broke into a laugh. I do hate vampires, but Im not always looking for opportunities to kill them. I dont mind cooperation if the conditions are right, but of course, thats an occasional thing and the terms must be suitable. Twilight stepped in. What do you want? Simple, Im curious about the way you vampires will use the Constellation Well. I want three of your hexagonal blood rods. Three!? Edwards expression was full of killing intent. Twilight asked calmly, Its not out of the question, but Your Excellency Anwen, do you simply intend to take them away? What else? Theres no need for further discussion if this is the extent of your sincerity. Twilights tone was firm. The moment she said these words, however, the stabbing pain at her back grew somewhat stronger. She glanced back at Bai Kongzhao in puzzlement. Anwen finally said, Then Ill take two and give you some compensation as well. Twilight and Edward exchanged glances. Thats fine. As for the compensation Qianyes brows twitched ever so slightlythings would be extremely troublesome if these people reached a deal. His group would immediately find themselves at a disadvantage then. Edward pointed at Qianye. The compensation is simple, team up with me and help me wipe out these humans! Qianye raised his brows and looked coldly at Edward and Anwen. He took a sidestep and, after several changes in position, arrived at a slightly more advantageous point where the three powers formed a triangle, with Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing being separated from the crowd. Edward smiled coldly. Youre not running? Do you really want to fight us? Anwen made no comment. He merely glanced at Qianye while rubbing his chin, seemingly considering how he should respond. Qianye scanned all the vampires, and then at Anwen and Bai Kongzhao, frowning ever so slightly as his eyes went past the latter. This young girl was the greatest variable in this battle as no one knew what she was thinking. Perhaps she never thought about anything and only acted on instinct. Regardless of the situation, ignoring her would only lead to a lethal disaster. Qianye looked back at Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. You guys leave first. What about you? Qianye replied, Ill stay behind to play with them. Li Kuanglan wanted to say something, but Ji Tianqing dragged her away. Some vampire counts wanted to circle around and chase after the two girls, but Qianye said with a cold snort, Who dares pass by me? The vampires came to a halt. They were very clear about Qianyes combat strength, and that they were no match for someone who could push Edward back repeatedly. They would only be side-dishes unless the top experts at the scene took action. Edward took a step forward. I dare, what will you do? The two girls had already left at this point, and that was a relief for Qianye. Nothing much. Lets see who dares enter the Constellation Well while Im around. Holy Son, you had better pray for good fortune and also be alert, dont even think about sleeping. Otherwise, youll receive a shot sooner or later. Edwards countenance was as gloomy as still water. Even if he and Anwen could forego their enmity and work together, it would only ensure their victory over Qianye. Whether or not they could kill him was a different matter. It would be rather problematic if Qianye were to pursue old grievances. With Anwen at the well entrance and Qianye waiting for a good opportunity to strike, Edward really didnt dare go into the well. Anwen observed the situation calmly, almost as though it had nothing to do with him. After announcing his intent, Qianye closed his eyes and began recuperating, ready to confront the opponents at a moments notice. The situation fell into an immediate deadlock. It was at this time that a faintly discernible gaze swept across the battlefield. As sharp as their perceptions were, everyone noticed this change and looked toward its source. It would seem that person wasnt expecting so many experts to have gathered in this place, and his position was compromised in a moment of carelessness. He simply exited his concealment and walked out of the forest. He came to a stop not far from the crowd but didnt get any closer. Eden. Qianyes expression was solemn. There was no doubt that a powerful enemy had joined the fray, and one he would need to use the Shot of Inception on. An abundance of expressions appeared on Edens countenance as he saw Qianye, but one could hardly tell if it was delight or hatred. However, his expression sank the moment he looked toward the vampires, and the killing intent around him indicated his stance. Edwards expression became seriousEden of the Dark Abyss had matured too quickly. That nameless little pawn of the past had grown into an expert who could even threaten him. He and Anwen had formed a delicate balance in power, but things were different now that Eden had appeared. The only balancing factor became Qianye instead. At the thought of this, Edward regretted announcing his hostility earlier. Now, he was on a proverbial tiger and didnt quite know how to get down. Qianye remained silent because he had already expressed his stance. With him loitering on the sidelines, no one would be able to use the Constellation Well in peace. Twilight spoke at this point, Your Excellency Anwen, is our deal still in effect? Anwen replied with a smile, Of course, why not? But whatever Eden does is not my business, I cant control him, either. Twilight then turned to Eden. Eden, do you plan to go against the Evernight Council and stand on the humans side? Eden sneered, You know this type of provocation has no meaning. I dont mind working with humans to kill you all first. No one will say anything about the means if I can turn you into corpses. Twilight was at a loss of words. She hadnt expected Eden to be so decisive, leaving no room at all for maneuver. She had always been known for her eloquence in speechshe would usually find breakthrough points even in complicated conversations, but she couldnt make full use of her skills against someone like Eden. She forced a smile and looked toward Anwen. The latter only shrugged, saying, Dont look at me, I have no authority over him. Edward felt stifled. He could ignore Anwens attitude, and he had fought Qianye enough to know of his strength, but now, even this Eden paid him so little heed. Considering everything, it really wasnt the best time to attack just yet. The only way to escape this unstable situation was to leave. There was still no telling if these people could stay for very long in the Constellation Well. The Holy Son waved his sleeve with a snort and made ready to leave. Anwen didnt stop him, either. Leave one of your blood rods, I want to study it. Do you think Ill give it to you? Edward was furious. Anwen glanced toward Eden. Ill need your help with this. Naturally, Eden agreed immediately. Qianyes role had actually become somewhat empty after the repeated changes. He merely looked on with cold eyes, waiting to observe the developments. Edward laughed coldly as he produced a sanguine crystal and shattered it with a flick of his finger. Sound waves inaudible to ordinary people spread out across the area, and very soon, three vampire marquises appeared behind him. These vampires weren''t as strong as Eden, but the difference was minimal. The three of them added together was enough to force the demonkin to flee. This was Edwards hidden ace, something he wouldnt bring out so easily, but he had suffered too much embarrassment today. Even a character like Eden dared to step on his head! The vampire races top fighting power among the younger generation might be inferior to the demonkin, but they possessed more capable fighters overall. After all, the total demonkin population was too small. Now, the power balance had been restored, and the vampires were even a bit stronger. The deadlock didnt last too long. A faint rumble echoed through the forest, almost as though something was approaching them at a rapid pace. Its incoming speed was so fast that even the vampires and demonkin were surprised; they knew they probably wouldnt be able to move so quickly in the forest. The newcomers concealment skills were wanting, but this shocking speed could easily make up for all shortcomings. In the blink of an eye, a massive shadow flew out of the forest and pounced toward the Constellation Well. It was a massive arachne, with skin as dark as night and golden feet tips, shrouded in a mysterious black glow as he ran like the wind. One could tell that he was extraordinary just from his external appearance. The moment he appeared, Edward, Eden, and Anwen all called out, Basil! Only then did the arachne look downward and, much to his alarm, noticed the group below. However, he was moving so fast that he was already flying over the crowd the next moment. Flying over them meant opening up his abdominal vitals, and there was no telling who among them would attack. Basils limbs swung about briefly, shooting beams of golden radiance that weaved into a golden web. He stepped onto this airborne net and actually came to a grinding halt, and then bounced back to the forest border. Qianye focused on Basils feet. At the tip of those blade-like feet, there was a faintly discernible golden thread. That move of weaving a net and using it to fly backward was an outstanding display of aerial movement. Dealing with this fellow would be quite troublesome it seemed. Even if one could defeat him, making him stay was a completely different matter. Basils massive body remained floating one meter away from the ground. He studied the group one by one, his countenance growing uglier as he did so. The people before him were the elites of the dark race, and none of them was easy to provoke. Anwen greeted, Basil, how come youre here? Didnt you just finish molting? Basil laughed loudly. I recovered quite fast, so I came over to see if I could meet you guys. Haha! Eden frowned slightly while Anwen said with a smile, Its good that youre here. The arachne were somewhat weak this time, but with you around, they will be able to reach many places. Why did you pick this place, though? Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 1043: The Demoness Appears Edward and Anwen were also waiting for a reply. Basil mustve entered the passage after all the others had arrived in the Great Maelstrom. According to the time, there had to be a reason he had made a beeline for the Constellation Well. Basil narrowed his eyes. How come youre all here? At this point, forces from the Empire, the vampire, the demonkin, and arachne races had all gathered here. Apart from the Imperial groups relatively clear intentions, the others were all planning something in secret. Noticing something, Qianye sized Basil up from head to toe. The arachne glared back, but Qianye paid him little heed as he observed the target in detail. Basils large figure became clearly reflected in Qianyes eyes. For some reason, Basil felt inexplicably uncomfortable after being stared at by Qianye. It was as though the latters gaze possessed highly penetrative propertiesthe arachne felt as though he was being touched and penetrated. At this rate, all of his secrets would be revealed. Basil shivered at the thought of this. A faint layer of light appeared around him in an attempt to stop Qianyes eyes. The arrogance on his countenance had vanished, replaced by a deep sense of apprehension. He took two steps to the side, putting some distance between him and Qianye. The latter wasnt about to be careless because of Basils show of weakness. The power this arachne had displayed during his arrival and subsequent retreat was far above his peers. Judging from Eden and Anwens reactions, this Basil was probably a genius-level character who shouldnt be underestimated. Just now, Qianye had used the Eye of Control to test Basils strength and reaction, increasing the force by a minuscule amount each time. Qianye gained a good understanding of this arachnes true strength after the probe. This was yet another enemy that would require his Shot of Inception. Edward waved at Basil, saying, Brother Basil, why dont you join our side. Basil hesitated momentarily. He then glanced at Eden and Anwen before moving to Edwards side. His large body moved at such speed that several vampire counts were toppled over as a result. Basil laughed loudly. Sorry, I just molted recently, so I still cant control my strength well. Edwards expression was somewhat ugly. This wasnt a plausible excuse for someone at their level. The arachne was clearly taking advantage of the situation to establish his might, but this wasnt the time to read too much into things. Anwen was somewhat surprised by the development. When did the arachne become so friendly with the vampires? The arachne used to support the werewolves in their battle against the vampires, hoping to weaken the latter race in the process. It was already a good thing if the two parties didnt start fighting on sight. There was no way they would stand together like this. Anwen and Eden exchanged meaningful glances. With Basil and Edward joining forces, in addition to the group of vampire experts, the demonkin had fallen into a disadvantage. Anwen and Eden had no important business in the Constellation Well. The latter was just passing by, and Anwen was only looking to produce an origin crystal for Bai Kongzhao. The vampires and arachne, on the other hand, looked like they were determined to claim this location. Perhaps the blood rod wasnt as simple as it lookedjust what was the arachne here for? Anwen chuckled. Your Excellency Basil, what are you here for? Lets hear it and see if we have room for negotiation. Basil laughed loudly. I was just on a stroll. Edward said gloomily, Do you think we will tell you? You can forget about the things, just leave quickly. Eden turned to Qianye with a cold smile. Interested in working together? Lets finish these bastards off first. Even Qianye himself wasnt expecting this offer. He was immediately tempted by the offer and wanted to agree immediately. Disbelief was plastered onto Edward and Basils expressions. The arachne pointed at Eden, saying, Are you trying to betray the Evernight Council? Nope, I just wanted to kill those vampires. This has nothing to do with you if you just stand aside. Eden had drawn his sword. Basil scratched his head and looked at Edward with an awkward expression. Ive already promised Edward, so I guess I cant get out of this. Eden nodded. Then get ready to fight. Anwen was at a loss. Wait, Eden, are you really going to fight? Eden said while keeping his gaze fixed on the other party. How is it justifiable to see vampires and not kill them? Anwen felt that this logic was flawed somehow, but he couldnt quite put his finger on it. He also hated the vampires, but not to the point of ignoring everything else. Technically speaking, didnt Qianye also have a vampire bloodline? He could be considered a half-vampire by any measure. How come Eden wasnt bothering with him? Edward had no intention to discuss further. He drew his sword silently and got ready to do battle. All the vampire experts fanned out in a battle formation. With a shrug, Basil also went into position. With the battle ignited, Qianye made up his mind to draw East Peak. Regardless of the situation, it would be a good thing to remove a couple of experts from the equation. It was at this point that an indescribable sensation washed over the scene. It descended slowly from above like a giant net and enveloped everyone within its power. Everyone shivered subconsciously, almost as though an unknown danger was about to fall upon them. Even Qianye wasnt an exception. People looked around in alarm, while Anwen and Eden exchanged surprised glances. The sky turned somewhat dark. It was as though a thin gauze had blocked out the sunlight, causing the daylight to darken. There was a faintly discernible figure in the muslin shroud that no one could clearly see. Even Qianye, who possessed the Eye of Control, couldnt quite discern her illusory projection. However, this aura was deeply etched into Qianyes heart. This was the greatest enemy of his life, the Demoness. Qianyes figure flickered and appeared several meters back. Several gauze-like shadows swept silently across his previous location. These shades had no tangible mass, but they became extremely sharp the moment they came into contact with the ground, leaving several mirror-smooth cut surfaces in their wake. If it wasnt for his quick retreat, Qianye mightve lost a few limbs by now. Everyones expressions changed drastically. This ruthless shadowy attack had arrived without the slightest of warnings. Any other person wouldve found it difficult to escape this calamity without Qianyes seemingly-foreseen reaction. The Demoness fame was resounding throughout the entire Evernight, and most geniuses at the scene felt a deep shadow in their hearts regarding this name. Apart from Anwen, the Demoness was never among their competitors list, nor was there a reason to. It was just like how no one would compare themselves against Zhang Boqian in the Empire; even Lin Xitang was a bit inferior in comparison. After escaping this attack, Qianye simply stood there with his sword in hand, gazing at the distant sky. A distant voice echoed in the air, You improved quite fast. Thanks for the praise, Qianye said seriously. A compliment from the Demoness was perhaps even more valuable than an Imperial medal. Everyone began to react at this point. Eden formed a full ceremonial greeting toward the air, saying, Your Majesty, youve come as well. Anwen smiled wryly. Do you really have to stand at a higher place? That is fitting of our situations. Anwen shook his head helplessly. Its not like I wanted this young lord position, dont overthink it. The demoness snorted coldly, her face full of disdain. Anwen stopped speaking and waited for her to continue. The persons silhouette became clearer at this point. Her fair figure was now visible to the naked eye, but her appearance remained hidden behind a misty shroud. She descended slowly and stopped a hundred or so meters from the ground. Edward, Basil, tell us what your little secret is. Edward and Basil were momentarily silent and at a loss. They hadnt imagined that the Demoness would actually come to the Great Maelstrom. With her around, the demonkin would hold an overwhelming advantage. If they didnt divulge the information, they wouldnt be a match even when working together, but their name would be entirely destroyed if they were suppressed just like that. The Demoness seemed to have seen through their thoughts. Your races have both obtained ways from humans to strengthen yourselves using star power. Thats why you ran over here in secret, hoping to absorb the energy here. Am I wrong? Edward was calm enough, but Basil said in surprise, How did you know? Humph, how could Her Highness not know of such an important matter? Basil became silent. Edward, on the other hand, was left wondering which highness the Demoness was referring to. The Demoness said, Hand over all of your items and split it between the three races. As for me, Ill help you produce a drop of origin blood each. Edward and Basil exchanged glances, and then nodded after a moment of contemplation. The process of forming origin blood from absorbed star power was dependent on the operator. The Demoness was far more powerful than anyone here, so the origin blood produced by her would be the best. This meant that they actually werent losing out. It was fine even if the origin blood formed by the Demoness could only be used by the demonkin. They could just sell them to the demonkin at a later date, and it would surely fetch a good price. Now that the three races had reached an agreement, all gazes fell upon Qianye. You guys start producing origin blood first, Ill go deal with that meddling fellow. With that, the Demoness drifted toward Qianye. Eden frowned slightly, but he didnt say anything. Edward waved his hand, saying, Twilight, stay behind. Everyone else, seal off the area. The vampires spread out in all directions and took up important positions around the Constellation Well. Edward produced a box and opened it, revealing a neat row of more than ten hexagonal blood rods. Basil also took out a box containing a dozen white egg-like objects. Edwards eyes went wide. You brought so many? Just for yourself? Basil said, The arachne have always been abundant in vitality, I alone am enough. Edward said nothing more. He distributed some of the blood rods to Anwen and explained how to use them. Basil picked out some of the white spider eggs and passed them to Eden. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1044: The Well Conflic Qianye made no movement as he gazed at the incoming Demoness. His indifference actually surprised the Demoness. Why arent you fleeing? If I escape, wouldnt I be giving up the Constellation Well for free? Idiot. The Demoness expression was hidden behind a veil of black mist. Countless streams of black smoke appeared around Qianye, cleaving at him with incomparable sharpness. Qianye slashed through the mist with East Peak, but the dark clouds would reform and drift toward him once more. Qianye raised his brows. Flames of scarlet gold erupted on the blade as he slashed in four different directions! The origin flames of Venus Dawn burned fiercely as they came into contact with the Demoness invisible demonic blades. The raging blaze devoured the faint mist, reducing all of the demonic blades to nothingness. Qianye took a step back and put ten meters between him and the Demoness. The latter didnt chase after himshe recalled what was left of the demonic blades with a wave of her hand, her expression serious. Qianye gazed intently at the flames on East Peak, calculating something in silence. The confrontation between the origin flames and the invisible demonic blades was, in essence, a head-on collision between daybreak and Evernight. There were no tricks, only a contest of quantity and quality. Both parties were calculating their expenditure from the previous exchange, using it to gauge the opponents strength. Moments later, Qianye looked up with a cautious expression. The black mist around the Demoness was also rippling, a clear indication that she wasnt calm. Both sides had actually exhausted roughly the same amount in that exchange! Since the day he had successfully cultivated Venus Dawn, Qianye had never encountered an enemy comparable to him in terms of origin power quality, be it in Evernight or the Empire. He never had the chance to trade blows with the elder generation, so they could be excluded temporarily. Among the younger generation, however, even Zhao Jundus extreme violet was still one step away from perfection. His early advancement back then still gave rise to some regrets. But the Zhao clan possessed secret methods to purify ones origin power while breaking through to the divine champion realm, so the fourth young master could still catch up and reach perfection. On the Evernight side, both Eden and Edward were a level below Qianyes origin power. The latters purple blood energy contained a great dark monarchs aura, but it still couldnt suppress Qianyes dark golden blood energy. It was also a bit weaker when pitted against Venus Dawn. Anwen was highly intelligent, but smart people were rarely too hardworking. His demonic energy was intrinsically powerful, but it was only slightly stronger than Eden in terms of quantity. The only true contender would be the awakened Nighteye. It was just that her current personality was unfathomable, and her inherited powers were beyond imagination. Qianye simply couldnt see through the quality of her origin power. Only at this point had Qianye encountered a true match. From the fluctuation of demonic energy, one could see that the Demoness was far more shocked than Qianye was. Perhaps she had never imagined she would encounter an enemy with comparable origin power quality. Just like her position when she entered the scene, she had always believed she was a peerless existence above everyone else. The Demoness said slowly, Back at Indomitable, I had thought that you were strong but not yet my true match. I now take that back. Qianye replied, Perhaps before long, youll feel that this notion is wrong as well. Is that so? I look forward to it. Unfortunately, you wont have that opportunity. The Demoness hadnt finished speaking when her figure fluctuated slightly, and then appeared behind Qianye. A hand shrouded in demonic energy reached for the back of Qianyes neck. However, this hand only caught empty air. Demonic energy erupted amidst explosive crackles as a number of slender fingers emerged from the black mist. There were thin wisps of lightning arcing between her fingertips. A casual clench of her palm produced all kinds of supernatural phenomenaclearly, the might involved was beyond imagination. The vampire experts watching the fight were shocked, especially the counts. They felt a chill behind their neck, because they simply wouldnt be able to stand this light clutch of hers. Qianye appeared a hundred meters away and glanced back at the Demoness. He had used Spatial Flash at the critical juncture to evade the lethal attack, but when he looked back, there was only an explosion of demonic energy and lightning. The Demoness was nowhere to be seen. Qianyes silhouette flickered and vanished again. A finger appeared through the void to tap at the back of his head, but unfortunately, there was only an afterimage. By the time Qianye had appeared at a different place, he suddenly noticed a cloud of darkness before his eyes, much like an expanding blotch of ink. The inky cloud became reflected in his eyes, freezing it for a split second. Qianye had used Spatial Flash again during this small lapse and vanished once more. The ink blotch expanded to reveal the Demoness. She chuckled coldly as she transformed into a streak of black radiance and shot toward the distant air. She was already halfway when Qianye appeared in that location. But Qianye had long since expected this development. He dodged her charge with a sidestep and vanished once again. Without the slightest delay, the black radiance made a sharp turn and darted toward a different area in the sky. The two combatants had exchanged several moves within moments. The vampire counts simply couldnt catch the duos movements. All they could see was an interweaving band of black and Qianyes lingering afterimages. Only the marquises were able to barely keep up with the battle, but they had long since become dumbstruck. Edwards group was relatively calm. After observing the fight for a while, Anwen said, Basil, Edward, you two should go down first. Ill stand guard. Truth be told, Anwens suggestion was fairly well-timed. Edward and Basil were moved by the suggestion. There was really no space for the others to interfere in the Demoness battle against Qianye. It just so happened that the two had reached a dangerous stalemate, so they didnt need to worry about Qianyes interference. Anwen wasnt entirely selfless with this suggestion, either. He wanted to see how Edward and Basil would transform star power and condense origin blood. Edward and Basil didnt really mind that. The two races had been studying the process secretly for years, and only perfected the transformation process after finding a suitable catalyst. It would be too outrageous if Anwen could just master everything with a single glance. Basil said, Okay, Ill go first then. He produced a white spider egg and tossed it into the Constellation Well. He then jumped down into the well after it. The spider egg fell rapidly, but a web shot down from above and fixed the egg mid-air. Basils giant body descended slowly from atop the illusory spider webs. He sensed the star power constantly, controlling the descent of his body and egg accordingly along the way. Basil looked fairly strained after reaching a certain area and had no choice but to float back up a bit before stabilizing himself. He spat out clouds of white mist from his mouth, which were duly absorbed by the egg. Several stars began lighting up as the egg absorbed more mist, with specks of starlight drifting toward the egg to be assimilated at the same time. Edward heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the secret art was effective. Because the source of this art was human in origin, the vampires and arachne methods were both based on the same principle. The arachnes success meant that the vampires wouldnt have any problems, either. Anwen observed carefully from the side. Demonic energy emerged around him, projecting a stream of countless symbols and formulas that made Eden feel dizzy. The latter had no choice but to admit that Anwen was unimaginably talented in this regard. Anwens mood at this point, however, wasnt as relaxed as it seemed. He had never imagined that the Demoness would actually come to the Great Maelstrom. After driving Qianye away and finding some time, there was no doubt that she would mock him ruthlessly about his weaknesses. It just so happened that Anwen had shown weakness as of late. An all-out attack, bolstered by his special ability, was only able to ensure a hit on Qianye but not enough to injure him. In the end, the demonkin fell into a disadvantage and was driven away from the Constellation Well. The Demoness would find out about this sooner or later, and it would become proof that he hadnt been focusing on important matters. But how many people could be certain of heavily injuring Qianye in one blow? Anwen let out a long sigh because it wasnt important how few such people were. It was enough that the Demoness could do it. He calmed himself and continued observing the developments, computing and cracking the arachne races star power absorption process. Basil wasnt having an easy time at the bottom of the well. The web under his feet was trembling slightly, a sign that he was fairly strained. His true strength was far superior, but he couldnt quite focus at this moment. Only after entering could one understand the dangers of the Constellation Well. Basil tried shooting a web toward the entrance, hoping to leave it as a backup, but the web was quickly disintegrated by the star power a couple dozen meters away. He wanted to attach the web to the cliff-sides, but the moment he did so, the amount of star power absorbed decreased, and the gravitational power from the depths of the well increased accordingly. This meant that he would need a much longer time to form the origin blood. He wouldnt be able to hold out that long even with the help of his spider webs. After several attempts, Basil had no choice but to accept the truth that there were no shortcuts to this. He simply couldnt figure out why this well was so strange. It was almost sentient and capable of seeing through all of his tricks. Additionally, Basil became more and more restless as time went by. It could be said that he was in a defenseless state inside the well. He had dared to enter the well before because he was confident in the Demoness. Logically speaking, Qianye wasnt the Demoness match at all, but for some reason, the latter still couldnt capture him even after a good while. With the fight going on outside the well, Basil had no choice but to pay attention to it, and this distraction greatly slowed down his refinement process. The Demoness and Qianye were still flickering about in a game of cat and mouse. Despite her hidden countenance, one could feel a cold killing intent from her. Apparently, she was so angry that she had decided to stop hiding her emotions. Several hundred demonic blades emerged with a wave of her hands, spreading out to seal off the area. Being unable to capture Qianye was a big humiliation for her. That was why she was going all out with no concern for her demonic energy. She wanted to take down Qianye within the shortest amount of time, or at least drive him away. The Demoness combat techniques were laser-focused because she had concluded that Qianye couldnt keep up Spatial Flash for too long. If only he were to react a bit slower, it would be near impossible for him to escape her clutches. The most intelligent option was to escape quickly while he had enough strength left to use it. The Demoness was waiting for this moment because she had already set up a trap. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1045: Counterattack Qianye glanced at the two formless demonic blades and crashed into them without a second thought. The moment they came into contact, the scarlet gold flames on his body burned the blades into oblivion. What remained of the demonic energy, he could just resist with his body. A vast path opened up before him after charging through the blockade of demonic blades. However, he had just moved when seven more blades appeared to seal off his path. Qianye used Spatial Flash without a second thought and appeared beyond the seven blades. At this point, he came to a sudden stop and flew backward, through the demonic blades. The Demoness had appeared before him and blocked his return path. Qianyes countenance was as calm as still water. He continued to contend with the Demoness amidst the rapidly changing fight while finding ways to control his own traces. Andruil had brought the Spatial Flash ability to its apex. All this time, Luo Bingfeng was the only one who could grasp its trajectory, but why could the Demoness do the same? She couldnt be stronger than Luo Bingfeng. While thinking about this, Qianye suddenly looked up at the sky and noticed that the world was a bit dimmer than he remembered. He immediately recalled that the Demoness arrival was accompanied by a momentary shroud of darkness, which soon faded as the sky returned to normal. Now that he thought about it, the sky was still somewhat darker than before even after its recovery. This difference was almost negligible, so much so that Qianye had almost overlooked it. A domain! Qianye came to a realization. It turned out that he had always been inside the Demoness domain, and that allowed her to lock onto and move toward his location. The domain also increased the Demoness movement speed, and over short distances, she was almost as swift as Qianyes Spatial Flash. Qianye glanced at the distant sky and found faint traces of darkness floating about. It was as though a dark dome had engulfed everyone within. The Demoness domain was unimaginably large. The bigger the domain, the more evident the weakness. The Demoness domain was extremely well hidden, so much so that even Qianye almost failed to notice it. Others like Edward, Eden, Twilight, and the other vampires simply didnt know anything. Anwen was engrossed in his calculations all this time, so there was no telling whether he had noticed. The hidden nature of the domain was a form of defense, but it would become a weakness once discovered. Several solutions quickly appeared in Qianyes mind, but they were struck off one after the other. His current rate of expenditure was high, and he couldnt hold out much longer. Even if he could shatter the Demoness domain, he would still need to figure out how he would deal with her afterward. At the very least, he needed to be able to escape if things turned south. And leaving just like that wasnt Qianyes style. Qianye changed directions and charged toward the Constellation Well. An origin gun appeared in his hand, the origin arrays on it lit up and ready to fire. This development was far beyond everyones expectations. The Demoness, however, was extremely fastshe personally chased after him and quickly closed the gap between them. There was also a vampire marquis blocking the path ahead. Edward himself flew in from the side after seeing Qianye. Judging from his speed, it seemed he would be able to intercept the latter before he could reach the Constellation Well. A hint of mockery appeared in Edwards sinister eyes. The grade seven weapon in Qianyes grasp was exquisitely madeit was fairly outstanding and the origin array was meticulously calibrated, a masterpiece at the peak of grade seven. However, as someone used to top-grade weapons, even grade-eight weapons couldnt get into Edwards eyes, let alone this one. Qianyes previous weaponsbe it Heartgrave or East Peakwere enough to intimidate Edward. Heartgrave, especially, filled his heart with dread even before it was fired. Edward couldnt help but sneer now that Qianye had whipped out a grade-seven weapon instead of those powerful tools. Who was he trying to scare? Edward didnt reduce his speed while facing Qianye, intent on intercepting the latter. As for the fierce beasts that would be drawn over by the gunshot, he really wasnt too worried. The younger generation of Evernight had largely gathered here, and their combined fighting power was comparable to an army. With the Demoness holding the fort, what kind of fierce beasts could stand against them? Qianye pressed forward without pause. Holding the gun in one hand, a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianyes back. The weapon in Qianyes grasp erupted in light, with traces of darkness mixed in. Through the reinforcement of the Wings of Inception, the guns power increased sharply and reached grade eight from the peak of grade seven! Much to Edwards surprise, the Misty Cold in Qianyes hand rumbled loudly! This gun wasnt aimed at the Demoness or Edward, nor was it fired toward the intercepting marquis. Instead, the blast was aimed at the entrance of the Constellation Well. Everyone was startled, unable to figure out what this shot was for. The Constellation Well was, speaking frankly, just a circle of cliffs. Firing at it would shave off some stone fragments at best. It would also disrupt the arachne inside the well, but that was the extent of it. This move seemed entirely meaningless. Could it be that Qianye was trying to collapse the Constellation Well with a grade-seven gun? One had to know that not even a Grand Magnum could destroy the well. The vampire marquis had the same thought, so he moved sideways to dodge the incoming projectile. After missing this shot, Qianye would be intercepted by Edward, not to mention the Demoness was dangerously close. If the Holy Son could stall Qianye for just a moment, the Demoness would arrive to perform a pincer attack. Edward naturally understood the importance of his role. He took a step forward and blocked Qianyes path at a critical location. Just as he was about to attack, the Holy Son noticed Qianyes killing intent and determination. He was shocked! Qianye was already at the end of his wits, and it looked like he couldnt even use Spatial Flash so easily anymore. He would be completely cornered after being intercepted by Edward. Everyone knew Qianye was still hiding his killing moves. Back in Indomitable, he had used three Shots of Inception to force the Demoness into deep slumber. Now that he had advanced another step, who was to say he wouldnt fire thrice again? If the three Shots of Inception were to land on Edward, even the proud vampire Holy Son would perish without a doubt. Edwards movements slowed momentarily as this thought flickered through his mind. This slight delay was enough for the Demoness to arrive for the pincer attack, sparing him from intercepting Qianye alone. The opportunity lost due to this brief delay wasnt enough for Qianye to escape his fate. Just as things were going as planned, the Holy Son noticed a fantastic sensation wash over the area. The sky seemed to have brightened up a bit, as though a layer of spiderwebs had been peeled off from their clothes. Although no one noticed the burden, this sudden change filled them with a sense of freedom. Edward immediately became cautious. He looked back just in time to see the Demoness swiftness declining sharply, and his blood core also skipped a beat. Qianye let out a long laugh, tossing out a metallic tube as he made for the sky. His figure then appeared on the other side of the Constellation Well and quickly moved away. The Demoness stopped after realizing this. She merely stood across Edward, gazing at the falling metallic tube instead of chasing after Qianye. No one knew what she was thinking. Within the Constellation Well, Basil was drenched in sweat and his massive body was trembling slightly. Some fragmented rocks had fallen from the well entrance, and a fair number of them had struck his body. He wasnt afraid of danger, but this startled him quite a bit. One had to know that the well was guarded by experts like the Demoness, Anwen, and Eden, as well as Edward and his group of vampire guards. How could anyone shoot at the well under such circumstances? Wouldnt Basil become a sheep waiting to be slaughtered? He didnt really fear death, but this was far from a meaningful way to die. In his fright, a fair bit of the starlight accumulating on the spider egg dispersed immediately. The egg was entirely soft at this point, and most of it had turned into grey liquid. By the time the entire egg had turned into liquid, it would become a drop of origin blood that could upgrade the arachnes bloodline power. Now, the accumulation process would be somewhat delayed because he was startled during the procedure. Basil noticed that he was too distracted just now. He would need to focus on the condensation procedure if he didnt want to return empty-handed. Should he give up or continue? The ferocity in Basils blood won the conflict. He clenched his teeth and shut off his own perception. The process was at its most important juncture. The origin blood would be completed in just three more minutes. Besides, he didnt have much power left to spare. He knew he had to speed up because he wouldnt be able to hold out for very long. It was at this time that an earth-shattering rumble came from the well entrance. Even the cliff walls in the depths of the wall were trembling somewhat. Despite sealing off his senses, Basil was still woken up by the tremendous explosion. Soon, shattered rocks of all shapes and sizes fell down from the massive defect at the entrance to the Constellation Well. The shearing forces inside the well werent quite effective against these native rocks. Gravel fell like rain and pitter-pattered on Basils body, and there was even a large table-sized rock that smashed him down a bit. Basil wanted to cry but had no tears. The bulging spider egg before him was spinning as countless specks of starlight flowed out from it. This drop of near-completed origin blood had been ruined. Realizing that there was no way to reverse this development, he began moving back with a gloomy expression. He really wanted to know what exactly was happening up there, for him to suffer repeated disruptions despite the powerful guard force. The entrance to the Constellation Well was in utter chaos. Edward was covered in dirt, his robes torn in many different places, and his body full of small wounds. The flesh wounds werent that big of a deal, but his dark purple blood energy was also quite weak now, and it would surely take him half a day to recover. Twilight was checking on the vampire marquis on the ground, feeding him a drop of origin blood. The Demoness was nowhere to be found. Only a string of her afterimages remained in the air, but no one knew which one was real. Anwen and Eden stood in the distance with an expression of shock. A massive pit had appeared on the ground, close to a hundred meters in radius. One could see how terrifying the explosion was to have destroyed the rocks in the Great Maelstrom to this extent. Basil climbed out of the well and looked around, quickly realizing what had transpired. He glanced at Anwen, Eden, and then Edward with a cold smile, The demonkin and vampires are truly powerful! Anwen looked embarrassed, while Eden responded with a poker face. The ragged Edward maintained a poker face, and no one knew what he was thinking. After the taunt, Basil said, I was startled, I need to rest. You guys handle things on your own for the next day. With that, he vanished into the forest and never looked back. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1046: Reunion During the Fierce Battle The forest was quiet, and so was the Constellation Well. The vampires had constructed a camp on the edges of the grove and were resting quietly. Anwen and Eden had also set up a demonkin-style tent, which Eden constructed while Anwen continued to scribble on the ground. Bai Kongzhao moved back and forth to help Eden with his chores. No one knew where the Demoness had gone, or Qianyes whereabouts. It was originally the vampires turn to absorb origin blood after Basils departure, but Edward had suffered significant injuries as he was at the center of that earth-shattering explosion. Additionally, the Constellation well had become unstable following the explosion, with numerous stars inside flickering constantly. The other vampires, including Twilight, didnt dare enter under such circumstances. They would only continue after the well had stabilized and Edward recovered. Many people were still worried about a different matterwould Qianye regroup and return? Even though he was constantly being suppressed with no chance to retaliate, the number of tricks he had up his sleeve surprised everyone. Despite its limited firepower, that peak grade-seven firearm of his possessed the ability to destroy domains, striking squarely at the Demoness weakness. The latters domain was formless, invisible, and unimaginably big. That was also the reason why it was relatively fragile. Qianye himself couldnt destroy the domain, but with Misty Cold, he could disable it long enough to escape calmly. Additionally, no one knew what that tube Qianye had dropped was. How could it be so powerful to the point of being able to injure a marquis? If it wasnt for Edward blocking a part of the impact, the man wouldve been torn to pieces. Edward himself had overestimated his own powers. He had moved to save his subordinate when, in fact, he could hardly save himself from the impact. If the Demoness hadnt deployed seven layers of protective barriers around him at the critical moment, the Holy Son wouldnt have gotten away with his current wounds. As for how much damage the Demoness herself had sustained, no one knew. What was that cylinder? And more importantly, how many of them did Qianye have? Everyone knew that such a powerful weapon couldnt be a dime a dozen, but they couldnt say for sure he only had one. If he had a second one, some of the weaker experts would only be courting death if they were gathered in a group. Edward didnt dare allow his subordinates to gather in a single camp, so he had to split them into small groups in different parts of the forest. Although splitting forces was also a taboo, the other groups could rush over to reinforce them if they could hold out for just a few moments. In the depths of the forest, Qianye was seated and resting in the crown of an ancient tree. The fight with the Demoness just now had drained him significantly, and he would probably be caught if he hadnt escaped when he did. The metallic tube he had tossed out before his departure was just to scare the enemies and disrupt Basil in passing. He hadnt expected that the explosion would be so terrifying. But that wasnt unreasonable, either, because this component was the backup mechanism the empire had installed in the Martyrs Place engine. Its role was to completely destroy the Earth Dragons heart in case of an emergency, and its firepower was calibrated to heavily injure a void colossus. There was only a handful of them in the empire, so how could ordinary vampire experts withstand it? Qianyes eyes were closed as the Book of Darkness poured out a steady stream of essence blood to replace his expenditure. On the daybreak side, the old mans medicinal wine was still in effect, so the origin power absorbed was extremely pure and only needed a bit of refinement. In less than half a day, Qianye was once again at his peak state. He jumped down from the tree and gazed at the distant skies. It was already afternoon, and the sky was as clear as before without that misty sensation. It would seem the Demoness domain hadnt reached him. Qianye calculated his directions and started sneaking toward the Constellation Well once more. He hadnt gone far when he heard a series of faint footsteps, so he immediately went into hiding. He saw three vampire experts moving through the trees in a single file, hurrying toward the Constellation Well for some reason. This was a strong group of two counts led by a marquis. Even Qianye would need to expend some effort in order to defeat them. He didnt want to waste a killing move this early on in the game because he needed to intimidate people like the Demoness and Edward. After some thought, Qianye channeled Bloodline Concealment and followed the entourage. Halfway on the journey, he gradually closed in, unfurled his luminous wings, and locked onto the vampires! The sudden change shocked the vampires. Their first reaction was to erupt with blood energy to protect themselves. The fear of being locked onto by the Shot of Inception was overwhelming, even for a marquis. It was at this moment that a raging flame lit up around Qianye and the aura of the dark golden blood energy appeared. Almost immediately, the blood barrier around the two counts became blurry and distorted. The marquis was also alarmed, and he didnt dare step out and save his two subordinates. Countless strands of dark golden threads shot out from Qianyes body and stabbed into one of the counts. The mans protective barrier was penetrated like paper in the face of those sanguine threads. Qianye reached out to grab one of the counts like he would a wild beast, and slowly dragged him backward. The count looked dejected and desperate. He merely struggled for a while before losing all strength. The marquis and the other count looked conflicted and apprehensive. All they could do was watch as Qianye dragged their comrade into the forest because they didnt dare move a muscle. After Qianye disappeared, they let out a long sigh and congratulated themselves on escaping this calamity. They didnt dare linger very long, nor did they have the leisure to worry about their tracks. They ran away immediately as swiftly as their legs would take them. After entering the forest, Qianye tossed the count to the ground. The man was already dead at this point. Struck by Qianyes Life Plunder and restrained by his blood energy, this count died without even displaying a tenth of his combat strength. Qianyes body was once again full on essence blood after killing the count, and he continued sneaking toward the Constellation Well. There was still some distance from the well when Qianye noticed origin power fluctuations in the distance. It would seem some people were in a fierce battle. Numerous Evernight experts were gathered around the Constellation Well. The only ones who could be fighting them were Imperial experts or fierce beasts from the Great Maelstrom. Qianye increased his speed and immediately approached the battlefield. He hadnt run very far when a shocking rumble erupted in the distance. Rolling waves of origin power sent his hair flying, and then spread out into the distance. This was the timber of an origin gun, and it was grade-eight at the very least. The origin power was daybreak in nature. It would seem the bearer of this gun had fallen into a dangerous situation, otherwise, they wouldnt have used such a method of mutual destruction. Qianye began running toward the battlefield at full speed and soon arrived. The large battlefield was quite lively with fights going on in the air, on the ground, and in the forest. Patches of ancient trees collapsed amidst loud rumbles and clouds of blood and demonic energy. At the scene, the massive arachne body almost blotted out the sky. A wisp of daybreak energy would drift upward from time to time, destroying layer after layer of blockades. However, the massive blood energy in the periphery formed a cage that would trap all daybreak origin power within. The ones flying about were familiar figuresone party was naturally the Evernight experts and Bai Kongzhao, while the members of the other side were even more familiar. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were shuttling about, fighting shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian. On the Evernight side, the vampire experts stationing their individual camps had formed an inescapable encirclement. Edward, Anwen, Twilight, and Basil were fighting fiercely at the center. Bai Kongzhao, on the other hand, was roaming about and attacking whenever the opportunity arose. Her sudden attacks would catch even Ji Tianqing off-guard. Eden didnt take part in the battle. He took his place on a high ground, overlooking the battlefield and would snipe whoever escaped from the fight. What made Qianye the most apprehensive was the fact that the Demoness hadnt appeared, and that her domain was nowhere to be seen. If she willed it, that domain would quietly cover the entire area and no one, including Qianye, would be able to escape her pursuit. Besides, that earth-shattering attack she had used to attack Zhao Jundu back then was still unused. Qianyes heart sank because the battle seemed unfavorable. The one he actually feared was the Demoness, and the other was Bai Kongzhao. The girls attacks were extremely ruthless and would always come for ones vitals. Additionally, it seemed her special ability had started to take form. Whoever was struck by her attacks would be severely injured. Her every slash was alarming because, once struck, the victim could hardly be saved. Qianye hesitated no longer. He flickered to the center of the battlefield and arrived behind Basil, whereupon East Peak bore down on the arachnid body with mountainous power. The arachne cried out in shock as he shot out a spider web from his limbs, drawing his entire body into the air and barely evading this attack. East Peaks edge brushed past his razor-sharp limbs, shaving off a finger-sized chunk of it. Basil was furious. Why me? Dont you have more hatred for that bastard? The one he was pointing at was Edward, making the Holy Sons expression turn quite ugly. Qianyes slash had truly frightened the arachne because his abdomen wouldve been slashed apart if he had been a tiny bit slower. This injury might not be lethal to the arachne, but it would be very troublesome. Qianye paid him no heed and looked coldly toward Bai Kongzhao. The young girl jumped halfway in the air, aiming for Wei Potian with her cleaver. The latter had his back against the girl, completely oblivious of the danger as he plowed around the battlefield with his Thousand Mountains. Fortunately, the girl noticed Qianyes gaze. She trembled all over after seeing him and fell straight down from the air. She then turned to flee without looking back. Qianye sighed expressionlessly. He had finally managed to scare that murderous star away. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1047: Escaping Again Seeing Qianye turn the situation around single-handedly, Edward couldnt help but feel infuriated. It was at this time that the sky started to grow dark, almost as though an invisible gauze cloth had flown in between the heaven and earth. Without a second thought, Qianye unfurled his luminous wings with Misty Cold in his left hand and Heartgrave in his right. The latter weapon was aimed directly at Edward, shrouded in a layer of hazy light. Within moments, Edwards blood core began to beat frantically, and an unprecedented sense of danger engulfed his entire being. Are you crazy!? With the enforcement of the Wings of Inception, Heartgraves firepower would reach the peak of grade-nine, and that wasnt something Edward could take. Similarly, the tremendous drain would leave Qianye completely exhausted after the shot. Even if he didn''t die, he would have no way to escape. This mutually destructive move was why Edward blurted out if Qianye was crazy. Heartgrave grew brighter and brighter, and a speck of light flickered in the depths of the barrel. Edward felt a sharp pain between his brows which told himto his fear and shockthat he had been locked onto. Any more delays and it would be too late once the trigger was pulled. Even though the Demoness was extremely powerful, Edward wasnt willing to put his life in her hands. Just like when Basil was in the well, neither the vampires nor the demonkin did their utmost to protect him. If the Demoness were just slightly late, she would be able to bury the vampire Holy Son inside the Great Maelstrom, and no one could blame her for it. Edward had no doubt that she would do that because he would do the same in her shoes. Edward retreated at the final moment, opening up a path for Qianye and evading his lock-on in the process. Qianye passed by in large strides and smiled coldly at the skythe power of Misty Cold surged around him like a celestial realm, and the darkened sky in an area ten meters around him returned to normal. The Demoness domain was blown away by the weapon. Qianye! Zhao Yuying was delightfully surprised. She flung away her opponent and ran toward Qianye. Run! Qianye roared without even looking back. Zhao Yuying was startled. She glared with widened eyes, saying, Whats wrong with you? I came to help you, how could you treat me like this? Qianye looked up at the sky and raised his voice again. Go! Now! Zhao Yuying wanted to say something, but Li Kuanglan dragged her away from the battlefield. The former struggled furiously, saying, What are you doing? Lil Five is in there, let me go. I must help him! Li Kuanglan said coldly, Youll kill him if you go. What? Zhao Yuying was, of course, skeptical. Li Kuanglan sent a stream of icy origin power into her body and locked down all of her movements. She then dragged the Zhao young miss through the vampire experts and ran away like a shooting star. Wait! Wei Potian cried out, not knowing whether he should help Qianye or go after Zhao Yuying. Lets go! It was at this time that Ji Tianqing arrived from the air and grabbed him by the collar. She then lifted him off his feet and flew away. Only Qianye was left standing at the center of the battlefield The Demoness appeared and came face to face with Qianye. Theyve left, are you satisfied? Very much so. The Demoness pointed at Mist Cold, saying, Do you think you can escape again this time? Currently, there was a layer of dark smoke around the misty mirage, maintaining a distance of several feet from the guns power as though it were a sentient being. The Demoness control over her domain was truly stunning. This meant that Qianye could no longer destroy most of the Demoness domain like before. Even if he were to zoom back and forth, he would only be able to destroy a small portion of the domain, and the Demoness would sense where he was based on which part of the domain was missing. Qianye looked around at Edward, Twilight, Anwen, Eden, and Basil, and then let out a long laugh. Who said Im going to run away? He wasnt? The group of Evernight experts could hardly believe their ears. What was he going to do then, fight against all the Evernight experts by himself? The last time, Qianye had managed to escape because no one had imagined he would possess an origin gun with such special effects, nor did they think he would have an explosive of unimaginable firepower. Now that the Demoness had made relevant adjustments to her domain and Qianyes Spatial Flash wasnt powerful enough to flash out of effective range, what was he going to fight her with? Actually, the group present here was enough to defeat Qianye even without the Demoness help. It was just that they wouldnt be able to stop him from fleeing. With everything settled, the Evernight experts relaxed a bit and werent actually in a rush to attack Qianye. It was as though they were waiting for him to make a move, yet it also seemed like they were secretly gauging their own partys relationships. As for Ji Tianqing and the others escaping, the Evernight experts didnt mind at all. Even if every one of them ran away, it would be worth it if they could capture Qianye. Qianyes combat strength actually wasnt that high, but his abilities were simply too powerful. Add to that his ability to use Spatial Flash, he could easily wound anyone here in a single face-to-face exchange. This kind of enemy was the most troublesome, and thus everyone had come to a mutual understanding that they had to capture him regardless of the price. Qianye looked around quietly before saying, I have three Shots of Inception, who wants to try? The Evernight Experts looked at one another, not knowing how to respond. Back then, Qianye had sent the Demoness back into deep slumber with three Shots of Inception. The shot had gained great fame since that battle. Be it Edward, Anwen, or Eden, none of them could take three Shots of Inception. Twilight and the other vampire experts would either die or be heavily injured in just one shot. Only the Demoness could go into deep slumber and recover after taking three Shots of Inception. Judging from the time, however, it wasnt yet time for her to awaken, so perhaps her body wasnt at its peak state at the moment. Edward and the others actually understood that the best way was for everyone to take one hit each. At most, they would be heavily wounded, and the injury wasnt enough to hurt their foundations. It almost seemed like a good trade if they could get rid of a potential trouble like Qianye. However, Qianye had long since seen through their plans. Guess whether Ill fire all three shots at the same person or not. Everyones expressions changed. The Shot of Inceptions aim was no secret. Once locked-on by Qianyes Shot of Inception, no one apart from Anwen and the Demoness could do anything to resist. At the very least, Basil couldnt escape, so the arachne was the first to feel afraid. During this stalemate, the Demoness said, Fire at whoever you want first, theres no need to ask. The experts only woke up at this point. This was the best way to break this deadlocklife and death, riches and poverty, everything was up to the heavens on the battlefield. What was the point of overthinking it? Qianyes thoughts moved quickly. Your Highness, you hide in the distance and dont even dare to show up. Of course, youre relaxed since my Shot of Inception cant lock onto you. Edward and Basil wondered whether these words were true, especially the latter, who had just suffered greatly in the Constellation Well. His trust in the Demoness was at its lowest at the moment. Even until now, he refused to believe that she would fail to block Qianye, so the only explanation was that she had purposely let him approach the well. Her aim was naturally to stop Basil from obtaining a stronger bloodline. The Demoness hadnt imagined Qianye would say something like that, and she herself had also noticed Edward and Basils concerns. But her long-standing habit of pride stopped her from explaining. Just as she was about to denounce Qianye, the latter took action! The luminous wings behind his back spread out as Mist Cold was activated. A ten-meter radius around Qianye was filled with rolling velvet clouds that shrouded his figure entirely. The firearm was able to destroy domains and also isolate perception. At this moment, no one knew what exactly Qianye was doing. The Demoness was just as calm as before. She only contracted her domain slightly to make way for the Misty Cold, but kept it tightly wound around Qianye. If he were to step out of the mist, she would immediately sense it. Qianye didnt make them wait very long. Almost at the exact moment that the mist expanded, everyone saw a luminous feather shoot out amidst a flash of light. Shot of Inception! In the blink of an eye, even the calmest of experts became frantic. No one could keep calm in the face of this indefensible and unavoidable shot. Basil cried out, Why is it me again!? Amidst exasperated cries, Basils giant body sprang upward under the pull of eight spider web strings, leaving numerous afterimages along the way. His speed during escape was so fast that even Qianyes Spatial Flash would have to yield. Basil fled hundreds of meters away within moments. As for the gap in the encirclement, he couldnt care about it at the juncture of life and death. Basil still didnt feel at ease after arriving high up in the sky. His body kept flickering constantly, making it so that the Shot of Inception wouldnt lock onto him even if it were to arrive here. He would then have the opportunity to flee or use some other methods to stop it. From this, it was obvious that Basil wasnt an ordinary person. He already knew how powerful the Shot of Inception was since the beginning. But the Shot of Inception didnt go after the arachne after his escape. It kept moving forward, and now, it was time for Edward to be shocked. Although the attack wasnt aimed at him, he was the closest expert from the target, and Qianyes missed shot would most likely be drawn toward him. Edward moved ten meters away to the side, hoping to draw away from the Shot of Inception and place himself in a good position. His course of action wasnt wrong, but the Shot of Inception made a sharp turn in the air and darted toward its true target! It was one of the vampire counts. How could an ordinary count stop the Shot of Inception? He almost couldnt react before the luminous feather entered his chest, and his vitality shut down rapidly. The mans life force was entirely cut off before his body had even collapsed. The Shot of Inceptions firepower was enough to bring a chill to every spectator''s back. Qianye unleashed a long laugh as his figure flickered past the falling count. He then activated Spatial Flash and vanished. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1048: Caged Beas The Evernight experts naturally wouldnt sit by and watch Qianye escape. The Demoness vanished with a cold snort. Knowing that it was their fault, Edward and Basil gave chase as well. Anwen sighed. The rest of you follow me. He then ran steadily into the distance, in a somewhat different direction to Edward and Basil. The vampire experts were somewhat hesitant, not knowing whether they should follow Anwen. Eden said coldly, If you dont follow the young lord, are you going to follow Edward instead? Do you think you can even catch up? This was fairly reasonable. Edwards prestige had fallen drastically after a series of setbacks. Especially when he couldnt suppress Qianye at all with his blood energy, it brought about some doubt in the vampires who attached great importance to bloodlines. Several vampire experts followed Anwen, while the remainder went after Edward. Twilight gritted her teeth and ultimately left in Edwards direction. Eden glanced at the vampire experts he had persuaded as he followed Anwen with a smile. Anwen wasnt moving particularly fast, likely because he didnt want the vampire counts to lose their way. These counts came from the lower ranking families among the twelve major clans and didnt quite have good relationships with Edwards Perth clan, to begin with. Add to that the Holy Sons unconvincing performance in battle, these counts made the decision to join Anwen instead. How were they going to catch up to Qianye at this speed, though? Even though Anwen was taking care of them, those vampire counts couldnt help but feel some suspicion. It was at this time that a series of explosions echoed in the distance, and a mixture of demonic and blood energy surged into the sky, crashing into one another like giant dragons. The commotion, and especially the oceanic suppressive might in that blood energy, caused all the counts to cower in fear. Even their blood energy flow was slowed down somewhat. At the same time, they felt a complicated emotion in their hearts. No one knew if it was the relief of having caught up to the action or fear of the impending battle. The Demoness had already intercepted Qianye, and the two were locked in fierce combat. Edward and Basil had missed their mark, and were hurrying over from far away. The direction Anwen had picked was actually correct and led straight to the battlefield. The vampire counts felt weak in the knees, but they were ready to speed up and rush into the fight. Anwen, on the other hand, wasnt in a hurry. He even slowed down, saying, Whats the rush? Are you all looking to die? Wait until she has drained Qianyes strength, thats when you people will be of use. If you want a taste of the Shot of Inception, though Anwen couldnt finish his words before he was overcome by a strong sense of palpitation. He glanced over subconsciously and happened to see a pillar of black energy shoot into the sky! It was a strange luminous feather with a dark outer edge and stem. Only the feather hairs were sparkling with a faint golden radiance. Anwen couldnt utter half a word more after the feather entered his vision, and could only stare as it shot into the sky. He couldnt help but tremble before the extreme danger and power, but for some reason, he couldnt turn his eyes away. The outline of a fair lady appeared high up in the sky, one so faint that it was barely discernible. But this feather shot toward her as though it had eyes, tearing through the layers of demonic energy in front as though they were tofu. The Demoness let out a muffled groan as her silhouette froze mid-air, alternating between clarity and darkness. Demonic energy rolled about her like boiling water, apparently no longer under her control. Only then did Anwen come to. He shot into the air and immediately flew toward the Demoness. The latter turned back and stopped Anwen with her cold gaze. Im fine. Anwen wanted to say something but was hesitant. Qianyes Shot of Inception was completely different from beforewho would even believe that a single attack of his wouldve stopped the Demoness from hiding and sent her demonic energy out of control? Despite that, he also knew how proud the Demoness was. Since she had said she was fine, Anwen wouldnt dare interfere even if she wasnt. If she were truly fine, why would she stand there frozen while Qianye made his escape? As though she knew Anwens thoughts, the Demoness said, Rest assured, hes also injured. He cant escape my grasp. Anwen looked toward the ground and saw some lingering embers on the ground. A sudden idea popped up in his head as he landed near the rocks. He picked up some of the dying flames and observed them carefully. Only when they were entirely extinguished did he speak, Auric flame blood? The shock in Anwens voice was difficult to hide. The Demoness figure turned dark once more, much like a smudge of ink in the sky. It would seem she had once again regained control of her powers. She said in a rare solemnity, Yes, auric flame blood. Theres actually someone who possesses auric flame blood apart from those old bastards? Dont tell me Correct, he has made successful communication with the River of Blood. Anwen narrowed his eyes. This is important news. You rarely say such nonsense. Anwen sighed. What I mean is, should we or should we not report this information to the Eternal Flame? Oh? A baffled Demoness asked, Dont tell me you want to report to the other two? This small matter doesnt warrant the Emperors attention. And the last one you know what state hes in. Anwen said, I didnt mean we should pick clans. Im considering if we should keep this a secret. The Demoness was surprised. Who wouldve thought? Dont tell me you want to finish him off with your own strength. Humph, its not that I look down on you, but you dont even have a good chance of beating him. Your sword tricks are so intricate that almost no one can evade, but whats the point? Even if you hit Qianye, you cant kill him. His shot, on the other hand, will take away a good chunk of your life. Anwen only laughed wryly at the Demoness merciless mockery. Dont you want to kill him personally? The Demoness said seriously, Considering your great knowledge on miscellaneous stuff, I dont mind telling you the truth. From an experts point of view, I naturally wish to do him in myself. The stronger he is, the better of a grinding stone he would be, and the higher he would be able to push me up. But for our race, the right thing to do is to kill him off earlier. If he can communicate with the River of Blood at this young age, hell surely become the next Habsburg and light up a seal in the River of Blood. What that means is very clear to both you and I. Anwen sighed after a long moment of silence. I feel that Qianyes not a bad person, if you can just ignore the racial differences. His future achievements will be great, and hell make for a trustworthy companion when we explore the depths of the void one day. The Demoness snorted. Its not even certain if you can become a great dark monarch. Isnt it too early to discuss void exploration? Anwen smiled confidently. If you can become a great dark monarch, so can I. On this one-way path to exploring the extremes of power, the miscellaneous knowledge you speak of is much more useful than bloodlines and secret arts. The Demoness laughed in cold skepticism. As if he didnt hear anything, Anwen pointed at the distant sky. Have you ever thought about what lies at the end of the skies? What exactly is the vault of heavens? Where exactly is this Great Maelstrom? Why are there no other beings outside of the twenty-seven continents? How did the void come to be? Did it exist since ancient times or is it a cage built by a powerful being we can never understand? The Demoness had never even thought about these things, perhaps she would never have an answer even if she did. Every question was like a distant bell that reverberated in her heart. Anwen asked in the end, Dont you feel that all the racial hatred we have is minuscule compared to these questions and the vast universe we live in? Its almost as though were a bunch of wild beasts in a cage, intent on killing one another and deciding whos stronger. Whats the point? Even if you destroy all your enemies, youll only be the champion of a cage. The Demoness sighed. Perhaps youre right, but your words will only make sense when we do become great dark monarchs. Its more important to capture Qianye at present. Even if were just champions of a cage, in the end, its better than being destroyed and letting someone else become king. Anwen had no way to refute this notion. If everyone is so short-sighted, how will we ever break out of this cage and roam the vast realm? The Demoness replied, I do hope youll get stronger before you explore the vast realm. Otherwise, how are you going to break out of this cage? Anwen was dumbstruck. Not many people could compare to Anwen in terms of fighting power, but the Demoness was definitely one of them. Anwen shook his head. Have it your way then, wheres Qianye? The Demoness said, Im searching, he wont get far found him! The Demoness vanished instantly, leaving a barely discernible streak of ink in the air to guide Anwen. This thread was formed of the Demoness demonic energy, and only Anwen would be able to see it. Edward and Basil had already arrived at this point, but seeing Anwen and the Demoness stationary, they could do nothing else but wait. It was now a proven fact that only the Demoness could capture Qianye. The Demoness used her demonic energy to form an invisible border to prevent others from approaching. Edward and Basil naturally heeded this warning, so no one discovered the auric flame blood Qianye had left behind. During this process, Anwen and the Demoness were using their races supreme secret arts to converse via demonic energy. Outsiders simply didnt know what they were up to. Not to mention Edward and Basil, even Eden wasnt privy to the contents of their conversation. Moments later, the Demoness left, and Anwen went after her after greeting the experts. Edward and Basil finally learned to be smart and keep up. The Holy Sons countenance was as gloomy as still water, and he didnt even look at the vampire experts who had chosen to follow Anwen. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1049: During the Escape Qianye was walking carefully through a thorny undergrowth with his aura retracted. In what seemed like empty air, there were actually wisps of barely discernible black energy floating about. These wispsas fine as strands of hairwere floating about aimlessly and completely harmless when touched. Qianye, however, knew that these wisps of energy were formed of the Demoness demonic energy and were a part of her domain. She would be alerted instantly if he were to touch them by accident. After some thought, Qianye figured out that these black threads werent without a solution. He had seen a small beast fly past, breaking several of the threads without any response from the demonic energy. It would seem that this domain was intricately controlled, and she would judge whether the target was man or beast depending on the reaction. Qianye stretched out a finger and tried approaching one of the demonic threads. The thread started to react when his fingertip was within a certain range, and flew over like a swimming fish. When Qianye cut off his external origin power, the demonic thread went back to floating about aimlessly. Qianye had figured it outthese threads not only served as a warning trap that would send signals to the Demoness, but they were also quite sensitive to daybreak origin power and would seek out the owner proactively. Such a technique was almost indefensible. If it wasnt for Qianye discovering them with his True Sight, he would never figure out how he was found out by the Demoness. Qianye was in no rush to leave, however. He channeled a bit of his blood energy and released it. Unexpectedly, all the demonic threads within ten meters began moving the moment his blood energy was released. Dozens of them swarmed over like sharks that had smelled blood. This time, Qianye didnt retract his blood energy and simply allowed the threads to crash into his finger, observing their reaction. The demonic threads stirred up a fierce reaction after shooting into the blood energy, emitting numerous tiny sparks. The small demonic threads were quickly incinerated by the dark golden blood energy, but their reaction was also quite fierce. They weren''t quite at a disadvantage in the contest and would bring down with them an equal amount of dark golden blood energy. Qianye had never imagined that the demonic threads would be so much more sensitive to blood energy than to daybreak origin power. Apparently, the Demoness either attached great importance to the vampires or it was as he had previously learneddemonic energy and blood energy would attack each other fiercely after reaching a certain level. The conflict between them was even stronger than that between darkness and daybreak origin powers. It was as though only one of them could exist. There was no telling whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that these threads were so sensitive to blood energy. Qianye retracted his aura immediately after the test. He was suddenly overcome by a bad feeling as he thought of something. Apart from Edward, there was probably no one else who possessed a high enough blood energy to elicit a reaction from the demonic threads. If that was the case, the Demoness had probably figured out his location and was heading over at full speed. At the thought of this, Qianyes figure flickered and vanished immediately. He had used Spatial Flash. His silhouette had just disappeared when several dark ribbons appeared where he was standing. They weaved together and immediately slashed the space there into dozens of fragments. Qianye would have been in a frantic situation if he were still there. The Demonesss figure appeared in the air. Humph, you do run quite fast. In the span of a breath, experts like Anwen, Edward, and Basil also arrived. They kept silent after seeing that the Demoness had failed to overrun Qianye. Her bad temper was notorious. Add to that her peerless combat capabilities, everyone who offended her would meet horrible ends. Now that Qianye had escaped under her nose, one could easily guess her current mood. The Demoness said faintly, He cant run for long, Ive already found him. Her voice hadnt even trailed off when her figure disappeared. Anwen followed the trail of demonic energy in the air to chase after her. The Evernight experts moved like a flash of lightning. After traveling dozens of kilometers in a flash, they saw the Demoness standing quietly in the sky. Apparently, Qianye had escaped yet again. Actually, this was quite normal because Qianyes Spatial Flash was unrivaled in escape. Although Spatial Flash wasnt the only one of its kind, it possessed a suppressive advantage over the others in terms of distance and drain. That was also the reason why Qianye could contend with the Demoness by relying on it. This time, the Demoness didnt say anything. After standing there for a while, she pointed in a certain direction and vanished in the form of a black ribbon. Soon, they saw the Demoness in the air again. The group formed a tacit understanding to wait quietly for her to catch Qianyes traces. The Demoness didnt disappoint them, either. She managed to lock onto Qianyes position in the span a few breaths and chased after him. It was a failure again. At this point, Edward and the other experts were beginning to notice that it was taking longer and longer for the Demoness to find Qianye. This proved that she was slowly losing track of him, or maybe Qianye had found a way to deal with her power. Qianyes exhaustion was also considerable after using Spatial Flash repeatedly, and he had also fired from the Wings of Inception twice. Even if his cultivation was able to suppress his peers, it was only natural that he wouldnt have much origin power or stamina left. All that was left was to see who could wear the other party down faster. For instance, only death awaited Qianye if he collapsed from exhaustion, but he would escape if the Demoness failed to hold out. This would give him much needed time to catch his breath. As the hunter, the Demoness should be the one holding the advantage. After all, spatial travel was much more taxing than flying. But she was also expending vast amounts of demonic energy to maintain her domain, and lasting this long was already a feat worthy of admiration. Who wouldve thought that a certain group slaughter would turn into a battle of attrition? Yet, no one dared to ask the Demoness about Qianyes tracks, nor were they tactless enough to offer help. There was no telling whether people like Edward were actually gloating inside. Qianye appeared through the void in the depths of the forest. He immediately locked onto a small beast on his left-hand side and agitated it with his blood energy, causing it to jump up and run about wildly. Qianye dropped to all fours and ran alongside the creature. The shocked beast ran even faster, and Qianye followed along at a steady pace. The creature would run into strands of demonic energy along the way, and Qianye also took this opportunity to do the same. He was channeling bloodline concealment at the moment, and just as he had thought, the action didnt bring about a reaction from the demonic threads. As far as the Demoness perception was concerned, they were just two small creatures running about in the taboo zone. After running for several dozen kilometers, there was no special reaction from the surrounding space. It would seem the Demoness hadnt noticed them. Qianye knocked the small creature out with a slap and hid it atop a giant tree. This was the first time he had found some time to rest since entering the Great Maelstrom. Qianye also knew that his break time wouldnt be long. Once the Demoness couldnt find him, she would comb through the areas with demonic beast movement and eventually find him. Qianye calmed his mind and observed the state of his body. He had used up more than half of his origin power and blood energy. The two Shots of Inception and Spatial Flash used his blood energy as fuel, so it was quite exhausting despite possessing blood energy at the quality of a great dark monarch. There was only a single luminous feather on the Wings of Inception. He only had one Shot of Inception left. His most powerful attack had been used up on the Demoness, while the other shot was used to intimidate people and open up a path of escape. However, Qianye discovered that the outlines of a black-rimmed feather had already started to form on the other wing. This meant that he now had two special feathers with great firepower. Qianye didnt quite have the time to study how this feather had appeared. He quickly produced the Book of Darkness and poured out the stored essence blood into the Wings of Inception. The Wings of Inception began absorbing the contribution in vast amounts, almost as though they had woken up from a dream. Soon, one of the ordinary feathers started to light up. By the time the Book of Darkness was entirely empty, the new luminous feather was already half-lit, and only the tip remained dark. Qianye made some rough calculations and found that a full Book of Darkness could provide enough blood energy to form a complete luminous feather. The good thing about the Book of Darkness was that the essence blood stored inside would be purer than before, ready for use at any moment. For instance, it could be poured into the blood core to enter a state of blood boil. The essence blood refined by the book was far inferior to the dark golden blood energy, but it would ensure fighting power under emergency circumstancesnow, for instance. Qianye put away the Book of Darkness and glanced at a nearby giant tree. There was a giant python resting in the tree trunk, one that possessed powerful vitality. This represented vast amounts of essence blood, especially since all creatures in the Great Maelstrom possessed bountiful pools of them. Qianye jumped up and charged toward the hole. He then grabbed the giant python and crushed the serpents scale with his bare fingers, digging into its flesh. The snake struggled, but the tree hole was too narrow for it to exert much force. The snake turned toward Qianye but was duly caught by the neck. The giant python could be considered quite strong, but it was still a bit inferior compared to Qianye and his ancient vampire constitution. Qianye channeled Life Plunder after restraining the giant python, shooting out sanguine threads into the serpents body. Despite all that, it took an entire minute before the creature stopped struggling. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief, his body drenched in sweat. The book of darkness was almost full again, but the pythons essence blood wasnt dry just yet. From this, one could see just how terrifying the creatures here were, and also how bountiful. Qianyes figure flickered and disappeared again. The Demoness appeared not long after he had left. She was full of killing intent as she gazed at the corpse of the giant python inside the tree. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1050: Battle of Attrition The drained giant python corpse meant that Qianye had been replenished, but replenishment also meant that he would need time to digest and couldnt have gone far. At the thought of this, the Demoness killing intent subsided somewhat. After some thought, her figure flickered and appeared in a different place. She began contemplating in silence as she searched through her own domain. Soon, she had confirmed Qianyes location. He was found out again within moments, but unexpectedly, he kept running through the woods instead of using Spatial Flash. The Demoness was a bit surprised, but she quickly chased after him with a sneer. As she saw it, Qianye was courting certain death. All the Evernight races apart from the arachne were naturally fast, and the Demoness simply didnt believe she would lose her target even without using any special abilities. Was that Qianye out of origin power, or had he set up a trap? The Demoness wasnt in a rush to overrun him. She merely maintained a steady distance and launched constant ranged attacks. Qianye slashed apart the black demonic ribbons with hands shrouded in scarlet golden flames, causing them to erupt into raging flames. It seemed as though Qianye had drawn a safe line between him and the Demoness. If the distance was shortened, he would use all sorts of techniques and take advantage of the geography to restore it. This was actually a battle of attrition. Both sides were exhausting the same amount of resources for movement and battle, but the Demoness was draining faster as she had to maintain the vast domain. The Demoness wasn''t alone, though. She had a group of Evernight experts at her disposal, which meant that a single careless turn could land Qianye in an encirclement, and he might not be lucky enough to escape unscathed like last time. Before long, this game of cat and mouse had taken the duo two circles around the Constellation Well. The Evernight experts had been left far behind by this point, and not even Anwen could catch up. Since Qianye stopped using Spatial Flash, the Demoness had also stopped leaving behind a trail. At this point, the Demoness had noticed Qianyes intentions. He wasnt willing to leave the Constellation Well and let the Evernight experts gain origin blood. To the dark race, the best way was to hunt Qianye down with full force while having people like Edward and Basil enter the well. This way, Qianye would be left between a rock and a hard placeif he were to ignore it, then this battle of attrition wouldve become meaningless, but if he didnt, he would be walking into an ambush. For some reason, however, she didnt instruct Anwen to make such an arrangement and only focused on chasing Qianye. At this point, the two had been at it for over an hour. After noticing that Qianye was stalling for time, she stopped attacking from long range and would jump forward to intercept him from time to time. The two thus attacked from afar at times and would lock into a melee fight in others. Discovering that the Demoness had changed her strategy to a head-on showdown, Qianye finally stopped running around the Constellation Well. He began running away at full speed, drilling through wherever there was an opening. He took full advantage of the forested landscape and changed his direction every few moments, making it extremely difficult to guess his trajectory. Qianye moved like lightning and was as unpredictable as a specter, pushing his combat techniques and advantage in perception to their maximum. The Demoness would fall back several dozen meters with every little mistake, and that was enough for Qianye to activate Spatial Flash. Unresigned, she would immediately activate her movement arts and flash over to intercept. This was when the difference between them would become evident. The Demoness would use a technique similar to void traversal inside her domain, causing her to fade out and become almost weightless. This increased her speed to an unimaginable extent, allowing her to cross dozens of meters in an instant. The Demoness'' technique was comparable to Spatial Flash over short distances, but the latter was at the true apex of spatial penetration, while the Demoness was just moving within a certain space. Despite that, she was able to keep up with Qianye, which went to show just how terrifying she was. This movement skill of hers was simply too advanced. She required the demonic energy inside her domain to drag her forward and was also lacking in agility when changing directions. Comparatively, Qianye was using a clumsy physical skill comparable to that of wild beasts. His overall speed and his swiftness when changing directions were completely dependent on the strength of his step. Qianyes method was more suitable in the Great Maelstrom. The vegetation and rocks here were incomparably firm. He could hardly break the thicker branches no matter how hard he stomped. This meant that he could exert any amount of force, while the Demoness had to be careful. It wasnt like in the outside world where she could just crash into the trees standing in her way. An all-out collision might perhaps break an ancient tree in two, but she would also become dizzy from the impact. Besides, flattening a forest would cause too much of a ruckus, and the effects would be equal to firing an origin gun. Her current teleportation points were somewhat close and definitely incomparable to her peak status. If they werent in the forest, the Demoness wouldve intercepted Qianye long ago. But how could everything go according to the ifs? It would seem she was quite furious as she had given up on sensing Anwens group and was investing her complete attention on chasing down Qianye. The Demoness saw that, several times, Qianye hadnt used Spatial Flash despite the opportunity to do so. He probably couldnt activate the secret art anymore, and it was the best time to kill him. Qianye moved like the wind, evading the Demoness killing moves at the last moment. He gradually fell into a difficult position, but he was neither flustered nor looked like he was in distress. He was paying attention to the Book of Darkness, waiting for the essence blood inside to complete refinement. Most of the essence blood had been refined, and in moments, the process would be entirely complete. At that point, the essence blood obtained from the giant python would be pure enough for the blood core to ignite. The Great Maelstrom was indeed a mystical place. In the outside world, the Book of Darkness only served to store essence blood and not refine it. Perhaps it did, but the degree was so small that it was almost negligible. Here, however, not only did the degree of refinement increase greatly, but the process was also very rapid. Something that would take an entire day outside would take little over an hour here. This meant that the Demoness assessment of Qianyes origin power status was completely off. While paying attention to the refinement time, Qianye was also calculating his origin power and blood energy consumption. He was minimizing blood energy consumption and using his physical strength, reinforced with origin power, to do battle. He was never able to bring out his full power and was gradually falling to a disadvantage, but he could still hang on. Just as he was like an arrow at the end of its flight, a streak of flowing light flashed across the cover of the Book of Darkness. The essence blood refinement process was finally complete! Qianye let out a long howl as his Venus Dawn erupted, sending out a ring of origin flames in all directions and igniting hundreds of blazes. The demonic energy the Demoness had placed around them was swept clean. Before she could lay down more demonic energy, Qianye stomped on an ancient tree, causing the massive tree to bend down. The terrifying rebound sent him flying like an arrow and away from the Demoness. The Demoness smiled coldly because Qianyes willingness to waste origin power was in her schemes. According to her plan, Qianye had no more power to use Spatial Flash, and the moment he ran out of origin power was when she would catch him. Her arms danced about as she summoned several demonic threads in front of Qianye, which then formed an interweaving meshwork that would stop him. At the same time, her body turned into a beam of light and flew toward Qianye at full speed. A hundred meters took no more than a thought for her. However, Qianyes figure started to flicker in front of her. The Demoness felt that something was wrong. Ignoring the drain on her demonic energy, she summoned dozens of demonic threads to tangle Qianye from all directions. But Qianyes silhouette became twisted and blurry, and then completely vanished. The demonic threads became confused after striking empty air. Killing intent surged on the Demoness body. She looked about to find that Qianye had appeared a thousand meters away. She was angry because she had been tricked into making a wrong judgement, but she wasnt flustered. Qianye still wouldn''t be able to escape her grasp if he could only use Spatial Flash a couple more times. The Demoness was only halfway toward Qianye when he had disappeared once more. She searched with all her might but was still a tad late. She found traces of Qianye a thousand meters away, but he was already activating his third Spatial Flash when she found him. The Demoness body turned into a streak of light as she arced through the air and turned about. This time, though, she couldnt find any traces of Qianye. Apparently, he had long since escaped. She had no choice but to stop and scan the vast woods, but Qianye was nowhere to be found. Her domain and perception were filled with a mess of moving creatures as the fight between the two had startled almost every beast in the forest. How was she to find Qianye in this chaos? There were a whole lot of reactions to vampires, though, and most of them were aggregated in one place. It was clearly Edward and his subordinates. A group of useless trash! The Demoness couldnt help but curse. These vampires hadnt realized that they had been enveloped in the Demoness domain. They walked on and on without knowing that their movements were all being observed. They were indeed trash in her eyes, but no one knew if the curse just now was directed at them. It was at this moment that a new reaction appeared in her domain. Daybreak origin power had appeared in a certain direction. It was mottled and impure, but daybreak nonetheless. The Demoness was beside herself in anger at the moment. Her figure arrived near the source of that daybreak origin power and produced countless demonic blades. With her perception and origin power, this attack was enough to slice the target into many pieces. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1051: Talent and Intelligence The Demoness was anticipating a miserable scream and fresh blood, but the person below actually cut down all the demonic blades with a swing of their weapon! The Demoness was first surprised but then became excited, secretly criticizing Qianye for his craftiness. It would seem he was pretending to be an ordinary expert, but now he had been exposed. She descended rapidly but was startled upon seeing the other party clearly. It was a young girl in a white dress, definitely not Qianye. But she was too furious to care whether she was killing the right person. Dozens more formless blades formed with a wave of her hand. Even someone as calm as Bai Kongzhao felt somewhat flustered. It was at this moment that streaks of demonic energy appeared in the air, forming a complicated polyhedron around Bai Kongzhao. Anwen appeared with a wry smile. Shes my friend. Please let her go out of consideration for me! The Demoness said coldly, Why must I give you face? Her words were so sharp that even the kind Anwen became somewhat angry. Fortunately, no one had caught up to them yet and the only other person was Bai Kongzhao. Anwen took a deep breath to calm down his flushed face, and said in a cool but forced tone, Considering our statuses, you will have to give me some face. Anwens reply was tinged with unprecedented curtness. An icy killing intent emerged through the Demoness black mist as she said, Anwen, do you think youre important enough to make me do things? Anwen replied, At the very least, you have no right to humiliate me. Who gave you the courage to speak to me like this!? I just dont want to take your unreasonable pride anymore. Youre courting death, Anwen! You can kill me, but youll also lose your path to become a great dark monarch. The Demoness voice was cold. Do you seriously think you hold enough weightage in those old fogeys eyes? Ill have to pay an equal price for killing you? Where did you get that confidence? Do you think your talents are at my level? Anwen said coldly, My talents might be inferior, but my intelligence is far beyond yours. Its not certain who will get further in the future. This surprised the Demoness. Her eyes fell upon Bai Kongzhao, saying, Anwen, this isnt like the old you. Did you change because of her? Anwen also glanced at Bai Kongzhao. Shes part of the reason but not the entirety. Thats good enough. Ill kill her and let you see the price of offending me! Anwens expression changed swiftly. His eyes lit up, and the two-meter sword appeared in his hand as he stepped in front of the young girl. Are you looking to fight me? The Demoness voice was frosty. Anwen, you should know the consequences of angering me. I mightve wanted to give her a clean death before, but I think Ill start by chopping off her arms and legs now. You can do what you want after you kill me. The glint in Anwens eyes grew brighter. The Demoness contemplated for a moment. Do you think I dont dare to kill you? No, Ive always known that you do whatever you want, but today, I will have you understand one thing. Not being able to defeat you doesnt mean Ill let you humiliate me! Each of Anwens words was powerful and resonating. The Demoness demonic energy was clearly fluctuating as well. Are you so unafraid of death because of her? The Demoness voice became a bit calmer. Anwen was surprised because this was her state of extreme anger. It has nothing to do with her. The Demoness was skeptical. A demonic thread suddenly appeared around Bai Kongzhao and wrapped around her neck. This thread was so sharp that it could even wound Qianyes body. Removing the girls neck was all too easy. Anwen clenched his teeth, but instead of rushing to save Bai Kongzhao, he raised his blade and thrust straight at the Demoness. Several complicated diagrams appeared on the blades edge during this process. The latter smiled coldlyseveral demonic threads appeared as she swung her hand, quickly forming an intersecting meshwork between her and Anwen. What she didnt expect was that Anwen would ignore the net and crash straight into it! Blood and demonic energy flew in all directions as several wounds appeared on Anwens body, as well as a three-by-five mesh pattern on his face. His hair also fell into disarray with cut ends drifting off everywhere. He was charging straight into the attack. The demonkin were never known for their physical tenacity, so he was immediately injured. If it werent for Anwens extremely high-grade demonic energy, this net wouldve sliced him into hundreds of pieces. Raging flames erupted in Anwens eyes as he thrust his sword into the Demoness mist just like before. A muffled groan appeared from the mist as the smoke dispersed, revealing the Demoness true appearance. Anwens long sword had stabbed through her abdomen and out from her back. The Demoness blood formed sparkling pearls which started entangling with the demonic energy on Anwens blade. Being run through by a sword seemed bad, but this was acceptable damage to an expert at their level. How lethal the injury was would depend on the contest between demonic energies. The Demoness grabbed Anwens neck and said word by word, I can destroy you completely if I want to! Anwen was fearless. And I can deal you a final blow before my death. Youre right. I may not be your match, but you can also forget about becoming a great dark monarch after killing me. The Demoness looked at Anwen carefully, almost as though she didnt recognize him. You really are fearless of death. Why, is it because of her? Youve asked me this too many times, Anwen replied with a wooden expression. Thats because youve never answered me. The Demoness wouldnt let go. Anwen merely snorted, not willing to say anything more. This made it clear that he wasnt going to give her a straight answer. The Demoness also stopped talking and just stared frostily at him. The duo thus fell into a deadlock therein. Bai Kongzhao was gazing at them from below, and no one knew what she was thinking. Eden rushed over at this point and was stunned. You two T-This Eden was at a loss for words. These two were, after all, supreme existences for all the demonkin. Exchanging pointers. Anwen was expressionless. The Demoness also nodded. Ive lost. Anwen retracted his demonic energy and long sword. The Demoness didnt make a further move. She relaxed her grip and allowed Anwen to walk free. The moment that long sword left her body, her figure once again became shrouded by demonic mist, and no one could see her wounds. Anwen produced a dose of demonic medicine and inhaled it. There was also a cloud of demonic energy swirling around his body, but unlike the Demoness, it couldnt hide him entirely. There was no need, either, because Eden had already seen everything clearly when he arrived. The intersecting bloody lines on Anwens body were quite appalling. They were as thin as a thread, but each of them was extremely deep. One dose of demonic medicine wasnt enough to treat this kind of injury. Eden produced two more medicines and passed it over quietly. Anwen inhaled them one after the other. These medicines were top-grade materials they had gotten from the Eternal Flame before entering the Great Maelstrom. Anwens countenance looked much better after inhaling three medicines, and the terrifying bloody lines began to fill up. The Demoness, on the other hand, remained hidden inside her mist. She couldnt leave, but she also refused to make an appearance. Eden coughed awkwardly, Erm since you guys have finished sparring, we should get to business. Should we continue staying around the Constellation Well if we cant catch Qianye? Should we just let the vampires and arachne stay behind? They can do whatever theyre willing to. Eden had already discovered that the one entering the well would be extremely vulnerable and had no way to retaliate against attacking enemies. That was why he felt that there would be no great benefit in staying behind. On the contrary, their risk would increase with each passing hour since this was an imperial resource and other human experts could appear. Besides, the vampires and arachne had been studying this secret for some time and possessed tools suitable for their race. The demonkin only learned about this matter very recently. Even if they could produce origin blood, the results would be fairly mediocre. There was really no need to stay behind and help the other two races. Anwen shook his head. Ive largely understood the principle behind refining origin blood. The material involved isnt important. Whats truly critical is the star power condensed during the process. Yes, lets just call it star power for now, but what we see down there arent real stars. At the very least, theyre not what we think they are. As for why they appear so, why they would adopt the form of stars, thats a fairly meaningful question. I have a feeling that our understanding of the universe will increase by leaps and bounds if we study this phenomenon. The Demoness cut Anwen short. I have no interest in your theories, get to the point. Eden also looked unenthusiastic. To him, practical combat strength was the basis of every action. After all, he didnt have peerless talent like Anwen and the Demoness. The young lord shook his head with a sigh. The point is that these stars each represent power of different attributes. Perhaps the smaller, ordinary ones might be difficult to tell apart, but the special onesthe biggest, brightest ones for instancedefinitely carry extraordinary power. This meant that one could condense different origin blood depending on the targeted star. Even if the blood rod and spider egg arent quite suitable for us, we can still refine origin blood that would be of great help to our race. All we need to do is target the right stars. Eden inquired, Will that help us? Anwen nodded. Origin blood can upgrade a bloodline from two aspects. One is by strengthening its advantages, and the other is to supplement its shortcomings. For instance, it can help us by strengthening our physiques. The Demoness was somewhat moved. Demonkin secret arts werent strict on physical requirements, but it was clear that those with stronger constitutions would have the advantage in battle. Qianye, for instance, was able to charge past the Demoness interception by relying on his sturdy physique. That was also the deciding factor when he had dueled Anwen. Even the Demoness couldnt refuse a stronger body. Eden frowned. How do we find this star, and how do we absorb its power after finding it? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1052: Unexpected Gues Anwen said, Thats not hard. We can wait until everyone has recovered before letting Edward enter the well. Ill then have enough time to observe the changes in the stars and figure out which one is beneficial for us. Eden nodded. For the first time, he felt that Anwens miscellaneous knowledge wasnt completely without use. Anwen glanced at the Demoness and Eden. Its rare for us to be gathered together, its a good opportunity to talk about important matters. Eden was somewhat startled, not expecting Anwen to say something like this. This meant that the young lord was treating him as equals, that his strength might be inferior, but his status was no different. Just a while ago, Eden was still struggling desperately for the heirs position in his family. How he was sitting down to discuss matters with two legendary characters of the younger generation, he found this situation almost unbelievable. Anwen beckoned to Bai Kongzhao. This is Bai Kongzhao, shes very special. Although shes a human, she can use our races cultivation arts. The Eternal Flame has already met her as well and even granted her a protective treasure. The Demoness snorted but made no comment, while Eden laughed awkwardly. Back then, the latter had encountered Bai Kongzhao under less than happy terms, and her grasp of opportunities in combat left a deep impression on him. Now that Anwen was introducing them officially, Eden naturally understood his intentions. Claiming that the girl had entered the Eternal Flames eyes meant that there was no need to doubt her identity and origins. The young girl stood there, puzzled, almost as though she had no idea what they were saying. Anwen said seriously, Ive thought about it again, and I feel that we need to reach a consensus regarding Qianye. How do we deal with this person? Eden replied quickly, Of course, we kill him. Kill. The Demoness reply was clear. Bai Konghzao said nothing, but Anwen said with a wry smile, You guys say it like its so easy. Weve chased after him for an entire day, what now? The Demoness said in a cold voice, Are you doubting me? That spar was just a moment of carelessness. Did you think there will ever be a second time? Anwen was quite calm. I, of course, dont doubt your prowess in battle, but were not in the void. The Demoness became silent because her most powerful move could only be performed in the void. The space inside the Great Maelstrom was hopelessly strong, so strong that she couldnt exert her powers. Qianye on the other hand possessed a physique stronger than the natives and was like a fish in water. What should we do then? Seeing the Demoness silent, Eden knew he should ask something. Anwen said after a while, We have two ways to go about this. We can either make peace with him and even form an alliance, explore the Great Maelstrom together, and maybe even the great void in the future. The other way is to report to the Eternal Flame after were out of the Great Maelstrom, asking him to take action personally. Eden was surprised. He hadnt expected Anwen to evaluate the person so highly. Can we even make peace? Anwen said with certainty, Yes! Qianye is a vampire, but not entirely a vampire. Hes destined to be an enemy of both the Empire and the vampire race. Such circumstances actually make him the best partner for us. Additionally, he attaches great importance to his companions. If we can use their safety as a bargaining chip, we will surely be able to reach an agreement. Eden nodded in approval. After repeated contact with Qianye, he could tell that the latter cared about his friends. The odds arent great, and well never reach the point of becoming allies, the Demoness replied coldly. Anwen made no comment about this. Then well just have to find a way to contact His Grace the Eternal Flame. I can send out a single message, but we only have that one chance. Hell figure something out after receiving the message. The Great Maelstrom was mysterious and cruel, but it wouldnt stop peerless experts at the level of great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs. It was just that, for some reason, none had ever stayed long inside. Edens expression was somewhat envious. He was very clear that sending a message out of the Great Maelstrom involved a valuable ability, and it proved that he would be able to reach the great dark monarch realm eventually. The Demoness said coldly, Save that chance of yours. Anwen was somewhat surprised. You want to make peace with Qianye as well? The Demoness sneered, You think? Then what do you want? I have no interest in either of your plans, I only work according to my own methods. Ill take Qianyes life on my own, no one is allowed to interfere! Anwen frowned. You mean Its not too late to inform the Eternal Flame after I kill Qianye. Its meaningless! Thats the only thing meaningful to me. Anwen wanted to say something, but the Demoness waved her hand. No need to speak further, its decided. If youre intent on informing his grace, do as you wish. She did say that, but both men understood doing so would make an enemy out of her. The Constellation Well welcomed a period of peace. After realizing they would never catch Qianye, Edward and Basil eventually returned to the well and began discussing their next step. Anwen and Eden had also arrived, but the Demoness never appeared. No one knew where she had gone, and no one was tactless enough to ask. Chasing down Qianye for an entire day without results had shaken her eminent image, and many began to secretly think she wasnt all-powerful after all. After everyone was gathered, Anwen said, The number one priority right now is to extract origin blood. Since Basil has already taken a turn, the vampires are up next. Your Excellency Edward, will you go down yourself or designate someone? All eyes turned toward Edward. Basils last-minute failure yesterday was proof of how difficult the process was. There were numerous vampires at the scene, but only Edward and Twilight had higher odds of success. Basil had said that the origin blood produced was directly related to the operators bloodline. A powerful expert lacking in natural talents would not be able to produce anything of value. According to reason, it was Edwards turn to enter. The Holy Son stood there with a long face. As I see it, Basil should try again once more, or perhaps Eden should have a turn. Eden didnt say anything but Basil wasnt happy. Why must I go down? Edward replied, Your Excellency, you already have sufficient experience and know how to deal with accidents inside the well. Thats why I feel that you should keep making use of your advantages. If not, perhaps His Excellencies Eden or Anwen might want to have a go? Basil couldnt keep up a state of nonchalance. Edward, are you trying to anger me? Edward smiled. Youre thinking too much. No one can force you down if you dont want to go in, can they? Basil suddenly understood. He let out a snort but stopped speaking thereafter. Frowning, Eden glanced at Anwen and found him in a similar expression. Edwards intentions were clearhe would not go in unless Qianye had been dealt with. Anwens analysis of the process wouldnt be complete without this sample, and it would be a waste even if Eden were to enter. The situation fell into a deadlock. Even someone as intelligent as Anwen couldnt quite find a way to unravel this tricky situation. Edward, perhaps we can discuss. Edward laughed out loud. I feel that survival is the most important. Since he had made it so clear, the discussion could no longer be continued. Anwen shook his head, saying, Wait, then. The only way to move out of this stalemate was to wait for news from the Demoness. The group of Evernight experts took up position around the well and began resting while waiting for further developments. This was traditionally an Imperial area, but there wasnt much to fear since all the powerful young experts of Evernight had gathered here. The few Imperial experts arriving at the well had been driven away by the vampire sentries. Anwens group never even had the opportunity to take action. This occupation was quite the arrogant move, but absolute strength gave them the qualifications to do so. However, the affairs of the world were always fluctuating. Outsiders only saw their glory and arrogance, but they didnt know the predicament inside. They never heard back from the Demoness since she went on a hunt for Qianye. No one knew whether she had captured Qianye. They couldnt even tell if she was hot on his trail or waiting in concealment for him to walk into a trap. With Basils previous lesson on the table, no one dared enter the well without solid information regarding Qianye. Hence, a gathering of top younger-generation experts ended up as an idle sitting party. Just as everyone was starting to lose their patience, Anwen suddenly looked up at the sky with a serious expression. Edward and Basils expression changed moments later. Eden was the last to react. Their eyes landed on the distant ground where a patch of wildflowers was growing amidst the verdant grass. At a glance, this scenery was no different from back in the Empire or Evernight. Only when plucking the flowers would one remember that this was the Great MaelstromBasil might be the only one who could do so easily without using origin power. Those fine stems were actually as strong as steel wires. A certain flower was currently blooming amidst the field of flowers. Illusory and beautiful, a long stamen emerged as the petals stretched out. The scenery around the flower began to change, almost as though a raging wave was flowing past. Anwen, Edward, Basil, Eden, and the other top Evernight experts stood up with expressions of shock! The blooming flower was a red spider lily. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1053: The Bloom and Wither of Red Spider Lilies Top geniuses like Anwen were, of course, highly knowledgeable and experienced. Even so, legends of the Grand Magnums had been carved deep into everyones hearteach of them came with a fantastical story that would be circulated forever. These young experts had more or less seen a magnum in action, but this was the first time they had come face to face with one. Additionally, this was the most famous one among them, the Red Spider Lily. The blooming and wilting of the other shore flowers would always be followed by the withering of life. Even Anwen couldnt help but feel a chill run down his spine. Despite being highly knowledgeable, he had no clue about the Red Spider Lilys mechanism, nor why a life would wither whenever a netherworld flower bloomed. He was crazy about research, but not dumb enough to yearn for the chance to study the Red Spider Lily first hand. For a moment, the Evernight experts forgot about fleeing. All they could think was, Why would a red spider lily appear here? Basil reacted the quickest and the least sensitive. He broke into a peal of laughter that shocked everyone. He pointed at the red spider lily and laughed. How can a grand magnum appear in the Great Maelstrom? You guys must be seeing things, yes, it must be an illusion! A small flower managed to scare you all silly? Seemingly noticing Basils roaring laughter, the little flower swayed about angrily and began to wilt! Eden gasped, Edward flashed ten meters away with a single sidestep, while Anwen frowned as a faint radiance emerged from his fingertips, forming a honeycomb wall made up of countless hexagons between him and Basil. In the blink of an eye, there was no one left beside the arachne. Basils hair all stood on end, his mouth agape. Then, he fled with a miserable scream! He had no idea why he was running, but his intuition told him that he had to escape immediately, even though it was useless. Basils long limbs moved rapidly, but his body didnt shoot forward as expected. Instead, his massive frame remained in place while a disorderly mass of golden threads weaved into existence. At this moment, the flower of the netherworld river had withered, and all life had turned silent. Basil suddenly lost his voice and could do nothing but stare in terror at his massive spider body. A crisp crack was heard as several fissures appeared at the tip of one of his limbs. The arachne exoskeleton was known for its hardness, especially their limbs. Bai Kongzhaos cleaver, made from the limb of an arachne duke, was enough to intimidate many people. Basil was highly talented, so his limb blades were stronger than his peers. Even the strongest place was also the weakest place. The limb would be temporarily crippled once the outer shell had been shattered, and all he could do was recuperate slowly. Basil collected his thoughts and stared fixedly at the crack, not daring to move in the slightest. He waited an entire three seconds to make sure the fissure wasnt extending before heaving a sigh of relief. He was drenched in sweat by that time. The arachne suddenly realized that the others were looking at him with strange expressions. They were scanning every part of his body with malicious intent, and even Twilight was no exception. She kept staring at his vitals, hoping to figure something out. The prideful Basil was absolutely furious. Not only did these bastards not help him, but they were all looking at him with punishable expressions. Basil said with a clear voice, Thats all a small flower can do! Everyone looked at him like an idiot. A single flower had broken one of his limbs, yet he had the audacity to say that was all. What if a couple more of them appeared? Basil would most likely lose all of his legs and an arm as well. In addition to the schadenfreude, everyone was stunned by the power of the Red Spider Lily. It was even more terrifying than legends would have it. Just a single flower had injured an outstanding young arachne. Just how had Ge Situ taken a shot from the magnum and escaped with his life back then? Basil laughed loudly but found that no one was following along, their expressions fluctuant and restless. He was just about to spout more taunts when Twilight said with a weird expression, You said thats all a small flower can do? Basil was startled and felt that something wasnt quite right, but since he had spoken, there was no way he could take it back now. He nodded proudly, saying, I did, so what? Twilights expression turned even weirder as she pointed silently at Basils back. The arachne was somewhat angered. As he saw it, Twilight was a minor character he didnt even need to care about. Did she think she was equal in combat strength just because she was relatively good-looking? Fortunately, he was a peak character among the younger generation of the arachne race. Quickly realizing something was wrong, he glanced back and immediately felt his hair stand on end. A sea of red flowers was appearing before himthe netherworld flowers were swaying in the wind, ready to wither at a moments notice. This flower field contained countless flowers, hundreds if not thousands of them! A single red spider lily had broken one of Basils legs. The sea of flowers before the arachne was enough to kill him ten times over and still have the power to spare. He was completely stunned. The red spider lilies could bloom and wilt at a single thought. Basil fell into despair, knowing he could neither escape nor defend against this. On the contrary, he reached acceptance and sighed. Why is it me again? Because your mouth is vulgar Twilight mumbled to herself, but of course, she wouldnt say it out loud. Gazing at the sea of netherworld flowers, even those who had certain ideas didnt dare to move carelessly. This included arrogant fellows like Edward. The Red Spider Lilys special characteristic was clearly displayed on Basil. No one knew when the flowers would bloom or when it would wilt. The injury it produced was formless and unavoidable. Everyone retracted their auras, hoping the wielder of the magnum would not notice them. Otherwise, their lives would be in someone else''s hand just like Basil. Anwen was gazing at the sky all this time. Has Miss Ruoxi arrived? Why not make an appearance? A clear, gentle voice echoed in the sky, Did you want to lure me out and kill me just because I have no origin power? Anwen shook his head. Of course not! I promise, in the name of the demonkin young lord Before he could even finish, a young girl appeared in the air and looked down at him with an expression of mockery. Your promise is meaningless, but can you kill me even if I do appear? The girl hovering in the air was so beautiful that it was stifling, but her features were shrouded in a faint layer of mist that made it impossible to see her clearly. For some reason, Anwen turned away subconsciously and couldnt look straight into her eyes. Anwen only noticed his own action after looking away. Surprised, he looked back at the girl, and this time, he was prepared enough to not avoid her face. It was just that the mockery in her expression was now clearer, and that made Anwens face turn hot. Zhao Ruoxi looked down at the Evernight experts from above. Although there wasnt a shred of origin power about her, she had completely suppressed her opponents in terms of momentum. Just those flowers around her were enough to dissolve all untoward thoughts these proud geniuses might have had. Zhao Ruoxis appearance made the atmosphere heavy. Edward, Basil, and Eden exchanged glances, but neither of them could find a good solution. According to hearsay, the current wielder of the Red Spider Lily was frail and devoid of origin power. She had to travel with escorts because she would be completely drained after a single shot. That was why no one had imagined they would see her in such an environment, and no one in the crowd was intent on proving the legends now that she had appeared. The situation at hand became rather subtle. The countless red spider lilies before them would turn into a death trap at a moments notice. Are we going to get wiped out in one go? Eden transmitted a message to Anwen. No, there are too many red spider lilies. Some of them must be fake. The intelligence reports never said the magnum would be this powerful. Anwen had regained his calm. Then whats she waiting for? Perhaps? A thought popped up in Anwens mind. Zhao Ruoxi neither pulled the trigger nor said anything more. No one knew what she was thinking. The young Evernight experts hadnt lived long enough, so they naturally wouldnt act hastily, lest they get targeted. Most people had the same idea as Eden and Anwen. They didnt think Zhao Ruoxi could kill them all in one go, but there was no doubt that the single unlucky person she wanted to kill would die. This deadlock lasted for some time before Zhao Ruoxis eyes lit up. Found you! She hadnt even finished speaking when more than half of the red spider lilies around her withered. A muffled groan echoed in the air, sounding both surprised and painedit was the Demoness. A speck of radiance lit up in the distant void as countless motes of light flew toward Zhao Ruoxi like fireflies. Every mote of light would absorb the surrounding origin power and grow bigger along the way. In the blink of an eye, those countless specks of light had converged into a deluge of radiance flowing toward Zhao Ruoxi! This was the ultimate move the Demoness had used against Zhao Jundu back then. The flow of light wasnt as majestic as the attack back then, but it included more variations. The motes of light could gather together in one place or spread out, making it difficult for anyone to catch their trajectories. Under the ethereal guise of irregularity was a terrifying power that no one could contain. This was a showdown between the Demoness and Zhao Ruoxi, so the other vampires and arachne made no move. For some reason, Anwen also held back from a charge. He only stared at the battlefield, not willing to miss a single detail. Eden was the only one taking out his firearm, but his expression changed rapidly afterward. He soon discovered that he couldnt quite take aim at Zhao Ruoxi. She looked to be within reach in the air, but Eden knew that there was nothing there. The demonkin was first startled. He wanted to fire a round first and see, despite knowing that this shot would probably have no effect. This fight was a duel between Zhao Ruoxi and the Demoness but could the latter really contend against the power of the Red Spider Lily? Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1054: Value of Hostage The Demoness was, of course, no match for the Red Spider Lily. The netherworld flowers in front of Zhao Ruoxi withered one after the other as hollow defects appeared on the flowing radianceit was as though the stream of light was being bitten off by an invisible beast. That raging deluge of light was reduced to a trickle by the time it was in front of Zhao Ruoxi. What little remained of the flowing light was completely extinguished when the little girl blew on it. Such a result was extremely unexpected. Everyone had personally witnessed just how powerful the Demoness all-out attack was. Who wouldve thought Zhao Ruoxi would actually block it so easily. She didnt even need to put in that much effort. The red spider lilies near her had mostly withered, but there was still a sea of flowers on the ground. Those countless flowers stopped Edwards group from making any rash moves. Anwens expression was serious. No, this isnt right! The Red Spider Lily is so much more powerful than stated in the Evernight Councils records. Otherwise, Ge Situ simply couldnt have returned. How could she bring such a magnum into the Great Maelstrom? Eden said anxiously, Whatever the reason, shes already here. What do we do? Anwen laughed wryly, pointing at the sea of flowers. What else can we do? The terror is real. Eden glanced at the floral expanse in silence. The Demoness silhouette gradually emerged in the air and said in a serious tone, Youve already awakened the Red Spider Lilys final form? Zhao Ruoxi smiled faintly. I dont have any origin power, I dont understand what youre saying. The energy around the Demoness rippled briefly. Fine, we admit defeat. This Constellation Well is yours. Zhao Ruoxi revealed a mischievous smile. Admit defeat? How can it be that simple? Then what do you want? Zhao Ruoxi pointed at the Demoness and gestured with a curled finger. Im quite intrigued by you. They say the stronger a demonkin is, the more beautiful. Who knows if thats true or not. How about this? Disperse your demonic energy and get naked, let me check you out and touch you to my hearts content. Then, Ill let you go. If I refuse? The Demoness was quite calm, but her killing intent filled the earth and sky. If youre not willing, thats fine, too. Half of those below will return with their lives, but youll lose some skin even if you dont die. That is unless you escape from the Great Maelstrom. I can catch you anytime if you remain here, so Im sure to strip you bare at one point. Who wouldve thought this perilous situation would turn so weird? The expressions of Anwen and the other Evernight experts turned fairly odd. Many of them had lived under the Demoness shadow since a young age and were filled with reverence for her. None of them had ever had any inappropriate thoughts about her. Even Anwen, who many people considered the Demoness future companion, had firmly rejected this rumor. He knew deep down that this rumor would only bring him more trouble, and the Demoness had reminded him of the consequences more than just once. Her methods usually involved all kinds of taunts and sneers, leading up to a challenge and spar. This so-called sparring was nothing but a one-sided beatdown, and how intense the beating was dependent on her mood. The Demoness had finally met someone who was even more overbearing and dangerous. The Evernight experts felt complicated emotions, so much so that some were secretly looking forward to whether the Demoness would undress. People of sufficient strength and stature, like Edward and Basil, had seen the Demoness true appearance. People like Twilight, though, didnt know what she looked like, and the further removed ones had never even seen her shadow. Anwen was helpless to offer any assistance against absolute power. Many others were secretly delighted about the Demoness predicament and waiting to see how she would get herself out of this mess. As for helping or fleeing, neither was an option for the moment. With Basils broken leg as a living example, no one dared to take the lead. The reason was simple, whoever escaped first would be targeted by Zhao Ruoxi. The Evernight experts had seen the difference in strength and knew that being locked on meant death. Zhao Ruoxi herself had said that she could kill half the people here, which meant that the other half would have a chance at escaping. After a good while of silence, the Demoness said, Are you that confident? Zhao Ruoxi chuckled. I have no power at all, everything is the Red Spider Lilys power. So, I dont think my confidence is worth a mention. I just feel that this gun is strong enough to suppress all of you. If you dont want to be bullied, you can die. The Demoness said calmly, You might be able to bully them, but Im not so easily intimidated. Zhao Ruoxi laughed. Dealing with them isnt called bullying, its called slaughter. If Im not wrong, most of the top members of the younger generation are gathered here. Your faction will suffer greatly if I kill just half of them, not to mention a complete massacre. What does that have to do with me? As long as Im around, what does one more or one less of them matter? Oh? Zhao Ruoxi pointed at Anwen and Eden. These two fellows as well? Basil heaved a sigh of relief, with an ashen-faced Eden glaring at him. They dont matter. The Demoness was calm. Very well. Zhao Ruoxi smiled charmingly. Since you say so, I wont be holding back anymore. But I wonder what those old men from the Evernight Council will think when they find out that you couldve saved two geniuses by undressing but refused to do so. The Demoness said coldly, Do you think I care about those old bastards? Zhao Ruoxis smile remained unchanged. Do you think I care about the current you? Since youre not willing to undress, then you and your clansmen can die. Hundreds of red spider lilies appeared around her, and the sea of flowers on the ground began to ripple as well. It seemed the netherworld flowers would begin to wilt at the very next moment. Edward and Basil looked tense as they waited for developments. Anwen and Eden wore unsightly expressions, but they really didnt know if they should attack. Even if they wanted to, they couldnt lock onto Zhao Ruoxi at allwho knew if that young girl in the air was genuine or just a shadow? Even Anwen couldnt figure out how the Red Spider Lily had devoured the Demoness energy in the battle just now. Without knowing the mechanism, there was no way to defend against the attack. They could neither attack nor defend. This was a situation of sure-loss. The Demoness said after some silence, How can you be sure I dont have ways to deal with you? Zhao Ruoxi chuckled. The only way to deal with me is to get naked and let me do as I wish. The demonic energy around the Demoness surged wildly. Look at who this is before speaking. With that, a certain person appeared between the Demoness and Zhao Ruoxi. The latter was stunned. This person waved his fan gently as he said with a wry smile, Ruoxi, Im truly sorry. Who else but Song Zining could act so romantic despite being a captive? He looked rather relaxed and didnt look like he was wounded at all, but a dozen streaks of demonic energy were flickering around him, ready to turn into sharp blades that would dice him up. Zhao Ruoxi waved at Song Zining. You recognize me? Song Zining laughed wryly. Not only do I know you, but Im also acquainted with Qianye as well. Zhao Ruoxi nodded, and then said to the Demoness, This fellow is quite shameless, who do you want to trade him for? The Demoness said word by word, I want everyone and the right to use half of the Constellation Well. Zhao Ruoxi broke into a laugh. Even her pale lips seemed to turn brighter. Why do I feel that hes not worth that much? She then scanned the people on the ground. Let it be, lets grab a random person to trade. The Evernight Experts felt a chill run down their spine. They might have a fifty-fifty chance of escaping under a frontal assault from the Red Spider Lily, but they would surely turn into cannon fodder if they were to land between the two wrathful women. A bright red flower appeared amidst the people. It hovered one meter above the ground as its petals stretched out like threads. Edward and his group became tense, almost as though they had come face-to-face with a great enemy. They had to utilize their defenses, but they were also afraid that they would draw the danger onto themselves by using too much power. The Demoness didnt care about their survival, but she couldnt really let Zhao Ruoxi take them hostage. Following a cold snort, the demonic energy around Song Zining became clearer and began contracting tangibly. Song Zining still looked quite carefree, but his right hand could no longer move his folding fan. Faint crackling sounds could be heard as countless fissures appeared on the fan and blood dripped down from his fingernails down to his wrist. Zhao Ruoxi pursed her lips in feigned distress. Song Zining returned a wry smile but didnt say a single word. This owner of the Red Spider Lily looked pure, gentle, and dreamy-eyed, but her emotions had never fluctuated. The Demoness remained silent as well, bringing things to a stalemate. Stop right there! A gloomy voice arrived from a distance. This person was still several hundred meters away when he said the first word but had arrived at the scene when the last word was uttered. Qianyes silhouette flickered thrice and appeared beside Zhao Ruoxi like an illusion. The Demoness energy began to rage around her. You still dare to show yourself? You think I cant kill you? You wouldnt wait until now if you could. Then we Zhao Ruoxi cut off the Demoness. Enough, you can try killing him if you dare! The Demoness icy aura suddenly rushed to Song Zining. Its fine if I kill this one, right? She never finished her sentence, and the eruption that ensued wasnt from the demonic energy around Song Zining. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1055: Temporary Agreemen The fan in Song Zinings hand shattered and fell down in fragments. Several dots of light flew out from within, forming a palm-sized outline of leaf ribs, which then erupted in blinding light. Origin Detonation! The Demoness hadnt imagined that the man she had firmly suppressed with her domain could actually channel origin power. It was even more surprising that he would choose to detonate just as reinforcements had arrived. This detonation was so incisive that it looked like she would no longer be able to keep it under control. Qianyes expression shifted drastically. Zining! Surging waves of blood energy appeared in the air, shaking the network of black origin power in its wake. The Demoness hesitated for but a moment before opening up her demonic energy and allowing Qianyes domain to arrive. The two domains added together finally managed to suppress the almost-erupting daybreak origin power. That radiant leaf dimmed down and faded into the back of Song Zinings bloody palm. The seventh young masters smile remained the same. It was as though he had donned a mask over his emotions, and only his eyes revealed his incomparable resolution. Qianye said without hesitation, Speak your terms. The sea of blood, the network of darkness, and the occasionally appearing luminous leaf reached a subtle balance. The Demoness said after a period of silence, Well split the Constellation Well. These words reached everyone elses ears. The sharing of usage rights also implied a ceasefire. This moment, everyone noticed that the Demoness tone was somewhat different from before. The rule of the Evernight world was that the strong would make the rules, and the Demoness had never allowed the weak to speak terms with her. It was only at this point that she had decided to stand on equal grounds and make a promise she would keep. The Demoness terms didnt come as a surprise for Qianyes side. But Anwen, Edward, and Basil found it difficult to believe her decision. The right to use the Constellation Well represented Evernights interests, but letting go of a hostage for a temporary ceasefire didnt mean they wouldnt be killed afterward. Every reasonable person would pick the former, but such common sense did not exist for the Demoness. The Demoness had hunted Qianye down for so long in vain. Even a temporary ceasefire would be a sign of compromise on her part. How could she be willing to talk terms? Besides, something similar had happened before and she had not hesitated in the slightest back then, ultimately causing the entire Vermillion Prison clan to fall out with the demonkin elder assembly. Those who knew the Demoness were ready to fight for a chance at life. Who wouldve thought the Demoness would suggest such a condition? Qianye, of course, had no idea what those experts were thinking. He immediately turned toward Zhao Ruoxi after hearing the Demoness terms. Thats all? Zhao Ruoxi said nothing, but a red spider lily beside her withered. Basil, who had been watching nervously, jumped up in fright. Edward patted himself all over, Eden covered his eyes, and Anwen covered himself in a complicated polyhedron. But, they quickly discovered that nothing was happening. Only Qianye heard a voice, Brother. Whats up, Ruoxi? Nothing, I just wanted to try calling you that. The neutral lands, at the edge of the Eastern Sea continent. A vampire marquis suddenly halted in the blizzard, listening attentively to something. Jared, go ask the natives for a person. Yes, Your Highness. Who do you want? Zhuji. Understood. What if the natives refuse to cooperate? Then tell them that Ill kill a hundred of their people each day until they do. Yes, Your Highness. Go. ... Your Highness, what should I do afterward? Bring her here. Your Highness, this No this or that. Have you forgotten again? Yes, Your Highness. A weird, cautious silence pervaded the air around the Constellation Well. The camps of the Empire and Evernight stood on either side of the chasm. The Imperial camp stood close to the mountain and forest, overlooking the well. Despite its small size, it was well organized and impressive. Within the camp, Song Zining was carrying a newly carved wooden board. With a stretch of his finger, several leaves shot into the board, nailing it to the pole and filling the last gap in the outer fence. Although his cultivation wasnt low, he was sweating after all the manual labor. He wiped his sweat away and gazed enviously at the Evernight camp on the other side. The Evernight camp was much bigger. Not only was it four times in area, but there was also a tall sentry tower at its center. This structure actually had no use at all because the Demoness domain was a better sentry than any tower could hope to be. So what if they had assigned sentries on the tower? Be it Qianyes Bloodline Concealment or Song Zinings Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art were neither abilities any ordinary experts could see through. As for Zhao Ruoxi and her Red Spider Lily, they could even suppress the Demoness in the Great Maelstrom. This tower was hence just for show and to fulfill a sense of existence. Such a childish display of power had no effect on Qianye, and Song Zinings face was as thick as a wall, so he didnt mind either. But, someone was really angered. Song Zining wiped the sweat off his brows and was just about to drink some water when Zhao Ruoxis voice rang in his ears, Goofing off again! Have you built the camp? Have you done your chores? How are we going to sleep at night? Song Zining laughed wryly as he said to the flower that had appeared in front of him. Ruoxi Who allowed you to call me Ruoxi? Fine, fine. Young Miss Zhao, Ive never stopped working! Is this enough to exhaust a future strategist god of the Empire? Were in the Great Maelstrom now, not the Empire. Everything is several times more tiring than usual. I cant hold out anymore. Besides, a strategist god is no war god! Who can do this much apart from that monster, Qianye? Humph! My brother is naturally stronger than you! True, true. Qianye is the strongest, mightiest, and coolest. The series of shameless compliments worked well on Zhao Ruoxi. Her voice became much gentler as she said, You have good insight. However, she had underestimated just how thick Song Zinings face was. He immediately started following the lead. Thats a given. Im the future strategist god, how can I not know that much? Zhao Ruoxi merely snorted. Apparently, she no longer wanted to talk to him. Song Zining had just finished drinking when Qianye appeared from behind and slapped his shoulder. Mr. Future Strategist God, do tell us how you got caught. Blushing, Song Zining looked left and right. Ah, that. The camp hasnt been completed yet, I should go back to work. He was dragged back immediately. This camp has no big use, all it can do is stop some wild beasts. Now back to actual business! Song Zining glared at him. How can we rest without a proper camp? Where do we sleep at night? Qianye was stunned. Sleep? Of course we should cultivate, why sleep? The Great Maelstrom was a holy land for cultivation. Although the Constellation Well was far inferior compared to the high-gravity regions, it was still a couple of times better than the outside world. Who would sleep so thoughtlessly instead of forging ahead under such favorable circumstances? At first, Song Zining wanted to repeat Zhao Ruoxis words ad verbatim, but Qianye apparently had no sense of humor. Even someone of Song Zinings eloquence and wit could only give up. What business? How did you get caught? Well Song Zining laughed awkwardly, hoping to gloss over it. He failed miserably, of course. He stopped with the nonsense and got down to explaining the process. Song Zining had just stepped out of the high-gravity region when he fell headfirst into the Demoness domain. The seventh young master could perceive domains down to the finest details and was even stronger than Qianye in that regard. Immediately noticing that something wasnt quite right, he activated the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art to clear away the surrounding domain and got ready to flee. Who wouldve thought the Demoness would arrive in front of him in the blink of an eye? After a long battle with her, I grew exhausted and was subsequently captured Song Zining said fearlessly. Qianye naturally didnt believe Song Zining. Qianye was the true number one in terms of familiarity with the Demoness, even above Anwen. He cut Song Zining short, saying, It wouldve been a miracle if you had lasted three minutes. Song Zining turned red and silent. The majority of his power lay in the domain of the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, but it just so happened that domains were the Demoness forte. Being exposed made Song Zining redder and redder. He was just tidying his clothes when Qianye grabbed his wrist. How is your injury? Just now Song Zining whipped his hand back and looked about. Seeing that neither Zhao Ruoxi nor her flowers were nearby, he said in a whisper, Qianye, shouldnt you keep that little ancestor of yours in check? The seriousness in Qianyes heart dissipated after being diverted to such a topic. Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, he said, You do it if you want. Shes from your Zhao clan! Im an outsider. How do you want me to keep her in check? Song Zining gave it some thought. She wont be in danger with the Red Spider Lily in hand, even if shes messing around Qianye nodded. The Red Spider Lily seems to be much more powerful here, but the strain on her is actually smaller. Thats really odd. Song Zinings stance was firm. Even so, we cant let her stay here for too long. This is the Great Maelstrom, after all. The environmental effects are too great, and she has no origin power. Even if shes protected by the Red Spider Lily, we should be cautious. Qianye sighed. How do you want me to persuade her? No one could deal with her stubbornness. Song Zining said, Lets have her return once things are settled with the Constellation Well. As long as everyone maintains a unified opinion, she probably wont be too willful. That means having her round up the Imperial experts is actually a good thing. Before long, the origin power in the air rippled, and several figures came into view. In addition to Li Kuanglan, Ji Tianqing, Wei Potian, and Zhao Yuying, there were a number of Imperial experts who looked a bit familiar. Zhao Ruoxi flew into camp after everyone had arrived. Are there any others? The Red Spider Lily was unimaginably powerful. It was by relying on the summoning of red spider lilies that Zhao Ruoxi was able to search the entire surroundings of the Constellation Well and round up all the experts. However, Qianyes expression couldnt help but shift after seeing that giant wolf behind her. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1056: Ceasefire Time Wolf and man exchanged a short glance before the giant wolf shook his radiant mane and stepped into the camp behind Zhao Ruoxi. The corners of Qianyes eyes twitched momentarily, but he retained his silence. No one noticed this brief interlude. Only Song Zining looked up at Qianye, and then at their surroundings, in puzzlement. After confirming that everything was normal, he went back to arranging the tent flaps. There was no telling what would happen if the tent wasnt ready when the Young Miss wanted to rest. The agreement to split the Constellation Well between the two factions was, frankly speaking, a taking of turns to send people in. The Empire would condense origin crystals, while the Evernight side would produce origin blood, each faction happily taking what they required of the well. After all, the energy within the Constellation Well was as boundless as water in the ocean, and wouldnt dry up no matter how much was extracted. The well would be useless when each party had used up their stock of catalysts like the Storm Pearls and Blood Rods. Each side would then go on their way and the temporary ceasefire would stop. The Constellation Well had always been dedicated for the Empires use. Now that Evernight had found ways to make use of it as well, the Imperial experts felt uncomfortable after hearing about it. Although the Constellation Well was a traditional Imperial resource, it was only because Evernight had no benefits to speak of here. If the Evernight side could truly utilize the well and this news reached the outside world, the two factions would once again engage in a series of battles to fight for resources. In truth, whether or not Song Zining had acted as a catalyst, the vampires and arachne would not give up on an operation they had been preparing for many years. The Red Spider Lily had broken the balance between the younger generation, but it was also an excuse for people of a higher level to intervene. Despite seeing the potential benefits of this, none of them made use of this opportunity. After all, the price of bringing in a higher level character would have to be paid by all the peak characters of the younger generations. In a battle between long-lived creatures and short-lived ones, time wouldnt stand on the latters side. At this moment, the young experts of Evernight were standing near the well. They would be the first to enter and extract origin blood according to the agreement. Anwen stood at the center, saying to his left and right, Everyone, do you all remember what I just said? According to my calculations, there are five stars beneficial to the vampire race and seven for the arachne. Additionally, theres a crucial dark star thats extremely close to the grand origin of darkness. If you can sense its star power and draw upon it, the origin blood produced will be helpful even for a prince. Even if you can extract a tiny bit of its star power, it will produce a marquis-level origin blood. Edward said, You just categorized the stars in the well into four-grades. Is this dark star the highest? Anwen shook his head. Of course not. The dark star is powerful, but its definitely not at the apex in the Constellation Well. There are at least seven points of chaos in the well, and each of them is hiding an extremely powerful star. But its beyond my power to determine their attribute. A glint flickered in Edwards eyes. Its that powerful? If the dark star could produce prince-level origin blood, what would those seven mysterious stars produce? Could they be at the level of a great dark monarch? This kind of origin blood would be enough to shake the entire Evernight world! Anwen smiled wryly. Theyre powerful, of course. So powerful that I cant even figure out anything, let alone analyze their nature. If Your Excellency Edward can sense their star power, you could make an attempt. Edwards eyes flickered for a moment, but he soon shook his head. Let His Excellency Basil go first. Basil was in no rush to get into the action. Your Excellency Anwen, you said there are stars that benefit the vampires and arachne, but which ones can the demonkin use? There are a total of seven. Anwen pointed them out without hiding anything. On the other side of the chasm, the people of the Empire were gathered on a high ground. Li Kuanglan had a star map in her hands as she explained the markings to everyone. Those who had entered the Constellation Well before just listened casually as they knew just how insanely difficult it was to activate the power of the major stars. Zhao Yuyings eyes were filled with eager flame, and it looked like she was rearing to give it a try. The most confident person of the lot was Wei Potian, whose scalding glare kept hovering over those big stars. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan exchanged a glance. This is a competition between us and the younger generation of Evernight. Although therell be no bloodshed, it is definitely not less dangerous. The Empire has studied the Storm Pearl for many years, so we should have had a slight advantage in materials, but we ultimately cant surpass the other side. This The production of origin blood was related to the operators cultivation and largely dependent on the quality of their origin power. In fact, it was a contest of future potential. The Evernight side was disadvantaged in terms of catalyst and technique compared to the experienced Empire, but the quality of origin blood produced was fairly close or even better. What this meant was self-evident. Additionally, the origin blood extracted would produce a batch of geniuses, and that would, in turn, affect the future. Song Zining said seriously, The Evernight side knew nothing about the Constellation Well at first. How did they suddenly get the secret method to produce origin blood? Theres something fishy about this. If Im not wrong, someone from our side leaked this information to the Dark Races. Li Kuanglan frowned. This isnt the time to talk about these things. Ill ask the elder assembly to investigate once I get back. Small deals with the dark races are fine, but our family wont let go of anyone who leaked the secret of the Constellation Well, whoever it may be. The Jingtang Li Clan had studied the Constellation Well deeply, and they were also the ones who had produced the Storm Pearl. For the dark races to grasp these secrets overnight, these secrets had to have leaked from their family. Zhao Yuying sighed. Itd be nice if Old Fourth was here. Everyone exchanged glances and sighed in secret. In terms of talent, Zhao Jundu was the number one character of the Empires younger generation. If he were here to condense origin crystals, no one except the Demoness would be able to compare. They had Zhao Ruoxi around at the moment, but she had no origin power in her body and her terrifying power was entirely reliant on the Red Spider Lily. She simply had no way to condense origin crystals. Wei Potian laughed loudly. Whats there to be scared of? How can we lose with me, Wei Potian, around? Whack! Zhao Yuying smacked him on the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Stop boasting, everyone here is stronger than you. And do you think all the experts on the other side have assembled? I think less than half of them have gathered. Ignoring everything else, do you see any werewolves on the other side? The Summit Of Peaks has countless powerful experts! Wei Potian cowered in the face of Zhao Yuyings lecture, but Qianye felt fairly awkward and couldnt help but glance at the big dog. The intelligent creature immediately tucked his head and claws in, pretending to be asleep. Song Zining was the calm one. This is a good thing. We can take this opportunity to take a look at how powerful those fellows on the other side are. Well be better prepared when we meet them in the future. With that, Song Zining looked toward Zhao Ruoxi. Miss Ruoxi, this is not the right place to be willful. Please go back after things around the well are settled. Ill escort you back to the Imperial camp. I Zhao Ruoxi wasnt about to take Song Zinings advice. She was just about to retort when she saw Qianye looking at her. She suddenly became meek and lowered her head in silence. Ji Tianqing smiled. Okay, theres really no need to rush. Lets just deal with matters here first, then discuss what we should do. We would be running around the mountains without Ruoxi and her Red Spider Lily. The Demoness was simply too powerful in this generation. Her domain might be a bit weak against Qianye, but it was indefensible for other people. Besides, the vampires and arachne at the scene werent weak at all. If the Demoness could just get off her high horse and work together with them, even Qianye would suffer in her hands. At this point, Basil had once again entered the Constellation Well. The experts from the Imperial side stopped talking and observed the chasm in detail. This time, there was no outside interference, so Basil could finally concentrate on producing origin blood. Equipped with his previous experience, he was now quite familiar with the process, and before long, the spider egg in front of him had turned into a greyish white drop of origin blood. Delighted, Basil shot out a transparent spider web to seal and stow away the origin blood, and then flew out of the well. He looked back reluctantly as he was at the entrance of the Constellation Well. This drop of origin blood was only at the count-grade, an ordinary quality through and through. But success in and of itself could be considered a profit. Even origin blood of the count-grade would sell for sky-high prices in the Evernight world. There were countless old families among the dark races, and likable people with somewhat lacking talents were bound to appear. Count-grade origin blood was the most suitable for them because they wouldnt be able to use more powerful ones. Besides, the greatest benefit here was proving that the secret art was a success. He would gain great merits by just reporting back about the process and his experiences. At the thought of this, Basil shrugged and let out a short whistle, hoping to drink and celebrate his small fortune once everything was over. Before he could leave, Anwen dragged him back to ask a bunch of questions. The demonkin then stood motionless, surrounded by a large number of complicated shapes and symbols. Familiar people knew that Anwen had begun to meditate on the matter. On the empire side, Ji Tianqing said, Ill go down first. You guys observe carefully and memorize the incantations as quickly as possible, lest you forget when the time comes. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1057: Silent Contes With that, Ji Tianqing entered the Constellation Well and began condensing an origin crystal. Having done it once already, the lady was much faster than last time and had soon drawn upon the power of a dozen small stars. Two medium stars flickered momentarily before spitting out star power as well, and the energy eventually converged into the Storm Pearl. One would know at a single glance that Ji Tianqing had activated more stars than Basil had, and the quality of her product would be higher. It was just that human origin power capacity was a tad inferior to the dark races at the same level of cultivation, and the arachne were famous for their strength and deep origin power pools. Hence, there was no telling if Ji Tianqings origin crystal would be of a higher quality than Basils. After Ji Tianqing had gone down into the well, Li Kuanglan said, Our Jingtang Li Clan has our own set of comprehension regarding the well. Although the art itself is less profound than Tianqings, the condensed origin crystal wont be inferior. Those who find her technique unsuitable can use mine. With that, Li Kuanglan recited a summary of incantations. Both Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were addressing people like Zhao Yuying and Wei Potian who hadnt been to the Constellation Well before. The other Imperial experts had benefited from the sidelines, but having any amount of extra support against the dark races was a good thing. In less than an hour, Ji Tianqing drifted up from the well with an origin crystal. This one was of much greater quality than her first one, almost catching up to Qianyes high-quality crystal. The sky was already turning dark when Ji Tianqing returned, and both camps returned to rest. Edward and Anwen walked side by side, the latter explaining the main points of origin blood extraction without holding back. Edward listened intently and would bring up his own ideas from time to time. After returning to camp, Anwen asked, How do you feel about it? Edward said slowly, Ill probably be able to produce a marquis-level origin blood. Anwen nodded. It might not stop there if you can activate some of the key stars. Edward shook his head. Im not strong enough. Edward had always been a proud genius, but he wasnt blindly arrogant in the face of a true power gap. Anwen processed this Holy Sons character and made note in his mind. It wouldnt be a bad thing for the demonkin if all the top characters of the vampire races younger generation were this intelligent. The experts in the Imperial camp were mostly engaged in cultivation. Song Zining, though, was frowning in front of the bonfire. He suddenly stood up and patted Qianye on the shoulder. Follow me to the well. Qianye saw the Storm Pearl Song Zining was fiddling with. Dont tell me youre going to condense an origin crystal now? The night here cant be considered frigid, but it does weaken our vitality and origin power. Dont worry, I wont go into the well. Im only going to take a look. Since he had said so, Qianye felt that it was fine to accompany him to the well. The Imperial camp was a fair distance from their destination, and Qianye was afraid the Demoness would attack again if he were to let the seventh young master go alone. The two soon arrived at the well. Song Zining jumped up and stood in the air, deep in thought as he gazed at the sparkling stars below. Moments later, he returned to Qianyes side and said, Did you notice? Qianye was also looking down this whole time and felt that something wasnt quite right. Yet, he couldnt really pinpoint what was wrong. He thought that it was his own misconception at first, but now that Song Zining was asking him, something had to be out of place. Song Zining didnt keep up the suspense. He pointed to a certain direction, saying, See those stars? Those are the ones Tianqing drew star power from. That, that, and that too. After Song Zining pointed them out, Qianye understood what was wrong. Those stars havent recovered their star power! Indeed. Some time has passed already, but theres no change in them at all. If thats the case, it seems they might not recover any time soon. There were tens of thousands of stars in the well, and most of them were small flickering stars, the easiest type to sense and absorb from. Each condensation process would only activate a small number of stars. Even Qianyes attempt, during which he had drawn from a great number of them, was negligible compared to the whole. One would hardly notice this without careful observation. The fact that the absorbed stars didnt recover implied a lot of things. This was different from the Empires past understanding of the Constellation Well. The two factions reaching a temporary compromise was also based on the belief that the star power was boundless and that it would make no difference no matter who went in. Just as Qianye was thinking hard, Song Zining thought of something. Its not a true starry sky at the bottom of the well! Then what is it? Song Zining shook his head. I dont know, either. He gave it some thought before saying, If thats the case, we have to change our strategy a bit. The rest of us will go down for the condensation and you last, that way, your chances of sensing the bigger stars will increase. Qianye thought back to the process in detail and realized that it made sense. It was indeed quite difficult to find the special stars amidst the sea of smaller ones. At this moment, Anwen and Eden were seated face to face, the former explaining to him about the latest extraction process he had thought of. Eden waited until the explanation was done before asking, Why did you help Edward and the others perfect their methods? Wouldnt that increase the vampire races strength? Anwen smiled faintly. It will, but ours will increase even more. The gap between our races will only grow bigger and bigger. Eden remained half-skeptical. Anwen said with a smile, Dont think too much. You go down after Edward tomorrow, let me see if the new method is effective. The next day, the Evernight experts stood guard while Edward entered the Constellation Well. At the same time, they were also observing and learning the process. The Imperial crowd stood halfway up the mountain looking down at the well. Edward was, after all, a Holy Son who had survived blood torture and possessed a wisp of a Great Monarchs aura. His condensation process was extremely smooth, forming a marquis-level origin blood in a much shorter time compared to Basil. This outcome stirred up the Evernight experts and filled Anwen with anticipation. When it was the Empires turn, the one to appear was surprisingly not Li Kuanglan or Zhao Yuying, but Wei Potian instead. The mans characteristics were clearhe was outstanding in defense, but one grade inferior in other aspects, including cultivation talents. According to Anwens calculations, he would barely be able to form a crystal. Why would they let him take the field? Once inside the well, projections of mountain ranges appeared around Wei Potian to resist the gravitational power. His defensive specialization lessened his burden here, and the drain on his origin power was no faster than Ji Tianqing. No one knew whether it was sheer luck or a characteristic of the Thousand Mountains, but Wei Potian activated numerous stars in succession after entering the well. Although they were only minuscule stars, he managed to surprise everyone by drawing over a dozen of them. In the end, he managed to gain victory in numbers and form an origin crystal. Although the quality was rather mediocre, it was still a profit nonetheless. Anwen observed the process from afar, seemingly lost in thought. Eden had descended into the Constellation Well by this point, so Anwen pushed away all distractions and focused on Edens first try. Before long, dozens of stars were activated and their energy entered the blood rod in front of Eden. There were a total of seven medium-sized stars among them, to which Anwen nodded approvingly. He observed and calculated carefully in hopes of perfecting the origin blood formation process. One could see Eden fumbling about as the blood was almost formed. It was obvious that he was trying to sense some of the bigger stars, or even the dark star. However, he never succeeded up until his demonic energy was depleted, ultimately ending up with a count grade origin blood. Before this, Edward had managed to establish communication with a big star related to the vampire race. That was why he had managed to form a marquis-grade origin blood. Although he had only reached the weakest big star and the time was quite limited, it granted the end-product a qualitative upgrade. Eden wasnt too far off. The drop of origin blood he had collected was far superior to ordinary count-grade ones. With some luck, it could increase a demonkins talent to the virtuous count rank. After Eden exited the Constellation Well, Li Kuanglan entered the well from the Empires side. Her second performance was even more outstanding than Ji Tianqings. In the blink of an eye, she had activated dozens of small stars and the number was quickly increasing, eventually closing in on a hundred. Although she had only drawn upon two medium-sized stars, the number of smaller ones was much greater than Edens. It was truly difficult to say whose performance was better. Soon, Li Kuanglan successfully condensed a medium-grade origin crystal filled with icy aura. The quality was much higher than her first one and just shy of entering the high-quality range. The sky was almost dark at this point, and the gravitational power in the well had become chaotic. As such, the people from either side went back to rest and wait for the second day. Anwen was silently calculating in his tent when he thought of something. He suddenly rushed to the side of the well and looked down, his expression gradually changing. Whats the matter? The Demoness voice echoed in the air. Anwens expression was unsightly. I think weve been tricked, he couldnt help but sigh. The vampires and arachne had somehow managed to obtain the condensation method from the humans, but they never understood the secrets of the Constellation Well. If he werent here, or in constant calculation to surpass the other two races in method, perhaps no one wouldve noticed this small discrepancy. Despite his meticulous calculations, he still didnt know that this was the first time the well had displayed an unusual situation after being drained so quickly. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1058: Covert Fight, Secret Maneuvers Anwen pointed at the starry sky below. Look, it looks like there are countless stars in the well, but the number is actually finite. There are more stars that lean toward daybreak and less toward Evernight. That was not an issue before, but I just found out that these stars dont recover. While condensing origin crystals, the humans activated a large number of smaller stars. I thought it was because they werent strong enough, but it seems theyre doing it deliberately. You mean theyre trying to sweep through the small ones first, so that the others can sense the higher-ranked stars? Indeed. Those descending into the well would have to deal with the constant gravitational power at the bottom of the chasm while trying to sense star power and draw upon them. Even people like Edward and Eden would find it quite taxing. The more smaller stars there were, the greater the interference, and the more difficult it would be to communicate with the larger ones. Neither Basil nor Edward had cleared away the smaller stars on purpose. Eden also focused on sensing the bigger stars, and only accepted the smaller ones in passing. The smaller stars on the empires side had grown a fair bit thinner now that several experts had cleared them out. What do we do then? Anwen replied, Its nothing difficult. Anything humans can do, we can do as well. Well focus on clearing the smaller stars tomorrow, then you and I will take action. Our progress is but one day slower. Good idea. Anwen said, Im looking forward to what kind of origin blood the dark star can condense. The dark star, huh? Ill sate your curiosity. Anwen smiled. The Demoness seemed extremely confident when she said those words. Evernights candidate the next morning was rather surprising. It was actually Twilight. Twilight was a leading character among the younger generation of the vampire race, but she was clearly inferior to Anwen and the others. It wasnt even sure if she could condense origin blood in the well. Comparatively, the three vampire marquises might be a better choice. Their talents might be inferior to Twilight, but they had cultivated long enough and possessed greater blood energy capacity. But since Anwen had decided thus, no one found it appropriate to object. They only watched as Twilight descended into the well. Twilight rushed out of the well in just half an hour because she could no longer hold out. Naturally, the condensation process was a failure. Anwens expression was neutral. He simply brought the Evernight crowd back to camp without blaming Twilight. This time, the Empires side dispatched Zhao Yuying. As Duke Yous direct descendant, the girls talent and cultivation werent bad at all. She also possessed ample combat experience and strong willpower. She started wiping out the smaller stars after entering the well, and although not in the hundreds like Li Kuanglan, she managed to take out several dozens and came back with an origin crystal. Of course, absorbing the smaller stars meant that the crystals quality wasnt too good, and it barely reached the medium-grade. Despite that, Zhao Yuying had accomplished her missionnearly half of the smaller stars had been cleared away, and the difficulty in sensing the larger stars had decreased noticeably. Seeing Zhao Yuyings performance, Anwen contemplated for a moment before sending Basil in again. The arachne had actually gone in three times now. With a naturally voluminous origin power and strong body, he was no doubt the best candidate to sweep away the smaller stars. Basil didnt refuse, either. After all, an arachne origin blood would be produced every time he went down, which could only benefit him and his race. After arriving at the bottom of the well, Basil spat out a large spider web that stuck to every part of the space therein. These webs acted as nodes and began activating the numerous stars nearby. Basil quickly swept clean hundreds of smaller stars and at a rate that surprised even Anwen. The latter nodded in satisfaction, deciding that he would descend the well personally tomorrow and try to communicate with the bigger stars. As for the dark star, it wasnt that he was lacking in ambition, but the timing and method for that was extremely important. He would need the support of meticulous calculation and greater demonic energy capacity. The days competition ended there. It seemed like the humans had the advantage on the surface, but the Evernight side wasnt too far behind because there were fewer stars of the darkness attribute. Dawn arrived, and Song Zining took to the field from the Empires side. He waved his fan gently several times before folding and slapping his palm with it. Then, he leaped into the well. He was surrounded by dancing leaves and beautiful scenery during his descenttruly elegant, carefree, and romantic. Anwen watched Song Zinings ostentatious display with cold eyes and was, for some reason, filled with a sense of uneasiness. Song Zining soon came to a stop in the well. The increasing cloud of leaves expanded in all directions, almost as though they would cover the entire Constellation Well. The Evernight experts sneered at the great fanfare. Song Zining had activated more than a hundred small stars in one go, and the number was rising fast. At this rate, it wouldnt be a problem for him to draw upon three hundred smaller stars. The problem was that he would need one portion of origin power for every star he drew upon. Song Zining wouldnt have that much origin power even if he were to become a divine champion. This great momentum would result in a difficult ending that he wouldnt be able to avoid even if he were to stop now. As expected, Song Zining could no longer hold out after half an hour and had to fly out even sooner than Twilight. The condensation process was a failure. However, he had activated close to four hundred stars, leaving the bottom of the well full of flowing star power that had been wasted. Next up was Anwens turn to descend the well. His expression changed completely once he was inside. The star power Song Zining had left didnt disappear and was still surging inside the well. The speed of their dissipation was slower than anticipated, and it seemed more than just a couple of hours was needed for the well to be clean again. Every stream of star power would produce interference, let alone hundreds of themit was naturally quite distressing for the demonkin. Most importantly, this star power wasnt usable. Anwen couldnt absorb them even if he could sense them because their energy leaned toward the daybreak side, and it would only bring the dark races harm. All that abundance was just an annoyance for him. Countless complicated diagrams appeared around Anwen, encasing him entirely. The daybreak energy passing through them would gradually lose their power, while the darkness attribute star power remained unaffected. Anwen sneered. Trying to disrupt him with this cheap trick was a gross underestimation of the demonkin young lord. Anwen wanted Song Zining to know that him giving up the chance to condense an origin crystal did nothing. After filtering out the daybreak star power, Anwens mind became as calm as still water. His perception spread out in all directions in an attempt to communicate with the larger demonkin stars. Anwens target was neither the smaller or medium-sized stars; even the larger ones couldnt completely fulfill his expectations. However, he took the stable route by focusing on a couple of large stars first, thereby ensuring a reward before he attempted to assail the dark star. If possible, he also wanted to try sensing the seven most radiant stars in the Constellation Well. Anwen was quite confident in his abilities. He might not be the most powerful in terms of combat strength, but he was definitely one of the most intelligent. After several days of observation, he had uncovered a small part of the profundities of the well. A single scan connected him to dozens of medium-sized stars, but that wasnt his aim. It was merely a stepping stone toward his goal. He began calculating the location and flow of a group of medium-sized stars. A faint smile soon appeared on his face as a wisp of demonic energy stretched toward a large star whose power was beneficial to the demonkin race. Qianye and Song Zining were standing shoulder to shoulder halfway up the mountain, the formers eyes flickering with a blue radiance. Anwens demonic energy couldnt escape his True Sight despite the great distance. Qianyes brows rose as he observed the circuitous routeit would seem he had thought of something but wasnt too sure. Song Zining was full of praise. Outstanding as expected! Look at that demonic energy. He has already accounted for the surrounding star power and gravitational forces. Qianye observed carefully. His demonic energy is clearly intermittent, but it gives off a homogenous feeling as well. Why is that? Song Zining replied, The power of those large stars is so majestic that it warps the nearby space. We might be able to see them, but well never get to them if we travel in a straight line. The arts from the Li and Ji families use our own origin power as the foundation to draw upon the power of the nearby stars. The problem is that theyre really quite passive, absorbing whatever is nearby. Whether or not one can draw upon a large star is really dependent on luck. He paused for a moment. Of course, its not entirely just luck. The higher ones origin power quality is, the greater the attractive force, and the easier it is to activate the larger stars. Anwens method, on the other hand, is an attempt to row upstream to the source. Hes actually trying to crack the spatial distortions and directly communicate with the large stars. How ambitious! Qianye looked serious as Anwens demonic energy approached one of the large stars. It looks like hell succeed. Song Zining smiled mysteriously. Thats not certain! This young master wasnt idle while staying down in the well. Qianye shot him a glance, not knowing what to say. Song Zining was the one who had stayed the shortest inside the well. Anwens demonic energy was gradually thinning out as it approached the star, growing weaker at every turn inside the space. Lasting up to this point was because of the high quality of his demonic energy, which was fairly close to pure darkness. More importantly, he had made meticulous calculations to minimize the weakening of demonic energy. Without this capability, he would never be able to reach any large star even if he had several times the energy capacity. The demonic energy moved forward, successfully maneuvering two turns to arrive in front of the large star. The smile on Anwens face became more obvious. Among the large stars beneficial to the demonkin race, this was one of the two easiest ones to communicate with. Success was currently in reach, and he still had demonic energy to spare. He might even be able to attempt a different large star after this. Origin blood condensed from the star power of two large stars would definitely reach the glorious marquis grade, and might contain a fairly good ability as well. This drop of origin blood would add a core fighting power to the demonkin race. However, just as the demonic energy stretched out from a tricky bend, a mass of chaotic star power suddenly appeared from afar. It soon turned into a leaf, which flew in to intercept! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1059: Cheating At a Cos The flying leaf arrived at lightning speed and slashed the demonic energy into two! The fore-part of the demonic energy kept moving forward, but it gradually lost momentum. It did touch the edges of the large star and cause a ripple, but that was the extent of it. As the demonic energy dispersed, the fluctuating star power also calmed down eventually. Anwen gazed at everything in a daze, his face flushed red as he almost coughed up blood. Only now did he realize that Song Zining wasnt just fooling around in the well. He had actually laid down a sinister trap at the expense of failing his own condensation and focused on locking out the large stars Anwen might draw upon. In short, he gave up on an origin crystal in order to prevent Anwen from obtaining origin blood. This kind of harmful method almost made Anwen cough up blood. Destruction was always easier than construction, and the same applied to laying down a trap versus communicating with the star. Even though Song Zinings cultivation was far inferior compared to Anwen, it was more than enough to stir up trouble for the demonkin. Having failed at the last checkpoint, Anwen glanced furiously at Song Zining and then looked back at that large star, his face full of reluctance. He then shot out another stream of demonic energy that snaked toward the second large star. There was still some star power fluctuation around the previous large star, which proved that Song Zining had left more than just a single leaf there. Anwen wasnt about to fall for the same trick twice. Watching the demonic energy stretch forward, Anwen muttered in his mind, You cant seal off all the stars, can you? Song Zining naturally couldnt seal off all the big stars, and Anwen also suspected as much. Had the seventh young noble gotten lucky with that first one or had he calculated which stars were beneficial for the demonkin? Comparatively, Anwen would rather believe the former because calculating star power was an extremely complicated business. It was vastly different from ordinary divination, and someone as young as Song Zining probably never had time to study all of that. But Anwen finally understood, when his demonic energy was cut off by another leaf, that he had encountered an extremely bad situation. Song Zining probably knew which stars were useful to the demonkin. Watching his demonic energy gradually disappear, even someone as good-tempered as Anwen couldnt help but curse out loud. Anger surging in his heart, he shot out yet another stream of demonic energy with a flick of his fingers. This time, he went for the most difficult large star. The stars beneficial to the demonkin race possessed differing levels of star power. The more powerful they were, the greater the spatial distortions, and the more difficult it was to reach them. That was why Anwen had picked the two easiest stars in the beginning. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would set up an ambush around them, harming him twice in succession? Anwens current expression was as calm as still water after suppressing the flames of anger. It wasnt too difficult to crack Song Zinings trapall one needed to do was wait patiently, and his energy would gradually disperse. It was just that Anwen was already inside the well, so there was no other way out. Even if Song Zining knew which stars the demonkin were after, there was no way he couldve sealed every one of them. He wouldnt have been captured by the Demoness if he were that capable. Having watched things develop to this point, Qianye asked, Dont tell me you sealed all the stars on the Evernight side? Of course not, I cant and theres no need to. Just watch. Even without sealing off all the large stars, I can still give them a hard time. Qianye was in no rush. He simply watched as Anwens demonic energy weaved about and gradually approached a rather dim-looking star. This star wasnt bright, but it was extraordinarily big, almost one size larger than the previous two stars. It went without saying that its star power was also quite majestic. It only looked dim and dark because of its darkness attribute. Song Zining also observed in silence. There should be no problem now. Qianye, youre up next. Got it. Qianye didnt ask a lot of questions. Song Zining had to have his reasons for such an arrangement. The demonic energy had only traveled halfway at this point, but the difficulty appeared to be much higher than the previous times. Song Zining opened his fan and stretched it in front of Qianye. Memorize this incantation for now. You can try it if you have the energy to spare later on. This incantation looked rather familiar. Qianye had seen something similar in the Song Clan Ancient Scroll with only minute variations. He had completely memorized the chant after a brief read and soon came to understand its usage as well. This incantation was actually derived from the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art and mainly used to generate hidden leaves under the guise of star power. Frankly speaking, it was used to set up traps similar to Song Zinings. Qianye cultivated the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, possessed the peak Venus Dawn origin power, and even dabbled briefly in divination. Hence, channeling this art was no problem at all. After memorizing everything, he nodded at Song Zining. Its about time, lets watch the fun. Song Zining pointed at the Constellation Well with a smile. Inside the well, Anwens demonic energy had traversed the various obstructions to reach the edges of that large star. At this point, even Anwen was pale and sweating, and his aura was fluctuating. Any longer and he wouldnt even have the power to leave the well. Yet, he was just one step away from being able to absorb the star power from the large star. At this point, he wouldnt be able to absorb a lot of star power even if he were to go all out, and the origin blood produced would be hard-pressed to reach the glorious marquis grade. Even so, it was a victory for him if he could just touch the great star. Anwen calmed down as he controlled the demonic energy forward. Just as he was about to reach the big star, however, the star power nearby fluctuated in bursts and rippled out in all directions. Shaken, Anwen cried out internally but it was too late. The ripples had already passed over and completely ruptured his weakening demonic energy. The first two stars had shown star power ripples as well, but the intensity was nowhere near the most difficult star. Anwens mind immediately went blank, and only a single thought echoed inside his mind. Turns out he was waiting for me to come here Song Zining naturally couldnt seal all the large stars, and perhaps setting up the two easiest stars was his limit. There was no trap near the most difficult large star, but the celestial body was surging with star power and the tidal wave of energy coming from it was too much for the drained Anwen. Song Zining didnt even need to do anything before the demonkin buckled on his own. Anwen might have succeeded in his endeavor had he not failed twice before, but now that his defeat was set in stone, he could only return angrily. He glared at Song Zining while taking a deep breath, and then flew out of the Constellation Well. The seventh young noble led the Imperial group forward with a faint smile. He patted Qianyes shoulder, saying, Your turn. Anwen hadnt left when they arrived at the edge of the well. The Strategist God of the Empire is indeed ruthless. I admit defeat this time, but it wont be so easy next time. Song Zining smiled. Your praise fills my heart with fear. Ill be sure to plan things well so as not to disappoint you. I look forward to it. Anwen left without a second glance. He was already exhausted after attempting to communicate with three large stars, so much so that he couldnt even retaliate in kind. It seemed Qianye would have it easy this time. Qianye jumped into the well without so much as a word, riding the gravitational force into its depths. Having experienced the process once and observed both factions many times, he was fairly clear about what he should be doing. Qianye wasnt as adept in calculations, so he couldnt quite make use of the various transformations in the well. However, he possessed an advantage neither Song Zining nor Anwen did. Basically, the quantity and quality of absorbed star power depended on the quality of ones power. This time, Qianye reached a point ten meters deeper than the last before coming to a standstill. There, he fished out the Storm Pearl and glanced about with the Eye of Truth. After several adjustments, he gradually managed to filter out the chaotic imagery and leave behind only flickering stars. There were large stars beneficial to vampires, arachne, and demonkin. Naturally, there were stars beneficial to humans as well, and they were even more abundant. In truth, origin crystals formed from absorbing vampire and demonkin stars were also usable. They might even produce some rare abilities. After coming to a stop, Qianye didnt start working immediately. Instead, he meditated for a while until the large stars were clearer in his perception. Only then did a flame of scarlet gold light up on his fingertip and drill into the Storm Pearl. His first move had produced the purest of Venus Dawn power. As an origin power at the apex of daybreak, Venus Dawn brought about an incomparable attractive force for star power of a similar attribute. It had just appeared when one of the large stars on the daybreak side lit up and its star power streamed over torrentially. Such success was partially because Qianye had gone all out and also by virtue of the Imperial experts who had cleared away the smaller stars. This was especially true of Song Zining who had activated over three hundred smaller stars at the expense of his own failure, and secretly laid down a trap under their cover. That was akin to giving the star skies a round of bleeding. In Qianyes perception, the bottom of the well had become much cleaner. He accelerated the injection of Venus Dawn without holding back. The power from that large star grew brighter and more voluminous, almost like a rolling stream of fire as it merged with the Venus Dawn. It was as though a small sun had lit up inside the Storm Pearl. The binding of origin and star power roused more large stars. Before long, a second celestial body began spitting out star power. This doubled the rate of condensation inside the Storm Pearl, and the other large stars began stirring with even greater intensity. Qianye injected more origin power without any hesitation. With the two large stars acting as a foundation and no small to medium-sized stars to interfere, the quality of the forming crystal was clearly superior to the last. It was an outstanding product even among the high-grade crystals, but Qianye didnt stop there. He poured in even more Venus Dawn power in an attempt to draw upon more star power. Song Zining had just tricked Anwen ruthlessly. Considering the latters character, he probably wouldnt just take it lying down. It wasnt too hard to guess that this was the last time Qianye would be able to condense an origin crystal in peace. The Constellation Well would surely be full of dangerous traps the next time. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1060: Invisible Competition Outside of the Constellation Well, Anwen was quietly looking down at the stars from high ground. The large stars of the daybreak attribute were naturally brighter and even more dazzling when they were being absorbed. It wasnt just Anwen, but all of the Evernight experts were present to witness Qianye activate two large stars. Basil sighed. Who wouldve thought hed reach this stage? Anwen, hes already comparable to you, isnt he? Anwen said indifferently, In terms of quality, my demonic energy is slightly inferior. That is Venus Dawn, after all. Thats not that big of a difference. Speaking of which, Edward, doesnt that bastard have a vampire bloodline? That is indeed the case. Edwards expression was gloomy. He had fought Qianye before and knew that the latters bloodline power was even more powerful than his. If the man were a pureblooded vampire, there was no telling whether or not the title of holy son would be his to claim. Basil was baffled. How can he cultivate Venus Dawn with a vampire bloodline? No one had an answer to this question as it went against all common knowledge. It was at this time that Twilight gasped. A third! At the bottom of the well, three radiant stars had formed a triangle with Qianye at the center, and torrents of surging star power were flowing steadily into the Storm Pearl. At this point, the pearl had turned into a small sun, and the outline of a crystal was forming at the center of the bright light. For a moment, everyone was drawn to the center of the well, silent as they gazed at the three radiant stars. Moments later, Anwen said, Great planning! Twilight said, Clearing the small stars first, and then laying down a trap, allowing Qianye to condense an origin crystal without restrictions... Song Zinings trapping of Anwen seemed, at least at the moment, a victory for the Empire. What grade will this origin crystal be? Basil was curious. The vampires understood humans the most. Edward said, It might be at the peak of high-grade. Li Xu, explain things a bit. A hooded marquis stood out and removed his hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He bowed to the peak characters of the Evernight faction. Your Excellencies, you must be wondering why I have a human name. Its simple, I was a human from the Jingtang Li Clan until a couple of years ago. Anwen nodded all of a sudden. So thats how it is. I was wondering why the vampires suddenly got their hands on something like the hexagonal blood rod. As for the arachne He turned toward Basil. That must be a secret deal between your races. Edward and Basil were expressionless, pretending they didnt hear anything. Such a thing couldnt be announcedthey wouldnt admit it even if someone were to guess the matter. Eden snorted as he said to Li Xu, Youre already a marquis now. It seems the vampire race has made deep investments. Which duke granted you the embrace? Or is it a prince? Li Xu replied, This, I dont dare reply. Continue. Its the same whoever it is. Li Xu bowed. My authority in the Li family was high enough to come into contact with certain secret documents. According to their classification, there are a total of thirteen large stars beneficial to humans, one luminous star, and seven polar stars. Anwen shook his head. There are more than thirteen large stars on the daybreak side. There are at least twenty-four such stars or even more. Who knows? Li Xus expression changed slightly, unable to hide his astonishment. He had already witnessed Anwens ability during this period. Being able to state an exact number meant that he had perhaps surpassed the Li familys ancestor. Li Xu cleared his throat, saying, The luminous and polar stars are easier to recognize due to their brightness. Comparatively, the large stars are much vaguer the Li family records might be wrong as well. Edward butted in, Continue. Yes, Your Majesty. The humans have separated the origin crystal into four grades: ordinary, medium, high, and top-quality. Being able to absorb one big star will make it a high-grade crystal, and absorbing three and above will make it top-grade. According to this classification, a high-grade crystal corresponds to our marquis-grade origin blood, and the top-grade compares to our duke-grade. Everyone became serious after hearing this. Anwen saw this and said, The other faction gaining a glorious marquis isnt a big issue. Basil laughed wryly. What I fear is that it wont be just one. If they had numerous blood rods and white spider eggs, the empire had to have more than just one storm pearl. With all the obstructions cleared away, Qianye might be able to produce more than just one high-grade origin crystal. This would mean that the empire would gain not just one but a bunch of divine champions. Anwen said decisively, Thats fine as well! Dont forget that her highness hasnt taken to the field yet. Everyone felt spirited. It was at this time that everyone felt the scene brighten up a bit and were startled upon looking down. A fourth star!? At this point, there were four large stars around Qianye, and the rolling waves of star power were like streams of raging flames. The Storm Pearl in front of Qianye had long since melted away, and a crystal was currently growing rapidly inside the blaze. It felt like there was a bottomless black hole in front of Qianye, an entity that would devour everything. As vast amounts of origin power were poured in under the empowerment of the four large stars, the embryonic origin crystal began to emit a scorching aura, something even the roaring fire couldnt hide. According to Song Zinings original plan, this was when Qianye should stop, and then use what was left of his origin power to lay down a trap for the dark races. No matter where the snare was placed, it would still be a threat to them. However, Qianye could sense even more large stars stirring. After some thought, he decided to give up on the original plan and went all out into instilling the crystal with origin power. By the time the fifth, sixth and seventh stars lit up, the experts of Evernight were already shocked speechless. Finally, after absorbing and condensing star power from the seven large stars, Qianye jumped out of the Constellation Well and returned to the surface. Seeing that the process had stopped at seven stars, everyone from Evernight heaved a sigh of relief. But soon, they realized that there was really nothing to be relieved aboutthis was seven stars they were talking about! Qianye staggered somewhat after landing on the ground, and Wei Potian had to support him back to camp. Watching Qianyes receding figure, Anwen said, Is he really just rank-fifteen? Be it Edward, Basil, or Eden, all of them had exchanged blows with Qianye before. Basil smiled wryly. Wasnt it clear when you fought him? He only has six origin vortices. Are the daybreak stars easier to sense? Twilight asked. No! Anwen was certain. He remained silent for a good while before saying, Eden will go down tomorrow and clear away all the small stars for Her Highness. Anwen didnt continue the sentence, but everyone was clear about the implications. They were currently in a corner. Evernight wouldve lost this round if the Demoness couldnt take the dark star. At this moment, everyone in the Imperial camp was watching Qianyes origin crystal with bated breaths. The faint red crystal was surrounded by a halo on the outside and with golden fluids flowing about on the inside. A layer of scarlet gold flames would enshroud the crystal when barely activated with origin power, and it looked fairly similar to Venus Dawn. Ji Tianqing sighed after a period of observation. This crystal can produce origin flames close to Venus Dawn, which will add great power to both bullets and blades. From the looks of it, this one is probably at the top-grade! Were rich! Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulder. Qianye had never imagined that he would produce a top-grade origin crystal in just one try. An item of this grade was priceless in the Empire, not to mention one that could directly improve attack power. Many people would be willing to spend a fortune on this, but only the major clans would be able to afford it. Next, Eden and Zhao Yuying took to the field from either side. Their objectives were to clear away the small starsthey did produce results in the end, but the products were of the lowest grade. The next day, Anwen descended once more. Without Song Zinings interference, he activated four large stars in quick succession and condensed a duke-grade origin blood. There was no joy on Anwens face because Qianyes seven-star accomplishment had completely overshadowed him. This doesnt look good! Song Zinings expression shifted drastically. Anwen is clearing obstructions for the Demoness! Wei Potian was puzzled. Large stars are also obstructions? Song Zining said in a serious tone, They may be resources for us, but to the Demoness, even the large stars are just hindrances. Her target is the dark star! Ji Tianqing also looked worried. That dark star is enough to condense two drops of origin blood! And no one knows how powerful they will be. How about going down again to set up a trap? Song Zining shook his head. You need to be powerful enough to lay down traps. Locking down two large stars is my limit. I cant do anything against the dark star. Ji Tianqing sighed softly. Theres no other way then. If the Demoness can really activate the dark star, we can only let her do as she pleases. Whatever the outcome is, thatll be a problem for several years later. What should we do now? Everyone glanced at Song Zining. The seventh young master gave it some thought. A trap wont work a second time because all they need is to wait for a short while and itll disappear. So theres only one path aheadthey work on their product, and we work on ours. We might gain less profit than the other side, but it wont be too bad with Qianye around. In a comparison of strength, we will even get an upgrade. Everyone nodded. Qianye said, Let me go this time. After a day of rest, Qianye was not far off from his peak state and could try again. Song Zining pointed at Ji Tianqing. Miss Tianqing, you must have things you havent used, stop hiding them. Ji Tianqing was startled. Im not hiding anything! Song Zining said, Ive been observing the well and realized that instilling special origin power will grant the origin crystal special abilities. Our origin powers cant match up to the Venus Dawn, but we can try out certain special abilities. Who knows, maybe well find some delightful surprises. Ji Tianqing nodded. This plan was indeed feasible. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1061: Seven Sanguine Stars Qianye jumped into the well and descended gradually, stopping at the previous place once more. He looked down and saw the seven polar stars vaguely visible in an ocean of star power. It would naturally be easier to sense the star power if he were to go a bit deeper, but Qianye knew that he hadnt fully recovered. It wouldnt be worth the effort if he had to spend too much energy staying afloat. He released the Storm Pearl and observed it quietly for a bit. This wondrous object was a patch of neutral chaos in his vision, neither leaning toward daybreak nor Evernight. Qianye thought back to the condensation process at this point, and recalled that absorbing small to medium stars would produce different results. His Venus Dawn wasnt at its peak, and the large daybreak stars had been largely absorbedit would be even more difficult to activate new large stars. One could easily tell that this origin crystal was destined to be inferior. It was at this time that Qianye came up with an idea as he shot out a wisp of dark golden blood energy. Surprisingly, the Storm Pearl absorbed it entirely! A new horizon opened up in Qianyes perception. The world wasnt just daybreak but also full of Evernightthis well was no exception. As a human with daybreak origin power, it was only natural that he would put his focus on the daybreak side. Yet, wherever there was daybreak, there would be Evernight as well. Qianye had only focused on the daybreak side during the condensation process, and under the effects of Venus Dawn, the darker stars turned even darker. Instilling the dark golden blood energy into the Storm Pearl seemed to have removed a shroud over the entire Constellation Well, revealing an entirely different scenery. The dark-colored stars appeared one after another in Qianyes vision. The already visible Evernight stars became even more dazzling and began to reveal their characteristics. Several stars expressed themselves in a cinnabar red hue, their colors flowing like blood. Qianye counted seven such sanguine stars. They were vivid in Qianyes perception and could be activated at a moments notice. He had no idea that he had sensed two more stars than Anwen had calculated. Qianye hesitated for a while because he didnt know what effects a crystal condensed from the dark golden blood energy would have. Such a case was unprecedented. But there were more than enough Storm Pearls, and there was no reason to stop now that he had already begun. Qianye stopped thinking too much and began injecting dark golden blood energy, consequently activating the sanguine stars. The activation process went much smoother than expected. All seven stars were woken up in quick succession, and not a single one was left behind. Qianye quickly understood after some thought. His vampire side was even more powerful than his daybreak side, and his blood energy wouldve reached the marquis-rank if he hadnt been suppressing it. He wasnt at all inferior to Edward, and his combat strength was far above his peers due to the dark golden blood energy. In the wake of the surging star power, Qianye stopped thinking and focused his attention on the origin crystal. A commotion had broken out above the Constellation Well. Whats that? Did I see wrong? He activated all of the vampire stars. Eh a total of seven, two more than what Anwen said! Basil cried out while glancing at Edward. Hes clearing everything in one go! Edward, what will you do afterward? Edward looked away with a snort. He paid no attention to Basil, but his expression couldnt help but turn gloomy. All the vampires, including Twilight, were livid. As vampires, they had all sensed the wisp of aura that had leaked out from Qianye at the beginning of the condensation process. That degree of majesty and depth was virtually unheard of. Those Edward had brought along were all elites, and most of them had seen the Lightless Monarch. Qianyes aura might not be as tyrannical or wanton, but even Medanzo did not possess this degree of profundity and concentration. Some vampires exchanged glances, reading the same thoughts from each others eyes: could the rumors be true? Was Qianyes bloodline born of a certain prince? Only a handful of princes were active in the entire Vampire race, each of them a hegemon in their land. Even among the twelve major clans, there were only a few that could boast an active prince. Edward''s thoughts, however, were different. Glaring at Qianye from afar, he couldnt help but entertain thoughts of attacking. At this rate, the man would clear away all the stars beneficial to the vampire race. How was one to condense high-quality origin blood without star power from the large stars? Edward had already accumulated enough experience. Now that most of the small stars had been cleared, he was planning to make use of his great monarch aura to activate at least one large star. Who wouldve thought Qianye would abandon all the daybreak stars and actually turn his attention to the vampire ones? The Holy Son turned toward Anwen. This wont do, we must stop him! Anwen didnt reply, but Eden said coldly, What reason do we have to stop him? Hes absorbing from the vampire stars! Eden shrugged. There was no rule against that. Of course, you can draw upon the human stars as well if you cant take this lying down. This joke isnt funny, Edward said in a gloomy voice. Eden also turned serious. Im not joking, Your Excellency. If you cant accept this outcome and feel like you must stop Qianye, please wait until the agreement is over. If you must take action right now, then I apologize, our demonkin race wont be taking part. Edwards expression was, of course, unsightly to say the least. The corners of his lips twitched periodically, but he couldnt find a retort. Without the help of the demonkin, they wouldnt even be able to defeat a single Qianye, let alone Zhao Ruoxi and her Red Spider Lily. Without the Demoness keeping her busy, that young miss alone could wipe out all the vampires. Yet, having to give up just like that felt too stifling. He had spent a great fortune for these hexagonal blood rods and brought the best elites from his family. It was just that the demonkin were head and shoulders above them in the younger generation. Even Edensomeone whom Edward didnt consider a threat at allhad gotten exponentially more powerful and become a threat on the battlefield. Edward glanced at Basil and fell quiet thereafter. On the surface, it seemed like the vampires and arachne shared a fairly bad relationship, when in fact, the true upper echelon of the race had reserved the greatest degree of caution and hostility for the demonkin race. Edward only learned of this after passing the blood torture and becoming a part of the upper level. It wasnt certain Basil would know about this, and even if he did, there was nothing he could do. They wouldnt be able to beat the Empire even with Basil on their side. With no way out, Edward could only swallow his anger and glare down the well. Perhaps they would have to wait until the next opening of the Great Maelstrom in order to produce more origin blood. Watching the gradually dimming vampire stars, Edwards mood became heavier and heavier. At the bottom of the Constellation Well, the origin crystal in Qianyes hand had already taken shape. He had never imagined that he could condense origin crystals in such a manner. A crystal formed of dark golden blood energy and star power from vampire starswas it even usable? Either way, the only thing he could do at this point was to continue. He had already condensed a top-grade origin crystal, so there was no loss in it. Qianye continued a steady injection of dark golden blood energy, continuing the absorption of star power. His blood energy was still abundant at this point, and the Book of Darkness could provide him with a near-endless supply of essence blood for his blood core to ignite. Hence, he could hold out for fairly long. On the contrary, the seven sanguine stars were insufficient in their star power, and looked like they would fail to hold out until the end. After discovering this, in order to not leave any regrets, Qianye glanced toward the other Evernight stars. Qianye saw a fair number of large stars along the way, but they gave off a feeling of impurity and seemed to contain a mixture of strange powers. These were arachne stars. The spiders were rather adaptive and famed for their vitality. Absorbing such a heterogeneous mixture of power wasnt difficult for them. Some of the other stars were too dark and incompatible with the vital blood energy of the vampire race. These were naturally demonkin stars. There were also some stars belonging to the werewolves, but the only lycanthrope here was under the firm suppression of Zhao Ruoxi and simply didnt dare reveal his true appearance. Qianye was shaken as his gaze swept past a certain star. This celestial body looked rather unassuming, even after he had started condensing his origin crystal with the dark golden blood energy. However, Qianye immediately realized the reason after noticing it. Its star power contained a pure, unadulterated aura of darkness, one that was close to the peak of darkness origin power and a counterpart of his Venus Dawn. This type of pure darkness origin power was extremely difficult to utilize. Even though Qianye cultivated the Mystery Chapter, the darkness energy produced had to be absorbed by the blood core first, and then converted into dark golden blood energy. Now that the vampire stars were insufficient, absorbing this darkness power wasnt without its merits. At the thought of this, Qianye focused his attention on this star and formed a connection after some time. Anwens expression was full of shock, while Edens countenance was just like Edwards a while ago. The dark star! He actually activated the dark star! No one spoke these words out loud, only in their minds. The dark star was considered to have been reserved for the Demoness use, and Anwen was the only one ambitious enough to even make an attempt. The dark star possessed enough star power to convert two drops of origin blood. Producing two drops of duke-grade origin blood was a big enough contribution for a great dark monarch to personally confer a reward. Now, however, Qianye had begun drawing upon its star power. Having the carpet pulled out from under them, the Evernight crowds setback was self-evident. Yet, people like Anwen were too prideful to break their word as that was no different from a direct forfeit. Besides, there was nothing they could do with Zhao Ruoxi overseeing the situation. Their only hope now was that Qianye would leave some star power. The latters endurance and blood energy capacity far exceeded everyones expectations. He only stopped after robbing half of the dark stars power and flew out of the Constellation Well. Now what do we do? All eyes were on Anwen. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1062: Origin Blood Gem With his plans all messed up, Anwen said after some thought, Your Highness, its your turn. I wont leave anything for them. The Demoness voice appeared out of nowhere. Her tone was as calm as still water, and it sounded as though she was unmoved. However, everyone could feel that it was a bit forced. The Demoness was indeed outstanding, but as a Demonkin, she couldnt absorb daybreak star power. There was nothing else she could do apart from doing her best to absorb the dark star. After Qianye left the well, everyone crowded over for a chance to see the dark golden origin crystal in his hand. Such a crystal was unprecedented, and even Ji Tianqing, Song Zining, and Zhao Yuying were baffled. They would need to observe carefully before deciding on its grade. Since there was nothing to do for the time being, Qianye decided to rest and recover his energy. After a round of cultivation, Qianye began to think about things in idle leisure. Since even the dark golden blood energy could condense an origin crystal, what else was there on him that he could use? According to Song Zinings explanation, it seemed certain special arts would also produce similar effects. Speaking of arts, Qianye felt that the Wings of Inception could also be considered one. If the Wings of Inception counted, what about the Eye of Truth? It would seem anything was possible in the Constellation Well. And indeed anything could happen. The Demoness finally returned from her prolonged disappearance, and even then, she was hidden in a dense mist. No one could see her appearance or figure clearly. Doubtless, this would add to her drain. The gravitational power of the Constellation Well affected not just her body, but also origin power of various attributes as well. After entering the well, the Demoness activated a couple of large stars related to the demonkin and began absorbing their star power. Who wouldve thought she was just getting warmed up? These large stars couldnt sate her appetite at all. As expected, the Demoness demonic energy expanded before long and began creeping toward the dark star. Unlike Anwen, the Demoness utilized three streams of demonic energy in one go, having them advance along different routes. This display proved just how shocking her control capabilities were. Of the three demonic energies, two of them vanished halfway, and only the last one reached the borders of the dark star before it was destroyed. The first attempt came so close to success that all the Evernight experts became spirited. The Demoness didnt let them down, either. She went out again with five streams of demonic energy that marched toward the dark star from different directions. Ultimately, three out of the five demonic energies were routed. The last two reached the dark star and started drawing upon its star power. The human method placed the operator at the center of the process, allowing star power to accumulate toward them. Anwens method was to attack proactively, overcoming all obstructions to reach the stars. Both methods had their pros and cons. The human method was stable, and even the weaker people would be able to condense origin crystals. Its weak point was that the product would contain impurities and be of a lower grade. Anwens method was more ambitious, charging straight for the large stars and dark star from the get-go. The origin blood produced via this method would win out in quality, even though the blood rod and white spider egg were inferior to the Storm Pearl in quality. The final product would improve exponentially once the catalysts were improved later on. This method had its drawbacks as well, in that it posed great requirements upon the user. Ordinary experts would likely find themselves failing. Even Anwen himself couldn''t say for sure that he would succeed every time. This method, however, was the most suitable for the Demoness. She had communicated with the dark star during her first entry, and judging from her momentum, she might even be able to aim for higher-ranked ones. Anwens eyes landed on some evidently special stars. Their star powers were either scorching or dark, but the common quality was that they were all akin to the raging seas. Their radiance flickered constantly because they were so powerful that the space around them was severely warped. Even without Anwens knowledge, one could tell how difficult it would be to communicate with them. The empire possessed seven such stars, known as the seven polar stars or the seven primal stars. No matter what they were called, they each represented a dream for everyone who wished to one day absorb their star power. Since the Demoness had succeeded in drawing upon the dark star, the seven primal stars were no longer just a dream. Anwen became spirited as he began to calculate a method to reach these stars. Hundreds of complicated formulas and diagrams appeared around him, with numbers flowing down like rain. The diagrams became more complicated and the numbers increased, but there was no sign of the deduction being completed. After a good while, Anwen turned pale and broke out in sweat. After holding out for a while longer, the diagrams and formulas around him became distorted and disappeared. His expression was gloomy, apparently quite exhausted. At this moment, the Demoness had flown out of the well with a faint, ink-colored gem in her hand. Her demonic mist was fairly thin now, so much so that her figure was faintly discernible within. One could see that she had nearly hit empty. She tossed the gem to Anwen, saying, You can play with that for a couple of days, I''ll come and get it the day after tomorrow. Anwen caught the gem, and the Demoness vanished without a trace. From the words she had left behind, it seemed she would need one day and night to recover her demonic energy. All Evernight experts crowded around with greedy eyes, staring at the black gem in Anwens hands. This was an origin blood the Demoness had condensed from the power of the dark star. Its quality was so high that it had taken the form of a gem. Using this drop of origin blood would make a duke out of anyone but a complete idiot. And any duke had the qualifications to found a large family that could live on for many years. The only unfortunate thing was that this origin blood had the Demoness energy mixed into it. It was naturally a peerless treasure for the demonkin, but the effects were vastly inferior for the other races. After accounting for the drop in efficacy, the gem would be at the marquis-grade at most for the vampires. Anwen felt that the gem was rather heavy in his hands. The Demoness had sent a clear message by giving him this itemthat her ambitions wouldnt stop at the dark star, that she was interested in the seven primal stars. It was just that she would be hard-pressed to contact them at her level of strength. Hence, she wanted Anwen to calculate a possible route by referencing this piece of origin blood. She thinks so highly of me. Anwen laughed wryly. He waved the crowd away, saying, I need some peace and quiet. Dont ask me who should enter the well tomorrow. With that, he returned to his tent and started waging a war of numbers and formulas. On the empires side, everyone returned to camp in silence and sat down in Qianyes room. Fortunately, Qianye managed to plunder a small part of the dark star. Otherwise, they wouldve gained two more dukes. Wei Potian looked apprehensive. Zhao Yuying glared at him. Origin blood only grants the potential of a duke. The Evernight species grow at a much slower rate, and itll be a decade or so by the time theyre actual dukes. Whats the rush? Wei Potian shook his head. You cant say that. Well still be alive after the decade passes by. Even if we do die in battle, itll be a calamity for the next generation. These words were so righteous that Zhao Yuying had nothing to say. She simply snorted, saying, How come Ive never seen you loving the empire and its people so much? The others kept gazing at the origin crystal while the two bickered among themselves. In truth, they were still clueless after observing for a good while. Ji Tianqing finally looked up at Qianye. What exactly is this? An origin crystal. Qianye had always spoken short to the point. Of course I know that! But who has ever seen an origin crystal like that? Do you even know how to use it yourself? This origin crystal was formed with the dark golden blood energy as a foundation, filled with plundered energy from all the large vampire stars and a portion of the dark star. In terms of quality, it was doubtlessly a top-quality origin crystal. But its attribute was clearly leaning toward Evernight. Who would dare use it without knowing the effects? Even knowledgeable people like Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, and Song Zining could only figure out part of its function after studying it for some time. They didnt dare draw a conclusion just yet. Qianye picked up the origin crystal and closed his eyes. The main function of this origin crystal is to raise ones constitution. Raise ones constitution? Everyone was puzzled. After stirring up such a commotion and even robbing part of the dark stars power, it could only raise ones constitution? If that was the only ability, then it could barely be considered a high-grade origin crystal, let alone top. Ji Tianqing was more thorough. Thats not all, right? Are there any conflicting abilities that were canceled out? Qianye said with an awkward expression, No other abilities at all, just an upgrade to constitution. This Just as Ji Tianqing was at a loss about how to assess the situation, she heard a bark from behind her. Shocked out of her wits, she turned back to see that a snowy white dog with a golden mane had appeared behind her. Considering her skill, it wasnt natural for a large dog to approach her from behind without her noticing. Even if she was focused on the origin crystal, it still shouldnt have been this bad. But she recognized that the canine was Zhao Ruoxis pet, and it was likely some divine breed. Just in terms of demeanor, it was majestic and beautiful, a king among dogs. The Imperial crowd no longer existed for the dog as he stared fixedly at the crystal. His tongue came wagging out, dripping saliva all over the place. Qianye said unceremoniously, What are you looking at, dog? Theres no share for you in this! Woof! The large dog was furious. Stop messing around, Ill give you some bones later on. With that, Zhao Yuying grabbed the large dog by its scruff and tossed it to the side. Everyone was busy studying Qianyes origin crystal and in no mood to play with a dog. The dog, unwilling to leave, came running back after a while. Ji Tianqing still couldnt figure things out. She glared at Qianye, saying, Tell us, what exactly are its uses? Qianye hesitated for a while. It can improve ones constitution. Its just that the magnitude of it is quite big. How big? Ji Tianqing was a bit nervous. Qianye said, An ordinary human expert using this crystal will raise his constitution to the level of a virtuous count I guess. What!? Everyone was shocked. Li Kuanglan said, Doesnt that mean they can cultivate all those peerless arts, except the handful of secret ones. Ji Tianqing understood more in this regard. Correct! Wei Potian took a deep breath. T-This if thats true, then even a divine champion can use this piece of origin crystal! The Empirethroughout the thousand years of its historyonly had a handful of its secret records left behind, with many peerless secret arts vanishing into the river of time. Although there were ancient tomes, no one could cultivate them because humans lacked the physique to do so. If it could really allow one to take on the massive drain imposed by the inherited cultivation arts, even the most outstanding of divine champions would desire this origin crystal. Apart from peak characters like Zhang Boqian, no one would lament having too many secret arts. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1063: Starpower Aboil As Qianye arrived at the edge of the Constellation Well, everyone from the Evernight side stood quietly watching him. Although the Demoness was nowhere to be found, the stronger experts could still sense a vague fluctuation in the air. The Demoness also stopped hiding herself and allowed everyone to know that she was observing Qianye. Everyone wanted to know what Qianye would do after plundering the large vampire stars. There were a fair number of daybreak stars left, and the luminous star was also untouched. Compared to the Evernight stars that had to be divided among the major races, the daybreak ones were greater in number, and there was only one type. Although the differences were small, the dark races felt varying degrees of dislike for everything that contained even a little bit of daybreak attribute. What remained of the daybreak stars was enough to condense two more origin crystals, so everyone thought Qianye had his work cut out for him. However, that fellow actually ignored the daybreak stars and actually cleared away the star power meant for the vampires, even taking a good chunk of the dark star in the process. This made everyone gnash their teeth in indignation. Qianye was a vampire, after all, so sweeping through the vampire stars wasnt entirely unreasonable. Were these Evernight experts supposed to clean up the daybreak stars in retaliation? Even if they did, what were they going to do with it? This helplessness was what made the situation so loathsome. Qianye gradually entered the Constellation Well and stopped where he did last time. He produced the Storm Pearl but began to contemplate instead of taking immediate action. The Evernight people glanced at one another. Every second inside the Constellation Well would drain origin power, so time was of the greatest essence. Why would he think inside the well instead of outside? Everyone smelled a scheme brewing as they observed Qianyes every move with gloomy expressions. After a moment of contemplation, Qianyes aura suddenly showed some change. Everyone saw his aura fluctuatingit was sometimes vast and majestic, sometimes cryptic and mysterious. The attribute of his aura switched constantly between daybreak and Evernight, but it mostly remained in the dark range. Basil became nervous. Dont tell me this fellow is aiming for our races stars? Everyones expressions became complicated, with Twilight looking somewhat delighted at the misfortune. Qianyes attack last time had harmed the vampires the most, followed by the demonkinonly the arachne were unaffected. Hence, everyone was happy to see Qianye clearing away the arachne large stars. There was actually no point in the Evernight people remaining there. The dark star had very little energy left, and even if the Demoness were to take action, she would only be able to condense duke-grade origin blood. Considering her character, she would, at most, descend one more time. The vampire stars had been swept clean, so Edward had no more reason to stay. An ordinary drop of origin blood that might or might not reach the count-grade wasnt essential for him. As a vampire Holy Son, he could utilize much more resources than this. The only one who had something left to gain was Basil. Qianyes aura remained in a rolling boil inside the wellhe still hadnt made his move. The spectators were perturbed. They had a feeling that Qianye was harboring sinister intentions about the stars on their side. Qianye was actually in a predicament right now. He was able to sense the vampire stars with incomparable clarity after activating the Wings of Inception, but they simply wouldnt absorb such a level of star power. This level of energy was apparently too low in quality for the wings, so Qianye decided to give up after several attempts. He then tried several other secret arts in vain, even Excavator, which wasnt quite an art. Apparently, extracting star power wasnt as easy as he had thought. A good amount of time had passed after several fruitless attempts. Qianye knew he couldnt drag this on because every minute in the well was a drain on his origin power. After some thought, he once again channeled Venus Dawn and began condensing an origin crystal. He already had a top-grade product, but there was no such thing as too many of them. It was at this moment that Qianye remembered he had one thing left to try. The Book of Darkness appeared in response to his thought. The book immediately opened up on its own and dragged the pearl over. The book was shapeless and formless, so Qianye ended up opening his mouth to swallow the incoming Storm Pearl. In the blink of an eye, his perception stretched outward more than ten times. He could almost sense the entire starry sky and every star twinkling within it. Some of them contained energy as majestic as the seas, far exceeding the large stars. These were the seven polar stars Li Kuanglan had spoken of. After counting them, Qianye found that there were nine such celestial bodies, two of them so powerful that the space around them was warped badly. This served to hide them from normal perception. An outrageous thought appeared in Qianyes mind. Was the Book of Darkness going to sweep everything clean in one go? The thought had just appeared when the pages began to flip open one by one. The pages moved extremely fast, yet the last leaf was nowhere in sight. An invisible ripple spread out through the well, and all the stars in the well lit up at the same time! All star power was aboil! From the small, medium stars to the large ones, and even the dark and luminous starsevery one of them had lit up. Soon, a massive primal star began spitting out radiant light. The distorted space around it was leveled as energy gushed out like a waterfall and entered the Book of Darkness. Following the first star was the second, the third all the way up to the ninth. Those above the well, be it people from Evernight or the Empire, were dumbfounded. Qianye himself didnt know what was happening, and had no idea whether this rolling torrent of star power was a good thing or not. The Book of Darkness was like a bottomless abyss, devouring the incoming star power regardless of the amount. Additionally, it was also a picky eater. It would only draw upon the nine primal stars, and wouldnt even glance at the others, including the dark and luminous stars. Qianye could only play it by ear now. The Book of Darkness was extremely mysterious, and even Andruil couldnt give him any details. Qianye had to explore the tomes powers bit by bit after obtaining it. The Book of Darkness flipped faster and faster as it drew upon the nine primal stars. Anwens expression was unsightly, and no one knew what he was thinking. The Demoness voice echoed beside his ears. Whats he doing? ... I dont know. Anwen not knowing something was a rare case. The Demoness said after a period of silence, Im guessing these are the primal stars you speak of, turns out there are nine in total. Indeed, its almost impossible to discover the other two. I have no idea how he found them. It looks like hes using his own body as a catalyst material to absorb star power. The Demoness voice was odd. The star power from the primal stars burn fiercely. The body simply cant withstand a direct intake like that, even I dont dare do that. Is he courting death? A pensive Anwen laughed wryly. This fellow looks dumb, but hes actually quite smart. His only weakness is being too sentimental. Unless you take his friends and family hostage, chances of him committing suicide are quite low. Perhaps he can utilize the star power? Impossible! Unless his body is even stronger than Basil''s. How can a mere vampire do that? Anwen said, Dont forget that there are ancient vampires as well. Even an ancient vampire cant be stronger than Basil, hes a pure-blooded arachne royalty who, according to your classification, can be considered an ancient arachne as well. Even if we take a step back and say that they are stronger, theres no way they can withstand star power from a primal star. Nodding, Anwen glanced toward Qianye and remained silent with a frown on his face. At this moment, the nine primal stars had been exhausted. The Book of Darkness closed only after the last star had turned dim and faded into the depths of the starry sky. This entire process was completed in the time it took to brew a cup of tea. Everything happened so fast that many of the Evernight experts had no time to react before the nine primal stars had been plundered clean. A crystalline gem appeared on the cover of the Book of Darkness. It was the size of an egg with countless edges covering its surface and starlight glistening within. Qianyes heart was beating like a drum at this point, which was a sign that he had already spent too much origin power. Knowing that he couldnt stay any longer inside the well, he flew straight for the entrance. There was no time to check the changes in the book. The situation around the entrance was fairly delicate. Intentionally or otherwise, the Evernight experts approached the entrance of the well. Basil was at the front but came to a screeching halt when a red spider lily popped open in his path, his expression sour. He looked back, and then into the air, before ultimately stopping. At this point, Qianye had flown out of the well and arrived at the Empires side. It was too late to attack now. Only then did the netherworld flower fade away. By the time the Imperial group had returned to camp, Basil Shouted, Now its our turn, isnt it? Zhao Ruoxis voice echoed in the air, Go wild. Go wild? Basil was stunned, puzzled as to what those words meant. You may use the well to your hearts content. Dont tell me Were leaving. Basil was startled. The large daybreak stars still had star power left. Why would they leave just like that? Could it be that they had used up the Storm Pearls in their possession? At this point, several figures could be seen rushing away into the mountains. Qianyes group had really left. Basil broke into a laugh. Haha, then we wont hold back! He walked forward in large strides but was dumbfounded as he looked down the well. The star power inside the well was rolling about chaotically like a tempest. The space below the Constellation Well was an enclosed environment. The storm of star power had no place to drain, and thus, the reverberations never stopped. The danger level under such circumstances would increase several timeseven Basil felt somewhat apprehensive. Those human bastards! Basil couldnt help but curse. Apparently, the mess inside the well was because of Qianye. No wonder the humans left so generously. Basil looked back. Anwen, what now? Anwen looked down into the well. Looks like itll take half a month to calm down. Basil was stunned. Then what do we do? Wait? Anwen shook his head. Were not going to wait, see you. With that, Anwen and Eden left the scene. Basil glanced at the vampire race, but Edward shook his head. I dont have anything to do here, either. Lets just leave. The vampire stars had been cleared out by Qianye, so Edward had no reason to remain here. It was just that Basil had a fair number of white spider eggs left, so he was reluctant. Ill wait alone then! Edward walked a good distance before looking back. This is human territory. Be wary if youre staying here alone, they might just come back. Basil gazed blankly in front of him for a good while, but ultimately decided to follow Edward. He turned back reluctantly several times as he walked away. After everyone was gone and the world was calm, a giant, golden-maned wolf appeared near the well. Seeing that there was no one around, he dove straight into the well. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1064: Unresponsive Fate The people from the Empire left swiftly toward their fortress. They only stopped after half a day of travel, when they were a good distance from the Constellation Well. Along the way, Zhao Ruoxi was uncharacteristically sulky. She seemed somewhat distracted and didnt even stick to Qianye as she would usually do. Qianye didnt quite understand the reason, but he never got down to asking her as they were traveling in a rush. The Great Maelstrom was actually quite vast, and the group hadnt gotten too far from the high-gravity region even after a good while. The nights here were still dangerous, and there were a few powerful nocturnal beasts. Even people as reckless as Ji Tianqing and Zhao Yuying werent willing to travel through the night. After setting up camp to rest, everyone found some time to talk. At this point, everyones attention fell on the crystal Qianye had condensed. Zhao Yuying said, Lil Five, what good stuff did you produce. Broaden my horizons! Wei Potian nodded as though his head was a hammer. They all saw the chaotic star power at the bottom of the well, and knew that Qianye had swept all the primal stars clean. Something condensed from that much power might shock the entire world, so much so that a new grade might need to be coined above the top-grade. Qianye didnt know what to say, so he simply remained silent. The Book of Darkness and Wings of Inception were his greatest secretsespecially the former. It was something that no one must see. Once the tome was revealed to the world, it was sure to stir up great winds and waves. The star power from the nine primal stars had been absorbed by the Book of Darkness, and he never had the chance to examine the situation inside. How could he bring out an origin crystal? Song Zining probed, What, Qianye, is it not convenient to tell? Zhao Yuying said tactlessly, Whats there thats not convenient? Were all on the same side here. As I see it, youre the only stranger here, Song Seven. Song Zining coughed awkwardly. How can that be? Qianye and I share a deep friendship. Theres really no outsider here, everyone has a deep relationship He hadnt finished speaking when two incisive stares descended upon him and forced his words back down. There were so many people around, but Song Zining knew those gazes were coming from Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. He had just spoken casually, never expecting that the two would react with such intensity. He then recalled how they had spent several days with Qianye in the high-gravity region. Could it be... Such a guess could never be voiced. Noticing the awkward situation, Qianye said, Actually, its not inconvenient, but I havent figured out what happened. I dont know where the star power went after entering my body, and the Storm Pearl has also disappeared. Theres nothing? Song Zining found it strange. None at all. Qianye nodded. The Book of Darkness was of mysterious origins and Qianye wasnt about to let people find out. Everyone had different expressions upon hearing this, most of them concern and worry. It looked like the two factions were playing a game, even competing against one another, but that was only because the participants were the most outstanding characters. In truth, ordinary cultivators would find entering the well itself a perilous endeavor, and failing a condensation was commonplace. Zhao Yuying said, Thats strange. Lil Five, will your body be alright? The star power seems harmless, but its actually quite powerful. Absorbing that much might not be a good thing. Zhao Yuying had also entered the well before, so she knew just how scorching the star power was. It was as firm as steel and completely unmalleable. Such energy entering the body in large amounts would be a disaster. The least serious effect would be his origin power becoming impure, causing his future prospects to be cut off. That was also the reason why the Jingtang Li Family had spent so much effort to produce the Storm Pearl to serve as a medium for crystallization. Qianye hadnt just absorbed a little bit of star power. It could be said that all the others added together couldnt match up to him. One could easily imagine the perils a human medium would have to face during the transformation process. Seeing Zhao Yuyings concern, Qianye shook his head. Im fine, probably because my constitution is special. Qianye possessing a vampire bloodline was known to almost everyone by now, and Zhao Yuying wasnt about to flip through uncomfortable memories. Feeling that she had made a faux pas, she let out a sigh but didnt know how to console him. After this topic was over, everyone started discussing their harvests delightfully. Qianye had refined two top-grade crystals, each a peerless treasure in and of itself. Especially the crystal that could grant one a vampire constitution, it was something even divine champions would fight over. With this crystal, one could cultivate the many forbidden arts that were never an option before. Who would give up on the opportunity to open up closed doors? The others had their own harvests. Even the most mediocre of origin crystals could be sold for a good price. There was no such thing as too many of those. In the end, only Song Zining had taken a loss. He had cleared away numerous smaller daybreak stars and made Anwen suffer somewhat. The price for that, however, was him failing to condense an origin crystal. Ji Tianqing suggested compensating him, but Zhao Yuying strongly objected to the notion. The young miss of the Duke You manor had fought alongside Song Zining in numerous battles, but for some reason, she just didnt like him. Song Zining, though, didnt quite mind that. He waved his fan with a smile, saying, I dont care about such meager amounts. Money is not an issue after my business takes off. Even now, its just a number for me. Zhao Yuying couldnt stand all that boasting. Pray tell, what business are you dealing in? Song Zining smiled. Its not that big of a business, Im just planning to build some warships and sell them. Oh, airships eh? Zhao Yuying wasnt too subtle about things. Youre building warships? Warships? What standards are you using? Warships could be of varying standards. To be a bit shameless, one could install some small cannons on a civilian airship and call it a warship. Of course theyre built according to Imperial standards. These words caused everyone to exchange glances. There was ever only one set of standards for military warships, and that was something everyone knew. To force it a bit, building even an armored gunship would involve extraordinary costs, and not every family could afford them. To be a bit stricter, only vessels above the corvette class could be considered a warship. These hundred-meter monsters would weigh thousands of tons in materials alone. Even a rich clan like the Zhao couldnt produce that many warships for their own use, usually less than ten vessels spread across all sizes. This was a business only the high-ranking aristocratic families and the four major clans had access to. Song Zining setting one up was truly difficult to imagine. This boast was probably too excessive. But then again, Song Zining might be vague about unimportant stuff, but he was usually quite serious about important issues. He wouldnt spout nonsense regarding something like this. Where is your factory then? Wei Potian butted in. He was already thinking about whether he could get his hands on a warship before going back. Although he hadnt been on great terms with Song Zining during his younger years, as someone shouldering great responsibilities, he had already learned to prioritize the Wei clan. Song Zining pointed above. In the neutral lands. Ji Tianqings expression was odd. Youre placing your factory in the neutral lands? Where else, the Empire? Will they let me? Ji Tianqing only shook her head with a sigh. Night gradually descended upon them. The cold night breeze carried a chill that cut to the bone, causing everyone to shiver. Song Zining immediately produced his divination tokens and channeled his arts. However, the process didnt go off smoothly. He infused the tokens with a deluge of origin power, but they simply wouldnt budge. Hence, there was no outcome. Qianye wanted to persuade Song Zining to stop, but he didnt want to interrupt, either. Divination arts were clearly not so effective in the Great Maelstrom. However, Song Zining seemed to have sensed something. He gritted his teeth and refused to give up, focusing his entire being on continuing this divination. Time went by in this manner until finally, Song Zinings face turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Shocked, Qianye rushed over to help him. Whats wrong? Considering Song Zinings accomplishments in the field and how serious the backlash was, he had likely divined some major character. Qianye scanned the seventh young master with his perception and found that he was largely unharmed apart from the weakness. What exactly is going on? Song Zining wiped the blood from his mouth and glanced helplessly at Zhao Ruoxi. Its that sister of yours of course! Qianye turned around to see Zhao Ruoxi looking somewhere else. Knowing that she was feeling guilty, he asked, Ruoxi, whats going on? Zhao Ruoxi said with an innocent look, What? Theres nothing going on. Song Zining coughed. Young Miss, youve been here for some days now, and youve had your share of fun. Isnt it time to go back? If you dont return, her highness will flay me alive. Zhao Ruoxi knew she couldnt escape. Its your skin shes flaying, not mine. What does that have to do with me? Song Zining glanced at Qianye and found him looking around with a wry smile. This sister of his wasnt someone he could control. The seventh young master said seriously, Young Miss, dont you think the Red Spider Lilys a bit too powerful in here? Zhao Ruoxi finally looked back. Of course I did! Do you know the reason? I dont know, Song Zining replied as though it was all right and proper. Zhao Ruoxi became furious after recovering from the daze. She grabbed Red Spider Lily by the hilt and swung the magnum at Song Zining. This famed gun, known as the most sentient of them all, was being used as a hammer. Without using the netherworld flowers, the power of the Grand Magnum couldnt be displayed, and Zhao Ruoxi was nothing more than an ordinary girl. Song Zining blocked the attack casually and duly avoided a head concussion. Qianyes gaze flickered as he watched the two quarrel. He knew of this good friends reputationhe was pretty much a playboy who would take advantage of ladies in passing. However, it seemed as though Song Zining had changed into a different person today. He kept his hands tucked inside his sleeves and would avoid all direct contact with Zhao Ruoxi. This stunned Qianye. Song Zining finally managed to stop Zhao Ruoxi from escaping. Unable to hold back, he shouted, Young Miss, do you want us all to die? Because thats what will happen if you dont go back. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1065: Impending Calamity Zhao Ruoxi glared at Song Zining. Nonsense! Theres no way Id harm anyone. Despite saying that, she was still a young girl after all. She had enjoyed a good upbringing in the Zhao manor, and as the wielder of the Red Spider Lily, she was given preferential treatment wherever she went. What little thoughts she had was written all over her face. Even Wei Potian could tell that she was being stubborn, let alone the others. Song Zining tugged on Qianye, but the latter remained unmoved. He tugged much harder the next time, almost ripping the mans clothes in the process. Finally, Qianye could no longer ignore what was going on. He said with an awkward cough, Ruoxi, this place is too dangerous. You probably should go back soon. Zhao Ruoxis eyes turned red, almost as though she was about to burst into tears. Youre also driving me away Qianye felt distressed. Im not driving you away, but the Great Maelstrom is too dangerous, and youre also carrying the Red Spider Lily. Zhao Ruoxi looked up. You all feel that this gun is more important than me, is that right? Feeling his headache intensifying, Qianye had no choice but to explain, Of course not! The gun is inanimate, but theres nothing to replace you. How can it be more important? Who said its inanimate? She has her own soul and emotions. Zhao Ruoxi was furious. Qianye was completely defeated by her unreasonable state. Despite losing to Zhao Ruoxi verbally, his tone was unexpectedly harsh. No! You must go, now! Zhao Ruoxi hadnt expected Qianye to be so strict. She looked around in surprise, hoping to find some allies to her cause. However, neither Zhao Yuying nor Wei Potian met her gaze. No matter how they acted normally, the two of them were quite clear about what should be prioritized. Zhao Ruoxi and the Red Spider Lily couldnt be lost, and every extra day inside the Great Maelstrom was an extra day of danger. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan werent close to Zhao Ruoxi, so they simply stood watching from the sidelines. However, the former became rather pensive after seeing Qianye turn strict. Seeing that there was no help to be found, Zhao Ruoxi simply clung onto Qianyes arms and attached herself to him. Not going, Im not going whatever you say! Ji Tianqing asked at this point, Seventh Young Noble, what did you calculate just now. Song Zining hesitated just as he was about to speak. He then pointed at Qianye, saying, Im not going to be the bad guy this time, let him tell you. With all eyes upon him, Qianye could only brace himself and explain, I just sensed an inexplicable danger from the depths of the high-gravity region. This danger is related to Ruoxi and the Red Spider Lily. Is it because I killed a six-armed giant? Does it have companions? Ji Tianqing was the one to reply, Not only does it have comrades, but their numbers arent small, either. Qianye put Zhao Ruoxi on the ground and looked straight into her eyes. Its likely that some powerful being has sensed you and the Red Spider Lily. Itll be extremely dangerous if you dont leave now. How can there be any danger when I have her? Zhao Ruoxi wasnt satisfied. You cant say that for sure in the Great Maelstrom. Besides, the Red Spider Lily isnt entirely matchless even back in the Empire and Evernight. Zhao Ruoxis momentum fell, but she looked at Qianyes face and said, Anyway, Im not going! Li Kuanglan interrupted coldly, Young Miss Zhao, its fine if you dont leave, but all those around you will die once that existence arrives. Qianye is no exception, either, and he might be the first to die trying to protect you. Zhao Ruoxi glared at Li Kuanglan in anger. Who asked for your opinion!? Li Kuanglan wasnt angry. She replied in her usual iciness, The Zhao clan is powerful, but our Li family isnt afraid. Youre welcome to seek revenge at a later date if you so wish. Zhao Ruoxi had no good impression of the Li family, to begin with. Now that she was in an argument with Li Kuanglan, her eyes were filled with a dangerous glint. Humph, I know youre powerful, but theres danger everywhere in the world. Youll need to be careful to live a while longer. Li Kuanglan smiled. Killing someone with the Red Spider Lily will surely leave behind traces. My sister might not be skilled in other areas, but shes definitely a top authority in divination. Shell naturally find out who killed me. Our Li family might not be able to deal with the Zhao clan or Princess Gaoyi, but its not difficult to squish Consort Zhao. Zhao Ruoxis eyes turned cold. Youre courting death! Qianye finally couldnt watch on anymore. He stepped in between the two and broke their line of sight. He felt extremely distressed right now because Zhao Ruoxi was making such a big deal out of a small matter, so much so that she was showing true killing intent. With how powerful the Red Spider Lily was in the Great Maelstrom, no one could save Li Kuanglan if the girl wanted her dead. On one side was his own sister, while on the other was someone who was extremely close to him. Qianye didnt want any bloodshed between the two, so he decided to go out of character and try defusing the situation. Song Zinings expression changed again. The situation has changed! Itll be too late if you dont leave now! Who wouldve thought Zhao Ruoxi would just close her eyes and say, Im not leaving, you guys go! No one had expected her to be so wilful at a critical juncture. No one had a good solution, and Qianyes expression was unsightly. Considering everyones characters, they would likely stay behind and die together should danger descend. Ruoxi Qianye hadnt finished speaking when the girl cut him short. Im just that willful and troublesome! Qianye felt awkward, but seeing his sister on the verge of tears, he couldnt help but let out a long sigh. He simply couldnt say the words he had prepared. Song Zining suddenly approached with an odd expression and whispered something into Zhao Ruoxis ears. The girls eyes suddenly lit up. Really? Song Zining said decisively, When have I ever reneged on my words!? Zhao Ruoxi said, Everybody says the words you say to women cant be trusted! Song Zining blushed hard. Nonsense, theres no such thing! Oh, last time, I heard Xu Yuner from the Ling Dong Xu Family saying Song Zining was flustered. Hold it, hold it! Those are two completely different situations. How can those little girls compare to you? Are you saying Im old? Song Zining choked up and immediately turned away from the sensitive topic. You just have to trust me once. Its better than everyone dying. No one knew what she was thinking, but finally, she said, Fine, Ill trust you just this once. But if I find out you were lying to me, youd best be prepared to face the consequences. Im not like those little girls, our Zhao family is very vengeful! Yes, yes, I would never dare to lie to you! Just leave now, or itll be troublesome later on, Song Zining urged repeatedly. At this point, Ji Tianqings expression changed somewhat. She had apparently sensed something. Zhao Ruoxi hesitated for a moment. What will you guys do after I leave? With the Red Spider Lily gone, he naturally wont target us anymore. Besides, youre the only one who can go back directly. But the Demoness Song Zining shook his head. Shes not a problem. This place has become a source of calamity, shell be in big trouble if shes targeted by that fellow. Zhao Ruoxi stopped being headstrong. She glanced deeply at Qianye as countless red spider lilies engulfed her before vanishing. After Zhao Ruoxi was gone, Zhao Yuying noticed the strange expression on Wei Potians face. Dont listen to Ruoxis nonsense about the Zhao family ladies being vengeful. This mommy isnt that kind of person! Ive always been straightforward and candid, getting back at whoever owes me on the spot. Whats there to be vengeful about? Wei Potians expression shifted once more. Song Zining said, Theres not much time left, lets hurry. At this moment, a vague sense of danger had enveloped everyone, so much so that even the slow Wei Potian was somewhat moved. Naturally, no one dared to tarry, and they even stopped having apprehensions about traveling through the night. The group set out immediately toward the starting area. According to Song Zinings analysis, the gravity in the starting area was only a bit higher than the Evernight Continent, and the origin power wasnt too dense, either. To the fierce beasts and four-armed people from the high-gravity zone, the place was a barren wilderness. Staying here for prolonged periods would make them so uncomfortable that they would fail to display their full combat strength. The Empire had been operating in the Great Maelstrom for hundreds of years, so despite the modest number of people, the small fortress had been fully constructed. They were basically safe if they could flee into the fortifications. The two-armed and four-armed warriors had never appeared in the Empires area before. The captured humans were mostly subdued when they were exploring the high-gravity region. If worse came to worst, they could use the passage at the fortress to return to the Empire. Although it wasnt time to open yet, the return journey would be much easier and safer than during their entry. Considering this groups strength, there was a good chance they would be able to force their way through. That being said, everyone had a clear objective in mind as they fled. Among them, Qianye was the fastest because he possessed Spatial Flash. However, he refused to escape on his own, and would even slow down to take care of the slowest ones in the group. Needless to say, the slowest one in the group was Wei Potian. His cultivation was a tad lower than everyone else, and he could no longer hold out after an hour of running. Qianye grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him halfway into the air. He then traveled like a gust of wind and soon caught up to the main group. The Wei clan heir finally caught his breath and said intermittently, Qianye, when did you achieve such a high level in divination? Divination? I know just as little as you do. Then how did you sense the danger? To be honest, I still havent sensed anything, and I have no idea why you guys are so nervous. Speaking of this matter, Qianye had only discovered that something was off after seeing Song Zining performing divination and asking Zhao Ruoxi to leave. Back then, he was observing the changes in the Book of Darkness when his perception spread out in all directions with the aid of the mysterious tome. It was just like when he was inside the Constellation Well. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1066: The Book of Darkness: Flourish The group traveled swiftly for one day and night, only heaving a sigh of relief when they were a bit further from the high-gravity region. Among them, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were of higher cultivation and possessed a large repertoire of secret arts. Zhao Yuying, on the other hand, wasn''t adept at long-distance running, so she had to stop and catch her breath. Qianye was half-dead from exhaustion because he had to carry Wei Potian all the way. Fortunately, the group could no longer sense the threat they had been feeling before. After pitching the tent, they immediately started cultivating as no one had the energy left to talk. Song Zining set up several drifting leaves around the camp to serve as a warning. As someone with a vampire constitution, Qianye could recover swiftly as long as there was essence blood. After channeling a cycle of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, most of his origin power had been replenished. He opened his eyes and glanced around to find that Ji Tianqing was only half recoveredand she was regenerating the quickest. Now that he had some time, Qianye began observing the Book of Darkness. After opening the book, he noticed that the first page had an extra line on it. Chapter Two: Flourish. After Genesis, it shouldve been Refinement, but the latter had not only grown smaller, but it had also been pushed to the bottom of the page where the epilogue should be. This Flourish Chapter was the true second chapter of the Book of Darkness. Remembering something, Qianye flipped the book to the Genesis chapter. He had read its contents countless timesa speck of light appeared in the middle of nothingness and expanded in all directions. It would be correct to say that the void wasnt nothingness. Qianye found out from the Book of Darkness that it was also a certain existence. There was only nothing before the void was born: no space, no time, no material, no spirit. Nothing existed in that expanse of darkness. The universe was only born with the expansion of the void. Although he had watched this play out many times, Qianye could hardly understand what was there before the void expanded. What did the void occupy? Nothingness was easy to describe as a word, but it was beyond difficult to imagine. Without further thought, Qianye flipped to the second chapter, Flourish. Represented by the ancient words for Flourish, the second chapter talked about how myriad life appeared amidst the first radiance. Light gave birth to mist, mist produced clouds, and stars gradually appeared amidst the clouds. Then, one after another, non-burning planets appeared between the stars. As the number of stars and planets increased, floating continents appeared as well, each forming their own little realm. Qianye watched this record of creation with bated breath, and was almost lost in it. In the blink of an eye, the entire sky was filled with stars, continents, and planets, each with its own flourishing heaven and earth. The Book of Darkness wasnt big, but it was able to replay the creation of a thousand realms. It was an incomparably awesome ability, but there was no immediate use for that. At the very least, Qianye couldnt see how this would increase his strength. The Book of Darkness took but a moment to replay the evolution of this world. Qianye opened his eyes to find that not much time had passedJi Tianqing had only recovered eighty percent of her energy, let alone the others. As such, he sunk his consciousness into the book to comprehend the evolution process. After repeated observations, Qianye got the sudden idea to try focusing his attention on certain stars. The Book of Darkness began drawing on his blood energy and origin power to magnify the star until it was the size of a rice-grain. Qianye could now see that it was a ball of raging flames. There were clouds of misty energy swirling around the star, forming a belt of light. If this star was a true world, then it would be incredibly big. The ring of light around it was even bigger, so much so that Qianye couldnt figure out how to measure it. Looking at the Book of Darkness, Qianye knew he was looking at the entire universe. His consciousness was incomparably small compared to the vastness of time and space. This made him tremble involuntarily. Qianye was suddenly shaken. Thats void origin power! The void origin power in the ring of light was so dense that it was glowing. One could easily imagine how intense the energy there was. Looking at the belt of light, Qianye felt that it was somewhat similar to an origin vortex. Humans would cultivate until origin power condensed from gaseous to liquid state, and then form an origin vortex. This process was quite similar to how the starry mists condensed into starry clouds during creation. According to this train of thought, werent those planets comparable to the origin crystals formed after becoming a divine champion? Qianye studied the ring of light carefully, and found that there were countless specks of origin power being drawn in by the central star, which were then radiated back into the cold, dark void in the form of fire and light. He then thought back to the process of creation and was suddenly enlightened. It turned out that human cultivation integrated the concepts of Genesis itself. The founding ancestor who had pioneered the path of cultivation had to be an unparalleled genius! While he was shaken by the discovery, another question appeared in his mind. He had looked up at the starry skies before and had also traveled between continents. He had also experienced the void itself briefly during his fight with Linken. Be it on the Western, Transcendent, or Evernight Continent, whether he was in the void or standing at the edge of the continent, the stars above all looked the same. The records left behind by peerless Imperial experts say that the stars hanging in the sky were extremely distantthe distance was unimaginable. The entire universe, except for the planets and continents, was occupied by a cold, empty void that filled one with despair. Those peerless experts exploring the void had to be prepared to never return. That made sense because even vampires, with their ten thousand years of life, might not be able to reach those distant planets. That being said, how did the founding ancestor know about the creation of this world? Qianye knew there was no answer to this question. Perhaps one of the predecessors possessed something akin to the Book of Darkness. Having figured out the origins of human cultivation, Qianyes thoughts were affected by the enlightenment. He simply emptied his mind and began meditating on the evolution of the universe. Gradually, his aura became empty, faint, and suffused with an indescribable flavor. He remained immersed for an unknown length of time before an alert to danger dragged him back from his thoughts. The earth trembled as killing intent rushed into the air from all directions. The sky was no longer dark but filled with an eerie golden-green and flashes of extreme light. At this point, even the slowest person could tell that things werent looking good. Shocked out of his wits, Qianye wondered why he had only reacted at this point. Everyone woke up in surprise, exchanging glances with unsightly expressions. Song Zining picked up a floating leaf and crushed it with a solemn expression. Theyre outside my domains range, so I couldnt sense them. Thats odd, how did they know we were resting here? Qianye frowned. We werent slow. How did they even catch up? At this point, they had been surrounded in all directions by a big army. It made sense if a couple of fierce beasts had caught up to them, but Qianyes group had been traveling at extreme speeds. Only a divine champion like the Wolf King would be able to catch up to them. Ji Tianqing said all of a sudden, The Great Maelstrom is their domain, anything can happen. What do we do now? Zhao Yuying couldnt help but ask. Those in the group were the strongest and most resolute the Empires younger generation had to offer. Besides, they were led by Song Zining, known as the future god strategist. Song Zining and Ji Tianqing whispered amongst themselves for a bit. We gather in one place and break out of the encirclement. This direction! Qianye glanced in that direction and found that the killing intent there was indeed a bit weaker, but that route did not lead toward the Imperial fortress. Zhao Yuying said with a frown, This isnt the right way, is it? Since they can intercept us here, theyll surely have an ambush set up on the way to the Imperial fortress. Are they that smart? Zhao Yuying was surprised. Song Zining took a deep breath. I dont know whats outside, but how can they not be intelligent when they managed to surround us? Ji Tianqing replied, Lets charge out first and well see. Everyone agreed. They soon formed a small combat squad with Qianye at the van, and Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan on either side of him. These two were the most powerful and thus the most suitable to accompany Qianye on the charge. As a long-range shooter, Zhao Yuying was at the center of the lineup. Wei Potian served as the rear guard, while Song Zining would roam the battlefield. Qianye retracted his aura and moved alone toward the encirclement. He was planning to approach the enemy before erupting in power. However, killing intent surged as he was a hundred meters away from the enemy, and there was more coming in from the left and right. Qianye cried out in alarm, knowing that he had been compromised. As such, he stood up and charged at top speed! Countless tall figures appeared under the night sky. Their ferocity was boundless, and their four arms looked exceptionally sinister with many different weapons in their grasp. Seeing that the enemy were indeed four-armed warriors, Qianye felt a bit more relieved and focused. He had fought numerous risky battles in the high-gravity region, and couldnt be more familiar with the four-armed warriors. However, things were different this time. The four-armed natives formed a dense sea of warriors under the moonlight, and there were almost too many to count. It was a mystery how so many four-armed warriors had appeared out of nowhere. The danger at present stopped Qianye from overthinking things. He let out a loud shout as he activated Spatial Flash and appeared in the midst of the four-armed natives. There, he activated the full power of his oceanic domain and brought boundless weight crashing down upon them! However, the four-armed warriors had long since gotten used to ten-times the gravity. They were even more mobile under the domain as they crowded toward Qianye. This was what he wanted. Blood color appeared in his eyes as countless sanguine threads shot out in all directions, stabbing into the bodies of the four-armed people. Life Plunder! At this point, this killer move had gotten even stronger with the upgrade to Qianyes blood energy. The fine threads of blood were incomparably sharpeven the strong bodies of the four-armed natives were penetrated by several sanguine threads. Not just that, they would usually pierce through several four-armed warriors in one go. After the sanguine threads were drawn back, each of them brought back a crystalline drop of essence blood. The four-armed natives contained extreme amounts of essence blood, each comparable to a count. With such a great amount of essence blood entering his body, Qianye felt as though he was about to burst. He couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. The stabbed four-armed natives staggered, but only a dozen or so of them collapsed, while the remainder were alive. One could see from this just how powerful their vitality was. Following Life Plunder, the four-armed natives in the area became extremely weak. The crowd behind Qianye rushed forward and broke out of the encirclement. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1067: Six-Armed Gian Relying on Qianyes sudden assault, the Imperial group rushed out of the encirclement and fled at full speed. The camp had been surrounded on all sides. If the weakest side was made up of hundreds of four-armed warriors, one could easily imagine how much more there would be on the other sides. How had they not sensed such an accumulation of four-armed natives? No one was in the mood to think too deeply into this issue. They were focused on fleeing because any delay would leave them surrounded by the four-armed soldiers, sealing their fate. Qianye reduced his speed somewhat and fell back to the rear end of the group to keep watch. Wei Potian, on the other hand, was charging at the very front, intent on fleeing for his life. No one had the extra energy to help him, so he could only charge ahead at full speed. He had no time to observe anything else, lest he drags down the entire group. Song Zining ran alongside Qianye, the flying leaves around him acting as sentries. Qianye looked back and saw that the four-armed warriors had been left far behind, but the danger in his heart increased instead. Theres no way theyd let us go like that after amassing so many people, right? Song Zining laughed wryly. He pointed in a certain direction, saying, Of course, its impossible. In front of the group, a giant figure was standing up as though it had just awakened from a dream. Even from a great distance, everyone could clearly see that the figure was dozens of meters tall, its arms spread out like a demonic god. The worst part was the bow it was holding! Careful! Qianyes voice hadnt even trailed off when the giant nocked an arrow and fired! Despite the massive frame, the giants movements were as swift as lightning. The entire process was completed in one go, not giving anyone the time to react. The top young geniuses of the Empire only realized when the arrow was about to strike. This projectile was several meters long and as thick as a persons thigh, not so far off from the ballista bolts used on Imperial warships. Qianyes heart sank. Everything produced in the high-gravity region was extremely firm and shockingly heavy. This giant arrow was as heavy as a mountain and moving at such great speed. How was one to block it? Wei Potian was at the front of the group. Evasion was never his forte, and even if it was, he knew he couldnt. He simply stood firm and unleashed a loud roar. He was surrounded in a solemn aura as an illusory mountain appeared above him. Immediately afterward, one mountain became two, two mountains became four, and four mountains soon transformed into an entire mountain range around the group. At the juncture of life and death, Wei Potian managed to squeeze out every bit of his potential. The Thousand Mountains had actually reached a stage of initial success, attaining the realm of a thousand immovable peaks. Despite that, a single person was nowhere near enough to contend with the heavy arrow fired by a six-armed giant. The bolt crashed into the projection, immediately shattering the countless mountain peaks. Wei Potian coughed up a mouthful of blood at the same time, but he stood tall and continued to channel his origin power. The shattered mountains in the air broke down into smaller fragments, which then transformed into a pool of yellow sand around the heavy arrow. It was an attempt to borrow the projectiles incoming momentum to deflect it! This transformation from firm to soft was extremely clever. Qianye wouldve shouted good job if they werent in a perilous situation. The heavy arrows direction began to shift, and it seemed like it would fly horizontally overhead. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan appeared on either side of the giant projectile and gave it a coordinated lift. The giant bolt turned upward and shot diagonally into the night sky. The two girls sunk into the ground from the recoil and also coughed up blood. Zhao Yuying was pale from the suppressive might of the arrow, and for a while, she couldnt even move her arms. That arrow was aimed at Zhao Yuying. Judging from how powerful that projectile was, it would have probably blasted her to pieces and heavily injured everyone else in the group. Fortunately, Wei Potian had understood the situation and miraculously nullified the most destructive part of the impact. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had also contributed greatly by guiding the arrow away together. A single arrow had injured three people. The six-armed giant seemed furious that his arrow had accomplished nothing. With a loud roar, he drew his bow again and made ready to fire. Wei Potians expression shifted drastically. He was in no state to activate Thousand Mountains again. Not to mention a mountain range, he could no longer conjure even a small hill. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were still struggling to get out of the ground. All three of them would lose their lives if another arrow were to arrive. It was at this time that a dazzling light lit up close to the giants side. Despite being a good distance away, the radiance was so bright that one could hardly look straight at it. Soon afterward, a sanguine light erupted on the six-armed giants head, followed by a fountain of spraying blood. Its massive body staggered from the impact and almost tripped over. The swaying giant let loose an arrow from the taut bow, which flew above everyones heads and into the group of four-armed warriors. Where the heavy arrow landed, the earth swelled up like a newborn hill and exploded in a shower of grey light! Hundreds of four-armed warriors were thrown into the air. The pillar of grey radiance tore everyone in its wake, throwing broken limbs and pieces of flesh everywhere. The six-armed giants heavy arrow was just that terrifying. Only at this moment did the rumbling sound arrive from the front. From behind was the explosion from the giant projectile, and from the front was the rumble of an origin gun. The sound waves arrived slightly later, but it was as majestic as the boundless ocean waves. The six-armed giant swayed about unsteadily, dropping its weapon and holding its head in furious agony. Everyone saw how Qianye had appeared beside the giant with Spatial Flash and blasted its forehead with an origin gun. The power of this weapon was earth-shatteringit was Heartgrave. The six-armed giant lowered its arms and roared loudly at Qianye, firing a wave of visible runes from its mouth. There was no way Qianye would dare to meet that attack head-on. He dragged his exhausted body and flashed a thousand meters away. The runic attack missed its mark and ended up drawing a gulch in the ground, one that was ten meters in width and hundreds of meters long. Even Qianye couldnt help but feel apprehensive about it. A deep excavation was visible on the giants forehead as it lowered its arms. One could almost see the brain fluid inside as a part of the skull had been blasted away by Qianyes shot. Judging from the wound, the giants skull was over half a meter thick. The skeleton of these monsters from the high-gravity region was even harder than high-grade alloy materials. The defensive prowess of this skullbone was comparable to an Imperial battleship. The giant went berserk after its attack missed. It turned toward Qianye and waved its arms about, grabbing and smashing at Qianye with various weapons. The giant couldnt tell apart the dozens of four-armed natives at its feet, and plowed right through them on his charge toward Qianye. The four-armed warriors were powerful, but they were immediately crippled by the giants swinging weapons. The scene of them being swatted away filled Qianyes group with dread. Even with his ancient vampire constitution, Qianye could only contend with the four-armed soldiers. There was no way he could take a blow from the giant and survive. He put away Heartgrave and flashed a thousand meters away. The six-armed giant stared fixedly at Qianye and started giving chase once more. It traveled several dozen meters with every step and was also extremely swift. The strange runes in its eyes, allowed it to easily lock onto Qianye. The latter would be found out even after a Spatial Flash. Fortunately, the giant was in great pain and its head wasnt very clear, only focusing on chasing after Qianye. Otherwise, the latter would be hard-pressed to evade if the six-armed general were to stand still and shoot from a distance using homing techniques. The current giant had its eyes entirely on Qianye. This was a good opportunity for Ji Tianqing and the others to escape. Ill drag him away, you guys run! At this moment, Zhao Yuying had just pulled Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing out from the ground. No! We go together if were going! Lets go, Qianye can deal with it. Zhao Yuying looked back and saw that it was Song Zining. Livid, she said, Who wouldve thought youre so afraid of death? Youd rather escape and leave Qianye behind? Song Zining was also angry. He shouted, Qianye has methods that will take him away! He wont leave if we dont. Are you trying to kill everyone here? Idi He held back at the precise moment before the complete words had been spelled out. Zhao Yuying snorted. She glared at Song Zining and said coldly, Very well, Ill remember what you said. She looked around and said, Split up and flee! This was what Song Zining had in mind as well. If everyone were to stick together, they would be completely wiped out if they met another six-armed general. Everyone was decisive. Without any unnecessary words, they all picked their respective directions and ran. Wei Potian instinctively picked a direction close to Zhao Yuyings. He hadnt taken many steps when he heard a voice from behind, Come with me! Okay. Wei Potian switched directions to meet up with Zhao Yuying. Werent we supposed to split up? Idiot! You cant fight, and you cant flee, either. Are you trying to get yourself killed by not sticking to me? While speaking, Zhao Yuying put an arm around Wei Potians waist and hoisted him forward, soon disappearing into the distance. Qianye kept the six-armed giants attention on himself, evading several attacks in the nick of time. Finally, he managed to hold out until everyone was gone from sight. This six-armed giants vitality was extremely powerful. Even with a piece of its skull missing, it was still very much well and alive. Qianye scanned the monster and found that an oily membrane had formed over the injury, keeping the brain fluids inside. Apparently, there was no immediate threat to its life. An all-out attack from Heartgrave was only able to blast away a part of its skull. That single shot had almost exhausted all of Qianyes origin power. All he could do now was evade because he had no energy left to retaliate. If he could fire Heartgrave again, he really wanted to land another shot at the giants head. He wanted to see if that big fellow could stand up again after all of this. Seeing that everyone had fled, Qianye stopped delaying things further. He flickered several thousand meters away and left like a beam of flowing light. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1068: A Tangled Chase Despite having escaped his pursuers, for the time being, Qianyes heart was covered in a layer of dust. This uncomfortable feeling was a sign that danger hadnt left. That six-armed giant possessed terrifying vitality and would heal in less than half a days time. Actually, the wound didnt really hamper his ability to chase them down. Qianye began thinking of a plan while fleeing. Just running wasnt a solution because the six-armed giant possessed boundless staminaalmost as though it would never grow tired. Qianye could run all the way back to the Imperial fort due to his full essence blood stores, but he would also be luring the giant over. Although Ji Tianqing had described the fort as incomparably sturdy, there was no telling if it could actually stop the six-armed giant. Neither fight nor flight seemed to be a viable option. Qianyes all-out attack had struck the monsters head, a weakness for most creatures, yet the six-armed giant was still fine. Qianye was at a loss about what to do since the only way was to find its true weakness and deal a single lethal blow. Zhao Ruoxi had mentioned her killing a six-armed general, but according to her recount, the opponent was only half the size of this one. The strength of the creatures in the high-gravity region corresponded to their size. Those without sufficient strength couldnt even stand up. Zhao Ruoxi had killed a six-armed general with relative ease mainly because she possessed the Red Spider Lily. The magnum had grown exponentially more powerful in the Great Maelstrom, and its attack targeted space and spirit, the bane of such creatures. Her easy kill caused Qianye to underestimate the enemys strength. Only after personally fighting the six-armed giant did he truly experience how terrifying it was. Such a terrifying creature also possessed secret arts that could see through Qianyes Spatial Flash. It could also discover people with hidden auras, which would turn any potential ambush into a disastrous joke. How was one to fight such an enemy? The first thing to do now was to find a way out. Qianye recalled the map of the Great Maelstrom as he ran. The map he had in his mind was pieced together from the data provided by the Ji, Li, Song, and Zhao families. There was probably no second map so complete, but from what he had experienced on this journey, it would seem the map only covered a small corner of the Great Maelstrom. The map was incomplete in many areas, much like ink spots on a sheet of white paper. And that was exactly where Qianye planned to go. These empty areas intersected closely with the Empires charted lands. Just as the Constellation Well had belonged to the Empire for a long time, these places were resources controlled solely by Evernight. Human experts had never paid them any attention because they were useless for the Empire. The number of people entering the Great Maelstrom from each faction was very limited, so no one would spend limited human resources on useless things. Qianye plotted a convoluted route that would pass through several empty regions. This was a plan to divert ones calamity. It was fine if no one was around in these spots, but if the dark race experts happened to be around, they would find that the six-armed giants attacks were a force to be reckoned with. Having formulated his plan, Qianye switched directions and ran swiftly ahead. That murky feeling in his chest never went away, which meant that the six-armed giant was still targeting him. One day and night passed by in the blink of an eye. Qianye was still running along the mountain range. Far away behind him, several pillars of smoke could be seen rising into the air. That was a mining zone. The dark races had built a small fortress at some point, and there were a dozen or so experts guarding it. There were also a large number of servspiders, some of them dozens of meters in height. These creatures, possessing a basic level of intelligence, served as manual labor for the mines. Apparently, the dark races were planning something important here. Qianye ran past the fortress walls without any concealment, alarming the entire base. Alarms blared as the dark races swarmed out like the tides. However, Qianye was so fast that he was already long gone by the time the fortress had reacted. Meanwhile, a massive figure began to appear over the distant horizon. An arachne count was in charge of defenses here. His legs went soft the moment he saw that giant figure, almost collapsing to the floor. Before he could even issue an order, a heavy arrow flew in from yonder. T-This All sound was temporarily devoured by the earth-shattering explosion. Several days passed by as Qianye weaved through eight such dark race territories. Most were empty, but three of them were well-constructed, just like the Song clans Heavenschild Pasture. Unlike the pastures single occupant, however, the dark race settlements were garrisoned by various races. The most useful of the lot was still the arachne servspiders. Developing the three resource points to this state was a decades worth of work at least. After Qianye passed by with the six-armed giant on his tail, the monstrosity destroyed everything in its wake. This misdirection was extremely malicious, and dealt a heavy blow to the dark races who had decided to set up camp here. Qianye discovered that he couldnt shake off the six-armed creature no matter what he did. During the several days of pursuit, not only did the giant not grow tired, but it even started to move faster and fasterit was clearly adapting to the low-gravity environment. Qianyes troubles werent just behind him, though. Several four-armed warriors walked out of the forest in front of him. They glanced over at Qianye, weapons at the ready. Qianye accelerated calmly. As the two sides closed in, he let out a loud roar and swept forward with his domain power, taking this opportunity to pass through the staggered enemies. These four-armed natives finally steadied themselves and were about to give chase when a massive shadow appeared. Soon, a giant leg descended from the air and crushed two warriors into meat paste. The six-armed giant was entirely ignorant of the situation beneath its footperhaps it wouldnt care even if it was aware. It merely took the next step and was soon dozens of meters away. After the six-armed giant had left, the surviving four-armed warriors walked about in confusion for a while. Then, as though having sensed something, the natives quickly formed a group and ran away in a certain direction. In Qianyes consciousness, the map was already filled with a tangled mess of linesthat was the route he had just weaved through. Although he had destroyed several dark race bases in the process, he still couldnt lose the six-armed giant. He didnt dare approach the Imperial settlement, either. If Song Zining and the others were hiding there, everyone would be done for. After playing cat and mouse for so many days, there was a question Qianye couldnt quite figure out: how was that six-armed giant sustaining itself? The giants build was massive, and as a native of the high-gravity region, every muscle in its body was incomparably heavy. Every step should rightly drain a great deal of energy. Yet, the monstrosity had chased Qianye for several days and even forced him to use Spatial Flash in the most recent exchange. The latter had already exhausted all essence blood in his body, and there was no backup stock in the Book of Darkness, either. He had no other choice but to fight the intercepting four-armed warriors and use Life Plunder to replenish himself. At this rate, the six-armed giant would catch up to him sooner or later. Qianye felt worried as he checked the map. He had been running back and forth, but every time, the six-armed giant would intercept him. Each trip wasnt much, but the giant had run for shocking distances in accumulation. Currently, the monstrosity was on par with Qianye in terms of speed and possessed much greater endurance. Leading it in circles wasnt a practical idea. While thinking about what to do, Qianyes eyes suddenly landed on an eye-catching mark. Pond of Life! This was a dangerous location, but also one of great opportunities. Ignoring everything else for now, just the Marine Lotus alone was enough for countless Imperial experts to throw themselves in. On the other hand, this was the most notorious place, so much so that it could only be more perilous than the high-gravity region where Qianye had started out. He had several ways to deal with the frigid night, like robbing white-fruit wine and using it to suppress the effects. Those possessing higher cultivation and certain secret arts wouldnt need to pay a steep price. Ji Tianqing, for instance, was surviving quite well on her own before meeting Qianye. The Pond of Life, however, was different. This trial of spirit and willpower had nothing to do with ones cultivation. Stronger experts usually possessed greater willpower and determination, but all of this was relative. According to Imperial records, less than half of the divine champions could even approach the pond. Besides, one couldnt fake the trial or try to pass just by boasting about determination. Hypnosis or risking ones life wouldnt work, either. That was why countless experts had fallen in the Pond of Life, including many famous names. There were even geniuses among them at Zhao Jundus level. Because the Pond of Life posed a greater threat than the benefits it offered, the empire had no choice but to figure out a different plan. For instance, they would pick out a desperate or crazy prisoner, and teach him special secret arts. Then, he would be placed in the Great Maelstrom for the Pond of Life. These people afforded the empire a stable method to harvest the marine lotus and other secret herbs. This kind of secret art involved a great price. Once over-channeled, the operator would lose all emotions and be left with neither sorrow nor joy. In the end, they would be devoid of all desires and wants, completely transforming into a living dead. Hence, from a certain perspective, those entering the Pond of Life were more or less expendable. The Pond of Life was part of Qianyes planned trips back when he was in the high-gravity region. Hence, Ji Tianqing had taught him this secret art. In case Qianye lost control of himself and couldnt leave the pond in time, channeling this art would allow him to hang on to dear life. The process of zombification required a month or two at least, just enough time to make arrangements for the future. The Pond of Life placed great restraint on both humans and dark races. It didnt hold back against the natives, either. Every year, a large number of strange new beasts would be produced here from the cross-mating. Most creatures, however, would lose themselves and ultimately sink to the bottom of the pond. The six-armed giant had been heavily injured, and it was going berserk out of instinct. Qianye wanted to lure it into the Pond of Life and see how firm its willpower was. If it was affected or even controlled, Qianye would have the opportunity to escape completely. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1069: Peak of Daybreak According to the map, the Pond of Life was further in the northwest. Qianye stopped hesitating and turned toward the pond at full speed. Beneath his feet, the earth was trembling from the weight of the six-armed giants resounding footsteps. Both in front of him or to his sides, there were squads upon squads of four-armed warriors. They would swarm over immediately upon seeing Qianye, but the latters speed was far superior. He was faster even when skirting around them. The six-armed giant, on the other hand, was solely focused on Qianye, and paid little heed to the pesky four-arms blocking his way. He would simply stomp them to death or kick them away. Immediately, the entire mountain and wilderness were filled with roaming four-armed warriors. At this moment, Zhao Yuying, Wei Potian, and Song Zining were standing atop the Imperial fortress. The three looked down the fortifications with dark expressions. A four-armed warrior was patrolling the area not too far away. It gazed toward the fortress for a good while and ultimately walked over. The three lowered themselves and hid behind the wall. The fortress wasnt big by any measure, and it was hidden inside a massive concealment array. Even so, the trio still hid instinctively to avoid being discovered. Having experienced the high-gravity region, they were deeply knowledgeable about the ferocity of the four-armed warriors. Those who didnt know any better were already dead on their way back. The four-armed warrior paused in puzzlement but still kept on moving toward the fortress. When it was a couple hundred meters from the wall, an extremely sharp whistle echoed through the air. An arrow so fast that it was barely visible struck the four-armed warriors throat! The shot was so powerful that the warrior was lifted off the ground and flung ten meters away. It struggled on the ground for a good while before falling motionless. Wei Potain heaved a sigh. Although this isnt the first time, every time I see them, I cant help but feel how perverted these monsters are. Goddammit, how can they be so strong? Even Elder Qis arrow cant break their necks. Song Zining said calmly, Thats not surprising. Even Qianyes shot only blasted a small hole in that monsters skull. Wei Potian was somewhat dissatisfied. How can Qianye compare to Elder Qi? The man has been here for almost fifty years and trained only in the path of the arrow. This shot of his is comparable to a bullet from a grade-eight gun. Wei Potian had little contact with Qianye throughout the years and wasnt too familiar with his latest progress. That was why he had made this judgment. Elder Qi was an arrogant genius who had entered the Great Maelstrom fifty years ago, but now, he was an old man in his waning years. He had crossed the divine champion realm inside the Great Maelstrom but chose to stay and guard the Imperial fortress. That guard duty had lasted forty years now. A gunshot inside the Great Maelstrom would always cause a great commotion. Although the fortress was in the starting region and the beasts here werent too powerful, the elder still decided to give up the gun and take up archery. Today, his skill with the bow and arrow had reached near-perfection. Zhao Yuying possessed much better insight. She immediately became pensive but didnt say anything. Song Zining snorted. That gun of his is grade nine. A grade nine gun! Wei Potian gasped in shock, almost jumping up in fright. How can he even use a grade nine weapon? Wouldnt it drain him completely? Song Zining shot him a sidelong glance. Youre the drained one, not Qianye. Wei Potian mumbled, As if youre not exhausted. These words defeated Song Zining, which in and of itself was a rare happening in verbal spars. Zhao Yuying couldnt help but speak out, Enough quarreling! Potian, you shut up. Song Seven, when do you think Qianye will return? Wei Potian shut up obediently, but Song Zining only shrugged with a wry smile. How can I even guess under these circumstances? Since the appearance of countless four-armed natives, the situation inside the Great Maelstrom had become incredibly chaotic. Song Zining had tried divining Qianyes status before, but he was struck by backlash right at the outset. He wouldve been injured had he not given up on the attempt decisively. Even despite that, he still coughed up blood and hadnt fully recovered from the damage. Zhao Yuying knew that forcing Song Zining would be akin to asking him to commit suicide. I wonder whats up with those two foxes. They still havent returned. Foxes? Who? Song Zining was baffled. Zhao Yuying replied unceremoniously, Who else but Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan? Who else could I be addressing? Ruoxi? Why are they foxes? Song Zining found it weird. Zhao Yuying snorted. Do you really need me to point out a reason? You can smell their foulness from a mile away. Seeing both Song Zining and Wei Potian stunned, she felt a bit embarrassed. Its just a feeling, I have no proof. Li Kuanglan was as cold as ice, and it was only inside the Great Maelstrom that everyone discovered she was a girl. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, had always been mysterious and no one knew her true appearance up to this day. Perhaps only Qianye had seen her. These two ladies simply couldnt be associated with foxes no matter how one looked. Song Zining did know a bit of inside information. He raised a big thumbs up inside his mind while praising, Miss Yuying has good intuition indeed. Wei Potians expression was somewhat disdainful. He felt that Song Zining was deliberately flattering Zhao Yuying. Praising a girl for a correct guess was the same principle as praising her for her beautythey usually worked well on most ladies. Zhao Yuying herself felt a bit embarrassed. She scratched her head, saying, I just dont like them, its nothing important. Theyre quite powerful in a fight, this mommy might not be a match. At this point, Zhao Yuying steered the topic away to idle gossip. You said they came out of the high-gravity region with Qianye, maybe some things happened between them? Wei Potian arrived with an expression of interest. Zhao Yuying slapped his head and said angrily, What does this have to do with you? Song Zining waved his folding fan. Yuying, let me warn you. Not to mention Kuanglan, even Ji Tianqing isnt an ordinary person. They both have talent in divination, probably not inferior to mine, and possess protective treasures. It might be fine here, but try not to talk behind their backs too often. They might sense something if youre unlucky. Zhao Yuying laughed, Theres no way someone of my ability will receive that kind of treatment. She laughed a bit but stopped after seeing Song Zinings serious expression. You think Im not that weak anymore? Song Zining nodded. The high-gravity region refines the body, the Constellation Well refines the soul, and you have also obtained supportive treasures along the way. After all of these experiences in the Great Maelstrom, your cultivation will increase by leaps and bounds afterward. Yuying, youve always been valued by everyone. Your status was higher than your strength in the past, but now, your strength will exceed your status. A smile blossomed on Zhao Yuyings face, which then erupted into an ostentatious laugh. She slapped Wei Potians back so hard that the fellow almost fell to the ground. Hear that? Even Song Seven evaluates me so highly. If you dont try harder after going back, I might just leave you in the dust! Wei Potian said helplessly, Im fighting wars every day in the Far East Province, where will I find the time to cultivate? I had to delay all matters at home and on the void continent to come here. Zhao Yuying didnt agree. Song Seven has been fighting constantly as well, and he even gained the title of future god strategist. Wherever theres some liveliness in the empire, youll always see him around. His cultivation never lagged behind despite all that. Look, hes already rank-sixteen and now look at you! Wei Potians cultivation wasnt so bad, either. His five origin vortices were already full, and he would soon carve out a sixth vortex after leaving the Great Maelstrom. Such progress was far beyond his peers, but he simply couldnt compare to Song Zining with his seven full origin vortices. Wei Potian felt disgusted no matter from which angle he looked at Song Zining. He immediately said with a snort, You cant just look at the speed of ones cultivation. This brat has always been crafty and never works hard. His foundation heh! Song Zining waved his hand, conjuring the image of a small realm with a continent rotating slowly within it. This method looked rather exquisite, but the other two didnt find it special. Upon closer look, however, their expressions shifted immediately. This small realm was actually extremely detailed. The duo possessed good eyesight. After careful observation, they found that they could discern the mountains, rivers, forests, and wilderness on the continent. Looking closer, they found dozens of cities dotting the landscape. If one were to look even closer, they would see that the cities were all different from one another. Some were built around mountains, while others were neighbored by rivers. There were mining cities as well as trade cities. Zhao Yuyings cultivation was deeper. She channeled an art to zoom in even further into the city built along the mountain. It boasted majestic walls with steep precipices on each end, and there were even sentries and patrolling guards on the ramparts. The city was well organized, with interweaving streets and alleyways filled with a steady pedestrian flow. There were also kinetic cars driving slowly behind the crowd. At this point, Zhao Yuying felt dizzy, and the imagery in front of her dispersed. It had returned to that spinning palm-sized continent. Wei Potian had tears flowing down his eyes. Song Zining retracted his illusion and smiled silently. Zhao Yiying probed, I saw the guards on the walls and the people in the streets. Is there a deeper layer? Song Zining smiled. Yes. Youll be able to see their appearance and clothing, but Ill need to try harder for their expressions. Zhao Yuying had formed a good idea, but Wei Potian was shocked. This is Prosperous World? It was one of the three peak daybreak origin powers, one that could transform a drop of origin power into a prosperous realm! Im lacking just a bit. Song Zining smiled. How can this be? Wei Potian finally lost his calm. Song Zining waved his fan and said, This is inherent talent, cant help it. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1070: Impossible Song Zinings group of three remained on the wall, waiting for news of Qianyes whereabouts. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan never arrived as planned, but Zhao Yuying didnt really mind since the two girls werent very close to her. Some people walked out of the fortress and carried the corpse of the four-armed warrior into the fortress. A person later arrived before the trio, saying, Elder Qi asks for you. Elder Qi was well known for his strength. The three performed their salutations before taking their seats. Elder Qi was almost eighty but looked no older than fifty. He was tall and lean, with a fearsome expression and a sharp glint in his eyes. Without seeing him in battle, one would hardly believe that he was able to operate a giant, human-height bow and deal damage equal to a grade-eight firearm. Elder Qis residence was a three-roomed building behind the main complex. The living room in front wasnt big. The decoration was also quite simple and devoid of fine objects. Elder Qi smiled. My place is rather simple. You all come from major families, so do bear with me. Song Zining replied hurriedly, No, no. Elder Qi sighed. I remember myself a bit older than you all when I entered the Great Maelstrom, but my cultivation was lower. Our Qi family can barely be considered a low-ranking aristocratic family. We had to spend our entire fortune in order to get me into the Great Maelstrom. After seeing you lot, I finally realize how deep the major clans inheritances are. Song Zining knew quite a bit about the past. Elder Qi was a genius of your generation. Youve also been safeguarding the fortress for dozens of years. Surely, the Empire wont forget your great contributions. Elder Qi shook his head with a sigh. Back then, I was lucky enough to obtain some resources in the Great Maelstrom, and that allowed me to break through to the divine champion realm. But my foundation isnt good, and the quality of my origin power is rather low. Every step after the upgrade was fraught with difficulties and problems. Sigh, but its already too late to switch to a different cultivation art. Wei Potian said, Your contributions should be enough to exchange for an extremely powerful art. Even if you cant use it yourself, your descendants can. The old man nodded. Makes sense, but no one in the family is capable. I just hope theyll last for a couple more generations. Wei Potian was a designated heir since many years ago. With his current development, succeeding the family head position was only a matter of time. The Wei family had been nurturing him all this time, so his objective in every matter was focused on the clan. Elder Qi came from a small aristocratic family, standing as the pillar of the clan for dozens of years. That was why the two of them had a fair bit to talk about. Zhao Yuying wasnt too patientshe was too lazy to even take part in the Duke You residences affairs, opting to roam the land and join battles everywhere. Song Zining, on the other hand, had founded the Ningyuan Heavy Industries on his own and was prepared to develop in this direction. He had also given up on the tradition of succeeding the family business. Hence, these two didnt quite resonate with the old man. After some idle chatter, Elder Qi got to the main topic. Ive been in the Great Maelstrom for many decades, but recently, Ive been feeling a bit excited for some reason. These four-armed natives usually wont come to this place for no reason. Creatures from the core region cant stay here for very long. What the old man said was reasonable. Song Zining said, Its indeed strange, but theres no way to perform divination inside the Great Maelstrom, so we can only play it by ear. After landing in the core-region, we ran back without stopping to escape the frigid night. Thats why we dont understand much about the situation over there. I dont know why theyve run over here, either. Since Song Zining wasnt mentioning it, Zhao Yuying naturally wouldnt talk about Zhao Ruoxi bringing the Red Spider Lily into the neutral lands and causing a huge ruckus. Elder Qi nodded with a worried expression. The reason is no longer important. Right now, Im just afraid that this empty fortress wont be able to handle it if hundreds of four-armed warriors descend upon us. All we have is a small airship that can take us back to the empire. Just one? The trios expressions shifted. How can that be enough? Dont we usually have three in the fortress? Song Zining asked with a frown. Elder Qi laughed wryly and beckoned to the group. Follow me and youll know. The trio followed Elder Qi out of the main building and arrived in a sealed backyard. There was a row of workshops here, as well as the keel of an airship sitting in the courtyard. The keel had just been completed, and the wood stacked nearby went to show that the framework was about to be installed next. As someone who built warships, Song Zining knew that this was an airship construction yard after seeing the workshop and the keel. It was just that their craftsmanship was from several centuries ago. The ships movement came from kinetic sails, and their levitation and defense drew power from an origin array. Such an airship was basically all hand-crafted. The materials harvested in the Great Maelstrom were extremely sturdy and could be installed as armor plates on an airship. Elder Qi pointed at the keel. Where do you think all these space traversal airships come from? Each and every one of them was built here. We build one every year, and we go back once every two years, one ship carrying people, and the other, goods. The Great Maelstrom has just opened up, and we still have half a years time until a new ship is completed. The one airship we have left is an emergency reserve. If they only had one airship, then the situation would be rather serious. Song Zining asked after a good while, Elder Qi, is a space traversal airship necessary to go back to the Empire? Elder Qi said, This airship not only protects the passengers but can also discern the direction and ensure a safe return. Otherwise, wouldnt it be a joke if you landed in Evernight? Song Zining asked once more, What I meant is, is there any other passage that can get us out in one piece? Elder Qi said after some thought, You might be able to get through, but Miss Zhao here will suffer injuries. As for the Wei clan heir here, its best you dont even try. Zhao Yuying was dissatisfied. What do you mean!? Are you saying Song Seven is stronger than me? Elder Qi had seen his fair share of arrogant geniuses from the major clans, so he didnt take offense at this. He merely let out a dry cough and said, I didnt say hes more powerful than you, but the secret art he cultivates makes it easier for him to travel through the spatial tunnels. Zhao Yuyings brows relaxed, and she soon returned to a satisfactory mood. But then she recalled the real problem. Wait a minute! Elder Qi, what youre saying is that we have to abandon Qianye and flee when were overrun by four-armed warriors. Elder Qi said slowly, What I mean is that we should have an agreement beforehand. Otherwise, itll be too late if were panicking at the critical juncture. Song Zining was in a frown because he had already noticed the old mans intention. The Imperial fortress wasnt very big, and could accommodate a couple hundred people at most. The only choice after being overrun by the four-armed warriors was to abandon the place and flee back to the Empire. Otherwise, they would all be buried along with the city. He had just finished thinking when a certain person ran over. Elder, things dont look good! There are a lot of four-armed natives on the bridge. Shocked, Elder Qi shot toward the city wall. Song Zinings group followed the elder to the wall and gazed out. Amidst a cloud of rolling dust, one four-armed warrior could be seen converging upon their location. In addition to the four-armed warriors, there was also a swarm of countless two-armed natives. The ones at the front row wielded swords and shields, while those at the back were carrying luggage and driving beasts of burdens. It looked like they were here not just to fight but also to take up residence. T-This Even the experienced Elder Qi couldnt help but tremble. Song Zining sighed. Theres nothing we can do, lets go. Zhao Yuying was furious. If we leave, what about Lil Five? Are we going to leave him here? Potian, what is your opinion? Wei Potians expression was solemn. These days of running about had left him with a short beard, which added to his maturity. He gazed silently into the distance before finally saying, I guess thats all we can do. There were hundreds of four-armed warriors and at least tens of thousands of two-armed ones. Zhao Yuying could say nothing more when that massive figure appeared far off in the distance. Moments later, a small airship rushed into the air and flew into the dark night. The flying vessel was packed full of people, but none of them were in the mood to talk. Finally, Elder Qi sighed. Our human race went through the same thing back in the year. Besides, we left them the plans for building the airship. If theyre lucky, they might be able to build a new vessel and head back to the Empire. The space traversal ship thus vanished into the darkness. The fortress below was now filled with two-armed natives disassembling whatever they could get their hands on. It only took a short while for the fortress to turn into a pile of rocks. Only the half-destroyed main building and a few segments of the wall remained to tell of the past. The sea of many-armed people swept over the land like a tide and moved in a different direction. The edges of the Eastern Sea Continent in the neutral lands seemed unaffected. This place was filled with cold winds and tormented by void tempests year-round. It could be said that every step here was fraught with danger, and not many were willing to hang around. A certain figure arrived swiftly, evading the spatial tears with great familiarity as he made for the dukes warship. Master, Ive carried out your instructions. With that, Jared opened his backpack to reveal a small girl inside. This beautiful little lasscurled up and sound asleep at the momentlooked like she was just eight years old. Nighteyes voice arrived from inside the warship. That was fast, well done. Did you run into any trouble? Jared smiled wryly. She was willing to follow me only after doing what you had instructed me to. Otherwise, I might not be able to bring her back. Did those natives trouble you? The entire tribe was dead by the time I arrived. Nighteye was somewhat surprised. The warship cabin doors opened slightly, whereupon a stream of blood energy emerged and pulled the little girl inside. Jared didnt enter the warship, but instead headed over to one of the stone huts nearby. This was his new residence. He removed his upper armor and saw numerous unerasable bruises on his body. He might not have been able to bring her back if he hadnt produced the token. Jared heaved a long sigh, feeling that his masters missions were getting more and more difficult. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1071: Unusual Mother and Daughter The little girl eventually woke up in the warship, her little nose flaring up slightly as she smelled something good. Her legs unknowingly took her in the direction of the aroma. She crossed several doors until she arrived in the kitchen. This room wasnt too big, but there was everything one would need. The transparent kitchen cabinet near the wall was lined with various wine glasses and high-class tableware. The cabinet doors had beautiful patterns carved into them, glowing faintly from the flow of origin power. Even though the entire warship had crashed, the cabinet was protected by the array and its contents were intact. Nighteye was busy cutting up roasted beast meat in front of the counter. There was another big piece of meat roasting in the oven. It was already golden brown and almost done. The little girls eyes immediately landed on the roast meat, and then at Nighteye. Zhujis expression was filled with delight as she jumped into the latters arms and snuggled up against her. Smiling, Nighteye plucked the little lass down and said, How many times have I told you not to pounce at people, youll kill people. The girl shrunk her neck and said sheepishly, Ive learned to control my strength. Nighteye knocked on her head. You called that control? Other people cant take that kind of impact. See? The person I sent to pick you up was injured. The little lass looked rather guilty. You cant blame me for that. He immediately reached out to grab me without telling me who he was. I gave him a kick out of fear, but I didnt kill him. Besides, hes really too weak. I didnt even spray him with poison. Nighteye shook her head. Have you forgotten the things I taught you? I havent! The girl shook her head, saying as quickly as she could, I remember everything! Its just that Ive grown stronger, so those things arent good to use anymore. Nighteye placed the meat she had cut in front of the lass. Eat! The girl cheered loudly before picking up the plate. She then tilted her head back and poured everything into her mouth. Her eyes went wide as she swallowed all the food in one gulp. Is it good? asked Nighteye. Eh I didnt taste it. The little fellow spoke the truth. Nighteye wanted to be angry, but she also wanted to laugh. She brought out another big chunk of meat from the oven and tossed it to the little fellow. Heres more. Only then did the girl learn how to bite and swallow little by little. Her eyes lit up as she ate faster and faster. Eventually, she devoured a piece of meat half her size in mere moments. However, her tummy only bulged up slightly. It truly made one wonder where all the food had gone. Nighteye touched the girl''s head with an expression full of love. You grow really fast, do you want more? I want She let out a satisfied burp mid-sentence, despite her eyes sparkling in anticipation. Nighteye smiled. You cant eat more today. This food was supposed to last three days, I guess your appetite has grown even bigger. The girl looked puzzled. I ate very little today! How can things I make be the same? Ah, what was that? It was really appetizing. Of course the meat of a void colossus is delicious. Even a glutton like you will feel bloated. The amount of energy contained in the meat of a void colossus wasnt something ordinary beast meat could compare to. Be it in the Empire or Evernight, this rare commodity would be sold in finger-sized strips and was worth more than its weight in gold. This little fellow had eaten close to five kilograms of it, so it was only natural that she would feel full. Zhuji had grown up quite a bit during this period. Currently, she was starting to look like a mischievous girl who would cause a lot of trouble. Nighteye cleared away the cutlery and sat down beside the table. What have you been doing all this time? Why arent you with Papa? Papa is always busy with work. He wont play with me or sleep with me. I was really bored, and I cant approach other people, so I went out to play... The girls narration wasnt entirely coherent, but she was definitely more knowledgeable and clearer than when she was younger. The basic logic behind her language and movements was no longer based on her instincts. Nighteye inquired about the entire process in detail. Back then, Qianye had left Zhuji on the Northern Continent despite his concerns that she would accidentally hurt other people. Especially that extremely powerful toxin of hers that might kill off all life in a segment of the continent... Later on, Qianye was out fighting everywhere and didnt really have time to look after her. The little girl spent her days eating and sleeping, so Qianye felt rather assured. However, a group of natives appeared suddenly and kidnapped her while she was sleeping. The entire process was carried out quietly, and no one knew what had transpired. This tribe traversed great distances to the depths of the Eastern Sea Continent. Little Zhuji struggled after waking up, but she was fed with the juice of a strange fruit that numbed her entire body and rendered her immobile. Soon, a shaman-like character appeared and wanted to draw her blood. In the end, the girls body was so tough that it took great effort just to open her skin and let some blood out. The most terrifying thing was what followed. Zhuji wanted to spray poison, but for some reason, the blood which flowed out turned into a powerful venom that killed the entire tribe. The terrified little fellow couldnt move, and all she could do was call out to Qianye, Nighteye, and Song Zining in her heart. Nighteye was the only one who had sensed her and sent Jared to pick her up. Several days had passed by the time the marquis arrived, and the poison had largely dispersed. Otherwise, he probably wouldnt be able to return. It took a pretty long while for little Zhuji to finish everything she wanted to say. Nighteye remained silent for a while before asking, Who do you want to follow now? The little girl thought about it seriously. Everyone! Everyone? Yes, Papa, you, and Mama. Mama Even someone of Nighteyes composure couldnt help but feel her expression turning odd. She chuckled, saying, I told you hes not your mama. He is! The little girl was oddly persistent. The first person she had seen after breaking out of her egg was her mama. This knowledge was deeply imprinted in her bloodline and couldnt be changed. Nighteye was clear about the races characteristics. She said helplessly, Youll understand once you grow up. Thinking about the past, she chuckled while shaking her head. That bastard is actually quite crafty when it counts. Back when Zhuji had just broken out of her shell, Qianye had dragged Song Zining to the front, thereby turning him into Zhujis mama. It was useless no matter how Song Zining and Nighteye tried to explain to her later on. After a while of idle chatter, the little fellow started to yawn. She was clearly sleepy, but she still held on. Nighteye nodded. Youve grown up a bit more. Of course! Little Zhuji waved her fists proudly. That little swing of her fists actually produced the sound of rolling thunder, and there was a faint glow of lightning lingering around her hands. Everything in the kitchen started to vibrate, and a delicate-looking plate shattered into many pieces. A subconscious wave of her fist actually produced such power. No wonder Jared was caught off-guard and injured. The strange phenomena in the kitchen disappeared following a faint sanguine glow from Nighteyes pupils. The lightning on the lass fist was gone, and all that was left was her small fist swinging about. A bewildered Zhuji glanced at her fist, and then swung it a couple more times. However, she couldnt even produce a whistle. Nighteye smiled. The things in here are very expensive. Ill feel pained if you break them. Enough, since youre not sleeping, then its time for us to go. Are we going out to play? Where are we going? The girl was excited. The Great Maelstrom. Zhuji was puzzled. Where is that? Is it fun? It wasnt before, but its fairly lively now. Then what are we going to play with? The girl kept asking. Were going to meet some people. Thats all? Do we have to fight? Do I need to unleash poison? How many people do I need to kill? Maybe I should accumulate some venom first. The girl came up with an entire array of questions. Nighteye chuckled lightly. Theres no need for you to do anything with me around. Im not that fellow, I wont use you to fight. Nighteye was referring to Qianye ordering Zhuji to destroy the invading mercenaries with poison, thereby claiming victory. The little girl, however, had a different opinion. Those are bad guys who want to bully us. We naturally have to kill them all and not leave any survivors. Unknowingly, the cruelty and ruthlessness of the arachne were starting to show. Nighteye didnt argue. Youre still too young to understand certain things. Come with me first. Zhuji grabbed Nighteyes hand as instructed. The latter produced a spatial rift with a slash of her palm and entered with Zhuji in tow. ... At this moment, Qianye was in the northwestern part of the Great Maelstrom, gazing at the boundless body of water. This is the Pond of Life? Its more like a Sea of Life! There was no visible end to this seathere was a thin mist hanging on the surface, through which one could vaguely see the outline of some islands. Meanwhile, the water over yonder had merged with the horizon, making it impossible to see the borders. Qianye was an expert with visual prowess far superior to his peers. He could see almost a hundred kilometers away, but he still couldn''t see the other shore. Such a large body of water could easily be called a sea. Instead of a beach, the water was surrounded by tall precipices and cliffs, also some lowland, valleys, and dense forests. There was even a volcano near the distant waterside, spouting clouds of steam from its opening. Basically, every type of geography could be found near the water. This was inconceivable. The region near the waters was filled with crazed beasts, either killing or mating with one another. The smaller ponds there werent clean, either, as one could see numerous amphibians in the rolling waters. The strip of land closest to the Pond of Life was drowned in silence and devoid of all beasts. It was almost as though an invisible line had blocked all the beasts outside. These creatures possessed sharp instincts that might be superior to humans in certain cases. Seeing this, Qianye knew that there was something dangerous in the pond, otherwise, the beasts wouldnt act like so. At this moment, the ground began to tremble as the six-armed giant appeared over the distant horizon. Hesitating no longer, Qianye made a beeline for the Pond of Life. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1072: The Pond of Life Part 1 When he was still a good distance from the Pond of Life, Qianye felt the air around him heat up. It wasnt just the environment, but his entire body was also starting to burn up. His blood core began to beat faster as his instinctive urges grew stronger. This feeling was fairly similar to the high-gravity region, but also somewhat different. The environment in the core area itself had served to increase Qianyes urges back then. For every grass and tree, every animal big and small, reproduction became their number one priority, so much so that food became second. Near the Pond of Life, however, his urges were woken up by a certain formless calling. It was as though a voice was whispering into his ears, urging his desires forward. Qianye looked about and observed all the living creatures within sight. His desires erupted dozens of times during this process, assailing him repeatedly like the tides and urging him to procreate. The target of his desires included two-armed warriors, four-armed warriors, and some strange beasts as well. Whats going on? Could it be Qianye looked about suspiciously and saw that there were hundreds if not thousands of species here, most of which he had never seen before. However, Qianye was only attracted to a dozen or so of them. With his reasoning still intact, he naturally became quite suspicious. If he could have desires for the handful of beasts and bipeds, why did he not feel anything for the remaining hundreds of species? Qianye sensed everything again carefully and found that his desire was still targeted at that small selection. There was neither an increase nor a decrease in them. At this moment, some of the things he had learned in Yellow Springs resurfaced once more, lectures about the various species of the Evernight world. In addition to humans, there were thousands of peculiar species among the dark races. It was even difficult to tell some of them apart from beasts. For instance, the relationship between werewolves and wargs, as well as the arachne and servspiders was fairly complicated. A batch of arachne eggs could give rise to a couple of baby arachne and a large number of servspiders. Back then, the instructors explanation was that species with closer bloodlines could produce offspring, while those further apart couldnt. As for the bloodlines and the distances between them, the instructor had no answer for that, either. In any case, that wasnt the most important part of the lecture, which was actually expounding on the anatomy of the dark races bodies. This knowledge would allow them to kill enemies with greater efficiency. The contents of the lessons he had learned appeared clearly in his mind. A certain idea popped up in his headcould it be that the species he was attracted to were the ones he could produce offspring with? If that was really the case, then this Pond of Life was too terrifying. This wasnt a blind suppressionthe pond had actually screened his bloodline compatibility in the blink of an eye and would force him to succumb to desires without even time to think. A two-armed lady nearby had just finished rolling about with a wild beast. The creature lay panting on the ground, fairly close to death. The naked woman wasnt quite satisfied, however, and immediately pounced toward Qianye. At this moment, Qianyes desires awoke once more, and he actually didnt feel any disgust toward her twisted expression and dirty body. His willpower was still quite clear, however. He reached out to grab the womans arm and tossed her toward the six-armed giant behind him. The six-armed giant didnt even bother to block the incoming human projectile. He merely sent her flying from the collision as he chased after Qianye. Qianye randomly picked up a four-armed warrior, tossing him and the beast below him toward the six-armed giant. With his momentum broken, the six-armed giant was finally angry. His six limbs danced like the wind as he smashed one fierce beast after another into smithereens. He also paid little attention to where his feet landed, stomping several beasts-in-heat to death in just a few steps. The closer he was to the pond, the clearer and stronger the calling became. However, the current influence was far from being a threat to Qianye. He simply channeled his Venus Dawn, igniting a wisp of scarlet gold origin flame and dispelling all undesired urges. He glanced back at the relentless pursuer with a serious expression. Both parties had already reached the middle section of the procreation region, where the greatest density of wild beasts could be seen. However, that six-armed giant seemed to have no intention of giving up on the chase. He didnt even look at the beasts scattered across the ground. It would seem he was also quite resistant to the mysterious calling. Perhaps because he had gotten tired of Qianyes disruptions, the six-armed giant suddenly picked up a couple of beasts and tossed them at Qianye! Qianye flipped away, narrowly dodging a beast cannonball. Those fierce beasts smashed into the nearby ground and actually exploded, sending Qianye flying from the impact. Several more beasts whistled through the air and crashed into him mid-air. Qianye had nowhere to exert force for movement at this point. Just as he was about to get struck, his silhouette blurred and vanished. The six-armed giant turned toward a point several hundred meters away, where Qianye happened to appear. Without even thinking, the monster swung more beasts at him. Qianye moved sideways for dozens of meters but was, once again, destabilized by the explosion. He had to fish out East Peak and used its weight to steady himself. The beasts closest to him had long since been flung into the sky. These creatures possessed extremely strong bodies since quite a few of them had run over from the high-gravity regions. They were more like pieces of alloy steel. With the six-armed giant pitching them, the force behind each of them was greater than that of a main cannon. There was no way Qianye would dare to block them. Even brushing against them was enough to injure him. Fortunately, the number of arrows on the giant was rather limited, and he had exhausted them during the chase. Otherwise, Qianye would have more to be distressed about. The decadent crowd on the beach was now in utter disarray. Under the threat of death, most fierce beasts stopped their procreation and glanced over with restless cries. Most of the creatures ran in the opposite direction after seeing the six-armed giant. However, there were also some powerful beasts that didnt escape. They crouched low on the ground and let out threatening growls. This was an unexpected discovery for Qianye. He had thought that the six-armed giant was at the top of the food chain in the Great Maelstrom. He wouldve never imagined that these relatively smaller creatures even wanted to challenge him. With its prestige at stake, the livid six-armed giant stopped focusing on Qianye and swung its weapon at the nearest lizard-like beast. The creature was over ten meters long and its body was as powerful as a small warship, but it was so much smaller compared to the giant. The latters weapon descended with the fury of a tempest, opening up a mangled wound on its target. The lizard possessed extremely powerful vitality. With a pained roar, it actually dragged its smashed lower-body and charged toward the six-armed giant, biting down on its calf. The giant became even more furious. It bent down to grab the lizard and pried open the beasts mouth. Then, its six arms exerted force at the same time, tearing the lizard into many pieces. After killing the giant lizard, the six-armed giant bent down to pick up its weapon and roared loudly at its surroundings. This display of might caused the unconvinced creatures to gradually back away and flee. Only then did the six-armed giant look about in search of Qianye, mysterious runes appearing in its eye. It had found Qianyes hiding place in mere moments. At this moment, Qianye was standing behind a couple of beasts. He was no idiot. After seeing that the beasts had no power to even retaliate, he immediately decided to avoid trouble by hiding. The six-armed giant didnt care about all that. It walked over in large strides, roaring furiously while waving its weapon. Qianyes eyes lit up in delight. Fierce beasts were territorial, and even more so for stronger ones. Even in the land of procreation, the area around the stronger ones would usually be empty. Although the empty strips were merely ten meters or so, they were quite evident amidst the crowds. Qianye had retracted his aura, so those fierce beasts did not see him as a threat. They considered him food, and one that they might or might not like. Hence, the creatures didnt react when he hid behind them, only keeping their eyes on the six-armed giant and maintaining an attack posture. As they saw it, the latter was their greatest foe. Qianye had finished observing the situation. Holding East Peak, he maintained a distance of ten meters from the fierce beasts at all times. This distance was sufficient to prevent agitating them, but he was also still within their territory. The six-armed giant flew into a rage after seeing that his threat was ineffective. It quickly scooped up several smaller beasts and hurled them over. Qianye was standing behind a giant ape-looking beast. It was almost ten meters tall, with patches of scale under its fur and bony spikes along its back. One could immediately tell that this was no easy opponent. In the Empires records, this primate was called a berserk ape, a top-ranking fierce beast only second to a void colossus. Just like its strength, the apes temper was also one of the worst. Seeing that the six-armed giant was attacking, the ape swung its fist about and swatted away the incoming fierce beasts. However, comparing body sizes, this berserk ape was only a bit taller than the giants knee, not so different from a small pet. After swatting away three rounds of fierce beast projectiles, one of its arms dropped down. Then, the next beast bullet sent it somersaulting backward and falling a hundred or so meters away. With the berserk ape beaten half to death in the blink of an eye, the others who knew they were inferior immediately tucked their tails between their legs and fled. Qianye smiled wryly, feeling quite helpless at the moment. He had no idea whether this six-armed monster had received some sort of kill order, or if Qianyes shot back then had hurt too much. The field of procreation here was now devoid of beasts in heat. All of them had shrunk to a different corner, staring at the furious six-armed giant. The fierce beasts in other areas had also sensed the restlessness. Qianye looked through the corner of his eyes and found that the beasts around the berserk ape were relatively big. Even though they all looked fairly different from one another, their common quality was that they were comparable to the ape. Meanwhile, a massive entity like the six-armed giant was mostly unique, with few even reaching the height of its knee. No wonder it couldnt feel the call to reproduce. Qianye suddenly turned back and gazed at the Pond of Life. Everyone knew that the marine creatures here were much bigger than the land creatures, and that the six-armed giants potential enemy would most likely appear from the water. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1073: The Pond of Life Part 2 There had to be a reason for the Pond of Life being so special. Its reason for existence was likely to produce offspring between different species. Now that the six-armed giant had disrupted the peaceful procreation of these living beings within ten kilometers, it was reasonable to think that the pond would react. Qianyes figure moved like the wind, slowly edging toward the Pond of Life as he evaded the fierce beasts being hurled at him. The closer he moved to the waters, the stronger the calling of his urges. However, Qianye could still resist this level of urging without using any secret arts. The tyrannical six-armed giant naturally followed suit, destroying all obstructions and beasts it found unpleasant along the way. Finally, the giants toss missed its mark ever so slightlya wild beast whistled over Qianyes head and fell toward the water. The calm lake surface finally swelled up into a wave as an enormous entity leaped up from the water and devoured the falling creature. The leap was extremely powerful, bringing the behemoths entire body out of the water before crashing back down amidst mountainous waves. This marine beast was covered in thick scales, each of them as sharp as blades, and its giant mouth was lined with sinister-looking edges. Just the sight of it made one tremble in fear. The enormous creature swam toward the shore after appearing, charging straight at the six-armed giant. The six-armed giant stopped for the first time and, staring at the marine creature, roared to establish its might. The latter wasnt afraid at all. It arrived at the shore like a flying arrow and pounced onto the six-armed giant, pinning it to the ground! Only at this point did the marine beasts true appearance come into view. It was dozens of meters long with six short, pillar-like legs supporting its massive frame. There was a bony plate at the tip of its tail, which resembled a square flail. In terms of body size, it wasnt at all inferior to the six-armed giant and even held a small advantage. A body that size would weigh hundreds if not thousands of tons, yet it was able to move like lightning and attack as swiftly as a shadow leopard. Qianye could hardly believe his eyes after seeing this terrifying speed. Even the six-armed giant couldnt stand the marine creatures charge, and the latter didnt hold back at all as it bit down. The large mouth, when fully opened, was enough to swallow the small house Qianye had built back in the neutral lands. The six-armed giant seemed experienced in combat. It made full use of its advantage in having multiple arms, pushing up the creatures mouth with four arms, and using the remaining pair to prop up a metal rod inside the marine beasts mouth. This pushed apart the creatures upper and lower jaws, making its mouth impossible to close. Having restrained the marine beasts mouth, the giant was easily able to extricate itself and push the creature over. After standing up, it grabbed the marine beast by the legs and smashed it to the ground. The creatures in the Great Maelstrom were hardy and tenacious. Even after such a powerful slam, the marine creature seemed like it was only a bit dizzy and not at all seriously injured. However, Qianye felt worried after seeing the six-armed giants skill. The marine creature was fierce, but it wasnt the six-armed giants opponent in actual combat. Another change took place at this point. The marine creature went berserk and let out a wild roar. It closed its giant mouth with all its might, actually bending the metal rod that was as thick as Qianye! The rod bent more and more until it finally snapped into two! Although Qianye was highly experienced, this scene still left him speechless. The marine creatures jaws were simply heaven-defying and might be enough to snap an armored Imperial warship in two. Even the hydraulic hammer back at the Zhao Clan was no stronger. The marine beast bit the six-armed giant again, but the latter immediately flashed away. It simply did not dare to get gnawed on. This evasion couldnt be considered agile, but the giants long legs took it several dozen meters with a single wide step and caused the marine beast to miss its mark. However, the sea creature swung its tail along the ground and whipped at the giants legs! This attack was like a battering ram striking a city wall; the muffled sound was followed by a quake and a cloud of dust. The six-armed giants leg had caved in somewhat, but its bones remained intact. On the contrary, the sea beasts tail hammer was a bit deformed. Soon, the two behemoths clashed in battle once more in a battle that would tear the skies and rend the earth. Qianye didnt escape but, instead, approached the battlefield under the cover of the chaos. The marine beast was, after all, still a beast and wouldnt be the six-armed giants match in the long run. The giants constant hunt gave Qianye a massive headache, and there was no way he would be able to return to the empire without killing it. Now that the giant had finally met its equal, how could Qianye not take this opportunity to strike? Qianye didnt dare use Heartgrave again, no matter how much confidence the Pond of Life afforded him. Firing an origin gun in the Great Maelstrom would cause too much of a commotion. Even if he didnt attract all the creatures around the Pond of Life, a small part of them was inevitable. There was no telling if there were any beasts among the many strange species that could track him like the six-armed giant. At this moment, the six-armed giant and the sea creature were rolling about on the ground. In the face of so many good opportunities, Qianye fished out his vampiric edge and approached under the cover of the dust. It just so happened that the two monsters had just flipped through the air and slammed down in front of Qianye. This landing produced a huge pit, and a wave of debris bore down upon him! Without retreating, Qianye relied on his strong body to crash through the wave and appear before a massive city wall of flesh. This was one of the six-armed giants arms. It was two meters in diameter and even taller than Qianye himself. Its skin, covered in hair-like steel nails, had a faint green glow to it and its texture was akin to hard, shriveled tree bark. Without the slightest hesitation, Qianye raised his vampiric edge and stabbed the six-armed giants joint. This thrust was fairly ruthlessthe weapon absorbed essence blood from around the wound, affecting healing and numbing the arm. The blade sunk in as though he were stabbing rotten leather. However, the vampiric edge wouldnt go further after a while. The feeling from his hand told him that he hadnt actually pierced through the enemys skin. Qianye cursed inwardly as he maximized the applied pressure. The blade finally penetrated the giants thick skin and into the flesh before finally nailing itself in the bone. Qianye was delighted because this was the result he had wanted. An injury to the bone, now that was truly difficult to heal. Several activation points kicked into action as layer upon layer of Excavator power was mobilized. With a short grunt, Qianye pushed the vampiric edge into the six-armed giants bone. Unable to withstand the great pressure, the vampiric edge snapped in half! Qianye was surprised because this blade had followed him for a good while. It was light, easy to wield, and it was grade-seven in quality. Who wouldve thought a weapon of this grade would fail to deal with the six-armed giants bones? Wouldnt this mean these bones were comparable to grade-eight treasures? This giant bastard was practically a mobile treasure trove. Unfortunately, treasures were only good if one could take from them. Qianye abandoned the broken blade and jumped back a hundred meters or so, evading a sweeping strike from the six-armed giant. This fist was still a good distance from him, but the winds produced from the strike was enough to stifle him. Fortunately, Qianyes stab was no more than an ant-bite to the giant. Its entire focus remained on the marine beast, only swatting at him randomly. Qianye hid to the side and soon found another opportunity. A tail sweep from the marine beast swept the giant to the ground, its back open in front of Qianye. Without hesitation, Qianye shot out like a bolt of lightning and latched onto the giants back. Threads of blood spread out from him as he activated Life Plunder! Qianyes control over Life Plunder had increased sharply after reaching the marquis rank, and most of the sanguine threads found their mark. The red lines were extremely thin but peerlessly sharp, drilling right into the six-armed giant in the blink of an eye. However, Qianyes expression changed drastically. The usually unstoppable threads faced great difficulty advancing into the giants body. There was a strange energy field inside its body that would resist formless attacks like this. Finally, the threads returned with only half of them carrying a drop of blood each. It could be considered a fruitful endeavor, at the very least. Qianye retracted the sanguine threads and disappeared with Spatial Flash. It just so happened that the giant flipped over at this point and landed back-side down like a collapsing mountain. Qianye wouldve been compressed below if he had been a bit slower. Qianye had just landed some distance away when his face turned red and he staggered like a drunkard for a while before stabilizing himself. The essence blood in his body wasnt just overflowing; it was on the verge of exploding. The energy contained in the few drops of blood was even greater than the entire blood supply of a four-armed native. There was no way Qianye could withstand absorbing close to a hundred four-armed warriors in essence blood. With a muffled groan, he coughed up a mouthful of blood as more trickled down from his eyes and nose. There were bloody spots all over his skin as the sanguine fluid seeped out of his body. Qianye couldnt care about himself at this point. He glanced over at the six-armed giant and saw that the monstrosity was still fighting the marine beast, and it had gained the clear upper hand. All it did was scratch its back to get rid of the itchy sensation. This outcome gave Qianye a new understanding of the six-armed giants terrifying vitality. Even if he were to explode ten times over, it still wouldnt be enough to drain the six-armed giant with Life Plunder. Having failed in this method, Qianye finally brought East Peak into play. Another opening presented itself after a while, and he finally managed to open a small wound on the creatures leg. The wound was a meter long and half a meter deep, but Qianye couldnt feel any delight from seeing it. Most of the wounds depth was occupied by light green skin, and only its deepest parts were made up of flesh. This small injury wasnt enough to make a difference compared to the gigantic frame of the creature. East Peak was superior in weight and sturdiness, but it was not known for its sharpness. It felt as though there was nowhere to strike on the giants body. That left him with the Shot of Inception as his only option. But the shot had to strike the targets vitals directly, and seeing how massive the targets body was, Qianye couldnt help but feel a hint of despair. There was no telling how many Shots of Inception would be needed to finish this giant off. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1074: The Pond of Life Part 3 Qianye slashed the six-armed giant a couple more times, leaving negligibly small wounds each time. He felt rather helpless, but it dawned upon him that he had no other way to deal with this fellow. He wasnt entirely without options. For instance, he might be able to finish off the giant if he fired into the eye with Heartgrave. However, this would also subject him to a beast wave, even drawing out the marine creatures. Qianye glanced at the boundless Pond of Life but couldnt sense any other marine beasts hiding in the water. It was just that the water was rippling all this timeclearly, something out of the ordinary was happening. It would seem the waters of the pond could block perception. At this moment, the six-armed giant had already gained the advantage and was beating the marine beast until it was roaring in agony. Three of its six stony claws had been broken, and its tail was getting weaker and weaker with each swing. Seeing that things werent looking good, Qianye charged toward the pond decisively. The six-armed giant became anxious after noticing this. It roared furiously before chasing after him with a loud roar. At this point, Qianye had already figured out that there was something strange here. The aquatic creature was able to damage and threaten the six-armed giant, meaning that its strength was far above Qianyes own. Yet, the giant would rather give up on killing this enemy and chase after him instead. Perhaps there was a certain existence commanding him to do so, but then again, what kind of entity could control this six-armed giant? Qianye made a beeline for the Pond of Life, leaving the beast horde behind in the blink of an eye. Thousands of meters stood between the pond and the gathered creatures. This strip of land was fairly quiet, empty, and devoid of all life. Even the beasts straying into this area would immediately leave. Qianye had no time to pay attention to the peculiarity of this area. Even if there was danger here, it was a double-edged blade. To the fierce beasts in this area, the six-armed giant was a much more important target compared to Qianyethe aquatic creature just now had proven this. It never so much as glanced at Qianye during the entire fight. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had shot through the wide-area and arrived within a thousand meters of the pond. As though he had crossed over an invisible border, a sudden explosion thundered in his head. His entire body was uncontrollably aboil, almost like he was on fire. The impact was so intense that it was comparable to drinking white-fruit wine. Despite Qianyes firm willpower, his vampire body wasnt good at resisting primal urges. The sudden shock sent Qianye into an absent-minded daze. He woke up in mere moments but found that he had actually turned about and was running toward one of the female beasts in the horde. He immediately turned about and rushed toward the water, but he was once again entranced after crossing the formless border and started running back toward the beasts again. After several such attempts, Qianye had gotten a rough idea of the distribution of this boundary and was able to make preparations for his subsequent charge. Although he had been restrained momentarily each time, he could already sense that there was a strange vertical eye in the depths of the pond, and that the shock would happen immediately after its opening. It would seem there were indeed secrets under the Pond of Life. After getting a feel of the boundary, Qianye started running around it. This made it so that the eye would appear but the impact wouldnt. His attention went back to the six-armed giant behind him. The giant suddenly staggered and almost fell to the ground. Its eyes lit up with a ferocious glint as it roared at the pond, waving its weapon all the while. Only two of its arms had weapons in them, though, which subtracted from the intended menace. The pond began to surge, boil, and froth as an enormous body moved beneath the waters. Just from the waves on the surface, one could tell that the being underneath was several hundred meters in length. Such a creature was almost comparable to a void colossus, the only limitation of such a size being that it wouldnt be able to come ashore. The two giantsone in the water and one on landseemed to have conversed via spiritual fluctuations. The six-armed giant roared a couple of times before continuing to chase after Qianye, but this time, it was clearly more restrained and didnt attack the obstructing creatures. Qianye had already run out of the flat land area and dived into the dense forest. The woods beside the Pond of Life was differentthe giant trees here were over a hundred meters tall, covered in vines, thorns, and shrubs, with countless creatures moving about between their leaves. A swarm of mosquitos rushed out of the shrubbery the moment Qianye stepped into the forest. These mosquitoes were like bees, with sharp mouths and stingers on their tails, but each the size of a fist. One could see at a glance that these terrifying beings werent going to be easy to deal with. Following these insects were slithering sounds as ant-like creatures crawled out from the bushes. Their giant maws were glistening with a metallic sheen and accompanied by the bitter smell of poison. In the blink of an eye, Qianye was surrounded by countless insects. To outsiders, this dense forest was simply a land of death. Ordinary beasts were no match for these bug swarms, but to Qianye, they were merely nuisances in his way. Sanguine flames flickered on his body as the blaze swept through all the swarms within ten meters of him. In the blink of an eye, all the ants and mosquitoes scattered after catching the scent of dark golden blood energy. Only some of the ants on the ground were burned, but the bugs in the air werent so lucky. The flames didnt quite char their entire bodies, but their delicate wings were burnt away, causing them to fall into the ant army below. The two insects immediately started fighting. The flightless mosquitoes retaliated fiercely with their stingers, but the ants were far greater in number and their jaws could easily snap their opponents into half. In the blink of an eye, nothing remained of the fallen mosquitoes. Qianye was in no mood to find out who among them was the victor. He simply hastened his steps into the depths of the forest. The six-armed giant arrived before the forest and, for the first time, seemed rather hesitant about stepping in. The moment his first foot landed in the thicket, a mass of dark insects emerged from every direction and started stinging his leg. The giants thick green skin actually started to darken! Just the sight of that thick cloud of mosquitoes was enough to make ones scalp go numb. Soon, several large palms descended amidst loud whistles and slapped the legs, each strike leaving a large patch of insect mush on the skin. There was no telling how many tens of thousands of mosquitoes had died there. A series of slapping sounds rang out as four of the giants large hands swung down hundreds of times, killing most of the insects on his legs. He then rubbed his legs, scraping off the layers of insect mush which fell down like raindrops. When the faint green skin was revealed once more, there were countless small holes on the surface. These mosquitoes were so powerful that they could actually punch holes through the giants skin. It was just that the giants hide was so thick and hard that they were far from drilling through after a good deal of effort. Only a few sparse clouds remained of that seemingly-omnipresent insect swarm. One of them flew about the six-armed giant like a cloud of black mist and actually shot toward its face. Even a being as strong as the six-armed giant would be weak in the eyes, nose, and mouth. However, the giant inhaled deeply and sucked the entire cloud of insects into his mouth, and then swallowed them. This intimidated the last surviving group of insects, which eventually dispersed. As for the countless venomous creatures inside the forest, they were intelligent enough to avoid a direct confrontation. The giant continued his hunt for Qianye after freeing himself of these restraints, crashing into a giant tree in his way. This big tree was over a hundred meters tall and several meters in girth, with foliage that could blot out the skies. It was indeed a majestic tree. The collision actually snapped the ancient tree in half, which went to prove just how powerful the giant was. However, the giant was also dazed from the impact and almost stumbled to the ground, swaying a couple of times before stabilizing itself. The six-armed giant still remembered its greatest target. It gazed at Qianye from afar and continued chasing after him in large strides. Yet another loud rumble was heard as a different ancient tree collapsed, then another, and another. The entire forest was in a state of chaos and commotion. The six-armed giants body was now covered in injuries, and the wounds from the insect bites were dripping black blood. The ancient trees in this forest had stood here for countless years, each of them as hard as steel. The thousands of branches were akin to sharp blades in the air, and even the six-armed giants thick skin had been lacerated in many places. Bulldozing through these trees also came with a steep priceone of its arms could be seen hanging limply to the side. The six-armed giant could sense Qianye moving away at a constant, swift pace. The monster roared furiously and lifted a giant tree by its roots, and then swung it around at full force. This demolished a large patch of the forest, yet that wasnt enough to vent its anger. The Pond of Life rippled at this point as a giant spout appeared on the surface, blowing a tall pillar of water into the air. Following a loud scream, extremely powerful spiritual waves descended upon the six-armed giant. The giant roared in response, finally throwing down the tree in his hand and giving up on destroying the forest. It glanced one last time in Qianyes direction but ultimately turned away and gave up on hunting him down. In the depths of the forest, Qianye watched the massive receding figure from the top of an ancient tree. He heaved a sigh of relief, but his expression became solemn again after looking at his surroundings. This forest was extremely vast, but one could still see its borders. These woods covered an area several hundred kilometers in radiuson one side of it was the Pond of Life, while on the other was a boundless grassland. Qianye would be in a dire situation if the six-armed giant were to hunt him down on those plains. As expected, the six-armed monstrosity didnt leave very far. It took its stand on the grassland as though it was waiting for something. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1075: A Forest Free of Secular Desires One side of the forest connected to the Pond of Life. Even inside the forest, Qianye could still sense that invisible boundary. There was no animal within a thousand meters of him, only a variety of plants that he could not name, weaving together to form a dense, near-impassable curtain. The large aquatic beast in the Pond of Life had shown itself, but there was no telling if it was the most powerful being. The six-armed giant had sealed off the exit on the other side of the forest, and although Qianye had no idea what it was planning, it couldnt be anything good. However, the forest wasnt a place he could remain in for prolonged periods. In addition to the tens of thousands of insects, the creatures living there werent easy to deal with, either. For instance, there were small snakes as thin as chopsticks that completely blended into the environment. They moved as quick as lightning, and even Qianye was bitten a couple of times. These serpents possessed a powerful toxin that numbed Qianyes entire body after just ten seconds or so. Even his blood core started beating slower, and his blood turned stagnant. Fortunately, the dark golden blood energy was the bane of all poisons. Auric flame blood surged out of his blood core and incinerated the venom in his system. The congealed blood was then expelled in the form of a mouthful of black blood. Only after being poisoned did Qianye view these little snakes seriously. And this was Qianyeany other vampire, even one from the twelve old clans, would not last long under the effects of this poison. In addition, these snakes were extremely resilient. Qianye actually failed to crush them on the first attempt after being bitten and had to exert a bit more strength before he was able to shatter the target. These snakes were just one of the thousands of creatures in the forest, and they werent the most dangerous, either. Qianye had seen a small, glowing snake coiled up on one of the tree branches. Not only did the serpent not hide itself, but it had even made itself more eye-catching and visible from a good distance. Qianye naturally took the long way around this creature and avoided stepping into its territory. In addition to snakes, there were lizards, rats, weasels, and all kinds of strange animals. The one thing they had in common was that they would be quite a bit of trouble when provoked, and most of them carried various types of poison. There was an unassuming weasel that wasnt poisonous, but it could gnaw through anything as though biting through apricots, even leaving two deep fang-marks on East Peak. Thereafter, Qianye would always avoid this animal and try his best not to provoke it. Qianye wondered whether the vampire Holy Son would be able to leave this place alive if he were to arrive here accidentally. Perhaps only an arachne like Basil would be suited to survive in this place. But then Qianye shook his head after recalling how big the spider was. Such a big target would be easily devoured by the insect swarms. Qianye wasnt having an easy time here, either. He finally found an empty space under a large tree, cleared away the shrubbery with his sword and sanguine flames, and finally sat down to rest. He had to maintain a thin layer of flames around his body to keep the insects away. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief after finding a hiding spot; he would finally have time to observe his surroundings. Some insects started to gather around him before long, but they didnt dare approach due to the flames. Soon, they had woven together to form a thick, furry layer on the ground. Now, Qianye didnt dare retract his sanguine flames. Fortunately, he had an abundance of essence blood at the moment, enough to last him half a month or so. Even if he didnt have enough, the creatures in the Great Maelstrom were just full of essence blood if nothing else. A random Life Plunder would fill him up to the point of exploding. Qianye noticed, after running through the forest for a good while, that the creatures he had encountered were different. Every small area would have its own characteristicseven the seemingly identical trees were actually different in structure and bark veins. After careful observation, one would find that there were actually two types of trees. When Qianyes eyes ran over a rock, he noticed that it was covered by a layer of purplish-green moss. He walked over and studied it carefully for a good while, finally confirming that this was Dragon Scale Moss, a key component of special military-grade stimulants. It was used in very small amounts but a key component nonetheless. This big patch of Dragon Scale Moss was enough to produce hundreds of special stimulants. Such drugs were only available to high-ranking officers from special forces like Red Scorpion. Other squads had never even seen them before. This patch of moss was valuable, but not to the point of being priceless. Despite that, a patch this size would definitely fetch an extraordinary price. The Dragon Scale Moss wouldnt take much space, so Qianye carefully scraped it off and packaged it. He had used up some of his supplies while running from the six-armed giant, so there was now some extra space inside Andruils Mysterious Realm. After checking his spatial gear, Qianye placed the Dragon Scale Moss inside. This harvest would allow several hundred high-ranking officers of the empire to survive. After stowing the moss away, a patch of berry trees with razor-sharp thorns caught Qianyes eyes. He fished out his dagger and shaved off some of the bark, revealing a tender golden yellow underneath. The stalk of the plant was dotted with silver speckles, which confirmed that this was a famed medicine known as the Starry Sky. The soft branches of the Starry Sky could be refined into an extremely powerful anesthetic, and the plant itself was also a poison. Its main use was to extend ones life. As long as the victim wasnt dead, the medicine could keep his life hanging from three to five days. Starry Sky could be applied in a variety of situations and was definitely an herb on the same level as Dragon Scale Moss. After these two discoveries, Qianye began checking his surroundings in greater detail. In the end, he found a dozen or so medicinal ingredients of differing effects. One could easily tell how valuable the poison from those fist-sized mosquitoes from before was. It would surely be made into several medicines with powerful effects. As for the small snake that had bitten Qianye, its flesh, blood, poison, and gall were all invaluable. Even its spine was so sharp and hard that it could be made into spearheads. One could slap a metal barrel onto it and make it into a grade-seven gun. In short, this forest was full of treasures at every step. Qianye wouldve discovered even more if only his experience and knowledge wasnt limited to his training at Yellow Springs. He had never learned about medicines and minerals in-depth. He was quite good in biology, though, but that was for finding the most efficient way to kill. Even so, Qianye had managed to recognize several medicines and resources. There was still a whole lot of them that he couldnt recognize. Any random segment of this forest was home to thousands of different species. Who knew how many of them there were as a whole? Here, small creatures like ants and bugs lived in clusters that were dozens if not hundreds of times denser than the outside world. It wasnt just the bugs and animals; this applied to the plants as well. According to common knowledge, such distribution would make acquiring nutrition a challenge. The food chain dictated that everything would return to the soil in the end. No matter how fertile the soil, it wouldnt be able to sustain such a cluster of absorption. The land shouldve turned barren in just a few years. No one knew how long the Pond of Life had existed, but the Empire had found it fairly soon after arriving in the Great Maelstrom. Several hundred years had passed since then, but there was no change at all. The only problem was that the Pond of Life was too dangerous, and it treated both the weak and the strong equally. After some initial attempts, the Empire would only come for the Marine Lotus and a handful of other rare medicines, leaving quickly afterward. No one had set foot before in this forest, and Qianye felt that it was a land of no return for both humans and dark races. Qianye was the first to dive into this thicket. He really had no other choice with the six-armed giant hot on his trail. This phenomenon was definitely abnormal, but then again, things in the Great Maelstrom could hardly be explained by common sense. Now that he had nothing to do, Qianye began to ponder: was this forest, and even the entire Pond of Life, naturally formed? If not, then what was the creators intention? Qianye continued his search while thinking and found a fair number of strange things, things he did not know the usage of. He didnt dare venture too far out because he would have to scorch every area he visited with sanguine flames. Even though this process would unintentionally destroy some of the treasures, he would rather risk it than get bitten by something hiding in the soil. Every once in a while, Qianye would climb to the top of the tree and look around. He could still see the six-armed giants figure far off in the distance. It simply stood there, glancing over at the woods from time to time, and then back in a certain direction. It had to be a tough job for this violent monster to stand quietly for an entire day. The giants state made Qianye rather uneasy. Coming down from the tree, Qianye began moving toward the Pond of Life. The closer he moved to the water, the stronger his urges became. However, there were only snakes, rats, and insects here, and none of them were species Qianye could mate with. So, it became even easier to resist the temptation and pressure. The Pond of Life was a dangerous place, but for humans, the forest was a holy land free from secular desires. The only issue was that only a handful of people would survive after entering the forest. The aquatic beasts in the Pond of Life were rather gentle in nature, compared to the violent six-armed giant. The only reason they had started fighting was because the giant was being a nuisance with his hitting and smashing. Qianye wasnt naive enough to think there was no danger in the water. Disregarding everything else, what was that enormous creature eating? The Marine Lotus, reportedly, grew close to the shores of the lake. Otherwise, the specially-trained experts of the Empire would never be able to reach them. Since he had already arrived at the Pond of Life, Qianye decided to try his luck as well. He had never seen the Marine Lotus. Qianye glanced at the scattered islands in the Pond of Life and felt a scorching urge in his heart, which he quickly suppressed. He hadnt lived enough just yet, and had no intention to test whether he would make a sufficient meal for those giant creatures. The six-armed giant didnt have to remain in place for very long before countless two-arms appeared over the horizon. There were also hundreds of four-armed natives scattered among them. As the tide of natives moved toward the forest, Qianye finally understood what the six-armed giant was waiting for. Its plan was to drown the entire forest with two-armed soldiers and have the four-arms hunt Qianye down. This was doubtlessly a good move because Qianye had never seen so many two-armed people. They arrived like a black tidal wave, rushing resolutely forward and devouring everything in its wake. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1076: Silent Scream The two-armed army split into two groups, one of which traveled along the waterand not so surprisingly ended up joining the procreation partywhile the other poured into the forest. The first batch of two-armed natives entering the forest was stung from head to toe. Their skin wasnt as thick as the six-armed giant, and they did not possess sanguine flames to protect them. They didnt even have time to scream before they were drained of all blood and fell down as dried corpses. The carcasses fell down into the territory of the ants and rats, where they were devoured until there werent even bone fragments left. In the blink of an eye, thousands of two-armed natives were swallowed up by the forest, but thousands more poured in immediately afterward. The mosquitoes, ants, and snakes poured out in droves, devouring several thousand more. However, there was a sea of two-armed natives outside of the forest, and even more would pour in after the first batch was destroyed. The tens of thousands of natives pushed into the forest for several hundred meters before dying. This time, there were thousands of skeletons left on the groundwhich went to show that the bone-ingesting creatures were full and could no longer take in any more. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of two-armed natives charged into the forest amidst loud screams. They smashed through all obstructions with their primitive weaponsbe it thorns, beehives, or anthills, nothing was a threat to them anymore. The bees fell dead after excreting too much venom in a short period, and were then stomped into mush. Perhaps due to the hunger, most of the two-armed natives grabbed everything they could and stuffed them into their mouths. Many of them collapsed after eating the ants and insects, but the majority staggered on into the depths of the forest. Qianyes heart was filled with leaden clouds as he gazed at the distant scene. He had never imagined that the six-armed giant would use this kind of tactic to shake the forest. No matter how lowly the two-armed natives were in status, this was still tens of thousands of lives being thrown awayand this was just the beginning. How many more of them would have to die in order to fill up this vast forest. Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? Back when the humans established the empire, they were still slaves and food for the dark races. Even then, they had not suffered this type of massacre. The vampires viewed humans as properties, and of considerable value, at that. There were actually better, more efficient ways to get through the woods. For instance, setting it on fire was the simplest method. Smoke and fire were the best means to deal with insects and ants. Qianyes sanguine flames could burn the wings of all the bees in each hive. Yet, it would seem the six-armed giant had never thought of this. Be it the two-armed natives or the four-armed warriors, not a single one of them had a torch in their hands. At this point, the forest quieted down. As though the two sides had reached a certain agreement, the forest suddenly quieted down. All the insects disappeared without a trace, and the dangerous small animals shrunk back into their lairs. More than a hundred thousand two-armed natives surged into the forest and began roaming about like a pack of hungry wolves. A group of four-armed natives marched in from behind the two-armed natives, wielding blades and eyes gleaming with ferocity. Qianye frowned; this wasnt good news at all. The increase in desire was almost nonexistent in the forest, and neither the two-armed nor four-armed people were affected, allowing them to go all out in the search. The forest might be big, but the two-armed people were even greater in number. Such a mobilization was just for him? Qianye didnt feel like he deserved such an honor. Yet, there was no other way to explain why the six-armed giant was hunting him down at all costs. All of that aside, the most important thing was to extricate himself from the current danger. The six-armed giant didnt try to enter the forest anymore. Apparently, the ancient trees and razor-sharp branches gave him quite a bit of a headache, a pain he was no longer willing to taste again. These ancient trees were extremely sturdythe six-armed giant might be able to force a path through any other forest, but here, he would need to charge to topple just one tree. And even then, he ran the risk of getting injured. The vast number of two-armed natives searched the forest, while the four-armed warriors acted as core nodes to lead them. Qianye retracted his aura and climbed down along the tree trunk, stopping when he was a dozen or so meters above the ground. It was at this point that ten two-armed men appeared and began searching through the brambles. Just as they were about to turn around toward him, Qianye flicked a stone at the back of a two-armed natives head. This two-armed man roared furiously and, picking up his weapon, looked around in all directions. The surrounding natives glanced at the first man, who pointed in Qianyes direction. This led countless gazes toward the tree Qianye was in, but the latter was already nowhere to be found. A number of four-armed soldiers arrived at the scene soon afterward. They were clearly much more intelligent and knew to look up at the crown of the giant tree. This ancient tree was thick and tall, but the foliage wasnt too exuberant and one could see that the space between the branches was empty. The tallest among the four-armed giants became furious and kicked that two-armed native to the ground. The latter scrambled a good distance away before continuing his search. The entire group passed by below the ancient tree and headed toward the depths of the forest. In truth, Qianye was just above them. He had retracted his aura and was sticking close to the tree trunk. Additionally, he was moving around the tree trunk depending on the movement of the two-armed people, making sure to stay out of their sight. After evading this round of investigation, Qianye landed softly on the ground and approached the group from behind. Three two-armed natives were advancing shoulder to shoulder. Just as the two on the left and right flanks were beating the long grass, the person in the middle vanished. The other two never sensed anything, so they simply kept on going. Qianye dragged the unconscious two-armed native and arrived at a hidden location. He fished out his vampiric knife and pressed it against the mans neck, and then woke him up. Neither the two-armed nor the four-armed people were lacking in intelligence. It was just that their cultural development was abnormal and still at the level of a primitive tribe. Even the six-armed giant was more impulsive than intelligent, more like a beast in this regard. Qianye had no hope of getting anything out of the two-armed person, but he had to try. Qianye knew his own value. He wasnt worth mobilizing so many forces. The two-armed man woke up from his sleep and saw a vampiric blade pressed against his neck. This was a common sign for many races and languages, one that didnt require a lot of intelligence to understand. However, this two-armed native reacted rather unexpectedlyhis face was full of terror as he opened his mouth and actually emitted a soundless scream! There was no sound because the frequency had exceeded the range of human hearing, but that didnt stop Qianyes perception from picking it up. This scream didnt spread out very far, only a hundred meters or so, but all the two-arm and four-arm people in the area turned to look in its direction. That wasnt even the biggest issue. Within the second one-hundred meter perimeter, all of the two-arm and four-arm people turned back at the same time. Their reactions were a tad late, but terrifyingly neat and orderly. Immediately afterward, the natives in the next one-hundred meter ring looked back. In this manner, wave after wave of two-arms and four-arms turned around. They spread out toward the periphery like a tidal wave and locked onto Qianyes direction. Oh no! Qianye cried out in secret. He had fought with a good number of two-arms in the high-gravity region. These weaker fellowsgreater in number and living under extremely bad conditionsserved as cannon fodder and slaves. Naturally, they couldnt be considered dauntless, but Qianye had never imagined they would risk their lives to issue a warning cry. Qianyes heart sank after sensing the situation in the forest, realizing that a certain powerhouse had connected these tens of thousands of creatures into one. Once discovered, his location would spread to all the other two-arms and four-arms. Qianyes hand pressed down, slashing the two-armed natives throat. The man didnt die immediately and was still trying to issue another warning with his last gasp. It was just that blood would gush out whenever he tried to open his mouth, stopping him from making another sound. Rustling footsteps echoed in all directions. Qianye charged out ten meters with a single step and drew blood with a swing of East Peak. Several two-armed natives had just emerged from the shrubbery when their throats were slashed. More two-armed people poured out, including several four-armed warriors. Qianye put away East Peak and switched to an agile movement art. He then weaved through countless natives, leaving small wounds with his vampiric blade. These wounds seemed unassuming, but they were quite possibly lethal or would otherwise handicap the victim. Using the enemy to camouflage oneself was the way to deal with a vast number of enemies. Qianye was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to go into hiding once more. He only wanted to find a clever way to escape; never once did he think about killing a hundred thousand natives. Just as Qianye was circling behind one of the two-armed people, he felt a rush of wind bearing down upon him. The pressure actually stifled his breathing! He cried out secretly and pushed away the two-armed man he was planning to hide behind. There, he saw a four-armed warrior swinging a large tree trunk down at him! That tree trunk was one meter in diameter and ten meters long, producing an earth-shattering sound when swung. There was no way Qianye could stop such an object, so the only way was to evade. He immediately flashed sideways, sending several two-arms flying and barely escaping the tree trunk. This attack, backed by every ounce of the four-armed warriors strength, left a huge hole in the ground. Additionally, he had paid no attention to the two-armed people around Qianye, turning over a dozen of the slower ones into meat paste. Qianye sensed a different chill assaulting him, so he jumped up without a single thought. An iron spear thrust in like a venomous dragon, piercing Qianyes previous position. The assailant was yet another four-armed warrior, holding a spear seven meters long. This person didnt care about the two-arms, either, impaling over ten of them in one spear-strike and turning them into mists of blood. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1077: Human Wave Tactics These four-armed natives were so intent on killing Qianye that they didnt care at all about the two-arm casualties. Seeing Qianye evade several of their attacks, the four-armed warriors became furious. They shouted out commands to the nearby two-armed people, having them restrict Qianyes movement space. Qianye knew that the four-armed people were on a completely different level compared to the two-arms, but he wouldve never imagined they would send the latter to their deaths. One had to know that they were intelligent lifeforms as wellmany of them possessed human or dark race bloodlines, and were inherently resistant to orders sending them to their deaths. Qianye saw terror and hesitation in the eyes of the two-armed natives. They approached him unwillingly because they knew doing so meant death. But their eyes were shrouded in an odd yellow color as the four-armed warriors roared, hiding whatever emotions they might have had before. Soon afterward, they lost all reasoning and charged toward Qianye amidst loud cries. Qianye saw that the four-armed warriors were the ones in control. He laughed coldly as he charged out from the encirclement of two-armed people and arrived beside one of the roaring four-armed warriors. A swing of East Peak was all it took to sever his legs. The four-armed native fell down screaming and rolled about in pain, his flailing weapons producing an area of death around him. All the two-armed people near him were badly mutilated. Qianye only injured the warrior because he would turn into a natural obstruction in his badly injured state. Otherwise, not to mention a hundred thousand, just ten thousand of them was enough to squeeze him to death. Despite that, the ones shouting out the orders weren''t just a single four-armed warrior. Even though dozens of them were issuing commands at the same time, the two-armed natives never got confused. They simply charged at Qianye as though a single person was guiding them. Qianye found it strange and wondered if all the four-armed people were simply shouting something like charge, an order that would make no difference no matter how many people were issuing it. As the two-armed soldiers grew in number, Qianye slashed and dodged but wasnt able to improve his situation at all. He glanced around him and noted the locations of all the four-armed people around him. It wasnt going to be that easy to surround and kill him with two-armed cannon fodder! The four-armed warriors were quite tallthe strongest ones were almost ten meters in height, while the shorter ones were at least four. They looked fairly eye-catching as they towered over the horde of two-armed men. The latter could obstruct him on the ground, but there was nothing they could do to him in the air. At the thought of this, Qianye shot into the sky and pounced onto a four-armed warrior. He struck away the natives weapon and, with a turn of his body, slashed open the mans head. Qianye leaped up again after the successful kill, tapping a tree-trunk in the air before shooting toward a different four-armed warrior. Yet another cull ensued. Qianye flew about in the air, felling seven of these four-armed warriors and clearing the left side of the battlefield. The sea of two-armed people below him could pose no threat. It was at this point that a sudden change happened. The dozens of remaining four-armed warriors retrieved the bows on their back and nocked their arrows. In the blink of an eye, countless arrows were whistling through the air toward Qianye. Qianyes expression changed at the sight of these green-shrouded arrows! He pounced toward a large tree, circled to the back, and began climbing upward. The projectiles whistling behind him flew around the tree as they closed in. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had reached the crown of the tree. There, the branches were already quite thin and no longer able to hide his figure. Although most of the pursuing arrows had struck the tree trunk, there were still ten or so on his tail. Qianye was a powerful character even by the twelve major vampire clans standards, someone who could suppress people like Edward. Despite his superiority in speed and agility, he still couldnt escape these arrows after going all out. The archery skill of these natives was far beyond what the Empire was capable of. With no path upward, Qianye made a sharp turn and slammed down into the sea of two-armed people like a comet. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Several of the pursuing arrows stabbed into the ground behind Qianye. The projectiles almost vanished completely into the earth, leaving only the fletching. It would seem their accuracy was lacking just a bit during sharp turns. However, Qianye let out a muffled grunt as he was struck on the thigh and shoulder. The arrow in his thigh had gone in quite deep, while the other one nailed into his shoulder blade. Qianyes face turned pale as he reached back and pulled the arrows out. The arrowheads werent serrated, but there were strange blue patterns upon them representing an intense poison. Qianyes wound felt somewhat numb, but the venom was swept away by a wave of sanguine flames. Qianye felt fortunate that the natives had thought their poison was enough and never bothered to modify their arrowheads. Such crafting was too much work for the natives who had to procreate in the daytime and go into deep sleep at night to resist the cold. Using a bit of poison saved them much time. Besides, a poison that could give Qianye such discomfort could easily kill any other beast. Even a demonkin expert like Eden would have to go through a bit of trouble when poisoned. While surrounded in every direction, just a slight delay was enough to plunge one into peril. It could be considered good luck that only ten or so arrows had managed to chase after him until the end, two of them finding their mark. From a different perspective, these four-armed natives wouldnt be at their current level if all of their arrows could chase after Qianye until the end. They would have to be at or near the divine champion realm. The two-armed natives had swarmed over at this point, and Qianye no longer dared take to the skies, lest he became an easy target. He flashed into the crowd of two-armed people and adopted the most primitive way to protect himself. Qianyes movements became extremely small and meticulous, only enough to disable the enemy. He would not kill if he could injure, and only lightly if he could help it. This wasnt born of benevolence but rather to conserve energy for potential danger. The Book of Darkness could convert essence blood, but the rate was nowhere near the consumption in battle. He could replenish blood energy but not origin power, which was being drained at a steady rate. Having adapted to the high gravity, most species in the Great Maelstrom possessed strong bodies. This was a problem for Qianye because his domain would have little effect on these people, and he couldnt use Life Plunder too often. This crippled half of Qianyes trump cards, leaving only the Shot of Inception for use in critical situations. It was soon dusk. Qianye was bathed in blood. All he could remember was that he had killed close to a hundred four-armed warriors and countless two-armed ones. His body was growing heavy, and every movement felt exhausting. He could feel his origin power and blood energy hitting empty. Will I ever escape? Qianye sighed secretly. He had never imagined that he would be dying to a native human wave tactic, not on the front lines against the dark races, nor amidst a civil conflict in the Empire. Now that was frustrating. That six-armed giant simply wouldnt enter the forest and was currently quite far away. With the energy Qianye had left, it wasnt possible even if he wanted to use Spatial Flash and take the giant down with him. The curtain of the night slowly descended, and the forest grew darker. The darkness had no effect on Qianye, but the same couldnt be said for the natives. They did possess some night vision capabilities but couldnt compare to Qianyes vision, which stemmed from his ancient vampire bloodline. With the pressure on him reduced, Qianye finally made a decision on his path of escape. He charged out toward the Pond of Life! Now that it was night time, most creatures would instinctively choose to sleep even without the frigid night freezing their vitality. All reproduction activities had stopped. It was probably the same for those giant beasts in the Pond of Life. In their weariness, they would probably not mind an insect flying past themprovided said insect didnt sting them. Qianye was betting on the sea creatures being in a resting state and ignoring him as he passed by the water. When the sky was completely dark, Qianye finally got through the encirclement and arrived at the point where the forest and lake waters met. That was where the invisible border existed. The distant six-armed giant became restless. It roared continuously, instructing the two and four-armed natives to tighten their siege. The giant also tried to enter the forest, knocking several trees down and injuring itself. This proved that there was something the six-armed giant feared in the Pond of Life. It didnt want Qianye to go there. It made sense for one to do something the enemy didnt want; this was a good strategy under most circumstances. Qianye advanced firmly and crossed the invisible border. A furious roar echoed in the Pond of Life as he crossed the boundary. A shockwave of desire surged over and struck Qianye, as well as the natives chasing after him. Even the people who were just close to the border werent spared. Apparently, the creature in the water had been infuriated. As the tides fell, Qianye was overcome by a momentary daze. The stunned state was immediately suppressed by his Venus Dawn origin power, granting him clarity once more. The natives around him, on the other hand, fell to the ground and became entangled like a group of mating beasts. It was clear that they could produce offspring, so they couldnt resist the torrential urge. Qianye was delighted because this tide of desire was much weaker compared to the daytime. Apparently, the creatures in the water needed to sleep too and were using minimal effort to deal with them. This intensity was enough for him to resist, which was beyond the power of those two and four-armed natives. This wave of desire actually helped Qianye deal with his pursuers. Qianye continued running toward the Pond of Life, but he glanced back briefly before doing so. There seemed to be a commotion in the distance; the natives were beleaguering someone. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1078: Quite Mediocre Qianye couldnt see through the entire army, so he had no idea what was going on on the other side. However, it seemed the beasts and the natives werent friendly at all. It was no exception near the Pond of Life. The Pond of Life surged as a desire-awakening tide arrived yet again. This time, the covered surface area wasnt just around the boundary line. It washed deep into the forest, toppling thousands upon thousands of natives in the blink of an eye. The distant giant was furious, but nothing it did was working. No matter how many natives it dispatched, they would all be toppled by a single wave. The six-armed giant roared ferociously but finally withdrew his troops away from the border. That clash alone had cost hundreds of four-arms and tens of thousands of two-arms. Even the bad-tempered giant had no choice but to compromise in the face of such losses, giving up on charging the Pond of Life. Qianye crouched low and retracted his aura while moving. Two more waves washed over him after the native armys temporary retreat, but the intensity was much weaker. Qianye managed to tide over them without making a sound. There were natives rolling about on the ground along the border. Qianye was channeling Bloodline Concealment amidst all the chaos, so searching for him with perception alone would be extremely difficult. The existence in the water seemed fairly tired. It merely scanned the area a couple of times for Qianye and turned silent after failing to find him. Qianye slowly approached the Pond of Life and crept along the water, slowly leaving the natives encirclement. The night was young, and he had lots of time to spare. In a stone-forest that resembled a thousand needles pointing at the sky, two figures were contending with the natives. One of them looked nimble and delicate but attacked with extreme force; even the four-armed warriors couldnt stand after a single blow. The other was as swift as lightning and shrouded in icy energy. She was just a beat faster than all the natives in her wake, cutting them down in mere moments. These two were Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. They never went back to the fortress after scattering that day, but now, they had appeared near the Pond of Life. The lay of the land was complicated inside the stone forest, with pillars of rock forming natural obstructions. The two ladies were like fish in water, attacking and retreating at will as they felled hundreds of natives. Despite that, their expressions were pretty bad. After killing yet another two-armed soldier, Li Kuanglan said, This wont do, there are too many of them. Persevere. Ji Tianqing continued fighting in silence after saying this. Li Kuanglan wasnt willing to stay quiet. We shouldve escaped to the fortress, yet you had to come here. Ji Tianqing said angrily, This is our only chance at survival, thats the result of our divination. You agreed to it as well, didnt you? My divination skills Li Kuanglan sighed while slashing backward at a two-armed man. Well, were here anyway. I just hope he managed to escape. I hope so too. The two grew weaker after a while of fighting. A blushing Ji Tianqing glanced toward the Pond of Life but quickly turned back and continued fighting. What are you scared about? Li Kuanglan chuckled. Youre still laughing? Ji Tianqing asked unceremoniously. The Pond of Life was never a secret, why are you hesitating? Humph, its easy to say. Why dont you try? We can compete with the natives in willpower. Ji Tianqing said with a strange expression, It was never a problem, but now Im not that confident. Shall we take a chance? Ji Tianqing shook her head. No, I dont want that kind of ending if we lose. Li Kuanglan glanced at the myriad of beasts and natives near the pond and went pale at the thought. I dont want that, either, so lets fight to the end! The sword in her grasp was damaged in many places and looked like it would break before long. Just from the state of her weapon, one could easily see how intense the fighting had been. Li Kuanglan sighed, saying, We might be able to approach the Pond of Life if we hadnt done that, right? We wouldnt be alive if we hadnt done that. Are you regretting it? Of course not. A continuous stream of two-armed and four-armed natives entered the stone forest, and there was no telling when it would end. The two of them couldnt approach the Pond of Life, and seeing that massive figure in the distance, they also had to give up on breaking out of the encirclement. All they could do was fight on in frustration. Unknowingly the two of them had been forced to fight back-to-back in order to resist the unending attacks. The wounds on their bodies were also growing in number. Ji Tianqing felt her movements growing painful and her breathing labored. Li Kuanglan found her sword getting progressively heavier, to the point where it was difficult to even keep it in her hand. She sighed. The six-arm general chasing after us is already this powerful. The one hunting him down is so much bigger. Do you think he can escape? He will! Our man is, of course, the most awesome person. Ji Tianqings mood improved quite a bit and there was even a bit of joy in her tone. Li Kuanglans heart sank, and her expression never improved. The two had been fighting together all this time and knew each other very well. She was clear that Ji Tianqing was out of origin power. If she had any tricks up her sleeve, she wouldve used it by now. There were no reinforcements coming to their aid since the Great Maelstrom was isolated from the outside world. Perhaps she was already preparing her final killing move. Li Kuanglan was shaken as she thought of those words just now. Yeah, our man There was no need to hide anything anymore at this point. Li Kuanglan prepared an origin grenade, planning to kill herself before falling in battle. She refused to be captured alive or let the natives obtain her corpse. Ji Tianqing likely possessed something similar as well. It was at this time that an extraordinary fluctuation of origin power arrived from the distance. It was mysterious yet distinct, sharp yet gentle, full of conflicting sensations yet didnt feel artificial. As experts, Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing possessed sharp senses even on the verge of death. Both of them glanced toward the source at the same time. In the distance, the six-armed giants figure towered over them like a mountain. All of a sudden, a faintly discernible wisp of black energy spun around the giants neck. A red line appeared around the neck of that six-armed monstrosity. Then, its massive head slowly slid away and fell to the ground. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing were stunned. The six-armed giant was dead? For a moment, they had thought that the giant was about to perform some kind of earth-shattering attack and kill them. Boom! Only when that towering frame collapsed did the two girls realize that their enemy was truly dead. However, a question appeared in their minds: how did it die? This six-armed giant had joined the chase mid-way. It was a bit smaller than the one chasing Qianye, only reaching up to the latters shoulders, but it was more than enough to force the ladies into dire straits. It was tall, strong, and immensely powerful. Living in the high-gravity region year long made sure that its body was as hard as steel and knew no fatigue. It also happened to know tracking methods that were impossible to counter. Such an enemy was almost invincible. Even though Ji Tianqing was well-experienced and Li Kuanglan had been testing her blade throughout the land, neither of the two had faced a situation where they could neither beat nor flee from the enemy. Now, the monstrosity was dead, and the process was so simple that it felt like a childs game. That black energy flew about and transformed into a giant sickle in the grasp of an indescribable woman. With her dancing black hair and bottomless deep eyes, her appearance could only be summarized as perfect. The duos hearts skipped a beat when they saw this lady. A name escaped from both their lips: Nighteye! All the young top experts of the Empire knew Nighteye. Her fame didnt just come from her vampire primo status, nor was it born of her unmatched beautyit was mostly because of Qianye and his shocking fury. Because of that massacre in the city of Indomitable, one of the most powerful geniuses of the Empire, and someone with great potential at that, was driven out. Even today, people were still debating about Qianyes treason. If the military hadnt broken the rules and captured Nighteye, perhaps Qianye would be a pillar shouldering part of the Empires burdens. Many voices still believed that, as a vampire, Qianye was bound to be disloyal to the human race. Why otherwise would the founding emperor not tolerate the vampires? He would even kill his own son if the latter were tainted. To most of the girls in the Empire, however, Qianye was a heroic figure who would sacrifice everything for love. He was like a bright flag fluttering in their hearts, one that would never fade away. As the heroine of this story, Nighteye was the target of many a girls envy. But the current Nighteye wasnt anything like the two girls had imagined. Why would she have fallen into Li Fengshuis hands if she could kill a six-armed giant in one strike? While they were going over their misgivings, the giant had fallen entirely. Their greatest enemy was gone, but the two girls werent in a better situation. The two-armed natives were still attacking with all their might, and there was no chaos because of the giants death. There were native warriors everywhere in the stone forest, numbering in the tens of thousands. They would be half dead from exhaustion even if all of them stood there waiting to be killed. With a flicker, Nighteyes figure appeared in the air about a hundred meters away. The two girls were stunned because they recognized this move as Qianyes trademark skill, Spatial Flash. Why did she know this skill? Nighteye looked down from above with an expression full of mockery and disdain. Her eyes almost seemed to say, Youll die if youre not smart enough! Nighteye was holding a young girl in one hand and a shockingly large scythe in the other. She whispered something to the lass, who then nodded and blew hard toward the ground. In the blink of an eye, Ji Tianqing felt all her hair standing on end. Under the stimulation of impending death, countless pieces of fragmented information and imagery came together. Thats Zhuji! Hold your breath and protect your body! The girls used their last bit of origin power to shield themselves, blocking the breeze outside. Even when that gentle wind had subsided, they didnt dare release their barriers until they were completely out of origin power. At this point, the stone forest was entirely silent with native corpses strewn across the ground. Nighteye appeared quietly before the two girls. Intentionally or otherwise, Zhujis puckered mouth was always aimed at them. Being stared at by the little lass felt no different from being locked onto by a void colossus; they didnt even dare to move. Nighteye shot them a glance, saying, Your man is, of course, awesome, but you two heh are quite average. With that, Nighteyes figure blurred into a Spatial Flash. No one knew how far she had gone. Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1079: Vague On the shore of the Pond of Life, Qianye had fallen between a rock and a hard place. The distant six-armed giant, after figuring out his movements, had circled around to intercept. Qianye would bump into it if he were to advance, but the other direction was the core region of the Pond of Life. Heading in that direction was akin to walking under the eyes of the aquatic behemoth. Compared to challenging an unknown enemy, Qianye would rather face the six-armed giant. At the very least, he wasnt entirely helpless against this fellow. Qianye sat close to the water and began channeling the Glory Chapter to replenish origin power. He found, to his surprise, that its speed had increased again and was much faster than in other places. The chapter was already faster in the Great Maelstrom compared to the outside world, and now, it was even more terrifying in the Pond of Life. The rate of channeling was even faster than in the high-gravity region. Qianye estimated that one day of training here would equal ten in the outside world. He controlled the cultivation art at a steady rate for fear that he might alarm the giant creature in the water. Qianye opened his eyes after a quarter of an hour. This time was short, but it was akin to two hours of cultivation outside of the Great Maelstrom. It wasnt enough to improve ones cultivation rank, but enough to recover over half of ones origin power. With origin power, there were many things he could do. At this moment, the six-armed giant had taken up position on the other side of the forest, waiting for Qianye to appear. Gazing at that distant figure, the latter began thinking of things he could do. Only two things could actually injure the monstrosity: Heartgrave and the Shot of Inception. Or perhaps a shot from Heartgrave enforced with the Wings of Inception. This would boost Heartgraves firepower close to the peak of grade nine, but the consumption involved would increase exponentially as well. It was simpleif Heartgraves original power was ten, it would be raised to twenty, but the origin power consumption would increase from ten to fifty. Such a drain would completely exhaust Qianye, even though his cultivation had improved quite a bit. Yet, without the Wings of Inception, the guns firepower was somewhat lacking. If he couldnt kill the enemy in one blow, using Heartgrave in this dangerous place was like digging ones own grave. Pondering over this matter, Qianye inspected the Wings of Inception again. There was a black feather on each of its wings, plus two ordinary luminous feathers, which meant that he had accumulated four shots, and two of them were mutated. It was near impossible for Qianye to fire all four shots since there was a limit to his blood energy. One had to know that the mutated Shot of Inception would cost twice the energy to fire compared to an ordinary one. He fell silent as his gaze landed on the two black feathers. He might be able to injure the six-armed giant if he were to use two Shots of Inception. It would, however, be rather difficult to kill that monster that was unless he could strike at its vitals. Then again, where were the giants vitals? Its head? Probably not. Could it be the heart? No one knew. Its eyes? That was a possibility, but the giants perception was so strong that it could track Qianyes Spatial Flash. Whether the eyes were usable or not would make little difference it seems. Its crotch? That was also probable. Reproductive organs were important to all male creatures right? Truth be told, Qianye had no way to confirm this, and the giants ragged loincloth possessed shockingly high defensive capabilities. It truly makes one wonder what beast skin it was made from. After much deliberation, Qianye finally thought of a method that wasnt quite a method. The six-armed giants might not have any weakness, but this one before him did. A piece of its skull had been blasted away a few days ago, and although it had grown back, the new bone would surely be weaker than the rest of its skeleton. Qianye needed only to fire at the same spot again, and his chances of producing results would increase exponentially. Having reached a decision, Qianye was no longer in a rush. He decided to channel the Mystery Chapter for a quarter of an hour before launching a surprise assault on the six-armed giant. If he could heavily injure the opponent, Qianye would immediately flee toward the Imperial fortress. Just as Qianye had finished preparations and was about to deal a powerful blow to the six-armed giant, a streak of black energy appeared and circled lightly around its neck. Immediately afterward, the six-armed giants great head left its body and fell to the ground. For a moment, Qianye could hardly believe his eyes. The six-armed giant was dead? Dead? This truth was too unbelievable. The giant had been distracted by Qianyes impending attack, but even Elder Lu from the Heavenschild Pasture would only be able to injure it with a sneak attack. It wasnt certain if the old man would last very long in a head-on battle. If even Elder Lu could only do that much, there was no need to think about other people. Even if Qianye were to take action personally and the six-armed giant were to stand there without doing anything, there was no way he couldve slashed through that steely neck in one move. Qianyes bewilderment soon turned to joy. The familiar figure that had emerged with the giants collapse wasnt that Nighteye? Qianye took a hurried step forward but stopped in a rare case of hesitation. He hadnt seen Nighteye for a good while. The several times that he did talk to her, they only did so with the airship walls between them. From a different perspective, the awakened Nighteye was an existence Qianye had to look up to. Although emotions werent decided by fighting power, both the Empire and Evernight considered strength to be the most important characteristic, and it was only natural for Qianye to observe these rules. To the current him, this meant that Nighteye was of a higher class. Qianye had always wondered if Nighteye, after awakening, still remembered that bit of love they had sharedbut he also didnt want to, or dared to, find out. Now, for some reason, she had appeared and saved him from his predicament. Qianye gazed at Nighteye, and Nighteye gazed at him. It was just that her eyes were as deep as the boundless abyss, showing none of her emotions. Moments later, Nighteye broke the silence with a faint smile. Is this how you plan to help me up the Sacred Mountain? These words came out of the blue. Qianye was momentarily stunned, not knowing where he should start. He had entered the Great Maelstrom to seek fortunes and improve his strength, and indeed, he had made extraordinary progress. If he werent trapped by the six-armed giant, he wouldve probably condensed his seventh origin vortex by now. This bit of power was far from enough to help Nighteye onto the Sacred Mountain, not even to the foot of the mountain. However, no one in the Empire was Qianyes peer in terms of cultivation speed. As for Evernight, the dark races were more used to measuring the growth of ones bloodline power. Their cultivation speed was much slower depending on the phase of their training, far from being a match for him. Qianye noticed the dissatisfaction in Nighteyes voice, but he couldnt figure out what exactly she was resenting. Qianyes growth in cultivation and combat strength could only be described as godly by any measure. Before Qianye could ask, Nighteye drifted down and placed Zhuji on the ground. She then pointed at Qianye, saying, Go to Papa. Little Zhuji frowned. No! Papa doesnt care about me, I want Mama and Aunty! These words surprised Nighteye. She said with a gentle expression, You want me? I never spent much time with you, either. The little lass said, Aunty has a nice smell. A chuckling Nighteye patted her head, saying, Good girl, follow Papa from now on. Go wherever he goes, understand? Little Zhuji was apparently somewhat fearful of Nighteye and didnt dare disobey. But what if Papa wants to leave me somewhere again? Give him a mouthful if he dares. Little Zhuji shook her head. No! Papa will die. I dont want him to die, I dont want Mama or Aunty to die, either. Nighteyes smile became even more radiant. She kneaded the little girls head hard, saying, Nonsense, how could Papa die? Your little poison will leave him half dead at most, but hell recover in less than a day. I wont die, either. Not many people in this world can kill your aunty. Your Mama, though maybe Seeing that Nighteye was thinking about something, Zhuji asked, What do you want to do with Mama? Nothing, I was just thinking if I should kill him. Only after saying this did she realize that she had blurted out her thoughts, but she wasnt really afraid that Qianye would hear her anyway. She merely patted Zhuji on the back, saying, Go. The little fellow had just taken a step forward when she was pulled back. Wait a minute. Nighteye flew over to the six-armed giants body. She then sliced open its chest with her black scythe and picked out the heart. The giants heart was extremely big, and it was still beating with great power. Apparently, there was an incomparable amount of vitality within it. Nighteye tossed the heart to Zhuji, saying, "Have your father cook this for you. Itll be beneficial." Zhuji couldnt stop drooling the moment she saw that giant heart. Her strong intuition told her that this thing wasnt just slightly beneficial to her. The little fellow ran all the way to Qianyes side, hauling the giant heart that was even bigger than herself. With the giants heart in hand, this little fellow forgot all about Nighteye. It would seem she was a fairly big glutton. The giant heart blocked Nighteyes figure as Zhuji was running over, and by the time the girl had tossed the beating organ onto the ground in front of Qianye, she had already disappeared. That love seemed to be there, yet it also seemed otherwise. If she no longer cared about him entirely, why would she arrive at such an opportune moment? On the other hand, how could she have left so easily if she did care about him? Qianye sighed in his heart. Moments later, a bonfire rose up beside the Pond of Life, with small pieces of fist-sized meat cooking in a pot over the flames. This pot used to be a part of the six-armed giants armor, the water inside came from the Pond of Life, and the meat was naturally the giants heart. It wasnt that Qianyes knife skills were lacking but because the six-armed giants heart was too difficult to cutusing East Peak at full force was barely enough to dice the meat into pieces. He thus decided to do the cutting after it was cooked. The water was boiling, but the heart hadnt changed color. Impatient, Little Zhuji picked a piece of meat out of the boiling water and swallowed it recklessly. The meat was so big that her neck almost bulged out as the meat slid down her throat. This method of eating drenched Qianye in cold sweat. No taste. The girl seemed confused. Previous Chapter Next Chapte Chapter 1080: Waylaying Fish There were many levels to being a glutton, and Little Zhuji was only at the first levelher focus was to eat more and faster. She still had a long way to go before reaching the stage where she would savor the taste of everything in detail. Even so, this little fellows appetite was enough to shock everyone. That piece of meat was almost bigger than her neck, yet she had simply swallowed it whole. It truly made one wonder whether her true form was an arachne or a python. She didnt taste the first piece, and naturally, the second was no different. Only after she had burned through eight pieces of meat did she start to chew on the meat and notice the taste. However, the giants heart was as tough as tree bark. The little lass chewed with all her might, but she became impatient after a while and simply swallowed everything. She collapsed on her back after a while, her little round belly protruding upward. It looked like she wouldnt be able to stand up anymore. Shaking his head, Qianye broke into a chuckle. He shot a glance at the remaining pieces of meat. Judging from her state, Zhuji mustve been really full. The pieces of meat in the pot were still leaking powerful vitality and spirit, and since there was no way to store it, they would probably turn into ordinary meat by tomorrow. Only then did Qianye start eating. The six-armed giants heart contained great amounts of vitality essence, but Qianye no longer required such nourishment. All creatures in the Great Maelstrom possessed powerful vitality and could provide him with endless amounts of essence blood. Sometimes, he would even hurt himself from being too full. For instance, a random aquatic beast from the Pond of Life could allow Qianye to ascend to the mighty marquis rank, and two more would bring him to the glorious marquis rank. It was just that depending solely on external sources wasnt beneficial for Qianye. Not wanting to waste food, Qianye cleared away all the meat and soup in the pot. At this point, the little lass was already sound asleep and snoring softly. She was still an arachne, after all, and would need to accumulate enough sleep during her growth period to increase her strength. Qianye sighed softly. Sometimes, he really did envy the dark racesother things aside, their long lives alone had attracted many human defectors over the ages. Even though the vampires would need to slumber in the blood pond near the end of their lives, being alive was good enough for those old people with one foot in the grave, whose greatest fear was that they would close their eyes and never be able to open them again. There was still some time before dawn, and the forest had long since fallen into silence. The procreating natives were so exhausted that they had collapsed into a puddle, and those who were spared had dispersed. They seemed to have regained their free will after the death of the six-armed giant, allowing them to return to the high-gravity region. Glancing at their surroundings, Qianye felt that they were relatively safe, and it was a good thing that the little fellow was asleep. Considering how odd the Pond of Life was, there was really no telling whether it could affect her or not. It was at this time that a flash of light appeared in Qianyes sight. This faint green light was hazy and fluctuant, but Qianye could feel his mind wavering upon seeing it. It was as though he had fallen into a hypnotic state. The realization that his spirit was being drawn in by the light jolted him awake. Since condensing a blood core, Qianye was fairly clear that his own willpower and soul were no longer as resolute. The impulse born of this body was too strongQianyes willpower was enough to handle a human body, but it was comparatively weak in suppressing the urges from a vampire constitution. His performance in the high-gravity region was just slightly better than Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan. Even so, a force that could control one''s soul had never been seen before, or heard of for that matter. From what he knew, the only thing related to the soul here was the Marine Lotus. Qianye shot to his feet and gazed at the source of this light. If this were the Marine Lotus, it was something he had to obtain. According to Imperial records, this flower would only bloom for a moment before condensing into jade. Thereafter, its spirit nurturing effects and many other miraculous powers would largely disappear. The medicines available in the Empire were made from this type of Marine Lotus. Legend had it that Prince Greensun had entered the Great Maelstrom and brought out a Marine Lotus. Even considering Zhang Boqians space traversal abilities, no one could figure out what powers he had used to freeze time around the blooming flower. However, the unknown couldnt weaken Qianyes determination. Qianye had no idea what Nighteyes current situation was, but in terms of absolute strength, the power she had displayed wasnt that impressive. She had just recovered up to the duke-rank, but her method of power utilization was at a completely different level. That was why the six-armed giant couldnt even last for a while under her assault. But Qianye remembered Nighteye mentioning that her spirit damage would be difficult to heal. Qianye had also done his research on Li Fengshuis methods and understood the principles behind it. In the end, the Spirit Millstone served to crush a portion of ones spirit and use this defect to torture the subject. This part of the spirit would disappear completely, and healing it was no different from growing a new limb, except that the difficulty would be a thousand times greater. No one knew when the awakened Nigteye would gain the power to repair her spirit. As far as Qianyes knowledge from the River of Blood was concerned, the ancient vampires never possessed this power. Perhaps she would go further and obtain even greater inheritances, but who knew how long it would take? As this notion flickered through Qianyes heart, he became even more resolute about getting his hands on the Marine Lotus. The green glow came from the Pond of Life, from a small island a thousand meters away from the shore. This distance was neither short nor long, but Qianye knew he would be attacked by water beasts along the way. Although the creatures were resting at night, that didnt mean he could just waltz over their heads without repercussions. The good news was that the island wasnt too far off and there was a shallow region near the shore. There was only a small strip of deep water, which made it difficult for larger beasts to reside in the vicinity. Beasts comparable to the void colossi in size would only be able to lie between the island and shore without stretching their limbs. After a moment of hesitation, Qianye picked up the little girl and a piece of wood. Then, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot. A pillar of water shot up from the Pond of Life, condensing into a thin wall of water. Qianyes silhouette appeared in the air but was bounced back after striking the barrier. Qianye was astonished because this was the first time Spatial Flash was blocked entirely. The giant beast under the water possessed an unimaginable ability that could straighten out distorted space. Qianye was caught off-guard while shuttling through space and bounced out, appearing in an awkward location between the island and the shore. A pillar of water shot out from below, and its sharp end speared toward him. Qianye reacted with extreme speed, hurling the piece of wood down toward the pillar of water. The impact from the rushing water caused the log to explode, but Qianye had borrowed the impact to move away, effectively avoiding damage from the water spear. This water lance actually didnt shoot into the air after missing its target and pulled back like a real spear. Qianyes eyes lit up as he swung East Peak and slashed the falling water column into two. The lower part of the spear condensed and contracted, but the upper half shattered into a shower of raindrops over Qianye and the little girl. As the waterdrops approached his body, Qianye could feel wisps of vitality enter through his skin. Even the dark golden blood energy became a bit livelier. Just as he had thoughtthe water here was not only free of poison, but it was also extremely nourishing. Ordinary sick people would be healed completely after soaking in it for a few days. Even the water droplets in the Pond of Life possessed powerful vitality. Then again, there seemed to be no such energy when he drew water for cooking a while ago. Qianye looked down with a hint of blue in his eyes. Through the pond, he could see a strange fish that was hundreds of meters long. The creature looked like a smooth shuttle, with ten eyes on its head and an opening on its back. That spear of water came from that spout. That vitality from that rain came from the giant fish. Little Zhuji sensed something beneficial even while asleep, instinctively poking out her tongue and licking the rainwater. Qianye felt odddidnt this mean she was licking the fishs saliva? Despite the dense vitality in it, the pressurized water boasted incomparable destructive potential. If Qianye hadnt evaded as quickly as he did just now, he wouldve been impaled by the lance. Qianyes ancient vampire constitution might be the most powerful among the dark races, but it was nothing compared to natural-born behemoths. Fortunately, it would seem the fish didnt have a lot of attack methods. If it was just this water spear, then the threat it could pose was rather limited. That void-sealing water barrier wasnt that strong, either, and could be crashed through. The giant fish seemed furious after missing its attack. All of its closed eyes opened and stared at Qianye. The muscles on its back squirmed and wiggled as dozens of spouts opened up! Qianye was shocked out of his wits. He immediately shot into the air and pulled away from the fish as far as he could. All of a sudden, the largest spout on the fish shot out an astounding pillar of water, which zoomed past Qianye and spread out into a dome of water. The fish launched an all-out attack after sealing off Qianyes path. Dozens of water spears weaved together to cage him in! Qianye maintained an odd posture inside the cage, twisting and turning to minimize the damage he would receive from the attack. Even so, several bloody defects appeared on his body. These wounds, albeit just abrasions, were almost unbearable. In the water, that giant fish was doubtlessly even scarier than the six-armed giant. After the water lances were retracted, the blue dome scattered into a shower which drenched Qianyes wounds and accelerated their healing. At this point, Qianyes body started to fall, seemingly unable to maintain flight. The giant fish below stared at him with all its eyes, almost as though a delicacy was descending from the sky. When he was a few dozen meters from the water surface, Qianye erupted with killing intent. The combined Twin Flowers appeared in his hand as he fired a black feather toward the giant fish! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1081: Marine Lotus The black luminous feather was faster and more fleeting than the original Shot of Inception. At such distances, the massive body of the aquatic creature had no way to evade. The giant fish cried out in surprise, bringing up the pond water as a shield around it. There was no way this water shield could block the Shot of Inception. The ethereal projectile pierced through the shield and into the monsters body. The giant creature spasmed and twitched amidst mournful wails, and its exuberant vitality weakened sharply. It was as though someone had punched a large hole beneath it. However, its vitality stopped weakening after a one-third loss and stabilized therein. The giant fish stopped tumbling and glared at Qianye with eyes full of killing intent. Qianye sighed inwardly. A one-third loss in vitality could only be considered a heavy injury, not a loss in fighting power for this giant fish. In truth, the loss was quite significant. The Wolf King would have collapsed on the spot, unable to chase Qianye while enduring the injuries. But this fish possessed tremendous vitality. Even the black luminous feather could only injure and enrage it further. Such a behemoth possessed too much life force to kill in one move. Several water curtains appeared around Qianye, locking him into a small area as all the spouts on the fishs back opened up. One could immediately see that several water spears were about to come his way. Qianye, however, was hesitating whether he should fire his last black feather. This blast might deprive the giant fish of its fighting power, but Qianye would be entirely drained as well. Even if he did reach the island, he might not have the energy to retrieve the Marine Lotus and escape. It wouldve been great if she had stayed a bit longer. A thought flashed through Qianyes heart. Even if it wasnt Nighteye, either one of Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, or Song Zining would be able to help him distract the creature, and he wouldve gotten his hands on the prize already. At this moment, Qianye was all alone and was also carrying Zhuji in his arms. The little fellow seemed to have sensed the life-threatening danger, turning pale as she forced her drowsy eyes open and glanced down. She opened her mouth and shot a stream of clear liquid toward the giant fish. For some reason, the massive creature below was shocked upon seeing the stream of liquid. It roared loudly and attempted to escape, but the water here was only deep enough to keep its back submerged. How could it be that easy for such an enormous frame to swim away? The difference between the fish and little Zhuji was immense. It might not even bother eating the girl because she was too small, even for a snack. Despite that, the giant fish was extremely terrified of the liquid she had spat out, so much so that it didnt even attempt to block the attack and opted to flee instead. Qianyes scalp went numb as he glanced at the clear liquid and had long since discarded any notion of touching it. It was at this moment that he heard a deep sigh and felt a strange consciousness talking to him, Outsider, do you plan to destroy these waters? A formless gale appeared out of nowhere and molded the stream of liquid into a ball, keeping it floating in the air. Qianye was surprised because he couldnt figure out at all where this voice was coming from. Just from this capability, he knew that he wasnt a match for this enemy. I have no such intention. The Pond of Life itself was priceless, not to mention the fact that the Marine Lotus only grew here. Qianye had no reason to destroy the pond just for one item, and even if he did, he had no power to do so. The great consciousness said slowly, That little thing in your arms, her poison can kill all the weaker creatures within ten thousand meters. Itll also take a great deal of effort to clean these waters afterward. Qianye glanced at the glob of clear liquid in the air. It was truly hard to believe that it could cause such serious consequences. He knew little Zhuji was specialized in poison, but he had never imagined her venom would be this powerful. The consciousness continued, Every creature here is important to me, I cant let you destroy them. I apologize, that was not my intention, said Qianye. You were only trying to save yourself, but it also remains a fact that I cant let you remain in these waters. Do you want that thing? Take it and leave. Specks of watery light condensed in front of Qianye, forming a path toward the small island. The island had come into full view at this pointlush grass, tall, ancient trees, and a small pond at the center filled with lotuses. One of these flowers was shrouded in a hazy glow and on the verge of blooming. Actually seeing this glow caused Qianyes spirit to waver. He jumped onto the island and walked swiftly over to the small pond. Everything on this atoll was quiet as there were no land beasts on it. There were, however, small, harmless-looking silver fish in the pond water. Qianye scanned the small pond with his perception and found that there was a coiled serpentine creature at the bottom, entirely motionless and seemingly asleep. Zhuji was drowsy at this point. She seemed dispirited and weak after spitting out the clear liquid, and fell into a deep sleep soon afterward. The Marine Lotus was just in front of his eyes. Qianye had to suppress his excitement as he waited for the flower to bloom. Before long, the green glow around the lotus grew stronger and stronger. Finally, the flower burst into bloom and a pillar of light shot into the sky! The crystalline petals opened up in quick succession, shrouded in a gentle white light against a backdrop of green halos. It was a dreamy and fantastical sight to behold. Qianye held his breath until the petals had fully opened up before arriving beside the Marine Lotus with Spatial Flash. Scarlet gold flames erupted in his hand as he engulfed the lotus with Venus Dawn and stowed the flower away in Andruils space. After doing all that, he flicked the stalk of the lotus and used the force to fly back to land. He checked Andruils space anxiously and heaved a sigh of relief. The blossomed lotus was covered in white mist, but everything was like a painting that had been frozen at the perfect moment. The Marine Lotus contained spiritual energy, one that wouldnt tolerate pollution in any form. Its quality would be greatly affected when extracted by hand or by any instrument. Even the congealed jade-form lotuses had to be collected and stored carefully, to speak nothing of this fresh blossom. The major characters from the Empire had coveted this flower since time immemorial, and naturally, they had studied its characteristics in great depth. The best way to extract it was to use origin power, and the storage would depend on the quality of each familys secret treasures. But no one had ever seen a live Marine Lotus, let alone know how to stop it from wilting. Qianye had no other method, so he could only take the risk and try. Fortunately, Andruils Realm was no ordinary storage treasure, but there was no telling how long it could maintain the lotus energy. After returning to land, Qianye heaved a sigh of relief. He felt rather tiredthat extraction just now seemed easy, but he had gone all out, even using Spatial Flash so as not to miss the moment of bloom. Fortunately, the Marine Lotus was finally in his hands, and its quality was probably the highest in this world, besides Zhang Boqians attempt. The quality of origin power used to collect the Marine Lotus would also affect the quality of the product. Qianyes Venus Dawn was the purest of them all, and hence, the most suitable for this extraction process. If it were Song Zining in his shoes, the slightly inferior origin power might stain the lotus with some impurities. It would be even worse for other people. Qianye scanned the small pond and found a dozen or so budding lotuses. The buds were emitting a faint green glow, while the lotus heads were akin to jade carvings. This field of lotus flowers alone would cause a huge commotion if brought back to the Empire. However, Qianye also knew that he was already fortunate enough to have obtained the new blossom just now, and that he shouldnt be greedy. That mysterious consciousness had likely allowed him to take one flower after seeing his determination. If it were truly angered, there would be no way to escape. Qianye retracted his gaze and bowed toward the Pond of Life. Thank you, this Marine Lotus is very important to me. I will repay this kindness in the future if I can. A breeze stirred as a deep, strange voice echoed around him. I do have something you can help me with. This time, the existence did not enter Qianyes consciousness. It actually formed a voice and communicated in Imperial language. Pray tell. Ill do my best to accomplish it, Qianye said with great sincerity. That feather you shot into the water is an energy I have never seen before. Can you give me one? How do I give it to you? Qianye was puzzled. The Shot of Inception was intangible and would draw blood once shot. How could he give it to this existence? Several lotus petals flew out from the pond and broke down into fine particles. Then, several streams of vapor condensed around them to form a sphere of water in front of Qianye. The ball contracted and expanded rhythmically, as though it were full of life and breathing. If it wasnt for him witnessing the entire process, Qianye wouldve thought it was a living thing. The vitality inside this ball of water was extremely terrifying, almost reaching half of the six-armed giant Qianye had faced, or equal to the smaller six-armed giants. Treat this as a target. Nodding, Qianye produced the Twin Flowers and pulled the trigger. A black luminous feather shot out and was duly absorbed by the powerful life force within the water sphere. In the blink of an eye, the vitality within the sphere started fading away rapidly. The surface of the sphere hardened and turned into crystal. Within it, one could still see the silhouette of a black feather. A stream of vapor swept the crystal away. The mysterious existence was fairly satisfied. Not bad, this is an original form of energy containing traces of its own vitality. Quite unexpected. I feel bad asking this of you, let me know if you have other requests. Qianye fished out East Peak and the horn of that giant rhinoceros. I heard the Pond of Life can refine different materials into weapons. Can you help me smelt this into my sword? In the fight against the six-armed giant and other recent enemies, Qianye felt that East Peak wasnt entirely satisfactory anymore. Elder Lu had mentioned about the refinement rather briefly. It was just that his experience with water refinement was quite limited, perhaps even inferior to Qianye fumbling about it himself. A wisp of vapor surged over to engulf East Peak and the rhinoceros horn. This horn is fairly good, likely the essence of a rare bovine creature. This steel blade is really quite ordinary, though, are you sure you want to waste such good material on it? Qianye was surprised that the mysterious existence didnt think too highly of East Peak, but opportunities like this wouldnt come twice. Im certain! Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1082: Clearsky Waters There were different paths to obtaining power. Whether to seek great power on the long-term or reap short-term benefits, that was always a difficult choice to make. According to the mysterious entity from the Pond of Life, the horn of this giant rhinoceros was above East Peak in quality and that combining the two would be a waste. However, Qianye had gone through life and death with this blade and formed an emotional attachment to it. On the other hand, that mysterious entity seemed to favor spirit and vitality as attributes. So, it was quite understandable that he wasnt impressed with an industrial-age product like East Peak. Besides, Qianye had no other good weapons, and East Peak couldnt quite withstand his power anymore. He might have to switch to a different weapon after breaking through to the divine champion realm. As Qianye saw it, the most important business at hand was to break through the last two ranks before the divine champion realm. After he truly became a divine champion, his vampire bloodline would become more powerful, and it wouldnt be too difficult for him to obtain another horn like this. Despite the pain, Qianye ultimately decided to go ahead with the merger. The mysterious entity didnt waste words. If thats what you want, then lets begin. You dont have enough materials, but Ill provide whats needed. Clouds of steam dragged East Peak and the rhinoceros horn into the small pond. Immediately afterward, a jade-like lotus head dissolved into a stream of liquid and duly covered the horn. The hard material actually started to soften and finally turned into a squirming gelatinous blob, which swam toward East Peak and attached itself. This collagenous mass seeped in and out of the blade, almost as though there were pores in the material. The clear gelatinous material would go in and emerge with specks of impurities. The stained material would sink to the bottom of the pond and never move again. This process lasted for an entire day and night. Qianye waited patiently and decided to cultivate while doing so. By the time the collagenous material in the pond had been entirely exhausted, he had recovered to his peak status, and all of the origin vortices in his body were full to the brim. With nowhere else to go, the newly generated origin power would circle around the remaining three origin nodes. He would probably break through again after a couple more days of cultivation. The small pond rippled as a giant lotus leaf emerged with East Peak and arrived in front of Qianye. At this point, East Peaks dark blade had become somewhat slender and its edges, elegant. The deep green patterns on its body were a natural transformation of the highest order, with no traces of human tools whatsoever. If the East Peak from before was an angry strongman, the current blade was both wise and bold. However, Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw that the sword was nearly two meters long. It was really too long. That mysterious entity seemed to know what Qianye was thinking. According to my calculations, this length is the most suitable for creatures of your kind. Itll improve your... efficiency in killing. The mysterious entity had to try rather hard to think of the word efficiency. Qianye knew a long weapon like this was great for group fights, sweeping through droves of enemies in one swing. Even against experts, he could wield it like he would a spear and produce numerous variations mid-air. It was just that he would have to retrain many sword arts based off of East Peak. Qianye reached out to grab the blades hilt and lifted it up. He had barely raised it for a bit before the blade sank down again. Surprised, he applied more force in order to keep the sword in his hand. The newly refined sword had grown twice as heavy compared to before. A weapon of such weight was extremely powerful even when used as a blunt weapon without a sharp edge. Qianye tried injecting origin power into East Peak and found that the process was exceptionally smooth. The patterns along the body lit up one after the other, emitting a green hazy light and surging clouds of steam in a ten meters radius. At the same time, Qianye felt refreshed and even his thoughts were somewhat faster than usual. His perception also became more detailed within this area, so much so that it could penetrate the ground. It actually contains its own domain? Qianye was astonished. The green light from East Peak was no different from a domain. After some testing, Qianye found two domain abilitiesone was to calm his spirit, making him less vulnerable to instinctive urges and spiritual impact, and the other was to strengthen his perception. At least within the range of the green light, no one could ambush him. Although the range of this domain was just ten or so meters, any form of warning was better than nothing. Qianye tried channeling his own domain on top and found the green light rippling under the power of his oceanic might. It flowed along with the pressure, and not only did it not disappear, but its radius even grew slightly bigger. This green domain did not conflict with Qianyes own. On the contrary, there was even a synergistic effect that would increase its value. A domain-carrying sword was above grade-eight according to conventional classification. With the addition of this green domain, East Peak had become a peerless treasure. It was no longer important whether or not there were other abilities. Qianye sent the blade humming with a twitch of his wrist. Then, after a few moves, he flicked the edge once again. He could tell that East Peak was much more complex nowits sharpness and durability were far above the previous version, even though the upgrade to sharpness wasnt as noticeable compared to the latter. Even the dark golden blood energy couldnt move it. In past battles, Qianye didnt dare shroud the sword in sanguine flames for very long. The blaze born of the dark golden blood energy was extremely tyrannical, and its erosion was near unstoppable. Perhaps due to the incorporation of the jade Marine Lotus head, there was a jade-colored sheen isolating the sword from the flames. In terms of durability, East Peak had reached the indestructible state by Imperial standards. Naturally, the name of the rank was highly exaggerated because the sword would still become deformed if thrown into the ten-thousand-ton machine press back at the Zhao clan. Delighted with the new East Peak, Qianye named the new domain Clearsky Waters, and expressed his gratitude to the mysterious consciousness. The entity said, No need to thank me. I had to use some extra materials to forge this thing, so were even now. If theres no particular business in the future, the Pond of Life will not welcome you again. Qianye hadnt imagined that the mysterious entitys attitude would change so quickly. However, he did catch a different meaning in its words. This particular business you speak off is... For instance, letting that little fellow live in the Pond of Life. Impossible! Shes not aquatic. Qianye refused decisively. Becoming aquatic is a walk in the park. As long as youre willing, I can grant you the power to walk on land and in water. Even void traversal is not an issue, provided you can put in the time. Qianye was greatly surprised. Void traversal wasnt a small power; it was Zhang Boqians defining ability. The man could move freely within the void even before his advancement to the heavenly monarch realm, allowing him to infiltrate the Twilight Continent. Without this power, even the most powerful experts would find themselves weakened in the void. This meant that even the three top figures from the Sacred Mountain wouldnt be able to catch Zhang Boqian in the void. He could fight or flee at will, affording him a near-invincible position in battle. The entity in the Pond of Life actually said obtaining void traversal would only be a bit of trouble. How powerful was this existence? However, the danger behind such temptations was akin to the open jaws of a void colossus. Qianye hadnt the slightest idea about this mysterious existences background, so how could he hand over his own body for modification? What would he do after someone else had grasped his fate? The mysterious entity didnt force the issue after Qianyes second refusal. A cloud of vapor wrapped around the duo, sending them to a point hundreds of kilometers away. Qianye was no longer in the mood for exploration, so he checked the direction and ran toward the Imperial fortress. He wanted to know the fate of his friends. There were a fair number of wandering natives along the way but no six-armed giants to obstruct his path. He either ran, sneaked past, or failing that, killed the enemies in his path. Finally, he reached the location of the Imperial fortress after several days. What stood before him, though, was not a fortress but a patch of ruins. Shocked, Qianye confirmed the location again and again, making sure that it was the place marked on the map. He looked up at the sky and found a lingering radiance over the distant horizon. That was the spatial tunnel leading to the Empire. Having been reinforced by Imperial experts in every generation, this passage was near-eternal. However, every passage would damage the structure of this passage. That was why the right to take this passage was highly limited. After all, those above the divine champion realm shouldered great responsibilities, and the heavenly monarchs had to oversee the fight against Evernight. None of them were free to stabilize this tunnel at a moments notice. The dark races had a greater number of experts and, naturally, had their own spatial tunnel. They had no interest in taking the Empires tunnel because there would be a powerful force guarding the other side of the tunnel. Exiting one-by-one was no different from courting death. Chances of the dark races destroying the fortress were small, but who else couldve done it? Qianye woke up Zhuji and told her to wait there. He himself retracted his aura and sneaked toward the fortress. There was a good reason for him to go there. The fortifications had been destroyed entirely. The top two floors of the main building had disappeared, and the walls had been toppled over. There were weapons stuck to many different places in the compoundmost of them were crude, heavy arms used by the natives. These cleavers and axes were embedded deep into the stone, and this spoke volumes of the strength behind them. After going around the fortress, Qianye confirmed that the carnage here was done by the natives. Judging from the traces left behind, the numbers were way beyond expectations, numbering in the thousands at the very least. There was a charred pile of corpses in a space behind the fortress. The remains of the dead had been tossed together and torched. Judging from the physical features, they were likely all natives. Seeing that there was no danger around the exterior of the fortress, Qianye entered the main building. The hall was still structurally sound, but the wall ornaments and furniture were in utter disarray. Only the long table at the far end looked relatively intact. On the table, in an easily-visible spot, was a letter... Previous ChapterNext Chapte Chapter 1083: Return Home This was a Rockheart Jade letter, one that was produced in an obvious hurry. There was only a self-destruct warning on the outside and no indication of who it was addressed to. If it wasnt for him sensing the auras of Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan, Qianye wouldnt dare believe he was the addressee. Qianye channeled a wisp of daybreak origin power into the letter and looked through its contents. After being saved at the Pond of Life, the two girls ran all the way back to the Imperial fortress, but the place was already destroyed by the time they arrived. The messages left behind told them that most of the Imperial forces had withdrawn from the Great Maelstrom. But the Empire had been operating here for many yearsthis fortress wasnt just a ground structure, but also extended deep under the ground. The natives only caused simple mechanical damage and didnt really dig into the secrets of the place. In the space underground, there were emergency materials to build a shuttle airship. The duo used the components to build such a vessel, planning to wait for Qianye before departure, but yet another native army appeared. Left with no other choice, they had to lure the enemies away and then return to the Empire. There were enough parts in the secret chamber to build a new shuttle airship, along with the blueprints. Although there was no mention of who had saved them, Qianye could guess that it was Nighteye. This could easily be proven by asking Zhuji when she woke up. According to the letter, it would seem that the Empire had temporarily let go of this fortress and would only return after the situation in the Great Maelstrom had calmed down. In the face of the rampaging native armies, neither the Empire nor Evernight could establish a foothold. At the end of the letter, Ji Tianqing left instructions on how to enter the underground space. One path was inside the fortress, but it had been sealed off. The other entrance was in a natural cave outside of the fortress. Qianye picked up little Zhuji and, following the map, found the passage in the depths of the cave. There was a thick metal door at the end of the passage, with a neat row of tension bars attached to a series of mechanisms. The only way to open the door was to pull on the bars in a specific order. This was the most primitive type of combination lock. Qianye couldnt help but praise the first people to construct this fortressthey could only bring a limited number of items when entering the Great Maelstrom, some precision instruments at most. Everything here, including the basic tools, had to be produced locally. Even the iron was smelted inside the Great Maelstrom. Up, up, down, down, down, up. Qianye opened the great door according to the combination and entered the underground space. Half of the space was excavated, while the other half was natural. The interior was clearly divided into a supply chamber, a workshop, and an armory. There were, of course, food supplies as well, enough for a thousand people to consume for three years. This went to show how ambitious the pioneers were. They had planned to transport the Imperial army into the Great Maelstrom and conquer this world entirely. There were several crates in the component area with eye-catching markings upon them. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had already laid out the necessary components and left the blueprint on one of the crates. When the moment came, Qianye needed only to assemble the shuttle according to the diagram. Those crates bore the mark of the Empire and the dark red label indicated that it was a high-value resource. Qianye went around the underground chamber and noticed that there werent a lot of components left. Not counting the parts Ji Tianqing had assembled for him, there wasnt even enough left to build a shuttle airship. Most importantly, there was only one kinetic engine capable of shuttling the vessel through the passage. Engines installed on the shuttles were the top-products of the empire. They were small, powerful, and efficient affording the ship sufficient resistance against the pull of the void passage. The Great Maelstrom would open once in several years and the quota was limited, so the supplies that could be brought in were a headache to the staff officers of the army. Kinetic engines were among the most important resources each time, but it was difficult to list them as a necessity. After all, the Empire had been operating in the area for so many years, and the fortress had never faced any real threat. There was no reason to prepare so many shuttles. If it wasnt for the fact that those inside the maelstrom were all top-characters of the Empireand each of their deaths constituted a great lossthe Imperial forces might not even have left the shuttle parts. Qianye moved the wooden crates to a naturally formed flat operating space. There, he opened the containers and laid the components neatly on the ground before beginning the assembly. The shuttle was structurally quite simpleit was a small boat that could seat two people and had no extra space beyond the engine and passengers. Be it the keel or the walls, everything was extremely sturdy and durable. They were made from selective materials and reinforced with origin arrays to protect the vessel body. Despite its simple structure, the small shuttle boat was of extraordinary value. Otherwise, how could it resist the adverse environment of the spatial tunnel? The assembly wasnt complicated, so Qianye was able to complete the entire process in half a days time. The original design of such shuttles was prepared for amateurs, so they really couldnt make it very complicated. As long as one had enough origin power, they would be able to complete it by following the diagrams. After assembling the small airship, Qianye put away all the extra materials and moved them back to storage. He then wiped away all traces around the assembly area, lest the natives find the mechanisms when they return. This was a necessary step. There was a shuttle before Qianye only because the people who had left before him had made ample preparations. Having benefited from someone elses hard work, Qianye had to be considerate of those coming after him as well. Qianye carried the little fellow into the shuttle and patted her little face. Stop sleeping, lets go home. Zhuji forced her eyes open and muttered, Home? Which one? Looking at the lass sweet countenance, Qianye couldnt help but feel a bit guilty. He had been drifting about for many years and rarely had a place to settle. The word home was already a blurry term to him, and it was all too distant now that Nighteye had awakened. Zhuji was a born miracle. That evil Song Zining had been using the girl in dangerous situations, going so far as to throw her out to block a divine champions blow. However, Qianye felt that he wasnt any better, either. He was either bringing her to the battlefield to spray poison or leaving her at home. Qianye sighed as he entered the shuttle and closed the door. He then injected daybreak origin power into the control panel. The lights in the cockpit lit up one after the other, and the engine began to rumble as they took to the air. Qianye locked onto the entrance of the passage with his perception and increased the origin power output of the protective barrier. The engine roared louder and louder until the barrier was at its maximum power, at which point the shuttle flew into the tunnel like a comet, and finally vanished. This void passage was much stabler than the one in the neutral lands. The gravitational forces inside were still strong, but it wasnt beyond the capabilities of the shuttle. The strength of the defensive barrier decreased steadily, but it would still last a good while. This so-called stability was a relative description. The shuttle was still rocking like a small boat in the stormy sea. The tempests began to intensify halfway through the journey, throwing the barrier power levels up and down. In the end, the shield dispersed entirely before the exit was in sight. At this point, one could see that this small shuttle was actually a product the Empire had put a lot of effort into making. The vessels naked body was actually able to retain its shape despite having to endure the void storms. The airship walls, however, were starting to fill with cracks. Qianye knew that the engine didnt have enough power, so he injected his own origin power into the control system to power the shuttles arrays and reform the protective shield around important parts. The benefits of the vessels small size became evident at this point. The designer knew that the engine wasnt enough to last the entire journey and that the passengers would have to inject their own origin power. Qianye was not inferior to a rank-seventeen expert in terms of origin power capacity, perhaps even greater than the more mediocre ones. He managed to lead the airship through the storm with great stability. The exit finally appeared and Qianyes shuttle shot out like a seabird. The shuttle rushed out of the other end, as though it were popping out of a bubble, and glided slowly across the void. Sensing this familiar aura, Qianye knew that he had returned to the Empire. There was a large continent moving slowly outside of the window. Qianye hadnt figured out which continent this was before a squadron of cutting-edge Imperial warships surrounded him. A small warship parked itself in front of Qianyes shuttle, and one of the experts on its deck called out, Who is in the shuttle? Report your identity. Qianye felt awkward, but he said after a while, Qianye. The expert turned back to instruct one of his men, who ran back into the cabin to report. Qianye sat quietly in the shuttle, waiting for further developments. He knew before his departure that the Imperial side of the tunnel would be heavily guarded. However, it wouldnt be too difficult for Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan to help him settle this small problem. He waited for a while before a warship without any emblems arrived from a distance. The blocking aircraft left with all the other warships in tow, in an apparent move to avoid the scene. A feminine old man walked out onto the deck of the arriving airship. This well-groomed elder said in a gentle voice, General Qianye, youve finally returned. Ive been waiting here for some time. Qianye drove forward and boarded the warship with little Zhuji. He then greeted the elder appropriately, saying, How should I address you? My surname is Yang, I run errands for the Empress. With that, the man produced a box that was half a meter long and passed it to Qianye. I come bearing some words and a gift. Qianye received the long box and asked in surprise, What is this? Eunuch Yang ignored the question. The Empress thinks you did well and bestows upon you this little toy. My job is done now that youve received the item. Previous ChapterNext ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1084: Sparring Next, this airship flew back along its original path and arrived at a small town near the Imperial borders. The crew let Qianye and Zhuji off here, where a different airship would take them back to the neutral lands. It seemed Eunuch Yang considered his job entirely done as he never appeared again along the entire journey. Qianye was all too happy to get some peace and quiet, but he couldnt help but wonder why Empress Li had said he had done well. Was she referring to the killing of the six-armed giant? That was Nighteye, and besides, no one in the Empire should know about it. Those major characters loved playing with riddles, never saying things clearly. This was especially true of those who liked to dabble in divination. While cursing inwardly, Qianye brought out that long box. Since he couldnt quite figure out Empress Lis intentions, all he could do was see what she had given him. Someone of her stature couldnt be too miserly with her gifts. The box felt heavy in his hands. As he opened the container, a burst of red light erupted and filled the entire room with a ruby shade. There was a dagger inside this box. It boasted a sharp sawtooth edge and a body filled with rippling wave patterns, constituting a cryptic magic array. The sword was embedded in the mouth of a monster, the horns of which formed the guard; its body, the hilt, and the tail ended in a small blade. The design of this dagger was extremely intricate and complicated. Additionally, there was a charm to its craftsmanship that Qianye had never seen before in a vampiric blade. Empress Li had actually gifted him a vampiric edge, and it was grade-eight in quality! Qianyes own vampiric weapon had been destroyed in the Great Maelstrom, and this would serve to fill in that gap. An ancient roar echoed in his head the moment he picked up the dagger, almost as though a powerful expert from an ancient race was roaring at the sky. Qianye figured out its functions after some exploration. Apart from the basic ability to absorb blood, this blade possessed characteristics of supreme sharpness and durability. It wouldnt be at a loss even when pitted against the old East Peak. Additionally, the body of this dagger could store a part of the absorbed essence blood and ignite it to launch a powerful attack. Qianye sent a wisp of dark golden blood energy into the blade and watched as faint sanguine flames lit up on the edge. After trying it out a bit, he reckoned that an attack after sufficient essence blood accumulation would be equal to a blow from a marquis. To most vampires, absorptive weapons were tools used to end life and not a primary weapon. This vampiric dagger was of extraordinary value since it could serve as one. There was also a sheath inside the box with the daggers name, Bloodmoon, carved upon it. There was also a paper beneath the sheath explaining the origins of the dagger. Bloodmoon used to be the weapon of a vampire duke who had fallen under the Martial Ancestors blade in a great battle. Thereafter, this vampiric edge fell into the hands of the Imperial clan and was kept in the treasury. In addition to its own value, Bloodmoon came with a thousand years of history, and that itself made the weapon priceless. The ancient craftsmanship set this blade apart from all modern products. This Bloodmoon was a great fit for Qianyes identity and also happened to be extremely practical. This went to show how much thought the Empress had put into this. Yet, what had Qianye done to deserve such a generous boon? He was rather puzzled and still couldnt make heads or tails of it after some contemplation. So, he stopped thinking too much and simply placed the dagger in Andruils space. At this point, the cabin shook slightly and a voice outside the room said, Were landing soon. General, please pack up your things. Qianye only had a small bag as luggage since most of his things were in Andruils space. After landing, he followed the attendant onto the deck and saw several unmarked jeeps near the landing area. Qianye boarded one of the vehicles with Zhuji and was taken to a quiet hotel in a small town. After settling him in, that attendant passed over a token, saying, This permit will get you anywhere within this town, as long as you dont leave the area. My lord has already made arrangements for your arrival. Its just that well need a couple of days to get an airship, so please wait patiently. Who is your lord? The servant pointed above. My lord is related to that person, but thats all I can tell you. That person was likely referring to Empress Li since it couldnt be the Emperor. That someone related to Empress Li had to be Li Kuanglan. It made perfect sense since the two girls had left the Great Maelstrom a bit earlier. Feeling relieved, Qianye sent the attendant away and returned to his small courtyard to check the token. There was a small origin array on the object that acted as a key to restriction arrays. It had no other use apart from that. This small town was constructed specifically for the special Imperial units stationed near the Great Maelstrom entrance, and normally, it could only be accessed via a special passage. There was no idle person in this town, and since it was a military encampment, there were all sorts of armories and workshops. As a temporary camp for those exiting the Great Maelstrom, there were establishments where people could sell the resources they had brought back. However, the prices offered here were nothing to write home about since it was offered by the Empire. People exiting the maelstrom would normally have to contribute a set amount of resources, and the amount and value had long since been determined. Since Qianye had obtained Empress Lis favor, his submission quota had been waived. That was also a part of his reward. The attendant had also mentioned that there were a few stores in town operated by the major clans, and the prices offered there were fairly good. The one operated by the Song clan was known for buying just about anything. The man suggested that Qianye could head over there to exchange some origin crystals. Qianye had told the attendant that he hadnt brought anything because he had to escape in a hurry, effectively stopping the man from further probing. At this moment, Qianye was still hiding the Marine Lotus, along with the white-fruit wine, rare medicinal herbs, and other good things inside Andruils space, filling every little corner without care. Just a random handful of these materials would cause a great commotion, and there was no telling if people would have untoward intentions out of greed. Qianyes identity was a rather sensitive subject, and he would have nothing to say if someone were to cause trouble about it. He was still on the Qin Continent. In order to get to the neutral lands, he would still need to transit through the Transcendent or Western Continent. Judging from the attendants words, it would seem he had planned to see Qianye to the transit point. The latter would be free to do whatever he wanted afterward. The airship that would take Qianye to the Western Continent arrived after one day of waiting. This was a rather considerate arrangement because the continent was run by the Zhao clan, and those who wanted to bring him harm would need to think twice. It was rumored that the Zhao clan had pulled a lot of strings when Qianye escaped the Empire, almost erupting in open hostilities with the army. Qianye wasnt idle during this one day. When he was not cultivating the Mystery Chapter, he would be busy reading the Book of Darkness. Although the newest chapter merely replayed the evolution of the world, the vicissitudes of the passing millennia would shake him whenever he glanced at it. He gained a different idea regarding the channeling of origin power, and his aura became more cryptic. A knock came from the door at noon as the attendant returned. General, the airship has been prepared. You can board now if you have nothing else to do here. Nodding, Qianye walked out of the little courtyard with little Zhuji in his arms. General, an important person wishes to see you. Umm you should decide whether you want to meet him or not. The attendant was hesitant. Who wanted to see me? Qianye was curious about the mans attitude. The attendant hadnt even replied when a powerful, metallic voice arrived from outside the door, It is I, Li Qingyun of the Li clan. Qianye had heard of this name before. He had investigated the genius experts of the Li clan back when he was at odds with them. Li Qingyun was the strongest among the familys younger generation and had gained fame for a while now. According to hearsay, this persons talent stood head and shoulder above people like Zhao Junhong. As one of the top young experts of the Empire, he might even be stronger than Zhao Yuying. It was just that he couldnt quite compare to the midday sun that was Zhao Jundu. The same would apply to every other genius. Li Qingyun had no previous association with Qianye. Why would he suddenly want to see him? Qianye had only been out of the Great Maelstrom for one day. Having arrived as quickly as he did proved that the person had been nearby all along. Was this a coincidence? Or had he been waiting? Qianye walked out of the courtyard and faced the young man. Li Qingyun was clad in a scholarly green robe, but his eyes glistened with a sharp sword-like radiance. His entire person was comparable to an unsheathed blade. Seeing Qianye, the man drew his sword without further words. I always hear that General Qianyes skills are comparable to Zhao Jundus, that youre unmatched under the divine champion realm. Theres really no way to tell if these claims are true or false. Let us spar to prove it. These words werent very polite, and Li Qingyun didnt bother to hide the disgust in his expression. Qianye was baffled as to when he had offended this person, but then again, he had offended the Li family quite a bit. Perhaps this person was seeking revenge for a relative. Qianye put Zhuji down to the side. If Brother Li wants to spar, then I have no reason to refuse. Fine, lets see how capable you are! Li Qingyun clenched his teeth. The sword in his grasp erupted into a bolt of lightning that streaked toward Qianye. The latter had no intention of evading. An ancient aura embodying the passage of a million years seeped out as Qianye met the sword with a punch. Moments later, Qianye walked toward the airship with little Zhuji in his arms. The smiling attendant also followed along. He would occasionally steal a backward glance, his eyes exuding unclear implications. Li Qingyuns clothes were tattered and ragged. He was left gazing blankly at the broken sword fragments on the ground, his hand on the empty hilt trembling slightly. Qianyes vision expanded as the airship rose into the air. He gazed down at the distant ground with an empty feeling in his chestthere really was no point in exchanging pointers with anyone below the divine champion realm. Previous ChapterNext ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1085: Situation in Southern Blue In the Imperial Palace on the Qin Continent, Empress Li was seated in the garden pavilion. She took a sip of the jade liquid from her teacup, one that was as thin as a cicadas wing, before placing it back down. Can you still not figure it out? Li Kuanglan was clad in a mans attire. She sat across the Empress, keeping her silence in apparent displeasure. Empress Li laughed. What do you not understand, tell me. Li Kuanglans expression looked odd from the mixture of fury and embarrassment. Y-Youve never even seen him before. Why would you do this? Empress Li glanced at her with a spurious smile. It worked out, didnt it? Li Kuanglan lowered her eyes with a blush, but she was still quite stubborn with her words. That doesnt mean it was the right thing to do. Our Jingtang Li Clan rose to power due to our divination powers. If a freak like Lin Xitang hadnt appeared, our family wouldve monopolized the Empires divination path. I used our family heirloom for this, how can the results be anything but good? But heavens mystery isnt omnipotent, else our clan would be ruling the world. Empress Lis tone softened. Some things cant be spoken of in the palace. Even you have to follow certain rules. Li Kuanglan snorted to express her discontent. Empress Li said with a smile, Ill overlook this instance on account of your physical condition, but you should be cautious at all times. Otherwise, itll be bad if His Majesty hears of this. The palace is fairly big, and I dont get the final say on everything. The conflicts inside the palace had always been dangerous and unscrupulous. Escaping punishment before Empress Li did not mean things would be fine everywhere. A slight lack of vigilance would allow those below to drag one down. Consort Zhaos defeat back in the year was because she had underestimated the enemy. Li Kuanglan might be blunt, but she wasnt about to drag Empress Li back. She immediately nodded to indicate that she understood. Empress Li sighed. Okay, let me know if you have anything on your mind. Li Kuanglan said after some hesitation, I still feel that the entire thing was too sloppy. Empress Li replied, Ive received news that Qianye has returned from the Great Maelstrom. Qingyun has been waiting to spar with him. It should be about time theyre done with the fight. Li Kuanglan shot to her feet. Qingyun wants to challenge Qianye? What? Are you worried hell lose or get injured? Ki Kuanglan sat down. Qianye wont lose. Im only worried that Qingyun will end up using those undignified moves. Empress Li took a sip of her tea. Ive made arrangements. Qingyun wont be able to play any tricks, all he can do is fight honestly. T-Then, he At this point, an attendant walked over with brisk steps. The soft shuffle of his nimble footsteps made it seem as though he were treading on water. He arrived before the pavilion and, bowing deeply, presented a secret report. Empress, news has arrived. Very well, you may withdraw. Empress Li read the report twice before saying, Qingyun lost miserably. This Qianye truly exceeds my expectations. She passed the report to Li Kuanglan, who went through the contents in great detail. Li Qingyuns loss was already expectedhaving gone through life and death together in the Great Maelstrom, the girl knew just how terrifying Qianyes combat strength was. His maximum potential could only be drawn out on the verge of mortal peril where his endurance and survival came into full play. On the contrary, there were certain moves he couldnt quite use in a regulated sparring match. There was no way he could use the Shot of Inception while sparring. Life Plunder wasnt suitable, either. Most of the contents of this report were familiar to Li Kuanglan, but the final comment puzzled her. A boundless intent? Whats that? Empress Li said, Thats what surprised me the most. Its only natural that Qianyes overwhelming strength would counter Qingyuns swordsmanship, but the observer noticed a boundless intent embodying the vicissitudes of the world. That punch smashed down with the force of a continent and was almost unstoppable. It was so powerful that Qingyun was defeated and even his sword was shattered. Li Kuanglan said, But I had never seen him use that kind of attack in the Great Maelstrom. Maybe he accumulated enough and broke through recently. At the mention of this, Empress Li sighed emotionally. No one under the divine champion is his match now, except perhaps Zhao Jundu. Even those forcefully manufactured divine champions would lose against him. This child is matchless in terms of talent, yet those idiots from the military just had to force him out of the Empire. At this point, the public had reached a conclusive opinion about Qianyes incident back then. Seeing as how he didnt join Evernight after leaving the Empire, they could tell that he was still a human at heart. The theory that a different race would have different intentions collapsed on its own. If things hadnt turned out the way they did, the higher-ups of the Empire could pretend not to know about Qianyes vampire identity even if it were discovered. After all, he had the Zhao clans full support. He would still be able to play an important role within a certain grey area. The Empire had a lot of grey areas in its policies, and they were only growing. Li Kuanglan was discontent regarding Qianyes exile. That Longevity Monarch is muddled! Does our Li clan still need to provide for him? Why would we need to give him so much white wine? Empress Li replied calmly, Who wouldve thought things would turn out this way? The monarch has long since remained aloof from civil affairs and is only focused on extending his life. Regardless, he is still the eldest among the heavenly monarchs and still in charge of the Imperial military. Having a good relationship with him will bring us no harm. Li Kuanglan added, Hes also the weakest. If he wasnt, theres no way we wouldve had any chance. That was a fair point. Li Kuanglan sighed after some thought, Sister, do you not think highly of us? Our Li family must become a major clan. But we arent the weakest among the four major clans, right? Li Kuanglans voice grew smaller. Theres no need to even compete with Zhang and Zhao. Empress Li chuckled. The Bai clan seems to be following the orthodox path, but Bai Aotu is the only one worth mentioning. There are many things about them that we cant see through, and they might be hiding certain people. As for the Song clan, what do you think about Song Zining? That pervert! Ive always known he would stir up useless trouble. Li Kuanglan looked disgusted. Song Zinings notoriety with the ladies was rather resounding. Empress Li smiled. Hes definitely a sly one, but hes quite intelligent. The Song clan is definitely in danger, but thats a matter for the next decade. Who knows, maybe Song Zining might be able to save his clans status by then. Ah. Li Kuanglan hadnt expected the empress to speak so highly of the man. So, our Li familys younger generation cant really overpower any of the major clans. But we cant be weaker than the Bai and Song, right? The girl wasnt convinced. Empress Li said calmly, Being not weak isnt enough to become a major clan, our only hope is to overpower one of them. I had to make plans because I dont see that ever happening. So Qingyun and I were both expendable pieces Li Kuanglan laughed wryly. Empress Li pointed at her abdomen. Thats not right. On the contrary, you will be the most valued member of the family. As for Qingyun, what can we do about him? No one wants to abandon him, yet he wishes to court disaster on his own. Li Kuanglan rubbed her belly with a sigh, her expression a mixture of joy and worry. The airship journey was uneventful, and Qianye meditated in silence during the several days in transit. The void might not be a suitable place to cultivate for other people, but Qianye was unaffected by this rule because of the Profound Combatant Formula. By the time the airship had arrived on the Western Continent, Qianyes seventh origin node had already condensed successfully. Qianye was accompanied by a puzzled little girl when he disembarked. Featurewise, she looked around ten years of age, but she had already reached Qianyes shoulders in height and was stunningly beautiful. It was just that this young lady looked half asleep and more often than not was hanging from Qianyes arm. It almost looked like she would just cling onto him entirely if she were any smaller. The person arriving to welcome him looked away with a strange expression. Sire Qianye, the seventh young master has arranged for your journey. Please follow me. Qianye followed him to a different airship. This vessel was somewhat older and looked like a model from a hundred years ago. Qianye was an expert by this pointa glance at the reinforced body structure told him that this was an airship made specifically for the neutral lands. This flight will take you directly to the Eastern Sea. It also carries some cargo that needs to be shipped to the neutral lands. Seventh young master left you a letter, please read it. Wheres Zining right now? Qianye asked. Hes on the Qin Continent to handle some clan affairs and some businesses regarding the Ningyuan Heavy Industries. He also needs to head back to Evernight after that to manage some things. He told you not to wait for him. Qianye had a weird feeling that Song Zining wasnt busy but rather avoiding him because of a guilty conscience. The guide was only a subordinate, so there was no information to gain out of him. Qianye simply boarded the airship and headed back to the Eastern Sea. Along the way, Zhuji found a bed and went to sleep. She had been growing taller and taller each day after eating the six-armed giants heart. She was like a seven-year-old when she left the Great Maelstrom, and now, she looked like a ten-year-old. In the cabin, Qianye fished out the letter Song Zining had left for him. The first line read: Something has happened in Southern Blue that requires immediate suppression. Previous ChapterNext ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1086: Farewell Southern Blue was Qianyes foothold in the neutral lands. The new Dark Flame had been trained, and Song Zinings arrival had brought about a large workshop system that could build Imperial standard warships. Currently, there was no sign of warships, nor main cannons, but they could already start building major civilian-airship components. It wouldnt be long before they could start building entire vessels. Song Zining had funneled his entire fortune here, moving most of Ningyuan Heavy Industries over in order to construct warships. The project was of utmost importance because this was also the only hope for completing the Martyr''s Palace. Hence, Song Zinings words shocked Qianye quite a bit. Southern Blue had accumulated a massive amount of wealth, enough to make experts like the Wolf King drool over it. Since Qianye, Song Zining, and Ji Tianqing were all in the Great Maelstrom, it could be said that the city was without a leader. The Imperial forces were still in the neutral lands during their departure, but they would also be in danger after the aristocratic forces had left. It was only natural that both the army and the dark races wouldve retreated. This would make Southern Blue an empty fortress. Although Caroline could be trusted, it would be difficult for her to hold the entire city alone. Qianye was even stronger now than when he was in the Great Maelstrom and might be able to bring the city under control if he were to rush back. Even the Wolf King himself wouldnt be able to kill Qianye and, considering his injuries, would have to be cautious at all times. Evaluating his own combat strength, the Shot of Inception was naturally ranked first. Now, a third feather had started to turn grey and would become dark before long. The Shot of Inception was related to his blood energy rankthe higher it was, the more often he could fire and at greater firepower. Heartgrave would become usable after Qianyes daybreak origin power had reached rank sixteen. At the very least, he wouldnt be utterly drained after each shot. For now, he could only run after firing once. With the upgraded Shot of Inception and Heartgrave, Qianye could now go toe-to-toe with ordinary divine champions. There was no need to fear them so much anymore. Despite that, Qianye couldnt help but feel worried about Southern Blue. His main concern was the well-hidden Zhang Buzhou. This so-called Heavenly Monarch Zhang had acted fairly weak against the true outsider experts, especially when the Eternal Flame arrived in the Eastern Sea and, quite literally, sat outside his door. He never even made an appearance, acting as though he were in secluded meditation. Qianye knew that Luo Bingfengs death was partly related to Zhang Buzhous secret intervention, so this isolation was a joke to him. Qianye had no way to deal with this person right now. If worse came to worst, perhaps only Nighteye would be able to salvage the situation. At the thought of her, Qianyes emotions became complicated. Who wouldve thought he would need to be saved by her not long after he had claimed he would help her up the Sacred Mountain? If she hadnt beheaded the six-armed giant, there was no telling how long he would be trapped there. Qianye continued reading with a sigh. The contents of Song Zinings letter were rather diverse. It primarily explained the distribution of work among the many workshops of Southern Blue, the people in charge of each block, as well as their relationships. The summary was fairly detailed, so much so that it even laid out future development plans. It looked like he wouldnt ever appear again. Toward the end, the letter read, Thats the gist of things. As long as the city goes in this constant direction, you can do whatever you want. About the Great Maelstrom passage, I need to think of a way Qianye fell into contemplation after reading the letter. Now that Song Zining was no longer here, he would need to do everything personally. He was at a momentary loss with so many things to tackle. His top priority was, of course, to get stronger. He would have enough power to play this game of power struggle only after stepping into the divine champion realm. Qianye cultivated day and night along the way, and read the Book of Darkness Flourish Chapter in his spare time. He had an increasingly strong feeling that the changes in origin power throughout evolution contained the secrets of this entire universe. Referencing it would allow him to increase his understanding of origin power utilization. Before this period, Qianye felt that his combat techniques had reached their limit for improvement. Before the vicissitudes of the universe, however, there was really no limit to speak of. Each passing day saw Qianyes aura turning slightly deeper. The airship stopped outside of Southern Blue where Qianye and Zhuji got off. Before disembarking, the captain said, Seventh young master said someone from the Empire might come looking for you. What about?" Naturally, its for the things you brought out from that place. Seventh young master says you can go all out without holding back. Qianye had indeed returned with a good harvest, but it would be troublesome to bring them out as most of them had no market price. After some calculation, there wasnt much that he could sell. After descending, Qianye didnt return to the city immediately. Instead, he brought Little Zhuji to the edge of the continent. His newfound strength allowed him to reach the airship in just one day. Nighteyes voice echoed in his ears, Youre here. Her words were calm and indifferent, almost as though she were talking to a stranger. Qianye took a deep breath. Thanks for the help back in the Great Maelstrom. No need, I should be the one thanking you instead. For some reason, Qianye felt that her words contained some hidden mockery. Although he couldnt figure out what was wrong, he only kept silent as it wasnt appropriate for him to ask in greater detail. Ive obtained something suitable for you. Its hard to preserve, so I brought it over immediately. With that, Qianye produced the Marine Lotus. The flowerwrapped in Venus Dawnhad been preserved at the moment of its blooming. Nighteyes emotions fluctuated slightly upon seeing the Marine Lotus. Its indeed useful to me. Who wouldve thought you actually got it, how much of a price did you have to pay? Things just worked out by chance, I didnt have to pay anything, Qianye replied. Nighteye didnt ask about the details. A wisp of blood energy appeared from the warship and swept the lotus inside. That thick, sturdy airship wall was nothing before her powers. Her powers of this space alone made one sigh in admiration. After putting away the Marine Lotus, Nighteyes voice became gentler. This gift will only hasten my awakening, have you thought this through? Qianye sighed. I cant ignore your damaged spirit. But the Nighteye of the past wont return. Qianye remained silent. That was a knot in his heart that could never be undone. Was the past Nighteye real or was the current one genuine? Perhaps there would never be an answer to this question. Seeing Qianye silent, Nighteye said, Dummy, dont do things like this anymore. Also dont visit me anymore. Qianye trembled slightly. Why? My location is no longer a secret. People from the council will arrive soon, and I still dont know what kind of choice Ill make after a complete awakening. Maybe Ill rejoin the council, or maybe Ill avoid them. Regardless, I wont be staying around. How do I find you? Theres no way, and theres no need. Wait until you can suppress the Evernight Council, else youll just be courting death. Qianye sighed. But thats too long. What else can you do? To the humans, youre a vampire, and to the sacred races of Evernight, youre a human. Your resounding fame in the Empire is built upon the murder of the Evernight races. How can this enmity be forgotten? Youll be surrounded and hunted down if you dare come over. Im not afraid of death. There are many types of being unafraid of death, just as theres courage but theres also stupidity. Do you think youre one of those people who would give in to stupidity? Qianye had no reply. Nighteye said in a gentle voice, Youre not to blame in this. Youre already very outstanding, and the only thing you need is time. Qianye was already improving at a rapid pace, but he would still need some time to reach the apex. Yet, he was also in a position where time was the scarcest. There was no path to hurry ahead. Then farewell. The warship became silent. Jared arrived beside him at some point and stood quietly for a while. Seeing Qianye immobile, he said with a dry cough, Sire Qianye, its time to go. Nodding, Qianye followed Jared out of the valley. He then asked as the marquis came to a stop, Will this place be empty the next time I come? The master never tells me about her matters. As such, I have no answer to your question. Qianye nodded, but the loneliness on his expression wouldnt fade away. He walked away with Little Zhuji in his arms and finally vanished into the snowstorm. Jared didnt return immediately. He watched Qianyes receding figure with a complicated expression, muttering to himself, Sire Qianye has become more powerful again. It seems I must really call him sire from now on. Before, Jared knew he could hold his own against Qianye, but this time, he couldnt even muster the courage to fight. Jareds bloodline was special in that he was very perceptive toward other experts strength. This was the reason he had lost the will to fight and surrendered to Nighteye back then. Currently, Qianye was beginning to give him such a feeling as well. Jared glanced at the warship and sighed. Master sigh, too bad. He just had to meet my master. It was at this moment that Jared seemed to notice a figure amidst the blizzard. When he looked carefully, however, there was nothingit was as though he was seeing things. Puzzled, Jared arrived before the warship and checked everywhere in the vicinity. However, he still couldnt find any traces. Was I seeing things? he muttered to himself. When the first rays of dawn fell upon the land, Qianye was already outside of Southern Blue. He put Little Zhuji down and said, Wake up, were home. Previous Chapter Next ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1087: The Magpie and the Turtledove Home? Then shouldnt I sleep more? The little fellow climbed down grumpily. Even though she had grown a lot bigger, she still had the temperament of a little girl. Qianye said patiently, Our house is a bit messy right now, we need to clean it up. Dont we have cleaners? Oh, you mean we have to fight? The lass sobered up immediately. There were three things that held meaning for hereating, sleeping, and fighting. We need to fight, but we have to be careful not to kill unnecessary bystanders. No spitting poison in our own home, okay? Why cant I spit poison? My throat itches if I cant spray poison during fights. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. The little girl had clearly awakened her innate talent and wanted to use her venom out of instinct. It also seemed that she would need to release the poison after a certain period of accumulation. Each mouthful of her poison would turn several kilometers of land into a dead zone, not something he could have at his Southern Blue base. Her poison might even kill Count Stuka, right? Qianye thought to himself. As Little Zhujis real father, Count Stuka was highly proficient in poison but powerful humans could still resist his poison. He was simply not on the same level as Little Zhuji. Song Zining felt that Zhuji wasnt even related to the count, and that her egg had been placed in the hatching chamber for some reason. After warning Zhuji repeatedly not to spit poison, Qianye brought her into Southern Blue. The city was bustling, with caravans going in and out of its gates from time to time. Qianye, however, felt that the city was more desolate compared to when he had left. There were only trucks flying the colors of their merchant groups and none belonging to Dark Flame. There werent a lot of people or cars on the main road at the moment, so the sentries saw Qianye and Zhuji from a fair distance. It was impossible to not see them since he was walking at the center of the main path. Even the cargo trucks had to make way for him. A veteran in charge of keeping watch rubbed his eyes as he stared at Qianye, and then confirmed again through his binoculars. He suddenly threw them away, shouting, Its Qianye! Qianye has returned. Quick, close the gates and sound the alarm! The city walls were thrown into chaos as everyone ran about like frightened rabbits. The person who was supposed to sound the alarm was so frightened that the hammer slipped out of his hands several times before he finally managed to strike the bell. The resounding bell echoed at varying intensities, with neither depth nor rhythm, clear proof that the striker was weak from the trembling. Sounding the alarm was easy, but closing the city doors would take some work. The city gates were equipped with a steam-driven kinetic mechanism, something Song Zining had worked hard to remodel after his arrival. Without mechanical aid, these ten-ton doors simply wouldnt budge. Southern Blue was a central trading city, headquarters to the Dark Flame Mercenary Corps, and also home to many stationed experts. There was no way bandits would dare to rob the city. But with energy provided by the kinetic towers, there was no longer a need for experts to use brute strength. Now, closing the city gates was just a matter of flipping some switches and enough time. The officer in charge of guarding the gate rushed up to the city wall, roaring, Whats wrong?! Have you not closed the gates yet? You can forget about living after that man gets inside. The group of veterans atop the wall wore odd expressions but didnt make a move. That officer was just about to act out when an aide tugged on his sleeves. Are we really going to close the doors, Sire? Do you want to die, otherwise? The aide said, Its because we dont want to die that we should leave the door open. The officer was stunned. Why? The aide said, The door might be useful to people like us, but do you think it can stop that person? Once we close the gates, itll be obvious that were hostile. That person doesnt even blink when killing. Many of us were present in the great battle back then, and submitted to him because we were terrified. The battle where tens of thousands died? The officer turned pale. Thats a bit exaggerated, but a lot of people did perish. Then what do we do? The alarm has been sounded! The officer was now panicking. Sounding the alarm is fine, as long as we dont shut the gates. If that person wants to vent his anger, the ones in charge of the gates will be the first to suffer his wrath! The officer finally understood. Go inform those masters in the city and keep ringing the bell until they hear us! The fervent alarm echoed through the entirety of Southern Blue. Confusion descended upon the city as soldiers began to mobilize. The reaction could be considered quite fast. The city gates before Qianye, however, remained open, and the soldiers on the wall were nowhere to be seen. All of them were hiding in the tower and didnt dare show their faces. How could Qianye not tell that something had happened in Southern Blue? He sneered coldly, feeling that Song Zining had made the right guess. Judging from the disarray, however, the city wasnt exactly united, either. At the very least, the one who had taken over Southern Blue wasnt in full control. Qianye rose into the air and took his place atop the tower, looking down at the city. I am Qianye. Now that Ive returned from the Great Maelstrom, those who shouldnt be here will get one final chance to leave on their own. Thats the only way youll survive. Qianyes voice wasnt that loud, but it rang in the ears of everyone in the city. It was as though he were speaking beside them. Ordinary people sighed in astonishment, but most experts in the city looked terrified. It wasnt hard to spread ones voice throughout the city, but it was difficult to keep the volume uniform everywhere. Some careful thought would reveal just how terrifying this level of origin power control was. Additionally, those familiar with Qianye knew that he was never ostentatious and would even remain hidden at most times. It was only Song Zining and Ji Tianqing showing their faces most of the time. But now, his style had changed quite a bitthe announcement seemed magnanimous, but in fact, it was not. The unrestrained experts of the neutral lands cared about their reputation the most. Even those who had been planning to slip away might stay back to fight after hearing such a claim. They would never be able to raise their heads after escaping in such a manner. Some people couldnt help but sigh at the thought of the person living in the Dark Flames headquarters. Qianyes voice had just faded away when a sinister voice erupted, What gall! Who do you think you are to give me a final chance? A figure flew up into the air and stood across Qianye. The man seemed to be in his thirties, but the dark rings around his eyes made him look weak and older than he was. Four more silhouettes flew up and formed an arced formation around the young man. The young man became even more unrestrained after the arrival of these four people. He first roared until he was about to choke, and then said while pointing at Qianye, Who do you think you are to make such bold claims? I like this city and Ive taken it. What do you want to do? What can you do? The mans finger was almost at Qianyes nose, but the latter only asked calmly, What happened to the people from Dark Flame? The young man said disdainfully, What else? Most of them have submitted, some are in captivity, and a few stubborn ones were killed on the spot. What number one mercenary corps? Didnt they still yield after I killed a couple of them? But you really didnt train them well, only a handful of them were up to par. It got me so angry that I had to look for fun around the city. Qianye ignored the taunting. What has happened to the workshops and merchants under Dark Flame? The young man laughed. Even the mercenaries have no backbone to speak of, what can you hope from those merchants and craftsmen? Theyre like dogs, whoever throws them a bone is their master. That means theyre all under your command now? Of course, all of them have sworn oaths, the young man said proudly. Qianye sighed in relief, and the tension on his face finally relaxed a bit. He scanned the four people behind the young man, saying, These four are your bodyguards? So what if they are? Use your dog brain and think, what kind of person must I be to be able to afford such bodyguards. Qianye cut him short. Theyre pretty weak, let me test them for you. He moved forward while speaking and threw a punch at a bearded, burly man. This punch was neither fast nor vicious, and even the origin power fluctuation was nothing out of the ordinary. There was no semblance of martial complexity to speak of. The bearded manan expert in fist artsrevealed a sinister smile. With a loud roar and thunderous momentum, he punched back with the momentum of an avalanche! This punch was extremely fast, blasting Qianyes fist within moments. It was several times bigger and arrived with several times the momentum. The spectators gasped in astonishment. They wouldnt be surprised if Qianyes arm was broken on the spot. The moment their fists collided, the bearded man sent waves of earth-shattering force into Qianyes body. However, his smile froze up immediately afterward. The force he had meant to channel into the opponents body was stopped by a fist. The impact was reflected back in its entirety, and his fist was suppressed immediately. The damage didnt stop therethe bearded man didnt even have time to scream before his entire body exploded into a bloody mist. Without so much as a pause, Qianye threw a swift punch at another opponent. Previous ChapterNext ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1088: Hold Back a Bi Apart from the surprised gasp at the sight of splattering blood, the young man could only watch in a daze as Qianye shattered the remaining three guards with a punch each. He even forgot to breathe. None of his subordinates could escape Qianye no matter how quickly they reacted, whether they had fled, counterattacked, or drawn their blade. No matter where they were struck, they would explode into a sanguine mist. By the time those powerful guards had fallen, the young man was covered in blood from head to toe. Although it was his subordinates blood, one could see that the man was shocked out of his wits. Ah! Ahhhhh! Only then did the young man react and break out into a scream, all the while patting the pieces of flesh off of his body. The mans origin power became unstable from the extreme fright; unable to control it, he fell headfirst to the ground. Falling from a height of several dozen meters would hurt even a champion. The roof of a building below burst open as an old man rushed to the sky. With a wave of his hand, he caught the young man in a wave of origin power that brought him gently to the ground. The old mans figure appeared in front of Qianye with a flicker, roaring furiously, Young Man, how can you be so ruthless? Qianye looked at the old man. How could someone with four such guards not have a true expert protecting him. Its just that youre so calm that it surprised me somewhat. Qianye was actually mocking the old man, who was in no way calm. He simply had no time to rescue the four guards as they were destroyed with a single punch each. In addition to the shock, the old man was also quite terrified later on. If Qianye had punched the young man, his flesh and blood would be drifting in the air as well. Ashen-faced, the old mans momentum rose continuously. He broke into laughter at the extremes of rage, saying, Good, good! You Imperials are definitely experienced and extraordinary! People who grew up in this small place have no other talent except killing! Qianye didnt attack immediately. He merely replied with a cold smile, Since I can return, those who entered with me can do so as well. Do you dare kill me? Arent you afraid that the Imperial army will march over and flatten that so-called power behind you? The old mans expression changed slightly. The last time was an exception. These are the neutral lands, not a place you can rampage as you wish! Qianye laughed. The one stopping the outsiders is the Throne of Blood. Your words only serve to mock Zhang Buzhou, that mans been hiding behind the vampires back despite claiming to be a heavenly monarch. The old man was livid. How dare you address Heavenly Monarch Zhang by his name? Youre courting death! Without further words, the elder raised his palm like a blade and chopped down from over a dozen meters away! A sharp beam of brilliance thus descended upon Qianye. For a divine champion, a dozen meters was no different from point-blank range. This palm strike traveled with the speed of lightning, arriving above Qianyes forehead in mere moments! Just as he was thinking he had succeeded, Qianyes figure blurred out and vanished from the spot. The attack had missed. Spatial Flash was Qianyes famed technique now, so the old man seemed to have come prepared for it. He scanned the area with his powerful divine-champion perception, controlling everything within a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. He soon realized that Qianye was standing less than thirty meters away from him. Just thirty meters! The old man sneered inwardly, but he was more furious than anything else. He was enraged that Qianye would dare appear near him so carelessly. Did this boy think his opponent had no melee powers? Or did he think there could be no fatal attacks? The old mans heart was filled with killing intent as he gazed at Qianye. Several streams of blade radiance appeared in his hand as he made ready to go all out and kill Qianye. Just as he was about to launch the blade radiance, he suddenly noticed his figure reflected in Qianyes eyes. The old mans figure paused ever so slightly, almost like a cart driving over a stone. However, this negligible moment of delay filled his heart with caution. The old man was just about to flee when a dark luminous feather tore through the air! Why is it black? Thats not what I heard This thought flickered through the old mans mind as he watched the feather enter his chest. The Shot of Inception was Qianyes trademark killing move, one that had heavily injured the Wolf King. It was no longer a secret among the top experts of the neutral lands. The old man wasnt alarmed after being struck by the Shot of Inception. Instead, he raised his origin power output to protect his vitals, hoping to forcefully exhaust the energy from the Shot of Inception. The old man wasnt weaker than the Wolf King, so he felt that he could use the same method to endure the injury. He only needed a single opportunity to pounce forward and kill Qianye. He needed to let this young man know that the divine champion threshold was a boundary between very different worlds. But his expression changed drastically when his vitality started to drain away. How can this be!? The speed of loss was so great that it had far exceeded his expectations. Life flowed out of him with the momentum of a raging wave, and soon, he was almost half drained! His aura declined rapidly and was no longer at the divine champion realm after a while. And even then, the power of the shot wasnt entirely gone. It was at this moment that another feather began to form inside Qianyes origin gun! The old man screamed wretchedly. His silhouette vanished, reappeared, and vanished again. Just like that, he flickered three times, and each took him several hundred meters away. The elder was over two kilometers away after three movements. There, he turned and fled without even looking back, or saving that young man from before. Qianye was surprised. After a moment of astonishment, he shook his head and muttered to himself, Wow, that works too The old mans movement arts looked quite a bit similar to Spatial Flash. Covering a couple kilometers in three flashes, one could even consider it the king of escape techniques. However, it couldnt compare to Spatial Flash at all in terms of variation and power, since it had to be used three times, each taking him a few hundred meters. Even so, the old man still caught Qianye off-guard and managed to escape. This was the first time Qianye realized how frustrating it mustve been for the enemies facing him. The old man had seen through the situation immediately and escaped the moment he found that things werent quite right, never allowing Qianye to fire a second shot. Rather than say he was swift, one could say he was cowardly. But had that not been the case, there was no way he could have dodged the second Shot of Inception, and it was very likely that he would die in Qianyes hands. Qianye shook his head. Suppressing the sense of regret, he scanned the entire city. This gaze woke up all the experts of Southern Blue and sent everything into chaos. Some wanted to sneak away, some wanted to hide, and some others retracted their auras in an attempt to blend in with the ordinary crowd. Several figures flew over to Qianyes side and bowed. Sire, youre finally back. Qianye saw that these people were rather familiar. There were mercenary leaders from Dark Flame and two managers Song Zining had brought with him, one in charge of merchants and the other in charge of the workshops. It was strange that they would be able to move freely. At the very least, it meant that they werent under any limitation or torment. Now, this was a problem. The middle-aged man in charge of the merchants seemed to have noticed Qianyes thoughts. Young Master Zining told us that the journey would be perilous. He said that if he wasnt back soon and the Imperial army had withdrawn, we should submit temporarily against enemies we couldnt handle. Anyone taking over the city would need us to ensure the workshops were operating smoothly. So its Zinings instruction. Qianye finally realized things. Song Zining had always been crafty, and would always leave a contingency plan. Those plotting against him had to have problems with both their brain and their luck. You lot, immediately reorganize Dark Flame and capture all outsiders. Kill whoever resists, Qianye said calmly. With stern expressions, the group left to accomplish their missions. Qianye stood in the air just like that. Having blasted four experts into smithereens and sent a divine champion running, his might was at its peak. Those who so much as saw his shadow would not dare to have thoughts they shouldnt have. Qianye saw a sneaky shadow through the corner of his eyes. He patted Little Zhuji, saying, Oh, go and capture him. That person had changed his clothes, but origin power couldnt be disguised. He was like a bright lamp in Qianyes True Sight and simply couldnt escape notice. Little Zhuji never got the chance to fight. Cheering loudly, she swooped down immediately toward her prey. Qianye was astonished. Hold back a bit, dont kill him! But he was a bit too late. All he heard was a loud rumble as Zhuji smashed into the ground like a comet. The shockwaves spread out in every direction, toppling all buildings within several dozen meters in radius. The man was quite nimble and actually managed to dodge Zhujis attack, causing her to crash into the ground. However, he couldnt even smile after the maneuverthe shockwaves from the smash were so intense that they sent him flying through several nearby walls. Although his cultivation wasnt low, the deep impact caused him to cough up blood and left him somewhat listless. He wanted to continue running, but Zhujis voice rang out behind him, Aha, got you! You wanna run!? She caught the man by his leg and lifted him up, flinging him around randomly like a human club. He lost consciousness in just a few swings and never moved again. Little Zhuji felt something was wrong. Ah, dead? I-I havent even started playing! Previous ChapterNext ChapterPlease go to to read the latest chapters for free Chapter 1089: Recovering the Lost City Not knowing whether the fellow was dead or alive, Zhuji didnt dare play with him anymore. She flew up and handed the man to Qianye, saying, Ive captured him. Qianye looked rather absent-minded, as though he were thinking of something, and only recovered when he saw the dirty, ragged man. He engulfed the man in a wave of origin power and kept him afloat in the air. This person was so swollen and bruised that it was hard to see his appearance. He was currently on his last gaspif it wasnt for the unchanging aura, Qianye would hardly recognize the man who had been hooting at him a while ago. Qianye flicked a wisp of blood energy into the young mans body. The moment the blood energy entered his body, the man immediately felt an indescribable painit was as though every small muscle fiber in his body was on fire. This inhumane torment made him scream in agony, his expression contorted and his body spasming. However, the pain disappeared just as he was about to lose consciousness. Are you sober now? Qianye asked. Trembling uncontrollably, he looked up at Qianye with eyes full of terror and hatred. You dont look that comfortable, but thats fine. Tell me why youre here in Southern Blue. He hadnt finished the question when he shook his head in self-deprecation. Nevermind, I shouldnt have asked such a useless question. Tell your subordinates to surrender if you dont want them all wiped out. The fight in the city was still ongoing. Apparently, some people hadnt surrendered yet and were offering firm resistance. The fighting was fierce in some of the critical areas like the Dark Flame headquarters. The reformed Dark Flame members who were loyal to Qianye launched several attacks but were all routed, their corpses were thrown out of the building in a miserable fashion. The young man took a moment to catch his breath before saying with a fierce expression, Arent you going to ask who I am? Is there a need? Qianye was nonchalant. The young man felt great discomfort as his words were caught in his throat. After holding it in for a while, he jumped up as though his butt was on fire and roared, Why is there no need? I have my reasons for daring to claim Southern Blue! Even if your subordinates are all idiots, do you think those merchant managers are idiots as well? Why would they cooperate with me and hand over the city on a silver platter? Why did they help me suppress the idiots who tried to resist? Qianye pointed at the mercenaries fighting fiercely below. Theyre loyal to me because of fear, not idiocy. Many people have faced me as enemies, and I have put the fear of God into them. As for those managers Qianyes face turned cold. Theyre the real idiots for thinking I dont dare kill them. Having survived and operated in the neutral lands all this time, these merchant groups were far from saints. They maintained a blood feud policy similar to banditswhoever killed their managers would have to face the wrath of the entire group. They would not let the vendetta go until the very end. That was the only way to deter bandits from easily making a move on their caravans. Because they had enough money, the major merchant groups each boasted military capacity no smaller than a large mercenary corps. Their escorts were also better equipped than the average mercenary group, allowing each of them to fight two ordinary mercenaries with relative ease. Only Dark Flames soldiers, who had been armed to the teeth by Song Zining, could suppress the merchant escorts in terms of firepower. That was why the young man felt that Qianye was crazy. Even he didnt dare kill the manager of a major merchant group. Without sufficient reason, the backlash from such an action would be rather terrifying. Even he wouldnt be able to escape punishment. At this moment, Qianye was already somewhat impatient as he gazed at the fights below. Theyre still resisting, it seems your subordinates are tired of living. Qianye descended upon a small building in the Dark Flame headquarters. He entered through the roof like a falling star and scanned the entire structure with his perception. There was no one being held captive in this building, and neither were there any familiar auras. Countless sanguine threads permeated the building and silenced the entire fortification within moments. Qianye walked out of the building and, with a flicker, arrived at another. At almost the same time, the entire building fell silent. Qianye had passed through four enemy fortifications in mere seconds. Be it walls of steel or concrete, nothing could stop the penetration of Life Plunder. Every area he passed through would turn into a domain of death. Finally, Qianye stepped into the main command building of Dark Flame. This was the biggest structure in the compound, one he had built alongside Ji Tianqing and Song Zining. He had personally carried up many of the pillars and beams here. He no longer used Life Plunder here as there were a good number of officers and civil servants. Those officers in the middle ranks were the backbone of Dark Flame, without whom the operation and command chain of the corps would be rather problematic. Since Song Zining had arranged things beforehand, many of these people had probably submitted under his orders. Besides, there were too many unarmed people in the building and he couldnt just kill them all off. He decided to do things the simple way, looking for enemies room by room and killing anyone who so much as offered a shred of resistance. People were thrown out of the building windows one after the other, crashing to the ground with loud thuds. The floor from which people were being hurled grew higher and higher, until two snipers on the top floor crashed to the ground, their fate unknown. Within moments, the entire Dark Flame headquarters had been suppressed. Qianye sat at his usual place in the conference room, gazing down at everyone in the chamber. This was the central seat where he used to sit during meetings, but that young man had built a platform and placed the seat on it. Now Qianye was looking down at everyone from above. There was a red carpet stretching from the platform to the main doors, and a tapestry depicting a fierce void colossus hung behind the platform. The conference room walls were now adorned with ancient weapons and a number of armor sets stood towering over certain parts of the room. This decoration filled the hall with a sense of solemnity, like some strange, ancient ritual was being held here. Here, the master was high above all life. This young man might not be capable, but it seemed he was rather good at decoration and design. Qianye sat on the magnificent chair with his chin propped up, deep in thought. The hall on either side of him was already full with people. On one side were the mercenary leaders of Dark Flame, and on the other were the managers and representatives of the merchant groups. The ones at the front were naturally Song Zinings subordinates. Way at the back were people from the merchant groups who had squeezed in to observe the developments. That young man stood below the platform with an awkward expression. Qianye seemed to have forgotten about him entirely and was thinking about something else. If it wasnt for the burly mercenaries on either side of him, he wouldve been inclined to remind Qianye of his existence. There was a beautiful young girl atop the stage, peering curiously at everything inside the hallthe paintings, the tapestry, the statues, and the people. Everyone would feel uneasy upon being stared at. Some of the more timid ones would turn pale and start trembling. Zhujis gaze was as though she was looking at a toy or even food. Little Zhuji whispered after she had studied everyone carefully, None of them look fun or tasty. Everyone started sweating after hearing this. Little Zhuji poked Qianye impatiently, waking him from his reverie. He looked at the men below, saying, Is everyone here? Lets begin. He pointed at the young man. Speak, who are you? The young man felt like crying all of a sudden. He had been waiting for these words for far too long. This young master is Zhang Xuance, grandnephew to the heavenly monarch! Since you know my identity, how dare you Qianye cut him short. Enough with the nonsense. Are Zhang Buzhous descendants all dead? Why would he send you to stir up trouble? Zhang Xuance opened his mouth but no words came out. He was stopped up quite badly this time and wouldve coughed up blood if he didnt have to mind his reputation. This the heavenly monarch naturally has descendants, but my cousins arent that talented. My cousin-uncles are the same. Qianye was finally interested. Now thats odd. Zhang Buzhous sons and grandsons arent talented, but you are? Thats not quite logical. Zhang Xuances origin power cultivation was at rank-sixteenhis foundation was extremely sturdy and his origin power, pure. According to neutral land standards, he was already half-certain of becoming a divine champion. Even in the Empire or Evernight, he would be considered a talent. It was just that he was too spoiledhis combat arts were passable but his mindset was beyond subpar. It was clear that he had never fought anyone stronger than him before, collapsing entirely once Qianye killed his four guards and injured his guardian expert. The thousand-year history of the Empire had long since proved the importance of bloodline inheritances. For instance, the Zhao clan produced talented geniuses with every generation. The imperial clans bloodline was even more terrifying, producing multiple heavenly monarchs and a peerless expert like the Martial Ancestor. Normally, an experts direct descendant would produce more geniuses. It was unreasonable that Zhang Buzhous own line was incapable while a nephew was allowed to cause a ruckus outside. The only explanation was that Zhang Buzhous own line had withered. Zhang Xuance trembled under Qianyes gaze. Actually, theres a reason for that. When I was just a kid, my third uncle was a peerless genius reportedly on par with the heavenly monarch. Third uncles child, my cousin-sister, was also superior in talents. It would never be my turn for good benefits back then What happened later? Third uncle and his friend went out to save someone. That person was rescued, but my third uncle never returned. Qianye was somewhat curious. Who is your third uncles friend? Chapter 1090: Trifling Matters Luo Bingfeng? This familiar name appearing at such a juncture felt somewhat odd, and it finally caught Qianyes attention. Luo Beingfeng is your third uncles good friend? Yes, they were more or less the same age, and he taught third-uncle most of his secret arts. Qianye asked, Was the person they saved a woman? Yes, someone called Nan. What, you know her? What happened afterward? What about your cousin? Zhang Xuances expression dimmed down. My cousins talents were not below my third uncles at first, but after his death, she vowed to avenge him by killing that giant beast herself. She cultivated day and night, but one day, an accident destroyed one of her origin vortices and damaged her foundations. Qianye felt emotional after hearing this. Since the founding ancestor decided the human cultivation system, almost every cultivation art was built upon this path, the core of which were the nine origin nodes. These nine nodes, vortices, and crystals were condensed from nothingness and acted as pillars for all secret arts. With one of them damaged, the eight remaining ones would never be able to push her to the next level. This also meant that Zhang Xuances cousin would never become a divine champion even if she could cultivate the remaining eight to perfection and reach Qianyes level. A ceiling had been placed over her accomplishments for this lifetime. A genius had fallen just like that. On that topic, everything had happened because of Luo Bingfengs adventure. Nan Nan was saved, and she stayed with Luo Bingfeng thereafter. Meanwhile, Zhang Buzhous hopes of bloodline succession were forever severed. Even a weak-minded fellow like Zhang Xuance was being treated like a treasure right now. It was impossible for Zhang Buzhou not to feel any pain. After hearing this, Qianye gained a rough understanding of why Rui Xiang had a sword with Zhang Buzhous origin power back then. It turned out this heavenly monarch hadnt forgotten any of that. At the thought of this, Qianyes impression of Zhang Buzhou fell once more. He glanced down at Zhang Xuance, asking, How much longer does Heavenly Monarch Zhang need to remain in isolation? Zhang Xuance could not understand this question. How should I know? Where is Heavenly Monarch Zhang undergoing isolated cultivation? The young man inhaled deeply after hearing this question. The malicious intent within these words struck him square in the face. Y-You dont tell me Zhang Xuance stammered. Qianye broke into a laugh. What? Look at how frightened you are. Zhang Xuance was both embarrassed and furious. I know youre extremely bold, but the day Heavenly Monarch Zhang comes out of isolation is the day you die. But hes not out yet. Qianyes indifferent reply caused the man to choke up. I Zhang Xuance didnt know how to react because he had never encountered something like this since birth. I can also help you if you want to die. This time, Zhang Xuance noticed the faint killing intent in Qianyes voice. Chilled, he couldnt help but curse inwardly, but the words this madman never escaped his lips. Qianye glanced down at the silent crowd. Has the rebellion been quelled? Zhang Xuances expression changed drastically. He really wanted to say youre the rebel! but ultimately couldnt find the courage. A Dark Flame mercenary head stepped forward. Most of the fights have concluded. Some resistance still remains in certain corners, but theyve been surrounded as well. None of them will escape! Qianye nodded. Still resisting, huh? They think they have Zhang Buzhou to rely on, so I wont dare to kill them. Relay my order, leave no one alive. Yes! The mercenary head left in large strides. Qianyes eyes landed on the merchant group to the left of him. He said to one of the managers Song Zining had left behind, This Young Master Zhang claims that your groups spent a good deal of effort when he arrived in Southern Blue. Not only did you offer money, but you have also helped him suppress the dissenters. Is that right? The major merchant groups immediately became frightened. Song Zinings manager replied, That was indeed the case. Those who fielded troops include Manager Yu Cu of Myriad Gold Group, Manager Wang Fen of Boundary Group and those who offered money include Manager Xun Si of Alloy Shield The man listed over a dozen managers in one breath. Someone could no longer resist the urge to jump out and roar, Song Mingxi, you were the first to surrender. What gives you the right to talk about us? Song Mingxi replied calmly, I surrendered on the seventh young masters orders, how can I be the same as you people? Besides, were merely craftsmen who cant fight or kill. These words affected all the managers here. Everyone felt that this person was rather shameless. A few of the managers felt that the situation wasnt quite right. They knelt down hurriedly, saying, Sire, the situation dictated our actions back then, we had no choice! Please check clearly! Qianyes reply was rather calm. This Young Master Zhang said our Dark Flame isnt well trained, that there were no more than a handful of good people. Well, a handful is still a handful. Which of you has helped this young master judge things? The managers were drenched in cold sweat. Noticing that things werent going well, one of them stood up and said, Sire Qianye, there were some misunderstandings in the past. Since youre here, things will naturally go back to the past. All the merchant groups, including our Myriad Gold Group, will compensate you for your loss. Myriad Gold, huh? So youre Yu Cu? There was no expression on Qianyes face. Yes, thats me. Yu Cu squeezed out a smile, saying, Our humble groups director happens to be my brother-in-law. Qianye paid him no heed as he issued the order, Kill the managers of all the groups that have contributed military power and confiscate their properties. You! Youre mad! If you dare kill me, Myriad Gold Group wont let you go! Shocked out of his wits, Yu Cu shouted with a stomp. Myriad Gold Group Qianye said after some thought. Keep him in his managers uniform and hang him outside the city. Many people were already drenched in cold sweat, but now, they were almost dripping. Qianye had made it clear that he was going to shed all pretenses of cordiality with the big merchant groups. For all the other managers at the scene, Yu Cu was a clear example of their fate. Well fight it out with this madman! someone roared. However, he hadnt even finished speaking when a light flickered before his eyes. A beam of green light spun around his body and cut off all of his hands and legs before slowly pulling away. Qianye slashed at the speed of lightning but sheathed his blade in a rather leisurely manner. The upgraded East Peak was indeed easy to use, and every movement of the blade radiance felt as though he was moving his arm or finger. The manager only realized what had happened after the sword light had drawn away. He started screaming. How do you want to fight it out with me now? Qianye mocked the man before turning toward the ashen-faced managers. Youll have an intact corpse if you surrender peacefully, and the other people from your group will also survive. Only this kind of fate awaits those who resist, and well investigate who in your group participated in the rebellion. A manager pointed at Qianye with a trembling finger. Y-You! Youre destroying Southern Blues workshop system! Sire Zining would never do something like this. Zining is not here now, Qianye replied indifferently. Myriad Gold isnt the only group we can do business with, the same goes for every other group. Its fine even if the workshop system is affected. If we can build up something before, why cant we build it up again later? Compared to present profits, Id rather everyone realizes that I will cleave off the hands of people who try to reach for my belongings. The merchant managers turned quiet out of fear. Qianye didnt even give Zhang Buzhou any face, as proved by how badly beaten Zhang Xuance was. Who among these merchants could have a higher status than him? As for those who contributed money Qianye pondered for a while, well let them off this once provided they pay the same amount. Many of the grimacing managers heaved a sigh of relief. Next up was the handling of other minor affairs related to the rebellion. Qianye left all of this to Song Zinings men and returned to his residence with Zhuji. His courtyard had been thoughtfully remodeled into Zhang Xuances residence. One had to admit that the place was far better now than when Qianye had left it. It was just that Qianye saw several naked women when he opened the courtyard doors. It would seem this young master was no small enthusiast in this regard. Female mercenaries had to struggle constantly between life and death, so most of them had little interest in sexual matters. It wasnt easy to tell whether these ladies were forced or willing, and Qianye wasnt about to check them one by one, either. He simply ordered his men to take these girls away. After closing the courtyard doors, the impatient Little Zhuji began running around the place. She looked and touched things everywhere, curious about everything she saw. From time to time, she would exclaim loudly. This statue is interesting! This drawing looks awesome, I think we can exchange it for some good food. This chair is so comfy What a big bed!!! Unable to endure it any longer, Qianye called out, Zhuji! The little fellow appeared before Qianye with a swoosh and stood there obediently. This surprised Qianye a bit. He carefully touched her head, saying, Whats wrong? Little Zhuji said poutily, Im scared. Of what? Qianyes eyes turned blue as he scanned the surroundings for hidden experts. You. The little fellow''s words almost caused Qianye to stumble. Sighing softly, he looked into the girls bright eyes. Why are you scared of me? Im afraid that youll get angry and eat me. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He rubbed her head hard, saying, You can run if Im going to eat you. I wont be able to escape, I cant defeat you in battle, either. A-And, I dont dare attack you She really treated him as a father, but also as a natural enemy. Qianye felt rather distressed. At this moment, a voice arrived from outside the courtyard. Sire Qianye, the City Lord wishes to see you. Qianyes expression turned cold. Let him wait there. Chapter 1091: Hence the Though Qianye looked around the living quarters, unceremoniously claiming everything Zhang Xuance had brought here. He picked up some seasonal fruits and stuffed them into Little Zhujis hands, giving her something to munch on as he opened the gates and let Ji Rui in. Ji Rui had stood outside for an entire hour, but there was no impatient expression to be seen. His face was full of smiles when he saw Qianye, and it seemed like the man wanted nothing more than to bow and scrape at his feet. Qianye was no longer giving Ji Rui any face. As an old friend and longtime subordinate, the hot-headed Guan Zhongliu wore a sour expression despite knowing how powerful Qianye was. Qianye ignored the second-in-command and nodded toward the city lord. Come in. Guan Zhongliu wanted to follow in as well, but fortunately, Ji Rui was able to read body language quite well. Go back, I need to speak to the sire about some things. Guan Zhongliu nodded reluctantly. Frowning, Qianye shouted, Hold it! Guan Zhongliu turned about. What? Qianye sized the man up briefly. What, has your temper grown worse during this period, or have you found a backer? Ji Rui was shocked. He quickly stepped in between with a smile, saying, Ole Guans in a bad mood because some things havent been going well. Please forgive this idiot. While saying this, Ji Rui forced Guan Zhongli away. His face was once again full of smiles when he turned back to Qianye. Qianye returned to the living room and took his seat. Ji Rui had gotten fatter during this period of absence. It would seem he had been living a decadent life and was not in the mood to cultivate. City Lord Ji, it seems youve been living quite comfortably these days. A trembling Ji Rui forced out a smile, saying, Theres nothing I need to manage, anyway. I just sit around and collect some small money, whats there for me to be discontent with? Qianye nodded. Young Master Zhang seemed rather content with your performance. Even that Commander Guan doesnt respect me anymore. I heard youre still the city lord after his arrival? Ji Ruis smile was rather forced and his plump face was drenched in sweat. Who doesnt know that this so-called city lord is just a titular position? People let me stay in this position because I spent some effort building this city back in the year. Now I dont interfere with anything regarding the city. Guan Zhonglius commander position is also an empty title. Whats there for him to command? All we have are a couple hundred guards from our residence. Qianye only gazed at him in silence. Ji Rui gradually became restless, and sweat rolled down in sheets. He wiped his face time and again, but it just wouldnt dry up. Finally, Qianye spoke, City Lord Ji, you look a bit unwell. Qianye looked up. City Lord Ji has held this position for many years. As expected, you really do know how to talk. Im still who I was before. If you must know what has changed, Ive advanced to rank-sixteen, one level below you. Ji Rui shook his head. Rank holds little meaning for you. Ive never seen a rank-sixteen who can send a divine champion running in one blow. You didnt come here to say these things did you? Sire, I just wanted to talk about Young Noble Zhang about Zhang Xuances arrival. Speak. Ji Rui wiped the sweat of his brow as he narrated the entire story. He had just finished speaking when he noticed a strange sensation behind his back. The city lord couldnt help but glance back even though Qianye was in front. What entered his eyes was Zhujis little face, one that was just starting to show signs of calamitous beauty. Ji Rui found her somewhat familiar, and in a flash, recalled where he had seen this face. Its you! Ji Rui screamed. The city lord toppled over in his chair, then rolled several times into the wall. He finally managed to sit up against the wall, but his entire body was trembling. He pointed a finger at Zhuji but no words came out of his open mouth. He remembered that past incident where Zhuji had killed countless mercenaries with her poison. He simply couldnt find her expression cute but, rather, similar to a hungry carnivore. He touched himself subconsciously, wondering if he had been poisoned. Zhuji, come here, Qianye called out. The little lass went behind Qianye reluctantly. Leaning on his back, she whispered, He doesnt look tasty at all As expected! Ji Rui was secretly overwhelmed. Zhuji added, Too fatty, he wont taste good when cooked either. Qianye felt a headache come over him. You cant say something like that in front of the person. Ji Rui felt as though he had been granted a great amnesty. Feeling elated, he decided that he would eat even more from now on, that he would devour five meals a day and try to gain 15 kilograms within one month. There wasnt a single good person in this Qianyes group! No one knew where this girl came from, but she actually ate humans for food! Qianye pointed at the chair. City Lord, please sit. Why are you scared of us, are you feeling guilty about something? Ji Rui was shocked. Sire, Ive told you everything. Now I dont even want my cultivation to progress anymore. What should I be guilty about? Toward the end, Ji Ruis voice turned somewhat bitter. Qianye pondered for a while before saying, I understand the gist of things now. You can go back first. Ill make a decision after figure everything out. Yes, Sire. Ji Rui left the courtyard with a bow. His brisk steps proved that he didnt want to stay here a moment longer. Qianye sat quietly after Ji Ruis departure. He neither spoke nor moved, once again falling into a state of deep contemplation. Little Zhuji, on the other hand, couldnt stay still at all. She bounced about the entire courtyard looking for new things to entertain her. Bored, she soon returned to Qianye, climbed onto him, and started moving about restlessly. Her current strength, despite her delicate appearance, wasnt something ordinary people could endure. Even someone of Qianyes constitution felt somewhat uncomfortable. An ordinary expert in his place would already have had several bones broken. Qianye finally noticed something unusual about Zhuji. Whats wrong? I feel itchy all over and my bones ache. I want to fight, or spit poison. Little Zhuji panted. Qianye was somewhat surprised to see her panting. He placed the little fellow before him and observed her for a good while, then asked her a couple of things. Finally, he figured out the reason. It turned out that the six-armed giants heart was too much of a nourishment. It allowed her to develop rapidly, jumping over ten years in growth-period in a short while. Her body had been growing constantly since waking up, but even that wasnt enough to release the overflow of essence and energy. According to the natural characteristic of arachne, it was time to hunt and kill. Small arachne from the same nest would be released into the wide world to hunttheir enemies included not just wild beasts and other dark races, but also peers of the same race. Only the fiercest of spiders would survive the bloody massacre, and gain the opportunity to awaken great intelligence. Although the arachne had placed restrictions on in-fighting after joining civilization, the instincts they had inherited over ten-thousand years still remained. Little Zhuji was beginning to lean toward violence. Most of them should be able to control their instincts at this age, let alone someone as intelligent as Zhuji. What do you want? It was only natural that he would ask because the little girl was rather distracted. Even rubbing her head against Qianye was something she did subconsciously. Papa, we should fight now. Oh, who? Qianye was interested. Those who robbed our things! They look quite strong, fighting them would be quite satisfying. Why do we have to fight? Because then I can beat people up and spray poison. The little fellow accidentally let her thoughts slip. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. She would have him start a retaliatory war just so she could fight and spray poison; it truly made one wonder where she had learned this from. Other arachne would at most sneak out and start fighting instinctively. Qianye patted her head, saying, Wait for a couple of days, therell be a fight. Zhuji said with a pouty face, Fine, Ill wait. Qianye nodded, returning to his meditation once more. The sun was setting, and the house was growing dark. Zhuji glanced about and ended up switching on the lights herself. The darkness actually had no effect on arachne, but little Zhuji had grown up with Song Zining and Qianye. She was already used to having the lights on at night. She ran over to Qianye and stared intently at him. Qianye finally sensed her. What is it this time? Papa, whats wrong? The little lass asked. Me? Im fine. Qianye found it odd. Youve changed a lot. Even Little Zhuji tried to form a descriptive sentence, but she was still lacking in vocabulary. She succeeded after a good while. Youre always lost in your thoughts. Lost in thoughts? Yes! Youve stopped paying attention to most people. You only realize theyre talking to you after a good while. Those people became hostile because they thought you were looking down on them. Qianye glanced at Zhuji with an odd expression. You sensed their hostility? The lass nodded. Its obvious. Since he killed Zhang Xuances guards and heavily injured the divine champion elder, everyone in Southern Blue treated him with respect and hid their enmity well. However, this little girl could actually notice it. Her talents were rather terrifying. Fine, I was thinking about something. What are you thinking about? About Aunty? ... yes. If you miss her, go and talk to her. Qianye remained silent for a good while. Shes probably gone by now. When will she return? Chapter 1092: Splitting the Spoils The rebellion at Southern Blue wasnt that complicated. After Qianye, Song Zining, Ji Tianqing, and the others entered the Great Maelstrom, the Empire also left the neutral lands. The dark races also withdrew after sending in their candidates. The passage in the neutral lands was only available for entry and not exit. Those who had entered there would need to leave via the established passages. This meant that there was no sense staying in the neutral lands. The Eternal Flame naturally couldnt stay very long. As an active powerhouse of the demonkin race, he had too many things to manage. He also wanted nothing more than to leave since the environment in the neutral lands was also a type of torment for their race. The imperial fleet couldnt stay too long, either. Unlike the dark races, they couldnt afford to lose such an elite force. Add to all of that, the Throne of Blood was looming over their shoulders like a sharp blade. No one knew when that fellow would go crazy, so who would dare overstay? This produced a vacuum with regards to authority over Southern blue. Drooling over the recently industrialized city, many powers started jumping out soon after the imperial fleets departure was confirmed. Unexpectedly, however, Heavenly Monarch Zhang couldnt stand being left out. He actually sent Zhang Xuance, along with a hidden divine champion expert to assist him. Since Zhang Buzhou had put his foot on the table, the other powers could only pull back. The man could dispatch two divine champions in the Eastern Sea area, including an expert like the Wolf King. Other parties like the Moonlight Demons and Thunderfrost Temple were only stronger on paper. All the major trading groups also made their move for a slice of the pie. The situation in Southern Blue was thus decided upon. Song Zining seemed to have foreseen all of this, however, and instructed some of his key subordinates to surrender immediately. Major workshop systems were different in that each one of them was intricately linked and essential to the whole. The entire system would be affected if one of them was problematic. Hence, as long as the workshops were willing to surrender, they would be left untouched. Not only the managers, but even the technicians, stewards, and laborers remained the same. Zhang Xuance did want to disrupt things, but the major merchant groups immediately lodged a complaint. His disruption wasnt all that important, but the entire system would be in danger if the Ningyuan workshops stopped running for a month or two. Besides, all the big workshops were owned by Song Zining; who knew if the others could get back into the system after falling out? Even Heavenly Monarch Zhangs face was nothing in the face of massive profits. Later, these merchant groups found out that their decision was correct. Only the smaller mercenary group heads offered resistance. Who wouldve thought they would be so loyal to Qianye? Or perhaps they had found a sense of belonging with Dark Flame. Their positions werent at all that important, so they were never given instructions to surrender. Unexpectedly, these minor characters had fought to the very end. Their resistance was tragic and miserable, ultimately ending with their demise. It was just that the major merchant groups soon realized a key problem after dividing the city, one related to the construction of warships. The production of high-performance engines relied heavily on components from Ningyuan Heavy Industries. The small portion of them that could be produced in local workshops needed to be treated with a special alloy, the formula of which he had traded for with his military contributions. The problem was that the formula was in Song Zinings hands and those in the workshop had only ever seen the final product. All they knew was that it came in the form of a silver powder, of which there were only two bottles left in the workshop. Back then, Zhang Xuance had studied the bottles for a long while, but he still couldnt figure out what was so valuable about them. Despite that, the parts could not be made without the alloy, and the engine could not be assembled without the parts. The young man understood this at the very least. His solution was also quite simplethey might not be able to make high-performance engines without the alloy, but they could still make less powerful ones. All these so-called fleets in the neutral lands were made up of rusting ships. They could fight with warships that were a hundred years old, just as they could with newer vessels. Zhang Xuance would never have imagined that his so-called less powerful engines could not be built, either. The entire neutral lands put together could not produce a single warship engine. All they could build here were dark, crude, and extremely heavy ancient models with poor kinetic output. The only advantage they had was their durability in the adverse environment of the neutral lands. As for the overconsumption of resources, having an engine to use was good enough for the neutral lands. Who was going to complain about that? After a series of twists and turns, Zhang Xuance discovered the predicament he was in. Without the support of Ningyuan Heavy Industries, the workshops in Southern Blue would come to a grinding halt after a couple of months. Although the production of other warship parts would remain largely unaffected, what was the use of a shell without an engine? Young Noble Zhang did have his own way of handling things. This Southern Blue was a freebie anyway, so he would do what he could within these two months and think about other things later. This thought made him calmer and freed him of distress. Zhang Xuance stood high above the masses, remaining indifferent to the impending crisis, but those merchant managers werent free from mortal desires. On the contrary, these people thrived on mortal desires. They immediately realized that the value of Ningyuan Heavy Industries wasnt just systematic. They had dissuaded Zhang Xuance before because they didnt want the system to stop running for a few months, but now had come to a realization that Ningyuan was the true foundation of this production chain. They maintained a certain level of respect for the Song-managers who had surrendered, ensuring that the workshops and caravans under them remained unaffected. Everything was the same apart from the owners. Apart from the giants like Myriad Gold Group, the others had no intention of gaining control. They even did their best to uphold their previous contracts. They still wanted to import more materials from Ningyuan Heavy Industries because, with these materials, the entire system could continue operating. One had to know that this was a ten times difference in profit! No one, including Zhang Xuance, realized where the real crisis lay. It wasnt that they didnt think about Song Zining and Qianye returning, but what if they did? The situation here wouldve been settled by then, and it would be impossible to have them spit out the proverbial meat they had already swallowednot without offending Heavenly Monarch Zhang at the very least. If the duos attitude was good, they wouldnt mind inviting the two to the table. There was enough meat for two more people, and having those two onboard would guarantee the continuous supply of meat. Who wouldve thought, Qianye would act so harshly upon coming back. He immediately injured Zhang Buzhous hidden divine champion, who fled without even taking Zhang Xuance with him. Qianye made it clear that he wasnt about to give Zhang Buzhou any face. Now, all that was left was to see how the heavenly monarch would retaliate. This was a fight between major powers. Weaker characters would be ground to fine powder just by getting close, let alone stand between them. Including City Lord, Ji Rui, all the other powers big and small were acutely aware of their position. To them, it wasnt important who had control over Southern Blue because they would have to pay the same tax anyway. That was why these local powers didnt offer much resistance when Qianye and Song Zining took over the city. Their attitude was no different when Zhang Xuance arrived. Now that Qianye had suppressed Zhang Xuance with raging momentum, and shaken up all the major merchant groups, no one else would stand up to him anymore. The merchant group outlets offered some resistance when they were confiscated, but they were duly suppressed. The scattered counter-attacks throughout the city lasted no more than a day. The entire cleanup process went smoother than expected. Qianye never showed his face all this time. Everything was handled by his original subordinates. Southern Blue was once again peaceful after one day. At noon the next day, Qianye gathered everyone to a meeting as usual. This used to be Song Zinings job, but now it was his. Only when he was forced to manage daily affairs did Qianye realize that the work wasnt easy. Song Seven had made appropriate arrangements for all matters big and small, on top of observing the general situation in Southern Blue City and Eastern Sea as a whole. However, Qianye was already having a headache with day to day affairs. By the time he had finally completed all the chores, only the aides were left in the conference room. Manager Song produced a booklet and passed it to Qianye with a smile, This is the list of gains from the confiscated stores. Qianye looked through the list and saw mostly common resources. What shocked him was the sheer amount of it. For instance, there were several hundred tons of high-grade metal alloy plates. There were also several dozen tons of temperature and pressure-resistant materials. Such a large batch of resources couldnt be bought easily even if one had the money. Manager Song introduced certain items as he looked through them. This large batch of resources was for use on warships. Song Zining was planning to build military-grade warships, so they couldnt skimp on materials. The original arrangement was for the major merchant companies to provide materials for these warships, but everything had fallen into Qianyes hands following the rebellion. In addition, there were also dozens of military-grade ballistae, destroyer main cannons, and other large components. These were main cannons built for Song Zining but with some components awaiting transportation from the Empire. These main cannons used ballista bolts, which could only be built in the Empire. There was no use for this batch of robbed components, so all they could do was keep them in storage. Just from this list, Qianye gained a general understanding of Song Zinings idea. Whoever bought these warships in the future, they would need to rely on him for ammunition, parts, and engine maintenance. This would generate a steady stream of business, the value of which would exceed the airship itself several times. Song Zinings plan was to build three warships for the first batch. The frames had just been set up, but they were still lacking engines and main cannons. To build these things, however, they would need a key ingredientthe superalloy. The process would reach a dead-end at this point. Chapter 1093: Such a Reward The construction-work on the Northern Continent never stopped. The Martyrs Palace was also parked there at the moment, undergoing the next stage of modifications. Everything about the place was good; the only problem was the shortage of manpower. Currently, it was only inhabited by the Highbeards and some of Song Zinings technicians. Building a warship required thousands of technicians at the site alone, and countless more for the production of parts and facilities. To solve this problem, Song Zining had passed on a large number of orders to Imperial workshops. Moreover, he had bought the first batch of parts from available stock, shipping some to Southern Blue, and the higher-end equipment to the Northern Continent. No one else knew about this except those with the bird''s eye view of the overall situation. After looking through the list, Qianye highlighted several dozen resources, saying, Ship these to the warehouse outside the city, I have use for them. The manager said, Sire, these resources are required for the warships currently under construction. The merchant groups produced them according to our order, there is no extra. He was implying that these things had a purposeit was free now, but that didnt mean there was extra. Qianye waved his hand, saying, Its already decided, I have use for them. Also, prepare a few sets of crystal transformation arrays and fifty sets of crystals. Manager Song was shocked. T-This means we wont be able to build a warship. The remaining goods wont be enough to build a single vessel. Use what you have at the moment, and do what I tell you to! Seeing that Qianye was insistent on his decision, the manager stopped arguing and stood to the side. At this point, a general from the mercenary corps said, Sire, the weapons and equipment the seventh young noble had left are still in the armory, ready to be shipped. What do you want to do with them? Shall we distribute them? After some thought, Qianye said, Pick a batch of loyal people from Dark Flame and form an elite squad of around five hundred people. Distribute the equipment to this group and leave the rest in the armory. I have use for it. Yes, Sire. The mercenary head was somewhat puzzled about what Qianye wanted to do, but he didnt dare question the decision. He merely affirmed the order and left to accomplish it. Qianye felt somewhat distressed. The instruction to surrender reduced losses for Southern Blue, but it was also a missed opportunity to see who was loyal. Dark Flame had a fair number of members at the moment, but it was hard to tell how unified they were. Currently, however, Qianye had more important matters to take care of. As such, everything here would have to continue as normal except for forming an elite squad. His small courtyard would often light up with flashes of lightning, raging sandstorms, and a surging ancient aura. A beam of sanguineous light would shoot up into the sky, reaching hundreds of meters in height. No one knew what secret art Qianye was cultivating, but none dared approach after witnessing its grandeur. A wisp of stray aura from a cultivating expert could be lethal to an ordinary person. Qianyes room was an absolute mess with broken things everywhere. The strangest part was the fact that some of the wood had started to rot, almost as though they had lived through centuries. There was a hole in the roof, and the floor was filled with potholes. Little Zhuji was curled up in a corner, trembling as she stared at Qianye with eyes full of excitement and terror. Qianye stood at the center of the room. There was a small gap between his feet and the ground as he hovered with a book in his hand. That large rhomboidal gem on the cover was exceptionally eye-catching. The Book of Darkness had actually materialized and appeared in Qianyes hands. The pages were still replaying the evolution of the cosmos and the vicissitudes of the universe. Qianye concentrated for a long while before shaking his head. Its still not enough. This degree of origin power evolution isnt something I can grasp. I still need to work on it. A boundless aura emerged from his body as he closed his eyes. Before long, bulging green veins appeared all over his body, erupting into a spray of bloody mist! Qianye fell to the ground with a violent jolt. He inhaled deeply with a wry smile, absorbing all the blood back into his body and rapidly healing the breaks on his skin. I cant. Not to mention controlling the origin power, just trying to imitate the concept is too much to bear. This body is too weak. Qianye glanced at himself helplessly. His ancient vampire constitution had little competition even in the entire Evernight world, perhaps only the awakened bloodline of an arachne royalty like Basil could surpass it. At the thought of arachne, Qianye turned quickly toward Little Zhuji. He had no idea what bloodline the lass had descended from, but she was outrageously powerful. If all arachne were like her, the human race could forget about fighting and just wait to be wiped out. Hmm that wasnt quite right, either. The internal power balance in the Evernight Council would be in chaos way before the human race would be affected. Since she was of a young age, the little girl had yet to reveal her arachne-form body. Qianye wouldve suspected her race had he not seen her crawl out of an arachne egg. Zhuji, come here. The little fellow trembled all over when she saw Qianye waving at her, and approached reluctantly. Qianye stretched out a finger. Bite. The little fellow stared at the finger for a long while. Finally, she bit down with a fierce glint in her eyes. By the time she had bitten down, the finger was nowhere to be seen. Her pearly white teeth struck one another, sending sparks flying in all directions. This was followed by a loud pop as a flick landed on her forehead. The powerful flick sent her head swinging backward and left her dazed. So careless. You need to be starved as punishment. The word starved triggered a change in expression. She stared fixedly at the finger as though it were the bone of a wild beast. This looks tasty, this looks tasty the girl muttered as she pounced over at several times the speed. In the blink of an eye, Qianye was surrounded by afterimages of Zhuji as she attempted several different attacks. Meanwhile, Qianyes finger moved about as though it were everywhere at the same time. Little Zhuji had attacked countless times in the blink of an eye, much like a cat chasing a butterfly. Her hunting instincts were gradually brought out, and she grew closer and closer to Qianye. A sudden feigned pounce caused Qianyes finger to change direction, which she bit down with a twist of her body! Crack! Following a sound akin to shattered glass, the little girl shot back to the corner of the room with a miserable cry. She covered her mouth with her hands and almost looked like she would cry. Qianye looked at his own hand and saw a row of deep tooth-marks, all of which had been produced by Zhuji. There was a strange metallic sheen on his hand, with specks of starlight roaming about. He shook his head helplessly. If you were any bigger, you wouldve bitten off a piece of my flesh. Little Zhuji made sounds of protest with her mouth still covered. This bite was so painful that her face had turned pale, and there were traces of blood between her teeth. The metallic luster on Qianyes hand dispersed, and his skin gradually turned black and lifeless. A sanguineous flame lit up on his arm and stretched to his hand, burning away all the blackened skin. Even his skeleton became visible after the dead flesh was burned away. Afterward, wiggling new flesh slowly grew back to form a new hand. Qianye moved his new flesh about, saying, Powerful, but also comes at a steep price. This was a new secret art called the Fallen Star Immortal Body, named after comets that could survive a tribulation of fire. The secret art was hidden in the Bloodmoon Empress Li had gifted him. It appeared naturally after Qianye had gained full grasp of the dagger. Cultivating the Fallen Star Immortal Body required Millennial Fragrant Wood as a catalyst, something that was extremely hard to come by. However, Bloodmoons sheath was made from this Millenial Fragrant Wood. Even the messenger, Eunuch Yang, was deceived by the many disguises. All of this had to have a special purpose. This Fallen Star Immortal Body originated from the Martial Emperor and was a secret inheritance that would never be passed on to outsiders. No one knew how Empress Li had obtained it and why she would pass it to Qianye. The correlation was neither too big nor too small. The Imperial treasury had enjoyed a thousand years of accumulationone secret art was nothing compared to the countless treasures. On the other hand, leaking an Imperial inheritance was a great crime worthy of familial extermination. Channeling the Fallen Star Immortal Body would turn ones flesh into a material similar to comets, bringing its strength to the peak. Even Zhuji couldnt bite through Qianyes skin after he had used this art, hurting her own teeth instead. From this, one could see just how powerful the art was. This peerless art mustve played a big role in the Martial Emperors ability to maneuver freely against a multitude of Evernight experts. On the other hand, the Fallen Star Immortal Body had stringent requirements. One would need the Millennial Fragrant Wood as a catalyst, using it to activate the bodys vitality. At the same time, it would turn part of the body into the wood attribute and subsequently reduce the pressure of the art. Even though Qianye possessed the wood, cultivating this art still put immense strain on his body. From what Qianye understood of the Imperial experts, he could tell that basically no one else could cultivate it successfully. In fact, no one had cultivated this art following the Martial Emperor, not even those of Imperial bloodline. The Fallen Star Immortal Body was one of those extremely powerful Imperial arts with strict requirements. Qianye possessed an ancient vampire constitution as well as the Millennial Fragrant Wood, so he was able to cultivate it successfully. After trying several times, he found that the secret art was extremely powerful, and even a divine champion going all out might not be able to break through. Channeling the art, however, caused irreversible damage to the body. Basically, the flesh would fall apart after the art was stopped. Hence, the Fallen Star Immortal Body was a method for dire situations, where one would need to rest for a good while after each use. Qianye could shorten the recovery period due to his regenerative powers, but he would still need rest nonetheless. The more one channeled this art, the greater the tissue damage, and the longer the rest time involved. Using it too much would surely hurt ones constitution. Even an ancient vampire could hardly withstand constant degeneration and regeneration of flesh. Otherwise, why would they need to sleep so long in the blood ponds? Qianye thought things through while waiting for his flesh to grow back. History stated that the Martial Emperor possessed miraculous cultivation and that his combat strength might even exceed the Founding Ancestor. However, his life was not a long one. It truly made one wonder if this was related to the Fallen Star Immortal Body. Now, with the addition of this secret art, Empress Lis reward was way too great. Chapter 1094: Zhuji’s Education Having stuck with Song Zining for some time, Qianye now understood a bit about divination arts. He had even tried using it twice and displayed a bit of talent in that regard. According to the seventh young master, Qianye was a finger joint compared to his finger. This meant that Qianye could still make a living with divination even if he didnt have the dark golden blood energy or Venus Dawn. Those who practiced divination paid great attention to the karma of their mental realms. Hence, Empress Li would have to give Qianye a reward of equal value if she had obtained benefits from him. Only then would she be able to maintain a clear conscience. They would no longer owe one another thereafter, and there was no need to think about it again. Qianye thought back and forth but still couldnt figure out what he had done for Empress Li. His thoughts went down the wrong track after repeated attempts. Could it be that there was enmity between Empress Li and Luo Bingfeng? Or perhaps the white-fruit wine he had shared with Li Kuanglan was highly useful for her? Maybe it was those Silken Lotuses? If this really was about the Silken Lotuses, Eunuch Zhang wouldve asked for them when they had met. Now, Li Kuanglan seemed to have forgotten all about them, and they were still in Qianyes storage. A couple of lotuses shouldnt hold any value for an empress. Qianye sighed softly. He decided to stop thinking about it, but he still couldnt get rid of the shadow in his heart. The attention of a divination expert wasnt a good thing, especially someone of Empress Lis caliber. He put away his thoughts and glanced at Zhuji. Come, lets try one more punch. The little fellow grimaced. No! This will be the last one. You said so yesterday. Seeing that he could not coax her anymore, Qianye said with a stern face, Come! Little Zhuji was ultimately afraid of Qianye getting angry. She approached unwillingly and arched her back to accumulate power. A deep green glow appeared beneath her feet as she finished accumulating power. With a single step, she charged toward Qianye and swung her tiny fist at him with great ferocity! The entire house was filled with the echo of thunder as she moved. She was so fast and powerful that every movement of hers was accompanied by rolling thunder. The area beneath Qianyes feet was filled with formless clouds of nothingness. He stood there as eight resounding thunderclaps rang out around his body. Then, he threw a punch to meet Zhujis attack. The little lass flew back with a muffled thud but was quickly bound in place by an invisible origin power. Otherwise, the impact wouldve sent her smashing through several walls before stopping over a hundred meters away. Qianyes body drafted backward slightly before the image of a star appeared behind him, and he quickly found his footing. He raised his left hand and looked at it. This simple movement caused his bones to crackle loudly, and he only regained free movement gradually. Even eight layers of Excavator is barely enough. Could it be that her body is comparable to a high-ranking divine champion? The thundering sounds just now was a sign of Qianye channeling Excavator. Seven layers used to be his limit, but now, he had pushed it one level higher. That wasnt something an ordinary divine champion could do. Despite the eight layers of Excavator, Qianye himself never went all out with his attack. Otherwise, no matter how strong her body was, there was no way the girl could withstand the blast. Qianye put down his hand and said, Thats enough for today. Go and eat. Little Zhuji was pale as she dragged her feet toward the kitchen. Even food couldnt quite attract her anymore, which went to show just how much discomfort she was in. Come back when youre done eating. The lass went pale. You said that was the last time. The last time before bedtime, go eat your food! The little fellow bit her lip, and tears almost rolled down her face. However, she knew resistance was futile, so she ultimately entered the kitchen with red eyes. Only when she was gone did Qianye reveal an expression of heartache. He sighed softly, muttering, Theres no helping this, its all for your own good. Back when handing Zhuji to Qianye, Nighteye had explained to him certain things to pay attention to in the future. Combat was necessary during her growth phase. Moreover, it had to be high-intensity or even life threatening combat. A developing arachnes physical strength would decrease relatively because its growth was so much faster. Arachne would use combat to strengthen themselves and force out their true potential, aiding their overall maturation. The arachne were a battle-hungry race since ancient times. They were never outstanding in terms of intelligence and origin power utilization, but their bloodthirst allowed them to kill their way into the four major races. Qianye naturally wouldnt allow Zhuji to go about killing people. He had more than a few ways to train this little fellowfighting him, for instance. In truth, the girl was also a fairly good target to test secret martial arts on. She was so durable that even a divine champion might not be able to compare. Hence, Qianye could try new powerful moves while training her at the same time. This type of training seemed fairly effective. Little Zhujis growth sped up once again, as proven by a doubling of her food intake. Appetite was the only standard to measure an arachnes growth. An increased desire to eat was a sign that her growth was speeding upthis simple and coarse method was in line with their races philosophy. Qianye went back to reading the Book of Darkness while waiting for Little Zhuji to eat. Unable to comprehend the universes evolution, Qianye switched to the formation of star systems. Failing to understand that, he changed to the nebulas, and then to the interior of the planets. Only when reaching a frost-covered continent did he grasp some things. Unlike the Founding Ancestor, Qianye couldnt observe the flow of heaven and earth or invent a series of secret arts like the Combatant Formula. However, observing the evolution of the universe held great meaning to him for now and in the future. After crossing the divine champion threshold, one of the standards for measuring ones combat strength was to see how much origin power they could mobilize from the surroundings. The more origin power they could utilize, the stronger their attacks would be. The method for this utilization was equally as importantunderstanding of the universes rhythm would allow for more subtle methods. This Book of Darkness was simply spoon-feeding Qianye with knowledge on how to control his strength after reaching the divine champion realm. Naturally, that was just the continent part of the imagery. Even a high-ranking divine champion would have some trouble comprehending the evolution of the entire star system. As for the entire cosmos, it was probably a path for the heavenly monarchs. No wonder Qianye was immediately injured when he tried to sense the evolutionary process of the cosmos. The vast amount of information wasnt something he could withstand at the moment. The sound of loud chewing came from the kitchen, a telltale sign of the little fellow eating her meal. She chewed carefully in the beginning, but she would lose control of her eating speed over time. The wild beast meat was so tasty that she couldnt resist. Eating small mouthfuls was just as enjoyable as wolfing it down. Similar situations had played out several times in the past few days. Qianye knew that the girl would stuff herself full in about ten minutes and return obediently for her next lesson. It was at this point that Qianye sensed someone approaching. The person didnt stop after approaching the courtyardthey merely hesitated for a moment before knocking on the gate. Qianyes expression turned sour, apparently displeased at being disturbed during cultivation. His mood was far from calm these dayshe was easily angered and in low spirits most of the time. Only training with Zhuji could calm him down temporarily. This person from Dark Flame had arrived despite the taboo, so they had to have important news. Qianye walked into the courtyard and opened the gates. Whats the matter. The one standing outside the gates was a mercenary leader, also one of Song Zinings trusted aides. He passed Qianye a letter, saying, Two people claiming to be from the empire wish to see you. This letter is for you, and they claim youll meet them once you see it. Qianye opened the canvas and fished out the letter inside. There were two insignias on the paper, and one of them was the emblem of Ji Tianqings family. This secret mark was simple and abstract, unlike the soaring snake of the Imperial clan. One couldnt tell that this emblem, on its own, was from an Imperial bloodline, but Ji Tianqing had shown it to Qianye before and explained the origins to him in private. Qianye knew from this secret mark that the guest was somewhat related to Ji Tianqing. His brows relaxed a bit. The other insignia was much more complicated and formal. Above it was a coat-of-arms representing the Imperial military, and below was a diagram of mountains and supply crates. This was the emblem of the militarys armaments division, a department in charge of the entire armys logistics and armaments development. In addition to power, this was the most profitable department in the entire army. It was beyond Qianyes expectations that people from the armaments division would seek him out personally. His relationship with the Imperial military wasnt good, to begin with, and it could only be worse now that he had destroyed one of their agents in the neutral lands. But Ji Tianqings secret emblem changed Qianyes attitude. He said, Have them wait, Ill head over soon. Qianye was in no rush. He first cleaned up and changed into a new set of clothes before heading over to the parlor at a steady pace. The hour-long wait expressed his attitude regarding this meeting. This was something he had learned from Song Zining. The two people in the parlor had been waiting for a good while. The tea before them had been re-steeped eight times and had already lost all taste. Chapter 1095: The Rules From Above There were two people from the militaryin addition to the burly man, there was also a somewhat shorter, unassuming man in his middle ages. The latter laughed upon hearing the complaint. If we dont wait for him, do you think hed wait for us instead? The burly man was still unresigned. Thats that, but hes too overbearing! Who does he think he is to have us wait like this? Heh heh, who do you think we are then? Our ranks might not be high, but were also people in charge of great responsibilities. His actions feel like he doesnt have the military in his eyes at all. The middle-aged man sighed. I say, Lil Fang, were in the neutral lands, not the Empire. You had best tone down your usual habits. Were not just small officers from the military, we came here with orders to get things done, even if we have to beg him. Do you look like youre begging? The burly man was stubborn. But I just dont like that kind of attitude! The middle-aged man took a sip from his fading tea and said, He just wants us to understand that him agreeing to see us is already a big favor. The burly mans tone softened. But we still represent the military You shouldnt forget that Li Fengshui was also from the military. The middle-aged man cut in. He then shook his head, saying, Lil Fang, youre not bad both in terms of background and strength, but youre only in charge of an unimportant operation team. Have you never thought about why? The man surnamed Fang replied, Sire Lan, do you mean Ive offended some people? Not just a few. How can that be? Ive always been careful. The burly man felt wronged. The middle-aged man said, The military belongs to the Empire and the emperor, but you can also say it belongs to the Longevity Monarch. Its neither yours nor mine, we only work for the military. The burly man was stunned. Clearly, he did not understand the reasoning. The middle-aged man laughed self-deprecatingly. We only have this authority and glory because of our positions. If we lose our positions one day, well return to our previous backgrounds. Do you think well have an inkling of relationship to the military at that point? Lil Fang, you can start taking action if we get this business done well. If not for this, I wouldnt be explaining so many things. The burly man started sweating. Many thanks, Sire! General Lan didnt go further with this topic. He merely said, This business is important for you, me, and that person. You have to understand that many people want this deal to succeed, and I dont think I need to tell you the reason. They want revenge for Li Fengshui? the burly man asked. The burly man was surprised. What? T-Those who talked to me arent like that. General Lan said indifferently, I have no idea what kind of people they are, but I do know that a failure in this deal will lead to such an outcome. Everyone else will think thats your intention. The burly man was drenched in cold sweat. At this moment, the parlor doors opened and Qianye walked in. Just a brief glance from Qianye and the two men couldnt open their eyes at all. It was as though a flash of lightning had filled the room. The strong burst of light faded so quickly that they couldnt tell whether it was real. Qianye took his seat calmly. Please sit. The middle-aged man bowed. Im Lan Xincheng, deputy commander of the armaments division. This is Fang Zhan, chief officer of the third distribution center. General Lan, General Fang. Qianye nodded. This was his reciprocation to the salutation. Fang Zhans expression darkened, but he still refused to act out. Lan Xincheng said, Sire Qianye, we came to the neutral lands with a request, one that involves great benefits for you. Pray tell. Qianye was just as indifferent. Lan Xincheng got down to the point and started explaining his intentions. It turned out that the situation inside the Great Maelstrom inflicted great losses on the Empire. More than half of the aristocratic scions who had entered were dead, especially the two groups following Qianye into the passage. Their paths seemed to have deviated as a result, landing them in the high-gravity region. Naturally, there was no news from these people, who probably wouldnt even survive their first frigid night. Those that did survive gained great benefits, almost equal to three decades worth of harvest. The appearance of life-extending treasures like the white-fruit wine shook the entire upper echelon of the Empire. Not to mention the white fruits, just the white-fruit wines were immediately grabbed up, and the rewards offered for them were extremely generous. There was no shortage of land and titles being handed out. The true good-stuff was in Qianyes hands. To true experts, the two top-grade origin crystals were even more important. In the eyes of the Imperial clan, the two crystals were equal to two powerful divine champions who could claim a couple of provinces for the Empire. These people had come for the treasures Qianye had harvested in the neutral lands. The armaments division had stepped in because the value of the items was simply too high and Qianye was extremely powerful. The supplies department wanted this job, but the armaments department won the role and dispatched Fang Zhan. Only a gigantic entity like the military would be able to devour Qianyes entire harvest. Any other high-ranking aristocratic family would not be able to cough up that much money. Qianye smiled faintly. Why would the military need to spend so much effort? They should just send a divine champion to either kill or capture me. Wont the things I have be yours then? Fang Zhan looked down awkwardly because he had indeed thought of this. The man had come from a good background and enjoyed a smooth career in the army. He was used to not hiding his thoughts. Lan Xincheng said with a laugh, Sire Qianye is an extraordinary person with friends and comrades throughout the world. How can we do something like that? Even if someone did want to do this, it would be hard to truly execute such a plan. The Empire does have its rules. Qianye found this quite funny. Those so-called rules of the Empire only applied to certain people. The rules would be brought up only when the other party was worthy of them bringing them up. However, he felt that Lan Xincheng had other hidden implications. Qianye asked with a nod, General Lan, where do these rules you speak of come from? Lan Xincheng pointed upward. Naturally, from above. Qianye understood somewhat. He had no relationship with the Emperor, so this protection had to have come from Empress Li. After figuring this out, Qianye felt even more relaxed. Since thats the case, what do you want and what can you give me? Lan Xincheng lowered his voice. Those from above want intact white fruits and not wine. Of course, theyll also take as much wine as you have in store. Also, are you willing to sell the two top-grade origin crystals in your hands? We will also buy any other resources youve harvested in the Great Maelstrom. Qianye broke into a laugh. Reaping everything in one go? What can you give me? Lan Xincheng shot Fang Zhan a glance, whereupon the latter produced a booklet for Qianye to peruse. Everything the Empire can provide is listed here. Qianye flipped through the pages and found most of them filled with common resources and high-grade equipment in bulk. There were origin guns for instance, which, despite only going up to grade-seven, would be supplied in bulk. Qianyes Thunderbolt was also on the list, and there were a hundred of them being offered. Even if he did ask for such weapons, Qianye didnt have that many expert subordinates to use them. Seeing Qianyes indifference, Lan Xincheng gestured for Fang Zhan to pass over yet another booklet. Sire Qianye, this is a gesture of the Empires sincerity. I was supposed to show you this only after we get the white fruits, but its fine for you to look through it first. Fang Zhan used to be quite arrogant, but a single glare from Qianye made him rather obedientthis might wasnt something he could stand up to. All of the burly mans posturing and pride disappeared quickly after witnessing that terrifying strength, and his tone almost changed into one of flattery. Lan Xincheng seemed rather disdainful. He had seen too many of such aristocratic descendantsthose who would bully the weak but were fearful of the strong. Qianye picked up the booklet. It was much thinner than the previous one but exquisitely crafted. He flipped to the first page and found an engine blueprint before his eyes, the caption of which read: ridge-grade warship engine, designed for destroyer-grade warships of the Imperial fleet. Developed in year 30 of the Martial Calendar. This type of engine was developed during the end of the previous emperors reign, less than thirty years ago. Usually, it would take around two decades to design a new engine, which meant that this ridge-grade engine was the Empires main engine model. There was only one newer generation of engines. To start the first page with a ridge-grade engine, the Empires sincerity wasnt too bad. The next page listed various origin arrays that went with the ridge-grade engine. Their primary use was to isolate the chamber from the void origin power in the environment, giving the engine a clean space to operate in. At a glance, it seemed all they would actually do was add weight and energy consumption. Chapter 1096: A Sincere Trade Part 1 A ridge-grade engine along with its necessary components could be considered a generous offer. Qianye made sure his thoughts wouldnt show as he continued flipping through the pages. The contents of the third page caused him to raise his brows: toad-grade warship main cannon. The toad-grade main cannon wasnt the most advanced model in the Empires arsenal, but just like the ridge-grade engine, it was the most widely-used cannon in the fleet. Its most useful feature was its triple fire capability, allowing the ship to fire three ballista bolts at the same time, or one at a time. The cannon was compatible with almost all special bolts in the army. Most importantly, it was a main-cannon made for cruiser-grade airships! The toad-grade cannons were far inferior to the Landsinker in Qianyes possession, but it was definitely better than the other available main cannons. Be it in terms of firepower or quality, it was far superior to anything Qianye had in store. Song Zining had also gotten his hands on some destroyer-grade main cannons, but the toad-grade armament was beyond his reach. Seeing that the Empire had put such things openly on the table, along with modifications required for the neutral lands, Qianye couldnt help but ask, Is the Empire planning to build a fleet here? Lan Xincheng said with a laugh, The neutral lands is too far away. The Empire has no desire to add it to the national map. With the war on the void continent in a deadlock, theres no way we have the extra power to colonize new lands. Since the war there is in a deadlock, I dont reckon you can bring out these resources easily, can you? From what Qianye remembered, the Empire and Evernight were engaged in a fierce fight. The airship fleets had fought several major battles in the void, with small ones occurring on a day-to-day basis. The Imperial fleet should be holding onto every small engine under such circumstances, let alone the ridge-grade and toad-grade armaments. These engines and cannons will be transferred in from other places. These fleets might face some delays, but thats okay. The bigger picture is more important. Fang Zhan joined the conversation. The bigger picture? Qianye knew that people had very different definitions of this term. The continued existence of His Majesty and the monarch is the bigger picture. Qianye continued flipping through the pages, his expression growing odd as he reached the end. Listed in the booklet were all kinds of equipment, materials, and training courses. The equipment was all made for warships, and most of them were up to the latest generation standards. Qianye was already half an expert in the field of airshipshe could tell that the large amount of materials were for use in the production of deck boards, walls, and armor plates. The smaller amount of strong materials was for special areas of the vessel, like the engine room and the chamber for the main cannon. The training courses, however, were of a different nature. These classes would train warship commanders and officers for crucial posts like the helmsman and cannoneer. Operating the main cannon of a warship was no easy jobnot to mention an entire specialized procedure that they would have to follow, some special bolts also required the operator to be powerful. For instance, the homing bolts accuracy was related to the cannoneers cultivation and perception. With the equipment from the earlier pages and this training regiment, did the Empire want Qianye to build a private fleet? Seeing this list, Qianye knew where the Empires bottom line was. It seemed they were willing to invest deeply for the white-fruits in Qianyes hand. Qianye pointed at the ridge-grade engine and toad-grade main cannon. How many of these can you provide? Five engines and six main cannons is the Empires bottom line. Its not impossible if you want more, but youll have to wait a year. Five engines meant five destroyers. Although Southern Blue could also produce engines, its current capacity was only enough for two engines each year. The ridge-grade engine was a mature technologyit wasnt as good as Song Zinings newly developed engine, but there was an abundance of parts available at a lower cost. The advantage of Song Zinings engine was that it was more durable and capable of withstanding the adverse environment of the neutral lands. It could be used almost anywhere. As for the toad-grade main cannon, its triple fire mode was more than enough firepower for a cruiser, but its single-shot firepower was somewhat lacking. That wasnt a problem for Qianye because he wasnt going to build a fleet. The Empire wasnt greedy this timefive engines and six main cannons for two white fruits or equal value of white-fruit wine. All the other materials added together was also enough to trade for a brand new cruiser. Now that such a sweet deal was before him, Qianye naturally wouldnt let things be. Qianye mulled over the trade for a moment before saying, Two white fruits and equal value of white-fruit wine, I can accept this deal. Lan Xincheng said, The goods are all outside of the neutral lands. They can be shipped over in three days once I send the signal! Qianye was a bit surprised. Oh, it seems the Empire is rather confident about me accepting this deal. Lan Xincheng said, The military is quite big, but the person overseeing this deal is related to the owner of that secret insignia. Were a bit confident because of this relationship. Besides, this deal is related to the monarch, who would dare disrupt things? Fang Zhan looked a bit awkward. There were indeed people who dared to do so. To those people, nothing was a problem if only they could kill Qianye. Even if the Longevity Monarch were to die tomorrow, it had nothing to do with them. Removing Qianye would be akin to severing their opponents outside help, and that was the greatest benefit for them. At the thought of this, Fang Zhan suddenly became restless. His expression sank when he recalled the people who had given him advice before the current trip. If Lan Xincheng hadnt reminded him, he probably wouldve fallen for the trick. Qianye neither agreed nor refused. Whats the Longevity Monarchs situation? Lan Xincheng was a straightforward person. The monarch is in isolated cultivation after obtaining a white fruit. He instructed us to get as many as we can, three at the very least. With this kind of life-extending medicine, the effects would diminish with each use. Taking five of them in quick succession went to show that the Longevity Monarch was quite experienced with the process of life-extension and knew the exact number that would maximize the effects. Three? I surely dont have that many. I can offer 2 at most. Qianye had no intention of taking out everything he had. Two is fine as well. Lan Xincheng smiled. Then lets talk about the other resources. With that, Qianye produced a wooden box and pushed it forward. Lan Xincheng didnt open the container immediately. This is? Medicinal materials. Nodding, Lan Xincheng fished out a pair of gloves and donned them. He then used his origin power to seal the box and slowly opened the lid. This was to ensure that the medicinal properties of the contents wouldnt dissipate. At the same time, Lan Xinchengs origin power was also neutral and gentle, devoid of all extreme characteristics. This type of origin power might be a bit disadvantaged in battle, but it was exceptionally useful in handling rare medicines and special materials because it would not cause any damage. In comparison, Qianyes Venus Dawn might not be suitable for handling certain delicate goods. Seeing sheets upon sheets of scaly herbs, Lan Xincheng gasped. Dragon Scale Moss! So much! The Dragon Scale Moss in the box was the main ingredient for high-grade military-use stimulants. An ordinary patch of moss could produce twenty stimulants. There were dozens of such patches in the container, enough for hundreds of stimulants! There was no need to explain the use of stimulants. These high-grade medicines were only distributed to the high-ranking officers of elite corps. It would take a champion to withstand its medicinal effects. Ten such stimulants was enough to tip the scales on a small special-operation. Such a big box of Dragon Scale Moss would be coveted by every corps commander. Lan Xincheng had been in charge of outfitting the army for many years. How could he not know the value of these herbs? He slapped the table in excitement, saying, Ill make the decision. If you have four such boxes, all the resources at the back of the booklet are yours! Qianye broke into a laugh, and his opinion of the man improved by several points. This fellow wasnt just an officialhe had lost his composure because he had the front-line fighters in mind. He wasnt all that excited when talking about the white fruit just now. In fact, both parties knew that the Longevity Monarch would only get one of this newfound life-extension medicine. One would never know for sure where the other would go, but some careful thought would reveal many possibilities. For instance, the Pointer Monarch, Zhang Boqian, even the Emperor and Empress, or the other two heavenly monarchs. On the lower levels, Lin Xitangs value to the Empire wasnt inferior to the Longevity Monarchs. The Empire would gain several more provinces if these people were to live a decade longer. Qianye shook his head. Thats all I have. Lan Xincheng couldnt hide his disappointment. This isnt a lot! Fang Zhan laughed. General Xincheng, this box will increase this years production by twenty percent. Why are you not content yet? What do you mean by that? Its not like you dont know that group of commanders. Theyre even fiercer than the dark races when its time to fight for medicines. Not to mention twenty percent, theyll devour everything without blinking even if we produce two times the amount. Thats true. Fang Zhan agreed. Qianye said, I dont have any more Dragon Scale Moss, but I have this. He produced yet another long wooden box and placed it before the two. Lan Xincheng opened the box. Star Cherry! Chapter 1097: A Sincere Trade Part 2 There were different views regarding the price of things like Star Cherry Wood. In the past, this commodity had always been in the hands of the Song clan. As a clan with ample experience in trade, their prices would only shock and never delight. Yet, the military had no choice but to buy because of how important the ingredient was and the fact that the final product would be vastly inferior without it. Currently, there were three such pieces in front of Qianye, and of high quality no less. The restoration medicine made from this material would bring almost anyone below the divine champion rank back to life. How was one to price the life of six high-ranking champions? Lan Xincheng thought about it for a good while before breaking into a wry smile. Now this Star Cherry Wood is rather difficult to measure. It wasnt easy to bring them out, was it? They do take up a lot of space. The materials took up valuable storage space. Among the storage gear Lan Xincheng had seen, it was already quite good if they contained two cubic meters of space. Rather than shipping Star Cherry Wood, he would rather stuff more white-fruit wine in. The Evernight side was where the white-fruit wine would get a truly high price, much higher than Star Cherry Wood. Qianyes choice to come back with the material spoke of many things. Lan Xincheng understood Qianyes intentions. He said with a sigh, That was considerate of you, Sire. How about this? Each Star Cherry Wood will be appraised as half a box of Dragon Scale Moss. If you can take out three more of them, all the materials will be yours. Qianye laughed. I do want to, but this is all I have. I guess thats only natural. The Star Cherry Tree is difficult to nurture and mature, all the mature ones have already been picked. With these three, our war on the void continent will be less stressful. We really need to give the nobility some sort of assurance if we want their core fighting power on the field, Lan Xincheng said with a smile. That was common logic. People like Zhao Yuying and Zhao Junhong possessed life-saving treasures to ensure that they wouldnt fall in battle. Restoration medicine was one of them, and it was highly effective. Neither threats nor enticements could compare to a restoration medicine when an elite of the family was to enter the battlefield. Lan Xincheng looked at Qianye. Were making good progress. If you can take out one and a half boxes of Dragon Scale Moss, the stuff on this booklet will be yours. These are hundreds of tons of high-quality boards and plates we''re talking about. Its not hard to get your hands on a few tons, but only a marshal can mobilize over ten tons of them. Qianye said after a while, I do have some other things, but they might not be easy to price. Also, what do we do about those training courses? Lan Xincheng answered, Theyll be valued the same as a hundred tons of warship boards. Qianye raised his brows. The training is only for twenty people. Do you mean to say that each person is worth five tons of components? Of course. Lan Xincheng was unmoved. The Empires officer training is done through simulation arrays. Just the operational costs of such an array is equal to a mothership traveling at full speed. How big of an array is that? Its bigger than your Dark Flame headquarters. Thats quite the investment. Qianye was somewhat surprised. This so-called simulation array was similar to the ones in the army training centers where two operators would sit behind their control panels and projected images would do the fighting in the middle. It was just that the array would be hundreds if not thousands of times bigger, bringing the operator into a simulated battle in the void. The effects were naturally extraordinary as well. Theres a reason the Imperial fleets can hold their own against more powerful enemies. Qianye nodded. As someone who had worked for the army, he knew that the void was a different, bloodless battlefield, the cruelty of which was no less than that of the ground wars. When warships were damaged, those of the crew with ordinary cultivation would have almost no way to survive. They would die without a doubt if the rescue was slightly late. Linken could only save a small part of her crew when Qianye had destroyed her ship. Most of them died immediately when the ship was destroyed, with no hope of escape. Being able to hold their ground under such circumstances and protect the Empires three continents from danger, the Imperial fleets glory was actually built upon the superior command strategy as well as the cold corpses of countless soldiers. Hearing Lan Xinchengs explanation, Qianye understood that his idea of asking for an instructor was no longer feasible. Can these quotas be transferred? Transfer? Of course. But Sire, are you sure? I dont need that many quotas, but some of my friends might. Very well then. The quotas are yours, so you can do what you wish with them. I must remind you though that the training will last three months and the number of quotas is limited, only a couple hundred each year. Otherwise, how can each spot be worth five tons of materials? I understand. Qianye nodded. Dark Flame didnt have that many talented people, and there was no guarantee to their loyalty. Song Zining might have some way to control these fellows, but Qianye had no such ability. It was easy to see from how things went out of control once the seventh young master had left. If Qianye was the only one who had gone into the Great Maelstrom, the city would probably remain unchanged. On the other hand, Qianye didnt really attach that great of an importance to warships, nor did he require warship commanders. What he needed more were qualified cannoneers, people who could maintain on-ship equipment and landing parties. Qianye had other uses for the large number of airship components, but he wasnt going to tell Lan Xincheng about it. Qianye rummaged through Andruils space and found a small box. It was merely the size of a palm, but there were quite a few items inside. Lan Xincheng took the box from him with the utmost care, not daring to be careless. The value of treasures wasnt related to size. Qianye had already brought out Dragon Scale Moss, white-fruits, and Star Cherry Wood, so the remaining items were worth looking forward to. The box opened up to reveal a pile of lustrous blue flower petals that filled up half the container. Qianye had found these items on the two-armed natives and didnt know what they were used for. Even Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had no idea what they were. But they looked nice and the natives collected them like treasures, so Qianye collected quite a few of them. They didnt take up space anyway. Qianye had brought them out because he wanted to see if Lan Xincheng knew what these crystalline petals were. The man had worked in the armament division for many years and had probably seen a good number of treasures. His judgment was probably well above those appraisers. After staring at the crystalline petals for a good while, Lan Xincheng pushed the box toward Fang Zhan. Lil Fang, you nobles know more about jewels. What is this? Fang Zhan produced a small bag, which opened to reveal a row of intricate tools. He also possessed a spatial gear, but the space inside was quite small. Qianye had never seen some of the tools before, or even heard of them. Fang Zhang smiled. Gem appraisal and crafting is my hobby. He fished out a small pair of tongs and covered it with a thin, soft fabric to protect the gem. After picking up a crystalline petal, he placed it under a portable scope. He then set up a small frame with a metallic ball on top. The metallic pearl shot out a beam of light that illuminated the petal. He peered into the scope and slowly turned the petal around, constantly adjusting the angle and intensity of the light as he did so. Such a professional appraisal method changed Qianyes impression of Fang Zhan. From what he remembered, a gem appraiser would just look at the item with his naked eyes or wear a pair of magnifying glasses at most. They were vastly inferior to Fang Zhan in terms of equipment. It would seem that this man had gotten in on this mission for good reason. Those who spent their days drinking and merrymaking were mere prodigal sons, but those who studied a topic deeply would become masters. After a long while, Fang Zhan sighed deeply, and his expression became much more gentle. He said while clearing his throat, If Im not wrong, these are actual flower petals that have turned into gems for some reason. Lan Xincheng was moved. Like the Marine Lotus? More or less, but the lotus retains a portion of its medicinal effects after the transformation. These petals, on the other hand, dont have sufficient power. Theyre just gems now. Ah, so thats how it is. Lan Xincheng seemed disappointed. Fang Zhan replied, These petals hold great value as well. Look, the patterns in these petals are formed naturally and no two are the same. And in terms of color, shape, and purity, all of them are top-grade gems. Lan Xincheng knew gems were valuable, but he had no interest in decorative items. Sire, can you show us what other treasures you have? Qianye had no opinion on these petals, to begin with. He had even less interest after finding out that they were ordinary gems. He had gained a good harvest in the Great Maelstrom; there had to be something good he could bring out. Just as he was rummaging through Andruils Space, Fang Zhan pulled Lan Xincheng to the side. General, we should buy those gem petals. This whats the use? Lan Xincheng felt awkward. He knew that these petals were highly valuable, and such a big box of them was more than enough to buy over a hundred tons of warship plates. Yet, he was no ordinary peddlerthe reasoning behind his trade wasnt about equal value in money. He just couldnt bring himself to use up strategic resources on gems. Fang Zhan whispered, General, this type of petal gem is unprecedented in the Empire. No one else has such things. Lan Xincheng merely grunted. Fang Zhan finally became anxious. He said openly, The Empress birthday falls two months later. A highly skilled craftsman can turn these petals into a set of unique treasures! Be it in terms of value or artistry, it will be a great choice for her majestys birthday present. Chapter 1098: Added Value Qianye heard the duos words clearly. He also got the idea to gift the box of gems to Nighteyeperhaps she would like it? Qianye was never the type to attract ladies favors, nor did he understand the intricate thoughts of a girl. Song Zining would probably urge him to go ahead with the plan if he were here. However, Qianye couldnt help but laugh wryly when he recalled how easily Nighteye had slaughtered the six-armed giant. The vast power gap between the two and Nighteyes change in character after her awakening wasnt something that could be solved with a few gems. Bloodline was the most important asset in the Evernight world, and ones strength would decide their class. The concept of being well-matched existed in the other faction as well. The soaring snake would never travel with the forest python, and the falcon would never fly with a sparrow. On the other side, Lan Xincheng had already come to a decision. Very well, this box of gems will count as a box of Dragon Scale Moss. One more jar of white-fruit wine and everything in the booklet is yours. Deal. Qianye nodded. These things are easier to trade. Lan Xincheng picked up that thick booklet. The lists in there were rather long, but their contents were just ordinary strategic resources. Their advantage was in their large numbers and not their quality. Most of the equipment in there could be used to outfit the mercenaries from Dark Flame, but that was the extent of it. In terms of equipment grade, they were about equal to that of the Imperial elite corps. In truth, Lan Xincheng had already obtained a bountiful harvest even without this booklet. Rewards from the Empress were certain. Things were simple now. Most of the special products from the neutral lands could be exchanged. With enough shipping capacity, even lumber from the Black Grove was a good commodity. Other people might not be able to extract lumber there, but Qianye was different. He could fell each tree with a slash. Ultimately, Qianye bought off the list with a hundred pieces of lumber and a handful of other resources. Lan Xincheng was full of smiles, and Qianye was also quite happy. A lot of these things could be produced in the neutral lands, but their quality wasnt optimal. Even Southern Blue was quite lacking in scale in the eyes of the Empire. It would be rather difficult to find ten tons of these tactical resources, even the ordinary alloy plates. There were only a handful of bigger refineries in the entirety of the neutral lands. With this batch of resources, Qianye could complete the construction of some key workshops. Their progress had been lagging due to the lack of resources. These factories were for the production of precision components and processing of special materials, the most important node in the production chain. Without them, no airship would be able to fly. While waiting for the goods to arrive, Qianye took two airships to the Black Grove and cut down a hundred logs. The entire forest began to turn visibly restless toward the end, but he didnt really cut down that much and the aura he let out intentionally kept the natives at bay. The strange beasts didnt come out to court death, either. The Imperial transports arrived soon after Qianye got back to Southern Blue. Ten whole transport barges, along with six destroyer escorts, filled the airship port to the brim. Qianye transferred thousands of mercenaries and dozens of trucks over. Even then, it took one day and night to transfer the goods into the warehouses. Manager Song would allocate these resources, so Qianye didnt need to worry about them. Qianye stayed behind at the airship port to keep an eye on the engines, main cannons, and high-grade components as they were loaded onto two cargo airships. While the loading was underway, Lan Xincheng said to Qianye, Sire, we should be heading back now. Our harvest was simply too bountiful, so much so that even Prince Cheng might not have thought of this. This Prince Cheng is? Qianye was alerted by the unfamiliar name. Prince Cheng is His Majestys uncle in terms of seniority. He currently aids the Longevity Monarch and is in charge of equipment and training. At this point, Qianye understood that Prince Cheng was likely the superior of Lan Xinchengs superior. Lan Xincheng was probably the princes trusted agent since he could report directly without answering to his superior. The relationships within the military were complicated. The Longevity Monarch was the biggest mountain, with ten marshals each acting as smaller, individual ones. Other outsiders were also trying to reach into the military. For instance, Empress Li, the Minister of the Right, and even the four major clans were trying to establish their own power in the army. Qianye had no interest in these relationships, but the large amount of resources Lan Xincheng had brought made him curious about the power behind him. Qianye said, I still have some Greysteel Thread Grass and Starry Sky, also Lan Xincheng was all smiles after hearing about the resources in Qianyes hands. Both of these materials were important ingredients for military-use medicines, his specialty. The generals eyes twitched as he said, Sire, just take out whatever else you have. We two might not be capable in other regards, but we do have good judgment. Nodding, Qianye produced three itemsa bottle of moss, an unknown rock, and a bottle of void colossus marrow. Lan Xincheng picked up a tiny piece of the moss and sniffed it. He then put it in his mouth and closed his eyes to taste the item. Qianye was speechless as he looked on. These things were from the Great Maelstrom, and most of the things there were toxic. Besides, some of them contained powerful poison with no antidotes. True venom didnt rely on quantity. Little Zhujis poison was enough to kill the man ten times over. Lan Xincheng finally opened his eyes and muttered, This poison mm, is extraordinary! As I see it His words started to turn slur, proof of how powerful this poison was. A shocked Fang Zhan stabbed a special antidote into Lan Xinchengs body, and then made a small cut on his tongue to let out a pool of purple blood. Only after that did the general manage to speak. As I see it, the poison can be processed into a new special drug! Although its uses arent clear, I can say that the army will take it! As for the price, Ill make sure youre satisfied. That void colossus marrow was something Master Lu had given Qianye to incorporate into East Peak. Later on, the item was spared as the mysterious existence in the Pond of Life took action. It was a big win for Qianye since a jade lotus head was used to strengthen East Peak instead. After hearing the uses of the marrow from Qianye, and through careful inspection, Lan Xincheng understood the items value. His eyes lit up immediately. This was an extremely rare material that could meld two polar materials into one. Its most direct use would be to add new material to a grade-nine origin gun, giving it a new attribute. The higher the grade of an origin gun, the more difficult it was to upgrade. Additionally, the price of adding attributes would increase exponentially each time. For instance, a four-attribute gun would be twice as expensive as a three-attribute gun of the same grade. Each and every grade-nine gun possessed extreme firepower. Adding a new attribute was equal to giving wings to the proverbial tiger, especially if it was well-chosen. For instance, an origin gun with great firepower could be upgraded to have a thirty percent longer range. That would turn a short-range firearm into a long-range weapon, a peerless asset in gunfights. Or a shotgun with immense firepower that would put great burden on the marksmanits requirements could be lowered to that of a grade-eight weapon, but the damage would be nearly twice as great. Although there was barely enough marrow for a grade-nine origin gun, one could carefully allocate it to a forward location. Finding the right attribute wasnt a problem since the Imperial treasury contained ample amounts of them in stock. Fang Zhan picked up the remaining stone and observed it for a long while, but he couldnt figure out what it was. How is it? Do you know what it is? Lan Xincheng asked. Fang Zhan replied, The origin power aura is quite intense. You dont say! Everyone knows that. Give me specific details! Lan Xincheng was impatient. Fang Zhan rolled his eyes. There are no specific details! Ive never seen or heard of it before, but I know that the origin power is quite intense. Lan Xinchengs brows twitched. Its a new ore then? Most likely. Lan Xincheng knew people like Fang Zhan usually understood ores quite well. Since he had said so, this ore was probably something never seen before. And from how dense its origin power aura was, one could say for sure that it was extraordinary. Someone in the great empire would surely find a use for such a special material. Lan Xincheng returned the three treasures to Qianye reluctantly. Just these three? No. However, Qianye did not bring out anything more. Then what does Sire Qianye want? Ill go back and think of a way to meet your expectations. Chapter 1099: Forgotten One Lan Xincheng was stunned. He then laughed wryly, saying, We can offer one type at most and just one unit of it. That is unless you put the origin crystals into the equation. The origin crystals wont be at this price. Qianye smiled. The origin crystals you have I believe you already know their attributes and have expected as much. Ji Tianqing and the other people were present when Qianye condensed his origin crystals. Moreover, everyone had observed his crystal in turn. Apart from the one in the Book of Darkness, the remaining three were never a secret. Those condensed from Venus Dawn would benefit even a divine champion. The one formed from the vampire stars and part of the dark star contained the terrifying power of a vampire constitution. It would allow the expert to cross through the thresholds of many powerful inheritances. The last two origin crystals had never appeared before, and probably wouldnt in the future. Pricing it like usual origin crystals was simply impossible. Lan Xincheng knew that his little plan had been seen through. If youre willing to sell it, the military will offer one of its latest battlecruisers in exchange. Battlecruisers were a newly developed warship of the Empire, falling between a battleship and a cruiser. It was fast and powerful but slightly inferior in defense. These ships were developed in response to the demonkins new high-speed destroyers. They were of the newest class, be it in terms of weapons or equipment. The skycloud-grade kinetic sail and earth-grade engine Qianye wanted were parts from the last generation of cruisers. The phoenix-grade main cannon was a destroyer-class main cannon of the previous generation, not something that could be compared to the latest battlecruiser model. Qianye was somewhat curious. How many of these battlecruisers does the Empire own? Three. Lan Xincheng was expressionless. Its not enough to share, is it? Qianye smiled. The two belonging to the army and the Imperial clan cant be touched. But we can transfer the one in the void fleet after a while. The fleet in the void belonged to the forces guarding the Empires borders, and their fighting power was only below the Palace Guard Fleet. Normally, their designation numbers were between three and eight. The latest-model battlecruiser could be used as a flagship of the fleet. In the neutral lands, it would bring about a situation of one ship annihilating an entire squadron. Thats a pretty steep investment. Why didnt you bring the airship along? The word negotiation probably wasnt as cordial as it sounded. A powerful vessel of this sort was related to the power balance of an entire region, but a marshal-rank experts personal strength was related to the rise and fall of entire factions. Their fall would bring about the demise of many related people. Hearing this, Qianye understood that Lan Xincheng would probably have a clear plan during his next visit. Fang Zhan said, Sire Qianye, people from the major clans might visit you during this time. You should hold out no matter what they offer you. Only the Empire can bring a battlecruiser to the table, and well probably bring it along the next time we come. All you need to do is tell them youre not trading now and just forget about them. Qianye broke into a laugh. I understand. Fang Zhan wasnt wrong. Perhaps only the military would have the power to bring all their chips to the neutral lands and pick out the goods. This feeling was like driving a truck full of gold coins to go shopping, leaving no room for worry or doubt regarding the payment. After seeing off Lan Xincheng and Fang Zhan, Qianye gave his subordinates instructions regarding operations in Southern Blue. Then, he set out for the Northern Continent with the new batch of ridge-grade engines and toad-grade main cannons. The Northern Continent was much livelier than before. The two towns had completed their initial construction plansmost of the workshops were up and running, and the few remaining ones were waiting on new equipment. Song Zining had delivered over a thousand men, forming a power that wasnt any weaker than the Highbeards. The latter people were still arriving in a steady trickle. As inherent technicians and warriors, they were also the main power protecting the Northern Continent. Although no one knows about the continents existence just yet, it wouldnt be a secret foreverforming an army was a necessary measure. The Martyrs Palace was parked outside of town, undergoing modifications. The palace had been floating in the void while Qianye was inside the Great Maelstrom, absorbing void origin power on its own. With the heart as its core, new flesh grew along the skeleton and ribs, forming a natural outer wall. Some of the constructed ship walls were now covered and integrated into the body. No steel developed by either the humans or the dark races could compare to the Earth Dragons natural body. Void colossi were extraordinary existences. Warship main-cannons could hardly blast open their bodies, and the only way to kill them was for Great Dark Monarchs or Heavenly Monarchs to take action. The current Martyrs Palace was now seeing an increased surface area of natural muscle. Most of the chest cavity was now covered in natural flesh, and it was starting to stretch along the spine toward the back. For it to recover entirely, though, would take decades. Glancing up into the sky, one could see that the Martyrs Palace had recovered a bit of its living glory. However, there was still a large area composed of man-made structures and even more empty spaces. The outline of a deck was visible on its back, and its two sides were lined with empty holes where the side-cannons would be installed. Those toad-grade main cannons would be installed in these positions. The toad-grade main cannons could produce concentrated fire, but its firepower was somewhat inferior, making it the best candidate for this position. The truly difficult targets would be left to Landsinker to handle. Linken had poured a significant amount of resources to build this duke-grade main cannon, and it was even more powerful than that of the old imperial battleships. Seeing a cargo ship descend, Blue Moon ran over immediately. What Qianye saw when he opened the door was dozens of gun barrels aimed at him. Master! Cheering, Bluemoon tossed her gun away and ran forward. Qianye was surprised by her sudden enthusiasm. He gave her a pat on the back and plucked her off his body. Bluemoon looked up, saying, Youve been gone for so long. Her eyes turned red as she spoke. Qianye didnt know how to reply, so he simply pointed at the airship behind him. I brought some good stuff. Install them on the Martyrs Palace. Nodding, Bluemoon summoned dozens of Highbeard warriors to help with the shipping. Take me to the Martyrs Palace. Lets see how much it has progressed. Yes. Bluemoon pulled Qianye onto the palace and showed him around the various parts. The materials stored on the vessel had more or less been used up. While the Martyrs Palace was parked in the void absorbing origin power, there were hundreds of technicians working constantly on construction, installation, and optimization. Having installed the main-cannons and engines in stock, the technicians had begun constructing the cannon chambers. The crew living-area had started to take shape, with partitions for the infirmary, leisure areas, warehouse, mess hall, etc. The basic facilities had also been installed. The palace could now hold several hundred people. Only a small part of the Earth Dragons body was enclosed, and what little area protected by the dragons flesh had to be prioritized for the kinetic chamber, energy chamber, armory, and various origin arrays. Hence, there wasnt a lot of space for the crew to live. Qianye had brought back a large amount of construction materials. The high-grade board components could be used to build the outer wall and fit it with plate armor. The ordinary ones could be used to build internal cabins and rooms. This would allow the available space to expand yet again. The airship would be able to hold over a thousand people after the fitting. A massive thousand-meter vessel like this dragonship could easily hold tens of thousands of people. Qianye checked the internal layout, saying, Add another living space. The insides dont need to be too comfortable, just enough for people to live in for a week or so. Bluemoon made rapid calculations. With the current space, the new living quarters will fit about three thousand people, but well need to remodel the respective warehouses and mess halls. How many people do you want it to fit? Qianye wanted to say ten thousand at first, but he changed his mind after some thought. Three thousand it is then. Three thousand happened to be the right fit for the most well-trained of Dark Flames elites. With how mobile the Earth Dragon was, one could easily drop these three thousand soldiers behind the enemy lines and attack their rear. The days that followed were spent installing the ridge-grade engines and toad-grade main cannons. Qianye installed everything on the Martyrs Palace, greatly increasing its speed. It was still no match for a standard Imperial warship, or even the biggest mothership for that matter, but it was much faster than a cargo vessel now. The palace would barely compare to a mothership with the addition of a few more ridge-grade engines. Qianye didnt wait for the installations to be complete before driving the Martyrs Palace back to Southern Blue. Once back in the city, Qianye parked the palace in the void and instructed the technicians on board to continue with the installation. Meanwhile, he flew back toward the Dark Flame headquarters. He asked his men to bring Zhang Xuance. After several days in prison, the man was looking pretty listless, and his usual prideful demeanor was nowhere to be seen. He looked at Qianye as though the latter were a lifesaving straw. Sire! Youre finally back! Oh? You missed me? Qianye smiled spuriously. Ive been imprisoned here for so long. Youre neither killing nor letting me go, this Oh, so thats how it is. I was a bit busy, so I forgot. Zhang Xuances expression was quite interesting. He had thought of every reason but never guessed Qianye had actually forgotten about him. This young man had always been in the limelight from a young age. He would still receive some attention even if Zhang Buzhous direct descendants werent dead. Who wouldve thought he would fall to such an unimportant role one day, so much so that people would forget him? This emptied his mind of the words he had been preparing for several days. After some thought, he finally said, Sire, if you dont plan to kill me, please let me go. My family will surely pay you well. What kind of payment are we talking about. Qianye seemed interested. Chapter 1100: Not a Good Leader First, let me assure you with my lifes honor that the Zhang family wont pursue this matter. Everything will end here. This was the first term Zhang Xuance was bringing forth. Qianye didnt say anything and merely looked on with a strange smile. Zhang Xuances livid expression went from red to white, white to blue. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, That we can also ignore the death of City Lord Luo. Qianye said indifferently, Zhang Buzhou had a hand in Luo Bingfengs death. He should be thanking me instead. Sire Qianye, you cant put it that way Qianye cut him short. Are there any other terms? Zhang Xuance was shaken. He immediately forgot about the argument he was about to utter and said in a loud voice, Of course! Theres a lot we can discuss! This time, Zhang Xuance began listing real offers. There was land, rare resources, and even a major mercenary corps. If he hadnt said it, no one wouldve thought the owner behind the corps was Zhang Buzhou. Qianye was rather patient, even when the young manperhaps from the excitement or forgetfulnesssounded somewhat confused. He spoke when Zhang Xuance finally stopped, Thats it? Yes. Zhang Xuances expression shifted. Was the bounty not enough to sate Qianyes appetite? Just as he was feeling perturbed, he heard Qianye ask, Do you think youre worth that much? Zhang Xuance choked on the words he was about to say. He couldnt decide whether he should swallow or spit them out in a sigh. As Qianye saw it, the terms suggested were ten times greater than Zhang Xuances own worth. The value would only be recouped if he could cross the divine champion threshold one day. The young man, on the other hand, thought that Qianye was doubting he would deliver on his promises. Dont worry! I can have the things shipped over first, and you can let me go after everything is in order. That way, you wont have to worry about getting scammed. This fellow was rather considerate. Qianye said after some thought, It seems I dont have a good reason to decline. Zhang Xuance sighed. Its great that you agree. When did I say I agree? Qianyes words slammed Zhang Xuance down from the sky and into the dust. He looked confused as to what expression he should be wearing. After a moment, he stammered, S-Sire you Qianye stretched out a finger. I only have one condition. If Heavenly Monarch Zhang agrees, then Ill let you go. If he doesnt, hell have to come and collect your corpse. Zhang Xuance trembled. What is it? Please tell me. I want Tidehark. What!? Zhang Xuance trembled all over, unable to believe his ears. I want Tidehark, Qianye repeated. Zhang Xuance felt a shiver run down his spine, and even his fingers were numb. He finally suppressed his terror and said, He wont agree! Zhang Xuance clenched his teeth. Sire! Even if he does agree to give you that position, its just a name! The Wolf King is just beside Tidehark, do you think you can hold that place? Wont the city return to the heavenly monarch if he reneges on his words once Im back at home? Qianye shot him a meaningful glance. Youre quite thoughtful, arent you? I dont want to die yet. Zhang Xuance was about to cry. Fine, how about this? The things you mentioned just now and the nominal title of Tidehark City Lord. Thats it. T-This Zhang Xuance had no idea what to say. The title of Tidehark City Lord sounded impressive, but it was no different from sitting atop a volcano. Not everyone could handle such a position. Only someone like Luo Bingfeng could occupy it with such stability, and no one dared question him. Qianye, on the other hand, might not even require Zhang Buzhou to take action. The backlash from nearby forces was probably enough to remove him from the position. For instance, the city lord of Southern Blue had always been Ji Rui even though everyone knew the true master was Qianye. This city lord could only manage his own residence and private properties. Zhang Xuance felt that just the title alone wouldnt make much of a difference if there were no armies garrisoned or blood drawn. Naturally, he wouldnt risk his life to object since Qianye was so intent on it. I need Zhang Buzhou to announce that he recognizes me as the city lord. This condition wasnt too difficult to accept. Zhang Xuance agreed after some thought. Now that both parties had reached an agreement, the young man mentioned an agent in Southern Blue who would be able to bring news to the heavenly monarchs residence. Qianye didnt find this surprising. Southern Blue had always been a trade city, counting all kinds of people as its residents. Every power would have a few assets here. Even those without ambition would have some people here to gather intelligence and inquire about certain things. Qianye allowed Zhang Xuance to withdraw. Naturally, there were people who would bring him along to get things done. There was no need for Qianye to worry about the details. After the young man was gone, Qianye stood in front of the window in silence and watched the gloomy skies. Three days and three nights passed in this manner. Some servants and subordinates came to persuade him during this period, but Qianye simply waved them away and remained standing. He left his spot only when someone came to report the arrival of a representative from the heavenly monarchs residence. Several people were already seated in the parlor, with Zhang Xuance standing on the side. Everyone stood up to greet Qianye as he walked in. Qianye shot them a glance. Did that old master accompanying Zhang Xuance not come? The group from the heavenly monarchs residence looked rather embarrassed. They glanced at one another before an elder said, Master Modaos status is extraordinary. His movements are never known to people like us. Qianye was naturally asking about that divine champion in charge of protecting Zhang Xuance. Qianye sat down at the master seat and asked casually, What is Master Mos position? The elder replied, Master Modaos surname is Su. Hes a guest elder of the residence and an old friend of the heavenly monarch. Master Modaos name shouldnt be mistaken." Qianye nodded with a smile. Judging from their reactions, Qianye knew that Su Modaos injuries hadnt healed just yet. Otherwise, why would he not appear and find a way to reclaim his lost honor? Forced to flee by a young man who wasnt even a divine champion and even abandoning the heavenly monarchs favorite grand-nephew, he really had no face left to speak of. The Shot of Inception attacked ones life force. It wasnt easy to heal after being struck. The Wolf King had only suffered an ordinary attack back then, but he had to use ancestral power to suppress the injury. Qianye scanned everyone in the room. I wont delay things since youve come a long way. Did you bring the items? Everything is being shipped in. Your esteemed subordinates are checking them at the warehouse. And that matter about the city lord title The heavenly monarch has agreed and sent notices to all the major cities announcing the assignment. Let me see the notice. Qianyes attitude could be considered rude, but no one could do anything about it since Zhang Xuances life was in his hand. The leader of the group seemed to have come preparedhe immediately produced an envelope and presented it with both hands. Qianye went through the contents briefly. The general content was about confirming Qianye as the new city lord of Tidehark after Luo Bingfeng. The literature was concise and contained no other message. Although the writing implied that Qianye was a subordinate of the heavenly monarch, the latter didnt really mind. He placed the letter to the side and glanced at Zhang Xuance. It seems the heavenly monarch does consider you important. Since the promise has been kept, youre free to go now. Zhang Xuance didnt move, however, and glanced anxiously at Qianye. Sire, about the poison in my body. I only let her blow some air, you were never poisoned. Zhang Xuance patted his chest in relief. I knew it, but theres no way I would dare to gamble. Qianye laughed. This young man was rather interesting. Zhang Xuance left hurriedly, but the elder remembered to greet Qianye on his way out. Sire Qianye, take care. Qianye acted as though he never realized the implication. I will. After Zhang Xuances entourage was gone, Qianye summoned the leaders from the workshops and mercenary corps. He announced that he would be leaving for a while in the near future and instructed them to continue operations as usual. Everyone exchanged glances, not expecting Qianye to leave as soon as he had returned. But since Qianye had already returned from the Great Maelstrom, his existence itself was a formless intimidation. There would probably not be a second Zhang Xuance. Besides, it wasnt easy to devour a large city in the neutral lands without the backing of someone like Zhang Buzhou. As for where Qianye was going and what he was doing, no one dared ask about it. This was an ample arrangement as far as Qianye was concerned. He left the conference room and flew up from the headquarters with Zhuji, vanishing into the sky. All the Dark Flame mercenary leaders sighed in admirationjust that speed of flight was comparable to a divine champion. But they soon realized something was wrongnow that Qianye was gone again, there was no one to oversee Southern Blue. Thinking back to when Dark Flame had risen to power, Song Zining had taken control of the entire situation and laid out the entire factory system. With the Ningyuan Heaven Industries at the lead, he had pushed all major companies to invest a large amount of money. On the other hand, Ji Tianqing was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, uprooting the disloyal people early on. This Young Miss Ji looked kind, but most of her opponents had disappeared without a trace. Just thinking about it drenched one in cold sweat. As for Qianye He seemed to have done nothing apart from taking on the role of commander. His handling of Zhang Xuance was rather clean and tyrannical, but why was he leaving again so soon? Chapter 1101: A Hundred Ways to Tell if a Man is Lying The Martyrs Palace was currently parked in the void, its long tail moving slowly as it drew upon the void origin power in the surroundings. This movement kept the vessel in place and prevented it from drifting away. The long tail moved gently and slowly, forming eddies of origin power nearby which served to maintain its level-flight and cut down energy consumption by half. Even a heavenly monarch would have to sigh in admiration after seeing this ingenious level of control. To the Earth Dragon, though, this was merely an inherent skill, something even its remnant skeleton, and what little remained of its spirit, could perform. That was why this dragonship was peerless in long-distance void travel. It could float continuously in the void, albeit at a slower pace. There was now a large dark-silver area on the dragonship built of warship-grade plates. The color on it was a bit mottled because Qianye hadnt managed to get enough armor plates. All he could do was install armor plates on some of the more important areas. From a distance, the Martyr''s Palace looked like a sleeping colossus in the void, covered in a faint sheen of light. This layer of light was the forcefield that would protect the crew inside. With it, the weaker staff members aboard the vessel would be able to survive. After all, the Martyrs Palace still wasnt entirely sealed, and many parts of it were exposed to the void. In addition to blocking out the void, the barrier could also isolate ones aura from leaking out. This served as a concealment mechanism. The void was vast and the dragonship was but a small dot against the entire expanse. Even if one were to search for it deliberately, the slightest deviation would throw the seeker off course. Qianye was currently the master of the Martyrs Palace and thus shared a natural connection with it. That was the reason he could pinpoint its location every time. That was also the reason why Qianye could easily leave the airship in the void every time. Qianye was strong enough to traverse the void for a short while. Zhuji was a special exceptionher constitution might be even stronger than Qianyes. Naturally, she didnt mind the void environment at all. As the two rushed out of the protective barrier of the continent, Little Zhuji patted her chest, saying, It feels a bit tight here. That was all she felt from traveling through the void. Qianye patrolled the interior of the vessel and confirmed that the important installation projects were going smoothly. Most of the toad-grade ballistae had been installed and were undergoing calibrations. The kinetic engines were more complicatedeach of them required meticulous calculations before mounting, in order to ensure the balance of the entire airship and allow for the installation of even more engines. More engines meant more energy. The main cannonafter being attached to two dedicated enginescould now fire at max output. It would still need to recharge for five minutes between shots, however. Qianye was fairly satisfied. The palaces current speed and firepower were sufficient to fight a duke-grade warship. The Earth Dragons skull had been put to good use, containing Qianyes residence, the command center, Landsinker, and its ammunition storage. Qianye brought Zhuji onto the skull and sat down on it. Little Zhuji looked on from the side while munching on a large piece of beast meat. Whats up? Qianye felt that the little girl had something to say. Zhuji asked, Papa, wont people think youre unreliable? Ah, why? Qianye wasnt expecting this. Zhuji said seriously, After taking Southern Blue back, you should be reorganizing the forces and handing out punishments and rewards. Some of them were asked to surrender by mama, but some yielded of their own accord. You should be finding these people and punishing them one-by-one. Otherwise, people will find out betraying you has no consequences and another rebellion might happen. Uh, yeah. Qianye looked surprised. Also, you have to beat up those merchant groups at least once. These are things you shouldve done, but you ignored everything and stood there gazing. Then, you came here. Mama will surely blame you if he finds out. Wait a minute, where did you learn all these things? This little fellow wasnt very old yet, but her reasoning was already giving Qianye a headache. Mama taught me. When did he teach you? Qianye couldnt believe it. Little Zhuji had spent more time with him than Song Zining, apart from when she was very young. Besides, she had only grown rapidly after eating the six-armed giants heart. She was still in a rather confused state before that. When did she learn so many things? Little Zhuji tilted her head. After some thought, she said, Mama taught me all this. He taught me all of that soon after I hatched. You didnt even know how to speak! Fine, what else did he teach you? A lot of things. The history of the Empire and Evernight, theories in war and fighting, the language and culture of each race, how girls should dress, style themselves, and match colors, also about space, designs, a hundred ways to tell how a man is lying, love that transcends race Wait a minute! What the heck are those? How did he teach you? Qianye was speechless at the things Little Zhuji had learned. After some thought, though, they seemed to be in line with Song Zinings style. The lass thought hard. Mama read me books and sometimes just talked nonstop. He said he would give me many books to read when I know how to. When did he have that much time. A lot of time. Mama would always talk to me while looking at the map. Qianye understood what was going on. That fellow was actually multitaskinghe would study military strategy while teaching Zhuji. It truly made one wonder what kind of accursed strategy he would think of in this manner. Yet it just so happened that he was always victorious in battle, earning him the title of future strategist god. Was he too much of a genius, or was the enemy too dumb? That was a mystery. A hundred ways to tell if a man is lying, how could he teach her such an unrefined thing? Of course, it did have its uses in war, but those old politicians could lie so well that they even deceive themselves. Ordinary people simply wouldnt be able to see through them. Wearing matching colors and dressing pretty were things ladies knew inherently, but it wasnt a bad thing to learn them. After all, even those with good looks need to dress up. The problem lay in Zhujis age. Was it appropriate to teach her all these things from a young age? Wasnt he afraid she would go astray? What kind of teaching-attitude was that!? Qianye thought angrily. Was reading some books considered teaching? Qianye realized something all of a sudden. How did Zhuji remember all of those when she couldnt even speak? To this question, the lass replied, I just remembered them! I didnt understand what they were back then, but I do now after eating that thing Aunty gave me. You mean, you remember everything he said back then? Yes, is something wrong? Nope, nothing. Qianye was speechless once more. He couldnt help but rub his templeZhujis talents were probably enough to frustrate many people to death. After learning about her entire education process, Qianye accepted that her words werent strange. It was just that he felt rather awkward. The little girl being too smart wasnt a good thing, especially since she could remember every small detail. Wouldnt she remember it all if anyone were to treat her badly as a kid? Qianye felt lucky that it wasnt him teaching the girl. Sooner or later, she would realize the mess of things Song Zining had taught her. Since Little Zhuji was more intelligent now, he couldnt treat her like before. Qianye explained with a serious expression, Im not in the mood for all those things. Why? Is it because of Aunty? The direct question almost caused Qianye to trip and fall. What nonsense are you spouting? Little Zhuji replied earnestly, Thats not nonsense! You like Aunty, but Aunty doesnt like you. Isnt that all there is to it? Qianye almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Fortunately, he was level-headed enough to suppress the feeling. What would a child know? Why wouldnt I? Its written clearly in the book! Qianye was both angry and laughing. What book would write such things? A Love that Transcends Race! Qianye finally fell to the floor. Thats not a book, thats a novel! Its very interesting! Everything is reasonable! You and Aunty are exactly like whats written in the book! Qianye discovered that reasoning with this all-knowing girl was futile. He muttered through clenched teeth, Song Zining, just you wait! Zhuji was confused. Why must Mama wait for the matter between you and Aunty? Dont tell me theres romance between you and Mama? Theres nothing like that in that book, maybe I need to find a new one. Qianye shot up from the floor, almost hurting his back in the process. He said in great alarm, Youve learned enough! No more reading for the time being, training your body is more important. Isnt growing all about eating and sleeping? Dont tell me I have to cultivate? Qianye was stopped up. It went without saying that ordinary dark races had to cultivate too, but during their growth period, the more powerful ones bloodline was, the less effective cultivation was. Someone as strong as Zhuji needed only to eat and sleep well. Seeing that Qianye had nothing to retort, Zhuji said, What exactly is going on between you and Aunty? Chapter 1102: Call of the Wild The relationship between Qianye and Nighteye was difficult to explain. It was even harder to summarize it to Zhuji who had suddenly become intelligent. Laughing helplessly, he tried to talk his way out, but the little lass wouldnt let him off no matter what. She questioned him repeatedly, and it seemed she was going to pursue this without relent. Having no other choice, Qianye used his final trump card of threatening to throw her into the cabin. Only then did the little girl become more obedient. But from how her eyes were shifting about, it would seem that she had thought of some new tricks. Fortunately, she still liked hanging around Qianye despite growing up, even more so than eating beast meat. She would listen if Qianye threatened to drive her away. Her mischief, however, left Qianye unable to cultivate in peace. He simply sat there thinking about Nighteye. Dragging on this kind of relationship wasnt the way to go. Neither Song Zining, Zhao Yuying, Ji Tianqing nor Li Kuanglan said it to his face, but they had been hinting at it for a while now. It was better to make a decision sooner than later. But was he to leave her just like that? Did he have to make a choice between friends, brothers, and his lover? Qianye hiding in the neutral lands was just a form of escape. He didnt want to be between a rock and a hard place. Nighteye was destined to return to Evernight. At the thought of this, Qianyes chest would hurt so bad that he could hardly breathe. Their meeting in the Great Maelstrom wasnt his intention, so much so that he hoped they had never met there. There was a fear in the depths of Qianyes intuitionit seemed the more he met her, the closer it was for them to part. The Sacred Mountain was a distant dream, but their parting was close at hand. After defeating Zhang Xuance and suppressing the heavenly monarchs residence, Qianye didnt know what he should do anymore. Although he did have some plans when he asked for the title of Tidehark City Lord, just the thought of it gave him a headache and deprived him of all motivation. In the cold depths of the void, upon the Martyrs Palace, this was where he belonged. He had come to understand the Pointer Monarchs mood back in the year. Parting while alive or through death, no one could tell which was more painful. The Martyrs Palace moved slowly into the depths of the void. Qianye wanted to stop people from finding him, including Nighteye. In the Ancient Totemic Castle, the Wolf King was just rushing out of the steam-filled bathroom. He grabbed the bathrobe from a maidservant and wrapped it carelessly around himself. Any news? His attendant replied, The heavenly monarchs residence has just dispatched two documents. Also, Zhang Xuance has been released. Qianye left Southern Blue, but his destination is unknown. The attendant said carefully, Great Chief, this is the first time in two months that theyve sent a letter. The Wolf King snorted. Is two months all that long? Not daring to retort, the attendant simply followed the Wolf King into the study. There were two werewolf generals waiting anxiously. The Wolf King became even more displeased. Whats the matter so early in the morning? I dont have food for you here! One of the generals said, Great Chief, there are a lot of things in the tribe that require your attention. Whats so important in the tribe? Its not even time to offer sacrifices to the ancestors. The general said with a bitter expression, We can handle small matters, but you need to decide on a new shaman. The Wolf King was surprised. What? Didnt we just get a new one? Three months ago, wasnt it? Yes, just three months. Why do we have to change then? He said he would sense the call of a powerful existence whenever he tries to communicate with the ancestors. It has been preventing him from receiving the guidance of the ancestral spirits. He tried to resist the mysterious calling and received injuries in two out of three ceremonies. The Wolf Kings expression shifted slightly. Where did this calling come from? Is it a void colossus, an ancestor from the origins of our bloodline, or something else entirely? He didnt make it clear, either. The source of this calling is completely empty and further investigations yielded nothing. The Wolf King looked shocked. Call of the wild! Great Chief, what is the call of the wild? The Wolf King sighed while shaking his head. Nothing. It has nothing to do with us, so dont mind it. Yes, sire. The werewolf general heaved a sigh of relief. The Wolf King smiled. I said it has nothing to do with us because were too weak to be a part of it. An event that will change the entire continent usually follows such a call. How can I not worry? The werewolf general said cautiously, Is the call related to us werewolves? Yes, but its not just us. Even if something happens, those fellows from the Summit of Peaks will shoulder this burden. Its not our turn to worry. Seeing the Wolf King rather composed, that werewolf general felt more at ease. The Wolf King said after some thought, That little fellow must be quite talented to have sensed the call of the wild. Take good care of him. Theres no need to replace him, and theres no need to summon the ancestral spirits these days since theres nothing important going on. The Wolf King turned to a different general. What business do you have? These two werewolves were great generals under the Wolf King. One was in charge of internal affairs and the other, external. The latters business had a lot to do with the heavenly monarchs residence. For some reason, the Wolf King would fly into a rage whenever he heard people mentioning the heavenly monarchs residence. This werewolf general knew that he wasnt welcome at the moment, but he braced himself to say, Great Chief, the heavenly monarch''s residence has dispatched a missive that requires an immediate reply from you. The messengers are still waiting in the castle. The Wolf Kings snort shook the entire study. However, his fury wasnt enough to drive that general away. The Wolf King also knew that the people from the heavenly monarchs residence wouldnt be waiting for a reply if the message wasnt important. He suppressed his anger and picked up the two letters, examining the seal on them. Humph! These people sure know how to posture. Do they think theyre all Zhang Buzhous? No one dared to continue on this topic. It was fine if the subject was unrelated to their scope of work, but the werewolf general had to deal with the heavenly monarchs residence quite often. He couldnt be as frank as he wanted. The Wolf King tore open the public document and opened its seal. His expression was fairly interesting as he read the contents of the letter. He reread the short missive thrice before putting it down and turning toward the two werewolf generals. You all know about this? About Qianye becoming the city lord of Tidehark? Its spread far and wide now. Why did I not know!? You The Wolf King had never appeared these days, so how could he know? Seeing their difficult expressions, the Wolf King waved his hand. Fine, fine! So many things have happened while I was relaxing for a couple of days! He picked up the other document but wasnt in a rush to open it. He paced around the room for a bit, saying, Speak, what exactly happened with this Qianye. The two generals exchanged glances. They pushed and poked at one another until finally, the one in charge of external affairs said, Reportedly, Qianyes condition for releasing Zhang Xuance was to give him that position. Oh, is it reliable? Should be, yes. The Wolf King patted the letter meaningfully. Say, is this Qianye being overconfident, or has Zhang Buzhou underestimated him? The werewolf generals looked at one another but didnt really know how to reply. As they saw it, Qianyes way of handling things was no different from courting death. Extorting a bit of money from Zhang Buzhou was fine because the heavenly monarch might not bother with some fortune leaking out. Asking for the Tidehark City Lord position, however, was just crazy. That title was just nominal, yet occupying seats one shouldnt was no different from seeking an early demise. The Wolf King was no longer jittery. He waited patiently for the two to reply. The general in charge of external affairs said, This brat chose Tidehark. T-Thats like snatching meat from your jaws. The Wolf King broke into a laugh. I thought so too in the past, but I no longer have any interest in the city after the Great Maelstrom passage incident. Its not so bad if someone else will shoulder this burden in my stead. What do you think? The general in charge of internal affairs was more neutral because this didnt affect him that much. He said, This person must not be underestimated. He has a great deal of support, and many major powers from the Empire seem to be protecting him as well. Additionally, he would often defeat stronger opponents and escape successfully from impossible situations. He might have other plans by asking for the city lord position. The Wolf King broke into a laugh. Defeating stronger opponents and escaping, are you talking about me? The general felt rather awkward. I didnt mean that. Qianye sent Su Modao fleeing immediately after his return, and I heard the old man was injured quite badly. He still hasnt recovered now. That was a new piece of information. The Wolf King said in surprise, That old thing was injured? Very good, Ive hated him for a while now. Humph, that old undying thing has no ability but keeps climbing up by licking boots. All he does each day is talk about how those of a different race will be disloyal, humph! The two werewolf generals also looked angry. They had often suffered similar circumstances at the heavenly monarchs residence, and that was also why they were extremely harsh toward the humans under their rule. The Wolf King said while opening the second letter, I can already guess whats inside. He scanned the letter briefly before tossing it to the two generals. The letter asked the Wolf King to find an opportunity to kill Qianye but not to cause too much of a ruckus. The two generals understood the first part because it only served to confirm their guesses. The latter part, however, was a bit confusing. The Wolf King said indifferently, Zhang Buzhou himself recognized him as city lord. It wouldnt do his name well if he killed the man soon afterward. The two werewolf generals came to understand the reason behind the instruction, but that also left them with more questions. Chapter 1103: Extreme Benefits Destroying a persons reputation did little in the short term, so much so that one could call it folly. However, those looking at the long term couldnt help but feel a chill run down their spine. How great were Qianyes ambitions? The two werewolf generals didnt dare think too deeply, and the Wolf King wasnt willing to explain further. He simply drew two circles on the document and tossed them over. Hand them to the people from the heavenly monarchs residence, have them take the documents back. The werewolf generals were dumbstruck as they looked at those imperfect circles, not knowing what they meant. How about the reply? one of them asked. The Wolf King pointed at the circles. Thats enough to tell them I know. Thats all. T-This is disrespect to the heavenly monarch. It has been more than a day or two that Ive disrespected him. He knows. The Wolf King cut the general short. The werewolf in charge of internal affairs said, Great Chief, you said something big is about to happen. Should we make any preparations in our tribe? No need. Im not fighting for hegemony, why should I join the fray? The two werewolves exchanged puzzled glances. Was the Wolf King planning to close his doors and enjoy life? Even they did not understand the Wolf Kings intentions, much less other people. Meanwhile, the leaders of the major families in Tidehark were engaged in an intense argument. If that Qianye dares to come to Tidehark, Ill make it so that he never returns. Humph! Hes the city lord as recognized personally by the heavenly monarch. Youre overstepping your bounds, dont you think? The first person said furiously, How am I overstepping? You know exactly how he became city lord. The second person sneered. What I mean is, even the heavenly monarch had no choice but to appoint him as the city lord. Do you think your meager family is enough to do him in? The first persons face flushed red. My family certainly doesnt have this ability, but this matter requires everyones cooperation, dont you think? Youre not the city lord, nor do you have the right to order everyone. Hump! What, are you planning to yield to an outsider already? City Lord Luos bones are still fresh, you know. Who wouldve thought youd turn out to be an ungrateful lowlife!? The two families had been at odds for many years. The meeting hadnt even begun, but they were already starting to quarrel. Yes, yes, that is how things should be. However, only silence followed. Some of them tested the waters by offering some information, but none of them offered anything new. Now that was a problem. A merchant director said, Perhaps we should just save ourselves some trouble. That Qianye has people like Song Zining at his side. This person might be mediocre in strength, but he is an expert in military strategy. You can see his skills from how Southern Blue was transformed overnight. Qianye being city lord might not be a bad thing. These words received nods from several directors and family lords. To them, it was not important who acted as city lord as they would still be able to bask in Tideharks prosperity. But there were more people who disapproved. Some of them owed debts of gratitude to Luo Bingfeng, while others were afraid of offending the heavenly monarchs residence. After all, Qianye had taken this position by force. Zhang Buzhou would seek revenge sooner or later. How does the Wolf King see this? someone asked. This issue was fairly important. With Zhang Buzhou in isolation and Su Modao injured by Qianye, the Wolf King was the only card the heavenly monarchs residence had left to play. The person in charge of contacting the Wolf King looked rather awkward. The Wolf King has been holed up in his rear courtyard with his concubines. He doesnt even leave the house anymore. The messengers I sent didnt get to see him even once. The Wolf King has concubines!? Everyone was surprised. Reportedly, he just took some in. When did that happen? A month ago. The Wolf Kings actions had always been weird and difficult to understand. Not knowing what to do at this point, the crowd resumed their original stances and started quarreling again. This type of argument couldnt be solved with violence, and everyone had their own valid reasoning. Who knew when they would arrive at an outcome? Fortunately, Qianye never made an appearance all this time, and this left them with ample time to keep arguing. While the neutral lands was filled with undercurrents, the situation between the Empire and Evernight became ever more critical. A massive coalition of demonkin and arachne airships had arrived at the void continent, pushing the Imperial fleet back and securing the route to Evernight and the other continents. Under their protection, a stream of transports arrived to unload construction squads and mountains of supplies. The Empire naturally would not sit idly by. A mobilization order was issued once again, demanding that the major clans recruit more people and head to the void continent for war. At the same time, the national treasury was opened up to recruit independent experts and expedite the production of equipment. The Emperor decreed that two sufficiently equipped sub-fleets be built within a single year. The aerial advantage over the void continent had to be maintained at all costs. The Empires spies in Evernight had begun taking action as well, seeking to instigate problems between the four major races and thereby reduce the pressure on the front lines. They had used this move several times before and the enemy shouldve noticed it under normal circumstances. But it just so happened that the relationship between the dark races had always been complicated and they were always trying to harm one another in secret. At times, they would go into obvious traps to further their ambitions, allowing the Empire to succeed. The Evernight side didnt sit still, either. They also mobilized their hidden assets in an attempt to stir up wind and rain inside the Empire. Outside of the Imperial Capital, a well-covered carriage was entering a certain courtyard. Such vehicles had long since been replaced by jeeps, but many of the Empires upper echelon favored old things. Hence, some of these decorated carriages could still be seen in the Imperial Capital and some big cities of the Qin Continent. Those who could afford them were either rich or of great status. The courtyard wasnt big, but it was silent and well decorated. The scenery here, simple yet well-thought-out, was evidently the work of a rich master. A man in his thirties walked down from the carriage. His face seemed rather ordinary, but there was a transcendent aura about him. He asked as soon as he got off, Has the guest arrived? A servant replied, Already in the study. Very well, bring me to him. When he arrived at the study a while later, he saw a person enjoying tea there. The latters every movement was shrouded in an aura comparable to a deep lake. The middle-aged man sat down and sipped a mouthful of tea. Good tea! Its not easy to find something like this elsewhere. You should try more. The other man was clad in black, with the depiction of a swallow embroidered on his chest. He looked no more than twenty and was extremely handsome. Picking his cup to drink a mouthful of tea, he said, Not bad indeed, but its lacking a certain strength. Ill let you drink the best blood wine when you visit our place. The middle-aged man smiled. I might not have that luxury. Speaking of which, the other side actually sent someone like you over. Theyre quite generous in terms of manpower. Arent you afraid your getup will attract attention? The young man smiled. Ill be able to escape easier if negotiations break down. The middle-aged man replied, You jest, surely. Weve worked together so many times now. There wont be any problems even if negotiations fail. The black-robed youth laughed. Its a good policy to treat humans as first-time partners, no matter how many times weve worked together in the past. Caution is always good. Dispatching a duke such as yourself must mean your party has something important to discuss. We shouldnt remain here for too long, so lets get down to business. This black-robed youth was actually a vampire grand duke. His appearance outside of the Imperial Capital could be considered extremely dangerous. Once compromised, he would surely be hunted down at all costs. Back in the year, Habsburg had stirred up a great commotion just by setting foot on the Western Continent. This person was now at the heart of the Empire. One could also see how capable the owner of this courtyard was, that he would dare make such an arrangement. The vampire grand-duke said, My family lord has sensed some changes in the Imperial Palace. People like us have no chance to interfere, even if there are. My family lord wishes only to remind you. He doesnt wish to see you wiped out in the internal conflict since we have cooperated quite well. Your races palace conflicts are quite notorious. We wont trouble your lord with this. The grand duke said, Our family lord wants someone dead. Who? Zhao Jundu! The middle-aged mans expression fluctuated briefly despite his calmness. You jest. This is no joke. Is your lord serious? Naturally. The middle-aged man looked serious. You know what sort of person he is. Your side has schemed and plotted for so long, yet you still cant kill him. Borrowing our hand to kill him is too far-fetched of a plan. The benefits of success will also be unimaginable. The middle-aged man frowned. What benefits? Smiling, the grand duke fished out an exquisite golden dagger, with which he pierced his chest and slowly withdrew. There was a drop of golden blood at the tip of the dagger. It was perfectly spherical like a pearl, a stark difference from ordinary blood. The grand duke produced a beautiful box and placed the blood inside. The drop of golden blood rolled about on the black velvet. One could easily mistake it for a golden pearl if they didnt look carefully. One drop of my origin blood as the down payment. The middle-aged mans breathing sped up, and his eyes couldnt move away from the origin blood. A grand dukes origin blood, given to a human, would turn him into a vampire at the level of a glorious marquis. Strength was just secondary to the long lifespan that would come with the transformation. This was a priceless treasure for those old men with one foot in the grave. And this was just the down payment. The middle-aged man looked up with a sharp gaze. Tell me the truth, why must Zhao Jundu be killed? Chapter 1104: Profits and Profits The middle-aged mans expression turned odd after hearing the secret information, clearly skeptical of the dukes words. He shifted his gaze from the box, saying, No one has completely explored the twenty-seven continents. That one at the very top, no one has even set foot upon. Where is that new world you speak of? The vampire grand-duke was calm in the face of skepticism. Even I find it a bit hard to believe, but since my family lord has approved of such a price, he cant be joking, can he? The price for such a jest would be too great. The middle-aged man nodded as he found the logic reasonable. He pointed at the origin blood, saying, If this is the down payment, then what is the reward? The grand duke replied, One of them would be a drop of Zhao Jundus azure blood. The middle-aged man was unmoved. What use does it have? You probably dont know about this, but with Zhao Jundus current cultivation, we can refine three drops of azure blood at most. One of them will be used as a key to open the new world, one drop is reserved for my lord, and youll get the remainder. Only three? Why not wait until his cultivation is higher? The grand duke sneered. Who can subdue him once he becomes a divine champion? Do you have any special method to kill him? Stunned, the middle-aged man slowly nodded. A character like Zhao Jundu could challenge people of a higher-level even as a champion, and it wouldnt be easy to kill him in a fair fight on the battlefield. Once he had broken through to the divine champion realm and obtained a couple of special powers, he would be like a falcon in the skies and a fish in the ocean. Even a great dark monarch would have to put in some effort to intercept and capture him. The grand duke said, Secondly, theres only a short window to find the door to the new world. The opportunity would be lost once the origin tides have waned, and the next one will come only after a few centuries. Theres no telling if well be able to find the new world at that time. What will this drop of azure blood do for me? Dont you humans know ways to absorb origin crystals? Just do the same for it. Azure blood can increase your innate talents far beyond what an origin crystal can. Youre probably quite familiar with this method, arent you? His last sentence contained hidden implications. Naturally, he was mocking the internal conflict among humans, but the middle-aged man simply remained silent and pretended not to hear. The grand duke said impatiently, Whats there to think about? A drop of azure blood is equal to a third of Zhao Jundus bloodline power. With it, even a useless person can become a divine champion, and ordinary divine champions can become a high-ranking one. The only limitation is the heavenly monarch realm. The grand duke said, The second reward will be a drop of origin blood from a prince, and it will come from one of the twelve major clans. The middle-aged man nodded. As for the third The grand duke wrote two names on a piece of paper and passed it over. The middle-aged man frowned. Arachne and demonkin dukes, whats special about them? The grand duke said with a smile, These two are highly skilled in airship warfare. It seems your Palace Guards fleet was never able to gain an advantage over them. The middle-aged man said after some contemplation, Indeed. The grand duke spoke while looking into his eyes, I dont care if youre just a subordinate to the Minister of the Right or the minister himself. My lord also understands that the Minister of the Right toils for the human race and the Empire, so he wishes to gift these two fleets to you. Your situation on the void continent will shift dramatically after taking down these two fleets. If the Empire cant win the war with that advantage, then you really cant blame us for that. The middle-aged man was finally moved. Your lords intentions are? Well leak all information regarding the movement of these two fleets and also assign them to a convenient target at a suitable time. There was nothing left to wonder at this point. The middle-aged mans expression shifted noticeably, and he remained silent for a good while. The grand duke said, Your race will lose a peerless genius, but forgive me for saying some ugly things. Our Evernight faction also produces such people every few years, but they are either cut down mid-way or lacking in support. There arent enough resources to allow every genius to grow to their maximum potential. Fighting for limited resources is also part of their ability. Reasonable. By the same logic, whether or not Zhao Jundu matures is still a variable. My lord is also making a steep investment for these two drops of azure blood. The price we have to pay is also quite significant. From a different perspective, your race will be trading a future expert for present benefits. If this deal succeeds, the human race will gain at least ten years of advantage in the war. Whether or not this deal is profitable depends on how much your race develops in this decade. The grand duke smiled meaningfully. I heard the Minister of the Right is a genius in statecraft. Its inexcusable if he cant even make good use of an entire decade. The middle-aged man remained silent no matter what the other party said. The grand duke said with a cold laugh, Once the gateway to the new world opens, the Evernight Council will funnel all resources into pioneering the new land, a small void continent is nothing at that point. A large amount of resources and manpower have been reserved for breaking new ground. If we miss the opportunity to open the new world because we dont have the azure blood, then all of these resources and manpower will be used against the human race. You can easily imagine the pros and cons of this decision! The middle-aged man looked up. Its a deal, but I want the two fleets first. The grand duke broke out in a laugh. Your appetite is quite big, but we can agree to this condition in order to express our sincerity. Well deliver the intelligence report in a few days'' time. This is a great contribution, you must make ample arrangements! Naturally. Then I will take my leave now. The middle-aged man said calmly, The road is dangerous and youre injured, be careful on the way. Itll be interesting if you dont get back to Evernight in one piece. The grand duke laughed. Rest assured! There are a lot of people who want my life, but there are also a lot of people who dont. Ill be fine along the way. That will be for the best. See the guest out. The grand duke was led to the horse-carriage that had brought the middle-aged man here, on which he left at a steady pace. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man picked up a piece of paper and listed over a dozen names. Upon closer inspection, one would see that they were all geniuses of the Empire, including Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, and a few other unfamiliar names. On top of the list was Zhao Jundu. There were two names between Zhao Jundu and Ji Tianqing. One was Song Zining, and the other was unknown. He first crossed off Zhao Jundus name and, after some thought, wrote a single Li to the sidejust the surname. After some hesitation, he wrote Qianye beside the Li. Looking at the name Qianye, he sighed lightly and erased half the words again. The remainder of the list was easy as he drew here and there at a much quicker pace. By the time it was dusk, the paper was no longer recognizable. He looked over the paper repeatedly. Then, he burned it on the candle-flame with a sigh. The man walked out of the study and said, Prepare the carriage, we return to the residence. Moments later, a horse-drawn carriage drove out of the courtyard and back to the Imperial Capital. ... There was no peace in the palace deep at night. Normally, Empress Li shouldve retired to her chambers at this time of the day. Today, however, she had arrived at the Phoenix Wood Palace, where she would normally meet outside guests. Someone was already there when she arrived, and it was the middle-aged scholar who had just parted ways with the vampire duke. Empress Li sat down and glanced at the scholars face. Slightly surprised, she said, Minister of the Right, theres no need to disguise yourself after coming here. Its not like were strangers. Speaking of which, your ability in this field is fairly close to perfection. If I hadnt known beforehand, I might not have seen through your camouflage. The Minister of the Right waved a hand over his face. His appearance changed swiftly, and even his body structure was somewhat different now. His temperament was calm, collected, and profound as he bowed in greeting. Thank you for the praise. Empress Li said, There will be a lot of gossip if those officials find out that you came to meet me in disguise. The Minister of the Right said with a laugh, They will gossip even if I do things openly, so Id rather give them some things to talk about. At the very least, Ill know what they have to say about me at court. Thatll also save them the trouble of keeping an eye on me all day for material to make a fuss about. Makes sense, but you didnt come just for that, did you? Of course not. I actually have something to report. Empress Li waved her hand gently, prompting the attendants to withdraw to the corridor. Then, a barrier of light descended to cover both the Empress and the minister. The scenery within also turned blurry. Those outside could see the two people inside, but they would not be able to hear a thing. You can speak now. The Minister of the Right said, I came to ask a favor. What about? I heard the Empress has some plans for the Li family. What is the basis for it? Empress Li remained calm. What do you think it is? The Minister of the Right replied, I heard the Li family will soon produce a peerless genius, is there any truth to the rumors? Empress Lis expression turned cold. I guess only you would dare to ask such a question. Why do you want to know? The Minister of the Right smiled. Judging from your expression, my guess is probably right. My thoughts are simple, I was never able to make up my mind regarding what you suggested before. But if your family will truly produce a pillar of the Empire, theres no harm in lending my abilities to your cause. Empress Lis hand trembled ever so slightly, but she quickly regained her calm. Isnt your decision a bit too sloppy? I only want whats best for the Empire and the human race. If the Li family produces a peerless genius, I will definitely assist them until they mature. Chapter 1105: Worldly Cage Under the urging of many hidden powerhouses, things went forward at a rapid pace. All these developments were limited to a small circle of people in the upper echelons. Even some of the more experienced officials never found out or got the opportunity to take part. However, news regarding the new world and age began spreading slowly, and it soon swept through the upper echelons of the Empire at an incredible speed. The new world was just like a fairytale. The significance lay not in terms of land and living space. The Empire currently controlled just four continents out of the twenty-seven, and there was still endless land to be claimed on the Evernight continent. The new worlds appearance would mostly result in a clash between true experts. The human race had been in confrontation with Evernight since they rose to power over a thousand years ago. The millennium of warfare stood to prove one pointboth humans and the dark races were trapped in this world. The fall of the Void Valley Star served to cut off all passages to the outside. Even the apex experts who had set foot on long journeys through the void had never sent back any information. A good number of those top experts going out to explore the void would still return in ages past, the three supremes atop the Sacred Mountain for instance. Now, however, the great dark monarchs stepping into the void would vanish without a trace, the most shocking among them was the Black-Winged Monarch, Andruil. This vampire was actually the second expert with hopes of ascending the Sacred Mountain. His Spatial Flash was a powerful skill for crossing the void, even more so than Zhang Boqians Void Traversal. Since his failure to return, the Evernight experts had been extremely careful in exploring the void and no longer dared to take risks. This gave rise to an adverse environment for growth. Without the experience from void explorations, the experts were deprived of a pathway to train their power. Although few people actually noticed this, new experts from the recent millennium never managed to surpass the peak power of their ancient predecessors. Just like how the River of Blood gradually turned silent, similar changes had taken place in other races as well. Even though Habsburg had managed to light up the emblem of the Flaming Crown, causing waves of excitement through the vampire race, he only managed to reach the level of the second generation progenitor, Samael. As time went by, the entire Evernight faction no longer held any hopes of Andruil returning. Most of the council members believed that the shining star of Evernight, the Black-Winged Monarch, had fallen. An arachne great dark monarch tried to explore the core region but had to return in three days because of grievous injuries. If he hadnt run back to Evernight as quickly as he did, he wouldve lost his life there. His strength fell sharply after his return, falling back down to the duke-rank. As for what he had encountered in the core region of the Great Maelstrom, he couldnt remember anything except boundless pressure and terror. Neither the Empire nor Evernight made any progress in the Great Maelstrom after several hundred years of exploration. In truth, both factions had already expected as much. What could a group of sub-divine-champion experts do in such a dangerous place? The high-gravity region Qianye had set foot on was a place no one had been to in several hundred years. Exploring such a dangerous region naturally yielded great profits. Qianye obtained great amounts of white wine and white fruits, and these new life-extension treasures wouldnt affect ones talents, either. The Longevity Monarch believed that the fruit could extend one''s life by at least five years, and this was akin to invisibly raising the Empires fighting power by a certain margin. His other resource gains were also quite abundant. One could see this from how generous the militarys offers were. These gains, however, were not necessary for a peak expert. What they were truly concerned about was their future path. Was there a different realm above the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs? That was a question in the hearts of every expert at the top. But as trapped beasts fighting within this caged world, they would never have the opportunity to come into contact with higher powers. This had become a commonly accepted fact. The three supremes and their status on the Sacred Mountain was naturally related to their experiences exploring the void. However, this pathway was forever closed after the fall of the Void Valley Star. Without a passage to the outside world and the Great Maelstrom proving to be a dead-end, the experts of the Empire and Evernight had been trapped inside a cage just like that. The significance of this new world wasnt that evident to the ordinary people of either faction, since their lives would hardly be affected. It wasnt that important to experts, either, since this talk of the new world was just hearsay at the moment. All tangible information was still in the hands of a few people from Evernight. Besides, everyone had experienced how dangerous the Great Maelstrom was, and the historical Void Valley Star was not a fun place, either. No one knew what this new world would turn out to be, not even those who held the secret to the gateway. What they had in their grasp was just an opportunity, which, in other words, was mere contact with the doorway. They hadnt even produced the key. What would come beyond the door was still unknown. If it was a realm similar to the Great Maelstrom, it would hold little significance for those peak experts at the end of their lives. But a realm like that wasnt too badthere was life, a vast world, rare resources, and boundless potential for exploration. All they needed to do was kill those unknown existences hiding in the depths. If the new world was a lifeless realm covered in molten lava, everything would be for naught. To those existences in Evernight who had lived for close to a thousand years, this thread of hope was enough to drive them crazy. Those old fogeys who had been in retirement began making plans once this news started to spread. A new world, a new era. The opening of a new era signaled the end of the old. Whether it was good or bad, everything had to be built upon the rubble of the old era. This year, Duchess An of the Song Clan reached the end of her life. The late white fruit ultimately failed to retain the embers of her vitality. The entire nation was shocked at the news. The leaders of the Song clan rushed back one after another to attend the duchess funeral. Song Zining was managing the affairs of the Ningyuan Heavy Industries when he heard the news. He locked himself in his room and would not meet anyone for the greater part of the day. He became fairly withered in half a days time, almost as though he had aged ten years. There were no tears in his eyes, nor were there any signs of having cried. Only his appearance stood to show that true pain couldnt be wept away. Send news to the Eastern Sea and prepare my airship, Im heading back home, Song Zining ordered. Seventh Young Master, what about things on that side? Just let go of everything. But I understand. The subordinate didnt dare say too much. In truth, most of Ningyuans factories had been moved to the neutral lands. Those that remained were those that couldnt be moved. The departments left behind were actually even more important. They were in charge of communicating with the various powers and the military to secure necessary components. Others included departments for managing core resources, receiving orders, research and development, etc. In short, most of them were not just in charge of manufacturing. Before this, Song Zining was in the process of reforming Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Many things required his decision to proceed. Now that he was letting go, the losses they would suffer were significant. But no one dared dissuade him after seeing his expression. Song Zining left in a hurry soon afterward. The director and a handful of attendants watched until the vehicle was over the horizon. Only then did one of the attendants have the courage to ask, Will the young master become clan lord? These words echoed everyones sentiments. As someone who had followed Song Zining for a good while, the director said while stroking his beard, Is this a matter you can wag your tongues about? The young master is still a bit too young to lead the clan. It wont be a problem once hes thirty. The attendants agreed with passionate expressions. Once Song Zining was in control of the clan, these people would be able to ride his coattails to success. Duchess Ans death might be sadness for some people, but it was an opportunity for certain others. There was a giant airship parked above the void continent, and on its roof, Zhang Boqian had just finished respiring the void origin power around him. He carelessly draped a robe around him and entered the study, where several documents were waiting for him. Zhang Boqian picked one of them up in surprise. Even a supreme heavenly monarch like him couldnt help but feel moved as he went through the contents. He summoned his aide with a gentle call. Duchess An has passed? The information is reliable. Zhang Boqian said after some thought, Is Song Zining on his way back? Yes. Then well ignore them for now and think about things once the outcome is settled. The aide was startled. That might not be good. Youve announced that you would delay settling the scores with the Song clan while the duchess was around. Now that she has passed away, people will start talking if you dont do anything, and that will affect your name." Zhang Boqian said indifferently, My name is based on my fist, not the mouths of those outsiders. Those who dare speak nonsense about me will have their tongues cut off, we''ll see then how they can keep going. The aide was shocked out of his wits. This isnt appropriate. Do you want me to keep an eye on the Song clan? Song Zining, that fellow, isnt bad. Hes quite similar to the young Lin Xitang and has a bright future ahead of him. Lin Xitang has always been just and upright, but Song Zining can torment the enemy quite well and hes also bold enough. Haha! We can give that boy a bit more time and see what he can do. Its not too late to discuss things once the situation has been settled. What if he really becomes the clan lord? Then well let the Song clan be. The aide was surprised again. T-This isnt this There are others who will take action. Do you think the Song clan has few enemies? Since Zhang Boqian had spoken so decisively, the aide no longer said anything else. The heavenly monarch looked through the documents before tossing them into the trash bin. Any movements from the neutral lands? None yet. Send more people to investigate. The aide asked, Is something important about to happen there? Chapter 1106: Taking the Bai Prince, everything about this new world might just be fake, we cant trust the information entirely. I did some investigation and found that the rumors originated from the Evernight side or people closely related to them, said the aide. Zhang Boqian nodded. Finding out this much in a short time, youve actually improved. Although news of the new world came from the dark races, its definitely not fabricated. Ive been going into a trance these days, sensing an enormous world somewhere. This was a peak experts awareness of the grand origins, the same reason why the Evernight powerhouses were able to confirm this matter. What they had added while spreading the news, however, was unknown. The aides doubt turned into joy. Prince, did you break through again? How can it be that easy? I just opened up some possibilities. If I can go and take a look at the new world, I might be able to take a step forward. What can I do for you? I wont hesitate even if I have to go through raging waters or tread on fire! We just need to wait and see. What I fear What is that? Zhang Boqian hesitated for a moment. I fear the dark races will use this as bait, tricking people from our side to do certain things in the name of the greater good. We must take precautions. Rest assured, Ill let you know once theres any movement in the Empire. Zhang Boqian nodded. Pay attention to the neutral lands. Is it because of Qianye? Hes only part of the reason. The neutral lands is a special place. It is not without reason that the Void Valley Star fell there. That place might be the weakest point in our world, so it makes sense that the path to the new world will appear in the neutral lands. I understand. Please rest assured, Ive already finished setting up channels there. Well receive every little bit of news. After ordering the aide to withdraw, Zhang Boqian stepped onto the roof of the vessel and into the void. He walked through the nothingness as though it were flat land, as though he were strolling through his back yard, vanishing into the depths of the void in mere moments. A small boat was drifting through the void. Like a willow leaf, it was so small that it looked like a fishing boat in a river. It just didnt look like it could remain intact in the void. There was an old man on this boat, fishing with a rod in his hand. Zhang Boqians figure arrived behind the old man in just a few steps. He glanced at the rod, saying, Which big fish did you want to catch? The old man replied, Just seeing which fish would take the bait. It was weird because the fishing rod was slightly bent, with the string stretching into the depths of the void. It looked as though he had hooked something. Zhang Boqian had noticed the moment he stepped onto the boat that this was just an ordinary vessel. There really was nothing special about it, and even the wood was civilian-grade. The only reason it could exist in the void was because of the old man. This didnt seem like a great feat, but to fish here for several days like this would take an ability on par with Zhang Boqians void traversal. Such shocking ability meant that this was naturally the number one expert of the Empire, the Pointer Monarch. The man smiled. Just an insignificant trick referenced from you and the Black-Wing inheritance. The older one gets, the more afraid of death one becomes, so I ended up inventing this. Zhang Boqian sensed the origin power fluctuations on the boat with a serious expression. He bowed a while later, saying, Thank you for the pointers. Its not worth mentioning. The Pointer Monarch did nothing to hide the origin power flow of the boat. With Zhang Boqians ability, he could naturally understand all the workings of the power. This was akin to the monarch teaching Zhang Boqian the secret art, allowing him to comprehend everything after just a while. This secret art couldfor an extremely small costkeep things afloat in the void or have them advance at a slow pace. It wasnt as fast as void traversal, but it could last much longer and the consumption was low, a perfect complement to the former. The Pointer Monarch sighed. Even the addition of my secret art cant compare to Spatial Flash. Its quite a pity, that Black-Wing. Whats there to pity? Our race will have one more enemy to face if he were alive. Black-Wing held no enmity for our race in the beginning. He later changed because of those greedy and insatiable lowlifes. Were actually the one at fault. Not being hostile in the beginning doesnt mean he wont be hostile in the future. His descendants will be on the battlefield sooner or later, and theyll inevitably die to human hands. That is how vendettas form between factions, races, and even families. The Pointer Monarch sighed but didnt retort. Well, you managed to hook this small fish, what else are you fishing for? A live fish. While speaking, the fishing rod moved all of a sudden. The Pointer Monarch swung the rod backward, pulling out a flailing fish. He casually assembled a pot and rack, under which he lit the flames with a flick of his fingers. He then tossed the fish into the pot, which was somehow filled with enough boiling water to cook the fish. The Pointer Monarch fished out a bottle of wine, poured half for himself, and tossed the remainder to Zhang Boqian. The latter didnt hold back, either, and took a deep swig. White fruit wine? It doesnt taste great, but the effects are great. This is a present from our little Tianqing. At the mention of Ji Tianqing, the monarchs eyes almost disappeared from smiling. Then I wont hold back. Zhang Boqian emptied the bottle in one go before reaching down to scoop the fish out. Just like that, the two men dug into the food without any utensils and soon finished the entire fish. Zhang Boqian even drank the soup up. Having had his fill of food and drink, Zhang Boqian sighed. Good wine, good fish! I waited three entire days to catch a fish from between that Eastern Sea bastards hands. How can it not taste good? Zhang Boqian closed his eyes to cultivate for a while. A flash of lightning flickered through his eyes when he finally opened them. So it comes from the Eastern Sea. You really do have some tricks! The Pointer Monarch smiled. Im old. My cultivation wont progress, so I have to learn some tricks to pass the time. I ate your fish, drank your wine, and received some pointers. Just tell me if theres anything you want me to do. Do you want me to take care of Tianqing, or that little fellow who received half your inheritance? The Pointer Monarch said, I was a hothead like you when I was young, but Ive become quite fearful and talkative now that Im old. What do you make of those people from the military? Zhang Boqian said, Ill kill whoever interferes with my business! Is that all? Those people are getting more and more excessive. Someone is shielding them from above. Naturally, theyre not afraid. The Pointer Monarch sighed. The Longevity Monarch is two generations my senior. I really have no idea whether I should hope he lives on, or if I should wish him dead. Thats your Ji familys business, I dont think I need to interfere. Of course not. I called you here because I wanted to ask you for two favors. Pray tell. The first one is about Tianqing and her child. I hope youll take care of them when needed. Naturally. Secondly, I want you to go meet someone with me, or should I say intercept them, so that they cant reach the neutral lands. Zhang Boqian was curious. If its just a single person, theres really no one you cant stop. This person has a supreme supporting him, they might attack from afar at the critical juncture. Zhang Boqian frowned. Even so, thats nothing you cant handle alone. The Pointer Monarch laughed. Im old, and Im afraid of dying. Ill feel more at ease with you around. Fine, when do we go? Zhang Boqian stopped asking. Since youve agreed, lets go now. The Pointer Monarch put away his fishing rod and drove his boat into the depths of the void. Zhang Boqian stood at the front of the boat. I thought you would ask me to take care of that boy in the Eastern Sea. The Pointer Monarch slapped his forehead. Oh my! How could I have forgotten? Thanks for reminding me. Lets add him into the deal as well, consider it three favors! The boat sped off in a flash. Atop the Martyrs Palace, Qianye slowly opened his eyes. This cultivation session lasted an entire month. The month-long tempering had once again pushed his cultivation forwardhis eighth origin node was now full and shrouded in faint mist. Qianye sighed. This is much slower than in the Great Maelstrom. Zhuji was curled up like a ball beside him, snoring loudly as she slept. Her clothes were now a little tight as she had grown quite a bit during this months time. Now, she looked just like a thirteen-year-old child and was gradually turning into a young lady. Although Qianye had been cultivating for the entire month, his perception had been linked to the Martyrs Palace and knew everything that was going on inside. At this point, the installation of the main cannons had been completed. Combined with the smaller artillery pieces, the Martyrs Palace now boasted firepower equal to seven cruisersand that was without the Landsinker. Additionally, the Martyrs Palace was so big that Qianye had installed all the main cannons on one side. That would allow the warship to unleash its maximum firepower potential in battle. As for one side being empty, the void colossus body was so much more flexible than man-made airships. Warships circling over to the other side will find, to their dismay, that the cannons would turn over with a flip of the Earth Dragons body. They were most lacking in cannoneers at the moment, those capable of operating powerful main cannons. The newly installed engines were undergoing their final calibrations. Qianye drove the Martyrs Palace to the Eastern Sea, stopped just outside of the continent, and flew down toward Southern Blue. One month had passed, and Qianyes desk at the headquarters was now piled full of documents that required his attention. He felt a headache as he glanced at the pile of paper but ultimately went through them one after the other. Only when he had cleared away all the work did he see Song Zinings letter. Qianyes expression turned serious after reading the letter. Duchess An has passed and Zining is going back to the clan? Is he going to fight for the clan lord position? Song Zining had only sent him an ordinary letter regarding such important news. That was why Dark Flame had placed the correspondence on his table, along with other official documents. The manner in which the letter was sent proved certain things, but nonetheless, Qianye couldnt help but pace about restlessly. He read the letter again from head to toe, combing through the uniquely ordered font. Finally, he slammed the letter onto the table and summoned Manager Song. Qianye went right to the point. Do you think Zining will fight for the clan lord position? The manager said, Theres no way people like us can know about something that important, unless the seventh young master announces it himself. All he instructed me to do was hand you the letter. Qianye nodded. Prepare a channel into the Empire for me. Im heading to the Song clan. The manager was shocked. You Chapter 1107: Seven Days The Song Clans Enlightenment Manor was bustling with activity and its gates never saw rest. Duchess An had no shortage of admirers during her youth, many of whom had become powerhouses with friendly ties to the Song clan. The Duchess was a legend. The way she had supported the Song clan alone in her old ageseeking change through mercy and wisdomearned the respect of the masses. The Song clan had been battered by winds and rains as Zhang Boqian rose to power at an incredible speed. The duchess keeping things propped up under such circumstances was a feat worthy of praise. Even Zhang Boqian himself had hinted that he had no intention of tearing the Song clan apart as long as she was alive. The clan itself was weak, but it was rich and sitting on a pile of rare resources. As traders, they didnt really possess that many secret technologies to their name, making them a prime target for plundering. On the contrary, a business like Ningyuan Heavy Industries was highly reliant on Song Zining, and that made it a difficult target. Even if people could snatch Ningyuan from him, the industry would only turn into a money sink. What was the use? It was a different story with resources. To put it bluntly, there was little technological requirement for mining ores. All they needed to do was send some slaves down to do the mining, and it wasnt a big loss even if they all died. Most mines would just make up for the lack of technology with human lives. The owners were just sitting there, raking in easy money. The Song clans fortune was big, and it was easy to digest. Who wouldnt want a slice? Even its allies couldnt help but waver in the face of great profits. Duchess An had held out against this pack of wolves for so long, but unfortunately, there was no one to succeed her. The descendants were unworthy and ignorant, all of them thinking they were skilled in statecraft and possessed enough resources to claim land and titles. They had no idea how the duchess was shielding them from the wind and rain. The gentry of the Empire grieved at her departure, every clan and family sending envoys to convey their condolences. Be it enemies or friends, most of them held a degree of respect for Duchess An. Only the clans true enemies knew that the calm facade on the surface really wasnt easy to maintain. The Imperial clan sent a lord, two princes, and a princess. Empress Li also sent her trusted steward. It could be said that a high degree of respect was conveyed. Only Zhang Boqian did not send a representative. That in itself was a show of respect. Any other family lord in his place wouldve been banging on the doors once the funeral banners were up. In a short while, the area outside of the courtyard and half the mountain was filled with houses to accommodate the guests. According to Imperial customs, Duchess Ans remains would be kept there for forty-nine days before burial. The first few days were the busiest, and only after the guest waves had peaked did the people from the clan find time to discuss important matters. Due to the space shortage, the elders could only squeeze into a secondary conference room. However, they were dizzy from the exhaustion and in no mood to complain. Song Zhongnian took his seat in the master chair and glanced at the people in attendance. Our Song clan is about to face perilous times. Whatever ideas you have, please speak directly. Someone said, A snake cannot be without its head. Affairs of the clan had always been decided by the duchess. Now that shes gone, we need to pick a clan lord to lead our Highland Song Clan to new heights and make our predecessors proud. Now that was interesting. The clan needed a new lord after the old ancestors passing? When was there such a rule? Song Zhongnians eyelids twitched as he glanced at the speakerit was Song Xiuwen. This person did not have much of a background but loved to speak out at the elder assembly. His jumping out first probably meant that someone was backing him. Song Zhongnian replied slowly, The old ancestor spoke nothing about changing a new clan lord before her passing. The candidates for this position aren''t chosen from the elder assembly, either. Were you planning on making yourself a grand elder or something? Song Xiuwen wasnt about to hold back. If you really do recommend me, I will reluctantly accept that position. Even if you dont count my contributions all these years, its undeniable that Ive toiled for the clan. Seeing that Song Xiuwen wasnt even calling him by his title, Song Zhongnian said with a cold voice, A clans grand elder has to possess both integrity and talent. Everyone knows about your morals and cultivation talents. Itll be a joke if our Song clans grand elder cant even beat a twenty-year-old! Song Xiuwen turned red. Slamming the table, he said furiously, Nonsense! Stop flaunting your clan lord powers over here. Tell me which twenty-year-old can beat me! Zhao Jundu. Song Xiuwen was stopped up. Moments later, he said with a flushed face, That doesnt count. Look at the amount of resources they had invested in him. I might not be inferior to him if I had enjoyed such treatment since childhood. This made everyone feel embarrassed. It was common knowledge that Zhao Jundu was peerless in the same realm. Song Xiuwen wasnt shameless enough to claim that he could hold his own in a fight against the latter even if their cultivation ranks were the same, to speak nothing of his current inferior rank. As for claiming that Zhao Jundus genius was due to his resources, that was simply making up false arguments. Song Zhongnian gave him no room to escape. There are a lot of guests outside. Why not tell them what you think and let them tell you their opinion? Song Xiuwen was furious. Song Zhongnian, whats the meaning of this? Just say it directly if you want to target me. Theres no need to beat around the bush! Song Zhongnian said calmly, Youre not worth all that effort. You being part of the elder assembly is enough shame for the Song clan. Song Xiuwen wanted to say something, but the clan lord roared, Sit down! A wave of rolling origin power sent Song Xiuwens head spinning. He sat down with his blood and qi in disarray, unable to speak anymore. Having suppressed Song Xiuwen, Song Zhongnian said to the elders, As long as Im still the clan lord, I have the power to act. Let me put it bluntly, whoever plans to rely on foreign powers to split the clan up will have his branch of the family struck from the family register! These words sent a wave of commotion through the crowd. Were all of Song blood, what gives you the right to remove anyone? Exactly! You can strike names off, but can you strike bloodlines off? Song Zhongnian waited for the commotion to subside before saying, Theres no need to be so agitated if youre not seeking to split the clan. Only at this point did those people realize that they had overstepped their bounds. Song Zhongnian said, It seems many of you are looking forward to a change in the clan lord position? Most of the elders nodded. Song Zhongnian looked discouraged. I know Im not capable enough to manage the current situation and I wont feel at ease staying in this post. But His eyes turned cold as he scanned the group. If anyone wants this power just to split up the clan, dont blame me for being rude! The might of the clan lord sent shivers down the elders spines, prompting them to discard their little schemes. The change in clan lord wasnt just a family issue; it was also a national affair. The Empire might not interfere in a clans internal business, but a change in hereditary titles had to be reported to the Imperial Capital and approved by the Imperial clan. It would be quite problematic if Song Zhongnian wasnt willing to step down on his own. They couldnt just kill him during the duchess funeral, could they? If the elders were that bold and malicious, the internal affairs of the clan wouldnt be this muddy. Song Zhongnian saw that the elders had become a bit more reserved. Now that the clan is in danger, we need all the help we can get. Zining is finally back, so I think we should let him join the meeting. These words elicited strong reactions. Hasnt Lil Seven left the Song clan? Strictly speaking, he isnt a part of the clan anymore, right? Song Zhongnian glanced at the speaker. Didnt you say just now that we can strike off a persons name from the register but cannot strike off his bloodline? The elder didnt know what to say. Someone else stepped in, saying, Everything about Lil Seven is good, except his skirt-chasing and frivolousness. He might be a good asset after a couple more years of tempering. Why not call him back then? This person had sinister motives in criticizing Song Zining for his youth and carefree style. Song Zhongnian replied calmly, You just took in two concubines, and you also have three bastards outside. I dont think youre in any situation to call other people lecherous. Zining is still young and lacking in seniority. An elder has to be a person of value and prestige, how can the boy convince the masses? It was Song Zhongcheng speaking. The clan lord couldnt quite make things difficult for his older brother, so he merely shot him a cold glance. Song Zhongcheng was rather reserved today and didnt continue saying anything after exchanging glances. A different elder beside him picked up the argument. Chaos descended upon the elder assembly as Song Zining sat quietly in front of the duchess remains. A maid arrived beside him. Seventh Young Master, you havent had anything to eat for three days. Youll get sick at this rate. Why not eat something? Song Zining waved his hand, indicating that it was unnecessary. The maid looked anxious. The old ancestors heart will break if she sees you like this. Song Zining looked up in a daze. Ah, but shes not here anymore... The maid looked scared. Seventh Young Master, w-whats wrong? Im fine, I just lost myself thinking about the past. You may withdraw, no need to care about me. Ill leave after sitting for a few days. The maid gasped. You must not go! You might not know, Young Master, but many people are looking forward to you becoming the clan lord! Song Zining sighed. You dont understand. Having overstepped her bounds already, the maid found it inappropriate to continue. She merely bit her lips and left. Those waiting around the funeral hall were the duchess personal maids and attendants. They whispered among one another, Its only been seven days, yet theres no longer anyone here at night. Exactly, only the seventh young master remains. It seems the old ancestor didnt favor him for nothing. Humph, those people are busy splitting up the clan. How can they have time to grieve? Shh, keep quiet. Youll get beaten up at least if someone hears! The Lotus House was filled with people and activity in recent days. These maids couldnt escape the fate of being shouted at and berated. Shoving and kicking werent entirely out of the question, either. The first maids eyes turned red. Who would dare treat us like this when the old ancestor was here? Song Zining remained kneeling in the funeral hall. He looked up at the remains of the duchess, saying, Old Ancestor, youve long since foreseen this situation, right? Is that why you left very few words? The current Song clan has disappointed you to this degree. What do you want me to do? What should I do? At this point, an attendant arrived and whispered, Seventh Young Master, the clan lord requests your presence at the elder assembly. I will watch over the old ancestors coffin, Im not going anywhere. Chapter 1108: Guest at the Doors Ji Tianqing was left pondering hard. Qianye, on the other hand, raised East Peak and took a step forward. Get ready. Anwen was stunned momentarily. What did you say? Qianye pointed at Ji Tianqings sculpture. Out of consideration for that sculpture, I wont launch a sneak attack. Get ready to fight! Anwen was puzzled. I talked so long and hard, you still want to fight? Youre too dangerous, I wont be at ease unless I beat you into a pulp, Qianye spoke honestly. Barbarian! Anwen was furious. Youre right. I read too little to understand your theories, fighting is all Im good at. Qianye didnt look embarrassed at all. He bent his body forward slightly, intent to do battle. Anwen was so angry that he didnt know what to say. He put away his rapier and brought out the two-meter sword. I might not like fighting, but dont think for one second that Im afraid of you! Youre indeed powerful, but Ive seen your fight with the Demoness. Youre still a bit short of being able to beat me to a pulp! Qianye said nothing. His foot left the ground as he floated upward and unfurled his luminous wings. The tips of the wings were outlined in black, and one of the feathers had a tinge of darkness that made it stand out especially. Anwens expression changed abruptly when he saw the wingtips. You broke through again? It has only been how long? Qianye smiled indifferently. It has already been some time. The confidence and pride on Anwens face vanished, replaced by seriousness. Several beams of demonic energy shot out around him to form a chain, drawing him halfway into the air. He needed to be off the ground in order to wield the full might of that two-meter sword. Every chain would transform his figure several times. It was only by the seventh chain that Anwen realized his reflection in Qianyes eyes never falteredthat the stinging sensation at his back never receded. His expression grew even more serious. The long sword trembled slightly as a wisp of demonic energy surged upward from the top of his head. Anwen was ready to go into a head-on duel with Qianye, something he wouldnt have chosen if he had a choice. Qianye had severely injured the Demoness with three Shots of Inception back in the city of Indomitable. No matter how confident Anwen was, he didnt believe he was more powerful than the Demoness or that he was capable of taking Qianyes attack. He had utilized every power at his disposal, yet he couldnt escape Qianyes lock-on. The only choice left was to fight head-on. Qianye had a feeling that he wouldnt be able to evade this slash. Up until this day, Qianye had gone through hundreds of battles and fought countless peers. He had also witnessed many strange abilities and talents, but he had never seen an ability like Anwens. Even when facing it personally, Qianye couldnt quite figure out the principle behind the stance. Why would a bunch of strange diagrams lock onto Qianye? Anwens technique looked comical, but Qianye knew that wasnt the case. Just like when he carved Ji Tianqings sculpture, these diagrams might have the same effect as those formulas and numbers. Qianye couldnt say they were useless just because he couldnt understand them. The current situation ended up with Qianye and Anwen locking down one another, with neither being able to evade the others attack. It seemed they would end up in mutual destruction. Anwen was quite calm at first, but his heart skipped a beat when he saw the mockery in Qianyes eyes. Only then did he remember that Qianye had withstood the Demoness long-range attack. Not only did he live to tell the tale, but he even broke through after that. It was obvious just how strong his body was. All of a sudden, Anwen lost all confidence in himself. The complicated diagrams he had drawn were analyses in space and time. The calculations eventually reached a point where he could strike Qianye no matter how the latter changed his movements. However, this art could only help him hit the target and not to improve the power of his attack. In the blink of an eye, Anwen understood the gravity of his situation. He would be able to strike Qianye but not kill him. Meanwhile, Qianyes upgraded attack would likely take his life. It was only natural that Qianye wouldnt refuse such a trade. Additionally, the opponent clearly had no true awareness of a true expert. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan had spread out, with the former targeting Bai Zhongzhao and the latter waiting to launch a surprise attack. Anwen could naturally tell that Li Kuanglan specialized in speed and could easily distract him at the critical juncture. It wasnt a certainty whether he could even strike Qianye at that point. Anwen shouted without turning back, Run! Bai Kongzha was puzzled. Run? Now! Immediately! Anwen rushed her anxiously. At the same time, his sword trembled faster and faster, adding more and more layers to the diagram. Even Li Kuanglan felt as though she was being locked onto. Qianye revealed a cold smile. Anwens sword wasnt enough to kill him, yet he was still intent on splitting the force with Li Kuanglan. This would only end up with him giving the both of them moderate injuries. Qianye would have a harder time if the demonkin were to focus his power on Li Kuanglan. Bai Kongzhao was surprised by Anwens anxiousness. Why are we fighting? Why must I run? She was still ignorant about the entire situation, and Ji Tianqing wasnt about to give her a chance to come to. She arrived behind Bai Kongzhao in a single step and broke off her path of retreat. Donning a pair of spiked scale gloves, she said with a smile, Ive heard about you. Ive been waiting to witness your peerless combat instincts. Now that theres a chance, I must see whether Bai Aotu is bluffing or not. Bai Kongzhao reached toward her back, but there was nothing there. She had used that cleaver of hers while trying to stop the six-armed general. Ji Tianqing took a step forward in response to the girls movement, completely locking her down. Bai Kongzhao possessed unfathomable combat instincts. Her attacks were always unimaginable and accurate, capable of grasping the briefest of opportunities. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, was unpredictably diverse in her repertoire of powerful secret arts and skills, definitely a good candidate to suppress Bai Kongzhao. On the surface, it would seem Anwen was destined to lose, but his fighting spirit didnt falter. He tapped in the air with his left hand, whereupon a ring of faint demonic energy appeared around Bai Kongzhaos feet. The girls body became extremely light, and her speed increased sharply. Now, Ji Tianqing could no longer laugh because she wouldnt be able to stop Bai Kongzhao if she was intent on running away. Run! Anwen shouted. He was already at his limit after restraining three people at once. Although no one had really attacked at this point, the situation had been changing constantly. Both sides had been in a secret confrontation that could only be described as brilliant. Bai Kongzhao, however, didnt take the opportunity Anwen had created for her. She only said, Im not running, I surrender. Surrender? Ji Tianqing, who was ready to burst into battle, felt as though she had tripped and fell. She had considered Anwen and Bai Kongzhao as equal experts. How could people at their level utter the word surrender? Qianyes gaze fell upon Bai Kongzhaos face. At this moment, the reflection in his eyes was no longer Anwen but the little girl. Anwen became even tenser after noticing that he was no longer being locked onto. However, Li Kuanglan was retraining him from the side, so he couldnt make a move to draw Qianyes attention back to him. If he were to break this deadlock and attack, Qianye might take Bai Kongzhaos life with a single Shot of Inception. The demonkin stared at that black feather on Qianyes wings and sighed after a good while. Qianye finally spoke, Why are you surrendering? Bai Kongzhao produced half the white-fruit she had been keeping. This is for you. The white fruit seemed easy to get for Qianyes group, but it had become a scarce resource now that they were far from the central region. Obtaining more was now impossible after the appearance of the six-armed general, so half a white-fruit was now a fairly valuable treasure. Ji Tianqing snorted. You want to buy your life with just that? Take out better things or theres no discussion. Qianye waved his hand. Fine, I accept. You guys can go. Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were surprised at why Qianye would let such powerful enemies go. But since Qianye had already spoken, they refrained from arguing with him and merely stepped back to open the way. Bai Kongzhao placed the bounty in his hand, and then slowly stepped backward. Anwen glanced at Qianye, saying, I hope we can fight to our hearts content when we have the opportunity. Qianye replied calmly, Anytime. Ji Tianqing asked all of a sudden, Why are you guys here? Anwen replied without any hesitation, I have a Storm Pearl, so I wanted to help her condense an origin crystal. Oh, thats why. I have two origin crystals here, see if you want it. You can trade it for the Storm Pearl and other things. Ji Tianqing produced the two origin crystals she and Li Kuanglan had condensed. Anwen didnt refuse. He took out a pair of black-rimmed glasses and arrived beside Ji Tianqing to observe the crystals. They had daggers drawn the last moment, yet now they were ready to do business. The situation had changed so unexpectedly. Qianye took a step forward and stood behind Ji Tianqing, lest Anwen attacks all of a sudden. Anwen noticed Qianyes thoughts. He looked up with a cold smile, saying, Shes a proud lady who wont go back against her words. And so am I. Were looking to trade right now, so we wont be fighting midway. Youve known her for so long, dont you even realize this much? Qianye was astounded and didnt really know what to say. He really didnt understand Ji Tianqing all that much. In truth, Qianye hadnt given her much attention despite their long friendship. Ji Tianqing chuckled. Pick fast or the price will go up. Anwen looked at the crystals for a while and then shook his head. Dont you have better ones? No, Ji Tianqing replied decisively. She wasnt about to take out the crystal Qianye had produced. Anwen said regretfully, Their grades are too low for her. Too low? Ji Tianqing wasnt happy. Anwen didnt hold back. Her future prospects will become limited if she were to absorb these two crystals. These two middle-grade origin crystals were for people with no hopes of becoming a divine champion. Bai Kongzhao was quite famous back in the Bai clan, but everyone knew of her talents as well. She had no hope of reaching the divine champion realm, so none of the major powers paid her much attention. Bai Aotu eventually caved in to the clans pressure as well. Chapter 1109: I’m the Most Suitable Young Noble, you should go faster! A tender young maid urged. Qianye had no choice but to hasten his steps and follow her to the side hall. The place was rather quiet, and the little courtyard would be hidden from the outside world once the doors had been closed. The side hall was rather small. With just two roomsone for rest and the other for meditationit was only the size of an ordinary house. The maid slammed the gates shut. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief, blurting out her thoughts, Thank god no one saw! She ran into the house, saying, Young Noble, please sit, Ill make tea for you. In mere moments, she was back to offer tea. This was a new seasonal productjade green, transparent, and deeply fragrant. Moreover, she had brewed the tea at the perfect temperature. The word perfect represented money, time, and concentration, things only a maid of a major family could afford. Qianye currently understood a bit about the finer things in life. Good tea, good technique. This type of new tea couldnt be brewed too hot or too cold. The boiled water had to be rested for a bit before going into the pot, a rather challenging process in terms of technique. The maid was all smiles from the praise. You should drink more. There are quite a few good teas in this courtyard, Ill brew them for you one after the other. Qianye smiled. Such good intentions, afraid that I wont be able to kill my way out? The maid was dumbstruck. What are you talking about? Youre afraid my identity will leak, and that it will attract an attack. The maid chuckled with her mouth covered. Young Noble is rather insightful, but theres no need to say that out loud, is there? The seventh young master should be here soon, you two can discuss things when the time comes. There are quite a few outsiders in the compound, and the clan lord cant control them. Besides, even if there are no outsiders, the gossip inside our clan is quite troublesome in their own right. Qianye smiled indifferently. Even with all the deception, people will find out sooner or later. That being said, there cant be more people here than there were in Indomitable. You need not worry that I wont be able to fight my way out. The maid was stunned momentarily. There are no people from the Zhao clan here. These words proved that the girl possessed great knowledge and insight, not qualities an ordinary maid would have. Qianyes successful escape from the city of Indomitable wasin addition to his own superior combat strengthin no small part due to the Zhao clans secret assistance. Qianye smiled. That is true, but I am no longer the same person I was back then. And the Song clan is full of people who fear death. There might be a lot of people, but only a few will ever dare stand in my path. Qianye broke into a laugh. I never studied much when I was young. The Yellow Springs trains its students in both civil and military arts. Their alumni are never brainless brutes. Qianye was a bit surprised by the retort. He glanced deeply into her eyes, saying, The Song clan does have talents. Its not every day that you see a clan member changing into maid attire in such a short time, and acting the part so well too. Theres no other choice. The old ancestors funeral is the most important thing at hand, we mustnt disturb her peace. Those maids are so clumsy and dont know how to talk. Its very likely that theyll botch things up, so its better I come in person. Come, have tea! She placed a new pot of tea in front of Qianye, which he duly tasted. The aroma was strong but distant, a completely new realm so to speak. While he was enjoying the flavor, the maid said, Theres something else. Song Ziyan wanted me to check on your cultivation and character, to see if youre worthy of her. As I see it, she has passed her best age of being so picky, and soon there wont be anyone to marry her. Im more of a match for you! Qianye almost sprayed the tea out. He finally managed to contain the urge and let out a dry cough instead. Chuckling, the maid extended a hand. Allow me to introduce myself officially. Im Song Hui. Qianye shook her hand hesitantly. He had planned to merely touch her hand, but Song Hui simply wouldnt let go. She squeezed his hands a bit while offering words of praise, So smooth! Qianye had imagined the worst-case scenario on his way here, where he would have to start fighting upon arrival and kill his way out of the Empire. Who wouldve thought he would be taken advantage of by a female hoodlum? Qianye couldnt help but sigh in admiration. The Song clan was indeed full of capable people. Seemingly noticing his thoughts, Song Hui laughed. What are you thinking about? Its just as they say the seventh young master looks gentle but is ruthless, Zhao Jundu sees nothing else but his objective and ignores all girls, and you look fierce but youre easily embarrassed. Haha! Qianye was tongue-tied, overcome by an indescribable feeling. What the heck is all that? Its nothing, just some secrets circulating amongst us girls. Oh, its no longer a secret since almost every noble girl knows about it now. Cant help it, you three are so awesome and good-looking! Qianye had no idea whether or not he should respond. Song Hui sat down beside Qianye, grabbing his hand calmly. Young Noble Xiao Ye Pfft! Qianye finally sprayed out his tea. Song Hui patted his back with a mischievous smile. W-Who told you about that!? Qianye was furious, his voice filled with killing intent. You cant do anything to him even if I tell you. Why make it difficult for yourself? I know now, its Song Zining! Qianye gnashed his teeth. He had once dressed up as a girl and used the name Qian Xiaoye. That part of his life was a pain that couldnt be washed away, and he wanted nothing more than to silence everyone who knew. Whos calling me? Song Zinings voice echoed from the door. Ashen-faced, Qianye walked out with a snort. Song Zining was bewildered. You came all the way here, why the rush to leave? Qianye said with a cold face, I wouldnt dare cause trouble for you. Song Zining couldnt make sense of the matter. I never wanted to be the clan lord, what trouble can there be? Why did you come back then? I only wanted to meet the old ancestor. Song Zinings voice was gentle. Seeing his withered countenance, Qianye couldnt keep up his anger. I remember her graceful bearing back then. I came to see you. Just do what you want to do, theres no need to care about other people. Song Zining hadnt even replied when Song Hui praised, Young Noble Xiaoye is so cool! Qianyes expression turned dark, and Song Zining finally realized why Qianye looked like he was about to explode. Song Hui wasnt afraid, though. She stood in front of Qianye with shoulders thrown back, saying, What, are you going to hit me? Go ahead! I wont retaliate. She even took two steps forward, almost pushing her chest into Qianye. What else could the latter do but take a step back? Song Hui took two steps forward every time he took a step back, almost as though she was throwing herself into his arms. Seeing Qianye in a constant retreat, Song Zining stood up with a stern face. Hui, stop the mischief. Qianye has family. I dont care about that. Which man doesnt have a few wives? Besides, how dare a playboy like you talk about family and responsibility? Song Zining was livid, but he couldnt find the words to retort. Seeing no other way out, Qianye extended a finger and poked Song Huis forehead. This stopped her from moving forward, and she couldnt reach Qianye no matter how hard she swung her arms. Qianye asked during this moment of safety, Zining, whats Miss Huis background? Song Zining smiled wryly. Hui was born to the original fifth branch, but they split off during my grandpas generation. Thats why she wasnt named according to the main familys scheme. In terms of seniority, shes my cousin sister. Shes the most talented in our generation, too bad she was born a girl. Song Hui snorted. If you think so highly of me, why did you recommend Song Ziyan to Qianye instead of me? Oh, and theres that underage lass, Song Yunqing. Song Zining hadnt imagined she would remember all those things. Drenched in cold sweat, he replied sheepishly, Umm Ziyan isnt capable, but shes suitable as a housewife. As for you, youre too smart. You mean Im more suitable as a brother? Song Zining remained silent in tacit agreement. Song Hui sneered. You beat around the bush, but ultimately, youre just afraid that Ill outsmart you men. I might not have many advantages over Song Ziyan, but I only need two. One could see how eloquent this girl was from how she could leave even Song Zining speechless. Qianye was also quite curious about the two points she had mentioned. What are those? Im younger than her and I have the bigger chest. Song Zining had no way to refute this reasonable argument. Seeing the two embarrassed, Song Hui kept pushing on. Fine, fine, my mission has been accomplished anyway. The elder assembly is about to start, arent you two going? What was your mission? Song Zining asked. Stall for time, which I did. Song Hui didnt try to hide anything. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances. The latter said with a weird expression, Are you really stalling for time? I think you have your personal goals. Why would she remind them about the elder assembly if she were truly stalling? Song Hui smiled. Whats wrong about me wanting to marry myself off? But Qianye really isnt suitable. Song Zining knew of Qianyes love for Nighteye, so he wasnt too optimistic about her chances. Well, hes definitely more suitable than someone like you. Song Hui didnt hold back. Song Zining coughed. I-I have my reasons. He mightve been more convincing if he wasnt so guilty at heart. No one wants to know your reasons. Go, the assembly has already begun. Qianye glanced at Song Zining, waiting for his decision. Song Zining thought about it for a good while. Finally, he said through clenched teeth, I didnt want to take part at first, but since youre here, we should go in and listen to what those fellows are up to. Do what you want and say what you wish when we get there. Theres no need to hold back on my account. Very well. Qianye nodded. Seeing the two leaving, Song Hui sighed softly. Ive done my best. Chapter 1110: All Trash The Song clans elder assembly today was destined to be lively. Since the very first meeting, the assembly would convene regularly despite the ongoing funeral. The elders quarreled every day, but they werent idiots who only caused a ruckus without doing anything. The arguments at the assembly didnt stop them from scheming in secret. Several secret meetings had taken place these days, the agreements from which were brought to the stage and cemented by voting. Eight out of ten topics that had reached a decision in these meetings were related to the division of the Song clans businesses and profits. The objective here was to divide the Song clans jointly-owned businesses among the various families and branches. Some of the other discussion topics sought to target Song Zhongnian. Song Zhongnian had been the clan lord for many years and had benefited from his position to a certain degree. This became especially evident when he had removed the Grand Elder from his position, sending the only branch that could compete against him into decline. Now that Duchess An was gone, the situation was no longer the same. Surprisingly, all the family branches had reached a tacit agreement on removing him from the clan lord position. Only Song Zhongnian and a handful of elders from his family opposed the motion to split up family assets. The others rose up in unison and overwhelmed them with numbers, effectively deciding the outcome. The repeated occurrences angered Song Zhongnian, prompting him to stop attending the meetings. Without his presence, the emboldened elders set their sights on the assets owned by the clan lords branch, citing equality as their slogan. They spoke with a righteous tone, Were all descendants of the Song clan, why does your branch own so many businesses? While mentioning the total assets, these elders naturally wouldnt bring up the number of people the main branch had to provide for. Nor did they mention the projects maintained by the clan lord like schools, social events, and support for distant relatives. In the face of this skewed reasoning, Song Zhongnian was still a civilized person with a reputation to consider. He just couldnt go and settle the score with them one after the other like a cook at the wet market. After making a couple of retorts, he swept his sleeves and left angrily. Agreements were made one after the other as the elders took advantage of this period to split the businesses and assign their own people. Some of them had already left to report to their coveted posts despite the funeral period. By the time Song Zining and Qianye walked into the conference hall, the elders were just beginning their meeting day. The thirty-two stores on the Western Continent, sixty-percent of their income will go to the fourth branch and the remainder will be split between the third and ninth branches. The manager of the store will be assigned by the fourth branch. Any objections? Seconded. No objections. Dont you think the fourth branch should treat us all tonight? A chubby elder stood up and bowed. Of course, of course! Ill be the host tonight, everyone must come! Those who dont are looking down on our branch! The other elders agreed with a laugh. It was at this time that a cold voice echoed from the door. So what if I look down on the fourth branch? The entire elder assembly quieted down. The fat elder glanced toward the source of the voice, but his anger soon turned to shock. Zining, how come youre here? Song Zining had risen to fame in recent years, and his cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds. Many of the elders still remembered him as the boy from the clan examination, but they had more or less heard of his accomplishments and understood that no one in the younger generation of the clan was his match. Most people found the person beside Song Zining rather familiar. That beautiful face left too deep of an impression on them, one that they couldnt forget. One of the elders pointed at Qianye. Y-Youre Qianye smiled. Im Qianye, dont mistake me for someone else. One of the elders roared furiously, You actually dare come here. Do you know where you are? Qianye replied calmly, Where indeed? What I am certain of is that this isnt a tigers den, and neither is it a bloody battle nor the city of Indomitable. Ill come when I please and go when I want, why must I care? The elder trembled from the anger. Insolence! Are you not afraid that Ill command the soldiers to capture you? Qianye stood with his hands behind his back, scanning the room with his lightning-sharp gaze as he broke into a laugh. You dont even have a divine champion in the entire clan, yet you want to capture me? I dont want to say it, but all of you here are trash on the battlefield. Arrogance! Scoundrel! Which ignorant junior is this? Scram! Qianye remained motionless at the door while the lashing went on. The elders shouted and cursed, but none of them dared to come within three meters of Qianye. All of them were simply hiding in the distance and hurling verbal abuses. Those in the first row wanted to edge back but soon found that they could no longer squeeze into the crowd. The pale men had no choice but to face Qianye, not daring to utter a single word. They were cursing secretly, but it was at their clansmen instead of Qianye. Several pairs of hands had pushed them forward when they were trying to retreat. Qianye became thoughtful at the sight of this. It seems my name can frighten them. Song Zining rolled his eyes. The cheek of you! Song Zining walked over to the center of the conference hall and slammed his palm down on the stack of agreements. So these are the agreements decided upon by the elder assembly. As I see it, we should just burn them here. This produced a wave of commotion through the assembly. These agreements were reached through several days of hard work, and they werent about to spit out the meat that had entered their mouths. Several men could no longer worry about Qianyes presence as they jumped out and started cursing at Song Zining. Song Zining channeled his origin power, saying, These agreements contain everyones signature. To be blunt, this is solid criminal evidence. Im burning it for everyone''s good. His voice wasnt loud, but it suppressed all the background noise and caught everyones attention. Many of the elders were shocked. Lil Seven, your cultivation has risen so much? Song Zining was currently rank-sixteen, a true expert in every occasion. Additionally, his combat strength in battle was even higher than on paper, meaning that he was almost peerless at the same realm. Only terrifying experts like Zhao Jundu and Qianye could suppress him. Youre at the elder assembly, not somewhere you can behave atrociously! One of the elders said. However, he shrunk back and softened his tone midway, as did many of the other elders chiming in. Song Zining replied, Our Highland Song Clan has its rules. The businesses listed on these documents are clan-owned assets. Ignoring the blatant breach of rules, whos going to pay for the maintenance of clan facilities, our private army, and the tens of thousands of mercenaries in our employ? Do you plan to kill them off after owing them money? This is something all the elders agreed upon, you dont need to worry. Exactly. You have no business in the elder assembly. Who gave a young brat like you the right to speak? The elders found courage in speaking out together, eventually surrounding the conference table. Song Zining raised his cold voice. Your actions are clearly aimed at splitting the clan up! How will you face your ancestors in a hundred years? Some of the elders looked rather ashamed, while the others merely saw a shift in expression. There was no way they would be willing to give up the meat in their mouths. It was even more distressing than being killed. Song Xiuwen stood out and said furiously, Lil Seven! This is not your place to speak. Many of those documents were signed by your main branch head. Do you not recognize his authority? The head of the main branch was the clan lord, Song Zhongnian. Song Zining flipped through the papers and found several signed by the clan lord. He couldnt help but sigh. It doesnt matter who signed them. How will these people enter the ancestral hall from now on? The old ancestor has just passed, but you people are already busy splitting the clan up. There are still so many people in the courtyard! Ignoring all else, the Song clans prestige will be destroyed once news of this spreads in the outside world! Do you think your own names will be left intact? Song Zining hesitated momentarily. The current Song clan doesnt have any good reputation left. As traders, you should know how important reputation is. Who will do business with you without a good name? Youre destined to lose all these family assets sooner or later. Some of the elders edged back in shame, but most of them were furious. Song Xiuwen had already stepped out, so he simply kept going. He said in a fierce tone, If the business declines in our hands, were willing to take that responsibility. What of it? The decision of the elder assembly must be executed! Dont keep bringing up the old ancestor. Even the Great Qins laws had to be changed at one point. The clan rules were drafted by people, and now its time to change them. Song Zining hadnt expected such words. Qianye was standing by the door, observing everyone. Zining, how come I dont see your grandpa? Song Zining smiled wryly. Let it be. Those documents were supposed to be stored in the depository, so why were they all in Song Zinings hands? The reason was evidentSong Zhongnian was unwilling to face the elders and wished to push all the responsibility on Song Zining. The current situation was related to the continued existence of the Song clan. There was no way it would remain standing after being divided among the family branches. The clan lord wasnt willing to take action even under such circumstances; no wonder Song Zining had nothing to say. If only Song Zhongnian were a bit stronger, it wouldnt be hard for someone of his stature to ensure the clan remained intact. Preventing its downgrade from a major clan, however, was a different matter. Qianye understood. As a clan with a thousand years of history, the Song definitely produces a lot of talented people! Song Xiuwen had thrown caution to the wind. In his anger, he pointed at Qianyes nose and roared, Who the heck do you think you are? How dare you speak about the Song clan He hadnt even finished speaking when a crisp bang resounded through the hall. Qianye had landed a square slap on his face! This slap was extremely powerful. Song Xiuwens teeth flew everywhere as he spun through the air and slammed into the wall, falling down unconscious in the end. He also crashed into several elders along the way and the hall fell into chaos. The trembling elders pointed at Qianye. Our Song clan is a place of reason. Y-You Chapter 1111: The Show Begins Song Xiuwen wasnt really that weak. His rank-fourteen origin power could be considered the average since most of the core members of the clan were at this level, on paper at least. He had been rank-fourteen for twenty years. According to the Song clans viewpoint, this could be considered an experienced person. Normally, Song Xiuwen would boast that he could escape from anyone below the divine champion rank and even exchange a blow or two against one. As for experts at the same rank, he claimed that he had defeated quite a few and that his record was flawless. After all, there were too few opportunities for a Song clan elder to take action. Whatever fights that came up were fought by hired hands. Boasting on a regular basis slowly gave Song Xiuwen more confidence as he started to believe himself. The other elders were more or less at the same cultivation-rank as he was. Since Song Xiuwen felt himself peerless, the others naturally thought, Im not inferior to you in any aspect. If youre peerless in the same realm, I can probably defeat most of my opponents as well. In their little world of imaginations, the Song clans fighting power was at the top of all the major clans. They were just a bit inferior to the Zhang clanand that was because of Zhang Boqian. They believed that the Zhao and Bai clans were also discrepant in their generational fighting force, with the old people nearing the end of their lives and the young still brats. They felt that the Song clans core prime-age lineup was still a bit superior as the clan had never lacked accomplishments. There were more than just a few examples of people accumulating merits to countship. The frequency of their transports, supplies, and frontline sentries being ambushed in battle was the same as any other clan; those who criticized the Song had to be narrow-minded people. Qianyes slap woke everyone up from their little dream. Some of the older members were still confused about how he had slapped Song Xiuwen flying. One had to remember that the latter was rank-fourteen! The elder assembly fell into silence as everyone was dumbstruck. Qianye flexed his fingers and said, Which elder wants to teach me a lesson? Stand out and speak! Do you think I cant see you just because youre hiding in the crowd? An elder standing at one of the corners walked out. He was tall, well-built, and possessed bones like steel. He said in a deep voice, No matter how powerful you are, you cant be unbeatable. The Song clan is not a place for you to act so atrociously. Song Zining sighed. Ninth Uncle, are you going to stand with them as well? Blushing, Song Tu let out a dry cough. Lil Seven, well talk about that later. You shouldnt have brought an outsider to the elder assembly. As the weaponry hall elder, I cannot sit by and watch this go on. Song Tu smiled wryly after a while. The clan has its laws. No matter what, our Highland Song clans elder assembly wont allow an outsider to insult us. How can I ignore my responsibilities and sit by? With Song Tu taking the initiative, many of the elders were emboldened. Some of them immediately stood out and said, Hes right! Even you, Lil Seven, are no longer a member of the clan anymore, let alone Qianye. We did you a favor by letting you into the courtyard, how dare you stir up trouble? Song Zining ignored everyone else. He merely stared at Song Tu and said, Ninth Uncle, what do you say? Song Tus brows knitted together. What do you want me to do? Look at what the clan lord is doing. Song Tus right palm clenched into a fist as he nodded. Very well. Im feeling a bit under the weather today, so I wont be attending the assembly any longer. With that, he actually left without looking back. Humph! Useless thing! Since hes afraid of dealing with this matter, let this old man try you out. Let me see what ability you have under that fame of yours. A tall elder walked out from the crowd, the original grand elder of the Song clan, Song Zhongcheng. Qianye still remembered how this person had, despite his position, attacked him back at the clan examination. If Song Tu and Duchess An hadnt helped him back then, Qianye wouldve suffered grievous injuries. Now, the two of them were standing face-to-face under present circumstances. Qianye glanced at Song Zining. What do I do? Song Zinings eyes were cold. What else? Your slap woke me up. Ive been overly cautious with how I deal with these people. We dont really need to care about too much when were already in a corner. Qianye smiled brilliantly. Understood, can I beat him to death? Song Zining rolled his eyes. Dont actually kill him! Nodding, Qianye started cracking his knuckles. The exchange between the two silenced everyoneit was as though the entire hall was populated by clay sculptures. Song Zhongcheng was absolutely furious. I wish to see how two little brats like you can beat me to death! He was one of the top experts of the Song clan and just shy of crossing the divine champion threshold. He simply refused to believe he would lose to a little brat. Song Zining replied, You probably havent fought an outsider in ages, right? Song Zhongcheng said with a gloomy expression, So what? With a nod, Song Zining turned toward the other elders. Im assuming its the same for all of you. You hide away to cultivate, counting your little ranks and feeling yourself quite powerful. In truth, what Qianye said is not wrong at all. Compared to those killing on the battlefield, everyone here is just trash. The elders were all livid, but a laughing Qianye attacked before anyone could act out. He took a step forward, shaking the entire hall when his foot struck the ground. A punch then flew toward Song Zhongchengs chest. The punch was neither heavy nor fast, but it was vibrating constantly and seemed rather profound. Song Zhongcheng spoke harshly, but he didnt really dare to be careless against the famous Qianye. He channeled every ounce of origin power he possessed and crossed his arms to stop the punch. There was a strange smile on Qianyes face as the arm and fist came into contact. With a sudden roar, eight claps of thunder echoed throughout his body. His vampire bloodline reinforced the eight layers of Excavator as an unstoppable deluge of power rushed into Song Zhongchengs body. In mere moments, all the bones in Song Zhongchengs arms were shattered, and the man was flung backward like a cannonball. He punched a large hole in the wall and shot through three more before landing in the courtyard. Only at this point did he spray out a mouthful of blood. The elders were stunned. Song Zining, however, was flustered. Oh my! You opened up a hole! I thought it was fine to block the door, now what do we do? Many of the elders felt dizzy. This seventh young master was planning to corner them and beat them up. It seemed he had evil intentions. Qianye chuckled. Ill take charge of this side, you keep blocking the door. His limbs werent idle as he spoke. He took a step to the side and slapped a dozen or so elders with a semi-circular shield that had appeared out of nowhere. Half of the elders were sent flying with a muffled bang, while the others staggered back, coughing up blood. Qianye turned around and performed a sweeping kick. A crescent-shaped wave of origin power sent several elders flying. Fortunately, the attack was blunt and no one was cut in half. He then ran about, ramming people with his shoulders and elbows, each blow backed by the simple, blunt force of Excavator. The elders felt as though they were trapped in a ringing ancient bell and struck with a sledgehammer. Soon, everyone had lost their footing as Qianyes kicks and punches felled them by the dozens. At the height of his excitement, countless red threads emerged around Qianye in a flash of sanguine light. Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing!? Song Zinings voice grew louder and louder. Qianye retracted the bloody threads and said in embarrassment, I got too excited. Its instinct, instincts I say! Hahahaha! Instincts my ass! Song Zining pointed at Qianye and roared, What do I do if you get too carried away? Only then did Qianye discover that the elders were rolling about on the ground like bottle gourds. Its fine, its fine, most of them are probably pretending. We can try stabbing them to see whos playing possum, and then beat them up again. Song Zining snorted. Too much trouble. Let it be since youve beaten everyone up, Ill take charge of breaking down the building. With that, he stomped a few times, causing the entire hall to shake with increasing vigor. In the blink of an eye, the structure collapsed with a loud rumble, burying all the elders in the rubble. Qianye and Song Zining were the first to rush out. Some elders eventually removed the debris pressing down on them and made their way out. Others started digging through the rubble to help their friends squeeze out. At this point, there was no way things could be settled with just words. Many of the elders threw caution to the wind, roaring, This insolent little thief! Youre really asking for the supreme elder to take care of you. Wheres Elder Lu? Why isnt he here? A nearby elder said in an awkward hush, Elder Lu is an external surname. So we didnt really invite him to our... negotiations. You understand. Oh The elder cleared his throat. Men, someones planning to assassinate the elders! Capture the assassins! His voice was full of character and backed with deep origin power, spreading through the courtyard in the blink of an eye. Many of the guests who were still here rushed over, numbering even more than the Song clans guards. Those who could live in the courtyard were guests of considerable status. The staff had been reminded time and again to remember their appearance and treat them with respect. Hence, no one dared to stop them as they rushed over. These knowledgeable guests immediately recognized Qianye and were left stupefied. Those who didnt know him asked around to confirm their guesses. They were enlightened after a round of whispers and began sizing him up like they would a rare treasure. A rash person said, What nerve A close friend nearby pulled him back. Careful, you cant touch him! The first man was shocked. Why? The second person replied with an aggrieved expression, You might not have seen him in action, but have you never heard of his accomplishments? Who under the divine champion rank can even hope to touch him? Youll be lucky if you get out of the fight alive! Besides, I heard hes related to many powerful characters. Sigh, youre usually quite smart. How come youre as dumb as those Song clan elders now? The first person replied, Thanks for the reminder! I dont know what came over me. Perhaps its because I increased my cultivation too fast and my realm is unstable? But rest assured, as dumb as I am, Im not dumb to that degree. Okay, lets stop talking and watch the show! Chapter 1112: Blood Relationship Almost all of the guests were surrounding the scene with similar attitudes. Some of the stronger and less patient people simply rose into the air to get a good view of all the miserable elders. They merely hovered at a moderate altitude, but it was hard to tell whether their carefree manner was a way of showing off or not. Almost all eyes fell upon Qianye since he was a legendary character now. His exploits in Indomitable were spoken of far and wide, so much so that even the upper echelons of the Empire started arguing about him. They felt that people should overlook Qianyes vampire identity since he had contributed greatly to the Empire and the human race. This viewpoint was rather popular. After all, no one knew Qianye was a vampire before, and he himself had never lost control. This was clearly different from infected or inherited vampires. The mixture of races in the neutral lands could perhaps explain why there was a human with a vampire bloodline. However, to never coexist with the dark races and to kill them on sight once they had stepped into the Empire was the founding ancestors rule. Such a law was difficult to change regardless of exceptions. Without this iron-clad rule acting as a deterrent, there might be many humans who would succumb to the allure of long life and power. Now that this living legend was before them, the crowd naturally wouldnt let go of this opportunity. The open-minded ladies could not take their eyes off him, wanting nothing more than to tie him with their gazes and play with him. In his anger regarding the capture of Nighteye, Qianye had suppressed Li Fengshui and killed his way out of Indomitable, ultimately leaving the Empire and destroying his future path. This might not have been wise in the eyes of many men, and Qianyes relationship with Nighteye was a mistake, to begin with. But some reconciliation and consideration would probably lead to a solutionthere was really no need for him to use such an extreme method. Even now, many of the nobility were feigning ignorance about him, proof that there was still a way back. His story was completely different in the eyes of young ladies. What they saw was Qianyes willingness to do anything for the one he loved. Now that they finally had a chance, they wanted to look at him to their hearts content. Not just that, many of the girls banded together to whisper and remark about Qianye, just as the men would evaluate entertainers. Not far in the distance, Song Hui, still in maid attire, muttered in disgust, Humph! A group of shameless women. Theyre not even pretending anymore! Despite their fury, the first thing those elders had to do was crawl out of the rubble and organize their appearance. They might be able to feign death against Qianye, but they couldnt quite do that in front of so many guests. Soon, the Song clan elders were back on their feet and patting themselves clean, and those under the rubble flew out. Apart from the former grand elder, who had collapsed from heavy injuries, the others were relatively fine. At least, they looked like they were fine. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances. The former said, Didnt I tell you wed gone too easy? I shouldnt have held back at thirty percent strength. Song Zining smiled awkwardly. His helpless expression gradually turned deep and indifferent. As traders, the Song clan elders knew how to observe and adapt to circumstances. They had long since heard Song Zining telling Qianye not to beat them to death. Since there was no danger to their life, wouldnt they be asking for a beating if they resisted in earnest? What could Qianye do if they simply lay down and played possum? Just as there were troublemakers in the market, there were Song clan elders among the nobility. Song Zining hated himself for not being able to see through peoples hearts. Among the three thousand great paths, he had chosen the most unique one that would bring him to the highest realm. He sought to temper all life to bring about a prosperous world, so blood relations didnt mean much to him anymore. The first elder to clamber up pointed at the guards and said furiously, Why are you in a daze? Capture the two culprits who ambushed the elder assembly! The guards had split off a group to send Song Zhongcheng to the infirmary. The remainder looked at one another, but none of them made a move. Their position might be low, but they still possessed common sense. It was clear to everyone who among these people had grieved the most at the duchess passing and who couldnt even wait forty-nine days to start dividing the clan. The guard leader stood there for a good while before laughing. Elder, isnt that the seventh young master? What young master? Hes no longer a member of the Song clan. Hes an outsider now. Capture him, are you deaf? This elder was one of those who had fallen to the ground before he was even punched, but rolling about on the ground didnt mean he had no temper. He roared hysterically and charged toward the guard captain. He wasnt about to charge over to capture Song Zining and Qianye himself, though. He didnt notice the odd expressions of the spectators as he vented his anger. Many were beginning to frown as they glanced between the elders and Song Zining, thinking about god knew what. Qianyes expression changed for the first time. I really want to start killing now. Just ignore me, I can fight my way out. Song Zining shook his head. No, its not worth it. That elder was livid when he heard these words. You vampire bastard, well tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces Ahhh! Qianyes figure flickered through a splash of blood as he chopped off the elders limbs. Overcome with great pain and terror, the old man rolled about screaming and eventually lost consciousness. Not a single elder stepped forward during the entire process. Song Zining scanned the entire scene but couldnt find Song Zhongnians shadow anywhere near or far. He couldnt even produce an expression of disappointment, only raging flames of anger. He said in a gloomy voice, There are no vampires here, Qianye is a human through and through. Slander is a punishable offense according to Imperial laws. If there were a vampire here, I dont think any of you would survive. This blatant threat was highly effective when coupled with the badly mangled body of the previous elder. With that, Song Zining smiled, saying, Since Im no longer a man of the Song clan, then allow me to kill someone! His figure flickered, producing afterimages of different postures, as he appeared behind a young man in the crowd. He tapped lightly on the mans forehead before returning to his original position. Song Zining said, Song Ziqi, you never thought youd fall to this fate when you leaked my movements to the Wolf King and caused my capture, did you? That young man was the betrayer Song Ziqi. Grasping his neck and gagging, he pointed at Song Zining but couldnt produce any words. An elder from Song Ziqis branch jumped out in fury. Song Zining, what did you do to him? Hes your cousin, how could you be so treacherous? Song Zining sneered. Did he think of me as a cousin back at the Totemic Castle? Song Ziqi, take care. The man gasped several times as falling leaves appeared around his head. He soon collapsed with a dismal expression, his life force entirely drained. Sudden silence. No one wouldve imagined the gentle and romantic Song Zining would attack his own relative! Only with Song Ziqis death and two elders of the Song clan disabled from injuries did everyone do away with their joking attitude. Their hearts were filled with fear and trepidation. Although Song Zining and Qianye looked quite handsome, they were unflinching when it came to killing. Song Zining glanced around and said, When I came back, I was still entertaining wild imaginations about our bloodline being strong enough to hold things together. Ive followed the army for many years and won countless battles, so why cant I use my strength to bring peace to our homeland? After a pause, he said self-deprecatingly, Supporting a building is easy, but guessing peoples minds is hard. If even blood relatives are acting like this, what can someone like me do? Im finally able to understand a bit of the old ancestors mood back then. What can I do with all this rubbish? Should I just slaughter the entire elder assembly? The elders faces turned green, but no one dared speak out loud. Song Zining had drawn first blood already, so there was little difference between killing one and a couple more. The Empire wouldnt help with internal affairs, and the clans allies could do nothing in such circumstances. A guest sighed emotionally. Those at the scene were mostly main branch representatives of their respective families. Seeing the state of the Song clan and how even Song Zining had no way to change the situation, those with ambitions felt greatly disappointed. Song Zinings voice echoed throughout the courtyard. I joined the Yellow Springs as a child and followed the army as a young adult. My journey took me only through battlefields, and whatever fame I have, was built upon the corpses of my enemies. So, if you think I dont dare kill people, think again. Song Ziqis corpse was still warm, so no one doubted Song Zinings claim. Song Zining stopped for a while before saying in an icy voice, Its fine if you dont consider me part of the clan. I only have one thing to say herethe Highland Song Clans businesses from the bloodline of the clan and the tens of thousands of mercenaries in its employwhoever dares to set their eyes on these assets, or buys them at a lower price, I will consider them a life-long enemy. Those who wish to devour the old ancestors blood and sweat should be prepared to be ruined. I have never held back in such matters. Such words, spoken by the Empires future strategist god, had a different ring to it. Many people wore complicated expressions; no one knew what they were thinking. Song Zining turned toward the elders. Ill tell you this one thing, be ready. Prince Greensuns envoy should be at the doors anytime soon. Chapter 1113: Reluctance The elders from the main branch still retained a bit of friendliness with Song Zining. One of them approached to ask, How come? There has been no news from his elderly grace up until now. This elder was over seventy years old and almost twenty years Zhang Boqians senior, yet he still referred to the latter as elderly grace. It truly made one wonder what Zhang Boqian would think if he heard this. However, Song Zining was already done talking about this. The people present today did not make up the entire elder assembly. Elders like Song Zhongxing never appeared, and many side-branches were never offered a seat to this meeting. Announcing this news was his last time making any effort. As for how the clansmen would respond, that wasnt his business anymore. Song Zining said indifferently, Im no longer a man of the Song clan, I shall not interfere. The elder was quite sharp. After a momentary daze, he was suddenly enlightened. So thats how it is! Prince Greensun wont make things difficult for us if the seventh young master becomes clan lord, just like when the old ancestor was alive! The guests here were all shaken. They had been staying in the Enlightenment Manor these days because their families and powers shared countless connections with the Song clan. Many of them had their own accounts to settle. They werent as slow or self-deceiving as the Song clan eldersas this was a topic they had paid the greatest attention to, they had heard rumors of Prince Greensuns stance and made their own judgments. With how the Song clan elders were planning to drive Song Zining away, they had one less serious case to worry about in the future. Despite that, they were filled with subtle emotions and couldnt even find it in themselves to rejoice in the Song clans misfortune. At this moment, most of the Song clan elders were exchanging nervous whispers, while the others were silent, gazing into the distance or lost in thought. Song Zining had already spoken his piece, so he paid no heed to the reactions. He turned to Qianye and said, Im done here, lets go grab a drink. We wont return without being drunk! With that alcohol tolerance of yours? Qianyes expression was disdainful. When have I been lacking in drinking power? Song Zining started ranting. Back in Yellow Springs Seeing that Qianye was about to dig up old wounds, Song Zining cut him short in due haste. He reached out to grab the former as though he were trying to crush him. The two laughed and joked as they left the scene, leaving trails of different origin power. People had never witnessed such a scene before. They were at a loss as to what it was, yet they also seemed to have sensed something. Finally, someone gasped. Thats Worldly Prosperity! Worldly Prosperity and Venus Dawn were among the three top daybreak origin powers. It was difficult to gauge the formers difference in power, but it was rarer and the requirements were extremely strict. One could even say that there was no sure path to great success. No one wouldve imagined that Song Zining had actually succeeded in cultivating Worldly Prosperity. It would seem his talents were even higher than people had expected and likely enough to become a heavenly monarch. As with all arts, the higher their level, the more dependent it was on ones temperament. Due to his nature, there had always been different opinions regarding his talents. With Worldly Prosperity on the table, however, no amount of obstructions could stop him from breaking through to the divine champion realm. He had always been better known for strategy, scheming, and divination. As long as he became a divine champion and took up the post of a duke, it was only natural for him to become clan lord. Even if Song Zining hadnt reached such a level now, it wouldnt be a problem for him to take up the position a couple of years earlier. Prince Greensuns stance actually reflected that of the upper echelons of the Empire who valued talented people. The first few years might be difficult, but as long as Song Zining kept up his progress in power, the high-ranking aristocratic families looking to become major clans would have to weigh their pros and cons. They would likely choose to share in the Song clans glory instead of replacing them since the number of major clans wasnt fixed. It was quite unbelievable that the Song clan elders would actually push such a genius out of the family. Many of the guests were already recalculating their alliance with the branches of the Song clan. After all, it was never a good thing if ones allies were too dumb. It wasnt impossible for them to tolerate them, but the Song clan would need to cough up more benefits. The guests of all classes thought of something else. Was the Song clan looking to downgrade themselves in order to protect their core interests and avoid danger? Now, this wasnt easy to comment on. It wasnt rare for a major clan to downgrade themselves, and there were even more that had chopped off the branches to preserve the trunk. Now there was something to think about was Song Zining the branch or the trunk? Song Zhongnian stood in front of the study window, watching the receding trails of origin power. He took half a step forward but stopped himself. The steward was anxious. Master, you wont make it if you dont chase after them now! Song Zhongnian fell into silent contemplation. Only after the two trails of origin power had vanished over the horizon did he say, The elder assembly was gravely wounded, and their prestige was damaged. But things arent completely out of control. Ill think about this carefully and try to salvage the situation. The old steward sighed since he couldnt keep insisting. It was at this time a flustered attendant rushed over. Clan Lord, things look bad! Supreme Elder Lu has left, only leaving a letter for you. We couldnt dissuade him at all! Song Zhongnians expression shifted drastically. He saw a single sentence when he opened the letter. Clinging to power amidst the foul turmoil. Song Zhongnian snorted angrily. This supreme elder would usually be absent from the assembly, and that was fine, but he had never made an appearance during the recent chaos. Otherwise, with his support, Song Zhongnian wouldnt be so cornered. Now, Elder Lu had actually left after Song Zinings rampage, leaving only a letter of discontent for Song Zhongnian. The clan lord said, Whats with the panic, dont we have another supreme elder? Elder Lu left during a time of crisis, ignoring the safety of our Song clan. Such a person isnt worth retaining. It would seem we have revered the wrong person all these years. The subordinates didnt dare reply. Elder Lu had never asked for much despite his honored position, and he didnt take anything during his departure. The Song clan had merely paid for his food and daily expensesthere was really no reverence to speak of. Song Zhongnian calmed himself down and said, Dispatch people to help the elders. Make sure to treat their injuries, understand? Yes, Clan Lord! The attendant and steward left to execute their orders. Song Zhongnian finally found some peace and quiet to calculate his wins and losses in silence. At this moment, an airship flew across the skies in the distance. Song Zhongnian was momentarily stunned when he realized that it was Song Zinings vessel, flying higher and higher until it had vanished over the horizon. The clan lord sighed deeply, but his legs never moved. Using an airship meant that they were leaving the province, or even the Qin Continent itself. Even if he wanted to give chase, it was already too late now. On the airship, Song Zining and Qianye were seated across one another. Qianye was rather calm, but the former looked somewhat dispirited, merely swirling his wine about without drinking it. Do you still want the clan lord position? Song Zining laughed wryly. Whats there to covet? Not to mention those elders, even my grandpa doesnt want that position. Whats the use of a junior trying to upset the situation if the clan lord doesnt even appear? I must say, your clan elders are truly worthy of admiration. No wonder the old ancestor wanted to pass the inheritance to the younger generation when she was alive. Song Zining sighed. Did you notice something different about our clan? There are only people from my grandpas generation at the elder assembly. Apart from the side branch positions like Uncle Song Tu, there are no other middle-aged people. Even Song Zicheng was just there to observe the discussions as his grandpas successor. Passing the position to the younger generation isnt going to be as easy as you think. Qianye frowned. These people are greedy for powerful positions with little work, isnt anyone looking to make changes to the system? Everything in the Song clan is decided by the assembly. Everyone gets a vote regardless of status, and even the clan lord only gets a set number of vetoes each year. The main lines of descent take up eighty percent of the assembly and the branch families, twenty. Those are the rules. That was indeed different from the other clan assemblies where the clan lord would make the decisions and other departments would execute them. The frequency with which the Song clans elder assembly convened and the triviality of what they discussed was fairly rare in other clans. Take the bloody battle, for example, the deployment of troops and the expansion of private armies were commonly discussed on a public scale. There was no shortage of partisans and people seeking personal interests, but the clan lord held the right to make the final decisions. Otherwise, Zhao Jundu could forget about heading into the Iron Curtain back in the year. Qianye was curious. Wouldnt this mean two Song clan elders have more weightage than a single divine champion? Song Zinings mood was quite low at first, but he broke into a laugh after hearing this. Yes, everyone has equal voting weightage. He sighed. The root of this problem came from the fact that our direct bloodline had difficulty producing descendants. They just wanted to retain the inherited clan lord status. Qianye was stunned, but he made no comment. Under such restrictions, the branch families voices would be limited to their seats even if they were able to attend clan meetings. Meanwhile, the direct lines would fill their available seats with unworthy candidates. After tasting power, these people were no longer willing to give up their status, even to their family members. Most of the branch families would split off, and those in the direct line without a seat at the assembly would find their own way out. Those who felt that there werent enough seats would usually seek private dealings outside. These alliances of profit were made using the Song clans name but served as little more than pretty decorations. Changing the governing structure meant destroying their source of income? Song Zining lowered his head. A lot of people would need to be killed to change the system. Are they that fearless? Didnt seem like it to me. Theyre accustomed to the money and position. Quite a few have lost their lives for benefits. Song Zining glanced at his hands with a chuckle. Im not afraid of staining my hands with blood, but a certain someone is extremely afraid. Then will you watch as they destroy the Song clan? Ive already said my piece. Although there are people willing to take a desperate risk, quite a few will also give me some face. With less outside plunderers, the clan will probably be able to retain about sixty percent of its assets. The Song will surely fall to the ranks of an aristocratic family after Prince Greensuns attack. I just hope the next clan lord will know shame and reorganize the clan well. The next clan lord? Who? Qianye couldnt see which talented person could bring the Song clan out of its dangerous situation. There will be someone. Song Zinings voice was gloomy. Throughout the Empires thousand-year history, the rise and fall of nobility is as common as the sun rising and setting. In some cases, branch families will be uprooted to make sure the main trunk produces new sprouts. In others, the main trunk would be cut off while the branch families take root and find new life. It would seem Song Zining didnt have high hopes for the Song clans future. Qianye asked with a heavy heart, What will you do from now on? At the mention of this, Song Zining stretched lazily and said, Me? Ill go to the neutral lands, of course, and run our territory. By the time I finish reorganizing Dark Flame and produce our own fleet of airships, we can claim our own land on the Fort Continent and expand slowly. Fort Continent was somewhat similar to Evernight Continent. Its location was remote, its resources scarce, and the landscape complicated. Moreover, it was frequently ravaged by natural disasters. The land was attractive for neither the Empire nor Evernight. No faction was willing to invest too many troops there, but they were also unwilling to give up. As such, the Empire had been supporting the smaller human nations here in half-secrecy. Evernight tribes that had been exiled or fallen from power would go there to find some living space. Comparatively, the environment on the Fort Continent wasnt as harsh as the neutral lands. Ordinary people could still survive there, albeit with a shorter life span. Apparently, Song Zining was planning to crown himself there. The Fort Continent? Isnt the neutral lands good enough? We still have the Northern Continent as well. Song Zining shook his head. The neutral lands is too cruel, and the Northern Continent isnt suitable for ordinary people, either. In order to prosper, its also important to have a large number of ordinary people to serve as a foundation. Most importantly, the neutral lands has the Throne of Blood overseeing it, while the Fort Continent only has a supreme divine champion. It was only natural that the Heavenly Monarchs and Great Dark Monarchs didnt think highly of the Fort Continent. They probably wouldnt mind if someone took up half the continent as long as the bigger picture wasnt affected. Expanding too fast in the neutral lands, though, would attract the interference of the Throne of Blood. Even Zhang Buzhou, who claimed he wasnt afraid of the throne, didnt hold that much land. Qianye knew Song Zining was proficient in strategy. Fine, do it your way then. At this point, the airship had already left the Qin Continent and was on its way to the neutral lands. Stop for a bit around the edges of the Eastern Sea, Qianye said all of a sudden. Why? I want to go see Nighteye. Song Zining nodded. I see, you might as well. Why don''t we head to Southern Blue first? Ill get off there and you can go see her. Wont that be out of the way? Qianye found it odd. Song Zinings expression was somewhat unnatural. Umm its fine. I have some urgent business in Southern blue. Even Qianye could see that he was making up excuses. Song Zining replied, She wont want to see me, and its best I dont see her. Why would she not want to see you? Qianye found the situation odd. Their relationship was quite good back in the year. It wouldnt have been easy for Qianye and Nighteye to leave Evernight if it wasnt for his planning. Song Zining said, I was against you continuing your relationship with her. Qianye understood after a momentary daze. How did she know? Song Zining shook his head. Shes extremely powerful now. Shell probably know. Qianye was still a bit puzzled, but Song Zining was adamant about not meeting Nighteye. However, circling over to Southern Blue wasnt practicalthe airship didnt have that much fuel left, and there were no supply bases nearby. Besides, Qianye had claimed the title of Tidehark city lord from Zhang Buzhou, so there was no telling if there would be any trouble when landing in an unfamiliar city. In the end, he decided to park the airship at a distance and head over to see Nighteye alone. Song Zining seemed to have remembered something as the Eastern Sea came into view. Why are you meeting her this time? Qianye said after a moment of silence, I just wanted to see her. Song Zining nodded. The airship arrived at the Eastern Sea and landed in a distant area. Song Zining saw Qianye off the airship and said, Ill be waiting here, come back quickly. For some reason, Qianye felt that Song Zining was acting odd. However, he didnt ask too many questions since the latters mood might not have recovered yet after the debacle at the Song clan. Chapter 1114: Final Meeting Various scenes appeared around Song Ziningcities, streets, as well as buildings filled with nobles and commoners alike. There were also countless leaves weaving tightly into a curtain, almost like the coming of autumn. His expression was indescribable, almost as though he were fading into a magnificent landscape. A winding sanguine thread appeared in the distance and slashed down at Song Zining from above! The moment this thread of blood appeared, the grandiose visions around Song Zining were wrecked by natural disasters. The earth quaked, the sky collapsed, and people were running for their lives. Countless floating leaves gathered in one direction to block the advance of this sanguine wire. However, the thread snaked forward and cut the countless leaves in its wake into two. It was as though someone had descended upon this ethereal world, mercilessly killing their way through all the defensive lines. The leaves did naught but delay the sanguine thread, which passed through the city and whipped down again! Qianye could no longer make it. He activated Spatial Flash in his urgency but barely made it past the ethereal city. Seeing that the tip of the sanguine thread was still dozens of meters ahead, Qianye clenched his jaws and grabbed the string! Despite his powerful physique, the sanguine thread cut right through his flesh and dug deep into it, producing a gush of flowing blood. Fortunately, dark golden runes appeared on his bones, and this stopped the thread from going any deeper. Otherwise, Qianyes palm wouldve been cut in half. The sanguine thread was both heavy and sturdy in his hand, almost like holding a heavy weapon. Not to mention cutting it, it wasnt even certain if he could tug at it. Qianye braced himself as he began pulling on the thread amidst an eruption of blood energy, not caring whether the string would cut his hand. With the thread pulled back, the lash aimed at Song Zining missed its mark. Nighteye! Qianye roared. How could he not have sensed that this thread came from Nighteye? The blood-colored thread arrived instantly from a thousand meters away, slashing through all the projected images as though they were tangible. It would seem she was even more powerful now. Perhaps she had awakened further or maybe it was the effects of that Marine Lotus. The sanguineous thread slowly retreated after the momentary deadlock, and Nighteyes snort echoed in the air. Having narrowly escaped death, Song Zining was pale and drenched in cold sweat. Qianyes hand was still bleeding. Nighteyes blood energy was powerful, profound, and possessed a suppressive intent. Even his powers of recovery couldnt close the wound. Nighteyes voice finally arrived from a distance. Come. What about him? Qianye asked in a gloomy voice. Count him lucky. Relieved, Qianye shot Song Zining a glance, hinting that he should leave as quickly as possible. He never saw Nighteyes figure along the way. Gazing at the vast emptiness around him, Qianyes heart was filled with bleakness and misery until Nighteyes warship appeared before him. Jareds stone house was empty, and it was unknown where he had gone. Qianyes body jolted as he continued walking toward the warship, and he stood there gazing to his front. Atop the warship was a figure that had been forever etched into his heart. Nighteye didnt avoid seeing him this time, and it seemed she wanted to talk to him face to face. Qianye didnt know whether this change was good or bad, but the chill at the bottom of his heart grew denser. Qianye inhaled deeply to calm himself. He then arrived behind Nighteye with a leap and followed her line of vision. There was a terrifying void tempest slowly forming in front of Nighteye. The space nearby was filled with rolling darkness, blocking the distant scenery from view. Glimpses of the actual void could be seen occasionally through the darkness, in which countless spatial rifts were weaving together. The space here was so weak that the void tempest was able to tear it at will. Fortunately, this type of void tempest would, by nature, rise up once formed. It would either pierce through the protective barrier of the continent and return to the void, or gradually weaken and disappear. It would be a true disaster if the tempest were to hit the ground during the early phases of its formation. Qianye moved his gaze to the warship below. The void tempest was indeed powerful, but this duke-grade warship should be able to withstand it. Besides, it wasnt impossible for someone of Nighteyes ability to traverse the void tempest alone. Wheres Zhuji? Nighteye was the first to speak. I had to travel to the Song clan and might have to fight, so I left her sleeping in the Martyrs Palace. Traveling alone into the heart of the Empire, are you just brave or are you purely unafraid of death? Nighteyes words contained some mockery, which Qianye duly noticed. Not knowing how to respond, he said with a wry smile, I had to go Oh, had to go? Have you helped Song Zining obtain the clan lord position? ... No. Nighteye finally turned around and looked him in the eye. Did you really think theres no one in the Empire who can kill you, or do you feel safe because you know certain people will protect you? This question was baffling for Qianye. Certain people will protect me? The Zhao clan? Thinking about it, the greatest possibility was the Zhao clan. However, the war on the void continent was at its most critical phase. The clan had mobilized in full force, and most of its important characters had left the Empire mainland. Who would come to save him? Qianye had never relied on the Zhao clan to save him, but no other party came to mind. Youre acquainted with more than just the Zhao clan. Qianye was startled. He did have a couple of friends among the younger generation of the Empire, but it didnt seem like they could influence their clans decisions. The Far East Wei clan wasnt powerful enough. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing might have their methods, but Qianye didnt feel that his relationship with them had reached such a degree. Since Nighteye was asking this repeatedly, Qianye replied in due seriousness, With the Shot of Inception and Spatial Flash, I feel that I can easily do a hit and run. No one under the divine champion level can stop me. Even if a divine champion comes, at most, theyll force me into a corner and things will end in mutual destruction. The Empires divine champions enjoy great status and power; theyre busy either ruling their lands or on important missions. I dont think anyone will risk their life against me. So, I can still escape even if worse comes to worst. The Martyrs Palace was waiting in the void, they cant stop me unless they mobilize a big fleet. Qianye explained things so earnestly, but Nighteye remained indifferent. I have no idea if youre really ignorant or youre pretending. But thats not important since it has nothing to do with me anymore. W-What do you mean? The chill in Qianyes heart intensified. Nighteyes words seemed even more distant now. Why arent you asking why I wanted to kill Song Zining? Qianye replied, You didnt. If you really wanted to kill him, both my hand and his life would be gone. As for the reason is it because he wanted to push us apart? Nighteye laughed coldly. Have we ever been together since my awakening? No, but Ive always believed it''ll happen sooner or later. Give me some time to help you get to the Sacred Mountain. The coldness in her eyes finally melted a bit. Youve done well-enough already. I know the promise you gave me wasnt just empty words. In terms of growth, no one did better than you. With enough time, perhaps perhaps you might be able to accompany me to the Sacred Mountain. Qianye gazed silently at Nighteye, afraid that she would finish her sentence. But since the exchange had reached this point, it made little difference whether or not she made a complete announcement. At the thought of how her attitude had changed all of a sudden, Qianye asked, Is your decision related to Song Zining? Somewhat, but thats not the entire reason. Do you remember that Marine Lotus you gave me? It allowed me to awaken completely and regain all of my memories. This isnt a good thing for you because the Nighteye from back then, all of our past, is now like a dream to me. Now Ive woken up. The Marine Lotus Qianye sighed. I couldnt stop myself from giving it to you after I got it. Nighteye said, I know. Thats why I say youre dumb. Qianye forced a smile. What did Zining do? Can you tell me? Its in the past now, and things can no longer be changed. You really dont need to know, but if you must have answers, then ask the man himself. However, the answer wont be a happy one. Qianyes expression was somewhat bitter. I still want to know what separated us. Time. Time? Yes, time. This reason was both understandable and puzzling. Of all the answers, this was perhaps the only one that couldnt be remedied by trying harder. After a long period of silence, Qianye said, You do know that I cant go any faster. At present, I can break through to a vampire duke in a short time, but I wont be able to make any progress after that. And dukes are just pebbles at the base of the Sacred Mountain. Thats why I said I needed time, I dont think Ill make you wait very long. Currently, there are only a handful of people from my generation that I cant defeat, even if we count the Demoness in. Is that not enough? Doesnt that give you enough assurance to wait for me? Qianyes tone was calm, but the slight tremble in his voice gave away his emotions. Nighteye glanced at him and sighed. Its enough under normal circumstances, but now that Ive awakened entirely, we cant use normal to measure the circumstances. The time is nigh and I cant wait any longer. What time? Nighteye hesitated for a good while. Time for the new world to open, and the arrival of a new era. New world? Qianye had never heard about this new world. Its normal that you wouldnt know. This information is only circulated among a handful of people in the upper echelons. What does the new era have to do with us? Qianyes voice grew higher. He had decided not to hide his worries anymore. It has nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with me. It is an undeniable calling to all of us. Those who step through the gateway to the new world will become a different person. Even I have no idea what exactly will happen. Just like Just like my awakening. Qianye found it difficult to understand, but he finally saw Nighteyes deeply hidden worries and pain. He took a step forward and stood in front of her, saying, Can you not go? No. Nighteyes reply was clear and concise. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on his chest, feeling the beating of his blood core. Thats why you should leave. I must leave too. From now on, well never see each other again. As though doused in a bucket of ice water, the cold caused Qianyes body to stiffen, so much so that he couldnt even say farewell. Everything that had happened in the past appeared one after the other in his eyes. Qianyes emotions were frozen, and his heart was sealed in ice. When he looked up again, the snowstorm, cliffs, and void tempests were no longer in front of himhe had already left the edge of the continent. And he had no idea how he had walked out. Chapter 1115: Show of Cards Qianye walked forward as though he were treading through the endless plains of time. There was no future, no past. His existence, in and of itself, was cold and meaningless. A pat on his shoulder woke Qianye from his reverie. It wasnt easy to approach people at his level of awareness. Without even thinking, he immediately swung his elbow back out of reflex. The person behind him was also prepared. He raised his arm to block the incoming attack but was still sent flying from the impact. This attack involved a clash of origin powers, but the explosion wasnt as loud as one would expect. Qianye felt wave after wave of transforming origin power strike him, cutting up his own energy with each transformation. Although Qianyes origin power was so pure that it couldnt be dissolved, its power was greatly reduced after being split up. It was just that Qianyes attack contained his own surging strength in addition to origin power. How could the person behind withstand such an attack? He was sent flying despite his intricate use of origin power. Qianye immediately realized something was wrong when he noticed the complicated manipulation of origin power, and he quickly held back the follow-up attacks. This was the first time he had encountered Worldly Prosperity in person. It was indeed a wondrous power made by the heavens. He turned back with a sigh. Whats the matter? Why didnt you call out to me? Are you hurt? With a wry smile, Song Zining drifted back to the ground in three steps. I called your name several times, but you didnt respond. Im okay. Ill have to quit my line of work if Im so easily injured. But damn, you really dont hold back! Qianye replied, It wasnt intentional. Song Zining shook his head. I was going to ask what happened between you two, but I dont think I need to anymore after seeing you in this state. Qianye revealed a bitter smile. Yes, theres no need. There are some things I dont understand. What dont you understand? I might be able to help you analyze the situation. Qianye decided not to leave. He looked around for a place to sit and recounted his last conversation with Nighteye. I dont understand what this new world is, and what it has to do with our relationship. Song Zining also sat down. I understand now, its time. She said the reason is time, right? Qianye nodded. Qianye listened quietly. Song Zining said, Shes always talked about returning to the Sacred Mountain. If this new world does hide the legendary secrets of the darkness grand origin and the River of Blood, it might be the key to restoring her full strength. You dont currently have the power to interfere in this endeavor, and thats what she meant by time. You were born ten years too late. After finally realizing the reason, Qianye felt even more bitter instead of feeling relieved. Compared to fruitless efforts, the lack of an opportunity was even more sorrowful. Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulders lightly. Its not entirely hopeless though." Ah, how so? Qianye became spirited. Although we dont know how the seats are replaced on the Sacred Mountain, those holding the position are all top characters of each race. Its natural to assume that a candidate would need a mighty force in addition to personal strength, in order to ascend the mountain. Do you remember why I arrived in the neutral lands to help you rebuild Dark Flame and even construct a fleet? Its to build a neutral force that belongs to us, one that can stand between the Empire and Evernight. We might be of some help to her if our force has developed to a certain degree, or if we manage to build a country by the time she returns from the new world. What will we do if she returns quickly? Qianye became quite worrisome. Song Zining said, How can developing a new world be so fast? It would be even harder to obtain the secrets of the River of Blood. The dark races are considered long-lived creatures. She might not be done yet by the time were strong enough to enter the new world. Qianyes mood was boosted ever so slightly. Then what should I do now? Of course we should try hard! Do you need me to teach you? Fighting spirit slowly manifested in Qianyes chest, and his cold world became much warmer in comparison. Yes, what was the use of complaining if she had always been there on the indiscernible horizon? That was her world, to begin with. What he had to do was try hard to reach the top and stand by her side, not drag her down into the dust with him. With his hope kindled, Qianyes frozen emotions came back to life and that was when he remembered something. He dragged Song Zining over and, looking him in the eye, asked word by word, Spit it out. What did you do to make her try to kill you? Song Zining chuckled. Shes so powerful, what can I even do to her? His laugh was evidently guilty, and Qianye wasnt about to let him off so easily. He lifted Song Zining off the ground with a cold laugh and shook him about. The way he shook the seventh young master was well-plannedevery rise and fall was akin to the tides and contained a reverberating force. Torrential waves of power slammed into Song Zining until he was dizzy and close to throwing up whatever he had eaten the day before. This move made use of the Profound Combatant Formulas vortex power. Qianyes skilled control kept the damage to a minimum, but the vast energy wasnt reduced in the slightest. Even a champion would feel extremely uncomfortable when swept into the void, fairly similar to what Song Zining was feeling right now. Song Zining realized something was wrong the moment the torrential power rose up. He flailed his arms about, shouting, Let Let go of me Qianye pretended not to hear. Apparently, he wasnt going to let him down until the seventh young master promised to spit out the truth. Stop! Ill talk, Ill talk! Qianye let him down with a couple of rough shakes. Song Zining retched as soon as his foot hit the ground, and it took a good while for the pale young man to recover. He patted his chest in anger, saying, Qianye, this is torture! Are we still brothers or not? How else do I make you talk? Song Zining said furiously, Fine, so thats how you treat me. Do you want to shake ten more minutes? Qianye was expressionless. Song Zining stared at him for a good while. Finally realizing that the other party was serious, he said, Qianye, were brothers. Whatever I do is for your own good. Otherwise, there was no need for me to bring Ningyuan Heavy Industries here to build airships. Everything Id accumulated throughout the years is in Ningyuan. Qianye was touched, his heart filled with complicated emotions. Song Zining said solemnly, There are some things I dont want to tell you, and you dont want to know them. Trust me and dont ask. Do as I told you just now and you might have a small chance. If you must follow through to the end, then just kill me and take Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Qianye was startled because he hadnt imagined Song Zining would actually say such things. He stared at the unfamiliar expression on that familiar face. Perhaps it wasnt really that unfamiliarthis was the seventh young master who had removed the mask of nobility, that Song Zining from Yellow Springs. Qianye remembered many things from the past. He and Song Zining were two completely different people who had partnered up in Yellow Springs. After drawing lots during the first examinationperhaps out of tacit understanding or otherwiseboth of them had chosen to forfeit the points gained from killing their partner. Instead, they chose to walk on the blades edge and held out until the last minute, scoring countless kills to compensate for their choice. From then on, they had walked while supporting one another. Even when Qianye was tormented by blood poison and at risk of turning into an animal, he trusted Song Zining the mosta brother he could trust with his life. Who wouldve thought they would lay their cards on the table in such a manner. Qianye exhaled gently. Should I believe you? You decide. Song Zining closed his eyes, ready to be slaughtered. Qianye remained silent for a while before laughing ruefully. If I dont trust you let it be. I wont ask anymore. From now on, I You will fight for yourself! Song Zining said resolutely. Lets go back to Southern Blue. The duo boarded the airship back to Southern Blue, no longer touching the previous subject. Along the way, Qianye gave Song Zining a rundown of developments in the city. Song Zining found it surprisingly funny. You actually took up the title of city lord. What should I do with you? I dont fear the Wolf King, nor anyone else Zhang Buzhou can dispatch. I made him admit my title so that he will renege one day. Song Zining was surprised. You want to shake his reputation? Your ambitions arent small. Ambitions? Seeing that Qianye was puzzled, Song Zining said, Whats the use of attacking his reputation if you dont want to replace him? Thinking back to that elbow strike from just now, Song Zining finally realized something. Your combat strength has increased again? My cultivation is still the same, Qianye spoke the truth. Nonsense, try punching me. Qianye hesitated for a bit before gathering force to throw a punch at Song Zining. Song Zining was shocked. He actually found, in that punch, the evolution of the universe and an intent similar to Worldly Prosperity! Just touching upon this knowledge brought about a new world and set it apart from every other martial path. Is this the dao? Song Zining muttered to himself. He raised his hand midway but fell into deep thought and forgot to block. Shocked, Qianye stopped his attack urgently. But how could it be easy to stop the evolution of the universe? Even he himself couldnt quite control the attack when utilizing the intent on the Book of Darkness. An unadorned, primal force smashed into Song Zining. Song Zining was flung away like a cut-off kite, spraying blood in the air. The blood produced a strange phenomenon as the sanguine beads permeated in every direction. He had used this mouthful of blood to divide the origin power entering his body and expel the invasive energy. This was a wondrous ability afforded by Worldly Prosperity, allowing the user to turn a lethal blow into heavy injury, or a heavy injury into a light injury. One could consider this a defensive concept. At his current realm, Song Zinings body was finally no longer weak. Are you alright? Qianye tried to grab Song Zining with a wisp of origin power. However, Song Zinings body divided, stored, and sprayed out the incoming energy as blood. Chapter 1116: Impatient for Action Theres such a thing? Qianye was puzzled. It was common knowledge that even two origin powers of daybreak-attribute could reject one another, unless it was an art like the Yin familys Nurturing Rain Art which needed to be cultivated to a high level to heal someone else. Qianye merely wanted to dissolve the origin power he had shot out. Both parties had no intention to do battle, but who wouldve expected that Song Zining couldnt even be touched? Song Zining said, Enough with this topic. Turns out youve already progressed to such a level, no wonder youre confident. And what realm is this? Song Zining glared at him. Thats a level most divine champions can only dream of! Only superior divine champions would be able to comprehend it. I dont feel anything too powerful about it, Qianye spoke truthfully. Song Zining was so angry that he broke out into a laugh. If its not powerful, how did it make me cough up blood twice? Qianye only chuckled but didnt continue with this topic. He wasnt dumb enough to say bluntly that Song Zinings body was still weak. Besides, he was the one to blame since he couldnt control his attack power. Song Zining rolled his eyes at Qianye and then said with a serious expression, Qianye, youre already on the path, and your future has no obstructions. Just keep walking forward! Of the things Ive done, Ive never withheld the information that you should know. As for the others, dont ask and dont investigate. Remember what I said! It felt as though an invisible hand had dragged Qianyes heart down. He looked up at Song Zining, who stared back at him with calm, deep eyes. Moments later, Qianye reached out to pat Song Zinings shoulder. Fine. The airship flew all the way to Southern Blue. The city was once again busy and thriving as the big merchant groups poured resources and craftsmen in, converting them into airship equipment, walls, and important components. By the time Southern Blues system began to operate, many of the merchant managers realized that Song Zinings arrangements were extremely efficient. Each product would be sent to the next factory as soon as it was produced and become a component for the next product. The entire workshop area was holistically designed, and no single workshop needed to travel too far to get to the other. The unexpected efficiency of the system allowed the merchant groups to better smell the potential gold coins involved in this business. Good efficiency meant lower costs and higher profits. It also indicated a greater number of products, which also meant higher profits. There would never be enough airships that could adapt to the environment of the neutral lands. If they started accepting orders now, they might have a centurys worth of backlog with their current capacity. And there was no way to work around it. The warships designed by Ningyuan Heavy Industries were on par with the empires current warships and way ahead of the vessels employed in the neutral lands. However, they were also extremely heavy, and not many locally produced engines were strong enough to operate them. If Song Zining were to stop providing engines, this fleet would turn into a group of turtle shells. Having sufficiently learned that Song Zining was irreplaceable, the merchant groups no longer fostered any thoughts they shouldnt have and fell obediently in place within the system. At the very least, this business was much better paying than all the other fields they had dabbled in. Naturally, some people werent willing to give up on swallowing Southern Blue. Of course, this would involve fighting power instead of just words. They set their sights on Qianye because he was an unavoidable roadblock for them. The latters accomplishments in battle were almost unbelievable, but his rank on paper was only sixteen. No one knew his vampire rank because of his Bloodline Concealment. People still felt that they could get lucky because he was still not a divine champion. Qianye understood that people considered him a breakthrough point and that Zhang Buzhou would arrive to seek revenge sooner or later. Everything was just a matter of time. Just from how he had handled the matter of Qianyes appointment to Tidehark, one could see that the heavenly monarch had taken this to heart. Once Qianye was in trouble, Zhang Buzhou would swoop down and tear him to pieces. However, Qianye performed his daily patrols without fear or avoidance. He even stuck to his usual routine. The message couldnt be clearer. He was welcoming anyone who wanted to attempt an assassination. This actually intimidated people. They thought Qianye had laid out an ambush and was waiting for them to take the bait. Who was going to walk into such an obvious trap? No one really believed that Qianye was just alone, that he had made no special arrangements. Half a month went by in a flash. Qianye would patrol the city at dawn and cultivate constantly during his free time. As Qianye continuously absorbed void origin power, the skies above the Dark Flame headquarters were covered in swirling black clouds which formed a massive vortex. This phenomenon would only clear away at dawn. There was no way those who were watching would miss this. They knew that it was caused by a cultivating expert, and only outstanding divine champions could change heaven and earth like so. This served to confirm everyones doubts. They felt that there was a hidden expert in the headquarters, and that Qianye was serving as bait to draw the snakes out. As the schemers became ever more cautious, the situation as a whole became more peaceful. Qianye, however, couldnt wait that long, and the peacefulness actually made him long for action. The words Nighteye had spoken before her departure lingered in his heart. At times, he couldnt help but want to take bigger risks out of desperation. But the Profound Combatant Formula and the Song Clan Ancient Scroll were already the best cultivation arts. How was he to raise his speed? Drawing blood to improve his vampire-side cultivation would hasten things, but the disadvantages were also evident. The absorbed essence blood would contain a fair amount of impurities that would slowly accumulate and taint his bloodline, causing a drop in quality. This shortcut was prevalent among the vampire race because most of them already knew their lifetimes progress at birth. With enough control, they could keep the contamination at a level where they wouldnt drop ranks. In the Evernight world where conflict was a daily thing, it wasnt such a bad deal to pay a small price for quick power. This method would no longer be effective after reaching its upper limit. This meant that he had to cultivate steadily without rushing. For an entire half-month, the heavenly monarchs manor made no movement, and neither did the Wolf King. It was as though nothing had actually happened. Qianye wasnt accustomed to such peacewas he supposed to be guarded for ten years if Zhang Buzhou made no move for ten years? Although Qianye was never lacking in patience, waiting like that wasnt his style. Having come to a decision, he walked out of the cultivation chamber and asked an attendant to prepare the most powerful bike they had. Sire, where do you plan to go? Just asking so that I can tell Sire Zining if he asks, the attendant asked. Tidehark. Tidehark? Qianye smiled. Im the city lord, so I should report in for duty. The attendant was shocked, but he didnt dare say anything. He merely left in a hurry and returned with a flashy motorbike. This vehicle was over a ton in weight, not something ordinary people could even operate. This product was a gift the major merchant groups had presented to Zhang Xuance during his short stay in Southern Blue. Now, it had naturally fallen into Dark Flames hands. Qianye hopped onto the bike and left, leaving a trail of dust and the thunderous roar of its engine. The attendant ran across half the city before finding Song Zining in a workshop. Song Zining waved his hand after hearing the news. I knew that fellow wouldnt be able to sit still. He fished out some divination tokens and calculated the fate of Qianyes skirmish. The pieces had just left his hand when all of his hair stood on end! He caught all the tokens at lightning speed and closed his eyes to rest, almost as though he were in a state of suspended animation. Moments later, the invisible thunderbolt roaming above his head gradually faded away. Song Zining stood up and wiped the sweat off his brows. He glanced at the tokens and found that two of them were slightly cracked. If he had reacted any slower than he did, he wouldve been struck by a backlash of unimaginable severity. In short, it wasnt a damage the seventh young master could take. Song Zining shook his head with a wry smile. Qianye had already parted with Nighteye, so the divination threads shouldve weakened a bit. Who wouldve thought they had grown even stronger? Although he had pulled back swiftly, Song Zining couldnt help but feel apprehensive. What was the reason behind this? What major character had Qianye gotten involved with? Or was there a different reason? After some thought, Song Zining still didnt want to give up. He didnt dare to calculate directly, but it was fine to glance at the general situation. Moments later, he opened his eyes from meditation and rubbed his temples. Song Zining was rendered speechless by what he had seen just now. The heavenly mysteries were in chaos, with countless invasive star trajectories. It was akin to a ball of yarn full of stuck needles. It would seem more powerful entities had become involved. No one knew how many pairs of eyes were paying attention to him from above the nine heavens. Trying to divine Qianyes fate was like trying to steal from a market during the daytime. It would be weird if he wasnt discovered. After some thought, Song Zining smiled. Thats not so bad, either. Those trying to scheme against him will surely suffer. Chapter 1117: Killing The ten tokens fell into a jade bowl, where they bounced about like pearls before finally calming down. The old man glanced at the tokens while calculating with his fingers. Just as the tokens came into clear view, his entire body trembled and an expression of terror filled his face. The man got up to flee but fell down with a muffled groan, his face pale as he sprayed blood all over the jade bowl and tokens. The first mouthful of blood made way for waves of hemorrhage that couldnt be stopped. He tried to cover his mouth in vain as his aura rapidly declined. The hemp clothed elder didnt lose hope, however. He struggled up, dipped his finger in the blood, and started writing several big characters on the ground. However, his trembling hands could only produce blurry distortions before he collapsed, never to move again. The attendant outside the door called out several times. Hearing no response, he knocked again hesitantly. He became rather concerned about the lack of reaction, so after some hesitation, he pushed the door open. The screaming man fell on his butt and, soon afterward, fled for dear life. Moments later, a serious-looking man in his middle ages walked over in brisk steps. The attendant had to sprint frantically just to keep up. As the middle-aged man pushed open the door to the isolated room, his expression became extremely ugly. The attendant followed from behind, gasping and panting. He was in this state when I realized that something was wrong and pushed open the door. I ran over to report to you without the slightest delay. The middle-aged man arrived beside the body of the old man. There, he reached out to test the elders breathing, then touched his ear and heart areas. Standing up with a gloomy face, the middle-aged man followed the victims fingers to the blood letters. Success is in sight, but like a soaring snake exiting The middle-aged man read softly. The words after that had merged into a mass of blood. After a good while of reading, he said angrily, Still writing nonsense on the verge of death! The old man mightve been able to leave some valuable information if he didnt beat around the bush. The middle-aged man asked the attendant to bring pen and paper, with which he traced the messy blood letter onto the paper. He then turned and left. The attendant asked, Sire, what do we do with Sire Huangfus corpse? Bury him, the middle-aged man said before he was gone with the wind. Roaring like a dragon, a motorbike crossed the vast wilderness as it headed toward Tidehark. This custom-made vehicle was quite outstandingits massive frame was enough to store a good amount of black crystals, allowing it to travel all the way from Southern Blue to Tidehark. Hidden in a cloud of rolling dust, the motorbike rumbled with the momentum of descending thunder. It was actually charging over like a frontline combat vehicle! The sentries on the wall became tense upon seeing this uninvited guest and sent a signal to their comrades on the ground. The guards in charge of the city-wall segment moved into action. The machine gunners and assistants turned their muzzles in Qianyes direction, which he duly ignored as he drove into firing range. Tires screeching, the vehicle spun about twice and slid forward before coming to a stop just short of the gates. Qianyes figure appeared as the dust finally dispersed. When he looked up at the sentry tower, the city guards adopted very different expressionssome were nervous, some were puzzled, while the others shifted their trembling muzzles in a different direction. What followed the initial clamor was silence. A loud click echoed amidst the stillness, the sound of a machine-gun safety being released. The gunman, clearly a newbie, was pale, and his hands were trembling. A nearby veteran sent him flying with a slap, scolding, Are you trying to get everyone killed? The new soldier was puzzled. He looked left and right at his comrades, only to find that most of them had already moved their guns away. At this point, more and more guards recognized Qianye as the person who had killed Luo Bingfeng. The dangers involved in the fight against Luo Bingfeng was way beyond the soldiers comprehension. It was when he had sealed off the city that his might was actually established. Single-handedly sealing off a city was unprecedented, even in legends. No matter how fierce and bold the city guards were, they were still humans who feared death. They were even less willing to throw away their lives for nothing. The city had been occupied by the Empire and Evernight after Luo Bingfengs demise. The fearless men had long since become corpses at this point, and the only ones left were new recruits and sly old men. If that werent the case, Qianyes aggressive charge wouldve been met with machine-gun fire. Seeing that there was no movement on the city wall, Qianye shook his head in disappointment. He had planned to fight, but the current city guard was unexpectedly spineless. Qianye raised his voice. Im Qianye, the city lord of Tidehark. Open the gates this instant! The guards exchanged glances. A city of this size possessed two, or even three, sets of gates. Normally, only a part of them was open for the passage of people and vehicles. The gates would fully open only when there was war because that would involve steam power from the kinetic towers. The mechanisms couldnt be operated by just a couple of soldiers. Qianye looking at the gates meant that he was demanding a full opening. If he were really the city lord, this demand was more symbolic than not. It wouldnt be wrong to say that it was a formal announcement of his arrival. It was just that Qianyes appointment was only announced to the higher echelons of the city. The sentry officers might know a few things, but the soldiers were completely ignorant. After all, this matter was rather humiliating, and the major powers still hadnt figured out how to deal with this. Naturally, they wouldnt make a big announcement about it. At a loss about what to do, the guards all looked to their officer. Knowing that there was no evading this, the gatekeeping officer walked to the ramparts and said, We greet the city lord. Qianye pointed at the machine gun formation. Why are you aiming your guns at me if you know that I am the city lord? Are you trying to slight Zhang Buzhou? Qianyes position was announced by the heavenly monarchs residence. Everyone knew the true story behind this, but to outsiders, this was indeed Zhang Buzhous will. It wasnt entirely wrong for Qianye to claim that not respecting him was not respecting the heavenly monarch. The gate officer, of course, knew that Qianye was here to stir up trouble. He quickly dispatched someone to make an urgent report while roaring at the other soldiers to put down their weapons. Aiming their guns at this murderous star, what was that if not courting death? The officer conveniently forgot to issue orders for standby. Two small kinetic towers rolled into action, and the gates of Tidehark slowly opened to the side amidst whistling steam. Qianye started the bike engine and rolled into the city. Men, lead me to the city lords manor. The officer appointed several men as guides, but they were all old or crippled soldiers who would take a good amount of time to reach their destination. The officer was clearly trying to stall for time for those inside. How could Qianye give him this opportunity? His figure appeared beside the gate officer in a flash, saying, You, go with me! The officer was shocked out of his wits. He started trembling because he had clearly seen Qianyes frostiness during the short moment of eye-contact. The man was already dizzy when Qianye boarded the motorbike. He didnt even have the time to summon a car before subconsciously running ahead to lead the way. The motorbike rumbled like thunder, drawing eyes wherever it went. After seeing the gate officer running frantically in front, people began to wonder what was happening, and the bolder ones followed them. The duo arrived in front of the city lords manor within moments. Qianye got off here, glancing at the dignified mansion and the large swathe of soldiers in front of it. The soldiers were tall, strong, and tightly knit into a formation. Arms folded and chin raised, they looked at Qianye provocatively through the corner of their eyes. The officer had vanished at this point. Qianye removed his goggles, jumped down the bike, and kicked it away. He then walked toward the manor in a leisurely manner. The warriors of the city lord manor stood there without the slightest movement. Clearly, they had no intention of making way. Qianye glanced at them and found that none of them wore the decorations of an officer. The highest-ranked among them was a petty officer, with a cultivation of rank five. Qianye could destroy such cannon fodder with a wave of his hand, but there was no benefit from doing this. It would only make him a blood-thirsty killer. Whether there was someone controlling them or if they were personally intent on this futile endeavor, Qianye had no intention of letting them remain deluded about being able to threaten him. He kept walking toward the manor, completely ignoring the people blocking his way. He then raised his voice, which covered a small part of Tidehark. Are you people ignoring Zhang Buzhous words? Are his words all crap to you? Qianyes words caused everyones expressions to change. Although the city had changed owners quickly in the recent period, no one really dared to disrespect the heavenly monarch. Qianye seemed to be upholding Zhang Buzhous command but was actually cursing the man at heart. As the city lords manor remained silent, Qianye walked over to the first row of warriors. These soldiers were like small giants and an entire size bigger, but the gap in momentum between the two parties grew wider as Qianyes eyes turned cold. Insolence! Qianye took a step forward and crashed into the hundreds of burly men in front of him! Halt! A loud cry echoed from the manor, but it was too late. The warriors blocking Qianyes path felt a tremendous force fall upon their bodies. They felt as though a giant rock was bearing down on them, and all they could hear was the roar of tidal waves. The pressure was too heavy for these ordinary soldiers to withstand. Many of them felt their vision grow dark and a sweetness welling up in their throats as they spat out blood. Soon, no one was left standing. The damage didnt stop therethe main gates of the manor and the tower crumbled under the pressure! Chapter 1118: Kill and Burn Qianye stepped over the groaning warriors and entered the city lord manor. This time, a group of people rushed out from within, and there were finally some proper-looking experts among them. Qianyes eyes fell upon a well-groomed man in his middle ages. I thought you would endure for a bit. The middle-aged mans brows rose high, and his expression was dignified and calm. Youre also an expert. Whats the meaning of attacking ordinary warriors? How can you hope to take the city lord position with such moral conduct? Qianye wasnt interested in batting an eyelid at such tricks. Who are you? This seat is called Du Yuan! Qianye shook his head. Never heard of you. Du Yuan was furious. He was the commander of the city guard and a top expert in the army, someone only below Luo Bingfeng in authority. Even messengers from the heavenly monarch had to give him some face. It was fine if Qianye was just mocking him, but claiming not to know him was just outrageous. After sizing up Du Yuan, Qianye said, Youre somewhat capable, but why are you still alive when Luo Bingfeng is dead? It seems youre quite apt at staying alive. Du Yuan was so angry that his face turned red. He had fought with his life against the empire, but he was finally rendered unconscious with heavy injuries. His trusted aides had dragged him off the battlefield, and the fight was over when he regained consciousness. It was only recently that he had recovered from his injuries and his strength wasnt at its peak just yet. Everyone, including himself, believed that he had done his utmost. Who would dare say they could stop the empires great momentum back then? Hence, Qianyes mockery sounded extremely harsh in his ears. His brows rose as he took a step forward. Thief! I havent even settled the score with you for scheming against the city lord, yet you dare come bully us at our door! Do you really think theres no one here in Tidehark? Qianyes expression was ambiguous. Are you really treating Zhang Buzhous words as rubbish? Who allowed you to randomly call upon Heavenly Monarch Zhangs name? Du Yuan raised his voice a fair bit. One could see his skill at avoiding calamity from how he had avoided Qianyes verbal trap. However, whether or not Du Yuan took the bait didnt change anything. Qianye didnt raise his voice, but its range expanded further as he said, Im Qianye, the city lord of Tidehark City, officially announced by Zhang Buzhou. This is my last warning to whoever that does not recognize me, or slights Heavenly Monarch Zhang. Dont blame me for being merciless! With that, Qianye glanced at Du Yuan. Do I make myself clear? Do you plan to throw away the life you got back from the last battle? He took a step forward but didnt draw his own sword. Instead, he drew the sword of a bystander and pointed it at Qianye. The message was that he could destroy Qianye with any random sword. Qianye wasnt about to care whether the man was truly stupid or just acting. East Peak appeared with a swipe of his hand, accompanied by the sound of dense, rolling thunder. Du Yuan felt that things werent looking good when he heard the thunderous noise. It was as though a primordial beast was awakening in front of him! Before he could decide if he should keep going at it or throw away his face and retreat, Qianyes wrist moved ever so slightly, bringing East Peak down upon him! The slash came with absolutely no warning. It moved almost weightlessly, and even the direction of the blade seemed to be drifting, making people wonder whether Qianye was drunk. However, Du Yuan and a handful of powerful experts were immediately shocked. They could see that the slash wasnt drifting because it was weak. The space around the blade was actually being distorted from the terrifying strength behind it. Within moments, Du Yuan realized that he couldnt block this attack. It was just that he couldnt retreat, either, because if he were to lose his momentum, he might not even last one attack. Du Yuan unleashed an odd cry as he swung his blade at East Peak, but his blade immediately broke into two. East Peak was incomparably sturdy after its recent refinement, and its sharpness had also reached new heights. Not to mention the random sword in Du Yuans hands, even his own sword would not escape the same fate. East Peaks descent wasnt affected by this parry. The old mans budding desire to retreat burst into actionas an experienced combatant, he borrowed the force from the clashing blades to flash backward and managed to escape the calamity. A pale Du Yuan stood ten meters away, staring intently at Qianye with half a sword in his grasp. Nobody could remain composed after narrowly escaping death. He was just about to retreat when he felt a ticklish sensation on his face. He noticed a drop of blood roll down between his brows and drop off at the tip of his nose. Trembling, Du Yuan raised his sword in front of his face. In the reflected image, he could see a red line running between his brows and a drop of blood seeping out of it. His hand trembled with greater intensity. That line of blood wasnt an illusion; it was solid proof that he had just rolled away from that thin line between life and death. If he had acted just one moment later, he wouldve been slashed into two and become a corpse. Du Yuans origin power rank was still above Qianyes. The old man knew the latter was famous for fighting people above his level, but the situation called for him to take action. If he had submitted without action, his name would be utterly destroyed. On the other hand, he felt that he could hold his own against Qianye for a while and that someone else would take action meanwhile. Those who wanted to teach Qianye a lesson the most werent Luo Bingfengs old subordinates. However, he wouldve never imagined this outcome, that he had almost died to a single move. Qianye didnt mind missing one slash. Du Yuan had followed Luo Bingfeng for so many years and was one of the few powerful experts below the divine champion realm. He had also overdone his posing just now. Qianye concluded that he still couldnt kill such experts in one blow; he would need at least three or four consecutive attacks. Since he had already attacked, Qianye had no intention of stopping without an outcome. He followed up with a forward step and slashed sideways at Du Yuans waist. Qianye had already channeled Excavator at this point. The surging power was almost indefensible as the sword whipped toward Du Yuans waist. The attack was so fast that the old man simply had no time to defend. He barely managed to evade the strike when East Peak was whistling down on his head once more. Du Yuan threw away the broken sword, but he didnt even have time to draw his own blade. The only choice he could make right now was the direction in which to flee. He clenched his teeth and jumped into the crowd around him! Chaos ensued. Qianye calmly adjusted East Peaks direction and fired a wisp of scarlet gold sword energy. The energy shot out several dozen meters as it went after Du Yuan, ignoring everyone around it. The old man moved swiftly, but Qianyes sword energy was faster. Those watching the show nearby were thus drawn into the calamitythe people in the periphery threw themselves to the ground, but those close to Du Yuan simply had no time to run or hide. All they could do was swing their weapons in a futile attempt to block the incoming sword energy. A wave of blood burst out in the crowd as those who were swept into the attack were ground up. Du Yuan roared frantically as blood spurted out of his back, but he actually ran away at extreme speeds. Qianye did not give chase. He simply put away his blade and turned to look at the street in front of the manor, his gazeintentionally or otherwisemoving over the building and its windows. He then stepped over the crowd of dead and injured people, and into the residence. Moments later, Qianye was seated in the central hall of the city lords manor. A platform had been raised here, on which a tall chair had been placed to represent a throne. In the past, Luo Bingfeng had always lived in seclusion atop the holy mountain and never in his residence. Hence, the place had largely become an administrative office for the city guard and other civil departments. The conference hall was equipped with a long table and chairs, which Qianye asked the attendants to clear away. He had no intention of conferring with anyone. Qianye was seated high above the masses, but the only problem was that there were only a handful of people below, and most of them were just small leaders. None of the higher-ranked characters were here. Qianye didnt mind because most of the city guards experts had probably been wiped out during the two occupations. He also believed that random people werent going to jump out and challenge him after Du Yuan was injured. Have you cleared away the corpses outside? What are the casualties? Sire, a total of eleven people fell in battle, fifty-five have suffered grave injuries, and a hundred and twenty have suffered light injuries. Qianye sneered. Fall in battle? Does that mean your city lord is the enemy? The officer was drenched in cold sweat. I wouldnt dare! But Sire, they were all acting under orders and had no other choice. Besides, you can kill these weaklings with one hand, why would you take them to heart? How about we help them treat their injuries, then give them stern punishments? Qianye tapped the armrest lightly. Which family is so lenient toward the rebellion? Sweat rolled down the mans forehead when he heard the word rebellion. He fell to his knees and said, Sire, they were truly confused because someone had led them astray. Also, killing them will just tarnish your name. It seems my name in Tidehark was never good. Why should I care? You should! Of course you should! The petty officer said repeatedly, Many people were absent not out of disrespect but out of fear. I believe they will come around very soon. Qianye glanced at the man with a spurious smile. This person was still able to talk well even though his back was drenched. Youre quite considerate of me, arent you? Arent you afraid Ill kill you in anger? The officer replied, I have no talent, killing me will only stain your hand. Qianye broke into a laugh. Youre quite bold. Fine, Ill spare them out of consideration for your fearlessness, but they wont escape punishment. Drag the corpses out of the city, theyre not allowed to be buried. Treat the injured and exile them. Yes, Sire! The subordinates responded swiftly. After some discussion amongst themselves, they split off to execute the orders. Qianye simply watched and allowed them to act on their own. These lowly officers were experienced in such mattersthey probably felt that Qianye wouldnt be city lord for long and that their comrades could return once he was gone. Qianye laughed coldly. Notify all the clan lords, have them meet me at the city lord manor in the afternoon. Absence will be considered an act of rebellion! Also, gather the city guard and take me to Commander Dus residence. These orders were suffused with killing intent, but who would dare say no when Qianye had injured Du Yuan so easily? Within moments, several military vehicles left the city lord manor and drove toward Du Yuans residence. These vehicles were modified cargo trucks and not off-road vehicles usually used by officers. There were only a handful of soldiers on the vehicles. Numbering no more than thirty including the drivers, the lineup looked rather pitiful. The higher-ranking officers were nowhere to be found, and the lower-ranking officers were only there to offer lip service. Qianye sat in the front passenger seat of the leading vehicle. As his gaze swept through the streets, he could occasionally sense malicious gazes from the surrounding buildings, but to his disappointment, no one actually dared to ambush him. Du Yuans residence was on the western side of the city, a manor occupying half a street block. It boasted high walls, big courtyards, and looked rather dignified from a distance. However, the entire residence was in chaos at the moment, with no shortage of people crying and screaming. From time to time, there would be people running out from the compound with heavy luggage, disappearing into the alleyways. Qianye jumped down from the truck and looked up at the residence signboard. It was a black plate decorated with golden words, not one bit less dignified than the city lords manor. Halt! This is the commanders residence. How dare you barge in? Are you not afraid of death? The two guards at the gate were quite dutiful despite the chaos inside. Qianye couldnt be bothered to argue. Two sanguineous threads shot out from his fingertips and pierced into the guards chests. The attack was withdrawn almost immediately, but the two soldiers collapsed to the ground, pale and lifeless. Qianye led the officer and a couple dozen warriors into the courtyard, slashing down the gates in the process. People dressed in servants attire were running in, out, and about the messy courtyard. There were clothes and other items strewn across the floor, almost as though a robbery had taken place. Qianye grabbed a servant and asked him about Du Yuans whereabouts. The servant went limp from the fright but was fortunately able to speak clearly, The master came back a while ago, covered in blood, and ordered everyone to pack up and leave. He himself left with the young masters. After his departure, the mistresses also packed up their things and fled. Qianye broke into a laugh. This fellow sure runs fast! Luo Bingfeng is a hero of the generation, how could he have appointed such a commander? Qianyes evaluation was a bit off. Du Yuan could be considered a fierce and capable general who had led the city guard with great stability, enjoying a good reputation throughout his career. However, he had been set back time and again, surviving the siege on Luo Bingfeng just to brush against death again under Qianyes blade. The two near-mortal experiences just now had exhausted whatever heroism he possessed. Qianye put down the servant and walked around the manor. The Du Residence looked quite grand, but it was fairly crude in the details. Overall, it was a copy of an ancient imperial garden, but it was far from comparable to the major clans in terms of artistry. Everything in the compound was a mess, with nothing useful to speak of. Those that were truly valuable had probably been taken away by Du Yuan or his concubines. Whatever remained wouldve been plundered by his subordinates. Qianye had no designs on the residence, so he wasnt disappointed. After touring the place, he said, Burn this place down. What? Everyone thought they had heard wrong. The Du residence was a big mansion of extraordinary worth. Now that the owner had fled, it made sense to just occupy it rather than burn it down. Qianye said, I said, burn it down. ...Yes. The small officer had already realized that this was Qianyes style. He shot a meaningful glance at his comrades, who had split off to set the place on fire. Fire rose up in several spots, and the rolling flames swept through the entire residence within moments. Everyone in the city could see the dense smoke. Qianye stood outside the manor, gazing at the raging flames for a while. He even had the extra time to command the city guard to form a parameter, lest the fire spread to other parts of the city. He only left after seeing the Du Residence completely devoured by flames. The officer followed him and asked cautiously, Sire, where do we go now? Qianye stopped and looked back at the timid man. Its quite disappointing that no one came to extinguish the fire. Everyone looked rather awkward, including the officer. Qianye asked, Whats your name? The man replied, Im called Du Xinchu, a distant nephew of the commander. Qianye hadnt expected this. He glanced at the officer curiously, saying, Are you not afraid Ill kill you? Itll only dirty your hands, theres no meaning to it. Qianye nodded. So tell me, why do you think no one came to fight the fire? Du Xinchu said after a moment of silence, News of you making short work of the commander has spread far and wide. No one will come and throw away their lives without sufficient preparation. A laughing Qianye entered the car and called Du Xinchu to his side to continue with the questions. Why do you think those people dont want me as city lord? Du Xinchu replied, There are three reasons. Firstly, they think youre not strong enough. A city lord has to be a divine champion in order to placate the masses. Secondly, Tidehark is just like any other city in that it is rather divided internally, with numerous factions vying for power. Now that many posts had opened up after the two battles, people naturally started to feel that they had a chance. Some people wanted important positions, while others wanted to take a shot at being city lord. Finally, the heavenly monarch doesnt want you in this position. He has probably pulled some strings behind the scene. Qianye was surprised at how candid the man was. You probably shouldnt have told me so much. Du Xinchu sighed. I have no other skill, but Im quite observant. The might of your sword tells me that all the experts in the city added together can only serve as training dummies. Tidehark has lost most of its power and cannot withstand more torment. Having you as city lord trumps being swallowed up by the Wolf King. Qianye smiled indifferently. Youre quite confident in me, arent you? He shot a glance forward and said, Stop the car. The vehicles came to a halt in quick succession as Qianye walked out toward a certain intersection. There was a long road before him with stores lining each side. The signs and flags in front fluttered in the wind, but there were few passers-by and customers. Mostly, it was just the staff doing their work. The road was long and narrow with tall buildings on either side. The sun was shining brightly from the other end of the passage, but leaden clouds bore down upon the area and stifled everyone therein. Qianye made a sharp turn after a single glance and walked into the street with confident strides. Du Xinchus expression changed slightlyhe wanted to stop Qianye, but the latter was already gone by the time he stretched out his hand. Du Xinchu remained frozen in place, glancing between his hand and Qianyes receding figure ten meters away. His expression became solemn. Once inside the street, killing intent rushed into Qianyes face, and the area turned even darker. The wind passing through the buildings was suffused with a bone-deep chill. Chapter 1119: Assassination Multi-shot ballistae! This was a weapon made to deal with high-ranking experts. It could fire multiple projectiles in one go, each producing a chain explosion after striking its target. The area of effect was beyond the movement range of an ordinary expert, which made it a lethal weapon at such close distances. However, Qianyes figure became blurry as he took one step forward and effectively evaded all incoming projectiles. He then plucked the incoming assassins out of the air, as though they were fruits, and threw them to the ground. Qianyes movements looked fairly slow, but in truth, he was outrageously fast. The plucked assassins never even made it to Qianyes position. The victims never moved again after they were flung to the ground. It was almost as though they were asleep, and no one saw clearly how Qianye had done it. The first trap was thus easily dismantled. The workers in the nearby stores looked panicked and surprised. All of them threw down their weapons at the same time and fled to the rear. Qianye flicked out origin power projectiles from his fingers, which duly produced small bloody holes in the workers foreheads. The entire street had become quiet in the blink of an eye. In the stores up front, many of the staff were watching this scene with outstretched necks. They exhibited overwhelming shock after witnessing everything; even their bodies were trembling. Some of them edged back into their stores while others fell sitting onto the ground. This was what Qianye wanted. There were surely more assassins hidden among the ordinary store workers. He had no time to differentiate between them. Everyone would be afraid if he were to start killing without discrimination. After all, not many people were truly fearless of death. As for their identities, there was really no need to guess. The assassins were still in their warrior attire with their family insignias intact. The ambush was set up so hastily that they were never able to change out of their clothing. Qianye stepped forward confidently, sending off a dozen more assassins to meet their maker. He flipped one of the assailants over and, as expected, saw the insignia of a different family. It was safe to assume that the families who didnt want him as city lord had banded together and set up what they thought was a solid ambush. The street was long, but he had already walked a fifth of its length after dismantling the assassination. As Qianye continued forward, the staff in the stores began to grow restless. Following a shout from one of them, several people turned and fled out of the back door. The people nearby called out to them but all was in vain. Finally, a series of mournful whistlesthree long and two shortechoed from the end of the street. A crowd made up of hundreds stood waiting for him on the other end of the street. Qianyes pace remained constant as he walked calmly out of the street. Some people in the group exchanged glances and walked out of the crowd. These people looked fairly differenta bearded old man, a dark-faced hunk, and an elegant young man. All of them were suffused with killing intent, their eyes either calm or wild as they glared resolutely at Qianye. These people were the leaders of the various families involved in this operation. They were decisive enough to call back their warriors after seeing the failed ambush, gathering them up for a showdown instead. Qianyes eyes went past them and scanned the entire group. The several hundred people were valiant elites possessing extraordinary strength. If it wasnt for the gap in training and equipment, they might be equal to the Red Scorpions. What a big investment. If these people die, your families will be crippled. I still dont understand what enmity we have between us that you would mobilize on such a scale. The dark-faced man snorted. How impressive, Sire Qianye. You were here for only half a day, but youve already injured Commander Du Yuan and burned down his residence. You even summoned all the clan lords to see you! As I see it, you just want to kill everyone in one go, dont you? Qianye replied, Fine with me if you want to think of it that way. The civilized young man said, Sire Qianye, you were quite well-mannered toward us when City Lord Luo was still alive. This time, you start off by killing and establishing your might, dont you think its a bit inappropriate? The old man stroked his beard. Sire, the situation has changed. Unlike before, the Empire and Evernight forces have retreated. Why would you hang on to this empty position? If youre willing to leave, we will immediately offer up a satisfactory present. Tidehark and Southern Blue can be brethren, helping each other in times of need as we share in the bounty of peace in the Eastern Sea. Isnt that a good thing? Qianye glanced at the group. Do you think your group is enough to deal with me? The burly man said in a gloomy voice, I came ready to die. Even if I cant kill you, Ill be sure to bite several chunks of flesh off your body! When the time comes, do you think you can escape Tidehark? Qianye smiled. Ready to die? Fine, Im thinking the other clan lords will come to the residence obediently if I deal with you guys. The groups expression shifted drastically. Just as they had shifted into a defensive stance, Qianye suddenly vanished before their eyes! Almost immediately, the force of a great ocean descended upon the area and crushed everyone until their spines were creaking. The young, elegant man was caught off-guard and fell to his knees. The other leaders followed suit. They quickly realized that, if even they were in this state, how could the soldiers behind them resist the pressure? A red light flickered before everyones eyes. What followed was a sensation akin to a mosquito bite, then emptiness. Both shocked and afraid, they did their utmost to channel their origin power and look backward. To their astonishment, they found the hundreds of men behind them strewn across the ground as countless threads of blood slowly retracted into Qianyes body. Oceanic Vortex and Life Plunder together made up a peerless weapon to deal with cannon fodder. This was no exception. Unfortunately, these inexperienced clan lords had only thought Qianyes combat strength was superior to Du Yuans. As they saw it, even a divine champion could only kill three to five at a time. They felt that he would need almost a hundred attacks to clear away the entire crowd. With the hundreds of warriors dead, these families had lost almost a third of their entire fighting force. One could easily imagine how the power balance in the city would change hereafter. The leaders were both shocked and furious, but the feeling of exhaustion grew stronger. At the moment, they wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. At this moment, it was difficult for them to even save themselves, let alone attack. Their only will was to hold out as much as they could, because once asleep, they would never wake up. They channeled their origin vortices as much as they could, trying to contain the damage and maintain vitality. They found nothing more than little red dots when they tried to check their body for injuries. However, there were fine tunnels below these red dots that stretched all the way to their hearts. This both shocked and filled them with dread. If these tiny tracts were enough to leave them with such a drain, even their lives would be in danger if they were just a bit thicker. Qianye left without killing them. The leaders exchanged glances, but none of them dared to speak. All of them were pale in the realization that their cultivation had been damaged. Without proper wound-management, there was no telling if they could still remain champions. After returning to the city lord manor, Qianye took his seat and waited quietly for the clan lords to arrive. He left a quarter of an hour for everyone to assemble after burning the Du residence and destroying the ambush. Qianye didnt kill the nearby scouts, so the news must have reached their families by now. He wanted to see how they would react. The sound of screeching tires rang out in front of the manor gates, followed by hurried footsteps and the guards announcing arrivals. In the blink of an eye, a red-faced elder walked energetically into the conference room. He looked intently at Qianye and said, Liu Minglun of the Tidehark Liu family greets the new city lord. Liu Minglun hadnt even raised his head when Qianye helped him up with a smile. Clan Lord Liu came quite fast. Its not even the appointed time yet! Liu Minglun was surprised at Qianyes movement skills, but the muscles on his face only froze for a second before returning to a big smile. This old man came immediately when I heard your summons. I wouldnt dare delay. Qianye said, Men, prepare a seat for Clan Lord Liu. The guards brought a chair, which they put down in the empty hall according to Qianyes instructions. The chair was placed just below Qianyes seat. Liu Minglun was immediately overjoyed and also terrified. The original conference room held a long table, and there was an unspoken rule about the seating around it. The seats closer to the seat of honor were reserved for the bigger families, and his current seat would usually be occupied by one of the top three families of the city. The Liu family was a small mid-ranked family that had suffered greatly in the two battles due to their location. Their power had declined so much that they were almost pushed out of the city. Liu Minglun had approached Qianye out of desperation, in hopes of staking it all in one throw. Qianyes seating arrangement proved that he liked the man, but that in and of itself was a small volcano. Liu Minglun clenched his teeth and decided to sit down. There was no need to shrink back at this point since he was already between a rock and a hard place. Yet another vehicle stopped in front of the manor, and a number of clan lords were once again led into the conference room. No one in the residence dared question Qianyes authority after he had injured Du Yuan, killed several dozen, and injured hundreds more. At the very least, they were extremely obedient in front of Qianye. The clan lords saw nary a familiar face along the way. The officers and guards they knew of looked extremely submissive. This made them think about certain things, and by the time they entered the hall, most of them were much more respectful. Qianye stood up and returned the gesture from his seat, and then ordered the men to arrange seating behind Liu Minglun. These people had just been seated when two more clan lords arrived. This time, Qianye only greeted them from a sitting position. The clan lords who had arrived first saw the difference in treatment and how the seating had been arranged. They realized that he didnt really care about how big or small the families were, only by the order of their arrival. In fact, the earlier arrivals were mostly ordinary powers like Liu Mingluns. They had come in hopes of seeking opportunities, thinking they couldnt quite provoke a murderer like Qianye. Qianye ignored their petty schemes and seemed lost in his own thoughts. With the arrival of more and more family heads, the conference room was soon filled up halfway. Those sitting at the fore grew nervous as their seating and power were highly discrepant. They awkwardly fidgeted about, almost as though they were sitting on a furnace. Moments later, four more clan lords arrived just as the appointed time was almost up. These four families were much stronger than the smaller ones from before, but their seating was at the very rear. The four looked angry, but they quickly understood what was happening when they observed the situation in the hall. As sophisticated people, they exchanged glances and decided to swallow their displeasure. After a while, an imposing burly man walked into the hall. The guard leading the way said in a loud voice, Gao Mingtang of the Gao family has arrived! The clan lords became restless. The Gao family was among the top five families in Tidehark. Even when Luo Bingfeng was here, their family would be invited to every meeting. Chapter 1120: Weeding Gao Mingtangs face turned red, then purple, under everyones gaze. He heaved and huffed several times before finally suppressing his anger. Sire Qianye, are you also planning to discuss things standing up? All the seated family heads looked away in a different direction, not daring to look straight at Gao Mingtang. Their families were far too inferior. How could they sit calmly when the man was standing by the door. It was just that the torrential pressure from above was so great that even the families usually reliant on the Gao didnt dare stand up. Qianyes expression was calm. Since youre late, then you shall stand. Gao Mingtang laughed. Good, good! I want to ask you one more thing. What will happen to those who dont arrive at all? If theyre not here by sundown, theres no need to come anymore. Gao Mingtang sneered. He wanted to say What can you do if they dont come? but a sudden notion drenched him in cold sweat. Gao Mingtang said after some deliberation, They wont have a seat here Not here, not in this city. Qianyes expression was cold. Gao Mingtang was shaken. Sire, how will you govern Tidehark without the support of all the families? A massive entity like Tidehark possessed enough resources and geographical advantage to recover. It was only a matter of time. The complicated web of interests would make it difficult for Qianye to assign them to certain administrative duties. However, Qianye smiled. Who said I have to govern the city well? This time, both Gao Mingtang and everyone else in the hall was startled. Their expressions shifted drastically when they realized the meaning behind Qianyes words. Since he wasnt considering the effects, it was only natural that he wouldnt worry about destroying the city. Whichever family Qianye disliked would encounter misfortune. As for whether the city would tumble and fall because of this infighting, that had nothing to do with him. This rendered the self-importance of these families meaningless, and there was nothing left to threaten Qianye with. Oh, reputation you say? Everyone here was a family-head. Empty words like these would only invite embarrassment in the face of Qianyes attitude. Qianye would naturally gain fame if he could sit firmly in the city lords seat. Offering up his foundations in the city against dismantling it, which reputation was the better one? The former would paint him weak, while the latter would give him a fierce name. Everyone knew the answer. Having thought this through, the clan lords arrived at different moods and expressions. Most of them were contemplative and secretly delighted. Tidehark was big, but it couldnt fit too many families. The small families would only have space to stand out if the big families were removed. Go. Qianye waved his hand. Gao Mingtang left the city lords residence in a hurry, then returned within moments. This journey took just long enough for a toilet run, but everyone knew where he had gone. Why else would he need to leave the manor? There were more than enough toilets here. The sky outside gradually darkened, and dusk would arrive in less than a quarter-hour. Qianye was seated on his high chair, his eyes closed as though he were asleep. The various clan lords remained as silent and calm as old monks. Just as the last rays of the sun faded away over the horizon, the sound of screeching tires was heard outside of the gates. Two figures jumped over the wall and appeared at the doors of the conference room before the sounds had even faded away. Their steps were quite calm when they entered the chamber, but their act of jumping over the wall betrayed the urgency in their hearts. Lu Dinghan of the Lu family greets Sire Qianye. Sun Chuansheng of the Sun family greets Sire Qianye. All the clan lords in the hall became restless. The Sun and Lu were among the top five families in the city. Their hurried arrival was very likely due to Gao Mingtangs report, but it was rather interesting that the biggest Wu and Du families never arrived. No one knew if they had no intention of coming or if they never received Gao Mingtangs message. The Du family was related to Du Yuan despite living separately, so it was only natural that they wouldnt come. The Wu family held numerous important positions in the city, boasting a powerful lineup of experts and widespread influence. Their two daughters had been betrothed to Zhang Buzhous nephews. This was likely a case of people standing by their relatives. The sun had set by the time the Sun and Lu families arrived. The lights in the conference room started to light up at the same time. Qianye finally opened his eyes and sat up straight. Since youve come, then stand there. Being mentally prepared, the two clan lords were much more composed than Gao Mingtang was. There was no anger on their faces as they greeted Gao Mingtang and took their places beside him. Qianye ordered, Its about time. Close the doors and refuse all visitors henceforth. The guards left to issue the order. The original gates and its tower had been demolished by Qianye, but the city lord manor was designed like a small fortress with two thresholds just like the city gates. The reserve layer was made up of alloy doors that were one meter thick, normally hidden inside the walls. Now, they looked rather miserable behind the cracked bricks. The tracks and mechanisms were still intact because Qianye reflected upon his actions and realized that he shouldnt keep destroying things. This place could be used in the future, even if just temporarily. At this moment, the two steam towers whistled mournfully as the gates slowly closed. Qianye waved his hand, and a city guard officer duly presented him a map. The nearest clan lord possessed sharp eyes and noticed that it was a map of Tidehark. Qianye scanned the map briefly, saying, Everyone, wait here for a while. I need to do something and will be back soon. With that, he left alone with no concern about everyones expressions. The conference hall fell into silence. The clan lords exchanged glances, not knowing what Qianye wanted to do. Even though they had their own guesses, they still felt that the notion was too ridiculous. The uncomfortable silence didnt last too long before Qianye reappeared at the doors and, with a flash, back on the throne. He casually tossed two heads onto the floor, saying, Is it these two? The lords were surprised when the captives faces came into clear view, some even gasped. Their expressions turned odd amidst the surprise and shock. Qianye took note of them and pointed at Liu Minglun. Whats the matter? Liu Minglun looked rather awkward, knowing that this was a job that would offend people. Yet, he had no way to back away due to his seating. He took a good look at the heads and said, Sire, this person is Wu Chunlei, the head of the Wu family. The other is Du Xifei, a descendant of the Du family and not the clan lord himself. The Du family head isnt in the city at the moment. Qianye raised his brows. So thats the case. I dragged that Du Whatchamacallit out from Madam Dus room. I thought any man in that room had to be the clan lord. It seems I was wrong. All the clan lords looked rather strange. Who wouldve thought they would hear such an exciting piece of gossip here? Qianye ordered the heads to be removed. Regardless, the trip wasnt in vain. I did get one correct head. As for Du Xiyuan, I will get him if he dares return to Tidehark. Enough with that, lets get down to business. The clan lords straightened their backs and readied themselves to listen. Even Gao Mingtangs group leaned forward ever so slightly, lest they miss a single word. Qianye said, I heard the Great Qin Empire left certain assets in the neutral lands, and the Eastern Sea is no exception. As the biggest city here, Tidehark is definitely housing military spies. I know many of you have connections to them. I want all of their heads! The clan lords had already been shocked several times today, mainly because Qianyes every move was unexpected. Who wouldve thought Qianye would demand such a thing first and foremost? This request wasnt difficult, but neither was it easy. More importantly, Qianye had been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with the Imperial army just a while ago. Why would he make such a demand? Could it be that he was testing everyones loyalty? Qianye noticed their thoughts. The Empire is big and there are many factions within it. It just so happens that I have a fight to pick with the faction theyve assigned here. I think its time for me to clear out these annoying things, and Ill start at Tidehark. At this point, he paused slightly to look at the family heads. I might cooperate with the Empire from time to time, but dont ever think Ill reconcile with this faction. Understood? The clan lords were shaken as they realized Qianyes determination. They also heaved a small sigh of reliefcountless people would turn into cannon fodder if Qianye had a vendetta against the Qin Empire, but personal grievances were a different matter. Sun Chuansheng cupped his fist. Sire Qianye, there are some difficulties in doing this. May I speak? Qianye said, Were no longer strangers inside this hall. Speak freely. Sun Chuansheng said, The Empire does have some strongholds in the city, and I know some of them. However, those strongholds were set up by Heavenly Monarch Zhang, even acquiring one of the houses personally. How could he not know if you clear them out? Qianye replied calmly, Im the city lord here, so its fine as long as I want to do it. Its not important what Zhang Buzhou thinks. Sun Chuanshengs expression shifted slightly. I understand. Understanding was one thing, but what he would actually do was another thing entirely. The other clan lords were also quiet. No one knew whether they would unite together on the same front or delay change. Qianye said carelessly, I know what youre all thinking, but you should know after seeing those two heads that its not time to think about how you will survive against Zhang Buzhou. What you need to think about is how to get past me. If you dont pass the test now, theres no need to worry about him anymore. That was a threat. The Lu clan lord took a step forward. Sire, youre putting us in a very difficult position. Technically, your position was also conferred by Heavenly Monarch Zhang Qianye stopped him with a raised hand. I got this position on my own. It was indeed announced by Zhang Buzhou, but that doesnt mean he gave it to me. No need to stress this matter when talking to me. Speaking from a different angle, many people are pretending not to know about that announcement. Would you say theyre rebelling against Zhang Buzhou? Gao Mingtang dragged Lu Dinghan back. Sire, the heavenly monarch is a person of great virtue and prestige. What youre doing is not thorough. Thats none of my concern. I want to see the people from the military disappear from the neutral lands. Nothing else is in my consideration. Then how about driving them away? Gao Mingtang asked cautiously. No, uproot them. Understand? The clan lords noticed Qianyes killing intent, and even the three big families no longer dared to say anything. They exchanged glances before falling silent. Qianye scanned the hall, saying, I want to see no mishaps regarding this operation. Whatever connections you may have had with them in the past is meaningless to me. If you cant get this matter done, I can do the same with soldiers from Southern Blue. This stance was representative of Qianyes handling of this matter and the subsequent outcome. This would undoubtedly be a disaster for the families here. Not daring to say anything else, the lords headed back to arrange matters. Chapter 1121: Sounding Ou Qianye, who had disappeared throughout the night, finally returned to the residence at dawn. This time, he had another head with him, and it belonged to the head of the Du family, Du Xiyuan. At this point, all clan lords who had opposed Qianye openly had become corpses, their family experts suffering grave casualties. After his return, Qianye remained inside the city lords manor and never came out. Meanwhile, in the ancient Totemic Castle. The Wolf King was gazing at the faint silhouette of the distant Tidehark. The cold, damp morning wind had long since drenched his long hair. The Wolf King hated this weather the most, but he had stood there for an entire morning today. A trusted servant who had followed him for many years said, Sire, weve already investigated the cause of last nights fires. The new city lord, Qianye, has uprooted all of the Great Qins strongholds inside Tidehark. Additionally, he assaulted the Du familys manor outside the city and slaughtered Du Xiyuan. The Wolf King said after some thought, These slaps are quite resounding! The follower remained silent, attempting to fathom his masters thoughts. The Wolf King didnt need the attendant to speak, either. He paced about a couple of times before issuing an order, Prepare my warship and gather the finest warriors. Im going to attack a pirate base! A long-distance raid on the pirates? There were numerous small floating islands in the void between the Empire and the neutral lands. The pirates who called such places home were few and scattered, usually the size of an airships crew, and they survived by robbing scattered transport ships. There was no need for the Wolf King to bring the castles elites to get rid of such pirates. That being said, most of these void pirates were able to survive because they had the tacit approval of the various powers. They would be occasionally asked to deal with dirty work, and most importantly, they would serve as a buffer to invaders. The Wolf King was going to attack these pirates with such fanfare? Wasnt Qianye the more important target? As this was an important decision, the follower braced himself and asked, Great Chief, wouldnt it be better to capture Qianye first? The Wolf King smiled spuriously. Capture? For what reason? How? And who? The attendant was enlightened after a while. You wish to have the heavenly monarchs residence worry about this? The attendant was puzzled. Are you still afraid of Qianye? The Wolf King laughed. Im not afraid, but that doesnt mean I want to fight him! His shots are really quite painful. The attendants expression turned odd and his voice softened quite a bit. Thats not like you, Great Chief. The Wolf King patted the attendant on the shoulder. Not bad, youre quite smart. I can send Qianye running if I take action, but I wont be able to kill him at all. Whats the meaning of that? Ill only be helping Zhang Buzhou solve a troublesome issue. The longer Qianye stays in Tidehark, the more of a slap it is to Zhang Buzhous face. I want to see how long he can endure, and whether his isolated cultivation was a success or not! If Zhang Buzhou really exits isolation, he might not be satisfied with you. If he does come out, the first thing hell do is attack Qianye, not cause trouble for me. Heh! And its not certain whether hell succeed. The attendant asked, Why would you say that? The Wolf King said meaningfully, You all dont know Luo Bingfengs true strength, but Zhang Buzhou and I know all too well. Zhang Buzhou might not be Luo Bingfengs match without breaking through to the heavenly monarch realm! The most important link in that battle was an old man who blocked Luo Bingfengs final attack and injured him. This old man might still be in the neutral lands. This shocked the follower. Thats impossible! The Wolf King said slowly, Theres Song Zining in Southern Blue. That fellow has powerful connections in the Empire. There are a good number of shadows behind his back. We must always be careful around him. How could Qianye be so brazen without sufficient backing? His acquisition of the city lord title is already making Zhang Buzhou lower his head, and now, hes adding a couple more slaps. Things are so abnormal that it makes one wonder. A flash of enlightenment came over the attendant. He punched his palm, saying, I understand now! You must really leave immediately, else that old thing will make you into cannon fodder to sound out Qianye and Song Zinings back up! The Wolf King laughed. You finally understand! There cannot be delays, Ill make arrangements immediately. An hour after the attendants hurried departure, several warships flew up from Totemic Castle and vanished into the distance. A high-speed airship was flying toward the castle at this moment. An old man was gazing out from above deck. Eh? What is that? Bring binoculars! His subordinates passed him a pair of long-range binoculars. Several fierce-looking generals also peered into their scopes. Eight airships were rising into the air above the Totemic Castle, slowly turning about in the air. One of the generals said, What are they doing grouping warships and transports together? Are they going to war? Thats just courting death. He hadnt even finished speaking when yet another airship took to the air. The squadron in the sky had already fallen into formation at this point and was moving away at a snails pace. The final airship drove on with great effort, following the squadron at a leisurely pace. This time, the generals eyes almost popped out. Why was such a ship in the fleet? The last airship was big, bloated, and slow, clearly a civilian cargo ship. But despite the distance, the generals could see that the warriors on the deck didnt look like a cargo-ship crew. Everyone was puzzled, but the old man said with a frown, Full speed ahead! We must arrive at the Totemic Castle as soon as we can! The airship accelerated as it shot into the air above the castle where it issued a request to land. The castle was rather accommodating toward the guest, going so far as to issue a priority identity verification token. But that was the extent of the airship ports good service. There was still no landing signal or instruction after several minutes. Feeling rather strange, the generals looked down and saw that the port was in utter chaos. There were resources piled up everywhere, with goods of various qualities stored in uneven containers. There were servants moving them about hurriedly, but no single area had been cleared out. As such, the airship circled about for an entire half-hour over the castle. Seeing no signs of improvement below, the old man finally jumped down into the small clearing below. Im an envoy of the heavenly monarchs residence! Someone bring me to see the Wolf King! The busy workers came to a halt upon hearing his voice, but most of them just stared blankly at the old man. No one responded for a good while, even after three repeats, causing the elders face to turn ashen. These people were dressed like manual laborers, and there wasnt even a group leader among them. It would be too embarrassing to pick a fight with them. Besides, provoking the Wolf King wasnt a fun thing to do, and even Zhang Buzhou would treat him with a degree of respect. The old man wouldnt dare charge into Totemic Castle even if he had ten more galls. At his wits end, the old man ran out of the messy loading area and found a soldier at the fixed sentry post, whom he asked to relay his words. This soldier looked strong but was slow of wit. His face was covered in black fur, like an immature wolf pup, and his speech was also incoherent. He refused to go into the castle no matter what. After a while of dragging back and forth, a werewolf in servants clothing ran out from the main building and jogged over to the old man. Sire Messenger, I truly deserve death for being late to welcome you! You saw it, right? The Wolf King just left for an expedition, and these clumsy idiots havent finished cleaning up. The old man was startled. He then dragged the attendant by the collar and asked, What? The Wolf King isnt here? Where did he go? The attendant replied with a calm smile, He said hes going on an expedition and left with the army. As for who hes going to fight, thats not something Im allowed to know. The master has been planning this battle for half a month, but it took until today to get everything ready. The old man was livid. You said the Wolf King just left? His fleet took off just a while ago. Didnt you see them during your arrival? Ah, your airship hasnt landed yet. These bumbling idiots! I must whip them into shape. The attendant started roaring sternly, and moments later, a space had been cleared for the airship to land. The old mans expression was gloomy. Only when a few of his generals arrived did he look up at the attendant. Whos in charge of the castle now? The attendant replied hurriedly, I was ordered to manage the castle affairs. The old man sized up the attendant. Since thats the case, Ill trouble you to round up the warriors in the castle. I have orders from the heavenly monarch to mobilize a squad. The surprised attendants mouth fell open for a while. This is quite an important matter. May I be so bold as to ask whether I can see the heavenly monarchs command seal? The old man passed the token over without further conversation. The attendant studied the item for a good fifteen minutes, even activating the origin power signature inside. Only when a white light flashed past him did he smile satisfactorily and passed the token back. This is indeed the heavenly monarchs command token. Please wait a moment while I assemble the squad for you to pick. The attendant didnt drag things out this time and walked away rather swiftly. Soon, a long siren blasted out from the castle as soldiers poured out from every direction and gathered outside. During this time, the generals had more or less come to understand the situation. One of them said, Sire, we mightve made it if we had given chase a while ago. Why did you let that boy stall so long? Another person patted his chest. With me at the helm, we can catch up even now! The old man said, Chase? What then? One of the generals said with wide eyes, Of course order him to turn back. Does he dare to ignore the heavenly monarchs orders? Thats rebellion! The other generals agreed. Hes just a dog to the heavenly monarch. What games can he play? The old man shook his head. We are not the heavenly monarch. The Wolf King listens to the heavenly monarch, but not us. You had better remember that you dont represent Zhang Buzhou. If the Wolf King is a dog, we are even inferior to a dog! Humph, chase after him? Well just be jumping to our deaths. H-He does he dare The generals were dumbfounded. The old man snorted. Who would dare point the finger at him if he killed us in the wilderness? Enough, lets look at the squads. Chapter 1122: Done Thousands of warriors eventually gathered on the plaza and started falling into square formations. They were all well-equipped, uniform, and rather impressive at a glance. The Wolf Kings army could be considered an elite force even in the entirety of the neutral lands. However, the old mans expression turned gloomier and gloomier. What he saw was the non-existent origin power in these burly fellows. To be honest, they were all cannon fodder without a single proper expert among them. Such a squad was no different from pieces of rotten meat with no skeleton to hold them together. No matter how many of them there were, even if their average rank was higher than the enemy, they would be easily routed by an expert-backed squad. The generals possessed good eyesight as well and immediately noticed something fishy going on. Their expressions became uglier and uglier. No amount of such cannon fodder could be of any use in a real fight. On the contrary, it would only increase risk for the generals who had to lead them. As a lone wolf, Qianye could come and go at will without so much as glancing at these cannon fodder. He would only target champion-rank experts. Without officers forming attack and defense nodes, there was no way to weave a defensive line with these soldiers. They wouldnt even serve as meat shields. These generals had been speaking down on the Wolf King, but they knew they couldnt even take a single blow from Qianye. Heading to Tidehark with an army of cannon fodder was impossible. The old man knew these generals quite well, so he didnt even bother talking about it. After a good while of silence, he said to the attendant, Youve seen the command. Mobilize three thousand soldiers to seal the west gate of Tidehark City. The servant looked surprised. Seal the west door? The old man snorted. What, you want to seal all gates with this ragtag group? The attendant laughed. That wasnt my intention. I only felt that its useless. Thats not for you to decide. Perform the order immediately! The old mans voice was suffused with killing intent. The attendant knew he couldnt drag this out any longer, or the old man would kill him. There was no one in the castle who could contend with the old man right now and, besides, the Wolf King had no intention of going against Zhang Buzhou directly. Nodding, the servant left to issue the order. After the attendants departure, one of the generals asked, Sire, what can such trash even do? The old man revealed a sinister smile. Its a show of stance. What stance? The generals were puzzled. The Wolf Kings stance. When night descended, those who were waiting to watch the show scattered in disappointment. Everyone could see that the squad at the gates was made up of cannon fodder, without even a single champion or higher rank fighter. There was no strategic meaning to this kind of army as they could be routed in one charge. Their only value lay in the Wolf Kings banner flying above them. Attacking them was akin to attacking the Wolf Kings army. It wasnt surprising that Qianye would hold back; no one but an idiot would attack the three thousand soldiers outside the west gate. It wasnt quite normal, however, that he wouldnt even leave the manor. This meant that he had long since expected that the Wolf King wouldnt really attack, that he didnt even need to confirm it. The city lords manor wasnt calm under the twilight. Several men in black clothing jumped over the wall without alerting any of the guards, avoiding the sentry spots with great familiarity and finally arriving at the rear courtyard. Qianye occupied a small compound in the northwestern part of the rear courtyard. There were no servants inside, and naturally, there were no guards either. Apart from the occasional patrols, not even a bird would pass by this place. Two cheerful city guards emerged from a nearby corridor and saw the crowd of black people before them. They gasped in shock, but someone from the other party made a familiar gesture and shook open a document. The parchment paper was filled with small, dense letters that were barely legible, but that large seal representing the heavenly monarch was something everyone knew about. ƤֽСǿ˶ӡȴÿ˶ϵõġ The two city guards couldnt help but exchange glances, but just as they were hesitating, the mysterious people passed by them and continued forward. Inside the isolated room, Qianye slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the approaching men. It was at this exact moment that the wall behind him burst open and a long, dark sword shot toward the back of his neck. These invaders were decoys to attract Qianyes attention while the real assassin was hiding behind his back all along! The assassin was determined to kill with one stab, and the eerie dark blue sheen on the blade proved that it was coated in some strange poison. Just as the swords tip was about to enter the back of Qianyes head, his body leaned to the side and effectively evaded the blade. The two actions happened at almost the same timeit almost looked like Qianye was stretching his body after a long period of sitting, just as mortal peril was about to descend upon him. The assassin wasnt flustered after his certain kill had missed. A blue dagger appeared in the other hand, with which they stabbed at Qianyes back. The two were now locked into a melee stance. It would seem the angle of attack on the isolated chamber was calculatedthe debris and furniture happened to restrict Qianyes movements while the assailants attacks were designed to minimize any space for retaliation. As expected, Qianye didnt make any obvious movements after dodging the stab. The dagger stabbed through his clothes, robes, skin, and with some difficulty, through his muscles. The assassin didnt have time to celebrate when he encountered sudden resistance, and the dagger refused to progress any further. He hadnt even reached the bones at this point. The assassin wanted to channel more strength but found that he was beyond weak and exhausted. He noticed, through the corner of his eyes, several blood-colored threads drifting through the air. And they were actually retracting into Qianyes body along with the sparkling sanguine beads hanging at their tips. Before he could make sense of this phenomenon, tiredness came over him and he fell into a deep sleep. The sleep came with great speed and was almost unstoppable. The assassin staggered and collapsed to the ground, never to move again. Qianye stood up to stretch his body. The wound on his back was nowhere to be seen and the poison was nothing to his ancient vampire constitution. There was some uncomfortable numbness when the blade entered his body but everything was fine now. Qianye picked up the two weapons and observed them for a while. He couldnt help but laugh when he saw that they were both grade-six. Wow, theyre really going all out. The assassin himself was a rank-sixteen expert who specialized in concealment and terrain utilization. Combining all of his skills into an assassination plan, he was able to erupt with great power and seek a one-hit kill. However, his own defense was nothing to write home about, and he couldnt wear armor in order to maximize his stealth. Qianyes Life Plunder took the mans life immediately. That person was extremely well-hidden and even Qianye didnt know when he had entered the courtyard. He only sensed the attack as it was launched, at a distance even people like Du Yuan wouldnt be able to react. Reaching the peak of assassination techniques required serious training from a young age in addition to talents. It also involved considerable investment in resources. This persons worth was far above the two grade-six weapons. The heavenly monarchs residence had mobilized quite a bit of resources for this attempt. Qianye weighted the dark sword in his hand for a while. Then, with a single step, he appeared near the wall across and stabbed into it. The blade was extremely sharp and Qianyes origin power was near invinciblethe wall was like tofu as he punched through it. Every move of his sword would draw a stream of blood from the wall. After several attacks, Qianye calmly opened the door and walked out into the corridor. There were four corpses collapsed near the wall of the isolation chamber, their skin suffused with a layer of dark blue. Those four people were struck in the waist and abdomen, but what really killed them was the poison. Qianye picked off their face coverings and studied them one by one. He also found the document that had scared off the city guard; it was just an ordinary travel permit for the Eastern Sea. Without even looking at it carefully, he crushed the paper into powder, saying, You guys are finally here. These infiltrators were only here to draw his attention and hide the true assassin. They seemed to have heard a muffled thud but everything was quiet when they arrived at the appointed place. It was as though what they had heard just now was a hallucination. The plan was for the four people to serve as back up assailants, but they hesitated when they received no further signal and were duly killed during that moment. The four assassins were only there to serve as bait but they were still champion-rank experts. Losing so many killers in one go would be a pain for the heavenly monarchs residence. Qianye walked around the four corpses and raised his voice, Men! Two city guards rushed over, their faces pale when they saw the corpses on the ground. They fell to their knees and said repeatedly, City Lord, we we let them pass because we saw the heavenly monarchs order. We really didnt know they were assassins. Rest assured, I dont want to kill you yet. Bring more men and drag these corpses out, hang them outside the gates of the city lords manor. Oh, and theres one more inside the room. Dont miss him. The two guards then left with two corpses each in tow. In order to save their own lives, they didnt hesitate to put in more effort. Qianye watched their receding figures with a smile. These guards might not know the identity of the assassins, but there was no way these experts would be nameless pawns. He was certain some higher-ups in the city would recognize them. Displaying the corpses like this would be a great humiliation to Zhang Buzhous face. Qianye left after the corpses were hanging outside the gates. He had done what he wanted to do in Tidehark, so there was no need to wait. He only needed to observe the subsequent power-struggle inside the city. Song Zining was standing before his desk, gazing at the thick stack of diagrams in front of him. These were the designs for the latest airship, reportedly redrawn to adapt to the neutral lands. It could be considered a custom design. Before this, the neutral land airships were mostly remodeled from old ships from the Empire and Evernight. They were barely passable in terms of performance. Fortunately, the special environment of the neutral lands punished the vessels from these two big factions, making them inferior to these remodeled airships. However, the papers in front of Song Zining would become the first true model made for the neutral lands when produced. It would sweep away the current models immediately. It was no easy feat to build a warship. The most important factor was Song Zinings superalloy formula and the essential components made in the Empire. It would take all of that to build a warship. Song Zining was no warship expert, but his many years of experience allowed him to see that the warship designs were flawed in actual practice. For instance, the dense web of hand-written notes were all places that needed modification. After finally looking through all the diagrams, Song Zining stretched his body and rubbed his eyes. When he walked over to the mirror, he saw that his eyes were black and his blood vessels visible. Chapter 1123: Cooperating Again Imperial Military? Song Zining said after a while. Ask them to wait in the parlor, Ill be there soon. Fang Zhang was seated together with two attendants in the parlor. Song Zining was stunned as his gaze fell upon one of them. General Lan, why are you dressed like that? Lan Xincheng turned to smile at Fang Zhan. Didnt I tell you we cant fool the seventh young master? You dont believe me. Fang Zhang wasnt quite satisfied, however. He has never seen you before, how could he recognize you? Song Zining didnt keep the man in suspense. Theres an art in divination similar to origin power perception. General Lan never did disguise himself, so I can see his rank-sixteen cultivation and the sharp intent in his origin power. That would be his trademark Silken Gold Needles, right? Fang Zhang raised a thumb. Im convinced. The seventh young master has extraordinary eyesight! Normally, we cant even see through his cultivation when hes not using it. Just some small tricks, not worth mentioning. Besides, Im no longer of the Song clan, so I wont be using that name anymore. You two can just call me Zining. Mister Zining, we wont beat around the bush anymore. We came to trade for the resources remaining in Qianyes hands. We also want to report something and see if you can help. Song Zining said, Please speak freely. I came to deliver the latest warship model, something we agreed upon with General Qianye. Song Zining was fairly surprised. You really got your hands on that thing? From what I know, there are only three such airships? There are six more at the shipyard, so there wont be a shortage in the future. Losing one of them now, however, makes things a bit difficult. Song Zining opened his fan and swung it a few times. Offering such an airship amidst all that difficulty, it seems someone really wants the things in Qianyes hands. Exactly. The Empire is extremely sincere this time, so please put in some good words for us and make this deal happen. The deal aside, what information did you have to give me? Lan Xincheng sent the other attendant out with a wave of his hand. The Empire is planning to attack the void continent! The void continent? Arent things in a stalemate over there? Song Zining frowned. He had taken part in the war back then and witnessed the defeat on all fronts. The aristocracy performed differently in the war, but everyone could agree that things changed the night Qianye betrayed the Empire. Despite the solid proof of his vampire identity and the militarys unerring position, everyone knew how Qianye had risked his life in every battle. This information had been circulating privately since long before. Without the militarys meddling, his identity would have never been revealed. What did it actually matter if he was human or vampire? Apart from the direct effects, Li Fengshuis methods also shook the major clans and families. The reason was that the military was reaching too far. The Zhao clan had long since made it clear that Qianye would enjoy the treatment of a core member of the clan. Those endorsing this statement weren''t just the well-protected Zhao Jundu, but also Duke You and Duke Chengen. After Qianyes escape following Li Fengshuis death, the other aristocracy never blamed the Zhao clan taking his side. On the contrary, they secretly expressed their displeasure toward the military. Secretly investigating a core scion and genius of a major clan could be considered crossing the line. If even the Zhao clan was investigated, how could any other clan be spared? Besides, the militarys methods were unscrupulous, actually resorting to kidnapping someone close to Qianye. Who wouldnt be wary of such methods? Qianye had a bloodline problem, fine, but what about other people? What if they find proof? Zhao Jundus hearing was the last straw that broke the camels back. Not to mention his personal combat strength, potential, and status in the Zhao clan, he was the child of Princess Gaoyi, one of the only two Imperial Princesses. If the military had designs on such a person, was there anyone they didnt dare to touch? Heirs were the foundation of a lineage. This sent a chill down the spines of everyone who had close ties to the military. That was why the aristocracy had performed poorly during the short period that the military took over Zhao Jundus warzone. The Zhao clan drew back without putting in any effort, and the other clans cut off all reinforcements and support, focusing only on their own regions. The Empire was weaker, to begin with, so how could they endure such a breakdown in formation? The situation deteriorated rapidly and the frontline collapsed toward the Zhao clans core defensive line. Only then did Zhao Jundu step in hurriedly to salvage the situation. With the ground battle at a disadvantage, the air battles were even worse. The aristocratic private armies would retreat once the situation was dire, leaving the Imperial clans palace guards at the frontlines. The private armies could retreat, but the Imperial guard couldnt. After several grueling battles, the Imperial guard fleet suffered heavy casualties due to the lack of cooperation. Although the dark races suffered heavier losses, they had an almost endless supply of troops pouring in while the Imperial guard was alone without reinforcements. After losing a third of their fleet, the Imperial guard could no longer hold the line and had to retreat back to the skies above Indomitable, giving away air dominance over the entire void continent. The grievous losses incited the wrath of the Imperial clan, and of the Emperor. Despite his fury, the Imperial clan couldnt do much against this situation. The military was the first to cross the line. The source of all these small secret operations was the desire to centralize power, and of course, there was proof for Qianyes crimes. On the other hand, the Imperial clan never held enough command over the private armies of the aristocracy. This wasnt the first time these clans had prioritized self-preservation. Avoiding battle to weaken the Imperial guard was one way for them to express their dissatisfaction. Normally, a heavenly monarch or marshal would usually step forward to defuse the situation. It was just that the flames this time began from the Zhao clans twin stars, so even a marshal couldnt suppress the dissent. However, the Pointer Monarch and Prince Greensun remained silent, and Lin Xitangs injuries had relapsed; no one even knew where he was. The other marshals werent as skilled as Lin Xitang or willing to invite trouble upon themselves. In the end, things deteriorated into an absolute mess, and the Imperial clan could only take their anger out on the commander of the Imperial guard. However, there were only a handful of people who were proficient in aerial battles. No substitute could do the job better than the current Duke Li, who was known as one of the most capable commanders. Such a situation was already unsalvageable in Song Zinings opinion. That was why he had left the war on the void continent and sought out Qianye. Now that Lan Xincheng was saying that the Empire planned to send more troops to the void continent, it sounded rather impossible. However, someone of General Lans status and character wouldnt spout random nonsense. Song Zining decided to sit down and listen to the explanation. Lan Xincheng was just about to talk when a knock came from the door. Sire Qianye is back. Song Zining stood up and said, Invite him over. He then turned to Lan Xincheng. You dont mind Qianye listening, do you? Lan Xincheng replied, Not at all. This matter might require Sire Qianyes assistance as well. Qianye entered moments later and was surprised to see the two people inside. Youre quite fast. Lan Xincheng and Fang Zhang stood up to welcome Qianye. After explaining their intention to trade, they said, The Empire wishes to send more troops to the void continent. We seek help from you two. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances. Now thats going to be difficult. To be honest, I just uprooted all of the militarys assets and strongholds in Tidehark. How do we work together under such circumstances? Lan Xincheng laughed. Different issues, different issues. The spies in the neutral land belong to the Minister of the Right. General Qianye removing them would even delight certain higher-ups in the military. Even the elder monarch might feign ignorance about it. After all, youre the one who had helped him the most. That means, I actually did the right thing? Qianye said in a mocking tone. Lan Xincheng wasnt angry. He said with a smile, Of course, the timing is just right under present circumstances. Your enmity with the Minister of the Rights faction is already too deep. He wont be able to suppress the backlash from his subordinates without killing you, but he cant do it openly or during a major event. Who would dare attack you during a nationwide operation? Qianye raised his brows, but Song Zining only adopted a spurious smile. Apparently, it was meaningless to keep arguing. Qianye invited the other two to sit down after taking his seat. Lets talk about whats going on. The Empire wishes you and Song Zining to lead an airship fleet and attack the enemys flank. Then, you should return to the void continent and help the main force in expelling the dark races once and for all. While saying this, Lan Xincheng produced a document containing the plans. The bag was sealed with an intricate mechanism made up of tiny cogs that were as thin as hair. Song Zining was familiar with this design. It was even more reliable than the Rockheart Jade Letters because the mechanism was also a seal of sorts. The special material and high technology prevented any form of forgery. The mechanism was only good for a single use, and once jammed, the only way was to force it open. It also prevented experts from reading the contents with origin power, so it was virtually impossible for the letter to be opened midway. Song Zining released the mechanism and read the contents of the letter inside. This was a detailed battle plan with many interconnected segments, both intricate and impressive. Song Zining couldnt help but hold his breath while reading it. Qianye knew a bit about strategy by this point. He felt that the arrows representing attack routes on the map were so heavy that it felt stifling. Song Zining said after several glances, The work of an expert. Lan Xincheng said, How rare for something to receive Mister Zinings praise. Song Zining said seriously, Thats not correct. This isnt praise but admiration! Someone who can draft up such a plan must be vastly superior to myself. I probably wont reach that level even after a decade. There cant be more than ten such characters in the Empire. Lan Xincheng was somewhat surprised. Mister Zining definitely has good eyesight. This plan was drafted by Marshal Lin Xitang himself. Marshal Lin!? Song Zining and Qianye were both surprised. Now, the weight of this plan was different from before. Song Zining and Qianye studied the entire plan again. Truth be told, they had the same idea while looking at the strategy. The plan was great, but it placed great requirements on execution. Some of the key nodes were a risk even for Qianye, not to mention Song Zining. They would need careful consideration and consultation before going ahead with it. If this plan came from Lin Xitang, he mustve made other rescue plans. Even so, Song Zining still looked solemn. There was a specially marked red line on the planit began from a void battle, then circled past the battlefield to attack the enemy main camp. This line was the path designated to Song Zining and Qianye. Chapter 1124: Benefits Qianyes expression changed quickly because the question was quite thoughtless and came out of the blue. Song Zining understood a lot about the situation in the Empire, so he had to have a reason for asking such questions. Fang Zhang was the first to fidget in his chair. Lan Xincheng sat straight in his chair for a good while before finally saying, Im filled with admiration for Mister Zining for grasping so much of the situation in the Empire while staying in the neutral lands. So, theres really no need to beat around the bush anymore. From what I know, Marshal Lin is in a very delicate situation. Qianye said, Can you explain in great detail? Lan Xincheng nodded at Qianye with a mysterious expression, but he turned to find Song Zining staring at him with meaningful eyes, and that caused several notions to shuffle through his mind. He said after some thought, I have a couple of backers in the Imperial court, so Im able to hear some information from the minor court. Song Zining whispered something in Qianyes ears. The difference between major and minor courts wasnt in the scale or frequency. Some topics discussed, decided, and executed there wouldnt even reach the major court. Even the aristocracy would never get first-hand information on such things, not to mention ordinary people. Lan Xincheng paused momentarily, waiting for Song Zining to finish before saying, Reportedly, it was Marshal Lin who suggested that the void continent was a war of national fate. Many people pointed their spears at him for causing a large part of the Empires fighting power to be pinned down on the continent. Theyre blaming him for making careless judgment and hurting the national power. At this point, Lan Xincheng glanced at Qianye. Theres something else thats related to you. Someone got news that Marshal Lin had taken you in as his adoptive son and raised you into the man you were today. The Zhao clan might not know you were a vampire, but there was no way the marshal, with his powerful divination arts, didnt know. Qianyes fingers moved slightly, and his eyes were filled with killing intent. Song Zining leaned back with his eyes closed, effectively hiding his expression. This accusation was extremely serious because raising a vampire was a grave crime. If it were proven that he had done this out of malicious intent, some laws might even punish his family and party members. Using the Mystery of Heavens Art against him was a sinister move. The marshal had dug out countless ministers and generals from their humble origins. If that were a crime, then there was no telling how far the ripples would go. Song Zining reached out to pat him on the shoulder when he saw Qianyes lips moving ever so slightly. The latter ultimately calmed down and refrained from asking about the person trying to beat Marshal Lin when he was down. The Imperial court was never a stable placeeveryone there was quick to switch sides depending on their benefits. Those standing on stage were usually expendable pawns, and there was really no end to such people. Qianye remembered when he held the marshals hand for the first time. As a kid, he had to look high up in order to look into those eyeseyes seemingly filled with flowing stardust and the essence of all life. He also remembered the visit to Prince Greensuns tent after the war at Giants Repose. He couldnt say he wasnt disappointed that he never got to see Lin Xitang that day. Now that he thought about it, the marshal mustve foreseen the events leading up to this day. At the mention of sensitive topics, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat awkward and silent. Lan Xincheng and Fang Zhang were only trading partners to Qianye and Song Zining. They had made happy deals in the past, but that didnt mean they would be confided in regarding such important matters. Lan Xincheng coughed lightly. It wont be good if too many people start accusing him. The situation on the void continent is being watched by all, even His Majesty cannot ignore it. After several court meetings, the Minister of the Right stepped up to mediate things and asked Marshal Lin to provide the strategic plan. Thats how the operation plan came to be. Song Zining said after a glance at Qianye, This plan isnt a simple matter, itll likely drain the Empire almost entirely. Even the Longevity Monarch doesnt have the authority to mobilize on such a scale. The Minister of the Right mediating things? He doesnt command that much face! Are you sure the plan comes from Marshal Lin? Lan Xincheng said seriously, Absolutely certain! Theres still time before the operation. You can seek confirmation if you dont believe us. Also, the Minister of the Right has poured great effort into this operation. He has been approving everything in his power without holding people back. As for things outside his power, he would step in to mediate things via his connections. Now that he has been doing everything he should and shouldnt, even I have no fault to find. I remember him telling Lin Xitang to craft a plan using all the chess pieces in the Empire. Marshal Lin needed only to devise the plan and the Empire would find a way to make it happen. Not long after that, the marshal came up with his strategy. As someone who knows many secrets, he had led the discussions over several meetings. He believes that this is the only way we can turn the war around. Qianye was already in thought, but Song Zinings expression remained unchanged. Qianye and I are given critical roles in this plan. I want to know what will happen if we refuse to go to war? Will the Empire no longer mount a counterassault on the void continent? Lan Xincheng said, You did ask about this after all. This is an important attack route that''s crucial to the entire plan, it cannot fail. Since we need both fleet combat proficiency and personal fighting power, very few people can compare to the two of you. Besides, you will also have the newest Imperial warship in your hands and can be considered the cavalry of this operation. But if you are unwilling to go to war, the Imperial clan will take over this duty. The current plan is to have Princess Gaoyi take your place. Without waiting for Song Zining to speak, Qianye roared furiously, Is everyone else in the empire dead? Does the Zhao clan need to do everything? You people seem to be quite happy with all the centralization going on! Lan Xincheng smiled wryly. Sire Qianye, please dont get angry so soon. This battle is related to our national fate, everyone needs to play their part. Theres really no targeting anyone here. Just take a look at this! The document in Lan Xinchengs hand denoted the fleet battlefields that were predicted to take place. If Princess Gaoyi leads this flank attack, the Imperial clan will be in charge of the Imperial Guard, and the Minister of the Right will lead the Imperial fleet. If shes the main general, two Imperial princes will also arrive to help her. Theres also this route... Lan Xincheng was pointing at a route that would attack from the edges of the void continent, involving erratic jumps between both land and air assaults. It was just as difficult as the one Qianye and Song Zining were in charge of. It was just as demanding and intolerant to failure. Whos in charge of this? Eldest Princess Haimi. Qianye had never heard of this person, but he knew from the title that this was someone from the Imperial family. Song Zining looked rather surprised after a moment of thought. Princess Haimi? It has been two decades since she went into seclusion, right? This battle is so important that the Imperial clan will mobilize everybody at their disposal. Distant members of the Imperial family will be a common sight among the troops this time, and thats also the reason why commanders are so difficult to find. There arent a lot of people who can overshadow these people in terms of combat, strategy, and prestige. I heard the Emperor had to ask personally for Princess Haimi to exit seclusion. Song Zining glanced back at the plan after a moment of silence. He pointed at the vanguard squad for the main land-forces, saying, Whos in charge of this route? The main commander is still being decided upon, but the vanguard has been decided. Its Zhao Jundu. Song Zinings expression relaxed slightly as he stared at the map. Qianye understood the reasonthey were supposed to go behind enemy lines and set up a stronghold there, effectively cutting off the enemy supply lines and path of retreat. The most important factor to an isolated group was reinforcements. It would seem the Empire had arranged for two routes of support, and both of them were elites. There was no need to discuss Zhao Jundus prowess. Although Qianye had no idea who this Princess Haimi was, it was evident from how shocked Song Zining was, and how the Emperor had to invite her personally, that she was an extraordinary person. Lan Xincheng had also claimed that she could utterly suppress all the other royal siblings. With these two routes in place, the chances of success had increased significantly. Meanwhile, Qianye had hidden his powers quite wellhis true combat strength was far above the surface, and he had no fear at all of long, chaotic battles. His current fighting power was capable of holding its own against a divine champion. Song Zining was no easy character, either, and together, the duos power would increase severalfold. On the other hand, Qianye possessed the Martyrs Palace and the aid of the Empires latest warship. Even Linken had lost to him; which other dark race flagship did he have to fear? At the very least, the plan for this route was feasible. They could attack and retreat at will, with enough leeway to shift strategies. Besides, they would show up as a surprise force since they were to set out from the neutral lands. The Evernight Council did not have enough data on this airship route, making them prone to defeat if they were careless. Looking at the entire plan, every link was tightly interlocked. There was no single route that was safe, nor was there a route resulting in sure death. Every chess piece was well utilized on paper, and all that was left was to see how the execution would go. The plan was complicated and orderly. They would first seize the advantage in the air, and then divide the main army on the ground, blocking their retreat. At the end of this rapid assault, the dark race army on the void continent would be surrounded and eventually eliminated. This well-thought-out plan might turn the entire situation around if followed closely. The key to the entire war was the battle in the void. They could only proceed with the follow-up attacks after defeating the Evernight fleet. Qianye and Song Zining would also take part in the aerial battles, naturally enjoying the spoils as well. There was no need to think about the follow-up if the first battle was lost. At least on this route, Qianye and Song Zining saw that they could retreat anytime if the situation turned for the worst. It was unlikely that they would fall into dire straits or traps. Qianye pondered for a few seconds and seemed interested in the plan. Before he could speak, however, Song Zining cut in, General Lan, Qianye is no longer an Imperial citizen. What benefits will he get for joining this fight? Contributing to the country is our inherent duty Lan Xincheng threw out some formal remarks, but he quickly discovered that it was inappropriate. Thats not in my power to say. If you have any suggestions, its fine to speak freely. I will report back to my superiors and see if I can help you get it. Song Zining was quite confident. Firstly, I want the blueprints for any three of the Empires warships. It doesnt need to be the newest models, its fine as long as the design is within thirty years. Lan Xinchengs expression relaxed. Thats not a problem, I can decide. Song Zining raised two fingers, saying, Secondly, I want to buy five in-service corvettes at manufacturing cost. Lan Xinchengs expression shifted into hesitancy. This is beyond my power, but its not impossible if I pull some strings. Song Zining said calmly, Were not asking the military, so theres no room for negotiations. Qianye and I must risk our entire fortune and lives for this war. We must have profits. If the military wants us to sacrifice ourselves for the nation, then theres no need for further discussion. There wont be intact eggs if the nest topples. Mister Zining, how can we be safe if the Empire falls into danger? Song Zining laughed but did not reply. Lan Xincheng sighed. I have noted your requests, it shouldnt be a big problem. Your military strength would only contribute to the war. What else do you want? Song Zining raised a third finger, saying, Thirdly, I want a landed title! Lan Xincheng inhaled deeply. What title do you want? Song Zining replied, I wont demand a specific title. For now, just give me something no ones using. Lan Xincheng glanced at Qianye and Song Zining with complicated expressions. Does General Qianye need a title as well? Chapter 1125: Thunderfrost Temple The conferment of a landed title involved strict rules. Ranks below that of an honorary count could be gained by paying military contributions, but these were empty titles with no land and couldnt be inherited. Titles related to land, even viscounts, had to follow strict laws regarding title, inheritance, and authority. This was especially true for a regional noble title since they wouldnt downgrade over generations. Each of them had to be carefully selected and not conferred randomly. The recipient of such titles would always have to pioneer new land at the beginning of their careers. The price for such a hereditary title was that they would have to hold their land or risk having their titles revoked. Song Zining was planning to build a high-ranking aristocratic family on his own! If that was Song Zinings plan, then what of Qianye? Lan Xincheng thought of something that caused his heart to skip a beat. Could he be planning to build a kingdom? The Great Qin wasnt the only monarchy in the realm. Lan Xinchengs eyes darted over Qianye and Song Zining. He deftly removed any thought he had beforehe could only feign ignorance since the other party wasnt planning to say anything out loud. Qianyes relationship with the Empire was rather delicate, and there were too many powers related to him. As a soldier and not a politician, Lan Xincheng knew that getting involved meant nothing good. As for Song Zinings three demands, there seemed to be a fair number of openings in them. Qianye had announced that he wouldnt be limited by the Empire, but Song Zining planned to remain within the system. Border nobility was a special position. After claiming this title, Song Zining would formally become a member of the Empires upper echelon. At the very least, his status would give him the right to certain secrets. At the same time, border nobles could expand their private armies without limitations and expand their land outwards. They could even request help from the Imperial forces when required. Requesting this title could be considered an extremely smart move. It looked like the Empire wasnt losing anything tangible, but from a different perspective, it meant that all the land claimed would have to be recognized. Even if it was just for their face, the Imperial clan would not allow other powers in the Empire to invade Song Zining without good reason. Hence, the value of this title would depend on Song Zining himself. This seventh young master, who had been considered the future god strategist of the Empire, had fully proven his ability with his miraculous accomplishments. Lan Xincheng came to understand that Song Zinings demands were all interconnected and that there was no space for negotiations. That was also the reason why Lan Xincheng was confident that he could hand over these airships even on the eve of a major battle in the void. Corvettes simply had no place in the battle outside of the void continent. Lan Xincheng was happy to agree since Song Zining was insistent and the demand wasnt unacceptable. As an important member of the military, the general was able to access a lot of information and had studied Qianye and Song Zinings battles. Their accomplishments, which went against all common sense, proved one thingtheir true combat strength was far above what they had on paper. Since that was the case, Lan Xincheng decided to clench his jaws and agree to everything. The next step was to proceed with the handover of the airship. Fang Zhang and Dark Flame would see to the necessary procedures. Lan Xincheng would return to the Empire in due haste and report Song Zinings demands for participating in the war. In the days that followed, Song Zining picked out some mercenaries who had experience as airship crew, and Qianye transferred a batch of sailors and Highbeards from the Martyrs Palace to accompany the handover of the warship. By the time Fang Zhangs airship took to the air, Qianye said to Song Zining, Are we really going to take part in this war? Youve already decided that we would, havent you? Qianye remained silent for a while. I was a bit hesitant. Most importantly, were not sure if the plan was really devised by Marshal Lin. It cant be wrong. Only Lin Xitang can produce a plan perfectly encompassing all the powers of the Empire. Prince Greensun wouldve lost his patience long ago and charged over to duel the dark race experts. Other people might be able to imitate such a plan, but it wouldnt be as grand or as detailed. This plan gives off a feeling of perfection. War is an art turns out Teacher Zhang Jing didnt lie to me. Song Zinings evaluation was fairly serious at first, but his last words relaxed Qianyes frown. He said with a serious expression, You can choose not to take part in this battle. You dont owe the Empire anything, its the Empire that owes you. If you wanted to give back a bit, what you did in the Great Maelstrom is already more than enough. You have no idea what you did back there implies. Qianye smiled faintly. I dont feel like I owe them, nor am I trying to make up for anything. Im doing things that I feel like I should, or perhaps I want. Song Zining remained silent. Will you take part in the battle? Qianye inquired. Of course I have to. A border title isnt so easily obtained, so Ill have to put in a bit of effort at least. One has to know that the Empire hasnt conferred new titles below duke rank since the pioneering ended. Even people like Marshal Lin wont be given such a role. Song Zining was full of smiles. Qianye couldnt help but shake his head when he saw Song Zinings love of money and power. The gloominess in his expression dispersed somewhat. Song Zining said, Disregarding everything else, having me command one of their routes will reduce casualties by a big margin. Qianye nodded. Well, if youre going to war, then how can I not? Song Zining shot Qianye a glance but decided not to keep pushing this problem. Theres one important factor. Are you going to bring the Martyrs Palace into battle? Qianye said, The first battle is crucial, so we must use it. The vessel is gradually integrating with me right now, so its impossible for anyone to take it away. Song Zining frowned for a good while. Fine, lets bring it before the eyes of the world. If we contribute greatly to the war, the Empire cannot rob you by force. Besides, even if someone is that greedy, theyre likely to fail. There are a lot of people in the Empire who are willing to help you. Those last words puzzled Qianye. There were of course some people who were willing to help him, but that would depend on the nature of the problem and the method of helping. When it came to profits, people would be either hesitant or move in full force. It was useless talking about this at the present stage. However, Song Zining only spoke half the words and would keep things mysterious most of the time. Qianye couldnt be bothered to play this game with him. Since they had planned to join the war, Dark Flames focus had to be shifted accordingly. Song Zining started recruiting ship crew and cannoneers across the entire neutral lands. At the same time, he started absorbing experienced mercenaries. He also brought out the equipment left behind by the Imperial forces and started equipping the current soldiers. Ground forces were also highly important since they would need to hold their ground for a while after getting a foothold. Mercenaries from the neutral lands possessed strong individual fighting power, but they were inferior in terms of organization. The forces on the void continent were elites. Their individual fighting power was on par with the mercenaries from the neutral lands, but their discipline and command were far better than a bunch of ragtags who hadnt fought in a large scale war before. Song Zining had to make up for this gap by strengthening the soldiers discipline within a short time. Dark Flame soldiers had obtained special training before attacking Tidehark City, and many of the veterans had survived the war. Song Zining would use these veterans as a foundation to expand Dark Flame continuously, training them day and night. Qianye was given a special mission to visit the Thunderfrost Temple. Qianye shared a connection with Caroline of the Thunderfrost Temple, and her support had helped him through many crucial battles. Dark Flames biggest weakness in this expedition was that they had no divine champion to oversee them. Although Qianye was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with a divine champion, he would still be in danger when facing one. Qianye had agreed to help her procure a piece of land, and this war was the best opportunity to fulfill his due. At the very least, the Empire wouldnt interfere if she were to occupy a remote piece of land in the future. Otherwise, just a representative of the Empire could topple a small country like that. Song Zining asked Qianye to make use of this connection to enlist Carolines help. Caroline wasnt the only divine champion in Thunderfrost Temple. Reportedly, she had a brother who was far stronger than herself. If he could gain the help of the temple, at the very least, Southern Blue would be safe while they were away. Qianye rose into the air from atop the Dark Flame headquarters. He shot through the clouds, out of the continents protective barrier, and into the Martyrs Palace. The Dragonship turned about slowly and flew into the depths of the void. In just half a day, the dragonship appeared near a continent shrouded in silver. This continent was much smaller than the Eastern Sea and barely had a protective barrier. Because it was at an angle away from the sun, the weather was frigid, and the land was covered in snow. Qianye stopped the Martyrs Palace above the continent and jumped down like a comet. Snow and ice were everywhere on the continent. The winds cut like blades, and fist-sized hail would whistle past from time to time. Getting hit by hail was no different from being smashed with a rock. Ordinary people simply couldnt stand it. Through the air, Qianye saw a tall mountain surrounded by steep precipices and strong gales. Qianye turned and flew toward the peak. The mysterious Thunderfrost Temple of legends was situated on that mountain top. The powerful cold winds blew Qianye toward the mountaintop. He adjusted his posture quickly, spreading his arms and legs to attach himself to the cliffside like a spider. There was a small mountain road nearby, but it was so deeply covered in snow that one could hardly see that it was a path. Qianye couldnt be bothered to follow the path, so he simply climbed up along the cliff. The snowstorms around the mountain might be lethal to ordinary experts, but it was nothing to Qianye and his ancient vampire constitution. He moved up nimbly like a spider and arrived at the peak after a short while. The summit was a different world on its own. There was no wind, snow, or hail here, but it was covered in deep blue ice that was countless years old. Qianyes reflection bounced off the many icy pillars, projecting his image in dozens of locations. The world here was so beautiful that it felt stifling, but the temperature was despairingly low. Even Qianye could feel the chill invading his body. Roughly calculated, the temperature here was probably a hundred and fifty degrees below zero. Even steel would turn brittle in such coldnessthere was no way ordinary creatures could survive. Strands of beautiful light would drift across the sky, each of them dying the frozen peak in brilliant colors. However, these beautiful ribbons of light were extremely dangerous. They were brought about by void origin power seeping through the weak space, and they could easily turn into a spatial rift. Chapter 1126: Faraway Gues Qianye looked up at the aged outline of the structure. After a momentary pause, he walked straight toward the main doors. There were ribbons of light flickering into existence on the path ahead, but he dispersed them with a wave of his hand. It was as though he were walking through an excessively decorated street during a festival. This process seemed easy, but every step was akin to walking on the edge of the abyss. Ordinary experts would lose half their palm after each swing, but the luminous ribbons were fairly obedient and kept their fangs hidden in front of Qianye. Brushing away the colorful ribbons, Qianye finally arrived at the doors of the Thunderfrost Temple. The doors were several dozen meters tall, making Qianye look like a small ant in comparison. The doors were similarly made of deep icethey were entirely dark blue with continuous carvings upon it. Upon careful inspection, the images upon them were a depiction of various legends and stories about how the ancients had sought survival in this wasteland and finally constructed this temple. There was no better construction material than deep ice upon this cliff. These predecessors who had managed to build the temple under such adverse conditions would be experts by todays standards. At the very least, people under the champion realm couldnt survive here. Just as Qianye was admiring the sculptures, the door opened on its own and a warm stream of air flowed out of the hall, suffused with a mild fragrance. Esteemed guest, this way please. Qianye entered without hesitation as the doors closed up behind him. There was no light source inside the hall. However, not only was it not gloomy inside, but the four walls, floor, and roof were glistening with a faint light. Everything was pure, brilliant, and mysterious. The roof was almost a hundred meters tall, making people feel like they were standing in the hall of a primordial giant. There was an icy sacrificial altar at the center of the hall, above which an icicle was hovering in slow rotation. Qianye glanced about, but seeing no one, he walked up to the altar and glanced at the icicle. This is the first piece of ice our ancestors chiseled after drifting to this world. It took three hundred years after that to construct this Thunderfrost Temple. Nobody knows this anymore, but countless ancestors were buried under the temple during the three centuries of its construction. The dead would disintegrate quickly in this world, not even leaving a corpse. This ice isnt an offering, but a memory of past sacrifices. The cold voice appeared once again, and this time, Qianye no longer made mistakes with his perception. He turned toward a certain direction and saw a young blue-haired man in long white robes walking over slowly. The young man stretched his hand out. Arkfaire, lord of the Thunderfrost Temple. Caroline is my sister. I welcome you, Qianye. Qianye shook Arkfaires hand and immediately lost all sensation on his skin; it was as though he had gripped a block of ice. A faint glow of scarlet gold ignited on Qianyes hand as the power of Venus Dawn suppressed the cold, protecting his flesh from damage. The scarlet gold flames wavered unstably. Although it was only a thin layer, the drain involved was rather shocking, and Qianye could clearly feel the origin power draining from his body. This meant that, although he wasnt at a disadvantage during the exchange, the difference in cultivation was too big for his Venus Dawn to keep up with. Fortunately, Arkfaire pulled his hand back within moments. There was an incomprehensible glint in his eyes as he gazed at Qianye. Its lunchtime, I hope youll honor us by sharing a meal. Qianye was startled. Thank you for the reception. Lunch at the Thunderfrost Temple isnt something an outsider can enjoy. Arkfaires brows arched up as he broke into a smile. Follow me. He led Qianye through a side door and toward the dining hall at the end of a long corridor. The dining hall was shockingly large as well, at least big enough for hundreds of people to eat at the same time. There was a long table at the center with a chair on either end. Arkfaire sat down at the masters seat and invited Qianye to take the other. Two elders in formal attire began serving the food. Despite their age, they were elegant and well-groomed. They moved in utter silence, almost as though they were gliding on water. Whether they were walking, standing, or serving, the soup on their trays never rippled. Their exceedingly steady hands could be used to serve food, or they could be used to kill people. With their rank-seventeen cultivation, they could turn into terrifying assassins at a moments notice. Even the attendants possessed a higher level of origin power than Qianye. It looked like Arkfaire was trying to demonstrate his power, but then again, it didnt look like that, either. The soup in front of Qianye was like clear water with a couple of blue leaves floating in it. The dish looked more like tea than food. Arkfaires voice arrived from the other end of the table. This dish is made with water from the first batch of excavated deep ice, and the ice leaf is a local specialty produce. It can only grow in low-temperature environments, so you wont be able to have them again after leaving this place. With that, he picked up his spoon and sipped a spoonful of soup. Qianye followed suit and drank a mouthful of soup, swallowing it along with the ice leaf. The soup had no taste of its own, but once inside his stomach, terrifying frost energy erupted and almost froze Qianye from the inside out. Qianyes body reacted instinctively. His blood core pulsed at full force as the blood in his entire body ignited to suppress the invasive cold energy. Qianye sat straight and still, when all of a sudden, two streams of sanguineous flames gushed out of his nose. His face switched between red and blue, fluctuating several times before finally calming down. The two elders nearby cast their observant gazes away while calming their surprised expressions. Qianye gazed up at Arkfaire in utter silence, his eyes surging with a blue intent. The young man revealed a clear and mischievous smile. This soup is a bit tyrannical in the beginning, but itll bring about great benefits once you tide over it. The deep ice left behind by the ancestors dwindles with each use, and there are less than ten ice leaves left in storage. I wouldnt bring them out if you werent an honored guest. Qianye spat out a cloud of white mist, then his body trembled as more flames gushed out of his nose. Since he was already breathing fire, Qianye had no need to hide his situation. After suppressing the chill, he said, The soup is indeed tyrannical, but what will happen if Im unable to endure it? Arkfaire rested his chin on his palm. Such an obvious question isnt something a smart person should be asking, those who cant endure the effects will turn into an ice sculpture. The ice leaf itself can be considered a powerful poison, but this item is too valuable to be used for killing. In any case, I can only say that my sister misjudged if you cant endure the effects. Qianye snorted but made no further comments. He took another mouthful of soup and closed his eyes. This time, he didnt gush flames, but his hair flew up and his eyes shot out beams of light when he opened them. Qianye exhaled another wisp of white energy. This is good! Just two spoonfuls of soup had pushed his origin power forward. This was extremely valuable to Qianye and his extraordinary origin power requirements. His eighth origin power vortex was about to take form, and he might actually break through by the time he had finished the soup. It was just as Arkfaire had said; this soup would provide great benefits if only he could endure. The word endure was easier said than done. The cold energy was extremely pure and would break out from the inside. Suppressing it wasnt just about high cultivation; it was also dependent on the quality of origin power. Qianye could keep the energy in check and melt it because of his Venus Dawn. Any other personthose divine champions with no hope of further progress for instancewould probably turn into ice after one bowl. This soup was the main course. The other fruits and snacks on offer were rare, but they werent that attractive. The meal was finally completed as the origin sundial pointed toward dusk. He had spent most of the time drinking that soup, digesting it for a while after each mouthful. As cold energy accumulated inside his body, Qianyes rate of ingestion grew slower and slower until he had to spend half an hour drinking the last small mouthful. Arkfaire showed no semblance of impatience. He accompanied Qianye calmly, drinking as much as Qianye did, and then waited as the latter digested the energy. Only when the meal was over did he say with a nod, Finishing this soup means youve passed the first test! Follow me. Qianye wasnt really happy about the sudden test, but Arkfaire wasnt going to care about his mood. The young man walked out of the dining hall, smiling like a mischievous kid as Qianye walked out behind him. Regardless of the method, Qianye had obtained a tangible benefit, so he decided not to argue where it didnt matter. The two walked down a spiral staircase and kept going until they were deep underground. Here, Arkfaire pushed open the doors and brought Qianye into a different hall. This hall wasnt as majestic as the main building, but its height of ten meters made for a fairly grand spectacle. The sculptures in the hall were vivid and lifelikeif it werent for them being made of transparent deep ice, people would wonder if they were frozen humans. Arkfaire arrived at the biggest group of sculptures. Gazing up at the several dozen sculptures of varying expressions and postures, he said, These are the heroes of the first ancestral generation. They had fought dangerous enemies in harsh battlefields, risking their lives to carve out the first block of deep ice to serve as the temples first foundation. He then arrived at the second group. There were noticeably fewer people here, barely over a dozen, and their momentum was weaker than the first. Their equipment, however, looked better. Arkfaire said after some hesitation, These are the heroes of the second ancestral generation. They are smaller in number because most of the ancestors had passed away while pioneering this world of ice. What took their lives werent just the cold and monsters, but also hunger. There wasnt enough food in this land to support so many people. Their main source of food came from the beasts living between the edge of the continent and the void." Qianye knew there would be beasts around the edge of the continent. These fierce creatures could move through the void for a short period. Although they werent comparable to void colossi, they were definitely much stronger than ordinary beasts and not a force ordinary champions could handle. One could imagine the price these ancestors would have to pay in order to hunt them down for food. Chapter 1127: The Thunderfrost Martyrs Arkfaire went through the groups one after the other but no longer explained their history. The number of sculptures would dwindle with each passing generation, and there was an important reason for thata reduction in the number of clansmen. When they arrived at the last group, there was only one sculpture left. Arkfaire walked past this sculpture slowly and came to a stop at the final, unsculpted block of ice. This is my place. Qianye raised his brows, waiting for what the young man was going to say. Arkfaire eventually said, The Thunderfrost Temple was only finished during the reign of the seventh generation ancestor, giving us some ability to control the destructive power of this continent. It was already too late at that point. There werent enough clansmen to maintain reproduction, and our numbers were dwindling constantly. The only way to survive was to take in new blood from the outside. From a different perspective, however, that would also be the end of our clan. Qianye realized that the thinning of bloodlines was a problem every clan would have to face. For instance, the vampire races slumbering River of Blood and the demonkin races near-extinct Prophets. The inheritance of power in most races was closely related to ones bloodline, and without power, the clan would decline and fall into ruin. It was rather strange, though, because humans were not as strictly bound by bloodline limitations. The Martial Ancestors Combatant Formula broke through this limitation entirely. The price for that was significant, but in this world full of war and strife, immediate survival was sometimes more important than future prospects. Arkfaires voice drew Qianye back from his reverie. He pointed at the sculptures, saying, Starting from the eighth generation, the sculpture no longer depicts heroes but the generational master of the Thunderfrost Temple, the person who had inherited the power of Thunderfrost. Qianye understood why Arkfaire had pointed out the location of his sculpture. After his death, the inheritor of his power would sculpt his statue there. Wheres Caroline? Whats her position here? You mean my sister? I was just going to talk to you about it. Follow me. Arkfaire left the hall with Qianye and headed deeper underground. This time, the passage seemed deep, gloomy, and endless. They walked hundreds of meters before a door appeared in front of them. Arkfaire pushed open the door to reveal a different world behind it. This was a natural cave that sloped downward into a bottomless central pit. From the edge of the cliff, one could see deep blue radiance flickering in its depths and arcs of lightning jumping along the walls. Just standing at the mouth of the pit caused Qianyes hair to float upward a bit. He could clearly feel the terrifying energy inside. After the construction of the Thunderfrost Temple, we were able to harness the power of these energies. Naturally, it took great talent to be able to refine such power, but our race had never lacked in geniuses. The first person of each generation to master the power of frost would become the lord of the Thunderfrost Temple. My sister was the first to grasp the power of frost, but she purposely chose lightning instead. However, I dont hate her for that. Only those who grasp the power of frost can become the temple lord? Qianye asked. Arkfaire nodded. Yes, only by grasping the power of frost can one operate the entire temple, suppressing the disaster and protecting our clansmen. Qianye understood somewhat. That means the temple lord cant actually leave, right? Only for a short while. Taking into account travel times, they can stay on other continents for half a day at most. Arkfaire smiled wryly. Qianye suddenly felt sorry for him. Arkfaire was a genius, but he had been bound to this icy temple since youth. What joy was there in such a life? No wonder he said he didnt hate her for picking lightning. Sister can operate freely outside, but I must protect our clan. Once the temple stops running, all the clansmen living here will die in a short while. Ive only left the temple twice, but that was just to let outsiders know that the Thunderfrost Temple still has me and not just my sister. That was the only way to keep those dirty idiots at bay and make them stop having designs on my sister. At this point, Arkfaire turned toward Qianye. Would you be interested in inheriting the power of Thunderfrost and becoming the next temple lord? Qianye was stunned. He didnt even have the time to think whether it was even reasonable when he asked, I can? Of course that wont be a problem at all with my help. With the power of Thunderfrost, you can reach the realm of, according to your standards, a superior divine champion. To many people, this type of power was an irresistible allure. It was something they would otherwise have to invest their entire lives to attain. Qianye shook his head. No interest. Arkfaire glanced at Qianye, then shook his head with a sigh. You were the best candidate for us to absorb new blood but its only natural that you would refuse. Someone with Venus Dawn wouldnt really think too highly of our Thunderfrost power. Since thats the case, let me give you this present. A flick of his fingers elicited a clear, crisp sound, almost like the cry of a phoenix. Hearing this sound ignited an ice-point deep inside Qianyes body, and a wave of frost washed through his entire being. That was the power of the ice leaf soup. Even though Qianye had spent a long time drinking it, most of the energy was still stored inside his body and awaiting refinement. Who wouldve thought Arkfaire not only saw through this but also activated all the energy with a snap of his fingers? Qianye didnt even have time to resist as he was frozen stiff by the cold wave. The strange thing was that the stream of cold turned to warmth and merged into Qianyes body, rushing to his eighth origin node like migrating birds. This origin node was already on the brink of overflowing, to begin with. As the stream of warmth flowed in, there was nowhere for the vast amount of energy to go. It finally collapsed into liquid and, with a loud rumble, turned into a vortex. Qianyes aura rose unsuppressed, reaching greater heights with each climb. At this point, he was only one step away from the divine champion realm. Qianye could only speak after a good while. This It spared you some time and also increased your combat strength. I cant have you die since my sister is going to follow you in the future. Arkfaire walked out. Qianye was puzzled, but he had no other choice but to follow. This time, the young man returned to the residential area and sat down in the parlor. After Qianye was seated, an attendant offered him a cup of crystal clear tea, with a green leaf at the bottom of the receptacle. Qianye was overly fearful at this point. He picked up the tea and observed it for a good while without actually drinking it. If this tea was anything like the ice leaf soup, he wouldnt be able to digest a big mouthful. Arkfaire said with a smile, Rest assured, thats just tea. We only have a couple of ice leaves left, so we wont be able to take out too many to treat you. Unless He stopped midway, and his expression turned gentler. Qianye sipped a mouthful of tea, shivering as the cold stream entered his stomach. He felt relaxed and full of vitality afterward. Tell me about why you came. The two finally got down to business. I promised Caroline that I would help her obtain a territory. Now, theres an opportunity, but I need her help. After winning the battle, she would be one step closer to her dream of ruling her own territory. Territory Arkfaires brows moved slightly. Apparently, this word held great significance for him. Where is it, and how big? Strictly speaking, its only a permission to occupy a territory. After the battle, well have accumulated a large amount of contributions in the Empire. With that as the foundation, theyll give us tacit permission when we pioneer new land at the borders and even provide support. Of course, thats the official explanation, but theres nothing to expect from the Empire. Its good enough if they dont interfere. Arkfaire pondered in silence, apparently moved by the thought. There were twenty-seven continents in the realm, twenty-three of which had been explored. The seemingly vast realm actually had very little space that was completely undiscovered. Even the Evernight Council, which had existed for tens of thousands of years, couldnt set foot on the continents at the top of the realm. The upper continents belonged to the various powerful dark races. Most of them were extremely special and not suitable for any other race. The middle continents were the most suitable for life, but most of the fertile lands had been occupied by the Empire and Evernight. There were small countries and neutral powers, but most of them had complicated roots stretching in a certain direction, or both. There was no real neutrality. The rise to power of the Great Qin Empire was an unprecedented miracle. Looking at the establishment of the small neighboring countries, all of them had popped up during periods of unrest. This went to show that both daybreak and Evernight shared similar methods in certain regards. Arkfaire knew full well how difficult pioneering new land was and guarding it even more so. This was a viable path if they could obtain the Empires recognition. Even if no support was offered, there would be one less gigantic entity looking to devour them. Qianye felt odd when he glanced at Arkfaire. Sometimes, it looked like he cared a lot about his sister, but now, it seemed the value of territory was much higher than Caroline''s. Arkfaire woke up from his thoughts and quickly noticed Qianye by his side. He said with a wry smile, You see how adverse this place is. If we continue living here, our clan will only grow smaller and smaller, because the weaker ones cant even survive here. But if we have another territory, we can allow those without sufficient strength to keep on living there. That way, we wont have to face extermination. Qianye was somewhat puzzled. Isnt the neutral lands empty as well? With the Thunderfrost Temples power, you can easily claim some land here. Arkfaire shook his head. The neutral lands isnt suitable for us. Even this place is better for us comparatively. Chapter 1128: Alliance Arkfaire made no abnormal movements. He merely nodded and said, My ancestors were indeed from a demonkin branch. Back then, the demonkin clans were much more segregated and each faction worshipped different powers. My ancestors were defeated in the holy war and forced to the neutral lands. The place was welcoming to a mixture of many races, but to our ancestors, the environment wasnt even fit for survival. In the end, they found the only land they could and decided to settle down, completing the Thunderfrost Temple only centuries later. After looking at these sculptures, you probably understand that our bodies and souls have undergone great changes. At this point, no one would guess we were once demonkin if I didnt mention it. Dark races you guys arent considered a dark race, either, right? Indeed. Arkfaires expression was filled with melancholy and helplessness. The frost power of the Thunderfrost Temple was situated between daybreak and Evernight, so they were no longer of the dark race by traditional definition. However, the demonkin were the favorite children of the world and known as the sons of darkness. Not only did Arkfaires clan lose their original origin power attribute, but their bloodlines were also no longer pure. One could only imagine the taste of comparing themselves to their former glory. Arkfaire escaped his sentiments very quickly. He looked deeply at Qianye, saying, Actually, my sisters talents are greater than mine. Shes currently weaker than me only because I inherited the power of the Thunderfrost Temple. This power is easy to accept, but the drawbacks are easy to imagine; I wont be taking a single step forward from where I am. Thats not the same for her as she can keep advancing. Even a little bit of hope is better than my state. Qianye waited for the continuation message in silence. Arkfaire said after a slight pause, Qianye, you have sufficient talents to lead our clan forward. My sister and I might be old by human standards, but were still quite young compared to our lifespans. Having guessed what the young man was going to say, a surprised Qianye cut him short in a hurry. Im not strong enough, I dont have the qualification. No, the purity of your origin power has reached an extreme. Your future attainments will be far beyond our ancestral heroes. As a future monarch, you are qualified to have us follow you. But right now, you can slap me to death, Qianye made a humble remark. Arkfaire began to contemplate in earnest. Qianye discovered that this fellow was actually quite simple in certain aspects. Afraid that he would actually test out his theory, Qianye said hurriedly, Its just intuition, no need to take things too seriously. Lets get to business. Arkfaire woke up from his reverie. I understand that youre refusing my first suggestion. Then, lets switch to a different model. My sister will join your fight and Ill even send some of my clansmen. As repayment, you must also join us when we fight for our territory, and you must help us once when the Thunderfrost Temple is in danger. Qianye was surprised. The terms are so relaxed. What can I even do with my current strength? The Thunderfrost Temple had Arkfaire and Caroline, surrounded by a natural fortress. If there was an enemy even they couldnt handle, it was useless even if Qianye were to step in. However, Arkfaire said, Youre a future monarch, a promise from you is incomparably valuable. Qianye felt a bit guilty at the thought of it. Arkfaire was like a customer who had fallen for beautiful packaging while he was the profiteering businessman. However, the terms were so good that Qianye had no reason to refuse. Besides, he was the one who had come to seek help. The doors to the chamber opened up quietly. The duo looked back and saw Caroline walking in with a pale face. Ill go with you, said Caroline. Arkfaire was astonished. Sis, we dont know what war theyre fighting Caroline shook her head. Thats not important. Qianye frowned. I think I should explain it first. Arkfaire seconded the motion immediately. Caroline tapped Qianyes chest and said, Whatever the battle is about, Ill go wherever you go as long as you help us when we pioneer new land. Wheres your airship, lets go. Arkfaire wanted to say something but stopped midway. In the end, he said, Wait, Ill send some people with you. You can ask them to handle the miscellaneous stuff. Caroline asked with a frown, Is the battle in the neutral lands? No. Then its fine. Get them ready, Arkfaire, I want to leave right away. The young man smiled wryly. Youre always so impatient. Fine, just wait a while. Qianye didnt see him do anything, but soon, the chamber doors opened once more and four tall men walked in. They stood in a row before the group, their skin so pale that there was even a hint of blue underneath. Qianye looked up hesitantly at Arkfaire, but after some thought, he decided to take them onto the Martyrs Palace. Arkfaire led the group to the roof of the Thunderfrost Temple. I can give you all a hand. He slowly raised his hand to summon a stream of warm air which swept the group upward. The breeze seemed gentle, but it was as firm as it was lasting and brought everyone out of the protective barrier before dispersing. Arkfaire had inadvertently revealed his peerless strength, one on par with Luo Bingfeng. Perhaps this was a kind of warning and hint. Qianye began flying toward the hovering Martyrs Palace. With a swing of her whip, Caroline rolled up the four attendants and dragged them along. These men couldn''t fly through the void on their own just yet. Qianye couldnt bring people along, but he was able to fly at great speeds. The four attendants couldnt help but feel astonished at the sight of it. The massive Martyrs Palace slowly appeared in the void ahead of them. It was as big as a small mountain, assaulting everyone with a wave of stifling pressure. As they approached the airship, the barely composed attendants found their mouths falling open. Qianye flew in from the tail side, followed by Caroline and her subordinates. At this point, the walls of the Martyrs Palace had been largely reconstructed, and only the tail area was left. The Earth Dragons tail was an extremely powerful weapon. Whoever wanted to enter through the tail would have to think twice. Inside the palace, there were craftsmen and warriors from the Highbeard Tribe working alongside the technicians and cannoneers from the Ningyuan Group. There were also hundreds of people working on the installation and adjustment of new facilities. However, the hundreds of people would immediately disappear when spread throughout the airship. Most of the construction work on the dragonship had been completed, and the vessel was finally starting to take shape. Caroline followed Qianye to the residential area where they settled the four attendants in. Then, they ascended along the gangway and arrived at a higher level where the side cannons were installed. Caroline was stunned when she arrived here. She walked over to an uninstalled cannon, running her hands over the glistening body and the thick ballista bolts. Moments later, she turned back and asked, What grade are these? Imperial cruiser main cannons. Cruiser-grade Caroline rose one meter into the air and looked out. There were several other ballistae of the same grade in this wide chamber. There were smaller ones as well, but the difference wasnt too big, and this was only one side of the airship. After Caroline had observed her fill, Qianye brought her forward along the cannon chamber. Despite having installed a dozen or so cannons, the room still looked quite empty. The giant airships power would be unimaginable if all the cannon slots had been filled. The duo finally arrived at the main cannon area. Caroline was stunned when she saw Landsinker, but she didnt lose her composure entirely. She glanced deeply at the main cannon before heading up onto the Earth Dragons head. The two stood side by side, looking out at the boundless void in front of them. All they felt was a slight tremble as the Martyrs Palace turned about and flew back to the Eastern Sea. Caroline gazed into the distance. Actually, Arkfaire isnt related to me by blood. I know, youve mentioned it once. In every generation of our clan, siblings would be marked by talents and combat strength, not blood relationships. According to tradition, children of the same generation would be raised by the clan. Thats why we were never as close as real siblings. Arkfaire inherited frost origin power, while I inherited the power of lightning. As such, we became siblings according to tradition. This was a strange rule, but that didnt come as too much of a surprise since they were even willing to shift their origin power attributes for survival. I told you before, right? I have a werewolf bloodline. Even though its quite thin, its still there. The reason for that Caroline paused for a moment, hesitating whether or not she should continue. Qianye said, You dont need to say it if it makes you unhappy. Caroline shook her head. Ive suppressed these things in my heart for too long. Youre qualified to listen right now. Our clan branch was cursed by a great dark monarch when we were expelled. The power of the curse took root at the source of our bloodline, and we were unable to expel it for many generations. The neutral lands was an adverse place, but to our race, the effects were even stronger. That was why we decided to settle down on Thunderfrost Continent even though it was difficult. Everyone knew that was our only choice, and they had expected that things would be difficult... but life there was simply too bitter, so bitter that we wanted to give up on ourselves. The clan had experimented on interbreeding with other races so that we may live in the other parts of the neutral lands. We just wanted to escape this curse and the land of Thunderfrost. However, the experiment ended in failure and the result was that some clansmen no longer possessed pure bloodlines. I inherited one of those impure bloodlines. The mixed demonkin suffered inferior status compared to the pureblooded ones, it wouldnt be too overboard to say we were no more than slaves. Even though I had revealed enough talent from a young age and was considered the hope of our next generation, I still cant forget how my mixed-blood demonkin siblings were treated. That was why I decided to pick void lightning instead of frost power. Is there a difference between the two? Qianye inquired. As he saw it, the purity of her lightning origin power wasnt below that of frost. At the same cultivation rank, it was probably even a bit more powerful. In the Thunderfrost Temple, however, the status of frost origin power was evidently higher than lightning. Caroline explained, The quality of these two origin powers is comparable, but theres a vast difference in quantity. The power of frost in the Thunderfrost Temple is virtually boundless, but only a small amount of lightning power would be condensed over a long period. Arkfaire and I picked our attributes only half a year apart, but hes already at the level of a superior divine champion while I hover around the intermediate rank. Qianye understood at this point. Every step beyond the divine champion realm was extremely difficult. Even if there was enough lightning power to absorb, one could only hope of breaking through to the superior divine champion rank. Even Caroline herself couldnt say for sure if she would take another step forward. The girl sighed softly. I wanted a territory of my own because I wanted to give those mixed-blooded clansmen a place to live and multiply. Their bloodlines are no longer pure, but they can adapt to more environments than the others. Its quite a helpless matter. Qianye only listened in silence. Humans were in a difficult phase in this realm, but they were a growing race with boundless room for development. The vampires had always been troubled by their slumbering River of Blood, but they still held a strong position in the Evernight Council and on the Sacred Mountainthey werent in a decline just yet. The sorrow of a declining race, Qianye had seen a hint of that in William, but it never left as deep an impression as the Thunderfrost Temple. In this world filled with darkness, every race had the right to survive, even races outside of Evernightthis was something the daybreak and neutral factions had always said. It was rather encouraging and arduous, but only the humans had ever realized such an ideal. Qianye didnt know how to console Caroline, but he knew that empty words were meaningless. Carolines spirits finally recovered. After listening to the conversation between you and Arkfaire, however, I realized that this new territory should belong to all clansmen. Qianye said, However you wish to use that territory, Ill do my best to help you. Caroline glanced at Qianye. Actually, it wont be easy to pioneer new land even with our combined forces. Qianye nodded. We must wait until I grow stronger. At the same time, we need more soldiers, an airship fleet, and the Empires nominal protection. Well need time to get all that, but youll get your territory eventually. Caroline said to Qianye, I really wonder where you get all that confidence from? Maybe you still dont know the trouble well have to face. Originating from the Thunderfrost Temple meant forfeiting all possibility of protection from the Evernight Council. The Great Qin Empire, on the other hand, would only become less reliable as it grows stronger. The demonkin will launch an attack once they realize youve found a place to establish yourself, right? Since you already know, why are you still so confident? Caroline asked. Of course, Im confident, Ive been fighting the dark races all my life. Why would I fear the demonkin? Caroline nodded. That almost sounds reasonable. Survival in the neutral lands had to be fought for. Origin power was nowhere near as important as absolute power. In truth, Qianye could divide a piece of land on the Northern Continent and fulfill his promise of giving them a place to settle. The environment there was mild enough for Caroline and her people to live. However, the Northern Continent was too valuable. Qianye didnt want to bring it up unless absolutely necessary. With so little resource-rich land left to be developed, the discovery of the Northern Continent would surely lead to war. Qianye didnt want outsiders to know about the place until he had the power to protect it himself. The Martyrs Palace flew so steadily that one could hardly feel it moving. The inherent power of a void colossus allowed it to move like fish in water. Caroline remained silent as she experienced the feeling of gliding through the void. At this point, she felt as though she was one with the Earth Dragon, and every minute of that comprehension was a rare opportunity. Chapter 1129: War Preparations Qianye was stunned by Carolines sharpness. He gave her a nod but didnt explain further. This was related to the core control rights to the dragonship; the fewer people who knew this, the better. The girl was smart enough, so there wasnt really a need to explain further. Caroline also understood this. She stopped asking questions and fell into her own contemplation. The Martyrs Palace flew through the void and eventually arrived in the Eastern Sea. Qianye brought Caroline off the airship and the duo flew toward Southern Blue. The palace remained on standby in the void. Not long before Qianyes return, a commotion broke out in Southern Blue. Many people ran out onto the streets and looked up at the sky. A massive shadow was washing over the city as an airship of unprecedented size descended upon it. The airship was hundreds of meters long, akin to a gigantic cargo vessel, but that kind of beauty, elegance, and stable cruising ability wasnt something a cargo ship could possess. The long ballistae poking out from the airships bow and stern were killer weapons that the neutral lands had never seen. It wasnt just the bow and stern; there were rows upon rows of side-cannon ports that could deliver terrifying firepower. Even people who had no idea at all about airship battles would be shocked by such a sinister-looking monstrosity. It wasnt just peerless in the neutral landsfew could ever hope to match it even in the Evernight world. Under the eyes of everyone, the giant ship slowly descended to Dark Flames airship port. The port had been expanded to twice its size and many of the facilities had been moved away, but even then, the parked airship looked rather cramped. Many people wanted to run over to watch the liveliness, but the mercenaries of Dark Flame had long since received orders to seal off the paths leading to the airship port. Three guard perimeters were more than enough to block everyone out of the street. This perimeter wasnt enough to block out true experts, but none of the more powerful people would provoke Qianye and Song Zining just to watch the liveliness. The giant airship was painted in the classic dark grey of Imperial warships. All they did was erase the vessel name. The cabin doors opened slowly, and a row of Imperialsled by a lieutenant generalwalked down from the vessel. Qianye and Song Zining were already waiting on the airship port. The lieutenant general said with a bow, Bao Yantu of the Great Qin Empire is here for the handover! Song Zining returned the bow. There should be five more corvettes, right? Bao Yantu said, Those ordinary airships cant catch up to this warship, but they should be here soon. The shaky airships flew far less elegantly than the cruiser, but they were much better than the centuries-old antiques available in the neutral lands. The corvettes were small, but they were slower and less agile compared to the landed cruiser. No wonder Bao Yantu wasnt too impressed. Song Zining was familiar with the various warship models of the Empire. Just by looking at their external appearance and speed, he could tell that these five corvettes were the primary models in the Empires employ. These warships had been in service for less than three decades, and could be considered the backbone of the armed forces. They might not be able to offer the highest performance, but they were reliable, well-documented in battle, and replacement parts were easy to come by. One could see just how sincere the Empire was this time. Bao Yantu said, All six airships are here. The cargo fleet carrying the cannons and ammunition will arrive one day later. The blueprints you wanted are in this patrol ships hold. Please check and receive. Song Zining nodded. The technician team he had prepared boarded the ship to perform the takeover procedures. At Bao Yantus signal, a group of burly men in civilian clothing ran over and formed a square behind him. Bao Yantu said, These are old veterans who have served in the army as non-commissioned officers for many years. Each of them specializes in different mechanical fields. Theyve left military service and have volunteered to work in the neutral lands, a small gift from General Lan. Non-commissioned officers were a special rank in the army. These people might not be strong, or have any hope of becoming champions, but they were specialists in certain fields. Their role was especially important in the Imperial fleet, where they enjoyed a salary comparable to a generals. With the dozen or so non-commissioned officers, Qianye and Song Zining would have an easier time controlling these warships, especially the cruiser. Lan Xinchengs present was rather significant. Naturally, Qianye and Song Zining didnt refuse. They ordered some men to lead these officers away and settle them in. The corvettes had all landed while they were speaking. After the handover was completed, Bao Yantu said, Sires, Im not sure if its appropriate, but I have something I wanted to say. If youre trying to build an airship fleet, the current combination isnt really the best. The Empire has only three of these cutting-edge cruisers. Theyre more suited to solo combat or in a conjunction with high-speed destroyers. These corvettes are too old to keep up. Song Zining laughed. The military wont give me high-speed destroyers even if I wanted them! Bao Yantu was momentarily stunned, but his expression proved that he had come to understand the reason. High-speed, long-distance destroyers were the Empires newest model, and only two have been produced thus far. Naturally, they wouldnt hand them over to the neutral lands. Destroyers one grade below that made up the core fighting force of the Empires void fleet. Even the top clans could only get their hands on a few. There was really no telling if the military would say yes or no if Song Zining were to demand them. Hence, Song Zinings demand for the five corvettes was just a move to expand his own military power in the name of war. However, Bao Yantu wasnt stupid enough to ask. Since the handover has been completed, its time for me to go. Someone will deliver the next combat plan. Qianye and Song Zining saw Bao Yantu off as he boarded a corvette and left. The seventh young master rubbed his chin, saying, There are still a lot of honest soldiers in the Empire. Qianye didnt say anything. The Great Qin had risen from the mud and stood tall for a thousand years, and even today, it was showing no signs of slowing down. All of that was possible because countless Imperial citizens and nobility had wrested these lands from the hands of the dark races. Unfortunately, there was rarely any certainty at the intersection of Evernight and daybreakthere was a lot of static in the path ahead for the human race. With Bao Yantu gone, Dark Flame became busy at every level. There were a lot of inspections, maintenance, and repairs, in addition to protecting the airships against dark race assault. Qianye and Song Zining returned to the command center and stood silently in front of the void continent map. Moments later, Song Zining said, Qianye, did you notice anything wrong with the plan? Qianye shook his head. I cant see anything wrong, and the risks are within normal range, but I have a feeling somethings not quite right. Song Zining frowned. I feel the same, but I cant put my finger on it. Well have to hold out behind enemy lines. The situation looks dangerous, but its not that bad in practice. If we can take hold of the advantage in the void, a steady stream of reinforcements will arrive to help us. Besides, we have the advantage of mobility and Zhao Jundu will be in charge of the central army. He knows your location, so hes sure to charge over and meet up with you. The man isnt dumb, hes one to kill on the spot if the Empire plays tricks with the provided troops. How about Princess Haimi? The possibility is even smaller? The Eldest Princess was a legendary figure back in the year, even more famous than Princess Gaoyi. Will we lose the battle? Qianye asked after some thought. Song Zining shook his head. Its fine even if we lose, we were already losing anyway. But if everything goes according to Marshal Lins plan, we might have a chance at victory. Qianye said, Then its no use thinking about it. Too bad I cant use divination Qianye was shocked out of his wits. Dont court death! You definitely must not use divination for this battle! The Empire had mobilized in full force for this war, and the Evernight side would surely do the same. With so many elite experts involved from both sides, there was also no telling which major character would be among them. There were too many variables here. Using divination carelessly at this rank would be courting death. After some thought, Qianye said, Dont use it on me, either. Song Zining patted Qianyes shoulder. Rest assured! Id divine everyone else but not you! Qianye cast a suspicious glance at Song Zining. Who wouldve thought the man would listen so readily? He had always been smug when it came to divination and was never willing to lose face. Why was he so intent on avoiding him now? There was no point in discussing more battle plans at this point, so Song Zining and Qianye decided to split up to make preparations. The next day, the main cannon and ammunition for the airships arrived. Qianye sent a part of them to the Martyrs Palace, increasing the legendary airships firepower. In its current state, the Martyrs Palace was still far from its maximum capacity. After several days of training, the newly assigned crew were becoming familiar with the Imperial airships. Although they couldnt be considered proficient just yet, they were not too far off from a passing grade. There would also be an Imperial officer at each critical post, so the entire airship was appropriately organized. At the same time, Dark Flame also recruited close to ten thousand new mercenaries and started training them. The veteran members were integrated into the newly formed squads to serve as their backbone. More cargo airships would land in Southern Blue with each passing day. These vessels would immediately undergo remodeling and become passenger transports. The remodeling wasnt complicated since all they needed was to barely accommodate passengers. The conditions were crude, but the mercenaries in the neutral lands had long since gotten used to extreme environments. They didnt really complain about being too crowded since more people meant more comrades in battle. As the dark clouds of war drifted in, the preparation-work began to speed up. The various workshops in Southern Blue ran day and night, dropping their previous orders to provide equipment and supplies for Dark Flame. The merchants didnt complain about it even though most products were bought on credit. They knew that war was the best way to get rich. As long as they could support Qianye and Song Zining to victory, they would reap a hundred times the profit in the future. The neutral lands was small and the population was sparse. Everyone here longed to head out and kill their way toward a better world. The special environment here offered protection, but it was also a restraint. The Empire and Evernight couldnt handle the neutral lands, but outside, the neutral-land airships would be destroyed in the blink of an eye. This time, Dark Flame was doing preparations on a grand scale, for a faraway expedition. These merchants were placing their hopes of expanding into the outside market on Dark Flame. Chapter 1130: Man Amidst the Tides After three more days of tense preparations, Dark Flame finally completed the initial phase of mobilization and issued the order to fight. The entirety of Southern Blue was aboil as fully-armed soldiers poured out of their barracks and assembled at the airship port. A seemingly endless motorcade blocked the streets, each loaded to the brim with resources. Temporary inspection camps were set up along important intersections, where logistics officers flipped rapidly through their lists as they did the final checks on the supplies. The inspection process was extremely strictthe car number, destination, and goods had to match perfectly before they were allowed to pass. This caused considerable delay, as well as a congestion of countless trucks outside of these checkpoints. There were people who complained secretly, but military discipline had been established by Dark Flame and Song Zining. As such, no one dared to complain openly. The scene was different from a birds eye view. The entire city seemed to be in an absolute mess, but after a period of observation, one would see that the vehicles and people were still moving slowly after a certain point. There was no single place where the congestion was unsolvable. This orderly rush was, in fact, the work of a master. The strict procedures on each route actually ensured that the trucks would arrive at the correct place via the correct route. The delay was much better than trucks going to the wrong place, and the process made it very difficult for spies to cause disruption. Song Zining was fairly satisfied because even the regular Imperial army couldnt do better. Dark Flames logistic officers were vastly inferior to the Empires, so much so that many of them never understood the intention behind Song Zinings orders. However, they were sufficiently obedient and precise in their execution. Hence, their efficiency was not at all inferior to the Imperial corps who shared all kinds of subtle restraints between one another. This also meant that most people were just small cogs in this massive machine. All they could do was move according to their preset trajectories, unable to affect the bigger picture. At this point, almost all eyes were on Southern Blue. Be it within the city or outside, many were observing the details without fail. There were several workshops on the plateau outside of Southern Blue. These factories worked on metallurgy and ore sorting, the type that occupied a lot of space but wasnt worth much. That was why they were built outside of the defensive perimeter. However, these workshops were high enough to provide a good view of the entire city, and currently, there were a number of people atop a high tower enjoying just that. The two old men atop the tower looked rather elegant with their long beards swaying in the wind. One of them stroked his beard while gazing at Southern Blue. Rushed but orderly, this Song Zinings fame as the future god strategist is well-deserved. We cant underestimate that Qianye, either. Even the Wolf King would rather offend us than provoke him, a different elder commented. A young man asked curiously, Whos more powerful between the two? One of the elders replied, Thats a good question! That Song Zining is known as the future god strategist. Hes reportedly proficient in divination arts, allowing him to maximize his advantages and avoid calamity. Since hes also capable of leading tens of thousands of men in battle, I would say hes the stronger one. Thats not correct. What can an army of ten thousand do before a true expert? Hes strong enough to strike fear into the Wolf Kings heart at such a young age, can you imagine what will happen once he matures? No matter how much Song Zining schemes, Qianye can kill him in the midst of ten thousand soldiers. The two elders were of different opinions. Their voices loud and their faces red, it looked like they were about to quarrel. A middle-aged man nearby said hurriedly, Sires, theres something you need to decide. What is it? The man quickly caught the duos attention. Dark Flames fleet is about to take off. We need to decide whether we should intercept them midway and teach them a lesson. That was indeed an important matter, but the two elders remained silent. With such obvious activity in Southern Blue, the heavenly monarchs residence had already taken necessary steps. They had even hidden an airship fleet in the void to set up an ambush. Their expansive spy network gave them knowledge of Dark Flames flight path and allowed them to move into position earlier. It was just that no one knew how powerful Dark Flames fleet was. Their assets were only able to look from afar since the airship port was one of the most heavily guarded areas in Southern Blue, not to mention the current blockade had even extended to the nearby street blocks. The spies were only able to record the new airships size and shape; its performance and stats were still unknown. The heavenly monarchs residence didnt have a mature plan when they assembled their fleet. Their initial objective was to attack Southern Blue with great military power. Everyone knew Dark Flame was going on an expedition, but the residence didnt dare skimp on precautions. Qianyes actions in Tidehark were full of malicious intent; who knew whether this was a diversion for attacking the heavenly monarchs residence? That was why people from the heavenly monarchs residence had to discuss whether they wanted to attack or not. It would be best if they could destroy Dark Flames fleet in one go. Even Qianye and Song Zining would not be able to withstand such a loss, setting them back several years of progress at the very least. This would also prove to Qianye how powerful the heavenly monarchs residence was and, at the same time, serve as a warning to other people with disloyal intentions, the Wolf King for instance. A successful assault would be killing three birds with one stone, but what if it wasnt successful? The two elders noticed the apprehension in each others eyes as they exchanged glances. Even though the residence had mobilized a large number of warships and formed a massive fleet, the elders were still hesitant about the decision. What if they were defeated? The heavenly monarchs residence couldnt withstand such losses, either. The bystanders were anxious, but they didnt dare to rush the two elders. Their side had assembled several dozen warships, while Dark Flame had only over a dozen. What was there to fear? After a good while of deliberation, one of the elders finally stomped down. Brother Ji, what do you say we just let it be? The other elder raised his brows. Brother Lu, you must have your reasons for suggesting this. Can you explain? Brother Ji, many people saw Dark Flames giant ship, but no one could tell its model. We couldnt find it in our documents, either. Thats quite strange. A young man nearby interrupted, Maybe its some sort of antique Elder Lu glared hard at him, stopping whatever he had to say. Have you ever seen an old ship that looks like that? The spies couldnt provide a lot of details, but they could still see whatever was visible on the surface, the mechanical origin cannons for instance. Elder Jis frown locked tighter. Could it be the Great Qins newest warship? T-This cant be What if? What other explanation is there? T-This Elder Jis hands started to tremble as he thought about it. Of course, the Empire also has some core battleships that they would only bring out in a battle against the Evernight Councils vessels. Theres no data on them, either. Elder Lus tone was icy. Not to mention a new model, do you think a couple dozen of our scrap-metal warships can defeat the current models? Elder Ji started to sweat. Warships in the neutral lands were too old to be a match for the Empire and Evernight. Their only reliance was the special environment here, which made it difficult for the two major factions to remain for very long. Going head-on against an Imperial battleship, even if it was a current model in the regular army, would be courting death. Elder Ji finally came to a conclusion. We cant take this risk! Order our fleet to retreat, dont bump into them. A subordinate vanished from atop the tower after receiving these orders. The others remained in place to continue observing the mobilization in Southern Blue. Half a day went by in a flashtroop movements in the city continued in a slow but orderly fashion, with small patches of confusion being sorted out immediately. Even those with great enmity against Dark Flame couldnt help but admire Song Zinings planning abilities. Seeing how he had managed this large-scale movement so well, one could imagine how efficient the logistics would be during war. They would be in an invincible position as long as the frontliners did their part. At the thought of this, everyone felt more or less uneasy. Was it worth fighting against such an opponent? Unfortunately, the seeds of enmity had been sown, and there was no taking them back. The lingering echo of bells from Southern Blue reached the tower as wellthis was a signal for the airships to take off. The group opened their eyes wide and observed the process seriously. Two warships rose from the airship ports. It was obvious that these small vessels were just corvettes, but their smooth, elegant outlines proved, mercilessly, the difference between them and the airships of the neutral lands. Their takeoff procedure was quick and stable. In the blink of an eye, they were patrolling the area from hundreds of meters above ground. The two elders and their attendants started to sweat. They knew clearly what this kind of speed meant. In the case of a surprise attack, these corvettes would be airborne before the neutral-land warships could charge within firing range. A head-on battle would then ensue. The corvettes took off in pairs until there were six of them guarding the skies. Then, everyones eyes blurred as a massive entity rose quietly into the air. This airship was extremely elegant despite its size. Like a hunter at the top of the food chain, all of its killing intent was hidden under its beautiful exterior. The vessel rose rapidly and quietly, even more so than the corvettes just now. The main cannons at its bow and stern, along with the cannons on either side, made it clear that there were no blind angles to its fire. The top and bottom parts might be weak, but the warship wouldve circled around the enemy before they could find a blind angle. Even its take-off speed was much faster than most of the so-called warships in the neutral lands. However, the entire process was too stable to say that it was going at maximum speed. Only after personally seeing this massive airship did the group realize what kind of enemy they were up against. Even a divine champion would find it hard to assail such a warship alone. They would be hard-pressed to catch up to its speed in the void, to speak nothing of a surprise assault. At this moment, Song Zining and Qianye werent aboard that ship. The two stood side-by-side in Southern Blue, watching as the most-advanced battlecruiser disappeared over the horizon. Say, will anyone be dumb enough? Qianyes tone was full of expectation. Song Zining broke into a laugh. Those from the heavenly monarchs residence arent idiots. Why would they court death? What a pity. Thats nothing important, really. The real problem is can we hold out once Zhang Buzhou comes out? Qianye said after some contemplation, I can at least keep him at bay if I become a divine champion. Song Zining sighed softly. Divine champion, huh all we need is time. Qianye sighed secretly as his thoughts went to Nighteye. The times were akin to the rolling tidesthey come and go without warning, and would never wait for anyone. Geniuses and mediocre people were all equal before the passage of time. Qianye couldnt help but wish he was born ten years earlier. Those powerful characters like Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang, who was to say they didnt have such thoughts, either? Chapter 1131: No Schemes Here After the warships had receded over the horizon, a series of cargo and troop transports took to the air, slowly falling into formation before flying off into the distance. The cargo and troop transport airships moved in squadrons of ten as they meandered toward a distant assembly point. This squadron stretched fairly longit was only noon when the first batch took off, but the last batch was still on the landing pad at midnight. Compared to the awesome spectacle of the warship fleet, the supply transports were vastly inferior. Almost all of them were civilian use airships with very mediocre take-off and flying speeds. But that was also quite normal. If the neutral lands could produce an elite fleet for logistics, then it wouldnt be just the heavenly monarchs residence being restless. No matter how organized such fleets were, it couldn''t really make up for the lacking performance of each individual airship. This was doubtlessly the biggest fat sheep in the pirate-infested neutral lands. Countless people began to stir, relaying this information in every direction and to every dark corner of the neutral lands. Pirates normally didnt dare to take action without careful thought. When the riches in question reached a certain threshold, however, some desperate people would decide to take the chance. These people took off under public eyes, but they quickly disappeared and were never heard from again. Qianye and Song Zining were traveling behind the transport squadrons. The plan was prepared for the people from the heavenly monarchs residence, but all it raked in were some pirates. The journey wasnt without losses; three cargo vessels were destroyed by pirates, and one sank due to malfunction. The damage was almost negligible to the massive fleet, but none of the attacking pirates were left alive. No matter how clever they were at piloting, they simply couldnt escape from the clutches of the Empires cutting-edge battlecruiser. Some pirates fought to the bitter end, while others surrendered in desperation. This journey back and forth added more than a dozen pirate ships and over a thousand captives. According to the rules of the neutral lands, these pirates would be used as cannon fodder and released onto the battlefield as the first wave. Only the survivors would be truly pardoned. In the command room, Song Zining and Qianye had assembled all the commanders to announce the battle plans. According to the Empires overall plan, the airship squadrons would assemble at a designated location to establish connection with the Imperial fleet. They would then move to their assigned battlefields at the right time to fight the Evernight forces. Such a mission didnt sound too dangerous and it was also in line with Dark Flames high-mobility. Hence, there was really no reason to refuse. The mission assignment brightened up the faces of Dark Flames commanding officers. A war between daybreak and Evernight would always affect the neutral powers around the battlefield, forcing them to join the fight whether they were willing or not. As veteran mercenaries, the mercenaries of Dark Flame had experienced this situation more than once. In this kind of war, they were most afraid of being sold out unknowingly and becoming expendable cannon fodder. Now that the missions were assigned according to their strength, it seemed fairly reasonable. There was also nothing to complain about since they were in a position to both attack and retreat. Seeing that no one had any objections, Song Zining ordered everyone back to their posts. Moments later, six Imperial corvettes, a battlecruiser, and a warship that could barely keep up with the squadron left for their objective. On the bridge, Qianye and Song Zining were gazing out at the boundless void. The former said, Is this enough? Do you want to use that? Lets observe the situation first. Qianye frowned for a moment before saying, There seems to be no scheme going on, at least from the current battle plan. Song Zining sighed. Seeing no scheme in this stage worries me even more. Lets play it by ear, step by step. Theres no use thinking about it. Well just solve the problems as they come up. Qianyes voice was calm. True. In the depths of the void, a massive airship fleet was slowly moving toward the void continent. The two battlecruisers at the van were exceptionally eye-catching. The fleet was made up of six battleships and a mothership, almost like a fortress floating in the void. The stifling feeling it gave off was almost indescribable. On one of the battleships, there stood an elegant man. He looked quiet and gentle, but there was a suppressive might around him that resembled the mountain ranges. This was the Minister of the Right who held great power in the Empire. It was just that the man was fairly reserved, gentle, and even looked weak. He rarely ever raised his voice, even when he was furious. Only today, on this warship, did he reveal a side of him that no one had seen before. Those on the bridge were the ministers trusted aides. Everyone was quiet and trembling under the great pressure. It was the Minister of the Right who ultimately broke the silence. Muttering to himself, he said, So this is the taste of war and murder. Heh! No wonder those generals care little about people from the Imperial court. Those standing nearby exchanged glances, not knowing what his words meant. From what they knew, the minister was never one to speak meaninglessly. Since his words were usually of great significance, the crowd began to meditate on what he said in an attempt to decipher the meaning. An old attendant, who had followed the family for two generations, said boldly, Sire, according to the current formation, this warship will be at the vanguard once the fight breaks out. Your wellbeing is priceless, so how can we take this kind of risk? The Empire will suffer great losses if something happens to you. I think we should change the formation. Another person said, Our lord is a loyal subject of the Empire and not one to fear death. Your words are inappropriate, but I agree that the current formation will put us at a disadvantage during engagement. Theres no telling when the enemy fleet will appear, so its best to change the formation. These words were much more subtly spoken. The first elder wasnt angry, either, and merely waited for the ministers reply. The two placed emphasis on different things with their toadying. One was balanced and the other was loyal, but both of them were shoulder to shoulder in terms of verbal skill. The Minister of the Right finally turned back with a smile. He raised his right hand but didnt say anything else. Everyone knew that he was about to make an important decision. The man would usually contemplate his options before making a critical decision, and only speak when he was certain there were no problems. The longer his silence, the more important the topic would be. The minister took longer than usual this time, so long that even the smile on his face seemed distorted. The people nearby felt their craned necks growing tired, but the Minister of the Right still hadnt spoken. Finally, the minister glanced over everyones faces and said, This fleet is made up of the combined forces of the Second and Third Imperial Guard. While technically the vanguard, our fighting power far exceeds the main forces of the First Imperial Guard. Since the Empire has assigned me as the commander of the vanguard, I must size up the situation and plan for everything. It seems the current formation has to change. Many of the followers looked delighted, but no one knew if they were happy about the ministers safety or their own little lives. The Minister of the Right said in a deep voice, Issue my order! Switch to assault formation. Move this warship to the fore of the fleet! The old attendant said, Sire, you must not put yourself at risk! The minister raised his hand to stop all the dissuasion. As the commander, I must be at the very front of the army if I want them to risk their lives for me. That is what it means to be the vanguard. The massive formation of airships transformed slowly as, one after the other, the Evernight airships appeared over the horizon. The Minister of the Right stood before the window, gazing at the endless void and the slowly approaching enemy fleet. The Evernight fleet was somewhat inferior in quality, but they were numerous and their airships were big. The two giant vessels on either side of the fleet were even bigger and more sinister-looking than the Empires battleships. Clearly, they were duke-grade flagships. The Imperial vanguard held the advantage, but it was rather limited and a bitter fight was inevitable. The Minister of the Right was expressionless and merely kept on gazing ahead. Only when the two fleets were gradually drawing close did he issue his second order. This vessel shall take point. All ships, attack! Everyone was shocked out of their wits because such a method would leave the vanguard flagship in great peril. One had to know that there were no peak experts protecting this warship, and they only had mechanical fighting power to rely on. The Minister of the Right suddenly looked back. I might specialize in trickery and tactics, but theres none of that in this fight! No tactics? Was he planning to lead the army into a brute-force battle? These people were all skilled in subduing political opponents and scheming against people, but none of them were willing to lead the charge. But it was too late to turn back. Both armies were charging at full speed and would soon arrive within firing range. All they could see outside of the cabin windows was a firework display of enemy cannons and sparks. As beautiful as those flames were, what the people here saw was death and despair. This was a sign that the Evernight warships had opened fire, with each spark representing a cannon shell. On the Empire side, tens of thousands of fiery raindrops whistled past the ministers flagship and fell toward the enemy fleet. Those were the Empires ballistae, taking charge of spreading death and destruction among the enemy. As expected, the flagship at the van of the fleet soaked up most of the enemy fire. Countless cannon shots fell upon the flagship and erupted into dazzling balls of fire. The vessel was soon submerged in a pool of flames. The Imperial captains all held their breath as they gazed at the sea of flames in front. The next moment, the flagship leaped out of the firestorm like a phoenix! Like an angry immortal bird, the flagship charged into the Evernight formation, spewing dozens of flaming streams from either side. Several enemy vessels were destroyed within moments. After a moment of silence, every ship in the Imperial fleet broke out in cheers. Then all the captains shouted out orders in a hysterical manner, sending the entire Imperial fleet charging into the enemy like a wild bison! The Evernight fleet reacted quickly after their initial confusion. They concentrated all their fire upon the ministers flagship. Chapter 1132: The Big Catch Escapes In the depths of the void, Qianye and Song Zining were standing atop the battlecruiser and gazing at the distant battle. The gigantic monster of an airship lay quietly in the darkness, waiting for the moment to attack. It was difficult to send out scouts in the void. Those so-called surveillance equipment mostly utilized origin power feedback or spatial transmission to scan a certain area at fixed intervals, collecting information in a single direction. They would then remove interference, analyze, and restore the data. However, the void environment was so complicated that the accuracy of data received from such surveillance was usually a jumping number. That was why an experts vision was still the most reliable. Qianye was at the greatest distance his superior vision could reach. Supported by True Sight, he was able to observe the ongoing battle in detail and not suffer any interference from the origin power shockwaves. Song Zining did not have this kind of visual power, but there was a faint halo of light on his right palm. Upon closer examination, there were threads of rolling light that actually formed a projected image. Qianye was curious. This doesnt look like divination. Is this a refraction from Worldly Prosperity? Song Zining said mysteriously, Worldly Prosperity Worldly Prosperity whatever you see is, of course, the truth. Qianye wanted to say something but his expression turned serious when he saw the warship bathed in flames amidst the Evernight fleet. Imperial fleets had their own special insigniathat soaring serpent of gold and blue represented the Imperial Guard, their flagship no less. Qianye said, Say, do you think the Minister of the Right is on that warship? Yes, Song Zining replied without hesitation. Whats he doing? Courting death? If his flagship doesnt fall, this is the fastest and least costly way to defeat the Evernight fleet. The price he has to pay personally is quite high, however. Even if he wins the battle, its quite likely that hell die in the process. That doesnt sound like his usual style. Arent those ministers all afraid of death? Qianye asked. Song Zining clenched his fist, shattering the motes of light through his fingers. How can someone at that position be incapable? They might be afraid of many things, and death is one of them, but its probably the last on their list of fears. Once they think things through and feel that death is a necessary price, they can be fearless as well. Besides, death in battle is an honorable death. Qianye found the explanation reasonable after some thought. It was just that he felt somewhat embarrassed because it was entirely different from what he had been hearing. Qianye only uttered one word, Madman. Yes he is, from a certain perspective, but are we not as well if measured by the same standards? Song Zining replied. Qianye pointed at the battlefield, saying, What do we do? Shall we charge? Do we use the Martyrs Palace? Song Zining shook his head. The Martyrs Palace is our last trump card. We must not use it until we have absolutely no choice He hadnt finished speaking when a ball of flames lit up, and it was visible to the naked eye even at this distance. An Imperial corvette had been blown apart by the enemy warships main cannon. The attack was so powerful that there wasnt even a burning phase. Moments later, the airship below the duo rocked gently from the shockwave of that distant explosion. Even at this distance, the massive, well-stabilized body of the battlecruiser was still rocked about. One could easily imagine how violent the explosion was, and that there would be no survivors. Soon, two balls of fire appeared again as two Imperial corvettes were blown up. The Imperial fleets charge was too fierce. They messed up their own formation during the advance, causing the smaller, more mobile corvettes to shoot past their peers to the front of the fleet. Despite losing three warships, morale was high for the Imperial forces. They charged with greater ferocity, eyes red as they rained destruction and firepower upon the enemy. We attack! Qianye issued the order. Song Zining said in shock, Not yet! When is the right time then? Qianye had rarely raised his voice before. The Evernight side might have reinforcements lying in wait. We should at least confirm whether or not they have backup before attacking. Song Zining frowned. And we still dont know the ministers scheme So were going to wait until the Empire and Evernight have exhausted one another to a certain degree? Qianye revealed Song Zinings plan. The seventh young noble didnt deny. Qianye, this is a war, not a battle. We will be the ones to take a loss if we dont maximize our advantage. Attack! Qianye repeated the order, transmitting his voice clearly throughout the command room. Not daring to go against his orders, the Dark Flame captain relayed the order to accelerate and approach the battlefield. Song Zining heaved a sigh but did not attempt to stop him again. The battle was growing more and more intense. Airships from both parties were exploding, leaving flame wreckages throughout the area. The Minister of the Rights airship was miraculously holding outit had broken through the Evernight warfront to rejoin the Imperial forces. At this point, there were flames all over the airship''s body. One could see courageous soldiers in simple armor, running along the outside of the ship as they tried to put out the fire in critical locations. The vessel kept firing constantly and seemed to have no intention of retreating from battle. Alternating red and blue lights flickered from the bridge. That was a common light signal in the Imperial fleet: fight to the death! An elegant giant battlecruiser appeared swiftly behind the Evernight lines and occupied an advantageous position. The smaller, more important vessels behind the formation fell into chaos, scattering away in confusion. Qianye and Song Zining walked onto the bridge as the people below were busy issuing orders and exchanging information. Qianye said in a soft voice, Sorry, I really cant watch those soldiers die just like that. The Minister of the Right is one matter, those soldiers, the foundation of the army, is a different matter. He hadnt finished speaking when the entire warship jolted violently as a stream of flame shot toward the distant Evernight fleet. The projectile landed on a destroyer and immediately sent its rear end flying. Song Zining remained silent. After the rumble of the main cannon, the airship turned about and took aim at the Evernight fleet with its side cannons. This time, dozens of thinner streaks shot out from the battlecruiser. The vessel kept turning in this manner, firing in turn from its rear main cannon, and then the cannons on the other side. The warship changed locations constantly as it poured out a constant stream of rotating fire. Only a new battlecruiser like this could use this kind of tactic. Ordinary warships werent stable enough to fire while moving, or they would never hit their targets. After a round of artillery, the battlecruiser had finished off a destroyer and messed up the enemy fleets rear formation. It even landed a couple of shots on a duke-grade airship, but the vessels defense was simply too powerful. The ballista bolts only produced a couple of flames on the target, which were duly extinguished. The dark race duke-grade warships were bigger than their Imperial counterparts and comparable to a mothership in terms of firepower. It was twice as powerful as Qianyes battlecruiser. If the two of them were in direct confrontation, the battlecruiser would have to run. Dark Flames captain naturally wouldnt approach the duke-grade ships position. After unleashing all firepower, the battlecruiser left the tangent in a beautiful arc. Unexpectedly, the scattered Evernight fleet didnt reform and spread out even further, producing a large clearing. The enemy duke-grade airship then began to turn about slowly. Song Zinings expression shifted drastically. He jumped down from the operation area and pushed away the captain, taking charge of the ship personally and issuing a series of commands. The battlecruiser sped up and circled around to the duke flagships rear, where its accuracy would rise sharply. However, the battlecruisers firepower appeared weak before the duke flagship. The side-cannons wouldnt even scratch the gigantic vessel. Only the main cannons could open up some wounds, but even that was nowhere near damaging enough. It would take forever to circle around and kite the flagship until it sank. Meanwhile, the battlecruiser would be crippled by a single shot from the enemy main cannon. Battlecruisers were proficient in roaming and not in a head-on battle. Its equipment was geared toward speed and damage. Song Zinings current course of action was because there was no other choice. The Evernight didnt make light of this small ambush from a battlecruiser and a couple of corvettes, forgoing the formation of a retaliatory squad to sound out the enemys firepower and directly ordering the duke-grade warship to suppress them. With Dark Flame soaking up the pressure, the scales began to tip in favor of the Imperial forces on the battlefield. One of the duke grade flagships was occupied and the other was locked in a fierce battle with two Imperial battleships. The situation deteriorated for Evernight as their airships were repeatedly destroyed. The Imperial fleet also suffered heavy casualties from the retaliation. To everyones surprise, Qianye suddenly left the bridge and stepped into the void. Charging out was akin to courting death under present circumstances. However, Qianye was extremely fast and had vanished in two flickers. Song Zining wanted to say something, but he ultimately kept his silence. The battle remained fierce, with warships going up in flames every minute. The situation on the Evernight side looked dire, but they refused to retreat under any circumstances. The two duke flagships were incomparably ferocious as they rampaged through the battlefield. Despite his best efforts, Song Zining couldnt keep that duke flagship in check. After its return to the main battlefield, it destroyed three Imperial warships with a single volley from its side cannons. The battlecruiser shuttled through the fire-filled sky, avoiding the main canons of the duke ship as well as projectiles from other vessels. Even with Worldly Prosperity and Song Zinings sharp thinking, he could barely hold his ground. There simply was no way to turn the battle around. Destroying the two duke-grade flagships would involve a bitter price, and from what Song Zining knew about the Evernight Council, these major characters were fighting so staunchly because they had powerful backup. Enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment, but the Empires so-called main forces were still far behind and their strength was only about the same as the Minister of the Rights vanguard. The ministers flagship was almost shrouded in rolling smoke. Although the visible flames had been extinguished, the damage was a shocking sight to see. There were half a dozen large holes that were several meters wide. It was a miracle the vessel hadnt exploded, but one could easily see that its propulsion had been damaged. Its main cannon had been blasted away, and the side cannons were barely functional. Having lost its capacity to fight, the giant airship could only edge back slowly. Having fought to this state, no one could complain about the Minister of the Right. It was at this moment that a bright light lit up in the distant void. At first, it was just a faint star, but the radiance grew in the blink of an eye and it was flickering regularly. The mixture of bright yellow and faint purple was characteristic of the Evernight forces. The dark race reinforcements had arrived! Almost all the Imperial captains roared in frustration, banged on the control panel, or kicked their chair away. Everything had been for naughtthat was everyones thought. If they could get an extra half an hour, or even twenty minutes, they would be able to damage those two duke flagships at the very least. At that point, the crew and reserves on those airships would be doomed. Such a good situation was difficult to come by. The Imperial fleet wouldnt have gained such an advantage if the Minister of the Right hadnt charged in and messed up the enemy formation. But now, the Evernight reinforcements were here and all the advantage the minister had risked his life to buy was now gone. The light in the distance grew clearer. The other party had no intention of hiding their presence as this armada of three duke-grade warships was far above the current forces. The Empires so-called main force was only half the size of Evernight reinforcements. Even if they could arrive on time, there was no way they could turn the tides. Chapter 1133: Between Loss and Gain The Divination Pavilion stood atop Purple Gold Mountain. The hill was the highest point in the capital. Standing atop the nine stone steps of the Divination Pavilion gave one an unobstructed view of the city of Revelation, its roads, streets, energy tower clusters, and street blocks spreading out from beneath ones feet. The city was bustling in this glorious era of prosperity. The Unending Palace was located to the north, like a macaque lying across the city center. Looking down from above, there were palaces and pavilions dotting the landscape amidst the lush vegetation. It almost seemed as though there were soaring snakes roaming the land. The divination pavilion was an important part of the Empire. The building and the mountaintop were usually sealed off when there were no ceremonies. Even divination specialists from the Imperial clan would only stay at the hall at the bottom of the mountain. The rays of the afternoon sun had washed over the long steps leading to the summit, the plaza used for every major Imperial ceremony, and the twenty-seven floors of the nine-stratum pavilion. The bottom-most floor of the seventh stratum was a large hall surrounded by glass doors. Apart from a set of sofas near the stairs, there was no other furniture at all. Apparently, this place was used as a temporary rest area. There was a simple bamboo chair near the southern window. It looked fairly normal, like the ones used in humble households, making it stand out like a sore thumb. The sun was at its brightest this time of the day. The brilliance was faintly reflecting off of the white hair of the person in the chair, but that radiance couldnt quite disguise the deep-seated grey within. The decay hidden inside the vigor was truly shocking to see. The sunlight flickered as a projection emerged slowly from a shadow on the ground, gradually condensing into Habsburgs appearance. This person was vivid, lifelike, and looked just like the actual person. Standing several meters away, he gazed quietly at Lin Xitang sleeping in the chair. The Divination Pavilion remained silent both inside and out. Only when the origin power sundial had ticked twice did Lin Xitang open his eyes, the tiredness in his expression lingering still. He first glanced at the scenery outside the window, then turned toward Habsburg after noticing him. Habsburg bowed slightly. Marshal Lin, good afternoon. Lin Xitang made not the slightest movement and his expression was calm. I wouldnt dare accept such a greeting from Your Majesty the Blood Prince or perhaps even Great Dark Monarch. Habsburg shook his fingers with a smile. Its just a high dimensional projection art, only capable of pinpointing a target to within ten meters. Its far inferior to Liliths power. This kind of clone, even if it was just a projection, only existed in legends. The bidirectional interaction here meant that there were even deeper spatial principles at play. Compared to an ability like Duke Weis Miraculous Dark Skies, the difference was like that of a continent and an enclave. Lin Xitang had no intention of arguing. Even the Evernight Council wasnt sure how strong this vampire prince was. Youre in the capital of Great Qin, the source of daybreak. Even the Queen of the Night has never set foot here before. Habsburg broke into a laugh. Is the heavenly mystery different for Daybreak and Evernight? I wouldnt be able to appear if this place wasnt filled with void origin power. Lin Xitang looked down ever so slightly, a hint of coldness flickering through his eyes. The Divination Pavilion summit was covered in a special origin array, and there was indeed void origin power. However, as the foundation of the Empire, the situation here was an absolute secret only known to a handful of families who worked in divination. How did Habsburg find out? If he was only guessing, how could he take such a risk without being absolutely certain? The prince was a smart person. He immediately guessed Lin Xitangs thoughts after reading this expression. He shifted the conversation away since he had no intention of arguing about it. You probably know this already, but the doors to the new world will be opening soon. There will be big changes to the power balance in the Evernight council. The holy war is on the brink of taking place, but it has been postponed indefinitely. Lin Xitangs expression was just as calm and expressionless. Habsburg paused momentarily before saying with a frown, You cant sense the new world. His tone was certain. Li Xitang replied, Not enough power Habsburg cut the man short, There was never a great dark monarch among the Evernight prophets. There was never a heavenly monarch among the Imperial diviners, either. If you want to say that its because your races one thousand years of existence is too short, then what about the demonkin? They were born together with this world, yet theres no great monarch among their prophets, the sable demons. Did you never break through because you couldnt or because you were afraid of losing your divination powers? Lin Xitang stared at Habsburg for a while. Your Excellency Habsburg, is this the reason for your visit? Habsburgs warm expression had disappeared at one point. His characteristic demeanor as a major vampire clan member looked exceptionally sharp in the shadow. He heaved a long sigh. Im here to say my farewell. I will be leaving once the doorway to the new world opens. That is a calling from the source, something I cannot refuse. Lin Xitang nodded. Farewell. He had no intention of wishing an enemy well, even as a formality. Habsburgs expression grew calmer as his figure gradually faded away into beams of light. The short exchange just now drained Lin Xitang greatly. He closed his eyes again, but sleep did not bless him again. Habsburgs words revealed a good deal of information. The holy war within the Evernight faction had never stopped before; this would be one of the rare documented pauses to this civil crusade. This wasnt good news for the Empire. This meant that the human race would soon be suppressed on all fronts, and there was no telling what that mysterious new world would bring. Habsburg had described the calling as coming from the source and not bloodline. In the void, a high-speed vampire airship was moving circumferentially around a designated point. There were no insignias or markings on its body. The captain was standing in the control room, his expression nervous as he gazed at the various apparatuses in front of him. Their location was too close to the central continent of the Qin Empire. The cabin doors opened and a voice drifted in. Return to the mothership. The captain recognized Prince Habsburgs close attendant, Marquis Leonard. Greatly relieved, he sent the airship on its course without delay. Leonard entered the main cabin with a cup of coffee to find Habsburg sitting comfortably in an armchair, fiddling with a couple of crystals holding secret missives. Ordinary parchment documents were stacked in a corner of the desk, most likely already processed. The captain and crew had no idea what had gotten into the prince, making him want to stop outside of the Qin Continent for two hours. Leonard knew, but even he had no idea when Habsburg had left and when he had returned. Either way, they had stopped here for a bit too long, somewhat longer than they had previously planned. Leonard placed the coffee in front of Habsburg. Your Excellency, do we return once we reach the mothership? You return to the Twilight Continent with the mothership. Yes. Leonard was somewhat surprised, but he didnt ask a lot of questions. Whats the latest location of Zhang Boqian? We only know that hes not in the Empire, Leonard explained. There were no heavenly monarchs among the latest mobilization to the void continent, so we dont know of his whereabouts. Heavenly monarchs were extremely difficult to track, doubly so for those without a territory to watch over. Even the Great Qin military had no grasp of his location if he wasnt going to war. Habsburg wasnt at all interested in the situation on the void continent. The Perth clan, just like Nanas Mammon clan, rarely took part in factional wars as they were busy with the holy war most of the time. He gave the attendant a nod to show that he understood. Seeing that there were no more orders for him, Lenard bowed and left. Sunlight slowly moved over the Divination Pavilion until there was only a small speck of light. It was almost dusk. The central elevator hummed softly, followed by a series of highly trained footsteps, then the sound of moving tables and objects being placed. Li Xitang didnt look back. His gaze remained fixed on the long window and the twilight flowing over the city. The people who had arrived were the palace attendants in charge of bringing him food and drink. The familiar procedure had repeated so many times that there was no need to pay it any attention. The elevator activated once again, humming as the attendants left quietly after laying out the dinner. Li Xitang raised his right palm from the armest to his face. This simple movement seemed slow and exhausting, almost as though he were dragging a heavy object. Upon closer inspection, there was a translucent blue on his pale skin and his fingers were purple, not unlike the deep ice from the frozen land. He flexed his fingers a bit before supporting himself up on the armrest. All of a sudden, a pair of arms appeared to support his arm and back, slowly lifting him up from the chair. Your Majesty? Lin Xitang was stunned. Minister Lin is unwell, and this is a private place. You may ignore the formalities. Lin Xitang looked over to find the Emperor of Great Qin in ordinary warriors attire, his aura retracted almost entirely. The man looked no different from a normal citizen at first glance. The two sat down at the table. The Emperor said, Today, Lil Nineteen came to ask me about his homework. We got to talking about astronomy and the fall of the Void Valley Star. We remembered that it was the first lesson Minister Lin taught me as an attendant tutor. Lin Xitang scanned the dishes and utensils on the table but didnt say anything. The meal went by quickly and the two moved to the nearby sofa. The Emperor himself made tea, an art every noble had to learn. Moments later, a delicate fragrance wafted out from the jade-green tea. Brewed from the white fruit and Marine Lotus from the Great Maelstrom. The effects are yet to be confirmed, but the taste is marvelous. Lin Xitang took a sip of the tea. As expected, the fragrance filled his entire beingwisps of warmth spread to his bones and limbs, softening his stiff arms and legs. The marshal held the teacup in his palms and asked, Regarding that plan, did Your Majesty pick Prince Linjiang or Princess Haimi for the commander of the eastern flank? The emperor gazed intently at the pouring tea as he replied, Imperial Sister Haimi. He then continued calmly, The battle has begun. Lin Xitangs cup trembled slightly when the Emperor placed a new cup of tea before him. I wish to return to the Northern Residence. Things in the Imperial court are quite chaotic. No one can come to this place, so its a great place to recuperate. The Divination Pavilion is an important place for the Empire. Ive lived here for almost a month against rules and tradition. Im afraid its not that appropriate. No one knows that Minister Lin is here. The room fell into silence. The Emperor enjoyed his tea calmly. After finishing his portion, he placed the empty cup down before him and stood up. Minister Lin must live on well, even if its just for the Empires benefit. As for the war, its just a certain battle at a certain location over a certain period, losses and gains are just numbers. Chapter 1134: The Trees Long for Peace but the Winds Never Cease I dont dare accept such an address. Lin Xitang didnt move. The Emperor leaned forward and grabbed the marshal by his arm, a dark mist swirling out from his body and almost filling the hall. The mist surged and rolled with great violence, gradually forming the image of a soaring snake with nine scales on its back. In a flash, two giant shadows swept past as the serpent spread its wings. Lin Xitangs calm expression was shattered at that moment. The soaring snake was the crest of the Imperial family. It was black with golden claws, but never had the totem spread its wings before! Only an extremely small number of people knew that the innate totem passed down in the Imperial clan was incomplete. The soaring snake appears from the waters of the Duguang wilderness. Golden claws, lightning horn, and a pair of wings covering its face. Now that was the complete form of the totem left behind by the founding ancestor. Lin Xitangs arm trembled as a layer of light blue frost spread from his elbow toward his fingers. Strands of black mist condensed into the shape of a hand and plucked away the thin ice. As soon as it left the body, the ice transformed into black flames with a blood-red core, which the mist hand duly extinguished. It seems you can no longer suppress your old injuries without Tuo Hais Tigerwolf Medicine. There was no expression on the Emperors face. Lin Xitang leaned back into the sofa and closed his tired eyes in silence. Arent you happy to finally know that the path we had taken was the correct one? Its been one thousand one hundred and twenty years since the founding ancestor laid down the plans for the Chronicle of Glory. Weve sacrificed countless Imperial blood and heavenly opportunities, yet no one could tell whether it was meaningful. Now that the totem has awakened, it proves that daybreak is truly awakening and growing stronger. Darkness is no longer the only spirit of this Evernight Realm, and the resurgence of the human race is only a matter of time. Lin Xitangs expression softened. Congratulations, Your Majesty. After a pause, he sighed softly. Do you know anything about the opening of the new world? The Emperor''s expression changed slightly because news of the new world only appeared after Lin Xitang had entered the Divination Pavilion. However, he didnt ask how the marshal found out about it. Theres indeed such a thing, but I know nothing about the world itself. If theres such a major change, expanding the war effort on the void continent might not be a good idea. Lin Xitang suddenly opened his eyes. Since they want your authority, lets see if they have the ability to grasp it, the Emperor said calmly. Prince Greensun once said that there are so many divination families in the Empire, you shouldnt be the only one to hog the glory. I think hes right. Lin Xitang couldnt help but frown. Zhang Boqians original words were much more unpleasant to hear. The military has sufficient reason to seek battle this time, and its rare for the Longevity Monarch to offer the aid of the Imperial Guard. Its not a bad thing if they can take the void continent. As for whoever is scheming and bickering, itll come to light as the battle progresses. Lin Xitang glanced at the Emperor, almost as though this was his first time seeing his master. Whos leading the other main unit? The Emperor said calmly, No one will stop you, Minister Lin, if you can go down yourself. However, the hall remained deathly silent. The moon was already high in the sky by the time the Emperor walked out of the Divination Pavilion. He stood on the top steps, looking down at the Imperial capital. He then raised a palm to eye level and clasped it into a fist, almost as though he was holding the lights from myriad homes. Father, look, Ive finally become what I hate the most. Draped in moonlight, the Emperor of Great Qin thus muttered to himself. Below the steps, there were several attendants waiting in the shadows. They turned a deaf ear, saying nothing and making no movement, almost like puppets. ... There was no day or night in the void, only fierce battles. The Imperial warships fired frantically at the enemy as there was some time before the Evernight reinforcements would arrive. The two duke-grade airships changed their tactics after seeing the incoming reinforcements and charged toward the exterior instead of fighting to the death. The Imperial ships were helpless once the enemy was intent on charging out. The two destroyers blocking their path were blasted apart as the duke flagship bulldozed through their burning wreck. Not far in the distance, the Minister of the Right was standing in the smoke-filled bridge and staring at the two enemy flagships. No one knew what he was thinking when he turned back and ordered, Issue the order! Circle around and block that He lost his voice mid-command. An old official said with a wry laugh, Sire, our ship cant move anymore. We cant intercept. Those in the bridge were all strategic advisors. They were proficient in scheming and tactics, but they had very little experience in terms of actual combat. The minister could see that everyone was injured and barely hanging on. The worst among them had lost an entire calf and was leaning on a chair. The Minister of the Right remembered that the man was fairly timid and afraid of death, but his eyes were burning brightly at the moment, ready to fight at a moments notice. It was as though he had forgotten about the injuries on his body. The bridge had been charred black and there was a large hole on one of the cabin walls. A freezing chill was blowing in through it, but even that wasnt enough to disperse the heated passion. There were several corpses strewn across the ground, including those of some strategists and crew, but also a lot of dark race warriors. Risking heavy losses, a large batch of dark race soldiers had attempted a boarding at the height of the battle. Capturing the Imperial flagship would impact the morale of the entire Imperial fleet. The Minister of the Right had personally killed a marquis and two dukes who had boarded the airship successfully. The other attendants also stood their ground. No matter what faction they were from, no one was a coward at the juncture of life and death. Glancing at the survivors, the minister nodded. None of you betrayed my trust. Everyone looked delighted because this was the highest praise the minister could offer. He sighed. Unfortunately, man proposes, and god disposes. He raised a left hand and said slowly, Issue the order. The entire army shall re This order would conclude the battle. Although the Imperial fleet had the distinct advantage in results, the battle had been lost. Allowing the two duke-grade warships to escape and failing to control the void was lethal to the entire operation. It was likely that this war on the void continent would draw out, eventually becoming a black hole to devour Imperial flesh and blood. Such a protracted battle was something the Empire did not wish to see at all. They might have to pull back from the continent entirely after holding out for some time. That was why the minister took so long to issue the command. He couldnt find it in himself to utter the word. The word retreat hovered at his lips several times, but just as he was about to utter it, one of the attendants shouted, W-What is that!? Stunned, the Minister of the Right looked at the pointed direction. All he could see was a shadow slowly moving over the entire battlefield, washing over the airships locked in a fierce battle. A speck of radiant light appeared through this darkness and, with a prismatic trail, fell upon one of the duke-grade airships that had just escaped. The multicolored light slammed into the flagship, erupting in an earth-shattering explosion that pushed the vessel downward. As the flames cleared away, everyone could see a large hole in the flagships rear and that its speed had fallen drastically. Apparently, its kinetic system had been affected. The might of this attack was shocking, but a certain someone was even more shocked than the Imperial generals. In one of the reinforcement warships, Linken jumped up from her seat and gnashed her teeth. Its him! A screen of light appeared before her, and on it appeared the stern face of a demonkin elder. His lightning-like eyes glanced at Linken. Whats with the panic!? Linken bowed. I lost my composure after seeing the enemy ambush. Please forgive me. The elder demonkin snorted. Look at yourself, so flustered! No wonder youve lost half your fleet. Now that youre working under me, you should hold yourself appropriately. I wont be considerate of our friendship if youre lacking in battle. You will receive whatever punishment you deserve. I remember. Linken was fairly obedient. The elderly demonkin seemed satisfied and the screen duly vanished. Linken gnashed her teeth and glared fiercely at where the screen was just now. A trusted aide nearby said, Isnt that your Landsinker? Shut up! Linkens glare stopped anything the man had to say. Linken gazed into the distance with a serious expression, her thoughts unknown. The Evernight reinforcements sped up in hopes of reaching the battlefield in time. The ambushed duke flagship was a bit flustered at first, but it quickly regained its composure. Instead of fleeing, the vessel spun around and dug in for defense, all the while summoning the surviving airships to form a defensive line. Things became quite difficult once the flagship became entrenched. The Imperial battleships could pose a sufficient threat, but even they wouldnt dare attack head-on. The smaller warships might be destroyed in a single hit, so even the bravest of captains wouldnt dare approach. It was at this time that another prismatic light smashed down from above. This time, the duke-grade vessel was preparedseveral auxiliary cannons launched a volley of concentrated fire, and there were experts controlling the weapons personally. This afforded the shots great accuracy as they shot down the incoming projectile. Before the crew could celebrate, however, a massive shadow bore down upon the duke flagship. Chapter 1135: Like Broken Bamboo The moment the Martyrs Palace straightened up and swung its massive tail, it seemed as though the Earth Dragon had woken up from its ancient slumber. It was once again the void colossus that had rampaged through the skies. The dragon roared silently as it soared through the void and lashed at the duke flagship with its tail! An earth-shattering rumble, mixed with the ear-piercing sounds of twisted metal, rippled out through the void. Be it humans or dark races, the weaker people would feel their heads throbbing violently. They rolled around on the ground, covering their ears the best they could, yet it was useless. This reverberating sound wave would still enter their bodies and cause great damage. Many experts deployed their defensive domains to stop the sound waves. Those who were safe gazed into the distance, utterly stunned. The duke flagship became evidently bent the moment it was whipped by the Earth Dragons tail. Linkens airship was broken into two halves back then. The damage wasnt as exaggerated against this massive flagship, but its body was clearly bent. Even though the angle wasnt very big, it was permanent damage to the vessel, let alone the people inside. Both dark race and human constructs looked rather fragile compared to a void colossus like the Earth Dragon. Only a heavenly monarch or a great dark monarch could stand their own against such a creature. The dragonship didnt let its prey off just like that. It made an agile turn in the void and, like an elegant whale, completed the acceleration process with a flip of its tail. It charged over and passed underneath the duke-grade vessel, slicing into the hull with its sharp spines. The duke flagships defense and strength were far superior to Linkens vessel. The Earth Dragon failed to slice through the entire airship despite its momentum and ended up with its spines stuck in the hull. As though it knew what would happen, the Earth Dragon moved its body violently and tore through the body of the duke flagship before flying away. As the Earth Dragon circled about and flew back, a gasp of surprise spread through the Imperial fleet. Experts with good eyesight had finally noticed a familiar yet distant silhouette standing atop the dragons head. Qianye! Finally, someone uttered his name. That used to be a taboo in the Minister of the Rights faction. More and more people recognized him, but they had no idea what the thing below his feet was. That massive, thousand-meter body alone brought about a significant pressure upon them. The duke flagship had been cut in half and was spouting flames as it rolled into the distance, devoid of all power. The duke didnt assault the palaces head portion. No one knew what the thing was, but running near the mouth of such a behemoth would be an idiotic move. He picked an opening near the back of the airship and rushed in. Everyone from the Empire held their breaths as the enemy entered the Martyrs Palace. The arachne dukes combat strength could not be underestimated, and no one believed Qianye was a match for him. As Qianye vanished from atop the Earth Dragons head, the massive creature suddenly stopped moving and merely hovered habitually in the void. Silence filled the entire battlefield. In truth, the flames and explosions were still happening, but everyones attention had been drawn by the Martyrs Palace. All of a sudden, a stream of flames burst out from the side of the Earth Dragons abdomen! There was a silhouette within the flames. Shockingly, it was the arachne duke who had flown out rapidly, fleeing in the direction of the Evernight reinforcements. He didnt even care about the comrades nearby who were fighting with the Imperial forces. Another silhouette emerged from the stream of flames. The luminous wings behind Qianye were dazzling as he pointed a handgun at the fleeing arachne. Qianyes body jolted as he fired the shot, and the distant duke erupted in a long howl of agony. The latter sped up once again and was soon too far away. Qianye put away his luminous wings and returned to the Earth Dragons head with a flicker. The dragon woke up at that moment and began to circle once more, gazing intently at the arachne duke. It was just that the target was too powerful; even his sprinting speed in the void was far beyond the Earth Dragons. There was no way to catch him now that he had joined the enemy reinforcements. The Earth Dragon slowly turned about to search for a new target. Everyone, be it those from Evernight or the Empire, drew in a breath of cold air. Although they still couldnt tell whether the Martyrs Palace was a living entity or a rare mechanical construct, one thing was very clearthis behemoth was under Qianyes full control, and he could steer the creature as though it were a part of his own limbs. That scene just now happened so quickly that most people never saw how Qianye had injured the arachne duke. Only a handful of powerful experts could tell that Qianye had fired a black feather of light. The distant arachne roared in pain as the feather flickered in and out of existence, impossible to evade even at such a distance. Qianye felt regretful at heart. The arachne was indeed powerful, capable of running away even with a followup shot. Caroline appeared beside Qianye. Gazing at the direction of the arachnes escape, she said, Dont worry, hes no longer a threat after taking a hit from you. Ill be relying on you. Qianye retracted his gaze. Youre also quite powerful, much more than I had thought. Its just that It seemed like she wanted to say something, but she didnt continue. Qianye turned toward a different direction. We have one more problem. Then lets deal with him. Lightning arced across Carolines fingertips. The Martyrs Palace made a turn and charged toward the other duke flagship. The duke warship wanted to flee, but it was locked down firmly by Imperial forces. Ignoring the potential damage, the Imperial mothership exchanged repeated cannon fire with the enemy flagship, making it impossible for the other party to turn around. The Martyrs Palace swam through the void and appeared above the duke-grade warship. Prismatic spheres of light smashed down with great ferocity, blasting big holes in the enemy vessel. Linken had invested all her resources into building the Landsinker in preparation for her future flagship. After being installed on the Martyrs Palace, the cannon reached new heights by virtue of the Earth Dragons power. It was now even comparable to the main cannon of a duke-grade vessel. The enemy duke flagship burst into flames after taking a series of shots, its counterfire utterly suppressed. Two Evernight destroyers appeared from either side, charging at the Martyrs Palace with fearless momentum. Their main cannons were fully-charged and ready to fire once within range. The two destroyers came at great speed, taking an almost straight flight route into the range of the Martyrs Place. Only at this point did the mist around the palace disperse, revealing the palaces true appearance. The two captains immediately noticed an entire row of fully-charged ballistae! Having fought against the Imperial fleet for many years, these captains could recognize Imperial cannons with their eyes closed. Just on one side, they could see five cruiser-grade and ten destroyer-grade main cannons aimed right at them! The two captains secretly groaned in despair as dozens of giant ballista bolts tore through the air and blasted them into balls of flame. In this manner, everyone on the Evernight side came to realize the Martyrs Palaces firepower, and no one dared approach its firing range. An earth-shattering roar erupted through the void as a figure rushed out of the beleaguered duke-grade airship. The arachne duke stood hesitantly in the air, not knowing whether he should escape in the direction of the Martyrs Palace or the Imperial forces. The Minister of the Right, who had just switched to a new airship, chuckled. Time for us to take the field. We cant let the youngsters hog all the glory! Sire, you must not! Thats The attendants and ministers didnt even have time to stop the minister before his figure vanished. They werent strong enough to fight in the void, so they could only stomp their feet in indignation. Two figures flew out from the battleships, forming a three-prong formation with the minister and surrounding the arachne duke within. These two were the commanders of the second and third Imperial Guardboth were divine champions. The arachne was strong, but it was difficult to exert force or move through the void. Under the combined assault of the three Imperial divine champions, the duke quickly fell into a defensive state. Soon, the desperate wails of an arachne duke filled the void followed by silence. Qianye and Caroline didnt join the fight and only observed quietly. Caroline said, The trouble isnt over. I know. In the distance, the Evernight reinforcements had finally arrived and were entering the battlefield one after the other. The Imperial formation, on the other hand, was in chaos because there wasnt enough time to reorganize, and many warships were still cleaning up routed enemies. Most of the warships had suffered damage during the battle and things didnt look very optimistic. Their losses would be big if they had to face the unflustered Evernight fleet. The Martyrs Palace leapt out all of a sudden and appeared thousands of meters away with a swing of its body, blocking the path of the Evernight fleet. The enemy formation was led by three duke-grade vessels. Facing the sudden appearance of the Martyrs Palace, the leading flagship made an urgent stop just outside of its firing range. This caused the less agile warships at the rear to fall into disarray, but they did manage to stop and none of them collided against one another. It could be said that they were fairly well-trained. The entire reinforcement squad was thus stopped by the Martyrs Palace. At this moment, the foremost duke-grade flagship arrived within the Martyrs Palaces firing range and, since both parties were immobile, decided to open fire! Both main cannons flickered with a faint glow. They had long since completed charging and could fire at the push of a button. The vampire duke on the enemy airship shifted in his magnificent throne, adopting a more comfortable position. With his chin propped up, he stared intently at Qianye standing atop the Earth Dragons head. Beams of sanguineous light shot out from his eyes and made straight for the target. Qianye also sensed the dukes gaze. He turned slightly and met the radiance head-on, not backing down at all. Sparks flew as the two gazes collided in the void. Qianye was completely unaffected by the bloodline suppression and even managed to retaliate. The vampire duke narrowed his eyes. Is that him? Interesting. Chapter 1136: Where are The Powerhouses? The vampire dukes expression sank. Dont forget that Im the leader here! The demonkin and werewolf merely snorted. They didnt retort, but that didnt stop them from expressing their displeasure. It was at this moment that three figures appeared behind the Martyrs Palace. Their human silhouettes were negligible against the vastness of the void, but their powerful auras stood out conspicuously. The Minister of the Right and the two commanders of the Imperial Guard seemed determined to fight. The vampire dukes pupils shrank as he looked past the three divine champions. The airships were falling into a battle formation behind the Martyrs Palace, affording the dragonship protection on its flanks and rear. It was no longer possible to surround and attack the target. The vampire duke stopped tapping on the armrest. The arachne are done for, lets retreat. The demonkin and werewolf dukes appeared in projection-form. The former yelled, Retreat!? If we pull back, the soldiers on the battlefield will fall into human hands! Im in charge here! You can issue orders when you have the authority! The demonkin was almost roaring at this point. I will report you to the council! As you wish, Ill be waiting. The vampire duke revealed a meaningful smile. Its also fine if you want to keep fighting. Youll be in charge of facing that big fellow, hows that? The demonkin duke was startled. Do you think those humans will stand by while we switch formations? Theyll surely agree if we communicate your intentions clearly. Its also okay if you want to challenge that monstrosity one-on-one. What? Are the demonkin afraid? The vampire duke mocked. The demonkin duke was livid, his eyes filled with killing intent, but the vampire duke paid him no heed. The latters expression and words were brimming with provocation. Between the two of them, the younger demonkin was indeed a bit weaker. Why else would the vampire get the right to command? Challenging the dragonship to a one-on-one was pure idiocy. The Martyrs Palace had just destroyed two duke-grade vessels, and they didnt even have the power to retaliate. Although the vessel looked like a half-completed product, it already possessed the characteristics of a legendary warship. The demonkin duke ran every scenario through his mind, but he ultimately felt that the only way to defeat the Martyrs Palace was to board it with top experts. However, the arachne dukes example was still fresh in his mind, and he knew that his strength was just on par with the formers. There would be no good outcome if he had to board the airship instead. Who knew how many experts were hiding in the Martyrs Palace? The vampire duke sneered. And you need to explain why your duke-grade main cannon is on the enemy ship. The custom-made artillery cannot be mistaken, and it should be on Linkens flagship if I remember correctly. Back then, the cannon couldnt quite exert its full power, but it seems to be a complete version now. I wonder who made the adjustments for the humans? The demonkin duke was furious. The cannon fell into human hands because Linkens flagship was destroyed. Thats something everyone knows. Oh, is that so? Ill believe you then. The vampire duke cut off the projection without waiting for the demonkins response. The stunned werewolf duke hesitated for a moment before his projection turned dark as well. With nowhere to vent his anger, the demonkin duke broke his throne into two halves. The vampire duke stared at the empty receiver. Idiot! Too bad hes not that dumb, though. After some thought, he said, The arachne have changed their formations. Interesting! Its rare for these bastards to act smart for a change, but it makes no difference in the end. The retreating Evernight fleet began to turn about at its rear, followed by the mid-section. The three duke-grade flagships slowly edged back until they were a good distance from the Martyrs Palace before turning about. The Imperial warships broke into jubilant cheers as the final Evernight ship vanished over the horizon. This was the Empires most glorious victory in ten years. They had only lost one battleship and a dozen or so warships. Meanwhile, they had destroyed two enemy duke-grade warships, killing one arachne duke and heavily injuring the other. Although only a handful of people knew the true power of Qianyes last attack, it wasn''t too difficult to imagine the damage it had brought about considering the pain and anguish in the arachne dukes howls. With the Evernight reinforcements gone, the Empire was now in full control of the battlefield. Many of the enemy vessels here were only damaged, and there were dark race survivors within them. Cleaning up the battlefield alone was enough for the Empire to recoup half its losses. And those captives werent just ordinary soldiers; they were experienced crewmen as well. This would deal a heavy blow to the Evernight faction. With the enemy coalition beaten back, the Empire had officially gained control of the airspace outside of the void continent. Judging from past records, it would take at least a years time for the enemy fleet to restore such losses. This meant that their current victory had earned the Empire control over the void for a year. Compared to this outcome, the losses were almost negligible. This was a great victory by any measure. The victory was closely related to the ministers decisive tactics. The Imperial flagship had dived into the enemy formation in an almost suicidal manner, sowing confusion and the seeds of quick defeat among the enemy ranks. If they had dragged on any longer, the Evernight reinforcements would have arrived on the battlefield, and there would no longer be a chance to destroy the two duke-grade vessels. However, the true deciding factor was still the Martyrs Palace. If the dragonship had not appeared when it did and destroyed the two flagships, the Imperial fleet wouldve been forced to retreat. The two duke-grade flagships would then retreat safely, and the enemy fleet would have preserved most of its fighting power. What was the use of destroying some of the smaller warships? Many of the warriors felt complicated at the thought of this, especially those who knew the entire story about Qianye and the Empire. Him jumping into the battle and single-handedly turning the tables on the enemy left everyone with an indescribable aftertaste. At this moment, the Martyrs Palace leaped into the depths of the void and vanished within mere moments. Seeing the Martyrs Palace leaving, the two Imperial Guard commanders glanced toward the Minister of the Right. They shifted their positions ever so slightly, blocking the ministers path toward the palace. Ordinary people might not notice the subtleties of the upper echelons, but people of their stature knew quite a bit of secret information. The Minister of the Right glanced at them, and then at the distant Martyrs Palace. It seems he doesnt want to confront us directly. Thats a good thing, otherwise, things will get awkward. He smiled when he noticed the expressions of the two Imperial Guard commanders. Following this battle, the Empire owes him a debt of gratitude, as do the Imperial Guard and myself. Its best we keep these thoughts to ourselves, theres no need to say it out loud. If we have the intention, there will come a time when we can repay the debt. The two commanders expressions improved after hearing this. The minister then said, The battle is over, and I can finally relieve myself of this heavy responsibility. I shall hand over the command rights to you two. The two commanders were startled. Why is that? We still need to clean up the battlefield and meet up with the first fleet before the fight can be considered complete. Your vanguard commander post was assigned by the Emperor himself. How can it be transferred at will? The minister smiled. Lets talk after we return to the airship. Have someone invite Song Zining over. Qianye might not want to see me, but he will. Moments later, the entire upper echelon of the vanguard forces had gathered in the new flagship. The main seat was occupied by the Minister of the Right, with the two Imperial Guard commanders on either side. Next down the line was Song Zining. This was an important seat, exceeding all the other veteran generals, but no one was dissatisfied. The Minister of the Right glanced around as he said, It can be said that this victory has established the foundations of our war on the void continent. This might just be the beginning of the Empires resurgence, but the war here is far from over. Weve merely laid down the first brick, and going forward, it will take everyones concentrated efforts to fight for the Empires prosperity and the existence of our human race. Everyone rose up and chanted, We shall give our lives for the cause! The minister raised a hand and gestured for everyone to sit down. The biggest contribution to this battle shall go to Qianye and Song Zinings Dark Flame. Does everyone agree with me? The generals werent blind. They had seen everything very clearly just now, so no one objected. Song Zining remained calm in his seat, waiting for the continuation of the speech. Normally, the Minister of the Right would surely say something else after such an announcement. Song Zining wanted to see what plans this merit-hungry minister had in mind. The Minister of the Right said, Now that the battle is over, I can finally transfer this responsibility to the two commanders. Ill trouble you with the miscellaneous matters that follow. Ive already asked my men to prepare an airship that will take me to the void continent. Its rather embarrassing, but the frontlines are really not my forte. He paused for a bit before saying, Actually, I did have some selfish motives in this battle. That is, I wanted the world to know that Im not a coward whos afraid of death, that despite being a civil minister, I also know some military tactics. These words elicited nods from the generals. Even Song Zining had to admit that the Minister of the Right had performed perfectly in terms of courage and command. His luck was quite good as well. Seeing this, the minister smiled radiantly. Okay, now that Ive said what I wanted to say, its time for me to go. With that, he left despite everyone persuading him to stay. Moments later, a high-speed airship left the main vessel and flew toward the void continent. Even Song Zining was a bit surprised. He was gone just like that? Could it be that the minister had no other schemes? The first Imperial Guard fleet arrived after the cleanup was completed and combined forces with the vanguard. Song Zining and the Dark Flame vessels left to meet up with Qianye, as well as the arriving troop transports. The Imperial Guard had to deploy immediately to patrol the void continent, weeding out the remaining Evernight vessels and removing potential threats. Only when the void was in full control would Dark Flame set out to land. In the depths of the void, Song Zining arrived at the designated location to rendezvous with the Martyrs Palace. When Qianye walked into the command room, he saw Song Zining standing in front of the void continent map with a serious expression. There was a dense array of markings on the map, enough to make ordinary people dizzy just by looking at them. Yet, Song Zining was still adding more strokes to the diagram. Qianye didnt disturb him, either. He merely stood to the side, slowly deciphering the meaning. This was a different version of the battle on the void continent. It was fairly similar to Lin Xitangs, but there were many different details. It could be considered Song Zinings own version. The two plans used similar troop power and resources, but there was some difference in the attack. This version was still in the works and had reached mid-game at most, while Lin Xitangs was a complete battle plan. After moving his forces behind two enemy squads, Song Zining fell into deep contemplation. Qianye was drawn into the observation and had long since forgotten the time. Song Zining was also silent due to the difficult problem he had encountered. The two thus stood there until it was night. Qianye suddenly remembered. Where are the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs? Chapter 1137: Full Mobilization For such an important war, there had to be half a dozen or so of these powerhouses involved across both factions. There was no way a battle plan could exclude the movement of these powers, but Song Zining hadnt taken them into account up to this point. That was rather strange. The seventh young master sighed. It looked like he was explaining the situation but also as though he were muttering to himself. Yes where are the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs? He turned toward Qianye and asked, Say, how do we predict their movements? Qianye shook his head after some thought. Impossible. Song Zining gazed at the map. Yeah, the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs arent chess pieces on your board. On the contrary, we are their pawns. If I cant even predict their actions, how can I even hope to plan for them? Qianye shook his head. Plan their movements? Youre thinking too much. Song Zining pointed at the map in front of him. My deductions can no longer proceed beyond this point. At this point in the battle, theres no way the great dark monarchs can stand by and watch. When the great dark monarchs appear, the heavenly monarchs cant stand by and watch, either. So at this point, there really isnt any point in calculating because there is simply no way to guess their movements. This is how a normal battle plan should be. Qianye nodded. They had little information about the great dark monarchs, but the heavenly monarchs of the Empire could act as they saw fit. Naturally, their foremost duty was to oversee and protect the Empires main continents, but they could take action according to their own judgment, and even the Emperor couldnt restrict them. This was common knowledge. Hence, there was no single strategy that could cover every scenario because unexpected changes would surely happen along the way. That was a time for the frontline commander to show off his skills. Only a fool would feel that the war could be won with a single genius plan. Song Zining inhaled deeply. How did Marshal Lin draft this plan? Qianye had seen the plan as well. He didnt think too much about it back then, but now that he thought about it, there were no heavenly monarchs in that plan, either! Song Zining stared at the map, as though he wanted to see through the secrets hidden inside. Then, where have these powerhouses gone? In the depths of the void, a little boat was drifting away on the waves of void origin power. The Pointer Monarch was staring intently at the fire, on which was a steaming earthen pot that was on the verge of boiling. The exact moment that it started to boil, the old mans hands moved deftly to remove the pot from the flame and poured the water into a teapot. He swirled the tea around before producing two streams of clear liquid into the teacups. Zhang Boqian stood completely still at the front of the boat as the other cup flew toward him. There, the tea streamed into his mouth before the teacup flew back to its original place. Zhang Boqian swished the tea in his mouth before swallowing everything, leaving the Pointer Monarch angry. Thatll cool down the tea! You need to drink from the cup for the perfect taste. You need to drink it in one gulp to enjoy the endless aftertaste. Sigh, such good tea is wasted on you! Zhang Boqian filtered out the criticism. Theres no one else you can share such good tea with. The Pointer Monarch sighed while shaking his head. Youre the only agreeable one in the entire Empire. Those little brats are too young, and itll take a good while for them to mature. Zhang Boqian didnt look back. Now this praise I dont dare accept. Isnt there Lin Xitang? That little fellow is full of schemes, I feel tired talking to him. Hes definitely not one of us. Nodding, Zhang Boqian turned his body slightly. Elder Prince, you asked me to accompany you here to intercept a person, but weve been drifting here for some time. Its probably time for the war on the void continent to begin, yet were here instead. Whos going to keep those monsters from the Evernight side in check? The Pointer Monarch smiled. No rush, since were here, those fellows will surely follow us. As for the person were intercepting, theyre always here. We just need to wait patiently. Zhang Boqian gazed into the distance where several fragmented continents could be seen. He said in surprise, Were already in the neutral lands? Only the borders. That person on the Throne of Blood wont be happy if we go in, and I have no intention of facing Shattered Moment in the neutral lands, the Pointer Monarch said as he slowly packed away his tea equipment. Zhang Boqian frowned. Elder Prince, now that were already here, isnt it time to tell me who were intercepting? Theres no rush with the interception, we should turn away those who have come to escort our target. Those coming to greet us? Zhang Boqians expression turned solemn as he turned to the depths of the void, where several giant shadows gradually appeared. Those airships were hundreds of meters in length but of different shapes. Several names appeared in Zhang Boqians head when he saw those giant vesselsMedanzo, Noxus, the Eternal Flame Three great dark monarchs appearing at the same time was an extraordinary spectacle. That was especially true of Medanzo as he was badly injured last time. How could such a selfish person be willing to take the field again so quickly? There were several warships behind the threethese duke-grade airships werent as big as the leading vessels, but they were still quite behemoths in their own right. A quick count revealed that there were three prince-grade and five duke-grade airships here. This kind of lineup was rare even when the two factions were facing off against one another. What kind of person were they here to pick up, that they would need to mobilize in full force? Zhang Boqian glanced at the Pointer Monarch. Seeing that the old man wasnt at all surprised, he asked, Is this within your expectations as well? The Pointer Monarch smiled. Im older, so I have more sources of information. Zhang Boqian stopped asking questions. He turned toward the Evernight fleet with a sharp gaze, stopping briefly on the vampire prince flagship. How do we split them? The Pointer Monarch laughed out loud. Were not going to fight with our lives. Its fine just to stop them from picking up their target. That old friend across from us doesnt want to fight to the death, either. So yeah, this fight will only go as far as we take it. What kind of tactic was this? How was this different from a street brawl? However, Zhang Boqian had his own opinions. His eyes wandered over the group of duke-grade airships, causing their movements to become unnatural. Only the blood princes ships sailed forward, completely unaffected. When the Eternal Flames flagship came to a stop, the massive fleet also took their stand at a good distance. The demonkin, clad in black, appeared quietly and drifted toward the Pointer Monarchs boat. Medanzo and Noxus followed from behind, and then the grand dukes last. In a battle of this level, even grand dukes could only serve as cannon fodder, while those of a lower rank did not have the qualification to approach. The Eternal Flame stood a thousand meters away. Ji Wentian, you know this is the will of the heavens. You cannot stop us. The Pointer Monarch stood up, his aura rising sharply until it suppressed even the Eternal Flame, much like a giant indomitable spirit. Brushing away his long sleeve, he said, It has been some time since I stopped using the name Ji Wentian. You can call me Pointer, or if you wanted to challenge me, you can also call me Old Man Pointer. The Eternal Flame laughed. Pointer Kid, how dare you flaunt your age in front of me? The Pointer Monarch replied, Theres no seniority in learning, and those who are accomplished become the teacher. You have always been at a disadvantage against me in every fight. Even if we go by your traditions, you really cannot address me that way. The Eternal Flame was stopped up. He said with a snort, Enough with these useless things. I dont know where you got the information, but its useless even if youre here. Be on your way! The Pointer Monarch laughed. Now that Ive come, how can I just let you pass? Do you think we cant fight our way past you? So what? Youll still have to pick up that person. Once you enter the neutral lands, the Throne of Blood will stand with us. Are you so sure you can take them away? The Eternal Flame laughed coldly. Of course! Im not here to intercept you, but to make sure you cant take that person away. Its also fine if that person dies. Hearing these words, the blaze around the Eternal Flame began to flicker. He remained silent for a good while before turning back and saying, Since thats the case, lets beat them up first and we can think about it. You can try. The Pointer Monarch stroked his beard with a smile. The little boat was floating in the void at first, but all of a sudden, it was swimming in a sea of black flames! This was the Eternal Flames Demonic Fire. This cold fire used origin power as fuel and could burn through most rare materials. Most fire-resistant materials were useless before its power. The boat vanished with a stomp of the Pointer Monarchs foot and appeared thousands of meters away. The old man walked down from the vessel, saying, This little boat is all I have to ride. Do you really want to make me walk all the way back? Without a word, the Eternal Flame suddenly appeared before the Pointer Monarch and clawed at his chest. The monarch blocked the move with one hand while tapping at the Eternal Flames forehead with the other. They began fighting hand-to-hand like two warriors who hadnt reached the champion stage. However, the Pointer Monarch and the Eternal Flame had exchanged hundreds if not thousands of blows in the time an ordinary person could throw a punch. Their moves were also clearly visible to everyone. Far off in one of the giant ships, one of the sailors was watching the battle intently, afraid that he would miss a single move. After a moment of concentration, however, he fell down screaming with a splitting headache. Many people fell down in each of the giant ships, with the stronger ones suffering even more. The captain and a handful of powerful experts ran about, roaring, Dont look! No one is to look at the battlefield! The battle between the two powerhouses was beyond profound and not something that could be observed casually. Those without sufficient strength would be drawn into the rhythm. Their origin power would channel rapidly and uncontrollably, dealing themselves a fierce blow. Those at the captain level didnt dare look as they truly understood the ferocity within. While the Evernight fleet was in chaos, the Pointer Monarch and the Eternal Flame were locked in a fight. The two had exchanged countless blows, but neither looked flustered. They fought in a regular pattern that looked like it would last forever. Those at their level could easily break down all area-of-effect attacks and domains. Abilities aimed at weakening the opponent or affecting the environment were also just a waste of origin power. The simplest attacks were still the most lethal. The Eternal Flame jumped into a melee fight from the very beginning, a display of his determination to fight to the end. On the other hand, Zhang Boqian paid no heed to Medanzo and Noxus. With a single step, he glided toward the two great dark monarchs as though he were skating on ice. But then he shot past the two experts and made a beeline for the dukes and princes behind them. This attack was so sudden that Medanzo and Noxus didnt have the time to react. Shocked and furious, they chased after Zhang Boqian but simply couldnt close the gap. The grand dukes and princes behind had never imagined that their two great dark monarchs would fail to intercept the enemy. Without enough time to think, even the grand dukes could only scatter instinctively. Prince Greensuns fame was young, but his resounding name had spread far and wide. His attacks were extremely violent and powerful, taking life with every move. The weaker ones simply had no power to even resist. Zhang Boqian might not be the strongest human expert, but he was the most respected and feared opponent to those top Evernight experts. The monarch appeared like a tiger in a pack of wolves. The three princes had it better, but the dukes spread out as quickly as they could. They had no time to care about their subordinates or their dignity. They were very clear that they would most likely die or become crippled if they failed to block a single attack. It was a different story if they were cornered, but now, there were princes and great dark monarchs here. Why would the dukes need to throw their lives away? Dying immediately upon contact would be quite the grievance. It was exactly because everyone had the same thought that the scene became quite ugly. Among the crowd of enemy experts, only one was left slowly edging back, looking relatively less shameful. Chapter 1138: Barbaric Fighting Style Zhang Boqian sped toward a vampire prince and clawed at him. The two parties were terrifyingly close at this point, so close that they could already engage in a melee fight. Prince Habsburg almost seemed like he was shocked silly by this unreasonable strategy, so much so that he even raised a hand to block the attack instead of retreating. There was no sign of either party using origin power, and Habsburg, following a muffled grunt, was jolted several hundred meters away. Zhang Boqian was quite surprised, but his silhouette didnt stop there. A follow-up assault saw him pick up a demonkin grand duke and crush him to death. He then gazed at the vampire prince who had just stabilized himself. Habsburg. Habsburg laughed wryly. What an honor for you to remember me. Zhang Boqian was just about to say something, but all of a sudden, he turned back at his two pursuers and hurled the demonkins corpse at them. Medanzo glanced at Habsburg with a strange expression. Noxus caught the grand dukes corpse with a wave of his hand. Prince Greensun, you have quite the temper these days! Going for the kill immediately upon arrival, I wonder how much stamina you have left. Dont throw away your life for momentary satisfaction, that wont be good. Zhang Boqian snorted. Come try me if you want to find out how much stamina I have left. Noxus, you can challenge me to a one-on-one if youre not satisfied. Noxus expression shifted slightly. Why me? The vampires are your true enemies, no? These words were quite sinister, so much so that Medanzos expression turned ugly. He didnt act out, however, since there was no room for internal fights when facing Zhang Boqian. He would just have to endure a bit of verbal loss. Unexpectedly, Zhang Boqian only glanced at Medanzo and sneered, What makes you think a weakling like him has the right to fight one-on-one with me? Medanzo was absolutely livid and his eyes were almost spewing fire, apparently on the verge of madness. But he knew his situation quite wellhe had just awakened from the blood pond and set out without a full recovery, just so he could make it for this operation. He was a bit weaker than when he was at his peak, so there was no way he would dare challenge Zhang Boqian. He would have to be careful even if they were beating him up as a group, lest the heavenly monarch launches a surprise attack on him. Noxus had taken advantage of this situation to deal Medanzo a secret blow, reducing the respect those accompanying council members and powerhouses had for the vampire. Habsburg and the two other princes had retreated to a safe distance and were taking up positions in the encirclement, ready to join the battle at the closest opportunity. With a disdainful expression, Zhang Boqian took a step forward and delivered a straight punch at Noxus. The arachnes body was now three times its previous size, almost like a giant as he clasped his hands and hammered down on the incoming fist! A loud rumble echoed in the void as layer upon layer of origin power rippled out into the distance. Neither the princes nor the dukes could control their footingthey drifted uncontrollably and retreated farther in shock. For most of them, this was their first time coming into close proximity of this new heavenly monarch, and they found that his reputation was well justified. Zhang Boqians charge was so fast that he possessed an area of control that was as big as a grand magnums. No wonder a grand duke was killed in just one blow. Noxus expression turned pale blue and his body shrank a bit. Apparently, he had suffered quite a bit from this exchange. Medanzo attacked from behind, swiping at Zhang Boqians back with claws shrouded in black mist. Zhang Boqian didnt even look back when he swung a backhand strike at Medanzos head, a move of mutual destruction. With an odd cry, the dark monarch retracted his right hand to perform a cross-arm block against Zhang Boqians palm. A muffled thud echoed through the void. Medanzo was slammed downward from the impact and only stabilized himself several meters away. Noxus had regained his breath at this point and was once again standing before the heavenly monarch. Zhang Boqians aura also declined after attacking two great dark monarchs. Only at this point did the princes and grand dukes heave a sigh of relief. They had seen great dark monarchs in battle, but never with such barbaric tactics. Ultimately, it seemed Prince Greensun was a human and not a god. He still knew exhaustion and weakness. Zhang Boqian flicked a finger, firing a streak of lightning toward Noxus brow. The arachne dispersed the energy with a casual swing of his arm, flicking out two strands of dark energy toward the opponents legs. Medanzo was shrouded in a sea of dark purple blood, from which several fierce beasts emerged and shot toward Zhang Boqian. Naturally, these domain-formed beasts posed no threat to Zhang Boqian and would be shattered before they could even get close. However, the trail of blood they had left behind weaved together to form an invisible net, gradually restricting the heavenly monarchs movements. The spectating crowd heaved a sigh of relief when both parties started using abilities and domains. This was the kind of battle they were familiar withdazzling, loud, and without attacks that were overly lethal. Those at the highest level could usually battle several days without an outcome. This was also a fight where the grand dukes could take part in. They would roam the edges of the battlefield in search of an opening to weaken the heavenly monarchs power or domain. Melee battles like the one from just now were incomparably dangerous, and victory or defeat could be decided in an instant. Zhang Boqian, Noxus, and Medanzo had all suffered some damage after the exchange. Only at this point did the princes and dukes realize something off about the fight just now. Some quickly remembered that Habsburg had actually taken a direct blow from Zhang Boqian. He seemed quite alright on the surface, but was he really alright? Even those of the same Evernight race had no right to investigate a persons injuries. If someone of a different race were to do thatand their families harbored some sort of enmity against one anotherit might very well lead to war. Hence, the two prices only glanced at Habsburg for a split second. The dukes didnt even dare let their eyes drift over. Zhang Boqian switched to a different style after entering a deadlock. His attacks became unpredictable and varied, able to cause damage during any stage of his movement. This was the peak of martial techniques, almost reaching the threshold of art. Daybreak and Evernight origin powers clashed repeatedly, the eruptions bearing down upon everyone with great pressure. Noxus and Medanzo complained inwardly and didnt dare make even the smallest of mistakes. However, they would expend more energy than Zhang Boqian both during attack and defense. It seemed like they would end up losing no matter how hard they tried. Fortunately, the two great monarchs were working together in this battle. Even though Medanzos strength wasnt optimal, he was still a great dark monarch, and there was a group of experts supporting him. Zhang Boqian would lose if they were to slowly exhaust him. The Evernight side was far superior to Zhang Boqian on paper, but a battle could never be decided with simple combat strength. It was almost impossible for the dark races to force a quick victory. Noxus and Medanzo were incomparably frustrated, but all they could do was contend with Zhang Boqian cautiously. In this manner, Zhang Boqian was able to drag down countless enemies on his own. On the other side of the battlefield, the Eternal Flame and the Pointer Monarch seemed like they would keep fighting forever. Then again, a melee fight like theirs could end up with a victory at any moment. Someone had built a wooden house here on a small drifting island in the neutral lands. This small piece of land was just like a large rock floating through the void, lacking any protective field around it. Even the wooden house could offer no protection against the lethal cold of the void. A specter-like warship suddenly appeared outside of the island and out came several black-armored warriors. They walked in a single file toward the small wooden house, where the leader knocked on the door. There was no sound from within. The black-armored warrior knocked again after a while but to no avail. Finally, he could no longer resist. Your Majesty, its time. Weve come to escort you back. The black-robed soldiers voice was unusually sharpit was almost like two sheets of metal rubbing against one another and unlike any living being. This time, there was a reply. Its not time yet. The voice was clear and calm, like a flowing stream or falling ice. The black-armored soldier was surprised. He exchanged glances with his subordinates before saying, Your Majesty, it is already the appointed time. The time has changed. This We didnt hear anything about that. The black-armored soldier scratched his head. A voice echoed behind them, No one told you because it doesnt matter even if you know. The black-armored soldiers were shocked out of their wits. Everyone turned back to see a mysterious hooded person floating in the void. He wasnt too tall and even looked a bit fragile, but the scarlet throne insignia on his hood was exceptionally eye-catching. The Throne of Blood! A black-armored soldier gasped. He clearly understood what the appearance of this insignia meant. The mysterious person smiled. Its your honor to be able to die in my hands. He stretched out his left hand, in which was a giant handgun. That shockingly large barrel was carved with decorative patterns and inscriptions that flowed like swimming fish. The moment this gun appeared, an indescribable sense of dread and terror gripped everyones hearts. Their faces were filled with terror, and their bodies were drained of energy. Some of them grabbed their throats because they couldnt breathe well. Shattered Moment! Y-Youre the person on the The black-armored commander lost his voice midway. His expression was filled with hopelessness because they had no chance of survival against the Throne of Blood, let alone the grand magnum. The mysterious man smiled. No, no, the Shattered Moment isnt for the likes of you. Shell get angry if I use her like that. Just the shockwaves from her rumble are enough to kill you. This time, my real target is her! The runes on the Shattered Moment flowed faster and faster as it took aim at the wooden hut. The black-armored soldiers began to suffer even more, with some collapsing to the ground or swaying unsteadily. There was still no sound from the wooden hut. Your Majesty Nighteye, are you still not willing to appear? I want to know how much of that legendary monarchs appearance youve inherited. After all, everything will be history after tonight. Chapter 1139: Who? The interior of the hut was fairly simple with only a table, a chair, and Nighteye gazing at the muzzle of Shattered Moment. The Throne of Blood almost trembled slightly as he arrived in her presence, a shock born from the bottom of his heart. Nighteye opened her red eyes and stared at the enemy. You know me. Were both scions of the ancient vampire race, why do you want to kill me? The Throne of Blood remained silent for a while. How shocking, you actually inherited that persons appearance as well. As a descendant of the holy vampire race, please accept my utmost respect. Unfortunately, though, youll be the most intricate piece of art to be destroyed by Shattered Moment. Thats because the humans do not wish to see you return to Twilight Continent. Humans Nighteyes pupils gradually transformed into a deep splendor of soul-shaking red. She looked up at the Throne of Blood, saying, Why would you work for humans? The Throne of Blood smiled. I thought youd ask why the humans are so intent on stopping your return, the cost of my help isnt low. There are two heavenly monarchs in the void here to intercept you. Nighteye followed the topic. Oh, why is that? The Throne of Blood laughed. You want to know? But I dont want to tell you! Hahaha, its time to send you back to the River of Blood! Those words were still echoing in the air when Shattered Moment rumbled! A mass of dazzling brilliance shot out from the muzzle and blasted the small hut. The radiance expanded rapidly as it left the gun, reaching several meters in diameter by the time it struck the house. There were countless prismatic fragments inside which rained down on the wooden hut like a colorful meteor shower. Every fragment of light was like a sharp knife, cutting up the small wooden hut into countless pieces and dispersing into void origin power. Even more fragments surrounded Nighteye and slashed at her from all directions. Nighteye stood up and stretched out her hand, unfurling a blood-colored barrier that kept the countless light fragments outside. Its useless! The Throne of Blood laughed out loud. He blasted two more times amidst the crazed laughter, each shot dimming the color of blood from his eyes. It was obvious that the drain on him wasnt small. By the time he had fired the third shot, Nighteye was completely drowned out by the fragments of light and her sanguine barrier was tottering on the verge of collapse. Her expression was still calm and collected, almost as though nothing could shake her, even death. The Throne of Bloods expression became increasingly twisted. A flash of insanity passed through his eyes as he muttered to himself, Yes, just like that! Just like that! Tear away the beauty, so that my Shattered Moment can truly become perfect Zhang Boqian was single-handedly keeping numerous enemies in check, and the Pointer Monarchs battle wasnt something ordinary experts could interfere with. Even the princes didnt dare to approach them, let alone the dukes. At this point, the Pointer Monarch was gradually starting to gain the advantage. The Eternal Flame was becoming a bit passive, but defeat was still far away. Both Zhang Boqian and the Pointer Monarch were using the most advanced combat arts and abilities. It was almost impossible for them to make a mistake, and they would surely be the last ones to keep smiling after a long, drawn-out battle. The Evernight monarchs, on the other hand, had to rely on their racial advantage and their deep accumulated experience to fight a protracted battle with the two human experts. However, the Pointer Monarch didnt launch powerful attacks after gaining the advantage and, instead, guarded his advantage with the stability of a great mountain. Now that was rather puzzling. The Eternal Flame said, Ji Wentian, its useless. Youll need to defeat me if you want to go help Zhang Boqian. He doesnt need my help. The old man laughed. You cant be so sure about that. Zhang Boqian may be strong, but hes too young considering how short-lived your race is. The people I brought this time were specifically selected to deal with spatial powers like his. Maybe theyll give you a surprise after a while. The Pointer Monarch remained unmoved. Perhaps, but it seems Greensun started off with too much power. It looks like your people are afraid of him now! With how far theyre staying, I think whatever killing move they have will end up missing. Zhang Boqian, Noxus, and Medanzo were currently surrounded by the other Evernight experts. The three princes were a bit closer to the battlefield, but the other dukes were a fair distance away, probably at the maximum range of their attacks. Unlike on land, long-range attacks would see their firepower falling sharply in the void. At this distance, no one below the great monarch realm could control the power transmission of their attacks. Even if those Evernight experts possessed some special attacks, there should be no difference in the essence of their power, and the damage would be negligible even if they could hit Zhang Boqian. It was obvious that Zhang Boqian had intimidated the Evernight experts by killing one of their grand dukes with a secret art. Even the princes were being cautious. In truth, some of the princes could even fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the great dark monarchs. Apart from Habsburg, the other two were veteran princes who had no reason to be so cowardly. But Zhang Boqians attacks were too powerfulalthough the princes wouldnt die in one blow, it would be fairly uncomfortable if they were injured. Even Medanzo was shrinking back a bit, and that was the reason Zhang Boqian had so much space to maneuver. Otherwise, he shouldve been at a disadvantage. Currently, both the Pointer Monarch and Zhang Boqian were in a position where they could both fight or flee. They looked like they had no intention of trading injuries and were simply holding their ground, but that could also be a feint. Neither of them would let go of a good opening. Even if this fight were to drag on and end in a draw, the Evernight side would still be taking a loss. They had, after all, lost a grand duke. The Eternal Flame said, Did you think you can prevent us from picking up our target just because youre holding us here? The Pointer Monarch said, Of course, you can still pick up the person, but theyll need to pass through this place. I can make sure the target stays behind if I pay a certain price. The Eternal Flame snorted. Since you know who it is, you should know how deep her ties with your race goes. Why are you so intent on attacking her? Letting her go back would be like releasing a tiger into the mountains. Our deep relationship is nothing compared to king and country. Both myself and Greensun are willing to go with the flow for the bigger picture. The Eternal Flame laughed coldly. You make it sound so pleasant! You humans are all ruthless schemers! Words are meaningless, lets just fight it out slowly. Ive been quite bored recently, so I dont mind fighting for half a month. You want to drag things out until the opening of the new world? Stop dreaming. The Pointer Monarch said calmly, Youll know if we try. It was at this time that Zhang Boqian asked, Who is it that were intercepting? The Pointer Monarch hadnt even replied when Medanzo said, Does Prince Greensun still not know what hes fighting for? It seems youre not quite welcomed by the Imperial clan. Enough nonsense! Zhang Boqians reprimand caused Medanzos face to turn red, almost as though he was going to start dripping blood. He gnashed his teeth angrily but didnt dare jump into the fight. The Lightless Monarch was never good at close-quarter combat. Now that he was lacking in strength, closing in without careful thought would be life-threatening to him. After cutting Medanzo short, Zhang Boqian said, Elder Prince, you never told me who were stopping. Now, Im a bit curious and wish to know the details. The Pointer Monarch sighed. Its no use even if you know, so its better that you dont. In any case, its enough if we keep them busy for several days. Zhang Boqian didnt let go of his questions. You wouldnt have dragged me here if it wasnt critical. The war on the void continent should be starting already, right? His words were quite blunt. A total of five powerhouses had been mobilized by the two factions, in addition to several princes and grand dukes from the Evernight side. There was no way such a lineup would be dispatched for an insignificant matter. The Pointer Monarch said calmly, Youll know when the time comes. Seeing that the monarch had no intention of answering straight, Zhang Boqian frowned deeply. He didnt continue asking, but several thoughts flashed through his mind. Zhang Boqian had instructed his subordinates to increase their eyes and ears on the neutral lands, but the latest news was about Qianye and Song Zining heading out to war. He simply couldnt think of any other special character on that continent. Since the Pointer Monarch wasnt answering him, Zhang Boqian grew suspicious of his own role. It puzzled him even more that the great dark monarchs werent revealing anything, either. What was the reason for this? Noxus sneered. Did you think the Evernight Council wouldnt make other arrangements? Ill tell you, weve already dispatched people to pick up Her Majesty! The Pointer Monarch wasnt enraged by this. He flickered away from several of the Eternal Flame''s attacks before saying, Is that so? You sent people but wont they have to pass through here on their way back? Do you think you can take anyone away alive before this old man? After a pause, the Pointer Monarch said, Fine, I can also tell you something to snuff your hopes out. If you can send people to the neutral lands, the Empire can do the same. The person wholl take her life should be there by now. The Eternal Flame trembled. Thats not right, weve grasped the movements of all the Empires experts. Theres no way you can spare anyone for the neutral lands. After some thought, the Eternal Flame gasped. The Throne of Blood! The Pointer Monarch was somewhat surprised. The Eternal Flame is indeed wise, you managed to figure out the key point very quickly. Indeed, weve asked the Throne of Blood to take action. That person probably hasnt left the neutral lands at this point. As long as shes there, shes definitely not a match for the Throne of Blood and his Shattered Moment. The Eternal Flame attacked with greater ferocity. No one knew what he was thinking, but the demonkin wasnt as exasperated or panicked as the Pointer Monarch had expected. The old monarch fell into contemplation while blocking the enemy attacks. However, there was no other way to change the pieces that had been played. All they could do was wait for developments. On the floating island, everything around Nighteye had been decimated. Only that sanguine barrier was holding out against the assault of myriad light fragmentsbut not for very long. The Throne of Bloods gaze darted about. Lasting for so long against three shots from the Shattered Moment, Your Majestys fame is well deserved. Unfortunately, my grand magnum will claim its prize if no ones here to save you. It was at this time that a beam of green light appeared through the void and shot toward the Throne of Blood. Screaming loudly, the latter spat a drop of gem-like blood which blasted toward the incoming beam. The green light was shattered by the gem, but the red stone also lost its luster and returned to the vampires body. The exchange had ended in a draw. Just as the Throne of Blood was dealing with the green beam, a large hand emerged from the void and dragged Nighteye out from the storm of light fragments. The fragments of Shattered Moment werent about to give up, but the hand flicked out a ball of green light where it had appeared, attracting all the fragments toward it. In the blink of an eye, the fragments had rolled up into a ball of prismatic glass shards. With a loud explosion, the fragments soon flew out in all directions with lethal force. One of the fragments grazed past the Throne of Blood himself. He turned his face away to evade the shard, but it still left a streak of red, whence a drop of blood seeped out and dripped down. The Throne of Blood paid no heed to that injury and only stared forward. A middle-aged man walked out from behind Nighteye. He looked gentle and elegant down to his gaze, not possessing the slightest bit of killing intent. The Thrones gaze landed on the mans right hand. It was this hand that had saved Nighteye from mortal danger and ignited the remaining power of Shattered Moment. Chapter 1140: Its Useful The Throne of Bloods pupils constricted. Azure King! To the younger generation, or even those in their middle ages, this name was somewhat of a hazy memory. After all, the Azure King was just a legend who showed up even more seldom than the Queen of the Night. The Throne of Blood could barely count as a middle-aged vampire. Considering his status and strength, he knew quite a bit about the vampire races history. His expression transformed time and again as he saw the dripping green blood. In the end, he gazed deeply into Nighteyes pupils and left without a single word. His departure was decisive and directeven though he held the Shattered Moment, even though the neutral lands was his home ground. The Azure King and Nighteye had no intention of stopping him, either. It seemed as though Nighteye was the only one the Azure King cared about. He paid no heed to the bleeding wound on his hand and merely looked at her with a smile. Nighteye watched as the Throne of Blood disappeared entirely before the frostiness in her eyes dispersed a bit. You guys actually tolerated him for so many years? Theres no helping it. Most of our secret arts are ineffective against him, even Medanzo couldnt do anything to him in the neutral lands. The other races are actually quite happy to watch our predicament, so no one will truly help us. We cant let Her Majesty do the work herself, can we? Of course, well have a new option before long. Azure Kings voice was clear, gentle, and free of all worldly attachments, almost like a limpid crystal. This was a stark difference from the inherent aggressiveness of most peak experts. Nighteye kept staring in the direction of the Throne of Blood. I am myself, not anyone from the past. Understood, no one will force you in this regard. Nighteye still didnt move. What are you still waiting for? the Azure King urged gently. Nighteye glanced at his handblood was slowly dripping out, and the wound didnt look like it would heal anytime soon. Arent you going to treat the wound? An injury caused by Shattered Moment isnt that easy to deal with. Itll take too much time if I do it here. Ill just go into deep slumber after I escort you back, and itll heal naturally. Nighteye finally looked up and met the Azure Kings eyes. His gaze was as pure as crystal, with a hint of green, and it seemed like his eyes were also smiling whenever his lips smiled. Shattered Moment is indeed a difficult opponent, so we cant drag on. You mustve spent a good deal of your lifespan by coming here, even more now that youre wounded. Heal yourself, Ill wait. The Azure King said with a smile, Youre not waiting for me. Youre just hoping someone else will appear. I dont understand what youre saying. Why so? The Azure King sighed. How can someone as proud as you be willing to suffer such mistreatment? I told you I am myself! What difference does it make? The Azure Kings question left Nighteye dumbstruck. He continued, Seeing you feels like seeing her. No, dont be angry, Im not saying youre the same person, but you two are alike in many aspects, your dignity for instance. Dignity Dignity. Has my dignity been sullied? As far as I know, yes. Nighteye smiled faintly. Why do I not feel that way? Shall I try to explain? Of course. The Azure King removed his smile and, for the first time, said in a serious tone, From the information available to me, theres a rumor in the Empire that two geniuses will be born to the Empire. And their father is the same person Qianye. What does that have to do with me? The Azure King said, These Imperials completely ignored you when they did their scheming. Nighteye turned around to face the Azure King and uttered word by word, That man has nothing to do with me anymore! Hes just the lover of my pre-awakened consciousness. The Azure King wore an indifferent smile over his slightly pained expression. Youve awakened, but youre not her. I know that all too well. Nighteye revealed some astonishment for the first time. Youre wrong. No, I cant be wrong. The Azure Kings gentle voice was irrefutably firm. Nighteye neither explained nor denied anything, merely looking on with a puzzled expression. If you really are her, then you would know why I can tell. The Azure Kings explanation didnt sound like an explanation at all. He sounded awkward and seemed to have no intention of continuing. That aside, those humans have tried to capture you more than just once. Now, they want to kill you directly. Were vampires and they are humans, its normal to kill one another. Perhaps. The Azure King didnt argue this time, and his tone was fairly gentle. Time went by in silence. The gentle sound of dripping blood was exceptionally crisp in the void. The Azure Kings bleeding wound showed no signs of healing. The blood flowing down his sleeves had turned into a small puddle on the ground. This green blood didnt freeze in the deep cold of the void and was rippling like an evergreen lake. Lets go. What? The Azure King couldnt believe his ears. He was prepared to stay until the last moment if she wasnt willing to leave. Nighteye took a deep breath, a sanguine flame lighting up in the depths of her eyes. Ive endured far too long. It was hard to tell if the Azure King was worried or delighted. It was almost as though all of his emotions were drained when he asked that question. He followed Nighteye toward a warship in the void and, with a wave of his hand, wiped away all traces of the wooden huts existence. There was only a puddle of green blood on the island. In a different part of the void, the battle between the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs was still ongoing. The longer the battle went on, the calmer the Pointer Monarch became. He was fairly patient, and it seemed as though he could keep on fighting until the end of time. This proved his determination to fight a protracted battle and block the path out of the neutral lands. If Nighteye wanted to leave the area, she would have to do so under the monarchs watch. With energy left to spare, he could then launch an earth-shattering attack to injure or even kill Nighteye. Having fought for so long, it was actually the experts on the Evernight side who were growing restless. It was becoming hard for them to hide their emotions. Noxus and Medanzo increased the momentum of their attacks quite noticeably, but the princes and grand dukes didnt have the same plan. This was especially true because Zhang Boqian had charged at them again. His target was Habsburg, but the other princes scattered frantically from the shock. They only sought to restrain the target from a great distance and would flee at the slightest breeze. The efficiency was questionable, but it was still better than nothing. Clearly, their little lives mattered more than the actual objective. No amount of caution was enough against a fierce person like Zhang Boqian. Noxus and Medanzo grew increasingly impatient, so much so that the latter launched numerous risky attacks. Zhang Boqian was already at a disadvantage, to begin with, and was only holding out with intimidation. Now that the two great dark monarchs were no longer holding back, things started to turn quite exhausting. Zhang Boqian quickly changed his tactics, roaming about the battlefield, and only engaging in defensive moves. His movement through the void was almost unparalleled, and the Evernight experts could do nothing against his evasion and defense. Noxus and Medanzos urgency proved something. The Pointer Monarch had already gained the upper hand, attacking the Eternal Flame constantly until there were sparks flying out in all directions. Your Excellency, you shouldnt be so impatient. This isnt the only path between the Twilight Continent and the neutral lands, why would you need to risk your life for it? Could it be that the news I got was correct, and that person is really passing through here? Dont be nervous even if thats the case, you can just send a message, asking that person to take the long way around. Why are you so stubborn? The Pointer Monarch made it sound easy, but everyone knew how difficult it was to transmit messages through the void. It was almost impossible to contact a departed airship before it had reached its destination. Even though top experts might have certain secret methods, there was no way they could be used during an intense battle like this. At this rate, it was very likely that Nighteye would run into the Pointer Monarch and, judging from the Evernight monarchs behavior, the time was fairly close. Changing the route at this point was no longer possible. Just as the Evernight monarchs were in a difficult position, Habsburgs figure flickered and appeared at a certain position. Being at the height of their battle, the two great dark monarchs and one heavenly monarch couldnt pay that much attention to the princes and grand dukes, and Habsburgs direction looked like he was fleeing the battle. The peak experts, with their powerful perception, immediately noticed the abnormality of his action. The next scene shook everyoneNoxus and Medanzo suddenly realized that they had lost their opponent as Zhang Boqian appeared close to where Habsburg had moved to. The heavenly monarch lost the initiative since he hadn''t expected Habsburg to arrive in advance. Habsburg could predict Zhang Boqians movements? Just as everyone was shocked, Zhang Boqian reacted directly and tyrannically. Courting death. With a chill in his gaze, he launched a square punch to the opponents chest. At the very beginning of the battle, Prince Greensun had attacked and killed a grand duke with such an ordinary attack. Now that this move had appeared again, everyone could tell that he was ready to kill. Habsburg didnt flee. He raised his hand to block the attack, a mysterious projection flickering in and out of existence as he did so. Habsburg was pushed back ten or so meters, while Zhang Boqian remained standing in place. The former turned pale for a moment before recovering. He could actually block an all-out attack from Zhang Boqian? Everyone was shaken, and a flickering blaze lit up in the depths of Medanzos eyes. He was probably the only one who knew what that projection was. That was the seal from the River of Blood. Having failed to kill the enemy in one blow, Zhang Boqian''s fighting intent surged rapidly. With a crisp howl, his long hair flew up behind him as he gave chase. However, Habsburg avoided a direct confrontation at all costs. Releasing his blood domain, he cried out, How long are you going to waste time here? Zhang Boqian sneered. Trying to scare me with words? Is that even useful? Chapter 1141: Which Trade-Piece? Noxus was already charging in this direction, but even someone as powerful as he was couldnt clearly see what that thing in Habsburgs hand was. From a distance, it looked like a ball of hazy flowing light. What exactly was it that had shaken Zhang Boqian so much? Habsburg turned toward Noxus and gestured for him not to get close. At the same time, the arachne sensed a powerful aura contact him from afar. This was usually a greeting between two friendly dark race experts. This was overstepping on Habsburgs part, even if he was a crown prince and a big shot in the council. Noxus still slowed down nonetheless. His instincts were telling him that the sudden development was extremely abnormal. Additionally, the strength Habsburg had displayed just now was shocking, and that caused Noxus to hesitate whether he should charge into the other partys domain. What were the vampires planning? Just as Noxus was thinking about that, he noticed that Medanzo wasnt following him closely. Instead, he was floating over from a hundred meters away. The arachne warlord came to a sudden stop. He glanced cautiously at Medanzo, but the Lightless Monarch seemed ignorant as he drifted steadily to the Noxus side. With Noxus immobile, Medanzo naturally wouldnt charge over alone, and the other princes and dukes were even less inclined to do so. Zhang Boqian asked, How did you get this image? Habsburg replied, Thats not important. Whats important is that the image is the truth. The sphere of light flowed quietly in Hasburgs hand, and even the two great dark monarchs couldnt tell what was so special about it. Zhang Boqian, however, saw a white-haired man in simple clothing looking over at him. The image was so vivid that even the hems and creases of his clothes, even the most minute expression on his face, seemed like they were within reach. The scene was so realistic that it felt like the observer was there in person. Zhang Boqian could even sense Lin Xitangs aura fading in and out of existence. The mans gaze was as still as a lakes surface but withering in vitality, and his limbs had clearly lost the ability to make big movements. When did Lin Xitang become so weak? Or could it be that he had never let outsiders see him in such a state? Zhang Boqian shifted his gaze and was shocked when he noticed the unique scenery outside of the long windows. He couldnt be bothered to disguise things. Hes in the Divination Pavilion!? Where else? How could anyone withstand an angry attack from Prince Greensun, even if it was just his suppressive might? Habsburg didnt dare meet the blow head-on, either. He quickly retracted the projection and backed off somewhat. You know whether this is true or false, some things simply cannot be imitated. What do you say? Will you keep on fighting us here? Zhang Boqians eyes turned cold. Whats Lin Xitangs condition now? How should I know? But I think hes still alive. You think!? Habsburg smiled calmly. Princes Greensun, you seem to be venting in the wrong place. Ive always been worried about Marshal Lins lifespan because of his refusal to break through. But looking at him now, it looks like he wont last until the end of the year, let alone the decade. He hadnt even finished speaking when Zhang Boqian chopped down with his palm. Several beams of lightning formed a barrier, smashing toward Habsburg. The prepared vampire prince retreated even farther away. The scarlet blood energy shrouded in golden specks was his famous domain, Twilight Nation, with which he dissolved half the lightning and evaded the rest. His current situation has nothing to do with me. Several months ago, our prophets said that a great change was coming over your Imperial palace. It seems they were referring to Marshal Lin. Is even the great Prince Greensun helpless? Do the heavenly monarchs of the Empire have no choice but to lower their heads? A light flickered through Zhang Boqians eyes. Theres no need to sow discord, such words become meaningless when spoken in excess. I, of course, have people and things I must be wary of, but I have no misgivings about this matter! He left with a shake of his sleeve, but Habsburg called him back, Wait! What did you want to say? Please tell Marshal Lin that no matter what he has planned, everything will change with the arrival of the new world. Tell him that hell face a meaningless defeat if he cant let go of the bigger divination picture. Zhang Boqian replied directly, I wont pass your message to him. Lin Xitang will make his own choices. Prince Greensun, youre willing to seek the help of a forbidden technique yet not willing to dissuade Marshal Lin from making a meaningless sacrifice? Zhang Boqian said, Its not your place to talk about what goes on between me and him. Habsburg said after some silence, The Council is also made up of many powers. Some want Her Majesty back, others favor the benefits we can gain from the Empire. Prince Greensun, you must be careful along the way. Zhang Boqain said calmly, No one else can stop me but the three Supremes. Youre too conceited. Zhang Boqian looked deeply into Habsburgs eyes. Whatever the case, Ill remember this. No need to thank me, I only want to escort Her Majesty back safely. We wont be able to do that if youre around, Habsburg said with a laugh. Nodding, Zhang Boqian left just like that. He had no interest in the identity of the person in question. Meanwhile, a shocked Pointer Monarch almost took a blow from the Eternal Flame. Boqian, what are you doing? Zhang Boqians silhouette moved away ever so slightly, but he ultimately stopped and turned around. Dont tell me you dont know what has happened in the capital? At this point, Noxus and Medanzo had noticed the change. They held back from attacking Zhang Boqian, which prompted the other experts to follow suit. Habsburg stood in the distance, ready to watch the good show. The Pointer Monarch replied while counterattacking, I do. Then why would you bring me here to intercept this mystery person? This matter is of the utmost importance, far above anything else. Besides, theres a priority to everythingwhatever happens at the Imperial Capital is an internal affair, not something we heavenly monarchs should take sides in. Heavenly Monarchs neither led soldiers nor meddled in politics. Their influence behind the scenes was inevitable, but even the most power-hungry Longevity Monarch had never jumped into the spotlight before. Zhang Boqian snorted. No rush? No taking sides? Are you not going to care even when things are so chaotic? The Pointer Monarch frowned. The conflicts at capital have always existed. How can it compare to the current business? If we dont stop that person, Evernight will gain an expert comparable to those on the Sacred Mountain. At that time, the entire power balance will break down and well regret this day. Zhang Boqian said coldly, Whether Evernight gains an expert or loses an expert, thats their business. What happens in the Empire is ours. But these two things are happening at the same time. We naturally have to come here after weighing the pros and cons. Zhang Boqian closed his eyes. That means those in the palace are trade-pieces for this person youre trying to intercept. Thats quite the exchange. The Pointer Monarch sighed. Evernight never gave us a choice. What happened at the palace is bound to happen. The Evernight faction is busy splitting the spoils after their holy-war truce. Otherwise, we wont even have a chance at intercepting this person. We only need to wait half a day The Pointer Monarch was tactful with his words, but Zhang Boqian wasnt buying it. He cut the old man short, saying, The dust will have settled in half a day. In the end, its still a trade. The Pointer Monarch said, In truth, I dont know the actual details about the turmoil at the capital, but a heavenly monarchs stance in civil conflicts has to be neutral. Boqian, you were born to a major clan and youve always been a leader, but the nobility having too much power over the Imperial party isnt beneficial to the Empire. Zhang Boqian realized the meaning hidden in these words. Was the Pointer Monarch afraid that he would support the nobility and suppress the Imperial party? He couldnt help but break out in a laugh. The nobility suppressing the Imperial party? I think its more the Emperor trying to purge ministers with great authority, is it not? The two switched to daybreak origin power transmissions when they reached this part of the topic, preventing the other experts from hearing them. The Evernight experts seemed to be understanding as well. They opted not to disturb the exchange, and even the Eternal Flame slowed down his attacks, allowing the Pointer Monarch to maintain his slight advantage. The more this happened, the more the Pointer Monarch realized the reason. The Evernight Council had prepared several contingency plans. Since they had already persuaded Zhang Boqian, attacking at this point might have a negative effect instead. The three great dark monarchs were from different races, to begin with, and were wary of one another. None of them wanted to fight to the death against a heavenly monarch. The Pointer Monarch simply stopped fighting and appeared before Zhang Boqian. As expected, the demonkin dark great monarch didnt stop him. At this point, the person closest to the two heavenly monarchs was now Habsburg. He wasnt flustered because of that, though, and merely retreated with a smile and a bow. This time, he pulled back all the way out of attack range. The Pointer Monarch said, Boqian, we only need to hold this place for another day and that person will surely pass by here. Well be able to rid the Empire of a hundred-year calamity. Even if we can only injure her, we can prevent the terrifying growth shell go through once the new world opens up. Additionally, all of Evernights experts who can command troops are here. If we restrain them here, the war on the void continent will feel less pressure. They can take this opportunity to take down the continent in one go, laying down the foundation for the Empires resurgence. Zhang Boqian could already confirm that the Pointer Monarch really might not know the details. To a heavenly monarch, the conflicts of the Imperial court were just childrens games, and it made no difference to them which party was in power. A heavenly monarch was an aloof existence who would only watch the greater picture between Daybreak and Evernight. Zhang Boqian suddenly lost interest in arguing with the Pointer Monarch. He said mockingly, I really have no idea which major character convinced you to agree to this fight without knowing who were sacrificing. Maybe even if you knew, you would think sacrificing Lin Xitang isnt a problem. Oh, there must be a lot of benefits to be reaped regarding the void continent, right? The Pointer Monarch was astonished to hear Lin Xitangs name. As one of the four great ministers the previous Emperor had appointedmarshal, leader of the cabinet, and the number one divination expert of the EmpireLin Xitangs position was only below one person. He was probably among the top ten in the Empire in terms of authority. However, the Pointer Monarchs expression turned solemn. The war between Evernight and the Empire is the bigger picture. Whoever gets caught in it will be pulverized, and that includes you, me, and Lin Xitang. It wont be a surprise if we die in battle! Dying in battle cannot be compared to dying to a scheme! Boqian, trading Lin Xitang for the void continent and an expert who might very well ascend the Sacred Mountain, isnt it worth it? Zhang Boqian stared deeply at the monarch. I have never been a commander and never wanted to be one, so Ive never schemed or planned. You might say this trade is worth it, but to me, Lin Xitang is a rival and a comrade. He may be many things, but hes never a chess piece! So what if the Evernight side gains an expert? If we must cut off an arm just because were afraid of that, how will we ever topple them? Boqian Speak no more. I am a warrior who does not understand complicated logic. I will fight that person in the void if they become successful in the future, but if youre going to stop me again today, dont blame me for not seeing the bigger picture. The Pointer Monarch was hesitant, but Zhang Boqian had no intention of conversing further. His clothes flared up and mist clouds appeared around him in the void. This was a sign that he was about to fully deploy his domain and pass through forcibly. The Pointer Monarchs expression changed repeatedly, but all he could do was step aside with a sigh. Zhang Boqian paused momentarily as he brushed past the monarch. Without turning back, he said, You never said who the target was, but I can already guess by now. In this regard, some people in the Empire are truly despicable in their actions. Why would we do that if we knew something like this would happen today? The Pointer Monarch sighed. Now that things have reached this stage, what else can we do but nip the problem at the bud? Dont tell me youre hoping shell be so benevolent in the future? Zhang Boqian said after some silence, Elder Prince, you werent like this back then. That year The Pointer Monarchs smile seemed tainted with the passing years. Ji Wentian is no more since the day she left. Now, I am but a heavenly monarch of the human race, doing whats best for our race with these old bones. If thats what youre thinking, you should cut off that venomous tumor taking root in the capital instead of intercepting this target. Even the Pointer Monarch found it difficult to meet Zhang Boqians razor-sharp gaze. He turned slightly away before saying with a wry smile, Venomous tumor, huh, that description is too accurate. Chapter 1142: The Spider Queen’s Tea Even someone of Zhang Boqians ability had to stop when he saw this shadow. The shadow drew closer and closer until it gradually took the shape of a giant spider. Just its body alone was bigger than the largest warship. The boundless void was so vast that the world felt like a piece of paper in comparison, yet this shadows presence seemed to blot out the skies and cover up the earth. This was a mysterious feeling in the void. Compared to the thousand-meter arachnid shadow, Zhang Boqian was as small as a speck of dust. Yet he only seemed serious and cautious, not fearful. This monarch is honored by the Spider Queens arrival. You mustve been waiting for quite a while? It was actually one of the three Supremes of the Sacred Mountain, the Spider Queen! Her leaving the Crystal Kingdom would be an event that would shake the entire Evernight world. Hence, this was likely her clone or projection. A female face emerged on the giant shadowy spider. Her appearance was beautiful, but after some thought, one would find that there was no word to describe or praise heronly the breathtaking impression of the moment remained in ones consciousness. What appeared afterward was a black-robe with purple hems. It was studded with platinum and silver emblems, depicting various arachne in different poses. The dress covered her down to the ankles, but strangely enough, one could still sense her perfect curves with great clarity Her cold voice contained a hint of hoarseness, but there was a strange stickiness to it. Hearing her voice filled one with an inexplicable sensation, almost like an itch breaking out from deep inside. I waited for two days. Thats quite a rare occurrence for someone of your status. Its worth it even if I have to wait a couple more days for Prince Greensun. Wouldnt you have wasted your time if I never appeared? If you didnt appear, then our plan would have succeeded. How is that a waste of time? Zhang Boqians gaze turned cold. But Im here now! The Spider Queen wasnt angry, though. With a wave of her hand, a tea table and two mats appeared in the void. I heard you human experts like drinking tea. I happen to have a pot of good tea that was left behind by your Martial Ancestor, aged for several hundred years in the caverns of time. As for the tea set, it was carved from the bones of a void colossus and likely a good fit for someone of your status. Why dont we sit down and discuss some things over tea? What do you want to discuss? Zhang Boqian didnt act out immediately. There are many things we can discuss. No one knows what will happen when the new world opens up. Although the Evernight Council has decided to stop the holy war, the ten-thousand years of enmity between the four major races can only be held back temporarily. How can anyone forget? So, theres definitely space for cooperation, just like many of your race are already doing. Who are these people? Zhang Boqian asked. He had noticed a double meaning in the Spider Queens wordsone was that the Evernight faction didnt understand much about this legendary new world, and the other was that they hadn''t relaxed after the temporary halt on the holy war. On the contrary, they were even more cautious against one another. The Spider Queen chuckled. That I dont think I can tell you. Its naturally those smart people who want to be in certain places and take advantage of the situation. Especially the descendants of Lilith and Kane, they think they are the favored children of the darkness. But how come you humans have expanded to your current state in just a thousand years? Maybe after another thousand years, your race will have a seat on the Sacred Mountain! Are you talking about trading pieces? Zhang Boqian scoffed. The Spider Queen didnt understand his reaction. That word is something we learned from you humans. If Prince Greensun wants to play trade, Im fine as long as it isnt from our race. Youre willing to take such a clear loss? The Spider Queen chuckled. Why not? The demonkin and vampires have been using my descendants to exchange for favors. They really went too far during the battle at the void continent. They actually touched the foundations of my Crystal Legion. Now that the holy war has stopped, I dont want to offend Liliths group openly. All I can do is look for you people in order to get even with them. Who else can be a better candidate for a deal than Prince Greensun? Zhang Boqian frowned. What merits do I have? A lot! For instance, theres no one you cant finish off in the void as long as I provide the information. I can also provide you with things you urgently need, that way, you wont go back on the agreement. Also No need to continue, I wont be working with the dark races. Zhang Boqians reply was decisive and resolute, making no exception just because the one across from him was a supreme of the Sacred Mountain. He didnt express it, but he was indeed slightly moved. Something he urgently needed? What could that be? The Spider Queens appearance had been utterly weird and unlike their races usual straightforward methods. If she were seeking outside allies due to the dangerous shift in power balance within their faction, who had managed to persuade her? Who could even incite her? Zhang Boqians reply didnt discourage the Spider Queen. She changed her posture, propping her elbow and chin on raised knees as she said with a smile, Prince Greensun should think about it. This is something beneficial to your race, so why wouldnt you do it? Isnt there a saying in your race that the end justifies the means? There are some things one should and shouldnt do. How can I ignore the methods just to get results? If I do that, how will I be any different from those lowlifes? From your races perspective, that cant be considered vile, can it? Striving for the races benefit is a virtuous cause. As for some personal gains that happen along the way, its rather understandable. Zhang Boqian replied calmly, No need to talk about this again, its impossible. The Spider Queen replied as though she didnt know anger, Fine, lets talk about the terms then. If Prince Greensun is willing to sit with me and finish this cup of tea, Ill gift you a demonkin fleet led by a grand duke. Im sure they wont be able to escape your grasp as long as I give you their whereabouts. So generous, huh? This is just interest for my children. Of course, its also fine if you want the vampires, its just that theyve increased the number of active great dark monarchs. What about it, will you think about it? Besides, weve already spoken for so long, you only need to sit here a while longer. Zhang Boqian said calmly, We both know why youre here and why Im here. Though, I must admit I never imagined that a supreme would actually take action from afar. I was talking to you all this time in order to recover my origin power and force you to make way. Thank you for the tea, but I like wine more. The smile on the Spider Queens face disappeared. Prince Greensun, must you pass no matter what? What else? Zhang Boqian sneered. The Spider Queen revealed a reluctant expression. Prince Greensun is powerful, but youre still too young. Even though Im just a projection, you have virtually no chance of defeating me in half a day. I must see how you intend on passing! Zhang Boqian said in a serious tone, Then dont blame me for being rude! He stood up and took a step forward, slashing down at the Spider Queen with his palm! A dazzling light lit up at his fingertips as the palm-blade descended, leaving a scorching trail behind. That trail revealed its true form upon extending completely, and it was actually a half-illusory sword made of light. A series of whistling sounds echoed in the void as the attack was about to appear. The formless sound waves spread out rapidly, causing the giant spider shadow that was shrouding the area to tremble slightly. The Spider Queens expression froze. Zhang Boqian had attacked with unprecedented momentum from the get-go. The heavenly monarch would die if she could block this attack, but the spider projection would be destroyed if she could not. There was no third possibility! No, there had to be a third possibility. The Spider Queens expression didnt change much. Countless thoughts ran through her mind, but in the end, she got up elegantly before the tea table. This movement was clearly performed while standing in place, but the entire space seemed to have shifted. There was no longer any obstruction in Zhang Boqians path. The whistling stopped abruptly as the heavenly monarch retracted his palm blade. The origin power ripples expanding wildly through the void vanished without a trace. Even the Spider Queen had to raise her brows at the level of control. Just as Zhang Boqian was about to disappear, the Spider Queen said, Zhang Boqian, are you willing to throw away even your life? Zhang Boqian smiled indifferently without turning back. Of course not, its just that youre more valuable than I am. The Spider Queen finally revealed an angry smile, but she simply couldn''t trade her projection for Zhang Boqian. Now that great changes were imminent, it was the most dangerous time for every race. She couldnt risk losing any power. The Spider Queen stood in the void and watched Zhang Boqian travel further away. She sighed softly all of a sudden, washing away all of her visible emotions with it. That beautiful robed figure almost looked like an exquisite doll, devoid of any vital aura. In a different part of the void, a high-speed airship was jumping out from the darkness toward a rendezvous point, where a small but impressive fleet was waiting. The captain stared momentarily at the terrifying shadow behind the fleet through his binoculars. Send a signal, seeking permission to approach. Soon after the corvette sent the signal, a bright light flashed back from that unforgettably sleek battlecruiser. That was a signal that the other party could approach. The captain glanced doubtfully at the distant Martyrs Palace. Although there were only three cutting-edge battlecruisers in the Empire, and most captains had never even set foot on one, he was more interested in going aboard the legendary Martyrs Palace. Qianye and his Martyrs Palace had almost single-handedly turned the battle around outside of the void continent. Just as the Minister of the Right was about to admit defeat, the dragonship had appeared out of nowhere, destroying two duke-grade flagships and forcing back the Evernight reinforcements. In the contribution report to the Emperor, the Minister of the Right actually attributed four parts to the vanguard fleet and six parts to Qianye, Song Zining, and Dark Flame. Some generals believed that it wouldnt be too excessive to credit eight parts of the victory to Qianye, but the Minister of the Right was a veteran politician. He knew that the vanguard fleet had taken severe damage, so it would reflect poorly on the Imperial court if the difference in rewards was too great. A four-six split was a sweet spot where the court wouldnt dispute the results and the powerhouses of the Imperial Guard wouldnt lash back. Although the official memorandum stated thus, the Imperial Guard soldiers who had taken part in the battle knew what exactly had happened. As veterans, they knew even better how difficult it was to destroy a duke-grade flagship. This was evidenced by how the Imperial fleet had bombarded the two flagships at a slight advantage but still couldnt destroy them. On the contrary, the enemy had almost turned the tables on them. After the battle, the Martyrs Palace became accepted as the Empires number one warship. There were rumors that it might even be more powerful than the Emperors flagship. That was also the reason why every sailor longed to board the Martyrs Palace and have a look for themselves. But a legendary warship like that wouldnt just let anyone get on, and the captain was mentally prepared for that. He suppressed the regret in his heart as he lined up with the battlecruiser and passed a sealed box into Song Zinings hands. Song Zining was about to see the captain off after checking that the seal was intact when an attendant said, Seventh Young Master, Ill stay behind to help you. Song Zining was startled. The shocked captain roared, Are you crazy? Who allowed you to speak!? The attendant ignored the captain and made a hand gesture at Song Zining. After a momentary daze, Song Zining issued an order to his subordinates. Bring General Liu inside to rest. The men he has brought must be tired as well, take them all inside to rest. Divide some crew from the corvettes to take over General Lius airship. The captain surnamed Liu was shocked out of his wits, but he was dragged away and placed under house arrest, kicking and cursing all the while. Song Zining then dismissed his men, leaving only him and that attendant in the room. We cant hide the fact that weve detained an Imperial warship for very long. The attendant laughed. Other people might not be able to, but you surely have a way. Besides, the void is so vast and the war is so chaotic. Who knows when the Imperial Guard will find out that one of their warships is missing. The war will be over by that time, so whats there to worry about? Song Zining stared at the attendant for a good while. He then sighed. Okay, lets get down to business. What is the Empress command? The Empress didnt say anything. She only asked me to go over and watch. Go over andwatch? Yes. What were her exact words? Those are her exact words, nothing else. The attendant shrugged. Chapter 1143: Latest Plan Go over and watch. This was Empress Lis wish. The words were fairly simple, but it forced Song Zining to ponder repeatedly. What did she want to see? Thinking deeper, what must he show her and what must he not? What kind of role did the Empress and the Li family play in this war? The Empress family and the powerful ministers were archenemies in certain areas. There had been very little news of Marshal Lin since the Great Maelstromwas he well and safe? The Imperial Guard had mobilized a large part of its forces, which meant that the Longevity Monarch had to have approved, and greater numbers from the Imperial clan were also joining the fight. The Minister of the Right was indeed quite skilled to be able to coordinate all these powers and keep them in balance, so much so that it seemed rather strange. If Qianye and Song Zining had refused to take charge of this route, the next candidate wouldve been Gaoyi. Why was it her? Qianye had commented that the military was trying to target the Zhao clan, but after careful thought, the deputy commander was the Emperors adult son. And Lan Xinchengs supply of military arms was all too generous... on whose side was he on? Thinking on, Song Zining gradually became distracted and lost in complicated thoughts. During his contemplation, he felt a sudden pain from his forehead, almost as though he had been pierced by a needle. It was so intense that his vision went blank and he reflexively covered his forehead with his palm. Only then did he realize that he had subconsciously utilized his divination powers. This could be considered a shortcoming of divination specialists, a careless reaction. The mysteries of heaven were surely in chaos during the war. There were also countless soldiers, generals, and powerful characters paying attention to the fight. In addition, various powers were playing a tug o''war in the dark, their divination masters and prophets disrupting one another from time to time. It was never a good idea to activate divination powers without proper skill and preparation. Song Zining was dazed from the backlash, and he still had no idea which party he had bumped into. He suddenly recalled an old saying as he retracted his divination powers. Those who divine much, die young. On the surface, these words seemed to explain the dangers of divination, but on the other hand, it was hinting that the art itself was playing with fire. Those who were accomplished in the field would always want to take part in every major event. These people were smart, to begin withhow could they be willing to be left out after grasping a powerful ability? Now that was playing with fire. When Song Zining looked up again, there were no longer any ripples in his eyes or any emotions on his face. He gazed at the man dressed like an attendant and asked, Where do you plan to watch? You want to be here with me or with Qianye? The attendant said with a smile, I have a choice? Of course, I pick Qianye. Song Zining nodded. Thats true, anyone would want to have a look at the Martyrs Palace. This airship might be a rare sight, but its not one of a kind. The attendant said, Its mainly because I heard that Qianye is very handsome! Frowning, Song Zinings mouth fell open as he glanced at the attendant. Doubtlessly, this person had disguised himself so well that ordinary experts would never see through him. Song Zining had been feigning ignorancehis plan was to avoid alerting the proverbial snake and observe their intentions. Who exactly are you? Now you remember to ask. It seems the seventh young master isnt as smart as they say! With that, the attendant reached out to wipe his face. His body structure started to change, and his hair grew a bit longer until it reached his ears. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful and petite girl with short hair appeared before Song Zining. Song Zinings expression was already strange when he saw the fantastic disguise-art. He was even more shocked when he saw the other partys face. Nineteenth Princess!? The girl revealed a charming smile. You still remember me? Song Zining put away his frivolity and said, I had the honor of meeting you in the Imperial gardens seven years ago. I wouldnt dare forget. You actually recognize me? I was only ten seven years ago, and I looked very different back then. But then again, you study those divination arts. Who knows how many tricks you have up your sleeve? Just looking at you annoys me. Song Zining said, The Empress and the Li family are big in the divination field. You should be careful when talking to outsiders. Princess Nineteen yawned. You speak as if were so close! What I mean is, Im also an outsider. Princess Nineteen waved her hand. Enough of that, Im heading to the Martyrs Palace anyway. Also, arrange a position close to Qianye for me. Ive long since heard that hes even more good looking than Zhao Jundu. This is a rare opportunity for me to observe him to my hearts content! This nineteenth princess became more and more excited. She was like a little girl about to get her favorite toy, wanting nothing more than to go immediately. Song Zinings brows knitted together slightly. He didnt give this princess too much face and stared at her for a good while. Not to mention seventeen, there werent any innocent seven-year-olds in the palace. His actions were so exaggerated that it actually became difficult to pick a quarrel. He went through everything he knew about the palace but couldnt recall much information related to this nineteenth princess. From what he remembered, this princess maternal family wasnt very prominent, and her mother wasnt well known among the Imperial concubines. She was an open follower of Empress Li from a young age, but recently, it became known that she possessed great talent in cultivation. Reportedly, she had been gaining status even before the Emperor. Who wouldve thought Empress Li would actually send her here for such an important war? It was a clear law that the rear palace could not participate in politics. Even princes who hadnt been conferred a title wouldn''t be assigned to a formal combat unit in battle. What was the meaning of a princess running over to the front lines? Each of Empress Lis actions and words involved deep meaning and should be analyzed carefully. The more Song Zining thought about it, the more of a headache he felt. The current Emperor of the Great Qin stayed within the Unending Palace most of the time and rarely made public appearances. He was never known for doting on his children, so the princes and princesses didnt enjoy that much of a presence. Without a prominent maternal family, they would hardly be recognized. And Song Zining couldnt quite divine the Nineteenth Princess since she was still of royal blood. Since there was no point in too much thought, Song Zining simply decided to let things be. He summoned his attendants and ordered them to arrange a shuttle, on which the two of them headed toward the Martyrs Palace. The small shuttle soon arrived safely at the palace. The Nineteenth Princess was like a kid who had entered a park; everything seemed like a new experience for her. Since the Martyrs Palace had already entered public eyes, Qianye and Song Zining picked out a group of reliable and loyal crew members to man the various sentry posts. At this point, there were technicians, cannoneers, sailors, and warriorsover a thousand people in total on the airship. However, the Martyrs Palace was so big that the interior looked fairly spacious and empty. Song Zining arrived at the command center, which was located in the dragons head. This place was so much bigger than the command center on the battlecruiser. The dragonship was no longer the crude construct it was before. Now, there was a separate staff officer room, command room, war room, etc., and there was a group of officers hard at work within. Some of these officers came from the Empire, and a part of them was from Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Battles in outer space required staff officers of a certain level. Dark Flames officers werent well-trained enough for the job. Within a specialized war room, Qianye was observing a map that was covered in dense markings. The map was split into two halves, with the first being the initial battle plan, and the other was Song Zinings version. Qianye was comparing the two and studying everything in detail. Qianye and Song Zining were experts with powerful instincts. Yet they were clueless despite feeling that something was offthat wasnt a good sign. Song Zining knocked on the door and, after hearing a response from within, entered with the Nineteenth Princess. Qianye turned around, his incisive gaze pausing slightly on the princess. The Nineteenth Princess felt an indescribable cold come over her and couldnt help but tremble. Song Zining said, Qianye, this is the nineteenth daughter of the current Emperor, here to observe the battle under Empress Lis orders. Shes on our side, dont be rude. He gave a slight nod after exchanging glances with Song Zining and bowed slightly toward the princess. A token expression of his respect. Song Zining was going to take up an Imperial title, so he had to maintain a degree of respect toward the Imperial clan. That wasnt the case for Qianye; he didnt need to be too polite. The Nineteenth Princess didnt blame Qianye for his lack of etiquette. Instead, her eyes lit up as she stared at Qianye constantly, almost as though she wanted to pounce forward and bite him. As for what Song Zining was saying, it didnt look like she had heard anything. Qianye hadnt imagined that an Imperial descendant would be like this. He questioned Song Zining with his eyes, to which the latter replied with a frown, asking him to ignore her. Then, Song Zining got down to business. He put the box onto the table and opened the locks according to the determined sequence. He fished out a couple of documents from within and went through them one by one, categorizing and passing them to Qianye. He then walked over to the map and started marking things on it. These documents were the newest versions of the battle plan. There was little change in the primary framework, but there were some minor details that had been modified. These papers explained the detailed attack routes and the time of landing. At the same time, they mentioned other battle plans in the relevant direction, including the arrival times of the main route and eastern route. After Qianye had finished reading the papers in detail, Song Zining had already completed the markings. He pointed at a small town on the other side of the void continent. This is our new target. Its closer to the central route and a bit farther from the Eastern route. In terms of difficulty, its harder than our original target, but it should be easier to defend once we capture it. This location is less than a hundred kilometers from the target. Seizing the place might not completely cut off the Evernight armys retreat-path, but considering our fleets advantage in the void, we can deal a heavy blow to their forces. Oh, so many of the dark races will still be able to retreat? Qianye frowned. Dont tell me you want to destroy all of the dark races on the continent? If you do that, the Evernight Council will throw everything they have at you. Qianye said, So this plan is feasible if we dont consider wiping them out? Song Zining nodded. Of course, especially since we have the Martyrs Palace. When the time comes, the dark races will not dig in for a fight to the death and only try to pull back as many troops as they can. Otherwise, their losses would be too severe if they lose another two duke-grade flagships. Qianye discussed the details with Song Zining for a while longer. All in all, their new target was more practical and involved less risk overall, but their contributions wouldnt decrease. The retreating Evernight fleet would be like a pack of migrating bison that could be attacked at will. It was hard to say how much fighting spirit these retreating forces would have left. The Imperial command had probably modified the battle plan after accounting for the Martyrs Palace. The one who had formulated this plan might not be as bold and imaginative as Lin Xitang, but the plan was pragmatic and airtight. If he hadnt guessed wrong, it was probably the Minister of the Right. Qianye still couldnt find any traps after looking through the plans repeatedly, yet he couldnt wash away that uneasy feeling in his heart. Song Zining was also in deep thought. Only after a long while did he say, This plan, how should I put it, might have some problems in execution. The situation in battle is changing constantly. Theres simply no way one can formulate a completely fixed plan when multiple routes are involved. Not even Lin Xitang can do that. Ive gotten a good idea of the commander candidates for each route, and for now, at least, I cant find any problems. Qianye nodded. Then lets go according to plan. Song Zining said after some thought, After we land, Ill take the ground while you guard the skies with the Martyrs Palace! No, you stay at the Martyrs Palace. Song Zining, of course, disagreed, so the two began to argue. The princess who had been forgotten all this time suddenly spoke up. Isnt the ground defense more dangerous? Song Zining rolled his eyes at her. Was there a need to ask? How could there be any danger at the Martyrs Palace? The Nineteenth Princess glanced at Qianye, then at Song Zining. You two are fighting over who gets the ground. Wow, you share such a good relationship! Song Zining didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. This is a problem of whos more suited for the role. Suited? The Nineteenth Princess looked confused. Chapter 1144: Attack Song Zinings attention for the Nineteenth Princess shifted away as he focused on arguing with Qianye. Noticing that she had been forgotten, the princess began to listen intently, but how much she had absorbed was evident from her drooping lashes and bewildered expression. Finally, Song Zining pounced over and grabbed Qianye by the neck. Enough! Lets go down together! The role of Martyrs Palace is to guard the aerial passage. Our mission on the continent is to defend the outpost until we rendezvous with the main forces, not to escape. Qianye found that the argument made sense. The Martyrs Palace was there as a deterrent and to prevent the aerial pathways from being locked down. They didnt have a complete fleet despite the accompanying corvettesit was fine as an ambush force, but fighting an enemy fleet on its own would be a struggle. Cutting off Evernights retreat and fighting their reinforcements was the Imperial Guards duty anyway. Their squads next duty was mainly on the ground, uprooting the enemys strategic strongholds and scattering their defensive line. They would then rendezvous with Zhao Jundus central army and push their area of control outward. Only then would they gain control over the void continent. It was probably too early to divide the forces between the two at this point. Seeing Qianye nod, Song Zining said with a smile, Princess, youve had to endure the long journey here. Why not go freshen up and rest? The Nineteenth Princess stood up calmly and agreed obediently. Song Zining summoned some maids and ordered them to settle the princess in. Once the war room doors had closed, Song Zinings lazy smile disappeared from his lips. Qianye glanced at him. Is there something wrong with her? Song Zining rubbed his head in frustration. Itd be a wonder if there isnt. Qianye smiled. You intentionally fought with me over the clean-up period deployments. That act was for her to see, right? Unfortunately, she never understood a thing and even dozed off. Song Zining cried out in surprise, A barbarian like you actually saw through my plans? Qianye nodded seriously. I even played along. Song Zining didnt know what to say. He paused for a good while before saying, Qianye, youve become bad. Shes not a champion yet, is she? Qianye continued looking at the new markings on the map. A fighter-rank lady on the battlefield, with no knowledge of war and no attendants, does Empress Li trust in our fighting power or does she not? Qianye thought back to it. There must be a big price to pay. Song Zining nodded. I think they cannot break through again, nor can they reproduce, but their lifespans remain unchanged. This sacrifice was nothing compared to survival. The two paid little attention to whether the little girl was a human weapon, only about their potential response. Song Zining had heard much about this art. Shes too young. Using that secret art on her will only bring her to rank ten or eleven, and the chances of failure are quite high. Then let her stay at the Martyrs Palace. Caroline should suffice to keep watch over her. Qianye decided. Low-ranking champions couldn''t do anything on the Martyrs Palace, but the same couldnt be said for land battles. Judging from how the enemy vanguard fleet consisted of dukes, it wasnt too hard to guess that the ground battles would not be easy. Bringing someone suspicious along at such a time was not wise. Song Zining nodded in agreement, and thus, the matter was decided. The Martyrs Palace was so important that either Qianye or Caroline had to be aboard the vessel at all times. Hence, this was the best arrangement both in terms of tactical pairing and safety. The Martyrs Palace itself was highly powerful, so there was no need to worry about her safety with Caroline around. Qianye would not be on board, so all abilities and attacks related to the Earth Dragons innate strength could not be utilized. The palace could only serve as an ordinary warship for now, but at the very least, the Evernight airships wouldnt dare approach on their own. Qianye and Song Zining were used to fighting together. They were also more familiar with the troop distributions and the situation on the void continent. Putting Caroline in the field might not increase overall fighting power by a lot. After reaching an agreement, Song Zining returned to the battlecruiser, while the Nineteenth Princes remained at the Martyrs Palace. Moments later, the fleet slowly began to move toward the depths of the void. After an entire day of traveling, the fleet eventually reached its destination, where it waited silently for three days. At the designated time, the Martyrs Palace led the squadron to a point in the void right above the assigned location. Only when the battlecruiser appeared over the small city did the dark races realize what was going on, and over a dozen small airships scrambled to intercept the incoming enemy. The warships in charge of protecting the city were old models, the biggest among them being corvettes. The new vessels were all serving the mobile fleet, so there was no way they would be here to defend the rear. The ten or so warships were like a group of hunting dogs pouncing on a truly ferocious beast. They were only mid-charge when four of them were destroyed by the concentrated firepower of the battlecruiser, and none of them could withstand a single hit from the main cannon. The remainder drummed up their courage to continue the charge, but only when they reached the void did they see the real monster lying in wait for them. A single volley from the Martyrs Palaces side cannons was enough to destroy two small airships, and two more with another round. The other smaller vessels lost their will to fight and began to scatter. The corvettes around the Martyrs Palace swarmed out like a pack of wolves that had smelled blood, overwhelming the Evernight warships with their superior speed. After the short battle, only two warships from the defending army managed to escape. They didnt dare reduce their speed or turn back as they scuttled into the depths of the void. After defeating the defending fleet, the Martyrs Palace remained hovering in the void while the corvettes and the battlecruiser patrolled the area in search of enemy squadrons. Qianye never saw the Evernight mobile fleet even as their massive landing party entered the battlefield. It would seem the Imperial Guard had accomplished their mission of restraining the mobile unit, preventing them from sending reinforcements even when an important location in the rear was being attacked. Since the dark races were surrendering their aerial dominance, Qianye had no intention of letting this opportunity go. On his order, a large number of modified gunships rushed into the void continent and entered the airspace above the city. These gunships were modified from neutral land airships. They were crude but quite durable and sturdy. After modification, they had thick armor along their hull which added to their defense. Dozens of gunships blotted out the skies as they bore down upon the city. Things were already in chaos at that point, with hordes of people running about in the streets. In the blink of an eye, a volley of scattered flames shot into the sky as soldiers with quick reflexes opened fire with origin guns. There were a number of hand-cannon shots mixed in as well. It would seem the ground forces down there werent lacking in experts because the firepower quickly became fiercer and fiercer. Numerous ballista bolts climbed into the air, leaving bright trails behind them as they blasted gunships. Flaming flowers blossomed on the warships, and those struck by the ballistae were severely shaken. One of the warships caught fire from its rear and crashed into a corner of the city below, followed by a violent explosion that left half the street block in flames. The gunships also began to attack. Several cannons stretched out from their undersides and rained down a hail of bullets into the city below. Many of these airships were equipped with rapid-fire cannons. These old gunpowder weapons were fairly useful against city targets. Although the shells couldnt kill experts, they managed to quickly silence the enemys stationary firepower. They chipped at the turret walls layer by layer, until finally, the ballista inside was blown apart. The town trembled as balls of flame rose up in various places, along with flying human silhouettes. The temporary buildings were blasted into pieces, and the casualty rates climbed rapidly. The dark races defensive structures were fairly weak compared to the empires. The low-flying gunships fired with greater ferocity, almost as though ammunition didnt cost any money. Compared to origin cannons, these old gunpowder weapons were indeed a lot cheaper. The modified gunships soaked up the attacks from the ground while retaliating with greater ferocity. The effectiveness of their thick armor became evident at this pointordinary origin guns couldnt punch through them with just a couple of shots. Only the ballista turrets could pose a threat to these airships, but it wasnt an easy feat to hit moving targets. Chances of hitting a target were slim unless they used homing ballistae. It was much easier for the gunships to hit the ballista turrets, and almost all of the gunships would concentrate their fire on them. By the time the turrets had been destroyed, the town had lost all anti-air firepower. All they could do was watch as the gunships ravaged their base. At this point, more and more airships appeared in the air. It was easy to tell at a glance that these were troop transports. These big, clumsy airships were slow, but they represented a large number of soldiers, supplies, and arms being shipped. The gunships in the air dispersed to the edges of the town and set up a network of firepower to cover the transports landing. The transports hadnt even landed firmly when the cabin doors opened at the same time and countless soldiers surged out from within. They were clad in very different warrior-attires, roaring and shouting as they charged into the town. The upper parts of the tall buildings had been blasted into pieces. Several dark race experts, including a demonkin, appeared beside a window at this point. The man was livid and seemed hardly able to contain his powerful aura. A werewolf count said, Sire, we cant hold on anymore. Lets retreat! The demonkin marquis breathed heavily as he gazed at the Dark Flame mercenaries charging in, a thunderous sound echoing from his nostrils. He was clearly unable to suppress his anger and looked like he would rush out at any moment. The werewolf count dragged him back and said while shaking his head, Sire, the other party surely has experts among them. Look at their attire, they look like mercenaries from the neutral lands, which means that theyre part of Qianye and Song Zinings unit. Hearing these names calmed the demonkin marquis down immediately, almost as though he had been dunked in icy water. No matter how arrogant he was, he knew full well that he wasnt a match for Qianye and Song Zining, especially the former. The rumors in the Great Maelstrom had proven that the man possessed the power to kill marquises. The werewolf count said, This isnt our problem. What is the mobile fleet doing? They actually allowed an enemy fleet of this scale to arrive here. If we are defeated, they must take half the responsibility! These words were evidently effective. The demonkin marquis face twitched a couple times before he finally said, Retreat! Even the sound of cannon fire couldnt suppress the bugle cry. Many dark race warriors jumped out from behind cover and made to retreat. However, they soon realized a difficult problemwhere to? The town was surrounded by troop transports. The only direction with weaker troop strength was toward the edge of the continent, and that was a natural breakthrough point. But anyone with basic military knowledge would know that the edge of the continent was a path of no return. Even without the Imperial forces in pursuit, just the adversity of the environment there was enough to kill most ordinary warriors. Realizing this issue, all the powerful experts turned to the demonkin marquis. He was the one who issued the order to retreat, so he should be the one to decide the direction. The demonkin marquis clenched his teeth and said, Retreat to the town of Zeer! Zeer was Qianyes original target, where one of Evernights three biggest airship ports was located. As one of the biggest transit stations, there were also numerous military supplies and resource warehouses in the town. They would be safe if they could reach that location, but it was evident that Qianye and Song Zining werent going to let them. There were evidently more transports in the direction of Zeer, but for some reason, the intensity of the attack wasnt that great. Apparently, Song Zining and Qianye had a contingency plan, and the strategy was quite evident. Instead of joining the battlefield immediately, the soldiers began constructing fortifications once they had landed. They were preparing for a drawn-out battle, completely cutting off communications between this town and Zeer. Attacking and constructing defensive structures at the same time was a fairly brilliant move, and that was bad news for the Evernight experts. Breaking through toward Zeer would involve a steep price, it seemed. The other Evernight experts looked toward the marquis but didnt make a move. Apparently, they understood that charging toward Zeer was highly dangerous, and it was very possible that they would bump into Qianye. Experts didnt really think too much about the fate of cannon fodder, but they couldnt remain indifferent about their own life and death. No one was willing to face Qianye, that terrifying harbinger of death. The demonkin marquis said in a gloomy voice, Theres a chance well run into Qianye in any direction, just think about that legendary spatial power of his. Dont think too much, just follow me as we charge toward Zeer. Well be safe once were there. He hadnt finished speaking when a voice echoed behind him. Theres no need to go anywhere. Chapter 1145: Ambushing Reinforcements The top floor of the ruined structure was covered in countless sanguine threads as pale Evernight experts collapsed one after the other. Roaring thunderously, the werewolf count struggled with all his might, but that only served to attract more of the bloody threads. He had already jumped halfway up when he was bound to the ground once more. This time, the collapsed count no longer had the strength to jump, and his roars slowly faded away. The demonkin marquis let out a shrill scream as his body erupted into demonic flames. Then, he tore through the sanguine threads with brute force and vanished in the blink of an eye. Qianye didnt go after the man. He merely drew East Peak and swung it a couple of times, drowning the struggling dark race experts in violent waves of oceanic power. Chasing after an injured marquis involved too many variables, so he decided to consolidate his victory instead. These titled experts made up the foundation of the dark raceskilling them all in one go was still a huge blow to the enemy army, and it would also serve to reduce the risk they posed while sweeping the battlefield. With the leaders killed, the retreating dark race soldiers fell into chaos and began to scatter randomly. Dark Flame had the entire place surrounded, but they had intentionally left small openings for the fleeing soldiers. They would then attack from the side and rear, inflicting great damage to the enemy forces. This was a minor tactic frequently employed by mercenariesit might not be effective in a head-on battle, but it was highly useful in chaotic situations like this. After leaving the neutral lands, Dark Flames mercenaries were able to put their ferocity on full display. Their individual fighting prowess was far above that of ordinary Evernight and Empire soldiers. They used to be limited by inferior equipment and tactical command, but now, they were able to bare their fangs after Qianye and Song Zining had supplemented their deficiencies. The battle ended as quickly as it had begun. Although some dark race soldiers managed to escape, most of them fell during their outward charge. The mercenaries of the neutral lands brought out their ferocity and craftiness without restraint, causing shocking damage during the final phase of the battle. Any commanding officer wouldve opted against breaking out, had they known what would happen. They would much rather have defended their post until reinforcements arrived. Compared to the accomplishments of the battle, Dark Flames losses were unbelievably low. That was also because the top-experts of the defending force were wiped out by Qianye. After observing the layout of the city and integrating the information with earlier geographical surveys, Song Zining set up several defensive lines outside of the city to prevent a dark race counterattack. Then, he began dividing the city into districts and made plans to construct a new defense system. The place was called Whitetown. The buildings here, built using stones from the nearby mountains, were all white, and hence the name. The town was originally built as a landing point for the dark races, so the initial layout was similar to a fortress. As the dark races gained an increasing advantage on the continent, the role of their rear logistics gradually diminished and civilian structures popped up eventually. That was why Whitetown possessed a complete defensive system that could be utilized with minimal modifications. That saved Song Zining quite a bit of trouble. Qianye had it much easier. Instructing his aides not to disturb him, he sat down in a quiet spot and began recovering. The dark races reacted swiftlySong Zining had just finished setting up the outer defensive perimeter when the counterattack force arrived. However, these forces were dispatched in a hurry and without an aerial advantage. They were badly beaten and had no choice but to retreat with great casualties. After gaining the advantage, Song Zining stopped the troops from chasing the enemy. Instead, he ordered them to complete the defensive structures the enemy had left behind. The seventh young master didnt hold back at all with the construction work. It seemed as though he intended to fill every corner and building with death traps. The sky gradually darkened with the arrival of dusk. Qianye opened his eyes, ending a phase of his cultivation. A good part of the essence blood in his body had been converted, allowing for more space to use Life Plunder. There was no light in the building after dark. All energy had been routed to power the city defenses. Illumination was limited in the barracks as well, and even the officers were only given candles. The candle flame could barely light up a corner of the room, making everything quite blurry and eerie. Qianye had no complaints about Song Zinings extreme habits in resource management. This brightness didnt quite affect his vision, either. As Qianye walked out of the building, a rich meaty fragrance filled his nostrils. A young mercenary nearby passed him a tray with two bowls of stewed meat. The stimulating fragrance told him that this was stewed beast meat, something reserved for officers above the champion level. The meat could provide a large amount of energy, so ordinary soldiers simply didnt dare to eat it. Without sufficient cultivation, the meat would turn into poison. These two bowls contained five times the amount available to a high-ranking officer, but Qianye was only half full after eating it. He called for three more bowls of meat before feeling satisfied. Their landing was a success, and it was also time for the other attack routes to make their move. Soon, the Empire would face fierce retaliation from half a continents worth of enemy forces. This might actually be the last peaceful meal available to them. Qianye placed the bowls onto the tray and ordered the young mercenary to return them to the kitchen. He himself headed onto the roof to observe the situation throughout the town. The young mercenary suddenly lost his footing as he walked out of the door, dropping all the bowls to the ground. The entire town quaked, then a deafening rumble arrived from afar. For a moment, nothing else could be heard except for the explosion. Qianye rushed out to check the surroundings and saw a cloud of dust, from which half a building had been flung out. He could even see human silhouettes dropping out from the windows from time to time. This shocking explosion had blasted half a building dozens of meters into the air and tilted all the structures nearby. Such explosive power was comparable to a cruiser main-cannon. Ordinary land-based cannons would not have such an effect. Qianye immediately looked up to find a massive Evernight warship passing slowly over Whitetown. A dozen or so of Dark Flames gunships and transports were scattering in all directions. These old neutral-land airship models were good for bullying ground troops, but they werent good enough for aerial battles. Even if ten of them charged together, they would still be picked off by the Evernight cruiser. However, this Evernight cruiser seemed to have rushed over to claim merits without knowing the situation. It actually dared to maintain low-altitude flight over Whitetown. Before Qianye could attack, a large ball of light erupted on the cruisers hull, tearing away a block of the vessels enclosure. Additionally, the impact tilted the massive airship, pushing it back dozens of meters and drastically reducing its speed. Only the Empires battlecruiser could produce such damage. As expected, an elegant airship rose into the air and made a swift turn, placing its several dozen side-cannons in range of the enemy cruiser. Fiery flowers blossomed on the enemy cruiser as it was blasted to the verge of collapse. Several Evernight warships appeared behind this Evernight cruiser, but none of them was a match for the Imperial battlecruiser. The latter paid no heed to these small vessels and focused only on the fleeing cruiser, almost as though it wouldnt relent until the enemy had been destroyed. The Evernight fleet hadnt imagined that they would encounter such a devastating frontal assault. The warships at the rear lost their formation after witnessing the scene. It seemed as though the captains were beginning to hesitate whether or not to charge over and save their flagship. The Imperial battlecruiser was too powerful. The dark race cruiser was dealt a lethal blow immediately upon arrival, and chances of it escaping were quite slim. Against this cutting-edge Imperial battlecruiser, a failed rescue would surely drag them down as well. At this moment, several Imperial corvettes appeared through the air and charged at the Evernight warships. This time, the warships turned to flee without the slightest hesitation. They had no intention of exchanging direct fire or getting tangled up with those corvettes. No one would be able to escape once that battlecruiser could spare its attention. As for the cruiser flagship, it would have to pray for the best. Not long after the Evernight fleets dispersion, the dark race cruiser erupted in flames and tilted toward the mountains. Soon, a massive ball of fire rose up from the crash and slowly climbed into the sky. The aerial battle was successful, but pillars of fire soon erupted from within Whitetown. The ground forces of the Evernight army had arrived and were blasting the city with heavy cannons. An attack of this degree posed no threat at all. At Song Zinings order, the scattered gunships came together to bombard the enemy ground forces. There were dark race experts firing with long-range origin power weaponry, but none of them dared to fly up without sufficient covering fire. This exposed the cannon formation behind the dark race squad to gunship fire. The constant suppression finally broke down enemy moralebefore long, the enemy squads fell into chaos, and the front lines suffered heavy casualties from the combination of land and air attacks. With no other choice in sight, the Evernight commander sounded the bugle cry to retreat. Song Zining did not go to extremes. After the dark races were out of firing range, he recalled the gunships and sent them back into the void along with the transports. As expected, the Evernight mobile fleet appeared not long after the first squadron was pushed back. This unit was led by two cruisers, and the rest were destroyers. All of them were newer, high-speed models with fierce firepower. Those old antique gunships from the neutral lands would definitely suffer against such a fleet. Song Zining calmly ordered the battlecruiser to the front, with three corvettes covering the rear. This Evernight squadron was clearly different from the one they had just sent running, the only similarity being their late intelligence. They immediately stopped their charge after seeing the airship formation above Whitetown. The difference in fighting power between the two forces was quite clear. If they were to attack, that single Dark Flame battlecruiser could rely on its speed and firepower advantage to circle around and cause constant damage, kiting them until they were entirely destroyed. Even if the Evernight fleet were to go all out, they could take down some corvettes at most. In return, they would lose an even greater number of destroyers. After a momentary stalemate, the Evernight mobile fleet decided to edge back and leave the battlefield. Far away on the Great Qin mainland. Following a flash of lightning, a tall figure appeared in the plaza in front of the Divination Pavilion. Zhang Boqian glanced up at the nine-strata building and walked straight in. On the other side of the city, Lingyun Hall of the Unending Palace was engulfed in a solemn atmosphere. It was halfway through the court assembly when an attendant scuttled out from the rear and rushed to the Emperors side, ignoring the ministers who were currently making their report. Chapter 1146: Cards on the Table Part 1 The Emperors movement shocked all the ministers in the hall. The Emperor had always followed the previous emperors footstepshe was diligent, attentive, and had always adhered to the rules and customs without the slightest bit of discomposure. The only fault people could find about him was that he was too accommodating toward Lin Xitang, to the point of diminishing his imperial might. However, Lin Xitang was a minister who had been assigned by the previous Emperor and even granted the title of national guardian, so the inspectors only complained about it verbally. This movement could be considered a loss in composure. A number of old ministers frowned, and some even wanted to criticize the Emperor. However, a suppressive might akin to raging tides erupted from the throne, and those who wanted to move realized that it was coming right at them. When they looked up hurriedly, they saw the Emperors stern gaze as the cold, tangible pressure slammed into their chests. The Emperors figure vanished from the hall before everyone could catch their breath, leaving only the attendant standing submissively beside the throne. The man called out in a drawn-out tone, Court dismissed! The entire hall fell into an eerie silence. The ministers all reacted differently. The civil ministers at the back were mostly puzzled, while the nobility and powerful ministers wore subtle expressions. There was no lack of divine champion level experts among them, and they had naturally sensed the suppressive might from just now. The problem was that its harshness and power caused even them to feel apprehensive. That wasnt how everyone remembered it. The Imperial family was the clan among clans, with most Emperors being powerful and unyielding. To be blunt, the current Radiant Emperor was inferior in birth, talent, and ability. Fortunately, he was extremely demanding on himself regarding national affairs, and that won him a basic level of respect among the major clans. But the highest-ranking nobles understood that the heavenly monarchs of the Imperial clan considered this Emperor to be mediocre at best. It was easy to imagine that the Emperor didnt have much of a position in his own family, either. Then, what exactly was that just now? Many major characters thought of the same question: Does the Longevity Monarch know the Emperors true strength? What everyone was concerned about right now was the Emperors whereabouts. He had vanished under countless eyes, yet no one knew where he had gone. Zhang Boqian stepped into the ground floor hall and, after observing the surroundings, went straight up to the seventh stratum. The white-clothed man was sleeping on a couch near the southern window, just like in the projection. Zhang Boqian walked over. Zhang Boqians gaze was as deep and dark as the ocean abyss. He bent down and grabbed Lin Xitangs hand, only to find that it was like a piece of thin ice that would shatter when squeezed. Without a word, Zhang Boqian placed an arm around Lin Xitangs shoulder and picked him up. Boqian Lin Xitang hadnt finished speaking when the sky outside the windows turned dark for a moment. A powerful and ancient aura descended from the void and engulfed the entire mountaintop. It was a domain! A major domain that had been released within a void-origin power array! Zhang Boqian looked up at the Radiant Emperor, flames of anger burning within his eyes. The Emperor of Great Qin stood hovering in the air, black mist surging beneath his feet. The domain on the hilltop had taken shapethe leaden clouds hung so low that one could almost reach out to touch them, almost like the sky before a storm. The Emperors voice was gentle yet reserved. Monarch Zhang, this is a forbidden area. So what? Monarch Zhang, are you planning to fight me? Why not? Lin Xitang moved with great difficulty, hoping to grab Zhang Boqians hand. However, the latter didnt even look at him, merely moving the marshal''s finger away as he flickered out the window and walked up to the void. The Radiant Emperor looked dignified in court attire. He flew upward as well, his hands clasped in front of his chest and his sleeves hanging below. Cities, in general, did not have the capacity to withstand a fight between two heavenly monarchs, or even between divine champions. The Imperial Capital had stood for a thousand years, with countless arrays woven into the city, but they were but pieces of metal and stone before the might of a heavenly monarch. Zhang Boqian moved with his hand behind his back, taking step after step as though he were climbing an invisible ladder. With this domain, the Emperor had proven that he had the power to knock on the doors of the heavenly monarch realm. This surprised Zhang Boqian a bit, but he quickly tossed the thought away. Looking at the Imperial Capital from above, the massive city was like a pond of boiling jade. Countless streams of black mist were gushing out from the earth and spiraling into the skies. The odd thing was that the people and cars traveling through the streets were completely ignorant of what was happening. Ordinary people could not see these phenomena. Only those at the divine champion level and above could see that the origin power of the entire city was shifting. They recognized the secret art of the Imperial clan, the Emperor Domain! Moreover, it was a supreme Emperor Domain that had activated the entire Imperial Capital! The ordinary nobles and officials began to leave the Lingyun Palace after the court was dismissed. Those who had stayed behind were mostly clan lords and high-ranking nobility, people who could see such phenomena. What exactly had happened? That was everyones question, a question that had almost turned into panic. They subconsciously approached their friends and family, exchanging looks of dismay. All of a sudden, someone discovered that an old man had appeared in the opening outside of the Lingyun Palace. It was actually one of the Empires five heavenly monarchs, the Profundity Monarch! The old man looked up at the skies with a solemn expression. No one dared to disturb him, but the atmosphere of terror calmed down quite a bit. Everyone felt their vision blur as another old man appeared beside the Profundity Monarch, the Pointer Monarch. Counting the Longevity Monarch who was in the capital year-round, it had been many years since these three heavenly monarchs were together at the capital. At this point, even the dumbest person would know that some big changes were about to happen. The smart ministers understood never to interfere in the Imperial familys affairs. The Pointer Monarch and Profundity Monarch had no intention of paying anyone any attention. The nobles didnt disturb them, either. They merely waited in silence, but they themselves had no idea what they were waiting for. The Pointer Monarch seemed distracted as he landed. He had left soon after Zhang Boqians departure. The three great dark monarchs didnt try to stop him at all, even as a formal gesture. On the contrary, they became more cautious about one another. Especially the demonkin and arachnethe way they looked at the vampires wasnt quite right. Habsburg blocking two of Zhang Boqians attacks was no small matter, and the power balance between the races would change once they had met up with Nighteye and the special envoy. The Pointer Monarch was in no mood to observe the Evernight Councils internal conflicts. He didnt even want to respond when the Profundity Monarch contacted him mid-way. However, the monarch reminded him that Evernight would surely take advantage of the situation if the chaos at the capital reached an undisguisable state. Their supreme experts might even attack the Empires mainland. The Pointer Monarch was filled with complicated emotions when he thought about Zhang Boqian, but he arrived at Unending Palace before he could figure things out. Upon landing, the Pointer Monarch sensed that something was wrong. The Emperor Domain? Who opened it its the Emperor? He had very little dealings with the Radiant Emperor, so what he knew about the man was no different from everyone else. The Profundity Monarch said in a deep voice, The Chronicle of Gloryhas nearly succeeded. The Pointer Monarch was stunned. Those who understood the Chronicle of Gloryperhaps due to its excessive profundity or timespanwerent exactly wearing expressions of joy. Instead, they were overcome by a myriad of emotions. Good, good. The Pointer Monarch only spoke these two words. I never expected the Emperor to challenge Greensun, but getting everything done in one go isnt a bad thing, either. Theres only Northridge keeping watch outside, we should disperse once things are over. A heavenly monarch challenge? The Emperor is challenging Zhang Boqian? The Pointer Monarch didnt know how to think of this matter; he only felt that something was off about it. A heavenly monarch challenge was a tradition, but things were different between Zhang Boqian and the Radiant Emperor. After all, the two of them were still ruler and subject. Of course, the Radiant Emperor was also different from the previous emperors in that he desperately needed to prove himself. The Pointer Monarch gazed at the black mist aggregating toward a certain direction. The Emperor is a bit younger than Greensun, right? Whats he in a rush for? I think his chances of success are slim at this point. He should be just about ready after a year. The Profundity Monarch said, Its not that the Emperor is in a rush, its because of that fellow from the Hidden Palace. The Hidden Palace was the Longevity Monarchs residence. The Pointer Monarchs expression was filled with disgust. Whats he up to again? The Profundity Monarch said, The same thing again, I cant be bothered to even listen. In any case, its the same old rules we wait and see. The Pointer Monarch suddenly realized something. You called me back because of Greensun? He has just arrived, right? He seemed to have decided at the last minute, there wasnt any prior information at all. The Profundity Monarch found it strange that the Pointer Monarch would misunderstand this. I called you here because of the rotten business between the Hidden Palace and the Imperial family. I dont have the cheek to drag Northridge into this, and Greensun is too young, too arrogant. His stance is also hard to say The two heavenly monarchs exchanged glances as they realized what was going on. It would seem the two monarchs were speaking entirely different things, and the disparity in information was too great. The momentum above the capital had been established, and the two parties were about to clash at any moment. This definitely wasnt the time to explain details. The Profundity Monarch said, The Emperors totem has almost reached perfection. The wings are fully formed, the lightning horn has emerged and is only awaiting maturity. He has also claimed full control of the capitals Emperor Domain. Add to that the power of the Unending Palace, hes unlikely to lose too badly against Zhang Boqian. The Pointer Monarch smiled wryly. Correct. The Emperor was right to pick Zhang Boqian for a challenge. The next thirty years is his era. The Empires youngest geniuses would take another thirty years to break through to the heavenly monarch realm. Even with the natural advantage of daybreak, there was no telling how much this period could be shortened. The Radiant Emperor challenging Zhang Boqian on his path to the heavenly monarch realm wasnt about winning or losingit was, instead, a stance. The Imperial family and the major clans must rule togetherthat was the foundation of the Empire, and the most ancient balance of power. Chapter 1147: Cards on the Table Part 2 Zhang Boqian stood in the clouds, his daybreak origin shining like the rising sun. The Radiant Emperor was surrounded in rolling black mist. Whenever the clouds began to fade, mist would surge out from the ground to supplement and reform them. The image of a soaring snake slowly appeared and spread its wings once more. Under the protection of those wings, the mountains, rivers, and states spread out like an ancient drawing. Origin power explosions filled the area between the two combatants. The surprising thing was that the shockwaves only moved in a single plane and not even one bit of it dropped downward. That went to show how good their control was. Still lacking a little bit, Zhang Boqian said slowly, the anger from before nowhere to be seen. The moment he crossed swords with the Radiant Emperor, he realized that this was a heavenly monarch challenge, one that had not been scheduled in advance. In truth, the outcome was already evident with respect to the challenge. The Radiant Emperor had failed to cross the threshold of a heavenly monarch, but unlike most failed candidates, he had already opened up all the checkpointsall he needed was accumulation. The fight would turn into a stalemate if they kept on going. The entire Imperial Capital was the Emperors home groundthe founders of the Great Qin Empire had left countless secrets here that had been perfected with each generation. It was like a heavenly-monarch grade war machine. The only way for Zhang Boqian to win was to destroy the domain entirely, but that would leave the city in ruins. Prince Greensun couldnt do that even if he had the advantage. He had already sensed the Pointer and Profundity Monarchs on the ground; there was no way they would stand by and watch. The Radiant Emperor was fairly calm. Failing to break through the threshold was within his expectations, but Zhang Boqian appearing at the Divination Pavilion was not. He nodded, saying, I thank Monarch Zhang for the pointers. Zhang Boqian said, Since thats the case, grant me one thing as a reward. The Emperor didnt feign ignorance. I know you and Marshal Lin are rivals, but youre a heavenly monarch now. Why can you not let go? Zhang Boqian raised his brows. Your Majesty, does your so-called let go involve imprisoning a marshal and leader of the cabinet within the Divination Pavilion? The Radiant Emperors expression turned odd, but he didnt reply immediately. Zhang Boqians suppressive might increased, brewing a small origin tempest amidst the clouds. At this moment, the Radiant Emperor stared at Zhang Boqian. What else can I do? Must I drag him into my life or death battle with the Longevity Monarch? These words were spoken suddenly and without any form of disguise, revealing the bloody truth beneath the Imperial name. It would seem that the Pointer Monarch really had no idea about the details. There was no way to confirm whether Habsburg had misled him intentionally, whether it was just a fortunate coincidence, or if someone else was scheming behind the scenes. It was just that the Emperor had endured for far too long. He wouldve been able to step firmly into the heavenly monarch realm next year, but something made it so that he couldnt wait anymore. Now that his cards were on the table, the Radiant Emperor spoke with shocking honesty, The Longevity Monarch has been looking for ways to extend his life. He once obtained a demonkin secret art that would allow him to absorb vitality by absorbing ones bloodline. Upon hearing this, Zhang Boqians brows couldnt help but twitch. He has probably tried the art on every race, both on the dead and living. Thats not a big problem, but he seems to believe that the disappointing outcome is because he hadnt utilized the secret art to its greatest potential. The core theory of this demonkin secret art is the conservation of grand origins and keeping the apex of a bloodline constant. It states that outstanding relatives will share and thus weaken the grand origin. Zhang Boqian laughed. Utter nonsense. The demonkin were a race that loved research. They had established various strange theories and secret arts with conflicting principles, many of which they themselves were still arguing about. This conservation of grand origin theory was fairly well known, but it was an evil doctrine even among the demonkin race. According to the hypothesis, the Demonkin Emperor would be able to level the Sacred Mountain if he were to devour all the other demonkin. The Radiant Emperor tossed an origin array to Zhang Boqian. The latter scanned the information at great speed. This was probably the most complete version of the war plan. Each route looked incredibly well-knit, with at least two pairs of candidates for the commander and deputy commander. The only thing that would raise eyebrows was that there were more Zhao clan members than the rest. Zhang Boqian sneered. Who assigned the personnel? Duke Chengen is the Emperors son-in-law, are they planning to have all of his wives take to the field? The military suggested the list, I approved it. I know that Qianye and Song Zining were selected for this route, but whos in charge of the central route? Whoever leads the army in the beginning, there will always be people asking Marshal Lin to take over after the fight breaks out. This meant that the central route was so dangerous that only someone at Lin Xitangs level could turn things around. At this point, Zhang Boqian had realized that the militarys void continent attack-plan was trash. He broke into an angry laugh. Whos in charge of the eastern route? Princess Haimi. Lord Riverglance is more suited to lead the army. Zhang Boqian offered his input. If something happens to me, Lord Riverglance is the best candidate to act as regent. Zhang Boqian looked up into the Emperors eyes. Only at this point did he realize that the problem with the candidate list wasnt the Zhao clan but Imperial blood! Haimi and Gaoyi were the previous emperors daughters, while Lord Riverglance was the previous emperors younger brother. Numerous princes were listed as deputy commanders, even the fourteenth prince, wielder of the Mortal Emperor. The second-choice candidates actually had no choice at all. This was no centralization! The reason the Zhao clan was drawn into this mess was because of their Imperial blood! Thinking about the Longevity Monarchs demonkin secret art, even Zhang Boqian didnt know what to say. After a moment of silence, he said, Hes crazy. The fear of death will slowly drive one crazy. The Radiant Emperor gave it some thought before adding, As for those helping him, its hard to say if theyre dumb or bad. As it turned out, the war on the void continent was the Longevity Monarchs death trap, and the changes in the palace was the Emperors desperate counterattack. No one knew how much effort Evernight had put in behind the scenes, or how many clans had been swept into this conflict. This wasnt just another internal conflict but a calamity at the heavenly monarch level! This was comparable to the incident thirty years ago when the Solemn Emperor had sealed the palace for ten days and buried all blood and tears under the ground. The Emperor couldnt just announce what was happening today because, if a heavenly monarch would defect just to extend his life, that would signal the collapse of the human races faith. The Evernight faction might already be getting ready to pounce! I met the Spider Queens projection at the border of the middle continents. Evernight has never given up on scheming against my life. The movement this time was too big, so its not strange that it would attract the attention of the Sacred Mountain. The Radiant Emperor was especially calm. He had quietly taken control of the Emperor Domain under these perilous circumstances and commenced a heavenly monarch challenge before the time was right. His mention of a regent candidate also sounded like a dying wish. All of this went to show the severity of the conflicts that had taken place away from public eyes. It almost felt as though the smell of blood had filled the entire city. It was a miracle that the Imperial Capital could keep things normal on the surface. Zhang Boqian was astonished. Is this the only reason? Whether or not he has other aspirations, well just have to ask him about it. What is he planning on the void continent? I dont know, and I dont have time to care. The Radiant Emperor was fairly calm. Ive made every arrangement I can, but there is no way I will let Marshal Lin go into battle. So what you have in your hands is the upper limit of our losses. The void continent was a chess piece that no one could stop from being played. Even if the Empire didnt mobilize, the Evernight faction would keep on fighting. Hence, all they could do now was to observe the outcome. Who was the victim and who was the schemer? To be perfectly blunt, the casualties on the void continent were constant, and it was all in that list. Whoever survived would be a win for the Emperor and the Empire. The deaths at the capital, however, couldnt even be estimated. Zhang Boqian frowned. What''s wrong with Lin Xitang? Drug withdrawal, the Radiant Emperor replied. Marshal Lins injury from the dark origin flames would affect him for up to three days at a time. The chill would invade his entire body, leaving him unable to move. He has been taking the Tigerwolf Pill to suppress these episodes for many years. Recently, he has reached a stage where he needs to take the medicine with extremely powerful fire poison for it to be effective. Hell be in this state once he stops taking the medicine, unable to even stand up. Zhang Boqian secretly threw a torrent of insults at Gu Tuohai. This cant go on." The Imperial Doctor has already tried the best medicines we have. Actually, the dark origin flames are only a bit troublesome when they flare up, and the damage to his body is within an acceptable range. The actual trouble is the fire-poison remnants in his body, theyve accumulated to a point where they can erupt any moment and need to be eliminated little by little. Marshal Lin will be able to stand up once the poison disperses over the next four days or so. Zhang Boqian said, Treatment can be done anywhere. Staying in the Divination Pavilion wasnt his choice, was it? Then should I let him join the void continent war or the palace conflicts? Must I have him divine the new world or about the return of that Sacred Mountain character? Marshal Lin only has sixty years to live The Radiant Emperor stopped here and closed his eyes to hide the pain. Chronicle of Glory! In the blink of an eye, an answer that had been shrouded in mystery cried out to him. Zhang Boqians expression shifted drastically. That was the reason Lin Xitang had gone against the heavens mysteries. How could ordinary divinations and strategy be worthy of that title? Forcibly inverting the Daybreak and Evernight system was the only heaven-defying way to touch the grand origins of this world. Zhang Boqians phoenician eyes filled the sky with flashes of lightning. He had learned various secrets of the Empire after breaking through to the heavenly monarch realm, and the Chronicle of Glory was one of them. However, he never bothered with the details before. That name had become incomparably serious now that it was related to the actual operator, so much so that it was difficult to bear. All the divination sects were gravely injured after the war of the orthodoxies. The Chronicle of Glory was a heaven-defying move, to begin with. Lin Xitang had miraculously stabilized the star-trajectories on his own, but he paid for it with his own life-span and future. Even without his old injuries and external factors, he only has a few years to live. Chapter 1148: Cards on The Table Part 3 Zhang Boqian finally realized something he had been puzzled over all this timewhy Lin Xitang had been acting more extreme in recent days, why he had been implementing new policies, and why even the Imperial Party was often attacking him. Marshal Lins political enemies didnt include just the cabinet which he presided over, but also the nobility who had always been wrestling with the Imperial clan for power. There were also those old powers who had somehow recovered from their past decline. A shadowy surname emerged in Zhang Boqians mind. The Jingtang Li Clan? The Radiant Emperor wasnt surprised that Zhang Boqian would mention the Li family. None of the old ones should be left behind. They stick to their old ways and are willing to be used by the Longevity Monarch. Theyre so unscrupulous that I would say that theyre obsessed. Are the young ones your people? Zhang Boqian noticed the hidden meaning. The divination families had always been sparse in familial relationships and camaraderie. The Li family runs itself like a sect, so before the trajectory of the heavenly path, all family members become expendable. Thats quite a disastrous mindset. Some of them wanted to turn the clan back into an ordinary family, and I have no reason to disagree. Zhang Boqians tone suddenly turned to a sneer. It seems Lin Xitang doesnt know much about the Li family. Your method of separating them is quite well planned. Marshal Lin has always adhered to the path of a minister and avoided the Imperial family matters of his own accord. I told him not to get involved with the heir issue, and he listened. Zhang Boqian recalled how the heir selection had caused a huge ruckus in the Imperial palace. Back then, Lin Xitang had left for the Western Continent to subdue the rebels. Your Majesty is indeed far-sighted. Your subject hopes you can get your domestic affairs settled quickly. If I manage to get to the end, can Monarch Zhang come to the Hidden Palace with me as a witness? Yes, Zhang Boqian replied in a straightforward manner, completely ignoring his position as a heavenly monarch from outside the family. The Radiant Emperor was also a bit surprised. Marshal Lin cannot use divination inside the Divination Pavilion, but similarly, other prophets and divination specialists cannot touch him, either. I suggest you let him stay there for now. Lin Xitang Zhang Boqian didnt continue. Ill stay here for now. Call me whenever you need me. His voice hadnt even trailed off when his figure had vanished from the skies. When Zhang Boqian appeared in the Divination Pavilion once more, Lin Xitangs first words were, Is His Majesty confronting the Longevity Monarch? Zhang Boqian suddenly recalled that Lin Xitangs plans were always watertight and far-sighted, but it wasn''t impossible to botch up with bad execution. Even so, the battle on the void continent had been going on for some time now and might even be reaching its end. There was no more room for gradual changes. Unfortunately, Lin Xitang couldnt step out of the pavilion in his current state. The ripples in the heavenly mysteries born of the new world and the return of the Sacred Mountain supreme was enough to take his life. Zhang Boqians hands tightened subconsciously behind his back. His own way of leading troops was extremely fierce. Every battle would see great accomplishments, but the casualty ratio often drew criticism. Sacrifice had never been a reason for him to avoid battles, but that thin origin array in his hand felt rather heavy. Lin Xitang didnt press the question after seeing Zhang Boqian silent. Did you meet Crown Prince Habsburg? There wasnt much to say between us during the fight, but how did he get into the divination pavilion? A high-dimensional projection. Is that the power of a crown prince? Hes the only vampire crown prince in a thousand years. The Empire doesnt have any information about his powers, Lin Xitang said. This person is highly dangerous. Zhang Boqian couldnt help but become serious when he heard Lin Xitangs evaluation. Habsburg is the son of the Sorceress of Fire, Anita. His paternal lineage is unclear, but he was already a duke by the time he returned to the clan. The ancient blood pond also recognized his identity, freeing him of all suspicions. The man took only eight years to seize the clan lords position, becoming the youngest ever grand duke and the factions number one genius in a hundred years. Only thirty years has passed, but he has once again broken through to become a crown prince. Such progress is rarely heard of even in our human race, let alone the dark races. Zhang Boqian said pensively, You launched two major operations against the Evernight Council leaders during the Iron Curtain. Was that to kill him? Yes. You see, everyones ignoring the abnormalities surrounding that person. The two hundred years before his return was completely blank, and the attention he has been receiving is not befitting of his genius title. His existence was enough to break the power balance in many areas, but there was no movement in the Evernight Council or the vampire race. Especially Medanzo, everyone knows how narrow-minded the Lightless Monarch is, but there has been no news at all about any conflict between the two. Zhang Boqian laughed while looking at the marshal. Lin Xitang, Im a crude man who knows nothing about the direction of this world. You dont need to beat around the bush to warn me of the dangers outside. I know Habsburg lured me to the capital and I have my own calculations, but nevermind. Let me get Gu Tuohai to take a look at your situation first, otherwise, what can you even do? He hadnt even finished speaking when the sound of the ascending elevator echoed through the hall and a plump old man walked out from within. Zhang Boqian said, Looks like His Highness is the one who understands you the most. Gu Tuohais appearance had to be an Imperial summon; there was no other possibility. Hearing these clueless words, Gu Tuohai agreed without knowing what everything was about. Producing so many secret treasures in one go, you deserve to be trapped here. You mightve helped those clan descendants, but theres no telling if theyll thank you for it. He went forward and placed a hand on Lin Xitangs wrist. Moments later, his expression relaxed and he revealed a smile. Your condition is good, youll be rid of the accumulated medicinal poison in a couple more days. Staying here for a month is worth it, I say. It was obvious that Gu Tuohai was in a good mood. I must say, though, His Majesty did really well. This is the only way to deal with someone like you! Although I was shocked until my heart was beating regularly. Which charlatan gave you so many white-fruits? What a waste! Lin Xitang muttered, Recently? The medicine from before What are you doing? Gu Tuohai looked at him cautiously. You cant move right now because medicine is spreading throughout your body. Things will be just right after you lie another three or four days. But if you take that medicine without waiting for the previous poison to disperse, then maybe you should start taking poison directly next time. Lin Xitang smiled. I wont. I dont need to go against the heavenly mysteries now, so I can focus on self-preservation. Gu Tuohai said after a moment of astonishment, Now that you dont need to endure the backlash, you seem to be trying to endure poison instead! The little emperor is so cautious that he wont let me receive any information. Do you think hell let me smuggle drugs in? He glanced at Zhang Boqian and, in his anger, forgot just how scary the latter was. I dont have that ability, you should ask Prince Greensun. Zhang Boqian looked back at Gu Tuohai, sending a piercing chill down his spine. An undefiable and cold voice said, Get out. At the same time, Zhang Boqian clenched the fist he had behind his back, completely destroying the origin array in his grasp. An angry Gu Tuohai left with a swing of his sleeve. Zhang Boqian looked at Lin Xitang for a while. Do you want me to do this for you? His expression was calm, and those perpetually stern eyes looked exceedingly profound at this point. Lin Xitang said after some hesitation, Boqian Zhang Boqian cut him short, All this time, Ive always felt that you seeking death was your business. Now, you want me to personally send you to your grave? Lin Xitang didnt know what to say. Zhang Boqian shook his head. Lin Xitang, I know your eerie powers, so theres no need to explain further. Just answer yes or no. Although that was what he said, Zhang Boqian didnt really wait for a reply. He pushed open the tall window and jumped out immediately. Gu Tuohai was still standing in the small plaza in front of the Divination Pavilion. Sensing Zhang Boqian approach, he said in a scoundrelly manner, When I told you that the forbidden technique might cut it, that was a lie. Theres no way Lin Xitang will dare let anyone see his true situation. Some people are trying to cause problems where there is none, and this time is no different. Lin Xitang had just suffered a great loss in strength after producing secret treasures for the Great Maelstrom, but these people want him to lead all his troops into battle. It seems they want to exhaust him to death because they cant kill him. Zhang Boqian didnt act out. One cycle of sixty years, thats an ordinary persons life, isnt it? Sixty years my ass! Gu Tuohai began to spew profanities. Hell live one cycle only if theres no other sickness. The way hes going about things, Im finding it strange that hes still breathing. The Flaming Crown once said that Lin Xitang was using the darkness origin flames to cancel out the backlash. How did he do that? Even he himself has no idea. Thats an unknown principle of darkness and daybreak balance, and theres no way to recreate it. The only possibility is that Lin Xitang was in a minor world when he was injured, and the laws that make up the balance are different. Next up, Gu Tuohai said directly, Dont even think about it, a persons lifespan isnt something that can be extended. Even if the Flaming Crown becomes a great dark monarch and his origin blood can block all external damage for Lin Xitang, it wont be able to extend his lifespan by a single second. The same goes for your daybreak grand source, its useless! Zhang Boqian laughed mockingly. Lin Xitang once said that heavenly monarchs dont dare to die. How can someone like him, whos not even a heavenly monarch, judge whether or not I dare? Gu Tuohai sighed deeply. He had calmed down a bit after all the venting. Marshal Lins words dont make for good listening material, youll die of anger. After a pause, he said, This fellow likes to make all living things worry about him, and he likes to trick his own people! How good would it be if I had stayed behind on the Evernight continent? Zhang Boqian glanced at the scenery of the Imperial capital, his expression silent and lonesome. The streets were bustling with activitysome were happy, some worried, some hurried, and others carefree. However, this prosperous world was as fragile as a piece of ice on fire. Everything would fall apart with just one eruption. Chapter 1149: Hostage Void Continent, Whitetown. The battle had just ended. Qianye took to the skies and observed the entire city, memorizing every small detail. An expert at this level possessed superior memory and could remember the entire landscape after one glance. In the next battle, he would be able to utilize the landscape without surveying it again, almost as though it were his own backyard. After observing the geography and setup, Qianye landed next to Song Zining and asked, What are we doing now? Sleep. Song Zining had no hesitation with his reply. The dark race attacks so far were only probing attacks, and that was why they had retreated immediately after suffering damage. But they would soon realize the importance of this location once the Imperial armys assault was in full swing. Moreover, they would find ways to transfer a powerful military force and uproot this place at all costs. As long as Whitetown was there, the Evernight transports pulling back from the landing point would be under constant threat. The dark races would never tolerate this, and would very likely fight to the death. The two days that followed would be extremely hard. Qianye went through the entire battle plan again in his head. Whats the situation out in the void? Current intelligence says the first fleet of the Imperial Guard was leading the forces in the void. The Minister of the Right has returned to the void continent to take part in the battle there. Qianye frowned. The Minister of the Right is going to be a part of the ground battles? Which part? Song Zining understood Qianyes concerns. Dont worry, the minister wont be in charge of actual command, only supplies and logistics. Qianye felt slightly relieved, but there was a blurry shadow in his heart that he couldnt quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was because of Lin Xitang? The battle plan as well as the secret treasures for the Great Maelstrom came from him, which made it seem that everything was normal. On careful thought, however, all news regarding him had been passed on through various channels. No one had actually seen him in person. It was at this time that a familiar figure passed through the corner of his eyes. Without a second thought, Qianye flashed behind that person and picked her up by the collar. This person, clad in ordinary mercenary attire, turned back after being picked up. Qianye was startled. Its you? This fellow was actually the Nineteenth Princess. Qianyes expression sank. This princess intentions were dubious, and her identity was sensitiveit was best for her to remain in the Martyrs Palace. That way, she would be easier to control and keep safe. Who wouldve thought she had managed to slip away and actually sneaked into Whitetown. The Nineteenth Princess wasnt at all flustered. She pulled a face, saying, I was found out after all. What are you doing here instead of staying at the Martyrs Palace? Qianye asked coldly. This place is more interesting! I have the Ji familys blood flowing in my veins and an accomplished cultivation. How can I avoid battle? She spoke with great righteousness and spirit. Qianye glanced at Song Zining. Something of this measure couldnt have escaped Song Zinings notice even if Caroline had slipped up. As expected, Qianye saw a familiar shift in the seventh young masters calm eyes. For some reason, he understood the intention behind this move: hostage. The current Emperor was mediocre in terms of talent, but his royal descendants had carried on the familys powerful bloodline and talents. The ones with outstanding maternal lineage were not at all inferior to the previous Emperors children, Haimi and Gaoyi. The Nineteenth Princess might be inferior because of her obscure maternal family, but there were only about five princes and princesses who were better. If news went out that a princess with such great potential had arrived in Whitetown, all the commanding officers and marshals would find a way to rescue her. Otherwise, their crimes would be serious if she were to fall in battle, or worse, fall into enemy hands. As for how this news would spread and how it would be confirmed, that wasnt something to worry about. Since she had come, this news couldnt be kept secret for long. The military would surely find out her whereabouts. At this point, it was no longer possible for them to pick her up on her own. All they could do was to fight a path through the void continent according to the original plan. However, everyone on the battlefield would have to put their hands in fate. Such a method would only prevent people who were scheming openly. Qianye couldnt help but glance at the princess. Her little face was full of expectations and curiosity, not at all like someone who understood that she was a hostage. He sighed inwardly. Such an underage princess shouldve grown up in the palace and had probably never seen the cruelties of war. Now, she had been sent straight to the dangerous frontlines. Qianye placed the Nineteenth Princess in front of Song Zining. Arrange a place for her. The girl wasnt about to take things lying down. Im going to follow you? For what? To drag me down? Qianye left with a swing of his hand. Song Zining pulled the princess back with a smile. Whats so interesting about him? Follow me instead? You? What do we do? Song Zining dragged the Nineteenth Princess into the air. His eyes twitched slightly when he saw that the girl could indeed fly on her ownshe was a champion. Several thoughts crossed Song Zinings mind, but neither of them was evident on his face. The two eventually arrived at the highest point in the city, where three guards were standing by. Song Zining passed a sniper rifle to the Nineteenth Princess, saying, You take up this position and snipe the enemy officers. The girls eyes lit up when she saw the massive sniper rifle. Smiling like a kid who had just gotten a new toy, she inspected the weapon with great speed and familiarity. After settling the Nineteenth Princess in, Song Zining studied the surrounding areas for a while before leaving. No matter what intentions she had, there was no way she would be allowed to follow Qianye. The Dark Flame soldiers grasped the time to rest and eat. As veterans, they knew that the battles would only grow fiercer and more arduous. Who knew if they would have another chance to eat if they didnt have their fill now. The sky eventually grew dark as twilight descended upon the small city. There was an old mercenary sitting on one of the peripheral defensive structures. His leather combat attire was shiny from wear, and the origin handgun at his waist was an antique he had been using for many years. He was dozing off with his back against the wall and his eyes half-closed. An officer walked into the fortification at this point. He glanced at the old mercenary, but he resisted the urge to act out. He merely asked the soldiers to remain on alert and allowed the old mercenary to keep on resting. The officer glanced again at the old veteran as a weird restlessness came over him. It was at this time that the old soldier opened his eyesthose vertical pupils of his sent a chill down the officers spine. Ignoring this superior officer, the old mercenary jumped up and rushed to the firing ports. He sniffed about here and there before shouting suddenly, I smell werewolves! He hadnt even finished speaking when a giant claw reached in through the firing port and swiped at his neck. The old mercenary reacted rapidly, lowering his head just as the claw struck his helmet and sent sparks flying. Fortunately, the old mercenarys neck bones were strong enough to endure the sudden impact. The werewolf grabbed the helmet in hopes of crushing the old veterans head, but the man kicked the wall and flew backward, leaving only a helmet in the werewolfs hand. After escaping mortal danger, the man drew his ancient origin guncharging, aiming, firingeverything happened within a split second. A shot landed on the werewolfs arm. The massive blast echoed through the fortifications, deafening all of the newer recruits. The origin gun spat out a long stream of origin fire, which severed the werewolfs arm and blasted a large patch of flesh off of it. The severed arm flew across the fortification and landed on the other side, its claw still latched onto the crushed helmet. The hysterical cry of a werewolf in pain rang out from outside the wall. Even the fiercest of the race would find a broken limb quite hard to bear. The loud gunshot and the wolf howl was more effective than any alarm. Within moments, the entire defensive line became alert, and those who were eating or resting picked up their weapons and rushed to their positions. A flare shot into the sky and fell down slowly, emitting a dazzling light over the entire front. In the blink of an eye, the Dark Flame soldiers saw that the entire wilderness was filled with werewolves. The werewolves who had been running over under the cover of the night were caught entirely off-guard. Many of them didnt have time to close their eyes before the flare struck. Covering their eyes, they fell to the ground and rolled about in agony, while the weaker ones even started to bleed. Only the stronger ones were able to keep on charging after rubbing their eyes a couple of times. The werewolf charge immediately fell into disarray. Their momentum also slowed down significantly, giving the defensive party precious time to prepare. The white light from the star shell contained intense daybreak origin power and would deal great damage to the sensitive werewolves. Looking straight at it carelessly would blind them for a short while or even injure them in serious cases. Some might even be permanently blinded. These flares cost a pretty penny for each shot. Even the Empire didn''t have that many in store, and normally, they would be used in fort defense. Song Zining had spent quite a bit of money to buy them, but the effects were evident from the get-go since the dark races had never imagined they would encounter something like this. The charge of the werewolf vanguard squad was half-wasted in such a manner. The first werewolves to touch Whitetowns walls were shadow wolves and the stronger warriors. Their racial talent gave them an edge in concealment, but who wouldve thought the old mercenary would immediately discover their approach? At this point, the hundreds of werewolf elites who were in charge of the surprise assault had charged into the defensive formation and were beginning their slaughter. A tall werewolf tore off a mercenarys arm and howled fiercely at the sky. During this short pause, three mercenaries attacked from behind at the same time, stabbing their blades into the werewolfs body. These three mercenaries were fairly ruthless in their attack, each striking the weak points on the enemys spine. Similar scenes were playing out in different parts of the defensive line. These elite werewolves were powerful, but they were at a disadvantage in numbers after charging behind enemy lines. The mercenaries from the neutral lands were proficient in small scale battles. They could cooperate well and their attacks were ruthless, easily felling a werewolf warrior with each group attack. Meanwhile, most of the werewolves who were in charge of following up had been incapacitated and delayed by the star shell. This small difference was enough to wipe out the hundreds of elites who had charged into Whitetown. Chapter 1150: Second Impac The second row of star shells illuminated the night sky, but this time, the werewolves had learned their lesson. They fell to the ground as soon as the brightness changed, and those on high ground covered their eyes with their hands or used darkness origin power to seal their line of sight. As such, this round of flares was fairly ineffective and only served to slow the werewolf legions movements. However, the guards on Whitetowns walls were now free after dealing with the elites who had charged in. They immediately took this opportunity to attack the enemies in the periphery. The mercenaries fired ruthlessly, blasting the enemies vitals with each round. The werewolves possessed powerful defense, but they were busy defending themselves from the star shell. It was only natural that they would be overwhelmed. The second round of attacks came with great ferocity and accuracy. A splash of blood erupted amidst the werewolf formation as the soldiers fell at shocking speed. The tall werewolf count at the rear was ashen-faced, but in the end, he howled loudly at the sky. Upon hearing the howl, the werewolf warriors turned about and retreated. Only a small number of berserk werewolves refused to fall back, but they were soon torn to shreds amidst the concentrated fire. Why are you retreating? A vampire count appeared in the frontline base, roaring at the werewolf leader. The werewolf count pointed at his battered squad. You never mentioned anything about those damned flares! And where was the covering fire when we were charging? The vampire count said with a frown, They have gunships! Our heavy cannons have suffered heavy damage and cant be transported in time. Dont you know that? Cant be transported? Look at the sky, do you see a single gunship? Where is our own fleet? Didnt your race mobilize a powerful squadron? Where are they? The vampire count narrowed his eyes. The void battles are above my paygrade. Youll have to explain your bad results to Duke Pratt yourself. The werewolf count growled deeply. So many of my clansmen have died because of you white-skinned bats. And you want me to explain? Shall I explain to your corpse? The vampire counts expression shifted drastically. He took a step back and shouted, What are you doing? The second command is about to arrive. If you kill me, your clansmen will all suffer the same fate! The werewolf counts eyes were filled with ferocity as claws popped out of his fingertips. Just as he was about to attack, a sudden voice rang out, Hunter, stop. The dukes orders have arrived, your unit will be integrated into mine and continue the attack. As for that idiot, hes the one who needs to explain why he lost half a cannon squad. The werewolf count called Hunter said hatefully, If it wasnt for him The marquis stopped him. Its meaningless to talk about these things now. We must take down that base without any artillery support. The good news is that the humans no longer have their gunships. Theyve been destroyed? The marquis snorted. How can those mobile squadron idiots have that kind of ability? They can never hit the target unless it''s right under their noses. Theres no way well be in this condition if they hadnt lost two duke-grade flagships back then. The human commander is smart, he has moved away the gunships because he knew I would come. These neutral land airships had no other merit except their sturdiness. With the current addition of extra armor, ordinary origin guns simply couldnt deal with them. A marquis long-range attack, on the other hand, was a different story. Having suffered badly in the hands of these gunships, the dark races would surely come prepared for their next wave. The werewolf marquis had brought several giant ballistae which could easily pierce through the gunships armor. However, Song Zining had already moved all the gunships back into the void, rendering the anti-air ballistae useless. At this moment, a blood-colored signal flare rose up in the distance. The werewolf marquis found the scarlet hue rather offensive to his eyes. That idiot Pratt, does he think the vampires are so kind? He turned about to face the werewolf count, saying, Ill give you fifteen minutes to reorganize your troops. We attack in half an hour! Hunter said, Is it just our race again? Of course not. Pratts private army has also arrived, but I have a feeling it wont be that easy for him to reap accomplishments. The werewolf marquis glanced at the nearby Whitetown, a deep glint in his eyes. Hunter said, Since he wants the highest merit, why not let his men charge first? The marquis replied, We cant be too obvious since his position is higher. Well charge together when the order is issued, but tell your children to lie low and dont go berserk for no reason. I understand. Hunter turned and left. The marquis stood on high ground, looking down at the army rolling toward the designated attack point. The one inside this city is Song Zining. How can we capture him alive without paying a price? Moments later, Hunter returned in a hurry and said, Our forces are ready. Nodding, the marquis summoned his personal guards. Issue the order, we attack in ten minutes! The guards growled and ran off in werewolf form. Hunters blood also started to boil, and he wanted nothing more than to roar with his head to the sky. He stepped forward in large strides, planning to run into the battlefield. Unexpectedly, he was dragged back by the collar before he could leave. Where do you think youre going? Hunters eyes were filled with killing intent. Of course to the front lines! I must personally break those lowly human necks. The marquis replied calmly, Youre not allowed to. Is there a different mission? No mission, just watch from here. Hunter was confused. Why? The marquis said in a meaningful tone, Although that arachne idiot hasnt said anything useful since he escaped, I have a feeling that Qianye is in Whitetown. Hes Pratts enemy, so we dont need to join the fray. As brave as Hunter was, he was astonished upon hearing this name. Qianye? The marquis expression was gloomy. Pratt has been hiding it quite well, but I think he has fallen a rank from the injuries caused by Life Plunder. Thats a powerful talent of the ancient vampire race, and I havent heard of any other vampire who has awakened this ability. Life Plunder ancient vampire race? Isnt that just a legend those bats use to boast? The marquis said with a smile, The vampires love to boast, but theyre indeed powerful. From the past battle records, Qianyes ability looks like Life Plunder. Its just that the vampires themselves havent been able to confirm it. Hunters raging blood slowly calmed down. If we charge carelessly into the front lines, Ill definitely become Qianyes target. Maybe There are no maybes. Even if you run into the man, think of a way to escape if you cant defeat him in the first round. Otherwise, youll likely die in battle. Hunter was astonished at the marquis high evaluation of Qianye. His expression was unsightly, but he stood to the side in silence. If Qianye was indeed as terrifying as the marquis had said, there was little meaning in him leading the charge. Experts integrated into the troop formation were used to control specific nodes on the battlefield. However, there was little meaning in doing so if the power difference was overwhelming. It would be better to just unleash a vast number of cannon fodder. The flames on the battlefield illuminated the dense formation of dark race soldiers marching forward like an army of ants. Streaks of fire shot through the sky like falling meteors, resulting in huge explosions upon landing. Dark race soldiers were sent flying with each strike, their limbs and flesh shooting off in all directions. This was a result of heavy cannon fire between the two factions. The humans possessed complete fortifications, so many of their soldiers were able to remain under cover until the bombardment was over. There were snipers in some of the defensive lines, who would blast the incoming shells before they could land. The casualties on the human side werent high, but the same couldnt be said for the dark races. Song Zining placed great importance in supplies, and the amount of ammunition he had prepared was shocking. Whitetown wasnt big, and there were only fifty thousand mercenaries from the neutral lands. Song Zining, however, had brought over five hundred heavy cannons for this force. The number of shells raining down on the narrow battlefield was so dense that it made ones hair stand on end. Some of the dark race experts tried their best, but they could only block a small part of the artillery. Higher-ranked nobility were either hiding behind like Hunter and the werewolf marquis, or unwilling to spend their origin power blocking cannon fire. On the contrary, they didnt feel any pain for the loss of cannon fodder because there were simply too many of these throughout the Evernight factions continents. Most of the dark races heavy cannons had been destroyed by the gunships, so the firepower was highly uneven. The dark race soldiers did not have cover, either, so their casualties were significant. The dark races had always used human wave attacks on the lower levels, and this time was the same. There were so many of them that the damage couldnt stop their advance. The assault forces this time werent just werewolves. There were large servspiders and elite arachne warriors in the mix. There were also hill-sized arachne who would shake the earth with each step. The dark races soldiers at the van had already rushed past the bombardment zone and within sprinting distance. The mercenaries in Whitetown fired with all their might, but the tide of dark race soldiers dwarfed their efforts. A middle-aged mercenary was picking his target from the trenches. He only had a couple of shots with the origin gun, so it couldnt be wasted. The stronger werewolves and arachne were usually bigger than their peers in combat mode. This werewolf was clearly the leader. Before he could pull the trigger, he felt a sting from his leg and lost all sensation from it. The mercenary looked down to find a fist-sized spider climbing onto his limbs. It had bitten through his combat suit and was injecting poison into his flesh. The mercenary slapped at the creature despite the disgust and terror, turning it into meat paste. Only at this point did he notice an odd rustling sound around him. The noise was previously camouflaged by the sound of firearms on the battlefield, and he only noticed it just now. Sensing something strange underfoot, he glanced down at the ground under the light of the next explosion. He immediately jumped up in fright! There were innumerable spiders big and small. The experienced middle-aged mercenary managed to calm himself down at the last moment and stomped the spiders to death one after the other. These creatures were fast and menacing in appearance, but there was little difference from ordinary spiders otherwise. The mans movements suddenly slowed down during this process, and he fell on his back, never to move again. A dense wave of spiders crawled over his body and devoured him amidst cringe-worthy noises. Very soon, the spidersnow fatter than beforeleft only a white skeleton behind and kept moving forward. Chapter 1151: Sweeping Calm Again Under the attack of the arachne and werewolves, the outer defensive line fell to the brink of collapse. Under the cover of the fierce battles and the darkness, these countless small venomous spiders brought about grave casualties among the mercenaries. The first defensive line was already full of openings in the blink of an eye. A row of star-shells appeared once again over the battlefront. The daybreak-saturated radiance was the bane of those small spiders as well. Screeching, the little creatures began to smoke from their bodies as they curled up under the light. Swathes of little spiders were roasted to death, allowing the front-line soldiers to finally breathe easy. Retreat to the second defensive line! The officers shouted at the top of their lungs. Under the illumination of the star-shells, the surviving mercenaries sped back to the second line as quickly as they could. The dark race soldiers went berserk from the smell of blood and burnt flesh. The stronger ones chased after the retreating enemy despite their blurry vision. The silent second defensive line lit up with the glow of origin power as origin bullets whistled toward the dark race soldiers charging at the front. The heavy cannons rumbled as they rained shells upon the first defensive line. This time, the dark race experts didnt have time to block the incoming attack. All they could do was watch as the projectiles erupted into waves of flames upon impact, devouring the dark race soldiers. The cover-volley from the heavy cannons was cruel and effective, so much so that the mercenaries who had failed to escape the area in time were blasted to death in the first defensive line. The dark race soldiers at the front were naturally drowned in the cannonfire as well. The survivors from the first line of defense made use of this lapse to retreat to the second line. After that momentary pause, the sea of dark race soldiers once again rushed toward the second line of defense. This time, the rain of bullets didnt just come from the entrenchments but also from some of the buildings behind it. The defense forces firepower wasnt only concentrated but also formed an interweaving network, inflicting heavy casualties on the dark races. The werewolf marquis only narrowed his eyes, but Hunter couldnt help but jump up in fright. Why are there so many people? From the looks of it, the second defensive line contained double the number of soldiers compared to the first! This type of troop distribution went against common knowledge, but the effects were extremely evident. The dark races who had just seen some hope at victory suffered yet another painful setback, and some of the sacrifices were genuinely unexpected. The werewolf marquis said, Looks like there are more than three to four thousand people in the city. I think Sire Pratt is about to run into a snag. The marquis didnt reply. His gaze landed on a tall arachne at the center of the battlefield. Under the fierce bombardment from the second line of defense, even that enormous body was finding it hard to press forward. At this moment, on an airship hovering at a safe distance. Arachne Vice-Duke Pratt had just finished listening to his subordinates report. How is this possible? Theyre just a small force that has landed behind our backs. No way they have ten thousand men! You useless men, are you all blind? The arachne viscount wanted to say something but didnt dare. With a loud snort, Pratt walked onto the deck and gazed into the distance. Considering his powerful eyesight, he could vaguely make out the situation on the battlefield. With the Martyrs Palace around, he wouldnt dare bring his flagship out into the open. Since the dragonship could tear apart a grand dukes war vessel, he would simply be throwing his life away by going against it. That was why Pratt had switched to a high-speed destroyer to serve as his flagship. This warship couldnt approach the battlefield, so it could only look on from afar. Pratt observed the situation for a good while, surprised by the ferocity of the battle around the second defensive line. Moments later, his expression turned solemn. The humans cannot have that many people, they mustve placed all their manpower in the second defensive line. Humph, do you think I will fall for that trick? Issue the command, intensify the attack! Sire, the casualties seem to be quite high on the front lines. Idiots! Cannon fodder isnt worth shit. We can get as many of them as we want from some of those lower continents. Duke Romiers main force will arrive if we cant take down Whitetown in half a day. I dont want to hand the credits to that old vampire! Soon after the werewolf viscounts departure, the assault on the frontlines increased noticeably. Pratt nodded in satisfaction when he saw an increasing number of flames erupt on the human defensive line. At the center of the dark race formation, that tall arachne had finally reached the human defensive line. He stepped out from the raging fire and smoke, his body covered in thick steel armor. The hail of bullets only left dimples on the plates, and only the uncovered places sustained some minor injuries. The arachne had a three-barrel gatling gun in his right hand, each muzzle the size of a fist. This weapon weighed a ton, but it seemed as light as a kids toy in the spiders hand. Wherever the gatling gun was pointed, fierce explosions would resound from that direction, and the human soldiers nearby would be sent flying from the blast. Those at the center of the explosion would not even have corpses left. Everything else that was a nuisance to the arachne would also be removed from his line of sight. There was a large cleaver in the arachnes left hand. The large, square blade was enough to slash through an armored vehicle, almost like a guillotine. Concentrate fire on that big fellow! a mercenary general shouted hysterically. At the same time, he raised his hand cannon and spat out a mass of red light. The cannon shell landed squarely between the arachnes chest and abdomen, bursting into a big ball of light therein. The arachnes exposed skin was charred, but his fighting power was completely unaffected. The attack only served to ignite his fury. The arachne charged dozens of meters with a single leap and landed before that mercenary general, where he swung the cleaver down upon his target! The mercenary general was in despair, but all he could do was raise his hand cannon to block the strike. The resistance was naturally futilethe square cleaver promptly bisected the cannon and its wielder. This mercenary general was the commander of the second defensive line. The arachne was overflowing with ferocity after killing the officer. He beat his chest and roared thunderously, My name is Virtuous Count Medlosi, who dares fight me!? His shout echoed across the battlefield, filling the mercenaries with varying degrees of despair. The dark race armys morale shot up as they charged forward with greater ardor. It was at this time that a certain person appeared in Medlosis vision. A slim, fragile-looking silhouette that wasnt all that tall. It was a vampire, a member of the race he hated the most. How could there be a vampire in the human defensive line? Medlosi was so consumed by his battle-hunger that his reactions were somewhat slow. He had just thought of this problem when that figure somehow appeared in front of him! Gazing at the heavy sword bearing down on him, Medlosi reflexively swung his cleaver to parry it. Unexpectedly, that little fellow who was even thinner than one of his spider legs dared to go head-on against him! East Peaks weight caused Medlosis expression to change drastically. However, he no longer had any time or space to evade; all he could do was watch as the heavy word sliced him from between the brows all the way down to his abdomen. Medlosis giant spider body froze momentarily before collapsing with a boom. Even before his death, he still hadnt realized how such a small creature could possess enough strength to overwhelm him. Qianye landed on the arachnes body like a wad of drifting cotton. The fallen counts remains stood as tall as a small hill, affording Qianye a good view of the entire battlefield. The fight had already reached its height, and the second defensive line had been broken through in several areas. The smell of smoke and blood had long since awakened the dark races inherent ferocity, forcing them to pounce on any visible target. Qianye, who was standing on Medlosis body, became an eye-catching objective. Almost at the same time, all the nearby dark races pounced at Qianye. They were like a tide of darkness surging over him. Qianye simply stood there with his sword in hand, but the dark race soldiers at the front felt as though they had bumped into an invisible wall. Those at the back had no idea what was happening up front, so they kept pushing forward and ramming into the person in front. In the blink of an eye, a wave of dark race soldiers were packed densely around Qianye. Some of the more violent ones simply jumped up and stepped over the shoulders of their comrades toward Qianye. Seeing that a fair number of enemies had gathered around him, Qianye removed his origin barrier with a cold smile. The dark race warriors suddenly lost their balance and collapsed before Medlosis corpse. Qianey took a deep breath and slashed six times in every direction! East Peak slashed down silently, almost as though it had no weight, but wherever the sword pointed, droves of dark race soldiers would stiffen and fall to the ground. A puddle of blood would eventually seep out from under their bodies, but no one knew where the wound was. In the blink of an eye, the area around Qianye had become a land of death, with only a handful of dark race soldiers still standing. Everything became silent on the distant dark race flagship. With a loud bang, the wine glass in Pratts hand was crushed into pieces. This was his favorite wine glass, but he couldnt feel anything from its destruction. Amidst the hundreds of corpses and a handful of dark race soldiers, Qianye was feeling a bit regretful. This Sweeping Calm was something he had tempered back in the year, a powerful move that was suitable against groups. However, it was so powerful that it was difficult to control. Even with Qianyes current attainments and cultivation, he could only manage six slashes. He would need to produce eight slashes to reach the highest realm and sweep through every direction. Even though there were a few missed angles, none of the dark race soldiers could block a single strike. They would lose their lives immediately upon contact with the sword energy, and only those who happened to be at the right location managed to survive. Qianye snorted as his eyes landed on the dozen or so dark race soldiers. This soft sound felt like roaring thunder to their ears, frightening them so much that they turned and fled, their ferocity suppressed by the overwhelming strength. With the momentum of defeat spreading to all parts of the battlefield, the dark races once again retreated like the tides and the assault was thus dispersed. Seeing this, Qianye turned back and vanished into the buildings. Chapter 1152: Challenge The first defeat hadnt affected the dark races firm resolve to attack. Although they had suffered grave losses on the first two lines of defense, they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. They were able to reorganize swiftly as more dark race warriors were arriving from the rear and squeezing into the forward base. The dark races didnt remain idle while they were reorganizing. They assembled a good number of heavy cannons and kept up the bombardment. There was no way Dark Flame would be willing to lose out on the artillery exchange. The heavy cannons inside Whitetown spat out tongues of flame as they poured shells upon the dark race cannon formation. One after the other, dark race heavy cannons were silenced by the overwhelming firepower. However, the determined dark races would replace the lost weapons with greater speed and fire back at the mercenaries. The human forces couldnt compare to the dark race and their slave soldiers in number. Hence, they had to focus on the enemy heavy cannons and could only do limited damage to the assembling soldiers. Under Pratts command, the dark race experts stopped conserving origin power and did their utmost to intercept the incoming cannon-fire. That also reduced the effect of Dark Flames heavy cannons. As the dark race army finished assembling, a mournful bugle spread its distant voice across the battlefield. All the dark race warriors felt their blood boiling. With the signal to attack given, the dark race warriors jumped out of their base and charged at Whitetowns defensive line. The vanguard warriors had just stepped within firing range when they felt their vision light up. They reflexively sealed off their vision, but they soon realized that the light didnt come from the star shells. Instead, it was a continuous stream of fire that had lit up along the silhouette of the entire city. In the blink of an eye, the dark race soldiers at the front fell down in droves. It was almost as though they had run into an invisible wall. However, the soldiers at the back stepped on the corpses of their fallen comrades and kept charging forward. The defensive fire from Whitetown flickered constantly and without pause, sending forth wave upon wave of bullets to reap the lives of the advancing enemy. The Dark Flame mercenaries fired with despair-inducing density, raising dark race casualties to unbearable levels. After some rest and reorganization, the tottering second defensive line quickly became a meat grinder. On the warship, Pratt looked on emotionlessly as droves of dark race soldiers stumbled down. Each of the dark race armys step forward was paved with countless corpses. Sire, should we an arachne count asked cautiously. Pratt said decisively, Thats all they have left! Issue my order, everyone under the marquis rank shall attack! So what? Even Medlosi has died for the cause, do you cowards want to hide behind the lines? Go! The arachne count bowed. As you wish, Sire, but those werewolves have been preserving their strength. Why dont we Pratt pondered for a good while this time. After a while, his eyes were filled with a harsh killing intent. Order Marquis Redtooth to oversee the frontlines. His position is too far back. What do we do if Sire Redtooth doesnt listen? Then I will convince him myself. The arachne count left with his orders. After paying the price in heavy casualties, the dark race army managed to charge into Whitetowns defensive lines twice, but they were pushed back both times. The front line soldiers werent entirely made up of madmen who werent afraid to die. After the death toll had reached a certain level, even the most berserk werewolf would start to shrink back. They reorganized outside of firing range, preparing for an attack of greater scale. The third charge had begun, and this time, things were clearly different from before. The large number of dark race experts moved forward amidst the incoming fire and soon brought their units to the defensive line. Then, they proceeded to destroy the defensive structures one after the other. Escalating the battle to this degree outside of the city was a clumsy strategy, to say the least, but regardless of the casualties, it remained true that paving the path with lives was the most efficient way to fight. The Dark Flame mercenaries also fell into confusion, but the veterans in the defensive line knew that retreating meant death. It was better to fight to the last breath and maybe find some hope of survival. Due to the influx of experts, the dark races took up the absolute advantage in terms of close-quarter combat. As more and more of them charged into the defensive line, Dark Flames casualty rate shot up exponentially. On the wall, Song Zining was gazing down at the fight around the second defensive line. What an impetuous fellow, sending out your experts so soon? I thought Id have to wait until youre at the city walls. He produced a silver mask from his robes and fastened it on his face. Then, he reached out to grab the spear his attendant was offering. Song Zining jumped out with his spear and soon vanished into the air. On the battlefront, a berserk arachne viscount was swinging his axe in a circle, slashing three mercenaries through the waist. He roared at the sky as the boiling fresh blood splashed onto his body, but his excited laughter came to a sudden stop. That was because a spear made of unknown material had pierced his throat. Song Zining pulled the weapon back with a shake of his hand and moved away. He took three steps all of a sudden and, wielding his spear like a dragon, took the life of a dark race expert with each movement. In the dark night, Song Zinings white robes and long spear were especially eye-catching. He was invincible wherever he went and left no enemy general alive. In the blink of an eye, his silver mask was stained with blood, and his white robes had turned scarlet red. If the commander was fighting so hard, how could the subordinates not do their best as well? The mercenaries immediately felt their blood boiling as they fought desperately to the last breath. Thus, the tottering defensive line was stabilized once again. Right after he had flicked a baron into the air, Song Zinings flickering silhouette suddenly became clear for a moment. He had spent quite a bit of stamina in the constant fighting, so it was only natural that his Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art would become unstable. It was during this split-second gap that the night sky was stained with a layer of red, and a gigantic fang appeared at Song Zinings back. Jolted, Song Zining pulled his spear back and turned around. Without even looking, he knew that he had been locked onto and that there was no way to evade this lethal blow. The only way was to attempt a mutually destructive move and force the enemy to give up. No one knew what expression Song Zining had beneath the mask. Considering how the enemy was able to grasp such an opening amidst the chaotic battle and launch a sneak attack, it was easy to guess that he was almost as strong as Song Zining himself. How could it be easy to turn the tables on such an opponent, especially since he had gotten the advantage? A faintly discernible figure, almost impossible to spot against the flaming background of the battlefield, flickered beneath Song Zinings spear. The shadow arrived swiftly behind and swiped at his back! Just as the claw was about to touch Song Zinings white robes, the faint silhouette became highly alert. He had noticed a certain figure appear out of nowhere in the distanceQianye. Amidst the flickering lights and passing shadows, the werewolf felt as though he could see his own reflection in the enemys eyes. All of a sudden, a chill surged up in his heart because what he had seen was simply too weird. It was almost like an illusion, and he simply didnt know what he was afraid of. No matter how powerful Qianye was, he was a thousand meters away. What could he even do? The werewolfs resolution was firm enough. Even though he was inwardly shaken, the killing move he was performing never slowed down. Those sharp claws kept moving forward, tearing through the white robes, inner armor, and flesh before finally meeting resistancethat was Song Zinings ribs. Recoil from the gushing daybreak origin power impacted the werewolfs claws, which was then suppressed by the well-prepared darkness origin power. The frail human body was at a clear disadvantage in such melee fights. The werewolf was just about to dig out Song Zinings heart with the next move when he felt another chill behind his back. The cold cut through to his bones with unstoppable momentum! He turned back rapidly, only to find a silhouette several hundred meters away. That was Qianye, but it was only his afterimage. Withdrawing the claw he had in Song Zinings body, the werewolf spun around and swiped behind him. However, his vision was filled with a sword radiance as he turned around. The werewolfs upper body flew high into the air, and only at this point did Qianyes silhouette slowly appear. Qianye glanced upward and said in surprise, Oh, its a marquis? Couldnt you tell? Song Zining walked over. Hes quite weak. Weak? I almost lost my life there, how is that weak? Song Zining said angrily. Qianye smiled indifferently. Theres no way youll die when Im around. Are you okay? Just a surface injury, nothing serious. He didnt even injure my bones. Only at this point did Redfangs upper body land with a thud. He was still struggling to stand up, but the cut edges of his flesh had been charred from Qianyes Venus Dawn origin power. It was easy to see that the marquis wasnt going to survive. Qianye glanced at the unresigned werewolf and said in a puzzled tone, I wasnt wrong, he looks weak. Why would you feel that hes weak? His origin power rank is higher than mine, but it is true that the shadow wolves arent as strong physically. Wait a minute turn back to me. Qianye looked at Song Zining in confusion. The latter stared into his eyes for a good while before saying, So thats how it is. Your eye abilities have improved again. Is that so? I didnt feel it. Song Zining glared at him. You didnt feel it? Were you ever able to restrain a marquis before? Qianye said after some thought, No. There you have it. Enough about that, lets sound the retreat. You and I will bring up the rear. Song Zining flew carelessly into the air, his spear drawing several trails before he put it away and stood with his hand behind his back. A row of star-shells shot out from Whitetown as the heavy cannons rumbled to provide cover fire. The dark race experts could break through the restraints of the flares and heavy cannons, but Qianye and Song Zining were standing side by side at the center of the battlefield. They were waiting for people to fight them, but who would dare when even Redfang was slaughtered in one blow? All eyes on the Evernight side fell upon Pratt. Only the arachne vice-duke would have a chance at breaking past the duo. Pratt remained motionless, much like a sculpture. Moments later, the star-shells had dissipated, and the heavy cannons had stopped firing. The smoke eventually dispersed to reveal the outline of Whitetown. The second defensive line was already emptyall the mercenaries had retreated into the city, leaving Qianye and Song Zining standing before the gates. Pratts pupils constricted as he stared at Qianye. As though sensing something, the latter turned his head ever so slightly to meet the gaze from thousands of meters away. He raised his brows with a cold smile. A sanguineous line rose up into the air, as did his vigor and imposing demeanor. He was waiting for Pratt to meet him in battle. Chapter 1153: Necessary Victory Very few people on the battlefield, with the exception of the top experts, had noticed the color of the moon. Some of the stronger vampires sensed the change and looked up at the same time. The dark race soldiers assembled quietly and waited for their new orders. They suddenly realized that their formation was rather frail. There were great numbers of them left and right, but that didnt stop them from being strangely anxious. Some of the smarter ones noticed that there were a lot fewer officers and experts among them, so much so that there were none in some units. Experts were the pillars of each unit. Without them, everyone knew how far these cannon fodder could go. Now that most of the experts were gone, the squads were somewhat shaken. Some of the survivors who had retreated from the front looked back at the corpses at the second defensive line and thought, Did they all die back there? On the warship, the arachne count appeared once again, limping and soaked in blood. His voice was weak and hoarse, Sire, Ive returned. How are our casualties? Weve lost roughly a third of our forces, while the humans have lost around four thousand men. Twenty thousand of our men in exchange for four thousand humans? The arachne count said, Sire, most of our deaths are cannon fodder. Naturally, our death toll would be higher. Snorting, Pratt glared at the arachne count with harsh eyes. The count lowered his head humbly, no longer daring to look straight at the marquis. Pratt had long since noticed that the count was hiding dissent beneath the respectful demeanor. He asked indifferently, What do you suggest we do now? This was a trick question. The arachne count said after some thought, Sire, losing cannon fodder is fine, but weve lost too many titled experts! These people are the backbone of your army! Sire, even Redfang has fallen in battle. I dont think anyone will be able to block Qianyes rampage if you dont take action. The corners of Pratts eyes twitched briefly. He looked up at the full moon and said slowly, If thats the case lets retreat. What? The arachne count couldnt believe his ears. Retreat, Pratt repeated the order. We cant, Sire! If we retreat like that, all the credit will go to Romier. At that point, hell probably blame you for the failed assault! We still have more troops. We should keep up the assault, even if its just for show. Pratts gaze became gloomy. Thats only if Romier can succeed. At this point, the arachne count understood Pratts resolution. No longer daring to make a sound, he withdrew to perform his orders. The dark races slowly left the battlefield as the bugle cry to retreat rang out. Meanwhile, Whitetown opened its gates, and close to a thousand people emerged to sweep the battlefield. The Evernight warships at the front spread out in a row facing Whitetown, providing cover for the transports as they unloaded an almost countless number of soldiers. A new battle was about to begin. A faint suppressive might rolled in from the distance as a massive warship broke through the clouds and flew toward the battlefield. This warship was of demonkin make, and judging from its size, it was likely the flagship of a duke. Its appearance raised the morale of the soldiers who broke out in loud cheers. Qianye narrowed his eyes. What did they drive the ship here for? Courting death? Whatever model the airship was, its movements would be inconvenient while driving close to the ground. This was especially true for the battlefield where two armies were in fierce combat because aerial attacks focused more on accuracy and not firepower. If the landscape of the battlefield was special, the warship would have to be aware of its altitude at all times. The giant warships role on the battlefield was to intimidate and prevent their path of retreat from being cut off. Unless they planned to level both friend and foe, the airship would have to be careful of enemy experts boarding the vessel. Moreover, the Martyrs Palace was out in the void. If the demonkin duke were to join the battle with his flagship, Qianye could easily summon the palace and devour the prey that had landed at his mouth. However, the flagship stopped several hundred meters away and made no other movement. Apparently, it was only here to oversee the formation. The transports arrived one after the other, and countless dark race soldiers poured out of them like the tides. The army didnt attack immediately and began to construct all kinds of fortifications instead. This move wasnt too different from when Song Zining attacked Whitetown. Soon, the transports had unloaded a number of large machinery and fortifications. An unusually large transport then drove over and placed a small kinetic tower inside the base. Whitetown fired two waves of long-distance origin cannons to test the enemy. The range was clearly too short to reach their fort, but the dark races reacted immediately. Their experts took action and blocked most of the incoming shells, while the rest fell onto the empty land between the two bases. The speed and power of the interception proved that it was impossible for Whitetown to interfere with the other party setting up their fort. It was better to save ammunition and grasp this time to rest. The dark race army worked through the night. By dawn, a fort of the same scale had appeared across Whitetown, with endless rows of barracks behind it. No one knew how many soldiers they had mustered. Atop Whitetowns walls, Song Zining gazed through the binoculars with a serious expression. Looks like this battle wont be an easy fight. Qianye said calmly, We knew that since the beginning. When will reinforcements arrive? Song Zining shook his head. No matter when they arrive, well still need to get through this ordeal first. Qianye nodded. Just like before, leave the duke to me. Song Zining frowned. Qianye, this isn''t the time to be playing cool. Are you sure? My blood energy is already at the edge of breaking through, I can rank up anytime if I ignore the consequences. At that point, I think I can actually put up a fight despite the gap. Its not time to go all out yet, we can discuss that after a few rounds. Heh, Ive been preparing for a long time. Its impossible to devour this base without paying a steep price. Everything will depend on their determination now. Within the duke flagship, Romier was gazing down from his throne, his chin propped upon his hand. There were two werewolf experts and an arachne count before him. They were all injured, and blood was still seeping out from beneath their bandages. Their auras were weak, and even standing seemed like a struggle for them. This was the alliance officer whom Pratt had left in charge of the so-called handover procedure. Romier was tall, lanky, and possessed a pair of deep, falcon-like eyes. He said slowly, Does that mean Pratt is going just like that? Hes not leaving his forces at all? The arachne count said, Thats not the case. Sire Pratts direct subordinates have suffered grave casualties and require urgent rest and reorganization. He wishes to regroup at the rear and join the battle after recovering fighting power He hadnt even finished speaking when the demonkin duke snapped his fingers with a snort. The arachne count only heard the sound before he felt as though there was a hand around his throat and he could no longer speak. His arachne body appeared as he struggled on, but eventually, he collapsed and never moved again. Romiers eyes landed on the two werewolf viscounts. Im just killing a coward who fled the battlefield. Do you have any objections? The werewolves quickly replied that they wouldnt dare. In truth, counts could be considered important characters in the Evernight society. They could be considered true, upper-echelon nobility. In ordinary times, even Romier wouldnt dare kill a count for no reason. However, the two werewolves understood that they were on the battlefield, and that killing a deserter wasnt a big deal. In truth, Vice-Duke Pratts forces werent that much weaker than Romiers, but he was too greedy for accomplishments. He had attacked first without waiting for the true commanders main forces. Who wouldve thought he would suffer so badly beneath the city walls? Not only did he lose soldiers and generals, but he also lost all of his heavy equipment. Most importantly, a good number of his core titled experts had fallen. This could be considered serious damage. Although leaving in defeat wasnt running away before the battle, Romier could easily report them all. It was fairly common for minor characters like them to be affected by the competition between two dukes. The werewolves werent Pratts subordinates, and neither did they have any intention of seeking justice for the arachne count. Seeing their submissiveness, Romier nodded and softened his tone, Contact Pratt. Have him return here no matter where he is and assign him to lead all the units! That idiot still cant see the picture at such a juncture. Youll all die here if you cant win this battle. After the two viscounts were led away, a demonkin marquis in the hall asked, Are things already that urgent? Only the dukes trusted aides remained in the room. Weve lost control of the void airspace, and the survivors are all guarding the most important nodes. They have lost the courage to go against the human fleet for a showdown. Our useless ground forces are also being pushed back repeatedly. Two out of the three human attack routes are obviously heading in this direction. Once they meet up, we can forget about ever getting the city back. The biggest airship port on the void continent is nearby. Without that base, itll be lucky even if one-tenth of our army can escape. A different demonkin count said, When did the humans become so powerful? Havent we been suppressing them all along? They transferred a lot of experts from the mainland, real powerful experts. The smarter ones suddenly recalled. Arent they afraid of leaving their backyard empty? Romier said coldly, The Evernight Council will deal with the Great Qin, our battle is here. In truth, we can forget about getting away with a fluke now that the human experts are already here. The aides looked at one another. Who are the leaders of those two routes? Why cant we intercept them? Romier said slowly, One is Haimi, and the other is Zhao Jundu. Zhao Jundu was famous, so there was no need to expound on the subject, but the true upper echelons of the demonkin race were shaken when they heard the name Haimi. Seeing that morale was wavering, Romier said, The Evernight Council has dispatched Dukes Jenson and Doer to intercept her. It should be fine. These words were spoken without much confidence, and the subordinates naturally didnt have much faith in it, either. The demonkin marquis couldnt help but comment, I doubt the two dukes will be enough to stop Haimi. According to the Empires military habits, there should be another deputy commander in the unit whos close to the divine champion rank. That womans Imperial bloodline is terrifying. She was already hunting down marquises before she was even a divine champion. Why isnt the council sending more people, an additional vice-duke even? Romier smiled wryly. Do you think the council hadnt thought of that? The problem is, who would be willing to go? Now that the mobile fleet has lost control of the void airspace, even a duke flagship might not escape the Imperial Guards relentless assault. So, theres really no retreat path in those two directions. Everyone was enlightened as to why two mediocre dukes had been assigned to such an important task. There were a lot of unspoken rules among the high nobility of Evernight. Titles represented ones strength and rank, but those at the same rank might have vastly different combat strength, backgrounds, and status. This mission was too dangerous. Ordinary dukes might obey the councils orders, but even the Evernight Council couldnt use the core members of powerful clans as cannon fodder. Theres also some bad news. I heard Gaoyi is also on the void continent, we might run into her one day, Romier said slowly. This time, the demonkin were shaken even more. The human life-span was fairly limited, so Great Qins divine champion roster had always been finite. Among them, the Imperial clan members were closely watched by the enemy faction. Just like their dark race counterparts, these experts would only appear in national wars and would be treated with the same importance as the famed clans from the four major races. Chapter 1154: Bombardmen Within Whitetown, Song Zining had been standing on the wall all this time and observing the dark races movements. Having finished patrolling the entire city, Qianye appeared beside Song Zining. Do we not need the Martyrs Palace? Theres still time. Song Zining shook his head. The Martyrs Palace is better used for intimidation. Its more terrifying for them because they have no idea where the palace is. That duke will not throw his flagship into battle because thats his only tool for escape. Without it, he might very well die here if he were to sustain a heavy injury. Qianye nodded in recognition. Song Zining pointed at the Evernight airships shuttling back and forth. Ive observed them for the entire night. These are the newest model transports, and even a duke cant mobilize that many of them. It seems the dark races have finally realized the gravity of the situation; they want to concentrate their forces on us and drive us away from the void continent. Be prepared, the true test begins now. Qianye nodded. There was a tacit understanding between the two, that Qianye would only watch the ordinary battles and not take action. His targets were the top experts of the enemy formation, including Duke Romier. Song Zining was in charge of all command and mobilization, as well as clearing out the middle-ranked experts. Due to the special characteristics of Worldly Prosperity and the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art, those ordinary experts had no way to lock onto Song Zining in his domain. He would be relatively safe even when moving through an army of ten thousand. The only thing he would need to worry about were surprise attacks from a dark race expert of the same rank. At this moment, the Evernight faction had finished installing their kinetic tower, and many of their temporary defensive structures had come online. A never-ending stream of trucks was shipping things back and forth. A mournful steam resonated across the skies as the two heavy doors of the Evernight fort slowly opened up. One heavy truck after the other converged into a deluge of steel, slowly rolling toward the front lines. These trucks were carrying heavy cannons on their backan almost countless number of them. Song Zinings eyes narrowed as he turned back and shouted, Issue the order, all heavy cannons are to disperse and take cover! Apart from the combatants of the first defensive line, all other personnel will enter the bunkers! The aide-de-camp ran off to pass the orders. We cant win? Qianye asked. We dont have much ammunition left. Song Zining sighed. Romiers cannons were superior in both caliber and range. They were being used to bombard Indomitable at first, but now, they had been shipped to the rear for urgent use against the defense-proficient humans. After the situation in Whitetown became known, the dark races transferred everything they had to deal with Song Zining. Hundreds of heavy cannons were deployed outside of Whitetowns firing range. It was already a great feat for Song Zining to have shipped so many heavy cannons here. Unfortunately, it was impossible for him to get his hands on top-grade ones. Moments later, a flash of light appeared in the distance, and the sky was soon filled with specks of starlight, almost like falling meteors. A strange whistling came from the sky as cannon shells rained down one after the other. The sound of gunfire rang out in the city; it was the sound of experts trying to intercept the projectiles. Song Zining picked up a large-caliber sniper rifle and fired three times into the air, producing three balls of fire in the sky. An expert at this level could already control his body to the finest details, so even an ordinary firearm could have the same interception effect as an origin gun. It was just that such high caliber sniper rifles were slow to fire, and even Song Zining could only intercept three rounds. Qianye, on the other hand, had fired eight rounds into the air with his Twin Flowers, destroying a cannon shell with each shot. The consecutive fire brought about a slight dip in Qianyes aura, but it climbed back rapidly. The Twin Flowers was limited to firing five rounds each before the origin array would have to cool down. As more and more experts took action, eighty percent of this volley was intercepted, but the dozens of rounds that did land still produced a shocking amount of damage. Every earth-shattering explosion kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke that eventually shrouded the entire Whitetown. The shockwaves from the first volley hadnt even dispersed when a shrill whistle rang out in the air once more. This time, most experts found their interception abilities greatly affected by the visual obstruction. Almost half of the shells entered the cityeven the highest cannon tower was blasted in half, with its top part slowly collapsing onto the streets. Romier wasnt about to give Whitetown any opportunity to catch their breath. The rumble of heavy cannons rang out constantly, each volley raining shells upon the city like falling meteors. The cannoneers and porters around the cannons were working frantically. As origin arrays lit up along the cannons body, the temperature of the metal shot up, while the cannoneers origin power dipped once more. Even so, the inspection team made sure that the heavy cannons kept up the rapid rate of fire. Miserable cries would appear in the field from time to time, coming from the loaders who were accidentally burned or the porters who were being whipped for running into things. On the firing seat, one exhausted cannoneer after the other was dragged away and replaced with a new one. Some of the origin cannons would explode at times, leaving a large charred hole, pieces of scrap metal, and broken limbs. The interception from inside the city grew weaker and weaker. Even the wall where Qianye and Song Zining were standing had been drowned in cannon fire, forcing the two to split up. The weaker experts no longer had the strength to take action; all they could do was keep themselves alive. The ordinary mercenaries hid inside the bunkers, praying that a shell wouldnt explode right over their position. The rumbling seemed like the only sound in this world. There were raging flames everywherethe entire city was shrouded in dense smoke, and no one could see what was going on in the distance. Buildings collapsed constantly as even the stone houses couldnt withstand such barbaric destruction. The cannon fire still went on, almost as though the end of the world was nigh. The firing finally stopped after an unknown length of time, but everyone could still hear the ringing in their ears and nothing else. The city walls had long since turned into rubble, and the defensive line was not even discernible anymore. The neat white street blocks had all turned into charred ruins. The scorched ground seemed to move about as the Dark Flame mercenaries scuttled out from below. They shook off the soot from their bodies and patted themselves down to see if there were any injuries. A veteran mercenary who was in charge of the defensive line almost jumped up in fright as he peeked out of the city. The dark race vanguard was less than a hundred meters away from their position! He cried out loudly, hoping to call on the heavy machine guns in the bunker to provide covering fire. However, he himself couldnt hear what he was saying because the residual effects of the heavy cannon barrage were still there. The old soldier turned around and found, to his dismay, that the bunker was long gone, replaced by a deep bomb crater. No heavy cannon could produce this kind of destruction in one hit. This was a result of multiple cannon shells falling onto a single area. Those comrades inside the bunker had long since become one with the rubble, and even the corpses could no longer be found. The mercenary turned back and grabbed his origin gun. He took aim calmly, locked onto a target, and pulled the trigger as the origin array became activated. There was a high-ranking vampire warrior in his crosshairs. This shot landed on the enemys shoulder, sending his arm flying high into the air. Without even confirming the outcome of his shot, the veteran changed his target to an arachne. After two shots, however, the dark races were already too close for comfort. The old veteran threw down his origin gun and drew his dagger to meet the incoming army. Then, he was eventually swallowed up by the tide of darkness. Similar fights were taking place in every corner of the front lines. The Evernight army was like a black tide slamming itself mercilessly against the walls of Whitetown. The waves immediately seeped into the city, each stream representing a gap in the defensive line. The outermost defensive line had already fallen, and the battle was now playing out within the small city. Every street and every building was now a battlefield, where no one knew when a sniper would open fire. An arachne was leaping through the rubble in his true form. He climbed straight up to the roof of a small building and slaughtered the snipers hiding therein. However, the rooftop exploded all of a sudden, sending his gigantic body into the air. Apparently, there was a high-explosive trap set up in that location, and the snipers were firing from atop a ton of gunpowder. Whitetown was already in ruins, but the dark races discovered that the rubble was actually a better form of cover for the enemy. Whatever experience they had was useless here because they couldnt even find a single trace of the enemy, and the sense of smell they were so proud of became useless amidst the smoke and gunpowder. The neutral land mercenaries were already used to fighting in extreme environments. The towns and cities there were frequently razed, rebuilt, and razed again. There was no need for anyone to teach themthey were right at home amidst the ruins and masters of alleyway fighting. A large number of dark race soldiers gushed into the city. Even though the battles inside were at a stalemate, they were able to take the advantage due to their superior numbers. Far off in the sky, Romier had already walked out of his flagship and was looking down at the town below. The first wave of soldiers had fought their way into the city, with most of them bottlenecked near the former city wall. It was at this time that raging fires erupted from beneath the city wall, followed by a gush of sticky black oil that immediately burst into flame after leaving the ground. In the blink of an eye, a wall of fire had appeared out of nowhere and separated the dark races inside the city from those outside, devouring thousands of warriors in the process. Romiers expression froze. As expected, the urban battle increased in ferocity, with fights breaking out at the same time in every corner of the city. Moreover, from his birds eye view, he could see that the number of dark race soldiers was dwindling at a rapid rate in two districts. Even Romier could barely see two faint figures shutting back and forth through the crowd. Wherever these shadows went, dark race warriors would collapse in droves. Needless to say, they were Qianye and Song Zining. The duo was dealing with ordinary soldiers in person now, and this meant that the situation inside had reached the most dangerous stage. However, Romiers solemn expression didnt relax a bit. The ferocity of the fight inside the city was far beyond his expectations. At this point in the battle, the mercenaries shouldve suffered grave casualties, but the retaliatory fire hadnt reduced by much. We shouldve shipped more cannon shells. A thought flashed through Romiers mind, but he quickly cast the notion aside. He knew that mobilizing so many heavy cannons and several times the normal quota of ammunition was the result of his utmost efforts. The pressure on other fronts wasnt any less than Whitetown, perhaps even greater. He was able to secure so much resources because the higher-ups wanted him to end this battle quickly and return to support the front lines. After all, Whitetowns combined strength on paper was the weakest link in the chain. It was at this time that an attendant appeared. Sire, Vice-Duke Pratt has returned. Chapter 1155: Finale of Life and Death Part 1 Imperial Capital, daytime. Two men of similar age and appearance were standing under a side corridor of the plaza outside the Hidden Palace. Thank you for the help, Imperial Uncle. The Radiant Emperor cupped his hands. Lord Riverglance calmly stepped to the side. There are no strangers here, theres really no need to put up appearances. The Radiant Emperor wasnt at all displeased. We wait for one more person, without waiting for the lord to ask, he continued, its Prince Greensun. Lord Riverglance frowned. You were able to rope him in? Thats not easy. Prince Greensun is definitely not someone I can rope in. He has never seen eye to eye with Marshal Lin, and his actions have always ignored the rules. Its just that hes standing on our side today. Then hes definitely quite bold. Even the two great-granduncles are only there to help suppress the general situation of the Empire. A different-surnamed heavenly monarch staying in the Empire, not only does he dare to enter the Hidden Palace, but he even dares to stand on our side. With that, Lord Riverglance thought of some past matters and shook his head. Zhang Boqian, this man is really ha unpredictable. The Radiant Emperor said, I know what youre thinking, but rest assured, theres no way Id bring Marshal Lin into these muddy waters. He can forget about leading troops before his injuries are healed. Lord Riverglance nodded after a momentary astonishment. Thats good as well. Before long, a figure landed on the corridorit was Prince Greensun. The three exchanged glances and nodded in greeting, but no pleasantries were observed. The doors to the Hidden Palace were slowly opened. The Radiant Emperor entered at the lead. The time was close to noon, but the palace interior was abnormally quiet. Be it in terms of vision or perception, there was no one else apart from the three people. Zhang Boqian discovered, as soon as he had stepped through the door, that they had entered a sealed space that resembled a minor world. The Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance unleashed their own domains. As secret arts of the Imperial clan, the Emperor Domain and Buddhas Settlement were fairly similar. The surging origin power derived all kinds of scenery and phenomena as they slowly overlapped one another. Entrenched in the hall beyond them was a boundless, cryptic aura. It was extremely powerful and seemed dazzling in this sealed space. Zhang Boqians expression was calm and his gaze profound. He was not as unbridled as he was during normal times, but his aura never fell to a disadvantage during the entire process. It remained as vast and endless as the ocean. This question only produced some small ripples in the Emperors heart. He quickly cast the thought aside and headed into the palace. At this point, every alliance he had made was a gamble, and every step he took was on the blades edge. One wrong step was all it would take to bring about his demise, and the people he wanted to protect would be completely defeated and die without a corpse. The Radiant Emperor pushed open the carved doors to the main hall. Light flooded into the dark chamber, but it was eerily stopped halfway across the hall. The other half, along with the throne at its end, was buried in the shadows. Daybreaks resurgence, the Imperial blood no longer suppressed. Who wouldve thought the first to awaken would actually be you, the son of a singer? Are the heavens toying with our Ji family? A sinister voice echoed through the halls. As the trio entered the palace hall, the door behind them closed on its own. The hall didnt fall into pitch darkness, but the chamber was hazy, grey, and suffused in a worn pallor. It was like the sky after a gloomy shower. The dark inner half of the hall slowly revealed itself, along with that aged figure on the throne. The Radiant Emperor remained composed in the face of those insulting words and slowly took his place at the center of the hall. Our Great Qin Ji Clan bears the fortune of Daybreak and will accompany its rise and fall. Of our thirty-three family branches since the founding ancestor, only seventeen remain today. The predecessors spilled their jade blood onto this land, so that we may enjoy its fruits and prosper today. As the eldest member of the family, someone who has supported our clan for over a hundred years, why would you try to kill your own kin? Little Brat, how dare you lecture this monarch? I did not lose to you, I lost to the will of heaven. If it wasnt for your arrangement, how would my mother have the honor of waiting upon the previous emperor? Why would Empress Zhao be killed along with her child for some negligible problem? The Longevity Monarchs laughter came to a sudden stop. His gaze shot through the hazy screen to land on the Emperors body. You know quite a lot. It seems the Emperor Domain is now fully in your hands. Even Marquis Riversun and the other families are now playing to a different tune. The Radiant Emperor said, Marquis Riversun is no more. The Longevity Monarch broke out in laughter. Well done, well killed! You dont hold back when killing family, either! Riversun, Fineglance, and Lord Qi were hiding troops in their residence, seeking to rebel as the dark races eye our mainland. The crime of undermining the Empire is unpardonable, no matter who they are. The Radiant Emperors expression and tone remained calm, but every word he spoke carried with it the smell of blood and fire. Now that the trio had entered the Hidden Palace, the Longevity Monarch knew that he had lost control of the situation. After this brief conversation, he had also realized that his contingency plans had been uprooted by the Emperor. Even if some managed to escape, they would no longer be a threat. The Longevity Monarch glared at the Radiant Emperor. I have underestimated you. He had never thought too highly of this man or taken him seriously. Similarly, most Imperial clan members felt that his honored maternal family members and female geniuses were more valuable. Otherwisethe Longevity Monarch and Lord Solemnitys branch had been fighting each other secretly for almost an entire monthwhy would he only discover the true mastermind when the Emperor challenged Prince Greensun? One wrong move was all it took for the entire chessboard to fail. The Longevity Monarch broke into a gloomy laugh. Very well, since you want the reason, let me tell you. My Ji family has been shouldering the fate of Daybreak, and the blood we have spilled goes far beyond what you know. Out of the thirty-three founding branches, only two of them have managed to pass down the line consistently, and those two are our ancestors. The other fifteen might exist in name, but the core members are no longer the same. Even people as powerful as the grand ancestor and martial ancestor have lost their line of descent. His tone suddenly grew heavier as he said word by word, Which clan has made more sacrifices than our Ji? The marriage between the Zhao and our Ji is laughable. If we test the density of Imperial blood, Gaoyis children might be even stronger than you, Riverglance. Everyones expressions changed drastically when they heard these words. The Radiant Emperor was just about to say something when the Longevity Monarch ignored him and kept on speaking, The Zhaos younger generation took away the Red Spider Lily. What if they activate the Mortal Emperor one day? The Founding Emperor planned the Chronicles of Glory, clipping the wings off of the soaring serpent and heaving it to bear the Wheel of Glory. This left our Ji familys totem incomplete and the Imperial bloodline suppressed in every generation thereafter, but what was all of that for? For the human race? Did he want experts to lose their own bloodlines and allow those weak ants to survive? The Emperor was dazed for a moment, but his expression became solemn. So you wanted to topple the Wheel of Glory The Longevity Monarchs shriveled finger stretched out from his sleeve and tapped on the armrest, his eyes full of regret at the lack of time. He leaned forward and stared at the people in the hall. Look at whats left of Ji Sulians lineage? Riverglance listened to Lin Xitangs advice, degrading himself by retreating to the borders for thirty years. And you, Ji Jian! How dare a thief squat on the ancestral temple!? The old voice echoed through the halls. It was as cold as a snakes hiss but also sounded like a curse. Our Ji clan is dead! The Longevity Monarchs eyes darted toward Zhang Boqian like a snake. It is human nature to be forgetful and greedy. No one will remember the earlier sacrifices. In the thousand years of our existence, clans and nobility have risen and fallen like the tides. Certain surnames would rise to power, but the Imperial blood would only be worn down year by year. Those outsider heavenly monarchs will only exploit the Imperial family and support their own. The atmosphere in the hall was heavy, and everyone felt as though there was a mountain peak on their chests. It was no longer important whether the Longevity Monarch believed in the demonkin secret art. What he was dissatisfied about was the decline of Imperial bloodlines. Perhaps he believed that destroying the Wheel of Glory would serve to unleash the Imperial blood. Who wouldve thought the Chronicles of Glory, which had been asleep for a thousand years, would wake up and succeed at such a moment. Topping it was no longer possible. The Empire our Ji family has established, I shall destroy with my own hands. Its better than being destroyed by the enemy, at the very least. The hall became so silent that one could hear a needle drop. Zhang Boqians expression was dark, while Lord Riverglance looked somewhat distracted. The Radiant Emperor, on the other hand, stood calmly with his eyes looking downward. The Radiant Emperors voice tore through the dullness like a sharp knife. The predecessors stood at the rivers bank, their wish was not to become slaves again. The grand ancestor used Imperial blood to lay down the foundation, his wish was to sustain the glory of Daybreak. Now everything has been realized. This is the Founding Emperors true intention! The Longevity Monarch broke into laughter. Haha, haha, hahaha Brat Jian, if youre so devoted to righteousness like you said, why would you not dare to let Lin Xitang die? The Radiant Emperor narrowed his eyes. The Longevity Monarchs hoarse voice was harsh on the ears, yet there was a hypnotizing cadence to it. Now that the Chronicles of Glory has been completed, theres no need for him to keep the heavenly mystery in check. This person possesses near-demonic intelligence and is capable of leading two divination lineages on his own. If you crush his soul and feed it to the Empires fortune trajectory, it will shorten the time to reach Daybreak resurgence by half. Isnt it the fate of a divination specialist to be sacrificed? He hadnt even finished speaking when a clap of thunder exploded in the hall, followed by tempestuous rain. The rolling thunder came together in a continuous stretch as Zhang Boqian threw a punch at the Longevity Monarchs throne. No one had imagined that Zhang Boqian would be the first to attack. The Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance did their utmost to expand their domains, covering the hall and walls in the blink of an eye. At the same time, the haze in the room disappeared along with the walls, floor, dust, and every tangible object. Blue lights flickered in every direction, as if they were in a river of stars at the top of the realm. A terrifying pressure also bore down from all directions, almost as though the chamber was in the deepest part of the ocean. This strange phenomenon only lasted for a moment before it was devoured by the combined forces of the Emperor Domain and Buddhas Settlement. The hazy hall once again revealed its true appearance. The Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance only had the chance to glance up at the throne after suppressing the origin array. The strange thing was that the earth-shattering punch never happened. Just before the attack reached the throne, Zhang Boqian suddenly withdrew his attack and came to a stop. His feet sank into the ground upon landing, and his body swayed slightly. Apparently, withdrawing that punch wasnt easy. Chapter 1156: Finale of Life and Death Part 2 Even after landing, there were several wisps of leaked origin power drifting around Zhang Boqian. Just like the smell of blood would attract sharks, the origin array within the palace began to stir once more. An azure fluorescence appeared in the air and shot straight for the stray origin power. Prince Greensun drew an invisible arc, pulling all of the leaked origin power and azure light into his sleeve. His body jolted violently as he took on this impact forcibly. The Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance were stunned, but they knew that Zhang Boqian had to have a reason for resisting the array. They immediately increased the pressure and looked forward. They were immediately drenched in sweat when the throne came into clear view. There was a daybreak source where the Longevity Monarch was sitting, but with their powerful eyesight, they were able to recognize that it was just a dead object. The main body was entirely motionlessits eyes and mouth closed, and its chest still. The Longevity Monarch was planning to deal them a blow before his death! Just as the rumors stated, the monarch could no longer attack at his full strength. With the entire Hidden Palace suppressed by the Emperor Domain, there was simply no way for the Longevity Monarch to win against the other three just by making use of the array in the hall. It was very likely that the fight would end in the chamber and no news of it would reach the outside world. Thus, the Longevity Monarch condensed his daybreak grand origin at the time of his death. At least before its dispersal, this was still the source of a heavenly monarchs power. If Zhang Boqian were to attack it, the results would be comparable to an all-out exchange between two heavenly monarchs. Not to mention the sealed space and enemy origin arrays in the hall, the impact from the explosion alone could injure the three people here. At the very least, the Emperor and Riverglances domains couldnt stop the shockwaves from rolling out of the Hidden Palace. The Imperial Capital had not been peaceful for the past month. Those incidents could still be explained as rebellions and dark race assassinations, but there was simply no way to hide the origin power explosion from the Hidden Palace. Even so, the threat was now past and the most optimal outcome had been reached. The Radiant Emperor heaved a sigh of relief. He was the first to break down and fall to the floor, breathing heavily. He had shouldered the heaviest responsibility along the way, constantly suppressing the Hidden Palaces domain with his own. Even now, he would need to keep holding on until the core of the Hidden Palace had been completely shut down. There were few instances of top-experts ganging up on one person, mainly because the area and domain attacks were prone to friendly fire. There was a lot more space in the void, but it was also more difficult to surround a person. In a place like the Hidden Palace, on the other hand, they would have to be wary of wanton destruction. Even though their powers shared the same source, the Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance had to control their domains carefully in order to stack them together. Zhang Boqians existence in and of itself was akin to an ancient divine weapon. He was so sharp and powerful that he could injure both allies and enemies. The Emperor was forced to take action earlier because of his unexpected encounter with Zhang Boqian, but then again, without Prince Greensun, their plans here would be fairly strained. Even if they could secure a narrow victory, they might have to pay a steep price in the form of nationwide unrest. At this moment, Zhang Boqian was standing on the other side of the hall with his hands behind his back. There was no visible emotion on his face, nor could anyone tell how badly he had been injured by the backlash just now. The great hall was plunged into silence. The body on the throne was emitting an aura of decay, and even that daybreak source couldnt remove the haze around it. The doors and windows to the hall werent shut very tightly. Sunlight poured down from an odd gap, erupting into a radiance that would dispel the darkness in the chamber. Lord Riverglance broke the silence. What do you make of what he said just now? The Longevity Monarch said a lot of things, each more piercing than the next. He was clearly planting the seeds of discord in their hearts. The Emperor, a nonfamilial heavenly monarch and a border lord were not of the same path, to begin with, and would never be. But what did Lord Riverglance mean? The Radiant Emperor gave it some thought before answering, Everyone has their own ambitions. With that, the uncle and nephew glanced at Zhang Boqian. I have my path and my heart, external objects have no influence on me. Zhang Boqian left after saying this. Dazzling light filled their entire vision as the doors opened with a bang. Lord Riverglance gazed at the sun-washed ground outside the hall, then back at the shadowy throne. An old era had ended, and a new one was about to descend. He suddenly asked the Emperor, Did you ever think about how Marshal Lin will see you after everything is done? The Radiant Emperor wasnt moved. I managed to fulfill my ancestors will, and my teacher is still alive and well. What else do I need to fear? Lord Riverglance laughed with a complicated expression. Teacher? Sigh. Marshal Lin possesses peerless talent, but his heart is empty and his emotions void. His voice had trailed off to a whisper toward the last part, and there was no telling whether the Emperor heard him clearly. The man merely looked up but didnt say anything. After a slight pause, Riverglance said, Its fine. As long as he remains, I shall also stay at the border. Your Majesty, let me warn you. I wont be entering the capital, but I wont guarantee that the people on my side won''t. The Radiant Emperor replied, Imperial Uncle, rest assured. The Empires resurgence is now in motion. Its within reason even for aristocratic families to ascend to major-clan status, so what problem is there with the Imperial family being powerful? With the Longevity Monarch gone, there was bound to be a chain reaction in the power balance within the Imperial clan and the distribution of territory. It was well within reason for the nobility factions to see a shift in authority, let alone the biggest Imperial clan. The ripples from this matter would go on for a very long time. Lord Riverglance nodded. Ill be leaving now, dont tell him I came. Without waiting for a reply, the man left in leisurely steps and melded away into the sunlight. The outside world never knew what had happened in the Hidden Palace. That night, the Imperial clan announced that the Longevity Monarch had passed away and that he would be buried in a national ceremony. This news shook all the subjects of the Empire, but there was no big panic. There had been widespread rumors of the Empires resurgence in recent years. The number of people who could cultivate daybreak origin power had increased noticeably, with the younger generation surpassing their ancestors in cultivation progress. Many more experts who had been stuck at major bottlenecks managed to break through, and the Empire had just added a prime-age heavenly monarch to their ranks. Such an exchange between the newer generation and the old was a common occurrence. The entire upper echelon of the Empire had noticed that something was changing, but the Imperial clan and the major clans would not meddle in each other''s affairs. Apart from those who were directly involved, everyone else decided to stay away from the epicenter. Several government decrees soon departed from the Endless Palace, allowing everyone a peep into a corner of the iceberg. The cabinet was also reformed. The four great assisting ministers were removed, completely ending the system left behind by the previous reign. At the same time, departmental authorities were returned to the government with all officials now overseen by a new Imperial Steward. The army reforms that had been under discussion all this time were finally settled. The number of great marshals was still the same at ten. There were personnel changes as well. Lin Xitang was released from his marshal position and promoted to Imperial Steward. His official rank of Guardian Marquis was promoted to Guardian Duke, along with an additional title of Imperial Tutor. The Northern Legion was granted to the Guardian Duke as his private army. Zhang Boqians territories of Fuhuang, Jishui, and Juxu were assigned under Marquis Fuling Wu Yazi. The latter had been promoted to the marshal rank, and to assist him, Marquis Bowangs heir Wei Potian was promoted to lieutenant general. Marquis Fuling was one of the rare marshals born of a landowning household and was also brother in law to Marquis Bowangs brother, Song Bainian. In this manner, the Far East Wei Clan had once again regained the marshal position they had lost for many years. The Western Continent territories under Lin Xitangs supervision were now under the leadership of Zhao Gongcheng, who had been promoted to the marshal rank. Currently, the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan was the biggest clan on the Western Continent and its power was now comparable to the Zhang. Lin Xitangs Riverwest Corridor region had been split into three parts and added to the adjacent military zones. Numerous such changes occurred throughout the empire. The shuffling of titles and appointments sent a clear message. The hidden unrest in the Empire was now past and the current Imperial clan had no intention of centralizing power. The Far East Wei Clan was likely the first high-ranking aristocratic family to open up a path toward becoming a major clan, followed by the second, third, and more. Subjects both inside the court and outside accepted all the changes in a quiet and respectful manner. The void continent, at this point, was covered in raging flames. Looking down from above, one would see three imperial armies sawing through the dark race formation like sharp blades. The central and eastern routes, especially, were far more incisive than the western one. These two armies stabbed deep into the void continent like fierce tigers running through the forest. They were surrounded by the dark race wolf-packs who were on the constant lookout for the tigers weakness. The western route marched slowly but with great stability, much like a giant millstone that would crush all enemies in its wake. Comparatively, this routes foundations were the strongest. The eastern side of the void continent was filled with complicated landscapes and cliffs. It was naturally easy to defend and difficult to assault. The imperial forces were marching swiftly forward on the ground, followed by a slow motorcade of trucks and troop transports. There were also several airships hovering forward at low altitude and keeping pace with the army. On one of the warships, Princess Haimi was clad in a full suit of battle-armor which covered up most of her face. Only those bright burning eyes, and the long flowing hair behind her helmet, reminded people of her great beauty. From time to time, Evernight high-speed airships would pierce through the clouds in an attempt to attack the advancing troops. Every time this happened, the slow-moving imperial warships would retaliate with shocking accuracy and make quick work of these uninvited guests. Most Evernight warships would retreat after seeing the difficult situation, but a small number of greedy vessels would be shot down by the imperial fleet. The Evernight warships would only launch guerilla attacks since the Empire had taken control of the void airspace, but even so, their losses were still significant. At this point, the motorcade slowed down all of a sudden as, following a loud gunshot, the armored vehicle at the front burst into flames. The warships slowly came to a halt as well. A brigadier general who was half-soaked in blood ran into the command room and fell on one knee. Your Highness, we have encountered an enemy ambush. Princess Haimai asked after a moment of silence. What happened? The brigadier general replied, The dark races have set up a well-hidden defensive stronghold to the front. We never realized it until we were near. My guess is that they have a domain-expert among them to perfect their camouflage. Can we fight our way through? The brigadier general hesitated for a moment. Their defenses are airtight. It seems they have been in operation for quite some time Chapter 1157: The Power of Three Arrows What kind of experts are there? Our first scouting team confirmed that theres a mighty marquis on the first line of defense. Calculating from that, Im guessing that the commander should be a duke. Duke, I understand. The brigadier general said hurriedly, Your Highness! Thats just my guess, you must not act without further confirmation! Haimi said nothing more, so the brigadier general didnt dare continue. He only remained kneeling in front of the princess. At this point, the Empires vanguard was already deployed, and the two sides were exchanging fierce fire. The dark races had occupied the two sides of the valley up front and secured the high-ground advantage. The Imperial vanguard was repelled several times by the fierce defensive fire, losing hundreds of warriors without making any progress. An Imperial warship tried to approach from the air and provide suppressive fire, however, a streak of meteoric flames shot out from the Evernight camp and made straight for the incoming vessel. The airship did its utmost to evade, but it was still struck by the projectile, which shattered the hull armor and left a burning hole. The warship immediately turned to flee, slanting toward the ground as it did so. Fortunately, it managed to land in Empire controlled territory, and it only caught fire but didnt explode. The people inside were able to escape. This flaming streak meant that there was a superior expert operating an anti-air ballista. Ordinary corvettes couldnt take a single blow from it. This meant that the Empires warships couldnt approach the Evernight base from a low altitude. The battle quickly fell into a deadlock. The Empire performed another desperate charge but were, once again, repelled with heavy casualties. On the flagship, all the generals were paying attention to both sides of the battlefield. The frontal defensive line was so sturdy that they would need to deploy the entire army, and preparing sufficient firepower for that would take more than just a couple of days. However, there were only endless mountain ranges on either side of this valley, with no path for trucks to travel through. They couldnt just let the soldiers run to Whitetown, could they? I guess its here, said Princess Haimi. The generals were still trying to figure out her intention when Haimi stretched out her hand, and her attendants passed her a giant bow that was even taller than herself. She walked out to the deck with the bow and slowly took to the air, closely followed by the other generals. Haimi turned back and said, Why is everyone following me? You lot come with me. The rest shall return. The generals were stunned. Youre A duel. The shocked generals tried to dissuade the princess, but Haimi said, If I dont go, will you people go instead? Some of the older generals from the Imperial Guard had seen Princess Haimi in action, but that was many years ago. She had seldom appeared for all these years, let alone engage in combat. At this point, no one knew what her true strength was. A military order had to be obeyed. After the princess repeated the command, the generals had no choice but to obey. One of them stood forward and roared, All of you listen! Who is your commander? Report your name and get ready to be slaughtered! The Evernight formation remained silent as no one replied. This general repeated his taunt again and even added some profanities. Just as he was getting excited with his shouting, someone appeared beside him all of a sudden. It was actually Princess Haimi. Haimi grabbed this general and tossed him back into the formation. Then, her clear voice echoed through the entire sky, Dark race bastards! Have your men all died? If your men dont dare come out, just send a male dog or bull! This voice spewing this curse was incomparably pleasant to the ear, but the contents were simply inexpressible. The generals who hadnt heard of her style were immediately dumbfounded, and some of the older generals lamented at the disgrace to the Imperial households image. The Evernight side could no longer maintain their previous indifference. A demonkin man slowly flew up into the sky and stood facing Haimi from afar. I am Mori of the Bluerose family. Never heard of you. Haimis response angered Mori so much that he almost fell off the sky, but she wasnt about to stop there. Did you offend the Eternal Flame or some other old fogey? They sent you out here despite knowing that Im here! Moris brows arched up so much that they were almost vertical, and the corner of his mouth was twitching slightly. As an expert born of a small family, he attached great importance to his reputation. Suffering such humiliation before an army of ten thousand would result in a lot of rumors if he didnt respond. However, this was different from the strategy he had been instructed to follow. The upper echelons orders were to defend the pass and stall for as long as possible. Although, as a duke, Mori had the right to decide on the strategy in the field, he couldnt help but feel hesitant to attack. Haimi saw right through his thoughts. Whats the point of winning the battle if your reputation is a wreck? They wont remember your accomplishments after you go back, all theyll talk about is your cowardice. Mori finally made up his mind. He slowly drew his sword and said, Since thats the case, let me witness Eldest Princess Haimis abilities. Haimi replied, Sure, but dont run away after a while. I will teach you how to be a good demonkin. Hearing this, Mori was stunned. What do you mean by a good demonkin? He wanted to know what the other partys definition of a good demonkin was. A dead demonkin is a good demonkin! These words hadnt even trailed off when Princess Haimi drew her bow, and a radiant green arrow arrived before Mori! Mori was shocked out of his wits. He had never imagined that Princess Haimis archery would be that fast! A slight distraction and the arrow was already at his forehead! In his urgency, he unleashed an explosive shout, and his body became somewhat ethereal. The arrow shot through his forehead immediately afterward, blowing his head into a cloud of dark demonic energy. Moris silhouette condensed again afterward, curled up and hugging his knees. It turned out that Princess Haimis arrow had grazed past his back and struck a substitute target, seemingly produced by a secret art. Mori stretched his body with an unsightly expression, but all of a sudden, several parts of his body exploded into clouds of dark mist, revealing the shadow of his trunk and limbs. His aura immediately weakened after the smoke dispersed. Haimis arrow had immediately destroyed one of his life-saving powers. Even a duke couldnt help but find his hand trembling after a brush with death. He could be considered one of the younger dukes, and as one born from a small family, it wasnt easy for him to reach this stage. Without waiting for him to calm down, Haimi nocked a second arrowone shrouded in dazzling arcs of lightning. The arrow flew out in complete silence and traveled like a flash of lightning. By the time the duke noticed it, the projectile was already before his eyes! This time, Mori was on high-alert. He deflected the lightning arrow with a slash of his sword, but the lightning spread to his body and began to react with his black demonic energy. The black mist was at a clear disadvantage in the fierce battle. It was just that the limited amount of lightning couldnt overcome the constantly replenishing demonic energy. No one could see Haimis expression under her mask, but her body was straight and her movements were calm as she nocked the third arrow. This time, there was a hazy yellow light upon it, and it seemed to be thousands of tons in weight. Even Haimi looked a bit strained in the process. This arrow was much slower than the other two, but it brought about the pressure of an entire mountain. Mori had no time to evade since he was still busy dealing with the lightning. Moreover, the other party had already taken the initiative. He would be utterly defeated if he were to keep edging back. Left with no other choice, the demonkin raised his blade, his demonic energy surging as he slashed at the arrow with great ferocity! A loud, earth-shattering rumble echoed from the exchange. Mori was flung backward from the impact, coughing up blood as his aura declined once more. The overwhelming shock was visible on his face. Princess Haimi was even stronger than how the legends made her out to be. It felt like she would determine life or death as soon as she took action, injuring the demonkin duke in just three shots. Seeing that Haimi was whipping out the fourth arrow, Mori immediately turned and fled. However, a figure appeared in front of him and effectively blocked his path. What are you running for? The battle is not yet over. After stopping Mori, that person turned to Haimi with a smile. Eldest Princess skill is known as the seven divine arrows. If you use them up like this, what are you going to fight me with? Mori was astonished when he looked up. The Evernight Council had sent word that they would be sending Duke Doer to this strategic point, and it was just about time for him to arrive. But why was this person here, instead? This was a veteran council member! Haimi put away the fourth arrow, but her voice remained just as cold and calm. Without the slightest bit of surprise, she said, Ge Situ, has your previous injury healed? This problem caused the old mans face to turn red. Back then, he had descended to the Evernight Continent with great momentum, only to be beaten back by Zhao Ruoxi and her Red Spider Lily. Although it wasnt a humiliation to be defeated by a Grand Magnum, Ge Situ had to lie in the clans blood pond for several years after that. It just so happened that Princess Haimi sized him up from head to toe. It looks like the council is out of people. They actually scooped you out of the blood pond. Strange, hasnt your civil war stopped already? Where are all the people? As patient as Ge Situ was, he couldnt help but feel furious at this point. Princess, youll know in a bit whether or not my injuries have healed. But I am quite curious as to why you seem like you were forewarned. Did someone from the council leak information? Princess Haimi said, With me here, any idiot will know that sending trash like him is suicidal. That is unless hes so stupid that he wants to tackle this route himself. Moris face turned red in shame and anger. The council had indeed made corresponding arrangements, but when Princess Haimi challenged him, Mori had felt that he could go all out without waiting for the other duke to join in. Who wouldve thought he would be pushed to the brink of defeat by just three shots. That fourth arrow of hers was likely for pursuit and killing. If Ge Situ hadnt appeared when he did, the demonkin would likely have fallen to the fourth shot. Chapter 1158: Casualty It was difficult to say whether it was an illusion, but the lips of Haimis mask seemed to arch up into a cold smile. She said indifferently, I only had a thirty percent chance at first, but you arrived too late. That demonkin idiot has been gravely injured, its a wonder if he has seventy to eighty percent strength left. What makes me curious is that the idiot has never seen me before, unlike you and I who have exchanged blows in the past. Why did you stay back for so long? And you purposely took action so late. Moris expression changed immediately. He had never sensed anyone nearby up until Ge Situ appeared in front of him. Apparently, the man was hiding his traces. Ge Situ said furiously, You were just a lass back then, theres no way youd be the same now. Didnt the lass put up a pretty good fight? Ge Situ knew this matter would only shame him the more he tried to explain. He opened his palms, revealing flashes of sanguine lightning between his fingertips. Theres no point in talking, lets fight! However, he had just finished opening his palm when an arrow appeared on Princess Haimis bow. This projectile was jet black, almost as though it could absorb all light around it, and its contrast with the surroundings was the only sign of its existence. Ge Situs hair stood on end. The seventh arrow! His voice hadnt even trailed off when the black arrow began its flight and, in the blink of an eye, appeared behind him! The vampire let out a loud scream, drifting away in an extremely complicated trajectory. He actually couldnt spare any attention for Mori or the army of ten thousand behind him. Mori was stunned by the unexpected development. Haimi removed her mask to reveal an indescribable countenance. She looked only twenty, almost as though the years had not left a single trace on her face. It was just that her exquisite face was fairly paleno one knew whether it was because she had remained hidden beneath the mask for too long, or if she had suffered some injury. However, the two sad but beautiful streams of blood flowing down from the corner of her eyes proved that her condition wasnt too great. She turned toward Mori and said, Do you know why I removed my mask? Moris expression was serious, and he knew there was no way the reason was a romantic one. He asked while devoting all of his attention to guarding himself, Why? I said I only had a thirty percent chance of getting through, right? But after injuring you, I now have sixty. Mori said cautiously, And then? Mori was shocked out of his wits! He knew that the princess had paid a steep price for shooting that seventh arrow just now, and there were only two left. However, he had no intention of testing their might. Ge Situ had already fled, so he wasnt about to pay with his life here. Wait! Mori raised both his hands in an attempt to say something. But there was no way Haimi would heed his call. She gradually drew her bow to the end. Seeing that things werent looking good, Mori simply turned to flee, and Haimi didnt fire at him in the end. With Ge Situ and Mori both gone, the morale of the dark race army below was easily imaginable. The Imperial vanguard stopped their attack at just the right time, allowing the Evernight defensive line to retreat in a hurry. The Empire didnt disrupt or chase after them. The Eastern fronts primary objective was to complete the rendezvous and not to kill the dark race forces. The enemy unit was fully outfitted and entrenched, only lacking a commander. If they were to become desperate and decide to fight to the death, the Imperial army would be stalled once again. Haimi stood with her bow in hand until the Evernight forces had retreated. Go. She said as she returned to the warship. The princess had donned her mask once more, hiding all her emotions from the masses. The Imperial eastern route once again took off. They rolled through the defensive lines and began traveling along the edge of the continent. The central route, on the other hand, was a different scenario. Zhao Jundus forces split into several waves and attacked in tandem. He would be at the forefront of every battle, raising troop morale and cementing their will to die for the cause. They charged through with invincible momentum and made straight for Whitetown. Since Zhao Jundu was leading the charge, the Empire naturally attached great importance to this warfront. Duke Wei oversaw the route personally, acting as the main pillar. When Duke Doer showed up, Duke Wei naturally took over the duty of facing him, and the two eventually fought their way out into the void. Without a duke-grade expert to hold the line, there was no way the Evernight forces could withstand the assault of the Zhao clans private army. Their defenses crumbled one after the other, and the entire central region was soon cut up into pieces. If it wasnt for the Misty Wood acting as a natural barrier, there was no telling how bad their warfront would fare. In the series of assaults, Zhao Jundu discovered a side of him that used to be eclipsed by his powerful combat strength. He realized that he wasnt inferior to the Empires first-line generals in terms of command talents. His acute instincts would always allow him to find the weakest point in the enemy defensive line and demolish them in one charge. On the other hand, the Evernight soldiers had all realized that their hold on the void continent was now lost. No one was in a battle-hungry mood as they were thinking about how to survive; even their desire to defend wasnt quite firm. Some tacticians sensed that Zhao Jundus strategic skills had once again improved. The forces under him were never given any form of relief, and regardless of their surrounding situation, he would only advance without the slightest bit of flanking or retreat. Fortunately, at the rear, Indomitable was being run by Zhao Xuanji. Thus, the supplies never stopped rolling in to replenish the main army. Wherever Zhao Jundus army passed through, he would defeat all obstructions with invincible momentum, leaving little room for those strategists to do their job. Additionally, there were two smaller groups from Zhao Weihuang and Zhao Xuanjis army that served to protect Zhao Jundus flanks. In this manner, the central void continent quickly became the Zhao clans playground. The eastern routeled by the Imperial clan and all the others, including the Greensun Zhang Clanwas pushed into the western route. This was a rather strange distribution. Some people tried to analyze the reason, but no one could make head or tail of it. All they felt was that there were too many people from the Imperial family and the Zhao clan. Although the Imperial family and the Imperial Guard had always led the charge in national battles, the void continent war wasnt really at that scale. Besides, the Imperial familys territories were mostly on the Qin continent. With the Longevity Monarch on the verge of death, they would have to take up a defensive role once the guardian heavenly monarch had passed. How would they have enough personnel on the mainland if they send so many people here? Back in Whitetown. The entire city had changed beyond recognitionthere were only a handful of tall buildings left as most noticeable structures had been leveled by the dark race cannons. The city had been reduced to ruins, and its streets were lined with corpses until there was no soil left. Thick smoke lingered in the air, but there werent a lot of flames at this point; there wasnt much left to burn. Since the beginning of the battle, Romier had slammed the city crazily with heavy cannons. This kind of violent bombardment was indeed effective. At the very least, most of Song Zinings cannon units had been destroyed. Qianye and Song Zining didnt feel that much of a heartache because they had almost used up their ammunition stores. They didnt have time to feel heartache, either, because the dark race army charged up as soon as the bombardment was over. Romier initiated eight assaults in a single day. Although all of them were repelled, every corner of the city was scarred with traces of battle. In a room of a dilapidated building, Qianye was leaning against a wall, smoking. This was a rare luxury on the current battlefield. Song Zining was covered in dirt and soil, almost as though he had dug his way out from somewhere. He sat down in front of Qianye and muttered, Ah, that was tiring! Dont those fellows feel anything about losing so much cannon fodder? How many men do we have left? Ill tell you later, give me a cigarette. Ive used up mine. Qianye groped around on his body, but there was none. So, he simply passed his current half to Song Zining. The latter couldnt care about hygiene or whatnot at this point. He sucked deeply on the smoke and said in a satisfied tone, For some reason, I feel like smoking whenever I fight After finishing the cigarette, Song Zining put away his domain and said, We have about ten thousand men left, but there are only a couple hundred fresh reserves. Their attacks are too desperate, something is wrong. We only have ten thousand left? Qianye knew that they had suffered grave casualties, but the numbers went beyond his expectations. Song Zinings view was different. I think Dark Flame will be going bankrupt after this war. This time, Qianye and Song Zining had brought forty thousand soldiers from the neutral lands. Apart from the ten thousand remaining on stand-by aboard the airships, the remainder were all garrisoned in Whitetown. They had lost almost half their forces in a single day, a testament to just how fierce the battle was. Be it defense or offense, a casualty rate of this degree wouldve caused the army to collapse if they were in the neutral lands. In the chaotic battle, even Qianye and Song Zining were powerless to take care of those ordinary mercenaries. The titled enemy experts, throwing themselves forward like ants biting an elephant, was enough to keep them busy. Thinking about how over ten thousand soldiers had died in this small piece of land, Qianye felt everything was almost unreal. Song Zining patted his shoulder. Dont think too much. This is war. We lost over ten thousand men, but the enemy has lost three, four times the number. The most distressing thing for the dark races was that the humans multiplied too fast, almost as fast as their slave soldiers and cannon fodder. Comparatively, their slave soldiers couldnt be trained into high-ranking warriors or titled experts. Although only a small number of humans could awaken daybreak origin power, almost all of them could be trained to use weapons. This meant that at an actual warrior-level, the humans were quicker to replenish than the dark races. Hence, any battle where the human casualties were smaller than the dark races was an acceptable outcome. The dark races had lost several times the number of soldiers in the assault on Whitetown. The battle accomplishment here could be considered glorious by any measure. It was just that Qianyes frown never relaxed. On the distant warship, Romier felt dark clouds gathering on his forehead as he looked at the casualty report. After a long while, he said, That means, weve lost fifty thousand soldiers in just one day? A count said cautiously, Thats including the ones who are missing. Chapter 1159: Battle of Attrition Qianye remained still. Under the effects of bloodline concealment, he was able to remain undetected even as the vampire soldiers rushed past him. Only when they had passed did he stand up and aim his Mystic Spider Lily at the back of a vampire knights head. He then vanished again after a single shot. The knight let out a miserable scream as he fell to the ground, rolling about while clutching his head. The vampire warriors stopped immediatelysome remained on guard, while the others tried to save their officer. The vampire knight was the leader of this squad. Currently, he was critically injured, but not without hope of survival. In the end, the soldiers had no choice but to split off most of their men to carry the knight out of the battlefield. The remaining handful of soldiers became cautious as they explored deeper into Whitetown. Qianyes figure vanished after observing the developments. When he appeared again, he was already on a rooftop several street blocks away, hurling a spear and pinning a werewolf baron to the road. That barons two followers wanted to help their master, but some of the corpses on the roadside suddenly stood up. A hail of bullets ensued, punching holes in the two followers until they looked like sieves. The mercenaries then scattered in every direction, lying down again elsewhere and pretending to be corpses. Every corner, light and dark, might see a bullet or a dagger suddenly appear, so every corpse had to be confirmed for authenticity. It wasnt even certain if a random pile of rubble was safea number of mercenaries might rush out or it might collapse and turn into a trap. The dark races had dug numerous tunnels under Whitetown to store supplies. After Song Zining took over the city, he expanded these tunnels to form a maze-like network with several layers. At this point in the fight, all these arrangements were being fully utilized. After suffering in the city ruins repeatedly, the dark races soon discovered that the secret was underground, yet they had no way to counter the strategy. They had discovered some underground entrances, but those entering would never return. No one knew which passage was real and which was a death trap. The entire city and the area below it were interweaving battlefields, where danger was lurking in every direction. In these ruins, two enemies were the most dangerousQianye and Song Zining. The latters Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art could produce illusions that were difficult to discern. Numerous times, two different dark race units would see the silhouette of a mercenary group and end up killing one another. After killing a demonkin viscount, Qianye finally felt a tinge of exhaustion. He had unknowingly been fighting for an entire day and lost count of the number of fights he had joined. Was it twenty or thirty? The sky was turning dark, and the moon was glowing with a faint yellow hue, outlined by a thread of blood-red. The void continent would occasionally see two moons as well, but their positioning and shape were largely different from the main continents. This filled one with the feeling of being in a distant land, especially when the fight was at its fiercest. A long steam-whistle resounded in the distance. This mournful and lonesome sound was the signal to retreat. The dark race soldiers ran out of the city like the receding tides, many of them falling to the bullets striking their backs. The mercenaries tenacity and blood-thirst had been fully awakened; they had no intention of holding back their fire just because the enemy was retreating. Qianye climbed on top of a crumbling building and gazed at the direction of Whitetown. In his eyes, the specks of light that represented living flesh had grown sparse. This meant that a good number of mercenaries had once again become corpses. Although he knew some of them were still in the underground tunnels, the number was fairly limited. Sensing something, he leaped down onto a pile of rubble in a certain street block. Song Zining was gasping on a large rock. His mask was nowhere to be found, and even his white robe had disappeared. Only his spear was firmly in his hand, its color dim from the caked blood. Qianye sat down beside him and sighed. We dont have many troops left. Song Zining replied, They lost a lot more. Many of them have been following us for some time. Song Zining understood Qianyes mood. Qianye, its normal for people to die in such battles. This is a frontal war between two major factions. Not to mention a couple thousand soldiers, you, me, and even bigger characters are just small pawns on the battlefield. We have no choice even if were pushed to the forefront. Qianye sighed. I really dont understand sometimes, whats all this fighting for? Survival and resources, what else? Ha, those arent things we should be thinking about. What we need to do now is survive. At this point, Song Zining patted Qianyes back. Youre a man whos going to stomp on the Sacred Mountain, how can you be so downcast? Haha. How about you? What do you fight for? Qianye asked all of a sudden. Song Zining said after a period of silence, Before the old ancestor went into death cultivation, I could already feel that she was filled with regret. She regretted not ruling with a heavy hand and cleaning out the family. Speaking of which, I wouldnt have received training in Yellow Springs if she hadnt made the final decision back then. She was the one who made the decision? Qianye was shocked. Song Zining had never mentioned how he had come to join the Yellow Springs camp. Qianye had always thought Song Zining had been abandoned by the clan after his talent test was manipulated. That was why he never asked about the details. Now, it would seem that Song Zining did suffer discrimination in the clan, and the old duchess was also pulling the strings from behind. Yellow Springs wasnt a bad thing. Think about it, those on the Evernight Continent would never get such resources even if they sold their lives for it. Song Zining stretched lazily. Im so tired, let me lean on you. Qianye kicked away a charred piece of metal and sat down with his back against Song Zining. The two reminisced about the past, about Yellow Springs, and the time before they had met. This was an era where one had to struggle for survival, not one where one could live upon anothers charity. Even if one could live by kneeling, some would rather die standing. Thinking back to the Evernight dumpster, Qianye couldnt avoid a certain scene from popping up in his mind. That silver-haired man reaching out to him, his body shrouded in lingering green light. It felt as though he had met an angel. Far off in the distance, Romiers expression was ashen as he observed the long casualty report. His eyes were so red that it looked like he was going to bleed. Only titled experts were listed in the document, and that was exactly why this list was so shocking. Those at the scene couldnt help but feel relieved that they werent a part of this list. The only one who wasnt astonished was Duke Pratt, the one other seated person in the room. He had indeed entered Whitetown and retreated when the order was issued. But how could ordinary experts know what he was doing inside the city? Even if some people knew, they didnt dare speak out. Romier had no way to deal with this. Looking at the casualty report, he finally realized Pratts mood when he was retreating. Over half of the titled experts under his command were now dead, including a marquis and no small number of direct relatives. This battle had severely damaged Romiers forces, and it would take several decades to replenish the loss. All eyes were on Romier at the moment. The man knew what everyone was thinkingthey wanted him to enter Whitetown with Pratt. That was the only way to suppress Qianye and Song Zining. To be frank, it was time for a showdown between the two parties. This decision, however, wasnt easy. Romier rarely fought in factional wars, but he wasnt about to underestimate his opponents. As a powerful character of the Mamon clan, he knew certain secrets that even Pratt didnt. He recalled the arachne duke who had charged into the Martyrs Palace. The spider had to flee for his life almost immediately, leaving his fleet behind and traversing the void forcibly. Later on, he was saved by the reinforcement fleet, and that was the only reason he had survived. Even now, the arachne was still unconscious, and no one knew what had happened inside the Martyrs Palace. Romier couldnt stop thinking about that expert who had injured the arachne duke. Where could they be hiding? He had investigated repeatedly, regardless of the cost, but he couldnt find out the experts whereabouts. From the beginning up until the end, there was only Qianye and Song Zining inside Whitetown. At the thought of this, Romier couldnt help but glare at Pratt, but the old arachne pretended not to know. Romier felt quite hateful at heart. If Pratt hadnt given him the wrong information, he wouldnt have lost so many soldiers. At this point, it seemed Whitetown had several thousand soldiers remaining at the very least. That meant Qianye had garrisoned over thirty thousand soldiers here! Fitting thirty thousand men into this small place was crazy. And what black magic were these human defensive structures made of? They could still be used to fight a battle of attrition after being demolished by heavy cannons. Gazing at the distant Whitetown, Romier finally spoke, How many soldiers do we have left? Sire, less than forty thousand. After a moment, Romier said with narrowed eyes, Issue the order, all forces attack! All tribes, all warriors, I want everyone who can move on the front lines. The flagship will retreat back into the void. All the followers were shocked. Sire, you must not! This was cutting off ones path of retreat. Apparently, Romier was planning to burn their boats and defeat Whitetown. The only problem was that Romier was cutting off the retreat of those on the ground. People at his level could retreat immediately once things went south and return to the flagship. The other counts and viscounts who couldnt traverse the void would be left behind to die. Pratt understood Romiers plan, but his own flagship was also in the void, so he was all too happy to follow the plan. The other people didnt dare criticize Romier directly. Having assigned the mission, Romier turned to Pratt with a smile. Sire Pratt, would you be interested in taking a stroll through Whitetown with me? Pratt stood up and said, Theres nothing to see there, but if Sire Romier is interested, I shall of course accompany you. Very good! Romier walked out of the warship and stood in the air. All the experts appeared behind him as the massive warship turned about and vanished over the horizon. In Whitetown, Qianye felt as though he didnt get to sit very long before the sound of cannon shells once again echoed through the air. At this point, no one was bothering to intercept the projectiles. Origin power was preciouseven Qianye couldnt completely replenish his energy at this point, let alone others. The dark races didnt have much ammunition left, either. The sparse cannon fire was just for a show of dominance. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances, ready to split off into the field. It was at this time that Qianye sensed something and looked up at the sky. The two Evernight dukes were slowly flying toward them, unleashing their aura without the slightest bit of concealment. Time for a showdown. Qianye realized. Chapter 1160: Field of Death The mercenaries felt heavy pressure. There was no escape under the present circumstances, and the only outcome was death if they failed to resist this wave. Considering their options, wasnt it much better to die gloriously in battle? At this point, the survivors were all highly experienced and powerful mercenaries. They made use of every advantage they had, not missing any small opportunity to push back and bleed the enemy. At the center of Whitetown, a certain building had changed owners several times. The mercenary gunfire from inside gradually became weak, then completely died out as a group of werewolves and vampires charged in. This building had long since turned into ruins and was covered in the corpses of dark race soldiers. After paying a steep price, the dark races finally captured this central bridgehead for their army. If they could hold the central region, the mercenaries would be forced to separate. With that, the scales would tip in the dark races favor. However, the Evernight soldiers had no time to cheer before they noticed something strange. Upon observing their surroundings, there seemed to be some extra objects in their vision. An experienced werewolf glanced at his feet reflexively and saw two grenades! An explosion engulfed the entire building, the shockwaves and flying debris tearing the Evernight warriors into pieces. There was no blind angle to the explosion, and the smoke itself was enough to suffocate people to death. Who wouldve thought such a violent explosion could be produced by a gunpowder weapon? How terrifying would the intensity have to be to kill all the dark races inside? Song Zining appeared quietly and gestured toward the street corner. A small group of mercenaries ran over and captured this point once again. Just now, he had used his domain to hide a large number of grenades at the Evernight soldiers feet. He managed to kill off a group of elites with such a primitive method. Qianye didnt target the ordinary soldiers deliberately, only killing the unlucky ones who happened to be near him. His attention was entirely on the two Evernight experts in the air, trying to figure out who he should attack first. After all, the power gap between the two parties was quite huge, and Qianye would only have one chance for a surprise attack. Moments later, Qianyes gaze locked onto Duke Romier. Pratt had already run back once, and that proved he had no intention of fighting Qianye to the death. If he could deal a heavy blow to Romier, Pratt would likely run away. Qianye retracted his aura and merged into the battlefield. With Pratt at his side, Romier naturally couldnt show any weakness even though he felt a bit uneasy. He simply braced himself and entered the battlefield. The two dukes working together would have an overwhelming advantage over Qianye and Song Zining. The only thing they had to worry about was how much damage the desperate enemies would cause on the verge of death. Pratt had other thoughts, but they naturally wouldnt appear on his face. Romier flew over the city at an altitude of several dozen meters, shooting out dark red clouds from time to time. This mist would cover an entire area and reap all life from it. Even the dark race soldiers would suffer injuries from the sanguine cloud if they were not vampires. The only solace was that it wouldnt take their lives. The cannon fodder, though, werent that lucky. A sanguine cloud immediately killed two mercenaries and a handful of servspiders who were just about to fight. Only a single arachne knight crawled out from the mist, but his right limbs had been injured by the falling wall. With his slave soldiers gone, his chances of survival were slim at best. Pratt glanced at the scene but said nothing. As for what was going on in his mind, no one knew. In the blink of an eye, Romier had carved out a path of death through Whitetown. Several origin bullets blasted Romier, but how could these attacks injure him? All they did was reveal the shooters, who soon lost their lives to the sanguine cloud. Romier sensed that something was wrong in one of the areas below, but he couldnt quite put his finger on it. He tossed a bloody cloud over just in case but noticed Pratt sneering at him from the side. What are you sniggering at? Romier asked gloomily. The duke sure is cautious, youre even afraid of ambushes from under the rubble. I should learn more from you regarding this ability. Romier only responded with a snort. He had forced Pratt back to the battlefield first, then made the man circle Whitetown with him. It was only natural that this arachne vice-duke would hold some resentment. Pratt saw that Romier didnt retort and decided to let things be since he had gained a slight advantage. The vampire duke wasnt in a good mood, either, since the Mamon clans forces had suffered grave casualties. This was quite a hefty damage even for one of the twelve major vampire clans. At this moment, sanguine clouds had covered the ruined city below. Qianye was crouching in a gap, peeking out of the building through a crevice. The lingering sanguine mist around his body sought to corrode him, but they would shrink away immediately after touching his skin. Qianye pinched off some of the sanguine mist on a whim and noticed a peaceful aura from it. Turns out the cloud wasn''t suppressed because of his dark golden blood energy, but rather they considered him one of their kind. Qianye dragged over a nearby corpse and flipped it over. Inside of the mans combat armor, he saw the symbol of a holy grail pouring blood, the insignia of the Mamon clan. Qianye felt an inherent sense of familiarity from the Mamon blood energy, almost as though a small part of him came from it. After careful thought, he remembered that the purple blood energy inside his body was somewhat similar to the Mamons, except it was purer. William seemed to have mentioned once that the crystal, from which the purple blood energy stemmed, could produce another Nana. Didnt that mean Nana was from the Mamon clan? That was good news because Romier would be inherently careless about Qianyes blood energy, and his dark golden blood energy was poisonous to all vampires. Qianye waited patiently, looking for the perfect opportunity to attack. With two dukes suppressing the battlefield, even Song Zining could only stall for time despite appearing here and there to take back strategic positions. The Evernight army quickly gained the advantage in Whitetown, occupying almost half of the city and pushing Dark Flame toward the underground tunnels. Once the entire battle was out of control, this underground base would become a coffin. A group of demonkin warriors was exploring a half-destroyed building at this point. One of them kicked open the door to find an extremely beautiful girl, sitting there in clean clothes. The startled soldier forgot to fire immediately, but just as he was about to question her, the girl opened her mouth and blew gently in his direction. The warrior felt his vision go dark as he collapsed to the ground. All his other comrades also fell down silently. The invisible region of death spread out at a rapid pace, causing the Evernight soldiers around the building to collapse in droves. Outside the building, some of the stronger soldiers were able to struggle for a while, but they couldnt even cry outthey could only glare in vain as they quickly lost their lives. In the blink of an eye, the field of death had expanded to a hundred meters, and almost a thousand elite soldiers had turned into corpses. Romiers gaze suddenly shifted toward the expanding field of death. Just as he was turning around, his long hair moved even though there was no wind! Roaring frantically, the vampire duke immediately retreated and found a black feather in front of him! Qianyes figure was just about to fade away in the distance. Romier made a decision in the blink of an eye. His duke-grade reflexes and judgment told him to give up on evasion and focus all of his attention on defense. At the same time, he swiped at the air to produce a sanguine cloud where Qianye would appear. The sanguine cloud contracted and slammed into Qianyes body like countless iron rods. However, Qianye unleashed an explosive roar as he erupted with a terrifying force that exceeded even Romier''s! The sanguine mist was thus scattered forcibly. Qianye turned pale and coughed up a mouthful of blood, but his figure flickered away and vanished. At that moment, the faint black feather shot into Romiers chest. The duke froze up. It wasnt just his movements, but even his expression was plastered, almost as though he had turned into a statue. Pratt carefully maintained his distance and only stared at Romiers current state. His eyes shifted about, and no one could tell what he was thinking. Moments later, expression returned to Romiers face. His eyes landed on Pratt for a moment, then at the field of death below. The area had expanded to a hundred and fifty meters before coming to a halt. All of the Evernight soldiers in the field had been reduced to corpses, including two counts. Thousands of elites had been lost in the blink of an eye. This was an unbearable loss for the already injured Evernight army. There seemed to be no Dark Flame mercenaries inside the field, meaning that the losses were all on the Evernight side. Compared to Qianyes strike, Romier clearly felt more of a heartache about this sudden field of death. The dukes expression suddenly turned pale before returning to normalcy. An undisguisable smile appeared on Pratts face when he saw what had happened. He then turned toward the field of death as well. Romier said all of a sudden, The mercenaries are down to their last men, Qianye must be suffering as well. Throw in our last reserve force and take Whitetown! Sire, this so-called reserve force is made up of our personal guards. They number less than a thousand even when added together. Thats enough! Everyone, including non-essential airship crew, must join the battle! Romiers tone was strict. Pratt didnt agree. Sire, those people are the final supporting pillars of our clans. Your status in the Mammon clan is already decided at this point, but I still want to advance in the future. Are you avoiding battle!? Pratt pointed behind Romier with a smile. Sire, you wont win this fight! Feeling a sharp pain behind his neck, Romier turned back to find Caroline descending from the distant skies with her lightning whip. The dukes eyes narrowed as he sized up Caroline. Ill deal with her! Pratt, you go down and kill Qianye and Song Zining! Sire, will you be fine dealing with her alone? Of course. Romier was calm and collected. He knew Pratt might change his stance if he were to show some weakness. The arachne vice-duke had been observing his performance after taking the Shot of Inception. It was clear that he had evil intentions. Not seeing any openings, Pratt bowed toward Romier and got ready to descend into the city. Qianye had taken a counterattack from Romier, and Song Zining was already exhausted from the prolonged battle. There wasnt any major threat at this point. Chapter 1161: Retreating Without a Figh Romier hadnt imagined that the central army would arrive so quickly. He couldnt help but curse, Doer, that useless idiot! Evernight had already shuffled their commander deployment in response to the Empires attack. The force intercepting the central route was the weakest, but that was because the attacking army would suffer the greatest pressure. It was akin to cutting a path right through the middle of the Evernight army, and they would encounter a three-prong retaliation if the eastern and western routes didnt go well. According to the current arrangements, the force sent to intercept Princess Haimi was the strongest, followed by the western route, and with the central route being the weakest. Almost all of the movable heavy cannons had been shipped to Whitetown in hopes of swiftly eliminating the blade that had stabbed into the heart of the Evernight territory. Who wouldve thought that they would fail to take Whitetown after suffering such losses? Moreover, the central route had actually arrived even before the Empires Princess Haimi. Romier had no more time to curse Doers inability. He stared fixedly at Caroline, calculating the difference in strength between them. Perhaps he might have a chance to destroy Whitetown before the central army experts arrived. What he didnt expect was that Pratt would rush into the sky, saying, Admit your loss, Romier. You!! Romier almost went insane in anger. The fleeing Pratt had ruined their last chance just like that. Pratt didnt just flee on his own. He issued the signal to retreat, upon which several arachne experts followed him away. Even though it made flight difficult for him, he grabbed his subordinates by the waist and flew off into the distance. With the arachne experts scattering, the remaining soldiers morale naturally collapsed. The surviving arachne warriors retreated out of the city, and the other dark race warriors also understood that things had gone south. Even the supervision unit didnt try to stop them. Romier gnashed his teeth in anger, but all he could do was to issue the order to retreat. He himself turned about to retreat, but his vision was filled with a flash of lightning. Carolines Thunderous Whip was descending upon him! With a cold snort, Romier drew his blade to meet the whip. Vampires were known for their speed. Now that Romier was fleeing at full speed, Caroline decided not to waste her energy on a target she couldnt catch. It seemed the injury Qianye had given him wasnt light at all. Otherwise, he wouldnt have sacrificed his blade to escape. The remaining dark race forces receded like the tides and scattered in every direction. At this moment, the mercenaries had no strength left to chase after them. They didnt even have the energy to cheer. Several older mercenaries stood dazed on the ruined landscape, gazing at the distant reinforcements. Their expressions were wooden and not at all cheerful. One of them turned back to glance at the nearby street intersectionamong the corpses strewn about on the ground, there were enemy soldiers as well as Dark Flame mercenaries. Those he had known personally were lying there as well. No matter where in the city one looked, those lying on the ground outnumbered those standing. Qianye pushed a stone slab off of his head and stood up, almost falling down as his left leg buckled. He hadnt felt this kind of stabbing pain in quite a while, but he knew that he had broken his leg. This kind of injury would take almost a whole day to heal even in his bloodboil state. Duke Romiers counterattack was indeed powerful. Qianye had managed to escape, but the price was a broken leg. Qianye also knew that Romier wasnt having a good time, either. Even a duke couldnt easily take an upgraded Shot of Inception. Romier had used a secret art to suppress his injuries, hoping to clean up this battlefield as soon as possible. Doing that, however, would make his injuries worse later on. If there were no surprises, Duke Romier wouldnt be appearing again on the field anytime soon. Qianye was slightly disappointed at Pratts immediate escape, but Romier was the biggest target. Song Zining arrived from a different direction and broke out in a grin after seeing Qianyes situation. Wow! Who wouldve thought youd be in such a miserable state one day? He hadnt even finished speaking when he turned pale and almost collapsed. Qianye reached out to help him, heaving a sigh of relief as he gazed at the lingering violet flames in the distance. Song Zining huffed and puffed as he stabilized his footing. Its finally over! Qianye nodded. Caroline appeared beside the two. Just as she was about to speak, Little Zhuji ran over with a cheer and pounced at Qianye and Song Zining! The two were shocked out of their wits. How could they withstand the little girls charge in their current state? One of them was entirely exhausted, while the other had a broken leg, both unable to dodge even if they wanted to. Ultimately, it was Caroline who reacted quickly and caught the little girl by the waist. With a loud thud, Caroline took two steps back with Little Zhuji in her arms. The impact was this severe even in her peak state and full strength. Qianye might be okay, but Song Zining would have broken a couple of bones if he were in Carolines shoes. It seemed the little girl had accepted Caroline after some time together at the Martyrs Palace. Song Zining said, Caroline, please take Zhuji back to the Martyrs Palace. Please dont let anyone into the airship unless Qianye or I am there. Caroline was startled. Qianye frowned slightly but didnt say anything. Song Zining caught Qianyes change in expression. The signal is indeed the Zhao clans, but we still dont know whether its the Zhao clan people who are coming. The Martyrs Palace is our only path out. We cannot take any chances. I understand. Qianye nodded. Caroline took to the air with Little Zhuji in tow and went back to the Martyrs Palace. Biting her thumb, Zhuji gazed anxiously at Qianye and Song Zining, but she didnt throw a tantrum. It would seem that she had also sensed the tense atmosphere. Caroline had just left when an indescribable aura covered the entirety of Whitetown. This aura was majestic, cryptic, and pure, but it was also suffused with the strong scent of blood and fire. It gave off a rather strange sensation, almost as though there were several incompatible auras merged into one entity. After the aura swept through Whitetown, a certain silhouette appeared before Qianye and Song Zining. He simply stood there and became the center of all attention. Song Zinings expression became unnatural, and he couldnt help but look down at the ground. His forehead was drenched in sweat as he said with a forced smile, Fourth Young Noble arrived really fast. It was, in fact, the number one expert of the Empires younger generation, Zhao Jundu. The man glanced at Song Zining and said indifferently, Theres no way someone of your ability cant tell that it would be me. Song Zining shook his head. I wouldnt dare divine you. Zhao Jundu wasnt convinced. You have your ways to know that it would be me. Song Zining laughed wryly. Well, you could say that. Zhao Jundu glanced at Qianye. Its good to be cautious, even if its the Zhao clan. These words came out of nowhere. No one could tell whether this was sarcasm after his exchange with Song Zining. Song Zining looked increasingly tense until Zhao Jundu asked him, Why are you so tense? Is there something youre hiding from me? Only at this point did he realize that his emotions were clearly visible. Song Zining shook his head immediately. Ive been with Qianye all this time, how can there be anything to hide? Besides, Ive already moved to the neutral lands and dont really care about Imperial matters anymore. What can I even do? Zhao Jundu laughed coldly. The Seventh Young Noble isnt just any ordinary person. Im sure you can affect things in the Empire remotely. Qianye saw the atmosphere was getting tense and decided to change the topic. Youre injured? Theres no way I wouldnt be, considering the rush. Zhao Jundu made light of the situation, but there was no way the battles wouldve been easy for him to arrive at Whitetown ahead of Princess Haimi. Qianyes leg is also injured, Ill go and find a doctor Song Zining was just about to leave when two pillars of violet fire blocked his way. Dont think about slipping away! Which doctor can act quicker than our recovery speed? Zhao Jundu examined Qianyes left leg while saying, Its not so bad. Sit down and let it set, why are you standing there? That guy doesnt need your support. Qianye simply sat down, feeling that it was better for him to remain silent. He then produced a bandage and dressed the external injury roughly. Song Zining laughed wryly. What do we do now? Of course, we study the defensive layout. Defensive layout? Song Zining had a bad feeling about it. Theres an army numbering in the tens of thousands behind me, including a duke. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged serious glances. Those overseeing a battle of this scale had to be a duke, so that wasnt strangethe problem was the number. One could see that something was up when each of the five fleets in the void was led by a duke. The Empire only possessed a limited number of top experts, and most of them were needed to guard the mainland territories. With the holy war on hold, the strength of the Evernight forces had increased, and the Empires disadvantage became even more evident. Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. Whats with that look? Not to mention a duke, we still have to fight all the same even if a prince drops in. Song Zining whipped out a map, studied it for a bit, and then threw it away. Whitetown was little more than rubble at this point, and the original landscape couldnt even be referenced on the map anymore. He found a clean stone slab and, using a long piece of charred wood as a pen, drew a simple map of the surroundings. He asked Zhao Jundu, How many men do you have? One thousand. Song Zining and Qianye had never imagined that Zhao Jundu would bring such a small force. But it made sense after some thoughtit was already an amazing feat for him to have pushed a thousand men forward at such speed. This also proved the high quality of Zhao clan soldiers. Zhao Jundu added, All in light gear. This made things worse because it meant that the mercenaries wouldnt get the emergency supplies that they needed. Song Zining didnt think too deeply about this. At this point in the fight, the Evernight forces were also exhausted, and it was hard to say how much fighting power they had left. Which duke is it? Werewolf Duke Doer, a simpleton who specializes in melee combat. His gear isnt so good, either, Zhao Jundu replied. Is there no one to deal with him? Duke Wei fought a couple of rounds with him. Theyre evenly matched with each sustaining some light injuries. Werewolf, huh? Maybe I can try dealing with him. Such melee enemies were Qianyes favorite because it was difficult for them to evade his Shot of Inception. He might not dare to enter the city, Zhao Jundu said indifferently. Chapter 1162: Unexpected Developmen Everyone, including Song Zining himself, had never imagined that the siege would be this bitter. The dark races had left nearly a hundred thousand corpses in and around Whitetown, equal to two entire corps. With the addition of Zhao Jundus subordinates, there were over three thousand men in the city. However, the dark race army outside was over thirty thousand. Despite the enemy enjoying a ten-time advantage and the presence of a duke, the soldiers in the city were completely fearless, confident even. The only difference was that Zhao Jundu had arrived in Whitetown. It was just as he had saideven though Doer was stronger than the rest of the crowd, he might not have the courage to enter the city for a showdown. Zhao Jundu had grown at a shocking rate during this war. His cultivation was only one step away from the divine champion realm, but that wasnt all. What stunned everyone was that his pristine temperament was now stained with an intense aura of blood and fire. No one could tell just what level this cold, majestic youths combat strength had reached. All they knew was that his destructive potential had risen sharply since the start of this war. Qianyes upgraded Shot of Inception was extremely powerful and difficult to evade, inflicting grave injuries once struck. Song Zining, on the other hand, was adept at strategic control. With the three of them working together, even a duke would be easily defeated. Outside of Whitetown, Doer was standing with his hands behind his back while a row of titled experts knelt before him. These were Evernight experts who had failed to escape following Romier and Pratts retreat. Doers army immediately rounded them up after their arrival. Doers gaze swept across these experts, but no one could guess what the expressionless duke was thinking. A werewolf count kneeling before him said, Sire, surrounding the city wont do anything. Unless Unless I enter the city and fight a decisive battle, is it? Doer completed the sentence. The werewolf count lowered his head. I think thats the only way. Which tribe are you from? Doer asked. Windtakers. What, do you have complaints about our Summit of Peaks? Doer sneered. The werewolf count replied, I wouldnt dare. The surroundings of the battlefield arent peaceful, and there are numerous human experts appearing here. If we want to open up a retreat path, this is the only chance. It wont be good if the people in the city reform their defensive structures. There was an injured duke right before their eyes. This was no small temptation. Observing the scene, the werewolf duke unleashed his aura without restraint. The powerful suppressive might crushed all experts below the count-rank to the ground. Even the counts could barely kneel. He snorted loudly before slowly retracting his aura. After this little incident, no one dared to go against Doers decision anymore. It was just that Whitetowns geography was unique, making it difficult to encircle the entire city with the manpower they had. As such, Doer reorganized the entire army and placed the bulk of their forces toward the east, between Whitetown and Princess Haimis direction, to prevent being flanked on both sides during the fight. With this rare gap in events, Whitetown wasnt about to stay idle, either. Song Zining took this time to tend to the injured, inspect the field, and set up defenses. The large number of fallen dark race warriors actually provided them with a significant amount of supplies and equipment. That was why the mercenaries never lacked armaments at this point. Unlike Whitetown, the other parts of the void continent were embroiled in fierce combat. The central army was rolling its way majestically toward Whitetown, its flagship slowly hovering above. On the bridge, a dignified middle-aged man and a young man dressed in Chinese clothing were playing chess. The young man played a piece, saying, Duke, your chess abilities are getting better and better. It seems you need to give me a handicap next time. The middle-aged man was just about to say something when he began coughing severely. The young man went to support the man and pat his back, saying, Are you okay? The middle-aged man was Duke Wei. He gasped for a while before saying with a smile, Its just a minor injury, dont worry. That werewolf had it worse. You dont need to worry, Fourteenth Prince. The Fourteenth Prince sighed. Your old injury hasnt healed completely, yet you went into battle again. Sigh, this arrangement wouldnt have happened if the Empire had more people to use. Im too useless as well. Duke Wei replied, Youre already able to use Mortal Emperor at your age, the future is boundless for you. You shouldnt speak irresponsibly like just now, or some of those wavering people will lose confidence. There was a hint of warning in what he had said. The Fourteenth Princes expression turned cold as he replied with a nod. The two were no longer in the mood to play chess, so the prince said, Jundu went deep into enemy lines on his own, will he be fine? Duke Wei said, Jundu is not yet a divine champion, but he''s just one step away. Those marquis commanders on the ground are not his match. After he joins Qianye and Song Zining in Whitetown, their forces will have both brains and brawn. It wont be a problem if they focus on defense. We will sweep the left and right with the main army, denying the dark races any opportunities. Once we arrive, it will be the end for those dark race bastards. The Fourteenth Prince praised, Now thats the path of a hegemon! Duke Wei smiled faintly. Ive led armies throughout the years, this is nothing. Its just that Zhao Jundu and the others will have to suffer a bit for the first few days. With you and me on the central route, Her Highness Princess Haimi in the east, and the western route moving along with great stability, the dark races should realize that the situation has changed. They will need to make an early decision. We changed our landing point to Whitetown in order to leave them a thread of hope. Otherwise, if we take the airship port directly, they will throw everything they have at the place, and Qianye and Song Zining would be in danger. The Fourteenth Prince nodded. Indeed, the first plan was too decisive and leaves no room for maneuver. Qianye and Song Zining may be talented, but their troop strength is a bit lacking. It wont be hard to capture the place, but itll be difficult for them to defend. Song Zining might not agree if we had used the first plan. We were never afraid he wouldnt agree, at most, we would just have to pick a new leader. What we were afraid of is that he would accept and then retreat immediately after seeing that the situation isnt quite right. That makes sense. Duke Wei said, Currently, the battlefield is like a big water bag with a small hole on it. As long as a stream of water can flow out, as long as theres a thread of hope for survival, the dark races wont fight to the bitter end. At this point, there was a knock on the door, and a chubby old man walked in. He was dressed in ordinary clothing, but it wasnt too hard to see that he was someone who had served in the palace for a long time. The man said in a shrill voice, Fourteenth Highness, Mortal Emperor has been nurtured and is ready for use. The Fourteenth Prince said, Thank you, Eunuch Duan. Eunuch Duan said, This servant doesnt deserve it. After Eunuch Duan was gone, Duke Wei picked up a chess piece and said, Lets continue. The Fourteenth Prince was in no mood to play chess. He said with a distressed expression, Will Jundu be in danger? If something happens to him, I wont be able to explain it to Aunty Gaoyi. Duke Wei said with a smile, If something happens to you, I wont be able to explain things to His Majesty. The Fourteenth Prince said, Youre too serious. Duke Wei put down his chess piece. Your Highness, theres you, me, and Princess Haimi in the east, and as far as I know, the Nineteenth Princess is in Whitetown. Add to that a handful of your royal uncles, it can be said that the Imperial family has invested quite a lot of manpower here. The Zhao clan is also here in full force. You might not know, but Princess Gaoyi has also arrived because shes worried about Zhao Jundu and Zhao Junhong. The Fourteenth Princes expression changed upon hearing the Nineteenth Princess name. It seemed like he wanted to ask something but was astonished by the last part of the sentence. Aunty is also here? Duke Wei nodded. The Swallowcloud Zhao Clan has marital connections to the Imperial family in every generation. Strictly speaking, they have a lot of Imperial blood. The Fourteenth Prince clearly hadnt thought about this. After some thought, he was immediately drenched in cold sweat. He said after some contemplation, What should we do now? Duke Wei said, The scale of this scheme is so large that we dont know whos behind it, or why. Why not just watch the developments quietly and see what will happen. The Fourteenth Prince nodded. Having spoken to this point, it was only natural that the two of them would be in no mood for chess. Duke Wei was injured, so he went back to recuperate in isolation. Meanwhile, the Fourteenth Prince went forth to the command room to oversee the movement of the army. The central army was fifty thousand strongthe backbone was made up of the Imperial regular army and mixed in with elite corps from various private armies. Among the latter, the Zhao clans units were the primary force. The fifty-thousand troops, heavy armaments, labor, and logistics formed a long, winding procession. A complete mixed corps was at the van, accompanied by several gunships. Zhao Jundu had pierced through the path forward, but he didnt have enough troops to clear out the sides. Hence, the main forces still had to be wary of sudden enemy appearances. Along the way, they saw the remnants of battle left behind by Zhao Jundus vanguard. The Fourteenth Prince was astonished because every battle seemed like a bitter fight. The prince felt that he would be hard-pressed to win even one of those battles without using Mortal Emperor. Yet Zhao Jundu had fought every battle with the intent to win, crushing all adversity in his wake and leaving the main army behind. Just as the Fourteenth Prince was deep in thought, a streak of fire descended from the sky and slammed fiercely into the flagship. A violent explosion ensued, causing the flagship to dip sharply! This was clearly the work of a warships main cannon. Without waiting for the Fourteenth Princes orders, a shrill alarm rang out across the flagship. The captain issued a series of commands for the flagship to speed up and evade the next attack. The Fourteenth Prince dashed to the window and looked out. There, he saw one Evernight warship after the other piercing through the clouds and making straight for the central army below. At a glance, there were at least a dozen vessels big and small, led by two cruisers. There were even more warships appearing through the clouds in a seemingly endless stream. Chapter 1163: Forced Breakthrough Seeing that things werent going well for them, Evernight increased their altitude and pulled back into the clouds. The Empire didnt dare chase after the enemy without ample information, so they dispatched a single high-speed airship into the clouds to scout the area. The corvettes captain almost collapsed after breaking through the cloud layer as he came face-to-face with a tightly organized enemy fleet. There was an unfamiliar airship that was terrifyingly bigit had to be a duke-grade vessel, if not a grand-duke. Duke-grade airships rarely accompanied the Evernight fleet after they had lost control of the void. Those that were still in the area would usually operate alone so that they would not be dragged down. For such a large fleet to appear, could the Empire have lost control of the void? Two warships from the Evernight fleet charged over after seeing the corvette rear its head. Fortunately, the Imperial vessel was cautious enough to maintain a safe distance. It immediately fled after seeing that things werent good. The corvette flew back with the shocking information it had obtained. The young Fourteenth Prince didnt know what to do, while Duke Wei remained silent with a gloomy expression. The central army switched to a defensive formation with the fleet right above the ground forces. On one hand, it was to protect the forces below, and on the other, it was to borrow protection from the ground forces firepower. A strong gale kicked up at this moment, sweeping away the layer of clouds and revealing a corner of that giant fleet. All those from the Empire were shaken. Seeing that their bait didnt work, the entire Evernight fleet descended slowly and spread out in front of the Imperial forces. The Imperial flagship captain finally spoke, We cant win. The captain had come from the Imperial Guard and was a specialist in airship warfare. Duke Wei only frowned upon hearing these demoralizing words and didnt act up. He eventually said, Can we fight? That we can, but we will still lose in the end. The difference in fighting power is too vast! Thats a complete void fleet were talking about! The flagship captain wasnt afraid to speak his mind even against Duke Wei. Duke Wei pointed at the eye-catching duke-grade flagship. Can we sink that thing? The captain shook his head. Thatll be the last vessel standing after were done. Duke Wei said, That means we can wipe out all the other warships? Well be wiped out as well. The captain was shocked. We must not! Duke Wei was displeased. Why not!? Even if our fleet is wiped out, the Evernight sides losses will be greater than ours. Theyve already lost two entire fleets in space, how many more mobile units can they have? This is the most strategic timing for a trade. We must not let that fleet get back into the void! The captain understood this logicthe Empire would face many times the pressure if they didnt wipe out this fleet here. It might even affect the entire outcome of the battle. Yet, it was an uneasy feeling to sacrifice the warship he had driven for so many years. Duke Wei glanced briefly at the Evernight fleet. Maintain our position above the ground army and slowly advance into a winged formation. Hold that position and standby until I give the order. Also, send news back to Indomitable. If my guess isnt wrong, the real showdown is about to begin. Its about time those old fogeys get to work. A high-speed airship flew backward at top speed. The Evernight fleet made no movement, only blocking the Empires forward path. Under Duke Weis command, the central army pushed forward again. The air and ground forces were consolidated into a cohesive unit that slowly rolled toward the enemy like a steel ball. The Imperial forces looked like a hedgehog covered in spikes. The Evernight side had two choices nowfight to the death or watch as the enemy passes by. Fighting would result in heavy casualties regardless of victory or loss, but letting them pass would mean they would never get Whitetown back. Even the nearby airship port might fall into enemy hands, signing the death warrant of the Evernight army. As the Imperial army pushed closer and closer, the Evernight fleet quickly edged backward in a battle formation. They also flashed a message regarding their response. Soon, a strange whistle rang out in the air as one airship after another shot through the clouds and descended behind the Evernight fleet. Judging from their trajectory, they were actually landing! Their doors opened up ten or so meters from the ground, and countless soldiers poured out like raindrops. They landed firmly from that height and were completely unaffected by the impact. Apparently, they were all elites. Countless crates of supplies and armaments were unloaded. The dark race soldiers swarmed over and unpacked several pieces of armored plates, which they assembled into a short wall in front of the Imperial army. Out in the open, the presence or absence of such a wall made a significant difference. The first row of dark race soldiers awaited in formation, while the transports at the back spat out an unending stream of soldiers and equipment. In the blink of an eye, a row of heavy cannons had been assembled. Although there were only a couple dozen of them, the ones that could fire giant ballista bolts posed a great threat to the Imperial fleet. The Fourteenth Prince was finally moved. What is the Imperial Guard doing? How could they let such a fleet pass through? It wasnt just warships. Now that even the transports had gotten through, it would seem the Empire was in a fairly perilous position in the void. Duke Wei, who had been silent all along, looked up at the sky. There was a fiery hue in the clouds several kilometers away where, all of a sudden, some burning airship debris came crashing to the ground. The remnants were already completely deformed, but one could still barely discern that a part of it was Imperial in origins. There were also some that belonged to Evernight. Duke Wei sighed. It seems the Imperial Guard has done its best. The Fourteenth Prince noticed the abnormality in the sky as well. He immediately realized that a battle was also taking place in the void, one so fierce that even main force wreckages were falling onto the continent. The Fourteenth Prince looked up at the sky. I dont think the Imperial Guard will come down even if they win the battle. Theyre more likely to set up a sealed perimeter outside. What do we do? Duke Wei laughed wryly. Judging from the current situation, perhaps the Imperial Guard hadnt imagined that Evernight would invest so many troops here, and thus, their main forces were elsewhere. It could also be that they didnt have enough strength left to stop the enemy forces from breaking through. The first probability was understandable, but things would be pretty bad if it was the second. Besides, the Imperial Guard fleet was a pure void fleet, and reinforcing ground forces was never their forte. They just werent equipped for itfrom the type of units to their equipment and weapons. The most logical strategy was for them to bleed the Evernight forces as much as they could during the breakthrough, then seal off the void and wait for the enemy to reappear. Airships would need to adjust their formation when entering and leaving the void, so the party lying in wait would always have the advantage. They would be able to easily reap glorious accomplishments. As for what the Evernight fleet would do during their time inside, it was quite frankly not the Imperial Guards concern. Duke Wei said slowly, Even if I was the one commanding the Imperial Fleet, I would most likely seal off the void as well and wait for the Evernight fleet to emerge. The Fourteenth Prince waited patiently for the Dukes continuation. The situation, at this point, wasnt something he could handle. With the appearance of a large number of enemy ground forces, it was actually the Empires turn to be in a dilemma. They would suffer heavy losses if they were to attack, but if they remained in a deadlock here, it was easy to imagine what would happen to Whitetown. The Evernight faction had invested steeply in stopping the central army, clearly stating their intention to wipe out the forces in Whitetown and remove the nail threatening their airship port. Duke Wei didnt attack immediately and only watched with a serious expression as the Evernight forces completed their defensive preparations. He raised his right hand moments later, upon which the aide moved closer to wait for the command. Issue the order Duke Wei paused for a good while. All forces, advance! We will carve a path through them! The aide was startled, but not daring to say anything, he left to issue the command. Duke Wei turned to the Fourteenth Prince. Your Highness, please bring out Mortal Emperor! Mortal Emperor? Now? The Fourteenth Prince was a bit surprised. Duke Wei said, Mortal Emperor is a weapon best suited for army warfare. Our only hope of carving a path is to break their air-ground formation. Why the rush? If Im not wrong, Whitetown is already at the juncture of life and death. We have no choice but to charge with our lives on the line. Even if we cant arrive on time, we must find a way to restrain more enemy experts and reduce the pressure on the other side. The Fourteenth Prince noticed the meaning behind those words. Isnt this method too risky for the Evernight faction? They will suffer greatly if their strategy fails. Duke Weis expression was fierce. Thats all the more reason for us to burn all bridges and attack the enemy with everything we have. We might be walking right into their trap if we act too slow. I understand, please wait a while. Ill go and retrieve the Mortal Emperor. Good! Well be counting on you for the first strike. Moments later, the Empires unique bugle cry echoed through every part of the battlefield. All Imperial forces on the ground assumed an attack formation as they advanced together with the airship fleet. Apparently not expecting the sudden advance, the rear lines of the Evernight forces fell into sudden chaos. Some of the transports that had unloaded their goods began to leave the area at full speed, but there were transport airships still arriving in quick succession. This caused a traffic disturbance in the small low-altitude area. Now! Duke Wei issued the order, and the Imperial fleet charged straight for the Evernight airship formation. The chaos in the rear had more or less affected the Evernight formation. They suffered significant losses in a single round, with some warships firing before they could leave the area of their own ground-forces. Soon, an Evernight corvette was struck, crashing into their own camp. At this point, the Imperial flagship sped up and charged down toward the Evernight ground-forces. The Fourteenth Prince stood at the bow with the Mortal Emperor in hand. There was a faint glow around his body that would deflect all bullets and arrows coming for him. The prince was calm, collected, and focused as he fired at the dense formation of enemies below! Chapter 1164: Life Trap A single strike had felled thousands of dark race warriors and produced a big space in the most important part of the formation. The dark race commanding officer seemed to care about that gap quite a bit and immediately transferred more troops to fill it up. After a momentary confusion, the density of troops in that area was much greater. However, the formation was a chaotic mess as the soldiers pushed against one another. This is a good opportunity! The Fourteenth Princes eyes lit up. The captain spun the flagship about and flew it parallel to the dark race formation. The Fourteenth Prince rushed to the side of the vessel. Looking down at the dense array of Evernight warriors, he took a deep breath and flipped a switch on Mortal Emperor. The origin array patterns on the guns body immediately lit up with an eerie red glow. He took aim at the most densely populated area below and fired! Countless red beams intersected into a large net, which bore down on the dark race warriors below. Those killed by this shot were Evernights elites. The Fourteenth Prince did a rough calculation and felt that his recently improved cultivation would allow him to fire a third shot. The death of thousands of warriors was enough to tip the scales in the current battle. Turning the tables single-handedly, such an accomplishment was enough to make him stand out amidst the many princes and princesses. All life shall bow before the Mortal Emperor, and this red net was its finishing blow. This dark red, heavenly chain would leave no survivors in its wake. The only issue was that the greater the firepower, the more origin power one would need to support it. This heavenly net was too big of a strain for the current Fourteenth Prince. He suddenly realized that something was amiss as his origin power flowed out like the tides! This drain was much greater than he had expected! The Fourteenth Prince was already having a hard time activating the weapon. He could only clench his jaws and hold on because he simply did not have the strength left to retract the attack. It was at this time that he heard a soft voice, Stop! The voice was very familiar. It sounded like Duke Wei but also like it wasnt. The exhausted Fourteenth Prince, in his daze, couldnt hear too clearly. This was a battlefield. How could there be any room for distractions? Mortal Emperor was still spitting out streaks of red light over the Evernight formation. The large red net had covered an area several hundred meters in radius. The thousands of dark race soldiers inside were struggling painfully as their life force was being drained away. The effects of this shot were far beyond expectations, but the Fourteenth Prince felt his heart freeze up. The Evernight soldiers in the net were shrouded in a strange dark-red glow, almost like flames. The fire burned their life-force away and, in return, granted them strength far beyond their normal ability. The blaze was also highly adhesive. It latched onto the Mortal Emperors heavenly net, constantly draining its power. There were numerous Evernight experts among the soldiers who were also burning their vitality. The power they produced exceeded the ordinary warriors by a significant margin, but it also brought them more pain. Even the werewolves and arachne, who could normally withstand a lot of pain, were howling and rolling on the ground. Such experts were equal to dozens of ordinary soldiers. It was their existence that caused the Mortal Emperors origin arrays to operate rapidly, demanding constant origin power from the Fourteenth Prince. The ratio of ordinary soldiers to experts here was abnormal! The Fourteenth Prince came to a sudden and shocking realization: Its a trap! No matter how long the Mortal Emperors heavenly net lasted, the dark races below were already done for. Even if some of them could survive, they would lose some or all of their origin power following the burnt vitality. This was worse than death in the Evernight world where strength was everything. The Fourteenth Prince wanted to stop, but the Mortal Emperor felt like it was an extension of his limb. It simply couldnt be flung away and kept on draining his origin power. He didnt have the time to think about how the dark races had learned of the characteristics of the Grand Magnums ultimate ability and laid down this trap. Below, the dark race commanding officer was still urging squads of warriors into the heavenly net. Those warriors would burst into dark red flames upon contact, which latched onto the net and, by extension, the Mortal Emperor. In the blink of an eye, the Fourteenth Princes vision began to blur. As a Grand Magnum, the Mortal Emperor possessed great power and significant consumption. Considering the princes age, it was already an incredible feat for him to activate one of the magnums ultimate powers. There was no way he could withstand such a drain. His origin power was now bottomed out, and further consumption would start to damage his foundations. Yet, the Mortal Emperor kept on devouring his origin power like a bottomless black hole. Just as the Fourteenth Prince was on the verge of despair, a strong hand patted his shoulder and sent a deluge of origin power into his body. Feeling his pressure lighten, the prince turned around to see Duke Wei helping him. He almost cried tears of joy at that moment, but his smile immediately disappeared. The confrontation between Mortal Emperor and the dark races was still ongoing below. Squads after squads of warriors were driven into the heavenly net, draining the Mortal Emperors power with their lives. Even some titled experts would jump in from time to time, latching onto the Mortal Emperor in a suicidal manner. Duke Weis origin power was vast, but it wasnt compatible with the Grand Magnumless than a tenth of it was even usable. The Mortal Emperor kept draining the Fourteenth Princes origin power, and all the duke could do was slow down the rate of overdraft. Apparently, the Mortal Emperor would never stop operating as long as the dark races kept on running into the heavenly net. Duke Wei realized this fact. Your Highness, please stop! I cant! These words only echoed in the princes mind because he could no longer speak at this point. Seeing the dangerous situation, Duke Wei tried to slap the Mortal Emperor away but to no avail. Not only that, but the gun had also begun to vibrate, and the scales on its back opened up, forming a vortex in an attempt to draw Duke Wei in. The duke was shocked to find that the Mortal Emperor could actually counterattack on its own. Fortunately, he didnt underestimate the Grand Magnum or use his full force. Otherwise, he mightve been dragged into the weapon. Duke Weis expression was unsightly. It would seem this Mortal Emperor wasnt something he could control. Even someone like him didnt know what to do. The Fourteenth Prince would die from over-exhaustion if there was no one to save him. Yet, it looked like such an attempt would involve sacrificing the duke, and even then, there was no telling whether it would succeed. At this moment, the dark races were still charging into the heavenly net in a possessed manner. Duke Wei noticed that those charging into the net werent cannon fodder but actual elites. There was a shocking amount of high-ranking warriors among them and no shortage of titled experts! Only the ignited vitality of such soldiers could grab firmly onto the Mortal Emperor. Even Duke Wei had only one thought in his mind, Insane, theyre all insane! As far as the Empire was concerned, people like the Fourteenth Prince who could use the Mortal Emperor was definitely a rare genius. However, Mortal Emperor wasnt as picky about its wielder as the Red Spider Lily. Other members of the Imperial family could also activate the Grand Magnum. It was just that their compatibility wasnt as good as the Fourteenth Prince, and neither was their origin power strong enough. Moreover, there was an untold secret in the Imperial family. The one with the highest compatibility with the Mortal Emperor was actually the previous Emperors youngest brother, Lord Riverglance. Mortal Emperor had once followed the lord out of Imperial borders, and no one had realized it, not even the Longevity Monarch who was watching over it. Naturally, Lord Riverglance was punished for this matter and forbidden from approaching the magnum ever again. Regardless, it was still a crazy move for the dark races to sacrifice thousands of elites, hundreds of high-ranking warriors, and dozens of titled experts just for the Fourteenth Prince. These people were the backbone of their forces. With enough cannon-fodder, these men could form a complete army corps and pioneer new territories beyond the border. No one with half a brain would do such a trade. The Fourteenth Prince wasnt a unique existence like Zhao Jundu. There were many other geniuses at his level. While Duke Wei was having a hard time deciding, Eunuch Duans gentle voice rang out nearby, Duke, just let go. What!? Duke Wei glanced back at Eunuch Duan with an odd expression. Eunuch Duan was here to accompany the Fourteenth Prince and was likely his trusted aide. Such internal attendants were usually either Imperial relatives or people from their maternal family. Yet, he was advising the duke to let go? The astonished Fourteenth Prince also glanced at Eunuch Duan in terror. Eunuch Duan remained calm. His Highness foundations have been injured. Hell probably lose his cultivation even if we manage to save him. Besides, there are many princes but only one Mortal Emperor. Who will protect the Grand Magnum if Duke Wei is exhausted? This servant is just a bag of old bones, I cant block a single blow from the enemy duke. Several thoughts ran through Duke Weis mind in just a flash and he was soon drenched in cold sweat. Could it be that the dark races target is actually the Mortal Emperor? I wouldnt dare make such an assumption. Duke Wei is the commander, so you should make that judgment. The shocked Fourteenth Prince gazed at Duke Wei with pleading eyes. His lips moved ever so slightly, almost as though he was going to say save me. However, he was like an arrow at the end of its flight; no sound actually came out. Duke Wei finally came to a decision. With a light sigh, he pulled back the hand he had on the princes shoulder and took a step back. How could the prince hold out without Duke Weis support? His aura immediately disappeared, and the terrifying effects of overdrafted power became apparent. His tall stature immediately shriveled up inside his clothes, almost like a dried corpse. With the Fourteenth Prince gone, the Mortal Emperor lost its source of energy and finally stopped spitting out red light. This attack had ended with the death of the Fourteenth Prince and thousands of Evernight elites. As the Fourteenth Princes body slowly collapsed, Duke Wei grabbed the Mortal Emperor with great swiftness. Eunuch Duan was one step too late. His hand was, embarrassingly, half-outstretched in the air. His eyes shifted about as he pulled his hand back. Its best for Duke Wei to hold onto the Mortal Emperor. At least, those dark race bastards wont be able to snatch it. Duke Wei said slowly, Rest assured, Ill return the gun to His Majesty immediately after my arrival. Eunuch Duan nodded. That will be for the best. Duke Wei stood at the bow of the flagship and said, Men, lead Eunuch Duan to his room to rest, this place is too windy. The attendants led Eunuch Duan back to his cabin, walking along his left and right as though he was a prisoner. The eunuch didnt resist and simply returned to his room without the slightest sign of guilt. After Eunuch Duan was gone, Duke Wei ordered his personal guards to move the princes remains to his room and restrain all of his former attendants, preventing them from moving about or spreading rumors. All those nearby finally managed to exhale after everything had been arranged appropriately. They glanced at one another and discovered that everyones expression was rather unsightly. They themselves were probably no exception. The Fourteenth Prince falling in battle was an important matter. Even the generals were shaken, so it was sure to cause big waves in the army below if they were to find out. An aide moved closer and asked, Duke Wei, is something up with that Eunuch Duan? Duke Wei said with a gloomy expression, Regardless of that, everyone can forget about taking Mortal Emperor from my hands as long as Im alive. Duke, what do we do now? Shall we retreat? All generals looked at Duke Wei, waiting for his order. Chapter 1165: Sanguine Funeral There were only a total of thirty chairs in a hall hundreds of meters in length, width, and height. Yet, no one felt that there was too much space. The seats werent even full, but the clashing momentum of powerhouses filled the entire hall, almost as though it would break through the roof. A cloud of dark mist rose up on the bronze throne and condensed into the unchanging black hood and robes of the chairman. He looked at everyone in greeting, lingering slightly longer on the vampire side of the table. The latter race had an unusually high attendance rate today, filling all three of their designated seats. There was also a familiar face among them that people hadnt seen in almost a hundred years. The chairman extended an extra greeting, Hello dear Reynold, its rare to see old friends these days. The chairmans position for this millennium was filled by a demonkin. Most demonkin and vampires would choose to go into prolonged isolation or hibernation in their middle-ages to slow down their decline and preserve strength. Yet this world had never been a peaceful onethey just might wake up one day to see the obituary of a familiar person. Reynold nodded in response. Ill be going back after meeting some old friends. The chairman was a bit surprised. I thought youd want to see the new world. Reynold revealed a faintly discernible smile but didnt give any reply. Understanding the meaning, the chairman stopped asking questions and went on to host the meeting. However, his shifting gaze landed briefly on Reynolds right fingertip. There was no visible wound there, but a drop of blood would appear at regular intervals and vanish into thin air. Reynolds expression was gentle and calm, almost as though he hadnt noticed the chairmans eyes. He didnt even try to hide the abnormality on his fingertips. The meeting thus began. The chairman didnt waste words before throwing out an important piece of news. Longevity Monarch of the Great Qin Empire has passed. This news has been verified. The Empire issued a formal internal announcement last night. The Arachne Grand Overseer Shaska sneered, his shiny white fangs emitting a metallic glow. Good, so this is the great change Master Melia spoke of. Perhaps we can begin the Sanguine Funeral now? The old arachne was even older than the Empire itself. He had been appearing less and less in the council as of late, handing most of the administration to the younger Noxus. Many people were secretly guessing that he was in his waning years, but at the very least, it would seem his bloodthirst hadnt declined. Amiro, on the other hand, had some doubts. Where do we focus the attack? The Qin Continent? The Sanguine Funeral could be considered a tradition that had formed over a millennium. There was an exception, however, and that was the fall of a human heavenly monarch. The Great Qin Empire possessed four to five heavenly monarchs at its peak, each overseeing a continent. Whenever one of them fell, the Evernight Council would organize an attack force to assault the continent under his watch. This was called a Sanguine Funeral. On one hand, it was to probe the strength of the succeeding heavenly monarch, while on the other, it was to catch a glimpse into the changes in power-structure within the Empire. If the new heavenly monarch wasnt strong enough or the continents defensive strength was insufficient, the council would immediately escalate the probe into a real national war. Even if there werent any openings on that particular continent, there might be other warzones and powers affected by the state of affairs. Perhaps there might be some opportunities to take advantage of. Months prior, the Evernight Master Prophet had sensed a great change in the Imperial palace, following his discovery of the new world. However, the myriad threads of fate were so intertwined that there was no way to figure out the exact happening. With the new world about to open and the holy war on hold, any change in the human races power structure was an unstable variable that couldnt be ignored. The Evernight Council had made ample preparations, and none of the major races had been idle behind the scenes. Yet, the Sanguine Funeral was a national-level war, and the Longevity Monarchs continent was the nucleus of the Great Qin Empire. That place was even more difficult to assault than a void fortress. Medanzo raised a third concern. Dont forget that were still fighting a war with the Empire, and the scale of forces deployed there equals half a national war. According to the latest information, the situation there isnt too good. The chairman looked at everyone at the table. Seeing that there were no more new questions, he said, The council reported this matter to the three supremes immediately after Master Melias prophecy. Lords Kane and Rosnia replied very quickly. He paused a bit at this point, allowing the great monarchs and princes present to digest the meaning within. As expected, the powerhouses began to stir. Everyone knew that the Queen of the Night was in deep slumber. The Demon King and the Spider Queen were awake but also in isolated cultivation. The new world was, no doubt, their primary target, but receiving a reply about the change in the Great Qin Empires fate trajectory showed just how important they considered this to be. The chairman said, The supremes possess much greater wisdom than ourselves. Since both of them are paying attention to the Empire without prior consultation, there are sure to be important things there that will affect us. The council has thus decided to dispatch all five-star sword-bearers from Black Sun to watch the void outside of the four continents. Theyve completed a full mobilization. Black Sun was moving out in full force! This was shocking news! Black Sun was a unit under the councils direct command. Even an insignificant officer, a one-star sword-bearer, was a viscount in rank. A third of all the geniuses from every race had served in the unit at one point. Eden of the Dark Abyss had obtained a five-star ranking when he joined the force as a count. From this, one could see just how strong Black Sun was. The powerhouses werent as surprised as before because everyone understood that a war-plan had already been drafted. Perhaps it had even been approved by the Demon King and Spider Queen. The chairman said, The Great Qin has no vacant heavenly monarch seat. In terms of fighting power, the newly ascended Zhang Boqian is more than enough to make up for the gap. The Longevity Monarchs continent is the Great Qins capital. According to human tradition, they would usually perform a ceremony for the changing of heavenly monarchs, but they havent done that from what we know. Medanzo interrupted the speech, Regarding the Great Qin Imperial Capital and the continents defense system, if theres someone in the Imperial family close to the Longevity Monarch in strength and capable of completely activating the defense mechanisms, they might not need a heavenly monarch to guard the continent for the time being. The powerhouses went silent. The difference between four and five heavenly monarchs was significant. This was even more evident with the addition of the highly mobile Zhang Boqian. The chairman nodded, saying, Correct. According to our new analysis, the disruptions inside the Great Qin Empire arent very big. There was a clear pause as he fell into deep thought, then he added, Maybe its just the visible disruptions that arent big. Our benefits arent that great, either." Hence, my suggestion is that the Sanguine Funeral this time should be purely investigative in nature. As for the void continent, lets fight a bloody war with the Empire before the new world opens. The council will provide all of the fighting power that weve already mobilized at the moment. The candidates from each clan joining the factional war should be on standby at all times. We shall set out once the assembly is complete. Finally, the old rules still apply. The outcome and accomplishments from this battle will decide the first batch for the new world. Shaska said, Seconded. Amiro said with a frown, Weve already invested deeply into the void continent. I remember the void fleets are all led by duke-grade flagships, are we planning to fight a high-tier war? The chairman shook his head. No, not a high-tier war. After all, the new world is about to begin and the racial wars have just stopped. Im sure everyone has things to handle. As for the void continent, the increase in level of troop strength was the individual races decision. The council didn''t impose any requirements back then, but facts have proven that our choice was wise. The Empire sent more divine champions than we had expected. Amiro was a bit puzzled at first, but he came to after glancing at Shaska and Medanzo, snorting heavily as he did so. The great dark monarchs werent affected, but the three princes at the edges of the table felt a bit uncomfortable. Reynold lightly tapped the table a couple of times with his fingers. Amiro shot him a glance, then retracted his suppressive might. Although he was a bit hesitant, Amiro finally said, Seconded. The demonkin at the table consisted of a grand warlock and a demonkin prince representing the Eternal Flame. The two naturally had no objections. Medanzo asked in a serious tone, Who will be in charge of the Sanguine Funeral? The chairman said slowly, The Supremes Kane and Rosnia are keeping an eye on the place. Naturally someone will be in charge. Medanzo went silent, his face so gloomy that it looked like water would drip down from it. He then uttered the words seconded through his teeth. Only two vampire great monarchs were here. Reynold simply said, Seconded. Finally, although were not escalating the war on the void continent, we need a prince to head over there and command the entire operation, the chairman said helplessly. There are too many Imperial clan members there, a lot of our dukes are there as well. The number of powerful active princes in each race was as small as that of the great dark monarchs. Many of them were occupied with racial and administrative duties. They really didnt want to send one into the field if it werent for their awkward investment in this war. The princes safety wasnt anything to worry about since the human heavenly monarchs were too busy with their own business. Everyones eyes fell upon the vampire race. According to convention, since the demonkin and arachne were leading the assault on the mainland, it would fall upon the vampires and werewolves to hold the fort on the void continent. It was just that the werewolves had no one they could offer to fill this special rank. Moreover, they were already stretched quite thin with the war on the void continent and probably wouldnt fight the vampires for command rights. As expected, Amiro didnt say anything. The chairman said, I heard Howard the Dark Gospel has been in action lately? Medanzo looked up. I didnt hear anything about that. Since the matter is urgent, maybe we shouldnt be trying to prove rumors. I think Habsburg is a good choice. The chairman wasnt angry, either. Its fine as long as youve picked a candidate. Just make your own selection. Chapter 1166: The Stars Will Fade Part 1 The chairman smiled faintly but didnt reply, only gesturing for Reynold to continue. Since were planning to go from a resource-battle to a bloody battle, the calculation of accomplishments should also be adjusted accordingly. Princes should only oversee the bloody battle and not be responsible for the outcome. The chairman said, Thats true. He gave it some thought before saying, People like Princess Haimi used to be Holy Son Edwards opponent in the past bloody battles, but human experts mature much faster than us. Maybe we should differentiate a bit? Reynold replied indifferently, Bloody battles are a tradition we maintain to train our youngsters. Weve already set up a perimeter, are we going to pick weak opponents for them as well? The chairman laughed. Youre right, I was overthinking it. I accept your viewpoint. Shaska and Amiro nodded toward Reynold, indicating that they agreed to his suggestion. Reynold turned to Medanzo and Habsburg, opening a blood-colored domain with a tap of his finger. The other powerhouses looked away tactfully, allowing the vampires to discuss the matter amongst themselves. Reynold said, Habsburg will keep all of his spoils from the battle, and the other participating clans must each fork out ten percent for him. He may also request an extra reward of his liking. Medanzo said coldly, Its just a bloody battle, and youve already made sure hes just there as an overseer Reynold said decisively, If you dont want Howard to get the benefits, just give them to Habsburg. He turned to the latter and said, What do you want? Habsburg remained silent for a good while. He then looked at Medanzo, saying, Roman of the Federran clan, I want his blood power. Asking for a vampires blood power was no different from taking his life. Medanzo was furious. Habsburg, hes a grand duke! You were the same just two years ago! Habsburgs sapphire eyes were so cold that they looked almost lifeless. You can make a puppet like this anytime if you spend some effort. Reynold raised his brows ever so slightly. He didnt have any impression of this Federran clan; perhaps it was a vassal clan of the Dracula family. For clans of this nature, even the clan lord would be a vice-duke at best. If they had produced a grand duke, Reynolds descendants would have reported this as an important case. Their clans status would rise meteorically and enter the sights of the great dark monarchs. One had to know that even for the twelve major vampire clans, their elders and clan lords would stop at the grand-duke stage if their crest in the River of Blood remained dim and no one could light it up. Besides, producing a grand duke wasnt as easy as Habsburg made it out to be. Ignoring the vast amounts of resources involved, only the blood ponds from the twelve major vampire clans possessed this capability. Reynold realized that there were unspoken assertions in this conversation. Habsburg, reason? No matter how that grand duke reached his current position, he was already a grand duke. Even a great dark monarch would need a valid reason in order to punish him. Habsburg said coldly, I was injured while fighting Prince Greensun. The best way to treat my condition is to absorb blood power. This reason wasnt fit for public ears, nor could they do it openly, but the two great monarchs could understand the concept. Throughout the long years, they themselves had done such things before in perilous situations. As for why I picked Roman? Im not really interested in his under-the-table deals with the humans and demonkin, but every time he tracks my movements, I fall into dangerous situations. That makes me very unhappy. Last time, Roman went to Flaming Beacon Continent, and there, I almost fell into Li Xitangs trap. Recently, he went to the Imperial Capital, and Zhang Boqian charged at me immediately. And that was in the presence of their excellencies Medanzo, Klaus, and Noxus. Medanzos expression turned odd. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something but didnt know how to put it. Habsburgs explanation contained a lot of holes if one were to argue, but great monarchs didnt really need a perfect logic to make their decisions. It was the same for Reynold. He nodded, saying, Fine, Ill send someone to notify Roman to report to you. Medanzo seemed to have given up on dissuasion. He said in a sinister tone, Habsburg, you better make it clean. Things will blow up if he escapes. Habsburg smiled at Medanzo. I understand. Yet his cold eyes contained not a single hint of a smile. Reynold said at this point, Ill be going back into deep slumber after the bloody battle. The other two said nothing further. With an agreement reached, the council meeting came to an end. The chairman and the various powerhouses left the scene, leaving only Medanzo and Reynold. Medanzo said angrily, Dear Reynold, you spoil the children too much. Reynolds gentle expression turned cold and harsh. Medanzo, old friend, I think its Liliths idea to grant Young Habsburg the same authority as you and I. Medanzo straightened his back. He seemed like he was about to leave with a swing of his sleeve but ultimately decided not to move. Youre quite generous, arent you? This kid might be Nighteyes rival in the future. Reynold sighed with a softening expression. Dear old friend, we have fewer and fewer opportunities to sit down and talk to our hearts content. So, I still have to say it even if youre unhappy. Youve always disapproved of Habsburg, havent you? Why else have you neglected to investigate his true age? Medanzo was startled. Reynold continued, The information my descendants gave me says hell enter his middle-age in twenty or so years, but dont you think theres something wrong there? Habsburg should be fairly similar to Edward of the Perth Clan. Medanzos face turned pale all of a sudden. A bloody smell drifted up to his throat as his old injury was agitated. He recalled that Lilith had seen Habsburg before. There was no reason the Queen of the Night wouldnt notice something Reynold could, yet she didnt mention anything. Medanzo said, Are you trying to imply that hes the awakened consciousness of a certain expert? Reynold shook his head. That doesnt seem to be the case, either. Sigh, too many of our races inheritances have been lost in the Sacred River. Havent we lost a good part of our memories as well? But old friend, there are two things you probably still remember. First, the family seal in the River of Blood isnt limited by the primogenitor''s strength. Besides, the Flaming Crown is the darkest of flames, its definitely not weak. Back in the year, Samael remained at the prince rank for so long because he wasnt willing to devour his own brother. In addition, even if the entire race doesnt, we as the second-generation primogenitors must remember that the rankings in the River of Blood arent permanent. Speaking of which, my clans ranking is tenth, but when was the last competition for these rankings? Was it a thousand years ago, or two thousand? Back then, Andruil was still an impetuous little boy! Reynold stood up laughing at this point, but Medanzo was in no mood for that. His face remained stiff and gloomy. Reynold patted Medanzos back, saying, My dear old friend, its not embarrassing to revere strength. Habsburg and Edward arent too different in age. That means they have a hundred active years before them. These final words were the key. Medanzo seemed convinced as he vanished from the table with Reynold. Habsburg walked out of the hall and climbed down the ninety-nine steps of the building. He reached out to grab his chest as soon as he arrived on flat ground. The blood amber was one of the hardest things in the world and where the essence of a vampire prince lay. A fine crack had appeared in the amber just now, then healed in the blink of an eye. It was as though nothing had happened, and it didnt even hurt him. However, Habsburg knew that the origin blood he had split off far away had once again collided with heavens mystery, or as it was better known in the Evernight world, fate. He simply couldnt understand it. Lin, why would someone like you, who can see fate itself, look down upon it. Imperial Capital. At noon on the fifth day after Zhang Boqians return to the capital, Lin Xitang was finally able to move again. It was after the inner attendants had taken away the meal table and the time to see the Imperial doctor hadnt arrived yet. The entire Divination Pavilion was drowned in silence. Lin Xitang stood up from his recliner and stretched his limbs. Although the Imperial doctor would massage his muscles every day to prevent atrophy, he felt his feet weak after an entire month of inactivity. The marshal walked out of the pavilion and, just as the Emperor had said, met no resistance along the way. He only needed to walk another fifty meters from the foot of the mountain to leave the forbidden zone. In that direction were the residences of the divination specialists in the Empires employ. At this moment, he noticed a boxed carriage with no familial colors come to a sudden stop nearby. Seemingly waiting for him, the driver of this elegant vehicle opened the door respectfully. Lin Xitang wasnt surprised, either. He simply walked over while asking, Where to? The driver bent his back, saying, This lowly one was ordered to send you anywhere you want to go. Lin Xitang smiled. Prince Greensuns residence. With that, he climbed into the carriage. The driver closed the door calmly and jumped up to his seat, almost as though he was taking an ordinary trip with his master. Unending Palace, Wave Hall. The minor assembly hosted by the Radiant Emperor was just coming to an end. The two civil officers of the cabinet were writing swiftly on the side tables, organizing the key points of the meeting and turning some of the details into perfect clauses. They had been handling military affairs since the series of proclamations yesterday. Only now did they get some time for urgent civil affairs. The clans and families took this opportunity to form little groups and discuss some lighthearted topics. Prince Greensuns majestic figure stood tall over the halls rear window. It would seem his attention had been attracted by the tall cotton tree therein. Behind a pearl-curtain was the Radiant Emperors desk. Currently, he was flipping through a book in idle leisure, writing down a couple of names from time to time. An inner attendant entered from a side-door and whispered something into the Emperors ears. Receiving a nod from the Emperor, he led a different attendant into the room. Chapter 1167: The Stars Will Fade Part 2 The Radiant Emperors expression was calm and composed, almost as though he were listening to an ordinary report. It seemed he understood everything and didnt ask for a repeat no matter how vague the attendants voice was. Are those things suitable? Did he say he wanted anything else? The attendants expression froze, not expecting the Emperor to be so indifferent to the contents of his report. He had come to report Lin Xitangs movements because he couldnt deliver the items to the heavenly monarchs residence. Naturally, he had no answer to this question. Hearing no reply, the Emperor responded with an mm? The inner attendant was a bit distressed. He bowed even lower and said in a soft voice, I didnt deliver it... the documents inside, will it be inappropriate? The Radiant Emperor said coldly, Whats wrong with my Imperial Steward reading official documents and battle reports? The inner attendant was drenched in cold sweat. The Emperors voice was soft and his tone was gentle, but everyone heard it when he said Imperial Steward. The attendant had no idea why the Emperor would open up the matter here, but he began to sweat even more after sensing that something was off. He had always believed that it was an unalterable custom that cabinet documents should not be brought to a heavenly monarchs residence. Who wouldve thought the Emperor would ask such a question? In fact, most of the ministers had already guessed that it was Lin Xitang. How could the Emperor have the leisure to listen to miscellaneous news about any other duke while handling official business? It was just that the monarchs will was difficult to gauge, and people couldnt help but think about certain things when the new appointments were announced the day before. The title Imperial Teacher made one immune to the death penalty, but at the same time, it removed Lin Xitang of all military authority. Those who took over his territory and title were people from the Zhao clan. Back in the year, the rebels were running wild on the Western Continent, going so far as to work with the dark races to attack the Zhao. It was Lin Xitang who suppressed them, and because his other territories were all peaceful, he remained on the Western Continent for five years. There was always a bit of friction among lords regarding territorial conferments, so it was only natural that the relationship between Lin Xitang and the Zhao clan wasnt great. But the Emperor so indifferently followed up with his second comment: I feel that theres no place in this Revelation City where Imperial Steward Lin cannot go. Victory Palace worries too much. These words silenced the entire hall. The Radiant Emperors voice was calm and gentle, but the pretense would be too obvious if they kept on pretending not to hear. The inner attendant fell kneeling to the ground, face pale and lips trembling. This entire time, the Radiant Emperor never deviated from his gentle and modest expression. The side-door opened quietly as some people dragged the inner attendant away. The chief steward of Wave Hall entered and stood solemnly to the Emperors side. The Radiant Emperor spoke softly, Tell the Empress to manage her affairs well, dont let just anyone come before me. If they cant remember the fact that the imperial harem must not participate in politics, they can copy that line for a hundred and eighty times. After the steward withdrew, the Radiant Emperor began flipping through the books again. The civil officers who had work to do buried their heads back in their documents, focusing on making their handwriting more intricate and accurate. The nobles, on the other hand, became quite awkward as they could no longer continue chatting in a leisurely manner. The Radiant Emperor had addressed the Empress and Concubine Zhao of the Laurel Palace in succession. It just so happened that people from both the Jingtang Li Clan and Swallowcloud Zhao Clan were here. Marquis Seagaze, Li Tianshi, had it better because the Emperors admonishment of Empress Li was moderate and ambiguous. He could stubbornly think of it as his family being dragged into this. Besides, Li Tianshi was rather young compared to all the clan lords who were in their fifties. It didnt feel as embarrassing for him to be ridiculed. Duke Yan, on the other hand, was finding it difficult to keep his composure. With Zhao Weihuang overseeing the Western Continent and Duke You engaged in battle on the void continent, it fell upon him to deal with things herepublic matters like the heavenly monarchs funeral and the conferment of Duke Zhaos Marshal title. With three dukes and one marshal, the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan could now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Greensun Zhang Clan. This was easy to say, but the limelight wasnt so easy to deal with. Duke Yan felt that the day before was even more tiring than fighting for an entire day. He wouldve never imagined that he would run into such a case in this minor civil-affairs conference. The reputation this time was just too unseemly. Meddling in politics and planting men near the Emperor could be ignored for the time being. The major families wouldnt mock one another openly. But what was the point in getting on Lin Xitangs case? And using such a crude method no less, sending an inner attendant into a hall full of nobles and ministers to report that Lin Xitang had gone to a certain monarchs residence. Wait a certain monarchs residence? Which monarch? This problem echoed in the mind of every noble. Since Concubine Zhao was bringing it up in such a manner, it couldnt be just any monarch. At the very least, it had to be someone that would anger the Radiant Emperor. That attendant had never dared to let slip and the Emperorintentionally or otherwisehad evaded any mention of it. Now, this was an interesting development. What could this mean? Was the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan eyeing the Empress position now, or were they showing interest in the people at the scene? Facing these meaningful gazes, Duke Yan felt the sudden urge to demolish the homes of certain old people on the Western Continent! Back in the year, the dissatisfied Zhao clan had sent a descendant into the palace as a concubine, and now, it was comparable to smashing ones foot with a stone. That lady from the Zhao clan was the daughter of a small branch from Duke Yous lineage. Someone like that simply couldnt outshine the other noble ladies who had been raised in great refinement. It also happened that this girl trusted a number of elders from the clan, and this wasnt the first time she had tried to cause trouble for Lin Xitang on their advice. It was fine in the pastmany from the aristocracy were dissatisfied with Lin Xitang because he held both civil and military power, and liked to promote people of humble origins. Currently, however, Duke Yan wanted to ask those old fogeys who the heck Lin Xitang had provoked for them to attempt this. Besides, it had been proven that the Emperor had been misleading everyone. He wasnt easy to deal with at all! The Emperor had never bickered with the Imperial harem in the past, but now, he didnt need to be wary anymore. Regarding whether the Emperor would allow Lin Xitang to hold great authority, it was evident from the title Imperial Teacher that he was very willing to support him. Duke Yan felt extremely regretful that he hadnt fully supported Duke You back then, allowing the elders in the clan to arrange the matters regarding the Imperial harem. There was no real need to send someone into the palace just to occupy a position there. The Zhao clan had enjoyed a thousand years of glory, built upon the bravery and sacrifice of its descendants. Marital relationships with the Imperial family were akin to gilding the lily, not the foundation of the clan! Duke Yan sat as straight as a pine tree, with both hands on his knees. There was nowhere to vent the anger in his chest. Zhang Boqian, who had his back toward everyone all this time, turned about and said, I object to the Highland Song Clans no-demotion proposal regarding hereditary titles. Any constant hereditary title is dependent on many factors, like individual strength and personal as well as familial accomplishments, let alone a duke position. If you just want to ensure that the young generation can preserve your family name, they can be re-promoted afterward according to their contributions. After throwing out this heavy cannonball, Zhang Boqian nodded at the Emperor in greeting and left the hall. This case was being discussed just now with no decided outcome, and Zhang Boqian hadnt expressed his opinion back then. The conflict between Zhang and Song had been going on for many years, so the family heads didnt find it strange. But they thought that the proposal had a good chance of passing. That was because the current Song clans territories had been split up from their core regions, and their guarantor, Prince Rui, had enjoyed good standing all along. This so-called no-demotion was only to last for one generation, so all the other families were happy to do him a favor. Additionally, the nobility felt a bit sorry to see a major clan collapse just like that. Who wouldve thought Zhang Boqian would break his prolonged silence during this awkward moment, then leave after saying his mind? All these clan lords were old foxes who knew quite a lot. Some of them immediately turned to look at Duke Yan. Now that they thought of it, Prince Ruis maternal family was from the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan, and there were certain branches in the Song who were trying fairly hard to pander to the Zhao. Was Prince Greensun just bashing the Song clan while they were down? Or was the Zhang clan finally going to contest the Zhao clan for the first place? Behind the pearl curtains, the Emperor suddenly looked up and said, Since Monarch Zhang has already expressed his opinion, all ministers should proceed to vote on the subject! After all, this is the first time such a matter has been brought up regarding the nobility. It isnt appropriate for the Imperial clan to make the decision. The clan lords froze up for a moment. Even the most astute schemers couldnt help but find their thoughts evident on their faces. They had never once hoped so badly that His Majesty would just make the decision like a dictator. Zhang Boqian paid no heed to what was happening in the Wave Hall. Moments later, he arrived back at the entrance of his residence, but his steps slowed down after entering the door and finally came to a stop in the small plaza in front of the second hall. He stood there for a good while. He was there for so long that the shadow at his feet had clearly changed its angle, so long that the stewards figure could be seen rushing past the corridor to prepare dinner. Only then did Zhang Boqian come to and called out to the steward. The latter bowed respectfully and said, The Lord Duke arrived in the afternoon and has been resting in the small study in the rear building. Zhang Boqian nodded and made to walk away. The steward asked at this point, Prince, shall I prepare dinner for the two of you in the side hall? Zhang Boqian halted for a while before saying, No need, he has other business at night. With that, he took a step forward and vanished amidst the buildings. Zhang Boqian pushed open the carved door of the small study, and as expected, there was no one inside. That mans aura wasnt here. In fact, Zhang Boqian hadnt sensed his aura since he stepped into the residence. Even if he could use his powerful heavenly monarchs perception to scan the entire street block, city, or even the wilderness further out, what was the use? There was an open scroll on the table, and the used pen hadnt been washed yet, only propped on the pen stand. The western window was half-open, through which the lush cotton tree outside had pushed one flowering branch into the room. Zhang Boqian walked over to the table and saw a familiar handwriting enter his eyes. Unworthy am I, the celebrations have ended, yet we cannot view the cherry-apples together. The scroll was pressed down by an oblong piece of jadeits material was simple, and its color was light and pale, almost slightly yellow. A caress over the surface proved that the jade wasnt a single piece and likely a box that could be opened from the middle. It was actually a Feather of Fortunate Omens. Zhang Boqian had asked Li Xitang for one of these, but it was destroyed soon afterward. Who wouldve thought Lin Xitang would leave him another one? Chapter 1168: Attack! Attack! Everyone in the city wore serious expressions. Those who could still walk struggled to their posts, gripping whatever weapon they had tightly. The ground trembled slightly as a strange buzz filled the air. Over the not-so-distant horizon, one Evernight transport after the other pierced through the clouds, dropping a dense array of soldiers and gear onto the front lines. The Evernight army outside of Whitetown already held the absolute advantage in terms of military power. Doer had an army of forty thousand under his command, while Whitetown was being defended by a couple thousand men, including Zhao Jundus soldiers. The only advantage they held was the abundance of resources because of their control on the battlefield. But now, there seemed to be no end to the Evernight transports. Upon careful calculation, the soldiers might number in the tens of thousands and their ammunition supply was almost uncountable. Currently, the Evernight side held the absolute advantage in numbers. In terms of experts, Doer alone was difficult enough to deal with. A reinforcement fleet of this scale would surely be led by an expert of corresponding strength, a vice-duke at the very least. At the highest point in the city, Song Zining and Qianye were standing side-by-side, with Zhao Jundu in a different corner. All of them were gazing at the descending airships with fairly calm expressions. How come there are so many transports? How is the Martyrs Palace faring? Song Zining seemed a bit worried. Qianye remained with his eyes closed for a good while. Its fighting. Song Zinings expression turned serious. Can you sense who the enemy is? Qianyes face turned slightly pale. Apparently, the long-distance communication placed quite a bit of strain on him. Moments later, he opened his eyes and said, Its an Evernight fleet, and a fairly powerful one at that. The Martyrs Palace can hold its own, but itll be difficult to eliminate the enemy. Its been tangled up. That means the enemy is led by a grand-duke at the very least. It looks like Evernight understands you quite a bit! Qianye nodded. The Martyrs Palace would perform very differently depending on whether or not Qianye was on board. The latter could utilize some of the Earth Dragons power, but without him, the crew could only use it as a powerful warship. That terrifying strength rivaling the Emperors flagship couldnt be brought out. The Martyrs Palace could destroy two grand-duke warships in battle with Qianye on board, but without him, a single grand-duke could keep it in check. Fortunately, Caroline was aboard the vessel, so there was no need to fear enemy experts trying to take over the airship by force. Song Zining understood this fact. After a momentary daze, he said with a wry laugh, I really dont understand it. Are the Evernight forces on the void continent that important? Why would they pay such a steep price? There was a pattern to the war between the Evernight faction and the Empire. Once the situation was dire or their losses exceeded a certain degree, the dark races would normally abandon their cannon fodder and pull back their elite experts. These long-lived species were usually unwilling to trade losses with short-lived humans. However, their current strategy was the exact oppositeinvesting more and more soldiers into taking back a retreat point. These reinforcements were sufficient for them to contend with the Imperial army for a different strategic location. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, If you have questions, we can discuss that after we survive this. Then, well have more time to ponder on it. Song Zining scoffed. How rare to hear something like that from you. What, does the situation look bleak to you as well? Those who should come have not arrived, yet those who shouldnt have are here. Anyone would feel that things are bad. Be practical and start assigning defensive zones, get ready to fight with your lives on the line. Both Qianye and Song Zining nodded. There was another possibility that all three of them had thought of, but none of them brought it up. If the dark races increase in troop strength wasnt just here at Whitetown, it would mean that they were planning an all-out counterattack involving the entire continent. The trio separated the city into three mutually supporting warzones, one for each person. The presence of an overseeing expert made a significant difference in a defensive fight. By the time they had completed assigning warzones, the Evernight army had also completed their encirclement on three sides, leaving only the path toward the edge of the continent. Everyone knew that heading in that direction meant sure death, so there was no meaning guarding it. The rumble of heavy cannons drew the curtains on the dark race armys assault. A hail of bullets smashed into Whitetown like rain, ravaging the rubble of a city. The defense armys counter cannon fire was highly scattered and almost negligible. All soldiers were hiding behind cover, waiting for the barrage to end and the enemy charge to begin. Almost as though they were venting their anger, the dark races continued firing for an entire fifteen minutes before stopping. This kind of cannon fire held little meaning because the city no longer had any clear defensive line. Every rubble, every street intersection could turn into a defensive line for exchanging fire. The barrage had just ended when countless dark race warriors charged the city at shocking speed. They forwent all forms of probing strategies and went straight for an all-out assault. This went to show just how desperate and determined the enemy was. The silent Whitetown came back to life. Gunfire emerged from behind half-standing walls, stone pillars, and from within ruined buildings. Origin bullets were being fired as though ammunition didnt cost anything, and physical bullets flew about like torrential rain. Many of the origin bullets were suffused with the sable glow of darkness origin power. The mercenaries of the neutral lands didnt care about Daybreak or Evernight. Just like on the Evernight continent, there were a lot of them who cultivated darkness origin power as well. They would pick up the weapons and ammunition left behind by the fallen dark race attackers and fire everything back at them. The first row of dark race soldiers collapsed neatly like reaped wheat. Those behind them stepped over the corpses of their comrades as they continued the charge toward Whitetown. With the dark races speed, a thousand meters took only moments to traverse. They paid with their lives to cover this ground swiftly and enter Whitetown. However, they quickly realized that the true nightmare was within the city. Mercenaries and Zhao clan warriors would appear from every place and direction, vanishing quickly after a round of raking fire. In the blink of an eye, the enemy soldiers who had entered the city suffered grave injuries. This was actually the right time for the experts to do their job, but the stronger dark race warriors were also falling in droves as one powerful bullet after the other punched through their armor. The daybreak origin power in the projectiles burned their flesh and innards like a stream of fire. Titled enemy experts fell constantly, ultimately stirring alarm in the hearts of the soldiers. They started to fall into confusion. Their attacks were no longer as resolute, and hesitation on these city streets meant only one thingdeath. As such, the dark race casualties began to rise amidst their predicament. The soldiers Zhao Jundu had brought to Whitetown were true elites, with a large number of well-trained snipers among them. The Zhao clan had invested deeply in these sharpshooters, so Dark Flames self-taught snipers couldnt compare to them at all. Their only objective was to take out high-ranking enemy officers and experts. On a distant warship, a vampire marquis finally couldnt hold it in any longer. Sire, the casualties are too great. Our morale will collapse at this rate! Continue the attack! Doers voice was calm. Lord Doer! The vampire marquis raised his voice. Continue the attack. Under Doers strict orders, the unresigned vampire marquis could do nothing but retreat. Before leaving, he glared at the werewolf duke provocatively. The vampires and werewolves had always been at loggerheads with one another. Since the werewolves lost their supreme, the vampire race had been suppressing the wolves on every front. Hence, even though there was a rank difference between them, this vampire marquis didnt really hold much respect for Doer. The werewolf experts behind Doer looked furious, and some of the bad-tempered ones even started to act up. However, Doer calmed them down with a wave of his hand and said, I can repeat my order once but never twice. Anyone who still cant hear me clearly will be punished according to military laws. As for what happens afterward, that can be discussed at the meeting. All the vampire experts wore serious expressions as they turned to a vampire elder at the center of their formation. The man was so old that his eyes were barely open, and his face was full of wrinkles. Even so, his aura was only slightly weaker than Doer, clearly a vice-duke. His murky eyes glanced at Doer. Lord Doer is the commander here, so he has the final say in this. Are you all tired of living? How dare you question the councils decision! Doer ignored the sarcasm in the old mans voice. Thank you, Lord Digger. Now that we have no more objections, issue my order and continue the assault! Lord Diggers eyes twitched, but he said nothing. Moments later, a bugle cry carrying a special frequency spread out on the battlefield. This frequency awoke the ferocity ingrained deep within the dark race soldiers. The werewolves went berserk, and many vampires saw their eyes turn red in blood fury as they charged into Whitetown at almost equal speeds. The dark race army clashed with the mercenaries again as they entered the city. This time, they were no longer apprehensive after being agitated by the secret art. Even the wounded would drag their opponents down with them. In the blink of an eye, the outer defensive line of Whitetown had almost collapsed entirely. The enemy had also paid a steep price with their corpses lining the entire defensive line. The curtains had just been raised on the siege when the dark races had lost over ten thousand elites. The loss of high-ranking officers and experts was even more shocking. The commander, no matter who it was, should be greatly alarmed at the sight of this. Chapter 1169: Reinforcements Wave after wave of dark race soldiers crashed into the defensive lines like the tides, slowly pushing it toward the city center. Half of Whitetown had been lost in less than half a day, and there was no sign of the dark race attacks stopping. From the deck of his warship, Doers sharp gaze pierced through the smoke and mist to land on the battlefield. All of a sudden, the auras of all dark race soldiers in a certain area vanished into thin air! Doers face twitched briefly, the first time he was visibly moved since the battle began. His gaze landed on that area and saw hundreds of werewolf and vampire elites freeze in place, as though they had been cursed, and then collapse one after the other. With his keen eyesight, Doer naturally realized that the warriors had lost their vitality in an instant. That was why they froze up before collapsing. What kind of power could instantly kill so many elites? A certain figure appeared amidst the fallen soldiers. As though sensing Doers gaze, the man suddenly looked up to meet it. Within moments, all Doer could see was a pair of bottomless pupils! As a powerful expert, Doer calmed himself down and the visual phenomenon quickly disappeared. When he looked toward the battlefield again, that person was already gone. The werewolf duke said with a light sigh, That must be Qianye. There was no lack of experts near him. Another person who had witnessed the scene replied, Thats him. Doer let out a scoff, but no one could tell whether it was born of joy or distress. He turned back and asked, What are your chances of defeating him if you meet him in battle? The werewolves exchanged glances, not knowing how to reply. One of the more violent ones cried out, Are we not going to fight just because were not sure about defeating him? Sire, send me into the field. Ill fight it out with him! Doer looked at him in the eye while shaking his head. Whats the point? Throwing your life away? Even if thats what you want, its not time yet. Wait a while, and youll have a chance to fight with your lives on the line. The werewolfs face turned red, but he didnt dare retort. Keeping it in made him evidently uncomfortable. He was already a virtuous count and a member of the upper echelons among the werewolves. Qianyes cultivation rank wasnt high, but his fighting power was abnormally high. He himself knew that defeat would come swiftly if Qianye were to fight him in earnest. At this moment, all powerful vampire and werewolf experts saw their expressions change. Everyone, including Doer, turned toward Whitetown to observe the battlefield. Diggers expression was unsightly. He snorted heavily, saying, Insolence! This battle was mainly led by the werewolves and vampires, so many of the experts in the field were from Digger and Doers clans. Suffering grave casualties would affect their clans standing in the Evernight world. That was why Digger was so angry. Doers expression shifted several times, but in the end, he held back from acting up. Send all of our reserve forces in! Digger could no longer hold back. Are you just giving them free contributions? Doer said without looking back, Then feel free to join the battle, Sire Digger. The vampire turned livid, but after a while, he said through clenched teeth, Then we shall do as you say! With that, he roared at the vampire experts behind him, What are you looking at? Everything will be settled at the council! Doer knew Digger would stir up trouble for him at the Evernight Council, but his expression remained calm as he urged the attack on. At this point, Whitetown was covered in smoke and gravel. There was fighting going on everywhere, and one could hardly tell which was the front and rear lines anymore. To the Evernight experts, this was the beginning of their nightmare. Qianye, Zhao Jundu, and Song Zining had entered the field, and these three were like grim reapers. No place on the battlefield was safe from this moment onward. Death could be lingering around everyone at any time. The core titled experts of the dark race army had no strength to retaliate against the three. They would be killed immediately on sight. Normally when these experts take to the field to lead troops, true experts from the army or at least a vice-duke like Digger should have joined them. Yet the top experts of Evernight were now standing on the flagship, showing no sign that they would take action. Behind Doer, a number of experts were starting to feel uneasy. They could almost sense the burning gazes of the frontline soldiers upon them. They should be stepping forward bravely at such a time, yet they remained motionless in the rear. Diggers breathing became coarse after witnessing Qianye break the neck of a descendant with great potential. To vampires with their powerful life force, such an injury wasnt enough to cause instant death. However, it was lethal all the same if help didnt come in time. The descendant fell moaning to the ground, but who would help him on the battlefield? Doer didnt look at the battlefield, only at the sky above. A faint rumbling echoed through the air again as armored transport vessels broke through the clouds and made a beeline for the battlefield. These transports braved the bullets and cannon fire to land right beside Whitetown, unloading a large number of heavy-armored soldiers into the battlefield. Many of these transports were riddled with bullet marks. Apparently, they had faced a fierce battle in the void, yet their outstanding performance and armor allowed them to reach the battlefield and still have the strength to fly away. Although some of them exploded during the landing and take-off, they were much better than the normal transports who couldnt even get near the battlefield. The coat of arms on the airships depicted a crossed pair of blood-stained swords. Digger fell silent for a moment, then glanced at Doer with complicated emotions. These soldiers were under the direct command of the Evernight Council. They were actually taking the field. Did Doer have a special connection with the council or were the werewolves planning something big? Just as he was thinking about it, the new soldiers had charged into Whitetown! These troops were stronger than the first batch and their equipment was far superior to ordinary Evernight elites. They had just arrived in the field when the soldiers of Whitetown started to take greater casualties. Two mercenaries were firing from behind a pile of rubble when, all of a sudden, two blades appeared through their chests! They looked down at their injuries, but just as they were trying to grab the blades, they were flung into the air and thrown toward the intersection. Two heavily-armored dark race warriors walked out in large strides. With a sword in their right hands and an origin gun in the left, they arrived before the struggling mercenaries. Just as they were about to finish off the enemy, they saw a young sword-wielding man walking toward them in calm steps. On the battlefield of blood and fire, this calm young man seemed as though he was walking through his backyard. He arrived before the two heavy-armored soldiers in just one step and waved his sword about just slightly before leaving again. The armored soldiers froze in place. Even their thoughts stopped at that moment as their large bodies crashed down. Up until the moment they lost consciousness, they didnt know where they were injured or if they were even injured. However, they remembered that young man and recalled his nameZhao Jundu. On a distant tower, Qianye witnessed this entire scene through his scope. He placed the crosshairs on Zhao Jundus back for a while. The latter sensed it but only waved his hand in response without looking back. Smiling, Qianye moved his crosshairs to a vampire knights forehead. That vampires head burst open the next moment, leaving the headless corpse standing and unwilling to collapse. Qianyes target had long since shifted to a werewolf baron. In a different battlefield, Song Zining was standing on the second floor of a half-collapsed building. A number of Dark Flame officers around him were listening to his orders, preparing to set up a new defensive line. Song Zinings armor was now covered in blood and mud. Even his hair was half-singed, and there was a gaping wound on the back of his left hand. The officers memorized Song Zinings instructions carefully. This seventh young masters simple adjustments to the defensive line would usually produce evident results. Many a time, assaults that seemed indefensible would return bruise and battered against these defensive lines. Song Zining stopped talking halfway through and glanced briefly in Zhao Jundus direction. Is it beginning? Seventh Young Master, whats the matter? The officers were baffled. Song Zining collected himself and said, Its nothing, the battle is about to get even more bitter than he had expected. Get ready to fight with your lives on the line! A tall, burly officer said, Its fine to ask us brothers to fight, but where are the reinforcements? There, dont you see? Song Zining pointed at the descending transports. The officer was startled. Arent those Evernight transports? Yes. Song Zining was quite calm. The officer realized it after some thought. Our reinforcements arent coming anymore, are they? Song Zining shook his head. They will come after a while. The officer said urgently, Whats the use then? By the time they arrive, all our brethren will have turned into corpses. Some people will definitely arrive to help. The officers sighed in relief, but no one noticed Song Zinings choice of words, that he wasnt referring to an army. It was at this time that heavy cannon shells exploded near the small building. The smoke hadnt even dispersed when a group of armored dark race soldiers rushed out from the street corner. The burly officer said in a voice full of killing intent, We can think about reinforcements later, this daddy is going to slaughter those bastards first! Song Zining pulled him back and said while picking up his spear, Ill go. The officers expression became solemn. They understood that Song Zining was different from Qianye and Zhao Jundu. If he was finally going to fight personally, it meant that true danger had arrived. Chapter 1170: Steady and Sure Overall, these heavy-armored soldiers possessed shocking fighting power, and a group of ten was capable of contending with an Imperial champion. Be it individually or in formation, they were not inferior to elite corps like Red Scorpion and Broken-Winged Angels. No wonder Zhao Jundu and Song Zining had to move personally. Qianyes consumption from sniping titled experts wasnt low, either. The Evernight armys true experts hadnt made a move yet. Once Qianye, Zhao Jundu, and Song Zining took to the field themselves, the Evernight Councils forces began to take heavy losses. Digger couldnt endure it any longer. Lord Doer, these are the Evernight Councils direct subordinate soldiers. You might have trouble explaining things if you let them die off like this. Doer replied calmly, How I explain it is my business, Lord Digger doesnt need to worry. Fine. Digger stopped talking. Doer stood quietly, watching the fight in Whitetown. This lasted for an hour. Even the werewolves and vampires who were known for their strong physique would be hard-pressed to fight for an entire hour. It was a mystery how those human mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers were able to keep up. Doer asked, How many men do they have left? A werewolf elder said, From my observations, there should only be a thousand or so ordinary soldiers left in the city. Doer nodded slowly. Is that so? That means the Empires so-called twin rising stars must be drained of origin power by now. Rest and reorganize, we continue the attack in half a days time. Doer didnt have to wait too long before the second batch of airships arrived. The werewolf duke canceled his order to rest for half a day, integrating his soldiers into the newly arrived squads and ordering them to attack again. This time, Doer ordered count-rank experts to take the field for the first time and assigned a werewolf marquis to oversee the formation. Additionally, he and Digger moved their command center forward to a point less than a thousand meters from the battlefield. This distance was within the highest theoretical range of a high-ranking sniper. The sharpshooter would only need to sneak toward them a short distance to pose a threat. The attacks began again less than an hour after their retreat just now. The fights reached a climax from the get-go. The addition of fresh troops and powerful experts elevated this fight greatly. In the blink of an eye, several attack routes had rushed into the city center and weaved into a cruel, bloody street battle. The werewolf marquis who was in charge of overseeing the formation lost his patience and charged at Zhao Jundu with a long howl. Zhao Jundus expression never changed as he met the enemy with his sword in hand. A faint green light flowed along his blade, leaving fragments of splendor in the air as it danced about. The sword in the fourth young masters hand used no special moves, only simple slashes and stabs. Yet the werewolf Marquis couldnt evade them and saw numerous flowers of blood blossom all over his body. As a marquis, the werewolf was extremely fierce. He moved with lightning speed, and his attacks were as heavy as the mountains. Most of the ruined buildings in Whitetown only had their foundations left at this point. These structures made of hard rock would be pulverized upon contact with his claws, producing large holes in the ground after each fight. Werewolves were known for their speed and inherent talent in close-quarter combat. Even the arachne, with their extraordinary strength, fell short in technique compared to their wolverine counterparts. Yet, Zhao Jundu only shuttled about within a couple meters in radius, easily evading the marquis tempestuous assault. Sometimes, he would only dodge the most powerful part of the marquis attacks, allowing the shockwaves to land on his body. A violet glow would flicker at that point and dissolve most of the force. In the end, the attack would only leave a couple of scratches on Zhao Jundus armor. Whenever Zhao Jundu chose to take on the werewolfs attacks forcibly, the blade in his hand would leave an injury on the enemys body. These wounds were sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, but it remained a fact that the werewolfs high-grade armor couldnt stop Zhao Jundus blade. There was no need to even consider the werewolfs hide for protection. The only thing that could stop the sword from going deeper into his body was the defensive barrier formed from darkness origin power. The two fought back and forth for several dozen rounds, but it took mere moments in reality. The werewolf marquis had taken over ten wounds, big and small. Each of these injuries had cut through his defenses in one blow. They werent particularly serious, but the pain infuriated him and caused him to attack with greater frenzy. Ordinary titled experts had no place in the fight between the werewolf marquis and Zhao Jundu. The insightful viscounts stood in the periphery to guard against a surprise attack by other human experts. Only a single count remained in the inner circle, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Zhao Jundu, who had been fighting slow and steady, suddenly erupted in a loud roar. Four pillars of violet light spread out in each directionOmniscient Seal! The frantic marquis was startled as all experts within the domain turned sluggish. Just as he was about to help, Zhao Jundu pulled back abruptly and the sword in his hand erupted with blinding brilliance! The werewolf count who had been looking for opportunities to strike let out a loud scream as one of his arms flew into the air! Almost immediately, he leaped back several dozen meters away from the fight. The werewolf viscounts stood gazing at the long streak of blood showering down from the escaping count. What kind of injury would draw so much blood? Gradually slowing down, the werewolf count looked down to find another wound on his chest. This was only an ordinary sword wound at first, but his heart had burst open due to his all-out effort to escape, and the small wound was now as big as a bowl. But when did he receive a stab to the chest? He himself had no idea. Without even looking at the werewolf count, Zhao Jundu turned to the marquis and said, Again. His domain had been retracted at this point. He was once again that young man who had no other outstanding features but his good looks. The marquis fighting spirit had been largely extinguished at this point. The two had been fighting with great ferocity, so much so that the werewolf was almost in a berserk state, yet Zhao Jundu had killed a count right before his eyes, and with such ease no less. Only when the Omniscient Seal appeared did this marquis realize that Zhao Jundu had never gone all out against him. Doer and Digger were observing the battle not so far away. The pride embedded deep in the werewolf bloodline ignited the marquis fighting spirit once more. Not only did he not retreat, but he pounced toward Zhao Jundu again. With a brief flicker of the latters blade, yet another wound was opened up on the werewolf Marquis'' arm. The trend was evident. At this rate, the marquis would be whittled to death sooner or later, and it wouldnt even cost Zhao Jundu much origin power. Only at this moment did Digger speak, Lord Doer, your reliable subordinate is going to die here if you dont take action. Doer opened his eyes and said, Weve been watching for some time now, and weve seen how capable they are. Ill leave Zhao Jundu to you and head over to deal with Song Zining. How about it? Digger smiled. Deal! His words were still in the air when Diggers figure flickered several times and arrived inside Whitetown. The vice-dukes overflowing momentum erupted as the sword in his grasp stabbed down toward Zhao Jundus head. Doer was one step slower to set out, but they arrived at the same time since he was stronger than Digger. With cold eyes, he looked down at Song Zining from above. The latter trembled all over and his hair danced about around him. He slowly looked up after clearing the area with a swing of his spear. Doer hadnt begun his assault, but Digger had already unleashed his domain on the other side of the city. A ten-meter radius around him was filled with sanguine mist, which then condensed into a blurry silhouette that charged at Zhao Jundu as well. From the looks of it, Digger wanted to kill or heavily injure Zhao Jundu before Doer could finish his battle. That was his way of establishing might. Doer looked rather leisurely, indifferent even, and paid no heed to Diggers side. He only glanced at Song Zining as a giant axe appeared in his hand. At the same time, Doer removed his long overcoat to reveal a set of swordsmans garb and an origin handgun strapped to his thigh. Just from the caliber of that weapon, one could tell that it wasnt there for decoration. Youre outstanding and respectable opponents. Unfortunately, I wont be seeing the day you mature. Song Zining asked, That means, Whitetown was a trap all along? Doer said indifferently, Sharp as expected. As your human race can scheme against us, so can we to you. This place wasnt a trap at first, but your presence has made it into one. Song Zining asked, Did someone from the Empire leak information to you? Isnt there always? Intelligence battles were a part of war. Some due to carelessness, some intentional, but there were also leaks genuine and false. Add to that the presence of prophets and divination experts influencing the situation, no commander would dare to base their entire strategy based on intel alonethat was unless they had gotten their hands on inside information. Song Zining said, Of course, there would always be leaks, but only a handful of people know this information. Besides, would you really dare to trust the information youre getting? Doer smiled. Youre pretty close to guessing the truth, but sadly, its too late. Song Zining said, Its not too late even if I find out now. As you said a while ago, this wasnt a trap at first, but it became one after we arrived. If we manage to break out alive, this trap wont be a trap anymore. Do you think the council will let you escape with your lives after paying such a steep price? Who can say for sure without trying? Just like before, no one wouldve guessed we would hold out for so long, right? Doer said indifferently, Those two are arrogant idiots, theres no need to discuss them. Now, you need to figure out how to get past me. Ill repeat the same words. Who can say for sure without trying? Song Zining was so calm that it didnt look like he was facing mortal peril. Doer frowned in apparent puzzlement, unable to figure out where his confidence was coming from. The dukes expression turned cold as he drew his handgun and took aim at Song Zining. My patience has worn out. Its better to kill you first and seek answers to my question somewhere else. Song Zining raised his spear and pointed the tip toward the skies. After assuming a spear stance, he immediately began to give off an imposing aura, comparable to the mountains and lakes. This was his Fueled Fire Spears strongest stanceEmber Legacy. It was said that this spear-art would always find an opportunity at survival where there was none. This was the first time Song Zining had brought it out since reaching the great success stage. Doer frowned briefly, having sensed the extraordinary qualities of this stance. It was at this time that Song Zinings figure suddenly turned blurry. At first, Doer thought that his vision had blurred, but he knew that was absolutely impossible! He focused harder and found that Song Zinings figure was indeed a bit blurry, almost as though he was shrouded in a surreal mist. Not to mention there was no mist on the battlefield, Doer could see through the rolling smoke and dust all the same. There was only one explanation for this phenomenon. Doer said solemnly, Domain? This is the Three Thousand Flying Leaves art, empowered by Worldly Prosperity. Please evaluate it. Unable to see Song Zinings true figure meant that it would be very difficult to lock onto him. Although the seventh young master was only slightly blurry in Doers eyes, this also meant that there was a small chance that he would miss the shot, or maybe miss the vitals. The otherwise sure kill was now tainted with a shred of uncertainty. What shook him more was that he couldnt see through Song Zining entirely despite the large cultivation gap. This kind of domain, this kind of talent, was truly terrifying. Doers eyes turned cold, filled with genuine killing intent. He had never underestimated the youngsters of the human race, but only at this point did he truly realize Song Zinings potential. This young man was only obscured because Zhao Jundu and Qianye were too famous. If he were allowed to mature, the human race would have an extra powerhouse in the future. Up to this point, Doer hadnt shown a hint of wild violence as was the norm for werewolves. His expression was calm as thousands of mountain peaks appeared behind him, one of them particularly eye-catching. Chapter 1171: First Reinforcements Doer only deployed his domain but didnt attack immediately. He had fixed Song Zining in his sights, raring to launch an all-out attack. Off in the distance, Digger glanced over in trepidation. He had challenged the werewolfs authority more than once, yet he had never imagined that the difference in power between them was too great. There was simply no way for him to close that gap. Doer paid no heed to Diggers thoughts. A black sun rose up from the mountain peak behind him as he took aim at Song Zinings forehead and fired! The latter was focused entirely on defense. It was at this time that a faint, black feather of light appeared behind Doer and drilled silently into his body. The change happened so quickly that even Doer was astonished, let alone others. However, the werewolf dukes hand remained steady and managed to pull the trigger out of instinct. Digger reacted a bit slower and only saw the feather entering Doers back. The two dukes, of course, hadnt forgotten that there was another powerful opponent hiding on the battlefield. It was just that Qianye was proficient in concealment and sniping, so it was more difficult to find him. They anticipated that the other party would have to come out and rescue Zhao Jundu and Song Zining the moment they fell into danger. And once he was out in the open, he could forget about escaping the two dukes lock. Yet none of their expected strategies were of use. Doer and Digger had never expected that Qianye would remain undetected and even attack from within the two dukes perception range. Time seemed to slow down as Digger turned around and traced the feathers trajectory. Only then did he notice Qianye at the street corner. The young man was only thirty meters away, yet no one had noticed him! Digger was overcome by a strange feelingit was as if Qianye didnt exist even though he was looking straight at him. Bloodline Concealment! Digger immediately thought of an ancient vampire talent. This was the Monroe clans unique ability. Its chances of appearing were shockingly low, and it required the backing of an outstanding bloodline to be effective. It was said that this ability had only appeared in Nighteye throughout the years, and with her disappearance, it faded away into being just a legend. For some reason, however, Digger could only think of this name at this moment. The axe couldnt lock onto Qianye, and neither did it possess any other ability, but it was sufficiently fast and heavy. This outrageously crude violence was definitely the style of a werewolf. Doer had no way to counter Qianyes Bloodline Concealment, but if he could see the target, he could attack it. The plan was to make full use of his overwhelming advantage as a duke to meet the enemy head-on! With East Peak in hand, Qianye flicked the axe at the moment of peril and spun it along with his blade. The weapon revolved faster and faster in an increasing arc before it was sent flying off! The strength, technique, and resolve Qianye had displayed in that split second was inconceivable, inhuman even. Doer suffered the second shock for today. That axe was hurled at Doers full-strength. Despite using a heaven-defying technique to dissolve most of the force behind it, Qianye could hardly withstand the impact. His face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood. On the other side, Song Zining held his spear between his arm and ribs, slanting its tip toward the sky and piercing the incoming bullet with great precision. The projectile wasnt big, but it bore the weight of a mountain range. The spear bent into a deep arch from the pressure, then exploded! Song Zining was sent flying backward, crashing through several broken walls and digging a trench several dozen meters in length before coming to a stop. Song Zinings blurry shroud had dispersed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Glancing at the spear in his hand, it was already mangled beyond recognition. Doers attacks were indeed extraordinary, injuring Qianye and Song Zining in just one attack, and not lightly, either. The situation on the battlefield immediately took a turn for the worse. Despite the good opportunity, Doer didnt follow up with more attacks. He scanned the field with a snort, causing all mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers to tremble. They couldnt help but hold back and assume a cautious stance, allowing the dark race soldiers who were in danger to escape. Doer raised his left hand and, drawing two circles, pointed back at their main camp. Digger was astonished because this was the signal to retreat! With Song Zining and Qianye injured, Digger simply couldnt understand why Doer would issue such a command. His killing intent surged sharply. In truth, he had wanted to kill Zhao Jundu the moment Qianye made his appearance, but only at that point did he realize that the fourth young master was quite difficult to deal with. His sword techniques looked simple, but there was no opening at all. In terms of technical perfection, Zhao Jundus skill wasnt inferior to Qianyes stunning axe deflection from just now. Although Zhao Jundus origin power cultivation was a level below Digger, he possessed much greater endurance. The vampire duke realized that he couldnt suppress his opponent unless he went all out with every attack. This could only mean one thingthe grade of his blood energy was far below Zhao Jundus daybreak origin power in terms of purity. They werent even comparable. Only at this point did Digger learn that Zhao Jundus fame as the number one character in the younger generation wasnt just an empty title. He had also realized that Doer wasnt letting him have the contribution of taking down Zhao Jundu out of goodwill. The vampire probably knew he couldnt capture the target, or that the price involved would be too high compared to what he was willing to pay. He couldnt deal with Zhao Jundu, but that didnt mean he couldnt handle the injured Song Zining and Qianye. A thought flashed through his mind as he confirmed his target and flickered toward Song Zining. He avoided Qianye subconsciously because this young mans fame was on par with Zhao Jundu, and there were too many mysteries surrounding him. That spectral entrance just now was enough to make anyone cautious. But the moment he pulled away from the fight, Digger felt his hair stand on end as an intense sense of danger filled his heart. At that moment, Zhao Jundu stood straight as an azure brilliance shot up from his body and he was no longer as ordinary-looking as before. A single slash arrived with a momentum that could look down on the world in disdain! This slash could neither be dodged nor blocked. Digger cried out loudly and ferociously. In an unexpected move, he took Zhao Jundus slash and kept on charging at Song Zining. If he could kill this seventh young noble, his contributions would be sufficient even if he retreated thereafter. But just as he was approaching his target, Digger suddenly felt his vision turn blurry and Song Zinings image became hazy in his eyes. The surroundings shifted from the battlefield in Whitetown to a transition of myriad worlds. Digger was greatly alarmed because he could not lock onto the target! Just how had Doer hit Song Zining just now? Clenching his jaws, Digger erupted with blood energyfailing to lock onto Song Zining meant that the efficiency of his attack would be greatly discounted. The only way to get over that was to fill the gap with an absolute difference in power. Just at that moment, Digger felt his blood run cold! He turned around with every ounce of strength he had, only to see a feather of light flickering through the air. This feather wasnt black, but Digger had no time to ponder on the difference. He rushed into the air, made a sharp turn, and flickered back to camp. He became the first to retreat among all the soldiers in Whitetown. Doer was in no rush to leave. He gazed deeply at Qianye and asked, How many more shots like that can you fire? Take a guess. Doer shook his head, not willing to put in that effort. He simply took to the air and left at a leisurely pace. The mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers in his path would all move aside to make a path. The lucky survivors from the dark races took this opportunity to escape with their lives. It was easy to tell from the sudden retreat order that Doers injuries werent light, but no one dared to test the calm duke. A violent mercenary raised his gun, but Qianye quickly pushed it down, shaking his head. Even Zhao Jundu had no intention of giving chase. Instead, he walked over to check up on Song Zining. The scattered battles in the city came to an end with Doers retreat. The soldiers took the time to clear the battlefield and collect necessary supplies for the next fight. Some simply collapsed and started sleeping to recover their stamina. All the injured had to dress their own wounds because no one in the city was uninjured at this point. Zhao Jundu was perhaps the only one who hadnt suffered new injuries. Song Zining and Zhao Jundu arrived near Qianye. The former asked, How powerful was that shot of yours? Qianye hesitated for a bit. How should I know? Qianye had hit several duke-rank experts with his upgraded Shot of Inception, but everyone reacted in the same way. The degree of damage was evident on the surface, but they immediately turned away and fled. Doer was the calmest after being shot, proving that he was much stronger than the other opponents. That made it rather difficult to gauge the damage. Zhao Jundu asked, What about your injuries? Im fine, I can keep fighting. Having fought side-by-side more than once, Zhao Jundu knew of Qianyes abnormal endurance in battle. He patted his brother on the shoulder and said, Be careful, survival is the most important. Dont worry, I dont plan on dying just yet. Qianyes smile was radiant. The fourth young master wanted to say something but hesitated for a while. I heard you have a good gun thats related to the Pointer Monarch. Let me take a look. Qianye knew there was no problem, so he fished out Heartgrave and handed it to Zhao Jundu. Zhao Jundu fiddled with the weapon for a while before saying with a sigh, The name Heartgrave is quite fitting. After offering praise, Zhao Jundu returned the firearm to Qianye. Keep it on your back, you might not have the opportunity to retrieve it in battle. Those words were spoken from experience. Qianye strapped the weapon to his back just as advised. They had just finished chatting briefly when they heard the sound of distant fighting . At the moment, the rear lines of the Evernight army began to fall into chaos. The three took to the air and gazed into the distance with serious expressions. Song Zining sighed. Its actually her, seriously Zhao Jundus expression was a bit strange as well. A figure in simple clothing could be seen shuttling through the distant Evernight base. Although this person was entirely surrounded, she was completely fearless and fought with harsh ferocity. Even though her face could not be seen, just the technique, fighting style, and origin power aura gave Bai Aotu away immediately. Who wouldve thought? The first reinforcements to arrive were actually led by her. All three men in the city had a fair bit of conflict with her. That courage to charge the enemy formation alone, only she would have it. Zhao Jundu shook his head. I really cant tell if its bravery or idiocy. Song Zining said, Shes letting the dark races know that the Empires reinforcements have arrived. Zhao Jundu replied indifferently, Doer is no idiot. That werewolf duke isnt famous, and he didnt really shine while fighting the central army, either. But observing his actions just now, hes definitely not one to be trifled with, be it in terms of combat strength or insightfulness. Qianye frowned. Are we just going to watch like this? Dont we need to go over and help? Chapter 1172: Useless Assaul There were followers beside the two dukes, making the entourage look rather miserable. Their most competent subordinates had been sent out to snipe Bai Aotu, yet she was still pushing her way in. Doer remained silent and serious, but Digger sneered, This woman is beyond dumb. This is far enough for a fake charge, itll be too excessive if she keeps up the act. Lord Doer, are you going to keep watching? Why not intercept her and let her know when to give up? Doer said calmly, Im badly injured. Its already quite a feat for me to be standing here to keep up morale. I might be overreaching myself if I take action. Why dont Without waiting for Doer to finish, Digger said, I just hope shell go back on her own without us needing to intervene. He hadnt even finished speaking when he surprisingly noticed that Bai Aotu had killed her way into the central camp. Within Whitetown, Song Zinings expression was stunned, and Zhao Jundu snorted with an unsightly expression. Qianye, on the other hand, was already charging out with East Peak in tow. At this point, it was obvious that Bai Aotu wasnt just putting on a show. She was really killing her way through the enemy formation and making for Whitetown. Although her intentions were a mystery, Qianye couldnt just watch her throw away her life. They needed to help her out. Zhao Jundu picked up his sword and set out in leisurely steps, one step behind Qianye. Song Zining issued a series of commands and injected some stimulant into his arm before leaving the city. The rear lines of the Evernight formation were in chaos, but the frontlines still had their attention on Whitetown. The moment Qianye appeared, everyones immediate reaction was to pull the trigger and fire with all their might. It almost seemed as though firing origin bullets didnt drain their energy. In the blink of an eye, a screen of bullets appeared before Qianye. His figure flickered at that moment and vanished from the spot, reappearing at the center of the dark race forces. Countless threads of blood appeared, freezing hundreds of warriors around him. It looked as though they had fallen into a dream. Digger''s breathing became somewhat heavier. This combination of Spatial Flash and Life Plunder was too powerful, matchless even when fighting against large groups of enemies. Although he had long since heard of Qianyes indefensible abilities, he couldnt help but feel shaken upon witnessing them in person. Whether those in his way were cannon fodder, barons, or viscounts, everyone was dealt with in a single slash. The speed of his assault wasnt any slower than Qianyes. In the blink of an eye, he was already deep inside the enemy formation. In front of them, Bai Aotu erupted in a loud roar as she slammed a werewolf count into the ground almost entirely. That count was quite strong as well; he merely spat out some blood and, quite surprisingly, didnt die. While stepping over the count, Bai Aotu stomped down on his shoulder in passing. Half of the werewolfs shoulder immediately collapsed. Every move of hers contained great power. It almost looked as though she were charging about violently as she made her way to Zhao Jundu. In a flash of green light, Zhao Jundu killed the two vampire viscounts who were charging after her. He then dragged Bai Aotu by the hand and flew back in the direction of Whitetown. Seeing their prey escaping so narrowly, how could the dark race experts be satisfied? They swarmed over and gave chase despite knowing they wouldnt be able to catch up. Qianye suddenly appeared in front of them, spinning tens of thousands of sanguine threads! The second Life Plunder immediately cleared the area of ordinary soldiers. Only experts at the viscount rank and above managed to survive, but they too were badly injured and staggering. Qiayes face was flushed with an abnormal shade of red, almost as though he were drunk. Even his powerful constitution found it difficult to withstand two Life Plunders in a row. Despite his condition, he still stabbed two viscounts who were closest to him before beating a retreat. His figure vanished abruptly after taking a step back. That wasnt spatial flash, but rather, Song Zinings domain concealing him. At the same time, a round of gunfire echoed from Whitetown as a curtain of bullets divided the retreating experts from the enemy. At that point, they finally managed to bring Bai Aotu into the city. Diggers expression was so gloomy that it was about to drip water. Not to mention Bai Aotus penetration affecting the armys morale, they had also suffered heavy casualties in core titled experts. He was already at a loss about how to explain the situation to his superiors. Digger felt indignant when he saw Doer calm and collected; he couldnt help but curse repeatedly in secret. No small number of werewolves had died in this fight. How could Doer act as though it had nothing to do with him? Even so, Digger no longer dared to go up against the werewolf duke after learning of his true power. Doer didnt remain idle during this time. He issued a series of commands, including the formation of an extra defensive line outside of the inner encirclement. The direction of this formation was to the rear, targeting the imperial reinforcements. Digger was startled. Will the Empire manage to fight their way forward? Wasnt it said that theyve been intercepted? Doer shook his head, saying, Their main army might not be able to, but a small number of experts can still slip through. We saw one just now, didnt we? Then the Councils orders? We shall proceed as planned. Doers voice was tranquil, but Digger trembled when he heard it. Lord Doer, you can hardly suppress your injuries right now. It looks like you wont be able to contribute much going forward. The werewolf replied calmly, Lord Digger, the attack you took is much weaker than mine. Besides, I heard theres someone called Wolf King in the neutral lands whos a vice-duke as well. He took two or three shots yet was still able to chase after Qianye. You cant be much weaker than him. Digger cursed inwardly. Vampire constitutions are inferior to the werewolves. Is that so? Thats good then. Ignoring Diggers awkward expression, Doer turned toward Whitetown. Lets give them fifteen more minutes to rest, then continue the assault. Once inside Whitetown, Bai Aotus aura fell sharply and she spat out a mouthful of blood. A well-prepared Zhao Jundu passed her a recovery medicine. She had forcibly activated her origin power to charge into the enemy formation. This placed a significant strain on her and unknowingly inflicted internal injuries. If Qianye, Zhao Jundu, and Song Zining hadnt arrived on time, she might not have died from exhaustion before she could kill her way out. Bai Aotu stabbed the needle into her arm and soon regained some color. Thanks. To be honest, its quite a surprise that you came, but the method isnt that smart. This was Zhao Jundu being polite. She replied, The main army cant come, but I can. I simply had to let those dark bastards know that they cant stop us. But what you did is useless. Zhao Jundu shook his head. I suffered some injuries, but I still have enough strength left for an all-out attack. Even a duke will have to pay a steep price to kill me. Bai Aotus voice was filled with pride and confidence. Zhao Jundu sighed, This place is clearly a trap, why would you even come? You and I have a duel to fight. Ill have gained a cheap advantage if you died just like that. Im not about to let people gossip about that. Why dont we compete who kills more enemies here? Very well. Zhao Jundu had just spoken when a series of shrill whistles echoed through the air. This was the sound of a heavy cannon barrage, and also the signal for the dark races to attack once again. Whitetown was like a lone island amidst a sea of dark race forces, crashing into its walls wave after wave. The citys resistance was no longer as strong as before. In the blink of an eye, the dark races had charged into the city and continued their meat-grinder-like battle. The number of soldiers on Qianyes side grew increasingly smaller as one familiar face after the other fell into eternal sleep. The number of enemies around them grew to the point where Qianye could kill a handful of Evernight warriors with a random swing of his sword. At this point, Qianye felt a repeated sense of alarm. This was a sign of being locked onto by an expert. It might be a hidden sniper or an assassin hiding in the rubble, waiting to strike. East Peak was growing heavier and Qianye could feel his body starting to ache. Enemies were also starting to leave injuries on his body. Under the effects of the bloodthirst bugle, the crazed dark race soldiers threw themselves at Qianye. Meanwhile, the experts hiding amongst the ordinary soldiers became a real threat. Even Qianyes ancient vampire constitution was starting to feel the strain of the enemys swarm tactics. If even Qianye was feeling so fatigued, how would Song Zining fare? This thought merely flickered through Qianyes mind. The three of them were in charge of one area each, but they were also mutually dependent, with each covering the others backs. The entire defensive line would collapse if Qianye were to abandon his post. Currently, Bai Aotu was also in Song Zinings defensive zone, and someone of her ability would surely reduce the pressure on the seventh young master. Qianye suppressed his worries and put his mind back into the killing, especially the enemy titled experts. He didnt hesitate even if he had to take an injury for it. All he could do at this point was to bleed the Evernight faction as much as he could until they could no longer stand it. It wasnt just Whitetown; fierce battles were raging everywhere on the void continent. The Evernight faction had forcibly landed a large number of troops to stop the three army-routes from advancing toward Whitetown. Duke Wei of the central route was leading the army from the front, his hair disheveled and his eyes bloodshot. He had already stormed the warfront over a dozen times in one day, breaking through nine defense lines in succession. However, the dark races would send more troops every time and build a new defensive line to stop the assault. In the Eastern route, Princess Haimis bow-grip and fingers were stained in blood. The quiver on her back was now completely empty as she had fired all her arrows. She glanced around to find that the two armies were locked tight in battle. The Empire would push forward continuously, but the dark races would block their way fearlessly. Things in the air were differentthere were eight dark race experts around her, each possessing deep, cryptic auras. It was obvious that these people were of extraordinary strength. Haimi glanced in the direction of Whitetown and saw that the horizon was entirely empty. She retracted her gaze and scanned all the Evernight experts. She then broke into a laugh, saying, So, Im the real target huh? Among the enemy experts, there were demonkin, vampires, werewolves, and arachne. All the major races were here, and clad in uniform outfits too. This clearly wasnt an alliance that had been formed on the spot. Hearing Haimis words, a vampire elder said, Since Your Highness already knows, please be on your way so that we can return and report back to our master. Your master? Your Highness knows who it is, the vampire elder said. Haimi nodded. So its an old friend, and here I was wondering whose strategy could be so far-reaching. But But what? Chapter 1173: Endless Sacrifices A brigadier general ran into the central command at great speeds and presented a sealed document tube on one knee. Sire, an urgent missive from Duke You! A middle-aged man with a short beard took the document cylinder, unsealed it, and read the contents swiftly. He became somewhat angry almost immediately, saying, Rushing us again! Whats the point? I want to get there faster too, but how can I goddamn speed up? At this moment, the distant battlefield was filled with rolling smoke and explosions, signs of a fierce battle. A general nearby was disgruntled. Weve broken three defensive lines in a single day, how faster can we go? Who knew those dark races would be so crazy? Theyre hell-bent on risking their lives instead of running away. Their Zhao-clan peoples lives are important, but what about our brethrens lives? An elderly general said, Sire, Zhao Jundus fame is too great and has entered the Emperors eyes. We cant treat him like a normal Zhao clan member. This battle will be a great accomplishment if we succeed, but all our troubles will be for naught if we perform poorly. The first general glared at him. What kind of words are those!? Our lord has taken to the field personally and returned injured. What else will you ask of him? There was a bit of blood seeping out from under the short-bearded mans robes. He frowned after listening to his subordinates arguing. Enough arguing! After everyone was quiet, he glanced toward the frontline, saying, We hadnt encountered much resistance since the day we set out. We were only a bit slower because we were cautious all along. Yet now, the dark races have laid down several defensive lines, each akin to an impenetrable wall. I dont remember them having that many troops on the continent. It seems there has been a great deal of changes to the situation. If even we are encountering such resistance, its easy to imagine what the central and eastern routes are facing. Things dont look good for Whitetown, either. At this point, he paused for a moment before saying, The dark races scheme this time is nothing to scoff at. No matter what theyre planning, we can lay waste to all of their schemes if we advance and fight our way through their defenses. Issue my command, go all out with the attacks from here on out. We must break through two more defensive lines before sundown! The fierce general said, General, our brothers have just returned from the frontlines. Well suffer significant casualties if we attack right now. The short-bearded mans expression turned dark. What, are you afraid? The fierce generals face turned red. Wang Dahai has never been afraid of death! General, please watch. Leave the current defensive line to me! The Empires offensive intensified abruptly. With the addition of more powerful troops, the situation on the frontlines became tense for the defending army, and casualties rose exponentially. The old general beside the short-bearded general gazed at the distant horizon instead of the frontlines. A constant stream of Evernight transports was appearing there, apparently building a new defensive line. The old general looked dissatisfied. What are those show-offs from the Imperial Guard doing? Are they planning to let the entire Evernight reinforcement army into the continent? The short-bearded man gazed up at the sky. Theyre probably not having a great time, either. In the void, an Imperial battleship and several other warships were firing at a duke-grade flagship. The void was filled with warship wreckage. There was even a battleship that had been broken into two, drifting helplessly in the empty space. The duke-grade airship was dauntless. Despite being beleaguered and battered, it stood firm without retreating, its cannons big and small firing back with all their might. And wherever its main cannon aimed at, the Imperial ships there would have to evade immediately. Even the battleship didnt dare take the shot. On the bridge of the battleship, an aged general was issuing orders with a serious expression. He was trying to find a weakness in the enemy vessel and destroy it in one shot. An officer rushed into the bridge at this point. General Niao, another transport squadron has appeared at the rear! What should they do? All officers eyes fell upon the old general. The mans cheeks twitched briefly as he glanced at the desperately struggling grand-duke flagship. After a moment of silence, he slammed his fist on the control board and said through clenched teeth, Keep attacking! Sink that thing before us first! The officers immediately returned to their posts to resume the attack. They understood what General Niaos orders meant. Letting the transports pass meant that the ground-battles on the void continent would increase in difficulty. Once the battle was over, the commanders of each army route, especially the Zhao clan, would never let the general off easily. Yet their squadron had been pinned down by the duke-grade flagship. No one dared to turn about before the vessel had been sunk. There was, of course, a way if they had to intercept the transports no matter what. They would have to send some of their warships to keep the flagship busy while the main forces turned around to deal with the transports. Except for the main battleship, all other vessels were basically doomed if they had to face the duke-grade flagship. The Empire would surely lose some warships in the short time it would take to intercept the transports. General Niao had known the captains of each airship for many years. How could he make the decision to send these comrades and friends to their deaths? The old general had been in the Imperial Guard fleet for thirty years and counting, yet he had never been forced to make such a difficult decision. The Evernight side had placed their bet in the form of a duke-grade airship, but the Empireor General Niao at leastwas not willing to fork out the same. This meant that the general was gambling with the ground forces as chips. Difficult decisions like this were playing out before several other commanding officers from the Imperial Guard. Some made the same decision, while others would rather lose an arm and a leg to intercept the transports at all costs. The Evernight side shouldve been at a disadvantage, but one squadron after another kept appearing in the void. It was obvious that these forces werent transferred from the mainland on short notice. They had been hiding near the battlefield all along. No one had the time to complain about the Imperial militarys intelligence failure. They actually didnt notice the movements of such a large fleet. The Evernight side was also quite ruthless. They had so many soldiers, yet they didnt send them in earlier during the war, allowing the Empires ground forces to topple the entire warfront. The Imperial Guard had split itself into several small squadrons to fight the Evernight fleet and take back control of the void. Most of the experienced commanders from the Imperial Guard chose to eliminate the Evernight fleets new fighting power before intercepting the transport squadrons. Their choice couldnt be considered wrong, but this sharply increased the pressure on the ground forces. Standing in Whitetown, one would see a constant stream of transports landing over the horizon, almost as though there was no end to them. Qianye had forgotten how many people he had killed. That normally well-controlled body was now feeling numb, and slaughter had turned into a reflexive action. The long-period of blood boil elicited a sharp pain from his blood core, and the crystalline granules embedded in the tissue were mostly drained and dim. Yet, the number of dark races before him remained just as high. Dazed all of a sudden, Qianye looked around but found no comrades. Where were they? Were they all dead? Where were the reinforcements? Were they almost here or were they no longer coming? One question after the other popped into this mind uncontrollably. The distraction was broken by the pain on his body. Without even turning back, Qianye slashed backward and bisected the werewolf attacking him. The wound this time, however, was quite painful. He looked down to see a large gap below his ribs, the werewolfs claw and half his arm was still latched onto the wound. The wolfs claw had nailed itself to Qianyes rib bone, but fortunately, Qianyes constitution had already strengthened his skeleton. That was the only reason it wasnt broken. He took a deep breath and urged this blood core into operation. A spirited glow immediately returned to his eyes. The dark races were inherently sensitive to strengththeir aggressiveness weakened significantly after sensing the surging power in Qianyes body. However, true experts could sense that Qianyes aura was somewhat unstable. His current momentum was better interpreted as a dying flash. The experts searching for an opportunity around Qianye grew in number. Doer and Digger were paying constant attention to Qianyes situation. No matter how fierce the battles went, the two commanders made no move, nor did they show any signs of taking the field again. Digger would glance at Doer every once in a while, but the werewolf showed no change in expression no matter how injured he was. Seeing Qianye on the verge of collapse, Digger could no longer sit still. Lord Doer, do you think he can still fire off one of his attacks? Youll find out if you go and try. After some hesitation, Digger checked his own body briefly but ultimately decided to remain where he was. Seeing that neither Digger nor Doer had the intention of moving, Qianye stood tall and unfurled his luminous wings. A feather of light shot straight into a vampire marquis chest. The marquis screamed loudly and fled, but he collapsed just outside of Whitetown, never to move again. There was neither blood nor injury on his body throughout the entire process. Diggers eyelids twitched briefly. He had already suffered a Shot of Inception and was merely suppressing the injury. In truth, his constitution and defense werent much better than that marquis. He would likely suffer a grave injury even if he wasnt killed immediately. Digger glanced at Doer with eyes full of fear. He had no idea whether that unfathomable werewolf duke had seen through Qianyes hidden card, or if it was just a lucky guess. It was at this moment that a faint red light flickered in Doers hands. As sensitive as he was to blood energy, Digger immediately realized what that red glow was. The bloodline power of this blood energy was so profound that even a vice-duke like him couldnt help but tremble. Doers expression finally shifted. He gazed toward the battlefield and said, Finally, I have some results. But we still need a bit more work. Lord Digger, its our turn to take the field. A nodding Digger followed the werewolf down toward Whitetown. Inside the city, Song Zining had just returned to the temporary camp after fending off a wave of attackers. All of a sudden, he noticed a corpse at the corner of the room. The body was covered in a combat robe, but the outline was clearly that of a young girl. Song Zinings heart sank, knowing that there were only a handful of young girls in Whitetown. He walked over in large strides and removed the robe, revealing a child-like face. His mouth was immediately filled with a bitter taste. Chapter 1174: Truesho His personal guard nodded. As a member of the Imperial family, her corpse must not be defiled even after death. They also had to prevent the dark races from conducting research on her bloodline or using it as a medium for divination and other secret arts. Song Zining glanced at her again with a sigh. The Nineteenth Princess wasnt of age yet. She wasnt particularly outstanding among the princes and princesses, but she had her own innocent charm. As for why she would appear on the front lines, Song Zining had his own guesses but there was no way to confirm. True divination powerhouses were unfathomable in their actions. It was the same with Lin Xitang, and so was it for Empress Li. Song Zinings initial arrangements for her protection were solid. If something were to happen to a princess, he would be accountable to a certain degree. However, Princess Nineteen wasnt willing to stay on the Martyrs Palace and had, instead, snuck into Whitetown by some unknown means. To sum it up, she had brought about her own death. Even in Whitetown, Song Zining had assigned his most trusted personal guards to protect her from close by. But at this point in the battle, Song Zining was already hard-pressed to protect himself. How could he spare any attention for her? The guards he had assigned to her had been wiped out entirely, and there was really no one left to blame. Song Zining left for the front lines as the roar of dark race soldiers rang out once more. Without his support, the mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers would not be able to withstand the assault of the dark race forces and the many titled experts in their midst. The moment he arrived at the front lines, subtle changes immediately took over the area around him. For some reason, the dark races attacks would deviate from their targets, and their movements were slowed down when trying to evade. This was due to Song Zinings domain interfering with the enemies perception. As long as he was present, the defending side would find their fighting power increase many times. That was why, out of the three, he was tasked with defending the largest area and had the most soldiers assigned to him. Comparatively, Qianye was more suited for fighting alone. His Life Plunder couldnt differentiate between friendly forces and the enemy. Zhao Jundu could perform just fine whether or not he had men assigned to him. It was at this moment that Song Zinings body was jolted by a powerful force bearing down on his domain from above. He couldnt help but cough up a mouthful of blood from this attack. He quickly wiped away the blood from his mouth and looked up. There, he saw the dark race soldiers parting like the tides and Doers majestic figure walking out from their midst. What about? Doer asked without attacking immediately. Song Zining glanced at him and said, You actually dare come here despite your injuries. If it wasnt for your overwhelming advantage in numbers, you probably wont be able to walk out. Doer remained unmoved. I find it quite regretful as well. If the situation today never happened, you and I couldve had a satisfying battle a decade or two later. Blame your human race if you must blame something. What else need be said when even people like you three can be placed on the table as chips? Time is running out. The three of you are probably out of origin power and cant escape even if you wanted to. So, just be on your way in peace. Song Zining let out a long laugh. He reached for his spear out of habit, but there was nothing there. He looked back to find that there was no one left around him. The only personal guard left alive was guarding the Nineteenth Princess body. It was at this time that Bai Aotu suddenly appeared and pressed a spear into Song Zinings hands. Just make do with this, I''ll trust you to guard my back. With that, she walked toward Doer with a swing of her long sleeves. The werewolf shook his head. Youre a spent force, whats the use? Bai Aotu spread her arms out in an odd posture, saying, I have a sure-kill move that Ive been training for ten years but never had the chance to use it. Itll make a fitting gift for your distinguished self. Doers expression was serious. He had immediately realized that Bai Aotu was about to ignite herself and launch a mutually-destructive blow. She was only one fine line away from reaching the divine champion realm. If she was ready to attack with her life on the line, how terrifying would it be? Bai Aotu wasnt about to give Doer the time to think, nor for anyone to stop her. She arrived before the duke with a crisp whistle and launched a punch at his chest, accompanied by myriad visual phenomena. Doers hair stood on end as he morphed into his werewolf form and clawed fiercely at Bai Aotus fist! A muffled thud shook the entire Whitetown. In the blink of an eye, the distant Qianye and Zhao Jundu glanced in this direction at the same time. Bai Aotu and Doer froze in place for a moment as one circular shockwave after the other spread out in all directions. Everything in their wake collapsed layer by layer, almost as though they had experienced countless passing years. Those affected by the shockwavebe they mercenaries or dark race soldierswould be frozen in place, their faces suffused with a deathly grey color. Blood vessels surfaced on Bai Aotus face three times. With a sudden loud roar, a mist of red erupted from her body, and blood flowed out from her ears and nose. Great strength flowing into her fist, she deflected Doers claw and smashed his chest squarely! Doer let out a muffled groan as his entire back exploded into a fountain of spurting blood. Soon after, a black luminous feather shot out. It turned out that the Shot of Inception never dissolved inside the dukes body; he was merely suppressing it. He retreated with a long howl and vanished in an instant. Bai Aotu stood drenched in blood, the austerity of her presence prevented anyone from approaching her. The shockwave from her exchange with Doer had cleared out everything within a hundred meters. No one survived apart from Song Zining and a couple of Evernight experts who were above the count rank. Fortunately, the dark races made up the majority of the people around her, with only a dozen or so mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers. Song Zining walked over to Bai Aotu to support her, but his hand froze halfway in the air. Bai Aotus eyes were shut tight, blood trickling down her eyes. She was also listening intently, but how could she hear clearly with all that blood flowing out of her ears? Her expression shifted all of a sudden as she looked up at the sky. Song Zining looked up as well, also sensing something. Far over the horizon, a dark race airship was descending through the layer of clouds. There were several long ribbons dancing around the vessel, pushing the airship forward with each movement. The warships speed was shocking. It arrived outside of Whitetown in the blink of an eye, whereupon a dozen or so majestic silhouettes flew up from the deck. Shockingly, all of them were experts above the count rank! Song Zining lost his composure upon seeing the insignia on their robes. Sword-bearers! The strongest force under the Evernight Council was Black Sun, and these sword-bearers were the strongest in the organization. Eden was once a five-star sword-bearer, just like this batch of experts that had appeared! The entire state of affairs had fallen into despair with their appearance. These Evernight experts couldnt be judged from their rank alone, as they were all geniuses like Eden. The number and rank of these sword-bearers proved that they had almost mobilized in full-force. The shadows of the council chairman, or even one of the supremes could be seen behind this operation. The sword-bearers came from different races. Even though they had arrived aboard Evernights most advanced high-speed warship, it would take a good while for them to travel from their main camp to the void continent. Perhaps they were already on the way when the war began. To a certain degree, one could say that the value of these sword-bearers wasnt inferior to Doer himself, and definitely greater than Digger. Passing the councils strict star screening meant that they possessed immense strength as well as future potential. Whether they continued serving the council or shouldered their own racial duties, they would form the top-tier backbone of the dark races. Why was the Evernight Council making such a big move? The sword-bearers arrived with great speed. Before people could figure out the answer, they had already charged into the city center. They were intent on occupying the central command, to divide the defensive forces and annihilate them. It was just that only a handful of mercenaries remained in Whitetown, and the Zhao clans private soldiers had mostly fallen. So, it was obvious who these sword-bearers had come for. Without waiting for them to land, Qianyes eyes flickered with radiance. Each of his pupils reflected the silhouette of a sword-bearer, both marquises. These experts found the flow of their origin power immediately become stagnant. It was at this moment that Qianye stopped holding back. The Twin Flowers appeared in his hand as luminous wings unfurled behind his back, and two inky feathers shot into the sword-bearers foreheads! Even Doer could not dissolve the Shot of Inception immediately and could only suppress it. How could a marquis withstand the attack? The two sword-bearer marquises descended to the ground without so much as a grunt. It was just that their comrades remained hovering while the two of them collapsed to the ground, never to move again. Qianyes vision dimmed after firing two shots of inception. His body was entirely drained of energy, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He couldnt react even when a sword-bearer slashed at his throat. At the moment of peril, Qianye suddenly heard Zhao Jundus voice, Qianye, come to me. Spatial Flash! Without time to think, Qianye activated Spatial Flash out of instinct, and his flickering body appeared beside Zhao Jundu. That sword-bearer ended up slashing empty air. Zhao Jundu slapped Qianyes shoulder. Eight streams of violet energy pulsed briefly as Qianye felt his entire body numb and immobile! Shocked, Qianye immediately began to struggle, but the bindings around his body showed no signs of giving way. Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal, even though it was just a simple pat, wasnt something an exhausted Qianye could break. Youll injure your foundations if you keep moving about. Zhao Jundu roared sternly, forcing Qianye to calm down. The fourth young master glanced at the sword-bearers who were scouting their way forward. These people are likely here for me. Theres no way Ill feel good letting them go back empty-handed. So yeah, theres no need to go back anymore. Zhao Jundu grabbed Heartgrave from Qianyes back and fired without even aiming! A sword-bearer fell down immediately. Zhao Jundu moved the muzzle without waiting to see the results. The timbre of gunshots echoed through the air. Whoever was within firing range would find it impossible to evade the shot, regardless of movement arts or domains. One swordbearer after the other fell, unable to escape the one-shot-one-kill streak empowered by his True Shot ability. Chapter 1175: No Thought of Hatred Myriad lights on the ground flickered so brightly that it was no different from day. It was as though no one had noticed the mysterious changes to the vast sky, or the deep darkness shrouding it. On the roof of the main hall of Prince Greensuns manor, a person was seated in a half-lotus position, pouring a jar of wine into his mouth. This type of drinking was extremely satisfying, sending the scent of alcohol wafting out in all directionsit was strong, crude, and pungent. The wine was a northern local product called Mouthburn. The ingredients were crude, the taste was strong, and it would burn on contact with a flame. Low-ranking soldiers would usually use it to suppress the cold of winter or wash their wounds. A different figure appeared quietly on the eaves across from him, yet no one in the entire residence was alarmed of his arrival. Zhao Boqian finished the last drop of wine before tossing the jar to the ground and looking up at the guest. He had spread his perception throughout the entire city after returning to the residence. However, he still found that Xitang was no longer there. Other people might not have sensed it, but it was impossible for the ruler of the entire capital to not notice. After that, Zhang Boqian sent no message to the Unending Palace to explain, nor did the Emperor send people to investigate. However, the Emperor himself had arrived. The two exchanged no words for a good while. Zhang Boqians expression was as still as an ancient well, his aura devoid of its usual sharpness and no different from an ordinary persons. The Radiant Emperor''s aura was vast and mysterious, almost as though he was one with the boundless mountains, rivers, and the earth itself. Both of them had improved since the battle at the Hidden Palace. The Radiant Emperor sat down with a sigh. Teacher has left. With his understanding of Lin Xitang, the Emperor had figured out what had happened the moment he sensed Zhang Boqians consciousness wash over the entire capital. There was no gap in the way the Radiant Emperor oversaw his subjects, and he surely had a firm grasp on all key locations and personnel. Yet, he had not discovered anything wrong. Every scout and spy reported nothing out of the ordinary. He never went anywhere, nor did he leave any word. He left just like that. The Radiant Emperors tone sounded a bit confused, almost like a lost child who had been separated from his parents, at a loss about what to do. Zhang Boqian was silent. He only listened and made no comment about being used as a shield. The Radiant Emperor put his hand over his eyes and said with a wry smile, Nobody has ever been able to change his mind on something he has decided. His voice became gloomy and even a bit hoarse toward the end. All benefits are negligible before the future of the human race. If and when required, even this Empire doesnt necessarily have to exist. Yet there are millions of people, so many divination specialists and experts. Since the sacrifice could be anyone, why must it be him? Teacher has saved countless orphans and raised countless geniuses to power, but was he ever sincere? How does he expect his friends to watch as he turns himself into a chess piece, putting himself in danger every time? Toward the end, the Radiant Emperor looked like he was muttering to himself. Zhang Boqian, on the other hand, was gazing over the yonder horizon, one hand on his knee and the other on the roof below. Who knew if he had heard what was said or not? After the Emperor finished speaking, the rooftop became silent for a moment. The lull was finally broken by Zhang Boqians sneer. Too many whats and whys. The reason one cannot make the rules is that hes not strong enough, theres no other reason. Zhang Boqian stood up with a gloomy expression. The void outside of the Qin Continent has been locked down? Neither the stars, asteroid belt, nor the two moons could be seen in the sky. Naturally, it wasnt a change in the continent''s trajectory or the cloud layer being too thick. It was a visual aberration caused by the origin field that the dark race fleet and experts had deployed. The Radiant Emperor stood up as well. Yes, Royal Uncle Riverglance has just returned to the capital. At this moment, there were no more emotions showing on his face. There was not a hint of hesitation or confusion. How about the other continents? Theyve encountered some probing attacks around sundown. The heavenly monarchs are overseeing their own positions. There really was no need to say. Both of them understood very well that the current peace on the Qin Continent was temporary as the highlight of the Sanguine Funeral was there. After some thought, the Radiant Emperor couldnt help saying, The Art of Heavens Mystery should have no problem evading the dark races under the great monarch realm The void ultimately wasnt like the continents. Placing a blockade in the vast space might stop Lord Riverglances fleet, but there was no guarantee that a small airship couldnt sneak away. If a void blockade could be water-tight, there wouldnt be such a thing as smuggling. Zhang Boqian glanced over and responded calmly, Its not a problem to evade the great monarchs, either. Only the Sacred Mountain The Radiant Emperor felt a chill creep into his heart as he met Zhang Boqians eyes, even though the latters expression was calm and there was no fluctuation in his eyes. Zhang Boqian clearly wasnt referring to the Spider Queens projection that he had encountered. The heavenly monarch said, Since unwelcome guests are at the door, why havent you issued the order to fight, Your Majesty? The Radiant Emperor was distracted for a moment. Civilian life looked normal at the Imperial Capital, but the entire Qin Continent had been mobilized at the highest level and all warzones could be plunged into battle at a moments notice. But Zhang Boqian was suggesting that they sally forth and attack? The heavenly monarchs next words confirmed that the Emperor hadnt misunderstood him. Since the Sanguine Funeral is a heavenly monarch battle, why not just fight? Why the need to begin with cannon fodder? Zhang Boqians tone was calm, but his intent to fight rose sharply. The Radiant Emperor was shocked. Now? Do we really need to pick a good time to fight? The Emperor remained silent for a while, then broke into sudden laughter. Youre right. His expression relaxed, no longer as burdened and stressed as he was when he had arrived. His majestic aura was suffused with the transcendent qualities of a true ruler. Since Monarch Zhang wishes to do battle, I shall bring up the rear for you. Ill trouble Your Majesty then. The Radiant Emperor took to the air with a sweep of his sleeves. The entire city of Revelation came alive with his movements, sending streams of dark energy soaring into the air. Above the Unending Palace at the center of the Imperial Capital, a hazy dark mist rose into the air and condensed into the shape of a giant rifle. The almost tangible weapon gradually stood up, moving its muzzle upward and its stock down. After rotating to a certain firing angle, it shot a long stream of black flames toward the sky. The black clouds scattered to either side, much like the curtains on a stage, revealing the dim glow of the void and a black sun! Entirely unmoved, Zhang Boqian shot into the air and made straight for the void like a warship. Void continent, Whitetown. The sound of gunfire never ceased. It looked like Zhao Jundu couldnt sense Heartgraves consumption at all. His focus was entirely on cutting down the sword-bearers one-by-one. The guns massive firepower coupled with Trueshot meant that every hit would hit the enemys vitals. He was an indefensible force on the battlefield, killing even a marquis with a single shot. In the blink of an eye, all but two of the higher-star sword-bearers had been reaped. The remainder were all counts. Every thunderous gunshot would shake the Evernight experts heart. The sword-bearers werent fearless of death. On the contrary, none of them really wanted to die because they were outstanding people with great future prospects. When the seventh high-ranking sword-bearer fell, their morale collapsed entirely, and all of them began to scatter. Zhao Jundu didnt stop firing. A count had already fled a thousand meters away when the gunshot blasted him to oblivion! In the very end, only a handful of sword-bearers managed to escape. The group that had arrived with great momentum and fanfare was almost wiped out in Zhao Jundus hands! Gun in hand, the fourth young master looked around him and said in a clear voice, Trading my life for all your sword-bearers, you guys have finally become smart. The entire battlefield was quiet. No one had recovered from the battle that had lasted mere moments but shook everyone to the core. The sword-bearers made up the core strength of Evernights younger generation. There might not be anyone among them who could be compared to Zhao Jundu, but most of them were famous geniuses like Eden. Now that Zhao Jundu had wiped out most of their entire squad, it would surely come as a great blow to the Evernight Council. What he had killed wasnt just counts and marquises but future dukes and council members, maybe even princes and council chairmen. No one would be willing to make this trade, no matter how much they wanted Zhao Jundus life. Doer had fled with grave injuries, leaving the dark races without a leader. The only one who could keep things together was Digger, but considering Doers situation, it wasnt hard to guess that the vice-duke wasnt faring much better, either. Even if he could fight in the field, there was little hope of him beating a powerful enemy. Digger couldnt tell what he was feeling right now as he gazed at Zhao Jundu hovering in the air like a god and looking down at the world. No one dared approach him, even though they knew he would collapse any moment. Digger sighed inwardly. The human race would always erupt with unimaginable power when pushed into dire straits. Countless people had ignited themselves to take the enemy down with them throughout the years. That determination was an important reason why they had managed to build a stable foothold in the midst of dark race territory. And now, Zhao Jundu was joining their ranks. The fourth young master was young, handsome, and his background was also flawless. He himself was an outstanding talent and only waiting in leisure to cross into the divine champion realm. Even becoming a heavenly monarch before Zhang Boqians age was a possibility. Such a young man possessed boundless future prospects. Yet, he had never thought about running away from this critical battle, fighting to the bitter and bloody end. In the end, he burnt his life force and met death with great calmness, turning Evernights most outstanding geniuses into his gravestone decorations. How could one throw away such a brilliant future so easily? Evernight had held the absolute advantage, to begin with, and the proud sword-bearers had their own future interests in mind. Who would really fight with their lives on the line? If only half of them had charged forward when Zhao Jundus sniping began and fought him to the death, the situation wouldnt have deteriorated so badly. In the end, no one had imagined that the Zhao clan young master would be so determined, sacrificing his own body to turn the tables. Digger couldnt help but wonder what this young man was thinking. How could he make such a decision so easily? As long-lived races, the vampires indeed enjoyed long lifespans, but that was also the reason why they were so afraid of death. Digger himself had experienced very vividly the terror between life and death. Seeing that there were no more opponents, Zhao Jundu finally landed calmly and arrived beside Qianye. The bindings of the Omniscient Seal loosened at this point, but Qianye remained motionless like a statue. He opened his mouth and uttered a word with great difficulty, You He couldnt say anything beyond that. Chapter 1176: The Battle of Whitetown Ends With that, he walked over to a broken wall and sat down with his back against it. A beam of sunlight showered down on his body like a waterfall. There was a faint smile on Zhao Jundus lips as he sat down with his eyes closed, almost as though he were enjoying the sunlight. Qianye took a step forward, but he ultimately withdrew the step. Zhao Jundus chest was moving weakly at this moment, and Qianye was afraid that the slightest shock would disperse that last shred of vitality. Song Zining and Bai Aotu arrived and stood quietly to the side. The latter turned her head slightly to the side, hoping to hear Zhao Jundus breathing and heartbeat. The mercenaries and Zhao clan soldiers came back into Whitetown in succession. There were only a couple hundred men left in the entire cityall of them were wounded, and almost half of them had to be supported by their comrades to remain standing. The Evernight soldiers in the periphery had fled, shaken by the battle. Those standing in place were all titled experts, but they were all dispirited and had stopped fighting. They all glanced at a single direction without prior arrangement, where Zhao Jundu sat as though he were sleeping. Just a moment ago, this man was a demon to every enemy. Yet, now that he was asleep, they simply couldnt put in the effort to break that tranquility. Qianye Pointing at Zhao Jundu, Qianye gestured at Song Zining to keep quiet. The latter sighed, and no longer tried to persuade him. Zhao Jundu was still breathing, and his heart was still beating, but everyone knew that he was destined to wither. Glancing at himself and then at the surroundings, Song Zining threw down his warped spear with a wry smile. Yet somehow, the weapon suddenly landed back in his hands. Song Zining was startled for a moment until he realized that Qianye had caught the spear and stuffed it back into his hands. This battle... isnt over yet, Qianye said word-by-word. The dark race soldiers who had been in the battle just now were either dead or fleeing, all of them shaken to the core and no longer fit for battle. However, there was still a reserve army to the rear, as well as a vice-duke overseeing the formation. Additionally, a council expert of even higher rank had to be here to lead all those Black Sun sword-bearers. Youre Song Zining saw a thick black book appear in Qianyes hands. He couldnt tell which era this simple old book was from, only that it was extremely ancient. A mass of dark golden blood energy converged atop Qianyes head and shot into the sky. Countless golden specks pulsed amidst the radiance, almost like a dreamy illusion. With the appearance of this blood energy, Qianyes aura rose continuouslydeep, mysterious, vast, and terrifying. In the blink of an eye, the terrifying aura of a duke covered the entire battlefield like a vast ocean. Song Zinings expression went from bewilderment to shock. He shouted, What are you doing? Youll die if you break the balance! The Song Clan Ancient Scroll was founded upon a balance between Daybreak and Evernight. If one side grew too strong, the balance would be toppled irreversibly and devour the other side. This would go on until the body could no longer withstand the strain and break down. Qianye was very calm. Before that happens, I can bring you guys out alive. Qianye! Qianye interrupted him, There will be no reinforcements. Song Zining had no response to those words. Even if reinforcements did arrive, they would still be picked off since there was no cover left in Whitetown. Even if Evernight didnt invest as many troops to fight the other Imperial army routes, the pressure they were facing surely wasnt small. The experts who had remained on the battlefield were intimidated by Qianyes aura. The trembling men edged back for a good distance before turning around to flee. Digger was filled with worry and trepidation. The odd behavior of those titled experts was clearly due to Qianyes blood energy. The Evernight armys morale had collapsed entirely after Doer fled and the sword-bearers were killed. Most of the werewolf tribes in the allied army had already run away, and the remaining vampires were defenseless against Qianyes unprecedented blood energy. Even Digger himself was trembling in fear, let alone those soldiers on the front line. Dammit! What is that senior council member doing? Why isnt he here yet? Digger gazed anxiously at the sky. There had to be true experts overseeing these sword-bearers, and a senior council member was the lowest rank for this role. Yet, none had appeared even as Zhao Jundu killed off all the sword-bearers. In truth, Digger had already realized that the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Whether they lost or won the battle here, Evernights losses were far beyond the benefits. No one could afford to bear the responsibility if Qianye and Song Zining were to charge out and escape. The flames of war were still raging out in the void. The Empire and Evernight fleets fought with great ferocity, only taking half a days break to reorganize before clashing again each time. The only thing worth celebrating was that the Evernight side had stopped pouring in more troops. There were almost no more transport fleets charging through into the continent. A certain region in the void, above where the central and western routes would converge. The atmosphere was tense and austere. A massive Imperial armada was waiting on high alert. Those familiar with the Imperial fleet would know that almost all of the First Imperial Guard Fleet was here. At this point in the battle, even the Empires strongest fleet was no longer at its full capacity. Having to transfer all these airships into this formation, it was easy to imagine how much pressure the other warzones would be under. Yet, the biggest pressure was still before them. The emerging Evernight fleet wasnt very big, but it was made up of top-notch Evernight warships. There was a giant warship in their midst. It was entirely black, and the carvings on its metallic surface were simply magnificent. Each and every one of its folded rams looked amply bloodthirsty and fierce. The entire deck and bridge were sparkling red, and from a distance, one could see the origin arrays glowing like a sea of fire. This giant ship was unfamiliar to the Imperial Guard, but from its model and size, one could guess that it was a prince-grade vampire warship! Compared to this colossus, the accompanying duke-grade airships to the left and right, as well as the high-speed warship squadron to the rear, looked almost negligible. The generals on the Imperial flagship were all gloomy as they waited for that terrifying shadow to arrive in the void-space. The insignia on the giant hull also came into viewa flaming crown, the crest of the Sperger clan, one of the twelve old vampire clans. This was the worst news of them all. The enemy was a powerhouse of the Evernight Council, Prince Habsburg himself! The Imperial captain slammed his fist on the table and roared, Dispatch a high-speed airship! We must send back news that Habsburg has taken to the field! Understanding the gravity of the situation, the aide flew out of the door. The entire void continent was embroiled in combat, both on the ground and in the void. Who knew how many strategic points the messenger could run to? Yet this news had to be brought to the other fleets and ground forces. Otherwise, any unit caught unaware would be utterly annihilated. Despite knowing that there was no chance of victory, the captain would have to figure out how to stall for as much time as possible and maximize the amount of enemy fighting power they could reduce. Just as the Imperial fleet was commencing deployments under the tense atmosphere, the captain suddenly looked up. His eyes went wide, and a drop of sweat rolled down into his eyes. The man rubbed his eyes and blinked hard before looking out the window again. He wasnt wrong! The Evernight fleet was turning! At this moment, the watchtower also relayed the same information. Habsburgs flagship was slowly turning to the left, and the accompanying duke-grade airships were doing the same. After turning about a hundred and twenty degrees, the flagship left with the entire fleet in tow. This was supposed to be a decisive battle, but the final outcome was simply unimaginable. On the giant airship, a vampire duke asked Habsburg with a serious expression, Your Excellency, there will be no one to rescue the sword-bearers if we leave. Habsburg was standing in front of the cabin window with a glass of wine in his hands, gazing at the boundless void outside as though it was a wonderful scenery. It goes without saying that I have more important things to do. What? Are you questioning me? The duke bowed in terror. I wouldnt dare! After a moment, Habsburg said, There are some people whose dying brilliance is more dazzling than the midday sun for countless others. Habsburg had his back to everyone else, so no one could see his expression. Neither did they understand why he was saying this out of the blue. They glanced at one another, but no one raised the question. Those in the room were vampire experts above the marquis rank. Most of them had heard that the prince and Medanzo had gotten into a disagreement, and that the Azure King Renault had to step in to solve the problem. At this moment, no one wanted to run into the muzzle of a prince who was in a sour mood. Habsburg had no intention of explaining, either. He sank back into his own world, sighing. There are some people The wine in his glass was as red as blood, somewhat harsh to the eyes, even. The sky above Whitetown was silent, almost deathly still. Qianye had already assaulted three directions, and each time, the dark races would flee before his terrifying pressure bore down upon them. Would Qianye stop at the dark races central formation with his next attack? Would he stop there? Would he return? Digger realized that someone had to make the decision, issue the command, and shoulder the responsibility. Clearly, this role had fallen to him. Bear the burden of defeat or die bravely in battle? The choice wasnt too hard. He took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, Command all forces, retreat. His subordinates ran off with his command. Digger turned to glance at Whitetown. He knew that, with this retreat, they would never return. Chapter 1177: Desperate Struggle Evernight left a hundred thousand corpses in this small piece of land, over half of them elites. Countless high-ranking officers and titled experts perished in battle. The number of marquises alone was in the two digits. The Evernight Councils cream-of-the-crop, Black Sun, also saw all of its high-ranking sword-bearers wiped out in Whitetown. This little stone city was a meat-grinder through and through. The war on the void continent was like a storm, and the eye of this tempest was Whitetown. The eye of the storm had calmed down at this point, but the maelstrom around it was still raging on. It was like a roaring ancient beast, seeking to tear everything up in its wake. On the edge of the void continent closest to the Qin Empire, there was a supply base. The structure could barely be considered a fortress as it was normally used as a transit and distribution center for logistics. The place had become more or less idle after the war began since most of the resources had been shipped to the various fortresses. Only small airships would pass through to transmit information and unimportant goods. That was why the dark race army had never targeted this location. Naturally, since the entire continent was engulfed in the flames of war, this place had also experienced a number of short but intense battles. The dark races never expected that there would be a divine champion overseeing this place, so they were forced to retreat in low spirits. There were all kinds of people from the Empire passing through these building complexes. Among them, there was a grey silhouette walking swiftly with its head lowered. This person was covered in a cloak that reached down to their ankles, and only the boots were identifiable as an Imperial product. The strange thing was that no one stopped this person or interrogated them the entire way. The grey figure went up to the war-preparation room on the third floor of the fortress and pushed open the door. The Minister of the Right looked up from a table full of documents, his eyes wide. You! The guest didnt wait for him to finish before a cold flash shot out from under the cloak and slashed the Minister of the Right. The battle ended very quicklyby the time the generals heard the commotion and rushed in, the Minister of the Right was no longer breathing. The generals lowered their weapons after seeing the mans face, their expressions gaping and speechless. At this moment, another person charged into the room. It was one of the ministers strategists. Unlike the hesitant generals, he immediately stepped forward and pointed his finger at the guest. You Lin Xitang flicked his finger lightly, and an invisible blade slashed the strategists throat. A lifeless corpse soon fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard in the room. Lin Xitang looked up after he had finished adjusting the symbols on the sand-table and observed the generals at the scene. The court has been reorganized, and the Imperial military is now under the cabinets control. As the Imperial Steward, I lead the cabinet and thus have full authority of command. Regarding the execution that I just carried out, you may report the truth. The strategy on the sand-table has changed. Record it and deliver the message to all relevant units. Lin Xitang left after issuing the commands. As he passed by the group of stunned generals, a brigadier general suddenly called out to him, Marshal Lin! The situation on the front line is dire! We have no idea how the dark bastards transferred so many soldiers here! Lin Xitang nodded. I know, Im heading there now. With that, he left without ever looking back. The generals exchanged glances. Suddenly filled with fighting spirit and energy, they rushed over to the sand-table to do their job, completely ignoring the two corpses on the chair and floor. Now that Marshal Lin had appeared on the battlefield, there was yet hope of a victory. The Imperial eastern army had clashed countless times with the enemy. Among those who were ganging up on Princess Haimi, they were already one short, and half of the others were injured. Princess Haimis fingers had split open, and half her body was drenched in blood. Blood was seeping out of the slow-healing wounds, so much so that even the transparent bow in her hands seemed to have taken on some color. Yet, she stood ramrod straight in the air, graceful and poised. Only that overly pale face of her looked a tad fatigued. The Evernight experts attacked again, but they hadnt even charged a hundred meters when they heard a crisp gunshot echo through the air. A spinning bullet appeared in the vision of every expert, making straight for their foreheads. Shocked out of their wits, they had to stop the assault and take protective measures. Only at this point did most of them realize that the bullet flying toward them was just an illusion. Before they could recompose themselves, they heard a miserable scream as one of their comrades fell out of the air. Turns out, that bullet was the real one! Haimi turned to look at the eastern void when she heard the gunshot, but there was nothing under the hazy grey sky. A sickly red flush appeared on her pale face. Her standing posture that had never wavered against all those enemy experts was actually rattled. One of the Evernight experts cried out in alarm, Illusion Corridor! Its Lin Xitang! This persons next action was to turn around and flee, completely ignoring his other comrades. Illusion Corridor was a divine skill characteristic of Lin Xitang, one of the Empires twin paragons. Apparently, this expert had fought Lin Xitang before and was beaten until he was afraid. A warm and clear voice replied, Yes, go back and tell him, Ive come. Yet another shot came, followed by several bullet illusions. This time, all of the Evernight experts scattered like birds and beasts. Someone far off in the distance let out a muffled groan. It would seem an unlucky victim had failed to dodge Lin Xitangs real bullet. However, the man didnt receive a lethal injury since he was already running away. Haimis lips moved slightly, but that name ultimately stopped at the tip of her tongue. She didnt utter it. She knew not how long she had been standing. It felt like a quarter-hour but also like a hundred years. There was nothing else left in the air but the scent of smoke and gunpowder. That gentle voice, which had seemingly etched itself into her being, never appeared again. Haimi started to cough violently, throwing up blood as she did so. Eventually, she stood straight and glanced briefly at her injured hand. Then, with her bow tightly in her grasp, the princess headed toward the fiercest corner of the battlefield. As for the skies above the place, it had finally recovered its vast quietness. Off in the depths of the void, a gloomy, frowning Habsburg was urging the fleet to speed up. However, the fleet was close to its maximum speed. If they were to keep up their current consumption, the fleet might not have enough fuel to return to Evernight without resupplying. There was no way they would dare to speed up further. The only way to reach optimal speed was for Habsburgs flagship to break away from the main fleet and forge ahead. He had the urge to do just that several times, but he ultimately held it back and kept on leading the fleet. He was the only one who knew their current destination. Even the sailors and captain of the princes flagship were at a loss. All they could do was steer the vessel according to Habsburgs instructions. The other vessels in the fleet were understandably unable to make sense of anything. After over an hour of flight, they discovered that their fleet was actually expanding. The comrades joining them were mostly main-force types, probably from the mobile units operating in the void. Some warships had probably experienced battles when they were summoned, evident from the shell marks on their bodies. The captain passed on one of Habsburg''s commands, then picked up his own detailed hand-drawn route map. He discovered that they were circling over from the west of the void continent to the east, making two turns before charging toward the middle-continents where the Qin Empire was. The captain couldnt help but rub his short beard as he contemplated the matter. This route seemed like they were collecting the other squadrons, but there had to be some other objective. It looked like they were driving something away, or perhaps chasing after it. Soon afterward, the captain crushed the map into a ball. Sating his curiosity for a bit was fine, but he wasnt about to provoke a prince whose mood was at its worst. This full-speed flight lasted an entire half-day before the fleet arrived in a certain part of the void. They were at a mid-way point between the Empire and the void continent. One wrong step and they would be caught in a pincer attack from both sides. Additionally, the void-space here wasnt calm. Just a couple dozen kilometers away, there was a revolving void tempest. Habsburg wasnt at all concerned about their dangerous position. On the contrary, he issued an order for the airships to take up an interception stance. Moments later, a small boat appeared up front, drifting through the void tempest. The boat wasnt big and could fit eight people at the very most. In terms of airships, this was one of the smallest types in existence. This type of small airship couldnt withstand bad weather, nor could it fly long distances. It was only usable within the continent. Yet now, it was actually in the void, and it was even gliding through the void tempest in a leisurely manner. On Habsburgs flagship, all the vampire experts exchanged uneasy glances. This little boat was too strange. One didnt even need a brain to know that the owner of the vessel was a true powerhouse. The wine-glass in Habsburgs hand shattered with a bang, showering its scarlet contents to the floor. It was as though the floor was covered in blood. Everyone was astonished because, throughout the years, they had never seen Habsburg lose his composure like so. Habsburg was already a duke when he first returned to the clan. Compared to the murderous and plundering suppressive might that was characteristic of superior vampires, the impression he gave off was gentle and calm. Almost nothing could produce evident changes in his expression. But now, he was clearly beside himself and completely ignorant about it. The dripping sound of wine on the floor finally woke Habsburg up. He frowned as he glanced at the shattered crystal. He wiped his hand boorishly on his jacket, removed his coat, and left for the deck in hunting attire. He had just taken two steps forward when an inexplicable sensation bore down upon him. That majestic and mysterious aura filled the entire world, causing all vampire experts to tremble instinctively. Some of the lower-ranked experts fell to their knees. The suppressive might filled the entire void. Experts on the other warships werent spared, either, with many of them falling to their knees. This indefensible terror, this suppressive might arising from the grand origins of darkness, could only come from the Sacred Mountain. It was unknown which supreme had cast his gaze here. Who could the person on the boat be, that he would attract the attention of a supreme? Habsburg glanced at the void. A complicated expression flickered briefly through his eyes but was soon hidden into the depths of his pupils. The fingers on his right hand moved slightly, but he stopped himself from clutching his chest. The moment that small boat appeared, that drop of separated origin blood vanished entirely. It wasnt a block on perception, and neither was the blood hiddenit was simply no longer in existence. Habsburg calmed himself down as he walked out to the deck in large strides. He then stepped into the void and stood in front of that lone boat. Chapter 1178: The Final Battle Part 1 His face didnt look too old, but he wasnt young, either. Time itself had little meaning on his body. His eyes were deep, clear, and as calm as still water, almost as though they were reflecting the world itself. A single glance would draw the spectators eye and make it difficult to cast their gaze away. The frustration and jitter Habsburg had accumulated to the point of explosion suddenly disappeared, replaced by his usual indifference and calm. He gazed deeply at those eyes and said after a good while. Why must it be at this time? Lin Xitang didnt look at Habsburg after walking out. Instead, he observed the surroundings carefully, almost as though the vast emptiness was filled with myriad scenery. His eyes, when they looked towards the Empires direction, were filled with undisguised familiarity and love. He said slowly, Why would I be in this state if not for the time? At this moment, an invisible fluctuation appeared in the void. It was as though the supreme who had been paying attention to this place was moved, accidentally revealing his thoughts. Lin Xitang gazed at the depths of the void, saying, How rare for the Demon King to have time to spare. A black sun slowly rose up through the emptiness, depriving the entire world of light. The massive Evernight fleet was robbed of all radiance. Be it their origin arrays, illumination equipment, or their metal or crystal shells, be it things that emit, reflect or refract light, everything was plunged into darkness. This included Lin Xitangs small airship as well. All Evernight experts felt as though they had returned to their coming-of-age ceremony where they were baptized in darkness. All they could see and touch was darkness. None of them remained standing as they submitted to this vast and invincible will. Only Habsburg and Lin Xitang remained unaffected. A figure slowly walked out. He didnt look that tall or strong, but his aura filled the heaven and earth, and each step of his would shake the void. The mans body and face were shrouded in a darkness that even Habsburg couldnt see through. The prince quickly averted his gaze and took half a step back, bowing to show his respect for the supreme. The Demon King stood before Lin Xitang and observed him. How can I not come after seeing that youre headed to the void continent. The supremes voice was unexpectedly gentle, and his tone was rather casual, almost as though he were talking to an old friend. Both the Empires own defense network and the Evernight blockade led by a great dark monarch were full of openings before Lin Xitang. Lin Xitang smiled. Thanks to Prince Habsburg, this Lin has been injured for many years. What can I do even if I did get to the void continent? I was only one step too late, allowing you less than half an hour on the continent. Yet, you know what you did. With that, the Demon King glanced at Lin Xitang in surprise. You only have a year or so left to live? This isnt a secret anymore is it? The Demon King remained silent for a while. Calculating from your age, you should have had a bit less than six years. Lin Xitang smiled calmly. The Demon King probably doesnt remember his own age, yet he remembered an enemy divine champions age so clearly. It was clear that he was privy to certain things. The darkness shrouding the Demon Kings body dispersed, revealing a face of near-perfect features. You are a great calamity to Evernight, but youre worthy of me facing you directly. Lin Xitang was a bit surprised when he saw the Demon Kings appearance. Thank you. The Demon King laughed self-deprecatingly. Rosnias mind is on the new world, and Lilith is still asleep. That was why I came the moment I found out that you were headed for the void continent, Im also the only one who can come. Lin Xitang glanced at Habsburg. The Flaming Crown is probably enough to stop me. The Demon King said, No preparation is too excessive when it comes to you. I wouldnt feel easy if I didnt come in person. Besides, I also wanted to see you, there might not be an opportunity later on. The Demon King paused for a moment. See? Even Habsburg brought all the forces he could muster to stop you. At this point, it was difficult to figure out whether these words were praise or admonition. Habsburgs expression, however, only listened with a calm expression. Lin Xitang said, He might not be able to stop me if he doesnt bring enough men. The marshal was well-known as a strategist who could conceal entire armies, let alone himself. As long as he was mobile enough, finding him on the big void continent and the endless void would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. There was nothing special to discuss regarding the net strategy; all they needed was for the mesh to be as fine as possible. The Demon King, however, understood something different from Lin Xitangs words. Ah, so thats how it is. Minister Lin wants to exchange his life for a complete victory on the void continent. Lin Xitang sighed emotionally. How can there be a perfect victory under present circumstances? This battle began with me, so it must end the same. This ending will be for the best. Habsburg kept his silence for a long while. Finally, he could no longer bear it. I simply cannot understand you. You clearly have a good year to live, why must you do this? Besides At this point, he suddenly came to and stopped talking. Whats so bad about exchanging my crippled life for the void continent? Habsburg could no longer suppress his anger. The moment you let out news of your arrival, both His Majesty the Demon King and I came to stop you. Tell me if your crippled life is more important or the void continent? This question threw Lin Xitang off-guard, not knowing how to answer. Moments later, he said with a wry smile, I guess enemies rate you higher. We know your value precisely because were enemies. Habsburgs voice was extremely gloomy. The Demon King interrupted the conversation. Habsburg is correct. Even if you have only half a year left to live, I would still trade the void continent for you. I remain worried every moment that youre alive. The supremes voice was exceedingly gentle, almost as though he were talking about a garden tea party with an old friend. Habsburgs face suddenly turned pale. Habsburg could sense the Demon Kings perception sweep over him, even though the supreme was watching Lin Xitang intently. At this point in the conversation, Lin Xitang had already figured out that the problem was with the Longevity Monarch. A conspiring heavenly monarch was a great loss to the Empire. He might not have gone so far as to shake the Empires foundations before, but after realizing that the Chronicle of Glory had succeeded, the Longevity Monarch immediately realized that Lin Xitang had kept the Wheel of Glory propped up for the crippled sect all these years. Whether it was out of revenge or his deluded wish to topple the Wheel of Glory, the monarch passed this information to the demonkin. Fortunately, the Wheel of Glory was already irreversible. There was a question on Lin Xitangs mind. He glanced at the Demon King and decided to sate his rare curiosity. Since Your Majesty Kane decided to come here personally, you mustve seen the Empires heavenly monarch replacement before? Barring a once-in-a-millennium event, what else can be more important than you? The Demon King said frankly, Besides if we miss this opportunity, itll be quite troublesome if you remain on the Qin continent for the rest of your days. Lin Xitang laughed self-deprecatingly. It seems Ive underestimated myself. Habsburg said, Not you, its your human race and your Emperor. Lin Xitang laughed while shaking his head. His expression became somewhat relaxed as he said, This matter has nothing to do with His Majesty. At this point, he thought of something else. There are also some smart people in the Empire who dont underestimate me. They might not be able to sleep or eat well if I dont come over and clean up the situation. You humans really love infighting, Habsburg said. The Demon King laughed helplessly. Our four races arent any better. This supreme was a rather unique character, devoid of an experts usual overbearingness. One was a divine champion from the enemy faction, and one was a prince from his own. There was a big status gap between them, yet the Demon King was cordial, frank, and calm, speaking casually as though he would in daily life. The lightless void around them, however, reminded everyone that Demon King Kane was at the peak of this realm, one of the strongest existences. Lin Xitang asked, Does Your Majesty have any interest on the void continent? Clearly referring to something, he continued bluntly, I just killed someone who was dealing with Evernight. The Demon King said, Why not ask Habsburg? Lin Xitang replied with a question, Does that mean you know that the envoy that person had been dealing with was from the vampire race? The Demon King couldnt help but laugh, realizing that he had fallen into a word trap. Fine, all benefits shall be yours. The Demon Kings declaration was extremely important because all of the schemes the Evernight Council had set up on the void continent would be abandoned. Having reached his objective, Lin Xitang no longer asked about the schemes that were in place. He said in a straightforward manner, Its about time to end this, but dont expect me to take it lying down. A soldiers best ending is to die on the battlefield. The Demon King asked, Do you have any last wishes? Lin Xitang looked momentarily distracted. I wanted to go and see someone at first He glanced at Habsburg with a smile, Its just that Lord Habsburg arrived too quickly. He didnt leave me much time. Ah, its fine, makes no difference in the end. Having said that, Lin Xitangs aura rose sharply, and specks of starlight started to flicker in the lightless world. Although they were extremely weak and faint, they still managed to break through the boundless darkness in the end. Domain: Celestial Transpiration! Lin Xitang had deployed his domain at full force before these two powerhouses. The Demon Kings hands moved slightly, but after some hesitation, he said, Habsburg, please send him on his way. Chapter 1179: The Final Battle Part 2 He stared fixedly at the Demon King, a move that could be considered rude. The latter wasnt angry, either, and his deep abyssal eyes contained no signs of feeling offended. Habsburg ultimately lowered his head and gaze. A haze of light golden hue crept into the space around them. Just like the stars in the night sky, the scattered specks of light felt somewhat dim and feeble. That was because all domains around the dark sun were being suppressed even though the Demon King had been holding back his suppressive might. Finally, this sunset-colored domain still managed to expand and painted the stars with a dusky halo. Nation of Dusk! Habsburg raised his right hand. His blood energy reached its peak in an instant as dark flames crept along his arm toward his celebrated weaponEternus. Habsburg looked up at Lin Xitang. Wheres your Misty Path? The two had fought more than once and were quite familiar with each others weapons. However, Lin Xitang wasnt holding that long-barreled revolver but, instead, a spear. He took a step back and raised his weapon to form a combat stance. Seeing the stance, Hasburg said in surprise, Fueled Fire Spear? The Song clans spear art? Lin Xitang said, All martial paths lead to the same destination. I only feel that this stance suits me. Habsburg stopped the questioning. His eyes became deathly cold as he shed all of his emotions. Only his blood energy surged like a trapped dragon that would soon break free from its bindings. That was a sign that his blood energy had been elevated to its apex. The blood energy converged like the tides and soon turned into a sanguine tempest. Lin Xitang attacked first. Space seemed to freeze for a split second as man and spear diverged into dozens of images, all of which charging at Habsburg. The prince met the assault head-on without evading. But this time, half of the Illusion Corridors images werent mere illusions. Habsburg suffered half a dozen injuries in an instant, with the deepest, most dangerous one on his chest. One could almost see the amber under the opened flesh. This was one of the hardest materials on earth, but there was now a scar on that amber. Habsburgs expression didnt change in the least. The spear in his hand kept going forward steadily, almost as though nothing could stop it. The faint golden glow of the spear glided through the sanguine tempest, silencing all life in its path until it pierced Lin Xitangs body. Going all out and sending the enemy off with ones most powerful attack, this was the highest expression of respect from an Evernight expert. Celestial Transpiration began to collapse as the faint golden hue of the Nation of Dusk engulfed the flickering stars. Stars fell down from the dark vault like snowflakes. The specks of starlight were scattered and smashed, so weak that they were hardly visible. Some shattered light would occasionally enter the corner of ones eyes, but they would disappear upon turning toward it. It truly made one wonder whether they ever existed. It felt as though someone was whispering, Lin Xitang, dont you remember? The Demon Kings voice arrived from a great distance, This is the second time weve met. I shouldnt have allowed you to live the first time, or Evernight wouldnt be in this passive situation. The dark sun shrouding the void suddenly faded away, and there was light once again. Only at this point, the innumerable falling stars became visible over Lin Xitangs hair, clothes, speartip, and wounds. The Demon King looked up, allowing the falling stars to rain down upon his perfect countenance. Habsburg, Ill be waiting for you on the Sacred Mountain. The darkness spread out once more to cover the supremes figure as he vanished from the void. Lin Xitang remained immobile, smiling as he slowly closed his eyes. Specks of light appeared from the tip of his spear and flew off into the depths of the void. The Song clans Fueled Fire Spear was performed at the highest level in Lin Xitangs hands. It was just that no one knew where the light from Ember Legacy had landed. At the same time, the war on the void continent transformed disruptively. First, the primary mobile fleet vanished from the void, and control of the airspace returned to the Empire. Then, the incoming forces in certain important battlefields withdrew from the fight. Even the duke-grade expert who was supposed to oversee the battle left with them. The Imperial army that had been locked in a bitter fight immediately felt the pressure lighten. At least, there was now a visible border on the black tide occupying the battlefield. Before long, all army routes received the latest strategic intelligence. Although a single paper couldnt turn the tables entirely, the generals and commanders were able to draw a new path through the deadlock, almost as though the clouds had opened up to reveal the sun. Whitetown was the most peaceful place on the continent. With Diggers retreat, there wasnt a single soldier left on the battlefield. Digger learned of the latest situation after returning to the airship port, and dark clouds covered his heart almost immediately. He wasnt too certain about the actual changes, but the absence of the sword-bearers overseeing expert and the sudden transfer of the main fleet for some unknown mission gave him an uneasy feeling. He waited for over an hour. After discovering that the transferred fleet was actually leaving, he ordered all of the airships in the nearby port to take off with whatever they could load and leave the void continent. As for the fate of the other units on the continent, that was no longer within the scope of theiror rather, Diggersconsideration. As long as Whitetown remained standing, the other Evernight forces on the void continent would never reach this airship base. In addition, the Empire would soon regain control of the void after the departure of the Evernight fleet. Perhaps it was because of this that Digger made a firm decision to leave. As for the potential punishment he might be subjected to, that was a matter for the future. The situation on the void continent changed in just half a day. The Empire and Evernight had been in a deadlock for a good while, but the other party switched to a defensive stance. While taking advantage of this time to rest, the Imperial forces couldnt help but feel puzzled. Even if Marshal Lin was peerless in strategy, wasnt this too fast? Only when a couple of hot-headed generals assaulted the Evernight main camps did they discover that the enemy was planning to retreat. However, the path home was not easy. Perhaps it was because they knew certain things, or maybe it was because they did not know anything, but the higher-ups of the Evernight faction remained completely silent. All they did was do their utmost to round up the troops and escape the Empires pursuit. The direction of their retreat wasnt toward their fortresses but a certain airship port. It was as though the entire war had returned to its starting point. The Evernight faction was retreating. Without the biggest airship port located near Whitetown, the others simply didnt have the capacity to handle high-flow traffic. There were also numerous problems regarding airship types, geography, flight paths, etc. The situation became so bad that the various clans and tribes began to fight one another for a spot on the transport. The real journey of death, however, was in the void. Throughout the entire departure process, the large number of transports would be hunted down by Imperial warships. The Evernight faction didnt even have enough warships for an escort mission, let alone provide support in the void. As such, the retreat process became a massacre. Every soldier from the Imperial Guard fleet poured out the resentment they had been building up over the past few days. The entire sky over the void continent was burning. There were warships crashing down every minute, each representing the death of hundreds of dark race soldiers. The higher-ups of Evernight had abandoned the void continent, along with the survivors here. There was no telling how many of these soldiers would return to their homes alive. There were only a couple hundred soldiers in Whitetown, but the city was unshakeable with Qianye in his duke-state. The entire void continent was ablaze, but not a single unit dared to waltz into the city. Whitetown enjoyed the first half-day of extreme peace. Unable to get used to the sudden tranquility, many of them would jump up at the slightest sound. Even more of them remained sitting in a state of half-wakefulness, unable to truly fall asleep. To them, it almost seemed like a dream that they had survived. Death was supposed to be their reality. There were even more corpses in the city than rubble. Several corpses could be dragged out from under each stone, each broken tile, and there was no way to differentiate between the factions. The survivors were mostly injured. They enjoyed the peace and quiet while they could, waiting for the next round of attacks that might arrive at any time. Only a few of them noticed the changes in Qianyes body. Qianye sat beside Zhao Jundu this entire time. No one knew what he was thinking, or whether his mind was just blank. Song Zining didnt console him, either. He fell into a sound sleep, throwing everything that had happened to one side. His aura rose and fell at certain intervals; no one knew what he was experiencing in his dreams. Bai Aotu sat across from Qianye, just as still and almost like a statue. Her eyes were wrapped in white cloth, which had some bloodstains on it. The Evernight experts who should have come never did appear. Perhaps they had won this battle, but at this point, no one had the strength left to celebrate. The city center was even quieter. This was where Zhao Jundu was sleeping. His breathing and heartbeat were still there as he leaned against the wall, enjoying the rare sunshine. Although it was only evening, the sunlight had more or less disappeared already. Be it Qianye, Bai Aotu, or Song Zining, none of them dared to disturb the fourth young master. They couldnt feel the slightest of relief even though the battle was over. They had sensed Zhao Jundus breathing and heartbeat slowing down. The process was slow, so slow that one might mistake it for an illusion. It felt as though the destination would never arrive. In truth, everyone was already aware that Zhao Jundu had left them. He was gone the moment he fired that last shot from Heartgrave. The current signs of life were only a false appearance, something that would happen in a powerful expert. The remaining origin power would strive to keep his vital functions intact, waiting for a miracle to happen. But miracles wouldnt be called miracles if they were so common. There was a fair number of experts in the Empires history, people strong enough to shake the world. Some of them could smile, chat, visit friends, and discuss the dao, only to pass away several days later. Whoever it was, however high his cultivation was, this fate was unavoidable. Zhao Jundu was highly talented, but he wasnt unparalleled just yet. How could he produce such miracles? Chapter 1180: Ember Legacy Ignoring whether or not Zhao Jundu was willing to live on in such a manner, it wasnt certain whether someone with divine champion origin power could be embraced successfully. A case like Qianyes where daybreak and blood energy existed side-by-side was basically unprecedented. He couldnt be considered a pure vampire because there was no indication of any clan in his blood energy. Although he had obtained some ancient inheritances from the River of Blood, he wasnt sure if he had the power to give someone else the Embrace. Besides, in those legends about how the Embrace could bring the dead back to life, the process was more or less just activating the targets vitality. What was he to activate if the targets life force had already been severed? The silence was finally broken as dusk arrived. Qianye suddenly opened his eyes, a ring of dark gold lighting up in the blue depths of his pupils. His blood core pulsed strongly, and the entire city could hear that beat. Qianye had entered a combat-state. A figure appeared over the distant horizon. Despite the great distance, their austerity and killing intent had already arrived. Just like two giant beasts, each could sense the others strength even before coming into view. That figure shot toward Whitetown without delay, slowing down just before entering its firing range and retracting its killing intent. Qianye left his original spot and appeared before this figure. He kept East Peak pointed toward the ground, and the harsh glint in his eyes gradually faded away. Standing before Qianye was an exceptionally beautiful bow-wielding lady. There were some traces of vicissitudes on her face, but her uneroded elegance added a bit of time-worn richness to her beauty. More importantly, Qianye could feel a stabbing pain from the empty bow in her grasp. This meant that, even in his current state, he wasnt entirely certain that he could defeat her. The lady glanced toward the city and looked obviously relieved after seeing Zhao Jundu, Bai Aotu, and Song Zining. She then looked carefully at Qianye, saying, You must be Qianye? Zhao Weihuang is truly blessed. And you are? My name is Haimi. According to seniority, you should call me aunty. At this point, she said self-deprecatingly, Oh my, it has been so long since I last stretched my legs. Didnt think Id grow so old in such a short time. Qianye looked at the woman, dazed. For a while, he couldnt figure out just how they were related for her to mention seniority. Youre our reinforcements? Qianye asked. Haimi nodded. Strictly speaking, yes, but it seems I arrived a bit too late. You guys probably dont need my help anymore. Qianye was overcome by a wave of deep fatigue. Seems so. Qianye didnt know how to respond. Was he to blame her? There was no point. He could see that, just like Bai Aotu, Haimi had only arrived after a series of bloody battles. He could also see that she had been gravely injured and was only suppressing the damage by force. How could he blame her under such circumstances? Princess Haimi glanced at Whitetown once more, taking in the entire battlefield this time. She couldnt help but feel shocked upon seeing just how fierce and bitter the fighting here had been. Just the density of the corpses lining the ground was enough to tell her everything. Compared to the path the eastern army had paved with blood and bones, the battle here was even more ruthless. Her gaze stopped briefly on a certain part of the ruined city, where the Nineteenth Princess corpse lay under a pile of rubble. Haimi said after observing the battlefield, Its good that you won. The losses are still acceptable considering the situation. Acceptable? Qianye couldnt help but sneer. Arent the Zhao clan humans in your eyes? Haimi was startled. Zhao clan? She looked at Zhao Jundu and the soldiers around him. Isnt Zhao Jundu still doing fine? Still fine? Qianye was already on the verge of bursting out. He had given up on chasing down the routed enemies and even watched the vice-duke retreat, all so that he could protect his brothers last period of peace. Even if it was just an illusion, he was willing to believe until the very end that a miracle would happen. With Haimis eyesight, there was no way she couldnt see through Zhao Jundus current state. It was at this time that Qianye sensed something and turned around. Zhao Jundu, who had been completely still all this time, actually stood up and stretched his body. The vitality in his body shot up rapidly along with his movements. Qianye, however, wasnt delighted. He stood frozen and his vision even went blurry for a moment. This was the final eruption of vitality, his origin powers last attempt at saving the body. All was useless, however, because it would only warm-up and not rekindle the fire of life. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Jundu would return to the eternal darkness, and the vitality they could see now would no longer exist. Haimis expression changed drastically. She was gravely injured and weak, so she only realized the actual situation when Zhao Jundu moved. After a brief period of shock, Haimi discovered something abnormal. She pointed at Zhao Jundu, saying, Somethings wrong, his vitality Zhao Jundus life force was still strengthening at a rapid pace, so much so that it was ignited and overdrafting. The final struggle of his origin power proved that its grade and purity were not at all inferior to Qianyes. But no matter what, it was still one spark short of reigniting the flames of life. Haimi became highly anxious. Considering her experience, she knew that this was an extremely rare and fleeting occurrence. Yet even someone like her was helpless to save him. There was no legend in this world that could produce vitality out of nothing and bring life to the dead. It was at this time that a speck of light flew in from the void. It made one circle above Qianyes head, then shot straight into Zhao Jundus forehead. The mote of light was as intense as the sun, containing daybreak origin power even stronger than Qianyes Venus Dawn. The moment this spark entered Zhao Jundus body, it immediately ignited the vitality gathering in his body! Qianyes blood core throbbed violently as the speck of light approached him. The pulsation was so intense that it felt somewhat painful, but before he could think too deeply into it, his attention was drawn away by the miraculous scene in front of him. Zhao Jundus eyes slowly opened! His peaceful eyes were shrouded with a lingering purple hue, and that bewildered expression of his looked unexpectedly innocent. He still hadnt figured out what had happened. Qianye He called out before collapsing slowly. Qianye arrived in a flash and helped him up. Haimi also appeared at the same time and supported the other side of Zhao Jundus body. The two clearly sensed Zhao Jundus heart beating. The pulse was weak, but it was real, unlike the illusion from a while ago. He this Haimi examined him briefly before saying, Although I dont know why, it remains a fact that Zhao Jundu is still alive. However, hes extremely weak right now and requires immediate treatment. I must bring him back to the rear Imperial base now, or itll be too late. Zhao Jundus current situation couldnt be solved with a couple of injections. He would need big medical equipment, things that could only be installed in a fortress or base. Qianye carefully scanned Zhao Jundus body with his perception, afraid that he would extinguish this miraculous ember if he caused too much of a commotion. He discovered that Princess Haimi was rightthe vitality throughout Zhao Jundus body had dried up and was now like a candle in the wind. He required immediate treatment. Qianye hesitated for a bit because he wanted to tag along. Haimi seemed to understand his thoughts. My main army isnt far, and my flagship has emergency medical facilities on board. Well surely be able to send him back to the rear without a problem. You should stay here and do what you need to do. Her eyes scanned Qianyes body as well. You need to deal with your own injuries too. Qianye realized that Haimi was referring to his aura turning completely into darkness origin power. Without further words, he gleaned at Zhao Jundus sleeping face and nodded. Very well. Haimi was just about to leave when Qianye called out to her and brought out a pile of items. These should be useful for him. Haimi glanced at the offered items. There were all kinds of rare medicines, but the eldest princess of the Empire had no lack of such resources. She was just about to tell Qianye to take the items back when she saw an origin crystal among them. Even someone of her status couldnt help but feel surprised. You have something like this? This origin crystal was the one Qianye had condensed by plundering the vampire races major stars. Although its attribute leaned toward darkness, it could be used by both factions since its only power was to strengthen physical constitution. It was beyond suitable for Zhao Jundus current situation. Haimi always did things in a straightforward manner. She took the crystal and said, Great, this is going to be very helpful! Keep the rest. Time was of the essence, so Haimi simply shot into the air and left. Qianye returned to Song Zinings side and sat down. The seventh young noble had woken up at this point, and Bai Aotu also looked toward them when she heard movement. All three of them felt somewhat delighted when Qianye explained the situation. It was at this time that the last glow of twilight vanished over the horizon and night fell upon them. What appeared, though, was a strange natural phenomenon. The dark sky was filled with falling stars and rising winds. A sheet of meteorites fell into the void continent and burst into flames, filling the sky with streaming fire. It was an impressive sight to behold. Both Qianye and Song Zinings expressions shifted drastically upon seeing this. Qianye felt an empty space in his heart, as though something had gone missing. Song Zining could sense it with even greater clarity because he cultivated divination arts. He quickly picked up a segment of broken wood and began to do some calculations. The more he calculated, the paler his face became. Qianyes expression became gloomy as he observed Song Zining. The latters countenance grew pale, and his aura gradually became unstable as he repeated the process. Qianye reached out and slapped his back lightly, scattering the layer of illusory projections around his body. Song Zining looked up and stared blankly at Qianye. There were streams of blood dripping from his eyes, yet he was completely oblivious about it. Qianye said in a gloomy voice, Its fine as long as we know the general outcome, no need to confirm it repeatedly. Chapter 1181: The Heaven and Earth Lamen The heaven and earth lament the fall of a supreme power Qianye had heard of this term before. Knowledgeable people from both the Empire and Evernight explained the phenomenon beforeas people who could communicate with the grand origins of the world, the uncontrollable origin power of these supreme experts would affect the entire realm after their demise. However, only great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs would be able to reach that state, not ordinary ones. Even if they werent on the level of the Sacred Mountain, they would have to be fairly close. For instance, Liliths sigh as she woke up from her slumber spread across the entire realm and both factions. Only then did Song Zining wake up from his reverie, trembling all over as he threw away the divination token in his hand. He looked at the pieces with lingering fear and said with a wry smile, The heavenly mystery is unfathomable and full of dangers. Senior, you are gone, but youre still at such an unapproachable level. Senior, which senior? Qianye had a bad feeling in his heart. Song Zining hesitated for a moment. Im not sure if I should tell you. If its true, then youll know sooner or later. The omens indeed point to the fall of a powerhouse, and if Im not wrong, its very likely Marshal Lin. Marshal Lin? Qianye couldnt believe his ears. Lin Xitang wasnt a heavenly monarch. If he was close to ascending, such important news would be known throughout the world. The Empire wouldnt hide the presence of a heavenly monarch because they needed to intimidate the Evernight faction. The current heavenly phenomenon was so majestic that the entire void continent was covered in a rain of falling stars. How could the source be Lin Xitang? Song Zining collected himself, saying, I knew you wouldnt believe it, because neither did I. Yet, I saw a world devoid of all light, and in it, a vast sky full of stars and Marshal Lin The entire world transformed into a tearing stream of light. He never managed to finish the sentence because he felt his chest ache so badly. Since theres no light in that world, how did you see the stars? Qianye shook his head without waiting for a reply. These divination omens of yours are really weird. Song Zining sighed and remained silent. Bai Aotu only listened to the conversation without making any comment. Outside of the Qin Continent, there was a black sun hanging high in the sky. In the vast space, two figures were locked in a fierce melee, with gunshots mixed in from time to time. The Evernight fleet, even the duke-grade flagships, was parked a good distance away. Without so much as a warning, the dark sun faded away. Astonished, the Eternal Flame almost allowed Zhang Boqian to charge into the hundred-meter range, but he immediately put some distance between them. Zhang Boqian stopped entangling the enemy after his failed charge and only stood with his hands behind his back. An illusory figure appeared where the dark sun had faded away. Its over. Lets go, Crassus. With that, the shadow disappeared and everything became silent. Drastic astronomical changes ensued as the darkness vanished. The void was vast, distant, and empty. There were stars drifting down everywhere, as dense as falling rain in certain places. Everyone wondered whether the small asteroid belt from the top of the world had fallen down. That very moment, the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs sensed the laws of the entire world shaking. An intense aura of Daybreak wafted over from the falling starlight. Had a powerhouse fallen? Which supreme expert was it? Why was it a Daybreak aura? The aura was simply too unfamiliar. It definitely wasnt one of the known human heavenly monarchs. The Eternal Flame left immediately, and the massive Evernight armada also began to turn around. After the entire Evernight fleet had left, only Zhang Boqian was left in the entire void-space. He remained standing in place, looking up at the heavens. The starlight was no more. The Radiant Emperor appeared behind him at some point; no one knew how long he had been standing there. There wasnt a single flickering light left in the void. This distant emptiness was just as it had been since time immemorial. The Radiant Emperor said, Teacher has left. Zhang Boqian said, Ill go take a look. The two were calm. Their tone of voice was no different from the norm as one stepped forward and the other turned back. Before Zhang Boqian was the boundless void, and below the Emperors feet was the blue-green silhouette of the Qin Continent. The Demon King had finally taken the stage and that was one of the worst scenarios. As a supreme whose darkness was closest to the grand origins, those who fall to his blade would be eliminated in both body and soul. Not even a single particle would be left behind. The Radiant Emperor walked toward the Qin Continent in steady steps, the land gradually expanding in his vision. The fighting in the void hadnt affected the continent just yet, and everything was calm and peaceful before his eyes. The mountains stretched in a continuous line, and the rivers galloped across the vast land. The cities and towns scattered across the panorama stood testament to the thriving era. Yet, that person couldnt even return to his hometown as a corpse. Only his love for this land would be eternally buried between the heaven and earth. The Radiant Emperor himself had never gotten the opportunity to venture too far into the void. The Empires borders were his farthest battlefield. Back in the year, Lin Xitang had spoken to him as the newly appointed prince-guardian. A ruler is one who will guard the nation in life and die for the state. This teaching had been his guiding post throughout life. The void continent gradually calmed down after the starfall. Not long after, the main army of the eastern route arrived. The first to appear in the distance was the Imperial Guard fleet with their striking emblems. The soldiers in Whitetown didnt feel any excitement when they saw the late warships. This battle had ended in such a miserable victory that no one could feel happy about it. Besides, the various army routes had failed to rendezvous on time. There was something wrong, either with the command or the strategy itself. These mercenaries from the neutral lands were selling their lives for money. Who wouldve thought their first battle away from the neutral lands would be so bitter? The Empires warships circled above Whitetown before landing outside the city. The fleet commander then entered the city along with his high-ranking officers. Everyone was shocked by the things they saw along the way. The commander bowed deeply when he saw Qianye and Song Zining, saying, General Qianye, General Zining, this general arrived late! The commander himself was a lieutenant general, but he saluted the two as though they were his superiors. Also, he didnt even frown at the darkness aura coming from Qianye. Qianye didnt know what to say when he saw that these generals were all injured. Sustaining such wounds in the void meant that their warships had been severely damaged. There might not be any survivors if the damage was any greater. That was why the death toll was usually much higher than the number of injured soldiers. Ultimately, it was Song Zining who took over the conversation. He conversed briefly with the generals and collected the latest information from them. There, he heard that Marshal Lin had come to the void continent personally. Song Zining glanced at Qianye. The latter was deep in thought, seated on a chair, and tapping subconsciously at the handrest. The fleet had arrived, and the ground forces werent too far off. The eastern army would soon enter Whitetown and begin clearing the battlefield. The Dark Flame fleet had also returned to the void continent, leaving only the Martyrs Palace to guard the airspace. The returning squadron was bruised and battered, and two of their corvettes had been destroyed. Clearly, the battle outside was rather fierce. The captain in charge of the battlecruiser summarized the process of their battle. Evernight had used an entire duke-grade fleet to restrain the Martyrs Palace, with the flagship risking damage to keep the palace pinned down. Wave after wave of transport squadrons took this opportunity to charge into the void continent. Speed was the only weakness of the Martyrs Palace. Caroline was nervous, but there was nothing she could do. The Martyrs Palace was akin to a giant beast that could do nothing against the thousands of tiny creatures rushing past. It would swat down a couple of them with each random movement but could only watch the rest charge into the continent. Caroline was decisive as well. She immediately ignored the transports and focused on bringing down the dukes fleet. Only by clearing this fleet would the corvettes be able to intercept the transports. In the end, the Martyrs Palace successfully destroyed the duke flagship by relying on its absolute advantage in defense. Even then, the unrelenting arachne duke boarded the Martyrs Palace and fought for an entire day and night against Caroline. He ultimately fell in battle, no match for Caroline who had been reinforced by the Earth Dragon. The battle also affected the interior of the ship, destroying a good chunk of equipment and half the crew. This reduced the palaces fighting power by almost half. That arachne duke was simply prepared to die in this assault. Despite the reinforcement of the dragonship, Caroline was also injured by the dukes counterattack as she delivered the finishing blow. Currently, she was recuperating aboard the vessel. Qianye and Song Zining gained an even greater understanding of Evernights investment in this battle. They had actually sacrificed an entire duke-grade fleet just to take down Whitetown. Now that raised the question why they would suddenly give up after investing so much? It was only reasonable that a senior member of the Evernight Council would be there to oversee the sword-bearers. Where did those top-ranking experts go? It even looked like the sword-bearers and the duke-grade fleet was here to die. It was just that the Empire would also have to pay a price to kill them. A bad sensation filled Qianyes heart, but the central army arrived just as he was lost in thought. A fully-armored Duke Wei flew over to Whitetown on his own without waiting for the flagship to land. Qianye and Song Zining had to welcome the duke since he had arrived personally. Duke Wei observed Qianye and Song Zining from head to toe, then sighed while shaking his head. Thinking back to the Spring Hunt, you two were just kids. Now, youre about to surpass this duke. The young will surely surpass us in time! What a pity, what a pity. All of a sudden, Qianye sensed his blood energy stirring. The dim, almost ethereal Wings of Inception in his chest seemed like it wanted to spread its wings. He was greatly alarmed, almost as though a powerful enemy was arriving, but where was the enemy? Looking up, the rifle strapped to Duke Weis back immediately attracted his attention. Song Zining and Duke Wei both noticed the change. The seventh young master followed his gaze and saw the gun. He gasped. Mortal Emperor! How come its here? Duke Wei sighed. The central armys vanguard charged swiftly under Zhao Jundus command, while I brought up the rear with the main army in tow. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jundu moved ahead too fast and the dark race army descended from the sky to intercept us. The Fourteenth Prince moved to assist the battle with the Mortal Emperor, but who wouldve thought it was a trap? The dark races used a special method to drag the prince to death. I knew the Grand Magnum was important, so I kept it on me. As long as I remain alive, the gun wont be lost. Qianye and Song Zining could see that Duke Wei was heavily injured and only suppressing the damage with secret arts. Listening to his recount, the dark races had actually set up a trap for the central route. Although they didnt get the time to chat with Princess Haimi, it was very likely that the eastern route had encountered a similar obstruction. Only Bai Aotu managed to charge through the western front; neither its fleet nor ground forces were in sight yet. But it really wasnt a big surprise, judging from the situation of the central and eastern routes, and considering the identities of the commanding officers on the western front. It was also easy to see the dangers Princess Haimi and Duke Wei had braved to push their armies forward. At this point, the situation around Whitetown was very clear. The battle was a sure loss if it wasnt for Zhao Jundus final eruption, killing all of the sword-bearers, and the Evernights senior council member never showing up. The entirety of Whitetown and most of the top experts from the central and eastern routes might have fallen in battle as well. At this moment, Zhao Jundu and Bai Aotu were gravely injured, the Fourteenth Prince and Nineteenth Princess had fallen, and both Princess Haimi and Duke Wei were heavily wounded. Chapter 1182: Such a Nation That was it! The changes on the battlefield! Even if a strategy had ten different scenarios written into it, one could only progress in a single direction and adjust constantly depending on the actual situation. Then who was in charge of intelligence and planning? Qianye thought with a serious expression. Duke Weis new information was more detailed than the eastern army. Qianye and Song Zining learned that Marshal Lin had arrived on the void continent to reorganize the entire strategy. At the same time, Evernights mobile fleet and duke-grade experts all vanished from the void, causing the tables to turn. At this point, Song Zining glanced at Qianye and saw him in deep contemplation. Qianye wasnt as calm as he seemed on the surface; his firm heart was tightening bit by bit. There was naturally no need to discuss Lin Xitangs strong strategic capabilities, but the entire matter was too unbelievable. The Evernight faction had invested an outrageous amount of resources into each battlefield. No matter how capable Lin Xitang was, he couldnt turn the power gap around in such a short time. All of the Empires maneuverable forces had been mobilized for this battle, and the total military power couldnt be considered weak. Yet the Evernight side had poured in far more forces than the norm and even targeted the Empires generals in a coordinated manner. They were probably able to do this because of the pause in their civil war. In the end, why was this war initiated under such unfavorable circumstances? Duke Wei, of course, knew more than what he was saying. For instance, about how Lin Xitang had killed the Minister of the Right. Killing a general before the army was never a good thing, and Duke Wei wasnt about to tell two juniors about it when he himself still hadnt figured out what was going on. The duke refused to give more details, almost as though he didnt want to discuss it anymore. Song Zining asked about Duke Weis plans. At this point, both the central and eastern armies had fought their way through the void continent and converged at Whitetown. The dukes position was the highest, so he naturally held the right to command. The plan was to leave a part of their forces to clean up the battlefield as the main force headed further north to capture the last airship port and its surrounding areas. The remaining Evernight forces on the continent had been cut off. A small part of the transport fleet that had charged into the continent managed to escape, but most of them were destroyed along the way. As Duke Wei saw it, the war on the void continent was over at this point. Marshal Lin was never part of this war, yet he had appeared at the most dangerous moment. He went through all the events one-by-one until his expression changed when he recalled the falling stars from just now. He turned toward Song Zining and asked, How do we confirm your calculations? Song Zining hesitated for a moment before sighing. Since Marshal Lin is at the void continent and all of our communication channels have been restored, youll soon hear of all news good and bad. Qianye stood up. Im going to take a look. Song Zining stopped him. Where are you going? What about your blood energy? Qianye had broken through two realms with the help of the Book of Darkness and was now at the vice-duke rank, and that was according to ancient vampire standards. How could such impatience be without repercussions? He couldnt sense the River of Blood at all during this breakthrough. The deluge of darkness origin power brought incomparable power but also near-tangible darkness. The balance between Daybreak and Evernight in his body was tottering on the brink of collapse. Fortunately, Whitetown was surprisingly peaceful after Qianyes breakthrough, and there was no dangerous situation that required him to take action. That was why he could still control the violent darkness origin power. However, no one could guess what would happen after the dark and light went out of control. Song Zining gripped tighter after seeing Qianyes insistence. There was no news of him taking part in any battlefield. Where are you going to look for him? You should be thinking of a way to control your condition, or your origin power will just go out of control in front of Marshal Lin. Qianye froze up. If his current duke-grade origin power were to erupt, the resultant shockwaves could easily level a fortress. Regardless of his own fate, he might end up injuring Lin Xitang. Song Zining sighed. Just wait the night, the war on the continent will have settled by tomorrow morning. Ill send him a message through the militarys communication channels. The marshal will reply if its convenient. Qianye understood that Song Zining was being reasonable, but he still couldnt suppress the worry in his heart. It was as though the yearning he had suppressed all these years had ignited into nervousness. When Qianye woke up at dawn the next day, he still couldnt get used to the absence of cannon fire. The first rays of dawn had just arrived, but the entire base was already busy. The soldiers Duke Wei had left behind were clearing out the battlefield. There were a hundred and fifty thousand corpses in this small city, which they had to dig out layer by layer. The fortunate survivors gazed at the heaps of dead bodies, stupefied. Many of them were once their comrades and brothers, but now, they were being concentrated for processing just like the dark races, unable to return to their homeland. Even the combined forces of the eastern and central armies didnt have enough manpower for individual burials. Qianye strolled out of the main camp and climbed atop a temporary sentry tower to observe the ruined city. He had never imagined that things would turn out so bitter. Although Qianye was relatively young, he had experienced numerous battles at the forefront, and this wasnt the first time he had fought in life and death situations. It was just that most of his battles were fought among experts, or as a part of the army on the battlefield. A battle of ten thousand men wasnt too shocking in the vast wilderness, but this time, there were over a hundred thousand corpses in a single city. Qianyes eyes suddenly fell upon a certain figure. That person sauntered through Whitetown, moving swiftly in Qianyes direction. Qianye noticed the guests presence only when he was halfway through the city. He had no idea when this person had appeared or when he had entered the city. Qianye also realized that he would only notice this person if and when he wanted him to. Even after leaping up an entire major rank, Qianye still felt the same as when he had met this man for the first timethat he was not a match at all and even retaliation was not a certainty. The number of people with such strength could be counted on ones fingers. Qianye jumped down and waited respectfully for this guest. That person didnt waste time, either, arriving before Qianye in a single step. He then sized Qianye up from head to toe, saying, Your strength has increased again, but whats with the surging darkness? Im alone, no need for excessive formalities. Qianye replied, My respect for you is born from your contributions for the human race and your relationship to Marshal Lin. Youre also my senior. This person was Prince Greensun, Zhang Boqian. He nodded after hearing Qianyes words. Not bad, no wonder Lin Xitang thinks highly of you. I only came here to see you, I wont be staying long. The war on the Empire mainland isnt over yet, there might be some accidents if I leave for too long. Theres a war back in the Empire? Qianye was astonished. Zhang Boqian snorted. Its just a Sanguine Funeral, what else can they do? Perhaps I didnt beat them up enough, so theyre here to probe us. Qianye was startled when he heard about the Sanguine Funeral. This has the Longevity Monarch passed? Judging from the current state of the Empires heavenly monarchs, he was the most likely to have fallen. He spent so much effort to collect life-extension materials, but that didnt last him very long, it seems. Most Great Qin citizens had never experienced a Sanguine Funeral, but they remembered well that the Evernight faction would launch a probing assault whenever there was a replacement of heavenly monarchs. If the defensive response wasnt good enough, it could easily turn into an all-out war that would decide the fate of the Empire. Qianye had never imagined that the Evernight faction would still fight the Empire even after investing so much fighting power on the void continent. Zhang Boqians eyes flickered with a cold glint. Of course, its him. Id have to kill him myself if he didnt die fast enough! This was an absolute top-secret. Hearing about a conflict of this degree between heavenly monarchs, Qianye didnt quite know how to ask about it. Zhang Boqian shot him a glance. If it wasnt for him, how could the void continent fall into such a state? Jundu wouldnt be heavily injured, and Xitang wouldn''t Qianye was so shaken that even his voice was quite sharp. What happened to my foster father? Xitang remapped the situation on the void continent single-handedly, cleaning up the inside and stopping powerful enemies outside. You guys survived because of this, but he paid the ultimate price. The grievous news had been confirmed. Qianye felt a chill pierce through his entire body, and for a moment, he couldnt tell where the vague pain was coming from. Great sorrow brings no tears, great revelation brings no words, so much so that he couldnt even feel whether he was sad or angry. Only a throbbing pain raged on continuously, dripping into that empty space in his heart. He looked up at the lofty man. This prime-aged heavenly monarch was different from before. He wasnt exuding his usual aura of sharpness and seemed to have returned to his natural state. He was like a sheathed divine-weapon from ancient times, just as powerful even when his brilliance was retracted. Zhang Boqians calm expression was suffused with a hint of desolation. He and Lin Xitang were equally famous throughout the years. From the army to the Imperial court, the Twin Paragons of the Empire had been opponents for three decades. It was only when Zhang Boqian became a heavenly monarch did Lin Xitangs name fell behind. However, Qianye had sensed during his limited contact with Zhang Boqian that the two of them were both friends and rivals. There were shadows of Lin Xitang wherever Prince Greensuns brilliance shone. Now that the Empires glorious Twin Paragons were no more, who could say what Zhang Boqian was feeling? After a good while, Qianyes numb and colorless world noticed something other than pain. The grief swept away everything in his being, leaving a frozen yet burning heart. He slowly thought back to Zhang Boqians words and noticed a deeper meaning. You said he cleared out the inside, what does that mean? Zhang Boqian said, This isnt a big secret or anything. The first thing Lin Xitang did after reaching the void continent was to kill the Minister of the Right. Minister of the Right, Longevity Monarch Qianye realized at this point that the masterminds behind this plan had been executed, and their assistants had been eliminated one-by-one. Only those ant-like characters remained. These people were fence-sitters, to begin with, and there was simply no end to them. The raging flames in his chest turned cold all of a sudden. It felt as though he had walked over a cliffside and stepped into empty air. It seemed he couldnt even seek revenge for that man. Qianye was overcome by an extremely uncomfortable sensation, unable to vent his depression and anger. However, this was the giant Empires path ever since its foundingrough, winding, and bumpy. When the founding ancestor took the first step in the darkness, no one knew where the correct path was. Humans might be united in opinion, but there were many differences among them. The only way to unite millions of people and establish the land of Daybreak was by correcting ones mistakes and holding fast to aspirations. Qianye heaved a long sigh. Did foster father leave any words for me before his departure? Zhang Boqian said after a moment of silence, He was in the Demon Kings domain when he left. Even the Evernight fleet nearby never saw a thing. That night, Zhang Boqian had chased the fleet down to the borders of the upper continents and intercepted a warship that had taken part in the capture of Lin Xitang. But the Demon Kings domain had covered the entire void during the last battle. Even the Evernight nobility were plunged into darkness and had no idea what had happened. The Demon King! A supreme had taken action in person!? Qianye took a deep breath in astonishment, a sanguine hue flickering in his eyes. Zhang Boqian shook his head. Lin Xitang had always been one to show his love with actions. He had too many things to do, but there was never enough time in his short life. Even if he was missing someone, he wouldnt say it. That was why I came to see you after his departure. Qianye could no longer speak at this point. He looked up at the sky and felt as though he could see yesterdays celestial phenomenon, that shower of stars. Since leaving Yellow Springs, Qianye had never seen Lin Xitang face-to-face. Every time, there would be a reason not to. Qianye had once wondered nervously whether his foster father had abandoned him. After all, he wasnt the first person Lin Xitang had saved, nor was he the last. As ordinary as he was, what did he have to impress that peerless character? After getting to know more about Lin Xitang from other people, Qianye discovered that this person was even more generous and impressive. His great success in the Art of Heavens Mystery allowed him to see through countless people, yet he never recruited them under his wing. Neither did he require the people he had promoted to work for anyone in particular. Despite having no offspring, Lin Xitang had only ever granted the Lin surname to Qianye, naming him his foster son. Qianye wasnt dumb, either. He could still sense the trickle of warmth from that person even though he was never able to see him. Now that Zhang Boqian had come to see him despite his time constraints, Qianye truly realized his importance in Lin Xitangs heart. Everything was too late, however. After a moment of silence, Zhang Boqian said, Where will you go after this, have you thought about it? Qianyes mind went blank for a while. Since the masterminds have been executed, it seems I have nothing to do in the Empire. Zhang Boqian cut him short, The Minister of the Right isnt the first, and he wont be the last, perhaps its the same for the Longevity Monarch. What do you mean by theres nothing? Qianye was stunned. Zhang Boqian softened his tone. Be it Lin Xitang, myself, or those people whom youve met or not met, everyone believes you havent fallen to darkness. After a pause, he continued, But you dont need to be in the Empire to be of help. I dont want you to forget about yourself for the greater good, either. One of that kind is enough. These words were quite evident, but the last part was a bit too complicated. He thought he knew the meaning but still couldnt quite understand all of it. At this point, Zhang Boqian said in a dreary manner, I need to be going, but I should do a bit in his stead before I go. With that, Zhang Boqian raised his fist and struck lightly at Qianyes chest! The attack wasnt fast, but Qianye had no way to evade it. All he could do was watch as Prince Greensuns fist blasted the area of his blood core. A casual strike from the heavenly monarch possessed enough power to split mountains and rocks. Qianyes blood core was shattered by the attack, breaking down into countless crystalline particles that the surrounding flesh kept in the shape of a blood core. Qianye was severely injured by a single attack. A blood core injury was no small matter! His blood energy declined repeatedly, dropping from the vice-duke to glorious marquis, and stopping short of reaching the mighty marquis rank. Qianye took several steps back and coughed up blood, but he was delighted. Many thanks to Prince Greensun! Zhang Boqians attack was extremely well-timed and controlled. The strike shattered Qianyes blood core, injuring but not crippling it. Considering Qianyes vampire physique and regeneration, he should recover completely after a couple of days rest. There would be no hidden injuries. Qianyes blood energy rank had been struck back down, freeing him of a potential imbalance between Daybreak and Evernight. Perhaps only an outstanding expert like Zhang Boqian would have this kind of heaven-defying method. The heavenly monarch produced several hand-written notes and passed them to Qianye. These are some insights I gained, perhaps youll find them useful. Take a look when you have nothing to do. Qianye received the documents and saw the title on the first page: Profound Combatant Formula! This The Martial Emperor left this art behind, but it was incomplete. I used to practice the art during my younger years, but I switched to a different one later on. I decided to pick it up again since I had nothing better to do recently. I managed to gain some new insights and added some things to the basic version. Zhang Boqian made it seem unimportant, but Qianye knew just how valuable this completed version was. Only a handful of people had ever practiced the art beyond fifty cycles. The Zhang clan naturally had their own path to the heavenly monarch realm, so Zhang Boqian had no need to practice the Combatant Formula. Just a few pages of hand-written notes, yet it was as heavy as a mountain. Zhang Boqian said as Qianye was putting away the notes carefully, Youre Xitangs child, so you need not call me by my title. If youre willing, call me uncle. With that, Zhang Boqian looked around him and sighed. Such a nation Then, he stepped into the air and drifted away. Such a nation, how is it worth spilling ones blood for? If it isnt worth it, then why do so many advance dauntlessly? Qianye stood in place, frozen as he recalled the past. The human race had walked through the boundless darkness of Evernight for tens of thousands of years, only seeing a sliver of light in the most recent one thousand two hundred years. The predecessors had cut through the thistles and thorns, and the inheritors would pass on the torch; through all the hardships, a spark would soon set alight an entire prairie. Chapter 1183: Seed of Hope Song Zining had also learned of Lin Xitangs fall at this point. He gazed at the outwardly calm Qianye and could only sigh. The two merely exchanged a silent glance for they had nothing to say. Language had never been so empty and useless before. It was also painful, and even the slightest touch was almost unbearable. Dark Flame was a majestic fleet when it arrived, but it was fairly empty upon its return. Most of the transports were empty, and some didnt even have enough crew to man them. After some discussions, Song Zining and Qianye decided to sell most of the transport vessels to the Empire. Although Evernight had taken grave losses in this battle, the Empire also realized the benefits of a large-scale landing of transports. The transports from the neutral lands might be old and shabby, but they were superior in their sturdiness and ease of repair, a good fit for military use. There were so many mercenary and Zhao clan corpses that it was difficult to identify them individually and differentiate them from the enemys. Those who had fallen on the Martyrs Palace were also buried in the void. The Empire followed its usual traditions and collected all the name tags they could find. Then, they cremated all the corpses and buried the ashes under a large stele where Whitetown used to be. At the end of the simple but solemn ceremony, Qianye led the surviving veterans on their journey back. The battlecruiser served as the flagship with the corvettes guarding the wings and the large transports taking up the center. Almost every vessel in the fleet was damaged, so progress was rather slow. Qianye sent the Martyrs Palace back to the Northern Continent ahead of them, to reorganize and undergo repairs. In addition, the Northern Continents mild atmosphere would serve as a good place for Caroline to recuperate. The journey was calm and peaceful as the fleet slowly drove toward the neutral lands. Despite their slow pace, home was in sight after several days on the road. Qianye stood gazing out the bridge window, toward the vague silhouette of the neutral lands at the ends of the void. From a distance, it looked like a scattered collection of islands enveloped in a hazy mist. Only from a distance could one see the traces of the fallen Void Valley Star. As the destination was drawing near, the captain put the fleet on a new flight path. With the battlecruiser at its lead, the massive fleet turned slightly and moved toward the neutral lands. Damn, this again! Cursing, the captain released his origin power to shield the control room. What are you all staring at? Check and repair! Switch out the damaged parts and see if we have replacements for them. Oh and look for older models, the older the better. The crew flew into action. The captain rushed them a couple more times before arriving at Qianyes side, saying, Sire, weve already replaced a batch of components on our way out, but looks like it still wont work. The neutral lands is always like that. Dont worry, your opponents here are all antiques. Ill also arrange a suitable place to land the airship, said Qianye. The captains expression improved slightly. Sire, Im not complaining, but my heart aches when I see her like this. With that, the captain left the bridge to patrol the entire vessel. The battlecruiser was the Empires latest model, the darling of every captains heart. Although it had undergone modifications for the neutral lands, the shipyard still ended up underestimating the adverse environment here. The mist Qianye had sensed contained a clear aura of destructive corrosion, mixed with void origin power. The material used in ordinary origin arrays simply couldnt withstand the decay. What happened on the battlecruiser was just a small interlude. The airship drove through two continents to arrive at an unusually large piece of land that was the Eastern Sea. At this point, every mercenary could already recognize their way home. The airship made a beeline for Southern Blue, shooting through a cloud layer as the silhouette of the city appeared far off over the horizon. A mercenary beside Qianye was filled with delight. Were finally back! Qianye sighed from the bottom of his heart. Yeah, were back. An officer said in a loud voice, Qianye, Sire, you really must lead us to do greater things after we get back! Qianye was woken up by this. Looking back, he saw that the mercenaries in the cabin were all happy, excited, and exuding an extraordinary momentum. In addition to the generals, several of them looked like they were about to break through to the champion realm. Qianye hadnt imagined that they would say something like this. Glancing over, he saw the mercenary survivors looking at him with eyes full of radiance and passion. Those at his side were all survivors of Whitetown, most of whom were on the verge of a breakthrough after experiencing the great tribulation. With nine out of ten men dead, Qianye had thought that the survivors would be depressed and mournful. He was expecting most of them to stay away from the battlefield even if they didnt quit the corps. Who wouldve thought the great battle would thoroughly ignite these men, instead? So many of our brothers have died this time. At first, I thought you guys would want to take a long break before making a decision, Qianye said. The mercenaries glanced at one another and, at last, pushed a general in his thirties forward. This man was the leader of a smaller mercenary band whom Ji Tianqing had threatened into joining with all his men. He wasnt all that outstanding among Dark Flames generals, but he miraculously survived the battle of Whitetown. He was pushed forward since his original position was the highest, and he was also the strongest among the survivors. He bowed toward Qianye and said, Sire, mercenaries like us spend our lives on the blades edge. How can we expect a good ending? Dying on the battlefield is considered a good way to go. What were most afraid of are growing old with injuries, unable to join the battle, and living a meaningless life. The mercenary corps would usually take care of us and make sure we dont go hungry, but it doesnt get any better. Qianye nodded. This was the most common ending for the mercenaries of the neutral lands, a natural law according to Song Zining. In order to adapt and survive, humans in the neutral lands possessed greater reproductive abilities, and their strength growth was also faster. But the neutral lands couldnt house so many people, so cruel battles were the only way to reduce the population. The mercenary corps big and small were born to fight. They would either be hired to fight someone else, or they would fight amongst themselves. To sum it up, they had to fight and die, or no one would live. The Evernight continent at the lowest layer of the realm was even crueler. It was extremely scarce in resources, so much so that even the young and strong couldnt walk out of the dumpsters. They lived a life no different from wild beasts. That general paused for a bit before continuing, This bloody battle is simply our fate, nothing too serious. This battle is different from the past. At the very least, our dead brethren died honorably. Their wives and children wont need to be left under anothers care and suffer humiliation. This battle, you and Sire Zining allowed us to understand that we mercenaries can also die with dignity and without concerns. Qianye had never thought about it this way. The Empire would follow normal customs and compensate the families of those mercenaries who had fallen in Whitetown. This was also one of the conditions for their participation in this fight. Qianye hadnt imagined that a memorial stele would mean so much to these soldiers. The Empires standard compensation was also highly significant to the mercenaries of the neutral lands. Their families could at least live on in peace. In the past, there were many mercenary corps that had to disband because they couldnt pay financial support to the families. Once the mercenaries fell in battle, disaster would befall their families. It wasnt uncommon for their wives and daughters to be forced into prostitution. That general looked back at his comrades and said, Sire, actually, weve already discussed this. Only you and Sire Zining made us understand that mercenaries are also humans. So were not leaving, well keep following you as you carve out a legacy! Qianye hadnt spoken when another older general said, Sire, split the compensation into three parts and only issue one part, leave the rest for Dark Flames coffers. You wont forget us when the corps grows stronger. Qianye laughed wryly. You guys trust me that much You were always at the most dangerous locations in Whitetown. Yes, the same goes for Sire Zining. Im only alive because you dragged me out from under that werewolfs claws! The mercenaries began to talk at the same time. The leader gestured for them to quiet down. Only when they were silent did he say, Sire, we mercenaries arent good for much, but we can still recognize a true hero, one who is worthy of following with all our hearts! Dont refuse anymore, just give us the command if you need us for anything in the future! We wont hesitate even if we have to fight another battle like in Whitetown! Qianye couldnt help but feel emotional as he looked at these survivors. The mercenaries lived such dangerous lives because of money. The Empire had always been generous with its compensation, and even the standard amount was an astronomical sum for these mercenaries. Their willingness to forfeit most of the money proved how determined they were to follow Qianye and rebuild Dark Flame. An older mercenary said, Sire Qianye, even with this arrangement, the compensation we get is still much higher than the other mercenary corps. I believe that as long as youre at the helm, our late brethrens families wont suffer any grievances. Having said this much, Qianye could feel the weight on his shoulders. With this promise, he would have to take responsibility not only for the survivors but also for the families of the deceased. That was more than a hundred thousand people. The leader said, As long as youre willing, the initial rebuilding wont be a problem. Our dead brethren have children who are coming of age. Those over ten years old can be considered adults in the neutral lands. Just give them a gun and they wont be inferior on the battlefield! Qianye finally nodded. Very well! Follow me well in the future and I will bring you to conquer the vast world! An explosive cheer erupted in the battlecruiser! Just like that, a seed was planted. The fleets journey was largely uneventful as no one was stupid enough to rob them. Even the poorest, most ruthless of pirates would forget any untoward intentions after seeing the battlecruiser, and slowly shrink away. A corvette sped forward to Southern Blue and circled the city several times. It then sent a signal after confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Soon, the large fleet of airships arrived over Souther Blue and landed one after the other. The nominal city lord, Ji Rui, was already waiting for them. He approached with a face full of smiles when he saw Qianye walking out of the battlecruiser. Your victorious return is worthy of celebration! Qianye shook his head. Most of our brethren have fallen in battle, whats there to celebrate? Ji Rui was stunned. All fallen? Impossible, you brought roughly fifty thousand men, right? These are all the survivors we have left. Qianye pointed behind him. Only several hundred mercenaries walked down from the airship. Their group looked rather weak compared to the giant vessel, let alone the entire fleet. Chapter 1184: Thoughts of Peace Their auras were fairly subdued since they were injured. A wounded beast simply couldnt compare to an undamaged creature of the same species. Ji Rui was an old fox. In order to prove that he wasnt just currying favor, he said with a laugh, Sire, the Empire is full of talented people, so these men might seem ordinary in comparison, but they are rare talents in the neutral lands. Half of your men have the potential to break through to the champion realm. Once they do, Dark Flame will no longer be the same. Qianye immediately understood what Ji Rui wanted to say. This old fox liked to exaggerate a bit, but it was true that a third of them might break through. With enough resources, these promising mercenaries would break through into several dozen champions. Even the Empires numbered army corps only had that many experts. Even those who couldnt ascend would definitely see a great increase in their fighting power. The neutral lands mercenaries had never lacked valor and ferocity, only resources and environment. From this standpoint, it was indeed as Ji Rui had said, all of them were promising talents. It was just that a couple hundred of these talented men had to climb out of a pile of forty thousand corpses. Lets head back to the city, how are things over there? Ji Rui said, What else can happen? Those merchants and minor families are extremely obedient! No one dares to act up after hearing of your triumphant return. You already cleaned up the bad ones last time. Qianye nodded. Thats good. There was no change in the situation in the neutral lands. Dark Flame had mobilized in full force, but Southern Blue and Tidehark remained relatively stable. No one dared to jump out and attempt another coup. Qianye had already taught those restless people a good lesson the last time he returned. Even Zhang Buzhous nephew was captured and exchanged for Tidehark. Everyone had to reevaluate themselves after that incident; who would dare to cause trouble? News of the Empire''s victory on the void continent had also spread far and wide. Dark Flame had suffered grave losses and was almost wiped out, but as the victorious party, it would surely regain its vigor quickly. Those with resources will have manpower, and those with manpower will have strength. No matter how bitter the casualty rate was, the numbers didnt seem all that shocking in the neutral lands where humans were struggling to survive. City Lord Ji, this isnt appropriate, is it? Ji Rui was full of smiles. Of course it is, why wouldnt it be? With your status, its not embarrassing even if I become your follower. If you remember our old friendship, just give me a position in Dark Flame. Qianye frowned. Thats too much of an inconvenience for you. Ji Ruis smile disappeared. Now youre being a stranger. Weve actually known each other for a good while. I watched how you grew up, saw how you treat your brethren in Dark Flame, and how you changed the entire industrial structure in Southern Blue. The industrial structure was through Zinings efforts. Qianye didnt want to take credit. Ji Rui said, Zining is your brother, but you are the pillar of the entire Dark Flame. Forgive me for being frank, but I probably wont last very long if we fight, will I? Qianye gave it serious thought. Then, he said with a sincere expression, You can still erm, last a good while. Ji Rui laughed. No need to worry about my feelings! If you think of me as a friend, let me be your vice-commander or something. An empty title is okay, I wont be meddling in your operations. Just call me when theres a battle to fight. Qianye merely nodded. He couldnt quite decline since Ji Rui was so understanding and tactful. Ji Rui waited until Qianye had boarded the car before taking the aides seat to the front. His posturing was on point. Along the way, he asked, Sire Qianye, tell me the truth. How long can I last against you? Since Ji Rui was asking so earnestly, Qianye thought about it seriously, but he looked rather hesitant about how to say it. His current blood energy was at the level of a glorious marquis, equivalent to a human divine champion. There was already a qualitative difference between him and Ji Rui. Qianyes abilities were also extremely powerful, belonging to the category of one-hit-kills. Since Ji Rui had asked, Qianye first thought about the Shot of Inception. There was no need to discuss the upgraded black feather; it was sure to kill Ji Rui in one hit. The Shot of Inception might not be able to kill a duke, but it should have no problem killing a human who wasnt even a divine champion. It didn''t seem like Ji Rui could stand an ordinary Shot of Inception, either. Next up was Heartgrave. This weapon could snipe a divine champion both in Qianye and Zhao Jundus hands. If he didnt use either of them, he would only have East Peak left. Qianye could perform seven slashes with each Sweeping Calm now. If he were to concentrate all of them in a small area, it would kill Ji Rui if he failed to dodge. Last was Life Plunder. Ji Rui probably couldnt escape the current area-of-effect. He might not die when struck, but his capacity to fight would be drastically reduced, and it might even damage his foundations if he were to take a few more threads. After some thought, there was only Life Plunder that Ji Rui could withstand for a while. This so-called a while meant that he wouldnt fall with the first strike, but he certainly couldnt withstand the second. Life Plunder was an area-of-effect attack, a skill Qianye rarely used in a one-on-one showdown. There was also an indirect method, and that was Little Zhuji. The little fellows poison would probably cripple Ji Rui even if he wasnt killed. Seeing Qianyes shifting expression, Ji Rui understood what was going on. His expression was awkward as he said self-deprecatingly, It seems you dont need to tell me anymore, I more or less understand. I guess Ill be lucky if I can take one move from you. One move is still possible! Qianye moved to remedy the situation, but he soon realized his mistake. The driver''s body tensed up, then relaxed rather slowly. Only then did Qianye notice that it was Guan Zhongliu behind the steering wheel. This former commander of the city guard had also gotten rid of any form of posturing. If even Ji Rui couldnt last one move against Qianye, there was really no need to discuss Guan Zhongliu. At this point, he was filled with complicated emotions that expressed themselves on his body. Ji Rui said, Sire Qianye, it seems my request to be vice-commander was too high of an aim, please just make me a petty leader! Qianye said hurriedly, How will that do? Theres no problem with you being vice-commander. Ji Rui was overjoyed. Ill do my best! They soon passed through the city and arrived at Dark Flames headquarters. Ji Rui saw Qianye off to the main building before returning to his residence. Back on the jeep, Guan Zhongliu said, City Lord, did we have to be so humble? Ji Rui shook his head. Do you see it that way? Qianye is powerful, that I admit, but youre the city lord. If worse comes to worst, well head out and build another foundation. Ji Rui sighed. Old Guan, you think I was wronged, but do you know what kind of people Dark Flames vice-commanders are? Isnt those two youngsters... Guan Zhonglius voice shrank halfway through the conversation. Dark Flame had two official vice-commanders. One was Song Zining, and the other was Ji Tianqing. Li Kuanglan could also be considered half a vice-commander. Guan Zhongliu wasnt privy to Ji Tianqings identity, but he did understand her combat strength. Ji Rui said, Theres no need to mention that seventh young master. As for Miss Ji, she possesses such combat strength at such a young age. Do you think her origins are really simple? Judging from the seventh young nobles stance, her true identity might be so big that itll scare us to death. To become peers with these two, Im probably the one reaching upward. Think about it, therell be no place for us once they cross the divine champion threshold in a few years. Guan Zhongliu opened his mouth but only managed to speak after half a beat. How can it be that easy? It might be hard for us, but thats a different matter for them. But Old Guan, were both old now. Ive been a nominal city lord for over a year now, I feel that its not so bad. I dont want to go out and fight anymore. Isnt it better to find someone to follow and live a simple, easy life? Guan Zhongliu opened his mouth briefly but didnt say anything in the end. He suddenly discovered that the attraction of a peaceful life was growing stronger and stronger. Even if he had to work under someone, it wasnt an unacceptable condition. That Qianye He couldnt continue. Ji Rui laughed. Sire Qianye is generous and has great potential. His current strength is way beyond my level now, and it almost makes me tremble in fear. Is such a person not worth following? Guan Zhongliu understood that the city lords words were reasonable. He only sighed in the end. Back at Dark Flame headquarters, a new building had risen up beside the original command center. It could be considered the tallest structure in Southern Blue. The interior hadnt been completed, and thus, there was a large group of artisans going about their work. A number of attendants led Qianye to the top floor and said respectfully, Sire, this is your new office. Whats going on? Qianye didnt remember this building. The attendant said, After your departure with Song Zining, City Lord Ji felt that Dark Flames presence in Southern Blue wasnt strong enough, so he constructed this new building for you. The city lord provided the funds and the craftsmen. He and Guan Zhongliu even supervised the construction personally during the rush-period. It was just that we were short on time, so the building isnt fully complete just yet. But both your office and Sire Song Zinings have been prepared. Qianye entered to find an interesting layout that was simple but stylish. All the furnishings inside were carefully selected and possessed extraordinary origins. It would seem they were items from Ji Ruis collection. The office took up half of the entire floor. Space itself was a type of beauty; standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the entire city of Southern Blue and even the city lords manor. Such scenery naturally lifted the spirit. Qianye nodded. The city lord is considerate. The servant asked, Its great that you like it. Shall we move your things over? Wait a minute, youre all people from the City Lords Manor? Qianye recognized that most of the people in the building werent from Dark Flame. The servant replied, We used to serve there, but Lord Ji said he has no intention of serving as the city lord in the future, so theres no need for so many people. Out of consideration for our many years of good servitude, he allowed us to come to Dark Flame and help you with miscellaneous chores. Qianye nodded, not at all suspecting that Ji Rui was trying to plant eyes at his side. These attendants looked capable and would come in pretty handy. After Qianye sat down, someone delivered a thick stack of documents, containing data on the operation of Dark Flame and its subordinate workshops during this period. Chapter 1185: Work and Cultivation Having moved out in full force, those of Dark Flame that remained were members tasked with ensuring smooth logistics. They werent idle during this period, either. They had been allocating supplies production, as well as procuring various equipment. A number of warehouses were now stacked full of equipment and components. Two facilities dedicated to manufacturing footsoldier gear were also nearing completion. The new research department was newly formed, but they had already seen breakthroughs in certain topics and would start producing results soon. Moreover, they were launching over a hundred projects at the same time. This research department didn''t just pop out of nowhere; its backbone staff were transferred over from Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Song Zining had moved almost the entirety of his business to the neutral lands and placed the highest priority on the operations here. Research was no exception. After arriving here, the research centers projects increased sharply, mainly on how to adapt Imperial weaponry to the environment in the neutral lands. The various continents of the Evernight world possessed different geography, weather, and origin power environments. Harsh places like the neutral lands could be found everywhere. Hence, adaptability was an extremely important sector for both military and airship armaments. At this point, an attendant entered and placed a new stack of documents on Qianyes desk. The statistics of the families of the fallen have been organized, please take a look. Qianye opened the document and looked through it carefully. Dark Flame had lost forty thousand mercenaries this time, most of them external mercenaries they had recruited later on. Information regarding their residences and families hadnt been documented yet, but the families of the old dark flame members alone reached four hundred thousand. Dark Flame possessed its own base as well as the foundations of the merged Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Their stability was much greater than the other mercenary corps, so most of their soldiers were able to support more family members. Among their families, there were almost thirty thousand boys and girls who were above ten years old, and over half of them possessed origin power. These boys and girls with origin power cultivation would make for qualified soldiers if they were given weapons. They could even become low-ranking officers. There was a qualitative difference between soldiers who could fire origin bullets and those who could only use gunpowder weapons. After discounting the old, there were close to fifty thousand women in their prime age. When required, they were also a qualified fighting force. The Empires standard compensation was ten times the yearly salary. This meant that no matter how much a soldier could earn per year, the Empire would pay ten times that amount. The Imperial armys pay was already fairly generous, so the compensation couldnt be considered low. Dark Flame had contributed greatly to the battle of Whitetown and fought an extremely bitter battle. Hence, the Empire decided to pay compensation based on their standard salary. Even a third of that amount was double that of mercenary-standards in the neutral lands. Dark Flame had received around four million gold coins in compensation. Two-thirds of that was just short of three million. This was a massive sum of money for Dark Flame, enough to buy two cruisers or enough equipment to outfit three complete army divisions. Dark Flame had less than two thousand combat personnel left, so recruitment was imperative. Qianye wasnt too worried about manpower, though, because the surviving veterans had grown much stronger. With them as the backbone, it would be easy to build up a new squad very soon. Song Zining had brought an entire group of instructors when Dark Flame was preparing for the fight around the Great Maelstrom door, and these people were still in the corps. Add to that the ample equipment in-store, they would be able to quickly set up three divisions. Although these units might not be completely up to Imperial standards, a quick fighting force could still be produced. How to reform Dark Flame was a test for Qianye. Qianye whipped out some pen and paper. He then started drawing draft after draft, but he wasnt satisfied with any of the plans. There was still no conclusion until the moon was high up in the sky. Finally, he threw down his pen and arrived before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the sleeping Southern Blue. This kind of job used to be Song Zinings duty, but there was no telling when he would be back. Qianye, on the other hand, couldnt keep relying on him for everything. Watching the city under the night skyespecially the large, empty headquartersQianye gradually calmed down and began thinking about how to set out with the plan. At first, Dark Flame in the neutral lands was put together merely to defend Southern Blue. Song Zining arrived later on and began expanding its forces to support Qianyes dream of reaching the Sacred Mountain. That was how Dark Flames objective went from defense to expansion and expeditions. After some thought and integrating the experience from the Battle of Whitetown, Qianye felt that he needed a unit that could coordinate with him. The current Qianye was an unstoppable force for ordinary opponents. In a similar fashion, ordinary squads werent good enough to coordinate with him. At the very least, he needed a unit on the level of Red Scorpion, people who could keep up with his rhythm. Going forward, the Evernight Councils Black Sun sword-bearers were the final version of this elite unit. After some contemplation, Qianye gave up on the idea of distributing equipment equally among three divisions. Finally, he decided to recruit fifty thousand people and outfit them according to the neutral lands first-rate standards. Even then, the cost of outfitting fifty thousand men was only equal to a single Imperial main-army division. With the remaining money, Qianye planned to purchase supplies according to Red Scorpion standards and arm a group of elites to the teeth. According to that standard, a budget sufficient to equip two main-army divisions would only be able to equip two thousand men. However, these two thousand men would be far more useful than two divisions. Only such a squad could keep up with Qianye. After reaching a decision, everything else moved along much faster. Qianye didnt sleep that night as he mapped out a complete plan. Qianye pressed the bell on his desk and summoned the manager Song Zining had left behind. This manager was in charge of purchasing equipment from the Empire. His face twitched briefly when he saw Qianyes plan, but he carefully hid his emotions and withdrew. Qianyes purchase plan wasnt easy to fulfill as there were quite a few strictly-limited military supplies. But since Qianye had suggested the need, heas a subordinatehad to find a way to make it happen. Song Zining was now in the Empire, so they could use his connections for things that were too difficult. The next few days saw Dark Flame recruiting for new soldiers once more. News always traveled fast here. In just a couple of days, the results of the void-continent war had spread across the neutral lands. The dark races in every area became much more subdued, while the human powers took this opportunity to expand. The mercenaries, especially those independent ones, saw this as an opportunity. Utilizing different channels, they all swarmed toward the Eastern Sea and Southern Blue, waiting for the recruitment. A mercenary corps like Dark Flame that could join wars, and even play an integral role in it, had long since exceeded the scope of traditional mercenary corps. Many people felt that they shouldnt be described merely as a mercenary corps. In factional wars, the role of mercenaries had always been to serve as cannon fodder, to fill in the gaps, and to perform the most dangerous missions. The human races victory on the void continent and Dark Flames bitter fight at Whitetown caused the mercenary corps fame to explode. They were slowly gaining fame as the number one major mercenary corps in the neutral lands. At the same time, Dark Flames stability and good pay left most small mercenary groups in the dust, so much so that even those highly skilled independent mercenaries were moved. After hearing about the corps losses at Whitetown, the mercenaries smelled an opportunity instead of feeling afraid. Everyone was planning to try their luck in finding a place in Dark Flame. Over the course of a few days, Qianye reorganized the surviving champions from the war, forming five regular divisions and one fledgling elite unit with them as the backbone. Then, he began the first round of recruitments from among the families of the deceased. The recruitment was met with unprecedented success. Most boys and girls with origin power cultivation, as well as ladies of age, were all willing to join. This provided Qianye with thirty thousand qualified troops. Compared to the mercenaries who had come to apply for a position, the fighting power of these women and children were rather limited. However, their backgrounds were clean, and their advantage in loyalty was incomparable. As for the unending stream of mercenaries who had come to apply, they were divided and assigned into various units after a strict screening process. After a round of drill training, they would become barely usable. A complete training period would require one month at the very least, and it would take even longer for the equipment from the Empire to arrive. Although Dark Flame already had an established process for training and organization, important issues still required Qianyes attention. He soon realized that simply approving documents was taking him entire days unknowingly. Things couldn''t keep going this way, or he wouldnt even have a guaranteed time for cultivation. Zhang Boqians notes on the Profound Combatant Formula were still in Andruils Space. The art was even more profound now, and Qianye needed time to slowly comprehend it. But first, he needed to make sure that he had the necessary time to cultivate. On the other hand, his blood energy was still in an imbalanced state compared to his origin power cultivation. That was still the case even though Zhang Boqian had used a peerless ability to bring him down to the glorious marquis realm. Delegation of authority was the best way to do this. The members Song Zining had left behind were trustworthy, and they could solve most minor problems on their own. This matter was easy to say, but Qianye was met with a different headache when the time actually came. The system had been more or less perfected since Song Zining was here. There were clear rules detailing the matters each rank could make decisions about. But that only applied to daily workflow. Currently, Qianye was expanding, and the issues that had come before him were important cases with lasting effects. This was especially true for Dark Flames core fighting strength and development. They werent things ordinary subordinates could decide on. If he were to give people free reign on such important things, the entire Dark Flame would surely go out of control. Chapter 1186: Work of a Heavenly Monarch Qianye thought of a way. He would save up documents of similar nature together and process them all in one go every ten days. That would be less efficient, but he was finally able to squeeze one full nights time to try out the Profound Combatant Formula. Walking into the cultivation room, he ordered his men to activate the array which served to converge origin power and protect his surroundings. He then fished out Zhang Boqians notes and read through them in detail. After looking through them once, he carefully put the notes away and closed his eyes in contemplation. There werent a lot of words in the notes, and Qianye was already beyond familiar with the contents. Already well-acquainted with the channeling direction and methods, he slowly activated his energy and began to cultivate. The Martial Ancestors Profound Combatant Formula worked by using the cultivators energy to draw upon the void origin power, forming a vortex. The cultivation was fast and powerful, but its disadvantages were also glaring. That was the extreme strain on the body, and the ease with which it could go out of control. If it wasnt for someone like Qianye whose constitution was comparable to an ancient vampire, cultivating this art would mean death. From what was known, only the Martial Ancestor and Zhang Boqian had touched upon this realm, and neither of them continued training in it. They switched to a different primary cultivation art after reaching that stage. Zhang Boqians version of the Profound Combatant Formula had various changes made to it. After mastering it, Qianye found that he could spread his perception toward the void with greater ease and gained various methods to control void origin power. The vortex condensation speed was inevitably slower, but it was now easier to control, and the impact on the body was lighter. Moments later, a massive void origin power vortex gradually took form. It was a bit smaller than the Martial Ancestors version but much more stable. Even though it was stable, the pressure gradually increased until the sound of shattering glass came through. Unable to withstand the pressure, a crack appeared in the space, and threads of void origin power were drawn into the vortex. Zhang Boqians version was unique in that there was a smaller vortex inside the vortex, rotating in the opposite direction. The two vortices happened to form a natural grinding stone that tore and ground down the void origin power as it was flung from the bigger vortex into the smaller one. A good amount of impurities would be centrifuged to the outside, leaving only a small amount of essence for Qianye to absorb. The only issue was that not everyone could use this method. It required an extremely high standard of origin power control, which bumped up the difficulty by a notch. The Martial Ancestors version required a powerful physique that was virtually impossible for normal humans. Zhang Boqians take on the art lowered this threshold somewhat but demanded perfect origin power control. The two requirements combined made it impossible for anyone to cultivate the Profound Combatant Formula. Because Qianye had cultivated the Song Clan Ancient Scroll for many years, he was rather familiar with the processes in this new version. So, it took him only a bit of trial and error to master it. But at this point, Qianye realized that Zhang Boqian had tailored this art for him since it would only add to the difficulty for other people. It was probably easier to search for rare treasures and arts to reinforce the body. On the other hand, the cultivator could only rely on himself to achieve perfect origin power control. Qianye became immersed in cultivation as sparkling wisps of purified origin power entered his body. He seemed to sense some sort of commotion outside but was in no mood to pay attention. It was at this time that Qianye heard a crisp ding echo in his ears. The sound brought him out of his cultivation state but didnt affect his origin power. This was the awakening bell used to rouse cultivators. This particular bell was Song Zinings, a premium quality item that could catch ones attention but not disturb the mind. Qianye also had one back at training camp, but it was much inferior. Once the bell rang, Qianye immediately realized that something had happened outside. At this point, Qianyes origin power control had reached a level where he could release and retract the art at will. He immediately withdrew his cultivation art and stood up, allowing the origin vortex in the air to revolve on its own. Although the vortex was still there, it would disperse soon since Qianye wasnt around to control it. He walked out of the cultivation room and saw several generals standing in front of the chamber. Some of them werent even properly dressed. Apparently, they had rushed over after waking up. Whats going on? Qianye asked. One of the generals hesitated. Sire, youll know once you come out and take a look. Qianye was stunned as he walked out to the balcony and gazed out. Southern Blue was covered by a giant swirling cloud, hanging so low it was almost touching the roofs. The slowly-revolving vortex triggered great alarm as it bore down upon the people with a formless pressure. They could no longer tell whether it was the sky or the earth that was spinning. There was an intense aura of void origin power within the clouds, filling everyone with a sense of danger that caused their hair to stand on end. Those who had better cultivation could feel it even stronger. The generals here were fearless in the face of death, but no one dared to investigate the cloud layer. Such a clear sense of danger could only mean one thingapproaching it meant death. There was lightning flickering within the clouds, with purple bolts shooting out from its center. Arcs of purple lightning struck Dark Flames command center, causing half of the building to collapse. The city had long since fallen into chaos in the face of this calamitous scenery. Constant screams filled the air as countless people fled outside the gates. Dark Flame could be considered calm. The roaring officers kept their men suppressed, preventing the new recruits from falling into disorder. A mercenary general spat in dissatisfaction. These little brats have to be trained to death! Always making a commotion out of small matters. We even survived Whitetown, whats there to be afraid of? All the generals felt the same. Speaking of a deathly calamity, nothing could be worse than Whitetown. Whats a little natural disaster compared to that? Qianyes expression shifted drastically. Its nothing, all of you should disperse soon. Go and check if anyones injured and give them immediate treatment. Also, send people to maintain order within the city. A mercenary general noticed Qianyes tone wasnt quite right. Sire, dont tell me Qianye said hesitantly, This might have a bit to do with my cultivation He sounded quite guilty. The generals mouths fell open, flabbergasted. Moments later, someone said, Sire, youre truly I think you should let us know when youre cultivating next time. Everyone nodded. Okay, I understand. The generals spread out to perform their duties. Qianye glanced at the vortex in the sky and shook his head helplessly. Prince Greensun was indeed a heavenly monarchcultivating his art shook the earth and enraged the weather. How was he to cultivate from now on? No wonder the cultivation chambers of the major clans were highly valuable; it was almost as though they were cut from origin crystals. While Qianye was worrying about this, Ji Rui and Guan Zhongliu were drinking at the city lords residence. Ji Ruis wine cup shattered to the floor, but he was completely ignorant, only staring at the swirling clouds in the sky. Guan Zhongliu called out several times before Ji Rui returned to his senses. When asked about the issue, the city lord only laughed. Im old, Im old. Guan Zhongliu also had some guesses. He could hardly hide his shock when he looked up at the sky. Southern Blue gradually became peaceful as the clouds dispersed. The violet lightning had caused half of Dark Flames command center to collapse, but there was no one there so deep at night. Only a couple of patrolling soldiers were hurt. The only problem was that they would have to spend more time building it up again. In the days that followed, Qianye was extra careful whenever he cultivated. Since he didnt have the money to build a dedicated isolation chamber like the major clans, he could only rely on his own power to control the scope of the origin vortex. Although the winds and clouds would surge every night, there were no more signs of a calamity like the first day. The effects were barely passable as cultivating like this affected his speed. The initial phase of the mass recruitment had come to an end, and next up was the recruitment of independent experts. This process couldnt be rushed as they needed to be screened carefully. Seeing this, Qianye prepared a high-speed airship and left for the Northern Continent. The Northern Continent was big and sparsely populated, a perfect place to let loose and cultivate. Qianye also hadnt checked up on the construction progress there in some time. Imperial corvettes were known for their speed. The Northern Continent could already be seen in less than half a day. Out of caution, Qianye commanded the airship to fly around the border of the eastern sea. The origins and aim of the mysterious entity at the bottom of the sea was still a mystery to Qianye, even to this day. He really did not want to repeat his previous experience. While they were heading toward the Northern Continent, Qianye was jolted violently as an invisible consciousness washed over him. His entire body became so stiff that it was difficult to move a single finger. If even he was in such a state, the other crew would surely have it even worse. The corvette fell straight to the ground after losing kinetic power. Soon afterward, a formless power caught the corvette and kept it suspended in the air. Qianye sensed a pair of eyes slowly opening in the distance and glancing toward him. Those eyes seemed like they could see through everything; no secret was safe before them. This feeling of being seen through, Qianye had experienced it before. Even so, he hadnt imagined that he would be so helpless before the mysterious entity, even after his strength upgrade. No wonder the Wolf King, Zhang Buzhou, and the Throne of Blood kept away from the Eastern Sea. They seemed to be entirely uninterested in the large island, and rarely were there any records of them operating here in person. The eyes closed again rather quickly and that consciousness receded like the tides. The other party had no interest in the current Qianye, nor did it want to communicate further. The invisible force lowered the corvette slowly to the ground, and only moments later did the crew regain the power to move. The captain rushed into Qianyes cabin and cried out, Sire Qianye! Just now Its all fine now, let everyone recover before heading out on our way. Seeing Qianye calm, the captain pulled himself together and left with his orders. The corvette took to the air once again, flying toward the Northern Continent. Qianye sat in the airship, thinking back to his experience at the bottom of the sea. He suddenly realized that the mysterious entity in the sea felt that he was still not powerful enough to shoulder that important mission. Chapter 1187: Unrest in Zheng The Martyrs Palace was parked outside the city, its massive frame resembling a city of its own. Hundreds of technicians were moving in and out of the vessel, clearing out the damage and replacing or repairing the malfunctioning parts. Qianyes corvette landed in the outskirts of the city. Immediately after landing, a cemetery at the foot of a small, distant mountain caught his attention. From what he remembered, this cemetery used to be a project on paper, but now, it had become a reality. Most importantly, there were numerous tombstones erected within it. Lets go and take a look, he said as he off toward the cemetery. The burial ground was divided into many different areas. Each of them possessed a different style; even the tombstones were fashioned according to their tribal designs. For instance, the tombstones made of mechanical parts and weaponry belonged to the Highbeards. The square-shaped ones made of wood or stone were the humans. There was a different area that was much smaller than the Highbeards, with only three graves inside. Each of them was made of white stone, with ice and lightning carved upon them. This was the crest of the Thunderfrost Temple, and judging from the make of the tombstones, the ones buried here clearly werent ordinary people. What happened here? The attendant in charge of the cemetery replied, The Martyrs Palace returned a while ago, and the many corpses it brought back were all buried here. The division of space was decided upon by Lady Bluemoon and Caroline. Qianye nodded. He turned toward the small city and, sensing Carolines aura, headed in that direction. The Martyrs Palace had returned to the Northern Continent after the battle of Whitetown, so Qianye never had much time to talk to Caroline. In a small, quiet courtyard in the city, Caroline was reading in the yard, wearing a casual dress. She ordered the servants to prepare a new cup of tea when she saw Qianye descending, then gestured for them to withdraw. She sized Qianye up from head to toe, growing more and more surprised as she did so. I actually cant see through you anymore? Qianye was also a bit surprised. Really? I dont think I made much progress. But you Carolines aura was evidently weak, not much better than when the war had ended. This meant that her injuries were worse than Qianye had anticipated. Caroline said with a smile, That old spider wasn''t easy to deal with. If he hadnt damaged the Martyrs Palace, causing the Earth Dragons remnant will to counterattack, you might not see me today. Qianye replied, You didnt tell me your tribesmen were killed. Qianye could only sigh. The fight on the Martyrs Palace was fiercer than those on the ground had guessed. Qianye and Song Zining had been too careless, it seems, thinking the palace was safe with Caroline and her clansmen on board. Now, it seemed that desperate arachne duke mightve caused fundamental damage to the Martyrs Palace if the Earth Dragons will hadnt counterattacked. If the arachne duke had destroyed the control engine on the Earth Dragons heart, the Martyrs Palace would no longer be controllableand that was no different from being destroyed. Judging from that arachne dukes combat strength, his desperate final attack mightve destroyed the heart itself if Caroline hadnt blocked it. The Martyrs Palace was different from other warships in that its heart was alive, allowing the airship to utilize a tiny fraction of the void colossus intelligence and power. Qianyes mood was heavy, but Caroline seemed to be calm already. She tilted her head and asked curiously, How come youre here? Have you finished handling things over at Dark Flame? Theres simply no end to them. Qianye laughed self-deprecatingly. I came here to check up on you and cultivate for a period of time. I want to see if I can break through. Break through? Are you going to assail the divine champion realm? Caroline looked rather astonished. Qianye thought about it. Not necessarily, Im planning to cultivate here until my injuries are healed. And then? Caroline blinked several times. Then well head back to Southern Blue to reform and train the new troops. The equipment should be ready soon. Next, its time for me to keep my promise to you. Carolines eyes lit up. Then Id better recover quickly. Thatll be for the best. Qianye smiled. Half a month went by in a flash as Qianye immersed himself in cultivation and lost track of time. The Northern Continent was covered in winds and clouds every day during this time. One day, the leaden clouds hung especially low, and one could hardly see the borders of the vortex. The flashes of violet lightning looked so intense that it looked like there was a violet pond about to pour down any moment. When the violet electricity had accumulated to its limits, a thunderbolt came crashing down upon the little townmuch like a waterfall of lightning. Just as the calamity was about to strike, a green lightning dragon rushed up into the air and broke apart the violent deluge. Thus, the disaster was resolved. Soon, an uplifting aura shot into the sky and began to roam freely inside the lightning pond, spreading a feeling of inexplicable jubilation. Sensing the changes during his cultivation, Qianye slowly opened his eyes. As though a bolt of lightning had slashed through the empty room, the walls and roof were suddenly reduced to powder. Startled, Qianye slowly withdrew his origin power, stood up, and glanced at the direction of the small city. He saw Caroline, with her Thunderous Whip, walking through the air toward him. In the blink of an eye, she was already in front of Qianye. Your injuries have healed? Qianye asked. Yes, it healed faster than I expected. I guess its because I cant wait to get started. How about you? How far are you from the divine champion realm? I should be one step away. Qianye released his aura. In Carolines perception, she could see nine origin vortices emitting an extremely intense radiance, almost like nine small suns. Qianyes daybreak origin power was too fierce. Even someone of Caroline''s eye power felt a scorching pain when she looked straight at it, unable to see through what was inside that burning radiance. Qianye sealed off the condition within his body after a moment of release. Why not try breaking through? Caroline was curious. Considering Qianyes high origin power quality, it shouldnt be too difficult to break through. Qianyes nine origin vortices were already close to perfection at this point. At the very least, she couldnt see any obvious deficiency. As someone who had experienced the process, she knew that this was a sign of having cultivated to the peak. This was also the best time to assail the divine champion threshold. She felt somewhat envious as she looked at the sun-like vortices. Foundation-wise, Carolines was superior to most of those so-called geniuses. She was able to cross the divine champion realm after sparing no effort to jump up. But Qianyes current starting point was one rank higher than hers. With just a slight jump, he might be able to reach a level most cultivators could only dream of. Regarding this problem, Qianye replied after some thought, Ive been gone for too long. Its time to head back. As for breaking through, theres no rush, anyway. No rush, anyway? Caroline had a sudden urge to choke Qianye. The two boarded the Martyrs Palace moments later. The Earth Dragon slowly took to the skies and flew back to Southern Blue. For the upcoming period, Qianye would have the Martyrs Palace remain on standby in the void. He would come here to cultivate whenever he needed to. Dark Flames dedicated airship port was full of transport vessels. Led by their respective officers, groups of mercenaries were unloading heavy crates and moving them into the warehouses. The paint on these boxes was new, clearly a recent paint-job to cover up the insignias. Those familiar with the field could tell that these boxes were the standard type used for Imperial army munitions. There were over a dozen transports in the port. The warehouses adjacent to the landing pads were full to the brim, so the rest of the crates were being carried to more distant storage sites by truck. Qianye arrived through the air and landed right inside the port. A mercenary general was issuing some orders to the men on the field, but he ran over immediately after noticing Qianye. Sire, youre finally back. Whats going on here? The mercenary general replied, These are armaments Sire Zining has sent over from the Empire. They have just arrived this morning. Heres the list, please take a look. Qianye looked through the list of goods and nodded after seeing that the numbers were correct. It went without saying that a dedicated officer would work on the subsequent inspection and inventory. Qianye didnt need to worry about that. Another general jogged over at this point and handed Qianye a document. Sire, this is the intelligence report we have just received. Qianye took the envelope and tore it open. He looked rather surprised as he went through the contents briefly. Unrest in the nation of Zheng? Zheng? Caroline seemed to have heard of the name before but couldnt quite recall. The mercenary who had come to deliver the report immediately explained to her. The nation of Zheng was a small country on the Fort Continent, populated mainly by humans but also home to a good number of dark races. The ruler of Zheng chose to call himself king instead of emperor and expressed submission to the Empire. It was one of the Empires nominal vassals. The power structure on Fort Continent was complicated. There were many small countries belonging to humans and dark races. The Empire and Evernight had both raised a good number of representatives there, and Zheng was one of them. Neither faction thought highly of the land, but they werent willing to abandon the profits there and allow their opponents to gain power. As such, both sides ended up fostering local puppets to vie for power. That was why the power balance there was even more confusing than the neutral lands. It was fairly lively as the small countries and cities were always fighting amongst one another. Some of the weaker powers would announce themselves as a country, but in truth, they owned no more than a couple of small cities. The nation of Zheng was in a state of unrest because the king had suddenly fallen ill, and it was very likely that he would pass away. The princes, in order to secure the throne, began lobbying the army ministersthe entire situation was on the verge of ignition. With the only divine champion in the country dead, the dark race powers nearby were also eyeing the nation of Zheng. It seemed like the country would soon fall into turmoil. Qianye was familiar with Zheng only because of Nanhua. Chapter 1188: Just Cause Moments later, the generals and leaders of every department had flocked into the command room. Qianye glanced down at the room full of people, feeling greatly satisfied. Those qualified to enter the command room were all champions, with the exception of the department heads. In the past, the logistics officers would usually outnumber the frontline generals, but now, most of the people here were champions. Their auras clashed against one another, causing the weaker civil officers to turn pale and almost lose consciousness. The generals naturally noticed this, but none of them had any intention of holding back. On the contrary, they released their auras with the ardor of a peacock in heat trying to overpower their opponent. The number of generals in the room had more than doubled. Now, there were close to thirty champions, a force to be reckoned with wherever they went. The new generals were mostly survivors from the battle of Whitetown. They werent idle while Qianye was cultivating on the Northern Continent; all of them were doing their utmost to cultivate as well. With the help of supplementary materials that could aid in origin vortex condensation, almost everyone who had accumulated enough managed to break through. The highest record was three breakthroughs in a single day. In addition to the mercenaries from Whitetown, there were two newly-recruited generals who had come to join Dark Flame with their own small corps in tow. According to Song Zinings rules, the mercenaries would be reorganized after joining and spread among various units. Seeing that Dark Flame was so rich and powerful, the two generals didnt dare say anything and obediently accepted the reorganization. Such a smooth incorporation was rare even for major clans like the Zhao. The gap was still obvious, though. It went without saying that many of the mercenary generals here had used up their potential after the breakthrough, and their primary cultivation art wasnt enough to help them break these limits. They were not given meticulously designed equipment, combat arts, or partners who could complement them. So, in terms of fighting power, ten Zhao clan champions would easily defeat ten of these mercenary champions. In the neutral lands, however, they were an unprecedented force. Perhaps only a handful of powers like the Throne of Blood and the heavenly monarchs residence could compare to Dark Flame now. At the thought of the heavenly monarchs residence, Qianye remembered something he had neglected for a while. Those old friends had hidden themselves so well that he had almost forgotten them. A general scratched his head. Where is Zheng exactly? Also, what does their unrest have to do with us? It seems we dont have a good reason. None of them was dumb. This so-called moving out to stabilize the situation was the same as offering to help one of the major neutral-land cities maintain order. It was just that they would still need a bit of cover or they might become the butt of public criticism. Qianye said with a smile, Where is Zheng, good question! I want everyone to start cramming once you go back. The intelligence division has organized all relevant information and maps. Youll each get a copy of the documents. Ill give you one day to memorize everything. As for a just cause, Zheng has so many princes seeking the throne. Why dont we have one of the weaker ones invite us in? Finding the plan quite reasonable, the generals nodded with all their might. There were also a good number of them with bitter expressionskilling enemies on the front lines wasnt out of the question, but asking them to study was simply too much. Qianye wasnt about to pay attention to them. He dismissed the meeting with a wave of his hand, reminding them that they would be given a spot check tomorrow morning. Those who couldnt recite the information would be locked in a private cell to study until they could. Dark Flame was no longer small, and they had just finished recruiting recently. A major armament war wasnt something that could be completed in a day or two. It just so happened that he could use these days to draw up a more detailed strategy. Qianye intended to lead the new elite corps that had been equipped to Red Scorpion standards, with three divisions providing support. These three divisions would be in charge of occupying territory and maintaining order rather than fighting. The mobilization process was, of course, left to the people under him. Qianye, on the other hand, needed to make other preparations. At the very least, he needed to conclude his business with the heavenly monarchs residence. The Qin Continent, Imperial Capital. Everyone seemed to be in an anxious rush recently, and a formless tension seemed to fill the atmosphere. Strange scenes had been playing out in the Imperial Capital since the void continent war. Many of the ordinary people living under the Emperors feet had relatives or friends working in important departments. This facilitated the rapid spread of rumors. In little taverns, hotels, and restaurantswhen people were tipsy and merrythere would always be someone talking about the secrets of the heavenly monarchs. It was almost as though they had seen them personally. News of the great victory lifted everyones spirits, but those in important positions knew more inside information. It was a bitter victory. The Imperial clan had moved out in full force for the war of national fate. Even those who had remained isolated for many years, like Princess Haimi, had accepted the order to fight. Geniuses like the Fourteenth Prince and Nineteenth Princess had also fallen in battle. The formers death directly impacted the crown prince selection. Fortunately, the Radiant Emperor was no longer contained like before and was gradually revealing his power. From the current situation, it looked like the crown prince matter would be settled pretty quickly. However, the fall of the Longevity Monarch was a fact. Following the monarchs death, the Radiant Emperor took control of the capital and core regions of the continent to prepare for the subsequent Sanguine Funeral. That was a plan of convenience, however. Uprooting the entire system of the Longevity Monarchs people wasnt an easy job. This character had been operating in the Imperial clan for over a hundred years, and his roots were deep-seated in many different domains. Add to that the complicated relationships of the Imperial family, with members married to almost all major clans and high-ranking aristocracy, this clean-up was destined to take years. To certain powerful characters, Lin Xitangs disappearance was another important matter. It was no longer a secret that Lin Xitang had appeared at the void continent, slaughtered the Minister of the Right, and rearranged the entire war progress. A number of true ministers were beginning to reveal the Minister of the Rights crimes in court, allowing those nearby to see the current state of affairs and preventing them from doing stupid things. There was no more news of Lin Xitang after his fight in the void. The Radiant Emperor never admitted that Lin Xitang had fallen in battle, only that he was missing. He flew into a rage when someone reported relevant intelligence from the dark race side, and demoted him by three ranks. None of the ministers stepped forward to criticize the move, keeping silent in tacit unison. On the surface, it seemed like they were unwilling to touch the dragons proverbial whiskers, but in truth, they were either in the war or had obtained detailed intelligence about it. Their emotions regarding this Emperor were extremely complicated right now. Besides, the information from the other faction wasnt any different from what they already knew. There was only an outcome and no details. The Evernight faction also found this excessively odd. Prince Habsburg never explained the process to the council. He immediately returned to his castle afterward and refused all guests, saying that he was seriously injured and needed to lie in the blood pond. The other vampire nobles in the fleet didnt dare say a word. With the Demon King present back then, making things up randomly would be courting death. Hence, no one in the court mentioned anything about the Imperial Teacher, but the experienced generals all knew that Lin Xitang had likely fallen. Only when the marshal was gone did people notice how important he was. So many important matters would pass through his hands, and he would make handling these affairs look relatively easy. People discovered upon receiving his duties that they werent so simple. Just like the central pillar in a housepeople paid little attention when passing by, but everyone became restless once it was gone, afraid that the roof would fall on them anytime. Everyone was on the edge throughout the court, and the cars on the street seemed to be moving faster than normal. Song Zining and some generals were currently discussing matters at one of the Imperial departments. They were apparently well-acquainted since the conversation would include light-hearted jokes from time to time. These men from Zhang Boqians lineage had worked with Song Zining for a time, so their relationship was quite good. They were transferred to the military after the heavenly monarch gave up his office according to custom. Right now, Song Zining was discussing the price for a batch of military equipment. It was at this time that Song Zinings personal attendant stepped forward and whispered something in his ears. The seventh young masters expression changed quicklyfrom his initial calmness to shock, then to an odd expression of trying to hold back laughter. Seventh young noble, what are you so amused about? someone asked. Even though Song Zining had separated from the Song Clan, these people were still used to calling him the seventh young noble. Song Zining said with a chuckle, Its nothing, I just learned that that dummy Qianye has suddenly become smart. Qianyes name was a taboo in the military, but things had naturally changed after the void continent war. Many young officers and the generals fighting on the front lines had a good impression of him, and held the actions of Li Fengshuis group in contempt. Qianyes identity was still taboo at this point, but in a different wayno one talked about his vampire identity anymore. Hearing Song Zining say this, the generals all exchanged glances. The youngest among them said with a wry smile, Sire Qianye isnt dumb. Song Zining replied in a relaxed manner, When was he ever smart? The young general sighed. I guess youre the only one who dares say something like that! All of us feel stifled in his presence. These generals were a part of the transfer and clean up after the battle of Whitetown. Everyone nodded, recalling that they had felt the same when they saw Qianye. Song Zining laughed loudly. Dont be so tense. Qianye is a very nice person and very easily bullied. Who would even dare? They must be tired of living. The general put everyones thoughts into words. Song Zining only laughed but didnt continue on this topic. Instead, he went back to their previous discussion about supplies. Outside of Tidehark, a giant shadow swept across the land and flew toward Ancient Totemic Castle. Some in Tidehark had long since noticed the strange phenomenon. They climbed up to high ground one after the other to gaze at the faintly discernible colossus amidst the clouds. The alarm had set off in the castle, and the giant ballistae on the turrets were taking aim at the approaching giant. The cannoneers could feel their palms sweating as they gazed at the dragonship within their crosshairs. Hold it! Hold steady! No one is to fire without orders! The officers shouted hysterically, afraid that someone would step on the firing pedal. Experts with good eye-power had already noticed that the approaching monstrosity wasnt a void colossus since there were clear signs of human construction on it. This shocked them even more because they had never imagined such an airship to exist. A werewolf elder gazed at the dragonship for a long while before crying out, Its the Martyrs Palace! Quick, inform the great chief! The Wolf Kings voice appeared behind him. No need, Ive seen it. The werewolf experts turned back. Seeing that the Wolf King had appeared behind them at some point, they hurriedly performed a salute. Chapter 1189: Convincing With its natural altitude advantage, the dragonship wasnt at a disadvantage in terms of range. Most of its auxiliary cannons could bombard the Totemic Castle, but only the castles main turrets could reach the airship. No one who saw the faint screen of light on the dragonship would think it was just there for decoration. It was clearly a defensive force field. The expressions of the werewolves in the castle were unsightly. This feeling of being bullied was not good; the last time they had experienced it was when the Wolf King challenged Zhang Buzhou and lost. Ill go up and destroy him! A werewolf became furious. The great shaman knocked on the ground with his staff, immediately interrupting the warriors transformation and calming him down. The shaman pointed at the dragonship, saying, You cant reach the airship. Youll make the chief lose face if you act impetuously. The werewolf calmed down after hearing the shamans words, but he still glared fiercely at the dragonship. Qianye appeared on top of the Martyrs Palace and walked down step by step, almost as though there was a ladder stretching toward the ground. He was still far away, but his terrifying aura bore down from the sky. That aura of ancient Evernight was the sign of a true high expert. Many young werewolves inside the castle began to tremble, even those who were known for their bravery. The fear ingrained in ones bloodline was the most difficult to withstand. That shaman who was too old to even walk looked on with complicated emotions. These men might not be very strong, but they were highly experienced. Everyone understood when they saw Qianyes stance and felt his aura. What Qianye had revealed was an aura born of the purest darkness origin power. In terms of bloodline, he was comparable to the highest level members of the Evernight Council. The Wolf Kings bloodline was more mixed comparatively. When Qianye landed inside the castle, a number of old shamans came to offer their respects. Qianye nodded. Paying your respects to the darkness grand-origins, I see. Where is the Wolf King? The Great Chief requests that you go see him. The old shaman didnt convey the Wolf Kings message word-for-word but didnt express too much weakness, either. Qianye laughed coldly. Fine, Ill go see him right away. This way, please! The Great Shaman led the way personally, leading Qianye into the main building of Totemic Castle. The moment Qianye walked in, the Wolf King turned around and roared, You dare to come? Arent you afraid Ill finish you off now? Qianye replied calmly, Its not like this is the first time Im here. You failed to kill me last time, so you can forget about it this time. The Wolf King glared at Qianye, steam gushing out of his nostrils. Looks like youre growing more confident about your fleeing skills. Even if I dont run away, you might not be able to kill me now. The best result would be mutual destruction. The Wolf Kings eyes narrowed. All of a sudden, he stretched out his large claw and swiped at Qianyes chest! The latter made no move to evade. He actually grabbed the Wolf Kings hand and began applying pressure. A thunderous rumble shook the entire main building, sending stone and gravel showering down. The tower atop the structure creaked, groaned, and became somewhat tilted. The strength of an ancient vampire glorious marquis versus that of a werewolf vice-duke. This was a contest of brute strength with no fancy moves! With a muffled groan, the Wolf King took several steps backward before coming to a stop. Qianye also moved backward involuntarily. The Wolf King stared at Qianye intently, his eyes narrowing when he noticed that the latter had taken one step more than himself. Qianyes blood energy was an entire rank below that of the Wolf King. The difference between a marquis and a duke was much greater than experts within the same major rank. Despite that, Qianye was only somewhat inferior in a contest of strength, and the disparity was almost negligible. This was truly shocking. Qianye had taken an extra step backward, but to begin with, a vampire constitution was inferior to a werewolfs in sudden bursts of strength. This didnt signify anything. The vampire physique would not lose out in terms of speed and agility, but they were far superior in terms of first-rate talents and abilities. Every burning crest inside the River of Blood signified a terrifying talent ability. There were less than three types of comparable abilities in the entire werewolf race. This proved that the declining vampires still held an overwhelming advantage in this field. As a former enemy, the Wolf King understood Qianye quite well. At the very least, he had experienced how frightening the Shot of Inception was. Spatial Flash was also a supreme power both for launching surprise attacks and running away. This manwith such powers and constitution at his disposalwas only slightly inferior in a competition of brute strength. There was really no telling who would win in a fight to the death. Qianye grinned, revealing his white teeth. It looks like mutual destruction really is the best outcome. The Wolf Kings chest rose and fell as his breathing grew heavy. He finally calmed down his emotions and said, This is my home ground. I have special mechanisms to defend against vampires. Your fate wont be very pretty if we fight here. Qianye glanced around the hall, randomly kicking away a rock that had fallen near his foot. A trap for vampires, eh? Thats quite the investment. If Im not wrong, you mustve built them to deal with the Throne of Blood, right? Are you afraid hell come visit your castle? The Wolf Kings eyes flickered with ferocity, but he managed to keep himself contained. With anti-vampire measures built into his own lair, no one would believe him if he claimed he wasnt afraid of the throne. Qianye noticed that the Wolf King seemed like he wanted to say something but ultimately kept quiet. He also realized something after some thought. You said youve set something up, but its not quite possible to deal with the Throne of Blood and his Shattered Moment. The best outcome would be to injure him, but what if he recovers and returns? Besides, this isnt your style. Its not the werewolves style, to be precise. Since Qianye had pointed it out, there was no longer a need for the Wolf King to hide it. Indeed, I wasnt the one who set it up. If its not you, then its Zhang Buzhou. He wants to use your place as bait and set a trap for the Throne of Blood, right? Then youre also part of the bait. The Wolf King remained silent in tacit agreement. Qianye said calmly, The Throne of Blood is no idiot. Even if he doesnt know about the trap, theres no way hell enter enemy territory without absolute confidence. The trap here might not be used for many years, or ever. Zhang Buzhou is just afraid of the Throne of Blood. The Wolf King sighed. It has been so many years, youre the first to dare utter such words. This isnt the first time I said it. The Wolf Kings eyes flickered. Going by what you said, you dared to come and see me alone, does that mean you have full confidence that you can escape? Qianye only smiled. The ferocity in the Wolf Kings eyes receded after giving it some thought. I cant deal with that spatial ability of yours, unless I overwhelm and restrain you. Youre not inferior in a head-on confrontation, either, so I definitely cant detain you. Qianye replied calmly, I might not need to escape, either. The Wolf Kings pupils shrank. You still have backup? If its Song Zining or that girl wait, it cant be them. They cant match your rate of advancement, that kind of speed only appears in sacred-blooded races who have awakened their bloodlines. Then the one in the Martyrs Palace is Caroline! Smart. The Wolf King fell into silent thought. Caroline herself was fairly powerful, and the Thunderfrost Temple had more than just one divine champion. She had a brother who was even more powerful, someone the Wolf King had no confidence in defeating. This alliance between the Thunderfrost Temple and the current Qianye was enough to suppress the Wolf King entirely. The Totemic Castle wasnt a match for the Martyrs Palace that could move at will. At the thought of this, the Wolf King smiled wryly. So much talking, but it turns out youre here to discuss. Just speak openly. Qianye replied, Good! Im heading out to Fort Continent very soon. Southern Blue will be empty, and theres no one to look over Tidehark. The factories in Southern Blue cant be abandoned, either. So, I want to make sure you dont target Dark Flame while Im gone. If theres anyone else targeting us, I want you to convince them otherwise. Convince? Dont you have many methods of convincing people? But only one thats absolutely effective. Use whatever is most effective. The Wolf King said, What if I fail to convince them? Qianye replied, Im no saint right now. Whoever that person is, I will cut off whichever limb he stretches into my territory once Im back. The Wolf King said, I understand. If someone does reach in, theyll probably have Zhang Buzhou behind them. Qianye replied, Convince him all the same. Ill have a way to deal with Zhang Buzhou once Im back. Even if I cant do anything to him, no one else in his household will survive, not even his wife and children. The Wolf Kings eyes turned serious. You have such a means? Why would he let me have Tidehark if I dont? After some thought, the Wolf King said, This means Ill be betraying Zhang Buzhou and joining your side. Youve been wanting to rebel all this time, havent you? What words are those? How can I be such a person? The Wolf King laughed out loud. I never had a good opportunity. Qianye laughed as well. Thats settled then. I never said I agree. I dont need you to. Im just letting you know that Ill be back sooner or later, as well as what Ill do once I am. The Wolf King shrugged. Maybe some people will feel lucky enough to think they can escape when things go south. Qianye said coldly, Run away? Ha! Defeat in my hand means death. The Wolf King was shaken. Only at this point did he remember that Spatial Flash wasnt just a powerful ability for escaping; it was also a peerless skill for chasing people down. Chapter 1190: New Journey Of course, the Wolf King is no idiot. He knows what he should do. Is there no way to bring him to our side? I mean, as a true ally. Qianye shook his head. No. We still havent made clear what his true intentions are, or even why he appeared in the neutral lands. An alliance under such circumstances is extremely risky. I still dont trust him even now. Caroline smiled. Then how can you trust me? You even gave me partial control over the Martyrs Palace. Qianye didnt know how to reply for the moment. He tried to respond vaguely and get away with it. Of course, there were a lot of reasonsthe war on the void continent, Caroline risking injuries to defend the Martyrs Palace, etc. She had spared no effort on her part, and comrades who had fought through life and death were naturally dependable allies. However, Qianye felt a bit guilty even as he was saying these things. He would be rather dumb if he still hadnt noticed Carolines feelings at this point. It was just that he would rather keep this layer of mist undispersed, and certain things, unrevealed. A flash of disappointment flickered through Carolines eyes. She then said in a more spirited manner, Its a good thing that youre willing to trust me. How about this? Lets head back to Thunderfrost Temple and recruit more people to help. I think I can split two-thirds of the temple guard squad for our operation. Nothing can be better! Qianye said, delighted. The members of the temple guard were all attendants who had to be at the level of a human champion to be assigned to the role. They were the result of the temples many years of accumulation, the elites of their clan. At this point, there were only a dozen or so members in the temple guard. If Caroline was going to bring two-thirds of them, this meant that Qianye would have around seven or eight champion-rank experts to aid him. Qianye seemingly thought of something as he glanced toward the airships bow. He patted the ballista cannon beside him and said, Remove this. The ballista was ten meters long. The ammunition in it was also several meters in length and looked extremely powerful. One could tell at a glance that this was a cruiser grade main cannon. Yet, it bounced away with a casual slap and fell with a muffled thump. This certainly wasnt the sound of metal; it sounded like wood instead. A number of warriors arrived to carry the giant ballista away toward the crane. Their steps were light and unlabored. The ballista cannons bottom part was actually covered in wood patterns. Turns out, their so-called main-cannons were models carved from wood. The Wolf King will see it if you remove them now, Caroline reminded him. Qianye smiled. Thats the point. Meanwhile, Qianye was ordering the crew to remove the dummies one after the other. Within the Totemic Castle, the Wolf King had just sat down when he heard hurried footsteps in the hall. A young shaman pushed open the door and entered, saying, Great Chief, you had best come and take a look. Seeing the shaman so anxious, the Wolf King chose not to blame him for the lack of manners, and only followed him to the main tower of the castle. Gazing up, he saw the Martyrs Palace currently in ascent. With his eyesight, the Wolf King naturally saw that the ballista cannons on the side had disappeared. Someone of his intellect could easily put two and two together. In the blink of an eye, most of the cannon ports became empty. There used to be dozens of ballista cannons in varying sizes, half of them representing terrible cruiser-grade firepower. Now, only a single cruiser and five destroyer main cannons were left. It was even less than the odd number from the previous count. The werewolves on the ground looked ashen. Who wouldnt see that they had been tricked? The shaman clenched his jaws in hatred. You actually dared lie to us! Great Chief, we cant let this be. No matter what requests he made, we should just go ahead and uproot Southern Blue. Well see what tricks he has up his sleeve then. The Wolf King broke into sudden laughter after some thought. Dont mind him, well stick to the arrangement we had before. Relay the message to all our troops, no one is to touch Southern Blue from now on. Its settled! The werewolf shaman was stunned. Great Chief, you saw what he did just now! The Wolf King said indifferently, Of course, I also know that hes doing that for me to see. So, we continue as planned. The shaman was baffled. Judging from the Wolf Kings reaction, not only was he not angry, but he was actually more willing to compromise now. All the shaman could do was to issue the order for now. After everything was done, he planned to visit the great shaman and seek advice. Otherwise, he wouldnt be able to sleep that night. Southern Blue became extremely busy. Be it recruitment or outfitting, everything Dark Flame did caused a big commotion that would move countless people. On the top floor of one of Southern Blues taller buildings, a number of people were gathered in front of the window, looking down at the soldiers training on the drill grounds. Dark Flame was constructed within Southern Blue, so many of its facilities were open to public sight. Song Zining didnt consider the drill grounds very important, so he made no special effort to cover it up. Roughly three thousand soldiers were currently training in groups. The drill grounds wasnt big, and a couple thousand men looked rather cramped in there. There were thousands of new recruits to the side who had finished their initial training and were waiting to register their new gear. There were powerful binoculars on the building, and currently, two elders had their eyes pressed against one each. The scopes were clear enough to see the weapon and equipment models being passed out to the new recruits. Using origin power to bolster vision was good and all, but that would easily attract the attention of the other partys experts. Hence, it was still better and safer to use such equipment during times of peace. One could see just how careful these people were. After gazing out for a good while, the two old men put down their binoculars and, glancing at one another, descended with the group in tow. They entered a sealed chamber and heaved a sigh of relief only after locking the door. The first elder said, Brother Liu, what do you think? The other old man fell into deep thought. Only after a good while did he say, Dark Flames outfit for the new recruits consists of more common weapons, barely premium goods. From what I know, theyre somewhat inferior to the Empires main army corps. Its not like the bigger mercenary groups in the neutral lands cant afford such equipment. To be frank, Dark Flames fifty thousand new recruits and this batch of equipment is comparable in cost to one main army division. Another person picked up the conversation. The batch of new equipment that came a couple of days ago is the real high-end stuff. According to insider information, theyre custom made weaponry for the Empires elite corps. Its just that the number is rather limited, reportedly two thousand sets. Half of them have already arrived. The elder surnamed Liu said after some thought, That means Qianye wants to form an elite squad like Red Scorpion and Broken-Winged Angels, with the rest remaining at the top-standard for the neutral lands. A number of people nodded. That should be the case. They had been observing Dark Flame for a good while. Combining their findings with intelligence reports from other sources, their guess wasnt really too far off. Moments later, someone finally broke the silence. What do we do now? Shall we just watch them leave for Fort Continent? This problem plunged the room into silence. A while later, the old man surnamed Liu said, Looks like its better to lie low. Someone objected immediately. Wont he grow stronger once he gains a stable foothold on Fort Continent? Well have even fewer ways to deal with him then. Elder Liu sighed. No one wants to watch Dark Flame grow stronger, but we dont have a good solution. Even if we want to fight, how do we fight and what do we fight? Qianye will surely bring his entire elite force and fleet on this expedition. What do we fight? Do we launch a surprise attack just to kill some ordinary mercenaries and plunder some resources? You saw it, they can recruit tens of thousands of those soldiers in a months time. Although the group had expected such an outcome, they were still reluctant to admit it when the time came. They had never expected that Qianye would use most of his resources to build a small elite-squad while leaving the majority of the forces at the neutral lands standards. One of them laughed wryly. Since thats the case, lets cancel the operation. Weve been preparing tirelessly for an entire month. How can we cancel just like that? What else should we do? We dont dare to make a move when Qianyes around, and Dark Flame has no value when hes not. The only things of value in the city are the workshops. Do we plunder ourselves then? Ningyuan Heavy Industries have factories here as well, right?? Those factories only process raw materials and produce simple parts. The real factories that produce mechanical components are in the Empire. The parts in stock here are only valuable in Song Zinings hands, its just a pile of scrap metal to us. The conclusion was very clear at this point in the discussion. Elder Liu said, The plan has been aborted. Everyone, be careful not to reveal clues in your daily operations. One of the men said in dissatisfaction, The gears produced from our factory are also important components for airships, only we can produce certain models. I dont think Dark Flame dares to offend us. Who do we sell those gears to, if not for their orders? This stifled the previous speakers anger. Everyone gradually departed as the meeting dispersed on bad terms. Several days later, Qianye had finally finished arming Dark Flame. A big transport squadron took to the skies with twelve thousand soldiers, on track to rendezvous with the fleet in the void and head toward Fort Continent. Several high-speed airships had already set out ahead of the fleet to establish content with local assets. Afterward, the Martyrs Palace, the battlecruiser, and some of the faster airships took off with two thousand elite soldiers on board. The ten thousand ordinary soldiers aboard the transports and older warships would slowly catch up from behind. According to Qianyes plan, these ten thousand mercenaries would be used to occupy territory and maintain order. It was fine even if they were a bit late. Within the Martyrs Palace, Qianye was confirming the elite-squad roster repeatedly. These two thousand men were the elites of Dark Flame, made up of Whitetown veterans, Highbeards top mercenary warriors, and talents selected from Song Zinings personal guard. There were also some temple guards from the Thunderfrost Temple. The makeup of this group could be considered complicated, but there was no other way to form a group comparable to Red Scorpion and Broken-Winged Angels. They wouldnt even have half the required manpower if they didnt absorb elites from other sources, and that wasnt counting for the time these elites needed to mature. Chapter 1191: Best Candidate At the lead was the Empires latest battlecruiser, with the Martyrs Palace in the middle of the formation and corvettes guarding the flanks. The high-speed transports followed closely behind the palace. Looking from a distance, the kinetic sails on the Earth Dragons back were moving about slowly just like a real void colossus swimming through the void. Comparing the fleet to a school of fish, the Martyrs Palace was like a giant whale and the battlecruiser, a small shark. As for the others, they could only be counted as tiny fish no matter their type and size. Actually, the Martyrs Palace could easily hold two thousand men or even twenty thousand. It was just that this group was recently formed and contained a fair number of people Qianye wasnt familiar with. He didnt want them knowing too much about the palace. The fleet traveled several days through the void before the silhouette of a continent appeared before them. Qianye stood in the control room, facing a map of the Fort Continent on the wall. The diagram was full of markings, and the little note in the corner proved that this version was completed just last December. There was also a glaring skull on the map, a sign of confidential Imperial intelligencethose secretly in possession would be executed. This map was naturally best for military purposes. The version circulating on the black market couldnt compare in terms of accuracy and completeness. Song Zining had used his connections to secure this map and delivered it to the neutral lands along with the military supplies. It wasnt too hard for him to get his hands on such confidential intelligence with his current status. Qianye scanned the map carefully until he finally found the nation of Zheng. With the country as the center, he then expanded his scope of observation circle by circle. From up in the void, Fort Continent was like a giant maple leaf. The top part was split into three parts, and the bottom was like a thin stalk. There were countless small islands around the continent, remnants of land left behind during the continents formation. Most of them were uninhabited apart from those closer to the mainland and inside the continents protective layer. Zheng was at one of the maple leafs tips. In addition to its mainland territory, it counted hundreds of little islands as its own, a dozen or so of which was inhabited. It seemed Song Zining put in some effort to get so much detailed intelligence, but the information covered by the map itself was rather limited. Qianye would need to find out more in person. This land area wasnt small. The Zhao clan only oversaw two provinces at present and was in the process of engaging in a third. Even though there was a fundamental difference between a lower and middle-level continent, building such a foundation meant that the Zheng ancestors were indeed quite valiant. With regards to the entire Fort Continent, Zheng was a medium-sized power that was neither big nor small. It was rather difficult for the corner nation to expand inland, but similarly, it was bordered by fewer powers. It was relatively safer since there were fewer enemies to face. The Fort Continent was inhabited by a mix of races, and the biggest power was a nation named Getun at the center of the continent. This country was formed from various smaller tribes. In addition to the king, the Elder Assembly also held great power. Qianye was interested in Getun because, with his experience, he could tell that the tribes forming the nation were likely werewolf tribes. This meant that the werewolves also held great power on the Fort Continent, in addition to their homeland. Qianye rubbed his chin. A continent governed by werewolves? Interesting! The werewolves power among the dark races had been on the decline throughout the millennium. The Empire had studied and come to a conclusion about this trendthe werewolves primitive combat style and abilities gave them no edge against the vampires and demonkin. At the same time, they were stubborn in nature and late to accept new things. This became more pronounced after losing their only absolute powerhouse on the sacred mountain. At this point, the ancestral faction who wanted to return to their oldest traditions were still highly influential. Even the Summit of Peaks could do nothing to them. The werewolves were used to governing as tribes. Even as a nation, a handful of tribes put together was no different from a scattered plate of sand. That was why the werewolves were simply not at the same level as the vampires and demonkin in terms of mobilization. The drawbacks of the tribal system were clear to all those who had taken history lessons in the Empire. The twelve major vampire clans had undergone many changes in recent years, but the werewolves were intent on sticking to old traditions. Under such circumstances, it was rather interesting that they could maintain authority over the Fort Continent. Qianye began to think whether there was something especially useful to their race, perhaps a certain resource or the environment. There had to be something important here for them to come over and take roots. While he was lost in thought, a knock came from the control-room doors, and an attendant walked in. Sire, the envoy we sent out has returned, and theyre waiting for you outside. When would you like to meet them? Back already? Very good, take them to the conference room, Ill be there immediately. After giving some orders, Qianye studied the map a bit more before heading toward the conference room. There were several people in the conference room. Among them was a grey-haired young man who looked rather distracted and restless. He was still in a daze when Qianye walked in and only came to when someone prodded him from the side. He quickly performed a salute and said, Junior Nan Ruohuai greets Senior Qianye! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry as this was the first time someone had called him senior. He touched his cheek lightlyhis skin was smooth and soft, without a single facial hair. Why would someone think hes old? The person beside Nan Ruohuai poked him again and whispered something in his ears. The man woke up with an Ah!, blushing as he bowed deeply. Im sorry, Sire Qianye. I was so anxious just now that I spoke incoherently. I hope you wont blame me... Im truly. Nan Ruohuai was so nervous that he was about to cry. Then, he actually threw himself to his knees. Qianye was between laughter and tears once again. With a sweep of his origin power, he brought Nan Ruohuai back to his feet and said with a smile, Dont be nervous, speak normally. Only then did the young man calm down and return to his seat. He kept his head down in utter silence and his fist, clenched tightly. His performance just now was terrible, but he had no idea how to make up for it. It was better to say less since there would be fewer mistakes. Qianye couldnt help but shake his head. Young nobles he had met on the Qin Continent, even people like Song Ziqi, would carry themselves with the style of a clan scion. He had never seen someone like this. He said gently, Now tell me who you are and why youre here to see me? My father is King Zheng. According to age, Im ranked thirty-first with nine little brothers under me. However Im of common birth Nan Ruohuais voice grew smaller at this point. Qianyes eyes were full of praise as he looked at the intelligence officer accompanying Nan Ruohuai. This mans talents were passable and his cultivation wasnt low, but he was simply too timid and was clearly inexperienced. Most importantly, he was of common birth. Zhengs system was basically a copy of the Qin Empires, and they attached the highest importance to matters of inheritance. This so-called common birth meant that he was born to a lady below the level of an Imperial concubine. Unless his mother was eventually conferred concubine status, he had no right to inherit. Power and status in the Imperial harem were no different from the court; it was simply a contest of familial and personal strength. How could one convince the masses if they had neither? This was also why the Radiant Emperor suffered endless attacks and criticism following his succession. This happened despite the Solemn Emperor abdicating while he was still alive and observing court assemblies. After ascending the throne, the Radiant Emperor lay low for many years and only rounded up the court and government recently. The smaller the nation, the more important the system was to them. This Nan Ruohuai mustve been bullied quite badly to be so meek. His maternal family held no power, and he himself possessed no definite opinion. He was still of King Zhengs bloodline, after all, so his talents werent bad. He should have no problem becoming a champion, and there was no worry about his life being short. To Qianye, this was the best candidate. It must have been tough for the intelligence division to find such a target within a short time. Qianye chatted with Nan Ruohuai for a bit and asked about his maternal family before allowing him to withdraw. He then looked toward the intelligence officer. The man was in his early thirties with slender eyes and thin lips, someone who would be overlooked in a sea of people. Qianyes eyes turned blue as he looked on, the mans image clearly reflected in his pupils. The officers expression changed drastically; his body tensed up before slowly relaxing again. Qianye nodded as the blue hue faded from his eyes. Your cultivation isnt half bad, and your potential isn''t, either. Whats your name? This servant is called Song Lun. Both of my parents passed away when I was a child. I used to work for the seventh young master and was later granted the Song surname. I followed him to the neutral lands a while ago and began working for Dark Flame. Qianye nodded. Being granted this surname meant that he was a trusted subordinate and this person was indeed outstanding. You did well regarding Nan Ruohuai, good job digging him out in such a short time. How did you convince him to come see me? Song Lun replied, That was easy. A young master like him who hasnt experienced any hardships will turn obedient with just a few tricks. Song Lun explained the process. He had actually brought his men and seized Nan Ruohuai while he was hunting. He was indeed unimportant because there was only one attendant beside him, one he had raised since young. King Zheng was currently in bad health and all the other princes were fighting over the throne. Nan Ruohuai, on the other hand, remained unaffected by the conflict. No prince came to harm him and no minister came to join his sidethere wasnt even any probing. It seemed like he was entirely ignored. Nan Ruohuai agreed readily under Song Luns threat. Regarding the consequences of bringing in a foreign force, there was really no use in him thinking too much about it. He had no objections about coming to see Qianye, either. He even said self-deprecatingly, No one will remember even if I go hunting and never come back, a couple of days is nothing. Qianye couldnt help but chuckle. This fellow understands his situation. Song Lun said, He has no choice. If he doesnt understand, well choose someone else. King Zheng might not be capable in other aspects, but he has a lot of children. Someone will eventually fit our bill. Even if all the princes dont fit, there are a lot of princesses or even royal sons-in-law. True. Qianye nodded. Then you follow Nan Ruohuai for the time being and teach him what to do. We cant have him ruining the kingdom after he does become king. Song Lun was surprised. You dont plan on taking Zheng? Chapter 1192: Springboard His estate sat near a mountain, facing the river, and the main building was on a small slope with fields below and small villages scattered throughout. It was a peaceful and beautiful scenery. From atop the hill on clear days, one could see the distant town and the yellow road winding back to the manor. It was currently the end of summer, and the weather was sizzling hot. The wind, however, would carry a wisp of coolness as it blew past the river. Lying down under a shady tree would make the cruel midday sun quite a bit more tolerable. This land had been the same for many years, seeing little change if any. Even though there was an ongoing fight for the throne, that was a matter for the royal capital. This place was by no means lightyears away from the conflict, but it was separated by the deep void. To those who had toiled on this land all their life, the furthest place they had ever been to was the small town, to speak nothing of the other side of the void. This peace was finally broken as a low rumble came from the skies, followed by large shadows flitting across the land. The farmers looked up in shock, gazing at the giant objects flying overhead. Some didnt even notice that they had dropped their tools. Moments later, chaos also descended upon the small town. Everyone was stupefied as they walked out of their houses and looked up at the sky. Some of the more experienced people knew that these things were airships, but the ones up there were vastly different from the usual vessels bringing guests and supplies from the mainland. This was especially true for the battlecruiser hovering at the highest point. It was like a small town in and of itself. This unprecedented scenery left everyone in shock. One after the other, these airships began their descent as they approached the manor. The mayor of the town suddenly realized what was happening. Thats the royal familys estate! He didnt even have time to drive or care about his plump body. He simply jumped to his feet and ran toward the manor by relying on his rank-three origin power. As a royal-family territory, the small estate was rather well equipped. There was a clearing next to the manor for landing airships, but it was so small that three corvettes had more or less filled it to the brim. The other transports had to drive to the rear mountain and find a suitable temporary landing spot. One of the corvettes opened its doors. Nan Ruohuai disembarked first and stood respectfully to the side. Upon appearing at the door, Qianye sized up the surroundings before descending step by step. Not a bad place. It was at this moment that a bald fatty came running from the distance. Your Majesty, is it you? Nan Ruohuai waved back at the guest and said to Qianye, This is the mayor of Rivercross Town, he has always been very helpful. The mayors shirt and face were drenched in sweat when he arrived before the party. He bowed toward Nan Ruohuai but soon discovered that Qianye was actually the leader of the party. Hence, he stole a glance at Qianye and asked, Your Majesty, this is Nan Ruohuai said, This Lord Zhao, in terms of seniority, is my distant uncle. He has been roaming the world and hasn''t returned to Zheng for many years. Ive received news that he wanted to come back and see his homeland, so I went to receive him. Well camp here temporarily before heading back to the mainland. Nan Ruohuais explanation was smooth, but it left Qianye rather speechless. A wandering relative returning to visit his family was a story they had agreed on beforehand. It was just that the original plan was to introduce Qianye as a distant cousin. Nan Ruohuai was actually a bit older in age, but there was no way he was going to let Qianye call him elder brother. Who knew he would turn into an uncle? The mayor went pale as he glanced at the airships on the landing pad and began to sweat even harder. Qianye broke into a laugh. What do you think of my airships? The mayor stuttered badly, O-Of course, theyre extremely good. These are Imperial He quickly stopped himself, but Qianye said with a smile, So you do recognize Great Qins warships. The mayor only nodded since he didnt dare reply. Qianye glanced back at the corvettes, then at the airships in the sky that had yet to find a landing place. These are Great Qins newer standard warships. Its no surprise that people can recognize them. Zheng was a vassal nation in name, so it would send soldiers and experts to fight for the Empire in exchange for equipment and contribution points. As such, many people could recognize Imperial armaments. The mayor began to sweat even more. He understood enough to know what the Empires latest model warships signified. At this moment, one of the transports managed to find an empty space to land, and out came a group of soldiers who were armed to the teeth. They were wearing the colors of a mercenary corps, but the mayor wasnt dumb, either. The entire squad was outfitted in uniform armor and equipment; they even had clear rank insignias on them. The mayor noticed that the soldiers were exuding an extraordinary aura and were probably stronger than him in cultivation. What kind of mercenary was that? The mayor glanced at Qianye, then back at Nan Ruohuai. He had gotten a rough idea about what was going on. Seeing this, Qianye said with a smile, This manor is a bit small, I think Ill need to go and stay in town. You guys, follow the mayor back and make some arrangements. Be careful not to hurt him. Two mercenary leaders walked over and stood to either side of the mayor, then picked him off the ground like an eagle picking up a chick. One of them even showed a sinister smile. Were told not to use too much force. Lets go and get things done first. The other turned back and called out, I want fifty men, fall in line and follow us! The mayor had given up all hope. Not to mention fifty fierce men, just ten of them were enough to wipe out the town guard without any casualties. Nan Ruohuai said hurriedly, Ill go check up on them. Good idea. Qianye nodded. Moments later, Qianey was in the mayors office, seated on the large, comfortable leather chair. The office was decorated in an older style, lavish but crude, with the paintings and calligraphy of famous characters hanging on the walls. All of them were likely counterfeit. Nan Ruohuai and the mayor stood to either side of him, one respectful and the other nervous. There was a middle-aged man on the other side of the table, drenched in sweat and at a complete loss about what to do. Qianye scanned the roster in his hand and said, You have a hundred and fifty town guards in such a small place? How can you even afford it? Rivercross population was only a couple thousand. How could they afford to keep full-time town guards? Moreover, the town was peaceful with no areas of disorder nearby. The only sources of danger were beasts and refugees, so there was simply no need for such a big guard force. The middle-aged man in front of the table was rank-two in origin power, a powerful character in this small town. Yet he couldnt even speak properly in front of Qianye; fear welled up involuntarily since he couldnt see through this guests power. Faced with this question, the captain looked toward the mayor. The chubby man cursed inwardly before replying, Its like this, we expanded the town guard to prepare for possible unrest. The posts have been expanded, but not all of them are filled, just preparation for rainy days. Qianye understood what was going on. Oh, its an embezzlement, why didnt I think of that. He put the roster to the side and removed the smile from his face. Youre both smart people, some things you should already know without me having to tell you. Give me the map and as much information as you have on this island. The mayor sneaked a glance at Nan Ruohuai and saw that the man was still smiling, not revealing his thoughts in the slightest. Hardening his resolve, he got up and went to the rear room, then came back with a stack of documents. Qianye first picked up the map and flipped through it, then checked it against the intelligence reports. Time went by and the sun had almost set in the distance. Only then did Qianye look up quietly. Nan Ruohuai, the mayor, and the guard captain waited with bated breath. Moments later, Qianey said, This place is really not bad. Ruohuai, I think you should take this as your first fiefdom." Nan Ruohuai was startled. Wasnt his fiefdom on the island already? But he quickly understood the meaning after some thought and bowed deeply. Thank you, Uncle. Qianye felt helpless, but all he could do was keep on playing this role. He sent the captain and mayor away with a wave of his hand. He then summoned Song Lun and the generals, passing the map between them for perusal. The island itself wasnt small, almost half the size of an Imperial county. The only problem was that it was a good distance away from Fort Continent, making transportation an issue. The island was also close to the edge of the protective layer, so the weather was unstable and disasters were common. Only the western side of the island was suitable for living, while the entire eastern side was desolate and uninhabited. This proximity to the edge of the protective layer, as well as the erosion of the void origin power, granted the island rich mineral deposits. There were quite a few rare minerals to be found here. It was just that the mining operations could only proceed for two months each year due to the adverse environment. This so-called adverse environment wasnt a big issue for people from the neutral lands. At most, they would feel a bit uncomfortable after prolonged exposure. Additionally, from the weather report, the weather for most of the year could be considered calm by neutral land standards. All they had to do was hide when there was a void storm. The island was inhabited by less than a hundred thousand people, most living in self-sufficiency because of the bad transportation. As Qianye saw it, this was a great base and springboard for their operation. The distance to Zheng formed a natural barriersomething that was never a problem for Qianye and his Martyrs Palaceyet it afforded them a place from which they could advance and retreat. The islands biggest city was Seclusion, which was located on the western bank of the island where the void was most stable. It was also the biggest transit point on the island and home to the islands small fleet. That little fleet was made up of ten or so airships, which was quite terrifying at a glance, but the generals broke into a laugh after looking at their models and specs. It would be a stretch to call them warships or gunships, since they were nothing more than ordinary airships with weapons. A captain patted his chest and said, Sire, give me two corvettes and I''ll destroy them all! Another general glared at him. You dont need two corvettes against trash like this. I only need one. Let me go, an armed transport is enough! I dont even need a transport! Chapter 1193: Dispatching Troops Even with Qianyes experience, he felt that he would need at least two corvettes to maneuver in pincer formation to dismantle the enemy fleet safely. Otherwise, were these generals planning to tear the enemy airships apart by hand? Even if they could destroy small airships on their own, how would they stop them from escaping? Nan Ruohuai was standing at a corner, listening with a smile. From the looks of it, he didnt find it inappropriate at all that he was inviting the wolves into the house. At this point, a general opened the door and entered the room. Sire, all squads have been assembled, we only await your orders. Qianye pondered for a moment, then pointed to a couple of spots on the map. Have half of our forces board airships and capture these three towns. The rest will follow me to Seclusion! One of the generals said, Sire, dont we need to leave anyone to watch over this place? Qianye glanced at Nan Ruohuai. His Highness the Prince is here, isnt he? Let him notify them, whoever rebels is committing treason! Nan Ruohuais calm face turned ever so pallid; this was a clear statement that he was going to fight for the throne. Before this, he had only ever dared to imagine the notion. Even though Qianye had come to himforcing him to submit with threats and promiseshe had never thought about actual rebellion. However, this mans actions were faster than he had expected. He had shed all pretenses after arriving on Fort Continent and, before his seat was even warm, began taking over nearby territory. After some thought, Nan Ruohuai hardened his resolve. He walked out of the room, dragged the mayor and the guard captain to one of the side chambers, and returned after some discussion. Putting a document in front of Qianye, he said, There should be no more problems on my side. Qianye picked up the document and found that it was something similar to a voting certificate, stating that the other party fully supported Nan Ruohuai inheriting the country. The paper was signed by the mayor and the guard captain. Signing this meant putting their entire lives and livelihood in Nan Ruohuais hands. If he were to fail the contention, this paper could lead to the execution of their entire families. Qianye laughed as he passed the document back. Not bad, how did you get them to agree so quickly? Nan Ruohuai glanced at Song Lun and said bashfully, I learned from Mr. Song. This Nan Ruohuai wasnt weak. He was also a fast learner and adapted well to circumstances, a talent through and through. At this point, Qianye had already assigned everyones missions. The support troops that had arrived behind the transports were constructing a temporary camp outside of the town, providing the soldiers with a place to rest. The citizens of the town discovered after their initial panic that these fierce-looking soldiers might be full of killing intent, but they wouldnt harass the civilians unless they were provoked. Word soon spread throughout the town that the princes maternal uncle had returned and that these were the lords soldiers. As for when this character became a maternal uncle, there was no record to prove it. The townspeople were relieved, in any case, since the soldiers did not harass them, and they cared little about gossipy topics like how Nan Ruohuais maternal uncle would be a prince. These people earned just enough to keep them clothed and fed, so there was little value in expropriating them. Qianye had also learned from Song Zining this time, reinforcing logistics and putting together an extreme-elite squad. Most of the transports were filled with provisions, so there was no need to commandeer food supplies. Although it took a bit more time to prepare, this strategy removed the biggest problem while occupying territory. At dawn the next day, Qianyes squad moved out in full force with one warship after the other whizzing off into the distance. The occupation of this Eastern Sun Island went extremely well. The dispatched forces encountered no setback since these little villages and towns were no different from Rivercross. There were troops on paper, but the actual guards did not exist. Even though there were some men who werent afraid of death, they simply werent a match for Qianyes elite soldiers and would turn into corpses in the blink of an eye. With these thorns dead and Nan Ruohuais men stepping forward to explain things, the people understood the reality of the situation and submitted obediently. The only trouble was Seclusion. There was an organized army and guard-fleet stationed there, and the city lord was someone dispatched from the royal capital. When Qianyes battlecruiser arrived above Seclusion, he couldnt help but frown upon seeing the burning wreckage outside of the city. A corvette approached, and the captain jumped into the battlecruiser without even waiting for the ship to dock. He knelt down immediately after seeing Qianye. I failed in battle, please punish me! Seeing that the nearby corvette was damaged, Qianye glanced at the burning wreckage on the ground. Didnt you destroy the enemy? The captain said, Its no surprise that we destroyed these weak airships with three corvettes, but the defenders in the city have dug in and wont surrender no matter what. I tried to attack the city but was pushed back. Qianyes knitted brows relaxed. Trying to attack a city with just three corvettes? Thats quite the wild imagination. Unlike gunships that specialized in air-to-ground combat, corvettes were fast and powerful, but weak in defense. Without enough cover or a powerful expert to hold the fort, it was only normal that they would be pushed back by such a big city with a standard defense system. Qianye walked over to the bow of the battlecruiser and looked down at Seclusion. Have you fought the city lord? How is his cultivation? The captain said with an embarrassed expression, I never met him. I pulled back immediately after taking a big hit from the turrets. Qianye nodded. Its good that you didnt force it. This captain was originally from the military, someone who understood airship warfare. He had charged in recklessly, underestimating the fighting power of the island city, but reacted immediately after taking damage. He wasnt willing to risk casualties in exchange for face. Qianye scanned the city and saw four main cannon turrets at each corner of the city. They were in range to cover one another and also cover the surroundings. This design was the work of a professional. After careful observation, Qianye had formed a general idea. Which turret hit you? The captain pointed at one of the corner turrets. Its that one. Qianye looked back at the battlecruiser captain and said, Destroy that turret. No problem, two shots at most. The captain affirmed the order and returned to the bridge. In the blink of an eye, the battlecruiser made one circle and charged toward Seclusion. Almost immediately, the large airship jolted as a giant ballista bolt shot toward the turret! The turret crumbled amidst an earth-shattering rumble, sending a ball of fire into the air. The cannon shot was extremely accurate. It would seem the captain was just giving himself some leeway by saying two shots. With the example of the corvettes just now, the battlecruiser captain also became more alert. It would be an utter joke if he were to sink on this Eastern Sun Island after surviving the void continent. His colleagues might just die of laughter. The battlecruiser then pulled back up, not losing out to a corvettes agility and grace as it whistled over the city. The rumble of its engines and the heatwave from its exhaust produced a commotion down below. There was counterfire from the city, but the scattered arrows and origin bullets were all deflected by the airships hull. This was barely a scratch to the thick armor plates of the battlecruiser. The battlecruiser flew past Seclusion, circled back, and began accelerating once more, clearly aiming for the next turret. Meanwhile, the officer in the citys main cannon turret was about to turn hoarse as he moved the ballista cannon with his men, hoping to catch up with the battlecruisers speed. Moving the heavy cannon with machinery was a bit faster than pushing it by hand, but it was too difficult to follow the battlecruiser, let alone aim. The warship had just circled about when a figure flew up from the city, shouting in exasperation, Stop! You are attacking Seclusion. Is this a declaration of war on Zheng? This person possessed a rank-fourteen cultivation, very likely the city lord. Qianye raised his hand, instructing the battlecruiser to slow down and hover outside of the city. Their location was only a couple dozen meters away from Seclusion, just the right distance to pressure the city walls. The turret in this direction had just been destroyed, while the others couldnt reach the warship. As for the attacks from inside the city, they posed no threat at all. Qianye flew out of the battlecruiser and stood before the man. Who are you? How dare you stop my fleet, are you trying to rebel? That person stared at Qianye in bewilderment. He simply couldnt see through Qianyes strength, but judging from that warship, he understood that this enemys background wasnt simple. Ignoring everything else, for now, no airship in the entire Zheng could hold its own against this battlecruiser. He performed a salute, his tone becoming more respectful. This is Zheng, and Im the city lord by appointment of His Majesty the King. How can you say Im rebelling? May I ask who you are? Forgive my ignorance, but there are no legends about your distinguished self in Zheng and its surrounding nations. Qianye replied, Who I am is not important, youll know once you see him. Qianye beckoned toward the battlecruiser. Come. Me? Nan Ruohuai pointed at his nose. Qianye was standing in the air! He was still one step away from the champion realm and thus couldnt fly. Qianye called out again rather nonchalantly. Seeing no other way, Nan Ruohuai simply braced himself and jumped out of the cabin doors. He might cut a sorry figure falling from this height, but it was certain that he wouldnt die. When he reached Qianyes altitude, however, Nan Ruohuai felt something beneath his feet and he remained standing in the air. He glanced down in alarm but found that there was nothing under him. The prince quickly realized that Qianye was keeping him supported with condensed origin power. The city lord couldnt understand the profundity within it. He looked at Nan Ruohuai in puzzlement, suddenly feeling that the young man looked a bit familiar, Y-You Im ranked thirty-first in seniority, so its normal that you dont know me. I remember that the last city lord wasnt you, did my fifth brother put you here? The city lord replied, Yes, Your Highness, are you familiar with our fifth prince? Chapter 1194: Taking the Island Qianye asked, Do you recognize this person? How is he related to your fifth brother? Nan Ruohuai said, He doesnt know me, but I know him. Fifth brother is one of the four most hopeful candidates for the throne. Changing the Seclusion city lord is probably related as well. This Lord Luo is the fifth brothers paternal uncle, an actual uncle. Qianye understood when Nan Ruohuai stressed the word "actual uncle." He sized-up City Lord Luo from head to toe before saying, From now on, this island is the thirty-first princes territory, maybe hell even join the fight for the crown. Surrender or die. City Lord Luo was shocked and furious. Y-You this is a rebellion! It seems convincing you to surrender is impossible. You can die now. Qianyes expression darkened as he swiped at the air with his index and middle fingers. In a flash of sanguine light, the city lords head flew high up into the air! Nan Ruohuai went pale at the sight, his heart almost jumping out of his chest. He had seen murder and his hands werent entirely clean of blood, either. In that split second, however, he felt a tremendous pressure that immobilized him completely. The prince sensed with great vividness that Qianye could kill him without lifting a single finger. City Lord Luo was a famous expert related to the royal family, someone with records of killing enemies above his level. Such a celebrated person of great status and martial prowess couldnt even react before Qianyes attack, let alone retaliate. Even a butchered chicken might have more dignity. Seclusion was in chaos. To the folks on this remote island, City Lord Luo was already a god-like character. Now that someone like him had been killed, what should they do? Qianye pointed at Seclusion and said, Ground forces, enter the city. Kill all who resist! The transports drove straight to the gates and dropped one elite warrior after the other onto the city walls. Many of the defending troops dropped their weapons immediately, and the remainder, who showed intentions to resist, were cut down like vegetables. In less than an hour, Qianye was already sitting on the city lords throne. Standing to his left were the handful of mercenary generals he had brought. The right side, however, was full of peoplewell-known characters from every department and industry in the city. The sound of cannons could be heard outside the windowsalong with screams of extreme miserymaking these so-called important characters uneasy. Qianye waited for the room to quiet down. This person is His Highness the Thirty-First Prince, I think everyone knows him. Of course, of course! Your fame is resounding! A tide of flattery washed over the hall, puzzling Nan Ruohuai thoroughly until he had almost forgotten where he was. Fortunately, he had the final clarity to remember that these people had no way of knowing the thirty-first prince, and that their flattery was simply giving Qianye face. But they werent wrong. With Qianye and his fleet around, Nan Ruohuai had jumped from a passer-by to a mighty candidate no one dared to approach. If it wasnt for Qianyes unknown background, he might just be in the top three contenders. The cannon fire outside continued to echo. Qianye asked the group, It looks like there are a lot of people who support civil unrest and rebellion. Ruohuai, what is Zhengs current punishment for treason? Nan Ruohuai said, Zheng imitated the Qin Empire, so the punishments are fairly similar. Once proven, the penalty is execution of the entire clan. It seemed this prince had done his homework quite well. Qianye nodded. We shant pass such a heavy penalty for the first offense. Since they dare rebel in your presence, this is treason. Kill their immediate families but dont involve their relatives. You are benevolent, Sire! Nan Ruohuai praised. The leaders in the room could no longer sit still, and some of them even began to sweat. Qianye noticed this but didnt point it out, only saying in an amicable manner, Everyone, you should take this time to make necessary arrangements. I plan to stroll around the city after half an hour. Thank you, Sire! I do have some things to do at home, Ill hurry off to make arrangements. The sentiment was echoed by numerous people, and in the blink of an eye, most of them were gone. Qianye was giving them half an hours time. Those who still dared to offer resistance after that time would be killed. Even City Lord Luo had been slaughtered like a dog. Who else could escape? Those who remained in the hall exchanged guarded looks. Qianye closed his eyes and looked like he had dozed off, getting up half an hour later. Lets go around the city. Seclusion was simple but beautiful, with its white stone roads and colorful decorations. There were a few signs of fighting inside the city, but the damage was minimal. After all, only a small number of people resisted, and they were quickly destroyed as the big clans helped to suppress them. The most bustling business street in the city, next to the airship port. The stores here were currently in a hurry to display their wares once again. The sudden fight had forced them to close down, but they soon got wind that Qianye was going to make his rounds and feared a silent city would offend this terrifying bigshot. Qianye strolled past, occasionally dropping into a store he found interesting and asking a couple of questions. Seclusion was the islands only outward-facing port, so the stores here mostly dealt in local produce, foreign luxury items, and industrial supplies. The island itself specialized in agriculture and ores, with the only industrial business being ore refinement. They would smelt the raw ores into basic ingots, which would then be shipped back to the mainland. The island mainly produced basic materials. Although there were sure to be all kinds of rare strategic minerals, they remained hidden since the locals did not have the technical ability to extract them. Qianye chatted with Song Lun and Nan Ruohuai as he observed the street. An ore with flickering green spots caught his attention in one of the stores, so he picked it up. This ore was called Green Barium, a composite of many rare ores, and was used in high-grade engines and ballista cannons. Qianye had never imagined that he would find its raw form here, not to mention piled up so randomly among ordinary products. Qianye asked Song Lun, Theres actually something like this here. Dont they use it themselves? Song Lun replied, They probably dont know how. Why? Nan Ruohuai replied, This Green Barium costs a lot to smelt and its uses are narrow. Truth be told, only the Empire possesses the necessary technology to build high-grade engines and ballistae. Our little Zheng doesnt have this ability. Even if we excavate this ore, the only thing we can do is sell it to the Empire, and the price set by the Empire leaves us no profit in doing so. Weighing the ore in his hand, Qianye shook his head and tossed it at Song Lun. Keep this and also buy everything they have. Yes, Sire. The store manager was delighted and offered repeated thanks. He saw several other things along the way that satisfied him. Handled well, these ores would immediately prove useful. After all, there was already an established production line in the neutral lands. The production chain there required materials, the resources in Zheng needed downstream exports, and the technology would be controlled by Ningyuan Heavy Industries. These three parties would strike a balance that could not be broken. With three important links in three different places, if there was any trouble in either place, Qianye and his Martyrs Palace only needed to cut off the void passage to turn the industry into scrap metal. After asking around for a bit, he simply couldnt understand why Zheng didnt develop well despite the ample resources. Nan Ruohuai gave him a simple explanation regarding this. Zheng wasnt actually lacking in learned people, but rather it was a vast country with a sparse population. Human living environments here werent stable as they were fighting with the surrounding dark races most of the time. To Zheng, the quickest way of obtaining high-grade equipment was to fight for the Empire and exchange contribution points. It would take several decades for them to develop an entire armament production system themselves. Even if they could build the system, the equipment they could produce would be severely limited if they fell short in research and had to rely on the Empire for technology. The investment involved in core research and development was yet another astronomical number. Qianye shook his head after listening to this explanation. Zheng has been around for a couple hundred years. If you guys had put in the effort since the beginning, wouldnt it be complete by now? You might not be able to cover everything in research and development, but its not impossible to screen local talents and find a niche to breakthrough. At the very least, you wont be sitting on a pile of resources and selling them off at trash prices. Nan Ruohuai was stunned; he had never thought about it this way. At dusk, after Qianye had finished eating dinner, a complete list of the islands mineral resources arrived before him. The data was meticulously presentednot only did it include the type, production, and stock, but there were also introductions to the important mines, their environments, and relevant maps. Nan Ruohuais ability was praiseworthy to have organized so much information in such a short time. Looking at this list, Qianye came to a general understanding of the situation. The resources here were sufficient to cover the costs of early-stage operations, but it would be far from enough once the main forces arrived. Qianye opened up the map of Zheng and asked, What other islands are worth taking? Also, which city on the mainland has an established workshop system? Nan Ruohuai had already done his homework. He pointed to the map and said, Here, the city of Expansive. Expansive was on the western side of Zheng, also close to the edge of the continent. This place boasted a flourishing metallurgy system, with blast furnaces throughout the city and workshops of all sizes along the streets. Most of the people in the city made a living from the metal industry. Chapter 1195: Fights Nan Ruohuai replied respectfully, The city lord of Expansive is my second brothers maternal grandfather, who also happens to be his biggest supporter. He was rather calm while saying this, but Qianye seemed to have figured something out. Is there some enmity between you two? Hes my brother, so its not a hatred as deep as the oceans. Nan Ruohuai took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, The person I liked the most died in his residence! Qianye nodded. What do you want me to do? Nan Ruohuai fell to his knees and said in a deep voice, Just hand him to me and my life is forever yours. Qianye said calmly, Is it not mine right now? Nan Ruohuai looked up. I have some meager talents if I do say so myself, and I have not been wasting the past twenty years of my life. I know your intentions for raising me up to the position, but if I follow you wholeheartedly, I will make Zheng flourish on my own accord. You will not have to worry about this small place. Theres a difference in putting a puppet on the throne. For a while, Qianye looked intently at Nan Ruohuai, at the prostrating mans grey hair and neck. There was no change in his emotions, but he was somewhat moved. The prince didnt look up, yet in that posture, he was even calmer and more collected than in his past interactions with Qianye. After a while, Qianye laughed. Zheng is small? Only at this point did Nan Ruohuai heave a sigh of relief. This place is the world to us, but to you, its probably just a corner. Not to mention Zheng, even the entire Fort Continent is just a big springboard for you. Qianye broke into a laugh. Your confidence in me is pretty strong. The truth is that I have never seen, or even heard of, someone like you. Qianye stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the void over the yonder horizon. Do you know what Im doing? Nan Ruohuai hesitated briefly, then said in due honesty, To be honest, I dont. Qianye sighed. I actually dont have any big objectives. Im just playing things by ear. Nan Ruohuai was stunned. He found this rather incredulous but didnt ask further, knowing that he was in no position to make Qianye spit out his secrets. He really had no idea that Qianye had no personal ambitions. What he wanted to do was protect his brothers and help one person up the Sacred Mountain. This island was now Qianyes first springboard and forward base on the Fort continent, so he attached a fair bit of importance to it. After the first batch of soldiers arrived, Qianye ordered his men to send word back to Dark Flame. They were to prepare a number of engineering airships and recruit technicians, and fly them to Eastern Sun. Several days later, after all forces were in position, Qianye led his forces toward Expansive. Ten thousand soldiers arrived on the island, but only four thousand left with Qianye. The island wasnt small, and the minimum recommended garrison should be around ten thousand. He couldnt leave any less than six thousand, or the mercenaries themselves might just quit. Expansive was home to fifty thousand people and could be considered a big city. Transportation was easy as the place was built close to the riverbank, and there was a black stone mine outside providing the factories with an endless supply of energy. The first thing Qianye saw upon arrival wasnt the city but the black chimney stacks above the walls. What lay behind the rolling smoke was a stream of gold coins. Expansive boasted established factories and, more importantly, large batches of skilled technicians who could be put to use in the Imperial factory systems with a bit of training. Zheng had been imitating the Empire in many aspects, so their factories are also quite similar. It was just that they were at the Empire''s standards from fifty years ago. An ear-piercing alarm rang throughout the city as the airship approached the city airspace. Even Qianye, who was in the battlecruiser, could hear it quite clearly. He walked up to the deck and looked down. There, he saw a tall steel tower, valves open and gushing steam as it produced an ear-splitting whistle. A kinetic tower with a steam whistle? Qianye was a bit surprised at how well-equipped this city was. That kinetic tower might be an older model, but it was a kinetic tower nonetheless. Many cities in the neutral lands didnt even have one. Although it was an older model, its specs and output were rather high. Did this mean there might be a high-power cannon turret in the city? Qianyes expression froze as he caught a strange whistling sound. A dark-colored tower opened up in the distance and fired a large ballista bolt. The projectile drew an arc in the air as it flew toward the battlecruiser. If this wasnt an attack from the enemy, Qianye would be rather inclined to praise the perfect timing of the shot. The descending battlecruiser had no time to accelerate, and there was no way such a big airship could outrun a homing bolt anyway. The entire ship trembled with a loud boom, the intensity of which surprised Qianye somewhat. This bolt was a bit more powerful than he had anticipated. Qianyes figure appeared at the bow of the ship, where he saw a ballista bolt half-nailed into the outer plate of the battlecruiser. As a veteran, the captain had adjusted the airships body as soon as he saw that evasion wasnt possible. The armor on this part was the thickest on the entire airship. Qianye went forth with East Peak and cut off the protruding bit. The bolt was extremely solid inside. If it was a homing explosive bolt like the Empires newest model, the explosion would have blasted away the armor on the airships bow. The battlecruiser might be able to take this attack, but the other airships couldnt! At this point, three more turrets rose up, their top ends opening as they each fired a homing ballista bolt. The first bolt shot toward a corvette, the next at the battlecruiser, and the last one flew toward the back. Qianye had no time to think. His silhouette flickered as he appeared beside the corvette. East Peak slashed six times, cutting the incoming projectile into pieces with Sweeping Calm. The battlecruiser shook violently after it was struck once again. Fortunately, this bolt pierced the thickest part of the ships armor as well. Qianyes expression shifted as he looked back. The last ballista bolt was aiming for the transport at the back! The slow airship naturally couldnt get away from firing rangethe bolt shot through the vessel and flew a thousand meters into the air before falling back down. A large defect appeared in the mid-section of the airship, ejecting flames and human silhouettes. Alarms rang loudly on the transport as it fell in a nosedive. Just as the airship was about to be destroyed, one of the cabin doors popped open amidst a gush of steam. It was apparently forced open from the inside. The transport then began to spin, throwing out one mercenary after the other. Only at this point did Qianye heave a sigh of relief. This response was the wisest choice. Those on the airship were elite mercenaries with no lack of those at rank five, six, or even higher. Most of them would only be injured and not die after falling from such a height. The alternative was staying in the burning airship that would soon turn into a coffin of raging flames. To be able to fling out the mercenaries while avoiding the potential explosion radius, this captain was definitely quick-witted. Once the mercenaries were on flat ground, Qianye would have no worries about their fighting power. No one was better than these mercenaries in urban warfare. Next was Dark Flames turn to fire. Even the high-power cannon turrets from the main cities of Great Qin couldnt fire very quickly. The reloading time for these four cannon towers was even slower. The battlecruiser captain had already started preparing for an attack after the first maneuver, and now, he was ready. The rumble of the main cannon was quickly followed by the destruction of half a cannon turret. The battlecruiser kept turning without confirming the outcome of the last shot, and was soon aiming at a different turret. The three corvettes in the air were also in combat positions. They charged from a high-altitude, guns blazing, and drowning the third cannon turret in a sea of flames. Only the final cannon turret was left. Another ballista bolt had just appeared from the inside, and a big cloud of steam drowned out the tower as the gears accumulated kinetic energy. This time, its target was no longer the battlecruiser, but one of the corvettes instead. In the blink of an eye, the tower had completed the accumulation process. The giant ballista was trembling and rearing to fire when, all of a sudden, Qianye appeared above it. He rammed a steel beam into the cannon, jamming its cartridge and mechanical parts. How could the officer in charge react to the sudden changes? After completing a series of adjustments, he stepped down on the firing pedal out of instinct. However, the giant ballista was jammed, leaving no space for the kinetic power to escape. Soon, the energy reached critical levels and the steel casing of the turret bulged up visibly. The turret exploded amidst the desperate cries of the soldiers and officers. The massive energy flung metal partssome weighing several tonshundreds of meters into the air! How could the human body withstand such a force? The soldiers inside never made it out and died without even a corpse left. Qianye returned to the bridge of the battlecruiser to find the captain issuing orders nervously. He gestured for the man to continue, and that he didnt need to ask for instructions. The captain issued a constant stream of orders, commanding the massive warship to circle around the city. This maximized the firepower of its side cannons as they destroyed the citys smaller turrets. With the four main turrets gone, there was nothing left in Expansive that could pose a threat to Qianye. The defenses in the city were more powerful than expected, so Qianye decided to be patient. He watched as the battlecruiser circled above, clearing away one street block after the other. After an entire hour, when there was no more cannon or ballista fire in the city, Qianye ordered the land forces to enter. Qianye himself made a beeline for the city lords residence, silencing the guards with Life Plunder. As he entered the main hall, he saw a powerful-looking old man with white hair on the throne. The old man slowly stood up and hoisted a large battle axe over his shoulderit would seem that he was waiting for Qianye. The latter didnt attack immediately. As such, Qianye spoke, Nan Ruohuai will make for a good king of Zheng. Why can you not see this? You should know that you dont stand half a chance. Chapter 1196: Convincing Qianye replied calmly, Since you realize my power, you should know that Zheng is but a stepping stone. I wont be staying here long. If thats the case, the second prince is intelligent, strong, and sees far. Why not submit to him and help him ascend the throne? It should be better than that good-for-nothing. Qianyes expression sank. Submit? You must be insane. The old man gripped his axe and roared, Ambitious as expected! This old man will eliminate a calamity for Zheng and help my grandson remove an obstacle! With that, the old mans aura rose sharply, his hair flaring up like a lion as he charged at Qianye. Halfway through the sprint, the battle axe emitted arcs of lightning as it whistled toward the target. Qianye remained motionless, simply activating his Oceanic Vortex domain. The domain that had been modified by Prince Greensun was much easier to control with no change in power. The entire force of the domain bore down upon the old man while the other areas remained quiet and calm. The old mans attack was like an eagle soaring in the sky, but he suddenly found himself several times heavier and fell straight down. Shocked out of his wits, he adjusted his posture as best as he could and ended up with his legs sunk in the ground. The change happened so quickly that the old man had to channel all of his origin power in order to withstand the mountainous pressure. When he looked up again, Qianye was nowhere to be seen. Just as a sense of alarm welled up in his heart, his body went limp and a head flew high up into the air. Up to that last moment, he still had no idea how he had lost so quickly. Seeing the body fall down, Qianye shook his head with a sigh. This old man was strong and unyielding. Although his cultivation was only rank fifteen, even rank-sixteen enemies might not be his match considering his experience and combat strength. He was simply lacking insight and too devoted to his grandson, not yielding any ground in this fight for the throne. This kind of person had to die. A series of hurried footsteps appeared at the door as Song Lun and the mercenaries rushed into the hall, surging with killing intent. Everyone was startled when they saw Qianye. The latter pointed at the corpse, saying, This should be the city lord. Take his head and convince all those you can to surrender. Nodding in affirmation, Song Lun went over to pick up the head. One of the mercenary generals scratched his head, saying, I was wondering why we didnt see anyone when we charged in. Turns out your elderly self was already here. Expansive was even better managed than the documents stated, and the resistance was fierce. Even with news of the city lords death confirmed and the defenders leaderless, the street battles lasted several days before dying out. During this period, Nan Ruohuai visited the various clans to negotiate support. Qianye had set his eyes on the factories here, so he naturally couldnt slaughter everyone. Other than sealing off all information in and out of the city, the convincing and pacification was left to Nan Ruohuai to tackle. Some of these clans veered with the wind, while others spoke kindly but remained on the fence, waiting to observe future trends. There were also those who were indifferent and half-hearted. Nan Ruohuai could see all of that. A handful of clans closed their doors and refused to see him. Some went so far as to curse him for inviting bandits into the house and that he would be infamous throughout history, etc. No matter what kind of snag he encountered, Nan Ruohuai remained gentle and smiling, even when he was being cursed at. Only when he returned to the city lords manor did he reveal a bit of a tired expression. Expansive was the second princes territory, so convincing the powerful families here was much more difficult than on the island. The disdain these families had for Nan Ruohuai was deep-rooted. There were so many princes in Zheng, so who knew what kind of trash this thirty-first prince was? Some of the better-informed families managed to flip through old records and learned that Nan Ruohuais mother was just a songstress who wasnt even conferred an official status, only appointed the lowest position in the harem because she had birthed a boy. The son of a Songstress wanted the throne? Just as Nan Ruohuai returned to the residence one day, an attendant said, Sire Qianye wishes to see you. Nan Ruohuai quickly composed himself. By the time he was before Qianye, he was once again that radiant prince. Qianye sized the man up from head to toe. You didnt have a good time these days, did you? No way He paused for a bit, then laughed wryly. Its true. They feel that the son of a songstress is not fit for the throne. Even if I did get the seat, I would be cursed by every history book. Whats wrong with the son of a songstress? Isnt His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin also of similar origins? The Radiant Emperors humble maternal lineage was no secret. It was just that the previous emperor had passed him the title directly, so he was entitled to the throne and no one in the vassal states dared to criticize him. If word were to get out, the crime wouldnt be limited to contempt of the Emperor, but also a challenge to the Qin Empires prestige. Besides, the Radiant Emperor wasnt well-known in the past, but now, it was said that he had opened the path despite failing the challenge against a heavenly monarch. Since then, there was no more criticism to speak of. Qianye dared to say this, but Nan Ruohuai did not. He said respectfully, I wouldnt dare discuss the Qin Emperors affairs. Qianye nodded. Its good to be cautious. Do you have any suggestions regarding Expansive? Ill convince them a bit more. Thats all? Under Qianyes gaze, Nan Ruohuai felt uneasy and began to sweat all over. He lowered his head somewhat, saying, Ill listen to you, Sire. Im asking for your opinion. The calmer Qianyes voice was, the more nervous the prince became. He finally said after some thought, Perhaps perhaps we should kill a couple of them. Now thats more like it. Qianye nodded. Nan Ruohuai, who was beginning to sweat again, felt greatly relieved. Qianye pushed a sheet of paper in front of Nan Ruohuai, who picked it up to find that it was a list of names. They happened to be the families who had cursed at him these days. Are they all on the list? ... Yes. Qianye said indifferently, All is good then. As you were coming to me, Song Lun was on his way out with his men. He should be there already. Since they want a heroic name, then let''s satisfy them. As if to confirm Qianyes words, a red light flickered outside the window. At a careful glance, that wasnt the glow of twilight, but rather flames from a part of the city. Nan Ruohuai was no longer nervous. He simply glanced at the window then looked no more, only saying respectfully, You are wise! Qianye said, If we dont kill them now, what will we do if everyone imitates them in the future? Well end up killing more. Nan Ruohuai sighed. In truth, our Zheng has a tradition of resorting to violence in the fight for the throne. Every throne fight involves blood flowing into rivers, brothers killing one another, or even fights between fathers and sons. The second, fifth, or eleventh brother, whoever wins will eliminate the maternal families of the other two. Qianye stood up and paced about in the room. I came to Fort Continent to claim land. But since Im claiming land, Ill of course take it from the dark races hands. The fight for survival and land is between Daybreak and Evernight, not for a single family, nation, clan, or place. I have little interest in Zheng, so I will simply return the place to you if you work well. If you dont perform or if youre disloyal Nan Ruohuai said hurriedly, Absolutely not! The man shut up immediately as Qianye raised his hand. Me having no interest doesnt mean I''ll let you guys stir up trouble. In the context of the bigger picture, if you drag the human race back instead of fighting for its survival, the nation of Zheng itself will cease to exist, let alone a king. Nan Ruohuai was entirely drenched in sweat. He wanted to make a statement but stopped himself forcibly. Qianye sighed. I once met someone from Zheng, maybe you know her. Shes called Nanhua. I know her, shes my ninth royal sister. Qianye said after reminiscing about the past, Shes good in every other aspect, but confused when it comes to issues of principle. No, thats not the right way to put it. I guess you could say she ignores other peoples feelings and only cares about her own? You Zheng people arent great at fighting outsiders but quite the professional at infighting. This time, Nan Ruohuai could no longer sit still. Qianye gazed at the flame outside the window. There are important things and unimportant ones. The fight for the world is also split into minor conflicts and the bigger picture. I came to Fort Continent for myself and my brethren, but that doesnt stop me from doing something for the human race. Its the same the other way around. Nan Ruohuai listened silently. Qianye didnt continue, however, and merely gestured for him to withdraw. After Nan Ruohuais departure, Qianye stood in front of the window, gazing at the raging flames in the distance. The vague sound of cannon fire could be heard in the distance; apparently, there was still some resistance. But how could a handful of clans stand against Qianyes elite mercenaries? They were suppressed in the blink of an eye, and the sound of gunfire was silenced quicker than everyone had imagined. Qianye summoned an attendant and ordered, Inform all the clans and families in the city to attend a meeting at the city lords residence tomorrow. Whoever dares to not show up will meet the same fate as these families. Rest assured, Sire. The attendant left with surging killing intent. Qianye stood silently for a while longer after the servant had left. Finally, he said, Come in. A young girl entered from the door, clad in a maids attire and smiling adorably. Upon seeing her, Qianye said with a smile, Young Miss Hui, what are you doing here instead of staying at the Song clan? This person happened to be Song Hui. The two had the fortune to meet at Duchess Ans funeral but never expected to meet again on the faraway Fort Continent. Song Hui laughed. Im here to serve as your maid! Theres no way I would dare accept. What? You dont like me? Of course I do, but why are you here instead of staying at the Song clan? Qianye repeated his question. Im here to serve as your maid! Song Hui repeated her reply as well. Helpless, Qianye shrugged. Zining mustve called you here? Go back if youre not going to give me a proper reply. Youre really not tender toward the fairer sex! Song Hui cried out. Those who are have already turned into corpses, havent they? Qianye didnt hold back. Thats not me! Its more apt to describe Song Ziyan that way. Chapter 1197: The Most Valuable Presen Qianye, however, didnt quite agree. He was about to retort with a frown when Song Hui said, Young Master Xiaoye, why do you dislike me so much? He was now commanding an army and hardly anyone was his match. Yet his vision still went dark when he heard this name, almost stumbling forward in the process. Song Hui! Qianye uttered her name through clenched teeth. Im here! The girl stood ramrod straight, looking extremely obedient, but that protruding tongue of hers went to show that she wasnt afraid at all. Qianye rubbed his temples. What exactly do you want? To be your maid! I dont need one. You must need a warship and troops, right? Especially officers and staff officers. Of course. So, you need a maid too, someone like me for instance. Qianyes expression darkened. Get to the point. Song Hui was apparently unafraid. I didnt come empty-handed, though. Qianye glanced at her. She was dressed in ladies'' clothing, without even a bag. The only place she could hide anything was in her chest quite a few things, in fact. Seeing this, Song Hui puffed up her chest and said, Do you want to do a search? Qianye snorted. Be serious. This wasnt how you treated me back then. Song Hui pursed her lips, almost as though she was about to cry. Seeing that Qianye was ready to throw her out the door, she put away her flippant manner and said, I really did bring warships this time. I didnt bring too many men, but theyre all officers. Qianye looked at her with a serious expression before continuing the conversation. Song Hui wasnt wrong. Is this Zinings idea? It has nothing to do with him. Song Hui became active again after seeing that Qianyes demeanor was more relaxed. If you must thank someone, then thank me! Qianye laughed. It looks like I really need to keep this maid? Of course. Song Hui wasnt just good at making tea, but as someone from the Song clan, she was able to learn all kinds of skills. Her cultivation wasnt bad, either, almost breaking through to the champion realm. She was also well-learned and had dabbled in almost every field; there was definitely no problem for her to work as a staff officer. It really was difficult for Qianye to refuse such gifts. Thinking back on past matters, Qianye asked, Hows the Song clan doing? Song Hui snorted. Bad, of course. Even though you and seventh brother caused such a ruckus back then, those people simply dont remember things. Whats their use? As long as you dont slaughter them, theyll keep pushing for splitting the clan. The clan lord isnt capable at all and did nothing well since the ancestors passing. He wasnt even willing to push seventh brother as the clan lord. The old ancestor mustve been blind to have picked him back in the year. Qianye sighed. No one would be happy if they had to vacate their position for someone else. Song Hui replied, Happy or not, he should look at the times. Its all fine and dandy that hes clinging to his seat now, but hell be notorious for allowing the clan to get demoted under his leadership. Qianye was stunned. Demoted? The final decision hasnt been made, but news of it is already spreading. Its nothing surprising, something that will happen sooner or later. The old ancestor was keeping things propped up during the earlier years. Now, with her gone and those old fogeys stopping seventh brother from taking the seat, what other fate can the clan expect? I heard Prince Greensun has already submitted a harsh memorial to the Emperor to demote the Song clan. Qianye sighed. Regret is always bitter. If Song Zining had taken up the clan lord position, Zhang Boqian would have surely given the clan some years to reorganize the clan. Someone with the seventh young master''s talents wouldnt perform poorly as long as he had the powerhope would not be lost for the clan. But those elders, including Song Zhongnian, were deluded enough to think they could borrow his favor without giving him authority. Such a wild fantasy, but how could that ever happen? Song Hui sneered. There was someone in the assembly who thought they were old friends with Prince Greensun. He actually ran over to the monarchs residence to reminisce about old times and ask the prince to retract the memorial in his magnanimity. This person seriously Qianye was speechless. He simply had no idea what was in those old fogeys heads. Prince Greensun suggesting a demotion was a major political event; how could it be a trifling matter? Asking him to retract the memorial was no different from asking him to slap himself in the face. What happened then? Qianye asked. What else? He never even saw the monarch before he was captured by the guards, who broke his legs and threw him outside the gates. Prince Greensun announced that the offense warranted an execution; that person only kept his life because the Song was still one of the four major clans. Qianye sighed. Zhang Boqian had made no big movements after the duchess passing, but who would have thought he would be so merciless? Was the Song clans demotion already set in stone? After a quick thought, why would a heavenly monarch think twice about suppressing a clan that didnt even have a single divine champion? What does the Song clan plan to do? Everyones on their own now, what else can we do? Song Hui laughed coldly. Great, those who want to split off have an even better reason. Theyre still rejoicing at the moment and eyeing the clans common properties. How are they splitting the common properties? Qianye asked. The Song clan was famed for its wealth, and the value of its common properties was an enormous number. If they were demoted from a major clan to a high-ranking aristocratic family, their land and private army would shrink. They would have to split some of their properties off since they could no longer guard them.With Song Zhongnians character, however, he probably wouldnt let go of a single property. The leading branch didnt have enough power to protect its interests, either, so it would probably end up in another fight. Song Hui glanced at Qianye, saying, What, are you interested in the properties? Qianye pointed outside the window. Theres an entire continent waiting for me, do you think Im interested? You should be since you have the opportunity to intervene. Are you willing to let so many businesses fall into the hands of despicable people? Seeing Song Hui so serious, Qianye replied, Isnt this something Zining should be thinking about? Seventh brother has too many things to think about, its only natural that he would miss some things. Besides, he doesnt know how chaotic the clan is right now, he wouldnt care even if he knew. Qianye felt emotional. With the building on the verge of collapse, all kinds of bad characters would be jumping out. Song Hui suddenly thought of something. If you like Song Ziyan or that lass, Yunqing, you have to move fast. The elders of their branches are madly promoting their marriage. Qianye understood. Seeking marital connections? Yes, what else can their branches even do? As long as the candidate can help them, they wouldnt care about his status. You can definitely take both of them as concubines if you go. That works too? Qianye was startled. Ignoring Song Yunqing for now, Song Ziyan was a noble daughter of direct descent. Giving her away to be someones concubine was, quite frankly, a slap to the Song clans face. After some thought, however, he realized that those old bastards didnt even want the clan anymore; why would they bother with face? Qianye sighed secretly. If you have something to say, just say it straight. Song Hui straightened her body and said in a serious tone, Im letting you know that I have a warship, a squad of officers, and all kinds of family businesses. Those two branches can only offer you women, nothing else. Qianye was drinking water at first, but he almost spat it all back out. When did I say Im taking you? Song Hui laughed charmingly. She moved closer to Qianye, saying, Am I not skilled enough? I can learn! I think Im smart enough to learn everything very quickly. Qianye replied, If you keep doing this, Ill throw you out immediately. With you around, the image Ive tried so hard to build will be completely destroyed. Song Hui retracted her frivolity. Then lets talk business, then about taking me as a concubine. The proper business is Qianye cut her short. Only business Song Hui snorted, but this time, she didnt cause a disturbance. Our two branches want to support you with all we have, with me carrying the most weightage. Qianye nodded in agreement. The warship was simply gilding the lily, not entirely necessary. Someone as talented as Song Hui, however, was extremely rare. Qianye couldnt think of how to use her just yet, but that wasnt a problemDark Flame would need a lot of talented members once it started expanding. Song Hui continued after seeing Qianyes recognition. Sooner or later, the clan lord will lose control of the situation and realize that he cant swallow so many businesses. I expect him to hold on for a year at least, however. This one year is our opportunity. I will help you wholeheartedly, but I must also make sure we reap our share of profits. You should accumulate enough wealth during this period. Once the clan lord starts selling the clan businesses, well work with seventh brother to take the most valuable parts. What do you say? Qianye said, You want to reform the Song clan? Quite the ambition. Song Hui said, Its not me, its seventh brother. Hes the best candidate to be the new clan lord. Chapter 1198: Battle Appointmen Reforming the Song clan, or rather the Song family, wasnt a bad idea. It would be even better if Song Zining could have a fresh start because of it. Song Hui stole a glance at Qianye and said in surprise, Youre not angry? Why would I be? Qianye found it strange. Im trying to poach seventh brother from you! Once he becomes the new clan lord, hell have to focus most of his attention there. It wont be possible for him to hang around at your Dark Flame every day. Why would I object if he wants to do it? Qianye said. Fine, you two are really close. Qianye wanted to beat up the girl once again. He drove her away, telling her to seek out the aide-de-camp and distribute the new officers into the army. This was a time-consuming process that would require several days of work. Occupying Expansive completely took several days. Qianye had brought four thousand mercenaries, but they more or less disappeared when placed inside this giant city. The forces werent even enough to guard critical departments and factories, let alone the defenses outside of the city. Fortunately, Qianye possessed a fleet of airships, one of which would be circling above the city at all times. Add to that the elite forces always on standby, there was no need to worry about an actual rebellion. Nan Ruohuai had been running about to visit the various families, as well as the big trading companies and workshops. The culling of those stubborn families a couple of days ago seemed to be rather effective. No one dared to refuse him at the door now. The prince couldnt be considered an eloquent speaker, but his attitude was always gentle and gave off a feeling of sincerity. He was, after all, a formally registered prince, son of the King of Zheng. His lacking qualifications were mostly related to his maternal background, but everyone knew that the royal harems status came from the court. The son relying on maternal status was normal, but why couldnt the mother rely on the sons status? Many families quickly expressed their loyalty and Expansive soon became calm once again. A number of major factories were prepared to resume work, and the merchants came to visit one after the other, hoping to see if Qianye required anything. A delighted Nan Ruohuai was hoping to receive praise when he saw Qianye, but unexpectedly, the latter looked gloomy behind his desk. Qianye glanced at him. You did well, but to me, its still not enough. Nan Ruohuai asked bravely, Then, what should I do? Qianye said, The turmoil in Zheng comes from the fight for the throne. If you take the position, how will you deal with your brothers? Nan Ruohuai clenched his jaws. The other siblings can be pardoned, but the loudest of the bunch, my second, fifth, and eleventh brothers must die! They will probably rebel one day if kept alive. Thats the only way if you want a country that will cooperate with you wholly. Qianye asked, Very well, say we clear them out, do we uproot their entire families or just kill the person? This question was difficult for the prince. After a while, he said, If we only kill the person, their families will surely breed resentment. After all, some of their in-laws, friends, and descendants will surely have royal blood. The dissatisfied people will continue to fight for the cause, in which case, there will be no peace in the future. If the scope is too broad, however, well end up killing too many people. Besides, many of their subordinates are just acting under orders, without much choice themselves. Perhaps it would be wise to pick something in between. Qianye nodded. I dont want to drag this on for too long. Evernight will start to prepare once they find out our movements. Thats why I don''t have time to play a drawn-out game with your brothers and sisters. Lets do this, give me a list of names, including stubborn people like the city lords of Expansive and Seclusion. Nan Ruohuai trembled as he replied with a deep bow, Yes, Sire. Qianye shot him a glance. Youre not even a champion yet. Itll be difficult to convince the masses if you ascend the throne. However, I see that your talents arent bad. I have some supplementary medicines with me. Stop running around for a few days and focus on breaking through. I will give you an area on Martyrs Palace to cultivate. Nan Ruohuai was surprised and delighted, but also slightly disappointed. Thank you, Sire! Breaking through to the champion realm was every fighters dream, but advancing with supplementary medicines would more or less affect their future potential. Then again, few kings in Zhengs history had ever reached the divine champion realm. Nan Ruohuai himself knew that he had no hope, so he didnt really object to this. Compared to the throne, his unknown potential wasnt much. Qianye stood up with his hands behind his back. If we want things to go smoothly, we must let those opportunists know that its impossible for them. The loudest of the groups is your second brothers, yes? Yes, hes the son of my fathers favorite royal concubine. Hes clever, hardworking, and also married to the granddaughter of the Royal Tutor, hence receiving his full support. As I see it, the Royal Tutor is his second biggest support. Royal Tutor? Is it that Liu Zhongyuan? Indeed. Royal Tutor Liu has been in the post for over thirty years and his prestige is tremendous. Honestly speaking, second brothers martial and administrative abilities arent that outstanding. He became the best candidate simply because he had the support of the Royal Tutor. There are a handful of brothers who arent inferior to him in terms of policy and strategy. That means, as long as Liu Zhongyuan is there, you will never become King of Zheng. Yes. Qianye nodded. Since thats the case, theres no need to beat around the bush. Write a letter to Liu Zhongyuan, saying that I will fight him outside of the capital gates in seven days time. If he doesnt dare to take this challenge, then he should retire from his post and no longer interfere in national matters. Nan Ruohuai was shocked out of his wits. You must not! The Royal Tutor is a divine champion, you cannot take this risk! Qianye was currently his biggest support. If something were to happen to him, Nan Ruohuai would not meet a good end. Divine champion? Hes just a divine champion at a hundred years of age. Whats there to be afraid of? Nan Ruohuai braced himself to try and continue dissuading Qianye. Why dont we ask Her Excellency Caroline to do battle? Theres no need to trouble her for such small matters. Before long, Qianyes challenge to the Royal Tutor shook the entire nation of Zheng. All the princes were so shocked at Nan Ruohuais sudden rise to power that even the forward ranking ones slowed down their fight to figure out where this trash brother was getting his support. In the end, they had just gotten word that the second princes stronghold had been taken over when news of Qianye challenging Liu Zhongyuan started to spread. There was no doubt that the second prince was in a bad mood. Not only did he smash all of his cherished antique vases, but he also executed two of his maids and concubines. The occupation of Expansive reduced the second princes power by half. If Liu Zhongyuan were to lose, he would have no way to turn things around. Someone with a strong voice like him would meet worse fates than ordinary people once he was defeated. Whoever took the throne would not leave him or his descendants alive. After a round of acting up, the second prince ordered his men to obtain information on Qianye at all costs. He wanted to see who was so bold as to challenge the Royal Tutor. Liu Zhongyuan had been in his post for over thirty years, even longer than the current King of Zheng himself. Legends of his strength were even more resounding. In Zheng, Liu Zhongyuan was the linchpin holding down the entire nation. No one would dare to provoke his disciples and grandsons without good reason, let alone the man himself. The current reports stated that Qianye wasnt yet a divine champion. That thought gave the second prince a modicum of relief. Seven days passed by in the blink of an eye. The sky hadnt lit up, but a sea of people had gathered outside of the royal capitals eastern gate. Even the highly-restricted city walls were packed full of people. These people were prestigious faces in the city with the power to reach the city walls, and even the city guard wasnt willing to offend them. Those without the ability could only find a place outside of the city, craning their necks lest they miss anything. The eastern gates opened at seven oclock sharp. Groups of white-robed warriors poured out, each equipped with a sword and gun slung across their back. The men at the front swept the ground and sprinkled water to suppress the dust. Those at the back covered the ground with red carpet, turning the entire place into a level ground almost comparable to a palace hall. Several attendants arrived with wooden boards to construct a platform taller than a persons height. Then, eight strong men arrived with a tall chair and placed it lightly on the platform. The throne was made of an extraordinary material that was neither wood nor metal. No one knew what it was made of, but it was extremely heavy. With the throne in place, the white-robed warriors stood to the side, solemn and still. This platform and chair were naturally prepared for the Royal Tutor. It was just that the seat remained empty even after the stage was set. The crowd waited a while longer but couldnt help but grow restless when the Royal Tutor still hadnt appeared. The hundreds of white-robed men were his disciples, sons, and grandsons. No one dared to provoke these rich and powerful people. Just as the people were feeling their necks turn sore from the waiting, the drawn sound of a bell echoed from within the city. It was eight oclock. This was the normal time the city gates would open. The capital normally kept its doors open, but with the princes fighting for the crown, the capital decided to adopt the old system out of caution. They would close the gates at midnight and open them only in the morning. The bell sound hadnt ended when people felt their vision blur as a person appeared on the throne. He was clad in loose robes with big sleeves that flowed in the wind. His hair was as white as snow, but his complexion was as good as a babys. This was the Royal Tutor Liu Zhongyuan. The mans prestige had shaken Zheng for decades. At this moment, he had appeared out of nowhere like an immortal, and no one saw the process clearly. After confirming that the man had indeed arrived at the scene, an earth-shattering wave of cheers erupted from around the eastern gate. The Royal Tutor had arrived, but Qianye was nowhere to be seen. Hence, everyone started to curse the late challenger. A white-robed warrior in his middle ages arrived near Liu Zhongyuan. Master, what do we do now? Liu Zhongyuans eyes remained closed. The day is young, whats the rush? Lets wait until noon. Even though they are barbarians, we cultivators must not lose our manner and composure. Looking embarrassed, the middle-aged man stated his agreement repeatedly. Liu Zhongyuan sat calmly with his eyes half-closed, almost as though he would sit there until the end of the world. Seeing the Royal Tutor so calm, the crowds confidence became even stronger. Moments later, just as the group was growing restless, someone suddenly pointed into the distance. What is that!? Chapter 1199: New Tricks Even those from the capital of Zheng had never seen a battlecruiser, or any big warship for that matter. It was, after all, a small country. Not to mention the newest model battlecruiser, they couldnt even afford an old-model battleship. That was why the Zheng navys flagship was only an old cruiser. Even that was a highly cherished national treasure. Ordinary civilians didnt think too much, but the nobles felt their expressions changing drastically. They immediately realized why a heavily-fortified city like Expansive would fall in just a few days, and why the second princes uncle in Seclusion was killed. The battlecruiser was at the van, Song Huis high-speed destroyer brought up the rear, and the corvettes guarded the flanks. Behind this formation was a dozen or so high-speed transports, all of them armed. Some of them were especially eye-catching because one could tell that they were the Empires newest model. These were the transports Song Hui had brought along to ship ammunition and supplies, leaving them after arriving on the Fort Continent. It was only to be expected that they would become a part of Qianyes fleet. The Song clan might not be good at fighting, but their armaments were actually quite stunning. On the throne, Liu Zhongyuan opened his eyes abruptly, unable to maintain that immovable calm any longer. His disciples with sharp eyesight could see green veins popping on his hand; he was apparently restless at heart. In the bridge of the battlecruiser, Qianye stood quietly with Caroline to his left and a ten-year-old girl to his right. The latter was bright and beautiful beyond comparison. It looked like she had just hit puberty, but she possessed a rather outstanding build and was almost at Qianyes shoulder. She observed her surroundings curiously, almost as though she wanted to see through everything and remember them. Caroline said, Do you really not need me? Qianye said with a smile, Of course I do, why wouldnt I? This fleet would be in danger without you. Caroline rolled her eyes at him. Youre getting sweeter and sweeter, did you learn all this from that bad fellow Song Zining? I meant the duel! Just an old man, whats there to be afraid of? Hes still a divine champion, and for thirty years no less! Hes still a divine champion after thirty years, you think he can be stronger than the Wolf King? Caroline snorted. What are you trying to say? I cant defeat the Wolf King, either. Now thats more like it. At this moment, the airship was already closing in on the capital. At such a close distance, the exerted pressure was frightening. Many people started to cry out, unable to withstand the imminent threat. Wheres our fleet? How did they manage to get here? More ignorant people echoed the sentiment, but those in the know were all ashen-faced. They had guessed that something bad had happened. There were sparks around the battlecruisers main cannon, proving that it had just fired. The fleet drove until it was a thousand meters away before slowly coming to a stop. This distance was at the borders of the capitals firing range, and with its height advantage, the battlecruiser could also fire back at the royal capital. Standing at the bow, Qianye glanced down at Liu Zhongyuan before jumping down. He landed right in front of the old man without kicking up any dust. Liu Zhongyuans eyelids twitched a couple of times, but he remained seated in his chair. Young man, it seems you do have the means to be arrogant. Qianye smiled calmly. It has been so many days, have you guys not figured out my origins? Liu Zhongyuans gaze became focused. Young man, dont be so ignorant of how vast the heaven and earth are. You might be famous in the past, but youre still not a divine champion. And this is Zheng, not Great Qin or the neutral lands! Qianye broke into a laugh. Listening to your words, it looks like Great Qin should be the one learning from Zheng. The Empire is vast, but it might not be strong in every aspect. Zheng is small, but we fear no one because the masses are united! These words were spoken with great ardor and were powerful and resonating. The people around them broke out in loud cheers. Qianye felt that the mans words contained so many problems that he didnt know which part to reveal first. The fight between the princes had gotten so bad that it was taking place in the city now. United masses he said? And this kind of power struggle wasnt the first of its kind, but rather something that would play out every decade or so. Since its founding, the country had focused most of its energy on infighting, their strength falling each time. Zheng wasnt small, but it only enjoyed treatment similar to an ordinary county. The Empire assessed a countrys strength and contributions, so in its evaluation, Zheng was only comparable to a large county. It simply couldnt compare to a province. Zhengs national strength was weak, and their attitude, strange. Even their Royal Tutor could utter words like the Empire was big but not strong. Qianye had no idea where they were getting their confidence from. Gazing at the white-haired Liu Zhongyuan, Qianye felt deep sympathy for him. His gaze went past Liu Zhongyuan and landed in the packed crowdthese people looked like they were here to watch a show, despite the imminent war. Then, he looked at the seemingly impressive but incongruous Royal Capital and couldnt help but sigh. Qianye said calmly, Admit defeat, renounce the title of Royal Tutor, and work for the new King of Zheng. I can give you a good position. Liu Zhongyuan was surprised. He broke into a laugh from extreme anger. What if I disagree. Qianye said, A hundred-year-old divine champion who hasnt made progress in several decades. It might be a pity to kill you, but theres not much use in keeping you around, either. Bang! Unable to suppress the fury in his heart, Liu Zhongyuan crushed the armrest of his throne. He slowly stood up with a serious expression and gazed into the distance. A small figure fell down from the sky and smashed into the ground like a cannonball. It was the young girl who was standing beside Qianye a while ago. It seemed she wasnt great at balancing herself since she couldnt adjust her posture at all during the fall. The girl smashed face-first into the ground, producing a large crater from the impact. People nearby held their breaths, unable to even cry out in surprise. Even the spectators felt pained by her fall. Under the crowds gaze, she actually clambered up and shook her head briefly. It was as though she only felt dizzy from the fall, nothing else. The girl glanced around before running to Qianyes side. Pointing at Liu Zhongyuan, she said, Is it that old man? Let me fight him! Qianye pressed down on her head out of habit, pinning her in place. She swung her arms about and made threatening gestures but couldnt take a single step forward. The little fellow said angrily, I can beat him! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. And how are you going to do that? Ill spit at him first the little girl said righteously. Youll end up killing everyone in front. ... That might happen. The girl looked a bit guilty. What might? That will happen! Qianye knocked on the girls head, causing her to clutch her head in an aggrieved manner. Everyone who had just seen her fall wasnt about to believe she would feel pain from that. Liu Zhongyuan was so angry that he was trembling all over. He pointed a finger at Qianye but couldnt utter anything. As he saw it, this young girl was a tool Qianye had arranged to humiliate him. He had been a powerful authority in Zheng for many years, when had he ever suffered such treatment? Qianye pressed down the girl in earnest, almost as though he was afraid she would kill too many people. The spectators all felt that this was a deliberate act to humiliate Liu Zhongyuan, a new trick to form a vendetta. Perhaps only Qianye and the girl thought otherwise. That tall young girl was naturally Zhuji. She was growing faster and faster, almost completely different after a period of time. Her strength was also increasing at a rapid pace, almost as though there was no end to her growth. The power of her core toxin could be considered terrifying. Even a divine champion wouldnt have an easy time if they were accidentally sprayed. If they were careless enough to let the poison into their blood, it would most likely kill them. If even a divine champion could contract the poison, there was no need to discuss ordinary experts. As for those civilians who werent even considered experts, they would die without a doubt. If the wind and weather allowed for it, a mouthful of little Zhujis poison mist could probably kill a good chunk of the people at the scene. She was the actual superweapon at Qianyes side. Liu Zhongyuan took a deep breath. Impressive, Qianye. You actually dare to act so arrogantly! How will I convince the masses if I dont take your life today? Liu Zhongyuan roared with a wave of his hand, Men! A uniform response arose from around him, but the volume seemed rather insufficient. He looked back in anger to find that only the white-robed men had responded. The Royal Guard and the other squads were all looking at the sky in silence. Liu Zhongyuan followed their gaze and was deeply shaken when he saw the battlecruiser. He seemed to have forgotten about this big monstrosity in his anger. If both armies were to fight, Qianye possessed the absolute advantage with his battlecruiser. Zhengs anti-air firepower would not be able to destroy that warship. The only way was for Liu Zhongyuan to charge into the flagships interior and kill the commander. But warships of that grade would surely have defensive mechanisms to counter and cripple boarding-enemies while reinforcing their own men. Liu Zhongyuan wasnt confident about fighting Qianye under such circumstances. No matter how he thought about it, Qianyes one-on-one duel was the most advantageous choice for him. Qianye dragged little Zhuji behind him and said, Be good and stay here, dont move about. The little fellows eyes darted about. What if people attack me? Kill or cripple them, do as you wish, but dont spray poison. With Zhujis current strength, a mouthful of her poison would turn the place into a land of death, not sparing even a blade of grass. This was Zhengs most prosperous region, and Qianye had uses for it. Naturally, he wouldnt let her cause trouble. After the girl promised, Qianye turned back to Liu Zhongyuan and said, Its our turn now. Chapter 1200: A Lowlife Has its Use No content Chapter 1201: Be Careful No content Chapter 1202: Dont Go Too Far Qianye understood these little notions, but there was no need to point it out. Small countries like Zheng would have no way to survive if they didnt find a way to inflate their confidence. This prince, the new king from today onward, had never left Zheng before. The furthest he had been away from the country was when Song Lun had kidnapped him. His limited experience was a mark of his origins. Many people would be affected by their birth or experiences after adulthood, leaving little room for molding after the inherent mindset had been formed. It wasnt something that could be turned around by resources or teachers. In short, Nan Ruohuais performance during this time wasnt so bad, with all things considered. Passing through the garden, they arrived at a secluded courtyard. Mountain, stream, a small pavilioneverything made for a proper resting place. The garden just now couldnt fit a lot of people since it was packed with flowers and plants. The small pavilion was shrouded by flowery decorations, exuding a thriving scene that was out of place with the time of the year. This excessive garishness was actually quite harsh on the eyes. Qianye was used to Zhao Jundu, Song Zining, and even Wei Potiantheir lavishness was in harmony with daily life. This kind of overly eye-catching arrangement made him uncomfortable. There were three people seated in the pavilion, surrounded by several attendants. There was also a group of internal attendants outside. The ostentation was sufficient, but the courtyard was simply too small for such a large group. The person who had made these arrangements clearly had no idea that more people didnt necessarily mean more power. Space was the most valuable asset at the center of the Royal Capital; every inch of land was as valuable as gold. Nan Ruohuai said, Sire, those who want to see you are waiting in the pavilion. All three people in the pavilion were ladies. Qianye didnt really observe them carefully when he arrived, only casting a glance when Nan Ruohuai said so. The woman in the center was somewhat aged, but her features were graceful and her charm cut deep to the bone. She mightve been more beautiful when she was younger, but she might not necessarily exude this kind of attractiveness back then. The two ladies to the side were fairly beautiful, possessing features similar to the older lady and Nan Ruohuai. Having seen the Second Prince and now these ladies, Qianye understood that these people shared a close bloodline. Nodding, Qianye walked into the pavilion and sat down. The pavilion was quite small, so it was a bit of a strain to move around when it was so tightly packed. Qianyes knees were almost touching the girl across from him as he sat down. The young lady shifted slightly, hoping to make some space for the guest, but she accidentally kicked Qianyes foot instead. Her face turned entirely red, and she was at a loss about what to do. The woman glared at the girl, but even this small movement of hers was seductive and titillating. She stole a glance at Qianye in the process, the nature of which was hard to determine. Was it a peek or was it a flirtatious glance? She scolded the girl in a whisper before saying to Qianye, The Sire hails from the Empire and is someone who has seen the world. Naturally, he wont be impressed by this small place. But this courtyard boasts the best scenery in the palace, and I made all the decorations myself. What do you think? What could Qianye say? He merely nodded and glossed over things. Not bad. The woman giggled with her mouth covered, her chest shaking from the movement. Its great that you like it, Sire. Im Ruohuais mother, granted the title of Shu, but you youre my younger brother, so you can just call me by name, Shu Rong. These two are my daughters, your nieces. The elder one is Jinyi, and this ignorant one is Jinhang. Qianye nodded, sweeping his gaze over them in a gesture of greeting. Jinhang turned red when Qianye glanced past her, but Jinyi met his gaze bravely and even tried to push her chest out. Qianye was thinking about something different, though. Thinking back to how Nan Ruohuai had addressed the woman as Queen Mother, it would seem that he had elevated her status after taking the crown. That was the right thing to do with his status. Despite the mother relying on the sons status, the mother of that Supreme Ruler from Great Qin was still an Imperial concubine. The granting of this small title gave one a peek into the subtle relationship between the monarchs authority and the powerful aristocracy. Zheng was loyal to Qin, but in the end, the two were fundamentally different. Did Zheng consider the Empire as big but not strong because of matters related to the ruling familys prestige? Queen Mother Shus intention was clear, but Qianye had no plan to spend more time and energy on her. Okay, weve already met. So, what does Queen Mother Shu want from me? The woman was startled, not expecting things to deviate so far from her script. She reacted quickly enough, however, and said with a smile, Sire, as my brother, this palace is just like your home. You can come and go as you please. Why not let Ruohuai take you around so that you can judge the architecture of the dynasty? Without waiting for Qianye to reply, Nan Ruohuai said, Ill of course serve uncle well! After some thought, Qianye said, Very well then, lets take a look. The Zheng Royal Palace was a bit small, but it was somewhat worth taking a look. Nan Ruohuai paid no heed to the attendants shocked expressions. Seeing that they were frozen stiff, his expression darkened. Are you all deaf and blind? Im taking my uncle around the palace, did you not hear? The attendant ladies exchanged glances. Suddenly, an old attendant fell to her knees, crying, Your Majesty! You must not! The royal harem isnt a place for outsiders! Your name shall be stained throughout history if news of this gets out! You must not! Absolutely not! Nan Ruohuai roared with a fierce expression, A stain throughout history? Why would something from inside the palace spread outside? It must be because of people like you? The old attendant was shocked. Impossible, this servant is most loyal Without waiting for her to finish, Nan Ruohuai said, Men, behead this disrespectful fanatic! In the face of this order, the attendant ladies fell to their knees and began pleading in earnest. It would seem this old attendant was fairly influential in the palace. Someone even cried out, If you must kill, then kill us all! Qianye remained silent with his eyes lowered. It was as though he had no interest in this ongoing commotion. Nan Ruohuai glanced at Qianye, then at the kneeling palace staff. You people play this game the first day that I ascend the throne. Do you think this king wont kill? He drew his sword and slashed down, decapitating the old attendant on the spot! The attendants were shocked out of their wits. Those kneeling on the ground went silent, and those who werentthe ones who had sworn loyalty to Nan Ruohuaiwent pale and fell to their knees. The king roared, Who was it that wanted me to kill them? Stand out and Ill fulfill your wishes! Of course, no one replied, but Nan Ruohuai wasnt about to stop here. He pointed his blade at a young attendant. I remember it was you who said that, do you think youll be fine if you keep quiet? The blade rose and fell, but all of a sudden, a hand appeared mid-slash. It plucked the sword from Nan Ruohuais hands and, with a spin, pressed it against his neck. Stunned, the new king slowly turned around to find an unassuming middle-aged attendant. He had no impression of this person. Nan Ruohuai was only one step away from the champion realm, so this person had to be far more powerful in order to snatch the sword from him. How could such a person be unknown? Since this person was an attendant, Nan Ruohuai hardened his voice and roared, Who the hell are you? Are you rebelling? The attendant replied, Your Majesty, you should stop before going too far. Such bloodthirst is not appropriate. Nan Ruohuais eyes turned cold. Zheng is my kingdom, must I ask you for permission when I want to kill someone? The internal attendant said with a frown, Your Majesty, the way you obtained the throne is the way you will lose it. At least, the other princes wont bring an outsider into the palace and cause humiliation to the country! Since you have veered so far from our traditions, I should simply kill you and remove a calamity for the world! For the son of a songstress, being king for one day is already fortunate enough. Time to go! With that, he moved to behead Nan Ruohuai in a single slash! The surroundings fell into chaos, mixed with the screams of ladies. But everyones eyes blurred for a split second as someone appeared in their midst. It was as though the sword was stabbing into a mountain, not moving no matter how much force was applied. The attendant was shocked to find Qianye standing at his side, grabbing onto the sword with one hand. Nan Ruohuais sword was a grade seven weapon that had been handed down from king to king. However, Qianye was simply grabbing onto it without any special arts. The blade couldnt move at all, nor could it cut through his palm. Qianye said indifferently, Youre quite loyal, but thats also the unfortunate reason why I cant keep you alive. Follow your master in peace. The attendants expression shifted drastically. How did you know? In no mood to reply, Qianye casually slapped down on the mans head. The attendants expression was solemnhe bent his knees into a horse stance and, with a loud roar, swung his elbows up to block the palm. However, he was extremely shocked the moment he touched Qianyes palm. Qianyes palm fell normally as though there was no obstruction, and went all the way down to waist-height before retracting. With a loud bang, the attendant was half-buried into the ground, still in his upward defensive stance. The spirit in his eyes scattered as he leaned to the side with a whimper, and never moved again. No one in the palace dared look up. Most of these people were simply terrified of being slaughtered by the new king; only a few understood that Qianye had slapped that attendant to death with great ease. This attendant was the Royal Tutors follower and boasted a rank-sixteen cultivation, the most powerful expert in the palace apart from the king and the Royal Tutor. He was often praised for his potential for breaking through to the divine champion realm. Nan Ruohuai had been away from the palace for too long. The King of Zheng treated him like an invisible prince, only allowing him to enter the palace and meet his mother at new years. That was why he didnt recognize this person, but he could already venture a guess. Who wouldve thought he would be hiding among the attendants all this time and only made an appearance just now. Qianye paid no heed to what these people were thinking. He still couldnt feel any satisfaction even after slapping a high-ranking expert to death. Such a commotion, I think we should stop touring the rear palace. Chapter 1203: Restrained Those with experience thought one level deeper. Qianye was the actual mastermind behind everything, so what was the point of killing Nan Ruohuai? The man would just drag another prince or princess onto the throne and solidify his influence once more. If he was too annoyed, he could simply kill off the entire royal family and drag some random person onto the throne, claiming that he was the late kings illegitimate son. Who could say anything? Besides, internal strife was normal for Zheng, and everyone in the palace had seen their fair share of it. Someone wanted to clean up the corpses, but Nan Ruohuai stopped them. Just leave it like that! I want everyone to see what happens to those who oppose this king! That attendant was half-buried in the hard limestone floor, his upper body perfectly intact. This went to show just how extraordinary the assailants technique was. This was the number one expert in the palace! It could be assumed that those with untoward thoughts wouldnt dare act recklessly anymore. After giving out the orders, Nan Ruohuai ignored his deathly pale mother and sisters to attend to Qianye. Uncle Sire, please follow me! Qianye nodded indifferently and followed Nan Ruohuai around the screen. They first arrived at the Kings chambers, adjacent to the queens, currently occupied by Queen Mother Shu. Qianye found this arrangement rather odd. Did Nan Ruohuai have a wife? The information Song Lun had given him didnt state anything of that sort, so he simply tossed the thought to the side. The two palace chambers werent big, but there were courtyards and flower gardens decorated in tasteless extravagance. After viewing these palaces in passing, Nan Ruohuai led Qianye to a small courtyard. The sign on the gates read: Shifting Fragrance Palace. The board was made of valuable material and the craftsmanship was exquisite, but the writing was barely passable. Judging from the inscription, it was likely the work of one of the previous monarchs. Seeing that the gate was tightly closed, Nan Ruohuai turned livid. He charged over and kicked the doors into pieces, producing a storm of splinters and a painful cry from the courtyard. Nan Ruohuai walked in with large strides and saw an attendant girl, badly injured and her face covered in blood. A kick from someone of his strength wasnt something an ordinary person could withstand. Nan Ruohuai glared at the palace attendant. You blind thing! Locking the door when this king is returning to the palace!? Men, drag this slut and throw her into the immersed prison! A woman, seemingly in her thirties, appeared from the main building at this point. Calm and aloof, she was the classic example of an icy beauty. It was just that one could see faint traces of age in her facial features. There were clear signs of anger in her eyes, but she forced out a smile. So its His Excellency the Thirty-First. Why are you so angry today? Must you take it out on my ignorant servant? Excellency!? Oh my, I should be calling you Your Majesty now. Its a habit. Nan Ruohuai nodded. Youre a smart person, how can it be out of habit? Since youre so unwilling, why not just call me by name? Its just an address, anyhow. The woman bit her lower lips. I understand my mistake, please dont take it to heart, Your Majesty. Nan Ruohuais expression darkened. Since you know your mistake, how should you be addressing yourself? ... This consort. Thats more like it, how should you perform your greetings when you see me? The woman''s eyes became moist as she bent her knees and knelt lightly on the ground, teardrops falling into the dust as she lowered her head. Finally satisfied, Nan Ruohuai said to his inner attendant, Throw that girl into the banishment palace, no need for the dungeon. The woman forced herself to speak through her tears. Thank you, Your Majesty. Nan Ruohuai turned to Qianye and said, This is the royal consort, titled Xue, and fathers favorite. We normally call her Aunt Xue. She isnt really impressed by us, though, and if not for the circumstances, she probably wont even know who the thirty-first prince is. Nan Ruohuai said to Consort Xue, Get up. Then, he brought Qianye into the bedroom without consulting anyone. Her face went pale as she watched the two marching figures, and it took all she had to not break down in tears. Nan Ruohuai didnt stay too long in the flower garden and instead went into the bed-chambers, fiddling with the small decorative items along the way. He then opened a cabinet, which by some unlucky coincidence or otherwise, was full of ladies undergarments. Nan Ruohuais expression remained unchanged as he picked one up and studied it closely. Consort Xue, who had just followed them in, went livid, trembling all over as she stood there at a loss. Nan Ruohuai tossed away the undershirt and said, What do you think? Do you want to spend the night here? Qianye stood at the doorway with his hands behind his back, indifferent and expressionless as he shook his head. Okay, lets go to another place then. There are four royal consorts in the palace. Having seen the guests off, Consort Xue was just heaving a sigh of relief when Nan Ruohuai turned back at the gate and glared at her, causing her to go pale. Along the way, they met over a dozen concubines in addition to the four consorts. The palace wasnt big and the rear palace was even smaller. Considering how the rear flower garden was also taking up space, the four consorts palaces were actually just small courtyards despite their impressive names. There was a main building with three rooms in each compound and two side rooms for attendants to live in, and the remaining space was filled with flowerbeds, tables, and chairs. If even the four royal consorts lived in such abodes, there was no need to talk about the other concubines. The ones with higher status would live in pairs, while the ones with lower status would live four to a courtyard. With Consort Xues example in place, they never went through the awkwardness of being locked out in other places. The consorts and concubines would receive them with smiles; they were so enthusiastic that they looked more like store ladies welcoming customers than royal concubines. Having finished the tour, Qianye concluded that the four royal consorts were indeed a bit more good looking than Queen Mother Shu, and the other concubines were all inferior. It would seem that the old King of Zhengs harem was ranked according to his preferences in addition to their backgrounds. But these women were all cooped up in such a small place, like chickens in a cage, so they had nothing better to do than fight amongst themselves. With how small the rear palace was, the tour was fairly short even if they took the time to observe every place. Qianye said to Nan Ruohuai, Lets go back to the study to talk. Since Qianye had no interest in staying in the rear palace, Nan Ruohuai didnt insist on it, either. He simply led Qianye to the front palace study. The latter sat down in the big chair with Nan Ruohuai standing respectfully at his side. Qianye said jokingly, Arent you afraid of leaving a bad name by offering up the harem? Nan Ruohuai replied, You were the one who gave me whatever I have now, so whatever you want in Zheng is yours. If not for you, who would even know who the thirty-first prince is? How could it be my turn to stand here? What is the royal harem compared to your great favor? Qianye didnt comment. How is your father? We still havent found him. The second brother worked together with several royal siblings to move him away from the palace. We still dont know where theyre hiding him. It wont be easy to get such a big secret out of the servants, well need to target the leaders. My guess is that hes still in the Royal Capital. Qianye was surprised. Did they hide the king because I was challenging the Royal Tutor? Nan Ruohuai started laughing. You think too highly of them! Theres no way my brothers would be so kind! Ive asked my father''s close attendants, father hasnt been in the palace since a month ago. He has been in a delirious state all this time. Meanwhile, my second brother began acting as regent with the Royal Tutors support, gaining fame and power in court. These people were afraid father would wake up and take over the government again! What would they do if he appointed another prince as the crown heir? They couldnt rebel, could they? Unlike me, these people do care about what the history books will say about them. Qianye was a bit surprised. Do you mean theyll keep him under house arrest if your father remains alive? Since he was already being detained, the old King Zhengs fate was already sealed. He might die naturally if he didnt recover from the disease, but he might just pass away naturally if he were to recover. At this point, Qianye gained a new understanding of Zheng as a nation. Nan Hua could be considered one of the better-natured ones. How do you plan to handle this matter? Nan Ruohuai gave it some thought. Naturally, Ill have to find my father first. Ill have to seal off the Royal Capital and perform a thorough search. Im guessing they will kill father in their desperation and try to blame it on me. Even so, I cannot let his corpse fall into their hands. True, I guess. What then? Several important cities in the nation are still in your brothers hands. What do you plan to do? Nan Ruohuai appeared rather confident. "I now control most of the Royal Guard, and the city guard has also announced their loyalty. Our Zhengs Royal Guard has always been the best elite force in the country. With them under my control, itll be fairly easy to destroy my other brothers. Just leave this matter to me, you dont need to bother. Qianye smiled indifferently. That means you plan to quell and pacify Zheng on your own? Nan Ruohuai retracted his high spirits and said, Didnt you want me to accomplish certain things as the King of Zheng? Qianye said calmly, Its naturally good if thats what you want. Its getting late, lets discuss tomorrow. Nan Ruohuai said, Shall I arrange a place for you to rest in the rear palace? Qianye shook his head. No need, Ill go back to the warship. I also have some things to discuss with Song Lun and the others. A flash of disappointment appeared in Nan Ruohuais eyes, but he saw Qianye off respectfully and watched him drive away before going back. After returning to the study, he headed over to one of the side chairs out of habit. Only when his bottom was halfway toward the chair did he remember that something wasnt quite right and moved to the big chair Qianye was sitting before. He plopped down so hard that it looked like he fell into the seat. An old attendant who was waiting in the room moved closer and said mysteriously, Your Majesty, its quite a pity hes not willing to stay. Nan Ruohuai said, puzzled, Indeed. The old attendant whispered, Theres a secret formula passed down from the royal ancestors, a poison that has no taste or smell. Nothing happens when first taking it, but it acts up an hour later with a force so potent that even those with powerful cultivation wont last longer than thirty minutes. Nan Ruohuais heart started beating faster and his mouth became dry. T-This medicine This medicine has a special characteristic; the longer its stored, the more potent it is. Theres a bottle in the palace thats been kept for fifty years! Youre saying Chapter 1204: Quick Battle The old man was shocked out of his wits. The trembling caused his skin to rub against the blade, breaking and bleeding somewhat. This servant is entirely loyal to you. Its just that I simply cannot stand that mans arrogance. This isnt fair to you! Nan Ruohuai put away his dagger after a while. If you saw how that man killed the Royal Tutor like he would slaughter a dog, you wont think like this. Your so-called ancestral poison, will it really kill him? What if it doesnt? The old man frowned and said with a surge of killing intent, Then fight it out with him! You have the army in your hands, whats there to be afraid of? That warship may be big, but if we are all united in our efforts, there will always be an opportunity to strike it down. What does he have without the warship? Nan Ruohuai laughed wryly, shaking his head. You dont know. He has an even bigger warship, one that he never drove into the country. Its just there in the void. All the current vessels added together cant hold a candle to that giant warship. The old attendant was stunned and looked rather doubtful. How can there be such a big ship? Nan Ruohuai shook his head and returned to his seat. Indeed how could there be such a giant warship? How big was the world outside of Zheng? The number of soldiers Qianye had brought wasn''t large. The squad was even smaller than the airships total crew. Hence, they only took control of the airship port outside of the city and the area close to the southern gate. A number of structures that could pose a threat to the airships were also occupied. This placed the royal capital in a subtle state of divided rule. After returning to the airship, Qianye summoned all the generals to the war room and hung up a scaled map of Zheng beside the map of the Fort Continent. Qianye pointed to several cities with the pointer, saying, Here, here, and here we need to take these five cities on our own. Eastern Sun Island is rich in minerals and Expansive can be modified into a military base. Meanwhile, these cities have the resources and manpower to form a corridor into the dark races territory, making sure that our mercenaries can fight their way into the center of Fort Continent without any interruptions. The generals here werent proficient in strategy, but the handful of men from the Song clan were so surprised that they couldnt speak. Then its settled. Qianye made a clear decision. Song Lun said, Sire, this is equal to slicing off a third of Zheng, and the best parts too. Will there be any complaints from the other side? Song Hui chuckled. Yeah, the new King of Zheng has eighty thousand Royal Guards at his beck and call! The Nan Ruohuai from before had nothing else, so it was fine to occupy Eastern Sun and Expansive in his name. Perhaps it was time for Qianye to consider the new kings response? Qianye replied, Weve been held up in Zheng for far too long. Its not important what he thinks, and theres no need to worry about it, either. Move ahead according to the determined strategy. If there are any obstructions along the way, no matter who it is, we will get rid of them. I have only one order for you, and that is Attack! Do I make myself clear? The mercenary generals were never afraid of adding more chaos to the situation. One of them said in a strange mocking tone, What if the Royal Guard fights us for territory? They have so many people! Im so scared! Indeed! Its eighty thousand men were talking about here. Forty men against you, Old Lin, its going to be a gangbang! Im so afraid, haha! Song Hui blushed as a series of vulgar language erupted. Her scoundrelly teasing might work on Qianye, but she could hardly compete against these mercenaries who were brought up in the actual lower rungs of society. She really wasnt as thick-skinned. Okay, quiet down. Qianye waited until everyone was well-behaved before assigning them their missions. At the same time, he also sent someone to notify Nan Ruohuai, asking him to organize Zhengs entire airship fleet and put them under Dark Flames command. At the end of the meeting, the mercenary generals sped away to mobilize their men, afraid that their other colleagues would take their contributions. In truth, there were only two thousand elite troops in total. After dividing them amongst the generals, each squad had little over a hundred men. Taking a city might be fine, but occupation was near impossible. The mercenary generals assigned to each city formed groups to study their task distribution. The generals in charge of deploying airships were surrounded by people who wanted more support for their squad, even if it was just an extra gunship. Song Hui stood beside Qianye, staring at him from every direction. Eventually, the latter could no longer stand it. What are you doing? Song Hui asked, Did you really think of this plan? Of course. Qianye was puzzled. And I thought you only knew how to fight. What, is there a problem? Qianye sought guidance rather humbly. Its strange because theres no problem. You dont have much command experience as far as I know, nor any experience working as a staff officer. Perhaps its because I always think about what Zining will do in the situation. Song Hui shook her head. This isnt seventh brothers style at all. Qianye said helplessly, I think its not a bad idea. Opening up a corridor and occupying important points will ensure the safety of the rear lines. What else do we need? If anyone blocks our way, well just destroy them. Song Hui raised a thumb. Bold and aggressive! Qianye rolled his eyes at her. Theres no need to waste too much thought on a tiny Zheng. Song Hui said, What do I do then? Shouldnt you be staying behind at the staff office? I want to fight, give me soldiers. Qianye hadnt expected her to make such a request. This lass was Song Zinings favored cousin, so Qianye didnt want her getting into any accidents. Besides, just like her name, Song Huis specialty was never on the field. Song Hui coaxed and pestered Qianye until he finally gave her fifty mercenaries to watch over the airship base. Back in the palace, Nan Ruohuais expression was dark. He tossed a couple of documents to the nearby ministers and generals, saying, Take a look. One of the generals cried out, Hand over all our warships? Impossible! Regardless of the newly-appointed ministers opinion, Qianyes war machine started rolling once again. Elite squads moved out from the capital in two routes, making a beeline for two small cities in the vicinity. The population of these two cities was only in the tens of thousands. Their garrison of a thousand men was only made up of local soldiers, so it was all too easy for the invaders in a fight of equal numbers. Regarding the southern gate area and the airship port, Qianye seemed to have no intention of relinquishing them. The Royal Guard who arrived to take over the area were rebuffed rather harshly. Fortunately, however, these people remembered pretty well how Liu Zhongyuan had died. The giant battlecruiser parked in the distant port also served as a constant reminder of who the skies belonged to. This stopped them from doing anything stupid. After receiving news of Qianyes westward advance, the Royal Guard also moved out in full force. Unwilling to be left behind, they split into several routes and marched for the various strategic points in the nation. It seemed as though they were competing against Qianye for territory. One big army of thirty thousand, a much bigger force than the others, made for the west. From their direction, it was obvious that they intended to take down the important western cities before Qianye could. The Royal Guards western route attacked madly, sieging cities and dismantling fortifications with valiant momentum. Most of the western border was the domain of the second prince, whose primary power lay with the defeated city of Expansive. Having lost their primary reserve forces and outstanding generals, the defensive power of the western cities was fairly hollow. With full control of the skies and numerous transport airships, Qianyes elite forces were basically transported by air for every operation. The Royal Guards land vehicles simply werent a match for them. The most important city on the western border was Pagoda City, which Dark Flamesupported by powerful aerial supporttook in one battle. This was the final and most important stop in Qianyes great corridor plan. Pagoda City boasted a population of a hundred and fifty thousand, and controlled hundreds of kilometers of surrounding land. It stood guard over Zhengs western borders. The dark races would have to take down Pagoda City if they wanted to enter the country. If they were to push in recklessly, the consequences of leaving such a major threat behind them would be unimaginable. Zhengs location was at the tip of the maple leaf, with mountains lying across its north and south, making it difficult for armies to march across. The mountains folded at the countrys western borders, leaving a narrow opening of less than a hundred kilometers. Pagoda City stood at the exit of this narrow passage, providing support to the dozen or so smaller fortresses and castles nearby. Pagoda City was actually very important, and its garrison normally reached ten thousand in troop strength. However, with the princes fighting amongst themselves and the old king missing, the chaos had spread to the borders as well. Moreover, Nan Ruohuais sudden appearance had fully ignited the flames of infighting. Under such circumstances, the border city became less important to the rulers, and the princes set their eyes on the citys soldiers. In order to bolster their forces, the princes came to Pagoda City to borrow soldiers. The commander of the city wasnt anyones direct relative, nor did he want to bet on any single candidate for fear of forming a grudge. As such, he had no choice but to give a small number of soldiers to all those who asked. It just so happened that Zheng had too many princes. With each asking for a few hundred men, the city ended up giving out several thousand. By the time Dark Flame bore down on the city, there were only six thousand soldiers left. Against this unprecedented fleet, the garrison general realized that there was no hope. Besides, Qianye was flying Nan Ruohuais flagthis prince had already taken the throne and gained great fame, with no small potential for unifying the country. Put between a rock and a hard place, the general suggested a duel between experts in front of the two armies. The mercenaries readily agreed. When it was time for each side to field their champion-rank experts, over a dozen mercenary generals charged the defending general, overwhelming him in the blink of an eye. The rank-sixteen expert could defeat any single mercenary in single combat, but he simply couldnt hold out against the wolf-pack. Within moments, he was on the floor as he took a hefty beating. Without any other choice, the defending general had to surrender. When the man pulled to his feet, his eyes and nose were all swollen, and his clothes and armor were in tatters. This fight was more of a group of hooligans ganging up on a man than a duel. Chapter 1205: Barren Land Seeing squad after squad of mercenaries driving into Pagoda City and making a beeline for the defensive structures and turrets, the general could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. Winning with numbers is not true ability! One of the mercenaries broke into a laugh. If youre really capable, why dont you put together a group of ten champions? The general was speechless. None of the clans and families in Zheng possessed that many generals. This went to show just how terrifying Dark Flame was. A different mercenary general said disdainfully, Your Royal Tutor didnt last three minutes against our commander. You can keep on being stubborn if you can take a single slap from him. The general was once again speechless. His social circle was naturally made up of similar experts, and they had come to a fair conclusion about the Royal Tutor. As they saw it, the old man had lost since the first move. After taking Qianyes Shot of Inception, Liu Zhongyuan was destined to be crippled if not dead. The moves that followed were not necessary at all. Qianye had probably intercepted the man because he wanted him dead on the spot. Otherwise, with how old and weak the Royal Tutor was, there was no way he would be able to maintain his divine champion state. That was akin to being crippled. These high-ranking experts possessed a different level of insight. Reportedly, one of them had sensed the terrifying might of that shot and claimed that anyone under the divine champion realm would die without a doubt. The general thus knew very clearly that Qianye could kill him in a flash. It was just that he couldnt figure out why this murderous god would come to such a low-level place like Fort Continent. It was at this moment that a massive shadow drifted across the city wall, and the battlecruiser flew over Pagoda City at a low altitude. At less than a hundred meters away, the citizens saw the battlecruiser as an unprecedented colossus, almost as though an entire street block was floating in the sky. The main cannon stinging out from its bow, the two rows of auxiliary cannons on each side, and the bullet holes that proved how thick its armor wasall of them filled the beholder with nothing but despair. As for himself, he might be able to charge into the battlecruiser if he were a divine champion and perhaps find a way to deal with it from the inside. But at rank-sixteen, he still couldnt do battle in the void, let alone confront this nimble battlecruiser. He simply couldnt overrun the warship and would probably be shot into a sieve midway. In his dejection, he never noticed that a person had arrived before him. Youre one of Liu Zhongyuans disciples? The sudden voice startled him. When he saw that excessively beautiful young man before him, he suddenly connected the dots. Youre Qianye replied, Correct, I was the one who defeated Liu Zhongyuan. The defending general collected his thoughts and said respectfully, The Royal Tutor did indeed instruct me for a period of time. Later on, he saw that I had no hope of breaking through to the divine champion realm, and it just so happened that someone was needed to defend the western region. Hence, I was let go. Strictly speaking, I can only be considered his nominal disciple. Youre called Xu Jingxuan, yes? Yes. Qianye nodded. I heard you have accumulated a fair bit of accomplishments against the dark races. Why are there so few soldiers in Pagoda City? Did you really think you can guard such a big region with what you have? Xu Jingxuan smiled wryly. The princes have been fighting amongst themselves recently, so everyone has been coming to request troops. A commoner like me with no power or connections has no way to decline. Its already a wonder that I was able to retain this much. Xu Jingxuan trembled as Qianye sized him up from head to toe. He felt himself being seen through entirely, and that all his secrets were being put into light. The general felt easier only when the blue tinge in Qianyes eyes faded away. Now that everything has been settled, would you be interested in following me on a westward expedition to drive the dark races out of this maple-leaf petal? Xu Jingxuan was excited but also hesitant. Sire, this wont be easy. Qianye smiled indifferently. I know its not easy, so Ill be at the van throughout the fight. You people can follow me from the flanks. Dying on the battlefield while fighting against the dark races is a much better fate than falling in a civil war. What say you? Do you dare? Xu Jingxuans blood began to burn. Soldiers like us are born to fight and die on the battlefield. Why would I not want to seize territory from the dark races for our descendants? I would not have taken this post if I were afraid of death! But once the fervent episode was over, Xu Jingxuan said with a difficult expression, Its just that What troubles you? Speak freely. My family is in the Royal Capital. All border generals like us leave our families and homes in the core region. If I follow you on this expedition, I will be considered a deserter, and thats a crime punishable by familial execution. Qianye understood that this was a method the country employed to restrain border generals. It was the same for Great Qin in its early years. After a formal system was established for the major clans and families, the border regions were left to them to defend. The restraints placed upon border generals were relaxed thereafter. The aristocracy located at the borders had to exchange the flesh and blood of their kin for every inch of landland they planned to take root on. Hence, there were often examples of the defenders fighting to the last man during dark-race invasions. Qianye said after some thought, How about this? Ill give you some time. Go to the Royal Capital and bring your family here. I will dispatch a corvette to send you back so that you dont waste too much time traveling. But Xu Jingxuan looked awkward. Qianye said, Nan Ruohuai will know that youre one of mine when he sees the corvette. Whatever you do, he will agree. If he really doesnt let your family go, I will have a good talk with him. Xu Jingxuan looked up. Sire, are those rumors true? Qianye smiled. I only needed a reason to come to Fort Continent. As for who sits on the throne, its not that important. Thats true. If you can put the thirty-first prince on the throne, you can easily do the same with anyone else. After the emotional thought, Xu Jingxuan asked cautiously, Sire, since you can put that person on the throne, why not just sit there yourself? Qianye shook his head. Zheng is too small, Im not interested. This place is good as a stepping stone, but thats all it is. Why would someone like you come to Fort Continent? Qianye shot him a glance, replying with a question, Why do you think Fort Continent is so barren and poor? This question made it difficult for Xu Jingxuan, and he still couldnt grasp the main points after some thought. I guess the land itself is too infertile? All lower continents faced the same problemthe lands were infertile and lacking in minerals. It was common logic that a lack of grains meant people couldnt survive. A small population in turn meant fewer experts. Qianye stretched out his hand after listening to Xu Jingxuans explanation. A small origin vortex appeared in his palm, much like a miniature tornado moving around. There were strange wisps inside that were so dark that they resembled a bottomless abyss. Even Xu Jingxuan could feel his hair standing on end when he sensed the aura. Is this void origin power? Correct, one that lies between the darkness origin and the midpoint. No wonder. Xu Jingxuan could feel some sweat forming on his forehead. The closer to the darkness origin power was, the purer it would become, and the same applied to daybreak origin power. At the midpoint between daybreak and darkness was pure primal chaos. This chaos was actually very stable. Void origin power that deviated away from these three points would bear strong corrosive and destructive effects. Even the dark races would reject such origin power. Seeing the origin power vortex in Qianyes hands, Xu Jingxuan was filled with incomparable admiration. He was also puzzled as to why Qianye would mention this. Seeing that he did not understand, Qianye said, This is the reason why Fort Continent does not produce top experts, its also the reason why the werewolves are the dominant race here. Xu Jingxuan understood the meaning but found it rather unbelievable. Are you saying this is Fort Continents origin power? Qianye nodded. The void origin power here runs too thin, so you wont sense it normally. You were able to see it more clearly after I condensed it. Xu Jingxuan opened his mouth and stared at Qianye as though he had seen a ghost. He had never heard of origin power being condensed, much less in such a manner. However, this was all too easy for Qianye who cultivated the Profound Combatant Formula and the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, none of which Zheng had ever heard of or seen. After his shock, Xu Jingxuan meditated on and gradually came to understand Qianyes words. Fort Continent was filled with the corrosive void origin power Qianye had demonstrated just now. Even a negligible concentration of that was enough to bring down the quality of the cultivation environment. The origin power cultivated under such circumstances would no doubt contain some impurities which, despite the small amount, would ruin the cultivators attempt at breaking through to the divine champion realm. The ratio of divine champions on the Fort Continent was much lower than in the Great Qin. The Great Qin had fought its way up from the lowest continent, sacrificing countless lives until it reached a middle continent, where it stopped to establish an empire. Perhaps the environment was one of the reasons. Seeing that Xu Jingxuan had begun to understand, Qianye said with a smile, Do you understand now? This is why the werewolves can lord over the continent. Xu Jingxuan had fought countless times against the werewolves, but his understanding of the dark races wasnt too deep. He remained deep in thought, unable to grasp the connection. Qianye explained, This void origin power is both beneficial and harmful to the dark races, its especially poisonous to the demonkin. Hence, the true experts of the demonkin and vampire races wont come here for no reason. As for the arachne, they neither benefit nor suffer from it, but they have more important places to fight for, places where their race can thrive. Hence, they have no reason to fight with the werewolves. Xu Jingxuan understood now. Fort Continent is so inferior that the other races dont think highly of it. Thats why the werewolves are dominant? Indeed. Since Fort Continent is so poor, why would you come here? Qianye laughed out loud. I cant beat people from other places. Xu Jingxuan laughed along awkwardly, not expecting such an answer. The environment on Fort Continent was adverse. It was also barren and weak, only a bit better than the lowest Evernight Continent. Despite all that, it felt rather uncomfortable to have someone else point it out. Chapter 1206: How Can We Be selfish? No content Chapter 1207: The Will to Figh As for Xu Jingxuans family members, he never had time to pick them up. He only requested Qianye to send someone to the capital to bring them over. It could be assumed that Qianyes foot soldier would hold more weight than Xu Jingxuan in front of the new king. Qianye, of course, wouldnt refuse such a small request. Xu Jingxuan was a rare, outstanding talent, one who wouldve broken through to the divine champion realm if it werent for having to grow up on Fort Continent. He was also a talented general, producing textbook-worthy accomplishments in several battles since his assignment to the western region. It was just that Zheng was too busy with civil strife to consider an expansion, allowing such good opportunities to slip away. Now that Qianye was here with an unprecedented advantage, he naturally wouldnt let go of this opportunity. Having found a glimpse of hope for the aspiration he had hidden deep inside his heart, Xu Jingxuan was highly motivated and dedicated to the cause. Three days went by in the blink of an eye, and the army in Pagoda City was starting to take shape. The city itself couldnt support an army in the tens of thousands, but the western region was quite fertile, so there were small towns and villages scattered all over the area. The population scattered in the vicinity was several times greater than that of the city itself, serving as the main source of troop replenishment. It was Xu Jingxuans familiarity with the situation that allowed him to set such a seemingly-impossible recruitment target. But raising an army was no joke. The equipment alone was barely enough, and the subsequent consumption of supplies was no small number. Pagoda Citys food production and reserves were far from enough to support such an army. Qianye understood this perfectly, but he did not object to this recruitment target. Xu Jingxuan understood from this that their future supplies would come from the dark races. He actually became more motivated after finding out Qianyes will to fight. Just as Pagoda City was at the height of activity, another unannounced guest arrived at their doors. Qianye was stunned after listening to the attendants report. Royal Guard? What are they doing here? The attendant replied, This Royal Guard officer wishes to see you and discuss matters related to a handover. The attendant lowered his voice. Yes, the officer wishes to confirm when you will hand Pagoda City over to them. Qianye was dazed for a minute. This demand was so outrageous that he couldnt even get angry about it. He simply couldnt figure out what kind of deity this Royal Guard officer was. For a split second, he really wanted to see what was in that persons brain to entertain such thoughts. But Qianye quickly pushed these wilful thoughts aside as there were numerous decisions for him to make. Xu Jingxuan might be capable, but many strategic decisions required his attention. The remaining time wasnt even enough for him to cultivate; how could he have enough time to spend on such people? He told the attendant, Assemble all generals, Ill be waiting for them in the war room in thirty minutes. The attendant ran away at top speed. Thirty minutes wasnt long, and any delay might end up in people being late. Moments later, all the generals had arrived in the war room, some of them huffing and puffing. Apparently, those people were located further away from the center and had to run at top speed. Qianye glanced at the time and found, to his satisfaction, that only twenty minutes had passed. I heard the Royal Guard is outside the city, how many people are there, where are they stationed? Xu Jingxuan stood up. They have thirty thousand men under the command of the first and seventh divisions, the best in the Royal Guard. The commander is the vice-commander of the entire Royal Guard, Xue Yang. The number one general of the Royal Guard, huh? Qianye laughed. How strong is he? Xu Jingxuan replied again, Just like me, hes rank-sixteen in cultivation. However, I heard he switched to a cultivation art handed down in the Zheng Royal Family after Royal Consort Xue was promoted. If we do fight, Im more likely to lose. Qianye nodded. No wonder his tone is so big. At this moment, the generals had all heard about this commanders demands. His army of thirty thousand was less than ten kilometers from the city, seemingly ready to attack at a moments notice. The mercenaries were all quite angry. If it wasnt for Qianyes presence, they wouldve started shouting to charge out. Xu Jingxuan, on the other hand, was quite reserved and his expression was serious. Even with the defenders advantage, his six thousand soldiers werent a match for Commander Xues thirty thousand Royal Guards. Seeing that everyone was waiting for him to speak, Qianye said, Okay, lets talk about organizing the new army. The new armys organization was multi-faced. The food, lodgings, and supplies of fifty thousand men were no small matter. These generals knew that Qianyes time was precious, so they summarized their reports as best they could. Even then, it took an hour for the discussions to end. The attendant at the door peeped into the room repeatedly, looking quite nervous. Qianye called the attendant in and asked calmly, Whats the matter? The attendant said, Sire, the emissary from the Royal Guard has been waiting outside. Hes already quite impatient. Qianye turned to Xu Jingxuan. Is this one of your men? Xu Jingxuan stood up hurriedly, sweating on the forehead. Yes, please punish me for the lack of discipline! Qianye said calmly, Whats the point of leaving such a spineless person in the army? Drive him away. I understand. Xu Jingxuan walked over to the door in large strides. He picked up the attendant and tossed him to one of his trusted followers, saying, Take him away and remove his military rank, never accept him again! The follower affirmed the order and dragged the crying attendant away. After Xu Jingxuan was back at his seat, Qianye said, Since it has been brought up, lets get it done with. Its not an important matter, so theres no need to discuss it in-depth. Jingxuan! Xu Jingxuan stood up and said, I stand ready! Tell them that the area fifty kilometers around Pagoda City is a forbidden zone. They have half an hour to leave, or remain here forever. Xu Jingxuan took a moment to come to his senses, not expecting Qianye to assume such a harsh stance. He was determined enough to accept the order without a single word. Qianye retracted his gaze in satisfaction. Song Lun, Song Hui, set out with the flagship and scramble all the other vessels. Start bombarding the Royal Guards camp in half an hour, whether or not there are people inside. Song Lun trembled as he stood up to accept his orders, but Song Huis eyes lit up in excitement. The group of mercenary generals was eager to fight and immediately started requesting permission. Some wanted to flank the enemy, while others wanted to charge head-on. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw them intent on wiping out the thirty thousand Royal Guards. Qianye waved his hand down, gesturing for silence as he summed up the preparation work for the new army. Then, after making some arrangements for defense, he dismissed the generals. Half an hour later, several giant shadows moved across the land and began bombarding the distant camp. Dense smoke curled up into the sky amidst thunderous rumbles as raging flames devoured the target. One kilometer away from the camp, a tall, burly man was absolutely furious. Goddammit, this is absolutely intolerable. Let me go, this daddys going to fight it out with them! The general was so strong that he was dragging over ten Royal Guard officers along, some clinging to his legs and others hugging him at the waist. The officers cried out while trying to pull him back, Sire, you must not! You must not! The man roared back, What about our brothers in the camp? Its too late, they cant be saved anymore. The man stamped his feet in a daze. I was too useless and greedy. I killed them! The officers heaved a sigh of relief. Commander, Sire, we only wanted to show off our might for that person. Who wouldve thought this Qianye would be so ruthless as to bombard the camp? We dont have a single warship, our only choice was to retreat first. Sire, where theres life, theres hope. We will come back even stronger in the future! Why not stoop to his level and compete in the short term? The burly man remained silent for a while. Let it be, its all my fault. Why did I leave a few hundred brothers to ambush them? Sigh. At this point, the entire camp was drowned in flames. Even a champion would find it hard to escape the blazing inferno and the raining cannon shells. The dozen or so airships eventually stopped their fire and began circling about to hunt for survivors. On the warship, Song Hui pointed into the distance. Those people arent leaving yet. It looks like they still havent given up their evil intentions. Song Lun hesitated for a moment. Theyve already left the main camp. It can be considered compliance. Song Hui shook her head. Thats not how it should be. Since theyve been humiliated once, a second time doesnt mean much. The important thing is not whether they listen, but whether they are convinced. If they are not, we should give them a lesson they wont soon forget. Song Lun said cautiously, What are you doing? The commander did not order us to start a fight. He didnt say we should just let it be, either. Retorting thus, Song Hui drew a line in the air and said to the captain, Concentrate auxiliary cannons onto that area, then fire a second barrage thirty meters forward. The experienced captain immediately realized the intention and began making the necessary arrangements. Moments later, the battlecruiser moved elegantly, turning to the side and lowering its auxiliary cannons in the direction Song Hui had pointed out. The first round of artillery fire began. The well-trained cannoneers fired with great precision, forming a line made up of dozens of explosions. The smoke rose several dozen meters into the air, and the consequent rumble was shocking. This line of cannon-fire was only a hundred or so meters from the commander of the Royal Guard. The explosions left the officers pale and their ears, ringing. They watched the wall of smoke with terrified expressions; this was probably the first time they had experienced the firepower of a giant warship up close. The warship slowly adjusted its position and the cannons readied themselves to fire again. The dust hadnt settled from the first barrage when the second one landed thirty meters to the front. A hundred meters was the area of effect of these powerful cannons. The officers began to feel the impact with greater intensity as the barrage inched forward thirty metersthat and, of course, the threatening implications. One of the officers watched as the battlecruiser moved sideways and adjusted its cannons. Commander! Theyre planning to bombard us to death. Lets pull back! Commander Xue said furiously, I want to see if they really have the courage to kill an important member of the royal court! His words hadnt even ended when a third barrage landed, only fifty meters away this time. The dust and gravel from the impact covered everyones faces, and the shockwaves were strong enough to hurt people. Chapter 1208: Money Problems In the days that followed, Pagoda City was drowned in strange phenomena. A great maelstrom of dark clouds could be seen spinning over the city. It was as though the end of the world was nigh and that the sky itself was moving. Amidst the chaos, Xu Jingxuan went out to the city in-person to inform the people that the phenomenon was caused by Commander Qianyes cultivation, and that there was no need to be alarmed. This calmed the people down but also led to fervent discussions. Who wouldve thought a persons cultivation could move heaven and earth? In truth, Qianye himself was feeling quite depressed. Zhang Boqian had considered every aspect during the modification, but he simply didnt think about the commotion involved. Although the cultivation caused a fair bit of disturbance, there were unexpected benefits as well. Word spread like wildfire, and everyone in Pagoda City ended up worshipping Qianye like a god. The zealotry was superior to what people felt for the late Royal Tutor. Some even claimed that they were citizens of Qianye and Qianye alone, that they had nothing to do with Zheng anymore. Some of them even began discussing what to call the new country. With Xu Jingxuan around, operations for the western expedition went on in an orderly fashion. Batch after batch of scouts was dispatched to collect new intelligence on the dark races near the western border. The closest scouting party had returned at this point and added new markings to the big map in the war room. By the time Qianye summoned the generals again after a period of cultivation, this map was crowded with a dense array of markings. Even the smallest tribe or fort was clearly labeled. Those who understood the field were full of praise for Xu Jingxuan after seeing this graded map. The mercenary generals were also able to witness the mans methods and great prestige during the recent training of new troops. As seasoned soldiers on the battlefield, the generals naturally understood what kind of units were of use in battle. In just ten days, Xu Jingxuan had dragged a bunch of inexperienced civilians to the level of a basic soldier with absolute obedience to orders. Every general wanted such troops. Most of these mercenary generals had grown up in the wilderness. But, as people who had survived for so long in the neutral lands, they were able to tell if someone could actually fight or if they were just citing books. Everything on the battlefield was real, and theoretical people would not last long out there. He spoke little more about the Jade Sea and instead turned back to the great corridor. According to the latest intelligence, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-six tribes living within a hundred kilometers, totaling thirty thousand in population. Additionally, the dark races have erected two big fortress groups, with two main fortresses and twenty-some smaller strongholds or stone castles distributed nearby. Some of the mercenary generals looked serious, but the captain from the Song clan looked fairly at ease. Building small fortresses and stone castles in this day and age? Isnt that just giving us practice targets? Finding the remark to be true, the mercenary generals broke into a laugh and began mocking the dark races for their stupidity. Qianye knocked on the table to quiet them down and allow Xu Jingxuan to continue. The general explained with a bit of a blush, Zheng never had this kind of airship fleet, nor did we have any vessel able to withstand their cannon turrets. Normally, the air force would only be used for exploration, chasing down routed enemies, and wilderness battles. They would never join the siege. Qianye nodded. He had seized a dozen or so smaller airships from Zhengall of them were old models, and their mobility and firepower was nothing to write home about. In truth, Zhengs city defense cannons possessed certain characteristics, likely to deal with the dark race nobles. They were powerful and possessed great armor penetration, so much so that the bolts almost blasted the battlecruiser''s armor open. Considering this firepower, even a cruiser might not be able to withstand the turret-fire. Qianys battlecruiser, on the other hand, was enough to change the rules. The defensive system that had kept the dark races safe all this time would crumble with ease. After uprooting all the small forts in the periphery, the two big ones wouldnt last long. Xu Jingxuan ordered two diagrams to be hung on the wall, depicting the structure and defense distributions of the main fortresses. They werent exactly detailedthe facade was fairly clear, and the internal structures were quite messybut this was an extremely valuable piece of intelligence for the current Zheng. Qianye went over the information and nodded. Youre quite thoughtful. Xu Jingxuan, This subordinates wish for many years has been to fight our way out of the great corridor and lead our forces to the Jade Sea. Thats why Ive been collecting information in my free time. Qianye smiled. This is a good mindset. Follow me well, and before long, you will see your wish come true. Xu Jingxuan took deep breaths and bowed solemnly. Zheng was beyond weakits great land and resources had been wasted on internal strife, while its military strength was no better than an Imperial county, regardless of how the ranks were assigned. Such a nation could never push into the depths of the great corridor even if they had a talented general like Xu Jingxuan. All they could do was hold the pass and stop the dark races from charging out. After Xu Jingxuan withdrew, Song Hui arrived before the stage and hung up a diagram of her own. The generals below broke into bitter frowns as they looked at the complicated contents filled with charts, numbers, and formulas. Most of these generals were used to communicating with pictures. Even reading was straining for them, let alone these numbers. As for the formulas containing both numbers and letters, everything was greek to them. They still couldnt make heads or tails of things despite their earnest observation. Even Qianye had to look carefully to see that this was an economic structure chart. Song Hui not only included Zheng in the calculations but even the neutral lands and Ningyuan Heavy Industries. Qianye didnt remember her ever going to the neutral lands. Could she have drafted such a complicated system just from the documents he had brought along with the airship? Song Hui made a simple introduction to the model, lasting less than five minutes in total. In truth, it was useless even if she said more since even Qianye couldnt understand all of it. Those generals below watched with mouths agape, almost as though they were listening to some heavenly scripture. Xu Jingxuan wasnt in a better state. He was quite good at leading troops into battle, but how could he understand the Song clans wealth management methods? He only discerned that there were some rules related to military affairs and logistics. Song Hui skipped over the calculations and went straight to the conclusion. With Zhengs current production of black stone and other fuels, the entire countrys yearly production can support three months of flight for our airship fleet. According to the information at hand, if we start building new mines and refineries, we can double the production in six months and quadruple it in one year, but thats the extent of it. This means that we have to either get more mines from Zheng or ship more fuel from the Empire. With the latter, the shipment costs will exceed the value of the fuel itself. Qianye frowned. He had prepared a large amount of supplies and fuel for this expedition. It was just that he had never imagined they would expand so quickly after arriving on Fort Continent. The fuel expenditure also doubled. Zhengs old model airships were mediocre in firepower, but their fuel demand was not small, each devouring blackstones like a wild beast. The current fleet would remain operational for over a month, but they would need to resupply soon. Song Hui gave Qianye some time to think before continuing, Were only talking about black stone fuel right now. We still havent gotten to spare parts and maintenance Repairing an airship, of course, required a workshop. It wasnt too hard to imagine how big of a workshop a battlecruiser would require. Building a workshop required equipment, technicians, and a kinetic tower, as well as lodgings for these people The rough calculation alone contained over a hundred and seventy items, not counting the detailed expenditures under each category. Parts, for instance, contained thousands of items and consumables for varying models. Just the thought of everything made ones head ache. Fortunately, Song Huis conclusion was that they could get most things in Zheng. Things that couldnt be found in Zheng could be obtained from the dark races. Fort Continent itself produced many of the required resources. It could not compare to the higher continents in terms of high-end materials, but the lower-end ones were fairly abundant. It was just that the origin power here was too chaotic and the locals did not have the right mining technology to improve output. This resulted in its current state where no external investments were coming in. Things that couldnt be found here could be shipped from the neutral lands or the Empire. It was just a matter of price. Turns out all they needed was money. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief after understanding this. Song Hui saw through Qianyes thoughts and said angrily, This isnt just a matter of money. What else then? Qianye asked humbly. He was already quite distressed by those formulas just now and in no mood to look through them again. Song Hui slapped the map, saying, Didnt I just say it? Most of the resources can be found in Zheng. Whats the point of leaving it as is? Just take it directly. Youve already occupied a third of the territory, so its no big deal if you take the remainder. Qianye never realized that this Song Hui was a battle-hungry demon through and through. However, he really didnt want to go back on his promise to Nan Ruohuai as long as he was loyal and dutiful. Besides, taking the land was easy, but maintaining the occupation was much more difficult than Song Hui had mentioned. Save plundering the cities and leaving, things would eventually turn into a war of law and order. Qianye said after some thought, This land is all there is to Zheng. Taking over it entirely doesnt have much merit. Well take whatever we need from the dark races. All departments, begin preparations for war, we set out in one week! Also, the logistics and supply management will be in Song Huis charge, you have full authority to adjust the resources within our territory. This authority was substantial, but Song Hui wasnt happy. I dont want to stay at the back, I want to fight! Chapter 1209: Expert Assaul Additionally, the other princes werent a match for Nan Ruohuai and his Royal Guard. After a series of bad losses, they were either dead or had fled, leaving only a handful of obstinate factions. Everyone knew that there was no longer any hope for these princes. Even if they could destroy the entire Royal Guard, Qianye would turn back and wipe them out. With the general situation growing clearer, a lot fewer people offered resistance. This reduced the number of troops Qianye needed to station in each territory to maintain the occupation. He left three thousand men in Eastern Sun Island and two thousand in Expansive, moving the other five thousand to Pagoda City. At the same time, Qianye sent someone back to the neutral lands to transfer twenty thousand troops over. Dark Flame started recruiting another fifty thousand soldiers in the meantime and began training them. During this period, Qianye never stopped cultivation despite how busy he was with military affairs. His daybreak origin power made sharp progress, and his nine origin vortices were perfectly full three days before the appointed date of the western expedition. At this moment, he could see that his vortices were like a golden sea of light. The revolving origin power had condensed to an extreme state, filled with countless golden granules. Above the vortices were plumes of hot golden fire. Such origin vortices were at the absolute limit of their progress. They could no longer absorb origin power, not even the purified version from the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Qianye, at present, would step into the divine champion realm in just a single tiny step, accomplishing something so many people in the Empire could only dream of. However, Qianye suddenly discovered a problem on the cusp of advancement! It was precisely because the origin power in the vortices was too pure that the golden origin fluid was extremely dense. The speckles within were a sign of natural crystallization, but how could it be so easy to condense everything into solid? At the very least, Qianye wasnt able to compress all the fluid into solid after going all out. This meant that he might never be able to cross the divine champion barrier with his own power. Qianye fell into a daze after discovering this fact. All cultivators in this world had to worry about their origin power lacking in purity. Who wouldve thought an overly pure origin power would bring about such a reverse effect? News of Qianyes imminent western expedition spread throughout Zheng. The response throughout court was far from unanimous, but the main voice was one of opposition. The ministers, led by the grand secretary, did their utmost to persuade Nan Ruohuai to stop Qianyes expedition. This progressed to the point where their words were bordering on a quarrel. The grand secretarys line was that the great corridor would fall into Qianyes hands if the expedition was a success. Zhengs only exit would then be blocked, and with it, the nations hope of future expansion. Looking at the impassioned ministers below, Nan Ruohuai felt both anger and comedy as he sat on the throne. For several decades, Zhengs losses and wins against the dark races had been shouldered by Pagoda Citys defense system alone. The enemy was already building fortresses at their door, yet these people dared to talk about expansion? The only reason Pagoda City could last as long as it did was because of that talented general, Xu Jingxuan. If it was any other person, the dark races would be surging into the country by this point. Now, these civil ministers were afraid that Qianye would gain the advantage, acting like dogs in the manger. That was the gist of their attitude. At this point, Nan Ruohuai said calmly, Then, how do you suggest I stop him? The ministers began suggesting all kinds of strategies, including working with the dark races. Apparently, they were planning to use all kinds of unscrupulous methods to kill Qianye. Nan Ruohuai listened until the ministers grew thirsty and had to pause for a bit. Only then did he say, Good ideas, good ideas. Now, which one of you is willing to lead our troops and take back Pagoda City for me? The court fell into utter silence. Qianye, in Pagoda City, naturally had no idea about this little interlude. Zhengs internal movements were not important to him at all. There was no unnecessary ceremony on the day of the expedition. He simply issued the usual orders, commanding the main army to set out as planned. As for motivational speeches and the like, nothing could compare to the warship fleet hovering in the air. As the land between Pagoda City and the enemy fortresses was frequently used as a battlefield, there were virtually no human settlements or dark race tribes. The only people in the area were wilderness hunters, sly and ruthless men on the prowl for things to hunt. Before Qianyes airship fleet, however, the hunters became the hunted. All they could do was hide as the massive shadows flew overhead, praying that they would not be found. The entrance to the great corridor was overcome by an unprecedented tremor as the rumbling airship cannons rocked the mountains and shook the earth. One stone castle after the other collapsed, and the small fortresses were drowned in a sea of flames. The troops garrisoned in these structures fled frantically, but what awaited them were low-flying gunships and air-dropped mercenaries. The number of mercenaries was small, but they were exceptionally fierce, and their firepower, outrageously dense. A one-hundred-strong mercenary squad was able to firmly suppress an enemy force six times their number. With their retreat blocked, most of the dark races went berserk and charged at the mercenaries. They had always looked down on the humans and considered the warriors of Zheng to be the very representation of weakness and cowardice. No matter how many of them there were, a single charge was usually all it took to break them. What they didnt know was that the soldiers before them werent forces from Zheng but Qianyes Dark Flame mercenaries. The fierce firepower reaped most of the dark race soldiers along the way. The short sprint-charges the werewolves took great pride in was an utter joke against the metallic torrent. One werewolf after the other fell, riddled with bullet holes. Only a hundred or so out of five hundred remained when they reached their destination. The dark race soldiers werent discouraged by the setback; they actually became more excited and entered a state of bloodlust. From experience, a dozen or so dark race warriors could defeat a hundred human soldiers. Close quarters combat was the werewolfs home ground. The mercenaries werent panicked by the arriving werewolves. They threw down their origin guns, drew their swords, and threw themselves forward. The surviving dark race soldiers felt as though they had run into a wall of metal; their sharp claws were helpless against the mercenaries heavy armor. On the other hand, the humans were unimaginably strong and would often cut the werewolves in half with each slash. In just a single charge, only a dozen or so werewolves remained standing. These survivors only lived ten seconds longer as they were mowed down by the mercenaries counter charge. Similar scenes were playing out all along the corridor. Qianyes forces destroyed the castles and intercepted the fleeing enemy with each assault, uprooting all the smaller strongholds around the two main fortresses. The fleet, transports, and ground forces worked with great unison and structure as they devoured the dark race forces one after the other. All of this happened so fast that most of the surrounding strongholds had fallenwith over ten thousand dark race warriors either captured or killedbefore the werewolves in the two fortresses were able to react. The fortress commanders orders would never arrive in time to organize a counterattack on the spot. Hence, their only choice was to recall all forces back to the fortress, but only half of the retreating troops survived the intercepting airship fleet. The first wave of attacks came to an end at night. Qianye became quite spirited when the generals submitted their battle reports. In this battle, they had uprooted over forty peripheral strongholds and crushed over fifteen thousand enemy soldiers, six thousand of them taken in as war prisoners. Most of the prisoners were werewolves, but there was a good number of arachne and vampires as well. In this manner, the two fortresses had lost their external barrier despite still holding twenty thousand soldiers. They had also lost fifteen thousand soldiers, which served to lower the difficulty of the next assault. When Xu Jingxuan came to see Qianye, his eyes were sunken and he looked fairly tired. However, he was full of excitement when he presented the report and offensive strategy for the two fortresses. The plan he had put forth was fairly detailed and thorough, so much so that it had taken into account their air-superiority. According to his strategy, they would only lose a couple thousand men to take down the fortresses. This casualty rate was normally acceptable, considering they were taking down such a big fortress. However, Qianye pointed at the main cannon and asked, You want to focus on these? Yes, according to our current reports, only your battlecruiser can destroy these two main cannons while taking on their counterfire. During this time, we must provide enough suppressive fire to shut down the other cannon turrets in the city. Qianye nodded. Leave this cannon turret to me, you draft up another plan. Sire, you Do as I say. Yes! Xu Jingxuan left hurriedly, both terrified and excited to finally see Qianye in action! From what he had said just now, he was planning to launch what was called an expert assault. Although most battles were decided by the experts, an expert assault wasnt a frequent option in actual battle. Even fewer would throw out their ace at the very beginning, especially since they were facing a fortress and the danger level was difficult to guess. If something were to happen, the entire expedition could collapse. Xu Jingxuan knew how powerful Qianye was, but even Liu Zhongyuan wouldnt dare attack the enemy fortress main cannon alone. Dark Flames fleet was already in the air as the first rays of dawn arrived. Like a dark cloud, it bore down toward one of the Wolf Fang Fortresses. The airships had just arrived above the fortress when Qianye jumped down toward one of the main cannons. The well-prepared cannon rumbled, spitting out an astonishing stream of fire at Qianye! Chapter 1210: Invincible Fortunately, the main cannon began turning around without firing the next shot. The downed airship crew scattered in all directions while the battlecruisers main cannon began firing at the fortress turrets. The other gunships also fired with all their might, quickly overwhelming the counterattack from below. The werewolves had probably never faced such a fierce aerial assault. The firing range and angle of their cannons were somewhat limited. They could pose a threat to the gunships but couldnt even reach the battlecruiser. Within moments, they were reduced to a miserable burning state. Qianye cleared out all the werewolves on the surface level of the main cannon tower. However, the massive turret was actually half-buried in the base structure. This so-called base was a big fortification in and of itself. Qianye found the entrance leading in. The steel doors had been bolted shut from the inside, but that was no problem for him. The door was immediately warped as he grabbed the handles and pulled hard on them, tearing them off entirely. Qianye then reached into the opening and exerted force once again. Following a shout, strength poured out of his body as he dragged the steel door from the wallone that was several tons in weightrevealing the dark passage beyond. A faint screen of light lit up around him as he walked into the passage. Soon after turning a corner, several werewolves suddenly appeared and began firing at Qianye. The sheer amount of origin bullets fired at him from such a close distance was on par with the force of an origin cannon. However, the dozens of bullets only dimmed his defensive barrier somewhat and couldnt break it. While the werewolf knights were stunned, Qianye passed through their midst and headed deeper into the fort. The werewolf knights fell down clasping their necks; they didnt even know how the enemy had attacked. Qianye walked along the passage, investigating every room along the way until he had visited the energy room, machine room, ammunition room, etc. By the time he could no longer find any more enemies, the entire base structure had gone quiet. Qianye walked into a large hall at the bottom where one of its roller-shutter doors led to an opening in the fortress. Through it, he could see dark race soldiers running about frantically, occasionally flung into the air by a cannon shell. The current battle was an overwhelming victory for them. The dark races were greater in number, but their equipment was more than just a few generations older compared to the decked-out elite squads. Additionally, most dark race soldiers were dying from the bombardment. They were probably never trained to fight against air raids since their evasion was often ineffective and, at times, even hastened their demise. The small number of experts who did counterattack failed to do so properly. Qianye wasnt just roaming aimlessly. He would move in whichever direction he could sense the aura of an expert. In the blink of an eye, one viscount and three barons had fallen to his blade. The dark races were numerous, and there were stray bullets flying everywhere. Even Qianyes origin barrier would ripple from time to time, let alone ordinary soldiers. Yet another titled expert collapsed before Qianye. He had killed the enemy barehanded without releasing his domain, but for a split second, he could sense the enemys willpower drop sharply. The decline was so sudden that it felt abnormal. This gave him an ideahe released his suppressive might without holding back in the slightest, drowning half the fortress with the terrifying aura of a glorious marquis. Countless dark race soldiers, regardless of race or rank, were overcome by a deep sense of fear from the depths of their bloodline. That was terror born of the darkness origins, an instinct every dark race member was born with. In the blink of an eye, all resistance disappeared from half the fortress. Almost all dark race soldiers lost the will to fight, throwing down their weapons and scattering in all directions. This feeling wasnt bad at all. Qianye stood firmly, enjoying the taste of complete dominance, when he felt a sharp pain from the back of his head. He turned around at lightning speed to find a physical bullet flying quietly toward his forehead! At that very moment, Qianye saw the intricate structure of the projectile and the mottled black color mixed into its grey. This was an origin bullet containing a large amount of black titanium, a powerful weapon for killing human experts. The origin bullet blasted Qianyes origin barrier, causing the shield to erupt with light! The bullet forced the origin barrier to shrink steadily but simply couldnt get through it. It was at this moment that the bullet exploded, its outer shell breaking into paper-thin shards that cut through the barrier. The core originally hidden inside the shell penetrated the barrier and made straight for Qianyes forehead. This was an armor-piercing round made specifically to penetrate origin power defenses and barriers. The design and craftsmanship were worthy of praise. Its price was probably extraordinary, and only elite snipers would be able to master its use. The bullet became reflected in Qianyes eyes, and soon afterward, its trajectory shifted away. The projectile barely brushed past his cheek when he reached out to grab it. The bullet was so sharp and heavy that his palm was cut open slightly after catching it, and a drop of blood seeped out. With how poisonous black titanium was, the hand shouldve been crippled once there was a cut. Yet Qianyes dark golden blood energy was far above black titanium in grade. There was no way it would fear the substance. After circulating his blood energy, a drop of grey blood squeezed out of the wound and he was fine thereafter. Qianye tossed the bullet away and shook his head. He had just unleashed the aura of an ancient vampire, but this sniper was trying to use black titanium against him. Perhaps the sharpshooter couldnt react quickly enough, or maybe he didnt have any other bullet of the same grade. Then again, werewolves would have mithril bullets at best; there was no way they would have the human races extreme yang bullets. Qianye was somewhat curious about this sniper since they were the first proper opponent since the assault began. He looked up in the direction of the bullet and disappeared with a flicker. In his True Sight, he noticed a faint darkness origin power still lingering in the air. Qianye appeared several hundred meters away, where he could see the street block down below. The sniper had fired from this location. The person should still be in the vicinity unless he had fled immediately without checking the results of his attack. Snipers at this level were usually quite confident and most of them would want to witness the results of their shot. If this person possessed the same weakness, he would be startled after seeing Qianyes strength as he caught the bullet. This momentary delay made it impossible for the sharpshooter to escape Qianyes coverage. The street block below was a chaotic mess packed full of fleeing dark race soldiers. Not far away, two small mercenary squads were covering one another as they advanced through the buildings. Every tactical movement they made highlighted their teamwork and combat discipline. Such small squads would usually produce great results on the battlefield even if their individual strength was mediocre. The mercenaries joining the ground battle added to the chaos. Adding to all that, Qianye had released his experts aura, but no one from the dark race side had stepped up to meet the challenge. Almost all dark race soldiers lost the will to fightmost of them were focused on fleeing for their lives, and only a small number offered actual resistance. Qianyes gaze landed on a certain dark race soldierone that looked fairly mediocre in every waypushing his way through the ordinary soldiers and toward the next street block. Qianye landed right behind him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Good disguise, but doesnt this come as a blow to your dignity? The dark race soldier turned back, his expression full of terror and shock. He pulled out his dagger and tried to stab Qianye in the abdomen. The attack looked extremely weak, no different from a rank-three fighter. In Qianyes eyes, however, he could see an extremely faint wisp of origin power dancing about in an erratic trajectory. If Qianye were to doubt his own judgment and become momentarily distracted, this mobile origin power would give the enemy a chance to escape. Its no use. Qianye strengthened his grip. An indefensible pressure bore down upon the soldier, causing his knees to go weak and forcing him to the ground. As the pressure came down onto him, the soldier finally cast away his disguise and resisted with great strength. How was a virtuous count to withstand Qianyes slap? He still ended up slamming into the ground. He said with a bitter expression, Since youve discovered me, just do it. To die in the hands of a glorious marquis from a famed vampire clan is not a dishonor to my tribe. Its good that you can think that way. Qianye raised his right hand with a nod, ready to end the snipers life. A virtuous count sniper was too dangerous; even a marquis of ordinary strength might fall prey if he were careless. This person could not be left alive. Wait! The snipers eyes were finally filled with terror. Qianyes palm hovered above the mans head. What do you have to say? Dont tell me you want to surrender? The sniper smiled wryly, Sire, were both nobles of Evernight. Why would you lead the humans to fight us? Even if thats the case, in a war for the glory of darkness, captives are usually allowed to submit or pay ransom. This is the norm on Fort Continent. Even on the higher continents, similar rules apply if theres no blood feud between the two parties. Theres never been anyone like you who kills without even an explanation. Qianye chuckled. Look closely, Im no Evernight noble! With that, a flame lit up at the tip of Qianyes finger. The power of Venus Dawn produced a scorching effect as it illuminated the werewolf counts face. Chapter 1211: A Crazy Idea The sniper still hadnt woken up from the daze. Y-You How come you have daybreak origin power? The energy you just unleashed, wasnt that blood energy? And one thats extremely close to the grand origins. I Qianye gave it some thought, am half-vampire, half-human. The sniper found it hard to believe. It wasnt that he had never seen a hybrid before, especially since their numbers were higher on the lower continents. However, their origin powers were usually too impure to cultivate to a high level. So, at one point, one bloodline would completely devour the other, with the dark side usually becoming dominant. Yet there was living proof right before his eyes. The sniper finally said, I understand now, but why would you stand with the humans since youre so powerful? They are weak, greedy, and like to fight amongst themselves. Qianye replied, Thats not your concern. Prepare to be on your way after youre done speaking. The sniper said with a hesitant expression, Sire, I see that your subordinates arent all humans. There are some ancient demonkin descendants among them, right? Somewhat surprised, Qianye praised, Good observation. Carolines subordinates were present during the battle. Thunderfrost Temple was an ancient demonkin branch that had drifted to the neutral lands. Who wouldve thought a werewolf count from Fort Continent would have such eyesight? The sniper said, Sire, your power is probably not native to Fort Continent. You must have some greater objective than killing and plundering us. Qianye was quite intrigued by this werewolfs observation and sharpness. What objective do you think I have? Whats more important than resources? With your power and unparalleled bloodline, you should be building your nation, the werewolf count said, and purely killing isnt the most effective way. My tribesmen and I might not compare to those demonkin, but we were born, grew up, and lived here all our lives. Wherever your vanguard points toward, we might be more useful. At this point, Qianye could understand the other partys intentions. He waved his hand in silence, gesturing for him to keep talking. Can you give our tribesmen equal living conditions in your future nation? If you can, Im willing to vow eternal loyalty to you before the darkness origin. If its impossible, then kill me. Qianye had come to Fort Continent in order to build a territorial power and prepare for the coming of the new world. Currently, all information regarding the new world was firmly in the councils hands, but it would surely come to light one day. What he wanted to build, at first, was a human nation. Yet, even with similar consideration for the human race, he was deeply disgusted by the actions of certain people from the Empire. Zhang Boqian had shown him a clear paththere was no need to consider appearances when protecting the human race. If he felt that the actions of the Empire werent agreeable, he could build his territory up as he wished. Yet, he had never thought about how much space he would leave for the dark races in this nation. Throughout the millennium, the war between the two factions had been mainly between humans and dark races. How were they to live together in harmony? But from a different perspective, could they not coexist at all? There were always grey areas between borders where the races were able to do just that. In neutral territories, big and small, the concept of faction and race would usually become quite blurry. Taking the neutral lands, for example, most of the smaller city-states would accommodate people from both factions. It was just that one faction would always have the dominant role in each settlement. There were also cases of different races fighting side-by-side as mercenaries. Even Dark Flame now contained a demonkin component after taking in members of Thunderfrost Temple. Speaking of Qianye himself, he would never be able to eliminate the vampire race because of Nighteye. He would sometimes dream of the moment where he was accompanying her to the Sacred Mountain, and those prostrating before them were all dark races. The reason why this werewolf count before him wanted to submit was because of his ancient vampire bloodline. The dark races revered strength and powerful experts. Especially in adverse environments, the common objective of all intelligent creaturesafter survivalwas to surpass their divergent bloodlines. It was just that a nation of humans and dark races was too crazy of an idea. Yet there was a notion in Qianyes mind, one that could not be expressed with verbal language. Not only did he not refuse the idea immediately, but he actually thought about it for quite some time. Politics was never Qianyes strong suit. Just the thought of all the troubles that would come in the future made his head ache. It was during this period of meditation that several more people arrived near him. Song Lun, Song Hui, an increasing number of mercenary generals, and even airship captains began to appear. The fortress grew progressively quieter, and the sound of gunfire was becoming sparse. A large fraction of the dark races had escaped, while the remainder had chosen to surrender. Song Zining had laid down strict military rules prohibiting the killing of surrendered enemies, and this applied to all races. More and more dark races started to yield after discovering that those who surrendered were spared. In the end, entire regions would just give up resistance. The battle had come to an end. After some exchange of words, the higher-ups of Dark Flame understood the situation at hand. Everyone was now looking at Qianye and waiting for his decision. This almost seemed like an insignificant decision, but from a certain perspective, it was a fairly big one as well. Qianyes decision on whether or not they would accept werewolf tribes would decide Dark Flames direction. Was it possible for the dark races and humans to interact with one another? Additionally, this werewolf count was suggesting for them to be granted equal rights. All those born in Great Qin remained silent because this matter had gone beyond their knowledge. In the traditional viewpoint of the Empire, all dark races must die, and one did not need a reason to kill them. Those who had grown up in the neutral lands were much more relaxed. Their main considerations were more detailed things like organizational structure and collaboration in battle. The sounds of distant fighting drifted toward them as the last of the werewolf soldiers resisted obstinately. This was followed by some mournful cries before the entire fortress fell into utter silence. The sudden silence actually woke Qianye up. He snapped back from his thoughts and glanced at the higher-ups of Dark Flame. Without asking for their opinion, he cast his gaze at the werewolf count. I can accept the surrender of your tribe, but if you want rights, you will have to work for it on the battlefield. Whether or not you get equal space will depend entirely on yourselves, understand? The werewolf count fell to his knees and performed the highest ceremonial salutation. I, Eiseka, swear upon the spirits of my ancestors and the origin of darkness, to dedicate my life to your cause and never betray you! Swearing in the name of ones ancestors was the most solemn of oaths to a werewolf. The higher-ups of Dark Flame found it unimaginable that Qianye would accept the loyalty of a werewolf virtuous count, but no one objected. They had already gotten used to Qianyes style during this periodthey could speak freely when he was seeking advice, but execution was their only role once Qianye had decided on something. Qianye did not remove Eisekas weapons and gear, only assigning Song Lun to follow him as he organized the prisoners. Eiseka was originally the vice-commander of this fortress, so his voice commanded much respect, and many of the core positions here were held by his tribesmen. With him on the case, the prisoners of war became much calmer, no longer bursting into violence or trying to escape. The situation in the fortress stabilized as all strategic points were captured by the mercenaries. Eiseka led a squad to inspect the entire fortress, urging all of the hiding soldiers to come out and surrender. He only returned after the cleanup was done and Xu Jingxuans new army had taken over control of the fortress. He was summoned to the conference room at the main hall to join the higher-ups of Dark Flame at the meeting. Qianyes arrangement surprised Eiseka, filling him with both excitement and pressure. Even an annexation of forces from the same race would require a period of wearing in. Immediately receiving an important position was of course a good thing, but it would depend on him to perform well and secure a stable footing under Qianyes flag. Qianye paid no attention to the counts thoughts; to him, the werewolfs presence was to advance their intelligence. He cut straight to the chase once the meeting began, asking Eiseka to introduce the dark races distribution and defenses in the area. He listened to the werewolf counts own thoughts about the situation around the Jade Sea while matching them against the information at hand. Wolf Fang Fortress was, in fact, garrisoned by three major tribes, and the same went for the other smaller fortress. Eisekas tribe was one of them as they were ranked in the top three around the great corridor area. The werewolves made a living by farming, hunting, and raiding Zheng. They also worked as mercenaries. Those who were in this profession were fairly used to working for different parties as long as they paid the money. To these soldiers, the continued existence of their tribe was the most important. No wonder Eiseka didnt seem pressured when he submitted to the ancient vampire that was Qianye. From a certain perspective, the racial balance of Fort Continent was similar to the neutral lands; not entirely under Evernights command. After passing through the great corridor, there were three dark race nations near the Jade Sea, each of them a bit stronger than Zheng. In recent years, Zheng had been suppressed so badly by these territorial werewolves that they could hardly breathe. Hence, leaders like Eiseka believed that they would be able to fight their way into the country and devour it if they tried a bit harder. They werent willing to let the werewolf tribes at the Jade Sea interfere. There were four human countries to the southwest of the Jade Sea, each of them a bit weaker than Zheng but comparable to one another. The four countries would work together to repel the enemy when faced with pressure from the werewolves, but they would restrain one another once the threat was gone, afraid that one of them would grow too strong and devour the other three. As a werewolf, Eiseka only understood that much. He had no idea about the world beyond. Song Hui said in a hushed tone, So primitive! Chapter 1212: The Legendary Exper Regarding this matter, the higher-ups of Dark Flame couldnt come up with any good suggestions. Some of them were also holding back from making suggestions. The only one who could help Qianye, Song Zining, was tied down far away in the Empire. Qianye tossed these distracting thoughts to one side and said after some thought, The current mission is to take down the second Wolf Fang Fortress. Now that we have Count Eiseka, who can contact his tribesmen in the fortress, our objective is to control casualties and damage to the structure. Dark Flame possessed the absolute advantage in air superiority, so victory was not a problem. What Qianye wanted was an intact fortress to form a circle of fortresses with Pagoda City, allowing them to defend a wide region spanning several hundred kilometers. Construction always required more energy, time, and resources compared to destruction. If he could obtain an intact fortress, that was a profit in and of itself. Hence, no one objected to Qianyes objective. At dawn the next day, Qianye began the assault on the second fortress. Just like before, he handled the main cannon alone. Two out of the three werewolf counts in the stronghold were fierce and unyielding. They chose to fight to the bitter end until they fell to Qianyes blade. The tremendous difference in military power made their sacrifice futile. The other werewolf count from Eisekas tribe only offered token resistance and surrendered once the other two were dead. The werewolf, however, noticed that Qianyes gaze looked a bit regretful; it was as though the man wanted him to resist. This once-brave werewolf felt all of his hair stand on end as he pressed his head against the ground, praying that Qianye would not be like those Evernight experts who took pleasure in tormenting others. Qianye looked away after a moment of regret, his pupils returning to their normal color. Get up and round up your men, tell them to drop their weapons and assemble at the designated location. Yes, Sire! The werewolf count was especially respectful. Even a virtuous count like Eiseka had already surrendered, so an ordinary count like him had no room for any resistance. Since Qianye had promised the survival of their tribe, there was even less of a reason to resist. The werewolf counts observation wasnt bad, but the reason was far from what he had imagined. Qianyes regret was born of his longing for another battle. When he killed the two counts, he discovered that his origin power was actually showing signs of improvement, inching toward condensation. Venus Dawns grade was so high that it was fairly close to the Daybreak origin. Even in its fluid form, it was more powerful than most divine champions crystal state. It would take countless years if he were to do it on his own. It was just that counts could hardly pose a threat to him and thus limited assistance. If he wanted to encounter stronger enemies, he would have to head to the Jade Sea. The most powerful expert in the great corridor was a werewolf marquishe was reportedly quite old, and his true combat strength might not even compare to Eiseka''s. The second fortress post-occupation matters werent yet done when Qianyes mind was already drifting to the Jade Sea. The only uncertain thing was that even Eiseka had no idea if the legends about the Jade Seaabout a dukes secluded abodewere true. Most of the werewolves on Fort Continent remained in their primitive tribal state. Perhaps this was the earliest form of an emirate. The tribes were also fairly isolated from one another, with news and information spreading mainly by word of mouth. Generally, there were no newspapers or the like used across the continent. Some mercenary organizations thus became the most efficient source of news with the greatest coverage. Of course, one could not expect too much regarding their quality. The absence of information channels actually proved that werewolves didnt need a unified life. They were satisfied with their current tribal system, and there were few natural enemies on Fort Continent. Apart from the human nation of Zheng and some areas under arachne control, the rest had no presentable racial power. It was near impossible to reach the duke-rank in cultivation, but as a branch that had been half-abandoned by the Evernight faction, their goal was never that high, either. Hence, the ancestral sect was highly popular on Fort Continent and the Summit of Peaks had little influence. Only a handful of experts in Eisekas tribe had even heard of the Summit of Peaks. Since his target was the Jade Sea, Qianye decided not to waste too much time in the great corridor. In the days that followed, the work at the fortresses hadnt even been rounded up when the flames of battle spread across the entire corridor front. Xu Jingxuans new army and Eisekas tribe swept through the dark races within the great corridor, uprooting all those who dared resist. The bigger and more powerful tribes would call for Dark Flame to mobilize. Qianyes elite mercenaries were already accustomed to working together with the warships. Even the two Wolf Fang Fortresses couldnt last a day under the impact, so how long could an ordinary werewolf tribe last? The occasional expert that popped up wasn''t a match for Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka. Qianye didnt even need to take action. The sweep was so successful that it was progressing at over ten kilometers a day. They could go faster, but Qianyes forces were short in number. Even ten thousand people hadnt caused much of a splash back when they were spread out into Expansive. In this weeks time, Qianye was overseeing the Wolf Fang Fortress, cultivating and checking battle reports. His days suddenly became quite leisurely. It wasnt as though he was entirely free of trouble. For instance, Song Hui would come to him three times a day, bringing up a troublesome topic each time. What was their next step now that more and more werewolves were surrendering? Qianye had, at first, thought that the number of werewolves he could recruit was rather limited. Eisekas tribe had over ten thousand werewolves, and that was already a major tribe. They had just finished cleaning up the regions near the fortresses, but the number of surrendering dark races was an order of magnitude greater than what Qianye had expected. In fact, it was still growing at an alarming rate. Once the number of forces swearing fealty to him exceeded fifty thousand, Qianye couldnt bear it anymore. He summoned all of the generals back and asked, Whats going on? Dont tell me all the dark races in the great corridor have submitted? The mercenaries kept their silence with odd expressions. Xu Jingxuan knew he couldnt escape, so he braced himself and said, Sire, not every tribe surrendered. Some offered resistance and have been destroyed. Some have escaped, while the rest surrendered. Qianye knew something was off. Give me numbers! Xu Jingxuan no longer dared to play dumb in the face of Qianyes anger. Eighty percent of all tribes surrendered to us, fifteen percent have fled, and only five percent that offered any resistance was destroyed. Why are there so many? Was it the same before? Qianye had done his homework before the expedition. He had called up a decade of battle reports to get a grasp of the situation on the continent. From what he remembered, all the tribes big and small would fight back or flee whenever Zhengs army pushed into the great corridor. There was virtually no tribe that had surrendered. Having reached this point in the conversation, Xu Jingxuan pointed at Eiseka. Ask him, Sire. Eiseka got down on one knee. In order to expedite our campaign, I sent people to each tribe to announce your greatness, and many were willing to come under your glory. Qianye felt that something was wrong here. What did you tell them? Eiseka said with an unchanged expression, I told them that you, Sire, stand at the origins of darkness and would soon become the master of the entire Evernight world, that you are the legendary god of war who would lead us as we break out of this cage. I also announced that you had already killed the king of the Jade Sea as the starting point of your Evernight expedition. Qianye was stunned as he listened to these words. Throughout the ages, a common language had developed between all the different races, but only those of a certain status would be able to learn or grasp it. The nobles would still revert to using the ancient language when mentioning certain names or in special situations. This allowed them to accurately express their traditions and words that only existed in the ancient language. This was true for several parts of Eisekas recount, where he had to explain certain points for Qianye to get a general understanding. It wasnt hard to guess that the announcement was pure demagogy. How was this the description of a person? It was more fitting to describe a god! Even the Queen of the Night couldnt touch the origins of darkness just yet. This Eiseka didnt seem like the type to think before making statements. The only reliable fact in all that boasting was the killing of the king of the Jade Sea. However, Qianye seemed to remember that this king was a duke? Even if he was just a vice-duke, that was still a major level between him and a glorious marquis. Up to this point, Qianye had never killed a duke before. He had defeated some before, but that was a culmination of many factors. According to Eiseka, however, he was killing dukes as though they were chickens. Qianye rubbed his temples. And they believe all that you say? Eisekas expression was radiant. Even I believe it, why wouldnt they? Qianye cursed secretly. He had somehow forgotten the fact that werewolves revered powerful experts. The more primitive the society, the more pronounced this effect wasordinary warriors would blindly believe the words of experts and shamans. Considering Eisekas position and strength, it was natural that a good number of people would believe him. It was just that eighty percent of all enemies swearing fealty was way beyond expectations. Apparently, all that talk of whatever legend was quite useful. Seeing Qianyes expression, Eiseka added, Sire, your legend is already beginning to spread. If there are no accidents, many more tribes will come under your banner, and you wont need to spend so much effort. Qianye felt more of a headache. How many is many? There are close to four-hundred thousand tribal members in the great corridor. Before long, I expect you will gain three hundred thousand followers. Eiseka spoke respectfully, but Qianye was feeling utterly helpless. The total population of Zheng in the great corridor was less than two hundred thousand, much less than the werewolves. Did you tell them that their status will be below that of humans after they submit to me? At that moment, Qianyes gaze was as sharp as a blade, yet Eiseka came prepared. Only those who sow shall reap, there will be no quarry without hunters scars. Land and food only come to those who accumulate merits. All werewolves understand this. Were willing to bleed and sweat on your behalf, to obtain status in exchange for contributions. It doesnt matter where we start, even a slave can become a warrior one day. This reply left Qianye with nothing to say. Chapter 1213: The Crazy Truth Song Lun shook his head. The werewolves arent stupid enough to obey such a death sentence. In truth, Count Eisekas performance was far better than everyone in Dark Flame had imagined. There really was no telling whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that such an intelligent creature of the opposite attribute was working for them. There will always be casualties in war, and itll be too late by the time they realize it. As long as we arrange it well, we can at least have forty percent of them die on the battlefield. What can they do even if they realize it at that point? Well have weakened the werewolves in the entire corridor and the Jade Sea. If they disobey, itll be a good reason for us to destroy them. Song Huis plan was fairly ruthless. Qianye remained silent, his expression unreadable. Song Lun already understood Qianyes character. Thats not appropriate, the sire has already promised them the right to survive. Theres no need to discuss the four virtues with the werewolves. Its not good to break promises. The dark races are naturally untrustworthy, alright? When have they ever submitted to the humans with full sincerity? Hoping that they wont rebel is no different from hoping men will not be lecherous, is that even possible? Song Huis rapid retort caused Song Lun to choke on his words. The latter took a step back and stopped speaking. Their positions in the Song clan were fairly different, to begin with, and the clan did enforce hierarchy quite strictly. A short argument like this was already the limit. In the end, the werewolves treatment had nothing to do with him. Qianye finally spoke, The werewolves must join the battle but not as cannon fodder. I promised them a basic status and the opportunity to move upward. For now, at least, I dont see the immediate need to go back on my words. How about this? Reform the new army with human officers as the foundation, and a mixture of humans and werewolf soldiers. Also, organize two units with a higher werewolf ratio and commence basic training. They may take to the field after a month of training. Xu Jingxuan had been keeping silent all the while. He affirmed Qianyes decision but said with a difficult expression, What do we do about their gear? Almost every adult werewolf is a qualified warrior. We can enlist an army of eighty thousand just from the tribes that have already submitted. Song Hui said angrily, Why would we need to give them gear? Isnt a leather skirt enough? Are their claws and fangs for decoration? Xu Jingxuan laughed along before glancing at Qianye. The thought of outfitting a hundred thousand werewolves was headache-inducing. The werewolves in the great corridor possessed very low smelting standards, and the Jade Sea wouldnt be much better. Most of their metal production had been requisitioned to construct and maintain the two fortresses, as well as to equip those on the front line. Yet those supposedly well-equipped elites were beaten back to their primitive states by Qianyes airships and mercenaries, and the two fortresses didnt even last one day. Supplies and logistics werent Qianyes strong suit, and what little Xu Jingxuan knew came from Zhengs outdated system. So, all eyes fell on Song Huithat scene of an entire wall filled with numbers and formulas was still fresh on their mind. Song Hui sighed unwillingly. Its impossible to outfit all of them, but it wont be too hard to give all of them a weapon and hang a piece of armor on them. As someone who knew the werewolves well, Xu Jingxuan said, A weapon of standard durability and sharpness is enough. We can talk about their armor later on, most of them arent used to wearing one anyway. Werewolves would grow bigger after changing into combat form, so the type of armor humans was used to would actually be a restraint to them. The hide they were born with offered sufficient protection. The higher-ranking nobles, of course, were much more tasteful. They have customized segmented combat attire and all kinds of secret arts to reduce the troubles brought about by their form change. None of the werewolves on Fort Continent possessed these things, however. Song Hui snapped back at him. Im only suggesting it, you guys decide whether or not you want to use them. Qianye said, All werewolves must have armor, at least one plate to protect their backs. Werewolves were proficient in frontal assault, and hence, their backs would become a weakness. With enemies everywhere on the battlefield, this protection would reduce casualties. Seeing Qianye so insistent, Song Hui said angrily, Time is short. Theres definitely not enough time to mine and refine raw ores. Zheng has no steel reserve in the great corridor, either, but there seems to be enough stock right where we are. Xu Jingxuan was puzzled. Theres only food and ammunition in the warehouses. Are you referring to our cannon shells? It would be insane to smelt something so expensive. Song Hui shook her head. Isnt the warehouse itself a steel reserve? Everyone was enlightened. Song Hui continued, Its not just the warehouse. I think many of the steel structures in these fortresses can be recast. For instance, the four fortress gates should be enough to outfit tens of thousands of werewolves. The armor plates on the city towers can also be removed. How do we defend the fortress without its doors? Xu Jingxuan found the notion outrageous. Were they going to disassemble the fortress that they had finally captured? Song Hui rolled her eyes at him. Do we still have enemies in the great corridor? Whats the point of these fortresses? Who are we defending against? Xu Jingxuan suddenly understood. With all the werewolves in the great corridor submitting, there was no longer a need for the fortresses. Speaking of potential enemies, it was the country at their back that they needed to be wary of. Qianye nodded inwardly regarding Song Huis idea. Dismantling a fortress to outfit the army had a hint of Zhang Boqians defense style. The man was never one to play defender, and one of his famous quotes was: Destroying the enemy is the best defense. With the steel supply ensured, the training and incorporation went ahead in an orderly fashion. Eiseka rounded up all the talented warriors from the surrendered tribes and worked with Xu Jingxuan to distribute them into the new army. He then used his tribesmen as the skeleton to form dozens of smaller squads. Before the campaign, Eiseka produced hundreds of badges with the Dark Flame insignia upon them and asked Qianye to stain them with dark golden blood energy. According to him, they were to represent the new multi-race unit. Then, he charged out into the depths of the great corridor with the new squads. As Qianye was instilling the badges with his aura, he suddenly thought of a name for Dark Flames elite force: Blaze. At this moment, the true army was still training in Wolf Fang Fortress while Xu Jingxuans new army and the just-arrived Dark Flame mercenaries were keeping watch, lest the werewolves revolt. Although Qianye felt that the possibility was quite low under the present circumstances, being so close to such a big werewolf army would give the human soldiers considerable psychological pressure, otherwise. As for Eiseka, Xu Jingxuan felt that his small squads could barely be considered a scouting party. The bigger units numbered over a hundred, while the smaller ones consisted of a dozen or so men. What could they do in the vast corridor? No one thought too highly of Eiseka, but the werewolf returned to the fortress three days later with a majestic werewolf army. At this point, Wolf Fang Fortress was no longer fortified, with its gates and armor plates removed. The entire army of werewolves caused a bit of disturbance in the new army-in-training. The unrest was soon quelled as Dark Flames elites took up positions and the airship fleet scrambled into position. Just Blaze and the airship fleet was enough to destroy this ten-thousand-strong army. A corvette flew over the arriving army and actually sent back a safe signal. Only at this point did the defenders realize that there was a long motorcade at the back. The soldiers at the front were only armored but not armed. Their weapons were all in the cargo trucks at the back. Xu Jingxuan realized, after seeing the first-rank viscount leader, that it was a mixed unit made up of several dozen tribes that Eiseka had recruited. Their objective was to deliver a batch of captured resources, also to transfer command, rearrange, and receive training. After the transfer was completed, the werewolf viscount said impatiently, Where is Lord Qianye? Please allow us to convey our eternal loyalty to him in person! Xu Jingxuan couldnt believe his eyes. These werewolves were almost fanatical; who knew how Eiseka had brainwashed them? At this rate, was Eiseka going to unify the entire great corridor with a dozen or so small squads? He shook his head, realizing that the idea was somewhat crazy. The werewolves had always lived on their own as tribes, attaching great importance to their traditions and territory. How could they surrender so easily? In just half a month, Eiseka proved that this crazy idea could be realized. When he finally returned to the fortress, he even brought a new map of the great corridor. The map contained notes on the errors and deficiencies of their current intelligence. What attracted everyones attention was the dense array of Dark Flame insignias on the map. These represented the tribes that had sworn loyalty to Qianye, covering the entire great corridor. The two big tribes at the outer end lay beyond the great corridor and under the Jade Seas command. This map stunned all the mercenary generals, even Xu Jingxuan and Song Hui. There was nothing wrong with it. In fact, it was simply too good. The werewolves who had been beating up Zheng all this time had surrendered just like that? Song Hui glanced at Eiseka, feeling that there was something fishy going on. The other generals had the same idea. Eiseka kneeled before Qianye, saying, Sire, a total of eleven first-grade tribes, ninety-seven second-grade tribes, and over four hundred third-grade ones have sworn fealty to your glory. From my rough calculations, your citizens in the region number around five million. Five hundred thousand of them are warriors you can call upon at a moments notice. We have a hundred thousand talented hunters in the roster, men who will become your elite warriors after training. Everyone exchanged glances. They were all quite familiar with the werewolf tribal systema second-grade tribe would have at least one viscount-rank expert, while a first-grade tribe would be overseen by a count. This meant that, in one night, Qianye had gained a hundred experts at or close to the champion level. Although most of the leaders wouldnt leave their territories, they were willing to move out once required. This number was far beyond what was expected. Even the mercenary generals who had just gotten used to the mixed-race fighting force became somewhat restless. Eiseka seemed to understand everyones concerns. Sire, if youre interested, you can make your rounds to the tribes that have vowed fealty to you. Youll understand once you see them. Very well. Qianye nodded. Chapter 1214: The Truth Qianye picked the location on the map as they set out, ruling out any fake move by Eiseka. Song Hui grabbed the short moment she had with Qianye to express her opinion. There must be a scheme behind this. That stinky wolf must have an agenda! It was obvious that she was quite guarded against Eiseka. Even Qianye himself found his evaluation of this werewolf count changing repeatedly. No wonder Zheng never gained any advantage over the werewolves despite the difference in society and a talented general like Xu Jingxuan. However, Qianye had his own thoughts regarding this. Having an agenda is normal. Why else would he be doing all this? Overwhelming military force? If thats the case, any clan lord from Twilight Continent can take over Fort Continent. As for whether its a scheme, well see that very soon. This journey wasnt long, and they very quickly arrived at their destination. For many of the mercenaries, this was the first time entering a werewolf settlement as a guest. Even though Qianye had seen quite a few werewolf settlements on Evernight Continent, he was still surprised by the scene before him. Compared to the werewolves on the other continents, the tribes here were so much more primitive. The buildings were all made of wood, and the roofs were made of dried grass and mud. The camp was surrounded by sharpened stakes that couldnt even count as a wall. There were several wooden poles inside where the game was left to hang dry. The compound wasnt small, but most of the hunted animals were wild chicken and ducks, with very few large games. Seeing Qianye walk into the camp, many tribesmen walked out of their thatched huts and looked on in silence. Most of the people here were women and children, with just a handful of them fit for battle. This wasnt strange since most of them shouldve been recruited for the army. The strange thing was that there were few old people as well. The wargs were lying lazily in the shade, only moving their tails from time to time. Most of the werewolves were dressed in animal hide. Many of the children were simply naked, and even some of the women werent dressed from the waist up. On the kitchen counter near the huts, there were various fruits and dried meat being cooked into a kind of gruel, their staple food. It was just that the amount of meat in it was pitifully small, perhaps only enough to impart a meaty fragrance to the food. The werewolves looked curious and respectful toward the guests, but also fairly indifferent and numb. It was as though their difficult life had drained them of all passion. The werewolves were carnivores, or at least fairly close. The lack of meat would affect their growth adversely. The Empires trick with werewolf prisoners was to feed them grains. After a week or so, even the strongest werewolves would become weak. Not to mention escape, they wouldnt even have enough strength to resist. But the werewolves of the great corridor seemed accustomed to this kind of near-vegetarian diet, or rather, they were forced to. Just as Qianye was observing the details in the tribal village, an old werewolf shaman cried out after a couple of hard sniffs. Its His Majesty! His Majesty Qianye! He rushed toward Qianye, fell to the ground, and started kissing his combat boots. A big commotion broke out as the entire tribe swarmed to Qianye with mad fervor. The mercenary generals were shocked, and some of them even drew their weapons. Eiseka unleashed his aura, shaking all of the tribesmen. He then roared in a loud voice, All of you stand back and keep your distance. Whoever dares offend His Majesty will be flayed and hung on the poles! Only at this point did this dark race counta sniper who had always fought with steady patiencereveal his ferocity and ruthlessness. The threat was highly effective. The tribesmen all fell to their knees and crawled backward, opening a path for Qianye. Qianye looked at Eiseka with a frown. Whats with that address? Eiseka said respectfully, Youll understand once you visit the ancestral altar. Qianye glared at him briefly before heading toward the biggest hut in the village. This was where the sacrificial altar was located, a holy place in the village. Let alone outsiders, not even their own villagers had the right to set foot here without good reason. However, the shamans had no objection to this guest and welcomed Qianye with uniform prostration. Frowning, Qianye entered through the door and found that the inside was almost like a completely different world. What surprised him was that he could actually sense his own aura coming from the altar. At present, perhaps only Qianye possessed the dark golden blood energy, so there was no mistaking it. At the center of the ancestral altar, the totems of the tribal ancestors stood around a certain insignia. The object was made of steel, crafted so crudely that even the edges werent even or round. Such an item would be little more than trash in the Empire and would fetch a couple of copper coins at most. If one had to point out its special characteristic, it would have to be that bit of Qianyes blood energy attached to it. This insignia was one of those that Eiseka had asked Qianye to stain with his blood energy. Back then, Qianye had thought he just wanted some tokens to serve as proof during operations, something very common in the Empire and Evernight. A true bigshots token would always contain a unique aura, making forgery impossible. Who wouldve thought such a slipshod product would actually be standing amidst the ancestral totems and worshipped as a holy object? Qianye picked up the insignia to take a look, then put it back on the altar. He discovered that not only did his aura not weaken over this long period, but it had grown even stronger. Could this be a result of the werewolves worship? Whats going on? Qianye asked. Youve seen it with your eyes. The werewolves of the great corridor consider you as their true king. Your position in their hearts is unique, even exceeding their ancestors. So, you dont need to worry about their loyalty. Qianye sneered. Do you think Ill believe this? What did you tell them? Eiseka fell onto one knee. Your Majesty, that is the truth. Its not just them, my tribesmen and I also believe that you are the true king who will lead us out of our plight. Qianyes voice was cold. Whats the reason? What I displayed to you is blood energy. The vampires and werewolves have a generational feud in the upper continents. The holy war has lasted thousands if not tens of thousands of years. Your Majesty I dont want to hear that address. Eiseka was stopped up; he lowered his head even more. As you will it. After a pause to reorganize his thoughts, he said, The upper continents are too far from us, and the holy war is but a legend. The werewolves in the great corridor want something very simple, and that is to live on. Qianye said coldly, Every race wants to survive. Get to the point, unless you have nothing else to say? Eiseka said, To the werewolves of the great corridor, even survival is an extravagant objective. For the tribes to survive, we really have no other choice but to fight. Either we bring back spoils from the fight, or we die to lighten the tribes burden. With so many of us in this small area, some have to die for the others to live. This was a serious but simple reasoning. Fighting for survival space was the theme of all unending wars in the Evernight Worldbetween factions, within factions, and even within each race, the only difference being the intensity. The situation of the tribes in the great corridor might be worse than most of the other places. Xu Jingxuan said all of a sudden, This is your reason for attacking Zheng every year? Eiseka nodded. Thats the biggest reason. Otherwise, who would want to attack a fortress with a complete defense system? Xu Jingxuan snorted with an ugly expression. Every year, between summer and autumn, the werewolves would launch a raid on Zheng, plundering supplies and resources. They would come like the whistling wind and leave in a similar manner. Even with the help of their fortress, the defenders would suffer a fair number of casualties. In his years as the commander of the western border, many familiar faces had turned into names on wooden tombstones. In terms of casualties, the werewolves suffered greater than the humans. However, even after seeing the werewolves living environment and realizing that they needed to reduce their numbers, hatred was still hatred to Xu Jingxuan. He couldnt feel any sympathy at all. One of the mercenary generals said, You cant survive on your own, so you surrender in bulk and want us to feed you? These words echoed the sentiments of many people. Many angry eyes fell upon the werewolf count. Eiseka looked up into Qianyes eyes. His gaze was clear, full of courage and pride, but it was also honest, without the slightest bit of guilt at his plan being seen through. Our reason for vowing loyalty is indeed to survive. These words invited many disdainful snorts and angry glares. Only the two attendants from the Thunderfrost Temple remained emotionless; no one knew what they were thinking. Eiseka suddenly raised his voice. But we dont want you to feed us. We werewolves are natural warriors. Our ancestors were born in the flames of war and died in the flames of war. We can provide for ourselves! Even the bit of help we need right now is because the women are about to give birth, so they need to eat a bit more, and I hope the elderly can live until harvest time. Qianye figured out the different tone. You said something about the elderly? Eisekas voice became gloomy. He pointed at the white-haired shaman and said, In the great corridor, only the shaman and witch doctors can live to this age. The rest will be sent to the battlefield once their strength starts to decline, or they would head into the mountains in search of their own dying place. So, you wont see any elderly werewolves in the villages. The werewolves here have no right to grow old. These simple words carried incomparable weight. Even Xu Jingxuan and the mercenaries went silent. Among the higher-ups of Dark Flame, they could feel these emotions more than the people from the Song clan. In this dark world, humans had always been the weaker race. In the neutral lands and in small places like Zheng, the life of ordinary civilians who could no longer fight wasnt all that better from these werewolves. Only the Great Qin which had stood for a thousand years could provide any semblance of peaceful propagation in its hinterlands. Qianye glanced at Eiseka with eyes that seemed to look through him, into the depths of the void, or maybe even a certain point in the river of time. Chapter 1215: Attack on the Jade Sea Why me and not your own races experts? For instance, isnt there a werewolf duke in the Jade Sea? Whitebone Duke Minoka is the reason for the great corridors miserable fate. His rule of terror took away our hopes of seeing tomorrow. Tribes that are disrespectful or no longer have any use will be driven into the great corridor to fend for themselves. The werewolves in the corridor have no choice but to attack Zheng constantly, crushing ourselves against its fortress group. Xu Jingxuan roared furiously, You lot attack year after year, yet you make it sound like youre innocent! You say werewolf lives are important, does that mean our human lives are worthless? What do you have to say about our warriors dying every year!? An angry mercenary said, Dont forget that our commander came here to destroy you wolf pups for the human race. Eiseka wasnt angry or flustered. General Xu, humans also face the same problem that we do. A limited area of land cannot sustain that many people, or rather, a population that is peaceful and thriving. Even if we dont attack you, wont your country expand after a period of peace? Of course, your first choice might not be the impoverished great corridor. The long years of war serve only to diminish the population we cannot sustain. Xu Jingxuan was at a loss for words. Of course, he didnt believe that war was simply to exhaust the population, but there was no denying that Zheng would expand if they werent always embroiled in political struggles. He could bring up numerous reasons to prove the necessity of war, but in the end, there would always be fighting. Song Hui also looked rather surprised. She had always been cautious about Eiseka, but she had never imagined that a werewolfespecially one from such primitive tribeswould be able to say such things. His words were difficult to accept since his description of the purpose of war was too crude and bare. However, Song Hui knew that it was fairly close to the truth. Limited land could not sustain too many people. This was true for continents of all levels since there was no standard to measure how much was sufficientmerely to not die from hunger? A life with a future? With dignity? The standards could be vastly different everywhere. Qianye said at this point, Since war is just a reason, I cant solve your problem, either. No, Your Majesty can definitely solve it! Eiseka spoke with great confidence. Theres only so much land to go around, but the population will keep expanding faster as peace prevails. How do I solve this? A zealous ancestral disciple, Qianye spoke. Eiseka remained still on the ground, waiting for Qianyes decision. Qianyes thoughts scattered all of a sudden, recalling a name he hadnt thought of in a while. William of the Summit of Peaks. In that grey-zone market back on the Western Continent was when Qianye first witnessed the werewolves internal conflict. After seeing the werewolves of the great corridor today, he still felt that it wasnt so easy to make a choice between tradition and revolution. Besides, the solution Eiseka had suggested wouldnt solve the problem once and for all. The increase in production would provide for many more people in the short term, but this land wasnt endless. The upper limit would eventually arrive and, with it, new conflicts. Changing the living situation by changing production methods was only useful for this particular time and place. Qianye stood with his hands behind his back. Since you consider me your king, then its time to show me your loyalty. Eiseka, the first batch of werewolf soldiers shouldve received sufficient training by now. Lead them to attack the Jade Sea. Yes, Your Majesty. After leaving the village, Qianye led the generals back to the warship. Eiseka headed toward the entrance of the great corridor on his own to prepare for the assault on the Jade Sea. The baffled mercenary generals exchanged private discussions on the way back while Qianye stood alone in front of the great corridor map, deep in thought. A knock came from the door before Song Hui entered and closed the door behind her. Are you really going to take in those werewolves? What do you think? Qianye asked calmly. What else? The best outcome is for those werewolves to fight one another until both sides are badly injured. Then, our army can swoop in and pull them all up by the roots! Quite ruthless. Qianye laughed. The benevolent should not wield weapons. Im learned in both economics and military strategy. Qianye was more impressed. To what degree? As much as seventh brother studied, so too did I. Its just that I dont have the talent to become the future strategist god. I only learned the theory with no place to apply them. The same as Zining? Thats pretty good, Qianye praised. What Zining had learned was naturally the most complete military strategy curriculum. It was rare for a girl like Song Hui to have learned so much. The plans she was suggesting had their meritsthey were secretive and ruthless without any half-hearted moves. Song Hui walked over to the map and drew her finger over it. If we can clear out all the dark races from the great corridor and the Jade Sea, this big area is enough for a population of ten million. We can then bring in people from the neutral lands and annex Zheng to build a nation the size of two Imperial provinces. Even the Zhao clan only has that many people under its rule. If we capture the Jade Sea, we will be in a position to attack when we want, and defend when required. She flipped the map over and revealed a map of the entire Fort Continent. There, she drew two directions and said, At that time, we can attack the central region if the conditions allow it. Otherwise, theres a handful of small human nations to the south. Extinguish them, concentrate their military power, and fight it out with the werewolf chieftain in the center. Those are human countries. Invading them would count as infighting, no? Song Hui replied sharply, Those little countries have been there for ages. Even if we don''t take them down, theyll just keep fighting amongst themselves. Besides, theyre barely hanging on at the moment. You can wait until the next life if you hope theyll overturn the werewolf chieftain! Since they cant do it themselves, they should stop being a dog in the proverbial manger. They should just hand over their population and land. Well do it ourselves! Qianye hadnt imagined that she would speak in such a coarse manner. First, lets see how Eiseka does. What if he flushes that Whitebone Duke out? Qianye smiled calmly. Then Ill go meet him. You!? Song Hui was stunned. Of course, would you rather go instead? Qianye chuckled. But thats a duke were talking about!? I think Eiseka wants to trick you into entering the Jade Sea so that the Whitebone Duke can deal with you. Qianye patted her shoulder, saying, That would make things a lot more convenient. Song Hui sighed, knowing that she couldnt convince Qianye once he had decided. However, her eyes on him grew brighter and brighter, so much so that he could feel his hair standing on end. Qianye immediately organized the army after returning to the Wolf Fang Fortress, transporting the fifty thousand newly integrated werewolves into the other end of the great corridor. This would serve as the primary fighting force against the Jade Sea. A hundred thousand werewolf soldiers were still undergoing training in the two fortresses, with more coming in still. The arrival of so many new werewolves didnt worry Qianye at all, nor did he increase the defenses in the fortress. The two strongholds stood with their gates wide open, or rather, absent. Comparatively, Qianye had stationed over ten thousand mercenaries in Pagoda City, making up a defensive army of over thirty thousand. It was just that the direction they were guarded against was Zheng. As soon as the thirty-thousand-strong vanguard was assembled, Eiseka set out immediately without even waiting for the main force. The number of integrated units was limited. Even with the addition of major clans near the entrance of the great corridor, their military force was incomparable to that of the Jade Sea. After the initial chaos, the werewolf tribes of the Jade Sea joined forces and dispatched an interception force of nearly fifty thousand men. At the same time, they started mobilizing troops from the rear. The tribes that had been banished to the great corridor were practically abandoned people. Be it in terms of resources or fighting power, they were largely inferior to their counterparts in the Jade Sea. The invasion force from the great corridor should be badly defeated even if they held a numbers advantage, to speak nothing of the current situation where the Jade Sea force was bigger. Hence, the latter began charging from a thousand meters away, paying no heed to their stamina consumption as they launched a torrential attack. They wanted to route the enemy in one indefensible charge. However, over a dozen gunships rose into the air from behind the great corridor forces and began mowing down the werewolves of the Jade Sea. In addition, the Jade Sea forces realizedas they came within rangethat the enemy was lined up in an orderly formation. From what they could remember, the violent werewolf race had never fought in a formation before. Soon, the Jade Sea vanguard was drowned in a rain of bullets. By the time they had charged past the death zone and arrived within familiar melee range, half of their comrades had already fallen on the path. The subsequent hand-to-hand combat taught the werewolves of the Jade Sea how formidable a combat formation was. Their men were like the tides, crashing onto the reef and destroying themselves in the process. Chapter 1216: Blood-Stained Jade Sea Naturally, no conclusion was reached under such circumstances, with most meetings ending with several hours of cursing and shouting. It usually took such a congregation of chiefs and shamans half a month to produce an outcome. That was the habit and rhythm of tribal werewolves. The tribal villages usually split the year into two partsof sowing and reaping, or rest and hunt. Whatever it was called, the difference between the two was in whether there was food or not. The werewolves living there were also used to doing two things each year, alternating by season. Before the chiefs and shamans could convert their shock into anger, Eisekathe traitorous virtuous countwas already proving that he was decisive enough to go against tradition. He led the army to capture the border villages at great speed, adding several villages to the list each day. The count-rank chiefs of two tribal villages were killed by Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan while trying to challenge the invaders. Eisekas combat strength was outstanding, to begin with, and he was a rare talent among werewolves in long-range sniping. The gear Qianye had granted him made up for his weaker close combat capabilities, increasing his fighting power sharply. Ordinary counts couldnt escape death in his hands. Under this threat, the chiefs and shamans had no choice but to ignore tradition. They reached a unanimous decision almost immediately and formed an army of two hundred thousand to suppress the great corridor. Not daring to be careless, Eiseka rounded up the vanguard forces that had charged too far ahead and turned back to rendezvous with the main army of fifty thousand. This increased his army to almost a hundred thousand soldiers, which he duly entrenched in defensive fortifications. The combination of human firepower and the werewolves bravery resulted in a formidable power. The werewolves of the Jade Sea left tens of thousands of corpses with each charge, yet they couldnt move the great corridors defensive line at all. There was even an instance where they were routed before they had even reached the enemy formation. More reinforcements arrived as the two armies were locked in combat. Soon, the forces on the Jade Seas side had exceeded three hundred thousand, while Eisekas side was close to two hundred thousand. Their army had just arrived at the scene when the Jade Sea chiefs lost control of their natural instincts, leading to an immediate battle. The bloody battle lasted from noon to dusk. In the field and the skies, the experts from each side were also fighting with all their might. Due to the participation of Xu Jingxuan and the mercenary generals, the great corridor actually gained an advantage in this field. Eiseka fought valiantly and, in an almost suicidal fashion, killed two count-rank chiefs on his own. As night fell, both exhausted factions finally sounded the bugle call to retreat. The Jade Sea werewolves pulled back to their camps, while the great corridor werewolves remained on the defensive line. The land between the two camps was already filled with corpses. There were human remains among them, but most were werewolves. Close to a hundred thousand of these lycanthropes had turned into corpses on the battlefield, with tens of thousands more in an injured state. With the Jade Sea tribes current situation, the lack of medicines and the ability to send what they have to the front lines in time meant that the badly injured men could only wait in pain for death to arrive. The results looked like the battle ended in a draw, but the Jade Sea faction had suffered far greater casualties comparatively. The loss of a hundred thousand men meant that the two factions were now two hundred thousand versus a hundred and fifty thousand. The number discrepancy wasnt as great as before, and the great corridor held the advantage in terms of fortifications. The chiefs and shamans began quarreling about whether to attack or wait for reinforcements. It was at this time that the werewolves of the great corridor made a shocking move. They sent out squad after squad to clean up the battlefield and transport the injured back to camp, regardless of faction. These injured soldiers could be saved? While still in shock, the chiefs and shamans realized that their morale was dropping sharply. There was no lack of intelligent men among these leaders, who came to a decision that they would attack that very night under the cover of darkness. Night time was the werewolves realm, where the humans backing the great-corridor forces would be weakened. A fierce battle broke out again that night and lasted until dawn. Be it for the Jade Sea or the great corridor, the scale and cruelty of this battle far surpassed whatever they could remember. There was no record of such a war even in the stories of the pioneering era. From noon on the first day until dawn the next day, over three hundred thousand werewolves had fallen on this land. Only half remained of the twenty thousand accompanying human soldiers. There were only a hundred thousand survivors on the Jade Sea side, while eighty thousand remained standing in the great corridor army. Both sides were utterly exhausted, and even the experts were tottering on the verge of collapse. As dawn arrived and the first rays of sunlight illuminated the great land, the ground began to tremble faintly. This clear and rhythmic tremor was coming from the direction of the Jade Sea. The werewolves of the great corridor stood up and glanced silently into the distance. Unable to wait until his wounds had been dressed, Eiseka pushed the human medic away and clambered to his feet. He pushed through the crowd and arrived at the front of the defensive line, frowning. The expression on his face could hardly hide his fear. A cloud of rolling dust kicked up from the direction of the Jade Sea. A massive creature charged out of the cloud, almost like a war colossus that had lost its way and arrived on the continent. That war elephant was dozens of meters tall, clad in a white-bone armor studded with countless fangs and horns. This made the war elephant look like a terrifying mobile fortress. Following the giant creature was a majestic army that stretched beyond eyesight, with countless werewolf warriors running forward. Their footsteps caused the earth to tremble, but even that couldnt drown out the sound of the war elephants march, a sound akin to the beating of an ancient war drum. The werewolves of the Jade Sea unleashed an earth-shattering howl, many of them transforming into their combat forms as they did so. The ancient war elephant had existed for hundreds of years as a part of the werewolves history on Fort Continent. This was the first time it had appeared in the recent three decades. This creature was the Whitebone Dukes mount and symbol. In the eyes of the Jade Sea werewolves, it was a representation of terror and death that they could neither defy nor resist. This memory had lasted for at least three hundred years. Eisekas hair stood on end. The terror in his eyes vanished as he unleashed a long howl, frothing from the mouth as he laughed. Who wouldve thought that small characters like us could force the Whitebone Duke out? Even if I die here, its worth it! Xu Jingxuan walked over to his side with a wry smile. I dont want to die yet. My son is only one year old, I still want to see him again. Eiseka said, The young will head to the battlefield sooner or later, no? Yeah, perhaps he too will die in the Whitebone Dukes hands one day. Xu Jingxuan straightened his back as the previous fear faded away. He glanced at Eiseka, saying, I never thought Id be fighting side-by-side with a werewolf one day. I never expected to have an old enemy for a comrade, either. Xu Jingxuan was just about to say something when his body jolted and his complexion went pale. The wounds on his body burst open as his muscles tensed up, staining his armor with a mist of blood. Eisekas reaction was even more intense. His bones creaked and groaned as though he were shouldering a heavy mountain. It was difficult to even straighten his back. Unresigned, he did his utmost to look up. He refused to face that mountain before him in a prostrated state, even if it cost him his life. The sky turned dark, almost as though it was night again, as an indefensible might covered the entire scene. The werewolves of the Jade Sea fell to their knees and sang praises to the Whitebone Dukes name. Most of the werewolves from the great corridor also fell to their knees. Terror gripped their hearts, and even they had no idea if their delirious mutterings were curses or prayers for forgiveness. His centuries-old prestige and indefensible domain suppressed the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye. The accomplishments of Eiseka and the werewolves of the great corridor were immediately reduced to nothing. This was the king who had dominated the Jade Sea for several centuries, the Whitebone Duke. His existence made all the fighting insignificant. The werewolf tribes banished into the great corridor would rather charge toward Zheng and smash themselves to pieces on its fortifications than attack the Jade Sea. However, a sliver of dawns light cut through the darkness as a massive warship leaped out and glided toward the battlefield. In the eyes of the werewolves and humans, this giant warship seemed to be engulfed in radiant flames as it cut through the Whitebone Dukes domain with inconceivable elegance. This was the arrival of a true monarch. Compared to the airship that was hundreds of meters long, the war elephant almost looked like a toy. Those sharp fangs and bone spikes could do nothing against the warship in the air, and its sinister-looking bone armor might not be able to stand a blow from the airships main cannon. The true experts from both sides had made an appearance. The light and flames around the warship were just an illusion caused by the intense friction between the two domains. There was no way such a clash wouldnt be intense, but here, it simply looked like the warship was tearing through the Whitebone Dukes domain. Regardless of how difficult this was to achieve, the Whitebone Duke had lost in a competition of domains. Seeing that faintly discernible but familiar figure at the bow of the warship, the werewolves of the great corridor erupted in explosive cheers, chanting, Our King. Qianye looked down at the battlefield from the airship. From his angle, he could see the three-storeyed palace hall on the elephants back. It was beautiful and magnificent, but the color was simply too pale, reeking of decay from the inside out. The doors on the top floor of the palace were flung open, and the Whitebone Duke walked out onto the balcony, gazing at the warship in the sky. Although there was a mask covering half his face, one could still see the hatred, anger, and shock in his eyes. Chapter 1217: Head-on Collision The battlecruiser moved slightly backward and lowered its head. Then, with a thunderous rumble, a giant flaming bolt shot toward the war elephant! The creature seemed to have sensed the threat. It let out a loud cry, raising its front legs and swinging its trunk in an attempt to block the attack. However, the giant ballista bolt wasnt something the giant creature could react to on time. The projectile struck the elephants head and erupted in an earth-shattering explosion, blasting the bone armor into fragments. The detonation left behind a wild blaze that sent the elephant into a frenzy. The creature shook its head and stomped about, killing countless werewolf warriors around it. The palace on its back also fell apart, flinging several drivers and shamans from within. The battlecruiser was the Empires newest technology. Its main cannon could badly damage or even sink a cruiser. The war elephants white-bone armor looked terrifying, but ultimately, it was not made up of origin arrays and steel. The bone armor couldnt compare to the warships armor plates, either. Under the battlecruisers attack, a single shot caused it to lose all fighting power. The captain didnt stop there. The main cannon locked onto the war elephant and fired once again! He was intent on destroying that war elephant under Qianyes orders. The Whitebone Duke was halfway in the air when he saw the second blast coming in. Roaring furiously, he moved to intercept the projectile. A giant white-bone claw appeared in the air and swiped at the giant ballista bolt, igniting it halfway. The dukes body jolted violently, and with a loud pop, several cracks appeared on the bone armor on his hand. It would seem that intercepting the main cannon forcibly came with a price. The battlecruiser had once again recharged at this point and another blast arrived! At the moment, the battlecruiser was on the verge of entering a critical state. The crew hurried about in the bay, ensuring that the cannon was firing at its top speed without hitting the overheating point. Qianye smiled coldly as his eyes turned blue, and the Whitebone Dukes image appeared within. A black feather was faintly discernible at the tip of his fingers. The duke immediately sensed a chill throughout his body, and his movements slowed down slightly. The delay caused him to miss one of the bolts; all he could do was watch as it struck the side of the war elephant. This armor-piercing bolt nailed itself deep into the war elephants head, which had already lost the protection of the bone armor. Then, it detonated in an earth-shattering explosion, producing a terrifying wound that was several meters in diameter. Even the bones inside were now visible! In the several hundred years before this, he had never faced an airship of this grade. Be it in the sky or on the ground, he used to be the king of the Jade Sea, a title he could claim with a clear conscience. Now, however, his throne in the air had been toppled. The Whitebone Duke clenched his jaws. Youre courting death! His figure appeared before Qianye with a flicker as he clawed at the latters throat. Qianye responded in kind, swiping at the dukes throat instead of evading. Furious, the Whitebone Duke hastened his movements slightly, grabbing Qianyes palms mid-air and locking him into a wrestle. This was the most primitive clash of origin power and strength. It was also a favorite first-battle stance among werewolves and arachne. Due to their physique, the demonkin and vampires leaned more toward speed, technique, and domains. Hence, the arachne and werewolves became synonymous with crude violence. It was, however, a fact that the werewolves held an advantage in strength against the vampires, let alone against humans. This unknown brat actually dared to wrestle with him! This was simply courting death! Feeling deeply insulted, the Whitebone Duke erupted with power and increased his strength thrice in a row. He wanted to crush Qianyes hand, or even his entire arm! An invisible shockwave erupted from the two combatants. The impact was so strong that even the massive battlecruiser dipped several dozen meters. It was as though a hurricane had crashed into the deck, sweeping away all hanging equipment. Two auxiliary cannons fixed to the deck were sent rolling into the distance, crushing over a dozen werewolves as it landed on the ground. Qianye and the Whitebone Duke appeared as the storm subsided. What surprised everyone was that Qianye had actually withstood the successive impact from the duke. Although he looked a bit pale and the impact had sent him leaning backward before regaining his posture, he had ultimately withstood the attack. At that moment, the Whitebone Duke fell from his divine altar, a position he had held firmly for three hundred years. As the two separated, Qianyes silhouette flickered and appeared several hundred meters away, evading the dukes attack to the head. The Whitebone Duke moved abruptly after the missed strike and appeared in front of Qianye once again. His movement wasnt that much slower than Spatial Flash. The duke threw another punch to Qianyes face, which Qianye blocked with crossed arms. A clap of thunder reverberated through the air. This time, Qianye was sent flying several dozen meters backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He had finally sustained a bit of injury. This result was already far beyond everyones imagination. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan from the great corridors side believed Qianye would be able to contend with the duke, but they never imagined he would charge into a head-on collision like this. Greatly surprised, the Whitebone Duke was almost spewing flames from his eyes and his killing intent grew deeper. This time, he finally put away his arrogance and was no longer in a rush to attack. He accumulated all of his origin power in his claws, preparing to deal a fatal blow in one strike. Qianye was young, so young that it made him fearful. If he couldnt destroy this opponent today, his throne in the Jade Sea would surely fall into the young mans handsat least after a few years if not today. The duke had just finished gathering his power when a flash of lightning appeared behind him. A long whip lashed ruthlessly toward the back of his head. The Whitebone Duke didnt dare underestimate this powerful strike, so he had no choice but to turn about and deflect it. The werewolfs expression was serious. Who are you? Caroline swung her Thunderous Whip, drawing large swathes of lightning along with it. You dont need to know that, but itll be too late if you dont run now. With just you two? The Whitebone Duke laughed wildly. Caroline sneered. Youll know once you try. Just as she was lifting her whip for a second attack, Qianye called out to her and pointed downward. Ill keep him busy, you dispose of his subordinates and offspring down there. Caroline glanced at Qianye. Are you sure youll be okay? Dont worry, such a weak duke cant do anything to me. Very well, take care, dont get yourself killed while playing. I dont want to die just yet. Fast and decisive, Carolines figure shot toward the Jade Sea army that had just arrived in a swirl of dust. At this moment, the Whitebone Dukes hair was flying about, and his body was engulfed in faint green flames. He was so angry that his hands were trembling. Carolines rank was fairly close to his, and that lash from just now contained great strength. If the two of them were to work together, it was likely that he would fall. Qianye was indeed unyielding, but how dare he claim that he could fight alone. After all, there was still a major ranks gap between the two. The Whitebone Duke had never suffered such humiliation since he started ruling the Jade Sea three centuries ago! The dukes expression was still hidden behind his mask, so no one could tell his actual mood. He simply stood there in silence, allowing Caroline to leave. After she was a good distance away, the duke locked onto Qianye with overflowing killing intent. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of his target and threw a ruthless punch, one containing boundless might! Just as before, Qianye chose to take the blow head-on and was sent flying dozens of meters away. The duke followed his prey like a shadow. Punches, elbows, knee strikes, and kickshis attacks were as wild as a tempest. All of a sudden, Qianye could only defend and had no power to retaliate at all. A series of thunderous rumbles erupted in the air, each explosion representing a collision between Qianye and the duke. There was nothing fancy about these clashes, nor was there any room for them. Qianye was at a disadvantage, like a candle in the wind as he barely held out under the werewolfs assault. The glow of his defensive origin power grew dim and looked like it would be extinguished any moment. Seeing that Qianye was about to fall, the duke reduced the speed of his attacks, but the power behind his strikes only grew stronger. Each strike was like a hatchet, a chisel, and a mountain-splitting sledgehammer, ruthlessly striking an obstinate piece of metal on the anvil. Qianye had shrunk down his defensive zone to its smallest extent, leaving only a palms space around his body. He could and was still defending every part of his body from head-to-toe, pushing his fighting techniques to their limits. However, that still wasnt enoughthe enemy he was facing was the Whitebone Duke, whose every punch and kick was extremely fast and heavy. Even though he had slowed down, that was just relative to before. Qianye couldnt find any gap to take advantage of. This battle allowed everyone to understand why the Whitebone Duke could rule over the Jade Sea for three hundred years. It wasnt just a suppression in rank and brute strengththis dark duke was simply an inherent genius in combat! Qianyes origin power barrier was punctured time and again, causing him to sustain injuries from time to time. Even his ancient vampire physique could hardly take this degree of punishment. Every time he was struck, his origin power would fluctuate wildly. His dark golden blood energy remained inside his body, focused on strengthening and repairing his muscles and internal organs. Every time Qianyes flickering barrier was shattered, another would appear moments later, only to be crushed again. Venus Dawn was pure and fierce. The origin power barrier formed from it was also extremely durable. Even a thin layer, one so dim that it was hardly visible, would take the Whitebone Duke several focused attacks to break. In this manner, the shield was destroyed, reborn, and destroyed repeatedly. Qianye remained at a constant disadvantageit seemed like he was being beaten so badly that he couldnt even retaliate. Each of the dukes attacks came with a full accumulation of his power, almost as though he would tear the figure in front of him to pieces. Yet, each time, Qianye would miraculously get through the assault. Chapter 1218: Breaking Through She wasnt alone, either. Surrounded by beams of lightning, four Thunderfrost Temple Guards followed her closely on the assault. These attendants werent here to fight, though. Their entire focus was to transfer blue lightning to Caroline. The Thunderous Whip had extended to several dozen meters at this point. It was like a flying dragon as it rampaged through the battlefield, sweeping large areas at times and targeting a single expert in others. The blue lightning was extremely fast and powerful. The Whitebone Duke didnt even spare a glance below, so despite their numbers, no one in the Jade Sea army could stop Caroline. Even their strongest warriors couldnt stand three lashes from her whip before falling with broken spines. Caroline ignored the army of hundreds of thousands as she shuttled through the air, focused entirely on hunting down experts. Every move of her figure would only leave behind a lightning afterimage; no one could see where she had gone. She was even faster than an origin bullet. Xu Jingxuan felt no relief from the victorious momentum of the ground battle. Most of his attention was up in the air, his head drenched in sweat. Why are they fighting like this? Why not gang up against the enemy? He hadnt noticed how many times he had repeated these words, showing just how tense he was right now. As Xu Jingxuan saw it, someone as strong as Caroline should be helping Qianye attack the Whitebone Duke. Only by defeating the duke would they be able to take the Jade Sea. Now that the two were fighting on their own, wasnt this giving the werewolf duke an opportunity to defeat them? What was the use of killing ordinary experts? He didnt dare to think about their fate should Qianye fall in battle. Eiseka was a bit faster. He woke up all of a sudden and roared, Everyone, charge! His voice hadnt faded just yet when he jumped out of the fortifications, dragging his wounded body in a charge against the enemy formation. Although the werewolves of the great corridor had no idea why he would give up the defenses, there was no reason for them to remain while their leader was charging. All the werewolf soldiers, at least those who could still move, clambered up and charged at the giant enemy armyone that far outnumbered them. A chaotic battle ensued. In the air, Qianye suddenly opened his crystal-clear eyes. His demeanor was calm and profound, entirely different from the sorry, blood-stained figure he was cutting. He gazed at the Whitebone Duke and said softly, As expected of a duke. Unfortunately, youre too old. What blocked the fist this time wasnt Qianyes inconceivably strong body, but a faint barrier or light. Qianyes origin defenses were just as strong, but it still couldnt keep up with the continuous barrage of attacks. The Whitebone Duke took a deep breath as he threw a torrent of punches on Qianyes shield, leaving afterimages everywhere in the process. This wasnt the first time he had blasted this shield apart. In the blink of an eye, the Whitebone Duke had slammed Qianyes shield several times and brought it to the brink of collapse. Just as the shield was about to break, the duke shot back several dozen meters in surprise. He clearly remembered that he could break the opponents shield with a few heavy blows. How come it wasnt breaking now after so many attacks? Careful observation showed him that there was a blinding white light hidden within the scarlet shield, a glow akin to the last moments of the rising sun. It looked like it would shoot out at any moment! The Whitebone Duke was able to stand as a ruler for hundreds of years because of his talent and experience. He immediately knew that something was off, so he began going over the process of their entire battle in his mind. He quickly caught on to an abnormal detail that he had largely ignored. Every time Qianye reactivated his shield, it was a bit stronger and brighter than before, almost as though it was hiding something within. If he had to describe it, the entire process was like a tempering process. The impurities within Qianyes origin power were being expelled little by little. But the purity of this young mans origin power was at a level he had never seen before. Could such an origin power have any impurities in it? Qianye was also rather surprised by the Whitebone Dukes sudden retreat. He said with a smile, Its completed. Thank you, Your Excellency. The origin barrier around him erupted with radiance, the scarlet gold flames almost dying the sky with its hue. When the color of dawn clouds reached its peak, a scorching luminescence burst into the sky with great elegancemuch like the sun rising over the sea! This sun grew brighter and brighter until it formed a pillar of light connecting heaven and earth. Even the Whitebone Duke could barely discern Qianyes figure against the backdrop of boundless light and heat. No one else was able to see a human silhouette. Finally, the pillar of light receded and was duly absorbed into Qianyes body. He was still standing in the air just like before, his armor in tatters and his body riddled with wounds. Only the glow in the depths of his eyes was dazzling, just like a revolving red sun. An indescribable aura spread throughout the battlefield. The Whitebone Dukes domain and aura would disappear immediately upon contact with it. A battle of domains had broken out once again between the two parties, but the results were vastly different. Back during their entrance, Qianye and Caroline had worked together to tear the Whitebone Dukes domain. The sensation of laceration was extremely clear back then, but his domain remained in place over the battlefield; it still held a clear advantage and wasnt defeated. This time, however, the dukes domain seemed like it had been incinerated, melting away at the slightest contact with the new domain energy. This new power was formless and intangible, yet it was scorching hot and capable of melting almost anything. At this moment, all the dark race members felt as though they were standing on the surface of the sun, that they would be completely incinerated at the next breath, not even leaving ashes behind. Fortunately, this sensation lasted but a moment before the new domain power faded away. The scorching sensation receded, leaving only restlessness and anxiety. Many experts suspected that they wouldve burst into flames had it remained for the next second. Even experts felt this way. The ordinary werewolf experts within Qianyes domain broke into miserable screams, the stronger ones trembled all over, while the weaker ones collapsed to the ground. The fierce heat seemed like it had originated from the daybreak origins, causing agonizing pain to all creatures of darkness. Having suffered a crushing defeat, the Whitebone Dukes domain only survived on the edges of the battlefield. Those standing at the border all ran forward at the same time, even though the firm walls and swords of the great corridor were waiting for them. Their current location was simply too terrifying. That scorching heat was completely opposite of their darkness attribute and a hundred times more terrifying than the threat of enemy swords. The duke glared at Qianye with eyes full of shock, disbelief, and mad jealousy. He clenched his teeth and said word-by-word, You have become a divine champion? Qianye nodded with a smile. Without your help, I dont know how long it would take. You used me!? the duke roared. Qianye laughed indifferently. You just didnt have the ability to kill me. The Whitebone Duke snorted. You think you can defeat me just because youre a divine champion? Humans who had just stepped into the divine champion stage were only about equal to a glorious marquis. Calculating from the Evernight system, there was still a major ranks gap between them. Only a mid-ranked divine champion like Caroline could contend against a duke, while ordinary divine champions would have no choice but to retreat in defeat. The werewolf himself didnt have much confidence while saying this. Qianye nodded as though he was in agreement. Its not supposed to be, but theres no problem since its me against you. The Whitebone Duke felt his vision darken for a split second as anger filled his head. The werewolfs violent nature and the many years of bad temper that he had acquired made him want to charge at Qianye. However, the outcome of that contest of domains just now allowed his caution to claim victory, and he ultimately managed to restrain himself. Defeat meant the collapse of his throne, the end of everything he had in the Jade Sea. He observed Qianye carefully, rapidly calculating his next move. However, all he could see was a sea of light and heathe simply couldnt discern anything underneath. Seeing that the Whitebone Duke had managed to restrain himself, Qianye smiled. Your Excellency, dont forget that this is a battlefield. Battlefield!? The duke couldnt figure the meaning immediately. Only when he sensed a sharp pain from his back did he remember something as he turned around immediately. Caroline was charging at him, shrouded in lightning. This was a battlefield, one where there was no rule against using a numbers advantage. Now that Qianye had succeeded in his ascension, there were two divine champions on his side. The Whitebone Duke, on the other hand, only had himself. The werewolf made an immediate decision, rushing into the sky with a loud cry and fleeing toward the horizon. Three black feathers appeared in the air and flickered out of existence almost immediately, all of them sinking into the dukes back. The werewolfs body froze in the air for a moment before falling to the ground. Caroline appeared beside Qianye. Ah, youve been fighting with him for so long. Didnt you tell him that he cant flee from the Shot of Inception? Qianye shrugged. Too busy, forgot. The Whitebone Dukes demise came all too sudden. The entire battlefield fell into silence, almost as though time had frozen. Be it those from the Jade Sea or the great corridor, all the werewolves remained in place and gazed at where the duke had fallen. At this moment, something that had been passed down and kept intact for three hundred years was broken. That was tradition, an indescribable emotionreverence, terror, worship, and mysteriousness. All of these served as a support for the werewolf psyche, and also formed an unerasable part of their history, yet everything had come to an end at this point. All werewolves from both factions felt a certain dejection. The gap in their hearts was so big that it could not be filled. Even the werewolves of the great corridor and Eiseka himself felt as though they were in a dream. He had imagined the collapse of that high throne countless times, but who wouldve thought it would be so easy? It was almost like a childrens game. He was likely one of the few who had barely noticed the three black feathers, but he couldnt sense their power at all. How powerful would they have to be to kill the Whitebone Duke in a single blow? There was only one explanation for him to not sense anything. It was that the power difference between the two was too great. Eiseka was fairly confident about his own abilities. Even in the Jade Sea, he would be able to squeeze his way into the upper echelons. It was just that his tribe was driven into the great corridor much earlier on, leaving him stuck with that humble label. While he was stunned, Xu Jingxuan poked his waist and asked, Erm is he dead? Eiseka said with a wooden expression, I think so. Then, shall we go and take a look? The enemy Theyre gone. The werewolves of the Jade Sea were still in a daze, but their bodies moved faster than their thoughts, opening up a path to where the Whitebone Duke had fallen. That place wasnt too far behind the Jade Sea army, but the werewolves nearby remained nailed to the ground, not daring to approach. Two divine champions were still standing in the air. Qianyes domain, specifically, refreshed their memory and definition of fear. Whoever dared to approach at this point would be challenging Qianye, and that in and of itself was no different from courting death. Xu Jingxuan suggested it and Eiseka also seconded the motion, but the two glanced at one another without taking the first step forward. It was still a scary thought to walk through hundreds of thousands of werewolf soldiers to where the Whitebone Duke was. Seeing someone flagging them, the two turned about to see Song Lun shaking his head. Its not a good idea to go. The duo came to their senses. The Whitebone Dukes body was full of treasures, each of his equipment was probably priceless. Going over now would probably give them a bad name for having untoward intentions. In the sky, Caroline glanced at Qianye who was standing there calmly with his hands behind his back. Arent you going? You go and see, Qianye said with a smile. Chapter 1219: Mystery of Whitebone Are you okay? Why dont you go down? That wont do. Once I go down, my glorious image will be gone, Qianye replied. Caroline found it both funny and annoying, but she realized things when she glanced at the sea of werewolves down below. Qianyes prestige of killing the Whitebone Duke in one blow had intimidated the hundred thousand enemies below. The entire situation would change if he were to show a drop in powereven if they didnt launch a counterattack, things would be extremely troublesome if they fled in all directions. Having understood this point, Caroline said, Okay, Ill go down and take a look. The two had been conversing high up in the air, so no one really heard them. Swinging her whip, she once again summoned a sea of lightning and rode it steadily toward the Whitebone Dukes corpse. There, she picked up the dukes remains with a wave of her hand and returned to Qianyes side. All the werewolves were reconciled after witnessing this scene, realizing that their Whitebone Duke would never be revived. Qianye scanned the werewolves of the Jade Sea, then roared with a stern expression, Kneel! This shout was accompanied by a wave of rolling origin power and his domain spreading out to cover the entire battlefield. Everyone at the scene felt as though they had fallen into an infernothe unbearable heat and great pressure were as though they had been submerged in a pool of lava. There was a wisp of ancient vampire aura in the sound waves, one close to the darkness origins. Every werewolf felt a shiver born from the source of their bloodline. Under Qianyes might, the werewolves of the great corridor fell to their knees subconsciously, so too did the weak and feeble-willed from the Jade Sea. With some taking the lead, more and more followed suit until only a few dozen true experts remained standing. Qianyes eyes swept over them like lightning, reflecting their images in his pupils. The expressions of these keen experts changed drastically the moment they were reflected in Qianyes eyes. Trembling, many of the titled experts kneeled in surrender, but there was no lack of defiant ones. Qianye wasnt about to take his time with them, either. His gaze paused very briefly on each of them before moving onto the next. Whether they were willing to surrender or not, no matter how high their rank wasfrom counts to all the way down to knightsQianye would not spare them a second glance. Looking all around him, he found eight of them who were still standing. Qianyes expression turned cold. Kill them all. The two that had fled the farthest thought they would be able to escape, but their bodies and movements turned sluggish all of a sudden. The lightning whip soon arrived and destroyed their last hopes of survival. In the blink of an eye, the final forces of resistance dispersed from the Jade Sea. As for those prostrating on the ground, there was no more standing up after kneeling. Caroline returned to Qianyes side without dealing with the corpses. Are you okay? Qianye said with a smile, Not very. His words didnt quite fit that radiant smile of his. Caroline knew that the domain accompanying his order to kneel and the suppression of the werewolf experts secret arts would be rather exhausting. Qianye pointed at Eiseka and ordered, Clean up the field. The werewolves from the Jade Sea grew restless as the great corridor forces started to move, but they remained kneeling on the ground. Seeing that no one dared to get up, Qianye stretched his hand toward Caroline. Caroline was puzzled. Qianyes smile never changed. Help me back. Only then did she come to. Ignoring whether it was his intention, she took Qianyes arm with a charming smile and dragged him back to the warship. The countless eyes on the ground could not see any change in Qianyes composure. On the contrary, they found his stature charming and gentle. After returning to the airship and retiring the attendants, Qianye gave up on maintaining his glorious demeanor and collapsed into the chair. Caroline was shocked. Are you alright? Qianye couldnt even open his eyes. He said in a daze, Theres no way I wouldnt be. Im just tired. He couldnt even finish his sentence before his head tilted to the side, and he fell deep into sleep. Caroline stared at him for a good while, then let out a sigh. As someone of demonkin birth, she was fairly capable of observing the state of someones body. She knew Qianyes situation quite clearly. He was truly tired and exhausted. The werewolves of the Jade Sea wouldnt have been so obedient had he not deployed his domain and used the Eye of Control to subdue the experts. Qianye didnt sleep very long before his eyes opened up again. What is it that smells so bad!? At his mention, Caroline realized that the room was indeed filled with a certain odor. It was rather faint at first, almost indiscernible, but a careful whiff filled her senses with a complicated odor of decay. Caroline realized that things were looking bad, but it was too late. Considering how sharp her senses were, she could immediately differentiate dozens of foundational notes which mixed together to produce hundreds if not thousands of scents. This impact was no weaker than a slap from the Whitebone Duke. Carolines vision darkened, and she almost fell unconscious. If even a mid-rank divine champion was like this, one could easily imagine how strong the smell was. Even the exhausted Qianye was woken up by it. Isolating herself with origin power, she finally found the source of this putridnessit was the Whitebone Dukes body. The corpse was currently rotting at a visible rate, producing a puddle of green fluid on the floor. The stench of rot intensified at an alarming rate. Caroline was helpless at this point. Qianye! Without much thought, Qianyes Venus Dawn shone upon the Whitebone Dukes remains. The scorching flames of Daybreak burned the rotting flesh and blood into oblivion, then froze into a thin layer of crystal over the Whitebone Dukes corpse. The werewolfs dead body stopped deteriorating after being sealed in this icy crystal. The extreme heat of Venus Dawn could actually freeze the target? Qianye had never thought this was possible. He had simply channeled his origin power while thinking about protecting the Whitebone Dukes body. Caroline flipped the dukes body over carefully and studied it in great detail. After observing the surface, she removed the equipment on his body and placed the objects in his storage to the side. Finally, only that half-decayed body of the werewolf duke remained on the ground. Caroline drew a dagger and cut open the dukes body. After studying his innards, she sighed deeply. I understand now. You can remove these smells. The entire room was suffused with an unbearable stench. The duo had long since held their breath and was spending origin power to converse. Qianye felt great relief after hearing her words. A layer of Venus Dawn appeared around him, completely burning away the scent of decay in the room. After the light had receded, there was only a wisp of fragrance left in the room. It was the smell of showering sunlight, a lingering scent as everything in the room was illuminated by Venus Dawn. Caroline took a deep breath. Who wouldve thought daybreak origin power would smell so good? Qianye said, You can interact more with Zining when you have time. His Worldly Prosperity can emulate everything in the world, the most basic use of which is to mix all fragrances together. Now thats something that truly smells good. Those are just ordinary smells, what I mean is the scent of origin power. Qianye glanced at Caroline in surprise. Is that even possible? Caroline shook her head, puzzled as well. Perhaps at extreme levels, some origin powers just feel good. And monsters like this fellow just make people sick. Qianye walked over to the messy corpse. Whats with him? He shouldve died long ago, but he has been using all kinds of messed up ways to extend his life. Apparently, he has absorbed too much decaying origin power, and even used daybreak origin power to stimulate their effectiveness. A thought popped into Qianyes head. Daybreak origin power? You mean Sacrificial offerings or whatever, its not important what they''re called. But the remaining traces here tell me that the origin power comes from humans. Only humans know how to cultivate daybreak origin power. Thats not entirely certain, your Thunderfrost Temple also leans toward Daybreak. That has always been something I couldnt figure out. Caroline replied, Neither could I. Our ancestors are clearly demonkin who drifted to the neutral lands. You also know what the neutral lands mean for the demonkin. Thats why the earlier ancestors suffered greatly and died early deaths. Only in the recent few centuries did they discover the power of Frost and Thunder. These two energies leaned toward daybreak, yet we are able to absorb and use them. The predecessors of every generation couldnt tell the reason despite extensive research, so we just consider it a reward for our hardship. Qianye glanced at the Whitebone Duke. What did this fellow do to get himself into this state? Caroline snorted. The fear of death drove him crazy, so much so that he was trying to implant bloodlines, the bloodlines of young, talented werewolves. Chapter 1220: At the End of Decay The Whitebone Duke wasnt too bad in terms of skill. At the very least, it was worthy of someone who had ruled the Jade Sea for several hundred years. Yet, the advantage common to strength-type races wasnt prominent in him. As a werewolf duke, his attack was only at the average standard for his rank, not so different from the Wolf King. Otherwise, Qianye wouldnt have been able to withstand the attacks and use them to temper his origin power. The process had condensed the origin power in his nine vortices and transformed them into a single crystal, allowing him to step into the divine champion realm. He was able to reach the fighting power standard of a duke although there was nothing to write home about his strength. Perhaps this proved that there was something to learn from his methods? Caroline seemed to have noticed Qianyes thoughts. Its not like that. From her explanation, Qianye finally realized why the Whitebone Duke hadnt collapsed despite absorbing the bloodlines of numerous young werewolves. That was because, at the same time, he was absorbing daybreak origin power from humans. The existence of this opposing element allowed the conflicted bloodlines to stop attacking one another, maintaining a delicate balance within his body. This could be considered a genius idea, but judging from the outcome at hand, it was ultimately a failure. It wouldnt even be feasible anywhere outside of a place like the Jade Sea. Without the destruction brought about by external forces, a dukes body would remain immortal throughout the years. That was why the Sacred Mountain of Evernight was also the burial ground of numerous experts. From the Whitebone Dukes final condition, it would seem that the true state of his body was close to complete decay. It could even be said that he was a walking corpse. The reason he was able to maintain his calm appearance was likely because he hadnt encountered a proper challenger in the last couple of centuries. Even without Qianye and Caroline, the dukes body would crumble some time in the future and turn into a puddle of pus. Defective secret arts like this involved a great price and the ones who had been robbed of their bloodline were naturally young geniuses of the race. Who knew how long the duke had lived in this manner? Was it a hundred years, or two hundred? It probably didnt matter at this point. Just looking at the vast population of the Jade Sea and the great corridor, there was only a pitiful number of dukes among them. The one Qianye had encountered at the great corridor was one who had used up his potential and had no hope of another breakthrough. The dark races inheritance lay in their bloodline, so there were instances where people would rob and absorb anothers bloodline under extreme circumstances. However, a case like the Whitebone Dukes would be impossible in the upper continents, a case where the future of an entire clan was cut off to extend a single persons life, let alone just a zombie-like extension. The other top-experts of the clans would never allow anyone to kill the proverbial golden goose for its eggs. Who wouldve thought someone would be doing this in a corner of the Fort continent? Looking at the corpse that couldnt even maintain its shape, Qianye didnt know what to say. In the end, he sighed. Well, this is a good thing to the human race as well. Although the Whitebone Duke had killed a fair number of his clansmen, he had also helped to cut down the number of werewolves reaching the marquis rank. Otherwise, Zheng might not be able to hold out if there were a certain number of marquises overseeing the war. At this moment, almost all secrets had been dug out from the dukes body. Qianye shot a wisp of fire from his fingertip, seeking to incinerate the Whitebone Dukes body with his dark golden energy. The fire would normally reduce everything in its wake to ashes, but it wasnt entirely true this time. Qianye watched in surprise as a squirming mass of flesh appeared from the scattering ashes. He looked at it carefully and, before Caroline could stop him, reached out to grab it. The ball of flesh was only the size of a fingernail, probably left over from the dukes heart judging from its vestiges. Being able to withstand the fire of the dark golden blood energy proved just how strong it was. The feeling it gave Qianye was actually a bit similar to that of the Earth Dragons hearta terrifying life force that had lost its consciousness. If that were the case, this little ball of flesh would have great uses if developed appropriately. You dare to touch every unknown object, it seems! Caroline moved closer while saying this, reaching out to touch the flesh and even flicking some lightning onto it. The flesh could even stop Qianyes dark golden sanguine flames; what was Carolines lightning to it? The mass of flesh remained completely unharmed. Caroline sighed. Who wouldve thought such a treasure would appear at the end of decay? Unfortunately, the dukes entire body is already breaking down. Even if he didnt die, he would never be able to control this flesh. It might even retaliate and devour him if it grows stronger, turning him into a different creature. Qianye said while looking at the flesh, Do you think those void colossi were born this way? Caroline was stunned. She had no answer to this question, nor did she know how Qianye had associated the two. The flesh that had been forged from the dukes decaying body was definitely a treasure, but no one knew how to apply it. In addition to that, the duke had naturally accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years. But there werent any dazzling resources on the Fort Continent and the Jade Sea. The werewolf tribes possessed no high-end technology to process raw materials, either. As such, the dukes possessions were mainly natural materials and beast bones. His bone armor was extremely sturdyit was likely comparable to grade-eight equipment and far superior to ordinary metal alloys. This kind of defense-attribute beast bones could only come from void colossi. His helmet was even more wondrous; there was a faint trace of life-force flowing within it. This meant, from a certain perspective, that the helmet was still alive. The craftsman had made use of the natural shape to produce a helmet and add numerous intricate arrays to make use of the vitality within. The most prominent use of this helmet was to expand the area of ones domain. That was the reason why the Whitebone Duke was able to suppress Qianye and Caroline in range. Every part of a void colossus body was a treasure, and parts with vitality were even more so. The most representative was Qianyes dragonship. Recently, the giant vessel had not only begun to regrow flesh on its own, but its weak consciousness was also growing clearer over time. It was slowly regaining the earth dragons past demeanor. In addition to his bone armor, the duke also owned a number of rings that could strengthen the bodys different attributes. There were also some bone blades and various stone weapons. With East Peak in hand, Qianye had no interest in the bone blades, but some of the stone equipment caught his attention. There was a certain dark green dagger with brown spots that he actually couldnt see through. Caroline was much more experienced regarding treasures and resources. Lightning flames lit up on her fingertip as she grabbed the dagger, but the weapon wasnt affected at all by the fierce energy. There was no sign of it melting, either. The blade arced slightly when she tried to bend it, but it promptly returned to its original state afterward. Caroline passed the dagger to Qianye, saying, Its not very sturdy, but it can withstand high temperatures and insulate lightning fire, and thats just in its raw ore state. Itll probably be even stronger when refined. Is this thing useful? Of course, its useless as a weapon, the duke never even took it out. But the material itself has a lot of uses. Just the high-temperature tolerance alone would make it a great material for warship engines. Qianye understood that Song Zinings alloy formula possessed similar characteristics. That alloy was considered a top-secret of the Empire, and its manufacturing process was extremely difficult. Even now, it could only be produced back in the Empire. If this new material could be used in warship engines, their performance would be improved to the next level. There was no need to explain what this meant to the Empire. If he could control the production of this material, it would give him a powerful hold on the other partys vitals. Although Qianye had no plans to make use of this position, it wasnt a bad leverage to have for self-protection. Qianye took the dagger back and put it away carefully. It wouldnt be too late to investigate the source of this material after the situation around the Jade Sea had calmed down. The duke had nothing else that could impress Qianye. All in all, the gains werent too bad, but in terms of net worth, the Whitebone Duke was far inferior to the dukes on the upper continents. At the very least, he couldnt even bring out grade-nine gear. After looking through the spoils, Qianye had recovered enough to continue his glorious image. Hence, he decided to head to the command room. All the generals were already seated in the room. The chamber was currently a mixture of humans and werewolves, with the latter occupying a third of the forces. This made the atmosphere subtly strange. The human generals sat to one side, while the werewolves occupied the other, drawing a clear line between them. The only exception was Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan, who were sitting next to one another. The duo was wrapped in blood-stained bandages, almost like brothers in hardship. The mercenary generals were clad in uniform equipment and armor. Xu Jingxuan and his two aides were also dressed similarly, using Zhengs weapons and armor. The werewolves, on the other hand, came in their individual clan attiresome garish, some dull, but no two alike. There were also some with feathers on their heads who, despite looking like giant turkeys, were feeling pleased about their height. Chapter 1221: For Whom to Exis The werewolf experts introduced by Eiseka stepped forward and went down on one knee, touching their foreheads. This was the highest form of salutation toward a king. Judging from this, it would seem the werewolves attitude toward Qianye was far more respectful and loyal than toward the other generals. Even that rather proud-looking turkey general was sincere in his salutation and only recovered his demeanor when he was back at his seat. Some mercenary generals felt somewhat restless upon noticing this. After introducing the newcomers, Eiseka said, Your Majesty Qianye raised a hand. Dont use this address in the future. Eiseka found it rather difficult. But we in the tribes have gotten used to it. After such a great victory, we can no longer stop them, either. Besides, isnt it only a matter of time before you become a great dark monarch? Qianye frowned. Whatever the future holds, I am not worthy of this address just yet, so dont use it. Yes, Sire... Eiseka changed the terminology with great difficulty. These comrades of mine are devotees who wish to follow you whole-heartedly. Your position has been added to their tribes ancestral altar. Qianyes expression turned odd because, in the Empire, only the dead would be worshipped on the altar. Seemingly realizing his thoughts, Caroline approached Qianye and said, The werewolves of the ancestral school do have a tradition of worshipping their king on the ancestral altar. This is much better than any oath, provided that you dont fall off your throne. Qianye forced a nod despite still feeling a bit awkward, but he understood that this formality would ensure that the entire tribe was loyal and minimize any chances of betrayal. This would last until Qianye was killed by a new king, who would then replace him on the altar. These three tribes were the first among the Jade Sea forces to announce their loyalty. It would seem their life under the Whitebone Duke wasn''t very good. With this batch of werewolves, Qianyes strength on the Fort Continent grew exponentially. The only problem was that he would have to be careful about how they were utilized. At the same time, he had no choice but to dispel his original intention of forbidding the great corridor werewolves from placing him on the altar. Next, Qianye asked about the casualty report and reparations. Since building a mixed army of humans and werewolves, the battle of Jade Sea was the biggest and most bitter fight. The great corridor had lost over a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, along with over twenty thousand of Xu Jingxuans newly trained soldiersthe number was almost half of the new army. Comparatively, the Jade Sea werewolves had suffered over three hundred thousand deaths. As their medical capabilities were rather low and the great corridor was powerless to assist, tens of thousands of heavily injured men passed away in the days that followed. Following the death of the Whitebone Duke, most of his frontline and reserve armies had surrendered. Some tens of thousands of them escaped, leaving over three hundred thousand captives in Qianyes hands. According to the captives confession, there should have been several werewolf armies marching for the field, totaling over a hundred thousand men. They were probably running back to their tribal villages now after receiving news of the frontlines defeat. The best strategy was to dispatch an army to intercept these retreating forces and annihilate them in the wilderness. That would reduce their pressure when cleaning up the entire Jade Sea. However, Qianye glanced at everyone in the room and saw that both the werewolves and humans were covered in injuries. He finally dropped the idea since he couldnt find anyone to lead the operation. And there were over a hundred thousand prisoners outside that he had to deal with as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might erupt into chaos at any moment. Rounding up the werewolves of the Jade Sea was a complicated and delicate process, but it went relatively smooth. With the Whitebone Duke heading out to war, all the major tribes at the center mobilized in full force, only to end up being captured in one go. The ones that had escaped were from the scattered tribes in the periphery. Tens of thousands sounded like a big number, but they were now dispersed in their villages. Not to mention the massive force right now, Qianye could sweep through them with just the great corridor werewolves, or even with Xu Jingxuans army. There were also some remote tribes who had received the dukes summons but never made it due to the distance and lack of supplies. Time and patience were the only things needed to recruit these people. In the days that followed, Qianye was at the center of various meetings, big and small. Each meeting would take a good part of the day, depriving him of the time to consolidate his divine champion realm. The placement, food, and safety of hundreds of thousands of werewolves were no small matter, and they couldnt make a single mistake. Only after experiencing things himself did Qianye realize that supply and logistics werent so easy after all. After the meeting one day, Song Hui followed Qianye back to his private quarters. Qianye knew what she was going to say, so he closed the door and waited for her. Are you really going to take in those werewolves? What else? Qianye felt that this question was a bit strange. The population of the Jade Sea and the great corridor added together was over twelve million according to initial statistics. Having such a number under his wing was naturally the best outcome. Otherwise, if they were to turn into enemies, just simply slaughtering them would be an exhausting chore. Song Hui sighed deeply. This is twelve million werewolves were talking about. These people have been attacking the Zheng fortress simply because the land couldnt accommodate all of them. Qianye nodded. I know. This land wasnt able to provide for everyone in werewolf hands, but things will be different in ours. Be it the Jade Sea or the great corridor, the lands yield wasnt enough to provide for so many werewolves. That was why they had to expand and plunder, exhausting their population in the process. And of course, Zheng was the easiest to bully among their neighbors and was thus the prime target. Qianye felt that something impossible for the Whitebone Duke might be achievable for him. The werewolves here were still at a very primitive level and survived by hunting or herding creatures. Their farming technology was so primitive that it was an entire age behind Zheng, let alone the Empire. It wouldnt be a problem to keep all these werewolves fed if they could import suitable technology and plant types, increasing the yield and area of farmland. Who said werewolves couldnt eat plants? Those in the great corridor had proven that between eating grass and dying of hunger, the werewolves would choose grass. And cultivating farmland would produce fodder and pastures in addition to grains. This would serve to increase the output of animal husbandry exponentially. All soldiers would be ensured meat rations, at the very least. All they needed was two years, and this land would be able to support several times the current number of werewolves. If they were to invest more and breed a high-yield crop suitable for the environment, the sustainable population would only continue to rise. The only problem they needed to solve during the interim was that of food supplies. However, the great war had reduced the number of elite warriors by the hundreds of thousands; these soldiers required far more food than ordinary werewolves. Hence, they would still be able to get through this year even if nothing was done. Qianye could also choose to buy food from the Empire to tide through this difficult period. Song Hui didnt think the same, though. Seeing that Qianye didnt understand what she was getting at, she simply said, Have you ever thought about how many humans this land could accommodate if there were no werewolves? Qianye was stunned. Admittedly, he had not thought about this. His plans for the next couple of years were based on the current situation, so he hadnt really considered any extreme measures. Since Song Hui had asked, he went through the numbers very quickly in his mind. High-ranking experts and soldiers werent suitable samples. If they were to consider ordinary civilians, a human adult required much less food compared to a werewolf. They were also disproportionately smaller. An adult werewolf was twice the size of a human and required four times as much food. If Qianye was confident about feeding over ten million werewolves, this vast land stretching hundreds of kilometers could probably sustain forty to fifty million humans, maybe even more. It was just that the environment here was similarly disadvantageous to humans; ordinary people would live shorter lives compared to other places. If he were to bring people from the neutral lands, however, the difference wouldnt be that big. Song Huis words seemed to contain a deeper meaning. Qianye said with a frown, Do you mean I should kill off all the werewolves, then use humans to fill up the space? You dont need to kill them. Just drive them away. Qianye frowned deeply. Even for werewolves, a large-scale migration would bring about countless deaths along the way. Considering how primitive these tribes were, it wouldnt be a surprise if half of them died during the exodus. That was no different from a massacre. Qianye sighed. How is that different from killing them? Song Hui, this is twelve million lives were talking about. Do you really want to kill them all? Those of a different race will always have different intentions! Besides, theres only so much land to go around. I would rather accommodate humans than raise so many werewolves. From our races standpoint, we must exterminate these werewolves. How did you think the Great Qin pioneered new land? The continents we occupied werent uninhabited places before we came. The middle continents were, of course, not barren. Especially the territories controlled by the Empire and the major clans, many of them could be considered extremely fertile locations. The foundations of daybreak were forcibly torn out from the dark races hands. Qianye knew that she spoke the truth. The rise of the human race was filled with sacrifices, and those remains didnt just belong to the human race. There were countless dark races among them as well. He said after a moment of silence, I remember a certain theory saying that since the energy of this world is divided into Daybreak and Evernight, every race has the right to survive on the continents. Either daybreak or darkness, the destruction of one race will bring about the birth of another one, so blind killing has no meaning. This is the Fort Continent, neither the Empire nor the Evernight Council. Perhaps things can work differently here? Besides, these werewolves are sincere about their submission, they have also proven their loyalty. Qianye paused for a moment and said honestly, Under these circumstances, I dont have the heart to do it. Song Hui didnt let go. How did they prove their loyalty? With two hundred thousand lives. Song Hui had no choice but to nod. Fine, even if thats the case, what will you do if they revolt later on? Qianye said calmly, I will give them whatever they were promised. If someone wants to betray me, then do you think I will let them off? No small number of dark races have fallen to my blade. Very well then. Song Hui heaved a sigh. What are your plans for this nation, though? Will it stand on the Daybreak side or the Evernight side? This was a problem every kingdom would have to face. For whom did this nation exist, for whom would this nation fight? The most basic of questions, however, had Qianye stumped. Chapter 1222: The Course to Take At this instance, a memory buried deep within his mind resurfaced once more. It had been so long that he had forgotten what that dumpster on Evernight Continent looked like. All he remembered was the final moments before leaving that place. His hands felt cold on the gun, and his little fingers had to stretch quite far in order to reach the trigger. The weapons sight was following a small figure staggering into the distance. Lin Xitang lost a bet because of that. After entering Yellow Springs, Qianye realized that his action that day was unacceptable. Even a fleeing enemy might reveal their fangs at any moment. Lin Xitang never judged whether he was right or wrong, but Qianye could never forget about it. The bet and discussion between Lin Xitang and Gu Tuohai were so casual that it felt like they were discussing whether a child from their family was picking between water and milk. Why did Lin Xitang not point out his mistake? If that was a mistake. Qianye looked up from his distant thoughts and looked at Song Hui. I havent thought it through. Song Hui didnt press the matter, either. She said before leaving, I wasnt telling you to kill all those werewolves, just reminding you that there are other options. I just want to give you suggestions from a different viewpoint so that I have value in remaining here. Its not nevermind. She left quickly following a nod from Qianye. Song Huis words seemed to contain some other meaning, but Qianye had no intention of asking her about things she wasnt willing to say. Too many questions would make things awkward for everyone. Qianye opened the map and began drawing on it, making one marking after the other. The territory on this map was very different from several months ago. The southwest of Zheng, the great corridor, and the Jade Sea had connected into a vast nation. The surface area of this domain was three times that of Zheng, equal to seven provinces. The land was big, but most of it was barren and far from comparable to the Empires rich lands. There were over a million humans on this land, but there were over ten million werewolves. Fully mobilized, they could produce an army of millions from this population, but this would stop all development. Qianye didnt have the resources to equip such a big army, either. Qianye suddenly felt helpless. It was as though he had been forced onto the throne by Eiseka and his countless werewolves. He had thought about becoming a human general, or even a marshal. In his desperate moments, he had also considered heading to Evernight with his vampire identity and live out his life in peace, watching Nighteye from afar. He had never imagined himself as the king of so many werewolves and humans. It wasnt quite possible for the feuding dark races and humans to live together in peace. Although Qianye had made the decision, he felt a bad headache at the thought of all the potential problems. Tactics and statecraft werent his strong suits. Even building a foundation in Fort Continent was within Song Zinings greater strategy framework. Now that Song Zining was tied down in the Empire, he would have to rely on himself for everything. Although his strength was sufficient to keep him on the throne, he was far from being skilled enough to run a country. For instance, he still had no idea where to take the nation after unifying the Jade Sea. Looking at the map, he felt as though he could see countless werewolf warriors upon it. Their heads peering at him through the crowd, looking restless. Qianye placed his hand in front of him. A gentle glow appeared therein, one that was almost white but with a hint of gold and scarlet within. This was Venus Dawn after his advancement to the divine champion realm. It looked gentle but was, in fact, filled with boundless power. The domain derived from it naturally contained a burning characteristic. This simple characteristic couldnt be looked down upon because the heat could grow limitlessly. No person or object could truly defend against a ceaseless increase in temperature. It could be said that Qianyes current domain of weight and heat could turn into a raging inferno, provided that he could shoulder the massive drain. Nothing would exist within, nor could any domain power contend against it. Was that combat strength enough to intimidate ten million werewolves? The primitive werewolves were naturally ferocious, especially the ancestral school which worked to drive the werewolves back to their roots, abandoning technology and turning them into something akin to beasts. Without any external battles, these werewolf tribes would frequently fight among themselves. They reproduced quickly, anyway, with each litter containing four or five offsprings. Only the high-ranking experts would give birth one-by-one. So, there was no safety or peace to speak of in werewolf lands. Even if one of them was looted or defeated, their tradition claimed that it was only because the victim was too weak. Being weak was a sin in their world. All in all, I cant let them remain idle. Qianye came to this conclusion. His gaze landed further out as he began searching for the next objective. He needed to find an outlet for the millions of werewolves to vent their impatience. Since he had reached a conclusion, he quickly got down to the execution. Very soon, an arduous task fell upon Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan. Both of them were laughing wryly when they walked out of the meeting room. They were both still wrapped in bandageseven a werewolf couldnt recover so quickly from such severe injuries. The Great Qin army had no lack of regenerative equipment, but such facilities were beyond rare on the Fort continent. Even worse was that the medicines Qianye had prepared for his experts were all of the daybreak attribute, so Eiseka couldnt use them. His recovery ended up no different from Xu Jingxuan. Eiseka was just about to say something when he erupted in a violent cough. Blood began to seep out of his bandages. Are you okay? Xu Jingxuan asked. This little injury wont kill me. That mission, though, just might do me in! Xu Jingxuan could only sigh as he could find no words. A calm voice arrived from the side, You guys can rejoice in grand deeds now! You must be happy, right? Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka turned around to see Song Lun and Song Hui walking out of the meeting room. Song Lun looked helpless, but Song Hui was looking sideways at them in anger. As a slick person, Xu Jingxuan decided to keep his silence. Eiseka, on the other hand, couldnt help his werewolf nature. He laughed out loud, saying, This mission wont succeed with just us. You guys are probably involved as well, arent you? Song Lun snorted while Song Hui glared at the werewolf count. I really dont understand why the commander treats you so well! Ive never seen you people wearing armor in the last century. Dont you have thick hides? Why would you need armor all of a sudden? Eiseka laughed. He does treat us quite well. Xu Jingxuan said, They traded their lives for their current treatment. Without the battle of the Jade Sea, the Whitebone Duke wouldnt have come out so easily. The casualties wouldnt have stopped here if we had to fight our way to the dukes castle. Song Hui said angrily, I know that! But our resources are limited and the number of armor we can produce is limited. How do we split things? Why dont you yield your new armys quota? Xu Jingxuan was immediately stopped up. Every general had his own motives, with their men being their first priority. Giving up life-saving items like armors and weapons was impossible to even for the most generous of leaders. The new army had to join the battle all the same, and humans were even more reliant on gear than werewolves. Currently, there were roughly three forces under Qianyes command. One of them was Dark Flame which had come from the neutral lands. These men were Qianyes direct subordinates and far stronger than the people on the Fort Continent. Naturally, their status could not be shaken. In terms of number and fighting power, however, the werewolves were the strongest. There were simply too many of them. If they really had to contest for things, it would be between the new army and the werewolves. But having experienced life and death together, the two generals were now feeling a bit awkward. Even if Xu Jingxuan didnt try to rob the werewolves of their quota, it wasnt possible for him to give up his own. Eiseka was the first to realize this. He bowed toward Song Hui in a human-style salutation and said, The werewolves lead bitter lives. Our soldiers are not afraid of death, but if possible, I would like for less of them to die, so that they can continue fighting for the commander. Song Hui snorted after hearing this, her initial displeasure lessening quite a bit. Everyone had some measure of compassion in their hearts. These werewolves had suffered grave casualties in the war in order to prove their loyalty. Xu Jingxuan came to and also bowed toward Song Hui. The same goes for our new army, well always charge at the forefront in future battles. That way, the commanders core forces can be applied at the critical moment. Thats why well count on you, young miss, for their equipment. I have some good wine back at home. Ill send some to you once we get back to the fortress. Eiseka was a werewolf, after all, so he had no idea about this human custom. Only after listening up to this point did he realize that just speaking good words wasnt enough; he would have to send gifts as well. He immediately remedied his shortcoming, saying, Our village has that product. Ill send some over for you to try. The two spoke one after the other, flattering and giving gifts in a hurry. Even the werewolf had realized that Song Hui held control over all supplies and logistics. No matter what Qianye had decided, she would be the one to execute the orders. They would need to gain her favor in order to obtain a steady supply of equipment. Song Huis mood improved greatly and even found Eiseka much more agreeable. As for Xu Jingxuan, he had been working his way up in Zheng for some time, so he had his fair share of survival knowledge. His relationship with everyone was rather good, to begin with. Song Lun simply couldnt watch on. He coughed deeply, saying, Its fine wherever your equipment comes from, just dont think about taking anything from Dark Flame. Song Hui said, Supplies will always lean to the front lines. Whoever stays at the front will get better gear. Song Lun said indifferently, Whatever you say, just dont consider this as your family business and think that whatever you say counts. Song Hui said furiously, What are you trying to say? Song Lun clasped his hands inside his sleeves and said calmly, Im one of Seventh Young Masters men. Since he has ordered me to give it my all in supporting Sire Qianye, I must think for his sake. I suggest you do the same as well and dont think about things you shouldnt be thinking. To be completely frank, he can flatten the entire Jade Sea himself even without our help. Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka had both seen Qianye breaking through in battle and killing the Whitebone Duke with ease. Of course, they knew that Song Lun wasnt bluffing. Shaken to the core, they immediately agreed to his suggestion. Song Hui looked displeased but didnt retort. In the end, she said coldly, The commander will decide whether or not I have selfish motives, theres no need for a third party to comment on it. If you think Im not suitable for this position, I can give it to you! Song Lun switched to a smile. The commander must have a reason for picking you. Why would I question him? Besides, I cant work well in your position, either. My specialty is serving as a diplomat and liaison. I cant do other things well. Song Hui glared at him for a good while. That nonchalant demeanor of his left her with nowhere to vent her anger. As long as you understand! Chapter 1223: Sea of Jade Qianyes requirements were that the werewolf forces had to be incorporated with the new human army. They would also have to go into battle together. Such training was much more complicated and sharply increased the selection standard for the werewolves. The strong but bestial and disobedient could not be selected. In the past, these werewolves were an essential part of the armythey would go berserk in battle and charge with no concern for their lives, the best cards in a werewolf commanders hands. But Qianye seemed disdainful of such warriors, leaving no room for them in the mixed army. This meant that they would have to mobilize almost every tribe in order to hit five hundred thousand men. The work involved was astronomical. No cannon fodder? Eiseka said nothing, mainly because he did not know how to put it. It was a good thing that Qianye wouldnt use the werewolves as cannon fodder but! The new army had always used the same method to train their soldiers. Now, Qianye had toppled it entirely and decided to use the rapid method Song Zining had used to train Dark Flame. Hence, Xu Jingxuans work wasnt easy, either. At this point, the four of them were exhausted, each burdened by a mountain of things to do. Song Hui said, Who is he going to fight with an army of such scale? These words woke everyone up. That was indeed the case of basic mobilizationthere would be some differences in preparation depending on the opponent. The more detailed this consideration was, the greater their chances of victory and the smaller the casualties. Song Lun glanced at Xu Jingxuan. Youre from Fort Continent, what are your thoughts? Xu Jingxuan glanced at Eiseka. My home has always been blocked by the great corridor and the Jade Sea. Two months ago, I was still wondering how to stop the next werewolf attack. Theres no way I couldve bothered with something so distant. Ask him! Eiseka laughed wryly. You guys mustve forgotten. Im also blocked by the Jade Sea. Our ancestral map doesnt even have the entire Jade Sea in it. How should I know whats there on the other side? Why dont we call the Jade Sea chiefs over and ask them? Song Hui suggested. That would be best. Moments later, the werewolf chief with the bright feathered headdress walked into the meeting room. You guys know that Im the smartest chief in the Jade Sea, right? You came to the right person for your question. Oh, right what was the question again? The group exchanged glances. In the end, Eiseka asked, Hawk, how much do you know about the other side of the Jade Sea? Hawk smiled in a carefree manner. Theres nothing I dont know. West from the Jade Sea is some werewolf and human lands. South from the Jade sea is some werewolf and human lands. This information was utterly useless. Song Lun glanced at Eiseka. Can we find a tribe that lives close to the western border? Eiseka shook his head. That place is too far, the tribes there have not submitted yet. Xu Jingxuans eyes lit up. Isnt our objective clear? Well just have to take down those tribes first and see! Just as everyone was in a heated discussion, Qianye was gazing at the Fort Continent map and contemplating his next move. The distribution of various powers, minerals, and resources were clearly marked on this map. Qianye had kept this copy of confidential Imperial intelligence. He would make a copy of it only when required and make plans from it. At first, Qianye had wanted to rest and consolidate internal power after taking the Jade Sea, however, he had never imagined that so many werewolves would join him. To keep these werewolves busy, he had no choice but to hasten his expansion plans. Several days later, the battlefield had been cleared. Qianyes new army of soldiers and prisoners marched out toward the capital of the Jade Sea, Cerulean Wave City. With such a large army in tow, a journey only a couple hundred kilometers long took several days. Immediately after entering the core region of the Jade Sea, a vast body of water appeared before Qianye. Even from the deck of the battlecruiser, which was hundreds of meters in the air, he could not see the end of the sea. The bluish-green waves crashed onto the rocky shores, producing a rhythm that was soft and drawn. The shores were lined with patches of blue or green, making the clear waters seem like a giant piece of jade. These waters were actually part of an inland lake. It was just that the lake was so big that it stretched hundreds of kilometers and was thus called the Jade Sea. The region around it was also named after it. After marching along the shores for half a day, a majestic city appeared before the army. This city was on a peninsula that stretched into the lake. The majestic walls were thirty meters in height, and the main buildingthe tallest structurestood at almost a hundred meters tall. The giant balcony at the top overlooked the beautiful scenery of the Jade Sea. The walls were strong and thick, with bastions protruding at regular intervals. From a defensive point of view, it could be considered almost invulnerable. The castle area was big, and outside of it was an even bigger residential area that stretched outside of the peninsula. It was just that the structures outside were small and shabby, almost like the slums by Imperial standards. The castle was visibly chaotic as the army arrived, but the commotion soon died down. News of the Whitebone Dukes demise and the defeat of the allied tribal army had already reached Cerulean Wave City. Eiseka had also sent an envoy ahead to pacify them. The world of the werewolves was where the strong preyed on the weak, where the strongest was king. With the Whitebone Duke dead, Qianye was now considered the new ruler. The lower-ranking werewolves now had a new object of worship, and thus, life was no different from before. The vanguard battalion spread out just outside Cerulean Wave City. When Qianye walked out of the warship, hundreds of werewolves were standing respectfully on each side. These werewolves were all titled experts. Although they were mostly knights and barons, it was already a force that couldnt be scoffed at. They were all well-dressed, with carvings and bright patterns on their weapons and armor. These wealthy and respectable people were either chiefs, shamans, or people from powerful clans in the city. These werewolves exchanged puzzled glances after seeing Qianye, not knowing what to do. From his image and momentum, Qianye was someone they should be waiting upon respectfully. But he was simply too young! This was actual youth, not just because of good care and complexion. Additionally, they couldnt sense a single wisp of origin power from Qianyes body. He looked just like an ordinary person at a glance, but the pressure coming off of him was so strong that it was difficult to breathe in his presence. Realizing this, Eiseka whispered, Sire, your aura! Qianye came to and released a wisp of dark golden blood energy. In the blink of an eye, the profound aura from the River of Blood rushed into the depths of every werewolfs bloodline, causing them to tremble uncontrollably. With a plop, the werewolf chief closest to Qianye fell to his knees, followed closely by one werewolf after the other. They threw themselves to the ground, prostrating in great reverence. Carolines expression shifted briefly, and her gaze toward him became abstruse. At this moment, the feeling Qianye gave her was different again. It was emptier, fleeting, and harder to grasp. That deep, cryptic sensation was akin to a bottomless abyss. After his battle with the Whitebone Duke, Qianye seemed to be improving constantly and at all times. Every other day, his aura would be different from before, and there was no telling how far his strength had advanced. Looking at the kneeling werewolves, Qianye withdrew his aura and returned to being an ordinary person. Get up, everyone, take me into the city for a tour. The werewolves remained immobile, only daring to get up and follow when Qianye walked past them. The suppression of bloodline origins was highly evident among the dark races, and the tremendous disparity in status canceled out the antagonism between races. To these werewolf experts, what little defiance they felt toward blood energy vanished after experiencing Qianyes terrifying pressure. A white-haired shaman walked up to Qianyes side and said, I was the great shaman of the city when the duke was still alive, Ive been in this post for over three hundred years. Every little change in this city is carved deep in my soul. As such, Ill be the one to explain things to you from here on out. Please dont hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. Qianye nodded. From outside of the city to the gates was a main road that was ten meters wide, a grand pathway paved from crushed stones. However, the buildings on either side were nothing but small shacks. They didnt look so bad from afar, but up close, they were made of nothing more than wooden poles and thatched walls. They were so crude that they didnt even have windows and doors. All they could do was barely keep the wind and rain away. The furnishings inside them were also extremely crude. Most of them did not have beds; instead, there was only hay on the floor, and not every house had a cabinet. The visible tables and chairs were badly damaged, often missing legs and replaced with tree branches. There was a vomit-inducing stench permeating the slums area. The primitive werewolves had no idea, but the humans couldnt stand it. Qianye was unfazed as an origin power barrier covered his entire body to block out the odor. Those mercenary generals, however, did not have this ability. They were grimacing and looking as though they could cry very soon. Song Hui was looking especially pale, almost as though she would puke any moment. Seeing this, Qianye could only send her back to the battlecruiser to rest. Xu Jingxuan and the mercenaries did not have this fortune, though. They could only brace themselves and follow Qianye into the city. This road into the city was so long that it seemed endless. More and more werewolves appeared from the shacks and stood on either side of the road, observing the entourage in silence. Their expressions were numb and their bodies filthy, completely devoid of the bloodthirst common to their race. The only thing they possessed was weakness and decay. Who wouldve thought there would be such werewolves? One of the generals said in a whisper. Eisekas ears were sharp. In the end, he said, The poor exist everywhere, the werewolves are no exception. Why dont they go to the great corridor? Going there means death, which is worse than living here in this state. At the very least, they have a chance to reach the skies in one go. After asking more about it, the general found out that the Whitebone Duke would pick a batch of young werewolves every year. In name, it was to gather disciples, but in truth, most of them were just servants in the residence. Those who became guards would have to thank the heavens. Even becoming a servant was a big upgrade to these lowly werewolves, despite the Whitebone Duke appearing less than once a year. As such, these werewolves were gathered outside of the city just for this small opportunity once every year. Chapter 1224: Cerulean Wave City Such a population would produce even more qualified soldiers if they were properly fed and trained. Finally, they passed through the giant slums area and arrived at the castle gates. Facing one side of the peninsula, the gates of Cerulean Wave City were majestic. This fifty-meter gate almost felt like it could blot out the sky. There were three towers on either side of the gate, sporting three layers of firing ports each and a flat platform at the top that could fit even more archers. The walls were cut from giant stones, each several tons in weight, and such stones were all over the walls. It seemed only werewolves would be able to carry such things up with manual labor. The dampness had allowed for large patches of moss at the base and vines creeping up the wall. Numerous leaves and grasses could be seen poking out from the gaps in the stone, and there were even small trees growing tenaciously among them. The mottled green hue painted the city with the color of vicissitudes, the precipitation of time. This giant city almost looked like a piece of art. From a different perspective, however, it seemed to have fallen into disrepair since vines and grass on the walls were a taboo for defense. It was obvious that Cerulean Wave City hadnt experienced war for a good while. Such a majestic city simply had no place in battle. It was more like a historical landmark to celebrate the Whitebone Duke. Only the duke, who had ruled the Jade Sea for three hundred years, could mobilize countless people and spend decades building such a city. After entering through the gates, Qianye glanced up all of a sudden. His eyes paused briefly on two of the towers before he kept walking into the city nonchalantly. This small movement caused several werewolf nobles to tense up. The shaman who had been following Qianye glared fiercely at these people. He then summoned a powerful, young werewolf warrior and whispered something into his ears. That werewolf ran away immediately and vanished up the tower in the blink of an eye. Qianye ignored all of this and kept up his pace into the city. The main road inside Cerulean Wave City was fairly wide, much more so than human-city standards. The road was lined with stone buildings that stood three to four stories tall. These structures were built according to werewolf standards, so their four storeys were comparable to a six-storey human building. Seeing Qianye observing the stores, the great shaman pointed to a large street on one side. Thats the most bustling trade street in the city. There are all kinds of resources being traded, and it can be considered the most flourishing market in the Jade Sea. Why dont we take a look if youre interested. Very well. Qianye nodded. This horizontal avenue was ten meters wide, only second to the main road. It was lined with a great number of stores and definitely bustling compared to the main road. The manager stepped out to welcome Qianye as he entered a tavern, followed by a swarm of servers. With a bow, the manager presented a large bowl of wine and said, This is the best we have in our collection, usually saved for the dukes enjoyment. Please try it! Qianye took a small sip from the bowl and found the spirit sweet and pungent. It could only be considered passable. If even the dukes wine was of this level, it was easy to imagine what the others would taste like. The three-storeyed tavern looked quite grand, but the interior was rather crude. There were only a couple of tables and chairs in the hall for customers to drink on. Rows upon rows of jars were lined up behind the counter, almost using half the storefront as a warehouse. The wine receptacles were barely passablethe bowls were just crude pottery, and the same went for most others. Qianye went up to the second floor and saw that it was a storage area filled with wine barrels suffused with a pungent smell. If this were the Empire, such a big tavern would never be arranged in such a manner since the second floor could be used to display rare collections. Then Qianye remembered the werewolves habitsthey werent going to care about rare wines when they were fine with just any alcohol. Although such words would breed dissatisfaction, the truth of the matter was that appreciation and taste could only be cultivated with money. After walking out of the tavern, the establishment next door was the butchers. The room, filled with a strong gamey odor, was lined with various kinds of cured meats for sale. From the looks of it, the werewolves didnt really mind this smell. There were several such meat shops along the street. Apparently, food was everything in this world. There were also a good number of armor and weapon shops. Qianye looked over them carelessly, finding nothing that could catch his attention. Qianye actually found a store selling origin guns after passing through half the street and was immediately intrigued. He walked into the store called Thunder God and saw an entire wall decorated with all kinds of origin guns. These weapons were mostly of werewolf-makecrude, bold, and big. Even the grips were much larger than normal weapons. The guns had muzzles the size of a fist, and the thick barrels looked rather powerful. Most of the guns had barbs around them or even saw blades, which truly made one wonder whether they were guns or long war blades. Their appearance made them look more like melee weapons than anything else. Qianye picked up an origin gun and couldnt help but feel disappointed after careful observation. The gun was big, sturdy, and the materials were solid, but it was too heavy for ordinary humans. The origin array inside the gun was too simple and crudethe craftsmanship wasnt great, and the outdated technique was from hundreds of years ago. It could barely form an origin bullet and fire it. Not to mention the arrays that could compress and amplify the bullet, lengthen its range, or apply special effects, Qianye couldnt even find one that could stabilize the bullet trajectory. Speaking in terms of gunpowder weapons, all this firearm could do was stuff a pellet and gunpowder inside the barrel, then fire it. As for why the gun was so bulky, the materials werent good enough, so there would be problems if the barrel wasnt thick enough. The other reason might be that werewolves would also use the gun as melee weapons. At the very least, they were sufficiently sturdy and heavy. Qianye put down the gun and asked, Is this the best you have? The shaman replied, Of course not! These are for ordinary warriors. The true experts are equipped directly by the dukes manor, where all the best craftsmen work. For instance, this one is from the dukes manor. One of the chiefs nearby removed his gun and passed it with both hands. Qianye took the gun and fiddled with it. This one was much better in quality and was even studded with gems and golden veined patterns. The origin array was also much more complicated and possessed all basic functionality. That was the extent of it, though; there was nothing special about it. So, it would seem that the craftsmen of the dukes manor were comparable to any random smith in the Empire and Evernight. It wasnt so surprising, considering how primitive this society was. It was virtually impossible for them to grasp high-end origin array technology. Even if they did, they wouldnt have the relevant processing capacity. On the other hand, even the werewolves of the higher continents preferred melee combat over origin guns. Even against a genius like William, Qianye had only exchanged fire with him once under the Iron Curtain. Most of the time, Willams combat style was reliant on his innate powers, the most powerful of them being his giant wolf form. Among the four races, the use and popularity of origin guns were the worst among werewolves. This was related to their nature, but there were other reasons as well. The arachne possessed even stronger bodies, but they werent too far behind in the utilization of origin guns. Most of them favored hand cannons because of their strength, which increased their mid to short-range combat strength. Qianye returned the gun to its owner. Since there was nothing more to see at this point, the shaman took the lead and brought Qianye toward the dukes manor. The dukes residence was on the side of Cerulean Wave City that was close to the lake, overlooking the surrounding scenery. It took up almost a fifth of the entire city, separated from the rest of the city by a moat and drawbridge. Standing at the main gates, the great shaman said, Since receiving news of your arrival, we have sealed off the dukes treasure and smithy. The dukes former residence in the main building remains closed, in the same state he left it. Qianye nodded. This great shaman was indeed considerate and thorough with his arrangements. The walls of the dukes manor were well-maintained, a stark contrast to the overgrown vines of the city wall. Moreover, the two big majestic doors were coated in copper. The gates were fully open in preparation for Qianyes arrival. After entering the gates, Qianye saw a platform against each wall, equipped with a capstan and several strong werewolves standing beside it. Who wouldve thought the dukes manor was being operated by such a primitive mechanism? Qianye remembered something all of a sudden. He had felt that something was missing since entering the cityit turned out to be a kinetic tower. As the core energy source for large machinery, a kinetic tower was the mark of every city. Even the cities on Evernight Continent would have one, although most of them were antique models. Yet such a big city like Cerulean Wave that could fit a hundred thousand men just on its walls alone didnt have one. Without a kinetic tower, not only would they have to operate the city gates by manpower, but they also couldnt install various types of powerful cannon turrets. No wonder all the towers were manned by archers. At this point, Qianye gained a new understanding of how primitive and closed off the Jade Sea werewolves were. Chapter 1125: King of Legends The dukes bedroom was on the top floor of the castle, taking up an entire floor. There was a large bed made of beast bones, covered in different kinds of beast skins. This bedroom looked especially werewolf-likeprimitive and bestial. What left Qianye speechless was that the bedroom was not sealed. The side that faced the Jade Sea was supported by over a dozen stone pillars but with no wall or windows. The cold wind from the Jade Sea could blow in without restraint and fill every corner of the room with a deep chill. The werewolves werent cold-blooded animals; they liked fire and warmth as well. Qianye simply couldnt understand this dukes preferences. The bedroom was decorated with a large number of bone carvings, beast heads, and strange-looking rocks. It looked more like a sacrificial altar than a bedroom. The shaman said something while Qianye was looking around the room. To which, he couldnt help but exclaim, You want me to stay here!? The shaman replied respectfully, This is a holy area, only you have the right to stay here. Fortunately, the weather wasnt too cold yet. Otherwise, Qianye really suspected whether these werewolves were planning to make him freeze to death. The Jade Sea possessed four distinct seasons, and the winters were fairly cold. The human sea wind at such a height might actually freeze people to death. Qianye shrugged and walked over to the white bone-bed. He patted the headboard casually and tried lifting a piece of hide. Dismantle this bed first and throw it away. He hadnt even finished speaking when he let out an exclamation of surprise and began observing the hide. This beast skinwith black patterns on a white basefelt fairly ordinary to the touch, and it was hard to tell what kind of beast it had come from. This thing had been used as a mattress, so Qianye had no intention of keeping it. What surprised him was that he actually couldnt tear it away with a casual tug. So, he unknowingly added more strength, but it still wouldnt budge! Qianyes strength was enough to tear steel plates, let alone beast hides. This black and white beast skin, however, was entirely unharmed. That was highly abnormal. After removing the messy beast hide on the bed, he saw that a corner of it was wedged into the bone. The sturdy beast hide was one thing, but the bones that formed the bed frame were also extraordinary. Qianye raised his brows in surprise. That flick wasnt as simple as it seemed because he had utilized the power of Venus Dawn. His origin crystal wasnt entirely stable, and the definitive powers of a divine champion werent evident just yet. However, his origin power had inched closer to the Daybreak origin after the recent purification process. The might of this flick was comparable to a shot from an origin cannon, yet it had only left a small mark on the bed. It would seem the creature from which these bones were collected wasnt below the Earth Dragon when it was alive. Qianye turned back when he heard a plop behind him, only to find that the great shaman was kneeling with his head lowered to the floor. The werewolf nobles behind him were also in deep prostration. What are you all doing? Qianye asked. Weve finally confirmed that youre the true king of legends! How did that happen? The great shaman looked up briefly. This bed was formed from the remains of a divine beast. No one in three hundred years had left a mark upon it, not even the duke. Since you cant even dent these bones, how did you make this bed? This bed was constructed under my supervision back in the year. In truth, the framework was made from suitably-shaped natural bones and fixed with leather straps. Qianye lifted the hide to reveal the construction of the bed frame. It was just as the shaman had said. He then picked up the other pieces of hide and took a brief look at them. The other ones didnt have the black and white patterns, but they definitely didnt come from ordinary beasts, either. It was a wonder how the duke had gotten his hands on so many different pieces of void colossus hide. It was a waste to use these hides as a mattress, and it wouldnt be comfortable at all. Qianye simply couldnt figure out this dukes tastes. He rolled up the hides and tossed them to Xu Jingxuan. Put these away and turn them into armor later on. After catching the stack of hides, Xu Jingxuan had to take one step back before he could secure his footing. As someone who knew his stuff, the generals expression shifted after a glance. So many! Qianye then patted the bed frame, saying, Disassemble this and send it back to my warship. The bones of a void colossus were extremely sturdy, much more so than high-strength alloys. They would need specialized equipment in order to process them. Ignoring everything else, just the saw and drill bits werent something any random craftsman would have. Only the Empire or the famed vampire and demonkin clans would have a firm grasp of such technology. Even Dark Flames headquarters in Southern Blue could not work on these colossus bones. They would most likely have to be shipped off to the Ningyuan Heavy Industries factory in the Empire. As expected, many of the decorative items were made from the remains of void colossi. Using such priceless materials as decorative items was truly a waste. Qianye also realized why the Whitebone Duke had his own workshop. He needed to work on these items personally since almost no one else in the Jade Sea was capable enough. The void colossus remains were light and strong, the most premium of materials. Even the Empires best alloys would fall short in certain aspects. Bones with remnant vitality like the ones on the Earth Dragon were priceless treasures. These decorative items might be pieces of art in the Whitebone Dukes eyes, but Qianye had no intention to appreciate them. He ordered his men to ship the items off onto the warship, and of course, it wasnt so that he could admire them. Qianye sized the bed up for a good while. These were natural bones, so he wanted to try and understand more about the void colossus through observation. In the end, he still failed to grasp any important points. Almost as though he had remembered something, Qianye asked, Since you were the one who oversaw the assembly of this bone bed, do you still have any materials left? The shaman said, Of course, theres still a lot in fact. Some of them are at the ancestral altar, while the rest are in the dukes secret treasury. Secret treasury? That is the dukes personal storage, but he is the only one who knows where it is. The craftsmen involved in its construction have been executed. Qianye nodded. Then take your time looking for it. Im going to the ancestral altar to take a look. Sire, this way. The ancestral altar was close to the dukes residence and was also a grand hall. The structure was thirty meters tall, with an altar made of stone at the very end. Upon it was the carving of a giant wolf, with colossal bones scattered around it. There was a small altar in front of the big one, with over a dozen different werewolf sculptures. Judging from their attire, they seemed to be from different tribes. The great shaman said, These are the seventeen tribal ancestors who founded Cerulean Wave City, and also our totem. The central seat belonged to the duke, but now, it is naturally yours. There was a stone slab at the center of the altar, upon which was an emblem with Qianyes aura on it. In just a short few days, the dark golden blood energy on the emblem had been activated a fair bit. The effect was even more pronounced than with the tribes of the great corridor. As expected of the royal capital of the Jade Sea, the effects of worship here were much stronger. In Qianyes vision, the sculptures of the seventeen ancestors were also surrounded by origin power, all of them inching away from Qianyes emblem. It was as though they feared the dark golden blood energy. Placing the emblem at the center of the ancestral altar was proof of the werewolf tribes attitude toward Qianye. If they werent truly loyal to him, they would rather destroy the altar. At this point, Qianye finally understood that the authenticity of that circulating legend was not important. What really scared the werewolves into submission was the aura from the River of Blood, brought about by the dark golden blood energy. More accurately, it was the power from the darkness origins located at the source of the river. Be it demonic energy, blood energy, or the werewolves ancestral power, all of them were a part of the darkness system. They were mutually conflicted because of their location in different regions of the spectrum, but all paths led to the same endpointthe darkness origin! In truth, these werewolves idolized Qianye as the son of darkness. The peerless strength he had exhibited was what the darkness longed for. As for his bloodline and race, it was no longer important. After taking a look at the altar, Qianye ordered his men to carry away the colossus bones near the giant wolf totem. Then, he headed toward the Whitebone Dukes meeting room. The hall was similarly extraordinary. The long metal table was even taller than the height of a human male. Even for werewolves, not everyone could find confidence before this tall table. There was a giant stone chair at the end. It was just the right fit for the Whitebone Duke, but Qianye looked like a child on it. The seat was so big that even an arachne would find it rather empty. The Whitebone Duke had too many protruding fangs and spikes from his armor, so he couldnt fit unless the seat was massive. Qianye had taken his place on the main seat when a brief period of chaos ensued below. Under the guidance of Eiseka and the great shaman, Qianyes entourage occupied one side of the table and the Jade Sea nobles, the other. The first item of the meeting was the reports. The great shaman stood up to talk about the situation within Cerulean Wave Citythe number of Jade Sea werewolves, the taxation, the soldiers, and the natural products. Next, Eiseka presented a report on the tens of thousands of werewolves who had deserted that day, the progress in hunting them down, and which werewolf tribes in the Jade Sea were still offering resistance. Only the border region was still offering visible resistance. These tribes numbered in the hundreds when added together and possessed a military power of over a hundred thousand. It was a fairly sizable power at a glance, but they were dispersed in various locations, so subduing them was just a matter of time. The next topic was about minerals and resources. The Jade Sea werewolves lived primitive lives and possessed very little technology. What little they could excavate were just common goods. Even with the basic technology that they possessed, the speculation was that there were even more bountiful resources beneath the vast land of the Jade Sea. It would only require time to excavate them. As for the other resources, they were just gems, treasures, and rare animals, a means for them to exchange weapons with the outside world. Cerulean Wave City was the core of the entire Jade Sea. It relied on the bountiful fishing industry to keep hundreds of thousands of citizens fed. The other cities were so small that they looked pitiful. According to Imperial standards, they were simply small towns. After learning the rough situation around the Jade Sea, Qianye assigned one Jade Sea werewolf, one great corridor werewolf, and one mercenary general each to one of six routes. Every route was assigned twenty thousand mixed soldiers, primarily led by the mercenary general and supported by two titled werewolf experts. These forces set out in all directions to sweep through the tribes that wouldnt give up. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan were left behind to organize the Jade Sea werewolves and form a new mixed army. Nevertheless, equipping hundreds of thousands of werewolves was a burden that even an Imperial marquis territory would need to slowly digest. Qianyes foundations alone were far from enough. After Song Hui reported the available equipment that could be supplied, even the Jade Sea nobles understood what was going on. According to the current rate of production, it would take two to three decades to equip these hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Qianye said with a frown, Cant we construct more refineries? Song Hui replied, Even if building them is easy, where do we get the ores? Let alone mine, we havent even found the ore veins, have we? Military supplies had always been a complicated industry, involving various requirements. Many of the ores had to be excavated and smelted in specific ways, so building a complete mining industry wasnt something that could be completed in a single day. While Qianye was mulling over things, the bright-plumed chief couldnt hold himself back. Your Majesty, whats there to worry about? We werewolves dont need these weapons and armor in war! Are we not going to fight if we dont have them? Rest assured, our claws and teeth are the best weapons, and our hides make for the best armor! Chapter 1226: Ceremonial Altar Qianye said after some thought, Lets discuss production later. Take out all the valuable items and precious stones from the treasury, then ask Zining to trade them for equipment. Buy werewolf and human gear... at the ratio of two-to-one. Xu Jingxuan and the mercenary generals looked somewhat dissatisfied, but they didnt say anything. The werewolves, on the other hand, were delighted. Their numbers were several times greater than the humans, so even this ratio could be considered extremely low. Yet, Qianyes willingness to outfit the werewolves meant that there was still hope of him keeping his promise. The procurement of military supplies was a complicated process involving a large amount of subsequent work. Qianye pushed back the details for the moment and glanced at the werewolf nobles. I already know the reason why Eiseka swore fealty to me. What I want to know now is why all of you are willing to recognize me as king. Youre the son of darkness The great shaman spoke halfway before shutting up, his face pale. He realized that Qianye had his own intentions for asking such a question. He would not accept any excuse or lie. The great shaman had never thought about how to put this into words, and some words, he simply did not know how to say. The other shamans and chiefs went silent as well. Eiseka wanted to say something but seemed hesitant. Finally, he scratched his head and fell back into his chair. He was, after all, the representative of the great corridor werewolves. The two sides were enemies at war just a while ago, so it wasnt his role to mediate. Because you avenged us! A sudden voice shocked everyone out of their wits. It was that bright-feathered chief again. He was also startled by everyones reactions, but he braced himself and said, Whats there to hide? Weve long since wanted to cut the Whitebone Duke up and feed him to the fishes. Its just that no one dared to say it. Which one of us major tribes did not have ancestors, brothers, sisters, or even children who died in the Whitebone Dukes hands? You, Shaman Auz, didnt you just deliver your pup to the dukes residence last month and never saw him again? The shaman lowered his head and sighed deeply. Whats going on? Qianye asked. Did you not resist? Xu Jingxuan asked. The great shaman smiled wryly. Who would dare to go against the duke? There were some tribes that refused or hid their outstanding children, but those tribes were massacred. The duke didnt even need to act himself. Just his guards and the army he mustered from the other tribes was enough to rampage through everyone. Those who hid their offspring had no good outcome, either. For some reason, the duke would always find out if the child was the most outstanding genius of the generation. If he wasnt, bad luck would befall that tribe all the same. After several such instances, no one else dared to disobey or deceive the duke. Qianye said calmly, They didn''t dare rebel against the duke, but they dare disobey me!? It seems I cant be too nice to these border tribes. Just kill them all. The great shaman said, Theres no need! Well split up and head to these tribes after the meeting. We will convince them to swear fealty! It wont be too late to kill them after we fail. Qianye nodded. Fine, you better act fast then. Also, they will serve as slaves even if they do submit, and they can only redeem their status after proving themselves. Yes, Your Majesty. The werewolf chiefs and shamans responded in unison, their attitudes even more respectful. Qianye said with a nod, Where did the duke conduct his ceremonies? Take me there. The great shaman said, The altar is in the mountains to the north. I only know the general direction because the duke never allowed anyone near the place. The children from the tribes were all left at the base of the mountain, and the duke would lead them up personally. Then well take my warship, you lead the way. Affirming the orders respectfully, the great shaman stood up and followed Qianye to the roof of the residence. Song Lun had already sent the signal, so the giant battlecruiser was already in the sky above the dukes residence. It slowly descended and came to a stop a mere ten meters from the roof. At this distance, the pressure brought about by the huge warship body was immeasurable. Even though these werewolf nobles had already heard about its existence, they still went completely silent. The city was in turmoil as countless werewolves poured out onto the streets to gaze at the massive object that they had never seen before. Qianye rose into the air and landed on the deck. The werewolf nobles boarded the vessel after obtaining permission, fighting amongst themselves to be the first. They were thoroughly stunned as they looked around here and there on the airship. This thing can really fly! One of the werewolf chiefs uttered subconsciously. The shaman beside him said, Whats so surprising about an airship being able to fly? The chief glared back at him. Have you seen an airship this big? Its even bigger than the dukes demonic elephant! Even all the buildings in your tribe added together wont be as big, right? The series of questions stumped the shaman. It was at this time that the vessel trembled slightly and the warship leaped elegantly into the sky. Then, it flew toward the north after some adjustments to its direction. Qianye stood at the bow, gazing at the mountains and rivers shifting backward below him. To the east and south of the Jade Sea was a boundless grassland. The landscape rose and fell ever so slightly, producing the grassy knolls around which the werewolf tribes were scattered. The north of the Jade Sea, on the other hand, was more elevated and the beginnings of a mountain range could be seen. The mountains became steeper and steeper toward the north, with ice-capped peaks jutting into the clouds. Strewn across the land between the mountain range and the jade sea were patches of farmland. They looked just like a green carpet upon the land, like a paradise in the mortal world. The crops were so well-grown that it was both delightful and surprising to look at. Qianye had never imagined that the werewolves would be able to produce such farmlands, so he asked about them. The great shaman said awkwardly, Thats a blessed land where everything grows extremely well, theres simply no need for any extra care. What we have planted there is called cloud barley. It can grow even in winter and provides two crops each year. It grows back on its own after each harvest, so theres no need to sow them again. Song Huis eyes lit up after hearing this. Qianye nodded. Not bad, it is indeed a blessed land. The great shaman said, Unfortunately, only that strip of land is blessed, the other places are not as magical. The great shaman pointed to a snow-capped peak. The dukes ceremonial altar should be on that mountain. The land there is rugged, and the mountain is inhabited by deadly creatures, even people like us would find it difficult to ascend. The great shaman was a virtuous count, which meant that the Whitebone Duke had produced a natural defensive line that could stop count-rank experts. That was probably the reason why he had picked this place for his altar. The werewolf counts might not be able to get through the natural barriers, but Qianye found it no different from flatland. He couldnt even be bothered to observe what kind of dangers there were and simply ordered the battlecruiser to hover above the snowy peak. The summit had been artificially flattened and was covered by a dark red barrier. The mountain was extremely steep, covered in snowy mist and battered by raging winds. There were several grey silhouettes shuttling through the wind and snow at lightning speed. Just from their speed, it was evident that they werent ordinary creatures. An ordinary baron would easily become food for them. No matter how treacherous the traps here were, Qianye paid little heed as the duke had long since passed and there was no one to take charge of them. He did bring Caroline along just in case, and the two of them flew together toward the mountaintop. With two divine champions working together, suppressing the dukes setup would be fairly easy. The grey figures in the snow cried out in warning as they approached, but Qianye suppressed them with his dark golden blood energy. The silhouettes immediately lost their ferocity, crying in fright as they rushed into the snow and never appearing again. Qianye hovered above the defensive barrier and flicked some origin bullets at it. The barrier rippled violently and seemed as though it would collapse. Apparently, the barrier was mainly used to stop the wind, snow, and stray birds; its defensive capabilities were quite limited. Those grey shadows were the Whitebone Dukes last line of defense. After some probing, Qianye passed through the barrier without further hesitation and landed on the peak. Caroline waited for a while, only following in after seeing nothing wrong. The entire snowy peak was like a smooth stone surface, with oddly-shaped poles erected around it. These mottled dark red poles emitted a steady stream of origin power and served as the energy source to maintain the barrier. There were at least thousands of such poles. Their individual output might not be great, but it was rather impressive when all of them came together to form the barrier. Neither Qianye nor Caroline had seen this technique before. Caroline was curious. What are these? She walked over and, wrapping one of the poles with her whip, pulled it out of the ground. A startled cry followed immediately as some unknown red material dropped out, revealing the white bones within! The scene was so unexpected that even Caroline was shocked. She soon recomposed herself and went on to study the bone fragments. I know now, these are the missing werewolf children! Chapter 1227: Blessed Land As Qianye walked to the edge of the rocky area and looked out, he felt that some areas of the mountaintop werent normal. He swept away all the snow with a wave of his hand, revealing a shocking pile of white bones beneath. Some of the skeletons could be barely recognized as belonging to werewolves, while the others were just fragmented pieces. There was no way to tell what they were if they werent located in the sacrificial grounds. Seeing white bones was one thing, but the sheer number of them was shocking. Just the visible portion was several meters thick. Who knew how many more skeletal remains were hidden beneath the snow?! Qianye, Ive found the entrance! Caroline cried out. Qianyes figure flickered over and found that she had moved a giant rock several meters in diameter, revealing a wide tunnel below. A strong odor rushed at their faces after stepping into the tunnel. Caroline immediately covered her nose while Qianye erupted in sanguine flames, which burned away the stench. The tunnel wasnt long and they arrived in a large hall just after one turn. The hall was dozens of meters tall and extremely wide, carved from a natural cave within the mountain. There was a bone torch every ten meters on the four walls. It was unknown what fuel was being used, but the torches were flickering with jade-colored phosphorescence, painting the hall with a wave of eerie green. This darkened the areas beyond the range of the light. Caroline could see in the dark, but her vision amidst the specks of phosphorescence was even more blurry than in the dark night. The eerie environment and the stench that filled every corner of the chamber made her greatly uncomfortable. Seeing her turn pale, Qianye raised his right index finger and a speck of light lit up at his fingertip. This speck of light burned with incomparable ferocity, almost like a newborn sun, filling the entire hall with light and heat. Miserable screams erupted from several corners as werewolves fell out of their hiding places. Their hide began to emit wisps of black smoke upon contact with the light of Venus Dawn, quickly filling the hall with a burnt smell. Their dark silhouettes could be seen rolling on the ground in agony. Qianye weakened the origin power from his fingertips and restrained the light. It was enough to illuminate the hall but no longer burning destructively. Caroline dragged all the werewolf-like creatures over with a swing of her whip. Upon careful examination, the duo found that they were indeed werewolvesvery young ones that hadnt matured. Their bodies were riddled with injuries, holes, and defects. These injuries didnt look like they were sustained in battle. Caroline observed them for a while. They seem to have lost their intelligence. Qianye was also puzzled. Their current state wasnt caused by burns from daybreak origin power. After inspecting their injuries, Qianye sighed, Theyve lost a fair number of organs. Its already a miracle that theyre alive. These are werewolves for god''s sake. What did the Whitebone duke do to them? Did he like torturing people so much? Qianye shook his head. He probably had uses for them. Uses! Caroline was stunned. She couldnt help but tremble when she recalled the poles on the summit and the unknown energy permeating the place. Qianye scanned the entire hall and found a dark purple stone altar at the center. He found after moving closer, that the color was brought about by the prolonged accumulation of coagulated blood. There was a round basin protruding from the center of the altar, covered in origin arrays. These arrays served to activate vitality and muscular growth. Applied to this altar, they also served to let blood. The altar was silent and devoid of reaction. Qianye looked around and found rows of tall cabinets on the surrounding wallshis expression shifted slightly when he opened them. The cabinets were filled with all kinds of organssome fresh, some rotting. Who knew how many werewolves they were harvested from. There were a number of laboratory workbenches. Qianye had no idea what these strange apparatuses and complicated pipelines were for, but he could tell that some of them were from the Empire. The labels told him that these were equipment used for tissue extraction. At this point, Qianye realized that this was where the Whitebone Duke refined the young werewolf geniuses bloodlines and transplanted them into his own body. Although he still had no idea what role that altar played in the process, he could tell from the setup of this hall that the secret art wasnt all that brilliant. Most of the equipment on the workbenches were fairly old, only one of them being a newer model. That new one didnt quite fit in with the other equipment either. At this point, there was an answer to the status of those young werewolves. They might have suffered other forms of torment and lost their minds from the pain. They also could not maintain their external appearance and were in a perpetual half-human-half-werewolf state. Not letting these victims die even after removing the organs, this Whitebone Duke seemed to recognize the state of his own body. Rather than simply transplanting their bloodlines, it could be said that he just wanted to torment them. This was probably born of his natural, deep-seated jealousy toward the young. An origin flame erupted from his fingertip, which flicked out into sparks. The embers of Venus Dawn ignited the young werewolves into a living torch upon contact. At this point, Qianye came to understand more about the Whitebone Duke and why the werewolves of the Jade Sea were so quick to turn. In the past hundred years, the duke had killed countless young werewolf geniuses. This weakened the overall level of the Jade Sea werewolves by about two ranks. As primitive as these tribes were, they werent lacking in knowledgeable individuals. These people understood the source of the Jade Seas plight and hated the duke to their bones. The only problem was that the difference in strength was too overwhelming, and this gap only grew wider as time went by. Considering their lacking technology, the Jade Seawith its scarce shallow mineswas a barren land. All they could produce were small amounts of grain and meat from hunting. Hence, no expert came forth to fight the Whitebone Duke for this piece of land. Otherwise, the chieftains and shamans of the Jade Sea would never be able to hold onto such a big territory. All these reasons added together gave birth to the three centuries of the Whitebone Dukes rule. Reaching the end of his life and with no one to restrain him, the duke gradually went mad. Judging from his actions, he might just be planning to take the entire Jade Sea to the grave with him. This altar had no other value, except as a testament to the Whitebone Dukes ruthlessness. Qianye wanted to burn everything to the ground but after some thought, he decided to leave this as proof and let the werewolves see the dukes actions. After walking out of the hall, Qianye went swiftly around the peak and killed off the beasts lurking within the snow. Then he leaped into the sky and summoned the generals and nobles down. Seeing the countless limb poles and the sacrificial grounds below, some of the werewolves closed their eyes in pain, and others burst into a howl. One of the chiefs broke down into sobs, hugging a corpse that hadnt yet rotted beyond recognition. That was his pup, whom he had sent away just a month ago. Their keen senses of the werewolves allowed them to discern the aura of their tribal bloodlines. As long as those limb poles werent from too long ago, the nobles could tell whether they were from the same tribe. Qianye led the werewolves back to the battlecruiser after they had calmed down and issued a temporary order to seal off the altar. They would come back to collect the remains only after the dust had settled. The nobles had no objections to that. There was something else on Qianyes mind. Did the Whitebone Duke pick this location by chance or was there something special about it? After leaving the snowy peak, the next location was the blessed land. The large area of farmland and its bountiful crop of cloud barley looked rather delightful from a distance. Up close, however, the farms were quite messy. Those barleys were left to grow naturally, with little signs of maintenance and protection. The only characteristic of a farmland was that there was very few wild grass. As long as they were willing, pulling weeds was a fairly good manual labor job that suited these werewolves. A new idea popped into his head as he looked at the cloud barley. Not all werewolves were suitable for war, but most of them were great at manual work and especially physical labor. They were so much better than humans in this regard. It would seem that the werewolves could provide enough manpower to excavate the resources here. Qianye crouched down and grabbed a handful of earth. The soil was loose and fertile, even slightly oily in his handsno wonder the cloud barley grew so well here. Despite that, these werewolves did not know how to apply fertilizer or maintain the soil. It was quite the miracle that the land had remained fertile for so long. Qianye placed his hand on the ground and spread his senses to the depths of the earth, feeling a slow stream of origin power therein. This origin power was overflowing with vitality, which seeped into the soil. This stream of energy was enormous, almost like an underground river of origin power flowing beneath the blessed land. That was likely the reason behind this landscape. Qianye went to many different locations to sense the flow of origin power and finally discerned its direction. Qianye stood up and glanced at the land, drawing the river of energy in his mind. He discovered that it formed a giant arc, with its center at the Whitebone Dukes altar. Chapter 1228: Sunrise on the Ocean Apparently, the Whitebone Duke had picked that location for a reason. This was the extent of Qianyes geographical knowledge, and there was no specialist in this field around him. He might need to assemble relevant experts back in the Empire if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Back in Cerulean Wave City. Having gotten the answers to all those questions plaguing him, Qianye could finally get to executing the plans he had been mulling over. First was to clear out an area outside and inside the city to serve as an airship port. There was one inside the city, reserved for the Whitebone Dukes personal use. However, it could barely fit the smallest corvette in Qianyes fleet, let alone the battlecruiser. This port and a wide area surrounding it would be dedicated to the project, and the relevant facilities constructed. The landing pad outside of the city was so big that it could accommodate a large transport fleet. Although Cerulean Wave City was at the heart of the Jade Sea territory, there were no special weather conditions in the area. Using airships would shorten the transport and shipping times drastically. Qianye could use a large fleet of transports to move his forces in any direction without fear of retaliation from the werewolf tribes. It was important for him to wield great power as well as quick responses in order to rule the vast territory. It was only after this tripthrough which he confirmed the reason for the werewolves fealtythat Qianye formally took the Jade Sea shamans and chiefs into his fold and laid out his plans before everyone. The most important part of the next phase was to consolidate power. From the great corridor to the Jade Sea, this human-werewolf coalition had grown too fast. In name, the area of land and population they had occupied was a shocking number. The entire Jade Sea had to be stabilizedthey needed to reform the army, decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of prisoners, then survey and exploit resources in every area. None of these things could be accomplished in a short time. Outward expansion lost meaning under such circumstances. Qianye only intended to flatten the area around the Jade Sea and send envoys to the smaller human nations in the meanwhile, demanding their surrender and loyalty. These countries added together boasted a population in the millions and troops in the hundreds of thousands. Be it by force or by negotiation, Qianye would have to spend time to integrate them into his country. After making arrangements for everything, Qianye remained in the dukes manor and focused on consolidating his origin crystal. The radiance possessed great penetration powers, so much so that even the walls and roofs could not stop it. The insides of every house lit up brightly, and the soundly sleeping werewolves woke up from the rolling heat, unable to sleep again. They sat up, confused by the light, and unable to figure out whether they were dreaming or not. In the blink of an eye, many werewolves rushed out onto the streets to gaze at the sun that shouldnt be there. All of them were stupefied. Not to mention the werewolves, even experts like the mercenary generals and Xu Jingxuan rubbed their eyes. They simply couldnt believe that a second sun had appeared in the sky. In the eyes of true experts, that sun was emitting heat and light so intense that it was almost as though it had come straight out of the daybreak origins. Yet, it didnt hurt the eyesnow that was inconceivable for a sun that could illuminate the entire city. Some reckless chiefs who tried to stretch their perception toward the sun collapsed with painful expressions. The pain was so intense that they couldnt help but roll about, howling in anguish. Their perception was immediately destroyed upon contact. It happened so fast that they couldnt even react in time. What followed was unbearable agony, something akin to insects losing their antenna. Fortunately, the sun faded into nothingness soon afterward. Everyone looked at one another under the newly recovered darkness. Those who had arrived earlier glanced toward the dukes manor, where it had risen from the main building. A flash of thunder lit up the sky as Caroline arrived on a lightning dragon, landing on the main building of the dukes manor. At the top floor where the Whitebone Dukes bedroom once was, Qianye slowly opened his eyes. You came so quickly. You caused such a commotion that I could even sense it in the void. Of course, I had to come and take a look. Is your origin crystal stable now? Yes, I never thought it would take that long. From what I remember, origin crystals should stabilize on their own after an ordinary divine champion breaks through, right? Caroline rolled her eyes at him. They have it easy, but they have no more room for advancement! With that, she became curious. By the way, what power did you obtain? Tell me! An experts divine champion power was their core personal secret. They would usually keep it a secret for as long as possible, in hopes of gaining an advantage in battle. Caroline felt highly curious because of all the ruckus, but she quickly realized that it wasnt quite appropriate. She shook her head, saying, Nevermind, pretend that I never asked. Qianye laughed. Its fine, not a big deal. Caroline almost felt her teeth itching. Qianyes willingness to divulge his powers showed that he trusted her, but his words made her want to beat him up. Qianye didnt think it was a problem at all. This time, I obtained roughly two powers. One of them is related to my domain and the other, my personal combat strength. Ill show you my domain first. A small part of space in his outstretched palm suddenly began to warp and twist, a phenomenon produced by extreme pressure. This was Qianyes Oceanic Vortex Domain on display within his palm. This proved that his control over it had reached near-perfection. Next, a red sun rose upon the oceanic vortex! This sun-filled the hall with boundless light as the entire vortex began to burn, turning into a sea of pressurized flames. If Qianyes original domain was considered a control type, this rising sun would turn it into a destructive machine. Few low-ranking dark race members would be able to survive within it. Qianye closed his palm and put away the sun. I have another power. His joints creaked and groaned as his aura shot up wave after wave, reaching an unbelievable state in the blink of an eye. Caroline was quite knowledgeable, to begin with, and she had been following Qianye for a while. Seeing the current situation, she gasped. Excavator! Ha! As the power of Qianyes Excavator reached the greatest extent, he exhaled and threw an unassuming punch. Caroline flashed backward in alarm at the moment of his attack, her hair standing on end! Qianyes punch was directed at an empty space. There was clearly nothing there, yet several black veins spread out from the point of contact, rending everything in its wake. This was a spatial tear. This phenomenon appeared because Qianyes punch had almost shattered the space. The black veins stretched out over a dozen meters before finally fading away. Caroline watched Qianye in fright before finally saying, What happened just now? Why is that punch so powerful? And I feel that your burst of origin power is much stronger than mine. A-Are you already a superior divine champion? Qianye shook his head. Of course not. I just released the origin power Ive been accumulating in one burst, allowing me to exert much greater power than the norm. This reduces my endurance, however. For now, lets call this Blazing Impact. Caroline was greatly moved by Qianyes honesty. She still felt a bit scared thinking about that punch just now. She suddenly thought of something. No, wait, even a burst of accumulated power shouldnt be that strong. Even my brother, a superior divine champion, cant produce such a punch. I guess Im a bit stronger physically? ... What kind of reason is that!? Caroline thought Qianye wasnt clear about it himself, but she had no idea that Qianye was actually telling the truth. If it wasnt for his ancient vampire physique as a glorious marquis, he wouldnt have been able to throw such a punch. Any other person wouldve shattered their own bones from the recoil. As the two chatted on, Qianye looked out of the window all of a sudden. Someones coming, it seems. A corvette flew over at high speeds and hovered outside of the main building. A tall female mercenary general jumped out of the airship and arrived before Qianye. Sire, theres urgent news. An airship fleet from the Empire has arrived on Eastern Sun Island, asking to see you. Me? Did they state their identity? They didnt say anything concrete, except that their surname is Li and that you would know. This mercenary general knew little about the Empire. The only Li family in the Empire was the Jingtang Li Clan, and seeing as how they were able to pinpoint him to Eastern Sun Island, they had to be related to the Empress. Surname Li Qianye stood up after some thought. Theres nothing to do anyway, Ill leave things here to Song Lun, Eiseka, and Xu Jingxuan. Lets head to Eastern Sun Island. Caroline didnt mind and Qianye had nothing to pack, so the duo boarded the battlecruiser and headed out. The warship was much faster, so it took them only half a day to reach Seclusion. The guests had already been settled within the city lords estate. Qianye asked to arrange a meeting as soon as he arrived. The one who walked into the guest room was a kind-looking elder with a constant smile. He was rather plump, and there was no semblance of facial hair on his fair countenance. There were a young boy and girl behind him, both of them beautiful but bearing a certain air of arrogance. Qianye had never seen this old man, but he could tell that he was an inner attendant from the palace. The mans origin power was dark, incisive, and well-hidden inside his body. He might not have been able to gauge the mans power if he hadnt broken through. Seeing Qianye, the old man said with a smile, You must be Sire Qianye, our master has been talking about you fairly often. Xiaoqing, Panyu, come and greet the sire. He has already accomplished great things when he was your age. The young boy and girl took a step forward, bowing in unison. This junior is Li Panyu, I offer my greetings. The girl said, Li Wanqing greets you, Sire. Li Panyu naturally hid his arrogance during the salutation, but the youngsters self-restraint was still lacking. There was a clear hint that he was unconvinced, even showing a bit of hostility. Li Wanqings eyes, on the other hand, were sparkling. Her gaze flew all over Qianye, like an excited child who had stepped out of the household to see a bustling city. The old man said, My surname is Liu, and you probably know where we come from. These two are juniors from the main family. The Empress was happy to hear that you were pioneering new land on Fort Continent, so she sent them here to help you and learn about the world. The Empress has spoken, the children are used to an undisciplined life in the household and dont know the immensity of heaven and earth. You can punish them as you see fit if they cause trouble. There is no need to hold back. Chapter 1229: Generous Gifts Reminisce? Qianyes eyes lit up with a blue color. The characteristics of Eunuch Lius origin power became evident to the Eye of Control, and the man did nothing to hide it, either. Despite that, he couldnt help but tremble slightly when his image appeared in Qianyes eyes. Qianye felt a sense of familiarity at first glance, almost as though he had seen this origin power characteristic somewhere. Could it be that Steward Liu is My older brother, Eunuch Liu said with a smile. So thats the case. Qianyes expression relaxed quite a bit. The battle against Luo Bingfeng in Tidehark wouldnt have ended the way it did had Steward Liu not intervened at the critical moment. It could be said that the man had saved his life, so it was only natural that he felt cordial toward the brother. Eunuch Liu said, Im called Liu Yuanwei. My strength is shamefully mediocre, so I rarely bring up our relationship in order to not humiliate my brother. Only a few of my close friends know of it. The Empress values you highly. She was delighted to hear of your pioneering efforts on Fort Continent and granted you several rewards. This I thank the Empress kindness. Qianyes reply contained a bit of hesitation. He wasnt a subject of the Empire at the moment, and this new land was also claimed in his name. Even if he decided to build a country out of the Jade Sea and the great corridor, it would be an independent nation. At most, it would be a nominal vassal nation like Zheng. As his strength and resources grew, this nominal designation would eventually become a mere formality. The Empress delight under such circumstances only brought up questions for discussion. It couldnt be about Qianyes independent nation in any case. Qianye thought one step deeper. What if it really was the reason? What did this mean? A smiling Liu Yuanwei grabbed Qianye by the hand and said, The Empress treats you very differently, and the rewards are fairly generous. Why not come with me and see? Very well, please lead the way. Eunuch Liu led Qianye toward the airship port, followed by the children, Li Wanqing and Li Panyu. They were quite well-behaved and didnt speak a word the entire way. It was just that Li Panyus glances at Qianye seemed a bit unfriendly. The boys little actions couldnt escape Qianyes notice, of course. He didnt really mind and merely feigned ignorance, but he was secretly hoping that they would stir up some trouble. That would give him a good reason to send them back. Otherwise, these outstanding clan descendants would be troublesome to take care of. It would be difficult to explain if something were to happen to them on the battlefield. The city wasnt very big, so the group soon arrived at the airship port. There were three high-speed airships parked here, including one that looked like a transport. Eunuch Liu led Qianye up to the cargo hold, where several large crates were fixed with shock-absorbing mechanisms used for the transport of valuable objects. Liu Yuanwei pointed at the first few and said, These three contain the latest compact mining machines. They can adapt to almost any landscape and are used to excavate valuable but dispersed minerals. Dont be fooled by their size, their performance isnt inferior to the bigger machinery at all. The only problem is that they require a champion to operate. I heard you have a well-trained force and dozens of champions under your command. So, this wont be a problem for you. Qianye asked, Is the origin power attribute limited? Eunuch Liu smiled mysteriously. Of course not. The dark races can use them just as well as humans can. So, watch them well because it wont be good if Evernight gets their hands on it. They will remain mine as long as they dont leave the Fort Continent. Eunuch Liu praised, Bold and aggressive! Li Panyu snorted, muttering to himself. Theres a duke here for god''s sake. Is he not afraid of pulling a tongue muscle from all the bluffing? His voice wasnt loud, almost as though he were speaking to himself, but who here didn''t possess outstanding ability and senses? They heard everything he had uttered. Eunuch Lius smile instantly turned awkward. Qianye seemed completely ignorant of the situation and simply walked over to the containers at the back. The eunuch heaved a sigh of relief and followed suit. Seemingly dissatisfied, Li Panyu spoke to Li Wanqing with a slightly louder voice, Say, Sis, do you think dukes are easy to kill? Li Wanqing glared at him. I dont know! But it shouldnt be a problem for a duke to slap you to death. Of course, Im not a dukes match, but some people think dukes are cabbages that can be picked from the roadside! As Li Panyus voice grew louder and louder, Eunuch Lius laughter also grew stiffer. One of the mercenary generals following the entourage had a bad temper, to begin with. Unable to hold back any longer, he said, Where did this ignorant brat come from? Did your elders not teach you well? How can you know so little about the world and dare to speak such nonsense? You should be the one worrying about pulling your tongue muscle! This could be considered rather rude, even throwing the boys words back at him. Flushed red, Li Panyu pointed at the mercenary general and said, Y-You dare say I dont know the world. The mercenary general waved his pinky and said with a mocking tone, Youre just a weak brat, what do you know? Duke this, duke that, let me tell you, our commander just killed one a while ago! He can kill five of you in one slap, and thats a humble statement. He cant even be bothered to squish you to death with a single finger. Li Panyu was used to being on a pedestal. Who had ever spoken to him like this? He pointed at the general with a red face, so angry that he couldnt utter a word for a good while. Toward the end, he could only repeat a single word, Just you wait and see, the Li family wont let you off! This wasnt nearly enough to frighten the general. He broke into a laugh, saying, This daddy doesnt give a damn about your Li family or Wang family. Come and catch me in the neutral lands if you have the ability! The boy was livid and bit his lips so hard that they were almost bleeding. The neutral lands was notorious for being outside of their sphere of power. It was one thing for each faction to seek representatives in the neutral lands but it was different for the nobility to arrive in person. Besides, the major powers over there werent all that weak. If the Li family were to send a random unit to the neutral lands and cause trouble for Dark Flame, they probably would never return. If he were to suggest this to the family, he might be getting more than just ordinary punishment. After all, he was still young and his words carried little weight. The best solution right now was probably to challenge this general to a fight, but his judgment wasnt that bad; he could see that the opponent was too strong for him to contend with. All he would get from this was humiliation. Seeing this, the general followed up with words of mockery at every step. At this point, Qianye turned back and said, Keep quiet. The mercenary general said, Yes, Sire! The respectfulness and the sudden change in attitude left Li Panyu dumbfounded. Li Wanqing, on the other hand, gazed deeply at Qianye. Qianye said to Eunuch Liu, Lets continue. Yes, Sire. These two machines are hybrid furnaces that can work on most metal ores, but their main use is to solve the problem of refining rare ores. The four behind contain the relevant parts and equipment. Eunuch Liu led Qianye to the last few crates. These containers house the core components for a kinetic tower, each of them can be assembled into one tower. Of course, the basic materials have to be sourced locally. Qianye was finally moved. The Empress sure is generous. Empress Lis gifts would allow him to build a production line for the excavation and refinement of rare minerals. The kinetic towers would also serve to support an equal number of small cities. Such equipment could not be purchased even if he had the money. They happened to be things Qianye required urgently. Eunuch Lius expression relaxed after seeing that Qianye was satisfied. Theres little to complain about the way Her Highness treats you. Ill trouble you to thank her in my stead when you return. Why of course. Qianye added, But I do have a small request. Please speak your mind! When you return, please take him back. With that, he pointed at Li Panyu. Li Panyu jumped up in surprise. You dare!? Qianye only looked at Eunuch Liu, ignoring Li Panyu entirely. The boy was anxious now. Our Li family wont let you off if you send me back! Eunuch Liu could no longer hold back. Young Master Panyu, I will really bring you back if you keep spouting nonsense! Li Panyus expression shifted drastically, finally shutting his trap. Eunuch Liu said to Qianye. Sire, the boy is young and doesnt know his manners. Please excuse him. No, I will not keep him here. Qianye wasnt going to give in. Sire, why must you? Eunuch Liu found himself in a difficult situation. Its too dangerous here, staying will put his life in danger. I wont be able to explain it to the Empress when the time comes. Li Panyu cried out, Im not afraid of death! Qianye finally spared him a glance. Im saying youre more likely to be executed by martial law. You Li Panyu was just about to speak when Qianye cut him short. Its not your place to speak here! Qianyes voice wasnt loud, but Li Panyu felt as though he had been slammed by a hammer. Dizzy and blurry-eyed, he could no longer speak. After things had calmed down, Eunuch Liu said to Qianye, The Empress has one more message. Pray tell. Her Highness wishes to see you when its convenient for you to return to the Empire. What time? Chapter 1230: Other Purposes Qianye ordered Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan to continue training the new army while keeping an eye out for surrounding movements. There was nothing more to instruct beyond that. Empress Lis gifts were of high quality but not numerous. They couldnt be applied to large-scale mining operations; only for the refinement and excavation of rare minerals. Eastern Sun Island was the best place to do that. The people Empress Li had sent were also thoughtfully selected. Li Wanqing possessed strong perception and loved nature, a great candidate for excavation. It was a mystery why a delicate girl like her would choose to learn this art. Li Panyu was learned in the martial arts and his dream was to lead the army in battle. Qianye would, of course, have battles to fight in his pioneering efforts, so it was a great opportunity for the boy. For some reason, though, he was hell-bent on picking a fight with Qianye. Qianye had no interest in figuring out Li Panyus true thoughts, nor did he intend to spoil him. The two were neither friends nor enemies, and his talents werent so outstanding that he was irreplaceable. It was only natural that Qianye wouldnt indulge his wilfulness... So, Qianye brought Li Panyu back on his return to the Empire and planned to return him to the Li family. Whatever punishment befell him afterward was not Qianyes concern. Seeing that Qianye was truly angry, Eunuch Liu realized that he could no longer laugh things away. He obediently followed Qianye into the high-speed airship and set out on the journey back to the Empire. The Imperial family emblem on the vessel allowed it to pass smoothly through every checkpoint until they arrived back on the Qin Continent. Along the way, they encountered a total of five Imperial squadrons that came to intercept and check them. This granted Qianye a new understanding of the Imperial fleets operations out in the void. Apparently, the Empire had gained a transit base in the void after occupying the void continent. The frequency of patrols in the void had also increased as a result. The airship drove into the continent and all the way into the Imperial capital, finally landing in a courtyard in the suburbs. The courtyard was secluded, peaceful, and elegant. The few buildings were buried within lush trees. Even an unsophisticated person like Qianye felt refreshed at the sight of it. Under normal circumstances, such spying would surely infuriate the target. It was a different thing, however, if they could not be sensed or located. While seemingly enjoying the scenery, Qianyes gaze paused briefly in certain areas of the courtyard. Those prying gazes immediately vanished without a trace. It would seem that those people hadnt imagined that Qianye would be able to find them out so quickly. A flash of surprise appeared on Eunuch Lius expression. The weather has been hot lately, so the Empress is here for a change of scenery. Her Highness decided to meet you here since you happened to arrive at this time. Qianye nodded. Ill trouble you to lead the way. Eunuch Liu brought Qianye along a path of willows until they reached a certain courtyard. Here, he stopped and said, The Empress is inside. Please head inside on your own. Qianye sensed no powerful auras in the courtyard, so he simply opened the gates and went in. A clear, gentle voice came through from within. Youre here, close the gates. Qianye closed the gates as instructed and circled around the screen to arrive in the courtyard. There was a small pond in the compound, replete with lotuses and fishes shuttling about. There was a beautiful lady beside the pond, spreading fish feed with a silver ladle. The small ladle could only hold enough feed for a single fish, but she was in no rush and neither were the fish in the pond. They swam about happily in their little world, heading over for a mouthful when they were close. The box was small, and the spoon was even smaller. Who knew how long she would keep feeding at this rate. Yet, her every movement was lithe, gentle, and a pleasure to watch. Qianye stood quietly to the side, showing no signs of impatience. After an unknown length of time, she finally handed the empty wooden box to the maid and smiled at Qianye. Youre quite patient. This person was Empress Li, one whose smile almost lit up the entire courtyard. Qianye didnt dare gaze at her, so he turned away. I think anyone would become patient in such a place. Empress Li chuckled. Of course not, those people are just pretending to be patient. Theres no telling what theyre thinking inside. You, on the other hand, are just watching me feed the fish. These words made things somewhat awkward, so Qianye had to explain. I feel that Your Highness every movement is aligned with heaven''s mysteries and the dao. Thats why I remained in meditation, it wasnt my intention to offend you. Empress Li waved a hand, saying, No need to be so cautious. Just relax whenever youre here, consider this your home. Qianye had to respond to this. How can I do that? Empress Li sat down and placed her hands gently on the nearby table. Her fingers relaxed and curled up like orchids as she gazed at Qianye with a mysterious smile. Ive heard about your exploits on Fort Continent, it seems many people underestimated your power! I just found a footing on the continent. Whether youve just found your footing or if youre already pioneering new land is not important. Intelligence reports state that youve just entered Zheng, so your progress shouldnt be that quick. I still feel that this isnt your style. You must have over a hundred thousand soldiers under you, right? As calm as he was, Qianye could feel his blood core beating just a bit faster. No one could tell whether the Empress had sensed this minute change. Qianye quickly brought his emotions under control and said, You give me too much credit. I would love to have an army of a hundred thousand. Empress Li chuckled. Its fine if you dont have it now, youll have one before long. You just need to swallow Zheng, and youll have an army. You might not know, but news of your pioneering efforts have been brought to the attention of those big shots in court. Qianye felt somewhat surprised. The Empire has so much going on every day. Why would they bother to discuss such an unimportant matter? This isnt a small issue, either. A prince from Zheng ran over to the Empire, seeking help in the name of his bloodline. Zheng is still our vassal nation in name, so its a bit of a humiliation to have it under someone elses control. Qianye frowned. Zheng is not the Empires only vassal, and they never really fulfilled their obligations, either. Their family is embroiled in a civil war all the time, making no effort to progress as a nation. Simply a disgrace. Its not like the land was born theirs anyway. What you say makes sense, but that wont work in court. Otherwise, people will ask the same about the Qin Continent. Now that was a sensitive topic. Qianye was shaken, not knowing what the Empress wanted to say next. Empress Li continued, Actually, all knowledgeable people know that the vast world belongs to everyone. No one was born with heaven''s mandate to rule. If it wasnt for the founding ancestors peerless martial prowess, our national surname might not be Ji. Even now, we might still be wavering under the Longevity Monarchs machinations had His Majesty not cultivated in secret for many years and surprised his enemies. Regarding the blind stubbornness of those fogeys, its more apt to consider it an excuse to suppress outsiders rather than loyalty to the Empire. Empress Li spoke so frankly that Qianye didnt know how to respond. All he could do was nod. Empress Li shot a glance at him and said angrily, Im pouring my heart out, but here you are, playing dumb. Do you mean to say youre ready to spread your wings, that this empress cant hold onto you anymore? Qianye replied that he wouldnt dare. The Empress expression recovered somewhat. She took a sip of tea and said, I didnt say these things for no reason. Some old fogeys have openly asked who youre pioneering new land for since youre a vampire. Qianyes expression changed slightly, his eyes filled with killing intent. These words were too harsh. If this were to become a general consensus, he would be forced into a confrontation with the Empire, even if that wasnt his intention. Empress Li only watched Qianye in silence. Qianye took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart. I simply dont understand what they have to gain by forcing me to the Evernight faction? Oh, quite a lot. Besides, their main objective isnt to force you away. Theyre targeting the people who speak up for you more than anything. Qianye took a deep breath. The Zhao clan? Now its not just the Zhao, the Zhang as well. The Zhang clan? Qianye was puzzled. He didnt remember having any special friendship with the Zhang clan. The only contact he had was a brief conversation with Prince Greensun after the battle of Whitetown. When your topic was brought up today in court, Prince Greensun commented that you had made great contributions on the void continent. He said that the entire world would be disappointed if we point our spears at such an outstanding subject once the war was over. He berated the minister as taking advantage of righteousness to harbor malicious intentions. At the very least, he was being over-adherent to old ideas. Prince Greensuns fame is very real in court, no one dared to continue dragging this matter on after what he said. At least for now, you wont see the Empires punitive expedition at your doorstep. Qianye gave it some thought. If thats the case, wont you be inviting criticism by giving me those gifts? Empress Li chuckled. I dispatched the airships only after that incident. I never planned to hide it, anyway, so many people know about it. As for what they think, thats their problem. Even if nothing happens, theyll still find some way to scheme and plot. Its not a bad thing for me to scheme against them for a change. Qianye couldnt help but frown as he found it somewhat strange. Empress Li spoke cleverly, but the important thing was that both Prince Greensun and the Li family were standing on his side at the same time. Bystanders wouldnt feel that Qianye was worth such attention. Rather, they would think that the Zhang and Li families had a tacit understanding. The Li familys momentum had been growing stronger as of late, with one of its side branches producing an unprecedented genius. Their promotion to a major clan seemed to be set in stone. An alliance between a heavenly monarchs clan and that of the Empress was big news. Chapter 1231: One Reques On the other hand, Empress Li was likely going to ask something troublesome for him. Qianye, of course, wouldn''t agree right away. Empress Li said, I must thank you about Li Kuanglan. This matter is related to the future of our entire Li family, so its not excessive no matter how we judge its importance. Everything I did for you in the past involves little to no effort. In the future, our Li family will always be your support in the Empire. These words contained a different meaning when spoken by the Empress. Qianye stood up to express his gratitude and said, I heard that the Li and Zhao families had always been at odds. I hope youll forgive me if I stand on their side if there are any future conflicts. Empress Li didnt show any sign of displeasure. She even smiled somewhat, saying, I know your background, so I definitely wont make things difficult for you. Whatever conflict is there between our families will probably stay in the Imperial court. No party is right or wrong in such matters, only standpoints. Most people in the situation have no choice, youll understand that later on. I thank you for your understanding. Qianyes expression remained the same, but he was slightly alarmed inside. He felt that Empress Lis words contained a deeper meaning. Now lets talk about my request for you. I listen respectfully. I havent thought about it yet. Qianye almost stumbled onto the tea table. Seeing that Qianyes indifferent expression had finally crumbled, Empress Li chuckled with her mouth covered. I havent thought about it yet, but I may have something in a couple of days. You should just agree first. In any case, I wont make you go against the Zhao clan or fight your brothers. Qianye nodded only after some serious thought. He had no choice but to give the Empress face under present circumstances. She would owe him a big favor, and that was a good thing for his friends in the Empire, even if not for himself. At this point, the discussion was more or less over. Empress Li said, Since youre back, just stay in the Empire for a couple more days. Ill send someone to take you to the Li clan for a visit. Do give the young ones some pointers and let them know that theres always someone better. You should also pay the Zhao clan a visit, Ive made arrangements for that as well. You can move about freely after that. This is my identity token when I was younger, the calligraphy is also my work. It feels like a young girls scrawl now that I look at it. Keep it for now and feel free to use it when you encounter trouble. Those who recognize it wont cause trouble for you, and those who dont recognize it arent worth paying attention to anyway. Ill deal with those ignorant people slowly. This was akin to a symbol of Empress Lis authority, and Qianye didnt refuse it. As he received the jade token respectfully, he could feel its warmth and a faint fragrance coming from it. Im tired. If theres nothing else, have the men send you to your next stop. Qianye asked, I have a question. I hope you can tell me a bit about it. What would that be? The dark races were making plans for the new world a while ago, but recently, there hasnt been any news about it. I wonder how much they have progressed and what I should do to prepare? Empress Li said, Your information network is quite good. This matter is complicated and rarely spoken of in the open. The Evernight side has been mobilizing their forces and bolstering defenses on certain big continents. Their council members have also been moving in greater numbers and frequency as well, mainly focusing on those continents. Theres little news about the higher continents, but for now, we can say that the continents of Twilight, Abyss, and Summit are amassing forces. Im guessing these places are related to the new world. Judging from the magnitude of their forces, theyre probably seeking to fill the gap in fighting power after their experts leave for the new world. The Empire has no counter-strategy against them. We understand nothing about this new world apart from its name, nor do we know when and how its passage will open. Besides, the Empire doesnt have that much time to spare, either. With the war having just ended on the void continent and the frontline soldiers returning home, the interim units have to be disassembled, and financial support for the families of the dead have to be paid. The withdrawal of soldiers and the construction-work on the continent are enough to keep us busy for a while. This raised Qianyes eyebrows. Shouldnt the new world be top-priority? Of course, the new world is important, but thats a matter for the experts. The Empire has just seen a change in heavenly monarchs, not to mention a war has just ended, everything is important right now. The Empire drafted a large number of troops from the aristocracy, and now, its time to return them and calculate their contributions. The issuance of rewards alone will eat up all of this years military budget. Speaking of which, you took the biggest single reward! Qianye turned silent. Over ninety percent of the brothers I led to Whitetown died in battle. I might not have accepted the mission if I knew what was to come. Empress Li said, You would have still accepted it. Whitetown was extremely important to the plan. If you guys hadnt held your ground there, Evernight would not have lost so miserably. Not only that, they might have claimed the victory before things turned around for the Empire. Besides, that war was Imperial Steward Lins final effort. You wouldnt deny him his long-cherished wish. Qianye looked up at Empress Li. Whose war was the void continent!? If this war is the fruit of his labor, why was he not allowed to join the main forces? Why was he allowed to go alone at the most dangerous moment? Empress Li was startled. She didnt know what to say, or how much. In truth, it wasnt as though the upper echelons of the Empire were ignorant about the feud between the Longevity Monarchs bloodline and the Solemn Emperors. The recent change of heavenly monarchs and the removal of the Longevity Monarchs descendants from power was enough to prove many peoples guesses. Yet, no one dared to say their knowledge covered everything, not even Empress Li herself. Qianyes obsidian eyes were like a dark abyss. When Zhang Boqian came to see him after the war, the monarch had revealed that all of this was the Longevity Monarchs plan to topple the Imperial bloodline. Qianye was too shocked to ask questions back then, but after thinking about it, there were many things that puzzled him. He was never able to get them off his mind. Now that Empress Li had brought this up on her own, he couldnt help but want to hear her excuse. Empress Li sighed. The fall of a heavenly monarch is the Empires pain. Lin Xitang killing the Minister of the Right wasnt a secret. However, just a third of the militarys power wasnt enough to execute this scheme, or squeeze Lin Xitang out of the pre-war preparations. It was fine to use the Minister of the Right as an excuse for ordinary nobles, but the same couldnt be said for Qianye. Empress Li couldnt tell how much Qianye had heard, and she had no reason to cover up for the Longevity Monarchs actions, either. Empress Li gazed into Qianyes gloomy eyes and said, The mastermind behind everything has been executed. His Majesty, the heavenly monarchs, and the major clans will not tolerate such a malignancy that can shake the Empires foundations. This explanation was the same as Prince Greensuns, but there was still no answer to his questions. Why did my adoptive father have to sacrifice himself to turn the tides? Its not like there was no other way. What Qianye didnt say was that the alternative would mean a lot more casualties. Now that Qianye himself was a commander, he understood that there would always be sacrifices no matter how much he loved his troops. Considering Lin Xitangs ability, the Empire would benefit much more from his presence than winning this war. Besides, the man wouldnt have become an Imperial marshal if he were the type to throw his life away so easily. Empress Li was dazed for a moment. She couldnt pretend to not understand since both of them were smart people, not to mention Qianye would sooner or later hear about the fishy reason behind Lin Xitangs death. After some thought, she said, I dont know what Imperial Steward Lin was thinking, but I do have some guesses. The problem is that this involves Imperial secrets, and I am bound by a divine oath, so I cannot tell you. If you really want to know, you should ask Prince Greensun in the future. Qianye frowned somewhat. He knew even before asking that his chances of getting an answer were slim, but he never imagined that she would recommend Zhang Boqian as the person to dispel his doubts. He nodded, saying, Very well, I will ask Prince Greensun personally when the opportunity arises. Empress Li said, Prince Greensun cherishes talent greatly. He looks cold on the outside but has a warm heart. You will surely be rewarded if you ask him. With that, she added, Oh right, why are you so interested in the new world? Qianye, of course, wouldnt say that it was because he missed Nighteye. If the gates to the new world open, I want to go in and see. You want to go in? News from the Evernight Faction says that only council members can enter when the gates open. The Empires standard threshold is a divine champion. Qianye replied calmly, If the only requirement is to be a divine champion, I can indeed go in and see. He released a small bit of his aura. Empress Lis eyes lit up as she grabbed Qianye by the hand, Youre already a divine champion? The Empress hands were soft and cold. Even someone as strong-willed as Qianye couldnt help but waver slightly. His expression remained unchanged as he pretended not to notice, almost as though his hand was a rock. I ascended out of sheer luck. Realizing that she had lost her composure, Empress Li slowly retracted her hand. How I envy Duke Chengen for having such wonderful children. You might not know, but Zhao Jundu has reached the divine champion stage after returning from the void continent. He can be considered the first among the younger generation. Jundu has ascended? Qianye had already received news of his swift recovery back in the neutral lands, but who would have thought there would be such a delightful surprise? Then again, why had this news not spread? Qianye asked, When did that happen? Why were there no celebrations? Reaching the divine champion realm was a big matter in any clan or family, especially for someone who had broken through at such a young age. They should be letting all kith and kin know of it. There were no celebrations this time. As for the reason, you will understand when you go to the Zhao clan. At this point, a maid arrived to lead Qianye away, and Eunuch Liu accompanied Qianye into the airship in person. Just as they were boarding the airship, someone hurriedly ran over and passed them a paper slip. Eunuch Liu laughed after opening it, saying, Hes really fast! Whats the matter? Eunuch Liu crushed the paper and threw it away. It looks like we need to make a detour. General Song Zining somehow found out that youre here. He sent word, asking to meet at a certain palace. I owe him a favor recently, so its difficult for me to make excuses. Considering your relationship, I dont think you would refuse to see him, either, would you? Of course, Qianye wouldnt refuse. The airship thus took the air and flew swiftly in a certain direction. The airship arrived at its destination one day later. Qianye walked out of the cabin doors and into a completely alien locale. A towering grand mansion stood in the distance, one that was not at all inferior to that of the Song and Zhao clans. The building sat on a vast land with its many courtyards linked together. This was more like a small city than a manor. There were two golden letters on the doors of the main building: Frozen Jade. Frozen Jade Manor was the headquarters of the Bai clan. There were many past conflicts between Qianye and the Bai clan, almost to the point of becoming enemies. Why would Song Zining want to see him here? Just as he was thinking about it, he saw a person running over at great speed. He arrived before Qianye in the blink of an eye, not even kicking up dust despite his swift movement. You arrived so quickly! This person was Song Zining. Qianye waited until he was in front before asking, Why pick this place? Did they do anything to you? No way. Besides, people who want to harm me will need to think about their own weight. That was true. Song Zining was rank seventeen, after all, and only one step away from the divine champion realm. With World Prosperity in hand, even a divine champion might find it difficult to kill him. Song Zining said, Get in the car, lets go see a certain person. Wheres the car? Song Zining slapped his forehead, remembering that he had run over in a rush. His car was still over a thousand meters away. Qianye didnt mind a bit of walking. The two chatted along the way until they arrived at the jeep, then drove toward Frozen Jade Manor. In the residence of a major clan, taking a car was often more convenient than walking since specially marked vehicles could skip checkpoints. The jeep passed through numerous courtyards and checkpoints, both visible and hidden. The car soon came to a stop at a quiet compound, one that was covered in the shade of tall, ancient trees. Song Zining got off and knocked on the gates but, without even waiting for a response, entered with Qianye in tow. There was a lady in the courtyard seated with her back toward the gate, her hair hanging loose over her shoulders. Chapter 1232: Clan Style Currently, this lady was shrouded in an aura of gentle elegance, almost as though she werent of this mortal world. It was a stark contrast to her usual murderous state. Even Qianye had to look carefully to make sure he hadnt mistaken her. Bai Aotu turned to the side somewhat. Is it Qianye? It is I. She stood up and faced the two with a smile. Id never have expected that both of you would come. I hope no one caused trouble for you along the way. Song Zining replied, Who would be so blind to cause trouble when were using your car. Bai Aotu replied, The elders cant bring themselves to attack, and the others cant beat you. Who would dare? Song Zining laughed. Actually, those grandpas and uncles of yours cant do much to me, either. Theyll find it even harder to beat Qianye now. So, its best that we all remain in peace. Cant beat Qianye? The Bai family has indeed declined somewhat, but not to the point where Eh?! Bai Aotu turned to Qianye in shock. Youre already a divine champion? Qianye had to admire Bai Aotus sharpness. She was relying purely on her instincts at the moment. In terms of perception, no one under the heavenly monarch realm would see through his Bloodline Concealment. Qianye nodded. He soon discovered that, despite looking at him, her focus was slightly off. This would never happen in an expert at this level. Qianye was moved as he recalled Whitetown. Your eyes? The injury back then was too serious, they never recovered afterward. Bai Aotu spoke as though she were talking about something unimportant. I cant see anymore. How can that be? Does the Bai Clan have no way to treat you? Of course they do, but its not worth treating a cripple. Qianye said nothing as he glanced at Bai Aotu with the Eye of Control. The latter sensed his probe but, apart from a slight frown, did nothing to resist to hide. Qianye was shocked. Bai Aotus origin cultivation was barely hanging onto rank sixteen. Her origin vortices were dispersed and unable to take form. At this rate, she would lose all hope of reaching the divine champion realm. Rank sixteen would make her a powerful expert anywhere in the world, but it was not enough to occupy a core position among the major clans. Back then, she was considered a certain candidate to reach the divine champion realm. She was bold and decisive, racking up impressive accomplishments in battle and also making a fair number of enemies within. There were more than a few people who disliked her way of doing things. Qianye didnt know what he should say. He said only after a while, You didnt need to suffer this fate. Bai Aotu replied calmly, I shant cower, though the righteous cause may be difficult. Since I have the power to charge in, how could I watch you guys fall to the dark race siege? With that, she smiled. Actually, I just wanted to duke it out with Zhao Jundu. If he died there, I wouldnt be able to. She clearly wasnt good at jokes, but the other two had no choice but to laugh along a bit. Qianye was filled with myriad emotions as he looked on at the current Bai Aotu, the enmity from before gone with the wind. If it wasnt for her, they might not have held out until the end. But for a genius of the generation to fall to such a state, how could it be merely described as miserable? Qianye recalled her words from just now. You said there are ways to treat your eyes, what is it? How much will it cost? What, are you planning to pay for it? Bai Aotu laughed. Ill help as much as I can, therell always be a way to solve the problem. Qianye was now the ruler of the vast Jade Sea and great corridor, not to mention the treasure trove that was Eastern Sun Island. The treatment might cost astronomical numbers, but the money could be accumulated over the years. Qianye felt that it wasnt impossible as long as the treatment did not involve rare materials that could only be obtained through fortuitous encounters. Thank you, but Ive already gone past the best time for treatment. Its already too late now. Qianyes heart froze upon hearing this. Apparently, the decision to not treat her was intentional! He shot to his feet and said in a harsh voice, Is the Bai clan going to watch with folded arms? Bao Aotu laughed. Even Im not worried about it, why would you? With that, she sighed, I now understand why so many people like you and are willing to follow you. After a pause, she picked up the teacup and took a small sip. I was able to calm down after going blind, and think about things I never thought about before. Ive gotten used to the calm, its really not so bad. With the mind at peace, I might be able to try out some other cultivation arts that I couldnt train before. At least I wont lag behind too much. She laughed self-deprecatingly, saying, With all that I have done in the past, this is already a pretty good outcome. Whats there to complain about? Qianye wanted to say something, but Song Zining pulled him to the side with a meaningful glance. The seventh young master placed a box on the table, saying, This secret art is something I found from the Song clans depository. It suits your current state very well, so I made a copy for you. When you have time, take a look have someone read it to you for reference. Bai Aotu didnt take the gift. Our great Bai clan has its own set of inherited cultivation arts. Im sure I can find something suitable if I take my time. Theres no need to accept a favor from the Song clan. Since Song Zining had pushed the Song clan away from this matter, Bai Aotu had no reason to refuse the gift. Very well, Ill accept this then. The two left after saying their farewells and drove toward the airship port. Although they had forgotten their past differences with Bai Aotu, there were still a lot of enemies in the Bai clan. It would be wise to leave quickly, lest problems arise. On the car, Song Zining said, If it wasnt for Bai Longjia holding the line, she might not even have that courtyard left. Is the Bai clan so snobbish? How can they abandon a rank-sixteen expert just like that? Dont forget that she cant see anymore. Even a champion might beat her in a fight. Qianye shook his head. Impossible! I noticed that her aura is stable and strong, even more so than before. The impurities might stop her from advancing in the near future, but her state of mind is growing stronger than before. Once she overcomes the blindness, no ordinary person will be her match. Thats not how others see it. Those who cannot see are crippled. As the wielder of the Eye of Control, Qianye naturally understood that perception couldnt replace eyesight. He could only sigh after hearing Song Zinings words, feeling unresigned still. She did so much for the clan but was tossed away once she was injured? Do you not know the style of the four major clans? What style? Qianye was puzzled. The Zhang clan is unmovable like the mountains, the Zhao clan is solitary and exceptional, the Song clan is lenient and humane, while the Bai clan is warlike and ruthless. The Bai and Song are like two extremes. The Song clans internal teachings revere using the pen as a weapon, and disdain martial power, while the Bai clan is the exact opposite. They are a clan where the strong devour the weak. The strong must remain strong. If they become weak, they deserve to die. Thats why their treatment of Bai Aotu can be considered quite good already. Qianye felt a sense of unfairness in his chest. This applies even to subjects who have done great service? Song Zining replied, That is their family matter, not something we can interfere in. He paused for a bit. Just like the Song clans elder assembly. Qianye went silent. The Song clan did not discriminate between their descendants, but there was no one left in the last three generations to uphold the clan and it had now fallen to the verge of being demoted. The Bai clan on the other hand refused to waste resources on useless descendants. It was easy for bystanders to criticize this way of doing things, but who was to say they were right or wrong? It was at this time that the jeep came to a stop. The driver turned back and said, Someone is blocking the way. Song Zining looked up to see a group of furious young men blocking the road. Qianyes gaze, on the other hand, landed on some elders playing chess under a distant tree. You stay here, Ill handle this. With that, Song Zining disembarked. A tall young man stepped out from the crowd. Standing half a head taller than Song Zining, he looked down at the latter with a sinister smile. Song Zining! How dare you come to Frozen Jade Manor! Song Zining replied with a smile, I came to see old friends, is something the matter? Still acting stubborn! Dont tell me you dont know how many of our Bai clan brothers died because of you. You dare come to our clan and hope to leave in one piece? Now, you dont even have the Song clan to support you anymore! Another young man stepped forward with a laugh. Theres someone else in the car, right? Why are you hiding? Our Bai clan isnt a savage place like the Evernight Continent. We wont take your life, well beat you half-dead at most. Are you so afraid? Chapter 1233: Short Work The tall leader was both furious and humiliated. He dragged the man back and glared at Qianye. How dare you appear in the Empire! A vampire... He hadnt finished speaking when Song Zining cut him short. We come from the neutral lands, participating in the void-continent war, and taking first place in contributions! You plebeians with no accomplishments to your name want to question our identity!? This tall young man was no idiot. Realizing the trap in Song Zinings words, he glanced toward one of the old men playing chess. Still holding a chess piece, the elder waved his hand ever so slightly. The young man understood the signal. The seventh young masters accomplishments are resounding, we, of course, respect that. I was a bit too rash just now, so allow me to apologize. But! Since you dared come into the Frozen Jade Manor, many people remain dissatisfied. How will we solve that problem? Song Zining glanced at Qianye, who said, Fight if youre not satisfied. Whats with all the blabbering? The Bai clans hot-blooded youths saw that the two on the other side werent much older. That was actually the case, and in fact, they were even younger than most of the people in the other group. How could those people endure the provocation under such circumstances? This is the Bai clans territory youre on! One of them uttered word-by-word. So you guys can be shameless and unruly just because this is your territory? Song Zining had never feared anyone in a debate. That person stomped his feet. What do you mean by that!? Dont think about leaving if you dont make it clear! Song Zining laughed disdainfully. Seek revenge if you must, fight if you have complaints! Who are you trying to scare with that lineup? Even aristocratic families arent shameless enough to swarm an opponent. I have nothing to say if your Bai clan has fallen that low? The youngsters from the clan cursed furiously. The leader said calmly, Its not like we dont know the rules. Since you were the ones who came to our Frozen Jade Manor, I dont think I need to explain your side of the rules, either. Whatever you want is fine, as long as its one-on-one. Very well! The seventh young master really underestimates our Bai clan. Song Zining didnt leave him any face. After Bai Aotu, theres no one in your Bai clan worthy of my respect. Bai Aotu was the strongest among the younger generation of the Bai clan. Back when she was more powerful than Zhao Jundu, she had also hunted Qianye down until he had his back against the wall. Now that her combat strength had fallen, the Bai clan could not find anyone else to compete with Zhao Jundu. The Bai clan army had also sustained great damage under the Iron Curtain back then. It could be said that the clan had suffered quite a bit in this duos hands. Now that Song Zining had exposed this fact, the group found it difficult to retort. After a lapse of awkwardness, the young man laughed. Very well! Since the seventh young master has said so, how can we disappoint you? I dont see a need to pick a location, lets just do it here. Fine. Song Zining agreed readily. Men, prepare the equipment, clear the area! The young men scattered in all directions to perform their duties. An arena was soon set up outside of the gates, and the ground was covered with armor plates for protection. Several crates were brought to the sceneone was filled with all kinds of melee weapons, while the other was filled with origin guns. The others were all loaded with defensive equipment, ranging from plates as thin as a cicadas wing to whole-body armors. As one of the four major clans, the Bai clans foundations were indeed deep. The equipment provided were all high-grade armaments, many of which could not be bought for money. Song Zining watched the young man with a smile. How quick and thorough this preparation was! The young man pretended not to see. Please feel free to use any weapon. Our Bai clan disciples will also pick from them. Providing weapons for the combatants was a tradition of the nobility. After all, those who come to challenge the clan might not have everything they need. This was the perfect time to put the clans bearing on full display. There was also a different unwritten rule that the challenger would face serial opponents, a significant home-field advantage for the challenged. There was usually a limit to this, however, and the competition would end at three consecutive losses. For the aristocracy, the outcome of a fight was just a temporary status; face was the most important. When Song Zining had agreed just now, he even removed this limitation. The Bai clan could send as many people as they wanted. Such insolence naturally infuriated the youngsters of the clan. The first to take the field was a stout man at rank-fifteen cultivation, fully-armored and holding a heavy shield. Apparently, he was equipped for endurancehis objective was to drain the opponents origin power instead of winning. This kind of clumsy, shield-wielding opponent was Song Zinings favorite. His Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art could toy with the opponent until the man begins to suspect his purpose in life. Song Zining adjusted his clothes and was just about to enter when Qianye pulled him back. He said with a wooden expression, Im not in the mood to play with them. Okay, take care. Song Zining reminded again out of worry. Go easy on them, dont go too hard. Qianye nodded. I will. The mocking conversation between the two was exchanged with great seriousness, greatly angering the people from the Bai clan. The warrior in the arena banged on the shield with his hammer, indicating his displeasure. Qianye wasnt about to pay attention to the mans mood. He jumped into the ring and walked toward the opponent in large strides, swiping at his chest right off the bat. The burly man let out a sinister laugh as he counterattacked with both shield and hammer, striking ruthlessly at the incoming arm. This attack was powerful enough to shatter an ordinary experts limb, but Qianye made no movement to dodge. He allowed the shield and hammer to connectalmost as though he couldnt feel anythingand lifted the opponent up by the throat. That strong body fell limp in Qianyes grasp, unable to move a single muscle. He threw a square slap with his left hand, which knocked the warrior out and sent him flying dozens of meters away. All of this happened in mere moments. The people hadnt even reacted when their hopeful warrior was lying unconscious on the ground. Some of the quicker youths ran over to check the injured and said in relief, No serious injury, hes just out cold. The relieved crowd glared angrily at Qianye, while the stronger ones remained in frowning contemplation. It looked like Qianye never used his origin power at all during the entire process; how did that man lose? The ease with which he had claimed victory seemed even easier than killing a chicken. The leader said furiously, Qianye, whats the meaning of such a malicious attack? Qianye smiled coldly. I didnt touch his vitals. What do you mean malicious? The person was stopped up. The face wasnt a vital area, but such a slap hurt more than being struck in the vitals. Song Zining wanted to say something but ultimately just shook his head. He knew Qianye was angry after seeing Bai Aotus current state and would not leave the Bai clan any leeway. Even against the elders of the Song clan, Qianye had never blocked the other partys way out like this. Qianye viewed everyone who had fought alongside him in battle as his brethren, and he had never been afraid of making enemies for his brethren. At this point, a dark expression appeared briefly on the young mans face. He said with a gloomy laugh, Good! Very good! Since youre willing to teach us, our clan definitely cant disappoint you! Bai Longfei, go up and learn from Sire Qianye! Bai Longfei was a well-groomed man in his thirties. He floated into the field with a pair of daggers in hand, not kicking up any dust despite his speed. This slow movement was a display of his talents in speed. Having learned from the previous combatant, this Bai Longfei avoided close combat with Qianye. He instead moved swiftly around Qianye, hoping to gain a gradual advantage with roaming attacks. At the very least, he would be able to drain Qianyes origin power a bit more. He circled thrice around Qianye in the blink of an eye, his movements as fast as wind and lightning. Just as he was feeling satisfied with his display of skill, a big hand suddenly appeared in front of him. The hand seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, catching him entirely off-guard and unable to evade. Thus, the shocked man was caught by the throat and lifted off the ground. How could he be so fast The thought had just appeared in his mind when his vision went dark. There was a hand, a slap and nothing more. As the bystanders saw it, all Qianye did was reach out, and Bai Longfei had slammed into the hand on his own. He was then slapped and tossed out of the field. The leader was livid, but he clenched his jaws and shouted, Bai Longjing! A short-haired man took to the field. This short-haired man looked tough, formidable, and used no fancy movies. Apparently, he was a true expert with ample battlefield experience. This so-called experienced warrior was also lifted up and knocked out with a slap. Bai Longyu! Bai Huyi! Bai Chengtian! Bai Whoever came into the arena would be slapped out and rendered unconscious. During this entire process, it felt as though he never even used his origin power. Very soon, there were over a dozen men lying near the arena, all swollen and unconscious. More and more Bai clan descendants had gathered at this point, but there wasnt a sound to be heard. Those with good judgment had already figured out that Qianye was on a completely different level compared to these scions. That was why he was making such light work of them, downing them in one slap. The injuries werent serious, but all of them were on the face. Chapter 1234: Such Advice This person had kept himself hidden as the most outstanding talent of the Bai clan. His cultivation rank was seventeen, on par with Song Zining. His face looked young, but he was actually a bit older than Bai Longjia, and it was already quite forced to call him one of the younger generation. With his shield and spear, Bai Longyue seemed prepared for both attack and defense. He did not enter the arena for victory, but to exchange a few real blows with Qianye. The past ten battles had all ended up with Qianye grabbing the opponent by the neck and slapping them. He didnt even use a shred of origin power, so this continuous fight was meaningless. Only at this point did the Bai clan people understand why Song Zining had agreed so readily, even removing the limitations. It turned out that Qianyes fighting power was on a completely different level; the fight was an overwhelming suppression. Taking turns to wear the enemy down was only meaningful if they could actually fight. If it wasnt for his age and background being well-known, these young men simply couldnt believe Qianye was younger than them. Yet the truth was before them. The moment he came face-to-face with Qianye, Bai Longyue felt that his opponent was like a mountain, one he could never climb over! In the blink of an eye, his mind was shaken, and he actually felt the urge to flee. At that moment, Bai Longyue realized why his brethren had no ability to even struggle or resist. Despite that, the man was born of a famed clan and his cultivation was only below Bai Aotu. Although he couldnt figure out why he was so intimidated, his body reacted instinctively, surging with origin power as he drew back in a defensive stance. His reaction couldnt be considered slow, and his judgment was accurate. Qianyes punch arrived just as he pulled back his shield, slamming squarely onto it. That moment, Bai Longyue felt as though he had been struck by a heavy sledgehammer. He couldnt breathe for a split second and his heart almost skipped a beat. His vision went dark, and his body felt lighter and lighter as he flew into the air before slamming back to the ground. Even then, he couldnt feel the pain of the crash. How fortunate, I wasnt slapped That was actually his last thought. His mind relaxed as his consciousness sank into the darkness. Pop! One of the elders under the tree was just about to play his chest piece when it suddenly turned to powder between his fingers. He looked up all of a sudden, his eyes exuding a sharp glow as he uttered, Hes actually a divine champion! Divine champion! The other elders glanced at Qianye in shock. So young, an elder muttered in disbelief. Everyone knew Qianyes real age, and it was exactly because they knew that they found it difficult to accept. Another elder said, Thats more or less on the same level as Zhao Jundu, right? No, hes even earlier than Zhao Jundu. Dont forget that the latter is one year older. Was Prince Greensun so young when he broke through? Everyone went silent at this question. Only after a while did one of the elders say, Prince Greensun spent a good amount of time accumulating knowledge and polishing his origin power. The profundity of his foundations isnt something the likes of us can imagine. Only after all that did he soar to great heights and stepped into the heavenly monarch realm. How can this Qianye even compare? Maybe this divine champion rank is his final achievement. These words made some sense because most people would stop at the early divine champion stage. How far one would go beyond the divine champion realm was decided by the purity of his origin power. At the thought of this, the elders recalled Qianyes famous Venus Dawn and were filled with sudden bitterness. How dare a vampire be so insolent! The elder had just started voicing his indignance when the chess-playing elder shot him a cold glare, stopping him up. The chess-playing elder said, After the void continent war, it has been hinted in the Imperial court that no one should bring up his other identity. This isnt just Prince Greensuns opinion, but also Empress Lis and the Emperors. The elders were dissatisfied at this undocumented order, but under the chess-playing elders gaze, no one was dumb enough to voice it. The chess-playing elder stood up and said, Come, lets go meet this divine champion. On the martial path, the first to attain was the senior. There was no meaning in feigning aloofness before a divine champion, which would only make people suspect the Bai clans judgment and bearing. The group of elders stood up, no longer disguising themselves. They stepped forward with different momentums, some like dragons and tigers, others flowing like wind and water. Qianye stood with his hands behind his back, waiting silently for them to arrive. The elders looked leisurely but were actually moving at great speeds. They arrived near the arena in the blink of an eye, where they came to a stop and only the chess-playing elder went forward to Qianyes side. General Qianye, no, I should call you Marshal Qianye now. Qianye replied, Marshal is an Imperial rank. A civilian like me wouldnt dare accept such an address. The chess-playing elder said, This old man is Bai Yuantu, currently a retiree. Mister Bai. Qianye cupped his hands in reciprocation. It was just that his address couldnt be considered respectful at all, even placing himself on the same level as the other party. The elders were prepared, but they couldnt help but feel angered after seeing Qianye not give face even to an aged elder. Bai Yuantu, on the other hand, was as calm as still water. He said in a steady tone, Weve heard before that Sire Qianye views himself quite highly. Now that we meet, it is indeed the case. Qianye replied indifferently, The ignorant layperson will always make random guesses, no need to take it to heart. Its just like how people say that the four major clans stand at the peak of the aristocracy, possessing great foresight and judgment. Now, it seems thats not necessarily the case. The chess-playing elders brows rose. Then I must ask you for some advice. Where is our Bai clan lacking in foresight? Qianye pointed to the unconscious Bai Longyue. This is your favorite, right? He cant even take a single punch from me. Bai Aotu is much stronger even in her current state, let alone in the future. Does this mean youre going to speak up for Bai Aotu? Thats not appropriate, is it? We cannot break our centuries-old rules just because of her. It is indeed not suitable for me to teach your Bai clan how to do things. I simply came here to see an old friend, and I was going to leave once that was done. Since these children wish to teach me a lesson, I dont mind teaching them how to behave, either. Is this your way of teaching? Your slap isnt just on their faces. Qianye said with a smile, I feel that this method is quite good. This interception isnt entirely their idea, so it goes without saying that my slap isnt limited to their faces, either. The chess-playing elder looked indignant. Arent you being too arrogant, no matter how much of a genius you are? Are you planning to incur irreconcilable hatred with our Bai clan? Qianye sneered fearlessly. I should be the one asking this. Is the Bai clan going to make an enemy out of me? One of the other elders could no longer endure. Insolence! How dare a commoner like you compare yourself to the Bai clan? Where will we keep our faces if we dont make you pay a price today? Qianye replied unceremoniously, Its going to be hard for you to make me pay a price. Ill kneel down and apologize if you can take a punch from me! That elder was livid. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but he couldnt bring himself to utter any unyielding words. According to reason, he was a high-ranking character in the Bai clan and Qianye was just a new divine champion. How powerful would the latter be? How could he not block a single punch? Yet he was inwardly hesitant. Even despite his fit of anger, he didnt dare say: Then Ill try taking a punch from you! Bai Yuantu narrowed his eyes. This old man has neglected worldly matters for a while, I never knew such talents have appeared among the youth. But Qianye, youre just an early divine champion and you probably havent even stabilized your powers. Its too early for you to behave so atrociously in the Bai clan! Qianye replied calmly, I might have just entered the divine champion rank, but ordinary divine champions will find it pretty hard to escape alive from my hands. If you want to teach me a lesson, then feel free to make your move, but you should better step aside if you lose. Dont block my path. Bai Yuantu broke into an angered laugh. What conceited nonsense. Arent you afraid our Bai clan will mobilize all our experts and kill you here? You want to mob me? Which divine champion is so easy to kill? Qianye laughed. I admit you might have people who can defeat me now, but what about in three years? Five years? If you cannot kill me here, your clan can forget about coming out. I will kill every member on sight! You! Bai Yuantus hair flew up as an astral wind stirred in the arena, and a gigantic pressure bore down on Qianye. The latter remained as still as a rock, ignoring the surging storm around him. Just as a battle was about to break out, Song Zining opened his folding fan and let out a cough. The sound wasnt loud, but it echoed in everyones ears, and the tense atmosphere immediately collapsed. The Bai clan members didnt think too highly of Song Zining at first. Only now did they realize that this romantic guy wasnt a simple character at all. Being able to affect a fight between divine champions meant that his own combat strength wasnt too far off. Someone glanced at Bai Longyue and felt that it was lucky that he was unconscious. The setback would be too great if he found out that he wasnt a match even for Song Zining. Clearing his throat, Song Zining said, The war has just ended. Is this how the Bai clan treats subjects of outstanding service? These words were neither serious nor light. Some were puzzled as to what it meant, while others noticed the hidden message. Bai Yuantu slowly retracted his aura. The seventh young master makes sense, then I shall learn from Sire Qianyes skills another day. Many people from the Bai clan heaved a sigh of relief. This fight wasnt good for them at alla victory would not be glorious, while a defeat would be embarrassing. It was a good thing to be able to exit. Unexpectedly, Qianye said, No need for another day. Lets just settle things now. I must seek pointers from Mister Yuantu right now! Chapter 1235: Not Necessarily Impossible Yet there was only utter silence as the punch landed and the peerless energy Bai Yuantu had gathered vanished like a clay ox in the ocean. The next moment, all of the power he had exerted was flushed back by a tremendous force, bearing down upon him with earth-shattering pressure! Greatly surprised, Bai Yuantu could no longer bother with a follow-up attack. He erupted in a loud roar as his origin crystal lit up like a small sun. Bai Yuantu took three steps backward following the massive clash. The granite floor below was specially treated and even harder than alloy steel, yet it sank in like tofu. The old man suppressed the surging qi and blood, forcibly stopping the bloody taste welling up from his chest. His sleeves ripped open in several areas just as he had stabilized his footing. What followed was pain and some bloody streaks on his arm. Bai Yuantu looked down in alarm to see a number of faintly discernible black streaks drifting about in the air, which faded away only after some time. The old man was even more shocked because he knew these were spatial tears. The space in the area had been ripped open, unable to withstand the force of their clash. How powerful was a blow from a divine champion! On the battlefield, experts at this level could only go all-out in the air in order to prevent friendly fire. So, it wasnt a surprise that space would be torn in an all-out clash on the ground. Fortunately, Qianye had only used a melee attack and Bai Yuantu never had the time to unleash other powers; the surrounding Bai clan members remained largely unaffected. Bai Yuantus relief was immediately followed by suspense. Only after confirming that Qianye had taken two steps more than he had, did the old man feel that his face was safe. It could be considered a draw since Qianye had taken a couple more steps back and the elders sleeves were torn. Then again, Bai Yuantu had been in the divine champion realm for over twenty years while Qianye was only several months into it. He was also one rank higher than Qianye yet only managed to eke out a draw. It was the old mans defeat if one were to compare the results seriously. Qianye flexed his wrist saying, Ive learned much. Zining, lets go. This time no one stopped them as they boarded the car. All they could do was watch as they drove out of the Bai clans gates and vanished into the distance. Bai Yuantu stood there for a good while with his hands behind his back. Wake them all up! A group of useless trash, youve lost the Bai clans face. An elder arrived nearby and whispered. Are we going to let them go? Why dont we finish them off in the void? Lets see how long a new divine champion can hang on out there. Bai Yuantu glared at him. He came on Empress Lis airship, do you dare? Empress Lis airship!? Theres no helping it then. Sounds of regret and helplessness emerged from the crowd, almost as though they could detain Qianye if he werent riding the Empress vessel. Back on the airship, Song Zining slapped Qianyes shoulder and said, Youre actually a divine champion now! I became one after getting an upgraded cultivation art from Prince Greensun and a few battles. Song Zining asked him a bit more about it before saying, But youre not the fastest. Go check up on Jundu, he just broke through a while ago, even a bit earlier than you. The airship flew toward the edges of the Qin Continent after leaving the Bai clan. This area was full of tall mountain ranges and covered in snow. Add to that the common appearance of void tempests, the area used to be completely uninhabited. There werent any garrisoned soldiers, either. Right now, however, a loud rumble echoed amidst the snowy land as hundreds of machines worked to shovel the ice and level the ground. A giant transport ship had just landed on the newly built airship port and the laborers were busy unloading construction materials and resources from it. Not far from it was a construction site where numerous buildings had risen up from the ground, along with a kinetic tower. Moreover, a new fleet of transports was arriving from over the horizon. A large stretch of army barracks had been constructed close by. It was just a temporary camp but it was so big that it could fit an army of a hundred thousand. The number of craftsmen working in the various construction sites corresponded to this number. This was more or less the same scale as when the Empire constructed the city of Indomitable on the void continent. As someone who had been in the field for a good while, he noticed something out of the ordinary with the construction work while still in the air. The construction work outside of bases and cities were mostly defensive structureswhat they were building here was a self-sufficient stronghold city. The Qin Continent was the Empires core territory, a place that had not seen battle for many years. How come they were investing so much into this barren place on the mainland? The importance seemed comparable to the void continent. This kind of high-speed construction was fairly expensiveit had to be either very important or very urgent. Just as he was thinking, their airship landed slowly under the guidance of the patrol vessels. Several officers were waiting outside when the door opened. Sire Qianye and Zining, please follow us. Sire Jundu is already waiting. Qianye and Song Zining boarded the vehicle, which sped toward the only tall building in the camp. They were led to the top floor and into a large conference room. There was a large planning map spread out at the center of the room and over a dozen officers were looking at it with rapt attention. Zhao Jundu was pointing at a certain area on the map and explaining a change in plans. Seeing Qianye and Song Zining enter, he said, Proceed according to the changes. Dismissed. The officers filed out of the room with a salute. Zhao Jundu walked out from behind the meeting table and sized Qianye up from head to toe. He then said with great satisfaction, Perfect and flawless! As expected of a Zhao clan descendant! Qianye stared at him in a daze, his voice trembling. Y-You how come? Zhao Jundu laughed. Im very well arent I? Zhao Jundu hadnt hidden his aura intentionally, so Qianye could sense his brothers cultivation and even the state of his origin crystal. At this point, Zhao Jundus origin vortex had condensed into a crystalline solid. He had indeed stepped through the threshold to become a divine champion. However, his origin power was overflowing with violet and contained only a wisp of azure. It could be said that he was barely at the stage of Extreme Violet Yields Azure. This was the realm he had already achieved when he became a champion. With this talent and ability, his origin power shouldve turned entirely azure upon becoming a divine champion. That was the peak of the Zhao clans inherited cultivation art. He would then use it as a foundation to assail the heavenly monarch realm and finally reclaim the Zhao clan ancestors glory. But now, the grade of his origin power had fallen instead of improving. Although there was still room for advancement, the heavenly monarch realm was no longer in reach. How could Qianye not feel shocked upon seeing Zhao Jundu in such a state? Upon careful examination, there was a different origin crystal aura burning in Zhao Jundus chest. That was the top-grade origin crystal Qianye had left for him, one that could bestow the host a constitution similar to that of a vampire. Why the rush? Qianye asked. Zhao Jundu laughed in a carefree manner. Whats the point of dragging it out? Makes no difference really. Maybe theres some way to repair your foundations. Even our Zhao clan has no such cultivation art, do you think other clans will have it? Instead of holding onto such ephemeral hopes, its more practical to just be a divine champion. Seeing Qianyes frown, Zhao Jundu patted his shoulder. That crystal you left for me is really useful. With it, I can now train in many arts that I was never able to. There might still be a path beyond the divine champion realm. Qianyes sadness lessened somewhat. He sighed inwardly and started asking about his recent situation. Zhao Jundus injuries back then were extremely serious. Princess Haimi had brought him back in time and treated him with a large amount of rare medicines, but his foundation was still affected in the end. The damage lingered even after his return to the Western Continent and never healed completely. He could still move abouthe spent several days researching ancient texts in the depository before emerging with the shocking decision to assail the heavenly monarch realm. It was madness to attempt a breakthrough when his foundation was unstable, but Zhao Jundu wasnt one to change a decision he had made. Hence, the Zhao clan had no choice but to cooperate. Zhao Jundu merged with the origin crystal Qianye had left for him and used the surging energyalong with all kinds of supplementary medicinesto commence the advancement. In the end, he managed to barely cross through the threshold and condense his vortices into an origin crystal, becoming a divine champion. The breakthrough was so sudden that the entire Empire was surprised. He had accumulated an impressive number of accomplishments, enough to apply for title and territory. Yet a nominal title wasnt going to cut it for the son of a princessthis had great implications. Zhao Jundus advancement also happened to coincide with the death of the Longevity Monarch and the Empires redistribution of internal power. This threw the entire imperial court and the Zhao clan itself into a busy mess. The Unending Palaces subsequent reaction was unexpectedly fast. Before long, a decree arrived at the Zhao clan, ordering Zhao Jundu to lead the defense and construction of the Snowland military base. This mission was beyond anyones expectations. Everyone thought this was insignificant labor at first, something the court was using to placate Zhao Jundu for the time being. This wasnt quite reasonable after careful thought. Not to mention Zhao Jundus identity was special, even an ordinary divine champion of humble background wouldnt be neglected like so. Each and every one of them was a pillar of the Empire. A commotion broke out when the actual details were revealed. This time it wasnt because the Empire was slighting him but because the authority was too great. In order to construct this base, the Empire had mobilized close to a hundred thousand craftsmen and placed two complete army corps under Zhao Jundus command. Just the scale of his subordinate forces was double that of Lin Xitangs Northern Legion, and there was a guard fleet allocated to him as well. This was an organized sub fleet were talking about! Hence, apart from having no fixed war zone of his own, the resources and troops granted to Zhao Jundu had exceeded most marshals. This was comparable to Zhang Boqian back in the day. Naturally, there were some people who claimed the Zhao clan was becoming the number one clan. As for the effects of such words, there was no way to find out. In Qianyes eyes, though, this wasnt a good assignment no matter how much power was granted to him. From his many years of experience in pioneering wild lands, he knew that the work involved in constructing a new base until its stable operation was more complicated than defending an old warzone. How could Zhao Jundu find time to cultivate if he had to make all decisions big and small? Was he to just give up and never attempt the heavenly monarch realm? Qianye wasnt willing to give up hoping despite knowing of his brothers physical condition. Chapter 1236: Forward Base If Zhao Jundu hadnt fought his way into Whitetown that day, he would never have incurred such foundational damage. Song Zining broke the gloomy atmosphere with a change in topic. What is this base for? Why the great fanfare? Zhao Jundu replied, Its fine to tell you guys, its not a secret anymore these days. This is the Empires forward base for the new world. We had to use such a method because of the pressing schedule. Theres news about the new world? Qianyes ears perked up. Zhao Jundu nodded. We finally received detailed information from the other side. When the new world opens, entrances into the world will appear on every continent, hmm just like the Great Maelstrom. According to the calculation of powerful divination experts, an entrance will also appear here on the Qin Continent. That was why the Empire decided to build a base here in advance, just in case. If the new world has so many entrances, what are those Evernight powerhouses doing? Theyre probably off to open the doors. At this point, Qianye and Song Zining understood what was going on. Song Zining said, That means well likely run into dark race experts once the entrance opens here. Likely. Song Zining looked worried. They claimed the initiative this time. Since the gateway to the new world was opened by the dark races, the first batch to enter was naturally from their faction. By the time the other gateways opened up for the Empire, they would be lagging behind already. Zhao Jundu said, Its not a pity at all. From the current intelligence weve received, Evernight has been preparing for a thousand years. Its just that all secrets are held in the hands of those supremes. And only they can sense the moment at which to open the gates. Theres no way we can outdo them in this regard. So, just like with the great maelstrom, theres no need to bother with temporary gains or losses. Zhao Jundu then asked about Qianyes situation on the Fort Continent. He was greatly surprised to find out that the most important support came from Empress Li. The three talked about it for a good while but couldnt figure out why this unfathomable character was so impressed with Qianye. Song Zinings expression remained neutral all the while, so the other two never figured anything out. This relieved Qianyes urgent situation, and the Empirewith its thousand-year foundationswas in no rush to find a use for them. They would store up as many rare minerals as they could find and use them as needed, maximizing their value. This base could be considered the Empires most recent secret base. Although Zhao Jundu was the commander here, Qianye and Song Zining couldnt stay here for too long. Hence, they got ready to leave after a brief chat. Just as the two were about to leave, an officer ran over and said, Commander Jundu, a secret missive! Speak. Glancing at Qianye and Song Zining, the officer whispered, Sire, this is the highest level of confidential information, only you can read it. Others cannot be present. Zhao Jundu paid no heed. He took the secret document, unraveled the origin power seal, and scanned its continents. Then, following an exclamation of surprise, he fell into contemplation. That officer didnt dare blame him and only stood cautiously to the side. Zhao Jundu looked up at Qianye. Lil Five, you must be careful after going back there. Our higher-ups dont intend to watch as Evernight opens the doors to the new world. Theyre going to take action to disrupt them. Whether this fails or succeeds, the dark races will retaliate with great ferocity. Youre alone out there, so be careful. Qianye said, Fort Continent is distant and barren. The gains of sending an army wont cover their losses. If its just a couple of experts, I have no fear of them. Very well then. Zhao Jundu didnt detain them any longer, either. He ordered one of his men to guide Qianye and Song Zining back to the airship before returning to oversee the construction work. In the depths of the void, an old worn-out airship was driving swiftly on its own. It flew with great speed and stability, not something an old cargo ship could do. Clearly, it was a disguised vessel. It flew around a group of floating islands and, using them as cover, landed at a remote edge of Twilight Continent. Several people walked down from the airship. One of them was wrapped tightly in a cloak, his face hidden in the shadows and his aura so well retracted that one could hardly discern his race. The others, however, were humans. A middle-aged man produced a sealed wooden box and handed it to the mysterious man. Do you remember how and when to activate it? Yes, I do. Very well, dont disappoint us. The group returned to the airship, leaving only the mysterious person outside. The latter watched as the airship took to the sky and left, finally revealing his face and eyes filled with blood energy. He was actually a vampire. Only after the airship had vanished into the void did he wear his hood again and leave. He ran swiftly and soon vanished into the mountain ranges of Twilight Continent. In a remote region of Twilight Continent, there was an ancient but elegant-looking castle. It stood atop a precipitous mountain, looking down over the vast plains. The cliffside was covered in traces of wind and frost, yet there were also stubborn vines and shrubbery. Even under the cover of passing years, one could see the scars left behind by past battles. Some sword and blade marks stretched dozens of meters long. Castle Ducasse was one of Twilight Continents oldest and most famous castles. Back during the era of war, it was at the forefront of the vampire races fight against the other dark races. Countless great battles had taken place here. Later on, the humans awoke to daybreak origin power and rallied under the founding ancestors leadership. It was this castle that they had captured while fighting their way out of the Twilight Continent, and it was here that they defeated their pursuers several times. In this castle where every brick had its story, one could see fully-equipped vampire elites everywhere. All patrols contained titled experts among them, and the guards ranks were extremely high. This wasnt normal at all because there were rarely any fights here after the human exodus a thousand years ago. The conflict between the vampires and the other races rarely extended to the core region of Twilight Continent. Most of them took place on the lower continents where different races existed together. Usually, there was only a small force garrisoned in Castle Ducasse, but now, the number of soldiers alone was over ten times that number. The main building of the castle was somber and desolate. Simply approaching the place would fill the vampires with a fear that arose from the depths of their bloodline, a natural intimidation exerted by a high-ranking vampire. The warriors here all hailed from the twelve major clans and their bloodlines were fairly high. Yet, there was not a single patrol in sight for dozens of meters around the main building. Even titled experts would rarely appear, and those who did would hurry away as quickly as possible. From this, one could see how terrifying the bloodline suppression was inside. As for the empty guard posts in the main building, that was not a problem. Anyone who would dare sneak in was truly courting death. The ancient castle was made up of four levels, the first of which was exceptionally large. The top floor was an open framework supported by countless large pillars, overlooking the entire fort. Only the second and third floors were livable. The second level was home to some counts and viscounts, while the large third floor only had three rooms, all occupied. Even the owner of Castle Ducasse, Count Pinot, could only squeeze into the second floor. The vampires living on the third floor kept their auras under control, but the faint friction of suppressive might between them still made it difficult to breathe. A vampire viscount rushed into the main building and straight to the third floor. There, he checked the family crest on the door before knocking. Come in. A cold, clear voice appeared as the thick bronze door opened on its own. The viscount entered the spacious living room. Every piece of furniture here had gone through a hundred years of history, perfectly complementing the exquisite sculptures everywhere. The combination was a perfect interpretation of magnificence but without overcrowding the space. There was a vampire lady in black robes seated on the sofa. She was flipping through a thick ancient tome and never bothered to even glance up. The viscounts blood core couldnt help but beat a bit faster, and his breathing also grew coarse. However, he exerted good control over his emotions and didnt touch the borders of rudeness. The lady on the sofa was secretly known as one of the most beautiful vampires in history, even comparable to the Queen of the Night. At the same time, her terrifying strength was also a proven fact as she could crush a viscount to death with her finger. Your Majesty Nighteye, a viscount from a lower continent wishes to see you. He claims to be one of your clan members." Nighteyes gaze remained on the book. Lower continent? A clansman? Which branch is he from? No, he claims to be from Evernight Continent. Evernight? Nighteye finally looked up and said after some thought, Let him in. Moments later, a vampire viscount appeared before Nighteye. His grey hair was somewhat messy, the blood color in his eyes was dull, and his sunken face was as pale as a sheet. As a viscount, he seemed to be doing pretty badly in life. He stared at Nighteye for a while before recalling his manners and lowering his head. Are you Nighteye, Your Majesty? Nighteyes pupils lit up with a sanguine hue, reflecting the mans image in them. She found a familiar scent amidst the turbid blood energy, which gradually merged with her memories, stirring up certain scenes from before her bloodline awakening. Chapter 1237: Heavenly Monarch’s Projection Nighteyes voice became softer. Stand up, how come Ive never seen you before? Im from a distant branch of Count Klaus family, and my bloodline is very mediocre. I was allowed to serve the old count after barely making it to the viscount rank. You were already under the Monroe family by that time, so you probably dont recognize me. Did something happen for you to come see me? His Excellency wanted me to give you something. Nighteye was startled. In truth, she knew without having to ask this person that her small family on Evernight Continent was not in a good state. Edward had captured the old count back then, and the Monroe family wouldnt clash with the Holy Son for a small side-branch on the Evernight Continent. Who wouldve thought Count Klaus managed to leave something for her? The viscount said, You know that His Excellency was not on good terms with the Perth Clan when he was taken away. He seemed to be expecting it when the men reported that a guest had arrived. He gave me this item and told me to flee through the secret passage, saying that I must give this to you no matter what. Nighteye was calm but also earnest in listening. I managed to escape, but I never found any concrete information regarding your whereabouts. Later on, I heard you seemed to have gone to human territory. I only dared to seek you out after your official return. Nighteye could imagine what had happened back in the castle that was her childhood home. How many of our clansmen survived? The viscount broke down in tears at this question. Most of the clan scions died after the lords passing. The others were reportedly captured for something called bloodline refinement. Those with impure bloodlines were slaughtered on the spot. They they wanted to eliminate our entire family! Nighteye remained silent for a while. When she spoke again, her voice was as cold as the frigid winds from the poles. Who else apart from Edward and the Perth clan? There were some experts from the other races as well. Oh, right I can confirm there were two viscounts from the Dracula clan. The Lightless Monarch? The viscount lowered his head in fear. Im not sure if His Majesty Medanzo is involved. The actions of two viscounts couldnt represent the will of the clan. How could someone of his status dare to point fingers without any proof? Nighteye nodded. I understand, Ill deal with this matter. What about that thing you brought me? Its here. The viscount opened his clothes and fished out a wooden box from within his undergarments. He said restlessly, Your Majesty, I-I had to do this for fear of being robbed. Its fine, bring it to me. The square wooden box was about thirty centimeters give or take, covered in intricate patterns and sealed with a special lacquer. It didnt look like it could hold much. Nighteye had never seen this kind of sealed box, nor could she remember such an object in the old counts study. The patterns on the box were origin arraystheir function was unknown, but Nighteye could tell that their origin power fluctuations were fairly weak. This proved that they didnt have that big of a use. The old count had found a way to send this item out before calamity befell him. What exactly could be in it? As Nighteye reached out for the box, the viscounts hand trembled harder and seemed to activate some kind of mechanism. The box sprang open with a pop and revealed the object inside. It was actually a book. Shocked out of his wits, the viscount explained repeatedly, T-This Your Majesty, I swear I never opened it. Nighteye, on the other hand, remained calm. Its fine, perhaps this is Klaus wish. It was actually a human book, not the thick and elegant style common to vampires. The cover was also empty without a single word upon it. The pages seemed rather thick as well because the entire book was made up of a couple dozen pages. Nighteye flipped the cover page and came face-to-face with a single word: death! In the blink of an eye, an indescribable aura erupted from the ancient book. It was like a tall peak, akin to the deep sea, and contained an overbearing aura that could look down on the entire world. The pressure bore down on the entire Castle Ducasse! Nighteyes pupils turned red, reflecting the book in the depths of her eyes. The tome flipped open without any strong wind as an old man walked out from its pages, throwing a punch at her from afar. The Pointer Monarch! A giant black sickle appeared amidst a burst of blood energy. She planted the weapon into the ground and fell on one knee, firmly blocking the monarchs attack. The Pointer Monarch wasnt moved by this development. His image passed through Nighteye after the punch and vanished without a second glance. Apparently, it was a projection. Nighteye remained motionless while the monarchs projection faded away. Bang! The sofa she was sitting on exploded, followed by everything else in the living roomall of them were reduced to fine powder. It wasnt just the decorations. Even the walls, floor, and ceiling burst open one after the other, the damage spreading throughout the entire castle at an alarming rate. The clash between the Pointer Monarchs energy and Nighteyes was too terrifying. Even an ancient castle with a thousand years of history could not withstand it. Just as the main building was starting to crumble, two powerful blood energies surged out from the third floor to resist the destructive power. Their blood-colored domains were filled with various projections, but they would be destroyed immediately after taking shape. In the end, the terrifying duke-rank powers were only able to protect a small area around them. The main building soon collapsed in its entirety. After the dust was scattered by the frigid wind, only three pillars remained standing amidst the wreckage. On them were Nighteye and the two dukes respectively. The two dukes exchanged glances, unable to hide their shock. They arrived beside Nighteye in a single step, saying, Your Majesty, are you okay? Nighteye slowly raised her head. She was deathly pale, and a drop of scarlet blood was trickling down from the corner of her mouth. She tried to support herself up with the sickle, but that bit of exertion reduced a segment of the shaft to fine powder. Nighteye lost her balance and almost fell down again. The two dukes wanted to help her, but they stopped midway and carefully maintained their distance. The vampires had always been meticulous and sensitive. If they were to approach recklessly, it might cause some misunderstandings. Nighteye finally found her footing and stood up. Looking down, she saw that her abdomen had been punctured, and the defect was the same size as the Pointer Monarchs fist. Her expression didnt change much after seeing the injury. All she did was tighten her jacket to block the wound. Was that the Pointer Monarch just now? One of the dukes asked cautiously. At their rank, the only name that could shake them, apart from the sacred mountain supremes, was probably the Pointer Monarch. It is him but not the person. Just a projection containing the power of a single attack. The two dukes felt relieved but were also filled with lingering fear. The Pointer Monarchs attack wasnt so easy to withstandthey might not be able to even stand if the attack just now had landed on them. Why would the Pointer Monarchs projection appear here? Is it that bastard from just now? Nighteye replied, Hes already dead. The viscount who had delivered the book was standing at the epicenter of the clash. How could he survive? He was completely pulverized at the moment of impact, not even leaving a corpse behind. One of the dukes said solemnly, It seems the humans will do anything to kill you! The other duke said, On the day of your return, the Pointer Monarch and Prince Greensun were there to intercept you. Do they already know something? Thats impossible! Everything related to Her Majesty is the most confidential of information. Even the council chairman does not know more than he should. How could the humans know? Dont forget that humans have a lot of divination experts. Theyre much stronger than us in that regard. Is divination so powerful? While the two dukes were talking back and forth, a speck of darkness drifted in from the void and arrived before them. It immediately expanded into boundless darkness, covering the entire ancient castle until even the dukes couldnt see a single thing. It wasnt the darkness that was frightening; it was the terrifying aura within that collapsed all notions of resistance. They fell on one knee and placed their hands to their chest. Your Majesty Demon King! A figure walked out from the depths of the darkness, but no one could see his appearance or attire. He walked over to Nighteye and said, How are you doing? Nighteye replied, Its not lethal, but my blood core was injured. Surprised, the Demon King said after a pause, How come? No matter how strong Ji Wentian is, its just a projection without any consciousness. This shouldnt be. They seem to know my weakness very well and used a very targeted method. The Demon King sighed. This is probably related to your experience in the human world before awakening. They mustve done something to you back then, to be able to find your location and attack your weakness. If someone as arrogant as Ji Wentian is willing to resort to such a method, it would seem their desire to kill you is immovable. Nighteye replied calmly, This is normal. After all, Im the weakest link in our chain. Chapter 1238: Why Her? The two dukes couldnt help but feel envious from afar. Every drop of darkness origin power was at the apex of purity, almost an incarnation of the darkness origins itself. If they could obtain just one drop of it, they would gain a new level of comprehension and break through their current bottleneck. The sphere of darkness faded away after producing seven continuous drops of darkness origin power. The Demon King looked somewhat exhausted as well. It would seem that the bestowment wasnt easy. Thats all I can do for now. Also, Ill push back the opening of the second door by one month, I hope you can recover by then. Nighteye replied, One month is enough, I dont need any longer. I hope so. Its best you clear away the things that might put you in danger during this period. Although this is just a projection, it does take a fair bit of effort for me to come here. I will consider it. Nighteyes voice was cold. The Demon King didnt force the issue, either, and only reminded, Dont forget what you promised. Of course. The boundless darkness dispersed, and the suppressive might faded away. The two dukes were drenched in sweat, almost as though they had just escaped death. The Demon King was one who had climbed his way up from humble beginnings, the most humble and moderate of the lot. Yet the two dukes had no wish to experience again the feeling of having their life and death in anothers hand. One of the dukes arrived near Nighteye and said, Your Majesty, is there anything we can help with? Not yet for now, but the soldiers here cant hold on for much longer. They need treatment. Yes, Ill see to it immediately. After responding thus, the duke couldnt resist saying, Your Majesty, the Demon Kings words have deep meaning. If you have attachments to the human race, you should cut them off as soon as you can. Nighteye said coldly, When was it your turn to criticize me? The duke wasnt angry. We have a duty to protect you, but we really are helpless if something like that happens again. The opening of the new world is extremely important, and were stuck at the second gate. Sigh, even if I dont say it, you know that the council will voice their displeasure. Nighteye said coldly, Whoever is dissatisfied can come find me! A cold glint appeared in Nighteyes pupils. What connections do I have there? And how do they plan to cut them? The duke said tactfully, That I have no idea, but since the humans managed to find you here, those people can probably do the same with their human targets. I think they have ample reason to take action after what happened today. The killing intent in Nighteyes gaze slowly faded away, but the feeling of danger coming off of her increased. She said word-by-word, Then tell those old fogeys, Im not one to be threatened! If they think theyve lived too long, I can help them move along. The duke sighed. Your Majesty, theres no meaning in this. Its not like theyre hell-bent on targeting you. On the contrary, we really think you should consider the Demon Kings suggestion. The humans are simply too treacherous. This isnt the first time theyve tried to kill you, and they dont have any qualms about their method, either. Even the Pointer Monarch is taking action. You mightve escaped this time, but what about the next time? Nighteye revealed no expression and only responded with a fair enough. The two dukes exchanged glances. Realizing that this was the end of the conversation, they left to treat the injured. Numerous elite vampire warriors lay scattered across the ruins of Castle Ducassenone of them could get up, and some of the titled experts were on their last breath. The Pointer Monarchs sudden explosion of power wasnt something these vampires could withstand, and the Demon Kings subsequent appearance put great pressure on them again. The supreme cared little about the fate of these vampires, nor would he restrain his domain just to avoid hurting them. His only concern was Nighteyes injury. Nighteye moved into the underground since her room was now destroyed. There was a giant coffin slowly rotating at the center of the large hall. This coffin was soaked in a blood pond, calm and emitting a faint fragrance. The iron-coffin blood pond of Castle Ducasse was quite famous as it was the key support for the castles expert fighting force back in the day. The first thing the founding ancestor did after occupying the castle was to destroy the blood pond. The vampires had to spend a great deal to reconstruct it after taking back the castle. After entering the hall, Nighteye said to the two viscounts behind her, You may leave, wake me up after three days. Yes, Your Majesty! The heavy doors of the underground palace closed behind Nighteye. She slowly took off her armor and looked down at her flawless body. The wound around her abdomen had miraculously healed, but the flesh around the wound was almost translucent. Some of the newly regenerated muscles were only the size of a finger, still a long ways from their normal bulk. And that was just the musclesthe organs hadnt had enough time to regenerate at all. Some faintly discernible embers still lingered on Nighteyes skin, and that slight frown of hers proved that they were quite painful. These remnant daybreak flames were like stubborn bone-eating maggots; even the Demon King couldnt clear them away completely. The flame latched itself onto Nighteyes finger as she pressed on it, burning constantly in an attempt to devour her flesh, blood, and origin power. She placed the finger before her eyes and watched the leaping sparks. Moments later, she said self-deprecatingly, They really put a lot into this. Do you people really want me dead so badly? Haha, I dont think Ive provoked you before. Judging from how difficult this daybreak origin fire was, one could easily imagine that it was no ordinary method. Adding a curse-like effect to the fire not only required rare materials but also Nighteyes own spirit fragments. Back when she had fallen into the militarys hands, Li Fengshui had used the Chaos Millstone to torture her and likely collected her spirit fragments in the process. With Nighteyes current awakening, the value of those old spirit fragments had increased exponentially. The Empire was actually willing to use some of them, along with top-quality origin crystals, to add this curse attribute to the attack. They were truly intent on succeeding. But what enmity would make them go so far? She wasnt the only target if they wanted to stop the opening of the new world, nor was she the easiest to deal with. Was her past fetters the only reason? Was it because of those sentiments deep inside her heart, that bit of goodwill and trust toward humans? Was that what made her the easiest target? Nighteye exhaled a wisp of blood energy and extinguished the flame on her finger. The embers on her abdomen were too fierce to extinguish on her own. It would take three days and three nights in the iron-coffin blood pond to completely extinguish them. The Pointer Monarchs attack was abnormally well-prepared. He might not have expected her to be strong enough to block the attack, but he didnt forget to prepare for accidents, either. This kind of lingering daybreak origin fire could burn her flesh in a short while and destroy her completely. They had dispatched one of her surviving clan members as an assassin in order to lower her guard and fall into the trap easily. This also made it impossible for the two duke bodyguards to react in time. Perhaps the Pointer Monarchs only mistake was not accounting for the Demon Kings quick appearance. The supremes projection had arrived almost immediately after the attack. It was unknown where the Demon Kings main body was, but he was most likely in the demonkin territory. Traversing the vast distance to send a projection into vampire territory wasnt easy for him. That one month of rest he mentioned wasnt just for Nighteye; it was for himself as well. Nighteye opened the coffin and slowly lay down inside it. A sigh seemingly echoed through the chamber as the blood covered her face. Qin Continent, Imperial Capital. Within a quiet courtyard in the suburbs, an old man was fishing near a stream. The long line was floating in the steady current as the mottled afternoon sunlight shone through the leaves and onto the stream. Several small fish swam about in the waters, occasionally touching the bait but never biting on it. The old man seemed half-asleep, his eyes narrowed and seemingly drifting through the mountains and rivers. Snap! The fishing line broke all of a sudden, and a wisp of dark energy curled up toward the fisher. Only then did the old man open his eyes. A plume of fire flickered on the fishing rod, engulfing the darkness and burning it constantly. The fire was powerful, but the dark energy was exceptionally resilient as well. It took a fair bit of time before it was completely dispersed. This time, the old man finally straightened his back and muttered to himself, He came personally. Could that person be even more important than I thought? Did you get any fish today? The old man replied without looking back, What are you doing here without handling things in court? There are so many important things in the world that cant be abandoned just yet. Chapter 1239: Unexpected Gues The emperor glanced at the charred fishing rod in the old mans hand and said, It didnt go well? The Pointer Monarch tossed the fishing rod into the stream and watched it drift away. I lost. The Radiant Emperor looked surprised. We actually failed even with such meticulous arrangements? Dont tell me that person can actually block an attack from you? Has she matured to such a level? We cant say she blocked it entirely, but the Demon King took action to protect her. The Radiant Emperor frowned. Things will be rather difficult if she lives. Weve used too many resources for her, itll be almost impossible to do it again. We must find some other way. The Pointer Monarch hesitated somewhat. Finally, he said, Lets see when youve thought of it. The Pointer Monarchs wish to see the visitor out was evident, but the Radiant Emperor didnt leave. He stood in place for a good while before asking, Will she fall for it again if we use Qianye as bait? Why not do it since you already have a plan? The Pointer Monarch responded with a question. Im just thinking if I should really do this to him? He is teachers only adopted son and someone who has contributed greatly to the Empire. On one hand, its for the Empire, yet on the other, sentiments are at stake. There is really no right or wrong, said the Pointer Monarch. Thank you for the guidance. Go back now. Im sleepy and want to go in and rest. I have to fish again at night. I shant disturb you then. After saying his farewell, the Radiant Emperor turned about and left immediately. The Pointer Monarch picked up the empty fish basket and walked toward the distant house. Back in the Pepper Hall of the Imperial Palace, Empress Li was reading a book at her table. Just as she was immersed in the contents, a maid walked in and said, Your Majesty, the Emperor summons you to share dinner with him at the Bright Splendor Hall. Empress Li raised her head. Didnt His Majesty head out of the city? He has just returned. Empress Li put down her book and said, Ill go then. The night was a tad chilly and there were only a handful of dim lights burning in Bright Splendor Hall. The depths of the building were drowned in dark shadows. A table had been set up at the center of the hall, the dishes were laid out, and the maids were waiting nearby. The candlelight at the center of the hall flickered all of a sudden as the Radiant Emperor appeared out of nowhere and sat down at the table. The maids werent shocked by the scene as they had already gotten used to it. All of them fell to their knees in salutation. His voice hadnt even faded away when the jingle of trinkets came from the courtyard as Empress Li walked in with her maids. After entering the great hall, she curtseyed toward the Emperor and sat down across from him. Im not late, Your Majesty is early. The Radiant Emperor laughed. I forgot. Thats just how I am, always in a rush. The dinner began after Empress Lis arrival. The two exchanged occasional words of romance or conversations about recent affairs in the Empire until the moon was high in the sky. After the dinner was cleared away, the maids brought tea and sweets. The Radiant Emperor brought the tea to his lips but remained in a daze there. Is something on your mind, Your Majesty? The Radiant Emperor returned to his senses. Its nothing, just annoyed by some rumors. There are definitely some things that are difficult to decide on, so I was lost in thought. Theres never a lack of important matters. Dont be too worried, just deal with them one-by-one. Thats that, but we The Radiant Emperor suddenly realized that he was using the official self-address. Sigh, there I go again. I Empress Li reached out to cover his mouth. Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the world, its not wrong to address yourself as such. The way youve been addressing yourself before is wrong. Everyone is observing the decisions you make in court and your every move, how can you break the rules for me alone? The Radiant Emperor sighed in tacit agreement. Empress Li asked, What weighs on your mind? The Radiant Emperor said, Of course, its about my teacher''s adoptive son. Empress Li chuckled. What trouble did he get into again? If he did, how do you punish him? You owe Marshal Lin a debt of gratitude, but you have no relationship with the young man. Theres always a limit to loving the proverbial house and its crow. Qianye actually didnt do anything. On the contrary, he has contributed much to the Empire. Besides, its not so easy even if I want to punish him. You have to know that the young brat is already a divine champion. He caused a huge ruckus in the Bai clan the other day, suppressing Bai Yuantu and forcing the experts of the clan to avoid fighting him. Thats not easy. Empress Li said, surprised, Hes already a divine champion? That fast? I couldnt tell that day. The Radiant Emperor said, His bloodline is from the Monroe Clan, and theyre famous for their Bloodline Concealment. Perhaps he has awakened those powers. Its quite normal for you to not notice. Empress Li said, So thats how it is, no wonder I feel that I cant see through him and divination doesnt work, either. But why are you worried if he hasnt caused trouble? The Radiant Emperor said, Its about the new world. Lets not talk about it. Empress Li did not press the issue since the emperor wasnt willing. It was fairly late by the time they had finished tea and desserts, so the maids led them away to wash, change, and head to bed. The darkness of night took over the entire palace hall. Soon, only the sounds of gentle breaths could be heard. The maids stood outside the hall like sculptures. Twilight Continent, Castle Ducasse. Only one week had passed since the recent destruction, but a support framework had been erected over the ruins. A steady stream of polished stone blocks was being shipped over to reconstruct the main building. Nighteye had woken up from the iron coffin blood pond and moved to the auxiliary building, along with the two dukes. Her aura had mostly recovered and was once again near the threshold of the duke rank. Although she was still a marquis at the moment, the two dukes remained respectful toward her. They knew that, in her shoes, they wouldnt have lasted until the Demon Kings arrival. That unassuming attack was far more powerful than it looked. The more they thought about it, the more terrified they felt. They finally understood the difference between them and Nighteye, that they were no longer her match. Just as the entire castle was in a cautious state, an airship arrived at the castle out of nowhere. The vessel was immediately surrounded by elite vampire warriors upon landing, and dozens of origin guns took aim at the cabin doors. The door flung open and out walked a beautiful and elegant woman. The powerful aura of a marquis forced the warriors back a step. The leader of the ground forces shouted, According to the Evernight Councils new regulations, whoever comes to Castle Ducasse must report their identity. Otherwise, we will open fire! The female marquis revealed a command token. The council? It just so happened that I was ordered to come here. Do you want to see proof? The counts expression shifted drastically upon seeing the token. This was a fairly high-ranking token of the Evernight Council, issued only by the chairman and vice-chairman. Additionally, only one token would be issued for a single mission and never long term. The count retreated to the side and bowed. How can I help you? Take me to Her Highness Nighteye. The count weighed the tokens authority in his mind before saying, Please follow me. The top floor of the auxiliary building. Nighteye was seated on the sofa, reading that unfinished book, when a knock came from the door. She said without even looking up, Come in. The female marquis walked in with large strides and closed the door behind her. She then gazed silently at Nighteye for a good while, wearing a complicated expression all the while. Nighteyes gaze remained on the page she was on. She turned it only after some time, saying, You didnt come here just to stand around, did you? The marquis sighed. The first time I saw you, I wondered why the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance picked you even though I was much stronger. Nighteye flipped another page, almost as though she wasnt listening. Later on, I did my utmost and used every scheme at my disposal, yet I still couldnt stop you. All I could do was watch you leave me in the dust. I wasn''t in despair back then, just puzzled and unresigned. Nighteye flipped another page. Later on, you finally ran into trouble and escaped to the human side. I was really happy because I felt that you were no longer my equal. I still wasnt satisfied because I still hadnt defeated you in a fair battle. Who wouldve thought you would awaken again and return? This time, Ive finally given up all hope. The massive gap between our bloodlines has decided that I will never be able to catch up to you, Sister Nighteye. Nighteye replied calmly, Im not your sister, and my current self is not related to the Monroe clan, either. Do you still remember who I am? Twilight. Twilight laughed self-deprecatingly. Some fortuitous encounters in the Great Maelstrom allowed me to advance to the marquis-rank. I thought that would make me qualified to be your little sister. Nighteye looked up. There was a tinge of mockery in her eyes when she said, Lets see when you become a duke. Twilight wasnt angry. She said with a long sigh, I saw Qianye in the Great Maelstrom. To be honest, I never thought he would become so strong. I couldnt even muster up the courage to resist. Hes so perfect, just like you. I dont understand why the best things all belong to you. Nighteye replied indifferently, You only saw a part of things. No, I understand everything. Even if I didnt understand back then, I do now, perhaps even more than you do. Is that so? You may leave now if you have nothing else to say. Do you not want to know about Qianye? After awakening, I no longer have anything to do with him. Can I seduce him, then? Twilights eyes lit up. Do as you wish. Fine. I know where Qianye is right now, so I wanted to take you there to see him secretly. Since you say so, Ill be going alone. With that, she turned and left. Wait! Nighteye called out to her. Closing the book in her hands, she said nonchalantly, Wait for me downstairs, we leave in half an hour. Twilight raised her eyebrows, a triumphant smile appearing on her face. She was just about to say something when her vision went dark, and she was outside the building when she came to. She never saw how Nighteye had done it. Twilight stuck out her tongue, but she didnt dare laugh at Nighteye again. ... The Empire, Qin Continent. A sleek airship was tearing swiftly through the skies. It looked natural and at ease, but it was actually moving extremely fast. Clearly, it was the most advanced of high-speed airships. An Imperial patrol appeared far off in the distance, but seeing the crests of the Li and the Imperial family on the incoming vessel, they simply returned to their original route without trying to intercept it. Qianye and Song Zining were seated across one another, watching the continental land zooming past the window, the fields, hardworking farmers, and majestic mountains. Even the most beautiful of sceneries felt helpless to them. Your footing on Fort Continent will be relatively stable once we retrieve the shipment at Peng. Who wouldve thought you would gather so many werewolves under your banner? No other person couldve done this. Whats the situation regarding the new world? I feel uneasy. Only the powerhouses of Evernight will know. Divination isnt all-powerful, especially against the supremes of the Sacred Mountain. All I know is that we probably wont be getting the benefits. As long as the new world is big enough, well have an opportunity to fight for the things they cant swallow. Qianye didnt know whether to feel happy or sad about this. At this moment, a flash of silver light flickered in the distance as an airship jumped out of the clouds and drove toward them. Song Zining looked and sounded surprised upon seeing the insignia. Who is this? The Pointer Monarchs men. Why would they appear here? Song Zining seemed serious. If there was anyone in the Empire who could threaten Qianye, it was the heavenly monarchs and a handful of divine champions. Chapter 1240: Meeting Old Friends A capable-looking man in his thirties walked into the cabin and bowed. Commander Qianye, an old friend wishes to see you. She says youll know who she is after seeing this. The man produced a small box, which he opened to reveal a gem inside. Qianye had never seen the gem, but he could sense the origin power aura from it. His own aura was in there along with an unfathomable, shifting energy that was both alien and familiar. Qianye immediately thought of an old friend, Ji Tianqing. Song Zining also sensed her aura. He sighed in relief at first, but he became secretly concerned again after careful examination. Qianye never sensed the abnormality. He said to the man, Who gave you this item? The man did not reply. He merely bowed and waited for Qianyes decision. After some thought, Qianye said, Fine, Ill go. The surprising thing was that Song Zining did not try to stop him or ask to come along. He just patted Qianye on the shoulder and said, Come back quickly. He stood to the side after that, making clear his intentions to stay out of this. Qianye didnt read too deeply into this. He made arrangements to meet Song Zining at the city of Peng before leaving with the man. The Pointer Monarchs airship was long and slender, almost like a willow leaf. It flew at great speed and with great stability, but there was little space for the passengers to move around. There was only space for four passengers as the rest of the ship was full of kinetic machinery. The man in charge of receiving Qianye sat across from him and, for some reason, kept staring at him indirectly. Qianye found this uncomfortable, and such stealthy attention could be considered rude. He respected the Pointer Monarch, but that didnt mean he had to be polite to his subordinates. His eyes immediately transformed, and the mans figure was reflected within. The man felt his blood run cold and wanted to jump up out of instinct. Yet, his body felt significantly slower, almost as though it was bound in a web of steel. He actually failed to jump up and fell back into his seat. Only then did the man realize his excessive attitude. They were on the Pointer Monarchs airship, inside the Empire, and on such a trip. Was he to clash with Qianye when the other party hadnt even moved a finger? He immediately dispersed his origin power, and as expected, the bindings also loosened, allowing him to sit normally again. After this shock, his face went pale for a long while. The man was drenched in sweat, almost as though he had been pulled out of a bucket. His gaze toward Qianye was completely different now and full of fright. That feeling of having his fate in anothers hand was extremely uncomfortable for an expert at this level. He was shocked out of his wits just now, yet he wasnt even able to jump up. This was a complete and utter suppressionhe had no room to resist no matter what the other party wanted to do. He wiped the sweat from his brows. Sire Qianye, this lowly one is Ji Ruofei. Please dont take my lack of manners to heart. I wont. Qianye could see that Ji Ruofeis talents were top-notch, someone with good potential for breaking through to the divine champion realm. He was probably a genius hand-picked by the monarch. Since the man was behaving now, there was no need to go too far. Otherwise, things would start to look ugly. Ji Ruofei glanced at Qianye with a complicated expression. News of your ascension has started to spread and most people are filled with admiration. To be honest, Im one of the few who were secretly unresigned. I had entertained some thoughts of challenging you while your powers have yet to awaken, but I just realized that I wouldnt be your match even if I were a divine champion, let alone now. This person was flexible with his attitude and quick enough when he needed to bow. Qianye replied seriously but with due indifference, Youre too kind. I still cant kill an ordinary divine champion in one move. Ji Ruofei felt his breath stuck in his chest, almost passing out in anger. Someone of his status was lowering his attitude like so. Any other person would reply with humble words and resolve the awkwardness. Who knew Qianye would take his words literally and answer truthfully? Of course, Qianye was just being honest with him. At the divine champion level, especially for humans, the origin crystal was like a bright energy barrier. He could no longer kill them with one Shot of Inception. The stronger ones wouldnt lose their fighting power even after taking a hit. Take the Wolf King for instance. Even so, Qianye had grown exponentially stronger after the breakthrough. His blood energy could now advance without restrictions. Ordinary divine champions might not die with one hit from the Shot of Inception, but they wouldnt be able to take Qianyes follow-up attack. So the only difference was the time of defeat. Against Qianye and his Spatial Flash, defeat meant death unless the person possessed special life-saving secret arts. Ji Ruofei was good at observing expression and body language, so he realized that Qianye was responding seriously. Now that was even more depressing. Ji Ruofei sighed helplessly. I guess only someone like you is a match for her. Qianye was baffled by this, but Qianye didnt press the matter when Ji Ruofei wasnt willing to talk about it. The two thus became silent throughout the remainder of the journey. All they did was watch as the airship flew out of the void and toward an unknown island. The lone island was floating in the void, seemingly without inhabitants or a garrison. Although still within the protective layer of the Qin Continent, there were small void tempests everywhere because of its proximity to the exterior. Lethal spatial tears would also appear from time to time, so ordinary people would never choose to live here. That was likely the reason why the Empire chose not to build an outpost here. However, Qianye quickly realized that this actually wasnt the case. After circling around to the back of the island and passing through a small valley, the scenery before him suddenly transformed into a beautiful little paradise. The entire valley was protected by an origin array to block external spying. There was a small house beside a little stream, nested under the shade of several large trees. The scene gave off a feeling of making home amidst nature. The airship landed in the distance. Ji Ruofei pointed at the small yard and said, The one who wanted to see you is in there. You should head over on your own, were not allowed to go near. Qianye got off the airship and walked over to the small yard. He was almost certain that the one waiting for him there was Ji Tianqing. Although he had no idea what she wanted him for, Qianye felt no hesitation to meet someone who had gone through life and death with him in the Great Maelstrom. Just as he was about to walk into the courtyard, Qianye sensed someone watching him. He halted his steps immediately and looked around, but to no avail. Even that feeling from just now had vanished completely. Qianye knew it was not an illusion. He was fairly sure that someone was using some method to watch him just now. This persons concealment powers were unimaginable, so much so that he couldnt find a single clue even with his eye powers. Qianyes perception was so powerful that not many at the same rank could escape his notice. Now that someone like that had appeared, it truly made him feel uneasy. However, he was currently on the Pointer Monarchs estate; perhaps even their vacation home. Which outsider would dare linger in the area? Since the spy had left, Qianye decided not to get to the bottom of this. The courtyard was quiet, and the resounding creak as he pushed open the door startled the birds away. The compound was small, but there was a pond, there were mountain rocks, and an ancient tree slanting in from the outside. Almost half of the place seemed to be covered in lush flora. There was a table and a chair beside the pond, and someone was reading a book therein. The spotted sunlight showered down through the leaves. Everything was perfectly calm. Qianye was filled with delight upon seeing her, the happiness of meeting old friends. Although she didnt look up, and her appearance seemed to have changed again, Qianye knew for sure that it was Ji Tianqing. He seemed to have formed a mysterious connection with her for some reason, allowing him to sense her presence. Knowing that Qianye had arrived, Ji Tianqing looked up and smiled contentedly. Simple and elegant, she had only drawn her brows and put on a bit of rouge-like expression. One couldnt say she was a kingdom-toppling beauty, but it was a beauty well-worth a second look. The more one looked at her, the more her image lingered in the mind. This scenery, the mountains, the riveronly one of such beauty was a perfect match. Qianye was stunned as his eyes fell upon Ji Tianqings abdomen. The loose clothing she was wearing couldnt do much to hide the bulge of her abdomen. Apparently, she had been pregnant for some time and might give birth pretty soon. Recovering from his daze, Qianye retracted his gaze and said, Congratulations! Ji Tianqing said with a spurious smile, What are you congratulating me for? Arent you becoming a mother soon? Do you know if its a boy or a girl? No matter what, the kid can call me godfather when theyre born! Qianye said with a smile. Ji Tianqing was the youngest among their comrades-in-arms. Who would''ve thought she would be the first to have a kid? Unexpectedly, Ji Tianqing started to giggle with her mouth covered, shaking her head all the while. Qianye felt a bit embarrassed. He was over-excited just now, but now, he felt a bit awkward after being refused. What he said just now wasnt a social nicety; he really did mean it. Even if he wasnt to become the godfather, a greeting gift was still warranted. He looked through his current possessions, but there wasnt anything great, especially not anything suitable for a kid. Just as he was in a fluster, Ji Tianqing beckoned to him with a smile, Come here. A distracted Qianye walked over to Ji Tianqings side, where the latter picked up his hand and put it on her belly. See if its a boy or a girl? Ji Tianqing was sudden but not abrupt in performing such an intimate action. Next thing he knew, his hand gently pressed down on Ji Tianqings abdomen. Through the thin fabric, Qianye could feel the warmth of her skin and the movement of the child within. A small foot was kicking mischievously at his palm. The scene was incomparably warm and gentle. Qianye was dazed because the action was excessively intimate, so much so that he couldnt help recalling the unavoidable scenes back in the Great Maelstrom. He had long since forgotten those things and kept them locked away in the depths of his memories. Now, however, everything was being flipped through one after the other. Qianye wanted to withdraw his hand, but Ji Tianqing was determined to keep it pressed down. He didnt dare to apply force for fear of hurting the baby, but how could he do as Ji Tianqing said? Chapter 1241: Blank Memories Ji Tianqing sat there in calm silence, looking at him. She neither spoke nor pushed for an answer, but she didnt let go of him, either. Qianye tried to pull his hand back but to no avail. After some hesitation, he simply let his hand stay there to feel the movements of the new life within. This when did it happen? The Great Maelstrom, where else? I mean when inside the Great Maelstrom? Do you really need to ask? Do you not remember? I really wait, could it be There werent a lot of gaps in Qianyes memory within the Great Maelstrom, but clearly, this had happened during that blank space. Qianye slowly withdrew his hand and scratched his head, his thoughts in a whirl. He suddenly noticed an abnormalityit felt as though something was spying on him just now but had already disappeared. He kept thinking back to the Great Maelstrom, but those blank spaces were still blank. In a seemingly empty area in the void, the figures of Nighteye and Twilight gradually came into view. The latter was breathing heavily while grasping her throat, almost as though she was drowning. She finally recovered from her critical state but only to start coughing badly. After catching her breath, Twilight inhaled deeply and said, I admit youre really powerful, but I really dont want to travel with you. Especially not in this manner. Nighteye replied, Its your luck to be able to experience Space Traversal in advance. Once is enough! I dont want that kind of fortune! Are you really leaving? Not going to keep watching? Gazing at the distant island, Nighteye said calmly, Ive seen what I need to see, whats the point? At first, I wanted to ask you what your true motive was, but I dont really care anymore. Lets go! Twilight''s expression changed drastically, but Nighteye already had a hand on her shoulder. Her body suddenly began to warp and distort as though she were in a bubble, then slowly faded away. She was still screaming until the last moment. Let go! You cant treat me like this. Let me go, Ill go back on my own The road is long Nighteyes voice echoed in the void. On the island, Qianye had just recovered from his shock. He sat across from Ji Tianqing, not knowing what to say to this familiar yet alien girl. Sorry. Ji Tianqing rubbed her belly, saying, Perhaps Im the one who should be saying sorry. Qianye inhaled deeply. If it wasnt for the Great Maelstrom. Let it be, whatever I say will just be an excuse. What can I do now? Without waiting for Qianyes reply, she said, Shes your daughter, what do you want to do for her? Qianye said seriously, Ill take care of her and protect her. And Qianye glanced at Ji Tianqing but couldnt say anything. The latter chuckled. Will you take care of me? Youre from the Pointer Monarchs residence, what would you ever need? The kid needs a father. Qianye remained silent for a long while, then said with great difficulty, Sorry, I cant do that. Is it because of her? Qianye nodded after a while. I heard her second awakening is very likely a major character from before the Empires founding. Shes no longer the person you met on Evernight Continent. You know quite a lot. You kept talking about her when you were unconscious back in the Great Maelstrom. I came to know the general situation between you two after a while. You were awake back then? How else would I know who the father is? Why didnt you resist? Ji Tianqing laughed. You think I can? We were in the Great Maelstrom, who can fight a monster like you? You didnt let me go even afterward and toyed with me until I was half-dead. Qianye instinctively wanted to escape this topic. He thought of something after calming down. While that was going on, why didnt Kuanglan He stopped midway because yet another unacceptable possibility emerged. Ji Tianqing wasnt going to let him off. How could she stop you? You had your way with her first. I wanted to help her but you got me. Then is she? How should I know? Ask her yourself. Qianye forced a conclusion. Things cant be that coincidental. Perhaps. Why didnt you guys tell me? You dont even remember it, whats the point? Qianye buried his face in his palm and sighed deeply. Ji Tianqing wasnt taking it. She knocked Qianye on the head with her book, saying, Hey, were the ones who got the worst of it. Why are you being gloomy? Qianye looked up at Ji Tianqings belly. Tell me, what can I do? What do you think she needs? As Qianye and Ji Tianqings daughter, the little lass would not be lacking in talent. And there were all kinds of secret arts and resources in the Pointer Monarchs residence. Who else would be a better guide in cultivation than the number one heavenly monarch? The little kid really didnt need anything else. She already possessed whatever Qianye could offer, but what she really needed, Qianye could not give. Ji Tianqing sighed. Why does it have to be a dummy like you? How about this, dont leave tonight. Accompany me and well call it clear. That wont do. Youre not willing to stay? I mean thats a different matter. I will take care of her. Oh, theres really no need. Just stay here for the night, chat and read with me. Qianye sat beside her, his heart filled with myriad emotions that tangled up into a bewildering mess in the end. The island remained floating in the void as day turned into night and night became dawn. When the first light of dawn touched the valley, Ji Tianqing put down the book she was reading and rubbed her fatigued eyes. Qianye walked out from the house with a tray filled with porridge and side dishes. There isnt much in the kitchen, these will have to do. Ji Tianqing smiled as she tasted the porridge and side dishes. She said with a content expression, Who wouldve thought you would be so skilled at cooking? I had no other way to make a living back on the Evernight Continent, so I ran a bar there. That was where I learned to cook. But the lower continents lack resources, so my knowledge is rather limited. Eat with me? Sure. The two sat down and finished their breakfast in silence. Qianye had a feeling that they wouldnt meet again for a good while after this meal. Moments later, Ji Tianqing put down her empty bowl and said, Its about time for you to go and time for me to return. When will you give birth? I dont know, this little lass is quite worrisome. Maybe next month, maybe next year. I do hope she comes a bit later, that way, Ill be relieved. True geniuses usually stayed longer in the womb. This isnt as exaggerated in humans as it was with the dark races, but there might be a couple of months delay. Before leaving, Qianye asked hesitantly, Do you think I should go and see Kuanglan? Why would you when shes not looking for you? Itll only add to the awkwardness. From what I know, she disappeared from her circle after coming back from the Great Maelstrom. Who knows where the Li family hid her? You dont need to worry about her, she has the current Empress for an elder sister. What could ever happen? You should be more concerned about yourself. I heard you ran over to Fort Continent. Be careful over there, or this little fellow will be fatherless if you die. Ji Tianqing warned him repeatedly, but her words sounded really awkward. Will you be okay with your family? Not many know about it. And who would dare criticize me? The kids father is already a divine champion! When the time was up, Qianye left the small courtyard, his heart filled with frustration. Ji Ruofei remained standing in his previous position. It was as though he had never moved for an entire day and night. The airship took to the skies and quickly left the island behind. On the airship, Qianye asked restlessly, Has she been living there all this time? Thats not something Im allowed to know. It would seem Ji Ruofei wasnt going to talk. Qianyes heart felt heavy, but he didnt say anything else. The airship flew swiftly and silently until they reached the city of Peng. Peng was one of the Empires most important arms distribution hubs. In the two days of Qianyes absence, Song Zining had already withdrawn everything on the list and arranged transports for shipping. They were currently being loaded. This went to show how much actual power was in Zhao Jundus hands. The allocation order issued in his name was highly prioritized, cutting directly ahead of every other department. Qianye and Song Zining stood side-by-side near the warehouses, watching the crates being loaded onto the airships. Neither of them was in high spirits. Song Zining was busy checking the goods against his list and had no time for Qianye. However, the latter asked all of a sudden, Did you know everything? What about? Song Zining tried to feign ignorance, but he was defeated under Qianyes stare. Fine, I already know. I was just afraid you wouldnt be able to take the sudden news. Why didnt you tell me earlier!? What do I do now? Would it have changed anything? Qianye opened his mouth but no words came out. Song Zining glanced at him. Besides, isnt this a good thing? Whats good about it? Tianqing now has a child but no husband, shell be the topic of idle gossip from now on. Chapter 1242: Divine Champion Ability There was no solution to this situation. Qianye also knew that he wouldnt get an answer from anyone else. The loading of military supplies took an entire three days. After everything was ready and the fleet was formed, a small squadron of three airships arrived at the port. A dozen or so men walked down from the vessels, whom Song Zining introduced to Qianye. This is the second young master of the Luo family. This is the Yin familys fifth elder. As for this person, he has a deep relationship with us, Zhang Xu of the Zhang clan. Lets get along from now on. Qianye was still puzzled after being dragged over to greet these strangers. He had no idea what they were here for, but he noticed that they were all from major aristocratic families. Two of them were managerial-level characters from famed merchant companies. The difference was that everyone was overly respectful toward Qianye this time, almost like a pack of tail-wagging puppies. Qianye had rarely enjoyed such treatment, so he couldnt quite figure out what was going on. After the introductions were over, Song Zining said, Everyone is interested in our venture on the Fort Continent. Just like Jundu, they decided to contribute what they can to the cause. They will follow you over there to take a look. Of course, not just any random person can stroll around your territory, but these families are very sincere. Their sincerity will arrive very soon. None of the men seemed offended by Song Zinings unceremonious address. After waiting for him to finish, they crowded over in a hurry and began expressing their sincerity. They were indeed sinceresome provided armor, some weapons, and others ammunition and medicines, all quality products from their family industry. From what Qianye knew, these resources were being offered to him at a price lower than the original. Additionally, none of them demanded advance or down payments. Everything was provided for him to use first and repay in future mineral resources. Qianye didnt even need to worry about prospecting and mining. There were those willing to provide all equipment, technology, and manpower for the industry, while others would take charge of the transportation. Apparently, they had already decided on their roles beforehand. There was practically no room for arguments. Those equipment and arms might not be free, but there was no timeline for repayment. Such a term was no different from allowing him to pay back if he had the money or not if he didnt. It was almost giving them to him for free. What puzzled Qianye was why so many aristocratic families would suddenly run over to form a good relationship with him. The contrast was a bit too abrupt after experiencing conflict at the Bai family. Song Zining seemed to know what Qianye was thinking. Even Sire Jundu has endorsed you, what are you worried about? Dont hesitate to accept them, just dont forget everyone when you make profits. Everyone chimed in on the words. Exactly! What Sire Zining says is reasonable! As long as you dont forget us, we can even gift these goods to you. Very true! This little bit of money is nothing, harmonious development is much more important. Everyone was so passionate that Qianye had no choice but to nod. After agreeing, he felt somewhat embarrassed at his hesitation. What was there to consider about such a favorable gift of money? The atmosphere became even friendlier after he accepted the deal. Stroking his beard, one of the elders said in a wise tone, Sire Qianyes breakthrough to the divine champion rank has shaken the world. People like us can only gaze in admiration. Im a bit curious, I wonder if you can show us your powers and broaden our horizons? This topic was actually quite sensitive, so Qianye glanced at Song Zining. Song Zining said after some thought, People will find out a divine champions powers sooner or later. Everyone here is a friend, so its no problem to tell them. Qianye thought more or less the same. The entire world knew of Zhang Boqians void traversal powers at this point. Considering how often Qianye was in battles big and small, his fame would surely spread far and wide. His divine champion powers could not and need not be hidden. Qianyes divine champion powers were gradually taking form after the consolidation of his origin crystal. He knew what they were but had never actually used them before. Since Song Zining was not in objection, Qianye stopped hesitating and ordered the men to open a box of alloy armor plates. These armor plates were a token of sincerity from the Zhu family. Their family industry was famous for armor plates that could be installed on city walls, defensive structures, or used as shields for heavy infantry. The sturdiness of the material was only second to airship armor. Qianye asked the men to stack the armor plates and fix them to the ground. The thickness of this stack was over one meter, more or less comparable to a battleships general armor. Everyone here was knowledgeable, so they immediately realized Qianyes intentions. This thickness was just about the standard of an ordinary divine champion. This also meant that a divine champion could actually attack and board an airship if they could withstand the incoming attacks. Setting such a standard when he had just ascended meant that he was going to demonstrate in earnest. Everyone was excited because such opportunities were rare. They held their breaths and waited in silence. Qianye stood before the stack of armor plates and, channeling his origin power, threw a light punch. The attack startled everyone. They werent divine champions, but they had seen divine champions in action. Qianyes attack seemed underpowered, far from the level of being able to blast through the armor plates. Moreover, even close to the moment of contact, they never saw any origin power fluctuations. Any later than that and it would be too late. It was at this time that the sound of cracking joints echoed throughout Qianyes body. The sounds of roaring thunder overlapped repeatedly as a deluge of origin power burst out all of a sudden! Excavator! One of the more knowledgeable members exclaimed. Pushing Excavator to its ninth activation meant that he had reached the point of perfection. This was the Pointer Monarchs secret art and actually had nothing to do with his divine champion powers. So, what was Qianyes intention in putting it on display? Before these people could figure out the answer, Qianyes punch had already blasted the armor plates! A terrifying aura erupted from Qianyes body at the moment of contact, and his origin power actually shot up by an entire level! With the Excavator already in action, his strength increased exponentially at that moment! The punch made no noise, but the entire airship port trembled! Something shot out from the stack of armor plates, flew across the landing area, and slammed into one of the airships, producing a large hole on its side. The armor plates didnt move at all, but there was now a hole at its center, and the cut surface was as smooth as a mirror. The crowd went utterly silent. A gulp was heard only after a while. Someones swallowing woke everyone up at that point. The elder who asked Qianye to display his powers said in a trembling voice, Sire, did you use your divine champion powers just now? Qianye nodded. Yes, right at that moment. The elders eyes went wide. It can stack with Excavator? This was a meaningless question. Qianye using the Excavator first proved that the two could work together. It was just that everyone was shocked to the point of doubting their own common sense. There was still one person who wasnt willing to let it be and was intent on making it clear. Sire, does this mean your power can instantly increase your origin power? Qianye nodded. Yes. That persons mouth fell open. Your all-out attack is already indefensible, to begin with, now, youre able to increase the damage further. This this Everyone was similarly dumbfounded. Qianyes attack power was already famous throughout the land, especially after injuring the Demoness with three Shots of Inception at Indomitable. After advancing to the divine champion realm, he was naturally stronger than his peers in terms of strength. Now that his divine champion power worked to increase his attack power in tandem with Excavator, everyone felt that they had lost track of the math. How powerful was a single attack from Qianye? The stack of armor plates had clearly recorded the might of that punch just now, and it didnt even look like Qianye had gone all out. The group crowded around the plates, studying and touching them. They still couldnt believe what had just transpired. That elder from before was the first to come to. He ran over and tugged on Qianyes sleeves, saying, Our family is willing to double our token of sincerity, please dont refuse us! This woke everyone up. All of them swarmed over and started bidding in turn, adding from fifty percent to double their initial offer. One of them cried out, Our Zhu family is willing to contribute a thousand elite private soldiers to Sire Qianyes command and pioneer the land together! Everyone fell silent at this suggestion. Contributing soldiers was different from offering money and supplies. Basically, every party contributing soldiers to a pioneering war had the right to claim land afterward. However, Qianye was not a subject of the Empire, and thus, this new land on Fort Continent would be an independent nation. Qianye would be the ruler even if he didnt crown himself king. At most, there would be a nominal allegiance to the Empire as a vassal nation. This meant that if the aristocratic families here were to contribute troops, they would become Qianyes subordinates, a vassals vassal. This was a stark difference from being the Empires vassal. Also, a thousand elite soldiers wasnt a small number. These aristocratic families had their own standards for an elite soldier. It would be offensive if the troops werent high enough in rank, so it was better to not make such an offer. The fate of these troops would be at Qianyes complete mercy once delivered. If Qianye were to fail in his pioneering efforts, these troops would be buried along with his forces. A friend immediately dragged the man back and whispered, Brother Yue, are you crazy? This is no small matter! You must think carefully. The man whispered back, Im very clear-headed! The most powerful characters on the continent are dukes. Just look at Sire Qianyes power, how can ordinary dukes take a single blow from him? Those backwater fogeys are really afraid of death. Unless their home base is under threat, they probably wont appear no matter how Sire Qianye takes over the territory! Chapter 1243: Grudge Lis News of Qianyes ascension had spread across the upper echelons of the Empire like wildfire. People began digging up whatever they could about him. It could even be said that they were examining him through a magnifying glass. Although he did possess Venus Dawn, cultivating the Combatant Formula shouldve exhausted his potential much earlier. Hence, everyone found it difficult to believe that it was Qianye who had broken through among the younger generation. His traceable history only involved major factional conflicts, beginning from the war on the Evernight Continent, the Iron Curtain, Giants Repose, the Great Maelstrom, etc. This seemed to support the nurturing strength in battle school of thought, represented by Zhang Boqian. Then again, which clan descendant apart from the Song clan had not walked through fire and blood? Which family had not experienced the pain of losing a genius? Among the younger generation, Zhao Jundu had ascended earlier than Qianye. He had to take this risk because his foundations had been damaged. Although his terrifying Trueshot ability remained and had become even stronger, many people felt that he would come to a standstill since his path to the heavenly monarch realm was now dim. This caused Qianyes successful advancement to draw even more attention. Especially since he had revealed his Shot of Inception in public back during his fight against the Demoness. Some had already discovered back then that the ability posed a threat to divine champions. That was why Qianye wasnt just the number one character among the younger generation, but many also believed that he was the most powerful lesser divine champion. If Qianyes divine champion ability could stack with the Shot of Inception... The crowd couldnt help but feel a chill down their spine. Some from the group began discussing the Bai clan in whispers. They felt that they had come to understand why the Bai clan would endure the humiliation. Qianye felt a bit dizzy from the crowd and commotion, but he maintained a friendly smile all the while. Even his face was starting to feel stiff from all that effort. He had to maintain a basic level of decorum since the number of gifts he had received wasnt exactly small. This was an advance bet, a gambit. Once Qianye broke through or became a heavenly monarch, these families would find themselves attached to a giant tree. Their status would also improve exponentially. Those who had come to him probably possessed a certain level of accumulation. Qianye heard that some of these surnames used to be high-ranking aristocracy or even major clans hundreds of years ago. However, they werent exactly influential anymore in recent generations. The only high-ranking aristocratic family with true power and status was the Yin family. Their representative retained a basic level of reservation, only offering grains and funds. He never made mention of troops or even sensitive resources like military supplies. The smaller families werent powerful enough, and even the strongest among them could only fork out a thousand elite soldiers. After pooling together in great numbers, however, they managed to put into Qianyes hands fifteen thousand elite soldiers. This units initial equipment and transportation costs would be covered by their individual families. All Qianye needed was to shoulder their funds and provisions after arriving on the Fort Continent. With this unit of elite Imperial soldiers, Qianye would be able to rampage through all the local mobs there. The two merchant managers decided to offer a thousand of their mercenaries in total. It would seem that they werent too optimistic about the potential profits of this pioneering mission, yet they also had no intention of missing this opportunity to latch onto Qianye. One of the aristocratic family members mocked, Short-sighted! The two managers werent offended, either. Our small businesses can only rely on making quick trades. Weve incurred your ridicule. Now, the other families felt bad about beating them up any further. Besides, these two merchant groups possessed important backgrounds as well, so the conversation ended with some polite exchanges. The aristocratic families were different from the merchants. Many of them had to look hundreds of years ahead for the family. A piece of land would pay for itself in a couple dozen years, and everything thereafter would be pure profit. It would eventually become the foundation for continuing their bloodline. In the eyes of the merchants, however, an investment that could only be recouped after dozens of years wasnt worth it. It was hard to say who was right or wrong; the only difference was how far people were looking. Pioneering new land and racking up contributions was how the aristocracy maintained their status. Territory was fairly important for any and all advancement. This was especially true for those located at the heart of the Empire. They enjoyed peace, but expansion was beyond difficult for them. Now that Qianye was presenting them with a good opportunity, they felt that Fort Continent was a bit better than Evernight Continent at least. After everyone had quieted down, Qianye cupped his hands and said, I understand everyones passion and sincerity. I will wait here for seven days before departing. Realizing the meaning behind those words, everyone voiced their agreement. No problem. Our familys sincerity will arrive in seven days! Fortunately, Qianyes powers of identification had improved greatly with his advancement. He managed to remember everyones sincerity, and all he needed now was to wait seven days to receive them. With everything proceeding delightfully, the group dispersed after agreeing to meet again for dinner and promising not to go home until they were drunk. When they were alone, Song Zining grabbed Qianye by the sleeves and said, Well, well, look at you! You never told me how capable you were! I just succeeded in cultivating it. I couldnt manage it back at the Bai clan! Song Zining said, Come with me! He dragged Qianye into the airship command center and dismissed the idle staff. Then he picked up a piece of paper and started writing rapidly. Qianye saw that it was a list of names. Some were familiar and others, he had never even heard of. What is this? An enemy list! Now that youre powerful, I can get my revenge! Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He pointed at one of the names and said, This person is from the Kong family, no? When did he offend you? Have you forgotten the Profound Spring Hunt? Qianye really wouldve forgotten about it if Song Zining hadnt mentioned it. The Spring Hunt was set up to select talents from the younger generation. Thinking back on it, it was truly a childs game. Duke Wei, that heavenly character from back then, was now on par with Qianye after suffering injuries and sickness. Thinking about the past, Qianye glanced at Song Zinings serious face. Youre serious? Of course! What did he do to you later on? Later? Who cares about later? So did you put him on the list just because of the Spring Hunt? Yes. This Qianye was speechless. Song Zining finished the long list of names before saying calmly, You know how vengeful I am. Is this even vengeance? If this were the standard, Qianye would have countless enemies and he would never finish killing them. Song Zining paid him no need. He went through the list once more and put it carefully away. With this list, I now have more motivation. Its fine even if you dont help me, I can do it myself when I become a divine champion. Are you going to ascend now? Isnt it too early? Song Zinings Worldly Prosperity was one of the top three daybreak origin powers, but compared to Qianye, it obviously needed more time to mature. He would need to reach the extremes of purity if he wanted to assail the heavenly monarch realm one day. His current hopes were fairly slim, so it would be best to build a stable foundation before advancing to the next rank. Song Zining shook his head. Its too late. Whats too late? The new world is about to open, and I must become a divine champion before that. Why? Does the Empire really lack divine champions? Youll know when the time comes. Qianye frowned. Song Zining might speak frivolously out of habit, but he was never one to act recklessly. Who would dare act carelessly for such an important matter? Just like when Zhao Jundu had chosen to face the dangers of breaking through, Song Zinings resolve couldnt be shaken, either. The duo spent most of the following days in cultivation, up until the seven day period was up. The airship port was extremely busy and packed to the brim with transport airships. The first batch of supply transports had already set out to make space for the troop-transports. The private armies of the aristocratic families had to be organized into groups before making for Fort Continent. Organizing soldiers from dozens of private armies was a complicated process that took three days even with Song Zining at the helm. After the troops were finally organized and grouped, a massive transport fleet took to the skies and left the Qin Continent. The moment they left the protective layer of the Qin Continent and leaped into the void, Qianyes heart was filled with an icy chill, a feeling of pain and loneliness so intense that it sapped the desire to live on. By the time he wanted to search for the source of that sensation, it was already gone. Qianye spread out his perception, but there was nothing in the boundless void. He paid it little heed because, as a new divine champion, his perception couldve deviated somewhat. Thus, the massive fleet slowly left the Qin Continent and made for Fort Continent. Song Zining remained in the Empire to continue hatching his unknown plans. As he saw it, Qianye was currently peerless on the Fort Continent, and at least no one would be willing to provoke him easily. There were close to thirty champions in the flagship, all of them leaders of the private army squads. Perhaps it was to prove their foundations, the two merchant groups actually dispatched three champions each. Every one of them treated Qianye with great respect. Today, he was no longer a young genius with an unknown future, who hailed from a lower continent. He was a powerful divine champion, an important character at every power class. Qianyes sparse words and his suppressive aura caused everyone to fear and respect him. They didnt even dare breathe loudly in front of him. Qianye led this army to the western fortress of Zheng, where he completed the next step of troop organization. He had no intention of moving them into the great corridor before everything was ready, lest they see his relationship with the werewolves. As the new batch of resources arrived, the Zheng territory became fairly lively. The people in charge of transporting equipment were professionals. Seeing the geographical distribution of the land, they delivered the mining and prospecting equipment to Eastern Sun Island. Such islands close to the protective layer would usually produce rare ores. This kind of resource distribution was an important matter. Even Song Hui couldnt make the decisions on her own, so she had to ask Qianye for a lot of things. This kept him extremely busy for a while. A month went by just like that, with Qianye drowned in trivial matters and no time to pay attention to anything else. He had finally set things on track when the Werewolf Count Eiseka sent good news. The rebellious tribes of the Jade Sea had been quelled entirely. This progress was much faster than Qianye had imagined. From the reports, Qianye realized that Eiseka had worked together with the great shaman to dispatch several shamans toward each tribe, convincing them to surrender. The shamans produced much better results than the chieftains and generals would have. Many tribes submitted. Eiseka then focused his military power on the larger rebellious tribes, mobilizing inside assets to launch pincer attacks on each of them. Every tribe was defeated in a single fight. After removing the major tribes, the others lost their backbone and either surrendered or moved away. Chapter 1244: Changes in the Blessed Land In one direction was a series of small human nations led by Wang Renyang, better known as the Greensea King. The forces of several dozen small nations added together was just about equal to the werewolves of the Jade Sea, and Wang Renyang himself was only as strong as the previous King of Zheng. Reportedly, he possessed a powerful evasion secret art. In the other direction was the werewolves of Darkland. They were made up of countless large tribes and occupied a good chunk of territory on the mainland. This was a lot bigger than the maple leaf corner that was Qianyes current domain. From an expansion perspective, it was natural to pick the human nations. Greensea King Wang Ren was fairly mediocre in combat strength and not likely to be Qianyes match. With Qianye and Caroline working together, victory was more or less certain. The Storm Duke, on the other hand, was much stronger than the Whitebone Duke. The Jade Sea was a barren place compared to the vast Darkland and its rich black stone mines. That was why the Storm Duke never found any interest in it, only focusing his assault further inland. The central territory connected to Darkland also belonged to one of the strongest experts on Fort Continent, a werewolf duke known as Soulfire. The Storm Duke and Soulfire Duke were arch-enemies who had been fighting for dozens of years without a clear winner. This was also one reason why the Storm Duke had no time for other territories. Taking down Darkland was not an easy matter. Qianye and Caroline might be able to push back the Storm Duke, but it would be extremely difficult for him to defeat or kill him. Also, the Soulfire Duke might not stand by and watch during the battle. He would likely take advantage of the situation to seek a decisive victory against his enemy. Qianye had no intention of giving up his hard-fought territory to someone else. Qianye would often gaze at the map of Fort Continent and contemplate the pros and cons when he had nothing else to do. The best course of action was to start with the humans. After subduing Wang Renyang and gaining his support, Qianye would have great confidence in defeating the Storm Duke. With the Storm Duke dead, the destruction of the Darkland army would follow sooner or later. Declaring war wasnt something that could be done overnight, and there was really no rush since Qianye wasnt hungry for accomplishments. He would take his time organizing his territory, power structure, and manpower. Less than two days of peace had gone by when a werewolf chief rushed into Qianyes office, even forgetting to knock. Sire, theres been a change in the blessed land! Qianye raised his brows. What has happened, speak slowly! The anxious werewolf chief couldnt even speak clearly. Its just like that, really strange. I dont know how to explain, you should go and see for yourself. He didnt seem like he was lying, and Qianye wasnt afraid of traps at his current strength. Prepare the airship, lets go over and see. When the airship was in place and Qianye walked out of the office, he saw many anxious werewolves whispering among themselves. It would seem something had happened at the blessed land. The output from the blessed land served to support most of the Jade Sea werewolves and the main reason why this giant city came to be. Otherwise, a city even one-tenth of this size would be a stretch, considering their primitive hunting and plantation methods. Qianye boarded a corvette and made straight for the objective. Even from a distance, Qianye could see pillars of mist rising up from the ground to form a wall around the blessed land. Moreover, it was extending outward into the depths of the mountain range. As the airship drove on, they could see the once-bountiful crops withering at a visible rate. No wonder the werewolves were so worried. Some of the werewolves on the ground were charging into the mist, hoping to save whatever they could. They knew very well that the loss of these crops would cause a wave of famine during the cold winter. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of werewolves would die from the chill and starvation. Sire, what is happening? A dozen or so werewolf chiefs looked to Qianye with worry. Even the shamans had no idea what was happening. The human mercenaries were puzzled, but they also realized the gravity of the situation after seeing the withering plants below. The knowledgeable people from Ningyuan looked rather solemn and Song Hui was frowning deeply. Most werewolf tribes didnt have extra grain. Their lives were bitter, and there would always be deaths in winter. Smaller tribes had it even worse. When there was no grain left to tide through the winter, most of the werewolves would choose to take desperate risks and die in battle. During the Whitebone Dukes era, he would push the disobedient tribes toward the Great Corridor and have them attack Zheng. This made more space for more population and territory. Qianye, of course, wouldnt do this, but how was he to fill in for such a large gap in harvest? He looked at Song Hui, who shook her head, saying, Buying grains from the Empire is not practical, how much do you think the shipping alone would cost? Our budget wont allow for it. Qianye also knew that bringing in food from the Empire was an utterly inadequate measure. It might be enough to support his troops, but it was far from enough to feed the hundreds of thousands of werewolves in Cerulean Wave City. Qianye watched with narrowed eyes. When did this begin? The great shaman replied, The mist began this morning, and the farms started to fail at noon. We had to report it to you since we simply cannot find the reason. Can it be a certain tribes doing? No ordinary tribe has this ability. It might be the Greensea King or the Storm Duke! Makes sense. While the group was whispering among themselves, Qianye stared fixedly at the expanding white mist. The scenery behind the mist had become so blurry that the farms were no longer visible. The werewolves running about in the fields had also disappeared, their voices distant and soft. Before long, everything around them was silent. One of the chiefs cried out, Where are those people? Everyone was startled. Only then did they realize that they couldnt see through the mist no matter how hard they tried. The cries, curses, and shouts from just now had disappeared, almost as though there were never any werewolves in the depths of the mist. Be it the shaman, chiefs, or soldiers, they could not see far into the mist no matter how hard they tried. Even those with visual advantage didnt fare any better. Perception would fail swiftly within the mist and disperse completely after a short distance. The mist was an entirely different scene in Qianyes eyes. The origin power within the mist was extremely intense. Its attribute was also special and unstable, right in the middle between daybreak and evernight. The density would increase deeper inside the mist, almost turning into a fog condensed from void origin power. It was only natural that the perception of ordinary experts wouldnt last very long. Qianye became increasingly surprised as his Eye of Control stretched deeper and deeper into the mist. There was a certain attribute inside that he had never encountered or heard of. It was exceptionally strong, grey, and heavy, with a certain restlessness beneath the calm surface. If one had to describe it, it could be compared to mercury. The depths of the mist was an entirely different world where ordinary people would not be able to survive. it was even worse than some of the most notorious danger zones in the neutral lands. You guys wait here. With that, Qianye flew out of the airship and shot into the mist. Once inside, Qianye sensed something cold and smooth against his skin, almost as though there was a snake slithering across his body. After sensing it carefully, there seemed to be a kind of origin power eroding his body. Qianye stood still for a moment to study this strange origin power. This new origin power was a bit similar to mercury but also somewhat different. It would attempt to corrode and enter the body after coming into contact, but it could do nothing against Qianyes divine champion physique and Venus Dawn. He made a bold move by releasing his defensive shield and allowing the energy to invade his body. This allowed him to discern its main characteristics after a while. The erosion wasnt too strong and the process was long, so ordinary experts might be able to move about for a while inside the mist. It wasnt as lethal as void tempests. The origin power would release a strange poison inside the body; the toxin wasnt powerful, but it was lethal after sufficient accumulation. After understanding what was going on, Qianye slowed down to observe the situation around him. The plants and weeds in the farms had all withered away. The leaves were especially crisp, almost as though they had been toasted. These dried plants looked fairly peculiar considering how humid the air in the mist was. Several werewolves could be seen collapsed in the fields. Qianye flew over and pulled one of them up, but immediately sensed that their bodies were as dry and stiff as a piece of wood. Frowning, he turned them over, only to find that they were dried corpses! The moisture in their bodies had vanished entirely, and the dried muscles clung tightly to their bones. They were almost like skeletons. Chapter 1245: White Mist Zone From the air, one could see that the white mist had covered up the entire blessed land and was expanding constantly. Not only was its area expanding, but the wall of mist was also growing taller. The white mists disruption to the senses reminded Qianye of the Misty Wood. That place was strange but still within acceptable limits. This white mist, however, gave Qianye an unusual cold feelingit was like a mutual rejection. Qianyes origin powers, be it daybreak or darkness, were extremely pure. He was at home in almost every corner of the dark world; this was the first time he had faced any kind of rejection. Or perhaps this white mist was the actual alien? He gazed into the depths of the fog and saw that the rolling white mist had almost condensed into a cotton-like mass. Even Qianyes vision couldnt see through it. He was in no rush to take action, so he continued observing the shifting white mist. He could sense a bit of danger from those cotton-like masses, a strange sensation. After all, there werent many things left that could make him feel danger at this stage. The white mist started bubbling as Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan drilled through. They heaved a sigh of relief only after seeing Qianye. Oh, youre here! We came in because we were worried. They hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye shouted, Careful! Several grey figures charged out of the white mist and arrived at lightning speed. Shocked, the two wanted to block and dodge instinctively but realized that their movements had slowed down somewhat. That bit of difference foiled their interception, and it looked like the grey figures would strike their vitals. Qianye swung East Peak to intercept the two figures. The two enemies were sent flying, but the impact also left the blade ringing with a sound akin to a dragons cry. Qianyes hand was trembling slightly after the clash. The block was definitely rushed, but to push Qianyes ancient vampire constitution to such a state proved just how fierce they were. If they had found their target, Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan would have been heavily injured. After landing, the grey figures finally revealed their original forms. The two fish-like monsters were about two meters long, with four large scales on their abdomen and fins for limbs. Their heads were abnormally pointy, and their mouths were full of sharp fangs. It was obvious at a glance that they were fierce creatures. After being struck down by East Peak, the two beasts flailed about in an attempt to clamber up. It would seem their life force was fairly strong. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan were drenched in cold sweat after seeing those pointy heads. Qianye had learned from the last battle. This time, he didnt block the charge head-on and instead relied on good technique to cut them down mid-flight. These creatures were fast, but their body strength was comparable to an ordinary land creature. After falling to the ground, the creatures did their utmost to crawl back toward the other part of the body. It looked like they wanted to connect themselves again. Layer upon layer of white froth seeped out from their wound, looking almost like the white mist in the depths of the fog. After the two parts were together, the white froth would stick them together, and their flesh would regrow, forming a whole beast once again. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan were dumbfounded at the scene. Fortunately, the creatures were fairly weak afterward and remained immobile on the ground. The duo couldnt resist the urge to rush forward and cut the creatures into several pieces. Now, those creatures could no longer move anymore. Qianye crouched down near the fragmented monsters and picked up a bit of the white froth to study. In the end, he confirmed that this white froth was also born from a special form of origin power just like the white mist. Studying the white froth at close distance, Qianye discovered that the water in his body was trying to break through his skin and move toward it. He tried opening his defensive barrier and saw a drop of blood seeping out from his finger and flying toward the froth. After leaving his body, the blood dyed the white froth a dark golden color. Thereafter, the froth began to churn and bubble as a fierce battle broke out between it and Qianyes blood. In the blink of an eye, the dark golden froth turned into a puddle of clear water which was duly absorbed by the white mist. A single drop of Qianyes blood was evenly matched with the froth secreted by an entire monster, ultimately ending in mutual destruction. From the results, it was, of course, Qianyes complete victory. The difference between the two bloodlines was so great that there was no need to compare. However, the corrosive properties of the white froth were unprecedented, and there was no telling how many of them there were. Lets move deeper inside and see, said Qianye. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan stood to either side of Qianye to guard his flanks. The three thus walked deeper into the mist on foot. Several waves of monsters attacked them along the way, but most of them were killed by Qianye. A smaller number of them were intercepted by Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan. After the initial terror, the group found that these beasts were not so agile despite their speed. Their charge was akin to an ordinary cultivator firing an arrow, difficult to redirect once fired. All they needed was to figure out their trajectory and evade, or deflect them at an angle. Then, they could counter-attack and kill them. The bodies of those monsters werent very strong. Eiseka could now deal with the sudden attacks in his werewolf form and tear the enemies apart just by hand. Xu Jingxuan was the stronger of the two, and almost at the divine champion level, so it was only natural that he could do the same. Later on, he even managed to blast the creatures necks mid-flight. Although these monsters could reconnect their bodies, they would be completely crippled if a part of their bodies was blown apart. The three thus went deeper and deeper, until they reached the area sealed in cotton-mist. From close-up, the mist was dense beyond common knowledge. It was akin to giant wads of cotton stacked together to form a wall. It stood almost as tall as the skies and so wide that neither of its ends could be seen. Qianye gazed at the mist wall with a frown. He was about to reach out and touch it when he heard Xu Jingxuan exclaim, So thirsty! They had only been here for a short while; how could an expert like him grow thirsty? Qianye looked back in alarm and was shocked at the scene. Xu Jingxuan was drenched in pink sweat. It was extremely weird, yet he had no idea what was going on with him. All he did was lick his lips and say he was thirsty. Old Xu, whats wrong with you!? Eiseka called out. Xu Jingxuan was startled. Im okay just thirsty! Y-Youre sweating. Xu Jingxuan wiped his forehead and his expression changed rapidly upon seeing the pink sweat on his hand. Considering how strong he was, he immediately realized that the pink in his sweat was actually blood seeping out from his body. He had been sweating blood all along! Eiseka said, Im also a bit thirsty! He ran his paws through the thick fur and found it full of pink pearls of sweat. Although he wasnt sweating as much as Xu Jingxuan, it was still a shocking sight to see. Qianye said seriously, This mist can drain water from the creatures within it. This is the limit for you two. Go back first and you should be fine after leaving the area. How about you? Qianye glanced at the misty wall. Im going in to take a look. That wont do! Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan tried to stop him, but Qianye had already made his decision and had no intention of changing it. At this point, Qianye had already gained some understanding of the white mist. The water absorption could be canceled out by the experts own cultivation. Xu Jingxuans cultivation was a bit higher than Eisekas, but the werewolf possessed a stronger body in his combat form. That was why he had managed to last longer. However, neither of them could control their water before the wall of mist. All of this was what led to those dried corpses in the beginning. Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka could only withdraw as commanded. They understood that going forward would not only be throwing their lives away, but they would also end up dragging Qianye down. Just as the two were about to leave, the white mist from the side began to bubble as a werewolf charged out! This werewolf was already in a berserk state. He charged over immediately upon seeing Qianye but was knocked out by a casual slap. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was frothing from the mouth, a classic sign of overdrafting. Eiseka reached out to touch the werewolfs fur. How come hes not sweating? This werewolf was fairly weak, so it was strange for him to appear here. Someone of his strength shouldve become a dried corpse long ago, yet he seemed completely unaffected. Qianye gave it some thought. Bring him back and keep him under watch. Dont let him run away. Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan understood how important this werewolf was. The duo left in due haste, the latter carrying the unconscious werewolf on his back while Eiseka kept watch. The world within the cloud wall was formed entirely of cotton-mist, a hazy expanse where one could hardly see his hands and feet. Walking through this place made one feel as though nothing was real. As Qianye activated his Eye of Control, the white mist dispersed, and his vision extended deeper inside. His body flashed left and right all of a sudden, evading two attacking monsters and killing them. Then, without even looking at the corpses, he walked deeper into the mist. Theoretically, the depths of the white mist was the core region of the blessed land and should be home to farms and werewolves just like the periphery. Yet Qianye could only sense hazy white mist in every direction, and his perception would fail to penetrate further after a certain distance. Qianye advanced further, killing any monster that got in his way. Before long, the white mist before him became thinner, and a sensation different from the Evernight world rushed at his face. Chapter 1246: The World Behind Qianye walked out of the white mist and onto the grass. The moment he pulled back his foot, the grass bounced back to its original posture with only some marks left on the blades. Qianye picked up a blade of grass and crushed it into a ball between his fingers. The process looked simple, but he actually had to use a lot of force. This grass was so strong that it could easily be used to make armor. The distant land also gave one a feeling of emptiness, with mountain ranges billowing over the yonder horizon. Qianye glanced about with narrowed eyes and confirmed that he had never been in such a place or experienced such scenery. This was definitely not the blessed land. On the other hand, this world felt inexplicably surreal. It was as though everything here was an unnatural illusion. That grass from just now, for instance, there was no way such a plant existed. Be it the Daybreak faction''s records or Evernights, there was no such plant on the explored continents. It was almost like a steel spring sheet in terms of physical attributes. The world had its own laws, governed by the effects of origin power. A good example would be the wind, rain, and snowthe reproduction of nature. Although there would be differences based on different origin power attributes, living things would never change in such a manner. No creature would be able to eat such grass, and that would destroy the food chain. Just as he was thinking, a ripple spread out from the distant mountain, and everything he had seen just now turned into a painting-like existence. Immediately afterward, dozens of strange beasts shot out from the ripple and charged at Qianye. Qianye stood firmly, East Peak planted in the ground beside him. With a casual swipe, he pinched the creatures lightly on the neck and immediately knocked them out. Soon, there were beasts strewn all across the ground near him. The creatures attack and defense were unreasonably strong and posed somewhat of a threat in the beginning. After understanding their nature, however, they quickly became characters that could be easily destroyed. After cleaning up these creatures, Qianye glanced at the peaceful mountain in the distance and began walking toward it. As expected, the scenery changed again after he had taken a couple of steps and the mountains got closer than before. He had arrived in just a few more steps. Qianye reached out to touch the curtain of this theater and felt as if his hand had passed through water. There was a strange coolness on his skin, but there was also a powerful heat coming from it, almost as though there was a flame burning constantly in the water. It was at this time that he felt a sharp pain from his hand. It seemed he had been bitten by something. This bite was extremely powerfula mouthful of fangs tore through Qianyes skin and nailed into his bones. If it wasnt for Qianye reaching the duke rank and the consequent strengthening of his bones, the bite wouldve taken off half his palm. Qianye closed his fist and grabbed onto the creatures mouth, pulling it across the curtain in one move. This was a small beast the size of a wild horse. It wasnt very big, but its biting muscles were exceptionally well-developed, and its sinister-looking teeth shone with a metallic gleam. It swung its body about while maintaining a powerful bite on Qianyes hand, hoping to tear his flesh off. Qianye pressed the creature underfoot and nailed it to the ground with East Peak. However, it would seem the chest wasnt the creatures weak point. It remained flailing about after the stab and seemed largely unaffected. Qianye drew a vampiric blade and planted it in the creatures neck, then used his vampiric powers. In the blink of an eye, the creatures essence blood flowed into Qianyes body, and the creature soon fell limp. The vampires absorption powers were the bane of all fleshly life-forms. It would seem this creature was no different. This wild horse creature was bigger and stronger than the ones he had encountered before. The previous ones could hardly injure Qianye even if they managed to slam into him. This monster, however, managed to leave damage on his bones. This also meant that it could bite through grade sixteen armor as well. Qianye drew back his vampiric blade and gazed at the withered corpse. The essence blood it could provide wasnt plentiful, a far cry from the creatures of the Great Maelstrom. This essence blood, though, contained a large amount of foreign origin power. The mixture of daybreak and darkness origin power was almost like a poison to the dark races. A vampire would never absorb such blood unless he was on the verge of collapse. Qianye moved his right hand about and channeled his blood energy, quickly healing the wound. Without even waiting for the wound to close completely, Qianye took a large step forward and passed through the curtain. A real world appeared before him this time. This was a real valley area, filled with stones, thorns, and thistles. Intense dampness hung in the air, but the ground seemed fairly arid. The only plants in sight were brambles and cacti, plants that could only survive in dry environments. Qianye had no spare time to observe the geography as several wild horse-like creatures locked onto him the moment he stepped out of the curtain. The speed and momentum of their charge were truly worthy of admirationjust a few of them could rival the march of a thousand-strong army. However, they didnt seem very intelligent and a straight charge like that could pose little threat to Qianye. A few slashes of East Peak and a short while were all it took to kill all of them. Although he still had no idea where their weakness was, no creature was strong enough to survive after being cut into pieces. After the short fight, a commotion suddenly broke out in the valley below. The entire ground seemed to have come alive and was moving. Qianye drew a breath of cold air as he looked on. What looked like rocks and withered trees at first stood up, growing arms, legs, and tails in the process. There were at least tens of thousands of beasts in the valley in front of Qianye! These creatures split into squads depending on their species, drawing a clear and undisturbed line between one another. Every beast fell into a square formation where they stood and proceeded to rest. The two types of beasts Qianye had seen were among them, with dozens more that he had never seen before. These formations would form an unbelievable battle array when stitched together. A thought flashed through Qianyes mind. This is an army camp! How had these unintelligent creatures managed to form such an army and formation? After some thought, the servspiders of the Evernight arachne came to mind. These critters werent exactly intelligent, but as long as one could command and communicate with them, they could turn into fearless warriors. Commanding officer! Qianyes hair stood on end as a consciousness fell upon him. A genuine chill ran down his spinecool and moist but also containing a scorching will. In the blink of an eye, he was plunged into a sea of ice, then into a pool of fire, and this agony rotated endlessly thereafter. If even someone of Qianyes strength could not resist, it was easy to imagine how terrifying the owner of this consciousness was! He looked up all of a sudden and locked onto the other end of the valley. There was a platform therein with a stone chair upon it, a white mist shrouding the seated humanoid figure. This silhouette opened its eyes and its pupil-less gaze landed upon Qianyes body. A sudden voice echoed in Qianyes consciousness. Although he had never heard of this language, he understood what it meant: Outsiders! This voice belonged to the humanoid creature on the platform, who stood up and stretched its six arms! A shrill cry stirred all the creatures in the valley. The first species Qianye had encountered rose into the air and shot toward Qianye! Qianye was stunned. No matter how easy it was to kill the beasts, how was he to deal with the tens of thousands that were coming for him? Moreover, there were all kinds of other creatures and the commander. Although that was his judgment of the situation, Qianye didnt retreat immediately and cautiously raised East Peak. He wanted to try his best to see what these creatures were capable of before making a decision. The tens of thousands of beasts seemed to have crashed into an invisible barrier as they reached the edge of the valley, falling to the ground and spinning about in a daze. Only a couple dozen of them managed to get through the barrier and pounce at Qianye. This number wasnt Qianyes match at all. He released his domain and forced the creatures in the air to the ground. At this time, East Peak flew past like a dragonfly touching the water, rupturing their brains in an instant. A bigger type of strange beast charged at Qianye from the ground but was also stopped by the barrier. These violent creatures threw themselves at the barrier with no regard for their safety. Finally, two of them found a weak point and managed to squeeze half their bodies inside. They exerted their full force with loud roars, but their bodies were soon blown up into many pieces. Their deaths did nothing to deter their comrades, though. They were even more angered than before and started ramming at the barrier with all their might. The six-armed creature emitted a long howl, which caused all the other beasts to quiet down. Their eyes were fierce and full of enmity. The six-armed creatures voice rang out, T-The doors opening cannot be stopped. You have nowhere to run. Chapter 1247: Imminent Battle The might of this attack was difficult to describe. The spear arrived before Qianye almost immediately after it had left the assailants hands. Fortunately, the invisible barrier was still there and the weapon exploded upon coming into contact with it. The beasts roaming around the barrier were all flung away by the magnificent shockwaves. Such power caused Qianyes expression to shift noticeably. Even through the barrier, he could see that the power of that spear was above that of the Shot of Inception, and he had no wish to have a taste of it. A look of surprise came over his countenance while he was thinking about this. The intangible barrier gradually became visible, just like glass. A small crack suddenly appeared on its smooth surface and began spreading in all directions. Qianyes eyes widened as he watched the spider web of cracks expand to over ten meters. Then, with a loud bang, a defect large enough for a truck appeared in the barrier! This hole was enough for most beasts to come through. For the smaller ones, several dozen of them could squeeze in. That works!? A fair number of profanities welled up in his heart, but the other party couldnt understand any of it. At this moment, tens of thousands of gazes were upon this little hole! The corner of Qianyes eyes twitched ever so slightly, almost as though he had noticed something. He immediately picked up East Peak and left, diving into the misty wall. The countless beasts came to at this point, emitting earth-shattering roars as they swarmed into the hole. They pushed past one another to gush out of the hole like a geyser and charge after Qianye. Qianye ran through the mist wall at full speed, passing through the misty region in the blink of an eye and returning to the blessed land. Once out of the mist wall, Qianye stood solemnly with his sword in hand and waited for the bestial army to appear. Qianye could already see before his departure that the hole in the barrier was slowly closing up. No one could stop the power of its closure, not these beasts at least. Hence, the number of creatures that managed to get through was rather limitedQianye had to deal sufficient damage to them in order to control the potential damage they would cause. After killing the first wave of flying beasts, next up were the wild-horse types with great biting power. They were much more resistant to the daybreak vortex domains powers, but their speed was greatly reduced and were hence cut down one after the other. In this manner, several batches of strange beasts were slaughtered. Their combat strength increased with each batch, but their numbers also dwindled accordingly. By the time the last mammoth-shaped beast had fallen to Qianyes blade, there were no more creatures coming out from the mist wall. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief, only discovering now that his forehead was covered in sweat. Killing these unknown beasts was no easy job, and their numbers were simply too great. There were corpses strewn all across the ground, almost a thousand of them on careful calculation. Qianye waited for a while to confirm that no more new creatures were coming out before feeling completely safe. It would seem the barrier had already closed up. The six-armed giants cloud spear was extremely powerful, and its consumption should be the same. Apparently, even someone as powerful as that entity could not hurl them randomly. Otherwise, these beasts would be all over the blessed land. The door, represented by the white mist, was still in place at the moment, and according to the six-armed creature, it would take a few more days until the barrier was completely open. This time period was extremely valuable. If sufficient preparation wasnt made during this period, a calamity would ensue once the tens of thousands of creatures charged over. Qianye emerged from the white mist with a flash and returned to the corvette. Once on the deck, he ordered, Prepare for battle! Xu Jingxuan will take command. Eiseka will go back with me. Everyone else, remain vigilant. Pull back the airship and observe from a distance of five hundred meters. Kill anything that comes out of the mist! The generals affirmed their orders and the corvette lowered its altitude. Xu Jingxuan got off with the generals in tow and formed a defensive line dozens of meters ahead. After the defensive line had been formed, Qianye asked, Where is that werewolf? He just got out of his berserk state and is now unconscious. Bring him along, were heading back to Cerulean Wave City. Song Hui, follow us back. Song Hui replied, Okay, but how? They were leaving the corvette to act as the core of the defense line and Cerulean Wave City was a good distance away. Were they going to walk back? Qianye paid her no heed. He picked her up by the waist with one hand and grabbed Eiseka with the other. The unconscious werewolf, in turn, was in Eisekas grasp. The four thus took to the sky and flew toward the city. Song Hui cried out, This won''t do! You cant hold on for too long like this, well die! Ahhhh! Qianye wasnt about to pay her any attention. He exerted more strength from his arm, making it impossible for her to move as he shot toward Cerulean Wave like a cannonball. Moments later, the group was back at the dukes residence. Song Hui had collapsed on the nearby sofa, pale and dizzy like an ordinary person. Eiseka passed the dizzy werewolf to some shamans and instructed them to keep watch. They were to report immediately for any changes. Qianye made straight for the command room and summoned all the chiefs, shamans, and the human leaders of various departments in the city. After everyone was gathered, Qianye asked about the situation regarding the new army and werewolf squads. Eiseka stood up. Initial phase training has been completed. Fifty thousand men have been assigned basic equipment and formed into a new army corps. The officers are all in place, and I will serve as the commander. Seventy thousand have completed training but havent been outfitted. Thirty thousand more are currently in training. About five hundred thousand soldiers remain on standby, ready to be reassigned. Potential troops that can be mobilized stand at one million. Due to the limited number of military instructors, only a hundred thousand soldiers can undergo training at any one time. Qianye knew this, but he still felt that the progress was a bit too slow. He said after some thought, Triple the number of basic trainees at each batch. Eiseka was surprised. There wont be any guarantee of effectiveness if we do that! Qianye said, That the time is nigh for the holy war! I need a large number of soldiers. Werewolves are born warriors, so all they need is to learn obedience, to understand and execute various orders. Holy war? Who is our enemy? Eiseka, as well as the crowd of chief and shamans, were surprised. In the records of the dark races, holy wars meant the participation of entire races, and everyone would fight to the death. This time, were facing enemies we have never seen before. Eiseka had personally experienced the strange beasts in the white mist. Those beasts? Are their numbers great? Qianye nodded. Much more than I had imagined. Also, theyre not beasts but an army with its own commander. The chiefs and shamans who didn''t have much combat experience didnt feel anything, but Eiseka knew the difference between a mob and an army. He said solemnly, Sire, please allow me to lead the newly formed army to the blessed land and bolster its defenses. Qianye shook his head, saying, We can leave Xu Jingxuan there, he can lead the new army for defense. Your current mission is to build up the army as quickly as possible and give them basic training. This is a holy war. Whoever disobeys or causes trouble will be punished by military law! Understood, Sire! Go and prepare. I will give you powerful reinforcements in three days. Song Hui, stay back. After the werewolf chiefs and shamans were gone, Qianye said to Song Hui, Find some way to wake up that werewolf and use every method at your disposal to find out what he was doing in the mist zone. All means? I want answers. I understand. This matter Ill get to it. After Song Hui left, Qianye closed his eyes and beckoned into the distance. Far away on the Northern Continent, the Earth Dragon was lying quietly like a mountain range. Countless technicians and craftsmen scuttled about, installing all kinds of equipment. The dragonship was no longer the same at this pointthere were different cannons installed on its sides, covering for various firing ranges. Half of its cannon ports were still empty because of its massive size, but one could easily see that its firepower was above an Imperial battleship, almost at the heels of a mothership. Kinetic sails covered all of its spines and several more engines had been installed on its body. The outsides of its tail were now covered with spiked armored plates. The Earth Dragons tail was a powerful weapon, and now, the countless spikes had increased its might yet again. A good number of these equipment, cannons, and sails came from the sincerity of those aristocratic families. Under the full support of the Imperial nobility, Qianyes Martyrs Palace had finally completed its initial outfitting. The dragonships interior had turned into a giant construction yard, filled with piles upon piles of resources. The craftsmen had already divided the ship into basic compartments, but the functional, storage, and living quarters only made up half the space. Even with that space, the dragonship could hold fifty thousand people. If fully utilized, it could accommodate a hundred thousand passengers or more. The Martyrs Palace was starting to take shape at this point. At completion, she would far exceed a mothership and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with an aerial fortress. Just as the construction-work was proceeding at its height, the quiet dragonship began to stir. The Earth Dragon raised its head and gazed into the distance. This movement came as an earthquake to all the craftsmen. Everyone began to stagger and trip, with materials flying off in all directions. The Martyrs Palace moved a bit and shook its tail, almost as though it was about to take off. Bluemoon rushed over and stood atop the dragons head, crying out in an attempt to calm it down. She had been in charge of the palaces upgrades and repairs all along, so she could perform a basic level of communication. The Earth Dragon lowered its head and looked at her, then gradually calmed down. A delighted Bluemoon wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was just about to head inside to check when a raspy voice echoed in her consciousness: Three days. Bluemoon gazed at the dragonship. Three days? I have only three days time? Very well, Ill do my best! Chapter 1248: Undelivered Urgent Missive After setting aside his worries, he got down to maneuvering the troops for deployment. The aristocratic family troops had not been reassigned since Qianye couldnt let them see the number of werewolves he had taken in on Fort Continent. As such, they were all assigned to Zhengthey would serve to guard against Nan Ruohai on one hand while also making up for the empty positions from the recent transfers. Relying on the massive fleet, Qianye mobilized over two hundred thousand werewolves from the great corridor and Jade Sea, over fifty thousand Zheng soldiers, and twenty thousand Dark Flame mercenaries. There was now a massive army amassed outside of the mist wall of the blessed land. Even so, Qianyes heart was filled with a lingering uneasiness whenever he thought about that six-armed creature. Theoretically, his fleet, his army of several hundred thousand, and the hundreds of experts including himself should be enough to deal with the beast army in the valley. What else was there to fear? Despite that, Qianye still had no idea about the world on the other end. After gazing at the defense map for an entire day, Qianye summoned Eiseka and said, I want to mobilize an additional three hundred thousand soldiers! This shouldnt be a problem! Sire, when do you want them to be ready? I think the fastest is three months later. No, I want them tomorrow. In the depths of the void, an exquisite little airship was flying swiftly. It wasnt following normal flight speeds but going at full speed, an unusual strategy for intercontinental flights. The silhouette of a continent was already appearing in front of the little airship. The Qin Continent was not far off now. A warship leaped out of the void all of a sudden and flew toward that high-speed airship. The captain and first mate were in the bridge, observing this vessel through their binoculars. Both parties were traveling so fast that they approached one another in the blink of an eye. The first mate whistled after seeing the emblem on the incoming airship, Its from Dark Flame. The captain shrugged. Let it pass. The first mate wasnt happy. Arent we going to inspect it, at least? The captain let out a long laugh. Whats there to check on their airships? Its not as if you dont know how big Sire Qianye is. Besides, his battle at Whitetown is one for the military textbooks. Its best we avoid unnecessary trouble. The first mate said unwillingly, Fine! But at this rate, all the smugglers and pirates will paint the Dark Flame emblem. The Imperial warship changed directions and watched as the high-speed airship left. Then, it went back to its routine patrol. The airship made straight for the void continent, where it used the gravity of the landmass to turn toward the Qin Continent. Just as it was making the turn at lowered speed, a homing ballista bolt appeared and blasted the airships engine, destroying it completely. A black warship drove out of the shadows and approached the airship rapidly. It was one of those notorious star pirates. The star pirate vessel approached the airship, and several pirates entered after cutting open the cabin doors. A bearded pirate soon entered the airship with hundreds of star pirates in tow. These men swarmed in like insects and began searching every room. The sound of shouting and screaming died down rapidly. The star pirate captain laughed loudly as he led the men into the command room. The chamber was in an utter mess with corpses strewn across the floor. How many times have I told you not to attack the bridge!? There might be important characters we need to take care of or fragile treasures! You trash have destroyed all my efforts! A pirate moved close. Boss, this is Dark Flames airship. You said just now that we shouldnt leave anyone alive! Did I? Fine, I guess thats the case. Dark Flame is quite famous recently, maybe well find something valuable. Start searching carefully! A star pirate pointed to the command table. Boss, one of them is still alive! The star pirate walked over and picked up the man on the control desk. There was a document under his elbow. This is an urgent missive for Commander Jundu. P-Please youll get generous rewards The star pirate captain swiped the document envelope and looked through it. Then he pulled his gun and shot the wounded man. Are you trying to kill me!? Do you think Im an idiot? The star pirates nearby glanced at the document envelope. The leader felt the paper growing hotter and hotter in his hands. After some thought, he tore the document to shreds and said, Knowing too much is not a good thing. I want to live a couple more years still! Clean up quickly, we must return to the neutral lands. The star pirates quickly plundered everything valuable on the airship. The airship exploded after their departure and ultimately faded away into the vast space. Back on the pirate airship, the captain sat restlessly in the command room. The first mate asked, Boss, what exactly was in that envelope? The star pirate captain sighed. I think I missed something very important. Dont worry, weve killed the people and burned their airship. We just need to be careful after going back, hide the plundered items, and deal with them slowly afterward. Who would know that we did it? Their airship was no ordinary cargo vesselthere were no common goods on board, only high-quality military equipment, weapons, and supplies. These pirates were great at handling such goods. After a series of modifications, even the weapons designer wouldnt be able to recognize them. True. The captains mood improved a bit. Speed up, stop thinking about saving fuel. The most important thing is to get back! The subordinates were just about to relay his orders when the airship jolted all of a sudden. It was as though they had crashed into a meteoriteeverything inside was thrown into disarray and the captain himself fell to the floor. What happened!? The furious pirate captain said as he clambered up. Colossus! Void colossus! Something weve never seen before! The pirates were full of terror. The leader got up and rushed to the windows. Goddammit, what the hell is this thing? A giant white pillar of rolling mist had suddenly appeared in the void ahead. A colossus akin to a stingray squeezed its way out from the fog, followed by a swarm of bat-like creatures with sharp heads. The stingray colossus circled around in the void before passing by the pirate airship. Its long tail lashed at the vessel, sending it rolling away. Soon afterward, the horde of strange beasts descended upon the pirate airship and started biting it. Its thick armor was gnawed away like candy, and in the blink of an eye, the airship was full of holes. Miserable screams echoed from the airship as countless creatures made their way inside. W-What is this damned thing!? The leader felt his blood run cold. He had already given up all resistance. A thought flashed through his mindperhaps this was related to the letter that would never be delivered. Just as he was thinking about it, a strange beast pounced at him and bit his head off. The incomplete Imperial fortress on the Qin Continent was shrouded in austerity. Zhao Jundu stood gazing at the misty zone through the giant window of the command center. Tens of thousands of soldiers had formed a temporary defensive line outside of the fortress. Even more workers were busy repairing the defenses, both permanent and temporary. From time to time, some scattered battles would break out on the defensive line as creatures charged out from the mist and at the Imperial formation. An aide knocked on the door and entered. He said with a bow, Sire, the new species we discovered yesterday has been autopsied, and the initial results are out. All of the documents are here, please take a look. Weve found four different creatures up to this point. Zhao Jundu picked up the document and saw a creature with razor-edged wings. The aide said, This is a flying creature that mainly attacks with an aerial charge. The sawtooth on the wings are its weapons, so we named it the wingstriker. How dangerous is it? Its very fast, with moderate attack and weak defenses. Overall, its a threat to the ordinary soldiers on the front lines and support soldiers at back. Additionally, it can tear through thin armor but not medium armor. We believe their role is for harassment and mobility. Zhao Jundu nodded. Transfer a squad and equip them for concentrated fire, assign them to guard the weak points deeper in the defensive line. Equip the turrets for concentrated fire as well. Yes, Sire. The first aide hadnt left when a different one said, Sire, Song Zining wishes to see you. Hes already waiting outside. Zhao Jundu raised his brows. Song Zining? Send him in now. Song Zining walked in moments later, but Zhao Jundu paid him no heed and only kept on gazing at the mist. Song Zining didnt feel awkward, either, and kept on walking to the fourth young masters side. Is the door open? Zhao Jundu asked, What are you plotting this time, speak directly! Song Zining said, All my schemes are for the Empire, for the human race, and that idiot Qianye. Zhao Jundus tone softened at the mention of Qianyes name. I dont think its all just for Qianye. Its for his good in any case. Besides, it cant be considered a loss, can it? Your Zhao clan got the most out of it. Zhao Jundu shook his head. I really have no idea what youre thinking about all day. Is there any meaning in this? Speak, what do you want this time? Chapter 1249: Intense First Battle This seventh young master had never given him a reliable impression. He found the mere sight of the man annoying, especially after the Song clans successor examinations. Even though they had no choice but to work together sometimes because of Qianye, the air had always been filled with the scent of gunpowder. Thinking back, however, this young strategist god had never spoken empty words nor had he formally asked for help. At the thought of this, Zhao Jundus expression relaxed a bit. What help do you need? Speak. You guys have all crossed the divine champion threshold, so Im feeling a bit itchy inside. Ive been calculating my fate, and its about time for me to shine. So, I came here. Zhao Jundu didnt even bother to smile after hearing Song Zinings frivolous words. Men, drive this swindler away! Two guards moved in from the side, ready to seize the target. Song Zining called out, Wait, wait! Im here to fight! I know that, why else would you be here? Speak seriously or Ill forbid you from appearing within fifty kilometers. Zhao Jundus word was an order, so Song Zining could no longer crack jokes. Dismiss them first. The group of fierce guards withdrew unwillingly after Zhao Jundu waved his hand. After everyone was gone, Song Zining said, I want to fight on the front lines. Zhao Jundu was surprised. He glanced at the giant box of supplies in Song Zinings hand and said, Are you serious? Of course. Zhao Jundu gazed deeply at Song Zining before slapping him on the body with a thick stack of documents. These documents contain information on the alien creatures. Go through them carefully, lest you die from a lack of preparation. Song Zining took the documents and handed Zhao Jundu an envelope. Please hold onto this. Whats this? My will. Give it to Qianye if I die in battle. Zhao Jundu didnt seem moved at all. Instead, he said with a frown, Why would you give your will to Qianye? Are you trying to use him again? Without waiting for him to explain, Zhao Jundu tore open the envelope and fished out the letter from within. Song Zinings brows twitched a couple of times, but he didnt stop the other party. Zhao Jundu said after scanning the document, Its really a will? Why would I fake it? Id rather leave what I have to Qianye than those so-called relatives. Zhao Jundu snorted. A green fire burst forth from his palm and burned the will completely. Just live on well! Lil Five does not lack what you can offer. Song Zining raised his brows in apparent protest and seemed ready to argue his case. Before he could speak, however, an aide walked in and passed a letter to Zhao Jundu. Secret missive from the Imperial Capital. How about the others? Itll take time for the news to arrive. Thats good as well, we just need to take care of this door. Zhao Jundu said with narrowed eyes, This single door isnt so easy to deal with, either. Lets fight first and then decide. Song Zining put down the equipment box and opened it. He then began wearing the armor on the spot. A violent tremor broke out from the mist at this point. One beast after the other charged out from the mist and at the Imperial defensive line. Loud gunfire erupted from the field as a fierce battle broke out. A bright glint flashed through Zhao Jundus eyes. The door is open! Song Ziningnow equipped with silver armor and a spearbroke through the glass and shot toward the battlefield. So rushed. Shaking his head, Zhao Jundu issued a series of orders for defense. He didnt join the front lines afterward but, instead, remained at the central command to oversee the battle. At this moment, these doors had opened not just on the Qin continent but also in the void, Evernight, the Transcendent Continent, Western Continent, and even the void continent. Countless monsters charged out from the mist and onto the continents, reaping all life in their wake. Numerous specter-like warships roamed the routes between each continent, hunting down the airships carrying messages between them. Only when these doors appeared and opened did they quietly disappear. The Empire had already sensed the disrupted flow of information, that the number of lost correspondence was far beyond normal, but they still hadnt figured out the reason. Several days had passed since the door on the Qin Continent had appearedall eyes were on it, and vast amounts of resources converging there. The top experts overseeing the capital were paying attention to developments, ready to assist at a moments notice. There was no time for anything else when the door opened because the battle was fiercer than anyone had expected. In less than an hour of its opening, the number of beasts pouring out from it had completely overwhelmed the Imperial forces. A dense array of creatures covered up the entire area from the ground to the air. The sharp rise in casualties forced Zhao Jundu out of his seat. He roared, Armor, sword! After donning his armor, his figure flickered away and appeared at the center of the beast horde. Eight pillars of violet energy burst into the sky, each suppressing one direction. All creatures within a hundred meters ground to a halt, even those mid-air. A fierce mammoth-like creature struggled with all its might and finally broke free. Before it could even let out a roar, however, its body exploded with a bang, showering blood all over the battlefield. The first explosion ignited the fuse, leading to a chain explosion through all the other beasts. In the blink of an eye, a large empty area had appeared around Zhao Jundu. After this long period and his ascension to the divine champion realm, Zhao Jundus Omniscient Seal had improved yet again. Thousands of beasts were killed in an instant. The Empires forces were the elites among the elites. With the enemy tide stemmed, they managed to catch their breath and adjust their forces to block the weakest links. When the beast horde rolled in once again, the somewhat loosened defense was once again tightly-knit. Zhao Jundus expression wasnt relaxed and became increasingly serious instead. Before long, Eight pillars of indomitable violet energy appeared once again and killed a large swathe of creatures. This time, the lull didnt last very long. In just half an hour, the alien creatures had forced Zhao Jundu to use his Omniscient Seal once again. The violet hue seemed less vivid this timeits power was somewhat weaker, and hundreds of beasts actually survived the attack. After three consecutive uses of the seal, Zhao Jundu seemed a bit pale and his forehead was drenched in sweat. He drew his sword and charged forth to fight the beasts surging out of this door. After an unknown length of time, Zhao Jundu found that there was no enemy left except the beast he had just beheaded. He looked up to find Song Zining leaning on his spear, gasping continuously. The stylish seventh young master was covered in blood and injuries; there were also two deep claw marks on his face. Song Zinging shook his head at Zhao Jundu, indicating that his injuries werent too bad. It seemed he didnt even want to speak unnecessarily. Zhao Jundu looked back and saw that there was still fighting going on around the defensive line. Without reinforcements, enemy numbers fell with each creature killed, and soon, the sounds of fighting quieted down. The defending forces were also fairly weak by this point, and the fortifications were filled with corpses. Most of the remains belonged to beasts, but the number of human carcasses was by no means small. Zhao Jundu realized the state of their casualties with just a glance. Despite having expected as much, he couldnt help turning gloomy. He walked slowly through the battlefield, inspecting everything along the way. No more beasts emerged from the mist, and the reserve forces had stepped in to reform the first defense line. Rescue, treatment, and repairs were already starting across the battlefield. The technicians arrived almost immediately to clean up and reconstruct the fortifications. There was little differentiation between the front and rear lines due to the large number of flying enemies present. Fights broke out in every corner of the battlefield, filling it with smoke and corpses. Song Zining walked over in the same direction, followed by two medics who wrapped up his wounds. His spear was now a walking stick, and even, then he was limping pretty badly. Zhao Jundu said slowly, Its just a hundred thousand beasts and were already in such a state. Song Zining wanted to laugh, but the movement tugged on his wounds, causing him to inhale deeply. He grimaced for a while before saying, Theyre an army, not an ordinary horde of beasts. You destroyed something akin to an entire Evernight army, are you still not satisfied? Zhao Jundu nodded, but the darkness on his countenance didnt disappear. You really fought hard. Are you okay? Mostly flesh wounds, nothing too serious. His pained expression didnt look like it was nothing serious though. After passing through the defensive line, Zhao Jundu said, This wont do, I must apply for reinforcements. Song Zining frowned but didnt object. They had already lost a tenth of their forces in the first battle. They wouldnt be able to last very long at this rate. Song Zining gazed at the mist, asking, Have you tried sending people in to investigate? Yes, but none of them were able to go very deep inside, I couldnt, either. Only those with extremely pure origin power can enter, Im not capable in that regard. Perhaps I can give it a try, Song Zining replied after hearing Zhao Jundus judgment. Lets decide when youve recovered. I dont want you dying here. We have to find a way to deal with the white mist. Zhao Jundus brows were locked in a frown. Lets just wait and see what the military finds out. Oh right, the Empire doesnt have a lot of reserve forces left does it? With Zhao Jundus current position, he naturally knew some of the Empires core secrets. He didnt hide it, either, and said with a whisper, Yeah, the void continent was close to a full mobilization. The private armies have gone back to their families, and the oldest batch of soldiers are retiring. Itll take time to recruit new soldiers and train them. The void continents defense is also taking up a large number of soldiers. This means there''s little left in terms of actual reserves. Did you ever think what would happen if there was a door on other continents as well? Zhao Jundu stopped walking. Why do you say that? Dont you think there have been very few reports from the other continents these days? Even the ones we received were from several days ago. Im saying what if there is a door on each continent Chapter 1250: Fighting Everywhere The locals could not even tell where the source of this calamity was. All they remembered was countless beasts charging out from the mountains and forests, destroying everything in their wake. The invaders possessed extraordinary combat strength, and ordinary beasts were not their match at all. Not to mention the lone hunters, even small squads could do nothing against the enemies bearing down from all directions. The Nangong family was currently in disarray. In the study, an elegant man in his thirties was frowning deeply as he gazed at the urgent reports on his desk. He hadnt even opened the latest reports that were brought in. He had just picked up one of them with a sigh when hurried footsteps were heard outside the door. His aide charged in without even knocking. Clan Lord, things dont look good. Darkriver City has fallen! Darkriver! The mans mind went blank. He barely managed to pull himself together after a while. How did it fall? How about the garrison? What were they doing? The beasts came too fast and there were too many of them! The defenders could not hold! City Lord Xu Zhe said he will die with the city. He sent his aides to break through the encirclement and bring us this information. The man opened the document and saw some hurried sketches of various beasts, along with brief explanations. The artwork was fairly careless and done in an apparent rush. It would seem the document was brought here with great difficulty, evidenced by all the bloodstains on it. The messenger? He died at the gates. The man nodded. Darkriver has a garrison of over ten thousand soldiers and two kinetic towers, our most heavily-guarded city. It actually fell in a single battle! Who wouldve thought Id encounter something like this right after becoming clan lord? This is beyond my ability to handle, convene the elder assembly. The aide was just about to leave when the man said, Is there any news from the capital? No. How long has it been since we dispatched our messenger? Five days including today. Thats strange go assemble the elders. Moments later, the elders of the main family were all in the conference hall, with the man at the seat of honor. The elders trusted me and raised me to the clan lords position, yet I am of humble talent and knowledge. Such a sudden development is difficult for me to decide alone. This matter is related to the very survival of our Nangong family, so I hope all elders can make a decision together. With that, he passed down the urgent missives and documents. Some of the elders were still putting on airs, calmly taking a sip of tea before opening the documents. After reading the contents, however, they couldnt help but spray out the beverage in their mouths. Is Evernight attacking? Look at this, what kind of monsters are these? Ive never seen them before in my eighty years of life. How did we lose so many locations? D-Doesnt this mean half of our assets are gone? The elders broke into fervent discussion. After they had quieted down, an old elder said, Duanfang, youre the clan lord now, so you must have a decision in mind. Why dont we hear of it first? Nangong Duanfang sighed. I believe that this is our Nangong familys biggest crisis since the Sky Demon and Iron Curtain. The elders nodded in succession. Their family had lost their prestige and some elite soldiers to the Iron Curtain, but this time, they were about to be uprooted. The land that had accompanied the Nangong family throughout history was now being overrun by the beast horde. Xu Zhe, who had fallen together with Darkriver City, was also one of their most powerful experts. Seeing the elders reaction, Nangong Duanfang said, My idea is to evacuate our domain and retreat to the central region of the continent. There, we can work together with the Hou, Liao, and Zhangsun families to solidify a small region and await Imperial reinforcements. The elders erupted into chaos before he had even finished. Evacuate!? Were just giving up our ancestral lands!? Our Nangong family has never suffered such humiliation since we arrived on the Transcendent Continent! Exactly! Without our assets, how can we remain as a high-ranking aristocratic family!? Nangong Duanfang waited until the elders had poured out their anger. The land wont grow legs and run away. All well lose is our income for the year if we leave now, at most the buildings and structures. These losses can be solved with money. With our several hundred years of accumulation, rebuilding wont be difficult at all. How about the people? What do we do with all the citizens? Nangong Duanfang replied calmly, Thats even easier. Theyre not surnamed Nangong, so it wont hurt us no matter how many of them die. We can just buy more slaves, especially young women, when we return and encourage them to reproduce. Well be able to supplement the population in a single generation. He paused for a moment before saying, But if we arent willing to evacuate, those beasts will be at our gates in three days. No one will be able to leave at that time. Take a look at the documents carefully, what special characteristics do you see? After studying the information for a while, one of the elders said, They have land, air, and even underground types. They have creatures specializing in speed, strength, and defense for attacking fortifications. Theyre lacking long-range types Another person said, Why would they need long-range types when they have so many flying creatures? Another elder was shocked. Theyre almost like an army! Nangong Duanfang said, They are indeed an army, at least according to their current performance. The elders fell silent. Everyone knew the difference between a beast horde and an army of beasts. These creatures were like soldiers with origin power cultivation, containing various troop types and roles that worked together in battle. Such an army needed little effort to sweep through the Nangong familys lands. The old elder said, Having Duanfang as our clan lord is the Nangong familys fortune. Yuanbo, he sigh, let it be. Now, let us vote on the issue of abandoning our territory. Moments later, a large number of hands were in the air. Seeing the depressed atmosphere, Nangong Duanfang said with a clear voice, Why worry, everyone? Our Nangong family has hundreds of years in accumulation, countless secret tomes, and several secret arts. Our descendants can be found all over the world! As long as our Nangong family members remain, we can rebuild the family again within a decade! Theres no worry about rebuilding another high-ranking aristocratic family! His vehement words stirred everyone and ignited a long-lost passion. Youre right! Our foundation is exactly the reason were a high-ranking aristocratic family. When Duke Zhao led his family to the Western Continent, were they not burning their boats as well? The Zhao clan wouldnt see todays prosperity had they not taken the risk back then. If the Zhao can do it, why cant our Nangong family do it? Whats all the talk about becoming a major clan if we dont have this much courage? If the Transcendent Continent falls, well go to the Western Continent. The dark races still have a lot of land over there. Seeing that the current morale is high, Nangong Duan issued a series of orders for their immediate evacuation. There was an unassuming order among them to recruit strong civilians as militia and provide them with basic equipment. This didnt seem like much, but the elders knew after looking through the documents that local mobs were no match for the beast army. Asking them to resist was just to buy time for the Nangong Familys direct descendants to retreat. This order would inflict great casualties among the civilians. They might even be massacred if they were to anger the passing horde. Despite that, the elders feigned ignorance and went off to manage the evacuation. Having lost the barrier that was the Nangong family, the beast army charged into the heart of the continent without obstruction. There, several aristocratic families came together to build an entire defense system and were calmly waiting for the beast army. As for the number of civilian casualties, no one paid attention to whether it was in the millions or tens of millions. Compared to the overrun Transcendent Continent, things on the Western Continent were much better. The door happened to open between the Zhao clan, the dark races, and the Northern Legions garrison. This area was a warzone, to begin with, so both the Empire and Evernight had a large number of soldiers posted there. Lin Xitangs promotion and disappearance were so sudden that the Northern Legion hadnt been reassigned, or even moved. The fate of this corps wasnt an easy decision to make because a wrong move would sour things between the Emperor and the military. As such, the legion was placed under Duke Chengen Zhao Weihuangs command while the matter was dragged out. No one dared to cut off their supplies anyway. The beast army put their indiscriminate nature on full display when they appeared on the Western Continent. For some reason, they split their forces into two to attack the Empire and Evernight simultaneously, greatly reducing their fighting power on each route. The dark races here had been fighting against Lin Xitang for many years, and their commander was also a famous character. Although the development was sudden, the two factions were unfazed in its wake. They retreated gradually, obstructing and killing the enemy at each step of the way. The Empire lost over ten thousand soldiers after several days of battle, but the beast horde numbering in the tens of thousands was finally eliminated. Only a small number of them managed to charge through into the center. Then again, the losses were all elite soldiers that couldnt be replaced easily. The only good news was there were few losses among the experts. A door also appeared on the void continent, but the war-torn land was home to a large number of fortresses, garrisoned by elite forces. Hence, the beast horde that had appeared through the door was eliminated in just a few days. The only problem was that the creatures had appeared from the Misty Wood, so the Imperial army had no idea regarding their source. While the Imperial mainland was suffering a calamity, the blessed land on Fort Continent was having a relatively easy time with the defense. Qianye had entered the door personally and found out what was behind it, so he was able to make ample preparations in advance. When the barrier was gone and the beast finally army appeared, there was an army of fifty thousand waiting outside the mist! These troops werent sufficiently trained, and most werewolf soldiers only understood basic orders, but they had the overwhelming advantage in numbers. Qianye was there to provide targeted support during the defense, and the rear lines also possessed sufficient anti-air firepower. Chapter 1251: The Price of Offense After the battle was over and the troops were cleaning up the battlefield, Qianye entered the foggy region on his own to check on the situation. The wall of mist at the center was still there, almost as though it had never changed since that day. However, Qianye could feel a certain obstruction after going in. It felt like there was a thin membrane blocking his way, but he could not find the door no matter how hard he tried to sense it. Qianye was confident in his memoryhe knew that the door had to be there, but he simply couldnt go through it. After several vain attempts, Qianye could finally confirm that this door was in a closed state and there was no way to go through it. Frustrated, he walked out of the misty region to find a number of high-ranking officers waiting for him outside. An officer from the Great Qin passed over a document, saying, Sire, this is a secret missive from the Empire. Qianye became focused on the contents after reading the first few lines. This late report from the Empire spoke of a door appearing on the Qin Continent, and that the situation on the other continents was unknown. This report came from Zhao Jundu and its intent was to warn Qianye to be on alert for changes on the Fort Continent. Qianye broke into a frownhe had sent word to the Qin Continent the moment he had discovered the door, but it would seem the messenger never reached their destination. Was this a coincidence, or was it something inevitable? Song Hui said as Qianye put away the message, That werewolf is awake, maybe his information might be of use. He says he had almost died inside the mist, but he ended up killing one of the beasts and accidentally swallowing one of its organs. He blacked out afterward and was already in our hospital when he woke up. Qianye glanced at all the corpses strewn across the ground. That means eating their organs will give us the power to resist the white mist? Looks like it. Does he remember the type of beast and the part he ate? He doesnt remember. Qianye frowned deeply. Now thats a bit troublesome. There were over a dozen types of creatures, and each of them possessed hundreds of different body parts and organs. Added together, there were thousands of possibilities. How were they going to pick the right one? The great shaman noticed Qianyes frustration. This is easy. Just pick a couple of beasts from each species and chop them up, then bring some death row prisoners over to try them one by one. Well have results in a couple of days. There was no room to discuss whether this method was humane. Qianye said after some thought, Just do it that way, then. Song Hui wanted to say something, but she ultimately held back. Leave this to me, youll have results in three days. The werewolves were currently collecting beast carcasses and sorting them into piles. Qianye couldnt quite understand why many of them were smiling. The great shaman said, With all the prey we managed to gather, well be able to get through this winter with ease. Many of our pups will grow up, and old blokes like us can live a while longer. Song Hui didnt have a good impression of these werewolves. She said rather impolitely, Youll get through this winter, but what about the next? What difference does it make? The great shaman wasnt angry. He said with a laugh, Things wont be the same once we get through this winter. The seeds and techniques from the humans will provide for a lot more werewolves. He continued, With enough to eat, we can grow normally without having to rush maturity. This growth period will ensure that we dont overdraft our talents and life-span. The werewolves of the Jade Sea are not inferior to those from the upper continents! This topic was fairly serious. The way the werewolves of the great corridor and Jade Sea reproduced made it difficult to even see them as long-lived species. This went to show that even racial inheritances would be distorted by the circumstances, quite similar in nature to the demonkin of the Thunderfrost Temple. But Song Hui wasnt taking it. What, do you guys plan to prove yourself on the battlefield? Fight against the Great Qin? The great shaman said, We dont mind fighting the Great Qin if required. Song Hui shouted, We spared your people, now you want to make enemies of us? The great shaman replied calmly, We dont mind fighting the humans, nor do we mind fighting the Evernight Council. Everything will depend on Sire Qianye. We are loyal to him and his descendants. We are neither the Great Qins vassal nor Evernights. The Great Qin is not equal to Sire Qianye. Song Hui didnt know what to say. Qianye interrupted the argument, saying, Get to work! After dismissing the generals, he went back to an isolated room to cultivate and replenish his origin power. This new war had just begun, with a lot more battles to come. A world governed by such different laws would not appear for no reason. The answer was thus clearthis vast world on the other side of the door had to be this new world the Evernight powerhouses were talking about. If this theory proved true, they would probably have to fight the dark races again in the future. On the Twilight Continent, Castle Ducasse had turned into a giant military base. The ancient castle stood high above, looking down at the fog as it spread across the plains. Over two hundred thousand Evernight soldiers were gathered outside of the misty zone. The battle had just ended, leaving small mountains of beast corpses. Apparently, this first wave had failed to break the first defensive line before it was completely slaughtered. On the top floor of the ancient castle, two dukes were standing side-by-side as they gazed down at the battlefield. The duke on the left said, These creatures are truly terrifying. Theyre actually an army! I wouldnt believe it if I hadnt seen them with my own eyes. The other duke nodded. Our losses wouldve been serious if the higher-ups hadnt given us preemptive information. How about the humans? They must be in chaos by now. At least they wont be able to cause trouble for us anymore. As the two dukes were chatting away, a sudden and inexplicable sensation bore down upon them. The alarmed dukes looked down to find a luxurious airship landing in the courtyard of the ancient castle. Nighteye walked out from the vessel and headed back to her room in the main building. The two dukes watched until Nighteye disappeared into the building before heaving a sigh of relief. Her Majesty is back. The door is open, so of course shes back. Was she wounded? I have a feeling shes a bit weaker than before. Not just that. It even looks like her blood energy cultivation has fallen back. Shes probably at the level of a glorious marquis right now, isnt she? More or less, she doesnt feel like a duke anymore. I heard the price involved in opening this door will cause a drop in bloodline power. Then, isnt she weaker than us right now? But why do I feel a sense of terror whenever I see her? I dont think Ill be able to use my full power if I ever have to face Her Majesty in combat. The same goes for me. A group of Evernight warriors had just finished pushing the first airship into the garage when a second arrived on the landing pad. Several mysterious vampires in black robes walked out from the vessel and entered Nighteyes residence in a single file. In the great hall. Nighteye slowly removed her battle armor, sword, and handgun, handing them to the nearby attendants. All the while, those black-robed vampires stood completely immobile at the doorway. Nighteye picked up a piece of paper and wrote down some names on it. She then passed it to the leader of those black-robed vampires, saying, Investigate these people carefully. The black-robed captain took the paper and found that the names included Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, and Song Zining. He only performed a salute before withdrawing from the chamber. Nighteye finally gave in to exhaustion after their departure. She threw herself onto the sofa and slowly rubbed her temples. A door opened on the other side of the room, from which a chuckling Twilight emerged. Youre still going to get to the bottom of this matter, arent you? Nighteye made no movement or sound. Twilight sat down beside her, saying, The latest news says hes already a divine champion. The entire Empire was shaken by his breakthrough. Theres no way theyre going to let us have such a person. Nighteye said indifferently, Stand up. Twilight was startled. What? Stand up and stand still. Twilight didnt know what to do. I Tapping her temples, Nighteye said impatiently, Did I say you can sit beside me? Twilight was stunned but she stood up unwillingly. Nighteye finally looked up with a faint sneer. Dont tell me you think Im Nighteye? Could it be Twilight reacted rather swiftly, swallowing the remainder of her words upon seeing the chill in Nighteyes gaze. Nighteye said coldly, I am not her, nor am I interested in her matters. As for the people Im investigating, the reason is simple. Those who target me will have to pay the price for their offense, a price they cannot afford! Twilight bit her lips, her expression unnatural. Although Nighteye hadnt moved, Twilight could gradually sense a sharp, penetrating cold from her. The chill wasnt obvious, but it seeped into the depths of her bloodline and numbed her entire body. That was Nighteyes suppressive might, one which she was no longer restraining. Twilights blood almost stopped flowing in the face of this pressure. This reminded her of the tremendous distance between her and Nighteye, almost like the distance between two continents. Nighteye shot her a glance, saying, Its not just humans, whoever dares to sully my dignity will pay a price. Do you understand? Twilight forced out a smile. I understand. Get out if you do. Also, this place is not for you to come and go as you wish. If you enter without permission again, you can forget about leaving. My country does not welcome species of lowly bloodlines. Twilights expression was unsightly, both from the humiliation and the suppression. Feeling unresigned, she said, Im a primo too. Nighteye snorted. Only according to your standards. Twilight clenched her jaws and bowed deeply. She then withdrew in the same posture, closing the door carefully upon her exit. Chapter 1252: Ancient Ceremony Monsters also appeared in the void, but they didnt pose much of a threat because the void was so vast. Those specter-like assassination airships vanished when the Empire became aware of the problem in its communications system and started patrolling the void in greater numbers. After communications returned to their normal standards, the Empire finally summarized all the reports and concluded that the misty zones were doors leading to the new world. The new world had arrived with bared fangs. The information had just reached the major clans and continents when the second wave of beasts surged out from the doors. This time, the beast legions were greater in number and their troop types were more targeted. A large number of armored troops had appeared, and this bolstered their overall tenacity in battle. The second waves swift arrival was expected yet also unexpected. Under the leadership of Song Zining and Zhao Jundu, the Qin Continent forces made urgent repairs to the fortifications. After several days of resistance and fighting, they finally managed to kill all of the invading beasts at the base of the fortress. The situation on the Western Continent was fairly good. In the face of a common enemy, the Empire and Evernight decided to put off their long-lasting enmity and defend their own side of the warfront. The dark races were clearly well-preparedthey had more men, greater firepower, and there were two dukes on the frontline, a rare sight under normal circumstances. There was Zhao Weihuang overseeing the Empire side, but there was no doubt that they were a bit weaker. The Imperial forces were also somewhat lacking in military power and targeted arrangements. Zhao Weihuang was a talented general who had been fighting the dark races on the western front for so many years. He naturally understood that the Evernight side was already well-informed about the beasts behind this door. Hence, they had long since transferred their troops over to defend against the charging horde. Realizing this now made no difference. The only thing they could do was to mobilize soldiers from the Zhao clan and detain the Northern Legion, which had just received their return orders from the Qin Continent. Fortunately, the leaders of the Northern Legion were cooperative. This afforded Zhao Weihuang enough fighting power to barely stem the tide of alien creatures. Evernight Continent was already a disastrous place, to begin with. One more calamity didnt really make much of a difference. Neither the Empire nor Evernight had resources to spare for this abandoned continent. Only the Fort Continent was a different scene. Qianye had stacked an army of six hundred thousand in front of the door, a force stretching dozens of kilometers. It could be said that there were soldiers everywhere. The werewolves of the Jade Sea, mercenaries of the neutral lands, and the human soldiers of Fort Continent, these forces might not be comparable to a regular army by Imperial standards, but they were desperate defenders with no fear of death. The beast horde might be a messenger of death to other people, but the starved werewolves saw them as nothing more than moving piles of meat. Many of them would lose control and charge forward upon seeing the incoming creatures, even ignoring military orders at times. The fierce melee involved great casualties, but these werewolves were happy to risk life and limb for this battle. As an outsider, Qianye could hardly understand the Jade Sea werewolves obsession with food. Being of the four major dark races and a long-lived species with boundless potential, they had no choice but to shorten their maturation and sacrifice their future growth. This kind of pain wasnt just physical; it was also an affliction to their dignity and pride. The werewolves fought bravely, but the second wave was much stronger than the first. Seeing the sharp rise in casualties, Qianye could no longer sit by and watch. In order to deal the most effective blow to the enemy, he decided to let Little Zhuji loose on them! A mouthful of her poison defeated even the strongest of alien creatures, turning an area hundreds of meters around her into a land of death. The unending march of the bestial army was thus cut off in the middle. Qianye carried Little Zhuji back to camp before killing his way into the beast army alone. His domain was a disaster to the flying typesthey dropped out of the air like flies and were duly culled by Life Plunder. This went on for several times before Qianyes expression grew uglier and uglier. In the end, he had no choice but to cough up a mouthful of putrid green blood. He looked around, sword in hand, only to find that there were no standing enemies nearby. There was too much foreign origin power in their essence blood. Even the glutton that was the Song Clan Ancient Scroll considered this energy as something that had to be discarded. Absorbing too much would only put more strain on Qianye. At this point, the beasts charging out from the mist were no longer in a formation. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that they had turned into small, scattered groups. He glanced at the ongoing battles around the defensive formation and decided not to take action anymore. He would allow the soldiers to finish up. Tens of thousands of beasts posed no threat to a defensive force in the hundreds of thousands. They were killed off entirely within moments. Eiseka was drenched in blood as he ran over excitedly. Sire, this battle is so satisfying! With all this supply of meat, we wont need to worry about the next three years! Qianye shot him a glance and patted him on the shoulder. Look at your wounds, go get yourself treated. Eiseka turned back to find a massive wound on his back, one so deep that even the bones were visible. Qianyes pat left a wisp of darkness origin power that sealed the defect and stopped his bleeding. Eiseka said nonchalantly, This little wound is nothing to us werewolves. Ive had worse injuries countless times, this is just a small gash. Qianye summoned a medic and instructed him to dress Eisekas wounds. He then asked the werewolf general, What of our casualties? A bit less than twenty thousand. Most of them are werewolves, human casualties are low. Qianye sighed, frowning. Thats not a small number, either. This death toll was actually extremely low, considering the enemy was a beast army of two hundred thousand. If it werent for the numbers advantage and Qianye and Zhuji stepping in with their large area-of-effect attacks, the casualty rates would have easily doubled. Eiseka didnt feel that the losses were serious. He said delightedly, In the past, this time of the year is when our fate would be decided. The Jade Sea would send some tribes into the great corridor or pit them against the southern humans. The great corridor, in turn, would have to attack Zheng. It was not important whether we could win. The most important thing is that they had to die, or our race could not live on. Not to mention there are fewer deaths currently, the yields are massive! Qianye knew of the werewolves'' condition, but his mood felt heavy after seeing them hugging the carcasses in joy and listening to Eiseka talking about it again. Unknowingly, a group of werewolf shamans and chiefs had gathered around Qianye. They fell to their knees all of a sudden and began chanting something Qianye could not understand. More and more werewolves began to kneel, and soon, the hundreds of thousands of werewolves on the battlefield were praying on the ground. The human soldiers were the only ones standing, not knowing what to do. Song Lun moved closer to Song Hui and said, These werewolves are really sincere about their servitude! I know that! Say, do you think the commander will be pulled over to the Evernight side? Nonsense! Hes Song Hui stopped talking all of a sudden. She couldnt help but worry when she recalled Qianyes half-vampire identity. Song Lun said, I heard his wife is also a vampire who stirred up quite the commotion back in the year. Sigh! Song Huis eyes lit up at this point. Back then, he killed his way through Indomitable in order to save Nighteye. Just the thought of it makes me feel so excited, I feel so envious of her! Qianye was at a loss about what to do. He tried to help some of them to their feet, but the werewolves would fall to their knees again the moment he let go. It looked like they would not stop until this rite was over. Qianye could only stand and play his part as a totem. The werewolves ceremony was fairly long, and Qianye could not understand their prayers as they were made up of ancient words. Yet, they had been chanting for so long without any repetitions, now that wasnt an easy feat. The werewolves proceeded solemnly with their rite. The humans knew they shouldnt disturb, so all they could do was stand there and wait. Qianye was starting to feel somewhat bored when an inexplicable power landed on his body, causing him to tremble a bit. This energy was formless, intangible, and it was no origin power. At the very least, Qianye had never experienced something like this before. It was like a stream of ice, seeping slowly into his body and toward his blood core. A startled Qianye wanted to stop its progress but didnt know how to. Be it his flesh, blood, origin power, or blood energy, nothing could stop this stream of ice as it swam toward his blood core and vanished therein. Qianye shivered uncontrollably at that moment, almost as though he had just swallowed a big block of ice. A chill emerged from his blood core and spread to every part of his body, filling him with a feeling of clarity and translucence. Qianye felt that his body was like a glass windowit was clean, to begin with, but after the chill passed over it, he noticed that there was still a lot of dust. There were no words to describe this experience except that it exceeded all forms of joy. Unfortunately, the sensation was rather short-lived and the chill faded away in a flash. When he woke up from the deep trance, Qianye suddenly discovered what he had just gone through. That mysterious energy was actually condensing his blood energy once more! Additionally, the power had purified him from the inside out and had thus improved his constitution as well. How could there be such a power in this world? Chapter 1253: Good News and Good News Qianye was speechless. At this rate, the casualties would be severe if those beasts charged out in the tens of thousands. Yet, it was already a difficult task for these werewolves to remain in a military formation in battle. Cleaning up the battlefield according to military standards was too much to ask of them. Even Eiseka couldnt quite keep his soldiers in check at this point. Qianye had just ordered the mercenaries and human soldiers to form a defensive line when a wave of beasts charged out of the mist! This wave wasnt very big, but their numbers were still in the tens of thousands. Ten thousand alien monsters were akin to ten thousand elite soldiers. It wasnt impossible for them to scatter an army several times their size amidst the chaos and disarray. At least the damage would be significant. Qianyes heart tightened along with his grip on East Peak, ready to step forward and intercept the enemy. However, he was already exhausted in the previous battle and could no longer use Spatial Flash. Even flying was a bit forced at this moment. The surprising thing was that the werewolves in the periphery werent panicked by the incoming enemies. Instead, they howled at the sky spiritedly. This was their warning signal after discovering an enemy. All the werewolves on the battlefield turned toward the direction. More food! An unknown persons shout ignited all the werewolves, who charged toward the beast army like the raging tides! Tens of thousands of alien beasts were quickly drowned out. There was limited space on the battlefront, enough for about a hundred thousand werewolves. Hence, the remaining few hundred thousand of them could only stay outside restlessly. Looking at the messy werewolves squeezing themselves through the unformed front lines, Song Lun whispered, Wed best not mess with those hungry wolves. Song Hui agreed deeply. As for Dark Flames mercenaries and the human soldiers from Zheng, they were dumbfounded by the entire process. The battle was fairly hard-fought in the beginning, but they couldnt even get to the front lines anymore later on. When the werewolves finally dispersed, the enemy beasts had already turned into large chunks of meat and were being hauled away. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief to see that these werewolves still had the sense to return to base. The great shaman moved closer to Qianye and said hesitantly, Sire, our tribesmen wish to request something of you. What is it? Not suitable for battle? Qianye remembered Song Zining using her to block a divine champions punch back in Indomitable. These beasts might be able to tear through armor but not necessarily Little Zhujis skin. The werewolf shaman spoke tactfully, but Qianye quickly realized his intention. Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, he said, You want more prey? The great shaman laughed along. Yes, yes. One breath from Her Highness can render thousands of beasts untouchable. Its truly a pity. Thats the only way to reduce your casualties. Zhujis breath didnt just kill all the beasts in the area-of-effect, it would also produce a large residual field of poison. Even before the poison could fully take effect, simple passage through the area was enough to kill most enemy creatures. The soldiers on Qianyes side would not have been able to catch their breath so quickly had this poison field not weakened the enemies. What the great shaman replied was: Dying on the battlefield is the fate of warriors while prey and food will help many more children grow up. Were willing to pay the price for this reward. He added after some thought, In the past, we never even dared to imagine we would get benefits out of sacrifice. Qianye was helpless against this horde of hungry wolves and could only nod. He felt heavy in his heart, but glancing at the great shaman, he really didnt know what kind of mood he should be in. It was already night by the time the cleanup was over. Most of the beast carcasses had been categorized and shipped to the rear. Here, tens of thousands of female and elderly werewolves had gathered to smoke the precious supply of meat and preserve it for the winter. After Qianye returned to the warship, Song Hui came to him with a pile of documents. I have good news and good news, which one do you want to hear first? Different types of good news? Qianye shrugged. Either. The results of the study are out. Most of the beasts possess a type of gland inside, probably its blood-producing organ. Eating it will allow one to resist the effects of the white mist. The tests show that any warrior with origin power can endure the effects of the peripheral mist and even last about half an hour in the depths. Its that effective? Song Hui explained, The mechanism should involve a change in the body after eating the gland, allowing them to adapt to the misty environment. Whats the other news? This physical change is temporary. In the limited time we had, we noticed the effects slowly deteriorating. At this rate, one ingestion might last for around ten days, and they will need to take it again afterward. Is this good news? Of course it is. This means that the change to the body isnt permanent. You have to know that permanent modifications arent a good thing. You might be able to adapt to the environment inside the mist, but what if you cant adapt to the environment here? It will affect cultivation. Qianye finally nodded. Fine, thats good news as well then. Qianye went straight to the equipment area after leaving the command room. There, he requested a new set of armor and began putting it on. Tell Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka to wait for me on the front lines. Oh right, have they eaten those things? Song Hui replied, All the high-ranking officers have eaten them. Qianyes movements froze. Whats going on? They want to follow you into the mist and scoop out the creatures nest. So, they all ate the glands after the results came out. You know these blood glands are everywhere on the battlefield. Qianye continued wearing his armor. This must not happen again in the future! Inform the generals to pick fifty thousand soldiers and prepare blood glands for them. Wait for me to return before launching the attack. Moments later, Qianye met up with Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka and led them into the depths of the misty region. Not long after entering, Xu Jingxuan glanced at the surroundings and then at himself. He took a deep breath, saying, How miraculous, I actually dont feel any pressure. Eiseka said thoughtfully, If its that effective, maybe we can find other methods. The three arrived before the wall of mist before Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka started to feel slight discomfort, albeit still bearable. Qianye stepped into the wall first, followed by the two. The space inside the wall of mist had narrowed significantly. The group walked out from the other side after traveling less than ten meters. This time, Qianye stepped through the screen swiftly and left no time for the creatures hiding behind it to attack. However, he discovered that there was not a single beast here. Xu Jingxuan and Eiseka emerged soon afterward, both of them stunned upon seeing the vast world. Having been here once, Qianye immediately glanced at the end of the valley. That high platform was still there, but it was no longer shrouded in mist and that six-armed creature was nowhere to be found. Qianye jumped into the valley and crouched down to observe the ground. There were neatly arranged craters all over the ground, and they were more or less the same size. The holes in the neighboring area were much larger. Apparently, the beasts that used to rest here were much bigger. These alien beasts would stop almost all of their vital functions while resting; their vitality was even lower than some of the hibernating animals in the Evernight World, so much so that they were no different from rocks. Their skin contained a thick corneal layer, covered by a hardened layer that could lock in moisture and prevent it from being drawn out by the surroundings. Qianye had seen a hundred-thousand-strong beast army resting in such a state. If they could keep up that condition for a long time, their supply requirements would be extremely small. After observing the resting area in the valley, Qianye gestured to Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan to go back and await orders. He then headed over to the stone platform himself. The valley was big, but Qianye moved swiftly and arrived before the stone platform in the blink of an eye. The platform was made up of stone blocks of various shapes and sizes. There was a type of inexplicable beauty in natural rocks being pieced together so neatly. There was no binding material between them, yet the rocks formed a perfect rectangle. Qianye jumped onto the stage and saw that the large stone chair was still there. From the side, one could see that the four-meter chair was built in the shape of the six-armed giant. Qianye circled around the platform but found no secret mechanism or door. He observed the stone chair and found that its surface was smooth. Its back, however, was decorated with several rows of unknown words and patterns. Apparently, this chair was frequently used, and the six-armed creature would frequently appear in this area. Now, however, there wasnt a single beast in the valley, and there was no trace of that six-armed creature. The environment here was weirdthe air was moist and cold, but the land was extremely arid. Qianye simply couldnt understand how this came to be. One thing was certain, most traces left behind by the living beings would be wiped away. Finding no clue around the platform, he jumped past it and began running toward the other end of the valley. He climbed up a hill a while later and found the scenery before him open up. What appeared before him was a barren world, with windswept stone pillars jutting out from the rugged landscape. The vegetation was largely made up of shrubs and cacti, their thorns shining with a metallic glow. There were several giant trees over the distant horizon. From what he could see, Qianye guessed that these trees were close to a thousand meters tall and almost a hundred meters in diameter. Each of their leaves was likely the size of a dining table. This world was oddly quiet, and there was no sign of life within his vision. It was almost impossible to imagine that the two beast hordes had originated from this place. Taking a deep breath, Qianye spread his senses to the surroundings. The origin power here was chaotic, turbid, and contained an abnormal ratio of daybreak origin power. The only problem was that it was too violent, akin to burning coal. Ordinary people might die of burned innards. Chapter 1254: Boundless Possibilities Darkness origin power was the foundation of this worldits soil and building blocks. Daybreak origin power was so scorching that a world built on it would be filled with light and fire; no creature would survive on it. Yet not only did this new world before Qianye exist, but it was also fairly stable. The creatures of this realm had adapted to the laws here. The only bad thing about it was how barren it was. Just as Qianye was thinking, he accidentally kicked a fist-sized rock and sent it rolling down the cliff. Qianye noticed a sudden flash of gold as he watched it fall. Remembering something, his figure flickered to the base of the mountain, where he picked up the rock to study it. It looked fairly ordinary except for some dark golden specks, a bit similar to cut metal. Qianye slashed the stone into two with East Peak and found that the cut surface possessed similar specks. This was probably a dark golden sandstone. It could be refined into various rare metals and was a necessary component of many high-quality alloys. The price of dark golden sandstone had always been sky-highjust the raw ore was more expensive than gold. Qianye tossed the ore in his hand and picked up another random rock near his feet. It was dark golden sandstone as well. He managed to find five or six of these ores in this tiny area. It would seem there were countless such ores in the wilderness. There were also other types of rocks that Qianye did not recognize. All he could say from the metallic glint and speckles was that they were probably some type of ore and not ordinary stones. These never-seen-before minerals might not have any use, or they might also be priceless resources. Qianye stood up and looked at his surroundings. This time, he didnt feel that the place was barren anymore. There seemed to be boundless possibilities hidden beneath the unconventional surface. A new world came with endless opportunities, but Qianye couldnt help but think one step deeper. The heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs had been exploring the void for hundreds if not thousands of years, with no tangible developments. Even the three supremes on the Sacred Mountain rarely produced results. To these experts at the apex of the world, the attraction of exploring the secrets of this world was not inferior to struggling for power. However, exploring the outside of this world wasnt that easy. Everyone could look up and see the small asteroid belt at the peak of the world, but the fall of the Void Valley Star and its subsequent destruction of the continents reminded people of how minuscule they were. An elephant might not take notice of a passing ant, but an approaching lion would anger it. The new worlds appearance provided yet another opportunity for experts to explore the realm beyond this Evernight World. Qianye also wanted to understand the operations of this unconventional world. He glanced into the distance but didnt go deeper in. Instead, he did a quick exploration of the area and confirmed that this was an area rich in dark golden sandstone. He picked a pile of these rocks and placed them in Andruils space before returning with Eiseka and Xu Jingxuan. Once outside, Qianye immediately boarded a high-speed corvette and returned to Expansive. This city, as well as the Eastern Sun Island, had become a gathering place for aristocratic families. The easiest way to negotiate with them was to go there. Not long after Qianye set out, the Martyrs Palace slowly rose into the air and turned toward the Fort Continent. The current dragonship was different from before. There were no more open spaces on its bodythe outside was fully covered in armor plates, and neat rows of cannons lined the sides. Although it was not as crazy as Qianyes dream of installing a hundred battleship cannons, it could easily suppress an Imperial mothership at the moment. The important parts of the vessel were covered in reinforced armor plates, and the tail part was fitted with spiked armor for both attack and defense. The kinetic sails on its back werent full just yet, but the airship was already much faster at sixty percent capacity. The ten high-output engines on the airship could provide a basic level of acceleration, more than that of cargo ships at least. The current dragonship was mighty, but the work involved in its modification was also shocking. The first three days Bluemoon promised was far from enough, and it dragged out several days longer before completion. The Martyrs Palace would head for Fort Continent immediately after its completion and guard the door there. Even considering its firepower and Caroline at the helm, Qianye only felt relieved after adding a hundred-thousand-strong army to the lineup. As the dragonship drove away from the Northern Continent and over the Eastern Sea, a pair of mysterious eyes opened in its depths. Sensing the entitys gaze upon it, the Earth Dragon came to a stop. It lowered its head toward the water and met the colossus gaze for several seconds. No one knew what messages they exchanged during that period, but after a while, the pair of eyes in the sea slowly closed back and the Earth Dragon continued on its flight toward Fort Continent. News of Qianyes return spread throughout the entire city of Expansive. This was Zhengs center of smelting and forging industries, so all the aristocratic family representatives dispatched from the Empire decided to pick this place as their base and not the military base that was the Western Fortress. Most of the sorting equipment was large and heavy. Bringing them over from the Empire wasnt a very practical move, so the best way was to utilize local resources. Hence, the first task for the technicians dispatched by the aristocratic families was to test the facilities and workshops in Expansive. They were to assess what kind of modifications would need to be made. Most of the forces headed for Eastern Sun Island were scouting parties as the environment there was likely to produce rare ores. The moment Qianye arrived in Expansive, he immediately summoned all of the representatives. Before long, a dozen or so people had gathered before Qianye and taken their seats in the meeting room. He didnt make everyone wait for very long before placing a piece of ore on the table. Dark golden sandstone! A series of surprised gasps echoed through the room. The dispatched managers possessed much more experience than Qianye in this regard. He was only familiar with the materials he had seen on the Imperial map and knew a bit about their special characteristics. In the end, he needed a final confirmation from a specialist to be sure. These managers were able to tell most of an ores type and composition just by looking at it. Everyone took turns observing the ore before putting it back on the table. An elderly man said while stroking his beard, This dark golden sandstone is of the highest quality, one that I have never seen before in my life. If my judgment isnt wrong, this ore should be able to produce twice the minerals when refined. The old man was a famous specialist in the Empire, so no one doubted his appraisal. Everyones fiery eyes fell upon Qianye. Qianye picked up two boxes and opened them up on the table. The entire meeting room erupted in a commotion because they were full of dark golden sandstone! These two boxes were worth one division of equipment each. Each of your families has expressed their sincerity before coming to Fort Continent, as well as the trust and support that I needed. Consider one of these boxes as my repayment for this year, distribute them according to the ratio of contributions. Everyone became spirited. At first, the provision of supplies and troops could be considered a long term investment for each family. They would reap the corresponding rewards when Qianyes grand plans came to fruition. Most of those at the scene were small to medium-sized families. Most of them were looking toward the future, hoping to form a good relationship with this expert and his boundless future prospects. Who wouldve thought they would be repaid so soon? They hadnt even warmed their seats yet when their rewards had arrived. One crate wasnt a big amount after dividing it amongst all investors, but it wasnt a small amount, either. The value of rare ores couldnt be measured with gold coins alone. The important thing was the meaning behind these oresit meant that Qianye had likely grasped an ore vein. After the crowd had quieted down, Qianye said, Ill be honest, these are troubled times. I will be facing a big battle in the near future. The amount of weapons and armor in my possession are far from enough. I hope everyone can help me in this regard. Consider this other box a form of downpayment, there will be more by the time the armaments arrive. The message in Qianyes words excited everyone. One of them tried to probe, Sire, how much more will you have? Qianye replied with a smile, It wont be a small amount. It was enough at this point. Everyone began calculating the resources their families could provide and produced an equipment list. Qianye looked through the documents in detailhe would ask more of the equipment he needed urgently while striking off the ones he didnt need. He was finally done with the lists by dinner time. Before him was a set of equipment for fifty thousand more soldiers. The standard of equipment for the Jade Sea werewolves was much lower, namely some armor plates to cover their vitals. A standard set of human gear was enough to modify into three sets of werewolf armor. This batch was what he could obtain right away. If he could expand the timeline, they would be able to provide even more. Some of them had even suggested opening up more factories for him specifically. This outcome was even better than Qianye had expected. It would seem the price of this dark golden sandstone was higher than his estimations. The early show of rewards was like injecting them with a stimulant; everyone was fighting to invest more. It would take some time to send word back and ship the gear over. Fortunately, Qianye held a large werewolf force that had undergone initial training, so he didnt really need soldiers. And with fifteen thousand private army elites defending the eastern side, Zheng would not win even if they fielded an army of a hundred thousand soldiers. After dealing with the equipment, Qianye made ready to return to the front lines. Although he had already entered the door and made sure that there were no new beasts, he wasnt too certain about his judgment. The laws of the new world were too strange, and no one could say for sure where these beasts had come from. A large beast horde might just charge out at a moments notice, so he couldnt be careless. Chapter 1255: First Step of the Journey The first part was made up of battle reports from the Qin and other major continents. Although there wasnt a lot in terms of writing, one could make out how fierce the battle was in the Empire. Zhao Jundu held two army corps under his command and had constructed defensive structures in advance. Even then, the casualties over the course of two big battles numbered over thirty thousand. Eliminating over three hundred thousand beasts with an army of a hundred thousand and losing only thirty thousand soldiers in the process, this could be considered a great victory. Then again, they had Zhao Jundu and Song Zining holding the line, as well as several months of advance-preparations. If this was the result even after all that, how bad would the situation on other continents be? The last part was a summary of battle reports from the Western and Transcendent Continents. The Western Continent fared relatively better with the Fire Beacon Corps and the Northern Legion holding the line, as well as the dark race sharing the burden. In the end, they managed to destroy the beast army with less than fifty thousand total deaths. The Transcendent Continent, on the other hand, was an absolute disaster. The beast army had pinned down the coalition of aristocratic families at the heart of the continent while sending smaller squads to destroy the garrisons in other regions. The situation on Transcendent was crumbling. All the major aristocratic families, including the Nangong, were barely hanging on. Most of the Nangong familys core territories had been lost, and no one knew what the beast-infested areas were like right now, or if there was any life left. The nobles constricted their defensive line while transferring back their private soldiers from outside posts. The Empire could not sit by and watch the continent descend into chaos. Two army corps had been dispatched to provide reinforcements. Judging from the intensity of the battles on the Qin and Western Continents, this troop strength should be enough to help the local private armies eliminate the bestial invaders. Hopefully, all was not too late. These doors appeared on the void continent as well, but the number of beasts was much smaller than on the mainland. The war had just ended on the island, so the troops and defensive structures there were fully operational. The beast army was swept clean in a very short time. The reports finally concluded that during the early phases of the appearance of these doors, the communication channels between the Empires continents were disrupted at much greater frequencies. This resulted in a lag in the Empires internal response and was very likely the dark races doing. At this point, Qianye paused to think for a moment. From the timing, the dark races attack was extremely clever and lethal. As a part of the Empires core territory, the fall of the Transcendent Continent was a major blow to their strength. It would likely take decades to rebuild and recover. To have come up with such a plan, it would seem that the dark races knew much more about the new world than the humans did. That was how they were able to borrow the beast armys hand to deal such a heavy blow. Qianye had unexpectedly managed to subdue the werewolves on the Fort Continent, obtaining hundreds of thousands of soldiers within a short time span. It just so happened that a numerical advantage was necessary to beat the army of beasts. This allowed Qianye to eliminate the two waves of invaders with relatively small casualties. The dark races would never have imagined this outcome, nor did the Empire. Even Qianye himself felt that his luck wasnt so bad this time. If the door hadnt appeared in the blessed land, which was closely related to the werewolves food supply, Qianye wouldnt have been informed as quickly or gone inside to investigate. If the door had appeared in some obscure corner of the continent, they would only realize the danger when the beast army was truly bearing down upon them. Following the battle reports was the Empires analysis of the doors. Naturally, the study was conducted on the Qin Continent. The Imperial research team practically moved to Zhao Jundus fortress. The scientists were already studying the beasts anatomy while battles raged on at the front lines. Once Zhao Jundu and Song Zining had wiped out the enemy, the old men of the research team charged into the mist to study the door despite the potential danger. Most of these old men were masters of their craft and also fairly advanced in cultivation-rank. Their concentrated efforts produced results in just a few days. The final result was that these doors were structurally stable. They were not permanent passages to the new world, but they could not be closed, either. Soldiers ingesting the blood glands and other blood-producing organs would be able to adapt to the new world for a short period of time. Their strength wouldnt be suppressed significantly once inside. As an emergency measure, they could also drink the alien beasts blood to achieve the same effect. The research team would proceed to analyze the composition of their blood and attempt to develop a means of entry. Zhao Jundu had already picked a group of soldiers to ingest the beast blood gland and use it to explore the new world. He also added that Song Zining was to lead this unit. Qianye closed the letter and put it away. Then, after making arrangements for the transfer of armaments, he rushed back to the front lines at the blessed land. Back on the airship, Qianye was lost in thoughts as he gazed at the scenery flying past him. After taking into consideration the present situation and Zhao Jundus report, Qianye decided to hasten his exploration efforts. The door on the Fort Continent side was gradually stabilizing, and the barrier that was behind it had completely disappeared. During the second exploration, Qianye could feel that the environment within was no longer as difficult to adapt to. It would seem that the two connected worlds were slowly reaching an equilibrium of sorts. There were dozens of connecting points between the new world and the Evernight World. These doors were opened by the Evernight Council, so the dark races were already well-prepared for what was to come. Judging from the battles on the Western Continent, the dark race lineup on the other side of the door was several times that of normal. They couldnt have just arrived on short notice. Thinking back now, the dark races had been mobilizing a large number of forces when news of the new world had just appeared. Apparently, their aim wasnt to change garrison or reinforce their territories, but to deal with the beast army. These soldiers had probably entered the new world to begin exploring after eliminating the beast army. The Empire was one step late in this regard. After the victory on the void continent, the battle-worn Imperial army was in dire need of rest and reorganization. Not only did the Empire swap out a large part of its forces as per routine, but they also allowed many veterans to retire. These soldiers had already gone back home by now, so recruiting them again would not only take a lot of money but also a lot of time. With the addition of the void continent, the Empires scope of defense had increased. However, there were no increased recruitments going on, which meant that there was no increase in total troop-strength. It was easy to imagine how short they would be in mobile reserves. Even if they could recruit new soldiers in such a short period, training would take several months or even up to half a year. There simply wasnt enough time. The only thing they could do to effectively increase their military power was to requisition private troops from the nobility. The price involved was fairly highthey would need to offer sufficient remuneration, similar to hiring mercenaries. Not to conscript private armies without good reason was an ironclad rule laid down between the founding ancestor and the major clans. This was to prevent the Imperial clan from encroaching upon the interests of the aristocracy and ensure the integrity of the Great Qins governing system. At present, the Transcendent Continent was in utter disarrayalmost half of the aristocratic families military power remained scattered outside the defensive line, and the beasts were splitting off to wear these forces down. Fortunately, the Nangong family reacted quickly by abandoning their territory and concentrating all of their forces in the central region. By working with the other families, they managed to retain a good part of their fighting power. From this analysis, the Empire had precious little reserves to spare for the exploration of the new world. Even Zhao Weihuang of the Western Continent could not move. Although he had two legions under his command, the dark race forces on the other side had grown exponentially. This placed him at a disadvantage. He couldnt explore the new world under the Evernight armys watch. Otherwise, he would never be able to return if they were to block the entrance. The situation on the void continent was similar. Its location between the middle and upper continents made it the first line of defense facing the core regions of Evernight. They had gone to great lengths to conquer the place and hadnt even developed it yet. Diverting the defense forces to exploration would leave the place at risk of an enemy surprise attack. The gains couldnt justify the potential losses. All in all, the forces that could head in immediately for exploration were Zhao Jundu and Qianyes armies. Dozens of doors meant dozens of connections. From the present circumstances, it would seem that the doors led to different parts of the new world. It was just that no one knew how far they were from one another. Probability-wise, they were both more likely to run into the dark race armies after going into the new world. This was perhaps good news because the alien origin power of the new world would affect the experts origin power. Those with pure origin power and powerful bloodlines would be less affected. The quality of Qianyes bloodline had once again seen an upgrade following the werewolves ceremony. There were few in the entire Evernight with a stronger bloodline than his. The new world had little effect on Qianyes fighting power, but the same couldnt be said for other experts. Just as he was lost in thought, the airship began to descend with a jolt. He could already see the misty region through the cabin windows. It would seem they had arrived at their destination. As the airship came to a steady stop and Qianye walked out, he saw a giant shadow flying overhead. It was the Earth Dragons massive body drifting slowly through the air. Its posture was relaxed and poetic, swinging its tail from time to time as it circled above the frontlines. Qianye didnt board the jeep that had come to pick him up. He only gave them some instructions before flying up to the Martyrs Palace. Caroline was waiting for him. Youre here! Look at the modifications, what do you think? Qianye knew the airship inside out because of his connection to the Earth Dragons will. However, that did little to dampen his surprise after seeing it in person. The current Martyrs Palace was like a small city. It was so big that one could hardly find the hundreds of crew members, technicians, and soldiers on board. The two divine champions spent quite some time just taking a stroll around the airships interior. Qianye was naturally satisfied with the Martyr Palace and its modifications. The current dragonship could easily take on a sub-fleet. With this massive weapon in hand, he had no fear of anyoneon the Fort Continent at least. Chapter 1256: Crystal Mutation The first thing Qianye did after sending the ill soldiers back to the rear wasnt a rushed exploration. Instead, he ordered the military engineers to build defensive structures on the hill in front of the valley and guard the door firmly. On the other hand, he sent out dozens of small scouting parties in each direction and had them draw up a map. This would make it easier for him to grasp the surrounding movements. Qianye and Caroline also made preparations to explore deeper into the region. The stone platform in the valley remained unchanged; it was just a pile of rocks at a glance. Crossing over the valley brought them to the area of dark golden sandstones. Caroline couldnt remain calm, either, after seeing the raw ore. After a simple survey, Caroline believed that this place was an ore vein, and it was so shallow that the ores were visible on the surface. Such bountiful deposits were only heard of in legends describing the upper continents of Evernight, all of them core regions of the four major dark races. Who wouldve thought they would see something like this right at the door of this world? One could easily imagine how fierce the fight for land here would be. Qianye wasnt really focusing on the ore veins since he was attempting to fly at the moment. After several attempts, he finally got used to the flow of origin power in this new world and wobbled into the air. From above, the giant pillars in the distance caught his attention. Those structures were hundreds of meters tall, and despite their windswept exterior, they evidently looked man-made. A shade of blue-green appeared far off over the horizon. According to the Empires research, the beasts diet contained a large number of metallic elements. If this was a common occurrence, the plants of the new world would be dark green, blue, or dark red in color. The distance was hard to gauge, either, due to the great distance or his vision turning blurry. All he could say was that it looked like a forest. The presence of a forest meant the presence of living things. They might run into a large number of beasts again at that point. While he was observing the land, Caroline had also adapted to the circulation of origin power and managed to fly to his side. Qianye pointed at the distant stone pillars. Lets go over there and see. Okay. The appearance of this pillar was even more impactful at close upits diameter was over ten meters, with cracks and gaps over its surface. Clearly, it was formed of cut stone, but these rocks were several meters in size and dozens of tons in weight. How did they manage to lift them up? Qianye flew around the pillar and up to the top, but he found nothing special. After some thought, he dug out a piece of the stone, but there was nothing special about that, either. He went around the other pillars as well and found that they were all the same. Caroline placed a hand on the stone pillar and sensed the interior briefly. Did you find anything? No. This pillar is wet. Qianye grabbed a piece of stone from the pillar and studied it in detail. The external surface of the rock was dry, but there was a bit of moisture inside. After sensing further, Caroline came to a conclusion. This pillar is absorbing moisture and origin power from its surroundings, maybe other things as well. The air in this world was moist, but everything else was dry because the origin power here would absorb moisture. This stone pillar could actually draw both moisture and origin power from the atmosphere. Qianye thrust East Peak into the pillar, all the way to its hilt. Then, with a twist of his wrist, he pulled out a piece of the pillars core. There was nothing special about the stony material itself, but through the hole, Qianyes True Sight could make out origin power flowing up and down the pillar. Qianye landed at the base of the pillar. Lets try digging downward. The digging process was extremely fast with Caroline and Qianye working together. The ground sank deeper and deeper until they were dozens of meters below the surface. In a flash of blue light, a cluster of light blue crystals appeared before them. This cluster was only the size of an arm and half-buried in the stone pillar, seemingly growing from it. Qianyes ears started to ring the moment this crystal appeared, almost like the sharp buzz of bees. Caroline crouched down and studied the crystal carefully. Is this a condensation of the new worlds origin power? There was a smokey fluid circulating within the magnificent crystal. One could feel the intensity of its aura even through the crystalline container. Apparently, the smoke within was an extremely condensed form of the new worlds origin power. Sensing something, Qianye pulled Caroline up. Somethings coming. The two flew up to the top of the pillar in a flash. Dozens of beasts were charging over in a cloud of rolling dust, made up of various sizes and species. After arriving at the base of the pillar and seeing the crystal, they pounced madly into the hole. The first beast had just arrived at the opening when it was bitten on the hind leg and flung out. This bite was so powerful that it broke the first creatures leg. The others went wild at the sight of their injured companion, swarming over and tearing it into pieces. The sight of blood caused the entire group to become restless, so much so that they began killing one another. By the time the fight was over, the dead and injured were strewn across the ground. Only the most powerful one remained alive, but it was also covered in wounds. This beast was like a lion, but it had six legs and a strong tail with bone spikes growing from it. At several meters tall, it was already a giant beast by Evernight standards. Yet, it was only a medium-sized member of the beast horde. It jumped into the pit, bit the crystalline cluster into pieces, and swallowed it. The beast staggered like a drunkard afterward and barely managed to climb out of the hole. It then collapsed before taking the first step and began grunting in pain. The beasts body bulged up and squirmed about, almost as though there were numerous little beasts crawling within its body. In the blink of an eye, the creatures skin split open, and one bone spur after the other shot out from within. Scales flipped open all over its skin, causing the creature to bleed all over. This change also brought about a change in the creatures body size, only stopping when it was quite a bit larger than before. It barely managed to clamber up and began devouring the nearby beast corpses. The beast began to grow rows upon rows of bone spikes all over its body. Its back, legs, and vitals were now covered in scales, which improved its defenses to a new level. After the changes in its body had stabilized, the creature looked up at Qianye and Caroline atop the pillar. This time, its eyes were filled with clear emotion. If it was just a wild beast acting on instinct before, it had now turned into an intelligent creature. Qianye was surprised as he observed the changes. So this is how the officers from the beast army appear. The various types of beasts in the horde not only had their own roles, but were also split into strict ranks. Some of them were larger, more powerful, and even looked different. This type of six-legged creature was both strong and swift, the core of the ground attack force. Their officers were the scaled, six-legged creatures with bone spikes, just like this one. The creature looked up at Qianye for a while before slowly backing off and running away. Qianye wasnt about to let it escape. He arrived in the creatures path in a flash and swung East Peak down on its back. This attack came at lightning speed, leaving no room for the beast to dodge before it was slammed into the ground. Qianye had only used the back of his sword because he wanted to try subduing this intelligent creature. However, the beast kept struggling despite the overwhelming difference in power and seemed to have no intention of giving up. After a brief deadlock, Qianye broke its neck reluctantly. The two returned to the pillar and began digging again. As expected, they found more clusters of crystals. Some of them were pretty small and had just emerged from the pillar. After examining them, Qianye carefully removed the three biggest clusters and placed them in Andruils space. These crystals could activate the wild beasts intelligence, so they were definitely not ordinary objects. Qianye decided to send these to Zhao Jundu and have the Empire study them. It was at this time that a small movement appeared in a corner of Andruils space. This soon developed into waves of intense fluctuations that attacked Qianyes consciousness. Startled, Qianye scanned the location with his consciousness, but he had to think pretty hard to recall what that little rock-like thing was. That was a tiny female bug he had picked up inside the Great Maelstrom. He had never touched it since he stored the little creature, and it had been sleeping soundly in there ever since. Who wouldve thought it would wake up all of a sudden? Qianye retrieved the female bug, but the little critter attacked him immediately after appearing. It wasnt big, but its bite was shockingly powerful, breaking Qianyes skin in one chomp. Not expecting the little critter to be so powerful, Qianye loosened his grip from the pain. The little insect flew out and made a beeline for the stone pillar below, where it began biting off the crystal in large mouthfuls. That firm crystalline substance was like candy to the little bug, who ate everything up amidst crackling sounds. In the blink of an eye, it had devoured a piece of crystal that was larger than its own body. No one knew how its stomach was structured to be able to fit all that food. After eating up the crystal, the insect spat out a large amount of white silk and wrapped itself in a cocoon. Qianye looked up at Caroline with a wry smile. The latter was dumbfounded at this point. She never imagined Qianyes storage space could carry living creatures. After a brief discussion, the two decided not to touch the cocoon and simply wait for further developments. Having witnessed the previous beasts transformation, it could be assumed that this little critter wouldnt take very long. Before long, the cocoon was torn apart, and out came a giant armored-insect the size of ones arm. Unfurling two pairs of wings from its back armor, it took to the air and dived toward Qianye! A shocked Caroline was just about to intercept the insect with her whip when Qianye stopped her. This delay gave the insect enough time to arrive at its destination! However, the critter didnt bite Qianye. Instead, it climbed onto Qianyes shoulder and stopped there, touching Qianye intimately with its feelers. Caroline was surprised. Is it because it drank your blood? Might be. My bloodline is special, and its intelligence has been activated, so I think it considers me family now. This little fellow looks pretty impressive, but we dont know how powerful it is. Caroline glanced at the insect but didnt dare touch it. She was, after all, a girl and large insects were a fairly upsetting sight. Seemingly understanding Carolines words, the little insect began to squeal and squeak. It soared into the air and charged at one of the beast corpses, ramming in through its head and coming out from the other side. The entire process was like shooting the carcass in the head with a large caliber origin gun. Chapter 1257: First Battle Stinger, Ill call you Stinger from now on. The insect let out a long squeal, apparently quite delighted at the name. It wouldnt stop rubbing Qianyes neck while combing its long antennae. Caroline said, It actually uses origin power! Qianye thought back to the scene and recalled that the bugs body was covered in a layer of origin power when it shot into the dead beasts head. This was the only way it could erupt with such penetrating power. It was special, to begin with. Qianye wasnt surprised because many beasts from the Evernight World could utilize origin power, the void colossi being the top existences in that list. No other race could even come close to their prowess. No, you dont understand what I meant. What Im saying is that it can use the origin power here, just like the other creatures. Qianye flicked the insect lightly with his finger and sensed the vibrations coming from it, concluding that what Caroline said was true. Even experts of their level had to learn to adapt to the new environment and slowly grasp how to utilize the special origin power. Stinger, however, was able to utilize origin power instinctively and was at a completely different skill level. Perhaps its because it evolved here? Maybe. Caroline wasnt sure, either. The two felt differently about the blue crystal after returning to the pillar. Could it be that these crystals can make lifeforms evolve, regardless of whether they are from this world? If that is the case, those dark races will go crazy over it, Qianye replied. Its not just the dark races, maybe it works on humans, too. If even your bug can do it, why cant humans? Stinger let out a short cry of dissatisfaction. Qianye patted it with a chuckle. He has a name now, its Stinger. Stinger cheered in agreement. Naturally, Caroline wouldnt argue with an insect. Regardless, we need to confirm the uses of this crystal. It might be one of the reasons the Evernight Council is so intent on opening this new world. How? Easy, just do it the way you did with the blood glands. That was direct experimentation. Qianye frowned slightly but nodded in the end. Being humane became secondary in the face of the greater good. Qianye glanced at the stone pillars in the area with complicated emotions. Each of these structures held several keys that would push a life form to a higher level. This might not be significant for ordinary creaturestheir starting point was too low, so the upgrade wasnt significant, either. For intelligent species like the four major dark races and humans, this opportunity might drive everyone crazy. Very well. Qianye and Caroline soared into the air and flew toward the forest at an altitude of ten meters. They saw no more pillars along the way, which went to show that these structures only existed in certain regions. There were shrubs on the ground, as well as rocks glowing with a strange luster. Qianye could tell at a glance that these stones contained some special ore, but he didnt stop to observe them. Mining wasnt their primary objective right nowthe ore veins here were extremely shallow, but they lacked the expertise to differentiate between them. The most important business was to protect these resources by scouting out the surrounding area. The best scenario would be to find out the beast armys movements. The two flew faster and faster until the forest was before them. Qianye was in no rush to enter the woods. Instead, he flew up to a height of several hundred meters and observed his surroundings. At several dozen kilometers in diameter, this forest couldnt be considered big. Yet, it stood out quite a bit against the backdrop of barren wastelands around it. Qianye flew back down after memorizing the scenery and began exploring the forest. The woods contained a range of different vegetation. Some of the species were fairly similar, but they seemed to be two different generations of breeds. Most of the plants here had blue leaves, while some had red foliage. Their crowns were extraordinarily dense, with leaves weaving together to form a large roof. Qianye landed on the ground and slowly walked into the forest. The woods were dark and gloomy, but it felt like he had entered a new world. Stinger arched its body and began crying out restlessly. Qianye also felt a sense of unease, so he produced East Peak and held it at the ready before heading deeper into the forest. He was heading toward the source of that uneasiness. Caroline followed from a couple of steps behind to guard Qianyes rear. The forest was so dark it almost seemed like there was no daylight. What little luminescence there was came from some of the plants and moss. There was almost no life in the utter silenceno beasts, no birds, not even insects. The forest wasnt that big. Even though every direction looked the same, Qianye was able to arrive at the center of the forest just from memory. There, a strange giant tree appeared before him. This tree wasnt very tall, almost the same size as the other ones, but it was extremely thick. The diameter of the tree itself was several dozen meters, and it almost looked like a giant water barrel from afar. The leaves clustered at the top almost gave it a mushroom-like appearance. There was a small pond of pink water near the roots, the contents of which seemed to originate from the burls on the tree. Some of these burls had burst open, and the pink fluid was flowing down into the pond below. Qianye arrived under the tree and, after a period of cautious exploration, cupped some of the liquid to sniff. It smells like beast blood. Carolines constitution was special, and she was even boldershe wet her fingers in the pink liquid and tasted it. Very similar, tastes more like their blood gland. Will drinking this spring water have the same effect? Gotta try it to know. Qianye was gazing at the giant tree, pondering what role it played in this new world, when he felt a chill run down his spine! Without a second thought, his figure flickered into the air a hundred meters away. A faint glow shot through his previous position, digging a deep furrow through the giant tree as it brushed past. A large amount of tree sap surged out from the new defectthe pink fluid looked just like the water in the pond. The assailant failed to hit Qianye and injured the giant tree instead. A furious howl echoed through the forest as that six-armed creature Qianye had seen on the stone platform appeared from the trees. He was equipped with five different weapons in each hand, leaving only one free. Qianye landed slowly, sticking to the tree as he did so. The furious six-armed creature swung its weapons about and roared loudly in a show of force. However, it did not come forward. Even Caroline had figured out that the six-armed giant was afraid of accidentally hurting the giant tree again. Qianye shot a glance at her and made a gesture, to which she nodded. As expected, the giant also took a step back when Qianye stepped away from the tree. His expression also relaxed and was no longer as agitated. Shall we fight outside? Qianye pointed to the outside of the forest. Very good. Unexpectedly, the six-armed creature could actually speak the Imperial language. Although his accent was choppy and strange, he could still articulate. You first. The six-armed creature turned about and walked out of the forest to wait for Qianye. Qianye followed him out of the woods, but he didnt attack immediately. Who are you people? Why do you come to our world? The six-armed creature only spoke one sentence, You all, must, die! It looked like he had no intention of exchanging conversations with Qianye. The long, sawtooth blades in his hands swung down toward Qianye! The slash came at unbelievable speeds. All one could see was him raising his arm, and the blades were in Qianyes face the very next moment! There werent any afterimages, either. It was almost as though his arms had teleported. Qianyes figure sank as he blocked one of the blades with East Peak and utilized the impact to move to the side, effectively evading the next attack. He had just dodged the first attacks when two more blades swung toward him! Qianye simply placed East Peak horizontally in front of him to block the assault. Sparks flew in all directions from the clash of force! Qianye was jolted back over ten meters, his feet digging deep trenches in the process. The six-armed giant didnt have it easy, either. His two swords were knocked upward from the impact, dragging him backward with them. Those arms were no longer as nimble all of a sudden. Qianyes countenance went pale, and a fishy scent welled up in his mouth. The six-armed creature arrived in large strides before he could recover, swinging his five weapons tempestuously. Qianyes joints crackled as he grasped East Peak under the effects of Excavator. He would block at times or apply skillful techniques to remain on par with the six-armed creature. However, the entity possessed an extremely strong physique. Each of his blows was a simple attack that served to overwhelm the opponent with pure speed and power. Each blow felt like being rammed into by a colossus, leaving Qianye in great discomfort. Although he could still fight shoulder-to-shoulder at the moment, Excavator wasnt going to last very long. Once the effects of the secret art had worn off, Qianye would no doubt fall into a disadvantage. Suppressing Qianye proved how terrifying the creature was. An ordinary divine champion would hardly last a few minutes before it. Qianye wasnt panicked, though, and stood firm against his opponent. Qianyes strength weakened soon afterward as Excavator reached its limits. Every strike shook his body and caused him to stagger. Seeing hope of imminent victory, the six-armed giant raised his five blades with a loud roar. He was ready to deliver a powerful blow and end this annoying creature! Charging up that last strike happened almost instantaneously. His five blades came swinging down as soon as they reached the highest point! This strike was so fast and furious that it didnt look like Qianye would be able to take it. It was at this time that muffled thuds erupted from the depths of the forest, almost as though someone was chopping wood with all their might. The six-armed creatures expression shifted drastically. Following a furious scream, the trajectory of his five blades suddenly became chaotic and moved in different directions. It was only natural that a lousy attack like that wouldnt hit Qianye. On the contrary, the disruption in energy flow injured him quite a bit. Ignoring everything else, the six-armed giant abandoned Qianye and rushed into the depths of the forest. He was fast, but Qianye was even faster! A single Spatial Flash took him above the six-armed creature. A black feather shot out and disappeared into the back of the creatures neck! The six-armed giants body kept charging forward. He was now like a vehicle that had gone out of control, crashing into several trees in his wake. Two more Shots of Inception appeared at this point and found their target. The creature barreled forward for several hundred meters, mowing down countless trees before finally collapsing with a boom. Chapter 1258: Proclaim King? Caroline charged out from the depths of the forest. Seeing the immobile six-armed creature, she said in surprise, Youve killed it already? Qianye kept his eyes closed and said feebly, It went a bit better than expected. Our plan was to force him to retreat, wasnt it? Qianye had no strength left to speak, so he merely nodded. You rest first, Ill examine that fellow. Caroline put away her whip and axe before walking toward the corpse. The six-armed creatures body was huge. Caroline removed some small trinkets from the body and put them away after taking a look at them. She then returned to Qianye with one of the creatures swords. Qianye had finally caught his breath after some rest. He took the six-armed creatures blade to study itthe sword was three meters long and probably several tons in weight. Qianye could only say that the special material was made up of stone and metal which had been blended perfectly into one. The blades serrated edge wasnt especially sharp, but its weight, material, and the strength of that six-armed creature made it an invincible weapon. Perhaps only Qianyes current East Peak could go toe-to-toe with it. If East Peak hadnt been upgraded in the Great Maelstrom, it would probably have been damaged beyond recognition by now. Qianye said after some thought, Lets bring this back. Okay, I''ll carry it. As a divine champion, carrying a few tons wasnt a problem for her. Hows that tree doing? I chopped out quite a few defects, but I didnt focus on a single point, lest I really kill it. Lets go and take a look. Caroline pulled Qianye up and flew him to the giant tree. There were numerous axe marks on the trunk, some of which were fairly deep and pouring tree sap into the pond below. For some reason, the tree was giving off a feeling of listlessness, almost like a wounded animal. A terrified emotion erupted from the tree when Caroline appeared and the trunk actually leaned away from her, hoping to escape. Caroline said, I didnt chop very hard at first, but I later discovered that it wasnt enough to draw that bastard in. So, I gave it some fierce blows until it was howling. Qianye said in surprise, It can talk? No, Caroline said after some thought, its a voice from the consciousness. Qianye glanced at the giant tree before filling a bottle with its tree sap. Its about time, lets go back first. Okay. The two explored the area for a bit more before heading back to the door. In the face of a very real threat to their lives, neither the werewolves nor the humans feared tiredness. Everyone was working with all their might. Under Xu Jingxuans management, the weaker soldiers and those who couldnt adapt to the environment were transferred to the other side of the door. A new batch was then transferred in. Everyone knew that stronger defenses would give them better chances of survival against the beast horde. Once the framework was completed, resources were shipped in continuously and stored in the warehouse. A battlefield hospital was also set up to treat potential injuries and people who could not adapt to the surroundings. By the time Qianye returned, the scouts they had sent out were also coming back one after the other. However, some routes had gone missing. Qianye returned to the Jade Sea at first and ordered the men to urgently ship the six-armed creatures sword, trinkets, and some of the tree sap to the Qin Continent. They were to hand everything to Zhao Jundu. He then arranged for some werewolf slaves and death row prisoners to test different doses of the tree sap. Then, they were shipped off into the new world half a day later. Most of those who had drunk the sap were able to move freely inside the new world. Only some of them showed signs of discomfort and were sent back out. This proved that those who had taken the tree sap could adapt to the new world much better than those who had ingested beast blood. The world behind the door remained cold and quiet, with no signs of beast activity. Thus, the beast blood-glands became a bottleneck for the armies entering the new world. They would undoubtedly fall into a passive position if they had to wait for the beast army to appear. Now, with this tree sap, this problem could be easily solved. However, they would have to grasp the dosage carefully in order to prevent damage to the big tree. That pond of tree sap near the tree was already enough for tens of thousands of soldiers. This was an unexpected reward, but Qianye wasnt given any time to feel happy. Xu Jingxuan arrived hurriedly and said, Sire, four routes did not return. Qianye raised his brows. Which direction? Xu Jingxuan passed him a map. This is the map we drew after collecting all the information. Taking the noon sun as the south, these four routes were all headed in the southeast. The map contained different geographical featuresthere were rising hills, a dried-up river, and some ruins. The most eye-catching landmarks were the stone pillars and forest Qianye and Caroline had discovered. From the map, the other scouting parties didnt get too far. They generally turned back after several dozen kilometers. After studying the map for a while, Qianye looked up at the sky. There was a giant, dark-red ball of flame floating up there, one so big that it was several dozen times the size of the sun in the Evernight World. This was the sun of the new world. It wasnt exactly dazzling, and those with a decent level of power could look straight at it. Qianye narrowed his eyes and stared fixedly at this sun. The clock they had brought from the Evernight World was showing that one day and one night had passed, but this giant sun in the new world was only halfway through the sky and showing no signs of setting. Perhaps there was no night in this new world. Just as he was thinking about this, the sky suddenly darkened, almost as though a thin veil had been drawn over it. The entire new world was shrouded in the dusky color of twilight. Startled, Qianye studied the phenomenon carefully and found that there was no change in the suns position in the sky. Yet, the brightness had fallen sharply for some unknown reason. This was completely different from the laws of the Evernight World. Qianye turned around and pointed in the direction of the missing soldiers. Are you sure its this direction? Yes, Sire. Very well, Ill go and take a look. Be on high alert here, do not be careless. Xu Jingxuan said, Rest assured, Sire! Actually, the werewolves are quite sharp with their senses. With them around, theres almost no chance of the beasts launching a surprise attack on us. And theyre actually hoping for the beasts to come! I really wonder how we managed to fight such enemies for over a decade. Qianye patted Xu Jingxuan with a smile. Our human race is not bad, either. Otherwise, how could we have contended with them for so many years and still keep expanding? Xu Jingxuan whispered, Youre the son of darkness, Sire. You cant be counted as a pure human. He was shocked after accidentally speaking his mind. Qianye noticed that Xu Jingxuans attitude was more envy than mockery. He laughed out loud, saying, Actually, the bloodline doesnt matter as much. It depends on where the heart is. My heart is with the human race, hence I am human. Xu Jingxuan said cautiously, Your subjects are mostly werewolves. Your words might not be very suitable. Oh? What do you say I do then? Xu Jingxuan said, It is now a fact that we humans and these werewolves are tied together. They are also extremely loyal to you. Their reason, although a bit weird, isnt unjustifiable. Only someone of powerful darkness origin power like you can obtain their loyalty. As I see it, the werewolves of the Jade Sea and great corridor might be primitive in their ways, but thats only because their civilization as a whole wasnt developed. Their ignorance made them unable to provide for their kin, which caused them to exhaust their potential and shorten their maturation period. Its a destructive feedback loop. The Whitebone Duke never cared about these things, he might have even felt that it was better. That way, no one would threaten his position. Now that you can provide sufficient supplies and bring in Imperial technology, these werewolves might recover their potential. Twenty million long-lived werewolves is a massive force no matter where you put them. You will be undefeatable on the Fort Continent with them at your beck and call. This so-called coexistence between werewolves and humans isnt just fighting together, its living together as well. Theres only one path ahead, and that is to abolish all racial discrimination. All citizens must be equal in their loyalty toward you. Your every word shall be the supreme mandate. Xu Jingxuan had been thinking about this for a long time. Hence, he managed to speak his thoughts without the slightest intermittence. After listening to the recommendation, Qianye laughed. You dont want me to just proclaim myself king, but a god! Considering your strength, whats stopping you from becoming a god once you step into the heavenly monarch realm? Qianye shook his head. The heavenly monarch realm is too far away, lets deal with the new world first. Even if you dont proclaim yourself a god, you should proclaim yourself king sooner. As I see it, you must explore this path to the end. Only then will everyone follow you without reservation and be willing to die for you! Qianye said calmly, No rush. This so-called king is just a title, something that makes no difference. Who would dare to challenge me in the Jade Sea even if I dont proclaim myself king? Of course, no one would be that stupid. Doesnt that settle it then? Im setting out now. With that, Qianyes figure flickered away and vanished over the horizon. Xu Jingxuan could only sigh while gazing at his receding figure. Chapter 1259: Origin Mist fores Another reason was that top experts werent willing to stay here for very long due to the impure origin power environment. Hence, both factions were on the fence about Fort Continent. It was a pity to abandon, yet not beneficial enough to colonize. That was exactly why there were numerous small powers on the continent, with no lack of people claiming themselves kings and emperors. There were even those who claimed to be gods. It was just an intimidating title, anyway. True powerhouses like the Evernight Council and the Great Qin couldnt be bothered to bicker with them. As far as local benefits were concerned, it was best if they could keep the situation under control. Xu Jingxuan wanted Qianye to proclaim himself king and let the outside world know of his name. That was the first step toward expansion. Qianye understood the good intention, but he decided not to comment on it. At times, a leader might not want the same things as his followers. Qianye wanted a force that could support him, but he hadnt thought it through about proclaiming himself king. Qianye pushed this matter to the back of his mind as he walked out into the wilderness. The sun in the sky was turning darker and darker, almost as though that dark red ball of flame had been extinguished. The scenery around him became hazy, and the distant landscape was now hidden under the rising mist. Qianye sped forward with his aura retracted. After about a quarter of an hour, he came to a sudden stop before a military boot. Qianye picked it up and found that it was part of a Dark Flame soldiers outfit. There was a layer of dust on it, almost as though it had been abandoned for a long time. There was a deep gash cutting through the tough leather with bloodstains around the defect. Apparently, it was left behind here after a fight. He observed the surroundings and locked onto a distant rock, in which a broken metal ring was embedded. There were three claw marks on it as well. Qianye arrived beside the rock and, after some pondering, stabbed his fingers into it. This left clear fingerprints in the stone. There was no mistaking it; this stone wasnt very hard. The claw marks on it belonged to a werewolf, and the metal ring was a bracelet popular among them. Under the special environment of the new world, the wind would erode stones much faster once their surface was broken and all traces on it would disappear soon afterward. That was also the reason why Qianye found no tracks throughout the entire chase. If Qianye had arrived one day later, the boot and bracelet wouldve disappeared as well. Qianye continued deeper into the wilderness. Before long, the scenery before him transformed completely as a forest popped out from the mist. This forest almost seemed to appear out of nowhere since everything was shrouded in fog before. Having experienced similar situations, Qianye was able to keep walking into the woods without panicking. As he got closer, he could see wisps of mist drifting about in the air like swimming fish. Qianye channeled his Bloodline Concealment and retracted his aura as he entered the area of those misty streaks. The misty streaks were startled and scattered into the distance, almost as though someone had jumped into a pond of fish. Qianye was surprised to find that his Bloodline Concealment was ineffective. This was the first time he had run into such a situation, but then again, his power wasnt invisibility. This powerful ability was mostly used to deceive an experts perception, which was more useful than blocking vision in most cases. Who wouldve thought this unknown misty streak would see through him? Qianye paused for a moment and stood perfectly still. Those misty wisps were rather curiousthey gradually calmed down after failing to sense danger, and some of them even came close to him. Qianye reached out and grabbed one of them at lightning speed. The misty streak struggled briefly but disappeared immediately afterward. Qianye opened his palm and saw a couple of white water droplets, but the misty streak was gone. The water droplets didnt seem alive, either. Was the misty streak dead? He peered at the water droplets with his True Sight and found that they contained highly condensed origin power. It was practically liquefied energy. The water droplets contained nothing elsethere were no remains, bones, or organs, just pure energy. The misty streaks grew frightened after Qianye caught two of their comrades. They shot away into the distance and simply hid themselves in the forest. They looked like a group of living beings and not lifeless energy. What was going on? Sentient origin power? Could pure energy gain intelligence? Even though this new world had refreshed his sense of common knowledge time and again, Qianye still felt distressed by this point. On a sudden whim, he stretched out a sanguine thread and touched the water droplet in his palm. Under the activation of his blood energy, the water droplets ignited in a flash of white and burned away. Only a drop of clear water was left behind, which very quickly evaporated due to the origin power in the environment. This process allowed Qianye to confirm that there was a disproportionate amount of daybreak origin power. Could this be a world dominated by daybreak origin power, something the human race had been looking for all this time? Qianyes instincts told him that this wasnt the case. At least, most of the origin power here wasnt suitable for humans. Qianye glanced at the forest in front and walked in with large strides. Once he was inside, he sensed something behind him and dodged to the side without a second thought. At the same time, he also slashed backward with East Peak. With Qianyes current strength, his every move was as fast as lightning. This slash brushed past two large trees and hacked at some unknown objecta miserable cry ensued. Two trees fell with a loud boom and a certain beast came into view. The creature had been cut into two but was still flailing about on the ground. Qianye found the beast rather familiar. He recognized it as a type of beast that had first appeared through the door, characterized by the sharp horn on its head. This creature specialized in speed and damage. Who wouldve thought it could conceal itself as well in forested regions. Qianye had only sensed it on the verge of its attack, and there was no telling when it had approached. Qianye decided to release his aura since Bloodline Concealment was no use anyway. Flames of scarlet gold erupted from his body, and as expected, the range of his perception expanded rapidly afterward. In this environment filled with daybreak origin power, the flames of Venus Dawn drained very little of his energy. This could be considered a utilization of environmental energy. The greatest advantage of a divine champion was the ability to utilize the origin power in the environment to strengthen oneself. The origin power of the new world was special in that it was almost inutilizable. Divine champions would need to spend time to adapt to and understand the laws here, hence greatly weakening their fighting power. However, there was little difference in physical power between the two worlds. Qianye was proficient in close-quarter fighting. With his powerful body and strength, there wasnt much of a discount to his fighting power. However, the ignition of his origin power came with consequences. Qianye sensed several eyes landing on him, and some were even from the depths of the forest. It was a mystery how they were able to see him. Qianye wasnt afraid since he would be found out sooner or later. He simply walked into the heart of the forest. A series of fluctuating sounds echoed through the woods, almost as though a giant swarm of bugs was flying about. In the blink of an eye, several black specks flew out from the trees and shot toward Qianye at speeds greater than an origin bullet! Qianyes feet moved slightly as he grabbed East Peak and placed it in the path of these black specks. The impact on his hands was shockingly strong. Instead of checking what the fallen black objects were, Qianye inspected his blade first. Only after confirming that East Peak was as good as new did he heave a sigh of relief. He flexed his numb arm and looked down at the ground. Those black dots were fist-sized creatures that looked more like insects. Their bodies were covered in a dark grey shell, with horns as sharp as a dagger on their heads. Their lower bodies were shaped like a series of rings, which contracted in tandem to shoot out origin power. These insects did not have wings, but they were able to reach great speeds by relying on this propulsion mechanism. It was rather unfortunate that their opponent was Qianye because normal people would never have been able to block their attacks. Qianye had chosen stillness against their movement, and with East Peak in hand, the enemies speed became their undoing. It seemed like Qianye had managed to fend off this wave without much effort, but in truth, he had used a high-level combat technique. Despite having dealt with this danger perfectly, he didnt relax a bit and became even more serious instead. He was currently traversing uncharted waters, not knowing what he would run into at the next step. Weird whistling sounds echoed through the forest as more beasts shot toward Qianye like bullets, leaving rings of origin power in their wake. Qianye retreated in narrow bursts, East Peak moving irregularly to block every assault perfectly. Following a series of metallic jingles, the ground around Qianye was covered in beast corpses, and the forest fell into a brief phase of silence. It was as though the beasts lurking in its shadows were shocked by this outcome. Qianye stretched his body, emitting crackling sounds from his joints. Even Qianye felt numb and sore after blocking hundreds of suicidal attacks. However, his ancient vampire constitution displayed its advantage in endurance. His blood energy swam to every corner of his body during this short break, clearing away all feelings of discomfort. He had just recovered when a mix-mash of beast sounds erupted from the depths of the forest. One creature after the other charged fiercely at Qianye! Qianye was the least afraid of this type of battle. His figure flickered toward the attacking hordean intricate swordplay performance ensued as he fought a melee battle against countless beasts. Wherever his blade went, it would always draw blood in a flash. More and more beasts swarmed out of the forest, forming a small army containing various troop types. Qianye was silently calculating the range of his domain and Life Plunder, all the while moving and drawing the beast army along with him. It was at this time that Stinger crawled out of Qianyes armor with a shrill cry, angered by the surrounding beast horde. It shot out with great ferocity and drilled into the head of a horse-like creature, emerging from behind. It then flew about and rammed through the head of a different beast. In the blink of an eye, dozens of beasts had fallen to Stingers attacks. The little critter was even more ruthless than Qianye. Chapter 1260: Nutrition for the Holy Tree Qianye wasnt afraid even without an area-of-effect attack. He went on to contend with the beast horde with exquisite swordsmanship, felling each beast in one blow. His speed wasnt slow, either. Considering his regenerative powers, Qianyes combat endurance only increased after finding a rhythm. Stinger was extremely powerful in short bursts, but its stamina was rather limited. After killing hundreds of beasts in succession, it returned to Qianye in exhaustion and lay down in a comfortable spot on his body. Qianye was in no rush to escape from the endless horde of beasts. He seemed intent on exploring the bottom line of his strength in this new world. He contended patiently with wave after wave of beasts, turning all of them into corpses. The slaughter went on for the entire night. By the time the last creature fell with a mournful cry, the sky had once again lit up. A new day had begun in this new world. The ground around Qianye was covered in beast corpses. If the werewolves were to see this, they would insist on dragging everything back at all costs. Stinger was already asleep on Qianyes body. It looked ready to evolve yet again after devouring the flesh of the biggest enemy beast. These ordinary creatures posed no threat to Qianye no matter their numbers. On the contrary, he was now more familiar than ever with the utilization of origin power in this new world. A commotion erupted from up ahead, almost as though a group of beasts was waking up from their slumber. Qianye came to a sudden stop when he saw a thin vine in front of his feet. This was a crude trap that would likely activate thorns or mines. Such a roughly-crafted trap could only be used against beasts. A somewhat experienced hunter would never fall for it. But why would there be a trap where beasts lived? A shrill whistle echoed from the center of the forest as a long spear tore through the air and arrived before Qianye. Frowning, Qianyes instincts told him that something wasnt quite right. With a flick of his wrist, East Peaks movements turned from hard to soft, tapping lightly on the spear and deflecting it to the side. As expected, the force behind this javelin was beyond terrifying. Just the shockwaves were enough to shake Qianye and push him back several steps. The spear stabbed into the ground at an angle and vanished. Soon afterward, the earth swelled up and exploded in a rain of gravel. Several large trees were uprooted and flung into the air during this process. This was the result of a single spear. Scram! This is not a place you should come! That consciousness planted his message inside Qianyes mind. It wasnt a type of language. Return my men. They entered my territory and have thus become food for the holy tree. Qianye revealed a cold smile as he walked deeper in. There was a rather large clearing at the heart of the forest. Three giant trees stood tall at its center, the confluence of tree saps forming a small lake between them. A six-armed creature could be seen on a small stony island in the lake. This particular creature was much more human-like than the one Qianye had killed a while ago, not to mention much stronger too. He simply sat there on a stone chair, eyes closed and immobile. There were obvious creases on his face which, like the rings of a tree, probably spoke of his age. That was if this rule applied to the new world as well. The six-armed creature grabbed one of the stalagmites near his seat and molded it into a spear. The material of this stalagmite seemed soft, strong, and more metal than stone. After being molded, the stony-metal weapon had a metallic shine to it. The previous six-armed creatures sword was also made of the same material, but it seemed like this spear was stronger. Qianye also noticed something offthis six-armed creature neither stood up nor opened his eyes. Only two of his six-arms were moving, while the remaining four hung limp at his side. Qianye soon realized that most of the stalagmites around him had been chopped away, and the remainder were out of his reach. He could no longer reach them no matter how long his arm was. This was the real reason why the spear attacks had ceased. Qianye had a clear idea of things now. This six-armed creature was either injured or hibernating. In short, he was in an immobile state and could only use a pair of hands to retaliate against enemies. He couldnt even stand up. The spear in his hand was his only remaining weapon; he would have nothing left after hurling it. On the other hand, this immobile fellow was the best target for the Shot of Inception. Three shots would surely cripple him no matter how powerful he was. The six-armed creature wasnt dumb enough to hurl his last spear, either. He turned his closed eyes in Qianyes direction and spoke through the mind, Return and you might live. Where are my men? Your men? Do you mean these creatures? Theyre not like you. The six-armed creature pointed at the giant tree near him. His perception was truly sharp and could immediately tell that humans and werewolves were different. Qianye followed the creatures finger to the tree and only figured out the peculiarity after some observation. There seemed to be some human silhouettes on the tree trunks, camouflaged by the natural pattern of the bark. He might have overlooked them if it werent for the six-armed creatures reminder. Qianyes eyes lit up with a blue hue as True Sight outlined the human body underneath the bark. It would seem that there was still life in him. The tree sap was flowing into his body and being absorbed into his bloodstream. At the moment, that persons entire circulation was filled with the giant trees sap. Next to him was a werewolf in the same state. The two other trees also had humans and werewolves buried in its trunk. Judging from the number, all of the missing scouts were probably here. Qianyes gaze landed at the root of the giant tree where several pebbles were scattered, ranging from grey to white. Under his True Sight, he could see some origin power fluctuation from within them, as well as exuberant vitality. These werent pebbles but more like eggs. Most of these eggs were soaked in the pond waters, which, in turn, was made up of tree sap. This meant that these eggs were absorbing the tree sap to gestate life. Qianye said with a frown, These eggs are the early form of those beasts? The six-armed giant only repeated the same words, Scram. There was no telling whether he understood what Qianye was saying. Qianye wanted to squeeze some information out of him, but seeing that the six-armed creature wasnt falling for it, he decided not to waste words. He simply pulled out Heartgrave and opened fire! This shot wasnt aimed at the six-armed creature but at the pile of eggs at the bottom of the giant tree. As expected, the six-armed creature was shocked and actually stood up from his stone chair. This movement caused pieces of skin to fall off from his body, almost like a cracking rock. The dehiscent parts revealed the flesh beneath, and blood began flowing out from it. The wounds were painful just to see, but the creature was in no mood to care about them. He flung the stone spear at lightning speed and struck the origin bullet before it could reach its target! A loud roar erupted in the woods, and the resultant sound waves shook the three giant trees. A hemispherical shockwave took form inside the woods and slowly spread outward. Despite its great power, the shot from Heartgrave was actually dissolved by the six-armed creatures spear. Thinking back to the dozen or so spears from before, this six-armed creature was actually able to launch dozens of attacks at the grade-nine level in a state of hibernation. His strength was truly terrifying. However, Qianyes true target wasnt those eggsthe moment that six-armed creature jumped out, he turned his muzzle toward him and fired at the stone chair. The six-armed creature was drenched in blood, and movement was difficult for him to begin with. How could he stop his forward momentum under such circumstances? Without his last spear, all he could do was watch Qianye blast his chair to pieces. After a momentary daze, the six-armed creatures furious howls spread far and wide. The entire forest was shaken, with leaves falling down like autumn rain. The impact left Qianye seeing stars, almost as though he had been struck by a sledgehammer. Just that roar had almost injured him. This six-armed creatures true strength was above that of a duke, maybe even comparable to a prince. Qianye became more cautious. The creature shook his body, shedding pieces of stony skin to reveal the bloody body underneath. Although he was trembling from the agony, this restored his ability to move. He took several large steps and arrived before Qianye. Of course, the latter wouldnt fight head-on against this monster; his figure flickered hundreds of meters away in a flash. This infuriated the giant who charged once again, spraying blood in all directions as he did so. One could easily imagine the pain inflicted by this process. By the time he arrived, Qianye had flickered away once more. This went on several times before the six-armed creature stopped giving chase. Qianye had just caught his breath and was about to fight back when the creatures figure turned blurry and appeared immediately in front! Qianye was shocked out of his wits. Fortunately, Spatial Flash was now an instinctive reaction. The enemys silhouette had just materialized when Qianyes faded away. However, the creatures figure receded at almost the same time and appeared beside Qianyes new location! Qianye immediately thought of Luo Bingfeng. The Tidehark city lord possessed the ability to counter Spatial Flash. Qianye flickered several times in the blink of an eye, but the six-armed creature remained on his heels. Realizing that the enemy could lock him down and that there was a substantial strength gap between them, Qianye made a firm decision to exit the forest. As expected, the six-armed creature seemed rather apprehensive of the outside environmenthe stretched a foot out but pulled back almost immediately afterward. Qianye stopped hundreds of meters away and stood face-to-face with the six-armed enemy. The creatures wrathful consciousness rammed into Qianyes body. All of you humans will become nutrition for the Holy Tree! Chapter 1261: Another Beast Tide These perceptions and gazes werent formless. They landed on Qianyes body like spider webs, and it felt as though he were being weighed down, unable to stretch at will. More and more of these formless spiderwebs stacked atop one another to bring about a sharp rise in resistance. Qianye made an immediate decision to leave. He was thousands of meters away in the blink of an eye, and only then did the sticky feeling leave him. This forest was much larger than the previous one, and there were three of those holy trees the beast race was talking about. Furthermore, judging from the feeling he had gotten just now, that place was likely a beast lair. There was really no telling how many creatures at the level of the six-armed creature were sleeping there. Now that Qianye had woken them up, a baptism of beasts was sure to follow. After heading back to base, Qianye summoned the entire army and reformed their defenses. He also used up all of their blood-gland and beast blood reserves to increase the rate of transformation, bringing in fifty thousand more soldiers into the new-world base. In order to bolster their defenses, Qianye simply moved a mini kinetic tower over and used it to support the ship-cannons that had been removed from the corvettes. In one night, Qianyes new base was filled with a hundred thousand soldiers and a dozen or so cannon turrets. There were also tens of rapid-firing airship guns throughout the base and the ammunition had been prepared. Qianye and Caroline took charge of command and remained on standby to deal with the six-armed creature. Qianye began to feel a sense of foreboding as the new day arrived. Finally, a tide of darkness appeared over the distant horizon. A beast tide! Alarms blared throughout the base as the soldiers took up positions and waited silently for the enemy horde to arrive. Caroline and Qianye stood side-by-side in the air, gazing at the distant swarm. So many! There must be a hundred thousand of them! Qianye said, Their formation seems a bit chaotic. Does that mean something happened to their system? I dont know, but either way, its a good thing. Theyre here, lets fight! Shall we bring Zhuji along? Qianye hesitated for a while, then shook his head. Not this fight, we can deal with it. The rolling beast horde traversed the vast wilderness and finally crashed into Qianyes defensive line. An all-out battle ensued. The winged beasts and assault types bypassed the defensive line and shot straight into the base. The first wave of human soldiers chosen to enter the new world were all elites. Their stamina might not be as good as the werewolves, but their firing skills were leagues ahead. The ample supply of physical origin bullets greatly decreased origin power consumption, allowing each of them to fire several shots in succession. Against this powerful barrage of origin gunfire, both the flying and shuttling beasts began to fall one after the other. Some of them managed to get through the deadly line of fire, only to face thousands of armored werewolves wielding axes. These werewolves were taller than their peers, ferociously strong, and skilled in fighting techniques. The airborne monsters were simply not their match on the ground. On the front lines, groups of smaller high-speed beasts were torn to shreds as they rammed into steel-plated fortifications. Dozens of high-speed cannons fired from the two sides, mowing down the beast horde with streams of flaming metal. The forefront of the battle line was occupied by rows of werewolves equipped with heavy shields and origin handguns. With no way forward or back, the beast tide suffered heavy casualties. Their furious roars turned into painful howls. The warhorse-like creatures at the back were unable to charge the enemy line as they were blocked by the first group, yet they had to suffer damage from the sweeping gunfire. Seeing how things were turning out, Qianye said with a nod, As expected, somethings wrong with their chain of command. Unlike before, their troop types are not working well with one another. The two waves of beasts outside the door were perfectly coordinated, attacking relentlessly and giving Qianye great pressure. If it wasnt for him having the absolute advantage in numbers, he would have never been able to produce such outstanding results. This time, the beast tide was a lot messier, almost ragtag compared to the past assaults. Although there were a hundred thousand of them, the offensive could not stand up to Qianyes targeted defenses. There was some maneuvering as well with this beast tide, but it was clearly lagging behind. Some listened to the orders, while the others kept on attacking like before, making things even more chaotic. Recalling something, Caroline thought about everything that had happened yesterday. Could it be a result of you destroying the stone chair? Qianye said after some thought, Its possible. At this point, the front lines began to quake and tremble as a massive silhouette charged over from a distance. Its mountainous frame stood dozens of meters tall and almost looked like a small mountain shrouded in mist. All those in its way were either flung away or stomped into meat paste. The werewolf chief overseeing the front lines shouted, Its a terror beast! terror beast! This creature''s defense was extraordinary, capable of blocking or deflecting all incoming bullets. It seemed nothing could stop its advance. With a snort, Caroline picked up her Thunderous Whip and made ready to take the field. Qianye grabbed her hand and said, No rush, lets watch. The cannon turret at the center of the front line rumbled repeatedly like an ancient war drum. One shell after the other shot out from the cannon and blasted at the terror beast like falling stars. This heavy cannon was the main cannon of a corvette, and its firepower was at a completely different level compared to the rapid-fire cannons. The terror beast began to waver under the constant barrage of cannon shells, crying out constantly due to the pain. It managed to charge forward for a short distance before collapsing with a mournful cry. The main cannon fired ten more times and only came to a stop after confirming that the creature was no longer moving. The fall of the terror beast sent the beast army into chaos. Some of them began to spin around not knowing whether to attack or to retreat. The momentum of the assault weakened drastically, and the beasts fighting on the frontline were soon wiped out due to the lack of reinforcements. Seeing that things had been settled, Qianye turned his gaze toward a small group of creatures in the distance. This squad had not moved since the beginning of the battle. Qianye said with a cold expression, Found him, the beast commander is there. Without the need for instructions, Caroline had already shot out with the Thunderous Whip in hand. She flew so quickly that the long whip of lightning trailed behind her. Qianye also arrived above the group in several Spatial Flashes. This was a group of armored horse-like creatures. They looked similar to the ordinary soldiers fighting on the front lines, but they were covered in scales and sported a sharp horn, with mist flowing beneath their hooves. They almost looked like divine creatures at a glance. Seeing Qianye appear out of nowhere, the group of beasts flew up, galloping on thin air as though it were solid ground. They were running away! With a low grunt, the air around Qianye became scorching, and the temperature rapidly shot up. At the same time, a mountainous force bore down upon the beasts and pushed them back to the ground. It would be a joke to try and fly without their own counteracting domain power. Even then, it would be almost impossible to resist the terrifying pressure of Qianyes domain. Qianye had just pushed the beasts back to the ground when Caroline arrived. The Thunderous Whip swept ferociously at the enemy, filling the entire battlefield with electricity and fire. The beasts were shocked into utter disarray and collapsed in droves despite their strong origin power shields. Qianye was frowning despite the complete victory. His gaze swept over the group of beasts and landed on an unusually strong creature. He dived down from the sky with East Peak aimed at the head of that creature! The beast shot up from the ground and flicked the incoming sword away with its horn. Qianye was diving down with such great momentum, yet his attack was deflected by the creature! Caroline was ready to follow up after Qianyes attack. Finding an opening, the Thunderous Whip lashed fiercely at the creatures hind legs. The horse cried out in pain but managed to kick Carolines whip away with its hind leg. Caroline was surprised. It was already unbelievable that this all-out lash hadnt broken the beasts hind leg. Now, it seemed the creature wasnt even hurt that badly. Carolines distraction served to slow the creature down for half a beat. Before it had realized what was happening, a black feathered flickered before its eyes and vanished into its skull! The beast erupted in a growl, stomping and flailing about in great pain. Caroline raised her whip again and lashed its hind legs once more at the same place. This time, the attack broke one of its hind legs. The beast trembled in pain, with several bulges growing bigger and bigger on its back, almost as though something was about to drill out. Qianye, who had been observing in the air, dived down urgently. He flew past the creatures back, producing a long cut along the back with East Peak. Without looking back, Qianye turned around and fired another black father into the wound. This Shot of Inception was like a bowl of water in hot oil, immediately eliciting an intense reaction from the target. The creature shot into the sky, then slowly fell back down. Des picable A familiar voice echoed in Qianyes mind. Chapter 1262: For Food He was also able to pinpoint the source of the sound as well. The beast before him was still transforming rapidly, almost as though something was struggling within. The gap left behind from the slash was being pushed open as the entity inside made ready to rush out. Whatever it was inside the beast, Qianye wasnt going to let it climb out so easily. He grabbed East Peak with both hands and made a beeline for the underside of the beast, stabbing into its belly from below. However, he immediately realized something was off and pulled back as soon as the blade sank in. One of the beast''s rear hooves flew at Qianye, sending him flying hundreds of meters away. Carolines Thunderous Whip arrived like a poisonous dragon, lashing at the beasts wounds with fire and electricity. The creature howled in pain as the elements crept into the defect. Following a loud scream, the beasts body snapped into two, and a six-armed creature crawled out from within! His body was bloody, mangled, and skinless, a mournful and disgusting sight to see. Caroline was startled, but Qianye recognized this being as the six-armed creature he had run into within the forest. Most of his body was already turning to stone back then. His skin crumbled off after Qianye forced it to leave the stone chair, and it still hadnt recovered. Once exposed to the air, the creatures flesh began to steam and bubble, leaking a disgusting yellow liquid. It was almost as though the being had been splashed with strong acid. Apparently, the environment outside of the forest was extremely toxic to this creature. Qianye finally understood why this creature had stopped chasing him at the edge of the forest, but he wouldve never expected the being to arrive in the body of another beast. At this moment, Qianye had used up his two Shots of Inception, and his stamina was more or less spent. Despite that, he produced Heartgrave and took aim at the six-armed creature. The latter clearly remembered this gunhe let out an angry roar while moving sideways like a demon, hoping to evade the muzzle. However, the creature seemed to have forgotten about Caroline. The Thunderous Whip arrived silently and wrapped itself around the creature, erupting in an unprecedented burst of electricity and flames. The green lightning stretched all over the six-armed entitys body, burning all of his flesh without mercy. The attack practically roasted him alive! Screaming hysterically, the six-armed creature grabbed the whip and tugged hard upon it. He actually tore Carolines Thunderous Whip into several pieces! Despite that, her attack struck the enemys weakest point. The six-armed creature had lost its skin, let alone defenses, so it definitely wasnt having a good time. The creature staggered toward Caroline but collapsed after a few steps, never to move again. Qianye arrived beside Caroline and helped her up. How are you faring? Caroline smiled weakly. Its not so bad, just a bit injured. Ill be fine after a day of rest. Is that old thing dead? How can it not be after taking a full hit from you? It has nothing to do with me. I just aggravated his injuries. In the end, he died to your Shot of Inception. This wasnt wrong. Qianyes Shot of Inception attacked the source of ones life. It could be suppressed temporarily, but there was no way to remove it. The six-armed creature was heavily injured after taking two shots before Caroline stepped in to whip him. The suppressed injuries erupted all of a sudden, leading to his death. Faint crackling sounds came from the six-armed creatures body as a grey hue extended all over him. His blood and flesh were turning into stone. Qianye picked up the six-armed creatures beast host, while Caroline took charge of the corpse. The duo then headed back to base. Qianye immediately sent the remains back to Fort Continent for Song Huis team to study. At the same time, he ordered them to send Zhao Jundu a sample as well. From the information he had at hand, the six-armed creatures were highly intelligent commanders of the beast army. Studying them might yield the key to this new world. Qianye now had a solid foundation on Fort Continent and ample infrastructure, including research facilities, but he was far from comparable to the Empires research institute. Knowing that the dark races had entered the new world in advance, Qianye had no intention of withholding information. He was willing to share what he knew with the Empire, but he had the say in who to share it with. Zhao Jundu was fine, but no one else should even think about it. After dealing with the six-armed creatures corpse, Qianye formed two forward units under Caroline and himself. These two units would each head for the two forests. They still didnt know what other resources were in the woods, but the tree sap there would serve as a substitute for beast blood, allowing people to adapt to the environment of the new world. The first forest wasnt very big. The six-armed creature within had been killed, and Qianye hadnt sensed any other powerful enemy in it. Hence, Caroline was tasked with heading to that location. The second forest boasted three Holy Trees, and although the six-armed creature there was dead, there were still a lot of beast eggs there. There was also an unknown number of beasts hibernating therein, so Qianye decided to go there himself. After preparations were complete, Qianye set out at the helm of a motorcade made up of several dozen trucks. They arrived in the forest after half a day of travel. At this point, the forest was filled with an aura of savagery. The roars of alien beasts could be heard from time to time, as well as sounds of them fighting amongst each other. It would seem that the loss of the six-armed creature had reduced the beast army to mere beasts that could only act out of instinct. Qianye raised his hand, signaling the convoy to stop a thousand meters away from the forest and spread out. The soldiers carried armor plates down from the trucks and quickly constructed a temporary line of defense. Qianye entered the forest alone after the base was completed. He had just stepped into the forest zone when he was attacked several times. After the death of their commander, these beasts had turned into real wild animals that could only live according to instinct. After continuing a while longer toward the center, Qianye calculated the distance and unleashed his origin power. The flames of Venus Dawn were as dazzling as the sun, alarming half the forest in the blink of an eye. Whether this was considered a provocation or a threat to the beasts, the entire forest was now aboil with countless animals charging at Qianye! Even Qianye was surprised by how effective this taunt was. However, he wasnt here to try and kill beasts on his own today. He immediately turned back and fled out of the forest. A tidal wave of beasts surged out from the forest and charged at Qianyes temporary base. Qianyes soldiers were ready for the incoming enemies. They dared not save bullets under the present circumstances and used their greatest speed to pour ammunition down on the enemy. Several high-speed cannons fired constantly, forming a network of flames that would reap the enemys lives. The beast tide was half gone before it could even reach the defensive line. Qianye raised his sword and stepped forward, ready to use his domain and Life Plunder. However, he felt someone hugging him by the waist before he could even take the first step. Eiseka stopped him, saying, Sire, how can we let you fight personally? You just watch us! With that, Eiseka turned back and shouted, What are you all dazed for!? Charge! The dozens of werewolf chiefs and shamans were the first to jump out of the defensive line, charging loudly at the enemy horde. Two thousand werewolf soldiers followed from behind them. In the blink of an eye, the two armies rammed into one another. This was a great opportunity to prove the werewolves bravery and strength. The tall frame of the werewolf chiefs slammed into one beast after the other, sending the smaller ones flying into the air. The shamans, on the other hand, used all kinds of strange techniques or strafed the enemy with origin hand cannons. The werewolf soldiers at the back were much simpler. They charged into the enemy horde and began doing what they did besta melee brawl. Some went berserk during the battle, throwing away their weapons and shields in favor of claws and teeth. Sire, I should go as well. You stay here and oversee the battle, dont come over! Eiseka then charged into the battlefield like a wisp of smoke. Once in the field, he adopted his true combat stance and plowed his way into the horde of beasts. The path was filled with bloody rain, all the way until he reached the heart of the swarm. Qianye shook his head. Looking back, he was flabbergasted when he saw that the hundreds of soldiers behind him were fighting like there was no tomorrow. These werewolves fought with no care for their lives, choosing to fight at melee range despite possessing other forms of advanced firepower. This went out of hand after Qianye equipped them with armor and war-axes. Now, they were intent on charging at the forefront for close-quarters clashes. Qianye actually knew that Eiseka and the werewolves were trying to stop him from unleashing the Venus Dawn domain and Life Plunder. They were even more afraid that Qianye would let Zhuji out. This combination would easily wipe out everything within a hundred metersdraining their vitality, charring their skin, and basically making them inedible. Little Zhuji was even worse. Not only did she make the enemy remains inedible, but the entire area would also turn into a forbidden zone. Anyone entering it would die. Hence, the werewolves adopted this kind of tactic out of habit. They would do anything for food. Chapter 1263: Depths of the Lair Qianye entered the forest again after the werewolves had cleaned up the battlefield and ignited his origin flames, once again luring out a wave of beasts. This wave was much smaller than the last, containing only four thousand or so mediocre beasts. Qianye didnt even need to do anything as Eiseka and his werewolves wiped them out. Qianye entered the forest two more times but finally gave up after failing to lure anything out. This didnt mean that the entire area was clear of enemies. There were clearly alien beasts hiding inside the woods, but they already knew fear at this point and werent willing to appear. Knowing fear was a good thing. Fearful beasts would not recklessly appear to challenge Qianye and his fully-equipped army. Since the creatures werent appearing, Qianye didnt want to experiment on new methods just for the sake of eradicating them. The most important thing they needed to do was grasp the laws here and not engage in meaningless massacre. He began walking slowly through the forest and exploring its secrets. Naturally, the place with the three Holy Trees was where he went first. After several days, the piles of beast eggs below the trees had disappeared. Only a couple of smaller ones remained soaked in the water. The liquid in the lake had also lessened quite a bit, causing the rocky island at its center to appear bigger. Only the base remained of that stone chair, sitting amidst some scattered stalagmites. Qianye activated his True Sight and saw that the missing scouts were still buried within the trees. There was no one to stop him this time. Qianye hopped over to one of the Holy Trees and hacked open its trunk with a swing of East Peak. The tree trembled and let out an infantile wail. The trunk below the cut-opening wiggled fiercely, and soon, a human body was spat out. The sticky tree sap then sealed up the cut surfaces like glue. This was a naked human warrior. His skin was pale, and his body was covered in small holes where the Holy Trees branches had stabbed him. Muddled and confused after falling to the ground, the man wanted to clamber back into the tree. However, his limbs were so weak that he could only squirm on the ground. Qianye knelt down and pulled his face up to observe. The warriors eyes were empty, murky, and unfocused. It would seem his eyes had lost their function. The strange smile on his face never changed, almost as though he wasnt worried about his current physical condition. Qianyes heart sank as he came to an answer. The soldier was alive, but his mind was dead. He was nothing but a walking corpse at this point, just like the scouts in the other trees. This proved that these three trees were of fairly high intelligence. Qianye moved the bodies to an empty space outside of the forest and swung out a plume of origin flames. These living corpses were reduced to ashes under the fire of Venus Dawn, bringing an end to a life full of fighting. After doing all of that, Qianye returned to the three Holy Trees and asked, Do you understand what Im saying? One of the Holy Trees stretched out a branch to point at the small island in the lake. Qianye jumped over and observed the area carefully. The small island did not have an underwater partthe space underneath was filled with the Holy Trees roots, and it would seem that the island itself was formed from the secretions produced by them. The lower half of the landmass was stone, but the stalagmites jutting out from it had a metallic sheen to them. So far, it seemed that only the stalagmites possessed this stone-metal characteristic. This proved that the value of these stalagmites was far greater than expected. At the very least, their mode of production greatly limited their availability. Qianye decided that he would go back and pick up all the spears the six-armed creature had hurled at him. At the center of the small island stood the remains of the stone chair. Touching its base filled Qianye with a wondrous sensation, almost as though he had come into contact with three faint spirits. They were vague and weak, only capable of transmitting some basic emotions like fear. Qianye could not obtain anything else apart from that. These three spirits were the wills of the Holy Trees. It was just that Qianye had blasted apart the communication medium that was the stone chair, so he could no longer converse with them. If he hadnt destroyed this stone chair back then, he would have to face a beast army that was much stronger. The six-armed creature would not have been forced to appear in the body of a host, either. Qianye would have no easy way to deal with the creature if it were to hide in the forest. Judging from the material, the chair was made up of ordinary stone. As for why it could serve as a medium of communication and how, Qianye had no idea. Blasting the chair back then was a decision based on his intuition, a power he had accumulated over the many years of fighting. He had merely guessed that the chair might be important to the six-armed creature. Every rock on the stony island was formed from the secretions coming from the roots and hence should be valuable. Similarly, this sap-lake was enough for Qianye to bring a hundred thousand more soldiers into the new world. As for the other ores and resources, he still couldnt figure them out yet. Qianye left the central region and headed deeper into the woods. Before long, he discovered that the ground in the depths of the forest was covered with holes, forming a beehive structure underneath. The openings were of varying sizesa person would have to stoop in order to fit into the smaller ones, while the bigger ones could accommodate a truck. There were many more branches inside these tunnels, similar to the compartments of a hive. The rooms in different areas were structured differently, but those in the same area were identical. This was the beasts lair! Compared to the valley behind the door, this beast lair was massive and three-dimensional, almost like a maze. Even at this scale, it would be a fairly tight fit for an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Qianye jumped into the largest tunnel, planning to explore the depths of the lair. The passage sloped downward in general, but there were some places with precipitous slopes, while others were more gentle. Qianye walked along the path for a while before branching tunnels appeared on either side. These passages opened into four different chambers to the left, right, above, and below. Qianye entered a random room and found that it spanned several meters on each side, and the walls were made of stone. Upon detailed differentiation, they didnt look entirely like stone, either. There was nothing on the ground except for some tree roots. Unlike common beast lairs, there were no bones, feces, scales, or feathers. It almost seemed like these beasts did not have any biological requirements. Qianye cut off a random root and held it up, watching as the cut end squirted tree sap. This sap immediately turned sticky upon contact with the air and effectively sealed off the cut-end. Qianye cut out some stone from the walls. The cut surfaces were clearly layeredthe stony material stretched only a few centimeters from the surface and gradually turned into soil toward the center. Qianye cut down some more rocks and found that their thickness was varied. He collected some samples into Andruils Space before returning to the main tunnel to continue his exploration. Using perception outside was completely different from applying it within the labyrinth. The lairs spatial design was extremely logical without the slightest bit of wasted space. The positioning of the tunnels was also made to maximize efficiency. This was very likely the work of a master. Qianye looked back and noticed some sunlight around a corner of the passage. He recounted his tunnel-journey but couldnt remember any transparent designs. Qianye didnt care all that much about the architectural details, either, so he merely committed this characteristic to memory and moved on. He remembered back when the six-armed creature was chasing after him, an ancient will had awakened in the depths of the forest. No matter what that was, such a gigantic and ancient existence wasnt going to be easy to push around. The lair was now empty after the beast horde moved out in full force. This was the best opportunity because Qianye was sure he could escape even if he were to run into that ancient existence. The deeper he went, the clearer his judgment became. The design of this lair was too well-knit to be an ordinary settlement. This had to be a professionally optimized military camp. A special tunnel appeared before Qianye as he went deeper in. All the other tunnels were made of stone, but this was made of wood, its walls formed by intertwining tree roots. Qianye entered without the slightest bit of hesitation because the flame of Venus Dawn was the bane of all wood. Within this passage, there were several rooms. Most of them were empty, but the chamber at the very end was full of beast eggs, embedded in the walls, floor, and ceiling. Each of these eggs was connected to a root, which probably served to transfer nutrients. This floor was probably the hatching chamber, but the next floor down baffled him quite a bit. Every room here was fairly big with neat arrays of stone platforms inside. On these platforms were rows of indentations that looked to be made for eggs, yet the size was smaller than the beast eggs Qianye had seen before. The rooms here were all empty, and it wasnt evident what they were used for. Yet, it was simply impossible for such chambers to exist in a beast lair and not have a special use. Qianye pushed his puzzlement away temporarily and went further down. Here, he became highly alert because he could sense an ancient will waking up from its slumber. Qianye slowly walked forward with East Peak in his hands. When he once again stepped on even ground, a wide underground space appeared before him. This chamber was as majestic as it was massive, almost like a giant palace. There was an underground lake of Holy Tree sap, and at its center was a spherical object floating in the air. The object was greyish-white in color and covered in deep-grey patterns, levitating rhythmically above the lake. Qianye almost looked like an ant before this fifty-meter sphere. A consciousness touched Qianyes soul as he approached the lake, transmitting a querying message. However, Qianye did not know how to decipher this message. It did not belong to any language he understood, nor could it communicate directly with him like the six-armed creature. Seeing that Qianye wasnt replying, the giant grey sphere issued its question once more. Qianye remained silent because he did not know how to reply. Hence, the grey sphere stated its question for the third time. In this manner, it repeated the same question every minute. Qianye gradually relaxed because many signs pointed to the fact that this entity, while ancient, wasnt that intelligent. It did not have the power to attack, either. All it could do was reply passively, like a machine that needed to be operated. Chapter 1264: Guest from Afar Qianye retracted his aura and slowly backed out of the lair. He roamed the forest for a while but found nothing abnormal. It would seem that the only enemies left were the unhatched eggs in the lair. Qianye had given them a rough countthere were several thousand eggs there, a number that could be easily cleared away even if they were to hatch. Qianye returned to his forces and ordered them to reinforce the fortifications outside of the forest. They would turn this place into a permanent forward supply base and build a sentry post outside of the beast lair for early warnings. At the same time, Qianye extracted a good amount of water from the Holy Tree lake to bring more soldiers in. In this matter, the forward base was completed in two days. The conversion of the follow-up forces also progressed at a great speed, adding twenty thousand more soldiers to the new world. A group of researchers also arrived to study the Holy Trees. Qianye didnt have high hopes for them to be able to figure out the Holy Trees function in a short time. It was fine if they could find the most efficient way to extract their sap without harming the trees. During this period, the underground beast lair remained fairly quiet. Qianye investigated the place several times but saw no signs of the eggs hatching. Perhaps the core of the beast lair required instructions in order to operate. The situation around the forest had stabilized, and the troops under his command had exceeded a hundred thousand. They could now explore deeper into the world. Qianye traveled alone in the direction of the forest with the three Holy Trees. After several hundred kilometers, he noticed several stone pillars over the distant horizon. Each of these pillars housed several crystals that could help creatures evolve to a higher level. Their effects were so strong and precious that Qianye didnt want to use them carelessly on humans and werewolves. There were too many uncontrollable risks in doing so. He wanted to collect some samples and send them to the Empire for research. He would only come back and mine them when there was a suitable use for them. Qianye became spirited when he saw the distant pillars and ran over in swift steps. As expected, there was yet another forest near the stone pillars. Qianye already knew at this point that every forest contained one or more Holy Trees, and was also home to a six-armed creature and a beast lair. The one with three Holy Trees was extremely powerful. Qianye wasnt a match for the previous one if he werent heavily injured by Qianye in his resting state. His rank was likely at the level of a great duke by Evernight standards, and his fighting power might be even stronger. Even in an injured state, Qianye and Caroline had to work together to kill that six-armed creature. If that entity hadnt come out of the forest, Qianye would be helpless to do anything to him. The six-armed creature in this forest was between the two, likely at the duke rank. Qianyes overall combat strength was at least at the vice-duke rank now. He also held the initiative of an ambush, so his chances were quite good. Having decided, Qianye followed the same plan of waking up the six-armed creature with his origin flames and firing at the Holy Tree. As expected, the six-armed creature moved to save the Holy Tree at the risk of sustaining injuries. Qianye quickly destroyed the stone chair during this process. Without the chair, his control over the beast horde was broken and his threat, greatly reduced. The six-armed creature was infuriated by the ambush, yet his strength was limited. Qianye used Spatial Flash and blessed him once more with Heartgrave before retreating from the forest to guard his base. He left traces during his retreat. As expected, a beast army appeared outside of their base at dawn the next day. The enemy squad was only eighty thousand strong and adopted the same lengthened formation. Their vanguard was already destroyed before their forces in the rear could enter the battlefield. Equipped with their previous experience, Qianye and Caroline worked together to find the beast hiding the six-armed creature and killed him with relative ease. Without the six-armed creature and the beast army, the third forest also fell into Qianyes hands. There was also a beast lair here, but it was incomparable to the one in the forest with three Holy Trees. The first forest with only one Holy Tree did not even have a beast lair, only a simple nest. The third forest was several hundred kilometers from the door, a distance that would take a while even for an airship fleet. Hence, Qianye did not continue pushing forward. He set up a forward supply base around that forest and went back to Fort Continent to learn more about the situation on the other continents. Qianye was quickly surrounded once he returned to Fort Continent. The werewolf great shaman squeezed toward Qianye, saying, Sire, the new batch of tribal soldiers have been completely mobilized and are currently undergoing training. The children have never been so passionate before, theyre willing to do anything for you! The training went smoother than expected, and they will be qualified soldiers in two weeks at most. Qianye glanced at Xu Jingxuan in surprise, to which the latter nodded in confirmation. Werewolves are born warriors. Their combat technique is actually sufficient as it is, the training is just to drill them on following military discipline. Now that they are more accepting of this, most of the time is spent learning the rules by heart. This should only take about two weeks under normal circumstances. Qianye nodded. We have enough forces inside the new world for now, so the new troops dont need to be rushed. Be sure to give them a solid foundation. After Xu Jingxuan accepted his orders, Song Lun pushed his way forward and said, Sire, regarding the aristocracy, the newest batch of equipment and resources are already on the way, and we have already completed the delivery of dark golden sandstone. Theres one more thing, though. The Kong and Yin family elders are here, currently residing in Expansive. They insist on seeing you. Qianye was surprised. The Kong family is here? Also, the Yin familys elder said you two are old acquaintances. She said shell come over here directly if she doesnt see you in three days. Qianye was startled. Old acquaintances? Which elder? An elder named Yin Qiqi. Qianye was startled. His expression turned odd as he said, Shes an elder of the Yin family? Reportedly, she became an elder rather recently, Song Lun replied. The Yin family was also a part of the aristocratic families investing in Qianyes expansion plan. It was just that their participation was rather limited. The first time, they only provided funds and relevant resources in an evident display of their wait-and-see attitude. Now that Qianye had taken over the werewolves of the great corridor and the Jade Sea, his expansion speed was far beyond normal expectations. Hence, The change in stance came as no surprise. Why the Yin family sent an elder overYin Qiqi at thatwas something worth pondering. The aloof Kong family, on the other hand, was part of the aristocracy eyeing an upgrade to major clan status. Their original stance toward Qianye was neutral, but now that they had sent an elder to serve as a messenger, this proved that they were eager to jump into the train. According to convention, Qianye should be running to Expansive to meet these two big sponsors. This would only take half a day of his time. However, matters in the new world were urgent, and Qianye was the pillar of the army, the only one who could fight a six-armed commander face-to-face. How could he leave the front lines without thought? He stood with his arms behind his back, frowning in contemplation. Song Luns group didnt disturb him and only waited quietly to the side. Moments later, he said, Is the support of these families important to us? Who wouldve thought Qianye was thinking about this. Song Lun was the only one here who could reply. He gathered his thoughts for a while. Its fairly important judging from the current situation. In the short term, the funds and equipment they supply us can outfit over a hundred thousand soldiers. Mid-term, their surveyors, smelting equipment, and processing technology can help us get our industries off the ground. In the long run, they can help you with pioneering new land. They will be tied firmly to your benefits once they obtain land in your new nation. Everyone secretly nodded at this analysis. This was especially true for the werewolvesthey felt that the aristocracy of the Great Qin were powerful as they had never seen the things these people had brought with them. Since they are so important, why would they give us so many good benefits? The Yin and Kong are outstanding entities among the aristocracy. Why would they come all the way here to see me? Song Lun had no answer to this question. Qianye wasnt hoping to get a reply, either. He gazed into the distance, where countless werewolves were undergoing training in groups of a thousand. There were a hundred thousand of them in total, so the rotation seemed endless. Farther out, he could see the outline of Cerulean Wave City, a majestic silhouette that almost seemed to connect the sky and the lake. Under the walls of Cerulean Wave was the temporary base of the new werewolf army. Tents stretched far and wide, almost covering up the entire horizon. A grand city, army tents, and combat wolvestruly an exceeding display of military might. Qianye pointed at the endless tents and the majestic lineup of werewolf soldiers. We have to repay those aristocratic families of course, but the reciprocation they seek will only come in ten years, decades, or centuries even. Isnt this what they want to see right now? Since they want to see, then why hide from them? Qianye turned back and said, Invite the Kong and Yin family elders here, along with all the other aristocratic families. Ill meet them here! Chapter 1265: My Subjects Within the airship, all the passengers were seated firmly despite the occasional rocking. These people were of important backgrounds and needed to maintain this level of dignity. A beautiful lady with neatly done hair was gazing out of the window from the front row. Silence within the cabin was broken by a sudden exclamation. What are those!? Werewolf villages? The group felt that this was nothing. There were werewolf tribes and villages all along the way. This place called the great corridor was reportedly a werewolf habitat. Qianye had just taken over the place, so there was no way he couldve cleaned everything up yet. Besides, there were many types of taking over with the most common being nominal. For a place like the great corridor, he could just point on the map proclaim it as his. That was one way to conquer the place as wellit would remain effective until someone stood up to challenge him. This also meant that most of the aristocratic families believed that Qianye was bluffing about his conquest. They, of course, couldnt reveal that out of consideration for the dark golden sandstones. What was the objective of conquering territory if not for resources? Everyone was familiar with Fort Continents territories, that immigration was impossible. Hence, actual control wasnt important if there was a steady stream of resources pouring in. Additionally, they were quite curious about what Qianye wanted to show them. Had they been flown such a long distance just to see some werewolf tribes? Werewolf villages were special in their own right, and some were curious about them. They couldnt help but exclaim in surprise as they looked down from the window. Not far below, tens of thousands of werewolves were working busily around the silhouette of a city. There were still primitive tribal habitats in the distance, but the planning and operation of this city seemed fairly well-knit even from its silhouette. There were too many werewolves here! There were tens of thousands of workers, with more elderly and children living in the camps. There were even more of them arriving through the wilderness. From the looks of it, this would become a city of over a hundred thousand after its completion. A city of such standard would pose a great risk to the human race. Someone commented, The werewolves are already building such a big city. This Qianyes rule isnt so peaceful, it seems. Everyone found this line of thought reasonable. This lowered their contempt and dissatisfaction quite a bit. As core characters of their respective clans, they understood the role of a top-expert in a fight for territoryespecially one that was rich in resources. By the time they had passed the werewolf city, one of them said, I wonder what Sire Qianye wants us to see? Exactly, he called us over from so far away. He must be trying to show us something. I heard the door is over here. Many people became more alert. The door was the most important event for both the Empire and Evernight. Both sides were so focused on exploring this new world that they were no longer fighting. Of course, neither side would mind taking over some territories if the other side became lax. Someone replied, I wonder if its a good thing or a bad thing that the door appeared in Sire Qianyes territory. The Transcendent Continent fell into dire straits even with so many aristocratic families working together. Sire Qianye can only rely on himself here, I think its going to be a rather difficult task. Hell have some time to prepare with all these werewolves blocking the way. And with our help, theres still some hope of stabilizing the situation. But that Western Fortress defenses dont look so strong. Can it hold against the beast horde? Humph! Even if we help him out, what will that change? Are we stronger than those aristocratic families on Transcendent? You have to know that they were all defeated badly and even lost their territories. While everyone was in a heated debate, a handsome man in his thirties said, As I see it, inviting us over at such a time might mean that Sire Qianye has gained a stable footing at the door. Maybe he has even dealt with the second wave. He glanced at the young lady, saying, I wonder how Elder Yin sees it? The girl finally turned back, revealing the countenance of a stunning beauty. She looked exceptionally young and almost like a little girl. Elder Kong is so much more experienced, youre surely right. The man laughed out loud. Im not that much older than you are, why dont you forego the formalities and call me by name, or you can also address me by my seniority. Im fifth among my siblings. He offered to let Yin Qiqi address him so, but the others wouldnt dare disrespect him. Someone asked, Elder Kong, you said Sire Qianye has found his footing? But he has only managed to take a third of Zheng. Dont you think itll be a bit too difficult with the troops he has? Kong Yu said with a smile, Other people might not be able to do it, but Sire Qianye can. But all those aristocratic families on Transcendent Kong Yu said, None of those families can walk into Frozen Jade Manor and walk away unscathed, can they? That was a battle that shook the Empire. Since then, he became a true major character with the qualifications to lead his own clan. No domestic or foreign power dared to challenge his authority anymore. Everyone fell silent. Moments later, someone exclaimed, What is that!? That cry was so loud that even Kong Yu became curious. He moved closer to the window and saw a majestic city on the shores of the Jade Sea, standing between the sky and water. The tall buildings jutting into the sky looked somewhat crude but also contained a hint of tyrannical intent. This was definitely a scene of prosperity. Who wouldve thought there would be such a city in the middle of this barren land? Even so, everyone could see that the city was rich in werewolf architecture. The airship flew over the outskirts of the grand city, granting the passengers a clear view of the dukes residence. The mere sight of it shook their hearts. That way, a military camp The speakers voice was soft, almost as though he had no more strength left to gasp. All the people here were experienced and insightful people. Each and every one of them had been to the warzone and seen military camps, but not all of them had beheld one this big. There was a sea of tents outside of the grand city, covering an area even bigger than the city! How many soldiers would be in such a massive army camp? After observing the camp, their eyes fell upon the tens of thousands of soldiers training in the drill grounds. The group was dumbfounded. Their only hope at this point was for the safety of the airship. Otherwise, no one would escape from this massive werewolf army if they were to drop down. But their wishes did not come truethe vessel made a sharp descent after flying past the drill grounds. Many of the passengers went pale, their heads filled with words describing their potential fate: hostage, slavery, extortion, torture, food, etc. The militarys style had always been simple and crude. The airship more or less slammed onto the ground, almost as though they were dropping into battle and completely ignoring the feelings of the nobles inside. The group was fairly strong, but still, many of them were dazed by the sudden impact. A good number of them remained seated, pale and unwilling to disembark. After all, a hundred-thousand-strong werewolf army was just nearby. Escape would be impossible if they were to charge. Yin Qiqi was the first to stand up and walk out. There was a young man standing at the end of the gangwayhandsome, elegant, and with deep, bottomless eyes. He was an old friend whom she had not seen in many years. Qianye! she called out, jumping down from the ramp and reaching out to touch his head habitually. Qianye leaned forward with a smile, making it easier for her. Yin Qiqis hand froze as she remembered Qianyes current status halfway through. What does Miss Qiqi need? Qianye asked with a smile, addressing her the way he used to back then. Yin Qiqis eyes turned a bit red. She had half a mind to rub his hair, but the stunned gazes behind stopped her. She couldnt help but sigh when she recalled their statuses; it felt like there was an invisible barrier in front of her. Word in the Empire was that Qianye could beat up any early divine champion as soon as he had broken through. Zhao Jundus foundations had been damaged, so he was probably not Qianyes match anymore. Not just anyone could enter the Bai clans Frozen Jade Manor. There was a superior divine champion overseeing the place, yet they held back from attacking Qianye. Now, that was rather thought-provoking. The Drinking Horse Yin Family might be a high-ranking aristocratic family with a long line of inheritance, but no one in their generation could compare to Qianye. Even the head of their family would have to act politely if he were to see Qianye. She might be able to relax in private, but with so many people watching, her hands simply couldnt move forward. Yin Qiqi pulled her hand back and bowed respectfully. Elder Yin Qiqi of the Drinking Horse Yin Family greets Sire Qianye. This salutation was performed with great skill. After a brief pause, Qianye came to understand her concern. Myriad emotions ran through his mind, and he simply couldnt describe what he was feeling now. None of it showed on his face, however. He reached out a hand from afar, Please, no need for formalities. Kong Yu also stepped forward and bowed deeply. Kong Yu of the Kong family greets Sire Qianye. They had performed a salutation reserved for a clan lord, lowering themselves by half a generation even though Qianye was clearly younger than them. Qianye nodded and extended the same response. With the Yin and Kong families taking the lead, the others had to follow as well. Most of the visitors werent even elders yet, so they wouldnt dare act arrogant. They all stepped forward in greeting, but the difference in status was so great for some that they had no choice but to bow all the way to the ground. A good while had passed after everyone had had their turn displaying etiquette. Some of those with good judgment had figured out that something wasnt quite right. Sire, those werewolves They have sworn loyalty to me, now they are my soldiers and subjects. The group was shocked out of their wits. An elder pointed at the endless formation of werewolf soldiers, asking, Could it be that all of them are your subjects? Qianye nodded. Yes, all of them. These words bore down like thunder, throwing everyone into a daze. Chapter 1266: Broadened Horizons These soldiers were actually Qianyes subordinates. Didnt this mean he had control over an entire army? And it was an elite army, no less! No one here was an idiotthey immediately added two and two together after recalling Qianyes seemingly endless demand for military supplies. The werewolves were fierce by nature. It wasnt hard to imagine how strong their fighting power would be after undergoing rigorous training and equipped with Imperial gear. Somewhat pale, Kong Yu barely managed to compose himself and said, Sire Qianye, I prostrate in awe at your ability. However, the dark races are sinister by nature. You must be careful or you might be training them only to produce a source of misfortune. Everyone nodded in succession, but the werewolf chiefs and shamans were not going to take it lying down. That strong chief with garish feathers cleared his throat and roared, What is that white-faced chicken clucking about? Lord Qianye is our heaven, our earth, our god! We wont ever betray him even if the Jade Sea dries up! We werewolves arent like you treach treacher whatever that word is. This chief was apparently not too well versed in the language. A more knowledgeable shaman added, Treacherous. The stout chieftains voice grew even louder. Exactly! Treacherous! Everyone felt somewhat awkward at being cursed like so. The Great Qin Empire had indeed engaged in its fair share of scheming, but how could there be room for morals in a factional war? Everyone felt a bit dissatisfied, but bickering right now would only lengthen the conversation. This stout chief seemed to be one of Qianyes generals, so it wasnt easy to grasp what was appropriate right now. Kong Yu was fairly angry. That white-faced-chicken insult was too vivid; he clearly saw Yin Qiqi suppressing a chuckle. With a cough, he said steadily, Those of a different race will always have different intentions. These are wise words passed down from the predecessors. Even if you people can remain loyal, drastic changes on the battlefield can happen in a flash. Whats the point of relying on numbers and reckless courage? Youre nothing but a barbarian even if you take the field, but of course, youre still a bit stronger than our junior elites. Furious, the stout chief took a wide step forward and arrived before Kong Yu. This werewolf was born tall, standing a full three meters in his werewolf form and crowned with garish feathers atop his head. He was practically a giant, and the shadow cast by his large frame was enough to cover several people. The stout chief laughed loudly. Isnt strength the deciding factor in the field? If I cant handle it, dont tell me you can? Wanna fight me? If I dont beat the egg out of this chicken, Im not a werewolf. Ill bark from now on. Pfft! Yin Qiqi could no longer hold back her chuckle. A pale Kong Yu could only point at the chief with trembling lips. For a while, he couldnt think of a sufficient retort that was free of profanity. After thinking back and forth, he found that genteel language simply couldnt overwhelm the other partys insults. The stout chief laughed out loud after seeing that he was at an advantage. As for what happens on the battlefield, I dont care all that much. I fight wherever the sire tells me to fight. Everyone nodded in secret. Such a loyal, brave, and obedient general could only be encountered by chance. From his actions and words, it would seem that this tall and stout werewolf actually wasnt dumb. Seeing that things were turning a bit awkward, Yin Qiqi said, Qianye, I see that these soldiers are still undergoing training. Do you have an army thats already done training? Qianye nodded. Yes, there are some others. How many of them are there? Yin Qiqis question caused everyone to look at Qianye expectantly. This was a good opportunity to evaluate Qianye and decide on how much their families would invest in him. Qianye smiled. The trained army is several times bigger than the group you see here. Several times! There were already a hundred thousand werewolves undergoing training here, far beyond the aristocracys wildest imaginations. Yet, these were just greenhorns who hadnt completed their basic training. Qianye possessed several times this number in trained soldiers!? Didnt this mean he had an army of several hundred thousand? This this military power rivals the four major clans, doesnt it? Kong Yu snorted. The major clans dont have that many private soldiers. As part of the aristocracy, everyone understood that equipping random young adults in the clan didnt count. Ordinary soldiers and warriors with origin power could not be compared at all. That was where the human race fell short when fighting the dark races. After all, they couldnt use other humans as slave soldiers. Everyone inhaled deeply. Qianye said calmly, The four clans have deeply concealed talents. I might have a lot of soldiers here, but my foundation in terms of experts is far from comparable. Why would you even need experts? Arent you the number one expert among the younger generation? Even early divine champions arent your match. Kong Yus expression became complicated. Everyone knew that Qianyes potential was endless, that he could face overwhelming odds alone. The four clans were probably fine, but which high-ranking aristocratic family could claim that they were above Qianye in terms of experts? Qianye, where are those soldiers of yours? Yin Qiqi voiced everyones concern. She added after checking Qianyes reaction, Of course, its fine if you dont want to say. Qianye laughed. Everyone here is a good friend, so its no problem. Come with me, youll see them soon. Qianye brought everyone onto the airship deck. The airship took off slowly, and a scene of rolling white mist came into view soon afterward. Its the door! Someone gasped. For many, this was the first time looking at the door to the new world. A massive defense line appeared in everyones vision as they continued forward. Even from this high altitude, a warfront that had once held five hundred thousand soldiers looked fairly impressive, drawing surprised gasps from everyone. The scars of battle remained on the battlefront, which was now garrisoned by tens of thousands of soldiers. The remainder had been put on standby. There were military strategists in the group, including Kong Yu himself. They immediately recognized how well-knit the defensive arrangements werethey covered all directions, and there were even anti-air positions at the center. It could be said that there was no blindspot at all. Gazing at the defensive formation on the ground, Kong Yu sighed. Judging from the layout, I can tell that Sire Qianye already knows about the beast army beforehand. The invaders mustve been destroyed by now, right? Qianye pointed at the endless array of temporary storehouses. Theyre all in storage now. There are only tens of thousands here, where are the other soldiers? Qianye pointed at the misty zone. Theyre on the other side of the door. Kong Yu was visibly shaken. Who wouldve thought? Not only did Sire Qianye eliminate the beast army, but youve even started opening up new territory on the other side. I thought the dark golden sandstone was from Fort Continent. Now that I think of it, they must be from the other world, right? Qianye nodded. Sire, can we go to the other side and broaden our horizons? Qianye refused the group with a smile. I must apologize, only a divine champion can operate freely in the new world. Everyone here is just a tad short of that level, so going to the new world will be quite straining. It might even endanger your life. Yin Qiqi said, Just say that well die if we go in, whats with that might? The crowd was eager to experience the new world, but their lives were, of course, more important. Since Qianye had sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers through the gate, it went without saying that he could do the same for them as well. However, their blood ran cold just by looking at the mist. As for how Qianye had managed to send the soldiers in, no one could force him to say it if he didnt want to. In truth, the method of entry was no longer a secret. Although the aristocracy standing here had never discussed it among themselves, most of them had already caught wind of it. It was just that the beast blood and blood glands were all in Qianyes hands. He could allow or prevent anyone he wanted to go in. Qianye wasnt disturbed after his polite wording was exposed. He didnt say anything else, either, and only ordered the airship to land on the dukes manor. Without waiting for lodging arrangements, Kong Yu came before Qianye and said seriously, Can you give me some time, I want to discuss something important. Yin Qiqi said, I have important business as well. Kong Yu glanced at her, saying, If Im not wrong, we have the same objective. If Sire Qianye doesnt mind, we can talk at the same time. Yin Qiqis playful attitude was gone. I have no objections. Qianye said, Very well, come with me. The three left for the parlor. The others understood that they were leagues inferior to the Kong and Yin, so they waited peacefully for the second-round meeting. Kong Yu didnt go straight to the point after taking his seat in the parlor. Sire, how do you see the major clans of the Empire? Qianye smiled. Ive been away for too long, I dont understand them well enough to have an opinion. Kong Yu wasnt discouraged after seeing that Qianye wasnt taking the bait. He glanced briefly at Yin Qiqi before saying, Do you have any intention of founding an aristocratic family in the Empire? Qianye broke into a laugh. Everyone knows my family in the Empire. I have no other family apart from them, so whats the point? Its better for me to build up my foundations here. Kong Yu said seriously, Sire, you have indeed made good progress here, but can an overseas territory beat a high-ranking aristocratic family? Oh? Is the Kong family planning to help me found one? Correct! Qianye said with a laugh, My adoptive father, even with his great prowess and deep contributions to the Empire, only managed to bring the Lin family from a low-ranking aristocratic family to a high-ranking one. We are far from comparable to Marshal Lin, so how are you going to help me found a high-ranking aristocratic family? Speaking of which, even if the Kong family does have this ability, can you decide for them? Kong Yu clenched his jaws. I have the power to make this decision! Chapter 1267: Borrowing Soldiers Yin Qiqi burst into a chuckle but didnt try to undermine the other party. Seeing Qianye looking at her, she said with a shrug, This Elder Kong is not simple at all. He was probably authorized by the clan lord for this trip. Qianye nodded. Since thats the case, lets hear how much support the Kong family is offering and what do you want in return. Kong Yu said seriously, I want Sire Qianye to mobilize his army and intervene in the situation on Transcendent! Qianye frowned. Are you joking? Kong Yu shot to his feet and said loudly, The aristocracy of Transcendent are useless, they still havent cleared the beast army. Wouldnt all life be wiped out if another wave arrives? Sire, you hold a million brave soldiers and are the best power to deal with this horde. Our Kong family will provide enough transports for a hundred thousand men, please send troops to the Transcendent Continent! Qianye shook his head. Thats not possible. Sire, the aristocratic families of Transcendent have failed to defend their land. By the law of Great Qin, their titles can be removed if they dont recapture the territories by the deadline. There are sure to be families struck off from the register due to mismanagement. As long as you lead your troops into Transcendent and clear out the beasts there, land and title will be readily available to you. Why would you not take such a good opportunity? Kong Yu spoke earnestly, but Qianye wasnt moved by the proposition. Change your condition. Kong Yu smiled wryly. If youre not willing to field troops, theres really not much our family can do. Qianye said, Its somewhat regrettable that we cant work together, but theres no helping it. What are your thoughts, Qiqi? Sire, wait a moment, please. I really want to know why youre not willing to field troops to Transcendent. Why must I? Sire, youve gained the loyalty of the werewolves and control a million-strong army. If you dont use them to claim new land, are you going to just feed them for nothing? This is a great opportunity for you to claim land and cement your position in the Empire. Why wouldnt you want to? Qianye said calmly, My army isnt too big, its too small for what Im doing. I have no spare troops to send to Transcendent. Kong Yu wanted to convince Qianye again, but Yin Qiqi stepped in. There wont be any opportunity left if you keep going in circles. Youll be in hot water if the Kong family sends someone else! Kong Yu said through gritted teeth, Then Ill be blunt! Our Kong family wants to borrow troops from you! Transcendent again? Qianye nodded. In truth, it was more difficult to get new recruits up to snuff than it was to recruit them. Human life was worth the least on the lower continents, so it wasnt hard to draft large groups of adventurers in a flash. Hence, it was almost impossible for them to reach the level of an aristocratic private army. And considering the Kong familys situation, a horde of cannon fodder wouldnt really help much. Sire, you now have a mighty army at your command. Some ten thousand troops will not only help us resolve our predicament but also recapture all our lands! As for the salary, reward, and compensation of the soldiers, we will pay everything according to Imperial standards! Without taking into account the Great Qins supply of high-end equipment, this offer was even better than the void continent battle in terms of mercenary fees. Qianye didnt react, however. What about my benefits? Kong Yu said, After reclaiming our territory, we can split all new land between us. How does that sound? Transcendent was different from Fort Continent in that it had been under the Empires rule for hundreds of years. It was so rich in resources that a random county there could compare to a province on Fort. The only problem was that the continent was one of the Empires core territories, with no space left for a third party to enter. Even under present circumstances, claiming new fiefdom there would require help from the Kong or other aristocratic families. Qianye didnt give an immediate reply. What is the Yin family suggesting? Yin Qiqi said, Our Yin family wants to form an alliance with you, to open up new land on Fort Continent and on Transcendent. We suggest splitting whatever land we gain by half. Whatever military supplies you need, our Yin family can supply. Of course, the size of your current army is somewhat beyond our expectations, so the promise just now isnt entirely practical. But, we can complete our end of the deal over fifty years. Qianye sat quietly, waiting for her continuation. Yin Qiqi looked back at him in silence. Thats all? Yes, thats all. Qianye shifted into a more comfortable position and scanned the two. Both of you mentioned Transcendent. Its understandable for the Kong, but the place has nothing to do with the Yin if I remember correctly. Why the sudden interest? Yin Qiqi glanced at Kong Yu. Can I say it now? Kong Yu shrugged. What else? Ive done my best. Its like this. The situation there is so bad that the local aristocracy can no longer clean up the mess. The Empire is also short on hands, so theyve posted massive rewards to encourage the other nobility to help. This is also to discourage Evernight from taking advantage of the chaos. However, every family is busy trying to protect themselves. Who would have the spare energy to save other people? After some thought, youre the only variable in this equation. Massive rewards? What kind? Qianye sat firmly on the fishing platform, waiting patiently for the price quotes. Merits, land, and candidacy for major clan status. Oh, not bad. Qianye wasnt that interested. These three things might be a tremendous boon to the high-ranking aristocratic families, but they held little value for Qianye. He had no intention of jumping into the Great Qins system, anyway. What do you want? As long as our Kong family can do it, we will. This promise was sufficiently serious. Qianyes origin and life were no longer a secret among the nobility. They had also seen Qianyes tendency for independent operation after the void continent battle. Hence, Kong Yu knew that it wouldnt be easy to move Qianye. He was mentally prepared to fork out quite a bit. Qianye said calmly, Im not going to meddle in the Empires affairs, at least not now. If the Yin and Kong family can provide sufficient resources, officers, and technical talents, I can consider working together on the pioneering of Fort Continent. Kong Yu shook his head. These are troubled times, we dont even have enough soldiers to solve our own problems. How can we have extra resources? The new world was alluring, but everything was unknown and speculative. The threat of the door had already shaken these families to the core, so preserving their foundations took priority. Our Yin family will provide five divisions worth of equipment! Yin Qiqis words came as a shock. Kong Yu jumped to his feet, saying, Where would you get so many? We have resources stored away throughout the years. Every family should have their own stash, no? T-Thats for emergencies! How can we touch them? Wont that affect the family foundations? Yin Qiqi replied, This is precisely the time to utilize these reserve equipment. Whats the use of these lifeless items once the opportunity is gone? Kong Yu fell silent, but Qianye finally seemed interested. What does the Yin family want? Yin Qiqi said, We want to be a part of the new worlds pioneering efforts and claim our fair share of the rewards. Also, please give us some help on Transcendent if possible. Qianye fell into contemplation. Pioneering the new world is fine. As for Transcendent, is it the second wave over there? Have they not eliminated the beasts? It is indeed the second wave. Roughly a third of the beasts are roaming about outside, and more of them are still coming out from the door. Although the new arrivals are small in scale, it remains that ordinary troops cant deal with them. I see While Qianye was pondering, Kong Yu said, Our family is also willing to offer five divisions worth of equipment! Qianye glanced at him, saying, Not bad, then the Kong family can also join the new world expedition. As for Transcendent, I can only offer a bit of help and I can only help one family. Kong Yu glanced at Yin Qiqi, saying, The Yin family has no territory on Transcendent, why not work with us? Yin Qiqi nodded. Thats a good idea, how do we split? Kong Yu said decisively, Each family will bring out half of our private armies, save the Kong family first, and then move on to claim land. Regarding the rewards after the battle, your side can take seven parts and we will claim three. Fair enough, its a deal. The two thus concluded their split in a few short words. Qianye seemed indifferent, but he nodded secretly. There was a tradition among the aristocracyeach would take what they needed and split things fairly in a win-win fashion. Reaching a deal in such a short time would help the two families work together better in the future. Now that the two parties had reached an agreement, they looked to Qianye eagerly for his answer. They wanted to know what kind of help he could offer. Qianye said with a smile, The difficulty in dealing with the beast army is because of their speed. Ordinary forces will find it hard to clean them up once they spread out into the wilderness. From my personal experience, I can say that your private armies are sufficient for the fight. However, they might not be as mobile, and the larger beast squads are usually led by powerful monsters. How about this? Ill send someone to help you. Caroline! Caroline responded to the call and entered the parlor. What is it? Head to Transcendent Continent for a while and help them clear out the rampaging beast army. You can return after the Kong familys predicament has been solved. Caroline replied, Im okay with that, but what about here? Ill handle it. Next, Qianye introduced Yin Qiqi and Kong Yu to Caroline. Seeing that she was an Evernight descendant, Kong Yu reached out to shake Carolines hand. However, the latter ignored him and, instead, released a flash of lighting aura from her forehead. Kong Yu was badly shaken, taking several steps back almost as though he had been struck by lightning. Shocked and overwhelmed, he exclaimed, Divine champion? Qianye said, To be precise, Her Excellency Caroline is an intermediate divine champion. So, dont be careless. Kong Yus expression turned from shock to great delight. With a divine champion to hold the fort and the elite soldiers he had just mustered, the endeavor was bound to be a success. He adjusted his headdress and bowed deeply, saying, This junior was too short-sighted and failed to recognize your honor. Please forgive me for inadvertently offending you just now! Caroline, of course, wouldnt hold it against him. She actually understood Qianyes intentionthe Yin and Kong would owe her a big favor for helping them on Transcendent Continent. These two families would have to return this favor when she claimed territory and migrated her clansmen. It would also serve to silence objections in the Imperial court. Even someone like Qianye who was opening up new lands outside of the Empires influence would need inside support. At the very least, it would serve to reduce unnecessary trouble. To a massive entity like the Great Qin Empire, there was a stark difference between the rise of a power and that of a nation within its sphere of influence. With an agreement reached, Kong Yu did not want to dally any longer. He made straight for the Empire after discussing a rendezvous point with Caroline. He needed to round up his forces and produce the resources he had promised Qianye. Yin Qiqi didnt follow Kong Yu, leaving most of the arrangements to him. Kong Yu didnt refuse the extra work since every extra day was dangerous for the Kong familys fortress. After Kong Yu and Caroline had left, Yin Qiqi jumped up and grabbed Qianye by the collar. How many more secrets are you hiding from me? You can casually send a divine champion to help people? Chapter 1268: Additional Sincerity I I guess I age slower because Im half a vampire. I see, youre truly a bad companion to have. Look, Im starting to grow old. No way, you look just as good. Really? Yin Qiqis expression cleared up into a beautiful smile. Qianye secretly praised Song Zinings methods for their effectiveness. A single word had turned gloom to sunshine. Seeing that Qiqi was no longer depressed, Qianye calmly removed her hand. The glow in Yin Qiqis eyes dimmed down. She then asked casually, Do you have a family now? Qianye was startled, not expecting to encounter such a question. Since long ago. Still Nighteye? Yes. Wasnt she missing? It was clear that Yin Qiqi wasnt privy to certain secrets. Shes just at a faraway place right now. She was smart enough to guess the truth. She has returned to Evernight? Qianye didnt want to lie to an old friend, so he replied with a nod. Yin Qiqi, however, wasnt about to let it be. Then why dont you follow her? Youre a vampire, too. I know, you guys actually broke up, right? Qianye said with a smile, You can say that. Yin Qiqis eyes lit up. What will you do in the future? Isnt my current life pretty good? Shell come looking for me after some time. You need someone to take care of you, you shouldnt keep that position empty all the time. Qianye looked straight into her eyes, saying, What exactly are you trying to say? She suddenly started to panic. N-Nothing. Ive finished speaking. Qianye saw her out with a nod, allowing the other aristocratic family members to enter. Unlike the Yin and Kong family, they knew their position very well and quickly drowned him in enthusiasm. Sire Qianyes leadership skills are unrivaled! Please bring us along when you pioneer the new world. Were willing to do menial tasks! Sire, please allow me to kneel The mad overflow caused Qianyes head to spin. It took a good while for the toadying to die down and the main topic to arrive. Without further ado, the families began adding to their sincerity. This time, they werent just contributing money and soldiers, but also men and women. The men were finethey were talents in various fields who could take on important technical roles, even if they couldnt join the battlefield. The fight to give him women, however, was simply too fierce. These aristocratic families almost broke into a fight regarding the selection of Qianyes personal maid. Qianye accepted all of the men but rejected the women. The crowd naturally tried to persuade him with countless reasons, one of which everyone agreed on. How could a genius like him not leave more descendants? It would be best for him to propagate as much as possible and have an army of children. Qianye felt distressed by the arguments, but he had no choice but to smile wryly and refuse. His expression was growing dark toward the end. Seeing that they were overreaching themselves, the crowd could only give up in the end. Fortunately, Qianye not only promised them a share in the new world expedition but also assigned them a different mission. Everyones eyes lit up at the mention of this mission, feeling that it was time for them to show their devotion. They began asking what this matter was? After thinking for a moment, Qianye brought out the map and pointed at the borders of the Jade Sea. Theres a different werewolf power there, the Storm Dukes territory. I heard there have been some minor conflicts near the border, with the Storm Dukes werewolves repeatedly harassing my territory. I dont have the energy to spare for them, so Ill leave that battlefield to everyone here. How does that sound? The crowd broke into a commotion. The Empire has stood for a thousand years, all of our families fought our way up the ladder. Exactly, just leave small things like fighting to us! Who cares about a storm or whatnot, well beat them until they turn into a tornado! Bro, isnt a tornado a bit too big At least someone was clear-headed amidst the ruckus. Sire, how do we respond if the Storm Duke arrives? This was the most important part. To the aristocracy of the Great Qin, an empire founded on war, ordinary battles were no problem at all. The average fighting power of those on the Fort Continent was much lower than the core clans of the Evernight Council. The only obstruction here was divine champion opponents. Some aristocratic families might have their secret arts to deal with divine champions, but the price involved was too high to use on a lower continent like this. Qianye drew a line on the map, saying, There should be no problem as long as you dont cross this line. You only need to stall for three months, I will deal with him if he really does attack after that time. Having calmed down, the crowd filed out of the room to discuss military affairs between themselves. These mid and low-ranking aristocratic families added together would make up a formidable, well-supplied fighting force. The only thing they were lacking was a peak expert to stabilize morale. Since Qianye had promised to fight the Storm Duke, there was no longer a problem. According to convention, these families would get half of the land they conquered. As such, it was only natural that they would rack their brains to make sure they performed well. Only Qianye remained in the parlor, recounting the days harvest in a daze. At first, he had thought the many werewolves under his command would be the greatest obstacle. Who wouldve thought the Yin, Kong, and other minor families would readily accept this truth after the initial shock? They didnt even mention this topic again. It was as though Qianyes million subjects were humans and not werewolves. Kong Yu even wanted Qianye to send troops to the Transcendent Continent. Qianyes main reason for refusing him was the potential backlash from sending such a large number of werewolves into the Empire. The Empire had always held a harsh stance against the dark races. It was surprising how easily they were able to cast aside the conflict during troubled times. It truly made one wonder whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. On the other hand, Qianye had no choice but to remain guarded against the Empire. Even though he had only encountered good intentions as of late, the internal affairs of the nation was never a solid plate of steel. Regardless, Qianye had no intention of letting his werewolf army set foot in the Empire. He would only use this force on Fort Continent and the new world. Having come to a conclusion with his plan, Qianye summoned all of his generals to arrange matters related to the training of new troops. He could now equip at least a hundred thousand additional werewolves with the help of the Yin and Kong families. The resources provided by the other smaller families could be used to develop infrastructure in the new world. The forward base at the third forest was at a fair distance from the door, so Qianye decided to build a large supply and transit base there. He would then use that fortress as the foundation to explore and subdue other forests, gradually pushing forward. Inside the new world, Zhao Jundu lowered the binoculars he was holding and tossed them to his aide. Its blurry again. This thing isnt good, tell those elders from the academy to come up with something better. Behind him was a bustling construction yard, where a defensive fortress was growing at a visible speed. Tens of thousands of soldiers were working with all their might, expending great stamina in the process. When will the kinetic tower arrive? Zhao Jundu asked. The second tower has been shipped into the new world and is on the way. Three more are being moved out right now, and theyll arrive at the door the day after tomorrow at the latest. Zhao Jundu frowned. Only five kinetic towers? Thats only enough for the next round of expansion. Is there no more? Additional kinetic towers will need to draw on army reserves, we need approval from the military. Approval? Zhao Jundu sneered. Were already at this point, yet those old fogeys still cling to power. Whatever, let them take their time approving if they want. Order the fleet heading to Transcendent to turn back. Sire, this Execute the order! Yes, Sire. Zhao Jundu glanced at the time, saying, How come Zining hasnt returned? Any news of him? No, Ive already sent people to search for his squad. It was at this time that a messenger ran over. Sire Zining reports that he has found another forest and is already attacking it! Zhao Jundu was surprised. Already fighting? Is he in such a rush? He glanced at the officers around him and said after some thought, Dont stop. Hasten the construction and send reinforcements after were done here. One of the officers was a bit concerned. Sire, every forest holds a beast lair. Sire Zinings forces are fairly small, I dont think hell be able to hold out on his own. Zhao Jundu shook his head. He went ahead with the attack because he didnt want me to interfere. Since thats the case, Ill have to see if that future strategist god of the Empire can catch up to Lin Xitang. The officers glanced at one another in silence, then headed out to rush the construction progress. Zhao Jundu went up to higher ground and gazed into the distance. One of his trusted aides asked, Sire, what are you worried about? Zhao Jundu pointed in a certain direction. I have a feeling that were going to run into the dark races in that direction. The aide wasnt afraid, though. Then we can take this opportunity to give them a good beating. Our Zhao clan has never been afraid of anyone! Zhao Jundu shook his head. This fight wont be easy. The aide was surprised. You werent like this before. Zhao Jundu said, Things are no longer the same. Most battles before could be settled on our own, but we cannot afford to lose this time. If I lose here, the Empire will never be able to make a comeback in the new world. The aide came to understand the gravity of the situation. His expression became more serious as he said, What do we do then? We fight the way we should, whats so hard? Zhao Jundu hadnt finished speaking when a certain aura shot into the clouds. Despite the distance, one could clearly see the pillar of energy connecting the earth and sky. Even more mysterious were the myriad images shifting within the pillar. The soldiers of the Empire were dazed as they had never witnessed such a spectacle before. Zhao Jundu was stunned, but soon, a smile appeared over his lips. Good! That damn Song Seven actually dares breakthrough in battle! Ive underestimated you! The people nearby were shocked after hearing this. Could it be that Sire Zining Zining has passed the divine threshold. Our Great Qin Empire has another divine champion! Chapter 1269: Good Future The Empire was in a resurgence lately, with numerous geniuses appearing from the younger generation. The accomplishment was much greater than the previous generations. Some of the major-clan scions who had been hidden as reserves progressed by leaps and bounds, so much so that they could now be placed on the stage. But no one wouldve imagined that the next to breakthrough after the twin stars was Song Zining. The natural phenomenon produced by Worldly Prosperity was witnessed by tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers. His future was definitely boundless. People in the Empire reacted differentlysome jumped for joy and others sighed in admiration, but there were also people who fell deep in thought. However, everyone who recalled the Song clanwhere it used to be and where it was nowfelt the same resonating schadenfreude. At the Highland Song Clans Enlightenment Manor, Duchess Ans old residence remained neatly kempt. Song Zhongnian walked through the gardens, watching his busy family members moving things about. This used to be the duchess favorite place, so the Elder Assembly made the decision to preserve and seal the place in her memory. There was a beautiful lady beside Song Zhongnian, a quiet, charming, and graceful young woman. She looked somewhat sad and almost as though she wanted to memorize the current scenery. Ziyan, what are you thinking about? Song Ziyan said in a whisper, I was just thinking about how well the old ancestor treated me back then. I fear I wont be able to come here anymore. Song Zhongnians face was full of worry and sorrow. His creases had deepened, and it seemed like he had aged ten years. He sighed deeply, saying, Theres no helping it. Us unworthy descendants are too ashamed to face the ancestor. Those old fogeys probably dont want to come here anymore, either, and hence, this decision. Even I dont want to come here. After all, the Song clan was demoted in my hands. I dont know how the history books will describe me, but it cant be good. He laughed self-deprecatingly. Things arent fortunate for you. These are tough times for our Song clan, no, Song family, and that has affected your marriage. The Kong family has also refused the engagement. Song Ziyan shook her head. I didnt want to marry, to begin with! You cant say that! A girl has to marry sooner or later. No rush, Ill help you make arrangements. Song Ziyan looked up. My marriage isnt important, but are you not going to summon seventh brother back even at this point? Will he even be willing to come back? Song Zhongnian sighed. You might not know, but Song Zining and Qianye have made great progress on Fort Continent. That Qianye is on track to proclaim himself king, and considering their relationship, Zinings status wont be too far off. Theres nothing in the family to impress him. Besides, Song Zining made his intentions clear when he left the family, how will he face those elders if he comes back? Song Ziyan said, Grandpa, youre still thinking about those elders? They see nothing but themselves. When have they ever worked for the greater good? Why should we listen to them? As I see it, we should just disperse the elder assembly. Nonsense! The assembly is a rule laid down by the ancestors, every clan has the same system. This is no laughing matter. If we must keep the assembly, we should change all of its members. What do you know? Wont that make us even less unified? Thats still better than having them slowly break the Song family apart. Song Zhongnians face was ashen. He said with a loud snort, This isnt a topic for a girl like you. Song Ziyan sighed. She then softened her tone, saying, Seventh brother will surely be able to suppress those elders. Suppress? What is he going to suppress them with? Hes not even a divine champion, wholl listen to him? He will breakthrough sooner or later. Besides, who else in the family is his match even if he isnt? He also has Qianyes help. Song Ziyans expression changed at the mention of Qianye, then quickly recovered to normalcy. Song Zhongnian said with a frown, Its not your place to speak of family matters! If becoming a divine champion is so easy, we wont be without one for so many years since the old ancestors. Lets see when that day actually comes. It was at this moment that an attendant arrived hurriedly, shouting, Lord, urgent report! Whats with the panic? Look at yourself. Ill send you off to Transcendent if you dont learn to be calm! In his bad mood, Song Zhongnian berated the attendant while opening the envelope. He then fished out the contents and looked through them. His hand froze up after a single glance; he didnt even notice the report falling to the ground. A curious Song Ziyan picked up the paper. After reading the continents, she cried out in joy, Seventh brother is a divine champion now!? This is great news! Our Song family finally has a divine champion! Grandpa Her voice slowly faded away when she saw Song Zhongnians expression. She suddenly realized something at this pointthere might have been some chance of Song Zining returning if he couldnt break through. Now that he had broken through the divine champion threshold, there was no longer any hope of him returning. The Imperial Palace, Pepper Hall. Empress Li was leaning on the couch, stroking the cat in her arms. The palace hall was warm, but she was still clad in a thick woolen shawl and her face was abnormally pale. An old inner attendant walked in with a booklet and began reading to her the important happenings in the Empire. The first of them was Song Zinings breakthrough to become a divine champion. Stunned, Empress Lis grip tightened unknowingly. The cat struggled out of her arms in pain and scuttled toward a corner. So he has also broken through. Now thats unexpected. The old attendant said, This is indeed unexpected, perhaps the Song clan can return to being a major clan. Empress Li said, There mightve been some chance if he hadnt broken through, but now, theres none. That is unless hes ruthless enough to clean up all of those elders. This matter is all too easy for the seventh young master. Who in the entire clan is his match? Even all the elders together can do nothing against the Seventh Young Master and his Worldly Prosperity. Can and willing are two different matters, Empress Li said with a laugh. Besides, why would he need to stain his hands when his future is so good. The Empress is wise. The attendant was enlightened. Empress Li shifted her posture, frowning in contemplation. The Empire has acquired another expert. This is something worthy of celebration. Why do you look unhappy? The Empress sighed. Im concerned about something. Say, do you think this Zining should cultivate divination or not? Is there even a need to ask? Your Majesty must be testing me. The seventh young master naturally naturally The old attendant stopped halfway. What? Is there any difficulty? The attendant sighed. I was thinking at first that he should at least attempt the heavenly monarch realm due to his World Prosperity. Lord Jundu is now shut out of the next realm, and Qianye is, in the end, not of our race. Young Noble Zining is the only candidate throughout the Empire. On the other hand, he might not be inferior to Marshal Lin if he cultivates divination. A heavenly monarch or a second Marshal Lin, I cannot say which of them is more important to the Empire. Empress Li said, Thats whats distressing me. She stood up from the couch and, with a wave of her hand, summoned the cat back into her arms. Empress Li caressed the feline while saying, This matter, I think Ill just let him worry about it. Why would I have to feel stressed? The attendant wanted to say something at first but was hesitant. Finally, he said, Youre right, Your Highness. Empress Li waved her hand, sending the attendant away. Two other attendants were whispering among themselves outside of the hall. Did you hear? The seventh young noble is now a divine champion! Which one? The one from the Song clan, of course, who else couldve broken through? Wont the Song clan be in despair? Ive never seen people court disaster with such enthusiasm, they even drove away someone like the seventh young noble. The heavens wont tolerate it if the Song clan isnt demoted. The old attendant shouted with a serious expression, What are you two gossiping about!? Ill pull your tongues out if I catch this again. The two attendants were shocked out of their wits. They said with faces full of smiles, This isnt such a big matter, wont the entire Empire know after half a day. The old attendant felt that it was true, so he simply left with a swing of his sleeves. He arrived at a remote courtyard, where he opened up a piece of paper and filled it with tiny writing. He rolled the paper up carefully and put it in his pocket, then left the palace in civilian apparel citing outside business. The attendant walked through the streets for a good half hour before coming to a store selling products from different lands. The manager immediately welcomed the guest with a big smile. Sire! What do you want this time? The attendant picked up a random vase, then put it back down. Any interesting stuff lately? The manager went back into the store and soon returned with several boxes. All our new goods are in here. If you ask if theres anything special, I must say we have more goods from Fort Continent these days. The old attendant shook his head after looking through the contents. Theres nothing good, next time then. Take care! The manager saw the old attendant away before moving the boxes back inside. He thought back to the sequence in which the old attendant had opened the boxes and fished out one of them. There was now a sheet of paper inside. Two days later, this paper arrived on Twilight Continent and into the hands of a mysterious person. This messenger could only see a pair of eyes as the person was clad entirely in armor. The man opened the letter and read the contents several times before putting the correspondence away. He then produced a drop of translucent origin blood and placed it in the hands of the messenger, saying in a raspy voice, Well done, this is the reward. The delighted messenger fell to his knees. Thank you, Sire! The mysterious person turned and left, leaving dark-purple flames with every step. Castle Ducasse was currently undergoing a large-scale expansion. There was nothing special about this mysterious person except for the lowered visor, something ordinary people would only do when in battle. He was just like any other ordinary vampire. He arrived at a distant hall and entered a certain room in the corner. The decor here was plain and crude, with only some simple furniture. He had just sat down when the door opened and an old vampire with white hair walked in. This elderly vampire gazed at the mysterious person with pale eyes. Have you gotten it? Yes. How is it? Just as we had guessed, perhaps even more. Very good. The white-haired vampire elder left without asking for the paper. The mysterious vampire sat down with his back against the wall, gazing at the yellow light on the ceiling. No one knew what he was thinking. Chapter 1270: The Storm Duke These airships landed on the vast plains, unloading a steady stream of fully-equipped human warriors. These troops were even better outfitted than Dark Flames mercenaries. The lineup almost seemed fit to fight a small war, but the many different colors made them look a bit messy. These people were the private armies of the Imperial aristocracy. At first, they were positioned in Expansive, but now, they had been transferred to the west. A big, bearded general gazed into the distance and saw smoke rising over the horizon. He said with a wave of his hand, You, bring a couple dozen men and take a look. The aide responded to the order, then drove away with some of the familys warriors. Several other off-road vehicles also set out in the same direction. That bearded general spat. Damned lot, fighting for such minor contributions! As the vehicles grouped up, they saw a group of werewolves running in their direction. One of the private soldiers grabbed the mounted gun out of habit and opened fire, the stream of bullets quickly approaching the werewolf at the front. Halt! Hold your fire! One of the werewolf warriors shouted, but the private soldier paid him no heed. That warrior slammed the machine gun operator away, turned the gun at the surrounding jeeps, and began firing. The gunfire struck the soil near the cars, sending dust and gravel all over the vehicles. This startled the private soldiers, causing them to turn around. Seeing that he had forced the machine gunners to stop, he shouted, These are our tribesmen, Sire Qianyes subjects! Are you outsiders planning to betray him? What a joke! When did Sire Qianye become a werewolf? Were the outsiders? The private army soldiers mocked the werewolf, but they stopped firing. A fierce-looking veteran pointed his spear at the werewolf, saying, I dont care about all that crap, but I will kill you if you aim your gun at me again! Sire Qianye will not protect a wild dog who fires at his allies. The werewolf soldier put down the machine gun and said, You wont last long, either, if you massacre our tribesmen. Dont forget about your wife and children, dont make them collect your corpse. While the two parties were facing off, one of the private soldiers shouted, Werewolves! A lot of them! Everyone turned around to see a cloud of dust rising over the horizon, converging into the shape of a dragon as it rolled over the land. As for how many werewolves were running in that formation, no one knew. This time, that werewolf soldiers expression changed. He shouted, Those are the Storm Dukes men! We have to stop them! Are you crazy!? How do we stop them with this small group? An officer jumped out from one of the cars at this moment. Whos the youngest here? Step forward. Drive one of the cars back to report the situation here. Everyone else, assume defensive positions, we fight to the death! Dont think about dying with an intact corpse if we fall into those bastards hands. At this point, he turned toward that werewolf soldier and said, Sorry, I wasnt talking about you. The werewolf replied, Its fine, well get eaten up all the same if were captured. The officer was somewhat surprised. At this point, the soldiers were already moving out according to their orders. The officer picked a position and lay prone on the ground, then said while taking aim, I thought werewolves didnt eat their kind. I heard thats the case on the upper continents, but here, we might starve if we dont. The officer wanted to ask if the werewolf had eaten his kind before, but he ultimately stopped short of it. The werewolf warrior seemed to have guessed his thoughts. Most werewolves would rather die in battle or in the mountains than touch their kind. I am the same. At this point, the veteran said, I wouldnt mind having a werewolf friend if we survive. The werewolf laughed. I already have quite a few human comrades. The officer shook his head, saying, We can discuss that in our next lives. None of us will live today. His expression was calm, almost as though he was complaining about the food. Everyone became quiet. The dozens of soldiers assumed a scattered formation and waited for the werewolf army to arrive. A shade of light yellow appeared in the dust cloud, quickly increasing in number until they formed a deluge of yellow. Countless werewolves in light yellow armor charged out of the dragon-shaped dust cloud and charged at the airships landing in the distance. The airship sentries had already noticed the situation, and the fleet was starting to panic. Some of the airships halfway in descent hovered in the air, not knowing whether they should continue landing. The forces that had emerged from the airship charged forward to try and build a temporary defensive line. All experienced officers felt despair upon seeing the scale of the incoming army. At the very front, the veteran swallowed hard despite having prepared for death. So goddamn many! The officer said, Makes no difference, well die either way. The veteran muttered, This isnt the first time, but this daddy still feels afraid. The officer said, So do I. The veteran was surprised. I thought you were never afraid of anything. I just didnt say it. That is why Im a major and youre a second lieutenant. Isnt it because of your cultivation? Thats why youre still a second lieutenant. The torrent of yellow arrived, the werewolves footsteps shaking the ground as they ran. Those lying prone on the ground could hardly keep their guns steady. Instead of shooting in a rush, the soldiers waited patiently until the werewolves were in a certain firing range before opening fire. Every soldier poured out every bit of origin power and ammunition they had. However, their firepower was simply too weak compared to the werewolf army, so weak that they couldnt even slow down the enemys charge. The solemn officer shot to his feet and fired a final round from his hand cannon. The moment that origin shell left the chamber, his face went pale and he could no longer stand firm. Even so, his right hand reached for the dagger at his waist. The cannon shell flew into the werewolf army and erupted in an earth-shattering blast. The explosion sent dust and gravel hundreds of meters into the air, along with countless werewolves. The armys momentum faltered for a moment! The officer was dumbfounded. He hadnt imagined that a single shot from his cannon would be so terrifying. That wasnt like a hand cannon at all but rather a concentrated fire from ten heavy cannons. Even a volley like that might not produce such an effect. He gazed at the enemy, then at his hand cannon, puzzled as to what had happened. It was at this moment that a second earth-shattering explosion began, the shockwave throwing countless werewolves into the air. The charging vanguard had taken yet another head-on blow. The officer looked up as a massive shadow flew past his head, only to see an unimaginably large warship appear in the sky. That massive thousand-meter vessel was almost like a floating city. The Martyrs Palace! someone cried out. The fame of Qianyes airship had long since shaken the world. The gigantic warship body and its void-colossus-like appearance became the topic of fervent discussions. Despite not having seen it before, some were immediately able to recognize this legendary war vessel. The officer finally realized that the two massive explosions had nothing to do with his hand cannon. They were actually attacks from the Martyrs Palace. The Martyrs Palace slowly lowered its altitude and opened its side cannon ports, weaving a terrifying net of firepower over the werewolf vanguard battalion. The entire area was turned into a land of death. The Storm Dukes forces were numerous yet scantily equipped. They might be a bit stronger than the Jade Sea werewolves, but not to any significant extent. This kind of primitive force lacked strategic nodes and was easily massacred by the Martyrs Palace and its sub-fleet-level firepower. Even the bravest of warriors wouldnt be willing to throw away their lives for nothing. The Storm Dukes werewolf army finally came to halt, most soldiers gazing at the zone of death in terror. The Martyrs Palace slowed down its barrage and finally stopped firing. At this point, soldiers with good eyesight seemed to notice someone standing atop the Earth Dragons head. Under the flag of the werewolf army, dozens of werewolf experts were drawn to that silhouette. They craned their necks in hopes of figuring out what exactly it was, but when the smoke finally dispersed, there was nothing on the Earth Dragons head. Where is that person? Where did they go? an impatient chief asked. A gentle voice rang out in the ears of all the werewolf experts. Im here. They turned back in shock to find Qianye standing a couple of meters behind them. You! Most werewolf experts didnt even have the time to react before an unbearable heat washed over them. Their bodies were racked with scorching pain as their vision turned a dark red color and the scenery around them began to distort. It was as though they had fallen into an apocalyptic hell. They wanted to struggle, but their bodies felt inexplicably heavy, so much so that even running was a distant dream. The weaker ones were even pressed down to the ground. This pressure also contained an aura that filled them with dread. This was a fear that came from the depths of their bloodline, an inherent trepidation in the face of an expert who was close to the darkness origins. This fear caused the werewolves to turn limp, reducing their fighting power to sixty percent of their capacity. How can this be? The werewolves had yet to finish digesting their fear when countless intersecting threads of blood appeared in their vision. The standard of the werewolf army slowly collapsed. The werewolf soldiers did not continue their charge after the Martyrs Palace stopped firing. Instead, they gazed at the central command, waiting for their next order. Only when the flag had fallen did they realize that no one within a hundred meters of the central command was standing. Those werewolf experts and leaders had all turned into corpses. The wind grew stronger as a powerful suppressive might covered the battlefield. A gigantic voice boomed, Your Excellency Qianye, treating these tribal warriors in such a way, do you not fear that your name will be tarnished? Qianye replied calmly, They have offended me, so that is the fate they deserve. You wouldnt have appeared if I didnt punish them, or would you, Storm Duke? A whirlwind appeared before Qianye and walking out from it was a tall werewolf elder. His eyes were mysterious, and his creased face was filled with traces of aging. The elder arrived near Qianye and said, I have appeared. Chapter 1271: Troops vs Troops If it wasnt for the manner in which he had appearedand the suppressive might covering the entire battlefieldno one wouldve noticed that this unassuming old hunter was the Storm Duke of Fort Continent. The duke walked step by step toward Qianye. The latter only watched as the werewolf entered within a hundred meters of him, which was the safe distance between divine champions, then thirty meters, which was the assault range for most experts. By the time the Storm Duke came to a stop, the two were almost at an arms length. The dukes big-jointed fingers moved ever so slightly with each step, the scimitar at his waist humming along to them. At this distance, either opponent could hurt the other with just an eruption of origin power; there wasnt even a need to move. One could tell from his name that the Storm Duke specialized in speed and explosive power. At this range, victory and defeat were on a thin line. Qianyes lashes didnt even tremble. Your men have crossed the border, they have to pay the price. Young man, there was no border here, to begin with. Where my warriors go, thats where the border is. If what you say is true, then your border just shrank a hundred meters. A sharp glint flickered in the Storm Dukes eyes. Young man, are you trying to provoke me? Is this a declaration of war? Qianye replied, A fight is inevitable, but after seeing you, I feel that we can discuss how we fight. How? Let our underlings fight on their own, we stay out of it. The Storm Duke laughed out loud. Do you think youre my match now? Why must I listen to such a silly suggestion? Qianye said with a smile, The Whitebone Duke thought the same, now hes a corpse. Hmph! Whitebone is a useless madman, how can you compare him to me? Dont tell me you think you can win against me just because you Eh? The Storm Dukes expression shifted drastically. He retreated a hundred meters in a flash, almost as quickly as Qianyes Spatial Flash. In his vision, the essence blood in Qianyes chest was billowing as a sanguine moon rose up over it! The abrupt increase in power forced him to retreat involuntarily. Vice duke! The Storm Dukes tone was different A bit short of it, but just a tiny bit. The Storm Duke narrowed his eyes. Turns out you killed Whitebone as a glorious marquis. I was somewhat fortunate back then, but now, Im stronger. It wont take as much effort to kill him. Whitebone is Whitebone, I am me. Im not alone, though. I have that. Qianye pointed at the Martyrs Palace. Just a remnant will. Why not go in with me and see for yourself? Impossible. And I thought you would come without being invited. Qianyes words contained a deeper meaning, and the Storm Duke understood what he meant. After some thought, he said, I still think my chances are better. You cant stop me with this airship on my side. I can level all the cities in your territory with relative ease. Well, I cant stop whatever you do, either, but dont forget that this isnt my home. The Storm Dukes eyes shifted about. He had to admit that Qianye had pointed out his weakness. The duke, of course, knew that Qianye was a complete stranger despite having obtained the vast territory and army. This meant that his foundations werent here, and neither were his core forces. This meant that if both sides were to throw away the rules and start a massacre, the Storm Duke would be losing his core interests. Qianye would only need to replenish cannon fodder no matter how steep his losses were. The duke would have to cross continents to the neutral lands to pick a fight. The Storm Duke said slowly, If you and your flagship stay out of this, I will as well. Swear to the spirit of your ancestors. I swear to the spirit of my ancestors. After both parties had given their pledge, the Storm Duke took one step back and disappeared in the form of a whirlwind. The werewolf army below didnt know what to do. They glanced at one another, waiting for the order to either advance or retreat. But Qianye had killed all the chiefs and commanders at the center, leaving only a handful of ordinary experts. The werewolf army had no idea who to listen to, and the experts themselves did not know who among them should take the reins. Qianye felt somewhat surprisedthe situation on the battlefield was a bonus beyond what was promised. He had, at first, thought that the Storm Dukes tribes would be more organized than the Whitebone Dukes, but it would seem they were still ways off from the Great Qins system. Following the setback, the aristocratic private armies had already constructed their defensive line. They had brought with them mobile armor plates which they pieced together to form a small steel fortress. The soldiers sent to Fort Continent were either elites or troublemakers. The latter kind could also be considered elites on their own right since none of them would fear a group of primitive werewolves as long as they had enough cover and ammunition. Besides, everyone was in high spirits after seeing Qianye force the Storm Duke back. Everyone was shouting, rearing for a good battle. Of course, they werent stupid enough to charge out of the fortifications, no matter how hot-blooded they were. The Storm Dukes werewolves were leagues apart from the country bumpkins of the Jade Sea. Although their strategy was fairly backward, at least many of them were armored. The werewolf army finally began to organize after a period of chaos. No longer able to watch from the sidelines, several of the Storm Dukes aides stepped out to take over command. There were simply too many werewolves here. Even after suffering attacks from Qianye and the Martyrs Palace, there were over a hundred thousand of them left. On the other hand, the allied forces of the aristocratic family numbered a mere twenty thousandthat was including the thousands of werewolves Qianye had transferred over. This five-to-one advantage was too enticing for the enemy army. Hence, after a period of reorganization, a long bugle cry echoed from the army, and squad after squad of soldiers marched toward the allied fortification. A battle ensued. The Storm Dukes werewolves erupted in full force, slamming repeatedly into the fortification as the private soldiers retaliated with all their might. Yet, they soon discovered that there were simply too many enemies, so much so that they couldnt mow them down fast enough. After several waves, a large number of werewolves managed to break through the defensive line and into the fortification. The primitive tribal werewolves might not be lacking in equipment, but they were fairly powerful in close quarters combat. The casualty rates would surely increase now that they had closed in. The private soldiers sent to Fort Continent were also brave people; they immediately split off some forces to engage in melee combat. The thousands of werewolves Qianye had dispatched also sallied forth to kill all enemies who had managed to enter the fortification. Qianyes werewolves were all well-armored, with shields and axes of far greater quality than the Storm Dukes men. The latter found themselves unable to penetrate the defenders armor. Their weapons and gear, on the other hand, were easily damaged. This batch of well-trained werewolves wasnt beneath the Storm Dukes soldiers in terms of strength, so the overwhelming weapons advantage brought them swift victory. With Qianyes werewolf elites standing guard, the private soldiers could let loose on the incoming enemy. Their firepower increased abruptly, mowing down the incoming enemies in droves. Even so, the difference was so great that more and more openings appeared in the make-shift fortress. It was at this time that a squadron of airships appeared in the distant sky. A concentrated volley of cannon fire immediately swallowed up the Storm Dukes werewolves. This airship squadron was made up of very different vessels, all kinds of them in fact. There were fairly new warship models among them, as well as cargo ships equipped with a few cannons. Despite their disuniformity, there were dozens of airships and close to a hundred cannons in this squadron. The weapons werent exactly high-caliber armaments, but the firepower was still quite impressive. In the blink of an eye, the Storm Dukes werewolves suffered grave casualties and fell into dire straits. They could neither push forward nor retreat. Howling winds appeared in the sky once more, and with it came the Storm Dukes angry voice. Qianye, you broke your promise! Qianye replied coldly, I said my Martyrs Palace wouldnt join the battle, I didnt say the other airships cant be used. If you feel that its not fair, feel free to transfer your airforce as well. The Storm Duke said after a moment of silence, Good, just you wait. Ill let you know that Fort Continent isnt a place you can do as you wish. Im looking forward to it. A long, mournful bugle-cry echoed throughout the battlefield. The Storm Dukes werewolves finally started to retreat, unable to withstand the attack from the air and ground. However, it was too late. Qianyes fleet latched onto the enemy as they fell back, raining ammunition down on them along the way. During the hunt, some airships even lowered their altitude and began to sweep the ground with their gatling guns. This type of attack was fairly outrageous, but who was to blame for Qianyes side holding the overwhelming advantage? Only a small number of airships came from Dark Flame, while most of them were escort vessels from the aristocracy. These families had always prioritized quality over quantity, putting great emphasis on air dominance. Now that a dozen or so of them were working together, they were able to form a small squadron with just three warships from each family. This kind of rabble was nothing in the face of a regular air force, but they were on Fort Continent. The Storm Duke could hardly boast a handful of presentable airships, nor had they ever brought these vessels to the front line. They werent about to call their airships over just to commit suicide. Additionally, Qianye had killed off all of the commanding officers in the central army. This meant that there were no experts to fight back against aerial attacks, let alone pose a threat. The allied squadron thus had no fear. They hunted the retreating forces for hundreds of kilometers and only returned when the great enemy army was scattered. Not only did they manage to take back the territories belonging to the Jade Sea, they even pushed several kilometers into the Storm Dukes territory. The private armies had no intention of pulling backthey saw one out of every two kilometers gained as their own, so why would they retreat? It was just as the Storm Duke had said, wherever they brought the fight was the border. Despite the victory, the arrogant private army alliance woke up to the reality of Fort Continent and the reason why Qianye had dispatched five thousand well-equipped melee fighters. After the battle was over, the first thing the commanding officer of the alliance did wasnt to sweep the field. Instead, he wrote two letters, one of which was dispatched to the Empire to request more experts. Fear of the Storm Dukes forces had taken root in his heart, but they also knew that the experts under the duke were a force the alliance could tackle. The other letter was for Qianye. After a voluminous series of praises, in the beginning, he tactfully requested a couple thousand more armored werewolf warriors and that they would provide more equipment in return. Qianye had left almost as soon as the Storm Duke had departed and was now back in Cerulean Wave City. He was naturally happy to accept the proposal after reading the letter. Qianyes role didnt seem too big in the fight against the Storm Duke. At the very least, there was no way to foretell the outcome until his fight to the death with the latter. However, it was fine for the allied army to push a hundred or so kilometers into the Storm Dukes territory. This was a loss the enemy would have to accept. Qianye jumped to the end of the letter to check the results. Enemy losses: seventy thousand. Most of them were killed in battle, with only a couple thousand captured. Now this number was rather interesting. Chapter 1272: Son of Darkness The great shaman did not panic. He said with a bow, Sire, there can be many sons of darkness. In truth, the Storm Duke is the true son of darkness to the werewolves in his territory. The duke himself never commented on this rumor, but he did make the effort to spread this news. Does the son of darkness really exist? Of course, you are one. Qianye was noncommittal. You said there can be many sons of darkness. The great shaman said, Legends about the son of darkness have been circulating for hundreds of years, and no one knows when it appeared. The mysterious thing about it is that most werewolves already have memories of it when they awaken to their intelligence. This planted the legend even deeper into our hearts and faith. That was probably why every werewolf duke would secretly or openly claim themselves to be the son of darkness, thus strengthening their rule. They know that was actually not the truth and so do we. Did the Whitebone Duke claim to be the son of darkness? Of course, Sire. Then why do you believe I am the son of darkness? The feeling, trepidation, and terror. You merely need to stand there to make me believe that the darkness origins have appeared before me. That is why the werewolves of the Jade Sea serve you, even though you belong to the vampire bloodline. Qianye said after some contemplation, You can sense the purity of darkness origin power? I myself cannot, but I can if I borrow the eyes of the ancestors. A plume of golden-red flames lit up at his fingertips. How about this? The great shaman said, This power of blood is very pure, but its still quite a distance from the darkness origins. This isnt the original state of your power. Qianye was observing the great shaman while he was speaking. The great shamans eyes were covered by a layer of green light when he glanced at the flame, almost as though he was using a different pair of eyes. This was probably the ancestral eyes he was talking about. Regardless, the great shamans conclusion was fairly accurate. The blood energy he had just released was an imitation of Nighteyes original blood energy. It was indeed inferior to his true ancient vampire bloodline, but only true experts could see through this difference. It was simply miraculous that the great shaman could see the difference despite being a virtuous count. It would seem his ancestral eyes were quite useful. Then, how do I force the werewolves under the Storm Duke to submit? Qianye asked. Qianye gazed deeply into the great shamans eyes. Sounds like all shamans are the same. The great shamans expression remained calm. Of course not. Our allegiance is true faith, while theirs will be forced. Why is that? His ancestors are blind. Qianye didnt know what to say to this. He said after some thought, Is there a way I can force the Storm Duke to yield to me? Can you defeat him? Not yet. When can you beat him then? Qianye said after some thought, At most half a year. With Zhang Boqians version of the Profound Combatant Formula, Qianyes cultivation rate had increased by leaps and bounds. After reaching the divine champion realm, his daybreak origin power foundation was enough for his blood energy to reach the duke rank. With both sides in equilibrium, Qianye was eighty percent certain of defeating the Storm Duke. The great shaman wasnt too surprised. Then lets see after you defeat him. Qianye found that to be logical. He could advance to the vice-duke rank anytime and easily defeat the Storm Duke by borrowing the strength of the Martyrs Palace and Caroline. However, it would be fairly difficult to kill or even capture the werewolf duke, let alone subdue him. Qianye pushed this matter to the side for now and summoned Xu Jingxuan to inquire about the new world base. Well need ten more days at least, Sire. Progress was slower than expected, but then again, building a large base in such a short time involved vast amounts of manpower and resources. This wouldnt even be possible without the hundreds of trucks and machinery from the aristocratic families, as well as the hundreds of thousands of strong werewolves. Then Ill give you ten more days. Xu Jingxuan accepted the order, then asked cautiously, Sire, shouldnt we be building a steady foothold in the new world, why the rush? Qianye said with a frown, I have a feeling that the enemy has made much more progress than we have. We might be kicked out from the new world if we dont make haste. The intuition of a peak expert wasnt an intangible existence. Xu Jingxuan nodded, saying. I understand. Sire, theres something that requires your decision. He then produced a sheet of paper which he passed to Qianye. Qianye saw that this was a list, categorized according to race and position. The bigger categories were fairly strange, namely Zheng, storm werewolves, tribal werewolves, and Imperial aristocracy. Without waiting for Qianye to ask, Xu Jingxuan said, These people have been transmitting information to the outside. I have separated them according to the direction they have been sending information. How do you want to punish them? Qianye understood that these were spies. His forces had grown so rapidly that there was never time to screen the men individually. It was only natural that people with different intentions wouldve found their way in. Those on the list were probably just a small portion of those lurking in the shadows. Qianye picked up a brush and drew a cross under the storm werewolves. Capture and slaughter all of them. As for these He drew a circle on the tribal werewolves. Capture them and assign them to forced labor, no need to kill them. The tribal werewolves came from the Jade Sea and belonged to those who didnt submit to Qianye early on. Qianye felt that there was still a chance he could subdue them, so he had no plan to slaughter them randomly. Qianye drew a cross on Zheng and a tick under the Empire. Xu Jingxuan understood that he had to kill the spies from Zheng, but he had no idea what the mark under the Empire meant. Qianye said with a smile, Let those from the Empire do what they want and transmit whatever information they want to. Theres no need to be guarded against them, just let them know whatever they should know. Xu Jingxuan was surprised. Then wont our real situation in the new world be compromised? I just want to let them know. This Xu Jingxuan didnt quite understand, but he didnt ask further since Qianye wasnt willing to explain. He merely affirmed his order and withdrew. Qianye asked for his equipment and supplies, then once again entered the new world to explore its depths. He wanted to confirm the next direction before the base was completed. ... Twilight Continent. A large shadow fell over Castle Ducasse as a transport fleet moved in, almost blotting out the skies. The castle had already expanded its airship port several times over yet still couldnt accommodate such a massive fleet. Hence, they could only choose to unload the goods in batches. Walking out from the first batch of airships were fully-armed warriors with tactical backpacks. They fell swiftly in line after alighting and were led to their designated camps. Their so-called camp area was just an empty plot of land, but the well-prepared vampire soldiers brought out various equipment and set up their own tents. They had just finished setting up camp when several cars drove into the area and a viscount came down from the first vehicle. He confirmed the designation and number of people in this squad with the officer in charge, before waving his hand in command. The people coming down from other cars were all doctors carrying boxes of injection medicines. The new squad fell into line and accepted the injection one by one. Very soon, hundreds of vampire soldiers had been injected. The viscount said in a satisfied tone, Observe them carefully, they can enter the new world if nothing abnormal happens by tomorrow night. Ill be leaving now if theres nothing else, I need to head to the next camp. I have to cover eleven camps in total today. The squad commander asked, Sire, whats the condition in the new world? Everything is going well at the moment, but I heard What did you hear? The viscount glanced at the castle and shivered all of a sudden. Let it be, thats not something you should know. Im leaving! With that, he left hurriedly with his entourage, leaving the other officer no time to stop him. Several vampire elders were seated in the conference room of the ancient castle. A marquis with snow-white hair walked into the room and hung a map on the wall. The markings on the map were fairly strangeit wasnt in the shape of any known continent. The orientation wasnt vertical but instead an arch. The marquis glanced at the empty chair at the center. Is Her Majesty not coming? Just like before, she probably wont come. Lets begin. The old marquis sighed. Without her, our progress might lag behind the other races. We have no right to question Her Majestys decision. Lets begin, a duke spoke. The old marquis stopped speaking and drew a winding path on the map. This is our progress in the recent three days. The Lightless Monarchs progress is passable. The Flaming Crowns progress is quite good. The Azure King is lagging behind. The slowest is our side. The room fell into silence. Moments later, one of the dukes said, How are the other three races doing? The old marquis drew three more paths on the map. These lines represented different expansion points, but it was easy to see that they were all moving toward the center. Different colors represented different racesblack for the demonkin, green for the werewolves, and grey for the arachne. Some of the dukes jumped to their feet upon seeing the three paths. The demonkin are progressing so fast! The old marquis said, These are the numbers they gave us, who knows if its real. Theres no way the numbers exceed their progress. This wont do, we must discuss this matter with Her Majesty and make haste to catch up. She must join the battle. The problem is, who will talk to Her Majesty? Chapter 1273: Voice of the Sacred River Seeing this, the old marquis sighed. Right now, were only a bit faster than the werewolves. Dont forget that the werewolves only control two entrances while we have four. Perhaps we should send more soldiers into the new world. A duke said, Were almost out of holy tree sap, so the number we can add is limited. As long as we conquer the fourth forest, we might be able to catch up to the demonkin. The fourth forest, do you mean the one with four holy trees? Im not willing to face the Brightsun Tribe there. Another lapse of silence ensued. After a good while, someone broke the silence. Judging from their progress, the demonkin have probably taken two forests with four holy trees. Cant help it, the Demon King is awake at the moment. We shouldve been pretty close too A white-haired duke said, There might be a way to have Her Majesty join the battle. What method? Im not willing to use it, lets wait until theres no other choice. The meeting room fell into silence once again. Perhaps to break the awkward atmosphere, someone said, Lets discuss our progress in detail. The marquis collected his thoughts and said, Up to this point, the Azure King and the Lightless Monarch have each taken down a three-tree forest. The Flaming Crown has taken two in one go. Habsburg is currently scouting the four-holy-tree forest for a potential assault. The Flaming Crown sure lives up to his name! With Prince Habsburgs strength, will our vampire race produce yet another great dark monarch? Recently, I can faintly sense the River of Blood trembling. Perhaps the prince is close to a breakthrough. The probability isnt too high. It hasnt been long since he became a prince, how can it be that fast? Even if he is accepted as someone with greater potential than the second generation progenitor, the fastest a prince can become a great dark monarch is a thousand years. Dont forget that His Excellency has ignited a seal. Didnt the second-generation progenitor do the same during ancient times? He spent close to a thousand years as well to break through. Humph! What you say makes sense, but how will you explain the recent activity in the River of Blood? ... Perhaps the river is about to wake up from its slumber? At this point, everyone exchanged glances, unable to hide the excitement on their faces. The River of Blood had been asleep for many years, and with its dormancy, the vampire race was somewhat weakened as a whole. This was something everyone above the duke rank understood but wouldnt say. Despite the elation, the sensation the dukes could feel was still fairly weak. Even the eldest among them had never witnessed the river in its active state, so most of them simply thought that it was a misconception. Now, they immediately realized that it was no illusion since everyone could sense it. Perhaps someone from our race has broken through. A duke mentioned another possibility. A breakthrough that can move the River of Blood? If that is the case, their future prospects cannot be inferior to Prince Habsburg. We should pay attention and see who is preparing to break through. The strange thing is that none of the primos have shown any movement. Twilight is the only one whos about to break through, but I think shes too weak to stir the river. Perhaps someone is undergoing a second awakening? The possibility is low, but lets observe for now. It was at this time that the dukes expressions shifted drastically. They could clearly sense a massive wave rising from the River of Blood. The sensation from the river was crystal clearthat wave rose from the source of the river and flowed downstream, eventually vanishing into an unknown corner of time. This surge in the River of Blood resonated with the bloodlines of all sacred-blooded scions. A wondrous scene appeared all of a suddenwisps of blood energy shot out from the source of the river and somehow showered down from the void. Everyone at the sceneincluding the old marquissat still with their eyes closed, focusing on this divine boon. This was blood energy from the source of the River of Blood, and its quality was far superior to any single dukes. Although they could only obtain three to five strands each, the sensation was indescribably comfortable. It was as though their organs had all been washed by a clear stream. The change from the River of Blood vanished as quickly as it had appeared. It disappeared into the depths of the void within moments, almost as though it had never appeared. No one could sense it again. Some of the dukes slowly opened their eyes, still intoxicated in the feeling and feeling regretful. Someone said, If only it could last a bit longer. Everyone felt the same. If only they could exchange their blood energy with that from the River of Blood, breaking through to the great dark monarch realm would be a natural process. Unfortunately, that was just a dream, something even the Queen of the Night could not accomplish. That was why she was known as the second drop of blood from the river. The wisps of blood energy were negligible for duke grade experts. This amount could do nothing to help their cultivation, but something seemed to have changed after coming into contact with the source of the river. Several experts felt that their bloodline power had improved somewhat. In this regard, even a minuscule amount of improvement was valuable. The awakening of the river was enough to excite everyone, let alone one involving such a bounty. The experts eventually woke up from their reverie, and one of them remembered. What was with the River of Blood just now? The dukes jumped to their feet, saying, Quick, investigate who just broke through! Such a commotion was taking place not just in Castle Ducasse, but in all vampire camps across the continents. The last time every expert had sensed the resonance was when Habsburg broke through. Moreover, the river had stirred quite strongly this time, and this signified the birth of yet another vampire genius and expert. The Frostpole Continent, right outside the door to the new world. On these plains covered year-round in snow, there was a fortress so big that it could be called a city. The scale of this fortress was comparable to Castle Ducasse. Tens of thousands of demonkin and their vassal races had gathered here. Team after team of craftsmen were building one workshop after the other, seemingly turning the place into a permanent base. There were three hundred-meter towers at the center of the fortress, joined together by a ring. There was an icy palace hall at the center of this ring overlooking the entire city. This palace hall was currently the command center of the entire Frostpole Continent, a peerless existencethe sole reason being that the lord of the Masefield family was currently in this hall. Over a dozen demonkin were scattered around the room, all of them sporting profound presences. The weakest among them was a glorious marquis. There seemed to be a black hole in the central seat, seemingly devouring all aura and never releasing them. That tremendous, deep darkness filled the spectator with an involuntary fear. At this moment, a deep, imposing voice echoed from the darkness, Any news regarding the stirring of the River of Blood? A demonkin duke said with a bow, Your Highness, the incident happened suddenly, there has been no news yet. The Masefield clan lord said, Go and investigate immediately, especially the clans with members breaking through recently. Yes, Your Majesty. A surge of coldness emerged from the depths of the darkness, signaling the end of this meeting. The dukes and marquises withdrew, leaving only two great dukes behind. Pay attention to the vampires while exploring the new world, check whether any experts with potential have appeared. You can also get rid of them while youre at it. The two great dukes were surprised. Your Highness, the appearance of the River of Blood is a rare occurrence. Even considering its true, Habsburg alone cant turn the tables between our races. Targeting their children at such a time might invite a strong backlash; the werewolves and arachne wont stand with us, either. Isnt this price too steep just to kill a vampire expert with potential? There was a brief fluctuation in the dark voice. You dont understand. Habsburg stirring the River of Blood isnt just about him gaining power. Its also this world summoning and calling upon the river. If this keeps up, the River of Blood will grow stronger and move closer to our world. Stopping the river from awakening is an important mission for our race. This was the first time these great dukes had heard of such detailed secrets, but as high-ranking characters, they regained their composure after a moment of surprise. Your Majesty, rest assured. We will complete the task. The deep darkness gradually began to expand. The two dukes left the hall and entered the new world in a hurry. The Fluid Hall of the Imperial Palace was shrouded in steam. The deep smell of sulfur, mixed with the fragrance of herbs, seeped into ones soul. The wisps of origin power in the steam were so dense that they were visible to the naked eye. It almost seemed like the entire hall was filled with a strange glow. Ordinary people could not withstand such intense daybreak origin power. Those who stepped in here would feel as though they were breathing fire, and their innards would be reduced to charcoal in just a couple of breaths. Even a champion couldnt stay here for long; perhaps just a few minutes. This was a holy land for cultivation, but the daybreak origin power was too pure and intense. It would be torture for those with slightly inferior talents and just a bit of impurity in their cultivation. There was a pond at the center of the hall that was constructed to look like a natural pool. Someone was lying still in its golden waters. This was the supreme ruler of Great Qin, the Radiant Emperor. After an unknown length of time in the pond, he finally opened his eyes and sat up slowly. Once out of the water, a gentle tune echoed in the hall as several maids filed in with towels and clothes. These maids werent young, and their cultivation was extraordinary. Otherwise, it wouldnt be possible for them to remain in the Fluid Hall for long. The Radiant Emperor walked out of the pool. Scanning the towel in one of the maids hands, he said with a frown, How many times have we told you that we have no need for such things. An origin flame flickered on his body, evaporating all the water as he picked up his clothes and put them on. An inner attendant said, Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler of the world. This kind of etiquette is a must or people will criticize you. Only when I flatten the Evernight faction can I be considered the supreme ruler of the world. Chapter 1274: Fate and the Hear After leaving the Fluid Hall, the emperor headed toward Wave Hall where his study was. This was where he usually handled official matters. The emperor would never stay here for long when the Longevity Monarch was still alive; only for specific official discussions and the like. After the monarchs death, he seemed to be spending all his time here, to the point of neglecting the harem. After he had taken his seat in the Wave Hall, an attendant brought out a thick stack of documents. The emperor went through them one after the other, delighted at times and gloomy in others. His brows rose sharply in surprise when he arrived at a certain document. He didnt put it down immediately after reading it and, instead, went through it again. He then asked someone to summon Empress Li. Once Empress Li entered the hall, the emperor said, Things look dire on the Transcendent Continent, do you have any good ideas for me? Empress Li smiled. I cant even use my divination anymore, how can I have any good ideas? Transcendents danger has greatly weakened the Empires strength. Our progress in the new world is probably far behind Evernight. Humph, those useless people! I must drag them out and sacrifice a few once the situation in the new world is stable! Nothing in the world, big or small, is worthy of you getting angry. Speaking of which, didnt we dispatch two army corps? The Radiant Emperor stood up with a sigh and paced around a bit. Ignoring the fighting power of these rushed troops, theyre still fighting on their own on Transcendent Continent. The aristocratic families want them to be the frontline cushion, but theres no way those two commanders will fall for that. Theyre giving all kinds of excuses to withhold their forces. In the end, everything is just a loose plate of sand. Empress Li said, Is it the Nangong family leading Transcendent? Who else? That sure sounds like their style, but using the Imperial army as cannon fodder is too excessive. The Radiant Emperor snorted. Do they think I have no idea what theyre plotting? The Nangong have lost their land. What do I do if all the other aristocratic families lose their territories as well? I cant just toss them all into the landowning caste, can I? Theyre only one step away from that state. Empress Li sighed. These aristocratic families are all failing, theres no good solution even after a thousand years. Unless The Radiant Emperor shook his head, stopping the empress from continuing. He brought out a document and passed it to her. Well, its not all bad news. The good news doesnt disappoint. The Radiant Emperor stretched out a finger. Ten thousand? Nah, thats too little. A hundred thousand? Just one, a divine champion. Divine champion! After the initial surprise, Empress Li sighed. Now thats a pretty powerful hand to play. Has he already found his footing on Fort Continent? Not just that, I have a feeling his progress in the new world is even faster than Zhao Jundu and Zining. Just look at this. Empress Li received the document, exclaiming in surprise when she opened it. Five hundred thousand! And werewolves, no less! How is that even possible? The Radiant Emperor laughed wryly. I also thought it was impossible at first, but this is certain. The information comes from an old asset. That person has remained hidden on Fort Continent for many years and only acts on big news. He has never made a mistake before. Besides, multiple other channels have confirmed this fact. Even some of the aristocracy dispatched to Fort Continent have witnessed Qianyes werewolf army. The part they saw only contained about a hundred thousand soldiers, but those are only new troops undergoing training. His main forces have probably entered the new world already. This Qianye really is Empress Li didnt know how to describe him. The Radiant Emperor said, This Qianye is rising to power so rapidly. He was just a young man with potential back then, but now, hes a capable and powerful leader. As I see it, his ambitions have just started taking shape; his future is limitless. Humph, if only those idiots hadnt pushed him out of the Empire. At least Qianyes heart still belongs to the Empire. After all, he possesses a vampire bloodline, so its not entirely appropriate for him to occupy a high position in the Empire. Youre right, but whatever the case, its time to rope him in with everything we have. Empress Li said, We have Duke Chengen, Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, and Song Zining. Theres no worry of him joining Evernight. The Radiant Emperor shook his head. We cant be complacent. Dont forget how he killed his way into the military compound and killed Li Fengshui, who was so much more powerful than him back then. He managed to escape with Nighteye in the end, but thats only because the Zhao clan helped him secretly. He was prepared to die when he walked in. So, we cant be certain those friends of his are enough when it comes to Nighteye. Empress Li said warmly, Then what should we do, please instruct us. The Radiant Emperor said, This Qianye is sentimental and loyal to his friends, but Ji Tianqing alone might not be enough to make him stay. If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, youd better use them all. I do have my ways, but there will be a price involved. I wonder how much of a price youre willing to pay. The Radiant Emperor said after a moment of silence, Any price! Empress Li affirmed the order, then left with a bow. The Radiant Emperor didnt return to his desk immediately. Instead, he turned toward a display wall covered in drawings and calligraphy. These masterpieces from famous artists would be rotated out every ten days. Every Emperor of Qin shared love for calligraphy, drawing, or both. The work of these masters embodied their experiences and comprehensions, so appreciating their work was one way to boost ones cultivation. The Radiant Emperor walked over to the latticework, where a small piece of artwork sat between several mountain and river paintings. He stared at it with a tired smile, then leaned his head lightly on the wall beside the inscription. Teacher one day, you will see the bright sun rising from this world. After leaving Wave Hall, Empress Li summoned Eunuch Liu. After the old man had taken his seat and had some tea, she said, Youve seen Qianye before in the neutral lands. What do you think of his potential? Eunuch Liu said slowly, Do you even need my evaluation? He has already proven everything at the Frozen Jade Manor and on Fort Continent. Hes already a lord of a land, and his future is still boundless. Empress Li asked again, Thats what I do not understand, why was he able to gain the werewolves loyalty? It was clear that Eunuch Liu knew all about the situation on Fort Continent. After some thought, I can only think of one reason: bloodline power. Please tell me more. Qianye isnt a werewolf, but his darkness origin power is probably at an extremely high level and just as pure as its Venus Dawn counterpart. The dark races bloodline power is, at its core, just a measure of how pure ones origin power is in the system. The closer one is to the darkness origins, the stronger he is. Whether its blood energy or demonic energy, thats just the external appearance. Empress Li was surprised. True. So does that mean Qianye possesses first-rate talent in blood energy as well? Thats my only explanation. Inconceivable. Empress Li sighed while shaking her head. How did our Empire lose such a talented person? Eunuch Liu didnt think it was a serious matter. Talented people will arise in every generation, missing one or two doesnt affect the big picture. Song Zining is pretty good as well, and as I see it, its not the end of the road for Zhao Jundu, either. Zhao Jundu? After his foundations were damaged, he forced a breakthrough and buried himself in secular military affairs. Other people might think hes being ignorant, but I think this child is tempering his foundations like one would temper true gold in flames. Success is not impossible. Empress Li sighed. This Swallowcloud Zhao Clan sure produces a lot of talents. The Zhao clan is smart, but they dont have any top talents, so theres no need to fear them. This clan produces geniuses in every generation, but its precisely because they are so talented that theyre lacking in polish; their progress has always been too smooth. Look at them, they have a host of divine champions but so few heavenly monarch candidates. If Zhao Wuji hadn''t moved his entire clan to the Western Continent, they would not be enjoying todays power and prosperity. Youre right. I think our Li clan is also enjoying too much peace. Eunuch Liu made no comment. All of that is just my opinion. Prince Greensuns path looks smooth, but after careful observation, its actually full of sacrifices. He gave up everything except the martial path and every breakthrough was accompanied by fatal perils. He wouldve fallen if there was any mistake along the way. Empress Li sighed at this point, almost as though she had thought of something. Are you thinking about that engagement, Your Highness? ... Yeah. Forgive me for being blunt, but Prince Greensun never agreed. Empress Li sighed. You might not know, but the engagement couldve happened that day. Its just that the prince has just ascended to the heavenly monarch realm and is entirely focused on the martial path, he has no wish to be bound by anything. His reply was to discuss in ten years, but Kuanglan cant wait that long. Since we cannot sacrifice ten years of youth for this engagement, then it was bound not to happen. Empress Li nodded. At that point, I understood that all success involves sacrifices. The more one wants, the more they will have to give. Its the same for a family or a country, prosperity always involves someones sacrifice. Eunuch Liu said calmly, The Li family is bound to become a major clan, its only a matter of time. What are you worried about? Empress Li shook her head. People will talk about us if we ascend right now, we dont have nearly enough accomplishments. On the other hand, its only because of the Imperial Stewards departure that our family has this opportunity. We were utterly inferior to him in the divination field. I wonder if I should say this. Please speak freely. Xitangs genius is not at all inferior to Prince Greensun. Competing with him is just seeking frustration. Empress Li chuckled. I know thats the case, but Im still unresigned. Hes already gone, but he has left behind so many plans in motion. I just want to see if I can defeat him this once. Where do you plan to take action? Of course, its Qianye. ... Then good luck, Your Highness. You dont think my chances are good? If the plans were laid down by Xitang, then Qianye will surely be at the heart of it. Its fine if you want to try, but dont be depressed if you fail. A scheme is dead if it cannot adapt to the situation. Hes gone now, so even if theres a plan, its a dead plan. Why cant I win? Fate reflects the human heart. Xitang might be gone, but Qianye remains... and that means the plan is still alive. Your Majesty might be peerless in calculating heavens mysteries, but the human heart Chapter 1275: Impossible Empress Lis voice rang out from the side, Still practicing the sword in your condition? The sword wielder was Li Kuanglan. She returned the blade to its sheath after hearing those words and said, I feel uncomfortable if I dont move about a bit. Empress Li sat down on one of the stone chairs and ordered the maid to prepare tea and refreshments. Come and try some, I made these myself. The ingredients are all quite rare. Rather indifferent, Li Kuanglan walked over in large strides and stuffed a piece in her mouth without even taking her seat. She was just about to swallow it in one go when her expression transformed into an interesting state. Empress Li chuckled. How does it taste? Li Kuanglan raised her head and swallowed hard. That tasted so bad! Empress Li said, This isnt so bad, considering Ive never cooked my entire life. The maids who tried them out said they taste good. Li Kuanglan said, Theyll probably die if they eat these pastries. How can they even comment on the taste? Empress Lis smile remained unchanged. This is a new formula, so someone has to try out the effects before I can give it to you. This medicine is highly beneficial to you, but you can only eat it once. I had to grasp the best ratio for this rare opportunity, and of course, a few of them had to die trying the product. If they dont die or die too slow, that means the medicine isnt strong enough. At this point, Empress Li glanced at the maids nearby. You may withdraw. The maids looked pale, yet none of them dared to even breathe hard. The Empress words sounded like an amnesty in their ears as they scattered off in all directions. Empress Li glanced at Li Kuanglans abdomen. How long? The latter said after a while, Probably this month. This kids talents are so great that it has become a bit of a headache. Nothing regular works on him. Its lucky that I managed to find some secret medicines from the national treasury that will benefit both you and the child. Eat all of these pastries. Li Kuanglan picked up a piece and swallowed it after chewing briefly. You need to chew carefully for maximal medicinal effect, Empress Li reminded. Li Kuanglans expression turned rather unsightly, but she began chewing little by little before ingesting the food. Looking at the pastries remaining on the plate, her face couldnt help but turn green. Empress Li chuckled. You can swallow them, Im just kidding. These pastries dont taste all that great, but you have to eat it all for the child. You wont dare offend me even if you have your doubts. Li Kuanglan snorted but made no reply. So, stop struggling. Everything I do is for you. Stroking her belly, Li Kuanglan said coldly, I acquiesced to even something like this. What else do you want for me? Sleep with more men? Even if you do, itll have to be after I give birth. Empress Li paid no attention to her angry sarcasm. Theres something you need to do right now. I knew it. What is it? Qianye has been pioneering new land on Fort Continent these days. Go meet him after you give birth, best let him see the child as well. Li Kuanglan raised her voice with an angry expression. Impossible! Empress Li patted her hand. You two already have a child, why are you afraid? Li Kuanglan fell into a rare state of panic. No, this is not the same. He still doesnt know about it, and I dont want him to know about it, ever! What do I tell him when I see him? The child needs a father. In short, this is impossible! Empress Li wasnt angry at all. You know my style. I will not sit by and watch Qianye get drawn into the Evernight Faction. If youre not willing, then dont blame me for using extreme measures. What are you planning!? Theres no need for me to use these methods if you listen to me. As such, you dont need to know them, do you? Li Kuanglan slowly calmed down. You will destroy my martial path like this. To the Empire, Qianyes position is more important than your martial path. Leave, I dont want to see you or hear these things. At least, not until the child is born. Then I shall return after he is born, but Im not so sure if I can wait that long. Empress Li stood up and walked over to the gates, where she turned back and said, No matter how rare of a talent Qianye is, he still cannot reach a level where he can go toe-to-toe with a heavenly monarch. Besides, his gift still isnt at that level yet. After Empress Li left, Li Kuanglan suddenly grabbed her sword. The grasp was so forceful that even her joints had turned green, but ultimately, she loosened her hand with a sigh. In the new world. Qianye slowly opened his eyes, within which countless runes could be seen pulsing in and out of existence. He hadnt expected that an opportunity to breakthrough would arise the moment he re-entered the new world. Hence, he immediately went into isolated cultivation to refine essence blood and supplement his blood energy. The process went fairly smooth since he had broken through to the vice-duke rank back at Whitetown. Later on, Prince Greensun had used a peerless method to strike him back down to the marquis realm. It was only natural that he would break through after sufficient accumulation. Although he was just a vice duke, there was a great difference between the duke and marquis realms. Qianye''s bones were being remodeled by the blood energy, adding specs of dark golden color to them. The reformed areas were extremely firm, much more so than high-density alloys. He even suspected that his skeleton would slowly become top-grade material for making weapons. What he didnt quite expect was that he could still communicate with the River of Blood in the new world. Although he didnt experience a bloodline resonance like before, it still brought him great benefits. Not only did it bring him large amounts of pure dark golden blood energy, but he also obtained numerous ancient inheritances and knowledge. Qianye stretched out his hands, and a pair of dark golden gloves appeared to his will. He moved his fingers about and found that the gloves felt quite real. If they werent condensed from his own blood energy, he would easily have mistaken them for a pair of armored-gloves. He performed a grabbing motion through the air and a giant, blood-colored sword appeared in his grasp. A casual swing of this weapon slashed the steel table in front of him into two. These sanguine armaments were gifts from the River of Blood. As long as there was enough blood energy, he would be able to summon all kinds of unique weapons. Neither the Whitebone Duke nor Storm Duke had used such a technique before. This was perhaps a skill unique to vampires, a boon from the River of Blood to the ancient vampires. Sensing something, Qianye walked out of the room and onto the terrace. From here, he could oversee the entire base and the door was right behind him. Within the base, close to a hundred thousand werewolves were kneeling in prayer at a shamans lead. That familiar energy once again fell into Qianyes body, optimizing his bloodline at its core. Qianye had asked the great shaman before and understood that this was one of their oldest holy rites. It was used to express their devotion to the ancestors or some supreme being. It sounded as though this kind of ceremony did little except for appearances, but Qianye could feel a very real yet mysterious power both times. This energy was different from origin power, and he couldnt quite tell what it was or where it was from. Qianye had never read about it anywhere, either. He asked the great shaman several times but could only give up since the old wolf couldnt tell him much. For some reason, the werewolves of the entire base were engaging in the rite once again. The holy ceremony couldnt be disturbed, so Qianye could only wait while enjoying the baptism. After the prayer was over, Qianye summoned one of the shamans and asked about what was going on. The shaman said, When you were cultivating just now, all of us shamans sensed the darkness origins calling out to you. We had to stop and pray in the face of such a divine sign. Qianye nodded and soon sent the shaman away. These primitive shamans were indeed sharp with their senses, but unfortunately, what Qianye had stirred just now was the River of Blood and not the darkness origins. The river was indeed similar to the darkness origins to a certain extent. It was possible that most people would simply perceive it as a stronger source of power in the darkness system, but to an expert at Qianyes level, the River of Blood was the River of Blood. It was fundamentally different from the darkness origins. Of course, Qianye wasnt about to explain the difference to these werewolves. After some rest, Qianye set out for the forward base outside of the forest with three holy trees. From there, he would explore deeper into the new world. The forward base had already been completed, and it was big enough to accommodate a permanent garrison of fifty thousand troops. Qianye also paid a steep price to raise a kinetic tower hereit would serve as the energy source for the bases ten cannon turrets! Such firepower could be considered crazy! Not long after he had set out, Qianye came upon a forest that stretched across an entire valley. He didnt enter recklessly since he could already sense great danger at its borders. Equipped with ample experience attacking forests, Qianye already understood their general layout. Normally, the bigger the forest, the more holy trees there were at the center, and the stronger the six-armed commander. Judging from the size, this forest had to have at least four holy trees inside and the six-armed giant within was probably at the duke-rank. After a while of observation, Qianye approached the forest, caught a lone beast, and drenched himself in its blood. The initial results of the Empires study had revealed that these creatures possessed a highly developed sense of smell. Bloodline Concealment could only hide his aura and not change his scent, but he could trick the creatures for a while by using their blood. It was enough if he could buy just a bit of time. After entering the forest, the first thing Qianye did was to move perpendicularly for a while. He then used the fluctuation from the holy trees to calculate where the heart of the forest was and began moving toward it. The deeper he went, the more beasts he encountered. Qianye carefully avoided the patrol squads, but as he closed in on the center of the forest, the creatures became so dense that they covered the entire field of vision. This meant that there was no more room for evasion. Seeing that it was no longer possible to go deeper in, Qianye simply unleashed his origin flames. The entire forest boiled over in the blink of an eye. There were so many of them that Qianye felt his scalp go numb! Chapter 1276: Taking Down a Four-Tree Fores Qianye immediately calmed down after a moment of panic; there was no more fluctuation at all. It wasnt as though he didnt know that exploring a forest of this level was playing with fire at his level. Safety was never a prerequisite in his operations, mainly because he didnt have enough time. The distance between him and the Sacred Mountain was a distance others could only gaze upon with envy, something that would plunge anyone into despair. That was a distance he would need to cover. He had no good way for it, either. All he could do was forge ahead continuously, taking one step at a time. The only thing he needed to pause and think about was how to forge ahead amidst the perils. Stopping was never an option for him. Qianyes figure flickered continuously through the horde of beasts and soon arrived at the heart of the forest. The arrangement here was generally the same. The Holy Trees standing at each corner confirmed his guesses. The pond between them was deeper, bigger, and almost the size of a small lake. The island at the center of the lake was several times bigger and now sported a stone hall, supported by twelve stone pillars. The throne at the center was more magnificent and imposing. Upon it, the six-armed commander was asleep with his head propped up on his palm, his elbow on the handrest. This six-armed monster was even more enormous than the ones from before, and his entire body was covered in a strange type of armor. It didnt quite look man-made but rather a naturally formed armament. Just as before, there were several stalagmites outside of the hall, just taller and wider. Each of these was a mobile resource depot, but they were also lethal weapons in this commanders hands. Qianye felt a sense of deja vu when he remembered the six-armed general from the Great Maelstrom. The two were somewhat similarthe current creature was a bit smaller but was definitely stronger. At the thought of this, he felt that creature or commander wasnt a suitable term for these beings. It would be better to call them generals. The observation lasted but a moment before the six-armed general shook all over, apparently sensing the intruder. Qianye wasnt about to give him the time to react. He fired at the holy tree just as usual, and the six-armed general reacted similarly to its peers. Enraged, the general rushed out of the stone hall in his petrified state and blocked the origin bullet with a swing of his large palm. The impact sent shattered pieces of stone flying in all directions and elicited a pained growl from the creature. His thoughts shifted quickly as he raised his gun and took aim at the remaining portion of the throne. Shocked out of his wits, the general flew back to the hall and blocked the throne with his body. Such intense movements not only produced cracks all over his body, but there were various parts where his petrified skin sloughed off to reveal the flesh beneath. The general had managed to block the throne, but the gunshot he was waiting for never came. He looked up all of a sudden to see two, almost-connected black feathers appear in front of him! The six-armed general didnt have the time to react before the feather vanished into his forehead. Qianyes figure flickered from his previous spot, not waiting to see the results at all. Behind him, the six-armed general roared while grabbing his head, his pained howls shaking the entire forest. Qianye appeared outside of the forest in a flash. He fell to the ground with a plop after stepping out of the void and had to struggle to clamber up. He had used Spatial Flash continuously to escape the massive beast army, so he was already drained at this point. It wasnt quite safe even outside of the forest. Qianye checked the direction and dragged himself behind a giant rock, where he produced the motorbike he had prepared earlier. He then started the engine and sped away. Countless beasts charged out from the forest, and the rumbling motorcycle undoubtedly became a noticeable target for the beasts to chase after. It was just that most of them stopped after leaving the forest, evidently confused. Only a couple dozen of them kept up the chase. On the motorbike, Qianyes blood was surging inside his body as he reached a state of blood-boil. His stamina was recovering fast. All of a sudden, he hit the brakes and charged back into the chasing pack of beasts, killing them all in just a few slashes. He then mounted his vehicle and continued back. Qianye calmed down quite a bit after returning to base. Although some of the six-armed generals were stronger and others weaker, the arrangement in each forest was exactly the same. This gave him a lot of opportunities. This time, the six-armed general had been badly injured by two Shots of Inception. Despite that, he would surely leave the forest and seek revenge. Qianye was waiting for this moment. The heavy airship cannons on his ten turrets were prepared just for them. Once back at the base, Qianye ordered all troops to get ready for battle. At the same time, he urgently transferred soldiers from the bases at the rear. In half a days time, eighty thousand soldiers had been stuffed into a base that could hold fifty thousand. Countless guns were aimed at the distant sky, waiting for the beast army to arrive. Qianye finally heaved a sigh of relief when the horde appeared over the horizon at dawn. This proved that the six-armed general couldnt stop himself from seeking revenge against Qianye despite his wounds. Qianye wouldnt be able to do much if the general had decided to hide in the forest and focus on recovery. The six-armed generals strength wasnt below Qianyes, to begin with. Who could kill such a creature if he were to hide behind a hundred thousand beasts? Everything would be much easier now that he was willing to lead his troops out of the forest. Qianye climbed up to the kinetic tower at the center of the base and cried out, Prepare for battle! Alarms blared across the fortress. The kinetic tower spat out a large cloud of steam, emitting a sharp whistle as it did so. The tower was now running at maximum capacity. As the first batch of beasts entered firing-range, countless rapid-fire cannons opened fire and formed a tightly knitted network of flames. The firepower immediately shaved off several layers of enemy beasts. The heavy airship cannons rumbled immediately afterward, producing a large empty space on the battlefield. By the time the enemy air creatures arrived, an almost-impenetrable net of firepower was waiting for them. The last injured beasts that managed to charge into the base found themselves in a sea of steel. The cold glint of heavy shields and axes shone as they ground the fallen creatures into paste like a grinding machine. This beast army was almost equal to the second wave that had appeared from the door, but because the throne had been destroyed, the chain of command was no longer as responsive. This greatly reduced their cohesion. Another reason was that Qianyes army was no longer the same as before. The werewolves back then were still in the primitive era, and what little armor they had was just two plates on the chest and back. Now, they were armed to the teeth. Having been in the new world for so long, Qianye had already developed a set of targeted strategies for his battles. The most useful one was more related to logistics and supplies than strategy. That was to use all kinds of threats, promises, and enticements to borrow or buy vast amounts of ammunition. The best way to deal with these beasts was fierce firepower. If one had to suggest a better method, that was even fiercer firepower. At this moment, Qianyes fortress was like a hedgehog covered in quills, bloodying the beast horde that was charging at it. Rather than say that the sea of creatures was falling to the defensive firepower, it could be said that they were being smashed to death with gold coins. Even a high-ranking aristocratic family wouldnt give the soldiers a blank check when it came to origin bullets. The bloody battle ended with an overwhelming victory for Qianyes side. He also managed to find the six-armed generals hiding spot. All these creatures shared the habit. Not only did they like hiding at a distance to issue commands, but they also hid in the same type of beast. One could easily spot a group of these rare species, and the largest one among them was surely where the six-armed general was hiding. Of course, Qianye was fairly cautious as wellhe had learned back in Yellow Springs that one shouldnt be careless just because of prior experiences. However, the pattern was so identical that Qianye felt speechless after taking ample precautions. In the end, this kind of repetitiveness greatly reduced the cost of victory. That really wasnt a bad thing. Just like that, the six-armed general became the target of several heavy cannons. The high-firepower homing ballista bolts blasted the beast apart, stunning and injuring the six-armed general hiding within. This damage, though, was far from enough to kill it. The only true injury it had received was from Qianyes two Shots of Inception. The six-armed general possessed great life force and actually started to flee under present circumstances. Qianye attacked him all along the way but still couldnt kill him before he fled into the forest. Naturally, Qianye wasnt going to give up. He rested for half a day outside of the forest and snuck in once again when a new feather appeared. This time, the entire forest was empty with almost no traces of beasts. Apparently, they had all fallen at the fortress. Qianye arrived smoothly at the center of the forest, where the four holy trees and pond remained the same. Only the base of the throne remained inside the hall as the debris had been cleared away. The six-armed general was lying near the pond, half of his body soaked in the water. Under the effects of this bath, a thin membrane had appeared all over his body, and it seemed like he was already regenerating. This was the first time Qianye had witnessed the six-armed generals healing process. Such strong lifeforms required large amounts of energy to regenerate, much more so than ordinary creatures. Being able to heal so quickly proved just how miraculous the tree sap was. Qianye wasnt going to let it heal in peace. With a wave of his hand, four origin grenades flew toward the four holy trees, shaking them fiercely and stirring waves in the lake. The six-armed general woke up from the commotion and roared furiously when he saw the damage to the trees. Most of the healed wounds on his body once again opened up and began spurting blood. A pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye as he fired a feather of light that vanished into the six-armed generals forehead. The creature grabbed its head and emitted a miserable howl of agony. His body trembled all over, shedding pieces of flesh and producing large gaping defects. Even though the general was in a truly bad shape, the level of danger Qianye could sense didnt decrease in the slightest. His firm trust in his instincts led him to flee immediately. As expected, several stone spears whistled over and landed at the spot where he was standing. Qianye stopped only when he was outside of the woods. He trusted that the injured creature would not follow him out. Just like that, he rested for half a day until he had recovered another Shot of Inception before going back in. There, he delivered yet another fierce blow to the six-armed general. Three days passed by in this manner, and the six-armed giant took an entire six of Qianyes attacks. Finally, his body broke down completely and left a piece of translucent crystal. Employing every trick up his sleeve and with the help of some good luck, Qianye had finally taken down this forest with four holy trees. Chapter 1277: Some Credi The stone on the island at the heart of this lake had been analyzed as a metal that could change shape and form. It wasnt exactly hard, but it was durable and very pliable. It was likely that new alloys for armor plates could be developed with its addition, strengthening everything from airships to individual soldiers. The main restriction behind the development of weapons in the Evernight World, apart from technology, was material. Especially when reaching the fortress level, the materials had to be combined with different special components in order to produce their respective attributes. However, there wasnt much production to speak of when it came to such materials. Most of them were simply chanced upon, and their extraction process could be duplicated sometimes. This meant that a single type of special material might only be enough for a couple of fortress weapons. People would have to figure out something else if they wanted to build more weapons at the same level. The design, production line, and auxiliary components had to be changed. Hence, the discovery of high-end material held significant meaning for the Empire as it might lead to a new fortress weapon. The beasts themselves were a form of resource, and more research was needed on how to utilize their core lair. The appearance of minerals was also greatly increased within the forest, with almost every rock in the lair being a different ore. In short, everything here was a valuable treasure. Up to this point, Qianye had only been using dark golden sandstone to repay his loans since it was available in large supply. This came to the point where the market price for dark golden sandstone had dipped in the Empire. It was still extremely valuable despite the dip, and they were picked up from the ground, anyway. That was why Qianye had no hesitation exchanging them for vast amounts of ammunition despite Song Huis warning about supply and demand. Qianyes forces were currently expending large amounts of ammunition. Usually, they would wipe out a stash equal to a years supply for an ordinary army corps. Of course, Fort Continent could not produce such numbers. The black market wasnt exactly reliable, either, so the Great Qin was the only stable route. The aristocratic families that dealt in arms were greatly delighted by the recent developments. Some voices were speaking against his case in court, and quite a few were worried that Qianyes rise would harm the Empire. As for how many of them were sincerely worried about the impact of a newly-risen power and how many were secretly worried about Qianyes subtle relationship with the Empire, no one really knew. The suspicious voices and objections were soon drowned out by the rising deluge of voices supporting Qianye. The status of those who could deal in weapons had never been mediocre in any given era. Not only did they possess great power and connections, but they were also now working together toward a single cause, affording them a fairly big voice. Families like the Drinking Horse Yin Family, the Kong family, and the Zhao clan were the leading representatives in this argument, followed by a large number of smaller families. The surge of orders from the Fort Continent brought great benefits to various parts of the arms industry. Zhao Jundu required a large amount of resources as well, not to mention the void continent was also a bottomless pit, but how could the Empire match the returns Qianye was bringing them. Besides, rare minerals was a much more welcome form of payment compared to gold coins. Zhao Jundu wasnt so bad since he could harvest similar rare materials from the new world, just not as much as Qianye. The Transcendent Continent, though, was in shambles. The aristocratic families were barely hanging on and couldnt even afford to pay the soldiers salary. Who could bring out supplies and equipment? All they could do was seek help from the Empire and rack up more debt. This didnt mean that these families didnt have a private stash, but who would take out money if they could buy things on loan? Things had already deteriorated to this state, anyway. It couldnt get any worse. This meant that those firearms giants felt increasingly unhappy with these families and had been giving them countless eye rolls. They would only fork out a batch of old goods when rushed by the Empires negotiator. Their most advanced factories and technicians were working overtime for Qianye, doing their best to meet the orders from Fort Continent. The aristocratic families of the Transcendent Continent were naturally dissatisfied, so they also joined the side attacking Qianye. It was just that their role in court was different from beforeeveryone looked at them with sympathy and a bit of mockery. Losing territory was a fundamental mistake that could shake an aristocratic familys foundations. They wouldve long since lost their status if it wasnt for the special circumstance that was the new world. Before Qianye and Zhao Jundus accomplishments, they couldnt even say that humans were helpless against disasters. After several attempts, the aristocratic families of Transcendent Continent finally gave up the meaningless struggle. It was simply a case of stunted ambitions in poverty. As for the Bai clan, their attitude toward Qianye was even stranger. Qianye had gained fame at their Frozen Jade Hall, so they should rightfully hate him and cause trouble at every step. The strange thing was that they would remain completely silent whenever Qianye was brought up. Those who had hoped to gain the support of the Bai clan could not understand this at all. The separate reasons added together to form a giant wave. In recounting Qianyes good points, they elevated his pioneering efforts on Fort Continent to the same level as his accomplishments on the void continent. Considering his accomplishments, it was only right to sell him several dozen divisions worth of supplies. Everyone was dumbstruck by the way these firearms giants were acting for the sake of business. Even the Song clan, famous for their business tactics, still acted with a degree of elegance. That being said, the Kong and Yin families were top aristocratic families with significant inheritance and connections. These people used to focus on their safety. Now, even these people had jumped out to speak for Qianye and looked like they would bite anyone in opposition. Those speaking against Qianye found nothing beneficial in it, so they eventually fell silent. The entire Imperial court was filled with praises of the expedition on Fort Continent. Of course, the top contribution had to be the Emperors. It was only because of his brilliance that a capable subject like Qianye had come into being. As for what the supreme ruler was thinking inside, the ministers did not know. The Radiant Emperor treated this matter the same as any other court businesssince there was a clear conclusion among the ministers, he simply ordered for the matter to be recorded and executed. And since the Imperial military was reorganized, the suppression in and out the court against the Zhao clan had lessened significantly. The eyes of many major characters fell upon Duke Chengen Zhao Weihuang. A clan with so many divine champions, perhaps only Prince Greensun and his rapid progress could rival them. Zhang Boqian was still heirless, while Zhao Weihuang had already produced divine champion scions like Qianye and Zhao Jundu. Zhao Ruoxi, with her Red Spider Lily, was a special existence as well. In addition, Zhao Junyi, Zhao Junhong, and Zhao Junxiao were also highly talented. Zhao Junhong had also been evaluated as having the potential to pass the divine champion threshold. From this, it was obvious that Zhang Boqian could not catch up to Zhao Weihuang at all in terms of children. Before Qianyes appearance, the accomplishments of Duke Chengens branch had mainly been attributed to Princess Gaoyi. After all, she possessed pure Imperial blood and was a genius herself. Qianyes rise to power sent an entirely different message because it proved that the bloodline came from Zhao Weihuang. The number of people seeking familial ties kept growing by the day. Zhao Junyi was already married so he was out of the question, but Zhao Junhong was only promised for an engagement and hadnt even held a small ceremony. There was still a chance that it could be canceled. Zhao Jundu was naturally a hot commodity since his bloodline was still top-grade despite his damaged foundations. His descendants would surely be talented as well. Zhao Ruoxi had so many suitors that she had to hide in her courtyard every day. Some with even more flexible thoughts saw that the competition was too fierce for the children, so they actually started to have designs on Zhao Weihuangs concubine position! Of course, that was just in private, or else Princess Gaoyi wouldnt be happy. Behind all the giftsin the form of money and daughtersthese families had only one request. That was to give them one of the children, be they boys or girls. The intention was to use Duke Chengen as a breeding stallion. Princess Gaoyi was furious upon hearing about it, but the aristocracy acted secretly with a smile on their faces, and there were so many of them that the princess couldnt quite erupt in public. All she could do was refuse them one after the other. There was so much smiling involved that the princess felt her face stiff at the end of the day. The only one she could vent her anger on was Zhao Weihuang. Duke Chengen looked serious, but he was fairly delighted inside. In private, he would frequently say, Whats the use of a heavenly monarch? I would never trade these kids for one. These words inadvertently offended all of the heavenly monarchs, so some of the more talkative ones started spreading it. The Profundity Monarch and Northridge Monarch could be ignored since they were both in isolation and no one knew their whereabouts. Zhang Boqian merely nodded in acknowledgment after hearing about this. The Pointer Monarch was in a leisurely moodhe carefully listened to the recount about the Zhao clans prosperity but made no comment on the matter. All he did was stroke his beard with a mysterious smile until the minister who came to report the matter excused himself out of fear. Even after leaving the residence, that minister couldnt help thinking about the Pointer Monarchs smile. He had a feeling that the old mans smile contained a deeper meaning, almost like he was delighted and satisfied. Delighted? Satisfied? He simply couldnt figure out what was there to be satisfied with Zhao Weihuang becoming the number one stallion in the Empire. What he didnt know was that after his departure, the Pointer Monarch immediately ordered his men to seal the gates and refuse all visitors. He returned to his study to brew a pot of strong tea. He then produced a set of flexible armor and a set of small instruments. This flexible armor was so small that it would only fit on a newborn, but the craftsmanship was incomparably intricate and the materials were extremely rare. Every leaflet in the armor was covered in runes, which weaved together to form a larger array. Once placed on the table, the surrounding origin power would gather toward the armor, drawing in pure daybreak origin power and expelling murky energy. As though it were breathing, the inside of the armor was eventually filled with pure origin power. Such an array could be considered a work of the gods! The Pointer Monarch picked up a leaflet and began carving an array on it using delicate instruments. This nail-sized leaflet was soon densely packed with runes. Even someone of the monarchs caliber had to spend an entire half-hour to finish the array. He carefully attached the last leaflet to the flexible armor and said while stroking his beard, It looks like my skills havent deteriorated since I was young. With such a divine item, my grandson will be able to cultivate immediately after birth. Hell have achieved some progress by the time hes one year old, the other kids are still drinking milk by then! Humph! Zhao Weihuang, humph, humph! But after some thought, he felt that his attitude wasnt entirely excusable. He shook his head and said to himself, Let it be, lets just say that Zhao Weihuang contributed a bit. Bah! A bit is too much, just a tiny speck. Chapter 1278: Awakened Fores Not to mention other things, the forest with four holy trees was already a fair distance from the door. Even cargo trucks driving non-stop would take one day to arrive, so the construction of the forward base would only take up more time. He would have no way to destroy the beast hordes without a base and defensive systems. And without destroying the beast army, he could not kill the six-armed creature, so it was useless even if he discovered more forests. The construction of this base was destined not to go too smoothly. The cleanup work in this forest was much more difficult as small beast squads would appear from time to time. Qianye had scouted the forest twice, yet he still couldnt figure out the distribution of beasts. In the end, they would need to use the clumsiest method of killing all enemies that charged at the construction site. This would take several days of work. Qianye continued exploring while the construction was underway and soon discovered two more forests with three holy trees, one in each direction going forward. After some consideration, Qianye decided not to open up a new battlefield before his rear lines had stabilized. That didnt stop him from skirting around them to explore farther ahead. A problem arose at that point. Qianye had traveled less than two hundred kilometers when he saw the vague silhouette of a forest in the distance. An immense pressure bore down upon him in all directions at this point, almost as though this entire world was rejecting him as an enemy. The worst part was that his sense of direction grew blurry, and he couldnt even remember where the door was. This was no trifling matter. The new world seemed almost boundless as no one could see its borders. Losing track of the door meant that the person would be lost. Qianye stopped decisively and immediately ran back while his head was still clear. It was quite strange because Qianyes senses immediately recovered after crossing the two forests that he had not cleared. He could clearly sense the suppressive force being driven away by a different type of power. These two types of energy came from the same source, but their effects were very differentone was suppressive, and the other served to bolster Qianyes consciousness. Where he was standing, Qianye could feel the strengthening energy was much greater than its counterpart. After some investigation, Qianye discovered that this energy was actually coming from the forests with the holy trees. The strengthening force was coming from the one with the four holy trees, while the suppression arose from the ones with three holy trees. Qianye never really tried to sense the power of these trees. Now that he had, he was puzzled as to why the forest with the four holy trees would support an outsider like him. Could it be because he had entered the core of the beast lair? Or did he gain control over the forest after killing the six-armed creature? These questions could not be answered with Qianyes previous experiences. All he could do right now was to trust the reality of his feelings and try to figure out the rules from everything. Whatever the case was, it remained a fact that he would have to take down the two forests before pushing further in. There was no other way to push his army forward. If even Qianye had been suppressed, there was no way other people could get past it. At first, Qianye had no plans to open up new battlefields for fear of instability. Now that the three-tree forests had become obstacles, he had no choice but to fight. Having gained experience in the four-trees forest, Qianye didnt return to base in a rush. He adjusted his equipment and decided to scout out one of the forests first. If the six-armed creature was still asleep, he wouldnt mind dealing with the problem there and then. Having entered the vice-duke rank, Qianyes Shot of Inception had grown even more powerful, and the color of the feathers was now even darker. Two Shots of Inception might not be able to kill a six-armed creature at the grand duke rank, but the ones from these three-holy-tree forests would surely feel it. Once in the forest, however, Qianye sensed that something wasnt quite right. The process of sneaking in didnt go well as there were countless beasts roaming the forest. During his journey from the border to the heart of the forest, he saw that the number of creatures here was far beyond that of the forest with three holy trees he had seen before. Also, the way they moved was different. They werent just wandering aimlessly. After a bit of observation, he found that their routes went in a regular pattern, almost like a patrol. The routes were also well laid out without any blind spots, covering all areas every once in a while. That wasnt all. There was a type of mutant beast with especially sharp senses; it would remain immobile in the shadows and observe the surroundings with its all-seeing eyes. Wasnt that a hidden sentry? Qianye cursed inside. If he didnt possess True Sight, long-distance vision, and the cautiousness to remain at a distance, he wouldve been exposed long ago. It was a rather strange feeling to see these beasts so intelligent. Fortunately, the beasts perception hadnt risen accordingly. They hadnt sensed the presence of an intruder, so they were still in a relaxed state. Qianye would make use of every small gap to move forward into the heart of the forest. Three vigorous holy trees stood towering over the heart of the forest. Their positioning was a bit odd and not an exact triangle. After scanning the area, Qianye discovered a small sprout half the height of a human. A holy-tree sprout! This was even more valuable for research than the holy tree itself, irreplaceable even. Qianyes gaze traced back from the tree sprout and toward the center of the lake. To his surprise, he found the throne empty, and the six-armed giant was actually standing at the side of a stone table, tinkering with pieces of ore. His hands moved rhythmically for a while before the ore merged into one, gradually taking the shape of an armor plate. Qianye had faced the six-armed general from the forest with four holy trees, so he immediately recognized the identical armor. It would seem that this forest and creature were in the process of upgrading from three to four holy trees. One could tell from the way he was preparing armor for himself. Things would be a bit difficult now that the six-armed commander was actually awake and in the process of breaking through. After some thought, Qianye decided to try attacking and see what difference there was between a general that was asleep and one that was awake. Perhaps it was because of his Yellow-Springs education, he favored striking at the enemy leader to tip the scales of battle instead of using a cannon-fodder strategy. He was willing to take some risks himself to gain the advantage in battle and raise the effectiveness of the assault. The six-armed creature measured the completed armor against his body and, seemingly quite satisfied with the ratio, fastened it to his shoulder. The armor then merged into his body quite mysteriously. Just as the merging was halfway through, he heard a sudden click behind him. He immediately turned around to see a dark item stick itself to one of the holy trees. Two more such objects were flying toward the other two trees as well. He hadnt figured out what those things were when he sensed a terrifying origin power fluctuation from them! The six-armed giant let out a loud roar, but his voice was drowned out in the explosion. The three trees trembled, sending leaves showering down like rain. The six-armed general was trembling as well, almost as though he could sense the pain. The origin grenades were powerful, but the holy trees were quite sturdy as well; even a point-blank explosion was only enough to take a small chunk off of the trunk. What followed the rumble, though, was a grenade flying toward the holy-tree sprout in a leisurely fashion. Another one was spotted flying toward the throne at the same time. There was a certain distance between the two, so the six-armed giant could only pick one side to protect. He erupted in shocking speed and appeared several meters away, grabbing the origin grenade while still in the air! The explosive blew up in his hand, but the creature only staggered somewhat and seemed largely unharmed. One could easily see how strong his physical body was. The six-armed general was just about to run toward the other grenade when he let out yet another howl. He watched with wide eyes as an origin bullet tore through the air and blew up the throne! The might of this blast was much more powerful than the grenade, so much so that it sent a shiver down his spine. The throne exploded into pieces from the impact. After all, this throne wasnt at the level of the one from the forest with four holy trees. It wasnt enough to withstand a shot from Heartgrave. The six-armed giants eyes immediately turned red. He roared at the sky before charging at Qianyes hiding place; that last shot had compromised his location. That full sprint brought him above Qianyes head in an instant. Seeing the little insect who had dared to break the throne, the six-armed giant clasped four of his palms together and slammed down! Nonetheless, Qianyes figure flickered into a blur and vanished just as the attack was about to connect. The six-armed giants attack missed its target and struck the ground, sending ripples in all directions. Trees fell, and the land collapsed wherever the shockwaves went. Soon, a hundred-meter pit had appeared in the forest. The creature seemed surprised at the development. Suddenly overcome with a sense of danger, he looked back to find Qianye dozens of meters in the air with his wings unfurled. The four dark feathers looked exceptionally eye-catching against the radiant plumage. Two of the feathers shot out with a flap of his wings and vanished into the generals body. The six-armed general let out an earth-shattering roar. The entire forest flared up, and countless roots shot out from the soil, wrapping up the six-armed creature. This was something never seen before. Qianye reacted quickly, tossing dozens of origin grenades at the target. A series of continuous explosions ensued. These roots werent as strong as the holy trees, so they were quickly blasted into smithereens. Within the explosion, the six-armed giant roared continuously, almost as though he could feel the pain. Despite that, the roots kept surging out without pause. Qianye could sense them dragging this six-armed general down toward the heart of the lair. It was rather surprising that this creature actually chose not to fight to the death against him. Qianye wasnt about to let him off, though. He knew from experience that the advantage gained in the forest would make the subsequent battles easier. He simply waved his hands again, tossing out the remaining thirty origin grenades at the roots. This round of explosions erupted with great ferocity. The six-armed generals distant cries were also rather miserable. Pieces of wood and soil flew about in the air as the bottom of the pit collapsed to reveal a passage into the lair. Countless beasts were running about in confusion within the lair. Many of them stampeded through the narrow tunnels in fear, killing a fair number of smaller creatures. Qianye could clearly sense the painful wail of the forest and the three holy trees'' infantile cries. Apparently, all or most of the roots present throughout the lair belonged to them. This round of explosions was so effective that Qianye decided to put in a large order next time. After a glance at the pit, Qianye flickered to the island inside the lake. There, he drew East Peak, gathered his origin power, and stabbed it into the base of the throne. East Peak sank all the way to its hilt, producing countless cracks that extended across the entire island. The entire forest trembled. The six-armed giants furious howls could be heard vaguely across the ground layers. Qianye moved swiftly around the island, picking up pieces from the throne and tossing them into Andruils Space. He then used Spatial Flash to exit the forest and run toward his base. This time, the entire forest had been roiled up, and he also seemed to have injured the six-armed commander. Qianye had a feeling that the next battle would be hard-fought. Chapter 1279: Painful Victory The twenty thousand werewolves were so tightly packed that there was no space for them to pitch tents. The soldiers could only sleep while lined up on the ground, but fortunately, it rarely rained in the new world, so it wasnt all that bad. Small squads of beasts would sometimes emerge from the forest. The base was already quite far from the rear lines, so the shipping of construction materials and supplies would take at least a days time. Add to that the construction-work that was underway, it was definitely better to have more comrades than not. There was really no need to think. That was why none of the soldiers complained about the living conditions. They simply split themselves into two halves and rotated between chores and standing guard. Standing guard was equal to resting. After Qianyes return, the entire base went into high alert. The mobile kinetic towers and turrets all powered up, and the ammunition was stacked up. They didnt have to wait for all that long before the first wave of the beast army arrived. First to appear were the flying-type beasts and swift-ground-types. Such beasts that would usually take up scouting roles could do nothing against the defensive force. The strengthened anti-air fire proved its effectiveness as the enemy air attackers fell like rain. The second wave of heavy-troops arrived half an hour after the first wave was destroyed. Without the support of other land and air units, however, these slow-moving troops were little more than living targets. Most of them were mowed down before reaching the walls, and the rest were laid to rest at the barricades. Qianye didnt even need to take action himself. The consumption of ammunition, however, was so shocking that the supply officers face turned green. The third wave of the army, made up of several terror beasts, arrived quite late. Now, this was a fairly complete army corpsthe faster troop types among them were moving at a snails pace to accommodate the terror beasts speed. This was the only unit that possessed any semblance of an army. The lapse in cooperation between the previous two was as wide as the distance between two continents. Apparently, the six-armed creatures possessed a single weakness whether they were asleep or awake. Even though the six-armed creature was wide awake, its ability to command was sharply reduced after the throne was destroyed. Qianye calmed down quite a bit because the beast army was the strongest in numbers. This small unit of ten thousand was fairly limited in fighting power and had little hope of winning against the firepower of twenty thousand defenders. Qianye also managed to pinpoint the six-armed commander at the rear. The creature this time wasnt hiding within the body of a beast, perhaps because he was in an active state. Instead, he was marching with a small escort unit at the rear. Seeing that the commander could actually move about freely outside of the forest, Qianye immediately charged out after issuing the order to attack. A battle broke out on the ground and in the sky. Qianye was fairly experienced in fighting these creatures, but he had always claimed victory by taking advantage of their overprotectiveness toward the holy tree. This was the first real face-to-face battle. The six-armed general attacked at lightning speed, its six-arms swinging different weapons from all angles. Each of his blows was so powerful that Qianye felt numb after blocking a couple of them. He was already a vice-duke by ancient vampire standardsit could be said that there were no weaknesses at all after being remodeled by the newfound blood energy. He had also become much stronger, yet he was still suppressed by the opponent in this respect. Even in speed, he didnt hold that much of an advantage. Qianye knew that the enemy had taken two Shots of Inception, so he wouldnt last long with these injuries. This was the reason why Qianye kept holding on without running away, only using Spatial Flash to evade. As for those escort troops, they had been wiped out by his Venus Dawn domain and Life Plunder. The battle between experts today was a contest of who could last longer. If Qianye failed to slay the six-armed general under such an advantage, he would have to pay a much higher price once the creature had fully recovered and returned with even more troops. This six-armed creature was extremely powerful, and his strength almost seemed boundless. He fought with Qianye for over half a day, through the air and on the groundmuch to the surprise of the soldiers in the fortress. The beast horde was utterly destroyed soon after Qianye took to the field. Facing absolute suppression in firepower and a numbers disadvantage, these creatures were no match for the well-trained soldiers despite a degree of air-ground cooperation. None of them could interfere with the fight that followed, so they could only observe from the fortress. Drawing on the essence blood stored in the Book of Darkness and the occasional bloodboil, Qianye fought with increasing ferocity and showed no signs of fatigue. The six-armed generals combat techniques were a far cry from Qianyes, so his consumption was much greater. At around dusk, Qianye finally found an opening and managed to fire a Shot of Inception into his forehead. The six-armed general fell to the ground, clutching his head. The accumulated injuries flared up at the same time, causing his aura to decline rapidly from the duke-level to that of a marquis. Qianye didnt dare act carelessly even then. He unfurled his wings and fired the last, lethal shot he was capable of unleashing. Having taken two consecutive shots, the six-armed general realized that it was the end of the road for him. He shot up from the ground and flew straight toward Qianye. There was no way the latter would be caught in such a clumsy attack; he immediately used Spatial Flash to evade to the side. The general glared ferociously at Qianye, then shot down toward the newly constructed fortress like a meteor! Qianye was alarmed, but it was too late to stop the creature now. His spatial flash was still recovering and would need a breaths time for subsequent activation. He could only watch as the generals large body fell into the fortress and blew up in an earth-shattering explosion! A cloud of dust filled the air, covering the entirety of the fortress. The kinetic towers were sent flying, and the cannon towersoriginally standing above the dustslowly collapsed. Countless werewolf and human soldiers were blasted into the air, their bodies evidently disfigured. By the time the dust had settled, most of the fortress was gone, and the land a thousand meters around them was littered with machine parts, debris, and bodies. A pit ten meters in depth had appeared at the center of the fortress, its walls crystallized from the shocking heat. Ignoring his utter exhaustion, Qianye landed on the ground to save the survivors. Things only settled down a bit after an entire nights work. Over half of the twenty thousand soldiers had been killed by the blast, with the remainder injured. Four thousand of them were in a critical state and no longer fit for battle. One of the kinetic towers had been completely destroyed, and the other one was in need of repair. The loss of these towers meant that the turrets and airship cannons were now useless. The large number of airship cannons was an important link in Qianyes defensive system. Without them, they would not be able to mow down the weaker beast squads, not to mention the casualty rate would rise sharply. Fortunately, a new batch of supplies arrived at dawn, and with them came over ten thousand reinforcements. Only then were they able to clear the rubble and restore the fortress somewhat. Qianye instructed the transports to bring the injured soldiers and damaged kinetic towers back to base. He himself went back to Evernight World ahead of the pack. Having sustained such damage, Qianye had no intention of provoking the other forest until the base had been completely stabilized. Qianye could not endure another self-detonation if the other commander was also wide awake and in a bad mood. He was pretty much on par with the enemy in terms of overall combat strength, so defeating the enemy head-on was still too difficult. It would be almost impossible for him to stop the creature from detonating. Qianye thought back to the battles since entering the door and secretly shook his head. There was no telling how bad things would go if he hadnt crippled them in one go and deprived them of the ability to command. Just looking at the state of the latest fortress, it was only natural that the casualty rates would involve terrifying numbers. The matter of utmost importance at the moment was to secure greater firepower. Such an endeavor required Qianye to head out personally. After returning to Cerulean Wave City, the first thing Qianye did was summon the aristocracy to a conference. The hall that could fit over a hundred people was filled to the brim, so much so that most of the attendees had to stand. Qianye glanced at the crowd and saw many new faces among them. Without waiting for Qianye to ask, Yin Qiqi stood up and said, Mr. Shang is a manager of the Taixing Trading Company, the biggest merchant group in the Empire. Mr. Sun is from the Longyu Trading Company. They arrived on Fort Continent by order of their superiors and wish to express their goodwill in your endeavors. The two merchant groups have expressed great sincerity, this is the list of gifts. I took it upon myself to bring them to see you. Qianye took the list and saw that it was full of weapons and armor, resources he needed urgently. I thank the two of you. The two managers bowed deeply, saying, These are products from our humble companies, just a small token of respect. Seeing that Yin Qiqi had taken the initiative, the Kong familys representative wasnt willing to be left behind. Sire Qianye, this Mr. Ji represents the Wugong Workshop, one of the top three arms manufacturers in the Empire. He also comes in good faith. The list was filled with all kinds of cannons, shells, and ballista bolts, but the level of sincerity was slightly inferior to the other two. Qianye had heard of the Wugong Workshop before. It was one of the Empires main weapons suppliers. Who wouldve thought that they would also dispatch a representative to Fort Continent? Judging from Mr. Jis head ornament, he was probably ranked third or fourth among the executives. His arrival proved how much importance they attached to this trip. The three merchant groups had done their homework. They knew exactly what Qianye required and what they could offer him. Having the Kong and Yin families do the introductions proved the complicated relationships between them. Qianye liked this kind of straightforward business. He waved the gift-list and said, Since all of you are here, Ill just be straightforward about it. I need weapons and ammunition at the moment. The amount for the first batch will be ten times on these lists. What do you think? The three managers exchanged glances, then replied in great delight, No problem at all! Manager Ji said, Our workshop can lower the price by twenty percent from the market price! Since even the Wugong Workshop had said so, the other two trading companies could not fall behind. Counting the gifts they had forked out, this deal was closed at more or less a thirty percent discount. Both parties were satisfied with the deal. At this point, the other families began introducing their contactssome were merchants, while others were members of the nobility, people who wanted a slice of the cake on Fort Continent. With so many people here, it was only natural that all kinds of people would be present. Qianye didnt say much. Song Hui took a step forward and said, Friends, you must all remember some rules if you wish to do business with our commander. Please tell us, we will surely comply. Song Hui said with a smile, First, all resources will be paid for upon delivery. Secondly, we will pay in the form of produce and ore from Fort Continent or the new world. Everyone replied happily, Thats only natural! Rest assured, we will find a way to ship everything back. Theres no need for you to worry. Song Hui said, Thirdly, the battlefield is no place for jokes. If your resources do not reach our standards, you will be asked to take them back. Those found pumping up numbers with inferior goods will be punished by military law; do not expect me to consider friendship and sentiments. The families who recommended them will also be removed from Fort Continent. Everyone was frozen stiff, and many of them saw their expressions change drastically. Chapter 1280: Dog and Wolf As someone from the Song clan, how could Song Hui not know about these market practices? This rule of associating the guarantor in punishment blocked any loophole that was left behind. Only the first batch of aristocratic families who had come to Fort Continent and the bigger ones like Kong and Yin had the right to recommend other families. It just so happened that their greatest interest here wasnt gold but land, and all territory here could only exist attached to Qianye. Of course, if the family was big enough, they could turn these territories into independent nations. That, however, would be a direct challenge to Qianyes authority. With land and territory in the equation, the scope of profits wasnt just limited to a couple of years. It would take hundreds of years and several generations to reach the apex of prosperity. These aristocratic families, of course, wouldnt sacrifice their long-term plans for minuscule profits. The aristocracy of the Empire had always considered Fort Continent as a barren land where top experts could not cultivate. Hence, its status was only somewhat higher than Evernight Continent. Things had changed entirely now that a door to the new world was here. With the rule in place and no one in objection to it, Qianye said, Currently, I need five mobile kinetic towers, thirty airship cannons of varying types, and twenty sets of ammunition. I also need ten mini-kinetic towers and, just like before, as many armaments as you can supply. The size of this order produced a commotion. After the noise died down, everyone left to see Song Hui. Qianye wasnt about to deal with such small matters. He left the dukes manor and arrived outside the city with a flicker. The barracks, with its endless stretch of tents, was bustling with activity. There were always werewolves undergoing training in the field. This giant training field that could fit a hundred thousand soldiers was actually not enough. The next batch could only receive training after the first batch was done, and there were at least two hundred thousand waiting to undergo training. This would bring the number of werewolf soldiers close to a million. Adding the new army from Zheng and the mercenaries of the neutral lands, Qianyes forces had formally exceeded a million. Qianye felt somewhat emotional as he gazed at the training grounds. Comparatively, the werewolves lifespans were evidently shorter than the vampires and demonkin. They shouldve been a fairly powerful race, but their weakness was all too clearthey were stubborn and ignorant. Most of the races strength and knowledge came from their ancestral totem. This instilled them with an almost fanatical love for their primitive tribal culture. Many werewolves would go to the extremes and reject all recent technology, including origin guns. Their firm belief was that the worlds profundity lay within the body, that they would be invincible as long as they kept unlocking their potential and communicating with their ancestors spirits. The ancestral school had spread so far and wide among the werewolves that even the Summit of Peakswho had been doing their utmost to break new groundwould occasionally be questioned for deviating from tradition. The worst part was that the Summit of Peaks hadnt found any promising candidates for the Sacred Mountain in a thousand years. Their geniuses would usually exhaust their potential at the great dark monarch realm, with only a couple of them reaching the ultimate level. There was at least a reason for the vampires decline; it was because of the disappearance of the River of Blood. In the case of the werewolves, though, the deterioration was mostly self-inflicted. One could see just from their state on Fort Continent. If the Summit of Peaks were overseeing this territory and its ten million denizens, they wouldve destroyed Zheng several times over. There would be no need for the elderly to die in the mountains or for the young to charge into battle. In the race as a whole, even the experts from the Summit of Peaks could only hold the right to speak. They didnt really have an advantage in authority. Only after taking in the subjects of the Jade Sea did Qianye realize that werewolves had been leading lives that were greatly inferior to humans. Their lives were filled with strong colors of tragedy. In the past, Qianyes mind was only filled with hatred when facing the dark races. He would kill without mercy, without the slightest intention of understanding them or judging whether they were good or bad. Now that the duty had fallen onto his shoulders, he had no choice but to view his subjects from a werewolf''s perspective. There was a mountain peak not so far away, the best place to enjoy the surrounding scenery. Qianyes figure arrived at the summit with a flicker and stood at the edge of the cliff. He could see tens of thousands of werewolves undergoing training below as well as the clear waters of the Jade Sea beyond them. Now, he was only lacking a friend to confide his worries in. All of a sudden, Qianye felt something warm rubbing against his back. Turning back, he saw a giant wolf rubbing its golden mane against him. Qianye was both surprised and delighted. He reached back to rub the wolf fiercely, saying, Youre really playing the role of a dog! The giant wolf spoke in human language, Wolves and dogs used to be family tens of thousands of years ago. Theres nothing bad about that. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He picked the wolf up by his neck and shook him. Youre a werewolf, not a wolf! The giant wolf roared, baring his fangs at Qianye. Ill fight it out with you if you grab me by the neck again! Didnt Ruoxi grab you like that every day? Thats not the same! She doesnt know who I am. What gives you the right? I gave you a bone before. The giant wolfs hair puffed up as he turned around to bite Qianye. The movement was lightning fast, but fortunately, Qianye was even faster. He pulled his hand back in the nick of time and barely managed to escape. Qianye was surprised. Youve grown stronger again! The giant wolf didnt really appreciate the compliment. There are too many bad guys these days, how can I protect myself if I dont even have a bit of strength? But arent you progressing too fast? Is it because you ate the bones? Qianye pondered. The giant wolf lunged at Qianyes leg, yelling, Bones my ass! It''s because of the Constellation Well! Qianye flickered away. Youre looking more and more like a dog. Have you learned to sit? The giant wolf lowered his bottom halfway before realizing that he had been tricked. Absolutely furious, he appeared behind Qianye with a leap and tried to bite his neck. Qianye flickered away at the exact moment. Hey, lets talk nicely! I wont tell anyone. The giant wolf was still spouting steam from his nostrils. Apparently, he was still quite angry. Qianye finally raised his hand. Stop biting me, what if I fail to evade? Besides, William, are you going to keep talking to me in that form? William stared at Qianye for a while before vanishing momentarily. He then appeared again in the form of a human. Just like before, the man was tall and stout with golden hair flowing in the breeze. The worn hunters attire added to his strong, radiant character. Qianye sized him up from head to toe. He then said while shaking his head, I still cant get used to this form. Now I cant even feed Williams murderous gaze stopped him from uttering the keyword. Williams aura was well hidden and almost undetectable in his werewolf form. In his distraction, Qianye hadnt even sensed the approaching guest. In human form, though, the mans true aura gradually became evident. Qianye gazed at William for a while and finally used the Eye of Control to agitate him, bringing out his true power. Glorious marquis!? Qianye could hardly believe his eyes. William wasnt even a virtuous count back then, but now, he was a glorious marquis. This rate of advancement was even faster than human geniuses. I had a fortuitous encounter in the Constellation Well and absorbed a fair bit of star power, breaking through several ranks in one go. I stopped later on because the advancement was too fast. Maybe Ill go back and take a look if theres an opportunity. William downplayed the process. Qianye made the worst guess he could. Your foundations must be unstable, right? Impossible! Who do you think I am? Im the number one genius of the Summit of Peaks. How can I make such a mistake? The number one throughout history, eh? You just made that up, didnt you? It looks like I need to reconsider my relationship with the werewolves. What do you mean? If youre the number one genius, then the werewolf race is too weak. Who wouldve thought William didnt retort. He merely sighed with a dejected expression. Yeah, thats true. The werewolves are too weak. Weve been weakening for a thousand years, and we never found the reason why. Qianye was just joking. Seeing him this way, he shifted the topic, saying, What did you come here for? I actually came to see you. For what? ... Business. Qianye sized William up again until the latter was feeling uncomfortable. Why is a glorious marquis here to discuss business instead of pioneering the new world? Could it be that your number one position is in business? Stop shifting the topic! I wouldnt have come all the way here if you hadnt been taking care of my people. Just be straight, do you want to work with me or not? What business? Youre lacking gear, right? Our Summit of Peaks has recently constructed a series of workshops, including armament factories. I wanted to sell you some goods. No. Qianyes refusal was clear-cut. Why? You havent even seen my goods. William was surprised. Qianye said unceremoniously, Considering your werewolf races technology and standards, I think Ill pass. The second-rate manufactured goods from the Empire are still a bit better. Even if I have to buy from Evernight, why wouldnt I buy from the vampires or the demonkin? They probably produce better goods, right? Williams momentum was cut short. We were indeed lacking in technology before, but cant we catch up? Besides, who understands werewolves more than werewolves? If you want werewolf gear, were of course the best suppliers. Qianye said with a smile, Thats not entirely correct. Be it humans, vampires, demonkin, or arachne, every other race understands the werewolves more. William was startled. Those who truly understood the werewolves were their thousand-year enemies? Chapter 1281: Its a Deal if its Cheap Looking at his clumsy figure, Qianye recalled the first time he had met William on Evernight Continent. The difference between the first impression versus after becoming familiar was so great that they almost felt like two different wolves. He then recalled someone mentioning that William was either underage or had just come of age. Qianye felt a bit guilty for bullying a kid, and he really didnt want to keep making things difficult for the fellow. What kind of equipment do you produce? What kind of things do you want to sell me? You brought samples, right? The words woke William up. He produced several items with a flip of his hand and laid them out in front of Qianye. The equipment included a set of light armor, a set of heavy armor, several melee weapons, and a crude-looking origin gun. Out of professional habit, Qianye picked up the origin gun and observed it carefully. The crude weapon was double-barreled and loaded from the rear, almost no different from an ordinary shotgun. Its bullets were also pellet shells. The meticulous structuring of its gun-barrel was what set it apart. Qianye tried pulling one of the switches, but the mechanism rotated to a different side. This time the origin array was different. He tried to study the array for a while, but he simply couldnt figure out the structure so ended up asking William directly. William explained, These two arrays focus on different aspects. One serves to shrink the scatter to improve range and firepower. The other will increase the scatter for greater effect at close range. Qianye understood now. This was a combination of a long-barreled shotgun and a sawed-off shotgun, a fairly good idea. William explained its stats, which Qianye converted to imperial standards, and found that it was around grade-three. Yet, those at rank-one could use it since it was a specially enhanced type. Its only shortcoming was also quite evidentthe weight and accuracy. But considering the werewolves habits, they wanted nothing more than to press the muzzle against the enemys head before opening fire. Weak accuracy wasnt that much of an issue since this was a shotgun. Qianye looked over the other equipment. The armor was produced for the werewolf physique, allowing for great flexibility and even transformation. From a design standpoint, it was indeed tailored for a werewolf. The craftsmanship of the body armor wasnt bad, either. The materials were solid and the set was a fairly good fit for individual soldiers. The weapons were also the types most favored by werewolves. There was even a claw-glove that could extend their claws by half a meter, something Qianye found entirely unnecessary. William grinned wide and was just about to blow his own trumpet when Qianye added, Theyre pretty good for an ordinary workshop, but it doesnt make sense for the Summit of Peaks to produce such goods. Any second-rate workshop from the Empire can produce better weapons. Design, its in the design! They arent werewolves, so their designs dont fit werewolves. Qianye paid him no heed. What about the price? A depressed William reported a string of prices. He shook his head with a sigh, ready to put the items away, when Qianye stopped him. Ill take them. Lets start with two hundred thousand sets. I only have ore, though. Qianyes voice sounded like heavenly music to Williams ears. Two hundred thousand sets? Oh my, we might not have enough stock. But dont worry, Ill figure it out! Ores fine, Ill take ore! Qianye couldnt help but shake his head after seeing William beside himself with joy. This fellow was probably the worst candidate to come out and do business. He was clearly wise and unflustered back when he was dealing with the werewolves internal conflict and all the hidden friction with the vampires. Qianyes thoughts wandered here and there. Could it be that werewolves returning to their ancestry would grow more childish as they grew stronger? William paid no heed to Qianyes weird gaze, nor his reason for ordering two hundred thousand sets of armaments in one go. In truth, there was only one reasonthe price he had quoted was only half of the Empires products of the same level. The young werewolf was clearly preoccupied with other things. He suddenly turned serious, saying, Can I see the city and army camp? Qianye found it odd. With your ability, who can stop you if you want to go and take a look? I want you to take me on a tour. William was insistent. Qianye had no idea what he was thinking. He said helplessly, Follow me, then. The two moved swiftly, Qianye with Spatial Flash and William gliding through the air in his giant wolf form. The two arrived in Cerulean Wave City in the blink of an eye and, after touring the city briefly, proceeded to the military camp. Qianye showed William around the camp and introduced the various facilities. William showed little interest in traditionally important locations like the armory and cannon turrets. Instead, he was quite interested in the tents, mess hall, and toilets. He then asked about the military contributions system. Qianye had no reservations in this regardhe called for one of his men to bring a ready-made booklet and passed it to William. After reading through the contents carefully, William said with a sigh, Clear cut punishments and rewards, an orderly hierarchy, and the werewolves position in the army is not lower than the humans and your mercenaries from the neutral lands. How did you manage it? Just like that, whats so difficult? You used to be ruthless toward the dark races, including us werewolves. William looked aggrieved. Including me, your good friend. Qianye blinked innocently. For the longest time, Williams strength was overwhelmingly above his. He wouldnt even be able to escape if he didnt go all out. Later on, they fell on completely different sides as factional wars broke out. William wasnt really looking for an explanation, either. After the joke, he said, How come youre accommodating werewolves now? Qianye said after some thought, The werewolves here have suffered so much, and they are completely sincere with their submission. Theres no way I can kill ten million werewolves who wish to follow me. Thats no longer killing enemies, thats a massacre. William patted Qianyes shoulder. Regardless, Ive already seen how the werewolves under your rule are living. Lets go, I want to take you to see a certain person. Who? Youll know when we get there. Qianye simply followed William, not at all worried about a trap. Having reached a certain level of strength, the two of them moved with great speed. Qianye had the advantage since he could use Spatial Flash, but Williams saunter through the airdespite looking slow and relaxedwas also extremely fast. The two had reached the edge of the Jade Sea in less than half a day. Qianye came to a stop, saying, Well be in Storms territory if we go further. We have an agreement not to take part in the battle. William didnt reply and only pointed downward. Qianyes expression shifted noticeably as he gazed in the direction. Below were the remains of a destroyed tribal army camp. That was no surprise since burning enemy cities and depriving them of a base was common practice. However, there were numerous stakes erected around the camp, and a werewolf impaled on each of them. Many of them were in strange postures, which went to show that they had been impaled alive and burned to death on the stake. The most eye-catching feature was that these werewolves were rather small, children apparently. Qianye sighed, What? You cant accept this? William shook his head. These werewolves live under primitive conditions. To the Summit of Peaks, these barbaric and bloodthirsty werewolves still dont know the difference between prey and intelligent species. They cant even count as a member of our race, really. You humans would probably be eaten alive if you were to fall into these werewolves hands. Anything is possible in the face of such hatred. Its just that I dont feel good after seeing whats going on. Qianye didnt know how to console him, either. This was the plight of the werewolf racea combination of ancient and modern, ignorance and intelligence. William said, The Summit of Peaks has always held a neutral stance against the ancestral school, neither recognizing nor interfering with their activities. At first, I thought there was no good solution, but you showed me a path. What path? Qianye couldnt understand. A path for them to escape the ancestral school, to embrace reason and intelligence. William didnt explain further. Instead, he transformed into his giant wolf form and howled at the sky. He had channeled sufficient origin power, causing his voice to spread far and wide. Qianye managed to catch a certain note in the howl, a low beat akin to a war-drum. Ordinary people couldnt hear it, but its travel range was much further than ordinary soundwaves. Moments later, a faint howl that sounded like a reply arrived from the distance. A second howl rang out within moments, and this time, it was much closer. A while later, a tall elderly man with white hair appeared before the two. Storm Duke! A pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye as he made ready to attack at full force. Qianye had formally reached the vice-duke rank. He would normally be quite confident about defeating the likes of the Storm Duke, but this werewolf was extremely swift and powerful. A moment of carelessness might see the tables flip. Startled, the Storm Duke retreated almost immediately upon seeing Qianye. Two sharp blades popped out of his sleeves and into his grasp as he stared intently at Qianye. Youre going back on your words! I brought him here. William transformed back into his human form and began dressing up. The Storm Duke didnt relax in the slightest. I know you. Youre William, the number one genius from the Summit of Peaks and a candidate for the next successor. You people have always held yourselves high, why are you here on this impoverished continent? William was expressionless as his blue eyes gazed deeply into the Storm Dukes. He went straight to the point, saying, I hope youll admit that Qianye is the true son of darkness. Impossible! The Storm Dukes volume rose sharply. Admitting that Qianye was the son of darkness meant giving up his entire territory. How could the arrogant duke accept this? Besides, Qianye was only a vice dukealthough he had forced the Storm Duke to hold back even as a glorious marquis, the difference on paper was substantial. It would be a humiliation for him to submit to Qianye. William had long since expected such a situation. He laughed coldly, saying, Look at the werewolves under your rule! They dont even get a basic period of maturation! Youve been pretending for far too long. You can forget about leaving today if you arent willing to relinquish the authority. The Storm Duke laughed loudly, With just you two? William, you are indeed powerful but youre still a glorious marquis. How can you beat me? Laughable! Have you all gone mad without the protection of the ancestral spirits? William spoke no more. He transformed into a giant wolf again and let out an earth-shattering howl! The Storm Dukes expression shifted drastically. He could feel his aura declining rapidly in the face of Williams howl. In the blink of an eye, he had fallen to the vice-duke realm! Chapter 1282: Summit of Softies The Storm Dukes aura was currently fluctuating, and his limbs seemed so sluggish that he didnt look like a veteran duke at all. As Williams howl continued, the Storm Dukes realm was suppressed all the way down to the vice-duke rank. Naturally, Qianye would not give up such a good opportunity. He appeared less than ten meters behind the Storm Duke and unfurled his wings. The four black feathers had fully recovered and were flickering with a terrifying luster. Storm slowly lowered his hands and laughed wryly. The first is also the last, the werewolves ultimate form is a giant wolf. Losing to the future wolf king is not a humiliation. Its just that the upper continents are vast and their experts, countless. Why would you come and bully this old wolf with no prospects? William stopped howling and stood there with a cold expression. However, the Storm Dukes aura didnt recover immediately. It gradually rose back up after a good while and rather slowly, too. At this rate, it would take at least half a day to get back to his previous realm. Qianye watched calmly but was secretly surprised. This Wolf Kings Roar was so tyrannical that even his blood core had reacted to it. It was just that Qianyes ancient vampire blood energy was just as powerful and so no negative effects were produced. On the other hand, the werewolf Storm Duke was probably even more sensitive to the howl and dropped an entire level. This wasnt as simple as the dropping of a rank. The Storm Duke had gotten used to his duke-rank strength. This sudden plunge threw his movements, techniques, and even gait off balance. It would even interfere with many of his powerful secret arts. Hence, his true combat strength was probably on par with a glorious marquis. William was no ordinary glorious marquis; even ordinary vice-dukes might not be his match in battle, let alone the fact that someone like Qianye was also there to help. The Evernight factions hierarchy was strict and carved into their marrow. The vampire and demonkin exhibited a powerful suppression across ranks, and the arachne would be stronger and bigger the more powerful their bloodline was. Qianye had thought that the werewolves were the most balanced, but who wouldve thought there was something like the Wolf Kings Roar. This ability could actually ignore the level gap and suppress a duke down one rank. A werewolf who had inherited the Wolf King''s Roar would be able to suppress others of the same race. It was likely a divine skill devised by their primogenitor in order to stabilize his position. Thats because the werewolves under Qianyes rule live better lives. They will truly become more powerful as there is no need to banish people or abandon their futures for the sake of survival. The werewolves of this land have lived this way since ancient times! Enough! I do not want to hear that ancestral school rhetoric! If youre not willing to submit, I can only return you to the embrace of the ancestors. At least, the surviving werewolves in your territory will live dignified lives. The Storm Duke laughed loudly. You say werewolves will live dignified lives under a vampire? Ive seen how they live in the Jade Sea. Humans and vampires can not be trusted. Theyre all liars! I trust Qianye. The Storm Duke slowly calmed down. Do you plan to do the same with Flame? Clearly hesitant, William turned to Qianye. Thats going to be a bit troublesome. Flames bloodline descends from one of the seventeen original tribes of our race. My Wolf King''s Roar will have a limited effect on him and might not be able to suppress him to the vice-duke realm. He might not listen to me without sufficient suppression. What do you think? Qianye said, If the Flame Duke is on par with Storm, we can work together to kill him even without the Wolf King''s Roar. It looks like you dont really want to kill him, though. William had no intention of playing dumb. He said with a nod, Every duke is a treasured fighting power for the werewolf race. I wouldnt do this if it wasnt for the tens of millions of our people. Storm, its time to make a decision. Submit now or Ill be forced to kill you. Storm crossed his daggers and said word-by-word, I have my dignity. After all, Im a duke who has ruled this place for hundreds of years. If its just a matter of life or death, Id rather die in battle than submit. William wasnt angry. On the contrary, his eyes lit up. Then let me give you a reason. First reason, Qianye, show him your true power. Qianye stretched his hand out and a plume of sanguine flames lit up on his palm. The fire was, at first, a deep violet which then turned to gold, and then dark gold. When the blood energy turned dark gold, the Storm Dukes expression shifted drastically and was evidently filled with trepidation. That was an instinctive terror that came from facing a higher bloodline. William already knew that Qianyes bloodline power was beyond that of a primo, but he still couldnt suppress the shock every time. The dark golden blood energy transformed once again. Its color grew deeper and deeper until there were a few strands of pure darkness within. Williams mouth fell upon, almost as though his jaw had fallen off the joint. Y-Youve moved closer to the darkness origins! Qianye hadnt imagined that such a change would happen. Thinking back, it was probably the mysterious energy from the werewolves prayer that had purified his bloodline. He didnt really think too deeply back then, but the change had started to affect the external appearance of his sanguine flames! The Storm Duke was dazed, and his hands were trembling. As a member of the dark race, he could only dream of seeing the darkness origin in this lifetime. Yet who would be able to achieve such a lofty dream except those on the path to becoming a great dark monarch? Naturally, Qianyes sanguine flames were not the darkness origins, but the wisps of darkness in the blaze were fairly close. Seeing that something wasnt quite right, he closed his palm and put away the flames. Only then did William come to. He gazed deeply at Qianye and then turned to the Storm Duke. What say you? Is this sufficient reason? Qianyes future prospects are far beyond what you can imagine. Your descendants will only praise you for your wisdom in choosing to follow him. The Storm Duke also snapped back to his senses and regained his old fox character. This reason is quite ample, but thats just one of the reasons. I want to hear the second one. Theres no second reason! William wanted to act dumb, but his acting was too poor. Even Qianye couldnt keep on watching. There was no way the Storm Duke would fall for it. The old fox closed his eyes and said, If theres no other reason, my dignity will not allow me to make a decision. Do it! William was so angry that he began gnashing his teeth. To hell with your dignity! You werent like this a while ago. Storm wasnt moved. He kept his eyes and mouth closed. William was so helpless and angry that he wanted to shout at the duke. Yet, he couldnt act willfully when the other party was starting to compromise. You dont have the blood of the ancestral tribe, but theres still hope for you to advance further. We have a special method at the Summit of Peaks that can flush your bloodline of impurities and refine your origin power. With some luck, even you might be able to break through. The Storm Duke was surprised. This method must be very expensive. Because it involves a precious resource, we get only one quota every three years. I dont think Im that valuable. The Storm Duke didnt continue, but what he really wanted to ask was whether William had the authority to decide on that quota. The quota three years later belongs to me. Itll be worth giving you that quota if I can save ten million werewolves. William expelled the Storm Dukes suspicions in just a few words. The old werewolf put away his blades, saying, I can give up Storm Territory, but Flame isnt that easy to deal with. Besides, the ancestral school might not agree with your methods. The Storm Dukes word usage was rather reserved, but everyone understood the meaning. Have they grown that bold? William sneered. Theyve always been crazy, Storm said meaningfully. You stay here and help Qianye take care of the werewolves. If you work a full three years, the next quota is yours. Storm raised a key issue. What do we do if the ancestral school attacks? A cold gleam flickered in Williams eyes. Then they no longer belong to our tribe. You surely understand how werewolves should treat our enemies. This isnt a small matter. Its not just about Storm Territory; its perhaps related to the entire Fort Continent. The worried Storm Duke wasnt convinced by Wiliams token consolation. The upper continents didnt think too highly of Fort Continent, but Fort had no choice but to pay attention to the upper continents. Hence, Storm knew quite a bit about those bigger tribes. The Summit of Peaks has been discussing this matter. Currently, our werewolf race as a whole isnt in a good position. Our pioneering efforts in the new world have been met with numerous obstacles as well. Were at the crossroads between survival and destruction, so we cant let those idiots from the ancestral school do as they wish. From what I know, the elders and shamans from the summit arent willing to use force, especially when they are being provoked by the ancestral sect. Thats why the Summit of Peaks is known as the Summit of Softies. Williams voice was laced with killing intent. Summit of Softies? A surprised Qianye recalled the bone incident from back then, but his random thoughts were stopped by Williams glare. Storms eyes shifted about, saying, Its rather surprising that you would say these things. Thats because they will soon become history. Those old fellows might be soft toward outsiders, but the reverse isnt necessarily true, Storm reminded. We will grow tougher. If they still arent willing to change, I can only say that their time has passed. Very well, Ill be looking forward to it, but Im not too optimistic about things. Fort Continent will become our new main camp. Wait a minute! Qianye stepped into the conversation. I dont want to get dragged into your races internal conflict. The current topic was moving in an unexpected direction. Qianye felt that things were getting so far out of hand that he needed to call for a time out. William shrugged, saying, You have no choice, that is unless you dont want to take in Storms werewolves. He added, Oh, the ones from the Jade Sea count as well. Qianye couldnt speak for a good while. No matter how he looked at it, giving up on ten million werewolves wasnt his first choice. At this point, Qianye had already figured out Williams true reason for coming to Fort Continent. The latter had actually been worried since a while ago, but it was Qianyes surprising growth and expansion that had brought the topic onto the table. Gazing at Qianye, he began to explain things clearly, The ancestral school wont let you go once you take Storm Territory. Those old bastards from the Summit of Peaks might not sit idly by as you lead several dozen million werewolves. Wait a minute, didnt you say the werewolves of Fort Continent dont count as your people? Theyll naturally count after you raise them well. ... Chapter 1283: Uncontrollable Future The werewolves of the primitive tribes had never been recognized because they were backward, ignorant, and possessed limited potential. But once Qianye had pulled them out of primitiveness and led them to a standard accepted by the Summit of Peaks, these werewolves would become their people. And those bastards from the Summit of Peaks would never let Qianye rule over their people. This meant that the werewolves of Fort Continent would be left to their fate if no one had stepped in, but the Summit of Peaks would come over to reap the fruits if someone were to take the helm. Qianye cursed inwardly. And looking at Williams helpless appearance, he knew that it was useless to reason with them. Qianye said angrily, Then what do you intend to do with these people of yours? What will become of all the resources I invested? What else do you want? Youre already quite fortunate if we wont prosecute you for slavery! You want rewards? Dream on! William mocked. Qianye said calmly, Then dont blame me for being rude. William laughed out loud. You finally understand, right? But dont worry, Im on your side at least. That doesnt sound like a lot of help. Now, William was angry. Hey, Im a powerful character now! Ordinary vice-dukes are not my match at all! You said it, the keyword is ordinary. Im a vice-duke as well, why dont we spar? You William glared furiously at Qianye, but he didnt have the slightest intention of fighting. He wasnt even interested. William had fought Qianye more than once, so he knew all too well that he could never win against him while at the same rank. Now that the latter was one rank above him, a defeat was inevitable. Seeing William stifled, Qianye felt just a tad better. After some thought, he didnt feel that it was that big of a loss on his part. He had gained the entire Storm Territory without shedding a drop of blood, and a powerful helper like the Storm Duke could be considered a great boon, even if it was just for three years. Of course, he would have to pay a price, and that price was being swept into the werewolves internal conflict. The Storm Duke was both a powerful help and a hidden danger. No matter how powerful Qianyes momentum was, there would surely be a time when he was down. How could he be sure that the duke wouldnt stab him in the back at that point? William had long since thought about that. He said to the duke, Since weve agreed, please swear on the spirit of your ancestor. The Storm Dukes expression shifted ever so slightly. I swear upon the spirit of my honorable ancestor, the late Liziche Tribe Chieftain The Storm Dukes expression shifted drastically. You know that too? There are complete genealogy and inheritance records of every bloodline at the Summit of Peaks. Thats why you should forget about playing tricks or things will get ugly. The Storm Duke remained silent for a good while before continuing to recite a long oath, and this time, he was solemn and respectful. Qianye could feel a mysterious energy enter the Storm Dukes body. This cryptic power was rather similar to the one produced by the werewolves prayer ceremony. He might not have been able to sense it if his own body hadnt been transformed by that same energy. It would seem that this ancestral oath imposed a tangible restriction on werewolves, and judging from the Storm Dukes reaction, he treated this oath quite seriously. After this process, the Storm Duke no longer harbored untoward thoughts, and so the vague sense of danger faded away from Qianyes perception. The Storm Duke didnt linger for very long. He immediately returned to his territory to handle the handover affairs. Qianye sought out the aristocratic alliance at their camp and instructed them to stop the assault and avoid sadistic killings in the future. The aristocratic army displayed stunning combat strength with the elite werewolves in their ranks, winning battle after battle. They had pushed the battlefront almost a hundred kilometers forward and killed close to a hundred thousand of the Storm Dukes tribal armies. Of course, Qianye wasnt going to let these forces remain idle. Once the Storm Duke had completed the transfer process, he would shift them to the front lines and pit them against the Flame Duke. The ancestral school would surely cause trouble for Qianye, and the Flame Duke would be their vanguard. Qianye had no good impression of the ancestral faction, either. Of course, he wouldnt mind dealing a blow to the Flame Duke. The Storm Duke and the Flame Duke had been archenemies for decades, with neither gaining the advantage against the other. This meant that they were not at all at a disadvantage in terms of experts. In terms of troops, the well-trained aristocratic elite soldiers held the absolute advantage over the primitive werewolves. Now that all the arrangements had been made, Qianye finally found the time to discuss things with William and ask about their progress in the new world. William smiled wryly. Things arent good in the new world. Were currently stuck in front of a forest with three holy trees, making no progress while racking up casualties. And thats the route with the best progress. The other two continents are doing worse since they were caught unprepared. Our defensive force on one of the continents was routed and completely wiped out. Qianye was surprised. Didnt you guys open the door? Youve also been amassing troops well beforehand. How did something like that happen? There are no werewolves among those in charge of opening the doors. How exactly were those doors opened? I dont know, William replied frankly. Qianye hadnt imagined that the werewolves would be so marginalized that they couldnt even take part in something so important. It looked like their status as one of the four major races was in grave danger. The temporary halt to the holy war didnt do much to improve the werewolves situation. On the contrary, it deprived them of the right to speak in high-ranking military matters. It was no wonder that William would help Qianye subdue the Storm Duke and put ten million werewolves in his hands. Apparently, the opening of the new world had truly agitated the Summit of Peaks, so much so that they had decided to get rid of the internal plague that was the ancestral school. Qianyes position was now rather awkward. Was he to help free these werewolves of their binding and guide them to prosperity? Werewolves were, after all, long-living species, one of the four major dark races and an enemy to the human race. It didnt sound all too wise to nurture the enemy. The situation of the werewolves on Fort Continent was special. Qianyes initial plan was simply to give them food so that they wouldnt need to sacrifice the old and weak for survival. Without outside intervention, elevating the werewolf society on Fort Continent to the level of the upper continents would take a very long time. After all, Qianye possessed neither the means nor the intention to bring about an evolution in their systematic strength. Things would be completely different, though, if the upper continents were to intervene. To Qianye, there was no middle option. He could smash the chains binding the werewolves of Fort Continent and face a future he couldnt control, or watch as they continued to struggle against fate. At the very least, the werewolves of the great corridor and Jade Sea were truly loyal. They not only followed his orders on the battlefield but also considered him half a god. The mysterious power from the werewolves prayers was the truest form of feedback. Qianye shook his head inwardly and continued listening to Williams explanation of the werewolves condition. Because they had been left out during the opening of the new world, their subsequent information sharing wasnt really sufficient. All they knew was that they needed to amass troop strength, but not where. The overlord of one of the three werewolf continents was an extremely arrogant individual. Not only did he reject gathering troops, but he also didnt construct enough defensive structures or assign a full array of troop types. In the end, their forces suffered grave losses during the first wave and were completely routed by the second. The worst part was that the commander of these forces belonged to the ancestral faction, but the subordinates came from the progressive tribes. Some of the older, more conservative elders from the Summit of Peaks had yielded the position as a compromise. After all, the ancestral school was also full of powerful experts. Who wouldve expected such an outcome? Close to a hundred thousand elite soldiers were wiped out entirely. Qianye asked about the details of the battle and found that the key culprits were a shortage of soldiers and lousy command. That ancestral faction commander was furious after the first defeat. He marshaled the remnant troops for a second battle with no consideration of aerial and rear defenses. In the end, their main firepower in the rear was completely annihilated by a massive swarm of aerial beasts. Although the Summit of Peaks took immediate action and managed to stabilize the situation, their pioneering efforts were greatly delayed. The number of soldiers they could send into the new world was too limited. The werewolves'' situation in the new world wasn''t any better than Qianye''s when he had just entered. They could only obtain a limited amount of information from the other three races, so they had to rely on themselves to fumble about. After several fierce battles, their forces had grown weak and weary. Something surprised Qianye quite a bit. That was the fact that the six-armed creatures in the forests were all awake when the werewolves attacked. Add to that the assistance from the beast army and their environmental advantage, the werewolf experts suffered grave losses while killing each commander. Qianye understood all too well how terrifying a sober six-armed general was. Only now did he truly realize just how lucky he had been. Not only had he caught the generals in a dormant state, but he had also discovered their weak point. He was able to sneak attack and injure them at the first exchange. Then, he would destroy the beast troops and focus fire on the six-armed general''s host. The general would once again suffer heavy injuries during this process. Even a god wouldn''t be able to take a double blow like this. The werewolves, on the other hand, had to face a fully active six-armed general. With no other tricks up their sleeve, they could only fight the enemy head-on. It was no wonder their progress had been so difficult. Qianye hesitated for a bit but ultimately decided against telling him the creature''s weakness. After all, the werewolves were a powerful enemy force, a force they might have to fight after a certain degree of exploration. The relationship between Qianye and William was rather subtle. He had always maintained a friendly stance, yet he couldn''t represent the entire tribe. After seeing William off, Qianye returned to the duke''s residence at Cerulean Wave City. That was Qianye''s residence, so ordinary people weren''t allowed to enter without special permission. Qianye never had the time to renovate the place after taking over the city. The entire structure remained largely in its original state, with dark corridors. Qianye''s footsteps echoed through the long, empty corridor. When he walked past one of the torches, an unnatural distortion appeared in his shadow. Qianye stopped, saying, Come out on your own, itll be bad if I have to take action. A shadow walked out from the darkness, arrived behind Qianye, and blew softly on his neck. What? Do you not welcome me? Chapter 1284: New Bankroller She said, But you didnt attack, did you? That means you still want to listen to what I have to say. Speak. Not inviting me for a drink first? I came with good intentions, you know. Qianye finally turned back. The person in front was clad in a black gown, but that did poorly to hide her lithe figure. Those eyes of hers possessed an exceptional reflection of her wild nature as well as a familiar beauty. Twilight, this isnt the Empire, but I have no good impression of you. Since youre here, I hope youre prepared to never return. Twilight chuckled. Youre not that heartless. Besides, its not that easy to keep me here, is it? She hadnt finished speaking when Qianye grabbed her throat and lifted her into the air. This move was as swift as lightningshe had seen his actions, but her entire body was limp and sluggish. She could do nothing but watch as she fell into Qianyes hands. That kind of feeling was an absolute bloodline suppression from a superior expert, something that would only appear against a grand duke or a prince. Duke! Twilight cried out. Qianye paid her no attention. He dragged her into the nearby guest room and flung her onto the sofa. He himself dragged a chair over and sat down, saying, Speak and well see if Ill let you off. Twilight sat up but lay back down after seeing Qianyes glare. Her eyes shifted about as she switched to a different position and opened her robe, revealing a large area of her collar. Did you want to see me this way? Not the least attracted. Twilights glance was fluid. You dont need to hold back. You can try and see the difference between a human and a pureblood member of the twelve ancient vampire clans. Not interested. Its really different! Twilight suddenly lost interest under Qianyes cold gaze. She sat up straight and said self-deprecatingly, Im a primo too! Am I so unattractive? Im only a half-vampire. Thats not the real reason, is it? Its Nighteye, right? Qianye remained silent in tacit agreement. He had no intention of beating around the bush since Twilight was being straightforward. Hows she doing? I dont know. Do you not know, or are you unwilling to talk? If you know nothing, then you are of no value to me. With a sigh, Twilight put her hand on Qianyes, grabbing on tightly as he pulled back. What do you know? You can speak now. I really dont know. All I heard was that she had returned and was taken away by the Evernight council. Reportedly, several veteran members welcomed her personally in a show of extravagance. Qianye felt that Twilight wouldnt know much anyway. He pulled his hand back and asked, What are you here for? To join you, of course! Are you so bad at humor? Twilight looked rather aggrieved. You can even take in werewolves, why are you so biased toward me? Dont forget that you have our clans blood. Those werewolves submit to me wholeheartedly. The same cant be said of you. Im sincere as well. Look, Im even willing to give myself to you. Is that not enough? A plume of sanguine flames lit up on his fingertips, which he brought closer and closer to Twilight. I dont trust you. Say what you have to say because my patience is running out. Twilight sighed. So boring. Fine, I heard youve been doing really well on Fort Continent and have made some progress in the new world as well. Im guessing youll need a large number of resources and equipment. Thats why the elder assembly sent me to see if we can make a deal. Deal? What can you give me and what do you want? Vampire weapons are famous throughout the world, be they origin guns or blades. Additionally, we can sell you a batch of slaves, most of them are vampires with blood pacts. A vast number of vampires also become slaves for various reasons. Some were traitors, some had been defeated in battle, and others owed massive debts. Vampire slaves with blood pacts usually made for good fighting power, the best kind among mercenaries and cannon fodder. As long as the owner possessed the contract, there was no worry of them defecting. Qianye hadnt expected the vampire race to come knocking on his doors. Why me? Equipment, essence blood, slaves, castles, and blood ponds, all of them require money. Those old bastards in their blood ponds worry most about being unable to wake up from their hibernation. Their desire for eternal life is stronger than anything else. As long as they can earn more money for that cause, theres no bottom line that they wont cross. News of your recent purchases has even reached our faction. They arent about to let go of such a big spender. Twilight was mocking those people the entire while. In the end, she added, Youre not the only such bankroller, either. What do you want? The best would be water from the holy tree lake and ore from the island. Qianye shook his head. I dont have a lot of lake water, either. Island ore? Whats that? Twilight gazed into his eyes, saying slowly, Its fine if you dont have the ore. Can you share some lake water with us? Ten thousand soldiers worth should be enough. You can trade the rest for dark golden sandstone. Dark golden sandstone isnt that useful to your people, is it? There are uses. Some giant statues require strong metal alloys, and dark golden sandstone is the perfect ore for that. Qianye said after some thought, I agree. This deal was beneficial to both parties. Qianye would obtain a considerable amount of resources that would increase his fighting power and a vampire squad that was entirely loyal to him. All these things could be invested into the new world and immediately prove their worth. The vampires, on the other hand, would obtain some strategic resources and luxury goods. This deal posed little threat to Qianye in the short term but would grant him significant profits in the long run. The knowledge Qianye had gained from the River of Blood contained some information about the blood ponds of the ancient vampire race. In order to maintain the effectiveness of these ponds, they would need to add a constant supply of rare medicines and the blood of wild beasts, even colossi. Simply maintaining them every day involved astronomical costs. Twilights words hence made sense. In addition to that, the vampire race also wanted wood from specific trees in the forests. As Qianye saw it, those were just trees that had lived relatively longer. The vampire race also passed a fairly important piece of information. Qianye didnt agree immediately. He only said that he would consider it, and that, if he were to agree, he would have them prepared by the time the vampire races transports arrive. Having completed her mission, Twilight made an appointment for their next meeting and left. Qianye headed into the new world after she was gone. He went around the first forest and discovered a fair number of trees that matched the vampires request. He ordered his men to cut down some of them and sent them back to the Evernight World for an analysis. The results came out rather quicklythe wood from these trees was light and sturdy, somewhat similar to those in the Great Maelstrom. They were highly compatible with origin arrays and made great material for large origin arrays. Such wood was valuable but not especially expensive. There were better resources of this sort in the Great Maelstrom, but they werent extracted in the end. It wasnt worth transporting such a commodity with the highly limited shipment capacity. There was no such problem in the new worldthey could extract the wood in large quantities and send them back through the door for a fairly reasonable cost. The production capacity in each forest was limited, while the demand was endless. The best application for this wood was foundational material for airships. Having come to a conclusion, Qianye entered the new world again and toured all of the forests under their control. The number of ancient trees was evidently greater in the forest with four holy trees. The oldest batch among them was extremely strong, almost on par with the ones in the high-gravity region of the Great Maelstrom. Qianye immediately gathered people to fell a batch of trees for the Martyrs Palace. These resources would accelerate the palaces remodeling processthe internal structure and external body would finally take shape, leaving only the internal details to be figured out. As for the vampires, there was no way he would let them have such top-grade materials. After pondering for a while, he asked his men to harvest a batch from the most ordinary forest for the deal. Fort Continent had turned fairly busy in the past two days with airships coming and going frequently. Large cargo ships werent a rare sight, either, which served to attract a lot of pirates. These outlaws traveled great distances only to find that every cargo ship belonged to a colossal power. Just the escort warships alone werent the kind these pirates could handle, not to mention these powers would seek revenge after the robbery. Additionally, they could see the shadows of Imperial patrols along the flight paths. Qianye had wanted to take the other forest with three holy trees at first, but he was tied down by secular affairs on Fort Continent. The Storm Duke moved quickly, announcing that Qianye was the true son of darkness and that the werewolves of the Storm Territory would merge with the Jade Sea. This news shook the entire Fort Continent. Before the major powers could react, Qianye had arranged for the aristocratic armies to capture all the major crossroads around the border of the Flame Dukes territory. As expected, the Flame Duke openly declared that Qianye was a fake and led an all-out attack against Storm Territory the next day. However, the hundred thousand soldiers he had mustered crashed right into the steel wall that was the aristocratic alliance. These werewolves who knew little besides charging in a group suffered grave losses in the face of the unprecedented defensive firepower. They were mowed down in droves; the massacre was so fierce that the alliance soldiers felt their arms growing tired. The flame werewolves stormed the battlefront for an entire day, but they produced little change except for the corpses they left behind. They couldnt even charge past the defensive line. The storm werewolves guarded the flanks vigilantly. In just one day, over half of the attacking army had fallen. The furious Flame Duke charged to the front lines but was duly intercepted by the Storm Duke. The two fought a fierce battle, which ended in a draw just like before. Chapter 1285: Ember Troubles When Qianye explored the forest, he discovered that the six-armed commander was indeed in an awakened state. He launched a decisive surprise attack when a fleeing opportunity presented itself. He was able to land one Shot of Inception, but the second one was blocked by a dark golden flame that it had spat out! This was the first time in a long while that a Shot of Inception had not found its target. He immediately pulled back and went out of the forest, but how could that six-armed general let him go? He chased Qianye all the way out of the forest, leaving the army of beasts far behind. Once out of the forest, he found that Qianye was waiting for him to arrive. To his left and right were the two duke-rank experts. A great battle ensued. No matter how powerful the six-armed giant was, he simply couldnt stop the combined attacks of three experts. Finally, Qianye found an opening to fire two more Shots of Inception and completely ended its life. By the time that six-armed general had collapsed, an area hundreds of meters around them was littered with pits of varying sizes. Many of them still contained flames or lightning sparks, signs of the battle just now. Qianye was merely tired, but Caroline was pale and seemed to have suffered some damage to her vitality. The Storm Duke was the most miserable one among them. Part of his beard had been singed, and the armor on his body was in tatters. There was also a shocking hole on his thigh. The duke was proficient in speed, but he became the slowest when compared to the other two. Even the six-armed general was faster. Hence, the six-armed general began focusing on Storm after realizing that he couldnt catch Qianye. If the latter hadnt stepped in to trade a couple of direct blows with the commander, thereby blocking his lethal attacks, it was unlikely that the Storm Duke would be standing intact. This was the first time Qianye had fought with a six-armed general in its peak state. Only then did he figure out their true combat strength. The six-armed general didnt sport any special powers. He was just fast, fierce, and highly tenacious. These three qualities made for a lethal combination that was stronger than any fancy moves. The battle wouldve been even harder had Qianye not landed a Shot of Inception earlier. Caroline cleaned up the battlefield quickly and tied the six-armed generals weapons to her back in a bundle. At this point, the Storm Duke began to sway on his feet and his aura fell sharply. When Qianye glanced over in surprise, he found the duke deathly pale with no color on his lips. I must leave now! The origin power here somethings not right! In the blink of an eye, the duke collapsed and couldnt even continue speaking. Qianye rushed over to support him. At the moment of contact, Qianye could sense that the origin power within the Storm Dukes body was fairly chaotic and contained quite a lot of origin power from the new world. The odd origin power was like a spark falling into a barrel of oil, igniting the Storm Dukes own origin power and producing flames in many places. This was happening inside the body. No matter how strong the duke was, he couldnt stop the conflagration within. He was trying his utmost to suppress the violent origin power, so much so that he had lost the power to stay in the air. After careful observation, Qianye discovered even more shocking details. The dukes injuries were mostly caused by his own origin power. Pure darkness origin power was hardly affected by the strange energy of the new world, but the impurities in the dukes origin power were immediately ignited like fuel. The origin flames produced from this would then spread to the unaffected darkness origin power. The entire process was like stoking the flames in a furnacefirst light up wood shavings and firewood, which would then ignite the black stones. Continuing this process was actually a good way to purify ones origin power, but unfortunately, the victim was made of flesh and not steel. Even Qianye wouldnt be able to stand origin flames burning inside his body. Perhaps he could attempt this when he was a great dark monarch and his organs had all been strengthened. The Storm Duke was already at his limits. The origin power throughout his body was catching fire here and there. At this rate, there was no way he would be able to hold out long enough to leave the new world. Qianye made an immediate decision. Dont resist, bear with me. The pale Storm Duke couldnt manage a response. Qianye stretched out his finger and tapped the dukes body in several places. At every point of contact, a sanguine thread would shoot into the werewolfs body, bringing back with it a spark that would enter Qianyes body. These sparks were the embers causing chaos within the Storm Dukes body. The old mans face went even paler as these sparks left his body, but his aura stabilized and started to recover. The remaining embers were no longer a threat as the Storm Duke could extinguish them on his own. Having survived the calamity, the Storm Duke was in a good mood despite his weakness. He said to Qianye, That was Life Plunder, right? Legend has it that its one of the most powerful vampire bloodline powers. Awesome indeed. But from what I heard, Life Plunder will indiscriminately wipe out everything within a certain radius. You, Sire, actually managed to control it with such accuracy, this is unimaginable! Unknowingly, the Storm Duke was using a respectful address when talking to Qianye. Theres no technique that cant be controlled. There must be people in the twelve major clans who can control Life Plunder, right? Qianye said. You might be right. Ive been on Fort Continent for far too long, I know very little, please forgive me, Storm said self-deprecatingly. In truth, he had no idea that Qianyes control over Life Plunder was an inheritance from the River of Blood. The knowledge belonged to the ancient vampire system and required the corresponding physique to operate. Perhaps some of those old monsters sleeping in blood ponds could control Life Plunder, but it was definitely not as ordinary as Qianye had made it out to be. Their level of control would surely be inferior to the rivers inheritance. There was little need to explain this factvery few among the younger generations had been able to obtain such inheritances, so much so that such divine abilities had turned into legends. Moreover, Qianye had a feeling that there were numerous gazes scanning the area when the River of Blood had appeared. They seemed to be searching for his existence, but the river had lowered his aura and protected him from being detected by those mysterious entities. Combined with the theory that the River of Blood had disappeared, Qianye could almost smell a conspiracy going on. There was no way he would tell a werewolf duke about the vampire races secret arts. The Storm Duke couldnt help but feel surprised when he saw that Qianye was completely fine after absorbing the embers. These embers made up the bulk of the flames that had been wreaking havoc in his body, nearly killing him in the process. Yet, they were completely silent after entering Qianyes body. It didnt even seem like he needed to channel his origin power to eliminate them. Just from this, the duke could tell that he knew very little about Qianyes true strength. The Storm Duke was as white as a sheet, but Qianyes face was flushed red. It looked like he was about to enter a state of blood boil. It was inevitable that Life Plunder would bring some of the Storm Dukes essence blood out. This amount wouldnt hurt the dukes foundations as he could replenish the loss in just half a year. To Qianye, however, every drop of a dukes essence blood was an irreplaceable supplement containing vast amounts of origin power. The few drops of essence blood would replace half a months worth of cultivation for him. As a werewolf who understood vampire abilities, the Storm Duke had already sensed this. Yet, he didnt expose or discuss the fact; salvation came with its prices. Now that the danger had passed and he had recovered a fair amount of fighting power, the duke worked with the other two to move the six-armed generals body back to the base, then to Fort Continent. Once back in Fort Continent, the Storm Duke immediately returned to his territory. He had to confront the Flame Duke, lest the latter discovers his prolonged absence. The old fox kept his injuries well-hidden, not letting anyone else figure out the truth. Qianye had to focus on expanding in the new world, so he had no time to deal with the Flame Duke. Only after this battle did Qianye discover how terrifying the new world was. Here, even a duke-rank expert had to be careful about sustaining injuries. Otherwise, things would turn disastrous once the strange origin power invaded the body. The Storm Duke had been living in Fort Continent for a prolonged length of time, so the purity of his origin power was quite bad. That, however, was just relative to the dukes of the upper continent. His darkness origin power was naturally at a certain standard for him to have reached the duke-rank. That being said, the duke had suffered quite a bit of torment in the new world and nearly died. Carolines actual talents were much higher than the Storm Dukes. It was just that she had chosen to merge with lightning power, which put a halt to her future progress. However, there was still hope of her reaching a superior duke rank. She was proficient in roaming battles, retreating and advancing like lightning. Her lightning was so tyrannical that even the six-armed generals were wary, and that was also why she wasnt quite injured. Qianye was a different case altogether. Both his blood energy and daybreak origin power were close to the origins. The odd origin power from the new world could find nothing to ignite after entering his body. Qianye didnt even need to heed the sparks produced from them as the flowing auric flame blood would extinguish them in passing. In terms of strength, the flames of the strange origin power were inferior to the auric flame blood in Qianyes circulation. Through this battle, Qianye discovered that he alone was the backbone of these pioneering efforts. The others, even Caroline, had to be protected carefully. At this point, Qianye felt lucky that he had taken the risk to eliminate that six-armed general from the forest with four holy trees. If that monster had woken up entirely, even the three of them would hardly be able to defeat it. That forest would become an insurmountable obstacle in their path. Who knew how many sacrifices would be required to overcome it? Perhaps only a prince-rank expert could come and go at will in this new world, but even they couldnt afford to be too arrogant. This was a world where the true contest was in innate talents. After taking down the forest with three holy trees, Qianye had no choice but to slow down his expansion. He had stretched his forces too far, with the last base being one thousand five hundred kilometers away from the door. On the other hand, he would need to build a large central base around the forest with four holy trees. The other two three-tree forests also required outposts. He needed five hundred thousand soldiers just for the garrison and for defending against beast attacks. The werewolves needed more time to train, so they could no longer keep up with this speed. Noticing Qianyes distress, Caroline said, Airships cant enter the new world, but what about the Martyrs Palace? Chapter 1286: Sun of Nothingness Ordinary airships couldnt enter the new world because their key kinetic systems were too fragile to stand the corrosion of the strange origin power. The environment there was even more adverse than the neutral lands, and only the sturdiest old models could operate there. Trucks could hold out fine, but airships would have to be scrapped after one week in the new world. Another consideration was the adaptation to the new origin powereven without considering wear and tear, it was still unknown whether or not the origin arrays could function normally. The Martyrs Palace was different. Its body was the skeleton of a void colossus and thus should be able to withstand the environment of the new world. Furthermore, the remnant consciousness allowed the dragonship to form a protective layer around itself, protecting the equipment, weaponry, and origin arrays from being affected. Perhaps, he could try? At noon the next day, when the origin power of the new world was at its most stable, almost all of the experts under Qianyes command gathered outside of the door. A fair number of werewolf chiefs and shamans had rushed over to witness this historical moment. Qianye stood on a tall platform with the Storm Duke and Caroline at his side. The duke was recuperating at first, but he rushed over immediately after hearing about the event. On a lower level of the platform were the werewolf experts. Some of them were new faces that Qianye didnt recognize, but it just so happened that they were all a fair bit stronger than the werewolves of the Jade Sea. The Storm Duke had led these experts here from the Storm Territory, all of them important characters in their land. He wanted them to meet Qianye and express their loyalty. An attendant ascended the stage and whispered, Sire, its time. Qianye nodded and pointed at the door. An alarm blared loudly in the base as the kinetic towers spouted large clouds of steam. The cannon turrets were on full alert and pointed in different directions. A shadow appeared in the sky and slowly grew bigger and bigger until the massive silhouette of the Martyrs Palace slowly descended. Even those who had seen the palace several times felt as though they couldnt breathe. That feeling of having a city floating above their heads was too shocking. The werewolves of the Jade Sea had it better, but the chiefs and shamans from the Storm Territory were all flabbergasted. They had never seen anything remotely close. One of the shamans was so confused that he fell to his knees and began praying. The shamans of the Jade Sea looked at him in disdain, but Qianye and the Storm Duke were in no mood to laugh. Qianyes gaze landed briefly on the white-haired shaman, saying, What a pity. The werewolves of Fort Continent matured early, constricting their life to the shortest in order to survive the harsh environment. The effects were even more pronounced in smaller tribes. Children who grew up too slow were simply abandoned. As for whether they might be geniuses, that was a problem to consider if they could grow up. This old shaman praying to the Earth Dragon wasnt funny. It wasnt that he had mistaken the airship for something else. He was in prostration because he had sensed the earth dragons will, a display of reverence toward a void colossus. In truth, void colossi were worshipped as gods in many parts of the lower continents. As the master, Qianye knew that the remnant will did not possess an opinion. To others, however, it was already a rarity to sense the Earth Dragons will. At this moment, the Martyrs Palace had arrived in position. Even the door seemed a bit narrow before the massive airship. Qianye stood on the platform with a wooden expression. In truth, his consciousness was connected to the Martyrs Palace, so whatever the dragonship saw, he did as well. Only the most basic crew members were aboard the Martyrs Palace. These were all strong people who had taken the holy tree sapthey were in charge of observing the changes inside the airship and driving it. The hovering dragonship looked more like a giant monster than a human-driven warship. Under Qianyes urging, the vessel waved its tail and slowly drifted toward the door in the misty region. Qianye sensed a burning pain in his consciousness as the Earth Dragon entered the mist. Even the Earth Dragon couldnt adapt to the strange origin power of the new world. Without the need for an order, the pained Earth Dragon activated its protective barrier and isolated itself from the origin power. The sensation of pain also vanished thereafter. Feeling relieved, Qianye drove the airship forward until it finally entered the door. The Earth Dragons vision was different. In the white mist, it could clearly see a tunnel formed from the strange energy, surrounded by turbulent void origin power. Qianye felt quite alarmed upon witnessing this scene. This passage seemed quite fragile, yet it remained intact amidst the violent tempests. Qianyes vision changed entirely as the Earth Dragon sped up and exited the tunnel. That eternal sun of the new world appeared in his sights. Startled, he stared at the sun for a moment. Through the Earth Dragons eyes, that sun was a burning mass of origin power. It emitted scorching daybreak origin power at all times while absorbing the strange energy. After the latter entered the sun, all that came back out was daybreak origin power. No one knew whether they had disappeared or if they had been converted. Most importantly, Qianye discovered through the Earth Dragons will that this sun wasnt real. At least, it wasnt a massive tangible body like the sun back in the Evernight World. It was a ball of nothingness, burning with origin power. Qianye could vaguely sense that this sun likely held the secrets to this world. However, even the Earth Dragon had no way to approach the sun, let alone fly inside to study it. This sun in the new world was spitting out raging daybreak origin power, something that could burn down any physical object. Let alone the dead Earth Dragon, even Sky Demonthe colossus that had laid down the iron curtain back on Evernight Continentcouldnt get too close. Qianye drove the airship forward after a momentary daze. The massive body of the Martyrs Palace passed through the door and arrived in the new world! A roaring cheer broke out from below. Qianye slowly shifted the Earth Dragon upward and looked down, where all the soldiers had come out from behind the fortifications in a boisterous fashion. This was Qianyes first base in the new world. It was currently quite large with a complete array of facilities. Not only did it possess a large-scale hospital, but it also housed a sizable warehouse, research facility, and training infrastructure. New recruits would be trained here for a week and only dispatched to the front lines when they were fully accustomed to the environment. Hence, this base was big enough to accommodate a hundred thousand soldiers, most of them werewolves. The base wasnt too far from the door, so the Martyrs Palace covered up the entire sky above the fortress as it appeared. Many of the werewolves were shaken to the coreall of a sudden, a shaman fell to the ground in loud prayers, followed by all the other werewolves. This scene was rather familiar. Qianye soon felt a mysterious energy land on him, slowly raising his bloodline powers. Qianye was startled as he gained a new understanding of this mysterious power. It couldnt be insulated even by the difference in worlds. What was it exactly? A million werewolves simply sang praise in his name, and the blessing was delivered to him across such distances and barriers. This was simply miraculous. There were too many secrets in the new world that he needed to explore. After entering the new world, Qianye received a message in their shared consciousness. The Martyrs Palace was feeling suffocated. This was an entirely new sensation because void colossi didnt need to perform any routine breathing. The Earth Dragon had been dead for so many years, with only the skeleton, heart, and some flesh remaining. Why would it feel suffocated? Qianye didnt try to stop the Earth Dragons reflexive attempt to breathe. He watched as the dragon opened its mouth and took a deep breath. A yellow tornado appeared as boundless origin power was drawn into its body! A gale kicked up in the base, with many of the weaker soldiers being blown about. The interior of the Martyrs Palace, on the other hand, was wrecked by a storm. Many of the equipment inside were uprooted and blown about; some of the walls were even destroyed. Fortunately, the palace had been modified once more before entering the new world. Everything inside had been reinforced to stop interference from the strange origin power, and that was what stopped a full-blown disaster from taking place. The origin tempest rushed to the dragonships chest and was largely absorbed by the heart and muscles. A small amount broke through the airship walls and exited the body from what seemed like natural air-vents. After drawing in the origin power, Qianye felt as though he had inhaled a mouthful of smokey air. It was a bit irritating, but it also served to relieve the suffocating feeling; the Earth Dragons entire body was now full of energy. Every part of the body? Qianye was startled. He had never sensed any other body part except the heart when he shared consciousness with the Earth Dragon in the past. Now, he could even sense the bones. If not for the fact that he could see the Martyrs Palace personally, he mightve mistaken the vessel for an actual Earth Dragon. The Earth Dragon seemed to have undergone a mysterious change as it entered the new world. There were actually vague signs of it reviving. It would be a complete miracle if that were the case. When Qianye first saw it back in the underground world, the dragonship was nothing more than a skeleton and a heart. Now that the Earth Dragon had regained its energy, Qianye drove it slowly around the new world. He slowly sped up, went deeper in, and tried to fly higher as well. The Martyrs Palace flew faster and faster, even more so than when it was in the void. And this was without activating any of the auxiliary engines and kinetic sails. The palace was flying just from the Earth Dragons instincts. Qianye felt suffocated again after roughly half an hour of flight. He allowed the Earth Dragon to move according to its instincts again. The dragon opened its mouth and exhaled a mass of murky origin power, kicking up another storm in the air. It then breathed in againthe feeling of suffocation vanished, and its body was once again full of energy. Qianye thus flew the airship for a good while, even circling above the first forest before turning back and passing through the door into the Evernight World. Qianye finally woke up from his distracted state when the airship returned. How was it? Caroline and the Storm Duke asked. Theres a bit of a problem, but it can indeed enter the new world, Qianye replied. Then there should be no problems with the expansion! Caroline was delighted. With the Martyrs Palace, they had the equivalent of a mobile fortress. There was no longer a need to fear the beast armies. Chapter 1287: Troublemaker Ambitions Qianye modified the internal compartment structure according to the flow of origin power and built dedicated vents for the energy flow. With the help of thousands of technicians, the entire remodeling process was completed in less than a week. The aristocratic families did their utmost, holding back neither in terms of manpower or money. The chance to tour the interior of the Martyrs Palace was a rare opportunity, something they couldnt miss even if it was just for intelligence. At this point, the aristocratic families had fully accepted that Qianye was extremely powerful. With the addition of the Martyrs Palace, he would be unmatched in the void unless the Imperial Guard dispatched two of their three biggest fleets. The current Qianye was already quite established. With the Martyrs Palace around, it could be said that he could dominate both the land and the air on Fort Continent. There were simply no openings. It would take a great dark monarch or heavenly monarch to completely defeat him. The aristocratic families were fast to pull out all the stops once they had figured out this truth. Countless secret reports were relayed back to the Empire through various channels, followed by numerous reply missives. Qianye reacted differently to the secret correspondence depending on their destination. He ignored all those going to and from the Empire but routinely captured all people communicating with the Evernight faction. The captured agents would suffer grave misfortune. Those dealing with Zheng under the table were punished severely without reservation. When the secret letters from the Empire returned, the representatives duly forwarded them to the private army commanders. Having fought shoulder-to-shoulder for so long, the aristocratic alliance generals had become close comrades. Hence, they were fine with some minor secrets being known. One of the commanders blurted out when he received the missive, What? We are to heed Qianyes command entirely without exception? Theres even a note that we should listen to him even if theres a conflict between his orders and the main familys. Isnt this asking us to swear loyalty to Sire Qianye? After the discussion, an old veteran said with a cold smile, Isnt it clear? Whats the surprise? There are others who want to join Sire Qianyes banner but arent qualified to do so. Makes sense, but do we still belong to the main family in the future? Let it be, isnt our role in the main family already clear when they sent us here? Would we meet here if we had done well in the family? Should be I guess? What do you mean should be!? It is! Just think about it. All of us were dispatched to the lower continent because we were difficult people, and the reason we were difficult was because those lousy people in the leadership role were not worthy of obedience. Now, weve finally met Sire Qianye, and there arent many people like him who are worthy of following. Not many? How many do you think there are? Sire Qianye has always been a genius on par with Zhao Jundu of the Zhao clan, the one and only apart from Prince Greensun. He has to proclaim himself king on Fort Continent. Wont we become his pioneering subjects then? A burly man with a cold expression said, This daddy doesnt care if were his first subjects, but Im happy to serve him! Just how old was he when he gained fame on the battlefield. I was just a brat at that age. The discussions went on in excitement. Halfway through, however, everyone was silenced by the arrival of a certain general. This person was fairly young at just about thirty years of age, but one could see that he enjoyed a fairly high level of respect. Otherwise, he wouldnt have been able to intimidate these fearless generals. This person was Kong Su, a general hailing from a branch of the Kong family. He had followed Kong Yu here during his last visit but was never transferred back. Since the Yin family hadnt left behind an expert of the same status, he became the commander of the aristocratic alliance. Kong Su didnt get there just by relying on his background. He was indeed quite powerful, having reached rank-sixteen at his age and still showing some breakthrough potential. It wasnt easy to convince everyone with fighting prowess alone, but this Kong Su knew how to do things and eventually gained everyones trust after leading them through numerous victories. The generals stopped speaking when he appeared. They all came from lesser aristocratic families or rather pushed out of them. They didn''t feel a strong sense of belonging. Kong Su, though, was from a high-ranking aristocratic family. Although no one in his lineage was Qianyes match, their overall foundation wasnt something Qianye could compare to. This was obvious from the resources they had forked out and how they had equipped a hundred thousand soldiers. The alliance generals wanted to change their allegiance, but Kong Su might not share the same sentiment. Seeing everyones expression, Kong Su said, I heard what you were talking about just now. Everyone exchanged awkward glances. That burly man from before said, Then what does General Kong think of this? Kong Su smiled. The aristocratic army might be an allied army, but thats just in name. The only reason we had to pick a commander was for victory in battle. Changing allegiance will leave you with a bad name if you were in the Empire. Many looked worried, edging backward and assuming a vigilant stance. Kong Su pretended not to notice. But as I see it, you might not be able to claim this bad name even if you wanted to. Why is that? Kong Su pointed in the direction of Cerulean Wave City. Sire Qianyes top priority right now is breaking ground in the new world. Fort Continent will be his sooner or later, anyway. We still cannot step into the new world with him and are instead being tasked with fighting a group of tribal werewolves. Do you think were that important to him? These words were ugly, but they were the truth. These generals didnt feel that their subordinates were lacking in skill, just that they didnt have enough time to build trust. The lack of trust also proved that they werent that important. An impatient general asked, What do we do then? These generals were no match for Kong Su in terms of strategy. All of them looked to him in silence, waiting for an answer. Kong Su said, Weve known each other for only a short while, but weve fought together in several battles, and battles are exactly where we can best see peoples characters. Im guessing you were all difficult people back in your clans? Everyone smiled. Kong Su said, Im no troublemaker, but my situation in the family isnt any better. The reason is simple, its because I was born of a concubine. A series of oh echoed from the crowd. The status of a concubine-born was vastly different from a direct descendant, sometimes even inferior to the children of the main familys generational servants. If a vassal family could produce a genius with divine-champion potential, the main family would go all out in promoting them. For instance, the newly promoted marshal Wu Yazi came from a landowning household under the Far East Wei Clans banner. However, these aristocratic families werent willing to split their clans because an uncontrollable branch would only serve to dilute the familys interests and take up available resources as well as survival space from the lineal descendants. They might even seek to overthrow the clan lord. Replacing the main branch with the son of a concubine wasnt a good thing as this proved that the clan had already suffered a fair bit of internal strife. Everyone could refer to the Great Qin Imperial family as an example. Kong Su laughed self-deprecatingly. Calling myself the son of a concubine is me trying to look good. My mother was just a maid. In the aristocratic world where bloodline was everything, this man was telling everyone about his inferior lineage. Many of the generals exchanged glances, feeling the gap shorten quite a bit. Kong Su said, We arent that well-liked in the Empire. Are we going to be treated as unimportant people here, too? The reason Sire Qianye hasnt taken notice of us isnt because of our backgrounds, but because of trust and combat strength! He has eight hundred thousand werewolves under his command. What do we have? Only twenty thousand men. But is that important? Not really. Someone of his character will only look at the results! In order to gain his trust and recognition, we must produce more accomplishments. If we use twenty thousand soldiers to hammer out results equal to two hundred thousand werewolves, he will surely recognize us. We will then have a share in the pioneering efforts in the new world! Everyone felt their blood boiling. These people were troublemakers simply because they had no opportunity as their superiors from the main family had them firmly suppressed. Now that they had a chance to prove themselves, these people were poised to become the enemys nightmare on the battlefield. Seeing that the morale was something he could use, there was a gleam in Kong Sus eyes. What do you call awe-inspiring? Easy, we will push forward. We keep going past the warfront set by Sire Qianye and the Storm Duke, all the way until we beat that Flame Duke out of his hiding place! Now thats awe-inspiring. What if the duke is shameless enough to attack us? Someone else said, Whats there to fear? Dont we have the Storm Duke? Its just that some of us might die if Flame sneaks up on us. What, are you afraid the blame will fall on you? Go to the rear if you are. Ill stand in front of you! The first person was furious. When have I ever been afraid? When have I killed fewer werewolves than you have? Kong Su finished drafting the missions while the others were busy quarreling. Just like that, the aristocratic army soon left their position and killed their way into enemy territory. Qianye hadnt noticed the little interlude. At this moment, he was on the Earth Dragons head, gazing into the distance. A forest with two holy trees was still smoking behind him, and there were beast corpses strewn across the ground. Several thousand soldiers were cleaning up the field and building new structures. This base was much smaller and didnt even have a kinetic tower installed. It could only be considered an outpost occupied by a couple of thousand soldiers. The Martyrs Palace functioned as a mobile fortress, so there was no need for him to build forward bases every time. The airship contained enough space to easily transport a hundred thousand men. This meant that they only needed to build outposts outside of each forest. Qianye and Caroline had discussed the size of the bases. They both felt that a couple of thousand men were the right garrison-size for each point. That number was enough to maintain a steady fire-concentration and should be enough to deal with ordinary beast squads. They would also be able to hold out for a while against large beast hordes, enough for them to send word of the attack. This meant that Qianyes expansion speed was much faster than before. He would sweep through one forest every two to three days. In the blink of an eye, he had conquered three forests with dual holy trees. Chapter 1288: Third-Party The geography of the new world was full of strange characteristics, but every region was centered around the forests with holy trees. The one with four holy trees was the highest-ranked one in Qianyes domain. Even until now, Qianye hadnt cleaned out this forest entirely, and some beasts would still charge out from the woods from time to time. Their forces werent strong, but their presence stopped people from moving around at will. Fortunately, these beasts no longer had a commander. They favored charging in groups but didnt know how to work cohesively between troop types. It really wasnt too hard to deal with creatures that simply charged on sight. The sheer size of the beast lair inside the four-holy-tree forest was terrifying. Qianye went in personally to scout the route, but he couldnt find the core even after entering hundreds of meters. Instead, he suffered a few injuries from clashing with the beasts in the lair and had no choice but to return to the surface. The forest couldnt be considered conquered without finding the core of the lair. Qianye needed to face the core and intimidate it with his consciousness, forcing it to stop operating. Otherwise, it would keep producing a continuous stream of beasts. There were benefits to exploring the lair as well. Qianye discovered that most of the beasts actually came from eggs. All eggs looked the same and were, in fact, identical. At the very least, the researchers from the aristocratic families couldnt find anything different about them. Why a single type of egg could produce different types of beasts was most likely a secret. During the exploration, Qianye frequently saw chambers on either side of the tunnel packed full of eggs. He took the time to start clearing them out, but the number of beasts attacking him increased so quickly that he had to eventually retreat. He never managed to check just how many eggs there were in the forest. The only thing he could do was wait patiently for the eggs to hatch and the beasts inside to be destroyed. Only then would the forest truly belong to him. All this waiting took up a lot of time, but he simply couldnt think of a better plan. Setting the forest with four holy trees as the center and using the ones with three holy trees as a guide, there were three directions to expand in. Qianye had already cleaned up the areas around the three-holy-tree forest and one two-holy-tree forest beyond it. According to the pattern, there would only be single-holy-tree forests with no beast lairs beyond this point. The troops were resting, but Qianye didnt need to. After his breakthrough, he sensed that there was a lot of room for tempering in terms of strength, control, and technique. The fastest way to train was in actual combat. Since there was nothing else to do, he decided to explore deeper into the new world. According to the pattern, there should be a single-holy-tree forest up ahead. This type of forest was clearly yet to mature, and the six-armed commander inside was the weakest type, barely at the level between a glorious marquis and a vice-duke. Such an enemy would be rushing to their deaths if they ran into Qianye. After all, the latter had grasped their habits entirely after killing so many. This time, Qianye ran for half a day before reaching a forest. The outline of the woods didnt look very big from a distance, clearly that of a forest with one holy tree. Qianye, of course, wouldnt hold back after finding prey. He adjusted his gear and advanced swiftly at ground level. He was about to arrive in the forest but came to a stop after sensing the aura within. The grove was entirely silent and without the slightest sign of vitality, more like an ordinary thicket rather than anything. According to his experience, there would always be some activity in the forest even if the six-armed commander was asleep. The auras of those powerful beasts stuck out like a sore thumb in Qianyes experienced eyes. Qianye retracted his aura and walked quietly into the forest. After a short distance, he stopped to glance at a nearby tree, where he saw several deep slash-marks. They were clearly visible despite already in the process of healing. Qianye touched the cut-edges and found them to be smooth. This was the work of a heavy weapon like a cleaver or an axe rather than a beast. Qianye looked around and noticed some shrubbery nearby. He walked over and brushed the leaves away, revealing the bulging soil and a silhouette of a beast. A simple press confirmed his suspicionsthe carcass had already turned to stone, and the shrub was growing out from it. The vegetation was using it for nutrition. He could see similar traces of battle everywhere. The holy-tree forest possessed powerful regenerative abilities and would wipe out all unnatural traces in a short period. The fallen beasts and other entities would become nutrition for the forest. Judging from the traces, it would seem that the battle had just ended a couple of days ago. The battle seemed to have taken place on a large scale, covering every corner of the forest. This was the first time Qianye had discovered traces of battle in the new world. At the moment, he couldnt discern whether they belonged to the natives of the new world or outsiders like Qianye. Qianye became more vigilant as he crept into the heart of the forest and was utterly shocked upon arrival. The pond at the center was completely dry, and the holy tree was littered with deep axe-marks. There was a vague fluctuation coming from the treeordinary creatures might not be able to sense it, but Qianye could interpret them as painful groans. The Empires research team had confirmed that the holy-tree sap was akin to blood for the tree. The sap would only accumulate in the pond if there was excess in production. The sap was also vital to nurturing elite troop types, providing for the six-armed commander and the production of the metallic stone material on the island. The reason behind all that was still pending research. Now that someone had drained the sap and damaged the source, the holy tree would wither after a while. This forest would also disappear after losing its foundations. It was certain that the holy tree was a mystical species. Even Qianye wasnt sure if they were actually trees in the traditional sense since the beasts, six-armed creatures, and their lair were all dependent on the existence of the holy tree. Qianye remained still. No matter who had attacked this forest, it was obvious that they would return since they hadnt chopped down the holy tree and taken it away. Before long, footsteps rang out in the woods as expected, and a squad of well-equipped werewolves appeared in Qianyes vision. These werewolves were different from the soldiers of Fort Continent in that they were well-equipped with quality gear, including rifles, handguns, tactical backpacks, and all kinds of melee weapons. Even the elite gear of the Empire was only comparable and not superior. This group of werewolves wore different emblems, representing their different tribal origins. There were tens of thousands of werewolf tribes, so Qianye had no idea which power they belonged to. All he knew was that they were not from the Summit of Peaks. The werewolves werent too cautious as they arrived at the center of the forest. An old shaman wearing a green cloak led the group and walked several times around the tree, muttering all the while. Moments later, he fell screaming to the ground, clutching his head with both hands. This is an evil tree! Chop it down! Burn it! the shaman screamed. The soldiers moved immediately at the shamans orders. Two strong werewolves removed the battleaxes strapped to their back and walked toward the tree. There, they swung their axes at the holy tree with ruthless force! Qianye acted immediately, arriving behind the werewolves with Spatial Flash and stabbing them from the back with his vampiric blade. He moved like a specter, roaming through the werewolf squad and attacking like lightning. In the blink of an eye, werewolf corpses were strewn across the ground; none of them could pull the trigger on time. Qianye placed a foot on the howling shaman. Where do you come from and why are you here? Be honest or I dont mind pinning you to a stake and letting you air-dry. It hurts, Im hurting The shaman grimaced. Qianye wasnt about to fall for this. He drew a dagger and stabbed it into the shamans thigh, moving it about mercilessly as he did so. The shaman wanted to scream, but Qianye had pressed down the werewolfs jaws. He bit the hand with great force but managed to do little damage or even break the assailants skin. Qianye only released his hand when he saw the shamans face turning red. The latter gasped for air, shouting, Ill speak, Ill speak! Qianye didnt retract the blade just yet and only looked down at the werewolf with cold eyes. This shaman was clean and well-dressed. Dressing so well in the new world meant that his status was considerably high, and also that he wouldnt be willing to suffer too much. As expected, Qianye managed to subdue him in just a single move. We hail from Moorland Continent, and were subordinates of Overlord Sousa. Of course, were here to explore the new world. What else is there to do? Qianye recalled the intelligence reports. Moorland Continent was one of the three werewolf-controlled continents, and Overlord Sousa was a werewolf great dark monarch, the core of the ancestral faction. Reportedly, Sousa hailed from the first werewolf kings bloodline. His ancestral spirit was thus formidable, bestowing him with great power. The violent Sousa had always been merciless toward enemies and all kin who opposed him. The forces under him would frequently hold human blood feasts. The main difference between them and the vampires was that they would use humans and some powerful creatures as sacrifices. In the eyes of the Empire, Sousas werewolves were a target for immediate elimination and not to be considered for imprisonment. Eventually, Sousa became even more cruel and insane against the humans. Those who fell into his hands would become slaves in the best scenario but were frequently tortured to death or eaten. It was just that many of their tribes pulled out of the faction wars as the holy war against the vampires waged on, and their living space gradually shrunk. That was why Qianye had very little contact with them. Who are you and what happened just now? In order to reinforce the effect, Qianye pushed the dagger a bit deeper in. Chapter 1289: Attacking Moorland He was a very distant relative of Lord Sousa, and even that was enough to land him a fairly important position. The responsibility of dealing with the holy tree also fell into his hands. He heard something calling out to him the moment he saw the holy tree, and he responded without much thought. All of a sudden, the vague call erupted into a thunderous boom that stabbed into his consciousness like sharp stakes. The pain had almost knocked him out. Qianye asked in greater detail and finally understood that the call probably came from the holy tree itself. The Moorland werewolves almost destroyed the holy tree, so the fate of this shaman who dared to respond to its angry consciousness wasnt all that great. The Moorland werewolves had always been ferocious, but they had suffered setbacks at every step of the pioneering process. Unfamiliar with the beast hordes combat style, Overlord Sousa did not have sufficient troops or defensive arrangements when the door opened. As a result, their forces were immediately overrun once the enemy appeared. The Moorland werewolves ultimately eliminated the beast army in a bloody battle, but the shaman squad that shouldve been hiding away at the back was wiped out in the process. Shamans were the relayers of knowledge, as well as the scholars and doctors of the tribe. The loss of such important members threw many of the tribes into chaos. In the end, Sousa himself had to take to the field and suppress the confusion. The werewolves were quite cautious during the early phases of expansion in the new world, building outposts at every step. They managed to wipe out the beast army, but one werewolf duke and three marquises suffered injuries while fighting against a six-armed commander. Their injuries deteriorated rapidly, and it was only because of the fortunate distance that they managed to retreat in time. Even then, one of the marquises eventually died from his wounds. The current forest was the second one they had attacked. They had already dealt with the army and its six-armed commander, but Sousas shaman believed that the holy tree would make good material for a statue of the overlord. That was why this squad had entered the woods again. Why wasnt the tree chopped down back then? How about the holy tree in the first forest? We suffered so much damage that the overlord burned the entire forest in a fit of anger. Qianye was curious. How did he burn it? The forests of the new world werent like ordinary woods back in the Evernight World. The trees here were fairly resistant to ordinary flames and could only be ignited by origin fire. It wasnt too hard to burn a couple of trees, but it would take quite a bit of power to burn an entire forest. Were there any special people among the injured? The one who died was the overlords nephew. No wonder. Qianye finally understood. Sousa probably wasnt stupid enough to engage in such a waste of manpower and resources without a special reason. Seeing that there was nothing else to gain from the prisoner, Qianye reached out and grabbed the shamans neck. Ive told you everything, shouldnt you let me go? Is that so? I dont think I ever promised that. Qianye thus crushed the werewolfs neck. Qianye picked up the shamans body and was just about to throw it away when he sensed a feeble beckoning. He glanced at the holy tree and saw that its leaves were moving rhythmically. How could the tree move when there was no wind in the forest? Qianye didnt respond to the calling as he recalled the shamans experience, but he placed the werewolfs body against its tree trunk. The holy trees bark split open, shooting out countless tendrils that crept along the shamans body, engulfing it entirely. The roots then merged and hardened into tissue similar to tree bark, only leaving the shaman silhouette on the surface. Qianye watched quietly, sensing that there would be more changes later on. As expected, a great flow of origin power surged inside the holy tree. It was almost as though the vitality within had been reigniteda branch grew out from where the shaman had been absorbed and then began to flower at a visible rate. In the end, a green, fist-sized fruit was born. The fruits skin immediately turned from green to brown before dropping to the ground and rolling toward Qianye. The holy tree reached the end of its life after the fruit had been produced. The body of the tree withered noticeably, and its leaves turned a dry yellow as they fell off. The miraculous effects of the forest were lost after the holy trees death. The origin power within immediately became similar to the outside. Water seeped continuously out of the soil, causing it to turn arid and infertile. Qianye picked up the holy trees fruit and immediately felt something was odd. There was a bit of the shamans aura in it, but regardless, this was no time to be studying it. He returned quickly, calling upon the Martyrs Palace on the way. The airship was ready for battle by the time he was back. Qianye filled the palace with weapons, ammunition, and tens of thousands of werewolf soldiers before flying toward the Moorland werewolves door. According to the shamans confession, the Moorland werewolves were still busy building their base, and the construction was being overseen by a vice-duke. The soldiers had yet to recover from their previous skirmish in the forest, and they were currently in the process of transferring new experts from the Evernight World. Their forces in the new world were currently in a weakened state. To Qianye, all werewolves from Evernightwith the exception of Williamwere enemies, to speak nothing of the ancestral faction. It would seem that the status of the Moorland werewolves wasnt that high in the Evernight Council, or else they wouldnt have missed out on such vital intelligence regarding the new world. A werewolf fortress was being constructed at full speed within the giant valley. Tens of thousands of laborers were moving rocks and gravel from the surrounding areas to the construction site. They would then pour their load between vertical steel plates, covering them with another plate at the top when the compartment was full. This used to be a human method of quick-construction in the field, something the werewolves had also learned after many years. However, this was a massive fortress that could fit a hundred thousand soldiers, so the progress wasnt all that fast. A group of soil-carrying laborers slowly walked into the fortress and dragged themselves toward the designated area. One of them staggered and collapsed to the ground at that point. Seeing this, a werewolf soldier walked over and whipped that person on the back. Get up and work! What are you pretending for? The laborer screamed in pain. He wanted to get up, but the whip-wound was so bad that he ultimately stopped moving entirely. The werewolf soldier spat. What luck, another that couldnt hold out. He waved the whip around and shouted at the remaining laborers, Everyone, work hard! You may leave this place if we finish the construction on time! If not, youll all die in the new world like him! Hear me? The laborers continued forward, moving a bit faster than before. The outline of this massive base had just taken shape at this pointmany walls were still under work, and only a couple of cannon turrets had been erected. Atop a high tower overlooking the base, a tall, stern-looking werewolf was watching everything with narrowed eyes. His duke-rank aura caused all the werewolves around him to tremble. No amount of scheming could find shelter before this vice-duke. His strength also allowed him to stand there from dawn to dusk, almost as though he needed no rest. Not far away, some werewolf viscounts were working together to lift a ballista cannon onto the turret. The vice-dukes expression relaxed somewhat when he saw this scene. The installation of fixed heavy weaponry meant that the construction-work was slowly progressing toward the end. He would be able to leave this accursed place soon. The ballista cannon had only been lifted halfway when an earth-shattering rumble echoed from the distance. The entire cannon turret shook from the impact! The stunned viscounts dropped the ballista cannon, crushing the werewolf soldiers below into meat paste. Most importantly, the priceless heavy ballista cannon was also ruined. The vice-dukes eyes narrowed as he glanced into the distance. A giant shadow was slowly emerging from the edges of the valley, but he couldnt see it clearly because of the direction of the sun. A sudden flicker appeared from within the shadow as a massive ballista bolt flew over. The vice-duke was shocked out of his wits when he noticed the pulsing origin arrays upon the projectile. The giant bolt flew rapidly, tearing thousands of meters across the sky and landing on one of the half-constructed gate-towers. A part of the structure was blown into the air with an earth-shattering boom, and the unfilled fortress wall was tilted to one side. When the third bombardment arrived, a hundred-meter segment of the wall collapsed with a loud rumble. The vice-duke was woken up from his shock, his heart filled with alarm. Its a main cannon! At least at the regular warship grade! How can the beast army have such a weapon? He sent out a series of orders, upon which his aides ran out of the tower and in all directions to deliver them. Chaos ensued in every area of the base as anti-air weapons were moved out from the storage. However, the second round of attacks arrived before they could even load the cannons. Two more giant ballistae exploded on the fortresss kinetic tower. Although the werewolves kinetic structure was coarse and sturdy, it couldnt last very long against the bombardment from an airship cannon. It broke from the middle after two more blasts, collapsing onto a block of buildings below. Only at this point did the Martyrs Palace appear above the fortress, revealing its massive frame before the Moorland werewolves. The dragonship turned sideways. The main cannon was no longer in range, but the dense array of side cannons filled the werewolves with dread. The Moorland soldiers hadnt even figured out whether the enemy in the air was an airship or a void colossus when countless streams of fire bore down upon the fortress, turning it into a living inferno. Hundreds of cannons fired at different frequencies, stirring up a row of flames that pushed forward. All buildings in its wake were reduced to rubble, and the soldiers and laborers were turned into charred corpses. The Martyrs Palace was just too fierce. Waves of natural suppression descended from the Earth Dragon, pushing the defenders morale to the bottom. That vice-duke hadnt finished issuing his orders when the soldiers began to flee in all directions. Before he could find somewhere to vent his anger, he flew up with a drastic change in expression. The tower below him was now engulfed in flames, with explosions erupting everywhere. The structure was simply too eye-catching, and it quickly became the target of the cannoneers after the carpet barrage. Chapter 1290: Might of Desolate Blaze In truth, over half of the werewolves had managed to escape the fortress, but the blaze raged on and the miserable cries of the dying werewolves could not be suppressed. The will of these bloodthirsty werewolves soon collapsed, and all they wanted now was to flee for their lives. They wanted to run, but the only exit was the door. The werewolves made a beeline for the portal, only to find that a steady stream of people was coming out of it. From the looks of it, that was a new squad that just so happened to be entering the new world. The new werewolves hadnt even recovered from the discomfort of the spatial tunnel when their senses were filled with fire, heat, and the sound of explosions. They also noticed countless werewolf soldiers rushing past them and into the door. That was just the beginning. Chaos befell the door in the blink of an eye as soldiers from inside squeezed out and the ones outside started pushing in. The worst part was that the chain of command had been entirely paralyzed, and no more orders came from the officers after the first wave. The soldiers who managed to escape only remembered that they had come under a destructive attack. The memory of being slaughtered by the beast army was still fresh on their minds, so much so that they hadnt realized that the assailant this time was different. There were now two parties clashing at the gatepeople on one side were looking to flee, while those on the other could only advance since their orders still hadnt changed. They kept marching into the door until the path was entirely congested and blocked. Qianye wasnt about to let such a good opportunity go. Prepare the main cannon and load the highest grade anti-personnel shot. The cannoneer was a bit surprised. We only have two of those. Use it! Not daring to question Qianye, the cannoneer worked together with a couple of assistants to load a deep red ballista bolt into the main cannon. The airship then slowly turned about to face the door. Without even waiting for the cannon to aim, Qianye guided the Earth Dragons head toward the routed soldiers outside of the gate. Fire! At Qianyes order, the deep red ballista bolt flew out like a bolt of lightning. It exploded a couple of dozen meters above the ground, sending countless misty streams showering down onto the ground. Some of the braver werewolves reached out to touch the smokey liquid. They were immediately alarmed, but before they could scream, a flame appeared in the air and ignited the misty liquid! Even the misty region was pushed back for ten meters. As the flames receded, a land of death spanning hundreds of meters appeared outside of the door. It was filled with charred corpses lying in various grotesque postures. The ball of fire only lasted for a short while, but the weapons in the hands of the deceased had either melted or warped. One could see just how fierce the blaze was. Some of the werewolf experts with strong vitality were still struggling to move, but it was easy to tell from their entirely charred bodies that they would not survive. The shot had killed off most of the retreating werewolf soldiers, reaping over ten thousand aggrieved souls. They were simply so congested and unprepared that a single blast had wiped them out. Qianye could not be more satisfied with the strength of the main cannon. This Landsinker was a weapon he had snatched from Linken back then, along with its specialized ammunition. Despite being a vice-duke, Linken possessed rich resources and deep connections. Her warship wasnt all that special in other aspects, but she had invested deeply in this main cannon until it was at the level of a grand-dukes warship. Qianye had asked the aristocratic families to produce special ammunition for the Landsinker, and those old fellows from the Imperial Research Academy gave Qianye some roundsoriginally meant for the Imperial guardin exchange for some holy tree sap. This deep red Desolate Blaze was the work of the research academy. A sudden shout arrived from nearby, So its His Excellency Qianye! I was wondering who was behind this grand entry. Qianye turned around and saw the werewolf vice-duke in the air glaring at him. His hands clasped behind his back, Qianye said with a smile, So its you! I was just playing around. I didnt pay any attention to you since you wouldnt dare attack anyway. These words were even more effective than hurling profanities. That vice-dukes face turned ashen, saying, Youre just a Qianye said with a spurious smile, What am I? Y-You The vice-duke wanted to say marquis at first, but at a closer glance, he realized that he couldnt see through Qianye at all. This was something he had never encountered before. There was no shortage of aura-concealment experts in the Evernight Faction, but none of them could hide their powers completely like Qianye. Actually, it wasnt too hard to figure this out; all he needed was to go up and trade a few blows. Yet, the vice-duke felt a powerful sense of foreboding, almost as though the opponent was a colossus from the desolate wilds. Qianye said in a carefree manner, Enough, dont be too nervous. Im also a vice-duke just like you. You probably dont dare attack me since were in the same realm, and you''re pretty close to the door so I dont think I can kill you, either. Ill stay my hand and save myself the trouble if you go back to Moorland. That vice-duke stared at Qianye but didnt make a move. If he were to go back like this, he would lose all face and suffer serious punishment. Seeing that the enemy wasnt moving, Qianye said with a serious expression, It looks like you wont give up without feeling pain. I might not be able to kill you, but beating you within an inch of death isnt a problem if I pay a certain price. With that, a pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye. The vice-duke recalled all the rumors he had heard about Qianye when he saw the four black feathers. Palpitating, he charged toward the door with a startled cry, leaving afterimages along the way. He then dived straight into the mist upon reaching his destination. Now that the commanding general had fled in a panic, how could the remaining werewolves still have the will to resist? They scattered from the scene and made a beeline for the door. Moorland had obtained concrete information about what had happened, so the incoming stream of troops had stopped. The escaping werewolves were finally able to fight their way in. Sire, do we fire another round? the cannoneer asked. No need, Desolate Blaze is highly valuable, we cant waste any more. The Martyrs Palace didnt chase after the fleeing troops. Instead, it hovered above the fortress to clear out the werewolves below with its rapid-fire cannons, lowering its altitude as it did so. The fortress had been more or less destroyed at this point, and there was no resistance to be seen. The Martyrs Palace opened one of its side doors, unloading countless werewolf warriors to clean up the battlefield. Qianye scanned the area below and said with a smile, As expected of an overlord, thats quite the investment! All the better for me. Several large warehouses on the side of the fortress were opened to reveal mountains of weapons and ammunition, all highly suitable for Qianyes soldiers. There were so many resources in storage that it took tens of thousands of werewolves an entire hour to load them onto the Martyrs Palace. Call the men back. Under Qianyes command, the dragonship emitted three long and one short blares. The werewolf soldiers scattered around the fortress retreated like the tides and climbed up onto the Martyrs Palace via the ropes hanging from it. Once the soldiers were gone, Qianye ordered the dragonship to ascend and fly back to base. Something shook him around a hundred kilometers out, prompting him to gaze back. Only the rolling hills remained at the end of his vision, but something in that direction caused Qianye to palpitate. A true undefeatable expert had appeared therein. The one who had arrived was, in fact, Overlord Sousa, who had no choice but to come over and take a look at the damage. This was within his expectations, but he kept the Martyrs Palace on a steady course without speeding up. As expected, Lord Sousawho had suffered one setback after another in the new worlddidnt come chasing after him. This new world was just like the Great Maelstrom. The environment was difficult to grasp and sported completely different laws from the Evernight World. Even a great dark monarch would face great dangers when operating here. The races of Evernight became increasingly cautious after multiple great dark monarchs fell in the Great Maelstrom. Few of them dared to force their way into uncharted territory. Sousa was no exception. He hadnt grasped the laws clearly, so he wouldnt enter carelessly. This time, Qianye had successfully destroyed Sousas main base in the new world. The delay he had brought about wasnt just a month of progress. It wasnt easy, even for an overlord, to gather so many resources. The werewolves production rate was far below that of the Empires. It was difficult for them to even amass modular steel plates for the fortress walls. In order for him to build a fortress immediately, Sousa had surely borrowed some from the Summit of Peaks and purchased a large amount from the market. Now that the structure had been utterly ruined, the plates had to be reforged in the furnace before they could be used again. This undertaking was too great for the werewolves. Their race was now in an awkward position in the Evernight Council, and everyone else was also in the midst of pioneering new land. As such, it was easy to assume that they wouldnt be getting much outside help. Necessary defense materials like steel plates had probably all sold out on the market. Qianye had gotten his hands on the necessary resources because of the many aristocratic families backing him. From a different perspective, these families were increasingly willing to help because Qianyes expansion was going smoothly. The Moorland werewolves had been dealt a heavy blow in addition to their late start, so it would only become more and more difficult for them to obtain more strategic resources. They would need to produce everything themselves. And this was only for the steel platesthey had lost a stash of armament and supplies enough for two hundred thousand werewolves. That wasnt something they could replace in half a month. A terrifying storm kicked up behind the Martyrs Palace! Even from such a distance, Qianye could feel Overlord Sousas anger. However, this tempest didnt expand and was getting farther and farther away. Everything was within Qianyes expectations, so he decided to stop thinking about it and kept driving the Martyrs Palace back to base. The overlord wouldnt dare to move deeper into the new world anyway. This world was full of strange things, perhaps even more so than the Great Maelstrom. The stronger experts had to be even more careful because it would be easier for them to die once they were injured to a certain degree. Besides, who could say that there wasnt a forest with five holy trees? If there was one, then what about six? At the thought of this, Qianye couldnt help but feel a chill run down his spine. He felt quite lucky that the six-armed general in the forest with four holy trees had been asleep back then. Had it been awake, Qianye might not have gotten such a welcome advantage. Chapter 1291: A Stiff Letter Sousa was cautious enough not to chase after him, but a consciousness bearing intense hatred crossed the great distance to fall upon the Martyrs Palace. Qianye was greatly startled. He hadnt imagined that Sousa would have such a trick up his sleeve. He had learned from the River of Blood that experts at the heavenly monarch and great dark monarch level could not be underestimated in a clash of willpower. Serious attacks would damage the soul, while light attacks could serve to reveal the targets status. Sousas consciousness slammed down like a massive wave. Qianye controlled the Martyrs Palace to erect a hazy barrier that protected the entire vessel from Sousas will. The clash of these two powerful consciousnesses shouldve been silent, but in fact, the impact produced a great commotion. Countless sparks erupted from the airships barrier, resulting in lingering flames. The fire died out only after a while, and the airship itself had also dipped a few meters during the impact. From this, it was easy to see how terrifying Sousas consciousness was. A deep, imposing voice rang out in the sky, I will find you, Qianye! Qianye paid him no heed and simply drove the Martyrs Palace away. Of course, he couldnt respond even if he wanted to. All he could do was borrow the Earth Dragons consciousness to barely defend against the assault; there was no way he could project his consciousness that far. Far away outside of the Moorland door, a werewolf clad in traditional hunters clothing was standing in the air above the rubble. Sousa slowly opened his eyes and found countless werewolf experts kneeling around the wreckage. They had taken up such distant positions, not out of disrespect, but because Sousas spirit storm just now was too terrifying. No one dared to approach. The overlord glanced at his many subordinates, then at the burning fortress. Build a new fortress at half the size, all of you will stay here to help. Also, transfer a couple of warships here and see how long they can last. Sousas voice was calm, but his subordinates knew that this was his scariest state. It was better if he were stamping about furiously because he would rarely kill random people in that state. The werewolves were naturally blunt, but these experts had followed him long enough to act intelligently. No one asked about the results of the distant battle of wills. Sousa hadnt made the slightest mention about the battle after stirring up such a storm, so the results probably werent great. Whoever was dumb enough to provoke him now was courting death. They sneaked a glance at the vice-duke from before since he was the only one who had crossed paths with Qianye. However, this vice-duke remained expressionless and never met his comrades gazes. It was as though he was resolved to receive his punishment. The other werewolves couldnt help but feel a bit angry and gave up any thought of pleading leniency for him. They were also rather curious about what this vice-duke had experienced, something that had left him with nothing to live for. Sousa didnt stay too long in the new world before returning to Moorland. After returning to his palace, he drove everyone else out and headed toward the ancestral altar. This was a common occurrence because Sousa liked to cultivate before the altar, sometimes locking himself there for years on end. At close to two hundred meters tall, the ancestral hall was the most majestic structure in Sousas palace. Such a grand architecture was enough for a void colossus to rest within. There was a giant hundred-meter statue at the end of the hall, depicting the first ancestor who had opened up the path to the werewolves rise to powertheir former supreme on the Sacred Mountain, the Lupine King. Sousa stood for a good while in the hall before eventually calming down. The surprising thing was that he had encountered a tremendous consciousness, the likes of which he had never run into before. This consciousness wasnt a pool of stagnant water. When his consciousness became aggressive toward the obstructing willwanting to destroy or damage itthat was when he suffered the real counterattack. Akin to a reef, a mountain peak, or a cliff, Sousa had shattered his wave of consciousness upon the entity but couldnt so much as stir it. The feeling was akin to facing a giantthe werewolf overlord had finally woken it up with repeated provocations, but all it did was shoot him an indifferent glance. The apathetic glance was similar to a void colossus looking at a naughty child making threatening gestures. Sousa still couldnt forget that feeling. He took a deep breath to calm down and muttered to himself, Qianye, Martyrs Palace interesting, interesting! As Qianye saw it, the contention just now was between Sousas consciousness and the Earth Dragons remnant will. A void colossus was so terrifying that it wasnt inferior to Sousa even after its death. None of them could best the other in such an intangible contest, that was unless Sousa could find a way to break Qianyes connection to the Earth Dragons will. Considering the great distance between the Moorland door and Qianyes base outside the four-holy-tree woods, a slight deviation would send them entirely off course. Qianye wasnt afraid the werewolves would come chasing after him since all traces of his route would be destroyed by the environment in the new world. In the Evernight World, great dark monarchs could exert their might wherever they set their sights. Things werent as simple in the new world where danger lurked in every corner. People could choose to expand in any direction from their door. Knowing Qianye and the Martyrs Palace was in this direction, the wisest choice for the Moorland werewolves was to expand in another. They could think of what to do when they had accumulated enough power. But as a great dark monarch, Sousa was notorious for being temperamental. Qianye wasnt about to bet his safety on logic. After some thought, he decided to hasten his expansion progress, taking the opportunity to conquer a couple more forests and gather resources. If things didnt go well, he could seek reinforcements from the Empire and share the benefits with them. The Empire wasnt having an easy time with their expansion, anyway. The heavenly monarchs would have to come in sooner or later once the major factions started fighting at close quarters. Judging from his encounter with the Moorland werewolves, that day wasnt too far off. That was the case even though he had adapted better to this new world and could move much farther than everyone else. Having decided on a plan, Qianye drove the airship back and switched duties with Caroline. She was to lead the expansion effort from now on. He reminded her to seek him out if she encountered a forest with three holy trees before heading back to Fort Continent. Once he was back, Qianye locked himself in the study to write a letter. He held the brush in the air for some time before writing the words Ji Tianqing. He shook his head, feeling that the address was too stiff, not like a close friend at all. Even if they didnt share an intimate relationship, they were comrades who had shared life and death in the Great Maelstrom. He wrote down Tianqing, then tore the paper because it didnt feel right. He repeated the process several times just to decide on how to call her. Slowly, the amount of paper on the ground increased, and the thick stack of papers on his desk started to thin out. The entire afternoon was spent writing and tearing letters. He finally finished writing in the evening, but the process left him sweating. A letter with just a couple of hundred words was more tiring to produce than fighting a battle. He glanced at the completed letter and sighed when he noticed some corrections in the writing. He really didnt want to copy it again because he would want to modify the contents in the process. When would this ever end? His sentiments regarding Ji Tianqing were extraordinarily complicated. It could be said that Ji Tianqing had treated him with great kindness, having done things that she should and should not have. On the other hand, Qianye couldnt figure out what she was thinking or planning. It was as though she was living in a mist, and her appearance most of the time wasnt even real. How was he to face this familiar stranger, someone bearing his child, a relationship he couldnt cut off? This letter shouldve been simple. Qianye had encountered the Moorland werewolves and Overlord Sousa, so he wanted to hear Ji Tianqings opinion. She was extremely intelligent despite not being famous for her strategy. Her thoughts on this matter would help Qianye greatly. On the other hand, Qianye wanted to probe the Pointer Monarchs stance on this matter. Currently, Qianye had no way to face Sousa head-to-head. That was a matter for people at the heavenly monarch level. The pioneering of land in the new world was so important that even someone like the Pointer Monarch couldnt sit by and do nothing. It would be more than welcome if he could step in for a bit. Qianye was no expert in asking for help, and his relationship with Ji Tianqing was a bit awkward. Yet, he could think of no better way than to contact her. Prince Greensun was the best candidate, but he had always operated alone and his whereabouts were uncertain. Qianye wasnt too familiar with the Zhang clan, either, so he didnt have a secure channel to contact the heavenly monarch. Especially after the war on the void continent, Prince Greensun rarely made an appearance in court. Many people were guessing that this young heavenly monarch might be about to break through again. Of course, ones tone of voice should always be soft when asking for help, let alone someone who shared a different relationship with him. But every time he held the pen, Qianye would see Nighteyes face flashing through his thoughts. Even though she had already left, though her spirit was now entirely different, Qianye wasnt willing to give up that last strand of hope. He wasnt willing to speak intimately with other women in her absence. In the end, it was still a stiffly written letter. Qianye didnt want to modify it anymore, so he placed it in the envelope, applied a sealing array to it, and signed his name. He then walked out of the study and ordered an aide to deliver the missive to Ji Tianqing of the Pointer Monarchs residence. The aide affirmed his order and left, walking past Yin Qiqi as he did so. The latter watched the aide leave pensively before walking into the study. Do you need me for anything? Can I not come otherwise? Of course not, you can come anytime. Qianye hid his emotions with a smile. Yin Qiqi stared intently at him until he was uncomfortable. Is something troubling you? Nothing big. Fine, if you say so. I brought something for you to see, I think you might be interested. With that, she placed a document in front of him. Qianye opened up the paper to find an armor design, with numerous descriptions on the plates. This armor was actually made of wood from the new world. The smiths from my family have discovered that soaking the wood in diluted holy-tree sap and coating them with a special paint will greatly increase the strength of the material. Its not inferior to high-grade alloy and can be easily used to make armor. Its also a lot lighter. The greatest benefit is that the wearer will be able to adapt to the new world much easier. Qianye thought he understood. So the key is in the holy-tree sap? No, its actually the paint. Chapter 1292: Hoard for Appreciation Yet her first words immediately set Qianye back. Without our paint, this armor wont be as outstanding. Additionally, we own the rights to this design, so you cant use it without our permission. Qianye studied the design repeatedly. He couldnt use it without permission? This armor was just a prototype idea, no more than a design concept to be frank. Naturally, a concept could be realized, but the key was the paint. Qianye believed that the effects of the holy-tree sap were much greater than the paint. What do you guys want? Qianyes time was limited, so he had no intention of beating around the bush. The price of the paint will take up over half of the quoted price. Additionally, you have to ensure a steady supply of wood and holy-tree sap. This meant that the wood and holy-tree sap combined were valued less than this so-called mysterious paint. Qianye was indifferent. What are the effects of this paint? Its a secret. How do you trust its effects then? You just have to trust us. The formula? A secret as well. Qianye waved his hand with a smile. Goodbye. Yin Qiqi laughed. Arent we going to discuss any further? Theres nothing to discuss if these are the terms. Yin Qiqi said, Arent you supposed to bargain against my sky-high demands? When did your people turn so similar to the Song? Qianye shook his head. I dont need armor at the moment. Lets talk when I do need them. I can reduce the price, but you have to ensure the supply of holy-tree sap. Qianye finally looked up. The tree sap is what you really want, right? Thats the most critical product from the new world. Im not going to hand it to you without sufficient benefits. Resources are useless if you just leave them in storage. Its only valuable if you put them to use! Qianye laughed out loud. Thats not right. Theres value in keeping it in storage as well. What value? Wait for appreciation, of course! You Youre no different from Song Zining! Were brothers after all. Yin Qiqi shrugged. I really cant handle you. How about this? Ill help you out of consideration for our relationship. Our spies in Evernight claim that Evernight has found a way to utilize holy-tree sap and requires a large amount of it. The old men from our clan just want to store some to sell at a higher price when the Empire develops something similar. It was apparent from the Moorland werewolves battlefield that the holy trees would normally suffer a degree of damage after each battle. This meant that the Evernight races would never be able to accumulate as much holy-tree sap as Qianye could even if they managed to conquer more forests. Despite that, Yin Qiqis information was fairly important. Qianye knew that the holy-tree sap was important, but this intelligence made him attach even more importance to the scarce resource. He wasnt going to sell it for any price before its use had been decided. The same went for that fantastic metallic stone material from the lake island. Having come to a decision, Qianye said to Yin Qiqi, Youre quite crafty! Yin Qiqi shrugged. You cant blame me since Im from the Yin family, after all. Im not going to help you if you fall for it. Whats with that armor design, then? Of course, its real, the paint is also real. The effects of the paint aren''t as good as I claim, but it still makes an apparent difference. Qianye gave it some thought before attempting to probe her. How about we trade 1 portion of holy-tree sap for ten portions of paint? Yin Qiqi sighed. Youre still too honest. The actual price in my mind was fifty, we wont lose even if its sixty. Song Zining would start bargaining at five hundred portions. Qianye immediately rectified his mistake. Then lets do fifty, but youll have to move the workshop to Fort Continent and produce the armaments here. Cutting transportation costs was their intention, to begin with, so Yin Qiqi readily agreed. She glanced at Qianye before leaving, seemingly wanting to say something. Qianye didnt pay attention to such minor changes since he was focused on how to deal with Sousa and the Moorland army. In theory, the werewolves of Fort Continent were far from being able to defeat Sousas regular army. After Qianyes strict training regimen, outfitting, and a mixture of tactic-proficient human warriors, they finally possessed the power to hold their own. The key element here was Sousa. Qianye had taken everything into accountStorm, Caroline, himself, and the Martyrs Palace together were not Sousas opponent. Just like a heavenly monarch, a great dark monarch was on an entirely different level. Sousa hadnt chased after him back then, but that wasnt a perpetual certainty. Qianye had adapted to the new world at shocking speed, but there was no guarantee that the great dark monarchs of Evernight wouldnt follow suit. He hadnt expected to encounter powers from other continents so soon. Since the enemy powerhouse had already made his appearance, everything would now depend on the Pointer Monarchs stance. Qianye made some arrangements for the affairs in hand, then headed back into the new world to conquer more forests with the Martyrs Palace. After taking down the four-holy-tree forest and the two subsequent ones with two holy trees, the formless pressure lingering around him had eased up quite a bit. The force would lessen each time he subdued a forest, and his adaptation to the new world would increase. After taking down several forests in Moorlands direction, the holy trees began to resonate and reinforce Qianye. Instead of being crippled in the new world, his strength began to rise. He was now one level stronger here than he was on Fort Continent. It was this finding that led him to hasten his reaping of the six-armed commanders. Every ounce of extra strength was an additional wisp of hope for his survival against Sousa. Qin Continent, just outside of the door. A pillar of killing intent shot up from the rolling mist, sending a chill down everyones spine. The more cowardly people fell to the floor! In the blink of an eye, alarms blared throughout the fortress, and all soldiers ran to their positions. The ballistae atop the cannon towers lit up with origin power. All soldiers held their breath as countless weapons took aim at the door. No one dared to be careless because there was no telling what would emerge from the portal. Zhao Jundu had ordered them to keep their weapons pointed at the door at all times. Even an army of ten thousand could easily be wiped out in the new world. The men in charge of guarding the fortress were elites who had been transferred from all corners of the Empire. They had seen all kinds of powerful enemies in battle, yet the killing intent surging out from the door was comparable to princes and dukes rampaging across the field. That was why even the most experienced veterans were quite tense. The white mist parted all of a sudden, forming a path as a figure walked out from within. This person was holding a long spear, and his steps were as steady as the mountains. His every step caused the earth to tremble and the mist to part in his wake. Even the most powerful beasts couldnt force the mist to recede. This was no ordinary mist but a tangible form of the new worlds origin power. Some new soldiers began to sweat, and their fingers began to tremble on the trigger. There was a gunshot all of a sudden! Someone had succumbed to the pressure and accidentally pulled the trigger. A large caliber origin bullet whistled toward the figures forehead. The man looked fairly relaxed. He casually reached out to pluck the projectile from its trajectory and tossed it to the side after a glance. Good aim but lacking in willpower. Hearing this raspy voice, a general stood up and shouted, Everyone, hold your fire! Its Sire Jundu! The person walking out from the mist was indeed Zhao Jundu. It was just that his appearance shocked everyone at the scene. That general from the Zhao clan rushed over and said, Sire W-What happened to you? Zhao Jundus head was in a messmost of his long hair had been cut short, and his clothes were covered in mud. His armor was in tatters as well, with pieces of plating dangling from certain parts. That perfectly handsome face of his was now decorated with numerous scars, one of which shot through his brows and across half his face. Only his eyes remained bright and clear. Seeing the tense and dumbstruck soldiers on the defensive line, he realized what was wrong and slowly retracted his aura. Many soldiers heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Zhao Jundu said to the generals, Im fine, its just a bit of injury. Theres nothing to be alarmed about. With that, he tossed the spear to one of his subordinates. Forge one just like this, double the weight. Goddammit, that Song Zinings weapons are too light, theyre so hard to use. Everyone was stunned. Zhao Jundu laughed. What are you looking at? Havent you seen this general curse before? Get me a change of clothes, my current set is unusable. Most of these generals were veterans from the Zhao clan. Even they were inclined to believe that this Zhao Jundu was an imposter had they not seen him in person. Moments later, the servants had placed a large tub of hot water in the central hall. Zhao Jundu entered with a satisfied groan, and the clear water immediately turned red from the blood seeping out of his countless wounds. He paid no heed and only closed his eyes, almost as though he had fallen asleep. The maid nearby was scared, but she drummed up the courage to ask, Sire Jundu, shall I call the doctor? Zhao Jundu opened his eyes. No need, just bring a towel over. Moments later, Zhao Jundu walked out of the bathroom and sat down in his study. This short journey stained his robe with blood in several areas. He glanced at the time and muttered, Its about time, where is he? Waiting for this daddy, eh? Hahaha! Coarse laughter rang out from the hallway, after which the study doors were kicked open. Chapter 1293: No Meat This Time That person threw himself into the chair and unceremoniously sized Zhao Jundu up from head to toe. You bastard, how did you get yourself into this state? I thought an Imperial marshal would be nothing short of awe-inspiring. Who wouldve thought youd be drenched in blood? Zhao Jundu replied expressionlessly, Im still doing better than a fellow who couldnt even become a marshal. That person shot to his feet. This daddy will become a marshal sooner or later. Whats so good about being a marshal? The difficult step is becoming a heavenly monarch! Zhao Jundu broke into a laugh. Did anyone say you have a chance? That persons momentum deflated sharply. No Zhao Jundu leaned forward while holding the hand rests. Do you think you can reach that level? The deflation intensified. This daddy is a man capable of breaking through the heavens. A mere heavenly monarch is still fairly difficult. Forget the sky for now, can you defeat Yuying? Zhao Jundu revealed a weird smile. The one sitting before the table was Wei Potian. The fellow immediately looked satisfied as he said, I cant defeat her yet, but she cant beat me, either! Zhao Jundus smile became even weirder. He pointed at Wei Potians face, saying, Is this what you mean? What? Smiling, Zhao Jundu drew a shiny knife and moved it in front of Wei Potians face. Just look for yourself! I might be bloody, but Im doing much better. Wei Potian used the blade as a mirror and saw his blackened eyes. That bruise was clearly caused by a beating. Wei Potian jumped up, both surprised and furious. This has nothing to do with Yuying. I fought an arachne during the last battle, and it went on for quite some time. I was careless enough to take a couple of punches to the face, but of course, I won in the end. Who wouldve thought that fellow would be so ruthless? These two bruises are still unhealed. No need to explain, its fine even if you were beaten up by Yuying. Of course not! She cant beat me at all! Wei Potian cried out. Zhao Jundu switched to a more comfortable position, saying, Fine, lets stop talking about this. You made such a hurried appointment, whats the matter? What else is there? Of course, its about pioneering the new world with you! You wont refuse this little request, will you? Are you going to leave Far East just like that? The defense should be fine without me. Those dark-blooded bastards have been pretty well-behaved lately. I heard most of them have been transferred to the new world, and I had to provoke them really hard just to start a couple of battles. I dont need to stay in such a boring place! Wei Potian lives to fight on the battlefield! Wei Potian stared at Zhao Jundu for a good while, his haughtiness vanishing as he realized that the latter was serious. I heard even that Song Zining fellow broke through, how can I accept that? So, I wanted to head into the new world and give it a try. My Thousand Mountains can only improve in battle now. Zining risked life and limb to breakthrough. When have I ever been afraid of death!? Wei Potian was excited again. Zhao Jundu gestured for him to calm down. That wasnt just danger, he was really an inch away from death. The bloke is still collapsed in the new world now. Im fine with that as long as I can break through this threshold. I refuse to let that bastard leave me behind, Im unresigned! Zhao Jundu spoke no more. He said with a nod, Fine, pack your things. Well leave in a bit. Wei Potian pointed at the blood-stained robe. Your wounds are still bleeding. Its fine. A claw from that thing will leave you bleeding for at least half a day, theres no way to stop the outflow. Just let it bleed. He produced a map from the drawer and pointed to several areas, saying, This is our plan for the upcoming segment of the operation. These forests are the main camps of the beast army, as well as our capture objectives. Ive already sent you the relevant intelligence about the forests and how the enemy army is structured. Ive already studied them. Good, we currently have a forest with three holy trees, four with dual holy trees, and seven with a single holy tree. Your mission is... Of course its the one with three holy trees! Is there even a need to discuss this? Wei Potian said recklessly. Of course its a forest with one holy tree. Apparently, Zhao Jundu wasnt going to discuss this decision. He immediately issued a military order for Wei Potian, saying, Dont die, I dont want to see Yuying depressed. Its fine, shell be sad for a couple of months at most if I die. Zhao Jundu said calmly, I was thinking three days at most. Shell forget you after a couple of drinks. I Wei Potian glared fiercely at Jundu, seemingly eager to debate his status in Zhao Yuyings heart. Zhao Jundu didnt give him the opportunity, though. He stuffed the command into Wei Potians jacket, saying, Take your men and retrieve medicine for them. Ive also prepared a unit to cooperate with you on this mission. Consider yourself lucky, the Imperial Research Academy has just developed a new medicine to help soldiers adapt to the new world. You arrived just in time. Wei Potian laughed out loud. My luck is always good! Oh right, dont we need to use that holy-tree sap or whatever? What is this medicine made of? Its also made of holy tree sap. Wei Potian found it weird. Then why do we need to turn it into medicine? To reduce material consumption. One drop of holy tree sap used to be enough for one person, now it can help five people. Not bad, but there must be some shortcomings, right? There will be some discomfort, moreover, the time you can stay inside the new world will shrink from a month to ten days. Ten days!? Isnt that too short? Zhao Jundu patted Wei Potians shoulder. Its too long for you. With that, he swaggered out of the study. Wei Potian stood dazed for a while, then started stomping about angrily when he finally realized the meaning. What the heck do you mean by that!? Hold it and explain things clearly! Are you saying Ill lose or that I wont survive very long, or both? Y-You! Stop right there! Zhao Jundu simply walked away, paying him no attention. Wei Potian was helpless. He had come to fight under Zhao Jundus command, so he couldnt really fight it out with him, not that he could win against him even if he did. There was no major issue with the equipment for the soldiers. The Far East Wei Clan was a high-ranking aristocratic family that had been fighting against the dark races year-round. Their accumulations were fairly strong, and their gear could only be better than the Imperial legions, not weaker. However, their province was extremely far away, so it wasnt possible to ship all of their heavy weaponry here. They would need Zhao Jundus help in this regard. Besides, the more adaptation medicine there was, the better. Otherwise, were they to run back and collect if they ran out? Only when he saw the small mountain of resources at the supply depot did Wei Potian break into a smile. This little brat only talks harshly. He hummed a small tune as he led a band of ruffian-like soldiers into the new world. Several days later, a motorcade appeared at the Imperial base outside of the door. The trucks were all battered up and shooting out so much steam that the area around them looked like an immortal realm. The trucks were full of soldiers with various items hanging from their sides. There were sandbags, armor plates, luggage, and half-dried beast legs. If this werent the new world and the trucks were new models from the Empire, the fortress guards wouldve thought they were a refugee family. The forward base was in charge of guarding the doorway into the Empire. This duty was extremely important, so the soldiers wouldnt let an unknown motorcade approach. The guards fired warning shots and stopped the vehicles several hundred meters away from the fortress. A burly man with a messy beard jumped down from the car. He was covered in mud, and his armor was in tatters. This daddy just fought a victorious battle. You dont recognize me anymore!? Tell Jundu to come and see me! The officer was startled upon hearing that kind of tone. I have a duty to inspect you. After all, there can be no mistakes when it comes to this fortress. Sire, who He looked carefully at the burly man and found him rather familiar. Ah, its Marquis Bowang! How did you turn into this state? What Marquis Bowang!? This daddy is Marquis Potian! I just came back from a battle, I never had the time to clean up. Besides, look at my brothers, arent they in the same state? Wei Potians style really did resonate with the frontline soldiers. The officer became much friendlier. Marquis, you really do love your men as though they are your children. Please follow me, Ill take you to the resting camp. The officer jumped into Wei Potians car to guide them personally. As they started discussing the war, Wei Potian said, Damn, I didnt expect that six-armed giant to be so difficult to handle. I had to spend quite a bit of effort to take him down. Jundu, that evil bloke, didnt give me any tips. Fortunately, this daddy was strong enough and my brethren were reliable. Otherwise, I might not be able to return! The officer offered words of praise, Youre indeed strong! You actually took down a forest on your own. I heard you racked up a lot of accomplishments in the Far East Province, you definitely live up to your reputation! Wei Potian laughed, pretending to be humble. Those dark bloods in the Far East arent as strong as this six-armed monster. Damn, if theyre so strong in a forest with one holy tree, Id be dead meat in a forest with three. Whats Jundu doing right now? He and Sire Song Zining set out a couple of days ago to take down the forest with three holy trees. What? Those two went to get the good stuff while I got the scraps? Wei Potian was furious. He had completely forgotten his words from just now. Chapter 1294: True Gold Refinemen Song Zining laughed. There are too many people plotting against you, but I think there might be more people who want to marry you. Zhao Jundu waved his spear, saying, Cut it out with the meaningless stuff, the fight isnt over yet. We have to clear out this lair before nightfall. Song Zining said helplessly, Dont be such a slavedriver! Even if I dont wait to recover my origin power, I still need to dress my wounds. Why would you need to dress minor flesh wounds? Youll get injured again, anyway. With that, Zhao Jundu dragged Song Zining away. Struggling, the latter pointed at the large body of the six-armed general. Lets collect the spoils first, spoils! Others will deal with it, come with me. Your blood will cool down in a bit and the effects will diminish. Song Zining kept struggling. Im already a divine champion, I dont have any more ambitions! Go ahead if you want to temper true gold in flames, why drag me along? Training together isnt bad, even if youre not true gold. Zhao Jundu was quite literally dragging the seventh young master. Song Zining was furious. Nonsense! My foundations are much better than yours, Im the real true gold here. Then you need to be tempered. Along the way, Song Zining found an opening to grab onto a large tree and wouldnt let go no matter what. He squealed like a pig about to be slaughtered, Im not going! I want to rest, I want to recuperate! Zhao Jundu grabbed Song Zining by his legs and pulled him away. Stop trying to act cute, its useless against me! Song Zining shouted hopelessly, Im a divine champion now, I dont want to fight, I want to enjoy life The cries slowly receded into the distance and vanished into the beast lair. At midnight, somewhere deep underground, Song Zining sat with his back against a stone wall, huffing and puffing with his tongue protruded. Zhao Jundu fished out a cigarette and passed Song Zining the rest. Want one? Song Zining waved his hand feebly. This young master refuses to smoke such inferior tobacco. Y-You monster Zhao Jundu smiled. Im tired, too. Your wounds are still bleeding. Just a bit, Im used to it. Song Zining propped himself higher. When did you start smoking? Not to mention something so low-quality at that. Zhao Jundu said with a smile, Its not easy to get cigarettes on the battlefield. Its good enough if you find one at all. Ill just stick to the inferior ones, lest I cant adapt in the field. You didnt smoke before. I say, this method of refining true gold in flames, is it even reliable? The Martial Ancestor did the same thing back then and ruled the world. What do you think? Song Zining snorted. Thats just a wild rumor, you believe that? Besides, even if it is true, youre no Martial Ancestor! Zhao Jundu only laughed without giving a reply. He inhaled deeply on the cigarette and only tossed it away when the flame was close to his fingers. Song Zining said, Look at you. You look like someone of poor birth, going all out in order to advance. Whats so bad about that? Only now can I really feel the desperate resolution of those without a way out. No one will dare marry you this way. Who knows when youll leave the house and never return. Zhao Jundu said in a carefree manner, I have so many outstanding brothers and sisters, I dont need to leave a descendant. People like us should live and die on the battlefield. Song Zining shook his head. All of you people from the Zhao clan are madmen on the battlefield. Its your business if you dont think this is a problem, but dont drag others into it. What do you say about Qianye? Qianye? Since Nighteye came into his heart, theres no longer space for anyone else. We both know Nighteyes current situation, and its no longer possible for them. I wont feel sorry if you want to be alone your whole life, but Qianye isnt you. He cant be alone his whole life, can he? Zhao Jundu stared intently at Song Zining. Havent you already tricked him in the Great Maelstrom? I heard its two. Song Zining shook his head. That has nothing to do with me! Dont speak nonsense. Zhao Jundu looked suspicious. This thing has your name written all over it, no matter how I look. Impossible! I, erm Song Zinings voice grew softer and softer under Zhao Jundus gaze. In the end, he sighed. I wanted to help him. How will he survive in the Empire without a couple of powerful backers? Can he rely on your Zhao clan alone? Zhao Jundu snorted. I dont think thats all, is it? Naturally, I got a little something out of it as well. The details arent all that important. Plans dont mean anything if fate doesnt allow for it. This is the will of the heavens as well. They were destined to be connected. Im no god, how could I have calculated everything in such detail? Zhao Jundu said, Those people youre working with arent easy to push around, so good luck. Just dont drag Qianye down if something happens to you in the future. Zhao Jundu! Weve fought so many battles together, how can a friend say things like that? Were not friends. Zhao Jundu gave him no face. He stood up and, picking up his spear, walked toward the giant core of the lair. What are you doing? Im going to try subduing it. Youre mad! Thats a contest of willpower. Look at that giant thing, how can you Song Zining was just about to stop Zhao Jundu when a prismatic bridge of origin power appeared between him and the core. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Jundu began to tremble and his entire body was covered in sweat. All of his wounds burst open, drenching his combat robes in blood. Song Zining stood up but slowly sat down again. He grabbed his head with both hands, muttering, True gold tempering only refines the body, not the will. Goddammit! Trying such a thing in this goddamn place! Now I have to avenge you if you go and get yourself killed, how troublesome damn! Why didnt I pull him back?! Song Zining knew he could do nothing else at this point but wait for the results of the battle. Even if he were to separate them by force, the backlash would deal tremendous damage to Zhao Jundus spirit, causing him to become an idiot in the best scenario. Besides, experts suffering grave injuries in the new world were sure to die. No amount of medicines could save them in time. He didnt even dare watch. Just as he was blaming himself constantly, someone patted him on the shoulder. What are you mumbling about? The shocked seventh young master jumped to his feet. Seeing the young man standing in front of him, he said, Done so fast?! Wait you actually won?! What else? Thats not right! I dont mean to say you shouldnt have won but damn, you shouldnt have won, and so fast at that! How did you do it? Simple, I said Ill poke it full of holes with my spear if it doesnt submit. Song Zining scoffed. Youd be dead if you had lost. How are you going to poke it? Zhao Jundu said, laughing, They only possess simple intelligence, so its not hard to lie. You can try next time. This time, it was Song Zinings turn to look at him suspiciously. Nope, Im not an idiot. Zhao Jundu laughed. Of course youre not an idiot, youre too smart in fact. I mightve been the same as well, but now, Ive noticed the problem. Did you get any from subduing it? Yes. What did you get? For instance, it gave me some information. Our location is only the surface of the new world. The true entrance lies in the central region. Its not so far away, but well have to pass through a forest with four holy trees along the way. Four holy trees that wont be easy. Song Zining became solemn. We dont need to worry about the six-armed general. It told me just now that the forest has already fallen to an outsider and the core has been subdued. Outsider? It cant be Qianye, can it? Song Zining was startled. Its probably not Qianye. According to its description, theyre likely demonkin. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief. Now that makes things easier. I like the demonkin. So do I. The two exchanged glances. Lets go, Im feeling uncomfortable here. Are you okay to walk or do you need me to carry you? Zhao Jundu glanced at Song Zining. You? Carry me? Even your weapon is so light. What else can you carry but women? Song Zining wasnt angry. Would you say these things if you arent strained? Is your spear feeling too heavy now? Zhao Jundu snorted after being poked where it hurt. He simply kept walking without continuing the conversation. The duo started their slow climb toward the surface. There was no telling how long it would take at this rate. Song Zining complained, Do these creatures have nothing better to do? Why dig so deep? Speaking of which, I still dont understand how their system works. Can these cores communicate with one another remotely? Not all, only the adjacent ones. Thats more like it. Theyre relaying information from one to another. Thats indeed the case. Lets return to the Qin Continent first. The latest intelligence reports shouldve arrived by now, and we also need to switch out our troops. Fighting beasts is different from fighting the dark races. Fine, I also want to invite some dukes over to help out. The demonkin should have needed at least three dukes to conquer the forest with four holy trees, and we still dont know whos holding the line. You and I are far from enough. Song Zining glared at him. So you do know some limits. I thought youd keep tempering yourself by challenging three dukes. I might just do that after some time. Song Zining became alert. Do that yourself, dont drag me into it. Of course, you need to join. Otherwise, itll be too boring. Zhao Jundu laughed out loud. Song Zining was angry, but he couldnt do anything except clench his jaws. Oh, I heard that idiot Wei Potian is here. Yeah, I sent him to take down a forest with one holy tree. Not a bad idea, let him stay there for a couple of months. We might see him by the time we get back, Zhao Jundu replied. Song Zining was skeptical. Someone like him? Dont forget that the dumb have their dumb luck. Song Zining had no retort for this. Chapter 1295: Terrifying Almost all of the Empires spies in Evernight were mobilized at the same time. Secret missives were sent back to the Empire, containing all kinds of information from troop movements and experts activities to the prices of commodities in certain areas. These reports were sorted and analyzed by dedicated personnel until many things became clear. Some major movements gradually became apparent. News from the dark races had already spread among the upper echelons of the Empire. Everyone knew that a battle of unprecedented scale was coming. In most previous skirmishes between the Empire and Evernighteven on the void continentthe dark races had always been tripping one another. None of them were doing their utmost in the fight. The new world was different. The four major races were now working together, and they had even put their ten-thousand-year feud on hold for it. Even though the werewolves had been somewhat ostracized, the remaining three still made for a formidable foe. Fortunately, the number of soldiers they could send into the new world was limited, and the rotation was also much faster than local battles. However, there was little to no restriction on the number of experts. The Empire was now facing unprecedented pressure. Within the fortress, Zhao Jundu finally raised his head after reading intelligence reports for the entire day. He exercised his stiff neck and said, Theres finally some good news. The dark races have reached the upper limit of troops they can send into the new world. That means the number of enemies we face wont increase. Across from him, Song Zining poked his head out of a small mountain of documents. Thats good news? Then let me tell you some bad news. Even if they dont send more troops in and we discount the werewolves, were still facing an enemy force six times our own. Winning against the odds will prove your ability. Zhao Jundu spoke rather seriously.Song Zining couldnt tell if it was sincere or if he was being mocked. I dont have that kind of ability. Well have to rely on our Marquis Potian to break the enemy ranks, no? There was no reply from the other corner of the room. Song Zining turned around to find that Wei Potian was still properly seated with his eyes wide open, yet his expression was empty and his breathing was slow. The fellows head was nodding rhythmically, his gaze moving along with it. The bastard was actually asleep! If we really have to face the dark races, how we fight them is one matter, but why we fight them is more important. Jundu, what exactly do you think is in the new world that the dark races would go all out for it? The last time they formed an alliance like this was when the human race rose to power. No, even back then, their cooperation didnt last very long. Song Zining continued asking about the things that had been weighing on his mind. After all, Daybreak and Evernight are two different origin power systems. If the resources of the new world are useless to us, do we really need to pay such a steep price to fight the dark races? Zhao Jundu replied, How should I know? How we fight this battle is your problem. When did it become my business? Youre the commander here. In name, yes, but youre the commander for this battle. Zhao Jundu, youre trying to push the responsibility onto me. Im certainly not going to serve as the commander. Zhao Jundu said calmly, You have no choice, the Imperial mandate has been issued. A mandate? When did that happen? After obtaining news about the dark races, I submitted a memorandum to the court, asking for you to be granted full authority as the commanding officer in this battle. The edict itself should arrive soon. Song Zining stood up. Im already a part of the neutral lands now. Strictly speaking, Im no longer an Imperial citizen. Im not suited to serve as the commander. Zhao Jundu said seriously, Zining, I dont know what youre worried about, but you know this battle is going to be long and hard. Im not as skilled as you are in command and strategy. A small mistake will set us back significantly. Can you really bear to see our comrades making needless sacrifices? Since he had put it that way, there was really nothing Song Zining could say. He stood dazed for a momenthis mouth opened several times, but the refusal simply didnt come out. It was at this time that an aide called out from beyond the door, An Imperial emissary has arrived! Song Zining glanced at Zhao Jundu helplessly, then stood up to welcome the emissary. Who wouldve thought Wei Potian would also wake up and shoot to his feet. Imperial emissary? Did they come here to commend my contributions? With the full support of the Empire, the main force under Zhao Jundu and Song Zining was completely equipped in a single week. They were then moved quietly into the new world in preparation to fight against the demonkin main force. Song Zining adopted his usual style, arming his soldiers to the teeth and finding ways to recruit a large number of experts to join the formation. Fortunately, the expansion in the new world came with great benefits, and the Empire also announced a high standard of rewards. The aristocratic families werent willing to be left behind, either, but the situation on the Transcendent Continent had just stabilized and the progress on the Western Continent was fairly stagnant. Only the Qin Continent was making good progress and seeing new developments constantly. The combination of Zhao Jundu and Song Zining didnt impress people at first. After all, they were too young and their strength wasnt sufficient on paper. However, no one wouldve imagined Song Zining to actually break through and become a divine champion. With two divine champions overseeing the operation, this route could no longer be considered weak. Now that the dark races movements were evident, the Empire also began mobilizing their experts. Four dukes were sent into the new world in succession. They were nominally under the command of Zhao Jundu and Song Zining, something that wouldve been unimaginable in the past. After all, the two young men were newly minted divine champions and inferior in both experience and seniority. Zhao Jundu possessed a powerful background. Back then, the Zhao clans reputation came from having three dukes in one clan, and now, Duke Chengens residence alone boasted three divine champions. And that wasnt counting Princess Gaoyi. The entire Empire knew that Qianye was Zhao Jundus younger brother. This young man was already opening up new territories at his age and would soon proclaim himself king. Hence, the four dukes kept themselves well-restrained and seemed to have no intention of fighting for authority. This was the path of the experienced. They would naturally gain significant benefits in the case of a victory. In defeat, it was their decision if they wanted to help clean up the mess or leave. Song Zining understood their intentions, but he paid them no heed. He held onto the Imperial mandate and used it to deploy the four dukes as though they were ordinary generals. These shrewd generals made no comment and simply followed Song Zinings orders. Fortunately, the latters accomplishments in battle were outstanding, and there was no one else in the Empire widely-accepted as a better tactician. All people could say was that Song Zining was too young and inexperienced. Just like that, amidst the blur of maneuvers, the advancing Imperial army finally ran into the demonkins forward guard. The demonkin squad numbered in the tens of thousands. They had just attacked and conquered a forest with one holy treethe soldiers were dragging the body of the six-armed commander onto a truck, while the experts were either resting or recuperating. They had never imagined that Imperial forces would appear all of a sudden. Many of the demonkin soldiers were still clearing out the remaining beasts in the forest and had no idea what was going on outside. The guards outside, on the other hand, were mostly injured. Many of them lay moaning on the ground, waiting for treatment that might or might not come. When they saw the Imperial soldiers, the troops were dazed for a good while before confirming that they werent seeing thingsthat was indeed the Great Qins war banner. The alarms went off only when the first volley of cannon shells bore down upon them. It was too late, however. The Imperial forces began splitting their ranks to flank in an attempt to wipe the enemy out entirely. As the tired demonkin experts rose into the air to fight, one of their marquises collapsed all of a sudden, and an origin power trajectory slowly appeared through the air. Seeing this evident green arc, many of the demonkin found it incomparably familiar, and yet none of them could say where they had seen it before. That was until someone cried out, Zhao Jundu! This green trajectory was indeed Zhao Jundus trademark ability, Trueshot. This unique green trajectory had gained great fame back on the void continent, but those who could join the new world expedition were true experts. People like them wouldnt join a battle of that level, so they had only heard about this trajectory and not seen it. Zhao Jundus position among the dark races didnt fall just because of his foundation damage. To them, whether or not the man could become a heavenly monarch was too far in the future. What was the point of worrying so far when they couldnt even beat him in the present? Zhao Jundus power increased sharply after the breakthrough, and his Trueshot had become a bona fide divine ability. Even a grand duke wouldnt want to take a blow from Zhao Jundu, but the existence of his Trueshot meant that it was impossible not to get hit. Even when surrounded, the fourth young master could kill anyone at will, dragging anyone down with him. To the dark races, Zhao Jundu was an enemy they werent willing to face at all. While none of their experts died while fighting against the six-armed commander, many were wounded. Those who had taken more damage were cautious since injuries were difficult to control in the new world, but the fallen marquis only suffered flesh wounds, so he stepped forward carelessly. Who wouldve thought Zhao Jundu would fell him in one shot? Two counts rushed over to support the marquis, but they knew there was no saving him when they noticed the big hole in his chest. That was the location of the origin furnace, which was a vital area just like the vampires blood core. Even a marquis would fall when the furnace was entirely obliterated. The experts hadnt decided whether or not to retreat when the dead six-armed commander stood up all of a sudden. The scenery before them transformed as countless more drilled out of the ground. One of the experts was shocked out of his wits. Song Zining! In the blink of an eye, the confused demonkin army immediately crumbled and people began to flee. Song Zining was dumbfounded, so much so that he even forgot to maintain his domain. Am I that scary? Zhao Jundu gave him a ruthless kick. After them! Chapter 1296: Dangerous Evolution The demonkin fighting the beasts inside the forest made up the bulk of the unit, so Song Zining didnt chase the retreating soldiers for very long. He turned his forces about and led them to exterminate the demonkin in the woods. Due to the isolation effect of the forest, most of the demonkin inside had no idea that their forces outside had fled. By the time they had noticed something was wrong, they were already caught between the Empire and the beasts. Woodland combat was complicated, and after eliminating the demonkin, the Imperial soldiers had to deal with the surviving beasts. These creatures would attack anyone regardless of faction. By the time everything had been settled, it was already midnight. Song Zining wasnt in a good mood. He kept asking Zhao Jundu, Am I that scary now? The latter rolled his eyes without hesitation. What would you think if you were a demonkin and you saw Song Zining charging at them at the head of an army? Song Zining was enlightened. I understand now! According to common sense, Song Zining would only charge so recklessly if he was absolutely certain of a victory. The enemy experts also knew that Song Zinings domainwhile not lethalwas top-grade at trapping people. They would find it almost impossible to escape once they had been entangled, to speak nothing of the killer god that was Zhao Jundu nearby. That was why they turned around and fled once they realized that things werent right. They had sacrificed the squad inside the forest, but they had retained some fighting power after running away. This result was better than fighting to the death and allowing Song Zining to wipe them out in one go. Song Zining shook his head after realizing this. Sigh, the beast hordes make for better opponents. They wont run no matter what, all they know is to charge. A winged-beast struggling on the ground caught Zhao Jundus attention. He picked it up and observed it for a while before passing the creature to Song Zining. The beasts arent so easy to deal with, either. Song Zining immediately noticed something different. There were numerous firm, hard granules at the base of its feathersthese were scales that hadnt taken form. The seventh young master was familiar with all of the beast-types that had made an appearance, but he was sure he hadnt seen this one before. Additionally, the scales were especially evident around the creatures soft abdomen. Once these scales were fully developed, their defense would increase significantly. Zhao Jundu said, They didnt have these scales before, do you understand what I mean? The two exchanged glances, each noticing the worry in the other partys expression. The beast army evolving was fine, but it would be horrible news if the six-armed commander were to transform as well. Song Zining froze as he glanced at the corpse of the six-armed giant. According to the usual pattern, the six-armed creature in a forest with one holy tree was the weakest. This type of forest hadnt formed a pond of holy tree sap. At most, there would only be a puddle. Without the pond, there would be no island to produce that mysterious metallic stone material. Naturally, there was no throne, either. The six-armed creatures were usually naked except for their weapons. It was also obvious that the weapons werent from the forest since the ruined ones couldnt be replaced, unlike the three-holy-tree forests where the islands were full of stalagmites. The generals could grab them at will and turn them into weapons. The six-armed creature here was wearing armor. Although it was just a simple, sleeveless chest plate, its defenses were much higher than its naked peers. Its weapons were also better designed and crafted. This six-armed creatures combat strength was far greater than the others from its race. No wonder the demonkin had to gather so many experts to defeat it. Their lineup boasted half a dozen marquises and a vice-duke leader, yet their victory was hard-fought and everyone was wounded. That vice-duke had clearly suffered greater injuries. He hadnt taken any action at all and fled immediately once the Imperial army appeared. Looks like the battles going forward wont be as easy. Zhao Jundu nodded seriously. At this moment, in a different corner of the new world. An austere Qianye was standing beside the corpse of a six-armed commander. Caroline looked abnormally pale as she walked over to him. Qianye glanced at her. Are your wounds under control now? Do you need to head out and recuperate for a bit? Caroline shook her head. Its not that bad. My lightning physique recovers quite fast, but Ill be weak for the next couple of days. Who wouldve thought this monster could actually fire arrows? She glanced at the six-armed giant with a bit of lingering fear. Qianye picked up the giant bow. At more than three meters, Qianye couldnt hold this gigantic weapon vertically. He could only lift it horizontally to observe the details. The bow was made rather crudely from the stony metal of the lake island, but it was very hard and flexible. The core of the bowstring was also made from the same material, coated in a layer of weaved tree bark. In terms of craftsmanship, an apprentice blacksmith from any race could produce a better weapon. Qianye put down the bow, and keeping it pressed down with one foot, he tried using both hands to pull back on the string. He exerted abrupt force with a shout, yet the string only opened up a bit. Qianye was startledhe had already exerted sixty percent of his strength for this pull. Qianyes face flushed red as his blood core pulsed and auric flame blood began to churn throughout his body. Erupting in a burst of great power, he pulled the bow open to as far as his arms could extend. Qianye relaxed his arms and allowed the bow to bounce back. What a bow! How much force did you have to exert? Caroline was curious. Ninety percent, Qianye replied. Doesnt that mean it''s even stronger than you are? Indeed. Qianye had to use so much force just to pull the bow back, yet that six-armed general had been firing tempestuous volleys of arrows at them. Even someone of Carolines speed was struck by the projectile, producing a large penetrating cavity. The wound didnt even bleed as the edges had been crystallized upon impact. Fortunately, Qianyes Spatial Flash was the bane of bow-type opponents. He grasped this opportunity to fire four Shots of Inception in a row in order to kill the six-armed general. It was just that three shots was the limit at his current level, and overdrafting himself left him with hidden injuries. Caroline touched the six-armed generals armor and said with a frown, It wasnt like this in the past. We changed our strategy and gear to deal with the beast army. Theyre doing the same. Looks like we were quite lucky before. Yes. Qianye glanced at his surroundings. The constant sounds of fighting could be heard as the werewolves and mercenaries worked to clear the forest. This was a forest with three holy trees, after all, and the beasts were superior both in number and in quality. Although Qianye and Caroline had kept the six-armed general in check, the others still didnt have an easy time. Fortunately, the aristocratic families had bet heavily on Qianye, each sending forth experts to aid his cause. After combining forces with the Storm Territory, the number of werewolf experts under Qianyes command had also increased greatly. That was why he could overcome the beast army on his own. The main reason for this fair outcome was because the six-armed general couldnt control and coordinate the troops. Qianye could vaguely sense the existence of a forest with four holy trees in the distance. He shook his head and gave up on any notion of attacking it. He had managed to defeat that six-armed general by a fluke back then. Now that they had evolved, taking that forest down would surely involve a painful price. Qianye decided not to touch any quad-tree forest without more experts to help him. In a different corner of the new world, there was a single-holy-tree forest that was rather lively. The images of mountains flickered in the air above as trees collapsed with loud rumbles. Apparently, the battle here was rather fierce. Before long, howling laughter erupted from the center of the forest. What can a mere six-armed creature do to me? This voice was crude, vulgar, and inexplicably arrogant. Who else could it be except Wei Potian? He was standing at the center of the forest. Behind him was a holy tree, and in front was the corpse of a six-armed commander. This creature was wearing a short piece of armor, and his equipment was better made, but Wei Potian noticed none of that. Origin power flickered around him, and the mountain projections hadnt yet dissipated. A group of experts appeared from the forest at this point and started to praise him. Young Master, your might is on full display today! Youve really broadened my horizons by breaking through in battle! Congratulations on advancing to rank-seventeen. Youre only one step away from becoming a divine champion. As I see it, the divine champion realm is just around the corner! Everyone fell silent following the round of flattery. These people were experts from the Wei clan. Some of them might have external surnames, but there were no strangers here. Those words just now were too shamelesseven Prince Greensun had to spend most of the year to go from rank-seventeen to divine champion. Wei Potian was a far cry from Zhang Boqian no matter how one looked at him. Wei Potians eyes sparkled as he propped his chin upon his hand and said, This daddy might really break through in the new world if I encounter more of these things! Surprised, everyone asked him about it and Wei Potian explained without holding back. Chapter 1297: Period of Advantage In the battle just now, Wei Potian had managed to take on most of the six-armed creatures attacks on his own. The other experts from the Wei clan would seek out opportunities to attack and add more injuries to its massive body. These people from the Wei family had been working together with him for a long while. They might not be the strongest in overall fighting power, but they were proficient in focused attacks and knew the best timing to strike. Each of them could only use a couple of powerful moves, but that was enough. Wei Potian was mostly on the defensive, wielding a pair of shields in an airtight defense. He was staggering under the constant blows of the six-armed creature but refused to collapse no matter what. His origin power gradually depleted as time went by, but the lone peak above his head only grew higher and clearer. He hadnt realized it at that moment, but he had already reached the above myriad mountains realm. This was something he shouldve achieved only after becoming a divine champion. None in the entire Wei clan had succeeded before. The six-armed creature possessed boundless strength, but its attacks were a tad too crude and its weapons were only a bit better than stone-age instruments. Wei Potian loved such opponents. The Thousand Mountains wasnt without its risks since the defense wasnt impenetrable. Wei Potian feared opponents like Eden who could abruptly attack a single point. Against such foes, he might be killed before he could even activate Thousand Mountains. Comparatively, the six-armed commander was an easier opponent. While Wei Potian was lost in thought, one of his subordinates said, Big bro, since you can advance just by getting beaten up, why would you need to wait for those six-armed creatures? Wont you break through if we band together and beat you up every day? Wei Potians face turned green. He grabbed that thin man and shook him up. Looks like you have other intentions! Tell me how you want to die, this daddy will help you! The person screamed, Big Bro Potian, youre mistaken! I have my reasons for thinking that way. Wei Potian paused briefly, shouting, Speak, what reasons? If you cant, Ill beat you to death and help you breakthrough. That person replied hurriedly, Your cultivation increased sharply after getting beaten up every day by Sis Yuying. Everyone knows this. Wei Potians face turned red. He snorted deeply, saying, You guys arent Yuying! I let her beat me up, understand? What are you all standing here for? Go and clean up the forest! We arent done killing the beasts. After driving his subordinates away, Wei Potian fell on his butt and leaned against the holy tree. Now that he was no longer tense, he felt his entire body aching, and every little movement caused him to grimace. Fortunately, there was no one around, so his glorious image wouldnt be affected. Thinking back to the battle just now, he patted the tree behind him, saying, Looks like that monster really does worry about you. Next time, Ill run around you and see what theyll dare to do. Before long, a capable subordinate jogged over. Big Bro, weve cleared out the forest. The brothers are shipping things back to the cars now. What do we do next? Let me think about it Wei Potian felt a bit of a headache. That person said, Sire Zinings orders were to scout for dark races in the area, but we took down a forest instead. Arent we going against his command? Wei Potian felt angry the moment he heard Song Zinings name. What do you know? If we dont take it, are we supposed to leave this forest for the dark races? Give me the map. The obedient subordinate produced a map of the new world. Wei Potian observed the map repeatedly and discovered that something wasnt quite right. He observed the map again after bending it at an angle, then slapped his thighs, saying, No wonder we deviated from the route! So this is how we have to look at it. That bastard Song Zining is so evil, he actually didnt tell us. Does this mean that this flat earth were seeing is actually curved? Mm, its possible After some thought, Wei Potian said, Tell our brothers to stop shipping the spoils. Hide our cars in the forest and put our scouts in position. Prepare an ambush! Ambush? Who are we ambushing? The dark races, of course. Who else? Do you think they can ignore this forest when they see it from a distance? The other person immediately understood. Wei Potian pointed at the corpse of the six-armed creature. We cant just leave him here. Clean him up and prop him up in a seat at the center of the forest. We cant cut down wood or well leave traces. Use some rocks for the chair and make it look like hes nodding off. A couple of experts arrived and carried the six-armed creatures corpse away to set it up. Wei Potian leaned against the tree, muttering, Will I really be lucky enough to see those damned demonkin? His luck was indeed quite good. A hazy black mist appeared outside of the forest before long. There was no telling how many people there were in the blurry scenery. This was a special characteristic of demonkin units, a mist that could conceal origin power and voice. The ability was visually striking, but most powerful creatures relied on origin power fluctuations to sense the surrounding world. The squad set themselves up outside of the forest and made no movements. Two faintly discernible figures entered the woods and made straight for the heart of the forest. They were evidently experienced in this type of operation. Soon, the scenery before them opened up to reveal a six-armed creature sleeping on a stone chair. The two demonkin were startled, but they seemed delighted after getting a clear look. It seems to be asleep! Were quite lucky! We ought to take this accomplishment. You take the left and Ill go right, well attack together in one minute. The two marquises split up and moved into advantageous positions. Then, they attacked at the same time! An arrow and a dagger stabbed deep into the six-armed creatures body. However, the creature only fell backwardthere was neither a scream nor a roar, not even the slightest normal reaction. The two marquises were stunned. The one wielding a crossbow sensed someone grabbing his free hand! To his surprise, he smashed the assailant with his crossbow, but all he saw was a flash of yellow light. The other party blocked the attack with an arm. He shook his head like it was nothing, keeping one hand locked onto the marquis wrist like an iron vice. The marquis felt as though he had struck a block of rubber. The target was so tenacious and slippery that not even half of the force went through. The crossbow wasnt a melee weapon, either, so using it was beyond awkward. He was hesitating whether or not to toss his priceless crossbow and fight hand-to-hand, but Wei Potian wasnt going to give him an opportunity. He pounced forward like a raging wild beast and knocked the marquis to the ground. Soon afterward, the two powerful experts began trading blowsa punch for a punchas though they were playing ping pong. The other demonkin marquis wasnt as fortunate. He sensed eight powerful origin power reactions around him at the moment of his attack. The demonkin immediately turned around, only to find all kinds of weapons and origin bullets hurtling toward him. The ambush was so accurate and ruthless that it shattered his demonic energy barrier and littered him with injuries. The marquis was both shocked and furious, having suffered injuries right off the bat. He could even feel his demonic energy scattering around one of the wounds, likely due to some accursed material like the Refined Silver Bullet of Extreme Yang. As expected, eight human experts charged at him from all directions, drowning him in a barrage of attacks. The outcome became evident in the blink of an eye. When the two parties separated, the demonkin was drenched in blood and could barely stand. All he could do was glare furiously at the group around him. He had noticed that these people were only strong in appearanceeach of them only possessed a couple of powerful moves, beyond which they could do little to harm him. He could kill them all one by one if he could hold out for just a couple more minutes. Unfortunately, the first round of attacks had injured him too badly, and he wasnt going to last these couple of minutes. The marquis could feel demonic energy flowing out of his pores like evaporating water. He staggered toward the closest Wei clan warrior but was immediately stuck full of blades. The demonkin fell to his knees, but just as his head hung down, a short blade flew out of his hand and pierced through the chest of a Wei clan expert. Only after dragging someone down with him did this marquis collapse and die. On the other side, Wei Potian had gained the complete advantage and was beating that marquis down. Demonkin made the best assassins and snipers, but melee brawls were simply not their forte. Utilizing combat techniques and domains, the demonkin mightve been able to hold his own under normal circumstances. However, Wei Potian refused to let the demonkin turn the tables in this wrestling match. With the leaders dead, the remaining forces didnt last very long. They were quickly routed by the fierce attack from the Wei clans private army, leaving thousands of corpses as they fled the battlefield. Wei Potian had first taken a forest and then wiped out the demonkin unit he had encountered. Having reaped all possible accomplishments, he returned to the forward base to reorganize. At this point, the Empire had also taken down a forest with four holy trees. The Empire had sent Eunuch Liu and Zhao Xuanji, who attacked at the critical juncture and injured the six-armed general. That allowed for the successful takedown of the forest. After the skirmish, Eunuch Liu left the new world in a hurry and returned to the palace. Zhao Jundu built yet another forward base with this four-holy-tree forest as the foundation, and the construction work was coming along quite well. After returning to base, Wei Potian allowed his soldiers to rest and reorganize. Some of his men headed to the supply depot to withdraw resources while he himself made for the command center to check on the latest reports. After reading the reports in half a day, Wei Potian looked rather unhappy. This fellow seems to be somewhat capable. How was Song Zining merely capable? Every report contained news of victorythere were a couple of routes that had repelled the enemy on their own like Wei Potian, while others worked together to push back powerful enemy forces. Song Zining and Zhao Jundu had taken yet another forest with two holy trees, then laid an ambush for the arriving demonkin. The enemys main force was pushed back, and their duke-rank commander was heavily injured. Piecing all the reports together, it would seem that the Imperial forces had worked in tandem and beaten the demonkin black and blue. Song Zinings troop mobilization was well thought out, placing every route in a position of advantage. Even when there was no advantage, they would only need to hold out briefly before friendly troops would rush over in a pincer attack. The demonkin were strong, but this pioneering force contained soldiers from just one continent. The Empire had basically thrown its entire support behind the Qin Continent since Transcendent had lost and the things on the Western Continent werent going too well. It was only natural that they held the advantage against the forces from just one out of four demonkin continents. Certain about this outcome, Song Zining went all out from the get-go and didnt give the demonkin any time to recuperate. He planned to magnify their results while they still held the advantage, lessening the pressure of the inevitable battle that was about to come. Chapter 1298: Behind the Warped Space This round of attacks led to the capture of four grovesincluding one with two holy treesand the death of more than fifty thousand demonkin forces. One had to know that the soldiers transported into the new world were all elites. There was no cannon fodder here because every transported soldier would consume holy tree sap, a valuable resource they couldnt afford to spend on inferior troops. In the expert department, two of the demonkin dukes had suffered grievous injuries. One of them managed to survive but had no choice but to retreat from the new world. The damage wouldnt heal without ten or more days of rest. Wei Potians accomplishments were beyond splendid, having taken down two marquises, one of which was captured alive. His fame blew up so quickly that several aristocratic families began looking at the Wei clan closely. While most people of his age were fighting for their inheritance, Wei Potian had already been dubbed heir. This was a clear indication of how much importance his family attached to him and a testament to his talents. Even so, every aristocratic family would always have one or two secret seed-characters. The Thousand Mountain was notorious as a turtle shell, and at a glance, it seemed inferior to the top-secret arts of the major clans. Things were no longer the same now that he had proven himself capable of converting defensive advantage into fighting power. Some proficient scholars sought out historical texts from the Empires inception and proved that the Wei family was one of the earliest clans to follow the founding emperor. Although they were but an unknown little household, their members were close guards who had accompanied the ancestor at his side. The Wei clans Thousand Mountains had to have received some pointers from him. This would explain Wei Potians miraculous accomplishments. The familys value was immediately re-examined, and the unmarried Wei Potian once again became a hot commodity. His popularity even overshadowed Song Zinings for a short while. Song Zining might not like Wei Potian that much, but he wouldnt keep talking about it like the latter. After looking at Wei Potians reports, the seventh young master simply transferred the Wei clan heir to his unit to fight alongside himself and Zhao Jundu. Wei Potian spoke as though he wasnt willing, but his smiling face betrayed the secret in his heart. This fellow was thinking, You guys didnt want me in the beginning, huh. Now you know my value, dont you? After a period of rest and with the troops having replenished their dose of holy-tree-sap medicine, Song Zining set out with the army once again. He didnt split the Imperial forces this time, opting to focus all troops in a single unit and leaving only small scouting parties along the flanks. This grand army marched straight for the demonkins main stronghold. There was a forest with three holy trees in this direction, one that had long since fallen into demonkin hands. According to Song Zinings judgment, the enemy would surely build a fortress here and install a powerful defensive garrison. The expansion efforts in the new world had reached mid-game, and every faction understood how important the forests were. Each grove was like an island in the oceanone had to hop between them to expand continuously. After subduing the core of the lair, Zhao Jundu came to understand the importance of its reinforcement effect. It could be said that the holy tree was a protective talisman on the surface of the new worldthe more one possessed, the less obstruction they would face. From every angle of consideration, the demonkin would have to fortify themselves in this forest. The Empire held the advantage at the moment. After subduing the core, Zhao Jundu became aware of the surrounding region and the distribution of beast lairs. There was no longer a need to scout ahead and risk alerting the enemy. Hence, Song Zining decided to deal a heavy blow to the enemy before they could regain their footing and complete their troop mobilization. If they could uproot this forest with three holy trees, it would be equal to reducing the demonkin forces by the tens of thousands. Under Zhao Jundus directions, Song Zining accumulated all of the Empires main forces. The four dukes were also in the formation, bolstering their lineup to six divine champions and close to a hundred thousand soldiers. It could be said that they had moved out in full force. The Imperial army did not rest along the way. If a truck broke down, the soldiers would be moved to a different vehicle. In this matter, the demonkin fortress finally appeared before them after one day and night. The fortress was rather impressive and almost like a small city. The forest behind it stretched endlessly, and there was even an airship floating above it. This was a fairly big investment. Airships from both factions wouldnt last long after entering the new world. Ordinary airships would only last a week at most before breaking down. Hence, this airship above the fortress was a desperate measure on the demonkins part, an attempt to bolster their forces by burning money. Song Zining hadnt expected the airship, but that didnt affect the situation all that much. He simply ordered the troops to set up the airship cannons they had brought and shoot it down with homing ballistae. These anti-air equipment were there to deal with flying beasts. Song Zining gave it some thought before they had set out and finally decided to bring them along on this march. They actually proved useful after all! Even Wei Potian had to admit that Song Zinings luck was rather uncanny. After a couple of rounds, the experts in the fortress tried to intercept the ballista bolts but were duly blocked by the Imperial side. Without covering fire from long-distance city defenses, the airshipwhose speed and evasion capabilities had been reduced in the new worldbecame an easy target. The fortress had discovered the Imperial forces in advance, but that didnt affect Song Zinings plan to launch a concentrated attack. The Imperial army soon spread out into an orderly formation, setting up all kinds of heavy weaponry to attack the demonkin fortress. The Empire held the absolute advantage in both troop and expert strength for this battle. The defenses on this newly-constructed fortress weren''t that strong, either. They were mostly laid out to defend against the beast army, focusing heavily on aerial defense and short-range networks of defensive fire. This lineup was completely useless against their old enemies, the humans, and even became their weak point. Blanketed by the Empires long-range firepower, the fortress walls soon collapsed, and some cannon turrets were taken out by the four dukes. As for the experts garrisoned in the fortress, Zhao Jundu and Song Zining worked together to suppress them. After half a day of fierce combat, the thirty-thousand strong defensive force was completely wiped out. One of the two defending marquises was injured, and the other was killed. Only two cowardly counts managed to flee. The empire lost a couple of thousand men, and their experts only sustained light injuries; they would be back on their feet after some rest. It was a clean victory. After uprooting the demonkins most important stronghold in the periphery, the only big target remaining was the one outside of the door. Song Zining immediately dispatched scouts to explore the area, drawing things repeatedly on the map as the information came in. Before long, he said to Zhao Jundu, The demonkin door is probably in this area. Zhao Jundu frowned in contemplation after a glance. Wei Potian said in a carefree manner, Lets charge at them since you know where they are! The four dukes only looked at Song Zining. They were entirely convinced of the latters skills during the recent battles, so none of them had any complaints. The location is only my guess, Song Zining said to Wei Potian. Wei Potians mouth opened but nothing came out. Song Zining ordered one of the men to bring a new map of the new world. He made several markings on it while writing down a row of formulas. Im sure everyone here has noticed that the space here is a bit warped, right? The dukes nodded one after another. As top experts, they were highly sensitive to even the smallest changes in space. Song Zining pointed at the formula he had just written. Ive been calculating this problem recently and found that the degree of distortion is different for each forest. Groves with more holy trees produce a stronger warp. This current forest, for instance, is producing a fairly strong distortion. The exact calculation is as follows. Song Zining wrote down a long string of formulas, saying, This is it. Wei Potians puzzled eyes went wide. He could recognize every word Song Zining had written, but he simply couldnt understand what they meant when placed together. These numbers made zero sense to him. Three of the four dukes wore the same expression; only one of them seemed to be lost in thought. Song Zining continued, The ground were standing on looks flat, but its actually curved. Its just that our senses are distorted as well, making us think that its flat. Wei Potian was even more baffled. He glanced at the others and only calmed down after seeing that many were just as confused. He was fine as long as he wasnt the only one who couldnt comprehend it. Song Zining drew several lines on the map that connected the forests, but none of them was a straight line. They were all curved. He then drew a dotted line toward a certain region and drew a circle there. The distortion in every area follows a fixed pattern. Calculating from this pattern, the distortion in this area is similar to the area around our door. That means, the demonkins door is probably in that area! The only duke among the four who understood Song Zinings formula said, Since thats the case, what are we waiting for? If we charge over right now, we might be able to catch them off-guard. Song Zining didnt reply. He pointed to a different area, saying, If the door really is where I guessed, then I have a different theory. He wrote down several formulas, plotting one or more lines from each of them. He ended up drawing an arc connecting the two doors, the focus of which was far in the distance and well beyond the coverage of this map. Song Zining drew a line through the midpoint of the arc. This is the most important location. If Im correct, all the distortions in the new world are pointing to this focal point. The space there is entirely and perpetually warped, which means there might be a giant door leading to an unknown world. That door is the ultimate objective of the dark races! Duke Mu was a divination expert himself. He stood up and walked over to the map, observing the formulas one by one. After a long while, he said, There really might be a door there, or perhaps the word door isnt suitable to describe it. If theres indeed a passage there, its likely a gigantic portal, the likes of which we have never seen before. The doors that have appeared in our world are like tiny nails used as a support to open the true door! Song Zining nodded. The question at hand is whether to charge at the central door or to capture the little demonkin door? Everyone at the scene, including Zhao Jundu, frowned in silence. The choice was so important that no one could come to a decision. Chapter 1299: Fated yet Not Destined Song Zining said after some thought, Its decided then! We rest one night and set out the next morning! At dawn the next day, the Imperial army moved out and advanced toward the demonkin door. Imperial Capital, the Pointer Monarchs study. The monarch lifted his weasel-hair brush and wrote down a powerful word, Yuan. Ji Tianqing was standing nearby. She muttered the word a couple of times, her heart filled with so many emotions that she didnt know what to say. The Pointer Monarch glanced at the word from different angles and said in great satisfaction, Ji Yuan. Not bad, right? A single word encompassing the laws of the entire world. Ji Tianqing sighed. She was clad in plain attire, and her body had returned to its former shape. The Pointer Monarch smiled while stroking his beard. Lil Yuan is a blessing. I used to be indignant before, but the moment I saw Lil Yuan, I understood that everything that happens in this world is fate. Ji Tianqing seemed a bit frustrated. Then theres no need to do anything, just sit around and wait for fate. Thats not true, either. Sometimes, you need to fight for your fate. Its yours if you fight for it, itll be someone elses if you dont. That explained nothing! The Pointer Monarch broke into a laugh. He said while shaking his head, Little brat, how come your temper worsened after getting a kid? You even dare criticize me now. Ji Tianqing said, So what? Its not like I wanted her! The Pointer Monarch stroked his beard. Then bring her to my place. Im getting old now, so I can look after her when I have nothing to do. That wont do! You see? Ji Tianqing said after a moment of hesitation, What do we do about that side? Which side? Ji Tianqing said through clenched jaws, What else? That about the new world. I heard Jundu and Zining are making great progress. The young sure are capable. This old man will just wait at the Imperial capital, ready to take on a couple of moves when the old monsters from the other side throw away their face and attack. Ji Tianqing stomped her feet. Not them! Who else if not them? the Pointer Monarch asked despite knowing full well who she was referring to. Ji Tianqings voice turned soft. Its about Qianye Ji Tianqing said hurriedly, Theyre useless! Thats not what Im talking about. The Pointer Monarch finally replied in a serious tone, Of course I know what youre talking about. Ive already read that letter, but why should our Ji family help him just because of that one letter? Sousa is a great dark monarch, how can Qianye repel him? He can choose to do things he isnt capable of. Speaking seriously, his expansion efforts are for his foundations. Hes not contributing to the Empire at all. Its his problem if he provokes characters he cant afford to. But he pushed back the werewolves of Moorland. Thats beneficial to the Empire, is it not? Among the four major races of Evernight, the werewolves are already on the decline. From what I know, they didnt even have a part in the opening of the new world. Thats why their operations in the new world dont affect the situation at all. Jundu and Zining are facing the demonkin, and its very likely that the old fellow from the Masefield family will act. Hes quite difficult to deal with, so I need to keep an eye on that side. Ji Tianqing sighed. I know youre angry because of that letter. The Pointer Monarch replied calmly, Ill be frank since youve brought the topic up. Your background, talents, ability, and looks, what about you isnt worthy of him? What happened in the Great Maelstrom is fate, let it be, but you two have Lil Yuan now. Even if he doesnt like you that much, shouldnt he think about the kid at least? Does he need to write such a stiff letter? And hes asking for help no less! Ji Tianqing said, You cant blame him, he only found out later. Do you not understand? His writing is so formal because he still has that Nighteye in his heart. I know, Ive always known. Ji Tianqings voice was fairly lighthearted. The Pointer Monarch snorted coldly. That Nighteye isnt simple at all. Her escape from that death trap was my first failure in a long time. Ji Tianqing trembled. What? Y-You went out to kill her!? That was a good opportunity, what a pity. This Ji Tianqing went pale. The Pointer Monarch said, The matter is of great importance. Nighteyes fate is closely related to the bigger picture, not something childrens romance can control. Ji Tianqings vision went dark for a moment. I understand. I take it youre not going to help Qianye, is that correct? The Pointer Monarch didnt comment. Ji Tianqing said, Then Ill go. The Pointer Monarch frowned. How will that help? Ji Tianqing replied, The Empire never treated Qianye well, but he has always kept the Empire in his heart! Now that he has encountered the Moorland werewolves, he would never sit by and let the enemy march into the new world unchallenged. Hell surely encounter Sousa sooner or later, theres no avoiding it! The Pointer Monarch replied, Then theres no helping it. I dont care about the grand scheme of things or whatnot. If youre not willing, I will go and help him. The Ji family is powerful enough, anyway, Lil Yuan will never be bullied. With that, Ji Tianqing turned around and left. She had just taken a single step, however, when her entire body went numb. Her origin power had been sealed, and she could no longer move. The Pointer Monarch summoned some maids, saying, Take care of her. She is not to leave the residence without my order. Seeing that the Pointer Monarch was angry, the maids didnt even dare breathe heavily as they carried Ji Tianqing away. When the study was empty, the Pointer Monarch glanced at the word he had written. This Nighteye must die. Lil Qing, you and that person are fated but not destined. The Imperial palace. Empress Li, who was reading a book in her room, stood up and summoned Eunuch Liu. I have the sudden urge to take a stroll outside. I wonder if you have the time to accompany me? I obey. Eunuch Liu never asked where they were headed. Empress Li and Eunuch Liu drove into a large estate in the city. Moments later, an unassuming vehicle left the estate from the rear gates and exited the city. Empress Li and Eunuch Liu had changed into casual attire, but the simplicity of the garments could hardly conceal the empress beauty. The car drove a great distance and arrived at an unremarkable courtyard. After getting off, the Empress said, What do you think of this place? Eunuch Liu opened his sleepy eyes and glanced around. Good, a fine place indeed. Theres nothing special about it, its just good. Empress Li sighed. Theres no helping it. Who knows how many eyes are on that child? We went through a great deal to find this place. Since thats the case, I think I should leave. Eunuch Liu is a pillar of the Empire, theres no need to hide this from you. Actually, I brought you here because I wanted you to take a look at the child and see what his future holds. Eunuch Liu said after some thought, I obey. The courtyard didnt seem very big at a glance, but it ran fairly deep inside. They had to pass through two courtyards to arrive at the rear garden. Here stood a warm chamber, and despite the marks of the passing seasons, one could feel a gush of gentle warmth after walking in. Empress Li and Eunuch Liu took off their cloaks and went up the stairs. They had just turned a corner when they heard the cry of an infant. There was a crib at the center of the room, and Li Kuanglan was rocking it gently. She was in womens attire at the moment, her every movement filled with grace and beauty. Those eyes of her were full of love as she gazed at the crying baby. It was a dry cough from Eunuch Liu that woke her up from her daze. Only then did she greet the two guests, Sis, Eunuch Liu, how come youre here? The baby is a hundred days old, so I wanted Eunuch Liu to assess him. Li Kuanglan made way, albeit with some hesitation. Eunuch Liu glanced at her. Dont worry, Young Master, I wont harm the young lord. Eunuch Liu addressed her as Young Master Kuanglan out of habit, prompting her to turn away with a blush. Empress Li picked up the baby and Eunuch Liu placed his right hand on the childs forehead, his eyes closed. Moments later, a wisp of green energy rose above Eunuch Liu. The old mans forehead was covered in sweat, and his pale hands were trembling. Empress Li couldnt help but clench her fists in anxiety. Li Kuanglan was trembling all over, unable to contain her nervousness. Eunuch Liu had assessed the young princes and princesses before, but he had only taken a moment for them. The process had never once taken that long, nor had it ever involved that much effort. The child broke out in a sudden loud cry, with a sound akin to roaring metal. Nine beams of light shot out from the infants body and filled the room with radiance. Eunuch Liu retracted his hand and said weakly, Ive succeeded. Empress Li was delighted. Please give us some pointers. Eunuch Liu spoke more than usual, The childs talents are one of the highest Ive ever seen. If I must compare, its on par with the twin paragons of the past generation, Jundu and Zining of the present. His origin nodes are all open from birth, so cultivation shall be incomparably smooth for him. But Empress Li became tense at this point. She tugged on Eunuch Lius sleeves, saying, But what? Eunuch Liu said, I fear he may lack tempering if things go too smoothly." We understand, thank you, Eunuch Liu. The old man said, I know a bit about the childs origins. If I may ask, Empress, you went to such great lengths for this child. What do you expect of him? Empress Li led Eunuch Liu to a seat, saying, By inviting you here, I also wanted to reveal some of my thoughts. Im just a woman, and its only natural that I have my motives. My wish is to see the Li family rise to the rank of a major clan before I die, and this child is the key. Chapter 1300: The Path to Promotion As the Empress of the Great Qin, I of course have to follow the ancestors teachings and adhere to the ancient ways. Eunuch Lius expression cleared up slightly. Youre indeed wise, far wiser than a man. Im full of admiration. This so-called ancient way was a rule laid down by the founding ancestorfight for land, accumulate contributions for a title, and expand gradually until the family was qualified for a promotion. This was the oldest and most traditional path. Ordinary high-ranking aristocratic families would need to collect vast amounts of military contributions in order to ascend to the major clan status. That was why the rise of each clan had always been paved with the corpses of countless dark race members. It was just that this method was too slow. Even if an aristocratic family did produce geniuses in every generation, they would need to work toward this objective for several generations over the span of centuries. During the Martial Ancestors resurgent reign, there was a court full of capable generals and hidden experts. Many people had racked up glorious accomplishments, yet their families couldnt become a major clan according to the old law. The Martial Ancestor thus adapted to the times and added more pathways for an aristocratic family to become a major clan. The nine major clans back then were highly qualified, and no one in the world wasn''t satisfied. The Empire fell into a moral decline after the Martial Emperors reign. The following Emperors sought grandiose deeds to leave their names in history, yet they did not possess the peerless might of the Martial Ancestor. Following the advice of people with untoward intentions, they set their sights on the major clan pathways. More and more ways were opened up until there were dozens of them at the peak. The number of clans also increased explosively. With so many major clans around, the status eventually lost its value. Many of the families did not have enough power to expand outward, so they could only rely on infighting to gain territory. Hence, the entire Imperial court fell into unspeakable turmoil. Fortunately, a wise Emperor finally appeared. He used force to bring the chaotic clans under control and forcefully reinstated the old laws, bringing the number of major clans down to five. These five were the truly worthy ones. After bringing the clans under control, the Great Qin Empire once again sorted out the means to becoming a major clan and ultimately left five pathways. Up until this day, the most debated clause was one that allowed a heavenly monarch to found a major clan. This clause had been invoked several times before, but the major clans were built on several decades of history, inheritance, and accumulations. These things couldnt be put together in a short while. It was common for the descendants to squander the familys resources once the heavenly monarch had passed. Additionally, the status of a major clan wasnt just about benefits and fame; it came with responsibilities as well. Just the defensive and wartime duties were enough to exhaust an entire familys wealth. Rumors of the Empires resurgence had been circulating for several years, but the actual movement had only just begun. Starting with the Song clans demotion, a fluctuation of major clans had just begun, and many aristocratic families were eyeing a promotion. Now that Empress Li had expressed her desire to take the ancient pathway, the Li family would have to claim vast amounts of military accomplishments in the upcoming war and contribute greatly to the Empire in the process. That was why Eunuch Liu was sighing in admiration. In truth, the Li familys status as a divination family was special. There were at least two other paths she couldve chosen, but the Empress had chosen the most difficult road, a display of great determination and bravery. Choosing this pathway was actually choosing the Empires benefit over her own. After the praise, Eunuch Liu said, Im full of admiration for your virtue and wisdom, please let me know if I can do anything to help. Empress Li said, Ive been thinking, and there is indeed something you can help with. Pray tell, Your Majesty. The childs father is currently pioneering the new world from Fort Continent. I heard he has run into the Moorland werewolves and that Overlord Sousa himself has appeared in the new world. What do you think we should do? Dealing with a great dark monarch is the duty of a heavenly monarch. This servant is too weak, I also do not dare overstep my bounds. Empress Li sighed. Eunuch Liu, to tell you the truth, this matter involves two different groups with differing opinions on how to treat the childs father. One side thinks that those of a different race will always have different intentions. Not only do they not intend to help, but they also want others to stay out of it. They want to borrow the Moorland werewolves hand to remove that person. But think about it, that child grew up in the Empire and is also Imperial Steward Lins adopted son. When has he ever done anything bad to the Empire? If he hadnt destroyed the two duke-grade airships during the void continent war and defended Whitetown with his life, we wouldnt have won that fight. Treating an outstanding subject in this manner is bitterly disappointing. Eunuch Liu said after a good while, Those of a different race will always have different intentions. These words were left behind by the founding ancestor, those are his teachings. Its most certainly not my place to comment on them after a thousand years. What that person is doing on Fort Continent does invite criticism, taking in so many werewolves proves his intention to split off and establish his own power. As I see it, we should just consider the present and see how we can help him out of his predicament with Sousa. Youre absolutely right, but Sousa is no ordinary person. How do we deal with him? Eunuch Liu said slowly, After some thought, the only heavenly monarchs the Empire can afford to mobilize are Prince Greensun and the elder prince. Empress Li laughed wryly. Its a bit awkward to place this matter on Prince Greensuns head. It looks like Ill need to run this errand on your behalf. Empress Li closed her eyes. What do you think will happen if we ignore the situation? No! Li Kuanglan blurted out. Empress Li glared at her. Its not your place to speak. Li Kuanglan didnt dare go against Empress Lis power. Eunuch Liu said, You already know the other groups plans, do you think we can still pull that person back to our side? Empress Li sighed. I do know their plans, thats why I sought you out. Even if we cant pull him back to our side, we have to make sure he doesnt get pushed to the other faction. If the elder prince wasnt among them, I really would start doubting their intentions. Eunuch Liu said, I have a plan, perhaps it can help. Please explain. Theres a treasure in the palace, a rifle crafted by the number one smith under the Martial Ancestors reign. Its name is Dragonspring. That smith harbored great aspirations. He was hoping to produce a Grand Magnum on his own, but the product ultimately failed. Unable to withstand the Martial Ancestors mighty origin power, Dragonspring was damaged in a great battle, only leaving the gun-body intact. I heard Qianye possesses a gun barrel called Heartgrave, a weapon comparable to a Grand Magnum. If he were given Dragonspring, I think the resultant weapon will come fairly close to a Grand Mangum. He might even be able to contest against Sousa for a while. Dragonspring? Ive never even heard of it. Your Majesty, you were devoted to the study of divination. The Imperial warehouse is full of miscellaneous items, and Dragonspring is little more than a piece of scrap metal. How could you have noticed it? Li Kuanglan was curious. Why didnt the Martial Emperor use the Mortal Emperor back then? The Mortal Emperors attack is widespread and lacks focus. Its not very helpful in a fight between monarchs. The Martial Emperor was a fierce character whose every attack would engulf the world with destruction. Mortal Emperor is too weak for him. That was why he gathered the best smiths in the world to forge him a Grand Magnum, and thats how Dragonspring came to be. Li Kuanglan finally understood. Empress Li still had some doubts. If its in that warehouse, I can get it out. But how do we send it over and how do we install it? It wasnt that easy to piece two different gun-parts together, especially weapons like Heartgrave and Dragonspring that were made by grandmaster craftsmen. Their power might decrease sharply if a different craftsman were to tinker with them. Eunuch Liu said, Dont worry, Your Majesty. Since I suggested this, Ill be sure to run the necessary errands. Empress Li stood up and bowed deeply, Thank you, Eunuch Liu. Fort Continent, Cerulean Wave City. Qianye returned to the dukes residence again and immediately summoned the generals. He wanted an intelligence update and to follow-up on the progress here. What Qianye didnt expect was that the aristocratic alliance had launched a fierce offensive and pushed over two hundred kilometers into the Flame Dukes territory. They had taken over several large cities and killed over two hundred thousand enemy troops. With the werewolf infantry taking on the hard work of melee combat, the aristocratic elites were able to make full use of their firepower and equipment advantage. They even installed air-to-ground cannons on cargo airships. The Flame Werewolves would lose half of their forces before even reaching the front lines. Before this fully-armed army, the Flame Werewolves were slaughtered before they could reveal their bravery. The heavy losses in open battles stoked the Flame Dukes wrath. Several times, he couldnt hold back and wanted to challenge the Storm Duke to a showdown. The latter hadnt recovered from his previous injuries, so there was no way he would fight it out with the enemy. Fortunately, William had delivered a set of valuable equipment from the Summit of Peaks. They included a short blade, a long sword, and a set of armor that could strengthen ones speed and defense. This gave the Storm Duke a great advantage in his fight against Flame. In the end, the latter never dared to go all out. The Flame Duke was now at his limits. Fighting a war on two fronts wasnt a wise decision at this point. On the other hand, Qianye ordered his army to build a fortress at the borders of the Storm Territory and garrison a large number of troops there. At the same time, he ordered the alliance army to withdraw from the enemy land and reorganize for war in the new world. The Storm Duke was also transferred away in secret. The aristocratic families were delighted by the order. Even though it was a pity to let go of the territory they had already captured, they could finally enter the new worlda land where there were gold and treasures everywhere. This meant that Qianye had finally accepted the aristocratic forces and would allow them to fight the most important battles. Qianye couldnt relax all this time. He knew he would have to face Sousa after heading back into the new world and see how powerful the Moorland Overlord was. Chapter 1301: Bright Pearl Covered in Dus Qianye was surprised. Youre quite smart. The resources you asked for are not for ordinary people. I gave it some thought and realized that Sousa is the only opponent you would need to use them on. Qianye asked, What advice do you have? What else? I want to stop you from going! Why? Song Hui looked into Qianyes eyes and said seriously, You cant win! Do you need a reason? Besides, youve done so much for the Empire all these years. And look at how they treat you? Why would you risk your life for the Empire? This is for myself. Is that even possible? Perhaps noticing that she was too harsh, Song Hui softened her tone. If you were really thinking about yourself, you wouldnt be facing Sousa at this point. Fighting a great dark monarch is a heavenly monarchs job. Theres no reason for them to stay their hand and let you die! The heavenly monarchs have important duties. They probably cant make it, Qianye replied. Song Hui scoffed. Its not that they cant make it, they just dont want to come at all! These people want to borrow Sousas hand to kill you. How long has it been since you sent that letter asking for help? If they wanted to come, even the Emperor would be here by now. Even I can see through their scheme, why cant you figure it out? Qianye said after a moment of silence, So what? I never hoped for too much. If I ignore the Moorland werewolves, their armies will pour into the new world undeterred. Itll be impossible to repel them by the time they capture a couple of forests and stabilize their footing. In this accursed place, who knows when theyll come into contact with the Empires rear lines? I have a lot of grievances against the Empire, but my siblings and brethren are still there. I dont want to leave a powerful enemy force on the battlefield just because of personal problems. But what about Nighteye? Isnt she in Evernight? Song Hui regretted saying this. She stomped her feet and said hatefully, Whatever, I dont care anymore! With that, she ran out without even looking at Qianye. Qianye only shook his head but didnt chase after her. Instead, he opened the window and said, Your Elderly Grace, how come you didnt notify us beforehand. I couldve sent someone to receive you. I cant stay for long, so why bother with the unnecessary formalities? The one standing outside the window was Eunuch Liu. His back was slightly bent, and like an old person, his steps were slow. He came to stand before Qianye almost as though he were standing on solid ground and not in the air. Eunuch Liu sized Qianye up from head to toe. The spirited glint in his eyes erupted in a flash of lightning that filled the room. All of a sudden, Qianye felt as though he had been seen through entirely, that there were no secrets left to hide. Reflexively, he soared into the air and used his luminous wings to protect himself and block Eunuch Lius vision. This was a momentary reaction. Qianye soon noticed that something wasnt quite right, but he didnt retract his wings, either. Eunuch Liu, what is your intention? The eunuch remained seated. The gleam in his eyes receded as he said, This old servant was tasked with helping you with something, and to do that, I need to understand your strength. Now that his suspicions had been cleared, Qianye retracted his wings and sat down once again. There was no change in his expression, but auric flame blood surged throughout his body. He was ready to attack at a moments notice. Eunuch Liu sighed as though he hadnt noticed anything. A peerless talent as expected! Sigh, our generation is indeed getting old. He glanced at Qianye. The Pointer Monarchs gun barrel, Heartgrave, is still with you, right? Back then, Song Zining had sent Heartgrave back to the Empire for assembly, and Zhao Jundu had also used it to slay the incoming sword-bearers in Whitetown. The weapon caused quite a commotion since then. Add to that the widespread fame of the Martyrs Palace, relevant people from all levels of society knew that Qianye had received the Pointer Monarchs inheritance. Qianye nodded and passed Heartgrave to Eunuch Liu. The old mans murky eyes lit up somewhat as he caressed the weapon that had gone beyond grade-nine. This gun barrel has a long story behind it. Who wouldve thought it would land in your hands after so many years. You have quite a long story yourself. Looking at you feels like looking at the elder prince when he was young. Qianye replied, How can I ever compare to the elder prince? Eunuch Liu scoffed. He didnt have your accomplishments when he was your age. Sigh, heroes must be born for the upcoming chaos. Your group is indeed much stronger than us old men. Qianye had yet to come up with a reply when Eunuch Liu twisted his hands. With a loud crack, the body of Heartgrave was twisted into pieces! Qianye was stunned as he looked at the falling components of the rifle. He didnt use Heartgrave that often, but it was still a top-grade weapon in his arsenal. It was even a level higher than East Peak. Eunuch Liu had destroyed it for some reason, but looking at his carefree expression, it didnt seem like he had evil intentions. Eunuch Liu brushed off the shattered components, leaving only the smooth gun barrel in his hands. Only then did he say in satisfaction, A bright pearl covered in dust, this is much better. He then produced a gun body, from which Qianye could feel deep pressure assaulting his senses. There was an inexplicable murderous will in the body, an intent that seemed to look down on all living beings. Just from the aura, it was obvious that this gun body was extraordinary. Eunuch Liu said, This gun is called Dragonspring, once wielded by the Martial Emperor himself. Despite the damage, it can still be considered one of the strongest weapons. You mean Dragonspring and Heartgrave make for a perfect match. But this gun has to be a priceless treasure. What price do I have to pay for it? Eunuch Liu said, You said it just now, your family and brethren are all in the Empire. The regard you have for the nation is sufficient compensation. But Ill need some materials in order to affix the two weapons. I heard you managed to get your hands on some stony metal from the holy tree lake, bring me some. Qianye retrieved a few pieces from Andruils space. The ones he had kept in hand were naturally of the best quality. They were more or less recovered from the six-armed generals throne. Eunuch Lius eyes lit up immediately upon seeing them. Priceless treasures! Truly priceless treasures! You can take these if you like them, Eunuch Liu. Qianye had a lot more of these rocks in Andruils space. The six-armed generals possessed gigantic bodies, so their thrones were naturally big as well. Eunuch Liu hesitated for a bit. I have some family members in the secular world. This ore possesses special qualities, perfect to forge them some familial weapons to pass down through the generations. I thank you for this gift, Sire Qianye. Qianye replied hurriedly, Theres no need, Eunuch Liu. Ill never forget how you saved my life back in the neutral lands, these material objects are far from enough to pay you back. Eunuch Liu sighed. Humans ultimately cant get rid of worries and attachments. It just gets worse as one grows old. I had never thought much about my family when I was following the previous Emperor into battle everywhere. Now that Im old, I feel a bit ashamed of my negligence. I dont have much hope for them, but its enough if they can hold onto their position as a low-ranking aristocratic family. The topic reminded Qianye of a certain matter. Eunuch Liu, my adoptive father had never mentioned anything about his family when he was alive. How are they doing now that hes gone? The Lin is a military aristocratic family, but they have always occupied a low-ranking status. They rose higher after producing a genius like Xitang. Even though the marshal never sought any benefits for his family, other people would always treat them favorably on his account. But Xitang left too early, before the family could gain a steady foothold. As I see it, theyll be demoted to a mid-rank in less than three years. What are they lacking? Territory or contributions? Xitangs contributions keep them afloat. That wont be enough in the end, but people wont talk about it for at least a decade. Xitang was the Emperors teacher, and His Majesty treats him with the utmost respect. He most certainly will not stand by and watch as the Lin family declines. But some people have found various reasons to freeze the lands that shouldve been granted to him when he received the duke-title. Currently, the Lin family is sporting the title of a high-ranking aristocratic family, but their foundations are no different from when they started out. Eunuch Liu said emotionally, The previous Emperor granted Xitang the marquis title too early. In order to appease the masses, he never gave him the corresponding land. He mustve felt that it was just a matter of time considering all the contributions Xitang was making. Later on, things became difficult in the Imperial court. Xitang never fought for his rights, either. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes. Whos so bold as to do this? Shall I go and reason with them? Eunuch Liu glanced at Qianye. Youre already quite aggressive at such a young age, but theres really not much you can do with your current abilities. Even I might not be your opponent after a couple of years, but youre no longer a citizen of the Empire. To be precise, youre not even a human. It wont be appropriate for you to go knocking on their doors to reason with them. Additionally, those people have a good reason to take over the land. What reason? There are four territories promised to the Lin family, two on the Western Continent and two on Transcendent. The latter lands arent big, but they are certainly quite bountiful and fertile. But the continent was overrun by the invading beasts, and even now, there are still pockets of beast activity that hadnt been cleared away. Every family on Transcendent has to take responsibility for losing land. The Lin familys lands there were ravaged beyond recognition. As for the Western Continent, their territories are located at the borders and would have to face the attack of the dark races. No one in the Lin family is willing to go there and take up this responsibility. Hence, theres no way to access those lands. Qianye was stunned. No one is willing? Eunuch Liu looked up at Qianye. Of course. Not everyone graduated from Yellow Springs, not everyone is used to killing and fighting since a young age. To most people, the best life involves peaceful days and not making the family worry about them. Fighting at the borders could get you killed any day. Qianye pondered for a while. If the Lin familys descendants arent willing to go to the Western Continent, I can help them guard the lands there. Eunuch Liu shook his head. You can help them for a while but not forever. Qianye frowned as he had no good response. If it was just as Eunuch Liu had said, the Lin family neither possessed the land nor resources that were fitting of the title, and the family had not produced any talented youths. It would seem the Lin familyrather than their willingnessdid not have the power to guard their territory. This wasnt a problem a couple of experts could solve. It was just like the Highland Song Clanthere were no capable people in two generations, which ended up in a great collapse in the third. Even a genius like Song Zining didnt have much sway over the overall situation. Chapter 1302: The Rise of a Magnum After explaining repeatedly that it was fine, Qianye arranged an entire floor for Eunuch Liu to work. He also announced that no one was to disturb the old man. The eunuch put down his backpack and produced one part after the other until an incredibly intricate workstation had been assembled. Then, he fished out several packages, each containing dozens of different-sized tools. Just the sight of his equipment proved how extraordinary the eunuchs skills were. Eunuch Liu said, Modifying these two weapons is no easy feat. Fortunately, this old man brought enough materials for the procedure. Three days should be enough. Out of caution, I would ask you not to travel very far. Ill call for you immediately if I need help. Qianye replied, Ill certainly comply. The eunuch spoke no more as he picked up an unknown piece of metal. Cutting off a finger-sized piece, he began refining it with origin power in a small furnace the size of a teapot. The furnace spat out green flames as the metal slowly melted down. After about a quarter of an hour, Eunuch Liu added a couple more materials into the furnace. Minuscule grains of each item were used, but he would count them with the utmost care. There was even one time when he divided a single grain into three parts. After yet another quarter of an hour, Eunuch Liu poured the contents of the furnace into a mold. Without waiting for it to cool down entirely, Eunuch fished out a ring-like object from it and began carving it by hand. Qianyes eyes lit up as the old mans blade sank in. Qianyes combat techniques at present had reached an outstanding level. Some of his sword stances had begun to touch on the highest standards and could easily be added to the ranks of a high-ranking aristocratic familys core inheritance. But after seeing Eunuch Lius knife work, he couldnt help but sigh in admiration. That single move resembled nature itself, the muscles in his body were all in motion and individually regulated. The force exerted was just the perfect amount, and not the slightest bit of origin power was released. He had actually used physical power to perform this movement. There were harsh requirements on environmental factors during this forging process. Some of the materials wouldve been tainted if he had used origin power. This was common knowledge among high-end craftsmen, but Qianye had only heard a little bit about it. Despite not using origin power, the force involved in the cut was extremely powerful. The burst of might was enough to cut through Qianyes bones, bones that had been refined by his blood energy. Qianye had thought that he was fairly close to the peak of martial techniques, but after seeing Eunuch Liu in action, he realized that he was a frog in a well. Just a rough comparison told him that there were hundreds of areas where he needed to improve. Realizing that this was actually a good opportunity to learn, he retracted his aura and activated Bloodline Concealment. This produced the best environment for the eunuch to work and for him to observe. The moment Qianyes aura vanished, Eunuch Lius aura also fluctuated ever so slightly. He was apparently shaken inside, but he immediately composed himself and focused on the work at hand. Eunuch Liu meticulously completed each step, almost like a student performing in front of an examiner. Qianye watched quietly until a pinion finally appeared in Eunuch Lius hand. If he hadnt seen the process personally, Qianye wouldnt have thought that making a pinion would involve so much effort. Considering Eunuch Lius eyesight and methods, it would be all too easy to produce such a component. Qianye couldnt understand why the old man would go to such lengths. Eunuch Liu observed the pinion again and again until he was satisfied. Then, as though he understood Qianyes thoughts, he said, Combining two supreme treasures like Heartgrave and Dragonspring is beyond difficult. This old man wishes to take it a step further. Not only do I want them to retain their power, but I also want to make the weapon slightly stronger. That means each component has to be absolutely perfect without the slightest of deviations. Thats why I have to devote all of my attention to it. The materials Ive brought are also extremely rare, only one grade below the stony metal. I cant be responsible for any waste, no matter how small. There was no reason for Eunuch Liu to lie. This was just one component; he would require several dozen times the amount of materials to complete the entire modification. Considering the wastage in the process, Eunuch Liu actually didnt gain much from Qianye, nor did he talk about extra remuneration. Just the crafting fees of a grandmaster alone was a sky-high price. Taking into account the old eunuchs miraculous skills, there was no way his fees would be cheap. Qianye felt bad about it, so he took out more stony metal from his storage, but Eunuch Liu wouldnt accept them. In the end, he said that the ones he had accepted were sufficient to produce a set of armor, a blade, and an origin gun. These would end up as grade-eight armaments. That level of gear wasnt enough to attract the attention of top-experts, so his descendants wouldnt need to sleep atop their family treasures out of worry. Eunuch Liu felt that this was the best standard. The good thing about this material was thatin addition to being a top-grade materialthere would be a mysterious connection between components made of the same piece. The bigger the original volume, the stronger the connection. Naturally, a top-grade smith like Eunuch Liu would maximize this effect and produce a set of armaments that could resonate with one another and greatly increase ones might. The pieces of stony metal Qianye had taken out were from the six-armed generals thrones. They were probably unmatched in terms of size. This process seemed like the crafting of individual components, but Eunuch Lius every movement was a display of his supreme martial prowess. Qianye managed to learn a lot just from observation. The martial path would grow more difficult as one progressed. It was extremely difficult to take another step forward at Qianyes realm. Many powerful experts from each generation remained stuck at this point, making no more progress in life. Qianyes status was different, so it was only natural that he had heard some news from the aristocratic scions. I heard from the aristocratic families that Eunuch Liu is a hidden expert, the number one character below the heavenly monarch realm. After seeing you in action, I must say that your fame is indeed justified! He was offering heartfelt praise, but who wouldve thought Eunuch Liu would glare at him with a stern expression. Those ignorant brats know nothing about the world, so its fine to let them say what they want. Its not right for you to follow whatever people say. Qianye noticed something wrong with the old mans tone, so he immediately sought an explanation, Please give me guidance! Eunuch Liu nodded after seeing Qianyes sincerity. You were rarely in the Empire. Although Xitang is your adoptive father, he probably never had time to teach you anything. The most he could do was arrange some hidden assets and contacts to help you. As for Duke Chengen, lets not talk about him. His talents are so good that he still lacks tempering despite being on the battlefield all the time. His standards are on par with you at best, so theres nothing he can teach you. The corners of Eunuch Lius eyes curved slightly at the mention of Zhao Weihuang; it was as though he wanted to smile. Qianye had heard that Duke Chengens recent popularity was mostly because of him. It was just that Qianye could only keep the awkward topic to himself. The duke was someone who valued face above all else. He never announced it, but he had helped out Qianye a lot in secret. The resources from Zhao Jundus residence alone couldnt account for the Zhao clans support for him. Eunuch Liu let out a dry cough after noticing his change in composure. Im getting old and none of my descendants are capable enough. These arts will probably be lost in time. I see that you have a good level of comprehension. Why not follow me during these three days and get a basic understanding of weapon crafting techniques. Learn whatever you can comprehend during this time. He said it was the art of weapon crafting when, in fact, he was imparting the martial path. Qianye would be able to learn most of his teachings during these three days, and the remainder would be up to him to comprehend in battle. Understanding that this was a rare opportunity, Qianye let go of all random thoughts and focused on Eunuch Lius movements. Eunuch Liu produced an unknown rock and carved into it, peeling off a layer so thin that it was almost translucent. Qianye observed and analyzed the movements to the point of forgetting himself. Three days went by in a flash. Only when Eunuch Liu poured his explosive origin power into the gun did Qianye wake up from the state of concentration. The work had been completed. Eunuch Lius aura had weakened significantly, and it seemed as though there were more lines on his forehead. The luster in his white hair had also receded somewhat. His eyes were full of love as he gazed at the long origin gun in his hand, almost as though he were looking at his child. One could immediately tell that he was somewhat reluctant to let it leave his hands. Qianye understood that Eunuch Liu had actually injured his foundations in order to forge this weapon. He could only sigh in secret. The eunuch put down the gun after a good while. Back in the year when Dragonspring was completed, the entire Empire was in jubilation. They had thought that a new Grand Magnum had been born after a thousand years. With Dragonspring, the Martial Ancestor would be able to rampage through the world with his peerless might. However, the Martial Ancestor ended up fighting against three great dark monarchs in an unprecedented battle. Dragonspring failed to withstand the Martial Emperors power and broke down at the critical moment. The emperor had no choice but to flee, and the Evernight faction once again gained the upper hand ever since. Qianye said, The Martial Emperor faced three great dark monarchs on his own, wounding two of them and escaping unscathed. What an unimaginable feat! Eunuch Liu spoke slowly, It wasnt just the emperor who had to fight against three opponents, it was the same for Dragonspring. The three great dark monarchs were wielding Shattered Moment, Sable Blessing, and Soulrender respectively. Soulrender? You must be cautious of Soulrender, it is an old enemy of this gun. Eunuch Liu passed the gun to Qianye, continuing before the latter could observe the weapon in detail, Do you know why Dragonspring was damaged? Chapter 1303: Dragonsgrave According to the eunuch, Dragonspring had faced off against three enemies. If it could hold its ground under such circumstances, the weapons title wouldnt just stop at being a magnumit would probably sit among the top three. Although the gun was ultimately destroyed, the guns body and bolt remained intact, while the origin array on it had only suffered some damage. Whatever parts remained could have been easily used for a rare supreme treasure. Qianye found it unbelievable that a gun part that had only existed in the legends would land in his hands. There was no need to think too hard to know that the Imperial familys shadows were behind this matter. However, Qianye wasnt about to refuse such a gift since he was currently pioneering land in a chaotic world. Since Dragonspring and Heartgrave had been combined, Qianye had to know all of its strengths and weaknesses. He wouldnt even have tears to cry if this weapon were to be destroyed again in his hands. Eunuch Liu seemed to have sunk into old memories, waking up only after a good while. The state teacher who crafted Dragonspring was a peerless talent in divination arts, but his strength was somewhat limited. He barely managed to break through to the divine champion realm and had no future prospects. Dragonspring used up several treasures from the Imperial treasury, one of which the Founding Ancestor obtained from the depths of the Great Maelstrom. This component required extremely powerful origin power to temper. The state teacher did his utmost, but it was still not enougha tiny blemish remained in the material. Even the craftsman himself had no idea about this imperfection, let alone an outsider. Yet even the tiniest flaws became a trap in a battle of that scale, so much so that Dragonspring finally broke apart. They only found out about this after studying the damaged parts after the battle. The state teacher, who was already in a weak state from crafting Dragonspring, succumbed to the remorse soon afterward. Before his passing, the man contributed his entire lifes savings to the Empire in exchange for a powerful cultivation art. With the state teacher dead and his family and properties scattered, outsiders didnt find it in them to blame him. Qianye couldnt help but sigh. How many guns can even contend against three Grand Magnums in the hands of the Martial Emperor? After lamenting the story, Qianye asked, Even though the gun is gone, the remaining body is still a supreme treasure. The Empire has no shortage of geniuses, so repairing the weapon shouldnt be a problem. Why give it to me so easily? Eunuch, please explain. The Martial Ancestor passed away less than ten years after that battle, he wasnt even old at that time. How could someone of his cultivation leave so early? Most of the civil and military ministers guessed that the ancestor mustve sustained some hidden injury that reduced his lifespan. Since then, Dragonspring was considered a weapon of calamity and left in a corner of the treasury. Qianye sighed softly. How can that be? Eunuch Liu nodded slightly. The second reason is that Dragonsprings foundations and gun-body were still intact. Repairing it would require a divine champion with skills comparable to the state teacher. These two requirements make the endeavor quite difficult. Qianyes eyes lit up. Then you Eunuch Liu sighed. The state teacher back then is my ancestor. He abandoned his wealth and life in exchange for a powerful cultivation art that his descendants could use to pave a path forward. I followed the previous Emperor since he was just a prince, fighting everywhere around the Empire. Later on, when he ascended the throne, I simply joined the palace to protect his descendants. Although there were other reasons as well, this can be considered me doing what I can to compensate for my ancestors failure. The state teachers merits were much greater than his mistakes, no? Eunuch Liu shook his head. The ancestor admitted that he had felt something was off back then, but he had hoped the worst wouldnt come to be. Who wouldve thought that the unthinkable would indeed happen at the most critical juncture? This shows that the ancestor made a mistake, a big one at that. If such an accident hadnt occurred, the Martial Ancestor wouldnt have been injured. It wouldnt have been this serious even if he were. These are just guesses, theres no way to prove anything. Eunuch Liu laughed out loud. True it seems I still cant let go of what happened with the ancestor back then. Whats the use of thinking about those things when Im one foot in the grave? Try out the gun and see if its a good fit. Qianye was barely holding back, to begin with. He was delighted after obtaining permission to test-fire the new weapon. He had just poured in his origin power when an attractive force appeared from the gun, drawing on his Venus Dawn origin power and blood energy at the same time. Shocked out of his wits, Qianyes hands trembled ever so slightly as he made ready to cut off the connection. It was at this time that a dark golden glow emerged on the guns body. Although it was extremely faint, Qianye of course recognized that it was born of his dark golden blood energy. Calming down somewhat, he allowed the origin gun to freely absorb his origin power and blood energy. Using Heartgrave alone placed a great deal of strain on him, but things were much easier now that the gun was using both sources of energy. The glow on the rifle faded, and it suddenly died out after it was one-third full. Yet, the dim and silent weapon sent a chill down Qianyes spine. No ordinary situation could give Qianye a sense of serious danger. And why was this gun able to absorb his dark golden blood energy? Seeing Qianye glance at him, Eunuch Liu said with a smile, Although it goes against common sense, I noticed that you possess both daybreak and evernight powers. Since this weapon is yours to use, it has to suit the actual circumstances to maximize its power. Thats why I modified it a bit. This is simply brilliant! Qianye offered his heartfelt praise. The highest grade weapons of Daybreak and Evernight werent usable by the opposing attribute. The main reason lay in the origin array. Weaponsmiths would surely have to study all kinds of arrays, but then again, knowledge and application involved very different levels of difficulty. Eunuch Liu pointed at the gun. A bullet has formed in the gun, and it can hold two at most. The bullet will possess different properties depending on the ratio of origin power and blood energy you pour into the gun. In general, blood energy will increase the penetration power while daybreak origin power will increase its damage. Youll need to figure out the details by yourself. Oh, right it has no name yet. Think of one. Qianye said respectfully, This gun is your masterpiece, so you should be the one to name it. Dragonspring was crafted by my ancestor, and Heartgrave was the fruit of the Pointer Monarchs painstaking efforts. I merely combined the two, so how can it be considered my masterpiece? Eunuch Liu was being humble. Fitting the two parts together perfectly and modifying them to accommodate different energy attributes required nothing short of supreme craftsmanship. He wasnt too far off from the state teacher back then. After Qianye refused several times, Eunuch Liu said, This old man is far from creative. The guns body is Dragonspring and the barrel is Heartgrave, so lets call it Dragonsgrave. Hows that? Qianye said repeatedly, Good, good! He was greatly satisfied with this extremely powerful and long-ranged sniper rifle. It could also hold two bullets, greatly increasing its burst firepower. Just in terms of firepower, it wasnt that far off from a Grand Magnum. The only thing it lacked was the miraculous special powers typical of these supreme weapons. Qianye caressed Dragonsgrave to get a feel of it. I love simple and fierce weapons like this! Eunuch Liu shook his head with a laugh. Seriously Since Dragonsgrave has been assembled successfully, you should find a place to try it out. Where should we try it out? Qianye was surprised. Eunuch Liu stroked his chin and said wisely, The best place to test the gun is the new world. No ordinary opponent will suffice as a test subject for Dragonsgrave. Why not just try it out on Sousa? Sousa? Qianye was startled. Despite owning Dragonsgrave, he still didnt have the confidence to face a great dark monarch. He was already having a hard time hiding from the werewolf monarch, but now, he was supposed to go and knock on the enemys doors? Wasnt that somewhat inappropriate? It would be rather troublesome if Qianye really angered the werewolf overlord to the point where he would ignore the dangers and give chase to the end. Eunuch Liu said, Of course, its Sousa. Who else is there? But rest assured, since Im the one who made Dragonsgrave, Ill be around when you try it out. It just so happened that Ive never been in your famous Martyrs Palace. Ill take this opportunity to stay there for a couple of days. Youre most welcome! Qianye said sincerely. That afternoon, a fully-resupplied Martyrs Palace took to the air. Its tremendous frame passed through the door and once again entered the new world. Once inside, the palace made straight for the Moorland werewolves door. After a day and night of flight, they finally arrived near their destination. The vague outline of a forest appeared in front. Qianye remembered that this was a forest with two holy trees, and a couple of hundred meters ahead was the door leading to Moorland. Qianye had some reservations at this point. They were heading into the werewolf stronghold, where Sousa had the greatest degree of freedom to move. He might even be able to go all-out. It was at this time that Qianyes eyes lit up. He saw a werewolf base under construction outside of the distant forest. This base was fairly mediocre in terms of features and scaleit was even inferior to Qianyes forward base outside of the forest with three holy trees. Eunuch Liu, look, theres a werewolf base over there. We might be able to lure Sousa out if we attack it first. What do you think? Eunuch Liu narrowed his eyes. That might work. As expected, werewolves never think too far ahead. An entire continents worth of resources, and yet their base still cant compare to yours. Qianye laughed. I dealt him a heavy blow a while back. Not only did I destroy most of his fortress but also plundered his resources and equipment. I think he lost most of his stock to me. Eunuch Liu nodded. If thats the case, you should be more careful. Sousa might appear faster than you think. Got it. Qianye drove the Martyrs Palace toward the werewolf base. Landsinker rumbled from a great distance, firing a gigantic ballista bolt toward the werewolf fortress. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic fireball slowly curled up from the base as the newly-erected kinetic tower collapsed with a boom. Chapter 1304: Test Fire It wasnt easy to tell which direction the attacks were coming from at this point. Only when the entire fortress was drowned out by the shadow of the Martyrs Palace did they notice the massive frame of the airship. Amidst the confusion, a dense volley of origin bullets flew toward the Martyrs Palace. Even though the werewolves had strengthened their anti-air firepower, their main target was still the beast armymost of their arsenal was made up of small, rapid-fire weapons. Besides, not many fortress weapons could pose a threat to the dragonship, even back in the Evernight World. The rapid-fire guns on the ground couldnt even cut through the origin power barrier around the Martyrs Palace. Only the large-caliber cannons would get through from time to time, but the damage would be soaked up by the thick armor plates. The hundreds of side-cannons rumbled as the Martyrs Palace turned about, drowning this small werewolf fortress in a sea of fire. Qianye frowned because the fight was going too quickly. At this rate, the battle would be over within half an hour. What if Sousa didnt appear after they were done? Moreover, the cannons were using up terrifying amounts of ammunition, and all of that cost money. Even Qianye, with his current wealth, couldnt support such frenzied bombardments over the long term. Soon after ordering the cannoneers to slow down their fire, Qianye sensed a terrifying aura far off from the distance. Sousas furious roar echoed through the sky. How dare you?! The werewolf overlord was still a great distance away when his aura erupted, but he approached at stunning speeds. He almost seemed to cross thousands of kilometers in a flash as he arrived at the battlefield. With such terrifying speed, it would take him less than a day to travel between continents. It was obvious that Sousa was beyond angry and had very likely utilized his full potential. A storm kicked up around the base in the blink of an eye. Even that perpetual sun in the sky dimmed down as an all-present aura swept through the area. Sousas thunderous roar even knocked the werewolf experts to the ground. Qianye! Do you think you can escape this time? Qianye did not reply. He stood atop the Martyrs Palace with Dragonsgrave in hand and aimed at the distant figure. The recoil from the shot pushed the gun back and even caused the Martyrs Palace to tremble slightly. An origin bullet left the muzzle in utter silence and flew toward Sousa. He hadnt even finished speaking when he felt an intense heat in his hand, then countless beams of light erupted. As though he were holding a sun in his hand, Sousa felt an intense scorching heat burning the skin. The overlords expression changed drastically. He let out a loud cry as a torrent of dark green origin power exploded from his body. He tightened the grip on his left hand in an attempt to crush the explosion by force. The light and flame were immediately suppressed by the dark green energy, but the scene didnt make Sousa happier. On the contrary, a dark shadow drifted over his expression. In the midst of suppressing the intense flames, Sousa let out a sudden muffled groan and looked down at this abdomen. There was a small hole in his hunters attire with green blood flowing out from it. The werewolf overlord looked up at Qianye. You actually have a second shot left! I have a third, too. The gun was shrouded in a dark golden glow as Qianye aimed at Sousas forehead. The werewolf stared at Dragongraves muzzle with narrowed eyes, not daring to be careless. It was at this moment that a sudden change occurreda faintly discernible silhouette shot out from the side and brushed past Sousas body. The great dark monarch staggered back with a groan. Without even looking back, he roared furiously, Liu Daoji, its you again! Eunuch Liu appeared over a hundred meters away, smiling. I havent used this name in a good while. Im flattered that you still remember me, Mister Sousa. Sousa said through clenched teeth, You humans are always so shameless and despicable, seeking victory in numbers! Eunuch Liu wasnt angry. He said with a laugh, Were just small, insignificant characters. How can we play with you if we dont come in numbers? Sousa said coldly, What are you doing here instead of looking after those hateful brats? The eunuch said, Im growing old, so I wanted to take this time to move around and see the world. I heard the scenery here is quite good, so here I am. You speak as though youre on a picnic! Sousa said coldly. How did you know Im on holiday? Eunuch Liu replied. Sousa snorted. Im in no mood to joke around with you! Eunuch Liu said, Youve been talking for so long, arent you worried? Sousas expression shifted. Whats there for me to worry about? You guys? Eunuch Liu only pointed to the ground. Sousas expression turned ashen. How did you know?! Its only natural that we have eyes and ears in the Evernight Faction. I do wonder why youre so surprised about something even humans know. Eunuch Lius words revealed certain things, but Sousa only snorted without replying. He shot a glance at Dragonsgrave and said, Good gun. Thank you for the praise. This forest is yours now, I wish you the best in holding it. Then, with a wave of his hand, a strong gale extinguished the flames below. All of the surviving werewolves were swept up and placed outside of the fortress. These werewolves realized that Sousa was in a state of fury, so they simply left without even bothering to gather their things. Only when Sousas figure disappeared did Eunuch Liu return to Qianyes side. He broke into a coughing fit with foamy blood seeping out of the corners of his mouth. Qianye was surprised. Are you okay? Eunuch Liu waved his hand. Its no big deal. Going within melee range of a great dark monarch involves a price, but he isnt having a good time, either. In the end, the only wound he might find troublesome is the one from your Dragonsgrave. Looks like this gun is even more powerful than I expected. How you use it in the future will be up to you. Please rest assured, Ill use it well. Eunuch Liu shook his head. Say, do you think this Dragonsgrave will become a calamity for the human race? It will not as long as it remains in my hand! Eunuch Liu said, Im getting old and frequently thinking about useless things. When youre done with things, visit the Duke Chengen residence for a while. It wont be too convenient, will it? I know Gaoyi very well. She has let go of the past entirely, why else would she help you so many times in secret? Qianye said after a while, Very well. Eunuch Liu pointed at the forest below. What do you plan to do with this forest? This place is too close to the Moorland base. Sousa can rush over in mere moments and he can stay a good while, too. We wont be able to hold onto this place, but we cant leave the resources for him, either. We cant just cut down the holy trees The holy trees were a core resource of the new world. The Imperial researchers knew too little about them at this point, but just the ability to produce tree sap and stony metal made them priceless. Qianye could already sense a formless connection with this holy forest. If he were to cut down the holy trees here, he would become a common enemy of all holy trees. He had no wish to experience rejection on the conscious plane again. The holy trees were important existences that were on a totally different level from humans. Qianye had the sudden idea to move the trees away since he could neither cut down nor leave the trees. He immediately put his thoughts into action. There were too many soldiers in the Martyrs Palace, so there was no lack of manual labor. The dragonship slowly landed beside the abandoned werewolf fortress and opened its doors, pouring out tens of thousands of soldiers from within. Some of the troops split off to clean up the werewolf fortress and plundered the abandoned resources. The elites and experts followed Qianye and Eunuch Liu into the forest. The two holy trees at the center of the forest were in bad shape, and many of their branches had been cut off. It was easy to see that Sousa wanted to study the trees, but there was little to expect considering how the ancestral faction liked to work. The holy trees were sentient. Sensing the aura of the other holy trees on Qianye when he placed a hand on them, they gradually calmed down. Qianye summoned all of the experts under his command to dig out the two holy trees, along with the pond below. These things were extremely heavy, but Qianye himself was extremely strong and Eunuch Lius cultivation was unfathomable. With the duo guiding the move and everyone else working in unison, the two holy trees were finally moved into the Martyrs Palace. With the holy trees gone, the entire forest was filled with the scent of death and decay. The life activities of all the ancient trees came to a sudden halt, and even the wind stopped blowing. The wood in the forest was a high-quality resource, perfect for building warships as a replacement for alloy plates. Qianye ordered the soldiers aboard the Martyrs Palace to chop down these ancient trees. The elite werewolf soldiers sported great strength and endurance. With tens of thousands of them working together, most of the good lumber in the forest had been extracted in just half a day. Qianye knew that he couldnt remain here for long, so he ordered the soldiers to return after accumulating a sizable batch of lumber. The Martyrs Palace then took to the air and drifted away. Far off in the distance, there was a pair of eyes on the Martyrs Palace this whole time. It even tried to tail the departing airship, but the dragonship soon sped up and left the eyes behind. Back in Moorland, Sousa was seated on his throne with his eyes closed. An elderly werewolf shaman arrived hurriedly. Your Majesty, I wasnt capable enough to follow the Martyrs Palace. I did confirm their direction, however. Sousa said without opening his eyes, The Ancestral Eye wont be able to keep up with an airship of that grade. You did your best, you can rest now. Your Majesty, their direction is Sousa waved his hand impatiently. Its not important. Do you think theyll head straight back to their stronghold? The old shaman wanted to say that Qianye never discovered the Ancestral Eye, but he didnt dare speak more when Sousa clearly wasnt interested. The overlord stood up and headed to the rear of the hall, a storm brewing on his face. ... At this moment, Qianye was asking Eunuch Liu, What exactly is the new world hiding that even a great dark monarch has to fear? Chapter 1305: Accidental Blessing Eunuch Lius answer was clean and precise, but Qianye couldnt make heads or tails of it. Why would a great dark monarchone who could suppress an entire continentfear something so intangible as malice? This malice had to have a source, right? Experts with a sharp perception would indeed sense certain things beyond the five senses, but if that was the extent of it, Eunuch Liu wouldve mentioned the source of this threat. When Qianye inquired further, Eunuch Liu replied with a question, Youve been pioneering new land here for a while, did you not sense the malice? Qianye thought back carefully and recalled that he did feel restless and uncomfortable in the beginning. The human body would also react to stress under adverse environments, so he couldnt say for sure if it was due to malicious intent. Eunuch Liu said, Speaking of which, this is actually a good thing for us humans. Theres an extremely powerful malicious intent targeting top experts here in the new world. According to the pieces of intelligence we obtained from the Evernight side, we can be sure that the malice is much stronger against the great dark monarchs of Evernight than toward the heavenly monarchs of the Empire. I dont know why that is the case, either. Then what exactly is that malice? The elder prince has already experienced the new world for himself. Upon his return, he said there is indeed a strong malicious intent here. There seemed to be something hiding in the new world, watching every person from the shadows. Even someone with cultivation as profound as the Pointer Monarch might not be this entitys match, let alone other people. Other heavenly monarchs have also gone in to explore the new world, but fortunately, this malice never took action. It only watched from the sidelines even when the Profundity Monarch took down the forest with four holy trees. Is it close by or in the void? Theres no way to judge its location. No one knows where its hiding, and thats what makes it all the more terrifying. Thats why both heavenly monarchs and the great dark monarchs have to be on guard at all times. I wouldnt have succeeded so easily just now if Sousa hadnt been distracted. Qianye understood what had happened. Even Sousa might lose to Eunuch Liu if he couldnt concentrate on the fight. Since the malicious intent was much stronger toward the Evernight experts, the great dark monarchs would have to be more cautious. They would be either heavily injured or killed if a heavenly monarch from the Empire were to launch a successful surprise attack. Qianye hadnt really sensed this malice Eunuch Liu was speaking about. He could only laugh at himself for being so weak that this entity wouldnt even take notice of him. Qianye went back into the new world without further delay and continued attacking new territories. He paid more attention to this so-called malicious intent but couldnt sense anything at all. On the contrary, invisible energy descended upon him from the void as he returned to the new world. Qianye felt his body grow lighter and almost as though his origin power had grown more active. The strange origin power in the environment that used to be difficult to control began to accumulate around him to express their acceptance and delight. It was almost as though they were alive. The sudden change startled Qianye. He had spread out his perception to try and sense the malice of the new world, not expecting to receive a friendly will in return. This was so far off from his expectations that he found the situation rather difficult to accept. He hadnt imagined that there would be such a stark contrast before his departure and after his return. There had to be a reason behind this, but what was it? Qianye ordered the Martyrs Palace to hover in the air and stop its advancement. He wanted to be cautious before the reason was clear. Sousas vigilance set off alarm bells in Qianyes mind. Even a great dark monarch had accepted his loss, albeit a minor one, against an enemy who wasnt a heavenly monarch. Apparently, he was more afraid of this malicious intent than he was of losing face. Considering the size of the new world, the hidden entity here was likely even more powerful than the mysterious entity at the bottom of the Eastern Sea. It might even be stronger than void colossi like Sky Demon. It was best to be cautious against such a monstrosity. He couldnt drop his guard just because of the friendly will. Qianye simply sat down and thought back to everything that had happened, trying to find anything that was out of the ordinary. A sudden idea came into his mind. Could it be the two holy trees on the Martyrs Palace? Qianye immediately went back into the airship and to where the trees were stored. The holy trees had been placed in the biggest storage area on the airship. Even though each of them was dozens of meters tall, the Martyrs Place could still accommodate them quite readily. This area hadnt been partitioned into cabins and only walled off from the outside, so it was just the right place for the trees. Qianye was startled when he walked into the chamber. The leaves and branches on the two holy trees were flourishing. The protective soil around the roots had spread out on the floor, and the lake of holy tree sap was nowhere to be seen. The roots of the holy tree were stretching out in all directions, almost as though the trees were planning to take root on the Martyrs Palace. Qianye came to the trees and noticed something different about them. He knelt down and dug out some of the soil, only to find the holy-tree roots piercing deep into the Earth Dragons muscles. Qianye felt his chest tighten. The holy trees were alive, but the Earth Dragon was only a lingering consciousness. The gains would never make up for the losses if he were to ruin the dragonship just to transport two holy trees. He communicated with the Earth Dragons consciousness and sensed waves of joy. Qianye soon discovered that the airship had already taken control of the two holy trees and was absorbing the new worlds origin power through them. The trees were also happy and willing to start a new symbiotic life. This was an outcome Qianye hadnt ever expected. If one were to consider the dragonship a living creature, these trees would serve the function of extra noses and lungs through which it could breathe and eat. Origin power was the only form of nutrition for void colossi. In the past, the dragonship had to rely on the heart to absorb origin power and maintain a slow rate of regeneration. The efficiency of energy absorption had increased tenfold with the addition of these trees, so much so that a layer of muscles had already begun to appear under the roots. Whether or not the Earth Dragon would come back to life after complete regeneration, now that was a completely different issue. It would seem that these two holy trees were the main reason the new world was so friendly toward Qianye. They were now bound to the Martyrs Palace, which was linked to Qianyes consciousness. There was now an intersection on the plane of consciousness. Hence, not only did the new world recognize Qianye as a native, but as a high-authority native on par with the holy trees. The holy trees possessed a natural ability to utilize the alien origin power, and this also benefited Qianye. That was why all the origin power had gathered toward him. At that exact moment, Qianye felt as though he had really run into dumb luck. Who wouldve thought the two trees he had moved out of caution would bring him such a surprise? He hadnt made that decision out of mercy for the trees but rather because of their value and out of fear that the other trees would retaliate in unison. After accidentally obtaining the friendship of the new world, the biggest benefit Qianye obtained was the ability to utilize the origin power in the environment. The alien origin power of the new world was uncomfortable for both humans and the dark races; rarely would anyone be able to use it without a hitch. This would cause many expertsfrom the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs down to dukes and divine championsto feel awkward upon entering the new world. The sensation was akin to multi-millionaires suddenly deprived of their money. Fighting under such circumstances was beyond dangerous because they might just fall from simple, careless mistakes; even Sousa was injured by Eunuch Lius attack. Those who had reached this level were all heroes of the era. No one wanted to die in such a clumsy manner. After understanding this point, Qianye changed his original plan and ordered the Martyrs Palace to fly in the direction of the Moorland werewolves. He drew an arc on the map and made preparations to keep the dark races on the other side of this line. There wasnt a lot he could do, though, since it was already a near-impossible endeavor to go against a force backed by an entire continent. The dragonship became more flexible as it roamed the skies of the new world and took down forest after forest. It almost seemed as though the airship had come to life. At the same time, an unending stream of resources arrived on Fort Continent. Every day, thousands of newly trained werewolves would be outfitted and injected with medicine before heading into the new world. The Imperial research academy had developed a medicine using the holy-tree sap as the raw material, greatly improving its efficacy. With the direct help of the aristocratic families and secret assistance from Zhao Jundu, the Imperial army finally agreed to allow Qianye to exchange the medicine for holy tree sap. The price was also fairly reasonable. In short, Qianye would be able to exchange one portion of holy-tree sap for two doses of medicine. This ratio was equal to Qianye and the Empire going half-half on the costs, a delightful deal for both parties. This improved the time Qianyes army could be maintained in the new world and allowed him to expand further out. During the expansion process, Qianye discovered an interesting development. The six-armed creatures and beasts became a lot more aggressive toward Qianye after he obtained the friendship of the new world. They would go after him and fight him to the bitter end. The forest, on the other hand, became a friendly party. It no longer issued warnings when Qianye entered and would instead hide his aura with a gentle breeze. This allowed Qianye to sneak into the forest center with relative ease. There, he witnessed a part of the six-armed creatures that not many knew about. Whenever Qianye encountered the six-armed creature, it was either asleep or searching for outsiders and ready for combat. This time, Qianye finally saw the six-armed creature in its normal daily life. There was a single holy tree at the center of the forest, and the holy sap had only formed a tiny pond. That six-armed creature was on one knee beside the water, knocking on a long rod with a stone. One of the ends gradually became sharper as he banged on it, and it would seem that this was how their weapons were made. The stone spear had already taken a rough shape and was ready for delicate crafting. The six-armed giant started banging with greater care, hoping to make the spear sharper. Qianye was speechless. Normally, the weapon would need to be sharpened at this point and not banged on. It did not seem like the six-armed creature knew about this, and Qianye wasnt about to tell him. He merely observed in silence. The six-armed giant was, of course, working with the stony metal. This strange metal was the best material for several kinds of origin arrays, but it wasnt the best for making weapons because of how pliable it was. The six-armed giant kept hammering for a good while, but there were no signs that the spear was growing sharper. The creature seemed dispirited as he put away the shavings and crushed them into a ball. He then cut open his arm, showered the weapon with his blood, and carefully placed it in the pond. Once inside, the stony metal started absorbing the tree sap and surrounding origin power. Chapter 1306: A Contest of Consciousness He dismissed the notion rather quickly, however. Even the weakest among the six-armed creatures was a glorious marquis, more or less a human divine-champion. Capturing such an expert was much harder than simply killing him. Besides, there was no telling if the creature could be subdued. At this point, the six-armed creature produced yet another stony material and sprinkled his blood on it before letting it soak in the pond. After the material had absorbed enough of the sap, he began banging on it once more. This time, it looked like he was making a stone sword. Things didnt go smoothly this time. Growing impatient, the six-armed creature placed the stony material back into the water. He looked up at the holy tree before breaking off one of its branches. The moment the branch snapped, Qianye also felt a vague pain from his body. His consciousness expanded involuntarily, allowing him to sense the holy tree to a greater degree and even merge into its consciousness. The holy tree was emitting mournful wails, seemingly unable to handle the pain of its broken branch. Only then did Qianye realize that these holy trees could actually feel pain. It was at this moment that Qianye came into contact with a cold, slippery existence that was full of unfriendly intent. Soon, a white ball of flesh appeared in his consciousness. This was the core of the beast lair. Qianye had seen such entities in more than just one forest. He had destroyed some of them but left most of them intact, only ordering the sentries to patrol and observe it. This was the first time he had come into actual contact with its consciousness. The six-armed creaturehaving sensed the connectionstarted to look around vigilantly. Hesitating no more, Qianye brought out Dragonsgrave and fired the pre-formed origin bullet! He didnt have time to adjust the origin power ratio. Dragonsgrave was so powerful that even Sousa could hardly stand the blow. The current six-armed creature was among the weakest of their kind, so how could it survive? It had just turned around when the origin bullet arrived at its forehead, blasting his skull apart. The creature staggered briefly before collapsing to the ground. The beast army in the forest became restless once the six-armed creature was killed. They climbed out from the ground and began searching for the invader. Qianyes eyes narrowed. He didnt move into combat this time and, instead, connected to the beast lairs core through the holy trees consciousness. He had a guess that he wanted to confirm. The arrow of consciousness collapsed upon contact, and a mournful howl came from the depths of the earth. Qianye could sense the consciousness of the beast lairs core leaving the holy tree and receding into the earth. This battle of wills was no different from flipping cards. It was a contest to see which consciousness was of a higher rank. As someone who could communicate with the River of Blood at each breakthrough and obtain new inheritances, Qianyes foundations were beyond solid. Why would he even put this little beast-lair core in his eyes? Besides, this one wasnt even mature yet. After the core was defeated, the beast army lost its chain of command and fell into chaos. Some began running through the forest in all directions, while others dug into the soil and continued their hibernation. Qianye knew where the core was, so finding the entrance to the lair was easy. The core seemed to have sensed the approaching dangerit sent wave after wave of beasts to obstruct Qianye, risking damage to its consciousness. Yet, this invader did not fear group battles at all. The sword in his grasp flickered irregularly, cutting down numerous creatures each time. The entire process flowed naturally without the slightest waste of energy. Even the fiercest beasts would succumb to a single slash. The extreme weight of East Peak seemed no more than a willow leaf in Qianyes hands. Occasionally, large groups of beasts would appear in the tunnel entrance. Qianye would unleash his Venus Dawn-empowered domain and suppress all of the creatures, then turn hundreds of them into corpses at a time with Life Plunder. Qianye had no interest at all in these alien beasts. Their essence blood was full of impurities and was thus useless despite containing large amounts of origin power. Even the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls purification effects were limited. He would need to put in far more effort to achieve the same effect. That was why Qianye would pour all of the absorbed essence blood into the Book of Darkness, with the intention of emptying it at some point. During this Life Plunder, however, Qianye sensed the strange origin power locked within the beasts essence-blood starting to loosen. A single thought from Qianye and the Book of Darkness flipped to a new page to store all of the essence blood. No more large beast waves appeared afterward. As he went further in, Qianye noticed that there were only scattered groups of enemies in twos or threes. They were also growing weaker, and some were still covered in egg-white. Apparently, these creatures had been rushed out of their eggs. Qianye didnt need to do anything beyond moving forward with East Peak in hand. He could simply stomp all of the beasts to death by relying on East Peaks weight. Before long, he had arrived at the cave where the core was located. The core of this beast lair was apparently rather new. It was merely the size of a human, and the cave chamber was a far cry from the one in the forest with four holy trees. The lair was still emitting cold fluctuations of aggression. There wasnt the slightest sign that it would submit. Seeing that this core didnt know what was good for it, Qianye swung East Peak with a cold smile and cleaved it into two. Then, he burned the two halves with sanguine blood until there were only ashes left. He had an abundance of beast lairs that would no longer breed, so there was no need to keep this little one for study. After clearing out the core, the beast lair lost its function, and the beast eggs no longer hatched. Qianye soon tasked his men with clearing out all of these eggs as the Imperial research academy was paying a high price for them in terms of holy-tree-sap medicine. Qianye planned to stay here for a day so that his troops could clean up the remaining beasts before heading to the next forest. After returning to the Martyrs Palace, Qianye added yet another marking on the map. The forests he had captured connected to form a curved line, the center of which was pointing toward the Moorland door. Qianye carefully plotted his route along the curved path. The plan was to suppress the Moorland werewolves sphere of power without getting too close. This was so that Sousa would not have enough time to take action. After the fight with the great dark monarch, Qianye had a good grasp of each partys strength and range. He would need to plot out the distribution of forces carefully. A week went by just like that, and the Martyrs Palace took down two more forests before retracing its path. The first batch of troops that had boarded the airship needed to rest and replenish their supply of medicine. The new soldiers who had just completed their training would take their place. Cerulean Wave City, at this point, was bustling with activity. Most of the slums in the city had been removed, replaced by a mixture of human and werewolf architecture. The city was now full of foreign faces. It was a common sight to see women in revealing clothing from both the werewolf and human races. The first thing sought by soldiers on holiday was wine and women. This applied to both humans and werewolves. The massive rise in demand not only provided a business opportunity for the impoverished but also attracted werewolf women from across the Jade Sea. The human mercenaries liked werewolf ladies, while the human girls from Zheng were a favorite of the werewolf chiefs and shamans. This city on the shore of the Jade Sea had changed almost entirely in just a few months. Almost a million werewolves populated this city, helping it prosper far beyond Tempest City, the capital of the Storm Territory. Qianye put down the map he was holding and walked out to the balcony. From here, he could see the entire plaza of the dukes residence and the Jade Sea far off in the distance. Now that the war was in full swing, the plaza of the dukes residence had been modified into a landing pad. This was the only place in the city where large aircraft could land. There were several crates lined up beside the plaza. The handful of boxes were guarded by hundreds of elites, led by two chiefs and a shaman. These three werewolves were already count-rank experts, yet they didnt dare act carelessly. Qianye was satisfied. These werewolves truly believed that he was the son of darkness and were fully devoted in both body and mind. They took their work with the utmost seriousness and didnt fear death in battle. Qianye couldnt ask for better subjects. Looking at things from his current angle, it almost seemed that the werewolves and humans weren''t all that different after all. The werewolves were even cuter and more obedient sometimes. These crates were neither big nor eye-catching, but the airship carrying them was one of the fastest and most advanced vessels in Qianyes possession. There was also a marquis-rank expert escorting the fleet at all times. Naturally, such a lineup was because the goods were priceless. Those crates were full of holy-tree sap from the new world. Qianye controlled dozens of forests of varying sizes, yet this was all he could produce in a week. Qianye couldnt extract too much tree sap at a time if he wanted to keep the forest in an operational state. This current rate was just the right amount. Every week, Qianye would send an airship full of holy-tree sap to the Empire and bring back medicine and supplies. That airship was the fastest corvette in his fleet and was solely dedicated to shipping holy-tree sap and medicines. The aristocratic families would ship the general military supplies on their own. Qianye noticed that something seemed to be missing on the empty plaza. Frowning, he had a bad feeling when he noticed a general running toward the dukes residence. This general had been in Dark Flame for many years and had always been a calm person. That was why Qianye put him in charge of logistics and resources. Now that he seemed so frantic, there had to be something difficult going on. Qianye returned to his study and waited calmly for the mans arrival. Before long, there was a knock on the door as the general came in. The first thing he said was, Sire, the most recent batch of medicines havent arrived! Explain, whats the reason? The Empire isnt issuing the goods. Give me the list. The general had already prepared the records for Qianyes inspection. The latters expression sank after looking through the data. Not including the batch at the airship port, weve made three shipments to the Empire. Yet, theyve already stopped shipments since last week? The general replied. At first, I thought there were some unexpected delays. I didnt dare make baseless guesses, so I asked some of the aristocratic family members and found out that the Empire has stopped issuing the goods. Chapter 1307: War Tax Moments later, the general brought a lanky man in his middle ages. The person was clad in Chinese clothing and hailed from an unheard-of lower aristocratic family. Perhaps it was something he did back in the family, or maybe he just wanted to stand out from his peers, but the man had traveled all the way here to Fort Continent to serve as the liaison between Qianye and the Imperial military. Qianye had no good feelings toward this person. He placed the two records in front of him, saying, I heard the Empire has stopped shipping the medicine. Whats going on? That person cupped his hand unhurriedly. This matter is quite simple. The Empire is also strained from the war in the new world. The higher-ups in the military think that the current exchange price is too favorable for you. This isnt appropriate in times like these where the Empire is also undergoing hardship. Thats why they stopped the deliveries to renegotiate the price. Qianye replied calmly, What price are you suggesting? The higher-ups want to exchange three portions of holy tree sap for one dose of medicine. You guys are crazy! The nearby general jumped out of his seat. This was akin to raising the price three times. How could they accept this? Qianye stopped the general with a wave of his hand. He gazed at the Imperial liaison with a darkening expression. You already knew about this beforehand, right? The emissarys expression shifted slightly. I did get the news a couple of days ago, but I thought Id wait for your return since this isnt an emergency. He worded it nicely, but Qianye understood that they just wanted to trick Qianye into shipping out more holy tree sap. Every extra batch of holy tree sap would count as his accomplishment. Qianye replied calmly, Who do you think you are to play tricks in front of me? He just tapped on the table without making any other movements, but the emissary felt something akin to a sledgehammer slam into his chest. His face went pale as origin power ran amok in his thorax, almost as though a maelstrom was about to burst outward. Sire, please spare me! The emissary fell to his knees. He finally understood that Qianye could crush someone like him with a single finger. Ill let you off out of consideration for your status. Go and tell those higher-ups of yours that I can accept a two-for-one ratio, nothing beyond that. Also, tell those people to sit tight in their seats. Ill be coming for a chat once Im done with the expansion efforts in the new world. Not daring to utter a word, the emissary wiped the sweat off of his brows and bowed out in a hurry. Qianye replied, What else can they do after tripling the price? It might be true that the battles on the Qin Continent side arent going too well. Giving them a bit more can be considered supporting the Empire. These people might play some tricks from time to time, but I dont have time to deal with them yet. Well see when the dust settles. After some thought, the general found this to be reasonable. With the expansion in the new world going on at full capacity, shedding all pretenses with the Empire now would take up too much energy and time. This man had followed Qianye for a long while and thus knew a fair bit about his past. Since its Sire Jundu leading the war efforts over there, its only natural for us to support them. Qianye shook his head. Things arent that simple. The price increase is just the beginning. The general was startled. Considering Sire Zhao Jundus status and yours, would anyone be so bold as to pluck the proverbial tigers whiskers? Qianye walked over to the window, gazing at the bustling Cerulean Jade City. This place was just a remote and desolate place when I arrived. It was never worthy of the Empires attention, nor did anyone care about the benefits here. The earliest aristocratic families who joined us were just minor characters. Rather than say they saw potential in Fort Continent, it would be more accurate to say that they were betting on me. Now, things are different. Just this city and the consumption from millions of werewolves is a massive business opportunity. I think those people have their eyes on this fat piece of meat. As someone of mercenary background, the general had his temper moments. He glared hard, saying, They want this piece of meat?! They might just choke on it! Qianye laughed. Thats how it is. Go now, pay attention to the movements from the Empires side. We still have several batches of resources on the way. The general was surprised. Those are military supplies from the aristocratic families, no? True, but they come from the Empire. The generals voice rose sharply. But youve already paid for them! Qianye replied, Thats no longer important at such a time. This The general was speechless. Qianye replied calmly, Its fine. Well just consider them as support for Jundus pioneering efforts. We can let go of the resources, but we cant ignore where they are going. Its fine if these things are being shipped to the front lines, but I will get to the bottom of it if theyre missing. Pass my word to the Empire. Yes, Sire. Qianye arrived by the window after the generals departure. His relaxed expression was nowhere to be seen as flames of anger gradually surged up. He spoke to his subordinate in a fairly calm manner, but he didnt really have that kind of good temper. The Empire was still trying to impede their people at such a time. Qianye had relied on himself to rise to power on Fort Continent and suppress the Moorland werewolves expansion in the new world. This was a great contribution to the human race and the Empire. Who wouldve thought he would run into something like this? Qianye slowly calmed himself down and made ready to see what tricks these people were up to. There was no meaning in getting angry under the present circumstances. He would need to wait and see how he could retaliate. News arrived pretty quickly this time, but the contents did not make Qianye happy. It was already a great test on his patience just to remain calm. The military supplies from the various aristocratic families had finally arrived, but there were fewer airships than expected. A good chunk of goods on the airships that did arrive was also missing. Reportedly, they had been intercepted by patrols. The Imperial Guard had boarded the airships by force and announced a new law, stating that from today onward, all military supplies leaving the Empire would be taxed. Unfortunately, most of the goods being shipped to Fort Continent were classified as military supplies. It also happened that Fort Continent was outside of the Empire. Qianye wanted to build up his own country, so he never went through any vassal-state procedures. Vassal states were classified as beyond Empire borders anyway. The tax rate was half of all the resources, and that was a special rate that the aristocratic escorts had tried their utmost to negotiate. Qianye did not express his anger in front of everyone and merely asked about the details. The managers in charge of the fleet were clever people. Sensing that something was off, they called on favors to ask around for more information. It turned out that the Empire had issued an order to heavily tax outbound military supplies during times of war. This kind of order wasnt a problem under normal circumstances. Limiting the export of some staple resources in times of war was a common occurrence. Although there was still the black market, the aristocratic families who wanted to earn money during critical times would need to sneak about or look for representatives. They were only taxing the resources at the moment, so it wasnt that big of a deal. Targeting Qianye, however, was a different matter. Qianyes expression was as calm as still water. Those people must know that the resources from my side will stop as well. A merchant manager said, Sire, those people might not see it that way. Oh, how do they see it then? Just think about it. In this back and forth exchange, you gain resources and we gain profits. Theres nothing that benefits the Empire, much less those people. The salaries of those decision-makers wont be affected at all even if you dont ship anything to the Empire. Qianye frowned. What do you think we should do then? Find the key character and take appropriate steps! Qianye asked, What if the appropriate steps arent effective? Or if they take too long? Erm theres no good way out of it then, this is the only effective method. Those people dare to do such things because theyre not afraid of you or the Zhao clan. Qianye nodded. Looks like this piece of meat is too attractive. The manager adapted to the flow of the conversation. Fort Continent became what it is today under your management. Qianye was indeed comforted by this flattery. I was just lucky. After the humble words, he sized up the manager in delight. Whats your name? The manager said, This little one is Sun Degui of the Four Seas Merchant Group. Qianye nodded. Keep an eye out of any changes in the Empire. Report directly to me if theres anything important. Also, ask around for whos targeting this place. Sun Degui replied hurriedly, Ill do my best. Thatll be all. Qianye dismissed the group before penning a letter to Zhao Jundu, to be forwarded by the Zhao clans stronghold. Having done all of that, he went back into the new world to continue his expansion and suppress the Moorland werewolves. The defense forces were on full alert outside of the door on the Great Qin Continent, staring nervously at the boundless white mist. It wasnt just beasts that might come through the door but also demonkin scouting parties. At this point, the Empire and the demonkin alliance led by the Masefield family were at war in the new world. Both sides had figured out each others doors and were sending in suicidal scouting parties. There was a sudden movement around the Empires door. A sharp killing intent shot into the sky, causing everyone to tremble. The meek soldiers with weaker cultivation fell on their buts. A general roared in dissatisfaction, Whats with the panic?! It has to be Sire Jundu coming back. How many times has it been? Its not like you guys havent seen him before. Theres no need to act like frightened chickens! The soldiers obeyed but werent resigned at heart. That general himself was pale and clearly trembling from the killing intent. How was he any better? Heavy footsteps echoed from the mist, causing the earth to tremble as squad after squad of soldiers marched out. The soldiers clothes were in tatters and many of them were covered in bandages, but their killing intent and the mechanical uniformity of their movements caused the beholder to tremble in awe. The general said in a soft voice, Now thats an army! After the warriors were done marching out, a dark green pillar of origin power shot out from the depths of the mist. It almost seemed to stab right through the horizon. Everyone from the commander of the fortress down to the ordinary soldiers felt a chill from the depths of their heart. Someone muttered, Did the color grow deeper again? Chapter 1308: Non-Negotiable Terms This casual glance caused everyone in the fortress to feel their hearts tighten, almost as though an invisible hand had gripped them. An old general went pale and clasped his chest, muttering, This suppressive might feels almost like a heavenly monarch! Zhao Jundus killing intent had receded, but his body was shrouded in dark green origin power that resembled flames. This blaze was extremely tyrannical, turning an area dozens of meters around him into a land of death. No one dared approach. Zhao Jundu looked up at the fortress, saying, Im injured, so I need to suppress it with origin power. An old man with white hair said, Its fine! Sire Jundu is a pillar of the Empire. You must take care of your physical condition. Zhao Jundu nodded and flew away over the horizon, leaving a trail of dark green in the air. A middle-aged general looked up at the trail, then whispered, General Zhang, do you think Zhao Jundu has cultivated darkness origin power? The old man snorted. Nonsense! Hes refining himself in fire and forcibly changing his fate, thats something everyone knows. But just look at it, it looks more like an evil art than true gold being refined in fire. Besides, isnt that a claim made by the Zhao clan? Also the way he was acting just now feels more like a show of force rather than suppressing his wounds! The old mans eyes twitched. I cant protect you if the Zhao clan somehow hears of what youre saying. The middle-aged man said hurriedly, Thats why Im only discussing this with you. The Imperial Capital. The Zhao residences gates were shut tight, and everything inside was silent. All of a sudden, a clap of thunder erupted from the place and all lights dimmed down. The servants, however, simply went about their business as though they were used to this. Zhao Jundu entered his study and took a seat at the desk. Immediately, a maid delivered tea, refreshments, and a clean robe. Sire, the medicinal bath has been prepared. Do you want to bathe and change first? Very well. Is anything up recently? Theres a letter from Fort Continent. Zhao Jundu was already heading toward the bathroom, but he came to an immediate halt. Bring it to me. The aide ran back and forth at full speed. Zhao Jundus expression turned dark as he went through the contents of the letter. Prepare my armor, Im heading to the military department. Not daring to disobey, the subordinate headed out to perform her duties. A certain person walked out from the corridor. What are you going to do at the military department? Zhao Xuanji frowned deeply as he gazed at the dark energy surrounding Zhao Jundu. Isnt your refinement in fire too fierce? Zhao Jundu said, I find myself growing impatient, but things are still under control. Zhao Xuanji pointed at the lingering black energy. What is this, then? Our Zhao clan doesnt have anything like this. Zhao Jundu said calmly, Extremes of violet yields azure, then what of the extremes of azure? The extreme of any color is black. Is this darkness origin power? Not just darkness origin power but also enmity, killing intent, flesh, and blood. Its a result of everything mixed into my azure energy. Zhao Xuanji glanced deeply at him. This isnt the right path. The right path leads to a dead end. Zhao Jundus words contained a dual meaning. The duke could only sigh. Youd better not go to the military department in your current state. Zhao Jundus lips curled into a strange smile. I turned this way because I killed too many dark races. Does anyone have complaints? Zhao Xuanji sighed. Come with me, we havent had tea together in a good while. Weve never had tea together. Zhao Xuanji shook his head helplessly. You people from the Duke Chengen residence are all the same. No wonder Gaoyi always ends up cleaning after the mess. Zhao Jundus dark energy receded somewhat at the mention of his mothers name. He followed Zhao Xuanji into the tearoom where the latter carefully fished out some tea leaves from a small wooden box. He then boiled some water and began the brewing process in utmost concentration. Zhao Jundu waited quietly, making neither sound nor movement. It was easy to see from the flickering black energy that sitting still in this manner was no easy task for him. Moments later, Zhao Xuanji passed him the tea he had finished brewing. The dark energy around Zhao Jundu melted away like snow as he finished the drink in one gulp. Zhao Jundu bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude. Zhao Xuanji waved his hand, saying, You and I might be of different seniority, but our status is now the same. Besides, the Zhao clan has never been too focused on secular formalities, theres no need to be too polite. Once the black energy was gone, blood began to seep out from Zhao Jundus robes. He looked down and pressed a ball of origin power into the wound, stopping the bleeding. These impurities really do help with the fight. Its not wise to take on great harm for small advantages. With that, Zhao Xuanjis expression turned solemn. Are you going there for the military tax? What else? This is a rule with precedence. Otherwise, itll be terrible if the aristocratic families start smuggling supplies out for sale. Zhao Jundu replied, That I know, but Fort Continent is the only major shipment destination. The Imperial Guard didnt go anywhere else and were only waiting on that route, you understand what theyre playing at, dont you? Zhao Xuanji said calmly, But they have the justification. There are many ways to reason with them. Zhao Jundu smiled coldly. Zhao Xuanji stroked his beard. Weve already done the reasoning. Oh, how so? Zhao Xuanji said calmly, The mandate will arrive in a few days, granting you the title of Duke Rong . Zhao Jundus brows rose sharply. Surprising title! The title of Duke Rong could be considered extremely glorious, evident from the word itself. It was even more evident if one were to compare it to Zhao Weihuangs title. According to custom, all duke titles were hereditary. As long as the family could maintain their territory, there was room for negotiation even if the bearers accomplishments were somewhat inferior. Duke Wei Song Zhongnian was such an example. The title of Duke Rong was fairly deserved. This meant that the Zhao clan now sported four dukes in a single clan, no different from the Zhang. The only difference was Prince Greensun. Although Zhao Jundu had advanced to the divine champion realm, he had injured his foundations, and his path forward was blocked. The usual method was to grant a non-hereditary duke title or a marshal rank, tasking the person with leading troops into battle. After he had reached old age, his descendant would be granted a hereditary marquis title. This was the normal treatment for a divine champion with no future. How intelligent was Zhao Jundu? After some thought, he sneered. So its a trade! Is Fort Continent that attractive now? Zhao Xuanji sighed. There was no choice. The other party holds the moral high-ground and ample reasoning. Whose reasoning is it? Qianye has been suppressing the Moorland werewolves on his own, isnt that a great contribution? The Moorland werewolves are right beside him. He has to fight them anyway, thats not a viable term for negotiation. Arent they afraid of losing their supply chain? Without a steady stream of holy tree sap from him, we wouldnt have been able to amass an army that can rival the dark races. We wouldnt be able to produce the results we have today, either! Zhao Xuanji sighed. Amassing the army is just one of the factors. The command skills you and Song Zining displayed brought victory after victory for the army. Even I think that you guys played a bigger role. Without waiting for Zhao Jundu to interrupt, Zhao Xuanji shook his head and said, No matter what they do, you two have contributed greatly to the Empire, so theres always some room for negotiation. Zhao Jundu snorted. They seem to have calculated well! But did they think clearly about their fate after the war is over? What do you think? Who exactly are they? Zhao Xuanji said, The proposal was delivered to the Pointer Monarchs residence before this decision was made. His elderly grace said: Prioritize whatever benefits the Empire and the greater good. Zhao Jundu was surprised. The Pointer Monarch? Why would he Zhao Xuanji said, Many people know that the elder prince and Qianye share a special relationship. Perhaps that was why they sought a decision from him. Zhao Jundu remained silent for a good while. Do you think this is the elder princes will? Consolidating central power while weakening the branches, it isnt unreasonable, Zhao Xuanji said meaningfully. Zhao Jundus momentum receded slowly. If thats the case, I wont be going to the military department now. Zhao Xuanji asked as he got up, Where are you going? Im going back to the new world. I wont be able to swallow this if I dont uproot the demonkin fortress. Zhao Xuanji didnt stop him. Fine, Ill send word to the Pointer Monarchs residence. Moments later, Zhao Jundu boarded the airship after donning his armor and flew back to the door. At this moment, the Pointer Monarch was sipping tea in his study, listening to his aides report about recent matters. He said after some thought, That little fellow mustve guessed some things, thats why hes being so ruthless. Nevermind, this old bag of bones has been idle for too long. Itll be nice to see some old friends. He stood up and gave some instructions to the aide before leaving the residence. Several days later, a certain piece of news shook the entire Empire. Zhao Jundu and Song Zining had led the Imperial army to a decisive victory against the demonkin forces. They broke the Masefield fortress and drove a famed demonkin clan out of the new world. The Masefield clan lord attacked to salvage the situation but was duly intercepted by the Pointer Monarch. The two top experts initiated the first fight between heavenly monarchs in the new world. In the end, the battle attracted the retaliation of the malicious intent and both monarchs ended up with injuries. The fight between the Pointer Monarch and the Masefield clan lord wasnt conclusive, but having an entire clan driven out of the new world was a terrible loss. Zhao Jundus name shook the Empire once again after this battle, and his popularity rose to unparalleled heights. [1] "Rong" means Glory. [2] This Duke Wei is not the one we know. The characters are different. Chapter 1309: Crackdown Song Zining was studying a war map at a nearby desk. Hearing Wei Potians comment, he asked casually, What investment? Come and see for yourself, theyve mobilized dozens of airships. Song Zining didnt look up. Oh, thats nothing. Evernight has also started using airships to transport soldiers. Our airships can only last seven days, but I heard they have it worse. Their transports are breaking down after five days at most, so we still have the advantage in consumption. Im talking about the troops, not the airships. They sent twenty thousand nah, thirty thousand soldiers! What? A surprised Song Zining glanced out of the window. How come? There shouldnt be that many! Wei Potian found it puzzling. Isnt that a good thing? Well be able to supplement all of our losses during this period with more to spare! Song Zinings expression darkened. Thats not the point. The amount of holy tree sap determines the number of soldiers we can maintain in the new world. So? Song Zining rolled his eyes at him. Dont just think about fighting all day, use your brain for once! Think, where does the holy tree sap come from? From our side, and some from Qianyes. The others Theres no other place! Our entire supply comes from Qin Continent and Fort Continent. Theres no way to gain anymore. Theres only one explanation for the arrival of so many reinforcements. The medicine meant for Qianye has been taken over. Wei Potian scratched his head. So thats how it is. But were both fighting the dark races anyway. What difference does it make? Song Zinings expression was ugly. Its fine if thats all there is to it, the more troops we have, the better. But the problem is the reinforcements are far too few if they really did take Qianyes quota. This is too few? Of course! Qianye has already sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers into the new world! Wei Potian was shocked. That bastard is already so awesome? Song Zining sighed. If Im not wrong, hes being targeted because of his rapid growth. Wei Potian frowned angrily. Who has the balls to do that?! This daddy will beat him to death! Song Zining cut him short. Think about Qianyes background and strength. If they even dare target him, do you think theyll fear a mere Marquis Potian? Wei Potian said happily, You finally remember my title! Leave? Where to? To war, of course! Since reinforcements have arrived, we should go and help Jundu push into the heart of the dark race lands. Seeing that Song Zining was angry, Wei Potian couldnt help but feel guilty. He mumbled, Fine, we just need to fight, right? Why so serious? But we cant stand around and let Qianye suffer, can we? Song Zining turned back. The harder we attack the dark races, the more we help Qianye get back at them. Why is that? Wei Potian didnt understand. Song Zining said calmly, Only a handful of people in the Empire can block Qianye. I can more or less guess who it is. Whether Im right or not, those people will be forced to take action if we fight the dark races hard enough. The human race faces far less malicious intent than the dark races in the new world. If we dont dare fight even under such circumstances, we can forget about fame and glory. Only then did Wei Potian come to understand. He stuttered, You mean, the heavenly monarch Shut up! Song Zining stopped Wei Potian with a shout and left. The latter scratched his head and stomped. Whats with that attitude?! Ill see what you can do when I become a divine champion. Despite the complaints, he almost flew out to get things done. Half a day later, the army at the forward base assembled and boarded several batches of airships. The vessels then moved out in a fleet. Soon, the army at the forward base had been assembled. They boarded batch after batch of airships, which then set out into the distance. The airships crossed vast distances to where the Masefield door was located. There, Zhao Jundu was already building a temporary fortress. The defensive structures were so close to the door that even the gateway was within firing range. Traces of battle were scattered before the fortress. Moreover, there were also numerous demonkin corpses that hadnt been cleared away and even some burning airship wreckages. Song Zining sprang out of the airship and arrived beside Zhao Jundu on the fortress walls. He glanced into the distance, saying, They''re planning to use the airship wreckage to form a defensive line. Looks like they havent given up! Zhao Jundu glanced at him. How come youre here? How do I help you without coming? Do I look like I need your help? Song Zining said, Why so angry? Zhao Jundu gazed into the distance. Because a certain person has been pulling the strings from behind the curtain, Lil Five has offended someone he shouldnt. Now, the other party is causing trouble for him, what do you say I do? Song Zining went silent for a while. I did lay down some schemes, but thats for his own good. The results actually arent that bad, you know. This is called not bad? It would have been much worse if I didnt make those plans. Whos gonna believe you? Song Zining shrugged. You have no choice but to trust me. Certain things youll never get out of my mouth. Zhao Jundu stared intently at Song Zining, an eerie dark red emerging in the depths of his eyes. However, his killing intent gradually subsided and his expression relaxed. Ill trust you this once. Song Zining smiled. I have never let my brothers down. Zhao Jundu sighed. Whats the plan now? Song Zining pointed at the silent field before them. Abandon this place. Abandon this place? Zhao Jundu was surprised. Do you think someone as powerful as Masefield cant break through? Zhao Jundu raised his brows. Thats exactly what I want! The problem is, Evernight controls several continents and several doors. The demonkin alone have four doors. Why must they keep throwing themselves at you? Zhao Jundu said, If they dont capture this door, Masefield wont have any face left in the future. That is definitely the case under normal circumstances, but their interests in the new world are too important. They might not care about face when there are greater benefits in sight. Seeing Zhao Jundu go silent, Song Zining continued, They can use one continent to keep you busy here and still have the capacity to keep expanding in the new world. It wont be worth it if we let the dark races take over the new world while we stand guard here. What exactly do they want here? Song Zining shook his head. The new world is too big. My divination arts can only grasp some blurry hints, but one thing is certain, the doors to the new world were opened by the three supremes of the Sacred Mountain. Thats probably why the malicious intent here is stronger against their great dark monarchs. That means theres something hidden here, and the dark races are going all out to get it. Song Zining said, Whatever theyre looking for, we must find a way to stop them. Qianyes forces are weak, and it looks like his door is quite far from us. The Moorland werewolves alone will be quite difficult for him to tackle. Its not a bad thing to focus all military power on our hands. The fiercer we fight, the less time the dark races have to pay attention to him. Zhao Jundu produced a map and drew an arced line. What are we waiting for then? Lets keep advancing along this line and well probably end up at the next dark-race door. Song Zining shook his head. Thats too slow. What do you have in mind? No matter what the new world is hiding, its very likely at the center. The focal point of this arced line is the center of the entire realm. If we ignore everything and charge in that direction, its very likely that the dark races will come looking for us. Good idea! Are you really looking to die, though? Song Zining said, I fear death more than anyone. Then did you consider what kind of forces well encounter in that direction? Princes and great dark monarchs are a given. We might even run into supremes like the Demon King and the Spider Queen. Song Zining pointed upward. We have other people to deal with them. Isnt that what you wanted? Zhao Jundu replied calmly, I used to be very confident, but Im not so sure right now. Of course, Song Zining understood that Zhao Jundu was referring to the heavenly monarchs being unreliable. He didnt reveal the hidden message but said, It would have been difficult to say in the past, but now that the monstrosity under the new world has been infuriated, the great dark monarchs will probably not act recklessly. That is unless theyre much braver than we are. Zhao Jundu snorted. Ive never heard of a great dark monarch who doesnt fear death. There was one. The Black-Winged Monarch Andruil actually dared to challenge the Queen of the Night. Thats why hes dead now, Zhao Jundu replied curtly. Song Zining laughed. Haha, true. So do we fight? Of course we fight! But before we do, we will present all of our battle plans to the superiors, several copies in fact. Song Zining clicked his tongue. Looks like the refinement in fire didnt make you dumb after all. Chapter 1310: Third in The Same Realm Just as Song Zining had predicted, the dark races became evidently nervous when they launched an attack toward the center. They also began to mobilize more troops to block the Empires advance. Song Zining once again put his dual talents in divination and strategy to use, maneuvering his troops with great finesse until the giant dark race army was running about in circles. Ultimately, they were divided and eliminated. Zhao Jundus style was completely different. He led his troops forward like a slow-rolling boulder, mercilessly crushing whatever strategy the enemy threw at him. After several battles, enemy casualties had risen so sharply that they eventually lost count. Many glorious clans were wiped out under the spearhead of Zhao Jundus army, forever erased from the annals of history. In the field, Zhao Jundu would always be at the forefront of the charge. The dark race experts, of course, wouldnt let go of the opportunity to finish off this powerful enemy in one fell swoop. It was already widely known that Zhao Jundu had damaged his foundations. The dark races felt that his strength had come to a standstill, that his resounding fame was only due to his solid foundations. If they could kill the number one genius of the Empire, it would surely deal a powerful blow to them. The dark race experts thus charged in unison, hoping to harvest the glory of killing Zhao Jundu. Unable to pay attention to all directions at the same time, the beleaguered fourth young master quickly sustained countless injuries. But the pain hardly affected the momentum of his accurate and ruthless attacks, as if he didnt feel anything each time he traded a small wound for an enemy''s life. The dark races attacked time and again, thinking that they would be able to finish him off if they just tried a bit harder. Yet in the end, they were the ones who would be badly shaken. They had lost track of the number of times a demonkin or vampire would try to take advantage of the staggering Zhao Jundu, only to become corpses while the latter remained standing. The dark races had also thought about using their superior numbers to wipe out Zhao Jundus army first. However, things would never turn out the way they had expectedSong Zining would always appear at the critical moment, either launching a pincer attack or cutting off their reinforcements. The dark races would always fail and end up incurring heavy losses instead. As things started to heat up on the front lines, the Imperial military steeled their hearts and sent large batches of airships into the new world for Song Zining to command. A steady stream of troops and resources also poured in without stop. Fighting Song Zining was already an arduous task. Wouldnt they be led by the nose if they were deprived of mobility on top of that? Hence, the dark races could only grit their teeth and provide transports despite the grave losses. No longer able to withstand the damage, a demonkin prince summoned several divination experts to duke it out with Song Zining on a different plane. However, the seventh young master was nowhere to be found when these experts worked together to search for him. It was almost as though he was hiding in the void. However, they suffered a strong backlash from Song Zinings divination art as soon as they relaxed and ended up either dead or deranged. In just a short few days, over half of the dozen or so experts had fallen. The remainder no longer dared to get involved and started giving all kinds of reasons to escape this mission. The great divination masters back in the mainland were also playing deaf and mute, ignoring all correspondence from the new world. Song Zining wasnt the slightest bit delayed by this interlude. He kept on leading his troops into battle, attacking the dark races until they were in unbearable pain. He even took to the field and killed two marquises. Only then did that demonkin prince understand that song Zining was truly gifted in the divination arts. He couldnt help but feel great regret at his plan. Who would dare target Lin Xitang in the divination field when he was alive? That was simply courting death. Even when comparing strategy and planning, the great masters of Evernight would always be at a disadvantage. Song Zining was already displaying a similar style in this battle. The Imperial army was unstoppableit stabbed thousands of kilometers into the new world and finally arrived at the central region. This was a complicated landscape with rising hills and slopes. The origin power environment was also chaotic, frequently producing tempests of energy. This kind of adverse environment was Song Zinings favorite. Here, he was able to lay ambushes to his hearts content. One famous Evernight general after the other met their defeat. Zhao Jundu understood that this was the best place for strategic combat, so he simply handed command of his subordinate troops to Song Zining and headed into battle on his own. Only at this point did the Empire discover that the dark races had already reached the center and had even built a forward base there. The environment here was worse than in the periphery, with the corrosion effect being vastly more pronounced. The steel plates normally used by the dark races would be worn down in just a few days, so they had no choice but to extract local stones for construction. It went without saying that such primitive methods did nothing to help the construction-progress. Yet the dark races seemed determined to dig in here, building fortresses of varying sizes. Of course, Song Zining wasnt going to ignore these fortifications. The structures were difficult to build here but took just about the same effort to destroy. He swept through the region with his army, leveling several fortresses in a single day. This severely damaged the advantage the dark races had gone to great lengths to obtain. After observing the dark races set up in the central region, Song Zining dispatched a secret report to the military. The report stated that the dark races were indeed after the central region, but there were no signs that they had found what they wanted. The Empire treated Song Zinings report seriously. All kinds of resources poured in ceaselessly, almost as though they were backing him with the entire country. All suspicions dispersed before his shocking accomplishments. There were even those who believed that Song Zining and Zhao Jundu were the new twin paragons of the Empire. The only concern was that, although the latter was peerless in his current achievements, no one had ever succeeded in refinement by fire. Without becoming a heavenly monarch, the two of them would never be able to compare to Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang. After a month of bitter combat, the Empire had gained a firm foothold in the central region, and Song Zining had also gained full command over the army. At this point, there were a total of five dukes under his banner, with no lack of capable but arrogant individuals. Duke Yuanguang was such a person and would always criticize Song Zinings arrangements. The seventh young master didnt bicker with him on the spot and, instead, invited the duke to the empty area behind the camp for a private debate. Duke Yuanguang and Song Zining were only arguing about strategy before, but it was clear that the latter was looking to solve the issue with fists. Divine champions were all top experts of each generation. How could they back down against an opponent of the same rank? Under the eyes of all the spectators, Duke Yuanguang said with a cold snort, This duke will play with you! The other dukes and generals tried to dissuade the two from a fight, but they already knew their efforts were in vain. Just like that, the duo headed to the back for a debate. Who wouldve thought they would return in just three minutes? Duke Yuanguang was utterly silent and his expression, ashen. It was easy to see from Song Zinings smile who had actually won. The crowd had already expected Song Zining to win in a duel to the death. Worldly Prosperity was one of the three top origin-powersagainst weaker arts, it was simply too superior. But no one wouldve imagined the victory would come so swiftly! Didnt this mean Duke Yuanguang had lost right off the bat? Of course, a spar between comrades wouldnt involve lethal moves. Duke Yuanguang wasnt expecting to defeat the opponent, either. He was planning to drag it out until Song Zining was too embarrassed to keep fighting. Unexpectedly, the outcome couldnt even be considered a fast defeat. It was more like he was utterly crushed. The duke came from a commoner lineage on his fathers side. His childhood foundations were insufficient, stunting his prospects after breaking through to the divine champion realm. That was the case for his rank, but his combat strength wasnt weak at all. After some thought, the other four dukes felt that they were on par with him at mostnone could claim certain victory. Everyone knew what this meant. Their fate would not be any better if they were to go against Song Zining. Apart from Duke Yuanguang, the other dukes were all smiles as they invited Song Zining to the main seat. The seventh young master glanced at the crowd. When Qianye broke through the divine champion realm, he was known to be peerless among those at the same realm. Everyone knows this, I assume? The crowd nodded in succession, but one general from the Bai clan looked fairly awkward. Qianye had actually gained fame before he was a divine champion by forcing the Bai clans superior divine champion to stay his hand, allowing him to leave unharmed from the Frozen Jade Manor. It could be said that Qianye had stepped on the Bai clan for his rise to fame. Of course, his reputation was cemented when he slew a duke and subdued ten million werewolves. From the Bai clans perspective, they would feel less embarrassed the stronger he was. Glancing at the crowd, Song Zining said, My talents are rather mediocre, so I rank third in the Empire. No early divine champion is my match except for Zhao Jundu. Thats why Id like to urge all of you to forget about doing unnecessary things. If theres anyone who cant accept this, Ill be happy to enter a debate with him. Dont blame me if you lose face when the time comes. The message wasnt the least reserved and more or less an open threat. As divine champions, who wasnt a major character in their land? They considered their prestige even more important than their lives. Although everyone knew that Song Zining was strong, things were slightly different before and after a duel. Duke Yuanguang would likely become a hot topic of discussion in the future. The Bai clan general wasnt quite satisfied. Does early divine champion include rank nineteen as well? Rank nineteen meant that the divine champion had condensed an extra origin crystal. Although much smaller than the foundational one, it still represented an extra ability. Hence, from a certain perspective, the difference between rank eighteen and nineteen was greater than between rank nineteen and twenty. Song Zining said with a smile, Naturally, I include rank nineteen when I say early divine champion. Now that was arrogant. Chapter 1311: Bloody Resistance Song Zining had always presented the romantic young master image in public, but after staying in the army for a good while, he had learned how to use his fist. He challenged all dissatisfied people to a debate in the field behind the barracks, but no one was willing after Duke Yuanguangs swift defeat. After subduing the difficult ones, the army under Song Zinings command was finally in a state of absolute obedience. Hence, he began to launch a series of battles that left everyone flabbergasted. Instead of building a fortress, he gathered a giant fleet and shuttled around the central region, attacking dark race squads whenever the chance arose. Many people objected to this idea. The first to voice their opinion were those from the aristocratic families. They had an unchangeable love for land and felt that the territory wasnt fully occupied until there was a fortress on it. Of course, the fact was that they didnt really occupy the land because Song Zining had no intention at all. On the other hand, this strategy raised the demand for airships; it was practically burning money. The Empire was now using the most barebones model it could muster, to the point of developing a new model solely for this purpose. It was nothing more than a motor stuffed inside an airship casing, with many areas left uncovered. Even with such a method, the military expenditure had now reached an astronomical number, and the Imperial treasury was slowly draining away. The major characters back at the Imperial court could no longer sit still. The Radiant Emperor would hear several treasury balance reports each dayhis expression would grow uglier after each one, but ultimately, he would always steel his heart and approve the airship construction costs. The old powerhouses from the military were in great conflict. On one hand, their military budget was draining at an alarming rate, but on the other, the daily reports were beyond glorious. The long list of fallen enemies frequently contained names that had left a deep impression on the Empires past. Considering the fact that the dark races were expending far more resources than the Empire, they could only endure. This was a fight between two bleeding giants, each waiting to see if the other would collapse first. The Empire was bleeding slower than Evernight, but the latter was much larger in size. It was truly difficult to tell who would be the winner. This was a painful process. Eventually, the Pointer Monarch stopped coming to the military department and only ordered the people there to call him when needed. The Masefield family launched a sudden counterattack and took back their fortress outside of the door. The Empire had only left a small squad there, which fled immediately once the demonkin army appeared. The Masefield army continued pushing deeper and deeper, only to find that the Imperial fortresses were all empty. The small garrison inside would flee without even fighting. After taking down several strongholds, the demonkin duke in charge of the army became hesitant. They were now a good distance from the door and closing in on the central region. Could this be Song Zinings plot to lure him deeper inside and wipe out his forces? His mission here was to keep the Imperial army busy, optimally forcing Song Zining to return and help. It was fine to lose some troops, but no commander would want their subordinates to be wiped out, even when luring enemy troops. The demonkin squads movements slowed down to a cautious crawl amidst the hesitation, yet they did not encounter the Empires main force until they reached the Empires base outside of the four-holy-tree grove. This forest was an important strategic node as the holy tree sap produced here was key to supporting the Empires operations in the new world. They would never let go of this place. The demonkin duke finally lost his patience and launched an attack on the fortress. This time, he encountered sizable resistance. The defending army lasted an entire day under the fierce assault before retreating miserably. Although their losses were heavy, the demonkin duke felt that it was well worth it when he saw the warehouse full of resources. The sky grew dark as night arrived in the new world. As the sky dimmed down, so did the dukes mood. He was starting to doubt whether this was a trap. He wanted to summon his forces and retreat immediately, but he hesitated after seeing the long stretch of forest before him. As the core character of a famed demonkin clan, he knew very well what this forest with four-holy-trees meant. It would be a great service to the clan if he could capture and hold onto this forest. The merit would be enough to gain him rare resources that could raise the ceiling on his talents. The forest under the night sky was so tempting that the duke couldnt look away. This wasnt just a forestit meant authority, riches, position, and much longer life. In short, it meant everything to him. The duke passed the night in hesitation. He had just calmed down around the break of dawn when he saw a tightly packed fleet of airships over the horizon. The numbers were so great that his heart sank right to the bottom. It was already too late to retreat. The Empire was so generous that the whole army was being transported by airshipsthere was no way to outrun them. The Imperial fleet arrived outside of the forest in the blink of an eye. Considering the dukes visual acuity, he could already see Song Zining and Zhao Jundus flags on the deck. He finally understood that Song Zining had lured him here and used the allure of the forest to make him stay. This allowed the Imperial army to move over in leisure. The trap was simple, and the bait was very real. He might have had a chance to escape if he had abandoned the forest, but now, he only had one choice left. That was to abandon the troops and flee. There wasnt much to think about regarding this decision. The duke made some defensive arrangements and put some experts in leading positions before fleeing at full speed. Fortunately, Song Zining and Zhao Jundu only shot him a glance with no signs of giving chase. The duke grew a bit calmer as he ran away as quickly as he could. The utter despair of the troops he had left behind was no longer his concern. He couldnt be blamed for running away since the Masefield reinforcements were nowhere in sight. As he was flying away at top speed, an old man in dark-colored robes suddenly appeared in his path. Ive been waiting for you. Startled, the duke felt a sudden and unstoppable chill emerging from the depths of his heart. Profundity Monarch! The dukes voice was full of despair. Evernight Council. The majestic Sacred Mountain stood just as solemnly. A figure tore across the skies and appeared outside of the council. It then slowly walked up the steps and entered through the doors. A bleak, ancient bell tolled loudly, its sound spreading far across the continents and reaching several special locations. The toll contained seven notes, an emergency signal that would summon all of the great dark monarchs and princes to a meeting. Moments later, several powerful auras appeared at the council hall. There were also several marquises who had come instead of their respective princes and great dark monarchs. They would be in charge of recording and reporting the contents of this meeting. The hall was fairly empty, and no supremes were present on the Sacred Mountain. This was a rare occurrence since the supremes would usually leave a projection to make important decisions when needed. Even the space in the hall became distorted as a raspy voice said, Progia of the Masefield clan, why have you summoned all of us here, and why are you so angry? Our clans youngest hope, Duke Freyr, has fallen in the new world. Wasnt the plan for us to attack their rear and keep them busy? Why did their main force turn back all of a sudden? Even that despicable Profundity Monarch appeared! What are you people in the central region doing? Are you all useless? The Azure King replied, Our vampire race has also suffered grave losses, did you not know? The arachne have lost three dukes. Progias voice rose sharply. But Freyr did not need to die! If I wasnt busy fighting the Pointer Monarch, theres no way I wouldve let the Profundity Monarch succeed. Theres no helping it, the Masefield clans door is too close to the humans. Progia said in a gloomy voice, I need compensation. Impossible. Medanzo immediately declined the notion. Progia said coldly, Your vampire race fielded princes and great dark monarchs too often in a scramble for profit. Why else would the worlds malicious intent grow so strong against us? Now things have gone south! None of us dares to attack at will, while the humans have no limitations. Medanzo sneered, As if the demonkin used any fewer experts. The Arachne Warlord Noxus tried to mediate, Lets not quarrel over such matters. Both your clans have mobilized a lot of experts, only the arachne held back a bit. All of a sudden, Medanzo and Progias anger turned to Noxus. Medanzo said, Your arachne race took the biggest slice of the pie. Progia said coldly, Yeah, even the Spider Queen was involved. It would be a wonder if the will of the new world wasnt agitated. Noxus hadn''t thought things would turn out this way. After some thought, he tried to draw the fire away. Dont forget about the werewolves. I heard Sousa appeared several times as well and without any disguise. I think he might be one of the biggest reasons. The Summit of Peaks has been plotting something as well. I heard theyre working together with humans on Fort Continent. Medanzo said impatiently, Whats the point of discussing a mere divine champion? We need to think about how to deal with the heavenly monarchs. Noxus said, How long do you think itll be until the humans also draw the ire of the new world? This was a serious question. The Eternal Flame, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, Two attacks. The hall went silent. Chapter 1312: Who Else? The problem was that the humans also knew of the qualitative difference in the malicious intents reaction. They would surely make use of these two opportunities. The heavenly monarchs would be able to go all out, safe in the knowledge that great dark monarchs couldnt stop them. Experts at the heavenly monarch and great dark monarch realm were overwhelming forces in battle. Princes might be fine under such circumstances, but some of the grand dukes would be in danger. Those who were powerful in combat but weak in running away might fall in the new world. Dukes were the pillars of each clan, and the grand dukes, even more so. Each loss could change the power balance of the entire family. Even powerful races like the demonkin and vampires would find it difficult to handle the loss of a grand duke. The weakest among the twelve major vampire clans relied on their grand duke to keep up their prestige. At the mention of this topic, the top-experts of the three races went silent. In truth, the Profundity Monarchs attack was rather surprising. No one knew why the humans had targeted that kid from the Masefield clan when he had almost never appeared in battle before. This set a pretty bad precedent. The Azure King said, Why dont we have the werewolves shoulder some of the burden? Progia said, That wont be possible. We kept them out during the opening of the new world and only think of them when there are sacrifices to make. Neither the Summit of Peaks nor Sousa will agree. Maybe theyll have no choice but to agree, said Noxus. Its easy to see that this is impossible. Well only gain the opposite result if we pressure them." Would you rather take this risk yourself? Noxus asked. The vampires and demonkin went silent. Moments later, the Azure King said, We cant suppress the werewolves. Dont forget that the werewolf sovereign of the Summit of Peaks is fairly close to the Sacred Mountain level, not to mention a storm has been brewing inside the peaks all this time. The ancestral faction has a werewolf ancestor in addition to Sousa. Is that old bastard still alive? The most recent intelligence says hes still alive and quite well. Everyone understood the Azure Kings meaning. The werewolves might not have a supreme on the holy mountain, but they were still one of the four major dark races. It wasnt that easy to bully them, and things would only become more difficult if they were pushed to a corner. The three races would have to shoulder the two attack quotas. Progia said, Ive already sacrificed a duke and thirty thousand elite soldiers. The remainder is no longer my business. This was within reason, but it also meant the Eternal Flame would have to bear the entire quota of the demonkin race. And this time, it wouldnt be as simple as losing a duke. The blaze representing the Eternal Flame showed no fluctuation, almost as though he hadnt heard a thing. The Azure King laughed. Dont forget that our vampire race holds an extremely important character. As the price for helping out at the critical moment, we wont be taking on this risk, either. Noxus said coldly, Are you guys saying that our race should take on the two quotas? It was impossible to have the arachne bear all of the damage. The Eternal Flame finally said, I can take on this quota, but Ill need ten holy trees as compensation. The Eternal Flames proposal would compensate him with one-third the value of a duke while shouldering two-thirds himself. This was something all parties could accept. Neither the Azure King nor Medanzo had any objections, so the meeting came to an end. Before leaving, Medanzo said, I heard two human youngsters have been acting arrogantly. Can the demonkin really do nothing about them? The force closest to the Empire was the Masefield clan, and the first to clash with them in the central region were the arachne. These two had suffered the most in Song Zinings hands, while the vampire race had it better. They had lost several small squads in battle but nothing that would hurt them to the bone. Both the demonkin and arachne looked rather unsightly as the Lightless Monarch poked at their wounds. Progia replied, Theyll reach your borders very soon. I hope your subordinates can perform better. Medanzo laughed out loud. Of course, our vampire race is different. He was just halfway through when Progia and Noxus broke into howling laughter. Even the silent Eternal Flame formed a mocking smile with his blaze. All the great dark monarchs had received the latest report at that moment. Song Zining had suddenly appeared in the central region and launched a surprise attack on four vampire fortresses, killing three glorious marquises and routing two reinforcement units. The vampires had lost over fifty thousand elite soldiers and were now catching up to the demonkin in terms of casualties. This slap to the face was resounding. Medanzo was unable to remain calm. Didnt he just kill Freyr? How can he appear in the central region? Unless his entire army is moving around by air. Progia said, It probably is. Medanzo narrowed his eyes. Thats no ordinary expenditure. Our losses are grave as well. Medanzos expression darkened. He snorted deeply but surprisingly didnt act out and merely left together with the Azure King. Progia and the Eternal Flame were left talking secretly among themselves as they watched their receding figures. Noxus said, Thats not his usual character. Progia said, Perhaps they do have a hidden ace. That person? The fire representing the Eternal Flame flickered briefly in agreement. Noxus glanced at the two demonkin monarchs and said meaningfully, Your races Demoness is also a rare genius. She might be affected if shes overtaken by that person. Progia sneered. That persons origins are mysterious, we still dont know who the awakened character is. I heard only the Queen of the Night knows. Regardless, shes an ancient character even for us, while the Demoness is from a much younger generation. Theres no need to compare. Others might not think that way, but the Demoness might. You guys should just keep an eye on your Basil. Basils bloodline is closer to the Spider King and not the Spider Queen, it has been since his birth. Were still waiting for the next messiah The arachne had always been a matriarchal race. Warlord Noxus, for example, was already at the limits of a spider king. He would need the Queens bloodline in order to take the next step forward. Then we wish you find one soon and not have to wait a hundred years. A hundred years is fine so long as we can obtain one. What we really fear is finding the messiah, then someone else coming along to destroy everything. Dark undercurrents flowed throughout the hall as the great dark monarchs dispersed unhappily. The other representatives recorded the meeting at great speed, not daring to make a single mistake. At the central region of the new world, a normal-looking valley was filled to the brim with parked airships. Large groups of Imperial soldiers were setting up camp nearby while the technicians made use of the time to maintain the machines and exchange damaged parts. There were also people constantly recording data. As more and more airships broke down, these technicians were beginning to grasp which parts wore down quicker and which materials were more resistant to the corrosion of the new worlds origin power. The Empires manufacturing system now revolved around the requirements of the new world. The data sent back to the Empire would return very quickly in the form of new technology or engine parts in bulk. Song Zining was atop a hill, scattering a handful of divination tokens onto the ground. He studied it for a while before shaking his head and repeating the process. Zhao Jundu sat down beside him and gazed at the distant sky. Did you find anything? Im just practicing. Youve asked countless times now, its annoying. Song Zining stared at Zhao Jundu briefly. Youre bleeding again. Im used to it, but youre bleeding too. Song Zining looked down and saw some blood seeping out of his leg. Its just a small wound, I have already forgotten about it. Zhao Jundu turned his nose up at him. Stop bluffing, you clearly couldnt heal it. As if you can. Of course I can! Itll be better after bleeding out a bit. Song Zining sighed. I do miss that aloof Zhao Fourth and not the naggy monster shrouded in killing intent. Zhao Jundu laughed in a carefree manner. Refining true gold in flames is a path of mortal peril, just a minor carelessness will get me killed. If I dont nag now, there might not be an opportunity in the future. Song Zining put away his divination tokens. Then go on, Ill listen. Zhao Jundu pointed at the tokens. Do you really plan to take this path? I know what youre trying to say, but who else will take this path if I dont? Zhao Jundu looked at him. Divination is prying into the workings of fate, it will definitely come with a price. Marshal Lins example is right there in front of you. If you choose divination, youll never become a heavenly monarch. Have you really thought it through? The path of divination brings great benefit to the Empire and to the human race. Someone has to walk this path. Marshal Lin mustve faced such a dilemma as well back in the year, but he made the same choice. Its my turn now. Zhao Jundu stretched his body. Who wouldve thought someone like you would care so much about the nation and this world? Song Zining sighed. In my shoes, youll find that theres no difference between love for the country and for oneself. Fine, I admit I can''t outspeak you. I heard the Empire has a divination project that has been in the works for countless generations, something called the Chronicle of Glory. Only the Emperor and a handful of top characters know the details, but I heard that divination experts who are a part of this project never meet good ends. Think about it carefully. I will. Chapter 1313: Fall of the Dark Moon The Imperial soldiers in the valley took advantage of this lapse to restthere was no telling when the alarm for battle would ring once again. Many of the troops simply wrapped themselves in a blanket and lay on the ground. No matter how hard the soil was, it was definitely better than sleeping in the airships. The intense vibrations and the deafening roar of the engine would drive anyone insane. The new airship models made for this world contained little in terms of passenger comfort, but there were too many places on the battlefield that were much more difficult. This much was nothing for the veteran elites following the Zhao-Song duo. Song Zining picked up the tokens and scattered them again. How is it? Theres an opportunity in that direction. Good. Zhao Jundu got up to prepare for battle. Song Zining called him back. Theres no rush. They wont take the bait unless we go back and forth for a while. Go and invite Prince Greensun in the meantime. Wont the Profundity Monarch do? Prince Greensun is the safer bet. Very well. Zhao Jundu left. In the days that followed, Song Zining latched onto an allied army of vampires and arachne. The commander of this squad, however, was extremely crafty. They avoided fighting head-on against Song Zining at all costs, always pulling back after a brief skirmish. They also maintained an orderly formation at all times, making use of temporary fortifications to contend with Song Zining. They neither left nor headed into a decisive battle. Song Zining really seemed helpless against such an opponent. Both sides sustained a fair bit of damage over several days of combat. Evernight lost three marquises, while the Empire saw two rank seventeen generals perish. This stalemate was disadvantageous to the Empire. Just as before, Song Zining relied on mysterious maneuvers that made it impossible for the other side to grasp his movements. He would avoid calamity and seek openings with his powerful divination arts, occasionally dealing heavy blows to the enemy divination experts. Every time he attacked, the target would either die or suffer grave injuries. If it wasnt for a number of powerful characters putting pressure on them, no divination expert would be willing to enter the new world. Those who did come would put in the bare minimum to get things done. They would never go all out for fear of Song Zining targeting them. A showdown in divination was different from other battles in that the two sides were fighting remotely. Distance was not a problem as they could kill one another even across continents. This kind of enemy filled them with despair. The last expert like that was Lin Xitang. Who wouldve thought Song Zining would walk in his shoes? Hence, the dark races could only use the clumsiest method. They would do their best to keep him pinned down but wouldnt chase if he were to break free. Furthermore, the commander of this squad never made an appearance, only sending out generals proficient in combat to do battle. Just as everyone was thinking that he was going to retreat again with his tails between his legs, Song Zining made a sudden turn and charged into the heart of the central region. Within a certain fortress, an ordinary-looking demonkin was gazing at Song Zinings army moving away. He said with a gloomy expression, Is he trying to lure us? A young demonkin walked over from the side; it was actually Anwen. He said helplessly, My divination is not for this purpose. This matter involves the entire race. Fine, fine, enough about that. Ill do the divination, but I must warn you that I have no confidence about the results. The other demonkins expression softened. Just do your best. There wont be any troubles left if trying ones best is helpful. Mumbling complaints, Anwen waved his hands. Demonic energy sprayed out to form a large swathe of numbers which began to move rapidly, transforming into shifting formulas that dazzled the beholder. The other demonkin stared for a good while but finally gave up. Toward the end, he couldnt even understand what each simple rune stood for. He nodded in praise, saying, Your divination arts have reached a different realm! This power should be used to explore the void and break through our cage, not for creatures trapped within the cage to kill one another, Anwen said without looking up. The other demonkin sighed. You might think that way, but those humans sure dont. Look at how many of our kin have fallen to their blades recently. You saw it with your own eyes. Humans are a weak race, to begin with. They wouldve been wiped out already if they werent fierce enough in battle. At this point, the transforming numbers had finally concluded and formed a complicated three-dimensional diagram. Anwen was fairly surprised at the outcome. He stared at the image for a long while before reaching out to erase it. The demonkin nearby said calmly, Its no use, the people up there are watching everything. Anwens expression shifted several times as he pulled his hand back. What does this diagram mean? Sighing, Anwen looked up at the sky and at the several gazes that had cast their sight here. A calamity, one that is sufficient to destroy our race lies hidden in the depths of the new world. Is that what you people are looking for? The other demonkin asked, Did the humans leave because of that? Song Zining is much better than I in divination. Theres no way he cant divine something that even I can. Leaving all of a sudden means that hes headed there to look for clues. The other demonkins expression shifted from hesitation to resolution. I understand now, this is a trap. The humans are forcing us to leave the fortress and intercept them. Anwen was puzzled. Why? The demonkin beside him said, Youre still young, so there are a lot of things you dont know. Whatever is hiding in the new world is not just a calamity but also an opportunity, a chance for us to eliminate a long-standing trouble. We cannot lose such an opportunity, so we have to stop them even though we know its a trap. With that, he gazed at the direction of the Imperial forces. This Song Zining is indeed very skilled, he already knows that Im the commander of this allied force. Since thats the case, Ill have no choice but to oblige. Anwen noticed that something was wrong. Why do they want us to leave the fortress? The demonkin patted Anwens shoulder. You have no idea whos waiting for me there. Well, someone has to face them in one way or another. My potential and progress have come to a dead-end, but the same cant be said for you. Youre the future of our race, but the only problem is that youre too soft to be a leader. If one day youre having a hard time making a decision, think about me and those who have sacrificed themselves for the clan. With that, the demonkin flew after the Imperial army without bringing any soldiers. Anwen remained stunned until the mans figure vanished over the horizon. Only then did he mutter to himself, What kind of trap can put you in peril? Unless its the human races Prince Greensun! Waking up all of a sudden, he rushed down the main building and grabbed a high-ranking officer along the way. Take me to the basement now or Ill kill you! The arachne officer recognized Anwen. Not daring to resist, he brought the latter to the underground area. Once inside, Anwen sensed a familiar origin power aura behind a tightly-locked door. He kicked down the door without the slightest hesitation and charged right in. As expected, there was a giant origin array hidden under the fortress. Its functions were to bolster defense and tear space for teleportation. Anwen immediately realized what was going on. This was an escape path that had been prepared for the demonkin commander, the fruit of their experience from previous losses. Anwen charged out of the building and flew up into the sky, shouting, What are you all doing? Are you going to watch just like that? The sky was empty, and those gazes from before were nowhere to be seen. A marquis appeared behind Anwen and whispered, Young Master, the lords have left. Anwen turned back. Why?! That marquis apparently knew quite a few secrets. The human heavenly monarchs can attack twice before they thoroughly anger the new world. Our clan has to take up one quota. Two quotas two quotas Anwen murmured to himself. He didnt know whether he wanted to laugh or to cry, but before he knew it, his face was full of tears. All rules would collapse at the climax of a war. A compromise from those high up would end up as despair for those below. Several days later, the latest battle report spread throughout the Empirea grand duke of the Dark Abyss, Jaero the Unfellable Dark Moon, had been killed in the new world. Jaero was a legendary character among the demonkin who had fought Lin Xitang to a draw at his peak military strength. He had salvaged a losing war with his power and protected the dark race lands on the Western Continent. He always led his troops steadily, not to mention he himself was also extremely powerful. Even Lin Xitang once sighed in admiration, saying that Jaero was an opponent with no openings. All he could do was rely on troop advantage and divination arts to seek victory. As a famed demonkin general, he had tipped the scales in many stormy battles and proved himself a great danger to the human race. Who wouldve thought the Unfellable Dark Moon would fall in the central region this day? Only when the battle reports came in did everyone understand that Jaero had run into Prince Greensun and fought for half a day before meeting his end. Considering Zhang Boqians ferocious combat style, the mans death could be considered honorable even in defeat. No one had expected him to hold out for that long. This proved one thinghe might not be able to reach the great dark monarch rank, but there was a good possibility that he could become a prince. However, this defeat meant death, and whatever potential he had would never be realized. All these years, Jaero had stood tall against the other three races in civil conflict and against the Twin Paragons of the Empire in external battles. This outcome wasnt because Song Zinings ability in strategy was better than Lin Xitang but rather due to the time and situation. The bigger picture demanded his sacrifice. The Unfellable Moon wasnt without his weaknesses. His Achilles'' heel was his clan and race. Following this battle, the humans finally understood that there were also valiant warriors who did not fear death among the long-lived races. Chapter 1314: Blacksun Valley Most of the Empires warships were destroyed in that earth-shattering battle. Back on the ground, Song Zinings assault was even more resolute, and his attacks remained fixed on the central region. Whether or not Song Zining had figured anything out, the Evernight side could not allow him to break through into the central zone. Hence, the dark races sent numerous squads to chase after and intercept Song Zinings Imperial forces. Song Zining split their forces into two units led by himself and Zhao Jundu respectively. One would rest in the rear, while the other pushed forward with the attack, routing all incoming enemies with unstoppable momentum. The dark races had dispatched elite forces, but there was no longer anyone at Jaeros level. There were only glorious marquises or vice-dukes leading their forces, not even dukes. These people possessed the origin power rank, but none of them were from well-known clans. This also meant that their talents and weapons were all second-rate. Naturally, Song Zining and Zhao Jundu wouldnt put such opponents in their sights. Zhao Jundus current origin power was turning from azure to an odd dark color, but his combat strength had increased sharply. Ordinary vice-dukes would have to flee for their lives or they would be killed on sight. In the span of a few days, Song Zining had pushed a few kilometers toward the central region despite moving by land. Such speed made a joke out of the dark races interception. The main reason for this lay with the arachne. With Jaeros death, the demonkin had kept their part of the promise, but the arachne hadnt decided who would be the sacrifice. They were still wrangling amongst themselves regarding this matter. This was the death of a duke at the very least, not a matter anyone could decide on their own. Even the Spider Queen was silent, either unable or unwilling to pass the verdict. Many among the arachne were secretly hoping to drag this out, hoping the problem would solve itself eventually. The thought was well and good, but Song Zining took advantage of this brief opportunity to launch a crazed attack toward the central region. The effects of Jaeros suicidal attack on the Imperial fleet were more or less gone now. In just a few days, the Empire would deliver a new batch of warships, and their army would once again regain its mobility. Song Zining would be unstoppable at that point. Without the need for a heavenly monarch, Song Zining and Zhao Jundu routed the dukes forces in a pincer attack and heavily injured him. He wouldnt have escaped if it wasnt for his strong arachne constitution. There was no way such an outcome would appease the vampires and demonkin, so the arachne once again fell into the process of arguing. Song Zinings army wasnt going to wait for them, thoughit pushed forward with great momentum, breaking through several blockades and finally arriving at the heart of the central region. At the end of the rolling hills, there was a valley of incomparable size. Were it not for the steep drop and a mysterious intuition, Song Zining mightve mistaken this valley for a flatland, just a thousand meters lower than the rest of the landscape. Unlike the daybreak-leaning origin power that pervaded the entire new world, this valley was filled with dark energy. The darkness origin power here was so strong and congested that it almost seemed tangible. The darkness origin power was clearly demarcated from the strange daybreak origin power of the new world. The two werent mixing at all, so it looked like there was a grey dome covering the valley. Even Song Zining and Zhao Jundu found it difficult to breathe in the face of this majestic scene. At this moment, their senses had expanded to the point of encompassing the entire valley. The ravine was so big that it spanned hundreds of kilometers. This sudden and strong contrast almost felt like it would devour ones soul. Its so big! Song Zining couldnt find the right word for a moment. Zhao Jundu said, Perhaps a void colossus vision is this wide? Void colossi arent that big. Reportedly, the biggest void colossus that lives in the depths of the void is only around ten thousand meters in length. Us not knowing doesnt mean they dont exist. True. Zhao Judnu pointed at the valley. Look, what is that? Song Zining glanced over and saw a sinkhole at the center of the valley. It was bottomless and gave off an extremely unusual feeling. Song Zining had sensed this back at the Constellation Well of the Great Maelstrom; this should be a natural spatial tunnel. The tunnel was constantly spewing out darkness origin power, but there was no way to sense what was on the other end. The sinkhole was surrounded by numerous hills with a dark flame burning atop each of them. Despite the great distance, Song Zining and Zhao Jundu could feel a pricking pain just by looking at them. The two exchanged glances, each noticing the astonishment in the others eyes. It was obvious that they had to avoid the fire at all costs, leaving them with very few ways into the sinkhole. The widest and shortest path among them was located between two mountains, one tall and one short. Yet to be completed, and there were thousands of craftsmen buried in urgent work. So this is the true door. Zhao Jundu nodded. Looks like the dark races true objective is here. The valley is filled with darkness origin power, that makes things difficult. Zhao Jundu walked over to the edge of the cliff and tried touching the black energy. Its fine, the dark races cant use the darkness origin power here. Song Zining did the same and felt a burning pain on his fingertips, a sensation akin to dipping ones finger in acid. Indeed. The darkness origin power here is poisonous to all living creatures, theres no way to use them. The dark races might have it worse in such an environment. Song Zining turned around and went off to assemble the troops. Although a mysterious power had allowed them to see the entire valley, it would take an entire day to get to the center even by airship. During that brief birds eye view, Song Zining hadnt noticed any dark race squads near that fortress. It would seem that the higher-ups of the council believed this place to be the safest, so they didnt bring in any more troops. The dark race could only bring in a certain number of troops into the new world, and most of them had been defeated by Song Zining. Perhaps they had no extra soldiers to garrison in the valley. This was the best opportunity. The Evernight faction would not have expected the Empire to replenish its airships so quickly. The great efficiency of the Imperial engineering system was put on full display here. Its not hard to take down that fortress, but what then? Zhao Jundu asked. Take what we can and burn what we cant. We must not leave a single brick. Zhao Jundu gazed at the massive valley. Do we not need a base? Its not easy to resupply in the valley. We might lose. We have a chance of survival if we dont have a base. Well lose for sure if we have one. Zhao Jundu realized things after some thought. Turns out you want to bleed the dark races as much as you can. Theres a limit to the number of forces they can bring into the new world. Also, we have one quota left, so the great dark monarchs dont dare take action. Such a good opportunity is beyond rare, well never get one again if we miss this one. Thats why Im willing to let them have whatever treasure theyre looking for and deal their backbone forces a heavy blow in exchange. The results of our battle today will become evident thirty years later. The Empire will be able to take down an entire continent by then. Song Zining sighed. Our core forces will never be able to match Evernight. Theyre currently strong in numbers but not willing to let go of certain things. Someone will think it through one day. You have to know that there will never be such a good opportunity to close the gap outside of the new world. Im already in such a state, so I need to take back my moneys worth! Zhao Jundu shook his head. The other side might not be entirely ignorant of your scheme. Military power decides only one facet of war, while the experts compete for the other. If that thing really is helpful to the dark race, they might be willing to trade. Lets fight first and see. We dont know what exactly theyre looking for, so we should just get our job done first. Let the higher-ups shoulder the heavier burdens. I guess thats all we can do. Moments later, the Empires massive fleet rose up once again and charged into the valley, making straight for the incomplete fortress. In the hall of the Evernight Council, the bell signifying an urgent incident rang out once again and traveled toward the various continents. Countless auras arrived from every direction. Several princes tore through space from great distances. They had sensed that the origin power of the three supremes was present on the Sacred Mountain, observing everything from afar. All the members who could come rushed to the scene, knowing that something that would affect the entire Evernight World had happened. That was indeed the case. All those who entered the hall bowed toward the Sacred Mountain in shock and awe. The three figures atop the lofty Sacred Mountain were tall and majestic. They remained motionless as they waited for the arriving council members. This wait took an entire night and day, but this period of time was no longer than a blink for them. The long-lived races were never lacking in patience. Finally, the Demon King slowly opened his eyes. Those who can come have arrived, let us begin. The Queen of the Night nodded as well. Only the Spider Queen expressed nothing, almost as though she were an eternal statue. A duke from one of the lower seats stood up and made a short report. He then said, Im sure everyone has seen the detailed report. The humans have destroyed our base in Blacksun Valley, someone has to take responsibility for that. Another duke said, Who do you think is responsible? The duke who had made the announcement said, Considering how important Blacksun Valley is, it wont be excessive even if we chase this responsibility all the way to the Sacred Mountain. The entire hall fell silent for a moment. Chapter 1315: Taking Responsibility Many of them had received the intelligence before the meeting and knew what Blacksun Valley was. It was quite normal for such important issues to be announced only when necessary. That duke belonged to one of the most marginal members, and it was already quite fortunate that he was able to sit here in the council. There was an entire line of experts at the same rank, waiting to take his place. Normally, it would never be his turn to speak in the extremely hierarchical council. Who wouldve thought he would aim straight for the Sacred Mountain directly? It was the Demon King who spoke up amidst the silence, Then who do you think is responsible? It would seem this duke was intent on shocking people to death. I believe that the responsibility lies with you, Your Majesty Demon King! A commotion broke out in the great hall. Members whispered, gasped, and used origin power to exchange secret conversation, causing a fair bit of ruckus. The undercurrents of origin power flowed about into a chaotic mess. The Demon Kings projection made a light pressing motion, suppressing the agitated origin power with a rain of demonic energy. All those conversing in secret could no longer hear the others voice. Some of the members noticed that the Demon King hadnt even released his suppressive might. When the great hall became silent, the Demon King said, Why do you say that the responsibility is mine? The reason is simple, Sire Jaeros suicidal attack was too reckless! As a celebrated general of our holy army, how could you sacrifice him? Who else should be held responsible if not you, Your Majesty? The Demon King only sighed after a moment of silence. The duke continued, The second reason is still about Jaero, his death wasnt worth it! While fighting Zhang Boqian, Duke Jaero also crippled the human armys mobility. But ten days have passed now, what has changed? The humans have replenished their fleet and are once again undefeatable. Theyve also discovered Blacksun Valle, and even destroyed our fortress. This is akin to occupying the gateway to the new world. So I ask Your Majesty, what did Sire Jaero even die for? The Demon King still did not reply. In addition to being moved, many of the council members picked up the hidden meaning in the exchange. Their gaze couldnt help but drift up to the Sacred Mountain. These words were spoken quite vehemently, prompting nods from many of the council members. The Spider Queen could no longer sit still. So youre actually trying to blame me. The duke said loudly, Im not blaming anyone, but there will be a general consensus on whos responsible. Consensus, haha. The Spider Queen sneered, then stopped talking. Many people stole glances at that duke, secretly feeling sorry for him. The Spider Queen has always been the most vengeful of the lot, and she would definitely take this insult to heart. As a supreme, she had too many ways to kill a duke in secret. The man went pale. Thats all I have to say. Everyone, please make a decision. The three supremes said nothing, so some of the council members stood up to speak. Their suggestions were more balanced, mostly covering topics on how to deal with the human attack. However, none of them could come up with a tangible plan. There was simply no easy way to repel the combination of Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. Their supply of airships seemed endless, and at least three dukes would be in their army at all times. Besides, the situation in the new world was different from before. Because of the limited supply of holy tree sap, their faction could no longer maintain a superior flow of troops. Song Zinings divination skills exceeded everyones expectations, so much so that they could do nothing against him without mobilizing the councils resident experts. In terms of fighting power, the duos combined strength could easily defeat a duke. With a group of human divine champions gathered in one place, it was beyond difficult to besiege any one of them. The only way to block their advance was to send a powerful duke with a strong bloodline, someone like Jaero. Then again, the human heavenly monarchs were waiting in the shadows, and no one knew when they would attack. A powerful duke or grand-duke taking the field would simply be throwing their lives away. The other option was to gather an army of experts, led by someone of comparable talents to Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. A frontal challenge of soldiers vs. soldiers and generals vs. generals. The only ones with such talents in the Evernight Faction were the Demoness and Anwen, and perhaps William and Basil to a certain extent. William was a werewolf, and they definitely werent going to help the other three races in this matter. Basil alone wasnt enough, either. In the end, it was only up to Anwen or the Demoness, but the demonkin would never risk losing their two young geniuses after sacrificing Jaero for the cause. Any of the human heavenly monarchs would go all out to kill the Demoness and Anwen given the chance, eliminating a future threat. If only the great dark monarchs could take action, they would never let a dangerous character like Song Zining escape, either. There was still no answer after a long while of back and forth discussions. Just as the situation was in a deadlock, the Spider Queen spoke, In the end, the debate is all about a sacrificial piece. The demonkin have already suffered many losses, so let them be. But for the remaining quota, I must ask who it was that angered the new worlds consciousness? Most of the council members could only scratch their heads. In truth, they didnt even know what the will of the new world was, let alone how to anger it to the point where it was targeting the great dark monarchs with such enmity. What the Spider Queen meant was that there mightve been other supremes or great monarchs who had contended with the consciousness of the new world. The result was obvious for all to see. The three supremes wouldnt be so helpless, otherwise. Whats done is done. The Demon King wanted to mediate. That was indeed the case at first, but now, Ive been reminded of this problem. Its fine if my people must make sacrifices, but others cannot simply stand by and do nothing. The Queen of the Night finally spoke, Then how about we let you take care of the work our race should be doing? The Spider Queen was stopped up. The atmosphere became so tense that the hall was plunged into icy coldness. Those below would never dare interfere in a quarrel among the supremes. Even the princes and great dark monarchs kept their gazes near their feet, never looking upward. Seeing that the atmosphere was getting awkward, the Demon King said, Whats done is done, lets just maintain the status quo regarding the agreement. As for what we should do now, I think we must bring the werewolves in. That will at least give the humans more pressure. Agreed, said the Spider Queen. At this moment, a werewolf duke stood up and said, You people kept our race out when there were benefits to share. Now, you think of us when you cant solve your problems? We might not agree to whatever you want! I will inform the Wolf Ancestor and Sovereign on my own, I dont need your agreement, the Demon King said calmly, unleashing his unparalleled might. The werewolf dukes face turned red. He wanted to speak but couldnt utter a single word, stopped by the Demon Kings terrifying suppressive might. He wanted to leave but ultimately didnt have the courage to do so. The Demon King could easily take his life or toss him to the human heavenly monarchs. The Demon Kings word choice just now was inform. There was never any intention of seeking the opinions of the Wolf Sovereign and the Wolf Ancestor. This went to show just how awkward of a position the werewolves were in. This was also the reason why the Wolf Ancestor and Sovereign werent present at such an important meeting. Why would they come here to get insulted? After suppressing the werewolves, the Demon King turned to the Queen of the Night. He said in a much gentler tone, It looks like well need the vampires to fend off the human army. Well have to count on you to alleviate Blacksun Valleys danger while we sort out the problem regarding the human heavenly monarchs. The Queen of the Night said, Fine, but the elites from your two races will have to be under our command. The Demon King said, No problem. I can even make Anwen and the Demoness cooperate with you. Eden is already in your army. Let us know if you want any other genius from any clan. The Spider Queen could only nod since even the Demon King had already agreed. I have no problems. Theres still a problem. Where is the sacrifice? I want to see a qualified sacrifice in three days. The Spider Queens expression shifted drastically. Dont go too far! Really? Then Ill go back to sleep now. Even in her projected form, the Spider Queens expression of anger and frustration was clearly visible. She sighed deeply, stirring up a whirlwind in the hall. You will see your sacrificial offering in three days. Im not talking about just one. The Spider Queen was furious. How many do you want? I want you to shoulder half of the sacrifices for our race. How do we even do that? the Spider Queen asked. This is something you need to figure out. With that, the Queen of the Nights figure slowly faded away. She had left. The Spider Queen slammed the armrest. The impact shook the entire hall, but the Sacred Mountain remained entirely still. The Demon King laughed wryly. How about this? You, me, and the werewolves can each share a third of the vampire races sacrificial offerings. The Spider Queen said after some thought, Is this the only way? The Demon King replied, There is no other way, we can only rely on the vampires. The Spider Queen said after a long lapse, Very well, lets do it that way. I wont compromise at all next time. The council members dispersed as the Spider Queen and the Demon King left. Some stayed behind to discuss the situation among close friends. The division of interests had been settled by the three supremes on the Sacred Mountain. As for the werewolves, they could only wait for their notice. Chapter 1316: It has to be you Although they did not have a supreme on the Sacred Mountain, the Wolf Sovereign of the Summit of Peaks and the Wolf Ancestor of the ancestral school were regarded as superior to the great dark monarchs. They were fairly close to the supremes in power. As the wielder of the Tempestthe fastest and most ferocious of all grand magnumseven a supreme would find the Wolf Sovereign an extremely difficult opponent. The werewolves were highly populous and boasted a great number of experts across their three continents. Despite all that, the werewolves were mercilessly left out during the pioneering of the new world. The reason behind this was definitely a topic worth pondering on. Some people believed that the werewolves had offended a certain supreme, while others felt that the great prophets had foreseen the fall of their race. None of the various explanations was enough to convince anyone, but one thing gradually became certain. There was something of great benefit hidden in the new world, something so big that even the supremes were willing to lower themselves to fight for it. It was so important that they werent willing to share, and that was why the supreme-less werewolf race was mercilessly left out. It was all so that they wouldnt have to split another quota. The werewolves state of affairs deserved sympathy, but the vampires sudden change in attitude was also quite surprising. It would seem that the dark races were starting to push for superiority in their contest for the number one Evernight race. The demonkin were as arrogant as they were powerful, oftentimes surpassing the vampires in the distribution of benefits. In the most recent decade, there was a stark contrast between the two races active great dark monarch. The Eternal Flame with his Sable Blessing was widely accepted as superior to the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. The gap in strength never changed even with the rise of Prince Habsburg. The Queen of the Night Lilith was undoubtedly the number one expert, but she remained in deep slumber most of the time and would only appear on the Sacred Mountain in the form of a projection. This was the first time the queen had made repeated demands and forced the other races to make concessions. The Demon King and Spider Queen compromised at every step, going so far as to pay a steep price for the vampire race to take the field as per the agreed policy. Didnt this mean that the entire Evernight faction was helpless, that only the vampires could deal with Song Zining and Zhao Jundu? When did the vampire race produce such a genius? The topic of vampire geniuses led the Evernight council members to a certain name: Qianye. Then again, there were a lot of complicated leads behind these things. The Empire placed a gag order, and surprisingly, the news didnt spread to Evernight, either. Without further information about his progress, Qianye eventually faded away from everyones memories. He was now being mentioned again because people remembered that he was a bona fide vampirehe had even revealed his blood core back then. This theory was also refuted because Qianyes Venus Dawn was extremely famous, and many dark race members had suffered in his hands before. Compared to Song Zinings Worldly Prosperity, Qianyes energy was purer, fiercer, and much more destructive. How could someone with Venus Dawn be a vampire? The entire Evernight faction was discussing this matter, but they were destined to never get an answer. When they dug up Qianyes achievements in detail, people discovered that the young genius had already broken through the divine champion realm and was now an important character. Not only had he taken down a large territory on Fort Continent, but he had also killed the Whitebone Duke. Although Whitebone wasnt a qualified dukeand Qianye hadnt claimed victory on his ownbeing able to kill the target still spoke volumes of his ability. There were rumors that even Sousa had lost out in the new world. The more discussions took place, the more Qianye became a puzzling mystery. In a secluded land unaffected by the storm outside, Nighteye was sitting at a cliffside and gazing at the boundless sea of clouds. This place was extremely high up and the sky was clear, making it easy for one to forget about all secular worries. An elegant man in his middle ages walked over from behind. It only took him a few steps from over the horizon to Nighteyes side. He gazed out for a moment before sighing. Since I was a kid, Ive always wondered what exactly lies beneath this sea of clouds. Why would this Genesis Continent become a second holy land of our vampire race, a place even more important than the Twilight Continent at certain times? Even now, I still wonder if the end of the River of Blood is indeed here or on one of the seven higher continents. Unfortunately, we can never reach the higher continents, and we cannot go down this sea of clouds. Nighteye said, A place even the great Azure King cant go, I naturally cannot, either. Im just here to take a look, Im not going down there. The Azure King said, Thats good then. This sea of clouds has always been an irresistible attraction for our race, but all of those who have gone down never returned. Even Black-Wing, with his Spatial Flash and fearless nature, regretted his decision halfway after jumping in. He actually teleported out, but his divine wings had turned black ever since. He mightve reached the Sacred Mountain if he didnt have to go through that. There wouldnt even be a Black-Winged Monarch if he didnt dare to jump. True. I looked everywhere before realizing you were here. What, interested in the River of Blood now? Nighteye shook her head. No, I just felt that its quieter here. The Azure King glanced back at the distant castle, saying, It is indeed. There are too many rumors swirling about in the outside world, things that might make you unhappy. Those rumors probably wont reach this place. Oh, they did. Then you Its fine, Ive tossed those who drivel in there. The Azure King shook his head helplessly. You, sigh Nighteye replied indifferently, I know those who can actually come here are descendants and geniuses of certain races. But, theyre courting death if they think they can rely on that to offend me. If any of those powerhouses are dissatisfied, they can come to seek me out. I dont think they have the guts, though. The Azure King said gently, Theres really no need to go that far. This body is too young, so young that people forget to maintain the basic level of respect. I dont have any tangible accomplishments, either, so this is the only way to make a deeper impression. See? This place is now a lot quieter after tossing those people down. You still have a lot of resentments. Of course not. Weve been friends for over a thousand years, how can I not understand you? Nighteye replied, I dont have such an old friend! I only just awakened my spirit, Ive forgotten the past. The Azure King said helplessly, You just said this body is too young Fine, whatever you say. What business did you have with me? The Azure King heaved a sigh of relief. Youre finally willing to listen. Youve been speaking all this time, havent you? Did I stop you? You would have driven me away if I had gotten straight to business. The Azure King seemed helpless. Our current situation doesnt look good. The humans have arrived in Blacksun Valley and destroyed our base there. Nighteye sounded surprised. What should I say? That its not because were useless, the enemy is simply too crafty? The Azure King coughed. Erm that is more or less the meaning. So, they still want me to take the field? It has to be you? Why should I? The demonkin and arachne have agreed to shoulder half of our sacrificial offerings. Thats the lives of tens of thousands of our people were talking about. The Blacksun Valley, humph, that place should never have been excavated. Weve already paid such a steep price, we cant turn back now. Nighteye said, I dont want to fight the humans, itll affect my control of this identity. This girls willpower is very strong and very troublesome. Find a way to deal with it yourselves. The Azure King said after a moment of silence, This bodys consciousness is still there? Of course! The Azure King sighed. If thats the case, how about we have someone else come and persuade you? Itll be the same whoever comes. That person might be different. Who? Edward of the Perth Clan. Surprised, Nighteye said coldly, You should know what will happen if you send him to me. I know, Her Majesty knows, he knows as well. Fine then. Let him come and Ill listen to what he has to say before his death. The Azure King nodded. Ill be leaving then. I wont see you off. The Azure King sighed softly. You were just as cold a thousand years ago. How should I know what I was like a thousand years ago? Seeing that Nighteye had no intention of continuing the topic, the Azure King left while shaking his head. After taking the first step, he looked back and asked hesitantly, Are you really What? You just said? What did I just say? Nighteye looked puzzled. The Azure King said, Nevermind, Ill ask you after we finish up in Blacksun Valley. Nighteye glanced at him with a frown. Thatll take some time. Your time is limited, you should go back to sleep in the blood pond. The Azure King laughed wryly. How can I rest now? You saw the mess Medanzo has gotten the race into while Lilith and I werent around. Blacksun Valley is really important, its worth it even if I have to lose some lifespan. At least Her Majesty wont have to worry that much. You worry about too many things. Cant help it. Seeing that she couldnt convince him, Nighteye asked, What did you want to ask just now? Its nothing important, its fine even if I dont know. Fine, as you wish. The Azure King shook his head and drifted away. Gazing at his receding silhouette, Nighteye did feel somewhat curious as to what exactly he wanted to ask. Chapter 1317: Persuasion The vampires had established a circular string of cities here. The environment was raging hot because of its proximity to the upper continent layer, and there was a mysterious attractive force coming from the depths of the sea of clouds. That was why the ordinary clans could only build establishments in the periphery; none but the twelve ancient clans possessed the right to build cities close to the center. Closest to the centerwhere the sea of clouds calling was the strongestthere was a small castle called Noctiluna. The Queen of the Night, Lilith, had built this castle personally when she first set foot on the Genesis Continent. It was little more than a stone house back then, far from the castle it was today. One after another, the subsequent second-generation primogenitors would upgrade the structure once they were strong enough to set foot on the continent. These people were just minor characters when they came to work on the castle. Their talents were high, but they had yet to bring them out at that point. It was already quite the struggle for them to remain near the sea of clouds, let alone build a majestic castle. The expansion of Castle Noctiluna stopped after the fall of the first second-generation primogenitor and was kept in the same shape thereafter. Each generation of vampires would only do maintenance and repairs, no longer building new structures. This was a form of respect for the Queen of the Night and to commemorate the fallen primogenitors. To this very day, only those with the highest bloodlines could approach the castle. At this moment, there was a black-cloaked vampire walking slowly along the plains. He pulled back the hood to reveal a pale, sallow face. The handsomeness of yesteryears had been ruined by the black, sunken eyes and pallid lips. There was no longer an ounce of spirit and vigor in him befitting of a vampire holy son. He paused to look up at the sky, narrowing his eyes at the overly fierce sunlight and revealing a disgusted expression. This place was too close to the upper layers; vampires did not appreciate sunlight this strong. Edward put his cloak back on to block out the annoying sun and gazed into the distance. He could vaguely see the sea of clouds at the ends of his vision. His face flushed red, his breathing hastened, and his blood core began to beat faster. The calling from the depths of the cloud sea was so strong that he wanted to jump down. As a core character of the vampire races newer generation and a primo who had accepted Medanzos origin blood, Edward was someone with both talent and willpower. Even someone of his caliber found it difficult to handle the attraction from the sea of clouds. Otherwise, he wouldnt have become the holy son of the Perth Clan. No one had imagined, though, that the Queen of the Night would refuse to recognize the title that the Evernight Council had granted him. This caused his status among the vampires to drop drastically. When he failed to woo Nighteye later on and resorted to threatening her, he also sowed the seeds for todays ending. He looked up at the distant Castle Noctiluna. Although he wasnt walking very fast, the end-point was right there, and he would get there sooner or later. He had already thought back to his entire lifethe good things, the bad things, the satisfaction, and the regrets, everything. The conclusion he came to was that it wasnt because he didnt try hard enough. It was because this world was too unfriendly. He would never be able to withstand the majestic will of this world even if he were to reach a state of perfection. If only the Queen of the Night had valued him a bit more, if only Nighteyethen an ordinary primohad followed him rather than betray the entire vampire race to be with that bastard, if only... There were too many ifs in his life. These scenarios never happened, nor would they ever happen, but they pierced into his heart like a thorn. Edward hastened his steps toward Castle Noctiluna, reporting his identity and intention as he arrived. There were actually two marquises in charge of the castle gates. They were still quite young in terms of vampire age, but they had clearly heard of Edwards name. Their expressions became rather odd when they heard he was here to see Nighteye; a bit of terror as well as a hint of schadenfreude. It was clear that Edward wasnt the one they feared. The holy son didnt care about these things anymore at this point. His thoughts had drifted to the depths of the sea of clouds, to the summoning call of the parent entity. He had avoided it for all too long, and now, it was finally time to respond. Enter! Why are you in a daze? one of the guards said harshly. Edward felt anger well up in his heart. A small marquis would never dare talk to him like this under normal circumstances. However, Edward was in such despair that he couldnt be bothered to bicker with them. Even glaring at them would be an unnecessary waste of energy, so he just entered quietly. Whispered comments arrived from behind him. What holy son? Just someone latching onto the Lightless Monarchs thigh. If he had endured for two more years, the Azure King wouldve woken up and he wouldve gotten a better thigh. Exactly, even Habsburg the Flaming Crown is much stronger. These discussions werent exactly hushedit was clear that those marquises didnt really care about Edward hearing them, but the latter was too dispirited to care. Was this the reason he had offended both Nighteye and the Azure King? He smiled wryly, ignoring the idle chatter behind him as he passed through the castle and walked toward the sea of clouds. Nighteye was still sitting there, almost as though she had never moved. Edward arrived beside her. He had already let go of everything at this point and was no longer afraid to look straight at her like he was a while ago. At a careful glance, he was able to appreciate Nighteyes beauty and her utter perfectionshe was perfect from head to toe, even with the highest standards of beauty. It was a beauty that had far surpassed stunning and made one subconsciously want to distance themselves from her. She simply sat there, but Edward had to take a step back. Nighteye kept gazing at the sea of clouds while in deep thought, as though she never realized that Edward was here. The holy son said after a while, Ive arrived. Nighteye remained motionless, nor did she seem like she was going to talk. Edward felt an indescribable sense of defeat. He had to muster his courage to even speak. Ive come to convince you to do battle, by request of the Azure King. This time, he had learned to be smarter. Without waiting for Nighteye to reply, he kept talking, I know youre going to ask me why must you fight, I also know you said you dont want to fight the humans. You said its to suppress the residual will of this body, to make it easier for you to control. We all know thats just an excuse, isnt it? Nighteye said, If you think you can say what you want just because youre about to die, you can go and die now. The Azure King will find someone else to convince me. Edward took a deep breath, his face red. He threw caution to the wind and said in a loud voice, Fine, Ill give it straight to you! Theres no original will or whatnot, youve always been you! You just cant let go of the human race, of that person, you just dont want to make an enemy out of him. Nighteye said indifferently, You think youre so smart, but saying it out loud is where youre dumb. Do you think the Azure King doesnt know? Edward was livid. I know Im stupid, thats why Ive fallen to this kind of fate. What I want to say is that fighting humans is different from fighting that person. You have a reason to fight because the human commander is a great enemy! All my human enemies are dead. No, theres still one alive and well, Song Zining! What do I have against him? Edward produced a letter and passed it to Nighteye. This is from one of the deepest assets we have in the human race. Nighteyes expression changed drastically as she read the short message. She looked up and said coldly, Youve been investigating my business in secret. The nerve! Thats the Lightless Monarch What the hell is Lightless? What is a great monarch to me when countless second-generation primogenitors have already fallen? Does he think himself immortal? This topic was too shocking, so much so that Edward didnt dare continue even under present circumstances. He only said, Whatever the original intention was, at least we discovered some secrets related to that person. Your former partner already has two children. Nighteye was like a stone sculpture. She didnt move or even blink, almost as though time had frozen. Edward continued, Combining all the information we have, we came to the conclusion that the two children were conceived in the Great Maelstrom. That person was with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan at the time. Li Kuanglan always dresses like a man but is actually Empress Lis younger sister. Nighteye remained unmoved. Back then, the Young Lord Anwen had also entered the Great Maelstrom from the neutral lands. According to him, the high-gravity regions of the maelstrom were odd in that people needed white fruit to get through the frigid nights. But those fruits were also extremely potent aphrodisiacs, a tool used by the locals to reproduce. This will explain why he has two children, that person has likely lost control and reasoning under the effects of the fruit. Nighteye crushed the paper into powder. Edward said, The key is in who arranged for Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan to be at Qianyes side. Its Song Zining! Other people might not know about the Great Maelstrom, but hes different. Song Zinings attainments in divination are shocking, and that didnt happen overnight! These human divination experts have a lot of power, at least they have access to certain information and records. Its impossible for him not to know about this outcome. Also, he made a lot of secret arrangements before entering the Great Maelstrom. From what we know, it was only after he met Empress Li in secret that the empress dispatched Li Kuanglan to the Great Maelstrom. Is that all? I have more, do you want to listen? No. Chapter 1318: Secret of the Sinkhole How could he have expected such an outcome back then? The world was constantly changing and uncontrollable, just like the rolling sea of clouds. Just as Edward was lost in thought, he heard Nighteyes voice from behind him. Why arent you jumping? Edward was startled. As a spirited warrior, he felt truly aggrieved and unwilling that he was given no choice but to return to the dust. He let out a long howl and leaped toward the sea of clouds, shooting forward over a thousand meters at the speed of lightning. It was at this moment that a powerful force locked into his body and slowed down his flow of blood energy by more than half. Unable to keep himself afloat, Edward slowly sank down with no way of making it back to shore. In his despair, Edward turned back and shouted, Do you feel just a bit of regret? Is that why youre not doing it yourself? Nighteye said coldly, I just couldnt be bothered. In despair, Edward fell into the clouds and disappeared thereafter. Nighteye finally stood up and returned to the castle. Several young counts surrounded her, passing her tea and attending to her every need along the way. These vampires were young geniuses of the race and came from respectable backgrounds, yet Nighteye had immediately tossed several of those who had been gossiping about her and Qianye into the sea of clouds. The families behind those unlucky souls didnt dare say a word, so the others understood that none of them could afford to offend her. The holy son of the Perth clan was a glorious marquis in rank. He had also obtained a drop of Medanzos origin blood, which made him half a descendant. Who else would dare provoke her when even Edward had been forced to jump into the sea of clouds? Vampires were a long-lived race. None wished to forfeit their lives when they still had a good thousand years ahead of them. All they needed was to have a sense of tact and propriety. Hence, these young geniuses dispensed with their posturing and wouldnt even hesitate if they had to bury their faces in the mud. They were even more devoted in attending to Nighteye than they would the Queen of the Night. Nighteye sat down before her study window, enjoying some random snacks and tea. Inform the Azure King, tell him that I need my armor and weapons. Also, schedule an airship to the door on Twilight Continent. Considering her status and looks, Nighteye could be considered the dream of every vampire. This young count even fell to his knees and begged to be taken along. Nighteye kept sipping tea and didnt even look up. You guys are too ugly. Blacksun Valley in the new world. A group of people was traveling carefully through the area, avoiding the black fires scattered almost everywhere as they advanced. Every member of this group was a divine champion, clearly the cream of the Empires crop. Song Zining and Zhao Jundu walked side by side at the front, and none of the dukes behind them looked dissatisfied about having to follow them. After Duke Yuanguangs incident, these dukes clearly understood that Song Zining, despite his young age, possessed a top-grade origin power and was extremely powerful despite his recent ascension. Zhao Jundu, on the other hand, was even stronger according to Song Zining himself. Although it was said that Zhao Jundu had come to a stop at the early divine champion stage, werent the other dukes the same? Besides, fighting power wasnt dependent on rank alone. Having passed through the black flames, the group arrived before the sinkhole. Their expressions shifted drastically as they gazed upon the black fire pillars bursting out from it. Back when Song Zining and Zhao Jundu had seen the entire valley, the sinkhole didnt look all that big from their angle. Only when they were standing at its edge did they realize that it was tens of thousands of meters wide, and there seemed to be no end to the black fire spurting out from within. No one dared approach despite being divine champions as a simple contact with the fire would reduce them to ashes. One of the dukes said, What is this? This is the dark races secret? T-This What kind of secret is that? Even if theres some sort of secret down there, theres no way to go down and look for it. The experienced Duke Shunmu said, Even a heavenly monarch might not be able to enter with these black flames around. Another duke chimed in, These fires are produced by burning darkness origin power, ordinary shields wont last long in them. I wonder what exactly is in there that would produce such vicious flames. Song Zining and Zhao Jundu frowned in silence. Moments later, the former said, These black flames seem to be distorting our perception. I can barely use my divination arts here, even at the expense of efficiency. Zhao Jundu reached out to touch the black fire. When he pulled his finger back to observe, the skin at the point of contact had been charred black. The origin barrier he had used to resist the fire was only half effective. After observing the wound, Zhao Jundu said, These flames are just as damaging to the dark races. If we cant go down, they cant, either. But Seeing his hesitation, Song Zining shot him a strange glance. There are no strangers here, whats there that you cant say? Zhao Jundu laughed wryly. Its nothing really, I just didnt want to believe it myself. Its just a guess and might not be correct at all. Whats your guess, lets hear it? Exactly, your understanding is nothing but brilliant. The other dukes were also curious. Zhao Jundu pointed at the sinkhole. Look, dont you think the sinkhole is too round and the insides too smooth? The dukes were puzzled. There are a lot of round sinkholes in the Empire as well. As for the walls, the prolonged exposure to the black flames mustve made them smooth. Whats wrong with it? Zhao Jundu said, The aura here makes me feel restless, and its not just one type. At this point, Zhao Jundu had been undergoing refinement in fire for quite some time. His origin power had turned from azure to purple, and then almost entirely dark. However, he had used energy systems to explain that this wasnt darkness origin power but a form of daybreak energy that no one had seen before. Many Imperial experts had confirmed this statement, suppressing the suspicions people had about his cultivation art. As he went deeper and deeper into the refinement, Zhao Jundus combat strength increased exponentially. Not to mention an ordinary early divine champion, he might even have a chance against a superior divine champion. Even a great dark monarch might not be able to instill fear in him. The dukes held their breath in silence, waiting for the conclusion. Although they were prepared, the final guess still shocked everyone. I suspect that this sinkhole didnt exist before. It mustve been dug out by the supremes of the Sacred Mountain. Duke Yuanguang swallowed hard. Such a massive sinkhole, is that even possible? Each supreme of the Sacred Mountain had lived longer than the history of the Empire itself, and their might was a legend. Some people even believed that the three of them could cut a continent in half if they so willed it. Additionally, there were also differing opinions on why the Void Valley Star had fallen down to the neutral lands. It wouldnt be impossible for the three supremes to work together to create this sinkhole. But what was going on with the unending stream of black flames? Song Zinings brows relaxed. Ive figured it out now that you mentioned it. What did you figure out? Darksun valley is so important that Jaero would risk his life to stop us from approaching, but there arent many soldiers here. The reason is probably because the three supremes had opened this sinkhole but couldnt get into the passage. Hence, they focused their limited troops on expansion. That is the only way to get more troops into the new world. Song Zining continued, There was no proper response even after we destroyed that fortress. This proves that they know we cant enter, either. These black flames are fierce, but they will die out at one point. That is when the dark races will retaliate in full force. Then what do we do? Song Zining said, Well fight myriad changes with consistency, we continue bleeding the dark races. Even if we cant get our hands on whatever is inside, we must have them pay an arm and a leg for the treasure. The dukes fighting spirit saw a sharp increase. Song Zining said after a moment of silent calculation, We have about three days of safe time. Ill trouble you all to map out the surrounding landscape with as much detail as you can. Divination doesnt work very well here, so the quality of this map will decide our fate. The dukes accepted their respective missions, with Zhao Jundu taking on three areas alone. His current origin power was a bit similar to the black flames, so his tolerance was much greater. Song Zining didnt hold back, either, emboldened by the principle of letting the capable do more work. Song Zinings intention was clear at this point. He was seeking to use the complicated landscape to contend with the dark races, dealing as much damage as he could to their elite troops. Only at this point did the dukes understand why Song Zining had no intention of building a base here. Being tied down to a stronghold would make it easier for the enemy to trace them. Roaming battles were currently the best tactic to bring out Song Zinings skills. I wonder who the dark races will send to their deaths this time. It wont be an easy enemy for sure. The useless ones will die in our hands without even needing the heavenly monarch to take action. Haha, Brother Zhengs Thousand Bindings is a celebrated take-down art. The dark races wont be able to escape once caught. You praise it too much. If we run into a prince or a great dark monarch, itll only serve to restrict them for a moment. Tying them down is impossible. The dukes chatted happily as they left to complete their objectives. Chapter 1319: Battle at the Sinkhole The sinkhole itself was tens of thousands of meters wide, surrounded by an even wider area covered in black flames. The entire stretch of land was about the size of an Imperial province. A hundred thousand soldiers hardly made a splash when they were spread out in the region. The Imperial forces never left the sinkhole, a clear indication that Song Zining planned to fight the enemy head-on. The dark races had no reason to shy away from the challenge. The sinkhole was filled with raging flames at the moment, but even the supremes didnt know when they would die out. Every day that the humans remained near the sinkhole was an extra day of risk. The battlefield was so wide that neither side could lock down the others movements. Even though there were only a couple of routes near the sinkhole, there were still too many leading to the periphery. The black flames in the hilly terrain were also changing constantly, and no one knew when it would gush out from a crack in the ground and cut off a path. This added greatly to the variables involved. At this moment, Zhao Jundu and Song Zining were atop a mountaintop, surrounded by raging black flames. However, there was a dark origin power pulsing around the formers body which served to suppress the blaze. He was actually deploying Omniscient Seal with his newfound origin power. Zhao Jundus black origin power was draining at an unusually slow rate amidst the flames. It looked like he would have no problem holding out for one day and night. Song Zining was looking much more relaxed within the range of the Omniscient Seal. He glanced at Zhao Jundu, saying, Your origin power is really strange. It can actually resist the black flames. Id last a couple of hours at most in your shoes. My origin power was refined in the new world, so its only natural to be a bit more resistant. I guess thats a valid reason. Song Zining gazed into the distance. A dozen or so kilometers away, a group of dark race soldiers was advancing toward the sinkhole. Their formation stretched far behind the lead, consisting of at least ten thousand people. This unit was not inferior to the Empires Red Scorpion or Broken-Winged Angels, be it in terms of their aura or equipment. Although they werent too far, the duo was not afraid of being exposed because of the black flames. The blaze suppressed perception exponentially and, although they didn''t emit light, looking at them was even more uncomfortable than looking straight at the sun. Only those who could insulate the flames with origin power would remain unharmed. Song Zining nodded. This is the fourth. If we count the ordinary ones, the dark races have gathered at least three hundred thousand soldiers? He was shocked by the number as he said it, but his expression relaxed soon afterward. No matter, more contributions for us. Zhao Jundu said, Dont rush. Are you really confident about winning against so many dark race soldiers? We can slowly whittle them away. Do you really not trust me? Zhao Jundu frowned. Give me a reason to. Song Zining shrugged helplessly. Fine, the reason is that I can still use divination even in this place. Its just that the results are blurry and it involves more effort. Zhao Jundu was surprised. After some thought, he fished out some divination tokens and tossed them to the ground. So you know a bit of divination as well Song Zining hadnt finished speaking when the tokens burst into flames and were soon reduced to ashes. Zhao Jundu groaned and went pale. Song Zining said, Seeing you so cautious gives me confidence that you wont go mad any time soon. Zhao Jundu said, But I think youve already gone mad. Song Zining sighed. Is three hundred thousand soldiers a lot? Thats a sizable number, considering they were sent here. Zhao Jundus reasoning was sound because those who could fight in Blacksun Valley were the elite among elites. The Empire could only send a hundred and fifty thousand qualified soldiers, while the dark race reinforcements were arriving constantly. There will be three hundred thousand more if Im not wrong. That many? Dont forget that the werewolves have three more continents. Didnt they exclude the werewolves? That was before Jaeros death. Im guessing theyve reshuffled their power structure after the general was lured out and killed by Prince Greensun. I think well see the werewolf army before long. I would never send my elites here if I were the werewolf leader, said Zhao Jundu. Those who can enter the valley wont be very weak. Zhao Jundu slowly nodded. What, afraid now? Zhao Jundu replied calmly, I fear that if there are too many enemies, the Empire wont be able to reward us for all of them. Song Zining laughed. We can demand two more provinces for your family. Zhao Jundu couldnt help but look surprised despite his usual calmness. That was because Song Zinings suggestion had actually stepped over an unspoken red line. In the past, a major clan would never be granted more than five provinces no matter how prosperous it was. Even the Zhang clan, at its current peak, only owned four. Even then, the fourth province was away from their ancestral territories and still in the process of development. The Zhao clan already owned You and Yan provinces. They had already captured their third but hadnt named it because the rebel army hadnt been wiped out just yet. In truth, the Zhao clan was already making plans for a fourth province, a territory tailor-made for Zhao Jundu. However, it was delayed because of the war in the new world and Zhao Jundus damaged foundations. People didnt expect too much from him at first, but now, things were looking decent after going through refinement in fire. At least, he had reached a realm no one had ever reached before. Seeing that his origin power was turning into pure darkness and about to break out, some in the family started bringing up this project again. An important part of the plan was to use Qianye as a bargaining chip to seek an honorary duke title that could be inherited. Zhao Jundu and Song Zining had racked up countless contributions in the new world. If they could route the dark race army here at the gateway to the inner world, two provinces would not be enough as a reward. The Empires rewards for military accomplishments had always been the most generous, and they were almost never discounted. This was the founding principle of the Great Qin Empire. Hence, even though it would break ancestral traditions, adding two more provinces to the Zhao clan wasnt impossible. Zhao Jundu had never thought about this, but he couldnt help but feel excited at the idea. After all, he had grown up in a major clan, so the concept of territories and status were a part of his being. Even though he had little in terms of desire, his heart began to beat faster after hearing about the possibility. More land meant more space for his clan to expand and grow. It was the same for Song Zining. He glanced at Zhao Jundu enviously, saying, You have it good, at least you still have family and foundations. Ill get a province at most, everything else will just be empty rewards. A prince title isnt empty. Song Zining replied hurriedly, Ill pass on that. Empress Li will make arrangements for you, Zhao Jundu said meaningfully. Song Zining shivered. Please, no! You seem to be afraid of her? Of course not. Dont tell me youve done some shameful deeds. Zhao Jundus expression was stern. Of course not, all I do is beneficial to the Li family. Things that are beneficial to them means its detrimental to other families? Song Zining was cautious with his words, but Zhao Jundu simply wouldnt let go. In the end, the former shrugged helplessly and said, What do I do if I dont work for Empress Li? Do I help that Imperial consort from your clan? Zhao Jundu was dumbfounded. Compared to Empress Li, that consort was far inferior both in terms of ability and looks. She was the result of the elder generations stubbornness that had lasted until this very day. Especially that incident where she tried to incite disharmony between the Emperor and Imperial Steward Lin, then brought Prince Greensun into it as well. The heavenly monarch still wasnt happy whenever he met the Zhao clans dukes. This kind of skill in offending people was practically unmatched. This also made people gossip about the Zhao clans ambitions in the Imperial court. Enough about these things, lets get ready for war. I have a feeling that this fight wont be easy. Zhao Jundu said, The dark races have suffered greatly in our hands, so theyll surely try to come up with countermeasures. Theyve probably picked the sacrificial piece as well, so well have to decide whether to take it or not. Indeed. The two left the mountaintop to join their units and prepare for the upcoming battle. The sounds of battle broke out near the gateway to the inner world, much to the surprise of Song Zining and Zhao Jundu as they once again split up. Making use of the local terrain, the Empire set up fortifications at the major crossroad leading to the gateway. Apparently, they were going to fight a head-on defensive battle against the dark races. Song Zining, on the other hand, roamed about unpredictably. His whereabouts were difficult to pinpoint, making it so that the dark races would always have to worry about their rear and supply lines. Splitting up was a bad idea at first, especially as the Imperial forces were weaker than the enemy. The dark races frontline commander thought that the humans had finally revealed an opening, so he issued the order for a fierce assault. However, the dark race army faced fierce resistance beneath the Empires makeshift fortifications. Zhao Jundu himself stood atop the barricade to fight alongside the soldiers, his dark origin power sweeping the enemies in like a tornado and grinding them into pieces. Zhao Jundu was soon covered in wounds. This time, however, the dark race experts were broken down into essence within the black origin power. Zhao Jundus wounds began to heal at a visible rate as he absorbed this energy. How was anyone to fight him like this? Even the arachne and demonkin found this strange black energy to be rather evil. And Zhao Jundus current regeneration was even faster than the vampires bloodboil state. Just like that, the dark race armys losses reached an alarming level, but the commander clenched his jaws and hung on because the defenders were also falling in droves. The dark races losses were greater, but they knew they had superiority in numbers. The humans would be the first to fall at this rate, and the commander felt that his losses might not be too bad in the end. It was at this time that killing intent burst out behind as Song Zining appeared with a large army. The rear guard couldnt even send a message as they were wiped out. The dark races three-hundred-thousand-strong army was routed by the pincer attack, with less than half of them making it back. When the same scenario repeated itself, the dark races finally realized where the problem was. How had Song Zining taken out the forces in the rear without letting a single person escape? The dark races didnt want to attack again before solving this problem, but the Empire began to bring in a large batch of construction machinery. It looked as though they wanted to build up and research the gateway. Chapter 1320: Reopening Trade Since realizing the existence of the new worlds malicious intent and accidentally obtaining its goodwill, Qianye no longer feared Sousa all that much. He launched repeated attacks, beating the Moorland werewolves into a miserable corner. Qianye had proven that he could harm Sousa with Dragonsgrave, and the latter had no idea whether or not Eunuch Liu had left. So, he simply chose not to appear and ignored his subordinate werewolves no matter how badly they were being beaten. Qianye knew he couldnt push things too farthe great dark monarch might just appear and launch a thunderous attack if he were to get too close to the Moorland door, and he might be able to escape back to the Evernight World before the malicious intent could damage him. As for whether Qianye himself could take on an attack from Sousa, there was no need to even think about it. Qianye thus drew a border three hundred kilometers from the Moorland door, attacking all werewolves who had crossed the line. He himself would not take a step beyond it, either. The werewolves also realized the presence of this line as time went by. They no longer expanded in this direction, choosing instead to pioneer new land on the opposite side. As Qianye flipped through the battle-reports, he found that some of the numbers didnt make much sense. The Moorland werewolves had been expanding for so long, yet their numbers in the new world were actually dwindling? Qianye relied on the concealment of the holy trees to investigate the area around the werewolves door. Could it be that Sousa felt so ashamed that he had decided to give up on the new world? Qianye immediately refuted his own idea. The benefits in the new world were unimaginablethe holy tree, its sap, and the stony metal were all priceless treasures. Even random rocks on the roadside were treasures like dark golden sandstone. Seeing that Qianye had stabilized his footing, all kinds of people from the dark race flocked to Fort Continent in hopes of doing business with him. There were quite a few demonkin, arachne, and vampires in Cerulean Wave City. Of course, there were a lot of humans as well. The many different races were able to live harmoniously since all of them were here for business. As for war, that was something beyond the walls of the city. Qianye hadnt expected such a situation. All those arriving in Cerulean Wave would head over to tour the ancestral altar after hearing about Qianyes legends as the son of darkness. And the great shaman never refused anyonehe was all too proud and happy to let these ignorant bumpkins gaze upon the aura of the son of darkness. Seeing everyones shock and awe, the great shaman felt so satisfied that all of his pores were gushing with darkness origin power. The werewolves of Fort Continent had always been looked down upon, but they could finally feel proud at this moment. He secretly uttered some words of disdain, Ignorant fools! This made the dark races of Cerulean Wave City even more obedient. Especially those experts who could sense the darkness origins, they were as docile as little kittens. The other three races had it easier, but the vampires were badly suppressed by the bloodline. Many of them fell limp to the ground. After hearing of this, new vampire arrivals would head to the ancestral altar in an attempt to prove themselves. Most of them went in walking but ended up being carried out by the werewolves. They didnt mind this outcome, however, and only paid respect to the altar and left. Everyone had a tacit understanding of what this meant. With the experts being so docile, their subordinates also turned into good-tempered people. In addition to always greeting native werewolves with a smile, they treated the humans even better. After all, the humans had money and were potential business partners. The humans in the city were composed of those from Zheng, the Empire, and the neutral lands. Those from the neutral lands had always lived together with the dark races, so they had no problem at all. Zheng was a country that had been pushed to the brink of destruction at one point, so there was no way they would dare to act rashly in the presence of so many foreign experts. As for the Imperial nobility, they understood that there was money to be made by trading with the dark races. Why would they want to kill instead of doing business? Qianye was initially worried about putting so many races together in Cerulean Wave City, but every time he came back from the new world, he would see them living together in joyful harmony. He had a feeling that something was odd, but Song Huis reports grew better and better each day. Although the Empire had jammed Qianyes sourcing route by means of the war tax, there was still a steady stream of military supplies coming in from the Evernight faction, eventually exceeding the Empire in volume. From a certain perspective, one could even say that Evernight was supporting Qianyes expansion. It was rather ironic, but it was the truth. Qianye was expanding faster and faster in the new world, and his territory was growing at great speed. Since obtaining the goodwill of the new world, he suffered no more limitations when entering the forests, and that proved to be a calamity for the six-armed creatures and beasts. If the surprise attack was successful, even a six-armed general from a four-holy-tree grove would have its head blown off by Dragonsgrave. Qianye discovered that the holy tree was like a parent, while he and the six-armed creatures were children fighting for its favor. It was just that things were crueler in the new world and the fight would go on until one was dead. As his territory grew bigger and the holy trees under his control grew in number, the tactical resources in his grasp began to pile up like mountains. Since the Empire was treating him like this, Qianye had no plans to give them any resources. On the other hand, he also kept tight control on the amount of holy tree sap and stony metal flowing into the Evernight faction. As for the other resources, he couldnt be bothered too much. The situation made it evident that the schemers in the Empire had miscalculated. Qianye could still obtain a steady stream of necessary supplies from the other side, not to mention a fair number of elite armaments. Although it would be a bit troublesome to remodel Evernight equipment for humans, werewolves made up the bulk of Qianyes army, so the supply from the neutral lands was just enough. Besides, the Evernight Faction was different from the Empire in that each major race controlled their own domain. There were also many minor races without a definite leader. It was difficult to restrict all of them when everyone wanted to do business and get rich. They couldnt just block the shipping routes like the Empire and its Imperial Guard. As for the council, things in the new world were enough to give them a headache. How could the supremes have time to deal with the flow of weaponry? Since Qianye could obtain resources and supplies from other routes, his expansion efforts were hardly affected by the Empires restrictions. For those who had been expecting Qianye to lower his head and accept the excessively harsh conditions, the outcome couldnt be farther from their expectations. Things fell into a deadlock. They knew Qianye held a large stash of holy tree sap, but there was no way for them to get their hands on it. At the moment, they needed it urgently to send more troops into the new world. All they could do was rely on the harvest from the Qin and Western Continents, but it was impossible for them to contend against Evernights dozen or so continents with the supply from two. This war would end in defeat no matter how miraculous Song Zinings skills were as a commander. At first, this group criticized Qianye in the Imperial court. They blamed him for having untoward intentions, for stashing holy tree sap rather than supplying the Empire. But this kind of implausible argument was beyond empty. Very soon, others could no longer sit still and started blaming them for destroying the good deal that had existed before. No one with half a temper would continue working with a fifty percent levy. A steady stream of reports arrived from Fort Continent while the two sides were attacking one another. There were many signs that Qianye had firmly suppressed the Moorland werewolves, so much so that even Sousa didnt dare make an appearance. He was also expanding at extreme speeds and had occupied nearly three continents worth of forests, far exceeding the Empire in this regard. With Qianyes full support and the potential recovery of the Transcendent Continent, the Empire would control a supply of holy trees equalling six continents. Evernight only controlled twelve continents after the exclusion of the werewolves, so it was no longer impossible to fight them. They only needed to follow the same strategy of focusing all attacks on a single race while keeping the others divided. More importantly, Qianye possessed the Martyrs Palace. The airship was a superweapon in the new world, almost capable of going up against Evernight on its own. Such a great situation had been ruined, all for a few crates of holy tree sap. Those who had been claiming they had Qianye in their grasp decided to throw caution to the wind, suggesting that the Empire use military power to force Qianye to bow. The group came under fierce attack once this suggestion was proposed. Someone made it clear for them to seeQianye was a rare genius of the generation, to begin with, and now, he was equipped with Dragonsgrave, a weapon almost comparable to a magnum. Who would be able to defeat him? Was the Empire supposed to mobilize a heavenly monarch for this? If one of them was wounded for such a matter, who would guarantee that Evernight wouldnt send one of their great dark monarchs to attack the Empire? And that wasnt even considering whether they would agree to attack Qianye. Additionally, the aristocratic families who had interests in Fort Continent utilized all kinds of connections to attack this group. It was said that cutting off ones path to riches was akin to killing ones parents. These people hated the group to the bones and were completely unscrupulous with their methods. The number of people who wanted a slice of the cake wasnt small. Even some of the high-ranking aristocracy were interested. Not willing to let the Yin and Kong families take all of the good stuff, these families also helped out in secret. In the blink of an eye, the group succumbed under the combined assault of all these aristocratic families. They had no choice but to push out some low-level characters as scapegoats. At this point, the battles in the central region of the new world had reached the climax. The Song-Zhao duo was sending three urgent reports a day, asking for men and equipment. Song Zining made it clear that he would conscript experts from a handful of aristocratic families if he wasnt given more soldiers. The families he specified by name were the ones who had imposed a tax on Fort Continent. Sending in more troops meant a greater amount of holy tree sap. Song Zining held great power at this point and was the key to the Empires fate in the new world. He had penned this report himself, shedding all forms of pretenses and leaving no face at all for the involved parties. He listed all these families one after another, demanding that they either resolve the issue regarding the holy tree sap or send their core experts into the new world to join the fight. Everyone knew that these clansmen would never return once they were in Song Zinings hands. The language was even harsher in the lastest urgent missive. He stated that while his soldiers were fighting to the death on the frontlines, some people were obstructing their supplies for personal gains. He warned that this was beginning to hurt morale, and that he wouldnt be able to control the troops if the issue wasnt resolved as soon as possible. A mutiny on the front lines would affect the Empires fate. This urgent report shook everyone within and outside the Imperial court. In truth, some people had doubts whether or not the situation had deteriorated to the point of mutiny, but no one dared to take that risk with Song Zining. There was simply no telling what he would do. Back in the year, Lin Xitang and Zhang Boqian would keep each other in check, but there was no one to deal with Song Zining at this point. Zhao Jundu? The fourth young master was even less reasonable. The Pointer Monarch stood silently for a while after reading the report. Good move, very bold. Early the next day, the Radiant Emperor summoned the Imperial court to discuss re-opening trade with Fort Continent. Chapter 1321: Escaping Calamity Standing on the balcony of the dukes residence, the city before him felt somewhat unfamiliar. The city borders and a large stretch of land outside of the gates used to be a poor, filthy area occupied by small huts. Now, the land had been leveled and was covered in buildings of diverse characteristics. The neatly plotted street blocks made it easy to see the areas belonging to the demonkin, vampires, and werewolves. The latter race occupied several such areas, with the Jade Sea, great corridor, and Storm Territory werewolves exhibiting their preferences. The werewolves from Evernights continents shared a different characteristic altogether. The same was true for humans. At a glance, there were different styles in architecture between people from the Empire, Zheng, and the neutral lands. Each district was neatly divided into squares, divided by wide roads. By contrast, the old city area where the chiefs and shamans were staying looked more like a poor district. How could those proud werewolves be willing to take this? The werewolves of Fort Continent might be primitive, but these important characters were quite wealthy. The resources they had accumulated over the years were only good for show before the influx of foreign trade, but now, they could be converted into money. Their eyes lit up when they saw the outsiders buildings. They soon invited craftsmen from either the Empire or Evernight to renovate their quarters according to their preferences. As such, Cerulean Wave City turned into a large construction-site with buildings everywhere being overhauled. Before they were finished, Qianye could tell that their styles were different even within the same district. The finished work would surely be a disorderly mess and still inferior to the new districts. In truth, the planning of the poor district was Song Huis work. She couldnt be bothered to follow the Empires tradition of building perfect citiesleaning on mountains, facing the water, and beautiful scenery at every step. She only drew simple horizontal and vertical lines on the map to get the job done. The only thing she contributed to the good planning was making the roads wider. It just so happened that the werewolf shamans in charge of architecture were fairly limited in their knowledge, and this kind of drawing was their favorite. They implemented it down to the smallest details, bringing about the brand new Cerulean Wave City of today. In addition to the residential areas, there were also large districts dedicated to trade where stalls and shops were popping up like bamboo shoots after the spring rain. One could almost see gold coins rolling in just by looking at the bustling crowds. Before him was a poor-looking man with unkempt facial hair. It was William. The latter looked up without much surprise. Perfect, I was just about to visit you. Treat me to a drink, Im in a sour mood. Qianye said, Shall we drop into a random tavern or go back to my place. William waved his hand. Lets look for a tavern. Your place is too empty, theres no drinking-atmosphere. Qianye had no special preference. Cerulean Wave was now a city of many races, but fortunately, everyones alcoholic requirements remained the same. Hence, there were all kinds of taverns scattered across the city. Qianye had retracted his aura and William was safe behind his bedraggled disguise. No one could recognize the duo as they made their way to a crowded establishment and took up a table in the corner. They hadnt sat down when William sniffed about, saying, They actually have Legrange at such a place? Ah, Sherry too and whats that? St. Roland? His eyes lit up as he named several famous drinks. Qianye knew little about alcohol as all wine tasted rather similar to him. Since William was interested, he called a waiter over and said, Do you have the wines he just named? The waiter replied proudly, Sire, dont be fooled by the small storefront. Were actually a famous chain tavern with over four hundred branches across three continents. This is our first store on Fort Continent. If you can name a good wine, were almost sure we have it. Qianye said, Fine, then bring us two of each. Three! William stepped in. Shocked out of his wits, the waiter said cautiously, Sire, this will require quite a bit of money. William patted Qianye hard. My brother here isnt skilled in anything else, but hes rich! Qianye laughed wryly; there was no reason for him to be carrying gold coins around. The things in Andruils Space werent appropriate measures of wealth, either. Finally, his consciousness swept over two crates inside the space. A single thought brought a number of medicines into his hand. Ill pay with this. The waiter was surprised. This is the humans holy tree sap medicine! And this is the original version issued by the military. Its more than enough! Moments later, several bottles of famous wines piled up on the table. William opened one of them and gave it a taste. Good wine! He then raised his head and gulped down half the bottle. Who wouldve thought thered be good wine here? I wasnt expecting it, either. Qianye was speaking the truth. The supply of luxury goods was proof of the areas financial capacityhe never thought Cerulean Wave City would one day surpass the major neutral-land cities in consumption. Come, bottoms up! William didnt waste time on chatter and got down to drinking. Since William didnt want to say it, Qianye wasnt about to ask, either. He only accompanied the werewolf in drinking, and soon, most of the bottles between the two were empty. William was definitely strong, but alcohol tolerance was a different story. Without using origin power, he gradually lost out against the intoxication and his gaze began to drift. Qianye felt somewhat tipsy since the beginning, and he was still feeling a bit dizzy now. It seemed he would still be this way if he kept drinking. William clearly had a lot on his mind and was planning to knock himself out. After he was fairly inebriated, William said, You know, in that damned new world, people are just waiting to eat you up if youre a bit weaker. No strength, no dignity! I might feel sorry for other people, but you? Save your breath. Whats wrong with me? Im only progressing a bit faster than others because of my two spiritual awakenings. William wasnt satisfied. Wait, what did you just say? Spiritual awakening? And twice at that! As the leader of five million werewolf subordinates, he knew about these things quite well. Spiritual awakening involved a series of special ceremonies, in which the subject would accept all kinds of trials from their ancestral spirits. They would be granted a part of the ancestors powers if they could pass the ordeals. Only the geniuses among geniuses would be qualified to undergo spiritual awakening. Even then, the rate of success was fairly low. The werewolfs strength would increase exponentially once they passed the trial and obtained the ancestors blessings. There were even records of someone breaking through two ranks in one go. Unlike humans breaking through with medicine, this process almost had no side-effects at all. The strength they obtained varied greatly as wellsome would see a pure upgrade to physical strength, some would gain a more powerful origin power cultivation, while some would even become prophets. The existence of spiritual awakening was the main reason why the ancestral school had remained strong until this day. It was also why the primitive werewolf tribes could produce a steady stream of experts, maintaining their position among the four major clans. William spoke as if completing two spiritual awakenings was as easy as having a meal. Your current rank is Fairly sober by this point, Qianye asked cautiously. It would seem that Williams strength had undergone a thorough change despite his depressed appearance. After all the drinks, William had no guards up against Qianye. Im a duke, but what good does that do? He let out a long sigh and emptied yet another bottle. Wait, youre already at the duke rank which is even higher than me. Whats there to complain? Qianye wasnt quite satisfied. William glared at Qianye, saying, Let alone a duke, even the Wolf Sovereign and Ancestor couldnt do anything. They still had to lower their heads and give up the werewolf races interests. Are you referring to the Sacred Mountain? William nodded with a gloomy expression, then kept drinking. The Wolf Ancestor was one foot in the grave, but the Wolf Sovereign of the Summit of Peaks was in his prime. Even a supreme would find it difficult to make him yield. The likely scenario was that two supremes had worked together to suppress the werewolves. That was why William was so dispirited. William glanced at Qianye. Why do you think I came to see you? Guess. Qianye leaned back. Definitely not to compete in drinking, youre not that dumb. William glared at Qianye. His lips moved somewhat, eager to spew out fierce language, but he was sober enough to know that competing with Qianye was a path to sure doom. But this little interruption eased Williams frustration. He sighed. Actually, Im here to lie low and avoid a calamity. Lie low? William said, Im the only one in a thousand years who has completed two spiritual awakenings. The Wolf Sovereign locked down this information and told me to leave the werewolf territory and roam the outside world. Its because hes actually worried that I would be conscripted into the new world. There, my fate will no longer be in my hands. Qianye understood the general situation in the new world. Are you talking about the sacrifice? William laughed self-deprecatingly. Am I not a great target? Im sure even Prince Greensun will take action if its to kill me. Qianye sighed. He really didnt know how to console the fellow. From the Empires perspective, Williams value was even greater than that of Jaero. They would never hesitate to kill him. Yet Qianye had never viewed William as a real enemy all this time. Not only had this werewolf saved him many times when he was weak, but as an Evernight noble, he had never targeted the Daybreak Faction or humans specifically. He was more like a lone-wolf searching for a grey zone between the two sides. If they do that, wont they become archenemies with the werewolves? The Wolf Ancestor and Wolf Sovereign were both worried about that. Thats why they asked me to leave and not give them this opportunity. There was a hint of misery in his voice. Chapter 1322: Power of the Spirit Sea How was the current situation different from hostility? William glanced at Qianye and seemed to have guessed his thoughts. Youre too optimistic. The Wolf Sovereign isnt afraid that theyll bully us. Hes afraid that theyll bully us so badly that well have no choice but to counterattack. You understand? So it was fine to slap as long as they didnt slap too hard? Qianye found it difficult to understand. How could the werewolves be so cowardly? William wasnt willing to talk about it anymore. This is something for the higher-ups to worry about, nothing to do with small people like us. They dont want us to get involved, either. What are your plans? Looks like you wont be able to return before the expansion in the new world ends. William nodded. I gave it a lot of thought, I guess I can only hang out with you now. Youre welcome to stay, of course, but Im currently fighting against the Moorland werewolves. Wont you feel a bit awkward? Awkward? William sneered. All the compromise was because the Wolf Ancestor made repeated concessions and even turned around to suppress the Wolf Sovereign. That old thing is getting more and more fearful of death with each passing year. Our werewolf race wouldnt have fallen to this state if it wasnt for him. What kind of compromise? Qianye was most concerned about this. The humans had managed to grow through the gaps between the Evernight races to reach their current strength. Qianye was now trying to find a neutral foothold between the two factions, so any kind of compromise or alliance between major powers could mean danger for him. He needed to treat them rather seriously. William said, The werewolves will stop expanding in the new world and only maintain their current territory. All holy tree sap will be handed to the Evernight Council. We must muster an army of five hundred thousand, including experts at various levels, and place them under the councils command in the new world. They also gave us a list of tactical resources that well need to fulfill. And what will you get in return? "After the expansion succeeds, we will be given a territory befitting of our status. Such an empty promise? Its quite practical, is it not? What status do we have, if any at all? William laughed self-deprecatingly. Then lets talk about the present, what do you plan to do? No problem. Qianye possessed both land and population. He was only lacking experts. William said, I wont take it for free. Ill repay you with military contributions as we go along. Also, I havent been to the new world after all this time. Take me along if you need help with your expansion. Qianye was delighted. A genius like William was far superior to an ordinary duke. Even against Qianye, he might not be weaker if both parties refrained from using their ultimate moves. Qianye possessed both blood energy and daybreak origin power, but William was still one rank higher. Rank wasnt equal to fighting power, but the gap would still affect things in a contest between geniuses. However, William wouldnt be a match once Qianye accumulated enough blood energy to ascend to the duke rank. In addition to accumulating enough blood energy, Qianye would need to modify his body as well. Only after his entire skeleton had been modified would he be able to advance to the next rank. He was currently just one-third of the way there. With Williams help, not only would he be able to suppress the Flame Duke and obtain yet another piece of territory, but he would also gain tens of millions more werewolf subjects. William would also serve to suppress the Moorland werewolves in the new world. After all, he held a certain status among the werewolves and few would want to go up against him. The two were once again tipsy at this point. A drinking competition ensued, and it went on until Qianye had to drag William back to the dukes residence like a dead dog. The werewolf slept for an entire day and night before waking up. He immediately went to see Qianye and started making plans for his territory. How miserable was it that the successor of the great Summit of Peaks was now interested in a place like Fort Continent? Qianye didnt look down on him because of that. Instead, he brought out the territorial map and began discussing the matter in earnest. Qianye wanted to give him land around the door and Cerulean Wave City at first, but William was eager to break new ground. At this point, the expansion process in the new world had become a routine matter. Qianye was almost invisible after obtaining the goodwill of the holy trees, so bringing William along would actually make things less convenient. It just so happened that the great werewolf army here had completed their training but couldnt obtain enough holy tree sap medicine to enter the new world. Since they were going to be idle anyway, Qianye lent a hundred thousand soldiers to William and assigned him the Flame Dukes territory. William was going by the Empires methods where the major clans would capture their own territory. William agreed to hand over two-thirds of the captured territory and keep a third for himself. Of course, Qianye had no objections to this. Qianye didnt want to give William any pushback when he was so proactive about this territorial game. He currently had enough land and people under his rule, with one million outfitted soldiers. What he needed to do now was digest everythingincrease the prosperity of his territories and expand in the new world. A bit of land on Fort Continent was no longer as important. William left hurriedly after confirming territorial matters and returned with some werewolves. These experts were all at the marquis realm. Their auras were well-contained, without the unbridled characteristics that were commonly seen among werewolves. It was easy to see that they were nobles who specialized in administration. Qianye couldnt help but glance at them a couple of times. This changed his common impression of the race as a whole. Although every race had its own characteristics, it would seem that there were still a lot of similarities in certain areas. This was quite interesting. William said, These men work under the Wolf Sovereign, in charge of technology, trade, and supplies respectively. I brought them here to see if we have areas we can work together in. One of the marquises bowed, saying, Honorable Son of Darkness, pioneer of the new world, lord of all the tribes on Fort Continent All these titles made Qianye dizzy; he simply had no idea when he had gained so many names. The only title missing was the king of the universe. The werewolf marquis went on, Your great accomplishments have spread throughout the Evernight World. Your legends flow through every tribal village, and upon the ancestral altars of countless werewolves Qianye wanted to stop the marquis, but all of a sudden, he felt a mysterious energy descend upon him. It was similar to the mysterious power produced when the werewolves of the Jade Sea had submitted to him. It served to upgrade the essence of his bloodline by removing impurities. This was a rare occasion since it was already quite difficult for him to improve the quality of his superior bloodline. He wouldnt have known there were impurities in his dark golden blood energy if it wasnt for this mysterious energy. As such, Qianye simply stood there and listened to the werewolfs verbose citation. The marquis spent an entire hour before coming to a stop, and there was no repetition at all during the process. He even dug out Qianyes exploits back in Yellow Springs and sang praises about it. He finally ran out of things to praise toward the end and started bringing out Qianyes physical appearancenot short, not tall, not thin, not fat, every description available to him. By the time the marquis finally shut up, Qianyes bloodline strength had increased a bit more. William was greatly surprised. You really can sense the power of the Ancestral Spirit Sea! Whats an Ancestral Spirit Sea? Our powerful werewolf ancestors remain in spirit form after death, retaining a part of their strength, inheritances, and knowledge. The Spirit Sea is where their spirits return. To undergo Spiritual Awakening is to communicate with this power and use it to improve ones bloodline. If I didnt know full well that you have nothing to do with the werewolf bloodline, Id think youre the descendant of some powerful ancestor. It turned out that this mysterious energy was the power of the Ancestral Spirit Sea. It sounded rather similar to the River of Blood, an intangible existence that could only be sensed. No one had ever reached that place before. Qianye realized that the marquis lengthy praise wasnt without meaning. The marquis was sweating, pale, and weakened after the hour-long discourse. Apparently, drawing upon the Spirit Sea was quite draining. This marquis said, At first, we were worried whether you could receive it. This proves that the legends in the tribal villages are true, and that Prophet Sadines scrying eyes can truly see through space and time. Sire Qianye, this is the Summit of Peaks gift to you. In order to obtain the power from the Spirit Sea, one has to gain the recognition of the ancestral spirits who reside therein. That was why I had to recite your deeds to them, so that theyll be willing to pour more of the seas power into you. Qianye finally understood why the marquis had sung his praises like an aria. The werewolf said with a smile, Who wouldve thought Sire Qianye would accomplish so much at such a young age? The ancestors were so moved that each of them poured out quite a bit of power from the Spirit Sea. The results were unexpectedly good. The most important factor was that Sire Qianye had gained the devotion and loyalty of countless werewolf subjects. The ancestors saw this and believed that you would not abuse them despite being of a different race. Qianye said, Since they have given me their loyalty, I have a responsibility to take care of them. This gift is too valuable, how can I repay the Summit of Peaks? The marquis said, We are very much interested in your training regimen. If you dont mind, we hope to send some new recruits here for training. Well also dispatch some military instructors to learn and work for you. This was actually a sensitive issue, but the power of the Spiritual Sea just now was just as priceless, so Qianye agreed after some thought. He knew that this would constitute half an alliance between him and the Summit of Peaks, but this wasnt a bad thing if he could divide the Evernight Faction. Qianye wouldve never imagined that he would run his own country one day and that all kinds of races would be living together in it. This went against all reason, but it had actually happened. Qianye felt a sense of self-deprecationit would seem that the outcasts and marginalized people from all races were gathering in his land. Just like that, troops from the Summit of Peaks began to arrive in Fort Continent. The instructors had already assembled here ahead of time. In the beginning, the elites from the Summit of Peaks looked down upon their peers from Fort Continent. In fact, they didnt even think of the werewolves here as their kin. They werent used to mixed-race training and cooperative warfare, either. It was deeply ingrained within their minds that the humans should only appear on the opposite side of the battlefield. This proved to be a headache for both parties. In order to solve this problem, Qianye decided to have his human-werewolf army fight a mock battle against the werewolves from the Summit of Peaks. Chapter 1323: Mock Battle The exercise was naturally expensive, but this was nothing to the great supporter that was the Summit of Peaks. William promised to take on the entire cost with a wave of his hand. The Summit of Peaks won the hundred-man battle; there was no suspense at all. A single charge brought them past the defensive line where they started a massacre. But things were harder to distinguish in the thousand-man battle. Qianyes combination of werewolf warriors and human sharpshooters managed to mow down a third of the enemy along the way. Despite being protected by their wolverine comrades, the human warriors also displayed great tenacity in melee battles. The fight went on for an entire hour before Qianyes mixed squad was defeated. Finally, it was the ten-thousand-man battle. The battleground was a hilly region with complex terrain, an environment that was advantageous to the werewolves. The mixed army contained quite a few aristocratic troops, under the command of Xu Jingxuan and Caroline overseeing the field. The Summit of Peaks also dispatched a glorious marquis. Once the battle began, Xu Jingxuan rushed for an advantageous terrain and began building fortifications there. Only the framework had been completed when scouts from the Summit of Peaks found the mixed armys traces. Xu Jingxuan had to prepare for a sudden fight. Hurried but not confused, he pulled his troops into the newly-built defensive structure and made orderly arrangements. When the werewolves from the Summit of Peaks began their charge, a hail of bullets dyed large swathes of them. Many of the werewolves were startled to find themselves fallen. They glanced around in confusion only to see that their comrades were also dyed in red. The great werewolf army fell in droves, and the sharp rise in casualties caused the marquis eyelids to twitch. He hadnt imagined that there would be such a qualitative change when there were enough human sharpshooters. The barrage of bullets inflicted great damage over a large area. Individual martial prowess was rendered negligible within the range of sufficiently dense firepower. Only experts who were more powerful than their rank could withstand the onslaught. Born fearless warriors, the werewolves morale wasnt shaken by the grave losses; it even excited their ferocity instead. Roaring loudly, they began to charge the defensive line, but the enemy did not collapse like before. In the blink of an eye, row after row of tall figures appeared behind the lines. These werewolves were armed to the teeth, not at all inferior to the warriors from the Summit of Peaks in terms of strength and gear. The summits soldiers possessed better combat techniques, but this did nothing to help the massive gap in numbers. Two-thirds of the charging soldiers had fallen by this point. The elite werewolves of the Summit realized they had fallen into an impasse. They would surely lose if they were to keep charging, but they would also become easy targets should they stop. Many more turned to corpses during this moment of hesitation. Seeing the miserable situation, some of the dissatisfied soldiers wanted to creep up and continue the charge. It was just that the red marks on their bodies were too eye-catching; even the overseeing marquis couldnt put up with that. What the hell are you guys gazing for? Charge! Even if we die, we must die while charging! Afterward, the marquis added, The dead ones better lie down! Its embarrassing enough already. The soldiers lay back down with embarrassed expressions. The leaders roar woke up the army. The werewolves let out furious howls as they charged the defense and were duly surrounded in the melee fight. The close-quarters fight was beyond fierce. The warriors of the Summit fought desperately for their dignity, but the werewolves from the mixed army held the absolute advantage. The mercenaries and aristocratic elites would launch pinpoint attacks whenever there was an opening, drawing blood with each strike. The soldiers from the Summit of Peaks dwindled until, finally, the last sword-wielding soldier roared as his body was covered in dye. Although the Summit had claimed victory in the hundred and thousand-man battles, the final results made it impossible for them to smile. Even the optimistic William looked somewhat unsightly. Everyones impression of the werewolves was that they were primitive and lacked strategy. The top Evernight nobles, however, understood that the wolves would never have become part of the four major races if they were that backward. The werewolf race as a whole was influenced by their inheritance and tradition, but in terms of top elites, the difference between the four races wasnt evident at all. That was also why the outcome of todays mock battle set William back even more. The mixed-army had sacrificed just a third of their forces to wipe out the Summit of Peaks. Over half of the Summits forces had fallen during the charge despite the terrain being advantageous for werewolves. With their werewolf comrades forming a wall of iron in front, the human mercenaries and private soldiers were able to fire calmly. They didnt seem frantic at all even during the last phase of the fight, dealing the attacking werewolves a heavy blow. The survivors of the charge burst into the enemy formation only to find opponents that were similar to themtall, strong, and fully-armed werewolf elites. Naturally, the side with greater numbers would win such a fight. The results of the mock battle mightve been unexpected for the Summit of Peaks, but Qianye had long since expected it. He had seen too many examples of mixed-race formations in the neutral lands. Every race possessed different characteristics, so a mixed formation would allow each race to cover for the others shortcomings. The most powerful mercenary bands in the neutral lands were made up of a mixed lineup. The Summit of Peaks might not be as extreme as the ancestral faction, but there were quite a few among them who supported orthodox traditions. They looked down on the other races and werent willing to work with them on the battlefield. Their impression was that the humans would crumble as long as they could charge into the defensive line. In the same scenario, the arachne would fight back hurriedly, while the demonkin and vampires were more difficult to predict. These two races were rather crafty, so they might just retreat first. They had never witnessed humans who could fire without shaky hands even when they had charged into the defensive line. In truth, this problem wasnt limited to just the werewolves; the entire Evernight faction was more or less the same. One could easily tell from the battles that had broken out between the Empire and the council. The only problem that had risen from the mock battle was that some of the warriors failed to hold back in the mock battle, resulting in the death of several dozen soldiers. The werewolves believed that dying in battle was an incomparable honor, so this little setback wasnt enough to hurt relations. William and the higher-ups of the Summit fell into contemplation after seeing the results. The marquis in charge of the army came to Qianye, saying, We thank you for pointing out our shortcomings and narrow=mindedness. We had never expected such a result. Going forward, I think we should seriously discuss how we can cooperate better. Qianye wouldnt refuse this proposal, of course. The two parties engaged in discussion for an entire day. In the end, it was decided that the Summit of Peaks would outfit fifty thousand of Qianyes best warriors. At the same time, they would also build a training ground on Fort Continent at their expense. Qianye was quite experienced in mixed-race army formations, but he was surely inferior when it came to training the werewolves themselves. This kind of cooperation would allow both sides to train the best elite forces. William offered himself as a guarantee that these trained troops would not be used against the Empire. This raised the self-evident issue of who these troops were going to fight. The strange origin power seeping out from the new world also brought changes to the environment in Fort Continent. The origin power from both places contained degenerative properties, but it just so happened that they were polar opposites in attribute. Fort Continent leaned toward the Evernight side, while the new world was closer to Daybreak. Mixing the two together served to improve the areas around the door, including the Jade Sea and Cerulean Wave City. At the very least, the werewolves from the Summit of Peaks found that they could cultivate without concern because of the purity of origin power. The land around the Fort Continent door became a paradise for cultivation. The experts from other lands could now live here for prolonged periods without worry. The alliance with the Summit of Peak forced the other powers with untoward intentions to give up entirely. They instead focused their attention on trade and found that their gains were just as good. There was no need for any fighting, either. Just like that, war raged on between the Empire and Evernight in the continents central region, while Fort Continent was thriving amidst song and dance. It was at this time that Eunuch Liu came to visit late at night, appearing outside Qianyes window once again. The latter was reading when he saw the visitor and quickly invited him inside. What brings you here? Eunuch Liu said with a smile, Something good, of course. Qianye became spirited. The last time the Eunuch came to visit, he had given Qianye Dragonsgrave and helped him scare off Sousa. There werent a lot of things that the old man would consider good. Please explain. Eunuch Liu said, Its nothing too complicated. The military has thought it through and decided to resume trade with you. The war tax will be set at one-fourth. What do you think? This levy wasnt small at all, but it could be considered reasonable seeing as they were exporting military supplies in times of war. Qianye was in no rush to give his answer. Is the war not going well? If things were going well, the Empire would have no reason to compromise. Qianye couldnt just export holy tree sap to the Evernight faction, either. Now that the Empire was proactively seeking reconciliation, it was more likely that theyd been suffering great pressure in the new world. The commanders there were Song Zining and Zhao Jundu, so Qianye wouldnt want anything to happen to them. Fortunately, Eunuch Liu replied, The war is going quite well. The enemy faction has lost eight generals to Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. The casualty ratio has always been three-to-one. Qianye nodded. Were bleeding the dark races. Thats the plan. Its just that a ratio of three-to-one is still not enough. The dark races keep adding more troops, while the Empire is hard-pressed to keep up. The battle will end in defeat no matter who leads the army. Im sure there are people in court who dont want to see the trade continue. The matter has been decided. Zining sent threats of mutiny from the frontline, and the Emperor beheaded some people from that faction in his anger. Qianye was surprised and couldnt help but feel worried. He would have never imagined someone like Song Zining would push things so far. Chapter 1324: Bloodletting Even if the Imperial Capital did compromise at the moment, they would surely find ways to look into the matter later on. This was to prevent successive generals from doing the same. Song Zining had threatened the court for Qianye, and that was a great taboo. Qianye never attached too much importance to the trade with the Empire. No amount of riches could compare to people like Zining and Jundu. If he had known beforehand, he wouldve tolerated the Empire and continued trading. There was no such thing as tree sap before the new world opened anyway. He could just pretend the thing did not exist. Having guessed Qianyes thoughts, Eunuch Liu spoke to console him. He explained that Song Zinings move might not be a bad thing. Everyone could see that the war in the new world had reached a critical stage. Without sufficient troops, even a celebrated genius like Song Zining would not be able to escape ultimate defeat no matter how intelligent he was. In addition to Song Zining and Zhao Jundu, there were several dukes and experts like Wei Potian who were just one step away from the divine champion realm. These people werent idiotseveryone could tell that only death awaited them if there were no reinforcements. There were actually people stirring up trouble for no reason at such a time, depriving the Empire of its critical supply of holy tree sap. Everyone knew about the sequence of events, and the Empire could bring forth no good reason, so a mutiny wasnt out of the question. Hence, Song Zinings statement was likely true. Of course, it was also possible that he had secretly encouraged the issue. Besides, Song Zinings accomplishments were beyond glorious. The Emperor would never do anything to him no matter how muddle-headed he was, let alone the fact that he was a man of great talent himself. Qianye felt a bit more relaxed after hearing Eunuch Lius words. How much tree sap to trade to the Empire was a matter that required much thoughtit had to be just the right amount. Qianye wasnt quite confident regarding this. So, he asked for Eunuch Lius advice which the elderly man was all too happy to give. In the end, the amount agreed upon made up two-thirds of the Empires production capacity. This would leave room for negotiations without delaying war supplies. Only elite soldiers could enter the Blacksun Valley. The Empire had transferred numerous elites over, but they required a week of special training before they could be considered barely eligible. There werent enough troops no matter how much medicine there was. Qianye needed to leave some stock for himself as well in case someone stirred up trouble again. After the successful trade, Eunuch Liu had accomplished his primary mission on Fort Continent. Instead of leaving immediately, however, he went around Cerulean Wave City to observe the places and trade between different races. He didnt comment on the situation and only informed Qianye briefly before taking his leave later on. Eunuch Liu didnt hide his movements from Qianye, but it was obvious that he had little interest in the Summit of Peaks, so much so that he didnt even visit the new training ground that was undergoing construction. He only buried himself in the trade district to observe the different races haggling for wares. He bought so many items there that Qianye couldnt help but wonder if he could fit all that in his spatial gear. Of course, the eunuch wasnt going around for fun. It was just that Qianye couldnt even guess what the mans objective was. After Eunuch Lius departure, Qianye arranged for a corvette to deliver several crates of holy tree sap to the Empire, escorted by experts from the Yin and Kong families. The escort for this mission was extremely important, so Qianye had to coax Young Miss Yin until she finally agreed to board the ship. Considering Song Zinings victory in the central zone and a matching supply of holy tree sap from Fort Continent, it would seem that the Empires situation was fairly good. Feeling relieved, Qianye saw William to the Flame Dukes territory before heading back into the new world. The pioneering efforts here weren''t just about himself. It involved the fates of Zining, Jundu, the Empire, and even the human race to a certain extent. The existence of Blacksun Valley itself gave Qianye a feeling of familiarity and a strange sense of terror. Unknowingly, the Empire and Evernight had been fighting in Blacksun Valley for over a month. Song Zining had changed his tactic and was setting up camps at every step. He had constructed several fortresses in the area, around which several siege battles had taken place over the week. At the same time, he had dispatched several smaller squads to roam the valley and attack enemy supply lines whenever the opportunity arose. There were no more satisfying battles that were worthy of military textbooks nor was any army wiped out. The war became slow and steady, but that didnt stop the death toll from rising as time went by. The casualty list sent back to the Empire each day formed a thick stack of papers, and there were still a lot of soldiers missing. This way of fighting attracted a fair bit of criticism. The casualty rate for this month had almost caught up to the entire pioneering phase. The mysterious halo of constant victory seemed to have disappeared from around Song Zining as people began to claim any general could lead fortress defense battles. Only a handful of learned people could tell that the dark races had always held the advantage at every siege. The advantage was never enough to claim a decisive victory, but just enough that they would not abandon the attack. And when they did attack, they would always find that they had chewed off more than they could chew. Even if they did manage to capture the fortress in the end, it was only because the Empire had abandoned it voluntarily. Rarely did they ever break the defense. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but the repeated performance was proof of Song Zinings accomplishment in strategy and divination. This was a bleeding strategy, and each fortress was like a grooved blade that served to drain the dark races elite fighting power. The Empires losses were also shocking. The most solemn moment at every morning meeting was the announcement of yesterdays casualties. Experienced veterans and new recruits alike would be dumbfounded by the heavy numbers. In just a month, the Empire had lost over a hundred thousand soldiers, all of them elites and not cannon fodder. Who wouldnt feel pained at the loss of core fighting power equalling three army corps? Although the dark races had lost three times this number, many people remained skeptical of Song Zinings tactics. The outcome of this war was too bitter. Every new day, countless living soldiers would turn into corpsesthis was in exchange for even more enemy corpses. The Evernight Council, of course, wasnt having a good time, either. Yet they kept sending a steady stream of soldiers into the new world and the Empire kept holding on. With every passing day, the voices criticizing Song Zining grew stronger. Fortunately, some people understood themselves well enoughthey knew they couldnt take Song Zinings place, so the only thing they did was to question the strategy. Song Zining ignored everything happening back in the Empire and kept his focus on exhausting the enemy forces. The dark races will give-in one day because they are three races and we are only one. Every day, Song Zining would repeat this before donning his cold metallic mask to enter the battlefield. There were occasional bright beacons amidst the dark, gloomy, and bloody battlefield. Some of the units Song Zining had sent out to ambush the enemys rear would fail, but some of them would produce dazzling results. Of them, Wei Potians squad was one of the most eye-catching. This self-proclaimed Marquis Potians best fight was when he accidentally led his unit into dire straits. It was there that they displayed unbelievable tenacity and fended off a force ten times their size for an entire day and night. Wei Potian held back five enemy marquises on his own. The entire battle was a bitter defense with no chance to counterattack at all. It looked like they would be defeated at any moment. However, that sharp mountain peak hovering above the battlefield never collapsed. That gave the Wei family warriors boundless courage to fight against their enemies, repelling one wave of attack after another. In the end, the five marquises attacking Wei Potian were exhausted. Whatever attacks they launched on him would lose eighty percent of their power, barely an itch for the target. Wei Potians Spirit Slasher was also a killer weapon that struck fear into the enemy. Wounds opened by the blade would not heal within a week, and the effects were even more pronounced in the new world. Even a non-lethal injury might take ones life. At every critical juncture, Wei Potian would fight as though he was about to drag someone down with him. Those marquises were long-lived creatures who held the advantage in the field; there was no way they would play along with the madman. Toward the end of the bloody battle, several human squads appeared in the vicinity. Song Zining himself arrived to surround the enemy forces, killing tens of thousands in one fight. Wei Potians fame sky-rocketed, and that solitary peak was recognized as a realm only divine champions of the Wei Clan could reach: the Supreme Peak. Wei Potian had comprehended this state before reaching the divine champion realm. This gained him endless praise, and some even thought he might be the third genius of the Empire beneath Zhao and Song. Such a young genius with a powerful background was a prime marriage candidate. Some of the well-connected families even came to see him on the front lines. Marriage? What marriage? Ive been thoroughly taken advantage of by Zhao Yuying. How can I find anyone else? This caused a wave of commotion, and Zhao Yuying became famous. Duke Yan shouldve been furious, but he only said in a carefree manner, Young people can be a bit rash sometimes. Such an attitude could be interpreted as a sealed deal. The marital alliance between Zhao and Wei was thus decided. The Zhao Clan had found yet another powerful ally in the Far East Province, and the Wei family would gain much from the Zhao. With the Zhao clans support, the Far East Provinces expansion efforts would be much easier. How so many families had to return disappointed was a different story. Many capable young leaders had also emerged, and these people made for good targets. It seemed many marriage negotiations would ensue after the war. Of course, no one would do this during the waron one hand, it was to prevent affecting the armys fighting spirit, while on the other, it was to see who would survive until the end. As more and more corpses accumulated on the battlefield, the scales of victory slowly tipped toward the Empire. However, this was still not enough in Song Zinings eyes. Chapter 1325: Scenery Intricate airships broke down faster in the new world. That was why most dark race airships here were built for speed, so that they may do more efficient work within the few days of their lifespan. Yet this extremely expensive-looking airship was flying at such a leisurely pace. The atmosphere in the control room was tense. Crew members would rush in frequently to report damaged parts. The captain was drenched in sweat, something that was quite rare for a high-ranking vampire, but he kept on issuing calm orders despite his anxiety. Actually, there was only one order that he had been repeating all this timereplace. A crew member whispered, Sire, we wont reach the base at this rate. Shall we drive faster? The captain was visibly moved, but in the end, he clenched his jaws and said, Keep flying just like that! Until its completely destroyed! But, this airship This airship is neither yours nor mine! There was never any intention of driving this airship back from the new world! The captains voice was exceedingly stern. The crew member didnt dare make a sound. He promptly exited the command room and began his round of the ship to do repairs. Within the main cabin, Nighteye was quietly gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Actually, there was no scenery to speak of in the new worldonly deserts, cliffs, and dangerous storms. There was a hint of green over the distant horizon from the woods, but the forests here didnt represent bountiful peace. It was a true sign of danger. The woods here were alivebeasts would charge out without warning, the vegetation was odd, and there was no telling when the six-armed creature would appear. These powerful six-armed creatures were beyond mysterious. There was no sign of their existence at all in the underground lair, almost as though they were just outsiders. Even though the council had already killed hundreds of these six-armed creatures, even mobilizing great dark monarchs to capture some of them, there had been no progress in studying them. The captured six-armed giants would immediately turn to stone after leaving this world, losing all signs of life thereafter. Neither the Azure Kings azure ice seal nor the Arachne Warlord Noxus disabling threads could halt the petrification process. Even the Demon Kings isolating barrier could not save the six-armed creature from death. This attempt to ship several living six-armed creatures out thoroughly angered the consciousness of the new world. It began searching for great dark monarchs and princes from the Evernight Faction, attempting to kill them. Nighteye simply sat there in silence and no one knew what she was thinking. She had been in this state since the very beginningCastle Ducasse, Noctiluna Castleand now. No one dared disturb her as Nighteyes temper was notorious. Be it the bold admirers who confessed to her or those who gossiped about her behind her back, everyone was tossed into the sea of clouds. The families of the unlucky bastards kept utterly quiet, almost as though it wasnt their kin who had just died. Just like that, Nighteye eventually found the peace she desired. Otherwise, many people would harbor untoward notions due to her rank as a glorious marquis. Maybe I should upgrade my blood core? She then shook her head. Thatll be like bullying children, lets just go with this. The airship sank several hundred meters with a jolt before stabilizing itself again. Nighteye simply gazed out at the lifeless new world, almost as though she hadnt noticed what had happened. The rocking of the airship grew fiercer but it miraculously held out until reaching its destinationthe Evernight Councils base in Blacksun Valley. This was their biggest base in the new world and the last transit point before the warzone in Blacksun Valley. The place was guarded by tens of thousands of soldiers, a powerful defensive setup, and two dukes on standby at all times. These old experts were powerful but also lacking future potential, unlikely to be the target of the Empires heavenly monarchs. The humans surely would not waste their precious quota on them. Song Zining appeared before this fortress once, but he immediately left with his army after seeing how difficult it would be to assail the place. The vampire airship staggered downward and nearly slammed into the landing pad. The vampire duke in charge of the base rushed over and grabbed the captain who had just gotten out from the airship. T-This is the Nightwing? Am I seeing things? The captain laughed wryly, It is she, or rather, it was. There will be no more Nightwing hereafter. Nightwing wasnt the vampire races oldest, most advanced, or strongest airship, but it was the most elegant. No one wouldve imagined that she would be dispatched to the new world. The duke sighed, What took you so long? The captain replied, It took three days on the road. Three days?! How did the airship last that long? I prepared two sets of every part and swapped out an old model engine. Even after all that, its a miracle that she managed to get here. Why not fly faster? The old duke had just uttered the word when the captain shushed him. Quiet! Her Majesty wanted to enjoy the scenery. Erm scenery? Just sigh! The duke hesitated several times during the speech. Clearly, he was a big fan of the Nightwing and felt pained at her destruction. He didnt even mind offending Nighteye. Over a dozen followers walked out of the airship at that point and stood in neat rows. Nighteye appeared at the door and slowly walked down. The duke stepped forward to welcome the guest. Your Majesty, youve finally arrived. This duke was much older than Nighteye and his blood energy cultivation was much higher, but he actually performed a descendants salutation. This was a fairly humble gesture. Nighteye nodded. Hows the war going? The documents have been prepared in the great hall, please follow me. Nighteye followed the duke into the war room where a war map of the Blacksun Valley hung on the wall, filled with a dense array of markings. The duke cleared his throat, saying, This is the current situation. The humans have built fortresses here, here, and here. This one is the closest to the gateway and the humans have built a research center there. Hence, I think we should capture it first and stop the humans from prying into the secrets of the new world. But the other two fortresses will pressure us if we attack this one and the area is where humans are most active, so we should be prepared for losses. According to previous experience, we still dont have enough troops in hand. I plan to wait for the councils latest batch of reinforcements to arrive before launching the assault. Nighteye said, Must you attack just because they built fortresses? The duke was startled. But the humans have built a research base there. What if they discover the secrets of the black realm Whats in there? Nighteye asked. The duke hesitated. This is the councils highest secret, how will I know? If you dont even know whats inside, how can you tell the consequences of human exploration? This should be pretty serious, right? The duke responded. The seriousness can be decided when they manage to get in, the black flames havent died out at the moment. There are, however, some things I need to do. Where is the werewolf squad? The other duke arrived at the scene, the person in charge of supplies and troop replenishment. Hearing Nighteyes question, he said, The werewolves have delivered fifty thousand soldiers and theyre currently undergoing training. They should be ready to join the battle in a day or two. No need to train them, send them to attack the fortress. The duke was shocked and could hardly believe his ears. Are you saying, we should let them attack the fortress on their own? Correct. But there are thirty thousand troops in that fortress, the werewolves will be rushing to their deaths. Thats the intention. Contact them for the second and third batch of soldiers after theyre all dead. They might not agree. Nighteye said calmly, A fixed number of people need to die. If the werewolves dont die, shall we sacrifice your demonkin race instead, or the arachne? Nighteye added. Prepare a unit for me. I want a mixed rank of all three races and three times the usual experts. The demonkin duke seemed conflicted. Yes, Your Majesty, how many soldiers do you need? Ten thousand should be enough. The demonkin duke sighed in relief, but he grew worried. Your Majesty, isnt the squad too small? Human heavenly monarchs might appear any minute, your safety is of utmost importance. Im just a glorious marquis, probably not worth a heavenly monarchs time. The two dukes replied hurriedly, Your Majesty, thats not right. You can advance any time you want, cant you? This rank is just temporary. But you seem to have your own plans, we wouldnt dare comment on it. Youre smart, unlike some bastards who like to speak nonsense. Nighteyes tone softened somewhat. The relieved dukes exchanged a secret glance, deciding to keep their subordinates mouths tightly shut. More than once, they had heard their subordinates gossiping about Nighteyes awakening. Some people felt that an awakened ancient character wouldnt have been stuck at the glorious marquis stage for so long. The two dukes, however, knew more than those subordinates. They had heard of Nighteye''s feats back in her territory. A lot more people would die if she were to somehow hear about the gossip. Those who could gossip near the dukes were, of course, their trusted aides, not people they wanted dead for no reason. Chapter 1326: Brother’s Woman The Empire had been struggling during this battle, but the dark races were in just as much pain. Everyone would write their wills and farewells before the battlenone of those going into battle expected themselves to return alive. The situation was even more serious than the holy wars. The commanders of each unit were just as troubled. The loss of troops always accompanied the fall of numerous officers and experts as well. The dukes in charge of each battlefield werent spared from the pressure, either. Although there were reinforcements coming in steadily, the deaths on the front line were just as numerous. The supremes of the Sacred Mountain took no action even under such circumstances. The only order they had issued was to attack and drive the humans out of the sinkhole area. The dukes felt helpless as they took to the field in turn, suffering one defeat after the other in the hands of Song Zining and Zhao Jundu. There was a rumor circulating among the dark races that Song Zinings divination arts were already close to Lin Xitang in his early years. This kind of conjecture only served to suppress the injection of experts from the Evernight Council. Only a few top masters could perform divination in the sinkhole region, people the council would protect like treasures. There was no way they would be willing to send them into the field. This was a lesson they had learned from Lin Xitang. Back when the Twin Paragons of the Empire were on the rise, the factions had fought both in the field and remotely via divination. That period of time was a particularly low point for the Empires divination schools, a time where the seeds of internal strife had started to sprout. Hence Evernights prophets were highly effective against the Empires overall strategy. Some rumors, minor changes to the flow of fate on the battlefield, and a bit of suppression from the top experts and the Empires war zones would be up to their ears in problems. Back then, Lin Xitangs accomplishments werent that evident and the casualty ratio was just within an acceptable range. But as time went by, the Evernight side finally discovered that something was wrong. All prophets who had fought against Lin Xitang would gradually fall ill after returning to Evernight and pass away after several months. Some would take years but their fate was no different. It took a good deal of secret information and several years after the end of the Empires internal strife for the Evernight Council to connect the death of their prophets to Lin Xitang. It was already too late by that point. Although Lin Xitang hadnt laid his hands on the grandmaster level prophets, the fallen geniuses who had actively taken part in the wareither in planning or for observationwere people who wouldve become grandmasters one day. Moreover, they would be prophets with ample battlefield experience. Many of them had fallen victim to Lin Xitangs trick and met their eventual ends. Even the supremes could do little against this kind of spiritual injury. Just like that, Lin Xitang had single-handedly caused a cross-sectional destruction among Evernights prophets. Since then, the Evernight Council had been extremely careful in the deployment of their prophetsthey would only observe the situation in ordinary battles and never appear in the field. It was thereafter that the Empires Twin Paragons truly began to shine. History was once again repeating itself on the battlefield around the sinkhole. Song Zinings high rate of success couldnt be a strategy alone; he had to have used divination. This meant that the Evernight Council would have to be more careful in the deployment of their own prophets, putting their forces in an even more passive state. This was the situation when Nighteye had set out with her forces, but she spared little thought for it. All she did was lead the army slowly toward the sinkhole, almost as though she were on a leisurely trip. On a mountain peak somewhere, two marquises were gradually turning pale and weak as they fought Wei Potian. Exchanging glances, they attacked with their most powerful moves at the same time and then fled almost immediately after the round of attacks. With a peal of drawn-out laughter, Wei Potian slashed at one of the marquis from afar. The blow opened up a big gash on the fleeing experts back, a wound so deep that the bones were almost visible. The marquis lurched forward but his steps remained swift. He couldnt even afford to care about his soldiers as he vanished over the horizon. Wei Potian retracted the Thousand Mountains and laughed coldly. Playing this game with me again? Its been over a dozen times, you think Ill fall for it again? Take this marking before you go! Wei Potian turned back to find that the dark races on the frontline were retreating like the tides, and the foot of the hill was full of corpses. With a shout, he charged out at the front. The Wei clan soldiers jumped out from behind cover and followed their young master to kill the routed enemy. This ruthless assault cut down thousands more dark race soldiers before coming to a halt. Wei Potian said in satisfaction, Check our battle results, help the injured and clean up. Well go back and rest afterward! The warriors erupted in a thunderous cheer. Many of them were already pondering on how to spend their money and relax after going back. Wei Potian scolded them with a laugh, Look at you guys, what do you guys know apart from wine and women? The contributions from this battle are enough for you to buy land or start up a business. Hand over ninety percent of your contributions after we return, and this daddy will help you guys find some good land in our province. Everyone will be a landowner after the war! The soldiers broke out in cheers. Of course, it was impossible for them to become a part of the nobility, but owning land and business would give them the foundation to build a family. If they kept trying hard enough, they could one day become a landowning household. If these small families held a stable footing, they would also add to the Far Eastern Provinces foundation. The aristocracy of each generation had to slowly develop just like that. A cold voice echoed in everyones ears amidst the cheer. In such a rush to go back? Wei Potians expression shifted drastically. He turned around to see a dark race squad emerging from the valley entrance. Their numbers were small, but the dense array of expert auras caused ones scalp to go numb. The unit was made up of ten thousand soldiers at most, but there were actually ten marquis in their lineup. The dark race army had appeared silently, almost as though they had popped out of the void. Wei Potian never sensed this armys arrival, and even the fleeing Evernight soldiers just now probably had no idea of this units existence. As an experienced leader, Wei Potian roared immediately, Return to base! The Wei clan soldiers turned and ran, charging toward their fortifications on the hill. As long as they were behind defensive lines, a normal squad of ten thousand could forget about defeating this elite imperial unit of five thousand. Wei Potian brought up the rear with his private guard. That mysterious army wasn''t in a rush to chase after them, either. They only advanced at a steady pace, filling the field with gradual pressure. Wei Potian relaxed somewhat after seeing that his forces had reached the fortifications. He was just about to join them himself when his vision blurredthere was someone in front of him all of a sudden. He looked up in surprise. "Y-You how come it''s you?" Nighteye said, "Why can''t it be me?" Wei Potian said, "This isn''t the place to talk. Follow me to the rear, the dark races will charge us any moment now. Seeing his state, Nighteye said, "Don''t worry, they won''t." "They won''t? There''s no way they''d let go of such an opportunity" Wei Potian looked back to find the crowd of experts standing still several hundred meters away. Wei Potian glanced at the dark race army then back at Nighteye, his jaw dropping wider and wider. "Correct, that''s my squad," said Nighteye. Wei Potian scratched his head with a difficult expression. "What do I do? What do I do? You''re Qianye''s wife, how can I fight you?" Nighteyes tense expression relaxed ever so slightly, but it was soon replaced by cold indifference. All this time, there was a mixed expression, something between laughter and tears, that never receded. I have nothing to do with him anymore. Even if I did, hes not from your side, is he? Thats that, but hes still a brother. How can I fight his woman? Wei Potian was serious. The two armies couldnt hear their conversation, but the dark race marquis wasnt too far from them. Their expressions turned odd all of a sudden, and it looked like they were having a hard time holding their laughter back. Wei Potian wasnt going to hold back against them. He roared with a dark expression, What are you laughing at?! I cant fight Nighteye, but you guys are a piece of cake. Come at me in groups of two, Ill take all of you on! This kind of challenge was normal, and it was advantageous for Wei Potians defensive strategy. This time, however, it proved completely ineffective. An arachne marquis said, Of course well come at you together. What will the others do otherwise? Watch? Wei Potian spat loudly. What a disgrace to your so-called sacred blood! This provocation had no effect, either. The marquis stood still like wooden dummies, looking at Nighteye. Nighteye said, Theyre here to spectate. Enough talk, lets fight. Wei Potian began to scratch his head again. I told you I cant attack you.. He hadnt finished speaking when Nighteye appeared in front of him and a cold, delicate hand grabbed him by the neck. Wei Potian was then lifted into the air and slammed hard to the ground. This slam was so powerful that even his Thousand Mountains had erupted out of reflex. Nighteye let go and stood looking down at him from above. Wei Potian flipped over and got back to his feet, his head still spinning and in a daze. Leave! There are heavenly monarchs in this area, they might attack you. Why would they target me? Youre so powerful that even I an not your opponent. The heavenly monarchs might consider you a sacrifice," Wei Potian said seriously. An unnoticeable smile emerged on Nighteye''s cold countenance. "I''ll be targeted if I defeat you? You really think highly of yourself." Wei Potian shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up. "Isn''t that normal? No ordinary marquis is my match. You''re a genius, so it''s very likely you''ll become a sacrifice. You don''t know what those behind the curtain are thinking, they prefer targeting young geniuses too and not just dukes." Nighteye said, "Enough, use your Thousand Mountains! Ill tell you why later." Helpless, Wei Potian unleashed a mountain peak above him and assumed a combat position. Nighteye didn''t attack immediately. She pointed at Wei Potian''s waist, saying, "Your sword." "It''ll be bad if I wound you with that." "As you wish." Nighteye''s figure flickered and appeared in front of Wei Potian. She then slapped the Thousand Mountains gently. This slap seemed fairly light, but it sent Wei Potian''s ears buzzing. It felt as though he were standing inside a bell. His vision was filled with a spectrum of colors. That tall mountain peak cracked like glass, its remnant projections barely holding its shape. Nighteye was rather surprised that she couldn''t shatter the Thousand Mountains in one go. Her lips rose in a faint smile as she realized the solution. If the first slap didnt work, then all she needed was a second slap. The Thousand Mountains vanished immediately as Wei Potian was knocked out. Chapter 1327: Message All he saw when he opened his eyes was a small piece of the sky surrounded by darkness. He gazed, puzzled, at the scene for a good while before realizing that he was actually in a pit. The depression in the ground was an almost exact fit for his body, almost as though it was tailor-made just for him. His thoughts cleared up after a while. This was no tailored pit! He had been slammed right into the ground. Wei Potian struggled up and had to use both arms and legs to make it out. The stony ground of the new world was extremely hard, so much so that slamming into the soil felt impressive. He had just poked his head out when he saw a pair of black boots in front of him. The beautiful combat boots outlined the owners lower leg perfectly. Wei Potian didnt need to look up to know that it was Nighteye. Was I knocked out? You did well to resist one strike. Wei Potian stood up and glanced at Nighteye, who was sitting on a nearby rock. Where are my brothers? Nighteye pointed down the mountain. Theyve been captured. Captured? Wei Potian looked over with a serious expression, his eyes going wide when he saw the number of captives. Did they not resist at all? Nighteye said calmly, I told them Ill pop your head if they dont come out from the fortifications and lay down their weapons. They obeyed. Wei Potian stamped his feet. Idiots! How can I, the great Marquis Potian, have a squad that gives up without fighting? Youd be dead if they didnt surrender. So what?! Ive lived enough. After I die, send a message to Yuying if you have the opportunity. Tell her I fell in battle because of my inferior skills, that Im resigned to my fate and not to avenge me. Youre afraid shell die in my hands? Wei Potian became serious. Yuying is stubborn, shell seek you out if its not made clear. And shes not your match, never will be. Whats the relationship between you two? We just got engaged. If you ask about relationships, well it began in the Great Maelstrom. Wei Potian seemed happy as he reminisced about things. Nighteyes expression also softened a bit at the mention of Zhao Yuying. Thats wise of you to know that she would be throwing her life away if she came. Wei Potian laughed wryly. Thats because I just realized you were serious. Nighteye broke into laughter. Why else would I be here? A tour? Wei Potian sighed. I know the military wronged you in the past. Those people are all dead now, but it still gave you a reason to hate us. Now that you have defeated me, theres nothing to complain about if I die to your blade, and I wont let anyone seek revenge for me. My brothers, though... can you let them live, seeing as they didnt resist? Hard labor is fine as well. Wei Potian jumped up after hearing this. Wait, wait! Do you mean you were going to let me off? Then we should discuss. Nighteye was startled. Discuss what? Wei Potian rubbed his hands in delight. As expected of Qianyes wife. Didnt I say so? Theres no way youd be so merciless toward your husbands brother! Lets talk terms. How about ransom? Nighteye found this both annoying and amusing. Ive changed my mind, itll be quieter if I kill you. Wei Potian shut up almost immediately. He knew there was a limit to jokes when it came to life and death. Nighteye said, Ill spare you this time. Run an errand for me, tell the Empire that Im here and that certain wretches better not let me run into them. Wei Potian couldnt make heads or tails of it. Which wretched people? Except for those dukes, all of us here are your hubbys brothers. It wont be too easy to kill them, you need to be aware of the heavenly monarchs as well... Shut up! Nighteye scolded. Wei Potian went silent immediately. Nighteye glared fiercely at him, saying, Tell your men to leave all equipment and make themselves scram! After replying with a Yes, maam!, Wei Potian cried out at the top of his lungs, Everyone! Shed your armor, get into formation, retreat! This fellow was so quick to obey that Nighteye couldnt help but find it amusing. I will kill you as well if I see you again on the battlefield! Wei Potian wasnt worried about himself and was instead concerned about Nighteyes safety. You werent sent here as a sacrifice, were you? Nighteye had no strength left to be angry. She said unceremoniously, The heavenly monarchs cant do anything to me. What do you think this is? A massive origin gun appeared in her handstwo meters long and as thick as a bucket. How was this a gun? It was clearly a cannon! She held up the giant weapon as though it was made of paper and tossed it to Wei Potian. Wei Potian caught the gun and immediately felt a weight far beyond his expectations. His arms sank to the point where he had to unleash his origin power to catch it steadily and not embarrass himself. This giant gun was close to ten tons in weight and so heavy that it was on par with an airships cannon. The design was fairly oddthere was an array of four square barrels with sinister-looking wolf totems carved on their sides. At a careful look, these totems were made up of intricate lines that formed many layers of origin arrays. Such an exquisite array was rare even in the Empire, likely the work of a grandmaster. Wei Potian sensed a frosty killing intent rush at his face, almost as though he were being targeted by a void colossus; even his hands began to tremble. Amidst the murderous will, there was also a deep hatred for daybreak origin power. This was a sentient weapon! And considering its unique shape, Wei Potian gasped. The Tempest! Correct, this is the Tempest. Nighteye nodded. Wei Potian felt that something wasnt quite right. This was the werewolves Grand Magnum, but wasnt Nighteye a vampire? At the same time that he caught the Tempest, he had a sudden urge to run away with it. However, he quickly dispersed the impractical notion. Ignoring how fast Nighteye was and whether he could even outrun her, it was easy to imagine what would happen to the thousands of Wei clan soldiers if he chose to do so. In his heart, his brothers-in-arms were more valuable than this magnum. Nighteye glanced at him with a spurious smile. Arent you going to run off with it? Wei Potian sighed as he returned the weapon to Nighteye. I cant trade a gun for the lives of thousands of comrades. Besides, I cant use it even if you give it to me, whats the point? You have some conscience after all. Isnt the Tempest from the werewolf race? Why is it in your hands? Pioneering the new world is a major event for the Evernight Faction. The council has decided that the werewolves need to be a part of this, so weve allowed them to join us. I have to be guarded against your so-called heavenly monarchs, so I needed a good weapon. Ive always felt that the Tempest was suitable for me, so I borrowed it for a couple of days. Nighteye made light of the situation, but Wei Potian felt secretly surprised. Getting her hands on the Tempest meant that Nighteyes position in the council was even higher than the werewolf race. And for her to have no fear of the heavenly monarchs after arming herself with the Tempest, that was rather inconceivable as well. After all, she was still a glorious marquis, a thousand miles away from a heavenly monarch. Wei Potian, though, didnt think that she was bluffingletting her bring a Grand Magnum to the front lines proved their confidence in her. With the Tempest in hand, none of the Empires frontline generals would be a match for her. Nighteye seemed to have read his thoughts. Dont worry, I wont be using it against anyone but the heavenly monarchs. Otherwise, itll be too boring. Well, weve wasted enough time, now scram! Wei Potian left with the Wei clan soldiers in tow, his mind full of concern. The dark races did make it difficult for them. For instance, they demanded that shoes were a part of the soldiers armor, so many of the warriors had to leave barefooted. This bit of hardship was nothing compared to survival. The men were moved to tears at how Wei Potian had given up a Grand Magnum for their lives; their loyalty to him was absolute and unconditional. Back at the Imperial forward base, Song Zining was deep in thought in front of a map as the sounds of killing and fighting echoed outside. An aide ran in at this point, saying, General Song, half of the enemy have fallen, they cant hold on for much longer! Our flanking units are already in place to surround them. These werewolves can forget about escaping! Song Zining wasnt happy at all. He muttered to himself with a deep frown, Yeah the werewolves, why are there werewolves in the field? And why are there only werewolves?! There was a series of hurried footsteps as Wei Potians loud voice arrived ahead of the person. Zining, Im back. Guess who I ran into? Without waiting for Song Zining to guess, Wei Potian said excitedly, Its Nighteye! Qianyes wife! Nighteye! Song Zining dropped the brush in his hand. Wei Potian was surprised. He watched as the pen bounced on the floor, saying, Why are you so surprised? Song Zining regained his composure and said with a forced smile, Its nothing, I havent seen her in a good while. Hows she doing, and how did you meet her? Come, lets sit down and talk. After Song Zining had dismissed the staff, Wei Potian threw himself onto the sofa and said, Sigh, I dont even want to talk about it, its so embarrassing. I thought I was quite awesome to be able to handle four marquises at the same time, but who wouldve thought my Thousand Mountains couldnt even take one slap from her? The second slap knocked me out completely. Song Zining would ask an occasional question while listening. His expression became unsightly when he heard that the Tempest was in her hands. Wei Potian noticed the change. Whats wrong with you? Song Zining seemed restless. Do you really believe her? Wei Potian was stunned. Why not? Shes Qianyes wife. Shes no longer. When did that happen? Wei Potian was confused. Sigh, you wont understand even if I tell you. Song Zining rushed out and assembled all of the staff officers, commanding them to withdraw all soldiers fighting who were still roaming the field. Chapter 1328: Ominous Signs He knew warfare well enough to tell that those roaming squads were vital to Song Zinings hold on the mid-field fortress. These units were preventing the dark races from an all-out attack and forcing them to leave soldiers to guard their rear. The rear guard couldnt be too big or too small. This posed a problem when there was a limited number of soldiers to invest in the war. Assigning too many to the rear would weaken the assault and increase casualties, while the opposite would allow Song Zinings focused attacks to devour the supply lines. As only Song Zining could use divination, the dark races were more or less fighting a miserable blind battle. They could only brace themselves and take Song Zinings bait. They would still do some damage to the Empire while attacking fortresses, unlike roaming battles where their casualty ratio was so much higher. Hence, the dark races had no other choice but to attack no matter how high the walls were. Recalling the roaming assault forces was akin to cutting off an arm. Wei Potian simply couldnt understand. After the recall, Song Zining formed the army into three units and assigned a duke to each of them. He also reminded them repeatedly to exercise utmost caution. At the same time, a bright flare shot up into the air and lingered in the sky for some time. This signal was to alert the heavenly monarchs to the region. This meant that Song Zining wasnt too assured even with the dukes leading the army. When all arrangements had been made, Wei Potian could no longer keep quiet. Is this really necessary? The fortress defense battles reduced the need for mobility and the exhaustion of airships. This allowed the Empire to barely keep up. The roaming troops were mostly transported by off-road vehicles, only summoning airships when required. The three units at the moment were excessively equipped, and all of them were to be transported by air. This would increase the requirements by many times. These three armies were strong, but the expenditure could match six roaming squads. Wei Potian felt that the latter would give them a greater advantage. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief after making all the arrangements. He unfastened his top button and poured a glass of chilled alcohol. After finishing it all in one go, he said, Did she say shell kill you if she sees you again? She did, but Wei Potian wanted to explain, but Song Zining said, I understand. You should return to the Empire immediately, and bring your Wei clan soldiers with you. Wei Potian was shocked. Wait! Why must I go back? My Thousand Mountains is almost at the perfection stage. The three questions tightened themselves around Wei Potian until he could no longer breathe. He stood dazed for a while before his expression crumbled, saying, That cant be. The meeting wasnt so bad, except the fact that I got beaten up pretty bad. Song Zining said word-by-word, She will kill you if she sees you again, do not doubt that. Then I just need to avoid her, right? Dont you know divination? Just do some calculations and help me avoid her. Must I hide away just because I cant afford to provoke her? Wei Potian felt that things werent so serious. I cant divine her. Why? I just cant, Song Zining repeated. So theres something you cant scry, didnt you say the only ones you cant divine are great dark monarchs? There arent any here. Wei Potian was skeptical. Song Zining asked, Do you really think shes easier to deal with than a great monarch? Wei Potian was stunned. Looks like Qianye wont have an easy time in the future. Covering his face, Song Zining sighed at Wei Potians train of thought. Lets worry about you first. Wei Potian wasnt willing to accept. Im still Qianyes brother-in-arms regardless. She wont go so far, will she? Song Zining couldnt be bothered with him, but he also couldnt let him do whatever he wanted. Otherwise, it would be impossible to clean things up when the time came. Just as he was thinking about how to explain it to the fellow, an aide rushed in urgently. That person cried out in a panic, Sire, things dont look good! Duke Yuanguangs unit was ambushed by the dark races. The entire unit was wiped out, only the duke escaped with heavy injuries! What?! Song Zinings expression shifted drastically. Take me there! Wei Potian stood dazed for a moment before following the others. Lying within the hospital at the duke quarters, Duke Yuanguang was as pale as a sheet despite the lack of bloodstains on his body. The Imperial doctors around him looked anxious and helpless. Song Zining rushed to the bedside. What happened? Duke Yuanguang opened his eyes and said with a wry smile, The dark races appeared without the slightest warning. I saw Nighteye its not a shame to lose to her. What the Empire did to her, were finally reaping what we sow. As expected. Song Zining looked gloomy as he observed the dukes injury. The duke waved his hand. Dont waste your time, I know my condition. She has crippled my foundation, Im no longer a duke from here on out. I can tell that she didnt want to kill me, else I wouldnt be back. Too bad our brethren Song Zinings expression grew unsightly as he checked the damage. Duke Yuanguangs origin crystal had shattered and was bound together by a wisp of dark golden blood energy. This lingering blood energy formed an ancient rune that could be interpreted as death! The dark golden blood energy was absorbing the dukes essence blood to empower itself, but they couldnt remove it because it was the only thing holding his origin crystal in shape. Once removed, Duke Yuanguangs origin crystal would crumble. He might not even survive, let alone maintain his divine champion cultivation. Yet the dark golden blood energy would drain him entirely if it was left alone. This blood energy was like a bone maggot that could neither be extracted nor be left alone. Only then did Song Zining realize why the doctors were so helpless. Removing this blood energy would require someone stronger than the assailant in both cultivation and origin power quality. Nighteye had set up a battlefield on the dukes origin crystal and challenged the entire Empire. Song Zining pulled his hand back. Dont worry. The wound is troublesome, but its not impossible to treat. Also, it wont act up immediately. You must avoid using your origin power from now on. Ill dispatch an airship to send you back to the Empire, Im sure the princes will think of something. Duke Yuanguang grabbed Song Zinings hand excitedly. I can still recover? Yes, Song Zining said decisively. Duke Yuanguang heaved a sigh of relief. Some color returned to his face as he said, Thats great, thats great! I still have so many things I need to do. I was wondering why you didnt catch the dark races squad with your divination, but I understood when I saw her. She sigh she won''t live long with the heavenly monarchs around. Wei Potians lips moved ever so slightly. He wanted to say that Nighteye had the Tempest, so the heavenly monarchs might not be able to do anything to her. However, he felt that it wasnt quite appropriate to say it considering Duke Yuanguangs state. The duke mightve been speaking logically in his despair, but the words he had spoken after seeing some hope were his true thoughts. This person was notorious for being petty. It would be bad for Wei Potian if the duke were to hold a grudge and spread word that he was working with the enemy. Wei Potian was frank but not dumb. He still had some measure as to what he should and shouldnt say. Song Zining comforted the man somewhat and arranged for him to be sent back to the Empire once his injuries were stable. Watching as Duke Yuanguangs airship left, he said, Shes moving fast Is it really her? Wei Potian couldnt believe it. Who else? Song Zining had a feeling that the death on Duke Yuanguangs origin crystal was actually a message for him. The dark golden blood energy made it impossible for him to calm down. While Song Zining was lost in thought, an aide ran over and said, Theres a report from the frontlines. Profundity Monarch has found traces of the enemy and is about to attack. He asks us to make preparations to defend against beast movements and make arrangements to return to the Empire. Song Zining was in a daze. Load the hibernation chamber onto the airship and order them to remain on standby what did you say? The aide was shocked out of his wits. Song Zinings expression changed drastically as the message was repeated. Damn, hes ruining the plan! The aide was astonished. The Profundity Monarch was a god-like character who was far above everyone. When did he need other peoples agreement to take action? In truth, it was already good manners that he had sent word in advance. All he needed was to appear and take command of everything with a single word. Yet Song Zining was speaking as if he were a failure. The aide simply didnt dare to continue the conversation. Wei Potian was utterly confused with no idea what was going on. Song Zining glanced at him and sighed. The best strategy now is not to play our piece. Once the Profundity Monarch attacks, well have nothing left to intimidate the dark races. Besides, his attack might not even succeed. Wei Potian nodded in agreement. Song Zining sighed. Ah, let it be. Heavenly monarchs are human, after all, and its only normal to make mistakes. But erring at such a time is really not worth it. Wei Potian said, You cant do anything. Its not like you can control the heavenly monarchs. Song Zinings expression grew fierce. Back during Marshal Lins era, even the heavenly monarchs had to listen to his orders! But youre not Wei Potian stopped halfway. Now that I think about it, you do have some similarities with him. It almost seems like yesterday that we were in Blackflow City. Song Zining shot him a glance. Arent you just one step away from the divine champion realm as well? Many years have passed. We might be in our prime, but were definitely getting older. Wei Potian couldnt help letting out a sigh as he thought about the years. Chapter 1329: Defea Seeing the soldiers shipping crate after crate of ammunition onto the cannon turrets and the resting squadrons assuming battle station, Wei Potian couldnt help but ask, Are we forming a battlefront here? Why not? Werent we fighting just now? I thought you wanted to make this a supply base. Ive changed my mind. Wei Potion was surprised. How can you change your mind so randomly? Song Zining stopped walking and shot him a glance, We have to. You guys over there, move the remaining resources into the transport airships! A number of officers left to perform the task. Only Wei Potian was left hanging around, not knowing what to say. So she has scared us away, just like that? Song Zining said seriously, Dont mention her in front of anyone if you dont want to die, let alone whats in her hand. Not just you, make sure your soldiers are quiet as well or the entire Wei family will be in trouble. Wei Potian was shocked. Is it that serious? It is. Now go and pack! There are still some empty airships that you and your men can squeeze into. Send a reserve squad once youre back in the Empire. This is an order! Wei Potian didnt know what to do when Song Zining was suddenly so serious. Very well, Ill obey. What do I do after I go back? Far East Province, Transcendent, Western, void continent, anywhere you want to go. Just dont come here. Wei Potian opened his mouth as though he had remembered something. However, he unexpectedly refrained from arguing and only walked toward the airship. Seeing that there were no other people, a Wei-clan general said with a bitter expression, Young Master, are we really going back? Wei Potian glared at them. What else do we do? Wait to get killed? General Song has issued a military order! Do you think this daddy can disobey? A different general said, Were not asking you to disobey, but how do we raise our heads if we go back to the Empire like that? Why cant we? We have contributed a lot to the war effort and we didnt lose a lot of soldiers. The general said, Thats not wrong, but our defeat this time was too humiliating. Our brethren were stripped naked and had to return barefooted. Did you hear what those people in the base were talking about us? Theyre saying, Oh my, how come those people came back butt-naked? Wei Potian was furious. Those bastards dare gossip about me?! Would they have let us return if it werent for my strength? His voice was so loud that a good part of the base heard him. Wei Potian looked around. Seeing that no one was continuing the topic, he beckoned to his men in an impressive manner. Everyone, get on the airship. We have important things to do once we get back! The Wei clan troops roared in response and ran toward the airships. Some dissatisfied officers in the distance whispered, Still acting like that after a defeat, what a rare performance. The words were neither loud nor soft. Some of the sharp Wei clan soldiers heard the comment, but they only lowered their heads and left since they were too embarrassed to argue. The short interlude had just passed when a loud cry echoed through the base. Call the doctors! There are returning soldiers from the front line, so many injured soldiers! A burning airship flew in unsteadily and practically slammed into the ground outside of the fortress. The cabin doors were kicked open, and a burly man covered in blood rushed out. Doctors! Where are the doctors? So many of our comrades are about to die! Wei Potian rushed over without a word and started helping with the injured. The entire airship was filled with wounded soldiers, many of them already devoid of life when they were brought out. The airship was still burning and might explode at any moment. Wei Potiain grabbed a battle-axe and slashed ruthlessly at the cabin wall, opening up a big hole in just a few swings. He then picked up two wounded soldiers and ran for the hospital. He suddenly came to after a couple of round trips and drove a large truck over to the airship. There were quite a few who were quicker to react. There were already dozens of trucks shuttling back and forth with injured soldiers. The hospital was packed to the brim. Dozens of doctors were sweating as they worked to save the patients. They had to ask other soldiers for help as there werent enough nurses. This facility could be considered fairly big as far as field hospitals went, yet it could hardly manage when a thousand soldiers poured in at the same time. Wei Potian grabbed one of the less injured generals and asked, Which unit are you from? How did this happen? That general recognized Wei Potian. He bowed hurriedly and said, Our unit was under General Zhang Shixuans command. We were attacking the dark races supply lines. Who would''ve thought theyd appear out of nowhere? Theres an extremely powerful woman in their unit. Somehow, she immediately downed two of our airships. General Zhang ordered the airships to land and brought up the rear with his personal guard. Then Wei Potians heart sank. Its that womans doing? The general shook his head. She didnt get her turn. There were over a dozen marquises under her command. We had to fight with all our might to save these comrades. It was Nighteye, no doubt. Only her unit would have so many experts. Song Zining passed by at this moment. He said hurriedly when he saw Wei Potian, Why are you still here? Go! Wei Potian said, Im not leaving anymore. Song Zining was startled. What are you going to do? Court death? Wei Potian pointed at all the injured in the base. Look at them, how can I leave just like that? Song Zining said, Youre confused again! How are you the same as them? People die every day on the battlefield. The other party might not try too hard to wipe them out in the field, but do you think you can return alive? No one is immortal in war. So what if this daddy dies? Its nothing if you die, but your soldiers will be wiped out! Youre forcing her to attack! Song Zinings voice rose higher. So what if I cant beat them? Must I hide away and never appear in the field? Apparently, this argument was getting nowhere and people were starting to look over. Song Zining said with a solemn expression, Do what you want, but you can only leave half of your forces. We must leave some seedlings for the Wei family! Wei Potian said calmly, Leave a third of them or let them all go back. The Wei clans elites were all gathered here. The family would suffer greatly if they were wiped out. The clan had no one to succeed Wei Potian, either. There was no way to find a young scion with enough talent to reach the divine champion realm in a short time. At that point, the entire territory and its interests would be at risk. Wei Potian understood this reasoning. As he grew older, he started to realize that he couldnt act recklessly for momentary satisfaction. Song Zining glanced at him. The Wei clans true foundation is you. Dont you think itll be a pity if you die without becoming a divine champion? Wei Potian lowered his head in apparent contemplation. Men shouldnt be so overcautious! I wouldnt have reached where I am today if I were such a coward. Say no more! Life and death will be in heavens hands. This daddy will accept my fate if I am to die under her blade! Song Zining patted his shoulder. Fine, stay then. But you have to remember to listen to my command and not move recklessly. Understood, I dont plan to die just yet. Yuying will marry someone else if you die. Wei Potian was furious. You and your auspicious mouth. Song Zining patted the fellows back with a peal of loud laughter, then sauntered off. A small joke didnt add a lot of light to the dreary mood. As one airship after the other flew back, the entire base fell into a wave of depressed activity. The field hospital here could no longer fit that many injured soldiers, so the surrounding space had been put to use as well. There were moaning soldiers everywhere, with doctors scuttling about busily. They could only spare each patient a quick glance and give out instructions before moving onto the next bed. Medical supplies were soon used up, to the point where using bedsheets as bandages wasnt enough. Cries of misery could be heard from time to time as the soldiers passed, plunging the entire base into a gloomy atmosphere. An azure light suddenly flickered above the hospital, showering the patients with a drizzle of fine rain. The injured soldiers felt their pain subside and their senses dulled. Many soon fell asleep. Song Zining turned around to find a middle-aged man walking over. Ah, its Duke Qingyun. Duke Qingyun said, I did what little I could to alleviate their pain. Speaking of which, what caused all of this? Duke Qingyun was rather famous for his Spring Rain Domain. The domain possessed an extremely wide area of effect. It wasnt very powerful, but the rain had a numbing effect that could weaken the enemy army. It was also quite effective on the injured, but it could only numb the pain and not heal the injuries. Song Zining suddenly remembered. Wheres the Profundity Monarch? Duke Qingyun was the Profundity Monarchs trusted aide. Hearing Song Zinings question, he said, The prince sensed something, so he has headed to the front lines to search for the target. Before leaving, he said that the target this time is worth even more than Jaero. He said hed be satisfied if he can take down this target. That would be for the best. Song Zining didnt sound like he meant it. Duke Qingyun noticed this. Do you have any thoughts on this? I naturally hope that the princes trip wont be in vain. Chapter 1330: A Fight Between Kings The dark races had set up base to rest. The tents had been pitched in a neat formation, at precisely the same distance from one another. This unit might not be vast in number, but every soldier possessed great fighting power and there were countless experts in their ranks. The Profundity Monarch saw eight marquises at a single glance, as well as innumerable counts. He could kill droves with a random slap. The monarch slowly descended to the ground. This is the Profundity Monarch speaking! I feel its below me to attack you people, but Ill make an exception during special circumstances. Ill consider letting the rest go if all those above the marquis realm commit suicide. If I must take action, I will wipe out every living creature here! These words were spoken with origin power. The mandate of a heavenly monarch contained such might that the soldiers in the camp collapsed to the ground. Those below the count-rank simply couldnt stand up. Only the marquises and counts remained on their feet. The profundity monarch scanned the base and actually saw over ten marquises and dozens of counts. The densely packed lineup brought him a fair bit of surprise, and he even regretted saying that he would let those below the marquis realm leave. These marquises formed the core strength of the Evernight Faction, and losing them would deal a massive blow to the dark races. But he quickly set the enticing thoughts asideit was already a taboo for him to kill ten marquises in passing. If he were to go overboard, the Evernight Council might ignore everything and set out on a path of revenge. Even the Profundity Monarch would suffer a fair bit of criticism if the conflict were to affect the Empire. In truth, there was already a big risk involved in killing these marquises. The argument that the council was sending sacrificial pieces was barely valid. Killing these marquises would grant the Profundity Monarch massive contributions, an amount even those on the frontline like Song Zining and Zhao Jundu could hardly catch up to. The army below was in a difficult situation, but there was neither chaos nor terror. This surprised the Profundity Monarch a fair bit. He was also angered by the response. He wasnt as illustrious as the Pointer Monarch or Prince Greensun. He had only stood guard over his domain during the internal strife at the Imperial court and rarely appeared in public. Hence, his sense of existence was grossly inferior to Lin Xitang. Yet he was a true heavenly monarch who had enjoyed great power for many years, and he had slaughtered a genius demonkin duke just a while ago. Why were these dark races not cowering in his presence? Why were they so calm? This was looking down on him. The marquises below exchanged glances. Despite looking fearful, all of them began to accumulate power, unwilling to give up without resistance. The Profundity Monarch shouted, Since thats the case, I won''t be holding back. He slowly lifted his right palm, stirring up raging winds that formed a tempest at the center of the dark race camp. Ordinary dukes and divine champions couldnt easily draw upon the strange origin power of the new world. The Profundity Monarch, however, could forcibly bend the energy here to his will. A single move from him was so powerful that it stirred the wind and clouds. The marquises and counts below finally started to panic and launched one attack after another. The sound of gunfire echoed loudly as a storm of origin bullets whizzed toward the Profundity Monarch. The monarch sneered as a light green origin power emerged around him. The glow was rather faint, but the barrier was extremely strong. The countless origin bullets only produced ripples on its surface; there was simply no sign of it breaking. At this point, the Pointer Monarchs palm had already reached the peak of its trajectory. As he flipped his hand and brought it down, the tempest in the air turned into a dark green storm that bore down upon the camp below. The tempest had just taken form when countless arcs of electricity shot out from within, causing all of the dark race soldiers to panic. The stronger the expert, the more they were able to sense that the energy in this storm was enough to destroy them, their comrades, and everyone in the base. A heavenly monarchs wrath was anything but ordinary. Several marquises went pale and fled after discarding their weapons. They dashed out at lightning speed at first, but there was a terrifying pull emanating from the tempest that only grew stronger the further the target was from the center. Those marquises grew slower and slower until they were moving at a snails pace by the time they were around the edge of the camp. The storm descended slowly, but it was growing stronger with each passing moment. The marquises still at the center of the explosion realized that there was no chance of survival at all. This scene of chaos put a satisfied smile on the Profundity Monarchs face. It was at this time that a surge of razor-sharp blood energy shot into the sky. A clear, cold voice filled the entire battlefield. A bunch of useless trash! The Profundity Monarch locked onto the blood energy. Youve finally appeared. Unfortunately, you have no chance in my hands. He hadnt finished speaking when a beam of sword energy flickered from down below! The energy was black, with a hint of gold within the utter darkness. The glow was supposed to be dim, but it became dazzling against the backdrop of darkness. The Profundity Monarch actually felt his eyes stinging ever so slightly. Greatly astonished, the monarch didnt have time to do anything before the sword-glow flashed again. One, two, three beams grew into countless streams! The radiance weaved into a single point and crushed the Profundity Monarchs tempest. Some of the beams even struck the Profundity Monarch himself. This rude gesture infuriated the Profundity Monarch. Before he could act up, though, he heard cracking sounds from the green protective barrier. The slash had actually produced countless cracks in it, and a thin stream of sword energy slipped through the cracks, landing on his body. This invincible blood energy was already at the end of its flight, only producing a small cut at the edge of the Profundity Monarchs robes. One could hardly see it unless they were close. Yet it remained a fact that the Profundity Monarch had been tainted by an enemy attack. As a heavenly monarch, this was no different from a resounding slap to his face. This was especially true since he was just ordering the other party to commit suicide. The Profundity Monarchs expression went from red to blue, then to purple. Slightly narrowing his eyes, he shot out two beams of bright light from his eyes. The gaze passed through the still-churning storm and landed on a figure standing at the center of the camp. It really is you! Nighteye said, Who else? The Profundity Monarchs gaze landed on the black, two-meter blade in her hands. This is Awakening Dream? Correct. Who wouldve thought the council would let you take one of their three holy weapons? Looks like they think quite highly of you. You should be praising how I managed to wound you with it. The Profundity Monarch was livid. It wouldnt be so troublesome today if the military had removed a scourge like you back then. Nighteyes countenance paled ever so slightly at the mention of her past. I wasnt a scourge back then. Those of a different race will always have different intentions! For the Empires peace and stability, you should still be removed even if youve hidden your intentions. Your escape back then led to the trouble today. This monarch will have to see how the Zhao clan will explain things now. Nighteyes expression turned cold. Those of a different race will always have different intentions well said! Profundity Monarch, didnt you want to kill me? What are you waiting for? The monarch was furious. Insolence! No matter who you were in your past life, youre just a marquis at the moment. How dare you speak with such arrogance?! This monarch wanted to give you some time to speak, but dont blame me since youre courting death yourself! That Awakening Dream is now the Empires! The Profundity Monarch grabbed at the air, condensing the origin power into a black tempestuous mass. It was more a ball of lightning than anything! The ball of lightning shot downward with a swing of his hand. He didnt even try to aim since death would descend within a thousand meters from the impact. No one could escape. The ball of lightning would condense the origin power of the world as it descended, growing stronger and stronger as it did so. The Profundity Monarch had the leisure to say with a cold smile, What can you do against my Deicide Lightning, even with Awakening Dream? The sword is a holy weapon, but youre too weak to activate its full power. Nighteye didnt panic, however. She thrust Awakening Dream into the ground and produced a tyrannical-looking origin gun! The Tempest!!! The Profundity Monarch was shocked. As a famed powerhouse of the Empire, he was no stranger to the four square barrels of the Tempest. Whenever this gun appeared on the battlefield, it would always be a bitter fight. Back when the Profundity Monarch was still in the field, the werewolf races active great dark monarch was the Wolf Sovereign. The sovereign was extremely powerful on his own. With the Tempest in his arsenal, even the Profundity Monarch could hardly beat him. That was a matter from many years ago, but seeing the Tempest brought back memories that made the Profundity Monarchs brows twitch. This was actually a good opportunity. The Profundity Monarch unleashed a long peal of laughter, saying, Who wouldve thought youd bring such great gifts... He was only halfway through when a thunderous blast interrupted his speech. The Tempests four barrels spat out flames of origin power, its shots connecting into a terrifying stream of fire that blasted the Deicide Lightning. The Tempest had fired hundreds if not thousands of rounds within moments! The Profundity Monarch could feel his right hand shaking fiercely. He couldnt help but feel surprised that the lightning ball was almost blasted apart. The Tempest was the number one in terms of firepower, and that fame was entirely deserved. What surprised him more was that Nighteye could actually draw out such firepower. The monarch almost felt that he had exchanged blows with the Wolf Sovereign. The Profundity Monarch roared loudly, Well see how long you can hold out! Almost immediately, the origin power of the world once again converged into the ball of Deicide Lightning. The almost-dispersed lightning recovered and even doubled in size as it smashed downward. Unknowingly, the Profundity Monarch had used ninety percent of his strength. He considered Nighteye a worthy opponent. Chapter 1331: Failure Yet one minute had passed and the Tempest was showing no signs of stopping. On the contrary, it was the Deicide Lightning that could not absorb enough energy to keep up with the Tempest and was slowly being pushed back by the hail of bullets. The Profundity Monarch glanced over to find the entire base covered in a hazy glow of dark golden blood energy. There were birds flying out from the blood and toward the dark race experts. The experts would tremble once the birds landed on their bodies, but they would remain still and allow the bird to stay. These sanguine birds would stab their sharp beaks into the experts'' bodies, drawing out a steady stream of darkness origin power. The energy would then merge into the domain and flow into Nighteyes body. There was a bird on every Evernight soldier. The counts had at least ten on them, while the stronger marquises were almost covered in birds. This was akin to an army of ten thousand elites, and the countless experts among them worked together to contend against the Profundity Monarch. That was why the Tempests firepower was so fierce and lasting. The Profundity Monarch might be a heavenly monarch, but it was still quite straining for him to face the might of ten thousand Evernight elites at the same time. After all, fighting in the new world wasnt quite as smooth as back in the Evernight World, even though the origin power here favored the daybreak side. The trembling of his right hand grew worse and worse until the Deicide Lightning began to shoot sparks everywhere, almost as though it was about to break down. Where would the Profundity Monarch put his face if he were to be defeated by Nighteye? Without further hesitation, the monarch spat out a thin stream of green origin power which duly entered the lightning. The Deicide Lightning was immediately ignited, growing several times stronger as it suppressed the stream of bullets and descended upon the base! This was the Profundity Monarchs full strength. Seeing this ball of lightning and the green glow emanating from every crack, a look of despair finally emerged on the dark race experts faces. Even under the protection of the Tempest, they could sense that this was the last minute of their lives. The unstoppable lightning sphere descended meter by meter. The beginning of the end would start the moment it came in contact with the ground. Even with the aid of the Tempest, those heaven-defying sanguine birds, and the combined strength of the entire dark race camp, Nighteye was still no match against the tremendous power of a heavenly monarch. This kind of expression made the Profundity Monarch feel rather uncomfortable. The other party was clearly a weak prey, but it simply wouldnt accept its fate. An indescribable feeling descended from the void just as the green lightning was about to reach the ground. It was as though an invisible hand had grabbed the Profundity Monarchs heart, slowing it down by a beat. The Profundity Monarch looked up with some difficulty, and through the normal-looking sky, he saw a single eye, a giant terrifying eye full of anger. In the depths of that pupil, there was boundless darkness and an attractive force drawing the spectators soul into it. The monarch was drenched in sweat as he woke up in fright and quickly drew his consciousness back from the boundless darkness. He was shocked and terrified as he thought back to the legends. He understood that the use of his full strength had alarmed the malicious intent of the new world. No matter what the source of that malice was, he could tell from the brief contact just now that he was not this mysterious entitys match. No wonder none of the great dark monarchs under the three supremes dared make an appearance here. He glanced at Nighteye with a flash of hesitation in his expression. He only needed half a minute more to kill this entire base and Nighteye, claiming both the Tempest and Awakening Dream for himself. Only half a minute... But the monarch could already sense something rushing through the void at shocking speed, a speed much faster than his own! The Profundity Monarch made his decision in the blink of an eye. He withdrew his hand and took to the skies, flying back to the Imperial base like a stream of fire. The old man didnt need too long to decide between killing enemies and saving his life. He was a heavenly monarch, a cornerstone of the Empire. Risking his life to kill Nighteye and grab the two weapons wasnt a good deal, not when the Empire was on alert and there was no clear direction regarding the war in the new world. The mysterious entity in the void arrived so quickly that there was no room for the Profundity Monarch to hesitate. The green lightning weakened after the monarchs departure and was soon blasted apart by the Tempest. The remnant energy scattered into a shower of lightning. The sanguine birds in Nighteyes domain flew up to meet the green lightning, crashing into them in the air. Only a small part of the lightning bolts rained down but was once again weakened by the hazy blood energy. What little remained of the green lightning would turn even barons and viscounts into ash, let alone the elite soldiers. Only a count would be able to resist the damage. Even his lingering might was that terrifying. Nighteye retracted her domain and looked around. Check casualties. The marquises and counts immediately got to work, ignoring their wounds and exhaustion. After a short while, a glorious marquis got down on one knee before Nighteye. Your Majesty, we suffered a total of two hundred and sixteen deaths. There were eleven titled experts among them, including a first-rank viscount. This death toll could be considered quite small, especially since they had just faced off against a heavenly monarch without a great dark monarch on their side. Nighteye shot him a cold glance. Useless! Despite their similar rank, the glorious marquis lowered his head until he was almost touching the ground. This respectful attitude was not something seen among peers; there was no need to do so even against a prince. Such etiquette was reserved for great dark monarchs. He whispered, I was too inexperienced, I had no idea Your Majesty was so powerful. Im willing to give my life for you if youll give me another chance. This marquis was the fastest among those who had run away just now. He was also the one who had reached the farthest. Unfortunately, no one below the duke realm could escape the gravitational force of the Deicide Lightning. Nighteye didnt blame him, nor did she accept his loyalty. All she did was order the men to arrange double compensation for the deceased before heading back to rest. Her subordinates would deal with the cleanup. Back in the Imperial base, many soldiers heard a strange whistle all of a sudden. They looked about in all directions, not knowing what to do. Song Zining rushed out of the command building at this point, his voice covering the entire base. Prepare the hibernation chamber! Issue the signal for Airship One to leave within three minutes! Airship One was reserved specifically for the heavenly monarchs. The entire base kicked into action after hearing this order, all relevant people running about like madmen. Three minutes was too short, but an order was an orderheads would roll if they couldnt accomplish it. A small black dot appeared over the horizon and arrived above the base in a flash. It was the Profundity Monarch. Only at this point did a red signal flare shoot into the sky, indicating the location of Airship One. Without so much as a word, the monarchs silhouette flickered as he entered the airship. He was lying within the hibernation chamber following a second flash, its cover slowly closing over him. The operators nearby felt their vision blur as the person appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, they had practiced this procedure hundreds of times. They were beyond familiar, and almost everything was a reflexive action. The hibernation chamber was switched on almost immediately. Layer upon layer of origin arrays activated. The glow within the hibernation chamber turned from white to red, then from red to blue, and finally settled on a peaceful light blue. Through the cover, one could see a layer of frost forming over the Profundity Monarchs brows. The old mans eyes were shut tight, and there was neither a heartbeat nor any breathing. The temperature within the chamber was a hundred degrees below zero, freezing the monarchs vitality and origin power. The operation had just been completed when an indescribable sense of restlessness gripped everyones hearts. Everyone froze in place like wooden statues, afraid that the slightest movement would draw the enemys attention. A calamity would surely descend at that point. Even Song Zining was stiff, his eyes on the ground three feet in front of him. He never glanced sideways at any point. In the depths of the void, an eye containing lightning and thunder was scanning the Imperial base. The destruction and anger it represented were beyond clear, something even ordinary soldiers could sense. Time seemed to have stopped in the entire base. No one dared to move, and everyones expression seemed to have frozen as well. Even the slightest movement might very well invite a destructive thunderstorm. That gaze scanned back and forth until finally, it fell back empty-handed. The entire process was fairly short, but the span of time felt like centuries in everyones hearts. Song Zining roared, Take off! Airship One slowly took to the skies and flew swiftly back to the Empire. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief only when the airship vanished over the horizon. Wei Potian walked over, still palpitating. What was that just now? Song Zining said, Probably the malicious intent of this world? But this is too Wei Potian grabbed his hair, not knowing how to describe it. Even Sky Demon wasnt that terrifying, was it? Song Zining sighed. How can something that can force the three supremes into hiding not be terrifying? Wei Potian was startled for a moment. I used to think I was quite capable, that even divine champions and grand dukes arent that scary. But in this damned new world, a random six-armed creature can beat me black and blue, not to mention this kind of existence. The sky we see in our little cage is limited, theres actually an entire world outside of our prison. This is why the peak experts of every era would risk death to explore the void. Prison? What prison? Song Zining pointed in the Empires direction. The Evernight World we were born in is but a small island in the ocean, a natural prison if you will. This new world might be the boat that will carry us out of it. Meh, its useless telling you these things. Wei Potian slapped his forehead. I remember! Didnt that Anwen or whatever say the same thing? Oh, Anwen. Hes indeed a genius, too bad hes a demonkin. Wei Potian suddenly remembered. Say, did the Profundity Monarch succeed? How should I know? The old man didnt even say a word, dont tell me he failed? Wei Potians guess was full of evil. Song Zining glared at him but said nothing. Wei Potian would often exhibit inappropriate naivety and resentment, but fortunately, it didnt affect things all that much. Song Zining thus followed him. Chapter 1332: Changing World This involved a heavenly monarchs face, so the details were known to only a few. However, many people asked around and added their own take on the story, weaving countless new versions of it as time went by. Naturally, most of these stories wouldnt reach the monarchs ears. Some said the Profundity Monarch was on the decline due to his age, some said it was due to carelessness, and others claimed he was ambushed by the dark races. Some even said that he was attracted to Nighteye. There were too many different rumors floating about. The one certain thing was that Nighteyes name had spread throughout the Empire. The people from the lower strata exchanged gossip and legends, but those from the upper echelons were focused on a different matter. Ordinary experts were more interested in the Awakening Dream, one of the three holy weapons, as well as the might of the Tempest. It was said that the Awakening Dream was so sharp that it could slash through the void. It was one of the Evernight Councils three holy weapons, a status not inferior to the Grand Magnums. Reportedly, this blade was designed after the spear of a space-tearing marlin in the depths of the void, and the material was extracted from the king of said species. The space-tearing marlin was already a legend that hadnt appeared in centuries. When they did, they would usually appear in large schools, and each one of them possessed the strength of a marquis. After all, they were also a species of void colossi. There was no longer any information on how that powerhouse had killed the king amidst thousands of space-tearing marlins, but Awakening Dream remained a weapon to pass down in the councils treasury. Who wouldve thought it would shine so brilliantly in Nighteyes hands? The divine champions cared little for treasures at their stage; even the Awakening Dream was forgotten after a short discussion. What they focused on was why the Tempest was in Nighteyes hands. There was no reason for a race to lend their guardian weapon so easily. Did the werewolves compromise, or did the other three races invite them to join the pioneering efforts after realizing their importance? Or was there some unknown reason behind everything? As they saw it, the Tempest was an important sign that the power balance in the Evernight was about to change. The mainlands descended into a strange calm as all eyes were on the new world, but neither side dared relax. It was similar to when the holy war had just stopped in the Evernight Faction; everyone''s nerves had grown even tenser. One level above, the heavenly monarchs and superior divine champions had their attention on Nighteye. The Profundity Monarch described her domain down to the smallest details. He felt that this domain had accumulated the strength of the entire Evernight army, allowing her to contend against a heavenly monarch for a short while. Such a domain had never appeared before, and it possessed unimaginable potential. It was hard to say how powerful the domain would be with even more dark race experts. Who would be able to stop her if she were to become a great dark monarch and attack the Empire with a million-strong army? Yet every heaven-defying secret art had to have its limitations. This domain possessed two likely shortcomingswhether its capacity would increase with Nighteyes rank and how long it could last. Unfortunately, the battle was too short to draw a conclusion. The heavenly monarchs and superior divine champions went through ancient records but found no records of this domain. At least, it had never appeared before in battles involving the Empire. According to the Profundity Monarchs description, the domain was filled with blood energy flying around in the shape of birds. The Empire thus gave it a temporary nameFlightbird. In a single night, Nighteye became a great problem for the Empire. Some people analyzed the situation and felt that Li Fengshui was right in doing what he had done back then. This problem shouldve been removed at the roots. It was just that Li Fengshui was limited in his foresight and wanted to extract as much value as he could from the prisoner. In the end, he fell headfirst in Qianyes hands. The mention of Nighteye would, of course, remind people of Qianye as well. After a brief exchange of information, people were greatly surprised to find that Qianye had already accomplished so much on Fort Continent. He was already a dignified regional power and one of great strength no less! He had tens of millions of werewolf subjects as well as millions of human followers. The size of his army was roughly a million with close to a hundred thousand human soldiers and mercenaries. In terms of experts, there was Caroline and the Storm Duke in addition to Qianye himself. These three were at the rank of dukes and divine champions. In addition, Qianye was no ordinary divine champion. Caroline couldnt be underestimated, either, since she had the Thunderfrost Temple as her backing. The temple master was her brother, a bona fide superior divine championa grand duke. There was no way this temple lord would stay out of it if his sister were angered. In the end, only the Storm Duke seemed a bit easier to deal with. Then again, none of those crafty old dukes were easy to handle. The Empire did have some vassal nations on the Fort Continent, like Zheng for instance, but all of them put together would not be Qianyes match. Besides, Zheng was almost Qianyes vassal nation at the moment. At least, he was the one who placed King Nan Ruohuai on the throne. Not to mention encircling and destroying him, they were already lucky that Qianye hadnt taken over them. Destroying Qianyes force was no easy task. Not counting the Zhao clan, at least four high-ranking aristocratic families and over a dozen mid to inferior families had deep ties with Qianye. These families had all dispatched private soldiers to fight under Qianyes flag. The influx of gold and resources from Fort Continent was enough to move these experienced elders, not to mention their combined share of territory on Fort Continent was already greater than a province. They had only been there for such a short time! On top of all that, there were profits from the new-world expansion efforts. There were also rumors of Qianye having close ties with the Li family and the Pointer Monarchs residence. Many people discovered that, unknowingly, Qianye had already become a powerhouse. It almost seemed like yesterday that he had killed his way out of Indomitable. Back then, Qianye was nothing but a small character that no one paid attention to. A retired marshal intercepting him was already considered an overreaction. At present, though, the bigshots from back then could only gaze up at Qianye. The world had changed, that was all. Many people in the Empire formed a connection. Some suggested that Qianye was currently leaning close to the Empire, but killing Nighteye might push him to the other faction. Wouldnt the Empire gain a powerful enemy then? Even if they did want to kill her, who could even do it when the Profundity Monarch had failed? Qianye and Nighteye were both in the Empire at one point. Qianye was serving the army and Nighteye was living in seclusionthose were beautiful days. The former wouldve become a pillar of the Empire, while the latter would forever conceal her identity and live at his side. Everyone only imagined this possibility and never said it out loud. The Empires core policy was still the samethose of a different race will always have different intentions. This was especially true given the deep shadows the vampires had left on the human race; the hostility was almost in the bloodline. As long as Qianye was a vampire, as long as the laws of the vampire still existed, he could not be trusted. Who knew when the River of Blood would awaken him and turn him into a great calamity for the Empire, just like Nighteye. Regarding this matter, the Radiant Emperor convened with the heavenly monarchs and ministers that very night. The ministers and monarchs broke out in an unstoppable quarrel regarding how Nighteye should be dealt with. One faction wanted to kill her, while the other side was worried that it would push Qianye to Evernight, that the gains would not make up for the losses. Besides, how were they going to kill her? Nighteye possessed the Tempest and Awakening Dream. Who from the Empire could kill her and what weapon would he wield? There seemed to be no end to the arguments. In the end, there was no choice but to request the Emperors opinion. The Radiant Emperor had remained motionless all this time. At this point, he turned to Zhao Xuanji and said, Duke You hasnt spoken yet, what is your opinion? The duke replied, Whatever the Empire decides, the Zhao clan will execute it with our full power. The Radiant Emperor nodded. We all know Qianyes relationship with the Zhao clan. Im greatly satisfied with Duke Yous focus on the bigger picture. As for Nighteye He remained silent for a good while, gazing at the wall behind the crowd of ministers. Kill! ... Within the forward base in the new world, Song Zining was standing still before a large map. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were no longer as tidy as before. His eyes were also red and sunken. An aide walked in, saying, Sire, the latest battle reports have come in. Duke Yunyang has been defeated and General Duan Yong has fallen in battle. The routed army is on the way back Without waiting for him to finish, Song Zining said, Put it on the table. The aide carefully placed the document on the desk, stealing a peek at the stack of documents on the right as he did so. The left stack belonged to battle reports, while the right stack involved reports about supplies and resources. The two stacks were both rather tall, but good news was few and far between. The aide held his breath and withdrew quietly. The soldiers outside the office were all moving with hurried steps and worried expressions. Even the officers who usually worked at the rear were more or less injured. The entire command center was dark, gloomy, and cold. The staff officer remembered how things used to be different not so long ago. The days were busythere were casualty lists to process every day and the hospitals were full of injured soldiers, but everyone was strong and smiling. Even those who were in pain could still laugh loudly. That was because every battle was a victory despite the casualties, and the dark races would lose far more soldiers than the Empire would. The situation filled people with hope because the dark races would be the first to collapse. Sacrifices were bearable as long as there was hope. But now, the death toll was rising sharply as news of defeat rolled in one after another. The undefeatable marshals of the past were being routed, and the blood of many famed generals stained the battlefield. Some of them would sleep eternally on foreign soil. The halo around Song Zining had faded away. He was no longer that strategist god who was always one step ahead of the enemy. He could make mistakes and sometimes fail to grasp the enemys movements. Some of the mobile forces he had set up outside also suffered miserable losses. Comparatively, Wei Potians naked return was the most fortunate incident. Chapter 1333: Endless Battle Not noticing Wei Potians arrival, two soldiers were chatting as they moved resource crates. When will this battle end?! The older soldier said calmly, Just keep fighting. We wont need to worry if were both dead. The younger warrior said, Looks like itll be our turn soon. Youre alive today, at least. The dissatisfied young warrior whispered, How many defeats have been suffered? What kind of strategist god is he when were being defeated so badly? The veteran shushed at the young man. Be careful what you say! Youll be punished by military law if you criticize a commander! The young soldier wasnt in a good mood, either. Its death all the same! How many days more can they live after punishing me? The old soldier sighed. At least, were still alive now. There might be a miracle if we stay that way. To hell with miracles! As I see it, that other one should be called a strategist god, now thats a miracle. The old man looked up. Thats not something you should know. The young soldier said carelessly, I know several aristocratic disciples, they told me. The old veteran sighed. Fine, you guys are of noble birth after all. The young warrior replied angrily, Whats the use? Arent we still being used as cannon fodder? Wei Potian couldnt keep listening, so he let out a dry cough. The two soldiers jumped to their feet in shock. They went pale and bowed hurriedly when they saw Wei Potian. The latter wanted to act out at first, but he could only sigh and shake his head when he saw the two men covered in blood-soaked bandages. Moments later, he walked into Song Zinings office. The seventh young master was buried behind a pile of documents, reading through them at great speed. He didnt even look up as Wei Potian entered the room, only pushing a pile of documents toward him. Help me process these. Wei Potian said, Look at the situation! Youre still buried in documents! Song Zinings pen stopped moving. How many times have I told you, the front line isnt the only important part in a war. Rear support and logistics are just as important, if not more so. A war like this will crumble if the supplies are insufficient for even a single day. Can you imagine a fight without airships? These documents are all related to logistics. The entire system will come to a halt if we dont process Wei Potian took the documents, saying, Fine fine, enough with your reasonings. Ill help you. Do you know what people are saying about you? I can guess. Its expected. Song Zining wasnt too concerned, but Wei Potian was angry. How can they say that! It was clearly those greedy fellows, they gave various reasons to drag out the retreat after receiving the orders. Thats what ruined the battle and allowed the dark races to route them. Now, theyre putting all the blame on you. Song Zining looked up. Nevermind, the military department will decide. Those bastards have taken for granted that you can stay ahead of the enemy! Does divination come free? What right do they have?! Song Zining sighed. One of the main reasons for giving me this seat was because my divination can suppress the dark races. So, this blame is not entirely excessive. Wei Potian was awakened by the cruelty, his expression unsightly. Song Zining was ultimately different from himself and Zhao Jundu in that he had no family support during his rise to power. The meteoric promotion was only because he was useful and there was no one to replace him. Wei Potian sighed after a long daze. You cant calculate her movements? What do you think? She can even repel the Profundity Monarch. I wont be able to divine her even if she has only one weapon, either the Tempest and Awakening Dream. Then what do we do? Fight a normal battle. How Wei Potian shrugged without finishing the question. Let it be. How to fight is your problem, I wont take on this stress. Ill go work on these documents first. The office quieted down, only leaving the sound of rustling paper. Moments later, Wei Potian said to himself with a sigh, How did she become so ruthless? Song Zinings hands stopped for a moment, but he soon went on with his work. There was another stronghold on a hill not too far from the Imperial forward base. This base was smaller, but the defenses were even more solid. Apparently, it was made just for defense. Its position was fairly good, overlooking wide-open land on three sides. This allowed for the base to control a vast area around it. The long-distance cannon-fire from this base could almost reach the main base at the rear. This turned the wide strip of land between the two into a death-zone. Zhao Jundu stood in the wind atop the fortress walls, gazing into the distance with narrowed eyes. The vague silhouette of a large base was visible over the horizon. The dark races base was much bigger than this fortress, ten times at least. A nearby general said worriedly, Sire, the dark races have changed their strategy. Theyre pressuring us at every step and squeezing us into a corner. We cant even move! Zhao Jundu looked up. Correct, their commander has also changed. Now that feels strange. The dark races have never liked one another, and they also like to fight on their own in battle. Thats why they almost always favored field battles to base defense. But look, theyve been building bases along the way this time. Their forward base has even reached this far. Their cooperation has been fairly good! Zhao Jundu said, You wont be surprised if you know who their commander is. Fine, Im not their match anyway, but Old Ma has never feared those dark bastards in troop battles! Zhao Jundu patted the mans shoulder. Ill leave the rear to you when I charge. The generals face turned red. Theres no way we couldve held them back if you hadnt taken on their experts. Eh, what is that? A commotion was stirring in the dark race camp. Soon, dozens of fire streams shot into the sky and weaved into a mesh of flames. Several airships appeared over the horizon, charging full speed through the defensive fire. Caught off-guard, the dark races defensive barrage wasnt dense enough, and some airships managed to get through. One of them was aflame, yet it kept on flying and refused to fall. Its our men! Prepare to help! Zhao Jundu issued the order. Some of the heavy cannons on the fortress made fire-preparations. Amidst loud rumbles, a belt of explosions erupted in the region between the two bases. This stopped the dark race pursuers in their tracks. Some airships finally reached the fortress and landed one after the other. The burning airship forced itself to glide a bit longer before crashing outside of the fortress. The fortress gates flew open as hundreds of soldiers poured out to save the survivors. Fortunately, those in the aircraft were elites, and most of them had managed to survive their heavy injuries. The wounded were all rushed back into the fortress. In the blink of an eye, the empty space within the stronghold was filled with wounded soldiers. Many of them were treated here while the more serious cases were transported back to the main base for treatment. Zhao Jundu patrolled back and forth between the injured soldiers. He suddenly noticed a group of soldiers gathered together. They seemed to be full of vigor, a stark contrast to the wounded soldiers all around them. This group was clearly better-equipped than the regular Imperial forces, and the leader was a young man of considerable strength. He was already a champion. Zhao Jundu walked over. Which family are you from? The young man might be arrogant on his own, but he had to stand up and greet Zhao Jundu respectfully. Im Zhang Tianhe, born of the Zhang clans side branch. These are private soldiers from my family, people whove followed me for many years. Zhao Jundu glanced at the group. You have quite a lot of ammo left, looks like things went pretty well on the front lines. Zhang Tianhes heart skipped a beat. The direction we were in charge of wasnt the dark races main target. Also, weve been careful to invest in our comrades gear, and our ammunition reserves have always been bigger. Zhao Jundu nodded. Good, it just so happened that I need people here. You will stay behind to help defend the front of the fortress. Dont worry, theres no lack of enemies here nor any chance of leftover ammo. Zhang Tianhe was shocked. Sire, you jest! Our unit has received orders from headquarters to return to the Empire. Well be going against orders if we stay here. The orders have changed. How can a military order change so randomly? That secret missive is still on General He Yongs body, Ill go fetch it. Zhao Jundu said word-by-word, The orders have changed. Zhang Tianhe came to a sudden stop, a chill spreading throughout his body. He knew that taking another step might anger Zhao Jundu, and his fate would be ugly if that were to happen. But staying behind in this fortress was also half a dead-end. He had already seen the enemy base when he flew past them just nowit was full of soldiers! There had to be a hundred thousand at least. Zhao Jundus small fortress was garrisoned by a few thousand at most. How were they going to face the dark race army? At the thought of this, Zhang Tianhe hardened his resolve. Sire, how can you change the orders just like that? I cannot obey you! I will confirm with the military once I return. If there is indeed a change, I will return to beg for your forgiveness. Are you going against orders? Zhang Tianhe said loudly, Sire, I dont know how I offended you that you would target me so, but I wont hold back if youre going to force my hand. Others might not know why the dark race army is so powerful, but I know quite a bit. It seems the lord on the other side used to be a woman of your Zhao clan. Are you trying to hide the Zhao clans collusion with the dark races? Are you done? Zhao Jundu said. Is this not enough yet? Okay, as long as youre done. Zhao Jundu raised his gun to Zhang Tianhes forehead. The mans eyes went wide, not expecting Zhao Jundu to actually shoot him. His face was still full of shock and surprise as he fell on his back. Zhao Jundu said, I wont pursue his non-compliance out of consideration for the Zhang clan, put him on the casualty list. With Zhang Tianhe removed, how could his subordinates dare to resist? Dejected, they walked obediently to their positions in the fortress. Chapter 1334: Fight to the Bloody End Zhao Jundu had expressed very clearly that he would kill anyone who disobeyed him and add their name to the casualty list. Even if there were arguments afterward, what was the use if the person was already dead? Besides, a commanding general had a quota that he could exercise to maintain discipline. It would involve more than one person if their names were placed in that list. While displaying his might, Zhao Jundu intercepted over a thousand able-bodied men to add to the defense forces. This sharply increased the strength of the defending army. The damaged airships eventually left with the heavily injured soldiers. They would return to the main base and then back to the Empire. Zhao Jundu gazed at the distant Evernight camp, his brows locked in a tight frown. It was at this moment that a loud cry rang out from the sentry tower. The dark races! The dark races are here! A rolling tide of darkness appeared over the distant horizon. Countless signal flares shot up into the sky as airships took flight and began cruising toward the Imperial base. One of the generals swallowed hard. Damn, theyre even using their gunships. Thats quite the investment. Zhao Jundus brows rose somewhat, but he remained as still as a mountain. The giant tide that was the dark race army surged toward the foothills and ultimately crashed into the fortress! Facing the countless charging arachne and vampire soldiers, Zhao Jundu let out a sudden roar. Like a clap of thunder under the clear skies, the sound startled both enemy and friendly soldiers. No one could hear a thing! Zhao Jundu arched his body and shot toward the dark race vanguard! In the blink of an eye, countless dark race soldiers were thrown hundreds of meters away. Countless beams of black energy shot out and locked onto some viscounts, bisecting them in the air. The army of a hundred thousand men came to a brief pause just because of Zhao Jundus charge. After putting a damper on the dark races morale, Zhao Jundu flew back to the walls. His body was shrouded in black flames, almost like a demonic god that had descended from the ninth heavens. It was just that the army had its own rhythm, rules, and chain of command. The soldiers at the front might have been drained of fighting spirit, but the ones at the back surged forward like the tides and pushed their comrades into the defensive fire. They would die if they didnt charge through the barrage of bullets, so the soldiers made for the walls with great ferocity. An intense fight broke out thereafter. These giant spiders stood as tall as four meters, but they were as swift as the wind, moving across any terrain as though it were flat land. They didnt slow down in the slightest despite the fully equipped passengers on them. The fortress cannon turrets turned to fire at these servspiders. The creatures possessed sufficient intelligence to run in a zig-zag pattern. Yet, the fortress was equipped with rapid-fire cannons, not to mention the cannoneers were elites from the Imperial army. The defensive fire was both ruthless and accurate, mowing down one servspider after another and dealing great damage to the soldiers on them. In the blink of an eye, close to a hundred servspiders in the first wave were slaughtered, and the thousands of soldiers on them quickly became corpses. The dark race commander seemed to not have expected such fierce firepower from the fortress. Moments later, two more servspider squads rushed the flanks again while the main army bore down on the front. The entire force spread out along the fortress outer walls and formed an encirclement. The rapid-fire cannons in the fortress poured down a barrage of bullets as the second wave arrived. This time, though, the effects were greatly discounted. The dark races had changed their formation. Every servspider was accompanied by a viscount who would do their utmost to intercept the cannon-fire. Over half of the ammunition was intercepted in this manner, and the rest weakened by their domains. The damage fell sharply as a result. The ineffective cannon-fire increased the amount of ammunition required to blast a servspider to death. Barely a hundred servspiders had been killed by the time their two units had gathered behind the base. Another squad made up of nearly a thousand servspiders was circling around the fortress from a good distance, effectively blocking the path from the fortress to the main base. This unit carried a large batch of materials, ready to build defensive structures on the spot. A general ran over to the wall and said hurriedly, Sire, theyre planning to lay siege and attack our reinforcements! Zhao Jundu had his eyes on the front. He said without even turning back, Let them go. What? That general couldnt believe his ears. Zhao Jundu turned around. I said let them do it. Perhaps we should stop them with heavy cannon-fire? Our ammunition is limited, we focus on the front. But Do you think therell be reinforcements? The generals mouth fell wide open, and his expression changed drastically. As a core member, he understood that the war was dire, and that every base could hardly look after themselves. His expression soon turned resolute. I understand! Sire, rest assured. Whether there are reinforcements or not, this subordinate will fight the dark races to the bitter end! Zhao Jundu said, Good! But remember that survival comes first, we might not lose this battle. The general bowed and ran back to his position. Zhao Jundu drew his sword and took a step forward, lopping off the head of an arachne that had just scaled the wall. At the same time, he fished out his handgun and fired several rounds into the air. Every shot brought down a flying viscount. After several bursts, no one was arrogant enough to fly up into the air anymore. All they could do was push forward on the ground. Zhao Jundus innate ability was the bane of aerial targets. The cannon turrets rained barrage after barrage on the grounded enemies, shaving off the dark races assault power. Zhao Jundu had long since charged into the enemy lines, spreading black flames and reaping all life in his wake. The Imperial soldiers held a single line formation as they clashed against the dark races. Everyone knew that they were doomed if they took a step backward, so even the eyes of the most fearful were bloodshotthey would fight to the death no matter how many slashes they had taken. Just like that, several thousand Imperial soldiers used their bodies as a fortress to hold the line against an enemy force ten times their number. No one remembered how long they had been fighting. All they noticed was that the sky was gradually turning dark. Zhao Jundu suddenly appeared back on the city wall. He cut down some dark race experts as he walked into the base, tossing two heads onto the ground. Hang them up. A third-rank marquis and a glorious marquis. With that, he turned around and charged back into the enemy formation, leaving a trail of black flames around him. At this point, there was already a long row of heads on the city gates. When Zhao Jundu returned, there were countless werewolves and arachne outside the gates. A roaring sweep of his sword sent black flames sweeping toward the enemy like a whip, igniting all the dark race soldiers. A general walked out from the gates after the area had been cleared. Zhao Jundu said with a frown, How did things get so bad? Where are your men? The general pointed behind him. This is all we have left. A dozen or so scattered soldiers followed him out, and all of them were leaning on something to stand. Zhao Jundu remembered that there were close to a hundred defenders when he left. Who wouldve thought only this many were left by the time he was back? At this time, a series of cannon-fire erupted as flaming streams flew across the sky. A row of warships had spread out over the dark race army, raining destruction upon the fortress turrets. Both sides sustained damage in the exchange. The turrets were destroyed one after another, while two of the Evernight vessels crashed to the ground, the explosion killing countless dark race soldiers. Less than half of the defending force remained in the fortress, and there was a thick circle of dark race corpses around the walls. Zhao Jundu did not need to charge into the enemy lines anymore because there were enemies everywhere on the walls. Many enemy experts charged into the fortress, only to find that the fortifications inside were just as air-tight. The ambushes waiting around every corner plunged them into a nightmarish street fight. A group of vampire soldiers charged into the barracks to find some humans inside. The two parties froze momentarily, with each side aiming their weapons at the other. Opening fire would end up in mutual destruction. Whats there to be afraid of?! Theyre a long-lived race, they fear death more than we do! a soldier cried out as he began sweeping the room with gunfire! Only a few Imperial soldiers remained after the fierce gunfight. The man was huffing and puffing, but he was delighted at the outcome. Hows that? Didnt I tell you guys they fear death more than us? Noticing that the nearby survivors were giving him strange glances, the man looked down to find the lower half of his body missing. He had likely taken a hit from a large caliber firearm. The man forced out a smile, saying, This daddy, never cowered even in death The other soldiers had no time to worry about their comrades remains when another group of enemy soldiers rushed in. Another fierce gunfight ensued. The gunfire hadnt stopped when a third wave was drawn in. Moments later, the room finally fell quiet, and some dark race soldiers walked out. However, there were only ten of them left out of the three waves. Similar scenes were playing out in every building; the death toll was on the rise for both sides. Within the dark race army, a pale demonkin duke was frowning as he gazed at his subordinates entering the fortress, never to be heard of again. A count ran over and whispered, Sire, Count Hiller of the vampires refuses to do battle! Is that so? The duke was surprisingly calm. The demonkin count hesitated for a moment. Sire, I think I should remind you about Hillers identity. Rather than his status, I think we should be considering our punishment after we return. Get him on the field by any means words, blades, whatever it takes! Chapter 1335: The Last Defense Their bodies were already numb, and their minds were gradually becoming so as well. They would simply slash at the nearest enemy silhouette out of instinct. It was as though they were experiencing a nightmare that would never end. Even if they would only wake up to find themselves dead, it was also a form of release. Combat and death were the only fate left for the living. They watched as countless familiar faces fell before their eyes, their bodies gradually turning cold. They saw one dark race soldier after another charge toward them before turning to corpses. The ground was covered in lifeless remains, leaving almost no room for one to set foot on. From time to time, an arachne would get stuck in a narrow passage-way. Whenever that happened, an Imperial soldier would jump onto its back with suicidal intent and hack the arachnes spine with an axe. They would then die to the arachnes attack or be killed by other dark race members. The fortress was like a black hole devouring soldiers from both sides. After an unknown span of time, a commotion broke out in the dark race army. A vampire squad actually turned on their comrades in an attempt to leave the battlefield. The dark race army split into two units and quickly suppressed this small squad from both sides. It was just that the riot caused a sharp drop in morale, and the dark races found it difficult to continue the assault. Finally, the bugle call sounded for the retreat. Most Imperial soldiers stood dazed as the dark races retreated, waiting for the next wave of enemies to come. Zhao Jundu appeared on the walls, the black fire around him so dense that it was almost tangible. The flames would occasionally emit some sparks, and the dark race corpses that came in contact with them would immediately burst into flames. All Imperial soldiers stayed far away from him. No one dared risk touching his flames. Zhao Jundu made his way through the fortress, patrolling for survivors. He slowly retracted the black flames during this time. Only when the black blaze was entirely contained within his body did the generals dare approach him. One of them said, Sire, we have less than a thousand soldiers remaining. Are there no reinforcements? There will be no reinforcements. Clean up the battlefield, we withdraw afterward. What?! The generals couldnt believe their ears. They had never heard Zhao Jundu say anything remotely similar to retreat. Sweep the field within the hour, then we will retreat. Zhao Jundu repeated his order. The generals immediately dispersed to do their work. An hour was too tight of a schedule, so they couldnt afford any mistakes. All airships and military supplies, along with the turrets, cannons, and kinetic towers had been destroyed in the battle just now. These two trucks were pieced together with available parts from the rubble. The Imperial forces had just left when a fire broke out from within the stronghold, growing into a raging flame that devoured everything. All items that could not be brought along had been torched, along with the corpses from both factions. Some of the generals traveled alongside Zhao Jundu on the way back and proceeded to report the results of the sweep. Sire, a rough estimate shows that we lost around six thousand men while the enemy lost close to forty thousand. The death ratio is almost one-to-six, a glorious outcome. A different general sighed. We had eight thousand comrades at first, but now, we barely have a thousand left. Such a bitter victory, sigh! What? Are you questioning the sires commanding ability? Of course not, I was just thinking how to explain things to the family. This silenced everyone. The combat environment in the new world was unusually cruel. Most of the Empires regular soldiers did not meet the requirements, so a large number of elite private soldiers from the aristocracy families had to join the fight. Many of these generals were leading their clansmen and friends into battle, a true family force. Now that eight of ten were dead, it would seem their hometown was soon to be full of people in mourning garbs. Zhao Jundu had been silent up until this point. Youre going to find it hard to explain, but the dark races have it even worse. The generals understood this reasoning, but that didnt make them feel any better. The conference hall of the main Imperial base. Song Zining was standing before the map, facing a group of dukes, generals, Imperial ministers, and elders from the nobility. He said slowly, Just as I said before. Were having a hard time, but the dark races are having it worse. We have reached the cruelest phase in the war. Both parties are bleeding and will continue to bleed! If we shrink back now, all the sacrifices from before wouldve been in vain. The only path right now is to keep draining the dark races. We must let them see our determination, faith, and hope! A commotion broke out below as people whispered to one another. Moments later, an aristocratic elder stood up. Whats the exact strategy? Song Zining pointed at his feet. We will remain here and fight a fortress defense battle. Conversation erupted once again. Someone said without much thought, Doesnt that mean were giving up our mobility advantage and playing in the enemys field? Song Zining said calmly, We no longer have the mobility advantage, nor can we remain ahead of the enemy. That person was stunned. Does that mean, you Song Zining nodded. I cannot divine Nighteye, I assume youre all aware of this. Nonsense! What qualifies you to be the commander if you cannot stay ahead of the enemy? Song Zining was calm as ever. Im indeed barely fit for this role, but I had no choice but to take it out of consideration for the Empire. Feel free to recommend someone if you think they can do better. Ill be happy to relinquish my post. That person said loudly, The Empire is vast and full of talented people. Theres no way youre irreplaceable. I already have several recommendations in mind. Song Zining said, The army is in a critical state at the moment. Whoever the commander is, they will have to guard this fortress to the death and never retreat. You know very well what the punishment for failure is. So, which commander were you going to recommend? Pray tell. That persons face went red, not knowing whether to sit or stand. He was just about to offer some polite words when Duke Wei snorted heavily. A clown with no self-awareness! Knowing that he had angered everyone, that person sat down with his tail between his legs. Actually, everyone knew that Nighteye was a great enemy, someone whom the Profundity Monarch couldnt seize and Song Zining couldnt divine. She had already injured two dukes and defeated countless generals. Holding this fort meant that the commander was more or less carrying his coffin into battle. Moreover, the guilt from failing this defense was not small. It was fine if Song Zining continued his duties since his accomplishments were sufficient to make up for a mishap. Those taking over midway wouldnt have that luxury. Besides, Song Zining already proved himself as one of the top rising powers in divination. If even he couldnt divine Nighteye, who else could say they would surely succeed? Back when people started comparing Song Zining to Lin Xitang, many divination geniuses began to spread gossip about him. All of that stopped when the Profundity Monarchs assault met failure. Only divination experts understood how dangerous the trajectory of fate around peak experts was. People discussed back and forth but arrived at no better strategy. The Empires airship production was at its limits, and the supply line from the door to the base was already quite strained. There were no more reserves to draw from. Under such circumstances, a fortress defense would at least give them a basic advantage. When the plan was finally decided, Song Zining started discussing the matter of resources. It would seem that he had already prepared the topic well in advance. With everything settled, there were no more ignorant people who dared to cause trouble in this regard. Hence, everything Song Zining requested was passed without a hitch. Many of the elders left immediately after the meeting since every minute in the new world was an extra moment of danger. They werent being cowardlyit was more because the fall of these powerful figures would cause great damage to the Empire. Holding this meeting on the front lines was also to let these people see how cruel the battles were. Everyones heart was heavy, be it those in the base or those rushing back to the Empire. The Empire might hold a slight advantage in a defensive battle, but they understood that the casualty rate would only rise and never fall. And the previous rate was already enough to make one gasp for air. At this point in the war, many people were already prepared to accept any outcome. From today onward, there would surely be a shockingly long list of casualties every day. People would have to get used to looking for the names of their loved ones on that list. There was a question in everyones hearts. Was this sacrifice worth it? Clearly, the true upper echelons of the Empire and people in important positions like Song Zining knew what they were doing. Yet they chose not to utter a single word. Where did the tunnel in Blacksun Valley lead? What exactly was inside? Everything was an enigma at this point. The Empire would rather pay a painful price than let the dark races approach the sinkhole, or at least hold onto the right to enter as well. It was apparent that whatever secret was inside was earth-shatteringly big. The only good news was that Song Zining had not lost his skill. He had no intention of defending blindly against an enemy attack. Instead, he was planning to build a group of interlocked fortresses. Small mobile units would operate under their cover, launching surprise attacks whenever the opportunity arose. There was still some hope since they wouldnt just be sitting there to be attacked. At this point, all they could do was trust Song Zinings strategic decision and skill. In the skies above the burning fortress, a strong gale kicked up all of a sudden, extinguishing the flames with its shocking chill. Under the company of numerous dark race experts, Nighteye set foot on the land Zhao Jundu was defending. Chapter 1336: Scent of Unres Corpses from both factions had been burned together until there was nothing left but charcoal. It was impossible to differentiate between them. Nighteye strolled around the fortress in silence before coming to a stop at the center. Who will explain to me about this casualty rate? The dark race experts exchanged glances, unable to understand why Nighteye was suddenly angry. Only the demonkin in charge of frontline command were alarmed. The highest-ranked among them was that old duke. He was clearly of a higher rank, yet he couldnt help but tremble in fear as he stood before her. Nighteyes gaze landed on his body. There are very few demonkin corpses and a lot of vampires. Especially that Count whatever A vampire marquis moved close to her and said, Count Hiller. Right, that Count Hiller. You clearly knew hes the Azure Kings descendant, yet you sent him to his death. Are you intent on making an enemy out of the Azure Kings lineage, or are you trying to challenge my authority? The old duke said, The Azure King has tens of thousands of descendants. Theres no way hed care about someone with such a thin bloodline. So that means youre provoking me? Nighteyes brows rose. Before the duke could explain, Nighteyes expression turned cold. I dont care if you received a secret order or if its for selfish motives. I will have you and everyone else here know that the honor of the upper echelons is not to be challenged! The dukes expression changed drastically. He noticed a layer of dark golden blood energy shrouding the scenery around him, yet he didnt dare counterattack. Instead, he immediately took to the air and fled! A small dim sun appeared in the boundless world of dark golden blood energy, slowly sinking into the sanguine ocean. Eventide: Bind! The sun descended faster all of a sudden and sank into the scarlet waters. As though he had been constrained by an invisible hand, the old duke was dragged to the ground, flailing and struggling. Rising Moon: Behead! A full moon appeared in Nighteyes domain, from which four blades descended one after another. The old dukes demonic energy churned as he formed all kinds of armor, shields, and barriers. Yet, the four moonlight blades slashed through them all, ultimately severing the demonkins limbs amidst miserable cries. Nighteye stood with her hands behind her back. This is a small lesson to teach you the price of provoking a superior. Go back and recuperate! Several demonkin experts picked up the duke and his limbs before hurrying away. The dark race experts nearby held their breaths, not daring to move a muscle. Nighteyes domain was still in place, and the dark golden moon was still gleaming with cold light. The other two dukes at the scene were a bit stronger than the duke from before, but the difference was fairly limited. A single glance at those moonlight blades told them that they would not be able to block a single attack. Nighteye had produced four blades with a wave of her hand and still had the strength to spare. They had never even heard of such a terrifying domain. Nighteyes gaze swept across the experts faces. Any objections? Who would dare? Everyone shook their heads quickly. Only then did Nighteye retract her domain. From now on, you will follow my orders exactly without any discounts. Everyone agreed profusely. Nighteye slowly flew up until she was high in the air. The group of experts followed suit, but intentionally kept themselves one level below her. With the old dukes example before them, no one dared to provoke her again. The demonkin had all his limbs severed from his body. Although the limbs werent crushed, it would still take him a decade or so to completely heal himself with secret arts. How many decades could this old expert afford to squander? The old duke had taken advantage of his front-line authority to send a large number of vampires to their deaths. Nighteyes punishment was akin to crippling him for the remainder of his life, not at all giving the Demon King any face. The sensitive people could already smell the brewing unrest. The ongoing war against the humans served to barely suppress these matters, but how knew how long it would last? Nighteye stood calmly in the air, gazing into the distance. Everything was hazy to ordinary eyes, but true experts could see the vague outline of the Imperial fortress. That was the Empires main base and one of the Evernight Councils final objectives. No one knew what Nighteye was thinking at this point. The atmosphere in the military department was so dreary that it was difficult to breathe. The staff officers and aides hurrying along the corridors looked panicked. That was because the reports in their hands contained unprecedented numbers, be it the casualty rates or the supplies requested from the front line. Some of the staff found it unbearable when Song Zining began his blood-letting strategy a while back. But now, they were numb even as the numbers reached a whole new level. The only thing they could do now was to perform their duties like machines, squeezing as much resources as they could from the Empires different warehouses. The disheartening news spread throughout the Empire at great speed. Qianye couldnt help but feel surprised when Song Hui and Song Lun finished their reports. Moments later, he said, The reports say that the Evernight commander is Nighteye? Correct, shes the dark no, the Evernight factions frontline commander. Nighteye Shes an important character of the vampire race. Its said that shes somewhat related to you. Song Lun was tactful. Qianye said after a while, What else did the report say? Just that, but the casualty rates are astronomical! Isnt your woman too ruthless? Song Hui couldnt hold back. Song Lun said hurriedly, What are you talking about? The sire is no longer related to her. Even if he is, thats his personal business! Do we have data on the Evernight sides losses? Erm I didnt pay attention to that. Give me a while, Ill ask those from the Summit of Peaks, they have to know, Song Lun replied. The Jade Sea under Qianyes rule was home to various races. Cerulean Wave also became a capital city where many races lived and worked together. An evident shift in power between humans and dark races took place as the Summit of Peaks moved in. The former was now greatly disadvantaged. However, Qianyes support of the human race was clear to see. As a god-like existence to the native werewolves, his weight in the matter kept things in a delicate balance. There was no conflict and everyone had learned to respect one another. The humans had stopped addressing the other side as dark races and instead called them the Evernight races. The latter had also stopped using derogatory names when mentioning humans. The distant war in Blacksun Valley almost seemed unrelated to the Jade Sea. The only thing that did happen was Cerulean Wave City becoming a major trade hub between the two factions. Qianyes stance was clearimportant strategic resources would be shipped exclusively to the Empire, leaving only regular commodities for the Evernight side. Even then, he would only trade with the Summit of Peaks. But regarding the secret deals occurring between the Imperial nobility and the dark races, Qianye had no idea, and he wouldnt be able to stop them even if he did. This wasnt unique to the Fort Continent. The two factions had never stopped trading even in the lowest Evernight Continent. Now that the topic of the Blacksun-Valley war had been placed before him, there was no way to avoid it. Sire, what shall we do? Song Hui asked. Qianye waved his hand. Let me think about it, you guys go back first. Song Hui wanted to say something, but she was quickly dragged away by Song Lun. Once they were outside, Song Lun said in a whisper, Cant you see the sires not in a good mood? But No buts! He knows much better than us, let him decide. Lets go. Qianye stood quietly before the window. He really didnt know how to make a decision. On one side was his true love and on the other side were his brothershow was he to choose? After a long while, he walked out of the room and headed to a small building near the dukes residence. This was the representative office of the Summit of Peaks, where the upper echelon of the tribes were stationed. Recognizing Qianye, the werewolves welcomed him to the chief delegates office. Where is William? Qianye asked. The chief delegate was a marquis. Sire William is training the new recruits in person, he should be in the drill grounds. Understood. Following a nod, Qianyes figure flickered and vanished from the spot. The werewolf marquis stood dazed for a good while before realizing that Qianye was gone. He suddenly broke out in cold sweat. Moments later, Qianye appeared above the Summits drill grounds. This camp covered a vast area neighboring Qianyes training ground for new recruits. Judging from its scale, the facility could train thirty to forty thousand soldiers at the same time. And there were already twenty thousand gathered in the field at the moment. The Summit of Peaks had worked on this project with shocking efficiency. It also went to show just how much they yearned for group training. When Qianye released a bit of his aura, a beam of golden light shot up from below and a giant golden wolf leaped up to where Qianye was. Qianye observed the giant wolfs fur. It was silver below the bristles but a faint golden color at the tip. This caused a wave of gold to appear whenever the giant wolf moved. Qianye pointed at him, saying, Are you trying to show off your new fur-color? How is it? Beautiful, right? It screams of grandeur! William seemed satisfied. Qianye was in no mood to play games with him. Lets get to business. Fine, what did you want from me? Qianye got right to the point. I want the Evernight Councils latest battle reports. There are a lot of reports, you I want to see the report only you can see. William sighed. The reports we get are quite limited. I didnt want to tell you at first, but Ill show you since youve brought it up. Chapter 1337: The Cruel Truth Returning to his human form inside, he placed a stack of documents in front of Qianye. Take a look yourself. Qianye went through the papers one by one, his expression turning serious as he did so. Moments later, he looked up. Why did you not tell me that she became the frontline commander? Dont tell me you dont know about our relationship. The many things that had happened between Qianye and Nighteye were no longer a secret, and the information only spread further as they rose in status and power. Currently, Qianye held a powerful position on Fort Continent while Nighteye had become the commander of the Evernight alliance in one go. Not only that, she even managed to repel the Profundity Monarchs attack. Qianye killing his way out of the Empire for her thus became a legend throughout both factions. The surprising thing was that many young girls became fans of Qianye, be they humans or dark race members. William sighed. Youre no longer related to her, are you? Thats our business. William shrugged. She kills whoever dares mention her past. After a dozen or so loud-mouthed fellows lost their lives, everyone came to understand that she doesnt want to hear about it. At least no one dares to mention it to her face. Qianye listened quietly. Wiliam said, You know that the werewolves were left out during the early phases of the new worlds opening. We still have no idea how they opened the first doors, or what the true door is. Theres no way well know why she was picked as the commander, nor can we interfere in the choice. And I also felt that you wouldnt want to know. Qianye sighed as he flipped through the documents. Are these casualty numbers real? Of course. Why would they bring the werewolves into this if it wasnt for the fact that they cant hold out any longer? Its just that the Evernight Councils conscription methods were simply unacceptable, or I wouldnt have fled here. Our werewolf race alone lost over five hundred thousand soldiers in the first week. Heh! Song Zining and Zhao Jundu are really merciless! Qianye didnt know how to continue. He sighed in a distracted manner. These contributions William glanced at the document. The contributions are naturally true as well, all the credit went to her. Speaking of which, shes really awesome. She repelled the Profundity Monarch and tipped the scales of battle all on her own, pushing the humans back to their fortress He stopped halfway after noticing Qianyes expression. The latter rubbed his temples, saying, That means at least a hundred thousand Imperial soldiers were killed in her hands? Qianye put down the reports after a moment of silence, muttering to himself, How can she be so ruthless? William patted Qianyes shoulder. Thats where youre wrong. Our factions have been at war for a thousand years. Considering all the accumulated hatred, theres really no room to discuss mercy or ruthlessness. She also has family and friends who died in the fight, what do we say about that? Truth be told, things between us wont be as friendly if not for your darkness origin power and status as the Son of Darkness. Wed probably be fighting to the death, wouldnt we? We might be able to let things slide in private, but on the battlefield, mercy for the enemy is cruelty to your kin. Qianye said, I understand that logic, but I still find it hard to accept. You dont understand, she loved nothing more than peace and quiet back when we were together. Even when we arrived in the neutral lands after that incident, she never thought about revenge. Sigh, now everything has changed. If youre referring to those dukes, I say they were courting death. They just couldnt stay put in their fortress and wanted to get in on the action. Who else would be slaughtered if not them? Williams consolation didnt have much of an effect. Qianye smiled bitterly. I dont know what to do now. William sighed. I understand. I cant help much, but I can join you if you need to drink. Okay. William had his men bring in crates of good werewolf wine and began drinking in the office. Qianye was feeling depressed, so he didnt refuse the offer. In the blink of an eye, the duo was surrounded by empty bottles. Qianye, did you know? When I first met you Drink! Qianye, dont think too much, were not great dark monarchs after all. Well still be bullied all the same, even if we are. Bottoms up! Whatever William said, Qianye only responded by offering more wine. Moments later, Qianye staggered out of the office and flickered out of existence. William was left lying amidst a heap of empty wine bottles, snoring like there was no tomorrow. Qianye was entirely sober by the time he returned to the great duke residence. He immediately summoned his forces and boarded a warship into the new world. The only way for him to forget his troubles somewhat was to deal with the holy trees and the beast army. William was right about one thingQianye would not be able to resolve the hatred between the two factions even if he were a great dark monarch. He had no power to solve this dilemma in front of him. Fort Continents current state of paradise was an exception, something that would not have existed if it werent for the precise time, place, and person. This peace would very quickly turn into a storm of chaos if something were to happen to him. He could only hang onto a faint wisp of hope that Nighteye, Song Zining, and Zhao Jundu would hold back against each other and not push the other party into a corner. That being said, Qianye couldnt lie to himself. The dreary casualty numbers and the once-famous names on the document proved that the battle had reached an irreconcilable moment. There was no more room. Whoever was defeatedbe it Nighteye, Song Zining, or Zhao JunduQianye had no idea how he should face the survivor. He also had no idea how he should face the dead. All he could do was escape. The map in the command room of the Empires central fortress was full of markings. There were now dozens of symbols representing steel fortresses around the main stronghold. These fortresses seemed to have popped up from the ground overnight, and they were only growing in number as the war raged on. Standing in front of the map, Song Zinings eyes were sunken, and even his divine champion cultivation couldnt hide his exhaustion. Rubbing his face to wake himself up, he picked up some new fortress markers and began thinking about where to place them. Every marker meant that a new fortress would be constructed there in a matter of days. After some field testing, the Empires forces could now assemble these mobile fortresses in a single night. The echoes of gunfire arrived from outside the window. These sounds had been ringing day and night, so much so that everyone had gotten used to it. At this point, there was a knock on the door as Zhao Jundu walked in. Song Zining looked delighted upon seeing him. Youre back, looks like the fight went well. Not bad, only a quarter of our forces were lost today. This can be considered good news. Zhao Jundu said, I came to you to discuss something important. You must know what it is. Song Zining was dazed, but he nodded after a while. It is time to discuss. Zhao Jundu said, Well be facing her on the battlefield very soon. My plan is to not launch a lethal strike immediately. Ill observe how she reacts before making a decision. Song Zining said after a while, Youre playing with your life. Shes Lil Fives woman when alls said and done, I cant do it. If she attacks with lethal force, then I can fight without holding back, Zhao Jundu said calmly. Song Zining said, Considering her current strength, you might not be able to take it if she goes all out. Zhao Jundu said indifferently, It doesnt matter. Tell Qianye that hes not allowed to seek revenge if I die in battle. You Im only telling you my plan, not asking for your permission. Song Zining laughed wryly. Do you think shell remember the friendship from back then? She will, if theres no one scheming in the shadows, that is. Very well The gunfire outside grew louder all of a sudden. One of the central fortress cannon towers began to rumble, firing glowing shells toward a warship in the distance. An aide ran in, calling out before he had even entered the room, Sire, the dark race army has arrived! Song Zining frowned. Whats with the panic?! Didnt they arrive a long time ago? Who do you think weve been fighting all these days? The staff officer calmed himself. Its different this time, their main force is here. They have at least two, no, three hundred thousand troops of all races! Zhao Jundu glanced at Song Zining. Theyre finally here. A thunderous move from the get-go, as expected of Lil Fives woman. Song Zining looked worried. Wont you reconsider? Zhao Jundu said, My judgment cant be wrong. He said after a brief pause, And Ill take sole responsibility if I am. Song Zinings brows were almost knitted together as he watched Zhao Jundu leave. Finally, he let out a long sigh. The dark race soldiers covered the entire Blacksun Valley as they surged toward the Imperial fortress. Countless airships were shuttling back and forth through the air, shipping soldiers and equipment to the front lines. Their desire to win a decisive victory was evident from how they had mobilized all these airships. The four major races were all present on the ground, their four armies poised to slash at the Imperial fortresses like four giant swords. Additionally, the numerous figures standing in the air were all celebrated characters. On the deck of an airship above the demonkin army, Anwen was gazing at the distant fortresses as countless numbers flickered in and out of existence around him. Every movement of the army below him would be displayed as a number in front of him. There were vast amounts of data flowing through his eyes as well. He was clearly serious about this battle, and the worried expression on his countenance only grew deeper and deeper. Are you sure you can command the army like this? The Demoness voice echoed in Anwens ears. Chapter 1338: Dark Sky If only wars could be decided by numbers, the Demoness said coldly. My success rate has been pretty good so far. A weak commander like you is truly rare. Anwen wasnt satisfied. Strength and weakness should be viewed across centuries and millennia. Youll understand the meaning of these numbers when you explore the void one day. No matter how important these numbers are, its no match for absolute strength. Wait, look at that side. Why are the arachne and vampires together? Anwen glanced over and saw the arachne army was mixing with the vampire troops. The two forces were reforming their units in a certain pattern. Their smooth maneuvers went to show that this was a planned effort and not a sudden idea. Let them do what they want, said Anwen. Rolling explosions erupted as streaks of fire shot up over the horizon. The demonkin vanguard had already entered within range of the Imperial fortresses. The battle had begun. The numbers around Anwen increased exponentially. Countless formulas descended, turning into orders that were eventually transmitted to the army. The demonkin squads worked together to form a net of suppressive firepower that drowned out the Imperial volley. The Imperial fortresses might be at a disadvantage, but they were extremely tenacious. Their firepower never faltered regardless of the enemy attack. Even more fortresses spat out flaming tongues as the demonkin forces spread out to the flank, effectively stunting the enemy attack. In a different direction, Nighteye was standing in the air with Basil. This arachne genius was fairly respectful around her. The squads have been reorganized. Your Majesty, shall we Attack. Nighteyes words were short to the point. An excited Basil waved his hand and pointed forward. A long bugle cry erupted as the mixed arachne-vampire army charged toward the Imperial fortress. There were several bigger fortresses in the second row. They acted as the backbone of the fortress cluster, reinforcing and shielding the smaller fortresses nearby. The reserve troops in them would also mobilize when needed. In the biggest fortress among them, Zhao Jundu was sitting in utter silence, resting for the upcoming battle. An officer ran in, Sire! The dark race units are starting to flank us. Shall we send out the mobile units? Zhao Jundu slowly opened his eyes. Whats the rush? The real battle hasnt even started. Yes, Sire. In that short moment of absence, a faintly discernible figure entered Zhao Jundus room and swiped a box of origin bullets from his weapons rack, replacing it with an identical box. The battle was now in full swing. The second and third line fortresses were soon engaging in combat as hundreds of thousands of dark race soldiers bore down on the front lines. No one noticed this little interlude amidst the chaos. As the dark races pushed in with full force, the Empires first-line fortresses were destroyed one after another, and the troops within them fell in droves. At this point in the fight, both sides were clear that there would be no prisoners. Be it on the ground or in the air, experts from both sides were joining the battle, and fights were breaking out in every corner of the field. Strange whistles could often be heard in the sky as experts chased and flitted past one another, flashes of light or showers of origin bullets erupting between them. In front of the Empires backbone fortress, a black pillar of fire rose into the sky and engulfed several counts. The only thing ejected from the whirlwind were white bones. The sable blaze was so tyrannical that it could reduce these powerful experts into skeletons. Soon, a screaming Basil rushed out from the flames. Dozens of embers clung to his giant golden arachne body; one of his limbs was gone, and only half a sword remained in his hand. Once out of the fire, he flew back to his forces without so much as looking back. Apparently, his injuries were so serious that he couldnt even care about his races dignity. Off in the distance, a pale Duke Wei appeared out of nowhere and began coughing up blood. He looked down to see blood seeping out of his chest. There was lingering demonic energy around his wound, effectively blocking his daybreak origin power and preventing the wound from healing. Duke Wei took a deep breath. His resolve was visible on his face as he swung his sword, ready for the next fight. In front of him was a mass of rolling demonic energy which served to hide the Demoness appearance. There was a demonkin duke bringing up the rear behind her. Duke Wei glanced at that duke, but then he placed his full attention on the Demoness. Just now, he had slipped up because he was wary of that duke. Now that he was badly injured, his resolve to fight to the death was stronger than ever, and the glow on his blade grew even brighter. However, the Demoness lock on Duke Wei suddenly disappeared. Her gaze was already on that black pillar of fire in the distance. The Demoness vanished in a surge of demonic energy and appeared before that pillar. Zhao Jundu, let us end that unfinished battle from Indomitable. The soaring black fire spun back into Zhao Jundus body. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said, Very well! The most outstanding geniuses of each faction thus began their showdown. However, Nighteyes cold voice echoed in their ears at this point. Hes my opponent, withdraw. What did you say?! The Demoness demonic energy churned furiously. Im telling you to back off. Nighteye left her with no face. The Demoness had never suffered such humiliation. Her demonic energy expanded and contracted in turn, almost as though she were breathing heavily. But when Nighteyes cold gaze turned toward her, she ultimately swallowed her pride and left. Fleeing in battle, note it down, Nighteye instructed her subordinates before facing Zhao Jundu. A dark origin-gun appeared behind the fourth young master. Its long barrel, slender body, and simple design proved that it was an ancient guna weapon Zhao Jundu would bring into battle had to be something extraordinary. Dark Sky? This gun suits you well. Nighteye immediately recognized this rifles history. Dark Sky was one of the Empires masterpieces. Although it was inferior to the ten Grand Magnums and Dragonspring which was destroyed in the Martial Ancestors hands, it was only second to the most powerful class of weapons. The Dark Sky was powerful, but its weakness was also clearits firing rate was slow. Missing the first shot would lose the wielder his initiative. But for Zhao Jundu and his True Shot, Dark Skys weakness was completely negated. On the contrary, it was extremely powerful, and its long firing-range could be put to best use. Paired with its special bullet, Dark Sky possessed firepower almost rivaling a Grand Magnum. Even a duke might be heavily injured in a single shot. Hearing Nighteyes words, Zhao Jundu said, Its suitable for you. Nighteye smiled. Youre welcome to try. Wheres the Tempest? I only need it for heavenly monarchs. Zhao Jundus pupils shrank. Very well, Ill take the slight handicap then. I wont go all out with this shot, either. Feel free to retreat if you cant take it. If we fight again tomorrow, we can go all out as though we dont know one another. What do you say? Nighteye nodded. Very well. She summoned Awakening Dream with a swipe of her hand. The sword scattered moonlight within a thousand-meter radius, covering several fortresses. Dark golden specks emerged in the lunar glow, blossoming into illusory flowers with countless birds flying among them. This area was where experts were doing battle. Many of them had deployed their domains, which clashed against one another amidst countless visual phenomena. But they were all reduced to nothingness the moment Nighteyes domain appeared. A sea of flowers and flying birds covered the entire landscape. Only Zhao Jundus black fire remained, but he had restrained it to within ten meters of himself. It almost seemed pitiful compared to Nighteyes tyrannical domain. Nighteye was ready to face Zhao Jundus Dark Sky with her domain and Awakening Dream. Even though he was at a disadvantage in a contest of domains, Zhao Jundu never appeared panicked. He picked up Dark Sky, pushed a bullet into it, and took aim at Nighteyes throat. Many Imperial experts saw their eyes light up. This shot, bolstered with True Shot, was likely a chance for them to turn the tables. Nighteye stood motionlessly. The two parties were less than a hundred meters away, the best distance for Dark Sky to exert its power. It was also extremely difficult to evade at such a distance. Zhao Jundus eyes narrowed as Dark Sky jolted in his hands. A long, slender origin bullet left the chamber before the timber of the shot was heard. Nighteyes hands turned almost illusory. Awakening Dream drew an indescribably beautiful arc through the air and slashed at the incoming bullet. Although no one could see the flying projectile, they could tell that Awakening Dream would surely slice it into two. As Awakening Dream bore down upon the bullet mid-flight, it not only lit up the projectile but also everyones hearts. It was as if a blinding light had jolted people awake from a beautiful dream. It was at this time that a dazzling light erupted from the bullet. A sun seemed to have risen on the battlefield, and the eruption of terrifying energy caused everyones heart to skip a beat. Experts from both factions immediately thought the same thinga heavenly monarch! Chapter 1339: Investigation A heavenly monarch didnt arrive, yet that bullet Zhao Jundu had fired contained the power and aura of one. The bullet accelerated rapidly to an unimaginable speed, leaving only a slowly expanding ring of light. As expected of the Evernight Councils holy weapon, Awakening Dream immediately sensed the abnormality. Its sword radiance erupted just as rapidly and slashed at the bullet. But the radiance was shattered, and the bullet only shifted slightly before disappearing into Nighteyes chest. Such might, such terrifying power could only belong to one person in the EmpirePrince Greensun! In the distant fortress, Song Zinings expression was one of shock as he gazed at the distant battlefield. A heavenly monarchs power caught his attention despite the great distance. The change came so fast that Nighteye had already fallen on her back by the time Song Zining looked over. Song Zining instinctively reached out to grab at the air, where a projection of Nighteye had appeared. Dozens of divination tokens materialized and spun around her image. This was perhaps his only chance to check on her with divination. On the battlefield, the dark golden blossoms wilted, and the swift birds disintegrated amidst mournful cries. Nighteyes domain was reduced to countless golden specks that slowly rose into the air, painting the battlefield with a sad but beautiful color of blood. All of the dark race experts were shocked. They risked life and limb to fly over, shielding Nighteye in their midst, yet none of them dared touch her. All they did was channel their origin power to support her. Nighteye opened her eyes all of a sudden. Trying to divine me, eh? What great coordination! You really want me dead! Her eyes were suffused with a tinge of red, but it soon settled into a dark golden hue. There were mountains and fields in her eyes but no more pupils. The new world before Song Zining immediately transformed into the depths of the void, where a pair of dark golden eyes were slowly opening. There were no pupils in these eyes, yet they contained the world of the night within them. The moment he was gazed upon, Song Zining let out a loud cry. He fell on his back as the divination tokens shattered, and his eyes started bleeding. The eyes glanced toward Song Zining, then slowly closed up. They looked rather tired at this point. The void faded away, and the new world appeared once more. Nighteye closed her eyes and said, Im fine. Issue the order, attack! Yes! Your Majesty! The dark race experts responded in unison. Then, they spread out to lead their own forces. The vampire experts, especially, were gnashing their teeth as they glared at the Imperial soldiers with hatred in their eyes. The experts from both factions were familiar with this sensationthe malicious intent of the new world was here. Clearly, that burst of heavenly monarch power had drawn its attention. This was doubly true because the energy belonged to a celebrated top expert like Prince Greensun. All the experts on the battlefield were like ants before this malicious intent. It couldnt be bothered under normal circumstances, but if these death-courting ants wanted to flaunt their power at such a time, the new worlds intent wouldnt mind spending a bit of effort to crush them. Without prior arrangement, experts from both sides retracted their domains and separated at the same time. Showing off at such a time would be idiocy and not valor. Nighteye was barely able to stand at this point. There was now a dark golden armor made of blood covering her body. She gazed at the Imperial army, saying, Well let them live for three more days, withdraw. A long bugle cry echoed as the dark race army receded like the tides. A handsome vampire marquis spat, saying, This is your so-called not going all-out? As expected of a lowly race thats only worthy of being food! Zhao Jundu stood silently with his rifle in hand, not a shred of emotion on his face. He neither argued nor retreated, and only watched as the dark race army retreated. The malicious intent of the new world swept back and forth across the battlefield, but it didnt unleash its wrath upon the soldiers below. However, that feeling of being observed lingered for a long while. Perhaps it would take a couple of days for it to return to where it came from and forget about this incidence. That was why Nighteye said she would give the Empire three more days. Once the dark race army had retreated, Zhao Jundu said, I want an investigation into the stock and records of all bullets made by Prince Greensun! The aide was shaken. Sire, your authority isnt enough to check these records. Will you Check what you can for now. As for authority, Ill get that in a couple of days. After giving out instructions, Zhao Jundu shot into the air and flew back to the Imperial central fortress amidst the odd gazes. A bearded officer whispered, Was that a scheme just now? His comrade was shocked out of his wits. Quickly covering the mans mouth, he said, Stop talking nonsense! Dont make guesses! Go and restock on bullets, the dark races will be back in three days. The bearded officer came to and left without saying a word. Back at the central base, Zhao Jundu entered Song Zinings office with steady steps. The latter was standing before the window, wiping his mouth with a white handkerchief. I knew youd come, but I didnt think youd be here this fast. Looks like the change in origin power also changed your temperament. Zhao Jundu said, How did you get injured? Divination backlash. I just fired a bullet made by a heavenly monarch and you followed up with divination. Quite the effort to deal the killing blow. Song Zining turned around with a wry smile. Will you believe me if I say its just a coincidence? Its too much of a coincidence. Has your divination reached a stage where it activates once you sense something? Or is it to say that you can already divine a heavenly monarch? Zhao Jundus eyesight was sharpthat lapse after firing Dark Sky was so short that it couldnt even be described as a moment. How could Song Zining have caught this opportunity without prior planning? If he really could, then how advanced were his powers? Song Zining let out a cough as he flipped the handkerchief over and folded it neatly. There were visible bloodstains on the cloth, a testament to his serious injuries. It was really a coincidence. Zhao Jundu glared at him for a good while. He finally said with a sigh, I can believe you, but other people wont. I know. Ive already sent people to investigate the stock and records of Prince Greensuns bullets. Song Zining shook his head. You know you wont find anything, why the effort? I have to get to the bottom of this no matter what. Song Zining said, A heavenly monarchs handcrafted products belonged to the highest level of confidentiality. We dont have the authority to investigate their records. I know you might have a way to raise your access, but itll take several days for that to happen. By that time, there wont be any useful information on the document they give you. Theyll have done whatever they need to do by then. Theres no way Prince Greensuns hand-made bullet wouldve fallen down from the sky. Theres really no need. I must know who is behind this. I must get my hands on some accomplices at the very least! Youll only get some scapegoats at most. Thats fine as well. Song Zining sighed. You sigh Zhao Jundu said all of a sudden, You exchanged blows with her too, do you think that shot is enough to kill her? Song Zining was dazed. Prince Greensuns power is the bane of all dark races. Shes not going to have a good time. After some thought, he added, This might not be a good thing for you and me, but its beneficial to the entire Empire. You know how many soldiers have died since she joined the fight. That means you know about this matter? Zhao Jundus gaze was cold. Song Zining coughed a couple of times. He then said with a rueful laugh, Its really a coincidence. Im only judging the matter as it stands. That will be for the best. Zhao Jundu turned and left, not even closing the door behind him. Song Zining watched his figure disappear before returning to the window with a sigh. There, he watched silently as the people went about their work in the fortress below. The soldiers and officers who had been discussing the matter immediately went quiet when he returned to the frontline fortress. Their attitude was perfectly respectful, but the look in their eyes betrayed their thoughts. Zhao Jundu gave them brief instructions before assembling all of the officers in the conference room. I want all records of people going in and out of the fortress in the last three days, and a list of outsiders stopping over for an extended period. I will immediately execute anyone who tries to hide information! Zhao Jundus claims could not be discounted. The group of officers responded respectfully and dispersed to do their work. Zhao Jundu remained alone in the conference room. Moments later, a general walked in and placed a stack of documents in front of him. Sire, all the records are here. Its just that Speak. Weve had to prepare resources and fight every day during this period. Our base also happens to be a transit hub, so all those retreating from the front and coming in from the rear will pass through the place. Everyone has been so busy that the records are actually quite vague, and there were missing entries. I understand. Zhao Jundus temper was surprisingly good. He picked up the document and went through them one by one. The three days of free time was a rare opportunity for the Empire to repair and reorganize. Countless soldiers took this opportunity to rebuild the first-line fortifications that had been destroyed. They added smaller forts to the side as well to stop the dark races from flanking. Zhao Jundu spent these three days reading documents, including those coming in from the rear lines. His application for higher access was granted pretty quickly, and a batch of documents labeled highly confidential was delivered to him by a group of elite escorts. Chapter 1340: Clues The withdrawal and usage of such bullets, especially those produced by heavenly monarchs, involved an extremely rigorous process. Every intake and withdrawal had to be recorded in detail. Zhao Jundu was given permission to view these records, but they would not be left in his hands. The Imperial military only gave him an hour, after which the escort unit would bring the documents back. When Zhao Jundu opened the records, the four officers took up positions in each corner of the room, watching his every move. As someone who had experienced many things, the fourth young master was calm and collected. He flipped through the pages at a steady pace until he was at the very last leaf. The alarm rang as he finished reading the last page. It was exactly one hournot a minute more, not a minute less. Sire, we should be reporting back now. Zhao Jundu nodded. He watched as the four officers stowed the records away, reformed the seal on the container, and left. There was nothing suspicious in the records. Every intake and withdrawal of heavenly monarch bullets was fully registered, and none of them had been missing. Just as Song Zining had expected, Zhao Jundu might be able to see the records at his authority level, but it was certain that he wouldnt find anything. It wasnt too hard to figure out that someone of that caliberone who could put a bullet produced by Prince Greensun into Zhao Jundus gun without anyone knowingwould be extremely powerful. Changing the records wouldnt be a problem for them. Zhao Jundu summoned his aides. Prepare a report and send it to the military using the highest-grade enclosure. Say that a bullet containing Prince Greensuns origin power has appeared on the battlefield. Advise them to perform an in-depth investigation into the likely theft of strategic resources. The follower was shocked. Sire, thats not appropriate, is it? Your shot was a great achievement and contribution! Do it. Yes, Sire. The follower left in a hurry, not daring to persuade Zhao Jundu any further. Considering Zhao Jundus status, this report had to be processed via the swiftest channels, and there had to be an outcome. Someone had to take responsibility for this. The one to take responsibility couldnt be Zhao Jundu. Someone would have to step up and take this blame, and it couldnt be someone of lowly status. The follower simply didnt understand why Zhao Jundu would dispatch such a report, but a military order had to be obeyed. He had to do it even if he couldnt figure things out. There was an independent courtyard at the center of the base. The buildings in it were built in a distinct vampire style, and the guards were all vampires. There wasnt a single person from the other three races. This was Nighteyes residence, and also the command center. After taking the shot that day, Nighteye had shut herself off in the building and never appeared. Now that the malicious intent of the new world had disappeared, the time to fight was once again drawing near. The restless experts from the other three races were beginning to seek news about Nighteyes condition. That shot was akin to an actual attack from Prince Greensun, and it had also hit her vitals. It was already a miracle that Nighteye hadnt fallen on the spot. An airship flew in from the distant horizon at shocking speed and dived toward the center of the camp. This was a dangerous move even during times of peace. The officers ignored the incident entirely when they noticed the Azure Kings insignia and the faintly discernible great dark monarch aura. Three dukes and six marquises walked out of the airship, more or less the entire reserve force from the vampire mainlands. Such a lineup meant that they were escorting something important. The duke leading this party held the Evernight Councils highest command token, so there was no obstruction along the way. He arrived at the small building where Nighteye was staying and stopped outside the door. Edelman of the Morway family is here to see Her Highness Nighteye by order of the Queen of the Night, the Azure King, and the Evernight Council. The Queen wishes me to give you an important item. Come in. Edelman and two other dukes walked into the building, while the marquises remained outside to stand guard. Their attitudes were extremely respectful. Edelman went up to the second floor, where the reception area was. Nighteye was seated on the throne at the end of the hall, looking down upon the guests. Edelman took a step forward and went down on one knee, respectfully presenting a box with both hands. This is what the Queen of the Night wishes to give you, with the Azure Kings blessings. The box was made of black jade, a material so dark that it seemed bottomless. There were actually little stars flickering in the depths of the night sky, almost as though there was an entire world hiding within it. Nighteye didnt take the item immediately. What else did she say? Her Majesty said nothing. The Azure King said youll understand once you open it. Leave it and go. Yes Your Majesty. Edelman changed his address. Nighteye did nothing to refuse this. She waited until everyone was gone before glancing at the black jade box on the table. A swift bird flew over and opened the container. A beam of dark golden light gushed into the air, rising all the way up until it was blocked by the ceiling. Countless stars and continents were floating about in the luminous pillar. It was like a miniature model of a world. The floating continents werent illusory. The great continents under vampire rule were among them as well, and there were minute changes to their aura. At Nighteyes level, she could naturally tell that these changes reflected the actual world. This was a projection of the vampire realm produced by the Queen of the Nights aura. This also went to show that the Queens consciousness could already cover every corner of her domain. This was the true power of the Queen of the Night, known as the second drop from the River of Blood, one who had reigned on the Sacred Mountain since time immemorial. Nighteyes gaze landed on the two topmost continents. These two landmasses were covered in shadows and only its outline could be made out. They were clearly not continents occupied by vampires, nor did they belong to the other races. Only one-third the size of other continents, the two landmasses could be seen slowly revolving around one another. Nighteye opened her narrowed eyes. Youve been to such heights? A gentle voice echoed. Ive been there, but many places could not be explored. A beam of light split off from the radiant pillar and formed a projection of the Queen of the Night. Nighteye watched her attentively and she gazed back at Nighteye. Finally, the Queen spoke first, This is our first meeting, right? Nighteye said, In this life, yes. The Queen of the Night said, The number of times is no longer important because youre about to return to the past very soon. A certain glow flickered in Nighteyes pupils. Was this your design? No, this is the human races scheme. You know very well that their craftiness is beyond our imagination. What was the great prophet doing? The great prophet has always been trying to crack the secret hidden by the human race. He cant control a heavenly monarchs movements even if he were free. Nighteye said with a hint of mockery, He has been at it for hundreds of years, still no progress? To be precise, it has been two hundred and forty-three years including the previous great prophet. I believe theyve found some clues? Chronicle of Glory? Correct. What else? The name is all we know for now. Even I know this name. This is the so-called clue? The Queen of the Night was fairly calm. No one can remain indifferent in the face of great power and millennia of extra life-span. Thats why those willing to become prophets are all mediocre people with no hope of becoming a great dark monarch. There were some exceptions, but they couldnt really change the situation. Humans, on the other hand, are an extremely unique species. They suddenly rose to power a thousand years ago and are still giving us surprises today. They are inherently suitable for divination, and the price they have to pay is far smaller than ours. Many experts are willing to forfeit a hundred years of lifespan to give their race an advantage. Lin Xitang, for instance. Nighteye remained silent for she had no retort against the Queens words. I sent this thing only now because I was waiting for you to save yourself, but now, it seems you have failed. Accept this gift and return to the past, say goodbye to this life. How did the humans know Zhang Boqians origin power can restrain me? Zhang Boqians origin power is the bane of all holy-blooded races. The weakness couldve been avoided if you had ascended to the duke-rank, but you suppressed your power to avoid responsibilities, this is your own choice. A duty you people pressed onto me. It was never my responsibility, to begin with. Even if it was forced, you never fulfilled it. At this point, the Queen of the Night sighed. This is the greatest difference between us and the humans. The stronger we become individually, the more we focus on the self. The humans, on the other hand, have no lack of geniuses in every generation willing to sacrifice themselves for the race. We used to mock the sacrifices made by a short-lived race, but it seems we are the ones who deserve to be mocked. With you around, the vampire race will never change. It makes no difference whether myself, the Azure King, Medanzo, or Habsburg are around or not. Weve lost many second-generation primogenitors throughout the millennia, even the thirteenth clan, yet we remain strong all the same. Now, the River of Blood is showing signs of awakening, so I dont see anything to worry about. Chapter 1341: The World is Dark After a long while, that person sighed. Why go through all the trouble? As though she had just woken up from a dream, Nighteye said while shaking her head, Its nothing. The mans face gradually appearedit was the Azure King. He pointed at the jade box, saying, Not going to take a look? Its no doubt a drop of her origin blood. Whats there to see? The Azure King laughed wryly. Its the Queens origin blood. If this gets out, people will stop fighting the war in Blacksun Valley and come for the blood instead. Even I am very willing to give it an extra glance. Nighteye turned the box in his direction. Look at it then. The Azure King sighed. Ive already seen it and neutralized a portion of Her Majestys power with my own, making it easier for you to absorb. Seeing that Nighteye was still unmoved, the Azure King said, Youll lose a portion of your memories and emotions if you abandon this form, but youll lose even your past life''s memories if you dont do it. You wouldnt have waited until now to do battle if you had any other way. Nighteye glanced at the Azure King. Did anyone tell you that youre very annoying when you speak? This was a grave disrespect for a great dark monarch, but the Azure King didnt mind. No one will say these things to you if I dont. So, I have to say it even if you hate me. I understand now. Nighteyes reply was cold. The past years Memories from my past life are too far away, I dont remember anything. Nevermind then. Its about time, an army of ten thousand and all the experts from the other races are all looking at this place. Nighteyes gaze landed on the black jade box. There was a lustrous drop of origin blood inside the container, as big as a human head. If a princes condensed origin blood was amber and a dukes was ruby, it wouldnt be excessive to say that this drop of blood was like diamond. It was both beautiful and big. It was just an ordinary drop of blood inside the Queens body, but it grew massively after leaving her body. Without the constraint and suppression of its host, the bloods original volume could no longer contain the terrifying amount of power. The Azure King walked over to the window, gazing out into the distance with his back against Nighteye. Although it was just his projection, the man looked no different from the real person. He did not vanish or leave, clearly intent on monitoring her until the blood had been absorbed. The Azure Kings fingertips moved slightly, but he held back from taking action. Nighteye finally reached out, grabbing the Queen of the Nights origin blood and sucking it in. The origin blood softened and shrunk back to its original form, turning into a drop of dark origin blood as it flew into her mouth. A layer of darkness spread over her entire body. She let out a muffled groan, curling up and falling to her knees in the process. Countless flowers began to bloom inside the room, swaying without any wind. The sea of flowers spread over the entire building; it filled the entire courtyard, then the entire dark race camp. It kept spreading out for a great distance before coming to a stop. This was a massive domain that could cover a hundred-thousand-strong army. Comparatively, the Demoness domain was like a firefly next to the moon. Many dark race experts became restless. This rapidly-expanding domain filled them with a sense of foreboding, almost as though it would control and devour them at any moment. This wasnt an illusion. Nighteye had shown everyone how terrifying this domain was when she faced off against the Profundity Monarch. The entire dark race army had fallen under her control back then, and all their power was at her disposal. That was how she had managed to achieve that glorious accomplishment. Although they knew she wouldnt take things too far, the experts couldnt help but worry about what was happening in the small house. The boundless floral sea came to a stop after stretching far and wide. The swaying flowers were supposed to be fragrant and beautiful, yet they filled everyones hearts with terror. All of a sudden, the dark golden petals peeled off, leaving only the outermost layer and the long stamen stretching out from within. The moment the stamen appeared, everyone gasped in fright. Spider lilies! This wasnt just one spider lily but a sea of spider lilies. The flower came in a dark color and not in the bright red shade everyone knew of. As the flowers faded away, Nighteye slowly stood up within the command building. There was unnoticeable darkness in the depths of her eyes and a lingering black energy at the tips of her slender fingers. Turns out this world is so dark she whispered to herself. The room was completely empty as the Azure King had long since left. Nighteye walked out of the command building to find countless dark race experts gathered around the door, waiting for her to appear. Yet they were highly respectful and none of them dared take a step into the courtyard. No one had any doubts about her strength after seeing the flowers just now. Standing before the host of experts, Nighteye held herself with a temperament of one who could look down upon the world. Assemble the army, we attack! Moments later, a long bugle cry echoed through the air as the dark race army erupted in an earth-shattering cheer. Countless dark race experts poured out like the tides and swarmed toward the Imperial fortress cluster. The sky was quickly filled with airships, along with countless experts. The curtains had been drawn again over the war, and this time, there would be no lucky developments. By night, the Empires outer fortresses had fallen, and only Zhao Jundus core second-line fortress and Song Zinings central fortress remained standing. The core second-line fortress was right on the frontline, but fortunately, the area between the two fortresses was covered by heavy cannons. The dark races could not surround it entirely; they could only attack from three sides. Zhao Jundu stood atop the city walls, looking fearlessly at the dark race army. A general beside him whispered, Sire, only a few thousand men remain in the fortress, and most of them are injured. Sire Zining has already issued the order to retreat. We cant hold this line, lets retreat. Zhao Jundu said calmly, This fight is inevitable, lets see after Im done with it. You can head to the rear if youre afraid. That generals face turned red. Ive fought for the Zhao clan for twenty years and been through many dangerous situations. If you think that Im afraid of death, then leave me to guard the rear. You should retreat with the army! Zhao Jundus tone softened. Its good if youre not afraid. We can no longer retreat, look. In the direction Zhao Jundu was pointing at, the dark race army was parting like the tides as Nighteye walked out from their midst. Every step she took would push the sea of spider lilies forward. By the time she was at the front, the entire fortress and even the dark race army were under her domain. Even someone as strong as Zhao Jundu couldnt help but look worried. Nighteye took to the air, climbing higher and higher until she was above everyone else. She said to Zhao Jundu, Our fight is not yet over, lets continue here. Zhao Jundu retrieved Dark Sky and held it at his side. Very well. Nighteyes lips curled up into an expression that lay between a smile and mockery. Dont worry, I wont go all out in this battle. Zhao Jundu had never been a talkative person. Without another word, he erupted in a burst of dark fire that surged hundreds of meters into the air! The raging blaze began to devour the sea of spider lilies with great ferocity. These flowers looked rather weak, but they took quite some time to wilt amidst the flames. The dark flames were stunted after expanding several dozen meters. Zhao Jundus silhouette disappeared into the fire. It was at this moment that a pair of golden eyes opened behind Nighteye and stared at a certain part of the flames. Under its gaze, Zhao Jundus figure reappeared and could no longer merge into the fire. The Tempest appeared in Nighteyes hands, and its four barrels began spitting out tongues of fire. Countless bullets converged into one and bombarded Zhao Jundu. Zhao Jundu remained fearless in the face of a weapon that had once held back the Profundity Monarch. He held his sword crosswise and produced a shield, both covered in raging black flames. He then crashed into the Tempests stream of fire. The battle reached its most critical phase right off the bat. Nighteye had moved to suppress Zhao Jundu with a tempestuous barrage, foregoing technique in favor of absolute power. Even Zhao Jundu had no choice but to go all out with his defense. The Tempest constantly dispersed his black flames, but they were immediately drawn back to supplement the front. Even against a Grand Magnum known for its fierce firepower, Zhao Jundus black fire remained highly tenacious and slow to drain. Several swift birds appeared in the sea of spider lilies and landed on the dark race experts in the vicinity. Specks of darkness origin power gathered unto Nighteye, stabilizing her aura and allowing her to calmly blast Zhao Jundu with the Tempest. The Imperial soldiers were shocked. Everyone could see that he was not Nighteyes match as long as the dark race experts in the domain kept on providing her with darkness origin power. Only the owner of such a domain was the most suited to use the Tempest. Zhao Jundus pillar of black flames was gradually reduced to a ball of fire, shrinking continuously until it was only enough to cover his body. The Tempest was still roaring. The Imperial soldiers felt their hearts at their throats, knowing that victory and defeat would be decided very soon. But what could they do? A fight of this level wasnt something they could intervene in. Even divine champions and dukes were helpless. Finally, the fire around Zhao Jundu collapsed with a loud rumble. Countless embers rained down in all directions, charring everything they came into contact with. Has it been decided? Everyone glanced at Zhao Jundu, only to see a hazy azure emerge amidst the dying black embers. Chapter 1342: Overwhelming Danger It was like fire but also unlike fire, just a mote of hazy azure light hovering on Zhao Jundus forehead. The black flames had actually left this azure ember after burning out. The ephemeral glow phased in and out without the slightest conflict with this world, a stark contrast to the fierce black flames from before. The flame might look unassuming, but it possessed an incomparable sense of existence once noticedit was clearly one level above the violent black blaze. Nighteyes brows rose. You can actually rise from flame and ashes. As expected of the Empires number one genius. Her voice turned cold. But thats far from enough! She tossed the Tempest backward, almost as though she were throwing away a useless item and not a magnum that the world would fight for. Awakening Dream appeared in her hand, erupting with a murderous glint that stunned the world! The long sword pierced through Zhao Jundus chest and emerged from his back. There were countless experts on the field, but none of them managed to see how she had done that. Halt. A calm yet august voice arrived from the distant skies. Many of the top experts were familiar with this voice, so much so that they had heard it in their nightmares. That was Prince Greensun Zhang Boqians voice. The heavenly monarch appeared out of thin air and swung his palm toward Nighteye. You want him? Here, take him! Nighteye shook her sword, flinging Zhao Jundu away. Zhang Boqian did not continue with his attack. His swat became a grab as he picked up Zhao Jundu and left. Awakening Dream rose again at that moment and its water-like sword radiance slashed at Zhang Boqians back. Some people felt that they had heard a soft grunt from Zhang Boqian, but no one could confirm if they really did hear it. Space parted like rippling water and Zhang Boqian disappeared with Zhao Jundu in tow. It was as though he had never appeared. Nighteye sheathed her blade and exhaled. Let this strike be the end of our karma. The battlefield remained silent for a while before the dark races erupted in a thunderous cheer. Their army moved out on their own, charging toward the Imperial fortresses in a frenzied state. Zhang Boqians name was like a giant rock that pressed down upon the dark races, making it difficult for them to breathe. Many well-known dukes and princes had lost to him, then the great dark monarchs fell to a disadvantage. Although there were all kinds of reasons for Zhang Boqian not to fight, when all was said and done, Nighteye had managed to land a slash on him. Zhao Jundu was also utterly defeated, ending his unbeatable legend among those of the same generation. The black tide soon engulfed the Imperial stronghold. The defenders morale had long since hit rock-bottom. The troops were quickly routed after Zhao Jundu was taken away by Prince Greensun, with only a small number making it back to the central fortress. Many soldiers in the dark race army had gone berserkthey didnt even listen when the officers tried to regroup. All they did was chase after the retreating Imperial forces toward the central fortress. Another fierce battle thus broke out at the walls of the stronghold. The crazed dark race soldiers knew neither pain nor fear as they charged forth through the rain of bullets. They used the last bit of vitality in them to charge up the walls and take down a target with them. Wave after wave of dark race soldiers crashed against the fortress, their madness instilling fear into the most experienced of veterans. The defending soldiers had to rely on mechanical reflexes and numbed emotions to remain in their posts. They shred apart as many of the charging dark races as they could, up until they were torn apart themselves. The sturdy fortress walls began to warp and distort as the black tides slammed repeatedly against it. Countless corpses filled up the trenches and obstructions in front of the fortress. More dark race soldiers would step on their comrades bodies to rush onto the walls, only to become corpses themselves. The battle immediately reached its climax from the get-go. Attacks came in from all sides with neither strategy nor patternbut they were sufficiently bloody and fierce. This was the kind of wear-down Song Zining always wanted, just not in the way he had hoped for. The dark-race morale was through the roof, and they had all too many cards to play. The four major races had set aside their differences and united under the glow of Nighteyes spider lilies. Their strength in this state was far beyond the Empires, so much so that even the young strategist god of the Empire felt suffocated. The chips in his hand were too few for this grand gamble. This was a game of chess, but the two sides didnt have an equal number of pieces. This crazy exchange of pieces with no regard for cost just happened to be Song Zinings weak spot. Three days later, the Empires central fortress fell. Song Zining pulled back with the army, fighting a series of brilliant tactical withdrawal battles, obstruction, and ambushes until they had rid themselves of the pursuing army. The Empire had lost the strategic objective that was Blacksun Valley. They had already failed to achieve the main objective of this fight, but fortunately, not all hope was lost. Song Zining didnt pull back to the Great Qin Continents door. Instead, he relied on the supplies mustered by the Empire to wage guerilla warfare on the Blacksun Valley, hoping to uproot the dark race strongholds. However, things were now quite different from when they had just entered the valley. The dark races were no longer segregated, and at least under Nighteyes command, they were as solid as a steel plate. The four races working together enforced their advantages and eliminated their shortcomings. The increase in fighting power wasnt trivial. On the other hand, Song Zining was no longer able to plan a thousand miles ahead like before. The reason for this was also Nighteye. Her existence itself did away half of Song Zinings divination. He had to consolidate his fighting power at every step and could only launch attacks when the situation was favorable. It was no longer possible to field troops in his usual bold and unpredictable manner. Having lost both advantages in stronghold and mobility, Song Zinings plans for a war of attrition had naturally gone to waste. The Empire could not even afford a two-to-one trade, let alone any worse. Nighteye changed her strategy after sweeping out the Imperial forces. She more or less ignored the guerilla attacks and imitated Song Zinings previous strategy. The dark races built fortress clusters and staged an airtight defense, not giving Song Zining any opportunity to divide and conquer. The council wasnt idle during this period. Every day, a massive fleet of transports would fly between Blacksun Valley and the doors of the dark race continents. The Empire utilized their assets and learned that they were transporting a large number of low-ranking soldiers into the valley. It was rather odd that these low-ranking soldiers would be sent here because they would hardly be able to adapt to the harsh environment. They would only have half a months lifespan before dying in droves. Was the dark race planning on transporting them back after a few weeks? The expenditure involved in such a move would be colossal, even if the effectiveness wasnt a topic of discussion. Just the transportation costs would be astronomical, let alone the limited holy tree sap that would be wasted on them. All these signs proved that the council was planning something else, something important related to the sinkhole. The Empire could only drift around the edges at this point, so they would never know what was going on, let alone stop them. Song Zining racked his brains to find a wayhe did win several small battles in the days to come, but he still couldnt change the outcome. Nighteye kept her main forces garrisoned at the major crossroads and was immovable as a mountain. Despite the many successful reports, one could see that Song Zining was growing thinner by the day. Voices of criticism stirred up once again, and under their pressure, the military began urging for progress. Everyone was restless because the four Evernight races working together would easily shake the world. Knowing that he had no way back, Song Zining finally made the decision to use his divination powers to scry Nighteyes movements. Once activated, he appeared in the depths of the void where that familiar pair of dark golden eyes was waiting for him. In the world and to the very end of the void, there was nothing else but those eyes! Song Zining groaned as the divination tokens burst into flames and became ashes. He collapsed without a sound and fell unconscious. The change happened so quickly that the Imperial generals were caught off-guard. Seeing that he hadnt improved after one day, they decided to send him back to the Empire for treatment. At this point, Song Zining was a priceless treasure to the Empire. All those well-known divination families couldnt put forth a single candidate to replace Song Zining in the Empires time of danger. The many experts at the Divination Pavilion held several large-scale ceremonies, yet they couldnt produce a single result. This proved how powerful Song Zining was. Although no one discussed this openly, many people believed that losing Song Zining following Lin Xitangs passing would shake the Empires foundations. Nighteye moved out in full force once Song Zining was gone, splitting her army into numerous independent units to seek out and fight the Empires main force. The Imperial army suffered numerous defeats in just a few days and took grievous losses. They changed one commander after another, but none of them made a difference. At this point, people found out just how difficult it was to achieve the small victories Song Zining had managed to rack up. He was a worthy strategist even without relying on his divination powers. The dark race army held the absolute numbers advantage as they mobilized in full force, sweeping the valley with the intent to wipe out all Imperial forces. The Imperial marshal in charge of the forces made a small mistake in his anxiety and was captured. Nighteye took this opportunity to destroy three supply fleets continuously. This deprived the Imperial forces of supplies and plunged them into dire straits. Every day, the topic of discussion in the Imperial court was whether they should pull back their forces from Blacksun Valley. It wasnt as though the Empire had run out of commanders, but the war between the dark races and the Great Qin was being fought on multiple fronts. Defeat in the new world would put more pressure on the mainland, where the defensive dark race forces would attempt to scout the Empire with greater frequency. If they were to transfer a powerhouse from the continental warzones to the new world, there was a chance that the mainland forces might suffer a defeat. Yet they couldnt just sit by and do nothing. There were tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers in Blacksun Valley. All of them were veteran elites, and losing even a few of them made ones heart ache. Facing such a situation, the Radiant Emperor asked, Didnt you say the Empire will undergo a resurgence in my era? Is this it? Who is going to bring about this resurgence? This was a question no one could answer. Chapter 1343: Serve the Country” One of them was that the four major dark races treated humans as the fifth race instead of facing them as a faction. The enmity between their races wasnt inferior to their hatred for the human racebetween the vampires and werewolves, between the vampires and the demonkin, between the demonkin and the arachne, etc. One or two races would form the primary fighting force in every war, while the remainder would do their best to trip them and increase their casualties. There was also a difference between long-lived races and short-lived ones. The humans lived shorter lifespans, so they attached great importance to moments of glory. There would always be heroes willing to risk life and limb for the country. Comparatively, it was much more difficult for the dark races to sacrifice hundreds or even a thousand years of life. That was why the Empire would usually claim the final victory in decisive battles. Now the four Evernight races had united under Nighteye. Although they were still afraid of death, transferring power to Nighteye through her domain wouldnt put their life at risk. The two great advantages the Empire had enjoyed in the past were no longer viable after Nighteyes appearance. The Empires talented geniuses below the heavenly monarch realm had lost one after the otherthere was actually no one left to pick. The heavenly monarchs couldnt join the fight, so only a handful of superior divine champions remained that could outperform the Zhao-Song duo. These people were either too old, timid, unsuitable, or unwilling. The only ones remaining were clan powerhouses like Zhao Weihuang, but they were too important. It was fine for them to lead troops, but they couldnt be allowed to risk their lives on the front line. The Radiant Emperor asked again, Who is my agent of resurgence? The court once again fell silent. The Radiant Emperor was planning to ask a third time, but his eyes landed on the exhibit wall at the other end of the hall. It was as though his gaze could pierce through the structure and see the small calligraphy-work on the other side. The hall was full of honorable subjects, but the absence of that one person made things quite lonely. Fort Continent. By the time Qianye had returned to Cerulean Wave City, he found out that an imperial emissary was there for him and that he had been waiting for an entire day. Qianye had no idea what the Empire would want with him at this point. He summoned the envoy after dealing with internal matters. The emissary seemed around thirty years of ageelegant, handsome, and somewhat proud. He cupped his hands at Qianye, saying, Im Pei Zijun, currently working as an assistant to the commander of the staff office. I came here to request Sire Qianye to serve the Empire. Please lead your troops to Blacksun Valley and defeat the dark race alliance! Qianye sat still. Serve the country? Pei Zijun said with a loud voice, Sire Qianye, youre a hero of the generation. Now that the Empire is facing difficulties, you should step up and fight for the country, for the human race, do your powerful cultivation justice. Kong Yus expression changed slightly as he let out a dry cough. Pei Zijun, however, ignored the gesture. What if I dont? Pei Zijun took a step forward. Sire Qianye, everyone has a duty to help when the country is in danger! How can you feign ignorance when youre so powerful? Do you feel no shame? Even if you dont, did you ever think about the consequences of disobeying the Empires summons? Qianye sneered. Disobedience? Whose order am I disobeying? Who has the right to give me orders? Give me a name. Pei Zijuns expression turned cold. Sire Qianye, are you intent on refusing? I must report everything back to the superiors when I return. The outcome Qianye let out a drawn-out laugh. With a wave of his hand, a surge of origin power slammed into Pei Zijings body and sent him flying out of the door. The mans entire body became embedded in the structure. Pei Zijin coughed out a mouthful of blood, unable to move a muscle as he was stuck in the wall. Only at this point did he reveal an expression of shock, not having expected that Qianye would really attack. Qianye roared, Destroy the dark races? Do you really think I dont know who their commander is? How dare you come here and demand that I destroy them. Are you tired of living? Ive killed quite a few people from the military back in the day, and I wont hold back if I have to kill some more today! Kong Yus expression was ashen. He fell to his knees and said hurriedly, Sire! I really didnt know he was here to say these things. Brother Pei has always been devoted to his work, perhaps hes just too eager to distinguish himself. It probably isnt his intention to offend you, and its not a crime worthy of death, either. Please spare his worthless life! Qianye said slowly, Eager to distinguish? At the cost of his life? Then why not go to the battlefield? Have the cursed remnants of the Longevity Monarch still not given up on trying to kill me? Kong Yu was shocked out of his wits. He knew that a calamity would befall him should he make a wrong answer. Fortunately, Qianye didnt wait for him to reply. Since you brought him here, you shall take him back. Your Kong family had better find out who sent this idiot here, and you know what you should do after you figure it out. If your Kong family wishes to make an enemy out of me, Ill make sure you cannot take half a step onto Fort Continent! Kong Yu was finally panicked. Rest assured, Sire! Ill handle everything! He carefully plucked Pei Zijun from the wall and walked out. The latter was in a semi-conscious state, but he woke up from the pain of being moved around. He poked his head out from behind Kong Yus shoulder and cried out, My death isnt worth anything, but the Empire its existence is in peril How can you ignore His voice slowly faded into the distance, but its echo bounced off the corridor walls. All of a sudden, Qianye felt a strange sense of frustration. He walked over to the window and gazed out at the boundless Jade sea, his thoughts flying out to the distant Blacksun Valley. Qianye had never been to the place, but he had heard the name countless times. Recent battle reports both big and small were all related to the Blacksun Valley. Even someone without a lick of tactical knowledge could tell that the two armies were locked in a showdown. Why had the imperial military picked Pei Zijun to persuade Qianye? Was it to provoke him, or were they really at their wits end? Or was it this mans personal actions? Qianye couldnt tell, nor did he try. He simply stood in front of the window until night fell upon the land. William appeared behind him at one point. Got time for a drink? Sure. The man was holding a crate of wine, which he duly placed on the ground. They didnt pick any particular place and simply started drinking in Qianyes office. William looked like he wanted to say something a few glasses in, but the hesitant werewolf didnt know where to begin. Qianye said, If youre trying to console me, let it be, just drink. Okay, bottoms up! The two filled glass after glass until they had emptied half a crate. William eventually got drunkhe flipped over in his giant wolf form and fell into a snoring sleep. Qianyes eyes were clear at this point, without an ounce of intoxication. His heart was so heavy that no amount of alcohol could make him drunk. He sauntered down the stairs and was just about to take a stroll in the city when he heard a certain ruckus. Some aides were chasing after a man, who ran straight for Qianye and grabbed his arm. Qianye didnt dodge because it was actually Wei Potian. The guards soon arrived and surrounded the area. The captains forehead was drenched in sweat as he said, I was incapable and simply couldnt stop him! Please forgive me. Qianye waved his hand. This is my brother. Its fine, you guys can withdraw. The guards were relieved to hear that the intruder was a friend. Knowing how powerful Qianye was and that there was no need to worry about his safety, the soldiers bowed and left. After the guards were gone, Wei Potian said, Qianye! Please save the Empire! Qianye was surprised. He didnt continue the topic and instead pointed at Wei Potians left sleeve. What happened? Who did this? Qianyes voice contained a hint of killing intent. Wei Potians left sleeve was empty, his arm nowhere to be found. This isnt important Qianye cut him short. Not important? Tell me, who did it? Wei Potian laughed wryly. Its no use telling you, why bother? Qianyes expression was as gloomy as still water. Why would you say so? Even if the enemy is a prince or a great dark monarch, they will still die in my hand one day. Wei Potian shook his head. Its fine if it was anyone else, but her let it be. You mean Qianyes heart sank. Wei Potian said, You cant blame her for this. Shes already let me live twice, but I insisted on appearing in front of her with the army. And she only cut off an arm the last time, anyone else wouldve died several times over. An arm is nothing, Ill just get a replacement. Itll be expensive, but I have no lack of money, Wei Potian said casually, almost as though the lost arm wasnt his own. A new arm could be transplanted and with gradual cultivation, it could be used naturally. If there were no irreversible hidden injuries, all he would need was a vast amount of resources. But his strength would be greatly discounted during this period which meant a greater chance of death during wartime. How could it be the same? Since the topic had been breached, Qianye stopped avoiding the obvious. He took a deep breath and said, Didnt she recognize you? Do you think thats possible? Id be dead if she didnt recognize me. Wei Potian laughed wryly, breaking Qianyes last hope. She why is she doing this? Wei Potian sighed. I should be asking you, how should I know? But you need to find a way to stop her. I dont want you to kill her, but please find a way to make her withdraw. The Empire our forces in the new world are doomed! Qianye was surprised. Isnt Jundu holding the fort? Jundu was stabbed through the chest. Hed be dead by now if Prince Greensun hadnt taken the risk to save him. Zining fell unconscious while fighting her through divination and is still out cold. One general after the other has taken the field, but all of them were defeated. At least at least forty thousand soldiers have fallen in her hands. Wei Potians voice was trembling, and Qianyes body had long since turned cold. Chapter 1344: Historical Contribution Wei Potian stood behind him, his left sleeve fluttering in the wind. He was no longer speaking by this point for he had already recounted everything he should, including the battles and their current situation. Truth be told, Wei Potian did not know what he would do, either, if he were in Qianyes shoes. After an unknown length of time, Qianye sighed. Adoptive Father, what would you do if you were faced with such a situation? Wei Potian felt his eyes sting a little. He naturally didnt feel as much of an attachment to the man as Qianye did. It was only before the Great Maelstrom that the Wei family had gotten closer to the Northern Manor, but that gave him the opportunity to learn up close what kind of person the marshal was. All of a sudden, Wei Potian felt as though he could feel Qianyes hidden pain and sorrow. After a while, Qianye looked back at him. Does the Empire still have troops? Of course, were just lacking a general. Qianye finally turned around. Very well, Ill go back with you! Contrary to expectation, Wei Potian didnt feel glad at all. He sighed. Qianye, you know I came to you with this shameless request because theres no other way. Actually she you cant blame her for this arm, I was simply asking for it. If you dont make an appearance, the Empire has no other candidate! Well be forfeiting everything in the new world! Whats there in the new world? I dont know, either, I only heard Zining say that there might be a shocking secret and that we must stop the dark races from obtaining it at all costs. Failing that, we must stop them from obtaining sole ownership or our human race will be doomed. What are the heavenly monarchs doing? What can they do? It seems holding the borders is becoming quite a strenuous task. Wei Potian wasnt entirely ignorant of military strategy and could also guess the situation. Qianye nodded. The dark races were currently in a rare state of unity to contest over the new world. Although the great dark monarchs couldnt set foot in there, they could exert their power in different places. If Qianye were in their shoes, he wouldnt just sit by and watch, either. He would surely launch surprise attacks in different places to keep the enemy busy. The dark races were doing just that at the moment. The Evernight faction had the greater number of great dark monarchs, to begin with. Now that they were working together to fight the Empire two-to-one, the heavenly monarchs were having a hard time keeping up with the defense. At a disadvantage in the Evernight World and defeated miserably in the new world, the Empire had never faced such a crisis in recent years. The first stop was the Imperial capital. The military department was located in the western part of the capital, a city within the city. This place was the command center of the entire war machine. From the four main continents down to the lower realms and even the void continent, dozens of army corps, the elite corps, and all airship fleets outside of the Imperial Guard answered to this department. They also had the power to mobilize and conscript aristocratic private armies during times of national war. Such an important place was naturally well-defended. Outside of the palace, the second-tallest structure in the city was located here. The military departments unique defense system consisted of an array of high-speed anti-air cannons hidden amidst the buildings and countless anti-ground cannons. The vast number of turrets were powered by a total of seven kinetic towers. These individually-operated towers were protected in underground locations. On the surface, the military department was nothing more than an old city. There was no way to see through the profundity of its hidden power with the naked eye. Under the guidance of the Imperial guide-boat, the corvette landed at the militarys dedicated landing pad. There were dozens of people waiting outside by the time Qianye came down the ramp, and everyone was at the rank of general or above. It was quite the ceremony. At a glance, Qianye was surprised to see Zhao Xuanji at the lead. He took a few steps forward and bowed in greeting. Qianye had always treated the old man with respect, both in private and in official business. Duke You was a pillar of the Zhao clan who had propped up the familys prestigious name throughout the years. Duke Chengens later rise to fame was mostly reliant on his three children and Princes Gaoyi. On the contrary, no one really cared about his personal strength, and many people made light of his glorious accomplishments on the Western Continent. Hence, Zhao Xuanji was better known as the number one character in the clan. The man had given Qianye much assistance both in secret and in public. Qianye simply couldnt posture before a true senior. Zhao Xuanji pulled Qianye up, sighing. Youve grown so much in the blink of an eye. Were definitely getting old. Youre in the prime of your life, the word old has nothing to do with you yet. Zhao Xuanji laughed wryly. If Im not old, why would His Majesty bind me here and not allow me to enter Blacksun Valley? Another aged general with mottled white hair said, The Empire is full of young talents. When we need you to charge at the frontlines, now thats when the country is in a true crisis. Now that Sire Qianye is back, theres no need to worry about the battles to come. Zhao Xuanji said, His Majesty is perfect in everything else, but hes just too soft-hearted. Qianye, come with me, I need to discuss the hand-over with you. Qianye followed Zhao Xuanji toward the military department. This journey wasnt short, but fortunately, the generals were all of extraordinary strength. In what seemed like a leisurely stroll, the group was actually traveling much faster than a car. It was just that seeing a group of generals hurrying along on the ground was a bit odd. An elderly general said, This is a rule laid down by the Martial Ancestor. No one apart from the Emperor is to drive or fly here, only walk. The law is still in use to this very day. The outer wall of the military department was more decorative than defensive. The doorway leading to the airship port was dozens of meters tall and full of majestic austerity. The gates were half-open at this point, a welcoming gesture for Qianyes arrival. The main gates of strategic locations would normally remain closed, opening fully only for the Radiant Emperor. Even the emperor would sometimes take the side door if he was simply dropping in. Now that the main gates were half-open for Qianye, it was truly a rare honor. Qianye didnt really feel anything about it. He did pause briefly at the threshold, gazing up at the gates leading to the Empires highest military organization, before taking the next step inside. The world within the gate seemed entirely different. Once inside, Qianye was shaken as he noticed countless sharp auras descend upon him. Those were the auras of true experts, including a few that made him feel a sense of danger. One among them was especially old, deep, and decayed, almost like an ocean of putridness. This aura was extremely powerful, so strong that Qianye could only look up to it. Like a void colossus at the end of its life, it could still level a mountain in a single move despite being shrouded in death. Qianye came to a sudden halt. He said cautiously, The Longevity Monarch? He already knew of the old monarchs doings, and that he was the culprit behind Lin Xitangs demise. The marshal wouldnt have been forced onto a path of demise if it werent for the internal strife, the trap on the void continent, and a political enemy like the Longevity Monarch. Wasnt it said that the Longevity Monarch had passed? Why was his aura still here? Qianyes gaze turned cold. As the oldest heavenly monarch of the human race, the man could still kill Qianye even if he were at the end of his life. Could this be a trap? Zhao Xuanji seemed to know what Qianye was thinking. The old prince is gone. This is but a portion of his power, a part of the militarys defensive system. Pay it no heed. Qianye nodded, his expression clearing up a bit as he followed the group forward. At the center of the military department was a gigantic structure, made up of a circular main building surrounded by four tall satellite towers. A young general explained, This is the militarys main building. The four auxiliary towers represent the four divine beasts, while the main building represents the Empire. The four divine beasts? The general said, Yes, thats what the records say. This was the first time Qianye had heard about the four beasts. So, he asked a bit more out of curiosity. The young general said, Actually, these so-called divine beasts only exist in records. Theyre more like legends. One of the four beasts is the Empires totem, the soaring snake, theres also a blazing bird, a tiger, and a giant turtle. I dont really know where they come from, perhaps theyre void colossi from the depths of the void. Qianye followed the entourage inside and climbed up until they were in a small hall. The hall wasnt big, but it was ancient and solemn. Once inside, Qianye could feel countless faint but tyrannical auras, each of them unique and different. There were also faint auras among them Lin Xitangs, for instance. Qianye turned around to search for the source of this aura and saw an entire slab of black jade embedded in one of the walls. The black jade was split into two halves, each side engraved with a dense array of names. Lin Xitangs was also among them but fairly low on the list. Qianye didnt recognize most of the preceding names, but the first few in the list were names he had heard countless times. Those were the founding fathers who had followed the Great Emperor in building the Empire, people whose exploits everyone had heard of. The list on the other side was rather short, and the latest entry was Prince Greensun Zhang Boqian. Zhao Xuanji said, This is the Empires contribution list, a record of people who had done great service to the Empire since ancient times. Im getting old, Ill be able to die without regrets if I can carve my name here. A general nearby said, Duke Yous foresight helped the Empire obtain a great victory on the void continent. Your name will surely have a spot on the stone wall. Another name on the wall grabbed Qianyes attention. This is the Longevity Monarch? The generals dared not reply, but Zhao Xuanji didnt care. Indeed. The old man paused for a bit before saying, Although he made a grave mistake in his old age, the Longevity Monarch contributed greatly to the human race throughout his life. Comparing the two, his merits still exceed his crimes by a bit. This wall records historical contributions. As long as you achieve great accomplishments, it will be recorded and cannot be erased so easily. Qianye nodded after a moment of silence. Zhao Xuanji said solemnly, This Heavenly Merit Hall is most suited to honor people. Qianye, are you willing to take on this responsibility? Chapter 1345: Determination Zhao Xuanji didnt seem all too surprised, but all the other generals were anxious. A middle-aged general stepped forward and said earnestly, Sire Qianye, this matter is related to the Empires fate. Please do not let your emotions affect your decisions. Let us know whatever you need, and the military will provide everything at its disposal. As I see it youll need processing resources, technology, and equipment to really expand on Fort Continent. Im currently in charge of the militarys supplies production, as untalented as I am. I promise you, you can designate any five resources, and Ill have all the necessary equipment and tech ready tomorrow. Seeing that Qianye was unmoved, an elderly general said, This old man is in charge of troop structures and assignments. Youll need men when you expand, and for that, youll need fame, status, and a base. If youre willing to take on this task, Sire, its only natural for someone of your position to lead an army corps of your own. If you dont like any of the Empires army corps, you can form one of your own. Many generals were visibly shaken, their gazes landing on the old general. The man, however, remained entirely calm. Apparently, he had already gained permission from his superiors. If Qianye could recruit yet another regular army corps from the Empire, he would have a hundred thousand more soldiers. This kind of power was superior to most high-ranking aristocratic families. This unit would come with the armys standard outfit and, considering Qianyes foundations were not in the Empire, wouldnt be bound by the Empires control. This was no different from making him a feudal lord. Such a term could be considered extremely handsome and much more practical than contribution rewards. However, this was after the war was over. And this was a war Qianye did not want to fight. I want to see Jundu and Zining first, Qianye suggested his own demands first. Zhao Xuanji sighed. Of course that is fine, youll know once you see them. Song Zining and Zhao Jundu were both recovering at the Imperial capital. The latter was closer and hence his place was the first stop. Zhao Jundus residence was a quiet and secluded courtyard with fixed medical staff assigned to it. Every day, the most brilliant doctors of the Empire would come to check up on him. Zhao Jundu was in the courtyard when Qianye entered. He sighed after seeing Qianye. Lil Five, you ended up coming. Qianye hadnt heard this address in a good while. Zhao Xuanji said, You youngsters chat first, Im going out for some fresh air. Once Zhao Xuanji and the generals were gone, Zhao Jundu dismissed the attendants as well. I knew theyd seek you out, and I knew youd come. I was stabbed through the chest and entirely powerless to retaliate. Prince Greensun had to take a slash in order to save me, and his injury was much more serious. Let me see your wound. No need, its no big deal. The attack was well-controlled, hitting neither the heart nor origin crystal. In the end, its just a flesh wound. Zhao Jundu said after a moment of hesitation, She said that the strike was to sever all karmas of the past. Many people thought she was referring to Prince Greensun, but actually, I think she was talking to me. She showed mercy with that attack because I helped you guys leave Indomitable back in the year. She will fight to the death next time we meet in battle. Why go so far? Zhao Jundu shook his head. I dont know, either. In truth, there were countless possibilities as to why this problem had grown so big, but no one could say for sure which one it was. Qianye didnt ask further. He accompanied Zhao Jundu for a while before leaving to see Song Zining. The latter was at the central hospital, in his own independent building under heavy security. Despite being accompanied by people from the military, Qianye was inspected thrice before being let in. Countless doctors were rushing about in the small building, all of them looking grave. An elderly doctor came to greet them. The accompanying general said, This is Divine Doctor Lu, one of the top three doctors in the Empire. Hes most proficient in treating difficult cases and is in charge of Commander Songs case. Qianye followed them upstairs and asked on the way, Hows Zining doing? Divine Doctor Lu said, Commander Song suffered a divination backlash, trying to touch someone he shouldnt. This kind of injury is the most difficult to treat. Its only because of his extraordinary talents that we still have a thread of hope. He is awake for a short while every day, but he must not be overly fatigued. Keep the conversation short, or do not talk to him at all if possible. Qianye nodded. The group ascended to the third floor and entered a sealed area, finally arriving at Song Zinings room. Song Zining was lying quietly on the bed, almost as though he were asleep. He was so pale that he seemed translucent, his long lashes trembling slightly. Who knows what he was dreaming of? Qianye couldnt help but take a step forward, only to be pulled back by Doctor Lu. You must not agitate Commander Song for any reason, let him wake up on his own. Qianye nodded, impressed with the Divine Doctor. Pulling him back required a certain level of cultivation. The doctor arrived near the bed and observed for a while. Commander Song might need to sleep a bit longer Ill wait for him here, Qianye replied. Divine Doctor Lu wanted to object but refrained from it when the generals pulled him back. In the end, he simply left with the group. Only Qianye and Song Zining remained in the room. Qianye sat down near the bed, quietly holding Song Zinings hand as he observed the patient. At this moment, the seventh young master was like a crystalline doll. He was translucent and delicate, as though the slightest touch would shatter him. This was also true of his vitalityit seemed limpid and resplendent, but it could shatter any moment. Song Zinings hand felt cold in Qianyes palm, and his body felt empty, as though only a shell remained. Qianye had learned a tiny bit of divination basics, enough to know that this was a realm that belonged to divination experts. Even with his current power, he was in no position to help. To heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs, wherever their will went was where their power would go; there was no blind spot to speak of. Just as Divine Doctor Lu said, Song Zining had tried to scry someone he shouldnt. The power shrouding Song Zining and trying to extinguish his life came from this person. Qianye, of course, knew who that person was. Qianyes hand trembled slightly. He had noticed that Song Zinings life was hanging by a thread, that he could pass away at any moment. Forcing Song Zining into this state when she wasnt even a great dark monarch meant only one thingshe had attacked deliberately and with ample preparation, going all out without leaving any leeway. Just like a desperate person committing suicide, was it the hand holding the blade that hurt the most? Or was it the heart that had been pierced through? Qianyes breathing grew faster, and it took quite a bit of effort to calm himself down. This kind of pain was akin to countless snakes gnawing at his heart. The sun gradually began to set, and gentle lamplight lit up the room. Wave after wave of doctors and nurses came and went. All of them quietly held their breath as they recorded the patients data, not daring to disturb the two. Soon, it was midnight. Song Zining heaved a long sigh as he slowly opened his eyes. I feel so tired. Youre awake, Qianye said. Song Zining was dazed for a while. You came after all. How could I not when youre in such a state? Song Zining was calmer than expected. Since youve come, Im thinking youve made a decision already. Qianye nodded slowly. Song Zining sighed. I know youre in a difficult position, but you must be very careful. I suspect that shes already a different person. She will not show mercy when you meet her on the battlefield. Dont go if you cannot get yourself together. Song Zinings voice grew softer and softer. The consciousness that had just returned to his body had left once again for the battlefield of fate, life, and death. Gazing at his empty body, Qianye stood up and slowly walked out, locking the door gently behind him. To the military, Qianye said to the generals. Moments later, the small Heavenly Merit Hall was fully occupied by generals. All high-ranking officers from the military department had arrived to witness this historical moment. Zhao Xuanji sat in the first row, solemn and emotional. His lips moved slightly but no sound came out. One could see from the movement of his lips that he had said, How great would it be if Weihuang was here as well? All discussions died down as the appointed time drew near. Everyones eyes were on the side door, which opened at the exact time, and out walked a heroic-looking young man. He was unimaginably handsome but also full of might and austerity. The grandeur rushing at everyones face made it difficult to breathe, but no one from the army was dissatisfied. On the contrary, their eyes lit up. Only this kind of peerless aura could match the marshals uniform on him. An old general walked up to the stage and announced in a clear voice, Receive the Imperial edict!" Qianye stepped forward and bowed, waiting quietly for the continuation. Imperial citizens had to kneel while accepting an edict; on the other hand, clan lords, grand elders, dukes, and marshals could go down on one knee. Qianyes display of etiquette was only allowed for heavenly monarchs. Heavenly monarchs formed the pillars of the Empire, so there was no need for them to kneel to anyone. Qianye wasnt being viewed as a heavenly monarch, but rather, it was a recognition for his independent status on Fort Continent. The old general sighed secretly as he glanced at Qianyes young countenance. He quickly collected himself and announced in a sonorous voice, The Empire confers upon Zhao Qianye the titles of Duke Weiyuan and Sceptered Grand Marshal. He shall lead the Empires armies and command all military affairs in the new world, every department must cooperate. Thus mandates the Emperor. Chapter 1346: Immediate Escape A sceptered marshal was also higher than a normal marshal by half a rank and enjoyed the authority to control other marshals as needed. This rank was a necessity because Qianye would have trouble commanding a group of dukes and marshals otherwise. One title denoting honor and the other granting actual power; this was a great display of the Empires sincerity. Qianye would have full control over the Blacksun Valley. However, this also proved that the Empire had reached a state of desperation where they had no one else they could send. That was why they had pinned their hopes on Qianye, even forgetting his vampire identity. The conferment ceremony was short and solemn. No other dukes or marshals apart from Zhao Xuanji were present, which served to reduce the awkwardness. After all, the relationship between Qianye and the Imperial military wasnt just unpleasant. It was just one step away from a vendetta. After the ceremony was over, the generals in power stayed behind to engage in the final handover procedures with Qianye. How many soldiers remain in Blacksun Valley? Who is the commanding officer? Where is our stronghold? How much supplies are being shipped and how often? How big is the enemy force and how are they distributed? Qianye asked a series of questions in one go. The generals hung up the war map and explained things in turn. By the time the last question had been answered, Qianye heaved a long sighthings were even worse than he had anticipated. At the moment, the Empire had less than fifty thousand soldiers left in the valley, supported by a number of small secret bases. Comparatively, Evernight held a force of five hundred thousand. The Empire had lost battle after battle after Song Zinings injury, causing a sharp rise in casualty rates that far exceeded Evernights. Only at this point did everyone realize just how amazing Song Zining and Zhao Jundus one-to-four death ratio was. The miserable loss on the ground also affected the air. The Empires transports were repeatedly damaged, greatly affecting logistics. Although Evernight didnt really gain an advantage in air combat, the Empire couldnt afford a one-to-one exchange at this point. This led to a situation where no one dared step up to the commanding position, and those who were qualified to do so, the Empire would not let them. That was the reason why Zhao Xuanji had been stuck in the military department. An officer passed a calendar to Qianye. Sire, would you like to pick a suitable date to assume your duties? Qianye pushed the calendar away. No need. Arrange an airship to Blacksun Valley immediately. Yes, Sire! Moments later, an airship took to the sky and drove toward the door. Only after meeting up with the Imperial units in Blacksun Valley did Qianye realize how desperate they were. What remained of the Empires routed forces was garrisoned in a secret base. This so-called secret stronghold was actually just a hidden valley with enough caves to hide the soldiers. Qianyes arrival stirred neither excitement nor curiosity among the troops. Some of them were chatting amongst themselves, while others were either sitting or lying with numb expressions. Nothing could really rouse their interest. Only a number of low-ranking officers came to greet Qianye, while the three divine champions were nowhere to be seen. Wheres Duke Wenyuan, Minghai, and Marshal Liu? Qianye recalled some unfamiliar names. The three sires are injured and exhausted, so theyre resting at the moment. Your arrival was too sudden, please forgive the lack of a proper welcome. Take me to see them. The officers brought Qianye to a cave where the three divine champions had taken up a corner each, resting in meditation. They only shot Qianye a glance when he entered but later dragged themselves up after recognizing the military personnel behind him. Qianye sized up the environment. This cave was a bit more spacious and better kempt, but the furnishings were extremely simple. The three divine champions only had one camp bed each. Things were just that dire. The general who had come with Qianye read the Imperial edict and introduced Qianye to the others. While the general from the military was here, Qianye summoned all the other generals to hold the first war meeting. Why are there so few men? This was Qianyes first question. Duke Minghai, an elderly man with white hair, replied, Sire Qianye probably doesnt know, but its not because of the Empires lack of support. Its that we dont need the soldiers. The force we have is already quite big, and it has been difficult to hide and move. It took us quite the effort to throw the pursuing dark races off and find this place, and who knows how long this will last. Duke Wenyuan said, The previous commander lost five battles and thirty thousand soldiers in seven days. He himself was gravely wounded and is back in the Empire for treatment. All we could do was try to maintain our presence. I personally think its already quite good that we were able to save this base and these troops. Qianye glanced at the general from HQ, to which the latter only shrugged. Qianye came to a sudden realizationthe three before them were either people who had lost favor with their higher-ups or those at the end of their lifespans like Duke Minghai who had come to risk his life in exchange for his familys future. In short, they were all marginal characters whose fate no one cared about. The previous commander was sent back to the Empire for treatment, but not them. They would have to be wounded so badly that their foundations were damaged or die in Blacksun Valley. There was no other choice. It would be a wonder if their morale was high. Qianye scanned the three in detail and recalled their data as he did so. Duke Minghai was surnamed Zhou and came from a low-ranking aristocratic family. As a rare genius of the family, he successfully broke through to become a divine champion. Yet the lack of resources during his younger years left him with a shaky foundation and this realm was his limit. He had fought and toiled throughout the years to make his family a high-ranking aristocratic family, but he did not have Lin Xitangs peerless talents. His family never went past the peak of the lower-ranking families. He had only chosen to join this fight so that his family could consolidate their position with his contributions. Even Lin Xitang, with his title of Imperial teacher, could not prevent his family from a steady decline after his death, let alone Duke Minghai. Even without anyone causing dissension, the family had to produce sufficient fighting power in order to maintain its status. Some descendants would grow jealous of their predecessors favor of certain individuals, while others would ignore the ancestors sacrifices and plunge the later generations into difficult times. The beneficence would surely dry up over several generations, only that it wasnt so easy to define how many. One thing was for certain, thoughthere was no policy to safeguard fairness. Duke Wenyuan Chen Tongqis story was a different one. He used to be the Longevity Monarchs trusted aide and was also a part of his great scheme, someone who shouldve had his entire family beheaded. However, as a divine champion, Duke Wenyuan was allowed to make up for his mistakes with service. If he could distinguish himself in battle, he would be able to save his entire family from certain demise. Liu Chengyun, on the other hand, was a retired marshal whose situation was similar to Duke Minghai. The two were both stationed here as a last-ditch effort before their old age. These three were early divine champions, and judging from their flimsy auras, there werent worthy of attention at all. That being said, they were still divine champions and would make for good assistants. Qianye inquired about their strengths and abilities until he had gotten a good idea about them. Just as he was about to discuss the next step, an officer ran into the room. The dark races have been spotted far away! Duke Wenyuan shot to his feet. So fast? Qianye stood up calmly. Thats good as well. Lets go and take a look. The Imperial forces had only built simple fortifications in the valley. It was better than nothing since there was neither time nor resources to build anything properly. They had ended up discarding all heavy objects and resources during the repeated retreat. The pursuing dark race force only contained ten thousand or so men, but the three generals were already in favor of a retreat. Qianye glanced at his left and right, saying calmly, The enemy force isnt big, we can easily fight back. Liu Chengyun had been with the army for a good while. He said, Sire, you might not know, but their small units contain double the ratio of experts and are usually led by a glorious marquis. More squads will converge on us from all directions once were tangled up with them. Thats why retreat is the best option. Qianye gave it some thought. Isnt this one of Zinings strategies? This seems like it. Back in the day, Song Zining had also spread his forces out in the field. Dark race forces that had split off carelessly would suddenly find themselves surrounded by converging enemy squads. How ironic for the Empire to be getting a taste of their own medicine? The key to this tactic was the use of divination. Song Zining had used his powers to gain the initiative every time, racking up glorious accomplishments along the way. The Empire lost its advantage in divination after Song Zining was injured from backlash, but they still possessed a great number of experts and soldiers. All the dark races needed to do was seek out the Imperial main forces and push them into decisive battles. The latter was the side that could not afford to take on losses. Seeing the distant dark race army, Qianye said, Sound the bugle! All-out attack! What? The three generals couldnt believe their ears. Mobilize the entire army, attack! Did you three not hear me, or are you trying to disobey orders? The general from the Imperial military hadnt left yet and was still watching from the side. The three generals were minor characters, so they naturally did not dare disobey. Moreover, they couldnt just cower from the first battle before this youngster. Hence, they headed off with bitter expressions to collect their forces and meet the assailants in combat. Moments later, the two armies came into firing range of one another. The Empire clearly held the numbers advantage, but the dark race unit was the first to launch the attack. As the vanguard pushed in, the spreading cannon-fire also bore down on the Empires forces. The scattered artillery barrage actually threw the Imperial army into chaos. In truth, most of the shells were intercepted in the air, and only the occasional explosion would reach the ground. The soldiers, however, were all glancing back in hopes of seeing the retreat order. Their past experience told them that getting tangled up with the enemy was trouble, and they had always fled on sight in recent battles. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of soldiers, Qianye stood tall and still. Where are our heavy cannons? Why arent we firing? Once the cannons were deployed, they couldnt be packed away so easily. The three divine champions exchanged glances, realizing that Qianye was determined to fight the dark races. Chapter 1347: Victory at the First Battle The three divine champions had no choice but to execute the orders, regardless of their opinion. Duke Wenyuan was still in his prime and not willing to die just like that, so he couldnt help but remind Qianye, Sire, Nighteye will appear if we drag things out. That was how the previous commander received his injuries and had to be transported back to the Empire for treatment. He noticeably stressed the words transported back for treatment, to communicate that the injuries werent ordinary. Qianye only replied calmly, Im counting on seeing her. Duke Wenyuan stopped speaking when Duke Minghai tugged on his sleeve and shot him a meaningful glance. The young duke was shaken as he recalled Qianyes past. He retreated thereafter, secretly cursing the Empire for picking this person of all people. The relationship between him and the enemies commander was all too difficult to describe. With the order issued, the Imperial soldiers no longer hesitated. They set up the heavy cannons as quickly as possible and began suppressing the other side with artillery fire. These Imperial soldiers were elites, to begin with, and had only lost their sharpness because of the repeated defeats. Qianye had brought ten thousand more soldiers with him. The absolute order and clear objectives filled everyone with spirit as they put their full military might on display. The dark race commanding officer was a bit surprised. Usually, the Imperial forces would retreat once they started firing their cannons, and they would be able to take a bite out of the enemys rear with ease. Struggling on their deathbed, eh? The handsome vampire marquis sneered. He raised his right hand and pressed it fiercely in the Empires direction. The experts in the unit erupted in battle-cries, channeling their ferocity from the depths of their bloodline. The werewolves went berserk as they charged forth under the cover of the arachnes giant frames. A small number of demonkin experts rose halfway into the air or stood on the arachnes backs to snipe the enemy targets. The demonkin were smaller in number, but their sniper fire was much harder to defend against the heavy cannons. They had dealt a fair amount of damage to the Imperial defensive line in the blink of an eye. Seeing the confusion on the other side, the glorious marquis let out a long laugh and rose into the air. He then charged forward, leaving a trail of resplendent blood energy behind him. Seeing the main general on the assault, numerous dark race experts felt their blood boiling as they chased after the radiant trail. Many of his peers felt regretful that they had missed the opportunity to rush to the front first. The glorious marquis had unleashed his blood energy entirely. He had his bloodthirsty eyes set on the Empires central command. The three powerful auras there did not stop him from charging straight toward his objective. As he saw it, the old and crippled human divine champions couldnt be a match for him. Moreover, he had two other glorious marquises serving as his assistants in this unit. This went to show just how much Nighteye favored him. As a true expert, he had to be able to fight freely against enemies of the same rank. Otherwise, he wouldnt be worthy of the title. He was going to harvest the merits today! His blood energy boiled alongside his high spirits. He circled once in the sky before diving toward the central command like a meteor! Halfway through the dive, he noticed a young man with his hands behind his back looking coldly at him. The three divine champions were standing guard around him. His aura could not be detected at all, so much so that the marquis hadnt discovered his existence in the beginning. The first thought that came into his mind was, Theres someone who looks even better than me?! He recognized that face in an instant. Qianye! Without a second thought, he came to a screeching halt in mid-air. The change was so fierce that a sanguine ring of light erupted from his body. Fortunately, he was able to stop his forward momentum and flee. The other two glorious marquises were shocked, but without any time to think, they immediately followed their commander back. They reacted with due swiftness. The commanding officer was evidently stronger than they were, so why would they remain when even he was fleeing so frantically? Otherwise, were they supposed to go and find out what had frightened their superior so much? They had managed to live this long because curiosity had never gotten the better of them. Running away just like that wasnt a solution, either. The other marquis chased after the commander and called out to him, Sire, what do we do with the soldiers? Tell them to scatter and surrender if they cannot escape! Im going back to report! With that, the vampire marquis sped up and vanished into the distance. The remaining marquises exchanged glances. One of them said, You issue the order, Ill leave first. He was gone in a flash. Only a single werewolf marquis remained stunned in the air. He felt a sense of responsibility as he gazed at the charging soldiers on the front line. If he were to order a retreat, some soldiers would be able to escape at least. The enemy would not take captives if they kept fighting until the damage was too severe and the army was routed. During this brief moment of delay, his vision blurred and a person appeared before him. The werewolf marquis saw the other partys face clearly this time. He immediately understood everything. Qianye! Qianye stood there rather casually. He shot a glance into the distance and said in surprise, Wow, they sure run fast! Do they think I cant catch up? But he didnt really attack or chase after the escapees. Instead, he glanced at the werewolf marquis and the emblem on his chest. So youre from the Summit of Peaks, its not a bad deal letting those two off in exchange for you. William is on Fort Continent at the moment and we can be considered good friends. Out of consideration for him, Ill give you two choices surrender or die. The marquis smiled wryly. He realized why the vampire marquis had run so fast, even abandoning his soldiers. Competing with Qianye and his Spatial Flash in speed was a sure way to court death. The only way to survive was to leave a bait big enough that Qianye would have to stay and devour it. And this bait, needless to say, was him and his squad. The werewolf marquis gazed deeply into Qianyes eyes. If they had stayed behind, we might not lose to you in a three-to-one battle. Qianye laughed. And that kind of thinking was why you were left behind. After a moment of silence, the werewolf marquis went down on one knee and said, Marquis Tatumu of the Giant Rock Tribe from the Summit of Peaks is willing to swear loyalty to you on our ancestral spirit, under two conditions. What would those be? First, I will not fight against my own race. Second, let me leave if you become enemies with the Summit of Peaks one day. Qianye said, The ancestral faction isnt included in the same-race limitation. After a brief thought, Tatumu said, Very well! They submitted to the Evernight Council and sold out our races interests. We must settle this account with them sooner or later. Then theres no problem. Your post is not here but on Fort Continent. Do you have any problems? No problem. Tatumu was fairly delighted even. He knew that the Summit of Peaks had built a base on Fort Continent to train soldiers, and that base was built in cooperation with Qianye. Now that he was being dispatched to Fort Continent, he would be joining his tribesmen. That was a great outcome for him since his fate in Blacksun Valley was just to serve as cannon fodder. After subduing Tatumu, Qianye said, Go tell them to surrender, I wont be accepting prisoners after a while. Shaken, Tatumu flew back to the army, ordering the troops to withdraw and surrender. The unit was leaderless at the moment and taking a painful beating from the Empire. The vanguard had suffered grave losses, so their morale wasnt as high as before. Most of the troops surrendered under Tatumus orders, and the few headstrong ones were killed by him. The demonkin resisted with the most ferocity, but they fared no better than the mantis who tried to stop the proverbial cart. The great victory left the three Imperial divine champions speechless. How could it be so easy? They didnt even need to fight before the enemy commander fled in a hurry. No matter how confident they were, they knew that this reaction wasnt because of them. There was only one explanationQianye was so strong that the opponent had to flee on sight. This was unbelievable but not too difficult to understand. The three divine generals were from the older generation, and even the youngest Duke Wenyuan was one who had risen to fame twenty years ago. Qianye hadnt even been born when Duke Minghai rampaged through the battlefield. Qianye had risen meteorically in recent years, but he had little contact with the older generation. These people had also been deliberately ignoring young talents like Qianye, Song Zining, and Zhao Jundu. The older and less important characters werent really interested in facing the youngsters rise to fame. They didnt even want to hear words like the twin stars, new strategist god, etc, let alone look up Qianyes abilities and accomplishments. This was a stark contrast from the dark racestheir assessment of Qianye was decided by the corpses of countless comrades, and a mistake would end up with them losing their lives. After stepping into the divine champion realm, he was no longer a genius waiting to mature but a true expert with sufficient clout. There might be some people who werent familiar with his rise to power, but as time went on, more blood would be spilled in a display of his might. Long-lived creatures valued their life more, and opponents were more aware of their enemies. That was why the vampire glorious marquis had fled immediately and Tatumu had surrendered. Those who couldnt see reality would be reduced to a name on the casualty report. The battle was fairly short. The dark race losses werent severe, but two out of their three generals had fled before reaching the battlefield, while the remaining one had surrendered. Morale had hit rock bottom when some of the men heard whispers of Qianyes name, and this rumor was further proven by their commanders actions. As such, many men decided to surrender in despair. Seizing close to ten thousand prisoners was an unprecedented victory for the Empire. Even the three divine champions became spirited as they made arrangements to bind and transport the prisoners of war. The way the entire army looked at Qianye was different now. There was respect and fear in their eyes, but it also seemed as though they were looking at some monster. Many Imperial soldiers had heard of Qianye, but those stories felt more like legends than anything. It was only after fighting under his command that they had the opportunity to witness such a ridiculous scene. To have scared away a vampire glorious marquis with a mere glance, they really wanted to know what kind of terrifying creature was hiding under that beautiful countenance. How strong was he that even high-ranking experts were scared of him? Chapter 1348: Welcome to Seek Death Build defensive structures here, well discuss after we finish off the reinforcements. Qianyes prestige was at its height at the moment, so a single order sent the entire army into action. The soldiers immediately built simple defensive structures and made ready to defend the area. The captives were placed under watch in a sealed cave. Should they try to escape, the cave entrance could be blasted to bury everyone alive. Not long after the defenses had been set up, clouds of dust appeared over the distant horizon as three dark-races armies appeared from different directions. These three units contained around thirty thousand soldiers each, double the Empires forces in combined strength. Their overall fighting power was likely even higher since the dark races had assigned twice the number of experts for Blacksun Valley. The dark race army hadnt even arrived when a terrifying aura rushed into everyones faces. Liu Chengyuns expression shifted slightly. Thats a duke! Sire, we might still make it if we retreat now. Duke Minghai and Yuanwen were both alarmed, but they didnt voice their opinion, only waiting for Qianye to make the decision. Evernight dukes were all famous characters qualified to run for office at the Evernight Council. Qianyes three assistants were all early divine champions who had exhausted their potential, lacking in both ability and equipment. They were fine for dealing with ordinary experts, but against duke-rank enemies, they could hardly even run away. This duke leading the enemy forces seemed to be in the prime of his life, not an old man at the end of his lifespan. It was only natural to fear such an enemy. Before his rebirth in flames, even Zhao Jundu had to use everything in his arsenal to avoid being defeated. Qianye stood motionlessly. What, are you guys afraid? Liu Chengyu and Duke Minghai didnt reply, but Duke Wenyuan still had a bit of sharpness in him. Not me. If youre really sure, I just need to pay with this life if need be. But as the commander of the entire army, you must be cautious and not let emotions affect your decision. A single order from you will decide the fate of tens of thousands of warriors. Qianye replied, Makes sense. Makes things easier if youre not afraid. With that, he pointed in the direction of the dukes aura. The enemys central command is surely in that direction. I plan to fight my way in there and fight against the enemy commander. Who has the courage to follow me on the charge? Liu Chengyuns expression shifted somewhat. Duke Minghai remained in silent thought, not daring to meet Qianyes eyes. Only Duke Wenyuan Chen Tongqi said, If you charge, I will of course follow! Im just waiting to die anyway. Falling in battle is better than in the gallows. As long as youre willing. Qianye nodded. He then shifted his gaze onto Duke Minghai and Liu Chengyun. The edict states very clearly that I have full authority on the front lines! What I said just now is not a negotiation, but an order! Do you think I wont execute you if you keep playing coward? Theres no need for two divine champions like you. Liu Chengyuns countenance collapsed. Young Man, why the rush to say such big words? No one knows where you were when Duke Minghai and I became divine champion! Back in the year, I also served as an assistant to a sceptered marshal. Stop thinking so highly of your scepter. Qianye wasnt angered by this. That means you want me to invoke military law? Liu Chengyun threw caution to the wind. Threatening to execute a general on the eve of battle, are you sure youre serving the Empire? Do you think we wont resist such a random order? Qianye said calmly, Fight or flee, do whatever you want. If you dare take action, your family will have to collect your corpse within three moves. Seeing that the atmosphere was growing tense, Duke Minghai said, Why fight amongst ourselves when the enemy is here? Sire Qianye, General Lius temper is a bit straightforward since hes been a soldier all his life, please excuse him. Were already here on the front lines, so why would we fear death? If you charge, well just put our lives in your hands. If we have to die, we should die under the enemys blade. Following a couple of rough pokes Liu Chengyun said unwillingly, Since you want it so much, this old life is yours. Qianye nodded. Very well then. Issue the order! Have the soldiers prepare to attack and gather all the generals for a meeting! Moments later, everyone was present for the meeting. Qianye scanned all the generals, then picked several out from the crowd. You, you, you, and you, step out and gather here. Half of the officers had been picked out, leaving only a dozen or so in place. The ones left out were either wounded, too old, too weak, or had served too long in support roles. After picking out the men, Qianye said, Everyone, youve done well to last through the many battles. Speaking bluntly, many of you were dumped by the Empire and are simply trying to protect your families by fighting to the bitter end. Some are here because of certain mistakes. Finally, there are loyal and righteous warriors, but who knows how many of them there are. The generals exchanged glances, not expecting Qianye to be so blunt. This speech would cause quite a bit of criticism if spread back home, but everyone was just doing their best to get through the day in Blacksun Valley. No one had the extra energy to play such games. Qianye continued. Zining is my brother, and so is Jundu. You guys fought many victorious battles under their command. The generals became spirited. Exactly! Back then, we beat up the dark races until they were crying for their lives. The men were tired but also extremely satisfied! Qianye waited until the group was quiet. I came all the way from Fort Continent to lead you into victorious battles, but my way of fighting is a bit different. You need to get used to it. What is your way? Please tell us! Yes, the enemy is at our doors! Seeing everyones urgency, Qianye said after a brief pause, My way is to fight head-on and charge at the central command! Those who are not afraid can follow me! Qianye dispensed with further verbosity and left straight for the dark races central army. The generals felt their blood boiling as they followed suit. The Imperial soldiers parted to let Qianye pass. Then, they assembled behind him and marched forward to meet the dark race army. Insolence! Within the dark race army, a demonkin duke slapped a small table flying. Even the mountainous body of the servspider below his seat sank a bit. He turned to a vampire near him and said, So this person scared you so badly that you abandoned your troops and peed yourself? This vampire marquis was the commanding officer whom Qianye had scared off. The merciless reprimand embarrassed him greatly. The vampires and demonkin had always shared conflicted views. He said with an ambiguous tone of voice, That lord is no ordinary expert. Many experts have fallen to his blade. Its just Qianye, come on. What lord? The demonkin duke snorted disdainfully. The vampire marquis replied, He was once Her Majestys partner. Someone she favors is naturally much stronger than we are. I just hope you wont run away after we start fighting. The duke was furious. How dare you insult me?! I can kill you right now! The marquis wasnt going to take things lying down. This is not an insult. And dont forget that Her Majesty is the commander here! You demonkin are in no position to speak. If you kill me, do you think your tiny family and its two dukes can stop Her Majestys wrath? The demonkin duke snorted. When have I, Larga, ever fled from battle? Just wait and see, Lord Margo. He stood up and shouted, All forces, attack! Well see if those lowly humans can reach me! Of course, Lord Margo has no need to join the battle. Hes too scared to fight, anyway. Oh, right do you even have any subordinates left? Roaring laughter erupted from the army, most of them demonkin and werewolf. The vampires were all left feeling awkward. Marquis Margos face was ashen. Lord Larga, Ill remember this! Larga didnt even try to hide his disdain. By the time you can challenge me, itll be a hundred years from now. You really do need to remember it well! Margo snorted heavily but spoke no more. The fight had already begun by this point. Larga was busy urging the servspiders forward and had no time to bother with Margo. Qianye had formed a spearhead with the three divine champions and all the other generals. This small unit shot past firing range and pierced into the dark race army in the blink of an eye. Qianye didnt go airborne. He simply walked forward at a steady pace, swinging East Peak and clearing out a path with Nirvanic Rend. This was a technique he had developed back in the year, and now, it was performing better than ever. His techniques hadnt fallen behind after breaking through to become a divine champion. Every Nirvanic rend mowed down the dark races in droves, almost as though they were grass. Behind Qianye, the three divine champions were doing their best to kill their way through the flanks and widen the opening. The Imperial army was rolling in from the distance, making a beeline for this gap. Moving forward in large strides, Qianye noticed a bullet whistling toward him. The powerful projectile was coming in from a tricky angle, so Qianye had to stop and slash it open. Two swords thrust at him from the side, all of them as swift as lightning. Qianye looked around while calmly evading all the attacks, realizing that he had been completely surrounded. The three divine champions were surrounded at the rear and in no condition to come and help him. Qianye shook East Peak and said coldly, Welcome, all those who seek death. Chapter 1349: Might of Excavator A form of cooperation between the four major races had started to take shape, each making up for the others shortcomings while amplifying their overall strength. Apparently, the Empires high evaluation of Nighteye wasnt without reason. She was the only one who could force the races to set aside their differences and work together, and this would place a great deal of strain on the Empire. Such a strategy might be effective against ordinary experts, but Qianye paid them little heed and simply produced his domain. A tremendous pressure bore down upon the counts, making it difficult for them to even walk. The scorching daybreak glow burned them all over and made it impossible to open their eyes. Ordinary dark race experts fell in droves under Qianyes domain; they simply had no power to resist. The domain stretched only a hundred meters or so, far inferior to Nighteyes, but the destructive power within the domain was much more terrifying. Anyone who wasnt a titled expert would be immediately annihilated by the oceanic pressure and daybreak origin power. After sealing the area with his domain, Qianye raised East Peak and slashed once in each direction. Every move of his sword would see an expert cleaved in half. Sweeping Calm! Stop!!! Larga roared furiously. Unfortunately, all was too late. A total of seven experts, including three marquises, had fallen to Qianyes blade. Only a single glorious marquis managed to survive, albeit with a large gaping hole and nearly half of his body cut open. With one hand pressing on the wound, he shot into the air and flew away. He didnt even stop at the central command. Larga went berserk in an instant, wrenched by the heartache of losing so many men. The two fallen marquises were his trusted aides, and one of them was even a distant cousin. His familys strength would fall sharply now that the man had been killed. He wouldve never imagined that Qianyes attacks would be so terrifying. The fight reached its climax almost instantly, and the killing move was so fast that even his shout was half a beat late. Only at this point did he realize why Margo had fled on sight. A fight with Qianye would reach the life and death juncture within an instant; it would be too late to flee at that point. Larga wavered for a moment, hesitating whether or not he should fight Qianye. He had seen very clearly that Qianye was already at the duke-standard in both the power of his domain and sword techniques. Even if he were a tad inferior to a veteran duke like him, the gap would be fairly limited. Larga immediately came to a decision. Laughing loudly, his expression turned dark as he said, You ignorant human brat, I, Duke Larga, will be the one to take your life! Qianye leaned on his sword. He slowly retracted his domain and curled his finger in a gesture of challenge. Overcome by anger, Larga crossed hundreds of meters in an instant and appeared before Qianye. He landed on the ground with a loud thud and unleashed his fierce origin power. The energy formed a shockwave that pushed all warriors and experts away, clearing the field for him and Qianye. Qianye sneered. What, afraid of injuring your subordinates? Is your control of origin power so useless? Larga was angered further by the mockery. It was true that he didnt want to hurt his men because experts at his level would rain death upon everything within several dozen meters of them. Moreover, Qianyes domain could easily kill all of the dark races that were swept in. This act of valuing his soldiers lives became a topic of mockery for Qianye. Enough nonsense! Its a worthwhile death for you today with so many people accompanying you. Now die! A pair of daggers appeared in Largas hands as he sprinted toward Qianye at lightning speed, aiming for his vitals. As a duke, he was highly confident about his close-quarter combat abilities. The attack was so fast that most enemies wouldnt be able to even react. Even though Qianye parried the blow quite cleverly, the slight delay allowed the incoming blades to cut through his robes. Larga then withdrew ten meters away, effectively dodging Qianyes Nirvanic Rend. Hows that? Those who look down on the demonkin must pay a steep price. Youll be the next one! Larga circled behind Qianye and stabbed once again with his twin blades. The two exchanged several blows in the blink of an eye, and Qianye sustained some shallow wounds in the process. Larga was extremely fast and agile, twisting and turning like smoke over short distances. It was almost as though the environment of the new world had little effect on him. Even Qianye was somewhat inferior in terms of pure speed. Apparently, speed and mobility were Largas specialty. Ordinary dukes would never have such ridiculous speed. Although his attacks lacked power, all he needed was to keep adding more wounds and bleed the target dry over time. Qianye seemed lost in thought, but Larga was stunned as he watched Qianye. Every cut he had landed on the target only left a shallow cut on the skin, yet the effort involved felt like he was cutting battle armor. Larga had never been known for his attack power, but he was still a duke when all was said and done. Why did it feel like he was fighting against an arachne grand duke? Larga collected his thoughts, telling himself that bloodletting was a viable tactic. His daggers then went for Qianye again like venomous snakes. It was at this moment that he felt his surroundings turn hot, and at the same time, his body started feeling heavy. There was no noticeable brightness, but his eyes stung as though he were staring into the sun. That was the effect of the daybreak origin power in Qianyes domain. Wherever his Venus Dawn existed, the dark races would feel a constant burning pain. Largas movements inevitably grew slower, but fortunately, Qianye also seemed out of it. He failed to evade the incoming blow, which cut right through the skin to his rib bones. A metallic ding echoed as the blade came into contact with the bone, bouncing back from the impact. A surprised Larga stared at the wound, only to find that Qianyes rib was dark golden and metallic. Youre a prince?! he cried out. Qianyes East Peak arrived in his face before the duke could overcome the surprise. Under the effects of Qianyes domain, Larga couldnt evade in time and was flung back by the impact. He withdrew with a loud cry, applying pressure on the wound as he did so. This slash was much stronger than Largas attack, cutting through two of his ribs in one go. The demonkin was bewildered. The metallic bone he saw inside Qianye made him uneasy as it was the hallmark of the prince and grand duke ranks. Arachne could refine their skeletons at the duke rank, which made them the number one race in terms of physical strength. The demonkin would need to wait until they were great dark monarchs before they could remodel their bodies. Larga was starting to attempt this process, but every step was full of difficulties. The vampires stood between the arachne and demonkin, so they would need to be at the grand duke rank to reform their skeleton and improve their physical strength. Could Qianye be a prince? Larga quickly dismissed the idea because Qianye wouldve beaten him black and blue by now if he were a prince. Besides, no one had heard of such a young princewhat were the chances that the vampire race could awaken another powerful expert, and that he would be standing with the humans? Larga sealed his wound with demonic energy, then charged toward Qianye once more. This kind of injury would not affect his fighting power. Once again, Qianye did not evade and simply brought East Peak down upon Largas head. The demonkin had no choice but to dodge. He wasnt dumb enough to trade wounds with this monster after finding out how strong his body was. When he charged at Qianye the next time, the domain around him suddenly doubled in strength. Qianye was like a black hole, emitting an indefensible wave of gravitational power that kept drawing him in. Just as alarms went off in Largas mind, East Peak arrived above his head with a momentum capable of splitting mountains. Larga immediately pulled his blades back and focused on defense. He was a veteran duke, after all, so blocking Qianyes first strike wasnt out of the question. The strike was heavy, but Larga felt that he could deal with it. Qianyes stance made it clear that he was performing Sweeping Calm, and the next few strikes should be targeting different directions under normal circumstances. Who wouldve thought Qianyes bones would start to emit crackling sounds at this moment? The power of Excavator stacked up with each sword strike that swung down at the demonkin duke. By the time the seventh blow came, Larga was trembling all over and bleeding from the nose. But he ultimately managed to block the attack. However, the eighth strike had yet to come. Qianye let out a loud roar as his momentum shifted precipitously. It felt as though an ancient void colossus was slowly opening its eyes. Qianye channeled his divine champion power at the height of Excavators strength. Augmented by the overlapping empowerment, Sweeping Calms peerless eighth strike descended upon Larga, eliciting a startled cry from the duke! His twin blades broke under the strain. Larga managed to move ever so slightly during the blades downstroke, barely avoiding being cleaved into two. Yet, the attack opened up a long wound from his shoulder all the way to his legs, cutting halfway into his body. This wasnt an injury that could be sealed. This is for you! Larga tossed out an item in his urgency and fled. Noticing the familiar aura, Qianye caught the object subconsciously. Larga had fled a thousand meters during this brief lapse, and he was going faster and faster. It was too late to go after him. A clear voice echoed on the battlefield. Lord Larga, youre running away? The battlefield is this way! Are you fleeing? Sire? Duke Larga? Your soldiers are over here! The voice traveled far and wide. It was extremely penetrative as well, a testament to the persons extraordinary cultivation. When Larga heard the call from afar, his demonic energy almost exploded from embarrassment and anger. He had to try fairly hard to keep the wound on his body from expanding further. Red in the face, he simply sealed his ears with demonic energy and fled. A moments delay would mean death. The person calling out from the air was Margo. This call had more or less destroyed Largas life-long reputation and prestige. A glorious marquis running away was fundamentally different from a duke doing the same thing. After all, there was a gap of two levels between the two. Margo felt rather satisfied seeing Largas reputation go down the drain. Before he could feel delighted, however, he heard a voice behind him. That was quite the shout. Margos body went stiff. He slowly turned around to find Qianye looking at him with his hands behind his back. In his urgency, he pointed in the direction Larga had escaped. He cant have gone far, go after him! This is a duke were talking about. But Qianye didnt move. Duke Margos expression turned bitter. Chapter 1350: Is this really appropriate? Margos breathing quickened. He discovered that Qianyes aura wasnt stable, a clear sign of weakness. This wasnt strange because Qianye had just killed so many experts and then injured a demonkin duke. How could he not be drained? He was likely a spent force at this point and only feigning his power. Wasnt this an opportunity? In the blink of an eye, all he could see were contributions, fame, endless resources, and willing beauties. Even the aloof Nighteye might view him in a new light. The more Margo looked at Qianye, the more he liked him. It was as though a massive bag of merits was standing before him. Qianye immediately noticed the mans expression and guessed what he was thinking about. He then looked around to see a group of counts and viscounts gathering around, hoping to take advantage of the situation. Qianye broke into a laugh. Who wouldve thought? There are quite a few brave ones. He appeared amidst the Evernight experts in a flash and unleashed his domain. Life plunder followed, and most of the experts lost their lives. Only two marquises were left on the verge of collapse and were duly cut down by Qianye. Qianyes blood core pulsed quickly as the essence blood poured in, sending him into a state of bloodboil. Hows that? Qianye asked. I surrender! Margo was as decisive as ever. The dark race army was thus routed. The defeated army was so big that the humans couldnt take any prisoners. All they could do was watch as the enemy scattered in all directions. Following the long, cruel war with the Empire and the temporary unification under Nighteye, the dark races had learned to be smart. They escaped in all directions, leaving no opportunity for the Empire to chase after them. Qianye stood at the center of the battlefield, watching the soldiers clean up the field. This kind of victory was something they hadnt tasted since Song Zinings departure. Everyone was in high spirits, and their gaze toward Qianye was full of worship. Soldiers had always revered the strong, and Qianye had shown them unparalleled heroism in charging the enemy central command, killing their experts, and wounding the duke. Everyone could see that even the three divine champions produced little results in the fight. All the merits belonged to Qianye alone. Of course, the divine champions wouldnt get involved with menial tasks like cleaning up the battlefield. They all arrived near Qianye with odd expressions. Qianye shook his head. I will not go. The three divine champions heaved a sigh of relief. Your decision is sound. Truth be told, the council is currently in a decline and occupied by useless old people. Im sure you wont be happy if you join them. Only someone of your talents and looks is a match for that person. Qianye finally reacted after hearing the last part. He glanced at Margo and said, Youre a part of the twelve vampire clans. Look at yourself, is this even appropriate? Margo spoke as though everything was right and proper. Why not? Dignity is just like floating clouds before a true king. Ive heard about your exploits, that even the Summit of Peaks has submitted to you. What can a small marquis like me do? Im only working together with them, and the people theyve sent only go up to Williams generation. William! The same William who has undergone two spiritual enlightenments? The one wholl reach the duke rank once he matures? Even he is following you?! Margos hands were on his chest, almost as though he were about to sing. Qianye stopped him with a frown. William and I are old friends. Were simply working together, understood? Yes, sir. Whatever you say is the truth. Qianye glanced at Margo. What do you want? Do you want to join Tatumu? If possible, I would love to buy back my freedom. My family holds a good position within the clan and is fairly well-off. They can surely give you a satisfactory price. Duke Wenyuan could no longer hold his thoughts in. Sire, do you not plan to restrain him? Qianye seemed surprised. Why? What if he tries to attack you Qianye broke into a laugh. He wont dare. Margo said obediently, Im a long-lived species, I want to live a few centuries more! But he might run away Qianye said, Last time, I stayed behind to capture Tatumu. This time, though hes the only one. He can try fleeing if he wants. Margo smiled wryly. Sire, your Spatial Flash is famous throughout Evernight. Im not dumb enough to run. I fled last time because there were people to serve as a sacrifice. Qianye stood with his hands behind his back. She should know that Im here by now. Margo said, The report shouldve reached the rear by now. Her Majesty should have seen it if shes still working on military affairs? Shouldve? Its like this, Her Majesty doesnt like working on military affairs. I dont know when shell be in the mood to flip through the battle reports. Qianye frowned. That means you guys have been fighting on your own during this time? We just followed Her Majestys previous battle plans. Margo was clever with his words. Qianye shot the three divine champions a glance. Among them, Duke Minghai was the eldest, yet his face was entirely red at this point. Now that actually impressed Qianye a bit. Divine champions could stay in full control of every part of their body, and it was all too easy to remain indifferent to everything. How could Duke Minghai fail to control something even a champion could? His flushed countenance was for Qianye to see, a show of embarrassment. Qianye felt bad about making a bigger fuss about this. These three had actually been beaten until they were scared. How could they win if they were so intent on fleeing? They had thought that they were facing Nighteye, but this commander had long since been ignoring military affairs. All she did was send some subordinates to beat the Empire black and blue. Whats she doing then? This how should this subordinate know? Margos shamelessness drew glances from the three divine champions. He had just surrendered, but now, he was calling himself a subordinate. Nighteye actually wasnt handling military affairs at the moment. She did go past her office but didnt even look at the mountain of documents on the desk. A baron rushed over at this point and ran straight into Nighteye. The man was so shocked that he almost dropped the documents in his hand. Your Majesty, this is the latest battle report the urgency level is the highest. The baron was so nervous that he couldnt speak clearly. I understand, just leave it there. Your Majesty, but I said, leave it there! Nighteye repeated her words. The baron went pale and started trembling all over. He placed the documents on the desk with great effort, then scrambled out of the room. He stumbled as soon as he got out of the door, landing with a loud thud. Without even looking at the papers, Nighteye walked over to the glass doors leading to the balcony. What entered her vision was a sizable fortress with tall walls protecting a wide stretch of land. The street blocks inside were divided in an orderly fashionworkshops, barracks, warehouses, airship port, etc. There were a total of nine kinetic towers to provide for the massive fortress energy requirements. At the far end of her vision, a pillar of black fire could be seen gushing into the sky. Before this majestic natural phenomenon, ordinary experts could only be compared to insects. Although only she could see the flames because her vision was far superior, the fortress could already be considered close to the sinkhole. It was also guarding a confluence of many roads leading toward it. There was a lone mountain in the distance that was more suitable for controlling the sinkhole, but the flames were simply too fierce at this point. Only a handful of experts could set foot on that mountain peak. Nighteyes gaze landed on that peak for a moment before moving away. An anxious vampire duke outside of the office dragged back the baron from just now, asking, Have you delivered the report? I have. The baron began to tremble. He was still quite young, and the effects of bloodline suppression were too strong on him. It was already commendable that he could stand in front of this duke. Did Her Majesty look at it? the duke asked. No. Seeing the dark expression in the dukes eyes, the baron said, I left after leaving the documents on the table. I dont know if she read it afterward. The dukes expression eased up a bit. He arrived at the door and knocked on it. Enter. The duke opened the door and walked in but saw no one. Nighteyes voice arrived from the balcony. Just speak from there, Im enjoying the scenery. Calling Blacksun Valley a hostile environment was an understatement. How could there be any scenery to speak of? But the duke wouldnt say that out loud. He stood at the door and said respectfully, The latest battle report from the frontlines says that Duke Larga suffered a defeat and fled on his own. He was badly injured and needs to recuperate back in their mainland. Then send him back, put a reserve in this place. Your Majesty, the reason for his defeat. I think Im enjoying the scenery, I dont want to know right now. Nighteyes voice was cold. You should know because he lost too quickly and miserably. I think you will know the only person capable of defeating him so. Speak. Qianye. Chapter 1351: Ransom How could it not The duke looked alarmed after blurting out those words, knowing that he had committed a mistake. Nighteye glanced at him. Do you think you can ignore my rules just because youre a duke? The dukes forehead was drenched in cold sweat. He fell onto one knee and lowered his head. I was simply too anxious, please forgive me! Seeing his humble posture, the chill on Nighteyes countenance relaxed somewhat. Hows Larga? Not dead yet? The duke was stunned. He knew that the vampires never liked the demonkin, but such ominous words werent exactly appropriate. However, Nighteyes status was extremely highnot only because she had racked up great accomplishments, but also because her methods were ruthless. There was once a disrespectful vice-duke whose four limbs were cut off. Since then, no one dared to challenge her authority. Since Nighteye had asked, then a reply had to be made. Largas injuries are grave, and his demonic furnace was also damaged. Theres only a sixty percent chance that he pulls through the current crisis, and hes bound to drop in rank even after a full recovery. The environment of the new world isnt friendly to us. Nighteye seemed distracted for a good while. She then said, That person went for his life right off the bat, yet Larga still managed to escape. Im guessing he was busy with something and didnt have the time to deal the final blow. The duke replied, Weve lost contact with the three squads under Largas command. Considering that persons strength, he probably didnt want to bother with dying trash like Larga. The duke spoke tactfully and even placed Qianye in a higher position. His intent was clear and seemed to be effective as intended. Nighteyes coldness melted quite a bit as she said, Probably busy taking prisoners. Seeing that his strategy was effective, the duke said, But since that lord is here, we need a way to deal with him. We lost seventy thousand men in one battle. If this goes on a couple more times, even we wont be able to take it. Nighteye said, Combine the squads two-by-two and put a duke in charge of them. They wont die as long as they dont challenge him one-on-one. The humans will likely attack proactively, so all you guys need to do is whittle away at their military power. The humans cant outlast us, he cannot outlast us. The duke hesitated for a while. But the casualties will be very high. They need to die anyway. The duke was speechless. Your Majesty, this Are you questioning me? Nighteye said after a moment of silence, What is your opinion? I believe only you can deal with that person. Of course, its best if he can join us. The council will surely give him a place. Nighteye replied calmly, Do you think its possible? If he isnt willing to do so at the moment, the only way we can secure victory is for you to take the field. Im tired. This Nighteye tossed the Tempest at the duke, saying, Ill lend you this one. You cant lose with such a weapon, can you? If you lose the Grand Magnum, go to the Wolf Sovereign and forfeit your life. The dukes hands were trembling as he caught the Tempest. There was no telling if he was excited or scared, but he gritted his teeth and said, Your Majesty, Im willing to die for you, but I also want to know why youre not willing to fight. Nighteye said calmly, We still owe the new world two dukes, remember? The duke felt a chill in his heart, and the Tempest felt heavier in his hand. He went down on one knee and said, If you order it, I wont hesitate even if it means my death. Very well, go. The duke stood up and left with the Tempest in his arms. Nighteye returned to the balcony and continued gazing at the distant pillar of black fire. No one knew what she was thinking. Back in the Imperial base, Qianye was currently holding a war meeting. It was just that the atmosphere was rather oddon one side were the three divine champions and Imperial generals, while on the other was Tatumu, Margo, and over half a dozen titled experts. This lineup wasnt at all like an Imperial war meeting. The Empire and Evernight had been fighting for a thousand years. Early on, the races would always fight to the death, so there were few instances of taking prisoners. The Empire slowly toned down its ruthless policy after solidifying its foundations and started taking captives. Even so, something like this had never happened before. There might be some exceptions on the lower continents or in zones of active conflicts but never was it done publicly. As though he never saw the odd expression in the generals eyes, Qianye merely gazed at the map on the wall. No one knew what he was thinking, and no one dared break the silence before he had spoken. But the lull went on for far too long. Finally, Duke Minghai decided to take advantage of his seniority to speak up, Sire Qianye, we managed to route the enemys first attack in a glorious victory, but well need you to decide on the direction. Qianye remained silent. Sire, Sire?! Duke Minghai had to call out twice before Qianye woke up from his reverie. What did you say just now? Duke Meinghai was able to remain fairly composed. He said with the same smile, Our army gained a huge victory, but there are a lot of problems left. We need you to make the decisions. What kind of problems? Well we have too many prisoners. You issued the order to spare all who surrender, to capture and not kill them. Currently, we have over forty thousand prisoners, almost more than the number of soldiers we have. We simply cannot hold more captives. Margo and Tatumu seemed alarmed. The words just now were a hinteither, deal with the current captives or stop taking in more. In truth, the war in the new world was waged at a national level, with neither side taking captives. The Empire had no capacity to do so while the dark races had suffered too much in the early phases of the war. They could not control the experts bloodlust, nor did they want to control them. At this point in the war, things were beyond what could be described as ruthless. Qianyes glory was at its peak because he had not only routed the dark race army but had done so almost single-handedly. No one dared go against the orders he had given. Even someone of Duke Minghais status could only remind him indirectly. Qianye replied, The Imperial decree states that all military affairs will follow my decision and the spoils will be mine to distribute. The three divine champions nodded. The authority granted to Qianye was almost unheard of. This was also because of his willingness to take on this role when the Empire was in such dire straits. Moreover, the so-called spoils would only exist if a battle was won. There would be nothing in the case of a defeat. Qianye said calmly, That means all these captives are my property. I will send them to Fort Continent and have them join my country. Do you have any complaints? The three divine champions exchanged glances at the unexpected development. These were the strongest elite soldiers of Evernight, with a large number of experts in their ranks. The destruction would be shocking should they revolt. Qianye was indeed quite brave to dare take them in. Fortunately, these captives were heading to Fort Continent and not the Empire mainland, so the one who would suffer in the case of a mutiny was Qianye. Tatumu stood up. Sire, rest assured. I will be fully responsible for watching over them. I assure you no one will dare to make a move! Qianye said after some thought. Well, theres no need to keep all of them. If theres anyone who doesnt want to stay, they may leave after paying the usual ransom. Understood, Sire. I will arrange it. Qianye said to the experts at the table. The same applies to all of you. This is your last chance if you dont want to remain. You may leave after paying a ransom. Duke Minghai and the old general Liu Chengyun exchanged glances, feeling that Qianye had ulterior motives. They felt that he was allowing the disobedient ones to jump out on their own, making it convenient for him to slaughter them. It was just that his methods were too crude and obvious. Some of the dark race members were more candid than expected. Two arachne counts stood up and said, Well pay double the ransom! Out with it then. An arachne placed his dagger on the table. This is a token of our clan, I will have them deliver the ransom to Fort Continent and redeem the item. Another arachne removed a bracelet from his wrist. This is a Spatial Gear. The space might not be big, but it should be enough to pay for my ransom. Qianye gestured to his men to receive the items. Very well, you may leave now. The two arachne counts couldnt believe their ears. Exchanging glances, they walked slowly out of the camp and fled into the distance. During the entire Process, Qianye sat at the table without moving. The three divine champions were stunned while the Evernight side heaved a sigh of relief. Qianye fell deep into his thoughts once more, returning only after a while. Margo. What would you have me do? Margo now considered himself Qianyes servant. Go back, tell her to pick a time and place for a fight! Not to mention the three divine champions, even Margo himself couldnt believe his ears. Sire, are you letting me go back? Qianye nodded. After delivering the message, you may return if you wish. Otherwise, send someone to deliver the ransom money. Margos expression became complicated, clearly conflicted inside. Duke Wenyuan could no longer hold it in. Sire, this is a path to future calamity! Besides, the dark races have never been trustworthy. What if he doesnt pay up after going back? Qianye said, He knows that theres a place for me at the council. If he reneges and I happen to take that seat one day, his clan will be paying more than just several times over. As for trust heh. There was no need for further elaboration. Duke Minghai tried to persuade Qianye against it. Sire, this Brother Margo is not weak. The Empire will be facing yet another strong foe if you let him go. You mustnt! Margos identity was special at this point, so Duke Minghai didnt know how to address the man. Long-lived species were all much older than the humans, so he decided on an ambiguous address in the end. Even Margo couldnt help but roll his eyes upon hearing it. Qianye shot the marquis a glance. Afraid of returning a tiger to the mountains, eh? No matter how many of him well, it would be a bit troublesome if eight of him came at me at once. Margo looked rather embarrassed. Chapter 1352: The Tempest Appears Qianye wasnt bluffing, though. It had long been known that he had no fear of group attacks and group battles. The combination of Spatial Flash and his destructive killing blows was a nightmare to many lower-ranking enemies. Margos awkwardness only appeared for a moment before he regained his calm. Sire, rest assured. Ill be back. Qianye was a bit surprised. Is my side that good? Theres nothing good at the moment, but youre the biggest reason. Margos face was beyond thick, so much so that the other divine champions had to admit they were inferior. Qianye arranged for an airship to take the prisoners back to the Empire and then to Fort Continent. There were tens of thousands of captives but only a few hundred Imperial escorts. The one actually responsible was Tatumu. And after finding out that they could redeem themselves after reaching Fort Continent, the prisoners stopped entertaining any thoughts of escape. All of them boarded the airships quietly and left Blacksun Valley. Qianye reorganized the army after absorbing a new batch of reinforcements and supplies. He then led his forces out of the secret base and made for the central region. Following this supply run, Qianye had only sixty thousand troops under his command, while the dark races had garrisoned hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the central zone. He was actually going head-on against the enemy with these meager numbers. This made old generals like Liu Chengyun feel deeply restless. Qianye ran into a series of arduous battles before Margos return. The dark races repeatedly assembled superior forces to intercept him. This time, even Qianye couldnt avoid being drawn into a long, bitter fight. The enemies werent arrogant enough to face off against Qianye one-on-one like Larga had. Every time, the overseeing duke would surround Qianye together with several marquises and work together to cover all blind angles. Qianye would have to use Spatial Flash and powerful moves like Sweeping Calm to take down a couple of marquises. As time went on, Qianye also sustained a fair number of injuries. This was especially true in battles against dukes, where he would have to trade wounds in order to threaten the opponent. And these dukes would run away once the battle was at a disadvantage. Qianye couldnt really do anything against a duke who was intent on running away. Even Larga managed to flee with such horrible injuries. The current dukes were highly vigilant and would retreat at the slightest damage, denying Qianye the opportunity to kill them. After five battles within seven days, Qianye had repelled five enemy forces and defeated five different dukes. The wounds on his body only increased in number, and the soldiers under his command dwindled. Even though the Empire was replenishing him as best they could, it was impossible to make up for the grave losses. The dark races losses shot up to four times the Empires own. Such a loss-ratio was right on the heels of Song Zinings battles before Nighteyes arrival. This could be considered a glorious accomplishment. Looking at the reports from the front line, the old men from the military clenched their jaws as they forked out whatever manpower and resources they could muster for the black hole that was Blacksun Valley. Although it was a victory all the same, it was just as Qianye had saidhis methods were different. Song Zining calculated every move and detail, maneuvering troops strategically to outsmart the enemy. Every dazzling operation would end up with the dark races falling into a trap. After Nighteyes appearance, however, Song Zining could no longer rely on divination. The only way left was to build fortresses to regain some advantage. Qianyes way was simple and direct. He would charge straight into the central command and target the enemy commander. He would single-handedly keep most of the enemy experts busy while the three divine champions went on a killing spree against the viscounts and counts in the field. Qianye was always at a disadvantage in battle, but he would always persevere until the end and trade blow for blow. It was always the dark races that would fall in the end. Seeing the increasing number of wounds on his body, including those that were difficult to heal, the three divine champions couldnt help but shudder. For some reason, this reminded them of Zhao Jundu. The fourth young master had also killed his way in and out of the enemy forces like a demonic god, turning his origin flames from azure to a nightmarish black. Looking at Qianye was like seeing Zhao Jundu from back then. Perhaps due to the repeated defeats or because the Empire was once again marching for the central zone, the enemy mustered an army of a hundred thousand and an extremely special enemy. Qianye had come face-to-face with the Tempest. Among the ten Grand Magnums, the Tempest was even more well-known than the Red Spider Lily. The latter would frequently leave public eyes owing to a lack of operators, while the Tempest had always been in the hands of the Summit of Peaks. Its unique square barrels were incomparably eye-catching, and its fame reached new heights after Nighteye wielded it against the Profundity Monarch. Seeing the weapon but not the intended wielder, Qianyes gaze landed on the person carrying it. It was an exceptionally handsome vampire. He looked fairly young and seemed to have just come of age. Those near-perfect facial features and tall nose pointed to his noble bloodline, while his young age hinted that his strength was just approaching its peak with even more room to grow. The insignia depicting a bat holding a blade in its mouth proved that he was from the Morway clan. He was probably a descendant of the Azure King, otherwise, Nighteye wouldnt have entrusted him with the Tempest. Qianye suddenly recalled a piece of information he had learned back in the Empire. Reportedly, Nighteye had awakened the soul of a mysterious character from ancient times, someone who had close ties to the Azure King. For some reason, seeing that handsome youth filled Qianye with a surge of hatred. It felt as though he was looking at the young Azure King from the past. Qianye couldnt explain this unreasonable feeling; all he knew was that he didnt like the man. Qianye led his army forward until they were just beyond the dark races firing range. There, he stopped the march with a raise of his hand and ordered the troops into formation. He flew into the air and arrived before the dark race army, completely ignoring the hundred thousand soldiers below. The Tempest is here, where is she? The vampire duke said proudly, What gives you the right to ask about her Majestys business? Defeat me, Saniel, if you wish to know about her. Qianye narrowed his eyes, scanning Saniel from head-to-toe. Where is the Awakening Dream? Saniel replied, It seems you know quite a bit. The Awakening Dream is one of the three holy weapons of the Evernight Council. Naturally, it is in Her Majestys hands. Qianye said, True, you wont be able to wield that sword. Even the Tempest is a bit forced. Saniel had enjoyed dozens of years of fame since his rise to power. He was much younger than the other dukes, but in fact, he was well over a hundred years old. He couldnt suppress his anger in the face of Qianyes mockery. If Im not suitable for the Tempest, who else is? Me, Qianye replied. Ha! You Saniel broke out in a peal of loud laughter, but he suddenly noticed something off about it. What did you just say? Qianyes figure suddenly blurred out before him. Spatial Flash! Saniel was just thinking that it was impossible when Qianye appeared right in front of him. The vampire only wanted to scream that Qianye was crazy. The latter had actually left his three divine champions in the rear and teleported into the central army?! Could he not see how many experts there were? Did he not notice his opponent was a duke with the Tempest strapped to his back? The questions merely flashed past because there was no longer any time to think. Qianyes body erupted in a thunderous boom as one slash after another descended on Saniel. The duke responded with a flurry of sword strikes that intercepted all of Qianyes blows, but each parry became more arduous than the one before. By the time he had gotten to the sixth and seventh blow, his hands were already trembling. Qianye was like a mature void colossus hiding beneath that delicate exterior. Every move contained such terrifying power that Saniel felt as though he were facing an arachne prince. He suddenly recalled the eighth blow of the Sweeping Calm. Save me! Saniel shouted, no longer caring about his dignity. There were over ten marquised in the army, four of them at the glorious marquis rank. Experts at that level could take part in the fight between Qianye and Saniel. It was just that they knew their commanding officer rather well. They were concerned about him losing face, so they didnt dare join in without his express consent. However, Qianye had struck so fast and hard that the fatal eighth blow was there in the blink of an eye. Saniel and the other keen experts realized things were dire when they saw the changes in Qianyes aurait had become ephemeral and cryptic, even causing the surrounding space to warp. Qianye had reached an entirely new realm in terms of strength to be able to warp space even before the attack. How terrifying would that power be if he were to launch it? Saniel no longer wanted to take that eight slash. He had come to understand how the wound on Largas body came to be. Back then, he simply thought the demonkin was useless, but now, he understood that escaping this eighth slash with ones life was no easy task. At this point, all the glorious marquises had noticed that the key to victory lay in stopping Qianye from unleashing this eighth slash. They went all out on Qianye himself, shrouding him in origin bullets and sword radiances. Qianye flickered away with Spatial Flash, effectively dodging all the incoming attacks. Saniel turned around all of a sudden and found Qianye behind him, the eighth slash ready to launch! By the time East Peak came down, Saniel was over a hundred meters away. He also possessed a skill for escape, just not as good as Spatial Flash. But only when he was a good distance away did he realize that Qianye had changed the direction of his attack. That slash was never coming for him. East Peak descended upon an arachne marquis, eliciting a miserable cry as he was cleaved into two. Even the arachne core was visible through the cut surface. Such an injury was no doubt fatal. The fleeing Saniel could hardly celebrate after seeing a subordinate take his place. His blood core was immediately flooded with anger and embarrassment. Chapter 1353: To Death with Me As the inheritor of a top vampire bloodline and a true expert, he sported an intricately crafted sword as his weapon. The duke managed to find a gap through East Peaks airtight assault and tore open a wound on the target. Saniel was shaken as the armor split open and the criss-cross of wounds on Qianyes body came into view, many of which hadnt fully healed. Qianye ignored the slash entirely, almost as though he knew not what pain was. If anything, bathing in blood was more like a release for him. Qianye erupted in a long howl which echoed into the sky and seemingly pierced through the nine heavens. Even though Saniel felt that the pressure was still bearable, he still found the pure heat of Venus Dawn extremely irritating. This caused him to reflexively narrowed his eyes in a bid to shield himself from the daybreak sun that was Qianye. At that split second, Saniel immediately realized that he had made a mistake. How could such a delay be forgiven in a battle of his level? Through the corner of his eyes, he suddenly noticed numerous sanguine threads shooting toward him and countless more stretching out in every other direction. Life Plunder! Most of the dark red threads shooting at Saniels body were blocked by his armor. As a duke, his current gear had been passed down for five hundred years. The defensive power of an armor made from void colossus bones was beyond words. However, there were a number of dark golden threads hidden amidst the red. These invisible filaments pierced right through the armor and made straight for the blood core! There, they were blocked by the crystalline structure that had condensed in the core. However, the impact also left some cracks. Saniel felt dizzy all of a sudden. In his daze, he saw the other experts falling to the ground. Qianyes Venus Dawn domain and Life Plunder might not be enough to take the life of all the marquis, but they could do little to resist the attack, either. In the blink of an eye, Saniel was left alone in the air. The duke felt a chill run down his spine, overcome by an inexplicable sense of danger. He activated his blood core by reflex and cleared away the sanguine threads, entering a state of blood boil in the process. He flashed a hundred meters away and drew the Tempest! It was at this moment that his vision went blank. All he could see was a pair of eyes. Those were Qianyes eyes. The moment he looked into those eyes, Saniel felt as though the world had slowed down. His blood energy, thoughts, and even time itself had stagnated. Wait, there was no way time could be changed! Qianye fired four radiant feathers with a shake of his wing, the two grey ones first, followed closely by the two pitch-black ones. All of them sank into Saniels body in the blink of an eye. Just like that, the Azure Kings descendant, pillar of the Morway clan, and member of the Evernight Council, Duke Saniels consciousness went blank. The dukes body fell from the sky and crashed to the ground, bounced a couple of times in an unsightly fashion, and stopped moving. Qianye slowly landed beside the dukes body and glanced at the collapsed experts nearby. Heres a big stack of contributions, is no one coming for me? The dark race experts glanced at Saniels body, but no one dared to take action. No one seemed interested in taking back the dukes remains, either. Their faces were full of shock and bewilderment. Qianye picked up the Tempest and roared thunderously, Tell her! If she refuses to see me, I will keep fighting until shes willing to! His words echoed hundreds of kilometers as a pillar of dark golden radiance shot into the sky! Qianyes blood energy had recovered at this point. The short window of opportunity to kill him was now gone for good. The Evernight experts had long since extinguished any notion of achieving victory. Saniels troopsmost of them vampiresgazed at the dark golden flame pillar with expressions of awe. They came before Qianye in succession, going down on one knee with a hand on their chest. After the reverent salutations, the experts left in a single file. Ten thousand dark race soldiers dispersed to each side of Qianye, no one daring to come within a hundred yards of him. The great battle thus came to an end. The three divine champions arrived around Qianye, filled with shock and awe as they gazed at the dead Saniel. Their eyes were filled with greed when they glanced at the Tempest, but the thought quickly vanished. They knew full well that it wasnt a weapon they could use. Even without considering the wastage during origin power conversion, the gun would still suck them dry within a minute. Liu Chengyun sighed, The Empire has gained one more Grand Magnum. Duke Wenyuan said, Sire Qianye has gained a Grand Magnum. Liu Chengyun nodded awkwardly, saying, Yes, it is indeed Sire Qianyes. Fact is, the possession of a Grand Magnum had always been an earth-shattering incident. It was difficult to say whether the Empire would just sit by and watch as Qianye took possession of the gun. The werewolves would certainly not ignore this. It was possible that either the Wolf Sovereign or the Wolf Ancestor would attack in person and reclaim the Magnum. Once outside of the new world, the great dark monarchs would no longer be bound by any limitations. Hence, it was doubtful whether Qianye would be able to hold onto the gun. Qianye paid little attention to Liu Chengyuns thoughts. He merely gazed at the receding dark race army and said, You guys heard what I said just now, right? The three divine champions nodded, a sense of foreboding filling their hearts. Qianye said, Im thinking how to beat those dark races into a corner. The three divine champions exchanged glances. He had defeated six dukes, killed one, and even robbed a Grand Magnumhow was this not beating the dark races into a corner? The thought went unvoiced as they waited for Qianyes continuation. You guys have followed me for a while now and accumulated a fair amount of contribution. Now, Ill give you a choice. Will you follow me into the central region for a fight to the death, or turn back from here? Duke Minghai was surprised. Youre going to fight a decisive battle with these troops? There were only fifty thousand men left under Qianyes command, while the Evernight army was four-hundred-thousand strong. There was no telling how many more troops they had replenished during this period. Charging in would be no different from tossing eggs at a rock. Although Qianye had defeated numerous experts along the way, those dukes were neither dead nor gravely injured. Most of them were merely scared off. Even Qianye would not be their match had they swarmed forth together. Besides, it wouldnt make much of a difference even if Qianye could beat all the dukes. The real overseer was Nighteye. As long as she remained undefeated, the dark races would never truly lose this war. The Tempest mightve fallen into Qianyes hand, but she still had the Awakening Dream. The Evernight side possessed four other Grand Magnums. Since she could borrow the Tempest, who was to say she wouldnt pick up the Sable Blessing next? Qianye ignored Duke Minghais question and merely watched the trio. Having followed him for some time, the divine champions understood Qianyes thoughts quite well. They knew that something he had decided would hardly change; it was only a matter of choice now. Liu Chengyun was the first to speak. The Empires soldiers came here to fight, not throw their lives away Make your own choice, do not preach. Qianye cut the man short. Liu Chengyun seemed furious, but he didnt dare act up. I choose to withdraw. Qianye nodded, then said to an aide, Very well. Record his cowardice in the face of battle. Remove all of his contributions and send him back to the Empire. Liu Chengyun was livid. I risked life and limb to fight for the Empire, how could you treat me so? Do you think you can do anything you want? I most certainly can in the new world. With that, he said to the subordinates, Seal his origin power. Dont you dare! Liu Chengyun glared furiously at the soldiers, but the men would only listen to Qianye. The old man might be a divine champion, but he didnt dare put up any real resistance. He knew that Qianye would not hold back if he were forced to take action. After watching how Saniel was defeated, Liu Chengyun knew that he would never be able to escape Qianyes hands. In the blink of an eye, the old man had been pressed to the ground and bound tightly. The guards nailed an entire set of sealing equipment into his body, effectively shutting off the flow of origin power. Then, some aides carried Liu Chengyun away for his trip back to the Empire. Duke Minghai sighed after Liu Chengyun was gone. The only reason were here at this age is to win the clan some protection with our final contributions. We never planned to go back alive, so why cower at the last moment and suffer such humiliation. This old man Liu is so muddle-headed. After the emotional sigh, he said to Qianye. I leave my old bones in your hands! Qianye nodded. Double Duke Minghais contributions, use Liu Chengyuns share first and take mine as well if its not enough. Duke Minghai was surprised. This wont do! Qianye replied calmly. I dont plan to go back alive, either, so whats the point of keeping these contribution points? Duke Minghai was startled. How can you say such words? Youre still so young, the heavenly monarch realm awaits you in the future! Qianye shook his head. I wont see that day. Duke Wenyuan said all of a sudden, Since youre prepared to die, Ill join you on the way. Oh? Qianye was surprised, not expecting Duke Wenyuan to be so proactive about joining the fight. Duke Wenyuan said, Im already a dead man, to begin with. I wont escape punishment even if I go back, so why not die in battle? All I ask is that you ensure my family is cleared of all punishment and that my contributions reach them. Im sure its not hard considering your connections. Very well, I promise you that. Qianye nodded. He planned to hand this task to the Zhao clan and Zhao Jundu. It wasnt difficult to make some arrangements for a divine champion who had died fighting for the Empire. Next in line were the champions. Their attitudes were differentthey were willing to fight, but not all of them were willing to die in battle. A small number of them withdrew, but Qianye allowed them to return without removing their contributions. Then came the officers and the soldiers. Many high-ranking officers withdrew, and it was actually the lower-ranking officers and the warriors who stepped forward. There were so many who wanted to go back that Qianye had to make them draw lots, picking only one out of ten, in order to keep the majority in the army. At dawn the next day, Qianye led the thousands of suicidal soldiers toward the gateway to the inner world. Chapter 1354: Through the Defenses A knock came from the door as a baron entered with a thick stack of documents. He bowed toward Nighteye before placing the files on the rack. The desk was already covered in battle reports, so there was no more space for new ones. After completing his job, the baron bowed again and left. Another knock was heard almost immediately afterward. Enter, Nighteye said lazily. A demonkin duke entered. Performing an appropriate salutation, he said, Your Highness, did you not read the battle reports? Nighteye remained silent, but Margo lashed out furiously, Mind your words, Lord Rodney! Rodney said proudly, This is no place for a mere marquis to speak! Margo was red with anger. He wanted to do something, but he knew he wasnt the others match. Nighteye finally looked up. If you think killing you will affect my relationship with the Eternal Flame, then youre gravely mistaken. Rodney smiled coldly. How am I mistaken? Nighteye replied calmly, My relationship with him is beyond bad, killing you will make no difference. The duke was visibly moved. He bowed slightly, saying, I was rude just now, please forgive me. I have indeed come under the orders of the Eternal Flame, His Highness will also be in a difficult position if you kill me here. Nighteye returned to her book. What does he want? His Highness is concerned about the recent battles. He heard some bad news. Thats why he asked me to come to the front lines and observe the progress here. Intentionally or otherwise, Rodney glanced at the tall pile of documents on the desk. Everythings going well. How come I heard differently? What did you hear? Rodney said in a loud voice, I heard a certain person has been ignoring their military duties, causing our front lines to be pushed back repeatedly. Now, even the Tempest has fallen into human hands! Nighteye said calmly, Those who dont listen to me will meet this fate. As for the Tempest, it neither belongs to the vampire race nor the demonkin. The Eternal Flame surely knows this reasoning and wont make a fuss about it. Unless Nighteye stared intently at Rodney, killing intent surging in her eyes. Unless youre here to cause trouble! In the blink of an eye, Rodney felt as though he had fallen into a cold abyss. He was unable to move his body at all, and all he could see was a pair of eyes. Nighteye walked over and delivered a resounding slap. This slap was neither too strong nor too light, but Rodney fell on his back and couldnt get up for a long while. Rodney clambered up unsteadily and nearly collapsed again. His aura fell rapidly until it reached the glorious marquis level before stabilizing. Furious and shocked, he cried out, Y-You! What did you do to me? You wont even be a glorious marquis anymore if you dont make yourself scram. Nighteye didnt even look up at him. The Eternal Flame wont let you off! Rodney left after saying this. After he was gone, Nighteye said, Close the door. Margo closed the door obediently and stood on attention, just like an elementary school kid. Nighteye walked over to the desk and picked up the top-most battle report, sighing as she read the contents. Margo held his breath, not daring to make a sound. Nighteye put the report down and walked over to the window. She spoke as if she were opening up but also as though she were just muttering to herself, Saniel was really talented and had great ambitions. I thought he would be able to accomplish something. Margo said, Lord Saniel is the pride of our vampire race. He did he fall? Margo wanted to slap himself after asking soeven the Tempest had been lost; there was no way Saniels fate would be any better. People would rather lose their lives than lose a Grand Magnum. Nighteye sighed. He was too arrogant. I already warned him not to face that man alone, but he clearly didnt listen. How will I face the Azure King now? Margo agreed entirely. Indeed! My mind went blank when I saw him back then, and I immediately fled. Thats how I managed to live until now. Nighteye shot him a glance. You have such insight? Margo said, Thats my innate ability. I can sense potential danger, and Go on. Margo spoke honestly, I trust someone related to you would surely be at your level, people like us simply cant compare. Since I cant beat him, why not just run? Nighteye chuckled. Youre quite honest. Perhaps a bit too honest. Your Majesty, when do you plan to let me go back? For what? To throw your life away? Margo seemed puzzled. What are you going back for? I promised Sire Qianye that I would return. If I cannot serve him, I must still hand him the ransom money. Only then will I be at ease. Nighteye replied, Just stay at my side for now. Deal with these matters after the showdown. Showdown? My presence doesnt really affect the outcome, does it? Margo wasnt lacking in self-knowledge. Of course not. Nighteye glanced at him. I said before, right? We still owe the new world two dukes. Yes, Margo didnt feel that it had anything to do with him. The gap between a glorious marquis and a duke was still considerable. One was definitely not a substitute for the other. Nighteye looked at him intently, saying, If we cant hand over two dukes, one duke and several marquises will also do. That wont do! Isnt that cheating? Margo almost jumped up. He quickly clammed up afterward, noticing his loss of composure. Nighteye paid him no heed and merely went on with her reading. After standing beside her for a while, he simply couldnt bear it anymore. Your Majesty, the demonkin are getting outrageous. They actually dare to treat you with disrespect, this is unbearable! That was a great lesson you gave him. Just a lesson? He probably wont ever return to the duke rank. Nighteye smiled indifferently. But I spared his life at least, so I guess it counts as a lesson. Margos mouth fell open. J-Just a slap Nighteye didnt explain what the Eye of Destruction was, nor did she need to. Im only a duke at the moment, so their address is beyond fitting. So what? Youre the incarnation of a powerhouse. Nighteye sighed, then stopped speaking. Margo stepped to the side tactfully and stood there like a statue. He knew that Nighteye would spend days on end once she started reading. Standing day and night wasnt that difficult a task for a glorious marquis. A days time went past just like that. Nighteye remained engrossed in her book, while the baron in charge of delivering reports visited with increasing frequency, and his expression looked more and more distressed each time. However, no one dared to disturb Nighteye after witnessing Rodneys fate. After occupying the desk, the documents filled up on the shelf and then spilled over onto the floor. The reports came in so frequently that Margo could no longer remain still. He risked his head to offer a reminder, Your Majesty, would you like to take a look at whats happening? The defensive line has probably collapsed, hasnt it? Nighteye seemed nonchalant. Margo was stunned. Collapse of a defensive line? T-This is the umpteenth defensive line that theyve broken. The humans will soon be at our door. They wont fight their way here. Hes not that dumb. Gazing at Nighteye and her almost nonexistent aura, a thought came into Margos mind. Maybe that person wasnt fighting his way toward this fortress because he didnt know Nighteye was here. At this moment, a group of human soldiers was rushing through Blacksun Valley. Their numbers were small, their armor was in tatters, and the weapons they carried were mostly damaged. Most of them had even switched to using dark race weapons. But everyone in this unit was as swift as the wind, as fierce as a tiger, and overflowing with killing intent. Qianye was marching swiftly at the lead, with Duke Minghai and Wenyuan at his side. Duke Minghais eyes were full of spirit. His old, declining state was nowhere to be found, and there was even some black hair around his forehead. It was as though he was growing younger. Duke Wenyuan, on the other hand, was a lot thinner than he used to be. Despite being wrapped in bandages, he was as tough as steel and akin to an unsheathed sword. That enigmatic scholarly appearance from the past was entirely gone. Qianye stopped all of a sudden and stared into the distance. The two dukes followed his gaze but saw nothing. Qianye pointed in that direction, saying, Theres a pillar of black fire over there. That should be the true passage into the new world. Duke Minghai said, I was there when Commander Zining set up the central fortress. Theres only one place with a pillar of black flames. Speaking of which, those flames are truly miraculous. Ive never seen or even imagined anything like it. Duke Wenyuan also chimed in, That fire pillar is made of burning darkness origin power. Who knows how much darkness origin power is down there. Qianye narrowed his eyes as he looked silently in a different direction. Sire, whats in that direction? A dark race fortress. Its probably bigger than Song Zinings fortress from back then. Do we attack? Duke Wenyuan asked calmly. It was as though he had no idea they had only three thousand soldiers left. Along the way, this squad had pressed forward no matter how big the enemy forces were. There was no such thing as retreat. After killing their way through countless defenses, they had finally arrived at the doors of the Evernight camp. Duke Minghai and Wenyuan could not see the dark races final fortress from this distance; only Qianye could. After gazing for a long long while at the yonder horizon, Qianye shook his head. Theres no need. Chapter 1355: The Final Battlefield Everyone here had been reborn, regardless of their person or status. Just like the demonic army Zhao Jundu had led back then, they were devoid of fear and keen to push the limits of their strength. Some of them found it strange. Why would he stop right as their destination was in sight? With a wave of his hand, Qianye summoned a map of the area with his blood energy. There was a bright spot on a mountain close to the entrance. The final battle will be here. Not bad, easy to defend and difficult to attack, Duke Wenyuan said. The prolonged exposure to the black flames have made the nearby mountains even harder than top-grade alloy. None below the marquis rank can even damage it. Its definitely a good battleground where our geographical advantage will remain constant, said Duke Minghai. Duke Wenyuan added, The only problem is that we have no supplies. If the dark races surround us without attacking, we wont be able to last long. Well need to plunder some supplies if we are to fight. Correct, the Empires supply line cant reach this place. After the generals had finished discussing this matter, Qianye said, Lets go, well figure it out when we get there. A route appeared on the projected map, more or less a straight line stretching towards the final battlefield. It shot past the vicinity of a fortress defended by a hundred thousand soldiers. Yet, no one had any objections about this path. The silhouette of the fortress appeared over the horizon not long afterward. In the dusky environment of Blacksun Valley, the stronghold looked like a sleeping void colossus. Since the imperial soldiers could see the fortress, it was only natural that the other party wouldve seen them too. The soldier in charge of the sentry tower immediately sent a report, which was relayed up the ranks until it reached the commander of this fortress, Vampire Duke Dominica. The man was having lunch when the report was delivered. The table before him was full of good foodthe array of eleven main dishes went to show how high his status was. Vampire nobles paid particular attention to every detail of their lifestyle, no matter where they were. Seeing his aide enter with a report, Dominica said in a bored tone, You must be mistaken? What kind of report is so urgent that you need to bring it here, cant you seem Im having lunch? The aide looked terrified, but that didnt stop him from speaking, Lord Dominica, Im sorry for disturbing your meal, but this is an urgent report that requires you to make a decision. Whats so urgent? Are the enemies at the gate? In fact, they are passing right by our gates. The aide hadnt even moved when Dominica snatched the report and walked out of the hall, reading along the way. So slow. The duke was nowhere to be found when the aide exited the hall. Fortunately, he understood Dominicas habits quite well, so he made straight for the gates. As expected, the duke was already on the gate towers, staring into the distance with a serious expression. The aide followed the gaze. With his visual power, all he could see were soldiers moving toward the sinkhole. He could tell that the enemy forces werent big and probably just around three thousand men. A random marquis and his direct subordinate forces could outnumber them two to one. As the aide saw it, the brazen passing by of this unit was no different from a resounding slap to the sacred blooded races in the fortress. It wouldnt be too excessive for Duke Dominica to respond to this insult in person. Yet the duke seemed pensive. The anger and impulse on his face slowly faded away, replaced by a shiver that ran down his spine. He said with a swing of his sleeve, This matter is of utmost importance. Write a report and send it to Her Majesty as quickly as possible! The aide was startled. Theyll be gone by the time I finish writing. Dominicas expression darkened. Write what I tell you to! If you utter more nonsense, Ill put you in the blood pond and turn you into nutrients. The aide wanted to say something, but a comrade dragged him off to the side. After the duke was gone, that person said, You idiot! That human squad made it here with so few people, how do you think they managed that? The aide was startled. Could it be that person? Who else? The Tempest is in his hands now. The aide was enlightened, but he still wanted to argue. But, the duke wont necessarily lose to him! What if he does? Go write your report. I think your position is in danger. The aide left hurriedly. Outside of the fortress, Duke Wenyuans eyes gleamed brightly. Those dark race bastards are afraid to come out and fight us! Such cowards! The commander probably put the fear of god into them. With the Tempest in his hands, which ordinary duke would want to commit suicide against him? Duke Minghai chimed in. Duke Wenyuan, I wonder how big of a bang you and I will go out with! Duke Minghai laughed, No matter how big, were both accompanying the sire. True, true. The two had formed a heroic bond amidst laughter. Qianye stared intently at the fortress, but seeing no movement, he turned back and went on with his journey. What he didnt know was that the entire fortress was busy, brainstorming how to write a report to Nighteye. This report had to be carefully written. Nighteye might not look at it now, but she might flip through them at a later date. Even if she never read it, some council members might do it one day. They couldnt say that they were afraid of meeting Qianye and the Tempest in battle, could they? The report stated that the forces in the fortress were waiting for a decision from the higher-ups because the matter was of great importance. Both imperial and Evernight nobles were quite familiar with this tactic. The small human squad thus left the massive fortress behind and inched closer to the black pillar of flames. Even the ordinary soldiers could see it now. Half a day later, they arrived at the foot of the tall mountain. Standing less than a thousand meters tall, this mountain wasnt all that high. However, it was the only high-ground in the flat region. The geography at the summit was complicated, with giant rocks dotting the area. These rocks closer to the sinkhole were round and smooth, a feature that had formed after prolonged exposure to the flames. The mountaintop was even more advantageous for them than Qianye had anticipated. The wide road leading to the sinkhole was under the control range of this mountain. Occupying this peak effectively cut off the connection between the sinkhole and the fortress as they could fire upon anyone trying to travel between them. The mountaintop was still hot at this point, so much so that even champions were sweating and ordinary soldiers found it difficult to bear with the heat. This was probably why the dark races hadnt occupied this place yet. The flames were already weakening by the day, so it was likely that troops would be able to occupy the peak in a few days time. Glancing at the surroundings, Duke Minghai and Duke Wenyuan were both somber. Fighting here would demand even more resources than normal. Their supply of drinking water alone wouldnt last that long. Qianye gazed at the distant sky, at a small black dot that was moving toward them at a leisurely pace. The dukes eventually realized that the approaching object was actually a void colossus. It was just that the creature was sporting dozens of origin-sails on its back, an odd integration of human technology. Martyrs Palace! Duke Minghai cried out. It was no secret that Qianye possessed the Martyrs Palace. The humans had relied on this massive airship to destroy two duke-grade vessels on the void-continent and claim victory. The only problem was that few had ever laid eyes on the airship despite its fame. Even Duke Minghai and Wenyuan took a while to snap out of their reverie. The Martyrs Palace arrived slowly, stirring quite a bit of ruckus in the Evernight fortress. It was flying well beyond the fortress firing range. Moreover, the Evernight side never had any air force advantage, to begin with. Most of their airships here were just for transport since they couldnt bear to mobilize those expensive ones. None of their experts dared fly up to fight the colossus, either. The more intricate and advanced the airships were, the faster they would degrade in the adverse environment of Blacksun Valley. And there was no need for such advanced vessels unless mobility was a requirement. The Martyrs Palace traveled unobstructed until it slowly descended onto the mountain peak. The great army everyone was expecting did not appear as the doors flew open; only Caroline walked out with a big crate. This is the thing you want. Qianye scanned the box, saying, Good. And this, I managed to get one after paying an exorbitant price. Caroline passed Qianye a tightly sealed box. Whose is it? It should be the Longevity Monarchs. Duke Minghai and Wenyuan exchanged glances, realizing the topic of that conversation. The box contained an origin bullet imbued with the Longevity Monarchs origin power, and there was no need to explain who that bullet was for. What shocked them was how such a treasure would actually leak out. Qianye weighed the box in his hand. A thousand years of development, yet there will always be maggots in the Empire. Its inevitable. As long as the backbone isnt rotten, the general situation will remain intact. Duke Wenyuan understood quite well. Qianye put away the box and said to the two dukes. Your journey with me ends here, the Martyrs Palace will send you back to the rear base. Come find me seven days later when the pillar of black flames subsides. What? the dukes cried out in alarm. From here on out is my battle, you two will lead our troops back. All the soldiers who have managed to get this far are great men. Dont sacrifice them needlessly. Now, get on the airship! The two dukes werent willing, but they didnt know how to refuse Qianyes order. The same went for all other soldiers. An impatient Caroline began rushing them; the environment here was too adverse. The longer the Martyrs Palace remained here, the greater the risks. The two dukes boarded the palace reluctantly. As the massive vessel took to the air, all the men were crowded around the windows. On the summit. Qianye had produced a big flag and written a giant Ye on it, the last word of his name. He was satisfied as he observed his very own standard. As the Martyrs Palace drilled into the clouds, that big flag fluttered proudly in the air. Qianye sat down beneath the flag, waiting quietly for the dark race army to arrive. Chapter 1356: Focused Killing Duke Dominica was there to inspect the resources. He nodded satisfactorily after seeing some specially-marked cold storage boxes. These boxes contained premium ingredients and wine for the nobles in the fortress. Only good food and wine could bring joy to Dominica while in this fortress. He quietly counted the days to himself. Seven days, just seven more days He glanced at the time and felt better since it was only one hour until dinner time. What surprise would the chef bring him today? He walked toward the main building in anticipation. He was merely in charge of this fortress, but Nighteye held the highest authority in the new world. Following Duke Rodneys reduction to a glorious marquis, not even dukes dared to challenge her authority again. After all, the Eternal Flame didnt react in the slightest while the Demon King only feigned ignorance about this matter. Perhaps the demonkin might find a way to get their revenge at a later date, but for now, they had no choice but to endure. As Dominica saw it, Nighteyes life was one of bitter cultivation. She only ate simple food every day and refused to touch wine, drinking only water. The duke simply couldnt understand what her great strength and authority were for. Life was long; shouldnt one fill it up with good food, drinks, and enjoyment? After a moment of distraction, Dominica decided to head to his personal dining hall. The table there was probably filled with meticulously prepared cuisine by now. He had just left the landing pad when a viscount ran over hastily. Sire, things arent looking good! Dominicas expression darkened. Why are you so flustered? The viscount said, Youll know when you see it. Dominica wasnt happy about his ruined dinner plans. He followed the viscount with a gloomy expression, planning to punish the tactless bastard if there was no good reason. After ascending the watchtower, the viscount passed him a pair of binoculars and pointed in a certain direction. Snorting heavily, Dominica slapped the binoculars away and focused his vision in the direction. A lone peak appeared at the far end of his vision. It was just that something seemed to have appeared on the barren peak. Dominicas expression shifted drastically. He rose into the air and flew toward the mountain; he needed to confirm what he had seen just now. He rushed back in the blink of an eye, crying hysterically before he had even landed. Assemble the troops! Assemble the troops! Mobilize every available unit! Attack that mountain, we must take it down before midnight! The warehouse doors were opened, and piles of heavy shields and axes were distributed to the werewolves and demonkin. The entire scene was a mess. The supply officers were busy noting down the withdrawals and roaring at the soldiers. Their shouts were in vain, howeverthe violent werewolves and arachne slammed the officers away and began picking up whatever they wanted before heading over to assemble. A cloud of steam emerged from the fortress as the large, hundred-ton gates slid open under the combined effort of the machine and gears. The squads preparing to assume duty drove out of the fortress, finally making space for more soldiers to assemble in the drill grounds. Just like that, one mobile squad after another equipped themselves and left the fortress. Seeing the resting, heavy-armored units beginning to assemble, Domnica seemed to remember something all of a sudden. Tell the remaining forces to remain on standby. Lets send. thirty thousand troops first. Contact Demonkin Duke Tanner and the Arachne Duke Ben, tell them that they must arrive before midnight. Yes, Your Excellency, the aide duly conveyed the orders. He was a bit curious, however, not understanding what the conflicting orders meant. If he did think highly of the enemy forces, why would he only dispatch thirty thousand soldiers out of the two hundred thousand? If he didnt think too highly of them, why did he summon the two dukes as though he were about to face a great enemy? And why did he not report such an important development to Nighteye? The aide remained puzzled, but the frontline marquis had gotten their answer. As they arrived at the mountain peak, they saw the flag fluttering in the wind. They also saw their enemy. There was only one person. The group of marquises was stunned as they gazed at the man under the fluttering flag. They knew he was Qianye and just how terrifying he was. Yet, what was this scene before them? Was this man going to challenge the entirety of Evernight by himself? Had Qianye gone crazy? Or was this world crazy? The marquises stood for a good while before confirming that they had not made a mistake. Their forces had long since spread out behind them and surrounded the lone peak, waiting for the next order. However, the order they were waiting for didnt come even after a long while. Everyone looked up at that flag on the summit. Every stroke of that Ye was akin to a peerless sword strike; simply watching it made ones eyes ache. Slowly, the forces began to grow restless and some impulsive soldiers felt humiliated by this development. They wanted to charge up in a frenzy and attack Qianyeand some of them did that. An arachne viscount roared at the sky. Brandishing a heavy shield and axe, he turned into his spider form and shot toward the summit. Many other arachne warriors were agitated by his roar and followed suit. The werewolf soldiers nearby also went berserk and started to break rank. Steep precipices and flat land made little difference to them. The vampires didnt move. The demonkin were smaller in number, to begin with, and most of them were long-range attackers positioned in the rear. The arachne viscount raised his limbs and swung his axe at the target with thunderous momentum! Qianye finally moved. He stood up and drew East Peak, which he had planted in the ground beside him. He returned to his original spot after a single horizontal sweep, and East Peak was once again in the ground. The arachne viscounts upper body flew over Qianye. He was still holding tightly onto the axe, the momentum from which flung the bisected upper body to the other side of the mountain. The lower half of the viscounts body charged past Qianye and crashed into some stone pillars, its limbs still moving subconsciously. The sharp forelimb produced sparks as they scratched the ground but couldnt leave any marks. The arachne viscounts death did nothing to intimidate the rest of the crazed dark race experts. As the horde arrived, Qianye finally picked up East Peak and shot into the enemy forces. In the eyes of the distant marquises, Qianyes every move was clear, rhythmic, and devoid of any excess. It was as though they had returned to their youths when their instructor was demonstrating a high-level sword art. Just as the marquises were engrossed in the swordplay, they heard a sigh from above. Such concentration! The group looked up to find that Dominica had appeared at some point. He was standing in the air, distracted as he gazed at Qianye from above. Dominica was in a completely different realm. His reminder allowed everyone to see what was different. Qianye was quiet, concentrated, and each of his strikes was incomparably serious. He treated even the most ordinary of soldiers like a great enemy, avoiding the slightest of mistakes and leaving no opening at all. Just like that, he kept on killing with great focusit felt as though he could slowly whittle away a million-strong army. Qianye was like an intricate yet reliable machine made to take life from the moment he was born. Slowly, a formless chill arose in the hearts of the marquises that sapped them of the will to fight. They had a feeling that Qianye would kill them with a single slash even if they did go up, no different from how he was killing those soldiers. The calm Qianye was the most terrifying. At this moment, this man was a god of war. The marquises turned to Dominica without prior arrangement; only a duke might be able to take Qianyes attacks at this point. Yet, they found that Dominicas hands were shakingunbeknownst to the duke himself. Dominical screamed, Attack! Everyone, attack! Whoever kills him, I will grant a drop of origin blood! The marquises were shocked, their minds filled with a sense of uneasiness. They exchanged glances in the face of the attack order, yet not one of them moved. Ordinary dark race soldiers couldnt see what was happening behind the scenes. All they could tell was that Qianye was being surrounded and fighting for his life. Encouraged by the promise of origin blood, they forgot about the terror of death and charged toward the mountain peak. Dominica glared sharply at the group of marquises who had stayed behind, but the latter simply feigned ignorance. All of them remained nailed to the ground and didnt move. Snorting heavily, Dominicas figure flickered out of existence. He had gone back to the fortress. Once in the stronghold, he issued a loud order, All troops assemble! Move out and attack according to your roster sequence, three divisions every hour. Also, send for the two dukes immediately. Tell them that they must arrive ahead of time! Tell them tell them its her majestys orders! The aide was shocked out of his wits. Erm should we let Her Majesty now? Dominica glared at him. I think we need to replace you. The aide replied hurriedly, Sire, please forgive me. Ill get it done immediately! Yet, everything was too lateDominica had thrust his sword through the mans blood core. The duke kicked the aides body away and grabbed a nearby viscount, From now on, youre my aide-de-camp, understand? Go and relay my orders. The new aide left swiftly. He looked a bit better for a moment, but his countenance darkened when he glanced at the flag in the distance. He really wanted to know how many of their two hundred thousand soldiers that man could kill? Chapter 1357: Like the Night Eternal The battle on the summit was still ongoing. That mans figure shuttled back and forthneither slowing down nor speeding up as he reaped all life around him. The flag was still flying. Duke Tanner said unhappily, Why are there so many vampire survivors? When did they become such cowards? Dominica mocked, There are even fewer demonkin casualties, where have they gone? The last duke to die died in your races hands. Dominica smiled coldly. You dare question Her Majesty? Looks like you want to experience the life of a glorious marquis again. Tanner went quiet with a fearful expression. Nighteyes several bloody incidents had proven that provoking her was stupid, no matter who it was. Ben cut the two of them short at this point. Are you guys going to ignore his arrogance? Dominica and Tanner remained silent in tacit agreement. Ben pointed at that flag. That flag is flying right before hundreds of thousands of Evernight soldiers! What we do today will be passed down in history. If we cannot put it down today, how will we go back and face the Evernight Council? Unexpectedly, Dominica didnt find this embarrassing at all. Ive been a member for far too long, its fine to resign from my position. Tanner wasnt that shameless, but he didnt say anything, either. Ben was fuming in anger. The arachne were an impatient race, to begin with, and this one had an especially bad temper. He immediately tore off his robes to reveal a set of dark scarlet armor, shouting, I thought the vampires are a true noble race that seeks glory and faith. Who wouldve thought youd be such cowards! Look! Look at that human, have you no shame calling yourselves a superior race? In the army below, many titled vampire experts lowered their heads in shame. This battle will add another arachne legend to the history of this world! Ben produced a long battle axe and roared at the sky. He then charged toward the mountain peak with the speed of wind. Dominica and Tanner exchanged glances, laughing as they noticed the pity in each others eyes. They seemed to have grown even closer than before. Ben swept all the soldiers away with a swing of his axe. He then stared at Qianye, saying, Ben Teaker of the Silverflank Tribe is here to fight you! Dont think Jaero is the only fearless long-lived race. Qianye remained devoid of joy and sorrow. Without so much as a word, he slashed nimbly at the arachne duke, as if the latter was no different from an ordinary soldier. The dukes giant arachnid body was shaken as the sword and axe met, pushing his limbs deep into the ground. Qianyes strike was unimaginably heavy! Ben hadnt caught his breath when Qianyes second slash arrived. The duke raised his axe with both hands to block the attack, but the third ones followed, then the fourth. There seemed to be no end to the attacks. Qianye held his blade with both hands, reaching a level of focus that could only be described as zealous. The strikes came one after another, like a constant drizzle of spring rain that covered the arachne duke. Underneath those silent, well-oiled movements, every sword strike was extremely powerful and propelled in a fashion that drained the most origin power. Ben suddenly realized that Qianye hadnt held back at all. He no longer needed to use the eight strikes of Sweeping Calm because the first blow was no weaker than the last. He was facing the strongest version of Qianye, one who gave no thought about the future. Understanding this, Ben erupted in a loud roar and unleashed his full power. This pushed Qianye back for half a step, giving the arachne time to raise his deformed axe. His strength rose sharply with the repeated surge of darkness origin power; he was burning his life force! An earth-shattering roar echoed in Blacksun Valley. The axe containing the power of a dukes lifetime thus descendedthen froze halfway through. Qianye had blocked this destructive attack and flicked a luminous feather into the dukes arachnid core. Despite losing his strength, a trembling Ben pressed down on the axe with all his might. A fluctuation finally appeared in Qianyes eyes. He loosened his right hand slightly and allowed the axe to fall onto his shoulder. A thin wound opened on his skin, and a drop of fiery blood seeped out. Looking relieved, Ben heaved a long sigh. I finally wounded you. You couldve fled. Why didnt you run? Ben laughed. Run? How can I? He pointed at the flag with trembling hands. After you erected this standard, I can no longer run. Everyone up there is watching... both from the Empire and... Evernight. My tribesmen, my children, and my descendants, everyone is watching! As a warrior, I must die standing Bens voice faded away. Qianye grabbed the arachnes hand and carried him to the flag. You are a true warrior. Stay there under my banner and watch my battle. Very well Bens head hung down, but his body remained standing. Far in the distance, the mockery on Dominic and Tanners faces had disappeared. Avenge the duke!!! No one knew which arachne expert shouted, but it successfully stirred up the arachne forces. Countless spiders fought their way to the peak and swarmed Qianye. Corpses fell like rain once more, but with bloodshot eyes, the arachne soldiers pushed through their comrades corpses and climbed up the mountain. They hoped to kill that man before their dukes corpse. This was a formidable force no matter the era, but unfortunately, their opponent was Qianyejust as it was for the true warrior, Ben. That night, he was a true god of war. No one knew what he was thinking, or what emotions he was harboring while cutting down enemies in the thousands. Perhaps his heart was just like his eyes, deathly cold and silent. Dominica felt that this man was already dead. It was not his body that had died, but his heart. He didnt know what made him feel this way. He was never a close friend of Qianye; he had never even seen the man before. Why would he feel this way? An unknown length of time went by as squad after squad of dark race soldiers climbed the peak, never to return. At first, it was only the arachne leading the charge, but the werewolves joined in later on, followed by increasing numbers of demonkin and even vampires. The night eventually ended and dawn arrived. The kings standard was still flying. Dominica and Tanner were still standing in the air like statues. Bens body was still standing under the royal standard, bearing witness to this historic moment. At some point, a vague suppressive feeling began to fill the atmosphere. A true powerhouse was watching this place from far out in the void, but no one knew if it was a supreme, a great dark monarch, or a heavenly monarch. All they did was watch silently. There was a tremendously powerful aura above all, and that was the will of the new world. It had also come to watch the battle between those that were no more than ants to him. Who wouldve thought this fight would turn into an epic battle involving both factions? All of this came to be because of that flag. A demonkin marquis suddenly appeared in front of the two dukes. He bowed in greeting before saying to Tanner, Uncle, our demonkin race must have its glory and dignity as well. We cannot let the arachne be the only race of true warriors. Im heading out, please tell my father that I didnt shame the Masefield family. Tanner looked solemn, but he eventually nodded. Go then, there will be a place for you in the clans records. The marquis bowed. He then drew his sword and shot toward the battlefield like a shooting star. His corpse fell from the mountain not long afterward. What remained of his sword stabbed into the ground near him, trembling from the impact. Countless demonkin soldiers charged past his corpse on their way to the mountain. After an unknown length of time, Tanner said, I thought I already understood a lot of things, but I just realized that I still have no answers. Dominica asked, About? Tanner said, Ive always wondered about the rise of the human race, just what their secret is. Are honor and dignity tangible? Can they be compared to over a thousand years of life? Which is more important? Dominica felt that he didnt need to reply to this question because the answer was already clear. The words reached his lips, but he couldnt say them out loud. Tanner laughed self-deprecatingly. Now, I want to know the answers. You, dont tell me Tanner said, Ben was right, our race, our children, everyone is watching us. Its not just now but in the future as well. Perhaps a thousand years later, people will still mention our names when they talk about this battle. I dont want my descendants to feel shame at that point. Dominica watched Tanner fly toward Qianyes royal standard. He felt something stuck in this throat, making it impossible for him to breathe. Moments later, Tanner barely propped himself up on his sword. Gazing at Qianye, he asked with great difficulty, That was The Shot of Inception. Good. I managed to injure you too. The glow of life slowly went out of Tanners eyes. Qianye gave him no reply, and only carried his corpse to the flag and laid him down beside Ben. In addition to the two dukes, there were some marquis remains as well. The unworthy ones had already fallen off the cliffside. The blood battle went on without pause. Dominica suddenly woke up from his reverie. How long has it been. One of his personal guards replied, Sire, its the third day now. Its gone on for that long. Unknowingly Domnica rubbed his face, his eyes subconsciously avoiding that flag. The large banner was now soaked in blood, so much so that the words on it were no longer clear. Yet the duke could still feel every stroke of the word Ye cutting his heart like a sword. A commotion arose in the troops below as a beautiful girl weaved through the crowd and appeared before Dominica. The dukes expression shifted drastically. He said in a trembling voice, W-Why are you here? The girl went down on one knee. The vampires cannot stay out of this battle! Father, forgive me for I cannot listen to your orders this time. The girl left like the wind, leaving Dominica with no strength to stop her. Chapter 1358: Like the Night Ends He had forgotten how many wounds he had sustained, nor how much blood he had shed. Pain no longer existed, only numbness. His heart was a sea of deathly cold and silence, seeking the most efficient way to take life. A beautiful vampire girl appeared before him, adding a bit of color to the battlefield. However, this color faded away very quickly, so much so that Qianye couldnt even remember whether she had retaliated or what the outcome was. All he could focus on was the next enemy. All of a sudden, he heard a soft crack. The noise rumbled like thunder in his ears and woke him up. He looked back to find a werewolf soldier swinging his axe at the flagpole. Qianye was furious! Before he could take action, however, a werewolf count dragged the soldier away. He pointed at Qianye while shouting at his subordinate. Qianye didnt understand the entirety of their conversation since they were talking in the werewolf language. The rough meaning was that they would need to kill Qianye in order to dismantle the flag. The werewolf soldier looked embarrassed. He soon charged toward Qianye in a frenzy and was quickly turned into a corpse. This small interlude cleared up Qianyes sluggish thoughts. He glanced at his surroundings and thrust East Peak into the ground, unleashing countless sanguine threads throughout the battlefield! It was just that there were too many dark race soldiers. Even Life Plunder could only clear away a small portion of the mountaintop. The soldiers charging up were stunned and soon plunged into despair. Tap, tap, tap! A continuous string of gunshots echoed atop the mountain. Just like crops being reaped, the Evernight soldiers collapsed in droves. Counts, marquises, and ordinary soldierseveryone arrived at the same fate. All the dark race experts were shocked. It was the Tempest! This time, the Evernight soldiers could not keep up with the Tempests speed. If the fight before was a battle, then this one was more of a one-sided massacre. Dominica''s expression shifted repeatedly. He simply couldnt understand why the Tempest would last so long. Qianye was firing the gun alone, without any comrades to supply him with energy. The duke finally approached the battlefield, but Qianye kept on firing without pause. A black tome materialized above his head, its pages flipping as blood energy poured into Qianyes body like a waterfall. The power transformed into the Tempests wrath which in turn wiped out everything in its wake. The duke tried several times to make up his mind, but in the end, he never dared to rush into the battlefield. The destructive power of the Tempest destroyed the Evernight armys will to fight. For the first time in three days and nights, Qianye had no more enemies to fight. He put down the Tempest and replanted the tilted flag. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind filled the heavy flag and sent it fluttering in the wind. There were dark race corpses all around the lone peak, piling up from the bottom of the mountain like a big slope. The souls of a hundred thousand warriors ignited into brilliant fireworks that illuminated the one and only royal standard. Everyone knew that the king beneath this flag would collapse at any moment, but no one could tell when. Perhaps in the next minute, perhaps never. The reason one Evernight soldier after the other had thrown themselves forward wasnt to kill Qianye. His name would be untarnished even if someone did manage to kill him. All they wanted to prove was the pride and dignity of the long-lived races, something that could not be profaned. It was just that Qianye was still standing while countless Evernight experts were feeling exhausted. It wasnt quite fear but tiredness born of despair. The Tempest wouldnt last longclear skies would follow the most violent of storms. If he were allowed to close the curtains in this manner, then there would only be one main character in this show. The countless experts of Evernight would be reduced to background characters. Few cared about how the later generations saw them, but it was extremely important under these circumstances. Dominica slowly drew his sword. Before he could take the field, however, a wave of cheers erupted throughout the area and countless soldiers fell to their knees. Her Majesty! Its Her Majesty! Countless dark golden spider lilies appeared in the air, forming a radiant path from the fortress to the lone peak. Nighteye appeared on the other end of this road with Awakening Dream in her hands. Her peerless aura stifled everyone as she slowly walked along the floral road and onto the mountain peak. As she came to stand before Qianye, they each carved the others figure deep in their hearts. Can you still fight? she asked. Enough for one last attack. A pair of luminous wings unfurled behind Qianye. A speck of darkness emerged from the tip of his feathers and spread over the entire plumage. A pair of black wings had once again appeared in this world! A complicated emotion appeared briefly on Nighteyes countenance. Very well! I shall use the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance to offer sacrifice to my blade. This isnt all. Qianye dropped the Tempest, produced Dragonsgrave and a small box. A supreme daybreak aura shot into the sky as the casing was flipped open. Nighteyes expression shifted drastically. The Longevity Monarchs power?! Very well, I can finally test myself against a heavenly monarchs power again." As though he heard nothing, Qianye pushed the bullet into Dragonsgrave and performed a weapons check. After confirming that everything was ready, he looked up at Nighteye. The ice in Qianyes eyes seemed to melt as he saw her, but the frost quickly reformed and settled. Nighteye didnt attack immediately and waited quietly until Qianye was ready. Ready? The last step. Qianye unleashed a long howl. The black wings behind him dispersed and countless luminous feathers merged into Dragonsgrave like raging tides. Gasps echoed through the field and many experts who had thought their victory was certain became restless. Even Domnica grasped his sword so tightly that his fingers were turning pale. It was at this moment that the Wings of Inception and Dragonsgrave became one with the power of the heavenly monarch. Qianyes final shot was likely comparable to an all-out attack from a heavenly monarch. Nighteye held her blade in great focus. This was the first time she was going all out since her awakening. Far off in the distance, an airship was flying over at great speed. It was just that no one could pay attention to it at such a juncture. Nighteye cried out, Lets do this! Both the Empire and Evernight will witness our battle! Qianyes eyes reflected Nighteyes figure, shrouding it in shades of blue. His reflection was also in Nighteyes pupils, ravaged by blades of dark golden blood energy. The Eye of Destruction against the Eye of Control! No one knew the outcome of this showdown, nor did they need to know. At this silent moment, Nighteye could no longer move and that origin bullet had left its chamber amidst a maelstrom of destructive power. This shot was an accumulation of Qianyes entire lifetime. It was unstoppable. A blade radiance appeared in Nighteyes hands, a flash that stunned the entire world. In their daze, everyone seemed to have dreamt a deep, beautiful dream. There, they saw the pinnacle of power that they sought as experts. That shot was a perfect marriage of day and night, the ultimate destruction. That bullet flew into the air, tore through the cloudy sky and into the boundless void. Countless experts sighedthey had finally seen the ultimate pinnacle of power, even though it was only possible as a dream. Then, the dream awakened. They snapped back to reality as they gazed at the hole slowly closing in the sky. Why was that last shot fired into the air? In the blink of an eye, countless eyes returned to the battlefield and the flag. Life finally returned to Qianyes eyes, almost as though he were smiling. He was standing as straight as a javelin beneath the flagthe muzzle of Dragonsgrave was aimed at the sky and the Awakening dream had pierced right through his chest. Nighteyes hands trembled uncontrollably. She suddenly let go of the blade and caught Qianye in her arms. Y-You. why Qianye said softly, It has been difficult. Theres no other way, so I can only choose to escape I know, I know. I wont make it difficult for you anymore. Qianye looked at her with gentle eyes. I let you down. It wasnt intentional but I still didnt know how to face you. Perhaps escape is the only release for me. Nighteye could no longer control herself. She embraced him tightly, saying, I know, I know everything. I never blamed you. Lets not talk about that anymore, okay? Dont leave me. I beg you, dont leave me. Qianye stroked her face gently. Youve awakened, youre no longer her. I just couldnt accept this fact this kind of parting isnt so bad No, no! I did awaken, but Im still Nighteye! I never changed! However, Qianyes hand sank down and his voice faded away. Nighteye Continent and Lighthouse town appeared in his vision. He had returned to that little tavern, with a half-lit sign that read Red Spider Lily. He had returned to where they had first met. Ah!!! Nighteye roared at the sky. A thunderous explosion erupted, reducing the near-indestructible mountain peak to half of what it was. The experts instinctively erected origin power barriers to protect themselves from the terrifying power. By the time their vision cleared up, the summit was empty, and the two were nowhere to be found. The sound of rumbling engines arrived from over the horizon as countless airships came into view. From their insignia, it would seem that the first, second, and third fleets of the Imperial Guard had arrived in full force. The flagship rushed over at stunning speed, leaving the main fleet behind and paying no heed to the countless dark race forces that had assembled ahead. At the helm, Song Zining was leaning on the parapet. His hands suddenly went cold when he saw the mountain top. Chapter 1359: With All Karma Cleared, We Shall Meet Again Some aides surrounded Song Zining. Marshal, no! The fleet is behind us and you havent recovered yet. Youll die if you go over like this! Song Zining struggled with all his might. Scram, give me the order seal, I must attack! The generals grabbed him by the hands and legs, doing their utmost to keep him in check. The flagship also slowed down a bit to allow the main fleet to catch up. Seeing the airship slowing down, Song Zining started shouting hysterically, How dare you disobey me and ruin important matters?! Ill execute your nine generations! The officers paid him no heed and only held tighter onto him. It was apparent that Song Zining hadnt recovered because he couldnt break free despite being a divine champion. The airship gradually slowed down to a hovering pace. Song Zining said anxiously, Fine, you guys can stay, but let go of me and bring me my armor. Ill go myself, okay? One of the generals said, Sire, you are a pillar of the Empire. The Empires fate for the next thirty years depends on you! Sire, you cannot act impulsively, the country is more important! My brother is right there, and his fate is unknown! He fought the Evernight forces alone for four entire days! How come you guys never talked about the country back then?! The general only said, Please calm your anger, we were only acting on orders and had no choice. Please dont make this difficult for us. Song Zinings struggle weakened. He stopped moving all of a sudden and said coldly, I understand, let me go. The generals exchanged glances, hesitating whether or not they should let the man go. Song Zining said calmly, Dont worry, Im alive and well. Since you guys are handing me the Empires fate for the next thirty years, isnt it better to not offend me? The only bad thing about me is that I hold grudges. The shocked generals let go of him, but they still kept him surrounded for fear that something would happen to him. Song Zining patted his clothes. These robes are dirty now, get me a change of clothes and prepare tea! A general went to fetch the clothes while another one went to prepare tea. The other four generals stayed close to Song Zining, not taking half a step away. Song Zining changed and enjoyed his tea quietly, almost as though nothing had happened. The generals secretly heaved a sigh of relief but also felt a strange chill down their spines. The flagship finally joined the Imperial Guard fleet, and hundreds of airships bore down on the dark races with earth-shattering momentum. Hence, the battle ended with the dark races expected defeat and subsequent retreat to their fortress. How could the Imperial fleet stop there? They quickly fell into an aerial formation and launched a follow-up assault, seeking to destroy Evernights core fortress in one fell swoop. At this moment, everyone in the area began to feel suffocated. Like fish removed from water, they grabbed at their throats in a vain attempt to inhale yet no air came in. The Imperial fleet fell into chaos. Several vessels began to spin, crash into one another, and slowly drift toward the ground. Fortunately, the Imperial Guard was full of talented officers. One of them channeled his origin power and transmitted his voice to the entire fleet, This is a suppressive might! Use your origin power to protect your mind! All champions, protect your subordinates. The command proved rather effective. Order was quickly restored in the fleet, but most of the crew still required protection from the foreign power. There was no way to fight under such circumstances. The dark races werent in a better state. The fortress was now deathly silentthe fierce counterattack was gone, much like a meek young girl who had been stripped bare. It was just that the attackers were in no condition to invade, either. Song Zining sat at the helm, completely unaffected by the developments. All he did was smile coldly. A burly man walked up to the deck in large strides and bowed. Im sure Marshal Song has things planned out, can you give us some instructions? Song Zining didnt even look at him. He sipped a mouthful of tea before saying, This is Commander Fangs first time here, so its only normal that youre not familiar with the place. That suppressive might we felt is the malicious intent we were talking about. Since it has arrived, well be provoking it if we keep on fighting. General Fang was bewildered, so he could only ask again, What should we do now? Wait? How long? It normally leaves after a day or two. A day or two! Command Fang gnashed his teeth. The fleet will last half a day at most! Any longer and well lose all the airships here. Dont take my word for it. Just look at what happened with just a gaze, can you keep on fighting like this? General Fang was no longer calm. This is just a gaze? What else? The commander was livid. Moments later, he said, If thats the case, we might have to retreat. Song Zining stood up at this point and pointed upward. Theres no rush. Those above are probably negotiating right now. There will be a result before long. Those above? Commander Fang was dazed. Song Zining couldnt be bothered to explain. He walked over to the edge of the airship and said, Im going to take a look at where my brother fell. Im not rushing to my death, so you dont need to send anyone after me. With that, Song Zining leaped off the deck and, like a willow leaf, drifted toward the isolated peak. Good skills! Commander Fang praised secretly. Song Zining was still quite weak, so he shouldnt have been able to fly. Yet, he had utilized what little origin power he could muster to soar freely like a bird. Commander Fang understood that he was far from that level of origin power control. He became even more surprised after thinking about it. Even someone like Song Zining was seriously injured in a showdown against Nighteye who woke up only recently. Just how powerful was that lady? Commander Fang suddenly felt relieved that the Imperial Guard was never sent into the new world. Otherwise, it would be quite the misfortune if they were to run into Nighteye. Song Zinings sleeves were like wings that carried him to the mountain peak. Fragmented scenes of the battle appeared as he paced around the place. Many of the images were of dark race corpses, some on the ground and others falling through the air. Many others were just unrecognizable specks of light. Song Zining walked around, observing quietly until he arrived at a high ground. This was where the peak used to be, where Qianye had fought his final battle. Song Zining arrived at the place where the royal banner had stood tall; he could almost look up and see the flying standard. What was Qianyes mood when he planted this banner here to challenge the dark races? There was no one to accompany him but his sword. That flag was gone, just like the mountain top. Song Zining knelt on one knee in front of the flag. I arrived too late, Qianye. Give me thirty years! I will clear away all gratitude and grudges in three decades. I will help you get back everything you were owed. After thirty years, when all karma has been severed, we shall meet again. He stood up slowly and swung his sleeve with a cold smile. From now on, no one can restrain me. Who have I ever feared on the path of tactics? Song Zining was completely calm by the time he was back on the flagship. General Fang had been observing him in secret, but he never figured out what exactly the seventh young master wanted to do. He really didnt want to go against Song Zining, so it was a relief to find him back in one piece. Marshal Song, when will those above finish their negotiations. Our men cant hold out much longer. The same goes for the dark races, so it will end very soon. General Fang was a bit hesitant. How do you know the dark races cant hold out? Song Zining said, Because they have more experts among them, and that attracts more of the new worlds malicious intent. General Fang sighed in relief, but he quickly realized that something was off. Does that mean well lose if we actually start fighting? Its likely from the looks of it. But didnt Qianye kill over a hundred thousand dark races? Their corpses are still there. Song Zinings expression betrayed his emotions as he turned toward the Evernight Fortress. Qianye killed almost half of their forces, but most of the demonkin and vampire experts remain. Were still at a disadvantage against their two races combined. General Fang bowed. Thank you for the explanation. Song Zining had regained his composure when he turned around. Youre being too polite! Dont hesitate to ask if theres anything I can help with. General Fang replied hurriedly, No way, were the ones looking forward to your guidance. It was already a known fact that Song Zining was adept in strategy. The collapse of the situation after his injury further proved his ability as a leader. Only after these difficult times did people from the Empire come to understand how difficult it was for him to produce such glorious results back in the year with such limited resources. Song Zining had finally woken up, and his foundations were unharmed. Recovery was only a matter of time, and he would surely obtain great authority in the Empire sooner or later. Commander Fang was building friendly relationships with Song Zining because he had realized this. Some words of guidance from him during difficult times would be extremely helpful. Song Zining had his own plans as well. The two seemed to have hit it off quite well after he made a sharp switch from the initial mockery to cordial friendship. It was at this time that Profundity Monarchs voice echoed through the skies, This is an order! Unload the soldiers and cargo at the following location and build a base there. The Imperial Guard fleet shall return to the Empire. Origin power gathered at the center of the Imperial forces, forming a map of the sinkhole region. There was a mark near it to show the new bases location. The new base was several hundred kilometers away from the Evernight fortress, forming a triangle with the sinkhole as the apex. It was clear that they had reached an agreement with the Evernight faction. The surprised commander was now entirely convinced of Song Zinings wisdom. The seventh young master picked up his teacup and finished his drink. A cold smile emerged on his countenance, hidden behind his long sleeves. Orders were issued in the Evernight fortress as well, and a council member arrived to take command. As for how confused, surprised, and angry the dark race survivors were about this ceasefire, that was no longer important. Several energy fluctuations spread out in all directions. One of them shot through a demonkin door, manifesting as a number of silhouettes in the void above one of their continents. The Demon King was still cloaked in a layer of mist. Whats the situation on Habsburgs side? The Flaming Crown is still behind closed doors. The one replying was the chairman of the Evernight Council. The Demon King chuckled. Habsburgs recuperation seems to be taking quite a bit longer, so long that he couldve gone to the new world for a while. The chairman mumbled, He had some obj erm concerns about joining the fight on the void continent. After the war, he refused to be debriefed by the council, and it was said that things turned pretty sour between him and Medanzo. Your Majesty, should we seek the Queen of the Nights opinion? The Demon King said, The void continent war has ended, whats there to debrief? Theres no need to disturb Lilith at all. Why should I care about the vampire races internal dispute regarding contributions? My dear Mark, you seem to have misunderstood my intention. I just wanted a certain item from the spoils of war Habsburg obtained. This is a personal deal, just a personal deal. The chairman bowed. Yes, Your Majesty, its a careless mistake on my part. Ill send someone to call on His Highness Habsburg again with generous gifts. The Demon King turned to a tall young man, saying, Predica, you havent seen Habsburg in a while, right? This blond young man was clad in a wizards robe, and his countenance bore an inherent shade of haughtiness. His external appearance was more like a warrior than a prophet. Most Evernight nobles might not be familiar with him, but this young demonkin was extremely famous in the top circle. He was the last treasure of the Dark Nightmare, known as the Judgment Prophet. It was very likely that he would claim the crown of number one prophet once he matured. Brows twitching, Predica said with a bow, When your subject last saw Habsburg, neither of us had come of age. It has probably been a few decades. I have never left our traditional territory since awakening. The Demon King said, Then you go and meet him. Yes, Your Majesty. Oh right, if Habsburg has any concerns, I can see him personally as well. With that, the Demon King nodded at the chairman and vanished. Only after the black mist before him had dispersed did Predica glance at the cloaked chairman. What happened? No matter how polite the Demon King was, one must never ignore his dignity as the supreme darkness. Predica was close to the Demon King due to his birth and knew all too well about the decisiveness and tenacity hidden beneath his amiable demeanor. Recently, there had been a lot of undercurrents between the demonkin and the vampires. The friction wasnt quite contained even in the presence of human heavenly monarchs. There was no telling what would happen if the Demon King were to visit Habsburg in person. In truth, all the powerhouses in the council were feeling uneasy. Everyone was wondering if an irreversible conflict would break out between the young Demon King and the Queen of the Night who had ruled supreme for so many years. The council chairman was just as worried. He said after a moment of silence, Your Excellency Predica, Im actually not very sure about the details behind this. His Majesty has made a most generous offer in exchange for a certain looted item. I dont know what it is, and His Majesty never explained, but Habsburg surely knows. The last couple of times, he said he didnt have that item. Predica couldnt help but slap his forehead. Oh my He then stopped speaking. The council chairman shot him a puzzled glance, suspecting that Predica already had the answers. But having lived more than a thousand years, the chairman didnt have much curiosity left in him. He waited patiently, but seeing that the man had no intention of elaborating, he summoned his subordinates to make arrangements. Chapter 1360: Those Who Forget to Fight Will Face Peril The Imperial Guard duly executed the heavenly monarchs orders. The fleet unloaded the ground forces and cargo at the designated location, then set out on the return journey. Tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers grasped this opportunity to begin constructing a fortress. No one knew when another attack would come. These new soldiers werent clear what had just happened, nor did they understand when the Empire regained the power to build another fortress. None of that was important to these ordinary soldiers because all that mattered was for them to have a defensive stronghold. The presence or absence of a fortress would make a big difference in the death toll. They didnt really care about what was going on above, only about how long they would survive. Now that Song Zining had woken up, he naturally resumed his post as the commander of the Empires forces in the new world. It was just that his body hadnt fully recovered, and there would be no active battles in the near future. So, he finally gave in to everyones persuasion and went back to the Empire to rest for three days, getting a checkup in the process. After sending him away, the core generals finally heaved a sigh of relief. They no longer needed to worry about him dashing into the dark race camp. After returning to the Empire, Song Zining discovered that there was no news at all about the last battle at Blacksun Valley. All intelligence channels merely described the Empires return to the valley and the ongoing construction work. There wasnt a single word about the process or any mention of Qianyes name. All records of Qianyes ragtag armya force that had broken through countless blockades and defeated forces several times their ownhad been wiped clean. The weird thing was that the Evernight side was also quiet, almost as though their tremendous loss in titled experts didnt affect them at all. Duke Minghai and Xuke Wenyuan did receive their rewards but under a different name. Duke Wenyuan could only sigh when he heard of these developments. He was in no position to speak out as his crime had just been pardoned and the final processing had yet to be completed. Not only had his faction offended the Radiant Emperor, but they also failed to gain the favor of Prince Greensuns group. They had been completely marginalized to the point where he couldnt get a glimpse of anything remotely classified. Duke Minghai claimed sickness and had applied for leave to recuperate in his hometown. The documents had been delivered to the military but not yet approved. Liu Chengyun regained his old post. He went around begging everyone after being sent back to the Empire by Qianye and, in the end, his contributions werent docked as Qianye had ordered. The old man was rather active in seeking more errands to do. News of his prolonged lifespan changed everything. He started making plans for himself, no longer eager to earn contributions with his last breath. Liu Chengyun hated Qianye to the bones for trying to dock his contribution points. Once he was free, the old man immediately submitted several memorials to the Imperial court, accusing Qianye of one crime after the other. Unfortunately, however, the old man failed to grasp what was going on in court. Some of the higher echelons didnt want to bring up Qianyes topic at all, be it good or bad. Liu Chengyuns memorials only invited severe rebuke from the Imperial court, and even the army corps assigned to him as a reward was revoked. His supporters also shut their doors and refused to meet him. In the end, Liu Chengyun couldnt act recklessly anymore and had no choice but to keep his grudges to himself. This was the scene Song Zining saw when he returned to the Empire. Many people believed that Song Zining would go about crying injustice for Qianye. Who wouldve thought hed leave again after reading half an hours worth of battle reports? Just as he was about to leave the military, a general called out to him. The elder prince wishes to invite you to his manor if you can spare some time. Song Zining glanced at the time. Ive heard so many good things about the food at the elder princes residence but never had the opportunity to try. Judging from the time, I guess Ill be able to try the chefs cuisine today? The general laughed. Thats a given. The elder prince is already waiting at the table. What are we waiting for then? Moments later, Song Zining walked into the Pointer Monarchs residence where he was led to a pavilion by the lakeside. The cutlery had been laid out on the table and the maids were starting to deliver the dishes. The Pointer Monarch was fishing at the lakeside. He greeted the seventh young master upon noticing his arrival, Zining, youre here at the right time. Have a seat. These dishes wont taste as good if you were any later. Song Zining didnt refuse the invitation. He sat down at the second seat and drank three cups with the Pointer Monarch. After three cups, the old monarch sent the attendants away with a wave of his hand. After there was no one around them, he said, Do you have any objections about how Qianyes case was handled? Was it your idea? Not entirely, but I did give them the nod. Song Zining said after a moment of silence. Its impossible for me to be satisfied with this, but you must have your reasons for doing so. Zining wishes to know so that Ill learn how to handle such matters should they arise in the future. The Pointer Monarch said, I know this isnt fair to Qianye. I was just like you guys at one point, Ive done my fair share of impulsive things. As I grew older, I came to understand that family and country come before all. Song Zining listened attentively. The Pointer Monarch sighed, You mustve heard some stories about my youth. Truth be told, that matter was stuck in my chest for an entire twenty years without pause. One day, I realized that the world is so big, with so many people. How can there be justice for everyone? The pointer monarch went down memory lane for a moment. Actually, Qianye received my inheritance and can be considered half a disciple. The Empire and I owe him too much. Do you know why I did what I did? Song Zining said, I understand Nighteyes matter. Although I dont know which ancient character shes awakened, she will become a calamity for the Empire once shes at full power. The Empire is in the process of resurgence and three supremes is already too much for us to handle. We cannot allow for a fourth. That is indeed the case. Although I feel ashamed, I really have no choice. She might not have any enmity toward the Empire, but if one day she does, no one can shoulder that risk. We cannot allow it to happen even if the chances are one in ten thousand. A powerhouse like the one shes awakened has to be nibbed at the bud, or the Empires resurgence might die young. Song Zining nodded. The Pointer Monarch glanced at him. Whether or not you understand now, youll know ten years later when the reigns of the Empire are in your hands. Without waiting for a reply, the old man continued, Do you know what weve been relying on to sustain the peoples fighting spirit? This was a difficult question. Although Song Zining knew a fair bit of history, he wasnt a researcher in this area. He felt that there were numerous answers but none of them sounded right. Noticing the silence, the Pointer Monarch said, Those of a different race will always have different intentions. These words were left behind by the founding ancestor. This Song Zining hadnt guessed this would be the answer. He had found himself growing quite averse to these words in recent years. At the very least he wouldnt just bundle all dark races up into one. The Pointer Monarch laughed. The Empire now has billions of people under its rule. So many people, so many differences, how many of them do you think are educated enough to know reason? Most of them toil to get through the day and all they want is to relax, theres no use reasoning with them. The only way to unite everyone is a common enemy. A strong, evil, and extreme enemy that cant be easily defeated, best add a deep mutual hatred and a sea of blood to the story. After the Empire built its first foundation, the generation that had suffered the cruelty of the dark races were starting to leave this world. The newer generations wanted a peaceful life. They had never experienced being raised like livestock nor the fear of being eaten any day. They didnt want to, either. Taking the temporary peace for granted, they felt that a single continent was enough to live and multiply on. The grey deals they made under the table became a future for them to look forward to. The popular thought among the people was that the humans had proven that they were independent and free, that the ceasefire was proof of that. They felt that the ceasefire should be expanded into a permanent agreement for peace. The holy war between the dark races was due to conflicts accumulated over tens of thousands of years. The humans didnt have this kind of history with them, so peaceful coexistence wasnt out of reach. It was then that the elders realized the founding ancestors foresight and the words he had spoken. Since then, the Empire stopped tolerating any other racein the eyes of ordinary people, at least. Then they used various channels at their disposal to spread news about the dark races violent conduct. Just like that, the hatred grew with each generation until this very day. Song Zining listened with bated breath. With an external enemy, things became easier to manage inside the Empire. All the major aristocratic families and clans understood this logic. Besides, the war with Evernight was simply a fight for resourcesa contest between and within factions. As the nobility grew stronger, the resources they needed increased as well, so a fight was inevitable. Look at the four major clans and all aristocratic families, all of them own industries related to war. Song Zining nodded. The Song clan had made a fair bit of their fortune in arms, and their crafts manor was also famous throughout the world. They could even build airships on their own. Other big clans like the Bai clan excelled in making armor, while the Yin family specialized in ammunition. I know youve seen a lot of mutual exchanges between the Empire and Evernight. Just think about it, what common traits do they share? Song Zining saw through the point. Theyre all related to the top powerhouses. The Pointer Monarch nodded. Youre right. The Imperial family, the major clans, and the military understand this very clearly. Evernight has the resources we need, and we also have things they want. Dealings were inevitable. We were afforded an advantage in price because their races were locked in a holy war. This has contributed much to the growth of the Empire as a whole. That was indeed the case. The higher Song Zinings position grew the more frequently he saw dealings between the two factions. Yet, the Empire had only grown stronger instead of weakening. The Pointer Monarch said, These mutually beneficial arrangements had to be in the hands of the major clans. Otherwise, ordinary people will find out that the dark races are potential business partners, that they have their own reasoning and dignity, just like humans. Its human nature to fear difficulty and seek easiness, to the point where they would start to entertain impractical illusions. Just look at the provinces that havent fought in territorial wars for a long time, see how they were easily routed by the beast army of the new world? Will humans have eternal peace today if we had secured a seat at the Evernight Council? Ignoring the small races that have disappeared throughout history, just look at the werewolves situation. Its only been a thousand years since they lost their supreme. The bloodthirsty will surely die, and those who forget how to fight will surely be in peril. The founding ancestor and predecessors sacrificed their blood and bones for the human races honor. They didnt do it just so we can join their council, follow their rules, and ultimately disappear as a declining race. This world was full of darkness, to begin with. We, humans, were always the aliens here. Chapter 1361: A Perfect Solution Part 1 The monarch sighed after a moment of silence. The higher ones position is, the more the country means for them. Youre now a pillar of the Empire, so youll start to see this. For the country and for the human race, you sometimes have to do things that go against your heart. Song Zining finally spoke, What I fear is that some are waving this flag of justice on the surface, then doing shady business for their personal benefit. Everyone is selfish. What can you do when you''re in a high position? Can you stop everyone? Song Zining shook his head after some thought. People would always find loopholes to exploit, harming the country and its people. The worst kind were those not seeking money, but rather taking advantage of the reason to harm people. The Pointer Monarch was right; there was no way to stop them. How do we deal with them, then? Song Zining asked humbly. The Pointer Monarch replied, Only two words, one is block and the other is hold. Try to nip them at the bud and stop the source, which is the so-called block. Hold means to hold everyone accountable for every crime committed, make no exceptions for anyone. Over time, people will become fearful and naturally avoid doing such things. If you only work on the block, people will keep on minding their business and no work will get done. Song Zining carefully digested the profundity of these words. Well, were done with the reasoning, so lets talk about Qianye. I dont want to leave a knot in your heart without clearing things up. Pray tell. The monarch said, Qianye as a person has contributed deeply to the Empire and its subjects. His heart is always with the human race. The country owes him much for all these years. Song Zining felt his eyes sting and had to try hard to regain his composure. The Empire wouldve lost miserably if he hadnt come through during the crisis. I also watched his last battle very clearly. No one would be able to stop Nighteye if it werent for their emotional restraints. Song Zining suddenly felt angry. He blurted out, unable to control himself, So after failing to kill her yourselves, you used Qianye to deal with her. You calculated Qianyes nature and planned to have them kill one another, am I right?! The Pointer Monarch went silent for a while. He then said, Zining, the words family and country are as heavy as Mount Tai. Nothing is more important compared to them. If you ask me if Im ashamed, I am, but all that I do is for the continued survival of the Empire and the prosperity of the human race. I have no regrets in that regard. Song Zining was stopped up, not knowing what to say. After a while, he said hatefully, That idiot Wei Qiyang! Wait till I deal with him! Do whatever it takes to ease your mind. I thought youd tell me to control myself. The Pointer Monarch said, Youll only be fit to work when your mind is at ease. You hold great authority right now, and every decision of yours will decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This isnt something to be taken lightly. Comparatively, sacrificing a handful of people is nothing. Song Zinings eyes sparkled. Since youve said it, I wont be holding back. Do what you need to do. What I do has nothing to do with the Empire. Ill be clearing up some personal grudges and perhaps earn some money in the process. The Pointer Monarch smiled. Those destined to achieve great things have no need to focus on trifling matters. Do what you want to do, no need to ask me. It was time for the banquet to disperse now. Some words werent spoken out loud, but it was enough. As someone with a controversial vampire identity, how could Qianye be hailed as a hero who had pulled the Empire back from the brink of defeat? Doing this would cause the thousand years of nationalism to collapse. The human heart was complicated, yet it was also the easiest to rile up and incite. Just like that, all of Qianyes sacrifices and contributions were removed. Ten years later, perhaps no one would remember this person and his deeds. The Evernight would never admit that someone with a vampire heritage had actually refused to accept their noble dark bloodline. This went against the thousand-year rule of hybrid descendants. Song Zining looked up at the sky as he walked out of the manor. He understood the reasoning, but that did nothing to ease the suffocating feeling in his heart. Why should one pick between a brother and the country? Why was there no perfect solution? With nowhere to vent his anger, he stomped hard as he got into the car. The shocked officer asked hurriedly, Sire, is there anything you need me to do? No, lets go back. The officer didnt dare ask and simply drove Song Zining to the relay station. Twilight Continent, the Sperger Clan Castle. Everything was quiet and still here. The mobilization for the new world had long since called away most of the young and strong. Fortunately, Habsburg was among the first to enter the new world. There were great difficulties during the expansion process and the casualties were high, but none of that could match the bitter fights against the Empire. Within the empty hall, Habsburg was seated quietly on the throne. He was dozing off with his chin propped up on one hand. Normally, this large hall was only used for clan meetings, but he had taken to the cold and quiet of late. There wasnt a single noise throughout the castle, not even the sound of breathing. The prince had been in a jittery state for a while, and most people found it prudent to let him rest. After god knew how long, Habsburg opened his eyes and said, Leonard, let him in. Within a rowdy group in the courtyard, Marquis Leonard listened attentively to the instructions before waving his hand down. They allowed a certain demonkin marquis to pass through but stopped his escorts. The demonkin marquis had been protesting against the vampires refusal to announce his visit. He still felt angry at the treatment, but now that there was finally some change, he decided to leave his men outside to avoid further trouble. The demonkin entered and saw Habsburg on the high throne. He bowed according to the norms, saying, Revered Prince Habsburg, I came to greet you on behalf of the Evernight Council. Habsburg remained still. If the chairman still wishes to talk about that matter, theres no need. Ive already told him that I dont have what he wants. Go back and tell him that theres no need to send anyone else. The demonkin marquis was refused a meeting during the last two visits, and this time, he was about to be driven away with a single line. Finally angered, he said, Your Highness, the chairman is giving you face by telling you to consider this matter. As a matter of fact, this is the Demon Kings will, how can there be any room for deliberation? Habsburgs expression never changed as he said with a cold voice, Then theres no need to consider anymore. I am a vampire, hence the Demon King is not my king. You! The demonkin marquis jumped up, pointing at Habsburg in anger. Blood energy flickered through Habsburgs blue eyes as the demonkin was suddenly pressed to the ground by an invisible force. He clawed feebly at his throat but to no avail. The mans face turned red, yet no voice came out of his mouth. Very soon, his struggling weakened, and blood began to seep out of his skin until his figure was entirely sanguine. Habsburg never lost his composure. He didnt even remove the hand under his chin as he watched the demonkin slowly lose his breath. It was as though he were watching a speck of dust. After the demonkin was completely still, he said, Hes dead, not coming out yet? Predica was standing at the door with a complicated expression. He slowly walked in, pausing briefly near the dead marquis before walking over to the throne. Long time no see. Congratulations on a perfect awakening. The balance of fate has ushered in a new master for the Dark Nightmare. Predica glanced at Habsburg with open arms. Old friend, wont you give me a hug? After a moment of silence, Habsburg finally got up and walked down the steps. The duo left the hall after a greeting hug and arrived at Habsburgs study. Meanwhile, no one paid attention to that unlucky marquis. Chapter 1361: Perfect Solution Part 2 The translucent red tea was served in a well-maintained antique tea set, along with exquisite desserts. The aesthetic and scent were fairly delightful. If it werent for the bloody circumstances, it would certainly be a good opportunity for old friends to catch up. After all, every time a member of a long-lived race went into hibernation, they might just wake up in a completely unfamiliar world. Predica was engrossed in the fragrance of the tea for a while. Seeing that Habsburg had no intention of speaking, he could only sigh. Dear Habsburg, youve changed quite a lot. Did the Demon King send you this time? Predica shrugged. I dont know anything yet. That unlucky fellow just now was sent by the chairman. His Majesty Kane only asked me to tag along and see. Habsburg turned the cup in his hand. Theres nothing to see. That which the Demon King wants is not here. Predicas expression turned serious. What exactly is that thing? Habsburg responded with a question of his own, When did you wake up from your slumber? After the Holy War cease-fire, Predica added the exact time after some thought, during the Sanguine Burial. His face turned pale as he seemed to remember something. Is it related to that person? Habsburg stood up, went to the window with his teacup, and gazed out at the land that had sustained his clan and bloodline. It was only after adulthood that he returned here. Leave. Predica slammed his cup on the table in anger. Habsburg! Thats a human were talking about, an Imperial marshal, an enemy of Evernight. He wouldnt live much longer even if he hadnt died back then! Weve known each other for over a hundred years. Are you ending our friendship because of a humans death? The vampires and demonkin are also enemies. Predicas fingers gripped tightly. When Habsburg turned around after a while, his faint blue eyes were as calm and distant as the skies. They seemed amiable enough, but there wasnt a shred of emotion in them. Preddy, youre probably the strongest prophet in Evernight right now. Did you not notice the Wheel of Fate deviating? Predica didnt reply. Preddy, go now. The Demon King will come personally. Predica wanted to say something, but he suddenly noticed a familiar fluctuation close by. His face became as pale as a sheet. Habsburg, though, didnt seem at all surprised. He turned around as the Demon Kings figure walked out of the void. The supremes clone was so contained that one could hardly sense its aura, but the darkness origin power in the vicinity bowed down in submission as it arrived through space. The higher ones rank, the stronger one could sense this change. The atmosphere froze up. The Demon King said gently, Predica, you may leave with your man. I wish to talk with Habsburg. Predicas pallor never recovered. He merely bowed after listening to the instructions and left. The Demon King said to Habsburg, Habsburg, have you seen the human races fate trajectory? Habsburg remained in a silent daze. The Demon King didnt mind his attitude, either. Ive seen it. The fate trajectory he revealed to me is incomparably rich and beautiful. Compared to it, the summit of this world and its asteroid belt feel like a desolate land. The only thing that can compare is the Wheel of Fate that belongs to the people of darkness and its slow revolution through time. Habsburg mentioned the name of a place, Kumara? Yes, I was there during that time. Not killing him there is my lifes greatest mistake. Hes gone now. He couldve looked down on all life from the stars, yet he was willing to fall into the soil and turn to ashes. All of this for those ugly, insignificant lives. We only respect the strong, but they recognize their peers. The Demon King was lost in thought for a while. He then shook his head and looked at Habsburg in the eye. Give me his remains. We need to extract some information from him. Those who die in the void dont leave corpses. Short-lived races dont have spiritual reincarnations or awakenings. Their death is permanent. Habsburg remained quiet. The Demon King sighed softly. Then give me his origin crystal, at least. You know that humans have been targeting us for several hundred years with that plan. Even with intelligence from the Longevity Monarch, none of our prophets were able to analyze the effects behind it. The man might be gone, but things havent changed for the better. We need to investigate where his fate connects to. The supreme looked down at his hands. Even his thread of fate would have been destroyed if I were the one attacking. Yet who would have the heart to destroy such a beautiful celestial trajectory? Habsburg replied slowly, Your Majesty Kane, theres only one way to solve this problem. Destroy me and this entire castle, then it will no longer be important whether or not Im hiding that thing. Habsburg felt a chill bearing down on his blood core. Despite the rude answer, the Demon King wasnt angry at all and his gaze was just as amiable. However, Habsburg wasnt naive enough to think that he had managed to threaten the Demon King. This might only be a clone, which probably wasnt powerful enough to destroy a prince along with his clan castle, but how long would it take for the main body to arrive? I heard the human emperor is his disciple, and he refuses to believe that his teacher has fallen. No one could fill that mans position in the court, so much so that even his salary was still being issued as though he were alive. This can be considered a sentimental act, and no one is willing to offend the Emperor for some money. The Demon Kings voice was just as gentle, almost as though he were talking about common things. But what if word went out that the person everyone believed to be a hero wasnt dead but had become a captive instead? Habsburg said slowly, I am indeed inferior to Your Majesty. Rumors had always been easy to market because everyone had their own considerations. The Evernight Council would never let the Empire build the image of a hero who could turn the tides. The clowns within the Empire didnt want their political adversarys glory to be written into the history books. It was all too easy to smear a martyr because they could no longer come forth and explain. Habsburg knew that it was because of the Demon Kings suppression that no one dared to speak nonsense about that battle. Otherwise, all kinds of rumors could spread about a battle no one had witnessed. He wasnt debriefed about the fight, nor was there any proof of contribution. This would give his opponents in the vampire race bullets to fire at him. Habsburg, I hope you will challenge me on the Sacred Mountain one day, but that day isnt now. The Demon Kings voice was calm. I dont want to cause a ruckus on Twilight Continent and make the Queen of the Night unhappy. The new world is where our common interests lie. Lilith is getting old. Those last words didnt really fit the Demon King Kanes refined image, but it revealed this young supremes ambitions and arrogance. The Demon Kings gaze shifted in the direction of the castles blood pond. You can give it some thought, but my patience is limited. After the Demon Kings departure, Habsburg drew a line in the air with his index finger. A projection of energy systems materialized. Darkness origin power emerged from the darkness origins on one side and stretched all the way to the other. It slowly transformed along the way, turning into various shades of grey until it passed the neutral zone and connected with the first rays of dawn. The deduction stopped there. This was all that the people of Evernight knew regarding the energy system. If the darkness origins was the starting point of this world, where was the end of daybreak? Was there a daybreak origins as well, or was it something else? If the daybreak origins could also form a world of its own, what would it look like? Would it be like the celestial trajectory the Demon King had seen? Chapter 1362: Phase Two Part 1 Song Zining rose at first light and headed toward the military department. Considering the seventh young masters status, his office was fairly big despite the scarcity of space in the military department. Holding office in the military came with one perk at least. He was able to see every battle report immediately and grasp the overall situation of the fight against Evernight. Song Zining hadnt even taken his seat when his aide announced that a guest was here to see him. Song Zining instructed the man to lead the guests to the conference room, to which he headed only after reading the mornings reports. There was a young but capable-looking general, seemingly in his thirties, seated in the meeting room. He first bowed at Song Zining before speaking, This subordinate is Zhang Zhao, I work under the command of the Profundity Monarch. It turned out to be one of the Profundity Monarchs men. Song Zining gestured for the man to sit while he himself took the main seat. Zhang Zhao said, The prince has some military affairs that require your help. Whatever that has caught the princes attention must be an important issue. Please speak freely. Zhang Zhao said, This matter is of the utmost importance. The prince didnt issue any written documents, only an appointment letter for me. Here it is, please take a look. With that, Zhang Zhao produced an official letter and passed it to Song Zining. Seeing that the seal was intact, Song Zining opened the letter and fished out a paper from within. After going through the contents in detail, he said, The prince must trust you to pen a letter of appointment personally. Very well, what does the prince need? Zhang Zhao said, This matter is related to Qianye. Despite him ending his life in mutual destruction with Nighteye, there are a lot of things that need cleaning up. What are you implying? Zhang Zhao continued after confirming that Song Zinings expression was normal. The prince said that Qianye was highly capable, he had built up such a force and foundation within a short period. He might be gone, but his power remains and that power cannot fall into Evernight hands. The first matter of business is the Martyrs Palace. This guardian national treasure must be retaken. Song Zining said, The Martyrs Place has always been mysterious and no one can tell where it is. The vessel disappeared immediately after Qianyes departure. How do we even find it? Zhang Zhao replied, The palace might be partially sentient, but its still under human control. From what I know, there are tens of thousands of soldiers garrisoned in the palace. These people have to return to the ground at one point, and the most likely place for them to land is Cerulean Jade City. Are you telling me to head back to Fort Continent, kill my old subordinates, and take over the Martyrs Palace? Zhang Zhao noticed something wrong in Song Zinings tone. Of course you dont necessarily need to kill them. It would be best if theyre willing to see the light and work for the Empire. We can also give them sufficient rewards. Song Zinings expression darkened. Is this the princes intention or your opinion? If the Profundity Monarch sent you to tell me this, please go back. I will talk to the prince personally at a later date! Im not that easy to bully! A shocked Zhang Zhao stood up and bowed deeply. Please, curb your anger. I dont know how I offended you, but I know youre a magnanimous person, please forgive me. Song Zining looked down. Theres nothing to say, lets end this discussion here. After a while of hesitation, Zhang Zhao said, There are some things the prince instructed me to tell you only after youve agreed. I can reveal it in advance, but please do not mention that to the prince or my life will be in danger. Speak. The prince said that youll be the main contributor in this operation. Hell arrange a new army corps designation for you and your old subordinates from the neutral lands. All human mercenaries will be granted an official identity in the princes territory and become a citizen of the Empire. You will be given half of Qianyes territory on Fort Continent and half of the profits that came from it. To deal with the forces on Fort Continent, the prince can dispatch his trusted subordinates and even take action himself if needed. Qianyes territory on Fort Continent was nothing to scoff at; it was far bigger than an ordinary vassal state. Even half of that was several provinces worth of territory, not to mention how prosperous Cerulean Jade City was. The land would return to its divided state sooner or later if there was no leader to take the reins. With the Summit of Peaks around, the humans might be driven out very soon. Taking over that land would be much faster with the Profundity Monarchs promise. Song Zinings expression eased up. Now thats more reasonable. What else? Zhang Zhao cursed inwardlythis Song Zining might be famous, but his attitude had changed immediately after seeing the benefits. The man was all smiles as he said in a hushed voice, The prince has a small condition. Song Zinings expression darkened again. What condition, speak. Zhang Zhao laughed. Its not a big burden. You see, the prince has some granddaughters. The eldest and second princesses have always received his favor. They are also famed beauties in the territory. Since Marshal Song isnt married yet, why not pick one to be your wife? Itll be a fine thing if two families can become one. Song Zining was lost in thought. He seemed attracted by the idea, but he finally shook his head, saying, Im only back in the Empire to recuperate for a few days, Ill be heading back to the new world tomorrow. Theres no time for these things. There wont be any wars in Blacksun Valley for a while. Youll be able to return before long. Its fine to start working on this case at that time. Song Zining stood up and paced about. There are more than just werewolves and natives on Fort Continent. The Summit of Peaks is also there, so Im expecting things to be difficult. I wont have any soldier on my hand to deal with the situation once things go in an unexpected direction. Seeing that Song Zining was moved, Zhang Zhao said hurriedly, Rest assured, the prince has already made arrangements for this matter. Song Zining nodded slowly. That will be great! Its just that those men must head to Fort Continent first and remain hidden there. That way, well be able to operate when the time comes. Well become a big target if they operate with me. Also, this mission must be kept completely secret! The Summit of Peaks has a powerful military presence there. Well be in trouble if they discover us. Zhang Zhao became spirited. Of course! Dont worry, Marshal Song, Ill make all the necessary arrangements after reporting back to the prince! Everything will be ready once you return from the new world, waiting for you to set out! Ill trouble you then. Song Zining saw the guest off with cupped fists. Zhang Zhao understood that this scheme had deep implications, so the less he interacted with Song Zining before its success, the better. Now that he had accomplished his objective, he decided to leave as quickly as possible. After seeing Zhang Zhao off, Song Zining continued reading the battle reports as usual. He also ordered his men to bring a series of documents related to Qianye, including regional battle reports and several documents related to the aristocratic families. The documents he had gone through only proved that Song Zining was preparing for his position in the military. Any marshal would have to familiarize himself with the military affairs of the entire country. After going through the documents, Song Zining instructed his men to prepare a car for him and made ready to head out. Evernight Council. There were still thirteen seats at the roundtable conference. Unlike the past meetings where the powerhouses surging aura would fill the entire hall, no one released their power this time despite it being a full house. The members overseeing the meeting were also different. Apart from the Lightless Monarch Medanzo of the vampires and the Moorland Overlord Sousa, the rest were all demonkin. The bronze throne that belonged to the chairman was now occupied by a mass of pure darkness. Although one could hardly sense any aura from it, whoever paid attention to it would feel a chill down their spine. It was as though they had been baptized by pure darkness. To the left of the Demon King was the Eternal Flame, Klaus, and down the line were famous clan lords such as Masefield, the Dark Abyss, and Jeruson. To the right of the Demon King was a young warlock with light blonde hair. Down the line were the cloaked chairman and some of Evernights famous prophets. No one objected to such an unusual seating arrangement, not even Medanzo and Sousa who would usually pay attention to their status. A demonkin prince stood up, bowed toward the Demon King, and began presenting the recent war reports. Chapter 1362: Phase Two Part 2 The other section was categorized into regions with detailed analyses into the casualty rates of different races. There was also a standard deviation that had never appeared in any other report. From the conclusion of that report, over ninety percent of regions had already met the criteria. The new world had reached a hundred and twenty percent. After the prince concluded his report, the chairmans muffled voice emerged from under his hood. We can begin phase two of the operation. Set up observation stations according to the plan. For the regions that havent met the criteria, increase troop strength by thirty percent. The Jeruson and Wallace families will be in charge of the transportation and installation of survey facilities. We ask Master Melia to coordinate all prophets. Additionally, please be careful not to let the new world exceed a hundred again. With that, the chairman looked up at the Masefield clan. Progia hadnt forgotten the pain of losing their promising young duke, Freyr. He couldnt help but glare at Medanzo, saying, Its all because of those scheming vampires. Our losses are always heavy when theyre in charge of the warzone. Medanzo didnt even look up at him. Reynold is the commander of the vampires, and youve already complained to him I believe. Progia didnt have the time to reply before the chairman cut him short. Arrangements have been made on the Azure Kings side, no need to bring it up again. Lightless Monarch, how is the progress on your end? Medanzo said, The Queen of the Night has returned to her slumber. If there are no accidents, like someone with authority waking her up, things outside of the Perth clans territory wont catch her attention. Those with authority were, of course, referring to the existing second-generation primogenitors. There were four of them in total operating in the outside world at the momentthe Azure King Reynold, the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, Habsburg of the Flaming Crown, and the Dark Gospel Howard. Howard and Medanzo were archenemies. After his awakening, the former only appeared once in public before fading away from sight. The only confirmed news was that he hadnt left the Twilight Continent. After some thought, the chairman looked up at the Demon King. The Flaming Crown The Demon King said, Ill handle his case, you avoid the Sperger clans castle. The council chairman was surprised because this went against the original plan, but he immediately replied, Yes, Your Majesty. Lastly, the Eye of Control and Eye of Destruction. The council chairman paused briefly. The Great Demonkin Prophet Melia stood up and bowed toward the Demon King. I apologize, Your Majesty. I simply cannot see their whereabouts. He glanced at Predica who was standing to the right of the supreme. Perhaps the young highness of the Dark Nightmare can The Demon King said, Predica will not join any factional activity. His words were decisive and firm. Melia immediately replied, Yes, Your Majesty. Then I will discuss a plan with my colleagues. The Demon King said, Let it be. Its only normal that you cant see through a combination of human divination and vampire secret arts. Naturally, no one doubted the Demon Kings words. Many eyes fell upon Medanzo, who kept his eyes lowered and his sleeves drawn together, almost as though he didnt hear anything. Predica said after some thought, Your Majesty, do you mean after all that has gone down in Blacksun Valley, some humans want to save Qianye and some vampires want to save Nighteye? This game of trading pieces is quite interesting. The Demon King said, The short-lived races have always been full of conflicts, and the vampires are quite similar to them. Predica seemed raring to have a go. Perhaps I could give it a try. The Demon King said, You better stay away from touching the daybreak side until the effects of Lin Xitangs divination are entirely gone from this world. The round table fell utterly silent. This was the first time Lin Xitangs name had been brought up at the councils round table since the void continent war. As the overseer of the entire operation, Habsburg had cited injuries and refused to be debriefed. The sheer amount of complaints the Evernight Council had received regarding the miserable loss of sword-bearers and the sudden withdrawal of the fleet was enough to bury him. However, no one was able to bring these complaints up for discussion mainly because of the Demon Kings suppression. This supreme had made it clear that he didnt want to listen to anyone talking about that war. Yet, he had brought it up himself today. The chairman coughed for attention. Actually, weve already made some hypothetical plans after Marshal Lin passed away. One is to strike at the heart of the Great Qin. From our current intelligence, its very possible that we can stir up a conflict between their Emperor and his important ministers. This method is a bit more difficult because we need to find a good entry point, otherwise, its possible that the entire operation will fail to mobilize. The good thing is that we wont need to invest too much afterward; all we need to do is watch as their internal dispute unfolds. Of course, the outcome will also be beyond our control. It might bring about another transformation in fate or it might fail just like the previous Operation Blueblood. The other solution is to begin from the Western Continent warzone where he was once posted, that is, Fire Beacon Continent. The power balance there is complicatedthe Zhao clan, the military, and two provinces controlled by rebels. This method will be easier since there are already people who are in opposition, all we need to do is provide some fuel, and those with a brain will know how to make use of it. The Western Continent is the farthest from the heart of the Empire, so we have more time and space to turn rumors into opposing voices. At this point, the council chairman shot the Demon King a glance. Seeing no response from the supreme, he continued, The first method will require an inside asset. How are your men over there? Medanzo said, The Empire went through a major cleanup after the Sanguine Burial. I dont have any assets left, even the peripheral spies have been exiled to remote lands. The chairman nodded. Actually, weve already done a pressure test on the second route. We passed some ambiguous words about the marshal to the relevant people in the Qin Empire. Their upper echelons are fairly cautious, so much so that our envoy couldnt figure out if they had sensed the problem or if theyre already under pressure. The response among the opposition is fairly good; they seem quite happy to hear bad news about those suppressing them. The chairman finally received a reply from the Demon King. Well leave that here for now. Continue your tests while setting up the observation posts on the Fire Beacon Continent. Yes, Your Majesty. The chairman scanned everyone at the table. If no one has any questions, we shall enter phase two of the plan after we go back. Sousa, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, What do we do about Fort Continent? The chairman said, That place is not within our survey plans. The werewolf said, That means, I can do what I want? The Demon King butted in all of a sudden, The Summit of Peaks no longer owns the Tempests advantage. I hope you dont cause a ruckus in unimportant places. Sousa nodded. Of course, as you wish. As the meeting came to an end, everyone bowed toward the Demon King and left in succession. Only the chairman, Predica, and Melia remained in the end. The chairman said after gathering his thoughts, Your Majesty, what do we do about the previous plan where we follow a part of Marshal Lins traces? He was still quite respectful of Lin Xitang. The Demon King said slowly, Thats just to obtain a control group in the daybreak system. Just clear out a few human settlement zones and youll get your numbers. The other three stopped speaking. It would take a lot more than a small number if they were to use ordinary people here, and whats more, Lin Xitang wasn''t just a control group. However, no one spoke words of objection. Master Melia said, I must report the changes in the plan to His Highness Anwen and hasten the modifications. The chairman nodded. Then Ill work on the war preparations. After Melia and the chairman had left, the Demon King chuckled softly. Only he would care about those ants. Itll be worth it if we can clear away more of them in exchange for giving him peace, isnt that right? Predica leaned back in his chair and put a hand over his eyes. Only under the assumption that the man didnt leave any backup plans. The matter thus returned to the starting point. The answers to Lin Xitangs thread of fate could only be found on Lin Xitangs body. The Demon Kings tone was always gentle. Then I hope Habsburg will realize this sooner. Predicas heart skipped a beat and his hands turned cold. However, he maintained his lazy posture without making a single movement. Chapter 1363: Call of the River of Blood Part 1 The seventh young master was now a marshal in terms of strength and authority, so his transportation was also fairly grand. Even in the capital, a jeep would lead the way and serve as an escort. There were a total of ten guards assigned to him at all times. These ten guards werent there to defeat enemies as they were far inferior to a divine champion marshal. Their duty was to take a bullet for him at the critical moment, earning him a split second to act. The motorcade slowly left the capital under Song Zinings orders and headed toward the suburbs where they entered an elegant courtyard district. The independent compounds here were neatly arrangedthey were well-knit but not crowded, and the area was secluded and peaceful. It was definitely a great place. The entire district was rather quiet. There were few cars and people on the streets, and there werent any checkpoints or guards at the entrances. Instead, there were military police standing guard. Song Zinings entourage entered without any obstruction, all the way until they arrived at a small courtyard. The aide checked the number plate and said, Number 67. Weve arrived, Sire. You guys wait here. With that, Song Zining left the car and entered the compound. The courtyard wasnt big, but it still had a front and back entrance. Song Zining walked through the central hall and arrived at the rear courtyard. Wei Potian was standing beside the pond, lazily scattering fish feed into the pond. Wei Potian never sensed Song Zinings arrival. He picked up another handful of fish feed with his left hand and tossed them clumsily into the water. After watching for a while, Song Zining said, General Wei, youre living quite the comfortable life, arent you? Shocked out of his wits, Wei Potian flickered away almost immediately. After seeing that it was Song Zining, he patted his chest, saying, Goddammit you scared me, why do you always like to play this game? He hadnt finished speaking when a hard slap landed on his face! The slap was so strong and swift that even the Thousand Mountains couldnt stop it in time. All he could see were stars. What are you doing man?! Wei Potian was both shocked and angry. Half of his face was swollen all of a sudden. Song Zining roared with a cold expression, How can I be in the mood to play with you?! Qianye is gone now, yet youre living comfortably here! Wei Potian was stunned. Gone? Realizing something, his voice started to tremble. What?! Qianyes gone? How is this possible?! Song Zining immediately realized this and understood that Wei Potian wasnt acting. But this did little to ease the anger in his heart. The scenery in the courtyard shifted with a wave of his sleeves, locking all sounds inside his domain. After setting up the domain, Song Zining said through gritted teeth, If you hadnt gone to Qianye, there was no way he wouldve gone to battle! Now he and Nighteye have died together in Blacksun Valley. Are you satisfied now? Wei Potian stood frozen in place, almost as though he had been struck by lightning. Died together? H-How did this happen? I only wanted him to stop her for a bit. Song Zinings eyes were red as he roared, What the fuck do you know about all the strings being pulled in this matter? You bumbling idiot! What else do you expect Qianye to do after pushing him onto the battlefield? You forced both of them off the cliff! I wronged Nighteye in many ways because of the things I did for Qianye, and Im willing to die for that. I woke up so many times in between, did I go and find Qianye?! Zhao Jundu almost died in her hands, did he call Qianye? Even we didnt speak out, do we need an idiot like you to meddle?! Is losing an arm that important?! At the mention of this hateful topic, Song Zining grabbed the sword at Wei Potians waist and shouted, You ran over to Fort Continent with a lost arm. Of course, Qianye wouldnt just sit by and do nothing. You actually dragged him back with that lost arm of yours, Ill make sure you lose it forever!!! Song Zining slashed at Wei Potians left arm! The latter stood there, ashen-faced, and didnt try to evade. Song Zining stopped the swift strike as soon as it had entered the flesh, cursing Wei Potian to his face. Goddammit! Dodge, come on! What are you doing? Wei Potian said, Youre right, Qianye wouldnt have come back if I hadnt lost an arm. He came back for me. I killed him. Please cut me down! Song Zinings hands trembled, causing the blade to cut through the flesh and drawing a stream of blood. He drew back the blade and said, Qianye lost his life for you, losing an arm is letting you off too easy. I have my reasons as well. Wait until Ive cleaned up all the bad karma. I will come to find you and take your worthless life, then well all go and meet Qianye! Wei Potian remained silent. He reached out to grab the sword and dragged it down forcibly. Ignoring the massive flow of blood, he twisted the sword and dragged it toward his heart. What are you doing?! Shocked, Song Zining grabbed the mans wrist. Wei Potian struggled a few times but to no avail. Its my fault, I killed him. Ill go see him now and kowtow in apology! Song Zining glared at Wei Potian. You idiot! Youll just make him angrier if you go see him. Since you want to die so much, help me do some things so that you dont die in vain. I owe Qianye, not you! Wei Potian didnt have any good impression of Song Zining. The latter said, Qianye has just left, but someones already eyeing his land. Wei Potian was furious. Whos so bold?! Ill kill him! Kill? How? Song Zining sneered. The other party is a heavenly monarch! So what? At most Ill die! Thats why I say you have no brains! Whats the point of dying like that? All youll get are some positive comments about brotherly loyalty. Wei Potian finally calmed down. What do you need? Song Zining said, I heard your Wei clan has a few suicidal soldiers. Transfer a thousand of them over to Fort Continent and have them contact Caroline. Ill give them their orders later on. Wei Potian said, These soldiers do not fear sacrifice, but their death must be worth it. Song Zining said coldly, Theyre all unfamiliar faces, so its easier to clean up afterward. Just send the men over and tell me how to give them their orders. Dont I need to go? What for? To let everyone know its your doing? Then what do I do? Stay here and recuperate. Wei Potian knew he was far inferior in terms of strategy, so he fished out a command token and said, This is the Wei clans secret command token. You can use it to command the suicide soldiers. He then explained how to activate the origin array. Song Zining picked up the token and left. In the depths of the endless darkness of the void, a faint voice echoed, Qianye, Qianye The call reverberated through space, spreading far and wide. A consciousness slowly awakened in the darkness and listened intently at the distant summoning. After an unknown length of time, a single thought emerged: So dark He thus opened his eyes and saw that it wasnt just endless darkness before him. There were small specks of light floating in the air, but his reactions were so sluggish that he couldnt see what they were or how far they were from him. That calling grew clearer and clearer. And just like that, a second thought emerged: I am Qianye As though he had woken up from a dream, everything before him became clearer. He saw the endless void before him. However, the void wasnt entirely empty; there were many strange things floating around. There were mountain peaks, giant skeletons, and what looked like the remains of mechanical fortresses, their damaged surfaces revealing the warped steel beams within. It was as though a certain giant had torn it apart. Qianye wanted to move over to examine the ruins. This fortress was even bigger than a mountain range; the Martyrs Palace was like an ant compared to it. It could probably fit a small chunk of the Empires population if it were complete. With this thought, Qianye soared into the air and flew toward the ruins. He looked down and saw that he was still in the void and only then did he realize that he had no physical body. He raised his head again and saw that the ruins were moving away rapidly. The distance between them was even greater than before. The giant rock, the skeletons, and the mountain peaks, everything was moving at unimaginable speeds. How could he ever catch up? After some hesitation, Qianye gave up any thought of flying over. He had a feeling that things would go really bad if he were to crash into anything. Chapter 1363: Call of the River of Blood Part 2 It was just that he couldnt reach the source of that call even after flying endlessly. He couldnt figure out whether he had actually moved because there was nothing to reference in this endless void. All he could do was keep flying with all his might. As time went on, even this incorporeal consciousness began to feel some exhaustion. Qianye suddenly noticed a pair of giant golden eyes slowly open. The eyes merely shot him a glance, but that was enough to send his world spinning. The scenery before him had changed completely when he regained control. Before him was a raging river. He could not tell whence this giant river stemmed from or where it went; all he knew was that the source of the summoning call came from upstream. With this thought, Qianye flew along the river. This time, he knew he was flying. The river gradually became narrower, and the waters turned red, dark red, and then a hint of gold began to appear within. In the blink of an eye, the river had narrowed down to the size of a stream, with golden light flowing between its banks. The calling grew even clearer; it was coming from the source of the river. Qianye suddenly realized what he was seeing. This was the River of Blood! Glorious Marquis Margo was enjoying his tea under a big courtyard umbrella. The fragrant flowers and the sunlight shining through the leaves did little to improve his mood. This was his own territory back at the clan, located on Fire Beacon Continent. Although the land here was small and squeezed up against human territory, it was a good beginning for his family. Margo was the last batch of experts to be transferred out of Blacksun Valley. He had been feeling sullen for many days, but his mood worsened after returning to Evernight. The showdown on that mountain peak never appeared in any of the records. He realized what was going on after someone explained it to him. That last battle and its relevant contributions were still under inspection. The process was now half completed, and the rest was in a pending state. Margo happened to be among the half that was being investigated. He didnt have much to say since he was captured in the fight, and he didnt want to wait on Twilight Continent. So, he simply cited injuries and returned to his territory. Noticing something was off, Margo looked around all of a sudden. Two demonkin had appeared at the entrance to his courtyard. The marquis recognized the two. He stood up and said in puzzlement, Your Excellencies Anwen and Eden?! His expression then shifted drastically. Eden, what are you doing?! Eden said calmly, My apologies, Your Excellency Margo, were on a mission. Please return with us. Margo said furiously, If I have to take responsibility, it should be toward Twilight Continent! Whats the meaning of this? Incidences of high-ranking experts being captured were few and far between, but it wasnt as though there werent any examples. The exchange of prisoners and ransom couldnt be made public, but there were always parties operating in the dark. As for submission, it was naturally impossible between factions. Things, however, could get a bit messy once there was a neutral power involved. For such cases, the council would allow the individual races to settle the matter on their own and only observe the results later on. Margo had sensed something bad after the battle at Blacksun Valley, but he wasnt too worried. He was ready to get thrown into another war, but who wouldve thought the council would interfere before the vampire races punishment had arrived? Eden didnt say anything to him and simply pulled the trigger. Margos hair stood on end as he entered a state of bloodboil. Without a care for the potential damage, he immediately transformed into a shadow and fled. His speed was even faster than an origin bullet! However, he ran into an invisible wall before he could escape the courtyard. Wisps of dark energy appeared before him as Anwen appeared nearby. The demonkin then captured Margo with his domain as though he were catching an insect. Margo attacked at the speed of lightning, using his vampiric blade to cleave an escape path on the wall of demonic energy. Edens bullet tore through Margos back at that moment. Anwen and his domain suddenly disappeared just before a large shadowy mass flew in and engulfed the vampire marquis. The vampire castle outside was also in chaos at this point. Large batches of Evernight council soldiers poured in and started massacring everyone in the stronghold. All of them were titled experts who could reap a life with a single strike. Several transports landed at the borders of the territory, their escort warships still hovering in the air. There were supply crates scattered on the ground and several technicians were busy setting up large equipment on the unoccupied land. The shadow that had devoured Margo was fired from a cannon-like installation from this place. That dark mass didnt disperse after engulfing the vampire marquis and instead remained erect on the ground. Only high-ranking demonkin nobles could clearly see the dissection process that was going on inside. The vampire marquis was being separated into different tissues and broken down into blood energy, which was then converted into pure darkness origin power. In the end, Margo was reduced to a single blood core and a large cloud of essence, containing half blood energy and half darkness origin power. During this process, a serious-looking demonkin elder was busy recording the data onto a piece of parchment paper. At this point, Anwen turned around and said to someone in his guard squad, Your Excellency, you can go back now that youve observed the scene. His Majesty will worry if you run out here like this. That tall, soldierly man was Predica. Predica watched the old demonkin disperse the demonic energy and collect the blood core into a special receptacle. He couldnt help but rub his chin, saying, Your matter extraction methods are getting more and more accurate. The demonkin nodded and said with a bow, For darkness and glory. Thank you for the praise, Your Excellency. This is the most cutting-edge extraction method under development. The error control is within half an energy unit and works with any energy system. Well, of course, we still havent grasped enough data on void origin power. Predica shook his head. But I feel that His Majesty wont be willing to offer up that person for such an analysis. The old demonkin knew sufficient inside information. If its just for reference data, adding two more provinces under the daybreak system should suffice. Weve already handed the calculation results to His Majesty Anwen last night. Things turned out quite well. We need to clear away the little insects tainted by darkness origins anyway. It makes little difference if we do it now or later. Predica and Anwen exchanged glances, but neither of them said anything. The two were just observers; the decision-making would be left to the other great dark monarchs and princes. Before this senior warlock of the research institute, they had to be careful no matter how high their statuses were. A soldier arrived at this moment. He bowed first and said, Lords, theres a food pen inside with humans among the stock. The old demonkin waved at him. No need to pick them out especially. Daybreak food doesnt affect the overall data. The soldier had just turned around to leave when Predica said, Wait, I want to take a look. I havent seen human commoners before. Predica returned after a while and was duly dragged onto the return flight by Anwen. This time, the demonkin didnt try to dilly-dally. It was just that he kept gazing out the window after the airship had taken off. After a long while, he asked in puzzlement, That marshals people, are you sure theyre not different species? Anwen felt that there was a lot to say, but at the same time, he had nothing to say. Predicas identity was special, so he had received strict protection from the demonkin race. Even among the upper echelons of the dark races, not many knew of his existence. He rarely left the races territory, and even his experience-excursions were limited to special zones that were far away from the daybreak continents. Also, what did his people mean? What was the power of bloodlines? Back on the ground, Eden was standing quietly on high ground with his gun. The territory belonging to a vampire clan was now being leveled rapidly before him. Everything was disappearinglife, castle, and even the lay of the land. Everything was being reduced to thin air and transformed into sets of data in the researchers notebooks. After the entire territory had been wiped clean, the transports shipped over a mountain of equipment. Then, they began assembling a massive entity made of metal, stone, and other unknown materials. A giant shadow was thus cast over the great land. Chapter 1364: Profit and Sentiments Qianye flew toward the source and saw several faint runes floating in the waters. Those were the insignia of the second-generation primogenitors. Some were still shining, while others had gone dim. Qianye was filled with a strange feeling each time he saw an emblem. Those werent just the emblems of each clan, but they also contained a method of energy manipulation, a pathway of advancement. The seals sat at varying distances from the source and were also of different sizes. Perhaps this difference was the source of the power gap between the second-generation primogenitors. He also realized that the distance between them wasnt constant. Some of them were growing farther away in the river-flow, while some were growing closer. There might just be a change in their ranking given enough time. Qianye suddenly realized the ultimate questionwas the legendary first drop of blood located at the source of the river? What did it look like? Would he get the answers if he could fly to the very end and pass through the mist? Growing more and more excited, Qianye sped up and flew toward the black mist. It was at this moment that he was shocked by a sense of grave danger! He looked up to see the black mist surging, and out leaped a fierce beast. This creature looked strangely awkwardit was ugly and twisted without a single symmetrical part on its body. It almost seemed to have stemmed from the evil source of the primal chaos, destined to disgust all beholders. It charged at Qianye the moment it appeared. Qianye was shocked because he had nothing at the moment, not even a body. How could he be a match? He evaded with all his might, but his speed was vastly inferior to the creature. Soon, the beast caught up to him and swallowed him into its gaping maws. Qianyes consciousness once again entered the darkness. Imperial Capital, the Divination Pavilion. A group of divination experts was walking out in a single line. Each and every one of them looked solemn and exhausted. There were cars waiting to pick them up. After most of the people had dispersed, a lady with long hair and wide-sleeved robes emerged from the building. She wasnt wearing a single piece of decorative jewelry, but her beautiful countenance was unparalleled. She was Empress Li. An inner attendant arrived and bowed to her. Your Majesty, His Majesty is waiting for you at the Misty Grass Garden. Somewhat surprised, Empress Li picked up a cloak and drew the hood over her head. Very well, she said as she boarded the car. Naturally, no one was allowed to live here after his ascension, and it had always been well-maintained. The Emperor would sometimes visit, but he forbade concubines and princes from setting foot inside. Empress Li had never entered the place before, but she knew that there was a room there that had been precisely maintained for many years. It was in the exact same state as when the previous Empress was still alive. The passing of the previous Empress was a great taboo, hence no one dared to touch upon this topic. Even the most tactless Concubine Zhao could only pretend to be ignorant of this special location. Misty Grass Garden was a rather cramped place. The entrance to the main hall stood right in front after passing through the gate and divider wall. There were no scenic decorations in the yard as every inch of soil was covered in lush Mist Grass that they almost seemed like wild grass. The vegetation had been left alone on purpose and without so much as a trim. They were allowed to rely on their own power to take root and grow in the soil. The small white flowers at the top swayed in the wind, much like the lustrous stars in the night sky. The entire Misty Grass Garden was quiet; even the inner attendant had stayed behind at the door. Empress Li entered alone. As someone hailing from an old aristocratic family, she might not have had her own courtyard before, but she had also never lived in such a small building. The Radiant Emperor was in the left side-hall, which was a study. There was an embroidery canopy under the window, with numerous needles and threads lying around. It was as though the lady of the house would enter any moment. Empress Li found the embroidery station rather novel. As someone who had developed great talent since a young age, the arts she had learned were no different from a mans. The feminine arts were never in her curriculum. Half of this room was the lords study, while the other half was the ladys embroidery room. The Empress couldnt help but feel a bit absent-minded. This was probably what it was like for a commoner family. The Radiant Emperor was standing before a certain painting. This ink painting and the words on it conveyed the joys of a new marriage, a work that couldnt be considered a masterpiece by any measure. Empress Li walked over and couldnt help but feel a bit emotional when she saw the familiar style. Wasnt this the work of the Imperial Teacher? The Radiant Emperor said, Marshal Lin came from a humble family. He joined the military academy at a young age, so his literary attainments are fairly mediocre. At the mention of this, he laughed. I remember when he was just the princes teacher, the first thing he said was that he was no match for Monarch Zhang in calligraphy. Empress Li revealed a faint smile on the surface but was distracted inside. She had never heard the Radiant Emperor mention Lin Xitangs personal matters; something felt different today. The Emperor turned around and said, Thanks for putting in the effort. Is everything done over at the Divination Pavilion? Empress Li snapped back to reality and bowed formally, saying, The sacrificial ceremony is over. However, Im sorry to tell you that we didnt gain anything apart from stirring up the threads of fate and confusing the other side. We still dont know what the dark races are after in the new world. The Radiant Emperor nodded. The Demon King is there in person, and its already a difficult endeavor to keep things from him. The younger generations battle has ended, its our turn now. Empress Li frowned. Since Song Zining rose to power, the prophets of the Evernight side have been avoiding a direct confrontation. I was able to sense it even more clearly. She continued after a pause, I have a feeling that the Evernight faction has kept their fate well camouflaged, much more so than any other point in time. In truth, the council has many other famous prophets. Judging from their lifespans, there should be more of them than the ones they have on the table. The Radiant Emperor nodded. Thats not strange, its an advantage afforded to them by their long lifespans. He sighed deeply, saying, Back when the holy war was put on hold, Marshal Lin judged that the dark races would undergo a great internal change. Its not strange for dormant dark race members to awaken. Empress Li seemed surprised. Isnt it because of the new worlds arrival? The Radiant Emperor said, Thats not the only reason. Empress Li said after a momentary daze, As expected, Im too inferior compared to Marshal Lin. I still cant see that. The Radiant Emperor said, That wasnt divination. He was still in the divination pavilion back then. Empress Li listened quietly. She had heard bits and pieces about that incident, but she didnt dare touch on the topic since it would annoy the Emperor. Now that he had mentioned the case on his own, it was likely that he had more to say. The Emperor walked over to the embroidery station and touched the half-completed embroidery. I hated my fathers attitude toward the princes. He simply watched as they killed one another. I wasnt a target during the peripheral courts rebellion, but who would bother to discern the target during a massacre? It was Marshal Lin who had taken me into hiding during the craziest days. Empress Li was shaken. She didnt know whether she had enough composure to keep herself calm, but the Emperor didnt turn to look at her, either. Later on, when my father chose me as his inheritor, some smart people told me that Marshal Lin had saved me deliberately because he had foreseen the events with his divination powers. The Radiant Emperor laughed. There was actually a divination expert among them. Empress Li naturally understood that such words were laughable. Divination wasnt an omnipotent power; how could it see everything in detail? There were instances where the diviner would make mistakes after barely touching on the mysteries of fate and missing the bigger picture. Why else would the divination war happen back then? Lin Xitang had to accumulate correct results for many years in order to shut up all the other divination sects. Besides, the mysteries of heaven were never constantjust like the threads of the dark races fate. The future was only a possibility, and the present was only one of the countless possibilities. In the end, every living being wished to pry into the workings of fate, but why? Did they want to accept their fate? Or did they want to defy the heavens and change their destiny? After changing fate, was the future that they had seen really still the future? What happened that night, I know all too clearly. I dont need anyone to tell me the truth. They were all wrong to think that my father the Emperor had let me into the minor study in order to cultivate me. In truth, he had forgotten about me, and the concubine in charge of the princes had also neglected to assign me a teacher. Even after the rebellion, my father hadnt settled on me as the successor, my talents were never enough to satisfy him. Because of my weak maternal family, I could hardly go against the other bigshots of the clan and would suffer all sorts of trouble when he was not around. The Radiant Emperor stood up. I sought this supreme seat on my own because I saw Lord Riverglance force Marshal Lin to kneel and apologize. Empress Li felt her hair stand on end. The Radiant Emperor turned around at this point. His expression was amicable, and there was no great change in his countenance. He looked as though he was just telling a story instead of the palaces secretsthings he had experienced in person. He focused on Empress Li, saying, Only when I took that position in the Lingyun Hall did I understand why my father had allowed the bloody incident to play out. Sentiments and profits never come together. Benefits can be measured, but are there shallow sentiments and deep sentiments? To Wuyue, to you, and to all my other concubines and princes, I was never a good husband and father. Everything I hated about my father, I did the same as well. Fortunately, no one else after Wuyue really discussed feelings with me. Every noble lady had a family supporting her, and every concubine position came with a contract. The Radiant Emperors maternal family was of humble origins, so as a prince, he never had any women around him. Empress Li heaved a sigh, knowing that the words to follow were the focus of todays conversation. I know you have your aspirations. With your current attainments, you can easily become the head of the Divination Pavilion. I will inform the heavenly monarchs and grant you this position. But no prince or princess under your name shall have the right to succeed the throne. Especially if you want the Li family to be promoted to major clan status in this generation, there shall be no Emperor surnamed Li. From today onward, as long as the Li surname remains head of the Divination Pavilion, we will not accept anyone else surnamed Li into the Imperial harem. Empress Li was extremely calm. She bowed deeply, saying, Yes, Your Majesty, your subject obeys. Chapter 1364: Profit and Sentiments Part 2 Empress Li looked up. The Radiant Emperor smiled. You look nice in this outfit. Theres no need to change into court apparel, lets go now. All the inner attendants from the Wave Hall were standing outside, and at least ten meters away from the door. The auxiliary hall to the right used to be a resting chamber, equipped with tall seats, soft cushions, reading desks, and a zither stand. It was the perfect place for heavenly monarchs to gather because there was no need to sit according to seniority, and everyone could find a comfortable spot. The Pointer Monarch and Profundity Monarch were seated on opposite sides, one enjoying tea while the other played chess. They seemed rather leisurely. The Northridge Monarch was lying on the soft cushions and seemingly dozing off. His territory, the Western Continent, was the farthest from the heart of the Empire. He rarely came to the capital unless there was something important. The door curtains moved gently as Fang Qingkong entered the room. He was clad in a civil officers attire, with a hint of coldness in his expression. The man wasnt shaken at all by the room full of heavenly monarchs. Without disturbing the powerhouses individual activity, he walked over to the Profundity Monarch and whispered some words. The chess piece in the Profundity Monarchs hand froze midway. He said in an odd tone, The Martyrs Palace? Shouldnt you ask the Zhao clan about that? Last I heard, Qianye has a daughter on Fort Continent. Besides, Pointer is the one who built that airship. You should be asking him how to deal with it. What opinion can I have? The Pointer Monarch might be keen in sight and hearing, but he wasnt going to listen in on a hushed conversation between the two. He turned around only when his name was mentioned, and seeing Fang Qingkongs blank expression, he more or less realized what was going on. The Pointer Monarch said, Fang Qingkong, just speak in a straightforward manner. Dont keep things half-hidden like Lin Xitang. He then said to the Profundity Monarch, I know a bit about this. Your great-grandson sent an unknown brat from one of the Zhang branch families, borrowing your name to negotiate a deal with Song Zining. He plans to split the profits from Fort Continent with him. The Profundity Monarch was surprised. Which great-grandson? He then asked, And Song Zining believes him? I dont think hes that dumb, is he? The Pointer Monarch stroked his beard and glanced meaningfully at Fang Qingkong. Fang Qingkong stood there like a wooden statue, not saying a single word. The Pointer Monarch shook his head with a smile. He realized that the man was forcing him and the Profundity Monarch to express their opinions, but he didnt mind this bit of scheming. Profundity, Zining came to seek my opinion a while ago. I told him not to hold back, do whatever makes him feel better. The Profundity Monarch didnt seem surprised. He said with a nod, Thats how it should be. The Pointer Monarch said, I told him sacrificing a handful of people is nothing. The Profundity Monarch said, Why stop me when youve already spoken? Those youngsters of mine probably think theyre so talented that the family wont abandon them. If they think the contributions I gained in the new world aren''t enough for them to use, theyre free to try and get more. They cant blame anyone if they go about it the wrong way and lose their lives, can they? At this point, the Profundity Monarch was furious. He turned to Fang Qingkong and said, Which one is it? The Pointer Monarch said, No rush. Since Zining asked me about it, he probably has a plan already. Just let him borrow your name for a bit. The Profundity Monarch was stunned for a brief moment. After realizing what the elder prince meant, he said, Fine. That place is full of dark races, its not a bad thing to let him do a bit of suppression. At this moment, the Radiant Emperor and Empress Li walked in. The heavenly monarchs stood up to offer their salutations; the Northridge Monarch got up from the couch as well. The group was already on alert, to begin with, so they got right to business. Fang Qingkong began explaining the recent situation. The Evernight Council''s movements had been extremely odd. During the process of tallying contributions, they began capturing members of their aristocracy. And not just any noble; those were high-ranking nobles of the four major races. This was a rare occurrence. The resolution might''ve come from the council, but their direct forces would only touch the smaller races under normal circumstances. The four major races would work things out on their own. Ignoring what their crimes were, touching members of the nobility would always bring up the problem of military power. Yet the council had brought out some unnamed machines that had never appeared before on the battlefield. Fang Qingkong had to look through the archives in the Imperial library to finally get some clues on a few of the equipment. Back when Marshal Lin heard about the ceasefire of the holy war, he said there would be great internal changes to the Evernight faction. The new worlds opening covered up these changes, and we were unable to monitor the exact situation. The Founding Emperor and the Martial Emperor had both pointed out that our race will face great peril when the four races are united, but that never truly happened despite the councils presence. That gave our race the much-needed space to grow, but this state wont go on indefinitely. Our race must keep a cautious eye on the power ratio between the four major dark races. Once the balance is broken, danger will soon follow. Back during the founding years of the Great Qin Empire, each of the four major dark races maintained four great dark monarchs in their fighting force. Two of them would actively participate in the races affairs and could be swapped out for the two dormant monarchs at a moments notice. The maximum number of great dark monarchs that could be kept awake was a top-secret of each race. We never learned the numbers, and its likely that the other races have not, either. But in the recent century where the dark races stopped directly attacking the Empires mainland, the four major races rotation of great monarchs evidently decreased in number. And within the past millennium, the vampires have managed to wipe out twenty-three percent of the werewolf races clan totems in the holy war. They have also reduced fifteen percent of the clans to half their original population. The size of their slave army wasnt evidently affected, but we dont have precise data on the quality of their slave army, either. Additionally, the werewolves have not produced a supreme in the last millennium. The vampires have been leveraging their success to challenge the authority of the demonkin race. According to historical records, the latter races large-scale war machines were much more advanced than the ones in use today. Weve always attributed this to a decline in technology, owing to their falling population. Thats why our higher-ups and research organizations have always believed that the vampires will be the ones to break the power balance, that they would attack the Empire again after annexing the werewolves. Thats because the number of people being kidnapped or traded via grey channels is not enough to satisfy their need for low-level members. This is a factor restricting them from producing large numbers of slave soldiers like the werewolves and arachne. Because high-ranking vampires look similar to our race, the number of human and vampire hybrids are quite high in the grey zones. They are also able to transform those of our race into their own. It has always been their side that has actively sought to penetrate the Empire. The agent who had been in touch with the Longevity Monarch during the void continent war was a great duke. He has gone missing now, and we cant say for sure if he obeys the Lightless Monarch Medanzo or the Flaming Crown Habsburg. Since the opening of the new world, weve been making full preparations for an all-out war. If the Evernight side starts moving, that means the ancestors prophecy is about to arrive. The council''s movements prove that a powerful authority figure has appeared. But Im not certain who the other sides leader is. Is it the vampire race or is it the demonkin? After a period of silence, Empress Li said, The Evernight side has camouflaged their fate very tightly. Theyre not responding to provocations, either. Even if our side tries to penetrate and explore, they only seek to expel and never chase us down. The heart of the new world is still shrouded in black mist. The Pointer Monarch fell into a moment of thought. Do we have a map indicating all the territory the Evernight Council has captured? Fang Qingkong shook his head. The difficulty of gathering intelligence has greatly increased since the holy war ceasefire. We only managed to obtain some scattered information this time. There was one clear report because that one took place on the Western Continent." Western Continent, huh? The Northridge Monarch frowned. Does the Zhao clan know about it? Fang Qingkong said, Weve already notified them. Theres no news of the Empires main territory being invaded, but we should be cautious. The Pointer Monarch nodded. Agreed. The Radiant Emperor and the other heavenly monarchs also expressed their agreement. Fang Qingkong added, Because the situation at hand is fairly close to an all-out war, I would like to confirm the tactical contraction plan while the heavenly monarchs are here. Tactical contraction referred to the pulling back of the war front under adverse conditions so that the core regions could be protected. Fang Qingkong flipped through the documents, saying, The Empire currently holds the least territory on the Western Continent. There are only three more aristocratic families in addition to the Zhao clan. Its development came at a later date, so our defenses are the weakest there. The Transcendent Continent has been recovering at a snails pace following the beast hordes rampage. This became more evident after the Fort Continents rise. Most aristocratic families have been diverting their resources over to that side. So, from the current fighting power distribution, Transcendent seems to be the best contraction point. The beast horde damaged the surface structures, but the continent-grade weapons can still be activated. The Profundity Monarch said, I agree. He then said to the Pointer Monarch, One of us has to defend the contraction point, Ill go this time. The Pointer Monarch agreed, and so did the Northridge Monarch. The Radiant Emperor said, Monarch Zhang is recuperating, so Ill be the reserve. These words drew all eyes upon him. The Great Qins Emperors had always been outstanding in calligraphy, statecraft, and martial power, but very few of them had joined outside wars since the Empire stabilized its footing. The Radiant Emperor said, The wounds he sustained in the new world are difficult to treat. Its best if he has time to heal and remove hidden injuries. Lord Riverglance and I came from the same line, so it wont be a problem for him to control the Emperor Domain at the capital. Monarch Zhang will also remain at the capital and ensure the Great Qins foundations are not lost. The Pointer Monarch said, Your Majesty, do you understand the implications of this decision? The Radiant Emperor said, The Empress will take office as head of the divination institute. Her sons and daughters will not become heir. Henceforth, whoever is head of the divination institute, their clansmen will not be accepted into the Imperial harem. The room became silent. Moments later, the Pointer Monarch said, I approve, but the vote to relieve a heavenly monarch must be unanimous. We need to ask Greensuns opinion. The others nodded. The Radiant Emperor said, Thats a given. I will visit Monarch Zhang tomorrow. At this point, the meeting came to an end. Chapter 1365: I’m Back Part 1 The calling appeared once again. He moved ever so slightly in an attempt to open his eyes, but it felt as though there was a mountain pressing down on his eyelids. He couldnt open them no matter how hard he tried. He was gasping, but not as a normal person would. Every part of his body was respiring, so he didnt feel as great a discomfort. Just like an origin array coming back to life, he gradually began to sense some parts of his body and could command them to make small movements. Energy rolled into his body, seeping in through his skin and rousing his slumbering shell. He finally opened his eyes. Before him was an azure screen of water, and on the other side was a familiar countenanceNighteye. Qianye struggled to sit up, but all he managed to do was raise a single hand. Overjoyed, Nighteye reached out and carried him out of the water. Qianye looked around in puzzlement and realized that he was in a dark, ancient hall. The walls were covered in relief sculptures, which seemed worn despite them being indoors. It would seem this hall had been around for countless years. The sculptures depicted numerous historical battles, none of which was familiar to Qianye. It almost seemed like another world to him. Some of the enemies in the sculptures were races Qianye had neither seen nor heard of before. They looked strange and grotesque, but the armor and weapons they were wielding proved that they were a highly intelligent race and not primitive beasts. These sculptures caught his full attention. From the contents, it would seem that the vampires suffered grave casualties during that war. Entire legions would end up in mutual destruction with the enemy forces, but the sanguine moon flag never fell. When had the vampires fought such battles before? Qianye turned toward Nighteye. He didnt look at her immediately, not because he didnt want to, but because he didnt dare. He was afraid that this would be another fleeting dream, just like the River of Blood. What came into his eyes was a familiar face, a countenance that brought joy every time. Qianye reached out. He wanted to caress her face at first but ended up hugging her tightly. He closed his eyes and felt a familiar scent creep into his senses. She was the first to speak after a long while, Do you not plan to come down? Qianye suddenly realized that he was still being carried in her arms. Startled and embarrassed, he tried to jump down in a hurry, but his legs gave away, nearly causing him to fall. His struggle to stand was ultimately in vain. He thought he had found his footing when he stumbled forward. Just as his forehead was about to hit the ground, an odd power within his body reacted to his thoughts, dragging him back to his feet. The power vanished once he was standing properly, much like a hazy dream after awakening. Qianye looked down at himself and found that his body was still intact, although being buck naked felt a bit embarrassing. Nighteye chuckled when he tried to cover himself with his hand. Still trying to cover up, huh? She laughed. Qianye blushed. Erm, where are my clothes? Of course theyre totally ruined, Ive thrown them away. There are new ones outside. Where is this place? Qianye noticed that the place he was lying in was a small stone pond, just big enough for three people to lie down in. It was half-filled with a clear azure liquid that gave off a soothing feeling. This is the Azure Kings secret realm, a place he prepared for his next phase of hibernation. This Pond of Azure Darkness can be considered his primordial blood pond. It was full of powerful blood energy, but almost all of it has been used up in your recovery. Qianye was stunned. Then what about the Azure King? Nighteye said, I owe him for this and Ill find a way to repay him later. Dont worry. Qianye frowned. This Pond of Azure Darkness seemed to be close to ten thousand years old, who knew how long it would take to fill it up again? Moreover, hibernation was related to a vampires lifespan. How could it be easy to compensate him for such a priceless pond? Nighteye said, Well, youve already used it up. If worse comes to worst, you can help me repay him. Qianyes frown relaxed. Okay! Nighteye rushed into his arms and held him tightly. I thought you wouldnt be back. If it wasnt for the Azure Kings help I wouldnt know what to do. Im back. Nighteye wiped her tears away before leaving the embrace. Dont do such stupid things anymore and Ill forget what happened. Its decided. Qianye nodded. He had gone through life and death, but the most important thing was that she had returned to his side. Qianye felt that life was more or less perfect. The two left the chamber. Qianye changed into the full set of clothes that had been prepared for him. He checked the mirror in passing and saw an elegant vampire youth in the reflection. Every little detail was up to the strictest of vampire aesthetic standards, a great match for Nighteye. Of course, there was only vampire attire in the Azure Kings secret realm. Although Qianye wasnt quite used to the ornate formal attire, it was still acceptable. As he walked out of the ancient hall with Nighteye, the vampire attendants outside fell on one knee. This was a form of utmost respect paid to the strongest. These vampire maids were performing an ancient rite, but as someone who had partially inherited the River of Bloods inheritance, Qianye was familiar with them. He glanced at Nighteye, surprised that others would salute him in such a manner. You convinced all vampires with your last battle. This is something you deserve, accept it. Qianye was somewhat at a loss, but he didnt ask more about it. The duo walked along a long corridor and arrived outside. There was a garden outside of the door. Every tree, stone, and blade of grass here seemed natural and inexplicably elegant. Gazing at the distant peaks from the garden filled the heart with a distant mood of leisure. A person was standing in the garden. It was the Azure King. Nighteyes expression became complicated upon seeing the man. She said to Qianye, Wait for me here, I have something to say to the Azure King. Okay. Qianye nodded. The garden was half-open, the other side being a steep cliff beyond which lay green mountains, lush valleys, and rising clouds. Nighteye and the Azure King arrived near the cliffside. Thank you. The Azure King smiled. Whats there to thank? He happened to have that treasure on him, and I happened to know how to use it. Thats what saved him. This is called fate, according to human words. Nighteye sighed. But your blood pond has been used up, you wont be able to hibernate for the next decade at least. The Azure King said, Ive lived long enough, what is a decade to me? Dont say such things. He said with a smile, I still prefer the past era, although she rejected me back then as well. Nighteye sighed. I dont have much of those memories left. You dont need to care about that. You are the same now as you were back then, and I never changed, either. Since neither of us has changed, the outcome will be the same even if you awaken again. But I owe you too much. I was willing, so it cant be considered a debt. At this point, Nighteye had nothing left to say. The Azure King said, Okay, lets get back to business. Are you both willing to take on more responsibilities now? Hes already a vampire, is there a problem? Nighteye shook her head. I dont want to force him to do anything. Very well. Nighteye felt that something was off. Did some problems arise? There are always problems, the only difference is how we deal with them. If youre willing to look, you will naturally see the dangers. Nighteye frowned. What dangers, please tell me clearly. The Azure King laughed. I guess I dont need to explain anymore, youll see very soon. A flare shot up in the distant valley, flying high up into the sky and bursting into the image of a full moon. The scene was both dazzling and tragic. Its a signal flare! How did people find out about your secret realm? Nighteye was surprised. The Azure King was calm. No secret can be kept forever, this place is no exception. You leave with him, Ill keep them busy for a while. Nighteye shook her head. I wont go, lets fight together. The Azure King said, We were young during the ancient era, and weve fought together before. Theres no need for you to fight now, this battle is not one you can take part in. Since they dare come, that means theyre confident of victory. Youll only drag me down if you stay behind. Who is the enemy? You dont need to know right now, youll surely know in the future. Why wont you tell me? My guess might not be right. Besides, its no use even if I do tell you, it might be an enemy neither of us is expecting. Another flare shot up at the moment. This time, there was an additional signalthe invaders were from a foreign race! This time, the flare was just outside of the valley. These sentries had been cleared away at such shocking speeds. As someone familiar with the vampire races usual defensive arrangements, she couldnt help but feel surprised The Azure King said with a smile, Dont worry. Few were our match back in the year, and its the same right now. Itll be easy to escape even if I cant win. All my azure blood is in Qianye now, theres no point in defending this place to the death. Nighteye said hesitantly, Which race dares to attack your secret realm? This is a declaration of war against our entire race. The Azure Kings expression darkened as he sensed something. He looked toward Nighteye, saying, Its a great monarch from a foreign race. A surge of blood energy appeared in his eyes. A message only top vampire experts could sense spread out rapidly, stirring up propagating ripples in the River of Blood. It was as though a bird had just fluttered across the water surface. Considering her connection to the River of Blood, Nighteye felt these ripples as well. Knowing that the Azure King had just issued summons, she felt a bit relieved and a bit worried. What kind of enemy could make the Azure King call for reinforcements? Two responses emerged in the blink of an eyeone was the Lightless Monarch Medanzo, and the other was the Flaming Crown Habsburg. The latter was located too far away, so much so that the message was unclear, but Medanzo could hurry over within moments. The Azure King said to Nighteye, You have to go, Qianye is powerless right now. I suspect theyre here for him. Nighteyes expression shifted drastically. He clenched her jaws, saying, Very well, you must take care! The Azure King broke into a laugh. Dont worry, I still want to take a look at the new world. Chapter 1365: I’m Back Part 2 Nighteye hesitated for a moment, gazing deeply into the Azure Kings eyes before running back in Qianyes direction. She noticed something in her hands as the kings voice echoed in her ears, Use this, itll take you part of the way. Nighteye saw an azure crystal as limpid as the sea and skies. It was covered in an intricate web of origin arrays and contained a terrifying amount of power. It even caused her hair to billow upward. She felt a bit of uneasiness in her heart, yet she couldnt explain the reasons why. The Azure King might be nearing the end of his lifespan, but he was one of the few experts who had inherited the primogenitors authority. Few could match him in the same realm. Even now, he was still unfathomable. The Lightless Monarch Medanzo would arrive very soon. With two dark monarchs working together, they could probably even flee from a supreme. Qianye was the one in real danger at the moment. Nighteyes senses were incomparably sharp after her awakening, allowing her to sense that the Azure King was right. The enemys target was very likely Qianye. Could it be those humans again?! Nighteye clenched her teeth and activated the crystal! A terrifying wave of power erupted from the crystal and spread out to level the entire garden. Qianye and Nighteye were enveloped by a layer of green energy which took them thousands of meters into the air. Another ring of light exploded in the sky, and this time, the duo was transported thousands of meters away. The next ring of light took them over ten thousand meters away. One azure ring after another erupted from the crystal, taking Qianye and Nighteye further and further away. By the time the last one appeared, they were tens of thousands of meters from their starting point. Moreover, the azure rings started shifting directions later on, which would serve to shake off any potential pursuers. In the blink of an eye, Qianye and Nighteye were in a secret realm filled with bright sunlight, chirping birds, and the scent of flowers. There was a wooden house in the woods, and next to it was a simple stone hall. Once at the location, the azure jade produced a mass of green light and slowly carried the duo to the ground in front of the house. The stone then flickered and dispersed in the form of green smoke. The well in the courtyard began to bubble with spring water. Within the stone hall, the beast head embedded in one of the pillars began to pour out a stream of sanguine fluid into an empty stone pond, stopping only when the water level was enough to cover a person. The surrounding scenery also began to undergo subtle changes. An invisible barrier rose up and sealed the secret realm off, preventing even a bit of aura from leaking out. The barrier was mild and gentle; even a passing great dark monarch might not sense it easily. Nighteyes expression changed a bit after seeing the surroundings. Qianye also went silent. This secret realm wasnt big, but the setup was well thought out. That isolation barrier alone was a magnificent piece of work. The two also noticed some subtle differences in the worldly laws. They had both experienced entering a small world back when they were searching for Andruils treasure. This place was precisely one of those rare half-dimensional small worlds. The Pond of Azure Darkness in the stone hall was small, but that was a hidden card the Azure King prepared for his own recovery. How could it be normal? This secret realm was clearly the Azure Kings final hiding place. That crystal would send the user to this location no matter where he was. Such a treasure was far more valuable than normal treasures, catching right up to magnums and holy weapons. Did the Azure King sense something by giving them this item? Nighteye forced herself to remain calm as she said, This blood pond can be used once. Youll recover completely afterward. Wait, somethings not quite right with my body. Dont bother with other things yet, just recuperate first. Nighteye gently and firmly pushed Qianye into the Pond of Azure Darkness. Once inside, Qianye felt indefensible exhaustion well up over him. In the end, he could no longer withstand the tiredness and fell into a deep sleep. Seeing Qianye lying quietly at the bottom of the pond, Nighteye walked out of the stone hall and closed the door softly. She then sat down on a stone chair in the garden, dazed. Her heart grew increasingly restless. When Anwen and Predica walked into the great hall, the Demon King was standing before an intricately crafted model of the world. This apparatus was different from the metallic ones commonly seen outside; all of the parts were made from a material that looked like stone. However, it was more lustrous and cold compared to ordinary stone. The material was similar to that of the thrones of the six-armed creatures in the new world but much more polished. The entire model was mobile, with each miniature continent and planet slowly moving along its trajectory. Upon careful observation, the black connecting threads were almost ephemeral and made up of extremely condensed demonic energy. Anwen and Predica had seen it many times, but they couldnt help but feel attracted by its profound beauty. You guys are here, the Demon King said softly. White light flickered in the duos eyes, following which they found themselves standing in boundless darkness. Above, below, left, and right, there was only boundless darkness. This sable space did not cause one to tremble in fear like a dark baptism. Instead, it filled one with a wave of great comfort, as though their bodies had grown lighter. My latest travels took me to a small asteroid belt at the top of this world. These ordinary words stirred up great winds and waves in the duos hearts. They couldnt tell whether the emotion was excitement, shock, or adoration. For the longest time, the planets and continents higher up in the world had been a forbidden region for the various races. Every great dark monarch yearned to explore the void, and even on the human side, there was a king who went missing on the path to the peak. Up to this point, the Queen of the Night, Lilith, was the only one confirmed to have been to that place. That was also one reason why she was considered the number one expert in Evernight. The Demon King said, The profundities of this world are truly fascinating. Looking up at the sky from the top of the world will show you a completely different starry sky. Its so beautiful that words cannot do it justice. I was only one step away from crossing over to the other side, to experience that kind of beauty. It would have been worth it even if destruction is the price to pay. But, at that moment, I looked back at our own world and saw the truth. At this moment, the boundless darkness around Anwen and Predica started to change. The world was dark. Yet that pure darkness came alive in their senses, filling them with vital energy. Two black suns hung in the sky, bathing everything below with their light. They were the fountains of energy that kept all living beings alive. The indigenous people harvested energy in the form of grass, rocks, and liquid. This energy entering their body would give them joy, and their joy, in turn, would activate the surrounding darkness element. The entire world was full of life. All of a sudden, a bright speck appeared in a certain part of the world. This bright spot gradually expanded like rippling water, distorting the darkness element in its wake. The ripples finally stopped and some places returned to normal, but there were also some places that had grown pale. After an unknown period of time, some creatures stood up in the pallid regions. Those creatures staggered into the wilderness after standing up. They probably didnt know where they were going, nor did they have any objective; they just walked in a random route. Wherever they went, a greyish-white mark would be left behind on the dark ground. Those creatures disappeared after a long time. After some time, a group of aboriginals appeared yet again. They had no idea what that greyish white track was. Some people jumped over, while others kept on harvesting energy. Just like that, the white mark spread like poison. They eventually climbed onto the aboriginals feet and were carried to places farther away. As time went by, the earliest natives who had come into contact with the white mark began undergoing some changes. They were no longer of pure darkness. Some of the places they went to were tainted, while others were not. The places they stayed for prolonged periods began to fade in color. This process went on repeatedly in many places of the world. A speck of light would fall, and the white patch creatures would appear. The natives eventually discovered the problem and no longer dared to touch the white marks. They ran after the trails as they were made and shouted after them. Yet it would seem the natives and the creatures couldnt see one another. Everything was in vain. The aboriginals tried to clear away those marks, but the effect was rather limited. The worst part was that the white marks would slowly cause the area to fade if left alone. Up until one day, the entire world seemed to light up just a little bit. The brightening might be negligible in the eyes of ordinary people, but experts knew that the darkness was now different. The world was no longer as pure. Some of the natives would come to discover this fact. One such terrified person was facing a patch of seriously tainted land. A large white patch had appeared and was spurting out a luminous aura. The world there began to crack, and the laws changed beyond recognition, much like a disorderly giant beast. The native panicked. He ran and shouted before finally flying into the air, but the bright energy was so fast that it devoured him not long afterward. After an unknown length of time, that mass of still light spat out a creature that looked the same as that native, but its body was translucent like glass. The creature began moving around, but his movements were inexplicably strange and twisted. He seemed to remember where his tribal village was. He walked and walked until he arrived at a small village. The moment he stepped into the village, the entire place turned into a sphere of light. The changes came to a sudden stop with a wave of the Demon Kings hand. The boundless darkness reverted to when Anwen and Predica arrived. The two were sweating so much that their shirts were drenched. Their beating hearts only recovered after returning to the quiet darkness. The Demon Kings voice almost seemed to come from another world. You two once foresaw very different futures leading to the same outcome, destruction. What you saw just now is the truth of this world. The darkness that had given birth to us is being tainted. The laws of darkness are being twisted, and its people are turned into monsters. Through the countless years, our ancestors have been trying their best to turn our fate around. Yet we keep losing our knowledge of this world and forgetting the inheritance of space and time. Every race has legends about powerful experts reaching the top of this world. I can tell you for sure that it is true, there is a world outside of this world, and the strong can choose to leave this tainted, twisted world. But how about our people? Anwen said, One thousand two hundred years ago, the War of Daybreak His voice started to tremble. That is the weeping of our world. The darkness origins had been tainted to its limits. The Demon King continued, The great elders have waited for thousands of years for the coming of the new world. For the past ten thousand years, the darkness origins could no longer repair itself. Theres something in the new world we need, something that can help us. Anwen and Predica became silent. These young men were the core of the demonkin races upper echelons, so they were privy to some of the grand plans. Although they didnt know the deep meaning behind them, the Demon Kings words today cleared things up for them. At the same time, they understood why the Demon King had called them here to explain the truth of the new world. Pure, strong power deserves respect. We are the same in that respect, the Demon King said. I passed by Kumara on the way back from the peak and met Lin Xitang there. He was an enemy worthy of our utmost respect. Back then, someone told me that Predica has placed him among the most dangerous people of the Daybreak Faction. The Demon Kings perfect countenance revealed a bitter smile. See? I made a grave mistake once again. The Demon Kings sigh filled the entire space, seemingly coming from the shores of the vast darkness itself. When the world collapses, we can head to the new world, but how about our people? How about the origins that gave us life? When Anwen and Predica returned to their senses, they were standing in an empty hall. The two exchanged glances as they walked out. The sun was shining splendidly. Who would hear the world crying? Chapter 1366: Private Discussion Part 1 Late in the quiet night, someone knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a reply. He closed the door carefully and sat down beside Song Zinings table. Marshal Song, you instructed me to come here in secret. Is there anything you need? The one before him was, surprisingly, Duke Wenyuan. He had been in the Imperial Capital during this period, waiting for his crimes to be pardoned. Song Zining said, Duke Chen, you really contributed a lot in the recent period. Chen Tongqi replied, It was always Sire Qianye fighting at the forefront. We merely followed him and picked up some benefits, its no big contribution. Song Zining nodded. Duke Chen, your crime warranted the execution of your entire clan and confiscation of properties. After risking life and limb in Blacksun Valley, your contributions were just about enough to cancel out your charge. Duke Wenyuan was shocked. What? Were there new variables? Song Zining replied, Of course there are, it depends on how you act. I wonder how you see Qianye? Chen Tongqi said, Sire Qianye is a rare genius with a good temperament. After you and Marshal Jundu were injured, the Empire only regained a series of victories after his arrival. Although Im also a divine champion, I am vastly inferior and wont even last three moves against him. After a brief pause, he said emotionally, Frankly speaking, Sire Qianye killed his way through countless enemy defenses and marched us straight into the central region. With two thousand men, he forced a force hundreds of times the size to cower in their fortress. Why were his accomplishments wiped away? Wont this demoralize the three thousand men who walked into hell with him? Song Zining knocked on the table. Duke Chen, forgive me for being blunt. Your charges havent been cleared at the moment, so youll invite trouble on yourself if you speak recklessly. Chen Tongqi said casually, I already have enough troubles, no? What if I invite a bit more? Besides, how can I call myself a warrior if I dont even dare speak up for Qianyes contributions? Song Zining asked, Back then, Qianye sent Liu Chengyun back to the Empire and canceled his contributions. When you and Duke Minghai returned, later on, the man shared a fair bit of his own contributions with you two. Why is that? Are you investigating me? This issue is related to your future at this point, I hope you can tell me the truth. Song Zining nodded. This is the reason for your new crime. Chen Tongqi was puzzled. Whats the crime? Song Zining placed a document in front of the man. The latter cried out after a mere glance, Colluding with other races and submitting false contribution reports? He slammed the table furiously. Which other race? Who did this duke collude with? The surrounding scenery shifted ever so slightly as Song Zining deployed his domain, isolating the inside environment. After everything was safe, he said, That other race is Qianye. Chen Tongqi was startled for a moment. He then stood up, livid, and slammed the table again. Preposterous! Sire Qianye accomplished so much for the Empire. How dare you people treat him like that after his death? Do you not have a shred of conscience? Theres simply no way the Empire couldve gained a foothold in Blacksun Valley if it wasnt for him. Song Zining replied calmly, This letter was penned by Liu Chengyun. It has already been rejected. Chen Tongqis expression darkened, and his voice grew cold. Old Liu must be tired of living. At first, he couldve lived for a couple more years, but I dont mind sending him on his way! Why would you go so far? These despicable people. Ruining my life is fine, but hes trying to ruin Sire Qianyes name! Every day hes alive is another day of injustice. Song Zining said slowly, Duke Wenyuan, youre determined, but you must be wary of your strategy. You wouldnt be in such a state if you hadnt been so rash. From what I know, you werent a part of the core schemers. Duke Wenyuans expression shifted slightly. In the end, he said with a sigh, My temper has always gotten me in trouble all these years. I owe the Profundity Monarch for recognizing me, how could I betray him? I didnt utter a single word no matter how they interrogated me, and that landed me where I am now. Song Zining put away the document, saying, There are people pulling the strings. Liu Chengyun was merely pushed onto the stage to be the gunman. Your past crime, though, can only be reduced and not completely acquitted. Duke Wenyuan said, Im sure you have a plan, can you give me some advice? Song Zining said slowly, My advice is to admit to the charges. Duke Wenyuan was surprised. This what about my family members? Some charges couldnt be easily admitted to. Your family is small, with little more than a hundred core members. Although the crime itself wont change, your contributions in the new world are enough to change the punishment. We can go from forced labor and military service to exile. You will remain in the army and serve the Empire. Exile? Where to? The neutral lands. Duke Wenyuan started to understand. He said after some thought, Then Ill trouble you to take care of my family. He had given it some thought. The neutral lands was Song Zinings domainthere would be no suffering for his family there, but they would be in the seventh young masters hands. Only then would Song Zining feel assured enough to make him run certain errands. As expected, Song Zining said, Youre quite familiar with Blacksun Valley, so I will transfer you over to a new post there. Afterward, I have other arrangements for you. Youll know when the time comes. I obey. Duke Wenyuan bowed with cupped fists and left. Song Zining produced a paper and wrote down several names on it. Duke Wenyuans name was on it as well. Most of the names on the list had been marked with only two left. He took a look at the list, then struck off Ji Tianqings name. Ill let the elder prince talk to her. It will be whatever he wants to tell her. He lit up the list and watched the paper burn to ashes before turning in. An icy blue sword appeared over his neck just after he had laid down. Song Zining didnt panic. I was thinking when I should go see you. Who wouldve thought youd come to me first? Li Kuanglans expression was cold. I shouldve just cut your head off, but Ill spare you until the situation is cleared. You will answer everything I ask, you can forget about seeing the sun tomorrow if Im not satisfied with the answers. Song Zining pushed the blade a bit out of the way and sat up. Ask away. Is Qianye gone? Song Zining thought about it for a good while. No one saw it, but there were heavenly monarchs at the scene. According to them, Qianye should be dead now. I dont want to hear should. I want to know if hes really Song Zining asked, Shouldnt you be asking the Empress? Li Kuanglans hands trembled for a bit. I dont know if shes really doing things for the child and myself. I really dont know! I heard you were back, so I came to see you. Song Zining sighed. I might not know more than you do. What I do know is that someone is already making a move on his enterprise. A cold gleam appeared in her eyes. Who? I cant tell you yet. Ill handle matters and tell you if I need your help. Okay, I trust you. She had always been swift and decisive. Seeing that there was no more information to be gleaned from Song Zining, she turned around and left. Song Zining could no longer sleep at this point. He simply stood at the window, gazing at the bright moon in the sky. A clear voice suddenly echoed in his ears, Not bad, you didnt say things you shouldnt. Song Zining looked back with a wry smile. Empress, were in the Imperial Capital right now. Its not too appropriate to run out in the middle of the night, is it? The one who had appeared behind him was, quite shockingly, the Empress. She was clad in casual clothing, but that did little to hide her kingdom-toppling beauty. She said, I can go anywhere in the capital as long as I avoid those old fogeys. Song Zining said respectfully, Congratulations on the great achievement in divination. Empress Li sighed. So many things have happened of late. Theres no way I can remain in the Empress position if I dont break through. I saw everything youve been planning these days. Dont let things get too far out of hand, or Ill have a hard time helping you. Song Zining said, I didnt sense a thing. Looks like Im far inferior in terms of divination. There was no telling whether or not the Empress believed Song Zinings humble words. She merely said with a smile, The Three Thousand Flying Leaves, the three thousand great dao. The art you cultivate is not inferior to the Li clans own, its not hard to surpass me in the future. Now that youve picked this path, there wont be anyone in this generation to inherit the Art of Heavens Mystery. Song Zining said, The Art of Heavens Mystery is a divine art, only a handful of people throughout history have managed to cultivate it. Perhaps only a peerless genius like Marshal Lin can reach its peak. Im still lacking in talents, so it will be beyond difficult for me to cultivate that art. Empress Li sighed. Your talents are not inferior to Marshal Lins, but since youve chosen your path, no one can force you. Perhaps I might come around one day. I hope so. Song Zining said, You must have a reason for coming to see me late at night. What do you need? I will do whatever is in my power. Empress Li said, Theres definitely something, and theres no room for you to refuse. Our Li clan has a child of great talent. Ive been giving this a lot of thought these days, I want to find him a good teacher. After all, the scope of our Li clans knowledge is a bit too narrow. Are you willing to fill this position? Song Zining went into a daze. Could it be that child? Empress Li was quite direct. Qianye and Kuanglans kid. Chapter 1366: Private Discussion Part 2 Your martial prowess isnt bad, either. Empress Li glared at Song Zining. That kid from the Ji family will probably start building a foundation from birth and focus on the martial path in the future. We are hardly the elder princes match in this respect. I hope our kid will be smart and not do dumb things like his father. Song Zining bowed deeply. Since youre placing this important duty on my shoulders, I will do my utmost not to disappoint you. Blacksun Valley is still dangerous, you must be careful when you go back there. Be sure to come back alive, I dont want the qualified teacher I just found to become a dead person. Song Zining said seriously, Rest assured, not many can kill me if I dont want to die. Empress Li sighed. Youre as sly as a fox, not many people can trick you. If only Qianye was half as cunning as you are. Enough about that, time for me to go back. Song Zining called out to her, Empress, Qianye is he really dead? Empress Lis face turned pale. Her aura weakened noticeably, and a trickle of blood dripped down the corner of her mouth. I tried confirming before but the result was the same. Song Zining smiled wryly. I never underestimated Nighteye, but who wouldve thought she would be so powerful? Who exactly was her past incarnation? That existence is definitely from before the Empire. We have very little information from that era, so we cant investigate. The era before the Empire appeared to be a strangely slow period of development for the dark races. Their society rarely underwent any changes throughout the millennia. Historical records were mostly incomplete, especially those regarding the major characters. Their stories were more legends than historical facts. Only when the founding ancestor rose to power and established the Empire did a clear boundary between the two factions become clear. Humans developed a great amount of new technology, which they put to use on the battlefield. And from the battlefield, these inventions eventually found their way to the Evernight faction and triggered a revolution. Countless new inventions began to surface and that, in turn, affected their society as a whole. It was then that the vampires split into new and conservative factions. The werewolves formed the Summit of Peaks to contend against their ancestral faction. The demonkin warlocks gradually faded away from the battlefield. The arachne, however, didnt undergo a lot of change. In short, the intensity of factional wars had weakened throughout the millennium. There were little to no instances where several provinces were rendered uninhabitable after the war. Observing the dark races history from the Empires perspective felt rather strange. Perhaps because those long-lived species didnt have that great a memory after living so long, there would always be some problem with the stories that had been passed down through word of mouth. The worst were the vampires; they had actually forgotten the replacement of an entire clan and second-generation primogenitor. This meant that there was little reference about whether the character Nighteye had awakened was from the dark ages. Song Zining was no longer in the mood to sleep after Empress Lis departure. He began going through the battle reports until dawn. Someone picked him up the next morning and sent him to the airship port for his return to Blacksun Valley. Once in the car, an aide secretly handed him a letter. Song Zining realized what it was after seeing the Profundity Monarchs insignia on a corner of the envelope. Song Zining opened the letter and looked through the contents before destroying it completely. The aide remained silent throughout the entire process. Moments later, the airship took to the sky and flew off into the distance. Song Zining revealed a cold smile as he watched the scenery moving along outside the window. They really sent their men. Good! Do they really think the world is full of idiots like that Wei Wild Boar? The generals quarters were made up of a neat row of small buildings, arranged like a barracks. This place was in the military district. There were few idle personnel as most of the generals qualified to live here had been assigned to the new world and various warzones. There wasnt so much as a single shadow in the entire street block. A standard military vehicle stopped in front of a small building. There was only the driver and a single passenger on board, the latter clad in the city-garrison uniform and covered in a field cloak. He alighted and entered the courtyard with great familiarity before entering the building. It was as though he were the owner of the house. The rooms on the second floor were a tad different from an ordinary barracks. On each side of the corridor were rooms of the same size without any extra decorations. The guest entered one of the rooms and removed his cloakit was actually the Emperor of the Great Qin Empire. There was one other person in the room. Prince Greensun, clad in long, wide-sleeved robes, was boiling tea. This small building was assigned to Zhang Boqian when he was just a general. Later on, he was granted the title of Duke Dan and given his own residence in the Imperial Capital. He never transferred his residence in the military district until this day. The Emperor sat down in front of Zhang Boqian without bothering with formalities. The latter kept on brewing his tea and finally poured a cup for the Emperor. Monarch Zhang, how are your injuries? Its nothing. With that, Zhang Boqian flicked out a ball of greyish energy and passed it to the Radiant Emperor. The Emperor produced a wisp of dark green energy and engulfed the greyish energy with it. After sensing the foreign power for a while, he said, The laws of the new world are indeed strange. The greyish energy shrunk by half at this point, yet it gave off a feeling of increased concentration. The Radiant Emperor put away the ball of energy and said, Did you gain anything? Zhang Boqian said, Its the vampires again. As expected. The Radiant Emperor summarized the contents of Fang Qingkongs report and also mentioned the situation at the divination institution. Zhang Boqian frowned while listening. "The Demon King? The movements of the dark supremes were difficult to grasp. Also, the laws in the new world were different, and the environment was complicated. They would be untraceable after a period of time. Zhang Boqian moved on rather quickly. Are we getting ready for an all-out war? The Radiant Emperor said, Yes, were also reassigning some heavenly monarchs. I want to switch with you. Why? Teachers azure bird is with me, so mobility wont be a problem at all. Ill summon Uncle Riverglance to the capital and have him operate the Emperor Domain. Zhang Boqians brows twitched slightly. He gazed deeply into the Emperors eyes, saying, And? Back when our founding ancestor rose to power at the Luo River, he said: Our Ji family is but the precursor to the daybreak path. Zhang Boqian said after a moment of silence, Is the time nigh? There was a hint of mockery in his expression. You really are Xitangs student, both of you like to court death. The Radiant Emperor said, There are records of a semi-dimensional weapon in the wars of a thousand years ago. The risk will be worth it if Im fortunate enough to witness it. Thats why, Monarch Zhang, please guard the capital in my stead. Zhang Boqians eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he observed the Radiant Emperor. Very well, Ill agree to the transfer. He produced two documents that had been folded repeatedly. Whats with these documents from the military? The Radiant Emperor opened them and read the contents, but he didnt seem too surprised. Zhang Boqian said, There are rumors circulating on the Western Continent. Even if there was any news of Lin Xitang, it shouldnt originate there, should it? Besides, the news spread like wildfire, encompassing two provinces in two days. If the rebels were that efficient, they would have more than two provinces under their control. The Zhao clan has four dukes and one marshal now, so they have their eyes on the crown prince position again. What does that have to do with Lin Xitang? When did he ever interfere with the heir seat? The Radiant Emperor said calmly, Back when the heir selection issue stirred up the Unending Palace, Teacher sought permission to head to the Western Continent and quell the rebels. The Zhao clan felt that Marshal Lin was there to suppress them. When I later announced that I wont be picking an heir within ten years, they blamed him for that as well. Zhang Boqians expression turned dark. I warned him several times not to meddle in other peoples business! He suddenly glared at the Emperor. What happened with Red Scorpion back then? Why did he refuse to see you for half a year afterward? The Radiant Emperor remained calm. That childs identity had already been exposed back in Yellow Springs. Some believed that Teacher adopted him to deal a blow to the major clans designs on the heir position. They produced an incident where signs of collusion with a vampire great duke could be found, an effort to frame Marshal Lin. The major general in charge of the Northern Legions paperwork was from the Imperial clan. They used Teachers seal and command token to issue the Red Scorpions an order. He only found out when he saw a copy of the case at my place. The operation had already started at that time, and we have no idea what was going on over there. How could I just let him head to the scene? As such, I detained him in the Unending Palace for five days before letting him leave. Zhang Boqian could already connect the dots. So you wiped away all public records of the incident. The Radiant Emperor said, Correct. Barring a testimony from the enemy faction, all evidence had been prepared and was stacked against him. I must praise the Zhao and Li clans in this regard. Both of them have daughters in the palace, yet theyre surprisingly unified when trying to frame Teacher. Fortunately, they had their own agenda in the end and began acting on their own. Otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to suppress this matter. I executed that major general without any questioning or trial. I then summoned the Red Scorpion captain and explained the matter to him. All related documents were confiscated, and a gag order was issued to those involved. The man himself was transferred three months later. Of course, the copy of the case files was never returned to them. Some circulating records were the only pieces of evidence left, nothing to be worried about. It was just that the military was split into many different factions, so it was impossible to keep everyones mouth shut. Before long, rumors began circulating that the Imperial faction was trying to centralize power. The Radiant Emperor gave it some thought. He then said with a gentle expression, Teacher mustve suspected me from the very beginning. Zhang Boqian was assailing the heavenly monarch realm during that time, so he paid little attention to matters outside his warzone. Only now did he realize that all the difficulties Lin Xitang had faced during his time away from the Imperial capital were due to the heir position. No wonder the rumors implied that the clans were rallying behind him to contend with Lin Xitang. He suddenly realized something. Youre summoning Riverglance but still not announcing a crown prince? Zhang Boqian was a major clan descendant who had been named heir since birth. He couldnt be bothered with this business, but he was no stranger to the possible outcomes. The Radiant Emperor said, This so-called Imperial clan is nothing more than a common lord elected by the major clans. Since the nobility can govern themselves, isnt it best to just let them? Zhang Boqian remained silent for a good while before saying, You should know that Lin Xitang and I have very different views on politics. The Radiant Emperor nodded, waiting quietly for the continuation. Zhang Boqian said, But I know he wouldnt do this if he were alive. The Emperor did not reply. Zhang Boqian shook his head. Let it be, this is your family business. Its fine as long as you and Riverglance are aware. The Radiant Emperor said, Uncle Riverglance will arrive at the capital in two days, I will of course talk it out with him. Zhang Boqian plucked one of the documents from the Emperors hand and wrote some words on it. Do as you wish, Your Majesty. Ill be taking my leave now. Zhang Boqians figure had vanished before the Radiant Emperor could get up. The Emperor sat there for a good while, sipping on the cold tea. Only afterward did he unfold the document to check on its contents. Under the subject of the newly-carved name in the Heavenly Merit Hall, the letters read: if you dont want the name under a major clan, place it under aristocratic families. The Emperor couldnt help but smile as he put the document away. He then put on his hooded cloak and left quietly just as he had arrived. Chapter 1367: Azure Edge There were wisps of black smoke rising from the ruins, filled with an inexplicable sense of decay. There were also scorching flames hovering in the air that were composed of daybreak origin power. With one hand outstretched, the Azure King was supporting a green barrier around him. Several mysterious experts clad in black cloaks were bombarding the barrier with bullets. At set intervals, one of the cloaked men would send a wisp of black energy drifting toward the Azure Kings shield. This energy looked rather unassuming, but it was apparently quite strong since it would cause the Azure Kings shield to fluctuate intensively. The great dark monarch seemed rather strained under the furious combined assault. The black-robed expert at the center possessed an aura as vast as the sea, perhaps even a bit stronger than the Azure King himself. Yet every wisp of dark energy fired would cause his body to tremble ever so slightlythe drain was apparently quite significant as well. The dark energy would linger on the Azure Kings shield after contact. It would constantly erode the barrier and only disperse after its power had been drained. The ratio of exhaustion was almost two-to-one. The azure energy was the Azure Kings original blood energy, and it was anything but simple. However, the black energy was surprisingly superior in destructive power. At this point, the black-robed experts figure shifted in apparent movement. However, the Azure King moved to block his path toward the ring of light. Seeing that his intentions had been seen through, the black-robed expert lowered his hood. The old demonkin expert beneath the cloak possessed a countenance as sharp as an eagle. He stared at the Azure King, saying, Are you really going to stop me? Why go to all this trouble? The Azure King said, I knew this day would come, but I never thought you guys would move so quickly. Cant you wait a couple more decades? Perhaps Id have returned to the River of Blood by then and there wont be so much trouble. Progia said, Even a century wouldve been fine, but who wouldve thought the new world would open at such a time? We naturally cannot let it be. Speaking of which, are you really going to risk your life protecting Nighteye? Your relationship is a thing of the past. The only one in her heart after this awakening is Qianye. The Azure King smiled in a carefree manner. You demonkin are a cold-blooded lot. Its useless to explain since you wont even know what sentiments are. The Azure King sighed. Thats why I said you people dont understand. I will not step aside, get to it. Progia spoke slowly, I was not yet born when you rampaged through the world, but now I stand here with the Sable Blessing and you are at the end of your lifespan. This battle can only end one way. The Azure King said, Its definitely not because of chance that the Masefield family got to where it is under your leadership. You might not be able to defeat me even with the Sable Blessing. Where is the Eternal Flame? Stop hiding since youre already here. A pale blaze slowly appeared from the void. The flames briefly took the form of a persons silhouette, a gesture of greeting. The Azure King was fearless in the face of two great demonkin monarchs. Then I wont be holding back. The Eternal Flame retreated a hundred meters to indicate that he wasnt taking part in the fight, leaving the Masefield Lord Progia to face the Azure King alone with his Sable Blessing. Progia was happy to comply. The Sable Blessing might have a new owner after this fight. The Eternal Flames fire flickered for a moment. Nothing can be better. The Azure King was rather patient and waited for the two to finish their chatter. This island wasnt suitable for a battle between great dark monarchs, let alone a group assault. The side with more people would have to spread themselves apart, and the land would collapse once the fight began. The Azure King knew why these two great dark monarchs had charged into the secret realm instead of choosing the void as a battlefield. Their primary target wasnt to kill him but to target Qianye and Nighteye. Progia gazed at the distant horizon where the faint green halo was slowly receding. He shouted impatiently, Ill let you see the Sable Blessings true form! The Grand Magnum turned into a mass of black light in his hands, firing wisps of black energy toward the Azure King. The latter focused entirely on defense, without launching any counterattacks. Are you not afraid the Queen will settle this score with you? No matter how strong the Demon King is, his accomplishments are still inferior. Progias assault didnt waver. No need for you to worry. How can the vampires contend with us when they have one less great dark monarch? The Azure King smiled. You want to take me down? Quite confident, arent you? The Azure King, who had been defending all this time, suddenly made his move. He drew a rhomboid figure in the air and pushed it forward, the green light at his fingertips transforming into numerous geometric mirrors that blocked the Sable Blessings trajectory. The black energy vanished entirely into the mirror and shot out once again, but this time, it was aiming for Progia. The startled demonkin clan lord shot into the air, but the Azure King moved even faster. A flash of azure light erupted beneath his feet as he appeared above the enemy. There, he formed a large mirror with a swing of his hand, which slammed into Progia head-on. Caught off-guard, the latter crashed into the mirror and was sent flying from the impact. Passing through the mirror, shattering it, or even being transported into the void was within Progias expectations. He never wouldve imagined, though, that such a thin screen of light would send him bouncing. Even the body of a great dark monarch couldnt withstand the recoil from crashing into the mirror at full speed. His vision went dim, and he could feel his head spinning. This was an utter embarrassment. Progia let out a furious howl, stirring wind and thick clouds within a ten thousand meter radius. Flashes of lightning danced in the clouds, almost as though the end of the world was nigh. The black-robed experts who had been attacking the Azure King realized the danger and flew out of the lightning clouds range. Progia was absolutely furious at this point. He was drawing upon the origin power of heaven and earth at full throttle, producing a zone of death for the weaker experts. There was room for others to help only because the Azure King was defending. Now that the two great dark monarchs were getting serious, they could no longer interfere. Progia raised his hands and shot a mass of demonic energy into the clouds. In the blink of an eye, the energy poured down in the form of countless demonic lightning bolts. An area of ten thousand meters turned into a purgatory of demonic lightning. The Azure King had one hand behind his back and was only brandishing his right hand like a sword. He slashed at the air above him, summoning a shade of azure light which blocked the demonic lightning. With every continued swipe of his fingers, an azure screen of light would appear around him. Finally, he pointed at Progia, and one of the giant barriers around him went spinning toward the vampire monarch! Wisps of demonic energy shot out from Progias hands, which duly transformed into a giant axe that hacked at the incoming azure light. However, the azure glow shot past the interception without so much as a sound or a pause. It went straight for Progias throat. The vampire monarch stepped sideways to dodge the incoming attack. The green light grazed past his body and vanished into the distance. Progia glanced at his arm. An extremely even opening had appeared in his robe and armor, with threads of blood slowly appearing on the exposed skin. Clearly, the azure glow was incomparably sharp and would cut through anything. Progias expression was serious. Your comprehension of space has reached such a level! The Azure King said calmly, Only some tricks I learned as a youngster, I never made any progress throughout the years. He turned his sword-finger around, sending even more screens of azure light spinning toward Progia from different angles. Progia was a great dark monarch as well. With a loud cry, he turned the demonic lightning into sharp blades that met the incoming attack. Under the assault of countless demonic swords, the azure screens of light were finally shattered one after another. However, the Azure King swung his right hand at this point, and a sheet of azure radiance appeared before Progia at the speed of lightning! Even by great dark monarch standards, this azure attack was almost unimaginable. Progia was shocked out of his wits. He moved sideways with all his might and finally managed to evade the slash. However, the attack had cut through his helmet and left a stream of blood trickling down his face. The demonkin were never known for their strong bodies, but managing to land a blow was already a big matter. Progias gaze toward the azure light was completely different now; it was full of seriousness and fear. The azure edge was so sharp that it was almost invincible. He wouldve never imagined that this civil and almost weak-looking Azure King was so terrifying in combat. The Azure King drew a circle and swung it forward, sending several azure shards toward Progia. This time, the azure glow was so fast that demonic swords couldnt block them at all. With a loud roar, the demonkin monarch fired several threads of black energy from the Sable Blessing and escaped while the azure light was tangled up with the dark wisps. The Sable Blessing was extremely powerful, but its form in Progias hands wasnt quite proficient in speed. Several shots were fired in succession, yet only half of the azure light shards were intercepted. Progia retreated at full speed and finally managed to evade the Azure Kings attack. However, the latter chased him down at even greater speed, slashing at him with more azure radiance. His posture didnt even change during the pursuit, except for a hazy azure glow beneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, Progia fell into a miserable situation. The sky full of demonic lightning became a joke as he couldnt use it. The Azure King moved with great skill, each of his attacks enough to kill a duke and heavily injure a great dark monarch. The Eternal Flame could no longer watch from the sidelines. Without waiting for Progia to ask for help, the blaze flickered out of existence and reappeared behind the Azure King. The Eternal Flame shot out of the fire and made straight for the Azure Kings back! A great dark monarchs attack was nothing to scoff at. The Eternal Flame had just emerged from the pale fire when he accelerated to extreme speeds! It was at this moment that a screen of azure light appeared before him. The monarch had no time or choice to react; all he could do was crash into it. Chapter 1368: No Choice The scene was rather spectacular. The blaze around the Eternal Flames body was scattered randomly, so much so that he was close to reverting to his original form. Clearly, the recoil from the collision was mostly absorbed by his body. It mightve been better if he had been bounced back like Progia. The Eternal Flame was already feeling a bit uncomfortable with launching a sneak attack. He had never imagined that the Azure King would set up a barrier in anticipation of the move. The only fortunate thing was that he was merely accelerating to join the battle, otherwise, the injuries from the recoil wouldnt be this mild. In front, the Azure Kings pursuit of Progia never ceased. Shards of green light slashed at the target with boundless momentum. Progia was in a bitter situation. Those radiant fragments were actually a physical manifestation of the Azure Kings blood energy. The power within them was boundless, but they wouldnt last very longall the enemy needed to do was exhaust him over time. The only problem was that the demonkin could not afford to do so. The Eternal Flame finally recovered, but the Azure King had launched an attack before he could chase after the other two. The vampire monarch closed his fists, shattering one of the green barriers in the air into countless fragments. The shards turned into a tornado and bore down upon the Eternal Flame! The Eternal Flames fire was in utter disarray under the relentless assault. The individual plumes of fire were no longer connected, turning into scattered embers that slowly died out. Even someone as strong as the Eternal Flame had no time to split his attention. He finally roared, Return the Sable Blessing! You cant bring out its maximum potential! Progia said while dodging, The Demon King himself said that the Sable Blessing will be under my care this time. You can talk to him after the battle ends. Progia wasnt willing to give up the Sable Blessing because only the dark energy from the gun could block the Azure Kings slashes. The Azure Kings blood energy was simply too restraining to their demonic energy. Both Progias corrosive power and the Eternal Flames white fire were easily cut down by the green screen. Only the energy from the Sable Blessing was superior to the Azure Kings power, but its firing speed was rather limited. There was no way it could spit out attacks in a leisurely fashion like the Azure King. Seeing Progia in an increasingly miserable state, the Eternal Flame had no choice but to help despite the anger. The best method was to trade injuries and shrink the other partys advantage, but this would lead to their defeat at the final showdown where absolute power was a deciding factor. The Eternal Flame had fought Zhang Boqian several times, so he was quite familiar with this logic. The problem was that Progia was weaker than the Azure King, a fairly bad candidate for this type of operation. The Eternal Flame finally managed to clear away the thin shards and, with a loud howl, shot toward the Azure King at top speed. But another azure screen appeared as soon as he made his move! Cursing inwardly, the Eternal Flame crashed into it once again. The barrier shattered and transformed into another storm of cutting shards. It took a while for the Eternal Flame to clear away all the fragments, and this time, he was much more cautious. He observed the surrounding for spatial fluctuations before approaching the Azure King. This process of observation was all fine and dandy, but Progia was in a state of dire urgency at the moment. Things will go south if you keep dragging it out. You can forget about getting away scot-free. I havent fully recovered from my battle with Pointer, but you dont have that excuse. Considering the proud nature of their race, it was quite an embarrassment for Progia to admit his injury. Yet, he had no choice because the Azure King was beating him black and blue. The Eternal Flame was still approaching at a steady pace. How long are you going to hold onto that stash? With a pained expression, Progia shouted, Fire! The dukes and vice dukes in the vicinity charged into the battlefield and opened fire. Shockingly, all of their bullets contained a powerful aura of Daybreak. Even the Azure King couldnt ignore this. He laid down multiple Azure screens to block the incoming attacks while controlling several green beams to chase down Progia. Progia was absolutely furious, but he had no choice but to evade and block. The Eternal Flame said in a serious tone, Reynold, the way youre fighting will hurt your life-source. It wont be a problem for you to live a couple more centuries if you rest well. Do you not want your remaining years anymore? The Azure King blocked yet another wave of daybreak bullets. I might be in trouble if you had more daybreak bullets, but youre out of ammo now. Since thats the case, you can stay behind and keep me company. I dont mind playing until tomorrow. The demonkin dukes had pulled back at this point. It was clear that they were out of bullets. This wave of attacks had also drained quite a bit of the Azure Kings blood energy. As sharp as he was, Progia immediately turned around to launch a counterattack. The Eternal Flame also launched a coordinated strikepale flames covered the entire sky as they sought to engulf the Azure King. Two great dark monarchs were attacking at the same time, and one of them even possessed a Grand Magnum. The Azure King was slowly pushed into a corner, but that didnt stop him from going all out with his attacks. For the moment, the other two great monarchs couldnt find a way to deal with him. Realizing that words werent going to help, the Eternal Flame simply let loose and attacked with all his might. Progia was even more ruthless after going through the precarious situation just now. The Azure Kings situation became increasingly strained, yet he still refused to retreat. At this moment, the azure ring in the distance had slowly faded away from sight. Progia roared furiously, Since thats the case, well take your life instead of those two! The Eternal Flame sighed, As long as Qianye hands over the Book of Darkness, I can beseech the Demon King not to kill him. Why go to such lengths? The book was never his, to begin with. Why would you risk your life so? The Azure King said calmly, You guys wont understand. Just think about how youll face the Queens wrath after this! Besides, I didnt fight so long just to die here. A loud roar arrived from the distance. How dare you! What the hell are you doing? The Lightless Monarch had finally arrived. The Demon Kings form as he traveled through space was no different from a dark storm sweeping through the void. His current location was extremely close to the top of the world. The orbit of the alpha star was close by. The celestial body had already passed by, but there was a trail of scattered light and explosions as well as asteroid fragments and flames of unknown attributes. The Demon King slowed down all of a sudden as the silhouette of a landmass appeared in what was supposed to be empty space. The floating island wasnt big, just about the area of an ordinary mountain range, but it felt rather ethereal. This was especially true of the borders where there were clear overlapping images. It was as though the entire landmass was just a projection. The Demon King walked straight over. The blurry imagery before him immediately stabilized and split into two, revealing a path covered in ancient runes. Inside was an extremely odd space, the ends of which were invisible from the entrance. There was only darkness inside, except for what seemed like a bustling city in the distance with big structures built in the arachne style. Dark tones filled the entire realm as there was a meshwork of webs spanning across the entire sky. The spherical light source hung high up in the airthe light it cast upon the realm was rather dark but there was a strangely gentle feeling to it. As though it had sensed the guest, the spherical light moved ever so slightly and projected a bright space before the Demon King. The Spider Queen was lying lazily on her arachnid abdomen, with only her upper body in human form. She looked like a beautiful lady lying atop a black platform, a scene that was inexplicably charming and just as eerie. How are you doing? The Demon King asked. The Spider Queen twisted her supple waist until she was glancing sideways at the Demon King. Quite well. The Shadow World is slowly recovering. But I wonder if I should be thanking or cursing you. Five hundred thousand of my children perished. The Demon King said indifferently, More will die. The recovery of the Shadow World means the darkness origins will slowly become purer. All arachne that have been irreversibly tainted will die, but the survivors and their children will slowly recover their ancient inheritance. Which side will you choose? The Spider Queen seemed distracted for a moment, leaning forward with a sigh. Kane, can you not console me? The Demon King said, Are you going to collect the fragments that have come out from the mother realm? This location was the birthplace of all arachne, the Shadow World. Since time immemorial, this world had been suffering slow but irreversible damage. The earliest stages saw cracks appear in the crystalline walls. As time went on, the cracks grew bigger and bigger until fragments began to peel off. The Spider Queens of every generation would do their utmost to stop this kind of damage. Even though they managed to collect some realm fragments, it did little to stop the damage to the mother realm. After the opening of the new world, the Demon King gave the Spider Queen a string of laws from the peak of the world. After combining it with her origin power, she found that it could really halt the collapse of the mother realm. Moreover, she obtained some ancient memories in the repair process. The original Shadow Realm was a projection of the Evernight World. The arachne of ancient times were shadow creatures, the most loyal allies and subjects of the demonkinthe children of darkness. If the demonkin could be considered a living manifestation of the darkness origins in the Evernight world, the arachne were a projected life form. The Spider Queen gave it some thought, knowing that the Demon King wasnt going to help her for free. She replied, Its best if we can get them back since itll hasten the repair process, but its not a big problem if we cant. At most, itll be a couple of decades or centuries longer. You want those fragments? The Demon King admitted honestly. Correct. The Spider Queen replied, Very well, you can keep the ones you find. The Demon King nodded and left. The Spider Queen called out to him. Kane, I learned of some fun news. I heard Mark went to see Habsburg for a certain spoil of war but was refused three times. That warlock has done nothing to break the balance in a thousand years; all he does is play dead at the council. Hes running an errand for you, right? When was your temper so good? How come my children dont receive the same treatment? The Demon King glanced back. What are you trying to say? The Spider Queen shrugged. She was already in a prone position, to begin with, so the movement produced a beautiful outline. I only wanted to remind you not to become the second Andruil. The Black-Winged Monarchs folly was a good thing for you, me, and Lilith, but things wont be too good if you follow the same steps. The darkness shrouding the Demon Kings face dispersed, revealing a perfect countenance that was the manifestation of all things beautiful in the eternal darkness. Rosnia, just like you, I have no other choice. A handful of people and a couple of clans might not be important, but what about entire races? When were we ever given a choice. The Spider Queen mumbled. True, there is no choice. The Demon King said, I hope there is, but I still cant find it. With that, he vanished from the Shadow World. The giant sphere of light turned away, returning the Spider Queen into the darkness. That doll-like face of hers was filled with sadness for a brief moment. Even with their recovered memories, there was still no other choice. To a supreme of the Sacred Mountain, they themselves were the bigger picture. Even great dark monarchs and princes were simply chess pieces to be played. Descendants were nothing more than an experience across a long span of time. Yet when a choice involved the fate of the entire race, there was no longer any choice. Chapter 1369: Traitor Progia and the Eternal Flame slowed down their attacks at the same time. The Eternal Flame blocked the Azure Kings path, while Progia fired several dozen streams of demonic energy toward their subordinates. With the aid of this demonic energy, even the dukes saw their speed increase sharply. This allowed them to leave the battlefield quickly. Even with a Grand Magnum on their side, Progia and the Eternal Flame were unexpectedly at a disadvantage against the Azure King. Behind that elegant and calm demeanor, was a force not inferior to a grand magnum as well as a shocking speed. Although Progia and the Eternal Flame knew that the king would exhaust himself as long as they could drag things out for a bit, this stalling would be nothing short of perilous. If they were to encounter the Azure King one on one, there would be no other choice but to retreat. The Azure King was already at the end of his lifespan, and every attack would drain what remained of his life force. So, he certainly would not last long. Now that the Lightless Monarch had arrived, it was only normal that they would plan to retreat. The two were great dark monarchs in the prime of their life, so it wouldnt be a good deal if they were to sustain injuries after finishing off the Azure King. Seeing that the two demonkin were about to withdraw, the Azure King said, Why not leave something before you go? Wont it be too rude otherwise? He opened his arms wide, azure light flickering at the tips of his fingers. The lights connected with one another to form a complicated web, which the Azure King shot out with a swing of his arm. Dozens of azure threads flew out at lightning speed, slashing at the two great dark monarchs and the retreating dukes. The azure threads left rippling afterimages in the air. A shocked Progia roared, Dont block! Run! However, the threads arrived so quickly that the warning was a moment too late. Two dukes and a vice-duke blocked the attack instinctively, only to find that nothing could stop those threads, not their weapons, not their armor, nor their demonic energy and flesh. Only when the threads had passed by did they realize that the faint shadows behind the threads were sundered space. The three duke-grade experts saw the fire of life snuffed out of them as their demonic furnaces were cut into two. Even the two great dark monarchs at the scene couldnt save them. Of course, the threads werent fast enough to hit Progia and the Eternal Flame. The Azure King fired three threads each at the duo, merely to stop them from helping their subordinates. This power came at a terrifying price. After the attack, the Azure Kings blood energy dropped sharply and only stabilized after an entire level of decline. Yet, he had managed to kill three demonkin dukes in front of two great dark monarchs. One could still see the Azure Kings style from back when he was famous throughout the world. The king sneered with his hands behind his back. This matter wont end here His laughter came to a sudden stop along the way. Looking down, he saw a hand piercing through his chest, grasping a giant azure gem that was his blood core. The Azure King turned back and saw that it was the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. The mans eyebrows were twitching, and his expression was so sinister that it looked distorted. Medanzo had concealed his own aura while leaving decoy traces during his approach. This threw off the Azure Kings judgment, something only possible due to his understanding of the king and his exhausted state after the battle. Medanzo himself felt surprised that the sneak attack was successful. He would have doubted the results if it werent for the reality of the blood core in his hands. So, it was you The Azure King came to. Medanzos eyes shifted slightly and his blood energy was aboil. Clearly, his emotions were in turmoil. Youre quite the sly one, arent you? You actually gave them your life-saving ace. But that will only cause a bit of a problem for us. Even if you sent them to the upper continents, we will find them sooner or later. The Azure Kings astonishment had subsided by this point. Ten thousand years of life was enough for him to look at everything with indifference. Youve renounced the River of Blood and betrayed the Queen. You will get your just deserts before long. Medanzo suddenly flared up. River of Blood? The Queen?! Haha, what a joke! The river has been growing increasingly distant each year. My seal is even starting to fade away. The river betrayed me! Our entire race will be done for if we rely on the river! How will I remain a great dark monarch after the seal fades away? The Azure King didnt argue and merely gazed at Medanzo like a pitiful character. Medanzo found the gaze to be incomparably annoying. He became even more agitated. What does the Queen know apart from sleeping?! How many times has she woken up throughout the years? What has she ever cared about? Im the only one propping up the internal affairs of the race. Yet, she doesnt appreciate all that Ive done! She actually treats that little bastard Habsburg better! Hes just a prince who was lucky enough to ignite a seal. How many years has my seal been there?! Also, she actually produced a drop of origin blood, not for me but for that slut Nighteye! All of this while knowing how hard Ive been working for the vampire race all these years! After a brief pause, Medanzo clenched his jaws and said, Dont worry. With me around, the Queen wont know anything thats happening outside. She will just sleep on in ignorance. Even if we cant find her drifting place, she wont sense anything as long as we keep the entrance of the Twilight Continent sealed. Even if she finds out later on, the die will have been cast! As for you, Azure King, you shouldve died a long time ago! Just like her! The Eternal Flame appeared beside Medanzo. Hes gone. Medanzo was stunned. Only then did he realize that the Azure Kings vitality had completely dispersed at some point. Yet, the pity in his eyes was still just as annoyingit was this gaze that had driven Medanzo out of his mind. The Lightless Monarch eventually remembered his status as a great dark monarch. With a loud snort, he flung the Azure Kings body away, allowing it to fall into the dust. However, a gentle wave of demonic energy lifted the body and sent it flying to Progias side. The demonkin picked up the Azure Kings body with both hands and passed it to one of the nearby dukes. Take him back and bury him properly. That duke bowed in affirmation and took the Azure Kings body away, carrying it adrift over his head. Not touching the remains by hand and carrying it overhead showed the deep respect he had for this great dark monarch. Although the demonkin had lost three dukes, a true expert like the Azure King naturally commanded the respect of his enemies. Medanzo felt uncomfortable at the sight of this. The Eternal Flame extended a hand. Hand it over. Seeing the demonkins eyes on the Azure Kings blood core, Medanzo frowned. This belongs to our race. His Majesty wants it. Why would the Demon King want it? Medanzo was puzzled. He held onto the blood core still, planning to stow it away. The Azure King had shown extraordinary prowess in that last battle, filling Medanzo with greed for the blood core. Comparatively, the Azure Kings bloodline quality was far above the Lightless Monarchs. The man was at the end of his life, and the overdraft had left his blood core on the verge of collapse; this was a good thing for Medanzo since there would be no backlash. The value of this blood core was no less valuable than a drop of Liliths origin blood. Why did the Demon King want it? Seeing that Medanzo was unwilling to let go, the Eternal Flame took a step back and Progia also arrived quietly nearby. The two great dark monarchs stood on either side of the Lightless Monarch in a clear posture of threat. The Eternal Flame said, Youve already betrayed the Queen of the Night. Are you planning to betray the Demon King as well? Perhaps you want to seek the Spider Queens protection? That is if you manage to leave with your life. Medanzos expression changed drastically. He was no Azure Kingwithout a speed that could look down on the entire world, there was no way he could escape. In fact, where would he run to? Considering what he did today, the Queen of the Night would be the first to kill him and not the demonkin. He had no choice but to hand the Azure Kings blood core over. My loyalty to the Demon King never changed. That will be for the best. Dont worry, the king will reward you handsomely for your devotion. The Eternal Flame put away the blood core with utmost care. For some reason, Medanzo felt a sense of unease when he saw the Eternal Flames expression. Progia glanced at the surroundings and then went over to two of the dukes. You two stay here and clean up the area. Dont leave any traces behind. You must be done by the time Habsburg arrives. After making arrangements, Progia said to Medanzo. Well rely on you to lock down the flow of information on the vampire side. At the very least, we must avoid alarming the Queen until our plans have been realized. Medanzo bowed slightly. Rest assured, Im the only great dark monarch of the race now. No one will dare to go against me. The Eternal Flame frowned. Be careful of Habsburg. Medanzos eyes were filled with killing intent. Why dont we send him back to sleep in the blood pond for a couple hundred years? Progia said, His Majesty will decide how to deal with Habsburg. Theres no need for us to interfere, lets go. Medanzo was dissatisfied, but he could only leave helplessly. The Demon King had already warned Sousa not to cause a huge ruckus, and this warning applied to him as well. The kings demand was for each race to keep up a stable appearance. Without the supremes consent, he couldnt take action even if he could knock Habsburg back into the blood pond. The small stone hall in the secret realm. The waters in the Pond of Azure Darkness bubbled as Qianye slowly sat up. This time, his eyes were bright and clear, without the slightest hint of sleepiness. He checked himself, then the pond. The waters had lost their color and turned into a pool of clear water. All of the energy and vitality within had been absorbed. Qianye stood up and stretched his body before walking out of the pond. Just as he was about to grab his clothes, he suddenly stood there in a daze. In his perception, he could no longer feel his blood core and heart. There was only the Book of Darkness slowly revolving in his chest. Chapter 1370: Book of Darkness: Flourish and End Below the eye on the books cover, there was now a large dark-colored crystal. Upon closer inspection, it was made up of countless minuscule particles. The strange thing was that the fist-sized crystal felt multi-dimensional in Qianyes perception, with each crystalline granule linked to his flesh, blood, and solidified dark golden blood energy. Even in the inheritance from the River of Blood, Qianye had never heard of the dark golden energy solidifying, let alone other types. Then again, the knowledge he had obtained up to this point was at the level of a vice-duke. Perhaps he would gain more in the future. The Book of Darkness flipped open when he willed it. It would seem the transformed book could be opened. The first page depicted a pair of eyes, each side giving off a very different feeling to the observer. One of them was blue and the other, redthey were the Eye of Control and the Eye of Destruction respectively. The two eyes werent exactly symmetrical, as though there were two more eyes that werent visible at the moment. After the title page, came the genesis chapter. The Book of Darkness seemed to have returned to its original form after this transformation. The pages with other abilities had completely disappeared. A different feeling came over Qianye as he observed the genesis chapter once more. The contents were fairly easy to understandit didnt take much effort for his understanding of the Evernight World to reach the next level. This type of understanding might not translate immediately to combat strength, but Qianye now had greater confidence in drawing upon the power of the world. In other words, the Book of Darkness had granted him power for the Heavenly Monarch realm. A new chapter emerged after Genesis, and it was called Flourish. In this chapter, the world had evolved to near perfection. The continents were filled with living creatures who had formed powerful races and factions. These people were all surrounding a tall mountain in worship. Qianye instinctively realized that this was the Sacred Mountain. How was such a large mountain moved into the hall of the Evernight Council? The next scene was that of war as the various races began killing one another. Perhaps in the world within the Book of Darkness, this was the meaning of prosperity. There were seven strong races in this chapter, which was in line with the legends passed down in Evernight. Three of these races Qianye had never seen before but he was quite familiar with the rest, the four races of Evernight. The demonkin looked the same as they were today, and the same went for vampires. It was just that the vampires in the Book of Darkness looked bigger and fiercer. The arachne, however, were quite different from their appearance today. They were slim, elegant, and possessed intricate crystalline scales on their body. These scales formed natural patterns that were highly pleasing to the eye. The werewolves were in their primitive state. The Summit of Peaks hadnt appeared during that era. There was no telling if the arachne and vampires had gradually transformed into different forms over time or if the Book of Darkness believed this to be the correct form. The depictions Qianye had seen in Andruils ruins and the Azure Kings ancient hall were somewhere between the two forms. There was actually another chapter after Flourish, the End. As the name implied, this was the end of the world. Qianye flipped through the End chapter and saw that the world had returned to an era of darkness. It was there that he saw a speck of powerful light, which slowly expanded and propagated. As more and more light appeared, the worlds silhouette gradually became visibleit was actually the shape of an asymmetrical pagoda. Countless motes of light emerged at the edges of the world, gradually linking together to form a line. Radiance and heat surged into this world through the gaps and burned everything, including the darkness itself. There was light and heat everywhere outside of this world. Just like an apocalyptic tide, they soon engulfed the entirety of Evernight. Although he couldnt see it, Qianye could feel the pained cries of countless lifeforms as they turned to ashes. Almost every living being was destroyed in that world-ending moment. Only a handful of experts with powerful auras charged out of the border and vanished into the unknown. The world finally became silent, and the flames gradually faded away. It would seem the light and flames couldnt last without darkness to burn as fuel. This was a long process but the Book of Darkness had compressed it into mere moments. Within that split second, the pain from all living beings was so strong that Qianye couldnt breathe! He had never imagined that living beings would undergo such misery before death. After the End, the world became a lifeless and homogenous grey. Perhaps a new world would grow upon the remains of the old one after countless years. And by that time, the previous era wouldve faded away into the river of time as though it had never existed before. Qianye heaved a long sigh as he struggled free from the End Chapter. He finally felt a bit better. As he closed the Book of Darkness, Qianye noticed that there was something under the cover. He flipped the book over and found that it was actually a live, beating heart. The organ wasnt big and there were glistening golden crystals embedded within it. Two origin crystals appeared on either side of the heart, still growing by the looks of their size. One of them was fairly close to maturing, only waiting for the daybreak origin power inside to merge with the heart and the first origin crystal. Qianye found this to be quite incredulous. Was this his heart and origin crystals? In response to his thoughts, the second origin crystal erupted in bright light. The daybreak origin power inside broke through the restraints and merged with the heart. The heart was full to the brim with daybreak origin power, almost like a burning ocean. When the second origin crystal was newly formed, Qianye felt strength welling up in every part of his body. His consciousness also grew stronger and stronger. The second crystal appeared in his mind, growing increasingly distinct until a new origin imprint also appeared. When he willed it, several diamond-shaped screens of light appeared and began revolving around him. These light barriers were made of pure Venus Dawn origin power, seemingly fragile but actually quite robust. These screens provided Qianye with another layer of defense and could also be used to attack enemies. Such a power would greatly increase his strength, a practical ability for Qianyes current fighting power. This was the divine champion ability brought about by his second origin crystal, Azure Rampart. Qianye had never heard of such a divine champion power before, nor did he possess any foundational power related to it. The first divine champion power made sense because Qianye had cultivated the Excavator before and possessed teleportation movement skills. How did this Azure Rampart come to be? Qianye was never fortunate enough to get a well-balanced skill like this one. The other question was why the origin crystals were in his heart? Qianye had scanned his entire body but couldnt find any other origin crystal. Could it be because the Book of Darkness had absorbed his heart? Qianye turned the book around and observed the blood core on the front cover, naturally recognizing it as his own. Currently, his heart, blood core, and the book of darkness had all merged into a single, two-sided entity. By some miraculous and incomprehensible method, the darkness origin power of his blood core had integrated with the Venus Dawn in his heart and origin crystals. Within the boundless space inside the book, these powers had combined to become a new origin powerhazy, chaotic, and indescribable. As for his body, the entire skeleton had undergone a drastic upgrade and was already close to the great success stage. From a purely physical point of view, Qianye had already reached the level of a duke by ancient standards and was fairly close to that of a grand duke. This didnt come as a great surprise since the Pond of Azure Darkness was something the Azure King had prepared for himself. It would be a surprise if he didnt reach his current stage after absorbing a blood pond of that level. It was just that Qianye couldnt get used to his new origin power just yet. With a single thought, a plume of scarlet gold flames lit up in his left handthe fire of Venus Dawn. Literally, on the other hand, was the dark golden blaze of his blood energy. Daybreak and Evernight had appeared at the same time in a single person. Before this, Qianye could only use the two powers alternatively. The dark golden blood energy was in charge of strengthening his body, defense during melee combat, and recovery after each fight. It was also required to activate the Wings of Inception. But now, his blood energy and daybreak origin power was present at the same time. He could control this new power at will, switching between Venus Dawn and dark golden blood energy. Just as he was in a daze, Nighteyes voice arrived from outside the hall. Youre awake? Her voice was a bit hoarse and her aura was also unstable. Qianye walked out of the stone hall and saw her sitting on a rock near the pond, gazing at the waters. What happened? Qianye asked in concern. Nighteye sighed. Reynold is gone. Reynold? Qianye was puzzled for a moment before realizing that it was the Azure Kings name. He had a deep impression of the Azure King from back when he had woken up the first time. The king was just like the spring breeze, without the faintest sign of decline. He could easily live a hundred more years or so if he took care of himself, a thousand years or so if he were to remain asleep in the blood pond. How could such a great dark monarch fall? The Azure King, he Call him Reynold, he was my friend and that means hes yours as well. ... Very well. The Azure King was actually far superior to Qianye in strength, age, and status. But since Nighteye had requested so, Qianye could only accept an equal status. Nighteye gazed at the fish in the pond for a long while. I thought you had already died in that battle. I didnt intend to live on, either. Qianyes heart skipped a beat. He held her hand and said gently, Why go so far? Thats what I want. After a pause, Nighteye continued, At the final moment, Reynold activated the Awakening Dream at the risk of angering the new world and brought us to his castle. That Awakening Dream was originally his sword, and I had used it before as well. Chapter 1371: Its Actually You Habsburg woke up on his throne, startled. In his consciousness, he could hear a message from the perpetually calm River of Bloodit was a summon from the Azure King Reynold. Ever since the Sacred River had gone quiet, the great dark monarchs and princes rarely used such an ancient method of transmission. That was because the river would often not respond, not even a ripple. Hence, they couldnt communicate through it. Habsburg found this matter strange, but he decided to set out immediately after replying to the call. There was one continent between him and the Azure Kings location, so he didnt really have the time to ponder on the situation. All of a sudden, his steps came to a halt and his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing in the corridor of the castles seventh basement floor. The corridor still retained its ancient sandstone walls. It was narrow but tall with two bronze doors at its end, covered in runic carvings. There was a person standing before the threshold. He did not possess the slightest aura of an expert, almost as though he were an ordinary person. Yet he wasnt just any ordinary person. A vampire castles underground chamber was where the blood pond and altars were located. Especially in a castle belonging to the twelve major clans, just the suppressive power alone could immobilize a youngster of the clan. The Demon King didnt look back after hearing the approaching person and merely looked up at the majestic door. He had been standing there for a long time, yet he never reached out to push the doors open. Habsburg walked over slowly. Although a vampire held the home-field advantage in his own castle, it was not more than a small inconvenience for the Demon King. There was no safe distance in the entire castle, let alone this corridor. A personal visit from the Demon King, what an honor. Im just here to visit him. Habsburg went silent. The Demon King didnt say anything more, nor did he move. The two stood ten meters apart before the bronze door, much like stone statues. After a good while, the doors slowly opened to reveal the boundless darkness within. The Demon King had no intention of going in. He simply cast his gaze in that direction, where the endless darkness appeared in his eyes like a different layer. Therein the embrace of flames darker than darkness and colder than frostwas a small mass of radiance. This glow was comparable to an eternal glacier, an entity that would not change in myriad years. The Demon King could tell that the glow was coming from four floating origin crystals. One of them did not have a complete edge and was apparently damaged. Gradually, the faint glow formed the silhouette of a person. He was seated in a half-lotus position with his left hand on his knees and using the spear in his right hand to support himself. Motes of starlight would leak out from his chest from time to time and revolve behind him. However, a speck or two would drift away into the darkness occasionally and fade away into nothingness. The Demon King watched on expressionlessly at first, but at one point, he was visibly moved. Has his origins completely disappeared? Habsburg lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought. He glanced up in surprise when he heard the question, apparently puzzled as to why the Demon King would ask. The supreme observed Habsburgs reaction, then vanished without asking anything else. Habsburg frowned. He glanced briefly at the realm of dark flames before following the supreme. The Demon King stood in the void above the Sperger Clans castle. He raised his hand as Habsburg appeared, producing a drop of pure darkness origin power between them. The Demon King said, You possess the darkest flames in the world, which is closer to the darkness origins than any other blood power. It has been said that the previous Flaming Crowns blood seal ran into problems. It wasnt because he was lacking in strength, but rather because taking the power to the next level involved devouring ones kin. Habsburg listened quietly as the Demon King mentioned something that could be considered a top-secret of the race. The supreme said, I can give you a law of darkness. With your ability, Im sure itll greatly reduce the time needed to purify the power. Habsburg replied calmly, Thank you for the kindness, but Im happy with my current strength. The Demon King wasnt angry about being refused outright, nor did he try to persuade the man. Since thats the case, you should fulfill your responsibility as a council member. At this moment, a sense of foreboding welled up in Habsburgs heart, but he had no spare energy to figure out the source of this abnormality. His frown relaxed as he replied, I never refused my duties. The Demon King said, Theres a council laboratory near the human borders on the Fire Beacon Continent. Were getting ready to clean up the place, Mark will talk to you about the details. Habsburg couldnt control his blood core as it skipped a beat. This location sounded too familiar. The Demon King acted as though he hadnt noticed it. As for his remains, it looks like something happened. Its slowly deteriorating even in the Everfrost environment of the darkness origin flames. We have no precise data on the body of a fallen heavenly monarch, but human divine champions certainly dont react this way. The Demon King paused for a bit. Sometimes, I remember the words he told me. Perhaps this world really cannot keep him chained, the world beyond is where he belongs. Habsburg didnt really understand what the Demon King was trying to say. He chose to remain silent since he didnt know how to continue this topic. An irregularly-shaped crystal flew out of the Demon Kings hand and stopped beside the previous drop of origin power. The Demon King said, You can control that minor realm, so you should know how to use this shadow fragment. With that, he nodded at Habsburg as a gesture of farewell before vanishing into the void. The council chairman was waiting at the borders of the Twilight Continent. Dear Mark, go and investigate if there were any abnormalities among the humans following Lin Xitangs death. These words came out of nowhere. The council chairman asked, Your Supreme Majesty, your instructions are rather unusual The Demon King said, I just have a bad feeling about it. The Demon Kings premonition wasnt something that could be ignored. Mark replied, I understand. Ill start investigating their divine champions and work my way down. With that, the group faded away into the void. In the air above the Sperger Castle, Habsburg was observing the two things before him. That grey crystal looked unassuming, but after careful contact with his origin power, the prince realized that there was a realm within. An attribute that lay between the demonkin and the arachne was rather strange, and probing with his perception, he felt that the realm inside was like a mirror image. Habsburg had heard of this before. Reportedly, the arachne possessed a Shadow World, and the fragments that fell off from this world could form miniature realms of their own. They were holy items highly sought over in the black market. It was a wonder where the Demon King had gotten his hands on one. The Everfrost attribute of his origin flames could freeze space, but it could barely freeze time, resulting in the slow deterioration of Lin Xitangs remains. This breakdown was extremely slow and would take hundreds of years to destroy an origin crystal. Things would be completely different with the addition of the minor shadow realm. It was like a mirror reflection of this worldthe other side of the coincapable of locking down everything on this side. Habsburg didnt think further before putting the minor shadow realm away. The moment he touched the drop of darkness origin power, though, the Demon Kings aura spread out to form a scene. A young human was looking in this direction, his long, black hair hanging loosely in front of his chest. The background was a forest. Habsburg found that the young man wasnt all that young when their gazes met. There was starlight flowing in the latters eyes, almost as though they were reflecting the world. The starry skies outside of this world are vast and magnificent. To this day, I still cannot see its ends. I, for one, can see the ends of my world its sixty years. Such a lifespan is much longer than ordinary civilians, enough for me to do many things I want to do. Yeah, thats why we cannot explore The scene stopped at this moment, and the drop of origin power dispersed into thin mist. Chapter 1371: Its You! (part 2) This was a fragment of the Demon Kings memory that was related to Lin Xitang. That smiling manone of such indifference that he seemed devoid of emotionsultimately failed to live out his sixty years. Habsburg calmed himself and looked down at his ancestral territory. His gaze scanned everything from nearby to a fair distance; nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Yet, he still couldnt forget that moment of abnormality from just now. Habsburg sank his consciousness into the River of Blood. The waters were as calm and quiet as a mirrors surface. The Azure Kings message had long since vanished without a trace. He stretched his perception toward the source of the river and the twenty half-floating seals gradually appeared. The seal belonging to the Azure King wasnt the brightest since he wasnt in his usual active phase. Habsburg observed the seals for a while, but he couldnt figure out which one was abnormal. After some thought, he decided to head over to where the Azure King was. By the time Habsburg arrived at the secret realm, the Azure Kings ancient castle was in ruins, and the valley had been entirely deformed. There were strong traces of daybreak origin power everywhere, so much so that even Habsburg couldnt find any clues. There was only a single wisp of violet blood energy pointing in a certain direction. That was a mark Medanzo had left behind. Habsburg frowned as he glanced at the rubble. He looked thoughtfully in the direction of the Lightless Monarchs marking, but ultimately, he turned back to Twilight Continent instead of following it. The Blacksun Valley was no longer flooded in the flames of war. The Empire and Evernight were now building fortresses on either side of the valley. They might not be far, but neither side interfered with the others construction work. The patrols also kept their distance from one another, so there was little chance of a misfire. Judging from the scale of the strongholds, however, this peace was merely temporary. The Evernight stronghold was a colossal structure being built upon the original foundations. Following the suppression of the Imperial Guard fleet, the dark races reflected on their pain and began adding defensive firepower to the fortress. One cannon turret after another rose up in the fortress, almost like a stone forest. Even the strongest fleet would feel their scalp grow numb at the sight of it. The Empire wasnt willing to be outdone, either. Although their fortress was newly constructed, the number of defensive turrets wasnt too far behind the enemy stronghold. Most of the turrets were ground-target weapons and homing ballistae for targeting experts. Just like that, the two factions engaged in a construction race while targeting the others weakness. Song Zining was the idlest one in the fortress. Every day, he had nothing else to do but read through some battle reports. He could see the black pillar of fire from his window, growing weaker by the day. It might disappear completely in a matter of days. According to the agreement between those behind the curtain, a new round of battles would begin after the flames completely disappeared. It was at this moment that a knock came from the door, quite urgent from the sound of it. Song Zining was startled as he opened the door. General Zhang Zhao, what brings you here? The man was indeed Zhang Zhao. He looked rather worn with sunken eyes that spoke of his nonstop journey. The man fell to his knees immediately, crying, Marshal Song, please save me! Song Zining helped him up quickly. Stand up first, whats so urgent? Youre injured? Song Zining realized this as he was helping the man up. Zhang Zhao said, Just a minor wound, not a big deal. I came here because I had no other choice. Please give me some advice. Get up first and well talk. Song Zining helped the man to a seat and returned to his own, waiting for the continuation. Zhang Zhao said, The prince dispatched a thousand elites and dozens of experts to Fort Continent to secretly await your arrival. Who wouldve thought we would run into an ambush immediately after our arrival. There were enemies everywhere! In the end, only a couple of comrades and I managed to break free. The others have all Song Zining said, Theyre the princes elites? Most of them used to be the princes followers, people who had received instruction from the monarch himself. The unit was made up of three thousand men, but we lost two-thirds in a single fight. If the unit is made up of elites, why did so few make it out alive? Zhang Zhao had calmed down at this point. Things happened all of a sudden, we were surrounded as soon as we landed. There were simply too many of them, spanning all across the wilderness and mountains. Theres also a duke among them! Commander Yang was injured soon after the battle began and had no choice but to flee. We still dont know his fate. Song Zining nodded. Looks like there was a leak. What do you want with me now? Zhang Zhao said, The only method left is for you to go personally and take back the Martyrs Palace. I received news that the palace has returned to Cerulean Wave City and is right outside the city. Song Zining stood up and patted Zhang Zhao on the shoulder. General Zhang, looks like youre confused. This marshal is in charge of Blacksun Valley, how important do you think this place is? How can I leave just like that? As for how youll explain your blunder to the prince, thats none of my concern. I wouldnt care about a divine champion, let alone a small general like you. Zhang Zhao was stunned. Marshal Song, what do you mean? What you should know is that you escaped not because of your own ability, but because I told them to let you go. You didnt dare face the prince, so you came to me instead. Well, since youre here, you should get some good rest. Your wounds are about to act up anyway, you wont live long. Zhang Zhao was shaken at the sudden realization. Its you! He hadnt finished speaking when he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed. Only then did he recall that Song Zining had patted him on the shoulder just now, but that realization came too late. Song Zining opened the door and shouted, Men! General Zhangs wounds have acted up, give him emergency treatment! Some aides rushed over and carried Zhang Zhao away. Moments later, one of them hurried back to report, Sire, we were incapable. General Zhangs injuries were too severe, he sacrificed himself for the country. Song Zining said with a frown, What did he say before his death? General Zhang was delirious. He kept repeating Werewolves! So many werewolves! Nothing else. Song Zining said, General Zhang traveled ten thousand miles to get here. Unfortunately, he left before he could say a word. This matter is of utmost importance, youll be in charge of reporting everything to the military. Dont hide anything, understand? The aide left to perform his duties. Song Zining heaved a sigh afterward, knowing that he had resolved one worry. Next up was to read the detailed battle report from Fort Continent and wait for the militarys response. Zhang Zhao was truly useless, and even as a lobbyist, his words were full of loopholes. Song Zining couldnt be bothered to leave him running around. He hoped the next one would be more intelligent. Heavenly Monarchs would only oversee the battle and not lead troops after breaking through. If those elite troops had indeed fought alongside the Profundity Monarch, they would have to be seventy years old at the very least. It was doubtful whether or not they could still hold a sword. A different possibility was that they were honor guards assigned to the heavenly monarch at a later date. Ignoring whether or not the monarch would have the spare time to instruct these soldiers, the maximum number of honor guards was one thousand and five hundred men. Even someone like Prince Greensun who had just retired from an elite army corps only had two thousand honor guards, men reformed from his old unit. If Zhang Zhaos troops were indeed old honor guards called back to duty, losing well over a thousand of them would no doubt cause quite the ruckus. Song Zining was in no rush to figure out the truth. Waiting patiently for the enemy to exhaust themselves was a great strategy. It would save him the trouble of figuring things out. It would seem the upper echelons of the werewolf race were also seeing some change. He decided to borrow the heavenly monarchs name for a bit, whether it was real or not. Chapter 1372: Feelings and Responsibility The secret realm was like a place completely detached from the world. Qianye sat there quietly listening to Nighteye talk about the past. We were young back then, an age of pride and arrogance. The vampire race was having a hard time surviving, we had countless enemies including other dark races and outsiders who had appeared in our world. My memories from back then were all about battles This was likely a fragment of memory from ages ago. There was hardly any record of outside invasion in the Empires records; there would be the occasional void colossus, at most. The Evernight side had also categorized such stories as ancient legends. Later on there was nothing. I dont remember how I fell. All my memories of the time are blank, as though they had been wiped away. I asked Reynold after my awakening, but he didnt reply. Reportedly, my whereabouts were unknown when news of my death started to spread. Who exactly are you? Nighteye sighed softly. I am Nighteye, I never changed. Awakening is just a lot of memories appearing in the consciousness. Then why did you leave? After my awakening, the new-formed blood core sent a message through the River of Blood and received a reply. I realized then that they would seek me out sooner or later and take me back. If we were together, you would be in danger. My ancient incarnation had a lot more enemies than friends like Reynold. If I can awaken, so can they. No matter what kind of enemies they are, we can face them together. Look, not much time has passed since then. Nighteye sighed. In addition to danger, theres also duty. If the Evernight Council summons me back, Ill have no choice but to go back. There was no way you would be willing to work for the council, even if they promised not to pit you against the Empire. Qianye was silent. That was indeed his mindset back then. Nighteye continued, Later on, the councils emissary found me and Reynold came as well. You know what happened later on. The Azure Reynold, why did he save me? Qianye didnt understand. From all the signs and from Nighteyes words, it was obvious that the Azure King had special feelings for Nighteye. Even though she never responded, the kings sentiments never changed throughout the millennia. If Nighteye was the one injured, it would make sense that he would give his life-saving treasure for her use. Qianye could be considered a love rival, so why would Reynold be so generous? Nighteye sighed. He wanted to save me, not you. Qianye suddenly realized that if he were to die, Nighteye would not continue living with the guilt of having killed him. The Azure King had noticed this, and that was why he went all out with the rescue. Qianyes heart was filled with a feeling that he could not explain. I was too rash. Its all in the past now. Qianye pointed at his chest. Whats up with my body? The Book of Darkness seems to have merged with me. Nighteye glared at him unceremoniously. You ask whats up?! You tricked me! That sword strike contained all of my power, else I would never be able to block that shot of yours. Awakening Dream will always find the targets weak point, so your blood core and heart were shattered. Then how did things end up like this? Fortunately, you had the book of darkness. That book was called the Book of Genesis in ancient times, an object reportedly born together with this world. Recorded within are the lower worlds true profundities and secrets. All the races would fight over the book whenever it appeared. The last owner of the book was Andruil, who gained great power and even sought to challenge the Queen of the Night. Qianye knew the book was extraordinary, but he hadnt expected it to have such an impressive origin. It was actually a treasure sought after by the powerhouses throughout history. Nighteye said, At one point in time, Reynold had obtained the book and studied it for a while. He used the Book of Darknesss power of genesis to reform your heart and blood core, then he used the blood of azure darkness to seal them in the book of darkness. This was a miracle. The Book of Darkness possessed such wondrous powers, yet the Azure King had done his utmost to save Qianye instead of taking the book. This kindness was truly difficult to shoulder. It was at this time that Nighteyes brows knitted together. She looked hesitant and puzzled, but also hopeful. Qianye reached out to smooth her brows, asking, Whats on your mind? Nighteye said in a daze, My connection with Reynolds blood seal was completely cut off just a little earlier but now It was at this time that they both sensed something and looked up at the sky. There was a faint ripple in the River of Blood as one of the seals dimmed downit was the Azure Kings seal. The ripple was cryptic, weak, and extremely short-lived, yet Nighteye and Qianye were able to catch it. They were both dukes now, with a much stronger connection to the river than many of their peers. Nighteye was just feeling hopeful when the seal dimmed even further. Fortunately, it stopped there. Nighteye mumbled, I mustve sensed something wrong because of the anxiety. Qianye held her hand, saying, Not many can threaten Reynold, considering how powerful he is. Unless a supreme takes action. Qianye pulled her into his arms, the warmth of the embrace allowing both of them to relax. Nighteye said, Maybe we should go out and take a look. Okay. Wait, theres no rush. You should get used to your new body first. Qianye didnt object. He was not familiar with his current body; every joint felt rusted and difficult to control. His fighting power was no more than thirty percent under such conditions. The Andruils Space still remained. Even that powerful explosion couldnt destroy this treasure. After a while of rest, Qianye stretched and brought out East Peak. Following a casual shake, the blade began to vibrate dramatically, creaking and groaning in the process. Qianye was surprised. During that shake, the book of darkness had poured out chaos origin power and greatly increased his strength. The force had almost destroyed East Peak. East Peak had been reinforced first at the Zhao clan and then upgraded with the giant rhinoceros horn at the Pond of Life. It was practically invincible, showing no signs of strain even against giant hammers and axes. How come it was almost ruined with a single shake? Qianye carefully sensed the structure of his body. There was little change in his muscles, and the auric flame blood was still flowing in his veins. The only change was that the flame granules within his body had become more cryptic. His skeleton had reached a completely remodeled state. This could be one of the reasons why he could withstand more energy flow, but that wasnt enough to explain the explosive strength from just now. The only explanation at the moment was the special power flowing out from the Book of Darkness. Qianye no longer dared to apply strength at will. He decided to keep his power output controlled at half the capacity during practice. He would slowly increase his power after he was familiar with it. Qianyes heart was as calm as still water when he entered practice mode. He no longer cared about the surroundings and only focused on practicing his sword arts and techniques. Three days passed by in the blink of an eye before Qianye woke up from his practice. Surprised after checking the time, he stretched his perception to the River of Blood. He was relieved to see that the Azure Kings seal hadnt disappeared completely. Nighteye had been sitting nearby all this time, watching Qianye in silence. Just as he was about to dial down his origin power and walk toward Nighteye, a surge of origin power appeared from the Book of Darkness. The blood crystal on the cover began to grow rapidly, releasing a large amount of auric flame blood to repair the last bit of damage in Qianyes body. Qianyes aura rose sharply until he was almost at the level of a grand duke. Thats about right, Qianye said. Nighteye had already packed. She passed Qianye a backpack full of supplies, which he placed in Andruils Space. Then, he changed into a good set of battle armor before leaving the secret realm with Nighteye. On one of the demonkin continents, there was a magnificent castle overlooking the dark central region. This was the demonkins holy ground, the Demon Palace. The Demon King was seated within the palace, gazing at the Azure Kings blood core in silence. Progia and the Eternal Flame stood quietly at the side. So you two didnt find Nighteye and Qianye? The Demon Kings voice was always that gentle, but Progia and the Eternal Flame were evidently anxious. It would be hard to believe this scene without witnessing it. There was definitely a gap in power between great dark monarchs and supremes, but the suppression shouldnt be so great. The Eternal Flame was just like the Wolf Sovereign, an entity considered fairly close to the supreme rank. Yet, the duo was, for some reason, fearful of the Demon King. Progia said, Who wouldve thought Reynold could erupt with such terrifying power at the end of his life? The Demon King sighed. You didnt underestimate his strength, but rather his resolve. Not all vampires are like Medanzo. Moments later, the Demon King waved his hand gently. Several wisps of demonic energy weaved together into an intricate polyhedron around the Azure Kings blood core. Keep this safe. The blood core contains his last bit of vitality. As long as it remains intact, his seal in the River of Blood will not disappear, and the Queen of the Night will not be alerted. Medanzo didnt disappoint me this time. The Eternal Flame stowed the blood core away, guiding it with a thread of white fire. The Demon King said after some thought, It would be great if we can use this blood core to find out some of the River of Bloods secrets. I feel a bit uneasy about what those humans are up to. The Demon King remained standing after Progia and the Eternal Flame left; no one knew what he was thinking. Chapter 1373: Whose Heart Demon (part 1) There was a small airship port to the north of the Imperial Capital, reserved for the inhabitants of the region. Lord Riverglances airship landed there at noon. As the number one character among the noble lords, he could bring a total of one thousand and nine hundred fully-armed soldiers into the Imperial Capital, even more than the heavenly monarchs. However, his entourage was only half-full at the moment. It was clear that the passage of time had instilled some humility in this once arrogant and reckless lord. The couple hundred men was already a strain on this small landing pad. The warships had to take turns to unload their crew, and the soldiers were lined up in a tight formation on the grounds. No one noticed when a certain member of the welcoming party boarded the flagship and never came down. Dressed in full ceremonial attire, Lord Riverglance came down the ramp after the troops and officers were in position. He then boarded a long military vehicle and the motorcade set out immediately. The airships took off one after another. They couldnt remain in the capital, so they had applied for campgrounds outside of the city where the remaining half of Lord Riverlgances guards would be garrisoned. By the time all of the airships had reached a certain height, they turned toward the west in unison. Only the flagship kept ascending until it was in the void before going into an orbital trajectory. In the main cabin of the flagship, the Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance were seated across one another. In addition to the tea equipment, there were various documents and books on the table between them. From the looks of it, some of them were from the Radiant Emperor, while the rest were brought in by Lord Riverglance. Lord Riverglance picked up a memorial which, from the envelope, appeared to be from the cabinet. He scanned through the contents impatiently, then tossed it back onto the table. The Radiant Emperor looked rather leisurely. His eyes were fixed on the green tea in his thin porcelain cup, fully enjoying the tea-tasting process. Lord Riverglance said, Have you dealt with the Longevity Monarchs family? The Radiant Emperor said, Everyone at the grandson generation and below have been struck from the familial records. They were allowed to pick a new surname, and their fiefdoms have been exchanged with ones outside of the Imperial familys domain. Im guessing the move will take about a year or so. Although the Longevity Monarch had almost caused the collapse of the Empire, Lord Riverglance couldnt help but feel sorry about all his descendants being expelled from the family. Lord Riverglances eyes fell upon that memorial. The military is now a mish-mash where everyone can come in and interfere. It was definitely troublesome when the Longevity Monarch was in power, but at least there was some semblance of order. Your move of pulling the military under the cabinet might bring more harm than benefit. The Radiant Emperor said, Even the Founding Ancestor and the Martial Emperor never turned the military into a dictatorship. In the Empire, the major clans rule themselves while the generals oversee the battlefield. The military department is the only overlapping area that coordinates between them and allocates balanced resources. Since its founding, the department has always been a place of arguments and contests. At least on the surface, the heavenly monarchs appear to be staying away from politics. Few civil officers were ever able to suppress the military generals. Now that the Longevity Monarch has passed and the court appointments have been adjusted, the original alliances have been broken up, and new ones have not yet formed. The big mountains have become little mountains, its normal for things to be a bit messy. Lord Riverglance frowned. The military department was where the Imperial family, the major clans, the aristocracy, and the army wrestled for power. Even Lin Xitangas a marshal and the leader of the civil ministersonly possessed a certain degree of power there. After the Longevity Monarchs fall, the military was downgraded and incorporated into the cabinet. Things might still be in control if Marshal Lin were in the Imperial Steward position, but now, that post was empty and the newly appointed Minister of the Right needed time to stabilize his footing in the political field. Such a massive entity was akin to a machine with thousands of intricate parts. A couple of damaged components could be quickly repaired, but removing the rebellious Longevity Monarch was like pulling out the main axle. It wasnt quite enough to destroy the entire system, but it would take a good deal of repair and remodeling. How could it be that easy? Lord Riverglance picked up his cup of tea and had a sip, feeling angry about the utter mess. He remembered a certain person at this point, the man who had come to his territory to announce the summons. How about Fang Qingkong? I remember he used to be the inspector emissary of the right. He might be lacking in experience, but its not impossible to promote him to the head minister of the cabinet. Fang Qingkong used to handle intelligence reports for Marshal Lin, and hes still performing the same duties now. With that, the Radiant Emperor said with a smile, He has already asked for permission to return to the Northern Legion. Lord Riverglance was surprised. Is there any problem there? The Radiant Emperor said, The legion itself is fine, but Fang Qingkong wants to return to his original rank and name, Lin Wu. The Northern Legion was, at present, categorized as a dukes private army, but it had remained on the Western Continent to fend off the beast armys invasion. The Lin family never had a suitable candidate, so the procedure was never completed. It would be too much for the Lin familys early champion-rank experts to lead an elite corps. Lord Riverglance knew more about Fang Qingkongs origins than outsiders. This man was born in the militarys assassination camp, a suicidal soldier without family background who had made his way from the dark to the light. Of course, this part of his history would have to be modified a bit if he were to join the civil ministers. Considering Fang Qingkongs cultivation as a divine champion, even the position of corps commander would be too low for him. He should be a deputy marshal at the very least. However, Lin Xitangs warzone on the Western Continent had been placed under the Zhao clans marshal. It wouldnt be a good thing to place them together. Lord Riverglance was still thinking about this when the Radiant Emperor said, Ive already given him permission. The intelligence division will be in your hands from now on. The lords expression went dark as this wasnt a good job. Strategic intelligence reports were vital to the Empires operation, a grave responsibility. Then again, Lord Riverglance knew why the Emperor would give him this department. The Imperial Familys divination department served to assist in war preparations, and their findings would have to be matched against strategic intelligence reports. Now that the Empress was in charge of the divination department and Lord Riverglance was to act as regent, it was vital to control all sources of information. The lord hadnt expected the Radiant Emperor to be so thorough. Lord Riverglance couldnt help but jab at the Emperor. I wouldve brought more men if I knew you were so generous. The Emperor was nonchalant about it. Ah, Uncle, it would be best if you transfer your entire Historical Manor over here. In order to show that he wasnt being sarcastic, he added, We really are short on people. Lord Riverglance pointed at the memorial, saying, Since the intelligence is in Fang Qingkongs hands, whats up with these rumors about Lin Xitang? It has even reached my place. The Radiant Emperor said indifferently, Oh that. It came from the rebel province of Serene South and reached the Imperial Capital within days. As for the bridge, one of them is the Victory Palace. Lord Riverglances expression darkened. The Zhao clan again?! Are you done yet? The Radiant Emperor pointed at a pile of documents on the table. Get used to court affairs as quickly as you can, I want to visit the Western Continent for a bit. The lord had already listened to Fang Qingkongs reports about the heavenly monarch meeting and major developments in the Empire. He had already read through some of the documents in the big pile, but he couldnt help but look a bit pained. Lord Riverglance suddenly thought of something, How about the heir position? The Radiant Emperor said calmly, Theres no need for one as long as Im still alive. The Emperor was already a heavenly monarch. As long as he didnt fall and as long as he was willing, he could pick someone from the grandson generation as heir. But who could say for sure that they would return from the battlefield? It wasnt as though the Emperor didnt understand this logic. He had made all the necessary arrangements, so why did he forget this one? Lord Riverglance looked serious as he stood up and looked intently at the Emperor. The crown-prince position is the foundation of the Empire. The Radiant Emperor said, No, Uncle, the heir position really isnt important. Lord Riverglance pondered on these words, his expression turning solemn as he did so. What did the heavenly monarchs say? The Emperor smiled. The Imperial family doesnt interfere with the internal affairs of the aristocracy, and the reverse holds true. What opinion can they have? But our two heavenly monarchs Lord Riverglance suddenly went quiet, frowning. The Radiant Emperor said, Is there a difference today between the Imperial clan and the aristocracy? The Greensun and Vastnorth Zhang families are both surnamed Zhang. The Imperial family and clan are both surnamed Ji. Thats all. Lord Riverglance didnt have a good reply. The clans and aristocratic families had seen some division throughout the years, only the Ji surname did not. The Ji familys mode of inheritance was actually no different from the other families, a deep network of marital connections and alliance agreements forming its core. The relationship between the Emperors branch and the rest of the Imperial clan might not be any better than that of the aristocracy and their branch families. There were thirty-six branches in the Ji family, fifteen of which had changed their ancestry. After driving out the Longevity Monarchs descendants from the Ji family, the only branch left that hadnt lost their inheritance was the Solemn Emperors. Lord Riverglance was quite aware of his own familial issues as well. His great-grandmother was a member of the Imperial clan and had too many traces of aristocracy on her. In his earlier years, he was a representative character among Lin Xitangs political enemiesjust as Zhang Boqian had become the de-facto leader of the major clans. The difference between them, however, was that Riverglance did not possess the latters special status, nor his unrestrained boldness. Hence, he could only seek permission to be assigned to a border region. After a moment of silence, Lord Riverglance said, I remember five princes went to war on the void continent. One was killed, two were crippled, and two injured. In the end, there was an additional princess on the casualty list. The Radiant Emperor drank his tea calmly; there wasnt the slightest ripple on his expression. Lord Riverglance continued, The Empress children have been excluded from succeeding the throne. Only Concubine Zhaos children remain if something happens to you. Is that truly wise? There wasnt anyone from below the aristocratic family level in the Imperial harem. Under such equal terms, the status of the princes and princesses came from their individual talents and their maternal families. If the Radiant Emperor were to fall without naming an heir, the throne would surely turn into a warzone for the major clans. Concubine Zhao would most likely be the final victor. Without a strong will to rule as an Emperor, the princes would naturally become the spokespersons for their maternal clans. And all of that was discounting Concubine Zhaos temperament. The Radiant Emperor asked, Whats so bad about that? Lord Riverglance was stopped up. When that time comes, the Zhao clan will probably fall into a degree of internal conflict as well The Radiant Emperor laughed. Ive never held back from giving the Zhao clan what is due. Even though Duke Weiyuan never gained the fame he deserved, his title and contributions have all been credited to the Zhao clan. How they distribute it is none of my business, however. As for the carved Heavenly Merit record, I have no idea why they would send such a report to Monarch Zhang. He wrote those words himself, so even the elder prince wasnt willing to interfere. Then again, the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan has no lack of names on the merit wall, I dont think theyll mind one less. Lord Riverglance couldnt help but laugh wryly. No family was a block of steelto ask whether ones family or in-laws were more important was no different from asking one to choose between the wife and ones mother. The Zhao clans branches had remained unified for four generations, with hundreds of descendants. Who would they nurture and who would they suppress? It could be considered a just outcome if the elders followed family rules and did not interfere too much. At present, the Zhao clans fame had already surpassed the Zhang clans; all they needed was a heavenly monarch. Their internal balance of power was disrupted in this generation when the clan lords position was taken by Duke Chengen, deviating from their usual sequence. Suddenly gaining the Emperors position might seem great, but it would be like pouring oil onto raging flames. Lord Riverglance sighed. You really hate the Zhao clan, dont you? The Radiant Emperor said indifferently, They also hate me, and thats fine, but why would they hate Teacher? Besides, even as the Emperor, I cant just deduct their contributions, ignore their daughter, and treat their descendants differently. Its not like Im trying to centralize power, why should I suppress them? Lord Riverglance was dumbfounded. The relationship between the Zhao clan and the Radiant Emperor was simply a mess. Chapter 1373: Whose Heart Demon (part 2) The reason stemmed from the previous Empress Zhao. Reportedly, the Solemn Emperor had accepted an entertainer into the harem, angering her so much that she went into premature labor. Both mother and child were lost. Who wouldve imagined that this entertainers son would become the emperor a couple of decades later? This was like a big slap on the Zhao clans face. It was only normal that the Zhao clan wouldnt be happy with the Radiant Emperor. It was just as expected that they would extend this hatred to Lin Xitang. The Radiant Emperor said, If the Zhao clan feels that the Ji family owes them an emperor, then we shall repay them with an Emperor. Lord Riverglance was stunned. Whos spreading such news? Are they mad? The Radiant Emperor smiled. The Emperor position is the leader of all aristocracy, to be held by one of might and virtue. The Founding Emperor said thus when the aristocracy elected him to be the Emperor. So, Uncle, the Emperor might be the head of the Empire, but the Ji family isnt necessarily so. Its been a thousand two hundred years since our Ji family ascended the big stage. Let this come to a close with the end of the Chronicle of Glory. With that, the Radiant Emperor fished out two documents from the stack and opened them up before the lord. Ive prepared two orders for you, Uncle. One is a regents position, and the other is to supervise the Empire. You may pick whichever you like, I have no objections. Lord Riverglance covered his eyes with his hand and remained silent for a good while. The Radiant Emperor was calm and collected; he even had the leisure to pour himself another cup of tea. Finally, Lord Riverglance looked up at the Radiant Emperor and crushed the regent order into powder. Marshal Lin would not do this if he were still alive. The Radiant Emperor revealed a longing expression. Monarch Zhang said the same. Lord Riverglance sighed. How is that child? Has he fallen? No, I hope he can remain safe and uninvolved in this matter. Lord Riverglance noticed that something was off. How many people know of this? Monarch Zhang, you, and me. Lord Riverglances expression darkened, holding back the urge to curse. You brat, you only act pure and good in front of your teacher. The Radiant Emperor replied, You cant even act. Both of them paused for a brief second and finally broke into laughter. This laughter traversed the passage of time, returning to a period where a young prince and his uncle would bicker behind peoples backs, just like now. What about ones high status? What about ones warm temperament? It was all the same in the eyes of that person. Lord Riverglance sighed. Marshal Lin has been pushing new policies in recent years but with little success. There are many things left undone now that hes gone. I thought youd continue his path. Who wouldve thought you would be bringing the Empire back to the self-ruling system from before? Uncle, youre wrong. What I want is to close the curtain on the Ji family, and have the newcomers pick their own path. In truth, you object to a lot of Teachers new policies, dont you? Lord Riverglance stared blankly into space. Correct. The same goes for Prince Greensun, the Radiant Emperor said. Well disregard personal stances and discuss political views. Teacher wanted to expand the protected population and give them resources, then pick out the best among the best. Prince Greensun thinks that its too idealistic and only good on paper. Actually, Teachers views arent new. Look through the Empires history and youll see people who have suggested and implemented this system before. Humans are born weaker than the dark races, so as soon as they left the livestock pens, they had always stuck together as one. The Empire was built upon this foundation. Currently, the starting point of most humans is decided by the strength of their family and their position within the clan. That means the weaker powers, civilians, refugees, and those humans from the lower Evernight Continent will only be able to obtain minuscule amounts of resources. The Empire set up the four training camps Yellow Springs, Dark Flower, Sword Rain, and Great Path with the intention of training everyone regardless of their birth. They had been operating for nearly a hundred years, but the results were barely passable. Yellow Springs was only allocated more resources than the other camps after producing Teacher and Monarch Zhang. The problem was that they werent commoners. Igniting a persons origin power was just the first step, what followed was a long, long process. Such a pouring in of resources might put a commoner fighter on the same level as their aristocratic peers, but they would still run into problems. They lacked family support, resources, secret arts, experience, and connections. Thats why Teachers selection process was nothing more than a greenhouse in Monarch Zhangs eyes, breeding a group of sheep that would never become lions. He felt that it was better to let nature run its course because no one could tell how long such handholding would be necessary. Resources dont pop out of thin air and everyone has different thoughts. Investing a large amount of resources into commoners would raise the overall rate of awakened daybreak origin power among humans. Yet, how many clans are willing to sacrifice the resources meant for their own descendants for such an uncertain project? Judging from our thousand-year history, this project would only be possible on a small scale. The nobility might contribute a portion of their resources for the Empires use and they themselves might distribute rewards to commoners and servants, but there would never be enough for everyone. In the end, the Empire is too small and weak. The biggest failed test is without a doubt the two provinces of rebels on the Western Continent. They are currently no different from other grey zones, relying on both the humans and dark races to get by. They are also falling into different social strata, providing no new answer to the aforementioned problem of ours. At this point, we can only pass on the experience of our failure to the successors. Lord Riverglance sighed. Marshal Lin was too aggressive in helping commoners. Actually, the biggest problem wasnt shaking the interests of the major clans but rather his refusal to form a faction. Just like you said, the problem of different starting points is present everywhere. Marshal Lin helps people based on their talents. He never considered their background, nor did he ever use those people. Without sufficient background, those he helped up will always run into a new obstruction once they reach the next level. Those with background would have to draw a clear line in order to prevent their own faction from suspecting them. There were also despicable people who criticized Marshal Lin after receiving help from him, using it as an excuse to join a particular faction. There was one such person in Red Scorpion, reportedly a graduate of Yellow Springs as well. He produced quite a bit of gossip in order to connect with me through the Nangong Family. It would seem he had quite a bit of friction with Song Zining as well, weaving quite a few stories of mixed truth about him and Marshal Lin. The Radiant Emperor frowned. Theres such a person in Red Scorpion? Lord Rivergalnce replied, Since that person is so ambitious, I gave him sufficient opportunities to realize them. I havent heard from him in a long while. The Radiant Emperor felt relieved, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. This Imperial uncle was never a saint. Lord Riverglance stood up and paced about the room, finally stopping near the window. He gazed out at the void for a while before saying, If we engage in an all-out war against Evernight, what do you think the best outcome will be? The best result will be a small loss followed by peace talks. The Empires overall strength was much weaker than Evernight. If the Empire could force the other side into peace talks despite a small loss, it meant that neither side could afford to continue fighting. Ignoring the loss of the Empires land, the fall of Heavenly Monarchs was inevitable. Judging from the current setup, the first to fall would be the Profundity Monarch and the Radiant Emperor. Lord Riverglances expression shifted. Whats the worst outcome? The Empire is routed and most humans will return to the dark ages. The Emperor made light of it in conversation, but the lords expression grew more and more unsightly. Shooting him a glance, the Emperor said with a chuckle, Of course, theres also a third possibility. Theres a seat for the human race on the Sacred Mountain. If the Empire can produce a heavenly monarch as strong as a supreme, the council might extend such an invitation again. Lord Riverglance felt that things wouldnt be so simple. What were the terms? Give up the blood for blood practice, and allow the trade of humans below rank-five. Blood for blood was the Empires unyielding response to the dark races blood feasts. Whenever there was such an instance, they would hunt down the culprit until the bitter end. If they could not find the culprit, or if they had no power to chase after the culprit, they would start a massacre in the immediate region, blood for blood. Many policies had been modified throughout the millennium of rule. This was the only firm rule that everyone followed despite the grave losses. Lord Riverglance said after a while, Who would agree to such conditions? The Radiant Emperor said coldly, Who knows? Maybe someone will be willing to merge in the future. The two suddenly remembered some rumors, and they couldnt help but feel distressed about the conflict between those three surnames. There was never any talk about the Sacred Mountain. Apparently, none of my predecessors had the intention to give in. The Emperor said, Only the true powerhouses and the Emperors of each generation knows of this. Of course, its hard to say if other non-familial heavenly monarchs have been persuaded. After listening to all these secrets, Lord Riverglance felt as though he had been trapped. Your Majesty, you told me so many secrets only privy to the Emperor. If Concubine Zhaos son succeeds the throne one day, do you need me to pass him the information? The Radiant Emperor gave it some thought. No need. Lord Riverglance couldnt help but feel stifled. The Emperor remembered something else. Ah, I almost forgot. I plan to abolish the rule that says only the Imperial family can wield the Mortal Emperor. Every divine champion from the major clans and high-ranking aristocratic families can apply for a tryout. The Grand Magnum will be given to whoever has the highest compatibility. Do you want to try first? Lord Riverglance said expressionlessly, I cant be bothered, its so weak. The Radiant Emperor wasnt expecting this answer. He blinked a couple of times in surprise and had to try hard to suppress his chuckle. The Mortal Emperor will be very disappointed. Lord Riverglance was in no mood to play along. I actually dont understand. You became a heavenly monarch a bit earlier than Prince Greensun, and you might even rival a supreme in the future. Youre the best candidate to take the reins of the Empires future. Do you really want to let those people do what they want? Teacher once said to me, the celestial trajectory is always changing. The future may be better or it may be worse. It might be better for some people and worse for others. Choices made with the aid of divination are only the best options at the time, not the absolute best. Thats why I dont care about fame or failure. All I want is to have more options. I had never dreamed about the throne when I was young. Now that Im on the throne, I never thought of becoming an outstanding ruler. All I want right now is to go and see the results of the Chronicle of Glory in his place. Lord Riverglance closed his eyes, hiding his expression behind his hands. That person was always like this. All he knew were the stars and clouds of this world, and never looked at himself. He had saved countless commoners and nobles along the way, but he never looked back at whether it was gratefulness or hatred that he had left behind. Nothing could brighten or dim the nebula in his eyes. When Lord Riverglance opened his eyes, he was the only one in the room. The Emperor was gone. It felt as though he had returned to thirty years before. Everyone had walked forward, leaving him with the burdens he didnt dareor perhaps didnt wantto let go of. This was his confinement. Those with a heart demon would never become the strongest. Chapter 1374: Depths of Twilight After passing through a formless barrier of water, Qianye and Nighteye arrived at a primitive forest. There were majestic mountains on the horizon, and the void was visible on the other side. The sky was filled with magnificent colors, through which one could see two continents drifting in the distance. Nighteye observed the two continents, saying, Thats our New Moon Continent and the demonkins Azir Continent. That means were on Twilight Continent. Reynold hid us on Twilight? Qianye felt that setting up a hiding place on Twilight Continent wasnt a suitable choice. If even the Azure King had to flee for his life, it was very likely that Twilight had also fallen. Nighteye saw it differently. Considering the small size of this secret realm, its safer to place it on Twilight Continent. No one will comb this place to search for us. The border regions of the continent were indeed quite desolate and full of dangers. The vampire races population density was much lower than the Empires, to begin with. Most of them lived as clans, and those with good inheritances possessed land at the heart of the continent. The newer families were more inclined to fight for fertile land on war-torn continents, so very few people would choose to settle here. Qianye and Nighteye were advancing cautiously at first, but they later let loose and started running at full speed. After traveling for hundreds of kilometers, they finally saw an ancient castle in the distance. The castle was built on a mountainside and, judging from the size, probably belonged to a marquis. The castle itself was pretty close to the summit, with an array of buildings scattered around the hillside. The small city at the foot of the mountain seemed to be home to tens of thousands of people. The settlement was surrounded by farmland, and there were numerous workshops of varying sizes situated along the river. This was Qianyes first time seeing a castle on the vampire mainland. It somehow felt different from those on the lower continents and other war-torn lands, yet he couldnt explain what it was at the moment. Nighteye said, Look, the style of the castles main structure is different from the surroundings. It was built from an unpolished natural rock, an architectural style of the ancient vampire race. This proves that the castle was constructed quite a long time ago; it has at least one thousand and five hundred years of history. The structures below are different. They were built from cut stone, a technique only made common after the daybreak rebellion. Daybreak rebellion? Oh, the War of Daybreak as humans call it. The War of Daybreak was the war in which the Empire was founded, an out-and-out rebellion in the eyes of the vampire race. With Nighteyes explanation, Qianye now saw the castle differently. The main structure was crude and strong, with only long narrow windows around it. Apparently, the main use of this castle in ancient times was for war. It could be expected that living inside wouldnt be comfortable, especially for people like the vampires who preferred to live a life of luxury. The cluster of buildings below was much more refined. They were made of cut stone, many of which were engraved. The buildings down the next level were even more extravagant with wide floor-to-ceiling windows. These structures were clearly not made for war. Even the lowest point in the castle was a fair distance from the foot of the mountain. The city on the flat plains was a mixture of various architectural styles, and there was even a large section that looked like the slums. Nighteye glanced at Qianye. Youre a complete vampire now. ... I know. His blood core was on the cover of the Book of Darkness, while his heart was at the bottomthe dominant component was clear. Qianyes origin crystals had moved into his heart as well, so he was a complete vampire at the moment. The only things that made him human were at the bottom of the tome. Nighteye sighed. Are you adapting well? Qianye said frankly, Not so much at first, but the body is just the body. What we are will ultimately be decided by what we do. Nighteye looked at him, saying, Are you still standing with the human Empire? This problem caused Qianye to go silent. He had always been avoiding the issue, but it was no longer possible for him to escape since Nighteye had asked. After some thought, he said, I dont understand why the Empire wants to kill you at all costs. I dont know the concrete reason, but I can make some general guesses. Everyone on the Sacred Mountain hopes I can return because only I can truly open the door to the new world. Qianye was stunned. He hadnt realized that Nighteye was the true key to the new world. There are also some in the council who hope that I wont return. They dont know about my connection to the new world nor do they care. The Sacred Mountain is a place they can never hope to see in their lifetime, so the long-standing hatred passed down since ancient times is the most important. Since they couldnt openly oppose the Sacred Mountain, some of them decided to leak my information to the Empire. If you were a figure of authority in the Empire, would you let me return to Evernight? Youve lived in the Empire before and have no enmity toward humans. Enmity? Theres quite a lot. Have you forgotten why we went to the neutral lands? Qianye sighed. Must they do this just to remove a potential threat? Qianyes words betrayed his thoughts; he understood that the Empire had enough reason to prevent the appearance of a new supreme and the opening of the new world. And its not the first time, either. I dont think Jundu knew about the heavenly monarch bullet in his gun. Jundus heavenly monarch bullet? Qianye was shocked. Nighteye explained what happened that day, Jundu is not one to lie, even on the battlefield. At least, he wouldnt lie to me. As for how that heavenly monarch bullet appeared in his gun, thats something we have to ask the Empire. Qianyes expression turned solemn. He had never imagined that Nighteye had already been struck by a heavenly monarch bullet before, and one fired by Zhao Jundu no less. This matter wasnt included in any of the reports he had received. Qianye also discovered something in Nighteyes words; she had no good feelings at all toward Song Zining. After checking all the facts and listening to Nighteyes explanation, Qianye realized that his entanglement with Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan in the Great Maelstrom wasnt without reason. Song Zining was likely the one pulling the strings. He recalled the seventh young masters gentle expression as he said, Qianye, leave her. Shes no longer the Nighteye you know. You have a life to live, you cant sink into depression like this. Trust me, Im doing this for your own good. There are many other good women in this world. The next scene was of Song Zining lying unconscious in bed. Only in this state did he shed all pretenses fitting of a romantic clan descendant. It was as though he had returned to Yellow Springsthe solitary young man who had nothing but himself and his partner. Qianye shook his head with a wry smile, expelling Song Zinings image from his thoughts. Perhaps Song Zinings actions were correct from his standpoint, but it was nothing short of hatred from Qianyes. After a long period of contemplation, Qianye sighed. Have you thought it through? Nighteye asked. Yes. Then whats your decision? The same thing. Who we are is decided by what we do, brothers are brothers, the Empire is the Empire. Nighteye heaved a sigh of relief, patting her chest as she did so. Thank goodness, I thought you were going back to work for them. Do I look like an idiot? Nighteye said seriously, You dont look like one, you, are, one! Pretending to be angry, Qianye picked her up and said, We havent had a go since you awakened! Nighteye went limp in Qianyes arms. That we have all too many opportunities. What are your plans from now on? Qianye said, I might be a vampire now, but that doesnt mean I approve of the vampire ways. But I discovered when I was on Fort Continent that its not impossible for various races to exist together. There were also quite a few vampires in Blacksun Valley who were willing to work for me. Not everyone was willing to give up their lives for tradition. Ive thought about it, I can try to change the parts that I dont approve of. Nighteye nodded. I feel relieved. I cant change anything at the moment since Im just a duke. I might not even be a match for a prince even when I reach the grand duke stage. But I will naturally be able to change more things once I grow stronger. Nighteyes expression dimmed down after hearing this. Qianye asked her what was wrong. She forced a smile, saying, I was thinking that if I hadnt been so wilful and completed the awakening process early, I would be a crowned prince by now. I wouldve ignited a blood seal. Maybe I couldve prevented Reynolds fate. Qianye patted her on the back. What has passed has passed. We need to live on and seek revenge for Reynold. Nighteye nodded, struggling free from Qianyes arms. Ill explain more about the vampires. In the city below, most of the inhabitants werent vampires but other inferior races, many of them treated like livestock that existed to provide blood. Naturally, there were humans among them since human blood was the vampire races favorite delicacy. Before the War of Daybreak, these inferior races were mostly slaves and manual laborers. The races that could provide blood, led by the humans, were even worse than slaves. They were penned up like livestock and treated like animals. The vampires on the lower continents habitually turned humans into blood thralls for use as cannon fodder. This act had always been a controversial topic. The demonkin objected strongly to such a plague-like production of rabid beasts. The werewolves and arachne reared their own slave soldiers, so they were in no position to object. After the War of Daybreak, the founding ancestor led the humans to power, killing their way out of Twilight Continent and shocking the entirety of Evernight. After that, the vampire race began to reassess the human races potential and realized that treating them as livestock was too much of a waste. Hence, some of the enlightened vampires tried giving humans some rights and freedom. They passed on some knowledge to them, allowing them to break new ground, farm, and build structures. They would have to provide blood at regular intervals and a set amount of meat. The effects were fairly surprising. The humans performed with great vigor under these restrictive terms. Cities popped up one after another, and large areas of the wilderness were cultivated. As the human population increased, it became less of a problem to provide meat and blood. In addition to cultivating land, they also began to mine and set up workshops, providing raw materials and some processed parts for the vampire factories. Some people even obtained higher positions to manage the other inferior races. That was how this city before Qianye came to be. However, humans who had developed in such a manner were a vassal race of the vampires. There was a fundamental difference between them and the Great Qin Empire both in terms of life and habits. The true vampires lived in the ancient castle since the superiors insisted on upholding this tradition. Many of the descendants with mixed bloodlines chose to move to the city below for convenience. Their district was clearly demarcated from other races. To Qianye, however, this was a mixed-race culture in the making. Chapter 1375: Council Mission There was a long flag hanging from the castle depicting a white bone harp. This went to show that the castle belonged to the Carltons, one of the twelve major vampire clans. The Carltons were ranked last among the old clans, one that had not seen any improvement in the last century. When Nighteye needed to save Qianyes life, it was from the Carlton clan that she had extracted origin blood. Judging from the scale of this castle, it was likely constructed before the clan fell into a decline. Nighteye gazed at the castle for a while. From the emblem, it should be the Mueller family of the Carlton clan. The Mueller family had sufficient history behind it, yet their talents were quite mediocre. Even counts were rare among their descendants. The only reason they had survived up until now was due to the complicated marital connections they had made throughout the years. Qianye nodded. This is good, hell probably cooperate if we want to ask some questions. Nighteye and Qianye were both at the duke rank. With two such characters knocking at his door, a mere marquis would have no choice but to be tactful. Nighteye agreed. Thats not bad, either. Their family is really lacking in strength but theyre rather well-informed. At least, theyll know whats happened in the recent days. It was at this time that a ball of fire burst out from the main building and set some of the flags alight. More fire began emerging from the windows, sending a billowing wave of smoke into the sky. Something had happened. Was this a coincidence? Qianye said, Lets go and take a look. Okay. Qianyes figure flickered away. Nighteye faded out of vision, drawing an arc in the air as she flew forward like a fairy. Her speed wasnt inferior at all and could easily keep up with Qianyes Spatial Flash until they were above the castle. A dozen or so wooden stakes have been erected in the castle plaza and some armed warriors were nailing vampires onto them. Some of the stakes were already burning, and the vampires on them were howling in agony. They werent just ordinary flames; they contained an intense daybreak aura. Nighteyes countenance shifted. A fire execution wasnt just cruel and painful for a vampire, but it was also humiliating and provocative. Burning the dark races at the stake was one of the Empires blood-for-blood tactics, a retribution for the blood feasts. The Empire had openly announced that dark races who were burned to death with daybreak flames would find their souls forever destroyed. Although it was just a one-sided claim, it remained that daybreak flames caused great agony to the dark races. After the daybreak energy system came into being, the dark races invented many ways to torture their own kind with it. Even the Empire found it hard to comment on this. Its the demonkin. Nighteye couldnt hold back. She shot into the plaza like a comet, kicking up a gale that extinguished the flames in an instant. She fired dozens of dark golden blades with a wave of her hand, cutting many of the demonkin soldiers in half. An aura that belonged to a glorious marquis shot into the sky, and a thunderous roar arrived from a distance, Who dares attack the councils troops? What gall! He flew over at the speed of lightning, his speed stirring up a thundering blast in the air. All of a sudden, however, his vision blurred as a person appeared out of nowhere. The shocked demonkin hit the brakes frantically and barely managed to stop right in front of the person. He looked up in anger but ended up gasping in surprise. Qianye! Qianye stood with his hands behind him. He made no effort to defend, completely ignoring the fact that they were close enough to reach out and touch one another. All he said was, Whats the rush? Stay and chat with me. The demonkins expression changed drastically. The entire council is after you, yet you actually dare to step out? Remembering something, he immediately turned around to flee, but Qianye appeared in front of him once again. Why are you running away all of a sudden? Tell me, what does the council want? Whose order is it? The demonkin drew his sword without a word and thrust at Qianyes blood core. The strike was as swift as lightning, but Qianye merely swung his hand, swatting away the blade along with its wielder. The marquis ended up smashing into the mountain like a cannonball. Qianye landed slowly beside the glorious marquis. Youre not in a rush anymore, are you? The glorious marquis sword was deformed beyond recognition, and his right hand was also bent at an unnatural angle. He was huffing and puffing, his eyes filled with fear as he gasped. Youre a grand duke now? No, a prince! You must be a prince. Qianye crouched down near him. Im quite far from the prince-rank, but thats not important. Now answer my questions if you dont want me to dig out your origin furnace and roast it in daybreak flames. I might even spare you if Im in a good mood. The demonkin marquis went silent for a while. I suggest you accept reality, youre wanted by the entire council. Im a direct subordinate of the council, so if you kill me, the council might expand the scope of its hunt. Qianye frowned as he realized the marquis implied meaning. He was the only wanted person at the moment. If they were to expand the scope, where would they start? The demonkin observed Qianyes expression and said, Im not trying to threaten you, that is the truth. Ill pretend I never saw you if you let me go. One day should be enough for you to leave Twilight Continent. Thats not a great piece of advice. The demonkin broke out in a miserable scream as his left leg was cut off at its base. Qianye shot out a thread of scarlet gold flames, which crystallized the marquis flesh upon contact. This fire thread was made up of Venus Dawn; it was as sharp as a high-grade sword, and the wound was extremely difficult to heal for the dark races. Im sorry, I cut out too much just now. You should be able to recover if you go back and rest up for about ten years that is if a grand duke heals you. Qianye said he was sorry, but he moved his finger and aimed the fire thread toward the demonkins crotch. The marquis was panicking now. What are you doing? That part cant recover. Who knows? Maybe you can grow a new one? Qianyes flames moved closer. The marquis squealed like a butchered pig. No! That wont recover, take it away. Dont do this! Why does the council want me? They said youre not dead yet and that you have a treasure on you. The council wants that item. What is it? I dont know, I heard it looks like a book. All we needed to do was find you and hand you over with all your belongings. Qianye immediately thought of the Book of Darkness. That was the only book-shaped treasure he had in his hands. It couldnt be the Song Clan Ancient Scroll since the art required daybreak origin power to cultivate. After asking several questions and confirming that the marquis didnt know what exactly the council was looking for, Qianye said, Which level does the order come from? From the Sacred Mountain. At this point in the conversation, the demonkin marquis felt rather confident. I suggest you surrender obediently or flee to the human side. The supremes havent issued a direct order in a long time. They will find you wherever youre hiding. Qianye frowned in silence. Thinking that Qianye was wavering, the marquis said, My mission here isnt to capture you, and no one else saw you. As long as you let me go, Ill swear on the darkness origins that I wont tell anyone. You can escape and hide, what do you say? Qianye didnt comment. Whats your mission? Why are you killing vampires? I came here on the councils orders to take over the Mueller familys blood pond, but that old fellow wouldnt give it up and even injured my subordinates. I decided to put his descendants to death in order to protect the councils authority. Qianye frowned. You have such power? The marquis said, Of course. The council made my authority clear when they assigned the mission. As the commander, I have the right to decide everything in the scope of this mission. Ive been quite merciful because Im actually allowed to destroy the Mueller family and all of its vassals. Of course, I wouldnt have done what I did if he were willing to give up the blood pond. Unlike the werewolves, I dont have anything particular against the vampires. It was at this time that the screams in the castle suddenly changed. Dozens of figures shot out of the castle and fled toward the landing pad, hoping to escape. Two airships quickly rose into the air, but a dark golden ribbon appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself gracefully around the vessels. The airships spat out dazzling flames as they swayed toward the ground, erupting in balls of flame. Not one person made it out alive. Nighteye appeared beside Qianye and glanced coldly at the demonkin near him. The trembling man barely managed to force out a smile. Did you get anything out of him? He said hes here for the blood pond. You didnt leave anyone alive? Killed them all by accident. You have one here, dont you? The demonkin marquis was drenched in cold sweat. He subconsciously propped himself up and tried to move away, but that only drew Nighteyes attention. Tell us the reason behind your mission. The marquis explained everything honestly, I was in charge of capturing the blood ponds and origin blood of the Robert, Mueller, Fayne families. I was instructed to kill all those who resisted and to call Duke Darren for help if the defense was too fierce. The dukes airship fleet is parked in the void. My first stop was the Robert family, and things went pretty well over there. Who wouldve thought the Mueller family would be so troublesome? Who allowed you to use fire execution? Its my aide, not me. He was in the ancient castle just now, if you saw him. Qianye said, This order is rather strange. Did the vampire powerhouses in the council not object? The demonkin marquis was surprised. This mission wasnt discussed in the general assembly, and my rank is not high enough to participate in the smaller assembly. Oh right, I heard the recent battle is being investigated, and theyve discovered a betrayal. Many people were implicated. Perhaps this is related to the case? Qianye shot Nighteye a glance. Do you have any news about the Azure King? The Azure King Reynold has fallen. Chapter 1376: Similar Misfortune The Azure King had fallen? Nighteyes blood core started beating faster upon hearing this. Qianye roared with a dark expression, The fall of a great dark monarch is a matter of great importance. How dare you make personal judgments? Speak the truth or die. Shocked out of his wits, the demonkin marquis cried out, Im not lying! I swear to the darkness origins, Im not lying! As a Jeruson family member with duke potential, Im privy to this much information! The Azure King has fallen. A blood relative elder told me personally. Qianye softened his tone. Since youre from a famed demonkin clan, you should know about the connection between vampires. Why would other vampires not know about the fall of a great dark monarch? That The demonkins eyes shifted about. I know some inside information, but will you spare me if I tell you? Speak! The marquis didnt dare bargain anymore. I heard the Azure Kings blood core is still intact cough, cough, thats why the secret connection wasnt cut off entirely. That might be the reason. Nighteyes body swayed weakly for a brief moment. She then said through clenched teeth, Ask him who killed Reynold. Seeing as they could tell that Reynold was dead and that his blood core was intact, the demonkins role in this matter was self-evident. The marquis explained without Qianye having to ask, I heard the Eternal Flame and Progia went with the Sable Blessing. Nighteye shook her head. I know Reynolds strength very well! Those two cant take him down. Reynold fought to the end for us. A fight between great dark monarchs was beyond Qianyes knowledge. He had no idea how to console Nighteye, so he simply reached out and touched her hair. Nighteye composed herself, saying, Looks like the demonkin are ready for an all-out war. I just wonder why they choose to do so at this point. Qianye took things one step further. How many blood ponds are included in your operation? How many clans have been affected? I dont know about the others, but the Jeruson family was assigned fourteen blood ponds. Three of them belong to the old clans, the marquis said obediently. Nighteye and Qianye exchanged glances. There was still no telling whether these missions were the councils actual decision or if the demonkin were issuing fake orders for personal gains. Even with the most optimistic calculationsassuming only the seven major demonkin clans were leading this operationthe number of blood ponds being captured was well over a hundred. The vampire realm might be big, but even counting lower-grade ones like the Mueller familys, the number of true ancient blood ponds was fairly small. The demonkin were capturing over a hundred of them, which was at least one-third if not half. The blood ponds were the vampire races true strategic resource. Vampires at the end of their lives required them to extend their life. They also needed them to restore themselves after awakening. The blood ponds required time to accumulate. Many of them needed hundreds of years to accumulate enough blood energy for a dukes slumberthis was the definition of an ancient blood pond. The vampires, without blood ponds, would be comparable to a shortage of grains for humans. The entire races foundations would be shaken. From the scale of this operation, this was likely an all-out war. Seeing that there was nothing else the marquis could tell them, Nighteye slashed the man in half with her dark golden blood energy. Qianye frowned, but he didnt say anything. Nighteye understood what he was thinking. Burning at the stake is to the vampires, what blood feasts are to humans. Its a humiliation and provocation that cannot be endured. What they did here just now is enough for all the old clans to declare war on the Jeruson clan. Qianye touched Nighteyes head. He didnt say anything and merely followed her to the castle grounds. A group of sobbing vampire ladies and some young vampire barons were standing around an old man. The man looked rather weak as he sat leaning against a stone pillar, half of his body charred black. Seeing Qianye and Nighteye appear, Marquis Mueller struggled to kneel on one knee. Thank you for the help, Your Majesties. I am dying, but these children still have a future ahead of them. We offer you eternal loyalty, this territory weve owned for two thousand years, as well as the castle and blood pond! All I ask is the continuation of the Mueller familys bloodline. He wanted to become a vassal to Qianye and Nighteye. Nighteye said, Where is the Carlton Clan Lord? Marquis Mueller said, The current lord of the Carlton Clan is Grand Duke Ronnie, and the elder assembly consists of four dukes and a prince. The old prince has been asleep for three hundred years and never ignited a seal in the River of Blood. Duke Ronnie is also asleep fairly often, only waking up every three years. Even Qianye was frowning by this point. It would seem the Carltons had fallen quite far as a member of the major vampire clans. There were two types of slumberone in which the person could wake up on his own, and one which required external stimuli to awaken. The former was mainly undertaken to communicate with the River of Blood and improve ones strength. The latter was to enter a state of stasis and conserve energy, requiring large amounts of resources. The Carlton clans prince had been asleep for three hundred years. He would be near the end of his life even if he could be awakened. Moreover, an uncrowned prince like this one might not be all that strong compared to a duke in his peak state. Nighteye said, The Carlton clans strength has been on the decline since a long time ago, but some of the higher-ranked clans have been giving them help and offering protection for their lands. Thats because those of the Carlton bloodline have the highest chance of igniting their blood seal. Qianye realized the reason after this explanation. Half of the seals in the River of Blood were dim. Protecting the Carltons was akin to saving an opportunity for the vampire race to light up another seal. This was also why the twelve major clans never lost their inheritance despite the infighting. Perhaps one day, the Carltons would produce a young genius who could light up their blood seal. He would be able to lead the entire Carlton family to glory, just like Habsburg. Qianye could venture a guess by now. Since the demonkin are targeting three of the major vampire clans, are they trying to cut off their inheritance? Perhaps. This was a move to uproot these families. As a peerlessly powerful being, why was the Queen of the Night ignoring this? Why did she allow such a plan to pass? Things didnt make sense at all. The werewolves would be all too happy that things were playing out this way, while the arachne were probably unconcerned. But what of the vampire powerhouses? What Qianye could think of, Nighteye could as well. We should head to the Perth clan. We must let her know what has transpired here. Okay. Qianye was curious about Nighteyes stance toward Lilith. There was a basic level of courtesy at the very least. Nighteye turned back toward old Mueller. Summon all your descendants with potential. The old marquis issued the order. A while later, a total of eleven young vampires were kneeling before Qianye and Nighteye. There were men and women among them, the strongest being a viscount and the youngest one, a knight. Nighteyes blood energy condensed into a map, saying, From today, you are my vassals. Pack up your resources and your blood pond, then head over to this location and hide. Repair the castle there while waiting for my next orders. Go prepare. The eleven young vampires remained kneeling on the ground. Each of them cut their wrist, splashing blood onto their vampiric blades as they swore loyalty to Nighteye. The entire process was short and solemn. Only after the ceremony was complete did the Mueller descendants leave to complete the move. Marquis Muellers eyes were full of emotion and pain. From now on, the Mueller family is no more. But to be able to continue our line under your protection is somewhat of a relief to my guilt. The old marquis sat down and closed his eyes, his life force dissipating as he did so. While Nighteye was making arrangements, Qianye walked around the castle and observed the surroundings. There were traces of battle in many areas, as well as badly mutilated corpses that hadnt been cleared away. Apparently, the vampires had suffered a fair bit of humiliation and abuse before their passing. This wasnt a war, but rather a one-sided massacre. The Mueller family wasnt strong, to begin with, and had no chance against the overwhelming forces of the Evernight Council. Of course, another reason was that the demonkin had entered the castle in the name of the council. This allowed them to bypass all defensive measures. The commander of this operation could be considered rather moderate in nature, but his second-in-command was apparently not so. This person, a werewolf, had already fallen to Nighteyes blade. No matter the point of view, it was clear that the demonkin marquis wasnt going to restrain his subordinate. There were also quite a few corpses that belonged to the warriors of the council, many of them arachne and werewolves. The execution wasnt limited to the plaza, either. There were also stakes in the rear courtyard. After Nighteye killed the council warriors in fury, the surviving vampires quickly extinguished the flames and released their kin from the stakes. Qianye came to a stop before a petite corpse. It belonged to a vampire girl who hadnt even reached adulthood. Her small, pale face used to be pretty, but now, it was distorted in an expression of painher eyes wide open and the corners of her lids torn as she screamed silently. Perhaps because she was too young, her beautiful face remained untouched even though her body was mostly charred. A lingering wisp of demonic energy proved that one of their experts had protected her face. This wasnt out of pity, but rather so that they could see her agonized expression more clearly. Several more corpses were being moved over and covered in scarlet cloth. Qianye trembled as he sank into that girls pain and her expression that had remained frozen at the peak of agony. He could almost feel himself being burned at the stake. Qianye sighed deeply. He realized that this was war, a hatred that extended tens of thousands of years. The dark races infighting was not at all inferior to the wars between the Empire and Evernight. Some of the survivors looked sad, some looked numb, and others sobbed quietly. Glancing at those faces, Qianye suddenly realized that he had seen such faces a long long time ago. It had been fairly long since he last witnessed a blood feast, but the scenes from Evernight Continent remained deeply imprinted in his memories. Even though their faces had already turned blurry, the pain and desperation still lingered in his mind. At this moment, the misfortune that stemmed from racial issues came to overlap in his mind. The vampires situation before him wasnt that different from the plight of the humans back then. Everyones reaction to tragedy was similar to that of ordinary people. Not every dark race member was born a warrior. Even the long-lived races would die and grow weak. They would feel pain at losing relatives and kin. Because of his blood core, he could vaguely sense the emotions of the vampires around him. This was supposed to be his advantage as a superior expert, yet he felt drowned in sadness. Chapter 1377: Commoners and War After observing the daily life of the upper-continent vampires, Qianye discovered that they were quite different from his previous impressions. He had thought they were all born for war. The vampires before him were living in a relatively peaceful environment, which meant that there was a clear difference between soldiers and civilians. The vampires in the ancient castle all possessed blood energy, but one could tell from their movements and apparel that many werent trained warriors. They looked more like smiths, designers, and management staff. The true warriors only made up a tenth of their numbers. In the peaceful parts of the Empire mainland, people like these would be considered general civilians and most of them wouldnt even awaken daybreak origin power. There might be some skirmishes in the Empire but they rarely involved ordinary civilians. In the areas where the two factions were at war, however, there were very few true civilians. Those who could find their footing in the border regions were either clan or tribal settlements. Due to their racial advantage, everyone would awaken darkness origin power and thus everyone was a soldier. No one was going to care whether they were young, old, or weak in times of war. Hence, this was the first time Qianye had actually seen vampire civilians. Whenever they saw Qianye, these people would fall to their knees in greeting no matter what they were doing. Their eyes were full of reverence and fear. Many of the corpses in the plaza belonged to civilians. Going by the authority given to this operation, most of the vampires in the castle would probably be killed if Qianye and Nighteye hadnt arrived to stop the second-in-command. On the contrary, the slaves and inferior races were more likely to survive. After all, they were considered properties instead of enemies. Qianye was overcome with a faint sense of discomfort. Even though they were vampires, his heart felt heavy when so many civilians were being slaughtered. Life and death on the battlefield was one matter. That was war and not a one-sided butchering, nor was it a systematic extermination of families and clans. Qianye looked back to see that Nighteye had appeared behind him. Done with arrangements? Qianye asked. Yes. What do we do about them? Qianye pointed at the civilians. We can only leave them behind. Is there no other way? Can they not go to the place you just mentioned? That is a secret hideout of the vampire race, for use when the entire race is in danger. The resources there are limited, and the road ahead is long. Only those with sufficient strength can escape the pursuit and reach the shelter. These people wont get there even after a month. Qianye glanced at the surroundings. Theyll find out about their missing unit after a while. Shall we stay behind and finish off their reinforcements as well? Nighteye hesitated for a bit, then shook her head. The leader might be the Jeruson family, but the soldiers under them are the councils direct subordinate forces. Lets not fight them until were clear about the situation. We can still argue that this incident was a misunderstanding, but there will be no more leeway once we kill the reinforcements. Nighteye spoke tactfully, but Qianye understood her meaning. The suppression across hierarchies was much more serious in Evernight than it was in the Empire. Considering Nighteyes status and identity, she could easily explain why she had killed some soldier who had dared to burn vampires at the stake. It would be difficult to get away with a second slaughter, however. That would be a clear resistance against the councils operations. She said after a while, The current commander of the councils direct forces is Arachne Warlord Noxus. Hes young, headstrong, and difficult to deal with. Id like to avoid making an enemy out of the arachne. Qianye sighed. It was easy to see what would happen to the remaining vampire commoners once the follow-up forces arrived. Tell them to flee as far as they can. Okay. Nighteye also felt that this was the only way. What do we do next? Nighteye said, I plan to head to the closest Perth clan territory. Thats the only place I can get in touch with Lilith or at least Medanzo. The daily affairs of the vampire race are being handled by the Lightless Monarch and, to a certain extent, Habsburg. The Lightless Monarch I dont have a good impression of him. He wanted to capture you when you were in the neutral lands. He didnt know my identity back then. Medanzo has been stuck in his current realm for many years, so hes intent on supplementing his weakness in bloodline. That was why he has been collecting the origin blood of talented people. Right now, though, hell have to think hard even if my origin blood is dangling in front of him. He might not be able to pay the price. Qianye frowned. Hes a great dark monarch after all. If we get into a direct fight, I might not be his match. Nighteye was surprised. Why would we have to fight him? In short, you should be careful. I have a bad feeling about him. Dont worry, looking for him is just the first step. He cant take responsibility for this matter, either. We still have to inform Lilith. After some thought, Qianye couldnt really give her better advice regarding the vampire races internal affairs. The two instructed the people in the area to scatter before vanishing into the night. Castle Ava was located at the edge of the Twilight Continents hinterlands. Constructed nine hundred years ago by Duke Lynch, its history couldnt be considered that long. Today, the lord of this castle was the Junior Lynch, a mighty marquis. The old duke had reportedly been asleep this whole time, but no one could tell whether or not he would awaken. It was dusk at the moment. The setting sun was flaming red and the moon was already visible in the sky, a beautiful moment to say the least. Marquis Lynch Jr. was seated before a floor-to-ceiling window, reading some ancient texts. He would occasionally pick up the beautiful golden goblet to enjoy the high-quality blood wine, all the while enjoying the scenery outside the window. A scene of near-withering like this would fill his heart with an inexplicable sadness whenever he gazed upon it. This was the marquis favorite emotion because only with it could he write satisfactory pieces of poetry. This time, however, he was completely startled to find two figures standing outside. They were only one glass window away but the marquis never discovered their arrival. The castles defenses werent activated, either. Nighteye removed her hood. Arent you going to let us in? The marquis trembled in fright as he opened the window. He then placed his hand over his chest and bowed deeply, Please forgive me, Id never expected you to visit a small place like Castle Ava. Nighteye entered and sat down in the marquis chair. Qianye simply stood beside her but didnt reveal his countenance. Marquis Lynch closed the window, stopping the cold mountain winds outside from entering. Your Majesty, how can I help you? Shall I prepare a grand banquet? Due to the urgent nature, some of the famous local dishes may not make it to the table, please forgive us. Nighteye said, I dont need a banquet, dont let anyone else know of my arrival. Things seem calm here. I take it the demonkin and the council have not arrived? The junior Marquis Lynchs eyes widened. Why would the council come here? As for the demonkin, this is the Twilight Continent. I dont think theyll have the guts to move freely in our hinterlands? Nighteye frowned. None of them have arrived? Lynch seemed puzzled. No, if you want I can summon the soldiers in our territory and confirm everything. From what I know, no unfamiliar demonkin have appeared in our lands in the past month. There are demonkin in the city below, but those families have been working their factory here for three hundred years. Nighteye said, Thats good. I suggest you immediately strengthen your castle guards and contact the main Perth family. Its best if you can go and hide out over there, or have them send troops reinforcements. Lynch was shocked out of his seat. T-This is something big, isnt it? What has happened, Your Majesty? I suspect an all-out war with the demonkin is beginning. An all-out war! Lynch cried out. How can this be? Isnt the holy war on hold? And youre the leader of the new worlds pioneering efforts! Do as I say. Nighteye didnt want to explain. She then got up and said, How is the old duke doing? Is there a mechanism in Castle Ava to contact Her Majesty the Queen? I need to use it. Marquis Lynch looked surprised. Your Majesty, we do have such equipment, but its been hundreds of years since father last used it. I might have the family bloodline but Im not strong enough to activate it, youll need my father. It was easier to contact the Queen of the Night on Twilight Continent than from other places. Even so, the operation would require a duke from the Perth clan. The dukes were important characters of the race. If they needed to contact the Queen, the matter had to be of great urgency. The Queens slumber could not be disrupted so easily. Lilith awakened fewer and fewer times as the River of Blood distanced itself; even her projection rarely appeared. Comparatively, the Demon King and the Spider Queen were much more active. Not every duke of the Perth clan had the right to build their castle on Twilight Continent. Nighteye picked Castle Ava because the place was likely to house a method of communication with the Queen. Marquis Lynchs expression seemed a bit unnatural when he heard Nighteyes request. In the end, he said, Follow me, Your Majesty. Qianye naturally followed when Nighteye moved. Marquis Lynched said with a frown, Your Majesty, it wont be convenient for your follower to enter the place. Hes not my follower. Qianye revealed a wisp of his blood energy, producing a terrifying suppressive might that turned Marquis Lynch pale. The man took a couple of steps back and glanced at Nighteye in shock. He no longer dared to say anything and merely led the two down the castle. The trio passed through a long corridor and six checkpoints until a giant bronze door finally appeared before him. They were now deep inside the mountain. This is where my father lies asleep. It was three hundred and fifty years ago that I last woke him up. Chapter 1378: Blood Poison Trap Every apparatus that could communicate with the Queen involved a particular set of activation rules. For instance, Castle Avas required a duke from the Lynch bloodline to activate. Marquis Lynch was just a mighty marquis, so they would have to wake up the duke for this matter. Marquis Lynch arrived before the door and activated the mechanism, summoning a control panel from the floor. He punched in the password and cut his wrist to splash blood onto the panel. The giant door soon began to tremble and open. Behind the door was a dark hall illuminated by a few sanguine lights. The dim glow was barely enough to outline the room. The patterns on the wall began to revolve as Nighteye and Qianye entered. A coffin slowly glided out of the wall and landed at the center of the hall. Several pipes stretched out from the ground and latched onto the coffin, pumping blood from the blood pond into the coffin. This would allow for the vampire within to awaken from his long slumber. Nighteye and Qianye couldnt sense the presence of blood in the tubes. Marquis Lynch had produced the coffin but wasnt supplying blood? The marquis sighed as he placed a hand on the lid and released his blood energy, dripping the remaining blood from his wrist onto the coffin. The patterns on the coffin flickered, and the lid opened with a loud creak. An old vampire was lying inside the container. His hands were in front of his chest, holding onto a sword. The entire body was withered and dried up like a skeleton, so much so that his facial features were no longer visible. Vampires at the end of their lives would drain their blood into the blood pond and mummify themselves. Reducing their life functions to the lowest point allowed them to extend their lives. Only the top experts could remain in the same form during hibernation. Apparently, Duke Lynch was not that powerful. Qianye couldnt sense any vitality from the dukes body. In his perception, the person in the coffin was a dead creature with no life at all. Qianye had never seen a vampire in hibernation, so he wasnt quite sure whether this was normal. Nighteye frowned. The duke has passed? Why are you keeping him here then? Marquis Lynch smiled wryly. Im not strong enough, so I feared I would not be able to protect Castle Ava and our businesses without him. Thats why I decided to keep the news hidden until Im at the next level. I plan to announce his passing once I become a glorious marquis. When did this happen? About ten years ago, I discovered something wrong with my fathers hibernation. I tried waking him up but to no avail, he said helplessly. I knew it would be impossible to convince anyone with just words, so I had to trouble you to come and see the situation. Nighteye nodded. Theres no helping it then. Lets go, I have some things to ask you. Marquis Lynch seemed a bit relieved as he sealed the coffin and sent it back into the wall. Its my honor to be able to work for you, Your Majesty. After leaving the mountain labyrinth, Lynch led Qianye and Nighteye to his personal guestroom, then ordered his men to bring some blood wine. This is the best in our collection, containing a drop of viscount grade origin blood in every glass. Even my father drank only ten or so glasses in his entire lifetime. We have about five glasses left. Nighteye finished it in one go, but Qianye was a bit hesitant about drinking it. Marquis Lynch said, Please accept our familys tribute. Nighteye said, This is wine, not blood. Qianye inwardly shook his head. Blood wine wasnt just a tonic for vampires, but it also contained some connotation of loyalty. Marquis Lynch had treated him as Nighteyes follower at one point, but he was now quite respectful after a show of power. The level of respect given to the duo was now equal. Seeing no other choice, Qianye picked up the glass and finished it. The drink wasnt tart or fishy at all. On the contrary, it contained many layers of lingering fragrance that uplifted the spirit. Even someone like Qianye who didnt really attach too much importance to the quality of alcohol felt rather delighted. Once the spirit was inside his stomach, it released waves of pure blood energy that could be immediately utilized. Good wine! Qianye finally understood why so many powerful people in the Empire liked vampire wines, so much so that they would pay exorbitant prices in the black market. Even without the drop of origin blood, it was still a great drink. After the praise, Qianye suddenly noticed a wisp of coldness within the released blood energy. Wherever this chill went in his body, that part of him would lose all sensation. The energy possessed powerful adhesive properties as well and would freeze his blood energy upon contact. It was poison! A poison that specifically targeted vampire experts! A cold gleam flickered in Qianyes eyes. He shot to his feet, shouting, You put poison in this wine?! However, he quickly fell back into his chair. His face paled as his body went limp and cold, almost as though he had fallen into an icy cave. Beside him, Nighteye also fell back into her chair with a grunt. Marquis Lynch laughed maniacally. Save the effort! Even dukes cannot resist this miraculous medicine! Haha, Your Majesty? Your Majesty? You guys will never become rulers! Nighteye barely managed to prop herself up. Why? Since you guys already know that the demonkin will come here, why ask so much? The Demon King will restore the order of the old ages, and this world will return to pure darkness. Our vampire race will have our sins washed away and be reborn in the darkness mercy! Very soon, a new era will be born, and a new order will be established. The Sacred Mountain has only one supreme, and that is Qianyes voice echoed in Marquis Lynchs ears. Definitely not you. He turned back all of a sudden to find Qianye standing behind him, almost at arms length. But Qianye was clearly sitting over there just now! Marquis Lynch turned back to see Qianyes seat empty. It felt as though he had seen a ghost; he simply didnt know how the man had appeared behind him. Realizing what had happened, he let out a loud scream and wanted to flee. However, the boundless pressure erupting from Qianyes body stripped him of the ability to move. Qianye lifted Marquis Lynch up by the neck. Who instructed you to poison us? You better not lie if you dont want your blood core crushed little by little. Lynch asked, Y-You werent poisoned? Qianye sneered. Youre too naive if you want to use poison against us. Nighteye was also back on her feet, the weak demeanor from before completely gone. She blew a limpid ice droplet out of her mouth and put it away in a small bottle. This blood poison is actually quite valuable, dont let it go to waste. Qianye, wheres yours? Qianye shrugged. Ive put it away. His Book of Darkness was a treasure that could contain all forms of energy. The blood poison was inside it now. Marquis Lynch looked utterly desperate. This is impossible! The grand duke said even great dark monarchs wont be able to resist this poison. Which grand duke? Qianye asked coldly. Lynch trembled. Grand Duke Sway of the Jeruson family. What did he say? H-He said Seeing Qianyes cold gaze, the marquis immediately continued, The darkness will once again regain its glory. Nighteye said, As a descendant of the sacred river, you actually believed in a demonkin? Are you dumb or what? Although the marquis knew that his life was hanging on a thread, he wasnt convinced about this topic. The River of Blood is leaving us behind every day. How many years has it been? Even dukes cannot get half a response. He glanced at Nighteye and said, Of course, youre a favorite of the river, but what are we? Nighteye smiled coldly. And the demonkin will give you what the river cannot? Marquis Lynch hesitated for a moment, but he didnt dare hide what he knew. They will allow us to get closer to the darkness origins. Both Nighteye and Qianye frowned. Blood energy was categorized as a part of the darkness energy system. Although their power stemmed from the River of Blood, the endpoint of all dark races was the darkness origins. That was the peak of power in this world. The two had no idea how the demonkin would upgrade the vampires blood energy to bring it closer to the darkness origins. The marquis didnt seem like the type who would trust just about anything. At the very least, the demonkin had proven to him that there was a possibility. Qianye knew that it was useless to argue about the river. Sway cannot have known of our arrival. Who was this trap prepared for? The marquis replied, Theres no specific target. The grand duke merely instructed me to kill anyone trying to contact the Queen. Qianye said, Is that all? Lynchs eyes sparkled. Qianye said coldly, Its useless if the other party doesnt drink the blood poison. Did the demonkin not leave any other cards? Anyone arriving to contact the Queen mustve encountered a disaster like the Carlton and Mueller families. They would surely be cautious about what they consume, and urging them too forcefully would only make them more suspicious. Hence, there had to be a backup plan. Snorting, Qianye shot out a sanguine thread from his fingertips that drilled it into the marquis neck. The latter flailed about in agony until he was crying in hysteria. Ill talk, Ill talk! Qianye pulled the thread back, leaving Lynch gasping for air. He wouldve collapsed to the ground were it not for Qianye holding him up. The marquis finally caught his breath. I was told to direct them to Castle Cercis for help. Qianye was surprised. Castle Cercis? Isnt that Medanzos territory? Medanzo was the one managing the vampire races affairs, so it was natural for people to seek help from the Dracula clan. It was strange, however, that a demonkin duke would suggest this. Qianye tightened his grip. Why there? Marquis Lynch was also puzzled. Thats what he told me. There will be someone there who can handle people I cannot. Who? Medanzo? I really dont know. A sanguine thread emerged from Qianyes finger once again, eliciting painful screams from the marquis. I really dont know. Nighteye said calmly, When did the old duke die? Marquis Lynch replied as soon as Qianye loosened his grip, Didnt I tell you just now Feeling the thread on his skin, he quickly changed his words, It was a couple of days ago? Who cut off his blood supply? That was the grand dukes orders. He was going to exterminate the entire family if I didnt obey. Take us to the communication apparatus. ... Very well. This time, Lynch brought Qianye and Nighteye to the stargazing room on the castles top floor. There was a sacrificial altar here that could be used to communicate with the Queen of the Night. However, the room was in an utter messall origin arrays had been destroyed, and the equipment used to test bloodlines had been plundered. Without waiting for the two to ask, Lynch explained, All of this was Duke Sways doing. He took away the bloodline testing equipment and some blood cores belonging to sleeping ancestors. Father was spared because I needed to deceive potential visitors. Nighteye asked, What do the demonkin want with so many blood cores? Qianye was also puzzled. From the current situation, it could be concluded that the councils operations began after the Queen of the Nights slumber. On one hand, they were destroying all means of contacting Lilith, while on the other, they were either destroying or converting some clans to their cause. It was just that Duke Sway never expected the first ones to walk into the trap would be Qianye and Nighteye. Their bloodlines were so powerful that even blood poison couldnt do anything. Is there any other way to contact the Queen? Qianye asked. Nighteye said, The founding ancestors have ways to contact the Queen, and the main Perth clan will have the means to awaken her directly. But Medanzo I dont think we should go to the Perth clan, said Qianye. It would seem most of the families under the Perth clan had been penetrated, and Nighteyes Monroe family didnt share a good relationship with them. There was no telling what would happen if they made an appearance there. Nighteye nodded. Then should we seek out the Flaming Crown Habsburg? We dont have any other choice, do we? If Medanzo was unreliable, Habsburg might be just as dangerous. Regardless of whether the demonkin were lying to the vampires or if they really possessed a way to bring them closer to the darkness origins, they could still threaten people in submission. Who knows how many experts could hold out? Nighteye went silent for a good while. After some thought, she suddenly remembered something. Wait! We should go to the Byrne clan. The Dark Gospel Howard? Qianye recalled that this primogenitors blood seal was still shining. There was news of his recent awakening! But I know hes probably in light sleep. Qianye immediately understood. Chapter 1379: Blood Relations According to a long-standing rule, the internal affairs of the vampire race would be handled together by active primogenitors. Those who werent primogenitors would have to be assigned such authority by the Queen of the Night even if they were a great dark monarch. Even though Habsburg had illuminated a blood seal, it was only after Liliths personal recognition that older great dark monarchs like Medanzo had nothing more to say. There were two active second-generation primogenitors in the race. First was Medanzo, but there was clearly something wrong with him. The other one was Habsburg, but as the person in charge of the holy war, he had always worked closely with the council. It was currently difficult to say who was a friend. There was recent news of Dark Gospel Howards awakening. He was different from the Azure King in that his lifespan wasnt at its end yet. Being able to wake up on his own meant that he could still act independently for a period of time. Howard and Medanzo had never seen eye to eye, so much so that the former didnt appear in public this time. If Howard had gone back to light slumber, it was likely that the demonkin would see him as an objective to attack. That was because Howard was a second-generation primogenitor who could wake up at any moment, and he also possessed the ability to awaken Lilith, a difficult variable to control. At the thought of this, she found answers to many questions she had in the past. The demonkins actions on Twilight Continent almost seemed crazy, but their likelihood of success was quite high. They were using the councils investigation into wartime misconduct as an excuse to persuade the werewolves and arachne to join their operation. Those two races wouldnt refuse this opportunity to weaken the vampires, destroying their altars and capturing their blood ponds. The werewolves might be even more proactive since they had suffered greatly in the centuries of war. This operation was probably commencing on various fronts at the same time, using various methods to destroy all methods of communication with the Queen. The Azure King had passed, and Medanzo and Hasburgs stance was unclear. Under such circumstances, it was all too easy to make sure that sleeping second-generation primogenitors would never wake up. Ordinary vampires would never even realize what had happened. By the time the Queen of the Night woke up one day, everything would be too late. Nighteye was filled with killing intent after realizing these things. She was just about to kill Marquis Lynch when Qianye stopped her. Whats this new order you speak of? Lynch said, The Demon King believes that the vampire race has been slowly leaving the darkness origins since the Daybreak Rebellion. He says our bloodlines have been tainted, and thats a sin. The River of Bloods recession is the best proof of this. The vampire race must wash away our sins and return to the darkness origins to be reborn. Nonsense! Qianye was furious. Yes, yes! Lynch nodded repeatedly. Qianye was in no mood to keep asking. Thoughts were a strange thingwhether Lynchs betrayal was due to a fear of death or if he truly believed the demonkins words was fairly difficult to discern from words alone. Even the man himself might not be able to say for sure. Qianye glanced at Nighteye and saw the chill in her countenance. He exerted more force, sending a thread of blood that crushed Lynchs blood core. You guys said you wont kill me Did I? Ive forgotten. Qianye tossed the marquis corpse away. He then jumped out of the window with Nighteye and eventually vanished into the night. The duo traveled through the darkness after leaving the castle, crossing mountains and rivers across great distances. Qianye suddenly asked, What do vampires feel about family? Why would Marquis Lynch submit to someone who cut off his fathers blood supply. This is unrelated to the race. Long-lived races might be less sentimental, but they do have feelings. The greater reason would be power and benefits. I have zero impression of this person in my knowledge about their family, which means his siblings were much more talented than him. And yet he had become the head of the family. Im sure humans also see cases of fratricide for power. Qianye felt a bit better after listening to her explanation. Am I considered a vampire now? Why do I feel nothing different? Of course youre a vampire. Your human part is now at the bottom of the Book of Darkness, Reynold cannot be wrong. Qianye said gloomily, Why did my body become fully vampire? Reynold said your human body was too weak. You were technically already dead back then. Only a vampire constitution can be repaired and thus allow you to come back to life. Also, only a vampire could use his Pond of Azure Darkness. Qianye had already guessed even without Nighteyes explanation. He shook his head with a sigh. All of a sudden, they saw a pillar of fire burst into the sky. The blaze illuminated a burning ancient castle. The ferocity of these flames meant that the fire wasnt natural. Qianye and Nighteye exchanged glances. This is the third castle now. Arent we already quite a distance away from the Muellers Castle? Nighteye narrowed her eyes. Clearly, not every family is willing to give up. What do we do? Shall we help them? Nighteye clenched her teeth. No! We must hurry to the Byrne Clan territory! Qianye glanced at the burning castle. Those are Monroe lands. I know were not saving them. Qianye spoke no more and merely followed Nighteye toward their destination. They still had a long way to cover before reaching the Byrne clans core territory. At one point along the silent journey, Nighteye said, Do you think I''m cold-blooded for not saving my clan members? Qianye said honestly, Imperials would probably stop to help. Howards potential danger was still a conjecture at this point. What they had seen before them was true peril and death. Only on the battlefield did one have to face such choices. Nighteye said after a while, Long-lived races have different perspectives when it comes to these things. A human heavenly monarch can ensure a hundred or so years of peace at most, but crown princes and great dark monarchs can protect a race for hundreds if not thousands of years. Throughout the passing years, rank differences become more important than anything else. It can be said the Dark Gospel is more important to the vampire races fate than all the other marquises combined. Qianye said, Very well, Ill try to digest this. Nighteye came to a stop so sudden that Qianye almost ran past her. He barely managed to find his footing beside her. Nighteye looked into his eyes. You should go. Where? Qianye was puzzled. Nighteye sighed. The neutral lands or Fort Continent, there are many places you can go to. Just dont go back to the Empire or Twilight Continent. Then how about you? I must go to the Byrne Territory. Then Ill follow you of course. Nighteye shook her head. No, this is not your war. Youre not a true vampire. This enmity between the vampires and demonkin, we will resolve it ourselves. But, you have to promise me not to return to the Empire. Youre already a full vampire now, so theres no telling when they will stab you in the back. Qianye looked serious. Did you sense something? Chapter 1379: Blood Relations (part 2) Were already on the verge of defeat right from the very beginning. Weve passed by five marquis castles along the way, belonging to three different minor families. Three of them have been destroyed, while the remaining two have probably turned into traps. I think a real battle awaits us at Howards castle. Qianye said, Since youre joining this battle, I shall fight as well. Are you worried that Ill feel prejudice toward the vampires? Theres a lot of past enmity between your race and mine. Qianye went silent for a moment. In truth, there was something he never mentioned. When he heard Habsburgs name a while ago, there was a sharp pain from his heart followed by an insuppressible killing intent. Back when Zhang Boqian had gone to observe the battlefield, he merely said Lin Xitang had fallen in the Demon Kings domain. The council also kept a tight lid on this matter, making no announcements regarding this matter. There were of course bits and pieces of information stillfor instance, it was confirmed that the spoils of war and contributions had gone to the vampire race. The one overseeing the war on the Evernight side was Prince Habsburg. Qianye didnt know whether Nighteye had noticed his loss of composure, nor was he certain he could stay his hand after coming face-to-face with this legendary Flaming Crown. A good while passed by as the two gazed at each other under the starlight. Qianye eventually said, I have a lot of problems with the werewolves as well, but on Fort Continent, I came to understand that theres no such thing as irreconcilable hatred between factions, let alone races. War is war even if there is hatred, thats something between experts. It has nothing to do with commoners. In the end, he said, In short, Im not leaving. Nighteye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry at his childishness. You never listen, lets go then. The two sped along afterward. By the time the sun was starting to rise, they had traversed nearly half of Twilight Continent to arrive near Castle Midas. Midas was called a castle, but it was so big that it looked more like a giant fortress, or even a big city. The castle was constructed atop a lone peak with buildings dotting the sloping hillside. The other side was a precipitous cliff that dropped into a ravine thousands of meters deep. The bottom of the valley was filled with flowing dark-red lava. The scent of earth-fire was something the vampires and dark races hated the most. This flaming valley made for an excellent natural barrier for the castles rear. Only top experts could enter the stronghold via this route. Troops would never be able to launch a sneak attack from here, not even the councils forces. The Byrne clan had never encountered a gap in primogenitors. Hence, they were able to build Castle Midas into a true fortress over the years. Every building and window was designed to spit out flames of death. The castle before them was currently in a true state of battle. It was hard to say just how many cannon turrets there were inside. Hundreds of fiery streams could be seen shooting into the sky every second, blasting at the swarm of airships above. The outermost walls below the castle had mostly collapsed. The battle was already unfolding around the second layer halfway up the mountain. The explosions happening behind this checkpoint went to show that it was also on the verge of defeat. There was a series of flames in the distance as groups of giant transports hurried to the scene. These airships were fast, stable, and easily recognizable as the councils direct forces. Needless to say, they werent here to help Howard. The Evernight Councils troops had already set up a temporary camp outside of the castle, their supplies piled up into mountains. Their soldiers could be seen lining up in the field before charging into battle. Only at this point did Qianye fully realize the meaning of war. On one of the upper continents, the Eternal Hall of the Evernight Council. The sky here was an eternal night. The seven totems of the founders hung above the main doors. There wasnt the slightest sign of decay on them. These totems were eternal, unlike the races they represented. Living creatures were nothing more than a speck of dust before this land of miracles. Habsburg stood in the sky, gazing at the void fortress that shouldnt have appeared here. To be precise, it was the projection of a fortress-like city. The city itself was semi-dimensional and fixed to those coordinates, only revealing its giant mirror image in this world. The city was dotted with combat-type buildings, sporting high walls and small windows. With Habsburgs eyesight, he could even see the soldiers of varying races on the streets and in sentry positions. The soldiers looked different from the dark races of today. The vampires were taller and fiercer, while the arachnes slim frames were full of power. The soldiers stood still in different positionsthey looked as if they had been frozen in time but also as though they would rush into battle the very next moment. That was the demonkin superweapon that only existed in legends, a semi-dimension of war. The council chairman appeared beside Habsburg and proceeded to observe this majestic instrument of war together with him. After a while, the chairman said, Your Highness, its time to set out. The advance forces left three hours ago. They will have completed the beheading operation by the time you arrive on Fire Beacon Continent. Habsburg said, Lord Mark, can you tell me the real objective of this operation? Why mobilize such a weapon? The council didnt bring this out even when the void colossus Sky Demon appeared around the lower-continents. Void colossi usually dont attack inhabited continents. Why risk angering it? the chairman said. Youre overthinking it. Our targets are the two human provinces there. The chairman said after some thought, If you must ask why the number of soldiers the council can dispatch is limited this time, just enough for a beheading operation... He looked up at Habsburgs expression and laughed. Ah, you dont need to worry. Theres no need to maintain order. We dont need the resources and populace there, so you can simply level the place with the City of Eimer. Habsburg understood the chairmans meaning. Even though the two provinces have already broken off from the Empire, doing so might cause the heavenly monarchs to interfere. The council is The chairman nodded. Yes, we do not exclude the possibility of an all-out war. Habsburg frowned upon hearing these words. Even with the councils authority, recklessly upgrading the battle to a national war was overstepping his bounds. Slaughtering two human provinces in front of the Empire would inevitably lead to this upgrade. The chairman said, In truth, the heavenly monarchs will have to think about their territories after seeing the City of Eimer. The city can attack more than once, after all. Habsburg finally understood the plan. The council had mobilized this semi-dimensional weapon in order to intimidate the Empire. Lord Mark, I think the council should ask that great dark monarch to oversee the operation. The chairman said, His Majesty Kane has ordered that you will have full authority to command the City of Eimer. If a human heavenly monarch insists on witnessing its power, theyll be in for a big surprise. Habsburg couldnt help but laugh wryly. The Demon King thinks too highly of me. Wielding the City of Eimer would give him the ability to contend with a heavenly monarch. Habsburg wasnt too worried about escaping from one, but this authority did go to show that the council wasnt going to use him as cannon fodder just yet. The chairman watched as Habsburg departed before donning his hood once more. He landed on the ground and walked step by step toward the Eternal Hall. Chapter 1380: Destruction The battle below Castle Midas was unfolding rapidly on Twilight Continent. Qianye had led troops into battle before, but he looked to Nighteye since he wasnt familiar with civil battles between the dark races. Nighteye had been watching the battlefield all this time. Lets head into Castle Midas first and check on Howards condition. Very well. Qianye jumped forward after Nighteye and vanished. The interior of Castle Midas was in utter disarray, with vampires running back and forth everywhere. There was a titled expert at every important passage, barely maintaining order within the castle. The depths of the castle was located at the center of the mountain peak, yet the incessant vibrations still managed to reach this place. Those blasts came from the councils airships bombarding the stronghold. A large hall in the deepest parts of the castle. A row of viscounts sat with their backs against the wall, their hands outstretched as they watched their essence blood dripping into a golden chalice. Every time the goblet was almost full, someone would take it away and pour the contents into a stone tank at the center of the hall. The tank was only half full, with a small sanguine glow flickering at its center. An old duke was standing beside this tank, looking extremely nervous. Not enough, far from enough! Find some way to get more blood! The prince wont wake up in a complete state with just this. A nearby baron said, Sire, all the clan experts we can spare are here. The others are fighting on the front lines. The enemy will charge right in if we call them back. His Highness the Prince must awaken! The duke clenched his teeth as he took out a dagger and stabbed himself in the chest. A bestial growl could be heard from behind a pair of thick steel doors. Apparently, the Dark Gospel Howard was already awake and in a state of recovery. The attacks on the outside, however, were growing increasingly fierce. It would seem the final defenses would crumble before Howard could fully awaken. The old duke drew out his vampiric blade, allowing several drops of origin blood to fall into the stone tank. With the addition of the dukes blood, a spurt of sanguine flames surged fiercely from the tank. We need more blood! Wheres the person who has gone to get more blood? Why isnt he back yet? the duke roared. A count ran into the hall at this point. The dukes expression shifted drastically upon seeing him return with empty hands. The counts expression looked lifeless. The reserve tanks have been tainted with blood poison. What?! The old duke couldnt believe his ears. He grabbed the count by his collar and lifted him off the ground. He then roared right into the mans face, Only a handful of people can come into contact with the reserve ponds, all of them direct descendants. Who poisoned the blood? Which pond was poisoned? The count clenched his jaws. All of them! The old duke swayed back, his aura dropping rapidly as he dropped the count on the floor. The count quickly helped the duke up and only then did he notice the wound on the old mans chest. He quickly produced a towel and covered the injury, releasing some blood energy in an attempt to close it. The old duke was in a state of extreme weakness after losing a lot of essence blood just now. He could hardly even stand. That means, its one of our own who poisoned the blood pond? Why would they do that? How will the Byrne clans destruction benefit them? Perhaps its not one of ours, said the count. Oh? Why is that? Explain. Half a month ago, Marquis Bonier from the Perth clan came to visit. He said he was planning to build an ancient-style blood pond in his castle and wanted to reference our design. We allowed them to look at the reserve blood pond back then. Perth clan? Are you sure? Its definitely Marquis Bonier himself. You know that his wife is a direct descendant of His Majesty Medanzo. He only asked to see one of the reserve ponds, so we couldnt refuse. The old dukes expression was serious. His hands trembled as he muttered to himself, Lets just hope its not him. The count didnt dare respond. The duke glanced briefly at the depths of the hall. Take me to the ancient hall! I must contact Her Majesty! The count was startled. The prince is about to wake up soon, do you really need to? Considering the state of your body, you might not succeed in contacting Her Majesty. No time to wait for his awakening. I must act immediately and report this matter to the Queen. Seeing that the count was hesitant, the old duke said, Even if the blood pond is Boniers doing, the prince was only supposed to be in light sleep. Why was the primary blood pond not enough? The count couldnt help but shudder at the thought. Prince Howard had just awakened not long ago, so all of his equipment shouldve been well-maintained. Seeing the old dukes staggering figure, the count had no choice but to help him toward the top floor of the castle. Once out of the main hall, they could feel constant explosions and sand dropping from the ceiling. Even the structure itself was swaying. They could see countless giant flying shadows through the window, pouring a steady stream of fire upon them. Countless origin bullets and ballistae from the fortress were firing into the night sky as well. From time to time, a burning airship would crash to the ground, but more of them kept flying in. All of a sudden, a shadow slammed down from above and forced the old duke back a couple of steps. A steel transport airship had crashed into the corridor, tearing it apart with a loud boom. The cabin doors opened, and a dozen or so elite soldiers rushed toward the old duke. Insolence! The old duke was furious. He pushed away the count who was just about to draw his sword and stepped forward himself. These council soldiers were merely at the knight rank. Although superior equipment and techniques allowed them to fight a baron on equal grounds, they were nothing before a duke, even an injured one. The old man could slap all knights and viscounts to death. The old duke took a step forward, firing several beams of light that wrapped around the council soldiers. The soldiers bodies were cut into several segments as these light strips dissipated. The old duke passed through their corpses and arrived before the transport. He moved an airship several dozen tons in weight with a single push and opened up a path forward. He walked hastily through the corridor and soon arrived at the top floor. The fight here was even more violent. One airship after another landed on the structure, almost destroying the roof completely. There was fighting everywhere as the vampire soldiers defended their positions desperately. Seeing that the duke did not need his help to walk, the count simply jumped into battle and started opening up a path for the duke. The old duke advanced through the battlefield, running along a relatively silent corridor until he was before the doors of a giant hall. He was shocked to find the doors of the hall half-open. He rushed into the hall to find a man and a woman standing beside the altar used to communicate with the Queen. In his fury and shock, he charged forward and thrust his dagger at the mans back. However, that persons figure flickered out of existence and appeared beside the duke, holding his wrists in a firm lock. The old duke never saw clearly just what had happened! The old duke struggled with all his might, but his hand wouldnt budge at all. The other partys strength was far above his own. Although he was severely weakened from the loss of origin blood, he could tell that he wasnt a match for this person even in his peak state. At this point, the woman turned around. The old duke was startled and quickly filled with joy. Your Majesty Nighteye! Nighteye shot him a glance. Qianye, release him. This is Duke Roland, Howards direct descendant. Hes the one in charge of the Byrne clans daily affairs. Qianye nodded and set the old duke free. The mans eyes were filled with fright, fear, and delight as he looked at Qianye. Ah, its Qianye His Highness Qianye. How to address Qianye was a rather awkward decision. He clearly wasnt a great dark monarch, but that attack just now proved that he was far more powerful than an ordinary duke. The old duke had also heard much about the battle in Blacksun Valley, so it wasnt excessive to address him like that. Nighteye said, Why has the communication altar been destroyed? The old duke was shocked. What?! This is the most heavily-guarded place and the council never attacked this place. How? Nighteye moved sideways, making way for the surprised duke to rush to the altar. There were several cracks at the base of the stone basin on the control desk. The cracks were small, but they had thoroughly destroyed the arrays in the stone basin. This stone basin was the core of the communication apparatus, as well as a device used to test ones bloodline. It served to absorb blood energy and activate the altar for communication with the Queen. Destroying this stone basin was akin to paralyzing the entire machine. Repairing it wasnt going to be easy. The old duke roared furiously, Who?! Who did this?! The dukes cries echoed throughout the castle, almost suppressing the explosions and sounds of fighting. The fury didnt scare the enemies away, however, and only served to draw fire toward him. Several of the councils experts shook off their vampire opponents and began searching for a path. Nighteye said, Looks like the demonkins core strategy is to seal off all information and prevent Lilith from finding out. Its fine if the apparatus is destroyed, Howard can contact her directly. The duke said, His Highness hasnt fully recovered. Our reserve blood ponds were tainted with blood poison, so there isnt enough blood for him to quickly recover. Ill be heading back since this place is destroyed, and perhaps try to buy him some time. Qianye said, Very well then. We have to hurry toward the Perth Clan. With that, he faded away from sight with Nighteye in tow. You The old duke hadnt imagined the two would leave without staying to help defend against the enemy. His expression soon changed from shock to calm. Yeah, why would they stay to help in a fight thats impossible to win? He glanced out the window and saw even more airships roaming the skies. The counterattack from the ground forces, on the other hand, were thinning out. Wherever their transports landed was where a fierce battle would break out. There was no need to keep this passage a secret anymore. The old duke ran down the side of the castle, punching through the roof of a great hallway in his hasty return into the mountain hall. He ordered his men to bring him his full gear and a glass of blood wine. He drew a chair to the main doors of the hall and sat there with his wine, waiting for the enemy to arrive. Battles were erupting in every part of the castle, and it looked like they would arrive at the underground hall in less than an hour. All of a sudden, the duke felt the hall grow darker. He rubbed his eyes and peered forward with great effort. Only then did he notice that a ball of darkness had appeared in front of him. That was a deep darkness, through which no light could penetrate or escape. A chill-inducing aura of terror from within caused the dukes hands to shake involuntarily. Roland, it has been eighty years since we last met. How come youve turned so frail? The old duke stood up with an expression of desperation. The golden chalice in his hand fell to the ground, spilling wine everywhere. Progia! Its actually you! You guys think so highly of our Byrne Clan, huh? Chapter 1381: The Dark Gospel Its never excessive to take one of the twelve major clans seriously, let alone the fact that the Dark Gospel Howard is here. Even though our spy succeeded in stopping him from a complete recovery, a crown prince isnt someone an ordinary duke can handle. There will be a lot of problems if he escapes. So, its best for me to come personally. Progia glanced into the hall. Those pawns werent bad at all. Who wouldve thought there would be traitors among the vampires, considering how strong their bloodline restraints are? The old duke clenched his teeth. Youll have to step over my corpse if you want to go in! Theres no need for that, youre too weak. Progia swung his hand casually, sending the duke flying into the wall. The old man immediately fell unconscious from the impact. He had lost a large amount of essence blood to awaken Howard, so much so that he couldnt take a single blow from the great dark monarch. Progia entered the great hall, saying, Howard, are you still not coming out? The roaring sounds behind the thick doors came to a sudden stop. A dark suppressive force expanded outward to cover the great hall. Progia?! Are you trying to provoke an all-out war? The war has already begun. A shadowy wave flung the giant door off its hinges and flung it to the side. In the inner hall, an ancient coffin stood upright and slowly opened its lid. Howards voice erupted from within, When did the Masefield clan become so rampant? The darkness surrounding Progia didnt budge. Thats something you can take your time pondering on after you return to the river. The coffin lid shot toward Progia all of a sudden, but the demonkin split off a mass of black shadow toward the incoming projectile. The coffin lid immediately dissolved into nothingness after sinking into the lid. Spare yourself the trouble. As the Dark Gospel, you should enjoy a certain level of dignity before you return to the River of Blood. An old vampire was standing inside the open coffin, still in a sleeping posture with his hands crossed in front of his chest. His body was dried and shriveled. Although it wasnt as dried up as a vampire in deep hibernation, he was still a ways off from full recovery. Apparently, Howard hadnt completed his recovery process. Progia laughed coldly. Its said a crowned prince is comparable to a great dark monarch in strength. Youve fought great dark monarchs before as well. I wonder how much strength you have left at the moment? Howard opened his eyes and walked out of the coffin, his movements clearly a bit slower than usual. He drew a large sword from behind and raised it high. Since you people have failed to uphold even the most basic level of dignity, theres nothing left to say. Her Majesty will not let you off! With that, a storm kicked up in the great hall as Howards body bulged up. As though he had inflated himself, his aura began to rise exponentially as gushing blood energy enveloped his body. He let out a loud cry when his energy reached its peak, firing countless beams of blood energy from the gemstone embedded in the hilt of his sword. Progia roared furiously as he condensed numerous dark spears. The weapons burst out in all directions and nailed themselves into the walls. Howards figure vanished. Soon, the entire hall trembled as he collided into a dark barrier that had formed on the ceiling. The barrier was shattered, but the prince also came crashing back down from the impact. Outside of the great hall, numerous vampires collapsed with blood pouring out of their orifices. It was clear that they would not live long. Howard and Progia had engaged in a direct confrontation just now. The shockwaves produced from the clash werent something ordinary experts could handle. Howards expression shifted drastically. The Forbidden Spear! Youve even brought out the councils holy weapon! Progia said, Whats so surprising? Isnt Awakening Dream in the vampire races hands? But all of them will soon belong to His Majesty the Demon King. I think you should save some energy to figure out an escape route. Howards expression darkened slightly. The Forbidden Spear possessed the power to freeze space, the bane of all teleportation abilities. With this holy weapon in hand, Progia had effectively blocked Howard in the mountain hall. The prince would not be able to escape even if he were in his peak state. Howard revealed a bitter smile. Looks like you made ample preparations to kill me. The fall of a crown prince will weaken the vampires for hundreds of years. No price is too great. Very well, lets fight then! Lets see how capable the Masefield clan lord is! Progia glanced at his surroundings in a leisurely manner. This is a pretty good place for a fight. With that, the darkness around him formed a giant palm. The simple act of this hand forming a fist caused the entire castle to tremble, the shockwave turning hundreds of vampires into corpses. Sensing all the deaths through his bloodline connection, Progia was infuriated. Progia! Do you have no dignity left? Its the vampires dying anyway, saves me having to clean up. Progia laughed Even Castle Midas couldnt handle a fight of this level. Most of the castle had collapsed from the fight. Progia wasnt holding back as monarchs usually do when they fought on the ground. On the contrary, he was even more reckless than normal. The tens of thousands of vampires living and fighting in this ancient castle thus became sacrifices. How could Howard not feel angry? Progia was clearly making it difficult for Howard to attack, thereby increasing his chances of victory. This was a shameless tactic, but the vampire prince could do nothing. Howard raised his blade once more, saying, The Queen will punish you for your evil! Youve said that twice now. Howard ignored Progias provocation and simply focused on muttering something. Soon, a letter of blood condensed in the air, covered in drifting runes. The blood energy appeared and vanished in a flash as the blood letter shot through the walls and into the void. The surrounding black barrier could do nothing to stop it, almost as though the paper could traverse space itself. Howard didnt seem happy even after he had sent the message, his gaze fixed on Progia. The demonkin was exceptionally calm during this process, making no move to interfere. He even voiced his surprise, Oh, so thats how the blood river letter looks like. It mustve drained a lot of your blood energy? Why did you not stop me? Although he didnt believe Progia couldve stopped this unique ancestral communication method, Howard couldnt help but ask. Progia laughed. Why should I? The speed with which the message traveled through the void wasnt measurable with the normal concept of speed. It shouldve reached the Queen of the Night by the time they had exchanged a few words. However, his connection with the message was cut off at this point. The feedback at that moment allowed him to understand a lot of things. Medanzo! Progia laughed out loud. With the Lightless Monarch around, you can forget about sending a message to the Queen. Why would he betray the Queen and the race?! Howard was livid. He sank his consciousness into the River of Blood, calling out to the other primogenitors to see if any of them was awake. However, the river remained still. That youll have to find a way to ask him after you return to the river. Progia formed four long swords of darkness, which slashed at Howard at lightning speed. The vampire prince lifted his sword with a grunt, deflecting the four blades with exquisite swordsmanship. It was just that he would be pushed back ever so slightly with each parry. Progia let out a long laugh. This is where you return to the river! This time, dozens of swords formed in the air. The next barrage was going to be extremely violent. In the blink of an eye, countless swords began attacking Howard at lightning speed. Even someone as strong as the prince seemed to be in despair. He was merely defending to uphold his dignity as a primogenitor, hoping to draw his last breath in combat. It was at this moment that the two heard a crisp sound, the sound of the Forbidden Spears domain cracking. Immediately afterward, the dark hall was filled with a dreamy resplendence. This radiance was something Progia was highly familiar with. Who wouldve thought it would appear here? Awakening Dream! It was a contest between two holy weapons, but the Forbidden Spear was not specialized for combat. Add to the fact that Awakening Dream had focused all of its power on one point, it managed to hack open the black barrier and slash at Progia. The demonkin was extremely calm. Insolence! He condensed his demonic energy into a giant palm that grasped at the sword radiance. After all, Progia was the lord of the Masefield clan and a great dark monarch. Even though he was splitting off part of his energy to keep the Forbidden Spear active and attacking Howard ferociously, he could still spare the power to block Awakening Dream head-on. The giant black palm was split into two, but the blade radiance had also turned into an arrow at the end of its flight. The attack sank into the darkness and was slowly dissolved. Progia turned around to find himself reflected in a pair of eyes! His image in those blood amber eyes wasnt just a mass of darkness but his actual form. Progia was shocked. Just like the Eternal Flames fire, the darkness around him was born of his demonic energy. It wasnt so easy to see through it. In those eyes, cracks appeared all over Progias reflection, which soon shattered into pieces. Progia felt his demonic furnace suffer a heavy blow. The darkness around him scattered all of a sudden, vaguely revealing his outline. Eye of Destruction! Progias voice hadnt even faded away when he felt a chill from the bottom of his being, spreading all over his body. This was a sign of mortal peril! Progia turned around to see Qianye standing nearby, his luminous wings just merging into Dragonsgrave. Soon, a bullet of extreme heat shot out from the barrel, and a small black feather flew around it! In the blink of an eye, Progia recalled Qianyes final shot in the latters last battle. He had fired that shot into the air, but its might left a deep impression on the demonkin. From up close, Progia could tell that this shot wasnt inferior to an attack from a heavenly monarch. However, he quickly realized that he had still underestimated its power. The origin bullet arrived in front of the great dark monarch almost at the same time that he saw it. Amidst a thunderous howl, the Forbidden Spears in the vicinity shattered, and the fragments formed a black wall in front of Progia. The barrier collapsed immediately upon contact, barely managing to affect the bullets momentum. All of the darkness around Progia immediately swept forward to engulf the incoming origin bullet. The origin bullet finally exploded in a shower of Venus Dawn This purest form of light and heat immediately evaporated the darkness. That small black feather emerged from the engulfing energy and drilled into Progias body. The demonkin monarch let out a muffled groan. He glared at Qianye with a pair of eagle eyes, overflowing with killing intent. Being injured by a duke was a great humiliation to him. Progias breath resounded like thunder. The darkness around him reformed in the span of a single breath, slowly hiding his body once more. However, he had no time to settle the score with Qianye. Awakening Dream and the great sword struck him with neither pause nor mercy. Qianye frowned. He hadnt expected that this shot would only wound the Masefield clan lord and not actually deprive him of his fighting power. A great dark monarch was indeed powerful. This was the perfect moment to strike at the weakened Progia, but Qianye had no more bullets condensed from Venus Dawn. Qianye had no time to think since opportunity would never knock twice. He poured his new chaos origin power into Dragonsgrave, forming a bullet that had never been seen before. This bullet possessed no resounding power, nor did it bring about a chill in the eyes of the beholder. All it carried was a strange scent as it tore through the darkness and entered Progias body. The demonkin was stunned for a split second as the darkness around his body melted away like snow in the sun. His expression shifted drastically in a mixture of shock and fury. Then, with an explosive roar, Progia crashed his way through the mountain and vanished into the flames of war. Chapter 1382: The Thirteenth Seal Nighteye made a short introduction, This is His Highness Howard the Dark Gospel. This is Qianye. Ill head out to deal with the battle outside. Progia had already retreated, but his escape was so fast that the councils armies were still fighting ferociously. Nighteyes plan was to charge into the central army and finish off the experts commanding the forces. After her departure, things turned a bit awkward as Qianye and Howard were left in the great hall. Qianye was in a weakened state after firing two consecutive rounds and forcing Progia away. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, looking somewhat drowsy. Howard, on the other hand, had been forced to fight a powerful enemy before finishing his awakening procedure. His skeleton-like body was currently unclothed, and the destruction from before had wiped out everything in the vicinity. Howard let out a cough. I couldnt see through that last shot. I dont think Ive ever seen that kind of origin power. I was in too much of a rush, I shouldve used a Venus Dawn bullet. Its a shame I only managed to form one bullet along the way, Qianye replied honestly. A great dark monarchs opening wasnt easy to grasp. If it wasnt for the cramped space and Qianyes Bloodline Concealment, the two shots wouldnt have gone off so smoothly. Howard said pensively, I didnt sense how powerful that type of energy was, perhaps because Ive never seen it before. But judging from Progias reaction, the second shot seemed even more powerful than Venus Dawn. This is inconceivable. The attacks outside had ceased during the span of this short conversation. After one of the airships burst into flames and crashed to the ground, the others simply left. The soldiers still fighting on the ground were left to their fatedeath. Nighteye appeared in the hall once more, her clothes torn in many places and some blood trickling down her neck. However, her vigor was still intact. I drove the commander, Grand Duke Philip, away. He probably needs about ten years of recuperation before he can fight again. Your Highness Howard, make arrangements for your clansmen. We should leave soon. Where to? You probably cant send a second letter in a short while, can you? The communication apparatus here has been destroyed, and your reserve blood ponds have been poisoned. The castle itself wont hold much longer, either. The council troops probably wont return, but we should head over to the Morway clan right now. Reynold has fallen, but I want to save his family. Reynold has fallen?! Howard was shocked. He glanced at Nighteyes expression and realized that it was the truth, although he couldnt sense the passing for some reason. Howard didnt move just yet. He pointed above and said with a wry smile, If you can sense the River of Blood, youll know my condition. River of Blood? Nighteye stood there with her eyes closed, her aura rising sharply until it was an entire rank higher. The quality of her bloodline also rose step by step. At the ends of the void, the River of Blood began to surge in response to her calling, slowly unveiling itself once more. Nighteyes aura stopped at the extremes of the grand duke rank; she had traversed one complete rank right under Howards eyes. After reaching the grand duke rank, Nighteyes temperament transformed once again. An abstruse aura gradually arose around her, and her every move was accompanied by resounding thunder. She gazed at the void. Her vision passed through countless obstructions to arrive on the River of Blood. Nighteyes breakthrough had awakened the River of Blood, dragging it out from a hidden state. It was no longer difficult to sense like before, but all three of them sensed a problem at the same time. Nighteye had awakened the River of Blood, but none of the other vampires could sense it. The River of Blood had been asleep for a long time. Habsburg igniting his blood seal was once considered the beginning of the rivers rejuvenation. The river did awaken a couple of times after that for reasons unknown, but even the major characters above the duke rank couldnt figure out the source. They only knew that someone was breaking through. If Qianye were to find out about their puzzlement, he would discover that those times were probably caused by him. No one had discussed this issue openly. Even the second-generation primogenitors hadnt talked about it amongst themselves. The main reason was that this dialogue would touch upon a horrible conjecture. Even if the river was awakening, it had nothing to do with most vampires. The river had been out of reach and unresponsive to them for several millennia. The only exceptions were the primogenitors and extremely powerful experts. It was only natural that Nighteye, Howard, and Qianye wouldnt discuss this matter now. Nighteye continued with her advancement. Qianye shared a close relationship with the River of Blood, to begin with. So, he cleared his thoughts and focused all of his attention there. This was a good time to observe the river. Its previous flare-ups were in response to Qianyes breakthroughs. Immeasurable amounts of knowledge would descend upon him each time, so much so that he could only try to absorb as much as he could. There was no time to care about anything else. Only at this moment could he go upstream and experience the river to its fullest. The closer he was to the source, the more difficult it was to proceed. This wasnt a place a duke could approach, but Qianye managed to do just that by relying on his connection to the river. Approaching the place was already his limit. Here, Qianye could vaguely sense several sources of energy. Each of them was different, but they were all equally pure. This was the true appearance of the seals in the river. Qianye was stunned, so much so that he was almost ejected from the river. The seals he could sense here were completely different from the ones he had seen before. Sensing the corresponding energy was the first step toward igniting a blood seal. This was common knowledge among vampires, but it was something most vampires could never accomplish. The twelve major clans possessed bloodlines that gave them an advantage in sensing the corresponding blood seal. This was the root of vampire inheritances. Even with a bolstered bloodline, it would become exponentially difficult to reignite a blood seal once it had been extinguished. Qianye sensed eight seals at the source of the river, and some of them were exceptionally distinct. How could he not be surprised? He even felt that his senses were deceiving him. This level of clarity meant that he would be able to ignite one of them after sufficient accumulation. And throughout history, it would seem a blood seal could only be ignited by one person at any time. If Qianye were to ignite one, wouldnt he be depriving one of the old clans of a crown prince? What would he become if he could accumulate sufficient power to ignite two seals? A double-crowned expert? This was so surprising that Qianye had to reconfirm the situation several times. Although whether or not he could ignite a seal was a matter for the future, he wasnt about to give up on this opportunity to observe the rivers source. Every seal represented a different path of origin power. Simply studying their laws would bring him great benefits. Qianye matched these seals against the information available to him. He quickly identified eight seals, five of which were publicly known as extinguished. The other two, however, were rather surprising. One of them belonged to a vampire who had been asleep for six hundred years, the Death Penance Moray. Could it be that he had passed and news of his continued hibernation was fake? The other one was the thorns and castle seal of the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. The man was still alive, so why did Qianye sense his seal? Puzzled, Qianye observed the final seal. This one was much weaker to his perception than the others and barely discernible. He might not have sensed it if it wasnt for an invisible connection between him and the seal. Qianye found, to his surprise, that this seal actually didnt belong to any clan in his knowledge. A thirteenth seal? Qianye observed it repeatedly and finally confirmed that this seal was completely new. There were no records of it at all. It was at this time that the River of Blood began to recede into the void. That mysterious connection between Qianye and the seal was also cut off. Nighteye glanced at Howard. Your blood seal has been extinguished? Howard laughed wryly. I had a bad feeling, so I woke up a while ago to confirm the situation. Now that I was rushed awake, its only a matter of time before its completely extinguished. Nighteye said, I saw you send Lilith a letter, did Medanzo really intercept it? Medanzo! Who else can it be?! Howard couldnt help but gnash his teeth at the mention of this name. Medanzo There was no change in Nighteyes expression, but Qianye knew this information would come as a shock to her. Dawn gradually arrived in the blink of an eye. Qianye, Nighteye, and Howard stood atop the mountain, looking down at the ancient castle. At the base of the mountain, a dozen or so raging flames could be seen burning in the clearing. A steady stream of people was moving back and forth, tossing corpses into the blaze. There were council soldiers among them, but most of them were vampires. There were fires in many parts of the ancient castle. Some of the flames ignited by special methods hadnt been extinguished just yet. Qianye observed the entire stronghold from where he stood. Even without looking, he could tell just how fierce some of the battles here had been. Howard was relatively active, so Castle Midas had thrived for over a thousand years. Close to a hundred thousand vampires lived in and around the ancient castle. It was truly an ancient city. The rise of humans sufficiently demonstrated to the dark races that ordinary civilians were the foundation of civilization. Although there was a fundamental difference in the way Daybreak and Evernight inherited their power, it was only after the Empires establishment that every race began to attach more importance to ordinary civilians. Just like how Nighteye had awakened as a primo from a fairly distant branch family, she would never have been taken seriously during ancient times. The vampires and demonkin were the most progressive in this regard, and the werewolves were the most stubborn. As for the arachne, they were still trapped in the method of multiplication. The council soldiers who had been airdropped into the castle naturally killed all vampires on sightyoung, old, commoners, and soldiers. Hence, scenes of a civilian massacre took place under the illumination of raging flames. The flames of war had never broken out in the core ancestral lands in a millennium. Even the holy war wouldnt extend to the clan castles. The civilians here were completely inexperienced, so they werent a match for those well-armed elites. Chapter 1383: This Isn’t War Howard was now clad in a hood which kept his appearance hidden. No one could see his expression. This isnt a war! This is genocide! Howard roared. The corpses being tossed into the flames included children and even infants. The council soldiers slaughtered every vampire they ran into. Progia picked the ancient castle as their final battleground with the intention of wiping out the Byrne clan. He didnt even mind killing some of his men in the process. The demonkin had no intention of leaving survivors in this battle and were intent on permanently wiping the Byrne clan out. If it wasnt for Qianye and Nighteye, Howard wouldve fallen and the beleaguered clan wouldve been exterminated. Nighteye said, There are a lot of traitors in your clan. You might need some time to deal with them. These traitors were the reason the coffin didnt get sufficient blood supply, why the reserve ponds were poisoned, and why Howard couldnt wake up in time. Without them, the communication equipment wouldnt have been destroyed, and the Queen wouldve been notified of this treachery. Nighteye didnt have enough information to judge the situation when the council attacked the Mueller Castle, but things were no longer the same now. Progias assault on the Byrne clans castle had crossed the bottomline of the holy war. Only in ancient times would wars progress to such a degree. Howard seemed to have aged hundreds of years in an instant. He said in exhaustion, No need. If they are still alive, they probably understand by now that the demonkin never had any plans to let them live. Instead of wasting time on capturing them, I feel that I should think about why there are so many traitors. The sun had once again cast its rays upon the Twilight Continent. The lingering clouds in the sky softened the harsh rays of the sun as it showered down onto the vast land. Castle Midas was growing farther and farther away, but the rolling smoke remained just as eye-catching from afar. Howard paused briefly as he stepped through the mountains and couldnt help but glance back at his home. He then increased his speed until he was just behind Nighteye and Qianye. Habsburg walked into the City of Eimer, but he didnt even spare its weathered walls a single glance. Walking through the old sand-colored streets, he sensed the laws of the world were different here. This was a characteristic of all semi-dimensions and minor realms. Habsburg might be an extremely young prince, but he wasnt lacking in experience. The change in surrounding laws didnt affect him at all; he even had the leisure to size up this battle city. This city was constructed in a classic Apennine style, with a small plaza behind the city gates. It was originally designed for travelers to park their carts, but now, it was fully occupied by a flounder-shaped airship. The shape of this airship was rather odd, but it looked sleek and streamlined. The outer frame was completely sealed, and even the exhaust wasnt visible. The lack of weapons made it seem like a civilian airship. Habsburg narrowed his eyes. This was the legendary void colossus, Golden Flounder. However, it was hard to tell whether this airship was an imitation or if it was constructed from the creatures skeleton. There were two grand dukes standing at the base of the gangway. Habsburg recognized one of them as Duke George of the Dark Abyss. The arachne duke was a woman, someone Habsburg had never heard of. The two bowed in salutation upon seeing him. Habsburg was expressionless as he returned the gesture, but inside, he was puzzled as to why they were so respectful. After George finished greeting Habsburg, the arachne duke introduced herself as Melina. She was one of the vice-captains of the Crystal Spider Corps, which served as the Royal Guard to the Spider Queen. Habsburg wasnt all that surprised when he saw the councils observer in the cabinPredica of the Dark Nightmare. The two greeted one another amicably. Soon afterward, the two dukes presented a simple report on the situation. Habsburg sensed something when he heard that Duke Doer was the one overseeing the vanguard unit. The lineup of experts here wasnt weak at all. It was easily enough for war even without a great dark monarch or the City of Eimer. The council chairmans comment about their limited forces was likely because they hadnt brought any cannon fodder at all. Habsburg observed the report and noticed that his mission was quite ordinary. What was not ordinary was the Demon King personally asking him to perform his council duties. Predica nodded after listening to the reports. He turned to Habsburg and said, The semi-dimension will jump after fifteen minutes. Do you want to take a look around the city? Habsburg shook his head. No need. He leaned back into the chair comfortably. Although it wasnt so bad that one would consider him rude, it definitely wasnt the most appropriate action for a half-formal setting like this one. Predica shot him a glance before turning back to discuss some matters with the two dukes. The latter then left after a while. You really dont want to observe how the City of Eimer is controlled and operated? Now that only the two of them were left, Habsburg leaned his head against the backrest and closed his eyes. The chairman said Ill have full control, right? Youre right! Okay, Ill be in command when the time comes. Predica didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He then noticed the mans undisguised tiredness and couldnt help but feel a bit worried. Has your wound from the new world healed yet? The injury is fine now, I just feel tired. Predica went silent for a while. He knew that Habsburg had been summoned in advance to the nearby Cipla Island. There, he worked as the chairmans assistant in managing the great number of troops from the new world. That place was called the land of vestige, not an easy place to stay in. The Eternal Hall and its attached islands were located fairly close to the top of this world. The origin power, the pressure from the void, and the effects of the Sacred Mountain made it almost impossible for those below count rank to live normally. Habsburg had remained there for three days without taking a single step outside. Someone of his rank shouldnt have been adversely affected, but the injuries he had sustained in the forests of the new world had yet to heal. After a moment of silence, Predica discovered that Habsburgs breathing had calmed down and his aura weakened. The latter had actually fallen asleep. Predica was stunned for a while, but he ended up smiling wryly. Should he consider this as Habsburgs trust in him? Or should he take this as a form of protest and neglect? Predicas figure faded away from the room, leaving space for the vampire prince to be alone. Moments later, the entire City of Eimer trembled briefly as it went into a spatial jump. Dozens of dark race airships were hovering silently in the void outside of Fire Beacon Continent. The flagship of the fleet was a duke-grade vessel, and its external appearance proved that the duke was a werewolf. Half of the other warships sported an insignia depicting crossed swords stained in blood, a sign of the councils direct subordinate forces. The other half contained ships of various styles and were likely a coalition of different races. In the flagship, the Werewolf Duke Doer was performing maintenance on a large-bore firearm. He seemed rather calm, almost as though he wasnt on a battlefield and rather enjoying some rare free time. A knock came from the door as an aide walked into the room. He didnt pass Doer the documents but began reading them out loud as usual. The werewolf duke listened quietly while the aide went on with the recital until all the documents had been reported. Doer nodded. Not bad. They did quite a good job this time. The aide, a werewolf count, added, There are no proper experts in the two provinces. Johnnys group should just go back home if they cant even get this done right! Sire, the Zhao clans Serenity pass is too close for comfort. Shall we set up a defensive line there, lest they interfere? Doer glanced at the origin sun-dial on the table. No need, just proceed as planned. Pull back the troops at the appointed time, no matter what the outcome of the battle is. Remember my command, pull everyone back. The lords should be arriving in about fifteen minutes. The werewolf count didnt understand the reasoning behind the commands, but he knew well enough to obey. He repeated the orders loudly and left the room after Doers nod. The werewolf duke lowered his head and went on with his gun-cleaning. In one of the vampire-styled airships in the periphery, the first mates room. A vampire marquis was reading a sheepskin book in a manner even more relaxed than Doer. He suddenly looked up to see a person in the room. There was no telling when or how he had appeared. Marquis Leonard was shocked, but he didnt make any unusual movements. He straightened his body and stood up with great agility, bowing deeply at the projection before him. Leonard then produced an item made of crystal and blood, which released a sound-isolation array. Habsburg nodded in satisfaction. Anything new in the clan? Leonard said, We were drafted to the Blacksun Swordbearers base the day after you left with the chairman. After some thought, Habsburg asked an unrelated question, Have you seen the holy river during cultivation recently? Leonard replied truthfully, No, apart from that one time where the river appeared during the advancement of a certain powerhouse. I can see its shadow when Im around you, but I was never able to touch it or elicit a response. Habsburg nodded. Leave the squad during ground operations, dont go back to any vampire continent. Find a place to lie low. Leonards expression shifted visibly, but he didnt ask extra questions. Will you not go with me? Habsburg said after a monetary daze, I cant. You are just like me, you dont belong there. But they are Samaels descendants. Habsburg gazed at the pouting young vampire with a gentle expression. He was quite obstinate and childish, just as he was when Habsburg picked him up back in the year. Leonard asked, Is it the council? Or have the demonkin learned about the Lost Paradise incident? Habsburg said, Forget this matter completely. It has nothing to do with you. Leonard went quiet once again. Only after a while did he say, Very well, Father. I will do as you wish. He then went down on one knee before Habsburg, almost as though he were performing a final salutation. Habsburg ran his fingers through the young mans hair, sighing gently as he did so. The princes figure faded away, leaving Leonard in a daze as he stared at the drop of origin blood in his palm. Chapter 1384: True Betrayal On Twilight Continent, Qianye, Nighteye, and Howard were running forward at full speed. Howard sighed as he muttered, Castle Midas isnt my first castle, but its one that I built with my own two hands. The Empire and humans didnt even exist when I settled there. Who wouldve thought my home of a thousand years would be destroyed just like that. After running for half a day, Howards breathing was a bit strained. He looked up at the sky, saying, My connection with the blood seal is growing weaker by the day. Are you two sure you want to bring along a useless old man like me? Nighteye said, Theres only one Dark Gospel, the Byrne clan wont die as long as youre around. Howard took a short break to catch his breath. Very well, youve convinced me. To any of the major clans, their earliest primogenitor was the source of all power. A living primogenitor or a great dark monarch was everything to the family. It could be said that the Dark Gospel was more important than any of his clansmen at the moment. This was the vampire races traditional standard. Seeing that Howard was lagging behind, Qianye slowed down a bit and reached out to him. Howard was a bit hesitant at first, but he soon broke into a wry smile. Im already a useless old man. Theres no need to overthink things at this point!" He grabbed Qianyes arm and felt a wave of energy enter his body, sharply increasing his speed. Nighteye also sped up accordingly, gliding across the mountains and rivers at great speed. Only then did Howard realize that the duo had been holding back without going at their top speed. You two dont look like dukes at all. He sighed emotionally. By dusk, the trio had finally reached Castle Fritz or what was left of it. This stronghold was one of the Morway clans two biggest castles on Twilight Continent. The lord, Van Cleef, was an earnest vice-duke. He never managed to awaken the ancestral bloodline, but he was a gentle and helpful person who was well-liked in the race. With the Azure King in deep slumber for several hundred years, the Morway clan was also heading toward decline. There was no lack of dukes in the clan, yet Van Cleef was placed in charge of one of their most important strongholds. This only proved how important he was. Howards Castle mightve lasted a couple more days if the lord of the Masefield clan hadnt appeared. There were no signs of a great dark monarchs appearance here, yet it seemed they didnt even last a single day. Some figures could be seen flickering cautiously through the rubble, but none of them could escape Qianye and Nighteyes notice. The demonkin. Looks like they stayed behind to capture vampire scouts and messengers, Nighteye said. Qianye pointed into the distance. Their camp is there, in that half-collapsed building. Ill go. Okay. Qianyes figure flickered away. A field of scarlet gold erupted from the building as it slowly collapsed. Several demonkin tried to fly out of the domain, but they fell helplessly after flying ten meters or so. All buildings within were reduced to nothingness, forming a sharp contrast against the intact ones outside. Howards brows twitched. Such a powerful domain! The daybreak origin power inside Qianyes domain was so powerful that even the prince found it dazzling. The formers Venus Dawn domain was immensely damaging to the dark races. Qianye retracted his domain after a while and gestured toward the two, who promptly flew over. There were collapsed demonkin strewn across the ruins, dozens of them in fact. Only the two counts among them were barely sitting, and a single marquis was still able to stand. All of them gazed at Qianye with eyes full of terror. As the children of darkness, that Venus Dawn domain was something they did not want to experience ever again. Where is Duke Van Cleef? Howard got straight to the point. The marquis sneered, You lingering vampire remnants, how much longer do you think you can escape your fate? You can forget about getting anything out of me. Howard wasnt angry. Then you will know very soon why they call me the Dark Gospel. Moments later, a mournful scream echoed through the sky. Hows that? Feel like talking now? Howard never moved from where he was standing, but that marquis had collapsed to the ground, spasming and frothing. The marquis screamed again after hearing Howards voice, edging backward in terror as he did so. With a wave of Howards hands, a cold wave of blood energy bore down upon the marquis and silenced him. This time, the marquis was no longer stubborn. Van Cleef isnt dead yet. He surrendered at the last moment and is being held at Marquis Eirs castle. Theyll be transferred to the demonkin continents after two days time. Eir, the last time I saw him, he was just a child. Hes already a marquis now? Who wouldve thought even he has joined the demonkin. After a moment of deep emotions, Howard said, Weve already seen the war. I think we need to find out the reason for it and why so many have submitted to the demonkin. Qianye said, Perhaps its out of fear. Three werewolf and vampire marquises surrendered to me back in Blacksun Valley. There are even more on Fort Continent. Howard shook his head. Long-lived races fear death, but that doesnt apply to everyone. Besides, your real identity on the battlefield is a third party. This subtle difference leaves ample room for surrender and ransom. These traitors are different. I know some of these fellows quite well, they are fairly opinionated and dependable, not the type to bow to threats. Thats why we should figure out what made them follow the demonkin, going so far as to betray the Queen of the Night and the river. Qianye nodded pensively. Few things could really attract a member of the long-lived races, especially those who had no fear of death. It had to be either authority or strength. As for faith, there wasnt much to discuss. The River of Blood was their religion. If they could even abandon the river, what faith would they have left? After listening to Howards thoughts, Qianye felt that the reason behind all of this was indeed a critical factor. He regretted killing Lynch too quickly without questioning him further. Back then, the two didnt think voluntary submission was a possibility. Lynch was no longer there, but Eir would also be a good candidate. It was just that Van Cleef had already surrendered. Was there any value in saving him? Qianye cast a questioning glance toward Nighteye. The latter thought about it for a while. Reynold doesnt have any more direct descendants. Van Cleef is his sisters descendant and his closest relative. Lets go take a look no matter the case. Very well. Qianye nodded. Zhao clan territory. Serene Pass was the foremost line of defense at the junction of three territories belonging to the Empire, the rebels, and the dark races. Dark clouds of war were accumulating in this majestic stronghold. At noon, the Zhao clans defensive systems discovered a duke-grade airship fleet over the rebel provinces of Serene South and Desolate North. Some of these vessels had the Evernight Councils insignia on them. From a perspective of airspace safety, that fleet wasnt close enough to threaten the Empire, but it was not too far off. The Imperial forces went on high alert. Although the movements were kept secret, all family heads and officers above the lieutenant general rank were on standby. Lieutenant General Zhao Ruqin, the commander of Serene Pass, was also among them. The man was adept in defensive warfare and strategy. There have been reports of instability and infighting among the dark races, but Zhao Ruqin didnt just ignore the matter. He personally boarded an airship to patrol the void. After returning to the ground, he immediately dispatched a messenger back to the Zhao clan. The Zhao clan reacted quickly. An hour later, a high-speed airship arrived with Zhao Jundu on board. Zhao Ruqin was surprised to see Zhao Jundu. He had heard that the latter was recuperating at the Imperial Capital. Who wouldve thought he had returned to the Western Continent? Zhao Ruqin stepped forward to welcome the guest. Welcome, Fourth Young Master. Have your injuries healed? Zhao Jundu returned the gesture, saying, Northridge Monarch is at the main branch. We were just talking about an abnormal fluctuation in the void when your letter arrived. Thats how I ended up coming to take a look. Unknown fluctuation? Zhao Ruqin was stunned. How powerful was a heavenly monarchs perception? Yet even he couldnt figure out the source. Zhao Jundu followed Zhao Ruqin onto the city wall. From the corner of the ramparts, they could see the distant Serene South City. Have you informed the men? Zhao Ruqin was just about to reply when two Imperial airships arrived at great speed. Without waiting for the vessel to land, two figures jumped out from the airship and flew toward the wall. One of them was a handsome young man. He was the vice-commander of the western theater, Zhao Junhong. This time, Zhao Ruqin didnt need to explain things anymore. Zhao Jundu exchanged greetings with Zhao Junhong and cast his gaze at the second person. The other party was also clad in an Imperial uniform; only the badge was different. Zhao Jundu found him somewhat familiar but couldnt remember the name. Seeing this, Zhao Junhong made some introductions, This is Major General Lin Wu, the current supervisor of the Northern Legion. Chapter 1385: Vibrations in The Void He was also the commander of the military police. At least in name, the Northern Legion was the private army of a duke. Appointing such a person to supervise the unit was rather inappropriate, and a divine champion to boot. Although Zhao Jundu introduced this person as Lin Wu, what Zhao Jundu recalled was his status. Not long ago, he was still cabinet inspector Fang Qingkong. The Northern Legion and Fang Qingkong used to be old subordinates of Lin Xitang, so there was definitely a connection there. Zhao Jundu decided against further questions after recalling this. Both Zhao Jundu and Lin Wu looked calm and collected as they exchanged formalities. The Zhao clan, the military, and the Northern Legion were the top three military powers on the Western Continent. Now that all the players were here, Zhao Ruqin briefly summarized all the intelligence reports for them. Judging from the present circumstances, the foreign dark race fleet was targeting the rebel provinces. There were also reports that they had invested ground forces as well. Only two hours had passed since the onset, so they hadnt received news about the actual situation on the ground. The Empire simply couldnt understand the purpose of this operation. Although the rebel provinces were officially at war with both the Empire and Evernight, they were actually involved in far fewer armed conflicts between the two factions. Comparatively, they were more involved in shady trades. Serene South and Desolate North produced very little natural resources; their wealth came from factional smuggling. The rebel provinces didnt have any divine champion rank expert holding the fort. The commander of their White Heron Corps was reportedly at the threshold of the divine champion realm. Hence, there was little meaning in the Evernight Councils attack. The dark races should be very clear that the Empire wouldnt sit by and watch them swallow the two provinces. After Zhao Ruqins report, Zhao Junhong said thoughtfully, That fleet consists solely of warships, without any transports. That means their troop strength should not exceed twenty thousand. Zhao Ruqin nodded. Yes, their deployed ground forces number around ten thousand. No matter the quality of their troops, these numbers arent nearly enough to occupy two provinces, Zhao Junhong said after some thought, a beheading operation is quite suitable. Zhao Ruqin was a bit puzzled. Whose head are we cutting off? The rebels? There has been no report of the dark races sending out their forces. Who is our target? It was at this moment that a small commotion arose outside, and someone ran over with heavy footsteps. That person huffed and puffed, shouting, General, please help Serene South! The dark races are slaughtering entire cities over there! Zhao Ruqin was shocked. He glanced over at his subordinate and the vice-captain of the city guard, Qi Ming. Whats the matter? Where are our scouts? Tell them to report to us immediately. Qi Ming paused. The scouts havent returned. Lin Wu said in a sinister tone, The Zhao clan is indeed full of capable people. News reaches the defensive positions even faster than the dispatched spies. Zhao Jundu and Zhao Jundu turned to Lin Wu. As an inspector, Lin Wu was notorious for being harsh, but it was also a proven fact that he never made things up or spoke without thinking. Saying such a thing now probably involved a deeper meaning. Zhao Ruqin wasn''t in the mood to solve riddles. His subordinate had charged through the defensive perimeter in the presence of the Zhao siblings, only to make this random report. This mistake would be his to bear, so he couldnt help but ask angrily, Where did you get this information? Qi Ming mumbled, Some people escaped from Serene South and have arrived here. Zhao Ruqin frowned. There were too many problems behind this reply, but this wasnt the right time to bicker with the man. All he could do was give the most direct order, Summon them! Qi Ming immediately ran down the building. Lin Wu spoke at this point, General Zhao, you know that the times are special. You should be more cautious about the defenses, dont let them trick you into opening the gates. Zhao Ruqin was angry, but he had nothing to say. There was really an incident where the rebels had helped the dark races attack the Zhao clan by pretending to be refugees. It was just that such a scheme wouldnt work so well in a place like Serene Pass, where there were powerful experts. Zhao Jundu and Zhao Junhong said nothing besides exchanging a few glances. The two of them could sense some faint hostility from Lin Wuit was as though he knew some secretsthose that could harm the Zhao clan. Qi Ming returned swiftly, bringing with him a panicked middle-aged man. After questioning him, they learned that he was a trader who happened to be delivering some goods to White Heron Corps city of Fucheng. There, he ran into the dark races slaughtering the entire city. The trader couldnt recount the details because he turned and fled from the city gates. He was fortunate enough to have used a small airship to transport his goods. There was no way he wouldve escaped otherwise. His message confirmed a few points. Firstly, the city gates were open, which meant that the battle had broken out before they could prepare. Second, the White Heron Corps had been devoured by flames. Third, the dark race soldiers were killing indiscriminately on the streets. The citizens there were mostly mixed-breeds who looked more like dark race members, but the soldiers did not care. Fourth, he saw signs of fighting in several other cities on his way to Serene Pass. Everyone was surprised. Zhao Ruqin waved his hand, gesturing for Qi Ming to take the man away. The latter only accompanied the merchant to the stairs before returning to the room, seeking permission to do battle. Zhao Ruqin frowned deeply. This matter wasnt so simplenot to mention this message from the merchant was a one-sided story, the Zhao clan would have to think carefully even if he were speaking the complete truth. Marching by land would draw fire from the rebel cities along the way. Going by air would put them within range of the duke-grade fleet in the void. They would have to be prepared for a major battle. Qi Ming was clearly anxious. He could recognize the Zhao siblings, and he could also tell from Lin Wus clothing that he was a general. He didnt dare speak loudly after the initial burst of recklessness. All he could do was try to convince Zhao Ruqin quietly. The latter cut him short, Go and see if our scouts have returned. They could not rely on a single merchants words for such an important matter. Qi Ming wanted to say something, but Lin Wu suddenly jumped down from the city wall and returned with the merchant from before. Without so much as a word, he cut open the merchants shirt and revealed the bluish-white flexible armor within. This was an inner armor characteristic of elite soldiers, and the color happened to match the White Heron Corps. Apparently, things were so urgent that he had no time to change his inner armor. The man began to tremble in fear. Qi Mings expression also shifted drastically. Zhao Ruqins expression turned dark as he glared at the man. It was clear that this merchant and Qi Ming were acquaintances. How else could a stranger visiting Serene Pass for the first time meet the vice-captain of the guard and even convince him of his story? No one pointed that out because both the Empire and rebels were humans. Despite the state of war, the two sides werent without contact. As vice-captain of the guard, however, it made a big difference whether his friend was a member of the rebel army or an ordinary merchant. Knowing that he could no longer hide the truth, Qi Ming explained urgently that this person was actually the White Heron Corps logistics officer and that everything he said was true except for his identity. Zhao Ruqin summoned the guards and ordered them to take the logistics officer into custody. Before they could deal with Qi Ming, however, everyone glanced toward a certain direction at the same timethey seemed to have sensed something. Even from this distance, they could see something akin to a curtain in the sky being lifted by a giant hand. And from this space emerged a city in the sky! Those with a greater visual range like Zhao Jundu and Lin Wu could even see the silhouettes of dark race soldiers within. The little dots in the sky above the city were actually warships. The monitoring sentries sent an urgent report at this point, saying that the duke-grade fleet had descended into the airspace of Serene South. Zhao Ruqin exclaimed in shock, What is that thing? Qi Ming cried out, General, look! I told you, this is an invasion! Lin Wu said, Even if its an invasion, its an invasion of Serene South. What does that have to do with you? Qi Ming turned around with bloodshot eyes, no longer caring what major character Lin Wu was. Those in Serene South are also humans! Lin Wu said coldly, Theyre humans, yes, but why must the Empire fight for them if theyre not part of the Empire? Zhao Jundu and Zhao Junhong frowned. Lin Wus words were a clear trap, and Qi Ming was already jumping into it. Before anyone could stop him, Qi Ming tightened his fists. Even if they are rebels, there are a lot of civilians too! Lin Wus expression was indifferent as he sized the man up. Im guessing your family is there? Even Zhao Qinru, who had been unresponsive all this time, realized that things werent going well. As expected, Qi Ming said, Correct, my wife is in Fucheng and she just gave birth to a son three months ago. War is war, but the women and children are innocent. As humans, we should be helping one another against the Evernight! At the same time that Lin Wu let out a soft chuckle, Zhao Ruqin knocked Qi Ming out and asked the men to drag him away. Lin Wu said calmly, There are quite a few people exchanging information between the two sides, but I really wonder why he would put his family there. Zhao Ruqin had nothing to say at this point. Zhao Junhong cleared his throat and said, Commander Lin might be in the capital most of the time, but you seem to know a lot about the Western Continent. Lin Wu said, Rumors that Marshal Lin wasnt dead yet spread from Fucheng of Serene South. It spread through the Swallow West Province in a single day, reaching the Imperial capital by the second. The news had reached Victory Hall by midnight and even to the city of Revelation. I finally know where this efficiency comes from. Lin Wus words were so direct that there was no way to feign ignorance. Even Zhao Junhong couldnt help but look distressed and Zhao Ruqin wanted nothing more than to be deaf at this point. Only Zhao Jundu looked the man in the eye. Ill definitely give Commander Lin an explanation about this. He pointed at the floating city in the distance. That flying fortress looks like the semi-dimensional weapon we have in our records. What are your thoughts on that? Lin Wu said, Northridge Monarch said he sensed a vibration in the void; that mustve come from the floating citys spatial jump. Zhao Jundu said with a frown, Does this mean only heavenly monarchs can sense it? Lin Wu said, Im afraid so. Theres no guarantee that our current surveillance technology can detect it reliably. There is no moment of calm in the void, and the vibrations could be from void tempests, star trails, or prismatic turbulence. Zhao Jundu nodded. Ill go and take a look. Lin Wu said, Youd best not. Our records say that this weapons range can cover an entire province, and its capable of destroying all land structures. Now that it has appeared after a thousand years of dormancy, I have a feeling its not just to intimidate us. Theyre going to fire it. Lets observe the situation before doing anything. Zhao Jundu repeated, Destroy all land structures. Everyone was silent. They could tell what this meant if the records werent exaggerated. Lin Wu said, According to the Empires weaponry classification, this is at least a heavenly monarch grade weapon. However, we shouldnt ask the Elder Prince before we get some data at least. The silence this time was even longer. No one dared to mention anything about helping Serene South. Regardless of whether the rebels were setting up a trap for the Empire or if they were purely victims, the sole purpose of grey zonesas far as the Empire was concernedwas to serve as buffer zones. To be blunt, it was also to accumulate data about the new weapon. A sudden voice descended from above, The Old Prince will oversee Everlasting City. A figure slowly landed before the group, a man wearing a marshals uniform with no insignia whatsoever. Apart from the ramrod-straight posture of a soldier, there was no special characteristic about him. Chapter 1386: Eimer’s Attack Zhao Jundu and Lin Wu were the first to recognize this person. They bowed deeply, saying, Your Majesty. Zhao Junhong and Zhao Ruqin followed suit, suppressing the shock and awe on their faces. The Radiant Emperor said, No need for formalities on the battlefield. Ive already checked the situation on the other side, and Ive also communicated with Northridge Monarch. Place the entire realm on level one combat readiness. Everyone turned serious. Zhao Ruqin immediately jumped off the city gates and began issuing a series of orders. That monstrosity on the other side might be able to traverse space, but the Empires interior territories possessed all kinds of anti-air defenses. Even ordinary warships would rarely enter enemy airspace without proper reconnaissance, let alone their superweapon. This placed Serene Pass at the top of the places at risk. All of a sudden, everyone felt their consciousness shake. It was hard to tell whether the entire world was trembling or if they were feeling dizzy. The flying city in the distance was shrouded in a hazy light. It seemed translucent at this point and somewhat surreal, almost like the work of a master sculptor. The vast space below it was occupied by an entire province, an area ordinary experts couldnt hope to cover with their eyesight. Currently, this land was being lifted, folded, and crushed by a giant, invisible hand. This feeling of distorted space lasted mere minutes, but it left a shocking impression on all beholders. All the soldiers watching this scene were petrified; only certain experts returned to their senses after a while. The Serene South looked strangely spacious now. Only after a long while did people realize that they were looking at an endless plain with nothing on it. At the end of their vision was the horizon because the entire province had disappeared. Perhaps the Radiant Emperor, Zhao Jundu, and Lin Wu were the only ones unaffected by the scene. Even Zhao Junhong looked pale and couldnt help but shudder. Fear became somewhat of a feeble reaction before this kind of space distortion, an attack that could destroy every physical object. Everything felt surreal because people simply couldnt register that lives could be wiped away with such ease. There wasnt even any bloodshed. Their most deep-seated fears only lingered in their imagination. Not thinking about it made things a bit better. Zhao Jundu placed a hand on his second brothers shoulder. Zhao Junhong grabbed the hand, taking deep breaths until he was finally calm. Zhao Jundu said, Utilizing the laws of space with such power, the only way to neutralize it is with an energy of equal rank. The Radiant Emperor nodded. Duke Rong is correct. At this point, the intermittent rumble of a malfunctioning aircraft came from the sky. A shuddering airship could be seen flying toward them, or rather, toward the nearby ground. This kind of airship could only fit three people, a vessel used for surveys and scouting. Lin Wu shot into the sky, his figure flitting past like a faint shadow as he made for the airship. With a single wave of his hand, he stabilized the out-of-control vessel and brought it back to the ground. It was as though he were dragging a big toy behind him. Three people clambered out from the airship and collapsed into a sitting position on the ground. All of them were clutching special papers, pens, and instruments. These people were researchers who had been observing the weapons data and numbers. It seemed they had underestimated the range of the semi-dimensional weapons shockwaves and ended up nearly destroyed. Returning to their senses after a while, the eldest one among them said, According to our calculations, the time it takes for that weapon to charge up is fifteen to twenty-five minutes. We can try intercepting it with the Little Lady! Lin Wu acknowledged the report. The elder immediately dived into the airship and fished out a box. The container was filled with all kinds of mechanical components, which the old man pulled out layer after layer. It was actually an extremely complicated miniature origin array. Lin Wu produced a core the size of a fingernail and placed it in one of the slots. The old man then set out to operate the machine at great speed. A wisp of origin power flowed out from his hand, bringing the entire machine to life. Lin Wu asked, Whats the level of that first attack? A young man who had just recovered said, Its roughly equal to an all-out attack from a heavenly monarch. Of course, thats just a measure of power without taking into account the laws of space. The young mans reply was orderly and logical, but that did little to conceal the fear in his voice. Even heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs were little more than numbers and formulas to these researchers. What intimidated them was the unknown. Attacks from great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs possessed great destructive potential, capable of causing penetrative damage to the continents. However, none of them were known to have such a level of mastery over the laws of this world to be able to wipe out all surface structures without causing damage to the land. The power of a domain might produce the same effect, but the energy required to cover such a large area was enough to sink an entire continent. Lin Wu nodded indifferently and returned to the wall. He bowed toward the Emperor and said, We can try intercepting the second attack with Marshal Lins Little Lady. Zhao Junhong couldnt help but say, That flying city must take an astronomical amount of resources to activate. How many shots can it even fire? Zhao Jundu said after some thought, If their targets are the two rebel provinces, they will surely have enough to fire two shots and one in reserve. Lin Wu said, The Empire has records of two semi-dimensional weapons, but this one isnt included. This was depressing news. The Radiant Emperors focus was a bit different. Why did Marshal Lin call that equipment Little Lady? Lin Wus expression turned a bit awkward. This bit of helplessness removed his gloomy countenance and revealed a handsome clarity. After a while, he said seriously, The version I heard is that Marshal Lin wanted a daughter at the time. The Radiant Emperor was stunned for a split second before breaking out in laughter. The Zhao brothers exchanged glances. It was at this moment that the airship in the distance started glowing once more. The second attack was about to come. Habsburg had woken up when the City of Eimer launched its first attack. He didnt walk out of the cabin immediately. Instead, he expanded his perception outward before opening the doors. There were only operation staff left on the airship as all the titled experts had left. Habsburg walked onto the bridge, nodding at some demonkin who were bowing to him. A communications officer jogged over and said, Your Highness Habsburg, Lord Predica asks that you go over directly after youre out. The man nodded and walked out of the airship. The City of Eimer was no longer below his feet. The golden flounder had left the small plaza and was hovering over the light screen in the sky. The floating city itself was flying at the upper limits of the Serene Souths terrestrial airspace. Predica and two other dukes, as well as Duke Doer, were gazing forward. The great earth below was now a wide expanse of flatland, allowing everyones vision to stretch far and wide. They could see a winding shadow on the distant horizon, the mountain pass constructed by the human Empire. The four VIPs here were all very young. Even the eldest among them was only at the core generation, so none of them had seen a semi-dimensional weapon in action. Judging from their expressions, they werent calm at all. Habsburg scanned their expressions and realized what was going on. He seemed the least shocked in the group, without the slightest fluctuation in his eyes. The City of Eimer began moving as Predica turned around to greet Habsburg. Even on the same plane, the movement of a semi-dimensional weapon was completely different from an ordinary airship. Habsburg paused briefly to sense the laws. By the time he had joined the group, the City of Eimer was above the Desolate North province. There were cities dotting the landscape, the flames from the previous beheading operation still burning below. The smoke curling up from below made the place look like a gaseous ore mine. The chaos in the attacked cities was too minuscule to see clearly from this height. The characters here didnt care, either. The vanguard forces were on the ground for a mere three hours from airdrop to extraction. Neither the residents escape nor the human Empires interference could affect the big picture. Predica explained the situation to Habsburg, The charging time is fifteen minutes. After the second shot, well need about two hours to collect data. Habsburg nodded to show that he understood, but he didnt say anything. The werewolf duke was the commander of the ground forces, so he was eager to know more. The Great Qin might not have enough time to gather a large enough force in two hours, but they will likely mobilize experts. An attack from Eimer is equal to a great dark monarchs peak attack, so their heavenly monarchs might appear. Predica said, We only need to send in measurement apparatuses for the data. Ill persuade the warlocks not to descend to the ground. That way, we can control the damage. Doer relaxed a bit. The councils researchers were crazy people. There would be a lot less pressure if they could remain in the city. Predica laughed. Besides, the City of Eimer can fire more than just twice. We have no plan to attack the Great Qin this time around, but Im not too worried if they want to engage in a border skirmish. Dont worry, we have mobilization authority for this operation. We can call on the forces on Fire Beacon Continent. The others never asked about Eimers defense and attack numbers, so hearing Predicas explanation put them at ease. None of them was afraid of a fight, but they didnt want to become cannon fodder, either. Moments later, the light barrier around Eimer glowed brilliantly. The second attack was ready. It was at this moment that specks of light lit up across the land below them. Most of them were situated in the cities, but there were some in the wilderness as well. These specks of light were neither strong nor densely packed. They looked more like household lights after sunset. Before the Evernight characters could react, a pillar of colorless light shot into the sky from a corner of Desolate North. Even from such a great distance, the pillar looked to be the size of a mid-sized city. The pillar brought with it an intense aura of daybreak. It first shot through the clouds, then showered down like a precipitous waterfall. The energy swept across the entirety of Desolate North. Everyone could feel that this light was faintly connected to the starry specks on the ground. Wherever this deluge of light passed, the specks of light would become increasingly active. The motes gathered together into small masses, growing bigger and bigger like a snowball. Eimers second attack fired at this moment! Chapter 1387: Qin Emperor’s Sword The entire province looked as though it had been picked up by an invisible hand. This time, however, the specks of light rolled into a torrential snowball over the land. Space was still distorted, folded, and crushedand the torrent of radiance was also shattered in the processbut things within range of the light werent completely destroyed. That snowball bounced around repeatedly within the distorted space. It would shrink considerably with each jump, but the space around its point of contact would also recover. This proved that the attack from the City of Eimer was being neutralized. The energy and laws required to activate this defense were astronomical, but it gave everyone some peace of mind to know that the attack could be blocked. No one knew what would be left behind in the province after the calamity. That torrent of light couldnt withstand a single attack from the City of Eimer, but it proved that the incomprehensible strength could be broken. On a tower in Serene Pass. Lin Wu said calmly, The Little Lady fired a scattered defensive assault this time around. It should be able to defend against the floating citys attack if its in full defense mode. Judging from the intensity of scattered energy, though, it seems the penetration waves will still damage ordinary civilians. This was similar to how most objects would be destroyed within the range of a heavenly monarchs attack, but some experts might be able to escape. The Radiant Emperor asked, What were those bright specks on the ground just now? Lin Wu glanced at the Zhao brothers with a strange expression. We launched a defensive attack over a long distance. Those light specks act as guidance coordinates. The pillar of light had come from one of the Northern Legions camps, at the most front-line of Lin Xitangs defensive region. Its location was already within the rebel provinces. Garrisons and borders were adjusted slightly after the Empire redefined its warzones. That camp had already been abolished, not to mention all of its ground structures were destroyed, but neither the Zhao clan nor the rebels found out about the superweapon hidden underneath. Everyone felt curious about how the entire Desolate North was covered in guiding coordinates. Lin Wu paused briefly to compose his message. He said, Those beacons are actually origin arrays installed on various weapons. The Radiant Emperor and the Zhao siblings were sharp people. The first channel that came to mind when they thought of tampered weapons was smuggling. Zhao Jundu suddenly recalled some old secrets. Back in the year, he had investigated Song Zining several times because he didnt feel at ease about his close relationship with Qianye. He discovered some traces back then, but he never found any hard evidence. For instance, Ningyuan Heavy Industries grey trades, its supplier status to the Northern Legion, and its many shady connections. This was one of the reasons he didnt like Song Zining. Today, it felt as though he had suddenly found the answers to all the suspicions of the past. Even someone with his mental capacity found it hard to describe his current emotions. Divine silence, Zhao Jundu uttered. Lin Wu narrowed his eyes, and his gaze toward Zhao Jundu became much sharper. However, he didnt say anything in the end. The Radiant Emperor sighed. The Northern Legions research team is not inferior to the Imperial Familys. The Empire hasnt produced a new superweapon in several hundred years. There were many reasons for this. The more important reason was the long years of peace, which brought about arguments in the distribution of resources. The design, construction, and maintenance of a superweapon involved astronomical numbers. It was only natural that people would grow complacent when there was no use for it in war. The design and testing of a new weapon was a different level of difficulty altogether. The marshals warzone and the clan territories shared little harmonious relationship. And since superweapons happened to be area-of-effect weapons, coordination and confidentiality would become major issues. Even the nearby Zhao clan didnt know about Lin Xitangs secret weapon. Lin Xitang had already passed when the hand-over was officially carried out. The Northern Legion didnt inform the Zhao clan when they handed the territory over, otherwise, the base wouldnt have been abandoned. There had to be a deeper story behind all of this, and no one could say who was in the wrong. The distant flying city began to move once again. No one knew whether the dark races were going to continue attacking Desolate North or if they were turning toward the Empire. Zhao Junhong had been feeling awkward all this time, but he ended up asking, Commander Lin, can the Northern Legions weapon fire again? Lin Wu shook his head. No, it can only fire once. This is actually the Little Ladys first real test-fire. He pointed at the three researchers on the ground. Theyll organize the weapon blueprints and todays data, then hand everything to the Zhao clan. Zhao Junhong nodded in thanks. There was nothing else he could do anyway. The Western Continent was the newest territory added to the Empires map, so their continental defense system wasnt a match for the others and their long accumulation. The West Pole City might be able to withstand a couple of attacks, but Serene Pass did not possess such capability. There was a mystery that no one managed to figure out all this time. Such superweapons would take vast amounts of resources with each shot. What was the Evernight Council trying to achieve? With its second move, Eimer stopped between Serene South and Desolate North. Its fire could cover Serene Pass at this distance. The atmosphere grew tense. The City of Eimer didnt remain still. The entire city turned around slowly until it was facing the mountain pass! A commotion broke out in the stronghold. The first airship squadron to finish preparations scrambled into the air, with more of them forming up on the ground. All cannon turrets and fire ports opened up as the officers ran about to check the equipment. All of a sudden, a tremendous suppressive might arose from Serene Pass. It quickly spread out to cover the entire stronghold, then pushed toward the rebel provinces like a tornado. The Radiant Emperors figure rose into the air, with mist and winds swirling beneath his feet. It was as though a storm were brewing beneath him. Leaden clouds gathered in the sky, forming the vague figure of a nine-scaled soaring serpent. A silent streak of lightning tore through the firmament, almost as though a giant path had been opened up therein. The soaring serpent revealed its form at this point. It possessed golden claws, thunderbolt horns, and was shrouded in a sphere of radiance. This mixture of light and fire wasnt really harsh on the eyes. In a flash, the soaring serpent spread its wings, and the sphere of light burst into myriad beams which merged into the sky. After that initial radiance, the world was covered in darkness. People looked up in fright, only to find that the soaring snake had spread its wings completely and blotted out half the sky. The City of Eimer looked like a constant light source in the alternating brightness of this world, never growing brighter or darker. A majestic aura surged into the sky from the floating city, one that seemed to have traversed the ages to descend upon this world. A faint golden hue emerged in the sky where the soaring serpents wings did not cover. It felt as though the world was past afternoon and closing in on twilight. The calm was quickly broken as the void tempest stirred up by the soaring serpent rushed into the dusk-washed land. The Great Qin Emperors Clear Sky domain and the vampire primogenitors Nation of Dusk clashed with one another, initiating a battle that spanned thousands of kilometers! Following this sudden clash of domains, the Radiant Emperors suppressive might pushed across the midline between two provinces. Habsburg, on the other hand, pulled back as far as an arrow could fly. This went to show that even the youngest crown prince of Evernight was at a disadvantage against a newly ascended heavenly monarch. Predica was furious. A heavenly monarch! When did the Great Qin gain a new heavenly monarch? Duke Doer had already gone down to the surface with the warlocks. Eimers second shot failed to exert its full force, but the situation wasnt so bad. The humans here possessed lower origin power overall. Their few experts had been killed in the beheading operation a while ago, so survivors were few and far between. According to the great warlock, there wouldnt be too much of a deviation. This was good news because this meant that they wouldnt have to redo half the mission. The demonkin and arachne dukes on the airship wore unsightly expressions, just like Predica. The humans had produced yet another heavenly monarch, and he was right in front of them. Although they didnt need to run away in fright, it was a new variable nonetheless. The most hateful thing on the battlefield was the turning of tables. Habsburg was the only calm person. It was even hard to tell that he had just released his domain in a long-range battle. He walked forward, his blood energy intensifying with each step. A sanguine armor quickly formed around his body, and a long spear appeared in his hand. Predica came to at this point. The Radiant Emperors power came so suddenly that he didnt have time to stop Habsburg from releasing his domain. Seeing that Habsburg was about to leave Eimer, Predica flashed over and grabbed his hand. Habsburg, what are you doing? The blood armor around Habsburg had already formed. He stood quietly in the air with his spear and glanced back at Predica. The surprising thing was that Habsburg wasnt in a complete combat state. His deep blue eyes were like gems, as limpid as the clear skies, and his voice and expression were just as calm. Heading to battle. Predica didnt know what to say for a moment. Facing battle was a warriors honor, and he himself had never shrunk back against powerful enemies, so how was he to tell Habsburg not to fight? He loosened his grip with a nod, saying, Ill bring up the rear. Soon, a cryptic aura erupted from Predicas body as a staff emerged in his hand. The weapon was entirely black and seemed to be condensed from the purest of darkness origin power. Wisps of light were floating about near the tip of the staff, resembling a half-open eye. It was only after Habsburg and Predica had left Eimer that the two dukes came to. Completely suppressed by the duos might, they didnt even dare to move, let alone interfere. George and Melina exchanged glances. Seeing a similar experience in each others eyes, they found a common topic to discuss. Melina said, That weapon in Lord Predicas hands is that the councils holy weapon, the Keeper of Destiny? George nodded. Yes. His Highness Predica is probably the only one who is a match for it. He said after some pause, His Highness Habsburg is so strong. It turns out its true that a vampire crown prince can contend with a great dark monarch. No wonder His Majesty Kane treats him with such importance. Habsburg traversed the desolate land at a steady pace. The grand mountain pass of the human race stretched below the grey skies. The giant soaring serpent lingered in the air, its wings fully outstretched as it guarded the Empires territories. Habsburg halted as a figure appeared before him, a man in Imperial military clothing. He was in the prime of his life, bearing a mild temperament that hardly matched the violent tempest from just now. The Flaming Crown Habsburg? The man smiled. Im Lin Xitangs student. Habsburgs blood core skipped a beat, tugging on the scar upon it. Then, his vision was filled with sword shadows, seemingly covering the entire sky. A frost of death and murder bore down upon the enemy as sword energy gushed into the air. The Great Qin Emperors sword was called Teia. Chapter 1388: Sovereignty and Justice Meanwhile, in Castle Eir The sky above the ancient castle was filled with austere killing intent. Many of the vampires walked out to gaze at the highest point of the castle, their expressions filled with fear and complicated emotions. Many of the soldiers dropped their blades, and the experts looked pale, their auras weakened by a level. A suppressive might as deep as the oceans could be seen coming from high up on the ancient castle. It poured down wave after wave, washing over all the vampires in the ancient castle. The ancient vampire aura contained within caused every vampire to tremble. That fear arising from the depths of their bloodline weakened their ranks. The experts felt as though their blood cores were sealed in ice; it was almost impossible to accumulate blood energy. That suppressive might was a clear declaration of bloodline authority. It was vampire tradition that those closer to the source of the River of Blood possessed greater natural authority and righteousness. That was precisely why most vampires in the ancient castle lost the power and will to resist. The deep-seated ideology was that they were committing a form of treason by going against such a superior expert. A different blood energy gushed into the air from the top floor of the castle, tearing through the suppressive might covering the entire building. A cold but pleasant voice echoed between heaven and earth, Eir will submit to no one! A thunderous roar emerged from the depths of the void as the River of Blood emergedit was formally responding to her call. The phenomenon was brief and the response was vague, but obtaining any form of response meant that the summoner had been blessed by the river. Eir laughed loudly as her blood energy rose repeatedly, its color growing deeper and a tad golden. See? The River of Blood is responding to me! Im a duke now, you daybreak-tainted bastards! Do you not know your crime?! She laughed maniacally as she pushed Nighteyes blade little by little, struggling to get up. The Dark Gospel Howard sighed. Yet another genius who can call upon the River of Blood, what a pity. Nighteye was holding Awakening Dream rather carelessly, keeping it on Eirs shoulder and pinning her down. Now, however, the vampire lady had actually erupted with great power and broken through to the duke rank, even stirring the River of Blood in the process. This was perhaps due to the unwillingness or the humiliation of defeat. Even Howard sighed in admiration. The Dark Gospel had been active throughout the recent centuries, so he knew that the river was moving further and further away. It was extremely difficult to obtain a response from it. Ironically, a genius who could call upon the rivers power had actually betrayed the race. From the looks of it, she had given the Demon King her unswerving loyalty. All this time, the River of Blood had been the faith of the vampire race, the only righteousness in their world. Howard felt somewhat embarrassed; just what did the Demon King offer that was more important than their faith? Nighteyes expression was indifferent, without the slightest bit of emotions. It was Qianye who seemed to have some doubts. Just as Eir managed to return to her feet, Nighteye covered her mouth and yawned. She then exerted a bit more force, sending Eir back to her knees. Is it so hard to call out to the River of Blood? Qianye, when was the first time you obtained the rivers inheritance? Qianye gave it some thought. Probably when I was a viscount? Viscount? Howard was visibly moved. The river had surged only a handful of times in recent years. Judging from Qianyes age, it would seem that most of those instances were due to him. Qianye was shrouded in faint golden sanguine flames, leaking a constant stream of suppressive might. This bloodline power was keeping all the vampires in the castle in check. Qianye snorted after seeing Eir break through and claiming she would not submit. The golden flames turned dark golden, and an ancient aura descended upon them, one that seemed to have come from a distant era. This energy immediately extinguished Eirs blood energy and silenced the entire castle. Eir was pale and trembling. The most difficult thing for her to accept was that there was a deep-seated fear of Qianye inside her, and it was even stagnating the normal rhythm of her blood core. This also meant that Qianyes bloodline was far superior to hers. Their statuses were no different from that of a superior and subordinate. Her prideful self couldn''t come to terms with this truth. See? Our vampire race has never lacked geniuses. We have no need for traitors and watered-down geniuses. She flipped the blade and pressed down lightly into Eirs body. The latters expression was full of terror as her blood energy fell step by step until it was finally silent. Nighteye had acted so quickly that Howard didnt even have time to stop her. He sighed. We shouldve asked her the reason for her betrayal. Its such a pity to kill her just like that. Weve always attached great importance to bloodlines. People could get away with anything as long as they were talented enough. Unfortunately, she miscalculated because I will never forgive betrayal. Besides, the future of our race does not depend on her. Qianye is enough. Howard watched those dark golden flames in a daze. True. With Eir dead and Qianye suppressing the entire castle, all the vampires lost the will to fight and surrendered one after another. The Azure Kings clansmen who were being imprisoned here were also released. Within the parlor of Castle Eir, Qianye finally met Van Cleef, but he simply couldnt connect this plump white man to his name. Van Cleefs aura was weak, but there were no injuries on his body, nor were there any signs of torture. It would seem that Eir was someone who followed traditions as proven by the level of respect given to Van Cleef as a prisoner. But this made it difficult to explain the mans weak aura. Qianye felt that the glorious marquis he had encountered before were stronger than this vice-duke. He suspected whether this man had even reached the mighty marquis realm. Van Cleef entered the room with a big smile, but his eyelids began to twitch when he scanned the room. In terms of seating, Qianye was at the center, with Nighteye and Howard on either side. This seniority arrangement felt unreal to him. He was of course familiar with Howard. He also recognized Qianye soon after entering the room. After all, he occupied a special position despite being a vice-duke. Van Cleefs smile became even more resplendent. Greetings, Your Highnesses. Qianye started speaking, Duke Van Cleef Just call me Vanny! Qianye was so astonished that he didnt know what to say. He composed himself before saying, Thats not quite appropriate, is it? Vampire elders rarely used nicknames like this, unless they were close descendants who were intimately familiar. A vampire and his direct descendants shared not only a bloodline relationship but also absolute control authority. This was completely different from the human race. Hence, the relationship between them was usually even closer than father and son. That was why Van Cleefs suggestion gave Qianye the goosebumps. Van Cleef ignored Qianyes ugly expression entirely. He said with a smile, Why not? Its actually very much suitable. You are Her Majesty Nighteyes ah, I mean Her Majesty Nighteye is yours Qianye felt the urge to curse and almost did blurt out profanities. He turned to glance at Nighteye, only to find her almost smiling. The room almost seemed brighter all of a sudden. Van Cleef said, The Great Dark Gospel Howard is also your friend. Hes my senior, someone Ive admired since childhood. Thats why its only right that you call me Vanny. Duke Van Cleef, lets discuss the issue of your address later. We should get down to business. Qianye had no choice but to cut him short. Im listening to instructions. Van Cleef was as respectful as a subordinate. Qianye finally understood why this fellow had surrendered. It was hard to say if it was the correct decision or not because he did manage to save most of his clansmen and avoid pain. How many clansmen do you have left? What resources do you have remaining? We have three hundred or so men remaining. One hundred of them are warriors, and fifty of them are titled experts. Our castle is gone, along with its treasury and blood pond. I do have some secret stashes outside. I can offer all of them up. Its not much, but please accept my sincerity. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Did this Van Cleef think he was asking for benefits? Qianye couldnt be bothered to explain. The resources here and your stashes combined should be enough to get your clansmen to the nearest secret location, right? Secret realm? We have one close by, I do maintenance on it quite frequently. Lets head there, then, said Van Cleef. Twilight Continent was the main base of the vampire race. The world long ago wasnt so peaceful, so several secret hideouts had been constructed throughout the centuries. Most of the secret realms here were from before the rise of the human race, constructed as defensive strongholds and hiding spots during times of strife. Many major characters would also construct smaller secret realms for themselves. For instance, the place where the Azure King had sent Qianye and Nighteye was one such place. Van Cleef wasnt strong, but he sure was afraid of dying. He even constructed one for himself. Qianye said, Very well, take your men there along with the vampires in this castle. Wait for us to contact you. No problem, Ill keep a close watch on these traitors. How long should we wait there? Nighteye said, No need to wait too long. Well send airships to pick you up. Nighteye didnt mention their final destination, and Van Cleef didnt dare ask. He simply withdrew and went off to make arrangements for the retreat. With Eir dead, the highest-ranked among her clansmen was a count. Van Cleef was more than enough to deal with them. After the man had left, Qianye pointed at his seat. Are you sure this is okay? The Dark Gospel was the first to speak. I think it is. Since this is war, we need someone with war experience to lead us. Chapter 1389: Memories Looking down on Western Continent from a height. The vast land was littered with signs of destruction. A ravine had torn through half of Serene South, at the end of which lay a giant ditch several kilometers in diameter. There were countless cracks fanning out in every direction. The ravine was oozing dark mist. The energy seemed sparse, but no one could see through it or find out how deep the gully ran. The air in the giant ditch wasnt calm, either. Dark mist drifted about like wads of cotton, erupting into miniature storms as they collided into other objects. Amidst flames and sparks, the earth was trembling from the impact of the origin power explosions. The soil around the ravine and giant pit were now covered in bare earth and rocks, almost as though they had been tilled. There wasnt a single trace of animals or vegetation. Up in the sky, where ordinary people could not hope to see, origin power fluctuations were shuttling about irregularly. Appearing, disappearing, and clashing together from time to time amidst a tempest of flames. This apocalyptic scene had appeared within a mere ten exchanges. Neither the Radiant Emperor nor Habsburg chose to observe or launch probing attacks. They had both chosen to let loose and go all out from the beginning. The Radiant Emperors Teia clashed against the Spear of Eternity, producing a hum that spread far and wide. It sounded as though the world itself was weeping. Thunderbolts flew in all directions, so much so that the mountains and rivers trembled! And the gods were silenced! Within the light barrier of Eimer, the demonkin and arachne dukes were both in full armor. Their soldiers were lined up behind them, guns and cannons at the ready. Despite the distance and the protective light barrier, they could clearly sense the terrifying suppressive might and shockwaves from the battle. Even the dukes couldnt muster up the courage to contend against this enemy. The scars in the ground below were a testament to the situation they were in. After the initial phase of fierce weapon clashes, their domains once again covered the entire battlefield. The dark mist and golden twilight contested fiercely for supremacy, producing surging winds and clouds. The two experts figures were no longer visible. Melina sighed. Heavens. I never thought His Highness Habsburg would be such a reckless fighter. George gazed at the slowly revolving battlefield, then at Predicas figure hundreds of meters up into the sky. The man was extremely calm. Although Habsburg had managed to block the Radiant Emperors attack just now, everyone could see that he was at a disadvantage. There was a rank gap since the enemy was a heavenly monarch, albeit a newly ascended one. It might be easy to decide the victor in a fight between princes and great dark monarchs, but the same couldnt be said for their life and death. The fight could go on for an entire day and night. Habsburg, however, had gone against convention by using his ultimate attack since the very beginning. That wasnt a good sign. George could only sigh after hearing Melinas comment. Habsburg wasnt the one he was worried about, but rather Predica. If something were to happen to this lord, it would be a crime worthy of familial execution. Yet, Predica couldn''t remain idle when Habsburg was in danger. Predica turned about at this moment and arrived before George. Tell those on the ground to move faster. They must return within an hour or risk being left behind! The duke understood Predicas message. Yes, Sir! He couldnt help but add some words of consolation, Dont worry too much. His Highness Habsburg is very strong. The heavenly monarch cant do anything to him. Predicas expression was gloomy as he shook his head in silence. He eventually turned back to observe the battlefield, where their domains had expanded into Desolate North Province. He himself was a demonkin prince who had awakened the power of two primogenitors. The only people they needed to fear were the supremes of the Sacred Mountain. But on the battlefield, though, there was no room for error. The Radiant Emperor and Habsburg were both standing in the air above a small hill, facing one another. The place was close to the northwestern edge of the Desolate North Province, closer to the dark race territory. Because of how barren the land was, the closest dark race settlement was dozens of kilometers away, forming a natural uninhabited zone in between. There were some ruins in the plains. It wasnt very big, at most the size of a small town, with charred walls and windswept buildings. Apparently, the place had been neglected for some time after a battle. Currently, these ruins were like a half-sliced cake. One part of it had been cut up into a precipice with a high difference of six meters. Apparently, this small town wasnt as simple as it seemed on the surface since there was a large underground structure here. This secret shouldve been destroyed in Eimers attack, but the Little Ladys interference left many places across the Desolate North in such a state. The Radiant Emperor said, It was here that you almost killed my teacher, and now, weve circled back here. Will you be satisfied with this place as your grave? Habsburgs eyes were like deep ponds filled with blood energy. He simply gazed at the Radiant Emperor in silence. The latter didnt rush the man, either, and simply stood there with his sword behind his back. His aura was akin to the ravines and mountains, as though he were one with the world. Youre the Emperor of Qin, Habsburg spoke for the first time since the battle began. You have something to ask me. Habsburgs words were spoken with due certainty. The Radiant Emperor looked him in the eye and said, Who in the Empire made a deal with your clan? I was too quick to kill back then. As intelligent men, Habsburg understood the Radiant Emperors meaning. Killing too quickly would result in the loss of clues. He said after some thought, Do you know what your Empress family did in the past? The Radiant Emperors said, I think all those who worked with you are dead. You can tell me now if anyone escaped. Habsburg was finally moved. The blood energy in his eyes faded away, restoring a clarity and calm that resembled the blue skies. He said after some thought, That scheme wasnt mine. On the contrary, I was among the hunted. This town was one of the Evernight Councils laboratories that studied bloodline seedlings. The direction of the study is to use the lower-ranking vampire bloodlines and blood thralls as a reference group. Back then, I had just become a senior member of the Evernight council and gained half the authority to the lab. One day, the council informed me that the lab had been compromised, that the Empire will soon dispatch an elite corps to clean up the place. Normally, we would simply abandon such laboratories once compromised. There was no need to defend such a territory. However, someone suggested that elite soldiers would make good research subjects and that we should capture some if we could do so at a small price. There was an interesting name on the list they produced, Lin Qianye, with a remark that he was Marshal Lins son. Of course, I only figured out much later that he was just an adopted son. The Radiant Emperors expression was calm as he listened without the slightest bit of emotion. You werent at the scene when the battle broke out. Habsburg said honestly, I did some things in the lab that the council cannot know about, so Ive been very cautious. It just so happened that I heard from a different channel that Marshal Lin was developing a new weapon nearby. The range of that weapon happened to cover this town. A flash of killing intent flickered in the Radiant Emperors eyes. Whether this trap was set up by the council or Marshal Lin, I felt that there was absolutely no need to walk into it. Thats why I made up an excuse and came two hours late. By the time I arrived, the fight had already ended, and the Empires forces had been completely wiped out. I found Lin Qianyes name tag tied to the severed hand of a young man, which I gave to Lin Xitang later on. The Radiant Emperor glanced at Habsburg for a while. Who is the contact on the Evernight end? Habsburg replied, Ive killed them all. The Radiant Emperor said indifferently, Im guessing you already know whos pulling the strings, but that persons status is equal or higher than yours. Thats why you dont want to go into open hostility. Habsburg merely watched him without saying a word. The two were quick thinkers. There were many words that didnt need saying, many things that didnt need admitting. The Radiant Emperor said, Very well, I understand. What else do you have to say? Habsburg turned in a different direction. I remember Marshal Lin has a big camp nearby. Can I go and take a look? The Radiant Emperor nodded. Go ahead. To get from this small town to the Northern Legions abandoned forward base, they would have to traverse the entire Desolate North Province. However, this distance was nothing to the Radiant Emperor and Habsburg. The main camp here had been completely dismantled. There wasnt a piece of wood or metal left here; even the window frames and ladders had been removed. All that was left was a majestic stone fortress covered in dust. One could look through the dark windows on one side and see the other. At the highest point of this stronghold was the command center. Habsburg landed on the balcony, completely ignoring the fact that the Radiant Emperor was a mere ten meters from him. Both men looked inside at the same time. The surprising thing was that the command center had retained its old appearance. There was a work area on one side with a desk and bookshelves. On the other side were a sofa, a mechanical map, and a conference table. For some reason, this room had remained intact through wars, a transfer of command, and enemy capture. It was as though this corner of the base had been completely forgotten by everyone. Habsburg pushed open the glass doors of the balcony, breaking the lock in order to do so. He then walked in and looked at the surroundings. The Radiant Emperor walked over to the desk and found that its surface was clean, as though someone had been keeping it tidy. There werent any important documents, only some overdue news reports and communication papers. There werent any documents carrying Lin Xitangs signature, either. The Radiant Emperor accidentally stepped on something as he turned around. He looked down to see that it was an old wooden box, probably knocked down by accident. He was visibly moved because the box looked somewhat familiar. Things became clear when he picked it up and saw what was insideit was a personal object of Lin Xitang. The box contained some military tags, most of which were broken and missing. Every one of them was stained with traces of battle and a fragment of Lin Xitangs unforgettable past. This day, however, the person who refused to forget had also become someone elses memory. Habsburg observed every item in the room in detail, but he never touched anything. He couldnt help but whisper when he saw the box and name tags, Is it that childs? The Radiant Emperor did not reply, nor did he check the name tags in the box. He closed the container properly and placed it on the table, then he walked out onto the balcony. Habsburg didnt remain in the command room, either. He emerged soon afterward, and gazing calmly at the Emperor, he said, Lets make it here, I like this place. The Radiant Emperor nodded. The projection of a flying serpent flickered briefly and vanished as countless streams of dark energy flowed into his body. The domain covering the vast land also slowly disappeared. At the same time, the line of vision cleared up for the Evernight and Imperial experts who had been paying attention to the fight. Predica, though, witnessed a different scene in his consciousness. As the dark mist and golden glow faded away, a majestic stone fortress came into view. The moonlight showering down on the balcony outlined the figures of two people standing face to face. The Great Qin Emperor put away his blade just as Habsburg withdrew his spear. However, this wasnt a ceasefire because immediately afterward, they sprinted toward one another and collided! Origin power erupted into a violent storm, which eventually turned into beautiful strips of resplendence in the air. With each of the Radiant Emperors movements, his dark energy would take the shape of various wild animals. Habsburg, on the other hand, maintained a core layer of black fire around his body and golden runes danced about his fists. A fist-fight! Predicas expression shifted drastically. Maintaining a safe distance was extremely important for experts of this level. A fist-fight was even more dangerous than a fight using melee weapons, akin to a fight to the death. Habsburg was clearly at a disadvantage, so why would he keep fighting? The imagery was interrupted at this point because remote vision could only be maintained for a short while. He summoned a warlock and said, Prepare Eimer for spatial He hadnt finished speaking when a sharp omen flitted past his ears, depriving him of his hearing. By the time he managed to figure out what this omen was, his hair was standing on end. Mobilize the troopers! Immediately! Aim for the human mountain pass! Send the City of Eimer into spatial jump!!! A black whirlpool appeared in the sky and Predica leaped straight into it. That was the demonkins escape skill, Demonic Traversal. His voice was still echoing in the air after his figure vanished. The experts on the City of Eimer went pale; only the warlocks remained calm. Everyone! Execute the orders immediately. His Highness has probably fled because he saw an omen. The warlocks and researchers started running about. The demonkin duke turned around in a daze, only to find a great warlock patting him on the shoulder. Little George, make preparations to assist. The countdown is ten minutes. The demonkin duke was about to ask something when the entire City of Eimer jolted violently. The flying city tilted thirty degrees to the side, and the light barrier began to recede. This sent countless soldiers sliding off the city streets like a crashing tide. George was stunned for a brief moment before realizing that these soldiers were the figures that had been standing all around the city like stone sculptures. He turned around rigidly and finally realized what that omen was. A comet was shooting over at an unimaginable speed from the horizon, landing in the way as the first batch of troopers reached the ground. With a clap of thunder, a blinding flash of light tore through the troopers and mowed them down like grass. These soldiers crumbled into dust as soon as they touched the ground. A large empty clearing appeared in the large formation of troopers. Spacerender! This was a signature move of Prince Greensun, the human heavenly monarch. There was no need to explain who had just arrived. Chapter 1390: Asylum As the war on the Western Continent was reaching its peak, the ancient castle on Twilight Continent was enjoying a rare moment of peace. Although no one knew for sure the scale of this attack, Qianye could venture a rough guess from the scattered pieces of intelligence that had arrived yesterday. The enemy deployment was clearly intending to settle things quickly and aggressively. They had led the councils troops into Twilight and launched an assault on numerous targets at the same time. Most of their objectives were castles at the marquis grade or above, as well as the important strongholds of the twelve major clans. They also targeted important characters like Howard. An operation of this scale required a significant mobilization of troops. Even with traitors working on the inside, they would still need experts to oversee the operation. It would be safe to say that the demonkin wouldnt want to fight a protracted battle on the vampires home continent. This also meant that Qianyes group would face a lot of pressure. It was only because of their headstart that they hadnt run into council reinforcements and great dark monarchs. Progia was, of course, an exception. News of Qianye and Nighteye disrupting the councils operations shouldve reached the enemy command by now. The council also happened to be searching for the Book of Darkness, so they would surely hunt him down once they knew his whereabouts. Qianye and Nighteye might be able to flee, but it would be impossible to do so with so many vampires in tow. Howard rummaged through the study and found a map of the Twilight Continent, which he hung on the wall. He and Nighteye then marked out all the castles along the way that had been attacked. After marking everything, his expression became even more unsightly. The group had traversed half of Twilight Continent since their first encounter with the enemy. Almost half of the castles along the way had come under attack, and there was no telling how many of the survivors had surrendered like Van Cleef. The places they had passed by were in such a state, so it was likely that the other locations were no different. Looking at this collapsing situation, Howard let out a long sigh. Who wouldve thought the demonkin would strike so fast and so ruthlessly? Many of those sleeping fellows will never wake up again. The Twilight Continent was the main base of the vampire race, so most core families of the major clans were located here. Experts who had reached the end of their lives would also choose to go into hibernation here. It was no exaggeration to say that every castle had an expert hibernating inside. Normally, the experts left to run the castle affairs were marquis-rank characters. The major clans would have dukes taking on this role. These people werent weak by any measure, but they simply couldnt defend against a targeted attack from the Evernight Council. These sleeping experts were the races true losses. If they could be awakened, they would surely form a formidable fighting force. The Demon King had used the new world as a pretext to mobilize the Evernight Councils forces, and Medanzo helped keep the operation covered up. The demonkin would never leave these hibernating experts an opportunity to wake up. Even the Dark Gospel Howard wouldve fallen if Qianye and Nighteye hadnt arrived on time and injured the Masefield Clan Lord. Qianye walked over and observed the map with a frown. Im guessing most of the secret hideouts have been compromised as well. Very likely. Howard looked rather worried. Medanzo knew about most of the shared secret realms. The private ones didnt need to be reported, but they wouldnt remain hidden for long if there were high-ranking traitors in the clan. This meant that the secret realms were no longer safe. Retreat from Twilight, Qianye said all of a sudden. Why? Howard and Nighteye were puzzled. To the vampire race, Twilight wasnt just their home but also their totem and religion. Every clan possessed their own territory here where they would build a castle to enshrine their glory. And yet Qianye was asking them to pull out. Qianye said, All the secret realms here are probably unveiled. Even the ones controlled by princes and great dark monarchs. Also, there arent a lot of vampires left for us to save. Among the ones we have left, half of them are of an ambiguous stance, and there should be quite a few who have surrendered like Van Cleef. The survivors weve saved might not be a lot, but they still number in the tens of thousands. Theyll become a massive target no matter where we put them. Howard nodded thoughtfully. Twilight is located at the heart of all middle continents, a hub that connects various others. Thats also the reason why its not suited for defense. The demonkins possess great mobility and assault capabilities. They can amass a big army any time, and we cannot hold them off on Twilight. Even Nighteye was nodding this time. Qianye understood the demonkins strategy quite well after fighting them for many years. If this were an upright war, the vampires were confident they could hold their own against the councils allied army. With Medanzo around, however, the vampire races hidden cards would easily be disrupted. The enemys weakness is clear, they dont have enough manpower. Thats why theyre using an elite force strategy. Every soldier, every warship, and every expert has better equipment, gear, and training compared to the other races. This results in a superior fighting force at a much higher cost. For the same number of soldiers lost, they will suffer more and have a harder time replenishing them. In short, they arent built for a protracted war of attrition. Back in Blacksun Valley, Song Zinings exchange tactics were mostly targeted at the demonkin. They did not have the werewolves on their side at the time, which deprived them of high-quality cannon fodder. Now that Qianye was mentioning this, it was evident that he had pinpointed their weakness. We cant afford to exhaust our forces, either, said Howard. The vampires they had gathered were only about the force of a single vampire clan. That was comparing them to a clan like the Carltons, which had members with no combat experience. Of course, we cant fight a large-scale battle of attrition. Thats why we need to rely on geography to lock down the demonkin with a smaller force. Well find such a place and fight a defensive battle against them. There is such a place, but what will you do about air attacks? I can lock down the air with my Martyrs Palace. Howards brows relaxed a bit. Things will be a lot easier if they cannot fly their airships in. I know a suitable place on the Dawn Continent. Dawn? Isnt that a higher continent? Nighteye said. Correct. I accidentally discovered the flight route to a half-concealed region while exploring the upper continents. The environment is adverse, but the mountains on every side serve to block out the scorching wind, so survival is not a problem. At first, I planned to hand that region over at the end of my life and exchange some resources for my descendants. Who wouldve thought it would come in handy now? Is the void route stable? Qianye asked. Its stable, but the paths are winding and complicated, so high-speed flight is impossible. This is exactly what we want under present circumstances. Qianye pondered for a while. Then we can set up an asylum on the Dawn Continent for the direct descendants of the clans. The ordinary vampires and some vassal families can head to Fort Continent. My territory there views every race as equals, they can find work and shelter there. If possible, we should discuss this matter with William and find out the Summit of Peaks attitude. Im curious whether the werewolves and arachne will see themselves as the next target after the demonkin have wiped out the vampires. I think the Summit of Peaks will have to think hard about this. Thats settled then. Ill head off to save some people and make arrangements for transportation, said Howard. What about the Perth clan? Qianye asked. This problem was a headache for both Nighteye and Howard. Nighteye gestured for Howard to do the explanations. Howard said, The Perths are the descendants of the Queen, so their status is special. The clans internal affairs are managed by one of the active great dark monarchs or crowned princes. I also managed their family for a couple of decades. Qianye was surprised. This system is rather interesting. Does the Perth clan not fear outsiders interfering with their clan? Howard said, They say manage, but in truth, were just there to protect the clan. I would never meddle in their true internal issues. I even had to supply some resources when they needed them. Who would really dare to touch their family with the Queen around? Qianye finally understood. It turned out that this management role wasnt a fun job. Not only would they have to put in the effort and money, but they also couldnt even make any real decisions. Currently, Medanzo is the one managing the clan. After all, Reynold woke up fairly recently, and it wasnt even his active period. What we dont know is how deep Medanzo has his hands in the clan. We also dont know if the Perth clansmen have turned. Qianye nodded. I understand now. We definitely cant remain on Twilight anymore. Lets split up here. I might not be very useful in my current state, but I can take care of myself. Ill wait for you at the designated location after I round up the other families. Very well. Qianye nodded. The Dark Gospel Howard was a crowned prince. Even though his blood seal had faded, he wasnt a character ordinary dukes could match. There would be no danger for him unless he was unfortunate enough to run into great dark monarchs like the Masefield Clan Lord. Qianye and Nighteye would move together. The trio thus divided the territories to work on and left the ancient castle. They decided to spend only three days on search and rescue. Once the time was up, they would meet up at a designated secret realm to start moving the vampires away from Twilight. By the time of Qianyes departure, Van Cleef had more or less finished rounding up the captives and stripping the castle. Perhaps because he wanted to recoup the losses of his castle, he took everything in this one, even Eirs funeral objects. Even some of the murals and sculptures were taken away. After his departure, the entire ancient castle was completely barren, as though a locust swarm had just passed by. In the castles destroyed blood-pond chamber, long after everyone was gone. A coffin slowly opened up in an inconspicuous corner, and a viscount climbed out from within. The coffin here was only a half-finished product without any origin arrays. The coffin material wasnt copper, so Van Cleef found no interest in it. That was how the viscount managed to remain hidden. After confirming that there was no one in the castle, he left in a hurry. Chapter 1391: Simply Forward A circular black vortex appeared in the air above Desolate North Province. Predica shot out from it like an arrow, forming yet another vortex in front of him. The demonkin glanced back while transitioning between the two traversals. His expression shifted drastically at this moment, and he was so flustered that he almost crashed right into the traversal gate. Zhang Boqian completely ignored the troopers. He immediately made for Habsburg and the Radiant Emperor after clearing a path! The City of Eimer was like a tilted chalice, pouring all kinds of soldiers onto the ground. There seemed to be no end to its output. Those soldiers slid off the light barrier and onto the ground, then charged at the walls of Serene Pass. A duke-grade army soon amassed on the ground, a force capable of launching a fierce attack on any target. The well-prepared defensive force immediately started counterattacking. The gunpowder and origin weaponry on the walls spat out tongues of flame. Several airships scrambled into the air and dived toward the charging enemy. All of a sudden, a tall warrior on the ground jumped up and hurled his spear at one of the airships. Not only did the lance penetrate the vessel, but it also kept flying toward the city walls. An origin bullet flew out from one of the corner towers, destroying that rod of burning steel midair. Zhao Jundu couldnt help but frown as he lowered his gun and gazed at the troopers. The generals at Serene Pass werent as calm, however. Everyone looked somewhat distressed. They couldnt decide what those soldiers were exactly, but judging from the state after their death, it could be said that they werent real people. Then again, that spear throw from just now was at least at the level of a count. Did this army have the same ratio of experts to normal soldiers? Some of the survivors from Zhang Boqians attack were lacking limbs or even entire parts of their body, yet they could still stand up unsteadily and join the march. The battle was destined to be difficult if the enemy was an entity that did not know pain. Predica halted for a split second while jumping between the two demonic traversal gates. Grabbing his staff like a long pole, he raised the weapon and swung at Zhang Boqian. A stream of dark demonic energy slashed toward Zhang Boqian, taking the shape of a fierce beast with its jaws opened. Monarch Zhang was famous for his speed, so Predica could not allow him to keep accelerating without pause. Otherwise, even Demonic Traversal would not be able to keep up with that speed. Predica did not have the time to turn around after launching the attack and flew into the traversal door in a backward position. Zhang Boqian didnt even look at that incoming black energy. He simply waved his hand and the incoming energy exploded, almost as though an invisible fist had struck it. Surprisingly, the demonic energy didnt disappear immediately. On the contrary, it contracted briefly before exploding into a black wall in front of Zhang Boqian. There were countless faces on this wall, their eyes shut and their mouths wide open. Their facial contours were shifting so furiously that it was difficult to figure out what kind of expression they were wearing. Netherworld. Predica had awakened the power of a great dark monarch when he was just a marquis. It was called the Chain of Sighs when attacking, but in defense, it would transform into the Wall of the Faithless. Even someone as knowledgeable as Zhang Boqian couldnt help but feel surprised. A demonkin in warlock attire had actually fired such an attack-defense ability at him. But this little interlude posed no obstacle to the heavenly monarch; he simply swung out another Spacerender. The wall thinned out, and the faces on the wall opened their eyes. How could Zhang Boqian give it such an opportunity? He launched yet another attack and destroyed the demonic energy completely. On the balcony of the stone castle, the fight between the Radiant Emperor and Habsburg was still going on. Judging from their surroundings, there was no major damage to the floors and railings. Even the windows right next to them hadnt shattered. The fight might not seem that intense at a glance, but one could hardly keep up that thought after seeing the state of their bodies. Both combatants had sustained injuries in the few minutes that they had been fighting. The Radiant Emperors wounds were less serious, with cuts at his waist and arms. A couple of them were oozing blood. On the other hand, there was a cut on Habsburgs armor extending from his left chest to his abdomen. The flax shirt within was stained with blood. The vampires possessed stronger regenerative powers and physical strength, capable of repairing their bodies even during battle. Hence, the amount of blood Habsburg had lost proved how serious the damage he had received. The two fighters looked over at the same time when Zhang Boqian charged into the terrestrial space of the Western Continent. The Radiant Emperor seemed faintly surprised, but Habsburg was utterly calm. It seemed as though the arrival of a second heavenly monarch couldnt faze him. It was only when a black vortex appeared nearby that Habsburgs eyes went wide and his composure was lost. Predica practically tumbled out of this vortex. Fortunately, the angle didnt affect him too much, and the demonkin quickly found his balance. At the same time, something that looked like a shooting star was growing larger at a terrifying speed. Zhang Boqian was almost here. The mans figure wasnt clearly visible when a thunderous explosion erupted on the balcony. A dose of Spacerender went straight for Habsburg. The runes surrounding the vampire brightened all of a sudden. Immediately afterward, he was sent flying from the impact, crashing through the balcony railings and into Predicas arms. The two tumbled dozens of meters in the air before coming to a stop. Predica cried out, Are the Great Qins heavenly monarchs so shameless?! Habsburg was pale as he wiped the blood seeping out from the corner of his lips. He didnt look at the two heavenly monarchs on the other side and merely patted Predica on the shoulder. Zhang Boqian stood close to the edge of the balcony, his expression cold. This Monarch is here to offer a blood sacrifice to an old friend. Who dares stop me? Habsburg looked up quietly, only to see a mixture of thunderous flames and undisguised sadness. At the same time, he felt Predicas hand tighten around his arm. Preddy, let go. No. Predica swung his staff once more, and this time, the attack didnt undergo any transformation. A Wall of the Faithless sprang up on the balcony. A traversal gate slowly opened up behind Predica and Habsburg. A black mist emerged on the balcony and swept toward the duo, completely ignoring the Wall of the Faithless between them. Zhang Boqian, on the other hand, simply threw a punch, and the wall melted away like snow in the sun. Predica started pulling Habsburg toward the traversal gate after launching this attack. The latter had his eyes on a single point during the process. All of a sudden, he pulled hard on Predicas hand and switched places with him. Pfft! The remnant fist intent that had passed through the Wall of the Faithless struck Habsburgs back. This time, he couldnt help but cough up a mist of blood. He did, however, manage to shift to just the right angle, using the impact to hasten their escape into the gate. Even that wasnt quite enoughZhang Boqian would soon arrive before them in a single step. It was at this moment that a faint glow spun around Predicas staff, almost like a slow-opening eye. A black sun rose into the air. A domain of pure darkness devoured the black mist as it climbed onto the balcony and enveloped the entire deserted base. The two heavenly monarchs were also within its range. Within the darkness, there was a man standing quietly with his hands behind his back. The figure was neither tall nor lofty, but his aura filled the entire domain, as though he were one with the darkness. The Demon King? Zhang Boqian uttered the name as he prepared to attack again. However, the domain and the man both vanished just as he had formed his fist. The dissipation of the domain was even faster than its appearance. All of a sudden, the clouds had parted, and there were clear skies as far as the eye could see. Of course, a single breaths time was all it took for Habsburg and Predica to disappear behind the traversal gate. Humph! Zhang Boqian snorted as his figure shot toward the other end of the battlefield. The troops had fully assembled at this point and were launching a fierce attack on the mountain pass. The silhouette of the floating city was already starting to fade as it transitioned into the void. Zhang Boqian accelerated sharply, breaking the sound barrier with a loud boom. Sparks flew everywhere as he blasted the City of Eimer with a solid punch. The entire land shook fiercely! The light barrier on the city froze for a moment, almost as though it was about to materialize. The flowing streams of origin power looked indestructible, but some cracks had begun to appear on its surface. That lasted but a mere moment, however, as the City of Eimer faded away from existence at the very next moment. Zhang Boqian stood in the air, gazing at the place where the floating city had disappeared. He didnt attempt another attack. Eventually, the Radiant Emperors figure appeared beside him. Hows the citys defense? Zhang Boqian said, A strike with ninety percent of my power wasnt enough to break its defense. The Radiant Emperor said, Were you able to figure out the Demon Kings strength from his projection? Zhang Boqian said, That was just a passive projection, probably stored within that staff as a life-saving measure. The power is roughly the same as an attack from you and me. I have, however, encountered the Spider Queens active projection before, and I can tell that the Demon King should be stronger. The Radiant Emperor nodded. I remember that the Pointer Monarch probed the Queen of the Night during the Sky Demon incident. The old heavenly monarch only said he can contend with her for a few bouts. I wonder how strong the Demon King is compared to the Queen? Zhang Boqian gave it some thought. Thats hard to say. The Radiant Emperor said, Things on the Evernight side are quite strange. I can more or less say for sure that the one targeting the Empire behind the scenes is not the Flaming Crown. Its very likely the Lightless Monarch. I still think theres someone behind him, though. Zhang Boqian immediately realized the Radiant Emperors meaning. Only the Sacred Mountain remains behind the great dark monarchs, but you think it isnt Lilith? The Emperor nodded. It might sound a bit outrageous, but thats what I believe. The black flames in the new world are about to die out soon. The council will surely make a move when the time comes. Zhang Boqian glanced at the battlefield in front of Serene Pass. I came over here because I sensed a certain fluctuation in space. Now that theres no more business here, Ill take my leave. The Radiant Emperor said, Youve gone into the new world multiple times. Although you suppressed your powers while doing so, the damage is still significant. You should recuperate well. Zhang Boqian laughed. You also learned this from him, didnt you? That heavenly monarchs dont dare to die. That nagging fellow is already gone, so Im sure he wont blame me. The Radiant Emperor exhaled deeply. Monarch Zhang He paused for a bit as he lost words to say. Zhang Boqian turned around and said while waving his hand, Are you afraid that my path will diverge? Who can say for sure if a path is correct until theyve reached the end? The martial path reflects the heart, all we should do is follow it and forge ahead. Why hesitate and look at other people? The Radiant Emperor wanted to say something, but in the end, he just watched Zhang Boqian vanish into the void. Only afterward did he look over at Serene Pass. The battle had reached its end. Habsburg and Predica emerged in a corner of the flying city, tumbling onto the ground as they did so. Both of them lay huffing and puffing on the ground, unable to get up for the moment. Facing two heavenly monarchs at the same time was too much of an exciting experience. Habsburg said, Preddy, dont do such dangerous things in the future. Predica seemed to have calmed down a bit. He still felt a bit aggrieved, but he was no longer angry. How about you? His Majesty Kane never held any enmity toward you. He also hopes to see you return safely from this operation. Habsburg said nothing. He believed that the Demon King had no intention of letting him die in this mission. If it were any other demonkin commander, even a great dark monarch would not have chosen to engage in a melee fight against two heavenly monarchs. Zhang Boqian was notorious for his swift and powerful attacks; no one was willing to pit themselves against him. The question was what was the Demon King hiding behind that kind facade? Footsteps echoed from the other end of the street as the demonkin duke ran over in a hurry. The man heaved a sigh of relief upon finding the two alive and well. Your Highness, weve entered the void. Predica nodded. He clambered up and patted the dust off of his robes, saying, Lets wait in the void for a while. Prince Greensun of the Empire possesses powerful void powers. It might be dangerous if we move out recklessly. The demonkin didnt question his instructions. Seeing that the two lords did not need his help, he ran back to execute the orders. Habsburg glanced suspiciously at Predica. Why? Predicas lips moved briefly, but he didnt reply in the end. He merely dragged Habsburg across the street block and entered a tall building. Several warlocks and researchers were at work here. There were strange apparatuses everywhere in the hall as well as glowing origin arrays. Apparently, this place was the command center of the City of Eimer. Predica brought Habsburg into a smaller hall to the left of the entrance. The entirety of this room was occupied by a disk-like object, at the center of which was a human figure. It was the Demon King! The Demon King gazed gently at the two men. Dear Habsburg, come see me! With that, his projection faded away. Habsburg finally understood why Predica had ordered the City of Eimer to stop. However, there was little meaning in not turning back because the Demon Kings projection could reach any place with a traceable coordinate. Predica finally spoke, his voice tense and hoarse, Habsburg, leave now if you dont want to go back. You can go anywhere you want. His Majesty did not leave an imprint on you, so itll be very difficult to track you down once you leave. The vampire prince went silent for a while. He reached out to wipe the dust on Predicas hair. Lets head back, this is my fate. Predica clenched his fists tightly. Then Habsburg, please listen to His Majesty patiently, okay? He actually respects you quite a bit, so please listen to what he has to say and give it some thought! Habsburg wanted to say something, but he swallowed those words after seeing the look in Predicas eyes. Fine, I promise. Predica grabbed Habsburgs hand tightly before leaving the room. He issued the order in the great hall, setting the City of Eimer on course to a location south of the Twilight Continent. Chapter 1392: Old Friends Lava Castle was the longest-standing castle in the Sperger clans territory. The clan lords of each generation had used it as the clans center of command for over a thousand years. The current clan lord, Habsburg, had only returned to the clan upon reaching the duke rank, so he did not have a separate castle of his own. He simply used the clans command center as his residence. At this point, the clans long flags were being removed one after another. The crown of raging flames was being rolled up in brocade. However, there was no smoke, fire, nor any signs of battle. The weapons here werent stained with blood. The council soldiers were busy removing the Sperger clans flags and hanging up the councils own. On either side of the castle, countless vampires had gathered on the streets to watch what was happening. There was no lack of experts among these people, but even the counts and marquises were pale and had no intention of resisting. The entire takeover and changing of flags proceeded in silence. The invaders did nothing excessive, and the vampires showed no extreme reaction. The battle here was clearly different from the rest of the Twilight Continent. On the top floor of the castle, an elegant man in demonkin apparel was standing on the balcony with the best views. There was no one on the balcony, or the top floor for that matter. This high position was for him alone. Ripples began to form in the distant sky as a person walked out. Habsburg paused briefly in the air before taking a step forward, appearing near the balcony amidst similar ripples. The sanguine armor on his body had been removed, replaced by a black shirt showing the councils insignia. It wasnt quite conspicuous, but the color around his rib area was a bit deeper since his wound hadnt stopped bleeding. The Qin Emperors origin power wasnt as scorching as the other daybreak experts, but it was difficult to remove once it had invaded a wound. Habsburg landed on the balcony. He glanced at the Demon King but did not perform the usual salutations. Its quite the honor for the Demon King himself to invade my small territory. Habsburg noticed several duke-grade airships in the sky above and the flames of war still burning in the neighboring territories. Comparatively, the Sperger clans lands were still in an orderly shape. This wasnt strange because even dukes had no way to resist the Demon Kings suppressive might. The Demon King turned around with a smile. Dear Habsburg, you came rather quickly. I thought you would hesitate for a while. Habsburg replied indifferently, This is my clan and these are my people. This land wouldve become their grave had I not returned, no? There was no real need for the council soldiers to take action. The Demon Kings domain was enough to cover the entire core territory, drowning all life in darkness. Should he wish, he could make it so that these souls would be forever lost in the darkness, unable to return to the River of Blood. The Demon King did not comment on the matter. I always thought the vampires believed the primogenitor bloodline to be above everything else. As a crown prince, you should be more important than all of the Sperger clan combined. Thats the view of some vampires. As experts, whats the point of living if we cant even protect our clansmen and descendants? The Demon King laughed. You should already know that the Queen of the Night cannot protect you at this moment. You cant change anything by coming back here. Unless theres something in this castle thats more important than your life? Facing the Demon Kings penetrating glare, Habsburg said, Considering your great power, you should already know whatever is in this castle. No one can stop you from taking things away. I am only doing what I should, when I should, and where I should. The Demon King sighed. I really dont know whether I should praise you or say youre dumb. Habsburg said, If only Medanzo were just as dumb, the Twilight Continent wouldnt be in such a state today. He thinks hes the smartest one. In fact, the great dark monarchs on my side all think the same. I told you before, not everyone shares the same opinion. The Demon King nodded. Then Dear Habsburg, do you know why I mobilized this war? Habsburg stood looking into the mans eyes. He could not see the slightest ripple, almost as though the topic at hand was nothing out of the ordinary. Now that he thought about it, this supreme had always worn such an indifferent expression. He had never paid attention to any form of offense, including those other superior experts would never tolerate. That gave people the illusion that he was calm and gentle. No matter what his expression and demeanor were, every word he spoke was enough to shake the entire Evernight world. All of a sudden, Habsburg felt that he had underestimated the Demon King all along. Or rather, the entire Evernight World had underestimated him. The Queen of the Night had always reigned supreme. From her bloodline and power to her appearance, she was a being that embodied perfection. Her power and prestige exerted the same authority over all the races. Compared to her, the Demon King, the Spider Queen, and even the ancient supremes paled in comparison. There would always be shadows under the bright moon. Everyone had forgotten how a young warrior of unremarkable birth had climbed his way to the peak of the world. The Demon King was the most amiable among the three supremes. He was also the most active because he was the youngest, giving him the opportunity to set up such a deep-reaching plot. Habsburg left the Twilight Continent for a mere three days. From the information he had obtained from Leonard, he could tell that the fight here would last two days at most. Routing the entire home base of the vampire race in such a short time meant that Medanzos betrayal wasnt the only reason. The new and old factions within the vampire race had been at loggerheads for thousands of years, and Medanzo had quite a few opponents. The holy war between races had lasted for ten thousand years, but this fight against the vampire race was no holy war. The werewolves and arachne werent dumb enough to side with the demonkin overnight. This was a scheme, an intricate ploy that had been devised for countless years. The demonkin gained the absolute advantage right from the outset of this war. At this point in the fight, the reason behind this war could be considered both important and negligible. Habsburg didnt understand why the Demon King would waste words on him. The Demon King said, In truth, Habsburg, you dont need to be so hostile toward me. This war is not to exterminate the vampire race. Habsburg sneered. Oh, is it not? Medanzo has defected, the Azure King has probably fallen by now. I bet the Dark Gospels fate isnt any better. If my guess is right, the other sleeping primogenitors wont be waking up, either. As for me, I dont expect to leave this place alive now that Ive returned. How can there be a vampire race without the primogenitors bloodline? The Demon King said patiently, Im not trying to destroy the primogenitor bloodlines but purifying them. Purify? Habsburg laughed coldly. The Demon King said slowly, Dear Habsburg, how do you see the River of Bloods departure? Habsburg frowned. He knew that certain things could not be kept a secret in front of the Demon King, but hearing him mentioning this matter straight up made things uncomfortable. However, the departure of the river was a distressing matter to the upper echelons of the vampire race. Compared to that, even an all-out war was not as important. Even the Queen of the Night doesnt know why its moving away from us. Dont tell me youve figured it out? I didnt figure it out, but I guessed it. The Demon King looked up, as though he could see through the castle roof and gaze upon the River of Blood. The departure of the river began when humans appeared in our world. Habsburg said with a frown, Thats probably just a coincidence. Humans arent the only daybreak species, either. Is it a coincidence, though? It was when humans appeared on your menu that the thirteenth clans seal disappeared, right? I dont see how the two are connected. The Demon King laughed. The thirteenth races seal was supposed to be the one closest to the source of the river, no? Its even purer than your black fire. The core of your black fire is still in the form of blood energy, but the thirteenth can change its form at will. Habsburg was stunned. All primogenitors had lost their memories regarding the thirteenth clan. He was the youngest among his peers, so he had even less knowledge regarding it. He felt a bit uneasy, not knowing what the Demon King was trying to get at by citing so many vampire secrets. The Demon King didnt leave him guessing for long. Humans are natural daybreak lifeforms. Your bloodlines were tainted the moment they appeared in your diet. The thirteenth clan perished because of that. That is just a guess. The Demon King said, Perhaps. This world is made of darkness, but the true Evernight slowly started disappearing when the humans appeared. At first, the human races existence was no different from the flora and fauna, so no one noticed anything. They didnt connect the dots even when a new origin power appeared in the energy system. As time went by, daybreak origin power increased in our world, slowly tainting the darkness origins to the point where it had lost its original appearance. It was only a thousand years ago that this erosion reached a tipping point. As the first protectors of the human race, the vampires were punished during the Daybreak Rebellion. That is why the River of Blood grew distant. Habsburg turned serious. You mean to say that daybreak origin power is the reason? Thats my guess. Considering the Demon Kings identity, this guess was probably something he had a good grasp of. Habsburg calmed down after the initial phase of surprise. No matter what, I am a vampire through and through. This fight is mine as well. The Demon King had no intention of attacking. Habsburg, Im not seeking death and destruction, only to restore the purity of old. I didnt take action against all vampires, only the irreversibly tainted people were purged. The other continents were minimally affected. I have no reason to believe you at this point in the war. Actually, youre the only one in whom Ive confided my speculation. Do you know how I convinced Medanzo and the others? Habsburg said coldly, Werent they bought? The Demon King laughed. It wouldnt have been so easy to buy them if they werent convinced. Habsburg gave an unexpected reply, I dont want to know. Blood energy snaked out of his raised arm, forming a set of sanguine armor around him. The Demon King sighed. He simply stood there without doing anything, but his suppressive might immediately covered the balcony and suppressed Habsburgs armor. Metatron, old friend, youre still just as stubborn. Habsburg crashed into the stone wall of the balcony, his face shifting from pallor to an unnatural flush. His body froze upon hearing the name the Demon King had just uttered. He later stood up straight and said, Im not an awakener. The Demon King said, Nighteye isnt a true awakener, either. Can you guys not sense the problem with your River of Blood? Habsburg wasnt expecting the Demon King to use that as an argument. He didnt have a retort for the moment. Metatron, I dont have any other friends left from my time as an adventurer. The Demon Kings voice was gentle, almost as though he were chatting with an old friend in a park. It was as though the war didnt exist. The Demon King was just an ordinary warrior during his days as an adventurer. If there was anything special to be told about him, it was the fact that he was a traveling bard. On the other hand, the elder among the Sperger twins was known to be mediocre in strength but was celebrated for his talent in music. Kane and Metatron came to know each other in the saloon of a noble lady in the neutral lands. Habsburg said after a while, Do not call me that anymore. The Demon King accepted the request. Very well, Habsburg, it seems you dont want to talk about the past. Lets talk about the results from the lab on the Fire Beacon Continent, isnt it enough to prove what I say? Habsburg said, No matter what you say, I have no intention of betraying the River of Blood. The Demon King said, But are you willing to resign to your fate? You and your brother clearly have the same talent and the same bloodline, yet you are forced to make such a painful choice and thats not even the worst part. Its not as if you can let Samael have the only candy between you two. To be crowned and obtain all of the seals inheritance, one of you would have to devour the other twin. Habsburgs expression grew unsightly, and the combination of fatigue and emotional strain caused him to stagger. The Demon King sighed. When I heard you went into hibernation at two hundred years old, I thought you would never wake up again. But now youve awakened that means Samael has given you his energy. Habsburg said, Kane, youre always able to see through peoples hearts, but For the first time, the Demon King ignored his manners and cut Habsburg short, Such a tragedy will not happen again if the River of Blood can recover to its ancient state. Habsburg could already guess how the Demon King had persuaded all the traitors. In truth, no one knew if these problems would be solved by restoring the River of Blood. But the river had been asleep for over a thousand years. The appearance of a few favorites did not kindle hope among the vampires it filled them with despair instead. Habsburg said after a while, Your words might be enough to persuade them, but you and I both know that this is just a guess. Thats not sufficient to make me a traitor. Chapter 1393: Unnecessary Sacrifice The Demon King laughed. Traitor? To whom? The River of Blood, the blood seal, or the Queen of the Night? The River of Blood is in an abnormal state. Normal vampires below the great dark monarch realm might not know so clearly, but primogenitors like you know very well. If you say the thousand years of our research is wrong, then show me whats right. If you dont uproot the tainted blood seals, this disaster will only spread. The extinguished seals will never light up again as time goes on. In the end, even the memory of your existence will disappear just like the thirteenth clan. Habsburg, I only captured the blood ponds of those clans so that they stop affecting the river. If I really want to destroy the vampire race, theres no need for me to fight such a war. As for the Queen of the Night, you vampires believe that primogenitors are more important than the entire clan. The Queen is even more important than the entire race. Then why do you stand before me? Even if you cannot reach her for the time being, there will be a time when the Queen of the Night will awaken on her own. Habsburgs tone hardened. I told you, not everyone shares the same opinion! My dear old friend, look at you, you cant even convince yourself. Your stubbornness will not give Samael release. For a primogenitor, he didnt even live as long as a grand duke. You never liked how the lower vampires devoured flesh and blood like beasts. You also hate the path where you need to devour a relative in order to become stronger. What are you afraid of? The Demon Kings voice was like a sigh that could pass through time, stirring up countless distant memories. Sweating, Habsburg took a step back and leaned against the wall to stabilize his footing. Is it that rumor about how only the purest bloodlines can ignite blood seals? I heard there are some dukes in the Sperger clan who are dissatisfied because your bloodline isnt as pure. Well, those arent exactly rumors Its just that no one has ever told them that the so-called purity isnt innate and that devouring bloodlines isnt the only path to purity. Enough, Kane, Your Majesty. The Demon King seemed to be able to see through everything. I didnt argue with you a thousand years ago, but things are no longer the same. And did you never suspect anything? The Queen said she needs to rest due to overexertion, but even you cannot tell her real intentions, can you? Habsburg sounded fatigued. Your Majesty, youve never spoken so much to me before. You must know that you cannot persuade me. The Demon King shook his head. Fine, lets do it this way. You just sit by and watch, all you need to do is watch and see if Im right. As repayment, Ill ensure that the Sperger clan remains intact. Ill also revert this war to the standards of the previous holy wars. How does that sound? Of course, very few people were privy to things the Demon King had just spoken to Habsburg. No matter what kind of reasoning the demonkin had used to mobilize the allied army, a follow-up war was inevitable even after the mission had been announced completed. If the Demon King was willing to control the scale of this war, this meant that many ordinary vampires would survive. It would also prove the Demon Kings statement as he had already completed the purging of the tainted clans. Habsburg closed his eyes for a while. He then looked straight into the Demon Kings eyes and said, Why did you choose this timing? The arrival of the new world is our only opportunity to purify the darkness origins. Otherwise, theres no telling how many more millennia we would have to wait. The black flames will die out in a couple of days, and youll get the proof you want at that time. Habsburg laughed wryly. I still dont know if the new world represents a scheme or a ray of hope. Well see soon enough. I thought you would declare war on the human race. If everything goes smoothly, the object in the new world will thoroughly purify the darkness origins. The human race will no longer be a problem at that point. New daybreak lifeforms will always appear if daybreak itself is not uprooted. All the sins of this world will be expelled once glory returns to the darkness. What if I say no? The Demon King said gently, Many people will die with you. More than you can imagine, and not just on the Twilight continent. After a brief pause, his voice became even softer. Ive already made a decision out of necessity. Habsburg, dont make me do this a second time. Habsburgs breathing froze for a moment. Im humbled by your favor, but why exactly? Simple, the new vampire race will need a leader. Someone needs to succeed Lilith when she returns to the River of Blood in the future. No one is more suitable. Habsburg was stunned. Whats this ancient glory you wish to restore? A time when the seven races stood on the Sacred Mountain. War and propagation are part of the wheel of fate, the rise and fall of life is what makes the darkness thrive. Habsburgs blood core shook violently for a moment. The Demon Kings description reminded him of a vision he saw a long time ago in a minor realm. They were actually very similar. You expect too much from me, Im not even a great dark monarch yet. The great dark monarch realm is not as difficult as you expect. Why me? I think there are better candidates. Medanzo? Hes not suitable to be a leader, hell never be. What do you look for in a leader? One who can draft and uphold the law, one who can make decisions. At this point, the Demon King paused for a moment. Well, there are times when even the supremes dont have a choice. Thats probably because were not strong enough. Habsburg, the sacrifice you wanted to make was never meaningful, and now, theres no longer a reason. Join me and witness the future lets see if my choice was right or wrong. After a long while of silence, Habsburg said, Fine At this point, the Demon King looked up at the distant void. Habsburg also sensed the River of Blood moving, and amidst the waves, he could make out a faint aura of the Morway clan. The Demon King said thoughtfully, Im reminded of a human saying: pillars emerge in times of danger. Perhaps this war is a good thing for the new vampire race. Habsburg gazed into the distance. Apart from a few times the river had surged for unknown reasons, this was the first time he had sensed another clan calling on the river. Was it really possible to restore the lost fate by going back to ancient times? The battle at Serene Pass had ended. This battlefield was easier to clean up than any other because the troop didnt leave any material object. Even the piles of sand on the ground were crumbling away at a visible pace. The battle, however, wasnt easier than any other battle. The military engineers were installing temporary armor plates on the charred walls; the actual repairs would have to wait until they were certain the fight was over. The Radiant Emperor appeared in the air above the tower. Duke Rong, I have something to say to you. After Zhao Jundu followed the Emperor into the air, Lin Wu said to Zhao Junhong, Please remind Duke Rong about the matter he agreed to before. Ill take my leave now. Zhao Junhong called out to him, Commander Lin, why not speak openly? Lin Wu let out a sinister laugh. Openly? Would you have believed me? You people couldnt even trust Marshal Lin. Im just a small character, what right do I have? Besides, it takes more than a few people to get this thing done. Zhao Junhong said, More than a few people? Commander Lin has been an inspector for many years. You should know full well that complicated matters require more hands, why not work with us? Lin Wu said indifferently, Work with overprotective people like you? To investigate your internal matters? Ha! How did you deal with the collapse of Zhao Guanweis camp? And thats just a champion. Even someone as calm as Zhao Junhong couldnt help but feel anger. Lin Wu said, You dont need to probe my bottomline. I will return if things dont go according to my will. Zhao Junhong could no longer tolerate such an undisguised threat. However, before he could say anything, the man stepped into the shadows and disappeared right before his eyes. Zhao Junhong was both shocked and furious. As a suicide soldier, Lin Wu was adept at concealment and assassination. Now that he had crossed the divine champion threshold, no one could say for sure what his newfound power was. If it was also concealment or a burst attack, the mere thought of it was shiver-inducing. Zhao Junhong hadnt finished sorting out his emotions when he sensed a familiar fluctuation in the air. It was Zhao Jundu calling out to him. Things had ended so quickly? This span of time was only enough to exchange a few words. Zhao Junhong took to the air and found Zhao Jundu gazing at the two destroyed provinces. There was no saving Serene South at this point. Some parts of Desolate North might have survived, so the Zhao clan and the Imperial forces sent out a joint rescue force. It was hard to say how much that would help. Zhao Jundu turned around. Second Brother. Zhao Junhong was surprised. His brother had never revealed such a complicated expression even when Qianye was lost and found, and even when he was injured to the point of losing his heavenly monarch potential. Zhao Junhong collected himself and repeated what Lin Wu had told him just now. Did the Emperor say anything thats annoying you? Zhao Jundu revealed a wry smile. His Majesty asked me if I had any intention of splitting from the Zhao clan. This shocked Zhao Junhong so much that he almost lost his footing. Fortunately, Zhao Jundu reacted quickly and caught him with his origin power. The heavy blow actually cleared up his thoughts. Fourth Brother, do you think His Majesty and Lin Wu are referring to the same thing? Zhao Jundu said after some thought, Their attitudes are the same, but the matter is different. The worst part is that theres probably more to come. Chapter 1394: Family Interests Zhao Junhong realized that he was being too extreme just now. The Imperial family and the aristocracy would never interfere with each others internal affairs. Although the clan lords could only be appointed by the Emperor, that was just a formality. The candidates were submitted by the clans themselves. There was once an incident where two clan lord candidates were submitted to the Imperial court. The archives department sent both submissions back since they werent interested in whatever internal dispute was going on. As expected, the Radiant Emperors reason was: Duke Rong is my nephew so to speak. I rarely see Sister Gaoyi now that she has been demoted, only at family banquets and such, but Im greatly delighted to see that her beloved child is now an outstanding person. I wonder if Jundu has any intention to split off from the family? The land in Tiansui County isnt bad, but it doesnt suit you very well. The Imperial familys reserve territory might be smaller, but its rich in natural resources and should serve you better. Zhao Jundu was puzzled upon hearing such words, so he only gave a vague reply. The Radiant Emperor said, The Zhao clan is full of courageous warriors and is a pillar of the Empire, but its also within reason for me to bestow the Imperial familys land to my sisters son. Jundu, its fine to let me know once youve thought it through. That was the extent of the conversation between the two. The Emperor left via the void afterward, probably leaving the continent directly. Zhao Junhong couldnt help but laugh ruefully. He had almost forgotten that the Radiant Emperor was actually their uncle, a relative within three generations. They were even more closely related to the Imperial family than Duke Yous branch. There was nothing wrong with an older relative being concerned about a juniors first conferred territory. Things werent that simple, however. Gaoyi and the Radiant Emperor might be siblings, but they were never close. Gaoyi was the direct descendant from a family of high status, and her Imperial blood ran thick. She might not even remember what the Radiant Emperor looked like back when she was in the palace. There was a long period of silence after the Radiant Emperor succeeded the throne. Duke Chengens line was just a branch of Duke Yous lineage. Gaoyi herself was too busy with family matters to pay attention to this inconspicuous royal brother. Picking up this connection at such a time went to show that the Emperor was trying to give Zhao Jundu a suggestion as an older relative and not as the Emperor. Zhao Jundu was left wondering why the Radiant Emperor would bring this up. The Empire always followed a set procedure when conferring title and land. An empty title was the quickest to process, with all paperwork completed within a month regardless of the rank. A landed title was differentthe process was much longer unless the person was being assigned land from his familys territory. The pioneering of new territory would involve measurements, surveys, and positioning before a warzone can be designated. This process could be completed in half a year or so. Things werent as simple if things involved the transaction of land in the Empires mainland. Most territories in the heart of the Empire had already been conferred. A small portion of them was masterless for various reasons and under the trusteeship of the Empire. Such lands were usually extremeeither extremely good or extremely badso they would need several years of negotiation with various parties before a confirmation could be reached. After fighting in two territorial wars and receiving a hereditary title, Zhao Jundu would obtain land not just on the void continent but also a county in the Empires mainland. This size was equivalent to the fiefdom of a counts family, not something so easily squeezed out. Zhao Jundu didnt really care about this matter at first. My landed title wasnt supposed to be confirmed so quickly Why is the county name already out? I remember Tianshui is a famous eastern province. I dont think newly ascended dukes would be granted such territories. Zhao Junhong seemed to have found some clues. He said with a helpless sigh, Tianshui was supposed to be conferred to Duke Zhengguo, Lin Xitang. Even someone as calm as Zhao Jundu couldnt help but feel surprised. The Lin descendants are sure to face a demotion, but why did the Emperor take back their conferred land? Moreover, his Zhengguo title was conferred by the previous Emperor, and he was never promoted again all this time. He shouldve been conferred another duke title at least considering how much he had contributed to the Empire. How big is the Lin familys current territory anyway? In truth, landed titles were becoming more and more difficult to confer since the Empire settled on its four continents. This was especially true today where the mainlands have enjoyed prolonged peace. There wasnt enough land for all the landed titles. The items used to classify the aristocracy included contributions and enclave earnings in addition to the conferred land. The Lin family was a lower-ranking aristocratic family, and most of its members were low-ranking officials. They only possessed a county of land in the Empire and a small one at that. Lin Xitang was serving as the leader of the cabinet back when he received the title of Marquis Zhengguo. That was a time when he was under the most attack both in court and in public. Hence, he never received additional land although his title was a landed one. The territories Lin Xitang pioneered during his time as a marshal were considered his designated warzone. After leaving office, he could keep a portion of them as a part of his territory and exchange his contributions for a big county back in the mainland. At the thought of this, Zhao Junhong couldnt help but press on his forehead. Instead of replying to Zhao Jundus question, he said, I heard the Lin family submitted a proposal, saying they wish to return the lands to the Empire because they do not have the power to defend them. Zhao Jundu might be inferior to Zhao Junhong in terms of government affairs, but he was still familiar with the rules of the Empire. His expression darkened as he connected all the recent incidents. Second Brother, why has the Northern Legion been kept on the Western Continent? Zhao Junhong had thought of this matter one step ahead; he just didnt know how to start talking about it. Seeing as Zhao Jundu was bringing it up, he said with a deep sigh, It just so happened that the beast horde attacked when the Northern Legion was being relieved. Father personally requested the Northern Legion to stay and help with the defense. Zhao Jundu was commanding the Empires forward base at the time. Later on, he paid little attention to matters on the Western Continent after hearing that the situation was much better compared to Transcendent. One had to know that Zhao Weihuang and Lin Xitang didnt share a great relationship despite being neighbors on the battlefield. The highest-ranked officer on the Western Continent right now was the General of the Northwest, Zhao Weihuang. In name, he was to oversee the transition and withdrawal of the Northern Legion from the Western Continent, but Zhao Jundu could say for sure that the man had never even set foot in the Northern Legions camp. Besides, considering Zhao Weihuangs character, the first thing he would do in the face of an invasion was lead his troops into battle. There was no way he would head over to the Northern Legion on his own. Zhao Junhong sighed. Regardless, no one would have objected. Zhao Jundu understood what Zhao Junhong meant. Now that he thought about it, he wouldnt have found anything wrong with this matter even if he were at the scene; it was only right that the Empires soldiers would fight to protect the Empire. However, the Zhao clans actions actually served to detain the Northern Legion on the Western Continent. The fact that the Northern Legion hadnt completed its withdrawal procedures became all the more eye-catching today. Then whats with Tianshui? It was the clans decision to go through with your title and land conferment procedures, Zhao Junhong said with a wry smile. In fact, were not the only clan eyeing that land. Tianshui boasts a well-defined border, prosperous cities, and its located in the heart of the continent, a good place thats rare to see in recent years. Duke Zhengguos contributions, experience, and status allowed him to jump the queue and take the land. No one could object even if they werent quite satisfied. The Zhao clan cant stay idle now that everyone in line for conferment is making a move for this territory. Imperial fiefdoms were a major topic for the entire clan. It was impossible for the titled person to do all the miscellaneous procedures himself, so the usual rule was to discuss everything within the clan first. Then, the family would dispatch a capable representative to obtain the greatest benefits for the clan. This wasnt something a handful of people could decide because it involved the interests of the clan and its single primary, two parallels, and eighteen auxiliary manors. Zhao Jundu couldnt be bothered to ask about the details, just as there was no need to figure out who had given the clan lord advice regarding the Northern Legion. Everyone had the clans interests in mind, so they would need to start elsewhere to find out the person with untoward intentions. Zhao Junhong sighed. Every mainland territory conferred involves countless power contests behind the curtains. Its not something a single family can do. What exactly did His Majesty want? Zhao Jundu said calmly, Perhaps this matter wasnt orchestrated by the Zhao Clan. Its just that were not entirely innocent. Zhao Junhong was dazed momentarily. He wanted to argue but didnt know what to say. Now that it was clear that the Lin family was incapable of holding onto the territory, he couldnt guarantee that he wouldnt take advantage of the situation and simply allow the other clans to claim the benefits. It was easy to talk about maintaining proper conduct when people werent looking, but how many people could actually follow the principle? Zhao Jundu pondered for a while before saying, I think I understand what Commander Lin meant. One cannot help but make certain associations regarding those rumors. Rumors seem easy, but investigating them is fairly difficult. Considering the friction between the Zhao clan and Lin Xitang throughout the years, few will actually consider this as idle gossip. At this point, Zhao Jundu recalled the Emperors praise. The Zhao clan is full of courageous warriors. The Zhao clan specialized in warfare. Its descendants would join the battlefield the moment they came of age. From the twenty high-ranking elders and the head of each branch family to the clan lord himself, no one was a weakling. Zhao Jundu was able to lead his own manor at such a young age, not because he was a genius but because of his strength and ability. Even the weaker ones among these elders were respected for their great contributions to the Empire. This was also the reason why the Zhao clan was able to stand firmly as one of the top clans despite their arrogance, their refusal to intermarry with landowning households, or curry favor with the Imperial clan. This also caused the clan to lack a single loud voice. At first, the clan lord position had been shouldered by the Dukes You and Yan in turn. The main and branch families were in a relative balance of power, something Duke Chengen broke when he took up the clan lords position. This was especially true because it had been less than fourteen years since Duke Chengens lineage had broken off from Duke Yous branch. The two dukes You and Yan were older than Zhao Weihuang by one generation. And apart from Zhao Jundu, the heads of all the other auxiliary manors were either his seniors or peers. Hence, the residences tended to mind their own business, unless the clans ancestral teachings were being violated. Zhao Guanweis matter was the best example. At this point, Zhao Junhong suddenly remembered something. The Emperor asked you about splitting off did he find out about that time Zhao Jundu immediately understood what Zhao Junhong was trying to say. He patted his second brother on the shoulder, saying, Im totally fine, no need to bear what outsiders say in mind. Zhao Junhong laughed ruefully. This matter started at the end of the void continent war. Princess Haimi had saved Zhao Jundu using every medicine at her disposal, yet he didnt recover for a long while. The worst part was that his origin power grade had slipped significantly. This was a major development for the Zhao clan. Before this, the Dukes You and Yan had stood their ground against the masses to pick Zhao Jundu as the next clan lord, skipping over traditional procedures. Although this matter hadnt been announced yet, it had already passed the elder assembly. It almost seemed like he had no hope of becoming a divine champion back then. Throughout its long history, the Zhao clan had never had a clan lord who wasnt even a divine champion. As such, it was only natural that some people would start giving out other suggestions. Among Duke Yans grandsons, Zhao Fenglei was in detention for two years because of the incident on the void continent. Their main resources were shifted to two other young descendants, who showed great improvement in cultivation and warfare. Everyone was delighted that there would be no gap in the clans core descendants, but they had to consider the matter of the next clan lord. One of the plans was to suggest Zhao Junhong as the successor. Back when Zhao Jundus brilliance was shrouding the entire younger generation, the outside world viewed him as a man of mediocre talents. The clan members, however, saw him as a veteran in governmental affairs and an expert in military strategy. There was a chance he could break through to the divine champion realm with proper training and the right opportunity. By the time Zhao Junhong was conferred the title of Vice-Marshal, he was already rank seventeen. This debate came to an end when Zhao Jundu later reforged himself in fire and broke through to the divine champion realm that and Gaoyis fury. The Imperial princess announced that she wouldnt allow others to incite conflict between her two sons. Soon, the beast tide arrived along with the war in the new world. The discussion about the successor position was thus deferred. At this moment, a signal flare exploded in the distant sky. This was the Zhao clans withdrawal signal. Zhao Junhong said, Its time for me to head back, otherwise, people will start looking for me. It was fine for the Radiant Emperor and Prince Greensun to leave, but the two siblings had to appease the defending army at Serene Pass. Zhao Jundu nodded. Second Brother, lets not tell anyone else about todays matter. Zhao Junhong sighed. I was just about to persuade you not to tell Mother about this. Its great that you think the same, lets just discuss this together first. As the closest among the siblings, Zhao Junhong understood that Zhao Jundus warning did not include their mother and other siblings. Zhao Jundu said with a frown, How is this related to mother? Zhao Junhong was already tired of producing wry smiles at this point. I remembered something. Whether or not its related to the current matters, its best I let you know first. Back when Marshal Lin produced secret treasures to send people into the Great Maelstrom, our little sister robbed someones treasure and went in. Back then, Mother said she would settle this score with the marshal. Zhao Jundu hadnt expected this. What kind of reasoning is this? Theres no way the marshal couldve controlled little sister. Zhao Junhong said, She mustve said so because she was in a bad mood, but someone managed to blow it up. Everyone knows about it now. Even Zhao Jundu could only sigh. These trivial matters had all come together to form a sinister outcome, painting the Zhao clan as a villain. Zhao Junhong said, I really wonder whos so capable? They keep setting up traps for the Zhao clan to jump into. Zhao Jundu shook his head. How can there be so many schemes? Many of these things are happening because we lack secrecy in doing things, things other people took advantage of in passing. Comparatively, Command Lin is the one Im worried about. Im afraid someone will think themselves clever and try to cause trouble. Not only will they get themselves killed, but the scandal will also be made known to the entire world. Zhao Junhong felt a headache come over him as he recalled Lin Wu. This man had faced countless assassinations during his time as Fang Qingkong, and none of them had ever succeeded. Moreover, news of the attempt would always spread out at the critical juncture. One had to know that the clans sought face above all else. They would rather fight in secret without letting these things surface in public. But even Zhao Junhong had to admit that the mans tone of voice made him want to challenge him to a duel. Zhao Junhong also came to understand at this point. Lin Wu wouldnt have said those things if it was only about the rumors. No clan will do a thorough purge just because of some rumors. Someone in the clan mightve done something extreme, and Lin Wu either has proof of it or is trying to alarm us into revealing the proof. Zhao Jundu said, We must deal with those rumors anyway, so lets start there. Ask all manors to restrain their members and investigate the source. You and I will work in secret to check what this is all about. Zhao Junhong nodded, and the two returned to Serene Pass afterward. Chapter 1395: True Purification Bandari Continent was the youngest among the demonkin continents. Its sky wasnt as colorful as the Twilight Continents, but it was filled with dynamic beauty. Countless streaks of light would gather and spread out slowly in the sky, forming circles, curtains, and arcs. The demonkin continent possessed different landforms and flora compared to the middle continents. The further one went into the continent, the more of an ancient aura one could sense in the air. The place looked quite a bit different from the other dark race continents. The large sea of crystalline flowers before them reached the ends of the plain, almost as though there was no border to it. An ancient castle could be seen sitting on a gentle slope, almost occupying the entirety of the hill. This castle did not possess the austerity of an ordinary fortressevery corner, every line, and every carving was complex and elegant. It was like an intricate work of art against the sea of crystal flowers. Habsburg stood before the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, gazing out at the scenery. An unfinished board of chess sat silently on the nearby tea table. In the air outside of the window, the Demon King Kane was standing with his harp, entirely focused on playing a tune. The music pouring out from the fourteen chords was as clear as the crystalline flower petals beneath him. The unhurried melody was like an aurora reflecting upon flower petals, merging into a hazy mist as it swept across the land. Habsburg listened in silence. This was a joyous tune popular in the Evernight World, a song about how a traveler found enlightenment during his travels the purest, most majestic, and eternal darkness. A variation appeared just as the song was about to endthe boundless darkness transformed into a world of many layers that opened up into a sky full of glorious stars. The harp came to a sudden stop here. The Demon King stood there with the harp in his arms and his head slightly lowered; only his silhouette could be seen from the side. Only when a fluctuation appeared from the main building did he look over. He then reached out and pulled a parchment paper out of thin air. He scanned the contents briefly before sending it away with a flick of his finger. The Demon King appeared in the lounge afterward. Habsburg was already in his seat beside the table, arranging the chess pieces on the board. The Demon King said, The black flames in the new world are about to die, but the remainder seems to be burning at a much slower rate and releasing a lingering mist in the area. The gravity in the area has risen so much that both the Empire and our forces had to pull back. It looks like well need to wait a couple more days. Habsburg said, That place is too chaotic. The Demon King shook his head. Its the laws that are chaotic. This is an extreme manifestation of a compressed origin power, just like how a low-ranking expert collapses in the face of a high-ranking expert. Habsburg understood after some thought. What exactly is inside? The Demon King said, A substance, or rather, an energy that can repair our darkness origins. We cannot guess its form just yet. He laughed while explaining, Theres something else thats interesting. Habsburg glanced at him. Something that interests even you? Nighteye and Qianye have appeared. Habsburg looked up, waiting quietly for the continuation. Qianye has recovered his strength so quickly, looks like I underestimated him. Habsburg said indifferently, Regardless, hes just a glorious marquis, no? Even if he has the strength to contend against higher ranks, you have more than a few people of the same caliber. Is he worth paying attention to? Qianye should be a duke by now, and he has Nighteye with him. Even Progia suffered against the two of them combined, thats no unimportant character. The Demon King broke out into a laugh. You dont need to remind me. Even if I didnt promise you, Im not about to head over to Twilight and bully those kids. Twilight Continent? Yes, they rescued the Dark Gospel and some vampires. It looks like they intend to take them away from Twilight. The Demon King seemed pensive. Habsburgs words interrupted the demonkins thoughts, Howard cant wake up Her Majesty anymore, and youve already purged the blood ponds. It probably wont affect your plans even if they join Genesis or New Moon, will it? The Demon King shot Habsburg a glance. He said while waving his hand in a friendly manner, The Book of Darkness is with Qianye. The Book of Darkness? Habsburg was startled. This holy relics legends have spread far and wide. It was rumored that Andruils power rose by leaps and bounds after obtaining the ancient secrets recorded within. We, on the other hand, know that none of those things are true. What makes you so interested in the book? After reaching the prince rank, vampires could no longer see the path forward by external means. Having become a primogenitor, Habsburg had, of course, walked part of the path himself. Communicating with the River of Blood, obtaining the races inheritance, sensing the blood seal, and igniting it were just some of the paths based on ones bloodline. Observing, contemplating, and understanding the nature of this world was a different path. Among them, comprehending the laws of the world was the more proactive route because racial inheritance wasnt a certain thing. Then again, the former was more dangerous. People believed that the best way to understand the laws was to explore the upper continents. To do this, they would have to traverse the boundless void and contend with suddenly appearing void colossi. Experts from every race above the prince level would have to walk this difficult path. That was why Habsburg didnt believe in any secret method to skip the prince bottleneck, and someone at the Demon Kings level had no use for the Book of Darkness. The Demon King said, Actually, I have seen the book as well, and its definitely not a secret art. The Book of Darkness is also called the Book of Genesis, a treasure born together with our world. Its actual function is to record and evolve, in addition to some minor uses that arent worth mentioning. Habsburg asked, Is this evolution a display of the laws of this world? That would be rather interesting if so. The Demon King shook his head. Youll know if you see it. The Book of Darkness evolution is quite different from the real Evernight World we know today. Seeing that Habsburg was puzzled, the Demon King said, The records in the Book of Darkness date back to the moment the Evernight World was created. Its evolution is a deduction of how the world shouldve progressed and prospered. At this point, the Demon King paused for a bit. That means the world derived from the Book of Darkness is how this world should be, a world that is truly pure. After a momentary daze, Habsburg suddenly recalled a problem, Did you say the world in the Book of Darkness is different from this world?! Qianye had no idea what a pure Evernight World looked like, nor did he care. However, he sensed something as the Demon King said those words. He suddenly turned back and gazed into the distance. Nighteye noticed the change. Whats up? Qianyes face was somewhat pale. He quietly channeled his concealment powers for some time before he managed to cut off the mysterious intent that had locked onto him. This short period of contention resulted in his aura dropping a bit. Nighteye was surprised. Who is it?! Qianye shook his head. I dont know, but I think theyre onto me. Howard arrived. The airships on my side are ready. The direct descendants of all the clans have reported in. When will your airship arrive? Qianye glanced into the distance and saw a dark fleet of transports driving over at full speed. The vampires in the secret realm emerged from their tents and gazed at the incoming airships, their faces full of excitement. The trios rescue operation went off without a hitch, completing almost one day early. For some reason, the council withdrew on the second day, almost as though they were conducting a normal mission. Whatever the reason was, it made things a lot less troublesome for Qianyes group. Their main objective was to save people, so they avoided the territories that hadnt been invaded lest they fall into a trap like at Marquis Lynchs place. The three of them only encountered council members twice during the entire process. Medanzo never showed his face, and dukes were the strongest among those the council had left behind to maintain order. The council squads did try to hunt down Qianyes group later on, but they couldnt so much as grasp the trios movements. Just like that, tens of thousands of vampires had gathered at the secret realm. Hearing Howards question, Qianye replied, Its already here. The clouds over the distant horizon gushed upward as an airship of unimaginable size tore through the skies and appeared above Twilight Continent. That city-sized airship could only be the Martyrs Palace. The palace drove straight toward the secret realm and landed before the other transports. It looked as though the Earth Dragon had made a dive toward the ground before switching to a gentle descent at the last moment. The vampires in the valley were stunned. How could they have ever seen such an airship? Qianye said, Board the airship! Leave the useless stuff. We cant hide the Martyrs Palace for long. Howard also regained his composure and immediately left to oversee the boarding procedure. All of these people had just escaped from the clutches of death, so it wasnt too difficult to make them board faster. On the other side, the massive transport fleet had just arrived and was landing one after another. They would be in charge of delivering ordinary vampires to Fort Continent. Tens of thousands of vampires were crowded near the landing site, filling each airship soon after it had landed. Those vessels didnt linger in the area afterward and quickly set out on their journey to the Fort Continent. Qianye felt relieved to see that the process was rather efficient despite being messy. He had just turned around when a black shadow shot toward him at great speeds, kicking up gusts of wind in its wake. Qianye did not have enough time to dodge and was smashed right into the ground from the impact. This slam was extremely heavy. Even with his ancient vampire constitution, Qianye was seeing stars afterward. Most importantly, this attack came out of nowhere. Qianye shook his head and saw a child clinging onto him like an octopus. Her strength was so great that it felt as though he were in the jaws of a void colossus; even his modified bones were creaking. A beautiful little face appeared in front of his eyes, and the girl smiled radiantly as she planted several big kisses on Qianyes face. Papa! Trying hard to suppress a counterattack, he gazed at the girl for a good while. Zhuji? Yes, its me! I look better now, dont I? Wait, get up first, youre about to break my ribs. Groaning, Qianye reached out and grabbed Zhuji by the neck. Fortunately, the little lass weakness never changed despite growing a lot taller. She would go limp once she was lifted up from the nape of her neck and curl up into a ball. Qianye climbed out from the pit and shook the dirt off his clothes. Only then did he have enough time to observe Zhuji. Chapter 1396: Good-Looking Stepmom That young little girl now looked like a fifteen-year-old lady, and she was starting to catch up to Qianye in height. From her external appearance, no one could tell that this slender young girl possessed such explosive power within. Her eyes were clear, bright, and contained a hint of cunning, a stark difference from her usual confused state. Youve grown up. Qianye felt emotional. She was but an egg back when he found her in a counts lair. Qianye and Song Zining were only young geniuses back thenall the major characters had to say about them was that their potential wasnt bad. How time had flown! This little girl had already grown up. Qianye, Song Zining, and their brothers from back in the year had all become awe-inspiring experts. Little Zhuji said with a smile, I grow fast, but Im still very young. Qianye was astonished. How did you become so smart? The girl replied, I dont know. One day, I stopped being so hungry, almost as though I had woken up from a long sleep. Then, I understood everything. That alright Qianye didnt know what to say. Arachne talents were truly enviable. This little lass had done little besides eating and sleeping since she was born. When she fought, she did so out of instinct, and her innate talents decided her cultivation. She had matured even faster than Qianye, shaming all of the geniuses from either faction. This little fellow had actually become an extremely beautiful lady, but Qianyes impression of her was stuck in that period where she was latching onto him. How come youre here? The lass didnt reply. Instead, she gestured with her eyes, saying, Arent you going? Theyre going to start fighting soon. Qianye turned around and saw Caroline glaring at Nighteye, arcs of lightning flickering on her whip. She was clearly preparing for a fight. Nighteye looked rather puzzled, but she wasnt one to think twice about retaliating against challengers. Why were those two daggers drawn? Qianye hurriedly stepped in between them. Whats going on? Caroline contained her killing intent. Shes Nighteye, right? The one who almost killed you in the last battle? Nighteye replied calmly, Outsiders dont need to interfere with our couples spat. Carolines expression was ashen. How can a spat go so far?! The word on the streets is that hes dead! If it wasnt for the information from the Martyrs Palace, I I wouldnt even know if hes alive! Nighteye shot her a smiling glance. What? Were you planning on avenging him? That was the plan if he really did die. Ill kill that person whoever she is! Caroline admitted honestly. Smelling the tension in the air, Qianye wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere. However, Nighteye placed one hand on his shoulder and covered his mouth with the other. I dont mean to say no one can meddle in our affairs, but itll be better if youre a hundred and eighty years younger. Bang! Lightning erupted on Carolines whip, blasting a small hole in the ground. Her chest heaved rapidly as arcs of electricity crawled all over her body. Clearly, she was beyond furious. She mightve lashed at Nighteye if she werent standing so close to Qianye. Qianye cried out internally. That hand on his mouth was holding him with full strength; it would take force equalling a fight in order to remove it. All he could do was glance at Howard, hoping he would step in to help. This Dark Gospel was peeking in this direction at first, but he unexpectedly turned away the moment he met Qianyes gaze and began shouting commands at the vampire civilian airships. The acting was beyond fake. Qianye cursed at the old man for lack of camaraderie, but he couldnt do anything about it. On the other side, Caroline seemed to have thought things through. Her killing intent receded as she said with a smile, Speaking of age, I wonder how an awakeners age is calculated. I think theres a commonly accepted formula for this. Nighteyes smile froze stiff for a moment. Off in the distance, Howard turned away once more. He was simply watching the vampire airships this time, and his aura was so well contained that he felt more like an ordinary vampire elder. Nighteyes loosened her grip on Qianyes mouth. She said nonchalantly while squishing his face, This fellow might be dumb, but you might be a bit lacking to be able to avenge him. To be frank, anyone below the grand duke rank will be throwing their lives away. Caroline said, Even if I cant, I still have my brother. Our Thunderfrost Temple isnt easy to push around in the neutral lands. Neutral lands is it? I think Ive heard of the Throne of Blood. I might just head over when Im free and remove all those shrines and temples. Can you? Caroline sneered. Nighteye patted Qianyes face, saying, Look, I think I need to go to the neutral lands. Qianye couldnt remain silent anymore. Shes one of ours, theres no need to go that far. One of yours? Nighteye laughed coldly. Qianye pulled Nighteye back and said to Caroline, I tricked her in that battle, thats how she ended up injuring me. Im fine right now, see? Carolines expression darkened. Looks like the rumors are true, you really did want to die. Fine, I understand. She put away her Thunderous Whip and walked into the Martyrs Palace, unwilling to reveal herself any longer. Qianye sighed. Go after her. Nighteye prodded. Qianye shook his head. Let it be, Ill find some time to explain. Shes not a bad person. Nighteye snorted. Of course shes not a bad person, shes even willing to fight to the death for you. From her tone, Qianye knew that this problem was over. As slow as he was in the romance department, he knew he couldnt go after Caroline at this juncture. After all the vampires had boarded the airship, the Martyrs Palace slowly rose into the air, leaping into the void as it flew toward Dawn Continent. At the Martyrs Palace, Qianye was seated in front of the window, gazing at the scenery outside. Nighteye sat beside him with Howard and Zhuji across from them. Zhujis bright sparkling eyes remained fixed upon Nighteye all the while. Toward the end, Qainey could no longer ignore her dazzling gaze. Whats the matter? Little Zhuji propped up her cheek with her palms. I was thinking that theyre right. About what? They say the stepmother is always better looking. The atmosphere in the Martyrs Palace immediately reached subzero temperatures. Howard spat out the wine he was enjoying. Qianyes expression shifted drastically, not knowing how he should explain this. Nighteye turned toward Qianye with a spurious smile. That means she has a birth mother? Qianye felt nervous as he looked at her raised brows. Dont listen to her! She just grew up and doesnt know much! Of course I know! I remember everything you guys said since I broke through the eggshell! Little Zhuji stabbed him again. Nighteye tilted her head. Then whos your birth mother? Is it that woman from just now? Little Zhuji blinked innocently. Of course not. Im talking about Mommy Zining. He doesnt look as good as you. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief, his forehead drenched in sweat. He glared furiously at Little Zhuji, puzzled as to whether she was doing this intentionally or otherwise. Nighteye stared at Qianye and said coldly, The weathers not hot at all. Why are you sweating if not for a sense of guilt? Well its not exactly cool, either, Qianye said vaguely. Howards expression was rather odd, almost as though he would break out in laughter at the next moment. Fortunately, he remembered his identity and managed to maintain his image as a primogenitor. Nighteye snorted once and proceeded to ignore Qianye. Qianye said to Zhuji with a stern face, Where did you learn all this nonsense? We were the ones who brought you to the neutral lands, dont you remember? Of course I remember, but that was Aunty Nighteye! Isnt she the same person? She has awakened and no longer the same. Qianye didnt know what to say. Who taught you these things? Aunty Nighteyes identity? I just knew after I woke up. Qianye had no way to deal with her or her special inheritance. According to Evernight customs, an awakener would possess an awakened status. For instance, Nighteye became a member of the Monroe clan after awakening as a primo. After her second awakening, she was treated with the same ceremony as a dark monarch. Who taught you the first part? Who are they? Qianye was shrouded in killing intent, prepared to take it out on the little fella. Zhuji pointed downward, saying, The crew. Whatever they say on the airship I know. Qianye was stunnedthe little lass perception couldnt have reached this stage no matter how powerful it was. He immediately found an answer after connecting with the Earth Dragon. You can communicate with the Earth Dragon? Zhuji nodded. Its really slow, though. I need to talk to him for half a day before he gives me a reply. The Martyrs Palace began to tremble constantly at this point. This was abnormal because this airship used to be a void colossus, and traveling through the void was second nature to it. There was no way it would be unstable. Qianye looked out the window and saw the entire area shrouded in resplendent light. It almost felt like they were in fantasy land. The appearance of such radiance in the void space between continents usually meant great danger. Even the Martyrs Palace would suffer constant impact while passing through; ordinary airships wouldnt last for long. Nighteye looked serious. This is the rainbow belt that separates the upper and middle continents. How come its here? Howard said, Correct. I found the hidden flight path after noticing the abnormality in the rainbow belt, which led me to the place on Dawn Continent. Qianye merged his consciousness with the Earth Dragon and began steering the massive airship through the prismatic light. Chapter 1397: Life on Dawn The void here was no longer full of boundless emptiness but filled with a waterfall of rainbow colors stretching hundreds of kilometers. As beautiful and resplendent as it was, it represented an extremely fierce eruption of power. Even the strongest of airships would have to be cautious in its vicinity, else they would soon find that even a vessel capable of withstanding a dukes attack would be easily twisted apart. Fortunately, the Martyrs Palace was built from the remains of the Earth Dragon. Moreover, the dragon was slowly regaining its consciousness under Qianyes care, especially after the gains it received in the new world. Its flesh had regrown in many parts of the airship. The void colossus body was the best structure to withstand void tempests and prismatic light. Currently, the Martyrs Palace was traversing through the rainbow belt with no damage save for a few bumps. Watching the Martyrs Palace travel unobstructed through the area, Howard sighed. I thought it was inconceivable that we had lost two duke-grade airships at the void continent. Now I can see that they were indeed outmatched. Nighteye asked while gazing at the prismatic curtain, How did you find this flight route back then? The Byrne clans fleet probably cant reach this place. Howard blushed slightly. To be honest, I was fighting against a heavenly monarch from two generations back. My fleet was scattered and I was badly injured, so I had no choice but to flee in this direction. My small airship back then was easier to maneuver. In the end, I ended up on that flight path. At this point, Qianyewho had been connected to the Earth Dragons consciousnesssaid, There! The flight path! In front of the airship, the prismatic lights rolled up like curtains and revealed a path behind them, one that had remained securely hidden behind an intersection of rainbow screens. They could see the dark red silhouette of the Dawn Continent far in the distance. The Martyrs Palace sped up and headed toward the Dawn Continent. By the time its massive frame had left the rainbow belt behind, their destination was already in front of them. Even in the void, they could sense the terrifying power of the sun. Although the radiant sphere hung high up in the sky, the experts could see amazing scenery that was impossible to find on the lower continents. Giant pillars of fire gushed out from the surface of the sun. These pillars werent bright red as one would expect but rather a dark, hazy color. Following the explosion of each flame pillar, a terrifying heatwave and origin power storm would engulf the area. Even the Martyrs palace began to tremble violently from the impact. Heat and violent origin power bore down from above and swept over the Dawn Continent, leaving red clouds in its wake. These clouds were different from the beautiful twilight clouds from the middle continents; they were made up of actual fire. Even the continents natural barrier could do little to protect its interior from the constant erosion of the origin storms. With his True Sight, Qianye could see the intense heat scorching the continent and driving the darkness origin power toward the continents below. A portion of the suns origin power was blocked by the continents higher up. The remainder would pour down toward the rainbow belt, growing significantly weaker in the process. There, it would collide with the existing void origin power, stirring up layer after layer of prismatic light. After all that, the all-destroying solar power would become more or less neutral. In Qianyes vision, the flame pillars gushing out from the sun werent singular but a mixture of daybreak and darkness origin power. It was just that both types were in the form of scorching fire. Only when the storm reached the Dawn Continent did the darkness and daybreak power separate. Most of the daybreak origin power would remain on Dawn Continent, while the darkness origin power sank deeper toward the world below. With Dawn Continent before his eyes, Qianye finally understood why neither the Empire nor Evernight tried to expand into the upper continents. The environment on the Dawn Continent was so adverse that it was almost equal to the new world. It would be extremely difficult to find a foothold here, let alone develop the land. Most of the daybreak origin power from the solar winds remained on the Dawn Continent, hence the intensity of daybreak energy here was much higher than the lower continents. Even dukes would feel as though they were inside a raging furnace since breathing daybreak origin power was beyond discomforting, not to mention the fact that the daybreak origin power here was burning at all times. Only primogenitors like Howard who possessed some comprehension of the basic laws could build a minor isolated environment around them. This served to protect them as they explored the upper continents, but even with that, they couldnt stay for very long. The Dawn Continent was a place of intense daybreak origin power, but the ferocity of this energy was no weaker than void origin power. No ordinary expert could absorb and utilize it. Qianye gave it some thought and found that only the Combatant Formula could make use of the daybreak origin power here. The Imperial nobility might have some ultimate arts that could do the same, but they would no doubt have strict requirements. Few experts would ever succeed. Both the daybreak and darkness origin power was in a constant burning state, not to mention the solar storms that would erupt from time to time. Such an environment would be a difficult ordeal for the frail human body. The dark race experts might be able to stay a bit longer here as they were blessed with a tough constitution. If Dawn Continent was in such a state, it was easy to imagine how the continents higher up would fare. Was there really a place for the vampires on this continent? Howard was staring fixedly at the Dawn Continent all this time. At this moment, he said, Five degrees to the right! The helmsman glanced at Qianye. Only after receiving a nod did he repeat the order, Five degrees to the right. After a while, Howard said, No, its too far. Two degrees to the left! To degrees left! the helmsman repeated. The massive airship was like a nimble fish adjusting its trajectory as it approached Dawn Continent. As the Martyrs Palace approached the protective barrier, a hint of distant green came into Qianyes view. How could there be anything green on the Dawn Continent? Green was a color usually associated with life. The dragonship turned slightly and drove in that general direction. As the Dawn Continent grew bigger and bigger in everyones vision, that green patch also became increasingly noticeable. A giant valley soon came into view in a corner of the Dawn Continent, surrounded by a wall of tall mountain ranges. The scorching winds from the center of the continent would run into the tall mountains and arc over the valley, leaving the continent fully protected. Close up, the valley looked as though it were covered in a giant barrier of flames. It looked nothing out of the ordinary from a distance, so much so that even Qianye could only make out a shade of green. Howard had stumbled upon this well-hidden place back in the year. The Martyrs Palace passed through the screen of flames and landed slowly inside the valley. Qianye was the first to walk out. He found that the surroundings werent as hot as he had expected; it even felt a bit cool. He looked up and discovered that the screen of fire had a different function. It served to block out the excessive heat and violent origin power, keeping the valley cool enough for ordinary vampire experts to survive. There was a dense array of caves in the surrounding cliffs. The biggest among them were dozens of meters wide, while the smallest was only a couple of meters in diameter. There were giant trees growing out of these caves, stretching high toward the sky. To be able to grow in such a harsh environment, one couldnt help but sigh at the tenacity of life. Qianye looked beneath his feet where the soil was covered in grass. The blades of grass were dark red in color and extremely sharp. He reached out to grab the air, locking in some of the origin power in the atmosphere with his blood energy. Most vampires would not be able to utilize this origin power. On the contrary, it might even cause harm to them. Hence, only counts and above could remain in this valley. Fortunately, the amount of violent origin power here wasnt great, so ordinary vampires could also survive here for a while. Howard arrived beside Qianye and picked up a stone from the ground. He then crushed it, allowing the powdery pieces to flow down from his hand. This revealed the glittering specks of light inside the dust. This place might be desolate, but its rich in ore. There was no urgent need before, but now, this industry might serve as the foundation of our races recovery. Qianye only half-understood the ore industry, most of which he had learned back on Fort Continent and applied in the new world. He had little idea how to manage irregular ore distributions. Qianye observed the surroundings repeatedly, thinking about how to set up defenses and deal with possible pursuers. Qianye might be able to escape the Demon Kings detection if he were alone, but the Martyrs Palace was a massive entity, and there was a horde of vampire descendants behind him. It would be impossible to keep this hidden from a supreme. A big army might just appear in the sky very soon. Fortunately, flight routes to the Dawn Continent were limited, so the demonkin army would not be able to launch an invasion. Howards secret flight path was so perilous that it would pose great danger to a large fleet. They would have no choice but to spread out and pass through one after another, effectively limiting their transport capacity. The fire screen covering the valley wasnt for random airships to pass through, either. With this natural barrier, most small aerial battles would be kept on the outside of the valley. And the Martyrs Palace could easily deal with major battles. The demonkin would have to find a landing spot outside of the valley and attack the vampire defense by land. Qianyes figure flickered along the cliffside as he performed a routine check of his surroundings. Howard accompanied him around while introducing Qianye to the results of his investigation. Theres a massive rock at the center of the valley. The constant erosion of void origin power has made it beyond hard, almost like a giant piece of metal alloy. We can build our fortress on top of it. The natural barrier will help us build a fortress that cannot fall! However, Qianye looked up at the distant precipice. No, we will build our defenses there. Chapter 1398: Back Against the Wall The place Qianye was pointing to was an area dotted with caves, located in a corner formed by two cliffs. Howard was puzzled. That place is indeed easier to defend but well be too crowded. Wont that make things easier for the demonkin snipers? The demonkin army contained a large proportion of long-range shooters. Almost all their members in the council army were competent snipers. The defense would be a nightmare once they were pinned at a narrow corner. Qianyes arrangement went against the experience they had gained from a lifetime of fighting against the demonkin. It wasnt just Howard. Nighteye also glanced at Qianye in puzzlement. Qianye waved his hand, saying, This area is more or less an open field with no cover to speak of. The demonkin wont build any defensive structures within our firing range. Of course, that would be a great opportunity for us, but their commander wont be that dumb. The only way we can deal with that is to use the two cliffsides for cover. There were some cracks and caves in the cliffsides to the left and right, but not as many as the place Qianye wanted to make his stand. With the vampire army positioned here, there would be very limited space for the enemy to position their troops. Howard wasnt too happy with this. Our advantage will be almost negligible if the demonkin lineup is made up of skilled sharpshooters. Dont forget that they have a constant supply behind them while the squad on the airship is our entire fighting force. Howards argument was not without sense. Although the men who had been shipped here were all direct descendants of the vampire clans, they were uncoordinated and irregular. The overall fighting power wouldnt be too different from ordinary vampires on Fort Continent. Even though they were trading vampires for elite demonkin snipers, this kind of trade would not bring them victory. This was no holy war, so the demonkin would have a constant stream of reinforcements. While Howard was calculating quietly, Qianye said, Here, we might have a chance at trading one for one. That would be all. Howard said with a frown, Wont our losses be too great? If we set ourselves up at the center, we might suffer fewer casualties. Qianye shook his head. That might be the case in the beginning, but a fortress on flat ground will be overrun at one point. Once that happens, we will be wiped out entirely and the loss-ratio would have no meaning whatsoever. They might not be able to overrun the fortress with me overseeing the defense. Howard wasnt bluffing. His title was the Dark Gospel because his most powerful skill served to enhance his units, raising their fighting power by an entire level. In that scenario, they will wait for reinforcements instead of attacking. We cant deploy our entire force near the cliffside. At this point, Howard seemed to have understood. Were you planning to fight a battle of attrition? Correct. How do you know they cant outlast us? Ive already tested the casualty tolerance of each race back in Blacksun Valley, including the vampires. Howard said, Since you know the limits of our races tolerance, what makes you so confident they can hold out until the end. Because theres no retreat and the only way is to fight until the last man. There will be no path for them to retreat even if they want to. Howard thought about this for a long while before finally nodding his head. He then headed out to summon the vampires from the airship and began constructing the defenses. Nighteye sighed as she watched the busy vampires. You still dont consider yourself a vampire, do you? No, I am indeed a vampire. Then why did you set up this kind of strategy? Because we have no choice. Only fierce cruelty can force the demonkin back. What if they dont retreat? Then these clansmen will be wiped out. The demonkin will also pay a steep price, one they wont want to recall. Nighteye sighed. Very well, the legacy of four major clans will end in your hands if the demonkin wont retreat. Qianye said, They will retreat. Zining has long since figured out their bottom line back in Blacksun Valley. Nighteye stopped talking at the mention of Blacksun Valley, only sighing inwardly. She and Zining had fought as enemies back then, each leading their armies to slaughter the other. Although she let Wei Potian off and showed mercy to Zhao Jundu, she hadnt gone easy on Song Zining at all. The latter knew this as well and switched to an all-out defense mode, turning the fortresses into meat grinders. The Evernight Factions losses were so great that it stifled the entire factionthe vampires werent spared, either. Even someone as cold and indifferent as Nighteye felt her heart race at the sight of corpses strewn across the entire wilderness. The humans would ship back several airships full of corpses every day as they suffered equally painful losses. Toward the end of the war, the dark race experts started to wonder if the humans were indeed intelligent creatures. How come they were so unafraid of death? Who wouldve thought the vampires would be in their shoes in such a short time? A long-lived race that had once reigned supreme was now following the lowly short-lived races, rolling in blood and mud to see who would remain standing in the end. Perhaps the only fortunate thing for the vampires was that no slave armies could be deployed on the Dawn Continent. In a single day and night, a fortress had risen up in a corner of the valley. The stronghold was constructed against the cliffside, utilizing the caves as fire ports. The trees stretching out from the caves provided cover for the marksmen. Howard instructed the vampires to dig tunnels into the mountain, forming a network between all the caves. It was just that the stone on the Dawn Continent was too hard. Although the clan descendants werent weak, this labor placed a great deal of stress on them. The excavation of the tunnels progressed at a snails place. They had only finished connecting some of the caves when the vampires heard the dragonship roaring. The demonkin had arrived. A dozen or so airships appeared above the valley and advanced in a combat formation. A mighty demonkin elder stood on the deck of the flagship, the insignia on his chest announcing his identity for all to see. Brock was a grand duke of the Jeruson clan, better known as the mobile rampart. His eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the dragonship entrenched atop the cliff. A glorious marquis nearby said, That should be the Martyrs Palace, the airship that destroyed two duke-grade airships outside the void continent. Even though there was only one grand-duke airship in the fleet, Brock showed no signs of fear. If the Martyrs Palace is here, it means Qianye is also here. Issue the order, make landfall, and attack from the ground. All airships assume combat formation, our target the Martyrs Palace! Seeing the incoming fleet, the Earth Dragon could no longer endure this provocation. It let out a long howl and sallied forth to meet the enemy. As someone in charge of a large demonkin fleet, Brock was not a mediocre person. He had to have his hidden aces to dare launch an assault despite the enemys accomplishments. Grand Duke Brock gazed at the ascending Earth Dragon and said, Fleet, attack! The flagship began to accelerate toward the Martyrs Palace, leaving all the other warships in the dust. Before the giant dragon, a three-hundred-meter duke airship was akin to a cub standing next to a grown beast. Yet Duke Brock kept on charging and seemed to have no intention of backing off. Atop the skull of the Earth-Dragon. Qianye didnt fully understand the dukes logic, but he welcomed this kind of charge nonetheless. If nothing else, the war on the void continent had proved that duke-grade airships from Evernight did not have enough power to beat the Martyrs Palace. Qianye sped up the palace as well and charged up the main cannon, preparing to blast the opponent to oblivion. Within the demonkin warship, Duke Brock turned around and said, Was it confirmed in the end? That used to be your main cannon, right? The lady standing behind Brock was actually Linken, and she was now a duke. Who knew what kind of resources she had managed to obtain. She gazed into the distance. Her duke eyesight, in addition to her racial talents, allowed her to see all the details on the main cannon of the Martyrs Palace. She clenched her jaws, saying, Correct! Thats indeed Landsinker, the main cannon I spent so much effort building. Its fit for a grand dukes airship! Robbing my Landsinker Ill Enough, return to your post. Brock interrupted her. He kept his gaze at the fast-approaching dragonship, his expression growing harsher as time went by. In the blink of an eye, the two giant airships were within firing range. Their main cannons fired at almost the same time. Brocks main cannon had clearly been enhanced, and its firing range was far greater than ordinary airships of the same level. Landsinker had also undergone various modifications during its time on the Martyrs Palace. Add to that the endless supply of origin power from the Earth Dragons heart, its might had grown significantly. The artillery was evenly matched. At the exact moment of Landsinkers rumble, Brocks eyelids and cheeks twitched unnaturally. He took a step forward and slammed the control table, pouring a terrifying amount of demonic energy inside. The duke flagship performed an inconceivable drift, moving a small distance sideways. This unbelievable movement spared the airship from the most devastating angle of impact. At the same time, a wall of black mist appeared in front of the vessel and countless grimacing faces materialized upon it. The giant armor-piercing bolt fired by the Landsinker slowed down noticeably as it struck the illusory wall, almost as though it had shot into mud. By the time it had penetrated the wall, its firepower was greatly weakened. It only managed to nail itself to the hull armor and not penetrate it. An attack that couldnt penetrate the hull armor did little in terms of damage. This shot could be considered useless. Chapter 1399: Dragged out Dog Fight Brocks projectile was an armor-piercing explosive bolt. It struck the Martyrs Palace square in the head, erupting in an earthshattering explosion. Bone shards flew in every direction as a shallow defect several meters in diameter appeared on the skull. The blast from that duke-grade airships main cannon jolted the Martyrs Palace so badly that it veered to the side. The Earth Dragons skull was thick enough to withstand several dozen such blasts, but Qianye staggered from the impact, his expression solemn. Damage check! Qianyes voice echoed through the airship. Main cannon normal! Seven port cannons malfunctioning, twenty men lost. Three starboard cannons damaged, fifteen men lost. As the damage reports from various parts of the airship arrived, Qianye realized that his worries werent unfounded. This demonkin airship wasnt an opponent to be taken lightlyeven if the Earth Dragon could block its attacks, the impact would damage the crew and equipment within. Brocks flagship brushed past the Martyrs Palace and returned with a lithe turn. The giant bolt in its hull apparently had no effect on its mobility and fighting power. Howard, who had been standing beside Qianye, said, I remember now! Thats the Wall of Sighs! Were facing Grand Duke Brock! Whos that? Brock is a demonkin expert best known for his skill in airship battles. The airforce under his command had faced few defeats. Hes best known for his ability, the Wall of Sighs, which possesses unimaginable defensive power. Rumor has it that the skill descended from a great dark monarch primogenitor. The Jeruson family experts are proficient in defense, to begin with. This skill of Brocks will make them even more difficult to tackle. Qianye suddenly recalled the demonkin viscount he had encountered back in Blackflow City. That person was probably from the Jeruson Familyhe could use a skill called the Shield of Dark Glory, which caused a bit of trouble for Song Zining. How many times can he use the Wall of Sighs? At most three times according to previous records. Qianyes brows relaxed somewhat. Such a powerful defensive ability of course came at a great cost. Although it could only be used three times, those three times could easily decide the outcome of a battle. Not many grand-duke airships could exchange three main-cannon blasts and survive. Unfortunately, Brock was up against the Martyrs Palace. Qianye could calmly exchange half a dozen blasts if he was willing to pay the price. The Martyrs Palace accelerated once more and made a pass above Brocks flagship. There, it swung its tail and lashed fiercely at the enemy vessel. The Earth Dragons tail whip was one of its most powerful moves. Landsinker might be extraordinary, but it wasnt on the Earth Dragons level. Just as the attack was about to land, the front of Brocks flagship came to a sudden halt and its rear end swung to the side. This momentum sent the entire airship flying off of its original trajectory, effectively evading the Martyrs Palace. This unimaginable mobility was beyond what Qianye had expected. Hed never imagined that a three-hundred-meter airship could be so mobile. Qianye wasnt flustered by this. He adjusted the Martyrs Palace with a swing of its tail and once again fired the Landsinker. This attack was once again stopped by the Wall of Sighs, while the enemy counterattack struck the Earth Dragons skull. Even Qianye felt a bit dizzy from the impact. The two airships thus became tangled together. The head and tail portions of the Martyrs Palace were both danger zones with great destructive potential. Brocks airship displayed incomparable agility as it circled the Martyrs Palace like a fly, narrowly evading most of its attacks. Even after a long while, Qianye and the Martyrs Palace failed to hit it even once. The Landsinkers attacks did reach the target but could do little damage after being weakened by the Wall of Sighs. Qianye finally understood why Brock dared to meet him in battle with a single duke-grade airship. It would seem that this duke, in addition to the legendary mobility of his own airship, had studied the Martyrs Palace in great detail. His most notable performance was the ability to anticipate attacks from the Martyrs Palace while it was charging up, evading the most lethal tail lashes. Qianye would still emerge the final victor if this went on, but the demonkin possessed more than a single flagship. The majority of their fleet was made up of transports. These carriers began landing while the Martyrs Palace was locked in battle, always pouring out the passengers and equipment down before leaving. Tens of thousands of demonkin and council troops landed on Dawn Continent. After forming up, they began charging at the hurriedly constructed vampire base. The fights in the air and on the ground were equally intense. No other warships dared approach the battle between Brock and the Martyrs Palace. They did not possess the same level of power and tenacity, so they would be lashed in half the moment they came within range. The Martyrs Palace couldnt leave the defensive zone, either, because it had to protect the vampires below. Otherwise, Brocks flagship could deal irreversible damage to the defensive lineup with a single volley. Just like that, the situation in the air became a stalemate. In the bridge, Brock was constantly pouring demonic energy into the control panel. Four other dukes, including Linken, were also doing the same. It was the power of these top experts that afforded the massive airship its incredible mobility, bringing about a small miracle that was facing off against the Martyrs Palace on its own. Linken was the first to falter among the dukes. After all, she had just advanced to the rank and by special means, no less. This unstabilized strength made her much weaker than her peers. She had just left the control desk when her body was dragged forward by an invisible force, landing in Brocks grasp. The grand duke grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up like a small chicken. Is this the Landsinker you claim no one can modify!? Look at that firepower! Its vastly different from the numbers you gave us! Drained of all demonic energy, Linken could hardly breathe at the moment, let alone speak. Brock wasnt expecting her to reply, eitherall he wanted was somewhere to vent his anger. He tossed Linken to the ground and said coldly, Dont think you can do whatever you want just because youve latched onto that old thing. I could kill you anytime if it weren''t for what little use you have. Scram! Linken clambered up in silence and left without a word. No one could tell what that glint in the depths of her eyes was. At the Martyrs Palace, Qianye was controlling the Earth Dragon as it chased after the flagship. The opponent would make a mistake sooner or later as long as he could sustain this kind of attack. The battle on the ground was growing fiercer every moment. The demonkin vanguard suffered grave losses in the first charge. They hadnt yet adapted to the new environment after landing and were thus unable to suppress the vampires defensive fire. Even so, these men were still elites of the council. They quickly recovered from the setback and made for the cliffs on either side in search of cover. Their central command set up some barriers out of the vampires firing range, hoping to use it as their forward base. The defenders were well-prepared as well. Those who had followed the Martyrs Palace here were all direct descendants of the major clans. Their strength might not be remarkable, but they had ample combat experience and had undergone strict training. This became evident since the first volleythey were much more accurate than an ordinary unit of mixed soldiers. The first hailstorm of bullets dealt significant damage to the demonkin. The demonkin and council elites were also powerful with their assault after finding cover nearby. The problem was that the area leading to the corner fortress was an open space with no obstructions. Unable to charge through the hail of bullets and without a slave army to exhaust the enemy, the council forces could only exchange fire from a distance. In the blink of an eye, the battle quickly entered a trajectory Qianye had expected. The vampires and demonkin were now in a stalemate of long-range battles. The invaders boasted skilled snipers among their ranks while the vampires had constructed defenses at an advantageous position. The ratio of casualties was a bit better than Qianye had expected; these major clan vampires were indeed outstanding in combat. Of course, the councils side would be reinforced periodically while every dead vampire was one less ally. With the war on the ground entering a phase of attrition, the contest was now about willpower. The vampires would not fail in this aspect since they had no way out. The council forces, on the other hand, were an allied army. Morale would become a problem once casualties reached a certain point. On the flagship, Brocks expression was grim. It was as though a storm were brewing around him. The frequency with which he had to inject demonic energy was increasing but the effects didnt improve. Out of the four dukes, yet another one had used up all of his demonic energy and left his post. Without the Wall of Sighs to block the incoming attacks, the enemys Landsinker would deal irreversible damage to their ship sooner or later. The dragons tail lashes could bisect their airship if it were in a completely undefended state. In fact, the Landsinkers power level didnt affect the outcome all that much. Brock had studied the Martyrs Palace beforehand, but he quickly found that reality was vastly different from paper. What he thought was an overestimation turned out to be an underestimation instead. Brock was under great pressure at the moment. He was rather confident of victory at first, and the four dukes were just a backup plan for emergencies. Now it would seem that his lineup was far from enough. He blamed Linken simply because he was furious. Qianye wasnt having an easy time, either. In addition to stabilizing the internal environment of the airship, he had to pay attention to the battle on the ground. The Dark Gospels expression was dark, his face twitching every time a vampire descendant bit the dust. Moments later, he let out a long sigh, Some of the children down there are descendants of my enemies, but my blood core aches every time one of them perishes. Nighteye said, We were all born from the River of Blood, were all a part of it. The loss of each blood seal is a loss for the river. Howard shook his head. Its easy to see that the Demon King wants to remove these families seals from the River of Blood. Whats his objective, I wonder? If he wanted to destroy the entire race, he should have started from the Perth and Monroe clans. To all the vampires, the Queen of the Night was the foundation of the entire race, and the twelve major clans were the core pillars. The leaders were the Perth and Monroe clans, which ranked first and second respectively. These two clans were prosperous with many branch families in addition to their main clan. However, the trio found that the truth was somewhat different from their expectations. These two families hadnt suffered nearly as much damage as some of the lower-ranked clans. It made no sense to say that the demonkin were afraid of the Queens wrath. Howard also understood that there was no answer to this questionthey would need to ask the Demon King if they really wanted the truth. He glanced at the duke-grade flagship fighting the Martyrs Palace and couldnt help but feel a bit nervous. Brocks airship was like an agile hunter, rendering the massive creature that was the Martyrs Palace helpless. The end result was within expectations, but no one knew how long it would take. Chapter 1400: Battle Inside the Ship Qianye stood atop the Earth Dragons skull, his will connected to the dragonship and fully engaged in attacking Brock. Since obtaining the Martyrs Palace, this was the first time someone had managed to fight one-on-one against it. This allowed Qianye to discover his airships weaknesses. An attack from a duke-grade airship would indeed cause damage to the palace. The skeleton might not fear such attacks, but the equipment and crew inside were nowhere as strong. The impact from the hits caused quite a bit of damage. Targeted reinforcements and the installation of defensive arrays were things he needed to do later. He was, at the moment, focused on an entirely different scene, made possible with the aid of the Earth Dragons perception. He could see vast amounts of demonic energy surging within the dukes flagship. This energy was being transported to various parts of the airship by some unknown means, forming a rune that was almost as big as the airship itself. This was the source of the airships inconceivable mobility. Qianye sighed in amazement at this method of energy utilization. This was an entire level beyond the normal origin array applications humans were used to seeing. No wonder the demonkin were famous for their research and technology. It was just that their advanced technology never appeared noticeably in factional wars. Even during the fierce battle, watching the different distribution of demonic energy made Qianye feel as though a new door had opened up to him. The runes themselves were priceless treasures, and the airships corresponding tactics only served to confirm its power. This was akin to Brock demonstrating how to utilize the power of the Evernight World. Qianyes accumulated strength was bordering the grand duke level at this point, but his lack of a system was giving him problems. There were signs that his rapidly growing power was escaping his control, and the tactics he had used in the past had limited effect. He needed to learn how to channel the worldly origin power in order to fight like a true duke. After watching yet another rune from its formation to extinction, Qianye felt as though he had actually seen this process before somewhere. He searched through his memories and finally recalled a segment from the Book of Darkness projected evolution, one that had lasted less than a second. The Book of Darkness could do that? Following this enlightenment, Qianye thought back to the entire evolution process and quickly discovered several places that he could imitate. If it wasnt for the ground forces reaching a casualty level that could only be described as cruel, Qianye really did want to comprehend a bit more. Brock was different from the weak dukes he had met before, an expert befitting of the saying that demonkin were half a rank stronger than their counterparts from the other races. At the very least, his utilization of the laws was only a hairs breadth away from the level of crown princes and great dark monarchs. There were already signs of an ultimate attack in the making. This was akin to Brock showing how a real Evernight duke fought, albeit in airship combat. After a period of observation, Qianye said, Im going to board them. Howard looked spirited. Be very careful. He raised his staff, sending two beams of sanguine light onto Qianyes body. A set of blood-red armor appeared around Qianye. Its style was magnificent, and there was a pair of sanguine wings at its back. The wings moved to Qianyes thought, carrying him into the air. The luminous wings of inception were only projections brought about by overflowing origin power. The sanguine wings Howard had given Qianye possessed true flying power. He would be able to fly freely until the blood energy added to it had been used up. Howards aura fell sharply after reinforcing Qianye with the armor and wings. Thats all I can do for you at this point. Without further delay, Qianye jumped off the Martyrs Palace and made a beeline for Brocks airship. The Martyrs Palace made a swift turn and launched a feint with its tail, forcing the dukes flagship to make a sudden evasive stop. This moments pause gave Qianye enough time to appear right above the objective. Instead of attacking immediately, he accumulated some energy and laid down a wall of blood energy. Nighteye appeared immediately afterward. Stepping on the wall of blood energy, she shot down toward the airship and struck it like a falling comet. A giant hole opened up on the dukes flagship. Its external armor and defenses had been pierced through, causing the massive airship body to dip. Nighteye didnt enter the airship after this strike. That attack just now contained her full powerit punched through the defensive barriers as well as the ships armor, gravely damaging the flagship. This used up all of her blood energy, so she needed to head back to the Martyrs Palace to recover. Qianye flapped his sanguine wings and entered through the opening Nighteye had just produced. In the bridge, Brock shuddered as though he had taken a strong hit. The other two dukes also cried out from their positions. One of them was even flung out of his seat, his nose bleeding and his aura, weak. The other was also pale. It was clear that he wasnt having an easy time. Nighteyes strike just now was practically a fight with Brock and the two dukes using the airship as the medium. How did she punch through my warship? How is this possible?! Brock roared in shock and fury. Even though her identity was special, she was just a dukethis was the undeniable truth. Brock had never imagined her strength would be sufficient to blast through his defenses. Lord Brock, Qianye has boarded the airship, the duke who was still in his post reminded. Brocks expression darkened. Youngsters these days are so presumptuous, my flagship isnt that easy to board. You take over control, draw away from the Martyrs Palace. Ill have to see whats so special about this Qianye that even His Majesty is impressed. As you wish. The duke bowed as he took over control authority. Qianye glanced around as he entered the airship. Row upon row of cabin rooms lay on each side, each grander than the last. Apparently, the place he had arrived in was the living quarters of high-ranking officers. Qianye had no interest at all as this wasnt an important location. He recalled the formation of demonic runes from just now and confirmed where the energy was being converted and amplified. He turned around and headed swiftly in a certain direction. Raising East Peak above his head, he struck out with Sweeping Calm. This produced a miniature tempest that ground up all the cabin walls and machinery in its wake. A single strike turned a ten-meter area around him into rubble. Superheated steam gushed out from the damaged kinetic pipeline and even ignited a fire! The steam contained vast amounts of demonic energy, which was probably the reason why the area turned into a death zone. No ordinary life forms could survive here. The steam also gushed over Qianyes body, but his sanguine armor managed to keep the superheated gas from touching him. There was no need for him to expend blood energy for defense. Just like before, Qianye rushed forward and launched yet another Sweeping Calm. This time, he heard a furious howl from behind, Stop! Of course, Qianye didnt care about him at all. He launched eight rapid strikes and finished up with a Nirvanic Rend, destroying yet another cabin section. Only then did Qianye turn around to face the grand duke. How did you know where my airships kinetic engine is? Qianye only gave Brock a simple reply before slashing at the kinetic area. Even with the Nirvanic Rends power, all he managed to do was leave a deep gash in the wall. This duke-grade airship was made up of solid materials. Even the walls in ordinary cabin rooms had been processed by specialist experts. The cabins were nothing compared to the airship; no amount of destruction here could make Brocks heart bleed. Seeing how strong the silvery wall was, Qianye could almost confirm that the airships key kinetic area was up ahead. How dare you?! Brock was furious. His figure flickered over between Qianye and the kinetic chamber of the aircraft. Holding his sword with both hands, Qianye took a step forward and channeled all of his might. Sweeping Calm! Brocks expression was as gloomy as a still lake. He attacked with lightning speed, actually taking on all eight of Qianyes strikes. However, he couldnt avoid paying a price as the demonic energy around his body weakened. Actually, Qianye still couldnt combine all eight strikes into one yet. At least five of these strikes wouldnt have found their mark if it werent for the fact that the kinetic chamber was right behind the grand duke. Evading or missing a single strike would damage the cabin wall, perhaps even cleave it open. This deprived Duke Brock of any leeway and forced him to take on the attacks head-on. The flow of battle was now in Qianyes hands. The flagships kinetic chamber was like a hostage. Having seen through this, Qianye understood what he should be doing next. He gave no thought to what the duke thought of him or what he was planning; he always followed his own battle tempo. He fished out some special origin grenades from Andruils Realm and tossed them behind. These grenades were produced with Qianyes Venus Dawn origin power. After leaving Andruils space, the daybreak origin power grew so strong that it was practically overflowing. The explosives rolled along the ground after landing, dripping origin power along the way. Every drop of energy would eat through the cabin floor and produce small holes therein. The flagships floorboards were made of alloy metal and processed with demonic energy for extra protection. Yet this overflowing origin power could dissolve through them. Duke Brocks eyes locked onto the rolling grenades, his expression growing more and more unsightly. He suspected that they were divine champion grenades, but he quickly realized that they were so much more. The bastard who had made the grenades had actually injected more origin power than was necessary, almost as though he wanted to show off his abundant origin power. Qianye and East Peak stood between the duke and the grenades. No matter how powerful Duke Brock was, it was impossible for him to force Qianye away in just one move. Just like that, he had no choice but to watch as the grenades rolled to the end, erupting in earth-shattering explosions as they hit the wall. Chapter 1401: Miniature Black Sun The flames of Venus Dawn ignited the rubble and spread through the entire area. The demonkin rushing over through the corridor were swept into the blaze; those at the front were either killed or injured. Many of the survivors were also drowned in the intense flames of Venus Dawn. As veterans, the remaining men took immediate action after getting through the first wave. A large wave of demonic energy swept forward in an attempt to control and extinguish the flames. Brock let out a muffled groan, sending more demonic energy through the chamber and extinguishing the flames like a raging tidal wave. Qianye glanced at his surroundings contemplatively and at the broken cabin walls above. What are you planning again? the duke asked cautiously. I was thinking that Venus Dawn is useful, but its flames are a bit weak. Next time, I should imitate the solar winds when I produce grenades. The effects will probably be better. The raging origin flames looked powerful, but burning required time to cause damage. The solar winds also contained fire, but the extreme temperatures and impact caused damage at the same time. It was much more destructive than an explosion followed by slow fire. Qianyes plan made sense, but this kind of distraction in battle was almost a form of disdain. A furious Brock slashed at Qianye and the latter simply raised his blade to lock down his attack trajectory. Brocks attack froze mid-slash and split off a single sword shadow. The image brushed past East Peaks interception and slashed Qianyes body. This single sword shadow managed to elicit a muffled groan from Qianye as he took a step back from the impact. He looked down to see that the blade had torn through his sanguine armor, but it wasnt strong enough to shatter it completely. Brock seemed rather astonished. He said with a cold snort, So its the Dark Gospels masterpiece. His escape is truly a humiliation to our demonkin race. But even with his reinforcement, you can forget about leaving this airship alive! Grand Duke Brock advanced while swinging his sword, firing two more sword shadows that tore open Qianyes armor. These sword shadows were extremely fast and powerful. Qianyes blood energy and Venus Dawn could only weaken it a bit, while East Peak was completely ineffective at deflecting the attack. Seeing as Brock dared to meet Qianye and the Martyrs Palace on his own, he naturally had his reasons for being confident. The grand dukes aura dropped slightly after firing three sword shadows. This attack could traverse space itself and possessed great power, but the price for launching it wasnt small. Seeing Brocks state, Qianye understood just how strong Howards armor was. Taking three attacks from a grand duke without breaking down, this kind of defensive power was no different from Qianyes own body. Of course, the sanguine armor could only take so many of those shadow blades. However, from the looks of it, Brock wouldnt have much demonic energy left by the time he had broken the armor. Brock stopped attacking directly after the three strikes. Looks like you think I cant deal with you because you have the Dark Gospels armor. Qianyes silence was akin to a tacit agreement. Brock sneered, You still dont understand whose home ground youre in! A giant rune appeared behind Brock. A deluge of origin power turned into demonic energy within the rune and poured into his body. The grand dukes aura rose sharply, returning him to his peak state in the blink of an eye. With a loud roar, he filled the air with afterimages as he slashed at Qianye like a tempest. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Qianye sustained five hits in succession. The armor could no longer hold out by this point and shattered with a loud explosion. Fortunately, the Dark Gospel was an experienced crown prince of extraordinary foresight. The blood armor didnt just shatter in random directions; the pieces shot toward the source of the attack and blocked the last couple of blows. There was no way this damaged armor could take on so many strikes in succession. Brock stood there proudly with his sword in hand. As expected of Howards famous armor, it blocked eight of my sword shadows. If only he werent so badly injured, I wouldve loved to challenge him after I became a prince. The grand dukes intention was clear as he only mentioned Howard and not Qianye. Naturally, he felt that Qianye was only borrowing the armors strength and that he wasnt comparable without it. Qianye said after the man was done, You launched five more shadow blades, and now my armor is gone. How many more can you launch? Brock let out a long laugh as he swung out one more shadow blade. The rune appeared behind him once again to fill him with demonic energy. Youve forgotten whose home field this is! Qianyes figure flickered just as the attack was about to land. However, Brocks shadow blade could actually chase after its target. It teleported whenever Qianye used Spatial Flash and would continue its attack once the target had reappeared. This speed and power made the attack practically indefensible. It could also traverse space and home in on the target. This grand dukes attack was truly a divine skill. After several evasive maneuvers, Qianye stopped with a frown and allowed the shadow blade to strike his arm. Pointless strug Brocks smile froze midway. The shadow blade cut through Qianyes robe, armor, and shirt, leaving a long cut on his skin. This was a direct strike. Qianye was of course wearing armor, but Brock knew the power of his shadow blade well enough. He was expecting the blade to cut through and sever Qianyes arm. But the shallow cut showed no signs of change. Qianye exercised his arm a bit. Grand Duke Brock stared fixedly at the cut. The targets movements proved that his arm was intact. At the very least, the wound shouldve expanded until the bones were exposedor even cut through. Qianyes overall fighting power was shocking! His skeleton shouldnt have been refined to such a level at his rank. Not to mention Qianye, even the Dark Gospel Howard would be injured if he were to take a strike directly. Qianye glanced at the cut on his arm and even tried opening it up with his fingers to see how deep it went. Brock was in no mood to wonder why Qianye didnt look like he was in a life and death battle. Instead, he seemed like he was studying the wound out of curiosity. Seeing this, Brocks eyes were wide in shock. Spreading the wound revealed the flesh inside. A trickle of pale golden blood seeped out and soon burst into dark golden flames. That was all. Grand Duke Brock did not see Qianyes bone or even his deeper muscles. All he saw was a cut no deeper than two fingers breadth. For a moment, Duke Brock thought Qianye was wearing flesh-colored armor but the auric flame blood reminded him that it was indeed just his arm. The shadow blade caused even less damage to Qianye than it had caused the sanguine armor. Didnt this mean that Qianyes body was stronger than Howards sanguine armor? Before Duke Brock could regain his composure, Qianye pinched the wound and the dark golden flames sealed it. A venus dawn grenade appeared in his hand. You were saying whose home field? Qianye tossed the grenade into the hole in the floor, sending it into the cabin below. The fierce explosion tore apart the internal structure of the airship, with Brock and Qianye located right at the center. Having experienced it firsthand, the grand duke could tell that this grenade possessed the power of an all-out attack from a divine champion. Even as a grand duke, Brock saw stars from the impact and had to take two steps back. The kinetic chamber was right behind him, so he had no choice but to spread out his demonic energy and block out the brunt of the explosion. This left him with many extra wounds. He rejoiced secretly that Qianye only had that one grenade left. However, the duke saw a bright sphere of Venus Dawn origin power in Qianyes hand as he looked up. This was soon followed by the appearance of dark golden blood energy which encased the former. Following the activation of the blood energy, the composite grew smaller and smaller until it was the size of a grenade. With a flip of Qianyes hand, the composite material fell to the floor and rolled over toward the grand duke. Ah, no! Brocks hair flew up as he let out a loud cry. The duke could already sense extreme danger when the dark golden blood energy appeared. Yet, Qianyes external projection of origin power was too fastthe time he took to condense this composite mass wasnt enough for the duke to retract his demonic energy and launch another shadow blade. An explosion no weaker than a divine champions attack erupted in the chamber. Fierce impact and raging flames swept through everything, including Qianye and Grand Duke Brock. The explosion and flames tore apart all the equipment inside the airship, but the kinetic chamber wall remained intact. Qianyes figure appeared as the flames dispersed. His robes were torn, and his armor had been charred in many places. The wound on his arm had opened up again, and his aura was just a bit unsteady. He could hardly come out unscathed from the explosion of a divine-champion level grenade, even though he was the one who caused it. Brock was much more miserable. His face was covered in dark patches, and half of his flowing long hair had been singed. To a demonkin who cared about his looks more than his life, this only proved that the injury he had suffered was so serious that he couldnt care about his appearance any longer. The beautiful armor on his body was now warped and twisted. Some parts had been torn open altogether with demonic energy gushing out. Blood flowed liberally from his sword-hand, dripping off from the cross-guard. Brock lowered the arms he had raised to protect his head and face. His eyes were almost spewing fire as he roared, How did you do it?! It was no secret that Qianye possessed both daybreak origin power and blood energy. Even so, Brock found it difficult to believe after witnessing it in action. The fact he didnt want to accept was that Qianye had displayed a near-perfect level of control over the origin power and blood energy. This level was far beyond that of an ordinary grand duke. Even Brock himself hadnt reached that level of mastery over demonic energy. The next truth he didnt want to face was that Qianye no longer needed to use origin grenades. The collision of daybreak and evernight was no doubt violent. Moreover, Qianye was using Venus Dawn and his dark golden blood energy. Once they were free from the balancing powers of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll, any contact between the two would result in an earth-shattering explosion. This blast was not inferior to the origin grenades Qianye had carefully prepared. It could be said that this was the most basic of origin grenade prototypes. Of course, Qianye wasnt going to explain things to Brock. Another bomb of origin power and blood energy appeared in his hand. Brock shot up and pounced toward Qianye, shooting several sword shadows along the way. This time, the duke was no longer as calm. Forcibly raising his speed would end up injuring him, but this wasnt the time to care about that. Swinging his sword with one hand, Qianye blocked all of Brocks physical attacks and took the shadow blades with his arms and back. Having bought some time, Qianye decisively hurled the origin bomb between him and Brock. The grand duke staggered back amidst the explosion. He supported himself against the kinetic chamber wall for a moment, then pounced at Qianye again. The power of the origin bomb was too great, so much so that Brock couldnt bet on the opponent running out of energy first. He had to restrain Qianye or this airship would be completely destroyed. Qianye was cautious but fearless against the new round of attacks. When Brocks attacks finally slowed down, he hurled yet another origin bomb. Explosions erupted constantly. The battleground was in utter ruins, and even the ground was sinking. There were four other dukes on the airship, but three of them were exhausted from controlling the airship. The only remaining duke arrived in the vicinity but left quietly after seeing the constant explosions. Qianyes method was a double-edged sword since the explosions affected him equally. The narrow interior of the warship only served to amplify the damage and made it impossible to dodge. Qianye possessed an ancient vampire constitution and his dark golden origin power was fairly close to the darkness origins. He was even somewhat stronger than an arachne of the same rank. He could withstand the explosions and sword shadows, but the same couldnt be said for Brock. The demonkin possessed the weakest constitution among the four major races. Duke Brock was known for his attack and speed, as well as his divine sword skills. He never found a need to improve his constitution. Considering the races innate talents, it wouldnt make much of a difference even if he didthat was unless he possessed some special inheritances or experiences. After several rounds of explosions, Brock was badly injured and on the brink of collapse. How would any other demonkin interfere with the way Qianye was fighting? None of the dukes on the airship specialized in physical strength, and the narrow space made it difficult to evade. They would surely collapse after taking a couple of blasts. Brock was deathly pale and didnt even have the energy left to feel anger. What pained him most was the airshipall equipment in this one-third of the airship had been completely destroyed. The kinetic chamber remained, but everything else had been destroyed so he could no longer condense runes. Qianye wasnt in the best shape, either, but he could still fight. To deal with an abnormally powerful bastard like him, they would need to surround and bombard him from a distance, using numbers to whittle away at his energy. Yet this strategy was impossible in the narrow corridors of this airship. Even all the experts aboard combined werent enough. At this rate, they would lose the airship, and Brock himself might fall if he was a bit careless. The grand duke glared fixedly at Qianye and roared, I didnt want to use it! You should be proud to die to His Majestys attack! A gem of bottomless darkness appeared in Brocks hands, in which a speck of radiance began to light up. Upon careful glance, it was actually an extremely small sun! Qianye sensed extreme danger the moment this gem appeared. His hair stood on end all of a sudden. This was an instinctive fear of death. The energy contained within that gem was enough to destroy him entirely! Qianye was no longer a young genius like back in the year. He was easily capable of facing an ordinary grand duke, or even a member of the old vampire clans. He could even escape from weaker great dark monarchs like Sousa. In the face of his gem, however, Qianye felt a fear that came from deep within. This was a force capable of annihilating him. There was no need to ask where such power came from. However, Qianye didnt try to flee immediately. He could sense some subtle changes in the environment as the gem appeared. Something told him that he shouldnt use Spatial Flash at this point. Qianye couldnt tell where that sense of foreboding came from, but he decided to follow it. Qianye observed that gem despite the scalp-numbing feeling. Its a crystallization of the Demon Kings demonic energy. You truly have the favor of the supreme. His Majesty granted me this to help with my next rank advancement. Who wouldve thought Id be using it on you? Its your honor to die from His Majestys attack. Duke Brock activated the demonic energy within the crystal. The small sun expanded all of a sudden, and the gem rose into the air. It was actually a black sun! The black sun enlarged rapidly in the air and shot toward Qianye. Its movement produced a terrifying gravitational force. Qianye suddenly understood why he had that sense of foreboding. It turned out that the energy within the gem had already warped the surrounding space, rendering Spatial Flash useless. If he were to use it forcibly, he wouldve ended up crashing into that black sun. Then again, things werent any better now. He felt as though his entire body was encased in mud; he could hardly move his arms. The black sun would soon swallow him up! Chapter 1402: A Fair Victory Brock wasnt having a great time, either. He was using his entire power to resist the draw of the black sun and barely managing to not get swept in. The duke-grade airship began to warp and distort around this sun, almost as though it would collapse into its center. Qianye was right in the middle of the area of effect, so there was no way he would get lucky. It was at this time that the black sun started to grow smaller. A hazy darkness appeared and enclosed the sun entirely. Brock was just hesitating whether or not he should retreat further when he witnessed this scene. He could hardly believe his eyes because he could see the genesis of this world within the darkness. Both combatants saw the world within the darkness. The black sun fell into this forming world and exploded with a force that was just as terrifying as the darkness origins. However, the resulting energy didnt destroy the world within the Book of Darkness, rather, it even hastened the evolution. All of a sudden, the world completed a process from birth to infinite expansion. Next was a scene familiar to everyone currently living in this worldthe continents formed, the protective barriers appeared, and all kinds of creatures came into being. The demonkin, vampires, werewolves, and arachne appeared on the continents. Although they were a bit different from how they looked today, it wasnt difficult to recognize them as such. There were also some other main species that were no longer in this world today. Brock said excitedly, What is that? The other three holy races? So thats how they should be! Qianye was also observing the evolution within the Book of Darkness. When the Demon Kings energy shot out, the mysterious tome opened up on its own and absorbed all of the demonic energy within the crystal, releasing this evolving world in the process. This time, the Flourish Chapter was displaying so much more detail. Qianye immediately came to after hearing Brocks words. He immediately put the Book of Darkness away without waiting for the evolution to continue. Fortunately, there was nothing out of the ordinary with the book, which returned obediently into his body. Up to this point, Qianye still had no idea what the Book of Darkness true use was. In the beginning, it was just a container for origin power. Not long ago, it had helped Qianye understand how to utilize the origin power of the Evernight World. This allowed him to execute grand-duke arts one level earlier. Brocks reaction was much more interesting. This also proved that the evolving world within the Book of Darkness wasnt meaningless. Those creatures Qianye had never seen before were likely the three races that had disappeared from the Sacred Mountain. Qianye felt that Grand Duke Brock was abnormally excited, and since the book was now his blood core and heart, he couldnt just let other people observe it. After retracting the Book of Darkness, Qianye tossed yet another origin grenade toward Brock. Qianye arrived outside with a flicker. He couldnt help but feel surprised as he gazed in the grand dukes direction. The man had actually fled? It wasnt too hard to explain Brock abandoning his ship. The kinetic chamber was as good as gone; Qianyes double-edged strategy of charging into the heart of the vessel was simply unstoppable. It was better to leave since he would be left with a piece of scrap metal in the end if this deadlock were to keep going on. As for the demonkin dukes in the airship, they were completely exhausted and wouldnt recover so quickly. One could hardly expect them to face the Martyrs Palace. If Brock were to retreat with his four dukes and wait for reinforcements, it would still be quite troublesome for Qianye. Yet he had fled completely, abandoning his comrades and tens of thousands of elite soldiers. After careful thought, Qianye didnt think he dealt the man a major blow. Did any of the origin bombs deal especially serious damage? He shook his head inwardly, discarding such an impractical possibility. Qianye turned around after sensing something. There, he saw Nighteye appear on the slow-sinking airship, gazing in the direction of Brocks escape. He fled so quickly. Qianye realized that the grand duke probably ran away because he had sensed Nighteyes approach. At this point, an earth-shattering explosion erupted from the sinking airship, and a powerful gush of demonic energy shot into the sky. Qianye and Nighteye looked over to find the demonic energy completely empty; there wasnt a single expert within it. Amidst the explosion, four dim silhouettes shot out in four different directions. Those were the four demonkin dukes. Qianye hesitated for a bit but ultimately decided not to give chase. Even he would have a hard time hunting down dukes, especially when they were intent on fleeing. With all the dukes gone, the damaged airship could no longer remain in flight. It burned and crashed to the ground. Experts flew out one after another during the fall, hoping to find some way to survive. Some crew members who couldnt fly also jumped out. They were more willing to fall to their deaths than be burned alive. Having lost control of the air, the ground forces also stopped attacking and began plotting their retreat. There was no way Qianye would give them this opportunity. He commanded the Martyrs Palace to descend and began bombarding the demonkin squads the entire way. The commanding officer of the demonkin fleet was exceptionally brave. They made a dive against the dragonships cannon fire and did their best to extract the ground forces. In the end, they managed to save what was left of the elites on the ground, at the expense of half the fleet. As for those who did not make it for the extraction, they were left to their fates. Qianye steered the Martyrs Palace to the edge of the continent, blocking any escape path for the council forces. The demonkin commander naturally took this opportunity to launch a furious assault. With nowhere to go, the landing forces had no choice but to surrender. This was a fairly good victory. The vampires only sustained a couple hundred in losses, and it seemed like a good number. But then again, those they had brought to the Dawn Continent were all direct descendants. The most valuable thing about them was their bloodline. Howards expression was gloomy as the death toll was being counted. Every death made his heart ache. If the vampires here were all wiped out, the Carolin, Lakins and Vander clans would be wiped out entirely. Their seals in the River of Blood would also disappear. These three clans had been without a primogenitor for a long time, and they had just lost their wealth and blood ponds. And the chances of those ordinary branches that had moved to Fort Continent producing a primo was extremely slim. The demonkin, on the other hand, had suffered much graver losses. Brock and the four dukes managed to flee, but they lost two-thirds of the elites they had brought here. Only half of their airship fleet remained intact, and most of their transports had been destroyed. The loss of their duke-grade flagship was something they wouldnt recover from for several years. The only problem was that the Martyrs Palace was unimaginably powerful, so much so that Brock had been forced to use the Wall of Sighs repeatedly. Additionally, they had to spend great amounts of demonic energy to execute extraordinary maneuvers. It was beyond anyones imagination that Nighteye would be able to punch through the airships barrier and armor, allowing Qianye to enter the airship. Throughout this entire battle, almost all the critical links in their plan had deviated from expectation. Brocks eventual defeat was unavoidable. With the first battle ending in victory, Howard finally looked a bit relieved and happy. He knew that this was just the beginning. Brocks unit was just the vanguard of the councils army. These vampire descendants wouldnt survive if a great dark monarch were to appear. Of course, no one mentioned this grim fact. After pushing back the demonkin vanguard, Howard instructed the vampires to clean up the battlefield. The crashed airsh.i.p.s out in the field contained the resources they desperately needed. Over ten thousand demonkin and arachne soldiers had been captured, which meant that they had manual labor to rely on. With sufficient resources and manpower, the vampires would be able to set up a complete defensive base in just a few days time. Twilight Continent. The Sperger clans core territories were just as beforethere were council flags flying in key areas, but Lava Castle was once again decorated with the flaming crown. Habsburgs spacious desk was buried under a pile of papers. There were books, doc.u.ments, and the like piled up on, under, and everywhere around the table. These doc.u.ments were of different shapes and styles, including scrolls placed in crystal boxes. There were also a lot of hand-bound tomes with no specific size-category. Habsburg was leaning forward on his desk with his eyes closed, almost as though he were napping. The Demon King sat near the floor-to-ceiling window with a book, gazing out at the distant scenery. The book in his hand was an old vampire-styled book, with a beautiful hardcover and binding threads that changed color in the waning sunlight. The binding was clearly the work of a master artisan, and the contents were also penned by a famous character. The Demon King put down the book and sighed in satisfaction. What a great book He looked over to the desk and said with a smile, Dear Habsburg, you seem more relaxed here. Habsburg wasnt actually asleep, but he didnt open his eyes. You have so many things to do every day. Even keeping a clone here might be delaying your business quite a bit, no? Its worth it if I can read these ancient writings. I should be the one thanking you for keeping all the ancestors books safe from the fighting. The Demon King lowered his head and opened the next page of the book. Valuable classics and rare resources should be treated with the same respect. This book allowed me to see how difficult the lives of early vampires were as they pioneered new land. Every one of them is a legend back in their time. That book was written by Kate of the Morway clan. The bard never broke through the count rank her entire life, so the book is fairly limited in its knowledge of bloodlines, talents, and warfare. Its value lies in the fact that the records were plenty and truthful, as well as her penmanship. All I want is the truth. I want to know the truth of those ancient times. The Demon King glanced at Habsburg buried behind the pile of books. This bards writing is fairly interesting, looks like Ill be staying for a while. The Demon King smiled. I trust you, but I dont trust myself that much right now. Habsburg slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the Demon King. Considering his identity, the supreme couldnt be referring to reneging his promise. At this moment, the setting sun cast its light through one of the side windows and lit up the floorboards. It almost seemed like a rippling pond of gold. Moments later, Habsburg said calmly, Regardless, I thank you for allowing me to return here. The clan castle is the foundation of every clan. Even if I die in battle and my spirit returns to the river, I hope my remains can return to my hometown. The Demon King became silent. I feel sorry about what happened to Lin, but Im not going to apologize. Its harder to make you feel sorry than to make you apologize, Habsburg said mockingly. Possessing Metatrons memories, he of course knew that this supreme wasnt one to look back constantly. The Demon King said, Habsburg, did you not notice? I still havent walked out of his influence. Habsburg blurted out, How can divination arts affect a supreme? The Demon King sighed. Supreme? Ha Kane, Your Majesty, whats your decision then? Will you eradicate the root of your uneasiness? The Demon King smiled without giving an answer. It was at this time that Habsburg glanced out of the window. A demonkin warship appeared over the distant horizon and was flying over at top speed. It began to slow down only when it was close to the castle. A figure shot out from the airship without waiting for the landing. It flew around the area and, after sensing the Demon Kings aura, flew over in this direction. He didnt even go through the door, entering straight through the window to stand before the Demon King. Chapter 1403: Source of Unrest Brock? The Demon King said, What brings you all the way here? I remember you should be on the Dawn Continent. Brock fell onto one knee. Your Majesty, I apologize. I have failed. The Demon Kings expression remained calm and gentle. Oh? Now, this is a surprising outcome. The Masefield clan lord reported that the Dark Gospel Howard is on the verge of death from his injuries. With you and George working together, in addition to Master Mitas oversight, you shouldve gained a marginal victory if not a big win. Habsburg frowned unnoticeablythese demonkin experts were famous experts in the Evernight camp. George was a bit younger than the rest, but Grand Duke Brock was almost comparable to a prince. They had dispatched two famed experts and a warlock to hunt down some escaped vampires from the Twilight Continent. That warlock was especially impressive. The man hadnt been seen on the battlefield for quite some time, but Habsburg remembered through Metatrons memories just how difficult it was to fight an army under his command. His secret arts and superior weapons would improve his troops fighting power exponentially. Howard would have a hard time fighting him even if he were at his peak. Brock bowed deeply. I rushed too far ahead before they were in position. In the end, I only managed to save a small portion of the vanguard, and my airship was also destroyed. The Demon King placed the book to one side, his gentle expression fading away. This isnt good news. Did you come all the way here to apologize? Brock said, Before seeking punishment, I have something very important to report. The Demon King said, Habsburg, you dont need to leave. Brock, you may continue whatever you were saying. Yes, Your Majesty. I met Qianye there and engaged in a fierce battle with him. In the end, he used the Book of Darkness, which projected the following scenery. Brock produced a mass of demonic energy from his palm, which took the form of Qianye and the evolutionary process of the Book of Darkness. Seeing how the continents had taken form and how the races had appeared, the Demon King shot to his feet but sat down again after a while. Thats why I said Im not so confident about keeping my promise. Habsburg raised his head ever so slightly and watched the Demon King in silence. He said nothing, nor was there any emotion on his face. His pair of sapphire eyes contained a hint of coldness in them. The Demon King looked away. Demonstrate it to me again. Brock replayed the projection again until the world was flourishing. The projection came to a sudden stop there. The Demon King was fully engrossed. What happens after that? Theres no more. Qianye withdrew the book. The Demon King said with a laugh, That kid has sharp senses, but hes also quite careless sometimes. Brock, recount every detail of your battle, do not leave anything out. Yes, Your Majesty. Grand Duke Brock began describing how Qianye had charged into the airship and how he had fled in defeat. Not only did he explain Qianyes techniques and power in detail, but he also added his own analyses about the opponents relative strength and law variations. Qianye would be greatly surprised if he were here. This duke had seemingly started off in arrogance and fled in cowardice, but he was a true expert. The Demon King listened patiently and, with due seriousness, asked questions periodically. After the discussion, Brock said in embarrassment. It was my fault for underestimating the enemy this time. I hope you will give me another chance. With Master Mitas reinforcement, George and I will surely be able to beat Qianye and Nighteye. The Dark Gospel Howard can only sow chaos from the sidelines, he cant do much now. The Demon King shook his head. It might be fine the first time, but youve already traded blows. They will be prepared. Theyre just dukes Brock wanted to insist. The Demon King said, Hmm, have Klaus never mind, he has other missions. Someone has to oversee Blacksun Valley. Go to Mark and retrieve a token with my seal on it, then seek Sousa out. He has fought Qianye before. Brock felt rather surprised at how serious the Demon King was taking Qianye. Habsburgs mockery was so obvious that Brock glanced at him in anger. The Demon King cut the enmity short. Brock, go and get things done. Brock immediately turned around with a respectful attitude and left after performing his salutations. The atmosphere in the study was no longer as peaceful. Almost as though the air had frozen, there was a hint of coldness. The Demon King stood up and paced about, something highly abnormal for him. The dark supremes of the Sacred Mountain were akin to gods in the eyes of many. People like the Queen of the Night would only send their projections to the council, yet everyone felt the urge to prostrate before her. The Demon King might be the closest to the masses, but he had never displayed any sign of hesitation or struggle. Habsburg closed his eyes, as though he were taking a short nap. He said after a while, Your Majesty Kane, is it not enough that you killed Lin Xitang? Must you kill everyone related to him? The Demon King came to a stop and glanced over at the source of the voice, but Habsburg didnt open his eyes. In truth, this was the first time the two had discussed this topic. Before the Longevity Monarchs demise, he sent a message about a secret plan to topple the energy system of our world. Its not something that can be achieved overnight and simply hearing about it sounds ridiculous, but the portion occupied by daybreak energy has been growing all this time. The Demon King said gently, The master of the plan for this generation was Lin Xitang. This is an inconceivable scheme. Do you think humans can accomplish something we never even imagined? Dear Habsburg, Im not the only one who can listen to the laws of this world. Im also not the only one on the Sacred Mountain. Habsburg suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at the Demon King. The latters words were so shocking that he almost thought he had heard wrong. Whether this information is right or wrong, whether our people believe it or not, it will cause great panic in the Evernight World. Thats why youre the fourth person to know about it. The Demon King had made it clear that Habsburg hadnt heard wrong. The supremes, who understood the laws of this world the best, had sensed some unnoticed changes and reached a consensus on the matter. Its unfortunate that such a beautiful star trajectory can only last sixty years in this world. Its not even long enough for our kids to turn into a.d.u.l.ts. Whats worse is that we are merely enemies for him to eliminate, and I couldn''t find a way to change his opinion. Moments later, Habsburg laughed wryly. The stubbornness of the short-lived races stems from their short lives. Things that are too far ahead in the future hold little meaning for them. Marshal Lin was even more unmoveable because his fate was set in stone. Yes, humans are such contradictory creatures. Their short lives make them focus on the present, yet this limitation never led them down the wrong path. The Demon King paused for a bit. That is our enemy. The Demon King remained silent for a good while before saying, If youre referring to Lin, I cant kill him a second time. Besides, I dont know how he managed to do it, but his life source has been extinguished thoroughly. Thats why his remains are also highly unstable. It will crumble and collapse the moment the origin crystals leave his body. Habsburg was surprised. Life source? Isnt origin power the source of life? Our demonkin research institution is only there for show. They believe that short-lived creatures possess a type of life source similar to the soul of long-lived creatures. Our souls might awaken in a future generation if they can withstand the grinding wheel of fate. Short-lived creatures cannot do that because their life source will disappear along with their bodies. Habsburg said after a momentary daze, So you plan to eliminate Qianye. The Demon King shook his head. No, Dear Habsburg, Qianye might be important, but the Book of Darkness is even more important. The death of one or two people wont affect the bigger picture. Once a clean, new world has been established, those who do not fit in will gradually die out. He sighed. Only Lin is different. A breeze of demonic energy swept through the room, forming the Flourish Chapters scene in the air. The Demon King watched it silently until it was cut off. This never gets old. This is how the purified world should look? To be precise, this is how the world used to be. No matter how hard we try, daybreak origin power has left too many marks on our world. Even if we clean it up completely, we cannot deny the fact that it existed at one point. Thats why the world in the Book of Darkness is just an ideal that can never become reality. However, that wont stop us from working toward it. Habsburg stood up silently and walked out from behind his desk, arriving near the floor-to-ceiling windows. You seem to be talking a lot these days. Habsburg glanced curiously at him. I thought we were the only ones with such trouble. The Demon King laughed. Dear Habsburg, youre the one who should have the least problems. Whats the fundamental difference between this I and we? Habsburg was somewhat dazed. This went against common knowledge regarding ranks in the Evernight World. How could a supreme be the same as ordinary nobles? But he refrained from arguing. There was little change in temperament between Adventurer Kane and Demon King Kane. Fine, Ill admit youre right. The Demon King picked up a book and flipped through it. This one is about logistics management during ancient warfare! This is rare! Habsburg laughed. Instead of continuing this topic, he asked, So, Your Majesty, have you decided what your plan is? Im not going anywhere. Ill just stay here reading until the gates open in Blacksun Valley. It hasnt yet? Havent we passed the initial estimated date? Thats whats puzzling me. The will of the new world seems to be resisting our attempts to open the gates. It didnt respond to our investigations, either. This consciousness is so intelligent that it doesnt feel like a world anymore. What exactly is the will of the new world? I dont know, either. The Demon King was honest. At this point, Habsburg felt like a young student who couldnt answer his teachers question. Metatrons memories surged into his mind. From a certain perspective, it could be said that Adventurer Kane was no less difficult to deal with compared to Demon King Kane. Habsburg shook his head and returned to the desk, where he picked up a random book to read. These were all hidden classics of the vampire race, and many of them he had never even seen before. As for that delicate peace between him and the Demon King, no one knew how long it would last. The Empire, outside the gates into the new world. A mysterious unit was gathering heretheir numbers were small, but they were armed to the teeth with the most advanced gear. Their airship was also one of the Empires newest models. The airsh.i.p.s looked dark and hazy from the outside, completely different from the Forbidden Guards camouflage. Not far from the fleet, the Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian were seated face to face within an unassuming little airship. Monarch Zhang, you must be careful on this trip. Your safety is the most important, just retreat if things dont look good. Zhang Boqian said, This campaign is vital to the entire war. I will look for an opportunity to remove a couple of enemies for the Empire. The Radiant Emperor frowned. Why force yourself? Evernights internal situation is already clear. How will the Empire survive if the Demon King eliminates the vampire race and rules over the entire Evernight faction? The Radiant Emperor said, There will always be a way. Zhang Boqian said, Then why do you insist on joining the fight, Your Majesty? The Radiant Emperor rubbed his chin, thinking about how to change the topic. Then, the Red Spider Lily Zhang Boqian interrupted, Just an external object, makes no difference whether or not I have it. Using it forcefully will just take away its power, why the need? If a Grand Magnum can change the outcome of a war, why dont you and Lord Riverglance use the Mortal Emperor? After being stoppered up a second time, the Radiant Emperor started to understand how his teacher mustve felt. Seemingly sensing something, both of them glanced toward the door at this point. A knock came from the door, and a female officer entered with the Emperors permission. At a careful glance, it was actually Empress Li. How are the preparations going? Empress Li said, The new warsh.i.p.s have returned. They stayed a total of four days in the new world and suffered only minor damages to their machinery. Judging from this rate, they should be able to remain there for two months in total. The environment around the Blacksun Valley is terrifying, so they will only last two weeks. Any omens regarding this battle? The Radiant Emperor merely asked without hoping for too much. Even supremes were helpless against the will of the new world. Trying to divine it would be no different from suicide. The Empires divination specialists could only skirt around the objective, and all they could see was a cloud of chaos. Unexpectedly, the Empress said, The last time the will of the new world seems to be friendly toward the human race. Friendly? The Radiant Emperor was curious. Zhang Boqian was also surprised. He had entered the new world several timesboth in secret and in plain sightbut he had never sensed it. Correct. I found it to be inconceivable, so I initiated contact and obtained some feedback. The will of the new world hopes humans will enter the inner world. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian exchanged glances. Thats wonderful, but we should also be guarded against a distorted divination result. Monarch Zhang, you must be careful. Zhang Boqian didnt interrupt him this time and only nodded. The Radiant Emperor glanced at Empress Li with a gentle expression. Dont do such dangerous things in the future. Empress Li was dazed for a bit. I obey. Zhang Boqian stood up and said, Since everything is ready, Ill be heading out now. The Radiant Emperor stood up to see the monarch off. I wish Monarch Zhang a great victory. Zhang Boqians figure faded away and vanished from the room. Chapter 1404: Soft East Peak Dawn Continent. A fortress had risen up against the mountainside in just a few days. This fortresss outer walls were made up of salvaged airship armor, which made it far stronger than ordinary structures. Taking advantage of the natural landscape, the diverging cliffsides were now dotted with hidden sentries and firing ports. The places where the demonkin had taken cover during the last battle had been leveled. Now, invaders would have to pave a path with their lives to reach the fortress. Even now, Howard wasnt all that satisfied yet. He appeared in a corner of the fortress and began making minor adjustments to the defensive arrangements and personnel, all in the name of maximizing their role. Nighteye and Qianye sat atop the cliff, gazing at the distant skies. The raging sun hung in the sky, spewing out burning origin power from time to time. Qianye asked as he watched Howards busy figure, Is there a way for him to recover? Nighteye sighed. Howard suffered heavy injuries during his awakening process and didnt get enough essence blood. Such injuries can only be treated with an ancient blood pond, but the Byrne clans blood ponds are all in demonkin hands. Theres really no way now. How long will it take to rebuild a blood pond? According to ancient standards, a blood pond needs to absorb a hundred years of origin power. Blood ponds with ancient in their name have absorbed at least a thousand years of acc.u.mulation. Now that the River of Blood is moving further away, the recovery of blood ponds will require an even greater time. This move by the Demon King targeted the vampires weakness. Without their ancient blood pond, these descendants would have to reacc.u.mulate for hundreds of years even if they could survive and remain hidden. To restore their past glory, they would have to work for thousands of years. But people werent entirely in despair because the Queen of the Night was still around, and she was the hope of the vampire race. At this moment, Zhuji ran over from a distance. Papa, look what I caught! A giant bug with a spiked carapace was struggling wildly in her hands, spraying out dense yellowish mist. It was easy to see that the poison was extremely strong. However, this so-called poison was a joke to Little Zhuji, and the bugs spiked body was locked tightly in her grasp. Qianyes smile froze up as he turned back. Careful! Just as she was wondering, a large shadow crept over her. Zhuji turned around in surprise and saw an exceptionally tall man behind her. This persons tyrannical aura covered the entire clifftop. So this is your daughter. He let out a burst of muffled laughter. Sousa! Stop! Sousa ignored Qianyes roar as he grabbed Little Zhuji. He then lifted her to eye level for further observation. Qianye felt his entire body run cold. His half-initiated sprint came to a halt, afraid that an angry Sousa would crush Zhuji to death. He was fast, but he wasnt confident he could outpace Sousas fingers. This werewolf Sousa was famed for his strength. Haha! Who wouldve thought Sousa laughed out loud, but his laughter came to a stop halfway through. Little Zhuji pried the great monarchs fingers open and jumped down. She then ran toward Qianye at lightning speed. Sousa was stunned. He glanced at his hand, hardly able to believe what had just happened. As a werewolf great dark monarch, he had always been proud of his strength. He had even modified his own body to obtain greater strength, turning him into a four-meter giant in his full combat state. Sousa had never imagined that this pretty little girlone who looked like she might break in half with a casual squeezecould pry his fingers open and escape. This feeling was akin to an ant lifting the finger trying to squish it. Sousa moved his fingers about and felt a bit of pain from his joints. This young girls brute strength could probably compare to certain grand dukes. He had even suffered some pain because he was caught off-guard. Sousa lowered his hand as though nothing had happened. He scanned Qianye and Nighteye, saying, Wheres Howard? Tell him to come out and meet me. Qianye grabbed Zhuji and put her behind him. Why are you here? Sousa sneered, Do werewolves need a reason to exterminate vampires? Nighteye said indifferently, I said the same to the werewolves some time ago. Sousas eyes lit up with flames of fury. The council made you commander of the allied army, yet you sent all of my soldiers to die at the Imperial fortress! I bet you never thought itd be your turn one day, huh? Nighteye said mockingly, To wear down the werewolves was a decision made by the vampires, demonkin, and arachne. Youre the only part that doesnt know. Now you think youve found a protector in the Demon King, but the end result will be the same. The vampires will rise again while you become cannon fodder. Sousa was furious. Even if the vampires rise again, you wont be around to see it! I heard Howard is half-crippled now. Looks like the news is true since he doesnt dare to come out. Since thats the case, Ill send you two young brats back to the River of Blood! They werent in the new world at the moment, and the environment on the Dawn Continent favored those who were stronger. Hence, it was only natural that Qianye and Nighteye wouldnt fight him head-on. Instead, the group fled in different directions. The moment he tried to move, Qianye discovered that Sousas palm strike had generated a gravitational force that made it difficult to move. Nighteye was also affected, but as an ancient legend, she managed to charge out in a burst of blood energy. Little Zhuji ran with all her might and actually managed to escape the pull of this attack. Only Qianye remained under Sousas palm. The werewolf monarch was stunned. He had already increased his estimation due to Zhujis performance, but he hadnt expected both Nighteye and Zhuji to escape his attack range. However, he kept on with his attack since Qianye was still there. He was rather confident that he could slap Qianye into oblivion without Nighteye to share the load. He was a mere duke. With no way to evade, Qianye decided to just let loose. His blood core throbbed with the sound of a giant bell as he raised his arms to block the attack! A thunderous rumble ensued. Half of Qianyes body sank into the ground, sending a spiderweb of cracks out in every direction. Due to the prolonged exposure to daybreak origin power, the rocks and soil on Dawn Continent were as strong as high-grade alloy and highly resistant to heat. Qianye had used an inconceivable technique to spread out the impact across a large area, producing the current phenomenon. Even so, Qianye was still slammed into the ground. A single slam from Sousa contained enough force to shatter half of an airships armor. Just that? Sousa glanced at his hand and then at Qianye. The latters speed of recovery wasnt a liethe man had managed to take a slap head-on, only receiving slight injuries. He didnt even cough up blood, and what little blood that did trickle out of his mouth burst into flames and vanished almost immediately. The werewolf great monarchs judgment was wrong once again. This time, even Sousa himself felt that it was inexcusable. This place wasnt the new world where experts were restrained by the environment and unable to utilize the laws. All of a sudden, a blade radiance lit up behind Sousa and slashed at his back. Sousa couldnt ignore this attack from Awakening Dream. He swung his arm backward, turning the terrifying gravitational power to a repulsion force. Nighteye was pushed dozens of meters away and Awakening Dream missed its mark. Qianye took a deep breath, entering a state of blood boil. Sousa didnt chase after Nighteye and instead turned back to size Qianye up. If I didnt know better, I wouldve thought you were the Spider Queens descendant. The vampires potential is much higher than you think, said Qianye. Sousa snorted. Is that so? You wont have the opportunity to realize that potential. Eunuch Liu wont be here to save you today. As for Nighteye, even I might not be her match if she recovers her full strength, but now? Shes just a small inconvenience. Nighteyes figure flickered away from the repulsion force and fired yet another sword radiance at Sousas back. However, the attack was mutually canceled out by a black wall. You appeared a bit earlier than expected. Sousas voice was cold. Brock had no intention of leaving the werewolf any face. His Majestys mission comes first. I cant let them escape just to humor your vanity. Sousas brows knitted together as a terrifying aura spread out in the air. How can two mere dukes escape from my hands? Mere dukes? Brock chuckled. I heard that the one in front of you once injured a great dark monarch. Hes also the one who took on an all-out attack from a great dark monarch. Sousas face turned red. He used an underhanded method to ambush me back then! Is that so? I only see the results. Sousa had no way to retort because, in the end, the werewolves of Moorland were forced to contain themselves near their door. They had to avoid Qianye even if they wanted to expand outward. Back then, Qianye had kept Sousa busy while Eunuch Liu launched a successful sneak attack. There was also the will of the new world hovering above head, so the werewolf monarch had no choice but to flee. Brocks mockery was difficult for Sousa to refute. What would he say? That Eunuch Liu was much stronger than Brock? That was indeed the case, but what would that prove? His baseline level of pride as a great dark monarch wouldnt allow him to argue like this. Moreover, the situation at hand was special, so he couldnt do anything to Brock. At least, he didnt dare to break out in full hostility against the demonkin nor did he dare affect the Demon Kings plans. Qianye was surprised to find that Brock and Sousa were here for the Book of Darkness. Apparently, it was more important than wiping out the vampire descendants. It looked like they still had no idea that the Azure King Reynold had fused Qianyes blood core and heart into the Book of Darkness. Handing over the book was like committing suicide. Qianye said, Surrendering without a fight isnt my style. Then I wont hold back anymore. Working so hard for the demonkin, huh? Did you ever stop to think about the consequences? The Summit of Peaks wont agree to this, would they? Qianye said. Summit of Peaks? Theyve long since abandoned tradition and ancestry. They are all sinners who do not respect our ancestors! Compared to the vampires, we feel more disgusted by the Summit of Peaks. Qianye said coldly, So sanctimonious about a betrayal, no wonder youre the weakest great dark monarch. This time, Sousa was truly livid. Who told you Im the weakest? Is there anyone who cant beat you among the great dark monarchs? Qianye asked. Of course there is! For instance Sousa wanted to put out some names when Brock cut him short. Hes stalling for time! What meaning is there in stalling? Sousa asked. Of course there is. The one who had replied was Qianye and not Brock. Sousa narrowed his eyes. Are you making fun of me? Qianye produced Dragonsgrave, saying, I wouldnt dare to make fun of a great dark monarch. Im just saying that if I were a werewolf, I would neither put down my hatred of the vampires nor would I bend my knee to the demonkin. At least in name, the werewolves are one of the four holy races, and a great dark monarch should be afforded a certain level of respect. Sousas expression was gloomy. Very good, youve really angered me. Qianye retreated several dozen meters, putting some distance between him and Sousa. No use! Sousa arrived in front of Qianye with a single step, his giant palm bearing down on Qianye like a leaden cloud. Qianye was just about to channel his origin power to evade when Sousa stomped on the ground. The tremors of origin power broke down Qianyes own acc.u.mulated energy. Qianye felt as though his feet were stuck in mud, unable to exert force at all. Watching Sousas giant palm descend, he could only attempt to block the attack again. A thunderous explosion resounded as the giant palm came down. Sousa let out a muffled groan and actually took half a step back. There was a burning sensation on his palm, almost as though it had been cut with a knife. This slap seemed to have landed on an erect dagger. His palm was as hard as a war axe, but he still couldnt avoid sustaining a bit of damage. Qianye had actually wounded him while defending? Sousa glanced at Qianye in surprise. The young man was gazing at East Peak with a surprised expression. The blade was slightly bent, and there were some signs of damage. This blade had been infused with the giant rhinos horn and soaked in the Pond of Life. Qianye had thought it would never suffer any damage. Who wouldve thought blocking Sousas attack would damage it? It would seem that invincibility was relative to the opponent. Sousa damaging East Peak was something Qianye hadnt expected. He had just taken a blow from the werewolfit was hard but not impossible to block. The second blow mightve been stronger, but Qianye didnt feel like he couldnt take it. What exactly was going on? Could East Peak have become soft? Chapter 1405: Disadvantageous Situation Sousa and Qianye seemed contemplative after the fight, but the others werent idle. Nighteyes sword radiance spread out once again, only to be blocked by the Wall of Sighs. Brock stared at her, saying, Im your opponent. You? Correct. Even with a holy weapon, youre not a grand duke just yet. Brock pointed forward gently, producing several walls that blocked the incoming attack. The demonkin duke stood in the air with one hand behind his back, only using the other to fight. A wall would appear with a mere pointing of his finger, which then would move and slash as he swung his arm. As an ability that was close to the level of a great dark monarch, the wall of sighs had undergone variations in Brocks hands. It could turn into a thick square for defense or a paper-thin sheet that could fly out and attack. This had exceeded the Jeruson familys traditionally defensive strategies, showing signs of combining both offense and defense. Awakening Dreams attacks used to be indefensible, but they were greatly weakened after passing through the Wall of Signs. Duke Brock was able to take the attacks calmly even if they did land on his body. Grand Duke Brock glanced down at the shallow cuts on his armor and smiled proudly, As expected of a holy weapon, it could even damage my armor. Looks like winning against you wont be easy. Then again, youve only recovered to the level of a duke. The Awakening Dream has been the Azure Kings weapon since ancient times. It might be in your hands now, but I doubt it would recognize you as the master. How many attacks can you launch with your strength? Reynold Brock said, The Azure King was a respectable expert indeed. Unfortunately, he sacrificed himself for you people. That truly wasnt worth it. Brocks tone while talking about the Azure King wasnt as irreverent as when he was talking to Sousa. Reynold had suppressed the Eternal Flame and the Masefield clan lord in the last battle. Even though he had done so by burning through his life, the battle had left the enemies full of respect for him. At the mention of this matter, Nighteyes gaze turned cold and her long hair began to dance about. Grand Duke Brocks figure appeared in her eyes. The Eye of Destruction? Its useless against me. Brock sneered as he laid down a Wall of Sighs, effectively disrupting the attack. Brock began to quiver after successfully blocking the Eye of Destruction. He wasnt as confident as before, almost as though something wasnt quite right. Sensing something, he looked up from behind the wall, only to find a boundless wave of sword radiance rolling toward him! Brock was shocked out of his wits. This was Awakening Dream? It could be used this way? Now that Awakening Dream was in action, Brock knew that it was useless for him to hide or evade. The only thing he could do was block. In the blink of an eye, his hair and beard stood on end as demonic energy gushed out of his body. Four Walls of Sighs appeared in front of him, the most he could produce before the blade arrived. The sword radiance was like a raging tide. It crushed the four walls in an instant and swallowed up Grand Duke Brock. The demonkin was still standing as the blade radiance scattered, seemingly unharmed. It was just that his gaze was filled with helplessness and regret. Nighteyes aura fell sharply as she used up almost all of her blood energy. Grand Duke Brock, on the other hand, was in a fairly good statelaying down all those walls in hurried succession didnt even drain three parts of this demonic energy. Yet it was the grand duke who was laughing bitterly. How did you do that? Nighteye patted Awakening Dream. I was the one who lent Reynold this sword. Brock was stunned in disbelief. So thats how it is. The demonkin leaned forward ever so slightly, then toppled over. The moment his body hit the ground, his armor shattered into many pieces and vanished. Yet, there wasnt a single wound on his body. With nothing left to restrain them, the abundant demonic energy seeped out and scattered in every direction, finally fading away into the world. Unexpectedly, he had grossly underestimated Nighteye despite his knowledge of her. Awakening Dream was notorious for being difficult to tame. He never wouldve thought that the sword was hers initially. Nighteye had launched dozens of slashes during their showdown. Draining all of her blood energy in one attack, she managed to raise her attack power exponentially. Brock on the other hand could only utilize thirty percent of his power. Nighteyes dark golden blood energy was close to the darkness origins in grade. Duke Brocks demonic energy was also pure, but it was still one grade inferior to Nighteyes. It was near impossible for him to surmount this gap. A hero of the demonkin race thus fell. Sousa and Qianye were still contemplating at this point. The two glanced over at the fallen Brock, and quite surprisingly, Sousa was neither angry nor surprised. There was even a hint of undisguised mockery in his eyes. I thought hed only lose, who wouldve thought hed die altogether. Looks like hes never had a proper opponent all these years. I thought youd be worried about the disadvantageous situation. Sousa laughed. I can pull out my real powers now that the hindrance is out of the way. Ill be able to better explain things to the Demon King after I take your heads, lest he blames this on me. Why not? I was a bit worried about Nighteye at first, but she used up all of her blood energy to kill that idiot. Even if she does have a secret art, itll take some time for her to recover. This period is enough for me to kill you several times over. Qianye laughed. Youre quite confident, arent you? Sousa laughed. If you think that light feather ability can injure me, youre wrong. Besides, theres probably a limit to how many times you can use it, no? You can try. Of course I will, but it looks like your sword isnt holding out very well. Streams of golden azure blood energy appeared in front of Qianye and condensed into an azure sword. Howard appeared nearby, saying, Use my sword. Im too old to use it, anyway. Sousa was stunned as he gazed at Howard. So youre already this weak. Why are you running about instead of hiding in a blood pond? Are you tired of living? Were already in such a state, so what if I die? At least were doing better than the werewolves. You were humiliated in the opening of the new world, yet you run over once the Demon King gives you a bone. Howard laughed, I couldnt beat you back then, but I didnt lose either. You couldnt even capture me as a great dark monarch. I heard you had a difficult time explaining it to the Wolf Ancestor. Sousas expression grew ugly. Itll be your turn once I kill this little fellow. Ill make you suffer a long period of pain. As for her, the Demon King didnt give me any specific instructions, so I guess Ill have a taste of an ancient character. Qianye picked up Howards sword. How can you be so shameless?! What? Wanna kill me? Nighteye said, Qianye, calm down. With a sinister smile, Sousa licked his lips. Calm down? Its no use. Unless she flees right now, shell fall into my hands sooner or later. Nighteye wasnt angry. Ill recover if you keep blabbering. Very well, since you guys want to die quickly, Ill help you. Sousa arrived before Qianye in a single step and slapped down again, just like before. Qianye was shocked. Gazing at the mountainous palm descending upon him, Qianye got down on one knee and met the incoming attack with the azure gold sword! A muffled rumble shook the land as Sousas palm struck the ground violently, producing a pit several dozen meters wide. Qianye had disappeared, likely slammed into the ground by the attack. However, a sword tip appeared on the backside of Sousas hand. That azure gold blade was definitely Howards sword. Sousa raised his hand with a muffled groan and plucked out the protruding blade. The wound closed up immediately once the weapon was removed; it didnt even bleed. Qianye was still in the same posture at the center of the pit, except for the fact that he was now embedded in the rock. Sousas eyes lit up as he lifted his right foot and stomped down on Qianye. Howards sword was extremely sharp, but such stabs could do little against the body of a werewolf great monarch. Additionally, sharpness usually accompanied fragility, so there was no telling how it would hold out after a couple of exchanges. Qianyes figure flicked away from the pit. Sousa let out a low growl as that terrifying attractive force appeared once again beneath his feet. Once again, he dragged Qianye out of his Spatial Flash and stomped down on him! With a loud boom, the rocky clifftop sank down several meters. Sousas large frame also sank into the ground, a testament to how powerful that stomp was. It was as though a large warship had rammed into the ground. Sousa was known only for his body and strength, but he had cultivated to the extreme in these fields. Every movement of his was accompanied by earth-toppling power. And they were on Dawn Continent, where the landscape was as hard as steel. On any other continent, Sousas stomp mightve shattered an entire mountain. However, Sousa didnt seem all that delighted after the stomp. All he saw was a deep footprint in the ground, and Qianye was gone. Chapter 1406: Beleaguerment Against the Shot of Inception, even Sousa couldnt remain careless. He stepped back quickly while raising his arms to block the attack; speed, however, was not his forte. It would seem that Sousas estimation was still off, even without the environmental factors of the new world. His arms did little to stop the black feather as it shot into his c.h.e.s.t. Sousa let out a muffled groan, and his expression turned odd. His body swayed briefly before he found his footing once again. After suppressing his injuries, Sousa turned to Howard instead of Qianye. Courting death! He arrived before the vampire prince in a single step and swung a heavy fist at his c.h.e.s.t. Howard laughed. Now thats playing dirty. A long staff appeared in Howards hand, with which he tapped the ground, conjuring a cloud of blood around him. Under the gravitational force of Sousas attack, the cloud of blood was first compressed to a single droplet and then into a barely discernible crystal. Howard, though, was no longer around. Sousa observed the surroundings and saw the man appear hundreds of meters away. You vampires and your petty tricks. Howard, when all is said and done, youre still a second-generation primogenitor. Are you going to keep running away? Fleeing requires energy too. Do you want to try and see how many more times I can flee? Sousa only snorted in response. Howard was using his essence blood to mitigate the gravitational force, so every escape involved a certain price. Sousa wasnt about to underestimate this prince, however. The man had been alive for thousands of years and acc.u.mulated an abundance of tricks up his sleeve. He might be injured, but there was no telling how many times he could run. Seeing that Howard was still avoiding a fight, Sousa took to the air and made a beeline for Qianye. The latter of course wouldnt let him get close; he immediately moved back and put some distance between them. However, Sousa let out a sinister laugh at this point. His body expanded once again until he was one meter taller than before. An invisible force bore down on Qianye and pulled him back toward the werewolf great monarch. At the same time, Sousa swung his left hand and pushed Nighteye far into the distance. He no longer paid any attention to Howard. Dragging Qianye in, Sousa launched a punch. A giant dark fist of energy formed in the air and blasted the incoming target. Qianye held the azure blade with his right hand while pushing onto the backside of the blade with his left. He would block this giant fist using the sword as a shield. Sousas strike contained two opposing forces, which locked down Qianye and made it impossible for him to flee. In the end, his movements came to a standstill as he took on the giant fist! Qianye was sent flying hundreds of meters away, slamming into the ground like a cannonball. The impact left a deep groove in the hard rock. Qianye struggled up and couldnt help but spit out a mouthful of blood. That punch was so powerful that it felt almost indefensible; even his ancient vampire constitution couldnt quite take it. This time, Qianye was noticeably slower as he climbed out of the hole. The two heavy attacks had dealt quite a number on him. Sousa was even more surprised. No ordinary duke can take two strikes, let alone injure me. It looks like that idiot Brock didnt die an unjust death. Qianye staggered for a bit before reclaiming his footing. His aura began to rise again. Sousa was in no rush to run him down. Instead, he sized Qianye up from head to toe, saying, Its bloodboil again. That vampire ability looks useful, but itll only make you lose faster. Blood energy isnt unlimited. Those words made sense, but Sousa said after some thought, Then again, you have the Book of Darkness. This is the main reason Im here to capture you. Looks like I cant let you catch a breath, lets beat you half-dead before further discussion. He took a step forward and performed the usual slap. This time, a large projected image of a vampire appeared behind him. The illusory shadow pounced on Qianye and synchronized with his movements. Qianye held the sword up to the sky with both hands as he faced the incoming palm. Qianyes resistance was unexpectedly strong this time around. Sousa actually failed to slam him into the rocks like before. Instead, his palm was pierced through by the blade. Qianye activated Spatial Flash and moved a hundred meters away once Sousa had retracted his palm. This distance might be enough for an ordinary expert but definitely not sufficient against a great dark monarch. This time, however, the vampire projection expanded abruptly and was peeled off by the gravitational force. Qianye himself was freed from the restraining force, allowing him to fire yet another Shot of Inception. Having taken two losses in a row, Sousa realized that he had no way to evade the incoming attack. Rather than waste energy, he simply took that Shot of Inception head-on. He turned to Howard nonchalantly, saying, As expected of the Dark Gospel to interfere in the battle like so. Looks like I should kill you first. That sanguine illusion was a form of blessing produced by Howard. Not only did it greatly increase Qianyes strength, but it also served as bait to deceive Sousas gravitational power. These two abilities were tailored to deal with the current battle situation. Qianyewho could do little except take a constant beatingwas now able to retaliate. The azure blade in Qianyes hand was also Howards item. It could break through the defenses of a great dark monarch, adding some wounds to Sousas body. Even mosquito bites could get rather annoying over time. Howard waved his staff after seeing that Sousa was coming for him. Two vampire ladies appeared near Qianye and merged into his body. I prepared the Sanguine Gemini especially for you. I cant use them for the time being, so Qianye will activate them in my stead. Youll see just how powerful they are. Sousa ignored whatever Howard was saying. He didnt even look back as he charged forward and swung a palm at the vampire prince. Howard repeated the proven method, using one drop of essence blood to escape the heavy blow. Now that he had reached a distance where he could use the Shot of Inception, Qianye wasnt going to let this opportunity slip by. He immediately produced Dragonsgrave and unfurled his wings. A bullet infused with the power of Venus Dawn shot out and struck Sousa in the back. A wound that could be considered grave for a duke was negligible to Sousas body. He gave up on Howard and glanced at Qianye in anger. Following a long howl, Sousa produced a set of dark armor around himself and charged at Qianye again. The man hadnt even arrived when the gravitational force had bound Qianye to the ground. The latter had no choice but to respond by drawing his azure blade and slashing at the incoming fist! Standing to Qianyes left and right, the Sanguine Gemini actually pushed the gravitational power away, allowing Qianye to utilize his full power. At this moment, Qianye had no more time to separate the chaos energy into Venus Dawn and dark golden blood energy. A hazy radiance appeared on the blade as he channeled the origin power in its raw form, so much so that the azure glow was suppressed. At the same time, Qianyes joints began to crackle and groan under the power of the Excavator. His strength reached its peak in the blink of an eye, imparting boundless power to his slash! The azure blade slashed right through Sousas giant fist projection. The dark origin power condensed around the fist melted like snow in the sun and soon scattered. Qianye hadnt imagined that the punch that had forced him into a corner a while ago was so easily broken through. Sousas expression seemed odd. Whats this origin power? Even Sousa couldnt tell what the hazy origin power on the azure blade was. Yet, this grey energy had destroyed most of Sousas own origin power. The great dark monarch had never seen this type of origin power throughout his long career in war. Naturally, Qianyes only answer was to charge forward with his blade, the twin girls mirroring his every move. He could feel that his strength had increased by at least thirty percent. As the sword and palm met, Qianye was once again sent flying from the impact, but this time, he was only knocked back a dozen meters. Sousa didnt give chase and simply stood there while gazing at the deep gash in his palm. The wound was shrouded in greyish energy. It was destroying his flesh, blood, and origin power indiscriminately, causing his wound to expand. Sousa found this unbelievable. He was a great dark monarch, and his origin power was already quite close to the darkness origins. Yet before this mysterious grey matter, his origin power was losing like a new soldier who had never seen the battlefield. Even against Nighteyes dark golden blood energy and Qianyes Venus Dawn, his blood energy was only at a slight disadvantage. A thought suddenly appeared in Sousas mind. Perhaps only the supremes would have this level of origin power. It was at this time that his heart skipped a beat. He glanced back to find a rolling deluge of sword radiance barreling toward him. Nighteye had recovered? Sousa roared in fury. The dark armor around his body thickened abruptly as he swung out several fist shadows to blast the incoming blades. It was just that Sousas brutish attacks couldnt weaken Awakening Dream as much as Brocks Wall of Sighs. The Wall of Sighs ranked high among the demonkin secret arts, comparable to Qianyes Life Plunder. Brock was at a rank disadvantage, while Sousa was lacking a secret art of sufficient quality to deal with Awakening Dream. Sousa attacked ferociously but only managed to negate half of the attacks, with the other half slashing his dark armor into a miserable state. All of a sudden, a hidden sword radiance erupted and slashed Sousas c.h.e.s.t. Sousa was just about to suppress the sword wound when he felt an intense pain within his body. One of the black feathers had exploded! The previously suppressed Shot of Inception had taken the advantage to deal a massive blow to the werewolfs internal organs. This explosion surprised Sousa quite a bit. Only then did he realize that his origin power rank had actually dropped by an entire rank. Upon careful observation, Sousa discovered that there was a strange poison inside him silently eating away at his origin power. If it wasnt for the Shot of Inception, it mightve taken him some time to realize this. He also realized how he was poisoned. Howard! How can you be so despicable?! Howard laughed. I have quite a lot of tricks to deal with you, and this is just one of them. Ill show you more if you manage to survive. Chapter 1407: Return to Fort Continent Not long afterward, Sousa witnessed more of Howards tricks. The Dark Gospel was two hundred years older than Sousa, and his acc.u.mulated combat experience was much more abundant. He had been roaming the edge of the battlefield all this time, avoiding a direct clash or any form of retaliation. He would even expend essence blood to flee when there was simply no way to evade. In short, he wasnt going to come into direct contact with Sousa. Howard was surrounded by several prowling beasts. These creatures were formed of blood energy and possessed different abilities. These creatures were vivid and lifelike, possessing different abilities. Some of them would increase Howards speed and acceleration, or help him redirect a blow. These sanguine beasts doubled Howards power and agility, making it difficult for Sousa to attack him Sousas thoughts went back to their last battle. He had just become a great dark monarch back then, but he simply couldnt capture Howard despite the clear rank advantage. This vampire primogenitor had been secretly fighting with the Lightless Monarch for many years. Howard still had the capacity to reinforce Nighteye while evading Sousas attacks, granting her a pair of sanguine wings that increased her speed by ten percent. Nighteye was fast, to begin with, and now, she was as swift as lightning. She followed Sousa while launching constant attacks, adding more and more injuries with her blade. Under the effects of the Gemini twins, Qianyes strength had reached a level where he could contend with Sousa. The chaos origin power also began to prove its might by slowly draining the werewolfs origin power. With Qianye tanking the great dark monarch at the front, Nighteye attacking from the rear, and Howard disrupting from the sidelines, Sousa couldnt find the opportunity to put his shocking strength to use. Howard seemed the least useful person in the field, but he would pull off various unimaginable tricks at the most critical moments and save the other two from danger. Then again, taking down Howard was no easy task. This old fellow was as sly as a fox and had countless tricks up his sleeve. He might have prepared a different seat of blood beasts for every enemy. Besides, both Qianye and Nighteye were far stronger than ordinary dukes. A single misstep might end up with him getting injured severely. Things would probably be easier if he were fighting two princes instead. It would seem that a certain price was inevitable in order to win this battle and capture Qianye alive. Understanding this, Sousa stomped on the ground and pushed the trio away with a repulsive force. Sousa stopped attacking, the anger on his face completely gone. He was so indifferent that it seemed like the fight from before had nothing to do with him. Since that idiot Brock is dead, why would I keep risking my life? The change came so swiftly that Qianye was startled. Sousa adjusted his robes. He picked up a drop of grey-tainted blood from his wound and licked it. He then gazed meaningfully at Qianye, saying, Im going back to report in, do you have any intention of stopping me? No, Qianye replied. Sousas departure was naturally a good thing. This battle had shown Qianye that this werewolf great dark monarch wasnt all brawn and no brain. His strength was indeed fitting of a great dark monarch. The powerful gravitational power and brute physical strength worked together perfectly, turning several hundred meters around the monarch into a death zone. Talking about weaknesses, Sousas attack and control range was limited. Theoretically, a combatant who could roam about at high speed could whittle him down. That was no easy feat, however, since Qianye was dragged out of Spatial Flash several times. The problem was that the Demon King had mobilized Sousa this time, but what about the next? The Wolf Ancestor? The Eternal Flame? Or even himself? The Demon King would not let them go now that Grand Duke Brock had fallen on Dawn. Qianye and Nighteye retreated to either side and opened up a path. Sousa said, Oh right, I forgot to do something. He raised his hand and squeezed out a drop of blood from the wound on his palm. The blood began to burn and soon turned into a giant rune that fell onto Qianyes body. This rune was faster than any other attack he had launched. It appeared on Qianye almost at the same time that it appeared. Someone watching without blinking might see the rune appear in two areas at the same time. A curse! Nighteye drew her sword and slashed at Sousa. The great dark monarch pushed Nighteye away again, saying, Yes, this is a curse, but it wont affect him for the time being. Howard said gloomily, This is an ancient rune, something akin to a tracking mark. Sousa laughed. As expected of the Dark Gospel. You even know so clearly about our ancient runes. Now that Qianye has been marked, theres no need for me to tell him what he should do. I hope hes not as dumb as Brock. With that, the werewolf left and disappeared into the distance. Moments later, an airship flew a couple of circles above the trio and flew off into the void. Qianye couldnt help but feel impressed. Despite knowing that a mark had been left behind, he simply couldnt find where it was. Howard said thoughtfully, From what I know, the werewolf ancient runes are extremely powerful, but theyre not as detailed in the utilization of energy. If this is indeed a tracking rune, Sousa will have one on him as well, and he will have to find your location by relying on the connection between them. A third rune is actually needed in order to pinpoint you accurately. Im sure Her Majesty Nighteye knows more than I do. Nighteye said after some thought, Thats indeed the case. The current rune can only sense the general direction and not Qianyes actual location. This means that Sousa can only sense Qianyes direction whether hes a thousand or ten thousand kilometers away. Howard said, If the target moves fast enough and far enough, he can still lock onto the distance by sensing the changes in the connection. Nighteye shook her head. No, its common for such runes to deviate ten degrees or so. This error will only disappear if the target moves thousands of kilometers. This move was completely unnecessary. Why would he do this then? Howard was puzzled. Thats true. Howard fell into contemplation. The Demon King might not need the tracking rune, but the same cant be said of other people. The supremes movements are impossible to fathom. The Demon King must have his reasons for not appearing in person, but that doesnt mean other great dark monarchs wont come. All of a sudden, the atmosphere grew tense. Sousa alone was difficult enough to handle; they would have no choice but to flee if two great dark monarchs came after him. Qianye said all of a sudden, Since thats the case, letting me stay here will just keep attracting more experts. Nighteye and Howard exchanged knowing glances. The two recent fights had proven that the target was actually Qianye. The Dawn Continent was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The secret flight route itself was a natural barrier that could restrain the size and speed of enemy fleets. The demonkin vanguard fleet had arrived so quickly because of Brocks Wall of Sighs. This guess wasnt unfounded. On one hand, Qianye had seen how half of the fleeing airsh.i.p.s had fallen into dire straits after leaving the continents airspace. Several of them were destroyed by the scorching flow of origin power. On the other hand, he had learned from the captives that they had a sizable main army and rear-guard when they set out, but those forces never arrived. This went to show that the Dawn Continent wasnt so easy to approach. If Qianye were to leave now, the demonkin would lose their real objective. It wasnt a certainty whether they would risk greater losses in order to wipe out some weak vampire descendants. Staying here would only give the enemy an accurate target, drawing out more people like Sousa. Howard said after some thought, Ignoring Sousas plan, for now, the best way to deal with the rune and scrying is to keep moving. Even the supremes perception will take time to cover all the continents. Its best if you go into hiding. After some discussion, Nighteye would follow Qianye and Howard would stay behind to lead the vampire survivors and build a new home here. Not only was Fort Continent a domain he had built up from scratch, but it was also where William and the Summit of Peaks were present. He needed to understand the Summits stance since the demonkin seemed intent on unifying all of Evernight. The vampires and werewolves shared a long history of enmity, but this was no longer important in the face of extermination. Qianye did not drive the Martyrs Palace to Cerulean Wave City out of caution. Instead, he left the airship with Nighteye and Zhuji to enter the city in secret. After his return, Qianye was stunned by the scenery before him. The slums outside of the city had been completely leveled, and there were buildings being constructed everywhere. The area had expanded far beyond their previous scope. The slums had been divided into areas of different shapes and sizes, each housing buildings of different styles. The different areas were now marked by different flags and totems, showing who the owner and protector were. Although the area looked just as messy as the previous slums, the scent of potential prosperity was in the air. It hadnt been very long since Qianye left the city. How did it thrive so quickly? Chapter 1408: The Werewolves’ Standpoint The original slums area outside the city had doubled, and new residential areas had popped up around this construction zone. The residents of the original slums had moved there. All of a sudden, Qianye saw a bunch of garish feathers drift into his visionhe had found an old acquaintance. Gesturing for Nighteye to remain in place, he moved toward the werewolf chieftain. In this period of Qianyes absence, this werewolf had actually grown fatter and taller. The bigger frame made space for him to wear more bright decorative items and show off his wealth. The chieftain was shocked at the unexpected approach. At first, he was furious, but his face blossomed into smiles upon seeing that it was Qianye. Your Majesty, youre finally back! The chieftains natural joy removed some of Qianyes doubts. Whats going on in the city? It cant get any worse! The chieftains voice rose an octave. You might not know, but we have all kinds of races here now, and theyre noisy as heck. We clearly have no more space, but we still get dozens of airsh.i.p.s coming in every day. Just look! Does it still look like the Cerulean Wave City we know? The chieftain said angrily, Those bastards outside are so crude and uncultured. Be it the vampires, demonkin, or werewolves, the first thing they say is Find me a piece of land, Ill build the biggest store in the area, I have all the money you need! They speak as though were so poor. Thats clearly a good thing Qianye thought to himself as he continued listening. The chieftain waved his hands about. These fellows think they could humiliate us, so we need to use our money to humiliate them back! Yes, thats how we do things. Dont the werewolves retaliate against humiliation with force? Qianye was puzzled. Cant beat oh, okay. Qianye was at a loss for words. He didnt really believe that these werewolves who were in a primitive state a few months ago would have acc.u.mulated that much wealth. The chieftain quickly tossed this minor unhappiness to the back of his head. When he started talking again, his hands were waving about, and there was spittle flying everywhere. However, we seem to have given those outsiders a lesson on what real wealth is! This land beneath our feet is the ultimate wealth. Without our land, where will they build their stores? In the sky? They need to buy land no matter how big or small their businesses are. Qianye finally understood the reason after some questioning. It turned out that Cerulean Wave City was starting to become a trading hub for all the different races. The demand for all kinds of resources shot up after war broke out in Evernight. The vampires had been soundly defeated on Twilight Continent, but their power on the other continents was by no means shaken. This was especially true of the continents occupied by different races. The lords of those territories were adventurers, to begin with, so they werent going to sit by and do nothing. Resistance broke out everywhere, and the council''s forces were driven out entirely in some of the remote places. It would seem that the political state had returned to the holy-war era, so both the vampires and demonkin required large amounts of resources. There was also a surging market demand for grey goods, and Fort Continent happened to be the best place for this. There was no better place for this on Fort Continent than Cerulean Wave City. The lord of this territory was Qianye, with two subordinate dukes overseeing it in his absence. With the Summit of Peaks setting the first example, this place was indeed much safer than any other location. Even though the demonkin had issued a wanted order for Qianye, most people were not privy to the convoluted reasons behind it. The races of Evernight had been at war with one anotherand even amongst themselvesfor thousands of years. Unless there was a certain confirmation that Qianye had been killed or captured, no one would dare to cause trouble. That was, of course, unless they were confident in seizing the entire city. Traders and adventurers from all walks of life surged into the city, filling it to the brim. The massive demand represented by each of these merchants became the foundation of the citys prosperity. The demand for manpower began to attract more werewolves from the nearby tribes, and that was how the current state of the city came to be. The chieftain pointed at the slums outside the city. We chieftains have discussed things in your absence. Youre the son of darkness, and its only right that you should be the ric.h.e.s.t person. Thats why everyone agreed that this entire area should belong to you. Qianye was rather surprised. There was very limited space within the city, and the old slums outside had been transformed into a business district. If this land was his, the rent from all the businesses here would pour into his coffers. This was a small fortune. It would seem that werewolves of the Jade Sea hadnt lost their piety because of his absence. Out of an abundance of caution, Qianye had Nighteye remain concealed as he walked back to the dukes residence with the chieftain. Qianye instructed the chieftain to inform William of his return but limit the news otherwise. William arrived swiftly, and the first thing he said was, You still dare to appear?! Just showing my face around here, Ill leave soon. William seemed relieved. Thats good. I was worried you would fight the demonkin to the death. Qianye shrugged. I havent lived nearly enough. Im not the troublemaker this time, the council came to me. Besides, the Azure King saved me, so I couldnt just let his family get massacred. William frowned. Thats that, but the course of this war wont be altered by personal reasons. Sigh! Qianye said, I came back because I want to know clearly about the werewolves stance in this war. The demonkin and Sousa were trying to kill me a while ago. Sousa? Williams expression was serious. Hes a crafty one. His true fighting power is far beyond what people know, and all those who have underestimated him have become corpses. Its not all that surprising that he would work for the Demon King. The werewolf race is actually in a divided state at the moment. The wolf ancestor is now standing with the Demon King, and most of the ancestral faction have rallied to his call. Qianye shook his head. Even someone of his stature? This is truly difficult to comprehend. The vampires were desperate to approach the darkness origins because the River of Blood had left them. What reason do the werewolves have? William said, Reportedly, the Demon King promised to restore the werewolves'' position on the Sacred Mountain. The Wolf Ancestor was swayed by the offer. Qianye more or less understood the councils structure by now. He said, Promising a supreme position? Even if theres a seat up there, can he get up without sufficient strength? Can he hold onto it? William laughed wryly. The Wolf Ancestor is at the end of his life. Not to mention such a promise, he might be willing even if they let him sit on the Sacred Mountain for a while. He wont live much longer if he doesnt become a supreme. Thats why hell take this chance no matter what. With the Longevity Monarch as an example, Qianye understood how attractive lifespan was to people with one foot in the grave. William said, The Wolf Sovereign has already offered the Tempest and a large number of warriors for the new world. This can be considered a great compromise, and the only rebellious decision he made was to hide me. Reportedly, the Demon King has no intention of looking into this matter. Thats why we wont be taking part in this war. Once the vampires fall, the werewolves will be next. William laughed self-deprecatingly. You dont understand the power balance of Evernight well enough. Even if they do take action, the Demon King will turn to the arachne first and not the werewolves. We are not a threat at all in his eyes. Qianye sighed. It was true that he didnt understand much regarding the entanglement between the dark races, but he couldnt shake off the feeling that the werewolves judgment was wrong. However, he didnt say anything else because William wouldnt have any say in such a major topic, anyway. All they could do was complain to one another. William said with a weird expression, Oh, right. I have two pieces of news that arent all that great. Wanna hear? Go ahead. First, the demonkin have already put a bounty on your head and requested the cooperation of all Evernight races. Qianye nodded. I know that, yet you dare meet with me? Arent you afraid the demonkin will cause trouble for you? Whats the second? The second is just gossip, and no one knows if its true. Wiliam started off by declaring that this news wasnt reliable. Qianye couldnt help but feel surprised. Why would William bring up random gossip when he knew how precious time was at the moment? He soon came to understand why. After losing the Twilight Continent, the vampires no longer have a primogenitor level expert, but did you sense it? The demonkin have been keeping the intensity of the holy war in check. Qianye gave it some thought. Do you mean the number of experts participating in the war? In the past, the core territories of each race would rarely, if ever, suffer a direct attack, but the demonkin have broken this rule by attacking Twilight. Thats why its rather strange that their princes and great dark monarchs have stopped appearing afterward. Apparently, the Summit of Peaks was rather cautious despite claiming neutrality. The demonkin had claimed victory with a tempestuous momentum, but they slowed down the pace of their invasion. This left the werewolves puzzled. Qianye still hadnt noticed this issue before William mentioned it. Now, he couldnt help but feel curious. William said, I heard the Demon King promised Prince Habsburg that the two races would decide the outcome in a holy war. Qianyes understanding of Habsburg didnt involve any happy memories. He said with a frown, Habsburg is still alive? He should be, William said, this promise is no small matter. There are rules to observe in the holy war, along with restrictions and bottom lines. Its greatly beneficial for the vampires if the demonkin agree to follow these rules. At least, they wont massacre the inhabitants after occupation. This means the vampires will be able to hold out for a while longer. At present, the two had no idea that the reason why the Demon King wanted Qianye had nothing to do with the war. Nor did they know about the major characters butting heads behind this gossip. However, Williams analysis was fortunately on the markor pretty close at least. Qianye said after some thought, No wonder Sousa left a tracking rune on me. An ancient tracking rune? William asked with a frown. Now thats odd. Why go that extra step? The supremes can easily guess your location as long as they have some clues to go on. That young demonkin prophet from the Dark Nightmare is also active. Prince Predica is reportedly even more powerful than his uncle and the previous chair of the Evernight Council, Master Grey. If they want to scry your location, he can produce an even more accurate result. Either way, those methods wont be inferior to our ancient tracking rune. The two discussed Sousas actions for a while but couldnt come to a conclusion, and the Demon Kings attitude toward the war also left them puzzled. William asked Qianye about his plans. Flee, keep running. Qianye laughed. William nodded. I feel relieved. When do you plan to begin? Qianye stood up. Now. Arent you going to see anyone else? William was surprised. Ive shown my face briefly, so lets wait and see how each party responds. As for the others, there will be lots of opportunities to meet them. William understood his meaning. Fort Continent is indeed a good place. What Qianye had just said meant that he wouldnt be leaving Fort Continent for the time being. The environment here was harsh, and the chaotic origin power diminished the experts cultivation speed. The effectiveness of tracking, divination, and prophetic scrying will also be discounted, just like in the neutral lands. The Fort Continent was a single continent that was much larger than the neutral lands. There was ample space to roam about and shake off any pursuers. The demonkin had almost no foothold on Fort Continent, so they were pure foreigners compared to Qianye and his long history here. After meeting William and learning about the werewolves stance, Qianye left Cerulean Wave City and disappeared into the depths of the continent. Now that he was wanted by the demonkin, it would be a good thing if he could keep the pursuing council forces in check. ... At this moment, in Habsburgs Lava Castle. The Demon King slowly put down the ancient scroll and asked Sousa, Can you tell me why you used an ancient tracking rune? Chapter 1409: Chase In the depths of Fort Continent, Qianye and Nighteye were standing side by side at the edge of a cliff. Before them was a green ocean of mist-shrouded trees, stretching far off until it met the sky over the horizon. Here we are, Qianye said. Nighteye did not say a word. Qianye hugged her gently. This is a key period for your recovery. You must find a safe place to recuperate, not run around with me. Seek me out when youve become a prince or even a great dark monarch. What will you do then? Qianye smiled as he produced a hazy mass of origin power. With this chaos origin power, no one but the Demon King can capture me. Nighteye was still worried, but Zhuji said, Dont worry, Ill be around to fight those Papa cant beat. Little Zhuji was in a fairly strange state. Her bloodline powers hadnt m.a.t.u.r.ed, but her physical strength had reached an extreme level. Her constitution was akin to the combined strength of the ancient vampires and arachne, hardly measurable with ordinary standards. A while back, she even managed to break free from Sousas grip while he was distracted. Having her around would be a great boon for Qianye. Nighteye was also a decisive person. Very well, Ill be going then. She planted a gentle kiss on Qianyes lips and left. Only when her figure had vanished did Little Zhuji ask, Why did you ask aunty to leave? She needs to look for an ancient blood pond and sleep for a while. Shell become even more powerful after she wakes up. Oh, werent you calling her sis a while back? When did she become aunty? I recently learned that a womans age is very important. I should call her aunty so that people dont misunderstand my age! After all, Im still young. Mama said humans usually start counting from the time we break out of the eggshell. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry, what had Song Zining put into her head? He didnt know how arachne counted their age, but only egg-laying creatures could be counted in that manner. This little lass was as smart as she was mischievous, and her intelligence was expanding particularly quickly. Qianye could no longer treat her as a kid, but her own perception of age was probably less than ten years old. Qianye glanced up at the sky where the Martyrs Palace was moving farther and farther away. The demonkin had mobilized Sousa last time, so there might be more great dark monarchs coming for him. The dragonship wasnt enough to hold its own before such experts, so Qianye had to send it away to protect his foundations. Back then, Brock was utterly defeated because Qianye had charged into his airship and kept him restrained. He wasnt about to subject himself to this fate. The visibility inside the forest was limited as almost all light was blotted out by the giant trees and lingering mist. It was difficult to tell night and day apart. The tree trunks were covered in glowing moss, which provided the b.a.r.e minimum of illumination to see things. The environment was dark, damp, and filled with a bone-deep chill. Even a champion might fall sick after staying here for too long. In a clearing within the forest, Qianye lit up a fire and began roasting a small creature he had captured. How are you feeling? Little Zhuji looked up at the sky. I still cant see clearly, but I can make out some clouds now. Not bad, keep practicing. Perception is the most important factor for a good hunter. Nodding, Little Zhuji stared earnestly at the misty treetops, hoping to see through them. This sea of trees was fairly well-known on Fort Continent as a death zone. The woods were covered year-round in a dense mist that could obstruct perception, and there were drifting wisps of origin power under the cover of the moisture and cold. This origin power provided no benefit to living beings. In fact, even experts would feel weakened after prolonged exposure to it. These things posed no problem for Qianye, and Little Zhuji was entirely at home in this environment. He had come to this forest to hide in the special environment and lie in wait for the demonkin hunters. He couldnt pick his opponent, so it was important for him to pick the battlefield. Not only was perception limited inside the forest, but it would also be distorted. The latter might be fatal under certain circ.u.mstances. Little Zhuji was born for such adverse environmentsher perception was even improving gradually, leaving Qianye speechless. This was also the reason why he had brought her along. After some thought, he decided to stir up some trouble for the arachne after this crisis. He needed to rob some top-grade inheritances for her. The meat on the fire hadnt finished cooking when Qianye sensed something. He looked up to see an airship enter from the void and come to a stop above the sea of trees. The cabin doors opened, and several figures stepped outone of them was almost four meters tall, with a strange ashen-colored face. Duke Minica, Duke Basil, were here. The gloomy Duke Minica glanced at the boundless sea of trees below. According to His Majesty Predicas prophecy, this is a possible hiding place for that person. Our mission is to search the place thoroughly and, if we find Qianye, keep him busy until the warlord arrives. Everyone, remember to be extra cautious and focus on survival. We cannot make the same mistake as Brock, understand? The experts confirmed their instructions. Minica said to the giant, Well count on you if a battle breaks out, Lord Pedro. The giant said in a deep voice, Rest assured. I have orders from the Spider Queen, I wont remain idle or act like that trash Sousa. Duke Minica said, I feel so much more at ease. The three top experts jumped out of the airship and flew in different directions to begin their search. It was just that the vast sea of trees would take a long while to comb through, even with their top talents. Predica was in front of his desk in the central study, thinking long and hard as he gazed at the map. Some parts of the cartography were glowing faintly. At this moment, a knock came from the door and a demonkin officer walked in. Your Majesty, Duke Minica reports that he has reached the target area and is now conducting the search. All search parties are in position now. Predica nodded. I hope they wont be as dumb as Brock. That arrogant bastard thought he could go toe-to-toe with Nighteye and her Awakening Dream. Its no surprise that he fell. Though, its rather unfortunate that he would die even with Sousa around. There was no way that officer would comment on such a topic. Predica seemed a bit tired. Im going to rest. Tell them Ill recalibrate the location one day later. Yes, Your Majesty. Predica didnt leave after the officers departure. Instead, he glanced at the four scattered locations on the map and shook his head, The deviation range is so big. Is it because of Qianye or the Book of Darkness? If its the book, Id really want to take a look. Qianye came to a sudden stop while running through the woods. He could sense a gaze from the void, passing through the many obstructions to land on him. Neither space, clouds, nor trees could obstruct this gaze. Qianye instinctively channeled Bloodline Concealment and retracted his aura, fading away into the environment. All of a sudden, the Book of Darkness absorbed that gaze and split it into four parts, which shot off in different directions. Qianye was no stranger to the divination and prophetic arts of each faction. As his cultivation and perception grew stronger, his senses toward such things also grew sharper. Yet, this was the first time he was able to see the entire process like so. In the past, Qianye would vaguely sense these arts after they had missed or were blocked for some reason. Other times, he never realized. This time, he could do nothing but watch as the Book of Darkness interfered with the scryer, splitting the prophetic power into four and sending them off in different directions. Naturally, this meant that Qianyes plan to launch a fierce counterattack also went down the drain. Qianye thought back to the perception from before and confirmed that the gaze had come from the Evernight Faction and not the Empire. He changed his direction after some thought and crept in the direction of that aura. On the airship in the void, Predica woke up from his nap. He rubbed his tired eyes and looked once again at the marked map. With a sigh, he summoned the communications officer on duty and said, These are the new possible locations, forward them to the search party. The current officer on duty, an arachne, was startled as he glanced at the map. Your Majesty Predica, this isnt this too different from yesterday? Predicas expression turned dark. What, are you arachne trying to question my prophetic powers? Tell Fokash to come if you want my position. The arachne was shocked. The fight for the councils head prophet was fierce. After the death of Master Grey, neither Gonza of the demonkin nor Weber of the vampire race were able to convince the masses. As for Fokash of the arachne race, this communications officer didnt know whether he wished to compete for this position. What he did know was that he couldnt afford to offend this prophet. The arachne left hurriedly after repeated apologies. He had never run into such interference before, and it wasnt a clash between divination and prophecy as he had suspected. Even he couldnt tell where the problem was or why there would always be four zones each time. Predica knew that the Demon King had never allowed him to touch the flow of destiny for fear of Lin Xitangs lingering influence. The young prince had always followed this limitation, but he was never satisfied. He might not be a match for a living Marshal Lin, but the man was already dead. Even a great dark monarch couldnt leave a lasting effect after his demise. This time, the Demon King actually allowed Predica to join the operation after Sousas defeat, and one involving Qianye no less. Predica shook his head with a sighthere was no other way now. Back on the ground. A streak of light fell toward the forest from the sky. Minicas figure appeared in the air and grabbed an alloy tube from this light. He opened it to find a map inside. His countenance turned dark as he said with an angry snort, Is this a joke?! How can Qianye escape hundreds of kilometers away under my watch? After some hesitation, he flew toward the new objective as marked on the map. Qianye moved through the forest like a specter, with Little Zhuji in tow. The lass didnt fall behind at all. In fact, she was having a lot of fun running through the woods. She would often jump between giant trees at the speed of lightning, but she was able to do so without making a single sound. This was an early sign of a top-tier hunter. Qianye came to a sudden stop and his gait froze in the air. He slowly pulled back his foot, crouched down, and brushed away a leaf on the ground. There was a metallic grey spider under the leaf, lying silently in wait. If Qianye had put his foot down, he would have surely crushed this insect. Chapter 1410: Grey Domain Sentry spiders? Qianye frowned. Now theyre sending arachne after the werewolves have failed? I dont think theres a great dark monarch, though. Qianye couldnt understand the Demon Kings intentions. After Sousas failure, he had thought that his next enemy would be two great dark monarchs. Of course, it was possible that this hunting party was just the vanguard. In truth, this demonkin hunting party was anything but ordinary. Not only had they mobilized a warlock, but it was Prince Predica himself. The only issue here was that the outcome wasnt going as they had expectedPredicas prophecy was actually unable to pinpoint Qianyes location. Qianye placed another leaf on the sentry spider without touching it. These creatures were a type of servspider that would be placed in strategic areas, and their death would be sensed by the arachne expert who had set them there. This made them the best guards in critical areas. The appearance of sentry spiders meant that an arachne expert wasnt too far away. Qianye checked his location and felt a bit hesitant. From the traces in the forest, there should be two arachne experts of considerable rank. However, they were now a good distance apart after searching through the forest in different directions. This distance was a bit awkward. This was an opportunity for him to defeat them one by one, but he wouldnt be able to stop them from informing the others. He would have to flee the forest if they managed to lock onto him. While he was hesitating, Little Zhuji tugged on his sleeve and pointed in the direction of the weaker aura. That was only a duke, so there shouldnt be any problem, right? Qianye glanced at Zhuji in worry, but the little girl was raring to go. She promised repeatedly that she wouldnt overdo it, that she would run once there was danger. Qianye finally nodded after seeing that she was about to cry while hugging his legs. After their reunion, Qianye and Nighteye didnt neglect Little Zhujis training even while they were on the run. The little fellows foundations were simply too good. She had inherited Qianyes sharp perception and senses in addition to her innate combat abilities. Even Qianye would have to spend some effort in order to deal with her. It wouldnt be a problem for her to restrain and harass an arachne duke. At the thought of this, Qianye finally nodded in agreement. Little Zhuji cheered as she got up and vanished into the forest, not giving any chance for Qianye to change his mind. The arachne possessed an advantage in the forest, but Qianye was able to see the remaining dark wisps of origin power with his Eye of Control. That expert wasnt making an effort to hide himself, either. Qianye contained his aura and proceeded at a steady pace. Experts scanning the area with their perception would only think it was an ancient tree. If they did spend some more time, they would notice that this ancient tree was moving rapidly. After an hour of tracking, Qianye ran into a bl.u.s.ter of raging windsa giant creature could be seen gliding forward with the gale, scanning every inch of his surroundings. This method of scanning was extremely efficient, but it would be impossible to sense Qianyes concealment. However, the arachne expert wasnt stupid, either. Instead of just relying on perception, he was scattering sentry spiders everywhere he went. These sentry spiders could live weeks without food, so Qianye might be discovered if he were careless. The arachne experts did not use the more convenient human form in the forest and, instead, went back to their arachnid combat forms. Their large bodies were strangely agile amidst the trees, making for a difficult opponent. While searching, the arachne expert came to a sudden stop and glanced cautiously at his surroundings. He could already feel an intense sense of foreboding. Without further thought, he could tell that Qianye was likely hiding somewhere in the forest. Retrieving the shield and spear from his back, the expert slashed down several trees with his sharp limbs and made a clearing for a battlefield. Qianye had been observing his opponent for quite some time. He actually discovered me. The shocked arachne held his shield up as Qianye appeared before him. The latters punch landed squarely on the shield. The arachne let out a loud roar as his body sank downward, his eight limbs stabbing deep into the ground. A single punch from Qianye had nearly pushed him halfway into the ground. Comparatively, Qianye was only pushed back slightly from the impact. The arachne struggled free from the soil and saw his shield crumble into several pieces. That coarse arm holding up the shield was trembling ever so slightly. The experts aggressiveness was mostly gone by now, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. Not many can suppress me, Pedro, in strength. Dont tell me youve been hiding your true rank? Pedro stared intently at Qianye, waiting for an answer. As someone with a special bloodline, the spiders strength was comparable to a prince despite being at the grand duke rank. He had maintained his spider form throughout the search, simply because this was his advantage. Who wouldve thought Qianye would surpass him so? Qianye said, Neither fleeing nor reporting, are you planning to die here? Pedro threw the broken shield pieces to the ground and switched to a smaller but thicker round shield. Come, lets get into a real fight. The arachne rushed toward Qianye in an instant and launched a flurry of spear strikes. His weapon struck like a dragon, transforming the surrounding environment as it did so. The trees were soon covered in spider webs, and there was even one in the sky. Pedro clearly treated Qianye like a powerful enemy, using the full power of his domain from the get-go. Qianye drew his azure sword and deflected the incoming spear. Following this clash, the environment dozens of meters around Qianye began to change. All of a sudden, everything became hazy, almost as though there was a mist rolling in. This was Qianyes domain! Pedro took several steps back in caution, feeling a bit puzzled. The arachne expert couldnt figure out what use Qianyes domain had, nor could he sense any effect on his own domain. The two domains coexisted in a mutually undisturbed state. This went against all common sense, especially for someone with great knowledge and experience like Pedro. An idea came into his head as he glanced at Qianye. The latter looked a bit anxious, which wasnt a normal reaction in battle. Pedro ventured a guess. He hasnt fully grasped his domain! At the thought of this, the arachne expert discarded all hesitation and shot countless spider webs at Qianye. These tens of thousands of threads were enough to turn Qianye into a cocoon. Pedro then took a step forward and thrust his spear at Qianyes heart. Shocked out of his wits, Pedro jumped backward. What kind of domain is that?! Even experts at the same rank couldnt break free of his spider webs. Why would they vanish just like that? He hadnt finished speaking when he let out a muffled groan and blood trickled from his nosehis domain had been shattered. The backlash injured him no matter how sturdy of a man he was. Qianye made no reply. He appeared before Pedro in a single step, engulfing the target in his domain as he slashed down! This slash was abnormally heavy. Pedro blocked the strike with his spear, but his trusted weapon of many years was actually folded from the middle. His giant frame, one that was twice as big as ordinary arachne, was smashed into the ground. Pedro wanted to struggle up after blocking the attack, but his body froze as a wisp of grey energy landed on his body. Why is it so heavy?! The arachne was stunned. This wisp of unassuming grey energy felt like a small mountain on his body. If one such wisp was so heavy, he wouldnt even be able to walk if dozens of them were to arrive. There was grey energy drifting everywhere around him at this point. Pedro let out a loud roar as a dark moon lit up within his body. The terrifying might forced Qianye to retreat and put some distance between them. After Qianyes retreat, Pedro jumped onto the spider web threads and fled into the distance. He actually ran? Qianye shook his head helplessly, discarding the notion of giving chase. Pedro was a terrifying creature, and killing someone of such physical strength would be a difficult feat. It wasnt going to be easy to intercept him, either, if he was intent on fleeing. Qianyes favorite prey were people like Brockweak and inclined to fight to the end. Since Pedro had fled, Qianye hurried toward a different battlefield. He didnt really have time to observe the change in his domain. In the depths of the forest, Basil was advancing rapidly with his aura concealed. His movements were more cautious than Pedros, as their secret arts were quite different. It was at this time that he heard a gentle snap from the side, as though someone had stepped on a twig. Feeling even more cautious, Basil retracted his aura and began channeling his power. He then picked up his shield and axe before making his way toward the source of the sound. What appeared before him was an empty area. There was nothing else there, and he didnt find any fallen branches, either. As someone with sufficient combat experience, Basil quickly noticed something out of place. He drew his handgun quietly and fired at a certain place in the forest. Amidst the flurry of leaves and branches, Basil heard a tender voice cry out in pain. A silhouette scuttled out from the trees and fled into the depths of the forest. Trying to flee?! Basil started chasing with a cold laugh. He had guessed the opponents strength during that brief contactthat person was strong, but he was a bit stronger. Basil had no weakness in speed since he possessed the golden arachnid bloodline. He might even be a bit faster than the fleeing target. He made a quick decision to give chase. And moments later, he caught up to this escapee. Basil never let his guard down while facing this beautiful girl. He roared with a stern face, I am the Darknight Duke Basil, heir to the ancient Anubarakan lords and wielder of the golden bloodline. You can forget about escaping from me! The girl looked panicked, almost as though she were intimidated by the long name. Like a startled little critter with no road to escape, she walked toward Basil with her head lowered. Basil sighed as he thought to himself. Looks like I need to knock her out and ask for more information. Right, I should hold back a bit when I attack. Chapter 1411: Robbery Basil was never one to go soft. He might be a bit lenient toward weak insects, but he had always been fierce when facing his enemies. He had planned to hold back a bit against this girl because he could sense an inexplicable sense of connection with her. This feeling puzzled him deeply. He immediately decided to intimidate this little lass first before questioning her origins. He needed to find out why she was here. Basil rushed over and slammed into the girl with his shield, swinging his axe out of habit. He suddenly realized halfway through that he mightve used too much force. So, he spun the axe about and smashed downward with the backside of the weapon. At the moment of that attack, Basil suddenly realized that he hadnt figured out what race that little fellow belonged to. This was definitely not his usual way. Clang! Basil felt as though he had slammed into a mountain. The silence in this ancient forest was broken as trees fell down one after another. Blocks of soil were flung into the air, along with the trees growing on it. The birds and beasts of the forest were startled as they did their utmost to flee from the source of this calamity. Two figures rushed out from this disastrous sceneryone was running and the other was chasing. The one at the front looked incomparably miserable, and it was actually Basil! He looked like a scavenger at this pointthe beautiful combat robes on his body had been shredded apart, and his armor was in tatters, with a large piece missing at the back. The arachnes hair hung loose, and his face was unrecognizably swollen as he fled for dear life. Zhuji was hot on his trail. She had a shield in her left hand, an axe in her right, and was wearing a golden helmet on her head. All of these things belonged to Basil. She was noticeably faster than in the past, even a bit faster than Basil. She caught up to him in a flash and knocked him down with the shield. Basil cried out while trying to resist. Wait! Stop, listen to me first! Ah, not my face! Little Zhuji didnt care about his complaints at all. She kept Basil underfoot and gave him a good beating. Zhuji rolled her eyes. Whore you calling the same race, ugly? Nonsense! This duke isnt ugly Basil hadnt finished talking when his vision went dark. Zhuji had slammed her shield in his face and stomped him to the ground for another round of beating. This had happened countless times already. The two were playing a game of Listen to me! Listen to me! and No! Not listening, not listening! Basil protected his face as best he could, ignoring other vital areas. Zhujis attacks would be lighter if he didnt resist that much, but the problem was that she didnt keep her hands to herself. She began plucking Basils equipment and ornaments one after another. Is this a robbery? Basil felt a bit distressed. As he saw it, Zhuji was just a kid who had barely passed the infant stage. Yet, she was beating him black and blue with just her physical strength. She was a rare genius, one that wouldnt appear in a thousand years! And it was clear that this lass had never learned any advanced secret arts, let alone the top-grade ones. Since discovering that Little Zhuji was an arachne, Basil simply couldnt attack her at all. He didnt dare to use any of those ultimate arts in his possession. Yet, he was not a match for the little lass in terms of physical strength and he couldnt suppress her entirely with origin power, either. This made it difficult for him to control his damage output. His fear of going too hard on Zhuji left him in a position where he was being beaten black and blue. He might look fairly miserable, but he didnt mind it all that match. This little kid was bound to get tired at one point. All of a sudden, Basil felt as though he had been doused with icy water. The terror of impending doom gripped his entire consciousness! With a loud cry, he erupted with origin power and struggled free from her grasp, moving hundreds of meters away in the process. Little Zhuji hadnt expected that this beaten-up fellow still had the strength to escape. The translucent thread of ice she had just spat out struck the ground where Basil had been lying. The attack opened a small hole in the ground, extending downward for an unknown distance. A circular area of grey spread out rapidly from this hole, destroying all life in its wake; even the ancient trees withered upon contact. In the blink of an eye, Little Zhuji had produced a hundred-meter zone of death. Basic gasped. Even with one of the top poison-resistances in the Evernight World, one afforded by his golden bloodline, he would be in deep trouble if that poison had struck him. He was pleasantly surprised but also scared and drenched in cold sweat. Little Zhuji was not happy that she had failed to kill Basil. She jumped up and pounced at him with increased speed. A startled Basil felt even more alarmed as he looked at the girls puckered lips. How could he dare let her close in on him? An opponent he couldnt attack yet could threaten his life, now this was even more lethal than fighting a prince or a great monarch. Basil immediately shot into the sky and accelerated a total of three times as he disappeared into the void. He had clearly utilized some kind of life-saving item. Zhuji swung her fists angrily at the escaping arachne. But her anger turned to delight when she looked down on the ground. There was a pile of ornamental items for her to count. If it wasnt for these things, it mightve been possible for her to give chase. However, she just wasnt willing to let go of these treasures. As a special genius who had been nurtured by the Spider Queen herself, Basil had broken through to the duke rank after entering the Great Maelstrom. This proved that he was an expert with both strength and potential. The items he had on him were also fitting of his current status; there wasnt a single inferior piece. Little Zhuji didnt know that much about the items market value, but she could tell how much origin power they contained or whether the origin arrays were well crafted. This was especially true of the golden armoreach and every piece was an extraordinary work of art. It was one of the best both in physical and origin power defense. Just from her combat instincts, Little Zhuji took a great liking to the armor and thus yanked it off of Basil. She was now picking up everything piece by piece and putting it on herself. However, the armor wouldnt quite fit her as it was made for a burly arachne warrior. The little lass refused to take it off even so. She sensed Qianyes distant call at this point and promptly responded to him. Qianye walked out from amidst the trees and saw a highly disproportionate arachne warrior. He was startled at first glance but he soon didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Little Zhuji was clad in a suit of golden armor, with a few pieces missing, holding a shield in her left hand and an axe in the other. The oversized helmet piece was hanging loose, so she needed to tilt her head upward in order to see. Also, she didnt have any spatial gear, so she had simply tied everything to her waist with a vine. Clanging sounds followed her wherever she went. Qianye shook his head. Wheres the enemy? I beat him running, but I got all of his things! The little girl was excited. Qianye put his hand on his face with a sigh. Why didnt you kill him? Qianye snorted. His things would have been yours after you killed him anyway. Oh, right! The girl slapped her forehead. Qianye saw right through her acting. You wanted him to return, so that you can rob him again! Zhuji hopped over and clung to Qianyes arm. Ah, how did you know? Actually, its not that I like to rob people! But his things are so shiny, I like them. Qianye was speechless, puzzled as to when this girl became so greedy. Was it an arachne instinct to like all things that glitter? He had never heard of such a trait before. Looking at the armor that had been badly fastened, Qianye said helplessly, Take it off. No! The answer was absolute and decisive. Itll affect our movement, we have to leave this place quickly. Ill keep them for you. Dont worry, I guarantee you wont lose a single piece. With Qianyes promise, the girl reluctantly removed her armor and handed it over for storage in Andruils space. The storage space wasnt small, but Qianye had stuffed it full of things, so every bit of space was valuable. If it wasnt for Basils armor being a top-grade item, Qianye would be more inclined to toss it away. Out in the void, several figures could be seen flying toward a giant warship and entering one by one. Predica sat leaning against the sofa in a giant, well-decorated hall. His expression was unfathomable, and no one could tell what he was thinking. A tall figure stood before the cabin window, staring at the large continent that filled the viewport. Minica and Pedro walked in one after another, keeping a deliberate distance between them. Once inside, Grand Duke Minica said, As a genius of the arachne race and a candidate for the warlord position, how could you lose so quickly? You didnt even inform me, so that I can help out. Pedro was shrouded in shocking killing intent. Do the demonkin have only arrogant bastards left? If you doubt my strength, I dont mind going into a life and death duel with you. Show me how powerful the Dark Eye of the demonkin race is. Minica laughed coldly. Everyone knows that combat is not my forte. If you want a duel, there are others in my race who can accompany you. Pedro rebuked, Then shut up if you dont know how to fight! Unfortunately, this is a time for reflection and I must offer my opinion. As for the final evaluation, Im sure the warlord will decide. The man in front of the window turned back, unmoved by the daggers-drawn atmosphere between the two. Basil will return soon, lets wait for him. Very well. Minica and Pedro sat down in different places, causing the temperature in the room to drop sharply. Hurried steps were soon heard in the corridor as Basil staggered in, almost tripping in the process. Seeing his tattered clothes and swollen face, even Warlord Noxus was surprised. What happened to you? Did you run into Qianye? Chapter 1412: The Shadow in Basil’s Heart It wasnt Qianye but a different yet interesting opponent. Basil became rather vague halfway through. All eyes in the room fell upon him. Basil was finding this opponent interesting after taking such a beating? When did the arachne have such inclinations? Grand Duke Minica said, Who else in this region is strong enough to make you so miserable? If there really is one, I guess His Highness Predicas observation of fate is no longer as accurate as it used to be. Noxus snorted. We have no intention of questioning a prophet, but we will not allow anyone to doubt our valor. Predica said indifferently, Both Qianye and Nighteyes fate trajectories are very difficult to track. Even I can only see a blurry outline, especially now that I must pay more attention to Nighteye. The room quieted down for a bit as Noxus maintained a poker face. A demonkin warlock becoming so humble, that wasnt a good thing. Minica was somewhat moved. His Majestys decree seems Predica replied, I know what His Majestys orders are, but I have a feeling that Nighteyes effect on fate is no smaller than Qianye. It might be even greater. Minica was even more shaken. Isnt Great Monarch Sousa going after her? Predica shook his head while Noxus cut in unceremoniously, If he can fail once, he will fail a second time. Lets talk about the battles, Predica said. Lets hear what the situation is with Qianye, then Basils interesting incident. Pedro said, I was ambushed while searching the forest and remained at a disadvantage throughout. Minica frowned. He even managed to ambush you? Correct, I didnt sense him at all. Minica sighed. If you couldnt detect him, I wouldnt have been able to, either. Fortunately, you were the one to run into him. There was no mockery in these words. Minicas combat strength was no weaker than Pedro, but his constitution was far inferior. He might not be able to take a single blow if he were ambushed by Qianye. The arachne, on the other hand, possessed extremely sharp senses despite his crude appearance. With the aid of his sentry spiders, he was one of the top experts for outdoor search-and-destroy operations. Predica tapped lightly on the armest. To be able to ambush and defeat Grand Duke Pedro, is that Qianye a prince? Pedro said, Judging from his bloodline power, hes just one step away from breaking through to the grand duke rank. Minicas expression was unsightly. That means you lost to a duke? Noxus said, The council and the Spider Queen know full well how strong Pedro is. He can even use secret arts to contend with a prince. Pedro, can you tell Master Predica what was special about this fight? Pedro said, I think I saw an origin power on Qianye that has never been seen before. Its very likely between Daybreak and Evernight, but not exactly like the case, either. The domain it formed was extremely terrifying, I sensed both gravity and destruction from it. The combination is not weaker than the domain of any great dark monarch. Any great dark monarch? Minica repeated the question. Any. Pedros response was firm. Minicas expression was fluctuant. That means we might have to adjust our plans. We need to assemble more experts or wait until we have a clearer direction, said Pedro. Predica shook his head. Theres a protective barrier or something special around him. I cannot break through it alone. Everyone looked serious. Predica was different from most other prophets in that he always spoke honestly without deliberately mystifying things. What he said he could not do, he could not do. That was why there were no objections. There were people in both factions whose fate was impossible to scry, and they werent always powerful experts. Minica noticed a certain possibility. What if we mobilize the councils subordinate warlock group? Could it be that the plan is already in motion? Noxus asked. Predica nodded. It wont be a secret very soon, so its fine to speak of it. At this point, the group had nothing more to discuss so they turned to Basil. For some reason, however, this young duke was no longer willing to explain what had happened. He wouldnt speak of whom he had encountered and only insisted on returning to the arachne main camp. Minicas expression wasnt good because this was akin to fleeing from battle. However, Basil was a king among the arachne younger generation who might become the next warlord. His position in the arachne race was much higher than Pedro, so they couldnt just force him to speak. Noxus wouldnt sit by and watch the demonkin bully Pedro even if his authority was being challenged. After a period of argument, Basil said, In truth, what I countered is an internal matter of my race. Im very willing to report this matter to the warlord, but I think this has little to do with the lords Minica and Predica. Without waiting for Minica to express his anger, Predica said, That makes things simple. Well leave this place to you. Lets go, Minica. Predica stopped briefly and glanced at Basil as they passed by. There was no special expression accompanying that glance and Basil didnt even sense any suppressive might. However, Noxus frowned when he saw this. After the two had left, Noxus said, Basil, I expect you to give me a very good reason for this. After all, the demonkin are the ones controlling the new order of the council. Master Predicas authority in the council is much higher than you think, and hes an expert worthy of respect even before he awakened his prophetic powers. Why would you offend him for no reason? The Spider Queen will favor you less if she finds out. Impossible! Pedro protested. His Highness Noxus and I are the only arachne experts who can defeat you. Basil took a deep breath. Shes not an expert we know. In fact, she has just passed her early growth phase. Impossible! It was Noxus this time. Your Highness, you know my ability. Its impossible for me to make a wrong judgment here. Basils innate bloodline allowed him to see through other arachne, unless they were great dark monarchs like Noxus. It was because of this power that he was considered a king in the younger generation and a successor to the Spider Queens attendant position, even though his bloodline wasnt pure enough to suppress everything, nor was he the Spider Queens descendant. To defeat a duke after just passing the initial growth phase Pedro murmured with a puzzled expression. An arachnes initial growth period was no different from a human infant, lasting up to a point where they had awakened sufficient intelligence. The subsequent second and third growth phases were akin to a human child. It was there that the arachne would strengthen their body and awaken their bloodline talents. Basils defeat was akin to a human a.d.u.l.t losing to an infant. Noxus was startled. Did you mean her? The arachne warlord was visibly shaken. He exchanged glances with Pedro, saying, Can it be the Spider Queens successor has appeared? Thats what I hope! Pedros eyes were filled with excitement. If this were true, they could totally understand why Basil would rather risk this tension than leak this information. In the arachne race, only the matriarch could awaken the strongest bloodline. Pedro, the other grand dukes, and princes would be limited to a great dark monarch as their final destination. Even Basil, who was highly favored by the Queen, would only end up a bit stronger than Noxus. In essence, he would still be a great dark monarch. Only a single Spider Queen was at the top of the arachne race. Basil shook his head. No, she isnt of the Spider Queens bloodline but a completely new one. I wasnt able to figure it out. If I must describe it, I felt that she was a combination of the Spider Queen and the Queen of the Night. How is that possible? These words had been spoken too many times. Basil laughed wryly. I would never have believed it, either, had I not met her. Noxus said, Tell me everything again from the beginning, dont leave out a single detail. Basil nodded and recounted everything he had encountered, including all the embarrassing details. After listening to everything, Noxus and Pedro exchanged glances. They simply didnt know what to say. Moments later, Noxus said, This matter is extremely important, much more so than capturing Qianye. Pedro said, If a successor appears beside the Spider Queen on the Sacred Mountain, we will be at the heart of the new order in the new world. Nodding, Noxus glanced at Basil with a serious expression. You know how serious this matter is. Are you really sure you didnt see wrong? I swear on my ancestors and bloodline, I cant make such a mistake. Noxus made up his mind. We must bring her back to the Temple, and we must do so without alerting the demonkin. Pedro, report this back to the Temple, request the Spider Queen to send a clone or at least a projection. I will keep Predica and Minica busy here. Basil, you will be in charge of keeping her in place until we hear back from the Temple. Dont let her disappear Basil was stunned. How do I keep her here? Noxus said, You just said shes obsessed with riches, all you need to do is let her rob you a couple more times. I have some valuable armor sets in my collection. Pedro, bring out some as well. Well give them to Basil so that he can get robbed a couple more times. Basil didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Why me? Because shes not as cautious around you. Noxus spoke delightedly, but Basil didnt like the tone. What did the man mean by not cautious? Basil was simply beaten black and blue after finding out her bloodline. He didnt dare to use any secret arts or excessive force in retaliation. Maybe we can send someone else. I think shell be careless all the same with other dukes, even glorious marquises. Basil made a feeble attempt. Noxus blocked all of his hopes in one blow. The fewer people involved in this matter, the better. Before we get a decision from the Spider Queen, only the three of us can know of her existence. Predica is no idiot, he was trying to probe you just now. You have a kings bloodline, and if that little fellow is the new Spider Queen, your combined fate trajectories will be difficult to see through immediately. If we put a random duke in your place, it wont be easy to fool Predicas eyes. Pedro said, Predica just said that most of his attention is on Nighteye. We must not let him turn his attention to us. Sigh, the demonkin are surely suspicious already, but I doubt they can guess something so inconceivable. To be honest, even I dont feel easy in front of Predica. Who else can do this? Basil let out a long sigh, finally giving up his futile struggle. To keep Zhuji around would require more than just a few items. Of course, even the things of the lowest value from Noxus and Pedros collection were some of the best pieces. Basil believed that the little money-grubber would surely be able to sniff him out. Noxus and Pedro paid in riches, while Basil would have to sacrifice something elselike his mental health. Zhuji wouldnt hold back while robbing him. Even someone as sturdy as Basil would see stars at times. He started to wonder if this experience had left a shadow in his heart. He had no one to blame since he was the one who had handled it so crudely. He would have to pay the price and bear the consequences now. Chapter 1413: Power of Chaos To the arachne, the appearance of the next Spider Queen was undoubtedly a matter that surpassed everything else. It was doubly exciting because this new queen possessed a completely different bloodline, which meant the start of a new line of inheritance. If a second Spider Queen could appear on the Sacred Mountain, they would be able to suppress the Queen of the Night. No one would be able to stop the rise of the arachne race. They would be able to surpass the demonkin and vampires to step onto the apex of the Evernight World. It was a given that they couldnt let the demonkin or the other races know about this. Hence, even though Basil was unwilling, he had no choice but to take the pile of treasures and try to keep Little Zhuji around. As for the shadow in his heart, he would just have to deal with it. Soon afterward, Pedro applied for permission to return to base. He had sufficient reason because he needed to recuperate. The current situation was clearPredica couldnt pinpoint Qianyes location even if he were to go down personally. They would need a lot more experts in order to capture him. That was why Minica didnt react all that strongly after hearing this news. Basil would remain here anyway. Predicas gaze made the arachne feel a bit uneasy, but they would have to hold fast for the new Spider Queen. Basils journey wasnt smooth. He went through the forest for several days without finding the young robber girl. Qianye and Zhuji had long since left the woods and entered the central mountain ranges. Qianye would cover hundreds of meters with each leap, almost as though he were flying. Zhuji was keeping up close behind him, shooting from point to point with great strength. Qianye was holding back a bit, but even so, not getting left behind proved that she was swifter than most experts. The little lass seemed to have endless stamina as she followed Qianye for half a day without any sign of fatigue. The two only came to a stop when Qianye saw that it was almost dusk. Why are we running so far away? A lot of enemies will be arriving soon, and even I cant defeat them. They dont seem so powerful, though. But they have the advantage in numbers, Qianye replied with a smile. The girl nodded earnestly after some thought. Youre right. Qianye lit a fire and started roasting a giant piece of beast meat for the lass. Then he watched her fall asleep. He started thinking about Nighteye once again after everything was quiet under the night sky. She needed to break through; that was one reason. On the other hand, she needed to split up with him so that the demonkin would have to divide their pursuit efforts. Shell be fine, Qianye comforted himself. Actually, she could easily escape from a great dark monarch even before reaching the prince rank. Not many people could capture her unless the Demon King himself were to appear. Ultimately, he decided to calm down and focus on cultivation. The origin power within a thousand-meter radius around him was drawn in wisp by wisp. Some of them were harmful and others were not, but Qianye simply swallowed everything. He was no different from a black hole that would absorb any kind of origin power without end. The Profound Combatant Formula modified by Zhang Boqian himself was operating at full capacity within his body, forming a giant whirlpool. This attractive force drew in a steady stream of origin power from the void, which was then broken down into daybreak origin power. There was just one problem after his body was modified by the Azure Kingno matter how much origin power the profound combatant formula absorbed, it would all be sent into the Book of Darkness. There, it would wait for further purification by the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. The origin power from the Profound Combatant Formula wasnt pure; its only advantage was the vast amount it could harvest. The output from the book was much purer, so much so that it somewhat hastened the Song Clan Ancient Scrolls processing time. The resultant Venus Dawn origin power would be thoroughly absorbed again and stored in the Book of Darkness. When he needed origin power for use, the energy that would come out was a hazy stream of chaos origin power. Now, Qianye finally had enough time to observe the chaos origin power. This energy could be divided into Venus Dawn and dark golden blood energy, or it could be used as-is. The chaos origin power could be used to operate both human arts and vampire secret arts. It would also affect the might and efficiency of said arts. For instance, Qianyes original domain, Oceanic Strength, was transformed into Dawn Domain by his Venus Dawn origin power. The marriage of extreme heat and gravity became a terrifying killing weapon against the dark races. Channeling chaos origin power deprived the domain of its burning powers, but the gravity became extremely powerful. Just a couple of wisps were enough to make movement quite strenuous for Pedro, so he had no choice but to flee. Another power it possessed was suppressing other domains. In the past, his domain would be at a slight advantage at best when going against other dukes. A grand duke like Pedro could fight Qianyes domain with his own. Ignoring those with upward potential, even experts whose limit was the grand duke rank possessed extremely pure origin power. They were only one level inferior to Venus Dawn, a gap that could be bridged with rank. The Book of Darkness, with its two sides, could absorb Venus Dawn as well as dark golden blood energy. Whatever the input, it would transform the energy into chaos origin power. Qianye lost track of time while cultivating, and soon, it was morning again. With a single thought, he sent a wisp of chaos origin power through every part of his body for strengthening and repairs. Qianyes body and skeleton had been largely remodeled at this point. The composition of his bones was neither metal nor jade, yet they were glistening with a dark golden hue. After the transformation, his blood energy started repairing his blood core. Once his blood core had advanced to the next level, he would become a grand duke. This final step was not difficult at all, and it was only a matter of time. Wherever his chaos origin power went, the faint golden glow of his skin, blood, and bones would fade away. The golden particles in his auric flame blood also precipitated into roaming wisps of grey origin power, an energy that couldnt be limited by the physical body. This modification came like the spring rain, gentle, quiet, and hardly noticeable. Qianye carefully sensed the changes and found that his blood had become more viscous after being modified by the chaos origin power. It almost looked like solid jade when completely still and would flow normally only when pumped forward by his blood core. The same went for his muscles and bones. Their strength had taken a leap forward, so much so that Qianye himself couldnt say for sure what was happening. His previously-strengthened internal organs also saw some changes; they were now even more solidified. Qianye could sense that his internal organs were much denser than before, each weighing dozens of kilograms. It was just that the weight wasnt obvious since they were being supported by the chaos origin power. And this was just the beginning of the process. Such a state of strengthening was comparable to a great dark monarch. True monarchs possessed the same level of strength inside and outside, with no weakness to speak of. Sousa, for instance, could take Qianyes Shot of Inception and suppress it within his body. It was nothing to him. At the current level, the ancient vampire knowledge imparted by the River of Blood was no longer useful. That was also the reason why the Profound Combatant Formulas unreasonable characteristic became the most suitable for Qianye. Its absorption power was ten times greater than any other cultivation art. As for the terrifying pressure brought about by its use, Qianye could bear it by shielding himself with chaos origin power. At this level of cultivation, Qianye had already realized that the founding and the martial ancestors probably had other secret arts to purify their origin power, arts not inferior to the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. The Book of Darkness saved him most of the purification effort and hastened his progress. Qianye wouldve needed a couple of years to pass the grand duke threshold, and then he would have to spend some time stabilizing his realm and upgrading his body and blood core. Now with his chaos origin power, the entire process would be completed in less than a months time. Comparatively, the Evernight aspect of his cultivation was now lagging behind. Fortunately, the Book of Darkness was a coin with two sidesthe endpoint was always chaos origin power no matter what he cultivated. Qianye was training during this escape journey, so there was little delay in his growth. Thinking about Nighteye, the vampires, and the demonkin hunting them down, the killing intent within him grew stronger and stronger. He suddenly produced the azure sword and cut his palm twice. It took such a sawing motion in order to leave a shallow cut, from which a drop of blood seeped out. This drop of blood immediately congealed into a spherical pearl. Qianye flipped his palm sideways and allowed the pearl to drop, watching as it sank halfway into a rock. This drop of blood was even heavier than steel or mercury. Qianye touched his hand and found that it was just as smooth and soft. Without trying to cut through it, no one wouldve imagined its defensive power would be so strong. Qianyes skin was even stronger than armor by this point. With his strong body as the foundation, there was no longer a limit to what cultivation arts he could practice. He would also be able to utilize the Profound Combatant Formula at will, especially on the battlefield. Qianyes go-to strategy against the demonkin was to trade blows and wounds. Now that his body was stronger, the hunters would surely be in for a great surprise once they caught up to him. Chapter 1414: Secret Sword Emissaries Out in the void, a shuttle-shaped airship was flying rapidly toward the Fort Continent to rendezvous with the council airship. Several black-armored experts boarded the flagship and arrived before Predica. Noxus was visibly moved. Its you guys! The leader bowed slightly. His Majestys determination is unwavering. Noxus said, Wheres Soma? You should know by now that we have no name, only our designations. However, I can make a small exception out of respect for you. He turned around and said, Call twenty-seven. Moments later, a black-armored expert walked out. Your Highness Noxus! Even as a great dark monarch, Noxus could feel his hands trembling. Good, since youre here, do your duty and dont humiliate your fathers name. Twenty-seven bowed silently and went back to the rear. Predica laughed wryly. This matter is rather difficult. I cant see Qianyes fate trajectory clearly, so youll have to search over a wide area. The black-armored expert wasnt moved at all, almost as though he had expected this. The Demon King has instructed us to bring this to you. With that, he passed a square box made of black jade. Predica opened it up to find half a yellowed page and couldnt help but exclaim, Book of Revelation! His Majesty wants that item, no matter the cost. Predica said, With this page from the Book of Revelation, the mists of fate wont be able to cloud my eyes this time. He picked up the piece of paper, which immediately burned up in his hand. As the flames flickered, the mist in his pupils slowly faded away and Qianyes figure appeared. Hes in the snowy mountains. Well head over to investigate, I hope the warlord will oversee things from the void. The black-armored expert briefly scanned a map of the Fort Continent and left after checking where the snowy mountain range was. Noxus stood there gazing silently at their receding figures. Soon after, the black-armored experts withdrew from the room. Their airship turned toward the snowy region before finally departing. Noxus also went back to his airship and followed them. Of course, the arachne warlord didnt need to take part in the tedious initial search. They would only need his help once Qianye had been flushed out. Predica gazed out of the cabin windows, distracted at the sight of the continent below. They even sent this group? Is the Book of Darkness really that important? In the study of Lava Castle, the Demon King put down his book and glanced at Habsburg who was resting with his eyes closed. Dearest Habsburg, you dont seem very spirited these days. Has your injury from the Fire Beacon Continent not healed? Why dont you rest a while longer? Rest for a vampire was to enter the blood pond, where their healing would be expedited. Habsburg replied indifferently, No need, its not that serious. Youve already dispatched the Secret Blade Emissaries, so the matter is likely at its climax. These thirty sword emissaries represent several hundred years worth of acc.u.mulation for the council. The Demon King said, The book is extremely important. You could say its incomparably important for the present phase. Habsburg said, There are quite a lot of forces being occupied by Qianye and Nighteye. I think you also recalled Grand Duke Georges forces from Dawn Continent? The Fort Continent is a tiny place, searching the entire place is just a matter of time. The Great Qin Empire might notice if your movements are too big. Habsburg opened his eyes with a frown. Do we have the power to seal the gates? Of course not, but its fine to slow down their information flow. There will always be loopholes and lucky people breaking out of the lockdown. Theyll discover the truth soon enough. The Demon King said thoughtfully, Do you mean... I should let Qianye and Nighteye go? Didnt you say your objective is not to eliminate the vampire race? Their importance Habsburg paused for a bit. Except for the Book of Darkness, I dont think they pose a threat to you. The Demon King broke into a laugh. My dear Habsburg, why do you still not trust me? Youre right, my objective is not to destroy the vampire race. An intact vampire race untainted by daybreak is an essential part of the new world order. Those who have escaped dont amount to much, even those direct descendants hiding on the Dawn Continent. When the new world order arrives, the impurity in their bloodlines will only become a burden for them. Before long, they will find themselves losing their power and descend into mediocrity. They wont be important anymore at that point. Habsburg was somewhat moved. The Demon King had mentioned the results of this purification several times, but this time was the clearest of them all. The source of their strength is the River of Blood. The Demon King said, The thirteen seals in the river werent there since the beginning, nor are they eternal. Since it wasnt thirteen in the beginning, nor is it thirteen at the moment, why would you think it will always be constant? Habsburg went quiet because he had no reply to this question. What exactly was the first drop of blood? What was the essence of blood energy? Even the Queen of the Night might not have these answers. In the past, everyone believed that the loss of blood seals would weaken the power of the river, but thinking a level deeper, these seals were a derivative product. This formed a paradox. Youve said this many times, but your new world wont succeed unless you can defeat the humans before the Queen of the Night awakens. At this point, Habsburg looked straight into the Demon Kings eyes. This was the first time he had tried to probe the Demon King from Liliths perspective. However, the Demon King smiled warmly and replied ambiguously, True He then went back to reading his ancient book. Habsburg felt a sudden pain in his c.h.e.s.t. It wasnt all that intense, but fatigue flowed into his being like spinning silk. Yet, he still had no intention of going to sleep in the blood pond. In the Blackfire Realm connected to Habsburgs origins, a crystalline speck flew out from Lin Xitangs remains. However, the formless boundary produced by the shadow shard fragment stopped it from drifting away. All it could do was roam about in the small space. An airship suddenly appeared in the sky above the snowy mountain range, its deck full of black-armored Secret Sword Emissaries. The leader gazed down at the hazy mountain range below. We may have signed up for different reasons, but as Secret Sword Emissaries, our lives are no longer ours. Theres no need to say that this battle will be extremely dangerous. Lets go. He jumped straight down into the mountain range, followed by the rest of the emissaries who scattered themselves across the hills. A snowy forest. Qianye was on a rock, wiping his azure sword at this moment. You can say that it is, or that it isnt. Qianye smiled. While wiping, threads of greyish energy would scatter from his body and land on the azure blood sword. Every shred of energy would cause the glow on the azure blade to dim down slightly, almost as though it were covered in dust. The original sharpness and blood-thirst also weakened a bit. Little Zhuji wasnt afraid of anything, but she seemed fairly cautious against this chaos origin power and would keep a safe distance from it. Her large eyes followed the grey energy constantlyshe didnt dare to take her focus off of it for even a second, afraid that it would so much as touch her. Qianye shot her a glance. Is it that scary? Yes! The little lass nodded furiously. Youre armored, though. The little girl was wearing a set of bright golden armor. The gear was both beautiful and heavy, but there were some signs of twisting and crushing in certain areas. This set used to be Basils combat armor, but the girl had modified it by force so that it would fit her. Basils armor was of the highest quality, but the girl still didnt feel safe in it. Little Zhuji gazed at Qianye for a while before saying, Arent we running anymore? No. Why? Arent we doing pretty great at running away? The little girl was puzzled. She knew instinctively that there were people chasing after them. The auras of these people terrified her so much that she didnt want to face them. Qianye pointed upward. Were being watched, so we wont be able to flee this time. Little Zhujis eyes lit up. We wont be able to flee? Well be able to run once we kill those pursuers, right? Smart! Qianye praised. A cold voice echoed from the forest. Smart? I say its stupidity. A dark-armored expert emerged from the woods. He was holding a spear in one hand and a double-barreled shotgun in the other. Qianye didnt even look up and simply kept on wiping his azure sword. Should I say your luck is too good to have found me immediately, or that your luck is really bad? The black-armored expert let out an odd laugh. Secret Sword Emissaries like us consider ourselves dead. My death will be worth it once I relay your location. Qianye finally looked up. Whats a Secret Sword Emissary? The black-armored warrior was startled; he couldnt even finish whatever he had planned to say. Anger flared up in his eyes as he fired his gun twiceonce into the sky and the second shot at Qianye. The origin bullet whistled toward Qianye, blasting the rock he was sitting on. The fierce shockwaves overturned several dozen snow-capped trees. However, Qianye was no longer where he was a moment ago. He appeared behind the expert and whacked him on the nape of his neck. Secret Sword Emissary? Nothing too impressive, it seems. The experts bones crackled as the slap broke countless bones. He staggered forward, coughing up blood and innards, but he still managed to look back at Qianye with a fiery expression. This ferocity did little to intimidate Qianye. He stood there with his hands behind his back and didnt even draw his sword. The emissary revealed a weird smile. You still dont understand what a Secret Sword Emissary means, but youll know very soon What can a marquis do? Qianye hadnt even finished speaking when his expression shifted drastically. The Secret Sword Emissary spat out a mass of faintly discernible demonic energy, which landed on Qianyes body. Next, the experts body burst into flames, ending in a terrifying explosion. The force from this eruption was drawn toward Qianye by the lingering demonic energy. Caught off guard, Qianye only managed to drag Little Zhuji behind him before he was drowned out by the impact. By the time the dust and smoke had settled, Qianye looked up to find several Secret Sword Emissaries near him. Chapter 1415: Windswept Clouds Qianyes gaze landed on the four Secret Sword Emissaries. Interesting. That emissary from just now had exploded with extreme force, almost comparable to an attack from a grand duke. Moreover, the direction of that explosion was fairly targeted. He had managed to direct most of the impact onto Qianye with that mouthful of demonic energy. And the effects were not limited to that alone! The man had used this explosion to alert his comrades and send an unknown message into the void. Qianye guessed that the message would contain the mans last scene before committing suicide. Qianye came to understand what kind of existence the Secret Sword Emissaries were. This was a suicide squad that cared nothing about survival or the methods they used, so much so that they would even utilize self-detonation to kill the enemy. Such a method would definitely be able to injure experts many levels above them. The four experts surrounding Qianye werent all demonkin; there was even a vampire among them. Youre a vampire, are you going to try and kill me? That Secret Sword Emissarys face was hidden beneath a hood, but his eyes were cold and emotionless. The moment we became Secret Sword Emissaries, weve given our entire lives to the Evernight Council. I see. Qianye paid him no more attention. A demonkin said, Sire Qianye, please return with us to meet the Demon King. Do you think its possible? Qianye sneered. That Secret Sword Emissary sighed. Then theres nothing left to say. Sire, this place will be where you fall. With just the four of you? We might not be enough, but more of us will arrive soon. Besides, four emissaries are enough to kill a grand duke. Qianye laughed coldly as he formed a fist with one hand. This simple movement actually caused the air around his palm to explode. The Secret Sword Emissarys brows jumped. T-This strength! No, dont let him attack However, Qianye was already in front of him before he had even finished speaking. The leaders demonic energy surged rapidly, but he blacked out before he could detonate or even spit out the demonic energy. The mountainous pressure crushed him thoroughly soon afterward. Only the vampire behind Qianye managed to self-detonate. The raging flood of origin power slammed ruthlessly onto the latter. That emissary never saw that the attack he had launched with his life had only left some shallow wounds on the target. Qianye took a deep breath and circulated his origin power. Soon, the wound on his back had vanished completely. Qianye had flung the little girl away when the Secret Sword Emissaries appeared. The combat had progressed so quickly that she only managed to return just now. What do we do now? she asked while searching the corpse parts for spoils. Qianye picked up the little money-grubber and pointed in a direction. Charge with me? Are we fighting?! The little girl was excited. She put on Basils golden helmet and equipped herself with the shield. Protect yourself well. Qianyes figure flickered into the distance before he had even finished speaking. Wait for me! Little Zhuji jumped up and followed suit. After the duo vanished from the forest, space began to warp as eight Secret Sword Emissaries appeared. Moreover, the space in the area was still fluctuating constantlyit would seem more of them were rushing over. He cant have gone far, search! the leader shouted. It was at this moment that a series of earth-shattering explosions rang out from the distant forest and swathes of ancient trees toppled over from the impact. The Secret Sword Emissaries at the scene immediately blurred out and appeared at the new battleground. They had just stepped out of the void when layer after layer of sword radiance descended upon them. The emissaries had no time to contemplate why Qianye could still retaliate after suffering from several self-detonations. All they could do now was give it their all to block the incoming attack. The world became hazy after the sword radiance receded. Wisps of grey energy drifted about in the air, latching onto the emissaries who were preparing to counterattack. Their movements immediately became sluggish, as though several tons of weight had been added to their bodies. Only at this point did Qianyes figure become clear. He activated his chaos domain once more, producing even more grey energy to assail the emissaries. With each additional wisp of grey energy, the Secret Sword Emissaries would stagger and slow down. Countless threads of blood energy shot out from Qianyes body and pierced through the bodies of half a dozen emissaries! By the time the sanguine threads were drawn back, only a withered husk was left of these experts. All of their essence blood had been plundered. The remainder managed to survive Life Plunder, but they were more or less in a miserable state. Many of them chose to self-detonate decisively while they still had the opportunity. Four torrents of origin power blasted Qianyes body in an instant. As the dust and smoke scattered, five more Secret Sword Emissaries appeared. They glanced at the battlefield in a surprised daze. The strongest in this group slowly removed his mask. Im number three. So wheres one and two? Tell them to come out. Theyre probably dead already. Qianye raised his brows. Is that so? Too bad, I thought you guys were all the same. Number three didnt know what to say. The Secret Sword Emissaries could sense one anotheras one of the three most powerful commanding officers, he naturally understood how many of his comrades had already fallen. What pained him was that less than half of them had managed to self-detonate. Number three glared at Qianye, saying, Youre actually that powerful. So many of my comrades never even managed to commit suicide. You shouldnt have come looking for me. Number three said, Indeed, youre exactly the type of enemy we dont want to meet, but our sacrifice is not in vain. You will fall here today! He grew increasingly excited as he went on. Qianye felt a bit speechless as he pointed at the remaining Secret Sword Emissaries. You guys have no more men, do you? If not, your numbers will vanish from the Evernight Council from now on. Qianye had already learned what these madmen were capable of. Until his chaos domain was at a higher level, he would have to flee if a second group were to appear. He also wasnt too sure if he could lose these emissaries even with Spatial Flash. Even at his current strength, Qianye wasnt willing to get blasted again. Seeing Qianyes rapid recovery, number three could hardly suppress his shock. At the same time, he complained hatefully, Our intelligence is inaccurate! Your actual fighting power is far beyond an ordinary grand duke. We shouldnt have been deployed for this battle. You should tell that to the Demon King. Number threes expression stiffened up before he could reply. He looked down at his c.h.e.s.t, where a black feather had just entered. All signs of life vanished from his bodyhis expression was full of clear dissatisfaction, but he couldnt say anything. Qianye said slowly, I dont want to take another explosion from a marquis. So, rest well. The other four Secret Sword Emissaries didnt move at all as number three fell down, all of them looking at Qianye as though he were a dead man. Qianye frowned ever so slightly. There were only four of them left, so he wouldnt die even if they were to self-detonate at the same time. It was at this moment that the void raged and churned. A massive figure slowly emerged from the void, accompanied by boundless might. He was three times taller than Qianye and several times bigger in girth. Qianye realized that these so-called Secret Sword Emissaries were actually living tracking devices, unaffected by the interference of prophecy and divination. They could communicate, track, and transport one another. Only one group needed to discover the target before the entire unit could form a capture net. This meant that the Book of Darkness interference power was no longer useful. And at the end of this contracting net... was a great dark monarch. These people were trained specifically by the Evernight Council to deal with special characters. It was pretty generous of them to use this team for tracking Qianye down. Unfortunately, this capable secret team was easily dispatched by Qianye and his chaos domain. These Secret Sword Emissaries would never have imagined such an outcome, but did the Demon King foresee it? Qianye discarded that bit of hidden uneasiness in his heart as he faced Noxus. This was the first time he was facing the arachne warlords combat form. Noxus was holding a weapon in each of his four arms, namely a hand cannon, a shield, an axe, and a spear. Even against a great dark monarch, Qianye remained just as calm. You guys wont have anything left to track me with after this battle. There wont be a need after this battle! Noxus roared as dark red origin flames flickered on his body. His aura rose sharply, and his expression grew stern. He was clearly more irritable after entering a combat state, sending a bucket-sized origin bullet blasting toward Qianye! Qianye made no effort to evade the blast, taking it head-on with crossed arms. His stance remained the same during the explosion, but he was blasted several dozen meters back, his feet drawing deep lines in the soil. Qianyes arm-armor was blasted into pieces, revealing his muscular forearms. Noxus narrowed his eyes. A full-powered blast from his cannon only managed to inflict a flesh wound! When did vampires become so strong? He flung the hand cannon away with a snort and sped up with his spear raised. He arrived in front of Qianye all of a sudden and thrust at the targets c.h.e.s.t! Noxus figure appeared in Qianyes eyes at this point. The Eye of Control only managed to slow down the arachne warlord by a fraction of a second, but Qianyes figure was already growing blurry. It was at this moment that a figure dashed over at lightning speed and stopped in front of Qianye. It was actually Zhuji! Shocked out of his wits, Qianye reached out to grab the little girl. He was fast, but Noxus wasnt slow, either. The spear was going straight for Zhujis c.h.e.s.t! Noxus expression changed drastically at the moment of imminent peril. He raised his spear upward at the last moment, the inertia dragging his massive body over Qianye and Zhuji until he was hundreds of meters away. Chapter 1416: Stagnant Nation Things happened so suddenly that even Qianye failed to deal Noxus a good blow to his weak points. The little fellow simply stood there in a daze. Having no time to explain things in detail, he roared, Hide! Then, he picked the little girl by the neck and tossed her away. Noxus gaze followed the girl into the distance as she vanished into the forest. Only then did he glance back at Qianye with an ambiguous expression. Qianye stood watching the arachne warlord with the azure sword in hand. Noxus said, Are you planning to fight me? Its not like I can run away. True. Noxus swung his spear horizontally, sending out a wave of radiance spanning hundreds of meters. At that moment, streaks of grey energy appeared in the surrounding and weakened the force of the spear radiance. By the time the attack had arrived before Qianye, it contained less than half of its might and was blocked with relative ease. Noxus was visibly moved. This domain, this origin power He banged his shield and axe together, summoning a hazy golden glow that resembled an all-encompassing spider net. The arachne warlords domain ranged thousands of meters, almost blotting out the sun and sky. Judging from its nature, the spatial laws within seemed to have been affected. This meant that Qianye would not be able to escape even with Spatial Flash. Spider webs appeared constantly in the void and drifted down onto Qianyes body. These webs felt sticky to the touch and uncomfortable, to say the least. This was Noxus domain, Stagnant Nation. The warlord was calm enough, but the distant sword emissaries were dumbfounded. The movement restriction imposed by Noxus domain was famous throughout Evernight. Ordinary dukes wouldnt even be able to move after touching the spider webs, and even grand dukes would be slowed down significantly. It was easy to guess the outcome of fighting Noxus at melee range in his domain. Noxus could sense that Qianyes bloodline aura was that of a duke but probably not a grand duke just yet. Yet he could move around under the effects of Stagnant Nation with little to no impediment. In the face of Qianyes charge, Noxus swung his axe down with a growl. Qianye blocked the blow with his sword and was duly slammed to the ground from the impact. This time, neither party held back. The clash between sword and axe sent ripples that shattered all rocks within a hundred meters. The ground they were standing on had sunk by one meter. Noxus raised his eyebrows. Good strength! Lets try this! He lifted his spear and, instead of thrusting, swung the shaft at Qianye like a staff. Qianye was parrying the warlords axe with his right hand. Seeing the incoming spear, he formed a fist with his left hand and blasted out several eruptions of the Excavator. Yet another rumble shook the entire area. A clearing that was close to a thousand meters wide appeared in the mountains, sinking down almost ten meters before coming to a stop. A mere duke had charged in to contest the arachne warlord in physical strength. It was already a great feat if Qianye wasnt slapped to death, but he had actually managed to take both blows from the warlord. One had to know that Noxus was no ordinary great dark monarch. In terms of physical strength, he was far above Sousa and overwhelmingly stronger than the vampires and demonkin. Qianyes body trembled ever so slightly, but he managed to block the incoming attacks. In the end, though, Qianye only had two hands, while Noxus had four arms in his spider form. Noxus shield whistled over at great speed and slammed Qianye away. The warlord didnt relax after swatting the enemy away. He gave chase immediately, swinging his axe and shield at the target. His empty hands werent idle, eitherthey followed up with punches, slaps, and chops. Sometimes, he would even hold his spear with two hands and try to smash Qianye with it. Qianye held on with great difficulty and actually remained standing amidst the torrent of attacks. He could no longer deal with the flurry when Noxus started using his front limbs and was duly slammed away. Qianye flew hundreds of meters away and produced a deep pit as he slammed into the ground. He staggered up soon afterward and stretched. Noxus gaze froze. Not even a fracture? Good! Try my secret arts this time Bang! Noxus body was jolted about a palms breadth to the side. He looked back to find that Little Zhuji had appeared out of nowhere and slammed into one of his hind legs with her shield. This impact was so great that even Noxus was caught off guard and almost lost his footing. Despite her unstable footing, she tossed the shield away and grabbed an axe from her back. She swung the weapon with a loud cry and struck Noxus limb. The warlord seemed rather amused after seeing this. He simply stood there without making any movement, allowing the girl to hit him as hard as she wanted. Noxus gigantic spider body trembled fiercely as the axe fell. The little girls axe actually cracked open Noxus exoskeleton and sank halfway in! This was Noxus shell after all! The arachne warlords shell was one of his best protective gears, far stronger than a grade nine armor. Even Qianyes azure blade only managed to hack slightly deeper than this. Little Zhujis all-out attack actually managed to chop Noxus! Her cheeks puffed up as she pulled the axe out with her childish strength, raising it again for the next blow. Noxus didnt dare remain careless after receiving the first strike, so he shifted his giant frame to the side. He might be gigantic, but each of his legs werent all that thick. They might just break if he let the girl hack a couple more times, and that would be quite the funny scene. Fortunately, the axe cracked and shattered as Little Zhuji started to exert some force. This weapon used to be Basils, so its quality wasnt bad at all; however, it ultimately failed to hold out in a collision between Noxus peerless body and Zhujis terrifying strength. Noxus heaved a sigh of relief. Noxus expression shifted drastically after grabbing Little Zhuji. He immediately propped his shield up in front of his body, which erupted with a green hue. A scarlet gold origin bulletsuperimposed with the image of a black featherstruck the shield at this moment. The shield burst into countless pieces, pushing the warlord one step back. A hundred meters away, Qianye was holding Dragonsgrave with a pair of luminous wings behind his back. Put her down or else! Qianye was stunned halfway through his words. He saw that Noxus upper body was turned backward, his four arms shielding Little Zhuji safely within. The flying shield fragments landed on the warlords body without harming the girl. Qianye had barely managed to hold his ground against the arachne warlord just now and was rather badly shaken a number of times. Only after coming to did he realize that the little girl had snuck back to attack Noxus and that she had been captured. In his urgency, Qianye immediately fired a Shot of Inception with Dragonsgrave, which Noxus blocked. It would seem that this attack was so powerful that he had almost hurt Zhuji. Noxus turned around and glanced at the girl in his hand struggling with all her might. Her actions were so vigorous that even the great dark monarch was finding it hard to keep her in place. Failing to extricate herself, the little lass bit down on Noxus large hand, her steely fangs drawing blood almost immediately. Even the arachne warlord came close to letting go because of the pain. Noxus grabbed the little girl and tried to pull her off, but she simply wouldnt let go. Noxus didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. He quickly circulated his origin power to protect his arm, or else the little girl might just bite a chunk of flesh off. The kid was extremely strong, and her sharp fangs were even sharper than Basils axe. This was a delicate task, and Noxus couldnt quite catch how much force he should be using. He was afraid that he would damage Zhujis teeth. Noxus heaved a sigh of relief after finally removing the girl. Sensing an ominous premonition, he looked up at the sky all of a sudden. Qianye was right above him, surrounded by a vivid cloud of greyish origin power as he bore down with his sword. As a peak expert of the Evernight World, Noxus could guess that this was Howards azure blade. However, the sword was now giving off a much more dangerous sensation after being shrouded in grey energy. Otherwise, he wouldnt have felt so restless even if Howard were the one wielding the blade. The arachne mostly relied on their strong combat instincts, and Noxus was no exception. He moved dozens of meters away the moment he sensed danger, so fast that it looked like he had teleported. After evading Qianyes strike, Noxus found that his hands were empty. Little Zhuji had returned to Qianyes arms at one point. Qianye edged back slowly with Zhuji in one hand and his sword in the other. You actually snatched her from me, now thats quite the feat. Noxus laughed as he closed in. His massive frame pushed the floating grey feathers away and soon arrived before Qianye. Qianye glanced at the golden spider webs on his body. These webs were restricting his movements, but the grey origin power from Qianyes body transformed into grey feathers that revolved around his body, dissolving all the spider webs closing in on him. This went to show that Noxus domain had little effect on Qianye. Qianye looked up at Noxus and said, I wanted to fight you, but plans have changed since this troublesome girl is here. See you. Qianyes figure blurred out and vanished with Little Zhuji in tow. However, the first thing Qianye saw when he emerged from the void was Noxus. This time, a voice echoed from up above. Whats the rush? That unusual voice was cold and raspy, almost like a cool breeze on a hot, humid day. Just hearing the voice made Qianyes skin crawl. It was an inexplicable feeling. This was an unfamiliar voice and aura, yet it was so special that even a complete stranger would immediately know its owners identity. Qianyes expression turned quite unsightly. Chapter 1417: A Temporary Parting Spider Queen. Qianye glanced down at his body instead of looking up. Several threads of translucent silver had wrapped around him and Little Zhuji at some point. These unassuming spider webs had actually dragged them out of Spatial Flash. When looking up afterward, he saw a faintly discernible projection in the sky. The Spider Queen was in her human form, gazing down at the world with pupil-less silver eyes. Although she could be described as beautiful, no spectator would be in the mood to admire her beauty. Even as a projection, that ten-meter frame of hers was constantly emitting suppressive might even more terrifying than the physically present Noxus. Who wouldve thought even you would appear? Looks like Im far more valuable than I had anticipated, said Qianye. The Spider Queen said, Your value is immeasurable to the Demon King, but theres something even more important to me. If you cooperate, Ill let you live. Qianye wasnt intimidated by the Spider Queens presence. He looked up into the beautiful ladys eyes, saying, Youre only here as a projection. It wont be that easy to kill me. With that, a coat of feathers appeared around Qianye and dissolved the sticky spider webs. The Spider Queen smiled. Its a good thing for the young to be brave, but all I need to do is lock down your Spatial Flash. If we get into a serious fight, Noxus will do most of the heavy lifting. Besides, that girl wont be able to escape even if you can. Qianyes heart sank as he subconsciously hugged Zhuji tightly. He had already discovered that he could only clear the webs around himself and not Zhuji. He might be able to flee with Spatial Flash, but the girl wouldnt be able to. Watching Qianyes expression, the Spider Queen laughed. Dont be so nervous. The Demon King wants the Book of Darkness, but I have no interest in it at all. I used a projection and came here not to kill you but to work with you. Of course, I will also express my sincerity before we discuss. Discuss? Sincerity? Qianye frowned ever so slightly. Precisely. The Spider Queen flicked a finger, shooting out several webs at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, they pierced into the bodies of the Secret Sword Emissaries who were still alive. Once the webs had pierced their bodies, the sword emissaries lost control of their origin power and blew up one after another. There wasnt even a corpse left behind. Now that the troublesome fellows are gone, we can get down to business. The Spider Queen raised her hand gently, drawing Little Zhuji into her grasp. Qianye panicked as his arms felt lighter. A radiance flickered behind him as Dragonsgrave and the azure blade appeared in each of his hands, yet he didnt dare to attack for fear of hurting the girl. He could only watch as Zhuji clawed at the giant projection like a little kitten, growling in menace. The Spider Queen watched her with great interest, and Noxus eyes also lit up. As someone from the arachne race, not being suppressed by the Spider Queens aura meant that her bloodline was undoubtedly powerful. Im Zhuji! Let me tell you, if you bully me and my papa, Ill Zhuji bared a mouthful of steely fangs. How is biting better than poison? The Spider Queen pointed out with a smile. Zhuji glanced at her and then at Noxus. Its useless against you, also useless against him. How sharp, the Spider Queen praised. She then shot out a spider web and asked, Can you use this? Zhuji looked a bit puzzled. She tried fl.i.c.k.i.n.g her fingers after a good while, but what she shot out wasnt a spider web but instead a sanguine thread. It wasn''t just the Spider Queen and Noxus, even Qianye was surprised. This little girl didnt just shoot out any blood-colored threadit contained the power of Life Plunder, a top-grade vampire talent. Noxus brows locked into a frown, while the Spider Queen gazed deeply at Zhuji. Her gaze pierced through her body and saw through everything. Moments later, she said, She has the bloodline of an ancient vampire, but her body is of our arachne race. Strange, how can two races merge together? Noxus was delightfully surprised as he listened. All was good as long as the lass was an arachne. A power like her ancient vampire bloodline only served as welcome additions to her arsenal. There was no such thing as too many powers like Life Plunder. The Spider Queen seemed to have discarded her doubts as well. The question of bloodline fusion would not yield an answer even in several hundred years, especially since the ancient vampire bloodline only remained in Lilith and some old great dark monarchs and princes. All of them, with the exception of the Queen, were so old that they could only remain in slumber. After the recent calamity that was the Demon King, no one could say how many of them were still alive. The only exception was Nighteye and Qianye. Nighteye was an awakener, while Qianyes bloodline had been a mystery all along. The Spider Queens line of thought was the same as Noxus. As long as Little Zhuji was an arachne, she could ignore the other aspects. They might even gain some benefits from Lilith because of that vampire bloodline. She glanced at Qianye and said, Give her to me. An arachne has to be in the arachne nation to truly m.a.t.u.r.e. No!!! Little Zhuji struggled with even greater ferocity. More and more silvery threads landed on her body as she moved, binding her tightly. The threads stretched and moved as she flailed about; it almost seemed like they were about to break. The Spider Queen watched with an expression of praise. She shot out some more threads and bundled the girl into a cocoon. Shell follow me and learn the arachne races peerless secret arts. All resources at my disposal will be made available to her, realizing her talents to their maximum potential. She might even be able to approach the Sacred Mountain before long, and in the near future, there will be a seat for her at my side. Qianye seemed thoughtful and much calmer than before, but he didnt retract his aggressive stance. Shes already in your hands, why ask me? Qianye gazed at Little Zhuji with a sigh. I dont think I have a choice here. The Spider Queen said delightedly, You wont be disappointed. No! I want to follow Papa! the little lass roared and started biting through the spider webs. The Spider Queen patted her head gently. Its not that he doesnt want you. He has no other choice. Hes being hunted down by the demonkin, so youll only serve to slow him down. Youre the ones hunting him down! The Spider Queen smiled. That was the case, but not anymore. Noxus shrugged and put away his weapons. This was the first time he had seen the Spider Queen so patient. She was actually thinking from another persons perspective and even explaining it to the girl. Among the supremes of Evernight, Lilith was aloof and treated all life with contempt. The Spider Queen was known for being ruthless and merciless. Only the Demon King was gentle and more approachable. Qianye suppressed the unwillingness in his heart. He knew this was the best outcome under the present circ.u.mstances. The vast power disparity aside, Zhuji would not have any secret arts to cultivate at his side. She was fighting out of instinct all this time. On the other hand, it wasnt safe for her with the Demon King on his trail all the time. These words seemed rather effective. The little lass glanced at Qianye and then back at the Spider Queen with a nod. Delighted, the Spider Queen said, Ill start teaching you immediately once we return! How long will it take for me to become powerful? Will three days do? The little fellow glanced hopefully at the queen. The Spider Queen was shaken, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, Thirty years! This time, it was Noxus turn to be shaken. He almost slipped and fell after hearing Zhujis reply. Too long! The Spider Queen glanced at Qianye. Thats not long at all. Rest assured, your papa wont die even when the world is coming to an end. The girl was doubtful. Really? Of course. Qianyes expression darkened. He felt that he had spoiled the girl too much; it wouldnt be too bad to give her a bit of a spanking. The Spider Queen left with Zhuji a while later. She clearly attached great importance to the little girl. She would rather expend energy to maintain her projection than entrust the task to Noxus. Qianye felt a bit relieved after seeing that the girl was being treated well. Noxus didnt leave with the Spider Queen. Instead, he tossed Qianye a case and said, These are from my personal stash, perhaps they might come in handy. Qianye opened the container to find two origin bullets isolated from one another with origin power. One of them was a heavenly monarch bullet, while the other contained the power of a great dark monarch. The great dark monarch bullet didnt contain Noxus aura but some other unknown experts energy. Since Qianye could channel both Evernight and daybreak powers, he could use both of these bullets. With such powerful ammunition, Dragonsgrave, and the Wings of Inception, Qianye could give the demonkin a big surpriseeven if it were the Masefield Clan Lord coming after him. Qianye picked up the box and said, Then Ill be taking this. Theres something else I wanted to ask you. What is it? How is the council tracking me? Oh, that the councils head prophet, Prince Predica, is the one tracking you with prophecy. There are some ways you can escape the scrying Next up, Noxus explained the principles of Evernights prophetic powers and how to avoid them, especially the tips and tricks regarding demonkin prophets. He explained things in great detail without hiding anything, even the secrets the arachne had learned about the demonkin. The arachne races attitude toward Qianye shifted drastically after obtaining Zhuji. They were now in a neutral stance, and Noxus clearly didnt want Qianye to fall into the demonkins hands. Regarding his intention to weaken the demonkin while helping Qianye, that was unavoidable. Of course, there was no guarantee whether or not Qianye could utilize Noxus tips effectively. After all, it wasnt that easy to escape a prophet. Otherwise, they wouldnt have such a high position in the Evernight Council. Especially Predica, who was known as the Prophet of Apocalypse, and had just gone through a second awakening. Noxus understanding of him was merely from their short interaction during this mission. This information was quite useful for Qianye. At the very least, he was now guarded against some of the demonkins strange abilities. Qianye said after listening seriously, It looks like I must thank you. Noxus said, No need. We might be opponents in the future, but youve proven yourself as someone worthy of respect. Qianye smiled. I actually want to prove I can defeat you. Perhaps in the future but not now. Ill be leaving now, take care of Zhuji. Shes called Zhuji, is she? Nice name. Qianye took to the air and flew off into the void. Noxus watched as Qianyes figure vanished into the distance. Then, he finally went back to his fleet. After entering the void, Qianye contacted the Martyrs Palace and returned to the airship. The Earth Dragons voice echoed. Master, where to? Serafis Continent. Serafis meant the first descent of darkness in the demonkin language, and it was one of their core territories. Chapter 1418: Borrowing In the skies above Fort Continent, Predica suddenly opened his eyes and walked out of the isolated chamber. He passed through the corridor and onto the deck, where he gazed up at the vast void. That direction was where the core continents of the major races lay. A light flickered briefly on his staff, the Guardian of Destiny, almost as though an eye had opened up in the darkness. The sky above Lava Castle on Twilight Continent was just as calm as before, distant from all worldly affairs. Presently, the Demon King was enjoying tea with Habsburg under a gazebo of wisteria. It was a rare sight for him to emerge from his books of late. The refreshments on the table were a bit different from the norm. They looked somewhat crude, a far cry from the standards of Evernight nobles. In terms of value, they were several times more expensive than the highest grade tea and pastries. That was because these refreshments were local specialties that the City of Eimer had brought back from the neutral region near the Star Corridor. The Demon King smiled as he finished a pastry that looked like a maple leaf. The taste didnt change. I heard the lady boss is that persons great great-granddaughter. Meta ah, Habsburg, what do you think? Habsburg put down his fork and said, Its pretty nice, but I dont remember the original taste. The Demon King gazed at Habsburg with a smile. Very well, my stubborn old friend. After a while, he said, Will you fall out with me if I break my promise? Habsburg glanced at the Demon King in silence. Why? I cant guarantee I wont take action if that child appears in front of me. Habsburg said with a frown, Hes heading to the demonkin continent? How come? Youve always known his whereabouts, so why would you send the Secret Sword Emissaries? All I can see is the arrowhead of fate, the Demon King said gently. Your Majesty Kane, youre a supreme of the Sacred Mountain. I dont think theres anything you truly fear if you want to do it. In fact, I dont think youre that weary of Lilith, either. Habsburg said after a momentary daze, It has always been nature itself for each race to have only one supreme. Ive never even thought about this before you mentioned it. The Demon King asked, Why did Andruil give up on challenging Lilith back then? Habsburg said, Isnt it because hes not strong enough? The Demon King only smiled in response. He said after a while, Im really looking forward to the curtains falling on the new world. Dear friend, are you not willing to awaken a second time? Habsburg stared deeply into his eyes but didnt say anything. He also made no response to the question about a second awakening. The Demon Kings expression was just as gentle. He stopped talking and shifted his attention back to the crude but sentimental table of pastries. In the depths of the void, the Martyrs Palace was swimming forward while moving its long tail like a fish. Qianye was standing atop the Earth Dragons head and gazing into the distant void. His thoughts were entirely inside the Book of Darkness, taking note of all the powers at his disposal. The unexpected truce with the arachne didnt lessen his pressure by much. The demonkin alone possessed several great dark monarchs and the Demon King himself, let alone the legendary aces they had acc.u.mulated over the millennia. Qianye glanced at his hands. Simply flexing his fingers produced faint rumbles of thunder. The explosions werent from compressed air but void origin power. Qianyes body had been modified from the inside out by chaos origin power. The strength of his innards was well beyond a grand dukes. Gaining a special bloodline power after internal strengthening would make him a prince, and igniting a blood seal at the source of the vampire races power would make him a crown prince. Even without a special bloodline ability, he would see an uplift in his entire being when his physical and spiritual strengthening reached its limit. That was the hallmark of a great dark monarch. Only at his level of strength did he realize that the prince rank wasnt a necessary step between the grand duke and great dark monarch levels. Sometimes, the awakening of a special bloodline might delay the ultimate goal, just as not every second-generation primogenitor was a great dark monarch, and similarly, not every great dark monarch was a primogenitor. Qianye was now a grand duke, but he was already at the doorstep of a great dark monarch. After being strengthened by chaos energy from the inside out, this new body was even strong enough to contend with Noxus, albeit barely. The arachne warlord was known as the strongest great dark monarch in terms of physical strength. When it came to pure strength and constitution, the demonkin great dark monarchs might not be Qianyes match. However, he had no intention of relaxing just yet. Although he had learned from Noxus the promise between the Demon King and Habsburg, Qianye wasnt about to bet his safety on the supremes integrity. Not to mention that promises only worked between experts of the same level, it was easy to see from the current hunt that the Demon King would stop at nothing for the Book of Darkness. As Qianye saw it, the promise itself was fairly odd. He wasnt too confident that the newly-ascended vampire primogenitor could actually keep the Demon King restrained. Qianye put down his hand and said thoughtfully, My strength isnt enough just yet After some contemplation, he turned the Martyrs Palace in a different direction. Western Continent, the Zhao clan manor. The city-sized manor was bustling with activitythe roads leading in and out of the manor were filled with all kinds of trucks and vehicles, so much so that there were already signs of congestion. An endless stream of materials was being moved into the crafts manor, where they would pass through different workshops to become warsh.i.p.s, combat vehicles, and main cannons. The mountain nearby had been leveled to make way for dozens of new workshops. The already large crafts manor had now doubled in surface area. The Zhao clans resources from its two and a half provinces werent enough to maintain such a production rate. The expansion could only mean one thingthe Empire was now in a state of war preparation. The inner residences of the Zhao manor became relatively empty with only servants scuttling about quietly. Most of the main family members werent home, so they had little to do. Those who did remain were all in a bad mood because of the rising casualty rates, and any mistake would lead to punishment for the servants. Qianye appeared outside of the manor gates and looked up at the signboard with a sigh. His figure flickered as he entered the threshold, reappearing deep inside the manor where he walked along the central path. Some people passed by in a hurry, but none of them noticed him. Under the guise of his Bloodline Concealment, Qianye was no different from a normal servant at a glance. Qianye simply stood there and waited for someone to arrive. Actually, it was only natural that he would be discovered because the inner estate of the Zhao manor was almost as well defended as the Imperial Palace. If an outsider could move undetected with Bloodline Concealment alone, the dark races wouldve killed countless important characters already. An old inner attendant arrived before Qianye and bowed. What a rare occasion for the fifth young master to return to the manor. The Eldest Princess wishes to see you. Lead the way. Moments later, Qianye arrived at Princess Gaoyis courtyard and was led to her study. The princess was clad in a loose dress, seated behind a tall pile of doc.u.ments that required her attention. Seeing Qianye enter, Gaoyi finished noting some things on the current doc.u.ment and put down her brush. Weihuang cares little about anything besides the army. I didnt want to get involved in these matters, but theres no choice considering the special circ.u.mstances. We definitely cant leave military matters to outsiders. Qianye nodded. Gaoyi nodded as well, her unaging face showing some signs of fatigue. Theyre all fighting with their lives on the line out there. Every bit of missing resources might lead to the loss of lives. I couldnt feel at ease, so I stepped in myself. With that, she glanced at Qianye calmly. Its definitely a surprise that you''ve returned, but seeing you alive is the best news these days. Qianye said with a smile, I thought I would die. Set on greater heights. You have you finally given up on the Empire? Qianye said, Its not exactly giving up, I still stand for the human race. However, I am working to save some remnant vampires at the moment. The princess expression didnt change. The vampires are a great enemy to the Empire, perhaps even the greatest. Are you still willing to help them? Not every vampire is my enemy, and not every human is my friend. From a certain perspective, I think I have more human enemies, Qianye replied calmly. Gaoyi sighed. The Empire certainly owes you, but Qianye cut her short, Not everyone. I will exact what is due from those who made an excuse of the greater picture to seek personal gains. As long as I dont die, I will settle the score with them one by one. Youve changed Anyone would change after coming back from the verge of death repeatedly. Or rather, Im no longer as gullible. Gaoyi nodded. What did you come back for this time? Qianye said, To borrow something. Chapter 1419: The End of the Carnes What is it? The Red Spider Lily. Princess Gaoyi was visibly moved upon hearing this. Not everyone can use her. I can. Princess Gaoyi placed one of her hands under the table. Are you still holding a grudge about what happened in the past? Or do you think you can do anything you please because our Zhao clan doesnt have the power to restrain you? Qianye said frankly, Ive long since forgotten about that. The old man who came to get me referred to me as the fifth young master, which means Im still a part of the Zhao clan. Im only here for the Red Spider Lily because thats my only chance of going against the Eternal Flame and his Sable Blessing. Do explain more. Qianye gave her a short summary of how he was saved by the Azure King Reynold, only skipping the part about the Book of Darkness. Gaoyi couldnt help but look surprised. I realize more and more how stupid the military was back then. Theyve been following the Longevity Monarch all these years, even as that old man went mad over the last decade. She sounded a bit frustrated. After all, the Longevity Monarch was one of the pillars of the Imperial Clan. Before the Radiant Emperor had revealed his powers, it was the Longevity Monarch who had been holding the fort at the capital. Whatever the case was, the heavenly monarchs were the only reason the Empire hadnt been invaded by Evernight. Qianye said, I wont borrow the Red Spider Lily for free. Ill leave this gun here, I think itll be of greater use to the Zhao clan at this point. Ill come and trade it back if I return alive. With a loud bang, a giant, sinister-looking gun with multiple barrels appeared on the table. Exactly. Princess Gaoyi remained silent, her expression rather conflicted. The Red Spider Lily was mysterious, unpredictable, and extremely powerful. Zhao Ruoxi had badly injured Ge Situ with it back in the year. It was one of the strongest magnums for dealing damage to top experts. To Princess Gaoyi, however, it was a weapon that wasnt all that useful. Zhao Ruoxi was the only one who could activate the Red Spider Lilys ultimate ability; not even Zhao Jundu could do it. Yet no matter how strong she was, Gaoyi wasnt about to let Ruoxi bring the gun into the battlefield. With the fourteenth prince setting an example, the princess had always been worried that Zhao Ruoxis weak body would be drained in just a few shots. The Tempest, on the other hand, was a lethal weapon on the battlefield, and its rate of fire was leagues beyond the Red Spider Lily. Comparatively, the Mortal Emperor wasnt really strong against top experts. With its gigantic area of effect, the magnum was more useful for intimidation and cleaning up the rabble. Outsiders might not understand too well, but Gaoyi knew that the Mortal Emperor was also reliant on compatibility. There was no such issue with the Tempest, although it had always belonged to the Evernight Faction. If Zhao Jundu were to wield a Grand Magnum, it would be akin to granting wings to a tiger. The tables would turn if the Tempest were to appear on the Zhao clans warfront. Gaoyi didnt take long to consider. Very well! I agree. She left in a hurry while Qianye sat there peacefully. He wasnt worried at all that she would return with a group of experts and rob him of the gun. Qianye paused very briefly. I will. He replied without looking back before vanishing into the air. After returning to the Martyrs Palace, Qianye steered the airship toward Serafis Continent. He was just about to cultivate on the Earth Dragons head when he sensed himself being watched. Qianye activated his Bloodline Concealment. He also used chaos origin power to channel a secret art, producing a faint illusory projection nearby. This image looked just like him, but it didnt have any facial features. Its face was just a flat surface. The Martyrs Palace kept swimming through the void, but the illusion stayed behind where it was summoned. Qianye discovered that the focus on him had lessened significantly. Just like that, he produced several illusions until he could scarcely sense the power locked onto him. Only then did he continue toward the Serafis Continent. ... In an isolated chamber on his warship, Predica opened his eyes helplessly. A number of demonkin experts approached as he walked out. Your Highness, do you have a conclusion? Recalling the series of confusing fate indicators, he shook his head and said, He seems to have learned how to avoid my scrying. Quite unexpectedly, he has learned to avoid my strong points and habits, maybe he even knows the characteristics of my secret art. The leader of the demonkin group was surprised. In the field of prophecy, the difficulty level in scrying individuals was much greater than looking at a more general trend. Powerful prophets might be able to see the waves in the river of fate a hundred years from now, but they could hardly discern singular droplets. This was especially true of people with special bloodlines and connectionsthe interference was simply too strong. Targeted evasion of a prophets power was an entirely different matter. The strengths and habits of master prophets who had been around for hundreds or even thousands of years were no longer a secret to the Daybreak side. The two factions had been contending in terms of strength most of the time. That was why the prophets of Evernight were helpless against Lin Xitang when he was alive; the man was simply too powerful. Predica was completely different. He had only awakened very recently, so how did Qianye do this in such a short time? Was there a traitor?! The leader of the demonkin group thought of something. Is it them?! Predica waved his hand in frustration. I dont know, either. You guys are on your own now. Also, report to His Majesty that its no longer within my power. The expert took a step forward. Can you explain it in greater detail? So that we can respond appropriately. Predica glanced at him with a spurious smile. Respond? You speak as though you dare to fall out with the Spider Queen. The demonkin experts expression was unsightly, but Predica wasnt in the mood to care about that. He simply left with a swing of his sleeves. After returning to his room, Predica threw himself onto the sofa and covered his face with his hands. Your Majesty, the new world is indeed vast, but what is there to discuss if we cant even win the war at hand? Why wont you allow me to try unraveling that mans secrets? ... In the void, Qianye was seated quietly on the Earth Dragons head. Eh? He opened his eyes all of a sudden. He had a feeling that something big was about to happen. Qianye focused on the Book of Darkness. In his perception, the book had become somewhat illusory; there seemed to be a boundless universe within. Through the book, Qianyes perception became much lighter and capable of stretching vast distances. At times, he would catch some strange fragments of information. This feeling was fleeting and odd, to say the least. Qianye eventually put it aside and continued cultivating, absorbing the nearby void origin power on his way to the Serafis Continent. On Serafis, dusk was falling upon Castle Mist and the city below. Numerous slaves were starting to return from their fields, but the mines in the mountains were always brightly lit. Strong men, as well as slaves who were proficient in mining, worked day and night. Most of the workshops had wrapped up for the day, but there were some that worked through the night. An old demonkin with an austere expression was patrolling each and every factory in the workshop district, followed by a large group of people. The officer in charge of the district was explaining things along the way. The old man cut him short all of a sudden, When will the next batch of alloys ship out. My question is, when will the goods ship out? the old man repeated his question. The administrator began sweating buckets. Lord Marquis, erm ten days! I want it in three! Thats impossible, all available hands are already working around the clock. If you dont have enough slaves, get to work yourself! Its the dukes order, no more delays! ... I understand. At this point, the old marquis stopped patrolling the place and went straight back to the castle. He then returned to his study after giving out orders for dinner. Entering the room, he saw a person reading the doc.u.ments on his desk. Who are you? The old marquis drew his pistol. The man put down the papers and turned around with a smile. Marquis Carne? You probably dont know me, Im Qianye. Qianye! Carne was so frightened that even his gun was trembling. Even so, his voice was fairly calm as he said, What gall! You actually dare come to Serafis! I heard Serafis hasnt experienced any battles since the holy war seven hundred years ago. Thats indeed the case. That history ends tonight. At midnight, a raging flame broke out in the ancient castle. The workshop district also saw fierce explosions as the main furnace of its most important factory toppled over, sending flames out in all directions. The ancient Carne family, the demonkin races biggest producer of metal alloys, thus came to an end. Inside a tent in the mountains, Qianye was going through a thick family register under the lamplight. The demonkin were a race that attached great importance to history and culture. They were still plagued by the loss of inherited skills, but there was no big gap in their history like the vampire race. This family register in Qianyes hand was as thick as a brick and held records of the Carne familys rise, its changes, and distribution. Add to that each familys marital connections, there were records of over a hundred families in the book. The doc.u.ments were fairly detailed. It contained not only the names and history of every major character, but also their talents and abilities. The family register was the most important doc.u.ment for every demonkin family. Long before the humans rose to power, the wise demonkin had already begun keeping family registers. They hoped to find a way to purify and strengthen their bloodline through this method, all the while testing out the effects of combining various bloodlines. A family register, especially from a family with a long history like the Carnes, was more or less a detailed academic paper. Qianye had a question after looking through the abundant resources. Why were the demonkin deteriorating in technology even with such a detailed record system? He didnt have much time to ponder on this before the present matters grabbed his attention. He spent the entire night reading the register and gained a deep understanding of the entire Carne family. After observing the evolution of the world through the Book of Darkness several times, especially the evolution of the dark races, Qianye had gained a deep understanding of bloodline evolution. Interesting, the Carnes have been trying to produce a duke for the past three hundred years. Hmm, theyve been going the bloodline purification route for instance, the marriage to the marquis of Eimer lets see, Marquis Eimer and Marquis Carne shared a common ancestor in the fourth generation. Qianye flipped several dozen pages and arrived at the name of a different family. But according to the records here, its best for them to acquire a different bloodline. After all, Carnes bloodline cant be considered strong. For instance, the Taurean family is a good marriage candidate. Qianye broke into a laugh. Why am I worrying about the demonkin? He closed the family register and put it into Andruils space. The data collection, analyses, and calculations in this book were all very interesting. It might even be useful for the management of large populations, so Qianye decided to keep it as a reference. Qianye sensed something at this point, so he opened the Book of Darkness. There was now a new page in the book, holding all the contents of the Carne family pedigree. Chapter 1420: End Years It was a meticulously detailed and complex family registry. There were some flickering points on the family tree, including the Taurean family that Qianye had spotted a while ago. The Eimer family that the Carnes had been forming marital connections with wasnt among them. Surprised, Qianye soon fell into deep contemplation. He hadnt expected the Book of Darkness to be able to derive family trees in addition to energy and laws. Qianye finally understood why the Demon King was intent on getting his hands on the book. As a supreme standing at the peak of the world, he was only interested in things that transcended power. What he wanted to use the book for was something to ponder on. Qianye decided to think about that later and focus on how he could use this newfound function. From this family registry, the key to this demonkin bloodlines strength was very clear. This outcome wouldve been of tremendous value to Marquis Carne, except the old man and his descendants had lost their lives in the raging flames. The Carnes were a big clan and the late Old Carne was only from one of its branches. This registry would still be useful to the others. In Qianyes hands, however, it would produce a completely opposite effect! His gaze fell upon the glowing emblem of the Taurean family. If he were to cut off this branch as well as the others with glowing emblems, the ancient Carne bloodline would lose the ability to take a step forward. The Carne bloodline was a dukes bloodline. All other families with dukes and princes were famed clans overseen by a great dark monarch. They also possessed their own pedigree that could be derived from the Book of Darkness. This meant that, with the guidance of the book, Qianye could cut off the future prospects of these bloodlines one by one. This would shake their very foundations, just like what the Demon King had done to the ancient vampire clans. Qianye wasnt discouraged. In fact, it wasnt important whether he could guess the Demon Kings thoughts at this stage. In this world, only the strong possessed the right to speakit was the same whether or not the words were just, be it in war or in negotiation. He would need to obtain greater power in order to face the Demon King. Qianye opened his map and found where the Taurean family was located. He planned to head over and see what value he could find there. The Taurean lands werent too far off. Hence, it was only dawn when their ancient castle collapsed in a sea of flames and the family registry was added to the Book of Darkness. The current head of the Taurean family was just a count, and they had only produced two marquis during their most prosperous era. They didnt even have a single mighty marquis under their roster, so it was no wonder the Carnes didnt think highly of them. What the old marquis didnt know was that the key to upgrading this bloodline lay in this count bloodline. The Taurean family register gave Qianye a pleasant surprise. The Meistan bloodline was merged into this family nine hundred years ago. In the Book of Darkness deductions, this Meistan bloodline was fairly powerful and possessed great potential. Its merger allowed the Taurean family to slowly undergo a change, to the point where they might produce a duke in the futureperhaps even more. However, all of their hopes were gone now. Recalling the vast amounts of information from the day before, Qianye recalled that the current Meistan lord was the lord of the Lutheran Island, Duke Sidney Meistan. Qianye began looking for the closest Meistan clan territory. Breaking off a grand duke bloodline was more interesting than destroying a marquis. Battles broke out in several areas across Serafis Continent as one ancient family after the other collapsed. Although they were just marquis-rank families, the demonkin felt that the flames of war were raging even fiercer than seven hundred years ago. These people had enjoyed peace for so long that it almost felt like time had stopped. The fleet soon arrived at an ancient castle. This was the Wenton family, one with a long history. Although they only had a marquis as the strongest expert at this point, Grand Duke Wenton was the leader when they had split off from the Masefield Clan one thousand two hundred years ago. The duke fell in one of the holy wars that followed, the highest-ranked expert to have fallen back then. Each family was independent, but their connection to the Masefield clan made the Wentons one of the most desirable marriage partners. The Meistons were one of them. The warship hovered above the ancient castle as Duke Meiston looked down at the burning rubble with a serious expression. The duke was fairly tall. His silver hair was perfectly combed and his nasal bridge was as prominent as a mountain. Is it Qianye again? He asked. No confirmation. Weve asked all the survivors, but there are no experts among them and no one can say clearly what just happened. The battle took place too quickly and the level was far beyond their scope. How about the casualties? Marquis Wenton and his direct descendants have all fallen in battle, along with almost all experts above the viscount rank. Only a single viscount managed to escape. The Duke was furious. Whats the point of leaving these trash alive if their direct bloodline is gone?! Kill them all! The duke calmed his anger for a bit and said, Take me to the scene. A group of experts jumped down from the airship and landed in the burning stronghold. All flames within ten meters of the duke were immediately extinguished, producing a path for them into the castle. Marquis Wenton had died in his study, which the lingering demonic energy had more or less preserved from utter destruction. Duke Meiston arrived before the corpse in silence. The old marquis expression was one of great shock, and his hand was still reaching forward to stop something. A nearby demonkin marquis said, He was killed in a flash. Lord Wenton never had the chance to retaliate, or even gather his demonic energy. Another expert said, The marquis hasnt fought for over a hundred years. All the demonkin looked solemn. The world outside had always been drenched in the flames of war, but none of that had anything to do with Serafis. This Continent had been peaceful for far too long, so much so that people had started to forget what war was. Many demonkin at the end of their years would choose to rule over a small territory or encampment here. The land was rich in resources, and the abundant darkness origin power was highly enjoyable, a perfect environment through and through. Duke Wentons experience was a classic example. He had already lived in that castle for over three hundred years. He was an admirer of art and sculptures, as well as a master in management. The only thing he wasnt good at was fighting. Duke Meistans eyes landed on the marquis c.h.e.s.t, where he saw some barely discernible blood spots. The nearby flesh was dried and withered. Fury flickered in his eyes. Life Plunder! But I cant sense any signs of blood energy, a marquis said in puzzlement. Duke Meistant also frowned, puzzled as to what was going on. Lord Duke, it has been several days now. Has the council not responded? If it really is Qianye the marquis didnt continue, but the message was clear enough. A hint of helplessness appeared in Meistans expression. The council has no spare manpower. The fight against the vampires is still ongoing, and even the half-retired Hasai has been mobilized for an emergency. It will take a week for new reinforcements to arrive. Thats great news. Qianyes voice echoed. The duke turned around all of a sudden, but some grey energy landed on his body, slowing him down. However, countless grey feathers appeared in the area, and the dukes domain was quietly dissolved before it could even take shape. Only then did he meet Qianyes eyes. Qianye? Youve long since known the answer, is there a need to ask? The reply was calm. How bold of you to come to Serafis. Werent you guys the same when you started killing on Twilight Continent? Meistan laughed loudly. Ha! Tell that to the Demon King! Qianye said calmly, I heard Grand Duke Meistan is at the end of his years, and most family affairs are handled by his third son. That should be you, Im assuming. So what if I am? The old duke can no longer reproduce at this age and the Meistans have not produced any outstanding talents in the recent generations; even counts are quite rare. Half your bloodline will be gone after I kill you. Duke Meistan was shocked and furious. The first emergency forces from the council will arrive soon, so youd better hurry up if you want to kill me. Qianye laughed. You think I cant kill you quickly? Frowning, the duke produced a shield from each hand and crossed them in front of his c.h.e.s.t. Ive heard of your accomplishments, and I also know you have the Tempest, but a grand magnum might not be enough to take my life. Qianye said indifferently, I know that the Meistan clans defensive skills are well-known among the demonkin, even known as the Aegis Wellspring. I do have a grand magnum with me, but its not the Tempest With that, a magnificent handgun appeared in Qianyes grasp, followed by a rumble! Countless mirrored surfaces appeared in the air, each facet reflecting Duke Meistans image! His face was full of terror as his entire body was sealed into the mirror plane. The multitude of mirrors shattered without a sound, turning into a radiant stream of glass fragments. All of a sudden, the entire world felt like a dreamy illusion. Chapter 1421: Bloodline Family Tree Duke Meistans figure appeared hundreds of meters in the air. He paused there for a while before crashing to the ground like a meteor. His last moments were filled with utmost astonishment as his vitality dispersed rapidly. He glanced at Qianye with all the strength he had left, You you Qianye watched the duke until there were no signs of life left in him before raising his head. Countless sanguine threads shot out in all directions, reaping the lives of the dukes followers within a hundred meters radius. His figure then flickered away and vanished over the horizon. In the depths of the void, there was a giant airship shrouded perpetually in pale flames. The Eternal Flame, in his flame form, was hovering in the control room as he listened to the military reports. The first part of this report was about the happenings on Serafis Continent, where the situation was deteriorating rapidly. Five marquis and two duke families had suffered severe damage; a number of smaller families were also implicated, but count families and below werent included in the emergency report. Halfway through the presentation, the Eternal Flame picked up the count with a stream of fire and dragged him up front. Duke Meistan has fallen?! How could that count withstand the monarchs flames? His demonic energy dropped sharply until he was on the verge of death. The Eternal Flame snorted deeply and tossed the man down. Another count hurried into the room at this point. He trembled upon witnessing this scene, but he had no choice but to brace himself. Your Majesty, the latest intelligence has come in. Speak. Having seen the Eternal Flames wrath just now, the count turned rather pale. He knew that he was not a bearer of good news. Lutheran Island was attacked. Old Duke Meistan was killed in the void, but most of his descendants managed to survive. The Eternal Flames blaze flickered unstably. More details. The count went through the complete report rapidly. It turned out that Grand Duke Meistan joined the battle after Lutheran Island was attacked. He never returned from his fight in the void, but it would seem that the attacker was wounded as well because he didnt continue attacking the island. Hence, the Meistan descendants managed to survive. The Eternal Flame snorted. Those descendants are all trash, whats the use of keeping them alive? The count said hurriedly, At least the Meistan bloodline remains. The Eternal Flames fury receded a bit. True. As long as his blood descendants remain, even if theyre useless, they can still strengthen themselves bit by bit. After all, the Meistan bloodline is the Aegis Wellspringit must not die off. The Eternal Flame said, Even if he did get his hands on some family registers, he wont be able to figure it out. The power of bloodlines is a mysterious subject, even the Demon King cant claim to be proficient in it. There are over eight hundred bloodlines in our race, making for countless combinations. Even the vampire prophets wouldnt have been able to touch Meistans Aegis Wellspring. Qianye has just turned into a vampire recently, right? I never heard anything about him knowing divination. Thats indeed the case. I mightve been overthinking things. Very well, you may withdraw. After the subordinate had left, the Eternal Flame still couldnt get rid of the doubts in his heart. It was then that he suddenly recalled the Book of Darkness that the Demon King so d.e.s.i.r.ed. Frowning, his gaze landed on the large screen that occupied an entire wall. This was a map of the entire Evernight World, dotted with a dense array of light specks representing the movements of different army corps. Even without looking, the Eternal Flame knew that the demonkin race, as well as the council as a whole, had reached their limits in military power. There was simply no leeway. The two major factions were in a rare state of ceasefire at the moment, but a holy war had once again stirred up within the Evernight side. To the upper echelons, an all-out war could break out anytime. If that was the case for Evernight, the same was likely true of the Empire as well. Each side was eyeing the other like a proverbial tiger watching its prey, just like how a great dark monarch like him was tied down watching Blacksun Valley. The problem with Qianye was that cannon fodder and ordinary elites could do almost nothing against him. The Eternal Flame had never doubted the Demon Kings decision, but at this point, he couldnt help but wonder what the supreme was thinking. What would the king do? Or would he simply do nothing? Qianye was standing in the air, gazing at a distant castle. The long banner hanging from the castle depicted thorned branches and crossed swordsthe emblem of the Heizo family, a count-rank family. In the entire Serafis Continent, the Heizo family was the least eye-catching. Among the families qualified to build a castle here, they were ranked right at the bottom. A report of their destruction would only be bundled into other families by the time it reached the Eternal Flame. In the Book of Darkness, however, the Heizo family was related to many others. The Meistans, especially, gave them a lot of protection and support. This meant that the Meistan familys bloodline required the Heizos to reach its full potential. The Aegis Wellspring will vanish after I destroy the Heizo clan, Qianye said to himself. The register of each demonkin family wasnt a simple doc.u.ment. After absorbing the essence blood of relevant individuals, the Book of Darkness would produce even more complicated family trees. Qianye discovered that the demonkin emblems werent simple, either. Every depiction held an associated meaning. Under most circ.u.mstances, the Book of Darkness could derive their bloodline after seeing it. Qianye had a feeling that the bloodlines within the Book of Darkness had already touched upon the demonkin races greatest secrets. Qianye leapt into the sky and flew into the Heizo family castle. He was back in the air within moments and was flickering away from the burning castle below. He was lost in thought along the journey. Their clan was famed for their origin power shields, an aspect in which even the major clans couldnt compare. This was the most important power for the physically weak demonkin. The Meistan Bloodline didnt have any other special characteristics, hence, they were compatible with most other lineages. For thousands of years, many demonkin families had been forming marital connections with the Meistan in order to strengthen their barriers and subsequently, their overall fighting power. A combination with the Meistan bloodline would produce different types of effects for different families. That was why they were known as the Aegis Wellspring among the upper echelon and enjoyed a status comparable to the three strongest bloodlines. The razing of the Heizo family meant that the last of the Meistan family line had been cut off. To bring it back, the Meistan descendants would have to strengthen their bloodlines generation by generation. With the current techniques available, this process might take hundreds to thousands of years. Qianye felt rather satisfied as he glanced back at the burning castle. His figure flickered once again and quickly disappeared. The giant building that was the demonkin race had thousands of pillars propping it up, and Qianye had just cut one of them off. Qianye was hundreds of kilometers away by nightfall. He set up a small camp, lit a fire, and was resting quietly. In truth, he no longer needed a fire to stave off the cold, nor did he have to fear insects and snakes. Setting up camp was simply because of reminiscence. Poking aimlessly at the firewood, Qianye sank his thoughts deep into the Book of Darkness and observed the expanding collection of pedigrees. Only the demonkin could construct such a system in the Book of Darknessthe vampires, werewolves, and arachne couldnt do the same. With the help of this familial system, the demonkin would slowly grow stronger over the years. Comparatively, the other three races were still focusing on the purity of bloodlines, and the werewolves were hoping to return to their ancestral era. Tracing the purity of these three clans to their source, one would only arrive at the point where they had awakened their first ancestors bloodline. The defects were still there. At this point, Qianye was beginning to understand the special characteristics of the demonkin race and why they could occupy the top spot among the dark races. The vampires were slowly declining despite the blessing of the River of Blood, and half their ancient clans had been destroyed by the demonkin. The unique strength they still possessed was the Queen of the Night. Qianye tossed the branch he was holding into the fire and sat down cross-legged. He then focused his attention and began circulating the Profound Combatant Formula. At this point, he could use just about any type of origin power absorbed by the formula. Wisps of void origin power seeped out of the void. The attractive force gradually expanded until there was a terrifying vortex in the sky. In the distance, a group of demonkin experts was guarding a person as they traveled through the mountains. The young man was staring at the shifting lights from a strange apparatus and guiding the groups movements. An expert looked up at the distant sky. Your Highness Anwen, somethings wrong with the origin power environment here. Anwen put on a pair of glasses and glanced at the surroundings. Countless numbers appeared on the spectacles. The flow of origin power is indeed abnormal. The void origin power seems to be converging in that direction. Anwen frowned. Not exactly, but lets go and take a look. One of the experts said, Your Majesty, why dont we go ahead and take a look? Just in case theres danger Another person said, What danger can there be on Serafis Continent? Who can say for sure? Dont forget, Qianye has reportedly killed several families here. You believe those rumors? An expert with some background sneered. His Majesty has even sent Prophet Predica to hunt down Qianye. Theres no way he wont know if Qianye has run over here. And the councils forces shouldve arrived by now, right? It would be more believable if a human heavenly monarch were here but not Qianye. The experts found this reasonable. Anwen said all of a sudden, Eh? This flow of origin power is very interesting, I must go personally. As for safety, I have you guys, dont I? Chapter 1422: The True Stairway The experts didnt object. This group wasnt that big, but their overall strength was impressive. Even Anwen himself possessed powerful cultivation and would prove a great adversary in the same rank. These experts had no idea what mission Anwen was carrying out, not even the vice duke in charge of his safety. All they knew was that it was of a high level. Anwen kept drawing and writing along the way. He wasnt really trying to leave everyone out, but no one else knew what those numbers were. In short, it was an important matter. The group crossed over a mountain ridge in this manner and arrived at a wide valley. There was a massive vortex of origin power rotating in the air, but there was no one at all at the heart of this phenomenon. Anwens eyes lit upthe formless origin power in the air became visible to him as he dissected, organized, and analyzed the data. The Combatant Formula of the Great Qin? Yet its not exactly the same. Whats the point of absorbing all those impurities? Could it be some kind of secret art? That cant be right Anwen pondered to himself. It looks like this person has some way to increase the purity of origin power. Only the Scroll of Chaos can show this kind of efficiency its Qianye! He was shocked out of his wits as a sudden chill shot up his spine, almost as though a hunter had locked onto him. He could no longer move! Through the corner of his eyes, he saw several sanguine threads flicker in and out of existence. He felt a prick on his back as one of the threads shot into his body, causing him to stagger and almost fall. A weakness came over his entire being, as though he had been starving for a month. A large hand caught him at this moment, and soon, a bit of essence blood returned to his body. Anwens demonic energy was quickly replenished like a burst of fireworks. Sorry, I lost control for a bit. Qianyes voice rang out behind him. Anwen looked back with a wry smile. I was assigned this mission for safety reasons. The other fronts are either preparing for battle or already fighting. Who wouldve thought Id run into you on Serafis? Qianye laughed. Cant help it. Your supreme isnt leaving me with a lot of options. Since it makes no difference where I run to, isnt it better to enjoy the scenery on the demonkin continent?" Anwen smiled ruefully. I didnt want to meet you if possible. Its too late now. What will you do now? Kill me? Qianye was silent. He had a favorable impression of Anwen and Eden, so it wasnt entirely necessary to finish him off. He had avoided Anwen while using Life Plunder just now, and he had even returned the bit of essence blood that was accidentally absorbed. Anwen glanced at his surroundings. You killed all my guards in a flash. To collect data. Anwen said after a pause, I am to collect and compile data on the flow of origin power throughout the continents and set up survey stations in key locations to continue acc.u.mulating data. I have dozens of locations to survey on Serafis Continent and sixteen stations to set up. Were at war, though. Qianye raised his brows. Since youre performing research now, is it related to the war? The war will decide our losses or gains for the moment, but data is the real stairway to the new world. Anwens eyes lit up at the mention of his work. Qianye observed the man for a while. Give me a reason not to kill you. Anwen asked all of a sudden, Why were you taking our family registries? Qianye was surprised. How did you know? These records are an important part of every demonkin familys inheritance. Neither flood nor fire can destroy these family trees, so the clean-up team will collect them after the familys destruction. The other races never showed any interest in these things, only the families you destroyed have their records missing. There might be another explanation for this, but the most likely reason is that you have them. What do I even do with them? Study their coat-of-arms? Qianye remained calm on the surface, but he was shaken inside. This demonkin was no idiot; he had immediately found the problem. Anwen stared at Qianye. You must already know the secret of our pedigree and inheritance, right? How can you be so accurate if you havent figured it out? In addition to Meistan of the Aegis Wellspring, youve also wiped out three small branches with laser focus and accuracy. At this point, Qianye could only come clean. Correct, Im targeting your bloodline inheritances. Speaking of which, does this mode of strengthening even work? Werent the effects quite obvious during the war with the vampires? Qianye nodded. During the raid on Twilight Continent, Qianye felt that the first and second rankings among the four major races werent entirely accurate. The vampires were exceptionally strongthey were comparable to the demonkin and even a bit stronger due to their population. Yet, the latter had gained an overwhelming victory right off the bat and wiped out almost half of the old vampire clans. Although it looked like the demonkin had dragged the arachne and werewolves into the fight, that was just an overall observation. The other two races didnt put in that much effort when it came to real conflict. The demonkin werent about to give them full control over important sectors. Although it was said that the Queen of the Night was still asleep, the Demon King didnt really take action himself. All he did was keep Habsburg in check. Medanzos betrayal was, of course, an important reason, but why would he? The allure of strength was definitely there, but he wouldnt have jumped ship so readily if he hadnt seen the difference in strength. Judging from the results of this war, the demonkin had completely surpassed the vampires. Qianye opened it up to find a demonkin family registry, except that it wasnt as detailed as the information derived by the Book of Darkness. The direction was similar, though. In fact, the records Qianye had collected from the demonkin families were mostly inaccurate. Their method of research was likely a trial and error between families, the data from which would be gradually compared to find out the best bloodline combinations. As long-lived races, they had all the time in the world. Their results today probably came from thousands of years ago. Those family trees were incomparable to the results derived from the book of darkness. Qianye naturally followed the latter. The accuracy of their original research wasnt all that high, so Qianye hadnt expected to be discovered so quickly. Qianye understood everything when he picked up this notebook. The conclusion, which came about from a series of complicated formulas and calculations, was about six parts similar to the Book of Darkness. This is? My results from the past seven years, Anwen replied. Qianye was silent. The formulas and calculation methods in the book were too complicated. The inexplicable spatial construction was reportedly based on the genetic makeup of the demonkin bloodline. He couldnt understand a single page of extrapolation out of the several hundred. The process wasnt all that importantthe key was in the conclusion. Anwen laughed wryly. You didnt expect it, the same goes for the old men from our research institute. They wont believe that Im correct even if they see this. Qianye sighed. He had already realized that Anwen was actually a talent that could shake the world itself. It was rather unfortunate that such a talent wasnt born in the Empire. Qianye drew his azure sword, but after some thought, he switched to the Red Spider Lily. I now have sufficient reason to kill you, any last words? Anwen laughed wryly. Im too weak, not worth dirtying your hands. A marquis who might become a great dark monarch one day, you call that weak? My character isnt good Itll improve once youre dead! Im really dumb Even Anwen himself chuckled. Qianye wasnt laughing, though. All of a sudden, grey feathers fluttered down from the sky and locked Anwen to the ground. Youre too smart. I dont understand any of those numbers, who knows what tricks you have to flee. Its better to suppress you first. The feathers felt like mountains falling upon him. Even standing felt quite tiring for Anwen, let alone to resist or escape. He felt helpless because whatever powerful secret art he used would be locked down by that barbaric pressure. Anwen finally extinguished all of his plans. Your domain is almost at the level of a great dark monarch, isnt it? Its such an overkill to use it on me. I dont want to die right now, I still want to see the vast world. How about this, Ill bet you my life. How so? Qianye asked. First, Ill tell you how to evade the prophetic powers. Secondly, Ill tell you the secrets of the new world and the truth of this world. In exchange, you let me go and promise not to kill off a certain bloodline. I know you can do it, although I dont know how. Anwen added, No one will figure out anytime soon the fact that youve already touched upon the secrets of the demonkin family trees. It will probably take a lot more casualties before those old bastards start admitting their conceit, but that supreme existence is very different from them. Qianye understood Anwen was talking about the Demon King. He didnt feel that the demonkin was merely trying to scare him. I already know how to avoid prophetic scrying. There are many ways to do so, but none of them will be as effective as my method. I myself am an outstanding prophet after all. Anwen was quite confident. Besides, dont ever underestimate a demonkin warlock, sometimes, possibility is just a matter of price. True. Qianye nodded. The Evernight prophets had experienced a longer history than the human divination experts. Although Lin Xitang had ended up suppressing them, there was no way Evernight wouldve maintained an upper hand if this was their entire strength. So do we have a deal? Not yet. Tell me those secrets first, and I will be the judge of whether its worth it. Anwen chuckled. Very well, lets talk about the new world first. In truth, there have been records of that place since ancient times. Back then, there were six major races and five supremes on the Sacred Mountain. The supremes sensed the approach of the new world, so they worked together to pull it close and open up a path for a subsequent expansion. Yet this new world was a tremendous entity. Even with the combined power of the six races, the plan ended up in a failure. One supreme fell during the process, and another followed not long afterward. The process, however, stabilized the new world successfully and stopped it from moving away. The three supremes only dared to try opening the new world now because they had sensed that it was close enough. What we opened before was only the surface layer of the new world. The entrance to the true heart of this world lies in Blacksun Valley. The passage will appear once the black flames recede. Qianye frowned. I know this already. Chapter 1423: Excessive Distance Anwen understood the situation. Her Majesty Nighteye mustve told you. Why do you guys refer to her as Her Majesty? Anwen replied, I dont know which ancient character she has awakened to, but that character is definitely more powerful than ordinary great dark monarchs. Its not excessive to refer to her respectfully. Very well, continue. Inside Blacksun Valley is reportedly the very origin of darkness. Darkness origins? The source of darkness? Does it really exist? Qianye was surprised. More often than not, the daybreak and darkness origins were just a concept. It might be absolute in numbers and logic, but that didnt mean they physically existed. Its the darkness origins, not the source. Qianye still couldnt understand. Normally, the word was used to describe the root of each factions power, like the daybreak origins of human heavenly monarchs and the darkness origins of the great dark monarchs. This thing in the new world, could it be a world in and of itself? Anwen had no way to explain this concept further. I dont know exactly what kind of existence it is. We call it that because its appearance will change the origin power ratio of this world. Qianye was surprised. The origin power ratio? This really made one think a lot. Will it change the energy system? Anwen said with an approving expression, Your connection is reasonable. Although I dont know if thats really the case, the fact that it will change the ratio of origin power is the truth. At the very least, our supreme said so. Qianyes brows locked into a frownthis wasnt good news. A shift in origin power ratios was much more important than a ten-degree change in the worlds temperature. From the natural origin power environment of Blacksun Valley, it would be safe to assume that all intelligent daybreak lifeforms would be greatly weakened if there was a sharp increase in darkness origin power. This was especially true for humans, and even the heavenly monarchs would not be an exception. The fortunate outcome at that point was to become something akin to a marginalized race. The humans might be able to remain a separate race, but the four continents would be lost. In the worst-case scenario, the Evernight faction would declare war on the Empire. People would be taken captive as slave soldiers and livestock. At the thought of this, Qianye suddenly noticed that the reason behind the war was a special matter. Then whats the truth about the world we are in? The world we are in is actually a cage. Everyone here, from the lowest races to the highest supremes, is just a captive, no exception. You mean to say were being held here? This was the first time Qianye had heard of such a theory. Ourselves? Correct. Anwen pointed at his head. To be precise, our intelligence is what keeps us imprisoned. Speak human please! Im a demonkin Anwens comical expression faded away when he saw Qianyes face. He produced a notebook and began drawing on one of the empty pages. In the blink of an eye, the twenty-seven continents of the Evernight world appeared on paper, along with some of the larger neutral lands. This is our world. Most people think our world is vast enough, so much so that even the grand dukes only end up exploring the upper continents. Correct, the upper continents are indeed dangerous. Qianye sighed emotionally. Back when he had led the vampires toward Dawn Continent, the journey was full of danger even with the Martyrs Palace opening up the way and the trio overseeing everything. And that was because Howard had already figured out the path. Any other transport fleet wouldve lost about thirty percent of their spacesh.i.p.s. After arriving there, the torrent of fire from the solar winds allowed Qianye to experience the true might of heaven and earth. Even a great dark monarch wouldnt dare face them head-on. Anwen said, Our direction of exploration is wrong. We shouldnt be exploring the upper continents. Instead, we should focus our efforts on understanding our world, reforming our intelligence system, and finding ways to better utilize origin power. He drew a circle on a different paper and pointed to the center. If you consider our world as a whole, this is the point at the center. The only thing stopping us is the vast distance of the void. What we need to cross isnt strength but intelligence. We never found a good way to travel through the far void. Thats why I said were captives of our own intelligence. Why do I remember you saying something different before? Qianye thought back to when he had discussed the new world with Anwen. The demonkin replied, Back then, I only had a rudimentary knowledge of the world. I thought our greatest obstruction in communicating with the outside world was the dangers in the void, especially those void colossi. Supreme experts from each generation returned empty-handed either because they ran into these beasts or fell to indefensible dangers. Only now did I realize that the true obstruction is a different matterit was just pure distance. He drew something on the paper and said, I have set up several demonic energy lenses with different filtration effects, using them to observe a single star and analyze its light spectrum. The results were fairly interesting. One of them is the starlight that comes from the peak of our world. Some are physically here, but others are just shadows. These shadows were cast from other small worlds like Evernight. Qianye was astonished, but this was definitely a possibility after some thought; for instance, that passage at the bottom of Giants Repose on Evernight Continent. If there could be passages that connected continents, why couldnt there be tunnels between worlds? Anwen said, Another thing is, theyre extremely far from us. How far? Beyond our imagination. Anwen said, Lets put it this way. If we take the distance between the lowest Evernight Continent to the top-most sun as one, the distance between us and the nearest new world is in the trillions. Trillions?! Qianye couldnt help but feel shaken despite his indifference in the face of great dark monarchs. He thought about it but still couldnt wrap his head around this number. The only thing he could think of was that even Lilith flying at full speed might not be able to cross this distance in her lifetime. But this cage isnt unbreakable. Seeing Qianyes interested demeanor, Anwen continued without keeping the former in suspense, The primary method is to study our world and understand its basic laws. For instance, whats the theory behind your Spatial Flash? Can airsh.i.p.s be brought along in a flash? Can the jump distance be increased limitlessly as long as there was enough energy? Why can void colossi live in the void? Can we replicate their organs and install them on our airsh.i.p.s? You demonkin also have a spatial secret art, something called demonic traversal or space traversal, right? Qianye asked. We have both of them. Anwens eyes lit up. In fact, our race did have a technique similar to your Spatial Flash, though not at the level where its enough to break through this world. Unfortunately, the inheritance has been lost in the long river of time. If we can solve this problem, we might be able to build an airship that can travel through the starry skies and explore the boundless realms beyond. Now that is where experts like us belong! Qianye was a bit fascinated by the speech, but he quickly broke out in a wry smile. Im still being hunted down by the Demon King. I cant even think about exploring the unknown world. Well see if I manage to survive. Anwen glanced at Qianye and said seriously, Your progress is the number one in the Evernight world, and the Black-Winged Monarchs inheritance gives you an instinctive understanding of space. Finally, you have the Martyrs Palace, which was built from the Earth Dragons remains. Rumor has it that theres a living organ on board. All in all, youre the most suitable pioneer in this realm. If youre willing, I will follow you on this journey. Now? Anwen was fairly honest. This person was definitely the odd one out among the countless experts in the Evernight faction. Qianye could tell from their short encounters that he was a highly intelligent individual. If he were to spend all of that effort on cultivation, even the Demoness might not be his match. Yet Anwen had little interest in strength and wars. On the contrary, he was exceptionally fascinated with exploration. Qianye had never read or even heard about his theories and complicated formulas. Anwens theories werent just empty thoughts. His ability to derive the correct demonkin bloodlines proved that he was capable. His hypothesis on space distance was another factor. Qianye put his sword away and said, You may leave. This world is already messed up, at least itll be more interesting with people like you around. Anwen didnt leave immediately. How about you? Whats your plan? Keep killing like this? This is war and not something I have much of a choice in. All I can do is make that warmongering Demon King of yours feel a bit of pain. Thats the whole reason Im here. Anwen shook his head. The demonkin of Serafis Continent, even the experts, have forgotten battle over time. Theyre more civilians than warriors, so killing them wont bring you glory. Many of the killed vampires were also civilians. As for the humans, theres no need to even talk about it. Besides, according to you, a war is inevitable once the inner world becomes accessible. Anwen sighed. It shouldve been seven days since you arrived here. Youve killed over a thousand during this time, is it not enough? Anwen said with a frown, I know I cant dissuade you, and my own strength is also not enough to dissuade His Majesty. Qianye suddenly felt a bit curious about this supreme. Does the Demon King not believe what you say? Anwens expression seemed a bit strange. His Majesty Kane is different from those old men at the academy Qianye waited for the continuation, but Anwen didnt speak further. And? Anwen sighed. His Majesty is already at the peak of this world. He has his own considerations, but they should be more or less resolved after the Blacksun Valley business. Qianyes eyes flickered, but he said nothing. Anwen didnt notice the change in expression. If you promise to pull out from Serafis, I will tell you a secret about the River of Blood. Qianye pondered for a while. He was already nearing his time limit on Serafis Continent; any longer, and he would be surrounded and hunted down. Besides, the fact that he had intentionally cut off the Aegis Wellspring could hardly be hidden from the Demon King. He had to be wary of the supreme arriving in person. Qianye nodded without further contemplation. Anwen opened his notebook and wrote down a series of formulas. He chuckled when he saw Qianyes puzzlement through the corner of his eyes. Let it be, Ill just get to the summary. Ive discovered that the disappearance of the River of Blood has something to do with the arrival of the new world. Qianye was surprised. How are the two related? That I dont know. Qianye asked after some thought, Do you think the supremes know this? Anwens conclusion felt a bit conflicted compared to what he had said just now. Since the Queen of the Night was the only one remaining among those who had tried to pull the new world closer back in the year, did she know that this act would cause the River of Blood to disappear? Just as Qianye expected, Anwen couldnt give him a definite answer, but that didnt make Qianye doubt his conclusion. The two exchanged glances for a bit. Qianye was about to let Anwen go and leave Serafis soon afterward. All of a sudden, Qianyes heart beat rapidly as he looked at the sky. The River of Blood had appeared in the depths of the void, and unlike before, it was extremely clear. The giant surging waves stifled everyone who could sense it. Chapter 1424: The Thirteenth Seal Anwens expression changed drastically, almost as though he had sensed it as well. He brought out some sort of board-like metallic object. The l.u.s.trous time was covered in pulsing runes that looked like they were forming a profound principle. Qianyes focus had been completely attracted by the River of Blood. He moved against the flow with relative ease and soon arrived at the source of the river, where he felt that the change was taking place. The moment he had captured the aura of the river, he sensed several extremely powerful consciousnesses casting their gazes over. And they werent vampire experts! This was an inexplicable sensation, something that shouldnt be happening. Yet Qianye knew that his senses couldnt be wrong and Anwens reaction also served as proof. This also meant that it wasnt only the vampires who had sensed the commotion in the River of Blood. The strength of this tremor was irrefutable; even Qianye didnt cause such a ruckus during his breakthrough to the duke rank. Comparatively, he only managed to stir up some waves. A thought flickered through his heart. Did the River of Bloods movement touch the worlds baseline laws? He carefully discerned the experts consciousness and found some of them were rather familiar. For instance, that powerful and tyrannical aura was clearly Zhang Boqian. There were also several streams that were vague and blurry; Qianye could only tell that they were present. Apparently, those heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs did not want to be discoverednor identified even if discovered. Qianye began to worry. He might be growing at the fastest rate in this world, but he was still far from significant in the eyes of those powerful consciousnesses. He could prevent nothing if they decided to act. Qianye quickly did away with the unnecessary thoughts and advanced toward the source of the river. Simply approaching the place was enough to sense its majesty and magnitude; it was even bigger than a continent. Back in the year, Qianyes cultivation wasnt enough to understand much about the river. Now that he was at the doorstep to the apex, he could sense the source of the riverit was a vast expanse of waves with no end in sight. The River of Blood surged with greater ferocity as more streams of perception appeared. Apparently, even the hidden powerhouses and those on important missions had sensed the movement. Everyone was waiting for what would come next. It was at this moment that the faint flames in the Blacksun Valley raged fiercely. Some demonkin experts who had been exploring the region were swept into the blaze and reduced to ashes. In the blink of an eye, Qianye had passed by most of the powerful consciousnesses. He was already fairly close to the true source of the river, but Qianye felt that he still had the strength to spare. He glanced forward and saw five powerful consciousnesses that made him hesitate for a bit. Qianye could sense more and more people noticing him, but it was too late to turn back now. There was nothing to be afraid of if the technique he had imitated from those blurry auras was working. If it wasnt working, he wouldve been compromised long ago, and it would be useless even if he were to hide. Bracing himself, he moved past three more consciousnesses before reaching his limit. At this point, there were only two more in front of himthe Demon King and the Spider Queen. Qianye understood that this didnt mean he was the number one character under the supremes. It was only because the River of Blood was his home ground. The other heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs would need to penetrate the laws of the world and find the fluctuations of the river before moving upstream. People like Anwen who werent strong enough could only rely on special equipment to observe. Qianye didnt need to go through this trouble because he was on the same wavelength with these raging waters. From this point, he could barely sense the source of the river. Twelve blood seals were slowly revolving around itmost of them were dim, and two more were on the verge of dispersing. Qianye couldnt help but sigh, even though this wasnt the first time he had witnessed this scene. The River of Blood gradually calmed down, but the undercurrents were flowing with even greater vigor. It seemed as though something was brewing down below. None of the visiting consciousnesses had the attention to spare as they focused on this rare scene. Under the eyes of the worlds strongest experts, the River of Blood roared as a wall of water rose up from the source and crashed downstream. It eventually returned to the embrace of the twelve seals and joined them in their rotation. The scene felt right and proper, as though this was how it should and always had been. Qianye had never seen that seal before, and he was curious to know who had lit up this new seal. Far off in the Lava Castle, Habsburg opened his eyes with a complicated expression. The Demon King stared off into space for a good while before saying, This how did this happen? Habsburg said in an odd tone, Shouldnt you be happy that the thirteenth seal has appeared? The thirteenth vampire clan had appeared when people were starting to doubt whether it ever existed! All of a sudden, dark undercurrents flowed through the void as every top expert received this shocking news. Everyone began to ponder on what this might mean. That seal wasnt at the level of a great dark monarch, which meant that the vampire race had produced a new crown-prince-rank primogenitor during these troubled times. However, this seemed to pale in comparison to the change in the laws. After the seal was ignited, the River of Blood slowly faded away into the depths of the void. In Qianyes senses, the thirteenth seal was a bit different. He already understood that each seal represented a different system, a different path to power. It would allow the initiator to use a portion of the rivers power. After the thirteenth seal appeared, the missing pieces of memory began to appear in his inheritance memory. Qianye discovered that, along with the Perth clan, this thirteenth seal was one of the two sitting closest to the darkness origins. The Perth clans seal contained the widest path to the River of Blood, a method to completely activate the power of blood for a vampire. The thirteenth seal, on the other hand, showed no signs of blood energy. It seemed to contain only darkness origin power, one so pure that it didnt look like a vampire seal. Darkness origin power was expressed in many different forms in the energy system, with each race occupying a different segment in the spectrum. Although there were special circ.u.mstances, this was the law in most cases. The dark races had, through the countless years of evolution, developed paths that were the most suitable for them. For instance, the demonkins demonic energy and the vampires blood energy. Neutral darkness origin power was, on the contrary, more difficult to control. For instance, there might be many different paths up a mountain, and it wasnt impossible to climb from places with no trails, only more exhausting. Looking at this seal, Qianye came to understand why the thirteenth clan had vanished back then. Not strengthening blood energy as vampires meant that they would only make half the progress for double the effort, and thus they were gradually eliminated. Although it was said that their descendants also vanished all of a sudden, the entire matter was still a puzzle to this day. Even if they did manage to survive all this time, they would probably be a negligible power by nowjust like the blood seals that had gone dark for various reasons. In the depths of the seal, Qianye could sense a familiar aura, Nighteyes aura. With what the vampires had been going through these days, there was probably no other candidate who could become a crown prince. Qianye retracted his perception and fell into contemplation. He had to speed up his progress as well. The flickering runes in Anwens hands slowly receded, but the man still seemed lost in thought. After some calculations, he said, The vampires have gained yet another primogenitor, and its very likely Her Majesty Nighteye. Who wouldve thought she would still succeed despite the council sending such a strong force after her? As expected of someone who has awakened an ancient powerhouse! Qianye sighed. I hope its her. You can go now. Ill be leaving as well, but I will still be heading to other demonkin territories. Perhaps. Before leaving, the demonkin couldnt help saying, Do reconsider your next destination. Im not saying this because youre heading to other demonkin territories. The connection between family trees is our races greatest secret, even some of those families dont understand the profundity within. This is also something His Majesty pays great attention to. He now has one more reason to kill you, and the Flaming Crown alone might not be able to stop him. Qianyes expression seemed odd. The Flaming Crown might be an enemy as well. Anwen was stunned for a moment, but he seemed to realize something afterward. He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but ended up not saying anything in the end. Qianye wasnt hoping for an explanation, either. So he simply nodded at the man and jumped up into the void. In the Blacksun Valley, countless Evernight Soldiers were lined up in formationthey were waiting for the fateful moment to arrive. The Eternal Flames pale blaze hung in the sky, looking down at the giant pit nearby. There used to be a pillar of black flames here, but now there wasnt a single ember. Even the heat was no longer there and the entire valley had turned cold. A demonkin flew over to the Eternal Flame. Your Majesty, the vanguard is ready. Chapter 1425: Opening Battle There were tens of thousands of soldiers at the frontwerewolves, vampires, and even slave soldiers made up of humans and some other races. These slave fighters were strong, but they were neither armored nor did they hold any weapons. All of them seemed to be in despair in the face of this sinkhole. As the bugle sounded, the Evernight army moved forward slowly, pushing the sacrifices forward with their sharp spears. The front lines pushed and squeezed, but in the end, they still couldnt avoid the fate of falling down into the hole. Every time a person fell down, the sparse flames at the bottom of the pit would burst into a pillar of flames to engulf the victims. Although the blaze was surging wildly, the embers at the bottom of the pit were weakening at a visible pace. By the time the last batch of sacrifices had fallen in, the black flames shot into the sky and died out entirely. All the spectating Evernight experts heaved a sigh of relief, looking delighted. A marquis said, Your Majesty Klaus, Ill go and scout the path ahead! One of his peers said, Marquis Turam, youre a bit too weak. Leave the dangerous work to me! I should be the one! Me! The demonkin fought amongst one another to be the first to enter the new worlds gates. The inner world might be dangerous, but the first expert to enter would surely leave his family name in the annals of history. Hence, the experts werent willing to give way. Amidst the endless quarrel, the Eternal Flame said, Lord Leeroy, do you have anyone who wants to charge in first? The arachne grand duke was standing a bit farther away at first, maintaining a humble posture. He was a bit surprised to hear the Eternal Flames words. Our races experts will be honored to! Since the Eternal Flame had said so, the other experts had no choice but to stop fighting and watch an arachne marquis jump into the pit. He flew back out moments later. Ignoring the black flames on his body, he cried out, The gate to the inner world! I crossed it! He paused for a moment. All eyes fell upon him, waiting eagerly for information about the other world. The marquis, however, became a bit hesitant and uncertain. I saw the purest of darkness! That might be the darkness origins! The darkness origins! The crowd broke into a commotion. The Eternal Flames pale fire also flickered briefly; he was apparently excited as well. Unable to hold back any longer, the demonkin experts charged into the doorway to the inner world. The Eternal Flame calmly ordered the Evernight alliance to set up defenses around the sinkhole, then slowly moved inward to the gate. It was at this time that a flash of silvery-white appeared in the distance and a disturbance broke out in the peripheral troops. The Eternal Flame moved swiftly in the direction of the silvery light. In the blink of an eye, countless Imperial airsh.i.p.s appeared from the clouds and began charging toward the sinkhole. The Eternal Flame shot into the sky with a snort. He came to a sudden stop halfway through and slowly turned around. There, he saw the Pointer Monarch step out calmly into the air. Klaus, where do you think youre going? The Eternal Flame pointed a plume of fire toward the disorderly armies below. We can fight, but only the Evernight races will be affected by our battle right now. Your troops will soon join the fray. Are you sure you want to go there? The Pointer Monarch said, Where else? Did you want to just sit by and watch? Or do you want to do it in the new world? That was, of course, impossible. The Eternal Flame was in charge of overseeing the Blacksun Valley. How could he leave everything just for a human heavenly monarch? Even if this person was the Pointer Monarch. The Eternal Flames fire flickered. Very well, lets fight here then! The Empires warsh.i.p.s charged straight into the battlefield and landed practically next to the Evernight formation. They poured down frantic gunfire to suppress the enemy attacks, all the while unleashing soldiers onto the ground. The Imperial soldiers charged straight at the enemy army, killing their way in amidst the confusion. This threw the battlefield into utter chaos. The Eternal Flames raging blaze ascended to the sky, almost like a pale sun as it unleashed rings of fire that swept out in all directions. The Pointer Monarchs figure flickered unpredictably, appearing above, below, to the front, and to the rear. The Pointer Monarch simply drifted about like an immortal, always passing through the flame rings at the right moment. He would only block the attack when there was absolutely no way to avoid it. Upon contact with the Pointer Monarch, the flames there would brighten significantly, while the other areas would dim down. Apparently, this attack could focus all of its power on a small area. This did well to supplement the low attack power of area of effect attacks. The Eternal Flames attack seemed endless, almost as though there was no bottom to his demonic energy, yet the Pointer Monarchs fighting style remained the same. With a flip of his hand, the heavenly monarch produced a sinister-looking gatling gun. The weapon roared as a torrential stream of bullets poured toward the Eternal Flame. The blast caused the pale flame to flicker wildly like a candle in the wind. The Tempest! The Eternal Flame wasnt too surprised to find this magnum in the Pointer Monarchs hands. As expected, Qianye joined you humans. He has always been a human, why would he need to join us? the Pointer Monarch replied. A voice erupted from the distance, Return the Tempest! The Lightless Monarch Medanzo stepped into the battlefield, hoping to join the fight against the Pointer Monarch. Before he could take a second step, however, the surrounding space rippled as a man walked out from nowhere. This person was in the prime of his life and clad in an Imperial marshals uniform. However, his aura wasnt that outstanding at all; he felt more like an unknown divine champion than anything. Lightless Monarch, dont be in a rush to leave. And also, the Tempest isnt related to the vampire race, is it? Medanzo was startled as he recalled a certain person, but he also found it hard to believe. Human Emperor? Why are you here? The Radiant Emperor replied calmly, Why cant I be here? There is no emperor on the battlefield, only a heavenly monarch. Medanzo snorted. You just entered the heavenly monarch rank, yet you dare challenge me? Quite bold! The Radiant Emperor replied, Its precisely because I just broke through that youre a good opponent for me. The implied meaning behind these words was that the Lightless Monarch would no longer be a match once the Radiant Emperor had consolidated his realm. Medanzo never expected this inconspicuous human emperor would have such a sharp tongue. He drew his sword with an ashen expression and slashed a beam of dark violet flames toward the Emperor. A cold gleam appeared in the Radiant Emperors hands as Teia left its sheath. With a gentle swing, the Emperor scattered the sanguine flames and launched a counterattack at Medanzo. The Lightless Monarch thought he could easily suppress the Radiant Emperor by relying on the techniques he had acc.u.mulated over the centuries. At most, the result would be a drawn-out battle that was common between experts of their level. Who wouldve thought this quiet emperor would be so skilled in swordsmanship? In the blink of an eye, he had forced Medanzos back against a corner until he could do nothing else but defend. The fight between Medanzo and the Radiant Emperor looked even more intense than the other fight. In truth, though, the Eternal Flame and the Pointer Monarch had both drawn their Grand Magnums, so the stakes were much higher. With four peak experts fighting up in the air, just the shockwaves alone were enough to turn an area thousands of meters around them into a death zone. Soldiers from either faction who were swept into the fire didnt even have a corpse left. These elites were all suicide soldiers! Death and destruction rained down wherever the shockwaves from the battle passed by. The Evernight armys casualties far surpassed the Empires. The Eternal Flame had already realized the enemys strategy. Yet, it was too late to change locations at this point. The Pointer Monarch wasnt easy to handle, and both parties were already using Grand Magnums. The slightest misstep would loosen the Eternal Flames grip on the battlefield, so he had no choice but to focus on contending with the opponent. Even dukes were intimidated by the current situation and didnt dare interfere in the fight. They all dived down into the sinkhole and fought their way into the inner world. The Empires divine champions also followed suit. Apparently, a battlefield would begin once they were all inside. The great dark monarchs and princeswho were debating whether they should helpchanged their minds and turned toward the new world. The ordinary soldiers on the ground had suffered over fifty percent casualties, so there was no way to save them now. The gate to the inner world required more sacrifices to maintain, so they didnt think too much of the death of a hundred thousand soldiers. The situation in the air changed subtly over time as the Eternal Flame started to gain the upper hand. The Sable Blessing was one level higher than the Tempest, to begin with. As a demonkin weapon, the Eternal Flame could not be more familiar with wielding it. The Pointer Monarch had whipped out the Tempest despite the drain because he needed to extend his attack range. The greatest negative factor was still the environment. Firstly, the new world exerted a suppression on heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs. Now that the gateway to the inner world had opened, the darkness origins on the other side seemed to have sensed the origin power of the heavenly monarchs. The purer ones daybreak attribute, the more he would be affected, and it would take some time to acclimatize to this pressure. Medanzo was still holding out despite being suppressed by the Radiant Emperor. The latter had to pay attention to the laws here since it was his first time fighting in this environment. As such, he wasnt able to defeat the opponent immediately. The two parties thus fell into a deadlock. It wasnt uncommon for a fight between heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs to last several days. After the battle reached a stable point, both sides became fairly patient. The Evernight faction still had several great dark monarchs in reserve, while the human side had yet to show their Prince Greensun. Even though the Evernight faction held the advantage in high-ranking fighting power, a successful ambush from Zhang Boqian would badly injure or even kill any one of them. No one wanted to take this chance. The Empire had quietly sent two heavenly monarchs into this battle, and there was at least one more waiting for an opportunity. Even the Emperor himself had joined the fight. This was a rather generous lineup, to say the least. In this short span of time, the stormy winds and raging flames plunged the entire Blacksun Valley into an infernal state. Breaks and cuts appeared everywhere in the extremely hard soil of the region. The fight was truly terrifying. Just as the fight was at its peak, the Radiant Emperor suddenly retracted his blade and pulled back. At the same time, several floating mirrors appeared in the air and engulfed the Lightless Monarch. Chapter 1426: Enemy of my Enemy The Red Spider Lily! This kind of visual phenomenon belonged to the Red Spider Lilys ultimate skill, the River of Forgetfulness. Medanzo was shocked. He remembered that the Red Spider Lilys owner for this generation was a little girl with no origin power. How could she be in the new world? The environment in the Blacksun Valley happened to be her greatest enemy, so she wouldnt be able to last beyond a few minutes here. Moreover, the Red Spider Lilys power was rather limited in her hands. There should be no problem injuring a duke, but she would be hard-pressed to injure a great dark monarch. That was precisely why Medanzo was furious and humiliated. A little girl with no origin power had caught him off-guard This was a massive humiliation for someone who wanted face more than anything else. A black moon appeared above Medanzos head, with only a red edge forming its outline. The moon then erupted in the air, dying everything in the mirror pitch black. This black hue was actually a darkness so thick that not a shred of light could pass through. All tangible and intangible objects would crumble under its corrosive properties. This was the Lightless Monarchs most powerful stance, a move he didnt use even when he was at a disadvantage against the Radiant Emperor. Medanzo might not think too much of Zhao Ruoxi, but he was cautious enough to know that being locked onto by a Grand Magnum was no small matter. This was especially true for the Red Spider Lily and its strange appearance on the battlefield. The vampire had relied on caution to remain standing after a thousand years and had no intention of taking risks. So, he unleashed his strongest power to break free from the binding immediately. However, the mirrors were merely cracked but not shattered when the darkness receded. Medanzo looked utterly surprised because his all-out attack had actually failed to shatter the Red Spider Lilys lock on him. Surprise soon turned to shock as he recalled something. At this moment, an origin bullet flew in from the distance. The lofty aura surrounding the projectile could only belong to a heavenly monarch. It struck the cracked mirrors and shattered them completely. Medanzo appeared in the air, faltering momentarily before finding his footing. He glanced around with a cold expression. Who is it?! His gaze landed in a certain direction from which Qianye was slowly walking over. Medanzo, youre a traitor to the vampire race. This is just a small advance payment, Qianye said. Medanzo wanted to say something, but his face went pale all of a sudden. The dark moon appeared briefly, but it dimmed down again as the great dark monarch failed to hold on. He grunted deeply as two streams of purple blood flowed down from his nostrils. Medanzo looked panicked at this point. He glanced left and right but did not find the expected reinforcements. Damned arachne! he roared as his figure faded away from the spot. With a cold expression, Qianye immediately fired a black feather, but the projectile merely shot through Medanzos afterimage. It circled around the area a couple of times, searching for a target before finally dispersing. The Radiant Emperor, who had just escaped the River of Forgetfulness range, stood quietly to the side. He didnt take part in the fight at all. Great dark monarchs have all sorts of escape methods. Their understanding of space is also on a different level compared to divine champions. It will be rather difficult to keep them locked down unless you have the speed and destructive powers of Greensun. The true showdown is inside, no need to waste your energy. Qianye had never seen the Radiant Emperor before. He merely glanced at the person speaking to him and nodded in response. Qianye had no intention of avoiding the Imperial expert when he used the Red Spider Lilys ultimate power to lock Medanzo down. The other partys reaction did impress him, though. Not only did the man move one step ahead of Medanzo, but he also refrained from trying to take advantage of the situation. In a fight of this level, keeping a safe distance was the best way to make sure there were no misunderstandings. The Radiant Emperor said, Theres actually one more person in the world who can wield the Red Spider Lily. Qianye was suddenly overcome by a strange sensation. The other party was saying the Red Spider Lilys name, but he didnt even glance at the gun once. He had kept his attention entirely on Qianye. You are Qianye? It is I. Qianye didnt ask who the other person was. Who else in the Empire had reached this level and who else possessed such a demeanor? The answer did not make sense from a military strategy point-of-view, but it was rather obvious. There were things he wanted to call the Emperor to account about, but at the same time, he didnt have much to say to him. His mind was surprisingly calm at this point. The Radiant Emperor seemed a bit dazed, as though his gaze was fixed upon a point in the void. For some reason, Qianye felt a bit uncomfortable when he saw the mans expression. Yes. The Emperor tossed an object toward Qianye. The slender bronze item hovering in the air looked rather familiar; it was a standard command token used for equipment distribution. The origin array on it would decide its level and authority. The Radiant Emperor said, No matter where you are in the future, you can use this to withdraw divine-champion-level resources at Imperial stations. Qianye put away the token after some thought. Why? The Radiant Emperor said, An enemy of an enemy will make for a good ally. Qianye gazed at the Radiant Emperor. That question from just now meant many different things, and the Emperors reply touched on most of them. Qianye chuckled. I know a saying, not sure which faction its from, though: theres no eternal enemy in this world, nor are there any unchanging allies. A bit of warmth appeared in the Emperors eyes. The source isnt reliable, but Marshal Lin once explained this to me. Qianye was a bit surprised. Did he agree with it? Qianye nodded contemplatively. The Radiant Emperor said with a sigh, You must be careful when you meet the Lightless Monarch in the future. You managed to injure him only because he was caught off-guard and failed to destroy the Red Spider Lilys binding in one go. Hes a crafty fellow, with many tricks and schemes up his sleeve. Hes also ranked toward the top in life-saving powers. He wont slip up like this next time, so Id be more cautious if I were you. Thank you for the pointers. Qianye replied politely, I have something else to ask, can Evernight and Daybreak not coexist? Good question. The Radiant Emperor said after some thought, This is just like how tigers and lions will always fight when they meet. The only reason for this is territory and food. Even wild horses and cows will fight for pasture and water. The two factions might be able to coexist, but the world is only so big, so there will come a time when we can no longer fit. There will also never be fairness in how resources are distributed. That and the thousand years of enmity, along with too many things outside of ones allegiance love, for instance, is not something one can just escape from. The Radiant Emperor laughed. I heard your territory on the Fort Continent welcomes a mix of all races and is a land of harmony. Thats truly a rare feat. As for me he paused for a moment before continuing, wait until our general is dead and gone, the next generation can decide for themselves. Qianye was moved after hearing this, yet he also felt a bit of pain in his heart. This sent him into a contemplative silence. This conversation had surpassed his expectations, largely because the frank Radiant Emperor wasnt how he had imagined the man to be. His undisguised sharpness in his speech was probably the actual, una.d.u.l.terated truth. On the other battlefield, the Eternal Flame gradually reigned in his attacks. The Pointer Monarch was at a slight disadvantage, but that was also because he hadnt gone all out the entire time. The Tempest wasnt a great match for him, either, so he also stopped attacking after noticing the situation. The Eternal Flame shot Qianye a glance. Just a slight oversight and weve let you m.a.t.u.r.e to this point. But you must know that what His Majesty wants, he will always get. Even the Red Spider Lily cant save you. The Eternal Flame was still thousands of meters away, but his voice rang true in Qianyes ears. The latters brows didnt even move as he replied, Well talk when the Demon King is standing before me. The massive sinkhole was the size of a city, so surrounding it completely would take a hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. Even Evernight would have trouble getting so many troops into the new world on such short notice. The allied Evernight forces had suffered massive casualties by this point, with tens of thousands of them losing their lives to the effects of the monarchs battle. The Empire had also lost thousands of men. Qianye paid no attention to what plans the experts of the two factions might have as he was simply acting to accomplish his own objectives. Seeing that neither side was moving, he said his farewells to the Radiant Emperor and jumped into the bottom of the sinkhole. The closer he was to the bottom, the more restless the Book of Darkness became. It was almost urging him to enter the inner world. None of the experts seemed to have any intention of stopping him. After Qianye had disappeared, the Eternal Flame said, Ill be entering now if you two have no more plans to fight. The Radiant Emperor raised his hand. Go ahead. After the Eternal Flames departure, the Evernight army regrouped and fell into formation. Then, a large batch of experts moved into the sinkhole. The Radiant Emperor and the Pointer Monarch simply stood in the air, watching the near-bottomless pit. Everyone will be scattered after entering, so theres no need to worry about an ambush. What I worry about is the so-called will of the new world. What exactly is it? the Pointer Monarch said. Perhaps its a void colossus like Sky Demon, just a bit stronger, the Radiant Emperor said. The Pointer Monarch frowned. Whose judgment is that? The Empress. The Radiant Emperor sighed. His expression dimmed down, but he said nothing. The Pointer Monarch gazed at the sinkhole. Profundity and I will go in. You and Greensun are still young, you have to watch the younger generations grow up. Chapter 1427: Living Origin Power Charging into the new world was a careful decision on Qianyes part. A while ago, he had gone to Serafis Continent and killed Duke Meistan, the clan lord. Although he didnt actually wipe out the clan entirely, the situation was pretty close. The clan hadnt produced a single worthwhile genius in the past century, so no one among them was even qualified as a breeding partner. Under such circ.u.mstances, it was probably Duke Meistan himself who was doing the cross-breeding. He had also unintentionally touched upon a secret of certain significance. In truth, Qianye didnt really feel that there was anything so outstanding about Duke Meistans origin defenses. Not to mention the current Qianye, even his past self was on a completely different level in terms of defensebe it the offensive defense of his Venus Dawn on the daybreak side or his perfect constitution on the vampire side. If even Meistan could be called the Aegis Wellspring, couldnt Qianye call himself the warship armor or something? A double armor at that. Then again, the demonkin had always been frail, only a bit stronger than humans. Their defenses werent anything to write home about, either. Their physical bodies might not be powerful, but the demonkin had many other ways to make up for it. For instance, they held a unique advantage in the crafting of top-grade equipment. Even the vampires were a bit inferior in that regard. That said, Qianyes killing of Meistan was no different from a fierce blow to the demonkins greatest weakness. This couldnt be described as a simple enmity. The demonkin might not find this serious at the moment, but since Anwen could see through it, there was no guarantee that the other demonkin wouldnt. Besides, Qianye trusted Anwens judgmentthe Demon King wasnt one to be easily tricked. Habsburg might not be able to stop him once he was furious. No one knew what the inner world was like. Most importantly, the will of the new world prevented the supremes from using their full power or descending with a projection. Divination and prophetic powers were useless even in the outer new world, let alone the inner. Entering the inner world meant that even the Demon King wouldnt be able to chase him down easily. They would need to increase their manpower and intercept him as a group. From a different perspective, Qianye knew that the Book of Darkness was something the Demon King wanted at all costs. The darkness origins in the inner world was also something the council had been targeting since ancient times. With these two factors combined, the entire councils focus should be tied up in the inner world, and Nighteye would be safe outside. The demonkin would not target her even if she was now a crown prince. Behind the black fire appeared a world of light and shadow, somewhat similar to the Great Maelstrom passage. It was just that this one was fairly short; he had already exited through the other end before he could figure out the surroundings. Qianye found himself falling from dozens of meters in the air. Landing firmly on the ground with a flip, Qianye glanced at his surroundings. His current location was a valley. The ground was made of black rock, covered in all kinds of strange plants. There were also human-sized plants that resembled spikey meatballs. There were also giant trees, with leaves that were dozens of meters in size growing around a spherical body. Additionally, there were grasses with jagged edges and a metallic l.u.s.ter. Qianye bent down to touch the grass and flicked it with his finger, eliciting a pop as he bent it. He was a bit surprisedthe vegetation of the new world was definitely sturdy. That flick of his was enough to break metal, yet he could only bend this blade of grass. This grass alone could be made into weapons of good quality if he could export them. Qianye picked up a rock and tried crushing it with his fingers. The rock crumbled into powder, revealing specks of metallic particles within. This rock was an ore of the highest quality, with preformed metallic particles within. Qianye didnt know what kind of metal it contained, but the ore formed in the environment of the new world would surely have special properties. Qianyes eyes turned blue as he switched to origin power vision. There were wisps of strange origin power floating around in the air, almost visible to the n.a.k.e.d eye. The outer part of the new world contained abnormal amounts of daybreak origin power, while the inner world was the exact opposite. And this was Venus Dawn; any other human would find the situation even more uncomfortable. It would seem that the human experts werent going to have a great time. Qianye was alarmed as he carefully sensed the flowing darkness origin power. He could actually sense a familiar scent in the air. That was a type of vitality? Origin power was the foundation of every world, almost like elements in the physical world. How could it be alive? Yet with Qianyes Eye of Control, which was much greater than the Eye of Destruction when it came to perception, he could clearly sense the life energy in the darkness origin power, almost like early life-forms that had just come into this world. No, the streams of darkness origin power couldnt be considered life since they were somewhere between inanimate and animate. They might turn into living creatures the next moment, or they might stay in this state for eternity. Or perhaps they were already a special type of life form, just different from the biological system of the Evernight World. Such strange energy forms would be an important target in studying the laws of this world. Qianye felt a bit regretful about Anwen not being here. The enthusiastic researcher would be ecstatic and even stay here for prolonged periods to study the environment. With enough time, he might even be able to produce some shocking results. He sighed secretly at the thought. From a certain perspective, he was gradually coming to recognize the demonkin. Perhaps the two factions should be working together to explore the world outside instead of fighting one another. This was their true path out of the Evernight World. Otherwise, there would be no point even if the killing one day ended up with one faction ruling the entire world. They would still be trapped. When the expanding population had saturated the available land and resources, would they have to start internal wars to drive down the population? Qianye snapped back to reality after a momentary daze. The reality was that the demonkin were stopping at nothing to hunt him down; all this talk about the world and whatnot would have to wait until he had cleared this hurdle. Qianye reached to grab at the air, using his dark golden blood energy as a primer to gather some of the darkness origin power into a ball. This mass of darkness origin power was wriggling, almost as though it were made of countless insects. Qianyes expression turned rather odd. How was he to use this darkness origin power? This kind of living darkness origin power was indeed rare, but just like the corrosive origin power of the upper continents, it was not within the normal energy spectrum. After absorbing this darkness origin power, he would need to spend a considerable amount of time digesting it. The efficiency would be much lower than ordinary darkness origin power. Speed wasnt that big of a problem, but the most critical issue was that the origin powerwhile usablewasnt entirely obedient and would stir up a bit of trouble now and then. Victory and defeat were only separated by a thin line in a battle between experts. How could there be any room for mistakes? How was one to fight if their arts wouldnt activate? Hence, the darkness origin power here wasnt beneficial to the dark races, either. It would be an awkward and difficult process be it in cultivation or fighting. Comparatively, the humans were only suppressed in the might of their secret arts and could gradually fight their way to a steady victory. The dark race experts might find it lethal as their secret arts would fail to activate two times out of ten. Both the inner and outer parts of the new world were full of odd things, almost as though it was suppressing the Evernight sideintentionally or otherwise. The darkness origin power struggled in an attempt to escape the sphere, but the chaos origin power formed a solid framework to stabilize the structure. Qianye only needed to hurl this ball out to deliver an attack comparable to a shot from a grade-eight gun. He decided to try out several secret arts in passing. The living darkness origin power was unable to cause trouble in the presence of the chaos origin power, so every ability was a success. Qianyes combat strength would not be affected much now that he could utilize the energy in the environment. Feeling more confident, he jumped out of the valley and arrived at a high ground to observe the surroundings. This was an infernal world of lava, but the light and darkness here were a bit abnormal. The sunlight landing on the body felt exceedingly fierce. Alarmed, Qianye looked up at the sky and was promptly startled. Hanging on the dome of the world was a black sun, outlined by a flaming halo. Chapter 1428: Danger Everywhere Gazing up at the sky, Qianye found the black sun to be somewhat surreal. It was clearly there, yet it didnt feel like it. It was a phenomenon he couldnt explain at all. Qianye narrowed his eyes, his pupils changing color as he scanned different parts of the light spectrum. Yet, whatever vision he used, all he could see was the same unchanging black sun. This meant that the black sun was probably something imprinted in Qianyes consciousness, unaffected by any traditional isolation methods. If that were the case, did this black sun truly exist? Qianye began to contemplate. He retracted his gaze from the black sun and flickered hundreds of meters in the air. There were rolling hills in every direction, with only one side showing any signs of a downward slope. Qianye gazed in that direction, but he could see nothing even at the extremes of his long-range vision. After some thought, Qianye decided to observe his surroundings before further exploration. The inner world wasnt desolate at all; one could almost say it was full of life. Many of the hills were carpeted with strange giant trees, and the ground was covered in thick shrubbery. If it wasnt for the fact that the local fauna was entirely different from that of known continents, a newcomer might just mistake the place for a hospitable world. This world was not safe. There was no telling what kind of creatures this origin power environment had produced, not to mention the Evernight experts who had arrived earlier on. Qianye was puzzled about something. Ordinary experts would never be able to survive such an environment. His initial analysis of the attributes here told him that those below the champion rank would only last a couple of minutes before being invaded by the darkness origin power, a taint that could not be removed. Why then had the dark races sent a hundred thousand soldiers to Backsun Valley? Ordinary warriors simply couldnt enter the new world, only those at and above the marquis rank would be suitable. Counts might be able to enter, but they would run into all kinds of limitations, from defense to cultivation. Within a certain forest, a werewolf expert fell from the sky and crashed to the ground. He immediately shot back to his feet and shook his head, glancing at the surroundings in puzzlement. All of a sudden, his expression became pained as he clutched his throat and gasped for air. He could only exhale and not inhale. The werewolf count fell to his knees, his face red as darkness origin power surged throughout his body. He looked like he was about to explode any moment. A large hand grabbed the werewolfs face just as he was on the verge of death. All of a sudden, he could breathe again. The count took a deep breath and looked up at the person who had just helped him. A demonkin expert stood before him, emitting traces of marquis-level demonic energy. Count Zack Aiden, a somewhat famed legend among the werewolves. Who wouldve thought youd be in such a miserable state? the demonkin marquis said. Zack struggled up. I was merely careless, but you have my thanks all the same. The demonkin marquis said, My brother was defeated in your hands back in the year, but that was a fair fight. Theres nothing to complain about. Even I sense danger everywhere in this place, so what say you to working together? Count Zacks expression behind his mask was a bit hesitant. You saved my life, so Im willing to let go of my pride and work with you. The demonkin passed over a set of armor to the werewolf. Zack put it on without any hesitation and found that the armor isolated him from the origin power outside. His expression improved slightly. This goddamn place. The marquis nodded. The darkness origin power here is almost poisonous, I still have no idea how we will last in the long run. Is there any way to go back? No. Zacks expression became even more unsightly. Even people from famed clans like you? I was referring to myself when I said no. Well there is a way, but we have to wait for the powerhouses to enter the new world. Theyll have to work together to build a passage back. Only then will we be able to return. Zack laughed wryly. Had I known, I wouldnt have suppressed my level in pursuit of a purer bloodline. Its too late for that now, but your fighting power will be helpful here. The marquis said, I dont know, either. Lets try contacting the others. He fished out a flare and hurled it high into the sky, where it exploded. In addition to a bright flash, the flare unleashed a unique origin power fluctuation that spread far and wide. However, the signal was like a stone tossed into the ocean. It received no response whatsoever. It looks like were quite lucky to have landed near one another. Lets discuss further when we find other people. Zack nodded and was just about to follow when he saw a black shadow flicker in his vision. A small creature shot out from a nearby bush and brushed past, vanishing into the distant woods. So quick! The marquis was surprised. Zack was as calm as before. We can deal with it. He was prepared when the next black shadow shot out from the shrubbery. Reaching out at lightning speed, he managed to catch the creature through the air. The cute animal was the size of a small dog, with four eyes and long ears. The marquis approached with a frown. This should be a herbivore, how can it be so fast? Even ordinary counts wont reach this speed. Neither demonkin nor werewolves at this level feared toxins all that much, so they didnt really consider if the meat was edible. The little creature seemed to have understood Zack. It was rather quiet at first, but it began to struggle fiercely. The werewolf chuckled. This little fellow is rather smart, dont tell me it knows were about to eat it. Its quite strong wait! Im losing grip. Its small frame exploded with energy as it struggled free from Zacks grasp. The werewolf count reacted rapidly by strengthening his grip, hoping to squeeze this dangerous little thing to death. However, the critters fur was oddly strong, almost as strong as some of the top wild beasts. It felt as though the animal were wearing leather armor. It ended up escaping since Zack failed to claw through its hide. The little critter stomped on Zacks hand with shocking force as it jumped away, leaving several bloody gashes on his hand. The impact even forced him to take a step back as the animal sped past the demonkin and toward the forest. The marquis was astonished. He was just about to say something when Zack roared in alarm, Careful! The demonkin turned around to find the little animal unfurling its ears like a pair of wings. It made a sharp turn in the air and flew back at him. The critter kept on charging after Zack called out, and bit down on the marquis shoulder! With a loud crack, the animal bit through the marquis shoulder armor and tore it off along with a chunk of flesh. It chewed loudly on both armor and flesh before swallowing everything. Zack counterattacked with all his might. This time, the critter couldnt escape anymore as the werewolf crushed all of its bones. The little animals eyes suddenly turned white. It emitted a penetrating scream that was soon echoed by numerous others from various directions. Countless shadows leaped through the trees and had soon surrounded the two Evernight experts. So many?! The marquis took a deep breath. He was just a moment late in his reaction and ended up getting bitten. He didnt even have time to clean that wound before he was forced to draw his weapon. These little animals all possessed the strength of a viscount, and judging from the squeaking in the forest, it would seem that hundreds of them were surrounding the place. Not to mention the marquis was injured, he would never be able to stand against hundreds of viscounts even at his peak. Even the bloodthirsty werewolf was pale. The beast horde didnt attack immediately after arriving. Instead, they waited until the victims were completely surrounded before pouncing. The marquis and Zack erupted with whatever power they had left. The mixture of demonic energy and scorching darkness origin power converged to form a terrifying storm, but the two experts lasted but a few moments against the endless onslaught of beasts. Miserable screams ensued. Qianye had just stepped into that forest at this moment. Only up close did he gain an objective understanding of those trees. The forest was dark, gloomy, and filled with a gentle breeze. From time to time, one could hear unknown sounds that resembled the cry of birds and beasts. Qianye didnt get very far before a black shadow flitted past from the shrubbery, planning to dive into the depths of the woods. Eh? Qianye reached out and plucked the critter out of the air. Qianye simply couldnt figure out why this animal was so fast. After repeated examination, his eyes landed on its two long ears which, at a glance, seemed like they could be used as wings. But even birds couldnt fly at the speed it was flying at just nownot the birds in the Evernight world, or the flying creatures in the outer new world. Unless it was using origin power! Chapter 1429: Heart of the Undercurrents This harmless-looking creature could use origin power? Qianye would have never discovered this if he hadnt observed closely. The creature remained quiet in Qianyes hands, almost as though it was too startled to do anything. However, that adorable state only lasted a single second before it exploded with great strength and twisted itself out of Qianyes grasp. Surprised, Qianye reached out at twice the previous speed and caught the creature again. The little fellow was no longer pretending this time as it tried to struggle free with all its might. Yet, no matter how hard it tried, Qianyes grasp was as tight and immovable as a mountain. Unable to struggle free, the little critter suddenly twisted its body around and chomped down on Qianyes hand. This bite ended up breaking all four of its incisors. Qianye raised his brows, surprised at its biting power. The little animals bite was enough to tear through steel and was comparable to larger wild beasts. It should feel proud to be able to leave some red marks on Qianyes skin. Having suffered enough pain, the animal let out a sharp squeal, a sound that wasnt so simple to Qianyes ears. The cry traveled far and wide, well beyond the range of normal hearing. All of a sudden, squealing sounds rang out in every direction as hundreds of small creatures appeared and surrounded Qianye. This time, there was no pretenseevery one of them glared at him with bloodthirsty expressions. Qianye glanced around without the slightest movement. Following another cry, all the animals pounced toward Qianye at the same time. A flash of red erupted in the air! Then, it was followed by a rain of animal carcasses. Life Plunder was a powerful weapon against groups, be they human or animals. After the beast horde was slaughtered, the environment fell into utter silence. A shade of red emerged on Qianyes face, receding only after a while. The amount of essence blood from these animals was shocking. With hundreds of them added together, it was a difficult load even for Qianye. He stood there until the Book of Darkness had absorbed all of the blood energy. After that, he checked the supplies and equipment in Andruils space before running toward the tallest mountain peak. The beasts just now had proven that this world was extremely dangerous. In his cautious observation, Qianye discovered another suspicious point. The sky here was extremely clean and devoid of all flying creatures. He didnt want to risk becoming the target of some unknown beast in the air, especially when his ground movement speed wasnt slow. After half a days time, Qianye finally reached the tallest mountain range. Before him was an expansive forest filled with strange trees. The round parts enveloped by giant leaves had already turned red, almost as though they were ripe. Be it the forests or the grasslands, Qianye could sense a bit of danger from them. And there werent a lot of places left these days that could threaten him. It was at this moment that a flash lit up the sky at the ends of his vision, followed by a faint oscillation. Qianye understood that this was an emergency signal used by the demonkin. The light produced was highly penetrative, traveling far and wide even in this world. These flares were expensive, so only important characters could afford to use them. Under normal circ.u.mstances, it would be a mighty marquis waiting at the source of that signal. A mighty marquis was a worthwhile target by any measure. Qianye couldnt help but smile coldly as he ran in that direction. He came to a screeching halt soon after setting out. His eyes changed color as he glanced in a different direction where a bit of light was flickering in the distant sky. The plume of pale fire grew clearer and larger in his vision. The Eternal Flame! Qianye had never imagined that the great dark monarch would enter the inner world so quickly. It would seem the heavenly monarchs werent able to restrain the Evernight powerhouses. After some thought, he decided to halt his advance. If Qianye could see the Eternal Flame, it meant the latter could see him as well. He did not think for once that the great dark monarch would have weaker eyesight than him. Attacking a demonkin within his range of vision would be an open invitation to get hunted down. After observing a while longer, Qianye circled around and sneaked past the Eternal Flame. No matter how strong the Eternal Flame was, he was but a single person. He couldnt keep tabs on all Evernight experts. Qianye had no idea what the future held beyond the opening of the inner world. Before he could set foot on the peak of this world, all ideals were simply ideals. What he could do now was kill as many demonkin experts as possible and weaken their power. A promise was too weak of a restraint on a character like the Demon King. Should the supreme go back on his words, Qianye would never be able to escape his clutchesunless he was willing to hide in the Empire. So what if he did keep his promise? Qianye wasnt going to forget that Lin Xitang had died in the Demon Kings domain. The living darkness origin power in this world would give the supremes quite a bit of trouble. The span of time it would take for them to make up their minds to enter was where Qianyes opportunity lay. Qianye glanced at the Eternal Flame once more as he left hastily. There were many factors in the new world that made him stronger, and only his chaos energy was unaffected by the living origin power here. Qianyes plan was to go on a killing spree before facing the Eternal Flame head-on. He would be a completely different person by the time he was standing before the great dark monarch again. There were more woods in the inner world than imagined, as well as a complicated network of tunnels and sinkholes in the ground. After roaming the jungle for an entire day, Qianye encountered at least hundreds of creatures that he had never seen before. He committed the information regarding these animals to his memory, but he neither studied them deeply nor slaughtered them. He didnt want to leave too many traces because some Evernight Experts were born trackers. After an entire day of exploration and traversing two mountain ranges, Qianye decided to rest and spend the night in one of the forests. He picked a large tree and set up some traps around it before hiding himself in its crown. He circulated his Bloodline Concealment and channeled the Mystery Chapter, slowly condensing the essence blood stored in the Book of Darkness. Even the vampires could only absorb a certain amount of essence blood, else they would be unable to digest it. The reckless drawing of blood would end up tainting their bloodline. This limitation didnt apply to Qianye since he possessed the Mystery Chapter. The only bottleneck he would face was the chapters conversion speed. Qianye didnt know whether there was any precedent to the changes he had undergone. He did feel a bit baffled at times, but the imminent pressure and surrounding dangers gave him no time to hesitate. Nights were fairly calm in the inner world, strangely so even. The black sun was still hanging in the sky; it was the light-emitting halo around it that had vanished. By the time the halo appeared again, it was dawn in the inner world. Qianye tried to comprehend this phenomenon with the knowledge he possessed but to no avail. At this point, he wondered whether the demonkin or vampires would have ancient books about this or whether the founding divination experts knew of any similar legends. A whole night of cultivation helped Qianye digest the essence blood and origin power. At this rate, he would be taking the next step rather soon. After all, there was never a place as good as this where even small beasts could provide ample power. Qianye stood up and sensed the blowing darkness origin power around him. He hadnt been going around randomly the past couple of days. Instead, he was following and doc.u.menting the flow of origin power at all times. Comparing the findings he had noted down, Qianye found that the darkness origin power here was flowing along a mysterious trajectory. The flow was always in a single direction and in the form of an arc. Extending this arc continuously would produce a giant circle that was hundreds of kilometers in diameter. The circle was so large that this vortex would be impossible to noticeunless one possessed senses as sharp as Qianye or used special recording equipment. Qianye shifted his direction toward the center of this circle. If there was any secret to this world, its chances of appearing would be greatest at the center. Considering Qianyes speed, he could traverse several hundred kilometers each day even while moving cautiously. He was at the center of the area before long. Three shadows were chasing one another. They clashed all the way from the ground into the air, then all the way from the air back to the ground. The strange trees below, as well as the giant rocks in the surroundings, collapsed from the shockwaves. Even the predatory animals of the inner world remained in hiding and did not dare appear. An arachne and a demonkin expert were attacking an Imperial divine champion. Even against two enemies, the divine champions defenses never faltered, and it seemed like he could keep on fighting for a long time. Qianye snuck close to the battlefield, fished out Dragonsgrave, and locked onto the demonkin vice duke. Perhaps because they were at an advantage, the vice duke was rather relaxed and his movement arts werent at their maximum. The mans movements were full of openings in Qianyes eyes. The vice duke was just about to evade backward when his body turned sluggish for a brief moment. An apparently knowledgeable person, he cried out, The Eye of Control! However, the discovery was too late. Despite his utmost efforts to evade, his knees burst into a bloody mist. The demonkins origin power defenses were like paper against Qianyes origin bullet. Seeing the vice duke gravely injured, the arachne expert turned and fled at the sight of Qianye. The latter frowned but didnt give chase. Little Zhuji was in the Spider Queens hands, so Qianye decided that it would be wise not to kill arachne experts unless necessary. Besides, the arachne was also a vice duke, and his speed was far beyond ordinary arachne. The demonkin expert had been heavily injured, but he hadnt completely lost his fighting power just yet. He was doing his utmost to maintain his demonic energy output and flee through the air. Having made the decision, Qianye charged straight over to the target and cut him down from the sky. During this process, he paid no attention to the Imperial divine champion and his reaction. Qianye landed beside the vice duke. Do you want to live or die? The vice duke glared stubbornly at Qianye. You wont live long after I die. His Majesty will not let you off. Thats in the future, but now, you will die before me. The vice duke sneered. I entertain no such hope after running into you. Its not like you have to die. If you happen to know something and I happen to be interested in it, I might leave you with your life. Youre no longer a threat, after all. The demonkins expression shifted quite a bit, apparently struggling inside. Chapter 1430: Unknown Equipment Actually, I dont know much, the vice duke finally spoke after a long moment of hesitation. Thats fine, just tell me what you know. Qianye knew this would be the case. The vice duke produced a palm-sized box from his armor. My primary mission is to bring this little thing into the inner world and hand it to the Eternal Flame. Qianye took the item and studied it for a bit. To his surprise, this item was a spatial gear. Qianye opened the box without a hitch and scanned the space inside, only to find that it was filled with all kinds of machinery parts. The item that attracted his attention the most was a transparent tube, inside of which Qianye could see a row of black crystals. What are these? The vice duke pointed at the tube, saying, I only know this one. This is a new energy source developed by the Evernight Council. The purified black crystals inside contain ten times more energy than ordinary ones. It must be quite expensive, Qianye said. He had set up an entire industrial system on the Fort Continent, so he had naturally developed an eye for quality. The price of a product that had been condensed ten times would rise by hundreds of times. These high-density power sources were luxury items through and through. Well people like us can never afford it, said the vice duke. These words contained some answers to the question. If even people like him couldnt afford it, the items had to be at the strategic resource grade. Then what are these parts for? Qianye went through the parts. He couldnt piece them together, but judging from their shape, they seemed to be parts of a bigger machine. Perhaps these parts didnt form a set. I have absolutely no idea what they are. Qianye frowned slightly but didnt pressure the man. How many sets of these parts are there? From what I know, everyone at or above the marquis rank is assigned a transport mission. The only difference is the quantity and value of the goods. The true core equipment is likely in His Majestys hands. Qianye nodded because that was likely the case. These parts seemed rather important; unfortunately, he could do nothing since the main machinery was in the Eternal Flames hands. At this point, he could only take the initiative to hunt down the Evernight Experts and get his hands on the parts. Qianye removed all of the vice dukes equipment and left him with only his u.n.d.e.r.g.a.r.m.e.n.ts. The vice-duke didnt try to bargain, either. He simply cut off some branches and fashioned them into a staff before leaving in a hurry. The inner world was full of danger; his chances of escaping in one piece were still unknown, but the demonkin was determined to struggle for it. Qianye only turned to the Imperial divine champion after he was done with everything. The scholarly middle-aged man had been standing silently all this time. In terms of demeanor, this person looked more like a noble than the Radiant Emperor himself. Unfamiliar divine champions who looked like this could be narrowed down to a small handful. Qianye turned away with a frown. The divine champion was caught off guard. Not hiding his embarrassment, the man quickly changed his address. Lord Qianye, your fame definitely precedes you. Today, I realized that your reputation is not excessive at all, understated even. Seeing that the other party was lowering himself so, Qianye paused his step. You need not be humble. You were able to fight two enemies on your own, and you couldve retreated with ease even if a victory wasnt possible. How should I address you? My name is Ji Sujin, a prince of the Empire and titled Xuanwei. It has been a long time since I left my territory, so you might not have heard of me. The Imperial Clan was massive, boasting princes of varying strengths and ranks. This title, however, was that of a border lord. It would seem the Empire had started dispatching its hidden aces. The Imperial Family has invested much in this campaign. Qianye wasnt trying to be polite. He had first run into the Radiant Emperor himself on the front lines, and now, there was this Prince Xuanwei. He might be prejudiced against the Empire, but that didnt stop him from praising the Ji clans might. Ji Sujin said, Sigh, I do regret not trying enough. Im not even one ten-thousandth as capable as my forebears. The two exchanged pleasantries before Ji Sujin tried probing Qianye. Sire, what are your plans from now on? Why dont we work together? Qianye replied with a question, What is the Empires objective here? Now those were honest words. Qianye nodded. Since thats the case, wed better act separately. The Evernight Council must have a major plan to have mobilized with such fanfare. Traveling with me might not be a good thing for you. Ji Sujin tried to persuade Qianye a couple more times but gave up after seeing that he wasnt willing. He passed Qianye a piece of signaling equipment, saying, The Ji clans communication signal will travel great distances under any circ.u.mstance. The origin power environment here is odd, but there shouldnt be a lot of interference. You can use it whenever you feel the need. Of course, I hope you can also help others using this signal if its convenient. Qianye was stunned. Just how many of the Ji clan were here? He put away the signal device, saying, Naturally. He then said farewell to Ji Sujin and vanished into the depths of the forest. After leaving Ji Sujins reach, Qianye went in the direction of the two Evernight experts. There had to be a reason why the arachne and demonkin vice dukes had chosen to take the same route in general. They had probably gotten some sort of information on where to assemble. Perhaps that was where the passage back into the outside world was situated. The sinkhole in Blacksun Valley was basically a one-way tunnel, so the people inside would need to find another way to go back. The Empire had no information regarding this, so even heavenly monarchs who entered had to be ready to die. There was also a bit of hope. The tunnel into the inner world was something the three supremes had opened together, so it was reasonable to think that the three supremes would be able to open another tunnel back out. Opening a second tunnel between the two worlds would be much easier than the first. Qianye wanted to see what the dark races were up to since they couldnt be aiming for a one-way leisure trip. After reaching the deep parts of the forest, the demonkin vice duke left a clear marking on one of the giant trees before heading into the distance. He also left some of his aura on it. At this point, Qianye decided to follow the arachne. Having lost the important cargo and his legs, the demonkin was now half a useless cripple. His fate would not be pretty if he were to return just like that. The best way was for him to find a place to hide and recuperate. He would reappear when the situation was stable or the demonkin had found a way back. Qianye didnt understand the meaning of this vice dukes marking, but he knew that there was no point in following him. Following the arachne might lead to new discoveries. More importantly, he should also have a set of components on him. This meant that Qianye could rob the arachne of parts and supplies even if he couldnt find the councils mysterious base. Qianye traversed the woods like a crouched panther. In his vision, a wisp of dark green origin power would appear from time to timethose were traces of the arachne vice dukes origin power. After a while, he came to a sudden stop and glanced up. There, he saw a small segment of spiderweb stuck to one of the giant leaves. The spiderweb was only the size of a finger, something most people would just overlook. Qianye flew up to observe the web and noted how the leaf was tugged. He glanced in the direction he had formulated from these findings and saw more traces a couple dozen meters away. Standing under the fourth spiderweb trace, Qianye revealed a cold smile. The arachne vice dukes traces seemed faint, but they were highly noticeable to the trained eye. It looked like the spider was making sure even an unskilled hunter could follow him. This could be explained by the fact that arachne do not specialize in concealment, but cutting off spider webs intentionally was a bit too excessive. Also, Qianye knew that there were no spiders here in the inner world. Other experts might keep chasing after the arachne even if they discovered something wasnt quite right. After all, this was the only lead. Even if the arachne wanted to mislead them, he would have to set things up manually. They would still be running along the same route, the only difference being who was faster. Qianye, however, possessed the Eye of Control and origin power vision. He wasnt relying solely on physical traces to follow the arachne; all he needed was the lingering aura. The stronger an expert was, the more difficult it was for his lingering aura to be assimilated by the environment. The arachne vice duke had fled just a while ago, so the aura was fairly noticeable to Qianye. With his Eye of Control, Qianye simply didnt need those intentional traces. He could just follow the origin power aura. The arachne vice duke made several turns and circled around twice before finally heading in a different direction. Qianye was in no rushhe simply followed the target from a consistent ten-minute distance along the way. The arachne vice duke started changing his route after he was confident that he had thrown his pursuer off. There was now a clear direction to where he was heading. Qianye, who had been following the targets origin power aura along the way, suddenly looked up into the air. There, he saw a mass of dark origin power that had more or less faded away. This was what remained of the Evernight Councils signal flare, something that had been fired half a day before. The arachne vice duke mustve had a secret art that could follow the direction of this signal. Since he had found the arachne vice duke, Qianye didnt really care about small matters like that. He retracted his aura and began making his way toward the dark race rendezvous point. Hours later, Qianye saw a tall tower on a distant hill. Only the top parts of it remained incomplete. Several dark race experts were delivering a batch of components to the top of the tower, where a group of technicians was waiting to install them. These technicians were all at the marquis rank. Chapter 1431: Sacred Star The tower was already over a hundred meters in height, and there were over a dozen Evernight experts gathered around it. Among them, there was a count clad in a full set of armor and an enclosed helmet; the rest were all marquis-level experts. These experts didnt make for a huge group, but their movements were shockingly fast. For instance, a pot-shaped component that was over ten meters in diameter was moved up to the top of the tower and assembled in one go. There were also others working to fortify the foundations with square rock columns that were several dozen tons in weight. The person in charge of the scene wasnt the Eternal Flame but Qianyes old acquaintance the Masefield Clan Lord. Qianye didnt act recklessly. He retreated into the forest and set up an observation post on a tall tree where he could study the dark races activity. There had to be some experts operating on their own. The giant tower was more or less complete by the second day, with all kinds of equipment installed on the structure. A group of experts was carrying exploration instruments on their backs, seemingly about to survey the surrounding area for ores and natural resources. This group was made up of two arachne and two werewolf experts, led by a single demonkin vice duke. Qianye calculated the power differencehe felt that his chances of taking down this group were good, albeit a bit strenuous. There was a chance that the Masefield clan lord might be alerted, so he would have to end the battle rapidly and quietly. Now that was a difficult task. However, Qianye didnt really intend to round up everyone in one go. As long as he could wipe out a couple of them, it was fine even if half of them managed to escape. He wouldve accomplished his aim of bleeding the Evernight Faction. Having confirmed his plan of action, Qianye jumped down from the tree and followed the groups route in secret. All of a sudden, he sensed a gaze sweep over him. Qianye immediately became still. He had been channeling his Bloodline Concealment all this time, so his presence was no different from a rock to other experts. That didnt explain why this rock was moving at lightning speed, however. Having reached first-rate standards in perception, Qianye had rarely ever missed any experts approaching him. This gaze had appeared without warning and was completely undetected by Qianye, something that rarely ever happened. Qianye slowly turned around with a penetrating gaze. He had already retracted all forms of active perception and was now relying solely on passive senses. Erupting with volcanic strength, he shot out from his hiding place and barreled toward the shadow. He traversed a thousand meters at maximum speed until a faint silhouette appeared in his vision. Startled, the creature bounced up from the tree and moved between the giant trees with great abilityjust like a ricocheting rubber ball. Qianyes figure flickered as he channeled Spatial Flash with chaos origin power. That was the only way he could keep up with this shadow. He had already seen clearly that this was a humanoid creature with exceptionally long arms and legs that could bend in two directions. This person also possessed a pair of short wings on its back, allowing him to make sharp turns through the air. He was so fast that even among the dukes of Evernight, he would stand above average, making it quite a bit strenuous for Qianye to give chase. Additionally, his aura was rather strangeit was almost one with the woods, similar to how Qianyes Bloodline Concealment worked. Once the target was out of sight, he could no longer be tracked with perception. Hence, Qianye gave chase relentlessly and refused to let it vanish from his sight. The two parties drew closer and closer until, eventually, they were only a couple hundred meters away. Qianye would arrive at his back with a single sprint. It was at this moment that Qianye felt a strong sense of danger wash over him. He tilted his body to the side in response and drifted upward in a strange trajectory. A black shadow flew over silently at this point and darted past Qianyes previous position, shooting through dozens of ancient trees before disappearing. The trees remained quiet for a brief moment before bursting out in massive explosions, clearing up a long corridor several hundred meters in length. Qianye saw that this black shadow was a primitive spear. It was more a piece of sharp rock tied to a wooden staff. It was this kind of spear that had arrived with enough force to injure a marquis. Even Qianye wasnt willing to take on such a blow. A tall figure slowly walked out from the forest, quite similar to the humanoid creature Qianye had been chasing. It was just that this person was much taller at about five meters and surrounded in a faint black mist. Qianyes pupils narrowed upon seeing this man. The black mist around him wasnt natural, but rather darkness origin power that had been concentrated to an extreme. The darkness origin power in this world possessed a bit of life and was extremely difficult to control. Yet, Qianye could see that the origin power around this humanoid creature was delighted and subservient. Being able to elicit a life-like response from origin power was the sign of a great dark monarch or heavenly monarch. Their control over origin power had reached a state where everything bent to their will, producing all kinds of strange phenomena. In the eyes of the bystanders, the origin power almost seemed alive. The giant before Qianye was different. The origin power around him possessed their own life, and they were listening to the mans every command. This granted the giant tremendous strength with every move. Even a single spear possessed such astonishing power. Qianye could still sense peril even when facing this giant in the open. His fighting spirit surged as he scanned the giant from head to toe. The creature was massive in size and possessed great strength. The Eye of Control probably couldnt freeze him, but it did allow Qianye to see the targets flow of origin power. The only issue was that the origin power vision was rather limited when the environment was so active in energy. Living origin power could react on its own, and these reactions were difficult to gauge. That was why attacks from heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs were difficult to fathom. As for the three supremes, it was said that their origin power was close to being truly alive. Hence, their attacks could be as earth-shattering and destructive or as gentle as a willow in the spring breeze. In this regard, this giant before him was already starting to show faint hints of the supreme realm. Although this state was largely due to the special origin power of this world, it wouldnt be wrong to consider him the equivalent of a powerful grand duke or a much water-downed supreme. It wasnt as though great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs no longer needed equipment. Even for the supremes of the holy mountain, or the Martial Ancestor of the human race, equipment was still equally important. The only problem lay in finding weapons and armor that would be a fit for them. The giants equipment was so crude that it was almost negligible, and its combat strength was also greatly discounted because of that. A conservative estimate would put the giant thirty to forty percent stronger if he were equipped with top-grade gear. This giant was currently the best training target for Qianye to get used to facing supremes. Additionally, Qianye was also interested in the living origin power of this world. Hence, this opponent was a great starting point. The giant was furious upon seeing Qianye advance instead of retreating. He looked down at Qianye like he would a little cat and roared in an unknown language. Qianye drew his azure sword in response. The two parties might not be able to communicate, but there was no need for words to understand Qianyes intention. Bellowing in extreme anger, the giant reached for his two spears and adopted a combat position. Qianye stood there with his sword pointed toward the ground, silent and unmoving. Enemies familiar with Qianye understood that he was the most dangerous when standing still since there was no telling when he would activate Spatial Flash. Usually, he would use Spatial Flash to evade the enemy attack and strike the enemys weak point. The giant clearly had no idea as he gathered up energy for an attack. The surrounding origin power stirred up into a tempest. All of a sudden, a pair of black wings emerged on his back! The enemy was so fast that he had practically teleported. Qianye didnt even have the time to activate Spatial Flash before the two spears were at his waist. Caught off-guard, Qianye raised his azure blade to block the attacking weapons. As the spears and blade crossed blows, an inexplicable force flowed onto him like a falling mountain. The azure blade began to bend under its weight, and Qianyes hands also trembled. The giant possessed unimaginable strength, one that had far surpassed its physical frame and stood on par with some colossal creatures. Qianye had only experienced this level of power with Great Dark Monarch Sousa. The enemy was stronger than he had expected, but Qianye wasnt the same person as before. Fighting spirit welled up in his heart as he stomped down on the ground, covering a hundred-meter radius with gray origin power. This area became his home ground. With a low growl, his modified body erupted with great strength to block the giants attack. He then launched a daring counterattack with equal force. The giants spears bounced upward, bending the giants arms at an odd angle. Ordinary humans and dark races wouldve had their arms broken at such a posture. But the humanoid creatures of this world, including the giant, seemed to have a greater degree of joint flexibility. Unable to withstand the massive strain of this clash, the spears burst apart from the middle. The giants body flew backward and slid over a hundred meters on the ground. Qianye was inexplicably satisfied after toppling the giant head-on, and the frustration he had pent up over the days was cleared away. He seemed rather thoughtful as he glanced at the azure sword in his hand. This blade was the Dark Gospel Howards sword and naturally a weapon of great quality. It was even stronger than East Peak after incorporating the giant rhinoceros horn and currently the only weapon that could withstand Qianyes chaos origin power. Its only defect was that it was too light for Qianyes style. Chapter 1432: Sacred Star (Part 2) The giant glanced at Qianye, then back at the spears, his eyes full of disbelief. He had never imagined that this scrawny little fellowwho wasnt even as big as his t.h.i.g.hwould possess such strength. No matter how he looked, he felt that Qianye was as weak as an ant. It was a humiliation to have ones weapon broken by such a weak enemy. He raised his giant palm and slapped down with great force, only realizing his mistake halfway. It was too late by then. A bulge appeared on the back of the giants hand, almost as though he had slapped a nail. The skin there was stretched to its limits before bursting apart in a cloud of blood. Qianye rushed out from the opening, sword still raised upward. The azure blade was incomparably sharp, and its material was almost indestructible after many years of tampering at Howards side. The weapon was unharmed even after taking on the two spears the size of tree trunks. No matter how tough this giants palm was, it couldnt be tougher than the wood in the inner world. That was why swatting Qianye could only end one way. Qianye circled around in the air and slammed onto the enemys back like a bullet. The giant was sent flying, almost as though a void colossus had rammed into him. However, a pair of black wings unfurled as the giant came to a weird stop in the air. He then spun about and stomped Qianye away. This time, Qianye flew back hundreds of meters and crashed into several trees before coming to a stop. This exchange of blows seemed to have injured both parties quite a bit. The giants arrogance and contempt were nowhere to be found, replaced by shock and seriousness. Qianyes gaze landed on the enemys wings. Those black wings were rather short, but they seemed to be able to control space, allowing the giant to perform some unbelievable maneuvers. Qianye couldnt help but find these wings somewhat familiar. The giant checked his back repeatedly after landing. There was a hole there spurting a fountain of blood. A mere beast hide shirt wasnt capable of stopping the azure blade. Qianye clambered up from the ground and stretched his body. He then put away the azure blade and made a provocative gesture at the giant. This time, Qianye met the enemy with his fists. The two parties traded punch after punch, fighting until the world almost lost its light. After god knew how long, Qianye caught one of the giants legs. He spun the enemy about with a loud roar and slammed him ruthlessly into the ground like a hammer. A pit several dozen meters in diameter appeared amidst a cloud of dust. The excessive force caused Qianye to lose his grip on the giant, flinging the latter away after the impact. The giant rolled through the woods, destroying countless giant trees until he came to a stop several hundred meters away. He tried to stand up several times but ended up collapsing. Qianye looked rather pale as this battle had placed a great strain on him. However, his aura was already recovering rapidly as he walked over in large strides. Qianyes endurance in combat was now unparalleled following the remodeling with chaos origin power. Qianye still didnt draw his sword because he wanted to capture the giant alive. The other party was an intelligent creature, so there would surely be a way to communicate with him given enough time. Those who were strong enough could even communicate directly via consciousness. Capturing this giant would reveal a certain portion of the new worlds secrets. Just as the matter of this giant had just been settled, Qianye suddenly felt a sharp sense of threat. He halted his steps and glanced around. Rustling sounds echoed through the woods as countless figures slowly emerged. These creatures looked similar to the one Qianye had been chasing in the very beginningthey were smaller versions of the giant. This time, Qianye could clearly see their appearance. They were about two meters tall and looked rather comical with their long limbs. Most of them were clad in leather armor and holding spears or javelins. Their weapons and clothes were just as crude as the giants. Despite the crudeness of their equipment, they were extremely fast. This granted great power to their spear and javelin attacks, so much so that even Qianye couldnt ignore them. And now, there were hundreds of them. These people didnt attack immediately after appearing. Instead, they cried out loudly with hatred and fear in their eyes, waving their weapons at Qianye. It was only after more of their number arrived that they pressed forward. Some of the stronger ones scooped out some greyish white powder and put it on their faces. This powder emitted a pungent odor that Qianye could smell from some distance away. Apparently, they felt that Qianye would fear them more after applying the powder. Their speed of advance increased a bit. Qianye felt puzzled more than anything. He had no idea what these primitive warriors were trying to do. Were they trying to smoke him away with the odor? No matter how incapable Qianye was, he could still go on without breathing for half a day or even longer. All he needed to do was absorb origin power. Qianye might not understand their intentions, but the enemy numbers were simply too great. A glint appeared in Qianyes eyes as the other side arrived within a hundred meters. All of a sudden, he flashed into their midst, grabbed one of the warriors, and vanished over the horizon. The soldiers fell into chaos. They did their utmost to run after Qianye, so much so that they didnt even bother with the injured giant. However, Qianyes Spatial Flash was so fast that he was gone in the blink of an eye. Half a day later, Qianye appeared outside of a natural stone cave and tossed the warrior to the ground. The man lay limp with his eyes closed, not making the slightest movement. Enough, stop playing dead. I know youre conscious, Qianye said. He had used his consciousness to aid in transferring the message. An intelligent life form should be able to understand the gist. This was a method used by the Empire and Evernight to communicate with unknown intelligent creatures. The earliest form was developed for communicating with void colossi. The warrior actually understood Qianyes words. He jumped up from the floor in shock and latched onto the roof of the cave, all his limbs reversed. Qianye said impatiently, Come down. You cant escape from me even in the woods, let alone in this cave. The warriors tension and hostility slowly eased up. He landed from the roof but maintained a cautious, arched posture that would facilitate a potential escapealthough that would be a vain attempt. He stared at Qianye. What do you want? Qianye was surprised that the fellow could also use consciousness to communicate. He was speaking his own language, but the message was still expressed quite fluently. In terms of language, he wasnt below Qianye at all. Only a duke would be able to master such a secret art. The man before Qianye, however, was only about marquis rank in overall capability. This meant that his communication arts were superior to those in Evernight. Since they could communicate, that made things a lot easier. Qianye simply sat down in front of the person and said, I want to know about this place, where this is, who are you people, how you live, and why the sun is black. This place is this place He didnt know how to express it. Qianye understood after giving it some thought. To this native warrior, this was where he was born and where he lived; there was nothing special that he could tell Qianye. Let it be then, lets ignore that question for now. What people are you? People? Thats what we call ourselves. The man understood. We are the Attawa, which means children of light and darkness. There are thirteen tribes in total, representing the thirteen stars between Daybreak and Evernight. I am the son of the second tribes chieftain. Qianye walked out of the cave and looked up. The black sun hung high in the air, but its halo was gone now that it was night. There was only darkness in the background, so how could there be any stars? What do you mean by stars? Qianye asked. Stars are stars. They appear only at night and release their radiance to guide our lost tribesmen. The Attawa chieftains son spoke quite a bit. Qianye glanced out of the cave once more but still couldnt find any stars in the sky. Glancing at the Attawas dark red pupils, Qianye thought of something and promptly switched his vision. Yet Qianye couldnt see any stars no matter what vision he used. All he could see at a glance was the all-suppressing sun, emitting origin power that couldnt be seen with the n.a.k.e.d eye. Qianye simply dragged the chieftains son to the entrance and pointed at the sky. Where are the stars you speak of? The man pointed at his c.h.e.s.t. Of course theyre within our hearts. Why are you searching in the sky? In your heart? Qianye felt somewhat angry. Of course, where else can they be? The chieftains son wasnt afraid. On the contrary, he spoke as though it was right and proper. The thirteen sacred stars are extremely far from our world. You cannot see them, but you can sense them with your heart. With that, he added, Tribes with different bloodlines can sense different sacred stars. Chapter 1433: Mystery of the Other World The thirteen sacred stars? In a faraway world? Sense them with your heart? Qianye didnt know what to say. He said after a while, What do the sacred stars look like? Each tribe can sense a different star. Our tribes sacred star is like this He drew it out on the ground. The diagram was crudely drawn, but it was definitely a flowerthe flower of dread, the datura. The datura was the Monroe clans insignia, the source of Qianye and Nighteyes bloodline. This young warrior here could also sense the datura as his sacred star, and this star was also ranked second in the list. This could not be a coincidence. Qianye picked the man up and looked into his deep red eyes. With a light tap, he sent a sanguine thread into his body and dragged out a drop of blood. Qianye closed both eyes as he sensed the taste of that blood. After a while, he said, Whats your name? Su Shi. This name Whats wrong? Qianye shook his head. Nothing. Why would you pick this name? Su Shi looked puzzled. My father gave me this name. Is something wrong? Im just asking why its in that style? The Attawa race has always named ourselves like this. Is that a problem? Of course, there was a problem. Su Shi was a typical Imperial name, while Attawa was an Evernight name. These two styles mixed together simply felt awkward. Where do you usually live? How do you live? Our second sacred star tribe lives at the peak of the black mountain, the others are scattered in different places. Su Shi puffed his c.h.e.s.t out. The black mountain is the holy mountain of the Attawa, and our tribe is its guardian. Your tribe is the guardian tribe? What about the first sacred star tribe? You mean the Perth tribe? Theyre the weakest. They live in the northern icy plains, a big territory with nothing but ice and snow beasts. They have to wait until the warm season to break through the ice and hunt sea beasts. How is this possible? Qianye was surprised. Why are they weak? Qianye asked. Since even the names were the same, Qianye could confirm that the Attawa race of the inner world and the vampires of the Evernight world were related. That being the case, it was rather unbelievable that the Perth tribe was so weak. The Perth bloodline was the immovable number one in the Evernight world. The descendants might be weak, but the Queen of the Nights presence was something that couldnt be ignored. There was little reference left regarding her peak state prowess, but even in the current era where she needed to spend most of her time in hibernation, she could still suppress the entire realm when she woke up. Even an ambitious character like the Demon King had to wait until she was asleep in order to put his plans into action. Even then, he had to take ample precautions not to alert her. Qianye had found the Monroe clans taste in Su Shis blood just now. Although it was rather faint and distorted by the origin power environment of the inner world, the hint of Monroe aura in the deepest parts of the blood was unmistakable. Since there was Monroe and Perth, others like the Sperger clan had to exist as well. Why was the Perth clans bloodline so weak, though? Qianye asked in greater detail, but Su Shi could no longer answer. After a while, Qianye had no choice but to give up on this topic and move to the local geography. At the mention of this, Su Shis eyes lit up. As the guardians of the holy mountain, our Monroe territory is naturally the most bountiful of them all. With the holy mountain as the center, our land stretches thirty rundays to the north, twenty-eight to the south, twenty-five to the east... Whats a runday? What standard is a rank one warrior? I am a rank one warrior. Su Shi puffed his c.h.e.s.t out. Qianye had ventured a guess, but he was still surprised. Su Shi was at the marquis level in overall strength, but his speed wasnt slower than an Evernight Duke. This meant that the Monroe tribes territory alone stretched over fifty rundays from north to south, bigger than a continent in the Evernight world. It would seem that this inner world was incomparably vast. What other places exist outside of your territory? Qianye was curious. There are of course other tribal territories outside of ours. What about beyond those territories? That I dont know. I heard the Sperger tribes lands are the furthest away, and all they can see beyond their land is a boundless ocean of trees. They expanded continuously into the woods and gave up the newly pioneered territory to stronger tribes. What lies beyond the sea of trees? The tremendous size of the inner world was unimaginable. After some thought, another question emerged in Qianyes mind. How many people make up the Monroe tribe? We have an entire ten thousand tribe members! The other tribes only have about seven thousand! Qianye was surprised yet again. This number was too small, almost unbelievably so. Considering how vast the Monroe tribes lands were, it wouldnt be a surprise even if Su Shi had said there were a billion of them. Qianye said with a frown, Why are there so few of you? Why are there only ten thousand people on such a vast land? Su Shi was shocked. How is that few? Our tribe is the biggest, and our warriors are the strongest of them all. The other tribes cannot match us in numbers and in bravery. Realizing that he wouldnt get any more information in this manner, Qianye switched to other topics like their lifespans, marriage customs, reproduction cycles, etc. After a good while of questioning, he finally understood more about this world. Just like the vampires, the Attawa were long-lived raceseven more so than the vampires. Su Shi had just reached a.d.u.l.thood in the tribe, but he was over five hundred years old in terms of the Evernight time system. Every Attawa would live between three to five thousand years, and the oldest was reportedly six millennia old. Such long lifespans meant long reproduction cycles and thus smaller populations. An Attawa couple would produce at most six to seven generations of progeny during their lifespan. Childhood alone took up over two hundred years. The Attawa could be considered the ancient vampires of the inner world. They were individually strong, but their technology and culture were still at a primitive level. The werewolves'' ancestral faction still adopted the primitive tribal system, but that was only the system. Their technology and knowledge were no different from the other dark races. Qianye had nothing more to ask the man, but the questioning just now had left Qianye with a deep intrigue for the Attawa tribes. He could basically ascertain that the sacred stars sensed by the Attawa were the clan insignias within the River of Blood. The River of Blood was an incomparably mysterious entity in the void. It wasnt a surprise that other races could sense its existence and draw upon its powers, but why were the tribe names identical? Qianye had obtained the rivers favor more than once, as well as its inheritance and knowledge. However, there was nothing in that knowledge related to the clan names. Even if the knowledge Qianye had obtained was incomplete, it wasnt as though the twelve clans hadnt changed their names before. Why were even the changed names identical? That being said, there was no answer to this question no matter how he questioned this man. After some thought, Qianye decided to let Su Shi go if only out of consideration for his Monroe bloodline. It could be considered fate that had brought them together. Su Shi seemed rather surprised at his sudden freedom. He stood there in a daze, saying, Are you really going to let me go? Unless you want me to kill you? Go. Su Shi reached a hand out toward Qianye. Can you hold my hand? Qianye was a bit puzzled, but he wasnt afraid of any sneak attacks, so he gave the man his hand. In truth, the Attawa were rather similar to the vampires if one could look past the bodies that had been affected by the environment. Qianye felt a strange perception sweep over his body when he touched Su Shis hand. It felt as though some of his secrets had been seen through. What are you doing?! Qianye roared. Applying greater force to his hands, he pulled the man over and pressed him to the ground. A couple of shakes left Su Shi limp, almost as though his skeleton had been entirely disjointed. I dont have any malicious intentions, I just wanted to confirm if youre one of our brothers from a different world. Qianye raised his brows. You know? Su Shi nodded. There are countless other worlds outside of our own. Every one of them is blessed by the thirteen sacred stars, only to different degrees. Qianye was surprised because this knowledge wasnt something a primitive civilization could grasp. It would seem that this Attawa tribe was even more mysterious than he had imagined. Su Shi stepped back slowly as Qianye loosened his grip. Ill be heading back now. I will inform my tribe that you guys are our brethren from a different world. Please dont attack our tribesmen when you see them in the future. Very well. Su Shi gazed deeply at Qianye. We will meet again. With that, he jumped up and left the cave at lightning speed, vanishing into the night. Chapter 1434: Difference in Civilization Qianye didnt leave immediately after letting Su Shi go. He instead brought out a paper and drew a map according to the mans description, frowning as he fell into deep thought. The Attawa were only at a basic level of civilization. Their mathematics and cartography skills were only at the elementary level. Their understanding of space and geography came from their superior perception and strength. Hence, there were a lot of conflicts in the locations and lay of the land that Su Shi had described. It wasnt that obvious when Qianye was simply listening, but things werent quite right when he put them on paper. The world was so vast that a bit of deviation would end up with hundreds of kilometers in error. Qianye finished drawing the map, but it wasnt useful beyond simple reference. This produced even more confusion. Why were the Attawa, such a strong people, so undeveloped as a civilization? Any other race would see a qualitative upgrade when their strength had reached a certain level. Just like how the void colossi had always been more intelligent than the humans. That being said, civilization was the culmination of countless years of collective experience. The void colossi were small in number and loners by nature, so they couldnt form anything even close. The thirteen Attawa tribes put together would number close to a hundred thousand, and that was enough to form the foundations of civilization. There was no reason for them to be so backward. This was probably a deep-seated issue, so it wasnt surprising that Su Shi couldnt give Qianye an answer. There would be opportunities later to find an answer. Qianye pushed his questions to the side for now. He sat down in the cave, tore open the void with his fingers, and began cultivating. He had acc.u.mulated vast amounts of essence blood just from the prey he had killed in passing. The Evernight side of his cultivation had reached its limit more or less. Although he had the Book of Darkness that could convert both sides of his cultivation to chaos origin power, Qianye was still used to striking a balance between the two. The daybreak origin power in this world was beyond thin. Fortunately, he could still slice through the void and absorb the void origin power there. The Profound Combatant Formula was incomparably tyrannical in that it could produce daybreak origin power from void origin power. Hence, there was no need to worry about the energy supply for now. This cultivation took an entire night. Qianye felt better only when his daybreak origin power was full to the brim. Next up would be for the Book of Darkness to slowly convert this energy. The Mystery and Glory chapters also served to accelerate the refinement process. Now that he had finished cultivating, Qianyes thoughts went back to his mission in the inner world. What exactly was the darkness origins? What were the dark races doing with it? Qianye knew nothing. Why would Anwen tell him all of this? Ignoring Anwens intentions for now, Qianye made ready to head back to where the demonkin were building their tower. Even the Masefield Clan Lord would be gravely injured if Qianye could launch a successful sneak attack. One had to know that Progia was already injured and likely not fully recovered yet. If he were to suffer another wound and an Imperial heavenly monarch was to take this opportunity to attack, it was very likely that he would fall in the inner world. The more he thought about it, the more Qianye felt that the plan was feasible. Even if he couldnt land the hit, it would still serve to spook the demonkin clan lord and slow down their operations. After making up his mind, Qianye spent yet another half a day making preparations. The preparations werent anything too complicatedit was to instill three powerful bullets with origin power. Two of them with chaos origin power and one with Venus Dawn. Not a lot of materials could withstand Qianyes origin power at this point. Qianye had spent all of his savings before entering the inner world but only managed to gather enough materials for two and a half bullets. The third bullet could withstand chaos origin power, but it would not be able to accommodate a power-up from the Wings of Inception, so Qianye decided to substitute it with Venus Dawn instead. Fortunately, the power of Venus Dawn was at the extreme of yang and served to restrain the dark races. With these three bullets formed, Qianye inspected his equipment and left for the tower. He didnt move all that fast, taking his time to inspect traces of dark race movement along the way. He wanted to see if there were small squads in the vicinity that he could eliminate, plucking some feathers off of the demonkins wings. On the way out, Qianye had chased the Attawa warrior with all his might and gone all out to cover thousands of kilometers. The journey back was like a cautious stroll that would take several days. The trees of the inner world were as tough as steel, and it would take great strength to topple one over. Qianyes pupils shrank as he scanned the surroundings. First, he searched for signs of movement before moving to the fallen tree to search for clues. There were two different parts to the cut edgesone was clean and smooth, while the other was somewhat shaggy. It was likely that the tree had been sliced through with a blade first and then slammed with great force. Qianye ran his fingers along the cut surface and saw some darkness origin power stuck to his hand. This darkness origin power wasnt the type active in the inner world but the one used by Evernight experts. It was so pure that traces remained even after it had been eroded by the living origin power of the inner world. Only the source origin power remained so Qianye couldnt tell which race it belonged to. All he could ascertain was that it belonged to a dark race expert. The Evernight experts had reached this place with their exploration? Qianye got up and explored the surrounding areas and soon found traces of combat everywhere. The remnant energy in the environment proved just how fierce the battle was. Qianye followed these tracks through the woods and soon began to see bloodstains. He looked up to see an Attawa body. The person was dead, nailed to a tree with a wooden spear. The spear was the Attawas own weapon at first, yet it had been used to kill him. Continuing forward, there was a large patch of forest that had been leveled. All the ancient trees within a hundred meters had collapsed toward the periphery in a radial pattern, almost as though a hurricane had erupted therein. Qianye walked toward the center of this storm and noticed a small shrub still standing therein. The leaves moved with his hand as he reached out to touch them. There was nothing special about this bush. It had only survived the tempest because it happened to be right at the center. However, Qianye did find a drop of coagulated blood on one of the leaves. This wasnt the faint fluorescent green blood belonging to the Attawa but rather the blood of an Evernight expert. Qianye could sense that this blood belonged to a demonkin. He knelt down and sniffed the dried blood, then looked up to find similar traces of blood on a nearby tree. Qianye appeared over there in a flash. After a brief observation, he confirmed the direction in which the demonkin had left and followed suit at great speed. He saw yet another battlefield before long, or rather, a massacre. Dozens of Attawa warriors had fallen here, many of them disfigured beyond recognition. What attracted Qianyes attention the most was the giant that had collapsed on the ground. One of his hands had sunk deep into the ground. The mans body had been frozen in his final battle posture, and even his pained expression was clear to see. Qianye circled around the giants corpse like a spirit. The weakness of the Attawas freely mobile joints became cleartheir durability. The giant was valiant in battle, but he had ultimately fallen to a group attack by dark race experts. In truth, Qianye had fought the giant to a draw a while ago only because it was a contest of brute strength. He hadnt even used any combat techniques. If Qianye had used everything in his arsenal like the Wings of Inception, Dragonsgrave, and chaos origin bullets, a single shot wouldve taken the giants life. One should not forget that he also had the Red Spider Lily. Qianye could take down several of those giants if it were a life-or-death situation. These giants possessed constitutions comparable to grand dukes, but their technology was simply too primitive. They had no equipment to speak of, which reduced their fighting power by half compared to experts of the same rank. With such a difference, an Evernight grand duke could easily take down a couple of giants on his own. From how this giant had died, Qianye could tell that he had been surrounded and attacked by a number of powerful experts. His death was inevitable. Qianye found yet another fierce battle nearby where an arachne glorious marquis lay frozen on one knee. His eyes were wide open in shock, but there was no longer any spirit in his gaze. The lethal blow was a half-spear through the back of his head. Apart from that, there were over a dozen broken spears of varying lengths in other parts of his body. Yet even the biggest spear among them had barely managed to pierce the shield. The others were only stuck on the surface. Several spears lay on the ground before the marquis, their tips distorted after failing to go through the shield. The same went for the injuries on the marquis body. There were several dozen stuck in his body, but most of them had only managed to inflict flesh wounds after going through the armor. This kind of injury was nothing to the arachne. Qianye picked up one of the spears and put it back after a brief observation. The Attawa spears were crudely made. Even the metallic ones were at a very basic level of blacksmithing, inferior to the humans craftsmanship before their awakening as intelligent beings. The arachne marquis wasnt that much stronger than the Attawa warriors, perhaps one rank higher than people like Su Shi, yet they were incomparable in terms of gear. The number of native warrior corpses around the marquis numbered close to a hundred. Chapter 1435: Promise Concluded Having observed to this point, Qianye already had an idea of the battle. The Evernight side was led by a duke, and the group contained around ten experts in total, the strength of three small squadrons. The Attawa had mobilized hundreds of warriors, overseen by a giant. It was unknown why the two sides had broken into a conflict, but the result was a bloody battle. On paper, the Attawa warriors held the absolute advantage. Their ordinary soldiers were already at the count rank, and their rank-one soldiersSu Shi for instancewere around or close to the marquis realm. Fighting power on paper was just that; actual fighting power was a different case. From these results, it was obvious that the gear difference between the two parties was sufficient to decide the outcome of the battledespite the heavy injuries on several Evernight experts and the death of a glorious marquis. The wooden spears used by the Attawa could hardly break through the Evernight experts heavy shields. They could barely pierce body armor, leaving only light injuries after doing so. On the other hand, the Evernight experts bullets drew blood with every shot. Their axes and swords could also cut through the Attawas mediocre bodies. Even the giant couldnt get through the repeated volleys of origin guns. The battle had begun half a day before. The Attawa had probably retreated due to heavy losses, while the Evernight squad continued with their exploration. Qianye gave chase with his aura concealed. Evernight experts were old friends to him by now; the Attawas might not be able to defeat them, but Qianye had all too many ways. The new world was fairly strange. The scenery in the vicinity never changed despite chasing after the enemy for half a day. There were still giant trees everywhere, along with the usual shrubbery and dangerous little animals. If it wasnt for Qianyes stunning memory, he mightve started to think he had been running in circles. A normal person would probably go mad after staying in such an environment for so long. They would start to lose judgment of direction and distance after a while. That was not the case for Qianye, though. He was a master in tracking, so he was naturally able to overcome such problems. Later on, he simply closed his eyes and used his perception to determine the direction and distance. In this manner, Qianye finally saw some different traces. There was a shallow mark on one of the giant trees. The mark was barely recognizable, but it looked like a scratch mark with a wisp of Evernight darkness origin power lingering around it. Qianye knew that this was a mark left behind from an arachne limb. The energy had grown so faint that it looked like it would disappear very soon. The living origin power environment would slowly destroy any foreign origin power. Seeing these traces confirmed that Qianye had not been chasing in the wrong direction. He immediately sped up and vanished into the distance. In the distant sea of trees, a demonkin expert was gazing at the unchanging scenery. Anger suddenly welled up inside him, then he drew his sword and hacked at some of the nearby leaves. All of a sudden, the swinging blade was stopped by a different sword. The old demonkin who was at the head of this group had intercepted this expert. The demonkin expert stared deeply into the old mans eyes. I-I was just No need to explain. Remember, we have more than those natives as enemies. These strange trees, shrubs, beasts, and bugs, even this entire world might be our enemy. The demonkin expert was surprised. The inner world is our enemy? The old duke nodded. Correct. But its not like they can move dont tell me those lifeless stones are the same? Under the will of the new world, any object can have consciousness and intelligence, even a soul. The demonkin expert was somewhat skeptical, but for some reason, he felt that everything around him seemed to have eyes and were observing him. Only then did he discover why he had become so irritable. It was due to that faint sense of uneasiness and fear of the unknown. Lets go, dont expose us because of your loss of control. The old duke put away his sword and returned to the front of the group. Peter shook his head. I dont know, either. The entire operation is managed by Lord Leeker alone. The arachne marquis said, I heard what Lord Leeker said just now. This accursed place is really odd, but we came prepared so it shouldnt be a problem. Danger? Those natives? Our forces can easily destroy them all, dont you think? Peter relaxed ever so slightly. Indeed. Those fellows were quite shocking when they first appeared, but they only know how to charge. They were more or less rushing to their deaths. Rory was a pity. The arachne marquis said, His luck was particularly bad. Lets go, the sooner we finish this mission, the earlier we can head back. I dont want to stay too long in this damned forest. True. Peter and the arachne marquis hastened their steps, promptly catching up with the squad. Just as they were walking past a giant tree, Peter came to a sudden stop and looked up. His entire body was trembling. Whats wrong with you? The arachne marquis asked. It was unbelievable for a glorious marquis to be showing such signs of fear. T-Theres a leaf there. Peter kept staring at that leaf as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. Nevermind, its nothing. Realizing his loss of composure, the demonkin collected himself and walked on. After taking a few steps, he glanced back at that leaf with lightning speed. The giant leaf hung there quietly, just as it always had. There was no movement since there was no wind in the woods; the same went for all the other leaves. It was as though the entire world had frozen in place. Apart from the advancing group, the scenery around them seemed to have been sampled from a certain point in time. Peter stared at the leaf until the arachne marquis rushed him to continue the journey. Thats just a leaf, whats wrong with it? the arachne marquis asked out of curiosity. Peter hesitated for a while. I have a feeling that its looking at me. Looking at you? Yes, it moved a bit as we passed by. Almost like it turned to look at us. Perhaps I was seeing things, Peter said self-deprecatingly. The arachne marquis expression slowly grew uglier. As a famous sniper and assassin of the demonkin race, Peters perception and eyesight were extraordinary. How could he have been seeing things? Since Peter had said so with a meaningful glance, he nodded. Perhaps you were too tired these days. Itll be fine after taking a rest. Lets go, the group has gone ahead pretty far. As the duo left in a hurry, the leaf slowly twisted around to watch them disappear. At this moment, under the completed tower back in their base. The Masefield Clan Lord Progia was gazing silently at the vast land stretching out before him. A demonkin duke was reporting some information from behind. All components have been installed, and only the final testing and sealing remain. We have rounded up a total of seventy-six subordinates. The thirty counts require special equipment to move around freely in this environment. After several days of acclimatization, their protective armor has adapted well to the environment. The duke paused for a while. Weve collected a total of one hundred and ten boxes of components. This is enough to construct two extra towers. The positioning accuracy will be much greater with three towers. The Masefield clan lords gaze was deep. How many groups are still out there? Two more are out there. One of them was just dispatched, so its not yet time for them to report back in. Lord Leekers party shouldve returned yesterday, but theres still no news. Ill send another squad to back them up if they dont return by tonight. Progia said, No need, they wont be coming back. The duke was startled. This Assemble a combat squad. Ill lead it myself, and we set out tonight. Well see what secret this new world is hiding. The Demon King wishes for you to wait for the Eternal Flame before taking the next step. Theres still no news of him yet, and no one knows where he is. Ive already found some clues, so its time to move out. Theres no need to wait for him. The duke was hesitant. But, this tower will be unguarded if youre gone. Ill return within two days. The duke heaved a sigh of relief. Not daring to dissuade the great dark monarch, he left hurriedly and made preparations for battle. Progias face was expressionless. He merely gazed into the distance, and no one could tell just what he was thinking. There was, however, a faint glint in the depths of his eyes. Back in Lava Castle, the Demon King had reached the last page of the book he was reading. He closed the pages with a smile, saying, Every good book must come to an end eventually. Habsburg, I think our deal has been concluded. Chapter 1436: In the Face of Death Gazing down at the inner world from a height would reveal a peculiar scene that was both magnificent and icy. This painting, however, had been marred with greyish black scars. Such stains would appear from time to time and expand forward, much like an inexperienced painteror perhaps even a childscribbling randomly. If one were to expand this scene, he would discover that those leaking colors were actually battlefields. The battlefields were of varying sizes and intensities, leaving Attawa corpses or beast carcasses in their wake. In one of these greyish marks, a giant waved his weapon in vain as he let out a final roar and collapsed in a flurry of mud and gravel. Before him, the Masefield Clan Lord Progia stood wiping the blood on his hand with a handkerchief. He then tossed the handkerchief away, which his subordinates naturally picked up and put away. The collapsed giants head happened to land exactly in front of Progias toes, yet the splashing mud didnt touch the clan lord at all. Progia gazed coldly into the giants glaring eyes. Where is your holy mountain? He had transmitted these words directly into the giants mind. This method was different from Qianyes method of communication in that it would inflict intense pain upon the recipient. The giant g.r.o.a.n.e.d with an expression of pain. He wanted to clutch his head with his hands but his limbs fell down halfway. Afterward, he gave up on resisting and decided to respond via consciousness. You massacred my people. This world will not let you go the Attawa, will never surrender! Progia said coldly, Then die. He pointed a finger at the giants head, which exploded immediately afterward. To the next location, until we find the holy mountain. Progia slowly took to the air and began flying forward. Wherever he went, the surrounding scenery would change color. The environment slowly lost its color, not unlike a cloth that had faded with repeated washing. All that was left was a silhouette of dark colors. This was how the greyish marks came to be. The Evernight experts cleaned up the battlefield in due haste and followed their lord. The two dukes among them exchanged glances, feeling somewhat uneasy. The Demon Kings instructions were for such important objectives to be left to the second phase of their operation. They should complete the towers and wait for all the great dark monarchs of Evernight to arrive before revealing these secrets. However, Progia was the lord of the Masefield clan. At least no one here had the power to object to his decision, nor did anyone dare. There was also a different meaning to this. Despite their primitive state, the Attawa were strong and intelligent creatures. Such a species could be considered priceless to the Evernight council. They would become extremely powerful warriors with some training and equipment. The way Progia was acting would remove all possibility of communication. In the future, there would only be two ways to deal with these nativeseither exterminate them or enslave them. There would be no more room for cooperation. As the group moved forward, Progias domain continued to destroy all life in its wake. He was practically announcing his arrival to this world. This was a declaration of war, a provocation. At this point, the environment was no longer icy cold and silent. There were leaves dancing in the breeze, producing rustling sounds that made one palpitate. Creatures big and small were scuttling in every direction, some dropping to the ground before they could take a few steps away. As for the immobile trees, their leaves curled up and the dark red balls at their center squirmed fiercely in what seemed like pain. Progia ignored all of this as he moved forward. He had transformed into an emotionless god of death, reaping any and all life around him. His injury has healed? Qianye muttered to himself. Qianye hadnt seen Progia directly, else the Masefield Clan Lord wouldve sensed him as well. This also meant that Qianye only had one chance even with a surprise attack from a distance. At first, Qianye had arrived here by following Leeker. Who wouldve thought he would run into Progia? This great dark monarch wasnt hiding his aura at all, so it wasnt too difficult to find him. Gauging the demonkins aura from afar, Qianye could sense his demonic energy raging like the oceans with no opening whatsoever. It would seem that the injury he had inflicted on the man was now completely healed. Now that this great dark monarch was back in his prime state, Qianyes original plan was no longer viable. He might not be able to kill the man even if he were to simply stand there and let Qianye do whatever he wanted. If he couldnt deprive Progia of his fighting power, the counterattack that followed would be the end of him. This was a difficult situation indeed. All he could do now was wait for a better opportunity. Hence, Qianye decided to put some distance between him and Progias squad. Fortunately, the demonkin was fully occupied with keeping his domain active and hadnt discovered the lurking enemy. Qianye climbed down from the tree only when he saw the greyish dark clouds recede. He was just contemplating whether or not to give chase when he heard a rustling behind him. How did you find me? Su Shi pointed at a nearby tree. The entire world is a living organism, they serve as the eyes and ears of our guardian race. Even the rocks and shrubs will help us if needed. They will tell me where you are if I want to find you. Qianye pointed at the black aura. You know about that? I sought you out because of that. What do you want? Those are your enemies, right? The Mother Tree told me that you killed some of them after you arrived in our world, Su Shi said. Qianye admitted, Correct. Those from the Evernight faction are my enemies. There is a different group from the same world called the Empire. The experts of the Empire are also their enemies. The Empire? The Mother Tree did not mention them. Perhaps their landing points are not within the range of her power. Try not to get into a conflict if you find them, perhaps there is room for cooperation. Gazing at Qianye, he finally drummed up his courage and said, Us holy guardians are in danger, we need your help. Qianye didnt reply immediately. This isnt easy. What do you need? Brother from a distant world, I will give you everything we have. Just look at him, hes leaving irreversible damage in our world, both above and under the ground. That is the lord of the Masefield Clan. Hes very powerful. Even I will have only one opportunity to attack him, and that wont be enough to kill him, either. Is it because of the defenses around his body? We have a way to weaken his defensive domain temporarily, or even remove it entirely. Qianyes eyes lit up. If you can disable his defenses, I can heavily injure him. That might not be enough to kill him, but I can make sure he doesnt return to the battlefield for a while. Do you really have a way to do this? The most terrifying aspect of a great dark monarch was his control of origin power. Wherever they were, they could unleash their domains with a single thought and the origin power in the vicinity would bend to their will. This allowed them to conjure a powerful defensive forcefield in a flash. For instance, even if Qianye could launch a successful sneak attack, Progia could fill his surroundings with defensive power just as the bullet arrived. Qianyes all-out attack would barely be able to tear through this force field. There wouldnt be enough force left to damage the target. At most, it would leave him with some light wounds. The demonkin were the most proficient race in controlling origin power, so their great dark monarchs were afforded great defensive capability. This problem left Su Shi somewhat hesitant. He had personally witnessed how strong Progia was. No matter how strong the warriors were, they would all die once they stepped into his domain. And up to this point, Progia still hadnt displayed his true power. It was at this time that an Attawa female appeared behind Su Shi. We can dismantle that doomsday demons defenses! This newcomer was half a head taller than Su Shi. She exuded a heroic aura and wore an expression of determination. The spear in her hand was decorated with strips of red and yellow cloth, colors that were even more vibrant than Su Shis. Even with the anger and urgency in her eyes, she didnt forget to size Qianye up from head to toe. The latter understood that the Attawas weapons were all pretty similar, so they used vibrant decorations to differentiate their status. This young womans status was higher than Su Shis, and she was probably stronger too. And you are? Su Wen, Su Shis sister. We can agree to any demand on behalf of the guardian tribe, but I must confirm your strength before that. Qianye was unfazed in the face of this forceful lady. And how do you propose we do that? Su Wen assumed a combat stance with her spear. Simple, beat me She hadnt even finished speaking when Qianye had arrived before her! Immediately afterward, Su Wen felt the entire world spinningit felt as though countless colorful patterns were whirling in the air, and as though countless beasts had stampeded over her body. She simply had no idea what was happening. Su Shi was dumbfounded as he watched Qianye pick up Su Wen and slam her into one of the giant trees. Su Wen wasnt weak at all, but the attack left her dazed and barely conscious. Qianye paused for a moment before retrieving her from the tree. Does this count as proof? Chapter 1437: Singing March Su Wen finally recovered from her daze. What the giant wargod saw wasnt your true strength! You mean that big bloke? Of course, thats not my true power. I was just playing around, I had no intention to kill him. Su Wens delight eventually turned to seriousness as she said, Very well! We will weaken the black demons defenses to a certain degree. The rest will depend on you. Qianye said, That wont be a problem, but do you guys have a plan in case the attack fails? Su Shi looked rather worried, but Su Wen said, Thats not a big deal. If worse comes to worst, we guardians will take them down with us. Its not like we can make them leave the holy mountain by compromising. Su Shi realized this as well. That is indeed the case. We cannot give in since theyve killed so many of our tribe. The Attawas will not submit! Su Wen said, My brother will stay with you and serve as your assistant. Ill go and summon the tribe! Su Wen was just about to leave when Su Shi pulled her back. Whats your plan? I havent decided, but Ill fulfill our side of the promise at all costs. Gazing at Su Wens receding figure, Su Shi seemed like he wanted to say something. However, he failed to stop her in the end. Qianye understood that Su Shi was staying to keep an eye on him, but he didnt really mind. It would be a good opportunity to understand more about this world and the Attawa. This so-called bloodline connection across worlds wasnt going to close the gap between him and the locals. Although Qianye did feel a bit of closeness to the Attawa, he never let down his guard. Three giants stood shoulder to shoulder in Progias path, accompanied by three hundred Attawa elites. These warriors stood in a solemn formation, their eyes filled with anger as they glared at Progia. The Attawa formation was even stronger than the one from before, but Qianye could only frown. He had already learned of the Attawas military lineup. Those giants, called giant wargods, were warriors with special talent. They were specially trained and raised since childhood, growing far stronger and bigger than their peers after reaching maturity. There was a fundamental difference in fighting power between these giants and ordinary Attawa warriors. They were more or less an amplified version. Raising such giants cost vast amounts of resources, and only those with special talent could be trained. Hence, their numbers were rather small. Most importantly, these giants had to start off as ordinary Attawa warriors and evolve as they m.a.t.u.r.ed. After becoming wargods, they would lose the power to reproduce. All these limitations placed a fairly low ceiling on these giants. Their numbers would more or less determine a tribes standing in the race. Bringing three giant wargods and three hundred soldiers in one go was quite the lineup. Even so, Qianye understood the two parties well enough. These grand-duke-level giants were no match for the demonkin great dark monarch. The three hundred Attawa soldiers made for a strong lineup, but there were thirty or so experts on Progias side. These assistants would make it difficult for the Attawa to do whatever they had planned to do. An ambush mightve been possible, but they looked like they were ready for a head-on collision. Qianye was speechless. Dont you have stronger warriors in your tribe? The giant wargods are our strongest warriors, Su Shi replied. Our guardian tribe always fulfill our promises, whatever the cost. Su Shi was surprisingly insistent. Qianye spoke no more and merely approached the battlefield in silence. All this time, Qianye had thought the Attawa tribe would have some hidden experts at least one level above the giants. With this lineup, however, all he could do now was pray for a miracle. Progia revealed a disappointed expression as he faced the Attawa formation. Is that all? An older giant wargod roared, Today! This place! Will be the grave of this dark demon! Why do they call him the dark demon of destruction? Qianye asked randomly. He destroys everything, and he uses darkness origin power unique to the demons. Thats why we call him the dark demon of destruction. Qianye more or less understood. The Attawa language wasnt exactly rich in vocabulary, and there was only one word for destruction. As for demons, they were depicted in local legends as creatures who wanted to destroy everything in the world. Qianye wasnt going to judge the Attawa for their simple and primitive view of good and evil. After a brief chat, he noticed that Su Shi started to look nervous. Itll get dangerous in a bit, you stay here. No, Ill go with you. Su Shi was determined. At the center of the battlefield, Progias disappointment grew increasingly evident. He said with a sigh, If you cannot give me a surprise, all of you shall die here and now. Without even using his weapon, the demonkin drifted toward the Attawa formation and brought his greyish black domain down upon the enemy. This Masefield clan lord was actually going to wipe out the enemy with his domain. He wouldnt even need to attack. The Attawa warriors on the front row advanced toward the incoming danger. They seemed to be shrouded in faint dark flames as they charged into Progias domain and at the great dark monarch. The demonkin monarch shook his head. Imbeciles The Attawa soldiers slowed down dramatically once inside the domain, almost as though they were moving in viscous oil. The two parties were less than a hundred meters away, but it would take a fairly long time for these snail-paced soldiers to reach Progia. The dark flames around the Attawa soldiers grew faint as they came in touch with the demonic energy and were soon extinguished. The soldiers revealed pained expressions after the fire was gone. Some of them even threw down their weapons and clutched at their throats, trying their best to breathe. Alas, all was in vain. Unable to breathe, the soldiers collapsed soon afterward and stopped moving altogether. The dark fire on their bodies was actually the living darkness origin power. The Attawa warriors could control this energy to a certain extent, allowing them to reach the glorious marquis realm in advance. The soldiers werent crushed immediately as the dark flame could contend with Progias domain for a while. However, the power gap was simply too great. The Attawa could no longer hold out after a short while and collapsed one after another. The three giant wargods expressions went from calm to shocked. Everyone knew that Progias domain was a death domain. In the past, even other demonkin experts didnt dare go too deep into his domain, let alone near the man himself. This time, however, there were a number of marquises near him. They were clad in special armor that glowed faintly with magnificent runes, effectively blocking Progias domain power. Moving was extremely difficult inside Progias domain, and now, there were even guards near him as well. How was one to fight the great dark monarch? Qianye lowered Dragonsgrave, saying, Lets wait for a different opportunity. But theyll reach the holy mountain if they keep going forward... Su Shi dragged Qianye back anxiously. Qianye looked calmly at the man. No buts. If this goes on, all of your tribesmen will die, and the plan might not even succeed. This will be a massacre. Su Shi slowly released his shaking hand. He didnt know what to pick between the honor and the lives of his tribesmen. On the battlefield, the three giant wargods exchanged glances. As the strongest fighting power of the race, their intelligence was also greater than ordinary warriors. One of them seemed to have made up his mind. He raised his fists and smashed the ground with great force, letting out a thunderous battle cry as he did so. The warriors looked determined and zealous as they echoed with their own war cries. Then, they charged at Progia like enraged lions. The great dark monarch simply raised his left hand and said in a singing voice, No number of insects can stop a giants steps. The death domains power rose again when he closed his hand into a fist. The Attawa soldiers at the front immediately lost color and collapsed. But this only served to instill greater bloodthirst in the remaining soldiers as they charged into the heart of the domain. The strongest warriors ran at the very front, while the others followed in a tight formation. All of them were ready to give up their lives to reach the demonkin great dark monarch. Willpower alone couldnt do much against the terrifying power of the domain. Forced to bear the greatest pressure of them all, the dark flames around the first-row warriors flickered like a candle in the wind and eventually went out. Without the dark flames, they would have only their bodies left to withstand the corrosion of the domain. The first warrior took several faltering steps before letting out an earth-shattering howl. He thrust a hand into his own c.h.e.s.t, pulled out a fist-sized crystal, and then crushed it. As the crystal shattered, the warriors body inflated rapidly and exploded violently. A mixture of flesh, blood, and living origin power assailed the domain with great ferocity. For a moment, the greyish black domain shook restlessly. One ripple after another formed on the surface of the unsteady domain, spreading about ten meters from the starting point. The other Attawa soldiers chanted a tragic war song as they marched through their comrades blood and toward the objective. Chapter 1438: This is War After the first Attawa warriors self-detonation, several more followed suit in the same fashion. The suicidal detonation would impact the domain of death, opening up the path for the warriors behind. Not every Attawa soldier had a crystal within their body. Only those who were evidently stronger than the average would possess one, and only they could self-detonate. These strong soldiers would charge at the front and commit suicide when they could no longer make any progress, making room for their comrades. Wave after wave of self-detonation moved Progia visibly. His lofty domain of death began to waver under the assault. One had to admit that the Attawa warriors had found the best way to maximize their power against Progia, which was to self-detonate. Only this method could bypass the gap in equipment and combat techniques. It was just that this method was too tragic. The charging Attawa didnt feel that way, however. Their eyes were on Progia alone as they charged forward to pave a road with their flesh and blood. But what could they do after reaching the great dark monarch? What else can you do? After a brief moment of surprise, only a cold smile remained on the Masefield Clan Lords face. In the blink of an eye, only a hundred or so of the charging warriors remained. With no more soldiers left who could self-detonate, Progias domain once again became steady and the Attawa soldiers began to fade in color. The demonkin experts who had been biding their time attacked once again, reaping the lives of the survivors in the domain. The death domain immediately turned into a slaughter ground. At this point, the closest Attawa warrior was thirty meters away from Progia. This distance could usually be covered by a single jump, yet it almost seemed insurmountable at the moment. Brave ants are still ants, the great dark monarch said. As the demonkin experts continued to reap the lives of the attacking natives, they noticed their vision darken as two gigantic shadows blotted out the sky! Two of the giant war gods had jumped into the fray, slamming into Progias subordinate experts. These demonkin experts were from the Masefield family, many of them were close relatives of Progia himself. They had gone through many battles and possessed ample experience in the field. The incoming giants mightve stirred up a great commotion, but their movements were full of openings to the demonkin experts. The experts attacked decisively and at lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, the giants bodies were covered in injuries. The more experienced demonkin experts werent that happy after succeeding in the attack. The victory was simply too easy. The giant war gods never retaliated or even resisted the attacks. A glorious marquis noticed the giant war gods thrusting their hands into their c.h.e.s.ts. His mind went blank as he blurted out, Run! Two sanguine tempests erupted in the domain, forming two mushroom clouds that slowly rose into the air. The impact crashed over everything in the area of effect. The demonkin experts caught in the blast were torn into shreds, becoming a part of the bloody tempest. Several dozen meters of the domain were blasted open by the explosion. The self-detonation of two grand dukes was a force that could hardly be described. While Progia was overcome with shock, the final giant war god arrived before him withhis hand was already moving inside his c.h.e.s.t. However, a pale slender hand with prominent bones grabbed the giants wrist. The war gods hand froze, unable to move a single inch further. He could already touch his crystal but he no longer had the power to crush it. Progia stared at the giant war god with narrowed eyes. Ants will always be ants. Did you think your sacrifice would be meaningful? As long as I remain standing, even if Im the only one left standing, the Masefield will always be a famed clan. The final giant war god opened his mouth but no sound came out. His body had long since stiffened. Tears flowed down his barely mobile eyes as he glanced at the flesh and blood strewn across the ground. The death domain was badly shaken, but Progias defenses remained perfectly intact. The giant war gods never saw that shocking attack that they were hoping for. This battle... had been lost. Qianyes hand was as still as a rock. His finger was firmly on the trigger, but he never pressed it. The current moment was when Progias domain was at its weakest, but this was also when his cautiousness and defenses were at their peak. Even if Qianye could hit him, the damage would be minimal, and there would never be another opportunity like this again. A faintly discernible shadow appeared in the air, diving toward Progia at an unbelievable speed! A beam of greyish energy appeared on Progias forehead, which shot out like an extremely sharp, grey blade. The incoming shadow did nothing to evade the attack, allowing the blade to shoot through it. It then dropped downward abruptly and stabbed Progias shoulder with a spear! It was Su Wen. Progia gazed up into Su Wens brave and beautiful eyes, praising, You injured me, not bad! Su Wens spear had pierced through Progias defenses and through his shoulder plate. The tip of the spear had sunk about one fingers depth into the fleshthat was all. It was already a miracle that an Attawa was able to injure the Masefield Clan Lord. However, they had lost this battle. The power disparity was too great, to begin with, so this victory had actually gained them honor. Su Wen didnt think this way, however. The Attawa will never surrender! Her left hand shot into her c.h.e.s.t at lightning speed, and a storm of blood engulfed Progia immediately afterward. Moments later, the Masefield Clan Lords figure appeared once again, scattering flesh and blood in all directions. The spear-wielding maiden had disappeared. None of the scattered blood landed on Progias body. It would be a humiliation for the Masefield Clan Lord to be tainted with the blood of these primitive natives. In the blink of an eye, he turned around to find a bullet with a pair of black wings flying toward him. Progia had no time to draw his sword. All he could do was raise his hand to block this strange origin bullet. A muffled sound echoed in his ears as the projectile tore through his palm, and the only price it paid to achieve that was the black wings. The bullet pushed through Progias depleted defensive field, penetrated his armor and c.h.e.s.t, promptly exiting from the back. Progias body puffed up all of a sudden, almost as though he had been inflated. He grew to several times his original size before the greyish black demonic energy pressed him back to his original form. Yet another Pfft was heard as a mass of grey energy gushed out of the wound on his c.h.e.s.t and back. This was the chaos origin power within the bullet being forced out by the monarchs shocking demonic energy. Gazing at the wisp of chaos origin power, Progia reflexively reached out to grab it. The moment it landed on his palm, he discovered that this wisp of origin power was stunningly heavy. What this extreme weight brought on was extreme sharpness. The chaos origin power sliced through Progias palm and fell to the ground, producing yet another slit in the earth before disappearing. The great dark monarch was expressionless as he took to the sky and flew off over the horizon. He had actually fled, completely ignoring the fate of his twenty or so subordinates. Everything had happened too quickly. It was only when Progia was in the clouds that Su Shis hysterical scream resounded, No!!! Qianye gazed up at Progia who was flying away through the clouds. Instead of chasing the great dark monarch, his gaze landed on the remaining Evernight experts. None of these experts had realized what had happened. Only when Qianye appeared did a handful of people understand. They immediately turned to flee, not intending at all to remain and fight. Even Progia had fled, so why would they stay behind to get killed? The others were one step slower, but they scattered immediately after coming to. A dramatic change had just taken place, and considering Qianyes notoriety, it wasnt a surprise these experts chose to flee. It was already widely accepted that Qianyes fighting power was far above an ordinary duke. Moreover, he was known to decide the enemys fate with the first attack, so there was no room for flukes. This made Qianye an enemy no one wanted to run into. Comparatively, they would rather fight Nighteye despite her being stronger. They knew Qianye would lose if they all stayed behind to fight, but he could retreat whenever he wanted. There was nothing stopping him from reaping several lives before leaving. The Evernight experts enjoyed long lives, so none of them wanted to be the unlucky person. Qianye was prepared to deal with these scattering targets. His figure shuttled rhythmically between them, and soon he cut down eight Evernight experts. The rest took this opportunity and managed to escape. After the outcome was confirmed, Qianye returned to the battlefield where he saw a trembling Su Shi on his knees, holding some bloody soil in his hands. There was no telling whose flesh and blood was in the soil, but Su Wens was surely among them along with the three giant war gods. The demonkin experts remains should be in there as well. Qianye said after a moment of silence, This is war. Chapter 1439: Sneaking Into Base What was war? Su Shi didnt seem to understand Qianyes words very well, and the latter was in no mood to explain. Conflicts between the Attawa couldnt be considered war. The objective of a war was the final victory and not the life or death of a single person. The Masefield Clan Lord had suffered a serious injury from Qianyes shot and would not be able to return to the battlefield for some time. Qianye himself did not know just how bad the damage was. Great dark monarchs like him would possess powerful life-saving measures. Not to mention Qianye, even Zhang Boqian or Lin Xitang might not be able to take him down. Rather than chase after Progia in vain, it was better to kill the Evernight experts who were the pillars of this operation. This would be more effective in weakening the enemy fighting power and make the council truly feel some pain. The Attawa had paved the way for this single opportunity with their lives, and Su Wen had self-detonated in the end. Su Shis hatred for Progia was bone-deep by now, but Qianye had no time to take care of his emotions. This was war, after all. The Attawa man remained on his knees, sobbing quietly as he pondered whether to blame Qianye or himself. In the end, he picked up his emotions and said, Ill be heading back now. There are too many of my tribesmen here, I need to bring more people to clean up their remains. Qianye understood his mood. He said with a sigh, Evernight has more than one such monster. Su Shis body trembled, but he eventually nodded and disappeared into the forest. Qianye walked around the battlefield once and did a simple cleanup. He had just killed eight Evernight experts: a duke, three marquises, and four counts. These experts added a fair bit to Qianyes net worth. This was especially true of their contribution to combat supplies and ammunition. Su Shis departure was within Qianyes expectations. The Attawa tribe would have to seek him out again pretty soon. The number of great dark monarchs from Evernight was far beyond the natives imagination. Both great dark monarchs or heavenly monarchs would cause great destruction whenever they battled. The scars Progia had left in this world were proof of that. Even with the living origin power negating the effects, it would take centuries for the land to recover. In the past battles between the Empire and Evernight, these powerful experts would always pay attention to the damage they were doing and would take care so that it wasn''t irreversible. They would be careful even when they were fighting in enemy territory for fear of retaliation. Things were different in the inner world. This incomparably vast and mysterious world possessed a regenerative power far surpassing that of the Evernight world. And the native Attawa here were fairly primitive in their technology. The great dark monarchs and heavenly monarchs hardly felt any sympathy for them. Even if they wanted to subdue these people, they would have to kill a good portion of them as an example and make them abandon all thoughts of resistance. After leaving the battlefield, Qianye ran in the direction of the tall tower. This time, he didnt hold back in terms of speed and ran with all his might. The tower was within sight by the time night started to fall. Qianye concealed himself as he approached the area, quietly killing two counts who had been posted as sentries. Looking at the armor on the deceased counts and their face-covering helmets, a bold idea came to Qianye. He removed all armor from one of the counts that possessed a similar body frame to his. He then donned the gear and continued toward the tower. An orderly base had already popped up around the tower at this point. One could see a neat formation of counts standing guard at the gates, and the lights had been lit all around the compound. When Qianye walked through the gates, the nearby counts only shot him a glance without asking further questions. All the counts in this expedition were assigned the same mass-produced armor, so everyone looked the same. Qianye felt that the armor wasnt a great fit, and its isolation effects werent that great. Ordinary counts would still find themselves tormented by the living origin power and feel quite uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that no one knew when they would be able to return to Evernight, the general morale was quite low. Be it the guards outside or the other counts inside the base, everyone looked rather depressed. Qianye strolled through the camp at a steady pace, neither rushed nor slow. This base was constructed with wood from the inner world. The barracks were fairly spacious and rather extravagant considering this was a military expedition. In addition to the residential barracks, there were warehouses, defensive structures, and entertainment facilities as well. Some of the rooms even had equipment that could isolate the interior from the origin power outside, allowing the experts to rest undisturbed. There was a row of workshops at the edge of the camp. These workshops were all assembled from mobile equipment, so their value was ten times higher than stationary workshops. This row of workshops alone was more valuable than all of Qianyes factories on the Fort Continent. The tower had been fully completed, and only a handful of technicians were left to do the final adjustments. One of them came down from the tower and entered one of the residential tents. Having gotten a sudden idea, Qianye slowly strolled over to that tent. The technician finished showering and changed into casual attire, then walked toward a building located in a corner of the encampment. The marquis was no longer wearing a mask at this point. A marquis-rank technician Pondering on this matter, Qianye changed his route nonchalantly and followed the man. After watching the target enter the building, he then went and knocked on the door. The marquis emerged moments later. Seeing a count at his door, he rebuked impatiently, Havent I finished all my work for today? I told you guys not to disturb me if theres nothing important! Mm Mmmm He looked down to find that a pistol had appeared out of nowhere and was now pressed against his c.h.e.s.t. His face went pale as he said, Red Spider Lily? Good eyesight, wont you invite me in? Qianye walked around the room. Not bad. The living quarters included a bedroom, a kitchen, and an independent living room. There was even a study. The living conditions here were rather good, to say the least, not at all like a temporary abode used for an expedition. Comparatively, the Imperial quarters were much simpler. Qianye himself had been sleeping out in the wild, not even bothering to pitch a tent. The marquis technician seemed somewhat restless. Lord Qianye, I will cooperate with whatever you need me to do. However, I must remind you that Lord Progia will be returning soon. Qianye said indifferently, He was badly injured in my hands and wont be returning anytime soon. Theres no need to wait for him. The marquis trembled all over. He was somewhat skeptical, but he didnt dare question the claim. All he could do was sit down obediently in the chair across from Qianye. Qianye said calmly, Answer my questions and I wont make it difficult for you. What is this tower for? The technician seemed a bit hesitant. Actually, Im not too sure, either. Qianye laughed. Its fine if you dont know. The one thing you should know is that I can kill you and retreat easily. Theres really no one here apart from Progia who dares to stand in front of me. The marquis laughed wryly. You have Spatial Flash, the Shot of Inception, and the Red Spider Lily. Whoever stops you will die, how can I not know that? Its just that I dont know what the real purpose of this tower is. To be frank, the tower was designed by Master Predica. All we learned was how to construct and assemble it. The core equipment used in the tower was shipped over from the Evernight World. They were all premade and sealed. Those with damaged seals will be discarded immediately. All I can do is guess some of the towers functions based on my experience. Very well, what is your guess? Qianye asked. I believe that the purpose of this tower is to measure and analyze origin power fluctuations of a certain frequency. It emits extremely high-frequency waves and thus consumes vast amounts of energy. Whos in charge of operating it? His Majesty Progia himself. Its activation requires his aura. Qianye said after some thought, Whats the progress? The equipment has been installed, and most of the individual tests have been completed. Everything will be done in half a days time. The final step will require His Majesty to activate. Qianye switched postures and tapped lightly on the armrest. How many of these do you need to build? At least one and at most three. The current project was a smooth sail, so weve already sent out parties to look for the next construction site. The marquis shrugged helplessly. I dont know. You really dont know? Perhaps the Demon King and Progia might know. At the very least, my friend Grand Duke Rolando doesnt know how to go back. Then are you in contact with the other side? We can use the tower to communicate, we just tested the function. The information we can send and receive is fairly limited, however. Qianye said, Thats not right, the inner and outer worlds are connected by a passage. It shouldnt be that difficult to transfer messages. Dont tell me this place is just like the Great Maelstrom. The marquis said, I found it strange as well. The signals were unexpectedly difficult to transmit, almost as though someone was intentionally interfering with them. Its not like we cant establish a connection, but we cant hear clearly what the other side is saying. The transmitted information and diagrams come out as incomprehensible gibberish. Qianye walked over to the window and gazed at the nearby tower. Where is the towers core component located? Chapter 1440: Tower Destruction Moments later, Qianye walked out of the living quarters, respectfully cupped his hands toward the door, and left. Inside the room, the marquis-rank technician sat leaning against the tall chair with his eyes closed as though he were resting. Even a passing duke wouldnt disturb him for no reason. As one of the main technicians in the construction project, this marquis value was much higher to the Demon King and Progia than others of the same rank. Upon closer inspection, however, one would find that the marquis was no longer moving. He had long since lost all signs of life. Qianye had no intention of leaving such a special character alive. He was still disguised as a count when he arrived under the tower. The technicians on the structure had just completed their work and were starting to leave. Only two counts were left behind to guard the equipment. The natives werent interested in the tower. Also, Progia had intentionally left his aura in the area. Even Imperial experts would be deterred by the profound aura of a great dark monarch, let alone the natives. Hence, the guards werent that strict with their duty. Only two counts were left here to suffer the torment of the living origin power. One of them glanced at Qianye, who barely resembled a count. Works done for today. Qianye waved the toolbox in his hand. The master will be using these tools tomorrow. He asked me to put them on the ninth level. The guard recognized the insignia on the toolbox. Seeing as Qianye had cited the correct workstation, they simply let him pass without further questions. In truth, Qianye had already gotten all the necessary information out of the marquis. He could answer any question the guards could throw at him. If worse came to worst, he would just have to kill them. These metals were a material Qianye had never seen before. They contained a bit of living origin power, so they mustve originated from the inner world. The Evernight Council was indeed full of talented people. They had just entered the new world for a couple of days, and yet they had already managed to produce such armor plates. With enough time, Evernight technology would soon appear in the inner world. From the eighth level onward, one could find separate chambers that housed different apparatuses. Everything looked highly intricate, but Qianye had no idea what they were used for. Qianye did not need to understand, either, because he simply needed to destroy them. There was nothing remotely similar to tools inside the toolbox. It was filled with grenades and explosives. Qianye extracted the contents on the spot and brought out additional materials from Andruils space. In the blink of an eye, he had produced a batch of explosives, which he installed in every chamber. He would also throw in some origin grenades for some of the bigger compartments. Having installed everything on the eighth level, Qianye went up to the ninth. Half of the ninth level was occupied by a large hall, filled with all kinds of control equipment. There were a whole ten control consoles and a master control panel at the end of the hall. All in all, there were hundreds of switches and buttons. Just like before, Qianye installed explosives in every console and then headed over to the master control panel. He paid extra attention to Progias seat, piling up ten origin grenades in case the explosion wasnt big enough. Qianye was out of explosives at this point, but the antennae were easy to deal with. He simply drew his azure green blade and sliced them into dozens of pieces. He then leaped into the air and vanished over the horizon. There were numerous Evernight experts in the camp who noticed Qianyes unconcealed movement. However, the dukes only exchanged strange glances without chasing after him. A mere duke would be courting death if they were to go after Qianye. It was during this moment of delay that a fireball erupted from the tower, followed by a series of explosions that left the tower full of holes. This was especially true of the middle part where the black energy crystals were stored. Their ignition led to a number of earth-shattering explosions that completely destroyed the towers structure. The upper half of the tower thus collapsed to the ground with a loud boom. In the blink of an eye, only a raging firestorm remained where the tower once stood. The blaze illuminated the camp as the dust cloud from the falling tower covered everything in the area. The crackle and rattle of residual explosions felt like hammer blows in everyones heart. This time, all the Evernight experts were pale. The tower they had risked life and limb to build in the inner world had been destroyed just like that? Most of the key components in the tower were manufactured back in Evernight. Two of them were personally crafted by Predica himself. The explosion of this tower would no doubt set back the Evernight Councils plans considerably. The dukes exchanged glances, wondering where Progia could have gone at such a time. Qianye understood little about the tower, but a control panel that could withstand the power of a great dark monarch was not easily obtained. The materials alone would be fairly limited, and the council couldnt have prepared one for every great dark monarch. That was reasonable. It was just that even Progia had been ambushed and injured by Qianye, so none of the other experts believed themselves an exception. There was no telling which race this hidden expert belonged to, but things would be even easier if he were a demonkin. Only a great dark monarchs defenses could give Qianye a headache; the rest were simply negligible. The demonkin were fairly weak compared to the other dark races. This hidden expert would die if Qianye were to ambush him. The latters current plan was to flee as far away as possible, then circle back to search for an opportunity. Several consecutive Spatial Flashes took him hundreds of kilometers away. Only then did the faint sense of danger completely disappear. Heaving a sigh of relief, Qianye slowed down his movements. He was just about to climb one of the trees and get some rest when he heard some faint footsteps in the distance. He could immediately tell that they were the Attawa and not people from Evernight. Several Attawa warriors appeared before long. Seeing Qianye, they placed a hand on their c.h.e.s.ts and said respectfully, Respectful brethren from a different world, our holy spirit wishes to meet you. Holy spirit? Qianye frowned. The holy spirit resides high up in the heavens, guiding our direction and warning us of dangers. Right now, the holy spirit has summoned you. Qianye noticed that these Attawa warriors dressed differently from Su Shi. Which tribe are you from? Brother, we are from the Sperger tribe. How did you find me? The mother tree sees all life in this world. She told us you would stop here. Qianye nodded. Very well, Ill go with you. The Attawa from the Sperger tribe were just as swift. They led Qianye across mountains and ridges, traveling for an entire day and night before a mountain peak appeared in the distance. There were a number of cylindrical buildings at the summit, surrounding a large central structure. These buildings were constructed with wooden pillars and walls made of mud and gravel. The giant leaves in this world made for some of the best roofing materials. All they needed was a bit of trimming to become a roof. This small setup might be simple, but it was home to dozens of Attawa, mostly a.d.u.l.t males and some women and elders. The place looked like it had been constructed to guard something. The stone totems at the entrance of the village probably represented the Sperger clan members. An entire day and night of running had only taken them two rundays of distance. In theory, they should still be in the Monroe tribes lands. This settlement wasnt big, but it housed a holy altar which was the most important to each tribe. It was through this altar that the Attawa would communicate with the holy spirit and obtain guidance. There was more than one holy spirit, something Qianye had just learned. Qianye followed the three Sperger warriors into the tribal village and toward the central building. This so-called holy altar was just a large polished rock. The material, however, drew Qianyes attention because it was somewhat translucent and neither rock nor metal. Qianye felt that the rock was rather unstable, almost as though it would tear through the void and disappear any moment. There was an elder waiting at the altar. He bowed deeply toward Qianye and said, We thank you, brethren from a different world, for helping us drive the black demon away and protecting our holy mountain. Its something I should do, Qianye replied, a bit surprised at the swiftness of their information transfer. The holy spirit wishes to see you. What do I do? Place your hand on the altar and drink this wine. Let go of your spirit and listen with all your heart. The holy spirit will touch your soul, and you will hear his voice. This was a fairly primitive procedure, but this was normal considering the level of their civilization. A young Attawa girl presented Qianye with a glass of scarlet wine. Giving it a sniff and confirming that there was no poison, Qianye finished it in one gulp. Even if the Attawa did want to poison him, not many poisons could harm his modified body. Once the sacrificial wine entered his body, a long-lost sensation came over his entire being. Qianye felt his consciousness floating out of his body and rising up like smoke. This was beyond what he had expected. If he were to keep floating endlessly and never return, wouldnt he die? Chapter 1441: The Holy Spirit In his daze, Qianye sensed the Attawa elder below saying something to himit was something about listening carefully because the holy spirits voice was soft and difficult to catch. According to the old man, channeling methods like this did not have a high success rate. It was likely that the medium would not hear the holy spirits voice. Qianyes consciousness flew higher and higher until the mountain peak below was just a tiny speck. It was quite surprising that the sacrificial wine possessed such an effect. Things grew clearer by the time his consciousness was close to the clouds. It was there that Qianye saw a figure in front of him. It was a handsome young man with a somewhat malicious expression. His long hair hung down over his shoulders like a black waterfall. His complexion was as pale as pottery and almost translucent. There was a blue pattern between his brows, and his eyes gave off an inexplicable glow; it was almost as though the world would grow brighter wherever he cast his gaze. Clad in long black robes, the mans slender frame stood firmly in the air. He seemed somewhat surprised upon seeing Qianye. Who wouldve thought you would actually come here? Where are we? Is it a special place? Qianye glanced at his surroundings but didnt notice anything unusual. He could fly to this height with his main body as well and quite easily at that. The man across from him laughed all of a sudden. Its not strange for your real body to reach this height, but its not easy to come so high up with your consciousness. Seeing that Qianye didnt understand, the man explained patiently, The origin power in this world is alive. This kind of living origin power exerts a suppressive effect on the consciousness. Without a powerful spirit, it would be impossible to even leave the range of the altar. In other words, those below the duke rank wont even be able to leave the altars range, let alone come up here to see me. According to the man, it was quite the feat for his spirit to have reached this height. Qianye asked, What requirements would one need to get here? The man laughed wryly. Lets put it this way, even I would need some luck to fly from the altar to this place. Only dukes could leave the altar, so those who could fly here were definitely stronger than dukes. This man was the holy spirit of the Attawa race, so he was probably a prince or a great dark monarch. I still dont know who you are, Qianye said. The man glanced at Qianye with a laugh. You might not have seen me before, but you definitely have heard of me. And Im sure you recognize this. With that, he unfurled a pair of black wings! Qianye was shaken. The Black-Winged Monarch?! No, youre not him. Who are you? Qianye had seen Andruil and sensed his aura back when he received the monarchs inheritance. Ones external appearance might be changeable, but the innate aura wasnt so easily altered. The man before him did possess a pair of black wings, as well as top-tier blood energy, but he was not Andruil. The man said, Of course not. Teacher and I are separate individuals. Qianye was a bit cautious. Ive always kept my aura contained and Im only here in spirit form, how did you know? The man laughed. Dont worry, I fine, looks like you dont like jokes. Ill just get straight to the point. The Monroe clans Bloodline Concealment is extremely famous, and Teacher was the clans second-generation primogenitor. This power originates from him. As teacher and disciple, I understand the power well and know how to deal with it. Of course, knowing and being able to deal it are two different matters. It just so happens that I can do both. The second reason is simple enough. I contributed to the development of the Wings of Inception. Theres a hint of my own bloodline aura in it, so I cant be mistaken. Qianey was surprised. Who exactly are you? Rex, Im sure youve heard of me. Qianye glanced around vigilantly, seeking a way to return to his body. Rex, however, did not move. He smiled as he noticed Qianyes subtle movements. Did Teacher say I betrayed him? Correct. Qianye was rather candid. Rex sighed dejectedly. There was indeed some conflict between us regarding the wings construction. To put it simply, I believed that I was the most suitable candidate to wield the Wings of Inception, but Teacher believed that I was insufficient to take it to the apex. That was why he insisted on leaving the Wings of Inception in the inheritance realm, where it lay in wait for a suitable candidate to appear. Why did the Black-Winged Monarch not use it himself instead of leaving it as an inheritance? Qianye asked. The Wings of Inception was inherently on par with the Grand Magnums. Considering how terrifying Andruil was back in the day, he could easily control and wield it. Rexs gaze peered through Qianyes spirit for a while. Teacher built the Wings of Inception in order to completely suppress the Red Spider Lily. Only in the final stages of fine-tuning did he discover that perfecting the wings required a bloodline of unprecedented power. Not even the current ancient vampire bloodlines were sufficient! Back then, I thought he was simply lying to me and that it was just an excuse. Thats why I left him, but I returned to his side before long. Teacher said what he said in his inheritance in order to conceal my return. That was because he needed me to do something very important, something the council could not find out. Qianye was somewhat skeptical, but there was still a modic.u.m of trustworthiness in Rexs words. The dark races were the first to find out about Andruils inheritance and the ones who worked together to dig it up. This meant that Andruils inheritance might have fallen in the hands of other vampireshad it not been for Qianyes purer Monroe bloodline. So, whats going on here? Why did you want to see me? I knew the Evernight Council would finally open the passage into this world and send people in. Your appearance here, though, was more of a surprise. I wouldve never expected that I would meet Teachers successor. Qianye said, Youve been in this world since long ago? Youll find out more and more as you go. I wanted to see you in order to stop the council from taking control of this world. Qianye said, The council has dispatched the great dark monarchs Progia and the Eternal Flame. I only managed to injure the Masefield clan lord with the Attawas'' sacrifice and good luck. We will need to work with the Empire if we truly wish to stop them. Rex seemed a bit hesitant. The vampire race has always been enemies with the humans. Cooperation will be rather awkward. Qianye said with a frown, Around half of the vampires have been eliminated back in Evernight. Even the Twilight Continent has been occupied. Are you still trying to maintain a posture of superiority under such circ.u.mstances? Rex was surprised. What? The Twilight Continent has been captured? By whom? When did that happen? Qianye gazed out in a daze. This happened after the opening of the new world, quite recently in fact. The demonkin and the arachne, along with some of the werewolves, launched a sudden assault on the vampire race. Things happened so quickly that their forces fell apart. Rex was furious. Impossible! We still have the Queen of the Night! Even if shes asleep, Medanzo and Reynold are still around, arent they? The Lightless Monarch might be useless, but Lord Reynold is a true powerhouse no weaker than the Eternal Flame! Qianye said, Reynold fought Progia and the Eternal Flame in order to protect me and Nighteye. However, Medanzo defected at the critical moment and killed Reynold. Medanzo a traitor? Rexs expression collapsed in disbelief. Why would he? Hes a vampire and a great dark monarch at that. Where can he go after betraying the race? What is there to gain? Rexs expression grew increasingly solemn. Apparently, he had come to understand the gravity of this situation. Qianye asked, My current strength is at the level of an ancient vampire grand duke. What is yours? Can we work together to fight the Eternal Flame? Qianye held certain expectations when he asked this question. As Andruils most trusted disciple, Rex had to be a highly talented individual. He had also cultivated for a great length of time, so he should be close to a great dark monarch by now. Rex glanced at Qianye with a complicated expression. Not long ago, I reached the level of a crown prince. My clans blood seal is still burning, so I cant ignite it again to formally become one, but I expect to be able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Howard and Habsburg. Qianye felt a bit relieved since things would be easier with such a powerful backup. Combining the power of Daybreak and Evernight, as well as that of his chaos origin power, Qianye was fairly close on the heels of the prince-rank. The weaker ones might not be his match. With him and Rex working together, they would at least be able to survive against the Eternal Flame. A battle was not out of the question. However, Qianye discovered that there was something odd about Rexs expression. Is something wrong? Chapter 1442: Secret There is indeed something wrong, Rex replied helplessly. Whats the matter? Qianye asked. The biggest problem is that Im already dead! Eh?! Qianye was surprised. Not many people were strong enough to kill Rex. Only top existences like the supremes, the Black-Winged Monarch, the Eternal Flame, and the Azure King would be able to do so. Who? When? Qianyes voice trembled with killing intent. What? Planning to avenge me? Rex laughed spuriously. Qianye sighed deeply. Time is on my side. Maybe not now, but even the Eternal Flame is not out of the question in the future. He understood full well the potential of his strength and chaos origin power. By the time he was a great dark monarch, even the Eternal Flame might not be his match. Bold claims to make, let me see what youre capable of. Qianye nodded. Wait here, Ill summon my body. Rex waved his hands. No! Ive been dead for a long time. This spirit is extremely weak, so I cannot get close to your body. After listening to the explanation, Qianye opened his left palm to reveal a projection of his heart. There were an entire five origin crystals on it. This meant that Qianyes Daybreak side had already stepped into the divine champion realm and was only one step away from rank twenty-four, the widely accepted threshold of a heavenly monarch. Qianyes right hand showed the structure of his body. Someone at Rexs level could see that Qianyes body had been reforged from the inside outhis constitution had reached a terrifying level and had almost no flaws left. The only thing left unupgraded was the soul, blood core, and the brain. As an Evernight expert, Rex understood that Qianye was currently at the grand duke rank, but that didnt stop him from feeling frustrated. How could there be any grand duke as strong as this person? Even a great dark monarch was merely at the same physical strength. If an ordinary grand dukes physique was comparable to steel, Qianyes was like a super-alloy that was several times stronger. You really are a monster. Rex sighed despite no longer needing to breathe. Seeing Qianyes actual strength, the man stopped keeping up pretenses. You had better give up on any thoughts of avenging me. The one who killed me is the Queen. What?! Oh, you mean the Spider Queen? Rex destroyed any illusions Qianye might have formed. Its the Queen of the Night, Lilith. Qianye listened solemnly, curious about the reasoning. This matter ignited a fallout between Teacher and the Queen. Rex sighed. Qianye didnt know how to evaluate the situation. What exactly is in the new world that is so important? Its the darkness origins. In truth, this darkness origins Halfway through the conversation, Rexs voice grew hoarse, and Qianye could no longer hear him clearly. Rex discovered something. Looks like all of my memories regarding the darkness origins have been erased. Thats not important, youll find out very soon. Qianye asked a couple more times, but Rex was in the same state. He couldnt talk about anything related to the darkness origins. At this point in the conversation, Qianye had also discovered that the current Rex was not complete. His situation was somewhat similar to the Pointer Monarchs remnant will back in the year. It was clear that Rex had really passed. Having confirmed this, Qianye changed the conversation. Since youve been waiting here all along, did you have anything to say to me? This problem was the key to opening the door. What should I do? Do whatever you can to stop them! You have to kill the people they send here. The Attawa tribes have all heard this revelation, and they will be your most loyal companions. At the same time, the mother tree and the earth itself will help you, every tree here will be your eyes and ears. Rex? The glow in Rexs eyes disappeared as he returned to his holy form. He glanced at Qianye with a surprised expression, saying, You actually managed to get here? Everyone seemed to have returned to before. Rex was like a looping machine that had been reset. Speechless, Qianye went through all the questions again in hopes of finding out more from Rex. This projection possessed a part of Rexs intelligenceit could still see through Qianyes Wings of Inception and remembered quite a lot of secrets. Apparently, he couldnt forget it even before his death. In the end, Qianye understood that Rex had left this consciousness in preparation for the Evernight Councils invasion of the new world. He wanted to round up experts to foil the councils plan with the help of the Attawa. Realizing that there wasnt anything left to ask and feeling fatigued in spirit, Qianye made ready to return to his body. It was at this time that a sudden glow ignited in the depths of Rexs eyes. A figure rose in the depths of those pupils, almost as though it had just woken up from a deep slumber. So its you, he said in a gloomy voice. No, Ive seen you before. When? Rex paused for a bit. It should be in the depths of space-time turbulence. I only saw a fragment of fate, but Ive been waiting for this day all along. Who are you at the moment? Im Rex, a consciousness left behind in the holy spirits will. The reason for my existence is to tell you one thing, all the answers you seek are in the holy mountain. Why go through all this trouble? Thats because some secrets must be kept eternally. They cannot be described, nor even remembered. They can only be stored in a certain state, Rex said implicatively. Qianye understood that it was probably something related to the darkness origins. It could not be spoken of nor remembered, only placed in a certain location. What the people needed to do was to remember that location. Having completed his mission, the glow in Rexs eyes faded away, and the silhouette began to disappear. Qianyes body was still leaning against the altar. He moved his body about after his return and felt relieved after finding that everything was fine. The elder knelt on the floor, saying, The Sperger tribe of the Attawa is willing to destroy the invading demons at all costs! The other warriors also fell on their knees and repeated the elders words. Qianye allowed them to stand and proceeded to ask about the Sperger clans territories, distribution, and military power. The thirteen Attawa tribes were fairly similar in their structure and development. The Sperger tribe was also supported by the dozen or so giant wargods, fairly similar to the Monroe. Back then, the Monroe tribe had sacrificed life and limb to pave the way to Progia, ultimately weakening his defensive field. The effect wasnt that great, either. It was far below expectations. Progia had fled immediately because Qianyes shot was much more powerful than he had expected. That battle wiped out hundreds of Attawa soldiers; not a single person survived. Over half of them had lost their lives as soon as the battle began. Now that he had a choice, Qianye didnt really want the Attawa soldiers to just throw their lives away. After thinking for a long while, Qianye said, Have some of your men take me to the holy mountain, the rest should go back to the tribe and prepare for war. The elder tasked the same three soldiers who had led Qianye here to take him to the holy mountain. He himself gathered the other tribesmen and left for their stronghold. Having assigned the missions, Qianye set out with his guides. As for the elder, he probably would never receive the order to mobilize. Things were different on their way to the holy mountain. Two of the soldiers walked in front and one brought up the rear, ready to fight to the death at any moment. It was one rundays distance to the holy mountain. Chatting along the way, Qianye noticed that the three Attawa soldiers hated the councils soldiers, but they were neutral toward humans and vampires. Now that was interesting. Qianye asked them why, but they couldnt explain it clearly, either. All they kept saying was that the demons would destroy this world. Since there was no answer, Qianye decided to stop asking. He would see the secret Rex had left behind when he arrived at the holy mountain. Perhaps it would tell him what exactly the darkness origins weresomething that could even make Andruil and Lilith fall out. Chapter 1443: The Holy Mountain Mother Tree The Attawa holy mountain stretched tens of thousands of kilometers, spanning over three rundays across the entire land. The ten-thousand-meter peak jutted into the skies with its upper half hidden behind the clouds. The inner worlds boundaries were limited by the sea of clouds above, making it almost impossible to venture beyond it. That was why the Attawas holy land wasnt on the peak itself, nor had anyone gone up there before. Even the giant wargods wouldnt last long if they were to go that high up. Qianye wouldn''t be able to move about at will, either. The Attawa holy land was located on a smaller adjacent mountain. It stood just a couple hundred meters below the sea of clouds. The Attawa who lived on the holy mountain numbered around two thousand. Their tall houses were cut from giant stones, with doors that stood over ten meters high. Qianye felt as though he had entered a giants nation. Some of the buildings were three stories high and fairly grand. The Attawa had built these tall buildings not because they loved spacious lodgings, but rather in preparation for their giant wargods. The Attawa possessed long arms and legs, with the stronger giant wargods standing seven to eight meters in height. They could touch the ceiling of these massive buildings just by raising their arms. In that context, the size of the structures wasnt ridiculous. In this inner world, the Attawa tribes were at the top of the food chain. Apart from some rare beasts, no other creature was their rival. Their long lifespans and peaceful living environments allowed for masonry to flourish. Hence, the buildings were covered in stone carvings, and as if that wasnt enough, there were hundreds of stone pillars showcasing the residents craftsmanship. Qianye followed the guide to the highest point in the holy land, where there was a giant stone hall that stood hundreds of meters tall. There were thirteen pillars in the plaza, each depicting the emblem of a different tribe. The rear side of the Attawa races holy temple was connected to the holy mountain. The first thing to greet Qianyes eyes upon entering was an incomparably large hall with a holy altar at the far end. This altar was similar to the one Qianye had seen at the Sperger tribes place, just ten times bigger. A row of aged Attawas stood before this altar, elders of the Monroe tribe judging from their clothing. On one side of the temple stood a dozen or so giant wargods. Taking into account the ones that had fallen, the Monroe tribe apparently had over twenty giant wargods and were much stronger than the Sperger clan. They certainly did not fail to live up to their name. On the other side were warriors and people of status from the tribe. Su Shi was also among them, just a bit further at the back. If Su Wen hadnt died, she would have had an important place here as well. When Qianye arrived at the center of the hall, the elders walked forward to greet him. Observing the guest carefully, one of the elders scattered a cloud of mist with a wave of his hand. The mist gradually turned dark red after coming into contact with Qianye. The old mans expression shifted drastically as he fell to his knees and called out, Theres no mistaking it, you are the Messiah the holy spirit spoke of. Our guardian tribe and the entire Attawa race have waited one thousand two hundred years for your arrival! Time wasnt the key here. Qianye said in a deep voice, The holy spirit has sent me a revelation and instructed me to visit the holy mountain. The secret to resisting the black demons is here. Qianye had to play along, seeing as how everyone was so solemn. The elder said, As expected, you have heard the holy spirits guidance. No one but the elder guardians know of the secrets the holy spirit had left behind. Qianye was speechless. The Attawa called this place the holy mountain and built a city here. Anyone could tell that the most likely place to find any secrets would be here. The elder stood up and led Qianye to one of the side windows. The giant hundred-meter window opened up toward the distant main peak of the holy mountain. The holy spirits inheritance is at the peak of the holy mountain. No Attawa can reach the peak, so youll have to go there on your own and search for the secrets. Qianye felt a bit anxious as he gazed at the distant mountain. Where was he going to search for a secret in such a large place? The holy summit was a sacred place for the Attawa, so they simply wouldnt step into the place. How would they know where Rexs secret was? Qianye felt helpless because there was no other choice. He would have to go up to the peak in search of the secret. All the Attawas were alarmed and angry. A giant wargod unleashed a loud warcry while beating his c.h.e.s.t. A loud commotion broke out as Attawas of all ages rushed out from every corner of the holy land to assemble in the plaza. There were even youngsters. Only the elders were calm. Follow us to the mother tree forest and see which of the black demons have arrived. This invitation was exactly what Qianye wanted; he also wanted to see what the mother tree looked like. This tree could detect his movements and lock onto him across great distances; it was surely not a simple tree at all. After leaving the great hall, the elder brought Qianye to a forest halfway down the mountain. The woods here were lush and verdant, no different from any other forest, except perhaps for the especially large trees scattered around the place. Qianyes attention was immediately drawn to those trees, as well as the strong entrenchment of Attawa soldiers around the forest. The elder said, The mother tree serves as the eyes of our Attawa race. She watches the entire land for signs of those destroyers and demons. Thats why we have always sent our strongest warriors to guard the mother tree. The guards bowed respectfully upon seeing the elder and opened up a path. There was a small trail in the forest snaking toward the giant mother trees. A small house could be seen under each of them where the keepers lived. Only a handful of elders possessed this ability. The keepers position was fairly important since they served as the tribes scouts. Qianye and the elder arrived under one of the mother trees, the one that had found traces of the black demons in its area. The elder talked to the keeper briefly before placing a hand on the mother tree and closing his eyes. He opened his eyes a while later, saying, Ive found the demons whereabouts, and the mother trees attention has been focused on that region. You can give it a try. Qianye imitated the old man by placing a hand on the tree. Although Rex had claimed to have bestowed upon him the power to communicate with the mother tree, a confirmation was still in order. The moment Qianye touched the mother tree, he felt as though his entire being was soaked in warm water. A warm sensation washed over his senses; even his consciousness turned hazy. It was just like when he had drunk the sacrificial wine back at the Sperger tribes altar, only stronger. He was accepted soon after his consciousness was suffused with warmth. Qianye came to understand that this warmth was likely the consciousness of the mother tree. It was just as Rex had saidhe had been accepted. Qianye relaxed, allowing his spirit to leave his body and merge into the mother tree. The scenery before him transformed immediately afterwardthe mountains and rivers flashed past his eyes and came to a stop in a certain part of the forest. The image was made up of countless scenes stitched together and overlapped. After adapting to the vision, Qianye realized that each individual scene originated from a single tree. The mother tree would simply bring all of them together and convert them into a single large image. Qianye could see hundreds of Evernight soldiers cutting down trees and clearing land. Some other experts were helping to process the lumber into wooden boards, which they would use to build wooden buildings. Most of them were arachne, but quite surprisingly, there were some vampires as well! Although Medanzo had sided with the council after the war on Twilight Continent, few vampire experts had ever appeared among the councils ranks. It could be that there were very few vampires following Medanzo, or maybe the council simply did not trust them enough. It was the same when the Evernight forces marched on the inner world; Qianye did not see any vampires in the Eternal Flames army. So, it was quite surprising that they had appeared here in this forest. A vampire walked out from behind the trees and entered Qianyes vision. The mother trees projection of the mans image was actually a bit distorted. Hmm? The vampire glanced toward Qianye. Qianyes expression shifted, and his gaze immediately turned cold. This person was actually the Lightless Monarch Medanzo! It could be said that the Azure Kings demise was Medanzos doing. The Demon King could not have destroyed half of the vampire race if it wasnt for his betrayal. Medanzo had played the most crucial role in the war as he was the one who had sealed off all channels of communication with the Queen. Chapter 1444: On the Holy Mountain Qianye stared at Medanzo through the mother tree, almost unable to contain the killing intent welling up inside. Why had the Lightless Monarch suddenly entered the new world? Had the vampires outside been completely suppressed? One thing he did know for sure. Since Medanzo had arrived here, he would have to remain here for eternity. Luck was on Qianyes side as well. Medanzos arrival happened to coincide with Qianyes ambush on Progia. The council had lost too many of its core experts, so Medanzo did not have much manpower to mobilize. There wasnt a single duke near Medanzo, and the strongest subordinate he had was a vampire glorious marquis. Qianye could restrain any vampire with his dark golden blood energy, making it impossible for them to bring out their full power. Qianye quickly calmed himself down despite the killing intent. No matter how weak Medanzo was, he was still a great dark monarch who had enjoyed great fame for hundreds of years. Just like with Progia, Qianye understood that he only had one opportunity. Without sufficient damage, he would not be able to force Medanzo into hiding. The Monroe tribe elder also saw everything through the tree. He was visibly shaken upon setting his eyes on Medanzo. Is this a black demon of destruction as well? Apparently, the word "destruction" was somewhat equivalent to "great dark monarch" in the Attawa tongue. Only great dark monarchs could render the Attawa tribes completely helpless and bring utter destruction. Im afraid so. Qianye realized that this wasnt good news, especially to the Monroe tribe who had lost a large number of elites. Unexpectedly, the elder said after some silence, If their objective is the holy mountain, our guardian tribe will pay any price to keep them out! I will help as best I can, but I need time. At least three days. Qianye could only give them such a promise. It wont be a problem if hes not approaching the holy mountain. If he does, we will do our best to give you three days time. After some thought, Qianye felt that he should let the Attawa know a bit more. Im going to prepare a weapon during this time. With it, we might just be able to put this black demon of destruction to sleep in this land. Without it, we will only be able to injure him, and hell surely return once he has healed, just like that previous one. The elder bowed deeply. We thank you for your trust. We will pay any price to get you three days time! Even if the holy guardian tribe is wiped out, it will be worth the sacrifice if we can kill the black demon. Qianye had no absolute confidence against a great dark monarch, but he might be able to escape with Spatial Flash and Bloodline Concealment even after missing the shot. Medanzo would not be able to capture every Attawa if they were to scatter, but he could take them down little by little if they dug in at the holy mountain. Experts at that level could not be killed with numbers alone. However, the elder was firm with his decision. We arent just the guardians of the Attawa race, but also the guardians of this world. Our Attawa soldiers were born to protect this world. Those black demons are destroyers, devourers that leave nothing alive in their wake. No soldier of ours can allow this to happen. This world nurtured us to destroy these otherworldly locusts! These vehement words left Qianye speechless. He did feel a bit awkward after hearing all that. With his understanding of the vampires and Medanzo, the Lightless Monarch was not a tyrant who would destroy everything in sight. On the contrary, he was a man who reveled in the finer things in life like wine, women, and food. The first thing on the mind of such a monarch would be to occupy and develop the territory. He probably wouldnt destroy everything and leave this world lifeless as the Attawa believed. Judging from the elders expression, this was clearly a belief that spanned many generations. Qianye knew that it was useless to explain, so he kept silent. Three days of time wasnt enough for Qianye to explore the holy mountain, but it was possible for him to search for Rexs secret. Since the man had instructed him to go there, he mustve left clear markings. Additionally, Qianye would use this time to fill the three bullets with dark golden blood energy. Qianyes bloodline was, after all, superior to Medanzos. The effects of bloodline suppression were quite evident among the vampires, so this bullet would come in handy against the Lightless Monarch. No matter how strong Medanzo was, he definitely wouldnt be able to take three shots of dark golden blood energy. If he didnt die from that, Qianye would still have the opportunity to close in and finish him off. While Qianye was lost in thought, Medanzos expression in the projection shifted noticeably as he turned to face the elder. The latter let out a pained cry, tears flowing out constantly as he closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Medanzos image became greatly distorted and almost indiscernible. The elder cut off the projection and fell limp to the ground. Qianye went over and asked, Are you okay? Im fine. I wont be able to see things for a few days, but the mother tree will be my eyes. Can you still monitor him? Qianye said with a frown. No problem. He mightve discovered that we were watching him, but not how we did it. Its useless even if he does, the mother tree can see through every tree, every plant, every bird, and every stone. He cannot destroy everything, so we will always find him. Feeling a bit calmer, Qianye went on to discuss where they would meet up upon his return. He then picked up the food and water the Attawa had prepared for him and left for the main peak. After leaving the holy land, Qianye stopped holding back with his speed. He immediately channeled Spatial Flash and vanished into the distance. After his departure, two giant wargods walked out from the ancient trees and exchanged glances. Impossible. The mother tree granted us the power to merge with the ancient trees. Regardless, we cannot catch up to him. Hes too fast. Yes, this is the first time Ive seen a creature move faster than the Attawa. Lets return and report to the elder what we saw. Conversing in the local tongue, the two giant wargods merged back into the tree. At this point, Qianye was already flashing across great distances, covering several kilometers with each move. The holy mountain was massiveeveryone could see it from a distance, but the distance up the mountain was much greater than expected. Qianye spent an entire hour just to reach the base of the main peak. Standing below the main peak, Qianye finally came to appreciate just how tremendous and grand this mountain was. His vision was completely occupied by it. It was almost as though the earth had surged up at this point and pierced into the sky. Anyone could tell that this mountain was at least hundreds of kilometers tall; there was simply no end in sight. Qianye took a deep breath and began his ascension. Back in the Evernight World, Qianye couldve reached the cloud layer in the span of a single breath, but things here were not the same. The higher he went, the greater the pressure he experienced. An immeasurable amount of living darkness origin power assailed him from all directions, almost like a congested road. All he could do was push through little by little until he was less than a hundred meters from the cloud layer. At this point, the density of darkness origin power was at a terrifying level. Qianye could even feel the darkness origin power become tangible. He could reach out and grab a handful of this cotton-like energy. The biggest issue here was that this origin power wasnt inanimate. It was alive and moving, much like a dense crowd of insects. This made the environment rather terrifying. From a certain perspective, this soft darkness origin power was extremely resilient and almost impossible to destroy. Moving through this environment felt like countless steel wires cutting into the flesh. Simply cutting in wasnt that much of a problem, but this living darkness origin power was no different from a powerful poison. Once inside, it would transform or activate the victims tissues, turning them into dozens if not hundreds of different microscopic lifeforms. Even Evernight experts would find their bodies breaking down under such circ.u.mstances. Giant wargods could also no longer survive at this point. Their massive but relatively frail bodies happened to be their weakest aspect. Speed and strength provided little help. Qianye didnt dare test out the waters with his body. Even if he could hold out against the origin power, his armor and clothes would break down. With a single thought, he unleashed his chaos domainthe greyish origin power pushed the living darkness energy away in a domineering fashion. The other side of the cloud layer was like a completely different world. The place was cold and desolate, without a single shred of origin power. The cloud layer was like a barrier that kept the darkness origin power out. This cloud layer was less than ten meters thick. Qianye shot through it in the blink of an eye and finally came to witness the real face of the holy mountain. Chapter 1445: Lord of Evernight The place above the clouds was desolate, but it wasnt entirely without life. There were some strange giant trees with pillar-like trunks and leaves that spanned dozens of meters. These dark green leaves were large, thick, and had countless feelers stretching out from their ends. These trees grew sparse, with thousands of meters between one another, almost as though they had their own territories. These trees reacted the moment Qianye arrived. The leaves arched up ever so slightly, almost as though they were about to attack and capture something. Qianye instinctively activated his bloodline concealment, upon which the leaves relaxed and went back to their normal state. Had they sensed the changes in origin power? Qianye activated his origin power vision to observe carefully. There was almost no origin power above the cloud layer, almost like a vacuum of energy. According to reason, this kind of environment wasnt suitable for any living being. Those with origin power would find their energy leaking out under the pressure. Then again, nature was full of miracles, just like how these trees were able to grow here. As for Qianye, his body was so strong that this bit of vacuum was negligible before his chaos origin power. After a moment of observation, a feeble wisp of origin power appeared in his vision. This shred of energy seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and simply began drifting along in the air. It had just arrived near one of the giant trees when the tentacles on the edges of the leaves swooped down and absorbed it, then returned to their normal state. Qianye finally understood. It turned out that these giant trees survived by capturing stray origin power in the air. Since they could capture origin power, they naturally could capture creatures with origin power. In that sense, these trees were carnivores that were more dangerous than they seemed. Qianye arrived underneath one of those giant trees and released a bit of origin power from his outstretched hand. Sensing the energy, the leaves swooped down at lightning speed and engulfed half of his body with its tendrils. The giant tree absorbed origin power to sustain itself, but Venus Dawn was no ordinary delicacy. Ingesting this blazing origin power was more like swallowing fire than eating. The trees nearby immediately sensed the emergence of Venus Dawn. This time, they werent hungry for it but rather fearful. The tendrils withdrew into the leaves, which rolled themselves tightly until they looked like sharp thorns. Qianye reached out to touch the tree trunk and stretched his consciousness inside. The giant tree was hard and firm, with a small cavity at the center. This cavity was actually filled with liquid origin power! The origin power inside the tree was neutral, perhaps even a bit toward the daybreak side. Most importantly, this origin power was extremely pure and showed no signs of life. Anyone could just absorb it as is. Qianye drew his azure blade and stabbed at one of the trees, producing a deep hole in the trunk. The sword energy drilled into the bark until the hole had reached the depths of the cavity. Faint green sap flowed out from the hole as Qianye pulled out his sword. This green sap was fairly viscous and had a silvery shine to it. Qianye cupped the fluid with his hand and, after some thought, drank it straight up. Within moments, he felt as though a fire had lit up in his c.h.e.s.t. The sudden surge of origin power kicked the Glory and Mystery chapters into motion, ready to devour the incoming food. Since Qianye surpassed the glorious marquis and divine champion ranks on either side of his cultivation, the Glory and Mystery chapters seemed to have gained a bit of spirituality. They would start moving whenever they encountered suitable origin power. That being said, it was rare to see them both so restless at the same time. This simultaneous operation went on naturally without a hitch, moving several times faster than they would on their own. Qianye suddenly realized that this was the true face of the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. The two chapters working in tandem was the true path. However, the world was always either Daybreak or Evernight, how could there be energy that could activate both chapters? That was why the Song Clan Ancient Scrollor the Scroll of Primal Chaos as it was known in earlier timeswas eventually forgotten and no one knew how to cultivate it. It certainly didnt help that training in just one aspect was a sure path to demise. Only the Song clan with its vast riches would dabble in the collection of ancient tomes. That was how some ignorant curator ended up paying a large sum for the Song Clan Ancient Scroll. Only after arriving in the inner world and coming into contact with the strange tree sap did Qianye realize that he could activate both chapters at the same time. The Glory and Mystery chapters revolved faster and faster in a clearly demarcated balance. This process produced an increasing supply of Venus Dawn and dark golden blood energy. The two top-grade origin powers entered the front and back covers of the Book of Darkness, nurturing the blood core and heart. The two organs began growing and evolving at a near-visible rate. At this point, a single thought from Qianye would send the origin power into the book to produce chaos origin power. However, he felt that it was better to upgrade his blood core and heart at this point. A better foundation would allow him to accommodate even more chaos origin power. This origin power was extremely powerful, heavy, and resilient. Qianye would need to modify his body once more in order to wield it at will. It was rather taxing for him to channel chaos origin power with just his ancient vampire physique. Qianye lost track of time while cultivating. Two days had passed by the time the two chapters came to a stop and he had finished digesting that sap. Qianye slowly opened his eyes and sensed the changes to his body. Two days of cultivation had brought about benefits equalling several months of work in the past. This speed was shocking! This speed wasnt without its limits, and the restriction was the giant trees sap. After two days and nights of cultivation, Qianye understood more about the origin power in the tree sap. This unstable energy was at the midpoint between Daybreak and Evernight, and the slightest nudge would send it off to one side. In essence, this strange origin power and chaos origin power were both at the midpoint between the Daybreak and Evernight. Yet, they were at opposite ends of this neutrality. Chaos origin power was heavy, resilient, and immovable once formed. The domain formed from it could be as light as a feather or as heavy as a mountain, even going so far as to suppress other domains. On the other hand, the strange origin power was at the extreme of transformation. It was constantly shifting between darkness and daybreak depending on the environment. The two were comparable in power, just standing at different ends of the spectrum. Qianye had only managed to condense chaos origin power with the help of the Book of Darkness. This strange origin power relied on the giant tree to exist and could only be stored in liquid form. Each and every tree here was a priceless treasure to Qianye. As long as he could keep absorbing the sap here, he would gain several decades worth of cultivation in just one month. With the Glory and Mystery chapters in hand, he simply had no fear of bottlenecks. All he needed was acc.u.mulation. This cloud layer was a priceless treasure land that could make up for his shortcomings. The only pity was that there were only a handful of such trees on this massive mountain. Qianye still needed to deal with Medanzo, but after finding this secret realm, he felt that there was no rush. Considering his skill in stealth and assassination, he could easily kill the vampire after acc.u.mulating enough power to break through to the heavenly monarch realm. He had spent two days cultivating. With only one day left, there was no way he could finish three origin bullets. He would be able to produce one at most, so his chances of killing the Lightless Monarch werent very high. Just as Qianye was pondering on his options, a familiar voice echoed behind him. Youve already discovered how to use the mirage moon origin power. That was fast! Although its a bit of a waste to absorb it like that, you already have chaos origin power anyway. This voice came out of nowhere and without prior notice. What surprised him the most was that he hadnt sensed the man appear at all. Qianyes perception could be considered equal to the heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs, even if not the most powerful in Evernight. Few experts could leave him completely helpless at this point. Turning back with a serious expression, Qianye saw a slender man standing there. His heart jumped wildly the moment he saw the person. How come its you?! The man stood with his hands behind his back. Why cant it be me? You werent you Qianye didnt know how to put it. There were countless theories about the mans fate, but two were the most prominent. One was that he had left to explore the void, the second was that he had fallen. What does the world say about me? The man laughed. Its fine if other people dont recognize me, but you? Havent you already met the consciousness I left behind? Seeing how well youve raised the wings, almost to the point of great success, I can tell that my decision was not wrong. Andruil! Qianye finally called out his name. I have many names, but Andruil is the name that accompanied me all this time. As for the Black-Winged Monarch, that title is not entirely necessary. If you wish to address me according to the law of the River of Blood you should call me Lord of Evernight. Chapter 1446: Fall Lord of Evernight. This was an address that would make everyone sigh; even Qianye felt his c.h.e.s.t tighten. The dark race titles werent given just randomly. They were given according to the attributes and power of the expert. This was especially true for princes and great dark monarchs. Certain powerful great dark monarchs obtained their titles from the River of Blood and the darkness origins. For instance, the Eternal Flame had resonated with the darkness origins during his ascension and was subsequently granted his title. Princes from any of the twelve major clans would receive a relevant title if they could ignite their clans seal, a prime example being the Flaming Crown Habsburg. A title bestowed by the origins wasnt just about fame or pleasantries. The expert had to possess corresponding power in order to be called as such. The only exception would be the supremes. Their titles were a form of recognition. Knowing full well about this tradition, Qianye naturally understood the meaning behind the title Lord of Evernight. It meant that Andruil had already reached the Sacred Mountain and could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Demon King and the Queen of the Night. Qianyes emotions were complicated. The vampires had produced yet another supreme, but they were almost wiped out by the war on Twilight Continent. Although it was widely accepted that the vampires would always thrive as long as the Queen of the Night was alive, it remained that the Azure King had already fallen. If only Andruil had appeared earlier... Qianye put these impractical thoughts aside and gazed deeply at the Black-Winged Monarch. This person the Lord of Evernight was similar to the image back in the secret realm, down to his demeanor and temperament. His long, dark hair flowed freely across his shoulders, and his skin beneath the black robes was as white as snow. He was shrouded in a layer of hazy light, and those eyes of his were as deep as the blue ocean. The mans aura was like the boundless night sky, boundless, majestic, and endless! Qianye collected his thoughts and said, I understand now. The secret of the holy mountain is you! Correct. But why did you hide yourself here? Unless theres something special about this place? Qianye had his doubts. With Andruils might as a supreme, why would he need to hide here? Even the Demon King himself would be on par with him at most. There is no particular secret here. If theres anything special here, its the mirage moon origin power hidden within those trees. This type of origin power is too unstable for people to utilize, and you were simply using it as fuel just now. Even I have only grasped a fraction of its characteristics. Andruil gazed deeply into Qianyes eyes. You shouldve realized by now that the apex of this world is the coexistence of daybreak and evernight. Be it the daybreak origins or the darkness origins, both of them are defective on their own. They require each other to provide meaning to their existence and draw out their power. Thats why your chaos origin power and my mirage moon origin power are far stronger than all the others out there. Qianye nodded, shaken by this sudden revelation. At the very least, Andruil had proven that he had successfully cultivated the mirage moon origin power. Andruils strength was at the peak of the great dark monarch realm, to begin with. With the mirage moon origin power aiding him, it was only a matter of time before he would become a supreme. At this point in the conversation, Andruil laughed self-deprecatingly. Its comical that fighting is the only way for us to measure power. In truth, this type of mysterious strength can be applied to many fields. There are hundreds of types of doc.u.mented origin power, perhaps thousands if we dissect them in detail. There is no useless type of origin power; people just didnt know how to apply them. Over tens of thousands of years, we only saw one single use for origin power and that is to kill. At the very least, we should use it to explore the void. Qianye remembered hearing about this somewhere. I met an interesting person, a young lord of the demonkin race called Anwen. He has no interest in fighting and only wishes to explore the void. He says he wants to break through this cage and reach for the vast world outside. Inconceivable. Qianye sighed. Anwen was one of the rare dark race members that Qianye admired. Suddenly remembering something, Qianye said, Your other consciousness can communicate with your main body? This was something even the Pointer Monarch couldnt do. Andruil said, This is just one of the simplest uses of the mirage moon origin power. I had only touched on the hems of it back then. I will hear and see whatever my projections do. Qianye finally understood why the legendary Black-Winged Monarch dared to challenge Lilith. He had already stepped into the realm of mirage moon. At the mention of this, Andruil sighed. But this thought didnt originate from Anwen. It was Yuqing. She was the one who made me understand how vast this universe was, so vast that there was no need to fight or exterminate a certain race. Every blade of grass, every tiny creature was a part of the greater whole. Qianye shook his head. The thought is all well and good, but its not practical. All else aside, the Empire and Evernight have been fighting for a thousand years, the enmity acc.u.mulated cannot be dissolved so easily. Andruil said, Correct. In truth, its not just between humans and Evernight. The races of Evernight also have deep vendettas between them that cannot be resolved. The only way is to become the strongest, even stronger than the supremes. Only then will you be able to suppress the entire realm and wipe out all enmity. Those who are unresigned to the suppression will still start wars. A war to stop all wars Andruil shook his head with a sigh. I know this isnt practical, but theres an ancient human saying that goes do what you can but resign yourself to fate. I only did what was within my power. As for why Im hiding here What?! Qianye was shocked. Andruils figure turned a bit blurry at this point. Only then did Qianye realize that this person before him was only an illusion. Qianye possessed the Eye of Control yet he still failed to realize it. This went to show just how powerful the mirage moon origin power was in terms of illusions. What truly shook Qianye was the fall of a supreme. Andruil didnt really mind. Actually, my fate was sealed the moment I made my decision. To speak of the details, we have to begin from the discovery of the new world... Chapter 1447: Lost Season Everything began during ancient times. Andruil had yet to become the Black-Winged Monarch. He was just a youngster with wild ambitions, talented but not at the peak by any measure. The Monroe clan was full of powerful talents, and that made it hard for him to stand out. All changes began when Andruil awoke. After his awakening, Andruils bloodline reached the extreme of strength, and his cultivation improved meteorically. Looking at his bloodline talents, the prince in charge of the Monroe Clan announced that this youngster had awakened the bloodline of a second-generation primogenitor. Thereafter, he came to be known as Andruil. After the awakening, memories related to this world appeared in Andruils mind. Back then, he only remembered the existence of the new world and that experts had made their way there before. He was one of the pioneers. The new world changed after that attempted invasion, driving off all outsiders and hiding itself in the depths of the void. Yet the experts knew that the world would appear again, so they had been waiting for this opportunity. Whatever he remembered about the new world was blurry and fragmented. Whatever he could recall was no different from an old man recounting his childhood. According to reason, this shouldnt happen to experts like Andruil. He shouldve been able to remember everything down to the smallest detail. Seeing Qianyes puzzled expression, Andruil said, Have you realized it? Be it Evernight or the Empire, their memories of the past are now blurry, and many historical facts are contradictory. None of this shouldve happened. After all, there are some old monsters still living to this day. Qianye felt that this really was the case. Humans of the Empire used to be slaves and livestock before their rise to power, but why would Evernight have the same problem? At the very least, their three supremes had lived through the long millennia. Ignore those distant characters, even Nighteye couldnt remember her identity after awakening, either. The Azure King never mentioned anything about it despite frequently accompanying Nighteye. Perhaps he wasnt trying to keep it a secret, but rather, he didnt remember things clearly, either. In fact, the rise of the human race was the dividing line, that period where the Empire was established, Andruil said in a relaxed tone. The Lightless Monarch was an awakened second-generation primogenitor. He had personally witnessed the Founding Ancestor of the human race rise from the lowest rungs of society. He watched as the man swept through all adversaries, walking out of the Twilight Continent and onto the path that would lead to the Empires founding. The Lost Season? Qianye had never heard of this name. This is a legend known only amongst the higher echelons of the Evernight Council, its natural that outsiders are not privy to it. I just happened to be qualified enough to hear of it. The so-called Lost Season was a wave of forgetfulness that struck the most powerful experts. Just like a dream, we saw and experienced many inconceivable things, but we forgot them in the blink of an eye, so much so that I can no longer recall whether certain events were dreams or reality. Only after the Lost Season ended did we realize that the humans had risen up in rebellion and mustered several impressive armies. Almost overnight, they had found suitable cultivation techniques and possessed top experts of their own. Even the supremes couldnt say they could beat the Founding Ancestor back then! How did these experts appear out of nowhere? According to the Empires history, the Founding Ancestor had led the twelve generalspillars of the human raceacross thousands of kilometers. He first defeated the pursuing army, then fought the Evernight alliance to a draw with both sides sustaining heavy damage. The council was forced to recognize the human races status, allowing the Empire to build their first home on Evernight Continent. Thinking back on it, things had been all too easy. Qianye understood that the humans had managed to get through the calamity only because of the Lost Season, during which the strongest great dark monarchs and supremes were unable to take action. Andruil recalled the matter in silence. Actually, I sensed the daybreak origin power of the world becoming much denser for no good reason, it used to be beyond sparse. All of this came about after the fall of the Void Valley Star. My memory of that time is rather fuzzy, and I simply dont remember when or why the star fell. That time period was called the Lost Season because all top experts could no longer recall the events clearly, almost as though some great power had wiped away our memories. With each passing day, more gaps appeared in our memories. The Queen shouldve been the most resistant to this erosion of memories, but something happened to the River of Blood. She was deeply impacted by the event and had to hibernate for long periods of time since then. Because of the Lost Season, everyones memory of the new world is unclear. Only a handful of people remember its existence and kept on waiting for the next opportunity to enter. To the supremes, there is nothing more important than the new world because the darkness origins are here. Qianye finally took the opportunity to ask, What exactly is the darkness origins? Qianye looked up in surprise. Thats the darkness origins?! Even if it is, what use does anyone have for it? Qianye couldnt help but say. The black sun was more of a natural phenomenon than a resource. He had only heard of people seeking to occupy certain islands and continents. No one has ever tried to conquer the upper continents, let alone the sun. Qianye gazed at the black sun, thinking how the darkness origins could be utilized. Andruil broke out in laughter. Who said you need to use the darkness origins? Its existence is the most meaningful thing in and of itself. I dont understand, Qianye said honestly. Andruil said, Its not hard to understand. Think, what would we do if we wanted to wipe out the humans entirely? As someone who had led armies and conquered numerous territories, Qianye replied immediately, Of course, you would have to muster a great force. First, keep the divine champions and heavenly monarchs in check, then destroy the Empires army. Lastly, youll have to wipe out the civilians and round up the escapees. Will that even work? Andruil asked. Chapter 1448: No Daybreak Qianye cast his thoughts to the side. This will be a long process with many variables Evernight and the Empire have fought for a thousand years, yet the humans grow stronger and stronger instead of being destroyed. Why do you think that is? This problem was a complex one. Countless scholars had studied this topic, but there were many different answers. Qianye himself knew of five different theories, including bloodline, heavenly intervention, natural selection, etc. With Qianyes experience in leading a pioneering force on Fort Continent, he felt that the Empire produced intelligent people at every level of society and that was something Evernight could not hope to match. In addition to that, there was no lack of people willing to die for the cause when necessary. There were people like Lin Xitang who had decided the Void Continent war single-handedly, with Song Zining picking up the marshals flag in Blacksun Valley. By the time Evernight had dispatched Nighteye to defeat the Empire, Zhao Jundu and Song Zining stepped forward to hold the last line of defense. Meanwhile, Qianye raised a royal banner to challenge Evernightthat was how that earth-shattering battle began. Finally, the Empire gained the right to set foot in the new world. After the war in Blacksun Valley, word in the Empire was that the new generation of generals had taken up the mantle of the Empires paragons and become pillars of the nation. Yet, Qianye knew that relying on generals and talented experts wouldnt solve the problem of a millennium-long war. There were too many unpredictable factorsthose heroes were heroes whether they won or lost. The thousand years of the Empires history could not be placed in the hands of a select few. If the discussion was about heroes, Evernight produced a steady stream of them as well. After some thought, Qianye simply couldnt come up with a perfect explanation. I dont know. Andruil smiled. Thats only normal. Countless scholars have tried to explain this throughout the years, yet they were never able to produce a satisfactory answer. Whatever the explanation is, the coincidence is too uncanny. Perhaps coincidence itself is the real explanation. There can only be one reason for all these coincidences happening at the same time its fate, this is how it should be. This isnt right, is it? Qianye had never imagined that the great Black-Winged Monarch was a believer of fate. In truth, the Evernight Council prophets were the ones who believed the least in fate, especially Predicas faction. You only need to look back at the rise of the human race to see that there were all too many coincidences. A single broken link in the chain of events wouldve led to the elimination of the human race, yet the Empire had breezed through the crises and remained standing. Isnt that good fortune? Qianye didnt know how to respond. Qianye said, I dont have that much of an effect, do I? Andruil said, Oh but you do, so much more than you think. Think of it this way, fate was always on the humans side at every critical juncture. Once, twice, or even for hundreds of years is not an issue, but it has been this way for a thousand years. Now thats not normal, is it? Qianye was stunned. He also found it rather inconceivable after some thought. The chances of this happening was even lower than a sudden rock from the sky killing the Demon King in his home. Andruil said, Thats why there can only be one conclusion. Humans have a way to control fate, and at the very least, we still dont know what that is. Centuries have passed by, and yet the so-called prophets of the council are like barbarians compared to the human experts. Qianye didnt know what to say. From his standpoint, he would never help think of a plan to destroy the human race. On the other hand, he was not privy to the secrets of the Empire since he was never an official part of the upper echelons. Thats why it''s definitely not practical to try and exterminate the human race, or even stop their rise. The supremes came to this conclusion several hundred years ago. The power of fate is too mysterious and unpredictable; its almost impossible to set it to work in that direction. And quite frankly, they want to destroy their archenemies more than they wanted to destroy the Empire. At this point, Andruil laughed self-deprecatingly. Even if I were in their shoes, Id prioritize destroying the werewolves instead of the humans. Infighting was an old problem for the dark races. Only after becoming a vampire did Qianye realize that this so-called in-fighting was something the Empire saw from its perspective. For each of the dark races, any race other than their own was an outsider. That being said, humans are still a common enemy of the dark races. The supremes wont mind working together temporarily to destroy them. Qianye frowned. I refuse to believe that different races cannot coexist. In fact, my territory on Fort Continent is home to werewolves and humans, there are also people from other races. Everyone lives a fairly good life. Didnt you say humans cannot be exterminated? Its definitely hard to destroy a race that can secretly control fate itself. After all, something would always disrupt the flow of things at the most critical juncture. There is, however, something that can overpower fate itself. Qiuanye asked in surprise, What is that? Humans are the only daybreak lifeforms, and their existence relies on it. The best way to exterminate the human race isnt to kill all of them, but to wipe away all daybreak origin power. How is that even possible?! Qianye couldnt believe what he had just heard. This would be even more difficult than killing off every human in the world. This was a natural law! Its impossible under normal circ.u.mstances, but the darkness origins can make that a possibility. Look, do you see daybreak origin power in the inner world? Of course theres hmm? Qianye stopped halfway through. Andruil chuckled. Youve finally realized it? This world can actually exist without any daybreak origin power. This was different from what Qianye had learned since childhood. What he knew was that daybreak and darkness existed alongside one another, maintaining a mutual balance that was the foundation of this world. Even the Song Clan Ancient Scroll was hinting at this logic. Chapter 1449: Path to Destruction Could the world exist if there was only darkness or daybreak origin power? There was no need to reply to this question. That was because the races of Evernight had only experienced one worldperhaps the Great Maelstrom could also be considered one. Daybreak and darkness existed side by side in these two worlds. Only experts could set foot in the recent new world, and they didnt really make for good test subjects regarding the world. According to Qianyes observation, the inner world wasnt totally devoid of daybreak origin power. That wasnt important anymore because humans had no way to survive under such conditions. Noticing Qianyes thoughts, Andruil said, Do you understand now? The daybreak origin power around the darkness origins will erode and transform, producing a pure Evernight World. And humans will surely perish in it. Qianye looked up at the black sun hanging in the sky, a never-setting sun that illuminated the entire world in silence. It was pouring down darkness origin power every moment of its existence, just like a single eye looking over myriads of life. Qianye suddenly realized something. Could it be that the daybreak origin power in the outer new world was repelled by the inner world? You could say that, but those are just scattered remnants. One day, the inner world will surely assimilate the outer layer, and there will be no more daybreak origin power left here. At this point, Andruil paused for a bit. A bit of daybreak origin power can still remain in this world and the surface layer, but how about Evernight? Where will the daybreak origin power go? The most probable scenario is that a thin layer of daybreak origin power will form around the Evernight World, but the humans will die off all the same. Qianye turned silent. Even if a layer of daybreak origin power were to form, the energy would become as thin as a sheet of paper after spreading across such an area. And how would humans live at that time, on airsh.i.p.s? The Empires current technology wasnt enough to cross the boundless void in search of a new home. Throughout history, the Empire and Evernight had been trying to destroy one another other, but neither had thought to destroy a type of origin power to this end. Qianye said all of a sudden, The Demon King spoke of a pure Evernight World. Is this what he was looking for? Qianye still felt skeptical as he gazed at the sun in the sky. But how is he going to move this sun back to the Evernight World? Andruil shook his head. You underestimate the darkness origins. This is a terrifying power that can change entire worlds. They only need to set up a stable passage between here and Evernight. Before long, the entire world will become a land of darkness. Even the demonkin wont be able to adapt to this living origin power, will they? Not in this generation, but they will evolve and adapt at one point. Even the supremes of the Sacred Mountain are determined to make this sacrifice for the future. Isnt this completely different from what the world believes? Everyone says as long as the supremes remain, its fine even if all the other members die. Andruil said, Thats because they dont understand the supremes, nor will they ever come into contact with them. From what I know, the Spider Queen has been making sacrifices to produce more arachne experts. Otherwise, she would be stronger than she is now. The Demon King and Lilith sigh! At the mention of the Queen, Andruil let out a long sigh and went silent. After a while, Andruil said, Our first conflict was on the topic of bringing in the darkness origins. I felt that introducing the origins would change the Evernight World too drastically, and that might not be a good thing. There had to be a better way to suppress the humans. I met Yuqing later on. It is she who made me realize that every intelligent creature in this world had a right to live. We can fight and can kill enemies on the battlefield, but we should not commit genocide. Lilith changed completely after the Lost Season. She became more stubborn and believed firmly that humans were the greatest threat to the Evernight World, even more so than the demonkin. In the three hundred years following the Lost Season, she pushed war after war against the Empireall the while ignoring the Demon King. Back then, neither Reynold nor I managed to dissuade her. At one point, I asked her what exactly she had seen that made her that way. She said she saw the future during the Lost Season but that her memories were blurry afterward. I lost the battle. She didnt kill me, but just like she wouldnt give up on the darkness origins, I wouldnt let Yuqing and her people die in my generation. Everything that followed was no different from the legends. I arrived in the new world on my own and converted my blood energy to mirage moon origin power. Qianye suddenly noticed something familiar in Andruils aura, almost as though he had sensed it somewhere recently. Dont tell me Correct, youve noticed it. The so-called will of the new world is my will. For countless years, I attempted to merge myself into the world because that is the only way I can stand against the three supremes. Yet, time was not on my side. All I can do at this point is nudge the world in certain directions. Qianye finally understood why the malicious intent of the new world had ignored the Empire and targeted Evernight. War cannot wipe out the human race. It will, at most, weaken them, and that is an outcome I can accept. But to draw in the darkness origins and wipe out an entire race is something I cannot agree to. Its not like I want to help the human race, but I dont want Yuqings descendants to be wiped out. Since you can channel the will of the new world, why did you die? With Andruils strength and the new world as his foundation, he shouldve been more or less immortal. Why did he fall? She discovered my existence after entering the outer world. The three supremes then worked together to break the world between the inner and outer worlds. The passage through which you entered was their masterpiece. Its just that a certain person appeared when the passage opened, and her existence forced me to come out and fight the supremes. Lilith is still the same as before. Even in my peak state, even with my perfect control over the mirage moon origin power, I was only able to fight her to a draw At this point, Andruil laughed. She didnt want to kill me, but the Demon King and the Spider Queen didnt show any mercy. I already knew this day would come hundreds of years ago. Well, they also paid a steep price to kill me, suffice to say theyre not having a good time now. Chapter 1450: All For One Person Qianye finally realized why the supremes went silent after the opening of the new world, even though the various races had come together. In the very beginning, he had thought that the united dark races would be able to suppress the Empire even without the supremes taking action. It turned out that the supremes had actually fought a perilous battle against Andruil at the opening of the new world. The Blacksun Valley was a scar left behind by that battle. It was now clear why the will of the new world was so hostile toward the dark races. As an expert growing ever closer to the apex, Qianye knew very well what it meant for a single person to fight an entire race. If this was true for a grand duke, how would it be for a supreme like Andruil who had successfully cultivated the mirage moon origin power, something no one had ever done before? He would surely become an expert on the same level as the Queen of the Night given enough time, perhaps even stronger. However, he had chosen to fight the supremes to the deathto guard the darkness origins and save humanity from destruction. Qianye didnt know what to feel at that moment. He simply felt that it was unreal and unbelievable. How did things turn out like this? Andruil seemed to have seen through Qianyes thoughts. I didn''t do it for the human race, much less for the Empire. I only have one reason, and that is Yuqing. Nangong Yuqing? Qianye became absent-minded. He had gone through the records related to the lady and found very few doc.u.ments that mentioned her. She was leagues away from Andruil be it in terms of status or background. At the mention of Nangong Yuqing, Andruil sighed mournfully. Keeping a promise at all costs, Qianye was no stranger to this feeling. Qianye had a feeling that the entanglement between the supremes was much deeper than he had imagined. This was, after all, something that had gone on for hundreds of years. You said someone unexpectedly appeared and that led to your loss? Who is she? The loss was inevitable; Im not sure I couldve defeated Lilith even without the Spider Queen and the Demon King. Even if I could kill her, I wouldnt have the heart to do so since she had spared me several times already. My fate was already sealed, so why bother? The sooner this ended, the sooner I would get to see Yuqing. Say, do you think theres a next life after death? Qianye didnt know how to reply. Andruil had long since fallen, yet he was still asking such a self-evident question. Apparently, he already knew the answer but was simply unresigned. Without a next life, there would never be a reunion. Andruil didnt wait for Qianye to reply, nor did he want to tell Qianye who it was that he had run into. He turned toward the distant skies and said, Regardless, I want to believe there is. My time is up, Ill be going now. The mirage moon origin elixir here will pave the last leg of the way to you becoming a great dark monarch. Do you need me to do anything? Waving his hand, the Black-Winged Monarch thus walked toward the horizon and vanished. The legendary Black-Winged Monarch, the Lord of Evernight, had left this world forever. His fight against the three supremes was destined to fade away in the river of time, never to be known. And Qianye was the only one who knew the reason behind that fight. For some reason, he felt his eyes start to moistenit was perhaps the strong wind blowing into his eyes. Only when that familiar figure had faded away did Qianye remember something. Come back! You havent told me how to use the Wings of Inception! His voice echoed in the empty space, but no one replied. Dazed, Qianye thought he saw Andruil appear in the air, waving his hand casually as he said, Use it however you want to. Moments later, Qianye returned to his senses. Andruil was gone... forever. Perhaps a fragment of his consciousness might remain in some unknown corner of the world, but that was just a mechanical projection with no spirit. Qianye had many questions he wanted to ask, especially about the relationship between the Queen of the Night and Andruil. However, Andruil seemed intent on taking the past to his grave. Qianye felt emotional. If Andruil and the Queen had not fallen out like this, another Lord of Evernight would have appeared on the Sacred Mountain, and the vampire race would surely surpass the others. This power structure would remain until this day. With the addition of Nighteye and Qianye, the vampires might even conquer the entire Evernight World. The war on Twilight Continent would not have happened, and the Azure King would be able to wake up from time to time for a stroll. Andruil was gone, but the war was still ongoing. Qianye and his chaos origin power could be considered a different version of Andruil. This war against the demonkin and the Evernight council was destined to stretch to the end of time. Qianye stood silently for a while, then left the secret realm for the holy land. He could absorb the mirage moon origin power anytime; the urgent matter at hand was to stop Medanzo. The journey back was much faster. After a series of Spatial Flashes, Qianye was once again at the borders of the holy land. The area was filled with the clamor of moving soldiers as they assembled in the plaza. A number of giant wargods were sitting on the ground, and other tribesmen were helping them don their armor. Every a.d.u.l.t male and female was a soldier, so the children had taken up the duty of shipping and moving things about. Qianye arrived in the air above with a single flash. There, he saw a small group of twenty soldiers setting out toward the battlefield. Qianye pulled a nearby elder over and pointed at the group. Where are they going? The battlefield, of course! Weve started fighting against the black demon! the elder said. The elder was puzzled. Wont that just delay things? Theres half a days distance between here and the battlefield. Qianye was speechless. Tell them to stop and wait. Set out when the entire force has been assembled. Where is the battle taking place, Ill head over now. The elder told Qianye the direction, which he confirmed with his perception. If even the Attawa had to run for several hours, this meant that the battlefield was over a thousand kilometers away from the holy mountain. Their forces were sparse, to begin with, yet they had chosen such a distant battlefield. Qianye simply didnt know what to make of this. The elder said as if everything was right and proper. We will not let those black demons taint our holy mountain! Thats why we should fight them as far away as possible! Chapter 1451: Madness Qianye knew he couldnt hope for the Attawa to have any knowledge of war. The holy mountain was more like a religion to them, and there was little room for negotiation when it came to religion. Even the blessing he had received from the holy spirit did little to change this fact. Qianye discarded any thoughts of contracting the frontlines to near the holy land, but he wasnt about to ignore the Attawas lousy tactics. It was too late to rush over nowa couple hundred Attawa and their giant wargods would not last against the Lightless Monarch. Hence, Qianye grabbed the elder and practically roared into his ears, Listen to me if you dont want your soldiers dying for nothing. Only I can handle that black demon of destruction, understand? The elder stared at Qianye for a moment. I dont trust you, but I trust the holy spirit. I dont need your trust, either, if not for that black demon. Qianye felt tired, having to deal with such stubborn and primitive people. He had just gone through an eternal parting with Andruil, so he wasnt in a great mood. Perhaps realizing his inadequacy or maybe due to the heavy losses from the battle before, the elders tone relaxed a bit. Well listen to you for this battle, but remember that the Attawa are not afraid of sacrifice. Sacrifice and throwing away ones life are two different things. The meaning behind these words was probably too complicated for the elder. Having obtained the authority of command, Qianye immediately reorganized all combat-ready forces into one unit. He also appointed a new commanding officer. This time, there were a total of five hundred soldiers and three giant wargods. Only the old and the sick would remain in the holy land after this squad left. Facing this organized unit, Qianye hesitated for a while before saying, Those with crystals, stand out. Roughly a hundred soldiers stepped out. You know what to do when the battle begins, right? Qianye nodded, then proceeded to do an equipment check. There wasnt much to do in that regard since the Attawa wore very simple gear. They couldnt really develop anything new, either, in this short period of time. Having completed the battle preparations, Qianye ordered the army to move toward the battlefield. He did restrict their speed of advancement, just enough so that they would meet the enemy forces in a relatively complicated landscape. Far off in the distance, the Lightless Monarch was hovering over a swathe of corpses. Two lifeless giant wargods remained fixated in a combat position, having fought to their very last breath. They had died a fairly miserable death with missing limbs and body parts. Medanzos vampire subordinates started sweeping the battlefield while the monarch was lost in thought. He came to after a while and said, There cant be anything good on these natives, stop searching and lets just set out. The vampires of course didnt question the order, but an arachne marquis said, Your Majesty, these natives possess considerable power, the bodies themselves are quite valuable. Medanzo raised his brows. Are you questioning my order? I wouldnt dare. This is just a suggestion. A dangerous glint flickered in the depths of Medanzos eyes as his voice became noticeably gentle. Dont forget that the Queen of the Night is still the most important pillar after we establish the new world order. The arachne race still isnt qualified to reign above the vampires, let alone a tiny marquis like you. Its very possible and likely that youll fall in battle here. The marquis wasnt afraid. Im a direct descendant of the Spider Queen. The arachne marquis expression shifted drastically. He was just about to flee when Medanzos figure blurred out and disappeared. A sword appeared through the marquis c.h.e.s.t almost immediately afterward. A downward movement of the monarchs wrist split the arachne into two, spraying blood all over Medanzo. The latter remained still with his eyes narrowed, seemingly enjoying the sensation. He opened his eyes after a while, saying, As expected, the Spider Queens taste is matchless. All vampires went about minding their own business, almost as though they were deaf and dumb. No one saw or heard anything. Medanzo let out a sudden laugh. No need to fear or worry. The arachne have been a lowly race since ancient times, they simply cannot be compared to a noble race like ours. In fact, you guys dont understand the foundations and history of the vampire race, nor do you know how many powerful entities the River of Blood has produced. Even the demonkin can only become our servants in the future. The vampire subordinates below nodded repeatedly as though they were greatly honored. What they were actually thinking, though, was an entirely different matter. At the very least, these vampires were those who had surrendered back on the Twilight Continent. Such an action couldnt be considered noble by any measure. As capable experts, they did have a modic.u.m of self-realization. They understood pretty well that even if the vampire race rose to power in the future, it would have nothing to do with them. The Lightless Monarch didnt force things, either. A wave of dark purple origin power swirled around him as he absorbed the blood on his body. He gazed in the direction of the holy mountain with a fervent expression. You guys will never know that the vampire race had two supremes at one point! You will never know The vampire subordinates began heading out to scout the path, keeping their distance from Medanzo. They were just small characters and had no idea what the relationship was between the Queen of the Night and the Lightless Monarch, nor did they know where he had gotten the confidence to kill the Spider Queens descendant. As members of a long-lived raceand people who had surrendered before the war even beganall they wanted was to leave this damn place alive. Immediately after taking the first step, he stopped all of a sudden and fired several blades of dark purple blood energy at the nearby trees. Havent you watched enough? Medanzo sneered. The vampires didnt know what Medanzo was saying. They merely followed from behind, trembling and afraid to glance around. Far in the distance, Qianyes consciousness was connected to the mother tree as he gazed coldly at Medanzo. The image darkened in several areas as the trees were cut down, but it was repaired very quickly. Medanzo would never be able to escape this surveillance unless he could cut down every tree. Chapter 1452: Lightless Domain It wasnt easy for two small squads to run into one another in this vast world, but Qianye had the help of the mother tree and Medanzo was also actively searching for the enemy. The two armies soon came face to face at the designated location. The landscape in the area was complicated, with several giant stone pillars. The trees between these stone structures werent any shorter, and the land itself was uneven. The lay of the land made it difficult to snipe from a distance, but it was suitable for the Attawa soldiers. The Lightless Monarch, of course, wouldnt mind such a minor inconvenience. On the contrary, he hoped enough natives would come together. That would save him some time. When he sensed a tremendous killing intent between the quiet trees in front of him, the man laughed and led his troops forward. A wind stirred in the quiet forest, carrying the strange warcries of the Attawa soldiers. It was difficult to tell just how many people there were as the cries stirred from all directions. Medanzos subordinates looked rather fearful as they stuck closer to the monarch. These Attawa were like ants to Medanzo; their great numbers only meant that he would have to spend a bit more time. It was different for his subordinatesany random soldier in the Attawa army was no weaker than them, and those giant wargods were far more powerful. Just like a fight between a well-equipped hunter and a wild beast, it was difficult to tell who would come out alive in a duel. Medanzo noticed his mens expressions. Trash. He sneered as his figure vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, there was an Attawa in his hand. Medanzo grasped the mans throat tightly, his expression so warm that it felt eerily distorted. Just like that, he watched the prey in his hand struggle and descend to his inevitable doom. More Attawa appeared from nearby, waving their weapons in anger. Medanzos smile only grew more exaggerated as he found their fury comical. Finally, one of the soldiers could no longer hold back. He charged over with a loud roar, reaching for his crystal halfway through. Medanzo did nothing for a while. Only when the soldier was close by did he reach out at lightning speed and tossed the soldier away. Qianyewho had been observing the scene in secretraised his brows in surprise. It would seem Medanzo had already experienced this tactic and had developed a way to deal with the suicidal attacks. However, Qianye wasnt moved by this. He simply remained in place like a cold rock, his aura contained as he waited for the perfect opportunity. The battle reached its climax very soon as one Attawa after another jumped at Medanzo. The giant wargods also attacked at the same time. The air was filled with the sound of spears and javelins. The weapons were hurled with such power that even Medanzo didnt want to block them head-on. The Lightless Monarchs figure flickered repeatedly within a small area, evading all of the attacks with relative ease. His subordinates, however, did not have his capability. Miserable cries rang out as three vampires were pierced by javelins and collapsed to the ground. Trash! Medanzo couldnt care less about the fate of his men. All he did was express his dissatisfaction. The man attacked all of a sudden, throwing back several Attawa soldiers who had just crushed their crystals. His movements were brief and swiftthe three warriors flew back dozens of meters back into the crowd, where they exploded after a brief pause. The powerful explosion did little to Medanzo, but the charging Attawa behind were gravely injured. Qianye was moved ever so slightly. He knew that over a hundred Attawa had fallen, but he remained motionless still. During the first battle, his opportunity had only come after Su Wen sacrificed herself. The situation on the battlefield changed once again. The Attawa soldiers learned to adjust their tactics amidst the pain and losses. They no longer sent their elites forward to commit suicide and instead conserved their fighting power. Using the giant wargods as support, they began encircling Medanzo from a distance. The ordinary soldiers moved to protect the giant wargods, whose attacks even the Lightless Monarch wasnt willing to take head-on. In the blink of an eye, there were dozens of Medanzos on the battlefield, making it difficult to tell where the real person was. The blood beasts that appeared in the domain were all transformed into images of himself. Just from this, it was easy to say that Medanzos title as great dark monarch was well deserved. One Attawa soldier after another fell during this process. Their counterattacks only struck the illusions, unable to threaten the real Medanzo. With enough time, Medanzo could take down even a thousand Attawa soldiers. These werent ordinary natives but a thousand experts, the weakest of whom were counts. Only a single giant wargod in the entire Attawa force could barely keep up with Medanzos movements. However, his spears would always curve around the great dark monarch as though space itself was distorted there. The giant wargod was both furious and puzzled. He did the only thing he couldhurl the spears with even greater poweryet none of them hit their target. Even the lightning and wind powers on the javelins would always warp and deviate from the target. The giant wargods frustrated roars filled the battlefield, but all they received in return was a sneer from Medanzo. The Lightless Monarchs vicinity wasnt empty in Qianyes vision. Countless strands of blood energy weaved together to form mirrors that distorted the vampires image. Medanzos body wasnt where others perceived it to be. It wasnt that the spears trajectories were distorted or curved, but rather, they had aimed at an empty spot in the first place. It was just that the spears imagery was warped, so the giants saw their weapons going in a curve. Qianye was as calm as still water when he pulled the trigger. But all of a sudden, his origin power began to churn as Medanzo turned in his direction with an eerie smile. Ive been waiting for you! Chapter 1453: Truth Medanzos words did not shake Qianye. He pulled the trigger as though he had heard nothing at all, his finger as firm as a mountain. Dragonsgrave rumbled as an origin bullet left the chamber and shot straight toward an empty space near Medanzo. The monarchs expression shifted drastically as his figure flickered in an impossible direction, appearing right in front of the bullet. However, the black hue surrounding the projectile unfurled into a pair of vivid black wingsthe bullet turned toward an empty space beside Medanzo once again! The Wings of Inception! Medanzo cried out in surprise. The monarchs illusion burst apart like a bubble and his real body appearedright in front of the bullet! The black wings carried the origin bullet quietly into Medanzos left abdomen. The Lightless Monarchs figure suddenly became distorted and fluctuant, almost as though he were in a soap bubble. His expression made it clear that he was in great pain, almost as though he were screaming silently. The distortion lasted but a moment before his figure disappeared along with all the illusions. Of course, Qianye wasnt going to think that he had blasted the man to oblivion. Medanzo had obviously fled, and it was hard to say how much damage the shot had done. Qianye stood up atop one of the stone pillars and scanned the battlefield, hoping to find any traces of Medanzo. No need to look, Im here. The Lightless Monarchs voice echoed behind him. Qianye slowly turned around, unfl.u.s.tered by the sudden development, and found three Medanzos in front of him. After careful observation, he had to admit that it was difficult to tell them apart even at this distance. Even in Qianyes origin-power vision, the imagery was exactly the same. It would seem that this was the apex of his domain, capable of producing two illusions that could even deceive the Eye of Control. Qianye said slowly, Is this the real Lightless Monarch in front of me? Two of them are fake and one is real. You wouldnt be standing here, either, if they were all fake. Medanzo sounded pretty calm. Medanzos gaze changed very subtly when Dragonsgrave vanished. A flash of anger appeared in his expression as he glanced at the azure blade. That shot I can endure. Its quite the feat for you to be able to utilize Andruils secret art to this level. Unfortunately, the man himself is gone, and as his successor, you will follow suit. Qianye shook the blade in his hand. Everyone will die one day, and the vampire race will fall in time. Since all paths lead to the same outcome, why not live with dignity while alive? Is it fun being the lapdog of a different race? Medanzo was furious. What do you know? Youre just a little bastard who has never seen the Sacred Mountain before! Only those at the highest peak can see the truth of this world. Andruil is an exception, he became stupid because of his infatuation with that human girl. If things had kept going the way he wanted it, the entire Sacred Mountain wouldve been destroyed by now! Andruils position, whether as the Black-Winged Monarch or the Lord of Evernight, is much higher than yours, no? If he cant see the truth, are you saying you can see it? Qianye mocked mercilessly. Who wouldve thought Medanzo would remain unfazed by this. I couldnt see, thats why I chose to trust those who can. For instance, the Demon King and the Queen. You betrayed the Queen! What gall! Time will prove who the real traitor is. At the very least, compared to Andruil, Im the one who has the vampire races interests in mind. Qianye gripped the azure sword tightly. You wouldnt massacre your comrades if you had the vampire race in mind, nor would you stab Reynold in the back. You wouldnt lead the remainder of the vampires to become the demonkins dogs! I might only be half-vampire, but for Nighteye and Reynold, I will not let you remain alive in this world! Lightless Monarch Medanzo, your eternal dream ends here! Medanzo sneered as he pointed at the azure sword. Trying to kill me with Howards little toy? This sword could do nothing against me in Howards hands, are you saying its more powerful in yours? I told you that shot didnt do much damage! I mightve fled if it was Andruil who unfurled the Wings of Inception, but youre not qualified. Your blood energy is rather strange, but its not enough to be a threat. When all was said and done, the Lightless Monarch Medanzo was still a second-generation primogenitor. His dark purple blood energy might be inferior to Qianyes dark golden blood energy, but its grade was also extremely high. Considering the home ground and numbers advantage, he could keep Qianyes origin power at bay for the time being. That means you took the shot f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y in order to lure me out? Smart. I didnt think it was you at first, I thought it was some human bastard hiding behind the natives. Who wouldve thought Id catch such a big fish? Qianye sneered. Well, I say you thought youd be able to dodge the shot. Medanzo snorted heavily. Insolence! So what if you managed to hit me once, can you escape now? Perhaps you can try taking a one out of three chance and see if you can find my real body. Of course, youll die if you lose this bet. Qianye became much calmer. You thought I didnt know your plan to lure me out? Also, you didnt know that I only wanted to weaken you with that shot. Now that youve been weakened, you can forget about leaving here alive. Thats because the grand finale isnt the azure sword, but the Red Spider Lily. Seeing the legendary revolver appear in Qianyes hand, a look of utter terror washed over Medanzos countenance. How come its in your hands?! Why did you not use it against Progia?! A pair of black wings appeared behind Qianye and much smaller ones on the Red Spider Lily. Space transformed as the trigger was pulledeverything was rippling, as though they were looking at this world through the surface of a windy lake. An origin bullet then flew out from the Red Spider Lily and shattered the mirrors! Chapter 1454: I Surrender Under present circ.u.mstances, the Red Spider Lily was the bane of Medanzos existence. Even his strongest domain no one knew about was shattered under its power. As the mirrors shattered, Medanzo fell from the air and tumbled downward, almost unable to control himself. His face was pale, with large clouds of dark purple blood energy seeping out from his body. This wasnt Medanzo displaying his might but rather him unable to control his blood energy. All of a sudden, his figure split into dozens of illusions that ran off in different directions. The Red Spider Lily had doubtlessly injured Medanzo, but no great dark monarch could be killed in a single shot. The vampire knew Qianye had the power to end his life at this point, so he no longer dared to be careless. However, countless feathers appeared in the air at this moment, and these feathers shattered Medanzos illusions upon contact. In a flash, only the real body remained in the area. On the verge of life and death, Medanzo was unimaginably swift. Several afterimages appeared in Qianyes vision, flickering haphazardly as the monarch shifted his speed erratically. This rendered all lock-on techniques useless. The only way was to use a homing projectile, but what kind of bullet would it take to catch up to a fleeing great dark monarch? Medanzo had just rushed out a short distance when a grey feather fell upon him. His figure sank downward the moment that feather touched him, slowing him down sharply. In the blink of an eye, even more chaos feathers landed on his body. Each of them added a mountains worth of weight to his body and slowed him down by an order of magnitude. By the time there were eight feathers on him, Medanzo had slowed down to a crawl. Not to mention Qianye, even a random marquis could catch up to him. Medanzos heart sank. Eight didnt seem like a lot of feathers, but that was the entire number in Qianyes domain, and all of them were focused on Medanzo. This was akin to Qianye pressing down with the entire power of his domain without any waste. Seeing that the grey feathers were obstructing his movements, Medanzo tried to burn away the feathers with dark purple blood flames, but the feathers remained intact as the fire receded. Medanzos fire had lost entirely. The Lightless Monarchs heart sank yet again. He had long since known that Qianyes dark golden blood energy was powerful, but he had always believed that he would be slightly superior. After all, he was a second-generation primogenitor, someone comparable to the likes of the Azure King and the Black-Winged Monarch. In truth, however, Andruil had long since left him in the dust and become a supreme. Qianyes origin power capacity was clearly inferior to Medanzo, yet the former was able to suppress the great dark monarch immediately. This proved that Qianyes unassuming grey origin power was far superior to Medanzos dark purple blood energy. The two were simply not in the same grade. Medanzo suddenly sensed the air begin to transform as countless mirrors appeared around him. He cried out in great alarm, Wait! I surrender! Qianye only pretended not to hear as a transparent origin bullet shot out from the Red Spider Lily. This crystalline projectile actually contained a frozen red spider lily inside of it. The bullet blasted the mirrors apart, leaving behind the image of a wilting red spider lily. Medanzo once again appeared in the air, coughing up a mouthful of air as he slammed to the ground. Youre still alive? Qianye was a bit surprised. Who wouldve thought this Medanzo would be so powerful that he was still alive after taking two shots from the Red Spider Lily powered by the Wings of Inception? Only at this point did Qianye truly understand how tenacious a great dark monarchs vitality really was. The Red Spider Lily required terrifying amounts of energy to fire, and the Wings of Inception also tapped into his reserves in order to empower the grand magnum. Qianye couldnt activate the gun using its own energy like Zhao Ruoxi. He had to channel his chaos origin power to drive the weapon, and this consumption would only grow larger after the lilies blossomed. Medanzo struggled to his feet after a couple of tries. His expression was full of terror at first, but he quickly realized that Qianye was also staggering and that the gun had been put away. As an old fox who had lived over a thousand years, he immediately understood that Qianye had run out of energy and could no longer fire the third shot. The terror faded from the monarchs countenance, replaced by a livid expression as he propped himself up against a nearby tree. Qianye watched him with a weird expression. What? Still trying? Medanzo sneered. Im badly injured, but you dont have the strength to attack anymore, do you? Now that you havent killed me in two shots, you have no more opportunity. Next, well have to see who recovers faster. I dont think you can compare to a great dark monarch in that aspect. You speak as though you can escape. You cant even stand. Qianye laughed. Who said so? Watch, Ill stand up. Several streams of dark purple blood energy surged out from Medanzos body and propped him up. Qianye was stunned. You recover pretty fast. Although Qianyes domain had vanished after firing two shots, it was still a surprise that Medanzo would recover so quickly and be able to stand up. This arachne-like regenerative ability was actually Medanzos hidden ace, one he had kept a secret all this time. You cant use that Dragonsgrave anymore, can you? Can you injure me even if I stand here and do nothing? Oh, right, let me remind you that I can leave after ten minutes. Youd better come up with a good idea within that time. Qianye simply watched Medanzo with a strange expression. Medanzo frowned, saying, Theres still enough time if you want to change your mind. Perhaps you should be thinking about how to calm my anger so that I wont hunt you down afterward. You cannot bear the consequences of infuriating a great dark monarch, nor should you. So you want me to surrender? Qianyes expression became even stranger. You could say that. Medanzo was heavily injured but recovering at a rapid pace. His defenses were fairly strong, so normal attacks would not go through his skin even if he were to stand there doing nothing. Considering his vengeful nature, he would surely cause endless trouble once he escaped. Qianye said, Youve grown old, your memory seems to have faded quite a bit. I have something that can deal with you. Seeing the azure sword appear in Qianyes hand, Medanzo cried out, I surrender! Chapter 1455: Searching for the Holy Mountain Medanzo cried out with such force that Qianye felt like tripping over. He didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Do you think a surrender will work? Why not? We have no unresolvable hatred between us. Even if we do, its nothing compared to a thousand years. Descendants are no longer important once you reach my level of achievement. There are dozens of geniuses among them, and its fine even if half of them end up dead. The Lightless Monarch spoke as if it was all right and proper. In fact, he did make a certain degree of sensethose at the great dark monarch level lived much longer than their descendants. It wasnt a rare sight to see primogenitors living well even after the descendants of their descendants had passed. Their enmity also becomes rather judicious and at times diluted. Medanzo was overjoyed when Qianye lowered his blade slightly. My existence will be highly beneficial to you. At least, I can teach you many things I have learned over a thousand years, things even the Queen and Andruil cannot give you. Qianye said, Do you mean to say youre stronger than them? Medanzo shook his head. Of course not. Not to mention the Queen, Im no longer a match for Andruil following the War of Daybreak. Even the Azure King is stronger than me. However, it is precisely because Im weaker that I have acc.u.mulated more knowledge than they have. This is also why the Demon King was willing to accept me and not Reynold. Thats the reason? Not because Reynold would never surrender? Qianye sneered. Medanzo wasnt angry. You wouldnt think that if you have heard about the Lost Season. Qianye said calmly, What is the Lost Season? The Lost Season is the Evernight Worlds greatest secret. It only exists in those who had been alive since ancient times, namely great dark monarchs and supremes. One cannot even sense it otherwise. Medanzo seemed deeply fearful as he spoke of it, and there werent a lot of things in Evernight that he was afraid of. Qianye seemed rather curious. Be more specific. How do I describe it? Its a formless power that once washed over the entire Evernight World. As a type of energy, it is far superior in quality, so only those with sufficient power could sense its existence. It didnt remain very long, receding like the tides soon after covering the entire realm. It was more like a passerby. Passerby? Qianye found it difficult to believe. Medanzo nodded in certainty. Yes, it seemed to be passing by. It seemed to have found something or not and left just like that. No one knows where it came from or where it went. Just like that? Not just that. Although it was just passing by, its existence in and of itself affected our world irreversibly and decisively. One of the side-effects of its arrival was the rise of the humans. Qianye simply watched as Medanzos aura rose until the latter felt alarmed by the attention. Medanzos expression shifted several times. Finally, he squeezed out a smile, saying, I didnt do anything. Dont you think you know too many details about the Lost Season? Medanzo said in shock, Of course, I know. I experienced it myself. Qianye had no intention of circling around this topic. Andruil didnt go into that much detail. Medanzo was startled. Youve met Andruil? His remnant consciousness. Medanzo wanted to say something, but then held back from doing so. That mysterious power is extremely special. Only those strong enough to communicate with the world itself can sense its existence, and once that happens, the person would be affected. The stronger one is, the deeper his connection with the world. Hence, those at or above the supreme level lost most of their memories from the ancient era. Although Andruil hadnt reached his peak back then, his strength had reached the level of a supreme, so the impact he suffered was only a bit weaker. Back then, Im the one who was the least affected. At this point, Medanzo laughed self-deprecatingly. This was more or less an admission that he was the weakest among the great dark monarchs. This explanation was fairly plausible. The power of the Lost Season had impacted the highest echelons of this world. Great dark monarchs were connected to the origins of the world, and the supremes were more or less a part of the realm. They were sure to be affected the most deeply if the world itself had undergone a change. That question was rather difficult for Medanzo to answer. I could only sense its existence, there was no way for me to touch its essence. If I had done that, I wouldve been assimilated, and my memories would become a part of its existence. If I must describe it that thing is closer to daybreak, but its definitely not daybreak origin power. Daybreak saw a momentous rise in the Evernight World after its coming, so the supremes believe it to be the reason. However, thats just a guess because their memories regarding it have been assimilated. Qianye was surprised. Who wouldve thought there would be such an inherently powerful and tyrannical existence. If it had stayed in the Evernight World for a while longer, perhaps the entire realm wouldve transformed. Perhaps humans wouldve become the lords of the world in that scenario. After all, they were the most suitable creatures to wield daybreak origin power. According to the ratio of an ordinary lifespan, humans were much more talented than the four major dark races. Of course, the world could no longer be called Evernight at that point. There was nothing more to ask by this time. Rather than the loss of memory in the most powerful existences, the Lost Seasons greatest effect was more a change in the origin power structure and balance of the world. That was what allowed the humans to rise to power, and that was how heroes like the Founding Ancestor appeared. Then, last question. Why are you here? Medanzo sighed. I wanted to find Andruils final resting place and see if he left behind anything good. Andruils inheritance is useless to you, no? Qianye was a bit surprised. Every great dark monarch had to carve his own path. Other peoples things were probably useless at that point. Only weapons like grand magnums and tools like the Wings of Inception would be somewhat helpful. Qianye possessed the Red Spider Lily and the Wings of Inception, no different from having two grand magnums in one. He could only fire two shots with chaos origin power, and those two shots only managed to injure Medanzo to the point of collapse. A great dark monarch wasnt easy to kill, no matter how weak he was. Even more surprised, Qianye waited for the remainder of the conversation. Medanzo took a deep breath and said, What Andruil left behind is a path that can allow anyone to reach the Sacred Mountain! Chapter 1456: Searching for the Holy Mountain (Part 2) Qianye simply gazed at Medanzo, with knitted brows that displayed his skeptical attitude. Medanzo laughed wryly. I know this goes against common sense, but Andruils existence itself goes against common sense. Normally, the Black-Winged Monarch would forever have to be the Black-Winged Monarch, even after becoming a supreme or beyond. Yet, he could not become a supreme as the Black-Winged Monarch. As vampires, we are inherently powerful, but we are also bound by our bloodlines. Our paths will always end at a certain height. This is the truth. After reaching his current level, Qianye had also come to understand much about bloodlines and the fetters it posed on the person. It could be said that the highest level of achievement in each vampires life was determined from birth, with no way of changing this destiny. The only way forward was to obtain the origin blood of a powerful character and raise their bloodline. After pushing oneself up to a certain height, their entire bloodline would undergo a change. From a certain perspective, such vampires would no longer be themselves at that point and instead become that powerful characters progeny. Medanzo said angrily, Its because hes the Black Wing that he was never destined to reach the Sacred Mountain, and as the Lightless, I am even farther removed. That eternal existence on the mountain is simply there because she is the Queen of the Night, the second drop of blood from the River of Blood! Do you understand? You should know by now that our ultimate potential is decided by our bloodlines. We can do nothing but wait for a thousand years! Qianye nodded ever so slightly. Medanzo was correctLilith was destined to become the most powerful being from birth. Medanzos face became abnormally flushed. It would seem the excitement had worsened his injury. He clutched his c.h.e.s.t and said in a loud voice, I was also a genius back in ancient times! I became a great dark monarch even sooner than Reynold. What happened after that? Howard, that bastard, became more and more arrogant, simply because my bloodline wasnt suitable for combat! They mightve forgotten about the Lost Season, but I remember! Even though its a disgrace... Qianye could understand the mans feelings. If it wasnt for his dual-attributes and the Song Clan Ancient Scroll that constantly purified his bloodline, he would probably have stopped at the marquis level. There was no way he would enjoy his current accomplishments. Medanzo collected himself for a bit and gazed at Qianye with complicated emotions. Moments later, he said with a sigh, Among the second generation primogenitors, Andruil is the only one who wasnt willing to accept his destiny. Who wouldve thought he would succeed and finally become the Lord of Evernight how enviable! Medanzo propped himself up, looking a bit more spirited. Black Wing gave us all a ray of hope to cast off our restrictions. He proved to us that there was a way forward after reaching the end of our paths, something beyond hovering at the same rank for centuries. Although he was still a Monroe on the surface, his origin power has become something else entirely! This is hope, hope for all the great dark monarchs! This is the path to becoming a supreme! An opportunity to progress was extremely attractive to those great dark monarchs who had been stuck at that rank for over a thousand years. No wonder Medanzo had rushed over to the new world. Qianye asked, What about the Twilight Continent? Arent you afraid someone will report to the Queen? What?! Qianyes heart sank. Medanzo said slowly, The Lost Season holds special meaning to the supremes. They mightve lost their memories in the process, but they had also obtained some omens that ordinary great dark monarchs cannot see. The three supremes fought Andruil during the opening of the new world. Reportedly, the three supremes received a revelation during this process, and it was because of that revelation that the Demon King launched the war on Twilight Continent. How did you know? You could not have taken part in the fight. Qianye wasnt polite, but he spoke the truth. He had the qualifications to say such things at the moment. Although he had launched a sneak attack with the first shot, the following fights were head-on battles. Besides, concealment and ambush were Qianyes specialty. Regardless of the process, the fact remained that Medanzo was now collapsed on the ground. Qianye could now stand shoulder to shoulder with the man at the very least. Medanzos expression was unsightly, but his fate was in the other partys hands. The Demon King told me what happened. The revelation was rather blurry, but it was because of this revelation that the Queen of the Night remained silent and let the Demon King do as he wished. What are the contents of this revelation? Its related to the apocalypse. All I know is that its related to daybreak origin power. Back in the year, the factions behind Black Wing and the Queen fell out because they couldnt agree on a stance against daybreak origin power and humans in particular. The Demon King has always wanted to return the world to its pure state before the Lost Season. Qianye frowned. What does the revelation have to do with the vampires? Why must he destroy those clans? Several ancient seals among the thirteen were tainted with daybreak origin power, and it was the vampires who had transmitted it to the River of blood. The Demon King believes that it is because of this taint that the river is slowly leaving this world. This has always been the Queens greatest concern. Also After opening the new world and channeling the darkness origins to Evernight, the power of the black sun will push all daybreak origin power outward. When that time comes, all humans and daybreak creatures will die, along with the tainted vampires and werewolves. Thats why its the same whether we kill them sooner or later. One last question. Andruil said someone unexpected appeared during that last battle. Who is it? Medanzo stared blankly into space. He seemed a bit hesitant, but he finally said, This is just a guess. Only supremes couldve taken part in the final battle, even I couldnt get close. The only one who can get close apart from the supremes is Nighteye. What is her relationship to the Queen? Medanzo revealed a crafty smile. You will find out if you let me go. Qianye stopped speaking and ignited a small mote of hazy light from his fingertips. What do you think this is? Medanzos blood core almost stopped beating for a moment. This is the path to becoming supreme! Chapter 1457: For Reynold That was indeed a bit of mirage moon origin power. That constantly transforming aura was unique in the entire world. Medanzo had clearly seen this origin power before. At the very least, he knew its characteristics enough to name it on sight. This was the sole reason he had taken such a big risk to enter the inner world. This origin power was now before his eyes, a ray of hope to break his thousand-year shackle. Even the calm Medanzo couldnt help but lose his composure. This was how Andruil cast off his title as the Black-Winged Monarch and built his foundation to become the Lord of Evernight. Medanzos voice was hoarse as he reached out a trembling hand, only to see the energy extinguish. His hand remained frozen in the air for a good while before he drew it back. Medanzo collected himself and said, Give it to me. My talents are no worse than Black Wing, I just wasnt as brave as him. I can do whatever he managed to do. If only you will give me that seed, I can break through the limits and become a supreme. Become a supreme? What then? Medanzos hands were trembling in the face of this simple question. He stared at Qianye and said with a raspy voice, Let me see it, that thing you planned to subdue me with. What will that accomplish? Medanzo said in a serious tone, If you can subdue me, I will be subservient to you even on the Sacred Mountain. I will be your most loyal friend even if I fail to become a supreme. This I swear upon the River of Blood. Qianye was unmoved. Did you say the same to the Demon King? Medanzo laughed. The Demon Kings offer was much better. I was to manage the new vampire race from here on out, one who answers only to the Queen of the Night. My authority among the demonkin is on par with the Eternal Flame and even higher than the Masefield clan lord. Then why would you submit to me, instead? Medanzos breathing turned rapid. That means you have a chance at reaching the supreme realm? Answer me. The Demon Kings courtesy toward me is simply because Im a great dark monarch of pure bloodline who has lived through the Lost Season. On the other hand, we are great dark monarchs with no hope or craving for future progress. Theres nothing that can bind us, so the only way to move us is with a generous offer. You are different! You have an open path to the supreme rank, so its different for you! Returning to a serious tone, he said, In truth, I dont really care about the authority that comes with being on the Sacred Mountain. What I want is to go up there and see what its like. That is all. Qianye could sympathize somewhat, but he was still puzzled in other areas. Medanzo waited quietly for Qianyes answer. After a moment, Qianye said, There is more than one path to the Sacred Mountain. Just like there are two types of origin powers, the path to the supreme realm is split into transformational and everlasting. With that, Qianye stretched out his left hand and sent a mote of hazy light circling around his palm. Upon careful examination, one could see that the energy was transforming endlessly. Even someone as powerful as Medanzo could not grasp all of its changes. This was the mirage moon origin power Andruil had relied on to reach the supreme rank. Of course, it wasnt that Qianye had grasped the essence of this origin power. He was simply releasing some of the tree saps power, which would eventually run out. Just as Medanzo was intoxicated by the display, a grey feather appeared in Qianyes right hand. This feather simply hovered in silence, as though it would remain the same until the end of the world. Medanzo was no stranger to this feather. In fact, his impression of it was beyond deep. It was these feathers that had pushed him to the ground as he was about to flee. Even his raging dark purple blood flames could only burn the feather at a snails pace, a bad trade through and through. Back when he was running for his life, he had no time for anything beyond amazement. Only now did he get the chance to take a good look. The grey feather wasnt ethereal but an actual existence. It simply remained in its position without the slightest movement. This subtle feeling was rather amazing, so much so that Medanzo fell into deep but fruitless contemplation. He stared at the feather for a long while and then at the mirage moon origin power. He finally understood after comparing the extremes of transformation and calmness. As long as daybreak and darkness origin powers exist in this world, it will never move! The grey feather did not drain any energy. It was simply absorbing the two origin powers from the environment to sustain itself in balance. As long as there were two types of origin power in the air, it would remain in existence for eternity. It would only start to degrade and recede only after one type of energy was gone. The mirage moon origin power was constantly transforming between different types of energy, while chaos origin power transformed different types of energy to keep itself constant. The two were indeed polar opposites. Medanzo was an intelligent person who had merely been limited by his bloodline for a thousand years. He had already seen through the reasoning that had blocked his path for so long, and a path to the supreme realm was slowly taking shape in his thoughts. The only problem was that he would never be able to break the limitations of his bloodline and take that final step. He needed the two seeds in Qianyes hand in order to modify his bloodline. Looking at the feather for a while, Medanzo shook his head in regret. Eternity is good, but the foundational requirements are terrifying. Thats not something I can withstand. This mirage moon is actually much better. At the very least, I would have a chance at controlling it. Mirage moon represented change, so the requirements to control it were speed and intelligence. In this regard, the great dark monarch possessed a lot of secret arts. Although he was a ways off from being able to control this power, there was still some hope. The chaos origin power was a completely different story. It was firm, heavy, and posed great requirements upon the practitioners foundations. Its existence alone could tear the void apart. Medanzo would never dare to bring such a seed into his body. Medanzo quickly remembered something at that moment. Y-You, dont tell me youve already Medanzo finally understood. He sighed with a complicated expression, No wonder, no wonder He struggled to get up and knelt down on one knee. You have convinced me entirely. I am willing to be your servant even if I become a supreme. However, he hadnt even finished speaking when an azure blade stabbed through his blood core! Medanzo glanced at the sword in disbelief. Why For Reynold. But Reynold is dead, and I am a future supreme. Why? For Reynold. Chapter 1458: Old Stories (Part 1) Medanzo couldnt understand why Qianye would cling to past grievances so much, even refusing his submission and loyalty. A supreme offering his fealty was absolutely unprecedented since even their friendship was priceless. How many times has this occurred throughout Evernights history? Medanzos eyes were full of disbelief up to the moment his life was extinguished. The rapidly draining vitality brought the monarch back to his senses. He said with a sinister smile, Qianye, you moved too fast! Theres something I havent told you, nor will I ever tell you. When the time comes, you will regret it! The price of my friendship is far beyond your imagination. Uttering these last words, the Lightless Monarchone who had roamed the world for a thousand yearsfinally reached the end of his life. The moment he fell to the ground, Qianye could feel the entire world trembling. A faint fluctuation brought with it a mournful song from the depths of the void. At that moment, the River of Blood appeared once again. It was calm and relaxed, but there was a certain sadness in its flowing waters. At the source of the river, Qianye saw the seal representing Medanzos bloodline slowly fade away and sink into the waters. The Lightless Monarch had fallen, and the seal representing his bloodline faded into nothingness. It would only be ignited once again when one of his descendants had reached a sufficient level. The River of Blood seemed to be in pain at Medanzos death. Truth be told, the rivers reaction was beyond Qianyes expectations. The effects were even stronger than when the Azure King fell. Qianye was a bit surprised. Could the River of Blood consider this mediocre monarch more important than Reynold? After the episode of sorrow, the river slowly faded back into the void and disappeared. Qianye stood gazing at the sky with a serious expression. Through his blood core, he could sense some changes happening to the River of Blood; it was just that he couldnt tell exactly what the changes were. It seemed to be moving farther away? Qianye wasnt clear regarding the relative positions of the new world and the Evernight World, nor how the surface and inner worlds were structured. The two layers definitely werent separated just by a single wall. Hence, Qianye couldnt say whether the River of Blood was moving closer or away. After the river vanished, Qianye did away with his doubts and began searching Medanzos body. As a second-generation primogenitor who had lived for a thousand years, Medanzos stash was indeed bountiful. Unfortunately, there was nothing useful for the current Qianye. Even for those high-grade origin crystals and ores, he would have to bring them back and trade. Qianye discovered several drops of essence blood from various other great dark monarchs. There were three drops of Reynolds blood among them. It would seem Medanzo had gotten his hands on quite a few of the Azure Kings possessions. After putting away the valuable items, Qianye cleared some space on the ground and carved the words Here Fell the Lightless Monarch Medanzo. onto a giant tree. Perhaps countless years later, there might be vampires coming here to commemorate their second-generation primogenitor. After carving the headstone, Qianye shot out a mass of grey energy onto Medanzos body. The flames formed of chaos origin power immediately reduced Medanzos body to ashes. Considering the mans status, it was only appropriate to go out in such a manner. A wave of Qianyes hands sent the Lightless Monarchs ashes scattering in all directions, becoming a part of this forest and world. Outside the Demon Kings Palace, a long flight of stairs stretched toward the palace high above. It was at this time that the sound of grinding gears echoed through the air. The six giant beasts on the wall were spouting steam from their nostrils as they drove the machinery with all their might, pushing open the ten-meter gates to the Demon Kings Palace. A handsome yet frail-looking man appeared behind the gates. Predica opened his arms, saying, Welcome, Flaming Crown! The Demon King Palace hasnt opened its gates in ten years, and you have become a character capable of doing so. Habsburg stopped in front of the threshold and said with a sigh, Id rather not become this person. So, does this mean Lightless has fallen? Youre a vampire prince who has ignited a blood seal, why would you need to ask? Predica said. Noticing the sadness in Habsburgs eyes, he said, You should be happy that hes gone. That is indeed the case if I consider only Medanzo as a person. The reason Im sad is not because of him but for his title and the vampire race. Predica shrugged. I dont know how to console you, or if I should console you. Someone as smart as you should know that the vampire race is due for some change. Otherwise, only the abyss awaits your people at this rate. Habsburgs voice was deep. I know, but its still difficult to accept. Let it be, lets go in first. Ive made some new discoveries on the trajectory of fate, let me share them with you. Habsburg followed Predica into the Demon King Palace. It was only after he had passed through the spacious plaza that the main gates closed behind him. This display was fairly respectful. One had to know that this was the Demon Kings official residence, at least in name. The palaces courtesy represented the supremes respect for Habsburg. The hall was crafted from dark bronzeit was fairly sturdy and filled with the aura of passing time. There were numerous diagrams depicting the Evernight races carved intricately upon the walls. The majesty of this thirty-meter hall rushed straight at the visitors face. Predica placed a hand on the doors and slowly pushed them open. Habsburg calmly placed one hand on the door as well, and this hastened the process of opening. Thank you, Ive been exhausted lately. Predica laughed self-deprecatingly. No matter, we all know His Majestys habits. Habsburg smiled kindly. The Demon King did not like steam kinetics and origin arrays, a preference only privy to the highest echelons of Evernight. That was why the frail Predica found it somewhat difficult to push the heavy door open. Chapter 1459 The doors to the Hall of Fate opened to reveal an empty space within. There were beams of light shooting across the deep emptiness, reflecting upon several metallic components. As Predica and Habsburg walked in, the flowing lights in the chamber increased in number. The scenery inside the hall slowly became visible as well. There was a strange machine floating in the emptiness, surrounded by countless tracks arcing around the central point and moving at different speeds. Some would intersect in certain places but these complicated tracks would never collide. It was hard to say how the apparatus was powered or why it was moving. The mechanism looked simple enough, but the profundity within was something even Habsburg couldnt figure out. He would feel dizzy just from looking at it for too long. Predica sighed. I must admit, the power of nature is extremely miraculous. I wouldve never imagined something like this fate apparatus would exist. It can operate on the mysterious force that exists within the void and reveal to us the lowest layer of fates trajectory. Habsburg endured the discomfort and studied the trajectory in detail, realizing certain things during this process. His Majesty refused to use any form of steam machinery or origin arrays throughout the years. Is it so that he can control the power in the depths of the void? Exactly. Predica nodded. Habsburg said thoughtfully, Does he plan to take the next step? Predica smiled wryly. Its not just His Majesty, who doesnt want to take the next step? Arent we all the same? Unfortunately, our bloodline and power also act as our restraint, our ceilings have been destined the moment we were born. How can it be so easy to find something that can replace our bloodlines? The only one who has succeeded throughout the millennia must be the one who fell in the new world. Habsburg went silent for a while, apparently unwilling to continue this topic. Perhaps a substitute is easier to find in the new world? Now, this was a common agreement among the Evernight experts. Unexpectedly, Predica said, Actually, the power we need might not be in the new world, nor is it in our Evernight World. Maybe weve been walking the wrong path for millennia. Youll understand once I introduce a young friend to you. Predica called out into the emptiness, Anwen! A door opened in the void space and in walked Anwen. Through the half-open door, one could see the miraculous space inside. There was only a floor but no ceiling, nor was there anything else apart from the table, chair, and an array of complicated machinery. There were at least thousands of gears within the mechanism. Simply thinking about their movement gave one a headache. It wasnt just Habsburg who was gazing at the machinery inside; even Predica seemed curious. Anwen scratched his messy hair and said helplessly, Ah, its like this Ive been requiring a lot of computational power lately, and my demonic energy isnt quite enough. Thats why I had to build that thing to help me with my calculations. Habsburg nodded, still gazing expressionlessly at the complicated machine. Even with his power as the Flaming Crown, he couldnt figure out even a portion of the machines rhythm, nor did he understand what Anwen meant by computation. Didnt all Evernight experts rely on sensing and understanding their bloodline to advance in rank? The name of this process itself was something he had learned from the humans. The sensing part was easy enough, but why they attached such importance to understanding was a mystery. In Anwens case, origin power was apparently more than just an energy to be channeled. It could be quantified and calculated? Fortunately, Habsburg had shot a stealthy glance at Predica and saw that the latter was also puzzled. That made him feel much better. It would seem that Anwen was a special case and not because vampires were particularly dumb. Even the demonkin great prophet had no idea what Anwen was up to. Seeing Predica and Habsburgs expressions, Anwen scratched his head again and began explaining what exactly he was doing. After all, it was only because of Predica that he had gotten this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work in the Hall of Fate. Even as the Young Lord of the demonkin race, Anwen understood that he should be taking responsibility for his sponsor. Actually, Im still not at the stage where I can explore the unknown wait, listen to my explanation! Anwen immediately noticed the killing intent in Predicas expression. Predica said, Fine, I must hear of it, and it just so happens that Habsburg is here to listen as well. Youve used three years worth of the hall''s funds, yet you havent even begun your primary job. I do wonder what youve been doing. Habsburg couldnt help but ask, What do the halls yearly funds look like? Roughly enough to build three Lava Castles. Habsburg no longer said anything and merely paid attention to Anwen. He wanted to know how the man had managed to spend in three days the resources he had to accumulate for hundreds of years. Anwen felt rather pressured under the gazes of the two top experts. He gathered his senses and said helplessly, I can explain, but you guys must be patient. What Im about to say isnt very easy to understand. Habsburg possessed the composure befitting of a crown prince, but Predica was notorious for being narrow-minded. His face almost turned green, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes. Anwen immediately realized he had misspoken, but it was too late to take back the words. All he could do now was think of a way to salvage the situation. It wouldnt be easy to convey the countless numbers and abstract diagrams into an easy-to-understand summary. There are many types of origin power in our world. To be precise, the darkness origin power manifests in many different forms, and what we control is only a handful of them. The bloodline power we know of actually corresponds to a specific form of origin power. This was common knowledge from the top-ranking experts of Evernight down to the children who had just started school. Anwens topic took a sharp turn. There are even more forms of origin power that people do not know of. It could be, no, Im quite certain that the origin power we have grasped is but a tiny fraction of the whole. There are countless other manifestations that we do not know about, some in this world, some lying undiscovered in the void. After leading with this concept and noticing that the duo could follow his topic, he continued, We can split origin power into essence and manifestation. From a certain perspective, darkness origin power is the manifestation of a deeper essence. The demonkins old habits began surfacing at this point. When he started throwing out complicated formulas and diagrams, Predica had no choice but to interrupt, You havent told us what exactly youre studying. Its like this, if we want to break the shackles of our bloodline, we must search for new forms of energy. To be precise, we must find other forms of manifestation. Only then will we be able to find a new path that suits us. The Black-Winged Monarch, or rather, the Lord of Evernights path is not compatible with us. Predica and Habsburg nodded seriously. They had believed that there was no path forward for the experts of Evernight, but Anwen had ignited a flicker of hope for them. Origin power wasnt just divided into daybreak and darkness, to begin with. It could exist in countless forms. In short, we need to find more energy forms or rather the states in which they exist. However, the realms in which most of these energy forms reside are far beyond our sensory range. There are certain forms that we can never sense via normal methods, their existence can only be theorized. This makes it extremely difficult to prove their existence, but this is a necessary step that cannot be avoided. The only way we will understand our bloodlines and break through the shackles is to understand more about origin power. Habsburg and Predica grew increasingly excited. The great prophets hands were even trembling as he asked, Dont tell me, your work all this time is Yes, those machines were designed to help me find these origin power manifestations, and theyre almost complete! Anwens voice was bright and clear. Predica seemed at a loss. He glanced at Habsburg and saw that the mans flaming crown was on the verge of flickering out. Wait Predica tried to calm himself down. Even if he was going to erupt in anger and beat up Anwen, he could wait a while until he had gotten things clear. So youre saying you havent begun searching for these origin power forms. Youve only been building the tools to search for them? Well, we have to sharpen our axes before cutting wood, Anwen replied philosophically. The great prophet''s anger fizzled out, feeling that fate was messing with him. He roared, You spent enough resources to cover a quarter of the Blacksun Valley war and occupied the fate apparatus for half a month just to build these tools? Im still building them, Anwent corrected. And youre not even done?! The gentle prophet spoke in a volume he had never used in his life, almost tearing the void in the process. Anwen shrugged. Well, the money is gone now. Are you going to stop me from completing them? Predicas expression immediately turned dark. He had no choice but to allow Anwen to complete his machines at this point. However, he was a great prophet after all. He immediately caught Anwens weak point. Fine, I will keep funding the project, but if you cant find those so-called energy forms What then? Anwen felt uneasy. You will be fully responsible. Chapter 1460 Anwens face went pale. It didnt take great intellect to understand what this kind of debt meant; he would need hundreds of years even after becoming a great dark monarch to repay it. You cant do this! Of course I can, and Im not joking. There was no smile on Predicas face. Anwen frowned. What did I do wrong? Im willing to help you, but I cannot if this is how you choose to communicate. At the very least, you have to make things clear before you spend so much of the councils money. You must explain what this tool is for. I know you can find a way to do that. Anwen calmed down for a bit. The machine will give us a new and extremely efficient way to explore the world. Once it has been completed, it can be used to calculate the forms in which origin power exists amongst other things. For instance, it can analyze the trajectory of fate or simulate the flow of void origin power, even predict weather and disasters. In short, it will be useful for any sort of computational work. Ive been adjusting and expanding its scale of operation to this end. My own calculation powers will improve by a hundred times with its help, and it can be continuously upgraded in the future. Predica fell into deep thought in the face of this lengthy report. If it can really do what you say, the council will be able to suppress the human race in terms of technology. Perhaps in a hundred years, we might be able to counter their cultivation advantage. At the very least, our warship main cannons will improve by two generations. Anwen sighed. It can definitely optimize ballistics, but I do not wish for my invention to be used for killing. There are many more meaningful things in the world. You do not have the right to decide what is meaningful, not now. We can talk a hundred years later when you have the power to make these decisions. For now, lets see how effective your tool is. Anwen said after some thought, Ive completed a good portion of it. Its still struggling to predict disasters, but its capable enough to assist the fate apparatus. Very well, Ill attempt a new prophecy. Lets begin once youre ready. Anwen ran back to his room and began activating his miraculous machine at lightning speed. The start-up procedure was excessively complicated, involving several hundred switches and pinions. Predica waited patiently until Anwen was ready before activating the fate apparatus. Compared to the busy Anwen, Predicas movements were practiced and leisurely. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of wisps of darkness origin power fell upon the apparatus nodes. The trajectories of the fate apparatus began to transform, and a dim light began to flicker at the center of the machinery. As Habsburg saw it, these lights were simply meaningless motes and belts of luminescence. Yet, every flicker resonated with his blood core. Habsburg frowned because he felt that this prophecy was related to the vampire race. Predicas pupils expanded as the fate apparatus kicked into action, almost filling his entire eyes. In this state, he was almost able to peer into changes along the river of fate. This was Predicas unique talent and the reason he became the new master prophet of this generation. He was capable of capturing the flow of fate despite its myriad transformations. Anwen stared fixedly at the changes in the apparatus. Countless numbers flowed out of his hand and transformed into a beam of light as they poured into the machine. Every pinion, lever, and crystal in the machine would generate even more numbers. These digits would converge and go through incomprehensible formulas before returning to Anwen. Just like that, Anwen and the machine slowly turned into a constant deluge of numbers. While observing the process, Predica had the extra energy to explain to Habsburg, The origin power I injected into the apparatus was prepared specifically for the topic I want to prophesize. The different origin power entering different time nodes represent factors interfering with fate. Once all the main factors have been prepared, the fate apparatus will reveal the true face of our future. Habsburg asked, Will my being here influence the outcome? It will, Predica said expressionlessly. Habsburg understood that this was Predicas personal motive. Vast amounts of resources were required to activate the fate apparatus each time, so even as the controller, he couldnt use it as he wished. However, the situation had been changing rapidly in recent days, and the vampire race was now at the heart of it. Perhaps because he had heard or sensed something, Predica wanted to throw Habsburg into the prophecy as well. The vampire prince didnt refuse. The fate apparatus was already halfway in operation, so it was too late anyway. On the other hand, needing such methods to peep into the workings of fate meant that there might be some factor in the future capable of destroying Habsburg. Seeing Habsburg retain his silence, Predica heaved a sigh of relief and went on with his work. The apparatus continuously drained the injected origin power, up until the light in the apparatus faded away and the trajectories returned to their original state. This moments work left Predica pale and his aura unstable. Apparently, the price was not small. He said with a frown, There are too many variables, everything is a mess. Its even harder to confirm anything about the vampire race now. I think the fate of the race will undergo several drastic changes in the near future before heading in its final direction It would seem that Predica couldnt fully understand the fate of the vampire race. That was indeed the case. After all, he was trying to prophesize one of the four major races, one overseen by the Queen of the Night. Anwen cried out all of a sudden, The River of Blood is moving away! What? Habsburg cried out in surprise. Predica wasnt moved. The River of Blood has been moving away for decades now, thats not news. Did you not know? Anwen said, No, thats not what I meant! The River of Blood was moving away at first, but it was just going along its trajectory. It wouldve returned after some time. Now, I just found it has changed its trajectory entirely! This path will only take the river away, and it will never return! Chapter 1461 Why is that? Predica asked quickly. I dont know, either. Normally, there can be only one reason for this kind of situation, and that is the interference of outside forces. Predica asked seriously, Is your conclusion reliable? Compared to traditional prophetic powers, Im more confident in my own conclusion. The results are clear numbers after all and not hazy predictions. In truth, Predica already believed Anwen; this persons intellect far surpassed this generation. His thought process, research system, and even the tools he designed were things no one had ever thought of. Even the present great prophet couldnt figure out what he was thinking. Whats the current situation of the river? Habsburg asked. He had just tried to communicate with the river and did receive a response; things were no different from before. As a crown prince, his ability to communicate with the river was unparalleled. Anwen quickly drew an oval circle and an arced line. The river was traveling along this orbit at first. Its at the farthest point at the moment, but it wouldve returned after a couple of decades. The ice age of the vampire race wouldve ended at that point. But now, the river is slowing down and shifting to a straight-line trajectory. As for where this line goes, I have no idea. That means the vampire race will disappear? Habsburg sounded serious. The River of Blood was the source of the vampire race. Its departure wouldnt just cause a weakening; it might just bring about the destruction of the entire race. Anwen said, This process will take a long time, centuries at least. You might have time to do something. Anwen, do you think this change has something to do with Medanzo? Predica was surprised. Medanzo? The Lightless Monarch might be a great dark monarch, but hes not powerful enough to affect the rivers flow, is he? No, you might not know this, but Medanzo is one of the few who got through the Lost Season. His strength is only limited by his inherent talents. To the River of Blood, his importance might be far beyond our expectations. I even sensed the rivers grief when he fell. Oh? Predica was surprised. Anwen said after some thought, If Habsburg really did sense the rivers sorrow, it proves two things. One, the river possesses a consciousness, much like the will of the new world. Secondly, Medanzo was truly important to the River of Blood, but thats the extent of it. Its not that easy for the river to change its course in the depths of the void. Its more likely that some external force is interfering with it. What might that be? Habsburg asked. Anwen shrugged with a wry smile. How should I know? Habsburg knew this question would only make things difficult for Anwen, so he kept his silence. Predica said all of a sudden, Ive come up with a conjecture. Pray tell. Although I dont know why the river is moving away, I do know one way we can halt the process. That is the breakthrough of a greater number of vampire experts. If Im not wrong, the vampire race still has a lot of powerful experts. Especially those two, their existence might be a forbidden topic, but they are vampires after all. Habsburgs eyes lit up. Correct! Her Majesty Nighteye is a given. I dont know who she was before, but shes headed straight for the Sacred Mountain soon after awakening. There is no doubt about that. The other, Qianye, might still be a grand duke at the moment, but I heard he has communicated with the river since he was a count. The favor he receives from the river is comparable to Nighteyes. Her Majesty Nighteye is definitely a great candidate, but that person Predica smiled wryly. Habsburg woke up to reality and fell silent. From the races perspective, he didnt feel that Qianye was wrong. It could even be said that he was a hero who had averted a great disaster for the vampire race. Predica understood Habsburgs mood. Qianye doesnt know the truth behind all this. Even if he does, we cannot change him. Dont forget that his heart belongs to the human race as well. True, the human race Habsburg laughed ruefully. Anwen interrupted at this point, I still believe that we shouldnt eliminate the human race. Perhaps what awaits us after eradicating all daybreak lifeforms is destruction. There were no daybreak lifeforms before the War of Daybreak. Predicas tone was cold. Anwen argued, A world cannot exist on a single type of energy. Darkness mightve been prevalent during ancient times, but daybreak couldnt have been absent entirely. Pulling in the darkness origins will produce an absolute region of darkness origin power in this world. Many of our people will also die under such an environment! The doors have opened, and the Lord of Evernight has also fallen, the darkness origins is under our control now. As long as we release a sufficient amount of its energy and close the door, this absolute region will not occur. Anwen sighed. I cant stop you, so I can only hope what you say is true, that you can close the door as soon as you have enough energy. I fear that you will no longer be able to control yourself at that point. You people will eventually understand what it means to remove an intelligent species from this world. Predica said, I understand your insistence, but you do not understand the end result of keeping the humans around. After I grasped the power of prophecy, I gradually discovered a mysterious power shrouding the fate of the human race. This has allowed them to make the right decisions at every critical juncture and avert some form of great disaster. The race seems to be boosted by this effect as well, making it so that experts arise in droves in every generation. This is similar to the werewolves ancestral power, but its level was much higher. If we do nothing, theyll overtake our sacred races in a few centuries. Thats just a guess. The real objective is to purge the world, isnt it? Predica shook his head with a sigh. His Majesty might think that, or maybe he has some unspoken reason. The fact remains that humans have become a great enemy to our faction. We cannot let go of any opportunity to wipe them out in one go. You are the future of the demonkin race, perhaps even that of Evernight itself, so you should do your best at such an important time. If you disagree with our methods, you can change all of that once you become a supreme. Anwen shook his head. I dont think I will ever reach that place. You have the talent. Its not about talents but about the path. Becoming a supreme is an old path, and the one Im walking is vastly different. Chapter 1462 After marking Medanzos resting place, Qianye simply stood there for an entire day and night instead of returning to the holy land. Fate was too serious a topic, something he had no choice but to start contemplating. The moment Medanzo fell, Qianye suddenly understood that he had reached a new phase in life. He was now able to influence the fate of an entire race. Whatever method he had used, it remained a fact that he had killed Medanzo on his own. This meant that he was now able to stand at the same level as those top experts he could only gaze up at before. Perhaps there was still a gap but that gap was no longer qualitative. Now that he was at a certain height, he was gradually able to see the truth of this world. And more often than not, the truth was like a heavy weight on the heart. Qianye finally opened his eyes at dawn the next day and disappeared toward the holy land. A mournful bugle call would echo through the air above the holy land from time to time. The Attawa could be seen hurrying about the place. The plaza was full of injured soldiers, groaning painfully on the ground. The anxious elders shuttled back and forth between them, but all they could do was use some herbs to alleviate the pain. They could do nothing about the putrid wounds. The Attawa were naturally strong, and their regenerative powers were nothing to scoff at; only grave injuries could bring them to the ground. There were hundreds of warriors in the plaza at the moment. Their injuries were terrifying, and some were missing limbs. All the wounds were putrid and leaking odorous pus. Even the strongest of them could not recover, even with the aid of their natural regeneration power and herbs. On the contrary, the wounds were worsening at a steady rate. There was dark origin power lingering around their wounds, an energy belonging to the experts of Evernight. The living origin power of the inner world was like poison to the Evernight experts, and the reverse was true for the Attawa. Qianye was surprised to see this scene upon returning. He dragged an elder over and asked, What happened? The elder replied with a sorrowful expression, After you left, the great elder gathered up the remaining warriors of our tribe. Working together with two other tribes, he went forth to eliminate the black demons foothold in this world. Who wouldve thought more black demons would appear from their base? Less than a third of our soldiers returned. There are new black demons? Yes, and it isnt just one. Qianyes heart sank as his guess was proven correct. The dark races couldnt have repelled the powerful Attawa without a great dark monarch overseeing them. The lack of top-tier fighting power was the Attawas shortcoming. They wouldve been badly defeated if it werent for Qianye. In truth, Rex and Andruil had already given their lives to resist the invaders. If it wasnt for Andruil fighting the three supremes alone, the inner world wouldve been captured long ago. Even with Progia heavily injured and Medanzo dead, the gap in power between the two parties saw little change. Evernight could readily dispatch more great dark monarchs. Who knew how many hidden powerhouses there were between the four major races and the minor ones. Qianye alone could not turn the tables. Looking up at the black sun in the sky, he said, Take me to the mother tree. This time, the will of the mother tree was clearly restless. This simple but wise existence had likely sensed the impending danger of eradication. Qianye knew little about how the supremes planned to draw on the power of the darkness origins. Andruil had long since fallen out with the council, so he had no idea, either. After a communicating tunnel was established, the inner world would irreversibly affect the Evernight world. The reverse was also true. After connecting with the mother tree, Qianye immediately grasped the situation on the front lines. After failing their assault on the tower, the Attawa forces retreated promptly. However, the Evernight experts had no plans to let them go just like that, so the Attawa had no choice but to appoint a rearguard for their retreat. Although these soldiers fought with their lives on the line, the disparity in equipment was too great, and the other party was led by a demonkin prince. Im heading out to the front lines. Qianye left after giving some instructions. Judging from the current situation, the dark race experts might just follow the retreating forces back to the holy mountain. Although Qianye had already taken most of the tree sap atop the holy mountain, he couldnt discount the possibility of someone from Evernight grasping the mirage moon origin power. With a history spanning tens of thousands of years, the dark races had produced numerous outstanding talents. There were countless experts like Medanzo whose progress had been limited by their bloodline, destined never to progress. If the trees at the summit were to fall into the councils hands, it was difficult to say how many top-exerts would emerge. By that time, the council would be far superior to the Empire even without bringing in the darkness origins. All of a sudden, Qianye had the sudden urge to destroy those trees. That way, chaos origin power would be the only energy left that could truly surpass daybreak and darkness. However, the thought merely flashed through his mind before he dismissed it. Every natural treasure was a gift from the world, just like the ten Grand Magnums of the Evernight World. These strange trees of the inner world were an accumulation of the realms essence, the end-point of all life. Destroying them would cause irreversible damage to the world. Channeling Spatial Flash continuously, it took Qianye less than half a day to reach the front lines. He immediately noticed the burning forest in the distance, sending billowing smoke into the sky. The air was filled with the stench of burning flesh, and the darkness origin power in the environment was restless. There were even some that tried to attack Qianye, but they were promptly scattered after crashing into his body. Qianye could sense several points where the fighting was fiercest. Dozens of Attawa soldiers were scattered in different placessome collapsed on the ground, some still fighting, and some prowling the battlefield. Qianye made his decision quickly. He appeared in the air and shouted, I am Qianye! The Lightless Monarch Medanzo is dead! Who is in charge of the dark races now? Show yourself. A commotion ensued on the ground. Many Evernight experts stopped fighting, some even giving up the opportunity to deal the final blow, just so they could put some distance between them and Qianye. Qianyes domain was fierce and tyrannical, notorious for being able to kill weaker Evernight experts in one go. No one wanted to remain within its range. Chapter 1463 Moments later, a middle-aged demonkin appeared. His looks were almost comparable to Qianyes, with an indescribably romantic bearing. Hailing from the Dark Abyss, I am Pentheus, Prince of Barota. If you must find the person responsible for this warfront, that would be me, the man said with a wry smile. Qianye found it odd. Im looking for the highest commanding officer in the area. Pentheus sighed. That can only be me. Perhaps the person you want is the councils representative in charge of the inner world. Your attitude is a bit strange. Not at all. To be honest, I would rather let go of the glory here and head back to Evernight. Im more looking forward to dating some foreign ladies, drinking wine, and writing poetry. But since youve called me out by name, I have no choice but to step forward. I do have my clan and my honor to consider after all. Qianye hadnt expected Pentheus to be so straightforward. He touched his face, thinking if he was that terrifying. Pentheus seemed to have noticed Qianyes thoughts. Did the Lightless Monarch fall in your hands? Yes, he has paid the ultimate price for betraying the vampire race. There you go. Medanzo has fallen, and Progias badly injured and nowhere to be found. Say, do you think I want to fight you? Im a poet, and my blade is reserved for my love rivals, not for the filthy battlefield. Qianye was speechless, but of course, Pentheus words werent enough to move him. The other party was a princehe might be a bit eccentric, but his cultivation was still above Qianyes. Qianye said, Im here to suggest we stop the fighting here. Both sides shall retreat and not fight again within three days. What say you? Pentheus said, Can you guarantee it? I can. Qianye was quite straightforward. The Attawa had suffered heavy casualties during this attack, so they wouldnt have the power to attack again anyway. The natives were sparse in population, and their fertility rate wasnt exactly high. Losing a thousand men had set the three tribes back considerably; it would probably take hundreds of years to recover. Pentheus laughed. I really shouldnt agree, but it just so happens that I hate fighting. Very well, I will agree to your three-day ceasefire. You wont go back on your words, will you? Qianye felt that this prince wasnt all that reliable. How can a princes reputation be exchanged for a mere three days? Then again, you have to know that the outcome will be no different whether we pause for three days or thirty days. Pentheus glanced at Qianye with an expression of pity. Qianye said, Can you be more specific? Its fine to tell you. The councils ultimate victory is a given, and the reason is simple. Qianye, you might be one of the top experts since ancient times and even the supreme realm is not beyond your reach. However, you are alone, how do you intend to fight the council and its ten thousand years of accumulation? The allies you chose haha I think they will disappoint you. The only one worthy of our respect has fallen on the void continent. Whatever they do, its a choice that I made. Pentheus bowed. Very well, I wish you all the best. Qianye stood in the air, watching as the Evernight experts receded like the tide. The surviving Attawa gathered around him during this time, waiting for their orders. Return to the holy land for now. Having received the command, the warriors cremated their comrades remains and set out on the way back. Qianye simply stood there without any movement. A voice echoed through the air, Young Friend, were you waiting for me. Qianye slowly turned around to face the man who had just appeared. This person appeared forthright and sincere, with a constant smile on his face. There was, however, a hint of coldness and pride as well. His aura was boundless and ephemeral; even the current Qianye found it difficult to fathom his power. Needless to say, he was a heavenly monarch. Qianye cupped his hands according to Imperial customs. May I know your name? Fang Shunxuan, better known as the Profundity Monarch. Its an honor to finally meet you. Qianye performed proper salutations. The Profundity Monarch swung his sleeves. Youre not my subordinate and were also in foreign lands, so you can ignore the formalities. Very well. Since the Profundity wished to keep him at a distance, there was no reason for Qianye to approach the man. Such a young man injuring the Masefield Clan Lord and killing the Lightless Monarch. Your accomplishments are unprecedented. The Empire will definitely reward you in the future. Qianye shook his head. I have no interest in rewards. Are Zining and Jundu doing well? The monarch stroked his beard. One is a marshal and the other is now a duke, theyre definitely doing good. The Empire will have to rely on them in the future. Some say the next twin paragons of the Empire are slowly taking shape. Will they come here? Thats not certain. The inner world is full of danger, so its better for old people like us. It might not be a good thing for the future to risk sending them in here. Were not so short on men that we would need to bet the Empires future pillars. The Profundity Monarch was polite and calm. Qianye said expressionlessly, Youve long since discovered Evernights tower, havent you? The monarch was stunned for a bit, but he wasnt willing to lie. Correct. Why did you not attack? Why wait for Evernight to complete their construction? This is an important matter that requires careful deliberation. Qianye stared at the monarch without even blinking, but the latter was also calm and unmoved. Moments later, Qianye said, Did you not know that the Empire would still have to step in if the Attawa and I failed to stop them? Are you still scheming at such a juncture? The Profundity Monarchs smile remained unchanged. Young Friend, this monarch has always acted impartially. I wouldve taken action if it warranted me taking action. I see that your fighting power is shocking, capable of taking on two great dark monarchs, killing one and injuring the other. There was simply no need for me to act. Qianye pointed at the pile of Attawa corpses on the ground. They wouldnt have needed to die if you had stepped in. Those are foreign tribes, whats so important about them? But These long-limbed creatures would be no different from beasts if they hadnt developed some knowledge. Do you consider them your own? Qianye was speechless. A frustrating feeling churned in his chest for a good while before he spat out, The wise ancestors have said before that all life is equal. Even the Evernight Council would give an intelligent race an equal place. Dont tell me the great Empire is inferior in this regard? Young Friend, since you know of the wise ancestors words, how can you not know of the Founding Ancestors words? Those of a different race will always have different intentions. Qianye had heard these words countless times. He looked closely at the Profundity Monarchs unchanging smile and said, Since thats the case, Ill be taking my leave. I wont see you off. The monarch was still smiling. Chapter 1464 Once back at the holy land, Qianye summoned all of the elders and asked them about the war situation. Those gathered here right now werent only from the Monroe tribe; men from the Byrne and Sperger tribes were also present. The Attawa were simple and primitive, but they werent dumb. They viewed Qianye as the messenger of the gods since he had communicated with the Holy Spirit before. They had also witnessed enough bloody battles to know that Qianye was the only one capable of stopping the black demons. No matter how brave the Attawa were, they could do nothing against the great dark monarchs. At most, they would be able to drag things out a little. Hence, all the elders were cooperative during the assembly and no unexpected hiccups happened. Qianye slowly gained a clearer picture of the situation after listening to their reports. This attack was a proactive effort by the Attawa to drive the Evernight people out for goodbut they ended up losing the fight. The Attawa started off with their elites charging in to self-detonate while the ordinary soldiers followed up to restrain the enemy. The giant wargods came in last to deliver the final blow. The problem was that their strategy was too old, and the Evernight faction wasnt inflexible. Experts from the other side who managed to come into the inner world were the elites among the elites. The Attawa assault was immediately discovered. Under Pentheus command, the Evernight experts assumed a defensive formation and turned the fight into a fort defense. No primitive tribe could beat a high-tech civilization in fortified defenses. The Evernight side didnt field their great dark monarchs at all. They merely relied on focused fire to mow down half of the incoming enemy. The scattered self-detonations could do little against the Evernight defensive lines. All they did was leave the ordinary warriors behind exposed to the suppressive fire. The battle became a slaughter from the very beginning. The Attawa moved at lightning speed, but the Evernight warriors were counts at the very least. With an origin gun in hand, they could follow at least a dozen targets and hit three of them. Some of the Attawa jumped high up into the air and tried charging in from above, only to end up being blasted into sieves. Even the giant wargods didnt get the opportunity to charge into the enemy formation. The offensive soon broke down. Fortunately, the Evernight side didnt try too hard during the chase. It looked more like they were trying to drive the Attawa back home. After learning of the situation, Qianye didnt know what to do for the time being. The Evernight side had fought this battle fair and square, relying only on their superior firepower to defeat the Attawa. Two of the three attacking tribes had been crippled at this point. The only way out was to work with the Empire and borrow their heavenly monarchs to make up for the lack of top-tier experts. That wouldve been a perfect combination capable of stemming the Evernight assault and buying some time. The Profundity Monarch was clearly around, yet he had chosen to only watch from the sidelines. It was clear that they intended to watch until the Attawa and Evernight had finished fighting to the bitter end. Qianye felt a surge of anger. Was the Profundity Monarch so certain that he would stand on their side? With a loud crack, Qianyes chair shattered into several pieces and broke down into fine powder. Only then did he realize that his origin power had leaked out due to his emotions. Glancing at the shocked expression of the people around him, Qianye quickly recollected himself. Now that there was no longer a chair, he simply stood up and conjured a map of the holy land with a wave of his hand. We must not let the black demons taint the holy mountain, nor can we let them obtain the treasures left behind by the gods! However, the black demons are powerful and difficult to deal with. Thats why my suggestion is to issue a call to war, asking all the other tribes to assemble here. We will then lay down a defensive formation and stop the black demons before they can enter the area. The defensive line Qianye had settled on did not give them any special advantage. It was, however, close enough to the holy land that they could keep their defenses consolidated. The landscape advantage wasnt going to do much against the experts of Evernight. The elders did not have any experience with large-scale wars, much less against Evernight. All their fights against the dark races had ended in grave losses. They wouldve been utterly defeated if it werent for Qianye. Fortunately, the Attawa elders didnt crave power all that much. No one objected to Qianyes suggestion. Qianye knew that the plan was just a stopgap measure. Even with the battlefront contracted, the dark race experts could still field their dukes, princes, and great dark monarchs to whittle away at the defenses. In truth, Qianye would not be able to launch a surprise attack if the great dark monarchs remained on high alert. Qianye decided that he would have to visit the Empires camp and discuss things with the Profundity Monarch. This was related to the survival of the entire human race, not something that could be decided rashly. Having reached a decision, Qianye left the holy land and made for the Empires approximate location. A small encampment had just appeared in the depths of a certain deep valley. From a distance, this place looked no different from any other part of the inner world. Only after closing in would one notice the clear aura at the center of the valleythe place was almost like an immortal paradise. Eight unique and naturally formed stone pillars stood at the center of the camp. There was a different painting hanging from each of themthey depicted lush trees and natural scenery that almost blended in with the seams of the world itself. They were no doubt works of divine art. Moreover, the eight stone pillars contained an origin array in each of them. The combination of all eight formed yet a bigger formation. At this moment, a gush of springwater appeared out of nowhere, flowing down the pillars and into the small pond below. Lotus flowers danced in the wind, stirring up ripples on the clear water surface. Two men could be seen playing chess near the pond. On one side was the Profundity Monarch. He had been holding his piece for a fairly long time, lost in deep contemplation. Finally, he played the piece and glanced up at the Pointer Monarch. The old man was surprised at the move. He then said with a frown, Your move puts me in a difficult position. Should I respond or should I not respond hm The Profundity Monarch smiled. This is how it goes when leading armies, the entire aim is to make it difficult for the enemy to decide. The Pointer Monarch picked up a piece. Instead of playing it, he asked, Your move isnt the best, though. Theres one other move that would have ensured your victory, and you probably know it. Why did you not play it? The Profundity Monarch stroked his beard. That move is definitely the best under normal circumstances, but my current move is better in throwing the opponent off. It might just be enough to put him in a hopeless situation and draw out a wrong play. When that time comes, the best move from before might not be the best move after all. But if I push back forcibly, youll be in a passive position. Profundity laughed. How can a young kid possess your level of calmness? Besides, how will we know his bottom line if we dont force him? If worse comes to worst, Ill apologize to him. Theres nothing to lose for the Empire. Chapter 1465 While walking through the forest, Qianye would receive periodic information from the mother tree. This meant that he had gained even more recognition, and his authority in the inner world had once again increased. Now, he could communicate with the mother tree through any tree in the forest. Every direction was transparent to Qianye because of the information he was receiving.. However, there was a patch of deep darkness in the valley ahead, and he couldnt see what was going on inside at all. This meant that the mother trees connection had been cut off in the area. This situation wasnt unique; the region around Evernights tower was also in a similar state. This could definitely stop information from leaking outside, but the black void also served to highlight the location. A force capable of producing an information void far from the dark races operation areait was easy to guess the identity of the people inside. Qianye flickered forward at extreme speeds, not hiding his aura in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, he was standing before the black void. Soon, a refined middle-aged man walked out from behind a tree and stepped into Qianyes path. Somewhat surprised, he shook his head with a wry smile. It really is you. Qianye also recognized Duke Wei since the two of them had crossed paths before. Duke Wei gazed at Qianye with complicated emotions. You were but a boy during the spring hunt. Back then, Zining was going about trying to get you engaged to my granddaughter. Who wouldve thought you would grow into such a powerful character? I can only say she wasnt fortunate enough. Qianye said, Duke Wei shouldnt think of it that way. It would be troublesome if the marriage had indeed happened. I am a vampire, after all, and might not fit in well with humans. The Founding Ancestors words are still written on the Imperial court after all. Duke Wei sighed. Looking at your past actions, youve contributed much to the Empire! To the human race! Dont tell me those bastards with selfish motives are more human than you are! Is it only because they have a human heart and human blood? Qianye said, Those with a human heart and human blood are indeed humans. Then what about their actions? Lets discuss this later. I remember a certain senior who said its enough if the heart belongs to the human race. Duke Wei snorted. No matter how strong the determination is, the heart will go cold when enough cold water is poured onto it. Qianye smiled. Perhaps. Duke Weis expression shifted slightly. The two monarchs are inside, please head in. With a nod, Qianye walked slowly into the valley. Of course, he knew that Duke Wei was trying to probe him. It was only natural that the two men inside had already heard everything. And Who was the other monarch? Qianye felt relaxed as he entered the valley; it felt as though he had set foot in an immortal paradise. Under the green trees beside the misty lake, the two heavenly monarchs were seated amidst the rockery. No one knew how long they had been playing that game of chess. Qianye came to stand beside the table, quietly observing the match with his hands behind him. The Profundity Monarch and the Pointer Monarch seemed to have unlimited patience. The former was contemplating his next move. It was as though nothing could grab his attention outside of the chessboard, nor did it seem like he had noticed Qianyes arrival. There was no telling how long he had been thinking on that move, and there was no telling when he would play it. The Pointer Monarch seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, not at all in a rush. He had no intention of urging the other party to play even if they took forever. Finally, Qianye couldnt help but sneer. Who are you putting on a show for? The Profundity Monarch said without looking up, The young can be so irritable. Youll know after a few days that patience is a good thing. I wouldnt be here watching the game if I wasn''t patient. Age might be a good thing, but its definitely not the older the better. The Pointer Monarch raised his brows, seemingly wanting to smile. The Profundity Monarch felt indignant, but the anger only flickered briefly on his expression before fading away. The board has been set, so youll have to play a move whether you like it or not. Since Im a part of the board, I get to decide when and how to play. Young Friend, youre just an observer, so you can only keep watching. Theres nothing bad about patience. These words are better said by a long-lived race. Qianye smiled coldly. The Profundity Monarch rubbed the piece between his fingers. Young Friend, are you saying you wish to join Evernight instead? What I want to know is where youre getting your patience from. You might be dead if you keep playing for three more decades. The Profundity Monarch pulled back the chess piece. It is said that gentlemen do not speak while observing a game. You may do as you wish when you become one of the players. Qianye said, I might not be part of the game, but I dont necessarily have to sit by and watch. Maybe its better that I just flip the table. Forcing your way into the game before your time, why would you bring this upon yourself? The hundred thousand Attawa would be dead by then. Those are just foreign creatures. It is quite fitting that they die to pave the way for the king. Even if thats the case, they should die a worthy death. There are better places where we can put them to use, why are we not doing that? This is an important matter decided by the court The conversation became heated, but the heat was only limited to Qianye. The Profundity Monarch grew calmer and slower as Qianye became more and more agitated. Qianye suddenly glanced around the valley. He then raised his voice, saying, If the Black-Winged Monarch had not fought the supremes to the death, do you think you lot could handle the combined forces of the Evernight Council? This comment was rather rude, so much so that the Profundity Monarch was visibly moved. Some divine champions and dukes appeared from their concealment, blaming Qianye for his insolence. Qianye laughed in the face of the rebuke. It has always been the Evernight faction that is afraid of me. Meanwhile, any random person from the Empire dares to jump out and point their finger at me. It looks like I havent killed enough of you yet. A divine champion marshal from the military roared, How dare you! Are you not afraid of inviting a calamity upon yourself? It is your honor to be used by the Empire, when was it a kids turn to speak like so? Oh, so its an honor Qianye gazed at the divine champion. And who the hell are you to speak to me that way? Or how about we duke it out. Ill take up your surname if I cant kill you in one hit. The old divine champion trembled in anger, but he had little to say despite pointing at Qianye. Insolence! Utter insolence! Ultimately, he didnt have the courage to fight. Qianye laughed as he glanced around him. Shut up if you dare not fight me. Chapter 1466 The Profundity Monarch sighed as he put the chess piece back into the box. Young Friend, why do you like to force people so? I guess its because Ive been pushed around for too long, I think I want to see what it feels like to flip the table. The Profundity Monarch shook his head. A nearby duke shouted, Zhao Qianye! Are you not afraid that your insolence will drag the Zhao clan down? Qianye turned glanced expressionlessly at the man. How so? Is it like this? Several threads of blood shot toward the duke at extreme speed! This attack was almost unbelievable. That man could do nothing but watch the incoming strike with an ashen face. He was simply unable to evade! At this moment, the Pointer Monarch sighed. He appeared between Qianye and the duke, stopping the threads with a swing of his sleeves. Having returned from the brink of death, the man pointed at Qianye, saying, Y-You! The nerve Qianye didnt follow up with the attack and merely gazed at the Pointer Monarch. The monarch sighed, Can you people not let an old man rest? Qianye said, Im afraid this matter is too important for you to be enjoying peace and quiet. He still maintained a bit of respect for the Pointer Monarch. Someone wanted to speak but the Pointer Monarch shut him up with a wave of his hand. Why would you risk angering the Empire over some native tribes? This isnt entirely related to the Attawa. Even without them, I think some people will wait until Im done fighting the Evernight to the death. Qianye didnt hold back at all, eliciting unnatural reactions from quite a few people. The Pointer Monarch didnt say anything since lying would be unbecoming for someone of his status. Qianye said calmly, Speaking of which, didnt someone just say Ill implicate the Zhao clan? Why not explain how I will implicate them? That was just an angry statement, why take it seriously? The Profundity Monarch naturally had no fear of the Zhao clan, but that was the extent of it. The clan had deep connections to the imperial family, so trying to topple it was no easier than eliminating the Zhang clan. The one who had tried to threaten Qianye just now was one of the Profundity Monarchs men, so he had no choice but to step in. Otherwise, there would be turmoil once this spread back to the Empire. Qianye laughed, No need to take it seriously? No need to take it seriously. Then, I dont think I need to take Evernight seriously, either. Whatever they want to do is their business. Now thats a different matter. Theres a profound enmity between you and the other faction, how can you just sit by and watch? There are some in the Empire that I hate no less. Am I not letting them do whatever they want? The Profundity Monarch wasnt angry. If you look at it from the Empires perspective, the military did nothing wrong back in Indomitable. Besides, Li Fengshui and the Longevity Monarch are both dead. Why would you cling onto old animosities? Qianye seemed angry, but his expression eventually relaxed. He stared at the Profundity Monarch, saying, Monarch, youve gotten something wrong. Oh, how so? You said Im not a player in this game of chess. And how is that wrong? I killed the Lightless Monarch a couple of days ago. The Profundity Monarch narrowed his eyes, a cold gleam shining through them as he did so. As expected of a heroic youth, Ive underestimated you. Its a bit too late if you want to kill me. The Profundity Monarch laughed. Young Friend, you jest. We all fight for the Empire, theres no way I would engage in infighting. Qianye said with a smile, How true! Since were from the same side, we should be fighting shoulder to shoulder. How could anyone let a comrade fight on the front lines while cowering in the rear? No matter how restrained the man was, his expression couldnt help but grow stiff. What are you trying to say? Simple, the Attawa are my people. The Pointer Monarch frowned but said nothing. Qianye had already made his stance clear. He viewed the natives as his soldiers, so sacrificing more of them would affect Qianyes interests. The Profundity Monarch said calmly, The dark races are crafty, and we still dont know what theyre here for. It wont be wise to make reckless moves until we have a grasp of things. Qianye said, Is this your stance or the Empires? What difference is there? Qianye glanced at the Pointer Monarch, but the latter remained locked in a silent frown. It looks like the monarch is still finding it difficult to decide. Let it be, since youre intent on watching as I fight tooth and nail against the dark races before swooping in to claim the benefits, dont blame me for being rude. What are your plans? Im sure youre doing everything out of consideration for the Empire, Im assuming you dont really care about personal interests. Whats gone will be gone when its gone. Can you speak clearer? Qianye said, Affairs of the nation come first, thats not wrong, but nothing is stopping me from taking care of personal enmity. Since you have no fear of making an enemy out of me, you should probably make preparations to take care of your offspring. Once you fail to walk out of this place alive, I will have to seek them out and uproot them one by one. That would be rather troublesome. The Profundity Monarchs expression shifted drastically. How dare you! This time, it was Qianyes turn to be calm. I fought the entire Evernight army alone at Blacksun Valley. What do I not dare to do? Do you feel no shame? What, youve already lost your calm over a couple of descendants? What are they compared to the Empire and the bigger picture. Qianye sneered. Killing intent appeared once again in the Profundity Monarchs eyes. Meanwhile, wisps of grey energy seeped out from Qianyes body. The Pointer Monarch finally let out a cough. Such a ruckus, how is this proper? Indeed it is not. There were different implications to his words. The Profundity Monarch said coldly, Why seek the satisfaction of winning a verbal argument? I might be old, but I can still fight! Qianye said, Oh, so you do know that youre old. If you fail to kill me today, you will have no chance once I become a heavenly monarch in three more years. Three years The Profundity Monarch murmured. The Pointer Monarch was finally angry. This matter stops here! No problem. Qianye simply turned and left. Stop right there! The Profundity Monarch called out. What other comments do you have? The monarch stared at Qianye and said word by word, Youre intent on going against me, aren''t you? Ep [V6C67 C Sorrow of a Silent Parting] Zhang Boqian stood up as Qianyes car left the external camp gates and walked through a side door. Lin Xitang was standing in the open passageway with his back against a cast-iron rack, looking at the ground without much focus. As Zhang Boqian arrived before Lin Xitang, his gaze fell upon the grey hue under the latters silver hair. He asked slowly, Dont you want to meet him? Its good for things to end here. This outcome isnt bad. Why did you go to the dumpster on Evernight Continent back then? It was by chance. Then what about later on? Lin Xitang looked up in a daze. Zhang Boqians expression was indifferent, but his eyes were resolute. Apparently, he wasnt about to let this matter drop without a clear answer. Lin Xitang couldnt help but laugh. The matters later on are, of course, not just chance. How can there be so much coincidence? Zhang Boqian was somewhat angry as he said with a deep voice, Lin Xitang, you should be clearer than me as to which matters you should and shouldnt meddle in. Dont think that your divination art can read everyone. Wasnt that last lesson with the Queen of the Night not enough? Are you looking for even more enemies? Lin Xitang remained silent for a moment, then said softly, I was indeed wrong in this matter, but its over now. Zhang Boqians anger subsided as he looked on. So, it turns out you also have selfish motives. Lin Xitang smiled helplessly without any comment. At this moment, the light and shadows around them flickered briefly as the origin lamps in the corridor were extinguished in succession. The sunlight showering down from the courtyard swept away part of the dark corner and cast a shadow over another. It was dawn over Evernight Continent. Qianye felt extremely tired after returning to the Zhao clan camp and wanted nothing more than to take a long nap. Meeting and exchanging a few words with Zhang Boqian felt even more tiring than a battle against a powerful enemy. The exhaustion was comparable to the Shot of Inception. But Qianye had too many things he needed to do. He only went back to his room and washed his face with cold water before calling upon Zhao Xuanji. The latter was sitting behind a tall stack of documents just as beforethere seemed to be no end to those papers. Qianye had heard a fair number of rumors about Duke You during this period and understood that he was a person who attended to every detail personally. Qianye recounted his meeting with Zhang Boqian briefly. Zhao Xuanji appeared quite happy with how things had gone and immediately offered words of encouragement. The marshal wasnt one to do something as senseless as making one wait in vain; his willingness to spend this much time proved that he had taken notice of Qianye. This would be greatly beneficial to Qianyes future. Qianye could only laugh wryly. He said immediately after Zhao Xuanji had finished speaking, Duke, I plan to return to Blackflow City for a while if there arent any major events in the near future. Zhao Xuanji asked with a frown, Right now? How about your injuries? Theyre no longer a hindrance, Qianye replied, I heard military airships cant be used for private business, so Ill just take the land route. Zhao Xuanjis frown relaxed slightly as he inquired, Oh right, why did you save up the contributions? The rewards this time contain quite a lot of premium quality equipment. For instance, their custom-made grade-seven guns are better than the ones produced by the Zhao clan. It shouldnt be too far off from Jundus Blue Firmament. Qianye had long since prepared an answer to this question. I already have a good weapon. Moreover, my origin power is soaring rapidly these days, and I should be able to use grade-eight weapons sooner or later. I thought its better to save up the contributions and request a grade-eight item later on. Zhao Xuanji nodded. Its not a bad thing for young people to aim higher. Very well, you may go but remember to be back in ten days no matter what. Qianye nodded. He then visited the quartermaster for an off-road vehicle and left the imperial army camp for Blackflow City. While Qianye was speeding across the endless wilderness, the fierce battles in the cavern world of Giants Repose were coming to an end. Bai Aotu stepped over an arachne marquis body to retrieve an ancient essence fragment from the cave wall and tossed it into a special bag. Stored within a different compartment in the bag was a crystal left behind by Sky Demons avatar. The waves of heat it was emitting could even ignite black stone, but the bag was made of a special material which remained unaffected by the heat and could even block out external probes. At this moment, there were no more enemies around as Bai Aotu retraced her path. She sensed several tyrannical auras near the edges of her perception range, and they had also discovered her. However, they were apprehensive of her power, and as such, everyone simply went their own way. One of those powerful auras deteriorated sharply after everyone had left. Within a certain cavern, Eden was drenched in sweat as he sat down slowly. For a while, he didnt even have the strength to stand up. Across from him, Bai Kongzhao was gazing intently at the ancient essence fragment in her hands. Both Eden and Bai Kongzhao felt quite comfortable as they basked in the gentle light pouring out from it. Eden asked after catching his breath, Where did you find that medicine? It can actually let me feign a marquis aura. This is a bit too tyrannical. This kind of medicine arouses ones potential at the expense of vitality. You can imitate the aura of a marquis because youre a count. This kind of life-saving item isnt rare in the slums. Life-saving? Eden was puzzled. He simply couldnt figure out how this violent drug with severe side-effects could be used to save lives. Bai Kongzhao glanced at him and said matter-of-factly, Of course, its a life-saving medicine. People in the slums have neither good weapons, cultivation arts, nor bloodline powers. They can only fight with their lives on the line. Thats why, to them, this medicine is a life-saver in emergency situations. No matter how great the side-effects are, thats a matter that can be left for later. Eden hadnt expected this kind of reply. He asked after a moment of silence, Where are these slums that you speak of? Bai Kongzhao recited a couple of areas. Eden had a vague impression of only one place, an underground market in dark race territory. The poor civilians living there were mostly dark race members and a small number of mix-breed humans. You grew up in such a place? No, the place where I grew up is even worse, but She didnt finish her sentence. Eden possessed the basic tact and manners of a famed demonkin clan. Fine, I wont ask anymore. What do you plan to do now that youve gotten what you want? My words still stand, do it quickly if youre taking my life. Bai Kongzhao shot a glance at Eden, but the focus of her gaze clearly wasnt upon him. Instead, it fell far away in the unknown distance. She came to after a long while and said, I want your clans secret art. Impossible, Eden refused immediately. Bai Kongzhao stood up and walked toward Eden. However, that which arrived wasnt the slaughter he had been expecting but instead half an ancient essence fragment. She had somehow split the ancient essence into two, and the piece she had tossed to Eden was even slightly bigger than the one in her hand. Eden caught the object and cast a puzzled glance at Bai Kongzhao. This isnt like you at all. Bai Kongzhao waved the ancient essence fragment in her hand. I only need this much. With that, she stuffed the fragment into her backpack and walked away into the tunnel leading outside. Eden shouted at Bai Kongzhaos receding figure, Hey! We can only be considered even, dont think I owe you a favor! Bai Kongzhao raised a middle finger without looking back. So garrulous, not like a man at all. You! Eden felt stifled. Perhaps Bai Kongzhao didnt need any more of the ancient essence, but this fragment was extremely important to Eden. With this fragment, he would be able to recover completely from the wounds he had received during his battle with Edward. Even his bloodline foundations might take a leap forward. Eden glanced at the place where Bai Kongzhao had disappeared. Then, his emotions became rather complicated when he recalled the giant backpack filled with demonkin weapons. In a different area, Edwards face was completely ashen. He had two Sky Demon crystals in his hand as he smashed a fist into the stone wall. This venting strike immediately left a ten-meter hole in the wall and nearly forced out a new passage. But he was quite clear that any amount of anger was useless. Nighteye had likely escaped at this moment and even mightve left Giants Repose. Meanwhile, he had failed to find even a single ancient essence fragment. Sky Demons avatar, on the other hand, he encountered twice, but their crystals were completely useless to him. The only thing he could do with them was to reward his subordinates. But in Edwards heart, all of his subordinates combined wasnt half as important as himself. As such, gaining two Sky Demon crystals was no different from returning empty-handed. Eden!!! Edward uttered a name through gritted teeth. If it werent for Eden, how could he have fallen to this state? He wouldve forced Nighteye into submission already. Edward grew increasingly furious as he thought about it, but a chill emerged in his heart at the same time. Others might not know, but Edward clearly saw the frost in Liliths eyes when she heard that it was the council who had bestowed him the title of Holy Sonher gaze had almost frozen his soul. Dragging an ancient essence fragment in her left hand, Li Kuanglan pointed Cold Moons Embrace at the enemies in fronttwo werewolves and an arachneand said in a carefree tone, You lot, come at me if you want this thing. Stop being so cowardly! The ones confronting Li Kuanglan were counts and, at least on the surface, on par with her in terms of strength. However, they felt a vague sense of fear and actually didnt dare go forward. Li Kuanglan and Cold Moons Embrace had killed their way to fame during the last part of the journey. All who had fallen under the crystal edge were famous experts of the various races. These three dark counts didnt feel confident at all despite holding the advantage in terms of numbers. Li Kuanglan wasnt going to wait, though. She simply charged over toward them with a powerful chill erupting around her body. The arachne count finally let out a loud roar. He quickly retreated with the two werewolves in tow and soon vanished into the maze-like tunnels. Li Kuanglan let out a long, domineering laugh and swaggered out with the ancient essence fragment behind her. In a different tunnel, Zhao Jundu was walking steadily with Blue Firmament strapped to his back. He wasnt working together with the Zhao clan squad during this operation, and few people from both factions had ever encountered him. At this moment, there wasnt a single emotion on Zhao Jundus frosty yet handsome countenance. It was as though nothing in the world was related to him and battles were merely battles. No one knew his actual accomplishments. The only proof he had was a crystal from Sky Demons avatar in his backpack. In the majestic castle at the center of the Evernight Council battle line, Lightless Monarch Medanzo let out a heavy snort. His fury sent the blood and qi of all the dark race soldiers in the camp into turmoil and caused their origin power to scatter. It was inexplicably uncomfortable. The weaker soldiers and cannon fodder collapsed in droves, some of them never to rise again. If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible. Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters. Chapter 1467 Qianye left abruptly, leaving the host of divine champions and dukes angry, apprehensive, and, indignant. One of them said, The Emperor raised him and Marshal Lin treated him like his own son. Yet he spouts insolence instead of fighting for the Empire. This kind of person should be executed! Another person said coldly, His willingness to join the vampire race itself is a crime worthy of punishment. Even with a sinful body, hes still not willing to repay the Empire. How ungrateful! Duke Wei could no longer stand and watch. You shouldve spoken to him while he was here, now hes gone and no longer able to hear you. The blatant ridicule caused the two men to turn beet red. One of them shouted in embarrassment, Duke, are you standing on the vampires side? Duke Wei sighed. Im just thinking when our Empire reached such a state. The Profundity Monarch coughed. Duke Wei need not worry, the Empires fortune is like the midday sun. You might not know some important things, so its only natural that youd worry. The Pointer Monarch sent the divine champions away with a wave of his hand, leaving only the two heavenly monarchs at the scene. Shunxuan, why go so far? The Profundity Monarch said seriously. I came into this world prepared to die for the Empire, you know that. The Pointer Monarch nodded. Ive never doubted your loyalty to the Empire. A normal strategy would see us working with Qianye as the best route, but were not at that phase yet since the natives here will wear down the enemy for us. Yet, Qianye came to talk on their behalf. Are we to sacrifice the pillars of our Empire, our divine champions, alongside those barbarians? Nonsense! The Pointer Monarch said nothing. Be it in the Empire or Evernight, equality was but an empty word. It was also quite easy to see how much importance the Empire attached to the Attawa. On the other hand, these natives were born powerful and their potential was difficult to gauge. Now that they had begun to serve Qianye, things had indeed gotten a bit complicated. The Profundity Monarch wasnt expecting to convince the Pointer Monarch. If theres a better chance of survival, I will always choose that path. Your family has gained a qilin of a son, a powerful descendant, but my family is fairly mediocre. They will surely fail to hold onto everything I have built. The inner world appeared too suddenly, leaving me no time to make the necessary arrangements. I wouldve spread my possessions out if I had the opportunity, leaving my offspring just enough to make a living. Now, I fear they will meet their end after I fall here. The Pointer Monarch said, Dont think too much about what Qianye said. Judging from his actions in recent years, he has always been kind-hearted. He surely wont go about slaughtering an entire family. The Empire has other people apart from us, Greensun wont just sit by and do nothing. The Profundity Monarch sighed. What I truly fear is that they will court their own death. The Pointer Monarch had nothing to say to that. If only the Profundity Monarch had a couple more years, he couldve given away a part of his possessions to ensure his descendants survival. If the monarch were to pass without such arrangements, his descendants might be inclined to cling to their glory days and bring disaster upon themselves. People might not say anything about the domineering attitude of his descendants while the monarch was still alive, but they would surely come seeking trouble once he was gone. The Profundity Monarch added, It was only a faint ray of hope at first, but now that the Masefield Clan Lord has been injured and Medanzo is dead, our chances are much better. If Qianye can engage in another fight against Evernight and wound another great dark monarch, our forces will be able to overwhelm Evernight. No one will be able to stop us. Seeing that the Pointer Monarch had nothing to say, the Profundity Monarch said, What the Empire needs now is time. As long as we can keep the enemy bogged down here, we will have achieved victory. Even people like us need to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good, let alone some natives and a vampire. Toward the end, the Profundity Monarch added, Dont tell me you want to make an exception for him because of your great-grandchild? The Pointer Monarch wasnt going to let his displeasure show. The bigger picture is important, but one can hardly forget righteousness. Qianye has sacrificed so much for the Empire. Id rather question the motives of people who question his motives. The Profundity Monarch stroked his beard. What if I have a way to make Qianye fight Evernight? What way? Profundity said, Duke Qi came in yesterday and brought a new batch of intelligence reports. Theres one among them thats rather interesting. He passed the Pointer Monarch a paper. The latter opened it to find a drawing, depicting a host of Evernight Council members walking out from the great hall. On the other side was an endless formation of soldiers stretching into the distance. The group of princes and grand dukes were led by an arachne prince, Bradley, the Weaver of Nightmares. He was clad in full armor, with a long sword strapped to his waist. The Pointer Monarchs eyes landed on the familiar blade, feeling as though he had seen it somewhere. This drawing was no doubt produced by one of the Empires spies hidden in the upper echelons of Evernight. Or perhaps he was more than just a spy. He might be a liaison for making shady deals with the Empire. While the Pointer Monarch was pondering on it, the Profundity Monarch produced a small box containing some dark race blood. Picking up his brush, he unleashed a bit of origin powermost of the blood evaporated immediately, leaving only a wisp of pure darkness origin power. The Profundity Monarch then used the brush and added a decorative piece to the hilt of the blade. The Pointer Monarch raised his brows. Ah, Awakening Dream! Precisely. The Profundity Monarch put away his pen with a smile. The Pointer Monarch quickly noticed that the arachne princes blade was actually not the Awakening Dream, else the other monarch wouldnt have needed to take this extra step. It didnt take too much thinking to realize how venomous Profunditys scheme was. Awakening Dream was the Evernight Councils guardian weapon, granted to Nighteye during the battle of Blacksun Valley. The weapon and Nighteye both went missing after war broke out on the Twilight Continent. What are you planning? Nothing much. Ill just send this to Qianye, then let him decipher it however he wants. The man seemed fairly relaxed. The Pointer Monarch said, Is this painting real? Everything is real except for the final stroke. Qianye can ask any random dark race marquis, and theyll tell him that the Weaver of Nightmares received a new blade recently. As for the swords origins, no one knows because Bradley has never told anyone. Chapter 1468 By the time Qianye returned to the holy land, yet another Attawa tribe had arrived. The remainder were fairly distant, so it would take two weeks or more for them to arrive. And that was because they could exchange messages between mother trees; it would take even longer otherwise. The Mamon clan brought an entire three thousand warriors, almost every adult male and female in the tribe. They were even thinking about bringing older children along. According to a senior tribe member, less than a thousand of the children and elderly stayed behind. This was a complete mobilization. Reportedly, the other tribes were doing the same. The elders who had stayed behind were nearing the end of their lives. They would be able to take care of the children until they were mature, then this new generation would be in charge of taking care of the younger ones. There were four tribes gathered at the holy land at this point, so the place was starting to feel a bit packed. Several clearings were full of tents. Qianye suddenly smelled blood as he walked through the area. It wasnt the decaying smell of blood from the wounded but fresh blood. Following this smell, Qianye entered a small stone hut and saw two Attawa lying on the bed. One was an old man, while the other was a strong, healthy adult. Some elderly medics were busy dripping some herbal fluid into the wounds on their chest. The medicinal fluid seemed to have miraculous effects, allowing the flesh to grow back and close at a visible rate. Qianye, however, could see that this medicinal fluid was extremely tyrannical. While its healing properties were mediocre, the medicine could draw upon the Attawas own life force to produce the healing effect. The amount of vitality burned was out of proportion compared to the healing achieved, draining around ten times more than the healing. The only thing good about it was its speed. The young adult was fit for combat in less than an hour. However, the old man didnt have much life force left to begin with. It looked like he would die any moment. Qianye dragged one of the doctors over and asked, What are you doing here? Crystal transplant? The doctor pointed at the strong warrior. Aya did not have a crystal, but old man Mula has one, so we transplanted the crystal to Aya. That way, he can contribute in battle. This so-called contribution was just self-detonation. It was easy to see how long that old man who had just lost his crystal would live. Qianye didnt tell them to stop. It was no use since they had already completed the transfer. He simply hastened toward the great hall and sought out the Monroe elder on the upper floor. Why do you transplant crystals? The elder led Qianye to the window and pointed at the tribal soldiers below. Warriors from every tribe will be coming. As a guardian tribe, the Monroe must perform in the defense of the holy mountain. The Monroe tribe has sacrificed enough. The elder said calmly, We are the first and last line of defense for the holy land. We make the most sacrifices, and we gain the most accomplishments. We will fight to the last man, woman, and child against invaders. That is our duty and our faith. The elder was insistent no matter what Qianye said. In truth, he already knew that most transplantation processes had probably been completed at this point. Looking at the Attawa around the holy land, Qianye sighed. Maybe we should give up on the holy mountain. Impossible. The holy land is attached to the holy peak. Ive already gone through the layer of clouds and reached the peak. I know what is up there. We can take those things away first and return to capture the place later. As Qianye saw it, the only thing important up there were the trees that could produce mirage moon origin power. He had already extracted a portion of it into the Book of Darkness. The mirage moon origin power could be added directly onto his daybreak origin power, so the entire conversion process didnt even take a single day. He would only need to go up to the peak one more time in order to extract all of the tree sap. It would take hundreds of years for the trees to produce more sap. What Qianye was worried about was actually people discovering the mirage moon origin power. The three supremes had probably seen the power of the mirage moon origin power following their fight with Andruil. Qianye was worried that a great genius might figure out the cultivation method from those trees. Evernight had no shortage of geniuses like Anwen, and it was Andruil who had managed to develop this origin power, gaining himself the Lord of Evernight title. There was no telling how long it would take for the next Andruil to appear, but the survival of the Attawa was at hand. That was why Qianye wanted to leave with the Attawa and let Evernight take over the holy land. In this manner, the tables would turn in a different direction. The dark races wouldnt be able to return for a while after occupying the peak, and that would give Qianye time to contend with them. Most importantly, Qianye was growing stronger over time after obtaining the mirage moon origin power. His daybreak origin power had reached rank-twenty-two, only one step away from the heavenly monarch rank. Now that his Venus Dawn foundation was solid, his evernight side was no longer being restrained. He was improving sharply and would soon reach the great dark monarch realm. All he needed was some time, and he was even confident that he could hold his own against the Eternal Flame. Surprisingly, the elder would not agree to leave the holy land no matter how Qianye persuaded them. They were hell-bent on protecting the place even if it meant their death. Their only reason was, This is our faith. Qianye had met both Rex and Andruil; he even took the time to learn the Attawas legends and history. He found out that the Attawas history and intelligence were born of Andruil and Rexs secret guidance. The belief that they had to defend the holy peak and destroy the black demons had been embedded deeply in their minds. He also discovered that the natives simplicity, frugality, and love of nature were also implanted. Diligence and frugality were virtues in a world short on resources, but there was no need for the Attawa to be so in this bountiful world. On the contrary, it clipped their ability to progress as a society. Their love for nature also stopped them from making and using tools, especially anything related to mass production. This kept them frozen in a primitive state. Qianye had already guessed Andruils motives. Only primitive tribes would cling firmly to their beliefs. The Attawas real mission was to stop the Evernight experts and prevent them from obtaining the darkness origins. These natives shouldve been the favored children of this world, yet their fate had been altered by Rex and Andruil. They ultimately became weapons to target the councils experts. They would never realize that the holy mountain they were protecting was simply an existence from a different world. Qianye felt somewhat hesitant, thinking whether or not he should tell them the truth. However, the unadulterated gleam in the elders eyes taught Qianye what conviction truly meant. Chapter 1469 For countless years, the holy mountain had been the psychological pillar of the Attawa race, a totem representing everyone. An invasion of the holy mountain was an encroachment upon their bottom line. It mattered little how many holy trees there were on the peak, nor was this related to Andruil and Rex. The Attawa were made to be this way; they would rather die than compromise. Their civilization was primitive and lacking experience and insightso much so that they had no idea there was another world outside of the inner worldbut that didnt stop them from building up a paradise in their hearts, a divine totem that they had to protect. The faith and conviction itself was more important than what they were protecting. The Black-Winged Monarch simply adjusted to and took advantage of this process. He simply conformed to their nature instead of leading them in a different direction, obtaining their devotion in the process. What Andruil did was attach the fate of the human race to this devotion. Having realized this, Qianye knew that it was useless to convince the Attawa. There was no use in further conversation. The only path ahead was to fight. Qianye said farewell to the elder and made his way to the holy mountain. In less than half a day, he was once again standing among the strange trees where he had met Andruil. The Black-Winged Monarch of the pastwho had become the Lord of Evernight later onwas no longer in this world. This stunning genius had challenged the supremes of the Sacred Mountain on his own. Despite his title, this move was no doubt a suicidal decision. Reality proved that to be true. Andruil didnt do this just for the human race or Nangong Yuqing. Perhaps it could be said that he had grown a bit stubborn after gaining sufficient power and talent. Qianye stood silently for a while, thinking about this friend and teacher whom he had never actually met. At this silent moment, a grey feather appeared atop the holy mountain. It drifted elegantly in the air but never fell. The entire holy mountain began to tremble, and the trees began to shake despite the lack of wind. Wisps of formless energy surged upward and curled around the feather, trying to drag it toward the ground. Qianye sensed it when the feather sank downward, and he himself almost fell on his knees. It was just as he had expected; the chaos origin power and the mirage moon origin power were on opposite ends of the spectrum. The appearance of a complete chaos origin power form stirred up the trees that had been nurtured by mirage moon. This was contention between origin powers at the sourcethere was no room to hide or escape. Even the unsprouted trees deep within the soil would contribute some power to try and assimilate the grey feather. Qianye regained control just as his knees were about to hit the ground. He let out a deep roar as his blood core and heart kicked into action. A torrential surge of origin power gushed out to fight against the energy of the holy mountain. It wouldnt have been so difficult if he had absorbed and digested all of the tree sap. It was just that Qianye had no more time. His knees creaked and groaned, but he managed to stand up little by little. All of the trees were lifted slightly off the ground. The grey feather in the air trembled constantly and cracks started to appear on its surface. Some grey pieces were starting to rise, as though they were being peeled off by the mirage moon origin power. Finally, a piece of grey fell from the feather, which the mirage moon energy promptly tore and devoured. This set off a chain reaction as the feather started to crumble into countless fragments that fell to the ground. The grey energy receded and Qianye felt the weight on his body gone. How could he let go of this opportunity? He erupted once again, and the chaos energy became boundlessly powerful. In a flash, all of the trees had been lifted into the air and were slowly circling around Qianye. At this moment, Qianye was the center of the universe. However, an unexpected event occurred. Cracks appeared all over the trees soon after leaving the ground, breaking down into countless pieces in the process. Specks of light emerged from each fragment, containing endless transformation within the tiny frame. The seemingly endless torrent of mirage moon origin power bore down upon Qianye like a giant net. Shit! Qianye immediately realized that things werent quite right. There wasnt a lot of tree sap left on the summit, and Qianye had no fear even if all of them were to transform into mirage moon origin power. Yet, he had never imagined that these trees would be able to release all of their energy in an instant. This kind of lossless release should not have been possible. There was only one possibilityQianyes intention to destroy the trees and absorb all of the mirage moon origin power had threatened the very foundation of this world. This invited a proactive retaliation from the world. It just so happened that Qianye was the wielder of chaos origin power, so he became a glaring target. Now that things had progressed to this point, Qianye immediately curled up into a ball and released a hazy glow around him. This was an all-out attempt at fighting against the massive net of mirage moon origin power. As the mesh closed in, Qianyes bones began to emit cracking sounds. Both Venus Dawn and dark golden blood energy would break down upon contact with the mirage moon origin power. Only the chaos origin power stood a chance. Qianye channeled a constant supply of chaos origin power and held on with gritted teeth. Of course, he was not a match for the world itself, but the only thing the world could do to threaten him was attack him with the mirage moon origin power. Qianye would be able to find a way out if he could exhaust this tremendous energy. It was now a battle of attrition. The mirage moon origin power was still abundant, while Qianyes chaos origin power supply wasnt yet exhausted. However, countless cracks began to appear over his bones, much like a network of spider webs. Qianyes heart sank. His origin power could still hold out, but his body was not yet at the level of a great dark monarch; its strength was far from perfect. It seemed like Qianyes body was about to break down during this power struggle. A sigh echoed in the deep darkness as Andruil walked out from the void. He said while shaking his head, I knew you would be impatient, good thing I left a backup plan. He reached out, grabbed at the empty space, and lifted his hand upward. The giant net of mirage moon origin power was now missing a corner, torn away by Andruil. The net of origin power turned into countless specks of radiance in Andruils hand, then restored to its original form. He pointed once again, and the origin power turned into a stream of energy that shot into Qianyes body. The attributeless mirage moon origin power was immediately guided into the book of darkness in the form of Venus Dawn origin power. Andruil grabbed yet another piece of the net, removed the will of the inner world, and transferred it to Qianye. As vast amounts of Venus Dawn origin power gushed into Qianyes heart, the sixth crystal slowly appeared. The appearance of this crystal seemed to have broken a certain balance, causing the crystals to bundle up together. Qianyes face turned pale, and his body began to tremble. This process of crystal aggregation was a process that involved a repeated tearing and healing of the heart. Wherever the origin crystal went, life itself was extinguished and nothing could grow back. Only then did Qianye realize just how difficult it was to step into the heavenly monarch realm. Apart from having origin power that was pure enough to accommodate six origin crystals, the body had to be strong enough to withstand the formation process as well. To humans and their inherently weak bodies, this was the maximum extent they could withstand. Of course, the danger was no less serious on the Evernight sideperhaps even greater. Becoming a great dark monarch meant allowing ones bloodline to completely remodel the body, finally reaching a stage where the expert could move the entire world on his own. Bloodline was an impetus as well as a restraint for them. Those born with special bloodlines and powerful bodies could naturally withstand greater energy and go further in resonating with the origin power of the world. Once formed, even the greatest genius would find it near impossible to go beyond it. This was comparable to how a structure with a weak foundation couldnt be extended upward. That was why Medanzo was only the Lightless Monarch despite his talent. Without a special pathway, the Queen of the Night would always be the second drop in the River of Blood, an existence no one could surpass. Andruil was only able to exceed his status because he had grasped the mirage moon origin power, allowing him to challenge the supremes. Regardless, Qianyes body had been modified by the chaos origin power, and few could match its resilience. Only the will of the world acting through the mirage moon origin power could cause Qianyes body to break down. Finally, the six crystals merged into a single piece, and even the heart could no longer cover them entirely. They might be symbiotic, but now, the crystal was in control. The formation of this crystal seemed to have opened a pair of invisible eyes. He was now able to sense and see things he could never before. His consciousness began to drift away, almost touching the depths of the entire world. Was this the heavenly monarch realm? Qianye hadnt experienced all the changes in detail before Andruil appeared in front of him. The man waved his hand, saying, This is my final consciousness, and its about to disappear. I have one last request to make. Qianye glanced doubtfully at Andruil. Youve said this many times This is really the last one. Really? Of course! A flash of sorrow appeared on Qianyes face. I hoped there would be more. Now that the final bit of mirage moon origin power is gone, there is nothing left to contain my will. This you will understand later. Very well, what do you need my help with? Andruil remained silent for a while. I was fairly young and rash back in the year. I once told Lilith that I would wait for her at the end of the River of Blood. Its just that I met Yuqing later on, a girl with only a short few decades to live. I cultivated the mirage moon origin power as time went by, so I am no longer a pure vampire. I can no longer return to the river. Thats why if you see Lilith, please tell her that I can no longer wait for her at the rivers end. Qianye was surprised, not knowing how to reply. Andruil asked, You humans have hearts. Tell me, can a heart love two people? Qianye had no answer. Andruil did not wait for a reply, either. He only sighed with a wry smile and vanished. Chapter 1470 Qianye stood there in silence even after Andruil was gone. It was only after a while that he realized how Andruil was truly gone this time. There was nothing left on the holy mountain as all the trees had been destroyed during the release of mirage moon origin power. There werent even traces left. Even the smallest of sprouts couldnt have survived this clash between chaos and mirage moon origin power. Everything was destroyed. There would be no more such trees in the new world thereafter, nor would there be any mirage moon origin power. They might grow again after several hundred years, but that was a topic for later. Right now, he was a heavenly monarch on the daybreak side. The darkness side was also on the verge of assailing the great dark monarch realm. There was still a prince rank in between, but he could skip that if he so wished. A prince would possess some of the power and characteristics of a great dark monarch, but they hadnt fully reached the next rank. Considering the rank of Qianyes dark golden energy, he could easily become a great dark monarch without taking that half-step. All he needed was accumulationhe needed to kill. As the only one who had married daybreak and evernight in one body, Qianye was perhaps the very first person who could compare the two top powers in detail. The Evernight side utilized bloodline and constitution as the foundation to seek more physical strength than its counterpart. Even in environments where they couldnt draw on the origin power in the environment, they could still remain peerless by relying on their physique. The might of a heavenly monarch relied heavily upon the formation of an origin crystal. By the time humans had formed six of them, the invisible boundary between the crystals would break, and they would merge into one. The final crystal was technically not an origin crystal anymore. It was more like a new organ that would give the expert several new powers. The stark difference between a heavenly monarch and divine champion lay in the difference between their origin crystals. No divine champion could even come close to a heavenly monarchs abilities. Even a superior divine champion was a long way off. Qianye had just stepped into the realm. He hadnt even taken the time to consolidate his newfound powers, yet he could already sense the world changing around him. Everything felt fine and fragile. It only took him eighty percent of his strength to deliver the same blow. As his new crystal became more stable, the power required would drop even further. Was this the power of a heavenly monarch? Qianye frowned slightly. He didnt need lower energy consumption or finer control of force. After his body was modified by the chaos origin power, Qianyes endurance in battle was now incomparablefew could hope to best him in a battle of attrition. In fact, Qianyes most terrifying aspect was his ability to instantly crush experts of the same rank. Be it his Shot of Inception, Excavator, Dragonsgrave, the current Red Spider Lily, or even East Peak, most of the weapons in his arsenal were able to quickly dispatch opponents of the same rank or higher. These moves, however, involved great consumption, so much so that he could only use them a handful of times. That being said, the enemy could hardly withstand this handful of attacks. Most of them would be dead with the first blow. That was why Qianye didnt need fine control and reduced strain in the heavenly monarch realm. On the contrary, what he needed was an earth-shattering attack that was as powerful as a falling mountain. It was rather mysterious how the crystal began to change at a single thought. Qianyes perception of origin power stopped at the current stage, and the fine details of the world no longer progressed. The only thing that continued in Qianyes senses was the world growing more fragile. Qianye reached out and performed a gentle grasp, catching a flickering black shadow in his palm. Bolts of lightning appeared immediately afterward, shooting hundreds of meters forward and leaving charred marks on the ground. The surrounding space couldnt even withstand a single grasp. Qianye looked up and saw a dark spot hanging above him. The spot was incredibly small, so much so that Qianye couldnt even sense how small it was. It simply existed, drawing in and assimilating everything around it. Qianye finally realized that this was the true face of his chaos origin power. The grey on its surface had receded during the fight against the mirage moon origin power. The true chaos origin power was a tremendous force of existence, yet it was microscopically small. Having reached this enlightenment, Qianye immediately found a connection with the dark intent. The existence was a part of his chaos origin power, to begin with, so he could control it as he wished. As Qianye collected the dark speck into his body, all of his chaos origin power gathered around it to form a grey sphere floating within the Book of Darkness. The entire process was quite odd because the grey sphere was so small that it couldnt be measured, but that didnt mean it couldnt be tested. One could say the two were inherently different in nature. Qianye could sense that this grey sphere was slowly collapsing and turning into dark specks. As for why this grey sphere could move about unhindered in the Book of Darkness, Qianye had no answer. Perhaps it was because chaos energy itself was produced by the book. At this point, Qianye had come to a conclusion between daybreak and darkness origin power. The new origin crystal was more mystical and gave off a feeling of complete transformation. And this was just its raw form. The level of transformation would rise continuously as more origin crystals formed and merged with the host. And there was a certain spirituality in the depths of this origin crystal. The spirit was still young and tender, like a child, but there was no telling what it would become once it matured. Unlike the dark races, human heavenly monarchs would undergo a qualitative transition upon reaching the rank. Did this mean that the human races cultivation system was one level higher than the other faction? The dark races were only relying on their great talent, bloodline, and their advantage in darkness origin power to remain superior. Even though few things could surprise Qianye at this point, he felt deeply shaken at this moment. He had never imagined that such a great secret would be waiting for him at the heavenly monarch realm. Merging the six crystals to form spirituality was a shocking process. How did the Founding Ancestor develop this cultivation art back in the year? Qianye had thought that the heavenly monarch realm was the absolute ceiling, but now, it would seem that the heavenly monarch realm was but the starting point of a completely new life. It was just that he had no idea what kind of transformations the crystal would undergo after reaching maturity. This was a great secret of the human race, something no one had divulged for a thousand years. It was only today that someone who was not entirely human had learned of it. The chaos origin power inside his body sank slightly as his body lifted off the ground and vanished. Moments later, he was back at the Attawa holy land. An elder rushed over when he saw Qianye. Theres a strange person who wants to see you. He looks like you. Bring him over. Before long, the elder returned with a grey-bearded man. The latter bowed deeply and said, Duke Yun, Kong Dusheng, greets Lord Qianye. Qianye stood there like an immovable mountain. Only after the salutations were over did he raise a hand and said, Rise, what brings you here? Lets get straight to the point. This was the attitude of a superior toward a subordinate. Duke Yun immediately felt like lashing out. However, his expression slowly transformed as he looked into Qianyes bottomless eyes. The duke couldnt understand how the person before him had changed completely in just one day. Could it be... Before he could finish the thought, he concluded that it was impossible. The heavenly monarchs of the Empire were different from one another. Prince Greensun, for instance, was inherently tyrannical, while the Pointer Monarch was like a breeze dancing over the rippling lake. As for the Radiant Emperor, he was like a vigorous burst of radiance akin to the rising sun. All Duke Yun saw in Qianye was a mass of boundless, bottomless darkness. Additionally, there was an indefensible strength emanating from the depths of those eyes. Even a short exchange of glances made Duke Yun feel as though his spirit was being dragged away. The vastness of this dark intent almost blotted out the skies! Duke Yun was absolutely startled. By the time he had collected himself, the abnormality was nowhere to be found. He didnt think too much of it or lose his composure. He simply produced a piece of paper and passed it to Qianye, saying, A secret report arrived from the Empire, and one of them is related to you. The two monarchs asked me to deliver it to you for your perusal. Qianye leaned forward and took the drawing from the man. The entire process was natural and devoid of any origin power movement. He was almost like an ordinary human. By the time the duke realized the movement, the drawing was no longer in his hands. Qianye opened the drawing, his eyes pausing briefly on the sword that looked like Awakening Dream. Duke Yun tried probing Qianye after seeing his expression. Now that youve seen it, this subordinate will take his leave. Wait, Qianye called the man back. Duke Yun was excited to see that Qianye had taken the bait. He hid his delight well and merely waited for further instruction. Qianye crumpled the paper without much thought, reducing the painting to absolute nothingness. Duke Yuns heart went cold. He was clearly present, yet he never realized how Qianye had destroyed the painting. Besides, even the most powerful ability would leave some traces behind. How did the painting simply vanish? Good brushwork, its a bit of a pity to destroy it. Duke Yuns heart began beating fast. Oh, and by the way, bring a message to the two monarchs. Duke Yun said hurriedly, Pray tell. Qianye pointed at the black sun. This thing above us is what the dark races call the darkness origins. Their plan is to open a passage between this world and Evernight, drawing the darkness origins to our world. As a knowledgeable person, Duke Yuns expression shifted drastically. How can anyone be capable of doing that? Qianye did not reply. After regaining his composure, Duke Yun fell to his knees. Since you have revealed this secret to us, Im sure you have some advice for us. Please tell us what we should do. Just tell them to do whatever they want. Duke Yun was surprised. How can we do whatever we want regarding such an important matter? Qianye said indifferently, Theres nothing stopping anyone from doing whatever they want. Chapter 1471 In the hidden realm within the valley, the game of chess was still ongoing beside the flowing stream. The scenery was just as gentle as before, but the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn. Duke Yun was standing beside the board with his hands folded, still and silent. The Profundity Monarchs chess piece lingered for a good while in the air before he finally placed it on the board. The piece ended this losing game for him. He said without looking up, Are you sure you didnt see wrong? Duke Yun said, If my eyes do not deceive me, he has indeed become a heavenly monarch. Are you sure hes a heavenly monarch and not a great dark monarch? The Pointer Monarch sighed. Even we are not a match for Duke Kongs perception. He cant be wrong. Nonsense! The Profundity Monarch was furious. How many years does it take for our race to produce a heavenly monarch as we forge ahead? How can a mixed-breed like him call himself monarch?! He suddenly turned around and stared at Duke Yun. You said hes already a heavenly monarch. Why didnt you test him out before coming back. The dukes expression turned dark for a split second. He was an important subject of the Empire, an expert backed by the Kong family. Even the Emperor would not be rude to him in court. How many people had ever shouted at him like they were addressing a servant? However, they were in the inner world and not the Empire. They were already backed against a corner since they could only enter and not leave. Since all the experts came here expecting to die, it was only natural that they wouldnt think too much about formalities. Duke Yun replied, I didnt dare. The Profundity Monarchs brows knitted together. What?! You didn''t dare?! Before he could finish, the Pointer Monarch cut him short. Shunxuan, your emotions are in disarray. The Profundity Monarch was shaken. He quickly suppressed the anger welling up within him and said, Thank you. We came here expecting to make the ultimate sacrifice, but sacrifices have to be made at the right place. Fury will bring us no benefit. The Pointer Monarch sighed, gesturing for Duke Yun to withdraw. After walking a distance, Duke Yun sneered, So high and mighty! That person is right beneath the holy mountain, why dont you fight him if youre so capable? Humph, whats there to fear since were all going to die here anyway. Unlike some people who took things further than they should, I dont have to worry about my descendants. Well see how your family will fare in a hundred years. The words were softly spoken, but everyone in the valley was at the peak of their power. Everyone heard him as clear as day. The Profundity Monarchs face was ashen. He was just about to act up, but he eventually returned to his seat. Moments later, he cupped his fists and said to the Pointer Monarch, If I fight Qianye to the death, can you promise that your genius descendant will protect my family? I wont ask for too much, just leave my bloodline intact. The Pointer Monarch laughed wryly. If you fight to the death with anyone else, I can make that promise. The only exception is Qianye. Even if I promise you that, the child will surely renege on it once he grows up. Why is that? Is it because hes half a disciple of yours? The Profundity Monarch was surprised. The Pointer Monarch let out a dry cough. Thats not it And the reason, cough, isnt significant enough to let outsiders know. The Profundity Monarch was puzzled, but he realized that there had to be a secret amidst all of this. He probed, Now that Qianye has become a heavenly monarch, how will the Empire react? Dont tell me we have to accept him? The Pointer Monarch shook his head with a sigh. That might be possible if there was no Nighteye, but now its hard to say. What do we do now? Lets just see how things develop. The Pointer Monarch looked tired. The Profundity Monarch couldnt calm down. How despicable! He was just saying he could become a heavenly monarch in three years, and I believed it! I wouldve slapped him to death had I known. Things were getting busier and busier in the holy land as more Attawa tribes arrived. Those who had arrived in advance were the elders, giant wargods, and tribe elites. The death of these people would produce a gap in the tribes lineage, perhaps setting back the entire civilization as a whole. The fragility of a primitive tribal system was extremely evident among these people. Qianye did only one thing for three whole days, and that was to train the Attawa to perfect their language. At the same time, he tasked them to carve their knowledge and inheritance on media that could be stored for long periods, like bones and rocks. Most of their knowledge and inheritance were stored in the mother tree, just like how the werewolves relied on their ancestral spirits. As Qianye saw it, this method was not reliable at all. The mother trees were interconnected, but they had no way to defend or isolate themselves. They could be wiped out entirely by some sort of disease. Wouldnt their entire inheritance be gone at that point? Qianye simply wanted to help them retain as much of their technology and knowledge as possible. The Attawa were simply tools in Andruils plan, tools to wear down the Evernight experts. At the same time, they were naturally strong and received the blessing of this world. That was why Andruil had secretly tampered with their development, guiding them in the direction of these giant wargods. Otherwise, they mightve become a powerful civilization not inferior to the Evernight Council. This wasnt something Andruil wanted. The Black-Winged Monarch never had the intention of becoming a world savior. All he wanted was to do right by his woman, that was all. What Qianye was doing now was making it up to the Attawa. He knew that before long, all the Attawa here in the holy land would be wiped out. The Evernight experts shouldve appeared long ago, but there was no movement from their side. The calmer things were, the more dangerous it would be. The holy mountain was extremely important for the dark races, a place they were intent on capturing as quickly as possible. Why were they so patient now? Qianye had a feeling that they were planning something. He mightve become a heavenly monarch, but his origin crystal hadnt stabilized yet. Every moment of delay was tipping the scales in his favor. Qianye simply watched the world become increasingly fragile. On the third day, he suddenly recalled many things. Memories from the dumpster, until he was picked up by Lin Xitang. It was from that man that Qianye had felt the first bit of warmth and belonging. Things flashed back to the Yellow Springs, Red Scorpions, and to when he was bitten by vampires. It was then that he fell back to the realm of ordinary people, waiting for his death in a small town on Evernight Continent. It was then that he had met Nighteye. Many things happened thereafter. He gained more brethren and developed a sense of belonging. Even the hatred of having his crystal stolen receded when he realized that it was done to save Zhao Ruoxi. It felt like everything he had experienced was insignificant. Even great battles like the sky demon, void continent, and the opening of the new world felt like small skirmishes. Countless minuscule happenings like these came together to form life. What could Lin Xitang have been thinking when he went to the void continent? Was he thinking back on the past like Qianye was? All of a sudden, he glanced up. Why not come out since youre here? The wind stirred all of a sudden, and the world changed colors. Chapter 1472 A faintly discernible flame appeared in the air, drifting toward Qianye in a shade of ashen grey. Qianye simply gazed at that pale flame, which began to shrink and finally transformed into a black plume of fire. The blaze wasnt burning in the air but actually flickering in a mirror that had suddenly appeared. Several more flames drifted through the air but were duly captured by the mirrors. Under the continual licking of the black fire, cracks began to form all over the mirror. Only a bit of black fire remained as the mirrors shattered. The remnants gathered together and continued drifting toward Qianye, only to be grabbed and extinguished. A pale flame gradually materialized in the air. The Eternal Flame gazed at Qianye, saying, Youve grown this strong? Qianye sighed. Still lacking a little bit. You should be proud that you managed to tie against my Sable Blessing. The Eternal Flame wasnt blowing his own trumpet. Widely recognized as the most powerful expert below the sovereigns, he did have the right to say these words. The showdown just now had ended in Qianyes slight disadvantage. Is your hand fine, though? the Eternal Flame asked. Perfectly fine. Qianye stretched his fingers. His palm was flawless jade, without the slightest blemish. The Eternal Flames blaze flickered momentarily. No ordinary vampire can grab the Sable Blessings attack with his bare hand. I was just fortunate. The Eternal Flame was startled as he observed Qianye. Youre not a great dark monarch yet?! Still lacking that last bit. I might make it if you guys give me a bit more time. The Eternal Flame let out a low-pitched laugh. Youre already so powerful, theres no way we would dare. Why worry? Perhaps my bloodline will just stop at the great dark monarch realm. From what we see now, even the grand duke rank is too much. Qianye stretched his palm out, revealing a brilliant glow in it. Why are you all intent on ascending the mountain? If its for this, Ill save you the trouble. Ive used all the resources up there. Only an empty space remains. The pale flame flickered violently as the demonkin monarch gazed at the radiance. Countless eyes in the darkness fell upon Qianyes palm. Qianye closed his fingers and promptly extinguished the light. No! A bestial roar echoed in the emptiness, but there was no further message. Since youre all here, why not just come out? Whats with all the sneaking about? Qianye said. Moments later, several figures appeared at the same time. All of them looked very different in appearance, but their auras were all profound and boundless. Qianye glanced over them one after another. Progia, Sousa, and are you the Wolf Ancestor or the Wolf Sovereign? The tall figure to the farthest right said in a jaded voice, You can call me Wolf Ancestor, that fellow from the Summit of Peaks has abandoned the ancestral ways and will be punished. Qianye was enlightened. Is this the final battle? You guys really do think highly of me. But I cant be the only reason, right? The Eternal Flame said honestly, We did consider the two heavenly monarchs from the human race, but who wouldve thought you would grow so fast? Of course, its even more unexpected that they would remain silent for so long. Qianye smiled. Im no longer a human, so its only normal that they dont come. I feel sorry for you. Qianye said, I dont think of it that way. We all have to live with our choices. What I dont understand is why you guys are going to such lengths for an empty place. The great dark monarchs aura wavered, but they quickly regained their composure. They naturally understood that Qianye was standing on equal footing with them. The man had taken not one but seven consecutive shots from the Eternal Flames Sable Blessing! Someone of this caliber had no need to lie. The Eternal Flame pointed toward the holy mountain with his flame, saying, The trajectory of fate has pointed out the weakest point in the new world, and its the summit of the holy mountain. Thats why we have to get there whether or not the Lord of Evernights origin power is still there. Qianye rose into the sky. He glanced at the Attawa below and then at the four great dark monarchs. Since thats the case, Ill be taking my leave. I dont think so. A cold intent flickered in Qianyes eyes. Numbers wont be able to hold me back. Besides, you know the outcome if you fail to intercept me, so think hard about it. I dont think the lot of you can stick together forever. The Eternal Flame said, That is indeed something to think about. How about this? We cant just let you go without a fight. If you dont use the Red Spider Lily, we wont use the Sable Blessing. The Wolf Ancestor here will spar with you to test your heavenly monarch powers. What say you? Fine by me. Qianye nodded. He knew that a battle would happen sooner or later. The Wolf Ancestor laughed as he stretched his body. Ive almost forgotten when it was that I last fought. It mustve been a hundred years, right? He slowly stepped forward and came to a stop a hundred meters away from Qianye. The Wolf Ancestor was almost three meters tall and oddly lanky, almost like a skeleton when glanced from afar. His eyes and face were so sunken that his fangs seemed excessively prominent. The Wolf Ancestor stared at Qianye as he removed a giant sword from his back. The blade was several meters long, but the werewolf swung it effortlessly, kicking up a gust of whistling wind. The movement left a hundred-meter gap in the ground. The sword scar shot through the holy land, cutting down several stone buildings and bisecting numerous Attawa in the process. Everything was sturdy in the inner world, and the living origin power was impossible to draw upon. The Wolf Ancestors slash wouldve stretched a thousand meters if it was in the Evernight World. Sorry, Im a bit old, so I couldnt control my power very well. I didnt startle you, did I? The Wolf Ancestor sneered. The Attawa soldiers broke out into a commotion, which died down as quickly as it had begun. The men carried their tribesmens remains into the plaza and gazed up at the sky. They were solemn, pious, and the gleam in their eyes was unwavering. This was their home, their devotion, their totem that represented their spiritual world. Even though they knew that it was a vain effort to go against four great dark monarchs, the Attawa neither fled nor hid; no one cried, either. Everyone simply gathered around to stare at death in the face. Qianye drew his azure green sword, his bones ringing like a piece of jade that had fallen on a silver platter. This was the Pointer Monarchs Excavator, something all the great dark monarchs here had seen before. However, Qianyes utilization of the technique did not produce the thunderous sound they were used to hearing. Instead, it was a clear, crisp sound that spread far and wide without stopping. The sound waves passed by one after another until the four monarchs felt their bones starting to resonate with the sound! Qianye glanced at the Wolf Ancestor. Youre definitely getting old. Chapter 1473 The Wolf Ancestor let out a sinister laugh, a tangible light shining on his fangs as he lifted his giant sword. Im old? Before Qianye could reply, the giant blade had already appeared above his head, swinging down with the force of a falling mountain. The slash was followed by thunderous laughter, Im old, huh?! Im old, huh?! Im old, huh?! Nine consecutive roars and nine consecutive slashes, each strike landing indefensibly. It was as though the blades had swung down from beyond this worldheavy, lightning-fast, and without any fancy moves. At this level of swordplay, there was no need to resort to tricks. The only thing he needed was sufficient speed and strength. The sky changed color when the nine slashes appeared. Apart from the Eternal Flame whose expression could not be seen, all the other great dark monarchs were visibly moved. After launching the series of attacks, the Wolf Ancestor sheathed his sword and stepped back. Qianye simply stood in place, with his sword pointed at the ground. It felt like he never even moved throughout the assault. The only thing that had changed were the nine tiny defects on the azure blades edge. If it wasnt for these knicks, no one wouldve figured out that Qianye had blocked the nine slashes. He had blocked every blow without taking a single step back. The Wolf Ancestors pupils narrowed. His chest heaved a couple of times before he finally caught his breath. Good technique! Qianye smiled. I have a technique? The Wolf Ancestors eyes narrowed even further. He said nothing more and merely lifted his blade to chest level, assuming a defensive stance. Just now, Qianye had only defended and not launched a counterattack. It was clear that he had left the killing blow for last. If the Wolf Ancestor were to launch another flurry of attacks, he might just allow Qianye to retaliate sharply. Qianye didnt attack immediately. Where is your ancestral power? Bring it out. The Wolf Ancestor didnt waste words. He let out a deep growl and tapped at the air with his left hand. Every tap would produce a totem, and on each of them was the illusory projection of a werewolf. All of a sudden, the entire holy land was filled with an ancient and powerful aura. The Wolf Ancestor had summoned seven ancestral totems in one go! Every ancestral totem represented a powerful ability or an upgrade to physical attributes. Seven of them working together would bring the Wolf Ancestor to a terrifying level. Armed with his ancestral power, the Wolf King smiled coldly. Ill show you that Im not old yet. Qianye raised his sword and ran his finger along the blade. The nicks in the weapon disappeared almost immediately as a scarlet flame washed over it. Qianye gazed at the fire and said, Actually, its not that youre old. The Wolf Ancestor laughed. You only realized it now? Too late! Qianye said with a smile, Ill let you see my heavenly monarch power first. With that, he raised the azure blade above his head and brought it down slowly toward the Wolf Ancestor. Despite its speed, the slightest movement of the blade stirred up a roaring whistle that spread hundreds of kilometers. It was like the mournful wail of a god! Wisps of dark energy curled up around the azure blade, turning it faintly discernible. All the great dark monarchs were alarmed! The Eternal Flame ignored his status and charged at Qianye, hoping to save the Wolf Ancestor. However, the Eternal Flames movements became oddly slow amidst the howling echoes, even slower than Qianyes leisurely slash! The Wolf Ancestors eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His long fangs looked soft and distorted. The werewolf wanted to turn and flee, but wisps of dark energy appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around him, stretching all over his body. His movements slowed down to a crawl, even slower than the Eternal Flame. Qianyes hands were also trembling on his sword. This world was simply too fragile. He had to exert great effort in order to control his power and prevent the worlds structure from shattering. This slash would reduce the space around the Wolf Ancestor into nothingness. Even with three great dark monarchs at his side, the mans fate could not be changed at all. As for how he would escape, Qianye gave it no thought. His entire heart was focused on this heavenly monarch slash! The Wolf Ancestor had nowhere to run. In his urgency, the werewolf let out a loud roar. His body began to expand during the process, growing several times in size. Seven werewolf silhouettes shot out from his massive frame and formed a single giant wolf. Qianyes sword sliced noiselessly through the giant wolfs body. Wherever the blade passed by, everything would turn into nothingness. All that was left were dark patches that looked like rising mist. The Wolf Ancestor howled in agony, his body shrinking by the second. Finally, he managed to free himself of the black mist surrounding him and fled toward the three great dark monarchs. His face was growing older and older every moment, and his aura was on a rapid decline, almost as though he would die any moment. Qianyes slash had destroyed all seven of the werewolf monarchs ancestral spirits. The werewolf would never be able to recover from his injury in this lifetime. Additionally, the ancestors he had summoned were the strongest of his race. Losing seven of them was a massive blow to the werewolves as a whole. The Eternal Flame recovered his normal movement as the sword bore down. He appeared in front of Qianye and threw a fist square at his chest. Qianye blocked the Eternal Flames punch with his left hand. His countenance turned pale upon contact, and the impact sent him drifting backward. The Eternal Flame followed up with a second blow! Just as he was about to launch the attack, he noticed Qianyes expression and somehow felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately pulled back toward the group of great dark monarchs. Qianye coughed lightly with his mouth covered, and a hint of red stained his fingertips. However, the blood had vanished by the time he lowered his hand. The Wolf Ancestor huffed and puffed like a raging bull as he stared at Qianye with eyes full of hatred. You actually dare Halfway through, he lost his voice and a mouthful of blood gushed out. Sousa and Progia were both shocked. Apparently, the Wolf Ancestors injuries were even worse than they had expected. At this moment, their gazes toward Qianye were filled with shock and awe. It was understandable how this person had blocked nine of the Wolf Ancestors slashes, but how could that attack be so powerful? How would they block an attack that could destroy everything in its wake? A thought appeared in Progia and Sousas minds, What exactly was a heavenly monarchs power? The Eternal Flame saw Qianyes aura rising gradually. Looks like the human race has produced yet another Greensun. Qianye scanned the four great dark monarchs. Apart from the supremes, most of Evernights powerhouses had gathered here. He was now on the same footing as these lofty existences of the past, and he had even defeated half of these people. And this took less than ten years. Qianye sighed. Daybreak and Evernight are two opposite poles of this world, but theyre fundamentally different after reaching this level. The great dark monarch realm is the end of the path for Evernight, but the heavenly monarchs path is only the beginning for humans! Dawn breaks where the night ends. Wolf Ancestor, youre not the one whos old its Evernight. Evernight has aged. Chapter 1474 A gentle voice echoed through the void. Evernight has aged, huh? This is the first time Ive heard of this, interesting. An elegant man appeared in the air, seated in a tall chair and holding a book in one of his hands. He seemed deep in thought, almost as though the world were his study. He was positioned somewhat higher above the great dark monarchs, but not one felt that he was being rude. Even the Eternal Flame was no longer as dazzling before this person. Qianye glanced up at the man with a sigh. Its His Majesty the Demon King, I wasnt expecting you to grace us with your presence. Have your injuries from the last battle healed? The Demon King smiled. Of course not. The Lord of Evernights attacks are indefensible and extremely difficult to treat. Even I will need a considerable amount of time to recover. However, the matter here is too important, and Rosnia is unwilling to come, so I had no other choice. Qianye glanced around. Looks like it wont be easy for me to leave. Whats the rush? Its not so bad to have a chat. We rarely get to meet, after all. The Demon King closed his book and placed it on his lap. He then said gently, Xitang paid you the most attention when he was alive. He would mention you quite often too. Ive always wanted to see what kind of person he had pinned all his hopes on. You managed to accomplish much later on, but I always missed the occasions due to various reasons. This should be the first time were really meeting face to face. Qianye hadnt imagined the Demon King would mention the name. You knew my adoptive father? We met only a handful of times, but that doesnt matter. Not many in this world know me full well, and its funny how all of them are humans. Which three? The first is Xitang, the other is that kid Radiant, and if I must find a third, probably you. Me? I saw Xitang when you spoke just now. He saw farther than you did, but he couldnt let go of certain things. I later realized why he chose you. What couldnt he let go of? The human race, of course. The Demon King sighed. It wasnt the human races current survival that he was working toward, but its future pathway. I once asked him why dont we just let go of whatever were doing and watch the two factions develop naturally? What he said was that the human race shouldnt be constrained in this corner, that one day, a new path will appear and allow them to leap to unknown new worlds. He was willing to be the stepping stone in this endeavor. Qianye was silent as that tall and elegant figure appeared in his eyes. It was because he subconsciously wanted to follow in Lin Xitangs footsteps that he had fought for the human race at every juncture. That fellow is too sentimental. Not only did he sacrifice himself, but he also turned the people around him into stepping stones. We had discussed this matter before, but his reply never changed: as the path is, so should all life be. Being his friend is definitely not something to be happy about. The Demon King shrugged. If I heard right, my adoptive father died in your hands, didnt he? The Demon King said, I didnt want to kill him, he wanted me to. If he doesnt die, the Sacred Mountain will never feel relieved. In truth, I regret it whenever I think back to the past. If I had steeled my heart and killed him back in the year, there wouldnt have been so much trouble later on. The Demon King stood up. You might not believe me, but I never found out what he was planning all these years. I only had a strong feeling that I couldnt let him succeed. All of Evernights prophets added together werent his match, how comical! Perhaps Evernights downfall was destined, otherwise, why would humans produce such a person? Qianye said, If my adoptive father had friends, you would probably count as one. The Demon King smiled wryly. I mustve been out of my mind to have made such a friend. Thank you for letting me know all of this. I guess its time to get back to business. The Demon King nodded, and the book in his hand drifted over and landed in the Eternal Flames hands. He stood up and gazed at Qianye, saying, Killing you and destroying all of Xitangs plans is my utmost respect for him. Qianye laughed. I thought there might be a threaten-and-recruitment phase. The Demon King drew his sword. That was my initial plan, but theres no other choice since youre the key piece he left behind. Qianye was shaken when the sword appeared. Awakening Dream?! How could she escape from the Queen of the Night? Qianye felt a chill surge out from deep within. Lilith, that means she knew everything? You could say that. She knew about the war on Twilight Continent? Not at first, but she didnt object after she found out. Qianye said slowly, In truth, I never had any lofty aspirations, and Im not willing to fight to the bitter end for some ideals. I just wanted to be with the one person I love and see my brothers and friends well. Yet, why am I repeatedly denied this simple wish? Youre a key piece in his plan, theres no way you could escape the chessboard. Qianye held his sword pensively. The Demon King didnt attack immediately, either. What are you thinking? I was just thinking what Zining would do in my shoes. The Demon Kings brows moved. Song Zining is also one of the pieces, but hes optional. You are the key piece. Qianye raised his azure blade. Ive decided. I dont suppose youll just surrender? She might have some hope of survival if I live, none if I die. The Demon King nodded. That is true. I might be injured, but attacking you is still an act of bullying. Yet theres no choice since none of them can handle you. In Xitangs words, we were all born for the great dao, its just that we stand on different sides of the path. Theres no choice. Qianye nodded. I understand. But all I know is that my adoptive father fell in your hands, and I dont want to go into profound theories to explain this fact. I will still seek vengeance for him. The Demon King laughed. Its a good thing that you can think of it that way. Ah right, theres something I must tell you. There might not be a chance once we start fighting. Go ahead. Daybreak and Evernight were the two poles of this world. They both opposed and existed alongside one another. Darkness origin power might have the advantage in the Evernight World, perhaps daybreak would be stronger in a different realm. In the myriad worlds, however, everything would return to their origins where neither is stronger than the other. Thats why its not Evernight that has aged, it is us, the sacred races. Qianye said in a serious tone, Thank you for pointing that out. This will be the only time. Get ready, let me see if you are worth all of Xitangs efforts! The blade in the Demon Kings hands shook momentarily before bearing down upon Qianye. The latter raised his blade in defense. The azure blade was incomparably heavy, almost as though it were carrying the weight of the entire world. Every inch forward was incredibly difficult. A hint of black could be seen at its tip. It was extremely small yet as heavy as a mountain and boundlessly deep. The appearance of this black speck affected even the great dark monarchs, almost drawing them toward the source. Bang! It was at this time that the azure sword shattered into countless pieces. The fragments fell into the dark shade and vanished, yet the Demon Kings slash kept falling unaffected. Qianye hadnt expected such a turn of events. This was the first time he was going all out since stepping into the realm. This was also the first time the chaos energy had appeared in this world after returning to its origins. Who wouldve thought the blade would crumble under the unbearable stress? Qianye laughed wryly. Was this fate? Who would be able to block the Demon Kings blow? It was at this moment that a series of thunder echoed through the sky. A hand arrived from over the horizon and grabbed the Awakening Dream. The Pointer Monarch appeared soon afterward and said, Your Majesty the Demon King, Supreme of the Sacred Mountain, how can you bully a child so? Ji Wentian is incapable, but Ive long since wished to try my hand against you. The Demon King said seriously, Thats fine as well. He casually raised his hand and slashed at the Pointer Monarch. The latter also drew his sword and blocked the incoming blow. His movements were carefree and unrestrained, yet every movement was accompanied by nine rumbles of roaring thunder. Apparently, he had already pushed Excavator to its limits. The Demon Kings movements were calm and poetic, his movements seemingly untainted by the secular world. He didnt channel his demonic energy, either. The other great dark monarchs were also caught off-guard by the sudden development. Which of them could interfere in a battle of such caliber? It was at this moment that the Profundity Monarch appeared and locked down Sousa with an invisible force, dragging the man away from his peers. He attacked with the speed of lightning, roaring, Come, wind! Come, rain! Come, lightning! A storm brewed rapidly and arcs of lightning descended upon Sousa. The lightning was thin and flimsy, but it was full of vitality and had enough power to destroy heaven and earth! This was far more powerful than a heavenly monarchs attack. Progia and the Wolf Ancestor werent in their peak state and also caught off-guard. The pillar of lightning landed upon Sousas body, dropping his life force by half and effectively paralyzing him! The Profundity Monarch turned toward Qianye and shouted, What are you waiting for?! Qianye was stunned to see the monarch bleeding from his eyes and looking rather miserable. Apparently, this attack had affected his very foundations. There was no time to think or this opportunity would slip through their fingertips. Qianye immediately transformed into tens of thousands of sanguine threads, passing through Sousa and reappearing behind him. Qianyes face was now flushed red, and his body was bulging in certain areas, almost as though something was about to burst out. The strong and powerful Sousa was now barely a skeleton. Qianye forcibly brought the raging blood energy under control. He couldn''t quite hide his surprise as he said to the Profundity Monarch, How come There was a fierce glow emanating from the monarch at this moment, growing stronger and stronger. His origin power leaked out like raging tides, shaking his body and organs. His heavenly monarch crystal was under too much strain! This was an early sign that it might shatter. The Profundity Monarch took a deep breath and forced down the origin power. This fight will decide the fate of the human race. It must end with either side dead, there are no shortcuts. I might not be capable, but Im willing to be the first to sacrifice! The path to hell wont be lonely anyway. Next! He raised his finger to the sky and roared, Come, wind! Come, rain! Come, lightning! A thin arch of lightning shot toward Progia. The demonkin was shocked out of his wits and actually turned to flee! This lightning wasnt lethal to him just yet, but Qianye would follow up during the momentary opening with a killing blow. That black intent was simply too terrifying and definitely not something he could resist. The Wolf Ancestor hesitated for a moment and only retreated after seeing Progia flee. He had just made his move when an invisible force grabbed him, pinning him in place for a split second. The werewolf was shocked out of his wits. Who wouldve thought the Profundity Monarch would use this ability on him instead of Progia? He struggled with all his might and managed to break the bindings inch by inch. The Profundity Monarch let out a muffled groan, spitting out a mouthful of frothy blood. The Werewolf Ancestor realized that he was the real target, but it was all too late. Qianye appeared in front of him and swiped at him with the black intent on his fingertips. Darkness immediately covered the world as the Wolf Ancestors consciousness fell into a sable abyss, a fall that seemed to never end. Qianye and the Profundity Monarch had never worked together before, but their cooperation was almost flawless. They had only one shot at this, so failure was not an option. Qianye returned to the heavenly monarchs side instead of chasing Progia. With a wave of his hand, he produced a gentle stream of origin power to support the man. The Profundity Monarchs entire body was shining brightly, almost like a burning sun. His heavenly monarch crystal had shattered completely, and the raging stream of daybreak origin power was burning him from within. Each of Evernights great dark monarchs represented a tremendous force. The Profundity Monarch had managed to attack two of these powerhouses, disarming their defenses and allowing Qianye to kill them. It was just that he couldnt withstand this eruption of power, either, and ended up paying the ultimate price. The Profundity Monarch endured the agony as he stared into Qianyes eyes. Tell my offspring, I mightve had my flaws regarding less important matters but I fulfilled my duty where it matters. Chapter 1475 Off in the distance, the Demon King hadnt imagined such a change would occur. Things had developed so quickly that he wouldnt have made it even if he had ignored the Pointer Monarch and rushed over. The Profundity Monarch was experienced, shrewd, and ruthless. He had produced an opportunity where there was none and dragged two great dark monarchs down with him. The Eternal Flame was high in the air with the ancient book in his hand. By the time he had noticed the ambush, Sousa had already fallen, and he was hesitant to take action the second time after noticing that the target was the Wolf Ancestor. Even the Eternal Flame wasnt confident in blocking the Profundity Monarchs dying blow. If he were to be restrained for a split second, Qianye would follow up with a powerful attack. The tiny black intent Qianye had used to face the Demon King filled the Eternal Flame with fear. He would rather take a shot from the Red Spider Lily than touch that dark speck. The demonkin monarch decided to simply observe. Now that Profundity was dead, the Eternal Flame heaved a sigh of relief. Qianyes attack power would be greatly reduced without the heavenly monarchs indefensible restraining secret art. The Demon King smiled wryly, but he ultimately didnt complete his slash. The Pointer Monarch was happy to pull back and regain his breath. The Demon King gazed at Profunditys corpse and sighed. You people are always like this, always You are so ruthless even toward yourselves, how are we to believe you can coexist peacefully with the sacred races? The Pointer Monarch said, Fighting for our country and family is the righteous path, its something we should do. I have nothing to say if youre implying that we shouldnt. The Demon King said with a serious expression, Then there is nothing to discuss. I might be injured, but I can still kill you all if I pay a certain price. When the time comes, we will have two supremes left, but what will you have? The Pointer Monarch said calmly, I came here with no intention of going back. If the Demon King wishes to instruct me, I can only take up my ancestral duty and fight you. The Demon King made his move, shooting out a hundred-meter flash from the Awakening Dream. The Pointer Monarch also drew his sword and jumped into battle. On the other side of the battlefield, the Eternal Flame had conjured a ball of black fire in his hand, and the Sable Blessing was ready to fire once more. Progia had fled a good distance at first, but he had returned to launch a pincer attack with the Eternal Flame. Qianye simply stood there. All he did was push the Profundity Monarchs corpse forward and blow a wisp of dark golden energy toward it, engulfing the remains in raging dark golden flames. Even a heavenly monarchs corpse ended up melting rapidly amidst the heat. The Eternal Flame and Progia waited patiently for the cremation to complete. The Profundity Monarch had gained their respect in the previous battle, respect worthy of such a great powerhouse. The corpse was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving only some grey ashes. Qianye absorbed all of the ashes into his palm and compacted them into a lustrous gem containing wind, rain, and lighting. Qianye put away the item and said, Thank you for waiting. The Eternal Flame said, There is no need to thank us, we have the luxury of waiting. The longer we drag this out, the likelier that His Majesty will defeat Ji Wentian. Quoting a human saying, time is on our side. Qianye said, Can I ask you one thing, how is Nighteye now? Seek out the Queen of the Night if you manage to leave this place alive. If you cant, then whats the use of worrying? True. Qianye smiled radiantly. But you are wrong about one thing. Time is forever on my side! Qianye let out a long peal of laughter as a beam of dark golden blood energy shot through the skies and vanished into the boundless depths of the void! The entire world began to tremble, and the sky began to distort, almost as though some terrifying existence was about to break through its bindings. Immediately, all of the darkness origin power in the world began to resonate with the terrifying entity in the sky. Even the Eternal Flame and Progias energy was drawn by the gravitation, nearly breaking out of their bodies! The two great dark monarchs were shocked out of their wits. Suddenly remembering something, the Eternal Flame shouted, Hes ascending! Dont let him succeed! The Eternal Flame fired three wisps of dark fire that drifted toward Qianye at great speed. Progia appeared behind Qianye and hurled a spear of demonic energy at his back. Qianye simply stood there with his hands behind his back. A dark intent had appeared in his left hand and began circling him. The black intent flew about in a leisurely manner, but everything in its wake was reduced to nothingness. Progias spear was warped and lengthened as it approached the energy, but it ultimately failed to avert the fate of being absorbed into the darkness. In the blink of an eye, the spear that was an aggregation of Progias full power had vanished entirely. The black intent saw no change at all. It was extremely difficult to gauge its sizeit seemed extremely minuscule and barely in existence, yet it was a colossal existence that was so heavy that it could not be measured. Progia could hardly conceal his astonishment. What is this thing? The Eternal Flame had no answer for him. The three black flames werent affected by the black intent. Attacks from the Sable Blessing were more of an assault on the origin power and spiritual plane. Three mirrors appeared in the air and duly contained the three wisps of fire, ending up in mutual destruction. The Red Spider Lily in Qianyes hands could now fight on par with the Sable Blessing. Qianye coughed up a mouthful of blood, but this blood was milky white. Defending against the combined attacks of two great dark monarchs and only coughing up some blood as a result, now that was an achievement to be proud of. The trembling of the inner world grew increasingly intense. The ground began to split open, and even the holy mountain was swaying from the tremor. A faintly discernible protrusion appeared in the sky, almost as though some incredible entity was forcing its way into this world. Everything in the air began to distort accordingly. Even the black sun caved in on one side and became protruded on the other, not unlike a misshapen ball of dough. It was no longer apt to describe this scenery as a worldly phenomenon! The dome of the sky finally shattered. At this very moment, the sound of crashing waves reverberated across countless worldsnot just the inner world or Evernight. There was now a defect in the sky. From this laceration, one could vaguely make out a boundless expanse of water, raging forward with great momentum. Everyone saw things differently. The demonkin saw it as liquefied demonic energy, the werewolves perceived it as a dark torrent, while humans saw the vivid color of blood. Different life forms from different worlds saw it differently as well. The Attawa fell to their knees in zealous worship, and many of the elders were crying. To Qianye, the existence beyond the tear in the sky was gently calling out to him. It was as though he belonged there and he had to return home. He glanced at himself and noticed that his blood core on the Book of Darkness had turned into a crystal. Moreover, it had pierced right through the book and combined with his heavenly monarch crystal. However, there seemed to be something missing inside his blood core. Qianye finally realized that what he was missing lay outside of the sky. With a single thought, he took to the skies and flew out through the lacerated atmosphere. Toward the River of Blood. Chapter 1476 We must not let him enter the River of Blood! Progia roared as he pounced at Qianye. However, the black intent expanded suddenly around Qianyeit was as though everything in the world had lost its color. Progia felt a terrifying attractive force as he was shrouded by the shadow, dragging him toward the darkness. He tried to approach Qianye while resisting the pulling force, but the closer he got to Qianye, the closer he was to the black intent. The pull grew exponentially as he moved closer and closer, so much so that Progia felt a sense of danger. What was this domain? Startled and angry, he hurled several spears of demonic energy, but all of the attacks were duly absorbed by the darkness. He himself did not dare approach the darkness. The Eternal Flame neither moved nor opened fire. He simply watched Progia struggling within Qianyes domain, roaring and attacking in vain. Just as Qianye was about to step through the lacerated sky, the Eternal Flame asked, What is this domain called? Qianye was stunned for a moment. Name? Oh, I never really thought about it. If I must give it a name, lets call it Genesis. The Eternal Flame was surprised. This domain was clearly devouring and reducing everything to nothingness. Why was it called Genesis of all things? The titles of heavenly monarchs and great dark monarchs werent randomly given; they actually represented a profound meaning. Qianye had stepped through the firmament during this moment of contemplation and entered the River of Blood. All of a sudden, it seemed as though all the vampires of the Evernight World sensed something at the same time. Everyone gazed up at the skythe old, the young, the strong, the weakall the vampires could clearly sense the existence of the River of Blood! It was gentle, strong, and extremely close, so close that it felt like anyone could jump into its embrace. Immediately, all of the vampires didnt know what to do. They were used to the river being a lofty and faraway existence, something only the strongest beings could touch. Now that the very source of divinity had appeared before them, everyone found it difficult to believe. The Eternal Flame slowly opened the ancient book and tore three pages from it. He flew up into the air and used them to form a triangular sealing formation. He said to Progia, You guard this seal, Ill go over and open the passage. Whatever he obtains from the river, it will be too late by the time he returns. Progia said in a serious tone, Are we at the final moment? The Eternal Flame sighed. Perhaps, perhaps not. Itll all depend on the mood of the other two supremes. A slave race will always be a slave race, they still cannot change their foolish character even after becoming a supreme. Progia produced a black gem and passed it to the Eternal Flame. If I fall, pass this to my descendants. The Eternal Flame put away the gem and flew toward the holy mountain. Meanwhile, Progia remained hovering quietly outside of the seals. The Pointer Monarch was completely unfazed by the appearance of the River of Blood. He even broke into hearty laughter. The Chronicle of Glory will finally be completed in the hands of our people! Even if I die, I can stand proudly before the Founding Ancestor. Kane, unfortunately, all our schemes will end this very day! The Demon King gazed up at the river beyond the scar in the sky. His body trembled as Qianye walked into its waters. He felt like he saw Lin Xitangs figure appear, standing beside Qianye as he walked into the river. A flash of lightning ran through his mind, and many unsolved riddles were answered one after another. The only problem was that old answers begot new enigmas. It turns out that youve been waiting for this moment all along. The Demon King brandished the Awakening Dream. Ji Wentian, I never understood before why the supremes of the Sacred Mountain could never unite and wipe out the humans first. Whenever there was an opportunity, there would always be some kind of accident. We would always fail at the last hurdle. So, it turns out that even the hearts of the supremes have been unknowingly affected. The Lost Season! Heh! What a powerful Lost Season. You humans have a powerhouse backing you! The Pointer Monarch said seriously, Now thats a bit biased. The rise of our race since a thousand years ago can be considered unstoppable, but every step we have taken was paved with the corpses of our ancestors. The flowers along the way were watered with their blood. How could we have reached where we are today without the sacrifices of our predecessors? We would never have completed the Chronicle of Glory if our ancestors had not sacrificed themselves. The Founding Ancestor said thus: The daybreak path, our Ji clan will be the first to break. Every generation of our members has given their lives and bodies for the cause, to the point where our bloodline is running thinner and thinner each year. According to Evernights theory, our Founding Ancestor and Martial Ancestors bloodlines were so powerful that they could conquer the world. Why would they run themselves to the ground? The Demon King put away the Awakening Dream and listened silently. The Pointer Monarchs gentle demeanor receded as he adopted a deep, domineering tone. Back in the year, when our Founding Ancestor formed the Great Qin and ascended the throne, he had decreed that the throne shall be passed to Duke Zhangs descendants when the Ji clan has no more members to make the ultimate sacrifice. When the Zhang clan is gone, the duty shall fall upon Duke Zhaos offspring, so on and so forth. If and when all nine dukes have spent their manpower, it must be heavens will to end our race. That was why the Empires ultimate ruler does not represent power and authority, but instead a promise to the people of our nation. The throne shall remain unchanged as long as this oath stands. At this point, the Pointer Monarch said in a clear voice, Who in Evernight can hold such a position?! The Demon King was left dazed. He laughed wryly after a good while. T-This why the need to go so far? If we dont do this, how will our race ever thrive? What is your definition of prosperity? Youve already occupied four continents. The Qin and Western Continents are bountiful lands, not at all inferior to our best territories. What is your idea of prosperity? Do you want all twenty-seven continents? No, Evernight is just a small corner of a larger whole. The dearest wish of our forebears has always been to escape from this place, to shatter the fetters on our bodies and set foot on the great path. The great path you speak of is a higher life-form, isnt it? What will that achieve, everyone becomes a supreme? That I cannot tell you. Everything will become evident once the Chronicle of Glory appears in this world. Its a pity I wont live to see it. The Demon King flicked Awakening Dream with a sigh. You humans have been breaking through hardships and obstacles with every generation. We, on the other hand, have come to the end of our paths. We cultivate to the extremes of our bloodlines and obtain thousands of years of life, yet we dont know what to do after that. Both Lilith and I found out only after we reached the Sacred Mountain that the path was at its end. The world was so small that we could touch the very ends of it. What do we do next? Conquer the twenty-seven continents? Then what? He smiled ruefully. A story where you can see the end is nothing but boring! I really do envy you humans because you have a dream to pursue. Perhaps chasing the unknown is the very meaning of life. The Pointer Monarch said, Our lives are so short that we barely notice that were nearing the end. Thats probably why were not willing to think too much while we are alive. If we have the power to spare, we do our best to leave a stable life for our descendants. The Demon King shook his head. How envious. Okay, weve talked too long. Its time to end things. The Demon King stepped backward and pointed the Awakening Dream to the ground. You first. Ten peals of thunder resounded from the Pointer Monarchs body. Nine is the ultimate number. Since I developed Excavator, I have never used the tenth stratum before. Only the tenth can carry the might of this sword attack Ive been cultivating for thirty years a life of hardship, a sword to rend the heavens! Chapter 1477 A sword radiance spread out. It was thin and curved at the outset but quickly erupted into a torrential wave! This sword traversed heaven, earth, and time itself. It seemed as though the countless predecessors of the human race had joined the attack as it tore an opening through the firmament. For whom did the tear in the sky open? The brilliance lasted but a moment. All splendor and majesty would wither one day, only remaining in the memories of those who had witnessed the scene. The light slowly receded. The Pointer Monarch stood completely still with his sword pointing toward the sky. A laceration had appeared in the firmament, a gash perpendicular to the River of Blood. This sword had actually rent the blue dome of the heavens! That ancient book had appeared in the Demon Kings hands at one point, its pages filling the air as they protected the supreme from the attack. The Demon King didnt move at all. It was only much later that he let out a sigh, upon which the pages broke down into ashes and disappeared. A corner of the Pointer Monarchs robes suddenly broke down into countless specks of sand. The granules scattered into motes of light that hovered in the air. More and more luminescent blobs appeared, lighting up the area. Everyone felt as though they had heard a sigh as the light receded. No one knew where it had come from, but its trailing sound rose into the depths of the sky and clouds. It was likely the Pointer Monarchs sigh, but no one knew what it was for. The heavenly monarch had become an eternal part of this land. The Eternal Flame appeared at this point and glanced at the book in the Demon Kings hand. Only the front and back covers remained of this once-thick tome; everything else had been used up. The Demon King gazed at the spot where the Pointer Monarch had vanished. Your Majesty Oh, youre here. Are you alright? The Demon King laughed wryly. Theres no way Id be alright. Ji Wentian had accumulated that single strike for thirty years. If I hadnt blocked it with this copy of the Book of Darkness, I would have lost half my life right there. The Eternal Flame was shocked. Its that serious? Its already a wonder that Im able to stand. The Demon King glanced at the Eternal Flame. His aura fell progressively, but his eyes were still sparkling bright, capable of seeing right through the Eternal Flames protective blaze. He saw that raging ambition burning deep inside the man. The Demon King revealed a jaded smile. Klaus, youre actually older than me. Do you know why you were never able to take that final step? The Eternal Flame was surprised. He hadnt expected the Demon King to actually address him by his actual name. He hadnt used this name in a long time, and everything related to the name were memories from his youth. The Demon Kings question was actually easy to answer. Bloodline. A persons bloodline would decide the height to which he could go. There had only been two exceptions since time immemorial, the Demon King and Andruil. To be precise, Andruils transformation from the Black-Winged Monarch to the Lord of Evernight was an upgrade in the level of origin power. It didnt have a lot to do with bloodlines. Strictly speaking, only the Demon King Kane had broken through the restraints of his bloodline. The common theory among the upper echelons of Evernight was that people had misjudged Kanes bloodline talents when he was young. His real potential developed much later. The only other person in the entirety of the Evernight World was Qianye. Hearing Klaus answer, the Demon King simply asked, Did you hear Ji Wentians final sigh? I did. Why did you think he sighed? This time, the Eternal Flame had no answer. To an Evernight expert who enjoyed thousands of years of lifespan, a humans life cycle was simply too short. They were full of emotions, and it was fairly difficult to understand their passion and sorrow. The Demon King wasnt hoping for the Eternal Flames reply anyway. One of the most important things to humans is to return to their roots and find eternal rest in their homeland. Yet people like Ji Wentian and Fang came here prepared to abandon their homeland. They say they dare to sacrifice their lives because their lives are short, but think carefully, are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for the race even when we are at the end of our lives? If we did, there wouldnt be so many hibernating old bastards. Once you lose your courage, it will never come back. The Eternal Flame seemed to have grasped certain things in this contemplation. The Demon King shook his head. Ji Wentian didnt need to die. This was something the Eternal Flame couldnt figure out. The might of that last slash couldve killed anything and everything below the supreme realm. Even a supreme could only hang on for dear life. That slash bore the fate of the human race and could glimpse at fate itself! The attack was far stronger than a supremes! All the heavenly monarch needed to do was never launch that attack, and no one would dare to force his hand, not even the Eternal Flame. The Demon King stood there with his hands behind his back, gazing at the gash in the sky. He sacrificed himself to open the path and wipe away all obstacles for Qianye, for the human race. Sacrificing himself to open a path. The Eternal Flame was shaken. The Demon King gazed at the distant Progia and shook his head. He then turned back to the Eternal Flame. Do you understand now? The Eternal Flame was deep in thought. He felt like he understood, but it also seemed like he didnt. The Demon King sighed. Youve always wanted to replace me, now the opportunity is right before your eyes. If you dare to break a path for our race just like he does, if you can lead the sacred races past the many obstacles in their path, theres no reason why I cant give you everything I have. The Eternal Flames pale flames dimmed and flickered unsteadily. The Demon King didnt urge the man, either. He simply gazed up at the sky and said, Its a pity. In the end, I never found out what the Lost Season and the Chronicle of Glory are. A so-called supreme isnt much, after all. The Eternal Flame shuddered when he heard about the Lost Season and the Chronicle of Glory. It took a while for his flames to calm down. He bowed slightly, saying, Your Majesty, please give me the book. Ill open the passageway. The Demon Kings expression was complicated, yet it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Klaus, I really hope you can take action. The Eternal Flames voice was calm. I want the power and authority that come with being a supreme, but I cannot shoulder the fate of all the sacred races. It is just as you said, once you lose your courage, it will never return again. The Demon King said nothing more. Open the gates. The Eternal Flame shot out a stream of fire that enveloped the Demon King. The two vanished from the spot and reappeared on the holy mountain. The Eternal Flame opened the covers of the book, and following his movements, a deep, bottomless pathway slowly opened up. The great dark monarch seemed increasingly strained as the passage expanded, the blaze around him shooting toward the passageway in an effort to stabilize it. However, the obstructive force became greater as the tunnel expanded. The words Book of Darkness on the cover flew toward the tunnel, but two of the characters were extinguished along the way. The third reached its target but failed to stabilize the passageway. The Demon King finally took action. He summoned the three pages sealing the defect in the sky and directed them into the passage, finally stabilizing it. Once the gateway was formed, a terrifying attractive force began to suck all the nearby origin power into it. The tunnel was like a bottomless hole that could never be sated no matter how much origin power it took in. The black sun in the sky was also affected by the gravitational force. A barely noticeable bulge formed on one side as wisps of darkness origin power were dragged down. The sun was no longer perfectly round. It had been compressed by the lacerated sky on one side, and on the other, it was being dragged into the tunnel. Glancing at the size of the passageway, the Demon King sighed. This will have to do. He glanced around at the tear in the sky before stepping into the passage and heading back to the Evernight World. The Eternal Flame and Progia didnt linger, either. One after another, they left the inner world via the passage. All this time, the passageway was continuously devouring the darkness origin power. Chapter 1478 Qianye moved slowly upstream in the River of Blood. This time was different from the past times he had entered the River of Blood. The sensation was entirely different now that he was physically present. Entering with his own body allowed Qianye to sense just how vast and majestic the river was. He could feel his body expanding rapidly as he stepped in, only coming to a stop as he was about to lose control of his origin power. The laws inside the River of Blood were different. Ones body size was determined entirely by his origin power. Hence, those who enter would grow without end as long as their origin power could withstand the expansion. Qianye had no idea what this growth entailed, and it wasnt as though he could resist the laws anyway. Qianye immediately became a colossus that was ten thousand meters tall. After the transformation, Qianye once again came to understand how majestic the river was. He stood on its banks and gazed left and right, yet he still couldnt see its ends. All he saw were rolling waves almost as tall as he was. Qianye had a feeling that he couldnt get swept away by those waves, else the outcome would be unthinkable. The river he was seeing right now wasnt a physical form, and the waves were merely projections in Qianyes perception. But the river wasnt entirely intangible, either, since its raging waters were a mixture of time, space, and origin power. Only his consciousness had entered in the past, so the waves didnt quite affect him. It was extremely dangerous this time since he was physically present. His very existence might be erased and become a part of the river. Gazing at the unending flow of water, Qianye was both curious and shaken by this cosmic entity. What exactly was the River of Blood, and why was it brought to the world as he ascended to the great dark monarch rank? At the thought of this world, an idea suddenly popped into his mind. He channeled his blood core and sent wisps of dark golden blood energy toward every corner of his body. Once the blood energy appeared, the sense of danger from the raging waves lessened noticeably. Even so, Qianye felt that it wouldnt be wise to enter the river itself. There was no telling what kind of unpredictable incident might occur. Qianye couldnt help but wonder how deep the waters were, and what exactly lay under its surface. Was there even a bottom? It was so vast that it was hard to tell whether this was a river or an ocean. He simply stood staring at the river for a good while, but he ultimately couldnt resist the urge to explore. After all, this wasnt actually water but a deluge of time, space, and origin power. The greatest secrets of the river had to be hidden at the source. No matter what, he had to pay a visit to the origin point. At the thought of the source, Qianye remembered that mysterious shadowy creature. He wondered whether the entity was still there. Now that Qianye was here in person after reaching an unprecedented realm, perhaps he might be able to get past that checkpoint. Qianye took to the skies and flew upstream. He wasnt quite used to the massive body at first, but he soon grasped how to control various parts of the body. The environment also went from unfamiliar to familiar and then to a state of control. Now, he was a vampire great dark monarch. He had always stirred the River of Blood during his past ascensions. Although he knew little about the river itself, things went especially well when he tried to understand and adapt to the rivers laws. In the blink of an eye, Qianye almost felt as though he were a part of the river. His speed grew faster as his familiarity and control over the river increased, going from his initial drifting pace to the speed of lightning. In the end, his figure was practically flickering across vast distances. After flying for an unknown length of time, Qianye suddenly noticed a border to the distant waters, and the flow of the river was much faster. The river became narrow and the waters more rapid, a sign that it was nearing the source. Qianye heaved a sigh. Even someone of his spiritual powers was starting to feel fatigued by this point. If he wasnt wrong, that long flight of his was enough to cover the entire Evernight World, from the lowest continents to the uppermost ones. Just how long was the river? Yet Qianye had no idea whether his senses had been affected by the special environment, nor did he know just how far he had flown. He seemed to remember Anwen mentioning that for all life born in the Evernight World, their perceptions were made for this world alone. They might not be able to sense things correctly in other worlds. This point was something Qianye had already experienced, and much more evidently in the River of Blood. Now that the source was in sight, Qianye paused momentarily before moving forward. The River of Blood narrowed noticeably, and the waters were now flowing rapidly. Qianye could vaguely sense a tremendous aura covering the entire world. That was likely the source of the river. Qianye felt an unsuppressable excitement in his heart, so much so that he had to stop and take a deep breath. No one knew how many people throughout the millennia had managed to enter the river physically and explore its source. At this very moment, Qianye truly came to agree with what Anwen had said: Compared to exploring the vast universe, the wars in the Evernight World are as laughable as children playing house. Qianye calmed himself down and continued flying toward the source of the river. There, he suddenly noticed something floating in the distant waters. He hadnt really seen anything in the river even after all the exploration. He flew quickly to the area and looked down to find a seal. An azure seal wrapped in tree branches. This was the seal of the Morway clan, tenth among the great vampire families. The second-generation primogenitor of this clan was the Azure King, Reynold. At this point, the seal was dark and almost formless. Qianye sensed it and saw it, but he could not touch it. The dark seal was easy to explain. The Azure King had fallen, and the few survivors did not have a strong bloodline. There was little hope of igniting the seal again within a couple of generations. The problem was, why was the seal here? Qianye slowly descended and tried to touch the seal with his hand. The seal didnt seem very big at first glance, but Qianye found that ten people of his size could stand on it. When he tried to touch the seal, his fingers went right through it without any material resistance. At the same time, a stream of knowledge that stemmed from blood energy merged into Qianyes mind. Qianye fell into deep contemplation. It turned out that the seals werent physical objects. It was just like the River of Blood, a manifestation of origin power laws. Qianye came to understand the relevant laws when he touched the seal. The only problem was that he didnt have the corresponding bloodline, so he couldnt ignite it. It was hardly any use even if he did have the bloodline and ignited the seal. Not to mention his chaos origin power, even his dark golden blood energy was superior to the path offered by the Morway clans seal. All it did was enrich his knowledge. Qianye rose up into the air, frowning in deep thought. The problem at the moment was why had this seal appeared here? Why were things somewhat different from when he had entered the river with his consciousness? Chapter 1479 Back when Qianye arrived at the source of the river the first time, he had seen the twelve seals lined up in a circle, as well as the shadowy creature roaming around them. Qianye was almost injured by it. But now, the Morway clans seal had left the source of the river and was moving farther away. What did this signify? Could it be as the Demon King had said? Had these vampires been tainted by daybreak origin power? But the Azure King was a veteran great dark monarch, someone who had been asleep for most of the recent millennium. How could he have been tainted? Qianye came to no conclusion, so he simply kept going. The river narrowed even more noticeably as the source came into view. A stream of water was pouring down from the void into a pond, and the contents of this pond was gushing outward to form the River of Blood. Qianye suddenly felt a sharp pain as he approached the source of the river. A moving shadow appeared through the void and transformed into a creature whose shape was difficult to describe. It charged at Qianye immediately! Even with his current strength, Qianye was badly shaken. He drew the Red Spider Lily and waited solemnly for the enemy to come within rangethis Grand Magnum was the most suitable weapon against this shadowy creature. The giant shadow would be comparable to a void colossus if it were to appear in the Evernight World or the inner world. It was likely on par with the Sky Demon that had appeared back then. Qianye edged back slowly when the giant beast appeared, putting some distance in-between. The creature didnt move further, almost as though there was an invisible barrier restricting it. It would seem that this creature was the guardian of the river source, one that would attack as soon as people approached. It would return to whence it came when the intruder was gone. Now things were getting difficult for Qianye. He wanted to investigate the source of the river, but he probably couldnt go around this creature. Killing it might be even more difficult than killing a supreme. The shadow creature might have some special weakness in the special environment of the river, but Qianye was also affected. He had grown too big here, which served to amplify his weak points and produce new ones. He might be stronger in combat if he could return to his normal size. Qianye frowned. He wanted to try probing the enemy, but he didnt dare act recklessly. In his current state, his attack power hadnt changed, but his body had grown weaker. If the creature was in the same state, this battle between two glass cannons would immediately reach a conclusion. Qianye had just become a great dark monarch. With Nighteyes fate hanging on a thread, he simply didnt dare take such a risk. The outcome would be disastrous if he were to fall here. Just like that, man and beast stood facing each other at the source of the river. During this stalemate, a lot of questions popped into Qianyes mind. Why was he in the River of Blood? Why was he traveling upstream to the source? Everything seemed natural, but was it truly so? What was calling out to him at the source of the river? Was this something fortuitous, or was this a trap? Qianye had never wondered about all these things before. Perhaps one could say that he had never considered them as problems. He was, after all, a vampire, and vampires drew their power from the source of the river. Tens of thousands of years had proven this fact. The river had existed for an unknown span of years. At the very least, its powers could radiate even to the inner world and touch the Attawa there. Just how long had the vampires been around? The race had always relied upon the River of Blood, but this river may or may not have a direct relationship to them. Besides, Qianye was only a half-vampire, to begin with. Now that he had cultivated the chaos origin power, he had transcended the current level of life just like Andruil. No matter how one looked at the situation, his vampire aspect wasnt strong enough to decide his attributes. So why was there such a connection between him and the River of Blood? Was this a true connection, or was it a skewed illusion? Thinking in this direction cast a hazy shroud on the things he had always considered facts. He frowned slightly as he tried to find a new train of thought. It was at this moment that the sky was split open. A beam of fiery sword energy snaked through time and space to strike at the giant shadowy creature. This slash set the massive shadowy creature on fire, almost like a spark that had fallen into a tank of fuel. The raging flames surged into the sky, reaching almost ten thousand meters high. A soaring serpent merged from amidst the blaze, emitting an earth-shattering cry as it coiled around the giant beast. Compared to this soaring serpent, the shadowy creature was much smaller. It couldnt do much but scream in pain under the constriction and searing heat. Everything happened so quickly that Qianye was left stunned. His eyes landed on the soaring serpents back, where there were two mounds of moving flesh. Judging from the way it was flapping, that was likely where its wings used to be. No one knew where it had gone, but the mirror-smooth cut surface indicated that it had been cut off with a sharp weapon. The soaring serpent didnt hold back. It bit fiercely into the shadowy creatures body and spat out daybreak flames to burn the creature. After the flesh it had bitten off had been incinerated, the serpent bit off yet another ruthless mouthful of flesh. The shadow screamed and struggled, but it could do little against the serpent. Qianye suddenly recalled the soaring serpent of the imperial clan. When did they manage to refine their totem to the point where it could manifest physically? Moreover, it seemed entirely sentient and intelligent. Even the werewolves who had worshipped their ancestors for tens of thousands of years never managed such a feat. With this soaring serpent around, the Empire wouldve gained yet another heavenly monarch on par with the supremes. Qianye was familiar with the sword radiance from just now. Although the might of that strike was far stronger than the heavenly monarch level, Qianye had no doubt that it was the Pointer Monarch. No great dark monarch couldve escaped from this strike! Qianye remembered how the Profundity Monarch had sacrificed his origin crystal to injure Sousa, restrain the Wolf Ancestor, and scare off Progia. This would explain how this powerful sword strike came to be. At this point, the soaring serpent had bitten off three chunks from the shadowy creature and obliterated the flesh. It seemed to be at an advantage for the moment, but Qianye had already noticed the changes. The soaring serpent was born from the ignition of the sword energy. Although it could suppress the giant creature, the radiance was burning out rapidly and seemed like it would be snuffed out very soon. The shadowy creature was on its home turf, with wisps of shadow drifting in to heal its damage. At this rate, the soaring serpent would vanish before the shadow creature was gone. The serpent glanced at Qianye and cried out several times, seemingly anxious and in a rush. Qianye finally saw the serpents eyes. The soaring serpent roams the mist, footless but a master of flight. This was one of the rare records regarding the soaring serpent. Its actual appearance was fairly abstract and blurry. It was a totemic symbol more than anything. It was only then that Qianye saw it clearly. Its head was similar to the Earth Dragon but with the beak of a hawk. Its two long whiskers danced about amidst the mist and fire. There were also dozens of eyes growing from various parts of its head. And in these eyes, Qianye could see himself at various points in time. One of them showed Qianye as a swaddled baby in the arms of a mysterious person, with blood seeping out of his chest. Others showed him flying through the sky or collapsing on the ground. There was also one where he was gazing at a girl who was about to smash him with a rock. There were reflections of him fighting bloody battles, those of him facing the Demonesss ultimate blow. There were also images of him planting a flag and facing the entire Evernight army. The scenery changed all of a sudden. Different characters appeared in the soaring serpents eyesLin Xitang, Song Zining, Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, Zhao Weihuang, and even Princess Gaoyi. Strangely enough, he also saw two unfamiliar babies whom he felt quite concerned about. Numerous people from his memories appeared one after another, people he wanted to protect. There were even people from Lighthouse Town. All of a sudden, Qianye found it difficult to breathe from all the sentiments. Where was Nighteye? Qianye suddenly realized that Nighteye was not in any of these memories. There wasnt Andruil, either, nor any character from Evernight. This thought brought Qianye back to reality. He discovered that he was holding the Red Spider Lily, and had just fired! The shadow creature shattered into countless pieces, which were duly captured into the conjured mirrors. The shadows true appearance was finally revealed in these reflectionsits head had been split into several dozen pieces, only its ten eyes remained gazing at Qianye in agony and despair. Qianye sensed something was off, but the soaring serpent lashed out with its tail and shattered all the mirrors. The shadowy colossus vanished, and so did the soaring serpent. The source of the river was now unobstructed. Qianye shot one last glance at the battlefield. If he hadnt experienced this himself, he would hardly have imagined the giant shadow creature and the Empires soaring serpent would engage in such a violent battle. Now, only the River of Blood remained flowing quietly in the void. Chapter 1480 Qianye stood there for a while, thinking about what had just happened. It was just that he could hardly recall the details no matter how hard he tried. How could he not know that this was the serpents doing? That being said, he couldnt approach the source of the river with the shadowy creature in the way. Considering his power of sight at the moment, he had long since noticed that the creature wasnt a part of the river. It was more a foreign entity than anything. If it really was the rivers guardian, why would the vampiresthe rivers reflection in the Evernight Worldget attacked Qianye could actually see hints of demonkin attributes on the creature. That was why he didnt stop the soaring serpent instinctively, allowing it to succeed. Now that the two giant creatures had vanished, the path to the source of the river was clear. Qianye activated his chaos origin power and set up numerous defenses around him before moving forward. Qianye was already prepared, so anyone who wanted to attack him would have to get through several layers of chaos origin power. Only after reaching the last checkpoint would they discover his true hidden ace. Qianye moved forward after completing his preparations and soon arrived at the pond. This was the source of the River of Blood. Gazing at the sparkling ripples, Qianye couldnt help but feel curious. What exactly was behind these ripples? What was the source of the river? It was because he had eyes that he could see the pond, and this pond was in its current form because he could sense the system. In other words, it was because Qianye believed the source to be a pond that the pond was a pond. If Anwen were here, he might see something else, or he might be able to see right through to the core. Unfortunately, Anwen wasnt as strong as he was smart. Without sufficient strength, the rapid expansion after entering the river would tear him apart. Only the top great dark monarchs would be able to withstand this damage. As Qianye fixed his eyes on the place, seals gradually began to appear in the pond. The Sperger clans flaming crown, the Reagan clans seven-star array apart from the Morway clan, all the other twelve clan seals were here. Qianye also noticed the Monroe clans seal. The datura flower seal wasnt at the edge of the pond but near the exit. It was moving away at a steady pace and seemed like it would soon join the outflow. Another seal was being driven away, and it was the Monroe clans! Qianye lowered himself and reached out to touch the seal. Just like with the Morway clans seal, a different path of blood energy utilization appeared in Qianyes mind. He could learn the contents of the seal, but he couldnt affect its trajectory. He simply flew around the pond and scanned all of the seals. Then he stood there with his eyes closed as he digested the contents. The twelve seals represented twelve pathways. They were all related but different from one another. One would need to put all of them together to reach the true interpretation of the river. In Qianyes consciousness, the twelve different pathways merged into the Book of Darkness and began evolving rapidly. Tens of thousands of years seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. The twelve pathways merged into one, forming a single, scaled-down version of the river. However, Qianye discovered that there was something missing in the riverit simply couldnt get past the last checkpoint. Could it be that the twelve seals werent complete yet? It was then that Qianye recalled the thirteenth ancient clan of legends. However, no one knew how and why this clan had vanished. According to the Demon King, the thirteenth clans bloodline was the closest to the darkness origins, but they were eliminated after the river was tainted by daybreak origin power. Was there really a thirteenth clan? He glanced at the pond again. This time, the pond became clearer in his vision, allowing him to see deeper into its waters. There seemed to be a seal in the depths of the ponds, but the imagery was unclear. The object gradually came into focus as Qianye gazed at it. This seal seemed like it didnt exist, but it also felt as though it had been there since the beginning of time. It had only appeared after Qianye noticed it. The seal was an eye with a full moon for its pupils. Qianye immediately realized the path it representedit was extreme darkness and pure destruction. This was the seal of the thirteenth clan, the frozen mooneye. After seeing it, Qianyes eyes began to undergo a transformation. One of them turned dark blue, while the other, dark red. The eyes of control and destruction had appeared in the same person for the very first time. However, Qianye blinked a couple of times and restored his eyes to a blue tintthe Eye of Control was more suited to him after all. The Eye of Destruction required pure darkness origin power, growing stronger as one moved closer to the darkness origins. Qianyes origin power was now of the chaos attribute, somewhere distant from both daybreak and evernight. That was why powers that required extreme attributes no longer suited him. He could now confirm that the frozen mooneye was made for Nighteye, or rather, it existed only because Nighteye existed. The name of the thirteenth clan appeared in the ancient riverMoonsong. Compared to the Perth clan, the Moonsongs strength leaned closer to the darkness origins, while the former favored pure blood energy. That was why the Moonsong clan was the most affected by the rivers transformation and the first to be destroyed. It was only when Nighteye completed her second awakening that it appeared once again. Having learned of the thirteenth clans secrets, there was only one mystery left. What was that at the source of the river? The Queen of the Night, Lilith, was the second drop of blood from the river. Then what was the first drop? And where was it? Qianye was overcome with pure curiosity at this point, eager to explore the profundities of the River of Blood. The wars between humans and the dark races felt insignificant before the vastness of the boundless world. Qianye could see right to the bottom of the pond, so there were no secrets left. So, where was the source? He suddenly glanced up at the void where a river was flowing into the pond. He soared into the sky and moved up along the river. Yet, the river was unexpectedly longQianye flew for one day and one night, yet there was still no end to be seen. Sensing that something was off, Qianye glanced down and saw that the pond was right beneath his feet. Qianye was sure that he had been flying for a long period of time and that he had moved a vast distance. His Spatial Flash could carry him thousands of kilometers at this point. The rivers appearance indirectly proved one thing. The river was everywhere in this special space, but it would only appear when Qianye wanted to see it. So what did this first drop of blood represent? Only then did Qianye discover that he had never actually thought about this problem. With a single thought, the thirteenth seal joined the evolutionary process in the Book of Darkness and merged with the other twelve. When Qianye opened his eyes, he saw boundless darkness in the depths of the pond. Chapter 1481 What was there supposed to be at the very end? Qianye had imagined countless answers before, but he had never expected this. That darkness was immeasurableit was boundlessly heavy and capable of accommodating all existences. Qianye didnt know what was inside, or rather what was not inside. It could be considered nothingness, it could be considered a singularity, and it could also be considered everything. It was capable of holding down the entire river with its tiny volume, allowing the waters to exist in a stable state within the void. All of the water flow in the void would return to this point one way or another. This was the first drop of blood and the original form of Qianyes chaos origin power. Since all of the rivers flow would return here at one point, where did the water come from? How did they return after reaching the end? A series of questions appeared in Qianyes mind. He discovered that the source of the river gave him more questions than answers. Finding the answer for one left him with the next question. Some wise person had once said that the more one knew, the more one would find that he knew nothing. When he glanced again at the River of Blood, the sensation became completely different. As for where the river had come from and to where it was flowing, Qianye had a feeling that the knowledge was part of the worlds profundities. He would need to be at a far superior level to understand it. That being said, what state was beyond the Evernight World? What would await after one walked the path of a heavenly monarch until the very end? Would the cultivator remain human, or would they become a higher being? Qianye felt rather distressed as he pondered on all these things. He suddenly broke into a laugh and slapped his forehead. He would never be able to answer all these questions here even if he were to spend his entire life force. This matter was more suited for Anwen. Qianye was used to roaming the murderous battlefields. All he wanted in his free time was to see the various places of the world. Having come to a conclusion and having completed his calling in the River of Blood, he decided to let other people ponder on the infinite mysteries. Qianye could finally appreciate Anwens existence to its fullest. He might very well be the very first one in Evernight to try and explain the world in terms of numbers and formulas. The profundities of the River of Blood, including its shape and form, were extreme mysteries that required otherworldly methods. Anwens work served to transform the topic problem, and using it, he was able to indirectly explore things beyond this world. It wasnt just for Qianye, Anwen was important for all of humanity and even the creatures of Evernight. This genius demonkin young lord was a blessing to the entire Evernight World. Qianye glanced at the river one last time and found something unnatural about it. It seemed the entire river River of Blood had moved slightly to the side. Although the distance was almost negligible, Qianye could see some faint shadows in his vision. He simply stood there observing in silence, finally coming to a conclusion after a while. He reached out and pressed at the air, taking him across the entire distance that he had traveled the past few days. The broken sky was once again before him. Qianye took a step forward and arrived inside the inner world. He glanced around at the lingering scars on the firmament. He could see that sky-splitting slash was the Pointer Monarchs doing, and there was no way he couldve survived after launching that attack. Qianye was half a successor to the heavenly monarch, and he had a complicated relationship with Ji Tianqing. That wisp of consciousness that the monarch had left behind allowed Qianye to understand his mindset. At present, he was likely the only one to fully understand the old mans intentions. To an outsider, the Pointer Monarch was a peak existence who had been on the throne for countless years. He had capable descendants and Ji Tianqings child shocked the higher-ups of the human race since birth. In this slash, Qianye witnessed thirty years of emotion that the old man had bottled up. Ji Wentian had already died back in the year when he built Heartgrave. The Pointer Monarch that came afterward only had the Empire in mind, no different from a zombie. He was devoid of selfish desires since his heart had been shattered. This sky-rending slash contained all of his sentiments and an overbearingness that looked down on the entire world. In it was the vitality of myriad households as well as great delighthe returned to being Ji Wentian after launching that attack, and he could finally meet the people of the past. The more Qianye comprehended the mood, the more complicated he felt. From the human races perspective, both Ji Wentian and the Pointer Monarch served the righteous path, pushing for the benefit of the human race. Qianye sighed. Too bad this isnt my path. A tremendous voice echoed from the end of the void, What is your path? Qianye turned around to see the raging waters flowing past him. Within the river, the thirteen seals slowly revolved around him and vanished one after another. My pathway is Qianye suddenly broke into a laugh midway and no longer continued. Someone of his strength had to have his own path, but all he needed was to follow it. Why tell anyone else? With a wave of his hand, he put away the river and the seals before looking around. His gaze darted over to the passageway immediately. Qianye arrived in a single step and looked around the place, then at the black sun. The black sun had been distorted into a semi-lunar shapepressured by the scar and river in the sky. A constant stream of darkness origin power was being drawn out and into the tunnel. This tunnel no doubt led back to Evernight. With a gravitational force produced by the entire Evernight World, the dark energy of the inner world would be led through the passage in a constant stream. The passage seemed unassuming, but in fact, a power of this caliber was earth-shattering. Although it was relatively stable, there were some minor issues. Considering how vast the Evernight World was, it would take decades for the Demon King to achieve what he wanted. Qianye didnt even stop to think about what awaited him on the other side as he took a step forward and went through the passage. He immediately sensed that the two factions were setting up their pieces. It was just that both factions would need to rethink their plans now that Qianye was back. That was because he was now the Monarch of Evernight, the first drop in the River of Blood. Chapter 1482 In the depths of the void, the Demon King was traveling on his own. He seemed to be sauntering in a leisurely fashion, but his every step took him vast distances forward. The speed of his movement was not inferior to Zhang Boqians void traversal. When he glanced backward, all he could see of the Evernight World was a small speck. Hence, no matter how fast he was going, it felt like he wasnt moving at all. He would stop from time to time and glance back, then continue forward. All of a sudden, a palace hall leaped out of the void in front of him. It felt as though the structure had just materialized, yet it also felt as though the building had existed since time immemorial. There was a small piece of land beneath the hall, almost like a small island. The Demon King slowly went up the stairs and knocked on the doors. The palace doors opened slowly, revealing a different space insidea valley surrounded by mountains and forests. There was a full moon hanging perpetually in the sky. There was a small lake in the valley, and on its mirror-like surface was the reflection of a person. Even the reflection couldnt do her beauty any justice. Kane, youve grown soft. The Demon King smiled as he walked over to the lake. Losing most of my power has changed the way I see the world. I dont find that a bad thing, though. Its more like finding myself. We possessed too much strength in the past, and that strength has distorted our views. What we see isnt the real world. I remember telling you this before. I know, but I didnt take it seriously back then. Then, did you gain anything this time? Indeed I did if you can call it a gain. Looks like its time to wake up. The figure at the lakeside faded away like bubbles as a lady appeared from the water, one who could hardly be described with words. Even the moon lost its splendor when she appeared. She was the Queen of the Night, the greatest existence on the Sacred Mountain. She slowly sat up and opened her eyes. Tell me, what did you gain? I saw a path toward the future. Its fairly blurry, but it is indeed a solid direction. The regretful thing is that we are out of time. Lilith frowned slightly. Not many can make you lose your confidence. Did you fight them? What is the outcome? I went to the inner world intending to draw in the darkness origins. The plan was to rid our world of daybreak origin power, hoping that would give us more time. However, Qianye was inside, and his growth has yet again surpassed our expectations. Pointer and Profundity fell in the final battle, while we lost Sousa and the Wolf Ancestor. Lilith glanced at Kane with eyes that could penetrate the past and the future. She said with a frown, That slash isnt something those humans can launch. Only two people in the last thousand years are capable of achieving that level: Ji Xingjin and Ji Xuansi. Ji Xingjin? The Demon King was stunned for a moment as he recalled the name. That fellow known for being diligent in action and moderate in speech? That fellow once defeated you, escaped from my clone, and opened the path to the current Qin Empire. I have been contemplating those words for a thousand years. The Demon King said, I have been thinking about it for a long long time. The more you contemplate, the more profound those words are. But, could the humans have grasped such deep knowledge all of a sudden? Perhaps we will have an answer very soon. Now tell me what you gained. The Demon King said, I saw our future in the Pointer Monarchs slash and in Qianye himself. The Queen was a bit surprised. What kind of future? Ive been contemplating for a thousand years, why can we not move farther after reaching the supreme realm. We can clearly sense an even more magnificent level of origin power and we have the knowledge to control it, but why is there no path forward? Our bloodlines have limited our origin power and placed a ceiling on how far we can go. Havent you been changing the demonkins bloodline since you became a supreme? Isnt that also why you wanted the Book of Darkness? Indeed, but I was on the wrong path. I only found out after the battle in the inner world that our bloodlines have locked not only our strength, but also our thoughts. We became lazy and will only try to solve problems with power. Whenever we run into some problem, our first instinct is to utilize greater power and not to find a better solution. By the time we gained excessive origin power, the way we see the world had already deviated from the truth. So youre saying that the origin power has affected us? Perhaps it has, perhaps it hasnt. Dont forget the Lost Season. Maybe an existence or power in this world is affecting us. I heard a genius has appeared in your race, a person called Anwen. He has a unique understanding of the world. That is indeed the case. He makes sense of the world using numbers and formulas. Our eyes may deceive us, but numbers do not lie. For instance, this is his latest view on the fall of the Void Valley STar. The Demon King waved his hand, projecting countless numbers and formulas in the great hall. Lilith watched the deluge of digits in silence and fell into deep thought. Hes saying that the fall of the Void Valley Star was not a natural phenomenon, but rather due to an external force? Numbers do not lie. We only suspected it in the past but never had any proof. Now, we have all the proof we need. Perhaps we should go and take a look at the original orbit of the Void Valley Star. Is this matter urgent? Not really. What else is urgent then? We have three urgent matters. First, the humans have initiated their Chronicle of Glory, and we still dont know what that is. Second, Qianye has entered the River of Blood. I can now confirm that he is the one our fate apparatus was pointing to. Thirdly, we need to break the Lost Season. Lilith rubbed her temples in apparent fatigue. I have made no progress regarding the Lost Season. Were running out of time, the Demon King reminded. I know. I will make a decision when the time comes. I think we should meet Qianye for now. I have no suggestions. Liliths expression shifted slightly as she opened the palace doors and walked outside. She simply stood there gazing at the void. The Demon King appeared beside her. Whats wrong? Lilith narrowed her eyes, saying, I just felt that the stars today are a bit too glaring. Chapter 1483 Qianye appeared in the void and glanced at his surroundings. There was only emptiness in every direction, and the unending torrent of attacks he was expecting did not appear, either. He looked back and saw that the tunnel entrance was still there, spewing out a constant stream of living darkness origin power. The energy was like an uncontrollable wild beast after entering the Evernight World. It would do its utmost to destroy everything in its wake, doing the most damage to daybreak origin power. Qianye was rather patient. He simply stopped there and observed the contention process for a while. The living darkness origin power was like a wild beast that had not yet reached maturityit would devour all origin power, but then it couldnt digest whatever it had ingested. If it was darkness origin power that it had devoured, more darkness origin power would be released as a result. If it was daybreak origin power, the two types would cancel out one another and disappear. A question popped up in Qianyes mind at this point. The opposing attributes of darkness and daybreak origin powers would end up being destroyed in a direct confrontation. What then? If that were the case, there should be neither daybreak nor darkness left in the ultimate end. But things were clearly not so. Then how was origin power produced? This question wasnt something Qianye could answer on his own. Clearly, it was also a fundamental topic for the Evernight World, something Anwen might know. It was at this time that a slim airship flew out of the void, carrying a single standing passenger. Qianye almost felt like he had gone back to the dumpster on Evernight Continent. Back then, he had also watched as the airship lowered itself from the sky and Lin Xitang stretched out his hand to him. The daze lasted but a split second before Qianye was calm again. I wasnt expecting youd be the one to come. This was Lin Xitangs vessel, but the person standing at the helm wasnt Marshal Linit was Song Zining. Perhaps due to the baptism of blood and fire, the young master seemed wiser, more mature, and less like the romantic wastrel of the past. Who else can come? Song Zining smiled. Anyone wouldve been better. You wouldve attacked anyone else at the slightest argument. Not many can withstand a hit from you these days. I know when to stop. Oh, got it. You wont kill them right away, theyd be half dead at most. Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Okay, enough with the idle topic. Get to the point, what are you here for? Song Zining said, Hop on and well talk. Very well. Qianye stepped onto the airship and followed Song Zining into the cabin. The two men then sat down near the window. Qianye glanced at the surroundings in great detail. Song Zining said, Marshal Lin was playing chess with Gu Tuohai when he found you in the dumpster back then. Which seat was my adoptive fathers and which one was Master Gus? Youre sitting in Marshal Lins seat. How did you know? A gleam flickered in Qianyes eyes. We diviners can tell that at a glance. This doesnt mean that my divination powers are greater than the marshals, but rather, he didnt mind people finding out. Qianye observed Song Zining carefully, gazing almost right through him as he did so. You chose the divination path. Yes. You know the price. Of course. Why then? Someone needs to do the hard, dirty work. Qianye said after a moment of silence, You know, I really hate divination right now. Song Zining raised his brows. Oh? Qianye raised his hand. Everything was normal at first, but his hand seemed obstructed as the process went on. It seemed like there were threads binding his hand, akin to tangled spiderwebs. Each of these threads appeared from the void, carrying specks of radiant light with them. Only the two of them could see these strings. Song Zining was surprised. You can actually make the fate trajectory lines manifest? I still remember some of the divination arts you taught me, Qianye said. What else do you know? Visit Readnovelhall.com for extra chapters. I also know which of these threads were original and which of them were added. Qianye shook his hand gently, producing a ripple that spread along the strings. Some of the weaker threads broke from the impact, but the stronger ones remained intact. Song Zinings gaze seemed serious. Youve gained much. My gains were pre-planned, its just that the person who planned this probably didnt think Id obtain so much. Song Zining reached out to pick up one of the threads. Can you break it? Why not? A black intent appeared at Qianyes fingertips as he cut through the threads of fates trajectory. Song Zining heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the thread severed. Those people wont dare to practice their craft anymore if they see how easily you managed to cut it. Is it so hard? Qianye didnt find this process any more difficult than cutting a spider web. Wielding weight as though it were weightless, thats a fairly difficult task. Less than five people in the entire Empire can materialize the threads of fate, much less sever them. How do you feel now? Qianye sensed the changes carefully. I feel much more relaxed. What does that thread represent? Song Zining smiled. Youll know soon enough. Qianye glanced around. Why is there no one here? Does the Empire not know where the tunnel exit is? Those who can beat you are busy with other things. Those who are free cant hold their own against you, so its useless if they come. How about Evernight? The same reason. Qianye finally understood that both factions had pulled back their people to avoid accidental deaths. Qianye stared at Song Zining. Its natural for Evernight to be afraid of me, but whats with the Empire? What did you guys do that you wouldnt dare meet me? Im here, am I not? You dont count. Song Zining laughed out loud, but the humor in his expression faded away when he saw Qianyes penetrating gaze. In the end, he said with a sigh, Im here to tell you one thing. Go on. Promise me that you wont get angry or act up. Even if you act up, you must control yourself. Since youre putting it this way, do you think its something that will anger me? Song Zining sighed. Make some concessions for me. Very well, I can hold back from killing a few people if this has nothing to do with Nighteye. Song Zining went silent. Chapter 1484 Moments later, Song Zining said with a wry smile, Out of consideration for me can you Do you think its possible? Did they push you out here out of consideration or were they throwing you to the wolves? I came on my own. Why? If I dont come, no one else will. Qianye nodded. Very well, lets hear it first. Qianye, you dont trust me anymore, do you? Qianye laughed. Youre the one who doesnt trust me anymore. Song Zining was stunned. Indeed, I have become concerned with gains and losses as well. How can you be so hesitant if youre going to take up my adoptive fathers position? Because Im never completely indifferent when it comes to you. Qianye nodded. Speak, I know my limits. Song Zining said, Nighteye is in the Queen of the Nights hands. Its her? Qianye gazed blankly into space. It makes no difference whether shes in Liliths hands or Kanes, Ill still have to fight them. But Qianye paused momentarily. Im curious as to how she was caught. The Imperial divination experts and the Evernight prophets worked together to find her. She also slipped up, thinking you were the one calling out to her. The moment she compromised her whereabouts, the scryers locked onto her. Qianye wasnt furious. How did the two sides achieve this cooperation? It was actually quite simple, our divination experts can do things their prophets cannot. The Empires divination methods narrowed down Nighteyes approximate location, which is a fairly wide area in and of itself. The second phase of the plan became viable after her location had been narrowed down to one-third of a continent. What is that? Using your aura to simulate a signal and let the Evernight prophets take over the area. So, she thought I was calling her. The deceit lasted but a mere moment. Nighteye only needed to listen to it attentively and she would be found. If she could keep calm, there wouldnt have been any problem even if there was a supreme around. I heard later on that she lost her composure despite knowing it was a lie. What kind of call did you transmit? ... A mournful cry, as though you were on the verge of death, Song Zining replied. Qianye was stunned. And she took the bait? I dont think she was fooled, but Song Zining smiled wryly. Qianye remained silent for a while. He then glanced at Song Zining, saying, Whose idea was it? Were you involved? Song Zining sighed. I didnt like her at first, and I had always hoped she would leave your side. But you should know that I wouldnt harm her like that. Really? Song Zining started to sweat a bit. Well that thing in the Great Maelstrom doesnt count. Very well. Song Zining said, Thats all. Qianye said eventually, I really dont understand. What exactly did she do, for the Empire to hunt her down so relentlessly? Do those people think I will never know? Do they think I wont kill them even if I do? All for the bigger picture? Song Zining smiled bitterly. If you really want to know, its fine to tell you. I dont know the entire story, just a part of it. Ill tell you more after you finish listening to the first part. Visit Readnovelhall.com for extra chapters. Go on, Im all ears. Qianye was currently quite calm. Even the Evernight Council doesnt know full well who Nighteye had awakened to. The Empire was never affected by the Lost Season, so we actually have most of their data from before the wave of forgetfulness set in. The Empire compared the various powers Nighteye had displayed against the documents we have to confirm her true identity. A great dark monarch? Qianye ventured a guess. No, a supreme. Qianye was stunned for a moment. He was quite clear about what this meant. To become a supreme was to break through the natural restrictions of Evernight and reach an unprecedented level in a certain aspect. This was a force that shouldnt be in this world, a power that could topple mountains and seas. Even Qianyes dark golden blood energy was barely at the edges of this realm. Of course, Qianyes chaos origin power made it so that he wouldnt need to become an Evernight supreme. At this point in the conversation, Qianye understood the reason without Song Zining needing to say anything. Nighteye was a supreme in her previous life, so her chances of becoming one in this life were much higher. Even if it was just a possibility, the human race would take every opportunity to destroy her. The Empire was fine with Evernight producing a couple more great dark monarchs, but they couldnt let them have another supreme. Qianye sighed. She never saw the Empire as an enemy. Who will guarantee this? A supreme can live thousands of years, and Nighteye is still so young. How long can you live? Qianye was stunnednow, that was a tough question. After all, Qianye had a human bloodline in him that accelerated his cultivation speed at the expense of his lifespan. Even now, he didnt quite dare to say that he could live a thousand years. To be even more pessimistic, it was doubtful whether or not he could live half a millennium. This difference was too great compared to Nighteyes longevity. Even if the Empire did trust Qianyeeven if they did trust that Nighteye wouldnt attack the Empire while he was alivewhat about later? Additionally, no one was willing to live under someone elses shadow, let alone for ten thousand years. Qianye sighed. You guys never talked to me about this. If Song Zining had told him earlier, Qianye mightve done certain things differently. He mightve taken Nighteye far away to a hidden place until she had regained her powers. Or perhaps they wouldve lived in seclusion until the end of their lives. I only found out just now, thats why I came to see you. Why wouldnt I tell you if I had known earlier? Qianye was a bit suspicious of Song Zining. His expression returned to indifference after a while, saying, Since youve told me this, you probably know who Im going to attack. The ones who schemed against her are the Imperial divination experts, right? Whats that organization called again? The Divination Pavilion. Whatever its called, time for me to take a walk there. What are you going to do? Qianye said calmly, Even with all the troubles going on, the Empire never forgot to attack me and my wife. Its time to refresh peoples memories. I cant be bothered to find out whos behind all this, so tell them to pick one out of three members at random and kill them. Ill leave once enough has died. Youre mad! Not really. If the Empire is not willing, I dont mind testing my hand against Prince Greensun and the Radiant Emperor, even that formation at the Imperial Capital. Chapter 1485 Song Zining stared at Qianye, hardly able to contain his shock. Qianye said with a smile, Dont worry, I wont throw away my life. If I cant defeat Greensun, Ill keep running around the capital. I heard the formation at the capital was designed to target the dark races. Im a human heavenly monarch, so its effects should be limited. One could easily imagine what it would be like to have a heavenly monarch hawking around the capital, waiting for the opportunity to strike. No one except Prince Greensun would be able to leave the capital freely. The Radiant Emperor was a newly ascended powerhouse and evidently not Qianyes match. After all, the latters accomplishments went far beyond just killing great dark monarchs. Song Zining glanced at Qianye. Is there no other way? One out of three, and thats already me holding back. Dont tell me you want to hand over the leader? Song Zining sighed. What can you do even if you had the leader? Nothing much, just behead him publicly and wipe out his clan! Thats about it. Is that all? Yes. Song Zining said, Then you probably dont need to head to the capital. Dont tell me youre the one behind this? Haha! Of course not, but the person has already fallen. And his descendants, you cannot touch. Qianyewas stunned. Dont tell me Its the elder monarch. This time, Qianye was silent for a long while. Ji Wentian had dedicated his entire life to the human race and faced his death vehemently in the end. Someone like him would never allow a new Evernight supreme to appear. Qianye was the only one who knew that Nighteyes present and past self had merged into one after the awakening. In fact, the present Nighteye held the advantage. Normally, the awakened supreme would crush the present consciousness and restore their past ego. To a supreme atop the Sacred Mountain, humans were no more important than ants. It was only natural that Ji Wentian would try to remove this potential threat. The man was now dead, and most of his descendants were mediocre people. Only Ji Tianqing and her daughter, Ji Yuan, were an exception. Qianye finally understood how difficult it was to tell which party was in the right. Daybreak and Evernight would always be separated, even as neighbors. Qianye closed his eyes. What should I do? Do what you want, conclude all unfinished business, and then go pick her up. I think theres something important. What is it? What is the Chronicle of Glory? Qianye asked. I dont know, either. Only the Radiant Emperor will be able to answer that question for you, perhaps Lord Riverglance might know a bit, Song Zining replied. Let it be, it has nothing to do with me anyway. Qianye walked onto the deck and gazed out. Whats your plan? Just like you said, Im going to go around tying up some loose ends. Then, Ill go and pick her up when Im ready. Qianye glanced at the darkness energy surging out from the passage, saying, Ill wait and see how far the fight will go between the Empire and Evernight. We might not even fight. Qianye pointed at the tunnel. Are you going to let them funnel darkness origin power into this world? Song Zining shrugged. That small portal will take a good while to produce any effect. We have enough time to make a choice, theres no need to engage in a big battle now. If that is so, have it your way then. Qianye glanced at the void and said all of a sudden, Did you notice? The stars feel rather glaring recently. Song Zining came to stand beside Qianye and gazed in the same direction. He looked carefully, but he couldnt figure out what was different. Qianye narrowed his eyes. I have a feeling that there are new stars. Song Zining peered attentively, but he simply couldnt see anything. Astronomy was not his forte, to begin with. Qianye felt a wave of discomfort come over him. A faint glow washed over his body like a ripple, illuminating countless fate threads along the way. Qianye glanced down and saw a new thread forming a connection with him. He gently grabbed the thread with a smile. Looks like my divination talents arent bad. I can now tell when people are scheming against me. These threads come from divination techniques, right? Visit Readnovelhall.com for extra chapters. Indeed. I suddenly have a better idea, what do you think? Qianye broke the thread with a flick of his finger. A plume of dark fire danced along the thread, following it all the way into the void. The Imperial Capital. In an underground hall below the Divination Pavilion, there were several dozen divination experts hard at work. They sat in their respective positions with their eyes closed, focused entirely on their calculations. A miserable cry broke the silence. A young divination expert collapsed, his eyes popped out and blood flowing out of his nostrils. He spasmed several times while clutching his throat, but eventually, all movement ceased. Whats going on? A middle-aged expert ran over quickly and knelt down at the victims side. He opened the young mans eyelids and saw nothing but blood; his eyes had burst open. He gasped in fright. What a powerful backlash! It was at this moment that another cry rang out, and a divination expert collapsed behind him. Blood began to pool up on the ground. The middle-aged man was just about to help the second person when people began dropping one after another. The man felt a chill wash over him. Through the corner of his eyes, he noticed the divination tokens of one of the victims. Everyone! Stop all calculations related to Qianye and Nighteye! Drop everything even remotely related to them! However, it was too late! Several more divination experts fell, bringing the number to almost half of the experts in the hall. The middle-aged divination expert felt his hair stand on end, his mind completely blank. He knew just how long it took to train these people and how many resources had gone into them. The diviners who could enter the pavilion were all geniuses in the field. Now that almost half of them had died from the backlash, it was truly difficult for him to explain this matter. It was at this moment that he felt extreme pain in his head, almost as though someone had thrust a steel bar into his brain. And the pain was still hitting him in waves, as though the person was stirring the steel bar! The divination expert felt the world spinning around him. Noticing that there was something wet on his face, he touched it and found his hand covered in blood. He realized what was happening but found it difficult to believe. Even those who did the divination three days ago werent spared? What exactly is this Qianye?! His footing grew unsteady, just as his vision and consciousness blurred out. A brief moment of clarity visited him amidst the great pain, during which he realized that the end was near. Gazing at the utter mess in the hall, he roared at the sky, Are the heavens ending our Empire? A pair of deep, blue eyes suddenly appeared before him. He knew these eyes all too well as he was familiar with Qianyes characteristics. He saw Qianye smiling at him, saying, Im only ending you. Back in the void, Qianye cut yet another fate thread with his finger. What do you think about that? Song Zining sighed. These people were only following orders. Why go so far? Qianye said indifferently, None of these sinners deserve death, Nighteye is the only one who should die, huh?! Song Zining smiled bitterly. What do you want me to say? Simply go back and tell everyone that I have become a heavenly monarch. I am now the bigger picture, so what if several divination experts give their lives for this cause? Nobody likes them anyway. Song Zining didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. Where are you going next? Fort Continent. I want to take a look at how my followers are doing. Chapter 1486 With Qianyes current abilities, crossing the void took no extra effort. He was at Fort Continent before long and looking down at the residence in Cerulean Wave City. Not much time had passed since Qianye last departed, but the city had changed considerably. A grand-looking pier had been constructed at the lakeside, with numerous boats parked around it. Several small towns had popped up around the shores, and some were still in construction. Judging from the size, they could accommodate thousands of residents each. New land had just been plowed outside of the villages. The boats on the water made for a great means of transport since not everyone had an airship. The old slums outside of the city had been completely developed, expanding several times in area to become an industrial zone. There were new workshops in almost every direction. One werewolf building, in particular, was extremely eye-catching. The structure was painted in garish colors, like a scattered rainbow or a bunch of random turkey feathers. At this point, a figure shot into the sky from below and stood beside Qianye. Long time no see, William, youve grown. The werewolf now had a short beard, which granted him a bit of a mature handsomeness. He wasnt all that happy when he heard Qianye. What do you mean by that? Im much older than you! Qianye didnt retort. Instead, he gazed at Cerulean Wave City and said, Looks like the development is going well. Indeed! I never imagined things would progress so quickly. Our third airship port is almost complete. Im planning to build a new one in the northeast, along with a warehouse zone. That one will be dedicated to the transit of goods. Look at that industrial zone beside the depots, over a hundred workshops have set up shop there, and many new ones are under construction. Qianye followed Williams finger and saw a neatly divided district. Most of the workshops had already begun operating, and there were some under development. This new district was much bigger than the old one in both size and scale. The roads alone were three times wider. The smaller streets could fit four trucks, while the main roads could accommodate ten. Did you design all of this? Qianye glanced at William in doubt. William was dissatisfied. What? Are you looking down on me or on the werewolves? You. Qianye wasnt mincing words. William was furious. He raised his hand to attack but eventually lowered it. Let it be, I cant beat you anyway. Qianye said with a smile, I wont retaliate. Youre going to be so kind? Of course, it doesnt hurt anyway. Im a duke now! The same goes for a duke. William watched Qianye with suspicious eyes. Are the rumors true? What do they say? They say youve become a great dark monarch, that you might ascend the Sacred Mountain one day. Thats not important, but the werewolf race must be deeply affected by the recent developments. The Wolf Sovereign wont hate me, will he? William seemed shocked. Did you really kill the Wolf Ancestor and Sousa? Thats only half true. I wouldnt have been able to kill them so easily if the Profundity Monarch hadnt taken action. Whats the situation with the werewolves? The Wolf Sovereign returned to the ancestral continent as soon as he heard the news. He rounded up all the ancestral faction members and suppressed the situation, lest a similar situation appears again. So, the Wolf Sovereign has always been here? He lives in the dukes manor as well. A peerless aura surged into the sky when William pointed at the manor. That was the aura of the Wolf Sovereign, a greeting toward Qianye. The Wolf Sovereigns aura wasnt from the dukes chamber but from one of the guest rooms. This was a show of respect and stance. They wanted to let him know that everything was still Qianyes, and that the werewolves had no intention of touching the territory. Why is the Wolf Sovereign here? Several experts came to Fort Continent in secret after your departure. Some were trying to see if they could gain some benefits, while others were here to find out your secrets. I couldnt handle all of them alone, so I sent a message to the Summit of Peaks. Unexpectedly, the Wolf Sovereign arrived personally. Qianye nodded. No one would dare to cause trouble here with the Wolf Sovereign around. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Gazing at the area below, Qianye said, The population mustve doubled by now. Who said so? Weve tripled and its growing by the day. People from all races are here. Are they getting along well? Unexpectedly so. For instance, the citys design and construction were all done by the human races Kong and Yin families. Honestly speaking, they do a much greater job than us werewolves; even the demonkin might not compare to them. Thats why everything was handed over to them. The massive airship port was their idea as well? William nodded. Yes, Young Master Kong said Cerulean Wave City will grow five times bigger and hold a million residents. Thats why the airship port must be big enough, or else there wont be enough space later on. Qianye nodded in secret. What about the other areas? Qianye asked. All is well. After arriving here, many people would head to the deeper parts of the continent to open up new territories and search for opportunities. Humans brought with them all kinds of equipment and mining technology. The arachne brought their magic mushrooms, which can change the origin power environment once planted. The werewolves had too much physical labor, to begin with, and now, their lands are increasing in value. As for the demonkin and vampires, no need to worry about them. Theyve all found work to do. Sounds good, are there no conflicts? Of course there are, almost every day, but most of them happen between individuals or small groups. Adventurers and mercenary groups are now accepting more and more different races. Theyve discovered the advantages of having diversity in their teams. Qianye felt rather satisfied. The foundation and rules he had laid down here were now thriving. This feeling was irreplaceable. Take a look at this. William passed over a map. Qianye saw that the center of the map was Cerulean Wave City, and the borders marked his territory on Fort Continent. He immediately noticed that the borders had expanded quite a bit. How did this happen? The results of the expansion bill. Expansion bill? Yes, I promised those adventurous fellows on your behalf that whoever can take down new land will be assigned a hundred hectares of land and the right to thirty years of tax-free farming. Of course, many local lords chose to surrender, in which case they were allowed to keep their authority. There are over twenty armies pushing the borders forward at this moment. Fort Continent will be yours before long. You guys couldve built your own nation, why come under mine?" Qianye asked. The Wolf Sovereign will return to the ancestral lands sooner or later, and there wont be anyone to protect the lands here. There was no news of your fate, but no one would dare to cause trouble here unless your passing was confirmed. Qianye nodded slowly. The powerhouses served as guardians, the experts operated the day-to-day matters, and the ordinary civilians prospered. This was the traditional way of Evernight. It didnt look so bad, at least. Chapter 1487 Qianyes vision slowly spread out from Cerulean Wave City, almost as though he could see the entire Fort Continent. Far off in the distance, a number of small mercenary companies had come together to form a sizable army. They were pushing their way into the depths of the continent under the leadership of their commanding officers. These commanders were of varying racial stockthere were humans, demonkin, and vampires. The demonkin were the minority, but they were the elite amongst the elites. Their contribution to the battle wasnt inferior to the other races. At the same time, countless expansion forces were rushing toward the edges of the continent to explore and excavate ore. These areas had always been the most dangerous, both in terms of environment and enemies. William had been spreading the word about Qianye without a stop, so no one dared to touch the Fort Continent. He even invited the Wolf Sovereign over, so most people believed his words and set out to excavate in the dangerous regions. The formation and development of these settlements went on without any intervention from the Empire or Evernight. In the end, the various races in the country began breaking ground with great enthusiasm. More and more settlements popped up like bamboo shoots after the spring rain. The humans proved themselves superior both in the construction and scale of their workshops. They might not be the bravest or mightiest, but they were the best engineers and technicians. Hence, the races status and wealth rose steadily on the continent. Even the native werewolf tribes, with their inherited land, were squeezed down to the second position. Qianye retracted his gaze. William? What is it? Qianye said thoughtfully, I think we should make some advance preparations. What about? William asked. Racial equality. Whats there to prepare? What do we need to prepare? We need clear laws saying that all races, be they Daybreak or Evernight, are equal. Also, we need to suppress the powers calling for discrimination and stop humans from treating the other races unfairly. William was a bit puzzled. What did you say? Humans cannot, erm discriminate against the other races? Yes. Qianye was serious. William didnt know what to say, but he nodded in agreement since he couldnt just tell Qianye that he was overthinking it. Qianye didnt explain things, either. This was the first country containing a mix of races from both factions, and such a country was bound to develop differently from traditional nations. Here, the humans short lifespan might just become their advantage. There was no need to explain these things to William at the moment. He would see and understand in the future. Qianye had no idea how long he would live. For the people living in his countryfor the countless migrants who had come with their hopes and dreamshe wanted to remove a potential danger before it could ever take root. It was hard to say what would happen once he went to the Sacred Mountain. Then, Ill be leaving now. William was stunned. Youre leaving? Where to? Why not stay a bit longer since youre already back? No, this place is fine with you watching over it. I need to settle some unfinished business. Very well, Ill wait for you. Lets drink when you return. Okay huh? Qianye sensed something halfway through his reply. He saw an airship fleet landing slowly at a nearby airship port. These airships were mostly empty, with only a few containers of goods. There were even bullet marks on some of them. It looks like something has happened, lets head over and see. Also noticing the abnormality, William shot over. The new nation was in a fragile state at the moment. Its prosperity was mostly reliant on the only legal and open market in the Evernight World, the meeting-point between the two factions. Hence, their safe transportation to and from the outside world was extremely important. Since the Summit of Peaks took up position in Cerulean Wave City, the first thing they did was to clear out all kinds of pilots nearby. The werewolves were ruthless, to begin with. Even the moderate faction that was the Summit of Peaks would put most pirates to death upon capturing them. As more races found their interests on the Fort Continent growing, they began taking measures to guard the airship routes. Eventually, the routes to the Fort Continent became one of the safest. An airship fleet being robbed like this was no small matter. That was why Wiliam was in such a rush. Qianye simply stood in the air, waiting quietly for the results. Moments later, William returned with a serious expression. Are things difficult? Qianye asked. A bit. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Tell me. When did the pride of the Summit of Peaks become so hesitant? William glanced at Qianye. The trade fleet didnt run into pirates. They ran into an Imperial patrol that confiscated most of their goods and two airships, citing illicit trade. Nothing would be left if the trade fleet didnt have an aristocratic family backing them as well. An Imperial patrol? Qianye found it odd. To be precise, its from the Fifth Fleet. I think I remember them, theyre from the regular army. Why would they appear in our trade route and collect taxes from us? In his memory, Qianye had already cut off all ties with the Empire. I dont know, nor do the traders. What they can confirm is that Marshal Chen Rongzhi of the Fifth Fleet was on board. Thats what I find troublesome. Its not like you to fear a marshal. William replied, First, I think something is off about this whole thing. I dont know what the Empire is intending to do by mobilizing their regular army. If this is an all-out war, the Summit of Peaks alone isnt sufficient to fight them. We must muster forces from all the other races. Then again, were currently on the Fort Continent, and were not considered part of the Evernight faction. And secondly, its you. Me? Yes, I dont know how you will react. Qianye finally understood. I understand now. Looks like the humans are just like you, they want to know how I will react. They started taxing as soon as I returned, so Im sure theyre prepared to get slapped. The only difference is how heavy this slap will be. William said, Humans do love these things. Thats because they have countless factions among them, just like the four races of the Evernight Faction. Ill be leaving now, Ill settle this matter before I head to the next place. With that, Qianye turned around and stepped into the void. An airship fleet was slowly moving along the course between the Fort Continent and the Empire. This fleet was rather small, but it was made up of modern Imperial airships. Their background was certainly something. The Martyrs Palace leapt out of the void in their path. Qianye glanced at the airships from atop the Earth Dragons head. Tell Chen Rongzhi to meet me. An old marshal with greying hair appeared from the central flagship. Im one of the ten marshals of the Empire. How dare you be so rude to me? He hadnt even finished when Qianye flitted past. Soon after, Chen Rongzhis head drifted off into the depths of the void. Qianye had returned to the Earth Dragons head by the time people realized what had transpired. The palace drove away, leaving an echoing voice in the area. Im in a bad mood today, so I killed this annoying person. Go back to the headquarters and tell them that this is all for the bigger picture. Theres no need to bother with such insignificant matters. Chapter 1488 Eastern Sea, the neutral lands. The Martyrs Palace leapt out of the void and hovered high in the air. This time, the Earth Dragon was a bit hesitant to move forward. It seemed a bit apprehensive. Qianye didnt force the palace forward. Instead, he flew down to the waters himself and stood gazing at the vast sea. Moments later, a tremendous shadow appeared from under the sea. It stopped moving once it was close to the surface, and its voice echoed in Qianyes consciousness. Youre back. I owe you a favor, so I came back to see you. The mysterious consciousness let out a deep chuckle. I just said it randomly back then, who wouldve thought youd still remember? Youre also the first in several hundred years to dare stand above my head. Qianye laughed. Thats not being rude. I cant go down into the water now, can I? You act as though youre my equal. How is that not rude? The mysterious entity snorted. Qianye lowered his altitude until he was close to the water and cupped his fists. How about this? Please appear. Now thats more like it. Move backward or I might bump into you. Move farther back more Qianye moved back several times. It was only when he was close to the shore that the consciousness felt satisfied. Ive been asleep for several hundred years. Im greatly delighted to be seeing someone of the current era today! Let the creatures of this world behold, I wait a while. Qianye was holding his breath in expectation. This development almost made him fall into the water. He could see the waters rolling violently. It was a mystery what that entity was doing under the water, but the commotion was comparable to a tsunami now. Dozens of water pillars shot up into the air, rising almost a thousand meters! The pillars scattered in the sky and turned into countless water drops that remained hovering in the air. The waterdrops reflected the sunlight, producing a resplendent screen that covered a part of the sea. Qianye gazed at the barrier and realized that his perception couldnt get through it. This ability wasnt simple at alla barrier that could isolate perception wasnt difficult, but to cover the entire Eastern Sea was a difficult feat. With the barrier set up, the black shadow under the water slowly emerged, stirring up a gigantic wave in the process. Qianye watched the mysterious existence in a daze. This thing was hundreds of meters tall, an enormous colossus with moving eyes on its edges. Its lower end was still in the water, and judging from the crescent shape, it didnt look like a creature at all. It looked more like A fin? Was this mysterious existence under the Eastern Sea, an enormous fin? It was at this moment that a white line appeared over the distant horizon. Even someone of Qianyes strength was shaken. The white line arrived very soon. It was actually a wall of water that was several dozen meters tall! This wall of water would be a calamitous tsunami if it were to reach the shore. Fortunately, there were no settlements on the shore, and the cities were constructed on the cliffs. No one knew whether this was due to the first settlers wisdom or because they had received some help from the mysterious entity. The wave wall passed below Qianye and rolled off into the distance. A small mountain appeared on the distant water surface, growing bigger and bigger until the foothills were below Qianye and connected to the fin. Qianye was stunned as he watched the colossal entity before him. Hearing about such a creature was one thing, but seeing it was a completely different matter. The fin that had appeared at first now looked exceptionally delicate and small. Even as an unprecedented monarch, Qianye still couldnt help but feel stocked upon seeing such an entity. He had thought the Earth Dragon was big enough, but it was only as big as a small fin. The tail fin could fit half a dozen Martyrs Palaces. The entire Eastern Sea was shaken by the entitys emergence. It turned about with great difficulty and faced Qianye. Just this movement alone took ten minutes, stirring up winds and gigantic waves. Where are you? it asked. Qianye was speechless. There were hundreds of eyes on the creatures head, but Qianye was so small that he was in a blind spot. Qianye flickered toward one of its eyes and stood gazing at the ten-meter eyeball. Dozens of eyes moved toward Qianye. Move farther back. Its difficult for me to look at you like this. Finally understanding how things worked, Qianye flickered a thousand meters away. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Now this feels much better. I havent opened my eyes for several hundred years, it looks like my eyesight has deteriorated. It sighed. Qianye didnt know how to continue this topic. Have you been sleeping at the bottom of the sea all this time? Yes, I had nothing to do after Ji Xuansi passed away, yet I couldnt just leave because there were certain things that had to be done. Hence, I decided to find a place to nap. The humans are so annoying, but Id feel bad killing them since theyre Ji Xuansis people. Thats why Ive been staying hidden. I cant let anyone know about my reappearance, either. Qianye finally understood what the screen in the sky was for. That name Ji Xuansi sounded rather familiar. After repeating that name a few times, Qianye suddenly recalled, The Martial Ancestor?! You were his mount back then?! The creature was unhappy. What mount?! Do you think that weakling can ride me? Were friends! I was only helping him because were friends. There were numerous legends regarding the Martial Emperor, and Qianye knew a lot of them. Records stated that the emperors mount back in the year was an extremely powerful void whale, a type of void colossus. He had borrowed its power to turn many difficult battles around. Qianye gazed at the gigantic entity in puzzlement. According to Imperial records, werent you less than a hundred meters in length? The creature muttered incoherently, Ive only been eating and sleeping for several hundred years Ive gotten fat. Qianye was speechless. No ordinary void colossus could fatten themselves until they were ten thousand meters long. Just that physique proved that this creature was not inferior to the Sky Demon. Qianye had, of course, realized at this point that he was actually summoned here. Did you need me for something? Qianye was respectful, not toward the void whales strength but toward the Martial Ancestor. There are two things, but theyre also a single thing. Please go on. Xuansi told me to pick someone who can change the fate of humanity after the Chronicle of Glory reaches completion. I am to give this thing to him. The whale opened its mouth, and a droplet of water drifted toward Qianye amidst raging winds. Qianye received the water droplet, upon which the liquid vanished into his body. It appeared on the back cover of the Book of Darkness, attaching itself to the heavenly monarch crystal. All of a sudden, Qianyes body sank downward. It was as though he had devoured an entire sea, the weight almost causing him to fall into the water. Fortunately, the pressure vanished after the droplet finished attaching itself to the crystal, and everything soon returned to normal. What is this? Sealed inside that droplet is an all-out attack from Xuansi. Itll be of assistance at a critical juncture. He spent three years accumulating enough power for that thing. Whats the second matter? Its simple. After the day of destiny is over and the dust settles, its time for this old one to return to the void and be free once more. I want you to help push me into the void when the time comes. Qianye was puzzled. Erm you need my help with that? The void whale was a divine creature that could travel tens of thousands of kilometers each day. Leaping into the void was probably easier than Qianye flipping over in bed. Why would it need help? The creature seemed a bit embarrassed. It said while fidgeting a bit, Im too fat, I cant fly up anymore. Chapter 1489 The giant whale moved its body slightly, stirring up massive waves as it lowered itself into the water. It said while huffing and puffing, I cant, I need to rest. Ive been floating for too long. Qianye felt helpless as he gazed at the hurricanes forming between the sea and sky. Your Elderly Grace, please pant slowly Cant help it, Im panting at the slightest movement these days. The creature seemed to feel more comfortable as its massive body slowly entered the water. Thats strange, I can usually sense a whole lot of divination experts searching for me whenever I turn in my sleep. Why are they so silent today? The Divination Pavilion might be a bit short-handed at the moment. Short-handed? They claim to have ninety-nine masters inside and hundreds of reserve candidates waiting to enter. The spares need only three to five years of training to become qualified diviners. Qianye laughed. Thats quite unfortunate, then. I had planned to take out some hateful divination experts a couple of days ago, but unexpectedly, there were quite a few of them trying to scheme against me. I didnt hold back enough and ended up killing over half of their numbers. I dont think they have time to scry you at the moment. The void whale was delighted. Thats good news! These diviners are really quite irksome. I didnt want to kill them out of consideration for Xuansi, but these bastards just wouldnt give up even after several hundred years. You could even say they got bolder! Do they think I have no way to deal with them? I just couldnt be bothered, else I can drown several just by spitting at them. Qianye was speechless as he gazed at the whales thousand-meter mouth. A mouthful of its spit would drown ten thousand people. The conversation was coming to a close at this point. Qianye said after some thought, Ill say it first. I mightve accepted that item, but that doesnt mean Ill help the human race. If you think thats inappropriate, Ill return it to you now. No need! Just do what you think is right, even if thats to destroy humanity. That brat Xuansi wanted you to follow your heart. Why me? Well, I like you. Thats all. Qianye said, The Empire has stood for a thousand years and produced countless geniuses. We dont need to look too far, my adoptive father and Prince Greensun are probably better candidates, no? Being better or not isnt the issue here, I need to like that person. Let me tell you, one of Xuansis descendants came to the Eastern Sea a while ago. He wanted to see if he can find that item I just gave you. He couldve done a thousand other things, but he just had to fish! Ive been hiding here in this tiny space, enduring the pain of hunger for hundreds of years. Yet hes here fishing on my turf! Is he trying to starve me to death? Humph, how dare he rob food from the whales mouth?! I wouldve blown him ten thousand kilometers away if it werent for Xuansi. Qianye didnt know who was so bold as to fish in the Eastern Sea. After listening to the void whales words, he now had a general understanding of what had happened to the experts who had vanished over the Eastern Sea. There was no use overthinking about this. After confirming that neither the void whale nor the Martial Ancestor had any demands, Qianye put away the item. The void whale slowly sank into the depths of the sea and went back to sleep. Qianye, on the other hand, had some old scores to settle. He flew high up into the sky and stood there with his hands behind his back. Zhang Buzhou, come out and meet me. His voice wasnt all that resounding, but it somehow spread to every corner of the Eastern Sea. However, there was no response. Qianye raised his voice once again. Zhang Buzhou. This time, half of the neutral lands heard Qianyes voice. Countless experts stopped whatever they were doing and looked up at the sky, trembling uncontrollably. They could sense a bit of the speakers aura, and that was enough to make them go limp. They simply couldnt muster up the notion to resist. The only thought in their mind was, Who is this person? How can there be someone so powerful? Qianye waited for a while. Seeing as there was no response, he said with a sneer, Get over here! His voice covered the entirety of the neutral lands. Ordinary people couldnt hear his call, but those with cultivation above the champion level could do so. Those powerful marquises and champions were sent into a daze, almost as though a peal of thunder had erupted right next to their ears. The handful of dukes present in the area collapsed to the ground, injured by the voice. The void not too far from Qianye began to stir as a majestic mansion appeared vaguely in the air. The doors flung open and a fierce-looking man in his middle-ages walked out. Why would you force people so? Qianye stood there with his hands behind his back. Zhang Buzhou, did you think I wouldnt find you? Or did you think I have no way to deal with you? A hint of terror flashed in Zhang Buzhous eyes as he bowed with cupped hands. So its Lord Qianye. Ive been focused on cultivation, hoping to break through to the heavenly monarch realm and become a guardian of the neutral lands. I hope you will forgive my slipup. Qianye sized the man up. Youve indeed put in a lot of effort, you even prepared a speech that would move me. Theres one thing, though, that you didnt understand. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Zhang Buzhou seemed restless. What do I not understand, please instruct me. Qianye gazed into the distance. My adoptive father brought me out of the dumpster and laid out a path for me. I had a father, brothers, and sisters to protect me. If I die today, I die without regrets. Its only because of certain sentiments that I give way to the Empire at times. Its not for the Empire but for humanity, and for the people I care about. Qianye turned back to Zhang Buzhou and said coldly, Who do you think you are to use humanity as an excuse? Cultivating, huh? You never fought for the human race even at such a juncture, whats the point of keeping you alive? Zhang Buzhou pulled back rapidly, crying, Im about to reach ascension! You cant touch me. Its for the human race! He turned around the next moment and saw Qianye standing right behind him! Scared out of his wits, the man glanced left and right only to find that the scenery hadnt changed. Apparently, he hadnt moved at all after all that flying. Zhang Buzhou gazed at the black intent in Qianyes left hand as a look of utter horror unraveled on his countenance. W-What is that?! Zhang Buzhou discovered that he was drifting toward that darkness. No matter how hard he struggled or what secret art he used, there was no way to resist the gravitational force. The closer he was, the greater the force became and the faster he moved. Spare me! Im still useful to the human race! Zhang Buzhou cried hysterically. Someone like you will bring more harm than benefits. No, you cant touch me! I have a secret agreement with the Imperial Clan. If you kill me, it will ruin the human races plans. You will become a sinner! Zhang Buzhou cried out. Qianye smiled. Rest in peace, leave it to me to worry about whatever the important plan is. No!!! Amidst miserable screams, Zhang Buzhous figure grew longer and longer as he was dragged into the black intent. He tried to execute all kinds of secret arts, but even the radiance from those abilities couldnt escape the pull of the darkness. Everything was devoured. The only thing that happened was a ring of light appearing around the darkness. No one could tell that the number one expert of the neutral lands, the man who was just one step away from the heavenly monarch realm, had just fallen here. Qianye closed his palm and put away the dark intent. He gazed into the distance, toward the Throne of Blood. At this moment, the legendary vampire on the throne was busy throwing clothes into a case. His entire abode was in a state of utter mess. It was at this moment that he heard Qianyes gentle voice. Packing already? His body froze. Chapter 1490 The Throne of Blood slowly stood up straight and turned around to face Qianye. Finally, he gritted his teeth and cried out, Ill fight it out with you! He shot up like a leaping fish and pounced at Qianye. Halfway through his charge, the Throne of Blood felt his blood core freeze and his entire body came to a sudden stop. His limbs felt terribly weak, and the weight on his body seemed to have increased tenfold, causing him to fall to the ground. You! Impossible The Throne of Blood clambered up with great difficulty, gazing at the dark golden blood energy that was burning in Qianyes hand. Medanzo and the rest couldnt but that doesnt mean I cant do it. Youre quite powerful, but unfortunately, youre still a vampire. The Throne of Blood felt the depths of his blood core trembling. It was in a half-frozen state, and its beating was incredibly sluggish. He knew that this was a state of apprehension that arose from the depths of his bloodline, reverence in the face of a superior vampire. This meant that Qianyes bloodline had suppressed his own all fronts, leaving him with no more power than a viscount. The vampire finally understood that he didnt even have the qualifications to fight it out with Qianye. The Throne of Blood eventually calmed down and gazed at the dark golden flame in Qianyes hand. He said with a complicated expression, If I remember correctly, youre much younger than I am. Perhaps. Yet you actually possess such pure sanguine flames. How envious. The Throne of Blood sighed. Qianye smiled indifferently. I only used it because it makes the suppression of vampires more convenient. I dont use it that often, otherwise. The Throne of Blood let out a long laugh. This is the mark of a great dark monarch, something that might even take you to the supreme realm. And youre saying this isnt your strongest? It isnt. You can suppress me, but dont think you can fool me! Youll be mistaken if Im that easy to deceive. Im not so fearful of death like the other long-lived races! Qianye said, Fine, Ill let you see the first drop of blood from the river. W-What did you say? The vampires voice was trembling. The first drop of blood was the source of all dreams for all the vampires in this world. Yet to this day, no one had ever seen what it looked like. His instincts told him that Qianye wasn''t lying. Qianye reached out his hand and it seemed like something had appeared there. The Throne of Blood rubbed his eyes as he tried to look closely, but his vision darkened and he soon lost consciousness. He slowly regained his senses after god knew how long, his entire body limp and powerless. His blood core was beating very slowly, and cracks had spread across its surface. It was extremely close to shattering. Even a great dark monarch would fall after his blood core was shattered, let alone him. The Throne of Blood wanted to sit up, but a hand pushed him down. Stay still, youll injure your blood core if you move. Dont blame me if you regress to the marquis realm. Let me get up! That was the first drop of blood! I know it, I sensed it. Qianye shook his head. Your blood core almost shattered after coming into contact with its aura. If you really were to behold the blood, you can kiss your eyes goodbye even if you survive. Wait until youre a great dark monarch if you really want to see it. The Throne of Blood stared fixedly at Qianye, saying word by word, Youre the first drop of blood! You can say that, but thats not much use if I cant even beat the second drop of blood. Qianye smiled gently. Wait, let me calm down. The Throne of Blood lay on his back with his eyes closed. Blood energy flowed faster along his body, entering a state of bloodboil. Moments later, he opened his eyes and struggled up to his feet. Your Majesty Qianye, if you have any orders for me, I will carry them out to the best of my abilities. But if youre here to punish me, know that I will not surrender. Even though I know Im not a match, Ill still swing a fist at you if thats all I can do. You managed to kill your way out of the vampire race, why are you willing to work for me now? Youre the first drop from the River of Blood, the born leader of all vampires. Even the Queen of the Night ranks below you. To work for you is something imprinted into the bloodline of every vampire. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Qianye said, How will I know youre not just trying to curry favor to hide the fact that you fired at Nighteye? The Throne of Blood was stunned. I was forced by the situation, and I didnt know Her Majestys identity. Fortunately, she wasnt badly injured. Qianye nodded. Give it to me. What? The gun you shot her with. The Throne of Blood was a bit hesitant, but he soon fished out a gun wrapped in aged leather from his luggage. Qianye weighed the gun in his hand. So this is the Shattered Moment? Yes. Very well, Ill be leaving now. You go on with your packing. Ill call you again if anything comes up, I might even need you to move. Qianye left while waving his hand. Are you going to the Queen of the Night? Why not? Qianye thus disappeared. The Throne of Blood opened his mouth but no words came out. Only when Qianyes figure had vanished did he whisper, I wanted to ask him if he could bring me along ah never mind, I wont be much help anyway. I think Ill be unconscious as soon as the battle begins. He returned to his suitcase and rubbed his hands. Okay, lets continue. After packing a couple sets of clothing, he recalled something. His Majesty had no intention of killing me, so why would he ask me to pack? While traveling through the void, Qianye tossed away the Shattered Moments cover and weighed the Grand Magnum in his hand. A mass of light soon appeared on his palm and engulfed the weapon entirely. Soon, a pair of luminous wings appeared on the Shattered Moment. After a while, the wings grew bigger, while the glow of the Shattered Moment grew dimmer. Qianye put away the Grand Mangum and watched the Wings of Inception unfurl on his fingertips. He could clearly see his face on the radiant wings, and soon, one familiar face after another appeared beside his. Zhao Jundu, Zhao Ruoxi, Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, Zhao Yuying, Wei Potian, and more faces popped up. It wasnt just humansthere was Anwen, the Azure King, and a number of other experts who had submitted to him. Qianye put away the Wings of Inception and the faces disappeared. If he had to bring things to a conclusion, he would need to cut off ties with all of these people. Then again, there wasnt really a need for that, was there? It wouldnt make much of a difference. Qianye gazed into the depths of the void in search of the Sacred Mountain. He narrowed his eyes after a brief scan, feeling a bit of discomfort as he glanced at the starry skies. Frowning, he wondered if he should see Anwen regarding this. This demonkin genius was extremely sensitive to changes in the stars, unlike Qianye who couldnt figure out anything about the celestial bodies despite his powerful chaos origin power. Chapter 1491 Imperial Capital, within the Divination Pavilion. The Radiant Emperor slowly walked past one corpse after another. The countless ministers behind him held their breaths, not daring to make the slightest sound. Almost half of the hall was covered in corpsesthe fifty or so men under the white cloth were divination experts, the Empires greatest weapon against Evernight. Those who could follow the Emperor here were important ministers, people qualified to know the Empires secrets and past. The Empire had been fighting the dark races for a thousand years. In every generation, outstanding heroes would spring forth to take up this duty. It wasnt just the heavenly monarchs; the divination experts of the Empire suppressing the Evernight prophets played a key role in the war. Lin Xitang was the most accomplished of them all. He not only fought against Evernight on the void continent but also had to deal with the Longevity Monarchs internal aggression. In the end, he managed to take down the void continent and give the Empire an important foundation for development. Although the man himself had fallen, people knew that several of his important plans were still in action. There was no lack of matters among them related to the national fate. Seeing how important the manipulation of fate was to the Empire, it wasnt difficult to guess the Radiant Emperors mood now that half of the best diviners were dead. The ministers who knew certain information felt uneasy and restless. The Radiant Emperor crouched down in front of one of the corpses and lifted the cloth, revealing a young face underneath. The young man was only in his twenties, his eyes full of dark blood and his pupils gone. Even in this state, it was easy to see the terror and agony he had suffered before his death. The Radiant Emperor covered the man again and stood up. Where is the Empress? A divider at the end of the hall was pulled open, revealing Empress Li kneeling behind it. She had her head lowered in silence with her hands on her knees. The Radiant Emperor glanced at her. I gave you the Divination Pavilion to manage, and this is how you repay me? It is my fault, the Empress said without looking up. The Radiant Emperor snorted. Itd be great if it were all your fault. Tell me, how did they all die? They died of backlash while performing divination. Whose backlash? Qianye. Realizing that the Radiant Emperors tone was growing harsher, a minister said, From what I know, this matter isnt just a backlash. Qianye had retaliated proactively and caused this calamity. This Qianye is a disgrace to the Empire! We must not let him off! The Radiant Emperor gazed quietly at the man. The minister started to tremble all over and fell to his knees. Please forgive my lack of manners! I spoke out of loyalty! The Radiant Emperor said, I hear that Chen Rongzhi is your uncle. Tell me, why would this person leave his post to levy taxes on Fort Continent?! The minister shook all over. I do not know the reason, but since Your Majesty has mentioned this matter, I must say that Qianyes crimes are boundless. He killed an Imperial marshal! Where will we put our faces if we endure such an action? How will we face the Founding Ancestor and Martial Ancestor?! He spoke vehemently and with a voice full of righteousness. The Radiant Emperor let him finish. Are you done? A hint of hesitation flickered across the ministers face. He glanced back at the group behind him before saying, Speaking up has never been a crime in the thousand years of our history! I might not be capable, but Im willing to put my life on the line. The Radiant Emperor broke out into laughter. What grand words! There is indeed no crime in speaking up, but thats only limited to loyal subjects! Im more than willing to kill all those who come up with slanderous and false reports! What I want to know is why Chen Rongzhi ignored his important post just to rob some profits from Fort Continent? Are these taxes entering our Imperial coffers, or did they go to the Fifth Army Corps coffers or perhaps Chen Rongzhis own pockets?! The minister replied hurriedly, Your Majesty, Marshal Chen The Emperors voice turned cold. Who are you to interrupt when Im talking? Or are you saying that you can ignore me just because Im the son of an entertainer and youre ministers from the previous reign?! These words contained a lot of weight. All the ministers fell to their knees, chanting that they would not dare do such a thing. That minister hesitated for a moment but also fell kneeling. The Radiant Emperor paced about with his hands behind his back. Qianye has always given his all for the Empire, and this is how we treat him? Whatever sentiments he has left for our country is entirely gone now. All of you know very clearly who caused this outcome. How many of you had the Empires best interests at heart when you did those things? To be frank, which of you can survive a hit from Qianye? Even so, you people keep provoking him repeatedly. What gave you this courage? Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. No one dared reply. The Radiant Emperor roared thunderously, You rely on the Empires name! You rely on the thousand years of our Ji familys prestige! You rely on his gratitude toward my teacher, Marshal Lin. What do all of these things have to do with you?! It was Zining and Jundu who held the line when Nighteye rampaged through Blacksun Valley. Where were you people then? One of the ministers braced himself and said, Your Majesty, we ministers plan and plot for the Empire, we are not proficient in combat! This is not a fair comparison. Plan and plot for the Empire? The Radiant Emperor laughed. It looks like you people take me for an incapable ruler! Do you think I dont know the selfish plots youve all been hatching? Those who have been making plans for the human race are people like Marshal Lin, Prince Greensun, and the Pointer Monarch. What does it have to do with you people? The Radiant Emperors eyes landed on the first minister, then glanced back at the crowd. Remember, the Founding Ancestor is my ancestor. Whether or not I can face him a hundred years later is my business! Who do you think you are to drag my ancestor in to suppress me? And you say you want to back your words with your life? Do you think the younger generations are stupid enough to not see through your little schemes? Do you think you will have a clean name in historical records? The minister trembled all over. Just as he was about to speak, the Emperor swung his arms and sent a gust of wind in his face. The gale carried him into the air and slammed him into a pillar. Following the sound of fractured bones, the man had no more strength left as he fell limp to the ground. He was in unbearable pain, yet his consciousness was extremely clear. It wouldve been a wonderful luxury if he could lose consciousness at the moment. The Radiant Emperor said coldly, Issue my order! Chen Rongzhi abandoned his post and levied taxes without instruction. This is treason and an unpardonable crime! All nine generations of his family shall be executed. The messenger ran out to issue the orders. The Radiant Emperor scanned all the ministers. Who else wants to stand up for Chen Rongzhi, come out! Its best if the mastermind shows himself. The ministers realized that something was seriously wrong; the Emperor today was full of killing intent. As intelligent people, none of them dared to step up to speak. Even if they wanted to criticize the Emperor, it would have to be when he wasnt furious. It was only now that some of them recalled that the Radiant Emperor was a heavenly monarch. How could such an expert be so easily deceived? Seeing everyones expressions, the Radiant Emperor smiled. Youre all quite smart, you know that things are developing in the wrong direction. Theres really no need to keep you all around now that the Chronicle of Glory has come to a successful conclusion. Those with personal schemes are simply courting death! The ministers were shaken, and no one dared make a sound. They were all secretly wondering what the Chronicle of Glory was. The Radiant Emperor glanced at Empress Li. Qianye is critical to the Chronicle of Glory. Thats something Marshal Lin has always told us repeatedly. Does the Divination Pavilion have nothing better to do? Why are half of the experts scrying Qianye? Empress Li said, I really didnt know about this, but Im willing to accept punishment. Accept punishment? Can you take responsibility if something goes awry with the Chronicle of Glory? The Radiant Emperor said coldly, You said you didnt know about it, who was the mastermind? Siman Rutian was the one in charge of assigning missions. The one who died? Yes. Issue my order, execute all nine generations of Sima Rutians family! Do the same for whoever criticizes this decision! Chapter 1492 A series of orders rumbled like thunder. The ministers quickly realized that, once the son of an entertainer, this Emperor had grown into a true heavenly monarch. The Radiant Emperor said, Ive cleared away all obstacles for you. Will you be able to lead this Divination Pavilion in the future and prevent similar things from happening again? I will do my best if Your Majesty wills it. The Emperor nodded and left, followed by the group of frantic ministers. Once out of the building, the Radiant Emperor saw a stoic figure standing outside the doors. He waved at the ministers, saying, You may return, I have matters to discuss with Prince Greensun. Not daring to say anything, the ministers boarded the airship that would take them back to the Imperial court. Just as the vessel was ascending into the air, it erupted in an earth-shattering explosion. Shards from the airship flew off in all directions. Clearly, all of the important ministers within were now dead. Prince Greensun stood there motionlessly, watching as the black clouds billowed into the sky. A bit crude. The Radiant Emperor laughed out loud. As long as its effective. It would be difficult to round them all up in one place under normal circumstances. Now that the soaring serpent is about to fly, theres nothing to be afraid of! Its not a bad idea to clear out unpredictable variables at the critical moment. Its just that will the Chronicle of Glory go according to plan? The Radiant Emperor said, Regardless, theres no turning back at this point. All we can do is wait for the day of fate to arrive. Zhang Boqian shot the Radiant Emperor a worried glance. The Emperor didnt seem concerned at all. Lets go, Im sure there will be a fierce competition in court today. We must also mobilize the entire country to guard against a final struggle from the dark races. The two stepped into the void together. The remains of the airship kept on burning outside of the Divination Pavilion. An ancient bell tolled from the Evernight Council, echoing throughout the entire realm. This was an emergency summonsall members were to hurry toward the council upon hearing it. A meeting would begin twenty-four hours from the time of this bell, whether or not people had arrived. Only the council chairman and the three supremes had the right to initiate such a summon. All of a sudden, countless figures took to the air from various continents and shot toward the council hall. In the plaza outside of the council, airships were coming in and out to transport respectable council members to the meeting. Most of the seats in the hall were already occupied, but the meeting hadnt started yet. The members looked worried as they engaged in a heated discussion about what was going on. They couldnt figure out where the sense of unease was coming from, but there was a fear deep inside in their hearts. It was at this moment that a solemn aura poured down from atop the Sacred Mountain, silencing the entire hall. Everyone knew that the supremes had arrived, all three of them in fact. An extremely powerful aura appeared on one of the high thrones. A commotion spread out among the council members when this rustic man appeared. No one had imagined the Wolf Sovereign would appear since their race was in chaos. He was now the leader of the entire werewolf race. His stance was the stance of all the lycanthropes. As the voices died down, the council chairmans words echoed in the hall. Were all gathered today to discuss an extremely important matter. We require all of the sacred races to come together to a united front! His Majesty the Demon King will tell us what exactly has happened. The Demon Kings figure appeared on the Sacred Mountain. Few council members had ever seen this supremes true body, so everyone was quite excited. They were also somewhat restless because the more unified the powerhouses were, the more serious the issue. The Demon King looked down at the members below. I summoned everyone here today for a single matter. We think we finally know what the humans have been plotting for a thousand years. We now know what the Chronicle of Glory is. An explosive commotion broke out in the crowd as people discussed the matter. The Demon King gestured for silence. Its because of Anwen that we were able to observe things far beyond our reach, and this is what we found. With a swing of his hand, the Demon King covered the entire hall in darkness, and in the depths of this darkness was the boundless starry skies. The council members found the scene familiar but at the same time somewhat out of place. What was out of place, though, they could not tell. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. At this moment, the scenery zoomed in and one of the members exclaimed, This is the void to the west of the world vault! Everyone nodded in unison. Although the starry skies looked similar at a glance, these members were some of the most powerful experts. It was only natural that they could discern the small details. The audience watched with bated breath as the starry skies closed in. The movement was akin to the observers flying out into the depths of the void. The council members knew just how far they would have to fly out into the depths of the void to witness such a scene. There was an invisible boundary in the void and once this line was crossed, the traveler would enter an incomparably violent world. Void colossi would appear randomly in those areas, along with unpredictable void tempests. Just the cold environment of the void was enough to take most peoples lives. The two sides of this boundary were like a peaceful lake and a raging sea. The scene projected before them had clearly crossed over this boundary and was entering the deep void. At this point, an exceptionally bright area appeared in the starry skies. One of the stars here was much bigger and brighter than the rest, so much so that the council members couldnt look straight at it. The scenery stood there for a split second before heading toward that star. Moments later, the star itself appeared before everyones eyesa raging ball of flame appeared in the council hall. The council members began to tremble. A duke gasped. Thats no star thats a sun! The Demon Kings voice was exceedingly serious. Correct, that is a sun and a new one at that. And that sun is flying toward us at an unimaginable speed. It will appear in our world before long, and when that time comes, we will have two suns in the sky. The might of the sun was terrifying, evidenced by the inferno at the top of the world. The original sun had already rendered one-third of the continents uninhabitable. If one more were to arrive They didnt dare imagine. This this is the Chronicle of Glory? Yes, this is the Chronicle of Glory, the Demon King replied. Are we about to die? If it truly arrives, yes. Watching this raging sun, all the council members felt as though they had been plunged into an icy abyss. No one wouldve believed that the humans were dragging a sun into the Evernight World if they hadnt seen it themselves! Such a grand scheme was even beyond the supremes imagination! Who had laid down this plan? Who had found this new sun? And how did the weak human race manage to drag this sun over? These questions were no longer important. Chapter 1493 What do we do now? A member called out, followed by more and more of them. They had never imagined that they would be so lost one day, requiring the guidance of the supremes. The Demon King retracted the projection, but the new sun remained burning in the air. Although it was just an illusory image, all the council members could feel the constant surge of heat coming from it. Most importantly, it was emitting daybreak origin power. Im sure youve all sensed it. This sun is constantly producing daybreak origin power, much more so than the original sun of our world. This isnt my doing but a mere reflection of the truth. The Demon Kings voice filled everyone with a chill. What will happen if it comes to our world? The Demon King waved his hand and a young demonkin appeared beside his throne on the Sacred Mountain. It was Anwen. A wave of commotion appeared among the council members. For thousands of years, no one apart from the supremes had set foot on the Sacred Mountain. Anwens appearance there spoke volumes of the Demon Kings stance. Anwen raised both his hands, revealing a model of the Evernight Worlds twenty-seven continents, its stars, and the sun. Following his movements, the same image was projected in the entire hall. A new sun appeared in the void outside and crashed straight into the Evernight World. One continent after another began to burn until only the lowest Evernight Continent was safe from the raging inferno. Anwen raised his voice. In the worst-case scenario, the new sun will shoot through the center of the Evernight World, stop as it is just about to leave the other side, and return to the center. In that case, the world will be as you all have seen just now. All continents except Evernight will cease to exist. Ninety-nine percent of all life will be extinguished, including the humans themselves. A hubbub ensued until Anwen gestured for them to quiet down. He then adjusted the projection, making it so that the sun does not enter the world but revolves around it in an arc. Since the humans can draw a new sun over, they might have ways to control it as well. Mutual destruction cant be their objective. That means they will want to draw the sun into a stable orbit around the Evernight World. The new sun would have to be much farther away than the original sun to roast all the sacred races alive. Under such circumstances, the sun will unleash a steady stream of daybreak origin power and gradually transform this world into the daybreak attribute. All beings that live on darkness origin power will perish! Anwens voice wasnt all that resounding, but it rang like thunder in everyones ears. Anwen bowed and took a few steps back until he vanished. The council members were at a loss what to do. Some engaged in deep discussion, some prayed, while others were in tears. Who wouldve thought the end would come so suddenly? The Demon Kings voice echoed at this point. At this moment, we require all the sacred races strength, including the werewolves. The Wolf Sovereign stood up to express his agreement. Including the vampires. Liliths figure flickered into sight for a moment. A commotion broke out in the hall; no one had imagined that Lilith was awake and back on the Sacred Mountain. And the arachne. The Spider Queen Rosnia appeared on the Sacred Mountain, accompanied by a tiny figure. The Demon King said in a resounding voice, You have all heard the story. The humans are bringing this sun into our world. Whatever their plan is, our sacred races will be destroyed in the end. Thats why we must stop it at all costs, regardless of the price! We must find how the humans are controlling this new sun and destroy it. From now on, I hope everyone will let go of past grievances and attack the human race with all their might! Kill all humans! a demonkin duke roared. Kill all the humans! Countless experts cried out as they left the council hall and spread out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the council was entirely empty except for those on the Sacred Mountain. Have you still not convinced her? the Demon King asked. Thats my business. Liliths reply was cold. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Demon King replied calmly, Unraveling the secrets of the Lost Season is one of the keys to winning this fight. Of course, well find out eventually even if she doesnt speak. Its just that we wont be able to do anything at that point. Lilith said, I dont need you to remind me. Even if you hide in the depths of the void, you will not be able to escape the wave of daybreak origin power. When the time comes, you will be scorched day and night as though you are living in a furnace! The Demon Kings voice became harsher by the minute. Lilith replied gently, Kane, dont think I dont dare kill you. The price for offending me has always been destruction, especially since youve lost most of your fighting powers. All I need to do is kill you and finish off all the great dark monarchs under your command. The demonkin race will then cease to be one of the four sacred races. The Demon King was stunned before breaking out into a rueful smile. I really dont understand why youd protect her at the risk of civil conflict. Im not protecting her, but I know her character well. She will not utter a single word no matter how we torment her. All shell do is watch quietly as we are destroyed. But we have no more time. Lilith said while playing with the ring on her finger, Theres something Im curious about. The humans borrowed the power of the River of Blood to move the new sun. How did they know so much about the river, though? The only other race who understands the River of Blood is the demonkin. The Demon King sighed. Theres no longer a need for me to hide since you already know. Yes, our race worked with the humans a thousand years ago to taint the River of Blood and attempt to destroy the vampire race from the source. We were the ones who passed them our knowledge of the river. It seems we were deceived from the very beginning. Lilith wasnt all that surprised. Kane, you disappoint me. The cooperation began during the Lost Season. Only the previous Demon King knows how this cooperation came to be and its details. Ive even forgotten most of its contents after the Lost Season. This project went on for hundreds of years, successfully pushing the River of Blood away from Evernight and almost making it disappear. Later on, intuition told me that this wasnt right, so I terminated the cooperation. I thought things would end perfectly at that point, but apparently, that was not the case. Lilith sneered, No wonder the vampires were weakened, and even I had to increase my hibernation times. You demonkin sure look far. The Demon King laughed wryly. Now is not the time to be quarreling. Our race has wronged you, but we also paid the price during this expedition. None of your great dark monarchs died, only the vampires and werewolves suffered casualties. The greatest price is my injury. The Demon King seemed helpless. That is true. Perhaps we can seek a new ally. The Spider Queen, who had been silent all this while, spoke up. Chapter 1494 Liliths figure appeared before the great hall in the depths of the void. She walked through the chamber and entered the valley at the rear, finally stopping at the lakeside. Nighteye was seated there with her chin propped up on her hand, playing with a leaf. No one could tell what she was thinking. When Lilith arrived, she said without even looking up, Spare the effort and kill me. I wont tell you anything. The final battle between Evernight and the humans is about to begin. We might have a chance of survival if you tell me now. If youre not willing to speak, the people you want to protect wont survive, either. None of them is related to me. Lilith said nothing. With a wave of her hand, she expanded the projection the Demon King and Anwen had used back in the council. Nighteye gazed at it with a serious expression. See? The humans and demonkin have been colluding with one another since a thousand years ago, planning to destroy the vampire race from the source. If it werent for the situation were facing right now, I would have them pay for what theyve done! With that, Lilith gazed at Nighteye with a gentle expression. Its no longer important whether or not we know about the Lost Season. Our chances of victory are close to zero even if we do. Im letting you go, do whatever you want. After all we used to be of the same bloodline. With a wave of Liliths hand, the countless strands of blood energy surrounding Nighteye fell apart. She was finally free. Nighteye didnt leave immediately. Im more Nighteye than I am myself right now. I know, and thats what makes me angry. Youve now lost the chance to reincarnate again. Then again, its no longer important because we will be burned to nothingness by the incoming daybreak origin power. There is no place to hide. Nighteye said after a moment of silence, I dont have anything I can tell you about the Lost Season. All I remember is that I saw a woman before I lost my memories. Then? Thats all I remember. A woman Lilith rused. Yes, shes human. How can you be sure? Intuition. Lilith fell into deep thought, and a helpless smile appeared on her face. That means the Lost Season was their doing. I was always curious why their race transformed overnight after the Lost Season. All kinds of cultivation arts appeared that were tailored for them, producing experts in all levels of society. And this happened in a mere decade. In either case, I believe theres a superior existence helping them with all of this. Now I can finally confirm it. She reached out to Nighteye in the air and pushed her gently toward the exit. Go. Imperial Capital. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian were standing side by side in the void. Monarch Zhang, by now, you probably know what the Chronicle of Glory is. Your Majesty is truly composed. You managed to hold out until now. The Radiant Emperor sighed. Actually, I only found out the true nature of the Chronicle of Glory when it was finally completed. Before this, I only knew some parts of it. The Founding Ancestor laid down restrictions when he drafted the plan, only allowing his descendants to know what they should do, never why. It was only after the plans success that the truth was revealed. By that time, the die is cast and nothing can be changed. Thats a necessary step. If Evernight were to know the truth, they would mobilize all their races to attack us. At that point, even the Founding Ancestor might not be able to save us. Zhang Boqians voice contained a bit of strange mockery. The Radiant Emperor coughed briefly, a bit of blood seeping out of his mouth. Zhang Boqian glanced at him, saying, Is the chronicle affecting you that much? The Radiant Emperor wiped away the blood nonchalantly. The so-called Chronicle of Glory naturally requires a medium to carry it. And our Ji family bloodline is that medium, the cornerstone of the wheel of glory. Now that the sun is about to arrive, the weight has increased considerably. By the time Evernight arrives en masse, I might not have the strength to fight. Ive already issued the command for all human forces to gather on the Qin Continent. We will hold our ground here and fight them to the death. Ill rely on you for this battle. Of course, Ill do my best. The Radiant Emperor sighed. Once the sun arrives, all of the dark races will be reduced to ashes. I feel a bit bad about that. This move indeed disrupts the harmony of this world. The Evernight World was the dark races home to begin with. It was already a great loss in survival space after we took over four main continents and the void continent. Then again, theres no use thinking about that at this point. If the dark races want to take us down with them, just let them try. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Radiant Emperor said, We only need to hold out for a few days. Reinforcements are on the way. Zhang Boqian was moved. Do you mean Correct, an emissary will come with the sun. They come from the Immortal Ancestral Land. Who wouldve thought the legend of the Ancestral Land was actually true?! Of course, a legend only known to heavenly monarchs is true. I do want to see what these immortal emissaries are capable of. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian exchanged glances. In addition to the will to fight, they each could see a bit of worry in each others eyes. It was at this moment that a high-speed airship appeared in the void. It sped frantically toward the two powerhouses and came to a spinning stop near them. A general flew out from the aircraft and performed his salutations from a distance. Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has found several Evernight fleets approaching us. What do we do? The Radiant Emperor waved his hand. Fight! The general felt his blood boiling. Rest assured, Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard will fight to the last man! The Emperor nodded and watched as the airship left. It has begun, we should go back. Zhang Boqian asked, What is your plan for the Divination Pavilion? The Radiant Emperor said honestly, We will perform a great sacrificial ceremony at the last moment to ensure the radiant sun enters the designated orbit. All the participants will die, wont they? Wont Empress Li be involved as well? She is the leader of the pavilion, so that is the price she has to pay. The Radiant Emperor was unmoved. Why go so far? When the Founding Ancestor clipped the soaring serpents wings, it was for the Wheel of Glory. And the Ji bloodline was required whenever the Chronicle of Glory reached an important juncture. People very close to the Ji family will also be affected, just like my Empress. At this point, the Radiant Emperor rubbed his short beard. That position was, at first, reserved for Concubine Zhao. The Zhao family has received the Empires grace in every generation, and the two families were gradually becoming one family as planned. This sacrifice is something they should shoulder. Yet Empress Li managed to rob the position, and now she wants to help the Li family upgrade to a major clan. Theres always a price to pay for such an upgrade, but they havent done enough just yet. Which major clan didnt pave the way to the top with bloody sacrifices? I see, no wonder princes and princesses keep dying in every generation. No wonder the Ji bloodline is progressively thinning out. The Radiant Emperor sighed. The Founding Ancestor said, the Ji clan shall be the vanguard in all matters of the world. He didnt say that for fun. Chapter 1495 Within several days, the Qin Continent became the focus of the entire world. One airship after another took off from various continents and flew for the void continent. From there, they would transit to the border regions of the Qin Continent. Vast numbers of soldiers emerged from these vessels and marched for the capital, plundering every city along the way. They couldve landed around the Imperial Capital, but most of their airships would be shot down in the process. Only a small number of soldiers would walk out of the airships alive and those too would be eliminated quickly. The airships of the Empire and Evernight fought ceaselessly in the skies above. One after the other, cutting-edge airship models crashed to the ground and burst into flames. The dark races were intent on fighting to the death, so the assault went on until the last airship. The imperial fleet wouldnt back off, either. They relied on the many supply and logistics bases on the Qin Continent to quickly repair and resupply, something the other party could not do. A steady stream of airships was also heading to the frontlines from the Western and Trasncendant Continents. They charged straight into the heart of the continent, dropping the soldiers on board at important checkpoints. Some of them would land at the border regions, where the soldiers would have to join the defensive line almost immediately. Even the slowest person wouldve understood by now that it was a decisive life or death moment. There were no shortcuts or lucky flukes. On the frontlines, a general could be seen shuttling back and forth as he coordinated the defense effort. The soldiers under this command thinned out over time and the retaliatory fire grew weaker and weaker. Toward the end, only scattered gunfire could be heard and the dazed general noticed countless Evernight soldiers flooding the position. He realized that his men were all gone. The mans expression was as calm as still water. He simply drew his sword and charged at the incoming tide of enemies, never to return. The commanding general in the rear command sighed, Position four has fallen. Position ten must provide support from the rear. Who is willing? I will go! Me, of course! The group of generals volunteered passionately. The commanding general gazed at their faces. All of them were old subordinates and friendly faces. No use fighting over this. Were all destined to sacrifice ourselves for the Empire. Its either today or tomorrow. Old Wang, youre up next. A middle-aged general saluted the general with a sinister smile. Rest assured, Ill definitely drag a good number of them down with me! Moments later, a squad left the base to bolster the frontline defenses. The flames of war spread all over the Qin Continent. The most prosperous territory in the Empire had been reduced to the same state as when the humans first set foot on itthere was fire and smoke everywhere. The starry sky was growing brighter and brighter. Even ordinary people could now see that incoming star during the daytime. At this point, it looked no bigger than an egg, but it was growing by the day. Everything was solemn in the Divination Pavilion. All the white-robed experts were gathered in the main hall, operating their own origin arrays. These arrays were all part of a much larger formation. An expressionless Empress Li was seated atop a high platform at the end of the hall. She already knew her fate, and she had chosen to accept it willingly. The Radiant Emperor was also dressed in plain attire as he inspected all the origin arrays for defects. Many of the diviners seemed calm, but some of the younger ones looked a bit anxious. Most of the original lineup had fallen in Qianyes hands, so there were a lot of substitutes. These people could hardly compare to the veterans in terms of mindset and skill. No one dared breathe loudly in the presence of the Radiant Emperor. The Emperor had already killed countless important ministers during this period. Some of them werent even given a good reason except I dont like you. Everyone knew that the Emperor had his reasons. Why would someone who had endured for thirty years kill for no reason? He probably had no patience left to give people a reason, and no one dared to offer excuses after realizing the important events to come. Flowing streams of light lit up the skies above the capital from time to time. Zhang Boqian returned to the ground after the current wave of radiance had dispersed. His armor was in tatters, and there were wounds all over his body. A thin layer of light still shrouded the monarchs body, and every movement of his brought about thunderous rumbles. His personal guards and followers didnt dare approach him in this state. It was only after he had dispersed the light that they swarmed over to help him remove his armor and treat his wounds. Zhang Boqian sat there without the slightest movement as several famous doctors tended to his injuries. There were scars all over his body, with new ones covering the old. Many of them were still a faint pink color as they had just grown back. After the injuries had been treated, a different follower passed Zhang Boqian a glass of limpid green liquid, which he downed in a single gulp. Immediately, his face turned red. It was as though he had just consumed a lot of alcohol. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Ill rest for an hour, do not disturb me. With that, Zhang Boqian closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. His followers set up a tent around the monarch. Zhang Boqian would have to head out into the sky once he woke up. No one knew how many princes and great dark monarchs were there out in the void. No one could say how many times he had traded blows with a supreme. There was a formation in the sky above the capital. It couldnt increase Prince Greensuns strength by much, but it could reduce his consumption rate, bolster his defenses, and improve his regenerative power by ten times. He had fought for several days without rest, keeping the countless Evernight experts at bay. There were two extremely big warships in the void. Just from their appearance, one could tell that they belonged to the Demon King and the Queen of the Night. The two vessels simply hovered in the void, watching all the killing going on below. Several days passed by in this manner, and the number of airships fighting in the void dwindled in number. Both parties had lost most of their airships in the intense fight, with each having only a few vessels left. The remaining Evernight fleet attacked without care for survival. The Imperial first and second fleets had been wiped out to their last battleship, with only the third fleet barely hanging on. It was the steady stream of small airships from the nobility that kept the situation in balance. This situation was only temporary. There were more forces from the Evernight side rushing over to the battlefield. Airship fleets from the two farthest dark race continents hadnt joined the fray just yet. By the time they arrived, the Empires once-powerful armada would be wiped out entirely. The military department. A dozen or so military officers were seated in a conference hall, gazing at the numbers jumping on the screen. These people were the true heart of the Empires military, veteran generals who had fought all their lives. Even with their experience, the casualty rate on the first day was a number they had never seen before. At this point, however, they had all grown numb to the data. No one wanted to think about the number of corpses these numbers represented. They didnt dare imagine. A staff officer rushed into the hall. The latest battle report. Estimated ground force losses, including private army soldiers: 112,000. Airship losses: 6, including two from the primary fleet. Report complete. An old general mumbled as the staff office replied, Two primary fleet airships If I remember correctly, that is the last of our fleet. The three major clans and the Li family should have a few more. Its useless if they cannot reach us in time. Without ground support, they wont even be able to reach the capitals airspace. Distribute the weapons, prepare for urban warfare, a middle-aged officer suggested. Agreed. Agreed. Having lost their aerial dominance, even the Imperial Capitals anti-air defense system didnt last very long. The Evernight army would soon appear right outside the city or even within the city. It had been several hundred years since the Empire had to fight the enemy at the capital. Yet soon, this great city would be drowned in the flames of war. Chapter 1496 The Demon King stood before the cabin windows, watching the battlefield below in silence. Some footsteps echoed through the chamber as Prince Pentheus entered. The latest battle report is in, would you like to hear? Whats the point of listening to the number of casualties? All sacred races will die in a few days. Pentheus bowed and made ready to leave. Wait, The Demon King called him back, Ill listen anyway. In the past twelve hours, weve lost 1,030,000 soldiers and 210 warships, including four primary battleships and two duke-grade airships. The humans have mostly been wiped out. We will be able to gain complete air superiority within the day and land at the Qin capital. The Demon King smiled. These numbers almost make it seem like were fighting a normal war, not bad. We really do need to numb ourselves. Pentheus was puzzled. Your Majesty, what do you mean? Nothing, what will come will come. Youll know very soon. You may go back to work and fight as you normally would. Yes, Your Majesty. Pentheus bowed respectfully. He couldnt help but steal a glance at the egg-sized speck of light outside the window before taking his leave. The Demon King muttered to himself, The sacred races have lost over ten million soldiers and two-thirds of our airships. No one wouldve imagined how resilient the humans could be until an all-out war breaks out. We still have tens of millions left in our ranks, but Im afraid its too late by now. It doesnt matter no matter how many cannon fodders die. Liliths voice echoed in his ears. Youre still preparing for that ceremony? Im almost done. Is it necessary? If the humans want to destroy all of the dark races, we have to make them pay a steep price. I might not be able to kill every human, but its not a problem to level that city below if I sacrifice all of my blood energy. Those bastards think daybreak is nigh, but what will they feel if theyre no longer able to bask in the arriving dawn? Once the ceremony begins, the higher echelons of the human race will be wiped out. The Chronicle of Glory can no longer be controlled, leaving us with no hope of survival at all. Are you still hoping for a miracle at this point? Lilith sneered. No one really wants to die, the same goes for me. The Demon King smiled wryly. Perhaps theres room for negotiation. Weve lost ten million soldiers and the humans have lost six. These people are the elites, their parents and families belonging to the upper echelon of each faction. Do you think theres room for negotiation amidst all this hatred? Maybe or maybe not. Lets observe the last few days. What are you planning? According to Anwen, we have four days before the sun enters the intended orbit. Its no doubt their diviners who will need to help guide the sun into said orbit. If we fail to negotiate during this period, you can unleash your ceremony and kill all the divination experts before the sun arrives. That will cause the new sun to deviate from its orbit and charge into the heart of the Evernight World, forming a new system with our current sun. No one can tell how that system will operate. Its very likely that all life will be wiped out, and the humans will pay for their wild schemes. What if their entire plan fails? If they fail, we will have some more time. I can gather all the remaining council members and push the void continent into the Qin Continent, producing a repeat of the neutral lands. All human elites are now gathered on the continent, so well have destroyed half their race. Lilith said after a moment of silence, Dont forget the Lost Season. The Demon King remained silent. Void continent, the city of Indomitable. Qianye sauntered through the crowded streets, undiscovered by the multitude of people around him. Several giant airships rose into the air and set off in the direction of the Qin Continent. Judging from their turn speed, one could tell that they had been filled to the brim with men and equipment. There werent a lot of forces left in Indomitable, and those that did remain were waiting for airships to take them to the battlefield. Time and again, Evernight airships would fly over the city. Their altitude was beyond Indomitables anti-air defenses, and the local airships had no intention of intercepting them, either. All they did was hurry toward the Qin Continent. Only the Qin Continent was the final battlefield for all races. The City of Indomitable had changed quite a bit. That military fortress from before was now a thriving city, so much so that Qianye could hardly remember the street structure. The crossroads he was standing at was where Zhao Jundu had stopped the chasing soldiers as Qianye escaped with Nighteye. There was the city wall not far from the place, where Qianye had taken a hit from a retired marshal and left for the neutral lands with Nighteye and Zhuji. It was here in Indomitable that his entire fate had taken a turn, setting him on a path of no return. It was just that, after seeing the soaring serpent, he could no longer tell whether his change in fate was truly coincidental or if it was his destiny. He glanced up and stared at the progressively brightening star for a moment before heading into a nearby building. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. This used to be a tavern, but now, it was almost empty. There was still wine on the counter, which proved that the owner had left in a hurry without cleaning up the place or locking the door. Qianye walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass. The spirit was of poor quality, but then again, he was in no mood to enjoy good wine. A mysterious person clad in black walked into the bar and glanced about. You wont see anyone here if I dont want you to, Qianye said while holding his glass. The mysterious person removed her hood, revealing her beautiful face and long hair. Just that none of these features could affect Qianye. She tidied her hair, saying, Its hard to believe how far youve come in just a few years. Why would the vampires send a demonkin to settle this? Why? Is Linken not good enough of a representative? Qianye said, Do you think? A hint of indignance flashed within Linkens eyes, but she suppressed her anger and said respectfully, All major characters are fighting on the front lines, so Im the only one left. Does this mean they no longer want to discuss further? No, it means I no longer need to return. From today on, Ill do anything for you. She stressed the word anything quite obviously. Qianye was entirely unmoved. Theres nothing to discuss if you dont bring Nighteye to me. You dont have a lot of time left, so dont force my hand at this juncture. This will only end with me seeking Lilith out for a fight. Linken said, Your Majesty! The entire Evernight World is on the verge of destruction. Do you think the humans will let you off after they destroy the sacred races? Do you think they will let Nighteye off? Where will you two hide when the world is filled with daybreak origin power? A scarlet flame flickered into existence at Qianyes fingertip, the flame of daybreak. Linken was forced back several steps before she could withstand the heat. The demonkins expression shifted drastically. Only at this point did she fully witness Qianyes strength. Only at this point did she realize that Qianyes accomplishments were more than just a legend. He really could take her life at a moments notice. Qianye said, Youre a fool in that you refuse to admit the truth. Youre still hoping to exact revenge, arent you? Similarly, the person who sent you is more than just a fool. Linken trembled all over as she fell to her knees. Your Majesty, I was wrong! Please give me a chance. I beg you! Qianye said calmly, Ill repeat myself. Return Nighteye in the state you took her away, otherwise, I will visit the Queen. Dont talk to me about the survival of races or whatnot. All I care about is Nighteye. I could care less if your entire race perishes. You saw it just now. If only two members of the sacred race remain standing in the end, it shall be Nighteye and me. Even if the world is burning with daybreak origin power, I will protect her until the very end. Qianye finished the glass in his hand. Go back and tell them. You have two hours. If I dont see Nighteye in two hours, Lilith will see me. Linken bit her lips. Youre not her match. Is that so? Qianye laughed. Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Before going to Lilith, I will pay the Demon King a visit. Linkens expression shifted drastically. Chapter 1497 Why make it difficult for her? They really are short on manpower. Following this somewhat gentle yet unruly voice, a tall lady appeared in the tavern and took her seat in front of Qianye. Qianye sized her up, saying, Not many are qualified to sit with me at this point, but youre definitely one of them. The Spider Queen giggled with her mouth covered. Your legends never made you out to be so domineering. Youve even arrived yourself, why did you not bring Nighteye? Is it even more difficult than the trouble of traveling here? The Spider Queen smiled. Its not that hard, but the Queen of the Night isnt willing to lose face. She has already released Nighteye, but she wont admit it. People think Nighteye is still in her hands. She has already released Nighteye? Qianye shot to his feet but slowly sat down again. The Spider Queen said, I have no reason to lie to you. I believe you have your ways of finding her. The most important matter at the moment is how to deal with the new sun that the humans are dragging in. Do you really want the two of you to be the only ones left from the sacred race? Qianye narrowed his eyes but didnt say anything. The Spider Queen raised her voice. That friend over there, stop hiding. Do you think you can hide from my perception? A figure walked out from the shadows. I never once thought that. Who wouldve thought the Spider Queen herself would come? This person was Song Zining. Qianye wasnt all that surprised; he clearly knew the man was here. Song Zining dragged a chair over and sat down nearby, producing a triangle between the three parties. Qianye and the Spider Queen were much more powerful, but Song Zining didnt lose out to them in terms of momentum. Just as well. Everyones here, so lets get to talking. The Spider Queen said, No rush, I have someone for you two to meet. Who? Song Zining hadnt finished speaking when a black shadow flickered before his eyes. Someone had just jumped into his arms. Song Zining fell to the ground with a bang, dazed as he sank into the floorboards. All the stars he had memorized as a diviner flashed before his eyes. Mama! A crisp, delighted voice immediately caused Song Zinings face to turn dark. Qianye seemed helpless. He plucked the little girl off of Song Zining, scolding, Youre always so reckless. Little Zhuji was now a young lady, but she still pulled a face at Qianye. I havent seen Mama for a long time! Song Zinings expression was unsightly as Qianye pulled him up. How are your bones? Qianye asked. Song Zining hissed in pain. Broke a rib or two. Zhuji came over in a hurry. Where were you hurt? Let me rub it for you! No! Right now, I only have one broken rib, who knows how many more will break if you do! Song Zining ran behind Qianye. Mama never treats me well. Zhuji snorted. She then jumped onto Qianye and clung on with both arms and legs. Qianyes breathing became somewhat irregular. Are you alright? Song Zining glanced worriedly at him. Its fine. Fortunately, my bones are pretty strong. A random duke wouldve been strangled to death. Qianye sat down calmly and rubbed Zhujis head. The Spider Queen glanced at the two men with an amused, thoughtful expression. Song Zining restored his fracture while adopting his usual elegant demeanor. Are you here to use Zhuji as a bargaining chip to make me help Evernight? Qianye asked. The Spider Queen said in a serious tone, Of course not. I just wanted you to know that you have family in the Evernight Faction as well. I would imagine Nighteye didnt come to you because she didnt want to interfere with your judgment. Its impossible for her to not know where you are now that shes a great dark monarch. Lilith gave her the blood coffin reserved for her hibernation. Qianye was moved. The Queen of the Night let her use the blood pond? Blood ponds were like origin power reserves for a vampire, an extremely important part of their arsenal. This was especially true for the Queens blood pond as this was undoubtedly the most valuable ancient blood pond in the race. If she had truly given Nighteye this blood pond, it would do more than just push her to the great dark monarch realm. Her potential would be increased as well, and she would be one step closer to the Sacred Mountain. But was there any meaning to that in the event of great change? Why wasnt the Queen of the Night willing to admit it? Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. Shes a proud one. If she did, wouldnt she be admitting that shes afraid of you? Qianye said after a moment of contemplation, What is the councils stance? We supremes will invite you to join the council. Your seat will be atop the Sacred Mountain, and we will also leave a seat for Nighteye. This meant that there would be three supremes from the vampire race, an unprecedented grand status for Evernight. The Spider Queen looked deeply into Qianyes eyes. Of course, considering your status and strength as the first drop of blood, even Lilith might be inferior to you in the future. Its just that we have to observe some traditions. Although the strong reign supreme, we cannot do everything we please. All we can promise is that we will treat Nighteye as an early supreme and grant her matching authority. That way, your voice and authority in the council will match your status and strength. Qianye recalled the past at this point. He was still a young man when he held Nighteyes hands and said heroically, I will take you atop the Sacred Mountain. He said those words as a rash and love-smitten youth. Who wouldve thought they would become a reality today? Qianye sighed inwardly. He was fully relieved after confirming that Nighteye was fine. The reason she hadnt revealed herself was probably because she didnt want to affect Qianyes judgment, just as the Spider Queen had said. She would rather burn in daybreak origin power than appear before him. Qianye glanced at the Spider Queen. The Demon King was trying to kill us just a while ago. I havent settled the score with him just yet. What are the odds if I move to kill him right now? The Spider Queen sighed. Since youre asking about this matter, I will tell you what I know. The Queen actually knew about Kanes cleansing of the vampire race. Correct. All of this is because of an ancient prophecy. When the River of Blood manifests, Evernight shall face destruction. Will killing off the tainted vampire bloodlines stop the River of Blood from appearing? Yes, we found that these vampires are able to attract the river more than ordinary vampires. Also, you and Nighteye are the only ones who can summon the river. Qianye was shaken as he thought of a certain possibilitythe notion, however, was so outrageous that even he didnt want to believe it. All of you trust a simple prophecy so much? We do because this person is the only supreme prophet in the history of Evernight. Song Zining was surprised. A supreme prophet? Thats impossible. Just like diviners, prophets will probably never become great dark monarchs, let alone a supreme. He is perhaps the strongest supreme in the history of Evernight. He switched his path to prophecy because he sensed the incoming calamity. He saw the end of Evernight and made his one and final prophecy, recording it in the Book of Darkness. He then passed away after completing it. Perhaps because the prophecy was too strange and also the Book of Darkness vanished around the same time, this prophecy was gradually forgotten. Only a handful of people remembered its contents after the Lost Season. Qianye was stunned. So thats why the Demon King wanted the book. Yes. What about Andruil? Was he never affected by the Lost Season? The Spider Queen said, Our opinion is that he was completely lost. Qianye nodded. After a long while, he glanced at Song Zining and said, What are your thoughts? Chapter 1498 Imperial Capital, in the palace-front plaza. Zhang Boqian landed from the sky, almost collapsing as he touched the ground. The guards ran over, but they only dared to help the man after the glow of the formation receded. The massive array of the Imperial Capital had been pushed to full-throttle, going so far as to overdraft itself at the expense of longevity. The glow bolstering Zhang Boqian didnt look impressive, but those above the divine champion realm would die upon contact. Even princes and great dark monarchs would find their attacks reduced by thirty percent. This time, Zhang Boqian didnt sleep after removing his armor. Instead, he said, Please ask His Majesty to come see me. An attendant shot out as fast as he could. Moments later, the Radiant Emperor appeared at the plaza. Shocked upon seeing Zhang Boqians state, he ran over to help the monarch, saying, How did you end up so badly wounded? Wheres the ancestral bracelet? His gaze landed on Zhang Boqians wrist. There was nothing there. The bracelet that was supposed to be there had vanished. Zhang Boqian was rather calm. Ive used it. The Radiant Emperors hands went cold. Trembling, he said, Did the Queen of the Night attack? Zhang Boqian nodded. Who wouldve thought a supreme like her would launch a sneak attack? Its just that she didnt expect me to have a protective gear that could save my life. I managed to return a blow while she was dazed, she wont be able to attack again within half a day. The Radiant Emperor sighed. I hate it that I cannot fight! All I can do is sigh anxiously. You have more important things to do. Itll all fall on you to decide whether the radiant sun is a blessing or a disaster. The Radiant Emperor nodded. Boqian, arent you going to rest a while? No. Without the ancestral bracelet, I probably wont be able to return this time, Zhang Boqian spoke calmly, as though he were talking about someone elses fate. The Radiant Emperor clenched his fist, but no one knew what he wanted to say. The ancestral bracelet was personally forged by the Founding Ancestor. There were three copies of it in total. One of them had been used up long ago, with Greensun and Northridge holding one each. This accessory was capable of stopping a lethal attack from a supreme, but only once. Presently, Prince Greensun was like an arrow at the end of its flight and the bracelet was no more. The Imperial Capital was on the verge of collapse. Has the sun not arrived yet? We need one more day at least. The Radiant Emperors voice was solemn. I do wonder how Evernight discovered the truth about the Chronicle of Glory in advance. They shouldnt have been able to see the sun from so far away. They have their own geniuses. It was at this time that a stream of fire shot down toward the ground. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian both glanced over at the same time, momentarily speechless. Zhang Boqian was the first to speak. Northridge has fallen. You were to hold the central position while he attacked from the outside. His position shouldve been safe. Unless The Radiant Emperor couldnt continue. Both men understood what that unless was. Judging from the shower of sparks lingering around the fallen flame, it was likely that the Evernight faction had paid a steep price as well. Just that no one knew which of them had fallen. Northridge didnt need to die, but humanity was at the juncture of life and death. When else would one fight if not now? Zhang Boqian stood up slowly. Ill stall for time. When the Radiant Emperor reached out subconsciously, Zhang Boqian asked, Why? Now that Marshal Lin is gone, you are the closest of kin to me. Zhang Boqian pushed the emperors hand away with a smile. At this moment, all the heavenly monarchs have no choice but to take point. Theres no reason for us to cling to life! It was the same for Northridge, it is the same for me, and it will be the same for you. Its nothing even if all of us die. As long as the ancestral incense is not extinguished, more heavenly monarchs will appear in thirty years. The Radiant Emperor loosened his grip. Youre right. If you have anything to say, do so now. I have a feeling that this Chronicle of Glory is a bit too excessive. Zhang Boqian was surprised. Theres no point thinking about that at this point. All the people will die if we cannot get through the current ordeal. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Radiant Emperor watched as Zhang Boqian shot into the sky. A strange voice echoed behind the Radiant Emperor at this moment. How dare you doubt the chronicle under such circumstances? As expected of a criminals offspring! The Radiant Emperor trembled as he turned about. A group of people had appeared at one point, led by an unusually beautiful young man. The well-groomed youth sized the Radiant Emperor up with his limpid eyes. A dozen or so people stood behind him, headed by a man and womanthey were clad in martial attire and looked so young that it was difficult to tell their age. The man was sharp and imposing, like an unsheathed blade. The lady was cold and ephemeral, as though she wasnt from the mortal world. Looking at this man and woman actually made the Radiant Emperors eyes sting! The emperor quickly suppressed the shock he was feeling. It was impossible to tell how strong these people were. The dozen or so people behind were likely their attendants and guards. They were clad in a white robe with blue patterns. The Emperor could see their strength, but that didnt stop him from being surprised. These guards were all divine champions, and four of them were at the peak of the realm! No one could tell how strong the young man leading the entire entourage was. This lineup was much more powerful than the higher-echelons of the Empire. It was a mystery how they had appeared without the knowledge of two heavenly monarchs. Of course, the chaos and fighting had also interfered with the exhausted duos perception. The Radiant Emperor asked, Emissaries from the Ancestral Land? The young man smiled. We are indeed from Immortal Heaven. Since you have the Ji bloodline, you should have seen records of me in the Chronicle of Glory. The Radiant Emperor bowed deeply. Emissaries, you came at a most opportune moment. I thought it would take you one more day to arrive. How do I address you? My name is Xu Ran, my title is Roaming Joy. The radiant sun was indeed slow, so I chose to travel ahead of it and see whats going on. The Radiant Emperor pointed upward. The fight between the Empire and Evernight has reached a critical juncture. Would Emissary Xu please help us repel them and save some of our soldiers? Xu Ran said indifferently, Fine, Ill show you how immortals fight. He gestured to the man and woman behind him, who promptly vanished from the spot and appeared beyond the sky. A cold sword energy resembling an icy peak swept through the sky. This attack was accompanied by a zig-zagging sword intent that weaved through a large patch of the atmosphere. In the blink of an eye, the Evernight experts in the sky froze, and their thoughts immediately went blank. The next moment, masses of smoke, fire, and blood erupted in the air as countless Evernight experts fell to the ground. The dukes were able to survive the twin sword strikes, but none of the weaker experts managed to survive. The entire sky was wiped clean! Even someone as experienced as the Radiant Emperor was stunned by the scene. These two sword strikes had ravaged the entire battlefield. This was far stronger than an ordinary heavenly monarchs attack. Even the Founding Ancestor might not be able to outdo them. What level were those guard captains at? And what level was this Xu Ran at? Up in the sky, the shocked survivors and airships began to retreat as soon as they had recovered from the shock. They initially pulled back to where the two supreme airships were, then the entire armada left the battlefield. Neither the Demon King nor the Queen of the Night was combat-ready at this point. Now that the Empire had produced two powerful heavenly monarchs, Evernight had no choice but to retreat temporarily. Xu Ran glanced at the Radiant Emperor. That wasnt so hard. The Radiant Emperor bowed. Please enter the palace. Nodding, Xu Ran headed for the palace hall. Chapter 1499 After entering the palace hall, Xu Ran walked straight toward the throne as though it was only natural for him. There were numerous guards standing watch inside this hall. One of them roared, Who dares barge into the throne hall! Xu Ran didnt even need to take action. One of his subordinates simply tapped at the air to stop that guard halfway through his charge. With a swing of his arms, the guard lost all signs of life and fell to the ground, never to rise again. Xu Ran walked up to the stage and walked up slowly. At this point, one of the ministers following the Radiant Emperor couldnt resist calling out, Immortal Emissary, please hold. Xu Ran halted his steps and glanced back with a smile. Whats up? That is the seat of the Emperor of Great Qin. Since you are not one of us, please wait while I arrange another seat for you! Xu Ran broke into laughter. He glanced at the Radiant Emperor and said, What do you say? The Radiant Emperors brows twitched a bit. Please take the seat, Immortal Emissary! Youre indeed understanding. Xu Ran moved up to the throne and sat down. He leaned stylishly upon the armrest and said, For a remote and desolate place, it does look like a Dao Hall. The seat is quite stylish, but its not all that comfortable. The ministers gnashed their teeth in anger, but the Radiant Emperor simply stood there with his eyes lowered. Xu Ran said, Ah right, I almost forgot. I think there was a sinner who tried to give me instructions just now. The penalty for offending an emissary is death. Jian, do it. The chiseled young man beside him nodded. With a gentle flick of his finger, a formless sword energy circled the minister once. The man froze on the spot as his head fell off of his body. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. It was so fast that the dukes and marshals didnt even realize what had happened. Perhaps the only one who couldve stopped the attack was the Radiant Emperor. His fingers did move briefly, but he quickly regained his calm afterward. Xu Ran said to the Radiant Emperor, Youre called Ji Jian? The ministers were somewhat restless, but the Emperor gestured for them to remain silent. He bowed toward Xu Ran and said, Indeed that is my name. It looks like youre not doing a great job of keeping your men in check. I hope you dont mind me stepping in? It is our races fortune that an Immortal Emissary would visit us. I wouldnt dare. Xu Ran smiled. Its best that you can think of things this way. I didnt make this arduous trip in vain it seems. His expression shifted all of a sudden as he turned toward the entrance. Zhang Boqian had just appeared at the entrance. He was drenched in blood, but his figure was as sturdy as the mountains. It was as though nothing in this world could stop his advance. After entering, the heavenly monarch said in a clear voice, I came over to greet the Immortal Emissary. Forgive me for being unable to perform proper salutations for I am badly injured. Xu Ran glanced at Zhang Boqian in surprise. He turned toward the lady standing behind him and exchanged a few words. Afterward, he turned back to Zhang Boqian and said, Who wouldve thought this remote land would produce such a warrior! Yes, someone of this vigor must be a descendant of General Zhang Zhixian. Men, prepare a seat! No one in the hall moved. It was only when the Radiant Emperor cast a meaningful glance that someone carried a seat onto the platform. Zhang Boqian simply sat down without any excessive courtesies. Ye, give Boqian my medicine. The lady produced a bottle of clear liquid which she passed over through the air. Drink. Zhang Boqian finished it in one gulp. The medicine was fairly miraculous, and even the container transformed into a wisp of clear energy which entered his body. Monarch Zhang sat there with his eyes closed, his face flushed red before turning pale. This alternation of colors happened nine times before crackling sounds appeared all over his body. His aura began rising as well. Zhang Boqian opened his eyes in surprise. Thank you for the medicine, Immortal Emissary! Xu Ran waved it off, saying, You were able to absorb all of the medicine in such a short time. Your talents are definitely above General Zhangs. Not bad! He then glanced at the Radiant Emperor. You keep standing. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Radiant Emperor wasnt angry. As I should. Xu Ran glanced at everyone in the hall, saying, Unrelated people may withdraw. The Radiant Emperor waved his hand, sending all his guards and attendants away. Some of the lower-ranking ministers also left the hall. Xu Ran said, Why I am here and why you are here is a long discussion. I dont think you know the full story, either, so well tell you. Ye, you tell them. The Lady named Ye said, Back in the year, Lord Ji was indicted for his poor performance in battle. Generals Zhang, Zhao, and Li were also implicated in the matter. The four families and some lesser families, a hundred thousand in total, had their spiritual wisdom removed. They were exiled on a landship to a distant land. They reached the Evernight World after one thousand seven hundred years, where the landship merged with this place. Your ancestors multiplied here, and thus the human race came to be. This secret information wasnt even known to the Radiant Emperor. Ye continued, According to Immortal Law, exiled people may return to the Immortal Heaven if they regain their spiritual wisdom. How could this be an easy process? The process was as hard as giving sentience to wild beasts. Duke Xu of that era was good friends with Marquis Ji, so he couldnt quite let go of old sentiments. The latter had accumulated a fair bit of contributions throughout his life despite losing that fateful battle, so Duke Xu didnt want the marquis offspring to become barbarians. He thus sent his eldest son, Xu Fu to investigate their exiles fate. It took him a hundred and ten years to locate the Evernight World. Xu Ran said, Xu Fu is my granduncle. Ye said, After arriving here, Xu Fu saw that the human race had fallen into grave danger and become livestock for the vampires. He couldnt bear to see this, yet he couldnt break the iron law of Immortal Heaven. Hence, he used his powers to cause great chaos among the threads of Evernights fate. He took the opportunity to unseal the human races spiritual wisdom and gave some pointers to some of the more talented people. He also taught the four clans their original cultivation methods. That was when the humans began their path to cultivation. Xu Ran laughed coldly. Oh right, my granduncle not only risked severe punishment to teach the humans the art of divination, but he also strengthened their luck. Otherwise, how could criminal descendants like you be so favored by the heavens? You have to know that you stand opposed to this world. The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian listened in silence. The lady said, Young Master, the human race has stood strong throughout the years and the powerhouses have been at the forefront of all danger, making countless sacrifices. The Ji family has given much for the Chronicle of Glory, so much so that their bloodline is now fairly thin. Xu Rans expression cleared up as he glanced at the Radiant Emperor. If that is the case, you are also qualified to be seated. Thank you, Immortal Emissary. The Radiant Emperor accepted the gesture, but there was neither joy nor displeasure on his face as he took the newly arranged seat. Xu Ran said, My granduncle paid a steep price to pass on the divination arts and tamper with fate. He passed not long after returning to Immortal Heaven. Considering his earth-shattering cultivation, he shouldve lived five hundred years at least. He gestured for the lady to continue. The unsealing of spiritual wisdom is to be followed by a return to the Immortal Heaven. The way with which to return is the Chronicle of Glory. This was accomplished by Ji Xingjing when he severed the soaring serpents wings and volunteered to shoulder the burden. The Radiant Emperor was shaken. May I ask how you knew of these details? That is because our lineage has kept some people here since Duke Xu Fus return. Its been my turn for the past five hundred years. The Radiant Emperor stood up and bowed deeply. We thank you deeply! The lady said, We cannot easily break the laws of Immortal Heaven. My only objective for remaining here is to ensure that the Ji family is not exterminated by Evernight, consequently throwing the Chronicle of Glory down the drain. Your Ji family still has a lot of capable descendants, so I never interfered. I did nothing, so there is no need to thank me. Chapter 1500 Xu Ran said, Lets keep the trifles short. Yes. Ye retreated to her place behind Xu Ran. Zhang Boqian asked, I have a question that I hope the emissary can answer. What exactly is the Chronicle of Glory? Xu Ran said, This is a pretty big topic, so well summarize it. Back when my granduncle unsealed the human races spiritual wisdom, he felt indignant for the humans who had served as slaves and livestock for many years. He thus worked with Ji Xingjin to lay down the plans for the Chronicle of Glory. The latter believed that all the clans here were banished because of their ancestors error, so he made the decision to clip the soaring serpents wings and initiate the chronicle. Speaking of which, we cant forget the River of Blood. The river is a divine entity of this world, and it is the only thing that can draw in the radiant sun. Thats why the first thing they needed to do was connect the river to the chronicle. This was a heaven-defying move, but my granduncle was so powerful back then that he found a way of doing it. He left a hidden move with the soaring serpent, lying in wait for the Ji clans descendants to activate after they find out about the rivers secret. At this point, Xu Ran sneered, Those laughable demonkin thought they had gained an advantage over the vampires. They decided to sell all their knowledge about the river to us in exchange for pushing the River of Blood away. The river did move, but it wasnt exactly going away. It was actually being drawn toward the radiant sun. Did they think only the vampires would die when the sun arrives? The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian looked surprised. This was such a massive undertaking! To draw in the radiant sun using the River of Blood, now that was something only people like Xu Fu and Ji Xingjin could execute. Since the radiant sun had moved, it was time to take action. What I didnt expect was that someone would actually resonate so strongly with the river that it was immediately summoned back to this world. This was akin to dragging the radiant sun over at full force, saving me a lot of time. Xu Ran said with a smile, I didnt come here just to save a handful of people. Lets go to the divination pavilion. Let me see how far youve taken my granduncles divination arts. The Radiant Emperor stood up. Ill lead the way. Moments later, Xu Ran was standing in the hall of the divination pavilion. He scanned all of the divination experts at the scene and kept shaking his head. Their talents arent bad, but theyve gone astray. Empress Lis expression was as calm as water, but she seemed to have sensed something in the emissarys words. How so? Please show us the way! Xu Ran turned around and sized the Empress up from head to toe, seemingly seeing through her entirely. The Radiant Emperors fingers moved briefly but that was it. Xu Ran gazed at her for a while before speaking, From your bloodline, it seems you are General Lis descendant. The Li bloodline is fierce and violent, most suited for use on the battlefield. Divination was never their forte. Yet you have cultivated this path using various methods to make up for your shortcoming. The outcome is elaborate but lacking in craftsmanship, unable to fully comprehend the Will of Heaven. That leaves you one step away from the peak. The Art of Heavens Mystery from our Xu clan involves steep requirements, so you wont be able to cultivate it even if I teach you. He then glanced around the hall. No one here is capable. I heard your Great Qin has millions and millions of people, can no one cultivate it? The Radiant Emperor said spiritedly, My late teacher Lin Xitang managed to cultivate it to the highest rank! Xu Ran was shaken. Where is this person? Please invite him here! Never mind, Ill go meet him. Ye reminded, His late teacher Xu Ran suddenly woke up from his daze and sighed. Empress Li smiled wryly. It looks like my desire to win against him was wishful thinking. Having realized there was someone like Lin Xitang, Xu Ran began to look all around the pavilion. It was as though he were studying the heavens themselves. He nodded after a while, saying, There are indeed traces of the Art of Heavens Mystery all over the place. Even I cannot compare to this level of expertise. He has indeed reached the highest realm. What a pity, what a pity! The Radiant Emperor asked, Why is it a pity? Xu Ran said, If this person were alive, his fealty to the Immortal Heaven alone is enough to wipe away Marquis Jis crime. Even if he were here, Im afraid he wont live long enough to return. Humans live short lives because of the harsh environment here that constantly exposes you to darkness origin power. Secondly, my granduncle accelerated the human races fortune. This would surely involve a price, and that price is your lifespan. If that person were alive, it wouldnt be difficult to extend his life by a few centuries. After the sigh, Xu Ran said, What is your estimated trajectory for the sun, let me see. Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Radiant Emperor gestured at Empress Li, who promptly collected herself and projected a map of the Evernight World in the room. There, a golden line marked the angle and direction from which the sun would enter orbit. Xu Ran did some calculations in his mind. Too far. Too far? The Radiant Emperor was shaken. Xu Ran flicked his finger, and a new trajectory appeared on the map. It was much closer than the original path, almost making it so that the Evernight World would have two suns. T-This path will turn half of the continents in this world into raging infernos. The smile on Xu Rans face disappeared. Only this will be enough to ensure the destruction of all the dark races in this world. Zhang Boqian said, It wont just destroy the dark races but almost all life in the affected part of the world! So what if we end up destroying these barbarians? As for the beasts and critters without spiritual wisdom, so what if they are wiped out? When daybreak origin power takes over in the future, more of them will appear. Zhang Boqians expression was solemn. Although he had never held back when killing the dark races, it was a different matter altogether to exterminate all life in a realm. The Radiant Emperor said, That means many of us humans will also die, please rescind the directions. Xu Ran said coldly, My granduncle was an outstanding powerhouse, yet he paid with his lifespan for your race. If I dont take this out on the dark races, would you rather I take it out on your race? Besides, you people are criminals until you obtain the recognition of the Immortal Heaven. Sinners who neglect to cultivate with all their might deserve to die. Even if they dont die here, they wont make it on the arduous journey back home. The Radiant Emperor was surprised as he had never expected Xu Ran to say such things. He bowed once more and said, This matter is an affront to the heavens, please reconsider. Xu Ran smiled coldly. What, are you telling me to forget about avenging my granduncle? All for some useless criminals? Without my granduncle, you people will be no better than pigs and sheep at this point! The radiant sun will follow my trajectory and whoever disobeys me will be given no mercy! I have full power to execute some criminals. The Radiant Emperor wanted to say something, but Empress Li tugged on his sleeve. Xu Ran said, Lead the way, Im tired now. I wish to rest. We will proceed with guiding the radiant sun in six hours. The Radiant Emperor said, Please follow me. Moments later, Xu Ran arrived at the Emperors chambers. He waved the Radiant Emperor away, leaving only Jian and Ye in the room. Without no one else in the room, the lady asked, Why were you intent on adjusting the trajectory? Xu Ran said with a smile, Dont tell me you dont know. Chapter 1501 Ye replied, Theres no way Id know. Xu Ran wasnt as cold as he was before at this point. Youve been here for fifty years. Give it some thought, what is the rarest thing in this world? The lady replied, The River of Blood! Xu Ran nodded. Exactly! A divine entity that can traverse worlds is rare even in Immortal Heaven. Who wouldve thought there would be one in this remote land? This is a great fortune for me! You mean We must collect it when we return. That way, our trip wont be wasted. Jian said, If that is your plan, why would you draw the trajectory closer? Xu Ran said, Thats because, according to my calculations, its only on this trajectory that we can pry open the rivers foundation. Also, we will be able to leave some inhabitable continents. That way, we can report the matter and use these merits to absolve the clans crimes. Ye asked, Why do we still need to report this matter? Is the River of Blood not enough? Of course its enough! More than enough. But theres no way well hand over such a divine entity. Once I manage to solve the Rivers profound secrets, Ill share the benefits with you two. It might be possible to obtain three thousand years of lifespan haha! Visibly moved, the two subordinates thanked him in unison. Do your job well. I wont mistreat you if I take a step forward. Jian and Ye expressed their gratitude once more before excusing themselves. The Radiant Emperor was still waiting at the door. Seeing the two emerge, he said with cupped hands, Emissaries, if you have some time, Id like to invite you to enjoy some food and wine. On one hand, Id love to express my hospitality, and on the other, Id also like to hear more about the Immortal Heaven. Jian was a bit hesitant, but Ye nodded readily. Seeing this, the man shrugged and followed the others. A night banquet in the Imperial Palace was of a fairly high standard. The man was soon relaxed as he enjoyed the food and wine. He was looking a bit tipsy after finishing several jars of wine. The Radiant Emperor saw that the time was right. I heard the emissary mention that we would need to make meritorious contributions in order to be absolved of our crimes. Of course! Unsealing your spiritual wisdom is just the first step. The second step is to accumulate sufficient merits. Thats the only way we can gain a foothold in Immortal Heaven. Ye interrupted, You dont need to have merits on arrival. You can serve in the dao court after your return and work off your crime. Thats good. The Radiant Emperor seemed much more relaxed. How do we return to the Immortal Heaven? Jian said, With us, of course. You can pick a batch of talented people to return along with you. The others will have to wait here. How many can I bring? Jian said after some thought, Ten thousand is the limit. Ye glared at him, saying, Ten thousand is the absolute cap. I dont think Emissary Xu will let you bring that many people. I think you should pick one thousand to be conservative. One thousand I see, I understand. Void Continent, Indomitable. Qianye fiddled silently with his glass. The Spider Queen was gazing at Qianye with a rare expression of seriousness. Song Zining, on the other hand, was seated rather comfortably as though he didnt really care about anything. Little Zhuji was already asleep in Qianyes arms. A while later, Qianye said, One side has opened a tunnel to the inner world and is drawing in the darkness origins. The other side is summoning a sun. What is wrong with this world? The Spider Queen smiled wryly. The plan to draw in the darkness origins was our retaliation. We didnt know what was happening back then, but we knew that a disaster was coming. Under those circumstances, the Demon King and the Queen of the Night decided that the only way to avert this calamity was to wipe out the humans. Song Zining nodded. Counting from the very beginning, the human race and Evernight have been tangled for thousands of years. Its finally time to settle things. This day was destined since the Chronicle of Glory was activated a thousand years ago, except it arrived a bit sooner. Everything was caused by the humans! the Spider Queen said. Without the Chronicle of Glory, wouldnt we continue being your food and slaves for another ten thousand years? Even before a supreme, Song Zining had no intention of backing off. The weak are food for the strong, that is nature. That is true, but now the rise of the human race is a certainty. Why dont you guys just die willingly? Why are you complaining? Visit ReadNovelFull[.]com for extra chapters. The Spider Queen was furious. Such insolence! Are you courting death?! Even if I die now, the radiant sun will arrive tomorrow. How long can you live then? Song Zining sneered. Seeing the deadlock before him, Qianye said helplessly, Lets quit the fighting. We have only one day left, why are you guys here instead of preparing for battle? The Spider Queen said, Its because we are on the verge of destruction that we require every supreme we can get. Do you think they will let you go after the sun arrives? Youre the first drop of the rivers blood. Qianye glanced at Song Zining. What will happen if we stop the Chronicle of Glory? Without the Immortal Ancestral Lands support, we will enter a state of backlash after our surging fortune dies out. What do you think will happen? Song Zining replied with a question. There was no need to reply because it was so evident. The human race would die out in less than fifty years, even without the darkness origins. Qianye smiled ruefully; now, this was a difficult dilemma. If he didnt stop the Chronicle of Glory, Evernight would be wiped out. If he did, the humans would not survive. More importantly, the human races desire to return to their ancestral land would be completely destroyed. There was one more question. Could he even stop it if he wanted to? The Spider Queen said coldly, This world was ours, to begin with. You people came from the outside and now you want to wipe out the sacred races. How dare you make this sound so right and proper? What does all of this have to do with me? If worse comes to worst, Ill just look for a new world somewhere. Qianye felt annoyed. You cant escape. Marshal Lin left a message saying that you are the key to the Chronicle of Glory, Song Zining said. Why am I the key? Qianye chuckled. Song Zining gazed at him for a while but said nothing. Qianye glanced between the Spider Queen and Song Zining. He then rubbed Zhujis head, saying, Zining, just be frank. What do you suggest? There is one way. What is it? Qianye asked. The space behind the Spider Queen began to fluctuate as she prepared to attack. She would rather destroy this enemy first if Song Zining said something she didnt like. The latter paid no heed to the potential danger. Do you know why you would always run into various twists and turns of unexpected opportunities, why you always have this feeling of inevitability? I dont know. Very well! Since you asked me, Ill tell you what I think. If I were you, I would rather proclaim myself king instead of ascending the Sacred Mountain. What? the Spider Queen cried out in surprise. Chapter 1502 Why proclaim myself king? Qianye wasnt too interested. You might not know, but actually, youve already built something fitting of Evernight standards, Song Zining said. You mean Fort Continent? Yes. What does that have to do with the current situation? If you join the Sacred Mountain, you will become a member of the Evernight Council. The Spider Queen has said so herself, even a supreme cannot decide everything. Even with Nighteye helping you, the two of you wont be at an advantage if the others team up against you. How can humans feel at ease following you? The Spider Queen frowned but said nothing. I dont want to be king Its not about what you want at this point. Theres no escaping the current predicament. Have you not had enough of being taken advantage of? Why would you not take things into your own hands instead of letting those weaklings bully you? Song Zining wasnt holding back. The Spider Queen said, Becoming a supreme is no different from proclaiming yourself king. Song Zining said indifferently, Qianye is the strongest among the supremes, and he will surely be able to suppress the Sacred Mountain in the future. Why then should he team up with you people and suffer the restraints? The Spider Queen sneered, Of course, I know how strong he is, but itll be too excessive to say that the first drop of blood can suppress the Holy Mountain. Song Zining laughed. Do supremes only see as far as the River of Blood? The rivers true secret is chaos! An energy that can contain anything and everything, the origin of all existence! The Spider Queen was somewhat shaken. Clearly, she did not know the true face of the first drop of blood. All she knew was that Qianye cultivated chaos origin power, an origin power on par with Andruils mirage moon origin power. She did not know how that origin power was related to the river. Qianyes future is not as an expert of Evernight, but as a daybreak heavenly monarch! The heavenly monarch realm is but the beginning of the path. The only problem was that the environment here would make it difficult for him to progress. Now that the human races accelerated fortune is coming to an end, our lifespan will increase greatly. Whats stopping him from reaching the next level? Do you think being the leader of Evernight is so awesome? Song Zining spoke rapidly and ruthlessly. The Spider Queen was livid. Daybreak and Evernight are two extremes of the spectrum. Theres no way to compare the two. That might be true, but the path you people are on is wrong. Just because you cannot achieve certain things doesnt mean Qianye cannot. The Spider Queen fell into deep thought instead of getting angry. Then what is the path we should be taking? Song Zining was stunned. He glanced at the Spider Queen to make sure that she wasnt joking. After some hesitation, Song Zining said, Every race has its own path. The path of an outsider can only be referenced but not copied. Thats why youll have to explore and figure out the true pathit will not drop down from the sky. For instance, the human race built a path for ordinary humans to contribute to the race by leveraging black stone, steam, and kinetic power. The immortal path is great, but not everyone can follow it. The Spider Queen listened attentively. Thank you for the advice. Song Zining looked rather embarrassed. Im not the one who figured out this reasoning. It was a culmination of the knowledge of countless predecessors. Qianye still had no idea what he wanted to do after listening to all that. Song Zining asked, Qianye, did you figure out what your path was when you ascended to the heavenly monarch realm? My path let it be. That has nothing to do with the present. Qianye shook his head. Song Zining didnt pressure him, either. Instead, he passed him a jade piece. This is for you. Qianye picked up the yellowish piece of jade and found that it was a box that could be opened. A strange sensation came over him when the box entered his hands, almost as though something was resonating with his life. What is it? Feather of Fortunate Omens, something Marshal Lin left for Prince Greensun before his passing. Monarch Zhang gave it to me without opening it, and Im now handing it to you. What is that thing? Why didnt you guys open it? Qianye was curious. This is a gift from Marshal Lin. Who would dare open it recklessly? After pondering, I think you are best suited to receive it. Song Zining seemed to be suppressing his laughter. Qianye was puzzled. He was just about to put away the jade container when it popped open. Countless feathers flew out from the box and entered Qianyes body. Qianye trembled all over. He then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The Spider Queen was startled. She wanted to reach out but Song Zining stopped her midway, shaking his head. At this point, even the supremes of Evernight were wary of Lin Xitang. Since this was an item left behind by the man, even Rosniaknown for her unparalleled physiquewasnt willing to touch it. Song Zining waited in silence. This wait lasted for an entire hour. Seeing no signs that Qianye would wake up, the Spider Queen looked a bit anxious. Song Zining, on the other hand, was as unmoved as a mountain. Are you not afraid? the Spider Queen asked. She found this supposed successor of Lin Xitangs divination arts rather interesting. I wont die, whether or not the Chronicle of Glory succeeds. I have nothing to fear. Song Zining laughed. The Spider Queen felt a bit angry but not enough to act up. It was at this moment that Qianye suddenly opened his eyes. A drawn-out howl emerged from the heart of the void continent as he did so, almost as though some entity was responding to him. Qianye glanced up at the sky, his gaze fixated at a faraway point. Turns out theres another realm above the Pillars of Time. Its called Heaven. Song Zining was shocked. What did you say? Isnt the Pillars of Time the peak of the Art of Heavens Mystery? Wait, how do you know the art so well? Qianye laughed. Didnt you teach me back then? Song Zining thought back and recalled that he did indeed teach Qianye some basic principles. However, he never mentioned the name of the art at all. He glanced at Qianye in puzzlement. What did Marshal Lin tell you? What else is after the Pillars of time? Qianye didnt reply. He merely stood with his hands behind his back, lost in his own thoughts. Song Zining had a lot of questions, but he had no choice but to keep it all bottled up. Other topics might be fine, but it just so happened that this was related to the Art of Heavens Mystery, the most profound art in the divination field. This curiosity was not easy to suppress. Song Zining glanced at his palm, where a row of words was appearing. This was Empress Lis handwriting. The Art of Heavens Mystery is an orthodox art left behind by Duke Xu Fu of Immortal Heaven. This Marshal Lin managed to derive a new realm beyond its highest rank?! Song Zining was shaken. If thats the case, why did he fall at the void continent? Who in this world can even kill him? At this point, Qianye sighed lightly and turned around. I understand now. What will you do? the Spider Queen asked. Im going to see Anwen right now. I have some things to discuss with him. Afterward, I will meet that emissary. The Spider Queen didnt understand what was going on, but it was a good outcome that Qianye decided to get involved. So, she decided not to ask further. She flicked out several spider webs, making sure everyone had a thread attached to them. Let me know when youre ready, Ill take you to the Hall of Fate. Qianye gazed toward a certain point in the void. He then flicked the web away with a smile and vanished. ( = ) Chapter 1503 Imperial Capital, Divination Pavilion. At this moment, the Divination Pavilion was surrounded by elite guards. The four giant ballistae at each corner of the pavilion were emitting a terrifying aura. The bolts loaded in them were actually made of colossus bones! The cannons were actually made to defend the palace, but they had been moved to the Divination Pavilion. The place was now a key area for the human race. In two more hours, the great array under the pavilion would be used as the foundation to deploy a peerless secret art. This would guide the radiant sun into its new orbit and complete the thousand-year plan that was the Chronicle of Glory. Xu Ran was walking through the hall, inspecting every pattern of the array in detail. He performed the checks personally and didnt once complain about the labor. Jian and Ye followed him closely all this time. The Radiant Emperor was standing quietly in a corner of the hall, a wisp of darkness appearing on his forehead from time to time. Xu Ran stood up as he finished checking the last rune and glanced at the Radiant Emperor. Youll recover as soon as the Chronicle of Glory is complete. Today is the last day, so bear with it for a while. The Emperor replied, Thank you for the concern, Immortal Emissary. Xu Ran asked casually, How are Prince Greensuns injuries? The Radiant Emperor replied, He appears to have relapsed today, he still cannot use origin power. Xu Ran said with a smile, Thats correct. Our treasured medicine possesses miraculous healing properties, but the patient will lose his origin power for three days. I forgot to tell you. The Radiant Emperor raised his brows. It turns out you had everything planned out. Xu Ran laughed. This is to stop certain people from acting rashly. We cannot take any risks with something as important as the Chronicle of Glory. This way, there will be no accidents. You are wise, Emissary. The Emperor bowed. Xu Ran said, No need for formalities. Once the Chronicle of Glory is completed, you people may return to the ancestral land with me. This desolate place cannot compare at all to Immortal Heaven. When the time comes, Ill help you obtain the necessary resources to further your cultivation path. Once you have achieved a certain level of strength, you can rebuild Marquis Jis glorious legacy. Thank you, Immortal Emissary. The Emperor seemed delighted. Xu Ran glanced outside the window, his eyes turning an eerie gold. Everything is normal right now. The Chronicle of Glory will enter its orbit in one more hour. How are the air defense and the great array? Jian said, The great array has been inspected, everything is normal. Ye said, The humans barely have any airships left, so theres no air defense to speak of. Only a dozen or so serviceable airships remain. Not to mention a great dark monarch, even a duke can wipe them out. Xu Ran nodded. The barbarians are also out of cards to play. Ye said, Its fine even if they barge in. Theyll lose thirty percent of their cultivation once the array covers them. Well then go up and kill them all! Xu Ran laughed. Good, finish them all! Thats how it should be! Jian wanted to say something, but seeing Xu Ran laugh, he decided to stay quiet. The latter hadnt finished laughing when a divination expert behind him fell limp to the ground. His laughter came to a sudden stop. He turned around to find the diviners dropping like flies, blood flowing out of their mouths and noses. It was clear that they would never survive. T-This Xu Rans limbs went cold. He stared at the Radiant Emperor with a razor-sharp gaze. Whats going on? The Radiant Emperor seemed a bit panicked as well. Did they suffer a backlash because they were overloaded? Xu Ran revealed a cold smile, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger and stronger. The Radiant Emperor sensed the change as well. The surprise on his face slowly faded away as he said calmly, Why ask if you already know? Xu Ran gritted his teeth. Did you do this? The Radiant Emperor smiled. Most of them are brave men who chose to take their own lives. Some of the reluctant ones took a bit of fixing. Xu Ran reached out and grabbed the Radiant Emperor by the neck. The latter was a heavenly monarch, but he simply couldnt put up any resistance at the moment. Xu Ran sneered, Criminals! Do you think I have no way to deal with you? So what if you are a heavenly monarch. The Chronicle of Glory is in my hands. As long as your name is in the list, you can forget about using a speck of origin power against me! The Radiant Emperor was a bit shocked at first, but he grew calm after learning the truth. And here I thought I had embarrassed my ancestors. I granted you life, power, riches, and allowed you to protect your people! Are you not satisfied? Why would you do this? The mans voice was fairly sharp and harsh. Put me down and Ill tell you. Xu Ran loosened his grip, dropping the Emperor to the ground. The latter first tidied up his crown and robes before saying, Our Ji clan ancestor founded the Empire. In the light, he fought valiantly on the battlefield; in secret, he made continuous sacrifices for the Chronicle of Glory. Today, the Founding Ancestors bloodline is almost gone! What was all of this sacrifice for? Was it for lifespan? For riches? For power? Whats the point of all that when we no longer have a bloodline? Xu Ran took a step back subconsciously. It is the Founding Ancestors teaching that the Ji clan must be at the forefront of every matter. Weve held the throne for one thousand and two hundred years for all daybreak citizens! If I were to return to the ancestral land with a thousand people, how will I face my ancestors in death? How will I face the citizens who recognize me as their ruler? Ji Jian cannot and will not abandon the masses to follow a single person! Y-You Xu Ran was livid. He was so angry that he didnt know what to say. It took him a moment before saying angrily, All living beings are dogs to an immortal! What masses? Youre just criminals and ants! Do you think ants could cultivate the path to greatness and build up the dao hall? Whats the point of having millions of ants? Once the radiant sun arrives, all of them will die! The Radiant Emperor said, Ten thousand years ago, our Ji family was also an ant. I might be a heavenly monarch today, but I have not forgotten my roots. I still remember that I am also an ant, just like the people of daybreak. Xu Rans brows knitted together in anger. How stubborn! To live and die for the masses is a justifiable fate. Then die! Xu Ran slammed the Radiant Emperors head with his palm. All color faded away from the Emperors body, turning him completely grey. He did his utmost to move his eyes, hoping to glance at Empress Li one last time, but he stopped moving midway. His body first turned into flowing sand, which then transformed into smoke that slowly faded away. Who else is dissatisfied! Xu Ran roared. It was then that he realized that there was no one left from the Empire except Empress Li. The only ones standing were Jian, Li, himself, and his guards. Xu Rans eyes twitched. He had a feeling that his subordinates were all looking at him with weird expressions. He collected himself and said to Empress Li, Do you have a way to salvage the situation? Empress Li replied calmly, as though nothing had happened. Allow me to think. Very well, hurry up! Ye walked over to Xu Rans side. What if she cant figure out a way? Xu Rans expression turned harsh. If she cant think of a way, we will let the sun run through the Evernight World. If I cannot obtain the River of Blood, I will destroy this world! I understand! Yes expression was cold. It was then that a clap of thunder rumbled through the sky and a majestic mountain appeared in the air above the capital! Its appearance shook the great array to its core, so much so that it might shatter any moment. Xu Ran was shocked upon seeing the grandeur of this mountain. What is this?! The Sacred Mountain of Evernight. Empress Li sighed. That sigh almost sounded like a mournful sob. Chapter 1504 Ye said to Xu Ran, The barbarians have three leaders. Theyre not listed within the Chronicle of Glory. We cannot let them approach. Nodding, Xu Ran said to the man, Activate the array and meet the enemy. Jian bowed and left immediately. The entire Imperial Capital trembled as the light from the array flowed through the area, intensifying constantly as it did so. Radiance erupted from every household and condensed into the array, contributing to the defense effort against the invading enemies. This was a manifestation of the will of the capitals citizenry. Their unadorned wishes over hundreds of years had merged into the array, which actually stopped the Sacred Mountain in its tracks! The peak of the Sacred Mountain. Qianye was standing at the very front, a trace of darkness faintly visible in his palms. The Spider Queen was standing behind him in her true form, a jade green spider that was almost a hundred meters long. She lifted the Sacred Mountain with her giant limbs and slammed it down on the array repeatedly. What is this Sacred Mountain? Empress Li said, Reportedly, the dark races possess two semi-dimensional weapons, and the Sacred Mountain is one of them. It usually watches over the Evernight Council, so I never expected it to appear here. Who wouldve thought mere barbarians would possess some uncanny technology? Xu Ran seemed a bit more relaxed after confirming that the array could stop the invaders, but soon, he recalled something else entirely. What about the second semi-dimensional weapon? No sooner had he asked than the object came into viewthe City of Eimer. The City of Eimer was surging with demonic energy. Operated by three great dark monarchs, it leaped out of the void and accelerated rapidly toward the array! A torrential circle of blood energy appeared around the City of Eimer as it approached the array. It was almost as though the city was being bolstered by the River of Blood. The barbarian queen! Ye stepped in front of Xu Ran. The emissary was shocked. Tell Jian to come back! The array wont hold! He activated his powers in a hurry but it was too late. The City of Eimer barreled over at great speed and slammed right into the capitals array! A loud rumble ensued, and a ten-meter laceration appeared on the Great Qins immovable array, stretching almost ten thousand meters in total. Most of the buildings in the capital collapsed and countless residents lost their lives. The City of Eimer broke down into several rumbling fragments. The three great dark monarchs on it looked withered and exhausted. The Eternal Flames cloak of fire was also extinguished for the first time. Lilith appeared at that moment and left with the three great dark monarchs. The capital array was flickering unsteadily and seemed like it would shatter any moment. Jian staggered over with one hand over his chest and half of his sword in the other. He had been badly injured by the charging city. Xu Ran heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that the mans aura was relatively stable. He passed over two bottles, saying, Take the blue one now to heal your injuries. The red one is the immortal ascension pill, use it to maintain your peak strength in battle. Thank you, Emissary. Jian took the blue medicine and saw his aura gradually rising. The Sacred Mountain pressed down at this juncture, shattering the array amidst an explosive rumble. Xu Rans expression was harsh as he waited for the Sacred Mountain to land. As for how many people would die in the Imperial Capital, it wasnt his concern in the slightest. However, the mountain hovered upward instead of coming down. The doors to the Divination Pavilion flew as Qianye sauntered in. So this is the Divination Pavilion that my adoptive father once led. His eyes landed on the corpses of the divination experts. He was a bit surprised at first, but he then shook his head, saying, Theyre an annoying bunch, but it seems they gave their lives for the cause. Qianye flicked out countless scarlet sparks which, upon contact, burned the corpses away entirely. Xu Ran remained staring at Qianye the whole time. His hand moved within his sleeves as he secretly performed calculations, but to no avail. Who are you? Qianye finally glanced at Xu Ran. You must be the emissary. Indeed I am. You can hand the Chronicle of Glory to me, Ill relieve you of the burden. You may return to where you came from. The emissary was furious. Insolence! How dare a sinner speak to me so! I can slaughter your nine generations because of your disrespect! Qianye replied calmly, That means youre not willing? Dont blame me since youre seeking death! A cold gleam flickered in Xu Rans eyes. He gestured toward Jian, who immediately pointed a finger at Qianye. A beam of sword energy burst forth like a rainbow and shot through Qianyes back. However, the target flickered and vanished from the spot. He was now in the air above the Divination Pavilion, gazing down at the capital. Apparently, he had no intention of paying any attention to the emissarys group. Xu Ran was livid. He appeared in front of Qianye all of a sudden and swiped! This was the first time he had launched an attack in person. The world changed colors as his fingers opened; the entire Qin Continent seemed to be resonating with him. The might of that single swipe was beyond that of a supreme! A thread of spider silk appeared from the side and latched itself to Xu Rans wrist. A wisp of blood energy appeared on the other side and bound itself to the mans palm. The two forces tightened abruptly, exerting a force that was on par with Xu Ran himself. The emissary roared angrily. He tried to struggle with all his strength but couldnt move at all. At this point, Qianye had produced the Red Spider Lily and fired! Countless spider lilies filled the sky, blooming and wilting rapidly in the process. Xu Rans face turned red and his body shook violently. Both shocked and angry, he erupted in a golden radiance that stretched far into the sky. This energy dissolved the blood energy and spider thread. Qianye also had no choice but to withdraw. As the light faded away, a piece of white jade in Xu Rans palm dispersed into smoke. The mans expression looked rather pained. He glanced left and right, saying, Good! You barbarian leaders seem to be struggling even on the verge of death! Xu Ran might possess miraculous powers, but he still wasnt a match for the Spider Queen or Lilith in terms of brute strength, let alone both of them. This led to him being restrained and taking one of Qianyes attacks. He never imagined Qianyes unassuming strike would cause so much damage, even destroying one of his life-saving treasures. Qianye wiped the Red Spider Lily clean before putting it away. I knew it wouldnt be so easy to kill you. Its good that youre not willing to leave, I didnt intend to let you live anyway. Now that youve attacked first, I wont be breaking any promises. Xu Ran sneered, Well youll need to have that ability first. Where are my guards? Form the Dark Heaven Array! He called out thus but there was no reply. Jian and Ye exchanged glances, not knowing what had just happened. Where are the guards?! Xu Ran shouted. No one replied. This time, Ye charged into the palace below and surveyed the surroundings before returning. Theyre all dead. How?! Xu Rans expression was fierce. They were poisoned. The poison acted up as soon as the array was activated. Xu Rans face twitched in hatred. Ji Jian!!! Chapter 1505 At this point, Xu Ran calmed down instead. Mere sinners dare attempt to defy the heavens! Ill show you what it means to be an immortal. He stretched out a finger and summoned an altar out of thin air. On it were seven items: a book, a sword, a bow, a crossbow, a piece of jade, a talisman, and a cauldron. With a wave of his hand, Xu Ran placed the sword and crossbow in the hands of Jian and Ye. The blade transformed into a giant sword made of yellow jade, a weapon that would project the images of mountains and rivers with each swing. The crossbow in Yes hands was like a serpentine beast of legends, loaded with three bolts. The emissary pointed at the sky and the cauldron flew up in the air, spewing radiant light that would protect the altar and himself. He pointed at the ground and the ancient tome expanded below his feet, carrying him and the altar into the air. Seven small arrows appeared as Xu Ran picked up the bow. The weapons name could be seen carved upon the bow: Godfright. Xu Ran nocked an arrow on the bow and said coldly, You will pay the price for angering me. Do you think you can deceive me with that misled divination art of yours? He fired an arrow at Empress Li. The arrow flew at extreme speeds, arriving at its target the moment it left the bow. Empress Lis body jolted. She revealed a mournful smile as she glanced at the arrow that had pierced her chest, her eyes bright and clear. So thats how it is! Ive finally seen through fate! Her body slowly fell limp to the ground as blood sprayed out in all directions. Xu Rans expression was unsightly. Mad! Youre all mad! Emissary, this Ye asked in concern. No matter! This woman is a sinner and should be slaughtered. Xu Ran nocked a second arrow. He naturally wouldnt say that Empress Li had clouded his judgment with divination, making him believe that she was the center of the conflict, hence depriving him of one arrow. Of course, the others wouldnt leave Xu Ran be. Countless spider threads stabbed at the cauldrons light barrier, causing it to flicker unsteadily. The Spider Queens attack was capable of shattering mountains, but it couldnt break this screen! On the other side, a torrential wave of blood energy arrived and a blood moon hung in the air. The Queen of the Night had joined the fray in a pincer attack. With two supremes attacking, there was simply no room for others to step in. The blood energy spread all over the cauldrons radiance. When the moons light showered down upon the cauldron, the treasure actually shrank a bit! Two repeats of this process would reduce the cauldron to dust. Qianye stood watching from a distance. He was rather surprised at this unprecedented treasureit was able to block the Spider Queens attack and Liliths pincer assault. It could even sacrifice its own mass to block powerful attacks. There was no way to threaten Xu Ran without destroying this cauldron. It seemed like the cauldron could take on two more combined attacks. Xu Ran possessed seven such treasures, no wonder he was so arrogant. The three combatants made it look easy, but they were actually controlling earth-shattering forces in a tiny space. Those below the great dark monarch realm would be pulverized upon approaching. Xu Ran finally looked serious. He had just noticed that he had underestimated the supremes true strength. With a loud roar, he drew on his bow and fired two arrows in succession at the Queen of the Night! The first arrow struck Liliths chest and the second nailed itself in her forehead! No one knew where this bow had come from, but even the Queen of the Night couldnt evade its shots. Even at this point, Lilith didnt retreatshe pushed out another moon despite the injury, shrinking the cauldron once again. The treasure was finally on the verge of collapse. Xu Ran clenched his jaws and grabbed at the air, conjuring a wisp of flaming light. He drew another arrow and ignited it with the flames, then fired at Liliths blood core! This one was a split second slower than the previous ones. Lilith was dragged a thousand meters away by dark golden blood energy. Qianye appeared in her place, stopping the incoming projectile with the dark intent in his palms. The arrow shot into the darkness, but the flames didnt extinguish. Instead, the raging flames burned up the darkness Qianye had released. The latter retreated swiftly and watched as the two forces consumed one another. Xu Ran fired two more arrows at the Spider Queen who withdrew rapidly after taking the hits. Another arrow appeared in Xu Rans hands. He glanced at his surroundings, saying, Who wants this? The surroundings went silent for a moment. Xu Rans arrows were excessively tyrannical, capable of injuring a supreme in two shots and would probably kill them with a third. None of the other great dark monarchs could take the blow. Xu Ran felt frustrated. If Empress Li hadnt deprived him of one arrow, he wouldnt need to resort to intimidation tactics. He could simply kill the two supremes. With those two gone, the only true enemy left would be Qianye. With all those treasures in hand, there was no need for him to fear a sinner. A blazing stream appeared in the air, raining fire upon the cauldrons barrier. The screen wavered under the bombardment and almost looked like it would collapse. The Wolf Sovereigns figure appeared in the air, holding the Tempest firmly in his hands as he fired rapidly! The Tempest was known for its unparalleled firepower and was the most suited for battering fortified positions. In the Wolf Sovereigns hands, the weapon dealt even more damage to the barrier than the Spider Queen. Courting death! Xu Rans eyes lit up with the flames of anger, and the next moment, that last arrow had pierced the Wolf Sovereigns chest! The Tempest came to a sudden stop as the werewolf slowly turned into the dust. The Wolf Sovereign glanced down at the gaping hole in his chest and realized that his heart was gone. Understanding his fate, he glanced toward Qianye. The latter nodded. The werewolf monarch revealed a satisfied expression, although he looked a bit regretful when he glanced one last time at the Sacred Mountain. The Wolf Sovereigns tall frame collapsed beside the Tempest. Qianye clenched his fist tightly, but his hands relaxed after a moment. Seeing the cauldrons light still holding out, Xu Ran heaved a sigh of relief. He was just about to speak when he noticed someone had appeared from the palace below. Before him, mountains would split open and the stars would make way. While Xu Ran was shocked, that person took a step forward and threw a punch at the light barrier! A crisp sound echoed through the air as the cauldron shattered into pieces. D-Didnt you take the medicine?! Xu Ran could hardly believe his eyes. Its not so hard to suppress its effects. I only have enough power for one punch, and this is my present to you. Zhang Boqians origin power receded like the tides. That did little to diminish Xu Rans surprise. He had never heard of anyone in the Immortal Heaven capable of circulating origin power under the same circumstances, let alone attack at full force. What exactly was going on here? As someone with a thousand years of cultivation, he eventually recovered from the shock. Jian, kill him! Zhang Boqian retreated a hundred meters in a single step. Jians figure followed him like a shadow and made ready to slash! It was at this time that a refined man appeared behind the heavenly monarch. Why would you keep forcing our hand? This person dragged Zhang Boqian behind him as he faced off against the giant blade. Jian let out a burst of sinister laughter. Youre nothing compared to us! The words Heavenly Weapon: Vanquisher of Evil appeared on the sword as he swung it down! ( = ) Chapter 1506 As the two exchanged blows, the scholarly man was pushed back a hundred meters while coughing up blood. Jian was startled. He glanced at the Vanquisher of Evil and then back at the man. Taking an all-out blow from me, youre not bad! Your sword is even better! State your name. As an opponent worthy of respect, I will remember you after I slay you. The scholarly man wiped the blood from his mouth. This sword is Teia, the Emperors sword. Now that the son of heaven has sacrificed himself for the people, I shall take up this responsibility. My title is Riverglance. Ive forgotten my name, but my surname is Ji! Jian felt solemn respect for this person. Very well! He charged forward with his blade toward Riverglance. It was only at this point that he put his skills on display. His moves were bold, powerful, and backed by strong momentum. In terms of swordsmanship, he was even stronger than Xu Ran. It was just that Lord Riverglance was also a master of the blade. Although he had yet to become a heavenly monarch, he was able to keep up with the injured enemy. Teia erupted with a blinding radiance as it slowly overpowered the Vanquisher of Evil. The two entered a stalemate, with Lord Riverglance barely holding out. It did seem like he would be defeated any moment. At this moment, Qianye exhaled deeply, saying, Emissary Xu, looks like its our turn. Xu Ran sneered, I still have my treasures, lets see what aces you have up your sleeve! Qianye simply stood in the air without uttering a single word. He then pointed upward at the sky. A clap of thunder ensued, and the sky tore open to reveal a raging river. This was the River of Bloodits arrival signified its first appearance in the Evernight World since time immemorial. Xu Ran shuddered. So you are the one who can summon the river! You only just figured that out? Too late. Following a gesture, a bolt of dark lightning appeared from the depths of the river. It traversed the chaotic time and space to strike Xu Ran! The River of Blood ran through countless worlds, and this thunderbolt was akin to the combined power of several worlds combined. Xu Rans hair immediately stood on end! At this point, he finally realized why Qianye had been holding back all this time. He was afraid that the attack would be absorbed by a life-saving treasure. Thinking back to the arrow he had fired at Empress Li, he couldnt help but feel regret and heartache. The most important thing right now was to preserve his life! With a loud roar, he burned the talisman and tossed it at the lightning. The dark lightning quietly struck the talisman. All of a sudden, the flames burst into the sky! The aura emanating from those flames exceeded even the supremes! Attracted by this aura, the dark lightning snaked into the raging blaze. The fire turned black while the lightning lost its target, causing it to circle about in the air before dispersing. Qianye coughed a couple of times, and his face flushed red momentarily. An immortal life-saving treasure is indeed extraordinary! Xu Ran gritted his teeth hatefully. It wasnt supposed to be used like that! The talisman was an extremely valuable item, but the emissary had no choice but to use it to block the lightning. This doubled his hatred of Qianye, but he really had no choice since the lightning far exceeded his expectations. Even a supreme would fall if they were to meet it head-on. Qianye didnt look dejected after missing the shot. The Empire and Evernight lost so many heroes because of you. I cant let you keep your life. Xu Ran glanced at the River of Blood and laughed wildly. The river is pretty calm now. Looks like youve used up most of its powers. Can you deliver a second blow? Xu Ran wore a fervent expression all the while. The River of Blood was still in its primitive state, yet it could deliver such power in Qianyes hands. If he could refine it for a thousand years, how powerful would it be? At this point, both the Empire and Evernight had lost many of their top experts, and many others had been drained. Moreover, his subordinate Ye hadnt made her move yet. The advantage he held was apparent. The only thing unfortunate was that the sun could no longer enter its intended orbit. This world was probably done for. Qianye produced the Red Spider Lily and took aim at Xu Ran. This time, there was a pair of wings on it. The emissary sneered. Do you think Ill fall for it a second time? He waved his long sleeves, producing numerous mirrors around him. He had been relying on powerful treasures all along; this was the first time he had deployed his own ability. My eighty-one exquisite mirrors are sentient. They can assess the threat and decide how many of them are needed to protect the owner. I often use this to assess how powerful an attack is. Looks like youve been preparing this shot for some time. How about it, dare you give it a try? Qianye said nothing as a black feather shot out from the gun! The feather stirred almost all of the mirrors into action. Xu Ran was flabbergasted. Most of the mirrors merged together to block the feather, which vanished quietly upon contact. Several dozen mirrors were also shattered from the impact, leaving no more than twelve intact. Xu Ran had never imagined that a skill he was so proud of would be mostly destroyed. The cry of a phoenix echoed through the air at this point. Xu Ran looked up and saw countless experts on the Sacred Mountain. Although they were all ordinary experts below the duke rank, they numbered in the thousands. Xu Ran sneered. Whats the point of summoning all these ants? Do you want to bite me to death? The experts stood there without the slightest movement, but Xu Ran felt that something bad was coming. All of a sudden, flowers of blood bloomed all over the Sacred Mountain, all over these experts. A bird leaped out from the sea of flowers, chirping as it landed on one of the experts head. Countless birds heeded the call, appearing one after another from the sea of flowers until they formed a massive dark cloud over the Sacred Mountain. This flock of birds turned toward Xu Ran and charged! The emissary soon found himself surrounded by a flock of birds. The mirrors killed countless incoming birds, but they also crumbled in the process. Finally, the man was drowned by the deluge of avians. Insolence! An angry roar erupted from the flock of birds. Countless beams of gold shot out from within, destroying all of the birds around the source. Countless experts collapsed to the ground, withered and unconscious as they were drained of all origin power. Xu Ran appeared once more. His robes had been reduced to rags at this point, and notably, his long sleeves were gone. It would seem those sleeves were protective treasures as well. Xu Ran was somewhat stunned as he glanced at the dark-haired lady atop the mountain. Instead of attacking, he asked, Who are you?! All of a sudden, he saw his own figure in the ladys eyes! Xu Ran was shocked out of his wits as he felt a sharp pain on his forehead. It was during this moment of distraction that he saw a gun appear in the ladys hand. Soon, a stream of flowing light assailed him. It dispersed into specks of light akin to flowing waters and passing years, something that would never return once gone. Xu Rans golden hairband broke apart, causing his hair to hang loose over his shoulders. A stream of blood flowed down from his forehead. Good, good, good! Xu Ran uttered with a sinister expression. Ill make you wish you were dead once you fall into my hands! He roared harshly, Jian, what are you waiting for? Use the medicine! Jian fished out the red medicine and finished it in one go. All of a sudden, the veins on his forehead began to bulge. He let out a bestial roar! Xu Ran, on the other hand, picked up the jade piece from the altar, bit his finger, and drew some runes on it with his blood. Chapter 1507 After ingesting the medicine, Jians body bulged up noticeably, and his giant sword released radiant flames! He raised the blade above his head, ready to deliver the final blow! However, his movements froze, and he never managed to deliver the slash. There was a giant hole in his chest, within which hung a beating heart. The flesh around the organ had vanished entirely. Murderous Crossbow He tried turning toward Lady Ye, but before he could do so, he heard the sound of a crossbow shot. His heart was gone. Jians body stood petrified in place. Lord Riverglance would never let go of this opportunity. He stepped forward with a full swing of Teia and took off Jians head. Just as he was wondering whether or not he should join the battle against Xu Ran, Zhang Boqian shouted, Take the sword, retreat! Riverglance came to his senses. He immediately put Teia and Vanquisher of Evil together before leaving with Zhang Boqian. This sword was excessively powerful, and he had experienced its strength first hand. If it were to fall back into Xu Rans hands, the situation would change quite a bit. Xu Ran could no longer care about Lord Riverglance at this point. He was pointing at Ye with a trembling finger, speechless in anger. Ye clenched her teeth and pulled the trigger once more. The last bolt in the crossbow disappeared as soon as it left the weapon. The only indication that the weapon had done its work was Xu Rans pained expression and cries. The emissary coughed up a mouthful of blood. You wretched slave! How dare you scheme against me! Who instructed you to do so?! No one. Impossible! Why would you betray me when Ive treated you so well? Ye refused to reply. Instead, she drew her dagger and charged at Xu Ran. The man had taken a blow from the Murderous Crossbow, but the injury did little to hinder his movements. Seeing the lady charging over, he swung his palm at her like a blade. This palm-blade transformed into countless shadows that drowned Ye out entirely! The lady let out a muffled groan amidst the tempest of blades, but she managed to hurl her dagger at Xu Ran, striking him squarely in the shoulder. This was a trade of blows. No one knew what enmity she had against the man that she would put her life on the line like this. The emissary was utterly furious. He brought his fingers together like a sword and roared, Overwhelming Sword Energy! All of a sudden, a wisp of black fire flew over from behind. This fire didnt look all that eye-catching, but Xu Ran felt threatened by its very existence. He had no choice but to swing around and fire the sword energy at the black flame. Not only did the sword energy extinguish the flames entirely, but it also pierced through Progia who had fired it. A wave of demonic energy surged around Progia, protecting him and the Sable Blessing as they retreated to the Sacred Mountain. After a continuous barrage of attacks, Xu Rans expression was as gloomy as still water. You people still dont know the price of offending me. My accursed jade can taint your familial bloodline, cursing all of your future generations. The weak will die young, while the strong perish immediately. Who wants to try it? The Empire was unfazed, but the Evernight experts were shocked. They had relied on their bloodlines for tens of thousands of years, so this curse was the bane of their existence. They might not fear their own death, but they were hesitant after hearing that their descendants might be eradicated. Xu Rans blood jade was a genuine treasure, and there was no need for him to lie. Thinking about the powerful treasures he had deployed previously, it wasnt hard to guess that this one wouldnt be too far off. The mans bow had injured two supremes and killed the Wolf Sovereign, after all. No bloodline would be able to withstand the jades curse. Only Qianye took a step forward. Ill fight you. Xu Ran revealed a sinister smile. Just what I wanted. He crushed the jade without further words. A black blood curse rose from his hands and made straight for Qianyes forehead. A hint of darkness appeared as Qianye stared at the incoming attack. He was about to use the Book of Darkness to resist it. A dark figure flickered beside Qianye at this moment, ramming into the curse like a bolt of lightning! It was actually the lady, Ye! You Xu Ran didnt know what to say for a moment. As the curse entered her body, a curse mark appeared on the womans face. It was similar to the rune on Xu Rans hand. Very well. Since youre willing to let your descendants suffer the curse, so be it! At this moment, a curse mark also appeared on Qianyes forehead, but it was so faint that one could barely see it clearly. A similar curse mark also appeared in the River of Blood, a mark so big that it looked like a dam amidst the raging waters. It was attempting to lock down the rivers flow. It was just that the River of Blood was a manifestation of countless worlds and timelines. A single slam of its majestic tides shattered the curse immediately. The mark on Qianyes forehead also vanished. Ye coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, but her mark also faded away. Xu Ran hadnt imagined such an outcome. For some reason, the curse had spilled over to Qianye and then downstream into the River of Blood. As the first drop of blood, a curse on his bloodline was akin to cursing the river. This feat wasnt something ten of Xu Ran could achieve. This worldly power wasnt something a single life-form could destroy. Xu Ran roared, If something happens to me, the sun will go out of control and destroy this entire world! If you all kneel down and recognize me as your master, I might be merciful enough to shift the sun away, saving this world from sure destruction. We wont trouble you with that. Ive finished calculating the new trajectory, and all we need to do now is to send you off. Anwen appeared on the Sacred Mountain. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a star map containing a new trajectory far from Evernight. Xu Ran scanned the battlefield. Very well, I admit defeat. However, its quite the delusion you have if you think you can kill me. I will return to the Immortal Heavens and report this to the dao court. Thirty years later, I will return with a great army, and you will face annihilation! The book under Xu Rans feet flew open and countless pages flew out. The pages surrounded him as he slowly rose into the sky. Qianye wanted to attack, but to his surprise, he couldnt lock onto the emissary. Under the protection of those pages, it felt like Xu Ran was both in this world and not in this world. Qianye didnt feel that frustrated even when he was facing the cauldron. Xu Ran let out a burst of long laughter. The ability of an immortal is not something you people can imagine! Not necessarily! A cold voice resounded as eight azure pillars appeared around Xu Ran, slowing down his ascent. The emissarys expression shifted drastically. Youve managed to brush the surface, but unfortunately, youre not a heavenly monarch. I might not be able to leave if you were. Zhao Jundu walked out of the void, holding a shockingly long rifle. The weapon was simple, ancient-looking, and covered in runic carvings. Also, it looked like this old weapon could only fire once. The name on its stock read: Soulrender. Zhao Jundu said nothing more. He simply raised his gun and fired! Chapter 1508 The bullet left the chamber amidst a loud rumble and tore right through the pages! The projectile grazed Xu Rans chest, tearing through all the flesh and revealing a row of golden ribs. The pages in the air burst into flames after he was struck, and that ephemeral sensation around the man suddenly vanished. You managed to hit me! What is that secret art?! Xu Ran glared at Zhao Jundu. For the first time, the calm Zhao Jundu found himself in a difficult spot. How was he to explain Trueshot? A shot that is always true? Any explanation would sound like he was making fun of the other party. While he was thinking about it, his vision went dark, and he fell off the sky. Soulrender was a weapon only heavenly monarchs could use. Zhao Jundu wasnt one just yet, so a single shot drained him entirely. Xu Ran glanced once at the world below him before riding away on his ancient book. All of a sudden, he sensed an inexplicable sense of danger and jumped out of sheer instinct. A garish sword radiance swept past under him at that moment. Out of nowhere, a girl in a white dress appeared. She still looked as innocent and puzzled as she always did. W-What is this?! Xu Ran was startled. This girls entrance was too uncanny and out of place. The girl moved all of a sudden. Shaken, Xu Ran raised his arms to protect his body against the potential attack. This world was being absolutely unreasonable. This was clearly a desolate land, yet they had produced an endless stream of strange experts, pushing this emissary into a corner. He was out of treasures at this point, so he had to be careful. He was guarded against the incoming attack, but he never wouldve imagined that the girl would go for the book. She latched onto the tome with her little hands and tugged hard! Xu Rans connection to the ancient book was cut off, and the girl dragged the item away. The girl turned and fled, biting the sword in her mouth and holding the book on her head. Xu Ran staggered from the anger. Qianye shouted from below, Kongzhao, thats not your sword! The girl swung her head in his direction and let the blade fly toward Qianye. She then ran away with the book in tow, never to be seen again. The sword stabbed into the ground beside Qianye, still trembling slightly from the impact. Qianye let out a wry smile as he put away the blade. Why not come down? An expressionless Xu Ran slowly landed on the ground. Now that things have reached this stage, what do you have to say for yourself? Xu Ran plucked a hair from his head and transformed it into a blade. Enough nonsense, come fight me if youre so capable. Allow me! The arachne warlord Noxus jumped down from atop the Sacred Mountain. Xu Ran charged forth to meet the incoming combatant, unleashing a torrent of sword radiance that restrained Noxus entirely. This hair-sword was his true power, with which he made short work of Noxus. The warlord could hardly retaliate. The arachne warlord roared furiously, but both his armor and the constitution he was so proud of felt like paper before Xu Rans blows. He was covered in wounds within moments. Fortunately, the arachne possessed powerful lifeforce, so these injuries werent a threat to his life just yet. Noxus charged in from a risky position and finally managed to land a blow on Xu Rans chest. This was the first time he had struck the enemys vitals since the battle began. Clang! The axe managed to cut through the emissarys flesh but was bounced back after hitting his metallic chest bones. Noxus was stunned for a moment, during which a slash arrived at his waist. The arachne did not have the time to evade. The attack cut open his abdomen and almost split him into two. Several spider webs flew over and enveloped Noxus at this point, then dragged him away. The Spider Queen had stepped in to save the warlord. Xu Ran didnt go after the target, either. He stood there with his sword pointed at the ground and said coldly, Im invincible as long as Im protected by the power of the chronicle. You cant destroy me even if you destroy my physical body. The Immortal Heavens will send people to investigate if I dont return in thirty years. Only death awaits you all when the time comes. Even now, how many are you willing to sacrifice in order to destroy my physical shell? The power of chronicle? Qianye walked over to Xu Ran. Exactly. The power of the chronicle binds together the radiant sun and this world. No one from this world can remove it, did you think I came unprepared? Xu Ran sneered. Qianyes consciousness sank into the depths of his body, where a jade box sat within his heavenly monarch crystal. It was the Feather of Fortunate Omens! Qianye raised his hand and formed a sword with two fingers, which he thrust toward Xu Ran. The emissary made no effort to evade and merely stabbed Qianye through the waist. The two attacked almost at the same time. The incoming sword pierced Qianye all the way through and emerged from his back. The pain caused even someone like him to groan softly, which proved that there was definitely some other power on the blade. Qianyes sword fingers, on the other hand, were stopped by the emissarys rib cage. At that moment, a small jade box opened at his fingertips, revealing a drop of water so transparent that it was hardly visible. That was the Martial Emperors gift. Qianye exerted some strength, shouting, Go! The waterdrop shot through Xu Rans ribs and shattered his heart with relative ease. The emissary was shocked. I have a great future ahead of me. How can I die here He fell onto his back with open eyes. The Feather of Fortunate Omens transformed into countless butterflies that flew up into the air to form a familiar figure. Qianye trembled all over. Adoptive Father! Lin Xitang turned around to face him. Qianye glanced at his surroundings and found that everything was quiet. Everyone was focused on the dead Xu Ran, so much so that none of them noticed what was happening over here. Lin Xitang glanced at the emissarys corpse. Back when I learned of the Martial Ancestors backup plan, I knew he was also skeptical of the Chronicle of Glory. Its just that the human races fortunes had been accelerated, so we had no choice but to complete the plan. Otherwise, the human race would never survive the calamity once it was over. The Martial Emperors plan wasnt perfect, so I added to it and removed the seal in that last attack. It looks like I made the right choice. The Immortal Emissary is indeed difficult to deal with. Qianye wanted to say something, but Lin Xitang already knew what he was going to say. You did well, very well in fact. I paved the way for you, but the path was extremely difficult. In truth, I didnt know whether you would succeed. Not only did you reach the end goal, but you did so in a much better fashion than I had imagined. What you have achieved today, what the humans and Evernight have achieved today, is something you did on your own. Other people may be able to guide you, but they cant help you take a single step. Unfortunately, the human races fortune has come to an end, otherwise, I wouldve been able to set things up in leisure. There wouldve been no need to force the fight on the void continent to expedite the momentum. You would not have to suffer so much, either. Qianye said, Im not afraid, but what should I do from now on? Lin Xitang smiled. Youve grown up and youve long since found your own path. What youve done on Fort Continent is something I couldve never imagined. You should keep following your own path. Qianye wanted to say something, but Lin Xitangs image became blurry as the butterflies began to disperse. Adoptive Father! Lin Xitang turned back to him. What else do you have to say? Are you really dead? Of course. But who in this world couldve killed you? Lin Xitang smiled, saying, No single person in this world can kill me, but the well-being of the countless living beings here can. With that, he turned around and left, slowly merging into the world. Chapter 1509 Now that the Immortal Emissary had been executed, the next important matter was to deal with the radiant suns trajectory. The Radiant Emperor and Empress Li had already performed the necessary calculations. After the death of the diviners, the sun would lose its momentum a quarter of an hour earlier than planned, dropping into a new trajectory that would circle around the Evernight World. The next day, at the Imperial Palace. Qianye and Lady Ye stood face to face, neither of them speaking. Ye gazed intently at Qianye, observing him in great detail. The latter remained silent as he didnt know what to say. It was Lady Ye who broke the silence. Ill tell you about myself. Our clan ancestor is a powerful general under the late Duke Xu. By the time it was my turn to watch over the Evernight World, he had already been promoted to the count rank. Most of our clan descendants accumulate merits by fighting on the battlefield, including myself. Even the Dao Court cannot punish titled nobility without good reason. Qianye nodded. How are your injuries? The curse has dissipated, and the rest are just minor wounds. I should be fine after three days. How will you handle the matter of the Immortal Emissary? Should we prepare to face off against an immortal army? Lady Ye said with a smile, Xu Ran is a sinner since he wanted to keep a great treasure for himself. He brought this upon himself. The Xu clan doesnt have the moral high ground even if this matter goes to the Dao Court. Moreover, Xu Rans actions might not have been endorsed by the clan. Its more likely his own decision. The Dao Court has always been fair, so this shouldnt be a big problem. At most, we will have to redeem ourselves by earning more merits. Qianye felt relieved. I thought thered be a war. Having seen Xu Ran, Qianye wasnt all that confident about a fight against the Immortal Heaven. What do you plan to do about the humans of this world? Lady Ye asked. Qianye already had a plan. Whoever wishes to return to the Immortal Heaven, I plan to let them do so. Those who dont want to may stay. Its just that we need to accumulate merits to return. Not only do we not have any, we even killed the Immortal Emissary. That makes things a bit difficult. Who says you dont? What do we have? Qianye was a bit curious. Actually, the machines that run on black stone that allow ordinary people to perform impossible feats, now that path is a merit and a significant one at that. That counts? Of course! Not many in the Immortal Heaven can enter the Dao Court. The top powerhouses are either busy fighting on different fronts or focused on how to prolong their lives, going into centuries-long isolation periods. No one has the time to pay attention to ordinary people. The ordinary people of Immortal Heaven all strive for ascension, so they would spend all their resources on cultivation. Those without resources would have to struggle bitterly, hoping to save enough for the next generation. Without sufficient focus on industrial production, the overall production is extremely low. There hasnt been any improvement in tens of thousands of years. The Immortal Heaven might be boundlessly vast, but its sparsely populated compared to the Evernight World. Ordinary people live a life of hardship with barely sufficient food to get by, let alone enjoy life like in the Evernight World. Qianye was surprised. Do the immortals not have amazing powers and boundless might? A random powerhouse could easily modify the environment and help the people out. The supremes and great dark monarchs did the same for their people. The reason the Twilight Continent was so suitable for the vampires was because of Lilith. Wherever the Queen of the Night stayed for a period of time, she would turn the land into a haven for vampires. The great dark monarchs and princes have done the same thing. They mean it when they say the myriad people are just ants. They wouldnt spare a glance for the little people. You will know after you set out on the heavenly monarch path that you are different from ordinary people. In Evernight words, youre on a completely different level. I see. Thats why the basic-resources utilization here is far superior to the Immortal Heaven. If we can implement the technology over there, the number of ordinary people we can support will increase a hundred-fold. Moreover, the people will enjoy fulfilling lives, which in turn will improve the Dao Courts fortune. Finally, Lady Ye said, Evernights direction is close to the grand path. Even ten Rivers of Blood cannot compare to it. That laughable Xu Ran only saw the river but completely missed the true treasure. Qianye heaved a sigh of relief. Itll be best if we can wipe away our sins. I wont need to worry about those returning to the Immortal Heaven then. At this point, Ye sighed. You only need to look at Xu Ran to guess how those major characters think. They wouldnt even glance at ordinary people under normal circumstances, much less care about their survival. I mightve missed this path if my elders hadnt reminded me repeatedly to pay attention to Evernight or if I hadnt lived here for fifty years. My last 100-year shift here in Evernight went by in just two isolation periods. Since the Immortal Heaven was sparsely populated, Qianye didnt need to worry about the returning humans. They might even fare better in a daybreak dominant world. How many people can return to the Immortal Heaven? After some calculation, Ye said, The transport vessel on the radiant sun, called the moving palace, can hold about twenty thousand people. Well need a cosmic palace if we want to move more people. Those supersized transport vessels can hold five hundred thousand. Even Qianye was startled by this number. Wait, let me call Anwen and Zining over. Theyve probably finished calculating the new trajectory by now. Moments later, Anwen and Song Zining sat down in the room. They were accompanied by Nighteye and Predica. Nighteye simply leaned against Qianye without saying anything. Predica summoned a projection of the Evernight World, one that was much more detailed than the Empires version. After all, the Evernight races had lived here for countless years, and the powerhouses had been exploring the void. Although they didnt know the reasoning behind everything, they did make sure to explore every inch of their home. Anwen outlined a trajectory on the map, saying, This is the radiant suns current trajectory. The problem is that the radiant sun will release daybreak origin power from time to time. We need to move it to a more distant orbit and also find a way to expand the inner-world tunnel, drawing in more darkness origin power. That is the only way we can balance out the two attributes. Otherwise, the sacred races will all die out at one point. Looking at the long term, however, a balanced world is more in line with the entire universe. It will also allow us to expand and develop better. The world is currently short on daybreak origin power, so the radiant sun can keep going for three weeks. We can change its trajectory after it has released sufficient daybreak origin power. Qianye nodded. How many do you think will want to return to the Immortal Heaven? Song Zining said, The number far exceeds our expectations. No one knows what the situation is over there, but it seems like paradise from our current point of view. Also, that place is a world with dominant daybreak origin power. Everyone will be able to cultivate faster after returning, and their lifespans will also increase. Its also our ancestors wish to return to our roots. Lady Ye said, Not a problem. Ill return and send two cosmos palaces over. We can bring back one million people. Song Zining shook his head. Thats far from enough. Anwen spoke at this point, I have an idea. Chapter 1510 Be it Nighteye, Qianye, or Song Zining, all of them had gotten used to Anwens outlandish ideas. Ye, on the other hand, wasnt so familiar. Anwen tapped the image of Evernight and revealed an image of the Radiant Sun. The sun will release daybreak origin power no matter which trajectory it follows. The funnel that connects Evernight to the inner world will only last for a limited time, and it cant fully cancel out the effects of the sun even when its expanded. The best outcome is actually for the sun to return whence it came. Qianye and Song Zining exchanged glances. Ye said, The vessel can leave the sun and return to the Immortal Heaven on its own. Anwen pointed at the human continents and pushed them toward the sun. Since we have so many people returning to the Immortal Heavens, we can push the human continent onto the suns trajectory. When the sun returns to the Immortal Heavens, the continents will follow it along the way. This will probably make things easier for the travelers on this long long journey. That way, well have eliminated the transportation problem. Everyone exchanged glances. Anwen said, This isnt impossible. In fact, Ive already calculated their orbit around the sun. This is the trajectory of the first continent, the second one goes like this, the third A tangle of lines appeared around the sun, but Qianye couldnt tell them apart anyway. All he could see were different tangled lines. Everyone was just staring at Anwen as though they had seen a ghost. Anwen scratched his head. Okay, the orbits look a bit confusing, but we can actually split them into three parts. The first phase is where the sun orbits around the Evernight World. During this phase, we will be pushing the continent into orbit. The second phase is where we push the radiant sun out of the Evernight World. The continents will accelerate along with it, but the path will only stabilize in the third phase. We must also consider the gravitational pull from Evernights sun, which makes things a bit more complicated. It was just that those tangled kelp-like lines were more than just complicated. Lady Ye could hardly hide her surprise. How did you calculate all that? Even those in the Immortal Heavens might not be able to accomplish this. As someone who had dabbled in divination, she knew just how complicated those trajectories were. I modified the apparatus in the Hall of Fate just a little bit, Anwen whispered. Predicas expression turned dark. It was just that he couldnt act out with Qianye and Nighteye at the scene. Otherwise, he mightve pounced at Anwen. Now that the cat was out of the bag, Anwen continued, After the modification, I was able to route a small portion of the apparatus power to perform calculations. That increased my computational power by seven hundred times. I also modified my own calculation methods so that they only require one-tenth of the initial resources. In that way, I was able to calculate the continents orbits. Everyone listened incredulously. Anwen was used to this response. In fact, he felt that it was the right opportunity to introduce his personal ideas. Everyone, the situation in Evernight is vastly different right now. Under His Majesty Qianyes leadership, I believe that humans and the sacred races of Evernight will be able to live together from now on. Hence Predica jumped to his feet and roared, Forget about touching the fate apparatus! Anwen looked a bit embarrassed after having his plans seen through. Half of it will work too. Not one bit more! Song Zining seemed thoughtful. How much more can you calculate if you have the entire fate apparatus? Anwens eyes lit up. At least three thousand times! And thats just the original mechanism. I think there are many places that I can optimize, or I can even install new models. With it, the secrets of this world will be no more. Everything will become transparent before the calculation power! Predica was anxious now. He said to Qianye, Your Majesty, the fate apparatus is our demonkin races. How about you lend it out? Song Zining smiled. No! Predica was firm with his decision, which made Anwen feel a bit dejected. Fine. Song Zining was unexpectedly easy-going today. Predica glanced at him suspiciously. What are you plotting? As the great prophet of this generation, Predica knew that they had lost utterly in the centuries-long fight between prophets and diviners. The man had no more desire to compete against Lin Xitang, and he didnt dare look down on the young Song Zining, who was known as the marshals successor. Song Zining chuckled. Name a price. What? For the Hall of Fate! Predica slammed the table. This is the demonkin races treasure, theres no way well sell it. It has been partially modified, no? Song Zining smiled. Predica was at a loss for words. All he could do was glare at Anwen. Song Zining continued, Its already incomplete, so its not worth much. Sacred treasures are priceless! True, true. Song Zining fell into contemplation. What are you thinking about? Predica had a bad feeling. Im thinking how much itll cost to build a new one. Impossible! If you can build a new Hall of Fate, Ill Predica wanted to say something, but he quickly remembered that the humans now had the backing of the Immortal Heavens. Song Zining ignored Predica and said to Anwen, Does it have to be the same fate apparatus? Not necessarily, but this apparatus makes it easier to accept void origin power. Why dont we build a new calculation machine based on divination? Anwens eyes lit up. Predica could no longer sit still. That wont do! Why not? Anwen is a demonkin. Weve always assumed the role of prophets, and hes a genius prophet, to begin with. Prophecy is useless now. This was the undeniable truth, so Predica didnt have an argument for that. The human divination art stemmed from the Immortal Heavens. It was a power that had toyed with the Evernight World for centuries. It could even produce a miracle like the Chronicle of Glory. If it wasnt for Qianye stopping the emissary, the entire Evernight World wouldve been destroyed. Song Zining said, Also, who says the demonkin cannot cultivate divination? Chapter 1511 Anwens suggestion gained unanimous support. Lady Ye felt that bringing a couple of continents back home would gain them even more merits. With such contributions, it would be easy to make up for all past crimes and even raise the status of the returning humans. And what better way to prove the path of Evernight than to bring home two continents? Once the path had been recognized, the Dao Courts rewards had always been generous in this regard. Now that the return plan had been decided upon, the next step was to realize them. The most important part was to push the radiant sun onto its return trajectory, then the continents could follow without a problem. During the earliest phases of the Chronicle of Glory, the sun was drawn into action by the River of Blood. In the end, it was Qianyes ascension to the great dark monarch realm that dragged the sun into the Evernight World in one go. With Qianye and the Queen of the Night working together, it would not be a problem for the first and second drop of blood to activate the rivers power. Whats more, Nighteye would be assisting them as well, so the power output would be even greater than before. Even so, it was still a difficult task to push the radiant sun. The main problem was that the power of the river was too ethereal, majestic, and difficult to control. Qianyes eyes landed on the Eastern Sea as he glanced at the map of the Evernight World. Several days later, an unimaginably gigantic whale appeared on the shore of the Eastern Sea. At this point, the creature was well over ten thousand meters from head to tail. Qianye had a feeling it had gotten fatter during this short time. The whale seemed absolutely delighted, but that didn''t reduce the effort it took for him to properly see Qianye. That was only natural since the latter was almost like a speck of fine dust. "So that''s how the brat Xuansi''s attack works. No wonder. You humans sure love to play strange tricks. There''s no helping it since you''re not strong enough. Well, your final wish has been fulfilled, so it''s finally time for me to roam the void. Give me a lift now and be careful not to hurt my back." Gazing at that round body in the air, Qianye simply had no idea which part was its waist and back. Hauling that whale into the air was no easy feat, even though Qianye was now the strongest in Evernight. Fortunately, he didnt have to do it alone. The Sacred Mountain appeared in the air as Qianye and Lilith worked together to lift the whale out of the water. Nighteye gathered the power of all the experts on the Sacred Mountain and deployed a domain stretching ten thousand kilometers. Four gigantic caves appeared within that domain. Four giants made of blood walked out from the caves and lifted the whale upward. These giants looked like rats beside the whale, but they were so strong that they managed to lift the giant creature upward. In the blink of an eye, Qianyes group used up most of their blood energy. The whale was only about a thousand meters in the air, far from reaching the void. Lady Ye took action at this point. A sword radiance tore through the air and struck the whale at the tail. The giant tail swung down in pain, striking the Eastern Sea with a force so great that it tore right through the landmass. A fragment of the continent broke off from the Eastern Sea and became an island. This force actually helped the giant void whale enter the void. It turned around and glared at Lady Ye. You hurt me! Qianye said thoughtfully, So you do have the power to return to the void! The whales anger weakened significantly. Says who? This old body still needs some help. Erm I guess its time for me to roam the void. Wait, Qianye called out to the whale. I still have something I need your help with. This matter is related to the human races future. We need you! Haha! Im always the most important person. Lets hear it. Well, its like this, follow me. Qianye led the whale toward the Qin Continent. Moments later, the giant whale was staring at the Qin Continent with a blank expression. You guys want me to drag this monstrosity? Are you kidding me? Its not that hard, really. It looks big, but its not that heavy. Anwen appeared in the air. With a wave of his hand, he produced a projection containing countless numbers and formulas. Well only need this much force to move it initially, and the load will grow lighter and lighter as it gains momentum. You wont need to do this alone, either. The River of Blood will aid in the entire process, and so will the Sacred Mountain of Evernight. How much force is that exactly? the whale asked. Anwen immediately listed out the formulas. Im sure you can easily figure out such a simple answer. See? Its not much effort, is it? The whale stared at the countless teeny tiny numbers for a good while before saying, R-Right, its not a lot. Ill help you guys this once! A month went by in a flash. The humans began a large-scale migration between continents. The Qin and Transcendent Continents were chosen to follow the sun. One of the higher continents was also chosen to join the journey. This continent would eventually cool down and become hospitable, and its proximity to the sun would leave it with abundant mineral resources. This new continent would become a resource mine for the humans returning to the Immortal Heaven, laying down an even stronger foundation for them. Some of those originally living on the Qin and Transcendent Continents didnt want to leave, while some of those on the Western Continent wanted to. Hence, countless airships were chartered every day between the continents. At the same time, Lady Ye revealed the true face of the void continent. That landmass was actually the first vessel that had brought the human sinners to the Evernight World. It was a large cosmic palace that could move on its own. After the void continent was activated, it naturally became one of the best tools to haul continents, only second to the immensely powerful void whale. The great hall of the Evernight Council. The hall was packed to the brim this day, with virtually no empty seats. Many Evernight experts stole glances at the newly added section in the hall, discussing amongst themselves in whispers. Those seated in this new section were actually human dukes and marshals. In the air above, there was one additional seat on the Sacred Mountain, and it was Zhang Boqian who occupied it. The other three were taken up by the Queen of the Night, the Demon King, and the Spider Queen. However, there was one more seat that was currently empty. Quiet! A clear voice echoed through the hall. The person standing at the council chairmans seat wasnt a demonkin. It was Lord Riverglance! At this moment, his aura was completely different from before, and his every action contained the might of wind and thunder. Apparently, he had ascended to the heavenly monarch realm. His battle with Jian had made him stronger and restored his confidence, allowing him to step into the next level soon afterward. This could be considered a part of the human races accelerated fortune. The hall quieted down, and all of the members stood up, waiting for the moment that would forever be etched into the history of Evernight. Lord Riverglance announced in a deep voice, The new Evernight Council is an unprecedented entity. I hereby announce that our human race will formally join the council and stand equally with the other races of Evernight. All fighting between the Daybreak and Evernight factions will now come to an end. Loud applause echoed through the hall, eventually converging into a thunderous roar! The two factions had been fighting since the rise of the Empire. A war that had lasted one thousand and two hundred years had finally come to an end. All of the Evernight experts had learned to appreciate the delights of peaceno more descendants would fall in battle, and no more tears would be shed for fallen comrades. Lord Riverglance waited a long while for the applause to die down. The radiant sun will soon leave the Evernight World completely, and the passage to the inner world has closed up entirely. From now on, this world will be one in which the two origin powers exist together. There shall be no more restrictions. All races, both the sacred races and humans, can look forward to a limitless future ahead! Claps rang out once more. Now, let us welcome the monarch of both Daybreak and Evernight, the overlord of all the races, the first drop of the River of Blood, the controller of chaos, His Majesty Qianye. Qianye appeared with Nighteye amidst an earth-shattering round of cheers and applause, slowly making his way up the Sacred Mountain. Qianye let out a long sigh. I promised I would bring you up here. Who wouldve thought itd come true? Nighteye chuckled. You were so weak back then, yet you had all those bold words to say. You were definitely a reckless dummy. Qianye blushed. I was definitely reckless back then. Thats youth! Nighteye smiled radiantly. After the two reached the summit, Qianye led Nighteye to her seat and glanced upward. A throne appeared above all of the other seats. Carved upon the backrest was a scale, the left side of which represented Evernight and the right side, Daybreak. Qianye arrived before the throne in a single step. After a split second of hesitation, he finally sat down on it. This time, there was no applause, but countless experts stood up to perform their salutations. The entire hall was solemn and respectful. Qianye waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down. Next up, the council meeting officially began. Under the guidance of Lord Riverglance and the Eternal Flame, they began discussing the rules for the new council to follow. One law after another was presented, discussed, and voted upon. Qianye remained silent from the beginning to the end. There was no need for him to speak, either. As the sole leader of the entire assembly, he possessed the power to decide on anything. It would take the five supremes unanimous decision to overturn Qianyes decision. The council session was long and tedious, but the top experts here could debate for months, let alone days. Even amidst all the solemnity, there were still some frivolous characters. The human section was adjacent to the demonkin on the left and the vampires on the right. Song Zining, who was seated at the leftmost edge of the human section, poked the neighboring Anwen. Ive already gathered sufficient materials. I also managed to produce a batch of those parts you designed. We can get to work once this session is over. How goes your divination studies? Anwen said in a whisper, Ive covered the basics, but there are a lot of things I do not understand. I also think some of the so-called basic principles need more proof. Correct, itll be a long process. We should finish your calculator first before taking the next step. Calculator? Oh, thats a nice name, sounds better than calculation machine. I think I can expedite our progress by a bit, but you must help me handle Master Predica! Seeing Anwens worried figure, Song Zining was curious. What did you do again? Its not much, erm well Out with it! Curiosity was Song Zinings weakness. I removed two parts from the fate apparatus while he wasnt looking. They should be at our work site by now. Song Zining was speechless. He slapped Anwens shoulder hard, saying, Evil! Chapter 1512 Fort Continent, Cerulean Wave City. The grand dukes residence had been completely renovated, adding several layers on top of its original height. The city was turned into a massive construction site from the inside out as all the city gates were removed and new buildings were erected. The new airship port had just started operating, but a bigger one was already planned out. There were groups of people everywhere measuring and marking plots of land. It would seem that the land here was rising in price almost every minute. The radiant suns arrival completely changed the environment on Fort Continent. It was now one of the best environments in terms of weather and for cultivation. It was also home to one of the biggest mixed-race cities where everyone was equalCerulean Wave City. That was why Qianye had picked this place as the capital of the Evernight Dynasty and the base of the Evernight Council. Every expert wanted a piece of land here, so it was only natural that the price would skyrocket. Qianye glanced down at the busy city from the top floor of the grand dukes residence. He said to Nighteye, At this rate, the lake will soon become a part of the city interior! Nighteye chuckled at the lame joke. Neither of them wouldve imagined that Qianyes joke would become a reality in the near future. The Sacred Mountain leaped out from the void at this point and several figures flew down toward the dukes residence. Qianye said with a laugh, The Sacred Mountain makes traveling so easy. Nighteye sighed. The Sacred Mountain of Evernight is being used as a transport. The dead supremes might be rolling in their graves. Qianye laughed. There will be a lot more semi-dimensional weapons like the Sacred Mountain in the future. Says who? Anwen. This fellow, does he even have time? God knows. He said his calculator can do several decades worth of work every year. Hes moved here, right? A group of people appeared on the platform. Qianye was just about to head over to greet them when he sensed something. He told them to wait for him as he flickered up into the void above. There was a small boat in the void, and on it was a man. Qianye entered the boat and bowed. Prince Greensun. Zhang Boqian turned around and sized Qianye up from head to toe. Not bad! Xitang didnt pick the wrong person. If I hadnt seen you, I would have never imagined such a realm exists. Zhang Boqian pointed at the boat, saying, This is the Elder Monarchs boat. He once brought me to the Eastern Sea on it. Alas, now the boat is still here, but the person is gone. I can only imagine how happy he would be if he were to see all of this. Without waiting for Qianye to reply, the man continued, Then again, the situation today would never happen if he were alive. It must be fate. Is there really such a thing as fate? Qianye asked. Zinings group might have an answer once they crack all the profundities of the art passed down from the Immortal Heavens. Qianye nodded. Are you leaving? Zhang Boqian said slowly, I want to head over to the Immortal Heaven and see how powerful their experts are. I also want to meet the enemies that can give the dao court trouble. After I leave, Ill hope you can take care of the remaining Zhang clan members. With that, Zhang Boqian sent a document flying toward Qianye. This is the list of people heading to the Immortal Heaven. This was a list of the moving aristocracy. Qianye was rather surprised as he picked it up. The Zhao, Bai, and Li are all moving? Zhao and Li want to see the ancestral lands. I think the Bai clan is looking for a fresh start. Zhao Jundu asked me to tell you that his path to the heavenly monarch realm lies in the Immortal Heaven. He asks that you not miss him. Qianye nodded and put the list away. Zhang Boqian said nothing more. He simply waved his hand and drove away into the depths of the void. Qianye watched him until the boat was no longer visible before returning to the grand duke''s residence. Anwen was the first to step forward. He passed Qianye a stack of paper, saying, "This is my proposed plan for the future, please take a look." Qianye flipped through the documents, but there was so much information that he didn''t know how to evaluate them. Constructing a calculation machine based on divination was all fine and good, but the price involved blurred his eyes. He felt that there was something wrong with the numbers, a couple of extra digits for instance. Seeing Qianye''s expression, Anwen tried to explain, "Don''t worry, Your Majesty, we''re only in the early phases. We won''t overdraft funding until much later.'' Qianye''s expression turned dark. The next step after the calculator had been constructed was to analyze the divination arts. The top priority among the short-term missions was to adjust the positions of the remaining continents. They would need to use a number of continents to block the raging firestorms while optimizing living conditions for the others below. This was a grand undertaking. The second priority was to use the void continent as a blueprint to construct gigantic transport vessels, or rather, transport continents. They would be able to transport a hundred million people at a time. The third Qianye wasn''t paying attention anymore. The only thing he could think of right now was: "Where will we get the money?" Qianye gave it further thought, but that was the only thing that came to mind. Anwen''s answer was: "The council of course!" "Where will the council get so much money?" "That''s their problem," Anwen replied righteously. Qianye inhaled deeply, suppressing the chaos energy that was about to erupt. He then beckoned Lord Riverglance over. The man was currently in charge of the council''s internal operations. He duly passed Qianye two documents containing the council''s plans. The first was to explore and excavate minerals in the new world and the Great Maelstrom. They had hardly scratched the surface in these two places. The peace between the two factions had given rise to the possibility of a fully dedicated exploration team. "Regarding the exploration of the new world and the Great Maelstrom, the upcoming calculation machine will afford us the power to survive there. We will soon have the power to explore those places." The second priority was to establish two academies. One of them would promote Anwen''s research methodology and system. The other would be the expanded version of the Divination Pavilion. Once these academies had been formed, the entire Evernight World would change within a hundred years. Finally, the Empire would have to pick candidates for their new Emperor as the Radiant Emperor had fallen. The princes and princesses were not strong enough, and most of them needed to travel to the new world. Hence, two candidates were proposed after considering the Imperial bloodline. One of them was Lord Riverglance, and the other was, quite surprisingly, Qianye. Qianye naturally wouldnt consider the throne and thus Lord Riverglance became the next Emperor. The human Empires territory now stretched five continents. The demonkin and the vampire race gave up one continent each as compensation. The werewolves and the arachne each contributed one continent to Qianyes own territory, adding to the existing Fort Continent. The Evernight Councils direct subordinate forces and the Imperial Guard would all be stationed here, under Nighteyes supervision. If any single race wanted to revolt, Qianye would only need to dispatch an airship fleet to suppress them. Now that the humans had gained new territories and an extended life span, they were sure to expand rapidly. This would cement their power in the Evernight World. The dark races would focus the next thousand years on breaking through the fetters of their bloodline, and they required the humans help in this regard. Hence, a new power structure was formed in the Evernight World. Qianye was greatly satisfied with Lord Riverglances report. The Spider Queens voice rang out in the air. The new air fortress, Apocalypse City, is ready to begin construction. Were only waiting for the radiant sun to leave. Apocalypse City? Qianye didnt remember seeing such a plan. Yes, its the latest upgraded semi-dimensional weapon. Its also the final version. It will serve as your personal ride, an unprecedented air fortress and one that will never appear again! Where is it? Let me see. Very well, Ill come and pick you up tomorrow at this hour. The Spider Queen left. Qianye was a bit puzzled. Where did this Apocalypse City pop up from? At noon the next day, the Spider Queen led Qianye and Nighteye into her own airship. The group then traveled half a day until they were before an enormous entity. Qianye could think with his behind and still tell who this flubberball was. The giant void whale was roaring furiously, Dont even think about tricking me again! Ive grown so thin after helping you guys move 3 continents. Now you want to build a city on my back?! Dream on! A young girl was hovering in front of the creature. We didnt lie to you! She looked extremely sweet, but her petite body was emitting a terrifying suppressive might. Even the whales bellows couldnt do anything to Zhuji. The formulas are wrong! Theyre not wrong. Zhujis smile was like a blossoming flower. She grabbed Anwen, who was hiding in the distance, and placed him before the whale. Explain it to his elderly grace. This is the seventh time now! Anwen protested, but a slap on the back of his head dispelled any dissent he might have had. An obedient Anwen displayed a formula made up of tens of thousands of numbers, spanning several square meters. The void whale glanced over with its several hundred eyes, studying the numbers from various angles. Anwen waited patiently. Finally, the void whale said unwillingly, Fine, this seems correct. Of course it is. No one in the entire Evernight World suspects my mathematical prowess. However, Anwens current formula was completely different from the past six versions he had shown the whale. Even the demonkin himself had no idea what those numbers meant. Who would understand a bunch of random numbers and symbols? Okay, your jobs done now. Zhuji picked up Anwen and tossed him several thousand meters away. She then said to the void whale, Look, building a city on your back is not a burden for you at all. There are a lot of benefits even! What kind of benefits? Youll have an entire city of people working for you, and you can peek at their lives. You wont be bored anymore. Hmm makes sense. The whale seemed thoughtful. Also, you will grow even bigger in the future. The city will remain the same size, so you wont even feel it. Youre right. Qianye wanted to plant his face into his palm. The whale had lived too long in the Eastern Sea; it probably had no idea that cities could expand. The whale actually remembered something. Theres nothing out in the void. What do I eat to grow bigger? You dont need to worry about that! Zhuji immediately replied. There will be so many people in the city. Theyll make sure to feed you. All you have to do is open your mouth when the time comes! The whales eyes lit up. Really?! Little Zhuji was startled, but she had always been cheeky and bold. Of course! Deal! The whale immediately became agreeable. Having reached a deal, the void whale seemed rather satisfied and emotional. Back when I was lying in the Eastern Sea, it was so difficult to get a full meal. My mouth is in the north, but the crafty little fish moved to the south. All I could do was open my mouth as wide as possible and hope for some stray fish to enter. Qianye now had an idea why the whale had grown so big. So this Apocalypse City was a city that would be built upon the back of the void whale, and Zhuji had already settled the matter. One year later. Qianye was standing on the tall platform overlooking Cerulean Wave City. The little dots on the lake were ships shuttling across the waters. The radiant sun was long gone at this point, and Evernight was thriving. The new expeditionary army had just entered the new world. Things had been going smoothly. The vendetta between the two factions still remained in the hearts of many people, but the peace and prosperity might just be able to replace those memories of hatred after a few generations. Qianye thought back to his life emotionally. My path is for all life to have a place where they belong. His mental realm had reached a state of fulfillment at this point. The loud laughter from behind ruined the mood entirely. Song Zining said from afar, Whats this about belonging and life? All you want is to spend your days with Nighteye and not have to work. Qianye was furious. You talk too much! Get to cooking! Its done. So fast? Who do you think I am? Cooking a meal is nothing to me. Qianye glanced into the house and saw a table full of dishes. Feeling much better, he called out to Nighteye and took his seat at the table. Nighteye looked rather lazy and slow with her bulging belly. Song Zining sat down after washing his hands. Ive been cultivating the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art for three decades. Is this how I must use it? Qianye placed a fish in front of Nighteye. Cant help it, that''s the only way anyone can keep an eye on a dozen stoves. Song Zining snorted. He then glanced at Nighteyes belly, asking, How many more months? Three months, more or less. Thats pretty soon. I should prepare a present. Nighteye chuckled. You dont need to prepare anything special. Youll be the childs teacher when he comes out. Song Zinings expression shifted drastically. Absolutely not. Qianye didnt force him. Why are you being so polite today? Is there anything you need? Song Zining rubbed his hands. I have a presumptuous favor to ask. Since its presumptuous, we can just stop right here. Qianye was alternating between wolfing down his food and adding more to Nighteyes bowl. At least listen to what I have to say. Tell me the benefits first. What benefits do you want? Qianye pointed at Nighteyes belly. Be my childs tutor for eighteen years. No! Song Zining jumped to his feet. Fine, lets go back to eating. Qianye didnt mind. Song Zining remained restless. Fine, Ill agree to that as long as you agree to help me. You give me your word first and then Ill listen to your request before deciding whether or not I want to help you. The terms were so lousy that Song Zining could only gnash his teeth. After a moment of internal conflict, he said, Sigh, curiosity is my greatest weakness! I agree to your terms! Qianyes eyes lit up. He revealed an evil smile, saying, Now, what do you want? Song Zining had been waiting for this moment all along. He moved in closer and asked, Whats next in the Art of Heavens Mystery after the Pillars of Time? Qianye remained silent. Song Zining edged closer, his face full of anticipation. Qianye said with a radiant smile, Guess! THE END